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AT Section Hike: Greenwood Lake (NY) to Ten Mile Lean-to (CT)

Greenwood Lake

Hiking for two weeks is a lot different than hiking for a few days over a long weekend. You have to worry about getting clean periodically, resupplying your food bag, taking rest days, emotional ups and downs, and getting the right amount of nutrition.

All of these things really came to a head for me in southern New York when I hit the wall about 85 miles into my hike. I quickly figured out that I needed to change my eating habits and eat less processed sugar (candy bars) and eat more complex carbohydrates, protein, and fat. After I made that change, my endurance and mood improved substantially, even though the weather continued to be bleak, cold, and wet.

I also took a half-day of rest, just north of the Hudson River, which helped break the monotony of the trip and gave me little rest. After an afternoon off, I enjoyed my hike a lot more and really started to ramp up my daily mileage. All part of the journey, I guess.

About the New York Appalachian Trail

The New York section of the Appalachian Trail is 88 miles in length and passes through a remarkably rural region, despite being within 100 miles of Gotham (New York City). The trail mainly runs through the ring of parks surrounding New York City including Sterling Forest State Park, Harriman State Park, Bear Mountain State Park, Hudson Highland State Park, and Clarence Fahnstock State Park. Along the route, it also crosses several major motorways including Interstate 87, the Pallisades Parkway, the Taconic State Parkway, Interstate 84, and the Bear Mountain Bridge over the Hudson River.

Hikers walking north from New Jersey will find noticeably fewer shelters in the southern half of the state when compared to New Jersey. Many of these are the oldest shelters still in existence along the entire Appalachian trail and are in poor repair.

Terrain-wise, the New York section does not have any peaks higher than 1,500 feet in elevation, but there are still a lot of ups and downs on the trail that make for moderately difficult hiking.

Fitzgerald Falls
Fitzgerald Falls

Day Six: Lakes Rd to Fingerboard Shelter (13 miles, 2,000 feet of elevation)

After a night off the trail in a motel in Greenwood Lake, NY, I got back on the trail at Lakes Rd, a few miles north of Rt 17a. This is about 5 miles beyond where I’d left the trail the previous day before heading into town for my resupply.

Some people object strenuously to skipping mileage like this on the Appalachian Trail. Called purists, they believe that you should hike every single mile from Georgia to Maine. It’s a difficult standard to maintain though for 6 months and accordingly, the governing body that oversees the trail, the Appalachian Trail Conservancy (ATC), only requires that you hike 2,000 of the 2,180 miles of the trail to “count” as a complete hike. I’m not a purist, but these were the first miles I ever skipped, of the 700 or so miles of the trail that I’ve hiked so far.

I made the decision to skip this stretch of the trail because I really wanted to get to the next shelter, called Fingerboard, which would have otherwise been beyond my reach in a single day’s hiking. Although I was out of New Jersey, I still wasn’t all that comfortable with the prospect of tarping in bear territory, especially in southern New York where there are no steel bear boxes at campsites or shelters. Bears don’t care about state lines.

I got back onto the trail that morning at about 8:30 am, just south of Fitzgerald Falls, shown above. The weather was grey and cool again, but I was determined to press on for another two days until I got to the Hudson River, where I hoped to take a day off and rest. This is the formula I used to hike across Scotland last May, also a 173-mile journey, and I figured it would work again.

Harriman State Park
Harriman State Park

After a few hours of walking, I made it to Harriman State Park and crossed over The New York Thruway, Interstate 87. I had mixed feelings about spending the night in the park though. I don’t like camping near urban centers very much and I particularly don’t like New York. Unfortunately, my route passed as close to New York as you can get on the Appalachian Trail on foot. In fact, the shelter I was aiming for that evening is only a 45 minutes bus ride from New York City and less than a mile from a parking lot.

