morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2006-06-11
From: Kinter View

To: PA Route 443
Miles today: 19.6

Congratulations to all those Buckeyes that Graduated from Ohio State today!!!Slept in today... and it was great!! Woke up early but just kept deciding to go back to sleep. Eventually woke up for good around 10:30 and was on the trail by 11:15.Hiking today was just like every other day, wonderful. I wish I could say that hiking feels like an escape for me, but that really doesn't work because that would mean that hiking is an escape from hiking.Hiked mostly along a old stage coach road from the 1800's which brought me past a bunch of old coal mines and ruins from abandoned villages. Once again the rocks were very unimpressive. I hate to say this for fear I may jinx myself, but "I thought the rocks in PA were suppose to be hard!"Patches - 6   PA Rocks - 0I stopped at a shelter around 5pm and ate dinner Conductor, Lady Green and Sir Wounded Knee. Also met a really nice day hiker named PA Jeff. After dinner I hiked on and at the first road crossing I ran into PA Jeff again. He then offered to let me stay at his place, shower and sleep in a warm bed. After a quick debate with myself I took PA Jeff up on his offer.I got my shower and ate a second dinner of pizza and ice cream. I also got to look through some incredible pictures that Jeff had taken while hiking the PCT and the CDT (that's Pacific Crest Trail and the Continental Divide Trail for those who don't know). Should be back on the trail tomorrow morning around 8:30. Looking to do a big day with a town resupply in the middle so things could get interesting. Also I am hoping to be able to catch up with Bonesaw, Tricycle and Sleeper in the next few days so the big miles will help.
Date: 2006-06-12
From: PA Route 443

To: Sand Spring Trail
Miles today: 27.2

Up at 7:30 and Jeff had eggs and home fries ready to eat. He then had me back to the trail around 8:30. I am still amazed by the kindness of trail angels like Jeff to complete strangers, but it is another aspect that makes the hiking the AT an absolutely amazing experience.Did some good miles and ran into a hiker named "Bear Can" around noon. We came upon a nice overlook and had him take my picture. Right after he handed my camera back to me I lost my grip on it and dropped it in the grass. At first I thought "No big deal", I mean I had dropped my camera about a half a dozen times on rocks. But when I went to turn it off it didn't shut off all the way, and then when I went to turn it back on it wouldn't turn on at all. I BROKE MY CAMERA!!! It really upset me that this happened, but my day still found a way to get even crappier.About an hour later I was getting into a really thick patch of rocks and was really starting to get pissed off at the rocks for the first time. So I stopped, drank some water and had a snack. I also walk a little bit off the trail to pee. Well as I was peeing a horse fly flew into my ear, scared the crap out of me and caused me to pee on my shorts. ARGH!! I was so pissed! (5 min later I got to a stream and rinsed out my shorts) My pissy mood did not stop here however, the rocks were really sharp and hard to walk on for the next several miles furthering my pissy mood. Then, finally, it happened. I tripped on a rock and just barely caught myself from falling face first into a jagged rock pile. This is when I stopped, ripped off my backpack, threw down my poles and screamed at the top of my lungs. It felt good.About a half hour later I ran into Bear Can again and we hiked for the rest of the day together. We have both been looking for people to hike with so I will probably hike with him for the next couple days. I have a buddy, Brian, who lives in Philadelphia and we are trying to work something out so he can pick me up and I can stay the weekend in Philly. So I will atleast be hiking with Bear Can until that happens.Well got another big hiking day tomorrow, and I think Bear Can said he is waking me up at like 6:30... Yuck! So I better get some sleep.So for my rocks update... The PA Rocks were definitely as advertised today, and they kicked my ass. I was still able to hike 27 miles, but they definitely won the mental battle.Patches - 6   PA Rocks - 1
Date: 2006-06-13
From: Sand Spring Trail

