morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2011-10-23
From: Dennytown Rd

To: Graymoor Spiritual Life Center
Miles today: 8.0
Weather: clear sky

Day 216 ¢ In the morning we went to the grocery store to get summer sausage, cheese and bread for the week. We drove around the U.S.M.A. once we got through all the security checks and went back Bear Mountain Lodge to have their brunch. The brunch made up for the poor dinner last night. I had a bacon/cheese/tomato omelet, pasta, tomato/mozzarella salad, a little waffle, two servings of some wonderful tasty beef tenderloin, a salad, cheese grits, a little chicken pot pie and topped it off with some chocolate ice cream with caramel topping. Oh, life is good. Megan dropped me off at the trail at 1:10pm and once again, with a full stomach, I headed south. The terrain was nice and flat and it was another beautiful fall day. Around 2:30pm, I could hear live music in the distance. I finally figured out that it must be originating from the Graymoor Spiritual Life Center, which is where I had planned to spend the night. The Friars allow hikers to stay in the picnic pavilion or set up tents in the ball fields. As I got closer the music got louder and I figured that they must be having an Oktoberfest so I thought that would be great and work in my favor, a good cold German draft beer and bratwurst. Well, things don¢t always work out as planned but it was still a great ending. I arrived at the center at 4:45pm and it did not take me too long to realize that this was not a German celebration but looked to be a Latin American celebration but they still had food!! I actually thought it might be a wedding celebration as I entered into the ball fields and made my way over to the food. I observed that they were selling food so I walked along the food vendors until I found something that looked familiar, a whole hog that had been roasted. I had pulled pork, corn on the cob, a hot dog and French fries, it sure beat the sorry meal I had last night. I sat down at one of the picnic tables and asked one of the men what the celebration was about. He explained that they were celebrating Our Lady and it was an Ecuadorian festival. I asked how long he expected it to go on and he said probably until 7:00pm, which was fine except it was going to get dark at 6:00pm and there were no lights. Having learned this information it came apparent that I was not going to set my tent up at the pavilion or on the ball field. After eating, I gathered my gear and walked down to a vacant grassy parking area and set up my tent. I looked for some Friars at the celebration to get permission but did not see anyone fitting that description. I was inside my tent, again with a full stomach by 6:00pm listening to the music in the back ground. I hiked another easy 8.0 miles today, increasing my total miles to 1,882.6. I have 281 miles left on this journey.
Date: 2011-10-24
From: Graymoor Spiritual Life Center

To: William Brien Shelter
Miles today: 16.5
Weather: overcast clouds

Day 217 ¢ I slept well as the music ceased around 7:30pm and I must have fallen right to sleep because I did not hear any of the cars leaving along the road up from my tent. I was up by 6:45am and on the trail by 7:30am. I had heavy condensation on the inside of the rain fly and it got my down sleeping bag a little wet. That is not good because I have no way of drying the sleeping bag out while I am moving. The guide book indicated a convenience store on U.S. 9 which I estimated to be 30 minutes away. I walked in at 8:00am and ordered a bacon/sausage/cheese/3 egg sandwich and ate half of it. I packed the other half away figuring that would make a good mid-morning snack. I also consumed a huge apple turnover and some hot chocolate. I made good time to Bear Mountain Bridge, which crosses the Hudson River at Montgomery. After leaving the bridge, the trail goes through the Bear Mt trailside museum which was very nice. I saw two more bears, albeit behind bars. This is the lowest point on the entire trail, at 124 feet. From here, I started up Bear Mountain, which has over a half a million hikers a year. They have done a marvelous job with the trail; there are stone steps almost up the entire way. Along with me were probably 100 students from Ocean Hill charter school in Brooklyn. In walking along with some students we were talking about hiking and one little boy commented to me that I must have climbed a lot of mountains and I replied ¢yes, I have¢ and he said, ¢I could tell by looking your calf muscles¢. A pretty funny observation by an elementary grade student. I arrived at the Perkin memorial tower and ate the other half of my breakfast. The balance of the day was uneventful, mostly climbing up out of the Hudson River valley. I arrived at the William Brien shelter and called it a day. I hiked 16.5 miles today, increasing my total to 1,899.1 and have 264.5 miles remaining.
Date: 2011-10-25
From: William Brien Shelter

