morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2015-05-29
From: PA 501

To: Port Clinton
Miles today: 24.1

We had a really great time in Port Clinton this evening. We stayed at the Union House. They have rooms upstairs and a restaurant & bar downstairs. Bear in mind that it's not the traditional motel. It was established in 1845, and the rooms take a step back in history. The furnishings are antique, which requires some concessions. I don't think I've ever slept on a rope bed. But we thoroughly enjoyed it. The draft is Yuengling (proximity of the brewery). The owner, Herm, sold Princess on a Delmonico steak and it was terrific (Herm is also the chef), and I had a veal pasta dish, also first rate. I got to know Andy, a local organic farmer who is moving to Oregon, and Nancy and Bob who are interested in slack packing. Well, at least Nancy is. Shelley, Herm's niece and the bartender overserved us (not her fault) and we think/hope Herm is making a couple of sandwiches for us in the morning. Last of all, Herm treated us to some of his homemade red wine and it was fabulous. I was ready to take a zero tomorrow. Back to the trail. We did 24 miles today in the heat. I promise not to talk about the PA rocks. But trail maintenance in this section was sorely lacking. The trail was badly overgrown and there was a lot of debris on the trail. In spite of all of this, we passed the 1200 mile point on the trail today. The last section was an incredibly steep descent down to the Schuylkill River and into Port Clinton. I was really glad that the rain held off. We were treated to some trail magic this morning. About 10 miles into the hike we crossed a game commission road and a fellow there was doing magic. His wife is hiking the trail and started this morning at the 501 Shelter. He was planning to hike back from the road to meet her. He was there with a small group and offered us fruit and goodies, but most importantly he offered a couple bottles of water. Water is scarce in this part of PA and it was appreciated.
Date: 2015-05-30
From: Port Clinton

To: PA 309, Blue Mountain Summit
Miles today: 26.3
Weather: scattered clouds

Today was really a tough hike. Especially since we overstayed at the pub in the Union House last night. We managed to get up as early as usual, ate the sandwiches that Herm made us last night and headed out. Earlier this week the weather forecast predicted a day of rain, but as the week progressed the rain moved later in the day. So we hoped we could finish before it started. Initially we had a tough climb out of Port Clinton, steep at first with a lot of steps. Then a level walk leading into another climb to the top of a ridge. There was a steep descent, then a tough climb to Pulpit Rock - a rock formation with a nice view of the valley below. The last piece of the climb to the pulpit was up through boulders and was pretty challenging. We saw a lot of day hikers and families around the pulpit and suspected that there might be an easier way to get there. A couple of miles past the pulpit we passed a side trail to the Pinnacle. We don't usually take side trails and this was no exceptio. But there was a huge cairn at that point.The rest of the hike was long and tedious. There were several climbs and descents and some very long walks along old roadbeds. The long hike the previous day was wearing on me and I was pretty pooped at the end - 26.3 miles altogether. More than a marathon. As we were walking across the parking lot to the B&B entrance, it started to sprinkle and minutes later the rain started. Five minutes later and we would have been wet. The end point was the Blue Mountain Summit Restaurant and B&B. We had decided that after 2 long hikes in a row, we needed a zero and planned to extend our stay an extra day. But shortly after arriving we learned that we couldn't, the inn was full the next night. So we quickly decided to hike the next day, but shorten it to less than 10 miles (a Nero). We still had a great meal and a great time in the pub and managed to revise our arrangements for the next couple of days. We met a couple in the bar who were really intrigued by how we arrange for slack-packing and we enjoyed talking with them. Kenny, the owner is a real trip. He's a little hard to get used to, but he's a good guy and made sure we got what we needed for the evening.
Date: 2015-06-03
From: Wind Gap

