Finger Lakes Trail End-to-End

Link to My First Person Detailed Account

2010-09-20T07:21:00.000-07:00

Link to my other Blog which is a detailed first peson account of my thru hike of the Finger Lakes Trail
I will be making these posts as I type them up.

http://fingerlakestrailthruhike.blogspot.com/

Introduction

2010-09-06T15:50:00.000-07:00

Introduction to: The Old Man and the Trail, A Solitary Journey of Renewal

Garth Fisher
In 2000 I did a through hike of the Appalachian Trail, at the age of 60. I then worked as a Ridgerunner for the AT in New Jersey for 4 summers. I completed my first marathon in 2005. In 2008 I had a hip replacement and doubted that I would ever do a long distance hike again. I learned this year, 2010 that I could do a long distance hike. In my other life,I am therapist, Hospice Volunteer, and an Intuitive Energy Reader, I have attempted to understand myself, my work, my clients, and our world as deeply as possible. My goal with my Blogs is to share some of my experiences and thoughts as well as offer you the reader a space to share your relevant experiences and thoughts to the subject of the Blog. My plan is to add the comments made about a post to the post itself as an extension. I appreciate your participation and look forward to hearing from you. Respectfully Garth Fisher

Thoughts and preparation for the Hike

2010-09-06T15:47:00.001-07:00

Thoughts and Preparation for the Hike

There are two levels to my preparation for a long distance hike. The first level relates to my inner process, and the second relates to the technical aspects of getting ready for the hike.

The Inner Process: It has been 10 years since I did my Thru hike of the Applachian Trail. It has been 5 years since I worked on the AT in New Jersey and ran my marathon in Las Vagas. After the marathon, my hip began to seriously deteriorate, leading to a hip replacement 2 years ago. I went from 5 years of yearly heavy duty exercising, to 5 years of slowly and steadily becoming a couch potatoe physically. Yet, as I worked more as a therapist, I exercised my brain more and more. Yet, as I approached my 70th birthday, I progressively felt like my life was over or coming to an end. Looking back on the process, there was a gradual void starting at age 65. During the months of my 69th year, I realized that I had never thought about my life beyond 70. There was a void in my consciousness relating to the future past a certain age. During this time frame, I was working for two psychiatric clinics one in Janesville and one in Madsion, totaling about 50-55 hours a week. My focus was on helping others. I took that responsiblity seriously and whatever I could to assist others in their quest to feel and behave better. While at the same time, I did very little to take care of myself. Gradually, an image began to form in my awareness. It started with me looking back over the journey of my life. The view was a landscape made up of jungles, valleys, rivers, swamps, and mountains all of which I had struggle through and survived all of those obstecles, and now I was standing on a ridge with all of those trials behind me. When I turned around and looked forward, I saw a large plain in front of me. I knew that somewhere over the horizon there was (is) the OCEAN of LIFE. In my personal spiritual philosophy, the OCEAN is where we came from and where we all return -- the cycle of birth and death. Once the above image and view of my life settled into my awareness, the logical next question is, "what do I do on the journey from here to there?" I also realized that to do anything, I needed to have an open time space This awareness lead to the realization, that to create a space, I would need to retire from my work.

This was a difficult decision, because I felt a responsibility to my clients, and the idea of me "abandoning" (which meant that I referred them to other therapist) them was very distasteful. I experienced various episodes and levels of guilt. Once I concluded that I would create a time space for myself, I had to decide what I was going to do. Doing a long distance hike of at least 500 miles was my primary thought. I had been talking about doing the El Cameno pilgrimage trail in northern Spain for 3 years. When I started looking at 500 mile trails beside Spain, I came across the Bruce Trail in Canada, the Grande Trail in AZ and NM, the Finger Lakes Trail in New York, and a coastal hike along England's coast.

According to the FLT Conference, only about 20 people thru-hike the trail each year. The total number of thru-hikers in the trail’s 48 year history is a mere 289. The trail takes about six to seven weeks to complete, and it’s easy to go an entire week without seeing another hiker.

The Technical Process: see next page

Technical Preparation

2010-09-06T15:46:00.001-07:00

Technical Preparation:

