I awoke and started packing up. The hiker who arrived late to the shelter woke up as well. He was called “Southwind” and is from Harpers Ferry. He was hiking New York and New Jersey southbound. He said he had two weeks and had to hike in the bad weather yesterday to keep on his timeline.
There was a bit of up and down on the trail today, but not much. However, there were some big puddles after the rain and many of the rocks were slippery, making progress slower than it would have been. The trail passed large marshy ponds that were part of a national wildlife refuge with many types of birds.
Then I took a short detour into Unionville, NY to visit the small grocery store for a couple days of resupply. On the walk into town I passed the town’s very old cemetery which looked kind of interesting, if I had time to wander through.
After the grocery, I headed out of town and passed a spooky old house that looked abandoned. It’s hard to see in the picture but the house is literally crumbling from lack of maintenance. But when I passed the front I noticed there was a porch light on…
A short way out of town I reached the “secret shelter” or Jim Murray Shelter. This is a cabin on private property that is kept open for long distance hikers. Jim Murray hiked the AT some years ago then bought this property near the trail and built the cabins. There is also water and an outdoor shower. I rinsed out my hiking clothes and got set up to stay the night. I was the only visitor to the cabin over night.
The cabin sits on a beautiful property with a few other small buildings on it. I also walked over to say hello to two donkeys on the other side of an electric fence.