August 15 – August 16

August 15 Mile 785.7 Hemlock Springs campsite

Well, I somehow lost the last three days of my blog and I do not have the energy to go backand recount everything yet again. WordPress vexes me sometimes and I wonder if my entries are out there somewhere lost in cyberspace.

Big miles yesterday and today; today I was tired all day due to poor sleep last night at the campground, which was next to a freeway of sorts. But it was nice to see Kanga, Roo and Sherpa there. Roo is walking and talking. Hats off to parents who do things like thru hike with their children.

It was a sweaty, buggy humid day and I cannot wait for cooler weather to come. I know I am a very patient person but on trail sometimes it’s hard. I need to remind myself that I am a patient person. I can wait for all the bugs to die, die die!

Tomorrow morning I’ll walk across the Hudson River and climb up Bear Mt., with views of the NYC skyline. And I think tomorrow is supposed to be clear. Fingers crossed.

Sticky and dirty and grumpy and tired. That about sums up today. And I’m ok with that. Some days are like that and I don’t fight it. Tomorrow is a new day and maybe I’ll find my blog posts. Maybe not.

August 16 Mile 796.1 William Brien Memorial shelter

What a difference a day makes. And what a day! Didn’t sleep too well again but slept in until 5:45am to make up for it. Faulty logic. I could have used another hour but I was excited to get over the Hudson. So much fun! The sun was out but it was still cool and some clouds lingered on the mountains around the river. Lovely. I got to town and decided to walk a mile up to a mini mart and get a hot cup of coffee and a breakfast sandwich. A great idea.

I got back to the trail and it wound around a little park next to an inn. I wanted to jump into the small lake that is in the park but I remembered that I am in a public place and I probably would get in trouble. Then I saw the No Swimming sign and was glad I didn’t go in, even with clothes on.

The climb up Bear Mt. was nice due to the excellent quality of trail; granite steps the whole way up, perfectly spaced. I go to the tower and could see the NYC skyline 34 miles away. Pretty cool. Then I looked down and saw my friends Fern and Gully. What a pleasant surprise! We sat in the shade and drank ice cold water from a vending machine for about an hour before heading 7 miles to this shelter. On the way I saw a rattlesnake! Then a black snake and a lizard. Fabulous. I love reptiles and it was nice to see them. The rattlesnake was young, only a couple of rattles. The black snake was a good four feet long. So elegant.

Once I got here I set up my tent and wandered around a bit when I saw a second rattlesnake, this one much bigger than the first. Many rattles, probably about 8. I walked back over to my tent and sat on a rock to cook dinner. 15 minutes later I heard a faint sound just to my right and saw the rattler cruising by me. It went right by my tent and kept going. It was really neat to see one so close that was not agitated; I would never intentionally get close to a snake like that. This was a once in a lifetime kind of encounter. For me anyway.

And now here I am resting in my tent, dirty and sticky, but it’s not so bad. Oh the difference a day makes.