Tuesday, 31 May

Destination: Old Mine Road (1398.3)	Today’s Miles: 10.3
Start Location: Stream (1388.9)	Trip Miles: 137.8

I did not get a good night’s sleep last night. Road noise from the nearby New York State Thruway lasted all night and the low temp was only 62.

Bob and I were up early to try to beat the heat and were on the trail at 7:15. The 500 foot climb in the first three quarter mile got our blood flowing. Fortunately there was a nice breeze most of the day. Temperature was over 80.

After our nice climb we were greeted by the Lemon Squeezer, a spot on the trail between two rocks not wide enough to walk through with your pack. So take off your pack, carry your pack and poles in front of you, when it widens a bit at the top, set your pack up on a rock then climb up. Gather your pack and poles and hike on. The Lemon Squeezer itself was not the worst part. It was followed by a rock scramble that was crawling on hands and knees. Bob’s favorite.

After the Lemon Squeezer Bob and I passed a side trail, the New York Long Path which runs 52 miles into Manhattan. Tomorrow we will have views of New York City if the weather is clear.

The rest of the day was mostly short ups and downs, many of them steep. Bob and I took a break at Fingerboard Shelter which was an old stone shelter with two fireplaces. Our target for the day was William Brien Memorial Shelter but there is no water so we would have needed to carry our water to the shelter and we both wanted to wash up after hiking in the heat and humidity. Up the trail another mile was a stream with some campsites on an old mine road. Nice flat sites but almost impossible to get a tent stake in.

I have been happy with my new tent. I have the option to use my treking poles to make it freestanding without stakes on the corners. That is tonight’s setup. There is a chance of a thunderstorm overnight so I will see how it works out.

With the holiday weekend over we saw almost no hikers today, less than a dozen after seeing the weekend crowd.

Tomorrow Bob and I head into Bear Mountain Bridge Motel in Fort Montgomery, NY, for showers and laundry and I am sure some food.