morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2008-07-18
From: Deleware Water Gap

To: Mohican Outdoor Center
Miles today: 10.6
Weather: few clouds

Our number is now three. Zephyr, Brushstrokes and Serene are a day ahead.  Peregrine and I have been joined by Easy Going. He was hiking with Peregrine in the beginning, but had to get off the trail. He is now back on and will hike for a while. He also really knows about the White Mountains. This will be a help in planning for those mountains. Going across the Delaware bridge (part of the Pennsylvania turnpike) was unnerving for me. Seems like huge trucks were whizzing by at unbelievable speeds with only a low cement barricade separating us. I am now in New Jersey. The trek was pretty easy with only short sections of bad rocks. I did take a photo of the biggest pile of bear scat I've ever seen! Will definitely keep my eyes open for them. What did get to me was the over 90 degree heat. At one point, I just had to sit down until my body could cool down. Because of the gypsy moths, there are less leaves to block out the hot sun. We had planned on just a ten mile day. Mainly to accommodate the rocks and climb out of Delaware Gap. Neither were bad, but it was hot. When we reached the Mohican Outdoor Center, what a find. They not only had cold sodas, but you could have a freshly made sandwich. We all chose egg salad.  Tenting was free for thru hikers. There was a lounge to relax and best of all a lake you could swim. The three of us voted to stay.  Yes! We are hoping the night will cool down enough to sleep. Tomorrow promises to be just as hot. These are the dog days of summer. Not sure what that means except dogs know better than to go hiking!Fly Right,Ravon
Date: 2008-07-19
From: Mohican Outdoor Center

To: Brink Road Shelter
Miles today: 14.3
Weather: haze

It was a full moon last night and with the haze it appeared red. Didn't really cool down until later, but I managed to get a good night¢s sleep.  We were hoping to beat the heat, but no such luck. By the time we made the climb out of camp, everyone was covered with sweat. We were hoping to find a lake to take a swim, but somehow missed the water. Peregrine climbed a 1922 fire tower and the breeze was wonderful.  Found out there is a mountain nearby closed except as a rattlesnake breeding ground. Female rattlesnakes only have two or three births their whole lives. They don't eat during gestation so it takes a long time to build up enough fat to have babies. Now some of you are probably thinking that's plenty, but I'm sure they serve well in the ecosystem.  We are seeing deer. Early this morning we saw two does and two fawns that still had spots. During the day, I scared several more deer. Coming off of Rattlesnake Mountain, I saw my first bear since Harpers Ferry. When he saw me, he ran so fast that you would have thought he was a deer. When we arrived at the shelter, I saw a bigger bear a short distance away. He didn't seem to be interested in us, but I wouldn't bet he doesn't come around later.  Thank goodness there is a bear box to put our food inside. Tonight I saw two cooking related ideas. Slo-go'en made cheese garlic biscuits. He used a small individual bundt pan.  This pan nested in a butter scotch candy tin with lid. He cooked it on an alcohol stove. I want to try this maybe when it gets a little cooler. The second new piece of equipment was a Sierra zip stove. It uses small twigs and has a fan run by one double A battery.  The fan either high or low makes the fire burn much hotter. It may be a bit heavier than most stoves, but fuel would be a lot easier unless it rained. Thought Foot is the hiker and he used cotton balls soaked in vaseline. I used to carry these in a film can. I was going to sleep in the shelter, but the mosquitos have started to bite. So I am now tenting. It was a hot but fun day. Forgot to mention that I ran into Bigglesworth in Delaware Water Gap. It sure good to catch up with her hike. Fly Right,Ravon
Date: 2008-07-20
From: Brink Road Shelter

