morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2005-06-28
From: Riverfront Campground, Duncannon

To: PA325 / Al & Eloise's House
Miles today: 16.0

I wish that I had more energy tonight so that I could better describe this day. My brief words will have to do for now.    Our campground stay cost us $3.50 per person for the night. Even though we did get to shower, they may have had the better deal out of it. The accommodations were not fancy... we would both probably say that we prefer the stays in the woods. We slept in a little bit, ran to the truckstop to supplement our snacks, and headed out of town after crossing the Susquehanna River. Temps were in the low 90's, humidity was ridiculous, and the rocks required each step to be calculated, so our 2.5 to 3.0 mph average pace was knocked back down to less than 2 mph. It made for a long day.    Two things stand out as making this a great day. First, a couple named Jim & Linda chose to celebrate Jim's birthday (he's an AT section hiker) by offering trail magic at the PA225 parking area. Chips, soda, cookies and nice people to share some time with was something to perk us up. One thing about Pennsylvania so far (as well as farther north, we hear) is the lack of good water sources. Many are located a good distance from the trail, or are springs that have dried up by mid summer, thus, the gallons of watered offered by Jim & Linda to fill our water bags were greatly appreciated as well.    Back on the trail we pushed through the heat, and at the 16 mile mark we came to a road crossing with a stream where we planned to again refill our water and then probably move on a few more miles. As we passed the stream, a man named Al was fishing and called over to offer us a soda to drink. We, of course, said yes, and he continued by offering us a night's stay at his home, with showers, food and laundry. Needless to say, we took him up on the offer. We hardly feel like thru hikers anymore with 7 straight days of showers! Bug and Ms. Priss also happened upon Al, so the four of hopped in his truck and headed to his house.   Since arriving, Al and his wife, Eloise, have fed us dinner, allowed us to shower, do laundry, watch the news, play with their dogs, explore their property that includes a huge garden and even bee hives, and most of all, feel right at home. We're enjoying a relaxing evening on the porch as we chat with Bug & Ms. Priss. The breeze here is finally cooling us down a little. The last time that I saw Al he said that he was going to prep breakfast for tomorrow morning. It never ceases to amaze me when people so feely give themselves to strangers. These are experiences that we must allow to change us. To receive all that the trail community gives and then to go back unchanged would be a wasted opportunity, and not to mention very selfish. What an incredible way to end a hot and mostly miserable day of hiking. Thank you, Al and Eloise!
Date: 2005-06-30
From: 501 Shelter

To: Pavillon in Port Clinton, PA
Miles today: 23.7
Weather: light rain

Last night's shelter was amazing. We were thankful for its sky light during the storm, as well as the forgiving group of hikers that welcomed us after they had gone to bed. It was hard to get out early due to yesterday's high milage, so it was after 9 AM before we left. Again, long miles and lots of rocks defined our day. Sections along the way looked like cobblestone road except that rocks were jagged with corners pointing up. As we shoed up in town we met Grey Beard and L.B. at a restaurant and realized that prices were too high. So, we got a ride to a nearby town of Hamburg (which had a Cabellas store, but it was closed). We ate fast food, bought some supplimental snacks for the days to come and got back to Port Clinton before the others got back from their meal. Thanks to the nice people who gave us rides each way! We're spending the night tonight camped near an old pavillon that is open to hikers who are in town. It seems that we've hiked our way out of the hiker void that we were in and we're joined by other hikers here tonight. SpitFire & Guideless, Trail & Rain Drop, L.B., Grey Beard, Buttah, High Noon and Red Blaze are all here. We look forward to an easier day tomorrow and to being with this group of hikers.    Today is our 3 month anniversary on the trail (of hiking, not marriage!). It seems like much, much longer. Does that mean that we're not having fun? I think it means that we've had a year's worth of experiences in a short time, and so our perception of time has become quite skewed.
Date: 2005-07-01
From: Pavillon in Port Clinton, PA

