morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2013-06-16
From: Reservoir Rd

To: Allentown Hiking Club Shelter
Miles today: 16.8
Weather: broken clouds

6/16The group decided to slackpack SOBO the 26 miles today. That was a good plan for them but not for me. I chose to go full pack north so I would have options. If I could do the 26 we would be together again tomorrow. If not they would be a partial day ahead of me. I would see them at some point today anyway as we crossed paths. The first 10 miles were cake. There were a couple rocky areas around The Pulpit and The Pinnacle but nothing major. B-Rocket's mom was at a road crossing at about the 10-mile mark. I stopped and had lunch and a couple Diet Cokes. I thanked Jamey for the support and waited for awhile for the gang to show before taking off.I met up with the group a mile or so from the road. They warned me of a "few rocky sections". Wow, did that turn out to be an understatement. I may see Techie again but probably not B-Rocket. After almost 800 miles it is time for her to hike with someone faster. I think Moxie is just that partner. I wish them luck in finishing by mid August. It turns out Techie already did the NJ section this year before heading to Springer. He lives in NJ and will be taking a few days off once he is out of PA. He may be taking me to a Yankees game. I see the Yankees have a long home stand coming up, great timing. The hiking after chatting with the gang was pretty dang rocky by my standards. It slowed me to a crawl. I got to this shelter a bit after 6pm. I had planned on going 6 more miles to a listed campsite but the rocks had slowed me down too much. This would be home for the night. Maggie, Chickadee, and Bison are here. Maggie is just getting back on the trail after taking three weeks off. She started on 2/12. I would like to get into Palmerton tomorrow but may stop short. I have plenty of food to bypass it. The next town would be Wind Gap which I'm told (by Rash) is a must-stop. 10:31 duration 2694 ascent 1932 descent
Date: 2013-06-17
From: Allentown Hiking Club Shelter

To: Lehigh River: Jail House Hostel
Miles today: 17.3
Weather: light rain

6/17Had a nice bunk in the shelter but didn't sleep well. I would have tented but I couldn't find any decent spots. A trail maintainer showed up while eating breakfast with a weedwacker. It made a huge difference. There were some majorly rocky sections today. Somehow I made it through them without a fall. Falling in these areas would almost certainly result in a serious injury. The rocks are just starting to get crazy. I think we got like 60 more miles of this. This has by far been my least favorite part of the trail. If I ever come to northern PA again it most certainly won't be to hike the AT. I took a break at the first shelter on the day. It was hot and after eating lunch I decided to take a nap. Soon after that Techie shows up, closely followed by B-Rocket and Moxie. Huh? It turns out the girls decided they wanted to go on a tour of the Yuling Brewery before Jamey headed back to Maine. For the time being, "the band was back together". I have to say, it was a spirit lifter and after those rocks there was room for some lifting. They decided to head into Palmerton and stay at the Jail House Hostel. I was undecided at going into town since there was a considerable road walk involved. They had scored a ride from a man who was caching water for hikers. I was in. Here is a pic with me and David. I still can't get over how skinny I am looking. I was 205 the last time I weighed but that was 300 miles ago. Tomorrow is the infamous climb out of Lehigh Gap. I have heard/read so much about it. I am honestly looking forward to this. 8:57 duration 1722 ascent 2674 descent
Date: 2013-06-18
From: Lehigh River: Jail House Hostel

To: Leroy A Smith Shelter
Miles today: 16.2
Weather: overcast clouds

6/18The choice to stay at the Jail House Hostel was a good one. Simple bunking with access to showers and electricity is all you need. Add to that a decent choice of restaurants and it's a win. Had a very good breakfast at Bert's Restaurant. On top of the good food the owner have the five of us a ride back to the trail, saving us a couple miles. While leaving town I spotted the local Lions Club sign. The climb out of Lehigh Gap is legendary. I had been looking forward to it for some time. It did not disappoint. We've done scores of 1000' climbs but this one is more steep and you can see all the way down much of the time. The openness makes this climb special. I cannot imagine doing this climb late if the afternoon on a 90-degree day. It was hot enough in the upper 70s in the morning. After the climb there was a couple miles of smooth walking with good views to our left. Soon enough the trail turned rocky and stayed pretty rocky most of the day. Water is hard to come by on this ridge so I carried a bit under 4 liters from the start of the day. That turned out to be a good move even though it didn't feel like a good move during the climb. The rocks won today. They just wore me down. On top of that thunderstorms rolled in around 6pm. It got dark enough that it was hard to see the rocks on the trail. Then the trail flooded hiding rocks under the surface. Basically, it sucked. If it wasn't for that cool climb at the beginning of the day, today's hiking would have had no redeeming value. I might do a short hike into Wind Gap tomorrow and take it easy. My feet need a break. The rest will probably hike on. 9:18 duration 3005 ascent 1958 descent
Date: 2013-06-19
From: Leroy A Smith Shelter