Sleeping in a park outside of New York wasn’t high on my agenda. During the rest of the year, there are a lot more people around and safety in numbers, but I had not seen anyone on the trail for days. I was uneasy about having a weird encounter with someone in the park at night.

While I did see a few people when I crossed over into Harriman, they were runners or dog walkers and didn’t even bother saying hello to me when we crossed paths. I couldn’t help feeling like the Appalachian Trail wasn’t open this early in April, budget crisis, or not.

Fingerboard Shelter
Fingerboard Shelter

When I did make it to Fingerboard, I was bonking, even though I had been consciously eating more food during the day. My pace had slowed considerably as well, from 2.0 mph to 1.5 mph. Somehow, the extra calorie intake wasn’t working. I was tired and discouraged.

The final straw was the shelter itself, which is a complete dump. It’s a stone shelter with two fireplaces, that people apparently still use. There was garbage everywhere and someone had left a huge plastic tarp in the shelter, which they’d obviously nailed over the front entrance to keep the heat inside during the winter. The floor of the shelter was covered with soot and ash and I got dirty as soon as I put my pack down on the floorboards.

I was close to camping outside because I was so disgusted with the place when it started to rain. I gritted my teeth, cooked dinner, got in my bivy sack, and tried to keep my gear clean the rest of the night.

I subsequently read somewhere that Fingerboard Shelter is the oldest shelter on the Appalachian Trail. If that’s the case, it’d be nice if the maintainer, the New York-New Jersey Trail Conference restored it or at least monitored its use during the off-season. Seriously, if you’ve ever seen the Governor Clement Shelter in Vermont, which the Green Mountain Club tells people to avoid, this was far worse.

Day Seven: Fingerboard to Bear Mountain Bridge (14 miles, 2,000 feet of elevation)

It was cold the next morning, but the sun was out and I was hopeful that we’d have a warmer day for a change. I had made it through the night intact and unmolested, but I wanted to get to Fort Montgomery, on the west side of the Hudson River, and resupply before it got dark.

Pallisades Parkway Sign to New York City
Pallisades Parkway Sign to New York City

The previous night I’d decided to spend the night in a cheap motel there to get off the trail and avoid another sketchy night near New York. I’d called the Bear Mountain Bridge Motel and arranged to have a shuttle pick me up at the bottom of Bear Mountain later that afternoon. If the Motel proved decent and there were things to do in Fort Montgomery, I was also considering staying a second night so I could rest up for a day.

I packed up my gear and headed out, meeting up with a southbound hiker shortly thereafter, the first I’d seen hiking the AT in days. His trail name was White Will since his name was Will and he was reading Moby Dick. The first thing he said to me, even before hello, was “I have to lighten this backpack.”

The guy was in agony. He had just started the trail a few days north in Pawling, NY, and was headed to Georgia, before heading up to Maine and hiking southbound and back home. The chief source of his problems was a 10 lb tent which seemed to fully fill his 5,000 cubic inch pack. He vowed to dump his heavy gear at the next outfitter and I offered a few suggestions about economic ways that he could lighten up.

We chatted for a while and he filled me in on the campsites and shelters that I was approaching up north, but he really couldn’t remember much except that the RPH Shelter was exceptionally comfortable. This would prove to be true and is really a marvelous place to stop.

Will and I parted ways and I continued through Harriman, eventually crossing the Pallisades Parkway just 34 miles north of New York City. It seemed to me that all of the sights in New York, The Empire State, were mostly of man-made constructions like highways and bridges, instead of mountains or vistas. Maybe it’s different later in the year when there are leaves on the trees and there’s more natural beauty to look at.

Bear Mountain
Bear Mountain

By mid-day the temperature had gotten up to 80 degrees and the sun was out, finally. I’d stripped off all of my upper layers and was walking in a short sleeve shirt as I climbed hill after hill en route to Bear Mountain, overlooking the Hudson River. It was a Saturday, so the area was swarming with families and children, all out enjoying the warm weather. People kept waving maps at me and asking where they were: I just told them I had no idea and kept following the White Blazes. Honestly, after being completely alone on the trail for nearly a week, I was overwhelmed by all of the people I encountered that day.

