We woke for the first time in NY. There was a shelter 26.4 miles away that we really wanted to push for. So we hit the trail. It quickly turned out that not only the mileage today would be a challenge but also the terrain. We went over several rock scrambles in the first 5 miles.
At lunch we came to the last water source for 6.5 miles. It was a creek fed by a swamp, flowing into a lake. The water was clear but tasted gross. I tried to mask it with several different drink mixes to no avail. I hiked 2 miles while stubbornly refusing to drink it. Then we came across some wonderful luck! A trail angel had put out several gallon jugs of clean water! I dumped out my bad water and refilled it, then hiked on into Harriman State Park ready to do these miles.
Harriman State Park was beautiful! We proceeded through an infamous area of the park called the "Lemon Squeezer". It was a very narrow rock formation followed by a rock wall that you had to scale. I found it quite exhilarating! The state park reminded me of a prehistoric setting from Jurassic Park.
Hiking to the next shelter proved easy and beautiful. When we reached it we had a snack of oranges and fruit snacks. The next 5.5 miles to our destination was a little harder and got dark in the last half mile. But we made it and we didn't get rain all day!
That night in my tent I got little sleep due to a bone shattering thunderstorm just overhead. The lightning struck very close to me several times. It was nerve racking, but made it through the night without getting struck or wet.
Uphill
Navigating the Lemon Squeezer.
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