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

The plan was to get up and out early and hike a relatively easy 15 miles and have an afternoon off to read and relax. It seems like we just got back on the Trail from DC but that was 100 miles ago and those miles flew by. Well, things never go as planned. We got up late, went and had an incredible breakfast with about 10 other hikers at a local place called 3 C's, stopped by the outfitter, made our phone callse and went to the Post Office where we spent 3 hours sitting on the porch. First of all, we not only got our expected mail drop that we had prepared for ourselves before we left, but we also got a care package from a friend of ours who hiked last year. Thanks, Ty Middleton (Valentine!). She sent lots of goodies, all her favorites from her hike, so it was a real treat. It was also an opportunity to replace some meals that were growing bored with. It was great timing and a very thoughtful surprise. As we were sitting at the P.O., hikers passed through for hours. It was good to meet Proteus and Leviathan, and great to again see Stats and Mud Pumpkin, who we haven't seen since Bland, VA (620 miles ago). Bug and Ms. Priss showed up and then Patch stopped by. Several hikers were comparing their beat up feet after all the rocks we have been stepping on. Poor Bug's are black and blue! Spit Fire's were actually bleeding. We're thankful that we're only a little sore. We feel like after our time off, we've finally caught up to a few old faces. By the time we left, it was after 1 PM (about 5 hours later than expected). So, we hiked only 6 miles and still got to take our evening off. Were enjoying our time hanging out with Leviathan, Proteus, Grocery Cart and Patch. It is a good thing to live without a schedule!
Date: 2005-07-02
From: Windsor Furnace Shelter

To: Allentown Hiking Club Shelter
Miles today: 16.5
Weather: scattered clouds

Today was a lazy day. Late last night a thunderstorm rolled through wich was a as powerful as any that we've seen yet. The excitement lasted for only about a half hour or so, but it was amazing. By morning, everything had cleared off and the humidity had left with the storm. It's exciting to watch a storm, and even feel a little spray of the rain on our faces from a 3 sided shelter structure.    We were unsure how far we would hike today, but had hopes of maybe going 27 miles. It wasn't to be, though. At nine miles we came to a shelter with a caretaker, Pepsi, ice cream sandwiches, a solar shower, and room to lounge around. It took us almost 3 hours to leave. The humidity has dropped, there was a breeze all day, and we kept saying to one another that these are the perfect days that you picture of summer hiking.    From there, it was 7 very rocky miles to the shelter that we are in now. I's very strange when a day is so leisurely, and still there is much time left over at the end. We've begun to feel guilty on days like today because we feel like we could be hiking more. We've decided that it's dumb to fret over "only" hiking 16 miles. Shorter days mixed in with the long days also help our bodies to recover and stay strong. As I lay here writing, fireworks are going off in a town below in the valley, a reminder that this is a 4th of July weekend. We mostly hear them, but can catch a few glimpses of the colors through the trees.
Date: 2005-07-05
From: Wind Gap / Blue Mtn Dome

To: Church of the Mtn Hostel, Del Water Gap
Miles today: 15.6

When I was younger, I was hooked on the video / computer game, Tetris. The more I played, the harder it was for me to sleep. When I'd close my eyes at night, all I could picture in my head were shapes falling and I would lay there feeling anxiety as I'd try to picture them coming together. Last night, as I layed down to sleep, all I could picture were rocks in front of me, and as fast as I could imagine where I could safely place my feet, new sections of rocks appeared and the anxiety continued.    The first 6-8 miles of our day were the rockiest we've seen (have we mentioned yet that there are rocks in Pennsylvania?!). Every now and then, however, the rocks would change from sharp, softball sized obstacles to a playground of huge boulders that were fun to jump around on and climb over. It seemed that just as our patience was wearing thin we'd get the break we needed. Nothing too exciting really happened through the hiking portion of our day. We did talk to Big Foot for awhile at the very beginning, and stopped about 9 miles in at a shelter to visit with Grey Beard and cook breakfast since Linda had to leave early and she was our ride to Wind Gap this morning. We didn't have time to cook, started our day with granola bars. The oatmeal had to wait until later.   When we reached town we went straight to the hiker hostel at the Church of the Mountain, a Presbyterian Church in Delaware Water Gap, PA. As we descended into town, we could see across the Delaware River into New Jersey. It's neat to see a church that is so giving and trusting, being able to play a role in the trail experience. Since our four days in DC, we've been able to make up some time on hiker friends who had gotton ahead. With Delaware Water Gap being a common town for people to take a day off, there are people who have been here for a day who we've now caught up with. Staying here are Hairball and Snowbunny, Sam I Am and Origami, Nomad, L.B. and the others who arrived with us today (Leviathan, High Noon, Buttah, Proteus, Red Blaze, Patch, Rodeo, Big Foot, Vision Quest, Ang, Box of Fun, Grey Walrus and Pathfinder). It's a good, relaxing place to be. We had dinner at a truly Italian pizza place. I managed to eat an entire 14 inch pizza, along with most of a pint of Ben and Jerry's. Tomorrow night, we're treating ourselves to a hotel stay and taking a day off ourselves. It's definately time to do laundry, and catch up on our journal entries, etc.
Date: 2005-07-06
From: Church of the Mtn Hostel, Del Water Gap