To: Rutherford Shelter
Miles today: 15.3
Weather: clear sky

Realized that today was my fourth month on the trail. In some ways, it seems such a long time ago. In another way, I can feel it's two thirds over and I can almost sense the light at the end of the tunnel. Our big climb was up to Sunrise Mountain where a stone and wooden truss pavilion was built. There were seats facing both east and west with views overlooking the New Jersey countryside.  It was a great place for lunch. One local was very interested in our hike. He was a pilot and couldn't believe we'd walked all the way from Georgia. Many were feeling the heat. Someone said it was 97 degrees.  At these temps, you put yourself on autopilot.  We found something a little unusual in the woods. For no apparent reason, someone had strung up two hammocks and then just left them. We all agreed that the best thing would have been to lie down and take a nap during the heat of the day. Instead we hiked on. The Rutherford Shelter was our destination.  Unfortunately, it was a half mile down a steep rock slope. The good part was we were alone except for a very nice solo hiker...Spirea. She was a teacher doing a section hike. Learned a lot about the plant spirea and how it is an indicator of water quality. Tonight we will get rain, but the gentle kind... good for sleeping.   Fly right, Ravon
Date: 2008-07-21
From: Rutherford Shelter

To: Unionville NY - Lotts Road
Miles today: 0.0

It did rain during the night, but not enough to make the climb out of the draw treacherous.  We were hoping it would cool the temperatures, but it didn¢t much.   Today¢s big event was hiking to the highest point in New Jersey.  It is in High Point State Park. We arrived at 8:00 am... an hour before the office opened. Since the sun was shining we took the opportunity to spread out our tents to dry and make calls.  Then it was onto the actual monument.  We, (Peregrine,  Slo-go'en and I) thought it was so typical that the trail planners would come close to the actual monument, but not to it. They must have spent a small fortune to build an observation platform to view the High Top monument which looks like a smaller Washington Monument up on the hill.    It was decided that we would go into Unionville rather than Vernon. Someone told us about a hostel/private home that was available for thru- hikers. This was no ordinary house, but The Mayor of Unionville's home. He turned his basement into a bunk room. There are three men who run this amazing dance of changing hikers. Bill, at eighty, lives in the kitchen and has a quiet, funny sense of humor. Butch is the one who does repairs and drives hikers anywhere for free. Dick is The Mayor who feeds everyone and is the inspiration behind this project. Tonight there are seventeen hikers here. We were fed chicken vegetable soup, macaroni salad and watermelon In return for all this generosity, he asks you to watch this video about Paul Potts. He was a cell phone salesman who sang opera on the British version of American Idol. It is an amazing story about this man. If you are curious, google Paul Potts.I met some new faces and was able to catch up with some hikers that I hadn't seen in a while. Among then was none other than Chainsaw, whom I hadn¢t seen since Hot Springs, NC. We are planning a long slack pack tomorrow.  Time to see what kind of sleep I can get. Fly right,Ravon
Date: 2008-07-22
From: Unionville NY - Lotts Road

To: NY Lotts Road
Miles today: 17.3

Today was a slack pack day. Butch drove Peregrine, Slo-go'en and me to the Warwick Turnpike. The landscape today was a bit different than the normal we¢d been seeing. We were advised that it would be an easier hike going south.  Instead of climbing up some hundred plus rock steps you get to go down them. It may be harder on the knees, but less tiring. About six miles into the hike, you come out on NY 94 where there is a nursery/bakery/ice cream store. Since it's only .1 of a mile, every hiker stops here. I had a coke float and gatoraid.  Several other hikers showed up and it was a conversation of who is where. When we started this morning it was overcast and it looked like rain. By 11:00, it was very hot and humid. The trail winds across acres of bog land on elevated board walks. There were photos posted on a sign of how the land looked when water is present. At times it is as high as the top of the walk ways. Today there was no water in sight, instead it was covered with wild flowers, cat tails and thick vegetation. The bees and butterflies were in abundance pollinating the flowers. It was so much fun to walk above the plants rather than down on the ground where the plants are above my head. There was another series of boards nailed to logs and much closer to the ground. By this time, I was speed walking on the boards. It reminded me of the power people movers in airports. "Please watch your step, moving walker is at its end." It did cloud up some in the late afternoon, but no rain.   I am back at The Mayor¢s house.  Last night there were seventeen hikers sleeping on any horizontal surface. Tonight I've found a little cozy spot behind the door. Time to rest. Fly right,Ravon
Date: 2008-07-23
From: NY Lotts Road

