morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2023-05-28
From: MM 1270

To: MM 1279
Miles today: 9.0

Day 78 9 mi. MM 1279Well, yesterday's decision to stop early was a good one - the rocks did, indeed, get worse. My least favorite kind. Not too big but all sharp. Very close together so that every step has to be a separate decision.  Easy to trip - I did - fell three times. I only count a fall when my butt touches the ground. I now have 7 total. First two of no real consequence; nothing hurt. The last caused me to wrench my back a little bit because I went sideways as well as down. The long and short of it was if I had pushed on last night it probably would have been much worse. So I had another short day as the back slowed me way down. Two good things happened though. Another cool hiker caught up with me. Her name is Scorch and she is a bunch of fun. We collectively decided that staying in Wind Gap was the best option for the night. We pitched our tents in the grass in front of the Gateway Motel. Essentially a free hostel run by a kind gentleman named Satish.  We had access to drinking water, a bathroom with shower and a place to sleep. You really can't ask for more!  He does this for hikers for free - the generosity on the trail is remarkable. Thank you Trail Angel Satish!Turns out that both Scorch and I share a love for ice cream so we hoofed it 1.2 miles into Wind Gap to Sweet Nanny's Candies and Ice Cream Shop. These miles don't count anywhere except the wear and tear on feet. I had an old fashioned banana split and Scorch  went for straight ice cream and some candy for her pack. It was all delicious and well worth the walk!  So we headed back uphill to the motel and stuck our thumbs out. Two young guys picked us up and took us back. That was fabulous because I was stuffed. All in all a good day. Delaware Water Gap and the end to PA was 16 miles away and reachable tomorrow.
Date: 2023-05-30
From: MM 1292

To: MM 1298
Miles today: 6.0

Day 80. 6 mi. MM 1296Made it into the Delaware Water Gap today.  Got picked up and taken to a free hostel - Live Life hostel about 30 minutes from DWG. This place is run by a hiker (NotToday) from 2019 who is really great. Picked me up, let me shower, took me to a laundromat, Walmart to resupply, and fed me dinner. Breakfast and trip back to the Trail tomorrow.  For free!  What a fabulous guy. All of the PA trail is done.  Tomorrow a road walk out of DWG across the I80 bridge and I¢ll be in NJ.  I will be glad to be done with the PA rocks!!!#LiveLifeHostel
Date: 2023-05-31
From: MM 1296

To: MM 1313
Miles today: 17.0

Day 81 17 mi MM 1313Many things today. First and most important, the Pennsylvania rocks are behind me!  Physically, PA was not very difficult but mentally it was horrible. The tripping hazard seemed to get worse each day. I felt like all I saw the last three days was my feet.  NJ will have rocks for about 30 miles I am told. Already half way through that. Next:  passed 1300 mile mark so 13 down 9 to go. That sounds fabulous. Finally: deli blazing has begun. Today I stopped at Mohican Center for lunch (ham, turkey and Swiss sandwich) and took a second on the trail for dinner. Rumor has it that you can eat at a deli type place every day while in NJ and NY. I am committed to testing that as yesterdays resupply was all breakfast. No guts, no glory. Made it to a large stealth site for the night. Something large walked through about 2:00 am but the consensus is that it was a deer. Knee is doing well. WIC did a great job on the dressing. Almost forgot. Also jumped another bear on the trail with a hen turkey and her chicks. Also saw a beaver at the pond.
Date: 2023-06-01
From: MM 1313

