DATE: Nov. 13 to 15
START: Falls Village, CT
FINISH: William Brien Shelter, NY
DISTANCE: 99.2 miles (km)
DAILY AVERAGE: 33.1 miles (km)
TOTAL DISTANCE: 795.7 miles (km)
‘Deli Belly’……New England Style: The Indian version of this colloquialism (spelt just a little differently) normally equates to a couple of days on the porcelain throne, projectile vomiting, a diet of crackers and Gatorade and multiple renditions of the Johnny Cash classic, Ring of Fire. On the other hand, the New England ‘Deli Belly’ is an altogether entirely different animal (or should that be bacteria invading amoeba?). Regular road crossings mean that if an AT hiker so chooses, he or she rarely needs to carry more than a day or two’s food, as a diet of pizza, sub sandwiches and ice cream becomes the norm rather than the exception. Yay for the Northeast!
Joey: At RPH shelter I ran into a SoBo section hiker by the name of Joey (a.k.a. Not Yet). Nineteen years young, strong as an ox, full of enthusiasm and on his first long distance hike, we hiked together for the best part of the day, making it all the way to William Brien Shelter around midnight. This unusually late finish resulted from a tardy start, a long deli stop and an hour of backtracking to pick up my Rocky Goretex socks, which I had left behind during a food break. Great hiking with you, Joey, and best of luck for the future.
New York, New York:
For pretty much the entire NY section, I found myself either singing or humming Frank Sinatra’s New York, New York, dreaming of cheesecake and weighing up whether or not I should make an overnight visit into Manhattan to catch some jazz. The life of a thru hiker is indeed a simple one; wake, wee, poo, walk, eat, think, sleep. On that somewhat rustic note, take it away Frank………..
Start spreadin’ the news, I’m leavin’ today
I want to be a part of it
New York, New York
These vagabond shoes, are longing to stray
Right through the very heart of it
New York, New York
I want to wake up, in a city that never sleeps
And find I’m king of the hill
Top of the heap
These little town blues, are melting away
I’ll make a brand new start of it
In old New York
If I can make it there, I’ll make it anywhere
It’s up to you, New York..New York
New York…New York
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Hi Cam – you are moving fast! Faster than I can keep up with scans! Hope the William Brien Shelter was nicer for you than us – were were there in the midst of Tropical Storm Lee, water was pouring down the rock that forms the back wall, and there was a huge rattlesnake living in the hole under the floor. We decided to tent…..
Thanks for the mention Swami! Hope your doing well! Good luck with the rest of your hike!