Decision making, at least for me, is a long process of mulling something over and over. It can be in the background of my mind for a long time, while my day to day activities are in the foreground. Eventually, a conclusion forms, and the answer becomes progressively more clear. Deciding to do a 500 mile hike, required a 3-4 month time space. In turn this required, a 3 months or so planning and walking through the process of retiring from my work, deciding which trail to hike, planning meals, and deciding and if necessary purchasing gear. I started with doing an internet search of all the trails under consideration and looking for books on each trail. I then ordered maps of the trails and then started evaluating the terrain, local resources i.e. nearby towns, possible food drops through post offices or motels. There was also the consideration of which direction to travel -- east to west or west to east, all the trails I was considering went in these directions. I gradually eleminated: the NM/AZ trail because of the mountains, the Bruce trail because it was out of country and had very few towns near the trail, the El Camino trail because it was out of country and I did not have time to learn sufficient Spanish to feel comfortable navigating through Spain. The Finger Lakes Trail had one other plus. In 2003, I worked with Pat and Gina on the NJ Appalachian Trail as a Ridgerunner. They were living in Ithaca, NY, the middle of the FLT, and they had invited me to visit at different times over the years. I chose to do an End-to-End hike, as they call it, of the Finger Lakes Trail. The distance would be 550 miles plus. The starting time would be in mid-June. The basic plan was to drive to Ind. and visit my mother and some HS friends, Ted and Wanda, and then drive to Ithaca where I would leave my car while I hiked over the next 6-7 weeks.

Using the FLT maps, I plotted out an itenerary, and made up food boxes that Pat and Gina could send to me at post offices (general delivery) or motels. The next task was to sort through the gear I had and consider what new gear I needed to purchase. My doctor had who did my hip surgery 2 years ago, advised me to keep my pack weight at around 30 pounds. Historically, my pack weight was usually around 40-45 pounds. I will review my gear and what I have learned to be truly necessary gear and considerations for an end-to-end hike of the FLT in another segment of the Indtroduction (next page).

I then started the journey of retirement, buying gear, and a modest attempt of getting physically in better shape. Over the past 5 years I had gradually gained weight, my doctor's lab workups said that my body was not doing so well, and my psychology was depressed. My outlook on life was definitely at a low point, and my overall energy level was the lowest it had been in 35 years.

Essential Equipment and Gear -- from my experience

2010-09-06T15:41:00.000-07:00

Essential Equipment/Gear -- from my experience

1. FLT maps

It will be very difficult to do an End-to-End hike without the maps and the information on the back
of the maps. There are stretches where the white blazes are few and far between. The mileage on
the back is just for that specific map. You have to do your own math for the whole trail. The first
half of the maps uses access points which makes it easier to locate yourself on the map and figure
mileage. The eastern maps do not have access points. The mileage on the trail signs do not always
agree with the map mileage, but that was never a problem.

2. A small compass

There are times when the road signs are twisted and the direction is not clear. Also, in the woods
with the thick canopy it is sometimes difficult to use the sun for directions.

3. Pump water filter

Springs are few and far between. Most water has to come from creeks and a few ponds. There is
allot of sediment even when the water looks clear.

4. A good tent

Shelters are few and far between. Unlike the Appalachian Trail where shelters are spaced with
long distance hikers, the FLT is geared more for local hikers and day hikers. I spent most of
my nights sleeping in my tent.

5. Hard soled boots

I estimate that 35 % of the FLT is a road walk. I wore out my first set of boots at 300 miles
in part due to the hot road walks. There were times when the road played tar baby with my
boots and hiking poles. There were a number of hiking days over 90 degrees in late Jun and Jul

5. A broad brimmed hat and sun screen for the arms

The road walks often did not have shade. My arms got burnt before I bought some sunscreen.

6. Hiking pants with zip off legs

The raspberry bushes were terrible from the very beginning of the hike, but really bad in the Catskill Mountains. I am not sure if it is better in the early summer, but they make parts of the
hike miserable.

7. Walking sticks (if for nothing else to push the raspberry bushes out of the way)

8. Stove and fuel

While the shelters had fire pits, the bivouac areas did not.

9. Water bottles for at least 4 liters of water.

5 liters would probably be better except for the weight. I had to ask for water at a number of houses, and there were times when I had to conserve my water between fill ups.

10. Rope to hang food bags in the a tree

There are no bear boxes or hanging lines for food. While I saw only one bear, I did see some bear sign. The locals were always telling about bear sightings in the neighborhood.

11. 1st Aid (include some NewSkin, there are little containers now at stores) and a sawing kit
I hiked alone for the whole hike, and met a few day hikers. I was alone at the all the shelters
except

2, which means there is little or no back up from fellow hikers like it was on the AT.

There are also numerous cell phone dead zones, some in the east, but especially in the Catskills.

12. A prepaid calling card

There were 4 times when I could have used a calling card. Fortunately people let me use their
land line without charge.

13. Enough cash, and ID

3 motels did not take credit cards. I carried travelers checks and cash, but ran low later in the
hike and had to have my support crew send me cash. The travelers checks confused some of the stores I shopped at.

14. Cell phone

15. 2 LED flashlights – one for backup and one for regular use.

