| August 09, 2005 |
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I'm going to be leaving the fire house in Vernon NJ
this morning, just as soon as Gene, the trail angel comes and I'm
going to be starting at Harriman's State Park which is on Rt. 17
where I started on, and I'll be going north. on my way to Maine
again. I'll be stopping in Dalton Mass. for about a day.
I'm not sure how that's going to work out yet. Laura Garity
wants me to do something for the NIN chapter in that area. |
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That would be good place for the Central Ohio Hiking
Club and Buckeye Trail people to meet me. Gene just dropped me
off at the Elk parking lot at the Harriman State Park. I'm
headed on my way north at 11:05am and I'll probably get into the
Palisades Parkway around 7pm or 8pm where I'm going to be meeting
Gene where he'll re-supply me with water and I'll move on to a
shelter. I'll probably have a little bit of night hiking to
do. |
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I'll be going through the lemon squeezer in 1.7 miles
and the Fingerboard Shelter is 1.9. *5 miles to Arden Valley
Rd. |
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Since I left the Harriman Rd I've been hiking straight
up the hill. It's really been pretty rocky, but it's easy
traveling because there's someplace I can out my feet between the
rocks. I'm still going up! It's a park like setting, the
woods is very open, a lot of grass in the area. The trail is
basically dirt with leaf dust on top. A lot of fallen logs
around, natural for this area. A lot of big trees, about 18
inched in diameter. Very Pretty. |
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I have met my first south bound through hiker.
His trail name is Gants. We talked considerably and he shared
with a lot of information about getting in and out of Baxter State
Park. I hope I don't have any trouble once I get up there.
He also told me the water supply through NY was terrible. |
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The rocks that are on top of the mountain are all
massive rounded rocks. I just to go up through, I haven't had
to go up any of them yet. Pretty area. In a lower area
in between the tops of the mountains. I'm seeing what looks
like an old mote foundation made of stone and controls the rain that
runs down through here when it's over flowing. The area where
the stone foundations were found, up from that just a little ways is
a view of the Toreoty Lake. Nice cool area and a nice place
for a house. What looked like a mote is the Island Pond area
outlet. I'm at the lemon squeezer now and I've looked at this
situation and I don know if I can get through it or not, but I'm
going to try it, but I feel well. I just don't feel well.
Sick at my stomach and nauseated. It's probably the
medication, so I'm going to just sit here for a while and see if I
can figure this situation out. |
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I did make it through the lemon squeezer. It was
2 huge massive rocks that were real, real close together. If I
had a full pack on I would have had to drag it through. All I
have on today is a fanny pack and I was able to get through.
There was a little spot where Simon couldn't get through with his
back pack, so I had to take his back pack off and carry it with me
through the rocks. He was able to navigate the rocks
afterwards and he got to the top before I did. |
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On top is a really grassy
area. A lot of trees, some what like a bald with trees.
Very open! I just don't feel well. I'll try to make it
through the rest of the day!
Sandy
does not sound well on the tape. Kathy |
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I've got 12 miles to go today and so far I've only done
2 miles of it. I'll try to make to where my friend Gene will
be waiting on me won't be worried. I'm hiking on top of
solid rock. Lot of ferns around, the milk weed pods have
bloomed and big pods on them. Still a little open, with big
massif cropping of rocks. This is a pretty area, would be easy
hiking anytime and it isn't to bad right now, I've just not
enjoyed as much as I normally would have. |
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It looks like I'm coming into a large hemlock forest,
mixed with a few hardwoods here and there. Coming down the
hill, to my left is a large swamp land, a couple of them. To
my right is massive rocks and if I would go to the underside it
would probably be straight down. |
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The sign says Fingerboard shelter 1.5 miles and I have
8.9 miles to get to the Palisades Parkway. To Maine is 793 miles.
Still a long ways to go! I following another dried up rocky
stream bed. Going up the holler between the 2 mountains. I can
see that the dirt in the stream bed is moist and very damp, no water
standing anywhere. |
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Leaving the rocky stream bed going up the
hill to higher ground between large boulders again. This area
is know for its park atmosphere with it's patches of pretty green
grass, a wide little valley on top of the ridge. Then just
massive big boulders all around. It feel like you're inside a
big bowl, trying to look out the sides of the bowl. It's
amazing how these swamp lands appear on top of these mountains.
This is the firs I've seen today, there seem to be coal on the
surface of the ground. I cam out on to a little gravel road
and there was little pieces of coal on the road. I came up on
the swamp land that was completely covered with junk.
Different types of algae's. Simon won't drink it and neither
would I. And I doubt if the other animal do too. I just
now came across this dry creek bed that now has a little bit of
water in it. Going up the hill again and away from the little
dried up creek, straight up the hill with thousands of tin little
root steps. Not big boulders, every thing is washed out and
nothing but roots showing for steps. |
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Trail goes on top of some large boulders
and on top it flattens out to large boulder that I'm walking on top
of. A lot of ferns, a lot of bushed that look like monoso
leaves, but that is not what it is. Weed in general. I
can say that the trail had been easy on my feet. Hiking
through soft dirt, pine needle and debris. |
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I'm at Fingerboard Shelter. From here
West Mountain Shelter is 8.6 miles. I didn't got down to the
shelter because there's no water there. Most of the shelters
in this area are all stone. Simon and I are taking a break on
this big flat rock and the trees are mostly oak. Looking at
them there some type of blight that is going through them. |
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This big boulder is rather interesting!
It's a massive boulder held up by two little rocks on top of another
large rounded rock that you can hike on top of. Everything is
completely washed out from underneath it. |
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Out of nowhere I cam across a big
water storage tank. It must be for the park itself.
Hiking on a rock dirt roadway that is coming from the water tank.
Off to my right, laying on a rock is big huge doe. She is just
watching me. She is very light in color and has huge big ears
and never moved. |
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I just passed over a stream that has a
little bit of running water in it. All these little streams
I'm crossing go down into the swampy little swale. Coming into
the Brian Memorial Shelter made out of rocks near a big rock pile.
(this is all) |
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Swing'n Jane and
Simon |
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