morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2006-06-25
From: Peters Mountain Shelter

To: Rausch Gap Shelter
Miles today: 17.5
Weather: light rain

Not much to report today. I had only a brief cell phone call this morning as Bama was climbing up a hill from Peters Mountain Shelter. I suspect the group was headed toward the next shelter at Rausch Gap, but that's almost 18 miles over those *#&! Pennsylvania rocks and boulders, so it's only a guess.Why so many boulders and rocks here? Approximately the northwestern half of Pennsylvania was covered by the last glacier. Characteristics of glacial advance and retreat and meltwater causes the scouring of the surface leaving rocky remains and deposited boulders carried by the former glacier. That's the quick answer, but my geology knowledge is pretty rusty.The good weather gods have gone on vacation. Bama good weather luck finally ran out, she had a great three month run. She and the big group she¢s with got drenched yesterday. Light rain and drizzle most of yesterday after the morning, then torrential downpours for over 8 miles before Rausch Shelter. Flooding in Pennsylvania has arrived. They managed to get 9 folks into an 8-person shelter and another 8-10 had to set up in the rain. Couldn't cook last night; everything was wet and there was no room to cook. Where are those beautiful double shelters now? Bama said that everyone's pack and everything in them was soaked - the type and design of the pack covers was irrelevant. All failed. Outlook is for another 3-4 days of rain.Bill
Date: 2006-06-26
From: Rausch Gap Shelter

To: 501 Shelter
Miles today: 17.4
Weather: moderate rain

Happy Birthday to Chadwick! (Bama's son)HAPPY THIRD MONTH ANNIVERSITY ON THE TRAIL, BAMA!! Here's wished for better weather.When I said rain yesterday, I meant the ¢solid walls of water causing flash floods¢ kind of rain. Details are few because Bama¢s slow going in the mud and boulders are making it almost impossible to make a call ¢ she has to concentrate on getting to the next shelter. This will be 17.4 miles, which in this terrain, is difficult enough without the rain and mud.Yesterday, when they reached the small Rausch Gap Shelter (about 12x14 ft), they had been crossing draws and normally dry low areas that were knee deep in rushing water. One hiker report chest deep at one place. Creeks looked like Class 4 rapids. The ground underneath the shelter was running water; Ponch went above the shelter and built a temporary water diversion to move some of the water away.As reported earlier, there was no cooking last night, but Bama was able to get a hot breakfast this morning once a few folks left the shelter. She put on her wet trail clothes, socks and boots from last night and hit the trail at 6:40 am. More flooding, more rocks. Mapman and Robin left a message on a post to take a detour to avoid a stream that was chest deep.Tonight they are headed to the 501 Shelter at PA 501 highway, which is supposed to be a much larger shelter with bunks. The reputed pizza delivery there won¢t happen as everyone hoped; one pizza store is closed for vacation and the other two are closed on Mondays. Bummer. I was able to call a local couple, Fritz and Amy. They run a kennel and also shuttle hikers to Pine Grove, PA nearby for supplies or whatever is needed. Fritz said they would make sure they had some provisions on hand and he said he would do what he could to help. He will probably go to the shelter even if no one calls just to check on them. Thanks, Amy and Fritz! This ranks as Trail Magic. They can be reached at 570-345-1119 or cell 815-549-1042.Things could be worse. Maybe more news later if Bama¢s cell phone holds out.Update: Bama called at about 5:00 pm her time. She had made it to the 501 Shelter and had scored one of the bunks - HooAhhh! There's this neat plastic skylight in the roof that lets you look at the downpouring rain without the wet. Then Trail Angel Amy, whose husband Fritz I had called earlier today, shows up to check on everyone and says that she is going to bring back a big pot of home made chili! My Lord! Does the hospitality and goodness in people along the trail ever stop? Thank you Amy and Fritz!Read an interesting saying on another journal this evening:No pain. No rain. No Maine. Couldn't be truer . . .Bill
Date: 2006-06-28
From: PA 183