To: Ramada Inn, Delaware Water Gap, PA
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

Ahhh... a zero day! It's been 9 hiking days and pretty rough terrain since we last were able to have some time off the trail. It's not all fun of course. It's a change in scerery and chores. We've taken a shuttle to nearby Stroudsburg for laundry, website updates, and groceries. Hopefully we'll have time this afternoon for a nap and some reading.    Last night we were talking with another hiker about his experience before coming out here. He mentioned living in a racially segregated community while working with Americore, and the frustrations that came with the resulting brokeness. He said that one of the reasons that he's on the AT is the healthy community dynamic that exists here. He said that he would define healthy community as looking out for the basic needs of one another (food, water, safely, shelter, etc), as well as sharing a common sense of purpose. Out here, that purpose is hiking from Springer to Katahdin and our communal responsibility is to help one another accomplish that goal. I could tell that he'd really thought this through and I can agree with his definition as well as its application while on the AT.    As with all lessons we learn out here, we believe that growing in our understanding of community is only valuable if we are able to apply our lessons in a real world context. Am I a good citizen of the work place, the church, in my circle of friends, in my home?   Interestingly enough, Hopeful turned the conversations back to this hiker's own experiences. She asked him where he'd seen this type of community in the past, or where he thinks he might find it after the hike. He didn't have an answer. Earlier in the week she had asked a different hiker a similar question. He felt that he had experienced community at music festivals. As we examine our own pasts, we see how our church family in Lake Ann, MI has been a community that searches for ways to care for our needs, while sharing common beliefs that give us similar purpose and goals. As we've been out here, we've realized how rare it is to have true community and how many advancements promote a superficial culture that allows us to live more detached lives.
Date: 2005-07-07
From: Ramada Inn, Delaware Water Gap, PA

To: Mohican Outdoor Center
Miles today: 10.5
Weather: light rain

We didn't get many miles in but this has been a very good day. Before leaving this morning, we had breakfast, made our final phone calls, and watched the morning news to see the early reports following the London bombings. I'm someone who likes to follow the news, so not knowing what going on in the world has been a struggle of mine these past few months. The news also warned us of the upcoming rain from tropical storm Cindy. We expect heavy rain to hit tonight and last through tomorrow.   Our hike out was great. First, we had to cross the Delaware River into New Jersey-- another state line! The mist over the mountains was beautiful. There were overall fewer rocks, shorter climbs and somehow we had a lot of energy (maybe the zero day yesterday had something to do with it?). We arrived here at the Mohican Outdoor Center (a lodge/hostel/campground run by the Appalachian Mountain Club) around 2 PM and couldn't decide whether to move on or not. The next shelter is another 14 miles. So, we decided to stay and have enjoyed the company of Patch, Buttah, Leviathan, High Noon, Origami, Sam-I-Am, Train, Rain Drop, T-Bone who wandered in throughout the afternoon. Colonel Mustard and Free arrived later. There are supposed to be a lot of Timber Rattle Snakes in the area, and we've seen the pictures, but still no snakes. In this cabin / house-with-lots-of-bunkbeds we found some board games, and have kept ourselves entertained. We taught the others how to play Speed Scrabble and it got pretty intense. It's a good thing that Scrabble tiles aren't often around because everyone seems to be addicted. The building that we're in has a feeling of summer camp. I guess, to some degree, today has felt like a day at summer camp. If the rains do come tonight, we'll be thankful to have a roof over our heads.
Date: 2005-07-08
From: Mohican Outdoor Center

