May 16
End: Wildcat Shelter, NY
Miles: 30.7
Total: 3230.4
I left the cabin before Patches and headed back to the trail. I would have enjoyed meeting Mr. Murray to ask him why he has posters of the American Discovery Trail inside the cabin, but he never came by. Pretty soon I stopped to write a journal entry on a small bench. During the morning I continued to stop often to write another entry, attempting to catch up some on my delinquent trail journal.
As I finished another entry, Patches showed up and we hiked together for a mile or two, enjoying the titles in a wildlife refuge, and chatting about the trail. When a monster climb hit us, I left her behind and continued towards my goal for the day.
Big climbs were not the only obstacle I faced as I left New Jersey. Approaching the New York state line, I had to constantly maneuver across giant rock slabs, trying hard not to lose my footing on the frictionless surfaces.
Getting into New York, I continued along the rocky ridge, then descended down to a road. From there the distance to the shelter was only a couple of miles, but I had to mount two big piles of rocks before I could rest for the night. I got a good photo at the first, then went on to Wildcat Shelter, where I met Turtle, Mule, and another hiker. All three were thru-hikers, and one of them had started on March 11th, meaning he was making great time.
Happy to be at the shelter before dark, I cooked dinner and did another journal entry or two. I had put in another thirty miles and perhaps more importantly, written a handful of journal entries.