To: MM 1330
Miles today: 17.0

Day 82 17 mi. MM 1330Deli blazing is working!!!  Hiked into Culver¢s Gap today at about 1:30. First, it was 86 here today a warm up (get it) for tomorrow¢s 90+ day. Started at 7:00 to use as many of the cool hours as possible. So I managed 12 miles in that time which left about 5 more for the day. Good burger, fries, a couple of Pepsis (not as good as a Coke but still has the Fizz) in some air conditioning. Then unroll the pad. Sleep on the grass for over an hour.  Now I¢m kinda refreshed; it¢s 4:00 ish and back on the trail. Or so I thought.  Went about a mile down the wrong trail!  I have a new rule for hiking the AT. If you are walking down a trail and it seems too well groomed and too easy then you are off trail. It¢s a good rule. The problem is that is nice to be walking on those nice trails so sometimes it takes a while to notice. So as in many days, there are miles walked that do not count into your AT total. Oh well¢¦.Final stop for the night was a state park pavilion and cowboy camping. There was sign that said ¢No Camping¢ but since I was only sleeping it seemed fine. If you aren¢t familiar, cowboy camping is where you don¢t pitch a tent, you just lay your sleeping set up on the ground directly. No rain the forecast and high enough to be away from the bugs. Good gentle breeze to also help with the bugs. Ahhh, sweet sleep!Today was a practice for the heat tomorrow. Stay tuned¢¦.
Date: 2023-06-02
From: MM 1330

To: MM 1348
Miles today: 18.0

Day 83 18 mi MM 1348We need rain badly to replenish the water sources, but not all at once!  Pretty average day until about 4:00 pm when a monster thunderstorm dumped what seemed like a couple of inches of rain in 30 minutes. Not really sure how much there it was but it was a lot. Back up to about 3:30 and I¢m  mile from the road crossing to Uniomville, NY. That¢s my deli stop of the day and a free church hostel SOLA.  It¢s early, I¢m really hot and tired - why not stop for a break at the top of the last up for the day? All was well until the thunderstorm came over the hill. I was under a nice maple tree in the shade when the rain started. It took about 15 minutes before the tree quit protecting me from the rain.  Then rain jacket on and back on trail. It was raining so hard that the trail was completely full of water - over ankle deep. Pants soaked in less than minute. But there is some good news - you can only get so wet and then you¢re soaked. From that point on, it doesn¢t matter. How much it¢s raining. That point was about one minute for me.  Sad part is that I could have been in town, dry, if I¢d kept walking. See, not all my decisions work out. The SOLA hostel was really nice. It¢s set up for only 4 and I was first one there. I had 3 more in my group still to come and they all made it.  When I arrived, the pastor, Bonzai - he was a hiker too - was getting to pour some self-leveling concrete next to the bathroom. I got to help and it was nice to help out some. Laundry and a good bed for the night - these are the good things. Good conversation over breakfast pancakes and coffee and off again. Going to the general store for a little resupply and hopefully a pair of reading glasses. Yes, pair number 6 is gone after only a few days. I can make do without them - barely. It¢s just frustrating because they aren¢t easy to find on the trail. Addendum:  no glasses, sigh¢¦..https://www.facebook.com/solaRetreat?mibextid=LQQJ4d
Date: 2023-06-03
From: MM 1348

To: MM 1360
Miles today: 12.0

Day 84 12 mi MM 1360Shorter miles today. Basically, a NERO out of town instead of in like usual. Out of the hostel at 9:00 am and down to the General Store for breakfast sandwich. Had pancakes at the hostel too but hey needed some eggs and ham too. Three other hikers congregated on the front porch. There was no rain in the forecast but heavy clouds were passing overhead. It was really easy toSit on that porch, talk, go back in for more food, repeat. I was the one who broke first and set out for the Trail¢ at 11:25!  Hence the small number of miles. We all had a total lack of desire to set out and get rained on. I had to use my first Deet today. I went through a lot of low, swampy land via boardwalk. The mosquitoes were pretty fierce. They have been for a couple of days at water sources but they were almost everywhere today. So out comes the 100% Deet. My hiker buddy Lil Engine would chastise me if she knew.  She hates the stuff. Sorry LE! I am stealth camping behind a farm stand where I bought dinner tonight. Using the overflow parking area. Hopefully, law enforcement won¢t come by and kick me out. Do I think they will? Nah, i have permission from one of the employees as long as I¢m up by sunrise. Deli blazing was different today but I¢m counting it because nothing need boiling water to eat!  Breakfast sandwich and fresh fruit and veggies for dinner. So far it¢s working. Looking at a hotdog stand just off trail at 9 or so miles tomorrow. It was much cooler today and only felt a few raindrops. Down to 40 tonight which is cooler than average but I¢ll be fine. I sleep warm. It¢s been 12 weeks now since I set foot on the Trail. I wonder what the real world is going to feel like. A Happy Birthday to my Uncle Gene who turned 100 today. Now that¢s an accomplishment!
Date: 2023-06-04
From: MM 1360

