up and on the trail by 6:00 this morning. the trail was very technical today. lots of short steep climbs over large boulders and dead trees...and a couple times the trail was difficult to follow because the trail blazes were so faded. sprinkled and drizzled all morning, so i was soaked.
had a little run in with a 2 1/2 foot long garter snake late in the morning. i was climbing hand over hand up a steep rocky cliff, and i pulled myself up to the next level only to be face to face with the snake. he shot straight out at me and slithered down between me and the rocky face of the cliff...then down and between my legs to the next level below. i could feel him slither against my shirt. i just braced myself against the cliff and a dead tree until he was past and out of striking range. wow.
the end of the hike was very steep, all the way down to the highway. I then walked on the highway, in the rain, 2.5 miles to the train station. got there by 11:45 AM and was in my neighborhood by 2:45 PM. i'm now in my living room in NYC. very nice to be home.
i'll be here until wednesday morning. nice break.
later,
L
