TELEPHONE OF THE WIND

AT Day 084: Friday  June 30, 2023

Mile 1411+ 23.5 miles/ 37.8 km

Total Distance Hiked: 1434.5 miles/2308 km

Peakskill – Shanandoah Campsite

A:4905 ft /1496 m  D:4222 ft / 1288 m

Peekskill is an interesting town on the banks of the Hudson River. On our brief pass through town it appears to have a very diverse community, most people had no idea about the trail. Everything was spread out and but managed to get our resupply done using Uber and taxis.

I was awake very early and got news from home  that our cousin  who has been living with an incurable  cancer was in palliative hospice care. I so wished we were home to provide whatever comfort we could to her and her family at this time. But it could not be. So with heavy hearts and some tears  we headed back on trail.

The air quality looked a little bit worse than yesterday The haze over the river made the shoreline on the other side almost in distinguishable. But once we were in the woods you really wouldn’t know because early in the morning the air was clean and fresh, a little bit humid but quite pleasant hiking conditions.

By mid-morning the smoke from the Canadian Wildfires had started to settle into the woods. This caused a tickle in the back of the throat. It did not feel overly healthy to be outdoors, even here. 

It’s struck me this morning on our second day of beautiful sunny weather  on the AT in New York that the green tunnel here is a lot more open. The tree canopy gives us some view of the sky and provides a lot more light at ground level. This makes it a completely different ‘green tunnel’ experience. 

There is an incredible sense of peace deep in the woods looking up at the tall straight tree trunks and the iridescent green canopy up above. The  twittering of the birds and absolute stillness. While waiting for Hammer I would stop and stand still,  close my eyes and would lose myself in the silence of the landscape. Today particularly I drew great comfort from this. 

The terrain, apart from the climb from the Hudson River was not overly challenging. No rocky scrambles like those of a few days ago. Plus the rocky ledges we crossed were dry so it was a breeze to go across them. Of course the smoke prevented any views. 

The rock walls were abundant through the sections we hiked today. Just after crossing Canopus Pass Road,  we came upon a long section of wall structures. A sign nearby identified the rock walls as being a part of a barn building which was an Inoculation Station used by George Washington to inoculate his soldiers against smallpox during the war against the British  in 1776. Later in the day we met Pamela, trail name ‘Talk a Lot’ who lives nearby and was was out for a bike ride. She filled us in on the rock walls history going back to the Dutch traders who first settled in the area, followed by the colonial British.  

Paula also filled us in on the mining history of the area near Canopus Lake. It was great to have this background when we got near. We were hiking along an old mining road, built out of a high wall of stacked stones. Incredible that it still stands. She also told us about the Telephone to the Wind. A Japanese garden designer had installed an old fashioned telephone in his garden. It was unconnected but it allowed him to speak with his late,  beloved cousin. After the tsunami in 2011 killed a tenth of the local towns population, the telephone became a place of comfort for thousands of visitors. The telephone installation on the trail honours the original.   A few tears were shed here today, sending our love,to our dear departed, into the wind. 

Late in the afternoon  we took a side trail to visit the top end of Canopus Lake Beach. On such a warm day we could hear people swimming and splashing in the lake. We made it to the lake store nearby just before it closed. A cold drink was most welcomed. It was tempting to stop here for the day. There was a newly constructed shelter nearby with camping in an open grassy field alongside.  But we went on for another couple of miles stopping for the day at a wonderful campsite in an open grassy field. Hoping for a  clear sky and maybe we will see the stars tonight.