I'm sure there's cell coverage. After all, Stewart State Forest is adjacent to Stewart Airport -- a "buffer zone" -- and is pretty much a "vacuum" surrounded by towns and villages with major commercial hubs not too far away on all its sides.
I actually turned back and thought I'd just find another trail but then I turned around and thought hey if I stepped far enough back and ran I could clear the creek in one fell swoop. But the thought occurred that I might land on a slippery patch on the other side and skid on my behind then limp for the rest of the hike if not the rest of my life. So I probed and tested every rock before giving it my full weight. Once across, it felt silly as it was a piece of cake. Then again, I had no regrets as that's how accidents happen -- when things seem like a piece of cake -- and did the same careful probing on the next creek I encountered.
Still, I can't help feeling silly.
