The Biggest of Apples

By now we have left New Jersey behind and are traversing the state of New York by foot, bus, car, and train.

I haven't hiked in the northeast very long, but some differences stick out. The locals we encounter are still friendly and helpful when we encounter them, but the support network seems less formalized. Hostels have almost disappeared, maybe related to higher property values, but there are still cheap places to stay in town if we look around. Shuttles are a tough fit in the abundance of taxi and car services near the city, but we still get where we need to go. Trail magic isn't an organized church outing, it's the work of dedicated individuals. In above cases, there is less information in the guidebook about the services we have been relying on.

More time in the southeast is spent in national parks and wilderness, but it feels like we are now walking through neighborhoods and on roads more frequently. Sometimes trail magic grows in somebody's front yard.

The crossing into New York was over a rocky ridge. Rock scrambles are now a daily expectation.

The day before we crossed the border, we camped at the Warwick Drive-in and watched a movie.

It rained that night, so it was a little cooler the next day, but also more humid, and we were assaulted by mosquitoes. New York mosquitoes are built different. They bite us through picardin spray and permethrin-treated clothes.

We fulfilled our New York City ambitions, though not without some adversity. On the day we crossed the border, Strider rolled her ankle and limped into camp late at night. We shortened the next day and Ben, president and co-founder of the company I work for, picked us up for a night at his house. We were introduced to the wonderful combination of summer ice baths followed by a stint in the backyard sauna.

In the morning Ben took us to breakfast, then gave us a ride to my stepsister Abby's apartment in Harlem, where we spent three nights.

On the first night we play Dixit and took turns mixing drinks. Abby's neighbor Nick came by for the game. I made a pitcher of Painkiller which did not disappoint.

The next day we got our ramen fix and went to a Broadway show, The Book of Mormon. We also paid the Manhattan office a visit and saw the city from the roof. Alejandro, Rick, and Violetta hosted generously.

We extended our stay by a day and spent it biking through Central Park, with stops at a chess board, a ping pong table, and the public library.

On Thursday morning we commuted back to the trail by subway, bus, and car. In two days we will cross the Hudson to Peekskill, then on to Connecticut.