Another 6.6 miles deeper into New York! Okay, it’s not exactly huge distances each day, but we get farther each day, and New York hasn’t stopped us yet!
We are staying at the Fingerboard shelter tonight, thirteen miles out of Fort Montgomery. It is supposed to storm tonight, and strong T-storms tomorrow, so we are still trying to figure out what we will do. I have several packages waiting in Fort Montgomery that I can’t pick up until Monday. Plus, we both stink. A lot! And so forth. And I don’t even want to think about the state of my hiking clothes!
These young fit hikers keep blowing past… It’s a sad reality to face, but I am never going to be a young, fit hiker. A middle-aged fit hiker, maybe. But it can be quite aggravating! You finish a hard climb, stop to guzzle water, and they appear as if summoned. “Oh, yes, that was quite a climb, wasn’t it? Good place for a break.” AND THEN THEY CRUISE ON BY WITHOUT STOPPING, NOT EVEN BREATHING HARD! Aaargh!!!
Okay, now I have that off my chest… This is a very old, cool shelter. Rock walls, with two built in fireplaces. Though we’re not allowed to make open fires. Morning Song and I are here, thru-hiker Stash and his girlfriend, and another hiker with a dog just showed up. The water source is a lake half a mile downtrail, so I might opt for a dry supper tonight – tuna and/or pepperoni and cheese in tortillas. I just don’t feel walkable right now. I haven’t had to chemicalize water yet since hitting NY… Bless you, trail angels! Water jugs galore at every road crossing.
My feet hurt. It’s going to rain. I keep smelling BBQ!
I hike on.
TRAILS, TRIALS, AND TRAVAILS 