My Gear

2010-09-06T15:35:00.001-07:00

My Gear

1. Backpack: Osprey H2O, Aether 70

2. Big Agnes air core Mummy: very good, though I always hand checked the tent floor for sharps

45 degree down sleeping bag from Campmor

3. MSR water pump filter

4. OR knee length Gaiters

5. Esbit stove and fuel pellets, one pellet cooked my evening meal

6. ¾ Liter aluminum cook pot from Campmor

7. Sierra Designs XL stuff rain jacket

8. Wenzel 2 man (really 1 ½) Lone Tree 7X5: the zipper leaked during any rain, used a tarp over it

9. Keehn hiking boots, second pair Timberline

10. Broad brimmed hat with ventilation from Walmart

11. 6 ft hiking sticks from the local woods

12. Hiking pants with zip off legs from Campmor, light weight shirts (smelled bad), (next time wool)

Wool socks were great, minimal smell and dried fast.

13. Vivitar digital camera

14. 1 Two liter platypus with tube and bite valve, 2 one liter platy’s

15. Backup white Iodine, 2oz

16. 2 Led flashlights, small

17. Sewing kit and 1st Aid kit with liquid newskin and bandages, large nail clippers and tweezer

P38 can opener, a metal whistle, pen and 3x5 cards

18. Small knife, 1 ½ in. blade

19. Bandana

20. Small absorbent towel from Campmor

21. 2 twenty five feet lengths of 1/8th cord

22. 2 ground clothes, silicon impregnated nylon, one small and one large

23. 6 clothes pins

24. 8oz plastic cup hung on back of pack

25. 1 pair camp shoes Crocks from Walmart

26. Wet-ones one pack per 5 days hiking

27. Small bottle of soap

28. TP and tooth paste and brush (I cut my hair very short)

29. Cell phone, money, travelers checks

30. Drivers license and credit card.

June 18th The First Steps

2010-09-06T06:34:00.000-07:00

June 18th

10 years ago I was 6 weeks into hiking the AT, on my first day on the AT, I did the approach trail with a 55 pound pack, 8 miles up to the first camp site. Now 10 years later, I felt exhausted after 1 mile up hill at the start of the FLT at the Penn/NY boarder with a 38-pound pack. I had planned to get to a shelter after 7 miles. But, I came to a stream at 4 miles, debated whether or not to stop, Started to go ahead, walked 200 yards, reminded myself that exhausted hikers, in the late afternoon, are the most vulnerable to injury or getting lost. I turned back, made camp, and slept 10 hours. Everyone back home kept advising me to be careful. 10 years ago I probably would have pushed on, I chose to play it safe, follow the advise of others, and trust my experience and my head rather than my ego. I find that my head has much less chatter in it this time out or even back in WIS.

June 19th Beck Hollow Shelter

2010-09-06T06:31:00.001-07:00

June 19th, Beck Hollow Shelter

How many time does one have to think about quitting before they quit, so far, several hundred times has not been enough. I have thoughts like, I really do not have to do this, it is comfortable back in WIS, my body is too weak, I am too slow, I will never get the trail done at this rate, etc, but mainly it was the feeling that was dumb to be doing this when I could be comfortable somewhere else, and at this stage of my life, there is no requirement to do this kind of challenge. It is not the ego trip of the AT, I don't find myself thinking of myself as superior to others like I did on the AT, I am just an old man, stumbling along alone on this path that is worn, but I have not seen anyone else hiking on. I changed my goal today from hiking the whole trail to seeing how many miles I can hike in 6 weeks. That took a load off my psyche. I have found that my body is much more limited than 10 years ago on the AT. I reached a point of exhaustion, where no amount of will power could make me go faster, I found that if I pushed even a little too much, the exhaustion got worse. I stumbled along the trail verses walk, hike, or stroll. There is a line that if I go past it, I fade. I stop often, sometimes only after 30 yards, sometimes I make 100 yards, especially on the uphill side, even going down hill is hard work at this point. I learned how wise I was to stop last night, when I got to the top of the ridge; I missed a white blaze and took the NCT, which is easy, since they overlap often. Anyway, I came down hill on the NCT rather than the FLT. Met 3 men out for a day hike; they aimed in the right direction. I got to the parking lot they told me about and a map, which did not show the FLT. I flagged down a young maintaince man, who took me to the office, and gave me water. We checked out the map with someone else at the park, he then took me over to the start of the FLT. I probably missed 2 miles of the FLT trail but in keeping with my new goal that was ok. I got to the shelter, late afternoon, shortly there after, 8 boy scouts came in with their hammocks. They were a well-behaved group. Their packs were a mess, i.e. too heavy, and unbalanced, I have seen this before. I did not attempt a Yogi Bear, they were all hungry, but it would have been nice to have a little seasoning for my dinner. Heard some coyotes near by during the night, also heard an owl.