To: 501 Shelter
Miles today: 9.3
Weather: few clouds

Bama, Little Wing & Old Drum couldn't stand it any more and had to get back on the trail this morning. The rain had stopped and they arranged for Fritz to shuttle them up to PA 183 so they could slack pack back to the 501 Shelter and get some miles in. The trail was a mess and while they didn't see any chest deep water (they started out where Chardonnay & Mercury turned back), they were often hiking in water above their boots and sock tops.After returning, they & Rusch Hour, Indiana, WildBill & Slick B went to Amy and Fritz's house to do laundry and met up with Cohiba and Otter who had been waiting out the storm. They chilled and played with the Cairn terriers and Vizsla puppies while they were waiting on the laundry. Amy fixed spaghetti and all the fixin's plus a chocolate cake for everyone. When Bama called I could hear Amy and Fritz in their swimming pool playing with the dogs and everyone laughing. Not bad! Amy and Fritz definitely need a metal from someone at the ATC. I'll see what I can do . . . After dinner they'll go back to the shelter to join Baldy Locks, Silver Foot, Brainfreeze, Pi & K'ache, and whoever else struggled in today.Tomorrow, Bama will head to Port Clinton which had been forced to partially evacuate due to flooding day before yesterday. I was supposed to meet Bama and Little Wing there, but they are still ahead of "schedule" - whatever that is - and will probably be near Allentown, PA by the time I get there Friday afternoon.Thanks be to God that no one we know of was hurt during the last couple of days!Bill
Date: 2006-06-29
From: PA 183

To: Port Clinton, PA
Miles today: 14.4
Weather: few clouds

Bama has a lot more details about the 15-something folks at the 501 Shelter last night, but she will have to fill in later.This morning Fritz dropped Bama, Little Wing & Old Drum at the PA 183 crossing where he picked them up yesterday. The day was nice and the sun was out. Most of the flooding had drained off, but there were plenty of just plain nasty areas they had to walk thru.They arrived in Port Clinton and of course, nothing there was open. What wasn't already out of business was closed due to the serious flooding in the area. About 15 thru-hikers ended up under a large pavilion to wait out a few passing showers. A really nice section-hiker, C.R. from Hiawassee, Ga, who was on his way to a wedding and stopped by to see what he could do. He ended up making numerous runs to a far-away Wendy's for dinner tonight. Thanks,C.R.! The pavilion is the property of a local church and is for the use of hikers during the thru-hiking season. Staying there were Bama, Little Wing, Old Drum, Rusch Hour, Indiana, Mouse, and many more.I spent today driving from Birmingham to Hagerstown, MD. Tomorrow, I will drive to the Eckville Shelter area where Bama, Little Wing and Old Drum will stop and we'll go to the hotel from there.Bill
Date: 2006-06-30
From: Port Clinton, PA

To: Hawk Mountain Road
Miles today: 15.2

Bama, Little Wing and Old Drum left the Pavilion at Port Clinton at about 6:45 am and headed to the river to start the trail, but it was still flooded and damgerous with flood debris. After about 15 minutes, they realized it would not be possible to complete this mile of the trail. They backtracked and hiked up Hwy 61 until they found where the trail crossed it and got back on.At Pulpit Rock, they were surprised to find a very large and sophisticated series of telescope observatory buildings and took a break there. Up and down and many rocky and muddy miles later they arrived at the Hawk Mountain Road crossing (about .2 mile north of the Eckville Shelter)and I was waiting for them and had the cold drinks ready. Earlier, I had driven in that morning from Hagerstown, MD and gone on to the hotel to unload. Met the Eckville Shelter caretaker - nice chap - and a thru-hiker, Beer-Thirty and his girl friend, Jenny, who has just recently joined him.We dropped Old Drum off at the Eckville Shelter where he will tent for the night and head north tomorrow. Bama, Little Wing and I went back to the hotel and had dinner at a local Italian joint across the street from the hotel (near Allentown, PA). Later in the night, Little Wing's partner, Scott, flew up from Gainesville, FL and drove over from Philadelphia.Tomorrow is a Zero day!Bill
Date: 2006-07-01
From: I-78 near Kutzburg, PA

