morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2019-06-18
From: Kirkridge Shelter

To: Kittatinny Visitors Center
Miles today: 7.7

Today¢s hike was a short one. It also completed my section of Pennsylvania. Seven of the 14 trail states now complete! (By the way, if you have not heard, the rocky section of the trail does not end at the Pennsylvania/New Jersey state line.)  After crossing the Delaware River and the state line, I entered New Jersey. I immediately pulled off the trail at Kittatinny Visitors Center. Tank had arranged to pick me up at that location. He was kind enough to take me to his place where I could clean up and get resupplied. He also had some great food. As usual, that is at the top of my list. It felt good to have a full stomach and feel clean. It rained all day today. It was nice to be under a roof and be dry. He dropped me off at the post office where I mailed some items home. He took me to a nearby Walmart and store for resupply He also provided barbershop services, as he gave me a buzz cut. I felt like a new human being again. We spent most of the time talking about the trail. He is able to relate to most of my stories as he, Physical and I hiked all of the Georgia section together. His hospitality has been greatly appreciated. He went over the top with his trail magic.We will get up early enough tomorrow to get me back on the trail, and he can return to work. A special THANK YOU to both Tank and Physical for all the trail magic provided over the last few days.I am getting ready for the next few days. It is supposed to rain a lot over the next week or so. Good night all. Stay dry.
Date: 2019-06-19
From: Kittatinny Visitors Center

To: Mohican Outdoor Center
Miles today: 11.6

After a great breakfast, Tank drove me back to the trail. Again, his hospitality is greatly appreciated. It rained off and on throughout the day. The final destination was the Mohican Outdoor Center. I checked in, had something to eat, took a shower and settled in for the evening.Here at the center that I know are Cecil, RG, Stingray and Halo.
Date: 2019-06-20
From: Mohican Outdoor Center

To: Brink Shelter
Miles today: 11.9

I reviewed the weather radar this morning and waited for the heavier rains to let up before I started hiking. The rain kept everything wet. Including the rocks. I did have a slip and a fall on some rocks that were on a sideways slant. Minor scratches on my right forearm.No views due to the clouds. I did come upon a fire tower in the fog. Again, no views. I had three wildlife first observations today. The first was a newt that was not the usual red-orange color. I did see dozens of the red-orange variety due to the rain and damp ground. The second observation was a snapping turtle. We passed multiple ponds today. I guess it was traveling between ponds. The third observation was a first in my lifetime. I saw my first porcupine. It was up in a tree on the trail about at head-height. It just sat there while I spent about five minutes taking pictures and talking to it. It looked like a juvenile. I had this sighting on my wish list for this adventure! The other is a moose sighting. Hopefully that might occur in Maine. I hope the stars align and I make it there.I arrived at Brink Shelter by 1:00. I was done for the day. I rested and did my daily camp chores. It started raining hard again around 5:30 pm. It is expected to continue to rain throughout the night. I am dry inside the shelter tonight.
Date: 2019-06-21
From: Brink Shelter

To: Rutherford Shelter
Miles today: 15.0
Weather: broken clouds

It rained all night. I delayed my start this morning until the hard rain let up. I got on the trail at 7:30 am and it stopped raining around 11:00 am. After the rain stopped, it turned out to be a decent day. The hike was not too hard and the temperatures relatively cool. All views today were filled with fog and a few partly cloudy sections.I ran into "Sunshine" and "Blue Grass" in the afternoon. "Blue Grass" waited for all rains to end before "Sunshine" shuttled him back to the trail. By 2:30 pm I had reached my final destination, Rutherford Shelter. I set up my tent and went through my usual camp chores for the evening.It will be nice to have a dry night for a change. Time to call it an evening on this first day of summer. Good night all.
Date: 2019-06-22
From: Rutherford Shelter

To: Pochuck Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 17.0
Weather: clear sky