To: MM 1370
Miles today: 10.0

Day 85 10 m. MM1370A not so good day. Started out fine. Had a big climb up Stairway to Heaven  No real problem but as the day wore on my back began to spasm. Finally had to stop at 3:30. I¢m just trying to lay flat and hope it gets better. Also missed deli blazing for the first time. There¢s a restaurant about a mile down the hill that I was going to go to. But I didn¢t think I would have fun coming back up the hill. Sure hope this back is better in the morning.
Date: 2023-06-05
From: MM 1370

To: MM 1385
Miles today: 15.0

Day 86 15 miles MM1385Crossed into NY today. Goodbye to NJ.  It was much better than I expected it to be. Very pretty sites to see and well groomed trail for the most part. Was getting rougher as we closed in on NY and NY started out tough today. Deli blazing was so - so. Got a fantastic banana split at Bellvale Farms for "lunch". The hot dog stand was closed on Monday which was a total bummer. I had plans for four....While there I saw a B-24 and B-29 flyby. Really rare and cool. Maybe an air show somewhere. I did manage to fall again - on perfectly smooth trail. No more harm but didn't help the back. There were two really difficult climbs left in the afternoon. One even had rebar cemented in the rock to form a makeshift ladder. I arrived at a water source and decided to call it a night and pitched my tent. I was very, very tired and still in some pain with the back. But I think it's getting better.Oh and I forgot that I went almost a mile down the wrong trail. Backtrack and continue while being very unhappy with self!  Two more miles that don't count. Anyone who says hiking the AT is easy, fun, and all sweetness is lying or delusional. Some days are just hard!
Date: 2023-06-06
From: MM 1385

To: MM 1397
Miles today: 12.0

Day 87. 12 miles MM1397Another short day. Many steep climbs and a sore back led to me making the first shelter at 7.2 miles in six hours. But around 2:30 my back seemed to warm up a bit and made the next 5.2 miles in just over two hours. So a slow day but not a horrible one. Rain showers off and on all day made the rocks slick and treacherous. I slowed down in an effort to protect my back. Didn't fall once - probably a personal record. Heard what for the life of me sounded like mortar fire interspersed with small arms. Could NY be at war???Need to get into Fort Montgomery tomorrow to resupply.
Date: 2023-06-07
From: MM 1397

To: MM 1412
Miles today: 15.0

Day 88 15 mi MM 1412Today is a tale of two packs. I had a box waiting for me at the post office in Fort Montgomery, NY.  I was also going to need to go to a Walmart or such as I had several things to pick up - like my seventh pair of reading glasses. I keep losing or destroying them.  So I arranged for a shuttle to pick me up as my destinations were more than 8 miles apart. I was to meet Jon the Driver at 11:30 and the place was 12 miles from the shelter so I had to get up and get moving. At this point the first pack of the day weighed probably 18 pounds. Almost no food left (as planned) and 1 liter of water (I would pass a water supply on the way) made the pack very light. A light pack makes for a fast Fizzix so I easily made the rendezvous. We went to Walmart first and on the way back I discovered that we were driving through the US Military Academy aka West Point. So yesterdays bangs probably were some form of artillery. Now comes pack number 2 -- weighing closer to 30 pounds full of food and water for the climb out of the Hudson River valley. Yuk. I really wish food and water could weigh less. The heavy pack, the Canadian smoke and the steep climb meant 3 miles in 2.5 hours. Very slow but I got to camp for the night. I had a few coughs through the night from the smoke but I really didn't have big problems. I just hope it's better tomorrow. Oh, and the back -- felt pretty good even with the heavy pack. I think it's on the mend. I've been super careful not to jerk it and that seems to be working. There was a lot of history in this area. One day I hope to get back. WITH A CAR!!!!
Date: 2023-06-08
From: MM 1412

