With rain forecast that afternoon, our hike to Wawayanda Shelter began early in the morning. The morning weather was delightful for walking, cool and cloudy. We passed all the hikers still sleeping in their tents as we left camp. We only had 11 miles to go that day, but the rain was forecast to start around noon. Even if we got caught in the rain, I wasn’t worried because we had already booked a room at the Lake Lodging for the next night. Having wet clothes and equipment on the trail can be really depressing. Staying in shelters keeps our tent dry, and doing laundry in a hotel or hostel is the kind of reset that keeps our spirits high after walking through several days of rain. So we planned ahead and booked a room after the two days of rain passed.
The boardwalk
But this morning we enjoyed the cool, cloudy morning as we walked through the wetlands on the mile-long boardwalk. Turkenna especially likes hiking on days like this. We all need fewer breaks and can walk longer on cloudy days like this. The wetlands were different than most of the terrain we walked in the forest. There are no large trees or canopy to give us cover. Pochuck’s boardwalk is surrounded by tall grass and marsh plants. Tons of waterfowl could be seen perched in trees and on tall blades of grass. A blue heron flew past us as we made our way through the wetlands. Red-winged black birds could be heard singing in the trees along the boardwalk. It was a fairly serene morning.
The trail eventually takes us to a road junction where a farmers market is located. We made the short detour to Heaven Hill Farm for a snack and a nice place to relax for a while. 
Cody had a smoothie and we both chose fresh fruit to eat. This beats our typical trail snacks like granola bars and cheez-it! The summit at the market was so pleasant that it was difficult to convince ourselves to continue on, especially as the ‘Stairway to Heaven’ was waiting for us.
Get to the shelter early
The thousand foot climb was not going to be a hike on its own. The rain started just as we got back on the road. Turk was wearing his raincoat, but Cody and I just walked without the tarps. There’s no point in wearing a waterproof jacket if we’re going to sweat through our clothes anyway. 
It wasn’t raining much, but it was expected to continue raining for the next 30 hours. We arrived at the shelter before lunch time. I guess this is where we were going to take shelter for the rest of the day. Luckily we had 5 friends to shelter with!
The 6-person shelter barely fit all of us, but we were happy to hear that they decided to stay with us instead of continuing their hike to the next shelter. We played card games and after playing a careful game of Tetris with our sleeping mats, we had made enough room for the seven of us to stay dry in the shelter overnight. The group of hikers we shared shelter with was a tram we met on our first week on the trail. We hadn’t hiked with them much since the trailhead, but it was always exciting when we reconnected on the trail.
A salamander hunt
During short breaks in the rain, we all took turns doing tasks like making dinner or fetching water. Cody took Turkenna for a walk and entertained himself by looking for small orange salamanders that come out after the rain.
Cody found an impressive 27 salamanders! Time passed slowly as we waited for one more member of their tram to appear. Energizer kept us informed of his status that night. So we were surprised when he called Lost and Found just before his arrival.
A bear and her cubs
From the tone of Lost and Found’s voice, we all quickly realized that something was up. «They’re giving my mama bear Energizer about a half mile away. We have to go help him.» Nobody doubted. Cody, Jersey, Viking, and Lost and Found had their shoes on and were running down the trail in the blink of an eye. Ten minutes later, everyone arrived safely at the dugout counting the play by play.
Energizer shared how he was calmly finishing his 20+ mile day’s record mile with headphones on when a mama bear and her FOUR cubs crossed the trail. He made himself known so as not to scare them. But as soon as the mother got her cubs across safely, she returned. He gave her space as she charged at him along the way. That’s when he called Lost and Found using a voice command with his AirPods. She walked back into the woods as he yelled and clicked his trekking poles. But he continued to harass him. When the rest of the boys appeared, their dominant silhouette could be seen watching them from the top of a hill, with a mother bear standing between them and her cubs. Everyone quickly left the area and returned to the shelter, fortunately unharmed. The rest of the evening was uneventful, just the way we like it. Everyone was very careful putting everything in the bear box. That night there was not a single wrapper left in the shelter.
A rainy day on the trail
The next morning, Cody and I were eager to finish the 14 mile hike so we could enjoy our afternoon at Lake Lodge. Rain that had started nearly 24 hours earlier was expected to continue into the afternoon. Since there was no chance to avoid the rain, it would be better to start early. 
That morning we were the first to leave the shelter. As we walked, we kept an eye out for more orange salamanders. We found dozens! Some were so small they could rest on the tip of Cody’s thumb! It really is amazing how many come out when it rains!
arrived in New York
Before we knew it, we had crossed the New Jersey state line and entered New York. The trail went from a walking path in the forest to huge rock walls and steep boulders that we had to carefully navigate. 
Turkenna made it look easy as we carefully planted each step on the rocks that had become extremely slippery from the rain. She easily navigated precarious ledges and huge rock formations. She even let us hold her by the harness to take her up a wrought iron ladder drilled into a high rock wall.
However, I was much less agile. A couple of sticky situations and unsteady feet finally culminated in me slipping and falling. Luckily I landed on the outside of my left thigh, but I was stunned by the pain for a few seconds before getting up and assuring Cody that I was fine. About 10 minutes later, I realized that my phone must have fallen when I fell. 
Without missing a beat, Cody took off his backpack and quickly returned to the spot where I had fallen. Lost and Found helped him by calling him! I was so grateful that I realized it was missing before we got too far down the trail and Cody was able to find it so quickly!
Smoothies and the Lodge
Around mile 11, we arrived at Bellvale Creamery! The famous creamery is known by hikers as a fantastic stop for delicious homemade ice cream! 
And it did not disappoint!!!! We each had a smoothie and took out our Ursack to prepare lunch. Even on a grey, dreary, rainy day, Bellvale Creamery hit the spot!
The rest of the hikers we stayed with at the shelter caught up with us at the dairy. They planned to walk another 10 miles, but we told them they would pick us up in 3 miles to stay at Lake Lodging. I guess they also thought it would be nice to have a dry bed and clean clothes after all the rain because they called right after we left to reserve their own room. 
We were glad to see them again that night at the hostel. We spent the night eating at a local food truck and watching the England World Cup game in our hotel room. I was a happy hiker after a hot shower and a full stomach in a warm bed. Another great day in the books!
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