Date: 2017-07-22
From: Quarry Road, Unionville, NY

To: NJ 94, Vernon, NJ/Miss Melissa's House
Miles today: 12.5

7/22Quarry Road, Unionville, NY to NJ 94, Vernon, NJ/Miss Melissa's House12.5 miles Total Miles:  1356.9Even though I went to bed much later than usual last night, I still woke up at 6:15 this morning. Although the plan was for a short day of about twelve miles, we needed to get to town for resupply, so the earlier we got to Highway 94 the better. After packing up, I went back to Horler's Store and got an egg, cheese, and ham breakfast sandwich, which was first rate.  The gentleman who made my sandwich was wearing a Cardinal baseball shirt and we swapped a few Cardinal stories from our youth (watching Lou Brock steal bases, Bob Gibson pitch and hit homeruns, and the 1967 World Series, among others). It was fun meeting another Cardinal fan who remembered the team of the 1960s and early 1970s.  After breakfast, I got back on the trail. There was a short but steep ascent past town but then the trail was, for the most part, easy.  I soon arrived at the Wallkill Wildlife Reserve, a large swampy area that the trail skirts by following its perimeter.  It was here that I met Frisky, a ridge runner. He thru hiked last year and decided he hadn't had enough of the trail, so he applied to be a ridge runner. He told me that he was a college friend of Radio, who then showed up, almost on cue. Gravity also arrived, and we all visited for a bit before returning to our respective tasks. Frisky was southbound, talking to hikers and checking on the trail, while the rest of us continued north.  I climbed Pochuck Mountain, where the trail got steep and rocky, but not for long.  The trail was punctuated several times by steep ascents and descents today, which added a fun variety of conditions. I stopped for water on my way up the mountain by hiking a short, marked side trail to a vacant house in much need of repair with a functioning water faucet on the outside wall.  I don't know the arrangements, but somebody maintains electricity to this house so that water is available.  My thanks to whoever is responsible.  I ate lunch on a log near the top of Pochuck and took my afternoon siesta there.  It turned out to be another hot day.  Refreshed, I hiked down the other side of the mountain and encountered the New Jersey Boardwalk that runs for nearly a mile across the swamp near the Pochuck River. While not the same boardwalk that Bruce Springsteen sings about in "Sandy," it is quite an impressive structure. About four feet wide, it meanders its way across the swamp to the Pochuck River, which it crosses via a suspension bridge. Shortly after completIng the boardwalk, I arrived at Highway 94. The plan was to wait here for Gravity and then find a way to get to Warwick, where there were hotel rooms available, as well as laundry and a grocery store. As I  arrived at the parking lot, a very friendly woman immediately offered me a cold bottled water and asked me my plans. Thus I met Miss Melissa, who provides wonderful Trail Magic, but refuses to be called a Trail Angel ("Nothing much angelic about me"). I told her about the plan to get to Warwick, and she offered to drive us there when Gravity arrived.  She then told me that it might be a better plan to let her take us to Vernon for resupply and come stay for free at her house, where she had a washing machine and a pan of baked ziti ready to put in the oven. Melissa told me she has been caring for hikers this way for fifteen years because the world needs more kindness.  Gravity arrived, and we piled into Melissa's minivan and headed for the Acme Grocery Store in Vernon. It was then off to her beautiful condo, where we showered and got ready for dinner.  Melissa said she had clothes for us to wear while our hiking clothes were in the wash. I was offered a pair of New York Yankee sweat pants and a limited edition t-shirt commemorating the final year of old Yankee Stadium, "The House that Ruth Built."  In return for her kindness, I am presently decked out from head to toe in Yankee clothing.  I'm sure the Cardinal Powers That Be will be able to overlook this transgression. I can only hope my rabid Cardinal fan friends who are reading this (you know who you are!) will find it in your hearts to forgive me.  We had a wonderful dinner of baked ziti while discussing everything from baseball (Melissa is, indeed, an avid and informed Yankee fan) to the political state of affairs in New Jersey.  We were joined by Melissa's mother and two of her brothers  (Yankee fans all).  One of her brothers asked if Gravity and I were hikers or if we were headed to a Santa Claus convention.  Perhaps I will start shaving again when I get back home. After sorting our resupply and eating a couple of bowls of ice cream, we settled into bed in the family room.  While she may not allow herself to be considered an angel, the kindness that Melissa has shown tonight is out of this world.  She does all of this out of the goodness of her heart and is a very kind, special person. I guess for one day, in return for this, I can dress up like a Yankee.  In all seriousness, thank you, Miss Melissa, for taking care of a couple of tired, old hikers.  You may not want to be considered an angel, but you act like one.  Come to think of it, better to be a Yankee fan for one night than an Angels fan. After all, the Angels, not the Yankees, took Albert.