To: I-78 near Kutzburg, PA
Miles today: 0.0

Today was for sleeping late. Bama, Little Wing, Scott and I had breakfast at the suburban Allentown Cracker Barrel (the only meal they serve that doesn¢t come out of a can). Very good meal. We drove to nearby Kutztown where they are holding their 9-day German/Mennonite/Amish festival and were intrigued, but decided the entry fee wasn¢t worth it. Staying on the back roads and enjoying the picturesque farms and barns (with hex signs), we worked our way to the Cabela¢s Outfitters Store in Hamburg, PA. Goodness gracious! Imagine a two-story, Super Wal-Mart, but entirely devoted to the outdoors. It would take two hours to just walk thru the different departments.Bama and Little Wing wanted Scott and me to ¢experience¢ the ambiance of Port Clinton, so we did a little tour and visited also the pavilion and infamous privy (pictures uploaded). Normally, not a bad place for hikers (and appreciated by all), but in the middle of and after a major flooding event ¢ well ¢ you just had to be there. While at the pavilion, we saw a number of thru-hikers preparing to move on including Enuff & Too Much, whom the girls had met before. Afterwards, we had lunch at the nearby 3C¢s restaurant and had an excellent lunch. Really nice place, family-owned and no smoking thru-out. Their breakfasts are considered some of the best on the trail. We¢ll probably come back there tomorrow before our car shuttle.Then we went to the Hawk Mountain Sanctuary (the nation¢s oldest) and viewed the exhibits. Tomorrow, we¢ll all hike from the Hwy 309 crossing south back to Hawk Mountain Shelter.Bill
Date: 2006-07-02
From: PA 309 Blue Mountain

To: Hawk Mountain Road
Miles today: 11.5

Bama, Little Wing, Scott and I left the motel at 6:00 am and rendezvoused at the 3C¢s restaurant in Port Clinton prior to shuttling. Good food and inexpensive. We dropped off my truck at the Hawk Mountain Road AT crossing and drove in his car on to the gap at PA 309. Nice trailhead ¢ easy to find.We set off about 8:15 or so. The first couple of hours headed south were a piece of cake ¢ mostly a jeep road. Then the rocks hit. Sharp, squarish, angular rocks, from softball sized to microwave sized to big screen TV sized to washing machine sized. No dirt between them for the most part. Definitely not something we see in Alabama or Georgia. Although the our section of trail was a 12-mile section of a thirty mile-long ridge, there was no view, except for one or two side trails to look-outs and Dan¢s Pulpit, only rocks and leaves and sticks. For all I knew, I could have been in Georgia, or Alaska or Minnesota. Bama and I spotted many, many of her old friends and trail acquaintances, including Rusch Hour, Identity Crisis, Indiana, Crazy, Silverfoot, Mike & Zen, Pi & K¢Ache, Mouse, Jangles and Shasta hiking north toward us.Dan¢s Pulpit is a lovely place to sit and rest and look out over the beautiful local farms ¢ too bad you can¢t enjoy this view in more spots. From there we gradually, then more steeply, then very steeply descended toward Hawk Mountain Road into a vast bottom land still partially flooded with 3-5 inches of water from the recent rains. Bama and I joined Little Wing and Scott and set off for PA 309 to get their car.After transferring, we all drove to the Blue Mountain Summit bar and restaurant for a beer to celebrate surviving the rocks (at least I did). Much to our surprise, some of the folks we have seen on the trail today began to drift in: Lebowski, Tecumseh, Bofus, Slick Bee, Cool Hand, FDR, River Weasel and Brain Freeze. Everybody stalled in Duncannon or Port Clinton is getting back into the swing of things after the Flood of 2006 and all on the trail at about the same place at the same time.Bama and I drove back to the motel via some more scenic routes and got a pizza at the place near the motel. Tomorrow, back to do the PA 309 to Lehigh Gap section.Bill
Date: 2006-07-03
From: PA 309 Blue Mountain

To: PA 248 Lehigh Gap
Miles today: 13.3

We got a lazy start and had breakfast at a local truck stop near the motel. Scott and I were going to shuttle cars to the hike today and we were also going to do some mail drops and give Brainfreeze a ride to the P.O. and trailhead, too.After a scenic trip thru the Pennsylvania back roads, we reached Slatington, PA (cute town) and found the P.O. Then we drove a few miles on to Palmerton, PA (not a cute town) to the Lehigh trail head. The one on the south side of the river is probably the easiest one at which to stop and park.Everyone was shocked at the appearance of this point of the trail. The mountain is scarred and denuded of vegetation in many areas, revealing the rocky skeleton. I learned from Scott that this is an EPA Superfund site and was the scene of mant years of ore smelting. Ain't pretty.Bama, Little Wing, Brainfreeze, Scott and I traveled back to PA 309 on a lovely back road drive. Hard to decribe the farming communities here. Their appearance is so different than what I'm used to in the south. With the plantings of corn, wheat, alfalfa, soy beans and others all occupying strips or sections, from these mountain views, the farms looked landscaped on purpose to look nice. The towns look run down in this area, but not the country. Hard to spot any poverty away from the major roads.Bama said there was only one way to describe this stretch - rocks. Check out the photos I'll post soon on yesterday's hike and multiply it by 10. Bama said she spent more time on her butt scooting down boulders and crawling than she did hiking. Wingfoot's book doesn't mention it, but there is a razor's edge on the trail that balances you on uneven boulders and has a very scary, steep drop-off on either side - not for those afraid of heights. I still wonder sometimes why the AT trail officials worked so hard at running the trail thru such obviously difficult and dangerous sections. Bama said it was a long and tough day - there wasn't anything else to say.I met them when they got off the trail with some cold drinks and we headed back for dinner and chores before getting ready for tomorrow's early start.Bill
Date: 2006-07-04
From: PA 248 Lehigh Gap

