morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2003-07-26
From: Delaware Water Gap, PA

To: Delaware Water Gap, PA
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

Well, had I stuck with my original plan for yesterday, today would have been a 6-miler. But instead I woke up at the hiker hostel and had the entire day to relax and catch up on "stuff." First order of business was to get some laundry done. There were no laundry facilities in town so my only recourse was to dig out my trusty "Bio-suds" and wash out my dirty clothes by hand in the hostel sink. The good news was that the sun was shining and I could hang my clean and wet clothes out to dry. With that chore having been completed I headed for the mini-market to restock my food bag for the next 4 days of hiking.I got everything taken care of just as my friends Ray and Janet pulled in from New Jersey. They had driven over 2 hours to come and see me as I passed through their state.They drove me over the Delaware River to the New Jersey side and we went looking for a good dinner restaurant -- did I ever mention that thru-hikers are ALWAYS hungry!! We found a great place in a town called Stroudsburg and they treated me to a fabulous prime rib dinner and of course, several "restorative" adult beverages. After dinner they drove me back to Delaware Water Gap. I introduced them to a few of my hiking friends and then they headed home. It was great getting to visit with Ray and Janet but hard to say goodbye.I crawled into my sleeping bag and reflected on how very fortunate I am. The trail is hard but life is GOOD!
Date: 2003-07-27
From: Delaware Water Gap, PA

To: Mohigan Outdoor Center
Miles today: 10.5
Weather: broken clouds

Coming off a full day's rest and a great dinner, I guess I could have done some big mileage today. But I got off to a bit of a late start and the weather report was calling for a severe storm in the afternoon. so, I set my sights on the Mohigan Outdoor Center. According to the Hiker Handbook they had a bunkhouse with hot showers. It seemed to make good sense to be under a roof tonight and a hot shower is something I rarely turn down.The trail out of town started off as a road walk on I-82 over the Delaware River and into New Jersey. As I reached the midpoint over the river, I stopped and reflected on the fat that I was entering my 8th state and now hiked over 1,280 miles -- Whew!!The trail then veered off into the woods on the other side of the river and began a steady but relatively gradual uphill grade. There were several little "reminders" of the Pennsylvania rocks but nothing as severe. The first landmark of interest was Sunfish Pond. It was a multi-acre glacial pond and the AT went almost all the way around it. I stopped mid-way on some rocks and stared out at the crystal clear water while I ate a snack and downed a bottle of Gatorade. The trail then went uphill and followed a ridgeline before dropping down into the Mohigan Outdoor Center area.I got my bunk and a towel and then headed for the showers -- aaahhhhh! I wish every day on the trail could end like this.Ate a quick dinner and then called it a day. I heard thunder at that moment and again was very happy to be inside before the rains came.
Date: 2003-07-29
From: Culvers Gap

To: High Point State Park Visitors' Center
Miles today: 14.3

Well, for starters, the stories of rocks disappearing once you enter New Jersey are grossly exaggerated. The rocks continue and they hurt your feet. speaking of which, the soles of my feet have been really aching lately. Pennsylvania was murder and I moved into New Jersey with quite a bit of bruising. As a result, I have been backing off the mileage a bit the past few days. It seems to be helping. Even though, my dogs start barking every day around the 15 mile point. Today was no exception. By the time I reached the High Point Ranger Station my feet were begging for a break. I decided to stop there for the day. Only problem was that you can't camp around the Ranger's Station. So, my initial plan was to fill up my water bottles and hike a little deeper in the woods to camp. Then I decided it would probably be smarter to go ahead and cook my dinner there before hiking on. I was just about to light my stove when I heard voices coming from behind the Ranger's Station. I walked back to investigate and found 2 of my hiking friends talking to a park ranger. I walked over and joined in on the conversation. It turned out that this park service employee had offered to drive them down to a little Italian restaurant for dinner. Naturally I threw my hat into the ring. We locked our packs in the Ranger's station and a short while later I was eating pepperoni pizza and sipping on a soda -- aaahhh!After dinner, he offered to drive us up to a spot called the "secret shelter." It is an area that was set up by a former thru-hiker and is complete with a bunkhouse and hot shower. The only problem for me was that this secret shelter was about 7 miles north on the trail and I would end up missing a part of the trail. Just then I got an idea. I could wake up the next morning and hike south back to the Ranger Station. When I mentioned that, the park employee (Randy) said he would drive me the 7 miles back north -- we had a plan. With food in my belly, all I needed to do was pitch my tent and call it a night. I did manage to get in a hot shower though before crawling in my sleeping bag. Life is GOOD!
Date: 2003-07-30
From: High Point State Park Visitors' Center

