Day 40: Molasses and Rain

Summary
June 4th

Graymoor Spiritual Life Center to Fahnestock State Park

NOBO mile# 1422.0

Tolmann’s daily mileage 11.8

Tolmann’s total mileage 398.3

The section of the trail we’re on now has some shelter spacing issues; the next shelter is 19 miles away. That would require a record breaking effort for me to get there. I’m not in the mood to break anything. So the next best alternative was to get to Clarence Fahnestock State Park, which is just shy of 14 miles. It seemed T&H’s most likely goal as well. 

When I got up, they were obviously on a mission to get on the trail as early as possible, so I kept mostly to myself, breaking down camp (maybe I am in the mood to break something, after all!), and preparing and eating breakfast. I went to sit with them as they finished getting ready, and while I prepped my feet. They were off by 7, and I managed to get out by 7:30. 

It was a beautiful morning, and you’d think that with the rest the day before, I’d be full of vim and vinegar! But the first half of the morning felt like walking in molasses. The size 14s really felt like clown shoes today, and I caught my toes on roots and rocks uncounted times. 

The trail itself has moderated some; still going up and down regularly, but with mostly reasonable grades. It reminds me a lot of the trails around home. There are oak forests, and the path is littered with oak leaves, which hide roots and rocks, and which can be slippery when wet, and also slippery when dry!!

After eating a protein bar, I felt a little better and kicked it in to a slightly higher gear, and found Tilly and Hops having a trailside snack. We leapfrogged a bit, and reached the Dennytown Road parking area, which has a grassy area and a stone building with a working water spigot; a perfect place to have lunch, and enjoy the remaining minutes of sunshine. 

Yes, minutes; rain was moving in for the afternoon. We had roughly 5 miles to go before getting to Canopus Lake Beach, inside Fahnestock State Park. We got some sense of the trail ahead from a gentleman providing trail magic (a cooler of beer; we were grateful, but only Hops partook). 

As we got started, the rain did, too. 

Something about the rain flipped the switch for me, and I ignored my feet and shoulders and didn’t let up until I ran out of gas just before the blue blaze trail to the lake. And, of course, the trail threw everything at me: wet, slippery roots, rocks and leaves, rocky ascents and descents, soaking bushes and trees; it was kind of miserable! But the AT also ran along this cool causeway-like built-up trail (I think it was used for mining) running for 1/2 mile or so. I really struggle with the discomfort, often missing beauty and fascinating geology and history. But this broke through walls I had built up to focus on putting one foot in front of the other. 

I got to the lake concession stand just as they were about to shut down the grill. I reflexively bought a hot dog and fries (a far superior experience than the High Point State Park Concession Massacree), thinking I could at least share the fries with T&H, given they wouldn’t make it in time to order for themselves. There was a young couple already there, whom I had seen at Graymoor the night before, and I also knew that Mulga and TBA (an Australian couple I also met at Graymoor) would be there shortly. So there eventually were the 7 of us hanging in the concessionary, trying to get warm and dry out, as the folks running it were trying to close it down. 

We found the hot air hand dryers in the bathrooms, and spent some time blowing hot air on our wet clothes, which felt good but was not very effective at drying anything. 

Eventually they kicked us out, but only after we had really overstayed our welcome, and it was off to road-walk the last 3/4 of a mile up to the camping area. 

I had some trouble finding trees without poison ivy to hang my hammock from in the AT hiker section; but the park personnel let me grab another site. 

So I’m quite a ways from the others tonight, but reasonably snug, warm and dry for the time being. 

Tomorrow promises to bring more rain. Oh, joy!