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Before I even start this TR let me say that this is not a fun hike. For anyone planning on attempting this, you need some kind of motivation. For me, it was the patch but I had no idea how to get it. My initial plan was overly ambitious. I planned to complete the hike, camp overnight and then hike back but I was not going to go through all that without a patch so I posted a question about the patch on one of these forums and Alistair seemed interested in the hike. This would solve my shuttle problem and I would not have to do the hike twice or camp overnight which would eliminate a lot of pack weight. I had never met Alistair before but we got to know each other through a series of PM’s. My biggest concern was that Alistair would be much faster than me and take off leaving me to hike by myself. Alistair described himself as a slow and steady hiker, but compared to whom, I did not know.
Alistair had asked me how long I thought the hike would take? I responded based on the amount of time it takes for me to do 20 Harriman miles, I expect this 25 mile hike with a total of 5,000 feet elevation gain to take 14.75 hours. When Alistair responded that he thought it could be done in 12 hours, I knew I was in trouble so I packed as if I would be hiking solo. Alistair also asked me to leave some water at the halfway point. When I did this I got bit by a deer tick so for the hike I planned on wearing full tick protection. By this I mean convertible pants and a long sleeve shirt. I do not like using DEET because it is hazardous to my health. So is having a heat stroke but it took me a while to overcome my paranoia. I had planned on doing this hike in April while it was still cool and I was in shape from winter hiking. I am not a warm weather hiker but scheduling of this hike kept getting postponed until after Memorial Day weekend. With a high temp of 85 degrees and 85% humidity expected.
I had scouted the Bear Mountain end the week before and the trail was very wet. I had worn trail runners and slipped several times on the rocks of West Mountain. For the hike I was going to wear my hiking boots which had better traction on the wet stuff. When I put them on, the boot bothered my right ankle. I was nursing a previous injury back to health. Even though my trail runners give less ankle support, I would have to wear them and hope the trail dried out. As a result, my first aid kit would be very extensive and include everything that I would possible need for a sprained ankle.
We started the hike at the Bear Mountain end so that we could get the most elevation change out of the way first. It was 7:30 AM and I already made my first mistake. I tried to keep up with Alistair. By the time we hiked up the initial climb of West Mountain, I was exhausted. By the time I got to the next bump on West Mountain, I was taking 10 steps, resting until my heart rate came down to a more manageable level and then taking ten more steps. Alistair saw that I was having trouble and offered to carry some of my stuff.
Alistair had packed light, 15 pounds compared to my 30. I gave Alistair my first-aid kit, 2 ice packs, water filter, and headlamps with spare batteries, probably about 7 pounds worth of gear. When I reached the next bump, the same thing happened. This time my head was on fire, I was afraid that I was going to have a heat stroke. Lyme disease prevention was no longer a priority, I had to get my core body temperature down so off came the clothing and on went the sun block. I took off my bandana, changed into a cotton t-shirt and converted my long pants into shorts. I felt pretty good going down West Mountain.
By the time we got to the top of Horn Hill, my stomach was feeling queasy and I had lost my appetite. Alistair who was waiting for me at the top noticed that the tube from my 6 liter hydration sack was red and he asked me if I had any straight water with me. I told him that the water was at the halfway point. Alistair offered me some of his water which I gladly accepted. The queasiness went away but only until we started climbing Pingyp Mountain. I’m back to the 10 steps then rest routine so Alistair offered me more water which I gladly accepted. It had been a while since I had eaten anything so I forced down two handfuls of trail-mix. The queasiness went away but I could not force myself to eat any more sugar. This was my second mistake, not bringing any substantial food. Everything I had was sugar, the Gator-Aid, brownies and trail-mix. My body was overloaded with it.
We stopped and had lunch where I stashed the water on Rt. 106. There was also a stream nearby where both Alistair and I decided to cool off. I had a brownie for lunch so Alistair offered me one of his peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Again, I gladly accepted. This made me thirsty but we had plenty of water, I had stashed 3 gallons because Alistair had said he was bringing a friend. His friend didn’t show up for the hike. I gave Alistair some of my Gator-Aid and filled my 6 liter hydration sack with water. Even though I must have drank about 8 liters of fluid by now, I still did not have the urge to go to the bathroom.
At lunch, Alistair asked me if I wanted to continue. He said that I could walk on the road and try to get a ride back to the Bear Mountain Inn. Since most of the major climbing was now behind us, I decided to continue on under the shelter of the trees rather than the open road. When we got to Pound Swamp Mountain, I no longer had the energy to try to keep up with Alistair. I started to hike my own hike which is what I should have done from the beginning.