To: Unionville, NJ
Miles today: 8.8

This would end up being a pretty short day. But every one in a while you need one of those.I got up and did the 7 miles back south with another hiker. The trail was mostly uphill and loaded with rocks. We reached the Ranger Station and Randy gave us a ride back to the Secret Shelter area. By then though my feet were starting to ache. I rested a bit and then resumed my hike northbound. About 2 miles up the trail I crossed a road and the Hiker Handbook indicated that there was a little place called the "Back Track Inn" in Unionville, New Jersey, where you could get a good burger and a beer. That's all I needed to hear. I got off the trail and walked the half mile into town. After wolfing down a burger and a Sam Adams I noticed that the time was around 2 PM. The next stop-over on my itinerary was a town called Vernon, New Jersey, and it was 12 miles up the trail. I sat and thought things over. That hike would take me around 6 hours which would mean an 8 PM arrival. My feet were pretty sore and I found out that the Back Track Inn had hiker bunks for $3. That pretty much made my decision. Besides that it would give me a chance to catch up on my journalling.so, I grabbed a bunk and took a little nap. I then spent quite a while going through and updating my journal.My plan now would be to get up in the morning, drop my journal updates in the mail to Leslie, and then hike on to the town of Vernon.
Date: 2003-07-31
From: Unionville, NJ

To: Vernon, NJ
Miles today: 12.1

Relatively short day, given the terrain, but I needed to hit Vernon for a food resupply anyway. Besides, by the time I hitched a ride into Vernon it was going on 5 PM and it appeared that a rain storm was headed this way.Despite the short mileage there was a lot of variety to the trail. There were the usual ups and downs through the woods but today I also had a 2 mile road walk. The trail then tucked back in the woods and when I broke back out I was at a road. Across the road began a 1.5 mile elevated boardwalk that ran across a swampy area. Oh, I almost forgot that there was also a 1.5 mile segment of trail that ran through the Wallkill Wildlife Refuge, which is a fancy name for the world's largest mosquito farm. Man, those little buggers were blood thirsty! I finally had to stop and rub on some DEET. I swear it seemed like I was an "All You can Eat" insect restaurant. Blood loss and all, I did make it through the gauntlet though. I got to the church hostel around 5 PM and was pleasantly surprised. The entire lower level of the church hall was set up for hikers. I was the first one to arrive so I did a little recon and quickly had a hot shower and my dirty clothes in the wash. Soon other hikers started showing up and before long we had a full house. Took a walk up to the A&P and got all the food I would need and then hit the Burger King for some dinner. This is "hiking in style." Did a little reading and journaling and then headed off to sleep.
Date: 2003-08-01
From: Vernon, NJ