To: MM 1429
Miles today: 17.0

Day 89 17 mi MM 1429A long hard day of 11 hours of hiking (including breaks) to get those 17 miles. Was really wanting to get to a shelter at 19 but it was approaching 6:00 and I was pretty tired with the heavy pack. So I found a spot just big enough for my tent and set up camp. Deli Blazing update: I got breakfast at the Appalachian Market and Deli. The Trail goes right by its door. It was amazing how much they packed into a small space. I had a big bowl of fruit and the "heart attack" sandwich. It was on a 12 inch hoagie bun. Here's what I think was on it: 2 eggs, hash browns, ham, bacon, sausage and cheese. Not sure how they came up with the name. It was delicious though!  I ate half and packed out the other half for lunch. Smoke was much better today -- hardly noticeable. The sun was back to the correct color. Looked like rain at various times but never got any. Felt cool; not sure what the temperature was. Water sources were better today than they have been in a month. Hope that trend continues. One was the outflow from a beaver pond. Love those little engineers. Got another pizza and deli joint in my sights for tomorrow at about 15 miles. That's hiker motivation!
Date: 2023-06-09
From: MM 1429

To: MM 1441
Miles today: 12.0

Day 90 ?? Mi MM ??I¢m going to mix it up today. We are going to play:  Think Like A Thru HikerHere¢s how it goes. I¢m going to give you some facts and then three choices. You have to decide which one is the most likely. Ok, here goes... I got up this morning an hour late due to being pretty tired from yesterday. I hiked 12 miles and arrived at a point where a decision needed to be made. It was 4:00 pm. The next shelter is 4 miles further down the trail. A pizza place and deli market is 1/2 mile down the road from the trail.  They allow hikers to pitch their tents out back. They open at 6:00 am for breakfast. The choices are:A) Keep hiking to the shelter. B) Go down to the pizza place; eat dinner; hike on to the shelter. C) Go down to the pizza place; eat dinner; spend the night in my tent; eat breakfast; continue the hike in the morning. Decide which you would do and what you think I did. The answer will appear in tomorrow¢s edition. Good luck!!!See Day 91 for the official answer and thought process¢¦
Date: 2023-06-10
From: MM 1441

To: MM 1457
Miles today: 16.0

Day 91 16 mi MM 1457So yesterday¢s mileage was 12 at MM 1441.This can only mean the best answer to the game was:  CThat is what I did and what 4 out 5 thru hikers did as well. There were 5 of us altogether. Not a single one selected option A ¢ the call of the food was just too strong!  One of the five had the internal fortitude to get back on trail and continue. The rest of us ate twice and hiked out about 8:00. Congregations to all you winners and there are no losers!So for today, the only thing to report is that my last water source was Nuclear Lake. Apparently this was the site of a plutonium spill in 1972.  The water looked fine and there was plenty of wildlife. The frogs had four eyes but who couldn't use an extra pair of eyes?  If the water is still radioactive, I am hoping I'll wake up with a new Super Power -- the ability to walk 3 mph over any terrain without falling down. Fingers crossed....
Date: 2023-06-11
From: MM 1457

To: MM 1474
Miles today: 17.0

Day 92 17 mi  MM 1474So a couple of milestones today. First, NY is done; I am now in CT.  That¢s nine states behind me and six to go. I think CT is less than 50 miles so it should go quickly. Second, I passed the 2/3 mark today at 1465.6.  It wasn¢t marked, sadly. I think thirds should get the same recognition as quarters but apparently their PR department isn¢t as good. The hiking in the last third of NY and so far in CT was much better. It feels like I am back on a hiking trail not a rocky jungle gym. I get that the rocks are part of the Trail but it¢s really nice to be hiking again. Let¢s hope it continues. The air seems much better although I still smell smoke from time to time. When I look back on the last few days, I think the smoke was having more impact than I thought. Miles were down; sleep wasn¢t as good; and fatigue was much higher. Water sources were a little bit better today as well. I really, really hope that continues. One water source was Native Landscapes Garden Center near Wingdale, NY. They have a spigot available to hikers and an outdoor shower!!! Yes - Really!!! It was a magnificent experience even though an hour later I was all sweaty again. After my shower, I sat in a chair for a half hour just enjoying the feeling of being clean.  Once again, Trail Angels are everywhere and  so deeply appreciated. Thanks Native Landscapes. Since I¢m in CT and the grandkids are in CT, I¢m taking a couple of ¢rest¢ days off trail starting tomorrow. I¢ll be back with you later in the week. Be Safe. And if you can, get out on a trail somewhere - it will do you a world of good.
Date: 2023-06-15
From: MM 1474

