morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2014-06-14
From: Port Clinton, Pennsylvania (mile 1213.7)

To: Port Clinton, Pennsylvania (mile 1213.7)
Miles today: 0.0

I woke this morning and met Northstar, a fellow through-hiker camped in a field across the street from the pavilion. We got a ride into town (Hamburg, Pennsylvania), and headed for Cabela's outfitters. What a dream store! I scoped out tents, considered purchasing a marmot ultralight tent, although it was a shade heavier than a tarptent I was considering, as well as smaller. Tried to order the tarptent, looks like it is on back order. Will probably place an order for a big Agnes which happens to be on sale at backcountry.com. Stopped at Walmart to pick up a few items, grabbed a beer and a burger at red Robin, and headed back to the hotel. Took care of laundry, was trying to get rid of the mildewy smell lingering from so many days of rain. I finally got some poison ivy on one of my legs. I've only had it a few times, which is amazing considering how much poison ivy I have contacted just walking along the trail. I could wear long pants, but it gets hot. At least it's not too bad. It will be good to get back out tomorrow and get some more miles down. Thankfully, sun is in the forecast for the coming days.
Date: 2014-06-15
From: Port Clinton, Pennsylvania (mile 1213.7)

To: Eckville Shelter (mile 1228.5)
Miles today: 15.0

Got a late start this morning. Stayed at Port Clinton hotel overnight (a minus-1 star), and visited Cabela's outfitters in Hamburg one more time to consider tent and sleeping bag alternatives. It is an amazing store, someone with grand vision saw a way to corner the market. Elected not to purchase either from Cabela's, having found better deals online. Had a cup of coffee and a donut at Dunkin' Donuts, stopped at Walmart to purchase some healthy vegetables (to balance all the junk-food that I have been consuming). All the hi-calorie stuff I need to keep my energy up for walking makes me (at times) feel like a human garbage disposal. Had a quick Skype session with my wife and kids before hitting the trail. Today was relatively pleasant travel (in contrast to the last week). A few small hills and some rocks, but in general relatively level terrain and fairly clear. Even the puddles were by-passable, so I was able to keep my shoes and socks dry. Arrived at Eckville shelter a little before 8 PM and got my tent set up. Was preparing to make dinner, but my shelter mates (mama bear, half-moon, wrong-leg, and Rambo) were having beer and pizza and graciously invited me to join them. We had a pleasant conversation and called it a night. The shelter is definitely one of the nicer ones we've encountered. In addition to a privy with a flushable toilet AND a solar heated shower, there are trash containers, running water (that DOESN'T require filtration), and even a couple of receptacles for phone charging. Our host (caretaker), "lazy", had obviously put a lot of work into making it a nice experience for people. He provided us with some watermelon and cantaloupe dropped off by a neighbor and walked around to make sure everyone was comfortable. I resisted the urge to ask if the shelter came with Wi-Fi, too. It would not have surprised me, though. Al is closing in on me rapidly, probably only about 20-some miles behind¢¦ He will probably catch up with me Tuesday or Wednesday. It'll be good to have the "team" back together again
Date: 2014-06-16
From: Eckville Shelter (mile 1228.5)

To: near new Tripoli campsite (mile 1242)
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Left Eckville shelter this morning and while the weather was pleasant, the terrain was definitely much rockier. Quite a few gnats and mosquitoes out, as well. (Mostly gnats). Thankfully, I was able to employ my trusty mosquito net (picture attached)¢¦ Works great, the little rascals cannot get to my eyes, nose, or ears. Found a decent campsite right next to some power lines. Was going to camp at new Tripoli campsite at the bottom of the hill next to the water point, but when I went down there to fill my water bottles, noticed it was heavily infested with mosquitoes. Good choice on camping on the Ridgeline¢¦ Nice breeze, no bugs. (Well, aside from numerous black ants that crawl all over your bags everything else but do not cause any real problems¢¦ I keep the bug net on my tent zipped at all times to ensure a bug-free environment during the evening). Although the sky is beautiful, I see what appears to be thunder clouds in the distance. (Mommy, please make the bad man stop!)¢¦ Conveniently, I just tossed my bear bag over one of the struts of the tower that supports the powerlines. I am camping tonight with Spiderman, a physical therapy assistant. Saw a few other hikers today, hoping there's not too many rocks tomorrow. By the way, current audiobook is "a bright and shining lie", by Neil Sheehan. Excellent account of the Vietnam War. I am also working on another library book on my iPhone (audio), called "league of denial", by (?) Some guys that work for ESPN. All about how the NFL employed tobacco industry tactics to try to debunk the science of concussions in their players. It is amazing what people will do for money.
Date: 2014-06-17
From: near new Tripoli campsite (mile 1242)