No rain expected today, and that is good. The previous rains however, did make the trail very muddy. Being muddy made it slippery in many areas. Other than the mud, the trail had it¢s fair share of rocks, pasture land walking and marshy/swampy areas. Some of the marshy areas on trail had wooden boardwalks, which made travel through these areas much easier and enjoyable. I came to a wooden deck on trail. Atop this observation deck I could easily see on the nearby mountain. This is the highest point in NJ.  Around lunchtime, I hiked into Unionville, NY and had my lunch and resupply at the General Store and Deli. (I also bought a sub sandwich for supper later this evening and it was good.) Later in the afternoon I made it to Pochuck Mountain Shelter where I set up my tent and went through my routine. All the hikers at the shelter this evening are new to me. Several weekend hikers and a few Flip-Flop Hikers.Getting late. It is after 7:00 pm. Time for bed. We refer to this time of the day as "hiker midnight". Good night all.
Date: 2019-06-23
From: Pochuck Mountain Shelter

To: Wawayanda Shelter
Miles today: 11.5
Weather: clear sky

I was up and hiking early this morning since it was supposed to be warmer today than in days past. Again, I like to get up early and take advantage of the cooler temperatures. Hiking over swamps was the highlight for today. We had the usual boardwalks over the wetlands. There was one stretch where the boardwalks were elevated approximately four to five feet above the swampy waters, which made for easy walking. However, there was no shade and the sun beat down on you the entire boardwalk experience. There was also a suspension bridge that went over the Pochuck Creek and made for easy hiking in these sections.While I was at a stream getting water for the remainder of the day, two guys walked up and asked me if they were hiking in the north direction. I told them, no, it was back in the direction they came from. They had been hiking 3.5 miles in the wrong direction. They were out hiking for the week and had taken precious time off of their schedule to start their journey. I saw them later in the afternoon at the Wawayanda Shelter where I was set up for the evening. They said the time lost today should not interrupt their schedule too much. They are from Tennessee and Illinois, and grew up in the New Jersey and New York areas. They were looking for better tools (maps) to help them on their hike, so I showed them the AWOL Guide and Guthook app that I use to aid me during my hike. They are strongly considering getting either one or both of these items. My tent is set up and I am going through the chore activities for the afternoon. The camp is almost full. The shelter is full and all the tent sites are taken. Crowded with thru hikers (NOBO, Flip-Floppers, Section Hikers & Week-Long Hikers), it feels unusually crowded.Time to prepare supper and settle in for the evening. Good night all.
Date: 2019-06-24
From: Wawayanda Shelter

To: Wildcat Shelter, NY
Miles today: 12.1
Weather: clear sky

Today was a short hike before we crossed the New Jersey/New York state line. So New Jersey is now complete. Eight of the 14 states done!We hiked a while on rocks along a ridge line. Several times I had to put down my trekking poles and use my hands to raise and/or lower myself among the large boulders. We later came to a road crossing where a guy provided trail magic. It included a soft drink, fruit and candy bars. He also handed each of us a pair of Darn Tough socks. He does this each year. About 0.3 miles down the road was a creamery. The ice cream was great!I hiked another four miles to the Wildcat Shelter where I set up for the evening. Again the shelter area was packed for the evening.Good night all.
Date: 2019-06-25
From: Wildcat Shelter, NY

To: NY 17, Southfield NY
Miles today: 9.9

The very second that I put my foot on the trail this morning, it started raining. A good hard rain and I was immediately soaked. After an hour, it let up for a while and then it came down hard again. Because of the rain and rock climbs, I went extra slow. Some of these rocks with the green moss-like covering get slippery when wet. So, slow it is...There were four or five rock climbs today. No views due to the rain and cloud cover.I made it to NY 17 where I walked into Tuxedo, NY. I got a room, shower, clothes laundered, and as usual food to eat and resupply. It has been several days now since I last bathed. It feels good to be clean again.I will rest tonight and head back to the trail tomorrow.Shin splints update: It has been over five consecutive days now since I last felt any discomfort in my shin or foot. It appears that cutting back on the miles, taking the zero days and the wearing the compression sleeves have worked. I will wait a few more days before I consider bumping up my miles again. I don¢t want it come back.
Date: 2019-06-26
From: NY 17, Southfield NY

To: West Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 12.9
Weather: clear sky

