April 13 - 14, 2012 Bear Mountain AT Hike

We got out on the trail again.  This time we stayed in NY.  We parked the car by the police station in Bear Mountain State Park and took a taxi to the Elk Pen on Arden Valley Road to start our hike.  After 1.7 miles, we reached the Lemon Squeezer.  It's a rock formation with an opening about 2 feet wide... very fun!  Then there is a rock formation that requires a short but fun climb.  When we reached this climb, there were 3 hikers headed southbound.  One of them attempted to convince us that he was "re-routing the trail and we should go around and take the easy way to avoid this particular precipice." I offered to go that way to tell him what it was like but then said I would still go the official AT route.  He seemed bothered so Daddy Long Legs and I just continued up the climb on the AT.  We then continued on past an old coal mine and eventually past the Fingerboard Shelter.  We ate lunch when we reached Arden Rd.  A delicious peanut butter sandwich and a Chunky candy bar.  Just before crossing the Pallisades Parkway, we were able to see the NYC skyline from the summit of a small mountain.  What a beautiful, clear day!  We ended our hike about a mile past the parkway at the West Mountain Shelter.  Another beautiful night on the AT!  In the morning, we packed up camp, summited Bear Mountain and ended our hike at the trailside zoo.  It was very interesting to see these animals that live freely along the AT living in captivity in the zoo.  It seemed more unnatural than ever to see animals living in captivity.

Along the two hikes we have done this week, Daddy Long Legs and I have decided that we are more concerned with enjoying every day of our adventure this summer than we are about where we end up.  We will still aim for Katahdin, but we are open to the idea of hiking the AT over 3 summers rather than 2.  After our two trips this week, we realized how easy it can be to get caught up in the schedule of where we "have" to be if we try to complete it in 2 summers.  One of the major things that draws us to to the AT is the idea that we have no where to be except where we are in that present moment.  We want to be able to enjoy the freedom, spend time in towns along the trail, take in every moment, and have nothing but amazing memories when we finish.  For these reasons, 3 summers is sounding much more appealing than 2.  That's the great thing about the AT... we can just see where it takes us!