To: Wildcat Shelter
Miles today: 11.4
Weather: light rain

I slept much better last night probably due to all the hiking and I found a dark cubby to lay out my bag We woke to rain and overcast skies. We had a big time breakfast... eggs, sausage, english muffins, tater tots, oj, and coffee. They have to feed us in two shifts. Dick offered to shuttle Peregrine, Slo-go'en and me back up to Warwick Turnpike where we would start hiking north again. It was interesting to learn from Dick how his home, now called The Outhouse, came to be.  His wife and he became stranded on a car trip and someone took them in their home. They wanted to do the same for thru- hikers. His wife died, but he continued the dream. Bill came to him when he was going to be evicted from an old folks home. At eighty he is amazing. Unfortunately, I did not find out about Butch. The Mayor's house has already had over 350 this year. The word is out and there are lots more NOBO hikers.  Met my first SOBO hiker, Alpine Strider. She is from German and did a thru hike north bound last year. She passed us yesterday at an unbelievable pace with a loaded pack. So everyone who stays at The Outhouse has his photo taken with personal information on the back.  You also have to promise to send a photo of when you summit Mtn Katahdin. These are put in photo albums with comments. Dick says he will never hike the AT, but he loves meeting all the hikers and hearing their stories. At first, you don't know how to take him...he is so New York. Today we hiked out of New Jersey and into New York. This happened four miles into the hike. We took photos of us straddling the state line. Already I can see it is going to be more of a challenge. Most of the day we were hiking on top of boulder ridges. These were hard because of the steepness and partly because of the dampness. The hike was mostly dry until the end when a thunder storm moved overhead. It was Slo-go'en who discovered an alternative bad weather trail around two ridges. When there¢s lightning, the last place you want to be is on a ridge. I'm learning a lot from this veteran hiker and he has stories to tell. One was about a hiker who was sleeping in his hammock only to be woken by a bear biting his butt because of food smells on his shorts.  Three o'clock we detoured to a homemade creamery for ice cream.  Slo-go'en had a very good banana split. Peregrine had green tea ice cream in a waffle cone.  I just had a single scoop of coffee in a sugar cone.  I should of had more. We are at the Wildcat Shelter and it's raining heavily. We are all tenting below the shelter. Fly right,Ravon
Date: 2008-07-24
From: Wildcat Shelter

To: Wildcat Shelter
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

The rain lasted all night long and it was way more than a drizzle. Would wake up several times to see if a lake was forming in my tent. No, but my seals definitely need to be re sealed as there were drips falling on my sleeping bag. We were going to get up early, but hearing the rain I just turned over. Everyone who slept in the shelter was able to hike. All three of us were so wet, we decided to take a zero day and try to dry our gear. We moved up into the shelter. At 9:00 am, it began to pour again and we were really happy not to be hiking on wet rocks. The sun did come out and my gear is dry. We are going to have make up some miles. It was a pleasure to sit in one spot and watch the day go. The water was running so hard down the trail.  It was sweeping small sticks together like logs being floated to a saw mill.  The rain gave me a chance to catch up my journals and go thru my photos. It will be a few days before things get posted as Mando is teaching music at the Rocky Grass Academy this week. Thank you to Edgar Meyer for the encouraging words. Key Chain, Zen. and Pull Up stopped by for snacks and then hiked on. The weather forecast is for sunny skies tomorrow. Fly Right,
Date: 2008-07-25
From: Wildcat Shelter

To: Stealth Camp
Miles today: 16.4

After our zero day, we were ready to get moving again.  I'm not sure we were ready for what the trail had for us.  It was a lot of ups and downs. Most notable was Mombasha High Point, Buchanan Mountain, Arden Mountain and Surebridge Mountain.  You were supposed to see New York City at one point, but we never did.   You don't see a lot of waterfalls, but today we climbed next to Fitzgerald Falls.  Last year The Band aid Kid reported it dry.  This year it was a waterfall. In the afternoon, we were about to climb when we noticed Island Pond. We could hear people around the water. Well why not! It was a hot day and it took me about two minutes to get in the water. It was warm near the edge with a patch of water lillies near by. It really felt great. On the way up to the lemon squeezer, we saw Babu slack packing. The lemon Squeezer was a narrow rock with steep walls. It was no problem for us three skinny hikers. I did get a chance to practice a little climbing where I had to take off my pack in one place.  Our destination was Fingerboard Shelter. It was a very old stone shelter built on a huge boulder.  It had two fireplaces.  We were ready to settle in, but no water. Decided to hike on another 1.1 miles to Lake Tiscoti where there was a beach, swimming, rest rooms, vending machine and water. The concession stand was closed, but we did get a soda and water. Slo-go'en suggested we should try to Yogi some picnic food. Well darn if two wonderful people, John and Cookie turned into trail angels and gave us a whole picnic dinner. She said we had just missed chicken, would we like some macaroni salad, potato salad, fresh tomatoes and two hot dogs.  Yes! Thank you. John had done some hiking and enjoyed telling us some of his stories.  By the time we were finished eating, the sun was setting. We knew we couldn't make the next shelter. At first we were going to set up right near the road, but I wasn't really thrilled about the noise or number of people. Off we hiked to find any level spot. It was almost dark when Slo found an abandon grassy road. Our tents are three in a row.  What's really funny is some live band is playing near by using a bongo drum and just a bass. Only in New York where we have met a lot of friendly people. Time to sleep. Fly right,Ravon
Date: 2008-07-26
From: Stealth Camp

