| August 07, 2005 |
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I'm slack packing again today from Arden Valley Rd. on
Rt. 17 in NY back to 17a where I started yesterday. It is
8:05am |
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Guess what's the first thing I have to do? Climb
up the mountain with big rocks. However in this area most of
the mountains are short lived. It's real steep, but short.
Which is good. The battle right now is more water supply than
anything else. With the drought there's not much water around.
I started out with 3 liters today and had 3 liters with me
yesterday, used every bit of that and a little bit more. This
is zigzag going through the middle of the rocks. I'm almost to
the top now. |
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Standing on top of the rock cliff looking out over the
area. I have nice view of the freeway going toward NY city.
Still not quite on top yet. I wish you could see this, I got
the worst bunch of rock to go through straight up to get to the top.
They are little dinky things, but it takes a while to go through
them. After a half an hour I finally mad it to the top.
Large rounded rocks up here. A lot of different kinds of oaks.
Large rounded exposed boulders that you have to go over, with large
crater valleys in between that you have to go through, then up over
the next set of rocks. It's a good thing there are leveling
areas on this mountain because I've got another large set of
boulders to go up! |
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I'm crossing on top of a massive boulder that is a
solid rock mountain. A lot of hemlock on top of Arden Mt.
This like a stone roller coaster. It will be that way all the
way through. One of the hikers was telling me that a couple
miles out there is a drop off where you have to climb down the face
of the rock. I don't know if there is a way around that or
not. I'll check it out when I get there. |
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A large swamp area to my left on top of this mountain.
Easy traveling around this swamp area. Large rocks to my
right, but this must be a natural drainage area. This is a
long swampy pond down through huge boulders. It looks like
it's been cut out by the glacier years age. |
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It's interesting today, Simon is staying out in front
about 20 to 30 feet ahead of me for some odd reason. Usually
he senses when it's going to be a real rough area or when the trail
is difficult to find and that is when he usually goes out into the
front. |
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I'm crossing a bridge over the head waters of the
swamp. I just passed Panoramic and he was telling me about the
drop off on this next mountain. This has me a little worried.
I ask him if there was anyway around it and he said he didn't know,
he didn't look. |
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Small rocky hills of low
elevation with nothing basically underneath them but rocks. I
don't see how some the trees can even grow on these rock slopes.
When it gets really rocky and rugged it's mostly pines and laurels.
Going through the low lands I can continually smell the Jasmine
odor. I just had two yellow jackets land on me, one on my
right leg and one on the sock. Both of those ornery rascals
stung me! |
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Some of the trail angles having been leaving gallon
jugs of water at the road crossings. Which is a good thing
because absolutely every stream is dry. Since this morning and
the last 5 miles, I have seen one stream that was partially flowing. |
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Going over some creaky board walks. You wouldn't
think this open field was swampy, but evidently it is! I'm
still hiking on board walks through the woods. Going through
another rock fence. The trail went right on top of this stone
fence. |
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I standing on top of a huge breezy mountain top boulder
looking out over the landscape. I can probably see 180 degrees
of nothing but mountains. |
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The area I'm hiking along
now is dried up creek bed. When the water is high, I bet the
water really pours off this mountain through that little creek.
It's also a lot of native hemlocks and quite a few stone
fences partially in tact. What they call Fitzgerald falls was
dry. Going through a weedy area through the power line to Lake
Rd. |
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Just crossed the Lake Rd. going along long switch backs
and some steep rock stairs towards Wildcat Shelter. I have
only 3 more miles to go. Then it's ice cream time.
Homemade ice cream as a mater of fact. |
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It's rather pretty up on top of this ridge,
hiking along this little road way. I can look around a little
bit. There's very little rocks in the path.
Smoother hiking. Very little undergrowth. I passing
Wildcat Shelter.
1,359.6 miles from Springer Mt. |
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I'm on top of Wildcat Rocks and while I was up here I
met a local couple who invited us to dinner this evening at their
house and I said it will be up to the trail angel to see what he
wants to do. I'm just about the the creamery where I'm going
to get ice cream. and the trail angel is coming to pick me up. |
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Swing'n Jane and
Simon |
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