morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2004-06-30
From: PA 325

To: I81 overpass
Miles today: 17.4

It's 5:10am and I could have slept in this morning. Ginny is already up getting ready to make breakfast. Duke is up also. When I looked outside at around 5:30 the sun was coming up through the kitchen window and it looked like a huge orange ball of fire. What a site! Ginny had made blueberry pancakes and they were delicious. I ate 6 pancakes and I think Duke ate 4. We were out of the house by 6:30 which gave us plenty of time to get me on the trail by 7:30 just like I wanted. I thanked Duke and said see-ya later. Navi will pick me up and we are going back to their house for the night. It was beautiful morning, a chill in the air, just right for hiking. The hike was going good until I hit the rocks and that slowed me down a little. The big rocks aren't bad but those small spikes are a pain in the QRS! I have fell numerous times already but it's my feet that are taking a beating. Then the terrain got really nice and I was making good time. I stopped to take a picture of the Yellow Springs Village. The campsites were very nice. I had lunch at Rausch Gap shelter. The trail was still pretty nice and I was making good time. I knew I would be early. Navi was meeting me up at 5:00. It was 3:30 when I arrived at Old State Rd & I-81 overpass. This area is under construction so I asked a worker where the nearest store would be so I could call Navi since I was early. I headed to the Hess station but after a mile or so I turned back to wait. Navi was there right on time. We went back to Duke & Ginny's. I'm really glad we met them
Date: 2004-07-02
From: PA 501

To: Eagles Nest shelter
Miles today: 15.1
Weather: clear sky

I feel pretty good when I wake up this morning and ready for the next 15 miles. Navi and I had breakfast then she drove me 8 miles back to the trailhead. The exit number on the highway was 13, our lucky number. Yesterday was sure my lucky day. I said see-ya later to Navi, I'll see her tomorrow in Port Clinton. The hike started off good with some land mines(rocks) but not as many as yesterday. The trail in this area has quite a few campsites and plenty of water. Today's hike is over when I get to the sign for the shelter. That .3 of a mile felt more like 1/2 mile. While I was relaxing Salt Lick came in just to sign the register and he told me Still Learning was down getting water and that Gator and Mad Hatter would be in later for the night. About 30min later they came in. Gator was sure surprised to see me. I hadn't seen him since Irwin, TN. After dinner and some journaling I'm ready for sleep. Happy Birthday, Corinne.
Date: 2004-07-03
From: Eagles Nest shelter

To: Port Clinton
Miles today: 8.6
Weather: clear sky

Up at daybreak and this time before the birds. Gator and Mad Hatter were also up and we all were moving pretty quick to be on the trail. I managed to be on the trail first but it wasn't too long before those two blew by me like I was standing still. My feet are still not awake yet. The trail is rocky but it's not slowing me down. The cool air is refreshingthis morning and makes for a pleasant hike. At about a mile away I could hear traffic and a train. The days hike would be coming to an end very soon. I would be meeting Navi about 15 min early. I start making my descent down a very steep, rocky 150 ft to the flat ground where the RR tracks are. I couldn't cross because of a train. The conductor said it would be clear in just a couple of minutes. As I came into town I could see the truck sitting there. It was sure nice to see Navi again, but then it is always great to see her at the end of hike. If I didn't have NaviGator as my support system life on the trail would be much harder for me. She is truly, My Trail Angel. We said hello to other hikers at the pavillion then we were on our way to the home of Don & Norma Hayhurst in Waverly, PA for the 4th of July weekend. They are the parents of Moonchild GA-ME 02 (aka Brett) whom I hiked with in 2002. As we drove up in their yard I felt at home. They have beautiful little farm with a red barn and a pond; just a wonderful setting that makes you feel relaxed. They have 5 resident geese and 6 Canadian geese that visit. They also have 2 cats, Zues which is pure white and Athena that is black. There are many deer that like to visit and pretty much eat all the plants or most of the plants. I just love to sit and watch all these creatures do their thing. It's amazing to watch deer play in the fields and once in awhile see a groundhog or two scurry to a new hiding place. Later Don cooked on the grill and we were joined by Reagan, Brett's sister. His other sister, Alicia, lives at home. We had a great dinner of turkey burgers, hot dogs, fresh veggies and corn on the cob. It was delicious. Afterwards we went to see the fireworks and what a display it was. I have never seen ground fireworks that lasted about an hour with the larger fireworks constantly going off. The grand finale was spectacular. The best fireworks I have ever been to. Oh yes, Reagan's boyfriend Mike joined us for the fireworks. It's nice to see Don, Norma, Alicia(hope this is the right spelling), Reagan and Mike again. Great day.
Date: 2004-07-04
From: Port Clinton