To: Eckville Shelter
Miles today: 24.5
Weather: overcast clouds

Hiked with: Bear CanBear Can woke me up at about 6:45 this morning and by 8 we were on the trail. Hiked the 10 miles to the road crossing to Hamburg in a little less than 3 hours. Then we got a pretty quick hitch into town. Both Bear Can and I needed to do some food resupply so we hit up the grocery store and then made our way to Subway. I ate 2 footlong subs and still didn't quite feel full.We walked down to the road and stood in the very hot sun for about 15 min before getting a hitch back to the trail. Then it was back to hiking. About 10 miles later we came to this amazing view point called the Pinnacle. It was a perfectly clear day so we could see for miles and miles. We also had a great view of the ridgeline we will follow for the final 60 miles left in PA. We then hiked the final 5 miles to the Eckville Shelter and ran into a couple familiar faces. Tofurkey and Posey Picker were there... Posey Picker I had not seen since Hot Springs, NC.The PA rocks were pretty tough today, but I felt really good hiking on them. My shoes on the other had are not holding up so well. I have only had them for about 2 weeks and the tread on the bottom is getting shredded. Oh well, I still won today.Patches - 7   PA Rocks - 1
Date: 2006-06-14
From: Eckville Shelter

To: George W. Outerbridge Shelter
Miles today: 24.2
Weather: overcast clouds

Hiked with: Bear CanSo last night I had one hell of a time falling asleep. Mosquitos kept buzzing my ears, I was really hot and I just couldn't get comfortable. So at midnight I got up grabbed my tent and sent it up in the grass. Once I climbed in my tent I felt much better and ended up having a great nights sleep.Hiked with Bear Can again all day today. We have very similar hiking paces so he is good to hike with. I push him on some sections and he would push me on others. Bear Can is a guy about my age and one of the few hikers on the trail that doesn't have a beard or long hair. He keeps them both really short.Not to much eventful happened today. The rocks were really bad and my feet are now in pretty severe pain. But they will feel fin by tomorrow morning. Walked across 4 or 5 boulder fields today, which I happen to enjoy crossing. The rocks that I can't stand are the sharp pointy ones that sometimes stick up out of the ground in thick patches. I really enjoyed my hike today but the PA Rocks lived up to my expectations.Patches - 7   PA Rocks - 2Tomorrow I will be doing a 20 mile day into Wind Gap, PA. My friend Brian who lives in Philly will then be driving out to pick me up on Friday. I am definitely ready for a day off the trail to rest my feet and legs, but I am also really excited to see my friend and spend time with him in Philly.
Date: 2006-06-16
From: Philadelphia, PA

To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Zero day... I didn't mean for today to be a zero day but I had been doing so many miles I got to Wind Gap early. Brian picked me up at 2:30 and we began our very hot car ride to Philadelphia. (The AC in his car is Broken) Once in Philly I was given a tour of Penn's campus and then Brian and I got a few beers and dinner at a campus bar.
Date: 2006-06-17
From: Philadelphia, PA

To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Got a great tour of Philly and got to eat my first authentic Philly Cheese Steak. Then went to a bar to watch the USA vs. Italy world cup game, which was one of the most intense soccer games I have seen in a long time. I then got a call from a friend, Tim, and he informed me that he is now engaged to another good friend, Tara. Congrats Tim and Tara!!! Later that night Brian and I went out to a bar down town and met up with one of my sisters friends from college. We ended up having a really late night, but had a lot of fun.Sorry my description of the day is so crappy, I am trying to write this two days after the fact. The highlight of the day was definitely hearing about Tim and Tara, they are perfect for each other and I am so happy for them.
Date: 2006-06-18
From: Wind Gap, PA

