4 June 2021. Day 58. 5.2 Miles + 699.0 Miles = 704.2 Miles. Seven Lakes Drive to the East Side of Bear Mountain Bridge Across the Hudson River. The Commode Comes Back to Haunt Me

08:45. Climbing Bear Mountain from the West

There was one more obstacle before reaching the Hudson River and that began the next morning . I hired another Lyft driver and he brought us back to the point where we had left the trail. The climb was, of course, immediate. The difference was that Bear Mountain is a tourist favorite. The steps were highly professionally built.

09:06. The Rock work was Impressive

I’ve never seen rock walls built to support rock…….at least I think I haven’t.

09:16. The View West

In the distance I could hear cannon fire as the cadets at West Point must have been training. The weather cooperated and allowed decent views.

09:26. The Summit of Bear Mountain

I arrived at the summit at the same time that I hit the 700 mile point on my hike. It was a beautiful spot with a chair to boot. I did a little Hello video and then made a couple of phone calls as Landslide moved on.

I could hear voices working up the mountain so I cleared my call as they appeared.

09:50. Her Name was Wildflower

And she was full of positive vibes. A mother of two she was on her 19th day of section hiking supported by her children and husband.

09:50. Second Shot

Hiking with Wildflower was Second Shot whose name came about because he had to get off the trail last year due to the pandemic.

10:10. Conductor

As I worked my way down the mountain I came upon two hikers going Southbound. This was Conductor named because he’s an electrical engineer.

10:10. Dr DNA

He was hiking with Dr DNA who is a microbiologist who has been working out of Atlanta on the pandemic. I had the impression that he was with the CDC. As I was talking Wildflower and Second Shot showed up. It was immediately reunion time. Evidently these two groups had come upon each other several times. Dr DNA and Conductor have been slack packing while using two vehicles.

10:30. North Along the Hudson

The downward hike was pure tourist. A wide trail and perfect steps worked their way down the mountain. With each lower level the Hudson River became more pronounced. It was definitely big enough to land a commercial airliner on.

10:50. Bear Mountain State Park

From the overlook at the visitors center on the mountain.

11:17. Models Posing at Hessian Lake

Ok. We’re not models.

11:40. Same Models at tunnel leading from state park to Rehab Zoo

11:46. Walt Whitman Again

Walt Whitman showed up on the trail for the second time. If you remember last week I met Wrong Way and Yawp. She had named him because of a Walt Whitman poem.

11:56. Bear Stalked by Buzzards

This tiny zoo contained animals indigenous to the area. The animals were victims of gunshot wounds, traps, car accidents or having been pets. They could no longer survive in the wild. How would you like to take a nap and wake up surrounded by buzzards. I have no desire to be lunch.

14:10. The Bear Mountain Bridge Across the Potomac

Landslide needed supplies so we walked 0.6 miles off the AT to Fort Montgomery. As I was walking down the concrete sidewalk I suddenly developed right foot pain. The further we went the worse it became. By the time we were in Fort Montgomery I could barely walk. I thought about finding a cage back at the zoo…… I needed rehabbing.

I managed to hike 1.1 miles back to the trail and then across the bridge. I made a call to Dr Bill Chiles…… his opinion means a lot to me…… I had to get off the trail. At least 24 hours with foot elevated and iced. Landslide moved on. I sat on the bridge waiting for a thunderstorm to hit. I didn’t want a stinking storm. I didn’t want off the trail. I didn’t know if it was the pounding of coming down those steps or perhaps the trauma of smashing my heel against the commode the week before. But…… how could that be….. I had hiked some pretty tough trail for a week without a twinge of pain. Could it have been the ice cream? Another Lyft ride and a Hampton Inn and I was in rehab mode. There would be no “hiking on” for the moment. I’m going to make it a short moment. There are mountains out there that I need to climb.