The next state in the series is New York!
Similar to New Jersey, I had no idea what to expect from the state in terms of scenery. All I knew going in was that the guidebook showed a state with relatively little elevation changes which I thought would lead to some good mileage throughout my time in the state.
What I didn’t realize was that those little 100-500ft hills in the guidebook were really steep rocky/stone formations that could be challenging at times (especially when wet) and definitely slowed you down. That said, I really enjoyed hiking through New York more than I thought I would.
The first place that sticks out in my mind from New York was Black Mountain which offered a view of the distant New York Skyline. It was the first time I had ever seen the New York Skyline in person and it was very impressive. I couldn’t help but wonder if there had been hikers standing on top of that mountain on 9/11, watching the events unfold, cut off from the news cycle and wondering what was going on back in civilization.
New York also had one of my favorite trees on the trail, a massive Oak right on the side of the AT. I have always been fascinated by giant, old trees and must have spent about 20 minutes marveling at the magnificent tree. It had a huge base and branches that were the larger than most of the tree trunks around the area. Unfortunately I don’t remember exactly where this was located, but if you happen to know, please tell us in the comment section!
This is my favorite sign on the trail, which I’ll just let speak for itself….
Next was a place that I had read about while researching the trail, the Trailside Museum & Zoo and was excited to visit. Most “Attractions” along the trail whether naturally occurring or not, require hiking a side trail or potentially even hitching a ride to visit. But not the zoo! The trail actually passes through the little zoo itself, marked with white blazes and everything. It was a little weird walking through a zoo full of people, while wearing a pack, but it was still a neat experience. It was filled with all kinds of local species including Black bears, coyotes, foxes and more.
For better or for worse, their Weasel wasn’t available!
Last but not least is Tony’s Deli. While there had been several delis near the trail in NY, Tony’s was by far the best. They had a small kitchen offering hot breakfast, lunch and dinner during the generous business hours of 3:30 am to midnight, had a small store to resupply and let hikers camp in the yard out back. The owner even dropped us off back at the trail in the morning.
Finally, as promised, I am going to provide a weekly update on the book. As I alluded to earlier, I had been a little ambitious/optimistic with my original timeline, as well as the methods I was using to write and the free time I would have to finish the project.
I have reorganized my notes and am embarking on a new strategy that I think will produce a better story that will hopefully be enjoyed by everyone. Unfortunately, this means I had to back track a bit, but in the end I think it will help things move along quicker too.
At the time of this post, Purge is currently hiking through North Carolina! Even though it is relatively early in the trail/story, a lot has happened so far including a pesky chipmunk, a phantom light in the dark, my first hostel stay, a mountain rescue, freezing temperatures and more!
Stay tuned for next week’s post that will include another edition of my favorite places on the trail and another status update on the book.
I hope everyone is enjoying the blog and more importantly, getting out on adventures of your own (however large or small)!
As always if you have any questions or comments or maybe want to share your own experiences on the trail, please feel free to write in the comments section.
Thanks for reading!
Sean “Purge”
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