morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2013-08-05
From: Palmerton (Jim Thorpe)

To: Leroy Smith Shelter
Miles today: 15.5
Weather: broken clouds

Day 80 - Leroy Smith Shelter We started Haley off right with a huge boulder scramble/climb out of Lehigh Gap. It had to be the biggest climb of that type so far, and it was pretty fun - Haley of course dominated, all the while joining me in saying nice things to all the likely rock-hiding snakes ("it's ok mr. Snake, we just want friedship."). Once at the top we entered the Superfun(d) site, where I believe zinc smelting had previously left the mountain barren. They're currently reclaiming it, and the trail is quite nice. For a while it follows the edge of a cliff overlooking the town of Palmerton. You walk the entire length of the town with great views. After passing the town, the PA rocks started to show their ugly faces again. They were definitely worse than in previous days and we had to take it pretty slow. We again ran into a couple of naysayers who were certain I couldn't possibly make it to Katahdin in time. Of course I was polite, but afterwards Haley and I started scheming up some ridiculous stories for when I run into these people. The ideas ranged from being a 3 time triple crown winner (AT, PCT and CDT) who is trying to complete this AT hike in less than 50 days to being a freelance writer for Backpacker whose job it was to interview the day hikers whose knowledge and experience with the trail is clearly more advanced than any of the thru hikers'. We also thought it would be funny if i would let them completely burst my bubble, like "What???? NOW what am I gonna do??? My life is ruined! But thank you so much for letting me see the light!".Anyway, we battle the rocks pretty much all day until we reached the shelter. There was (the semi-typical) shelter bum, who we'd later find had creeped everyone else into moving on, so we decided to tent. Tomorrow's the last day in PA!
Date: 2013-08-07
From: Delaware Water Gap

To: Delaware Water Gap
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: moderate rain

Day 82 - DWG We decided to take a zero today so that we could spend a little more quality time together - less time with me acting as a drill sergeant. Plus, when Haley's around I don't feel very motivated to hike - i just want to hang out with her and drink coffee and relax. So, that's what we did. We got some breakfast at the diner, then walked the .3 miles to the NJ border so that we could cross the state line together. Then we hung out back at the church hostel until her folks got into town (they came to pick her up).   Once they got in, we got checked into the Pocono Motel, then headed to the bakery for the hot dog and pie special. Again, a good choice. Later, we headed to Stroudsburg to Walmart (the best resupply place in the world), then had some dinner at an Irish pub. It was delicious, and it was great to see them if only for a short bit. We ended the night back at Sycamore's in DWG. They're headed out tomorrow morning, which is a bummer, but I know I'll see them again soon - after I dominate the rest of this trail!
Date: 2013-08-09
From: Brink Road Shelter

To: Murray Property
Miles today: 25.0
Weather: broken clouds

Day 84 - Murray Property Apparently the storm/storms that rolled through in the last couple of days dumped like 2-3 inches of rain, because the trail was absolutely flooded all day. Not just flooded, but actually flowing with water. It was reminiscent of my day going into Daleville, VA, and may have actually been worse. The good news is, once you get over the fact that you're going to get wet, you can just plow through. There were a few sections of very slick rock, and a few streams which required fording through thigh deep water. It was quite an adventurous day, to say the least. Oh, and i stopped at Joe to Go, which is a deli right off the trail. The old guy running the place was a grump (and is actually a bit of a trail legend due to said grumpiness), but the breakfast sandwich and coffee were delicious. The weather was clear for most of the day, aside from a couple morning and a late afternoon shower. It was clear when I got to the Murray property, and the place was awesome. It's a big farm tucked back in the woods, and the trail crosses its driveway. You walk .2 off the trail and arrive at a little cabin which is open to long distance hikers. It had a little porch with chairs, an outdoor shower, and electricity with which to charge up my phone. I sat out on the porch and cooked dinner while the deer came out of the woods and into the big fields for some evening grazing. It was a really peaceful place and I liked it a lot. I'm not exactly sure why the Murrays have such a place, but I sure am thankful!   I had the place to myself and slept like a baby. Today's song: "The Whistler" - Jethro Tull
Date: 2013-08-10
From: Murray Property