To: Geo. W. Outerbridge shelter (mile 1252.7)
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: few clouds

Well, during the evening it did rain, heavily at first, which had me a little worried since I haven't received the tent I just purchased online yet. But then it lightened up some, and it wasn't bad at all. It's only the really heavy rain penetrates the fabric of the tent. Today there were some extended periods of what is affectionately known as "boulder fields". Just plain long stretches of climbing through boulders. Biggest challenges not slipping and twisting your ankle. So that slowed me up some. Have talked to a few folks who have slipped and twisted. I have fallen a few times over the last few weeks, but fortunately nothing more serious in a couple of cuts and bruises. Elected not to walk into Palmerton, PA tonight, will probably try to push on the next shelter after that town. Since there is no water for a good 10 miles, I would not make it this evening, so I stopped now to position myself tomorrow evening.
Date: 2014-06-22
From: Geo. W. Outerbridge shelter (mile 1252.7)

To: Delaware Water Gap
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: few clouds

Eventful few days, Al caught up to me, so we met them Palmerton, Pennsylvania and had a great afternoon grabbing some ice cream and charging our phones. It was great to catch up! Al was picked up by Brian, a good Samaritan, who graciously offered to give us a ride back to the trailhead. He even bought us the ice cream! He gave us an interesting tour of the town as well, our way back to the trail. Interesting history here¢¦ The town supported a zinc-smelting plant, but the zinc got into the air and fouled the landscape. It became a Superfund site, and the landscape is green again. We were advised to avoid consuming the water in the streams on the Superfund site, though. We hiked through the area, and on past, camping a little further out. The next day we hiked to wind gap, Pennsylvania. Al's brother Marcel picked us up there and we took a zero day on Saturday, June 21st, staying with Marcel and his family. Al's wife visited with us, too. Great company and food, and we took advantage of staging our re-fitting activities, including swapping out tents and sleeping bags. Got some good Skype-time with the family, too. Best of all, I received a care package from Karla and Kevin. Hiker bars, one of my favorite trail foods. In addition to the high-energy nutrition provided, each individually-wrapped package came with an inspirational message. And Kevin's drawing on one particular bar was of an especially high quality. Thank you! I had purchased a pair of trail-running shoes some weeks back (La Sportiva). For at least the last week, I've had painful swelling over one area of my Achilles tendon. I initially thought it was my heel spurs, and was using a gel pad to try do cushion them, but it was not helping. Upon closer examination, I realized it was the new shoes. The heels are higher than the previous pair of shoes, and with every step it was digging into the back of my Achilles tendon. Al mentioned that he was very pleased with his Brooks Cascadia Trail runners, so I purchased a pair of those. Sadly, they did not have a red, forcing me to get the same bright orange colored shoes that Al has. The Bobbsey twins! Although I do not relish the thought of having to break in another pair of shoes on the trail, was relieved to figure out what was causing the problem and am hopeful that this will solve it. We are getting back on the trail today, and looking forward to putting in some big miles, especially with my good friend Al. I think we figured out we have 917 miles left to go, and should easily be able to knock it out by mid August!
Date: 2014-06-23
From: Delaware Water Gap

