Day 64-66. FLIP to Pawling, NY from Millinocket, Maine
Day 64. Said goodbye to Finn, Hot Dog, and Silver Bullet this morning. Finn and Hot Dog are now heading back to real life. Silver Bullet will assess his calf, which is now truly a mess, before flipping back down to Harper’s Ferry. He may need to take a long break before returning to the trail.
After they left, the reality set in. Everyone I knew on trail is now gone. I will head south knowing no one.
I did not decide to hike this trail for social reasons as I am used to being on my own, but the past couple of months gave me the experience of being around some wonderful fellow travelers. And now all the great folks I met are gone.
That’s just life in general, I guess. The people you get to know and become fond of, or even love, end up leaving because they need to do their own thing and pursue their individual lives. It’s just the way it is.
Spending today eating, hydrating, and resting. I journey back to NY tomorrow.
Day 65. Travel day to Poughkeepsie, NY. Gail from the 100 Mile Wilderness Inn drove me to Bangor, where I picked up my rental car and drove 7 hours to Poughkeepsie. Picked up new HOKAs and CBD on the way. YAY!
Felt fantastic until two hours from Poughkeepsie, and then my body let me know that it is truly exhausted. I can barely write this. Will collapse in my Poughkeepsie hotel bed now and pass out.
Day 66. Travel day from Poughkeepsie to Pawling. Returned my rental car in Poughkeepsie, then decided to take another zero. That’ll make three travel/zero days in a row, but that’s okay. My body needs this break.
Am now at a Pawling inn just a couple miles from where I started two months ago. I feel kind of down. Tomorrow I will get on trail, and I will know no one. I won’t run into any of the wonderful people I met going NOBO. That sucks.
Yet the trail calls, and I cannot ignore its voice.
Day 67, Route 22 (Pawling, NY, SOBO mile 744.1) to RPH Shelter (SOBO mile 764.0). 19.9 miles
Going from the Maine wilderness to urban-by-comparison New York is jarring. Neither bad nor good, just jarring. Goodbye to remote wilderness, wild blueberries, and moose poop. Hello to traffic noise, constant cell service, and much easier terrain!
The cab in Pawling picked me up promptly at 6am and I was back at the Pawling AT train station within fifteen minutes. I thought back to two months ago when I joyfully headed north from here. Today, I joyfully head south.
Started hiking and…no rocks! No roots! Well okay, there were some, and there were even more as the day progressed, but still, absolutely nothing like NH and Maine. I delighted in the ease of the trail and got ten miles finished before 10am without even thinking about it.
Had a snack break at 10, then hiked five more trail miles to a road with a half-mile deli detour. Disappointed by the deli. Barely anything there except overpriced Kind bars and small containers of Pringles. Had mediocre pizza at the adjoining establishment, then headed back to the trail.
Now the sun was out in force, and therefore hiking became difficult. The terrain was fine – lots of 500 to 700-ft climbs, but now my legs do that like it’s almost nothing. The heat/humidity, though – ack! Real feel of mid-90s. Had to be very careful to drink enough and take rest breaks even though the climbs didn’t bother me.
Got to RPH Shelter, which meant I’d done 20 miles for the day, and decided to stop hiking even though it was only 3pm. I do not want to push farther in the heat.
RPH Shelter has bunks…and a trash can, and a recycling bin. That’s strange, considering all the shelters I’ve seen thus far don’t want food or trash anywhere near them due to bear activity. The shelter is also situated by a residential road, and I can hear people’s televisions. Since there are only open grassy spots on which to pitch a tent, I decided to sleep in the shelter tonight – a first for me! – to avoid dew/condensation issues in the morning.
Today’s terrain: lots of ups and downs with some ledges here and there. All the ascents and descents felt easy. Went over I84 and the Tacomic Parkway.
Saw nine NOBOS. One said there are probably at least 15-20 more behind him. They are all going to have to flip up to Katahdin at some point if they want to make it there before Baxter State Park closes.
Met one other SOBO, he passed me. He started his hike more than two weeks after I started mine, and he is super fast, so I doubt I will see him again.
Day 68, RBH Shelter/SOBO mile 764 to Dennytown Road/SOBO mile 774.7. 10.7 miles
Only got 10.7 of my intended 20 miles today because the heat took me down mid-morning.
Slept in the shelter last night. First time doing that! I didn’t use my tent since I would have had to camp on grass, and I did not want to deal with dew/wet tent in the morning. I felt unprotected from mosquitoes, but hopefully I wasn’t bitten while I slept. It was hot in the shelter, but I did manage to get a few hours of shut-eye.
Packed up at 4am since I was the only one using the shelter and left using my headlamp at 5. Forecast called for upper 90s real feel today, and I wanted to get as many miles in as early as possible.
Climbed Shenandoah Mountain in the dark…just 1000 feet of elevation gain…and sweat profusely due to the humidity. So before the sun had risen, I was already sweating bullets. Yay.
The miles consisted of ups and downs with ledgy goodness and some overgrown vegetation. All of it would have been quite scenic and lovely had I not felt completely rundown by the heat. Then, around mile 8 or so, I started having what I eventually realized were danger signs.
I felt tired. Like…REALLY tired. Then came the mental fuzziness. I didn’t care where I was or what I was doing, I just knew I had to keep putting one foot in front of the other. But it felt HARD. I stumbled here and there. I began to feel both dizzy and nauseous.
I sat in the middle of the trail and drank water. Then I checked FarOut. A road crossing was coming up that had a water spigot. I stood and slowly made my way to that. Upon reaching the crossing, I saw a small advertisement for a hiker shuttle.
