I hiked in complete quiet for the first several hours today—seeing no one else.
Then I passed a mixed group of about 10 hikers taking a rest. They were an orientation group of freshmen from Princeton, along with an older student guide. They were having a great time and said they picked the best orientation activity. One of them had been stung by a yellow jacket and I was stung today as well. There are some nests near the trail and, if you walk quietly and gently, they are not bothered. If you happen to step hard near the nest sometimes they will sting you.
Later, I stopped at a business called the Native Garden Center—a plant nursery. The trail passes right by the nursery and the owner has a gazebo set up where hikers can rest. He also has a water point and outdoor shower to rinse off, if desired. While I was there, someone came out and said there was a meeting taking place about the AT and would I please come join as a thru hiker. It happened that the Appalachian Trail Conservancy’s president, Suzanne, was meeting with the local trail organization to discuss some future initiatives. It was interesting to see the group interacting.
After the meeting I went back to the gazebo, finished lunch, and got going again. Just past the Garden Center the trail crossed the New York Metro North rail line. There was an actual train stop called “Appalachian Trail,” which I didn’t expect. Apparently, you can take the train from NY City to the trail, and back.
In mid afternoon I passed a hiker called Chavez who had started hiking NOBO last year but broke his foot in Pennsylvania. He was now hiking south to finish up. He said his foot was better but he was taking it very easy to avoid re-injuring his foot. He had maybe 250 miles left to go.
I also passed some pastures where there were some wild grapes growing along the edges. I found some ripe ones and picked them to eat.
When I reached my stopping point for the day there was one other SOBO hiker already set up in a tent near the shelter. MacGyver was from Charlotte and had just spent the Labor Day weekend with his wife. She flew up to Hartford, Connecticut and picked him up from the trail. He said the three days off had been good and, after the rest, he had done his longest mileage day yet, despite the heat. I had also gone a long way today and both of us were tired and ready for bed.