wind gap, pa

20.5 miles, 1268.0 total.
hitched a ride out of palmerton early and was back on the trail at 7:30.
marched straight up out of lehigh gap. ALL rocks and all jagged; some small like grapefruits and some large like volkswagons! had to put away hiking poles and crawl up and over most of it. took about 30 minutes to go 1/2 mile, and then it got flat and the rocks got smaller but there were more of them. went on for another few miles. took a couple breaks but mostly just walked her rocks. also, it was dry and the only water sources were quite a hike off the trail. ran out of water early in the afternoon so I slowed a bit and decided to stop here for the night. stating a gateway motel which is run by Good Pete, friend of the trail. resting and hydrating for tomorrow. if it doesn't get worse I will turn it up a bit so I can make ny by Friday. can wait.
ooooh, saw a big black snake laying across the trail today. he wouldn't move, just hissed at me. so I took some pics and walked slowly around him.
later,
L


-- Post From My iPhone

palmerton, pa municipal bldg

sunny, sunny, sunny!
woke up early and sun was out so I hung all my stuff to see if I could dry it a little.
hit the trail at 8:15 with dry but stinky clothes.
the trail got worse. very rocky, including a 1/4 mile section called the Knife Edge. it was a high ridge of pointy jagged boulders. was so happy I made it over the Edge that I fell on smaller rocks and tore up my shin. good job! cleaned it up and. key going.
met a southbounder who said next two days are even worse.
got to he highway leading into Palmerton and hitched a ride to the police station. the city runs a free hiker hostel in the basement of their city hall/court building. we get to sleep under the court room and shower in the locker room of the police gymnasium. how cool is that? everyone in town has been really friendly and helpful. anyway, did laundry and bought groceries. should be ready for the next few days.
here with the cincy boys and the brit.
later,
L

-- Post From My iPhone

Allentown hiking club shelter

16.5 miles, 1229.8 total.
SURPRISE! more of the same today. day 4 of rain. was rainy, foggy, misty and humid all day. and Pennsylvania has been kind enough to throw even more jagged rocks of all sizes at me. also, the bugs have gotten worse today, and I think my all natural insect repellent attracts bees. HA.
next 2 to 3 days are reportedly the worst. yippee! keep thinking it won't be long until I get to visit k and NYC.
here with the cincy guys and the brit.

later,
L

-- Post From My iPhone

Windsor furnace shelter

14.7 miles, 1213.3 total.
up and on the trail by 7:30. still wet out and the trail is still rocky. over 8 miles to the town of Port Clinton where I took a break. visited the outfitter to lurk around like any good stinky thru hiker. the owners could sense my hunger like the emperor could sense luke skywalker's anger. :) so they gave me two cheeseburgers and an ice cream sandwich. very nice. I, in return, made a couple of purchases and then moved on. had 6 more miles to get to this shelter.
just as I got back on the trail I saw a 4 foot long black snake draped over a log. cool. I was able to snap several pictures before it became annoyed and slithered off. about 1 mile from the shelter I ran into a couple from Philadelphia who were lost and going the wrong way. I pointed them in the right direction and let them study my map for a little while. they were thankful and gave me a bag of starburst candies and an airplane sized bottle of red wine. very nice. red wine with my instant mashed potato/tunafish dinner. I'm the classy hiker now. wow, my wet clothes really stink. I think I'll be without laundry facilities for at least 3 more days. nice and ripe.
here with a group of guys from cincinnati (spelling??) who are hiking with a guy from England.
later,
L


-- Post From My iPhone

eagle's nest shelter

15.1 miles, 1198.6 total.
slept in late today because I was sore and it was still raining. got on the trail around 9:00. mostly the trail was more of the same; jagged rocks. and I haven't even hit the "rocky" part of PA yet. can't wait. my feet, hips, and shoulders still hurt from yesterday's long hike. got to this shelter around 3:30 and decided to call it a day. hanging my stuff so it will dry a little. more rain tonight and tomorrow. everything is wet.
here at the shelter with a 17 yr old kid who calls himself Drop Off. I've heard of him. he says he's from Delaware and his parents dropped him off at the trail in Virginia and told him they would pick him up at the beginning of June in Pennsylvania. they did this to teach him a lesson and respect. ha.
later,
L


