7/07/01
West Mountain summit was beautiful last night with a nearly full moon and the lights of the NYC skyline on the far horizon. The morning was equally as beautiful with bright sunshine and a cool breeze blowing. Phantom had a maildrop to reach at Bear Mountain PO, so he left me behind as I casually packed up my gear. At midmorning I reached the summit of Bear Mtn. which has a tower and parking lot for state park visitors. Surefoot had caught up to me after an early morning start. At the summit tower we ran into Monterey. The three of us enjoyed some fruit and cheese, courtesy of some day hikers from Long Island, before descending to the park lodge and lake area. The Bear Mtn. lake and picnic area was bustling with hundreds, if not thousands, of families there for the day to enjoy grilling out and taking the paddle boats out for a spin on the lake. I found Phantom inside the lodge on the phone and I stopped at the food court for a slice of pizza as I waited. Soon he and I were strolling through the crowded park looking for a yogi opportunity. Because there were so many people we didn't stand out despite our backpacks and poles. Finally we gave up on the yogiing and stopped at a booth for some fresh cherries before moving on through the park's zoo. We paused at the bear exhibit at the zoo and took a photo since the exhibit is located at the lowest elevation on the entire trail at 129'. Then we crossed the Hudson River and climbed to the ridge top. As it was a beautiful afternoon, there were lots of day hikers who stopped us to ask questions.
We took a side trail to Anthony's Nose for a spectacular view of the Hudson River, Hudson Valley, and surrounding mountains. While there we talked to a family. The daughter had spent time in my home town, so we talked for awhile about home. Then Phantom and I hiked to the Graymoor Friary where we would use the baseball field shelter as our camping site for the night. Dinner, provided by the monks of the friary, was scheduled to be served promptly at 5:30 p.m. With an hour to wait on dinner, it was time for another frisbee session with Surefoot, Phantom, and a section hiker from North Carolina named Jeff who is left handed and an eagle scout. Dinner was served promptly at 5:30 p.m. A friar arrived in a pickup truck at the baseball field shelter to pick us up. He took us to the dining hall which was crowded with people from two separate retreats. A special table was set aside for hikers and the food was already waiting for us when we sat down. The turkey sandwiches and pasta salad were delicious and all we could eat. We also had homemade soup and chocolate pudding for dessert. The Graymoor Friary has been feeding hikers since 1972 and it's a tradition to eat with them. We thoroughly enjoyed dinner (The King, Phantom, Surefoot, Jeff and a southbound section hiker). After dinner another frisbee session took place, then we all set up tents for the night. Beatle arrived, too late for dinner, but settled down to sleep under the baseball field shelter (no walls, simply a roof overhead). Around 11 p.m., just after I had finished some journaling and was listening to the radio, it began raining. I quickly jumped up and moved my freestanding tent under the shelter roof to avoid getting the tent wet. It was another day full of adventure and fun on the AT. Here are today's stats: low 62, high 80. Sunny early, cloudy late. Today's mileage: 11.6; cumulative mileage: 1,389.7.
