morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2006-06-17
From: Petters Shelter 

To: Rausch Gap Tenting 
Miles today: 17.8

We didn't sleep very well due to the noseeums, they were biting all night. We planed to get up early because they were forecasting 85 degrees with little wind. It's easier to hike in the early morning when it's cooler. The noseeums just motivates us to get out of there even earlier. We had breakfast, packed up and were on the Trail by 6:10 AM. The Trail wasn't too hard today for the most part. We only climbed 2.060 feet and most of the terrain was manageable. There were some rocking sections but none as difficult or as long as we've had in the past. It only got to 82 degrees but there wasn't any wind. It became a little uncomfortable even for Cathy. We took several breaks but still made it to the shelter by 2:30 PM. However when we got there other hikers reported that there were Black Snakes all over the place. While filtering water we saw at least 4 and one even went into the shelter. Needless to say Cathy was not inclined to stay. As a result, we and seven other hikers decided to look for a place to tent. We found a great site about a half a mile further up the Trail. It was next to a large stream where we cleaned ourselves and our cloths. The sound of the stream was so relaxing. We all helped to make a fire which we all enjoyed while eating our dinners. Nifty, Marley, Fire Fly and Guinness made us all laugh until we went to bed. We all felt a little tired hiking due to our poor nights sleep. Hopefully tonight's will be better.PS: Thanks again for all your words of support in our Guestbook and your congratulating words about making it halfway. The Guestbook has become an important part of our journey.
Date: 2006-06-18
From: Rausch Gap Tenting 

To: 501 Shelter 
Miles today: 17.4
Weather: few clouds

We had a great nights sleep in the tent and, in fact, too good. We were asleep by 7:30 PM and were hoping to be on the Trail by 6:00 AM because it was supposed to be 90 degrees today. But we didn't wake up until 7:00 AM and as a result didn't get on the Trail until 8. Several of us the night before had planned to meet at the William Penn Shelter because at that point we'd have less than 999 miles to go. Eight of us showed up and it was a fun celebration for all. The Trail wasn't too difficult today, and we only climbed 2,250 feet. However, it was quite hot, getting to 88 degrees by noon. There was no wind and the humidity was so high that we had hazy views while walking the ridges. After leaving the William Penn Shelter we only had 4 easy miles to go. However, we were low on water because it had been so hot, and we didn't want to walk of the Trail to filter more water when we came to a sign for a stream. With only 2 miles to go we weren't looking forward to the small climb we had yet to do. But just as we were about to cross the road, we saw a sign for Trail Magic. Welsh Nomad, who we had met yesterday while she was section hiking, was doing Trail Magic. We had several glasses of iced tea, a hoagie sandwich, Oreo's and chocolate donuts. It was the best timed Trail Magic yet! We made it to the shelter feeling great. We were the first there and were quick to get into the outdoor solar shower. It was a little cool but couldn't have felt better. Craig ended up taking another one 2 hours later because it was so hot. At around 7:00, Welsh Nomad showed up at the shelter and offered to drive us all into town in order to go to dinner and the grocery store. Town was great, and we got back at around 9:00 PM. We enjoyed talking and eating our left-overs the rest of the evening. P.S. With 999 miles to go, we continue to feel strong and well prepared to finish the hike. Three weeks ago Craid hurt his left knee and Cathy strained her hip on the rocks at Dragon's Tooth, but both are better now. No more colds, and we only had the hiker's flu bug for 24 hours. We're also enjoying ourselves more as we travel and our overall mood continues to be more positive. Thans, again, for your interest and encouragement.
Date: 2006-06-19
From: 501 Shelter 