When we got to the Irish Potato, Alistair went straight. I yelled to him that I think he is off the trail because I did not see any markers. Alistair kept going and I followed because I didn’t want us to get separated. When Alistair reached the campground, he realized that this was not the trail. Rather than go back, Alistair started bushwhacking, I assume to try and pick up the trail again. I followed Alistair through the town of Tickville and we eventually found our way back to the Irish Potato where we picked the trail again.
When we got to the fire tower on Jackie Jones Mountain, Alistair asked me if I wanted to climb it. I think that he was kidding because I had enough climbing left to do on the trail. I did not have the desire or the energy to climb up there. So we moved on and I was able to get up Big Hill and Ladentown Mountain at my own pace without stopping to rest. We stopped just before climbing Limekiln Mountain where I announced to Alistair that we now had 10 miles left. This was equivalent to starting a day hike at 3:30 PM. I forced down two more handfuls of trail-mix and we started climbing again.
I was slowing down and Alistair claimed that he was too but I could no longer keep him in sight. I began to get worried about being injured with Alistair beyond communication range carrying my first-aid kit. I had twisted my ankle several times already but was able to walk it off so far. When we got to the top of Panther Mountain, I asked Alistair if I should take my stuff back. At the least I would need my headlamp. Alistair didn’t think we would need our headlamps. Maybe Alistair would not need his but I knew better. I guess Alistair did not want me to carry the extra weight, Instead Alistair talked about doing the last 9 miles in 3 hours. Maybe he could do that but not me!
When we got to the Stone Memorial Shelter, Alistair asked me how much mileage we had left. I said 5 miles but I think that I was a little off because it was a very long 5 miles. I warned Alistair about the upcoming boulder field that is hard to navigate. Mostly because the sun is in your eyes and you can’t see the markers but also because you are looking down most of the time while hoping from boulder to boulder. When we got to the boulder field, Alistair slowed down so I took the lead until we were out of it.
When we got to the first pipeline crossing, I was feeling much better now that the sun was going down. I even picked up my pace in the hope of avoiding the use of a headlamp for the final steep, rocky descent where you step on leaves between jutting boulders. By the time we got to the last powerline crossing, I knew we were not going to be out before dark so I asked Alistair for my headlamp. This time I got it. Except for the tunnel vision the headlamp causes, I think that psychologically, it is easier to get down Nordkop Mountain at night because you can’t see how steep it is. We got back to the car at 9 PM and it started raining at 9:20 PM.
The hike took 13.5 hours mostly because I was trying to keep up with Alistair. This was a tough, grueling hike but not the toughest that I have ever done. I was still in pretty good shape at the end of this hike and I think that from what I learned for this experience will better prepare me for my next long distance day hike. What I was lacking besides common sense, was stamina caused by improper nutrition. A tick check would later reveal only one bug bite but no ticks. I consider myself very lucky. A special thanks goes to Alistair without whom, I probably would not have finished this hike.
Alistair had asked me how long I thought the hike would take? I responded based on the amount of time it takes for me to do 20 Harriman miles, I expect this 25 mile hike with a total of 5,000 feet elevation gain to take 14.75 hours. When Alistair responded that he thought it could be done in 12 hours, I knew I was in trouble so I packed as if I would be hiking solo. Alistair also asked me to leave some water at the halfway point. When I did this I got bit by a deer tick so for the hike I planned on wearing full tick protection. By this I mean convertible pants and a long sleeve shirt. I do not like using DEET because it is hazardous to my health. So is having a heat stroke but it took me a while to overcome my paranoia. I had planned on doing this hike in April while it was still cool and I was in shape from winter hiking. I am not a warm weather hiker but scheduling of this hike kept getting postponed until after Memorial Day weekend. With a high temp of 85 degrees and 85% humidity expected.
I had scouted the Bear Mountain end the week before and the trail was very wet. I had worn trail runners and slipped several times on the rocks of West Mountain. For the hike I was going to wear my hiking boots which had better traction on the wet stuff. When I put them on, the boot bothered my right ankle. I was nursing a previous injury back to health. Even though my trail runners give less ankle support, I would have to wear them and hope the trail dried out. As a result, my first aid kit would be very extensive and include everything that I would possible need for a sprained ankle.
We started the hike at the Bear Mountain end so that we could get the most elevation change out of the way first. It was 7:30 AM and I already made my first mistake. I tried to keep up with Alistair. By the time we hiked up the initial climb of West Mountain, I was exhausted. By the time I got to the next bump on West Mountain, I was taking 10 steps, resting until my heart rate came down to a more manageable level and then taking ten more steps. Alistair saw that I was having trouble and offered to carry some of my stuff.
Alistair had packed light, 15 pounds compared to my 30. I gave Alistair my first-aid kit, 2 ice packs, water filter, and headlamps with spare batteries, probably about 7 pounds worth of gear. When I reached the next bump, the same thing happened. This time my head was on fire, I was afraid that I was going to have a heat stroke. Lyme disease prevention was no longer a priority, I had to get my core body temperature down so off came the clothing and on went the sun block. I took off my bandana, changed into a cotton t-shirt and converted my long pants into shorts. I felt pretty good going down West Mountain.