I checked out of the Tuxedo Motel and walked down to the Valero to pick up something for breakfast. As I was leaving, a guy asked me if I would like a lift back to the trail head. I was glad to accept. He saved me a two mile road walk back to the trail head.As I was about to get started, I ran into "Sunshine" and "Bluegrass". She was dropping him off for a day of slack packing. I have run into them several times now since Duncannon, PA.I quickly reached a well known location on the trail called the "Lemon Squeezer", a narrow passage between two split rock faces. The passageway was so narrow that I had to remove my pack and place it ahead and above at this location. "Bluegrass" came along just after I made it through. He had no issues as he was carrying a small day pack. Within ten yards we had to do a cliff face rock scramble. No trekking poles or pack during this brief climb.Within less than half-mile we came to a huge buck, still in velvet--at least an eight-point. Only the second buck seen on trail and by far, the largest. Another two or three doe were seen throughout the day.About midday I summited Black Mountain. From this location you can see the skyline of New York City in the distance. By mid afternoon I reached the side trail for West Mountain Shelter. Because I had enough water, I only walked 0.1 miles to a camp spot. The shelter was 0.5 miles off trail and I didn¢t want to add that unnecessary mileage to my day.I will camp here for the night and head out a little later than usual tomorrow. I am expecting to pass through the zoo tomorrow, the lowest point on the AT. The zoo doesn¢t open till 10:00 am. With my usual early starts, I would get there around 8:00 am. We will see how I feel about that tomorrow morning.Time for camp chores. Good night all.
Date: 2019-06-27
From: West Mountain Shelter

To: Graymoor Spiritual Life Center
Miles today: 13.4

I left camp around 6:00am. Within a mile I came upon "Lucked In" who was cowboy camping at an overlook. He had no tent, but stayed relatively dry under a tarp that he had. We hiked together the remainder of the day.We first came to the Perkins Memorial Tower on Bear Mountain. A well built stone tower. Next we entered the Museum/Zoo. The trail passes through the zoo. In front of the bear exhibit is the lowest point on the entire AT. Just over 100 feet above sea level. We exited the zoo and crossed the Hudson River. A nice climb coming from the river. Above the Clouds at 6:00 a.m.We stopped and ate at the Appalachian Market and Deli. I carried an extra sub for my supper later in the evening. About 0.6 miles further was the Graymoor Spiritual Center. A nice place for hikers. Flat soccer field for tenting, a pavilion, Port-a-Johns, a cold water shower and spigot water. About 16 tents set up tonight.Time to eat my sub sandwich and call it an evening. Good night all.
Date: 2019-06-28
From: Graymoor Spiritual Life Center

To: RPH Shelter
Miles today: 18.8
Weather: clear sky

We planned for a relatively long day today. The nearest shelter was over 18 miles away. As usual I had my early start to avoid some of the heat. I started hiking at 5:30am, the first one out of camp this morning.Not too many views today. A basic up and down, up and down day. I did, however, run into a guy headed southbound. He was providing trail magic to the northbound hikers he passed. It consisted of a Gatorade drink and an energy bar. It was perfect timing, since I was planning to stop for a snack break soon. This guy hiked the entire AT last year and was training for an upcoming hike of the John Muir Trail.About two miles before my final destination, I came to a road crossing. In the parking lot was "Mountain Do¢s" wife. She was handing out trail magic while she waited to pick up her husband. She had brownies with cold ice cream, watermelon, lemonade and soft drinks. On a hot day like today, these cold foods make you feel like a million dollars!After being energized with trail magic, I hiked another hour to the RPH Shelter. I set up my tent and waited for the others to arrive.
Date: 2019-06-29
From: RPH Shelter

To: Telephone Pioneer Shelter
Miles today: 16.8
Weather: clear sky

I was the first out of camp this morning. After about five miles I hiked 0.5 miles off trail to visit a deli for hot fresh food. Including fresh fruit. I hiked back to the trail and continued my northbound trek. With the exception of Nuclear Lake, the views were nothing special. I did not even take any pictures today. That is rare for a day when it doesn¢t rain. I reached Telephone Pioneers Shelter and set up my tent. Soon after getting set up, 15-20 Boy Scouts and their leaders set up all around me. Lots of energy with this group. Hopefully I can get a full nights sleep.Good night all.
Date: 2019-06-30
From: Telephone Pioneer Shelter

