McAfee Hikes

Date Written: 9/25/2024 | AT Mile 822.0 | Day Total: 22.5 miles | Gain: 4771 ft

Slept in a bit today I didn’t wake up until 7. Packed up, filtered water and hit the trail this morning. The terrain the past few days has changed a lot. The woods are open and I can see hundreds yards around me. I have noticed a slight increase in the amount of rocks on the trail compared to the past few states.

My first few miles were uneventful no views, no cool rocks, no roads and no people. This was true until 5 miles into my hike today. There was a big rustle in the rhododendron about 20 yards in front of me. I saw a large black furry object move through the woods away from me. My heart skipped to beat and I began to yell “HEY BEAR”. The bear continued to move away from me and I continue down the trail a bit to where the rhododendron cleared and I could see him 200 yards away. This would be the second bear sighting if you count the one I saw yesterday at the zoo. Crazy!

After that fun encounter passed a road with some very large water towers, but no access to the water. Every so often I look behind me to see if a bear was following me. Nothing ever came of it for which I am grateful.

Eventually made it to a section of the trail called the Lemon Squeezer. It’s a collection of rocks, but the trail goes through a skinny gap not wider than 2 feet.

It’s been pretty gloomy all morning. There’s a chance of rain this afternoon around two but the chance is low. It shows rain later this evening.

I walked near island pond. There were some good views of the pond through the trees, but no clear views of the pond without going off trail. There are no camping signs all around, but yet there was a guy kindling a fire and camping. The outlet to the pond was neat and made of stone.

Shorty after I crossed the bridge over interstate 87. Lots of traffic today.

I had a steep sweaty incline up Arden Mountain. It wasn’t super tall just caught me offguard by how steep it was. Fortunately, the summit is wooded and offered nice views. It was 12 so I stopped to eat lunch at the top on some rock. After I had lunch, there were some nice views from a rock slab.

I walked along Little Damn Lake Inlet. I’m in search of some water as I am running low. The inlet is not flowing very much and has a film on top of the water. Not very appetizing. I decided to move on and I’m glad it did. At the road crossing shortly after there was a water cache! Thank you Tuxedo trail Angel!

Loaded up with water, I made my way up Buchanan Mountain. It was a mostly tree covered summit.

I begin making my way up to Mombasha High Point. At this point in the day, it’s starting to sprinkle and I’ve just put my rain jacket on. Rain jacket didn’t last very long and I took it off shortly later because I was sweating it out.

I walked by Fitzgerald Falls a popular day hike. With how dry it’s been it’s not flowing, not even a drip. The “falls” are about 25 feet high and the trail crosses it just after on stepping stones.

I had another climb afterward, and there was a ton of rock sections (Cat Rocks and Eastern Pinnacles) that poked out of the trees with good views. They were starting to become pretty slippery with the mist/rain, but I just took my time and got through with no falls.

The rain had just started to pick up before NY Route 17A. There’s a hotdog stand a short .1 miles of the road. I was really looking forward to having a hotdog or two for dinner tonight but it seems that they are closed today. It must be because there is rain on the radar. Luckily there’s an ice cream shop down the street. I got two scoops of cookies and cream ice cream. While I waited for the rain to pass and ate ice cream I talked with an elderly woman about the trail. For a cool and rainy day this place is pretty busy, especially for an ice cream shop.

There’s a stealth camp slightly after the road crossing that I’m camped at. I’m eating dinner in my tent while the rain drizzles from the trees. It’s not supposed to pick up again until 2 or 3 AM and continue throughout the day tomorrow. There’s a chance for thunderstorms, but I’m hopeful that the evening will clear and I’m able to watch a movie at the drive-in theater in Warwick. They allow thru hikers to camp there and watch a movie for the night.