JUne 20th, Stoney Brook Lean-To

2010-09-06T06:30:00.000-07:00

June 20 Stoney Brook Shelter

I actually hiked some today, my body totally gave out at 2pm, When I came to the shelter at 2, I felt chilled, decided to stop for the night, napped for 2 hours before setting up camp. I was alone at the shelter. I am a day behind

June 21st Bivouac

2010-09-06T06:25:00.001-07:00

June 21 Bivouac

What an exhausting day, made some good time down a long hill, really hiked for the first time, then had a 2 plus mile walk on an old road, hot and exhausted, thought about quitting every 300 yards or so. Came to the Allegany River, went over an old bridge, the map says I am in Seneca land and to move quickly through it, sorry, quick is not in my vocabulary right now. Found a water source, clear, running from a drainage pipe under the RR track. Filtered it, cool and refreshing. Still hot and I am in slow motion. At 1 pm I stopped got my little tarp out and rested for 1 1/2 hours, then did the up hill climb, actually did ok for the first time. However, when I got to the top, it was a mile down a steep logging road, I cannot imagine how a vehicle gets logs down such a steep hill. Got to the Bivouac area with just enough water for the evening and morning. Water source is a house further down the hill. In the tent, realized I had a sinus cold, realized that this was not fun, realized that I had one days worth of food and two days of hiking. Figured I could get food at the RV park where I planned to stay tomorrow night. Began to seriously consider quitting and calling MP and asking if I could volunteer for the rest of the time on the AT in NJ.

June 22nd, Ellicottville, NY

2010-09-06T06:24:00.000-07:00

June 22

Got water at the foot of the hill at the house noted on the map, saw the white blaze on the pole at the right of the property, started down the road, got a couple of tens and realized that I did not see a forward blaze, took my pack off and started walking down the road, no blaze on the one on the pole back at the house. I flagged down a car; it was the man Tom, who lives in the water house. I told him about my lack of food, that I planned to get enough at the RV park for the last day. He told me the RV park had no food etc. I told him I had a food box in Ellicottville, he offered to drive me to town, and I took him up on his offer. Trail magic at its best. I would have been in a bad. (looking back on this event, this turned me around, and set the stage for me to complete the hike)

June 23rdEllicottville, NY

2010-09-06T06:21:00.000-07:00

June 23, Wed, Kelly Lodge, Ellicottville, NY

Spent 1 1/2 days reworking my schedule, I was very overly ambitious planning, in the back of my head I still had the mileage I could have done at the end of the AT hike, I am far from that with a new hip and added weight, plus 10 years of muscle loss that just happens with age. My thighs have lots the most, I can tell it when I go up hill. Other thoughts, there is allot of details to a hike, it is not just going out, filling up your backpack and starting to walk. For example, if you leave an important item out, you cannot just run down to the store and get it. Or as someone the other day, when I said I was having trouble finding water while hiking, why don't you just go and buy a gallon of water, well, think about it ???? I am finding it takes me an hour and 1/2 to set up camp and eat before I go to bed, and it takes the same amount of time in the morning before I can start hiking. I try to get on the hike by 7:30 and stop for the evening at 6 pm. I find that I have to be careful not to loss anything, there is no replacement handy, even in town if it is a small town. The other thing is the organization of the pack, where to store certain items that might be needed during the day -- there are 3 levels of possible need --- the least goes in the bottom of the backpack. Other observations, pushing harder on the right foot going up hill does not make the body go faster (the body is not a car). Water is were you find it, anywhere, run off, spring, creek, river, pond, or someone's back door. I find that I feel small be side the cars and trucks that pass me when the trail is on the road rather than in the woods, I feel small and frail compared to those be objects we as a species has created. There are certain foods one starts to crave after 3 days of dried food i.e. veggies, fruit, milk shakes, salty hamburgers, and chocolate milk. Mail out my bounce box for 2 stops ahead in N. Hornell, took at least a pound of "stuff" out of my pack and added to the bounce box. At the Subway I talked to the man behind the counter about my hike, he told me to come in tomorrow morning and have breakfast on him before I started hiking (I did, Yea for Yogi). Tracy said she would take me to the trailhead tomorrow morning. I know I have dropped some weight, but no scales to check it out. feel rested, a town day is not just a rest day, there is laundry, planning the next stretch of trail, buying food or supplies if needed, catching up on the weather and looking at the 10 day forecast. Plus interacting with people where one is staying or in the town. For example, I asked a woman where the post office was, and she gave me directions. Later in the afternoon, walking up to the library, I passed her on her porch; she recognized me and we had a chat about mildew, porches, paint, and hiking.