-- Post From My iPhone

501 shelter

34.9 miles, 1183.5 total.
lived up to my lunatic name today. hiked 35 miles in the rain over wet, jagged rocks.
left camp at 7:00 this morning and got to this shelter at 7:00 tonight. I'm tired and my body hurts. I just didn't feel like stopping anywhere; was cold and wet and just wanted to keep walking. this shelter is completely enclosed, has a skylight and twelve bunks with a giant picnic table in the middle. I'm the only one here, and I didn't see anyone today so I doubt I'll be joined by anyone tonight. my wet stuff is hanging all over the place, but I doubt it will get dry overnight. going to bed as soon as possible. it's called 501 because it's near highway 501, not because of its button fly.
later,
L


-- Post From My iPhone

peter's mtn. shelter

11.3 miles, 1148.6 total.
memorial day 2009.
I took a day off yesterday and stayed at the Doyle hotel in duncannon. had a great time hanging out with fellow hiker, john from east Tennessee. back on the trail this morning at 8:00. ran into nick and sara early - they took off Sunday too. about 3 miles before this shelter there is a privately owned cabin whose owners were having a memorial day party and placed invitations to hikers all along the trail. so we stopped. there were about 12 hikers and 40 - 50 people belonging to the owner's family. they had 3 long tables of food - basically anything you could think of eating. stayed there for about 4 hours before heading out. just when I got back on the trail...I came around a switchback and the was a guy standing on the trail naked!!! yes, now I've seen a naked guy. he looked like maybe he was taking some drugs that he shouldn't have been taking. he was wearing only sneakers and in one hand he held a cigarette while holding a pair of shorts in the other hand. standing there just staring off into space. when he saw me, I said, howdy! and he mumbled something, quickly put on his shorts, and ran down the trail in the opposite direction. odd. other hikers also saw naked guy, so I'm not crazy. fun trail. here with about 7 others tonight. forecast is dr rain tonight and next 3 days. ugh.
later,
L


-- Post From My iPhone

Cove Mtn. shelter

25.5 miles, 1133.2 total.
Last night was okay, but very buggy. Indiana Jones showed up around 8:00 so we ate together and chatted before calling it a night. Nick and Sara (from Texas and Kansas) showed up this morning just before 8:00 and we hit the trail soon after. The elevation profile looked really flat so we decided to have some fun. We were about 30 miles from Duncannon, PA, so we thought it appropriate to have our own Duncannon-ball Run. I played the part of Sammy Davis, Jr. :)
We took off at a pace somewhere between 4.5 mph and 5.5 mph, and we completed the first 4.8 miles in just over an hour. We spent an hour in Boiling Springs to rest, snack, and refill water. Then left there at the same blistering pace. Nick and Sara dropped back a bit, but Indy and I kept up the speed. Flying through farmers' fields and cattle pastures, across highways and interstates, and next to slow moving stagnant streams chased by mosquito swarms. Late in the afternoon it became apparent that we were not going to be able to complete it. sad. :(
The trail went back into the woods and straight up several very rocky sections and we (I) lost steam. Finally made it to this shelter around 7:30, just in time to set up camp and have something to eat before it started getting dark on this side of the mtn. Here with Indy and a group of recent grads from Temple U. They don't hike much and are having a rough time with their food, tents, and water.
So I failed at completing/winning the Duncannon-ball Run. Nobody won. We're all tired and sore...but tomorrow we only have 4+ miles to get to town. Nice. Can't wait to do laundry and shower. By the way, once again the weather was very nice. Forecast is for rain in the next couple of days, but I couldn't have asked for better weather for the past week. Very nice.
Later,
L.

Alec Kennedy Shelter

19.2 miles, 1107.7 total. (just over the halfway mark)
Got an early start today, 7:30, not sure why, though. It was only 4.2 miles from the shelter to Pine Grove Furnace state park, which is just past the A.T. midpoint this year and is the official home of the Half Gallon Challenge. Most thru-hikers take part in the Challenge....which is to eat a half gallon of ice cream as quickly as they can. hmmmm. sound yummy.
This is the type of gluttonous activity that brings to mind the artwork of my friend Geoffrey Raymond who creates unique portraits of our most famous wall street related, and other, money hungry devils. Maybe I'm next??? doubt it. Alas, my activity will not bring any windfall of cash...more like a stomach ache from the depths of hell. :)
I chose Hershey's vanilla with peanut butter ribbons (fancy term for swirls) as my poison. I was competing or just eating with 5 fellow hikers, and I did very well for someone who rarely eats ice cream, but I guess sucking down large quantities of one sugary substance is pretty much like sucking down large quantities of any other sugary substance. I came in 3rd, completing my half gallon in just under 40 minutes. Then I sat very still for about an hour. Then I went to the bathroom. THEN I hiked an additional 15 miles. Let's see you do that!
Here at the shelter resting my gut and waiting to see what tomorrow has to offer. Loving this trail more and more each day.
Later,
L

