Miles Hiked Today - 19.8
Total Miles Hiked on AT - 1396.5/2,193 (63.68%)
Wildcat Shelter (1376.7) to William Brien Memorial Shelter (1396.5) - camp at William Brien Memorial Shelter
Total ascent - 4,407’
Total descent - 4,356’
Total States Completed - 8/14
**Rain - it rained a little overnight and another shower late afternoon. Still extremely humid today.
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Day #100 - unbelievable!!! I can’t believe I’ve been hiking the AT for 100 days. To be honest - it actually feels much longer than that. So much has happened since the day I flew to Atlanta from Denver on Friday, March 13th. I’m AT Hiker #1080. (Your start date and AT# are commonly asked questions on the trail). I feel like I have lived a lifetime of experiences in these past 100 days. I’ve met so many people along the way - it’s truly incredible. If things continue to go as planned - my journey is 2/3 complete - so much more to accomplish
So - Day #100 was BRUTAL. No bounce back - this day was actually more difficult than yesterday. New York is way underrated when it comes to the difficulty rating. I think it’s not talked about much because it’s only 91 miles. So much is known about Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, Pennsylvania, NH, & Maine. But - New York is filled with extremely steep ascents/descents. We did 19.8 miles today - and only got to camp at 8pm. The hot, humid weather is playing a major role in the difficulty factor. We’re stopping at about every water stop to refill. There has been some sketchy sources lately - like stagnant ponds, beaver dams, etc. When we find a nice flowing stream - we camel up (drink abundantly at water source) and end up carrying several liters with us. I can carry up to 5 liters at 1 time. I’ve had that amount for several miles in NY. I’m sweating so much I can’t take in enough fluid.
Today we had a section called the “Lemon Squeeze”. It was a tight area between 2 major boulders. The only way to get through is throw your pack to someone who has climbed up on the rock. If you were by yourself - you would probably need to empty the contents in your pack and walk it through. Luckily - Caruso and I were together. We also met a section hiker named Phil that was with us during this time. Phil has completed 13 full Ironman races. He did 12 to get a legacy spot at Kona. He just did Kona last year. Caruso has done 2 full Ironman races and I’ve done 1 - so we all got a picture together as the Ironman Crew.
The hike took so long today that we were actually considering staying at the previous shelter. But - once we got there - there was a sign indicating the shelter was closed due to nuisance bears. I’m going to be looking forward to getting out of this area pretty quickly - extreme heat, bears, mosquitoes, steep climbs. I also continue to see so many snakes. I saw 6 yesterday and 3 today. All have been non poisonous. I’m not sure about 1 today - what do you think it is? (See pic)
Well - it’s 10:15pm and I need to get sleep. 4:45am wake-up. On trail by 5:30am. We only have 9.5 miles to Fort Montgomery - then some relaxation.
Tomorrow is National Hike Naked Day. Hoping to report some interesting happenings. Goodnight from NY!
Lots of places on this sign
Lake Tiorati
Phil, me, Caruso - at the Lemon Squeeze
Lots of flowers
Mid-day rest - trees above
Bear problem
Lemon Squeeze
Early morning sunrise
This goes to all my friends and family
Interesting
We stopped here late in the day for a soda - vending machines closed
Very cool pic
Me going up steep rock climb
This was from yesterday - I was feeling really sick at this time
What kind of snake is this?
Amazing views
Caruso going down steep descent
Lots of flowers in the afternoon
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