morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2004-07-04
From: Bake Oven Knob Shelter

To: Palmerton, PA
Miles today: 7.8

7.8 mi. in 3.5 hrs.Awoke several times through the night to sounds of fireworks near and far, also chanting and drumming, quite near. The young folks with the wagon were celebrating something all night, and it wasn't independence from the Brits. Off with Southernman at 6 AM. We soon stepped onto a grassy scrub-covered flat ridgetop filled with bushes bearing ripe blueberries. We feasted as we went along, and feasted as well on the fine views of towns, rivers and farms far below us to either side. We should have hiked on a few miles farther yesterday, and pitched camp there. Then came a long rocky descent down to a highway and bridge that took us over the Lehigh River, followed by an easy hitch into Palmerton. The town is strung out below a long ridge that looks like a piece of the moon. The damage was done by zinc smelting years ago, and the place is now a Superfund cleanup site. Our hostel is a big cellar, cool and clean with a painted cement floor, many bunks around the edges and a table in the center. No bars any more. We first signed in at the police station, then the officer met us over here to orient us. Welcome showers, quick visits to a Subway and supermarket nearby, then a fine nap to revive our weary legs. The rocks have taken their toll. Lots of company tonight: Papa Bear, Badger, Poler, Pilot, Lonesome Dove, Meanderthal, Sundowner, River Otter and Popeye (the former Hobbits). The plan is now for a Chinese dinner across the street, early to bed, then up and out early for the nasty rocky climb back up onto what's said to be the rockiest stretch of trail on the AT. Relief awaits us at Delaware Water Gap, two days ahead. Palmerton was a refreshing stop along a difficult part of the journey. Oh yeah, this is the start of my fourth month on the trail. Maybe I'll reach Katahdin by late September after all! G'nite! Now or never
Date: 2004-07-05
From: Palmerton, PA

To: Leroy A. Smith Shelter
Miles today: 15.8
Weather: scattered clouds

15.8 mi. in 7 hrs.Another punishing day on the rocks. Our poor, poor feet.We went into it without much sleep. Some locals celebrated the 4th in our alleyway. Firecracker reverb! After a big breakfast at Dave's restaurant acros the way, we giot a lift to the trailhead at the foot of the bare, rocky ridge overlooking town. We tramped up gravel paths and over boulders, much like Bigelow, Katahdin or the Whites, then broke out onto a flat desolate ridgetop. What a devastated landscape, with dead trees standing here and there in rocks and slag. The only plant life we saw for awhile besides grasses was some type of flowering sedge. View down from Lehigh Gap Some places looked pushed around or revised somehow, in the Superfund cleanup process. What contrasts the AT takes us through: nature at its best and mankind at its worst. Not much altitude change after the initial climbout, but the trail was filled with pointed rocks which we couldn't avoid. We hiked today in a loose caravan: Badger, Papa Bear, Poler, Pilot, Lonesome Dove, Meanderthal, and the Hobbits. The first thing I did on setting up camp was lie down for a nap, to catch up on last night's missed sleep and rest my feet. Then came the half-mile walk downslope for a water fill-up and to wash off. These ridges are dry, so we're often forced down lower for water. Another finding: more and more of the privies are full to nearly overflowing. This is the peak of hiker season, deposits are frequent and generous, and even the composting privies can handle only so much. Code Red? Code Brown? Not much head music lately: ditties from the Notebook of Anna Magdalena Bach. But a good jazz program on a local FM station got me reflecting on my experiences in jazz My Dad was a jazz nut and built up a big record collection from the 30's into the 50's. I grew up hearing and liking Dixieland, with its interweaving voices and snappy beat. By age 10 or so I got to know and like the sound of the big bands, especially Glen Miller. I missed much of the '40's bebop period but was there when cool jazz (MJQ, Miles Davis, Brubeck) and soul jazz (the Adderlys, Mose Allison), took off. These were my college and NYC years, when I could catch these guys in action. Free jazz (Ornette Coleman) left me cold. I felt it was leading us fans over a cliff, the way Schoenberg and the 12-toners were doing to classical music. As for fusion and funk later on...forget it. It's great to follow my musical daughter Sarah's interest in jazz. Perhaps she'll tell me which way it's heading. I like her taste in balladeers like Diana Krall and Ravi Shankar's daughter. Exciting times. The above jazz classifications are vague, inaccurate and mine alone. End of music rant! It's a calm evening around our tentsite in some open woods. We avoided the dingy old shelter. Picked more blueberries under the powerlines nearby. More rocks expected tomorrow and the morning after, then blessed relief in Delaware Water Gap. I'll take a zero day there if my feet request it. G'nite! Now or Never
Date: 2004-07-06
From: Leroy A. Smith Shelter

