Day 93. Well, we are back in Pawling for another night. As predicted, Happy took a healthy Zero Day today and spent his day enjoying the pleasantries of this small town. His knee was hurting him this morning, so we agreed it’s good to play it safe. I was antsy to hike though, so we also agreed to split up for the day so I can still hit the trail.

Before parting ways, we talked with Susan of the Station Inn and leaned that the rooms were already booked for tonight, but that another room next door could be available for the same price. We carried our stuff over to the law office building next door, and up to the 3rd floor where the rental room was located. Another nicely remodeled place, more like a 1 bedroom apartment, with plenty of room to spare. We got Happy all setup, then headed out for breakfast.

If there is one thing missing from Pawling, it’s a good breakfast place. We were stuck between a bakery and a Mexican deli, opting for the latter. It was good enough, and gave me a chance to practice my broken Spanish, since the only person working there did not know English. They had a menu on the wall in English, but the nice old Hispanic lady who worked in the kitchen was clearly not normally in charge. We more or less understood each other, though breakfast ended up being greasy scrambled eggs with tomatoes and onions, a dry toasted torta bun, and french fries. Not exactly the “vegetable omelet with home fries and toast” that was advertised. Still, it tasted great to me.

Then I called a cab and hit the trail. As soon as I started, I knew Happy would be upset to sit this day out … it was definitely the easiest terrain to date in NY. And although humid, it never rained! I hiked 10 miles through flat pastures, fields, and wide road-like paths to the Connecticut border, where I called it a day around 4pm. No need to go crazy with another 20-mile Nero Day, this was halfway to Kent, and I don’t need to get there until tomorrow night.

However, I was more concerned with getting back. The further I hiked, the further from Pawling I got, the less busy the roads got, and the less cell service I had. When I reached the border, I was roaming with one bar, and had no easy way to get back to town. I tried hitchhiking briefly, but the road has a fast speed limit and people weren’t stopping. Finally, I decided to walk back along the road until I found reception to call the cab company. About a half mile later, I finally got through and had a car coming to get me.

Side note, no Uber or Lyft out here the past couple days, but Julio’s Taxi service was a life saver! Not in the guidebooks, but found it as a comment in Guthooks for the town of Pawling. Calling Julio (846-855-8585) has saved us from long walks to town 3 times now, and he’s pretty affordable. I highly recommend everyone use him, as he services all the way to Massachusetts if needed. He’s already scheduled to come back for us tomorrow morning.

With a good hiking day had, it was nice to come back for dinner and a bed. I’d probably prefer to stay out on the trail to save some money and have Happy meet me in Kent tomorrow, but this way we get to spend another evening together. My time hiking with him is quickly coming to an end, so I’m enjoying the time together while I can. The trail and it’s solitude will be there waiting for me when he is done.

Hello Neimans (Sharkbait and Happy)

• Start Mile: 1447.6
• Start Time: 11:40
• End Mile: 1457.5
• End Time: 16:10
• Miles Hiked: 9.9
• Miles to Go: 733.4
• Lodging: Station Inn Pawling (annex)