To: Ten Mile River Shelter
Miles today: 12.8
Weather: scattered clouds

Today was a special day in many ways. The terrain was not bad for hiking, the temperature did not climb as high as was expected, there was a light rain twice during the day that helped keep temperatures down, we entered Connecticut this afternoon and we had five independent sets of trail magic.We all planned to leave the shelter at the same time so that we could meet up with "Up and Over¢s" wife and daughter at the Appalachian Trail RR Station. Before we even reached that destinatiion we ran into a guy at the first road crossing with food and drinks. He was a professional photographer and asked if he could take pictures and email them to us. While we were there, we were joined by "Mountain Do" and his wife. We ate, had pictures taken and moved on to the RR Station. "Up and Over¢s" wife and daughter had lots of great items for trail magic. It was nice to chat with them for a short while. They tried to force more food and drinks at us as we were leaving.We later saw jugs of water at a road crossing. Due to the dark water color and quality of water in NY streams, it has been common to come upon water at many road crossings.Later we crossed the New York/ Connecticut state line. Just behind the sign was a message and a cooler filled with soft drinks. The message welcomed us to the state of Connecticut. Another state complete--9 of 14! Less than a mile later we came to a sign for more trail magic. It was a husband and wife set up with a grill, handing out pulled chicken sandwiches with celery sticks and carrots. We each got an additional sandwich to take with us for the evening.We reached Ten Mile River Shelter by mid afternoon. There we set up our tents and soaked our feet in the nearby river.With all the trail magic throughout the day, no one was excessively hungry at the end of this day. We were very blessed today.Time to sit back and chill. Good night all.
Date: 2019-07-01
From: Ten Mile River Shelter

To: Steward Hollow Brook Shelter
Miles today: 15.7

Connecticut threw me a slight curve ball today. There were more ups and downs scattered throughout the day than I expected. The climbs were not long, there were just numerous uphill climbs. The final downhill got everyone¢s attention. It was long, and almost straight down. Again, it got my attention.By early afternoon I was at Stewart Hollow Brook Shelter. I was sitting at the picnic table talking with Ben, a flip-flop hiker, and we both heard a sound right next to the table where we were sitting. We turned, expecting to see a chipmunk, based on the sound that we heard. It turned out to be a toad being eaten by a snake. Now that is not something that you see, or ¢hear¢ every day. The snake had it¢s meal for the evening and we had our just a few hours later."Lucked In" and I are planning to hike to a shelter approximately 10 miles north tomorrow. If we are feeling good when we get there, our current plans are to push on another five miles to a camp site with a privy and water source. This will cut down on the miles into town the next day. We will see how this plays out tomorrow.Time to finish my chores and call it a day. Good night all.
Date: 2019-07-02
From: Steward Hollow Brook Shelter

To: Water Street Parking (Toymakers Cafe)
Miles today: 18.0

While getting ready to leave this morning I heard a bald eagle sound off out at the River. I never saw the bird, but I did hear that distinctive sound.I left around 5:30 am followed by ¢Lucked In¢ and a few others. As planned, I stopped at the first shelter and waited for ¢Lucked In ¢ to arrive. We decided that it was early enough and cool enough after a few light rain showers that we would push another five miles to a camp site. If we felt good at that point we might push even further (another three miles) to get off at Toymakers Deli and set up tents in their backyard. As it turned out, we did push on further.The Toymakers Deli was closed but they did allow us to set up tents. They had the basics, water, electrical outlets to charge stuff and picnic tables. The owners were very nice.The excitement for the evening involved skunks. The owners said that they had two skunks living under their storage building. They were expected to come out around dark. Well about an hour before dark, the neighbor's skunk showed up, ate the cat food and went under the storage building. We all ate our supper and I finished setting up inside my tent. I went back to the picnic table and was checking the weather forecast when I heard ¢Lucked In¢ making some strange grunting sounds. He was trying to warn me to stand back. He had a skunk sniffing his feet and he didn¢t want to move or talk. He simply didn¢t want to startle the skunk. After a few minutes of checking things out, the skunk left and returned to the storage building. ¢Lucked In¢ could not believe it. This was the first time that he had ever seen a skunk in the wild. And the first thing that happens to him is the skunk comes up to him and sniffs his feet. Just a little too much excitement for his first encounter. He is cowboy camping this evening. Let¢s see if he gets more visitors during the nightIt is dark now, time to call it an evening. Good night all.
Date: 2019-07-03
From: Water Street Parking (Toymakers Cafe)