To: Delaware Water Gap
Miles today: 15.6
Weather: broken clouds

This is possibly one of our favorite hikes. Not the whole hike, mind you, but the final descent. But let me set it up. Today we had our last breakfast at the Filbert for this season. Kathy asked what we wanted and that's what we got: French toast, eggs, cranberry juice, fruit, sourdough toast (very important) and good coffee. Saying goodbye is always tough. You really get to know your B&B hosts, especially when they're also your shuttle drivers. We had a great time with Kathy & Sherry. I know the hosts try to make you feel special, but Kathy made both of us feel like part of the family. Yesterday, during our hike, I broke my hiking pole that I bent when I fell the day before, so I'm down to one stick. As a final gesture of real compassion, Kathy offered me a set of (2) poles that she said she would never use. They are actually ski poles, but they look really sturdy. At first I declined, but Princess suggested that I would really need 2 poles on the upcoming "Wolf Rocks". Recognizing the wisdom of my wife ..., I accepted. So early Wednesday morning Kathy cast us out at Wind Gap and we started trudging east through the rocks. Actually, many of these hikes stimulate memories. Last year, when Kathy dropped us off at this very same point, we met Boss dropping Pintsize at the same parking lot, and we hiked much of the same section with Pint (except last year it was foggy and wet). The 3 of us tramped through the first 5 miles of rocky trail until we reached the blue blaze trail around Wolf Rocks. Princess & I were ready to ditch the Wolf, but Pint suggested that we give it a try before we took bypass. So last year we checked out the Wolf and we made it through. This year our strategy has been different. Even though we're slacking, we're not skipping any white blazes. So we did them again. Somehow they seemed tougher and longer, but more fun this time. After that we had a long woods walk and then a long woods road walk before we finally reached Mt. Minski. We saw quite a few of the red spotted newts along the woods road. And we also saw a lot of day hikers around the Mt. Minski summit. Then the trail turned down and we descended into Delaware Water Gap. The downhill into DWG is what I referred to above as one of our favorites. It goes through a whole spectrum of biomes. It's pretty, and scenic and varied. And we really like it. The views of the Delaware River are great. In DWG, the AT goes right past the Deerhead Inn, our lodging of choice. We like the rooms and the historic character, but the jazz club on the first floor is something special. Last year we stayed here at the wrong time of week and the club was closed. This year we hope to hear some jazz. DWG is really small and doesn't have all the amenities of larger towns. But the Deerhead is seriously jazz-oriented and the rooms are nice with new bathrooms. Life is good.
Date: 2015-06-05
From: US 206, Culvers Gap

To: Millbrook-Blairsville Rd.
Miles today: 14.4

Our shuttle ride this morning was longer than yesterday. We added another piece of the AT to our stay in Delaware Water Gap so we could have one more dinner at the Deerhead Jazz Club. We arranged an earlier shuttle departure (5:30 AM, it's hard to find early morning shuttle drivers) and we were at the Culver Gap trailhead by 6:30. We decided to go SoBo again today so the shuttle ride would be shorter at the end of the hike. As we cranked up the climb out of Culvers Gap, it sprinkled for a few minutes. We groaned, the forecast said only a 20% chance of rain. Then it stopped and we never saw rain again, although the morning was overcast. Today's hike didn't provide as many unique features as yesterday. We crossed Rattlesnake Mtn about 5 mi into the hike with some trepidation, but we didn't see any snakes. We actually had a hard time figuring out which of several peaks was the actual peak of the mountain. We went by Crater Lake, but it was a half mile off trail, so we passed it by. Much of the last half of the hike was along woods roads. These may be rocky in spots, but generally have an easier grade than the trail. We met a lot of people along the way. We talked with Magnum for a few minutes. He's from Ohio and has a daughter that lives close to our home in VA. We also talked with Kat and Well Woman for a bit. They are interested in some of the arrangements that we've made for slacking and some of the places that we stayed last year. We also encountered a large group of schoolchildren, perhaps 30, who were out on a field trip. Our driver pulled up literally minutes after we reached our endpoint for the day and we were quickly back at the Deerhead in DWG. We had lunch at the Village Farmer again - this is a "must stop" if you visit this area. And we had dinner again at the Jazz Club. The music was great, but we had to leave early to pack up. We leave early again tomorrow morning.
Date: 2015-06-06
From: Culvers Gap

To: NJ 23 High Point State Park HQ
Miles today: 14.3

Adios Delaware Water Gap (for now) and on to the rest of NJ. Today our driver took us back to Culver Gap, same place as yesterday. But today we headed NoBo and he drove our packs on to the High Point Country Inn where we plan to spend 2 nights.From the trailhead we started uphill toward the Culver Fire Tower. There's not a lot going on at the tower, but there is a picnic table. Last year, some workmen at the tower had a tent set up and gave us some coffee. This year, no one was home. Sunrise Mountain was the next milestone, about 3.5 miles from the fire tower. There is an interesting stone Pavilion at the top with open views both east and west. I don't know much about the history of the Pavilion beyond that it was built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s. It's a large structure with a roof set in stone masonry pillars and a stone floor. It's empty except for two benches at one end. Today it was a good opportunity for us to take a water break and grab a snack. When we left a few minutes later, we met a Park employee about 20 yards down the trail. He was apparently coming up to check on the facility. A few minutes later we realized that there is a parking lot close to the Pavilion, so it's pretty accessible. There are 3 shelters on the section of trail that we hiked today. Two are located off the trail and we didn't visit them. But the trail goes right past the third so we stopped and took another break. There are 2 reasons that I remember this shelter. One is that it has an unusual name: Mashipacong Shelter. The second is that we stopped here last year to take off our boots; we were hiking in a pouring rain and we literally poured water out of our boots. The remainder of the hike was a six mile or so prelude to the High Point State Park HQ. There were a couple of open vistas song the trail, but small groups of hikers had taken up residence for a break, so we pushed on. The park HQ finally showed up and we went inside and called for our pickup. The High Point Country Inn is about a mile and a half down the road from the HQ and they will pick hikers up at the HQ. While we waited we enjoyed the free soft drink the park service provides for thru hikers. Overall it was a nice hike. The terrain was varied and the weather was cool. Apparently it rained here yesterday since the trail was damp and the rocks were wet, but it wasn't a problem. My biggest issue is trail maintenance on some sections. Many parts of the trail are very narrow with low hanging branches. In many places it is impossible to walk the trail without brushing against growth on both sides and even foliage hanging down from above. Several days ago we heard from a ridge runner that this section is full of ticks. If this section isn't better maintained its going to be a hotbed for Lyme.
Date: 2015-06-08
From: Liberty Corners Road