To: Buchanan Mountain
Miles today: 13.8

Day 218 ¢ The wind blew all night and woke me up several times. Additionally, I was hot and sticky which was not conducive to sleeping. I was up at 6:45am but was slow getting started. I had hung everything up to dry and did not get onto the trail until 8:00am. It was a beautiful fall day, in the mid 60¢s*F. The white trail blazes on the trees are becoming harder and harder to see late in the afternoon because of the angle of the bright sun. I really have to be careful because the trail is still not worn with the newly fallen leaves. I had some wonderful trail magic today. I was trying to figure out where to get water since it had been scarce most of the day. Late in the afternoon, when I crossed Mombasha Road, Tuxedo had left six gallons of water in bottles. I immediately drank 1.5 liters and filled up my two water bottles, another little prayer answered on my behalf. I arrived at Buchanan Mt at 4:30pm and was tired so I found a spot to set up my tent. I only went 13.8 miles today but I was exhausted. My total mileage now rest at 1,912.9 miles with 250.7 miles remaining.
Date: 2011-10-26
From: Buchanan Mountain

To: South of Wawayanda Shelter
Miles today: 19.0
Weather: light rain

Day 219 ¢ I was up at 6:35am and packed up in the early daylight. I had not gone as far as I would have liked yesterday so I need a high mileage day today. It rained early in the morning and then was overcast the balance of the day. I crossed into New Jersey at 3:12pm but the trail straddles the state lines for many miles. Additionally, once the trail enters into New Jersey it turns and goes northwest so even hiking southbound one ends up going further north, until it turns back to the southwest. I had to hike along some roads and a side trail for 1.6 miles because a bridge was out over Long House creek. Later in the afternoon the sun came out and I am not sure if it was the sun in my eyes or the poorly marked trail but I missed my side trail to Wawayanda shelter. I realized this once I passed a bridge on my map that was south of the shelter. It was getting towards 6:00pm and getting dark but I was not going to back track. The terrain was fairly rocky but finally a flat spot appeared that allowed me to set up my tent for the evening. After settling in for the night, it was apparent I was underneath an air traffic approach to one of the NYC airports as I had aircraft overhead every 90 seconds. I was able to do 19.0 miles today that brought my total to 1,931.9 miles, resulting in 231.7 remaining miles.
Date: 2011-10-27
From: South of Wawayanda Shelter

To: Hostel in Unionville, NY
Miles today: 14.6

Day 220 ¢ The aircraft traffic stopped about the same time the rain started at 2:11am. I had to jump out of the tent and gather my clothes off the trees limbs and secure my rain fly on the tent. It rained hard off and on the balance of the night and I had to pack my back pack inside my tent in the morning. It was chilly when I finally emerged from my tent to take it down, around 45*F. It rained most of the day and much of the trail was through swampy areas. In one swamp, there were no blazes but multiple beaten down paths with numerous deer tracks. I made one false attempt but finally found the trail but it was very mushy and sloppy. The trail then went along a 0.8 mile boardwalk, quite a feat, as the decking joist actually floats up and down on the pilings through the Pochuck swamp. My goal for the day was to get to the hostel in Unionville, NY, just across the border from NJ. The first thing I did was to go to the Italian restaurant and ordered myself a large pepperoni pizza. I ate it all but one slice and just could not force it down. I arrived at the bar/restaurant/hostel to find out that they no longer operate the hostel. David, the owner was very accommodating and cleared out the old bunkroom, which was now a storage area so I could spend the night. It is supposed to snow tonight so I was very appreciative of David making room for me. They had sloppy joes for happy hour so I helped myself to one of those and had some potato skins also. I had a good mileage day given I was in the rain all day and in the swampy environment. I finished the day with 14.6 miles, increasing my total to 1,946.5 miles, decreasing my remaining miles to 217.1 miles.
Date: 2011-10-28
From: Hostel in Unionville, NY

