We had just over 15 miles left at the beginning of the day. Having broken through our objective of 10 miles a day on several occasions we found ourselves a day ahead of schedule. Physically we are running on empty and mentally we are ready for this to be over.

It has been a spectacular journey but with the end closing in on us we both feel that it is time to move on. We spent the first few miles checking out Peters Kill (river) and stopping here and there for rests in the cool morning air. After two miles we hit Peterskill Aqueduct (13.32). It is very well preserved and runs parallel to the road bridge. At this point the road and the canal link up again and we followed them into Alligerville along the rondout creek. Our old friend Berme Road has appeared again and we continue along it with the idea of reaching High Falls for breakfast. At 8.30 after 4 hours of walking we make the first of a tight clutch of locks leading through High Falls where within little over a mile there are 8 locks, lock 20 (9.46) to lock 12 (8.45).From here we headed across the road to a café which serves breakfast. Inside we met John, his son and a couple of other really helpful guys who have lived in the area for many years. We sit with them for breakfast, exchange information and they kindly invite us back in the near future to look at their properties, some of which border the canal. The initial flush of energy that came with our pre breakfast hike had dissipated and our feet were aching. It may be psychological but we suspect that our feet are deeply bruised.

At this point we slowed to a snail’s pace and we crawled along like this for the rest of the day. On any other day we would have kept up the pace but it is safe to say that our bodies are shot to pieces. The maps we were using were reducing in quantity, we were on the second last one, the lock numbers were down in the single digits and a check of our mileage revealed that we had only about 7 miles to go. We stopped again at lock 4 (3.22) which as well as being well preserved has the best example of a dry dock that we have seen. It is almost immaculate. At the guard lock we found ourselves less than a mile from the end of the canal. It was here that the canal left the creek until it joined with it again at the end of its journey in Eddyville.

We trekked on to the end and finally, almost unable to walk, we hit the village of Eddyville (108).It is here that the canal finally tips into the Rondout Creek and goes on to join the Hudson River and beyond. We have made it! What an incredible feeling. Journey’s end.