(Daily Mi: 13.5) Woke up and hiked 1 1/2 miles to a developed picnic and beach area about a quarter mile off the trail. Water from a spigot. It was foul in taste, odor and appearance, but a sign hung above the mechanism declared it potable, and I drank with abandon. Used a pay phone to check in with my friend Chris who is picking me up this afternoon. Bought a popsicle from a vending machine. Lolled about a grassy area with the Potato Man and Porkchop and finally hiked on at about 9:30.

The hike through the rest of Harriman was quite pretty, but by the time I crossed the Palisades Parkway, I was pretty much out of gas. It was a steep muggy climb over West Mtn. From the top of West, Bear Mtn looked just as bad, but in fact turned out to have a gentle grade with the occasional unfortunate road walk.

The mountain laurel which has been budding since PA has finally come into bloom and the Trail up Bear Mtn passes through fabulous thickets of the stuff. At one point the laurel forms an arcade with a passage seven feet high and perhaps twenty feet long.

Just before the summit I found Piper resting on a ledge. I sat with him until Choo Choo caught up and we all walked together to the top. Terrific views of the Hudson and Bear Mtn Bridge from the summit, but I was meeting Chris at the Bear Mtn Zoo at the bottom of the hill in 20 minutes and couldn't tarry.

It started to rain very hard about halfway down. I was already pretty rancid, but the soaking added a new zip to my ripe bouquet.

The Bear Mountain Zoo was closed when we got to the base of the mountain, along with the only access to the parking lot in which I was to meet Chris and I scampered about in the rain for about 15 minutes tracking down his truck. Just after I found him, I passed back by the Potato Man, Piper and Choo Choo sitting somewhat dejectedly just out the rain by the locked gates to the zoo.

Although AT 'rules' permit circumventing the zoo (which is an official part of the Trail) outside of working hours, neither Piper or the Potato Man was willing to go around. Choo Choo was just beat, and they were still deciding what to do next when we said our hudredth goodbye - hope - to - catch - you.

Chris threw a beach towel over the passenger seat in a completely ineffective effort to prevent my stink from permanently infecting his truck during the twenty minute ride to his house. About an hour after we arrived, his wife ordered me to take a shower and suggested she might burn my hiking clothes.