morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2006-06-29
To: Delaware Water Gap, PA
Miles today: 15.3
Weather: scattered clouds

I had a short day today into Delaware Water Gap, so even with a late start, I made town by afternoon. Even if I was inclined to continue past DWG, I couldn¢t have- the trail northbound was officially closed. In fact, the entire DWG National Recreation Area was reportedly closed due to major flooding. Much of the town was underwater, and the Delaware river was expected to crest at the highest level in like 50 years. I thought about putting my gear in a big garbage bag and swimming the trail, but the blazes were underwater too, so I wouldn¢t have known where to go. Besides, the church hostel in town was really inviting, especially after I found out they were serving a homemade meal at six pm. I was happy to run into Mr. K, Brennan, Brave Friend, and Happy Feet, all hikers I know. There were a few other thru-hikers whom I hadn¢t yet met, too. Some had been stuck there for a few days because of the weather.Dinner was fabulous- I had two big plates of food and two big plates of dessert! I still need to resupply for the next section, and I¢m not sure how I¢m going to do that since the town is a disaster area, but I¢ll figure that out tomorrow. For now, I¢m happy to lie on my bunk and let my monster meal digest.
Date: 2006-06-30
From: Delaware Water Gap, PA

To: Brink Road Shelter
Miles today: 24.8
Weather: scattered clouds

When I woke up this morning, the report from Sir Lancelot the Brave was that the river had receded enough to make passage under I 80 possible. In town, the water had gone down such that I was able to walk to the BP gas station and buy twenty-something bucks worth of snacks to get me to Vernon, NJ.The highlight of the day was Sunfish Pond. It¢s located at 1,380 feet, high up in the mountains, and it¢s clear and cool. My guidebook says it¢s the first glacial pond encountered going north on the AT. It also says this: ¢Swimming is not allowed, but hardly anyone can resist the temptation. Camping is prohibited except at designated campsites, and thru-hikers should observe this prohibition.¢ Haha! Can you believe that? So, did I swim? Take a look at the Photo section.A few decent breaks combined with another late start combined with losing my watch late in the day and having to backtrack a bit to retrieve it meant I had to dig out my LED¢s and do some night-hiking to make the shelter. Another rainstorm late in the day ensured that my streak of having wet shoes and socks will continue another day. When I reached the almost flooded-out Brink Road Shelter, I found Mr. K and Happy Feet had beaten me there by about an hour. There was also a grandfather/grandson duo there that are attempting a flip-flop thru-hike. What a great thing for a kid to do with his grandpa!
Date: 2006-07-01
From: Brink Road Shelter

To: Murray 
Miles today: 24.9
Weather: few clouds

Hot, hot hot! And humid, and hazy. I hiked most of the day with Happy Feet and Mr. K. It was a challenging day mentally, so I was grateful for the company. All three of us are looking at August finishing dates, so we may be pretty close as we travel northward.We ended up staying at cabin a local guy built on his property just for thru-hikers. It had electricity, and a fan, so we slept great. Thank you Jim Murray!
Date: 2006-07-02
To: Vernon, NJ
Miles today: 13.6

Short day today into the town of Vernon, NJ. Mr. K¢s wife was driving up from PA to meet him, and they offered to drive Happy Feet and I into the church hostel in town. I had planned on continuing on today, but after checking out the facilities at the St. Thomas Episcopal Church, I was having second thoughts. Then the K¢s came up with a plan for doing 27 miles tomorrow and then splitting the cost of a room in a town further north four ways. It was the clincher, and I spent all afternoon doing nothing at the hostel, enjoying myself immensely.
Date: 2006-07-03
From: Vernon, NJ

To: Arden, NY
Miles today: 27.2
Weather: broken clouds

Another day, another state! Crossing a state line is always a big morale booster, and this one marked the completion of my eighth state. Mr. K and Happy Feet were there to celebrate with me. We had a great day overall, and made good time. Mrs. K met us around 6 to pick us up, and it was nice not having to worry about hitching for the second night in a row. Getting cleaned up at the hotel and then eating dinner at Chili¢s was absolutely fantastic. This is the third night in a row I¢ve been able to have a hot shower. I¢m getting spoiled! But speaking of streaks, I still haven¢t managed to end up with dry shoes and socks at the end of a day in quite a while. Today it was a late afternoon thunderstorm that did us in.
Date: 2006-07-04
From: Arden, NY