To: Delaware Water Gap
Miles today: 15.6
Weather: clear sky

After a night of very heavy partying I woke up feeling surprisingly refreshed. A little after noon Brian and I got on the road back to Wind Gap. Once we reached the trail head I got all my gear together and Brian decided to join for the first 100yd or so back on the trail. He seemed to be in shock that he was just dropping me off at the woods. I think it also helped him get a better idea of what the trail really looks like and seemed to really for the first time be amazed at what I am doing. I will really miss Brian though, he is one of the few people I can have a very in depth disagreement with one minute and the next minute act like nothing even happened. Plus I had a blast with him in Philly and for really the first time I have started to miss life outside of the trail.I was back to hiking on the trail around 3:30 and it was not fun. The thermometer on my pack said it was 98 degrees but all I knew was that I was very hot and very thirsty. The miles still seemed to pile up pretty quickly though and before I knew it I was 6 miles from Delaware Water Gap (Where I knew there was a hostel I could stay the night.). Made it to DWG right at 9pm found the hostel and began catching up with all the hikers there that I knew. Bearbell, Hinds Feet, Conductor, Sputnik and other that I don't know that well were all at the hostel but I was still able to find a bunk. For dinner I walked to a gas station about a 1/2 mile away and picked up a couple sandwiches, I would have preferred a cheeseburger but all the restaurants were closed.The rocks today were once again a huge pain. I have found ways to move over then pretty quickly but it is still very mentally and physically tiring. Lucky for me today was my last day in PA. The rocks may have won the day but I won the state.Patches - 7   PA Rocks - 4
Date: 2006-06-19
From: Delaware Water Gap, PA

To: Mohican Outdoor Center
Miles today: 10.8
Weather: broken clouds

I wasn't able to fall asleep last night until around 3 in the morning. I just couldn't get comfortable. Since I didn't fall asleep until really late I let myself sleep in until 10am. Every other thru-hiker there was up by then with many of them having woken up before 7. I am starting to think that some of them think I am crazy because I wake up so late, but it is my hike so I will do it however I want.I went to the post office and was glad to find out they had my mail drop from my mom with my new maps and guide book info. I then went about deciding how much I resupply I needed and also ate lunch at a local diner. I was all ready to get back on the trail around 1pm but I really didn't feel like it yet. It was really hot out and I found an interesting magazine in the hostel so I sat on the couch for the next 2 hours before finally deciding it was time to hike.Almost immediately I crossed into New Jersey and crossed another state off my list. I also almost immediately began to sweat like a pig, it was very hot and very humid out. After hiking for a little bit I began to hear thunder and the skies started to get darker. Just as I reached this beautiful lake surrounded by blooming Mountain Laurels the clouds opened up and it began to rain... hard. In a matter of minutes I was drenched from head to toe and I was wearing my rain jacket. The trail follows the shore of the lake for about a mile which allowed me to witness several lightning strikes that made me a little worried for my own safety. Eventually the rain stopped and I trudged on in my now soaked shoes. The rocks were also really wet and very slippery.I arrived at the Mohican Outdoor Center around 7pm and since I thought it would rain again tonight I decided to sleep in the bunk house instead of setting up my tent. There are 3 other guys here but the only one I am familiar with is Conductor. Gonna try to get up early tomorrow and put in some big miles. Hopefully I will be able to fall asleep tonight at a decent time.
Date: 2006-06-20
From: Mohican Outdoor Center