To: Warwick Turnpike
Miles today: 12.5

We started off well enough today. Our usual routine of taping up our toes, putting on bug spray, loading up our slack packs, drinking as much water as possible, etc. Ron, the manager here at the High Point Country Inn, is also the shuttle driver and Princess talked him into taking us to the Liberty Corners trailhead at 6 and then ferrying our backpacks to our next base at Greenwood Lake. We made it to the trail on schedule, but as we climbed out, things deteriorated - it started to sprinkle. The weather forecast had shifted overnight and the afternoon rain was moved up to the morning. A quick look at radar showed a thick band of serious rain moving in from the west. We knew we would get wet, but we wanted to get up and across as much of Pochuck Mountain as possible before the heavy rain set in. The AT across Pochuck had three climbs, with the middle being the highest. A light rain set in while we crossed the first, but the tree leaves caught most if it and the rocks were just a little damp. We were fortunate that the hard rain didn't show up until we had crossed the top of the second. The hard rain continued for about an hour and then the drizzle lasted for a couple of hours. We heard a little distant thunder, but it never got close. By the middle of the hike, the trail was wet and forming puddles. The mud and rocks were slick. And our boots were soaked. Otherwise, the hike was interesting. Probably the most unique feature was the boardwalk across the swamp around the Pochuck Creek. This is a curving boardwalk nearly a mile long about 4 feet above the swamp and there is a neat suspension bridge in the middle. The last climb of the day was a long climb through the rocks that wound around the side of a mountain. I'm not sure, but I think it was Wawayanda Mountain. The AT Guide says it's called "the stairway to heaven" and it is one of the longest rock stairs that I've seen. After the hike we called Anton on the Lake for a shuttle. The weather cleared and the sun came out in the afternoon so we were able to dry our gear. Our biggest dilemma now is which section to do tomorrow. Rain is forecast for the morning, so we'd prefer an easier section. We'll decide later.
Date: 2015-06-09
From: Warwick Turnpike

To: Lakes Road
Miles today: 13.1

When we finished yesterday, our gear was soaked. Pulling on wet boots early in the morning is not fun and that's how we started this morning. We had a hard time deciding which section to do today. The forecast had been pretty consistent: rain. So we thought about skipping ahead a day to a section that might be easier in the rain. Eventually we decided not to skip and to hike the next section north. Matt has the shuttle duty here at Anton on the Lake and he gave us an early start at the Warwick Turnpike trailhead. Remarkably, it wasn't raining. But the overnight rain left the trail soggy. It wasn't long before we were drenched from the grass, bushes and trees along the trail. But in fact, it never rained while we were hiking. And it was a tough hike. It's hard to explain why, since the elevation profile didn't range much over 500 feet most of the day. But there were plenty of ups and downs, and plenty of rock climbs. The highlights included Prospect Rock, Cat Rocks, the ladder and the NJ-NY state border. I've included some pics to give you a sense of the terrain. It seemed like a series of climbs to rock outcroppings, and some of the outcroppings were pretty challenging on the way up as well as the way down. All of them were wet and slippery from last nights rain. Last year we did this section SoBo, so we climbed down the ladder. This time we were NoBo so we got a different perspective. The ladder didn't look as formidable from the bottom up. Also, today we finished the eighth AT state, crossing the border from NJ into NY. The border was actually painted on a rock face near Prospect Rock. We had two other incidents today. Not long after we passed Prospect Rock I tried to walk down a flat, but damp sloping rock, and both feet went out from under me. I hit pretty hard on my left hip and elbow. It took a few minutes to shake it off, and I managed to finish the hike. The hip seems to be OK. But my elbow is cut, scraped and bruised. The second incident was a little different. We were walking across relatively flat rocks around midday. Princess was maybe 10 feet behind me when she made a strange noise. I turned around and she was carefully backing up. I had walked over a crevice holding a fairly large rattlesnake. Maybe it was taking a nap in the warm sun and half asleep, but it never rattled for either of us. The trail was pretty quiet. We only saw one other hiker, Retro. He said he decided to zero at the Wildcat Shelter since it was supposed to rain, and he was just walking down the trail to get some water. When we reached Lakes Road we called Matt at our motel and he picked us up literally 10 minutes later. A good thing, because it started to rain just as he pulled up, and it poured for about 20 minutes.
Date: 2015-06-10
From: Lakes Road