To: Wawayanda Shelter
Miles today: 5.3
Weather: light rain

Another short day. This is getting ridiculous!! Woke up early and found a little bagel shop around the corner from the hostel. By the time I got back some of the other hikers were beginning to show signs of life.There was talk going on about a trail angel stopping by the hostel midmorning to take hikers into the main CAMPMOR store in Paramus, NJ. Being the "gearhead" that I am I was naturally interested in making that trip so I delayed my departure back out to the trail. I basically sat around the hostel until around 10:30 reading old magazines. When the "trail angel" actually did arrive he indicated that he could only take 2 hikers and there were already 2 people onboard -- so that knocked me out of the box, so to speak. Probably just as well because I would only have spent money.However, now it was near lunchtime and my shot at a 17 mile day (as originally planned) was out the window. I decided to go ahead and eat lunch in town and then hit the trail.Bottom line . . . I didn't start hiking until 2:30 PM. Unfortunately, that limited my choice in terms of places to stay tonight in the woods. Another factor was that the rain had started falling and was supposed to get worse.The only logical choice was the first shelter out of town, which was a little more than a 5 mile hike. Bummer! Regardless of distance there was a 1000-foot rise in elevation over the first half mile. That really took the wind out of my sails. AFter reaching the top of the climb there were some ups and downs but the trail was otherwise not too bad. I got to the shelter about 5:15 PM and found out that the water source was 1/2 mile away. That meant another mile of hiking. With my water bag now full, I made dinner and got settled in for the night.A few more hikers showed up and crawled in the shelter, just as the rain started coming down harder.Looks like we're in for a real "soaker." Only thing to do is get some sleep and hit it hard in the morning.
Date: 2003-08-02
From: Wawayanda Shelter

To: Wildcat Shelter
Miles today: 12.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Another day of pretty tough miles. Now and then I have a flashback and imagine that I'm in Pennsylvania again.I officially crossed into New York today -- my 9th state on the AT. I'm not sure what I expected in terms of the trail in New York, but it certainly wasn't this. The elevation changes aren't that extreme but the rocks made up for it. I was really surprised at the number of uphill rock scrambles (and downhill on the backsides). One thing for sure, it's hard to make the kind of progress I was used to. Then again, with my feet being a bit tender the lower mileage and shorter days are doing me some good.I reached NY 17 at around 2 PM and saw a sign for ice cream -- and it was only one tenth of a mile off the trail. That was way too tempting. I ran into another hiker at that point (Firefeet) and she joined me for an ice cream. She needed to go into the town of Warwick for resupply. I agreed to hitch in with her, just to see the town and figure out if there was anything I needed. AFter all . .. there's always SOMETHING you can find at the grocery store that you just have to have. In my case, it was some Gatorade and a few candy bars.We lucked out and got a ride back out to the trail from a shopper in the grocery store. The plan at that point was to hike into the first shelter, which was 2.1 miles away. Normally that would have been an easy hike but with the rock scrambling we had to do, all bets were off. It turned out taking us until 6 PM to reach the shelter.Just as we got there the thunder began and the rain wasn't too far behind. The good news was that some trail angels had left bottles of drinking water at the shelter, which made dinner and rehydration a whole lot easier. Little by little, more and more hikers started to roll in and the rain stopped. Full house tonight.
Date: 2003-08-03
From: Wildcat Shelter

To: NY 17
Miles today: 10.9

It was a good night in the shelter -- cooler and fewer mosquitoes. I was hiking by 7:30 and started off in a drizzle. The rain finally stopped but the humidity was so high, I may just as well have been walking through water. I can't remember the last time I sweated so much. After 2 hours of hiking I was literally "dripping wet". I had to stop and do some "moisture maintenance."One thing about the trail in New York . . . it is loaded with rock scrambles, and ups and downs, so much so that it is difficult to maintain any sort of regular pace. Another thing about these ups and downs is that they are exhausting. After a couple hours of hiking I broke out onto a road. There was a sign that read "deli 1/4 mile" on a tree. It was only 10 AM but I hadn't eaten a very good breakfast and decided to hike in. As it turned out, the deli was more like 1/2 mile down the road. But I was committed to it and kept on walking. It was a nice little place on West Mombasha Road. As I sunk my teeth into a sausage, egg, and cheese sandwich, a man and woman walked in. We struck up a conversation and they seemed truly interested in my AT thru-hike. As they were leaving I gave them my online journal web site address. Moments later I got up to pay my bill and found out that the man and woman I was talking to had paid it on their way out -- just one more act of random kindness to add to my list.I walked back down to the trail and got back on the trail. Within minutes I was climbing my first of many rocky downhills. I was starting to tire and really wanted to get off the trail for a bit. I had met another hiker and we discussed sharing the cost of a hotel room on route 17. He was a faster hiker and moved out well in front of me. When I finally got to NY 17 he had left me a note indicating that the hotel we had talked about was all booked up but he had gotten a room 4 miles in the other direction. There was a trail angel across the road with a pick up truck and he offered to drive me out to that hotel. Ten minutes later I was there. I had a most wonderful bath and then gathered up my dirty clothes. The laundromat was about a mile down the road and as I got about halfway there the sky opened up. I was glad not to be on the trail but I was definitely getting soaked. It didn't matter much though because I knew I'd be dry again soon.I got the wash done and made my back to the hotel -- again in a downpour. I dropped off the clean laundry and then we headed across the road for some dinner. We found a great pizza place and filled our faces.After that it was back to the hotel for a little TV and then off to sleep. It rained pretty much all afternoon and into the evening so I was very glad to NOT be on the trail tonight.Tomorrow will be another day.
Date: 2003-08-04
From: NY 17