Hudson River and the Bear Mountain Bridge
Hudson River and the Bear Mountain Bridge

Bear Mountain isn’t actually much of a mountain, only rising about  1000 feet above the Hudson River. But all of the ups and downs required to hike over it were hard going and I was happy to head down the other side towards the river. The view was pretty awesome, overlooking the Bear Mountain Bridge, and I could see big freighters traveling up and down the river and hear the sound of freight trains along the river banks.

When I got to the foot of the mountain, I called my motel and they picked me up within 10 minutes, driving me the 4 miles to Fort Montgomery, where a hot shower, food stores, and a hearty BBQ dinner awaited me.

Fort Montgomery Resupply
Fort Montgomery Resupply

There was one slight hitch with staying in Fort Montgomery, though. There isn’t a real supermarket in town and the food store listed in the AT Guide doesn’t have much substantive food in it. I was bummed and asked the motel owner to drive me to Peerskill, 4 miles away. When he declined, I decided to push on the next morning and try to find a better resupply further down the trail.

Then I decided to canvas the town to see what kind of food I could pull together anyway. In the end, I visited three more stores and managed to assemble 4 days of pretty decent food that would see me through the rest of New York and to Kent, CT which has a proper supermarket.

For example, I found an all-butter pound cake which I like to eat for breakfast on hikes. I bought a loaf of bread, found the last jar of peanut butter in town, and the only honey bear. I bought a bunch of peanuts, wheat thins, three boxes of Fig Newtons, granola bars, more tea, and a few snickers bars. It wasn’t the salami and cheese I wanted, but it would do. I had so much food in fact, that I had to carry some of it outside my pack in the mesh pockets of my pack the next day.

After that, I went to dinner at a good BBQ place and amazed my waitress by eating three huge orders of french fries, in addition to a pulled pork dinner and some beers. Those extra carbs really helped!

After dinner, I went back to the motel and repacked my pack. I then decided to hike a short day and stop at the Graymoor Spiritual Center the following day and take a Nero, a near-zero rest day, there. They have a shelter, actually, a picnic pavilion, that they let AT hikers use. I decided I’d hang out, eat., read a book and doze the day away. I certainly wasn’t going to stay another day at the motel.

Day Eight: Bear Mountain Bridge to Graymoor Friary (6 miles, 1,000 feet of elevation)

The next morning I was on the trail by 8:00 am and walked across the two-lane Bear Mountain Bridge over the Hudson River. From there, it’s a steep climb up a big hill called Anthony’s Nose before you come to the Graymoor Friary, a Franciscan Monastery that has been providing Appalachian Trail hikers shelter since 1972, or nearly 40 years

Graymoor Picnic Pavillion
Graymoor Friary Picnic Pavilion

Although I was alone, I immediately felt comforted on the Graymoor grounds. I set up camp in their Picnic Pavilion, which is an open-sided, roofed structure, set off at the far end of their compound. During the warmer months, there’s running water here and a cold water shower and plenty of room for hikers to pitch their shelters on a large ball field.

I set up my sleeping bag and bivy sack on top of a collapsed picnic table in the Pavilion and read a “book in bed” the rest of the day, finishing my mystery, Faceless Killers: The First Kurt Wallander Mystery by Henning Mankell, while drinking cups of hot soup and tea. I like murder mysteries by foreign authors.

I listened to the songbirds and the Friary’s bell tower ringing out the time all day, and although it was another cold and dreary day, I was warm in my sleeping bag. I’d saved $65 by not staying in Fort Montgomery and I was confident that the half-day off would help me recover my endurance and enthusiasm.