To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Zero dayToday was very relaxing. We didn't do much of anything, wash clothes and sort through food boxes. We did go to see Mike & Reagan's Spa and Wellness Center. What a great place! We also had some good ice cream at a local diary farm. Now I have to get my mindset to get back on the trail. Lazy day.
Date: 2004-07-05
From: Port Clinton

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

Getting a late start today but that's ok. Norma made pancakes and sausage for breakfast. Thank you, Norma. After breakfast we said our goodbyes and hit the road back to Port Clinton. At the pavillion in town we saw Austin and Bag of Tricks. They both came over to say hi. We chatted for awhile then Austin and I got on the trail. The plan was to meet Navi at the Windsor Furnace campsite and she was going to cook dinner for the group. The temp was aleady up there and I knew it would be a hot 6.1 miles. Of course I had to traverse some rocks but other than that it was a nice hike. When I got to the campsite Navi was there. She had made lemonade and was getting set up to cook dinner. She loves doing trail magic. We relaxed a little while before the gang arrived. Navi made chicken-tortilla sausages in buns and chicken/veggie quesadillas with guacamole and then watermelon for dessert. Everything was great and I think all the hikers were full. The only glitch in the evening was when a police officer came and said there could be no overnight parking and the truck had to be gone by dark. Navi explained she had called the phone number on the posted sign and the office was closed because of the holiday and she was transferred to a dispatcher who had then transferred her to a state trooper who said it was no problem and she could park overnight. The local police was rude and stated the state police do not have jurisdiction here and if your truck is here after dark it will be ticketed. So we all headed back to the shelter on the trail and Navi went back to Port Clinton. I got to the shelter just befoe a freaky, fast-moving storm came through. It was nice not to have to worry about cooking dinner. Now I can go to bed.
Date: 2004-07-06
From: Windsor Furnace shelter

To: Allentown Hiking Club shelter
Miles today: 16.5
Weather: broken clouds

I woke up to a cool crisp morning and was on the trail by 6:30am. My feet are feeling great. The terrain is mild and not too rocky yet. At Pulpit Rock there was a great view of PA farmlands. I passed up the blue blaze to the Pinacle only because I didn't want to add the extra mileage. I took a break and while I was sitting there a couple of southbounders, out for 5 days, stopped to say hello. They talked about their hike and I would catch them looking at my boots with amazement but they never commented on them. They told me there were some rocks ahead but not too bad and a good climb up Hawk Mtn. I didn't find the climb worse than anything I've climbed before. I did take a break at the the summit and take off my boots to air the feet out for awhile. As I sat there eating a man and a young boy,about 10 yrs old, stopped to talk. They were intrigued about my hike and the boots. The man said he has always wanted to do a thru-hike but couldn't becaue of a bad back and legs or feet. I told him about myself and said if you have a desire you can do anything. I also said him being there was a good start. I saw them again and they followed me to Dan's Pulpit where there was a great view. Around 4pm I got to the shelter and Navi was there. She had hiked in two miles and planned to stay at the shelter also. There were some southbound section hikers there with her. Before the nightfall the shelter was full and several tents set up. We all sat around talking about our adventures and before we knew it it was time to hit the sack. Tomorrow will be a short hike because I'm going to Stroudsburg to meet Denise and family. Had a pretty good day and happy to see Navi again. PS the hike to get water at this shelter is not fun!
Date: 2004-07-07
From: Allentown Hiking Club shelter