To: Bear Mtn, NY
Miles today: 18.5

High humidity today, but a little breezy later in the day. I saw quite a few deer early on, including two awesome bucks. One of them had a rack bigger than any I've seen on a real deer in the wild. I made it into the small touristy park/town of Bear Mtn, but it was a holiday so the Post Office was closed. Also, there's a zoo of sorts that the trail goes right through here, but they closed it early because of rain, so I couldn't see that either. So basically, I sat around the park for a few hour and watched kids playing. It was entertaining, but lonely too. It seemed like half of the Bronx was there, but nobody paid any attention to me, and I can see why they say that big cities can be the loneliest places. I found a pay phone that didn't debit me extra minutes on my calling card, and gave the 'rents a call, which picked up my spirits considerably.Since I needed to pick up a mail drop from the Bear Mtn PO, I couldn't really continue hiking, and I couldn't stay in town or the park overnight, so I backtracked south on the trail a ways to find a good stealth campsite. I was high on the mountain, and had a good view of the Bear Mtn Bridge extending over the Hudson. I could also clearly here what sounded like some sort of Karaoke (sp?) or live concert about a half mile away. I guess that's what you get on a national holiday near NYC.For dinner I cooked up a pot of alfredo pasta. It took about twenty minutes, and when it was almost finished I had the misfortune of knocking my already unstable stove/pot setup over and spilling most of it in the dirt. I was proud of my reaction. I just sat there silently and looked at it for a while, then salvaged a few spoonfuls off the top, and ate what was left in the pot. I could have cooked up a Ramen noodle as a reserve, but I was just too tired to really care. I actually slept pretty well, in spite of an early morning rain storm that made me glad I had taken the extra time to set up my tarp.Note to self: no more spilled dinners. Once is enough!
Date: 2006-07-05
From: Bear Mtn, NY

To: RPH Shelter
Miles today: 25.3
Weather: clear sky

Another late start today. In the first half of the trip I was much better at getting going by 7 or 7:30 am. At least 8, but lately I've had some starts at 9 or later. It really stinks, because just like in the real world, you feel like you're playing "catch-up" all day. It cuts down on your options too. With an early start you can choose to do big miles, or take lots of breaks, or go into town, etc, but with a late start, all you can do is try to crank out some respectable mileage before dark. And it's a vicious cycle, because when you get into camp late, you tend to want to sleep in the next morning, and that means another late start...I saw three baby coons today. I heard them first, and though it was a squirrel or ground hog, but then they climbed a nearby tree and looked at me for a while. Cute little things they were. After a while they retreated to a safer distance. I didn't see any sign of the mother. It was probably just about to launch a vicious attack on me from behind when I walked off =).Bugs Bugs Bugs! Such aptly named creatures. They've been bad lately. It seems they can be divided into two categories, roughly. There are the sweat bees and black flies that like to land on your head and fly into your face and ears. You can swat them away, but they're back in about 0.8 seconds. I call these the "dive-bombers." Then there are the "stealth fighters," the mosquitoes whose high pitched whines sometimes go unnoticed, until you feel the sting of a sharp proboscis on the back of your neck or elbow. They love the places where the skin is thin and unprotected by hair, like the backs of your hands and elbows, ankles, and ears. They're relentless, and a sure-fire recipe for insanity.I wasn't planning on going as far as I did today, but the water where I thought I would camp was brown, so I pushed on to the shelter. Also, I passed a lake late in the day, near a highway, and was glad to ditch my pack, shirt, and shoes for a quick swim.
Date: 2006-07-06
From: RPH Shelter