Day Nine: Graymoor Friary to RPH Shelter (18.5 miles, 2,000 feet of elevation)

The next day I was back on the trail early in the morning, having enjoyed pound cake and a big pot of earl grey tea for breakfast. Pound cake is a great trail food because you can smoosh it real small in your food bag and it’s loaded with calories from all the butter used to make it.

The weather however was frightful and the trail was shrouded by thick mist until mid-day. I had to be especially attentive to the blazing because visibility was at most 25 yards. However the sun started to peek through by afternoon and the walking was pretty easy, so I was able to rev up my mileage and hike over 18 miles in 9 hours. I felt back in the game.

Canopus Lake
Canopus Lake

The trail also changed appearance when I entered Fahnstock State Park in the afternoon. It looked like someone had been out doing trail maintenance, especially around Canopus Lake. There was fresh gravel on the trail, blowdowns had been cleared by a chain saw, and there ware some freshly blazed side trails.

RPH Shelter
RPH Shelter

By 5 pm, I arrived at the RPH Shelter, which was by far, the best shelter I slept in or saw during this entire trip. It’s got windows, bunk beds, books to read, it’s super clean, and has lots of different places to sit, indoors and outside. It looks like a bunch of former thru-hikers maintain the place without the help of other agencies and is a wonderful place to spend the night.

I was so touched by the obvious love that went into the building and maintaining this shelter that I sat down and wrote a long entry in the shelter register when I arrived. I read through the other entries and saw that I’d be trailing Nina, Billy, and Buster for a few days already. I never did meet up with them, but like me, they are section hikers and were out for a long hike at the same time I was.

Although you can get a local restaurant to deliver hot food to the shelter (which is located right next to the Taconic Parkway), I opted to eat Peanut Butter and Honey Sandwiches for dinner and they were absolutely divine. I felt well refueled and puttered around the shelter, reading the Introduction to Peterson’s A Field Guide to Wildflowers, before crashing at sundown. Apparently, Roger Peterson drew most of the flower illustrations in that book himself, driving all over North America in a station wagon to collect specimens, and drawing them at night in motels rooms across the country. It’s a neat story.

Day Ten:  RPH Shelter to Telephone Pioneers Shelter (16.5 miles, 1,500 feet of elevation)

I woke up early the next day, eager to do a long day. I was getting close to the Connecticut border and had been in touch with the people who would shuttle me back to my car, about possible pickup times in Connecticut.

The change in my diet was clearly paying off: I felt a lot better and my walking pace was back up over 2 mph. I made fantastic time to the Morgan Stewart Shelter, arriving at 11 am in the morning, and decided to push ahead to the next shelter, another 8 miles further on. It started to rain again, but that doesn’t really bother me too much and I arrived the Telephone Operators shelter before 5 pm, cooked dinner, and crashed before sundown. By this stage of the hike, I was motivated to finish, and I was certain that I’d reach my intended destination.

One thing that had changed noticeably since I passed the RPH shelter (going north), was the quality of the shelters in New York. They were newer and cleaner and better looked after by trail maintainers and visitors alike. It was a comfort knowing that I was walking through an area that demonstrably cared about the trail.

Day Eleven: Telephone Pioneers to Ten Mile Lean-to in Connecticut (13 miles, 1,400 feet of elevation)

The next morning, I was up and out early again. It was raining again and had been all night, and the waterfall and stream that serve this shelter with water were cranking.

Bridge Below the Telephone Operators Shelter
Bridge Below Telephone Operators Shelter

I crossed the bring over the stream without thinking about how slippery the wood gets when it’s wet and saw my feet fly up over my head before I crashed on the ground. I landed on my hip and my titanium pasta pot, denting it yet again on this trip. Luckily, I didn’t hurt myself or ruin the pot. It had been a spectacular fall though: most of the other ones on this trip so far had been regular face plants.

