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Sunday–July 25, 2021
Trail Day–156
Trail Mile–-15.3/1,800.5
Location–West Mombasha Road, then to Mosey’s Place Hostel, Port Jervis, NY, AT Mile 1,381.8
A fair distance back to the trail at Longhouse Drive. No problem, though, as Mosey has breakfast prepared at six. We’re out the door before six-thirty, and Barry has us back on trail in good order. Thanks Mosey, thanks Barry!
The climb is gradual to Bellvale Mountain and the state line between New Jersey and New York–another state behind me now. Nine down (Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey), six to go (New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine). A long old trail, but I’m making my way!
As soon as I see the painted sign on a huge boulder atop the mountain (NJ/NY) I suddenly remember the beginning of the trail in New York–coming at me the most incredible scramble through unending piles of huge cobbed-up boulders. Hand-over-hand, up, down, and through the maze. Rebar rungs fixed in the side of one enormous boulder face, so much a ladder. Scary, SCARY!
There has been rain and the boulders are wet and very slippery. Getting across the sloping, off-camber ones is a difficult proposition. I manage most but end up slipping and doing three dandy pack-slappers. No further injury but hard jarrings to my old body.
At one vantage spot, from atop the bluff, there’s an American flag, tall makeshift flagpole. Gotham (New York) City is supposedly visible on the horizon. But there’s no horizon today. The mountain is totally socked in.
Rocks, scary boulder-fields, much climbing–that’s the trail today, if that’s memorable.
What is memorable–supper at the old Erie Hotel in downtown Port Jervis and ice cream dessert at Riverside Creamery.
The most beautiful things are not associated with money;
they are memories and moments…
(Alek Wek)