To: Delaware Water Gap
Miles today: 20.2
Weather: overcast clouds

20.2 mi. in 10 hrs.We had a quiet, moonlit night in the woods above the shelter. Earlier we had a near-miss by a thunderstorm. Out early at 5:45 to face the rocks. To our amazement, the trail got easier and smoother all the while and we started getting great views of the landscape down below. We'd already done the worst of the rocks in the days before. Once again, all the ominous trail-hype didn't pan out. We've experienced that before. Why do some hikers exaggerate the fearsome aspects of the trail so much? To get a rapt audience? We reached our intended shelter 14 miles out by noon, so decided to head on in to DWG and its comforts. At the start of the descent we came out onto ledges with fine views of the river flowing through its gap far below, nd the town and roads along its banks. The trail down passed through a dense, dark tunnel of blooming rhododendrons, whose white petals lay all over the pathway. A setting more fit for a bridal party than us grimy hikers. What a pretty village! A quaint, artsy little place downtown, with victorian houses, shaded streets, and little shops, though not much else. We checked in at the Ramada Inn at the end of town near the I-80 exit, showered, and went out to eat at a good local diner. Twelve of us were at the table, quite a crowd. As usual the talk was about our and other hikers' experiences, old and recent. Cuppa Joe was missed. He's a well-liked hiker from Florida, 50, who developed a stress fracture a few days ago. He was a strong hiker so it shook everyone up. It gave us the sense of all being here on borrowed time. Goods eats and good company as our feet heal. Now for a quiet evening, calls home, and a zero day tomorrow. G'nite! Now or Never
Date: 2004-07-08
From: Delaware Water Gap

To: Delaware Water Gap
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: scattered clouds

5 zero days for home visitI'm heading back to the trail after a short visit home. I used some of the time to update this account, and add some of the several hundred photos I've shot along the way.Re-entering civilization had its odd moments. I was extremely clumsy on escalators! My coordination and timing had atrophied on the trail. I was also hesitant to get behind the wheel, though the moves came back quickly enough without collisons or other mayhem. Walking around town and going to stores was no problem because hikers experience that every three to five days. I didn't miss out on nature while home. Our neighbor saw a coyote dragging a fawn in the front field next to ours a few days back. The birds sound different up here, mainly the absence of wood thrushes. Too bad. And it's always a treat to survey nature from the hot tub out frontThere's a good chance I'll hook back up with Raven, who's zeroing with his sister at her place a few days up the trail from here in Delaware Water Gap (I'm winding up this entry at the Water Gap Restaurant, a truly worthy establishment). We have a lot to catch up with since we parted company just north of Troutville, VA over a month ago.I'll be heading out of DWG tomorrow morning, to meet my brother Al that afternoon at the Mohican Outdoor Center, only 10 miles out. We'll hike to High Point State Park. Should be fun, as well as a great chance to catch up on things with him.Not sure which is worse: waffle-butt from 8 hours in a poorly sprung bus seat, or sore feet from a day on the rocks. But my feet are ready for action!
Date: 2004-07-12
From: Delaware Water Gap