June 24th Bivouac east of Ellicottville, NY

2010-09-06T06:17:00.000-07:00

June 24 Thur

Slow start, Tracy and I could not locate the trailhead driving up and down the road. She had to be somewhere at 9am so she dropped me off at the library. The lady in the library is married to a Forest Ranger, so we had a nice talk about hiking, camping, handing food bags, water sources, and how in our 20's 50-pound packs were easy but now very questionable if not outrageously unhealthy. She took me up to the trailhead. I got started 2 hours later than planned, but in my philosophy there is always some "reason" behind the events, even if it is not obvious. I have had several people say that I am an inspiration to them, and add, maybe someday, I will do a hike, to which I add, it is never too late, (at least at this time for me, at age 70). Did my best hiking to date today; the trail did not go as high on the ups and downs as they did in the Allegany State Forest. The bivouac area was nice with a picnic table that someone had to have hauled in the hard way (probably a 4 wheeler, there are allot of 4 wheeler trail everywhere so far, they quit at night fall, so it is quiet when they quit), but the major problem was water, the sign and the map both said there was a reliable water source at a specific location, it was a dried up spring. Experience came into play again, it was a 3/4 mile round trip to the spring from the camp site, I took my little green cup (experience has taught me its usefulness), I searched out a little run off about 300 yds further down the hill, could just barely get the cup in the water, filled up two liters 1/2 cup at a time, then dug out a deep hole for tomorrow morning (much easier getting 4 liters the next morning). I realized that on the AT there was always the feeling of hurry up, and sometimes competitive attitude about making miles, partly the need to get to Katadin by a certain time, but also by the individuals who wanted to my 25 mile days or to the 3 state challenge. Here hiking alone, it is just at my pace, my rest stops that are often and frequent, though they are getting fewer and shorter. I am still the only one out here, though there is a guy 10 days ahead of me according to the registers. It is solitary, not scare, good meditation times, my mind is not racing with thoughts while I hike, but I am aware of my body and how it feels, I shift my pack often. etc.

June 25th Bivouac east of Franklinville, NY

2010-09-05T17:41:00.001-07:00

June 25th

There is an interesting mix of Yuppie and Kentucky on the back roads. You can draw your own conclusions about what that looks like. I found my second penny while walking the highway this morning. The trail can be as much as 30 % road walk for a day. Was able to do better hiking today, as I get stronger and have less weight in my pack and on me. Issue, slimy slugs that show up at night, crawl into my shoes, on the tent, on any gear left out over night, never had this problem before, so on the AT it was mice, here it is slugs. Attempted to hitch hike into Franklinville, on the road walk to the next section of the trail. NY cars go fast and if I read their minds it goes something like, "if you are dumb enough to hike you are dumb enough to think I will get my car dirty with you". I started to walk into Franklinville, came across an wayside ice cream stand, had a double large vanilla milk shake, they told me that there was no place to stay in town, they let me fill up my water bottles, and I went back on the trail and located a decent camp site. I look at the curly fries, the hot dogs etc, decided that with 2 miles yet to go on a hot afternoon, I did not want to risk an upset stomach or food that while tasting good, would be too rich for me at this stage of the day. The strap on the food bag broke while I was hanging it in the tree, incase there was an active bear in the area. Will have to saw it up later, I do have the needle and thread for the job. (experience). The FLT is not a trail for beginners either for gear problems etc.

June 26th Bivouac

2010-09-05T17:37:00.000-07:00

June 26

On the AT it was rocks that gave me grief until I learned to love rocks and became Rockdancer, here on the FLT it is raspberry bushes, foot high, shin high, belt high, shoulder high (and brush waist high). The other thing, today was mud holes, the mud thick and heavy, when I pulled the hiking poles out there was a definite pop, and a couple of times there was question as to whether or not the mud would suck my boot off, I won but it was because my shoe laces were on tight. Today was techniquely the most difficult hike of the trail so far, the trail was not maintained, it was well marked except where there was a multi tree blow down, i.e. dozens of blown down trees, I had to bushwhack, I went to the left, circled the blow downs, could not find the blazes, realized I did not have a compass, knew that I did not what to backtrack what I had just slogged my way through. Went backwards down a path, and cut into the blazes, it, so far, was the only time I had a concern about locate. I have missed the trail turn off twice, where the trail went to the left or right, and I went straight ahead, until I realized that I had not seen any white blazes for a while. Decided to road walk to get to Windy Hill Camp Ground for the night, attempted to hitchhike, very few cars, and they were going 50-60 and yuppie looking. Found a couple in their yard and went over and started talking to them, she had just cut asparagus, told her about the last I had in Wis., I asked about directions, road hills, told her where I was wanting to go. The man also 70 with a very unaligned lower back, asked me if I looked familiar, I must have looked very curious, said I was from Wis, he said he had seen me 3 times the day before. He was in one of the big red dump trucks that were hauling brush away from a lumber cutting. I as for a ride to Windy Hills, he was happy to take me, once there I realized just how long it would have taken me to walk it, so we got there in 15 minutes, where it would have taken me 3 hours to hike the road. I had called the guy at the Windy Hills; he had a spot for me with running water and an electric outlet. Hey, plus indoor toilet and shower. Hey, I had a hot shower, washed my clothes out, and felt clean all over for the first time in 3 days. I met a guy at the camp ground and we talked about my adventure i.e. hike, he has a trail, year round at the camp ground, he said he was a 2 pack a day man and knew he could not hike, his adventure was driving the 4 wheeler around the camp grounds. He said that only half jokingly. He was in his early 50's by my guess.

