On to Conneticut!!

Crossing the Bear Mountain Bridge over the Hudson River was HOT! We are so used to our trees providing shade for us. Lately the shade and swimming have been the only thing making hiking in the 90 + degree temperatures bearable. 

We walked into Fort Montgomery for breakfast and to get the package that my mom sent us and some happies that Puddin's mom sent. We wasted a bit of time there because we knew the trail went through a little walk through zoo that we wanted to check out and it opened at 10am. What we didn't know about was..........

THE POOL!!!!!! For some reason this amazing pool just outside of the zoo is not in our guide books. We turned a corner and saw this beautiful blue cool cleanish body of water screaming for us to come play in it. There was no way we could resist and one of the best things was that it was free to through hikers! We must be doing something right because this was exactly what we needed on this hot day. Spanky, Sleeping Beauty, Puddin and myself all stripped off our sweaty clothes and jumped right in (wearing the appropriate swimming attire as it was a public pool. We are hiker trash, but not that trashy). We had breath holding competitions, underwater swimming contests. Saw who could do the most underwater flips. It felt good to regress back to our 9 year old childish ways. 

When we were good and waterlogged we decided that it was time to get hiking again so we showered off the chlorine and started walking through the zoo. 

A statue of Walt Whitman

His poem "Song of the Open Road" was mentioned and written in stone by the statue. It was very inspirational for us and amazing how much it related to the way we feel on this hike. I you would like to check it out you can go to http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/song-of-the-open-road-2/ 

Next came the animals. 

Some cinnamon colored black bears were the highlight of the zoo. We also liked the porcupine and a fox that only had three legs.

A view of the Bear Mountain Bridge spanning over the Hudson River.

Puddin crossing the bridge.

A view of down below

Next we had a big climb up. We were dripping sweat, but with the mountains ahead we are excited about getting a chance to work our legs out a bit again. 

This part of the state and beyond had many rock walls. This one was nice because it was on both sides of the path giving us our own little bridge. 

This is the largest oak tree on the AT. Sleeping Beauty and I couldn't even come close to reaching around it.

Puddin was happy to have made it to this milestone.

We stopped for an evening at the RPH Shelter. It was a great shelter, but the bugs were bad enough that we stayed within the safety of the bug netting in our tent. 

The next morning we were planning on hiking 20 miles. 3 miles into that we walked across a bridge that told us there was a free breakfast at the house just up the road. Of course we had to go check it out. It turned out to be the house of Amy and Bill (Gascious) a former through hiker from '99. They made us waffles and coffee. Bill invited us to partake in his favorite pastime of SKYDIVING! I was in, but Puddin wasn't so sure because of how much it cost. They told us they would slack pack us and we could hike back, stay at there place for the night, and we could decide while we were hiking. So they drove myself, Sleeping Beauty, and Puddin 17 miles north where we were planning on stopping for the night and we hiked south for the day.  After enough of my puppy dog face Puddin gave in and decided that it would be a good idea to go skydiving too.  I knew she wanted to the whole time, but she is the sensible one in this family. 

Sleeping Beauty cooling off in the river

I had to join him

We made it back to Bill and Amy's house in record time, but along the way felt some sprinkles.  We were wondering if, with the weather, would it be possible to still sky dive.  When we got back our fears were confirmed.  The system coming in wouldn't allow us to go jump out of a plane.  We weren't that bummed though, we will have more opportunities in the future and its probably for the best with our money situation being as tight as it is right now. 

Puddin loving life.  It is nice to have a clean soft place to lay down. 

While staying at Bill and Amy's we got to meet Buddy Backpacker and his parents Andrea and Dion.  They are through hiking the trail and when Buddy finishes he will break the record for the youngest person ever to through hike the AT.  Oh yeah, he is only 5!!!!!!! You can check out their adventures at buddybackpacker.com

Buddy and Puddin hit it off immediately.  That kid has a ton of energy. 

Buddy, Andrea and Dion

All of us with Bill and Amy

After a night of great company and burgers and spiraled weenies we got some sleep and it was back to the trail.  Our next big step, crossing into Connecticut!!

Of course with it being hot our group had to go swimming.  Luckily we passed by a river with a perfect swimming spot.  It was a nice way to spend the hot part of the day. 

Our swimming hole

Crossing over the river

More coniferous trees now

New York has been really good to us.  The people have been wonderful, we have appreciated the terrain. It is nice to have the views again.  There have been plenty of places to swim, and the rocks are finally starting to let up.  We have decided that New York is in a tie for our favorite state along with Tennessee.  We are now in Kent, CT and looking forward to the upcoming states.  Connecticut is only about 50 miles long so we will be in Massachusetts soon then on to Vermont. 

A look back at New York