To: Brink Road Shelter
Miles today: 14.3
Weather: moderate rain

It's no secret that I hate the rain. It started at about 11 PM last night. We slept very well indoors, but then we had to go out and face the day's weather. We may have been overly optimistic, thinking that we'd make 20+ miles and that we wouldn't get too cold. After all, it is July. Who would have thought that July would bring driving rain and temps in the 60's? I guess we were due some tougher days. It was hard to think about anything but the rain and getting somewhere dry the whole time we were walking. Leviathan talks about have "PMA", a "positive mental attitude" to get you through. We had to dig deep (even Hopeful) to find our PMA today.   When we decided to stop off at the first shelter, we thought we'd be the first ones there, but instead we found a group of seven hikers who were taking a zero day at the sight, to avoid the weatuther. Thankfully, the three guys inside moved over and there was still room for us (although not a lot, it is an old, small shelter), so we didn't have to pitch a tent. We spent the afternoon playing cards with Hairball and Snowbunny. They taught us Spades, and we taught them the good old midwestern game of Euchre. For some reason, several groups have chosen this section of the trail for trips this week. We are also near more and more populated areas. Yesterday we met two youth groups / scout groups / camp groups. Today there were four groups. As youth leaders we were sympathetic... what a bad day to have to be responsible for 8 or 10 young campers. As we passed time with afternoon, the rain finally stopped. Now, well into the evening, it has started again. The forecast calls for clear tomorrow. We hope so!
Date: 2005-07-09
From: Brink Road Shelter

To: Highpoint Shelter
Miles today: 19.6
Weather: scattered clouds

In case there needed to be any further proof that I'm a fair weather hiker, today confirmed the fact. By the time we got up, the sun was occasionally poking through the clouds and the sky looked promising. Eventually, it cleared off, giving us temps in the low 70's with a cool breeze and no humidity. Thunderstorms were audible off in the distance, and at one point we got a slight sprinkle for about 5 minutes, but it was a great day compared to yesterday's misery. Today is like the days we imagine the AT to be like when we day dream back home. You reach a vista, the breeze blows your hair back, you're not dripping with sweat...   We tried to leave early hoping to see some of the famous New Jersey bears. Yet we quickly met up with Leviathan who had camped a short distance past the shelter. We spent the next 4 miles walking and talking together. We really appreciate Leviathan's conversation as he, too, is often thinking about spiritual themes, and is spending some time while on the AT reading some book that help form his views. While we don't always agree on religious views, I think we've learned from one another. It's been good to get to know him. A couple of highlights, in addition to our talk this morning, were, first, a small plane that had crashed into the mountain just a few days ago. We heard that the pilot walked away from it and that a thru-hiker helped him find his way into town. After seeing the wreckage (see photo), that seems like a miracle! The second is that once we gave up trying to be quiet and look for bears, we saw one cross the trail ahead. We had a chance to watch him for a few minutes before he walked out of sight.    Following our time with Leviathan, he stayed back at a road crossing near some restaurants to wait for the rest of "Team Hustle", the name for the four-some he started the Trail with. We hiked on from there with Hairball and Snowbunny. For the rest of the day, they kept us entertained. The day just seems to go by faster when we spend it with others. We ate an early dinner at a nearby ranger station for Highpoint State Park. We like to make use of water spigots near the trail whenever possible, to save us treating our water. There we also picked up a mail drops box, reorganized, and then hiked a final two miles to get to the shelter tonight. There are quite a few people here, and two nice streams. That is actually quite an important note, since some of the springs listed in our data book have been dry since we are now in mid summer.         It could not have been a more comfortable and pleasant day. As we walked, we realized that we're becoming more excited for the upcoming scenery of New England. Until then, we're loving New Jersey.
Date: 2005-07-11
From: Episcopal Church Hostel, Vernon NJ