June 27th Bivouac

2010-09-05T17:20:00.000-07:00

June 27

Very good trail today, verses yesterday, did have to take water from a drainage ditch, it was clear and cold, but had to treat it, it was the type of spot one would drive by and not even consider, or notice that there was a very valuable substance just over the edge of the road. Of course, as someone in a car, one does not think about needing water or anything else, you just drive over to the store, but back packing, what you have is what is on your back, and water, as I said earlier is where you find it, and one is very happy to have found it. I did 12 miles in 10 hours today, the best so far. At around 5 pm I stopped at a large set of buildings, asked the man if I could get water he said yes, I told him I was hoping to get to the boy scout camp by night fall but it did not look like I was going to make it. He said it was an easy 3 miles once over the first very steep hill, and that I should make it in not time. (experience, no way, it would be 8pm by the time I got here and would be really worn out), I hiked the hill, found a flat spot and camped. There were allot of 4 wheelers running around in the valley, but they stopped when it got dusk. It rained last night, found that the tent designer did a mistake, did not cover the door zipper with anything, the zipper was a porous. I figured out a solution with a small tarp and did not get too much water inside -- but I was unhappy. I know the solution now, but what I need is 4 clothespins.

June 28th, Portageville, NY

2010-09-05T17:14:00.000-07:00

June 28

Hike the Easy Trail the guy talked about last evening, he was right it was easy, and I was right it would have been 8 pm or so when I got there. I road walked to a main road, and started hitchhiking, allot of car drivers waved, sooooooooooooo that was not help, then and emergency response car drove past -- he came back and asked if I was ok -- I said yes-- he drove off -- thought later I should have told him about the blister I have on a toe, maybe I would have gotten a ride from him, one guy on a work crew stopped and asked where I was going, I said Portageville, he said he would be back in 2 hours from his job and would give me a ride if I was still there, ok so that was better, then a mid 50's hippie looking/dressed farmer stopped back after passing by, and said he would take me to P-ville, he did, save me a long road walk.
I got to the Geneses Inn, met Vinie and Lou, two guys from NY city, one from Manhattan the other from Long Island, they went to HS together, and a friend of theirs bought the Inn 2 1/2 years ago, Vinnie has been a painter all his life, said that 3 years ago the painting dried up (I can relate to that, no jobs in a year for me painting in Wis.) the guy who bought the Inn was a HS class mate, called and asked him if he wanted to paint the outside of the Inn, Vinnie said ok, and 2 years later he is still working on remodeling the inside and outside. The place is done in 1910-1930, has antiques that are valuable I image, Portageville in its day was a railroad town, it was a destination location for people from the big cities to come for a weekend or week in the country. Pictures on the walls show the trail station, railroad, and the monster bridge over the river, and various buildings. There were 4 Inns in town at one time, there use to be an annual potato festival here, the building across the street was on the vaudeville circuit.

Neither of the guys owns a car, they take the Greyhound back to NY. They cannot imagine hiking or being in the woods. They are fascinated by my journey both on the FLT and the AT. The Inn does not take credit cards, I only had money for one night, and they said they would work it out with the owner for me to pay later. They seem to enjoy the company. It is a working bed and breakfast, they gave me a steak dinner last night and we talked wild life, camping, and Portageville, and painting remodeling. They are two NY guys, what more can I say. They have made my stay, like the old days on the AT or when a traveler was a welcome guest to bring news or some interesting information. The room I am in is hand carved wood, Birdseye maple, and 30's pictures, with a modern bathroom.

June 29th Portageville, NY

2010-09-05T17:10:00.000-07:00

June 29 Wed

A day of rest, I can feel my body recovering, I am going to plan another 5 days to N. Hornell, then 5 days to Hammondsport and then decide what to do next, by then I will be almost 4 weeks into the 6 week - maybe 7 - of the hike, it is clear that I am not going to complete a through hike of the FLT, if I look back on the AT hike, by about 6 weeks, I was starting to consistently do 12-15 mile days, for the FLT, 6 weeks is all the time allotted for the whole hike. I will be healthier than when I started, but nothing like the AT when I finished, but hey, in 6 months of hiking one should be in good physical condition. Will pack my bag, 5 days of food sure feels heavy. The trail for the next 2 days looks short on water, and the terrain, according to the read out on the map, there is one really bad stretch with deep gullies. We will see.