To: campsite near power lines, mile 1298
Miles today: 20.0

Since I did not blog yesterday, the starting point is actually not correct. On June 22, Sunday, we had a nice drive back out to the trailhead, Kim (Al's wife) drove us. We hiked for just a few miles and camp at mile 1278. It was a nice campsite, and a Pine Forest. Interestingly, after we got all set up and ate our dinner, I was walking and stepped on something that penetrated my camp shoes (flimsy flip-flops). It was a clean puncture wound, I was unable to determine what it was. We had a nice sample bottle of captain Morgan's spiced rum, compliments of Marcel, Al's brother. It was just right. Thank you Marcel! So today (June 23), we hiked into Delaware water gap Pennsylvania and ate lunch at a bakery. We stopped at an outdoor outfitters to consider alternatives to mattresses (Al's continues to leak at an unacceptable level, and mine is leaking, but not as bad). The only two notes of interest for today are the preponderance of contaminated water points at various streams. We saw little piles of yellow foam, and the water smelled bad. We decided to press on without filtering it. Additionally, once we crossed the river and into New Jersey, the rocks miraculously disappeared. The hiking was so much more enjoyable¢¦ Thank you, New Jersey! PS, Glenda, this is for you.
Date: 2014-06-24
From: campsite near power lines, mile 1298

To: Unnamed campsite, approximately mile 1316
Miles today: 18.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Today we hiked for a few miles to the Mohican outdoor center, arriving there before they opened at nine. The door was unlocked, so we took advantage of the fact that there was a shower inside, and I took the liberty of washing my clothing in the sink there. When the employees arrived and opened up the kitchen, we got some breakfast sandwiches and coffee. We were getting ready to launch, when it began to rain. We waited for approximately 15 minutes in the rain stopped. It did not start again, and we had a great day of walking on relatively level terrain. We camped on a Ridgeline and relatively flat terrain. We were seeing lots of blueberries
Date: 2014-06-26
From: unnamed campsite mile 1324

To: Pochuck Mountain Shelter (mile 1346.4)
Miles today: 22.5
Weather: scattered clouds

Uneventful day, just lots of walking. Relatively pleasant terrain, and the trail passed by a state park with a little "beach" by a lake. I stopped in for a cheeseburger and a nutty buddy ice cream cone, chug some water and fill my vessels, charge my phone, and take a shower/wash my hiking clothes. A very productive 60-90 minutes. I also dried out my tent. This morning I finished listening to "five days at Memorial" by Sherry Fink. Highly recommend for anyone in healthcare. Now finishing "league of denial", about the NFL concussion situation. I currently have my tent pitched by Prochuck mountain shelter, mile 1346.4.
Date: 2014-06-27
From: Pochuck Mountain Shelter (mile 1346.4)

To: Greenwood Lake, New York (mile 1367.9)
Miles today: 21.5

June 27. Left at the shelter area (I used the tent to keep the mosquitoes out) around 7:30. After walking for an hour or so, got hot so I removed my long-sleeved shirt and put it in my pack. After Chugalug and some water, I went to don my pack, and discovered that I had misplaced my headphones. I had not been listening to my Audiobooks up until this point, they had been hanging around my neck. I was pretty sure they were with me until I got to that point, so I spent quite a bit of time scrutinizing the area and emptying my pack. No luck. I then retraced my steps of the trail for a ways, in case they had inadvertently come off close to where I stopped, but again, no luck. Guess I will have to enjoy nature today! After walking a little further, I overheard reveille being played. This was curious, I was unaware of any military compounds in the vicinity. However, the answer came shortly afterwards, when I came to a road and saw sign posted to a tree ("I miss camp already"). Glancing the other way, I saw a big parking lot. Evidently, there was a summer camp nearby. A little further on, I came to the Wallkill River floodplains. Essentially, a mosquito-infested Swamp. Thankfully, someone had the foresight to construct a rather elaborate walkway that covers the distance. Annoyingly, it was not direct, it meanders (undoubtedly to give residents of the area a chance to "enjoy nature")¢¦ A little further on, I cross the road and encountered a sign informing passersby a "trail magician" was throwing down a little trail magic 0.7 miles up the trail. Very thoughtful¢¦ Only problem was, I don't think it was today. It was probably a day or two ago, and the individual forgot to go remove his sign. Too bad¢¦ The sign was very enticing, advertising beer, burgers, hotdogs, etc. my destination was Greenwood Lake New York, because I had a new mattress pad and tent being delivered, needed to pick them up. Al got a hotel, an interesting establishment with a Bar/restaurant, which Al described as a cross between Caddy shack and wild hogs. Indeed an interesting and eclectic group of clientele. After a beer, we grab some dinner at a nearby location (Doc's), and then called it a night.
Date: 2014-06-28
From: Greenwood Lake, New York (mile 1367.9)

