Starting from Ft. Montgomery/Bear Mountain (New York)
Hiked 14 miles
The taxi cab driver picked the guys up at the hotel and took them close to where they got off the trail yesterday. Apparently New York taxi cab drivers are dare devils. Navigator said that the taxi drivers scared him more than anything he ever did on the trail.
The day went well. Turtle and Navigator stopped at a convenience store located near a road crossing to get cold drinks around mid afternoon and that seemed to give them the stamina that they needed to get to their intended destination for the day. Navigator’s knee continues to give him intermittent pain and Turtle’s stamina is still low, but slightly improved.
The change in schedule means that tonight is a tent camping night. They are staying in the woods, but close to a road crossing. Hopefully they will be able to get a good night sleep. The weather is supposed to be a little cooler tomorrow morning so that should help as well.
Miles completed: 122.2
Monday, May 25, 2009
May 24, 2009 - Day 7
Starting from Fingerboard Shelter (New York)
Hiked 14 miles
Hiking today was a challenge. The trail continued to be rocky, which was bad enough, but the rocks were covered by leaves. Today’s stunt was performed by Turtle who planted his trekking pole on a rock covered by leaves which was immediately followed by the pole sliding off the rock while he tried to gain his balance. The acrobatic act resulted with the trekking pole being injured worse than the hiker. Thank goodness! The hiker's reported that the pole kind of had a 90 degree bend in it. Navigator did give Turtle a bit of a hard time, but then gallantly gave Turtle one of his trekking poles.
After lunch the hikers hit a bit of a roadblock. Turtle’s energy was low and he felt short of breath on the uphill climbs. In past years something similar to this happened to Turtle, but he was able to push on to the end of the day. This year seemed a little different so they decided to call home for support. Thanks to the Internet I was able to arrange for a taxi to pick them up at a road crossing and make hotel reservations in Fort Montgomery/Bear Mountain.
Turtle thinks that several things were working against him. First, they started out this year with a very aggressive hiking schedule, 17 to 18 miles nearly every day. Second, they terrain was harsher than anticipated and finally the temperatures and humidity were higher than expected. The lesson learned today was that adjusting is OK.
They decided to stretch out their plans for the next four days to five days. Instead of arriving in Kent on the 28th they will arrive on the 29th. It looks like they will be able to juggle their supplies with the trails resources (shelters and water sources) to make this happen.
Those of us at home are standing by to see what we can do, if anything, to make their journey better. Please keep them in your thoughts and prayers.
Miles complete: 108.2 (Wow! 100 miles!)
Hiked 14 miles
Hiking today was a challenge. The trail continued to be rocky, which was bad enough, but the rocks were covered by leaves. Today’s stunt was performed by Turtle who planted his trekking pole on a rock covered by leaves which was immediately followed by the pole sliding off the rock while he tried to gain his balance. The acrobatic act resulted with the trekking pole being injured worse than the hiker. Thank goodness! The hiker's reported that the pole kind of had a 90 degree bend in it. Navigator did give Turtle a bit of a hard time, but then gallantly gave Turtle one of his trekking poles.
After lunch the hikers hit a bit of a roadblock. Turtle’s energy was low and he felt short of breath on the uphill climbs. In past years something similar to this happened to Turtle, but he was able to push on to the end of the day. This year seemed a little different so they decided to call home for support. Thanks to the Internet I was able to arrange for a taxi to pick them up at a road crossing and make hotel reservations in Fort Montgomery/Bear Mountain.
Turtle thinks that several things were working against him. First, they started out this year with a very aggressive hiking schedule, 17 to 18 miles nearly every day. Second, they terrain was harsher than anticipated and finally the temperatures and humidity were higher than expected. The lesson learned today was that adjusting is OK.
They decided to stretch out their plans for the next four days to five days. Instead of arriving in Kent on the 28th they will arrive on the 29th. It looks like they will be able to juggle their supplies with the trails resources (shelters and water sources) to make this happen.
Those of us at home are standing by to see what we can do, if anything, to make their journey better. Please keep them in your thoughts and prayers.
Miles complete: 108.2 (Wow! 100 miles!)
Sunday, May 24, 2009
May 23, 2009 - Day 6
Starting from 17A (New York)
Hiked 16.3 miles
Today’s hike was a long one. Turtle and Navigator arrived at the shelter around 6:30 p.m. It was a hard day, but they made up two miles to get back on schedule.
Temperatures today were a bit cooler with a nice breeze and at times misty rain. The trail continued to be rocky with steep climbs . . . as Turtle and Navigator hike they continue to wonder why the bumps shown on the trail maps look so small when the reality is so much different. The rigors of the trail were offset by a tasty lunch packed by Kathy.