toms run shelter

16.2 miles, 1088.5 total.
great day of hiking. sunny and 80...or about 70 in the shade. very nice. hit the trail around 10 and walked mostly up or the first 2.5 miles. the first shelter area was amazing. freshly painted shelters with a nice stream in front. potted flowers and plants around the area and everything was very clean. had a snack, refilled my water, and moved on. after 5 more miles I found a locked cabin with nobody home. it had a stream with a foot bridge right in front, so I sat there on the bridge in the shade and ate lunch, did a little reading, an took a nap. cool. 2.5 miles later there was another shelter with a whole bunch of day and section hikers. so I refilled my water at a spring and then sat under a tree ad read for a little while before moving on. the last 6 miles were up and down and very very rocky, and as I got closer to the shelter there were more and more bugs. ugh. my feet were hot and sore and the bugs were really bugging me! well I'm here and was in my tent until the sun went down and the bugs went away. can't get used to gnats, flies, and other bugs...and there aren't even any Mosquitos yet. can't wait for them. good thing about nicer weather is that I've been in my tent for most of the last 2 weeks. probably only stay in shelters if it rains - at least until I hit Vermont or maybe Mass.
later,
L


-- Post From My iPhone

fayettville, pa

22.8 miles, 1072.3 total.
another cold night, but we built a big fire and put the tents nearby. it burned all night and gave off a little heat. it also illuminated a small fox that was walking around our tents at about 3:00 am.
got started around 8:30. 5 miles into the day I crossed the mason-dixon line and into Pennsylvania. pa has a reputation for being really really rocky, and it has already started living up to it. all day I was climbing or hopping over and around rocks/boulders. ugh.
so, one reason for my weight loss is probably lack of food. I'm still not eating enough. so I've been trying to do better. the result: I'm not as hungry all the time but I'm also out of the food that I had planned to have for 5 days. it's only day 3. so I had to hitch into fayettville to restock. I found a really cheap motel that only takes cash. uh-huh. but it is next to a market and a restaurant that serves pizza, Italian, and Mexican fare. what a combo. staying in town tonight and then hitting the trail again tomorrow with a full food bag.

later,
L
-- Post From My iPhone

devil's racecourse shelter

18.8 miles, 1049.5 total.
late start this morning because it was cold. got down to 32 last night. after eating breakfast and packing up, I hit the trail around 9:00.
3 miles into the day there was the original george washington monument. interesting, never heard about this. look it up. it's in Maryland. not sure why.
another big event today...I crossed Interstate 70 and US Highway 40 at their crossing point here in Maryland. why big? for those who don't know, both of those roadways go through my home town of hays, ks. I crossed the bridge with the two kansans I met yesterday. very cool, or not.
this shelter area is named for the really rocky trail that is nearby. we're tenting about .2 miles from the shelter because it's kinda junky and old and there aren't any flat areas closer.
later,
L


-- Post From My iPhone

dahlgren campground, md

17.3 miles, 1030.7 total.
Kandra left on a 12:00 train today and I hit the trail.
right away I met 4 other thru hikers. two are from ks, so we had something to chat about for most of the afternoon. most of the day was flat with lots of rocks.
one of the others has a fold out chart with Appalachian animals' pictures and descriptions. we were able to find put that a snake I saw about a week ago (and took a piccture of) was a small copper head. I think I need to be more careful out here. when I took the picture I was singing to the snake because he looked kinda cute and fake. but he was poisonous. idiot.
we're tenting at this campground that is right next to the trail and equipped with toilets, showers, and a sink for washing dishes. nice.
oh yeah, I'm in Maryland now. so far: Georgia, Tennessee, North Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland now.
later,
L



-- Post From My iPhone

harpers ferry, wv

20.3 miles, 1013.4 total.
only a few instances I can think of that put one in the situation I was in today. maybe I'm odd...but at mid-morning I was cheering with, high five-ing, congratulating and hugging a complete stranger. that was as we passed the official 1000 mile mark on the trail. in 2 1/2 months I've walked over 1000 miles up the east coast's beautiful Appalachian region. I think it's cool.
received some trail magic, about 7 miles from harpers ferry, from fellow thru hikers who are a day ahead of me - they took the day off to hand out fruit, soda, water, and other goodies to people behind them. very nice.
here in harpers ferry at a hostel tonight. Kandra is scheduled to arrive tomorrow and spend a couple days here with me before I move on. HF is considered the half-way town on the AT. the Appalachian Trail Conservancy has their main office here, and all thru hikers stop there to register and have their picture taken for the official registry. that book is matched up against the Maine registry to get official numbers of successful hikes each year. they also have a scale there. man, I've now lost 31 lbs. don't think I can lose much more. don't have much fat or muscle left. I shaved most of my head and beard in front royal, so maybe that was a few pounds! :)
back in a few days.
L


