Date: 2013-07-21
From: Stealth camp on wooden tower at High Point St Park

To: Beerdra's House!, Middletown, NY, Unionville Rd
Miles today: 6.9

I woke up around 5:20. I really had to pee. I thought about holding it, but I decided take care of it so maybe I could get a little more sleep. The sun was one its way up and the sky was spectacularly pink. I headed down the wooden tower to some bushes behind one of its concrete feet. I heard voices. Was it in my head? I listened closer. Nope, those were real. Damn. I emerged from the bushes, much to the surprise of the girl standing at the bottom of the stairs. I knew she wasn't a thru-hiker, but I thought it might be a good ice-breaking question since she'd just caught me with my breeches down AND illegally camping. She said no, they were yet ANOTHER Outward Bound group, and they were hiking to see the sunrise on their last day out. I tried to act cool and non-chalant and headed up the stairs. I dove into my tent and started to pack up frantically fast. A group of 10 or so filtered in. I could hear them snickering and taking photos. Maybe they were taking photos of the sunrise, but I guessed they were taking pictures of my tent with me inside. I really, really didn't want to get a ticket, so I got my stuff torn down and stuffed in their proper sacks as quickly as possible. I figured it would harder to prove that I'd stealth camped if the tent was down, even if my gear was scattered all over the place. Did I also mention it wasn't even 6:00 a.m. yet? The kids got their show, and they headed down and on their way. I pulled out my granola, and I watched as the pink light turned to white. I watched as hot air balloons rose about the earth far in the distance. I thought of Tom and our sunrise hot air balloon ride about the Valley of the Kings in Luxor a few years prior. It made me smile, and it made me more than a little bit sad. I was feeling pretty lonely and a little homesick. The blues seemed to wake up alongside me. Sigh. My body felt tired. My soul felt tired. I really don't have much wiggle room in my hiking schedule if I want to get to Katahdin before mid-October, but I knew I needed to take a break of some sorts. Not just a town zero day that's spent running around doing errands, but rest day. Maybe when I get to Greenwood Lake. I'd have to chew on it....I headed out. I passed the shelter turn off. I could see tents, lots of tents. It definitely as busy there last night. I hiked a bit farther. I could smell a fire. Open fires are illegal in New Jersey. Hmmmm... I got closer, and I recognized the trio from the evening before. I stopped to talked to them. I really enjoyed their company and energy, they've got great things ahead of them. I hiked along, the trail was smooth and easy. Thank goodness. I need smooth and easy. I hiked through a beautiful pasture, purple butterfly plants seducing the butterflies and bees. There was such beauty around me, and yet a dark cloud hovered right above me. I crossed a few foot bridges and by some forested streams. I thought of stopping for a soak, but I knew the Murray property was coming up. Jim Murray has a nearby farm. There's a couple of buildings, a privy, a well and an outdoor shower that he opens to hikers for free. It's all set amongst green hilly pastures. I decided I would go there, take a shower, wash out some sweaty clothes, take a break, fill water and get my head straight. As soon as I walked up, I started to cry. It looked nothing like home, but something about it made it feel like home. It made me really, really homesick. I took off my backpack and set it on one of the chairs sitting on the front porch of the wooden building. I took off my shoes and walked around the green soft grass in my barefeet. The grass was warm, and my feet enjoyed the change of texture. I opened my pack and pulled out my dirty clothes and soap. I walked up to the shower, attached to the outside of one of the buildings, open to God and anyone who drove up the driveway. I stripped down, keeping on only my Crocs. I turned on the water and stepped under the flow. I let the warm water run over my head and down my body. I washed my hair. I washed my face. I washed off the sweat and the dirt and the poison. The combination of the water, the fresh air and the clean, I felt like I could breath, like something was unwinding. As if on cue, a car came driving up. Well damn. I looked around for anything I could cover up with, but all I had was my diner napkin sized camp towel. Oh, to hell with it. I didn't care. With the shower being situated where it was, I figured I wasn't the first hiker to give the motorists a show. The car didn't stop. I got dressed, washed some clothes and laid them on a stone fence to dry. I laid in the warm grass in a shady spot under a tree. It was only 10:45, but I didn't want to move. I just wanted to sleep right there. I stayed at the Murray property until almost noon. I looked at the directions and realized that I could very easily have lunch in Unionville, NY (NEW YORK, I say!) which was a little over a mile away. That was motivation. I packed up, filled up my water and headed out. The trail took me over some board walks that floated about a marshy area. It's the AT's take on the Jersey boardwalk. I liked it. I swatted a few mosquitos, but none that merited a coating of poison. I stopped to take lots of pictures, and I gathered a bit of Jersey soil for my AT soil collection. I was picking up steam, my moral was noticeably improving. I crossed a few roads, and I saw the top of a red pick up. I heard some voices, and then I saw Beerdra, Garbear and Bear Snack. Trail Magic! I gave Beerdra big hug, she always makes me smile, and she introduced me to her mom. As it turns out, Beerdra is from the area, and her mom was there to hand out some trail magic. I sat down in a chair and chugged a Mountain Dew. It's been probably at least 2 decades since I've had a Mountain Dew. I ate a doughnut and a nectarine. And we all chatted. I found out Foot Loose just had to get off the trail with a several case of Lyme's disease. Damn. Scary stuff. Beerdra was going to take a few days off at home. I said that I had planned to take a couple of days off once I reached Greenwood Lake, NY. Beerdra and her mom offered for me to come and stay with them and rest up a bit. Really? Omigoodness, this is EXACTLY what I needed. I immediately accepted. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. I could wear the keys out on the keyboard, but I would never be able to say it enough. The AT gods were smiling down on me. We loaded up the truck, and after a few turn arounds, we found our way back through Unionville (but not before stopped to hand out drinks to hikers at the pavilion in Unionville) and to Middletown. We stopped to eat lunch and had an awesome pizza and cheesesteak, and then headed to Gander Mountain. It's funny, it's a GIANT store, and yet seemed not to have almost everything we needed, whereas the smaller outfitters seem to have exactly what we need. I forgot we were still in our hiker clothes, so it took a moment to realize that other customers in the store aren't used to "hiker trash" as we are affectionally called. Some of them talked to us, and some of them just stared. It was amusing. I got to do laundry and meet a friend of Beerdra's. It's interesting to see the 'real' lives of people you meet on the trail. Her mom was as sweet as she could be. During it all, I had this funny feeling that somehow I was playing hooky from the trail. In some ways I was, but in others I was taking care of my mental health. As I crawled in bed, I looked out of the window at the almost full moon, and I was so so happy to be where I am.