New England

It has been a busy past week and a half.  We had a great time in New York with my friends Joel and Dave!  Dave lives in Brooklyn and has for a few years now. He toured us around to a few choice spots in Manhattan on the evening when we first arrived.  We ate delicious, truly Italian hand-made pizza, drank beers in some eclectic pubs and ended the night with a Buffalo chicken and Gorgonzola stuffed, deep-fried rice ball at a punker bar completely covered with grafitti and sprinkled with mohawks.
The next day we went back into Manhattan with Joel and wandered around Chelsea, bopping into galleries, looking at art and just generally trying to adjust to the concrete jungle.  What a change of scenery!  We walked the highline, which has been converted from an elevated train track into a "green" walkway.  It is nice.  There are different plants and shrubs growing alongside this walking path that allows you to travel through the city without having to cross streets or deal with traffic.  It offers some unique views as well.

We ate lunch in China town.  Joel has been to "the city" quite a number of times and has some prime locales dialed in.  We ate good for cheap.  We wandered some more and then met up with Dave and went to see the new Batman movie.  The movie was ok, but the neat part is that it takes place in "Gotham City", which is really Manhattan.  There were lots of scenes in the movie that are fly-bys of the city.  When the film was over we walked out of the theater into midtown Manhattan, and the setting of the film! It was then that we took the subway up to Times Square where I proposed marriage to Butch (Sally)!

The next day Joel took us back to the trail.  We continued on up through New York.  We went over Bear Mountain (there are lots of "Bear Mtn"s) and down the other side where the trail crosses the Hudson river.  There is a popular recreation area there where many people come to escape the city.  There is a zoo, picnic area, concessions and a swimming pool!  The pool and zoo are free for hikers!  We took advantage and let the chlorinated water do its thing on our funk.

This part of the trail is the oldest section of the AT.  After the trail was first proposed they began work on this section and had it open up Bear Mtn. in 1923.  The rest of the trail wasn't complete until 1937.  This is also the lowest point on the AT.  At the bear cage in the zoo we go down to 124' above sea level. 

It was a  little heart-breaking to see the animals in cages, however, all of the animals there had some injury that prevented them from being able to live in the wild.  That made it a little easier to view.  There was a three legged Fox, crippled Coyotes, a busted Bald Eagle and other forest misfits. 

The trail in New York is scenic.  We commented often about how open the forest was.  Large trees sprung up from a grass covered forest floor that was broken up by large outcroppings of rock.  We wandered in and around, up, through and over, down, along and in-between these bones of the mountains.  The remainder of New York seemed to go smoothe.  There are several stopping points where one can grab a slice of pizza or a good deli sandwich just off the trail.  This always helps grease the wheels.

We were hiking with a guy named "70%" for a couple days near the end of New York.  We stopped one evening and went for a swim in Nuclear Lake. (we found out later that it was the site of a plutonium facility that had an explosion in the 70's)  There were two women who were there wading in the lake with their dogs running around.  We got to talking with them.  One of them said in kind of an off-hand way that if we were up in that area again we ought to stop by her place for a meal.  We didn't really take it serious, but before she left, she gave us more specific directions about the road she lived on, how close it was to the trail, to look for a red door and that we really should stop by.  The next morning Butch, 70% and I came knocking and Michele ended up making us a wonderful breakfast of Buckwheat pancakes, eggs, bacon and coffee.  What a treat!  We ate and talked and played with her dogs.  True Trail Magic.

It was then up into Connecticut.  We weren't there long. There are only 50 miles or so in CT. We crossed into Massachusetts yesterday after a couple days of rain and set our sights on Great Barrington.  Everything was wet.  Things were beginning to rot.  It doesn't take long in the woods for the dampness to begin to degrade even hi-tech fabrics.  We had heard that there was a couple, some former through-hikers, who leave cold sodas in a cooler by the trail and put people up at their place.  Indeed they do.  There were 17 hikers here last night.  It is a two bedroom apartment.  I'm not joking.  Bearwalker and Buttons have room inside for 6 or 7.  We camped in the yard.  Everyone is welcome to shower and cook inside.  Something about hiking and experiencing the generosity shown by so many changes you.  It makes you want to just give.  It has happened to these two.  They just started this "hostel" this year and will probably do it next year but are planning to hike the Pacific Crest Trail the summer after that.  Initially they stayed in the larger of the two rooms here but then moved to the smaller room to give more floor space to the hikers.  Their days consist of making coffee, running hikers to trailheads, cleaning, going to work, picking up hikers, cleaning, pleading with their neighbors and chatting with the myriad dirtbags traipsing through their place.  I am on the computer here writing this blog wearing only my sleeping bag as Butch has taken all the clothes to the laundromat.  Bearwalker and Buttons have gone to work.  People are milling about.  Only on the trail does this scene not seem odd, or the circumstances not arouse suspicions. 

Our stop in New York allowed some old friends to catch up with us.  We have run into other friends who have been doing some south-bound slack-packing.  We continue to meet new people who know other people we know.  It is a great community.  Everyone is a character.


Oh, and we keep seeing cool bugs!