Your cart is currently empty!
Appalachian Trail: Days 87-91 – New York
After hiking on the Appalachian Trail for 18 straight days in a row, it was time for a break as I got off trail and headed to NYC for some fun zero days.
Enjoy reading my latest journal entry as I backpack the Appalachian Trail from Georgia to Maine. If you missed it, here are my previous entries and videos from the trail.
VIDEO
If you missed it in the last post, here’s the latest video as I get to endure the joys of Pennsylvania including lots of rocks and rain!
DAY 87
It was a beautiful morning with the sun shining and the bugs biting. Transformer, Mumbles, and I packed up and hit the trail before 7am. The terrain was pretty decent with grassy forests and large, flat rocks to walk on.
It was apparent the three of us were very fatigued. We’ve each hiked 18 days straight without a zero day. My average over those days was 20 miles a day! My body is not used to the heat and my feet are tired and my knees are sore from the ups and downs as of late. Luckily for me, I will be getting off the trail to visit friends in nearby New York City.
As we hiked we heard a rustling in the brush maybe 200 feet away. All of a sudden a mama black bear and two cubs ran off. The two cubs climbed a tree until they felt safe enough to come down and retire into the woods with mom. I didn’t get a photo but caught it on video. Stay tuned for my next video!
There were a few steep climbs but the end of our day was mostly stone steps and manicured paths up to the top of Bear Mountain. There were loads of day hikers out and about at the state park. A large tower sat on top of Bear Mountain built in the 1920s. The Hudson River was down in the valley and on a less hazy day the skyscrapers of NYC could be seen.
We climbed down the mountain in the heat of the day, tired and exhausted. At the bottom was the Bear Mountain Inn where we had burgers for lunch. It was a bittersweet farewell as I said goodbye to Transformer and Mumbles. I liked hiking with them. And with that, I was on a bus headed for NYC, just 90 minutes away. Alternatively I could have taken the Long Trail which takes one 52 miles to the George Washington Bridge. My feet were partial to the bus.
I arrived in Manhattan and met up with my friend, Lian, from my college days. He tried unsuccessfully to get me to shave or at least trim my beard. He had to lend me some clothes that were more appropriate for the New York scene and we went out on the town.
Day’s Mileage: 14.6
Total Miles Hiked: 1,412.8
Remaining Miles: 786.9
DAY 88
I woke up at 6am because that’s what my body was used to. I was exhausted from partying the night before but couldn’t fall back asleep. Once Lian was awake, we headed downtown to REI where I swapped out my trekking poles. My poles were worn down to stumps from 1,400 miles!
Next we met some friends for brunch before taking an hour-long subway to Coney Island. I took a much needed nap on the way. I’d never been to Coney Island and it was fun to finally see it all. I saw Nathan’s hot dog stand where they have the annual hot dog eating contest. The boardwalk was expansive and people were all over the beach. It was fun to finally see the Atlantic Ocean after being in the woods so long.
At long last I was finally able to cross off m bucket list a ride on the Coney Island Cyclone roller coaster. The ride is over 90 years old but it was surprisingly fun and fast! Definitely worth it. I also got my fortune from a Zoltar machine, a la the movie Big. Next we rode a new steel coaster that looped around and had a vertical drop. It wasn’t as good as the Cyclone.
Before the subway back into the city I ordered a dozen donuts. An hour later we met up with Ahlam, another college friend. We walked around by the water in TriBeCa before having dinner at a nice Italian place. It was great catching up after years since I last saw either of them.
Though it was way past hiker midnight, Lian and I went out on the town at 1am and I didn’t get to bed until after 4am.
Day’s Mileage: 0.0
Total Miles Hiked: 1,412.8
Remaining Miles: 786.9
DAY 89
I slept in until 1pm. Lian and I met up with Ahlam and we toured around West Village. We had New York pizza and went to an arcade bar. Dinner was Japanese where one could order bull penis or turkey testicles if desired. I passed. Ahlam’s friend Mariel joined us.
After dinner we all went to a nightclub for a drag show and 90s-themed night. Lian pushed me onstage for a contest where I made it through the booty-shaking round but was later eliminated. It was fun to dance to all the old songs from my youth.
Day’s Mileage: 0.0
Total Miles Hiked: 1,412.8
Remaining Miles: 786.9
DAY 90
We had to hurry to the bus station where Lian and I barely made our bus. We were off to Six Flags Great Adventure in New Jersey. This was my fourth visit to an amusement park on my hike! That’s got to be a record.