June 30 Bivouac

2010-09-05T17:08:00.000-07:00

June 30 Wed

Last night the owner’s wife, her 2 sisters and their 7 children came for a visit now that the schools are out for the summer. They had 2 large SUV's, lots of food, games, and DVD's. One of the interesting things about Vinnie and Lew, was their habit of eating and then leaving around at various places half eaten bags of potato chips. The Inn, served as a get away place form NY, City for these families. And possibly a tax write off, but it clearly was their place in the country, an 8-hour drive from NY, City. I stopped at a convenience store and drank 840 calories of chocolate milk. YUMMM Today was my longest distance, hit 3 miles an hour maybe more on the road walks, the FLT has allot of road walking, where the AT has minimal. About 50% road today. I made a wrong turn at a 3-road junction and took the wrong road. Once discovered, I had gone too far to back track, so I had to angle over east and south to hit another road that would take me to the Bivouac spot shown on the map. I had to cross a large creek where a bridge was out -- the dilemma was to take my boots off and wade or walk up stream or down and find a place to cross on some rocks. I opted for the look for rocks, did not find them, started throwing rocks into the creek to make a crossing which I eventually did, I was unhappy about the length of time the project took, because it was clearly faster to take the boots off and wade -- however there is a moral to the story, as has happened several times now, things come together in a helpful way. I continued the road walk up a couple of long stretches. I saw on the map that there was a road, Brewer Rd that lead off my final dirt road and lead to the Bivouac. Area. As I topped a hill, there was a woman standing in the road looking at her flower, we talked, she told me there was a big swamp where I planned to Bivouac and that she knew that Brewer Rd was now private. I said that I would have to take the chance due to the lateness of the evening and my water supply. We also talked about hip replacements, she had her's last Dec. and I two years ago. I started off down the road with my plan in mind. She and her husband pulled up beside me and asked if I would like a ride down to the next FLT road crossing. I said yes, they were from this area, but live in Florida during the winters. Sure enough there was a sign on Brewer Rd clearing stating that the road was closed. They drove 4 miles, which would have been my walk of 1 1/2 hours; we did in 5 min's. There was a second Bivouac. area about .3 of a mile from the road crossing, which I hiked back to and set up camp. The moral is, TIMING, while I was kicking myself for taking so long to cross the creek, it worked out that the lady was in the road when I got there, there was really a small window of opportunity, and I came through that window. Oh, yea of little faith !!!!!!!!.

July 1st Bivouac

2010-09-05T11:58:00.000-07:00

July 1 Thur

Some really long hills today, I stopped early, i.e. 4:30 pm, my legs felt like they might cramp, set up camp by a beaver pond, frogs are already doing their songs, very cool and comfortable the last 2 days, seemed like I barely worked up a sweat covering 14 miles today. I may make it to Hornell tomorrow, will. I found my old rhythm of hiking/breathing/pace and walking stick movement today. Had an old RR bed stretch for 2 miles this morning, did it in an hour. Still no other long distance hikers except me.

Plus's for trail walk -- soft surface, cooler than the road, mature sounds and sights.

Neg's for trail walk -- irregular surface, mud, steeper hills and grades, bugs, unknown water sources

Plus's for road walk -- consistent surface, cars and trucks add a breeze when passing, can keep a steady pace, houses with lots of water.

Neg's for road walk -- Sun, hot surface, a wrong turn can be costly in time and effort, no bathroom spots.

July 2nd N. Hornell, NY

2010-09-05T11:56:00.001-07:00

July 2 Friday
Long walk again today, cool temp. hot sun, I found a quarter beside the road, making it 28 cents found so far. I made it to Hornell by mid afternoon -- Econo Lodge, the mail lady arrived at the same time I did with my food box sent by Gina 3 days ago. She said she had seen me walking up a very long hill, i.e. Pennsylvania Hill Rd, earlier in the morning. She agreed it was a truly long hill. She also told me that the Post Office was 2 1/2 miles away, down town. Econo Lodge does not have a Laundromat or a computer for costumers (they let me check my email a couple of times during their less busy times), I then asked for a westward facing room with a balcony, which I got even though they were having trouble with their hot water that morning. So I hung my drying line out on the balcony supports, did my laundry, and hung it out to dry. It worked fine. Down the hill from the Econo Lodge, there is a Family Dollar store, a bar and grill (the 57 Club), a convience store, and a hardware store. None, of whom had 3 in webbing that I could make a new tump-line for my pack, the duck tape one I made at Portageville, did not last the whole segment of hike. The tump-line really does help me go uphill by easing the pressure off my shoulders making easier to take deep breaths. Once again, just like on the AT hike, I was overwhelmed with the choices of food and drink at a store. For 4 days, I had water and Energin-C, here there is water in a dozen forms of soda, tea, and bottle water both with and without flavoring. I bought a can of pork and beans and some flavored water. I overwhelmed the staff by wanting to pay for the products with a travelers check. We finally got it handled, when the supervisor of the shift called the owner to find out what to do.