By the time we got to the top of Horn Hill, my stomach was feeling queasy and I had lost my appetite. Alistair who was waiting for me at the top noticed that the tube from my 6 liter hydration sack was red and he asked me if I had any straight water with me. I told him that the water was at the halfway point. Alistair offered me some of his water which I gladly accepted. The queasiness went away but only until we started climbing Pingyp Mountain. I’m back to the 10 steps then rest routine so Alistair offered me more water which I gladly accepted. It had been a while since I had eaten anything so I forced down two handfuls of trail-mix. The queasiness went away but I could not force myself to eat any more sugar. This was my second mistake, not bringing any substantial food. Everything I had was sugar, the Gator-Aid, brownies and trail-mix. My body was overloaded with it.
We stopped and had lunch where I stashed the water on Rt. 106. There was also a stream nearby where both Alistair and I decided to cool off. I had a brownie for lunch so Alistair offered me one of his peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Again, I gladly accepted. This made me thirsty but we had plenty of water, I had stashed 3 gallons because Alistair had said he was bringing a friend. His friend didn’t show up for the hike. I gave Alistair some of my Gator-Aid and filled my 6 liter hydration sack with water. Even though I must have drank about 8 liters of fluid by now, I still did not have the urge to go to the bathroom.
At lunch, Alistair asked me if I wanted to continue. He said that I could walk on the road and try to get a ride back to the Bear Mountain Inn. Since most of the major climbing was now behind us, I decided to continue on under the shelter of the trees rather than the open road. When we got to Pound Swamp Mountain, I no longer had the energy to try to keep up with Alistair. I started to hike my own hike which is what I should have done from the beginning.
When we got to the Irish Potato, Alistair went straight. I yelled to him that I think he is off the trail because I did not see any markers. Alistair kept going and I followed because I didn’t want us to get separated. When Alistair reached the campground, he realized that this was not the trail. Rather than go back, Alistair started bushwhacking, I assume to try and pick up the trail again. I followed Alistair through the town of Tickville and we eventually found our way back to the Irish Potato where we picked the trail again.
When we got to the fire tower on Jackie Jones Mountain, Alistair asked me if I wanted to climb it. I think that he was kidding because I had enough climbing left to do on the trail. I did not have the desire or the energy to climb up there. So we moved on and I was able to get up Big Hill and Ladentown Mountain at my own pace without stopping to rest. We stopped just before climbing Limekiln Mountain where I announced to Alistair that we now had 10 miles left. This was equivalent to starting a day hike at 3:30 PM. I forced down two more handfuls of trail-mix and we started climbing again.
I was slowing down and Alistair claimed that he was too but I could no longer keep him in sight. I began to get worried about being injured with Alistair beyond communication range carrying my first-aid kit. I had twisted my ankle several times already but was able to walk it off so far. When we got to the top of Panther Mountain, I asked Alistair if I should take my stuff back. At the least I would need my headlamp. Alistair didn’t think we would need our headlamps. Maybe Alistair would not need his but I knew better. I guess Alistair did not want me to carry the extra weight, Instead Alistair talked about doing the last 9 miles in 3 hours. Maybe he could do that but not me!
When we got to the Stone Memorial Shelter, Alistair asked me how much mileage we had left. I said 5 miles but I think that I was a little off because it was a very long 5 miles. I warned Alistair about the upcoming boulder field that is hard to navigate. Mostly because the sun is in your eyes and you can’t see the markers but also because you are looking down most of the time while hoping from boulder to boulder. When we got to the boulder field, Alistair slowed down so I took the lead until we were out of it.
When we got to the first pipeline crossing, I was feeling much better now that the sun was going down. I even picked up my pace in the hope of avoiding the use of a headlamp for the final steep, rocky descent where you step on leaves between jutting boulders. By the time we got to the last powerline crossing, I knew we were not going to be out before dark so I asked Alistair for my headlamp. This time I got it. Except for the tunnel vision the headlamp causes, I think that psychologically, it is easier to get down Nordkop Mountain at night because you can’t see how steep it is. We got back to the car at 9 PM and it started raining at 9:20 PM.
The hike took 13.5 hours mostly because I was trying to keep up with Alistair. This was a tough, grueling hike but not the toughest that I have ever done. I was still in pretty good shape at the end of this hike and I think that from what I learned for this experience will better prepare me for my next long distance day hike. What I was lacking besides common sense, was stamina caused by improper nutrition. A tick check would later reveal only one bug bite but no ticks. I consider myself very lucky. A special thanks goes to Alistair without whom, I probably would not have finished this hike.
) . And TR are different in their content : technical , physical , emotional ... 
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