Date: 2006-06-08
From: High Point Shelter

To: Pochuck Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 12.4
Weather: light rain

AM 0952 hr, Secret ShelterLucky fools, today there will be two entries. The plan is 12.4 miles to Pochuck. 5.3 miles from High Point is Jim Murray's "Secret Shelter" and it's not even noon. So I've decided to stop in and rinse out my socks, sit on the porch and write an entry.Got up late, 0520 hr. Put on the rain jacket and trudged to the privy. This one is a classic out house style. At least I could prop the door open. Watch the rain. I put on the skirt and tank top, donned the rain jacket, pack covered, and off I go. The NY-NJ ATC handbook let me know I'd be walking alot of open fields today. Skirting little farms and barking dogs. Figure I'd just be ready for getting wet.And the rain has been a gentle light thing compared to yesterday. The rain jacket holding the body heat in and drying the shirt and skirt.Along the trail today so far, lot of wild roses. They fragrant up the air so pretty. And clover, pretty in white and purple. The July hikers will have a feast of black berries. And another little flower I don't know. It's white, balloon shape with the petals coming out of the end. Very cute as they nod in the drizzle. Oh, the rain is falling harder. I'll move me in the shelter. Oh my, there is a heater upstairs. I'm sitting hanging my feet off the loft and socks on the heater. It would be nice to have a dry pair for sleeping tonight. Maybe I'll take a nap and be warm for a while before heading out in the rain. Out here there are stone walls put up by the frontiers. It strange to be walking in the woods and there they are, a testament to scrabbling a life off the land. Some family spent days and days, hauling rock and stacking them. Amazing. Some of them are still very intact. And they're not little rocks. Some are huge. Namaste'PM: Pochuck Mtn. ShelterOkay, end of the day, sharing the shelter with two other ladies section hiking their one week out, Ragamuffin and Mamallama. They do one week at a time. They are about my age. They are getting off at the next shelter. Oh well. But we're having a great time. They also sew and use the language. We're all on a hunt for a summer sleeping system. We talked about fabric and thoughts about how to do the system. We all now have ideas for the next round on the sewing machine. Back to Secret Shelter, I ended up staying for about two hours. Jim showed up and we chatted. He was interesting to talk with. I had enough time to dry out the socks for bed mostly. I tucked them under the shirt and with the rain jacket; they are dry for tonight if I want. The temperature is warmer tonight. The rain stayed drizzle and even let up. The sun even came out for a short bit of time. The second half of the day turned out to be a nice touch. The walk included going over Pocheons. These are like floating walk ways across a swamp. The vegetation is bountiful. I saw some of the biggest poison ivy in the swamp area. I walk carefully. The trail skirts Wallkill Natl. Wildlife Preserve. I saw a couple birds I don't know. A black bird with orange shoulders on the wings. A second bird that was brown and cinnamon colored. When it flew away, the tail was alternating white and brown. Very pretty. There were some mallards.And a cotton tail! The most astounding thing with the rain, the orange salamanders are all over the place. With the sun, I had caterpillars. With the rain, I have salamanders. Oh, oh, two more. And I'm excited; it's Rocky and Swamp Fox! I'll get the news. Right now, they are planning to go to Vernon tomorrow also. We'll have to make plans.I'm checking out now, conversations are flying. Namaste'