To: Wind Gap, PA: Beer Stein
Miles today: 4.6

6/19I decided to just hike into Wind Gap today. B-Rocket had her sights on Delaware Water Gap. I just got a text from her saying she made it. I guess there is a hiker feed on Thursdays there. She missed it and I will hit it. I can't post her exact wording as kids might be reading this. The short hike today was miserably rocky, as expected. Fortunately the descent into Wind Gap was nice. It just proves it doesn't have to be this bad. I expect the most brutal rocks yet tomorrow, as per a scouting report2. NJ will start out rocky too but the rocks will fade. PA is the disease; NJ is the cure. Techie and I ate at The Beer Stein and were offered to stay in their backyard. We had planned to go to a motel but this is better. We got great food here, great weather, electricity to charge our phones, wifi, and a gas station across the street with a Slurpie machine. What more could a hiker want? I told my son this and he said, "Do you realize how dumb that sounds?" I guess I have been away for awhile but this is the new normal. Right now the patio at the bar is full of patrons with full view of our tents. "And to your left you will see thruhikers in their natural environment. Please don't feed them or they will never leave."2. I got a haircut next door. Don't worry, the beard is still there in all its fury, or should that read "furry". Hikers behind me: Consider a stay at The Beer Stein. If you do, be a good customer and tip well. They are being so good to the hiker community. 2:05 duration 282 ascent 840 descent2. B-Rocket
Date: 2013-06-20
From: Wind Gap, PA: Beer Stein

To: Delaware Water Gap
Miles today: 15.6

6/20Kerry, the owner of Beer Stein, opened the door at 9am and invited Techie and I in to make breakfast. We were given access to pretty much any food item we wanted. For someone that knew what they were doing this would be a dream. I chose to make a cheese omelet with pork roll and bacon sides. It actually looked like I knew what I was doing, scary. The climb out of Wind Gap was pretty smooth but the rocks were in full force once on the ridge. Since it was only 15 miles to Delaware Water Gap, I decided to slow way down. This helped. When the rocks were at their worst I was probably advancing at no more than 1mph. Fortunately there were patches of smooth trail that allowed for normal walking. There is a road walk a couple miles after the shelter that is confusing. Once you take a right on this this road the blazes are few and far between, to the point where you almost assume you missed a turn. You didn't. Just stay on the road and don't worry about it. Once you see a small block building the road comes to an end. Pay attention at this point and all is well. This is a common problem IMO on the AT. The trail maintainers think that since the trail is on a road bed that they can go a long way without a blaze. This practice is very frustrating for hikers new to an area. We are in constant fear that we have missed a turn. A few more blazes would make us much more confident. The sharp, both in slope and texture, descent into DWG was major painage for me. My feet and ankles took a beating. I have good knees, knock on wood, but it must be a personal hell for those that don't. All I have to do is cross half a bridge tomorrow to get into New Jersey. Pennsylvania has taken much out of me but I appear to have survived with only bruised feet. 8:37 duration 1486 ascent 2106 descent
Date: 2013-06-21
From: Delaware Water Gap