Surprisingly this amusement park also had a safari with wild animals. We rode around in jeeps and saw lions, tigers, and bears. Also elephants, rhinos, kangaroos, antelope, etc. After a long day of rides and coasters, we took the bus back into the city.
Day’s Mileage: 0.0
Total Miles Hiked: 1,412.8
Remaining Miles: 786.9
DAY 91
After the holiday weekend (Memorial Day), everyone was back at work. I had originally planned on going back to the trail today but decided to relax one more day. I had been doing too much adventuring in NYC and not enough recuperating. I walked to a Trader Joe’s to get food for the trail and hung around Lian’s apartment doing laundry.
In the evening I met up with my friend, Alex, for drinks. I hadn’t seen him since high school over ten years ago! It was fun to catch up. After that, Lian and I went to Brooklyn where we met up with Ahlam and her friend Mariel. Mariel was cooking us an authentic Thai dinner and it was delicious. After too much wine, we eventually made our way back to Manhattan and to bed.
All these days off have been great for my body. My knees really needed the rest and my feet, too. It was interesting being back in society. I enjoyed being able to find food whenever I wanted and the convenience of city-living. However, all the people and noise made me miss the trail. Back in society I noticed how people value appearances so much whereas I haven’t cared much what I look like on the trail or even in the city, now. After five days in NYC, I was ready to get back to the woods for some solitude. I missed the simple living of trail life, carrying everything I need on my back and not having to worry about much.
Day’s Mileage: 0.0
Total Miles Hiked: 1,412.8
Remaining Miles: 786.9
Daily Average: 15.5
THE ADVENTURE CONTINUES
Commemorate your Appalachian Trail hike with this awesome tee featuring all the major locations on View product.
$25.00
Select options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page
Looking out over the 100-Mile Wilderness, just days away from completing the Appalachian Trail. This View product.
$18.00 – $25.00
Select options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page
Crossing the cog railway track that climbs Mt. Washington on Appalachian Trail. This poster has View product.
$18.00 – $25.00
Select options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page
Deep in the forests of Maine a boardwalk crosses a marsh on the Appalachian Trail. View product.
$18.00 – $25.00
Select options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page
A stunning view of the Great Smoky Mountains along the Appalachian Trail. This poster has View product.
$18.00 – $25.00
Select options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page
Fresh snow clings to the trees along the Appalachian Trail. This poster has a partly View product.
$18.00 – $25.00
Select options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page
A foggy morning in Shenandoah National Park along the Appalachian Trail. This poster has a View product.
$18.00 – $25.00
Select options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page
A grassy Virginian hillside, waiting for spring on the Appalachian Trail. This poster has a View product.
$18.00 – $25.00
Select options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page
Every stop along the the Appalachian Trail is beautifully displayed in this framed poster. From View product.
$30.00 – $55.00
Select options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page
Share your memories of the Appalachian Trail with this poster showing off all the major View product.
$17.00 – $23.00
Select options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page
From apparel to prints, grab some awesome trail merch at the A Stray Life Shop!
To follow along with my adventures, sign up via email below or like/follow on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube:
Comments
9 responses to “Appalachian Trail: Days 87-91 – New York”
I laugh when I here you say “here we are!”.
Are you going to wait until Wisconsin to cut your hair and shave your beard?
That the plan for now. It’s not been well received by my friends in NYC
Dislike
Hello – I enjoy following your hike! My husband and I are planning a section hike that will end at Bear Mtn and that we’ll follow with a few days in NYC. We were planning to take the train (MTA) into the city from Manitou Station, but maybe we should check out the bus you took. Any details you can provide on the bus so I can look up more info.?
Happy Trails–
AshleyThank you! I think the bus from Bear Mountain is the easiest way to get to Manhattan. It picks up down the driveway of the Bear Mtn Inn. You can pay the driver in cash ($15) or buy the ticket and print it online. It’s run by coachUSA short line. It drops you off at the Port Authority.
https://web.coachusa.com/shortline/ss.details.asp?action=Lookup&c1=New+York&s1=NY&c2=Bear+Mountain&s2=NY&resultId=2048&order=&dayFilter=&scheduleChoice=&sitePageName=&nt=&cbid=328427742912Awesome – really appreciate the information and link!
Awesome – really appreciate the information and link! Hope the tick bite I read about in a more recent post didn’t give you any trouble.
So far so good with the tick bites!
Leave a Reply