To: Prospect Rock
Miles today: 23.0
Weather: moderate rain

Day 85 - Prospect Rock I finished NJ strong, and crossed into NY before camping atop Prospect Rock with Uno and Lotus. I went by a wildlife refuge today, which was a wetland with all kinds of birds/cranes and wildflowers, and was very beautiful. The refuge is a square and the trail goes around it from one corner to the opposite corner, and lasts a mile or two. It was great. Not long after, I came to the famous NJ boardwalk section. It's another wetland area and the boardwalk weaves through it for a mile or so. It was really beautiful. Overall, I really enjoyed NJ - it was pretty easy and very diverse, which is a nice combination. We camped on top of Prospect Rock, which overlooks Greenwood Lake and was a great sunset spot. Bring on NY!Today's song: "Where the River Flows" - Collective Soul
Date: 2013-08-13
From: Hemlock Spring Campsite

To: RPH Shelter
Miles today: 23.0
Weather: heavy intensity rain

Day 88 - RPH Shelter It poured on me this morning, but fortunately I had only 3-4 miles to reach the Appalachian Market. One thing that NJ and NY do right is the deli. The market is no exception. It's right off the trail, and has phenomenal sandwiches. I got a breakfast sandwich which had french toast as the bread. Amazing. While there i met another thru hiker named Chipmunk. She is 15 and is trying to become the youngest solo thru hiker ever. Her parents have a camper and are basically following her she makes her way north. Later, I would meet Chipmunk's parents as they waited for her at a trailhead. Her mom gave me a sharpie to sign their camper, as many other thru hikers have already done. I think it's super cool what Chipmunk's doing, and the support she's gotten from her folks is amazing. The weather cleared up by noon and I was able put in some good miles. I met another hiker named Hail Satan (who seems like a nice and funny guy, and not the weirdo you would normally associate with a name like that), and we hiked the last few miles to the shelter together. We then got a pizza delivered the the nearby road, and hung out with a section hiker before Lotus and Uno rolled in. Today's song: "Once a Gambler" - Lightnin Hopkins
Date: 2013-08-14
From: RPH Shelter

To: Appalachian Trail Trail Station
Miles today: 19.9
Weather: scattered clouds

Day 89 - Appalachian Trail Train Station The trail is becoming increasingly about food. My motivation lately hasn't been come from the promise of awesome views, or lakeside naps in the sunshine. It comes from the food that's awaiting me, wherever it may be! In this case, Tony's deli was the light at the end of the tunnel, and I busted through the miles pretty quickly while having visions of large hoagies dancing through my mind. I did pass an awesome lake today, and i stopped for a few to take it in. It was beautiful, but time was a-wastin'.I'm starting to encounter south bounders every day now, which is kind of interesting. It's interesting in that, for the entire time they've been on the trail, probably months, we've been converging. Then, in one short moment, we pass each other and begin to diverge. Sometimes there's a short conversation, and sometimes not. Then we're on our separate ways never to see each other again. It's strange. Also, the two most jovial people I've met on the trail were SOBOs. They were pumped about life. So there's that too. So, in the end, Tony's deli was amazing. I spent more than I had planned, but it was definitely worth it. For crying out loud they had cheesecake an fresh mozzarella balls! I hung out again with Uno and Lotus, and we drank a couple of beers at the train platform (there's a platform literally on the trail, close to the road, at which the train stops on weekends to take people to NYC) while the metro train blew by us at like 70mph. It. Was. Awesome. We then retired to our tents at the Native Landscapes Garden Center. Today's song: "Poison" - Allen Stone
Date: 2013-08-15
From: Appalachian Trail Trail Station

