- Creepy guy with the Mystery Machine showed up to shuttle them back to the trail... it reeked! I'm going to go out on a limb and assume it smelled so badly because he admitted to habitually relieving himself... in jugs... in the van. That, and his dog smelled like it was slowly decaying from the inside out.
- Climbed up Wawayanda Mtn. and hiked along a ridge with views of the NYC skyline and conspicuously expensive homes nestled along picturesque lakes in the valley.
- Crossed NJ/NY state line which was very fancy in-and-of itself - spray-painted on a rock.
- Stopped for a tasty homemade ice cream treat at the Bellvale Creamery along NY 17A.
- Final break at Wildcat Shelter followed by 2 mi hike to Fitzgerald Falls - where they decided to spend the night and where they eventually found nearly every mosquito in the northeast to have converged for the evening...
- 19 total mi.
- Came across the much talked about, highly anticipated East Mombasha Rd. (the end of Half-brew's hike) - turned out to be your everyday, ordinary roadway. I don't think it quite lived up to the hype.
- Water sources have been harder & harder to come-by. Most trail angels have been leaving jugs of water as trail magic.
- Climbed up Arden Mtn.
- Climbed down Arden Mtn. - described as 'horrible' - steep & rocky.
- Blue blazed along Arden Valley Rd. (in the rain) - Twiggy's 1st blue blaze! (Spock hiked the trail.)
- Hiked the last 4 mi to William Brien Memorial Shelter in the rain.
- Found a really nice father & son duo already set-up in the shelter. The young boy turned out to have terrible night terrors though & broke out into bloodcurdling screams throughout the night. Hearts was lucky enough to have the bunk directly above him but slept surprisingly well in spite of it!
- 18 mi day.
- Climbed up Bear Mtn. which was a bit of a let-down because the observation tower was locked - but they did come across an operating soda machine!
- Hearts left early to hit up the post office in Bear Mtn... also closed - really weird hours.
- Hung out at the entrance to the Bear Mtn Museum/Zoo (the lowest pt. on the entire AT @ 124 ft!). Eventually the group took a walk thru the zoo (free to thru hikers). Said it was really sad & full native animals in small cages... it's a shame bolt & chain cutters add too much pack-weight otherwise those critters could have been free!
- Crossed Bear Mtn Bridge which spans the Hudson River. Bridge must have a bad track record as it was lined with suicide hotline phones.
- Arrived at US 9 and hitched a ride into Peekskill from a self-proclaimed 'Shakespeare nut' with tons of Shakespeare website decals all over her van.
- Ate at local diner & realized there was nowhere to stay... so they headed to the library where they met a police officer who GAVE THEM HIS CAR so they could drive to Fishkill!! Yeah, a police officer GAVE THEM HIS CAR to borrow for the night! You've got to be kidding me - some people are unbelievable! I want to be that trusting & generous someday!
- Taco Bell for dinner #2, resupplied at Walmart (bought my birthday present - a new iPod), and then shacked up in a sweet Holiday Inn Express with a big HD plasma TV for Twiggy's birthday!
- 14.5 mi.
6/20/08 - Down to the lobby for a continental breakfast and then back to the room to pack-up.
Stopped at a gas station on the way out of town to load up on food & beer.
- Took FOREVER to hitchhike back to the trail - eventually someone did stop and they turned out to be another Shakespeare nut! In fact, they were friends with the first Shakespeare nut!
- Got back to the trail late.
- Passed Graymoor Spiritual Life Center and were bummed because they realized they had missed out on an opportunity to experience monk hospitality as the monastery allows hikers to stay at their picnic shelter.
- Hiked up to Clarence Fahnestock State Park & campground only to find the free hiker pavilion overrun with 15 other hikers from a Philadelphia hiking club. So they set up their tarps in their own area & did their own thing... listening to Tupp's radio & beer drinking.
- 12.5 mi.
6/21/08 - Hiked back to the trail. Around Canopus Lake. And up Shenandoah Mtn.
- Break at RPH Shelter - which was a little cabin that you could have pizza delivered to - but they didn't know & missed that opportunity.
- Made up for it. At NY 52 they hiked down to Danny's Pizzeria & Mtn. Top Market where they ate their pizza and packed out more beer & munchies.
- Hiked over I-84 & climbed Mt. Egbert.
- Arrived at Morgan Stewart Shelter fairly early so they started a fire & hung out.
- 16 mi.
6/22/08 - Woke up to rain, but it didn't last long.
- Crossed NY 55. Hiked around Nuclear Lake - the site of a former nuclear fuels-processing research facility given a clean bill of health but they didn't take their chances with the water anyway - and there were no blueberries nearby for Hearts nibble on so we lucked out there, too.
- Break at Telephone Pioneers Shelter (odd name).
Saw the largest oak tree on the AT - the Dover Oak - I believe there is a picture of Amos hugging it... - Passed the AT train station - which shuttles day hikers from NYC & only runs on the weekends.
- Hiked to NY 22 & stopped at Tony's Deli for lunch - bet you're wondering if they packed out more food & beer...
- ... of course they did.
- Heading back for the trail they came across a landscaping business and found that one of their fellow thru hikers, Root, got a temporary job there to help finance more of his trip!
Next section of trail included some scenic field walking followed by pointless ups & downs. (Funny, that's how I see the entire AT!) - Break at Wiley Shelter - worst shelter ever - which says a lot if you remember the ones without roofs & running water back in Virginia. Described as small, dirty, crappy, rundown, with lots of mosquitoes.
- Crossed the NY/CT border with a 'WELCOME TO Connecticut' sign!
- Climbed up Ten Mile Hill and then back down to Ten Mile River where they took baths & swam for a bit. Amos went skinny-dipping while Tupperware preferred to remain in his skivvies.
- Well deserved after a 20.5 mi day! Stayed at Ten Mile Lean-to.
6/23/08 - Trail meandered along the whitewater section of the Housatonic River Gorge (future kayaking trip)!
- At Schaghticoke Rd. they veered off the trail and walked toward Kent to see an Indian Reservation - disappointed to find the residents very poor & living in run-down homes.
- Arrived in Kent - 1st real New England style town. Upon entry they were greeted with rich Cape Cod influenced homes and a huge boarding school that looked fancier than most colleges... yes, even Muskingum!
- Outfitter, laundry, grocery store, post office, Pizza Garden (expensive!), then beer.
- Poured heavily while they were in the laundromat and the attendant shrieked at another thru hiker, Cricket, for being in the bathroom too long... wonder what she thought he was doing in there??
- Left Kent, walked along the road & saw Kent Falls which was gushing from the recent downpour.
- Next stop - Cornwall Bridge. Everything was closed except the liquor store and a gas station. BUT good news is that the owner of the gas station upholds a tradition that all thru hikers who stop by get a free beer! He also clued them in on a covert camping locale in town - a secluded spot behind the church.
- So they snatched up a few snacks from the gas station and camped out behind the church!
- 19.5 mi.
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