To: Mohican Outdoor Center
Miles today: 10.8

6/21I had plans on only hiking 11 miles today to meet up with some Trail Talk buddies at the Mohican Outdoor Center. 32oz and High Maintenance are section hiking SOBO and I knew they had plans on staying there tonight. The scouting report on those 11 miles was cake so I slept in late. I never need much of an excuse to sleep in late. I had lunch on the way out of town and didn't hit the trail til 12:45. It was so nice to walk across the I-80 bridge. Not because it was a great section. It wasn't. I just knew that I was out of Pennsylvania. I know there still will be rocks in NJ, but from most reports the rock-hell fades out in a couple days. The climb up to the ridge was uneventful. I probably would have felt otherwise had I been going down. Rocks on climbs don't seem to bother me much. The early ridge walk had some rocks but none that were an issue. By mid afternoon I came to the beautiful glacial lake. Sunfish Pond is the most picturesque pond/lake I have seen thus far on the trip. The water is clear; the flowers were in bloom; the weather was perfect. I couldn't have asked for a nicer place. While walking around the lake I met Grasshopper. I thought I had seen him somewhere. It turns out we both knew of each other from Facebook's AT 2013 page, small world. He is a ridgerunner/caretaker. What a wonderful section to have such a job. We chatted for some time. I'm sure a few ears were burning. Today is a day invented by young male hikers, in an attempt to get the young females (many of which are looking like aerobic instructors at this point) to go along. It has become a hiker tradition of sorts. Believe it or not today (first day of summer) is Hike Naked Day. Yours truly would not be participating although it might have been a good day to hike SOBO, if you know what I mean. I didn't see many hikers today and that may have been a good thing. The only participant I saw celebrating the day was a 60ish guy hiking in only a hat and scarf. It's one thing to see this in a gym locker room. It's quite another to see on the trail. I hope the image fades quickly from my mind. Speaking of views, New Jersey has had some wonderful ridge views. I am impressed with vistas presented. The minor descent to Mohican was one of those descents that just kills me. I guess rocky descents will always be my Achilles Heel. I arrived at the Mohican Outdoor Center about a half hour after 32oz and HM. They had rented a cabin that might hold twelve and invited me to stay. 32oz gave me a scouting report from here all the way into NY which I greatly appreciated. He is of the opinion that the rocks in NJ and NY are just as bad as PA. This is a minority opinion based on others I have spoken to. He hikes fast and likes to cover big miles. It may be that the rocks affect his speed. I will soon get to find out for myself. 5:33 duration 1719 ascent 968 descent
Date: 2013-06-22
From: Mohican Outdoor Center

To: Culver's Gap
Miles today: 17.6

6/2232oz and HM said they were going to "sleep in". We have different definitions of that. I woke up about 7:30 and was being quiet so not to wake them. Little did I know they had left at 7. Early risers have an important role. Someone has to get the nightly spider webs off the trail. Early in today's hike, at Catfish Lookout Tower, there was a Girl Scout troop. There was a lot of interest in my hike and picture taking. I try to make it a point of taking the time to chat as these encounters. I may be the only thru-hiker they see and want to cast a positive light. After leaving I realized I forgot to have someone use my camera. I scored a box of Skittles which disappeared within an hour. I hadn't had Skittles in awhile. Later on the ridge the sound of music emanated from below. Soon I could recognize the music. It was an 80s jam session. Hearing music from a source a 1000 feet below is kinda weird. From the ridge edges I could never see the source, only trees. After a mile or so the music started to fade until finally it was completely drowned out by the cicadas, crickets, and birds. It was fun while it lasted. The hiking for the first half of the day was easy. Once I got to Blue Mt Lakes Rd things got rougher. The PA rocks returned and it got hot, a combination that brings me to my knees. Bears do exist. I saw my first and second bear during this trip. The first was a small bear. We made eye contact for a few seconds. I then said, "Well, watcha gonna do punk? ", to which it answered by running away. The second bear was unimpressed with my voice. It was a larger bear that seemed more accustomed to the presence of humans. The wind shifted to my back and this bear took off as well. I hiked on to Culver's Gap and was totally out of gas when I got there. John met me at the crossing and treated me to an evening with his family at a local campground. I met John through his son way back at Fontana. His son had camped with me on that gorgeous day on Cheoah Bald. I spotted the infamous Joe to Go, which was closed. I can't wait to visit it tomorrow and see for myself what all the hype is about. 9:26 duration 2057 ascent 2257 descent
Date: 2013-06-23
From: Culver's Gap