To: Fort Mongomery, NY
Miles today: 12.6

Our campsite was just fine.  No vehicle came down the fire break road. Today the trail was more PUDs (pointless ups and downs). This I am sure will be the norm now that we are in the north. There is also something else that has changed....the way the trail is situated. In the south and mid-Atlantic states, the trail used more switchbacks to get up the hills.  Now, the trail just goes straight up the hill and down over all types of rocks. Bear Mountain at 1305 feet is one of the highest points on the AT in New York. They are doing some relocation work so we walked partly on the road. With cars and motorcycles racing by, it makes for an interesting walk.  The trail and road goes up to an observation tower where you can see the Hudson River valley and just a bit of the New York City skyline.  The land was donated by Mrs. Harriman, who would not allow the state to build a prison there. Instead Sing Sing was built twenty miles south. The phase, "sent up the river" refers to this prison. While I was waiting for my hiking buddies, two bikers said, "Tell me you just put on that backpack to walk up here and make people think you are hiking, right?" I told them no that I really had hiked from Georgia. Their jaws dropped and pretty much couldn't believe it. When we hiked down the other side of the mountain, the trail goes right through a lake with picnic area and zoo. There were at least a thousand people having fun. Of course there was a concession stand which we went to first. The zoo has native animals such as bears, fox, bobcat, otter and others. As thru hikers we get to go free.  It was so sad to see the animals caged. I could hardly look them in their eyes. I would have loved to check out the trees.  They had labeled all the ones I've seen on the trail.  We stayed at the Holiday Inn Express. It felt very good to shower and sleep in a comfortable bed. Fly right,Ravon
Date: 2008-07-27
From: Fort Mongomery, NY

To: Dennytown Road Campsite
Miles today: 14.5
Weather: moderate rain

It was hard for me to leave the Holiday Inn Express because I had to leave a friend behind. Mando sent me my hiking sticks and I had to leave the stick that I found in the Shenandoah Park. It was a sad parting as that stick had saved me many a fall. Today was notable for two special reasons  The first was I now have hiked 1400 miles.  They seem to note the century miles, but I've missed the last three signs. If you happen to be looking down at the moment, it is easy to miss these handmade signs. I was thrilled to see this one and all that it meant. The second special event was really a bit terrifying. It was 3:00 and I had heard there was a chance of thundershowers. Sure enough, as we were hiking a deafening thunderclap sounded right overhead. Within two minutes it was raining hard. Did not even have time to find a safe place to stand. There were plenty of very tall trees around, but this is not the place to be. Slo and I caught up with Peregrine who was sitting on a log huddled in her rain coat and tent tarp draped over her legs. Slo and I could only stand and cringe as the lightening and thunder crashed all around us. We were thankfully not on a ridge top, but we were standing next to the trail which had turned into a stream.  Just when we thought it was letting up, an even louder clap of thunder would exploded over our heads. To make it worse, all the water was running down my legs straight into my shoes. Finally after an hour, we were all feeling the effects of being wet. It was time to move or try to put up tents (not a pleasant thought). We put on our packs, grabbed our metal poles and started up the hill. Whether it was a coincidence or the storm was moving, it did stop thundering right next to us.  The trail was a series of water falls and running water. We also saw flash flooding in what would normally be small creeks. Later we heard it had rained four inches in an hour. There were no nearby shelters so we ended up tenting at a camp site.  I think I heard some rain, but thank goodness it was light. Fly Right,Ravon
Date: 2008-07-28
From: Dennytown Road Campsite