To: Leroy A. Smith Shelter
Miles today: 16.1
Weather: overcast clouds

This morning Bama and I were up early to repack our stuff, for her to get back on the trail and me to head home for Birmingham. Bama, Little Wing and Scott went to breakfast and Scott dropped Bama and Little Wing off at the Lehigh Gap to continue the trail. As I mentioned yesterday, the trail up the ridge at Lehigh is bare, and scary looking, and is very nearly straight up from the river.Bama reported later in a call on my way home that if the trail yesterday was scary, today it was terrifying ¢ and she is not someone who is easily terrified. Both she and Little Wing were literally frightened by the almost technical rock climbing they had to do, sometimes hand-over-hand to negotiate some of the boulders. There is even an alternate route up the ridge that is required in bad weather called the Winter Trail. Bama said she cannot imagine how SOBOs negotiate the white blazed trail down this rock face, even in good weather.Thankfully, they were able to make their 16 miles to the shelter because there was a 70% chance of thunderstorms today and pitching a tent in these rocks would not have been pleasant. Following is a little history on Lehigh Gap that Bama asked me to research.BillThe Lehigh Gap, also known as Weiders Crossing, is an American geological gap in the Kittatinny Ridge. It intersects the Lehigh River in the state of Pennsylvania. The gap in Blue Mountain allows easy travel between Carbon County to the North and Lehigh and Northampton Counties to the South of the mountain. One of the more unique features of the gap is Devil's Pulpit, a rock formation that reminds hikers of a pulpit. (Hikers also call this area Dante's Inferno)Blue Mountain is a ridge that forms the eastern (southeastern) edge of the Appalachian mountain range in Pennsylvania. It cuts across the eastern half of the state from New Jersey to Maryland, providing a distinct boundary between a number of Pennsylvania's geographical and cultural regions. To its northwest side are the southern and central mountains and valleys, the "coal region", and the Poconos. To its southeast side are the Cumberland Valley, the "capital region", Pennsylvania Dutch Country, and the Lehigh Valley.In 2002, the Wildlife Information Center purchased more than 750 acres near Lehigh Gap. Their goal is to restore the wildlife along Blue Mountain. From 1898 to 1980, Palmerton Zinc emitted Sulfur Dioxide rates of up to 3,600 pounds per hour, killing plantlife and animal habitats. Twenty years later, a noticeable lack of tree density remains on the Palmerton side of the gap. ("Lack of tree density" is an interesting term for what we would call bare and moon-like).
Date: 2006-07-05
From: Leroy A. Smith Shelter

To: Kirkridge Shelter
Miles today: 13.8
Weather: moderate rain

Bama and Little Wing got a late start out of the shelter today because of heavy rain from a cool front pushing thru Pennsylvania. It started just before dawn and lightened up enough to get on the trail about 9:30 am. Good thing most of the 15 or so hikers wanted to tent, the shelter was small and cramped and had no cooking area. Bama wanted to get out so others would have some dry space to pack up and try to fix breakfast.The rocks (tired of hearing about this yet ?) were just as bad except now they were wet and slippery. Oh well, pretty soon they get to New Jersey were the trail is better. She said the 7-mile stretch between Wing Gap and Wolf Rocks was about the worse, not so much the boulders, but miles of trying to hike on slick, jagged bowling balls. They arrived at the Kirkridge Shelter after a little more rain, but Bama said the day was cool and overcast making for a much easier day than it could have been. The next several days are supposed to be beautiful.At 4:30 pm, she and Little Wing were the only two there. Apparently, the rest of the group hiked into nearby Wind Gap for dinner and will probably hike up later. Bama laughed and said the ¢kids¢ probably let Little Wing and her get the shelter because of their habit of getting up at 5:00 am or so. Most of the younger hikers like to sleep in and prefer their tents.Tomorrow, a short hike into Delaware Water Gap, a little town outside Stroudsburg, PA and maybe some town chores.Bill
Date: 2006-07-07
From: Delaware Water Gap