Appalachian Trail Railroad Station
Appalachian Trail Railroad Station

I continued down the mountain, a little more cautiously after that, passing by the Appalachian Trail Railroad Station, a train stop in the middle of nowhere, where you can catch a train into New York City. They’ve just built a boardwalk there like the one at the base of Pochuck Mountain in New Jersey, and although it’s not completed, it’s looking mighty nice.

Wiley Shelter, New York
A dilapidated Wiley Shelter, New York

From here, I passed through a cow pasture at Hurds Corner, before continuing through the very muddy Pawling Nature Reserve. My original route plan had called for a stop here at the Wiley Shelter, but a friend had told me that it was a dump, and urged me to hike another 4 miles into Connecticut to the Ten Mile lean-to. That was good advice. Wiley is one of the worst shelters I’ve ever come across on the AT. It’s close to a road and apparently attracts homeless people and drinkers that trash the surrounding area. It’s a damn shame.

Connecticut-NewYork State Border
New York-Connecticut State Border

The Ten Mile lean-to in Connecticut was much nicer and I spent a pleasant evening there before heading into Kent, CT the following day for a resupply.

(To be Continued)

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About the author

Philip Werner has hiked and backpacked over 8500 miles in the United States and the UK and written over 3000 articles as the founder of SectionHiker.com, noted for its backpacking gear reviews and hiking FAQs. A devotee of New Hampshire and Maine hiking and backpacking, Philip has hiked all 650+ trails in the White Mountains twice and has completed 10 rounds of the 48 peaks on the White Mountains 4000 footer list with over 560 summits in all four seasons. He is also the author of Backpacking the White Mountain 4000 Footers, a free online guidebook of the best backpacking trips in the White Mountains in New Hampshire and Maine. He lives in New Hampshire. Click here to subscribe to the SectionHiker newsletter.

36 comments

  1. Those Harriman Shelters are pretty dumpy indeed. I can't speak for the NYNJTC, but maybe the comparison to Governor Clement Shelter could explain some things. Governor Clement shelter is on a dirt road that locals often rode into on ATVs to party and ended up trashing the place. The GMC didn't want to let it go, but they didn't want to devote resources to fixing a shelter that would just get trashed. So it was only after the forest service finally gated that road in 2008 or 2009 that they decided to renovate the shelter. I always assumed the NYNJTC shelters were left for the same reason– proximity to a huge population center and easy access by road.

  2. I survived. However, it is unsettling that NJ and NY situate their shelters so close to roads. That's never a good idea in my experience, but I probably avoided any problems because I was hiking on weekdays and the weather was so cold/wet.

  3. I see we share similar opinions of the city…

    Good report of a not so nice section. Better in summer, though…

  4. Yeah, those close-to-road shelters are a bummer. I like to give the benefit of the doubt to the trail organizations, though. Maybe since the shelters were built in CCC days, they just didn't anticipate poor use, and now with zoning and environmental restrictions they just don't have the ability to relocate the old shelters. I prefer that explanation, even if it's not the case.

    Regardless, that first shelter in CT is a breath of fresh air, isn't it? If I remember right, the location is gooooorgeous.

  5. Great post! Please share more about your meal planning for this trip and more specifically what changes you made that you alluded to in this post.

  6. This was a great read as I am doing overnights in Northern NJ and Southern NY in 2 weeks. Was going to go Friday through Monday but am now thinking I should skew more to a weekday schedule.I had heard the horror stories about the shelters and was planning to tent further away from them and just hang my bear bag. Are you suggesting that the shelters are safer? I would have assumed that they would be bear havens to clean up the trash left by others?

  7. Ten Mile Lean-to in CT was really nice. I am a big fan of the CT AT. You're right about giving the trail orgs the benefit of a doubt. Who knows, they may be unable to do anything in Harriman due to local rules. It was on my checklist to check in with them and see, since I really respect them as a trail organization.