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

10.5 mi. in 6 hrs.The drizzle started when I awoke and soon became rain. I glued myself to the weather channel, watching rain cells move over our locale. At the motel breakfast I met Poppins and Skippy, who I hadn't seen since Laurel Forks Campground. They were planning to head out later in the day, but I jumped at a break in the rain around 9 AM. That lasted until I crossed the I-80 bridge, then it set in for real. No rain gear, just pack cover, since it was a warm tropical-type rain.I had an easy climb back up on Kittatinny Ridge on a jeep trail. The first item of interest was Sunfish Pond, the first glacial pond on the AT going north. The extreme southern edge of the glacial ice sheet was only a few miles south of here. It looked typical of so many backwoods ponds in Maine, with rocky shores and blueberries everywhere. Wished I could stop and snack there, but by then a chilly foggy drizzle was blowing hard across the pond. Then it became the job of pounding out the miles in lousy conditions.The Mohican Center is a big sprawling complex run by the AMC. I was chilled off from a day in the rain, so made a long hot shower the first item of business after checking into the bunkhouse. Soon after, in came Party Girl, Sunset and Big Red (2002 thruhiker, doing a 2-wk. section with Sunset).With them came a message from my brother Al, saying road flooding from all this rain kept him from coming up and joining me. His schedule didn't allow pushing it all back a day. Tough luck, after all his preparations. I was really looking forard to doing this with him. More solo hiking ahead.Dances with Wolf Cookies, Poppins and Skippy came in at dusk, dirty, wet and chilled. So we're not lacking for company. There's beer in the fridge and an hour to go before bedtime. G'nite! Now or Never
Date: 2004-07-13
From: Mohican Outdoor Center

To: Brink Rd. Shelter (tenting)
Miles today: 14.3

14.3 mi. in 7.5 hrs.A grey morning but the rain had passed. Out by 8:30 AM after calls home from the lodge. More rocks to deal with along the ridge. Enjoyed breaks on the rocks, looking out over NJ below, munching blueberries from bushes all around me. Met up with Big Red and Sunset several times along the way. The miles seemed to come hard and slow. Maybe it's just getting started again after several days off.Finally trudged into this old shelter and decided to pitch my tent. In came Luna, Skippy and Poppin, as well as Half Moon, who I hadn't seen since Harpers Ferry. Then came a bunch of Boy Scouts, who pitched camp a ways off, then a group of inner city NYC girls with their counselors. They all were captivated by Luna, Poppins and Skippy and were full of trail questions. They were counting the days till their return to the city.It's been a crowded, cheerful evening around the shelter picnic table. Mosquitoes are coming out in force in our boggy campsite, so I'll soon retreat into the tent for the night.Tomorrow comes a big day, to High Point State Park by 5 PM. Raven's sister will pick up any hikers there and take them to her place for a big trail magic session. Worth the walk!This is said to be the "beariest" shelter anywhere, so the bag is safely inside a metal locker near the shelter. G'nite!
Date: 2004-07-14
From: Brink Rd. Shelter (tenting)

To: High Point State Park/NJ 23
Miles today: 18.0

18.0 mi. in 9 hrs. (private home)The group of girl summer campers had a great time singing at their tent site last evening, then quieted down by 8:30. The boy summer campers, however, amused themselves by making loud fake body noises well into the night.Out solo by 6:30 AM on a muggy grey morning, well attended by NJ's famous mosquitoes. More rocks to deal with, but somehow they weren't so annoying. Finally getting used to them?Missed many great views because of fog and mist. Met up with Luna and Half Moon several times along the way.I came upon two large groups of wild turkeys. They appeared to be several hens with a lot of "teen-aged" chicks.Arrived at the High Point State Park HQ building, where I stretched out, feet up, until 5. Then Raven's brother-in-law Jeff arrived to shuttle me, Luna, Poppins, Skippy, to their home in Vernon for a great night of feasting and socializing. About eight other hikers were shuttled in from other locations. Everyone took turns in the hot tub and pool. The rain had set in around 6 PM, so we slept indoors on the carpet. What a delightful evening. Thank you both Jeff and Sue, and Raven for your part in instigating this!Tomorrow Raven will deliver the four of us back to High Point, to slack pack the 20-odd miles to Vernon, where we'll stay at the Hostel run by the Episcopal Church there. G'nite!
Date: 2004-07-15
From: High Point Stat Park/NJ 23