July 3rd N. Hornell, NY

2010-09-05T11:54:00.000-07:00

July 3 Sat

A rest day, the only physical problem is a right foot toe that is blistered and very sore. I plan to experiment with a different shoe lacing and a cheap Dr. Schulz’s pad. Late yesterday, I realized that I am feeling the best I have felt -- physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually in 5 years. At that time I gave up long distance hiking to help others. Eventually my hip would have curtailed my hiking, but I still had a couple of years where I could have hiked. Today is leisure, rest, food, meditation and organization for the next 4-day stretch of trail. I got fairly philosophical today. Will talk about those thoughts later.
Go to
http://worldwidegodproject.blogspot.com/

July 4th Burt Hill Forest Lean-To

2010-09-05T11:50:00.000-07:00

July 4 Sun
12-mile day, 10 years ago today I was hiking the AT, came into a parking lot where people were picnicking. A family was eating before they went out on their boat to watch the local fireworks. They fed me and sent food along with me to that night's shelter. Tonight, I am alone at a shelter, made my own fireworks i.e. a fire in the fire pit.

What do people miss when they drive by with their windows closed both on the highway or back roads? tracks of deer, fawns, turkey, raccoon, possum, bear, bees in the flowers, butterflies in the flowers, all the little flowers and mushrooms, horse prints, and ant tugging something back to the nest, a fox, and eagle, squirrel, Sounds of birds, wind, frogs, bees, flies, mosquitoes, chipmunk squeals, the call of a raven or crow.

Something you can count on: if a none hiker says, "oh, it is only 1/2 mile down the road", you know it is at least 1 1/2 miles down the road.

There were several warnings around the shelter about bears being in the area i.e. hang your food bag high in the tree. I am in the Burt Hill Forest Shelter this evening, one of the few over the last 100 miles. There is no cell phone service for Verizon in this location, so "I can not hear me (others) now."

July 5th, Bivouac, west of Hammondsport, NY

2010-09-05T11:44:00.000-07:00

July 5th, Monday

I rediscovered my "pole feet", today i.e. it is when, just like skiing one uses the poles for balance, push off to redirect the momentum of the forward motion. Also rediscovered my swing stride for going up hill, it allows me a steady pace, though not fast, but longer between breaks on the uphill climb.

I started my journey 17 days ago; it feels like 2 years ago. I am beginning to feel a little more confident that I can make the full 7 weeks of hiking.

Question: How do you know you are exhausted ? When you drop a sunflower seed from the Corp bag, and ant grabs it, and you get into a tug of war with the ant, and the ant wins.

Question: When a road is has Hill in it's name, is it predictable that it is a significant hill ??

Yes !!!!!!

Question: if a road is named Smith Hill, is there a Smith farm at the top as well as it being a long hill? Answer: there use to be a Smith family there 75 years ago, Tom, age 78 bought the farm 50 years ago, but the Smith family was long before his purchase. We had a talk about wood cutting and heating one's house with wood. (and yes Smith Hill Rd was a 2-mile steep uphill walk with no shade)

Observation: The joy of the downhill is balanced by the work of going uphill. Corollary: for every downhill there is an uphill -- damn it anyway.

July 6th Hammondsport -- Ithaca, NY

2010-09-05T11:39:00.000-07:00

July 6th Hammondsport, NY-- Ithaca, NY

98 degrees in the shade, high humidity, multiple breaks to wring out shirt, drink water, and cool off. Stopped at a house to get water at 4 pm, Bill heats his home with firewood he cuts and splits. He is 77, (I think I heard a similar report this morning that is activity keeps a man healthy); we talked about the advantages of electric verses gas powered log splitters. He took me to Hammondsport, where Pat came and picked me up. While I had planned this rest break 1 1/2 weeks ago, it works out that this is the hottest weather of the summer so far in this area. It is predicted to stay high 90's the next 2 days. Took potassium tables today, which help prevent leg cramping. I could feel the cramps coming on at various times. The relacing of my boots has made a big difference in how my feet feel after a long hot day.

Question: How do you know the road is really hot? When it plays tar baby with your boots.

Time for a 2-day vacation. Yea !!!!!!