  8. @Peter – I was referring to the previous week's post and mainly that I massively reduced my candy bar intake in favor of more complex carbohydrates, nut fats and protein. https://sectionhiker.com/at-section-hike-mohican-o

    @Brad I'd recommend weekdays if only to escape the spring weekend crowds. The place is crawling with hikers, but not during the week. I can't comment on safety, but I do believe stealth camping would be probably better than staying in shelters. Regarding bears: I'm sure hanging a bag still makes sense. I did on my trip even though I was staying in shelters. Why push your luck? Enjoy your hike.

  9. I haven't taken a candy bar on a hike since 1990. I don't think I ever will again, either. I learned while cycling that the energy boost of simple sugar like that lasts what seems like mere minutes (less than 10) whereas a granola bar lasts 30-45 minutes or more.

    You're making me not want to hike through NY next month now :(

  10. Dude – go hike through NY. If you haven't stayed at the RPH shelter, you want to. Trust me, it makes the entire state worthwhile. Telephone Pioneers and Morgan Stewart are also nice, and Graymoor is special. The weather will be better when you go, and you can camp out the other nights.

  11. Philip- welcome back! I have greatly enjoyed reading your trip reports and updates after returning from a few days on the AT in the McAfee Knob/Dragon's Tooth area with RevLee and our scouts. I haven't hiked in the NJ/NY area (still have to get through PA first) but RevLee has. I am saving your trip reports to help with my future planning.

  12. Thanks – hope you didn't mind my reference to flying monkeys a few days ago. I actually thought I saw a tiny blue monkey in northern New York, but it must have been a squirrel. I wrote it off to a hike hallucination, but you never know!

    I am going to be picking your brain this winter about good landing spots for my next section down south, probably in Virginia. From what I've heard about Pennsylvania, I don't think I'm going to do that state for a while.

  13. These reports are bringing back a lot of memories from last year. It's always fascinating how we all hike the same trail, yet have such different experiences. Little offsets in pace or resupply points affect which shelters we hit and when, and the weather can completely alter our perception. I hit the RPH shelter at lunch time and wished I could have stayed there, but the timing was wrong. And I went past Graymoor the day after a crowd of thousands had been there and heard they were still cleaning up.

    I would agree about the Fingerboard shelter, plus there is no convenient water nearby. Had to go down by the lake to some group campsites for water, but talked to some scouters while I was there.

    One of my maildrops was in Fort Montgomery, so not knowing anything about Bear Mountian I thought I would stealth camp there and go into town the next morning. There is NOWHERE to get away from people on that mountain. Finally just hiked into town and stayed in a little motel that looks like it could be where you stayed, just across the street from the great BBQ place.

    Coming to Virginia will certainly be a much different experience than NY/NJ, and much more enjoyable than northern Rocksylvania.

  14. That is the fascinating thing about having many people hike the same trail and share their experiences. There's a lean-to on Bear Mountain, also without water, called West Mountain shelter. I didn't bother to take the side trail to check it out and shudder to think what it's like to stay there. But the worse thing about Bear Mountain is the zoo, IMHO.

  15. I just finished my three week Pine Grove Furnace SP, PA to Great Barrington, MA section covering this terrain and enjoyed it very much despite less than perfect weather conditions. The southern NY terrain was a surprise and the shelter proximities to roads ended up not being an issue, even on weekends. The new bear Mtn NY trail is a pure masterpiece. I hit this on Memorial day weekend (Sunday) so there was alot of traffic, but it was a great day. All my pictures look just like yours, but with leaves on them :)

  16. Glad you had a good time. Leaves would have been nice. I'm envious. Where are you hiking next?

  17. And now that I have finished PA, it is way over villified. Yes, the northern 70 miles or so has more rock fields that are longer than usual, but it is no big deal. I found Southern NY to be more annoying than Northern PA in the rock and pointless up/down department.

    One thing about PA you will love is it is a campers paradise – excellent unofficial camping all over the place.