Navigator accelerated his hiking speed for the last several miles to get to the shelter and start the nightly routine. The shelter, located in a state park, was highly populated with day hikers. Navigator picked out a good spot for the tent and got it set up. Since a water source was not available at the shelter he had to hike another 1.1 miles to get water. After dinner both Navigator and Turtle retreated to their tent to get out of the rain.
Navigator’s knee injury is about the same. He feels that he is able to continue to push on.
Miles complete: 94.2
Hiked 16.3 miles
Today’s hike was a long one. Turtle and Navigator arrived at the shelter around 6:30 p.m. It was a hard day, but they made up two miles to get back on schedule.
Temperatures today were a bit cooler with a nice breeze and at times misty rain. The trail continued to be rocky with steep climbs . . . as Turtle and Navigator hike they continue to wonder why the bumps shown on the trail maps look so small when the reality is so much different. The rigors of the trail were offset by a tasty lunch packed by Kathy.
Navigator accelerated his hiking speed for the last several miles to get to the shelter and start the nightly routine. The shelter, located in a state park, was highly populated with day hikers. Navigator picked out a good spot for the tent and got it set up. Since a water source was not available at the shelter he had to hike another 1.1 miles to get water. After dinner both Navigator and Turtle retreated to their tent to get out of the rain.
Navigator’s knee injury is about the same. He feels that he is able to continue to push on.
Miles complete: 94.2
May 22, 2009 - Day 5
Starting from Road Crossing near Vernon (New York)
Hiked 19.2 miles
Slack packing helped Turtle and Navigator make up two miles. The trail continues to be rocky with some strenuous climbs, but the lighter packs made the hiking easier. The temperatures got up to a whopping 88 degrees today! In just a few days they have forgotten about cool temperatures! The hikers will be staying with Kathy and Joe tonight.
Kathy, Joe, Gene and Fran provided wonderful help, good food, beds and terrific conversation for the past two days. They certainly made it a hiker’s paradise for which both Turtle and Navigator were grateful!
Miles complete: 77.9
Hiked 19.2 miles
Slack packing helped Turtle and Navigator make up two miles. The trail continues to be rocky with some strenuous climbs, but the lighter packs made the hiking easier. The temperatures got up to a whopping 88 degrees today! In just a few days they have forgotten about cool temperatures! The hikers will be staying with Kathy and Joe tonight.
Kathy, Joe, Gene and Fran provided wonderful help, good food, beds and terrific conversation for the past two days. They certainly made it a hiker’s paradise for which both Turtle and Navigator were grateful!
Miles complete: 77.9
May 21, 2009 - Day 4
Starting from High Point Shelter (New York)
Hiked 13.6 miles
Turtle and Navigator ended up at a road crossing near Vernon, but were not able to make up the four miles from the day before. Luckily their generous hosts, Gene and Fran, were able to pick them up at a road crossing before the post office closed.
The guys spend hours planning their route before the hike begins. They try to pinpoint every shelter stop and mail drop to make sure that everything is covered. Their attention to detail has served them well in the past. Missing the mark by four miles is significant, so they feel that they need to do what they can to make up the distance. We’ll have to see how it goes.
Miles complete: 58.7
Hiked 13.6 miles
Turtle and Navigator ended up at a road crossing near Vernon, but were not able to make up the four miles from the day before. Luckily their generous hosts, Gene and Fran, were able to pick them up at a road crossing before the post office closed.
The guys spend hours planning their route before the hike begins. They try to pinpoint every shelter stop and mail drop to make sure that everything is covered. Their attention to detail has served them well in the past. Missing the mark by four miles is significant, so they feel that they need to do what they can to make up the distance. We’ll have to see how it goes.
Miles complete: 58.7
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Vernon
Hello all I hope you are all having a good day. Things have been going well with Turtle and myself to this point on the trail. We made it to the road crossing where Gene picked us up at about 3pm. We are spending the night with Gene and Fran Fay and had a good dinner and then slack packing (hiking only carrying water) tomorrow and being picked up again at the end of the day.
The hiking today went fairly well with us getting an early start out of High Point Shelter. I again made the first 2 hours or so without knee pain and I was hoping that I might be able to make it through the day without since I had used IcyHot and taken Aleve in the morning before hiking but no such luck. At about 9 or 9:30 the knee pain started and came and went pretty much the rest of the day. I bought a knee brace in Vernon so I am hoping that will help but it is hard to say since it only hurts when I have the pack on and am hiking and the other strange thing is that it does not hurt when I am standing still.