To: Mashipacong Shelter
Miles today: 15.4
Weather: clear sky

Day 221 ¢ The deck of the bunk was very narrow but I did not fall off and I was glad to be inside. It did not snow but there was a covering of frost on everything when I got up and headed to the general store for breakfast. I had them fix me a bacon/egg sandwich for breakfast and a turkey sub for later in the day. I also bought additional supplies for the next couple of days, including 3 Butterfinger candy bars. The terrain was a little rockier, with vertical rocks perpendicular to the ground, reminding me of PA. There was one section with a boardwalk and as soon as I stepped onto it in mid-stride I knew I was in deep trouble. It was covered with a thin layer of ice; fortunately, I skidded forward instead of falling backwards on my back or falling sideways, off the boardwalk into the muddy, marshy water. I was extremely lucky but again, the hand of God protected me. I walked by the Murray farm, which is a beautiful piece of pasture land with a water well for hikers. Also, there is a heated cabin that hikers can stay in overnight. Later, I took a little side trail to the High Point Monument, built in 1930. It is the highest elevation in NJ, around 1,700 feet. I arrived at the Mashipacong shelter at 4:40pm and again I was the only one there.Since this is reported to be a high bear activity area, I actually put my food bag into a metal food locker that was at the shelter. Inside the locker was also some water which I desperately needed. The radio has been forecasting all day that we are to receive between 4-10 inches of snow tomorrow. I will attempt to get an early start tomorrow and get into Branchville, NJ by early afternoon. I covered 15.4 miles today, increasing my total to 1,961.9 miles with only 201.7 miles remaining.
Date: 2011-10-29
From: Mashipacong Shelter

To: Codmin Ridge Motel in Branchville, NJ
Miles today: 9.0

Day 222- I went to bed early but listened to the World Series off and on during the night and to the NYC weather forecast. I woke up several times to see if any bears were in the vicinity but did not see any. I did not get up as early as I had hoped but it was still dark at 6:55am when I starting packing. I was on the trail at 7:50am and thankfully the terrain was easier than the past few days so I made good time, around 3.5 mph. It started snowing at 10:00am, exactly when NPR¢s Car Talk came on the radio. Fortunately, it was cold enough to snow and not rain, rain would have been more problematic because I would have gotten wet. The initial snow bounced off of me and was not sticking. I got to U.S. 206 at 11:30am and went to Joe¢s coffee shop/deli across the highway. I had a turkey/cheese sandwich, chips and a drink. While eating, a gentleman walked in and asked if I was thru hiking and if I needed a ride. By now, the ground and roads were completely covered with snow and it was coming down hard so I gladly accepted. As it turned out, this man, Dan, hiked the trail in 2003 so we had a good discussion on our way to Branchville, NJ.I got to the 12 room Cobmin Ridge Motel and checked in and was handed a gallon of water. I was told not to drink the water from the faucet, very scary. I also wore my socks the entire time I was there and it was not because my feet were cold! It was pretty nasty but it was the only game in town. There was a bakery/deli across the street so I went over and loaded up on a chicken salad sandwich, various pastries and some milk. I just relaxed and watched football on TV and watched the snow continue to accumulate outside. I walked 9.0 miles today, increasing my total to 1,970.9 miles, reducing my remaining miles to 192.7 miles.
Date: 2011-10-30
From: Codmin Ridge Motel in Branchville, NJ

