Day 58 – Connecticut!
Well, the zero in a hotel seems justified. It rained a lot. Days after a zero feel a little weird to me. It takes a bit of time to get used to hiking again. In any case, we got back on the trail after a local trail angel that Cheeto found gave us a lift.
As far as I can take a photo of a downpour, here is a photo of the downpour in question.
The path was crowded at times. Sometimes it’s easy to forget what day of the week it is until you see a whole crowd of people.
Not visible in this summit photo: the group of Nobos who immediately questioned Cheeto and me about how many Nobos we could fend off.
The day had two highlights: arriving in another state and in the Sage Creek Valley.
I found a nice swimming hole.
I found a nicer swimming hole probably 10 minutes later.
Apart from that, the trail was more difficult than it had been for a long time. Rocky and steep in places, reminiscent of New Hampshire.
Obligatory border image.
Day 59
A slightly longer day, around 23-24. However, the terrain was much easier – very little mud or standing water and less elevation gain. Also, part of the route was on roads or something resembling a gravel path.
1500!
Does anyone fancy rafting?
My water filter’s squeeze bag had a leak at the end of the day. It still works for the most part, but it makes more mess. My main fear is that it will continue to burst and stop working.
Well, shit. That’s going to be a problem (that was much worse in the next few days).
When hiking, however, equipment occasionally fails. My sleeping pad also has a slow leak and needs to be refilled in the middle of the night.
Day 60
Day in town – hiked past Cornwall without going in and later walked into Kent. Fairly walkable town close to the walking trail which was nice. The restaurants in Kent all seem to have Monday as their day off so food in town was a little lacking. Other than some ice cream. Resupplying the heroes in town was pretty easy though.
I can identify with some of these ice cream parlor stickers far too well.
The highlights of the day were a river ford and a fairly long and completely flat trail along the Housatonic River.
It’s a duck! sign, for no apparent reason. Although I did see a few more later.
This ended with the steepest climb on the trail so far. Although it was only a quarter mile long, it was an impressively steep flight of stone steps. When I stood upright, I could almost touch the steps in front of me.
I stumbled upon perhaps the best wild food I’ve ever eaten. Just tortellini and pesto.
I have a rough few days ahead – since the post office is closed on Sunday, I’ll either have to hike for several long days in a row or dawdle and get there on Monday. Neither option is particularly appealing. Sending items to the post office is risky.
Day 61 – New York!
Arrived in New York today. One of the nice things about the AT compared to the Western Trails is that you can often tick off states quickly. Instead of taking a month or more to do it (California, I’m looking at you). Anyway, 4 done, 10 to go.
Goodbye CT. Short but probably the best maintained section yet.
I felt like I was dragging myself a bit today. I’m not sure why – I was able to move around quite well while hiking. I was just tired. I planned to hike 26-27 miles today, but only hiked about 21 miles.
This detour across the road seems to be far more dangerous than crossing a small stream without a bridge.
Sorry for the poor quality of the photos. I was thrilled that the shelter had a… little free library? Several shelters in New York have that.
Now that I’m out of MA and CT, I don’t think I’m limited to the established campgrounds anymore. So I have a pretty nice campground tucked behind a stone wall near Nuclear Lake. One of my favorite campgrounds of the trip. Along with Pierce Pond in Maine.
Day 62
I started the day with a half-mile hike and took a quick break for a swim in Nuclear Lake. I’m not glowing. Or worried at all, thanks to Randall Munroe. Although he does point out in the what-ifs that you shouldn’t take the advice of an internet cartoonist.
Early morning swimming
I ran out of water this morning. Not because the section is particularly dry, but because I wasn’t paying attention. Also, unfortunately, the water filter bag is getting more and more of a pain to use. This makes refilling it more of a hassle than usual. I’m *really* looking forward to the replacement that I’m getting in a few days.
I’m not sure if I find these medium-distance signs motivating or demoralizing.
I was a little demoralized by New York. Partly because of broken equipment (the tip of my trekking pole fell off today). I don’t know what else it was, maybe because the trail is overgrown – driving through car washes with thorns is a pain. All long trails have their mediocre sections, though.
The highlight of the day was the last summit of the day. I met a couple who gave me a couple of Cokes and let me play fetch with their dog. It was the best trail magic I’ve experienced in a long time.
Playing with this dog was the highlight of my day.
Proud girl!
Day 63
Camping somewhere with plumbing and a water dispenser is a luxury. Especially given the water filter issue. I opted to just carry extra water rather than having to stop and filter so much water. I also probably subconsciously drink a little less because of the hassle. There was a deli/gas station later in the day where you could get more water (plus milkshake, Gatorade, and breakfast wraps).
Very nice beach, but I’m actually here because of the modern sanitary facilities.
Met Aphrodite on the way, another Sobo I met at the shelter last night. Hiked with her a few miles to the deli stand. Nice to see more Sobos.
Sure, the middle of the woods is as good a place for a rotary dial phone as any.
If I had to describe New York in one word, it would be… overgrown. That’s annoying when you have to contend with thorns, ticks, and apparently rattlesnakes. The last one was within the last few miles of camp.
No idea how they get the data for this, but I’m past the Nobo bubble(s)!
Also, it’s pretty loud. I’m as close to NYC as I can get, so there’s a lot of traffic and train noise.
Day 64
A day full of navigational challenges. First time I lost the trail. I missed a turn and hiked to a viewpoint just past the bridge over the Hudson that I was planning to cross. I realized my mistake and hiked back the half mile, oops. In my defense, it was early? A few minor instances of finding my way through parks or taking the wrong path.
The random glance.
After a few minutes of trying to find the trail again, it was… blocked. Wham, wham.
I walked through Bear Mountain State Park and did the biggest climb since Massachusetts. The park had one of the most beautiful stair climbs I’ve ever seen and some cool informational signs explaining how they are built.
Beautiful stone steps. Not pictured: the other 800 or so beautiful stone steps.
Unfortunately, the park at the foot of the mountain was… gross. Lots of trash everywhere.
I’m not sure if there are bears in Bear Mountain, but animal-proof dumpsters could still be used there.
Hiked with Aphrodite again. The heat was getting to us both. I’m looking forward to cooler weather at higher altitudes. But that will be a while yet. Tomorrow I’m going into town. Get some rest and finally replace my broken water filter.
We will see if this gamble pays off.
Day 65
Well, the risk of sleeping without a tarp wasn’t worth it. But since it was attached to the foot of the tent, I was able to easily hop out of the tent and pull the tarp over my head. Judging by the moving spotlight in the distance, I wasn’t the only one in that boat.
The lemon squeezer: It was a press, but probably not one for lemons.
Lower my backpack off the… lemon grater?, I guess?
The hike itself was cooler than it had been for the past few days. It felt slower. I’m not sure if that was actually the case or if I just perceived it that way since there was a milkshake at the end of the trail. Anyway, I made it to the dairy just in time to avoid the rain.
It’s not often that you can walk straight to a milkshake.
Tomorrow it’s time to wait for the mail. It seems there’s a big storm forecast for a day. I’d like to say I planned my day in town to avoid it, but that’s just bad luck.
City food! And yes, that’s Diet Coke.