To: Wildcat Shelter
Miles today: 17.3
Weather: clear sky

Hopeful: Hopefully you've noticed by now that Red Wing typcially writes all the journal entries, and I always note when I'm taking a turn. I'm not being a slacker, though, since my job is to post them on the website.   Train and Raindrop joke being "Team Tardy", but that was actually us this time. Trail angel "Butch Cassidy" had already dropped off Dunkin Donuts and coffee at the hostel. Red Wing was pretty excited about that! We didn't rush because we knew that we had to go to the Post Office, which didn't open until 8:30 AM. Part of the hostel stay included doing a clean up chore, so we did those. And the Post Office included sending home our latest memory disc from our camera, with pictures from all the way back in Harper's Ferry, WV. If you read our journals as we post them, be sure to go back once inawhile to chehck our corresponding pictures. It takes us longer to those posted because they actually get sent back to Michigan via snail mail first. Marilyn, our friend from our home church, graciously spends a lot of time getting them on the web site for us. Speaking of people from home, we want to say a special "hey" to the Lake Ann Youth since we've been thinking of you tons with the trip to Florida last month and then Summer Games Camp, that many of you are involved with, this month. We talk about you and pray for you often as we hike. In fact, we've even taught a few of our hiking friends the term "Dirty Brick" from Summer Games Camp!   Today had lots of highlights. We hiked all in a row with two other couples for part of the day, which looked kind of like a train, but was fun! There are lots of other hikers in the vicinity as well-- maybe 15+. So, we leapfrog one another throughout the day. We had to scale lots of boulders, which felt like rock climbing at time, but was rewarded with great views. It was a state line day from New Jersey to New York. Our friend Jax prefers to say "Zoo" Jersey, since there are so many bear. No more for us of that species since yesterday, but we did see our first rattlesnake, just a baby one, and we also spent some cool moments watching a doe and her two spotted fawns wandering just a short distance off the trail.   From a distance we looked down on a lake and heard and saw boats. What we would hahve given for a swim and a boat ride! It was a hot one, we took in lots of water. I also took in lots of blueberries. The wild ones continue to be plentiful and they are delicious! Ice cream was another treat since we passed a creamery just .1 mile from the road near the end of our day's hike. Red Wing and I split a quart of a flavor called "Lick the Bowl".   Everyone here tonight is marveling at what a big group it is. Many of us haven't been around so many hikers at one time since the far south. We enjoy it since we know it won't last forever. In fact, hikers only 20 miles or so ahead may even be sleeping alone tonight. The mosquitoes are going to be annoying in the shelter tonight, but the option of sleeping in our tent, on a hot night with absolutely no breeze, doesn't sound any better.
Date: 2005-07-12
From: Wildcat Shelter

To: William Brien Memorial Shelter
Miles today: 19.6
Weather: few clouds

The bugs woke us up early and we knew that it was going to be a tougher day, so we got up right away. Everyone by now seems to be able to be up and out early so we left around the middle of the pack, which allowed us to see hikers all day. It was hot and humid early and the temps never let off until late this evening. The climbs were also a little more challenging. We were constantly either going up or down and the mountains seemed to be more rocky and steep than anything we've seen yet. One of the best parts of the day was when, after 15 miles, we came to a large public beach. We went swimming, ate dinner, had some ice cream, and took a restful couple of hours off with L.B., Free and Colonel Mustard. It was such a treat to be able to swim!   Now that we're in Harriman State Park, the whole scene is different. About midday we crossed into the park's boundaries and immediately noticed that the trees were less dense, the rocks were larger, streams crossed more often and grass and moss covered everything. It really is beautiful here. While this may have been one of our toughest hikes lately, it was definately one of the most interesting and unique terrains. At one point, we passed through "The Lemon Squeezer", where we had to squeeze through a crack in a boulder and then crawl up on top from the inside. We ended our night snacking in the shelter (we had eaten dinner earlier at the beach--so in the eve we snacked on one of our new favorite trail foods, hummus!). We're here with L.B., Free, Colonel Mustard, Train, Raindrop, Hairball and Snowbunny. We plan to beat the bugs by sleeping in the tent.