Got cold water from the spigot, sat in the shade of an information kiosk, and drank. Started feeling like myself after a couple minutes. Decided to cut today short even though it was only 10:30am and get back on trail tomorrow when the temps will be cooler. It was only going to get hotter today, after all. Found a hotel and called the shuttle.
Am now in a lovely air conditioned room in Cold Springs, NY. I am TIRED. Will get back on trail tomorrow morning after what I hope will be a long and good night’s sleep in this delicious air conditioning.
Day 69, Dennytown Road/SOBO mile 774.7 to Bear Mountain Inn/SOBO mile 790.2. 15.5 miles
Felt a million times better after spending all yesterday afternoon and evening in super cold air conditioning. Had a good night’s sleep, too.
Got back on trail at 6:15 thanks to shuttle driver Sloth. Temps were in the low 60s, and they never got above the low 70s today. Yay!
Had an enjoyable walk up, over, and down a bunch of little hills (Canopus, Denning, Canada, and a bunch of unnamed ones). I’m guessing between 1500-2000 feet of elevation gain. All the hilltops look kind of the same with cute scrubby trees and scratchy vegetation. Lots of rocks and some ledges too, a bit like Connecticut.
The trail ran right next to a 24 hour deli/market. Stopped in and bought a day and a half’s worth of food, plus a bunch of stuff to eat right there. Enjoyed a bagel with cream cheese, something I had not eaten since pre-AT.
Saw a bear by a trail magic cooler 3.5 miles east of the Hudson River. The cooler was empty, and the bear walked off when it heard me approach. Thought I got a video of it, but alas, I had turned the video off instead of on by mistake.
Met a section hiker named Cap. He started in CT eleven days ago and is heading south.
Saw three more NOBOs. Hard to resist the urge to tell them to flip up. No way they will make it to Katahdin before Baxter SP closes if they are still in NY now.
Entered a popular day hiking area and saw a ton of folks in jeans carrying small water bottles. I can smell their laundry detergent and shampoo. Walked across the Hudson River and through the Trailside Zoo, which has mostly raised-in-captivity and injured animals. People everywhere!
Got ice cream and Gatorade at the vending machine outside of the zoo, which is right by a huge outdoor swimming pool. Walked up to Hessian Lake and there were a billion people on the grass and at the myriad of picnic tables
Went from the Maine wilderness to walking through crowded New York urban parks. I don’t mind, it’s all pretty. Just different kinds of pretty.
The legal camping situation is such that I’d have to go 26 miles today to get to the next shelter. Either that or do no more than 12 miles and camp at a spot with no water anywhere near it. I therefore decided to stay at the Bear Mountain Inn right on Hessian Lake and only steps from the trail. This gives me a relaxed and enjoyable 15.5 mile day. It also checks off a box for one of my non-hiking related quests, staying at a historic hotel in each state.
Bear Mountain Inn was built in 1915 and is one of the USA’s “earliest rustic-style lodges built to take advantage of a natural setting,” according to Historic Hotels of America. It is a contemporary of the old National Park lodges and it sits within the Hudson Valley Park system.
I have been in New York three days and have spent approximately one billion dollars on lodging and convenience store/restaurant food.
Day 70, Bear Mountain Inn/SOBO mile 790.2 to Elk Park by I-87 (New York)/SOBO mile 810.1 19.9 miles
What a fantastic day! Temps never got above 75, low humidity, and lots of beautiful climbs with lovely views! Had about 4000 feet of elevation gain with the many hills and little mountains, but it all felt enjoyable.
Ascended Bear Mountain and enjoyed its touristy feel with its carved rock steps and information signs. Amazing views of the Hudson River and the Hudson Valley area up top. The terrain up there was fun to walk through with easy paths and widely spaced trees. Next came West Mountain and its view back toward Bear Mtn.
Ascended Black Mountain, and wow – gorgeous view of the surrounding mtns/hills and the New York City skyline in the distance! Loved this gem.
Lots of other hills in addition to Fingerboard Mountain and Island Pond Mountain. I had a lot of views here and there, and even when there weren’t views, the tops all felt open with ledges, grassy areas, and widely spaced little trees.
A few little scrambles sometimes, along with lots of rock steps and rocky trails. Went through a narrow gap called The Lemon Squeeze. Had to take off my pack for that one.
I can see how this day would be challenging for a NOBO not used to ledges and little rock scrambles, but for this hiker who just came out of Maine, the day was a lot of fun and never felt overwhelming. The easiest day in Maine is harder than this section in NY. I ended the day feeling sore in a good way for a change (instead of totally beat up).
Almost ran into a huge black snake. It was sticking its upper body out onto the trail in the air, at knee-height. I thought it was a branch. I almost walked right into its face, but then I realized what it was and let out a yelp. At that sound, the snake kind of jumped and slithered backward into the brush. It was a weird encounter, we startled each other.
This was truly a great day. I felt in love with the trail again, instead of just liking it and trying to survive (as I was through most of NH and Maine). This was fun and beautiful and a great work-out without ever feeling brutal. Have to say I really like the AT through New York thus far.
Am at Lakes Lodging Motel tonight. Will do just 12.5 miles tomorrow morning and then return here tomorrow evening (my budget has now officially gone up in flames). It is supposed to rain heavily tomorrow afternoon, so this way I can get in some miles and avoid hiking slabs and scrambles in the rain. I hear there are a bunch of little scrambles between here and New Jersey (now only 20 miles away), and I would prefer not to do them in a downpour.
The rain is needed, as every single water source today except one was bone dry.
I feel really, really good. I love hiking, I love the trail. And no, I haven’t taken my CBD yet. 🙂 I just feel really good.
