Drive-In’s, Deli’s and a Zoo?

After a day of amazing trail magic, New York continued to provide with tons of Deli’s near the trail. Of course, as a starving hiker, I stopped at all of the ones that I could. The NY AT also passes through a roadside zoo, quite an interesting place to put a trail. Just before leaving NY there was a Drive-In movie theater that allows hikers to camp and watch movies for free! Although NY was not the most scenic state, it had a number of perks that made it quite enjoyable to walk through.

Day 59 (23.9 miles)

Woke up and immediately got a bacon, egg and cheese plus a coffee from the deli that we stayed behind. Unfortunately, after my first sip of coffee, I found out that the deli does not have a public restroom! It was a rush to make it the half mile back to trail. The first few miles were easy and the weather was nice. There was nothing notable about the terrain or views, all very normal. There was however a unique shelter.

Rain began around 10 miles into the day. TD, Hash and Dirty all decided to stop at a nearby shelter and rest for the afternoon. I wanted to push on and get a bit further down the trail. There weren’t many places to be sheltered from the rain, but I found a trail sign with a roof. I took off my pack and ate lunch underneath the coverage of the small wooden roof.

This day was a bit mundane for me. I walked and listened to podcasts as the rain covered my body. It felt good to have moisture come from something other than my sweat. There were very few people on the trail and I had a lot of time to myself. I continued another 12 or so miles to a Spiritual Life Center that had a pavilion and camp area for hikers. I was able to get a cold shower, hand wash my laundry, and charge up my devices. Tick Bite was also at the shelter as well as another SOBO, Visa. We all slept inside the pavilion as rain storms were scattered throughout the afternoon and night. A section hiker offered me part of his burger and fries… which I could not say no to.

Graymoor Spiritual Center: T1, S3, P3, W1, B3

Total Score: 27

Day 60 (21.8 miles)

An early 5 am morning with a slow start. I blogged and edited/downloaded some pictures. Then off to the “AT Market” (a Shell Gas Station with a sign) for a coffee and breakfast sandwich. Shortly down the trail I crossed the Hudson River, a big milestone going South.

Just across the river the trail goes straight through a roadside zoo! The zoo was more exciting in theory than in practice. The enclosures were extremely small and the animals looked less than happy. From what I was told it is a rehabilitation zoo, which makes it a bit better. Either way it gave me an opportunity to take some pictures of animals up close.

After the zoo, I climbed the fittingly named Bear Mountain. The climb was extremely popular. There were tons of people who walking up the hundreds of rock stairs to the top, which did have a decent view.

I was extremely thirsty on this normal abnormally hot day. There were a few vending machines at the top. I paid for an overpriced Powerade, but somehow got vended 2 of them. Definitely a small victory that was appreciated after the sweaty climb up. There were still 9 more miles to go for the day and a few small hills to climb. I saw a snake (I think a northern water snake) and some deer along the way.

I stayed the night at the fingerboard shelter. When I arrived I saw a familiar tent and face, Mountain Goat. I thought he had long blown by me, but he took a zero day and I managed to catch up. It was an early night with some odd random rainy weather.

Fingerboard Shelter: T1, S3, P3, W5, B4

Total Score: 180

Day 61 (16.6 miles)

Got up earlier than normal in order to have the afternoon in town. The sunrise was extremely pretty and cast bright yellow beams of light through the dense forest just below the shelter area.

I rushed through the miles and the infamous lemon squeeze. It really wasn’t that exciting, but I did have to squeeze a bit.

I crossed paths with Visa and Mountain Goat all day. There were a few good views but many pointless rock scrambles with alternative paths directly beside them. NY just had to make things more difficult than they should be. At the road crossing into town there was a hotdog stand and creamery. I got a dog and a cookies and cream milkshake. The milkshakes were hyped up, but I would give it a 6/10. The taste was there but the thickness and consistency was lacking. PA Farm Show milkshakes are superior and cost nearly half of this one.

Mountain Goat, Visa, and I sat around for a couple hours before hitching into the town of Warwick. A few minutes before getting a ride we were offered free ice cream sandwiches, which were delicious. The man who picked us up was interesting to say the least. Very nice guy but couldn’t stay on the road to save his life. Thankfully we didn’t crash on the short drive to town. He dropped us off at the Warwick drive-in, which allows hikers to camp and watch the nightly movies.

I resupplied at a close by store and then relaxed at camp for a while. I went to the Cidery across the street with Tick Bite, Mountain Goat, and Visa. It was a rustic place with some good beverages.

Afterwards we went to the grocery store for dinner. I got 2.75 lbs of Chinese food which I then ate while watching some weird movie about a killer lion. The volume on the movie was odd so I didn’t hear much of it. I think the Chinese food was laced with sleeping medication because I could not stay awake after consuming it.

Warwick Drive-In: T3, S1, P5, W5, B2

Total Score: 150

I hope you enjoyed this update from the trail! NY has brought a completely different style of hiking to the trail as I knew it. Deli blazing has been fun but definitely taking a toll on the wallet. I’m excited to share more of my adventures with you all in my next post. Until then, remember to keep wandering in your own direction!