To: Codmin Ridge Motel in Branchville, NJ
Miles today: 0.0

223- I woke up Sunday morning to a beautiful blue sky, bright sunshine shining down on between 8-14 inches of snow. I was really unsure what to do. I could go back to the trail and go to the next shelter which was 3.4 miles away. The Mohican Outdoor Center was 17.7 miles away but I was pretty sure that it was impossible to get there today with the amount of snow on the ground. I would not be able to camp between these two sites because of the snow, plus I would not be able to build a fire at the shelter. I had prayed about it before going to sleep and woke up several times during the night thinking about it. As much as I hated to take a zero day I finally concluded that is what I needed to do and will attempt to do the entire 17.7 miles on Monday. I checked with the front desk early and got the room for another night and I was glad I did. They were completely booked because so many local people had lost their power and had come to the motel. I called the convenience store that was a mile down the highway to see if they were open and they were so I dressed and started walking. When I got there, there were over 30 people in the store, most of them buying coffee because everyone had lost electricity. I bought supplies for the week plus food for the day and went back to the motel and did a lot of nothing other than watch NFL and the Weather Channel. I did go eat Mexican food later in the day just to get out of the motel. The day was gorgeous and fortunately warm enough with the sunshine that the snow was rapidly melting.
Date: 2011-10-31
From: Codmin Ridge Motel in Branchville, NJ

To: Mohican Outdoor Center
Miles today: 17.7
Weather: overcast clouds

Day 224 - I got going early Monday morning and ate the turkey sandwich that I had gotten at the convenience store yesterday. I got a ride to the trail head and started south on the trail. There had been significant foot traffic on the trail from yesterday and it was already worn down but still a lot of snow. It had been warm enough yesterday to get all the snow off the trees which was a real advantage otherwise I would have hit the limbs with my pack and had snow down my neck. Probably half to two thirds of the snow had melted on the eastern/southern facing part of the trail along the ridge but there was still 6-8 inches. If the trail crossed over to the western/northern part of the ridge then I was immediately in 12+ inches of snow. The further I traveled from the highway there were sections that I was the first to walk on. Fortunately, again, because of the warm day yesterday, the snow was off the trunk of the trees; otherwise, it would have covered up the white blazes. I arrived at Mohican Outdoor Center after 17.7 miles. This is a nice facility with various size cabins to rent. It is operated by the AMC, the same club that operates the huts in New Hampshire. The only problem was that they had lost electricity but the small three room cabin had a propane heater so it was warm. 4 eyes and Wolverine showed up later and we cranked the heat up to 80*F to dry off our clothes and boots. I walked 17.7 miles today, raising my total to 1,988.6 miles and have 175.0 miles remaining
Date: 2011-11-01
From: Mohican Outdoor Center

To: Kirk Ridge Shelter
Miles today: 16.9
Weather: clear sky

Day 225 - I slept well in my room on a bunk in my sleeping bag. I actually cracked open the window because it was so hot in the cabin. I got up at 6:35am and packed my pack with my headlamp on, as it was totally dark inside. I was on the trail at 7:40am, hiking in and out of snow once again. I was OK except my hands got really cold, as they had done yesterday too. I passed Sunfish Pond, the southernmost glacial lake along the trail. It was pretty and very scenic. While walking along the lake I slipped and fell and hit my right forearm on a boulder but fortunately it only scraped the skin. I crossed into PA, my final and 14th state, at 12:10pm while walking along I-80 at Delaware Water Gap. I went into DWG and ate lunch at the only restaurant that I could find. I had a nice salad with my normal hiker menu consisting of a cheeseburger with fries. I know as you read this journal you think I hike so I can eat this way but really it¢s the other way around, I eat this way so I can hike. Burning 5-6,000 calories a day, one has to keep replenishing and I can¢t do that eating rehydrated food, grits or summer sausage all the time. The big issue will be when I finish this little journey and have to revert to my previous eating habit because I have never eaten this many hamburgers/french fries nor this many pizzas and never ate 2 candy bars a day along with soft drinks. After lunch I proceeded to Kirkridge shelter and got there around 5:00pm. Part of the trail this afternoon was along an old abandoned road in the woods, it was so nice and peaceful and no rocks!! There were two guys at the shelter; they were camping out for the night. They did build a fire which was nice to have. The day had been gorgeous, around 55*F and nice and sunny. I covered 16.9 miles today, increasing my total to 2,005.5 miles and I have 158.1 miles left to go. This was a milestone day, entered into my final state and passed the 2,000 mile mark.
Date: 2011-11-02
From: Kirk Ridge Shelter