To: Mohican Outdoor Center-New Yersey-8th State
Miles today: 10.5
Weather: broken clouds

Bama had a nice night¢s rest at the hostel and thanks to the good people at the church! She and Little Wing had breakfast at the Trail¢s End Restaurant and the food was very good. They headed up and out of the Delaware Gap after a v-e-r-y long walk over the I-80 bridge toward Kittatinny Point, NJ, and entered the Worthington State Forest at the Dunnfield Natural Area. For those of you who think New Jersey is all about ¢fuhgetaboutit¢ and the Sopranos, well, New Jersey¢s not called the ¢Garden State¢ because of Newark and Bayonne. This is a refreshing change after the last week in Pennsylvania where about you saw and experienced was rocks. Finally, some natural beauty you can see from the trail even there are still plenty of rocks. The weather was cooler, drier and very pretty. Bama said the ridgetop vistas were beautiful and the visibility was great. Bama & Little Wing met up with Old Drum and he¢s joined the girls again after a great break with his family.They stopped by Sunfish Pond for lunch and enjoyed the view. Bama asked me to look up some info on the area. This impressive, crystal clear glacial lake, registered as a National Natural Landmark in 1970, is surrounded by a chestnut oak forest and jagged rocky shores. A garden of rock sculptures, called the ¢runes¢ can be found along the shores, but I could not find who built them ¢ hikers? In the early 1900s, Crater Lake was a popular summer-cottage colony. In the 1960s and 1970s the federal government bought the area and tore down the cottages. Old roads in the area were part of the Lake Success (Crater Lake) second-home subdivision.Next, they reached the top of Raccoon Ridge at Mt. Mohican and had another fantastic, almost 360 degree view. Soon they plan to stop for the day at the Mohican Outdoor Center, a commercial retreat facility. Cabins are available depending on the season, but there is a store and plenty of tent camping. Bama,Little Wing and Old Drum opted for the big co-ed cabin area since they could shower, have a bunk and a den to sit and read before bedtime.Bill
Date: 2006-07-08
From: Mohican Outdoor Center

To: Brink Road Shelter
Miles today: 14.3
Weather: clear sky

Today leaving the relative comfort of the Mohican Outdoor Center. Lots of folks there, some hikers, some boaters, some attending various concurrent workshops. Melody had recommended talking to Dave Simpson, the manager. Nice guy. He fixed Bama, Little Wing and Old Drum some really good sandwiches, and they each put one in the bunk house fridge to take for lunch today.Still some rocks, but getting better. Bama called from the Catfish Fire Tower which had a great view. Farther down the trail was the Blue Mountain Lakes Road and a view of Crater Lake, but like many of the off-trail sights, most thru-hikers are just trying to make mileage and don¢t take the side trips -sometimes up to a half mile or do off the trail. For example, Buttermilk Falls is 1.9 miles off the trail ¢ probably very pretty, but there¢s no time to add 4 miles to today¢s hike.Interesting wildlife note: During much of today, Bama reported hiking thru what seemed like clouds of moths that ended up on her clothes and in her face. Best guess is they¢re gypsy moths that hatch and mate this time of year. Only the darker males fly. The light colored females crawl on trees and wait for the males. Their caterpillars are extremely destructive and present a real menace to most trees in the northeast.In addition to Little Wing, Drum and Pi & K¢ache, Bama also met up with MRE and his son, Windchime, who were doing some section hiking. Plus there¢s the usual band of younger guys hiking together, Rusch Hour, Indiana, Krazy, Treehouse and sometimes others.Bama leaves the national recreation area and enters the Stokes State Forest and reaches the Brinks Road Shelter. Not much of a shelter, it only sleeps five and there are no privy facilities. The area was very heavily used and there were many locals camping and a troop of Boy scouts there, too. Plus the area was buggy and there were lot of mosquitoes. Bama will be happy to get away from here tomorrow.Bill