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The rock outcrops were dry early in the morning which helped me reach the New York / New Jersey border without stress. At 7:50am it was too early to be concerned about poisonous snakes warming themselves on sun-heated rocks. I was optimistic about the next five days of hiking in New Jersey. With a feeling of newness I enjoyed the music made by the wind blowing playfully through the hardwoods, bringing cooling air across my face. It was a good sign. Cool wind meant the mosquitoes might be grounded, but before long they took flight and attacked aggressively. I planned to resupply later in Warrick with insect repellent on the top of my shopping list. Before shopping for food and repellent I set up my tarp at the Warwick, NY Drive-In Theater, which allows AT hikers to camp free and watch the movies on three screens.

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

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.

One reason I chose to hike the AT southbound is my love of hiking in September and October. Cooler, crisp air brings my outdoor spirit to a nice place. On this thru-hike I will be hiking every day during my favorite months. September 1 would be celebratory, but not so much this time with the remnants of hurricane Ida sweeping across Connecticut and dumping at least three inches of rain! I had a plan to avoid spending a night in an AT shelter during the downpour. Eddie, who is the grandson of the elderly woman whose house I stayed in the previous night, drove me to Great Barrington. I hoteled there while buckets of rain fell all evening and night.

I rose from the tent in cool, dry morning air and looked forward to entering yet another state. The climb to Mt. Everett (2,602′) was pleasant. The best views were not from the summit of Everett but rather the open ledges near Mt. Race. The valley to the east had farms. pastures, bogs, ponds and lakes. As far as my eyes could see it was springtime green in bright sun.

Oh, the energy to write daily posts for this blog is not always present. I am happy to report that no trail drama, injuries or gear failures have set me back. In fact, I feel great physically and mentally. At this point in the hike, having hiked over 600 miles and completed over 25% of the AT, I feel like a thru-hiker now. And I can make some judgements.

The AT does not feel like a wilderness trail experience. There are so many encounters with civilization now. Ever since I descended from Mt. Mousilauke in New Hampshire on August 6, when I saw the first pastures and lawns along the trail, the scenes are nothing like the challenging and more remote mountains I struggled with and conquered. This observation is not a complaint. Rather, it is a recognition the thru-hike is in a phase that includes ice cream, nice food co-ops, roads, farms, livestock and miles and miles of the famous Green Tunnel…I mean tree canopy!

Soon after hiking 8.5 miles from my lovely stealth campsite on the trail the owner of the Catamount Motel arrived to drive me to Bennington. The heaviest rain was not forecast for hours later. The category one hurricane was downgraded to a tropical storm before it reached landfall on Rhode Island. On Monday, August 23 the morning was mostly rain free but resumed in full force in the afternoon. Without knowing how heavy the wind and flooding along the trail would be I chose safety first.

See my current location and daily log of my progress on the trail.

Early in the day a text message came in. It was my brother Brian expressing his concern about Hurricane Henri. I replied, “I am watching the weather forecast carefully, will go to a town on either Sunday afternoon or later depending on forecast. Don’t worry.” I started a deep dive in media stories and weather forecasts.

Jeff, who owns the Green Mountain House hostel in Manchester Center drove me to the trailhead about eight miles from town as a few raindrops hit the windshield.  The weather was to improve, though, and I was optimistic my return to the AT after a zero day would be physically and mentally positive.  The map of the trail, especially the part that represented a day’s worth of progress, foretold a great day on the trail.  Even better, though, I looked forward to hiking into Massachusetts in just over three days.