To: Vernon, NJ
Miles today: 20.6

20.6 mi. in 9 hrs. (slackpacking)A comfortable sleep on the carpet in Jeff and Susan's "House of Magic." They gave us us a big pancake breakfast, then delivered Poppins, Skippy, Luna, Friar and me to where we broke off yesterday. We had a varied and interesting day, with numerous short sharp ridges to climb over, each with good views. Then came trips across fields, pastures, bogs and even swamps full of wildlife. I hiked solo, then briefy with Poppins and Skippy, then finished the day with Friar. All good company. Friar's an Alabaman, recently graduated from Virginia college, and is thinking of going into law or medicine. He hikes with two heavy pine dowels for sticks, which led fellow hikers to compare him with Friar Tuck. But wasn't the staff-wielder Little John? It matters not. Part of our trip took us across an enormous swamp on a wide new boardwalk. Rob would not have had this convenience back in 2000. It zigzagged across the reeds and cattails (sad too see purple loosestrife starting up there as well). Friar preceded me across a high wooden suspension bridge at the far end of the bog. Suddenly he jumped and ran, and I saw a lot of little dots around him. Wasps! I backed off, waited a few minutes, then shot across. We posted a warning at each end of the bridge, but not before a young day hiker behind us got "lifted."Friar one step ahead of the hornetsGot to the road crossing after 6 PM but got picked up almost instantly and taken back to the Episcopal Church hostel in Vernon. So many generous drivers who know what hikers need.Had a great Italian meal a few minutes' walk downtown, then to bed. Long day, but a good one.G'nite!
Date: 2004-07-16
From: Vernon, NJ

To: Wildcat Shelter
Miles today: 17.4
Weather: light rain

17.4 mi. in 8.5 hrs. (shelter)We had a comfortable night on the carpet of the church's community function/Sunday school area. Went to the supermarket at 6 AM (open 24 hrs.), then a B-K breakfast, then back to the hostel to pack. I was late in getting off and didn't reach the trail until midmorning. Do I ever hate late starts! It was a long rugged day with a lot of time spent picking my way through the fractured sandstone rocks of various ridges, just like Pennsylvania. Views good, rocks bad!!The day wore on and I felt as if I were standing still. But I kept up on fluids and snacking, and eventually I neared the end. I came upon Raven, his sister Sue, and her husband Jeff, slackpacking the same stretch of trail. Friar was somewhere way up ahead.Right toward the end the road crossed Rte 17 at the crest of Mt. Peters. There sat a dairy bar with a picnic area that looked out over the entire American West, it seemed. I had a large shake, took in the view, then went back for a second shake.Cruised into the shelter toward dark to find Friar there already. Made a small supper, sat at the campfire he'd started, and now am catching up on the journal. The air turned dryer and cooler over the afternoon, so here comes a good evening. And the mosquitoes have gone to bed! Another long day ahead tomorrow but with two big trail magic events lying in wait. G'nite!
Date: 2004-07-17
From: Wildcat Shelter

To: Lake Tiorati Park
Miles today: 15.5

15.5 mi. in 9.5 hrs.I learned this about Jersey mosquitoes last night: they fly after dark! I decided to sleep in the shelter because there was plenty of space (only Friar and me). I remember lots of swatting before I fell asleep, even after several squirts of DEET.Off by 6:30 AM in hopes of an easy 15 miles to the lake with its trail magic session. Not so: the trail took us up one vertical rock face and back down the other side, over and over, crossing numerous ridges in the process. The sun blazed down, and crossing exposed rock ledges gave me the feeling of being bacon sizzling in the pan. My thanks to the trail angels who left jugs of Poland Spring water at several road crossings.The miles came slowly, given the heat and the demanding terrain. I hiked the last stretch with Friar who was also suprised at the difficult conditions. What joy to finally come off the trail to a lake with a big public park and swimming area.Three previous thruhikers were throwing their 8th annual "PhatFest 2004" and provided great piles of food, grilled items and sodas. A good two dozen hikers were there, from several places up and down the trail. First on the list was a dip at the beach...aaahhh!Many fellow bathers were from Russia, India or Pakistan. Not that many hispanics, Arican Americans, and a only a few Asians. How much "weekend demographics" have shifted since my days in the city.Then back to eat and socialize. I'm writing this up at a nearby picnic table before heading into the woods to pitch my tent. Some hikers passed the hat for a beer run, but I'll be turning in early after another helping of grilled salmon.I'm struck by how many hikers smoke, all ages, both sexes. They don't see the inconsistency between their habit and the demands of the hike. One hiker, Lint, founded a group with a humorous designation for hikers who like their fun: BLAHS (Black Lung Alcoholic Hiker Society). As the saying goes, hike your own hike!Tomorrow I race an oncoming rainy stretch. I'll go as far as the weather permits. I'm not big on prolonged hiking in the rain. These slow, hard miles and chronic sticky, muggy weather is getting me down.G'nite!
Date: 2004-07-18
From: Lake Tiorati Park