To: Port Clinton Pavilion 
Miles today: 23.4
Weather: broken clouds

We ate breakfast, packed up and were on the Trail by 6:00 AM. We knew it was going to be a more difficult Trail, and it was forecast to be hot again. We had also planned to hike 23 miles into Port Clinton because the shelter before town was known to have no water. The Trail was not as ROCKY as we had been told--probably only 1/3 was rocky. We only fell once, almost fell 18+ times, turned our ankles 5 times and stubbed our toes too many times to count. Not too bad of a day but we think the ROCKS came out on top! We only had about 5 difficult sections, and we only climbed 1,890 feet. However, our feet and knees were still sore and a couple new blisters were born. We had few views today and few things to inspire many pictures. When we only had a mile left to hike a thunder storm began, and we had a steep descent of 1,000 feet. We made it down with no slips and when we reached the bottom, the rains started to decrease. We made it to the post office by 4:00 PM and found Goodies from Craig's niece and family and a Fathers Day card from our daughter, Jodi. Craig got an Internet connecrion and found he also had an e-card from our son yesterday. All very nice surprises! We were planning to stay at the city pavilion but were disappointed when we arrived. It was about 5 X 8 and VERY OLD and damp from the storm. As we sat there contemplating our options, Craig noticed that across the street there was a fairly new and quite large pavilion. As he walked over he found 15+ other hikers including Bunny, Irish, Energizer, Gray Fox, Tortoise and others. Welsh Nomad arrived a little later and offered to take people to Cabella's, etc. We went along needing groceries and dinner. It was a nce time but we were quite tired and were happy to get back to set up our tent under the pavilion and go to bed. The shelter would keep our tent dry and the tent would keep the bugs at bay. Another good day and a shorter hike to look forward to tomorrow
Date: 2006-06-20
From: Port Clinton Pavilion 

To: Windsor Furnace Shelter 
Miles today: 6.1
Weather: broken clouds

We didn't sleep very well last night because the pavilion is located close to a very busy road. We didn't notice it last night because there were so many hikers talking and we were busy trying to get things done in order to go into town. We decided to sleep in, then walked a mile to 3-C's Diner for breakfast. We couldn't get a ride, but once you get "eating out" on your mind, cold cereal just won't do. We had planned to only hike 6 miles today, because of how the shelters are spaced, so getting a late start was all right. We also had to finish some shopping this morning. Breakfast was great, and we were back on the Trail by 12:00 PM. We climbed 1,390 feet in mainly two climbs and had only one difficult rocky section. The weather was also great- no rain, a little breeze and temperatures below 80 degrees. What an easy day compared to yesterday's hike. The next four days will be much more difficult according to past Thru-Hikers. To deal with this, we've planned for shorter hiking days for now. We got to the shelter and were not surprised to be alone. Most of the hikers who stayed at the pavilion were going to the next shelter. We didn't see that hiking the extra 10 miles would help us given how the shelters are spaced and our plan for the next couple days. We searched for firewood and then just laid around and read the rest of the afternoon. Sidewinder stopped by but only to eat his dinner. He was planning to hike to the Pinnacle where he plans to "tent with a view". We had dinner around 5:00 PM and then continued to lay around some more, just reading and uploading. At around 8:00 PM Charlie Foxtrot came into the shelter. He's from The area of Midland England and greetedus as Craig & Cathy. He said he's followed our Journal since we started and decided if we could do so could he. He started in Harper's Ferry May 21 st and plans to flip flop after reaching Katahdin. Pretty Cool. It's nice to have it so quiet to where you only hear the birds. Lifes tough sometimes on the Trail but not today.
Date: 2006-06-21
From: Windsor Furnace Shelter 

To: PA-309
Miles today: 20.6

When we woke up at 6:00 AM we found that we had been joined in the late night by Rad, Hui and Gloworm. Rad had hiked all the way from shelter 501 but the other rwo just had a hard time leaving town. We were on the Trail By 7:00 AM so we would have an extra hour of hiking in cooler air. When we started it was 66 degrees and only got up to 82 by mid-afternoon. We were told that today's hike would be more difficult, but we only thought there were a couple of hard sections. It seemed that the Trail was either very hard or very easy. We had a three great panoramic views and two sections where the Trail was on a gravel road--very enjoyable after difficult ROCKS. During one difficult rock section Cathy said that it was NARLY! When we get to the shelters everyone is describing ROCKS with different words such as jagged, like a knife, sharp, huge, stupid, and others, but narly was a new one. Today was also Solstice which means that some hikers hike nude. However, the only one we saw was Boulder who donned handkerchief aprons and wore no shirt. It didn't look too comfortable! We got to the shelter at 2:30 PM only to find that the water source was dry. We looked for an alternative and found that the Blue Mountain B&B, on PA-309 would let you use their water as well as camp there. This looked pretty good so we hiked on another 4 miles. When we got to Blue Mpuntain at 4:30 PM we were quite pleased. The road wasn't very busy, and the camping site was very grassy and even had a bench and picnic table,(see pic). After setting up camp and eating dinner we just relaxed but also talked about being in town tomorrow and getting a shower and restaurant food. Life becomes simple on the Trail!
Date: 2006-06-22
From: PA-309