To: Wiley Shelter
Miles today: 25.6
Weather: overcast clouds

Passing up a hostel AND two market/deli's near the trail takes some grit. Kudos to me! The only reason I didn't stop was that I already have too much food in my pack and the only good way to get rid of it is to eat it. As a reward, I'm going into the town of Kent, CT tomorrow, even though I probably don't need to, and it's a half mile off the trail. I swam in a nuclear lake today, so If my entries start becoming a little strange, that's probably why. For real though, the thing was called Nuclear Lake. Apparently there used to be some sort of nuclear facility nearby, but not anymore and the water has been tested as safe. It was a gorgeous spot, with grass right up to the water's edge, and not a person around that I could see or hear.I tried couscous for dinner tonight. Never had it before- I think it's some kind of fine semolina pasta. Not bad. Tonight's camp is the closest I'll camp to the 2/3 mark on the trail. I'm just a few miles shy of Connecticut. I'll be glad to clear the mid-Atlantic and finally be in New England!
Date: 2006-07-09
From: Limestone Springs Lean-to

To: Great Barrington, MA
Miles today: 25.5
Weather: few clouds

I decided to take some time off and split a room with Mr. K and another guy, Chill, in Great Barrington, MA. That meant I didn't have to do a ton of miles today, and as a result, I had a quite relaxing day. I walked a half mile off trail into Salisbury, CT, where I sat outside the grocery in the little shopping common and read my Bible, and ate an entire Entenmanns raspberry danish (15 ounces of sugar and flour). It was delightful, especially because although I was outside, there were no bugs, and instead of staring at rocks and trees, I watched the townsfolk going about their business, greeting each other, and getting coffee at The Roast coffee shop. I may have dozed off too, because one lady came up to me and said, "Are you falling asleep?" We chatted for a minute, and she said it was too bad her daughter wasn't there because she'd invite me out to their place for a swim in the lake. Not sure what she meant by the reference to her daughter, but nice lady, anyway!The hotel room was awesome. Whoever invented the air-conditioner deserves a Nobel prize. While we were relaxing, Chill asked me some questions about my faith, knowing that I was a Christian. He said he's gotten a lot of conflicting information from pastors and other Christians. I tried to share my beliefs in a clear and simple way, and hopefully, I communicated the idea that Christianity IS grounded in something (the Bible), and that it involves so much more than just following a set of rules so you can get to Heaven. It reminded me of an excerpt from one of my personal heroes, C.S. Lewis (think Chronicles of Narnia), that I've been wanting to post for a while now anyway. But I'm out of time right now, so it'll have to wait for another day.[LATER] Okay, I'm back. Yeah, I love Lewis' grasp of logic. His writings are entertaining, and they MAKE SENSE. Here's what he says in "Mere Christianity" on the deity of Christ:¢I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing thatpeople often say about Him: "I'm ready to accept Jesus as a great moralteacher, but I don't accept His claim to be God." That is the one thing wemust not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesussaid would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic--on alevel with the man who says he is a poached egg--or else he would be theDevil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, theSon of God: or else a madman or something worse. You can shut Him up for afool, you can spit at Him and kill Him as a demon; or you can fall at Hisfeet and call Him Lord and God. But let us not come with any patronizingnonsense about His being a great moral teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to.¢Chew on that a while! (and have a great day :-)
Date: 2006-07-10
From: Great Barrington, MA