    Despite the rocky reputation, the trail is very very moderate in PA and now one of my favorite states. Some of the ascents into/from major gaps are steep but not any worse than any other state – the south side of Port Clinton probably the worst and the north side of Lehigh Gap the steepest (but also the most fun – like a mini Katahdin and has great views). I think its the contrast of the relatively easy bulk of trail in PA that gives the rocks and descents a bad reputation.

    Dude – you can't miss PA :)

  18. Next hike is undecided. It will start back at Great Barrington MA, but I have about 425 miles left which I can't do in 4 weeks covering VT and NH. I'll either do a 2/2 or a 1/3 week two year finish. I have 10 months to figure that out.

  19. Hi Section HIker,

    I am really enjoying your website. It is chock full of valuable information. However, your attitude toward NY seems skewed a bit. Yes, perhaps the shelters close to NYC are a bit worn out but to have so many hiking areas so close to the most populous city in the country is a very good thing. What it means is that millions of people visit these areas every year, they get hooked on their version of the wilderness experience, (yes maybe just walking their dog or having their kid run around Bear Mountain) but then maintaining these areas become important not just to serious hikers and backpackers but to the average weekend dabbler. This means way more contributions and awareness and that keeps the trails maintained.

    And as was your experience, once you get away from areas like Bear Mtn. the trails are really quite empty and despite being 30 or so miles from NYC, you can experience wonderful solitude.

    And yes, as you might guess, I am from NYC, a section of NYC that most people wouldn't dare to step foot in, and I am not so scary. I would certainly greet you on the trail and am always ready to help a fellow hiker, even if they're out for the first hike on a paved path.

  20. It's not just NYC, all urban areas frighten me. I actually have rather nice things to say about the Catskills and the Gunks, which are some of my favorite camping and hiking places.

    But as to your other point, I am coming around to the fact that everyone's wilderness experience is important, even what I consider more urban experiences.

    Very few people have the opportunities I've had, and like you I'm willing to do whatever I can do to get more people involved in the outdoors, by whatever means they feel most comfortable with.

  21. Yes, I understand about large urban areas. What's funny is that I know people who are terrified by wilderness areas. They live in places where they might be mugged on their way to the store, listen to gun shots every night and are scared of any place that's more than 5 blocks from a subway stop.

    Anyway, speaking as one of those who hasn't yet had the opportunities that you have, I do really like reading about your experiences. Vicariously being out on the trail is better than nothing at all.

    Thanks for such an informative website.

  22. Being a city gal (born and raised in NYC, lived upstate for a bit as well as around Boston), I can relate to both the aversion to

    urbanity and the uncertainties of the wild (as in wilderness wild)…

    I am in awe of trail and shelter maintainers.

    I spent this past Friday at the RPH Shelter summer work party. Their team is a fantastic group! The two friends I "dragged" out with me (all of us new to backpacking) commented on the dedication and comraderie of the volunteer group – I just can't believe how much they all seem to know about everything!!!!

    We found it hard to stick to our plan of working one day and hiking the next – wanted to continue working, but the trail was calling…

  23. Great story. I've never me that crew but you can tell that they are on top of things. Trail and shelter maintainers are needed now more than ever with government budget cuts. Thanks for being a volunteer!

  24. Great post! This has been an invaluable resource in aiding me on planning my nobo section hike of NY. I set off in a few weeks. Any advice on the bear mountain area in regards to camping? I'm trying to steer clear of staying in towns for this trip.

  25. Don't camp at the Bear Mountain shelter. Put your head down and get through the crowds as quick as you can. I camped a little farther along at the Graymoor monastery and highly recommend it. They have an outdoor shower at the picnic area that should be turned on by now.

