Buchanan Mountain to Arden Valley Road



Day Nine
Tuesday, October 4, 2016
Buchanan Mountain to Arden Valley Road/Tiorati Circle
9.6 miles

Inside our little tarp tent, we have just enough room for two sleeping mats and our backpacks by our sides.  We can sit up, but not stand up inside it.  We have been warm and dry inside, but I can tell when dawn is coming because it seems to be the coldest right before and at dawn.  The temps have been moderate though, high 40’s, low 50’s at night and mid to high 60’s in the daytime. 

As I lay in my sleeping bag in the pre-dawn hours, trying to stay warm I could hear the world outside waking up.  An airplane flew over and I wondered where it had come from and where it was going.   It was probably the first flight of the day out of New York City.  Another flock of geese flew overhead.  Wait-up was snoring quietly next to me and I lay very still so as not to wake him.  I knew when he woke up, he would arise immediately and the day would begin.  I was in no hurry. 

We left camp around 7:40.  I thought it was going to be a short day, and it was at only 9.6 miles, but we walked for 8.5 hours.  On previous sections when we had 10 miles to do, we would be finished in 5 or 6 hours, depending on our stops.  What gives? 

There were several hard rock scrambles, particularly on Buchanan Mountain.  We thought we had reached the summit last night, but found out we had not quite done so.  Then we reached Agony Grind on Arden Mountain.  Ugh! 

At the bottom of the hill before going out onto the road, we found a supply of water left by the Tuxedo Trail Angels.  We topped off our water bottles there.   Just a short while later, at the next road crossing there was another supply left by Trail Angel Headley along with a tarp covering and some chairs.  We rested in the chairs for a little bit, but the fresh fruit and water was all gone.         

 

We entered Harriman State Park and it was like another world after the Agony Grind.  There were several day hikers in the area.  I commented that I could understand why the day hikers came up this side of the trail and not the other side of the road going up the Agony Grind.  This side was pretty green mountainsides with wide paths.  It was still rocky, but not nearly as torturous.

A beautiful pond was on top of the mountain, it obviously was the destination of the day hikers.  We hiked around it as we went on up.  Then we found the Lemon Squeezer.  We had to take off our packs to get through it – it was pretty tight.  We met a couple who were doing a flip-flop hike and had 400 miles before completing the trail.  They were headed south and had just come through the Squeezer. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We started counting the roads about this point.  We had 5 to go before we reached the 6^th one where we were parked at Tiorati Circle.  We went through a beautiful meadow before reaching our road where the fall colors were really beginning to show.  Fingerboard Shelter was closed due to renovations. 

 

 

    

 

We have never been so glad to reach our car.  Nine days is the longest we have ever been away from it.  We were thoroughly whipped.  We wanted a luxurious hotel (not a motel) and food delivery!   We went to Comfort Suites in Mahwah, New Jersey.  After a good long time trying to get to it (long story, lol), we finally made it there and the clerk provided us with a menu from Sonny and Tony’s Italian Restaurant.  Within a few minutes, we were eating a very fine buffalo chicken wrap with all the trimmings.  

Arden Valley Road at Tiorati Circle



Greenwood Lake to Buchanan Mountain

Day Eight
Monday, October 3, 2016
Greenwood Lake, NY to Buchanan Mountain

 

We got a pretty late start this morning after leaving the motel at around 8:00.  We stopped at the Quick Mart for breakfast on the recommendation of the lady at Linden Motel. They had a deal of a breakfast roll with egg, meat and cheese and coffee for something like $4.99.  We found as we later walked up the street that there are plenty of places to find breakfast.  We then went to a little market and picked up a few items to take with us on the trail before heading back up the .9 to the trail.  (Add that to our ten miles today.)

 

 

 

 

Before long we reached NY 17A where we were looking forward to eating lunch at Hot Dogs Plus.  Uh oh, Hot Dogs Plus had a sign – it’s closed on Monday.  Just our luck.

  

Hot Dogs Plus, closed on Monday



 

So I sat on their picnic table while Wait-up up trekked down the hill and around the corner to see  if he could fine the Bellvale Creamery.  He soon came back and said he had found it but it didn’t open until 12:00.  Well, it was almost 12 and we decided it was worth the wait, so we both went back the .3 to the Creamery.   They obviously are very popular as cars were already gathering in the parking lot.  They have several picnic tables overlooking a beautiful view beside their building.  We each chose a flavor of ice cream and sat at the picnic tables and thoroughly enjoyed it.  It was one of the few New York stops that we were fortunate enough to hit at the right time.  The New York deli hop was not working for us to well. 

 

It was a fairly easy day with a rock scramble at the Eastern Pinnacles, another at Cat Rocks, then we took the blue blaze around the third one.  Other than that, the path was not too rocky and pretty level.   

Fitzgerald Falls was completely dry.  That’s quite a drought!  There are some very nice stone steps going up the mountain beside the falls. 



Fitzgerald Falls, completely dry. 

We saw a few southbound thru-hikers today. 

We walked until around 5:00 and stealth camped on Buchanan Mountain.