(Daily Mi: 7.2) Chris put me back on the Trail at Bear Mountain this morning. As I was climbing out of his truck I managed to hit the auto-lock on the running car. Chris was pretty relaxed. Thank God for Triple-A.

Walked through the Zoo (an official part of the Trail and free entry for hikers), over the Bear Mtn Bridge (AT low point: elevation 200ft) and started the steep brief climb up Anthony's Nose and into the Hudson Highlands.

Met a section hiker named the Pipe resting near the top. He was -- appropriately enough -- smoking a pipe, so I stopped and rolled a cigarette. The Pipe was on his final leg of the Trail after 15 years of sectioning. He had come up from Harper's Ferry a few days behind me and hoped to finish at the CT border in a few days. Joined during our break by a NOBO name Woodman who had met the Pipe the night before.

We walked together the last 4 miles to Graymore. Graymore is a ... well friary. The monks set aside a pavillion on the grounds for camping during the season (and apparently put on a good vegetarian feed July-August. Grrr.)

Got a little weepy thinking about the P-Man, Choo Choo, Piper, the Pork Chop et al.

Chatted w/ the Pipe and Woodman as cooked my first batch of Raman Surprise (Surprise Raman Again!). Woodman is an ultra-lighter, cabinet maker and retired high-school science teacher. Left Springer in late February.

Pipe is lawyer from New Bedford. He has been section hiking for 15 years and will finish in a few days about 60 miles north.

At last light a plainly mad hiker came shrieking at a full run accross the baseball field towards the pavillion, chased it would seem by a swarm of mosquitos.

He turned out to be an 28 year old Israeli enjoying his second day, but not the mosquitos, on the Trail. Woodman had spent the previous night with him on West Mountain and named him the Apricot owing to the contents of his pack. He, however, appears to not much care for the name.