I'm in Kent, Conn right now, waiting to get picked-up by a friend who's taking me down to ATL for a wedding. I just crossed the border into Conn this morning, and I couldn't be more glad to be done with New York.
I ended-up staying in Vernon, NJ an extra night (after my last post) because there was a heat wave going through. I woke-up, went outside, and immediately decided I wasn't up for hiking. So, I stay another night, get up early the next day and head back out to the trail. This was day # 2 of a 3 day heat wave, so I knew it was not going to be fun, but I felt anxious just sitting around, watching the 90's VHS tapes that the church had available (Independence Day was much better when I saw it as a kid). I climb out of town, sweating like crazy and the hike turns out to be not so bad once I hit the top - lots of shade, lots of cool stream water. But that all changed once I hit the border with NY.
Immediately after crossing the border, the quality of the trail got pretty bad (lots of overgrown grass / poison ivy), the trail spent a lot of time in the sun and worst of all: almost all of the water sources in my guidebook were either dry, stagnant or non-existant. Not a good first impression! And it was the same story for the next few days as well: really hot and not enough water.
Fortunatly, some really nice (and thoughtful) people set-out gallons of water on the trail where I needed it the most. And one day when I didn't think I could go any further, I'm crossing the road and a truck pulls over and asks how I'm doing. Me (zombie-like): thirsty... I am. Him: want a frozen gatorade? Me (less zombie-like): uh, yeah! And that's the story of the most refeshing drink ever drank. I have never enjoyed a drink more than I enjoyed that delicious, delicious frozen slushie of heavenly nectar. So, yeah, that helped a lot. And then later that night, the same guy hiked-up to the shelter where a couple hikers and I were sleeping, and he had some oreos and soda. What a guy! He had hiked the trail in 2000, and ever since then he's spent a few weeks a year traveling up and down the trail giving trail magic to people when they need it the most. Thanks Patio (the guy's trailname)!
After climbing Bear Mtn (which was super crowded with people) and crossing the Hudson river, we entered Deli Country. Every day, the trail would pass at least one road that had a deli within walking-distance (< 1 mi). That was pretty nice. It gave me something to look forward to every day. I ran out of energy-drink powder last week, so the only way I've been able to get my caffeine fix recently has been to get to a gas station or deli and get my coffee on. Nothing makes hiking easier than a full belly and a good amt of caffeine in your system!
When I first got into NY, the issue was heat. Then, two days ago, it became rain. Rain is normally not an issue recently. It lowers the air temp and it cools my body as well. It's refreshing - in small amounts, that is. I was roughly an hour away from my daily deli visit and this thunderstorm rolls in and unleashes a huge amt of rain. Within minutes, the trail turned into a river/lake and my clothes and shoes were done for the day. If I hike vigorously enough, I can dry out my shirt and shorts, but once my shoes and socks get soaked, there's no coming back from that. It's just: slosh, slosh, slosh. It feels really gross. And on top of that, I had a close-encounter with lightning. I was in the middle of the forest. I wasn't exposed at all. But the lightning still found me. It was maybe 30 yrds away and it really scared the crap out of me. I saw it and I felt the air-shock from it. Close call!
So, yeah, I didn't have a great time in NY. It could be the poor trail maintenance / water conditions, but it's also probably to do with the weather I was experiencing as I was going through the state. Either way, I'm glad to be out of there.
I've also been experiencing a bit of burn-out / boredom with my hike. The field of hikers has started to thin-out, so I've been seeing fewer and fewer people on the trail. I'm leaving the trail for a few days, which should let the rest of the pack catch-up. And it will also give me a chance to appreciate what I have out here. Perfect timing!
I ended-up staying in Vernon, NJ an extra night (after my last post) because there was a heat wave going through. I woke-up, went outside, and immediately decided I wasn't up for hiking. So, I stay another night, get up early the next day and head back out to the trail. This was day # 2 of a 3 day heat wave, so I knew it was not going to be fun, but I felt anxious just sitting around, watching the 90's VHS tapes that the church had available (Independence Day was much better when I saw it as a kid). I climb out of town, sweating like crazy and the hike turns out to be not so bad once I hit the top - lots of shade, lots of cool stream water. But that all changed once I hit the border with NY.
Immediately after crossing the border, the quality of the trail got pretty bad (lots of overgrown grass / poison ivy), the trail spent a lot of time in the sun and worst of all: almost all of the water sources in my guidebook were either dry, stagnant or non-existant. Not a good first impression! And it was the same story for the next few days as well: really hot and not enough water.
Fortunatly, some really nice (and thoughtful) people set-out gallons of water on the trail where I needed it the most. And one day when I didn't think I could go any further, I'm crossing the road and a truck pulls over and asks how I'm doing. Me (zombie-like): thirsty... I am. Him: want a frozen gatorade? Me (less zombie-like): uh, yeah! And that's the story of the most refeshing drink ever drank. I have never enjoyed a drink more than I enjoyed that delicious, delicious frozen slushie of heavenly nectar. So, yeah, that helped a lot. And then later that night, the same guy hiked-up to the shelter where a couple hikers and I were sleeping, and he had some oreos and soda. What a guy! He had hiked the trail in 2000, and ever since then he's spent a few weeks a year traveling up and down the trail giving trail magic to people when they need it the most. Thanks Patio (the guy's trailname)!
After climbing Bear Mtn (which was super crowded with people) and crossing the Hudson river, we entered Deli Country. Every day, the trail would pass at least one road that had a deli within walking-distance (< 1 mi). That was pretty nice. It gave me something to look forward to every day. I ran out of energy-drink powder last week, so the only way I've been able to get my caffeine fix recently has been to get to a gas station or deli and get my coffee on. Nothing makes hiking easier than a full belly and a good amt of caffeine in your system!
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| From AT 2012 |
When I first got into NY, the issue was heat. Then, two days ago, it became rain. Rain is normally not an issue recently. It lowers the air temp and it cools my body as well. It's refreshing - in small amounts, that is. I was roughly an hour away from my daily deli visit and this thunderstorm rolls in and unleashes a huge amt of rain. Within minutes, the trail turned into a river/lake and my clothes and shoes were done for the day. If I hike vigorously enough, I can dry out my shirt and shorts, but once my shoes and socks get soaked, there's no coming back from that. It's just: slosh, slosh, slosh. It feels really gross. And on top of that, I had a close-encounter with lightning. I was in the middle of the forest. I wasn't exposed at all. But the lightning still found me. It was maybe 30 yrds away and it really scared the crap out of me. I saw it and I felt the air-shock from it. Close call!
So, yeah, I didn't have a great time in NY. It could be the poor trail maintenance / water conditions, but it's also probably to do with the weather I was experiencing as I was going through the state. Either way, I'm glad to be out of there.
I've also been experiencing a bit of burn-out / boredom with my hike. The field of hikers has started to thin-out, so I've been seeing fewer and fewer people on the trail. I'm leaving the trail for a few days, which should let the rest of the pack catch-up. And it will also give me a chance to appreciate what I have out here. Perfect timing!
Close call. Stay safe.
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