Day 120
Start: Stealth Site
End: William Brien Memorial Shelter
Miles Hiked: 22.0
Miles on AT: 1383.1
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Yesterday was too big of a day for me. This morning I awoke later than usual feeling very groggy. Hiking late into the night is not for me! Eventually, I got myself up and out of my tent so I could start my day.
Sometimes when I’m on trail and have a blog post ready to go, I don’t have good enough service to post it when I’m ready. Last night, I was in this exact situation, so after my first climb of the morning, I sat up high on a rock to get service and published my blog post. New York wasn’t kidding around when it came to their climbs. Instead of having long climbs, New York had rock scrambles, where I had to use my hands to pull myself up walls of rocks. It was fun, but also a bit tiring.
While up there resting, 3 hikers passed me. I must’ve passed them last night when I was night hiking; they hadn’t been camped too far away from me. It wasn’t long before I saw them again. There was a water cache nearby and we all stopped to have a snack and drink up. Limpkin, Night Pony, and Kaleidoscope had just recently gotten back on trail after taking a break to attend a friend’s wedding. Like me, they were surprised by how unexpectedly tough NY was.
After chatting some more, I moved on, skirting a lily pad-covered pond and climbing a bit more. I wasn’t feeling any more energetic today. I desperately needed caffeine but didn’t have any. What sounded good to me right about now was a huge meal.
Looking at my map, I found that Harriman, NY, was only a Lyft ride away and came with a Walmart and any type of restaurant a hiker could desire. Perfect!
With my goal in mind, I completed the few miles e, to the highway, ordered my Lyft, and got to town. It was a bit of an expensive ride, but I was desperate for energy. The first place I stopped was the sushi restaurant, where I ordered a lunch special plus an extra roll. It hit the spot!
I then hobbled my way over to Walmart, figuring I might as well do a light resupply while I was here. Calling my name from the drink fridge was a canned iced latte. I’d never had one before, but I definitely needed one now. As I sat outside organizing my resupply in my food bag, I sipped on the latte. It hit the spot!
When the Lyft driver came around to take me back, I realized it was the same driver that had picked me up the first time. He said I looked much better now that I had eaten something. And I felt much better!
Fueled by sushi and caffeine, I entered Harriman State Park with a smile. However, right when I got on trail, the sky opened up and it poured rain. I even took out my umbrella, it rained so hard. After a few minutes, the drops slowed and I could continue hiking as normal.
My goal was to reach Lake Tiorati, where there was a picnic area, outlets, and showers. The day continued to look dreary, but I had my sights set on a swim at the lake.
I arrived at 5 o’clock, with 45 minutes to swim until the lifeguards went home and the lake closed. And swim I did! It was so nice. The water was the perfect temperature; it was clear and clean, with fish swimming around me. Even though it wasn’t a sunny day, a few other people were swimming as well. It was awesome.
At closing time, I got out, took my shower, and started eating dinner. It looked like it was going to rain again, so figured it was best to stay put until it passed. After the second storm, I was rewarded with a beautiful rainbow that stretched across the sky.
I still had some daylight left, so I decided to tackle a few miles and make it to the next shelter. But quickly I realized I’d underestimated how long it would take me, so I found myself night hiking again. Right when I arrived at the shelter, my headlamp died. *Sigh* Yep, I guess I’d done my fair share of night hiking.
I set my tent up in the dark, crawled in, and drifted off to sleep.
And that’s day 120.
A version of this post originally appeared on TheTrek.co.