July 10, 2007

To all of you who have been asking about my Appalachian Trail hike progress and for you, Alley, I want you to know I am yet closer to our goal in Maine. I am now hoping that I can complete this AT hike before 15 Sep and plan to take no more time off-trail if my health holds. New Hampshire and Maine are generally tough states so I am trying to conserve remaining resources for the final push.

Art has kept you updated on most recent pictures, and I am sending others - but here is the good news. I finished New Jersey this past week and am now half way into the state of NY thanks to three gruelling, rocky hikes of 16, 15 and 22 miles. I will continue from the Graymoor Franciscan Monastery near Peekskill, NY tomorrow which is approximately the half-way point in the state. Graymoor Monastery is across the beautiful Hudson River from the Army's West Point Academy so camping here is great and buggy.

I have been picking blueberries and black rasberries daily until a day or so ago. I stepped into a blueberry patch about 10 AM as I was working my way towards New Jersey's Mt. Waywayanda near Vernon. As I stepped into the berry bushes, I noticed some movement around my feet and found that I had a timber rattler trying to move away from my feet before coiling and preparing to strike. By the time he started his rattles shaking, I must have backed up the 10 or 15 feet back to the trail. I was shocked and lucky that I didn't fall back or lose my balance while moving backward so fast - my, my - exciting berry picking. I also had a bear tear away from me a breakneck speed as I approached Waywayanda Mt. I later learned that bears are unusually afraid of humans in the area as they are hunted annually.

I will meet with the Cornelia de Lange Syndrome foundation staff, 16 July, in Salisbury, CT. They wanted to have a picnic and will be coming to the trail from their office in Avon (Hartford), CT on that day to meet Wing-Heart and me. We are both looking forward to the trail magic on that day.

You will get more pictures on the web site shortly. I sent them off last week as I was leaving my daughters' Brooklyn, NY apartment where I visited during the 4 July weekend.

Thanks again for your prayers and support. I am excited about finishing this trip and look forward to seeing all of you once again when I return home at the end of September.

Regards,
Jim Schiwal "Castanets"

22 July 2007