To: Gren Anderson Shelter
Miles today: 20.9
Weather: light rain

Got a great nights sleep but still managed to sleep in much later than I wanted to. Began packing up my gear around 8:45 and was on the trail by 9:45. Got lots of miles done early but things didn't feel right. For the first time in a long time I have started to feel depressed. The trail has started to become fairly boring and very monotonous and I am starting to miss hiking with a group of people that I enjoy hiking with. I wish Bear Can wasn't 3 days ahead of me, I really enjoyed hiking with him. Also, to top all of this off, it was hot and very humid and I had just come to the realization that it is summer and the hot and humid weather is probably here to stay.Second half of the day went a little better, I was able to put on my head phones and get into a hiking groove. Around dinner time I was able to stop at a Bar that was practically on the trail and get a burger, fries and a beer. These sort of stops are great morale boosters.Once at the shelter I immediately set up my tent because the mosquitos were so bad. Even now from inside my tent I can hear them buzzing around outside of my tents netting.I have started to worry a little that the trail beginning to wear on me a lot. Not physically, but mentally. It is great to think that I have already hiked over 1,300 miles, but it is hard to comprehend that I still have 860 to go. I really hope I can get back into my groove, because I really do love hiking and because I know I am not giving up. So I will just keep plugging along, one day at a time.
Date: 2006-06-21
From: Gren Anderson Shelter

To: Unionville, NY
Miles today: 20.1

I saw my first Bear today!! I was about a mile and a half from Unionville and I came to an area where there woods opened up and there was no underbrush. I looked up and there he was looking my way, then he turned around and bolted the other direction. I tried to get my camera out to get a picture but he had disappeared into the woods before I could turn my camera on. He looked bigger than a cub, but not big enough to be an adult.The other really interesting thing about today is that I walked through about 5 miles of forest that had absolutely no leaves. All the leaves have been eaten by Gypsy Moth Caterpillars. And these Caterpillars are everywhere! If you have never seen one let me just tell you that they are ugly, disgusting creatures and they look like they have fur on them. But don't touch them, as I found out, they issue a pretty nasty sting. Walking through these forests with no leaves was awful, the sun baked me alive. On top of all this it sounded like it was raining, but it wasn't raining, it is just the sound of all the caterpillars poop hitting the ground. Yuck! I hate Gypsy Moth Caterpillars!I made it to the Village of Unionville around 6pm and went into the only restaurant in town: Sara's Soda Shop. It was a really neat little ice cream parlor that serves a limited dinner menu. I ordered a meatball parmesan sandwich (which was amazingly good!) and the guy working behind the counter, Chris, offered me a couple slices of his birthday cake: FOR FREE!! I ended up talking to Chris while I ate my dinner and learned a lot about this cool little town. Unionville lets hikers camp in the park in the middle of town, so that's where I pitched my tent. I think Unionville maybe one of my favorite towns on the trail, everyone is so nice and Sara's Soda Shop is one of the neatest ice cream parlors I have ever seen.I have started to read a new book which I am really enjoying so far: Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. A lot of what the author mentions has direct links to life on the trail. One of my favorites so far has to do with the journey I am on and how everything I go through is a part of it. The up, the down, the good, the bad, all of it. I could just drive to northern Maine and climb Katahdin but then I would only be seeing the mountain in one kind of context, as pretty scenery. But to arrive after months of hiking, sweating, freezing, smelling and climbing over hundreds of mountain peaks, I see Katahdin in another way, as a promised land, a goal. I like that, and I think about it everyday.
Date: 2006-06-22
From: Unionville, NY

To: Vernon, NJ
Miles today: 11.8

Up at 7 and walked over to Sara's Soda Shop for a great breakfast. On the trail by 9, slowed by a few rain showers that moved through the area. Walked through a National Wildlife Refuge that seemed to be one big man made swamp. Later I caught up with a hiker named Biz and hiked with her for my final 4 miles. For almost a mile today we walked over a boardwalk that went right through the middle of a marsh.Once I got to the road to Vernon I debated with myself over whether to into town or not. Hiking was feeling really good so I kind of wanted to keep moving. But I also knew that Vernon was the last place to get a shower and do laundry for almost 120 miles. Since I was already pretty stinky and my clothes were going on more than a week of hiker funk, I decided to go into town. My initial plan was to come into town and leave as soon as I had showered and my laundry was finished... but towns have a way of sucking you in for the night. Luckily Vernon has a great hostel run by a local church.I was able to get quite a bit accomplished here in town, however. I got caught up on most of my emails, showered, did laundry, resupplied food, clipped my toe nails and ate about 5 pounds of pizza. To a hiker that is a perfect day! Gonna try to leave town early tomorrow, but a hitch out of town at 6:30 or 7am might be a little hard, we will see. I have also heard that it is suppose to storm for the next 5 to 7 days. Hopefully the rain will hold off till I am resting in a shelter or sleeping soundly in my tent... but I doubt I will be so lucky. Either way I think I am going to try and do 30 miles tomorrow, because I know I can and because I feel like I slacked off a lot today.
Date: 2006-06-23
From: Vernon, NJ