To: Bear Mountain
Miles today: 13.3
Weather: haze

13.3 mi. in 8.5 hrs.Didn't get much sleep last night. The trail party continued up at our campsite until the wee hours. I slept through the latter part of it, and still rose at 5. Out by 6, with no signs of life from anywhere at the site. More rocky stretches and some major clambering, first up West Mountain, then up Bear Mountain. Maybe this is where "The Bear Went Over The Mountain" originated, where you struggle up one peak only to be confronted by another, then another.The trail crossed the Palisades Parkway near a rest area, where I called home and had a snack.The air was saturated and occasionally drizzled as the haze grew thicker. I saw nothing off Bear Mountain, which has a fine view of the Hudson. The woods have become beautiful again. Great tall trees, hemlock in some places, oaks amd maples in others. Open forest floors from the dense shading by the canopy, and huge ramparts of gray boulders. It reminded me of Albert Bierstadt and the Hudson School of painting in the mid-1800's and the huge romantic depictions of nature they put to canvas.I fell once coming down a steep slope off Bear Mountain. Bad footing, leg buckled, bad whack to forearm, no real injury but a good scare. By the time I reached Bear Mountain Park I was exhausted, even after this relatively short distance. Bear Mtn. BridgeI checked in at the Bear Mountain Inn, showered off and napped. The rain had set in, so the timing was right. I cooked up a hiker supper on the porch, since this building is a mile walk from the main lodge and dining hall. Yesterday I mentioned the hiking coalition calling themselves the "Cocaine Aliens". This has nothing to do about where in the universe you originated, or your choice of recreational drug. Raven and his hiking group at the time noticed it written on the rocks as they climbed out of Lehigh Gap at Palmerton. It was too bizarre to let go. The group has since spread out, but the name remains.Tomorrow comes a mail pickup at Ft. Montgomery nearby, then a short hike across the Hudson to a monastery that puts up hikers. I really hope the weather improves. G'nite!Now or Never
Date: 2004-07-19
From: Bear Mountain

To: Greymoor Friary
Miles today: 7.1

7.1 mi. in 4 hrs.The worst of the rain had passed when I awoke around 5:30 AM. After a continental breakfast down at the Inn, with more trail talk with interested guests, I walked over to Fort Montgomery for a mail pickup. Great views of the Hudson and the Bear Mtn. bridge on the way over and back. Then it was back to Bear Mtn., where the trail wound through a good zoo/arboretum. Many of the animals and birds there were orphaned or injured. It was a clean, well set up park, which also had halls describing the geology as well as history of the place. Then came a short 7 miles with Half Moon, first across Bear Mtn. Bridge, the up the steep cliffs beyond it back onto the ridges.View up the Hudson from Bear Mtn. BridgeHalf Moon is a grad student from MA, who is on his third thruhike, and a strong hiker. He's gotten into hair-raising, near-fatal problems though. Once on this hike and once on another he developed heat exhaustion to the point of renal shutdown and rhabdomyolysis (medical term for deep ----). Another time he fell out of a top bunk in his sleep, and another time a boil on his knee after a blow to it, followed by a big leg infection. But between these episodes he hikes on in great spirits. We pulled in to this Franciscan Friary early after only 7 miles, but we had started late and dallied at the zoo. Lonesome Dove came in soon after, after several days off the trail at a wedding. We're camping on a ballfield after a fine meal in the refectory followed by a tour of the grounds by one of the brothers. It's a lovely quiet setting with fine old stone buildings. It's the home base for this order, whose mission is to go out in the world and do service. This brother had been starting up churches in backwoods Brazil for 39 years. He's now retired here as are many of the other residents.In a little corner garden NYC firefighters had put up a cross using iron scrap from the WTC catastrophe.It's a clear dry evening for once, almost no bugs, and with three more late arrivals (camping but no dinner). Feeling good and ready for bigger miles again. G'nite!