Bog Standard
- Admin
- Sep 29
- 3 min read
May 22, 2025
High Point shelter to Unionville, NY
Mile 1349.1
Rained hard last night, as expected, but I slept through most of it. Tyler got up first and grabbed most of his stuff—my guess is that since the privy for this shelter was pretty far down the spur to the trail, he intended to pack up there. Moxie had arrived during the night, and Smiles was able to give her his gift. Watching him interact with her, I internally added learning ASL to my list of things I want to learn.
I think she liked the carving he’d made; she was certainly surprised, and clearly touched. Smiles had wanted to finish it the night before because he wasn’t sure how long or far they’d be traveling together. Moxie and I exchanged greetings, but soon she and Smiles were off too. Rainmaker, Brian and I were taking our time. We all intended to stay in Unionville that night, making use of the town’s pavilion. Today's hike to Unionville was only 6 or 7 miles away, so there was plenty of time.
It was tough putting on the damp clothes and socks from yesterday, but things warmed up a bit once I got moving. Mercifully, the rain was light, and the first few tenths of a mile were truly beautiful in that early-morning-dew-of-nature way.
All these heavy rains had been making their mark, though. Creeks were rushing strong and overflowing their borders, and patches of trail had gone full-on bog.
I could see footprints where hikers ahead had slipped in the mud. Pretty soon, I added my own.
Coming down off the ridge, I emerged into some pastures reminiscent of the ones I’d walked through in Cumberland valley. I’d go through a bit of pasture, then the trail would pull me back into the woods and the waterlogged footpaths, only to come out for another peek at pasture. I started thinking of it as an alternating pattern, a bit of a game, something like Duck Duck Goose, only instead featuring Bog, Bog, Pasture.
And there was a lot of bog. My boots made horrid squelching sounds as they sank in, and I was all mud up to the knee by the time I reached the road to Unionville.
Rainmaker, Brian (now going by Reason as his trail name, following our discussion at the shelter the day before) and I had thought to meet up at the pizza place there. When I arrived, I saw no sign of them, but I was pleasantly surprised to find Moxie there. We talked for a bit with a mix of notes, gestures, and expressions. Neither of us were sure if we were going to stay here tonight or not. The pavilion grounds looked less solid (literally) as a choice after all the rain, and it was going to rain again tonight. We still weren’t sure when Rainmaker and Reason showed up. Lots of good food and good conversation later, we all headed to Sola, a local pastor’s house and hiker retreat. They could only host 4 people, though, and they already had some hikers staying. Rainmaker and Reason insisted that Moxie and I take the two bunks left. We both protested, but they insisted, and went off to camp under the gazebo in the pavilion at the center of town. I offered to buy them breakfast tomorrow, but Rainmaker countered with a suggestion that I take them out for tea once we’re back in Lancaster. Sounds like a plan, but I do hope to meet up with them on trail in the future, if I can.
I charged my power bank and called Tom to confirm and solidify our plans to meet up, given the rain and our respective mileage goals. Since the rain (and my pace) had slowed everything down, Tom and his family were going to meet up with me a bit south of Wawayanda, and use that shelter as our stopping place the first night. The change meant fewer miles per day, stopping in Unionville tonight and taking a half-day hike to Pochuck shelter the next day before the meetup. The plan felt more than doable, even if the weather continues like this. Moxie and I were able to talk a bit more tonight as well. I’m not sure how far she’s going, but I hope to run into her again, too. I feel profound gratitude for all of the people I’m meeting, reconnecting with, and learning from.
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