To: Arden Valley Road (Tiorati Circle)
Miles today: 13.9
Weather: broken clouds

We had a good time in Greenwood Lakes last night, made it a little hard to rise and shine this morning. It seems that this town has almost all of what we need. We thought briefly about zeroing here, but that would complicate some of our downstream plans. So we'll move on. But we really enjoyed Murphys Tavern, I got the shepherd's pie two nights in a row. Greg, the bartender is excellent and we met some interesting people. A very friendly town. We slept in an extra hour this morning, Matt the inn manager is also the only shuttle driver, so he need to mesh everyone's transportation needs. There is a group of about 10 flip-flop thru-hikers staying here, and they want breakfast in town so we were still the first out. The weather for the day looked great and it turned out to be a nice hike. It started off cool, but warmed up considerably. I think I mentioned yesterday that the hikes in this area look easy with respect to the elevation profile, but there are lots of short and steep ups & downs that are taxing. Such was the case today. We started with Buchanan Mountain, which wasn't too bad. But Arden Mtn. was next and it was tougher, especially the steep downhill side. After crossing the NY StateThruway, we had to go through the Lemon Squeezer, before finishing Island Pond Mountain. The Lemon Squeezer is a long, narrow crevice between two massive rocks. It does get narrow and the crevice leans a little. A larger person would probably have to take their backpack off and pull it through. But we have much smaller slack-packs, so no problem for us. The last mountain for us today was Fingerboard Mountain, a long drawn-out mountain characterized by stretches of long, narrow flat rocks. I'm sure the name of the mountain is related to these rocks. It seemed like a good place to find snakes, but we didn't see any. We quit the trail at Arden Valley Road, but we arranged to meet Matt at Tiorati Circle about 0.3 miles downhill from the trail. The flip-floppers were already there. They had already checked out of Antons before hiking, and Matt was bringing their backpacks (they were slack-packing too). They planned to continue hiking for another 4 miles to the next shelter. So when Matt arrived with their backpacks, we hopped in the truck with him and rode back to his motel. So one last night in Greenwood Lakes and then onward tomorrow to Ft. Montgomery.
Date: 2015-06-12
From: Bear Mountain Bridge (Hudson R.)

To: Dennytown Road
Miles today: 14.5
Weather: overcast clouds

We had grand plans for today, slack-pack north for 25+ miles from Ft. Montgomery (a really long hike for us). Everything seemed to work in our favor. We got an early shuttle from the Bear Mountain Bridge Motel to the end of the bridge over the Hudson River and we were on the trail by 7:00. Eagle Eye also stayed at the Bear Mtn Bridge Motel and zeroed there yesterday. He shared the shuttle ride to the bridge with us. The only thing that worked against us today was the heat. It was close to 90 and extremely humid with very little breeze in the forest. The net result was that I used up all my uphill juice after about 10 miles. I managed to struggle through a few more miles, but that was it. I was OK on level ground or going downhill, but I just didn't have the legs to do even a minor climb. We always try to look for possible exit points on each day's hike - road crossings or access points where we could get off the trail if necessary. Today we had 2 potential exits, one at about 14 miles and another at about 19 miles. I was feeling so bad that 14 miles couldn't come soon enough. Fortunately, it worked out OK with Martin, our shuttle driver and he was available to rescue us. I'm not sure what it was. Dehydration is most likely. We carried extra water bottles, anticipating the heat. But I couldn't seem to drink enough. I think I sweat out every drop I drank, and I was soaking wet from nearly the beginning. Another possibility is an after-effect from Lyme. I was warned that fatigue could be a problem long after the initial symptoms disappeared. Anyway, I'm drinking all I can, with electrolytes, in prep for tomorrow. Earlier today, Martin went by our last motel in Ft. Montgomery and picked up our backpacks, so he had them in his car when he picked us up at the trailhead. Then he drove us to our next lodging, the Duchess Motor Lodge in Wingdale, NY. Princess is doing some rearrangements in our schedule, but a lot depends on how I recover. The weather tomorrow is expected to much like today.