To: Ashfield Rd-Lehigh Furnace Gap
Miles today: 12.4

The night was a little noisy with two snoring hikers competing to be the loudest. Navi said she had a terrible night but it didn't bother me too much with the earplugs in. We were up early and had coffee with our breakfast. We hiked the two miles to the truck. Navi did really good. She says there is not any pain in her leg. I filled up with water at the truck and then I moved on. The trail was nice once I was on the ridge with some rocky areas. What a view at the Knife's Edge and what rocks! They were a little hard to navigate but I did fine. I did take a beak there and got some pictures before moving on to Bear Rocks in just .7mile. Austin and the rest of them made it there before me but that's nothing new. They are fast hikers. We all dropped our packs and climbed to the top where there was a 360 degree view of PA. The views today have been nice so far with hope for more. No wildlife except for yesterday when I saw a huge deer standing on the trail but ran as soon as she saw me. I took one more short break at Bake Oven Knob shelter. While I was there High Octane asked if we could give him a ride to he Ashfield PO and I said sure. I did meet another southbound hiker who was from Japan. His english was understandable if you paid close attention to what he was saying. He said he had seen Navi and the truck. Navi told me later she had given him a soda and he had told her he was coming back next year because a thru-hike was his life's dream. When I reached Ashfield Rd Navi was there and she had a dozen dougnuts. I ate three in less than 5 min and High Octane had 2 and we left the rest for the others; Austin, Critter, White Patch, Mousebait and Caterpillar. We went to the PO and then got on our way to Stroudsburg. The Best Western was right in the middle of downtown so we got a good look at the city. We checked in and went to do our laundry while waiting for Denise, Mike, Kim and Kris. Great timimg! By the time we returned to the hotel they had just checked in. We were very happy to see them and vice versa. We had a great visit. I played a couple of games of pool with Kris and he beat me both times. We had a relaxing swim in the pool and soak in the hot tub. Time flew by and it was past my bedtime, so light outs for me. What a nice day!
Date: 2004-07-08
From: Ashfield Rd-Lehigh Furnace Gap

To: George W. Outerbridge shelter
Miles today: 4.4
Weather: light rain

I have to start by saying I called my mother yesterday to wish her a Happy Birthday, she is 74 years young. Happy Birthday, Mom. I love you. Well as usual I'm the first one up and it's 5:30am so I just got dressed and went downstairs for the continental breakfast. I did some journaling while there with my three cups of coffee and a muffin. I was there for quite some time and I felt like I was there too long so I went back to the room to wake up Navi & Kim. Kim opened the adjoining door to the other room at 8:00 and I banged on the wall to wake Mike up. His response was shutting and locking the door. Navi and I went back downstairs and I had my second breakfast of oatmeal and pancakes. Denise & Im joined us later. Once again time went by quickly and we all had to get going, Denise and the gang to Minnesota and Navi and I back to the trail. It was really nice to see them, I'm glad we made it possible. The trailhead wasn't to far away but by the time I made sure my pack was together and had some lunch(thanks Denise for the Syrian meat pies) it was getting hotter by the minute. I'm only going to the George W. Outerbridge shelter 4.4 miles away but it looks like a storm is brewing so I shifted into high gear and took off. The trail wasn't bad but it sure was hot & humid. I met Alleghany whom I haven't seen in about six weeks. We chatted a little and went our separate ways. Nice guy. I was at the shelter at about 3:30 and there was a couple out for five days already there. They talked about what I could expect for the next couple of days. I said it's one of those things you can't worry about, you just do it. It's part of the trail. More hikers came in for the night. One of them was Slider, an Amish man I had met at Roan Mtn. He lives on a farm not far from here. We can look out and see lights and farmlands and we can also hear traffic below. Tomorrow will be a tough day so I'm turning in for the night.
Date: 2004-07-09
From: George W. Outerbridge shelter

