Date: 2007-07-17
From: Jim Murray Property

To: Jim Murray Property
Miles today: 0.0

Today is girls' day on the AT! Splendora, Snack Break, and I decided to celebrate the fact that we found one another. To truly live up the backcountry female bonding experience, we decided to zero at Jim Murray's beautiful property. Jim pulled up the dirt road this morning and offered to take us into Unionville for breakfast. On our way out, we saw the illustrious Iceman and Buffalo Bobby strolling up the lane. Into the car they went, and we drove off to Unionville, the friendliest hiker town in the north.I have to pause here to describe Unionville, NY. It's small, picturesque, perfect in an unpretentious way. All of the locals say "hello" to one another on the street. And the mayor, himself, takes in hikers, does their laundry, and offers them showers. It's also rumored that he makes a mean manhattan. We met Butch in front of the Union Bagel and Bakeshop. Butch works for the mayor and offered his services for the day (shuttles to and from town and even a special delivery of Ice to Jim Murray's place).I can't tell you how nice it is to spend time with other women on the trail. The guys out here have been great company, but it's refreshing to share my experiences from a woman's perspective with other female hikers. Of course, we are graced with the company of Buffalo Bobby and Iceman who are also taking a zero here. If two men were ever capable of female bonding, these guys are it. I figured that out when I stayed with them at Mohican, and we got into a discussion about relationships! Along with the great female-friendly atmosphere of the group, there's a general relaxed atmosphere of "smiles, not miles". The other hikers I've been around have been very mileage conscious, and I can't say that, before this point, I've travelled with anyone who would've willingly zeroed here just to take in the beautiful day.I've been going solo for a couple hundred miles, because I hadn't found anyone too interested in deviating from the white blaze mission. So, it's really nice to hike my own hike and to discover others who seem to be doing the same thing.News "flash" (literally): I just got a message that there's and article about me in the Queens Gazette about "The Naked Librarian". Yikes! Will I be able to find a librarian job or get a position in politics after this hike? The scandal!So, how friendly is Unionville, do you ask? Butch came back with the town mayor, and they brought pizza and made manhattans for us. Here is the mayor's secret recipe for a great manhattan.3 shots of Black Velvet Whiskey1 part Sweet Vermouth3 dashes of bittersMerchino cherry juiceTop with a cherry and drink on ice.And that's the mayor of Unionville's secret to hiker PR success! Actually, when we asked the mayor why he treats hikers so kindly, he replied, "because it's the right thing to do." The Mayor and his town embody the sense of kindness and social responsibility that are characteristic of the AT community. It's very idealistic thinking on the mayor's part, but guess what, it works well. When people ask me what I've gained from this hike, I'll tell them all about how I lived in a world with people like Jim Murray, Butch and the Mayor, and how it strenthened my faith in the goodness of people.