Day 100, miles today - 13.4, total - 1,398.5

June 25, 2013

Arden Valley Road to Bear Mountain Bridge Motel, Fort Montgomery

This morning we all had breakfast at John and Susan's house. After eating I walked around the outside of the house. John was tending to chickens in a fenced area. He also has a raised garden area. Their house is in a great setting. It's amazing how much they do for complete strangers.

B-Rocket and Captain Awesome

John dropped Triple and I off at the lake where he picked us up. He dropped Finder, Fatty, B Rocket and Moxie off in Fort Montgomery. They are going to slack pack south, back to John and Susan's house.

The trail today still had a lot of short ups, but not as many as the last couple days. There were several great views. After five miles, at the top of Black Mountain, there was a view of NY City skyline. The sky was hazy, so  we could just slightly make it out.

When I got to Bear Mountain there were well maintained trails that led to the Perkins Memorial Tower.  It was built in 1934. The workmanship was impressive. While I was there I saw a TV station doing some sort of news story. They were with channel 12  from Hudson Valley, NY. When they finished filming I asked the reporter what the story was about. She said they were doing a story about the tower. She asked if they could tape interviewing me. I said sure. So they asked me what I thought about the tower, the park and a little about my hike. It was fun.

Channel 12 News

I went to the top of the tower to take in the view. On a clear day you can see the NY City skyline from the tower. It was a very pretty park. A lady near the tower asked where I was hiking. I told her I was a thru-hiker. She asked all of the questions we normally hear. As I walked away she wished me luck and gave me a thumbs up. I always enjoy meeting people along the way.

When I came down the other side of the Bear Mountain, I saw Hessian Lake. There were two ladies and five children at a picnic and playground area next to the lake. The trail went right past them. I stopped to ask a couple questions about the lake. I ended up sitting down at the table with them. Telling them all about my hike. They offered me Cheetos and a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Their kids asked a lot of questions too. It was a nice break. They gave me a baggie full of Cheetos to take with me.

I planned to get a room somewhere in Fort Montgomery.  I went to the Bear Mountain Inn next to the lake. Their prices were too high. I talked to the lady at the desk about other places to stay in town. There was a Bear Mountain Bridge Motel less than two miles away.

As we were talking about how to get there, a young lady, who was getting off work, walked up and started describing where the motel was at. I asked her if she was going that way. She said yes and offered to give me a ride. Her name is Nicole.

When I got to the motel and checked in, the manager said there were other backpackers staying there. He said All the Way and Goose were there. Both are from Ohio. I hadn't seen Goose since Partnership Shelter in VA. I last saw All the Way a few weeks ago. The three of us ate dinner together.