To: Kent, CT
Miles today: 18.8
Weather: broken clouds

Day 90 - Kent CTThe hiking today was pretty easy (until the last 3 miles which were quite steep and rocky - reminiscent of PA... Ahh the memories).   The temperature has also been quite pleasant the last couple days, which has made for some very relaxing hiking. The first mile or so was through open fields, and I really loved it. I enjoy having some perspective on the trail, where I've been and where I'm going. The woods isn't the place for that because you can't see much of the world around you. But in the fields you can actually see how far you have gone, and you can see the mountains that surround you and that you've recently been in. Very cool. I met a section hiker named Avi and hiked with him for 5 miles or so. Relationships you have on the trail are amazing, because for some reason there are no barriers to becoming friends. There's really no awkward introductory period - you just go straight into meaningful, insightful conversation. I don't know why that is, but it's something unique to the trail. We hung out for a while, until just before the road to Kent where I kept walking while Avi took a break. I got to the road and was picked up almost immediately by a guy who works for the Kent School (a private boarding school in town).   I got into town, ate pizza and then set my tent up at one of the local churches (with permission, of course). When Uno and Lotus came, we went back to the pizza place for dinner and beers. At about 10 they had some karaoke action, and an extremely drunk SOBO made a fool of himself. We also met a few other NOBOs who were pretty cool. Today's song: "3 Libras" - A Perfect Circle
Date: 2013-08-16
From: Kent, CT

To: Pine Swamp Brook Shelter
Miles today: 17.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Day 91 - Pine Swamp Brook Shelter Why didn't someone tell me about Spotify earlier? I had heard about it but thought it was basically like another Pandora - what i found was that I could get a free trial and listen to any music I want to in the whole wide world. Finally, some spice in my life!Because of Spotify, and because they had a great coffee shop in town, and because we still had the normal chores to do, Uno, Lotus and I didn't leave town until 4pm! We sat on our fat butts and enjoyed Kent for as long as we could before realizing that we may need to actually do some hiking at some point. We hit the trail and were greeted with a decent climb out of town. The trail then dropped back down and paralleled the Housatonic River for a few miles. It was lovely. Uno and Lotus stopped for some water, and I didn't see them again the rest of the night. I did, however, run into Hail Satan so he and I hiked the rest of the evening together. We were making good time until we had to night hike. Nighy hiking is generally slower because it's difficult to see with only a headlamp and single beam of light. On top of that, the terrain got pretty hard - lots of boulder scrambles - and we were talking the whole time (which has a tendency to slow your pace). We ended up not getting to the shelter until 11:30 - by far the latest night I've had. I'm glad he was around because that would have been a lot of solo night hiking, and there actually were some sections where it would be dangerous to be alone. Everything worked out well though and I did the miles I intended to do!Today's song: "Baby Be Mine" - MJ
Date: 2013-08-17
From: Pine Swamp Brook Shelter

To: Laurel Ridge Campsite
Miles today: 24.9
Weather: broken clouds

Day 92 - Laurel Ridge Campsite I did a long day today because I want a short day into Great Barrington tomorrow - my dad is coming to visit for the night, so I want to get in as early as possible. The trail wasn't bad today. The weather was good and there was a nice flat stretch of probably around 5 miles. I stopped for an hour or so in Falls Village, and had a burger at the Toymakers Cafe - delicious! Just outside of town are the falls for which I assume the village is named. They weren't huge but it was still cool, as there aren't a lot of falls right on the trail. Later, Bear Mountain was a decently tough climb, especially since it was at the end of the day. I met a couple of younger guys at the summit who were up there on a whim. They thought I was something special for being a thru hiker, which is a good feeling, and I talked with them about the trail for like 20 minutes. Hopefully I convinced them that they should do it!   The descent down Bear Mountain was pretty intense - very steep with tons of big drop-offs between boulders.   I was glad to have my hiking poles, as they helped me fly right down the mountain without much trouble. After the descent, the trail ran through a cool, pine forested ravine with a river running through it. It then climbed up to the campsite, where I met and hung out with a guy and his pooch. Today's song: "My Friend of Misery - Metallica
Date: 2013-08-18
From: Laurel Ridge Campsite