  26. Just wanted to add some comments about the Bear Mountain area. First, there is no shelter on Bear Mountain. The shelter is on West Mountain. You might not want to go to it because it is .6 mile off the AT. But if you do, you'll find a wonderful view of the Hudson River and of Manhattan in the distance. At night, you can watch the lights of the towns along the Hudson come on, and see the lights of Manhattan. Second, there are plenty of tent sites near the shelter if you don't want to stay at the shelter itself. I was there last November (2010) and met some people from Germany who were out hiking across Harriman Park. We were also treated to a shooting star as night descended. Third, West Mountain itself has wonderful views, especially in the Fall. One of the views is of Bear Mountain in the distance. You will also pass through a corner of historic Doodletown as you make your way from West Mountain and begin to climb Bear Mountain.

  27. I wanted to add a bit about the AT around Greenwood Lake.

    My partner, Sidewinder, and I had a zero day at Greenwood Lake. We used a shuttle service to get chores done. A fellow named Chuck (973-749-6595) was prompt, knowledgeable, efficient, and reasonable. We re-supplied, laundered, and had a truly awesome ice cream cone at a hilltop store where they made their own ice cream. Also, we had a truly great meal at Doc’s restaurant. We tried quite a few things on the menu, and they were all terrific. Also, breakfast at Sammy’s was fantastic, cooked and served by the warm-hearted Linda.

    Also, did anyone else have a problem with an escarpment about 2 miles north of the NJ-NY border? My partner and I are old guys, but still, traversing the rock face to safety was a challenge. Otherwise, the most challenging feature of the hike was slippery ridge top rock negotiation. A bit slippery. That slowed us down quite a bit.

    • I fell on the rocks at the border. That blood on the rocks there came from my hand. Very slippery.

      • Ouch! We slipped and slid all over those rocks. It seemed to take forever before finally seeing the blue blazes indicating the final, steep descent to Greenwood Lake. My partner and I were walking like Frankenstein by the time we got to the bottom of the hill. Completely spent. Never did a burger taste so good as that I ate a while later at Doc’s restaurant. (great wings, too).

        Anyway, the rock that got us was about 15 feet high, with a much greater drop if you didn’t step on th ease just right. Also, it had a diagonal ridge along it’s face. My buddy couldn’t reach the footfall between a gap in that diagonal ridge, and really had a moment of panic before being coached to the right spot. I tried an alternate route, but had no better luck as a soaked backpack threw my center of gravity out over a ledge. Nip and tuck for a moment there, before pulling it all in toward the safety of the rock face. They probably should put a ladder at that spot for us old-timers.

  28. Great reading the encounters on the NY portion of the AT. I will be hiking the the NY portion from NY 17A to CT the last week of August 2012. I have been preparing for several months. I have read many articles on the trail experience but find yours most helpful. I noticed the long distances between the limited shelters. I hope I can accomplish hiking 16 miles during a day. Can you tell me if you have had any problems with finding suitable water locations in this section. Also what are you using to purify your water. This is my first time hiking the AT along with doing a distance hike.

    • There’s plenty of water. I suggest you get a copy of David Miller’s AT Guide if you don’y have one that will tell you exactly where the water sources are. It’s invaluable for this stretch of trail.

  29. How far is the AT Train Station from the CT State line?

  30. Very helpful level set for planning this section, thank you! Not looking forward to New York’s problem shelters or the slippery rocks. I will plan on bringing my icetrekkers and on stepping off trail for lodging when the shelters are too far apart for my slow pace.

  31. Great info, the diet change was especially interesting. I’ve section hiked WV, MD, PA, and NJ over weekends and have scarfed down way too many candy bars. Diet might explain the low energy and moodiness. I’ll eat cleaner to see if that helps. I’m about 10 miles into NY heading NOBO. It is pretty crazy terrain so far!

  32. The part that you skipped near Greenwood Lake actually has a decent shelter… Wildcat, that has a bear box. It’s one of my favorite parts of the trail in NY, although I’m pretty bias since I live 10 mins away and this is basically my backyard. It’s funny how everything is relative. Most hikers don’t like NY because of all the hustle and bustle, but most people who live here in suburban and urban areas flock to the trail to get away from it all. Oh, I see.

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