John and Mike Take a Hike ~ with Natalie!: Day 116 (Wednesday, August 6th)

Today's Miles: 12.30
Trip Miles: 1412.00

I loaded up on the breakfast that came with the motel stay. A bagel with bacon, a bowl of Frosted Flakes, two cinnamon buns, and about eight glasses of cranberry/orange juice mixed. A virgin madras to get me hydrated. That was the first time I went down to eat. The zoo didn't open until ten so I went to the breakfast buffet two more times. I sat with Reckless again, a really nice young man. It was a pleasure to meet and speak with him. There was a young couple who are north bounders, but we didn't get a chance to speak.

It's a good thing I ate the extra breakfast because I ended up walking the 2.5 miles back to the zoo. No rides. There really wasn't any place for people to pull over. It was a nice walk and I crossed the Popolopen Creek for the second time. Yesterday I crossed over a pedestrian bridge on a side trail into Fort Montgomery.

Bear den at the zoo

I got to the zoo at ten on the dot and one of the keepers let me in. Not a soul there that wasn't working at the zoo. The woman who let me in was very nice. She even stopped to take a picture of me next to a Walt Whitman statue in the park. Thanks!

It's a quaint little zoo with lots of explanatory signage along the pathways. A nice kids zoo. I understand why some hikers don't particularly like it here, after seeing many of the same animals in the wild, but for some people it may be the only chance they'll ever have to see a bear or coyote close up. I guess it's a balance issue.

Out of the zoo I crossed the Hudson River and passed the 1400 mile mark. There was no marker that I saw, so no pics. Back into the woods on the other side was a steep climb. Rocky and tough, but it didn't go on for very long.

Bridge crossing the Hudson River

At US9, near Peekskill I stopped at the Appalachian Market. I had a great chicken hero [sub], some soda, a chocolate milk, and chatted with three SOBO section hikers. I told them about my hike and how Mike had gone back to Quincy from Kent, Ct. They said they had talked to him. I asked them when and they said about two hours ago. I asked if he was a young guy from Quincy with a reddish beard and they said yes, he was with a girl and a dog. I pulled out my phone and showed them a picture of Mike and they said, that's not the guy. Crazy, there's another red bearded guy from Quincy headed home!

After leaving the Market I finally met some north bounders, Bio Hazard and Swiper, a young couple who started 4/12. They seemed like nice kids. They were taking their time on the trail and I passed by them after a short chat.

About five p.m. it got dark and I could hear the thunder in the distance. I started to look for some place to camp. I had just found an iffy site when the rain began to fall. I quickly set up my tent and threw everything inside. As soon as I was done the sun came out again. I debated staying there or moving on and after talking to the Administrator on the phone I decided to pack up and hike a bit more. I only hiked on for half an hour when I found a really nice camp site. I made a cup of tea and settled in.

The weather looks good for tomorrow. I'm done with the antibiotics and I hope that means I won't be so tired. I'd like to do more miles in a day if the feet keep improving. At the same time I don't want to push my luck. I'm trying to listen to my body instead of pressing on no matter what. Here's hoping.

Good Night.