Still relaxing (Thanks Aunt Sue!)

New York brought with it the frequent option of buying food during a day's hike, as there are pizzerias, delis, and farm stands within a mile's walk of the trail. For no other reason, we like New York instantly! We also used this opportunity to each our first shared 1/2 gallon of ice cream in one sitting. Keep in mind this is small potatoes compared to the 1/2 gallon of ice cream we will try to each eat as tradition at the halfway point of the trail in southern Pennsylvania.

Like Connecticut, New York had its share of road crossings. The most significant of which was through the Palisades Parkway (note the crossing was not above or below the traffic but directly through 4 lanes of traffic). We stared at each other in disbelief as we watched the blur of 70mph traffic. Unlucky for us, we hit the crossing at Friday evening rush hour. Thankfully, we found a break and made a dash for it, wondering how crazy we looked to passing motorists.

Despite a lack of true solitude in New York, we did discover one of our favorite campsites on the trip so far. Upon summitting Black Mountain, we enjoyed a clear view of the Manhattan skyline and found a grassy patch nearby for our tent. Watching the sunset to our west and the lights of the city come on to the east was a truly memorable experience.

The highlight of New Jersey, which even outshines some beautiful ridge hiking, was our stay at The Outhouse. The residential home belongs to Dick Ludwig, who is the former small-town mayor of Unionville, NY, just a half mile from the New Jersey A.T. At the age of 70, Dick welcomes all hikers into his home by cooking them meals, doing their laundry, providing sleeping space, and with the help of a witty 81-year-old man who he "saved" from senior housing, he provides an entertaining and warm place to call home at the end of the day. While we greatly appreciated the creature comforts, it was the feel of the place that convinced us to stay a second night. The former Mayor is a strong believer in the ripple effect of positive change and much of his time is spent trying to motivate hikers to achieve their goals on the trail and in life. We enjoyed having the opportunity to reflect on our hike and reconnect with a deep appreciation for this opportunity. Most amazingly, Dick himself has never been a hiker. In fact he often says, "You hikers are fuckin' nuts, but I greatly respect what you're doing." At our stay, he had hosted nearly 800 hikers this year and all solely on donations. We felt lucky to have met him.

Today, we'll return to the trail after two relaxing days with Half Full's Aunt Sue. You can literally see what we've been up to via the links below.

Massachusetts Photos: http://picasaweb.google.com/emily.dolci/ATMassachusetts#
Connecticut Photos: http://picasaweb.google.com/emily.dolci/ATConnecticut#
New York Photos: http://picasaweb.google.com/emily.dolci/ATNewYork#
New Jersey Photos: http://picasaweb.google.com/emily.dolci/ATNewJersey#