To: unnamed campsite at mile 1375.5
Miles today: 7.5

Got a late start because we needed to hit the post office so I could return my tent. (The "big Agnes fly Creek UL one" tempted I purchased a week or so back, was too small for me). We also needed to resupply on groceries. Tanked up on water and Gatorade, since the water reports are spotty. Thankfully, I still had a couple of hiker bars left, today's message was: "May your trails Be crooked, long, and dangerous, leading to the most amazing views!" Very inspiring, indeed. Thank you, Karla and Kevin! Al was a little ahead of me, and going back up the trail, I didn't realize that the trail went to the left. After a minute or so, I realized I was off the trail, glancing around, I saw some white blazes in the distance. Rather than retrace my steps and walk up the trail, I trail-blazed across some bushy terrain on my way back to the trail. Halfway to my destination, I felt something move to my left and hit my leg. Glancing down, I saw a black snake that I had inadvertently disturbed in my haste. Looking down my leg, I saw no teeth marks. Thankfully, black snakes are harmless. It reminded me, though, that I need to pay attention to where I'm walking. Because I have a new tent, with a somewhat complex design, we broke a little early to take some time to set it up/familiarize myself with how to assemble it and it's features. It is the tarptent stratosfire 1, and frankly, I had a little trouble figuring out how to set it up. The directions said set up was a snap, I found that to not be the case. Al mentioned that the owner of the company has instructional videos, which I obviously need to go watch. Once we got it assembled though, I believe I am going to be satisfied with this tent. It has large amounts of vestibule space, and much more interior space, as promised.
Date: 2014-06-30
From: William Brien memorial shelter (mile 1389.6)

To: Bear Mountain Bridge (mile 1399.7)
Miles today: 10.0

Broke camp, as we were exiting, we had a cup of coffee with a German girl who had to quit her through hike last year at a location nearby. She has only been on the trail for a few days, and her trail name is Soho. She is a travel agent from Garmisch. Our terrain took us over some rocky stuff today, lots of ups and downs¢¦ Nice views, finally came into sight of the Hudson river and the surrounding area. On bear mountain, we passed Perkins Memorial Tower (and, more importantly, a Coke machine). We passed through the bear Mountain recreation area and Hessian Lake, then the tunnel under US Route 9W, and through the zoo. On bear Mountain, we met a large group of students from one of the Yeshiva schools in New Jersey. They were with their teachers, and flocked around us and asked us a million questions. It was gratifying to see such inquisitive minds. Just short of the bear Mountain Bridge, Al's wife picked us up and they gave me a ride to the West Point fire department, where my friend, John graciously extended his hospitality. In addition to laundry and shower, a nice dinner and a chance to catch up with each other's lives.
Date: 2014-07-01
From: Bear Mountain Bridge (mile 1399.7)

To: Greymore spiritual retreat
Miles today: 0.0

Had a quick breakfast at the bagel Caf© with my friend John, and he graciously gave me a lift over to Walmart to pick up food. He drop me off back at bear Mountain Park, where I repacked my bag and passed through the zoo on my way out of the park. I crossed bear Mountain Bridge which traverses the Hudson river, and then had a very steep climb to get on the Ridgeline. After that it was relatively smooth sailing with some ups and downs. As I was crossing the bridge, I realized as I reached for my hat that it was hanging and John's office. (Or somewhere there at the station). I was going to hitchhike back up to get it, but John offered to bring it to me up by the Greymoore. He was off for the day, and he had his girls with him, so was great to meet them (I had met the older one when she was a baby). We had some ice cream, and the weather prediction was for heavy thunderstorms, so I took his advice and stayed at the Greymoore. It is a monastery/spiritual center, run by Franciscan Friars. They conduct adult alcohol rehabilitation, both out and inpatient there. Among the things on the compound is a ball field where they have graciously made accommodations for backpackers. In addition to a little picnic type pavilion, there is a shower and a wash sink for laundry/dishes. Very gracious hospitality! Good fellowship with others waiting out the storm.
Date: 2014-07-02
From: Greymore spiritual retreat

