I'm in New England!

Day 111 

I spent the morning getting things done at the house. Weedeater made pancakes, eggs, and home fries for breakfast which was delicious. I then had a full stomach as I worked on my blog and wrote another newspaper article.

Sue's parents took us back to the trail after lunch. Chameleon and I put in a short day. It was not exactly motivating to know my pack weighed 36 pounds when I left the house. Perhaps I should have weighed just my food separately because going into town my pack felt so light!

Day 112

There was a light rain up until the last five miles of the day. I walked over multiple swamps that had wooden walkways to keep my feet dry. Despite the portions of boardwalk-like trail I still must have squeezed at least a 1/4 cup of water from each sock and insole. I was happy to take of my boots this evening!

The trail did a complete horseshoe around a wildlife sanctuary. I saw two swans, a crane, a rabbit, and a small mammal (possibly a beaver) in the pond. Unfortunately no pictures today due to the rain!

Day 113 

I crossed into New York! Chameleon and I took photos at the border while swatting away mosquitoes. The  mosquitoes are currently humming next to the screen of my tent trying to figure out how to get inside. Setting up my tent with so many biting bugs was worse than setting up in the rain.

Before leaving New Jersey I climbed up Wawayanda Mountain. Oddly enough that felt like the first real mountain in a while. Pennsylvania and New Jersey were both quite flat, though rocks did make the trail challenging. New Jersey felt very short and was quite enjoyable!

Walking the boardwalk in a wildlife preserve

Day 114 

Late last night I heard a loud banging noise that sounded much like a dumpster shutting. The odd thing was is happened over and over again. Then it got worse! It sounded like a rock tumbling around in a dumpster. Then there were flashes of light. Was it really strange thunder and lightning? Then it dawned on me, fireworks were going off. They sounded so strange, perhaps because the sound was going over a lake and up a valley. At least I eventually figured out what it was!

My first impression of the Appalachian Trail in New York: it's rocky, it goes up and over all rock faces, blazes are painted on trees but hikers have to figure out where the trail is, there are real mountains, lots of broken glass, many mosquitoes, and many blown down trees. I am curious to see if all of New York feels like today. There were some great views!

up and over

lots of blazes, but how do I get there?

The weather was hot and muggy. As I sat on a rock for a rest it reminded of how I didn't shiver for months when I arrived in Chuuk. I was able to give myself a bandana bath in the early evening which helped eliminate some stickiness. Unfortunately my armpits are beginning to chafe again. Despite my complaints I am still happy to be on the trail!

Day 115

Many of my water sources today were trail magic water. It was so lovely not to have to filter the water and to "camel up" at unexpected spots on a hot day. Before the first trail crossing this morning Chameleon and I came across a cooler full of fruit for hikers! What a treat to eat a banana and a nectarine as a second breakfast!

I spent the afternoon walking through Harriman State Park. It was beautiful and had so many different terrains and landscapes. Parts of the trail were on old dirt roads, then rocks faces, then through fields of grass and ferns, then scaling rocks and squeezing through the lemon squeeze. I also went for a quick dip in the lake and took a shower! It felt so good to wash of layers of sweat and dirt.

Our camping spot tonight is great. We are near the top of a mountain with a view looking west. I watched the glowing sun sink behind the mountains. The wind is blowing in the leaves- I think I'll sleep well tonight.

Day 116

Happy 1400 miles! Chameleon and I had a quick photo shoot to celebrate. The sun was hot and we were squinting like crazy.

Happy 1400 Miles!

The trail took me up bear mountain which had a great tower on top. The stairway leading up to the view had old photos and facts about the history of the tower and inn. I may have seen the skyline of NYC or perhaps it was just wishful thinking. I also walked through a zoo which the trail passes through. It had bears and foxes as well as a bunch of reptiles, amphibians, and fish. The black bears there were brown and fat. I didn't know black bears could be other colors!

Chameleon and I tried to resupply in a town but encountered construction the made crossing the bridge as a pedestrian impossible. Thankfully we had enough food to camp tonight and head into a different town tomorrow.

Day 117

It is currently raining and I am excited. I am dry, I finished dinner before the rain started, and I should sleep well listening to the rain drops falling onto my tent. The air has also cooled off a bit. So happy I didn't get wet feet today!

The trail today felt very different from the rest of New York thus far. I did cross the Hudson River, perhaps the two are related. There were zero views today and very few rock faces. As a result hiking felt a bit easier, even with my pack full. Lots of beautiful green woods!

Our camping spot is close to an area that was clearly a party site on the fourth of July. When we first arrived it looked a bit like a crime scene with trash and camping debris everywhere. Thankfully there were other thru-hikers here so we camped near them.

Day 118

I am super tired and am ready to sleep. Here are the highlights from today.

Bathing in a lake

Seeing trail maintainers move boulders

Three deer

Trail magic- grapes, juice, chips & Clementine

Last night people walked up to the trashed campsite at midnight and stayed around yelling and laughing for an hour. All four of us were awake but didn't want to come out of the darkness to tell the people to go away.  

Day 119

I walked by a beautiful lake that had very easy access to the water, unfortunately it was called Nuclear Lake. A hiker later in the day told me he went for a swim and he's just fine.

I had some trail magic today! There were snacks and drinks left by hikers we met on the trail in Virginia. They knew exactly what hikers crave: juice, soda, cookies, crackers, fruit, fake fruity snacks, and more. It was lovely!

Tonight I'm camping between a road and railroad tracks at a garden center. There are many other hikers here too, including a pair of hikers that have the same tents as Chameleon and I.

Day 120

I walked into Connecticut! It feels so good to be back in New England again. There were a couple of mountains today too. Soon after entering Connecticut I walked by a river for a while which really made me feel I was in New England.

Today Chameleon and I met our first southbound hiker who started in Katahdin. We stopped and chatted for a bit and discovered his sister was a Peace Corps Volunteer in the Philippines. It will be fun to start meeting more hikers heading south. 


Day 121
This morning I walked into Kent in hopes of getting new socks and bags for water.  I should have looked at the guide first because despite making good time on the trail, I had to wait until 9 for the outfitter to open.  Unfortunately the store open 25 minutes late and had a horrible selection.  There was another store that opened at 10 that did have socks.  I waited around and played ukulele then was finally able to buy a pair of socks.

With all the delays I didn't get back onto the trail until nearly 11.  I had 5 and a half hours to meet Chameleon at our meeting spot to get picked up for the night.  Hiking at top speed was not very enjoyable for me, though I arrived on time. There was a cloud of little black flies in front of my face for most of the hike. They drove me crazy! 

So many bugs!

Peg, a friend of Chameleon's family, picked us up and took us in.  We had a fantastic dinner of chicken, corn on the cob, and fresh salads. Thank you!