To: Leroy A. Smith shelter
Miles today: 16.6
Weather: overcast clouds

My alarm goes off at 5am and I¢m ready for today. I got my gear together, ate something, had a nature call and was on the trail at 6am. The weather looks okay and it¢s cool. Great weather for hiking. By 6:30 am I was at the base of that rocky mountain that Navi & I saw on our drive through Lehigh Gap the other day. Slider was right behind me. There were times I had to put my sticks down to make the climb. I¢m sure glad I started early. As I made it over the rocky top I looked back and saw an American flag had been painted on a rock. As I snapped the picture of it Slider popped his head over the rock. I did ask him if it was ok that I got his picture because he is Amish and I do respect his beliefs. He said it was all right and I thanked him. The views were awesome and I went crazy with the camera. We continued to scramble up the rocks until we reached the dead zone are which is what I call it. It is the zinc superfund site, an area destroyed and contaminated by zinc mining. The cleanup and restoration is still going on until this day. The trail is bad at all and is like a road walk for a while. Then of course we do get out daily dose of those little rocks. You hikers know the ones I¢m talking about. Slider is a fast hiker so we say goodbye and hope our paths may cross again. I knew I was making good time because I reached delp¢s Spring at about 11:15 and that meant I only had 6.1 miles to the shelter. I had lunch there at Delp¢s Spring and Bear passed by and said he was headed for the shelter also, but Ladybug was way behind because of the problems she has with the rocks. She¢s not alone. The terrain wasn¢t bad and I was at Smith Gap Rd at I:00, which meant I should get to the shelter around 2:30-3:00. To my surprise I reached the shelter at 2:20 and not feeling too bad I think my 20 miler is looking good for tomorrow. The shelter is small and the water is 12 mile down hill, that sucks. but when you need it you go for it. Most hikers are stopping here for water and moving on to Wind gap because there is a motel .2 miles. I even thought of doing that because I got in early, but it¢s so relaxing. I¢ve had dinner and finishing up today¢s journal and it¢s only 7pm. I will probably be sleeping by 8:30 I will be up again by 5 am. The weather held out even though it was touch and go all day. It looks like it will be a full shelter tonight. Pretty good day.
Date: 2004-07-10
From: Leroy A. Smith shelter

To: Delaware Water Gap
Miles today: 20.5
Weather: broken clouds

The day starts out at 4:50 am and I¢m trying not to wake the other hikers as I pull my gear from the shelter. Another hiker got up at 5am and all but disappeared for about 15 minutes. When he returned he all but yelled and said," whose shoes are on the table?¢ I looked at him and answered ¢mine¢ in a tone that suggested ¢What about it?¢ The thing he called a table is a very small platform to cook on since there is no picnic table. I guess we would have to clear the shelter if we cooked where we sleep and put our gear. Anyway I was feeling great and made good time. The weather was overcast which cooled it down some. The miles were just kicking off. I was at Wind Gap at 8am. After those 4.6 miles I did get into some rocks but today my feet did fine. At one point on the trail I passed Ladybug, which really surprised me. Then in just a few miles the terrain did get better and as I descended to Fox Gap I heard a familiar voice say ¢Hey Ole Man!¢ It was Don Hayhurst my very good friend from Waverly, PA. He brought me some trail magic; pizza, soda and cliff bars for dessert. Boy! Life is Good. Don also came to hike into Delaware Water Gap with me. Thanks again Don I really enjoyed your company. When we got to the borough of DWG we walked down Main St to the Trails End Caf© where I was to call Navi but it was closed so Don suggested we go to the Pie Lady¢s place, a bakery. What a place. We went in and I couldn¢t believe my eyes. Delicious pies everywhere saying ¢Eat me¢. It was hard to choose something so Don bought strawberry cobbler for us. I called Navi and she met us there. After we ate we drove Don back to his car at Fox Gap. Before saying goodbye Don said he might hike again with me soon. I would like that. After saying good-bye we went to Worthington SP where we had been invited to camp with Austin and his Aunt Linda. They cooked dinner for us. Grilled steak and pork chops, beans and salad. It was great. Thanks Linda and Austin. Well, it was past our bedtime so we hopped in the back of the truck for the night. What a wonderful day I¢ve had. Great company, great food, great weather and best of all being with Navi. PS NO MORE ROCKS and one more state down. Tomorrow NJ.
Date: 2004-07-11
From: Delaware Water Gap