To: Fingerboard Shelter
Miles today: 4.4
Weather: light rain

Amazing what a hot shower and good night's sleep can do for your disposition and outlook.Reality really set in though when I got out on the road and tried to hitch a ride back to the trail. Nobody, and I mean NOBODY would stop and give me a ride. As I walked with my thumb stuck out I noticed a laundromat. Outside the laundromat was a pay phone. I got the number of the local taxi company and gave them a call. They sent out a car and 30 minutes later I was hiking. The sun was out when I started but around 15 minutes later things started to get pretty dark. Then came a bolt of lightning and more followed in rapid succession. Guess what happened next?? Not much choice but to just keep on hiking. Eventually the rain stopped and the sun came out -- and the humidity came right along with it . . . big time.There were some ups and downs but the woods through which the trail ran were beautiful. I got to Fingerboard Shelter and decided to eat some lunch. While I was eating the sky darkened and again came the rain -- even harder than before. This didn't look like a passing storm. Every few minutes another bolt of lightning flashed and the thunder clapped. We were pretty much in the center of the storm. Some other hikers showed up and said that lightning had struck 2 thru-hikers earlier in the morning.The more I thought about it the more I felt like I was right where I belonged. A few hikers moved on but most stayed at the shelter. Personally, I would rather be safe and dry than make a few more miles in the storm. The time went by and eventually it was too late to hike, even if I wanted to. So, that pretty much wrapped up the day of hiking. New York is rapidly becoming my most unproductive state. But I can only do what I can do. I'm just gonna keep on hiking my own hike.
Date: 2003-08-05
From: Fingerboard Shelter

To: Bear Mountain
Miles today: 13.4
Weather: haze

Woke up early today and set my sights on Bear Mountain. It had rained all night but right now the only precipitation was tree drippage. The initial few miles went fast but then I hit my first uphill. At first I thought, "Oh, no, here we go again." But then I decided to just back off the pace a little and take it one step at a time. Even at the slower pace the humidity was a factor. Aside from the constant and heavy perspiration though the biggest problem was that I felt drained. Every mile felt like 2 and I could swear that each of my legs weighed 50 pounds.I figured out that the key (at least for me) was more frequent breaks. That approach cuts down the mileage a bit but at least I'm able to keep hiking. The final leg of the hike was an uphill road walk toward a monument at the Bear Mountain summit. Then came the steep downhill into the Bear Mountain resort area itself. I got my bearings and headed for the post office. Turns out I had 4 packages waiting for me. I made my way back to the lodge and got a room for the night. A hiker I had met at the last shelter (Uncle Noel) was also at the lodge and he had a car. He and I grabbed dinner at the lodge, since it was still raining. He was then kind enough to drive me to the next town (West Point) to do a load of laundry. We tried to drive onto the West Point grounds but the gate guard wouldn't allow us to enter. So we turned around and did the next best thing -- we found an ice cream shop and had some great dessert.Throughout this whole process the rains kept falling. All I could think about was how wet and muddy the trail would be tomorrow. But, I'll cross that bridge when I come to it. All I know for sure is that tonight I'll be dry and warm AND I have clean clothes.
Date: 2003-08-06
From: Bear Mountain