Anyway enough about the knee pain Turtle and I are looking forward to slack packing tomorrow which will also get us pretty much back on schedule and we will just hike an extra 2 miles on Saturday.
The hiking today went fairly well with us getting an early start out of High Point Shelter. I again made the first 2 hours or so without knee pain and I was hoping that I might be able to make it through the day without since I had used IcyHot and taken Aleve in the morning before hiking but no such luck. At about 9 or 9:30 the knee pain started and came and went pretty much the rest of the day. I bought a knee brace in Vernon so I am hoping that will help but it is hard to say since it only hurts when I have the pack on and am hiking and the other strange thing is that it does not hurt when I am standing still.
Anyway enough about the knee pain Turtle and I are looking forward to slack packing tomorrow which will also get us pretty much back on schedule and we will just hike an extra 2 miles on Saturday.
Opening Day
Tradition has it that you must start off at the same place you ended . . . hence Navigator and Turtle are touching the Delaware Water Gap trail sign.
Note . . . blogger will A.D.D. had a hard time with chronological order of posts and photographs . . . will take medication or get a cup of tea (caffine is a good thing) to improve outcome!
This is how it all began in 2009!
Drake and Barb, Dale's cousins, helped start the adventure with a wonderful dinner the night before "opening day" of hiking season.
May 20, 2009 - Day 3
Starting from High Point Shelter (New York)
Hiked 14 miles
The trail continues to be rocky and with some “rock walls” as obstacles. Agility is a good thing, but even the most graceful hikers are injured from the twists and turns. Navigator, usually the climber of the group, has twisted his knee. His body’s injury notification system seems to send him a message when he leads with the right leg while climbing so he leads with his left. He has been using Icy Hot at night and may look for a knee brace or ace bandage when they stop tomorrow night at Gene and Fran Fay’s in Vernon.
The hiker’s hotline (word of mouth and trail notes at shelters) was operating well today. The hotline had news that Turtle and Navigator’s intended shelter stop for the night was closed so they stopped four miles short. That will mean a longer day at some point in the next day or so. The change in plans was probably a good thing since they were able to settle in early and get as much rest as possible. Their voices sounded less tired on the phone, but they said they were still feeling the effects of the challenging rocky trail.
Tonight’s lodging is a stone shelter with a wooden floor . . . not sure what star rating that is, but will check and get back on that one!
Miles completed: 45.1
Hiked 14 miles
The trail continues to be rocky and with some “rock walls” as obstacles. Agility is a good thing, but even the most graceful hikers are injured from the twists and turns. Navigator, usually the climber of the group, has twisted his knee. His body’s injury notification system seems to send him a message when he leads with the right leg while climbing so he leads with his left. He has been using Icy Hot at night and may look for a knee brace or ace bandage when they stop tomorrow night at Gene and Fran Fay’s in Vernon.
The hiker’s hotline (word of mouth and trail notes at shelters) was operating well today. The hotline had news that Turtle and Navigator’s intended shelter stop for the night was closed so they stopped four miles short. That will mean a longer day at some point in the next day or so. The change in plans was probably a good thing since they were able to settle in early and get as much rest as possible. Their voices sounded less tired on the phone, but they said they were still feeling the effects of the challenging rocky trail.
Tonight’s lodging is a stone shelter with a wooden floor . . . not sure what star rating that is, but will check and get back on that one!
Miles completed: 45.1
May 19, 2009 - Day 2
Navigator reported that the temperatures were so cool the night before that they had some trouble sleeping. Luckily the temperatures were higher today . . . perfect for hiking and hopefully better for sleeping tonight. Turtle reported that the trail continues to be rocky and in some places steep.
One would think that hiking should be . . . well easy. After all, how difficult should it be to walk, right? The truth is that preparing for this year has been a little different than others. Both guys needed new equipment which provided a good opportunity for a “do over” of sorts. New packs were purchased that actually are supposed to fit better. For those non-hikers, choosing packs is comparable to choosing the right prom dress. The packs have to be the right size to fit the body, the pockets have to be adequate to hold all the stuff and the design has to be just right for access. Just like the prom dress, the packs have to be fitted and adjusted for a perfect fit. Luckily most of the fitting is done by adjusting straps.
Other new stuff this year included warmer clothes and gear e.g., pullovers and Under Armor shirts, which are supposed breathe and yet keep you warm, and hiking pants which both Turtle and Navigator prefer not to wear unless absolutely needed. Then there were the sleeping bag liners that were supposed to help keep them warm in the cooler temperatures (hmmmmm . . . maybe that was a stretch). All of this is to say that they continue making adjustments as they try to get used to things.