To: Mohican Outdoor Center
Miles today: 10.3
Weather: overcast clouds

We¢re up early and I¢m ready for my first day in NJ. Once the fog burns off, I think it¢s going to be a nice day. We got packed up and so did Austin and Linda. We thanked them for letting us camp and a fine dinner. Linda & Navi talked about Linda possibly hiking with Navi some in NY. I hope they do that. Navi dropped me off at the gap where I got off the trail and went to park the truck. She walked across the bridge over the Delaware River with me. I¢m getting off a little later than I would like but it¢s not a big mile day. After crossing the bridge Navi walked back across the bridge and I continued on the trail. It¢s a beautiful day and it¢s getting hot. As I hike on I feel like I¢m still in PA with all the rocks on the trail. At almost the 6-mile mark I came upon Sunfish Pond, which I just had to get pictures of because it looked very serene and peaceful. There were two women sitting on a bench who asked questions about my hike. One of the women is a native to NJ and knows the trail well. As I got ready to move on they gave me a power bar. Maybe they thought I was a little skinny. I did move on and about a half mile into the hike I reached a section that I had my doubts about because I hadn¢t seen a whit e blaze in almost two hundred yards. I then started back to check if I had missed a turn and ran into the women again who told me to keep going the way I started to go. She was right. I continued climbing over rocks, as the temp started really working on me. The sweat is running off my nose like a faucet. As I reach about the 7-mile mark I feel like I¢m getting over heated no matter how much I drink. When I reach Camp Road I was exhausted and overheated. Navi knew I wasn¢t feeling great and that I needed a break. We drove to the Mohican Outdoor Center parking area and parked in the shade and relaxed. We met a guy who likes to run the trail. He also lives out of his truck and travels around the US. We decided to stay in the hiker lodge. The price wasn¢t too bad, $12 for hikers-$17 for Navi. There was only one other hiker there so we virtually had the place to ourselves. We walked down to a beautiful lake in the evening. I wish I had remembered the camera there were some beautiful shots I could have gotten. Navi and I sat there with our feet in the water and talked about all we¢ve done in the last year, the places we¢ve been, the people we¢ve met and the things we still want to do. We are so lucky. Aside from being baked today it wasn¢t such a bad day.
Date: 2004-07-12
From: Mohican Outdoor Center

To: Culvers Gap
Miles today: 17.9

Oh Boy! RAIN. Just what I need on my second day in NJ. Not that I mind hiking in the rain, but I already noticed how dry it is here. You can tell because the ground is so hard. My sticks can¢t even penetrate the hard surface. That means there will a lot of water standing in the trail. Navi was supposed to hike with me yesterday but didn¢t because of me overheating and today is out because of this rain. Well, needless to say it was very soggy, wet, miserable hike. I got to a point when it just wasn¢t fun anymore. Every rockbecomes a potential butt buster if you slide on it and there are plenty of those. When I first started this morning it was very cold from the wind that blew steady up on the ridge. There were absolutely no views today. Later in the hike High Octane passed like I was standing still and in about 40 minutes later here comes Austin. Those two can move even in bad weather. I thought I was moving faster today. By the time I reached Rattlesnake Mtn I was pooped. My feet were aching because the I had lost all the support in my boots from being wet. At that time Culvers Gap felt like it was another 10 miles away. Some of the trail markers were hard to decipher with the markers made of plastic squares with different colored circles on them. Also people built cairns that can lead you in the wrong direction. The trail maintenance is terrible. Maybe there are not enough volunteers to work on it. I finally made it to Culvers Gap and Navi was there waiting for me. Lucky me! It was still raining so we went to a motel that was nearby. I took a long hot shower and then Navi gave me a back massage. My muscles begin to relax but my feet let me know they were mad. Later we went out to eat and when we returned we found Austin, Mousebait, White Patch, Caterpillar, High Octane and Critter all sharing the room next door. They also had had enough rain and they were glad to see us. What a crew! We talked to some other neighbors who were interested in our hike. After awhile we said goodnight and headed to our room. Navi likes to read and I wrote in my journal and watched a little TV before lights out. Very tough day. Hopefully it will be better tomorrow.