Day 103
We got a later start from the hostel this morning, but we got a quick hitch up to the trail. We immediately began our day with a large, rocky climb up Wawayanda Mountain. It was a steeper hill than we have seen in a while and was very rocky. We should have seen this as a sign of things to come for sure! We took a break at a creek crossing and then began another immediate uphill climb. Now, at the top, we are walking on a combination of old roadbed and walking trails. The terrain is pleasant and there’s a lot of tree cover on this very sunny day! After crossing the junction with the state park and the Warwick Turnpike, the trail turned incredibly rocky and steep. We climbed up rock faces for nearly an hour before crossing the state line an into NY! For the next hour, we’d be walking on large, slick rocks in the direct sunlight with no tree cover. The water sources were all completely dry as well, making for a hot day. We finally found a boggy stream, which after filtering was yellow, and drank a ton of water before heading down the hill up 17-A. We met two locals, Orion and Dan, who gave us some gatorade and told us about a creamery just off the trail at the road. We went with them to get ice cream and they told us there would be trail magic at the shelter tonight! We ate ice cream and filled up our water at the spigot before heading to the shelter. There were two more of those freakin’ rock formations, but they have blue-blazed trails to go around them. This was awesome for me, as the sky was turning dark and it
Looked like rain. We got to the shelter just as the trail magic crew was leaving and they gave us each a beer and headed out. It started raining about 20 minutes after our arrival, so we unpacked and prepped for a long night in a crowded shelter. The photo is from Prospect Rock, the highest point in NY.