To: Palmerton PA
Miles today: 13.5

We woke up at 5:00 AM and were on the Trail by 6. We wanted to get on the trail early so we could be to town by 1:00 PM. We also knew that we had a couple of difficult sections to hike today. Soon after we started hiking it began to rain. We were happy that it waited until we were all packed up but we were not happy about walking on slippery rocks. The Trail was again a mixture of easy, hard and extremely difficult sections. The extremely difficult sections felt very dangerous to us because of how slippery the rocks were and how high up we were. There was moss growing on them which made it impossible for your boots to grip. It stopped raining a little after 8:00 AM and we made it through these sections with no injury. A couple pictures show the the path we took through the ROCKS but they don't begin to show how frightening and challenging the Trail was at times. We climbed 1,180 feet but there were no steep ascents. We had several beautiful views but the rain prevented a couple from being taken, including the more difficult rock section. Once we got within a mile from town we passed a couple section hikers and a ridge runner, Roger. He's a friend of Energizer and was hoping to run into her today. It was a difficult section but a good hike today. We reached PA-248 at 12:30 PM and we at the Palmerton Borough Hall by 1:00. They have bunks intheir air conditioned basement, an area to relax and prepare food and showers. This town is very hiker friendly and not only gives you all this for free but also gives you a small goodie bag including snack bars, tooth brush & paste and a 15 minute calling card. In addition, when we were grocery shopping we were each given a free apple. Again showing the towns appreciation of the hikers. After having a great shower we got groceries, did laundry, and then went to the library for a while. Later we went to the ice cream shop and then just walked around town. We happened to run into some old hiking friends, John and Lilly and their friend, Uber Dude. We decided to have dinner together and while deciding on a place, Energizer showed up. We all had a great dinner at Burt's Restaurant and enjoyed catching up with John and Lilly, who we hadn't seen since the first of May, (see pic). We then went back to the Borough and then went to bed. Another great day.
Date: 2006-06-23
From: Palmerton PA

To: Wind Gap
Miles today: 20.4
Weather: overcast clouds

There were severe thunder storms all night, but when we woke up at 5:00 AM all was calm. We packed up so we would be ready to leave at 6:00 as we had scheduled to be picked up by a Trail Angel as long as it wasn't raining hard. Roger, the area's Ridge Runner who we met yesterday, told us that the 1,000 foot climb out of Palmerton is very difficult and should not be attempted in bad weather. We were on the Trail by 6:15 and about an hour later we were finally at the top. The climb included stepping around and over rocks and boulders, then the path turned almost straight up the mountain. Close to the top there was about a 15 foot section that required almost technical rock climbing skills. Cathy thought she was going to die, and Craig couldn't believe he was having to climbing with the use of his hands on a hiking trail!   Once we reached the peak there was huge sigh of relief and a moment of thankfulness that we were both alive. As we continued to hike the rest of the day, a couple of younger hikers passed us. They also saw the first mountain as a challenging climb and, like us, were surprised that no one has been seriously injurred on this climb. We thought yesterday's hike was difficult but it mainly helped to prepared us for this climb. The rest of today's hike was very much like yesterday but with more ROCKS! We climbed 2,360 feet but the first ascent was the only steep climb. When we reached the Leroy Smith shelter it was only 1:15 PM and the weather was still great despite a forecast for severe storms. We decided to keep hiking to Wind Gap where a motel is located right by the Trail. Our feet and legs were dead tired and sore, so we showered and watched TV all evening, snacking on the food left in our packs to make room for the mail drop we're picking up tomorrow. It was a hard day but a good day, which goes along with one of Craig's favorite quotes from the movie, "A League of Their Own". "Of couse it's hard; if it wasn't hard everybody would do it. Hard is what makes it great!".
Date: 2006-06-24
From: Wind Gap

