A Cold and Hoary Nite

A Cold & Hoary Nite[1]

On the day after Thanksgiving, Nov. 29, I set off to Lake Tiorati in Harriman State Park in spite of a forecast of very cold weather.  My confreres in New Rochelle were partly amused, it seemed, and partly concerned that I should have a good experience.  I’d invited various people to come along, but there were no takers.  They say discretion is the better part of valor.

There were perhaps 15 cars already in the Tiorati parking lot (some shown above).  A short trail (.3 mile) takes you from the lot up to the Appalachian Trail.  I set out at 10:30 a.m.  Along this stretch of the AT, the Ramapo-Dunderberg Trail runs as well. 

I followed these twin trails southward and uphill to a ridge with fine views of the lake thru the leafless trees.

                                     

A short distance along, I met a couple coming back toward the parking lot; they’d been on a short to the shelter.  A little while after that, I was overtaken by a backpacker who was heading along the AT toward the Elk Pen (just off Rte 17  in Arden), about 5 miles beyond the Fingerboard shelter, which takes its name from Fingerboard Mountain (the ridge I was hiking).

I reached the shelter, just over 1 mile from where I’d joined the AT, around 11:30.  It was unoccupied, but whoever had been there last had left a few pieces of firewood stacked vertically under the lee of the roof, fairly dry after Thursday’s rain.

I set out some of my gear and ate lunch—a ham and cheese sandwich with Crystal Lite, followed by some trail mix and dried pineapple.  Then I began to gather wood.  There was quite a bit scattered around the shelter, mostly a bit damp; I passed over the really wet stuff.  I used some rope to pull a 15' snag out of a tree.  Before long I’d piled up a nice stash. 

This pic shows not only some of the wood I'd dragged in,
but also some of the snowflakes coming in

I took a break for Daytime Prayer.  Then I attacked it with my camp saw and made a fine pile on each side of one fireplace (there are 2 in the shelter)—one pile with twigs and smaller pieces, one pile with heavier stuff.  I used a sturdy knife to scrape off wet bark and other damp spots.

I checked the temperature at 2:00 p.m.; it recorded 44º in Stony Point, but it must have been colder than that up above Tiorati.  There had been some scattered snowflakes even as I hiked.

To my surprise, given how few people I’d met on the trail, around 3:15 two day-hiking couples showed up from opposite sides of the shelter, almost simultaneously.  One couple were almost rookies and wanted to know more about the shelters for future camping.  The other couple were already experienced.  We conversed for 20 minutes or so, and then they trekked down the Hurst Trail toward the lake (a somewhat steep descent of half a mile).

About 4:15 I started a fire.  It didn’t take well, and I had to redo it out of the embers (didn’t need another match); then it took nicely as I fed it cautiously with twigs and then more substantial pieces. 

As I was doing all that, a snow squall blew by for a while.  Later there was a much more furious burst of wind-driven snow that blanketed everything around, but not deep.

After Evening Prayer, I was ready for supper by 5:15.  That consisted of Ramen noodles with a can of chicken and some leftover peas mixed in—tasty and nutritious!  I followed the main course with some trail mix and dried apricots and washed it all down with Crystal Lite.  While tending to that, I had to keep feeding the fire, of course.

By then it was completely dark, between the early sunset and the snow.  And lo and behold, around 5:30 two chaps came in out of the dark, happy to discover a fire going.  They had had no intention of hunting for wood in the dark.  They were Louis, a middle-aged plumber from Danbury, and Sean, a high-schooler (I think) doing some training for an AT thru hike next summer.  They’d come in from the Elk Pen but weren’t familiar with Harriman, tho they’d done lots of hiking in New England.  

They settled happily into the shelter and prepared their suppers, after which they were ready for bed (by 7:00 p.m.).  The nite was full of stars once the snow blitz was done with.

I stayed up to read some of the magazine I’d brought (a back issue of America) and to feed the fire for another hour.  Then I crawled into my sleeping bag liner and tugged at the sleeping bag zipper for a while before I got all settled.  I ought to have put on the extra socks I’d brought and one more warm shirt, but once I got settled I didn’t want to have to unsettle even to get a little warmer.  I dozed intermittently and tossed around a lot, never completely comfortable.  I didn’t do another temperature check.

Louis did check the temp when he got up at 3:00 a.m. to take care of nature; he said (later) that it was 19º.  That probably was a more accurate reading than the 28º that my phone showed at 6:30 a.m.  I got up “at dawn’s early light,” eager to restart the fire and fetch my food from the bear bag cables, then to get something warm inside me.  The fire caught quickly from the embers and made the shelter interior quite a bit warmer than the air outside.  I prayed Readings.

View in front of the shelter, Saturday a.m.

By the time I was finishing my oatmeal and coffee, my 2 companions got themselves up and also indulged in oatmeal.  I didn’t see any coffee.  I topped off my breakfast with some trail mix, mixed nuts, and dried apricots.  Then Morning Prayer.

Louis and Sean had said they’d use the shelter as a base for some more hiking.  In view of the cold, tho, they changed their minds, packed up, and headed back to the Elk Pen.  I modified my plans, as well, and decided to hike out sooner rather than after lunch.  I let the fire die out, but it was warm enuf inside the shelter that I prepared for Mass; I’d have liked to use the nice stone table set up outside the shelter, but it was too cold for that.  About the time I got to preparation of the gifts, I heard voices up on the trail and was afraid I’d be interrupted.  But the only interloper was a furry 4-legged canine; he left quickly.  No 2-legged folks came down from the trail, tho.  So I finished Mass and then finished my packing.

The ridge above the shelter, north side

I departed the shelter at 9:30, leaving behind a nice stack of firewood for its next visitors.  As soon as I got up to the AT, I met a party of about 20 Koreans coming down the AT.  Farther along, I met a middle-aged couple also going south, then a young Latino family who were eager to hear about the shelters and camping possibilities.  I got back to the parking lot at 10:30.  Park crew were setting out orange poles to mark the lot’s boundaries for snowplows (like those around our driveways).  I had an early lunch, the peanut butter and jelly sandwich I’d brought along; no Crystal Lite, just water to go with it.

Then homeward bound, reached before noon.

I enjoyed the workout of gathering and sawing firewood, and the solitude of most of the day.  I enjoyed the company of my 2 visitors from Connecticut as well as of briefer visitors.  The cold was less pleasant, to be sure.

Photos: https://link.shutterfly.com/T3aKeNUfZOb

---

[1] Title borrowed from a confrere’s oft-repeated words.