To: Great Barrington
Miles today: 12.5
Weather: light rain

Day 93 - Great Barrington I got up and out of camp by dawn this morning, and the sunrise was really beautiful. The trail goes right along some cliffs for quite a while, so I was able to watch as the sky went from dark to red to fully sunny. The clouds were settled in the valleys below, and so it looked just like a white sea in the middle of the red sky. It was pretty awesome. I got down to the road by noon, hitched a ride in to the Days Inn and waited for my day to arrive. When he did, we just hung out at the hotel for a while catching up on stories of the trail before heading out to do some chores. We did some laundry, grocery shopped before heading into town to check it out.   Great Barrington is quite a pretty town, and we enjoyed checking it out. We went to the Castle Street Restaurant and ate and drank like kings. Steak and shrimp and IPAs abounded, and it was great. We then went to The Well Pub and got second dinner, before turning in for the night. It was good to hang out with my pops!Also, some good news - I found out that I am only 73 miles behind The Voice, who has come down with a stomach bug in Williamstown. I haven't seen him since Damascus, and he's going to take a few zeroes at wait for me to catch up! Two of the four horsemen will be reunited!
Date: 2013-08-19
From: Great Barrington

To: Camp Spot on Baldy Mountain 
Miles today: 22.2
Weather: overcast clouds

Day 94 - Camp Spot on Baldy Mountain We woke up leisurely this morning, and headed to the Neighborhood Diner for some breakfast. After a meal of eggs, toast, hash browns, a salad and coffee, we headed back out to the trail where we said our goodbyes. It was cool that I was able to see my dad while out on the trail and have him be a part of the experience. I didn't hit the trail until about 11, so I had to book it to get the miles in before dark (since I told the Voice I would cover the 73 miles in 3 days).   There wasn't much to speak of on the trail, except that someone had taken a dump right on the trail at the view point on East Mountain. Classy. There's an entire world for you to poop in, and some jerk chooses this spot so I couldn't even enjoy the view without wanting to barf. Anyway, I was cruising along about 10 miles into the hike, and I hear someone from behind me say "Indy!"   I turned around to find Sir Stooge! He had finally caught me after I hadn't seen him since Greenwood Lake, NY. It was good to see him again, and we pretty much hiked the rest of the day together. There were a couple good climbs in there, including our last of the day up Baldy Mountain. We got to the top just before dark and fortunately found a place to camp. We spent the evening swatting mosquitoes and catching up before retiring to our abodes.
Date: 2013-08-20
From: Camp Spot on Baldy Mountain 

To: Dalton
Miles today: 25.9
Weather: broken clouds

Day 95 - DaltonPer usual, Stooge left well before me so I hiked the day alone. I passed a couple cool lakes along the way, and took a good break while overlooking Finerty Pond. There have been a lot more lakes since NY which is cool by me. The hiking was super easy today, so it was a good one to put big miles in. When I got into town I headed to the Shamrock Motel, where Stooge had already gotten a room. We freshened up and headed to Jacob's of Dalton for a helluva reuben and a couple pints of Bass, then turned in fairly early.
Date: 2013-08-21
From: Dalton

To: Williamstown
Miles today: 23.5
Weather: scattered clouds

Day 96 - WilliamstownToday I climbed the highest mountain in Massachusetts (Mt. Greylock) and, thanks to a chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream cone and a Mountain Dew, I'm pretty sure I did it in record time. The views at the top were awesome, as Greylock rises sharply in contrast to the surrounding landscapes. There's the appearance of a sharp drop-off, as if you're on the edge of a gigantic cliff. Very cool, and one of the best views of the entire trail. The descent was quite steep, and I was essentially able to run down the entire mountain to the road leading into Williamstown. I got a hitch pretty quickly and got dropped off at the Williamstown Motel. Finally, two of the three jackasses are reunited! I got cleaned up, and The Voice and I walked downtown to the Purple Pub and slammed some food.
Date: 2013-08-22
From: Williamstown

To: Congdon Shelter
Miles today: 14.1
Weather: clear sky

Day 97 - Congdon ShelterWe decided that from now on we're going to take it easy. The days of consistent 20-25 mile days are over - we've put ourselves in a good position to enjoy the northern states, so we're not going to rush. It's a good feeling. We woke up at like 9, and went to a local diner for breakfast. We leisurely ate and then went to the grocery store for a resupply. We were able to get a ride without even trying - a nice lady saw us putting our packs on an offered us a ride. People in the northern states have been really awesome so far, and we are extremely grateful!Today's song: "Sleep" - Allen Stone
Date: 2013-08-23
From: Congdon Shelter

