July 9. If we can make it here, we'll make it anywhere...NEW YORK!

Woke up in this comfy bed after a long solid nights sleep. We are showered and feeling good. We are at the Alpine Haus B & B in Vernon with our hosts Jack and Allison. Allison made us a tasty breakfast with eggs, croissants, and cheese, fresh fruit with yogurt and we listened to peaceful music. We asked if we could stay until 2:00 and they were kind enough to say yes. We jumped back into bed for more rest. By 2:00 we felt ready to get back on the trail. Jack showed us around Vernon before he dropped us off at the trail. Thank you Jack and Allison for your hospitality the rest was very much needed.

We started our hike with a long steep climb up the Vernon steps. This would have been very difficult for us when we began this journey but now we can motor up really strong. The temperature has cooled some and the drop in humidity is a relief. We heard this ripping of logs and knew we were hearing a bear. We tried to quietly walk close enough to get a look. I laughed to myself at the thought of us sneaking up on a bear. Have we lost our minds. We do find ourselves talking at the animals but if we start reporting them talking back, this would be a good time for someone to bring us home. We did get a look at the bear but not close enough to get a good picture.

We crossed the state line into New York. How exciting! A deer jumped our right in front of us. We made it to our campsite on the top of Prospect Rock with a 360 degree view over Glenwood Lake. I made grilled cheese and tuna fish, a new favorite meal for us, as we watched the sunset. This is the highest point on the AT in New York.

We have gotten our second wind and feel the thrill of the trail again. Sometimes out here you just have to stop and give the body a chance to recover. We are asking much of it.
Looking forward to New York City on Friday.