To: Culver's Gap
Miles today: 0.0

6/23Didn't sleep all that well due to the humidity. I decided that after almost 300 miles (Harpers Ferry) without a zero, that it was time for a rest. It is just miserably hot/humid out there anyway. I may take two days since I have some special plans for tomorrow.John returned me to Culver's Gap and treated me to breakfast. Thanks for everything John. I stopped at the now open Joe to Go. Unlike the writings of others I found it very hiker-friendly. They even have made a bench on the side of the building for hikers to rest and place their packs. I ordered a sandwich and Diet Coke, and to my shock no one bit me. It seems that if one can follow some very simple rules he is downright pleasant, albeit in a somewhat curmudgeonly way. The Taylor Ham sandwich was top notch. I'm going to have to stop by again before I leave. Spent most of the day sleeping, eating, and watching TV. My feet may again be on speaking terms with me if I take another zero.
Date: 2013-06-24
From: Culver's Gap

To: Culver's Gap
Miles today: 0.0

6/24Well my "special plans" fell through. I had planned to go to a Yankees game but failed to notice that Monday is an off-day in their home stand. I forgot to mention it yesterday but my Leki trekking poles have failed me. The lower sections will not tighten. I had them looked at while at Trail Days. Apparently at Trail Days they replaced the lower sections with non-original parts. Customer service at Leki were at a loss while trying to walk me through fixing them. The parts made no sense to them. Leki is mailing new lower sections to Illinois. This kind of leaves me dead in the water for now. I could use just regular sticks that I find along the trail as walking sticks, but my tent requires two trekking poles for set up. I am not going to depend on trail shelters. I don't mind taking another zero or two. My body needs the rest and the heat/humidity is stifling. I'll try to come up with some plan for moving forward.
Date: 2013-06-25
From: Culver's Gap

To: High Point State Park Headquarters
Miles today: 14.3

6/25John took me back to the trail and allowed me to borrow his poles. I hope to have mine fixed before my Sunday hike. I knew it was gonna be hot today but decided to just take it slow. Little did I know that I wouldn't have a choice for much of the day. The first part of the day went pretty smoothly but the mosquitoes were out. I could walk briskly and outpace them, which was good as I wasn't packing DEET. Once I got near the Mashipacong Shelter the trail returned to PA-level rocks. I could no longer outpace the skeeters. I was a sitting duck. The clouds of skeeters were having their way with me. It was awful. I literally have hundreds of skeeter bites on my arms and neck. Luckily I switched from shorts to pants early in the day to limit the damage. In my nearly 1800 AT miles 99.9% of mosquitoes I have seen were today. I was totally caught off guard. It reminded me of a June trip to Pictured Rocks. Yeah, that bad. These bloodsuckers were even biting through my permethrin-treated (mid May) shirt. I will have to retreat it soon. The effect is definitely wearing off. I'm hearing similar stories from friends that are ahead of me. Great. A record skeeter year? Why not? The Class of 2013 luck continues. 8:55 duration 2329 ascent 1780 descent
Date: 2013-06-26
From: High Point State Park Headquarters

To: Random campsite (1346.3)
Miles today: 14.4

6/26Got a text from B-Rocket. She started the day 55 miles ahead of me and says NY has been dang hard, with a lot of rock climbing. Glad to see she is racking up the miles. Got a ride from the hotel back to the High Point Park Headquarters. Scored a soda there and was #181. B-Rocket was #143, wow. I've been passed by a ton of folks during those two zero days. Early in the hiking there was a platform with a view of the High Point Monument. I just assumed the AT would go there next. It didn't. I can't remember the last time we didn't go over the tallest thing around. The trail kept going down. I did get a pic of the monument. After High Point Shelter it was like someone flipped a switch. The rocks were nearly gone. For the first time in days I could walk freely for more than a 100 yards. The trail was relatively rock-free the rest of the day. The skeeters were still bad today but I had N,N-diethyl-meta-toluamide on my side. I still had a handful of bites from skeeters that didn't read the label. I stopped in Unionville, NY for lunch at Wit's End Tavern. The trail is right on the border of NJ/NY, but the trail is still considered NJ. It was a great place for lunch with Horler's Store just down the block for a minor resupply. Thunderstorms were just to my north in the late afternoon. I had a good cell signal so I could see from the radar that the storms were going to miss me. I had planned to stay at a motel in Glenwood, NJ. When I called for a reservation it turned out to be a BB. They were closed. I had already passed the last shelter area so I was going to have to wing it. I had plenty of water (and some Diet Coke) so liquids weren't an issue. I found a random flat spot to call home for the night. With the swarms of mosquitoes the process goes as follows. Set up tent quickly. Throw gear in tent. Get in. Zip up tent. Double check zippers. Spend 15 minutes killing the 100 mosquitoes that came in with you. Relax and taunt the 1000 that are trying to get in. 7:45 duration 1680 ascent 2156 descent
Date: 2013-06-27
From: Random campsite (1346.3)

