On the Kindness of Strangers

I awoke this morning with grim determination. Sure, I was stiff and sore from two 20-plus mile days, and still wet from yesterday’s afternoon thundershowers, but by god I would spend the night in the church hostel in Vernon, NJ, where they have showers and laundry and internet and four walls and a roof. All that sttod in my way were 19 trail miles, a three-mile road walk into town (they ticket hitchhikers in New Jersey and New York), and a mile round trip into Unionville, New York to pick up my new shoes. So I ate my organic toaster pastry and deluxe mixed nuts, packed, perused the shelter registry, and hit the trail.

Fifteen minutes later it was raining, and thunder rumbled in the distance. It rained at varying intensities for the next five hours. I crossed many small roads, none marked. Eventually I began suspecting I’d missed my pre-Unionville landmark. After puzzling for ten minutes over maps, guidebooks, and the one road sign I could find, I knocked on a door and asked where I was.

It turned out I did miss my landmark, and I overshot Unionville. I could still get there but the road walk was now over a mile instead of .4. Sigh. I started walking, and appreciated how much cover trees really do give when it’s raining. I got into town and had to wait for the post office to reopen after lunch, so I dropped my pack outside a pizza place, left as many dripping layers outside as possible, and walked in, literally leaving a trail of puddles. The man at the counter invited me to take a seat and said he’d bring over a menu.

As I waited, my head involuntarily drooped. Everything from head to toe was soaked. I still had many miles to hike. The hostel in town was closed; the bar it was attached to was undergoing renovations. “Hello, Sunshine, how are you today?” asked the counterman as he handed me a menu. He also handed me two towels, one for the puddle collecting around me and one for myself. And that was how I met Augusto.

Augusto is from Guatemala, and has  lived in New Jersey and New York for over 20 years. He and his friend Jimmy operate the pizza place, live above it, and think about buying it one day. Augusto made me a special calzone (extra cheese and an added topping at no charge) and we talked between customers. The rain kept coming down. Eventually the invitation was extended for me to grab a shower at their place, and stay if I wanted. They’ve opened their home to hikers many times before, especially during inclement weather. The ladies at the post office backed that up. I gratefully accepted.

Now I’m clean and warm. Augusto brought up an incredible amount of food for me for dinner. He offered me his room and shook his head when he saw I’d laid out my NeoAir and sleeping bag in the living room–but I say the man doesn’t need to come home from a 12-hour day and sleep on the couch! Although I’m hiking out tomorrow, I’m invited to stay for as long as I’d like. I’m amazed at the generosity and hospitality I’ve been shown. You definitely meet a better class of people out here.