Telephone Pioneers Shelter to CT 55 – Gaylordsville, CT – 10.6 miles
Monday, September 22nd, 2014
Last day in New York!! Ten miles to Connecticut… I was very happy to be finishing New York and ready to explore another state. The landscape started to change almost immediately for me today. I came down several hundred feet off the mountain to County Road 20 and stopped at a location I had been advised of to receive some trail magic. Thank you to Girl Scout Troop 10551 for the wonderful snacks and refreshments. They even made souvenir pins for the hikers that I still carry on my pack today. Almost directly across the street was a tree that claims to be the largest oak tree on the AT. The trail became less woodsy from here and there were more grassy fields and open areas. I crossed the train tracks at the Appalachian Trail Railroad Station which I later learned was an access point for drunks from NYC looking to go on weekend benders at AT shelters. 5.5 miles later as I was really making great time, I came to Wiley Shelter, where I had a very awkward and tense encounter with an inebriated New Yorker who informed me that he took the train from the city to the Appalachian Trail specifically for the purpose of getting drunk at this shelter all weekend. I declined his repeated offers to join him, as he staggered around with a bottle of vodka in his hand like the guys falling out of the saloon in the western movies I so thoroughly enjoy. He kept addressing me like I was an old friend that he’d been waiting for. I tried to be polite but he wasn’t getting the message and I realized that I was going to have to just walk away, and for a brief moment I wondered if I would spear him with my hiking pole if he came at me, because he seemed to be getting agitated by my refusal to accept his invitation. All these scenarios ran through my mind…”What if he has a knife?” “He probably has a gun.” “How quickly can I shed my pack to defend myself?” He followed me for a bit down the trail as I continued on my way, but he turned back after about a minute. I was thankful to be rid of the annoying troll. I wasn’t going to let ANYTHING spoil my majestic entrance into Connecticut, just one mile away!
I didn’t know what kind of sign there would be, or if there would be a sign at all. I had a general idea where the state line was thanks to my guide book but was really hoping for a big sign with flashing neon lights or something! I reached the sign and stopped and posed for a dozen selfies and high-fived myself and then remembered I had three miles to go to get to where I left my car in Gaylordsville. That was kind of annoying but I just looked at it as a victory lap, and pranced into town with glee, wondering how soon I could get back to CT and finish this little state that had just welcomed me.
Wherever I May Roam 