Wildcat Shelter, NY, AT NOBO 1370.0, Tuesday May 13, 2014 — We said farewell to the Bus this morning after breakfast. Bus had what hikers call a drop box (CARE Package) to pick up in a nearby town and would not be able to make it to our location by nightfall.

As we reminisced, Bus reminded me of the morning we were awakened by a very bold little humming bird.

I was sleeping, deeply buried under the sandman’s handiwork at about 0515 when a certain sound punched through to alert my subconscious control center.

Imagine the noisiest bumble bee you’ve ever heard – on steroids; without a muffler. It sounded like a B-17 on short final, dicing the air into drumming little sound bites that tumbled into my ear like tiny Energizer Bunnies pounding away.

If I hadn’t already been prone, I would have ducked to get out of the way.

Bus said the little hummer landed briefly on my boot, which was about six inches from my head, then flew away to a nearby crab apple tree which was in bloom. By then, we were all fully awake and alert. The air raid alarm had sounded.

Bus underscored that moments like that are why we’re all out here. Here’s hoping I see Bus again. I have a wedding in Atlanta July 12, meaning I probably won’t be quite finished before then. I may be able to link up and finish with him if that happens.

When we crossed permanently into NY around 11 a.m. this morning, a pointed concern punched my red alert button.

What if the bears in New York could smell the Red Sox cheers on my breath? What would happen then? What would they do?

“This is not good,” I worried! I spent the remainder of the day looking right and left.

But you know, the more I thought about it, the more I realized that they are New York bears, not New York Yankees. I hope I’m okay unless the odd bear is a Yankee fan.

Right after the border we passed the highest point on the AT in NY. You could even see West Point in the Hudson Valley vista.

The rest of the day was a rock scramble that was good practice for New Hampshire and Maine. We closed at an ice cream store where I drank, count ’em, two coconut milkshakes and a vanilla cream soda.

I’ll admit that the last two miles to the shelter were agony. Good night all 🙂