To: MM 1481
Miles today: 7.0

Day 96 7 mi. MM1481NERO day but back on the Trail after 3 days with grandkids. Had a lot of fun and gave the back some time to rest. Seems ok today-fingers crossed. Camped out on the Housatonic River. It is surprisingly nice. For some reason I thought it was going to be one of those wide, slow & kinda boring rivers. But it actually has some rapids and of course, some big rocks. So it's making that nice noise that I like to sleep with. I went in to Kent this afternoon for an early dinner. The town kinda smells like money. Looks like a great little town to wander about and window shop but real shopping probably blows a hole in your wallet. The first restaurant I stopped in wanted me to leave my pack outside so I went elsewhere. I know it probably smells and they don't want that inside. But if the pack were to grow legs and walk off, my hike would be over. Not so much because of the cost but the time. Many of the items I have are custom made and would take weeks to replace. The only alternative would be to go to Amazon and try to find Chinese knockoffs.  But I hate that thought.  So I keep my pack with me and move along. It was a quiet day on the Trail- only saw a few day hikers. It's definitely going to rain tomorrow which we need but it's not fun to hike in. I'm planning on a 16 mile or so day if it holds off.  Could be shorter if the rain comes early. I'll just have to wait and see. I'm gonna pray that the rain starts after 7 pm and can go all night if it wants. But it's not really my decision, is it?Side note: Housatonic derives from the Mohican phrase "usi-a-di-en-uk", translated as "beyond the mountain place" or "river of the mountain place"
Date: 2023-06-16
From: MM 1481

To: MM 1492
Miles today: 11.0

Day 97 11 mi. MM 1492In 1492 Columbus sailed the ocean blue¢¦Sorry, how often will I get to do that. So another short day. I got going a little late this morning. I sat down at the shelter at about 3:00 and pulled out my phone to see the latest on the rain situation. And a raindrop fell on it!  That question answered I shoved all my stuff in the shelter and watched it rain for two hours. At that point I wasn¢t going to set out on a wet trail just to make another 3 or 4 miles. Maybe I¢ll make it up tomorrow - or maybe not. It¢s not a race.  Plus I think it is going to rain all day tomorrow.  Saw bear number 8 today. I stopped at a really nice official campsite for second breakfast and heard a hiker coming up the hill. Now I'm sitting in a nice pavilion sort of behind a low wall and a bear goes ripping through camp. I don't think it even saw me. He was moving along. Any thought you might have of out running one, you should forget. The shelter is filling up because of the threat of rain tonight so I'm glad I stopped when I did.
Date: 2023-06-17
From: MM 1492

To: MM 1508
Miles today: 16.0

Day 98 16 mi. MM 1508A more reasonable day today in terms of miles. I¢ve stopped in Salisbury, CT for the night at a hostel. Shelters ahead are closed for a complete rebuild so this was the best choice. There has been almost no spots to stealth camp due to the ruggedness of the terrain. But in defense of CT, they have built some really nice official campsites. I passed one that had a pavilion and swinging chairs in addition to the usual privy. All of the sites have had bear boxes as well. I like these much better than bear hangs because they are faster and easier. Also, bears are starting to figure out  the best hangs and occasionally get food bags. The boxes seem more effective. Managed to eat town food twice today!  Had a good second breakfast in Falls Village after 6 miles and then good pasta here in Salisbury this evening. That counts for a good day in my book. The miles are getting a little tougher again. Both of the past two days had nearly 4000 feet of ascent. Nothing over 500 feet each but lots of small ups and downs (150-400).  There were a few more miles of river walk along the Housatonic which are very pleasant.  I don¢t even want to talk about tomorrow yet. If I survive, I¢ll describe it. There seems to be a pattern developing where the Trail gets ridiculous as you leave a state. I¢ll be leaving CT tomorrow. Oh, almost forgot, passed 1500 AT miles hiked as of today. 15 down and 7 to go!