Sitting at a lookout on a beautiful Catskills trail, staring out toward the Hudson Valley framed below, I caught sight of a young woman running along. She seemed wet, and I wondered aloud to her if there was water from where she'd come. It was a hot day and I was looking to dive in somewhere. She came to a complete stop to regard me, and clearly considered my question a responsibility. She began looking in earnest on her phone for how to guide me to water. She hadn't been in any. She was just covered in sweat actually, she told me, laughing. I immediately liked her. I'm partial to redheads (I married one in the hopes of having redheaded children, but I didn't get them) and her sweet smile and dimples brought me up to chat with her on the trail. I am in awe of solo women hikers, especially ones like Monica who pull off the mountain-lady look with style and grace. And she grew up in the area I am just getting to know, so I was eager to connect. Connect we did. Monica is an architect and a gardener...both skills I could use for my first-ever home, and she loves coming up to the area. Her friendly forthright demeanor had me at hello, and I hope you'll listen in to learn more from this Hudson Valley local about the divides (towns on either side of the mighty river) and how nice it is to find friendly folks:) Making friends from strangers like Monica makes my day!!