To: Tom Leonard Lean-to
Miles today: 6.4

Since I was at the Monument Mtn Motel with Chill and Mr. K, I had the luxury of sleeping in. After getting up I walked up the street and had the deluxe breakfast at McDonald's, and did my other normal town chores: laundry, food, library, and resupply. I made some phone calls too, to Dad, my sister, and my good buddy Josh. Josh wants to hike the 100 Mile Wilderness with me, and summit Katahdin. We had talked about it months ago, but I wasn't sure if he was still interested in doing it. I was glad to hear that he's excited about joining me for the last leg of my trip. I think some of his enthusiasm is rubbing off on me, too, which is a good thing, given we're in the middle of what I call the Massachusetts Slump.The slump is characterized by general negativity and lethargy. I thought it was just me, but after talking with Mr. K and some others, I'm finding that most of the other hikers are feeling it too. I think it stems from the fact that this section of the trail is starting to get mountainous again, but not all that spectacular. Mass is considered one of the buggiest states on the trail, and it's hot. Katahdin is still 600 miles away, so we're not really in "the home stretch" yet, but we've come way too far to quit. Ergo, the Mass Slump. If my journal of late seems like a litany of complaints, I apologize.Okay, so I admit that I've had a general lack of motivation the past week or two, but I think it's turned around now, and I think I know why. Up until now I've been avoiding scheduling the rest of my hike any more than a day or two ahead, and I have not picked a summit date for Katahdin. In a way, it's been nice not having the pressure of having to finish by a particular time (some others are really feeling it because they have to return to jobs or school by a certain date). However, I recently sat down with a calendar, picked a finish date, and figured out what I need to do to get there. Almost immediately I noticed a difference in my outlook. I now have a specific goal to work towards, and something to look forward to. Having Josh meet me in Monson, ME to do the last leg makes it that much sooner and better, too. So yeah, I'm excited about this hike.After three easy hitches into, around, and out of Great Barrington, MA, I returned to the trail after five pm and hiked to the first shelter in. There was a great group of hikers there whom I had never met before: Marley, Patches, Mystic, and a couple of girls who were section hiking. Good times were had by all.
Date: 2006-07-11
From: Tom Leonard Lean-to

To: Upper Goose Pond Cabin
Miles today: 21.1
Weather: haze

For the first time in a while, the miles seemed to fly by today. It rained early, but then became cool and nice. I arrived at the Upper Goose Pond Cabin a bit after five, having hiked the last few miles in with Marley. We had time for a swim. Well, Patches, Mystic, Mr. K and I did, anyway. Marley stripped down to his skivvies and stood on the end of the dock for about five minutes, then said, "okay, I've had enough!" He's claiming "swim your own swim" as an excuse for not going in, but we won't let him get away with it.I'd love to be able to share more stories about some of the people I've met on the trail. The people are a huge part of what makes this hike so interesting. But so many of them are on or read Trailjournals, that I have to be careful what I say. I'd love to tell you about the hiker I met who has absolutely no qualms about walking around the laundromat in nothing but a towel from the motel as he waits for his clothes to wash. Or the kid whose mom is so over-involved in his hike, that she basically is doing everything but the walking for him. Or the negativity of the guy who complains about the uphills, then whines about the downhills. Like I said, I'd love to, but I can't.My Aunt asked me how my hike has differed from my expectations going in, and what lessons I've learned so far. As to the first question, I have to say that I haven't really faced any big surprises along the trail. In the few months preceding my start, I did so much reading and research that I feel I had a pretty accurate idea of what the trail would be like when I started. Basically, I knew that every year is different, and every hike is unique, so don't have any expectations. From what I understand there have been fewer people attempting a thru-hike this year than previous years, but also, fewer people have quit. The weather this year has been better overall then in some recent years, as well, which could explain the slower rate of attrition. Some of my journal entries have identified things that I'm learning as I go, and I've also started putting together a list (in the format of the "little instruction book" series) of things I've learned on the trail. I will continue to add to this list, and post it at the end of my hike.
Date: 2006-07-13
From: 83 Depot Street, Dalton MA

