I hiked almost the whole day with B-Hiker, a soon to be 50yr old German woman now living in NJ. Here she is working hard to get up and over one of the many rock obstacles we faced today.

It’s amazing to see such pristine wilderness so close to NYC. The faint white strip you see here is the NY State Thruway cutting through the mountains.

A baby turtle.  

Today’s miles were very demanding. Luckily my leg feels significantly better with Next to no serious pain and only modest discomfort.

The ice cream vending machine at the Lake Toriati beach was a welcome treat at our lunch stop.

Our first view of the Hudson River.

If you look closely you can make out the NYC skyline.  

Crossing the Palisades Parkway…

only 32 miles to NYC.  

The West Mtn. Shelter with the Hudson and NYC skyline in background. 

 
…as the sun sets.

NYC skyline lit up as seen from the shelter.

Although the 24 miles looks like a lot of the other days, distance wise, today was very demanding. I left at 6am and got in at 7:30pm with only two stops just about 90 minutes combined. Luckily, my leg is feeling much better, otherwise there was no way today’s miles would have happened. I’m definitely looking forward to the extra rest and recovery I will get this weekend as I will be staying with friends in NY after a short 7 miles to Bear Mtn. tomorrow AM.