To: Lakes Rd
Miles today: 18.8

Barely slept last night, I am not sure if the Church Hostel's AC was broken, but it was really really hot. The thermometer I carry on my pack said it was 80. I would fall asleep for a half hour and then wake up and not fall asleep for another half hour, it was terrible. Finally woke up for good at 7am and got a couple donuts for breakfast. Started walking to the center of town to get a hitch back to the trail when I guy pulled up in a BMW Z3 convertible and asked if I wanted a ride. I was overjoyed, not only did I get a ride with out trying, but a guy in a sweet sports car picked me up. He popped the trunk but there was no way my bag was going to fit back there. I was already to just ride with it on my lap when another guy at a gas station yelled to the guy picking me up that he could borrow his truck to drive me back to the trail. So long story short I got to ride back to the trail in the cab of a pick-up truck... oh well, I did get an easy hitch.Once back on the trail the Mosquitos were awful. They were everywhere. As long as I wasn't moving I could ignore them, but as soon as I would stop for a fraction of a second they would begin to swarm. Therefore I had to choose my locations to stop and take a break very carefully. On top of the bugs, it was a very hot and very humid day. The heat came into play during the many sections where we hiked up on the ridgeline on rocks that were completely open to the sun. I got baked.I did officially cross the New York line today, and funny enough as soon as I hit NY the mosquitos thinned out tremendously. Around 3:30 it began to thunder but lucky for me I made it into an ice cream shop about 100 yds off the trail just before it started raining. The ice cream was amazing! I had a double scope cone, plus a double scope sundae. There isn't anything quite like ice cream on a hot day. After about an hour the rain let up and I hiked until I found a good camping spot. I am camped with Gumby, Coyote Beck, Bear Bell, Hinds Feet, Mogli and Cover Girl.
Date: 2006-06-24
From: Lakes Rd

To: William Brien Memorial Shelter
Miles today: 18.1
Weather: moderate rain

Was awoken this morning by the sound of a dog panting outside my tent. Which was soon followed by a guy yelling, "Don't you dare piss on that tent!" Luckily no tents were peed on this morning. It rained all night and was still drizzling when I woke up. I didn't feel much like moving so I laid in my tent and read my book for about an hour. Eventually the rain stopped and I began packing up my stuff. Got on the trail about 11am... a really late start, even for me. I quickly caught up with Tackle (a hiker I met yesterday) and hiked with him for a couple miles.The miles moved really slow today. I felt like no matter how hard I pushed I still wasn't getting anywhere. There were lots of little ups and downs today, but the hardest part was all the rock faces we crossed. The rain had made all the rocks really slippery so I had to be extra careful so I didn't fall on my ass.I eventually made it to a road inside of a NY state park that led down to a lake with bathrooms and a soda machine. I ate dinner here and had a cold coke to go with my rice. It was perfect.Got to the shelter at about 8pm and ended up talking to a bunch of boy scouts that were there on a weekend hike. They offered me pudding and I talked with a bunch of them around the camp fire until almost 11 before I realized how late it was.The mosquitos were pretty nasty in places today. But I have gotten pretty good at feeling them land on me and very few live to tell about it. I also pulled 2 wood ticks and 3 deer ticks from my legs today. I hate these ticks and I wish I knew what I could do to keep them off of me. Lyme Disease is pretty nasty and I really don't want anything to do with it.