To: Kid Gore Shelter
Miles today: 18.7
Weather: light rain

Day 98 - Kid Gore ShelterVermont is already quite different. We are back into the wilderness, with no roads or towns or people for miles. I enjoyed everything that was going on the the very populated mid-atlantic, but being out here is a nice change. We hiked leisurely today, past some ponds and lakes and through the muddy terrain. We had dinner at a fire tower on Glastenbury Mountain, and it was quite chilly. It has definitely been getting much colder at night lately, so hopefully my 40 degree sleeping bag will continue to suffice. After dinner we headed to the shelter, and after 1100+ miles, who was there? The Rabbit! We knew he was in the area, and he had taken a zero so that we would catch up. Looks like we'll all be hiking together for a while!Today's song - "Billie Jean" - MJ
Date: 2013-08-24
From: Kid Gore Shelter

To: Camp Spot at Winhall River
Miles today: 16.0
Weather: clear sky

Day 99 - Camp Spot at Winhall RiverToday I saw my first AT nudist, and it was quite the experience. The 3 of us were hiking together, and as we rounded a corner there was an older man (maybe in his 50s or 60s - I couldn't tell because I didn't look twice). Only this man had no clothes on. We were pretty much in shock, especially when he tried to make small talk as if he wasn't standing there in his birthday suit. We didn't entertain his chatter, but when asked why he didn't have clothes on, he replied "well it's a hot day, and this is more comfortable for me." Ooookay. Anyway, we hiked together for most of the day, and enjoyed views from Stratton mountain and Stratton Pond. We met the caretaker for the Pond, a guy who we later called the Doesn't Caretaker because we had him convinced to let us stay by the pond for free. In the end we moved on - at this point it was the voice, hot shot (who I hadn't seen since DWG) and the rabbit. We found some campsites by the river, built a little fire and ate dinner together before going to bed. Today's song: "Brother John" - Blues Traveler
Date: 2013-08-25
From: Camp Spot at Winhall River

To: Manchester Center VT
Miles today: 8.7
Weather: clear sky

Day 100 - Manchester Center, VTWe (Voice, Rabbit and I - Hot Shot wasn't heading to town) hit the trail by 6:30, and booked it to the road.   We got a ride almost immediately, and I have to say that the north has been very kind to us in terms of hitching rides. We were always told that people were less inclined to give rides up here, but so far it has been quite easy, and the people have been quite friendly. We got dropped off at the McDonald's (we decided we were going to do a 20 piece nugget and two burgers challenge), but it was still breakfast time. So, we went in for an appetizer of a breakfast sandwich, hash brown and coffee. Then we waited 30 minutes for them to serve lunch and proceeded to complete the challenge. Afterwards, we checked out the local outfitter and coffee shop before being given a ride to the Palmer House Motel where we checked in and got cleaned up. They have a little par 3 golf course, so The Voice and I took advantage of that while Rabbit napped. We also got some tennis in, before hitting up the pool and hot tub. Eventually, we went down to a pizza place for dinner before crashing. Great night in a great town. Today's song: - "City Love" - John Mayer
Date: 2013-08-26
From: Manchester Center VT

To: Manchester Center VT
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

Day 101 - Manchester Center VTWe got sucked into town and decided to take a zero. It's a nice little town, and since I hadn't zeroed in almost around 350 miles I was easily convinced. We went back to McDonald's for another 20 piece challenge, and hung out there like lazy bums for probably a couple hours. We also managed to get some laundry done, and afterwards we went to the outfitter and another sports store. We bought a cheap basketball, because we thought it would be fun to go to the school and shoot some hoops. The voice and I balled it up with some 11 year olds who were there, and then went to meet rabbit at the coffee shop for some coffee and grub. Rabbit ended up hitting the trail in order to save some cash on the room, so Voice and i hung out for the evening. We played some more golf, then sampled a few new microbrews as well as some German beers which we had gotten from the amazing local beer store. We also decided that we want to make a heavy metal music video on the trail, where we will play all the characters as well as the band, and only use hiker gear for all the necessary props. We even wrote the script for what we believe will be a pretty hilariously terrible music video. Stay tuned, it's going to be pure gold. Today's song: "You Don't Bleed For Me" - Killswitch Engage