They had a long day, but pushed to reach their goal of Gren Anderson shelter. They sounded very tired at the end of the day. Apparently the shelter was OK but filled with mosquitoes. It was a typical hiker finish with aches and pains . . . all is well.
Miles completed: 31.1
One would think that hiking should be . . . well easy. After all, how difficult should it be to walk, right? The truth is that preparing for this year has been a little different than others. Both guys needed new equipment which provided a good opportunity for a “do over” of sorts. New packs were purchased that actually are supposed to fit better. For those non-hikers, choosing packs is comparable to choosing the right prom dress. The packs have to be the right size to fit the body, the pockets have to be adequate to hold all the stuff and the design has to be just right for access. Just like the prom dress, the packs have to be fitted and adjusted for a perfect fit. Luckily most of the fitting is done by adjusting straps.
Other new stuff this year included warmer clothes and gear e.g., pullovers and Under Armor shirts, which are supposed breathe and yet keep you warm, and hiking pants which both Turtle and Navigator prefer not to wear unless absolutely needed. Then there were the sleeping bag liners that were supposed to help keep them warm in the cooler temperatures (hmmmmm . . . maybe that was a stretch). All of this is to say that they continue making adjustments as they try to get used to things.
They had a long day, but pushed to reach their goal of Gren Anderson shelter. They sounded very tired at the end of the day. Apparently the shelter was OK but filled with mosquitoes. It was a typical hiker finish with aches and pains . . . all is well.
Miles completed: 31.1
May 18, 2009 - Day 1
Starting from Delaware Water Gap, PA
Hiked 13.2 miles
For Turtle (Dale) the anticipation of getting on the trail creates a sense of mixed emotions. Nervousness because he is not sure if he anticipated everything . . . anxiety because getting on the trail is something he cannot wait to do. Navigator’s has a slightly different set of emotions . . . contemplative about new equipment and anxious to get on the trail. Both hikers were concerned about the weather since this was their coolest start yet with highs expected in the 50s and frost expected overnight.
The day started off with a Cinderella moment. Apparently the crocks morphed while in storage and neither hiker could get them easily. We were in our room at the Budget Inn ready to go to breakfast and both guys looked like the step sisters trying to shove their feet in the glass slippers. Luckily there was a WalMart close by so the problem was easily fixed after breakfast. Without any other incidents the guys got on the trail and were hiking around 8:00 a.m.
The first day out was a good one. They called around 5:00 p.m. to say they had reached Rattlesnake Spring, their intended stopping point for the night. It was a good day! They had already set up the tent and were inside trying to keep warm. The temperatures were dropping and the wind was blowing . . . cool temperatures create a completely new set of problems compared to the extreme heat of last year and the rain from their 2006 hike!
Today’s main event was Turtle taking a stellar fall in which his trekking pole got lodged in a rock and snapped. The good news is that the pole was the only thing that sustained injury. Turtle said he was fine. (First request from home . . . send Julie's trekking poles ASAP!)
Hiked 13.2 miles
For Turtle (Dale) the anticipation of getting on the trail creates a sense of mixed emotions. Nervousness because he is not sure if he anticipated everything . . . anxiety because getting on the trail is something he cannot wait to do. Navigator’s has a slightly different set of emotions . . . contemplative about new equipment and anxious to get on the trail. Both hikers were concerned about the weather since this was their coolest start yet with highs expected in the 50s and frost expected overnight.
The day started off with a Cinderella moment. Apparently the crocks morphed while in storage and neither hiker could get them easily. We were in our room at the Budget Inn ready to go to breakfast and both guys looked like the step sisters trying to shove their feet in the glass slippers. Luckily there was a WalMart close by so the problem was easily fixed after breakfast. Without any other incidents the guys got on the trail and were hiking around 8:00 a.m.
The first day out was a good one. They called around 5:00 p.m. to say they had reached Rattlesnake Spring, their intended stopping point for the night. It was a good day! They had already set up the tent and were inside trying to keep warm. The temperatures were dropping and the wind was blowing . . . cool temperatures create a completely new set of problems compared to the extreme heat of last year and the rain from their 2006 hike!
Today’s main event was Turtle taking a stellar fall in which his trekking pole got lodged in a rock and snapped. The good news is that the pole was the only thing that sustained injury. Turtle said he was fine. (First request from home . . . send Julie's trekking poles ASAP!)
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