To: Leroy Smith Shelter
Miles today: 13.8
Weather: clear sky

Day 226 - I slept well even with the coyotes howling down in the valley. They woke me up three times but only briefly. I was a little later getting up this morning as I only have 13.8 miles to cover today. I was up at 7:00am and attempted to pack without waking up the other two guys. That is a little hard to do when you have to deflate your sleeping pad and put all your gear back into plastic bags. I was on the trail at 8:20am and had a fairly easy day. Again, there were some places along the trail that I was the first to walk since the snow. There are still some areas with snow on the ground but it did not hinder hiking at all. I got into Wind Gap and picked up my PA maps at the Post Office and walked down to a convenience store and had two hot dogs, a big bag of potato chips, a doughnut and two ginger ales and bought me a couple of Butterfingers for later. The trail in the afternoon was much rockier but I am pretty much on cruise control right now. I did stub my toes about 20 times today, my left big toe will never be the same. I also saw a porcupine in a tree, which was neat, the first one that I have ever seen in real life. I plan to finish on November 12, so the past week much of the day is spent reflecting on this journey and all that I have seen and experienced. I am ready to finish but then there is a little sadness in that I have enjoyed doing this even though it is hard work. I have spent a lot of time in meditation; giving thanks for all that He has done for me on this journey and looking toward the future and wondering what it holds. After the 13.8 miles I arrived to an empty Leroy Smith shelter at 5:00pm. My total miles now stand at 2,019.3 and I have 144.3 miles remaining.
Date: 2011-11-03
From: Leroy Smith Shelter

To: Outer Bridge Shelter
Miles today: 16.7

Day 227 - ¢ I slept well, it got down to 45*F in the shelter so that was very comfortable. I was up at 6:45am and on the trail at 8:10am after stopping to drink and to fill up my bottles with water. It was another gorgeous day, every day since the snow has been wonderful, in the mid 50*F with bright sunshine. I did stub my toes several times again today on the rocks; bringing me to a complete stop to allow the pain to dissipate from my toes up my leg. Most of the beautiful afternoon was spent hiking around and through a zinc refinery superfund site, as I worked my way to PA 248. The zinc plant that was located in Palmerton pretty well scoured the landscape downwind of the plant. I arrived at the highway at 4:10pm and told myself I would give myself to 4:30pm to hitch a ride into Walnutport and if I did not get one, I would continue on to the shelter, which was only one mile away. At 4:25 pm a firefighter stopped and took me to a pizza place where I had a salad and a plate full of lasagna. It was very tasty and a nice change. My hitch hiking luck was not with me on my return however, I had to walk 1.5 miles before I finally got a ride for the remaining half mile. The short jaunt up to the shelter was quick and I was the only one in Outerbridge shelter. I hiked 16.7 miles today, raising my total to 2,036 and reducing my remaining miles to 127.6 miles.
Date: 2011-11-04
From: Outer Bridge Shelter

To: Allentown Shelter
Miles today: 16.8

Day 228 - I slept late this morning as I was still tired and I guess a little lazy. I got going around 8:00am and the wind was very brisk and the temperature in the low 40¢s*F. I had an uneventful morning hike and stopped at the next shelter for lunch so I could sit down at the picnic table. After this, I passed several aviary observers; this area is noted to be a birds of prey migratory route. I did see several birds but could not tell what they were. Around 3:40pm, I crossed PA 309 and there is a small B&B with a restaurant several hundred yards from the trail. I kept debating if I wanted to go eat and after seeing the ¢open¢ sign flashing, turned around and headed that direction. I had a big, thick club sandwich and fries which went down pretty easy. I hit the trail again after about forty minutes and had a very comfortable walk along an old roadbed through the woods. I arrived at the Allentown shelter around 5:40pm after stopping by a nice spring and drinking over 1.5 liters of water. Again, as is the norm, I was the only one in the shelter and went to bed soon after I arrived. I covered 16.8 miles today, increasing my total to 2,052.8 miles, decreasing my remaining miles to 110.8 miles. I will be under a hundred miles by the end of tomorrow, it is hard to believe.