Friday, 3 June

Destination: Graymoor Spiritual Life Center (1413.9)	Today’s Miles: 6.9
Start Location: Bear Mountain Bridge Motel (1407.0)	Trip Miles: 153.4

Bob and I woke up to a light rain. The last two days have been wet, good time to be at the motel. It was over to the cafe for egg bagel sandwiches for breakfast. Back to the room for final packing. Grandpa was meeting us at 8:30 to take us back to the AT. The rain had stopped by then.

We said farewell to Grandpa at the Bear Mountain Bridge. Grandpa was quite the enjoyable character, always going full speed and never slowing down. First up was a half mile walk across the bridge. This was my turn to be stressed. I have a fear of heights so the walk nearly 200 feet over the Hudson River was nerve racking. I was relieved to start the 500 foot climb to Anthony’s Nose. The sun came out during our climb although the trail remained wet.

The first hikers we saw today were a group of about six that included a couple from Ireland. Our next stop was the Appalachian Market for lunch and resupply. There was a long grill menu. Pork with fried rice for me, steak, peppers and onions for Bob. We picked up our meals for the next four days along with a sandwich for tonight. The market is incredibly busy. We only had a mile to our planned campsite.

Bob and I are staying on the baseball field at the Graymoor Spiritual Life Center, a Franciscan center. There is a pavilion, shower, electricity and porta potty nearby. It is 0.4 miles off the trail but the amenities and short days today and tomorrow make it a good choice. We arrived early and are taking the time to relax a bit before dinner. The shower is unheated so it was a quick navy shower. Get wet, turn the water off, soap up, rinse, dry. It still feels good to shower at the end of the day and get the stickiness off.

The grass on the baseball field was being mowed when we arrived. Then the infield was dragged. Bases were in place. The question was will there be a game tonight? No game!

A lady flip flopper from Tennessee that Bob and I met about a week ago came in and there is another hiker here tonight. This is a beautiful, relaxing spot. Other than at the market we did not see lots of hikers for the start of the weekend.

There are church bells which ring on the hour and play hymns. Adds to the southing feeling of the center.