To: Delaware Water Gap
Miles today: 15.7
Weather: light rain

We didn't get out of our warm bed too early this morning because it was still raining until around 7:00 AM. We were able to get to the Trail at 8:10 and were hoping for a less demanding day than yesterday. The weather varied between overcast, fogy, misting, and raining. It was basically a wet day. However, the temperature was at or below 72 degrees and, even though the humidity was high, there was usually a light breeze. We only climbed 1,220 feet over several small ascents. The terrain was much like yesterday except there were no steep ascents.   There were more rocks continuously to hike on today than all previous days. During the hike Craig said he was trying to become one with the ROCKS and was gliding across them...until he fell. He doesn't think they want to be one with him! At last we met up with O2BeeHiking on the trail at around 10:00 AM today. He was a former softball coach to Cathy's sister; she has been hoping we'd catch up with him. We had only one mountain view opportunity but because of the fog we had no view. With only a couple of miles to go we came upon a field of beautiful white Rhododendrons. They were just fantastic. We hadn't seen them in bloom for weeks. Because of the rain, the rocks were very slippery which we thought was going to really slow our pace. However, we made it to town by 2:30 PM, which was a fairly fast pace. The Presbyterian Church of the Mountain Hostel was only a block off the Trail and is quite nice. Bunny, Nifty, Guinness, Skunk, Hui and Waterwings were already there. After setting up our bunks Craig noticed that Guinness was giving haircuts. After getting his much needed haircut and taking showers we went out for FOOD. We found a great bakery that also served lunch and had a very good time there eating and sitting out the rain. After checking out the outfitters we went back to the hostel hang-out with our friends. We had a late dinner at the Water Gap Diner. After a great meal we again returned to the hostel to finish a great day by reading. We plan to take a zero day tomorrow giving our aching feet a day to recover from the Pennsylvania ROCKS.
Date: 2006-06-25
From: Delaware Water Gap

To: Delaware Water Gap
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: moderate rain

When we woke up this morning 6 more hikers had come in during the night. The hostel has bunks for only eight but there were 20 hikers on bunks, couches, the floor, and in the lean-to behind the hostel in for the night. Everyone wants to get out of the rain to get dry. As you can imagine, by morning it was beginning to smell like a boys' locker room! While having breakfast Marley showed up with his family and 2 dozen donuts. To celebrate completely Pennsylvania we decided to get room at the Ramada Inn. We couldn't get into our room until 12:00 PM, so we joined several other hikers and went to the hostel church's service. After church, we went to the bakery for coffee and more baked goods. On the way to the hotel we ran into O2Bee trying to find instant milk at the local gas stations. We had extra from our "way too large" mail drop which we were only too eager to share with him. After checking in, we relaxed in our very comfortable room the rest of the day. In that it rained all day, we didn't feel so lazy but very glad this was the day we chose to zero. Before bed, we walked back over to the hostel to see who had come in. Texas, Park Bench, and Sidewinder had arrived. We stopped for a bedtime treat-ice cream-on the way back to the motel, something we always crave on the Trail.
Date: 2006-06-26
From: Delaware Water Gap