To: Graymoor Friary
Miles today: 7.1

Hung out at the Bear Mountain Inn until noon, mainly to get my money's worth out of the room. Headed out over the Hudson River Bridge and began the climb up Anthony's Nose -- Whew!After the initial climb the terrain returned to the typical New York ups and downs. I walked into Graymoor at around 4 PM and headed straight for the pavilion near the ball field. There were some German section hikers there and I had fun using my language skills. To be honest, I think they enjoyed meeting an American who spoke some German.I was starting to get settled and just then a hiker named Firefeet walked up. We had hiked toether before and it just so happened that she had gotten to Graymoor a little earlier in the day. Moments later, Brother Fred walked up, greeted us, and then took a head count for dinner. YES, they feed hikers here at the Friary!!The plan was to meet at the cafeteria at 5:30. There was a trail angel named Borden at the pavilion and he offered to drive us up to dinner. Naturally we accepted his offer. Dinner was outstanding, complete with ice water, sweet tea, rice, and shish kabobs. After dinner the fellow named Borden took us all down into town where I scored a pint of ice cream for dessert -- YUM!!By the time we got back to Graymoor it was dark and time to set up our tents. Firefeet told me that she had made plans to do a 19 mile slackpack tomorrow. I decided to jump in on that plan. Nineteen miles was a bit much, especially the way my feet had been aching lately, but it wouldn't be with full backpacks. I drifted off to sleep saying to myself "I think I can, I think I can, I think I can."
Date: 2003-08-07
From: Graymoor Friary

To: RPH Shelter
Miles today: 18.9
Weather: haze

Well, with 19 miles staring me in the face, I woke up plenty early and got ready to go. Gene (the trail angel) pulled up around 7:30 AM and loaded our packs in his car and a few moments later we were on the trail. Loads of ups and downs but since we were carrying minimal weight it could have been a lot worse. We were able to maintain a little over a 2 MPH pace throughout the day and reached the shelter at around 5:30. We sat for a while and caught our breath. Gene then drove up on the access road next to the shelter. He suggested that before getting our packs out of his car, we drive down into town and get some dinner. We didn't argue. He drove us down to a little Italian restaurant where we pigged out on pasta. After dinner he drove us back to the shelter. We grabbed our bunks and drifted off to la-la land with sore feet but full tummies.
Date: 2003-08-08
From: RPH Shelter

To: Telephone Pioneers Shelter
Miles today: 16.8
Weather: light rain

I read over the handboook and saw that there was a deli on a road that was 5 miles from the RPH shelter. That sounded like a good lunch opportunity to me. So, I left the shelter around 9:30 AM which put me there around noon.The initial climb up to Hosnen Mountain was a bitch, but then things seemed to level off a bit. The worst part of the hike was the humidity. Within 2 hours I was soaking wet from head to toe. I tried to slow the pace somewhat but the sweat just kept pouring out. I was drinking as much as I could but still felt dehydrated. I just decided to take more breaks and allow my body to cool off a bit.I stopped in for a break at the Morgan Stewart shelter and met a southbound thru-hiker. she gave me a lot of insight about the upcoming sections of the trail and then I headed out. The afternoon miles were harder than the morning ones and time seemed to drag on and on. It started to get dark and I still hadn't reached the shelter. Finally, at 7:30, the trail sign for the shelter appeared. Thank God. This was one of those 16 mile days that felt more like 20.I was more tired than hungry and could easily have just gone to sleep. But I knew that I needed some nutrition so I fired up the stove and whipped up some ramen noodles. That pretty much did it for the day. I poured my aching bones into my sleeping bag and called it a night.