Campmor

This place is like Santa's workshop for hikers.  Picked up some last minute items, thermals, etc.

Looks like I will be heading back out Friday.  Huge storm hitting tomorrow and hiking in the rain equals not fun!

Body Wt. Report

Weighed in at 180.  That is down 44 pounds from the start.

Parking Lot, Rt.80

Made it to route 80 this morning and going home for several days to fatten up and take care of bills, cold weather gear, etc.  Will be back out Thursday morning.

Worthington State Forest

Closing in on sunfish pond now.  Will stay at hikers campsite tonight.

NJ view

Absolutely beautiful countryside!

Bear Encounter!

Well I ran into my first bear about an hour ago.  He jumped up about 20 feet from me to the right of the trail standing on his hind legs and grabbing a tree with his left ARM.  I think I must have initially startled him but once he realized it was just a puny human he stood his ground and started sizing me up.  For my part I just kept walking but he watched me until I was out of site.  He was certainly no grizzly but no doubt an altercation would have been like fighting two full grown German shepherds.  Something I don't care to try.

View from Highpoint

Highpoint Mtn. State Park

Looks like the Jersey mob stole the Washington Monument.;)

From Pochuck Mtn.

NOTE: Here is something I thought amusing. All the shelters in New Jersey are handicap accessible. I really mean it. They have ramps and hand rails. Very nice but be real for Pete's sake. No one who would need a handicap accessible toilet could ever make it to most of these. Just getting to the ramp at Pochuck required climbing a hill.

The Garden State!!!

I guess New Jersey and New York really are broke.  The can't even afford a proper border sign! ;)

View from Prospect Rock

Or at least I think it is.;)

Not so Stealthy Campsite

By the NY/NJ border.  Thought I was a good mile from the road but houses must run along the trail on the other side of the ridge.  Spent the early evening waving to everyone walking their dogs.

View from Bellvale Creamery

Stopped in to get water and ordered a banana split and root beer.

Deer

Walked right up on them.  They really can't see well at all.

Hudson in the distance

This will probably be the last view of the Hudson as I am cresting the inner mountains now.

Bear Mtn. In Distance

Here is a view of Bear mountain most people don't get to see.  From the wilderness side.

Bear Mtn.3

Interesting day.  It took about 45 minutes to pick up the trail which was at the service entrance of a zoo.  It exited the main gate which was locked.  I had to crawl through the fence to get out.

NOTE: This must have been a pretty funny site. As I was climbing through the fence a group of tourist were walking by. Here's a guy with a huge pack breaking out of a Zoo.

Bear Mtn.2

Top of Bear Mtn.

Hudson from Bear Mtn.

Bear Mountain Bridge Motel

In Ft. Montgomery, NY.  Staying at a quaint little motel run by a very nice couple, Doug and Ingrad.

NOTE: These were really sweet people. I highly recommend this motel. They will pick you up at the trail and drop you off there. It's not in walking distance but it is a good place to stay. Ingrad did my laundry for me for free and there is a restaurant across the street. Good folks and reasonably priced from what I remember.

Hudson 4

Hudson 3

Hudson 2

Crossing the Hudson

Stealth Campsite

Unfortunately in NY the shelters and official campsites are to close to the roads.  The site I planned to stay at already had people blasting music and fighting with a guys girlfriend at 5:20pm.  It is Friday so I hiked on and came across this site a few miles out.  I'll have to probably do likewise tomorrow as I will be at Bear mountain by the end of the hiking day.

NOTE: A few days later I ran into Mega Moe and his wife Raggedy Muffin. These two were young newly weds from Georgia who were doing the trail for their Honeymoon. Great people by the way. Anyway they did stop at the site I had misgivings about and had a blast. They said there were about forty people there having a huge barbecue and they fed em and shared copious amounts of beer with them. Oh well I missed out but better safe than sorry when you are out there on your own.

Snapper!

Look, a baby Gamera!

Me

Sept.11th Tribute

Found this painted on the rock on top of the mountain I am on now.

NY view

Entering a much more built up area.  Have been listening to the highway in the background all morning.  Not very pleasant.

Nuclear Lake

The story is they use to enrich nuclear fuel here.  Any chance of meeting up with a mutant bear this is it! ;) 

Needless to say I'm not drinking the water.

NY views 2

NY views 1

NY/Conn

Ct. view

Kent, CT.

I am in Kent which is a very nice town.  In fact most of Connecticut has been pretty much the land of the ultra rich.  I wish everyone could live in places like this.  Anyway, I am staying at the Fife & Drum inn and very happy with the room.

Picked up a couple of books at the House of Books in town and will lug them to Jersey.

This isn't a bad stop.  The IAG is very reasonable and the laundrymat and Post Office are in the same lot.  All within about a mile of the trail.  Everything else is between them and the trail.

Belter's Campsite Privy

Glad I was the only person at the campsite.  Too funny!

NOTE: It would figure that the only privy I run into without a roof would be in the middle of a drizzle/rain. I was laughing the whole time.

Great Falls

More Ct. views

Kind of looks like a jungle out there.  Reminds me of Skull Island.

Better picture, Ct. View

Ct. View

Connecticut

Made it.

Stogie Break

Sitting in the woods at the Laural Ridge Campsite finally smoking the cigar I've been carrying for 11 days and reading some Louis L'Amour's "The Day Breakers."

View from Mt. Race 2

View from Mt. Race

Mass. View Random

Massachusetts Wild Flowers

On a flat part of Massachusetts.  A lot of nice farms and wild flowers.  It smells very wholesome like fresh cut grass and flowers.

A Barbaric Land

I have entered a savage and perilous land this Massachusetts.  I am no longer able purchase beer at the local convenience store.  I am reminded I have entered the primitive and puritanical part of the northeast with their archaic liquor laws and Witch burning ways.  Will the Gator survive this barbarous desert of civilization?  ;-)

More Porcupine 3

More Porcupine 2

Another Porcupine

This guy was walking right down the trail into me.  I had to tap my trekking poles together so he would notice me.  He then climbed a tree.  I hope these pictures are better then the last one.  I was pretty close.  Will post several.

Porcupine

You talking to me!

Forced March

What a day.  Did 23.3 miles today the last five being a forced night march into Dalton.  I was planning on doing 18 miles to the Crystal Mountain Campsite but when I got there I found the spring dried up.  There was no water anywhere so I had to hike another five miles to Dalton.  Needed to use my head lamp for the last two miles.  Very glad the trail was well marked.  It would be easy to get lost otherwise.

This was a big day.  Mt. Greylock is the largest mountain in Massachusetts and was a steep climb heading south, about 3000 feet total and another thousand coming out of Cheshire.

The feet took another beating and I now have a cut on my right little toe from rubbing the boot.  I disinfected it with neosporin and will tape it in the morning.

Today was the last of the big mountains.  I should be able to start nocking out twenty mile days regularly.  I will need to start carrying a full load, one gallon, of water at all times.  The only reliable water sources now are the major streams and ponds.  Many of the NOBO's have told me water is scarce from here through Pennsylvania.  Being short water is no fun at all.

Greylock view 2

Greylock view