To: Mohican Outdoor Center
Miles today: 10.3
Weather: moderate rain

The motel was wonderful and we were tempted to stay in bed until check-out, but we got going and were on the Trail at 11:15. On the way we stopped at the post office and then stopped off at the Hostel for a few minutes. Several of our friends were going to stay there another night because of the rain. We started hiking in the rain across the Delaware River via the I-80 pedestrian walk way. It was here that we left Pennsylvania and entered New Jersey. We have mixed thoughts aboit Pennsylvania remembering some enjoyable and beautiful sections as well as those hair raising difficult sections. One things for sure, it feels good to be New Jersey. When we reached the woods it stopped raining but only for about 15 minutes allowing us to take the only two pictures on the Trail for the day. When we started hiking the Appalachian Trail SNOW was our first 4-letter word. Next was ROOT and then ROCK, but if the rain continues it may be added to the list. It's rained off and on now for 6 days, but today the weather kicked it up a notch. The other Thru-Hikers said it rained like cats and dogs, buckets, beers and deers, or the sky was falling. It prevented Craig from taking pictures of the Glacier Sunfish Pond, one of NJ Seven Natural Wonders and views of the Delaware River from the Rock Pile Vista. The Trail was very similar to the day that we hiked into Delaware. We climbed 1,680 feet and all climbs were fairly easy. When we reached Camp Road at 3:45 PM there was a van parked there doing Trail Magic. It was a surprise to find that Irish was the one doing trail magic. He was taking a break for a couple days so he borrowed a friends van and brought lots of snacks and beverages. He had a huge amount of food and by the time we were leaving, 4 other hikers had arrived. The Camp Road took us to the Mohican Outdoor Center where we got our own room in one of the large Cabins. We were later joined by O2Bee, Traveling Fuzz, Marley, Rightway, Gloworm, Dub and Scoot. The cabin was great, with a nice kitchen, sitting area, and 3 baths. We were fortunate enough to get one of the rooms with a private bath. We enjoyed a nice evening with the other hikers in very comfortable surroundings. It's continued to rainall night and it's suppose to rain until Sunday. We're hoping that they're wrong. The good news is that we're planning to go to Rob and Bonnie Geisler home tomorrow night. They read our journal and asked us to visit them when we reach New Jersey. We pllan to meet them at US-206 at around 3:00 PM.
Date: 2006-06-27
From: Mohican Outdoor Center

To: US-206
Miles today: 17.9

We were up by 5:00 AM so that we could be on the Trail by 6:00. Marley and Gloworm were already up, planning to hike 20 miles today. It rained all night and was raining when we left. However, it stopped about a 1/2 hour later then rained off and on the rest of the day. The rain was more a nuisance than drenching, making the slippery rocks slow us down. The Trail was a little more difficult than yesterday with a lot more rocks. We only had one big climb of 500 feet and yet all the bumps still added up to 1,630 feet total cmbed today. We had several nice misty views and we came upon blackberry and blueberry bushes several times. Craig thought Cathy would almost run to get down from Rattlesnake mountain but there were blueberries there. She hates snakes but boy does she love those blueberries! We didn't see any other hikers all day. We got to US-206 at 2:30 PM and were in Rob and Bonnie's comfortable, dry car 20 minutes later. They had cold drinks, cookies and fresh blueberries and strawberries for us on the drive to their home. We were on our way to being spoiled again! We love Trail Magic in all it's different forms. When we arrived at their beautiful home, we met their dog Molly and cat Spice. They also volunteer for a the Eleventh Hour animal rescue program (where they got Molly) and are providing a temporary home and training for another dog. After showers and laundry we had more snacks while discussing the AT. Rob and Bonnie have recently retired and plan to thru-hike in 2007. Later they prepared a delicious salmon dinner, finishing with home made peach pie, ice cream and coffee. The evening was just wonderful and returning to that wet Trail tomorrow won't be easy.
Date: 2006-06-28
From: US-206

To: High Point Shelter 
Miles today: 16.0
Weather: light rain

It really stormed during the night, and we expressed our concern for those hiking and tenting.   We slept in until 8:00 and then we began to smell coffee and bacon! Rod and Bonnie prepared a scrumptious breakfast, and we lingered over coffee talking about hiking and biking. Rod and Bonnie have taken some great rides on their tandem bicycle. We arrived back at the trail at 10:30, and immediately encountered trail magic. Even though we were full from breakfast, we couldn't pass up an ice cream bar each. Then we were ready to hike! The trail was miserably WET. In many places the trail itself had become a stream. At first we tried to keep our feet somewhat dry, but it was hopeless. Within an hour we were just stepping in the water, gingerly though, due to all of the slippery rocks. Between the water and the rocks, we didn't make our 2-mph pace. And although we were thankful it never rained while we were hiking, we were still wet and dirty from the heat & humidity (it got up to 84) and splashing of our feet. We also took a break at Sunrise Mountain; the wind was great and the view was just beautiful. We got to the shelter at 7:00 PM and O2Bee and Traveling Fuzz were already there. They weren't too pleased about the hiking day they had, complaining about all the water and the new blisters. After filtering the water we cleaned up in the overflowing stream right outside our shelter, and then had dinner. We were in bed to read by 8:30, but, ala , the bugs won out and headlamps went off within minutes.