To: unmarked campsite between Dennyville Road and the State Park
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

Wednesday, July 2: dog-day. I left the Greymoore around 8:20. High humidity, not much wind. I drank a whole quart of water prior to departing camp, and carried a few quarts with me. They were gone by the time I got to the road around 1 PM. My clothes were soaked, but fortunately I feel relatively well-acclimated to heat at this point. Just need to keep up the fluid intake. Walked to Dennytown Road, where I was picked up by my brother who drove down from up somewhere past Albany to visit with me for the afternoon. We grabbed a late lunch and an early dinner and watched a gigantic thunderstorm blow through. Loud and torrential, it lasted a few hours. My thoughts were with my colleagues who did not have the luxury of pulling off of the trail. I got back out on the trail, and walked for a little while until it was starting to get dark. Found a decent clearing, pitched my tent, hung my bear bag, and quickly jumped in to avoid the mosquitoes. I am pretty careful about keeping my bug net zipped and only unzipping it to toss stuff in and jump in myself. Initially it was quite hot in here, but it has cooled down substantially now that it is dark. I am surrounded by the buzz of mosquitoes lingering just outside the bug net of this tent. It is actually rather loud. Normally, mosquitoes remind new army hearing tests (audiograms). Every now and then you'll hear one briefly, and then it goes away. Kind of like sitting in the little booth with your hand on the buzzer waiting till you hear the slightest sound to hit the button.
Date: 2014-07-04
From: Hosner Mountain Rd (mile 1428.4)

To: Morgan Stewart Shelter (mile 1433.9)
Miles today: 6.0

Woke up this morning with a little bit of rain, mosquitoes still stirred up. Walked up the mountain a little ways, and came to a sign inviting people to a hiker party for the Fourth of July. Had not gone far, so I walked back down the hill and a few hundred yards to the east and came to Bill and Amy's house. Their photograph is in the photos section of this journal. Nice couple, and they had a very nice party for a couple of dozen hikers. It included a very nice breakfast, access to laundry and shower, some great coffee, and most importantly, some good fellowship. Interestingly, they said we could've come early (i.e., July 3) and spent the night. Was disappointed to hear this, evidently I had missed the sign on the other side of Hosner Road informing me of this (was starting to rain quite heavily, and I saw a large black thundercloud overhead, so I was moving pretty fast¢¦ Probably walked right past it)¢¦ Instead of sleeping in a tent and eating spam and powdered potatoes in the vestibule, I could've been enjoying a party. Better luck next time. I was reunited with Al this day, who caught up to me finally. We visited at the party for a while, and were considering departing, when a very heavy thunderstorm came in, and kept us socked in for a few hours. As soon as the heavy stuff passed, we went back out on the trail, even though it was still raining. We were accompanied by Cheryl ("movin' on"), who accompanied us up to Morgan Stewart shelter. We had a very steep climb, and then some level terrain. The rain subsided eventually, we had a good chat with a fellow from New York City, who was a set designer on TV shows. He gave me a nice hunk of Gouda cheese, which I enjoyed over the following few days.
Date: 2014-07-05
From: Morgan Stewart Shelter (mile 1433.9)

To: Ten-mile River shelter (mile 1454.5)
Miles today: 20.0

July 5, tough night last night. My "jacks are better" sleeping quilt, rated for 40°, proved wholly inadequate, even though the lowest temperature during the night was only 56° left Morgan Stewart shelter and put in a solid 20 miles, making it into Connecticut. Staying in a nice shelter (10 mile River). We stopped at the Appalachian Trail railroad station around mid-day to empty our packs and dry stuff out. After a few days of rain, we needed it! After eating lunch, we started walking and came to the native landscapes and garden center, where Cassandra graciously allowed us to recharge our devices, avail ourselves of the facilities, and sold us a couple of sodas and Cliff bars. Most welcome was the absence of anymore Moisture in the air, rain or otherwise. It was sunny with low humidity, and the terrain was relatively pleasant, at least the New York portion. Connecticut had some steep hills. In general, a good day. We passed by nuclear lake, which was quite beautiful.