To: RPH Shelter
Miles today: 10.7
Weather: clear sky

After yesterday¢s harrowing escape from Mother Nature, we decided we needed a low mileage day. Mainly, we need to dry out our equipment. Something that really saved my feet were the new toesocks that Mando had sent me. When I put them on I look like I have fuzzy Hobbit feet. We started the dryout process on highway 301. When you¢re hiking, it is mainly among trees. The black top of the road seemed to be the warmest spot around. We lined our boots and my in soles at the edge of the highway. On the guard rail, we hung socks and other wet articles of clothes. I can only image what the drivers of speeding cars must have thought. It sure helped a little. We hiked a while around a lake, but the trail stayed high. I would have loved to go down to the beach for a swim.  I wonder why the trail planners chose not to give us that pleasure? Probably because hikers don't usually have bathing suits. On top of Shenandoah Mountain, there was painted a large American flag.  It really was the only high hill we had to climb.  From the top, it was pretty much downhill to the RPH shelter. This is quite different from any shelter I've slept in.  It is made out of cinder blocks and looks mostly like a farm outbuilding.  There is a front door with a welcome mat and windows. To make it look like a shelter, they removed part of one wall. Then they built an awning roof over the picnic table. There is a handle driven water pump on the side of the shelter, plenty of tenting area with shade tree and bunks inside.  We were going to order pizza, but wouldn't you know they are closed on Mondays. Fly Right,Ravon
Date: 2008-07-29
From: RPH Shelter

To: Telephone Shelter
Miles today: 16.6

It was early to rise as we knew it was going to be a big mile day. Our send- off from the shelter was three very rude dogs who woke up everyone. It was a good thing there were three of us to yell and brandish our hiking poles.  Once on the trail, we had one stiff climb, but the rest was mostly ups and downs. About midmorning, we came upon some interesting trail features. The first was someone who had made the white rectangular into an american flag. The second feature involved a lot of work. As part of the trail, rocks were piled to create a circular shape with seats. Slo and I thought it made a great meeting room and declared it was snack time. The third feature we came upon as we left the meeting room....a flock of pink flamingos were popping up behind rocks. The rest of the day was mostly a woods walk.  When we arrived at Telephone Pioneer Shelter, there was pony-tailed guy. At first, I wasn't too sure about him, but changed quickly. His name was Moses and he had taken a zero day cleaning up all around the shelter. He also made dream catchers out of found material on the trail. We both have been collecting feathers. I would love to create a small to put on my pack.  Since he was SOBO, we traded information about the trail. Slept in the shelter , but the mosquitos were annoying.  There no flat spots for tenting. Fly right,Ravon
Date: 2008-07-30
From: Telephone Shelter

To: Mt. Algo Lean-to
Miles today: 21.1

Decided to see what the old legs had in them.  This was not all flat miles either. Started the day downhill. The trail goes over train tracks, but this train will actually stop and pick up hikers. It goes into New York City.  Unfortunately, it will only do this on weekends. ..Maybe next time it would be fun to do.  When we went through the zoo with our backpacks, we looked and felt like the caged animals. People really stared at us. I can only imagine how it would feel walking down the streets of New York City with my backpack.  Walked across some farm fields, but most of the trail was in the woods. The rocks were not too bad until the last very steep hill. I was very happy to see the Mt Algo Lean-to.  So far most of the shelter are old and small. Unless it is going to rain, I prefer to tent. It's about the only way you can get away from the mosquitos. Turned out to be a 21 mile day. It was hard on the old legs.  After I got my tent set up, Bigglesworth walked in. It sure was good to see her.  Found out she had fallen and had chipped her ankle bone. Doctor said it was okay for her to hike. She still has pain and had to get new shoes.  Another state down...New York has been hiked and now I'm in Connecticut. You actually enter and leave New York around a mountain for a few miles, but come back into Connecticut.  The forest seemed to change...there are huge tall evergreens.  It will be interesting to see another state. Fly Right,Ravon