Bear Mountain, NY (USA)

Another scorcher today but I still managed to log about 12 miles on the trail. Started with breakfast at Dunkin Donuts in Harriman (0700) and then drove east. I made a wrong turn and ended up in the West Point training area. Eventually, I found a trailhead on the eastern end of Seven Lakes Drive, south of Bear Mountain. Headed NOBO at 0800 and climbed about 1000 feet in the first two miles. When I reached the summit, the views of the Hudson Valley were tremendous. There were lots of day hikers and cyclists there enjoying the clear weather too. I continued over the mountain top and down to the Inn, connecting to a section I'd hiked previously. There were far more people in that area - including a high school cross country race (that brought back memories...). I decided to use Seven Lakes Drive to get back to my car - it shaved about 2.5 miles off the backtrack. I saw lots of Army Cycling Team members training (up and down the hill). Part one of my day yielded 4.3 miles of AT in just under three hours. I made it back to my hotel and spent a few hours recovering and watching college football. I went to dinner at Keystone Hoagies in Tuxedo (1705) and then returned to the Elk Pen so I could connect two sections in Harriman State Park. I headed NOBO, braving the high 80s temperatures again (1745). It was only two miles, but my body was protesting the whole time. The roller coasters, rocks and roots didn't help... But I found a reason to be grateful when I encountered a large crowd of sullen day hikers (their leader had gotten them lost for 6.5 hours in the park - yikes!). Actually, they weren't even the first people whose day I made by giving estimates of trail distance - found myself being a tour guide a few times... After I reached the Lemon Squeezer (true to its name), I was completely spent. I still had 0.3 miles to go and it was extremely painful. I was cheered by a steady breeze and views of the setting sun across Island Lake. After I turned around, I decided to use a gravel road I'd seen to get to Arden Valley Road. It made the return trip longer but it also went more smoothly - I didn't even need a light to reach my car (2000) because the moon was so bright. Exhausted and sore but ready for more! AT Today = 6.40 miles / Grand Total AT = 759.98 miles