Date: 2006-07-06
From: Kirkridge Shelter

To: Delaware Water Gap
Miles today: 6.4
Weather: overcast clouds

It rained all night, in spite of the forecast that said yesterday¢s rains were over as the cool front blew thru. Bama said it stopped ¢ thankfully ¢ about 5:00 am. Bama says she has no problem with the rain when it occurs in the middle of a day¢s hike, but she does not willingly start hiking when it¢s raining.Later in the evening some of the ¢boys¢ returned from dinner in Wind Gap and only a few stayed in the shelter so there was plenty of room. Still with Rusch Hour, Indiana and a few other regulars.She and Little Wing took off early and did the 6.3 miles to Delaware Water Gap, a small town very similar to Port Clinton. It was muddy and slippery because of the rain last night, but the walk into town was more pleasant than anything in many days, with fewer rocks and lots of mountain laurel ¢tunnels.¢ She said the town is still recovering from the big flood and everyone has things sitting outside to dry out.They had breakfast at a local restaurant and checked into the hostel at the Presbyterian Church of the Mountain and met the lady pastor, Karen. She and the others were very nice and asked Bama and Little Wing to come back in the evening to participate in the church¢s potluck dinner. There is no charge for the hostel and only ask for a $3 donation if you have to stay for two nights. After settling in, they had showers and went out to do chores and shopping.The dinner was great! The church grilled hot dogs and hamburgers and there were many, many side dishes brought in by parishioners - about 150 showed up! Bama said there were a lot of thru-hikers here and besides the hostel which sleeps 8 indoors, there's an "AT trail shelter" in the back of the church and plenty of room for tenting. One of the church ladies said they have been doing this for many years and really enjoyed it. It's amazing to see this kind of community support for hikers when so many of the town's citizens must be suffering from their losses in the flood. BillUPDATE INFO: From Wikipedia:Mid-Atlantic United States flood of 2006DurationJune 25¢July 5Fatalities16Damages$1 billion[1]Areas affectedDelaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Washington, DCThe Mid-Atlantic United States flood of 2006 was a significant flood that affected much of the Mid-Atlantic region of the eastern United States. The flooding was very widespread, affecting numerous rivers, lakes and communities from upstate New York to North Carolina. It was widely considered to be the worst flooding in the region since Hurricane David in 1979. It was also one of the worst floodings in the United States since Hurricane Katrina in August 2005. At least 16 deaths were related to the flooding. The flooding was attributed to several weather factors that all came together over the region.The primary factor was the stalling of the jet stream just to the west of the Appalachian Mountains. That, combined with the Bermuda High over the Atlantic Ocean, blocked any systems from moving inland or offshore. The influence of a tropical low (which nearly became a tropical storm but did not attain a full surface circulation) off the North Carolina coast allowed a constant stream of tropical moisture to enter the Mid-Atlantic region. The resulting heavy and prolonged rains overflowed the banks of many rivers, lakes, and streams, leading to the flooding.A senior National Weather Service meteorologist declared that rain events of this size take place in the region only every 200 years.The worst flooding in the state took place in the Susquehanna River valley and its tributaries. Over 200,000 residents in northeastern Pennsylvania had to be evacuated due to the rising floodwaters. Damage in Susquehanna County alone totaled over $100 million (2006 USD). Extensive river flooding was reported in dozens of communities in eastern Pennsylvania. Over 70 people had to be rescued from rooftops by U.S. Coast Guard helicopters after being stranded by the floodwaters.