-- Post From My iPhone

bear's den hostel

18.3 miles, 993.1 total.
slept in this morning and didn't get on the trail until 8:30. original plan was to go 15 miles but it became clear early on that I'd be done by 2 or 3, so I decided to go an extra 3+ to get to this infamous hostel that is owned by the Appalachian Trail Conservancy and operated by former thru hikers.
turns out it was a good idea because the hostel is located at a spot on the trail that is about halfway through something called The Rollercoaster. 13.5 miles of trail containing 10 ups and downs of 300 to 500 ft. each, and most of the trail is covered with rocks and tree roots. really rough on the feet and tires you out quickly.
hostel is great. it's located at the top of a mtn. near an overlook spot with loads of boulders and caves. ppl are great here and I'm seeing a lot of hikers I haven't seen in a while. really cool old old stone building that has almost 30 bunks, a common area, laundry facilities, fully stocked kitchen, laetge dining room, computer area and a huge yard - if you want to sleep in your tent instead of inside. looks like I'll make harpers ferry tomorrow after a nice night's rest here.
later,
L

-- Post From My iPhone

dick's dome shelter

15.2 miles, 974.8 total.
got a ride from the motel back to the trail around 10 from a friendly local I met at the grocery store. wow. all these free rides from strangers and nothing bad has happened yet. uh-oh..shouldn't have thought that. goocher.
terrain was way flat but very very green and loads of trees and bushes. great weather for hiking today. in the 70's with a nice cool breeze. passed several section hikers included two young guys with packs weighing over 60 lbs. each. they were moving very very slow.
saw several garter snakes and deer today. also a small ring neck snake, I think. it was all black with a yellow ring around its neck and some yellow on its belly.
even with the late start I made the miles by 4 an decided to relax and rest my feet.
later,
L

-- Post From My iPhone

front royal, va

13.4 miles, 959.6 total.
the 5 NOBO sectioners were up am noisy at 5:30. ugh. so I got up and was on the trail before they were even done with breakfast.
sun was out and it was cool. nice hiking weather. up and over two 3400 ft. peaks within the first two hours. final 9 miles were all downhill to the highway leading into front royal. the very last part of the trail went behind a bunch of sketchy looking houses with big mean looking dogs. so I was almost running. don't need another dog bite.
I decided to hitch a ride 3 miles into town instead of walk. a guy with a gotee and university of Virginia cap driving a pick up towing a boat picked me up and drove me quickly into town. nice guy. taking two days here then back out.
later,
L


-- Post From My iPhone

gravel springs hut

17.5 miles, 946.2 total.
took my time getting up and moving around today. sun was out early so I hung my socks and pants and shirt so they could be a little dry when I started. was finally packed and ready to go around 8.
first 4 miles were ok. several road crossings and some overlook areas, and I could actually see brcause the sun was out. stopped at a SNP convenience store that was right on the trail. took a 30 minute break to relax and have a box of nutter butters and some ice cream sandwiches. yummy.
after that, I went up and over humpback mtn and then over an unnamed mtn that had a huge radio/tv antenna on top. that's not all it had...about halfway down the other side of the mtn a very very big bear jumped up from behind a boulder, about 150 feet away, and took off running up the mtn. looked about 300 lbs. and really fast. wow. I got down the mtn faster than I thought possible.
2 miles later I was here at the shelter with 5 north bound section hikers from Chicago. no rain today!!! maybe tomorrow will be nice too.
later,
L


-- Post From My iPhone

Byrds Nest #3 Hut

22.4 miles, 928.7 total.
Not sure what's up with the name of this hut. It was previously a day use picnic table shelter and the added walls and a platform for sleeping...and now it's a hut. AND there's no water within a mile - which is a detail the maps and guidebooks got wrong. ugh. lucky for me I filled up a little before I got here so I have enough for tonight and tomorrow morning.
Now it has been 4 days of rain. Everything is wet. Only my sleeping bag and night clothes are dry. Shoes, socks, undies, pants, shirts, pack...all wet and starting to get smelly. Hung everything on a line inside the hut, but it all just soaks up more moisture.
Let the hut this morning at 7:00 because one of the Germans was up at 5:30. What's that all about???
Passed a couple more car campsites that were full of tents and RVs. Took a break at the first shelter/hut around 11:30 and then another break at the horse stable of a resort that the trail passed. They had chairs that were under a canopy and out of the rain...and next to a vending machine. Got a grape soda and a snickers bar. mmmmm. By the way, even in the rain the horses were very smelly. kinda like my shoes. :)
About a mile before I got to this hut it began to pour. Heavier than any rain I've had so far on my trip. This time it was a true thunderstorm. There was lightning and thunder. I found a picnic area with open bathrooms so I hid in the men's room for a little bit to get out of the storm. When it let up I started again. The bathroom was very nice. :)
Here with a NOBO section hiker from Richmond, VA. He's a retired firefighter who knows a lot about the park and this area. Very cool.
later,
L