To: Salisbury, CT
Miles today: 7.3

It was a relatively short hike to get to the road crossing where we could head into Salisbury today, and I reached the 1500 mile point! ¢Lucked In¢ and I hiked 0.5 miles to Maria McCabe¢s Hostel. We met Maria and Barbara and got checked in. Maria is a quite a character, at 90 years old. She doesn¢t hear very well so she has Barbara help translate what we are saying. The first item of business was to get cleaned up and take a shower. Once that was complete, Maria drove us to a laundromat in the next town over. While waiting for our clothes to wash and dry we ate at the restaurant next door. Barbara picked us up when we were ready. Maria was taking a nap at that time of day.The grocery store was nearby so we walked down to an area called The Village. It was only a block or two long and had buildings such as the bank, post office, pharmacy, stores and other small businesses clustered along this stretch of road. At the grocery store we picked up some items for the remainder of the day. We will officially resupply tomorrow when we have our hiking schedule better outlined. While we were out we ran into other hikers such as ¢Cecil¢, ¢Lost Keys¢ and ¢Thoreau¢. Later that evening ¢Thoreau¢ walked over from another nearby hostel and we all sat around and chatted until dark. We didn¢t see any skunks this evening although Maria and Barbara said that there was one that visits occasionally. Our plan is to zero tomorrow and rest. The days have been hot lately and getting hotter.Time to call it a day. Good night all.
Date: 2019-07-04
From: Zero in Salisbury, CT

To: Zero in Salisbury, CT
Miles today: 0.0

We were joined today by Jeff (trail name ¢Easy¢). He drove up from the Washington DC area to hike with ¢Lucked In¢ for a couple of weeks. ¢Lucked In¢ and ¢Easy¢ hiked together back in 2017 when ¢Lucked In¢ hiked the first half of the AT. ¢Easy¢ completed the entire AT that same year. ¢Lucked In¢ is trying to finish the second half of the AT this year.We walked down to the nearby market for resupply. We wound up staying there for two to three hours talking with other hikers that were set up in a designated hiker area next to the market. Picnic tables, power outlets, water, trash cans and shade were available to the hiking community. We saw several old and new faces. We came back to the hostel and were joined for the evening by ¢Early¢, ¢Goat¢, ¢Mountain Do¢, ¢Mrs Do¢, ¢Lucked In¢, Maria, Barbara, and ¢Easy¢. We all sat around talking and enjoying everyone¢s company. Near dark, as a few people had left, a skunk showed up. Everyone cleared out then! The party was over.It has been a relaxing zero day. I have really enjoyed my stay at Maria¢s. She and Barbara have made our stay here very enjoyable. I definitely recommend this place. It sounds like this might be the last year this place is open as a hostel. Apparently she has said similar things like this in the past, so I hope she stays open. Everyone should have a chance to meet Maria. Very memorable lady.Time to kick back and call it an evening. Good night all.
Date: 2019-07-05
From: Salisbury, CT

To: Hemlocks Shelter, MA
Miles today: 13.4
Weather: overcast clouds

¢Lucked In¢, ¢Easy¢ and I left the hostel a little after 7:00 am. Within a few miles we left Connecticut and entered the state of Massachusetts. Another state done! Prior to crossing the state line, we walked along a clear water stream that had small water falls. It was a beautiful stream. We had two decent-sized climbs to work through today. The first was Bear Mountain. Yes, another mountain named Bear Mountain. The second was Mt Everett. Each had their challenges, but neither was overly difficult.  We hiked on to our shelter destination, The Hemlocks Shelter. I set up my tent and got ready for the evening.It is nice to have another state completed today (#10 of 14).