Days 76-79, September 6-9: The New York AT Experience Part 2

Oh, did I want to escape from New York, on the Appalachian Trail that is! Without coming off as negative, defeated or seeming like my resilience was wearing thin, I felt fatigued by the nature of the terrain and the accumulation of miles without sufficient rest. On September 6, one day after a 16.7 mile day on very tedious trail, I decided a mental break was just what I needed. I was struggling to stay focused on walking. Upon arriving at a highway where the Appalachian Trail Market was, I got a ride down to the small city of Peekskill to stay one night in a hotel. The break off the trail allowed me to thoroughly dry my gear and eat a large portion of pasta from a local Italian restaurant.

See my real-time location produced by the InReach unit I carry and a daily log of my progress on the trail.

The next morning, feeling refreshed and nourished, I met (again) southbound thru-hiker Boxer, who has been listening to the audio book of Wild. Boxer is an extremely fast and strong hiker. But for the mostly downhill hike to the Hudson River we hiked together and talked about how I met Cheryl Strayed. Boxer had this question: “Cheryl described you as an expert backpacker. So I’m surprised you were carrying a bear cannister on the AT.” I was surprised someone would see the connection, but Boxer aspires to attend law school. Was I on trial on the AT? Without hesitation I responded, “you know, the Appalachian Trail Conservancy officially recommends all AT hikers store their food in the cannisters. Besides, I shipped it home from New Hampshire when I realized the campsites have bear boxes.”

I wondered, “is it that obvious I am not the hiker I was in 1995 when I was a much younger 41 years old?” Sometimes I show AT hikers the photos of me sitting next to Cheryl Strayed at Kennedy Meadows. Also, I like showing off the photo of me standing on a snowfield in the Sierra Buttes not long after Cheryl and I parted ways before we both independently encountered seemingly endless snow, again. The AT hikers I am meeting are even younger than I was in 1995, and they must view me as a geezer who can still hike this trail. I let it be known to all that I am slower than any of them. “First one out of camp in the morning, last one to reach camp in the evening,” I recite often.

Back to my issues with the New York section of the AT. The part of me that wants to crush miles every day has been disappointed at times. The muscle fatigue, the slowness going uphill, and the low level of stamina late in the day created a negative attitude as I pushed my way through the state. I feared for my resilience. I took another night off the trail in Southfields at a tacky 60’s era hotel, complete with a very dated shark sculpture near the entrance that had me thinking, “what?” The finest feature of the place was Chinese food delivery right to my door!

The following day, September 9, I wrote in my trail log, “Some pleasant hiking with several challenging and hazardous and steep rock outcrops, slippery due to light rain.  Nice ice cream place on route!” Some good stuff was mixed with another day on the AT with rocks and potential bone breakers. I hiked like the geezer I am, not the wannabe 1995 version. I lingered at the ice cream place, enjoyed a hot fudge sundae and talked to a family who helped their daughter escape New York City for a day. After surviving the rain-slickened rock outcrops and setting up camp streamside in the woods I counted 16.7 miles. “Well done, geezer!” Early the next morning I reached the end of New York and entered New Jersey.

Before I close the book on New York, I will always consider the day I crossed the Hudson River on the Bear Mountain Bridge, ascended Bear Mountain on amazingly crafted stepping-stone trail and camped with an evening view of the NYC skyline as one of my favorite days on the AT.

The photos below show those good parts along with the sources of my frustrations. I do know that the key to my resilience out here is understanding who I am today, the wisdom I earned from doing this for thousands of miles, and the confidence to keep my abilities in perspective. And have fun, damn it!