Date: 2018-05-28
From: Rutherford Shelter

To: Unionville, New York
Miles today: 11.7

Last night, Sandy and Mickey were the perfect sheltermates. The two of them are what remains of a sizable hiking club after 28 years. They know each other very well and the two of them had the trail equivalent of a slumber party. They both have low pitched voices and spoke very softly. From across the shelter, I couldn¢t make out their conversation and it was like the perfect white noise, like a babbling brook. It got chilly last night, in the low 50¢s, so I got into my sleeping bag early. Between the chill and the white noise, I was out quickly, barely awakening when Sasha, a nice young man from Manhattan, came in at the unreasonably late hour of 7. For the first time in days, ever since I caught cold, I slept soundly through the night until 5AM. 10 hours of sleep is what I need out here!  I was hiking at six this morning, grateful for the cool weather, my pack nearly empty of food. The trail continued to follow the Kittatlnny Ridge until High Point when it descended sharply on switchbacks to pasture land and swamp land, leaving most rocks behind. There is a viewing platform at High Point supposedly with great 360-degree views, but not in the dense fog that enveloped the trail this morning. Close your eyes, and imagine that all you can see is gray, in every direction. Good, now you¢ve seen the same view I did. I stopped at High Point Shelter for a break, meeting a guy who had previously thru-hiked, who had been given the trail name Mother. I didn¢t ask why. Mother had a very friendly dog who wishes that I had been friendlier about sharing my snacks. On the final climb before reaching Lott Road that leads to Unionville, someone behind me called, ¢Ken! Sugarfoot!¢ It took me only seconds to recognize his Hungry Cat hat. Willow had told him that I was a day ahead, so he¢s been accosting perfect strangers, accusing them of being me. I am so happy to have met him! I¢ve mentioned him before in my journal. I think he has the best trail journal of the year, including mine. Willow said it well. He has become one with the trail. We walked together the short distance to Lott Road. Hungry Cat had just resupplied, so he didn¢t need to come into town. He is every bit as nice on first meeting as he is in his journal. Go, Hungry Cat! Yesterday I had heard that he was two days ahead of me. I was carrying a package of Manzanilla Olives from Trader Joe¢s for him as a special kibble treat. Hearing that he was ahead of me, I ate them yesterday. They were good!I walked into Unionville just after their Memorial Day parade. Ulysses and a couple of older gentlemen he is hiking with got to bring up the rear of the parade and were roundly cheered. The volunteer fire department had free hot dogs, but the General Store was almost ready to close for the holiday, so I needed to go there. They didn¢t have everything I wanted, like dried fruit and Pepperidge Farm Cookies, but I found enough. I actually bought two single serving packages of Spam, God save my soul. I also ordered the Italian Combo Sub made of Boars Head meats, a medium package of potato chips and a root beer. I ended up giving away half of the sub to passing hikers. It was too much, and there are other things I want to eat in town. The manager of the General Store joined me on the porch and told me more about Unionville. Unionville used to be self-sufficient with several factories. One label printing concern remains, and the town is primarily a bedroom community now. The manager grew up here, and aside from time in the armed services, has lived right here. All of the buildings are well maintained and a sense of pride pervades the town. The flags and bunting look natural here! When I first visited Unionville in 1998, it was an unhappy place. As a hiker and as an outsider, I was doubly not welcome. A mayor had the idea of opening up the town park for hikers to camp and even opened his own house. Word spread, and most hikers now enjoy at least a meal here. The manager walked me down to the park, pointing out the oldest house, and showed me the best place to set the tent, so it would be in the shadows when the security lights come on. The grass is soft, there¢s a small pavilion or gazebo, a water faucet on the side of the town offices and a Port-a-Potty. What more does anyone need in life?  There is one other tent pitched here. Wait, a very pale guy just came out and staggered a little. It¢s Baby Bird! That is to say, Baby Bird with the flu or some disease. Thank goodness his symptoms are nothing like my cold, or I would be feeling very guilty. I¢ve offered to get him a cold drink or ice cream, but he just wants to sleep. I¢ll mention him to the General Store manager tomorrow morning when I go for breakfast, so I can be sure that someone checks on Baby Bird.  Willow is 1/2 day behind me at a hostel near High Point but plans to zero tomorrow because of ¢shin splints¢.  We are all falling apart. When I took my socks off after setting my tent, a toe nail came off with it. This is the first of many, I fear. Aside from the General Store that is now closed there is a bar with wings that the store manager rates a 15 on a 1 to 10 scale. I think I¢ll try half a dozen as an appetizer before heading to pizza place for dinner. Those are the three businesses in town. All gain handsomely from the hiker friendly atmosphere. According to the manager, being friendly to hikers has made Unionville more friendly to everyone and a much nicer town for all!