To: Wilbur Clearing Lean-to
Miles today: 20.8

Patches, Mr. K, Tom Levardi and I all walked down the street to Duff & Dell's for breakfast, and we were back on the trail before 9. we made it into the town of Cheshire, where I had mailed my bounce box, by 11 something. You gotta love these New England communities where you can eat breakfast in one town, lunch in another, and snack or dinner in a third! (coulda done that, but stopped short of Williamstown, MA for the night). I had to wait a while at the P.O. because I failed to realize that they closed down in the early afternoon for a long lunch break. No biggie, though, with the short miles I've been doing it doesn't really matter. I'm still looking at August 12 as a summit date for Katahdin, and that means I have to average 21 miles a day until Monson ME, where Josh is meeting me, and then we can cut back to 17 a day for the final week. I hope to put in a few big days in the next week or so, so that I can take it easy in the White Mountains of NH, which are supposed to be spectacular and very rugged.At the shelter this evening I got to know a couple of thru-hikers from last year, and it was amazing to hear their stories and learn how 2005 was entirely different from 2006. Apparently the class of 2005 was much more social (and slower), as there were many small groups of hikers who banded together to travel north, and much fewer folks going solo. We also met the first southbounders of 2006, who rolled into camp late. We greeted them enthusiastically, and stayed up 'till 11:30 or so swapping information about what was ahead for each other. All in all I'd say it was a great evening, and I acquired a wealth of information about the other hikers on the trail, this year, and last.Oh, I keep forgetting to mention the tick bites I got. Regular wood ticks are no biggie anymore, but the last section I was in had a ton of the dangerous deer ticks. In about a one-week period I found three embedded in me, and at least another that I caught before it could start burrowing. Deer ticks are no joke. Every year a few hikers get Lime Disease or one of the other ailments transmitted by these creatures. Lime's is treatable if caught early, but in its later stages can affect such minor functions as the heart and nervous system. I've already met one victim this year, and heard about another. But from what I've heard, they have to be embedded for at least 24 hours before they can transmit any diseases, and because the ones I found on me weren't engorged, I think I caught them pretty early. Needless to say I'm doing some pretty thorough checking every day now!
Date: 2006-07-14
From: Wilbur Clearing Lean-to

To: Seth Warner Shelter
Miles today: 9.9
Weather: clear sky

I pretty much spent all day in town today. When I'm in town I usually rush around from errand to errand trying not to get "sucked in," but it really is a nice break from the trail. There's so much activity, so much to do and see, even in a small town (you'd never think that unless you'd been staring at rocks, roots, and trees for a few days). There was a laundromat right next to the outfitters, so I decided to wash not only my clothes, but also my down sleeping bag, which takes a long time to dry. I intended to update my journal at the local community library, but when I asked this guy in town where the library was at, he led me to the library of the Williamstown College. It was my lucky day, they had row after row of internet cubicles, and no librarians looking over your shoulder with a stopwatch. I spent a few hours checking e-mail, writing journal entries, and uploading pictures. Getting back on the trail at like 6:30, I was only able to do a few more miles before dark, but I crossed another state line! (MA/VT) That makes 11 down, 3 to go. The shelter I stayed at had some hikers doing the Long Trail- several of whom had done the AT last year. One of them, Touk, played the fiddle, and it was nice to hear some real live music out there other than in my head =)About the Long Trail: it's older than the AT, and goes from the MA/VT border up to the Canadian border. The AT joins it for more than a hundred miles before turning East at a place called the "Maine Junction." It's weird to think that I'm just a couple hundred miles from the Canadian border, but as they say, anything's within walking distance if you have the time!OLD NEWS FLASH: ICE CREAM RECORDS SMASHEDI recently passed a couple of NOBO thru-hikers, Mystic and Marley, who set new records at Pine Grove Furnace state park in PA, home of the traditional "half gallon challenge." The park marks the halfway point on the trail, and to celebrate, many hikers undertake to eat a half gallon of ice cream in a single sitting. The previous time record was something over four minutes. Mystic easily did it in eight minutes the day he arrived, so the next day, decided to go for the record. He let his ice cream melt for about twenty-eight minutes, 'till it was the consistency of soft-serve. Then he held the box to his mouth and just shoveled it in. In under three minutes he was done, and the store owner confirmed that it's the new official record. (I didn't do the half-gallon challenge because my family met me at the park with grilled burgers and other picnic fixings, which I couldn't turn down). Not to be outdone, Marley decided to coin a new challenge: the Triple Crown challenge. In about a twelve hour period, he ate a half gallon of ice cream, three hot dogs, another half gallon of ice cream, three more hot dogs, and a third tub of ice cream and another three hot dogs. A gallon and a half of ice cream and 9 hot dogs! Amazing.