Whiley Shelter, August 1, 1983

Aug 1 , 1983 Monday (752.1 mtg) From Gonzo!s Appalachian Trail journal

Up at 4:45 and off as soon as I could see. Got stung by another bee this morning as I started the long New York road walk. I got confused when I reached NY 292, the road to Holmes, NY, but finally got straightened out and located the post office and store only 50 yards down the road from the A.T. Received a package, and a letter from Glen Stolar. Met and talked with several people while packaging and getting food ready. I talked with one lady named Cathy for quite some time, she seemed very interested in my stories.

After packing, I set off and soon reached Murrow Memorial Park near Pawling, NY. Many children were swimming in the lake, and I took off my pack, my socks and boots, and my t-shirt and lay on the sand for a while. Not knowing the rules, I got up and began to enter the water. Suddenly they were all yelling at me to get out of the water! Apparently it was time for only children associated with a particular camp to be in the water. I had to get out and wait for a while longer before my little dip. I did not have to wait long for 12:30 to arrive and the all clear for everyone to swim. I just kind of shrugged and said to myself, "I am already cooled down from hiking, maybe later." I did hop in for a short swim right before I resumed my hike.

Knowing the road walk was soon coming to an end, I stopped at a house situated along the road to ask the residents if I could get a little water before continuing into the woods toward Whiley Shelter. I knocked on the door, was allowed to fill my water bottles, and was offered a cold RC Cola to cool me down. We talked for a while and eventually got invited to breakfast the following morning. The shelter was not that far away, but I was not sure that I wanted to retrace my steps tomorrow. I said that I was not sure whether I would be back in the morning, and said goodbye as I continued on up to the shelter. I arrived at the shelter just as the rain began to pour out of the sky. I took off my pack and my clothes and just stood buck naked in the rain. Those scorching days of summer were here, and this was like free refreshment. I later discovered that one of the straps on my pack was giving out, so I decided I had to attend breakfast back down the trail in hopes of getting a needle and thread to repair the strap before it broke somewhere down the line. Twenty-five miles for the day.

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