Bearfence Mountain Hut

20.6 miles, 906.3 total.
Left the hut a little before 8:00 this morning, first one out. I think the others are going to stay at the first shelter (8.2 miles away) so I'll decided to go for the second one. Don't want to be with dogs again tonight. Done with the "pets on the trail" thing....NOW.
The first section was up and out of the fog so I got to see some of the nice scenery...and the sun! I got to the first shelter by 10:30 and took a half hour break to have a snack and refill water. Since the first few miles, I was in and out of the fog and rain most of the day. Climbed to the top of Hightop Mountain and was able to see above the clouds. It was very nice and there were several rocky overviews so I was able to get some good pictures. Then, on the way down the mountain, I came down through a switchback and 40 feet from me a bear popped its head up from behind a dead tree that was about 5 feet off the trail. I clanged my hiking poles together several times and it jumped up and took off up the mountain. It wasn't too big or too small; probably a few years old. It was the size of a large dog. Not very scary, but now I've seen my first bear.
About a half mile from the hut was a car camping area with a camp store. yippee. I stopped and bought mac & cheese for dinner, moon pies, snickers, gatorade, and two bottles of cream soda. yummy.
Here at the hut with two german SOBO section hikers, and a NOBO sectioner. Still raining tonight. Most of my stuff is wet and I can't get it to dry.
later,
L

Pinefield Hut

13.2 miles, 885.7 total.
Two of the people at the shelter last night had dogs with them. ugh. So I was up early and decided to get on the trail as soon as possible.
It was cloudy and misty all day today, and then started to pour late in the afternoon and still hasn't stopped.
Hiked by several car campsites today and a bunch of overlooks on the Skyline Drive. There are a lot of people in this park, even though the summer season hasn't started yet. Was going to go for 22 miles today but I started to get cranky and achy when I got to this shelter for a break around 1:30. My feet are feeling good today even though I was walking in the rain most of the day. These new(ish) shoes are doing well. They're New Balance with a trail sole. They don't do really well on the wet rocks but they feel so good on my feet. I'll just be careful. :)
Saw a bunch of deer today all along the trail. I also saw a bright orange lizard that was only about 4 or 5 inches long. I thought it was a plastic toy that someone dropped until it started to move. I also saw more turtles today.
Here at the "Hut" with a very odd SOBO hiker from CT and a three sectioners including the two with dogs.
later,
L

Blackrock Hut

20 miles, 872.5 total.
Got a late start because I had to go to the post office and send a package home. Kandra sent me a lighter sleeping bag and some warm weather clothing so I sent back my heavier bag and several other cold weather items. My pack is now a couple pounds lighter. I called a Trail Angel with the last name Gottschalk, but he's not from Hays, to give me a ride back to the trail.
I got started around 10:30 and it was really foggy and rainy. Here we go again with the rain. The forecast says it will rain a little bit each day I'm going to be in the Shenandoah National Park - 5 or 6 days.
The trail in the park is amazingly well kept, and crosses the Skyline Drive many times. SD is a continuation of the Blueridge Parkway into the SNP, just has a different name. The trail goes through some forest areas that are much more dense than what I just came through the last two weeks, and I've been told I will definitely see more wild life here.
Made it the 20 miles by 5:30 and even took several breaks in the rain. I saw a lot of deer and several turtles today. Here at the shelter area, they call them Huts in this park, with 6 others who are all section hikers. They tell me that because it takes only 5-8 days to get through the park I will see a lot of people who are here just to hike the park.
later,
L

Waynesboro, VA

Very short day. Easy, easy 5 mile hike down into Waynesboro. Saw several turtles, turkeys, and a few deer on the way down. I also saw a group of SOBO section hikers, and one of them told me I need to get a shave. Am I that ratty looking?? Feet and hands are swollen and are still killing me. At Rockfish Gap - the highway crossing near town - I called a local "Trail Angel" who came to give me a ride into town (5 miles). Taking a couple of zero days here before heading into the Shenandoah National Park.