Miles hiked: 12.71
Starting location: Route 9W, Garrison, New York
Ending location: Ridgeline north of S Highland Road, Putnam Valley, New York
Climb: 3,327'
Fortunately, my friend Bruce Shenker, from Canaan, New York, was able to join me for my first day on the AT; he stayed with me for just over 11 miles where we reached S Highland Road. Then he nicely drove me to the nearest gas station where he bought me some Gatorade and an ice cream bar. And then drove me back to the trail.
There were a few surprises on Day 1: First, the predicted rain and thunderstorms never happened. Second, we were plagued with black flies from mile 6 to 11. Third, carrying 25 pounds on your back makes for a very slow pace. Fourth, we had the fortune to meet Mark, from Garrison, who was doing a shakedown hike and will start his SOBO leg from Garrison next week; I should be seeing him in May, when I'll be heading NOBO from Waynesboro, Virginia. And, finally, finding a campsite on top of the rocky, mountain laurel infested ridge lines is not an easy job.
There weren't any views on Day 1, due to the low cloud cover, but these stone walls were some consolation.
The best spot that I could find along the ridge line. Not quite as flat as I would have liked, but OK. Terrible job of pitching the tent, the fact that I was missing a stake didn't help.
My self-made shower: Plastic cap into which I drilled a bunch of 1mm diameter holes. When screwed on the smartwater bottle, you can control the rate of flow by varying the squeezing pressure.
Overall, the day went just fine, but, truth be told, I was exhausted by the time I had the tent set up around 3:30 p.m. It isn't just the distance that was involved, I'm sure part of it was just the stress before starting and the emotional stress of leaving Colette behind.
Route from my Suunto watch.
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