Wednesday, September 12

Tuesday evening was very restful.  Even though Lyle was told this was a less used shelter, there were many other hikers that ended up staying at this shelter.  In fact the two hikers heading in the same direction caught up to Lyle.  In spite of the number of people for the evening Lyle slept very well--amazing what fresh air and exercise can do for a good night's rest! 

And the best news is that his sore toe was feeling much better.  A little duct tape and he is good to go.  We had our morning call after he hiked back up the 300 yards to the trail.  The other hikers were still waking up and packing up.  As he is strolling along telling me about how beautiful the morning is, he exclaims that there is a very loud crashing noise off the trail.  He said it sounded like something crashing through branches or possibly something climbing up a tree.  He couldn't see anything and he kept moving along as he didn't want to risk being in between cubs and their mom if that was what was going on. 

Wednesday is a 16 mile day because much of the trail is running along farm fields and backyards--it's very flat with very little rock.  And a bonus--another hot lunch.  This time it was pizza and beer and he picked up some groceries.  The day was spent crossing the NJ and NY state line.

As we had our evening chat Lyle sounded much stronger--amazing what carbs can do for you!  And of course he was excited about the neat pictures he's collected already.  This evening's shelter is an "up" off the trail and there are a number of hikers again.  I think we are both very glad that there are others each evening...safety in numbers.  As Lyle moves out of NJ and into NY the bear issues dropped significantly but it never hurts to have groups together.  He expects to get at least 10 hours of sleep...maybe more if the sunrise is dimmed by the trees/shade.  The weather looks good for another few days so he expects to make lots of miles again on Thursday.  He is also thinking of spending Thursday evening in town in a hotel so he can get a shower and watch the Packer game.