August 17, 2024 5 min to read

AT Blog: Day 92 and 93

ZOOOOOOOOO

Day 92:

Wake up at Black Mountain, Footloose had already left before I did, and I was gone before 7 AM.

Heading off of Black Mountain I take my time. So the next section is Palisades Interstate Parkway. It’s very dangerous to hikers as people must cross a major road into NYC. There is a reroute this year on account of accidents that have killed hikers in the past. Now the trail avoids the road for a safe pedestrian protected route. The reroute takes me closer to the visitor center, on a map the AT has to go way north then back south due to it.

I opt to keep going, passing the trail for West Mountain Shelter, after another three and a half miles the trail gets to Bear Mountain, a popular state park and one of the high points in New York. Nearing the top I run into a couple of families hiking (even messing with a family freaked out by a rat snake). The top has a nice gravel walkway leading to Perkins Tower, a five story observation tower that on a clear day can barely see the skyline of New York City. I got to see NYC just barely out in the distance.

Meanwhile there was an absolute metric load of people up at the top of the mountain. The parking lot was full, people using vending machines and people riding around on motorbikes. The hike down from bear mountain is not too bad, however it does descend to the lowest point of the AT at 124 feet above see level. So I descend over 1100 feet and pass by so many people making their way up.

Now the really neat part of today’s hike is the facilities at its base. There is a large lake with boats for people and a beach for hanging out. Its not as busy as yesterday’s lake but still crowded. After getting a hot dog at a concession stand, I move along the AT to the one and only…. ZOO ON TRAIL.

Like its not a zoo next to the trail, but a zoo that the trail goes straight through! So technically it is a wildlife sanctuary first, but still. There are all sorts of animals, birds of prey, reptiles and the big attraction BEARS. So despite running into bears several times before this trip, but none so far. The zoo has two bears, one of them has a form of alopecia, unable to properly grow fur and was found freezing to death.

There is also several birds in them, most of them injured in automobile accidents. Grizzly fact, the reason you shouldn’t through food scraps and degradable goods out of your car is birds will swoop in and get them on the ground and fly in front of a car.

There is also a museum part of the trail, with the old Fort Clinton from the revolutionary war, and a museum with relics of the areas history.

I head out of the museum and need to resupply. Shortly after the zoo is the town of Montgomery, near West Point. I get off trail and walk about one mile to a Holidy Inn to spend the night and get supplies. On the way there I run into a family vacationing there and ask all sorts of questions about my whole experience.

I stop by a gas station shortly before the hotel, get a couple things I need and most importantly a pint of ice cream. I manage to get to the hotel right at check in and go into my room.

I slowly recover, start eating my ice cream, wash off, eat some more ice cream then head out. I call in an order at a restaurant as I stop by a larger grocery store for a resupply. Afterwards I pick up the food and head back to my room.

I end the day with a full belly and a good bed.

The real question is: Are the bear real or just people in costumes?

Day 93:

While I’m at the holiday inn, I still wake up shortly after 6 AM. I take advantage of breakfast and quickly fix myself up to get food. I end up getting 2 eggs, turkey sausage bacon 2 cinnamon rolls 2 tiny pancakes and a while bunch of breakfast bars for resupply.

I head back to the room eat up and rest watching some TV. I also finish the pint of ice cream I bought yesterday, the mini fridge had a small tray for freezer that kinda kept the ice cream in tact? Either way I finish it. Then around 840 or so I get another plate of food and slowly munch on it.

Around 11 I actually head out walking back to trail. I cross the Hudson River and start the hike up. The tough thing about these flat states is whenever there is a climb its always just straight up, making it super rough.

There’s nothing too much of note about today’s hike, I’m heading from 1409 to about 1420. About halfway there’s a gas station market I stop in. There’s plenty of stuff and a small kitchen where I get some chicken fingers and fries. Additionally I meet Flip Flop, another through hiker taking a lunch break. We chat about our experiences and I learn he got his name not because he is doing a flip flop of the AT, but because he did one day backwards near the start because he skipped ahead to get shoes.

Eventually I head out and explore the nearby Graymoor Spiritual Life Center, where they let hikers camp on their baseball field and provide a picnic pavilion with a privy and showers. I refill water there and head out to hit some more miles.

I eventually stop and make camp near the trail, doing about 11.5 miles today.