Miles: 1411.2 | A hot descent from Black Mountain leads to a much-needed water stop, unexpected bagels, and renewed energy before crossing the 1,400-mile mark. Bear Mountain is packed with July 4th crowds, music, food smells, and chaos, followed by a surreal walk through the Trailside Zoo. A perfect deli stop restores morale, and the day ends quietly at Graymoor Spiritual Life Center—resting early and buzzing with nerves ahead of a long-awaited reunion with my parents the next day.
Once we left camp and headed down Black Mountain we came to the road crossing of the Palisades Parkway. A quarter mile up the road was a visitor's center / rest area that had a water spigot that we could fill our bottles at. Since we couldn't see any water sources until we got inside the state park we'd be walking through that day, we decided to make the short walk and fill up. Along the way we picked up trash and threw it away at the visitor's center.
We filled up our water and brought our packs into the shade of the back of the building. I went inside and got us some caffeinated drinks from the vending machine. A woman approached us when I came out. She told us about her son who had hiked the trail a few years earlier. He had to get off trail early because of a snake bite! She offered us some local New York bagels and we gladly accepted. I ate mine on our way back up to the trail.
It was hot again. It didn't make up for my sleepless, cold night, just made me more tired. We hiked fast. The layer of sweat covered us as we hiked and the slick, salty coating helped us stay cooler. My leg cramp that had started in Warwick a few days before finally stopped bothering me! We passed another water cache and chugged a liter there. It was getting easier to stay hydrated thanks to some local folks!
We crossed over Mile 1400.
We passed someone coming downhill as we were going uphill that yielded to us. Finally a real hiker! I thought. She introduced herself as Parakeet, a thru-hiker from the year before. She offered to let us crash at her house if we wanted, she lived near Pawling. It was nice to meet a fellow hiker!
We hiked through the crowd of tourists up to the viewing tower atop the mountain where there was also a parking area.
As we climbed Bear Mountain with all of the tourists we started to get agitated. It was a pretty climb but the day hikers didn't seem to realize we were there. We yielded to all of them regardless of whether they had the right of way (whoever is hiking uphill always has right of way. Thru-hikers are expected to yield on 'flat' parts as a courtesy). Most of them played music from their phones with out headphones. It was noisy, hot, and crowded. But the trail was easy going.
After taking in the views (quickly because the small, hot tower room was filled with strangers' perfumes that practically gagged us) the two of us went down to the state park below. There was a lodge with a restaurant, family picnics happening everywhere, and a lake with paddle boats cruising the surface. We couldn't figure out why it was so busy. Busier than one would expect for a Wednesday. Then I realized it was Wednesday, July 4th, 2018.
Everyone was having their family picnics, they had the day off from work and school! Some people even brought out small generators and TVs to watch the world cup. Outside. In a state park. Every picnic table was taken by families. They all spoke different languages. I heard little English during our jaunt through. It was amazing to hear all of the cultures mingling together. Barbecues were going, some families were making kabobs and others burgers.
The smells from their fresh food were torture. All I wanted was a good, hot meal that wasn't light enough to carry in my backpack. The smells from the meats and spice mingled in the humid air and practically made me drool.
We got to the lodge and I went inside and bought myself the cheapest, coldest thing on the menu: a milkshake. I resisted buying an overpriced hot dog or burger ($7 for a dog, YIKES!) and left with just the ice cream. Miles and I left quickly after that and aimed for a convenience store/deli at the next road crossing!
After the state park we entered the famous Trail Side Zoo. I'm not really one for zoos so it was a bit chaotic. There were kids screaming, animals in small pens, and a swimming pool that seemed out of place. After being in the woods for so long it just felt like an environment no animal should be in: a pen with a high fence being watched by loud humans all day.
I felt bad. They should be in a large space where they couldn't hear the loud noises of people and the highway that ran by the zoo. You could still observe the animals but they wouldn't have to be overwhelmed by people's noise.
Anyway, we walked through the zoo.
And eventually out of it after we stopped at the restroom. We ran into Hard Hat again, too! He walked with us along the highway and climbed out of the busy valley where the zoo and the lowest point on the AT lay. Up and over one more small mountain we went. The whole way to the deli we talked about all of the things we wanted to eat there. I hoped they had onion rings and red Gatorade. Miles just wanted a burger.
When we arrived to the road crossing where the deli was, we found a cornucopia of a menu. I even got avocado on my burger and a side of onion rings! I also got a couple of pastries for later, a Gatorade, and some salty snacks. It was so awesome and convenient.
After dinner we headed with Hard Hat to the Graymoor Spiritual Life Center a few miles up the trail.
I had originally intended to meet my parents in Pawling at the road crossing next to Native Landscapes but we fell a bit short of that goal. They offered to pick us up at a road crossing near Canopus Lake instead, just 8 miles ahead on trail instead of 22.
We went to bed right when we got to the camping area for the Center, planning to wake up early the next day to go see my parents! It had been the longest I'd gone without seeing them. Ever. Like in my whole life, ever. I felt a little nervous. It was silly really.
They are so supportive and accepting. I felt like I had changed so much on trail and even though I'd been communicating with them, I was nervous that they would be weirded out or something. Not only had I changed physically but I also hoped they noticed the change mentally, too.