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Day 53 – All of the Lights

All I wanted to see in New York was a great view of the city but it was not quite as straightforward as a casual walk down the trail. Mother Nature threw fierce winds, rain and even people in my way. I woke up to the dreaded drip of rain on my tent and had to drag myself out of bed. It is not the act of getting up I dreaded, but the fact I had to pack up with cold, wet and numb fingers. Once I was on the trail and walking, the skys opened up. I was soon soaked to the bone and cold on top of that. My spirits were low and I needed to catch a break. In its usual fashion on this adventure, my break came. Long story short I met a guy, Chris who invited me into his home and let me dry all my stuff out before getting me back to the trail. It really did the job in lifting my spirits in the dismal weather. After a few hours of climbing up and down ridges and maneuvering the continual folly of branches. As the wind picked up in the afternoon I even heard multiple large trees fall with a giant crash. Some were less than 50 yards away. With these obstacles overcome I found the city of New York on the horizon. It had more skyscrapers than I have seen in my life combined. As I walked into the evening I was pleased to see it both during the day and into the night. Then the last adversity hit. I reached the awesome shelter that would be overlooking the skyline and found it the most crowded shelter to this point on the trail. There was no way I would fit. On a typical night I would just camp nearby. But with the incredible winds I had to walk much further than I hoped even to find a marginal spot to pitch a tent in this windstorm.

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