Bear Mountain, NY to North Adams, MA

Fall 2004 Trip

Day 1, Saturday, August 28

Bear Mountain Inn to Graymoor Friary, 7.2 miles

Planes, trains, and automobiles. That’s today's theme. And busses, too!

I caught an 8:15 AM flight out of Charlotte to LaGuardia Airport in New York City. Caught a bus from the airport to Grand Central Station in downtown Manhattan, a Metro-North train from Grand Central to Peekskill, NY, and a taxi from the Peekskill train station to the Bear Mountain Inn. By a few minutes after 1PM, I’m standing on the lawn of the inn, back where I finished hiking on Memorial Day, ready for another trip north. Everything worked like clockwork, except the mail-drop package that I mailed USPS Priority Mail last week isn’t at the Bear Mountain Inn. I hustle over to the post office only to find it closed. The sign says it is open until 2PM on Saturdays. It’s only 1:30 PM, but closed non-the-less. I make one last appeal at the front desk of the inn to be sure my package hasn’t been stored somewhere. No help. No luck!

The package contained the fuel canister for my Primus stove. I’ll have to eat cold food for a few days, but hopefully I can pick up another canister somewhere along the way.

Today is my birthday. I’m 47 years young. And the way I’m wilting this afternoon, maybe not as young as I thought. Although it’s only a little over seven miles from Bear Mountain to Graymoor Friary, the hike has kicked my butt. But it is very warm this afternoon. Between 86-88 degrees.

I make Graymoor a few minutes after 5 PM, shower quickly and run up to the main hall to see if I can eat dinner here. Graymoor still feeds AT hikers in July and August. They also let hikers camp overnight at the ballfield shelter. There is a picnic table and a cold water shower. Graymoor is an AT institution.

Dinner has already started by the time I find the dining room on the top floor of the complex, but they make me a plate and I head for the hiker table in the back of the room. I’m by myself. I eat more that I should, until I am miserable. Penne pasta noodles with sausages, salad, and a gallon of cold water. It might be a rough night.

Graymoor runs a men’s homeless shelter in addition to the other outreach programs they conduct. I meet and talk with several folks who are there working off their stay. After hearing some of their personal stories, I decide that I should be more thankful about life. There, but by the grace of God!

After I waddle back to the ballfield, I take a real shower and wash out my clothes. Looks like I’ll be the only one here tonight. Just me and the mosquitoes!