To: NJ 94 Vernon, NJ
Miles today: 6.2

6/27The mosquitoes didn't settle down after sunset like I expected. They continued all night to buzz my tent in an unsuccessful attempt to get me. Something big was working the woods north of me but never got close enough for identification. Several hikers passed my solo campsite in the morning before I broke camp. One commented on such a nice campsite, thanks. I did stumble on a nice patch of ground. It was hot/humid at 8am. The weather forecast called for T-storms in the afternoon. With this much energy in the air I expected some good ones. My cloths were soaked with sweat almost immediately. The humidity was so high that nothing was going to dry for long while. The mosquitoes were even worse today. The beating wings of my 1000 closest followers provided the only breeze on this windless day. The air was absolutely still in the woods. The sweat seemed to dilute the DEET allowing the skeeters to attack with vengeance after about an hour. I again was a sitting duck. Am I doing a good job of painting a miserable picture of the conditions? I honestly can't imagine much worse. I've successfully dealt with bad mosquitoes in the past, just never in this heat/humidity. It's so hard to keep the bug goop on your skin without it washing off. As hot as it is, long sleeves might be in order. Maybe Minnesota Smith was onto something. Inside joke. After I got near the last decent road crossing for awhile, I said "Uncle". I'm done for the day at a meager 6 miles and 11am. I just can't deal with this heat/humidity. It has been my biggest fear from day one. I got a room at a motel in Greenwood Lake, NY. They picked me up in Vernon, NJ and will return me there in the morning for a slackpack back to their place. The heat looks to be easing up a bit in the forecast. If it doesn't I'm in trouble. I feel like I am losing right now. 3:10 duration 984 ascent 1430 descent
Date: 2013-06-28
From: NJ 94 Vernon, NJ

To: Greenwood Lake, NY
Miles today: 15.0
Weather: scattered clouds

6/28Hit the trail a bit after 9am. The climb out of Vernon went smoothly. I have been told that this section is rather rough so I was expecting a long day. The heat/humidity was a tad bit better than yesterday and the mosquitoes were much less. It was heaven compared to yesterday and my spirits improved. It would soon improve even more. I met Grasshopper again (third time) and he said Don's Brother was just ahead of me. Sweet. I picked up my pace and caught up with him at a road crossing. Both of us knew for a long time that we were close to each other on the trail. Finally we were in the same place. We hiked together the rest of the day. There was a lot of rock scrambling which I found to be fun. This wasn't that loose rock crap that PA is noted for. These rocks are solidly grounded. Often the climbs were akin to climbing up onto a roof and then walking on the roof. I hope these are the types of rocks my friends are telling me about for the miles in front of me. At one point a fixed ladder aided a climb, yet some will continue to say, "It's just walkin'". Mike was a bit tentative with the climbs today. He had a nasty fall yesterday and was, understandably, a bit gun-shy. He also only had one trekking pole after recently breaking one. I hope we can hike together in the future. His company was a boost to my spirits. At mid afternoon we crossed into New York. Eight states down, six to go. The 15 miles were a relative breeze. I was one with the rocks today; dare I say "nimble"? I was looking forward to hitting The Creamery before catching a ride to my motel. The hiking day was over as I strolled into the parking lot. Then things got ugly. I rolled my ankle in their parking lot. I found it so ironic considering the terrain I had just hiked. I mean, it's one thing to injure yourself while climbing out of Lehigh Gap. It's another to roll your ankle when you are 30 feet away from ordering a banana split.I could walk on flat ground but had lots of pain while walking up steps. I have it on ice and elevated. Fingers crossed. 8:06 duration 3189 ascent 2457 descent