morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2016-06-28
From: Kirkridge Shelter

To: Delaware Water Gap
Miles today: 6.4

Usually when the first person gets up in a shelter it starts a chain reaction. Yardsale got up first and we all followed. Chicken Feet did not want to get up. He is usually the first to get going but not this morning. It was comical watching and listening to him. Our goal was to get to the Delaware Water Gap for breakfast, 6.4 miles. It had rained all night and I slept well, but my foot pain was still there.The going was slow for me especially in the rain and with the rocks. Since my goal was food it made the pain more tolerable. As I was coming into town I could see the Delaware River and the bridge that we will cross to get into New Jersey. Wow! So close but I will not cross it until tomorrow. I decided to stay in town at the church hostel to give my foot a rest. I went to the hostel first, grabbed a bunk, and dropped my pack off. First stop was the bakery where they are supposed to have good breakfasts. I'm met up with the brother and sister, then Yardsale and Chicken Feet finally joined us. After breakfast which was great, I went to the outfitter and bought a bug net to go over my head and some new insoles to give my feet more padding/support. I hope they help. The bug net should help with the gnats while I am hiking. Chicken Feet and Yardsale decided to hike on while I stayed and took care of some housekeeping. I did my laundry and went to the post office to mail my malfunctioning trekking poles to the manufacturer to get fixed. I will have to do without them for a while longer. More hikers started coming in to the hostel. There are 8 bunks, 3 couches and tenting and a shelter out back. It was definitely enough space for the 20 hikers that are here. Crock is also staying here. It is good to see that she is doing well now. We got a ride to Walmart to resupply then we went our separate ways. My dinner date tonight was with Allen who is 69 and the brother sister team. We all had chicken wings for dinner and spent time talking. It is really nice meeting new people and learning about them...where they are from, about their families and their lives. I miss all the hikers I've hiked with and I think of them all the time. I hope they are well. I am still in touch with most of them so I am able to know how they are doing on the trail. Back at the hostel many of the hikers are up and having a good time talking. I called my wife and tried to plan what we will do and where we will stay when she comes up on the 30th. It will be so good to see her and spend time together on the trail. She is going to hike more than a mile this time! We also plan on doing trail magic together.
Date: 2016-06-29
From: Delaware Water Gap

To: Campsite at 1309.7
Miles today: 16.7
Weather: broken clouds

I was going to have breakfast before I started hiking but the restaurant did not open until 8am so I made a peanut butter bagel and had a banana with it. I started hiking at 7:30am. Legs and Blister (two sisters) started just before me. I crossed the Delaware River bridge and stopped in the middle to bask in the wonderful delight of crossing the state line into New Jersey! I have been looking forward to this moment. I would love to have stayed there longer but I had to hike on. I caught up with the sisters and hiked with them for a mile until we got water from a stream. I took a break and they moved on. The hike was next to a stream and was very pretty. So pretty that I didn't pay attention to the blaze and I took a wrong turn. It only took me about 5 minutes to realize that there weren't any blazes on the trail I was following so I returned and got on the right trail. Oh well...it happens. New Jersey did not greet me well. The path got rockier and rockier. New Jersey has rocks too! Although it continued to be rocky, the views were spectacular! I walked a ridge line that had constant views and was so beautiful. Sunfish Pond was very pretty. Even a snake was enjoying it while sunning on a rock. The water in the pond is acidic and only a few species of fish can live in it. I also saw a beaver dam on the north end. This beaver has been busy. My feet were feeling better and that is probably because I didn't do many miles yesterday and because I have new insoles. The more I walked on the rocks today though, the more sore they became. There was a rocky summit to Kittatinny Mountain. Again the views were amazing. My plan was to stay at Rattlesnake Spring campground but nobody was there when I got there so I hiked on. The hiking seemed long at this point. My feet wanted a break but I kept going passing a swampy area with a pond that had lots of lillipads in it. I finally came up on what I thought was a campsite but again, nobody was there but I set up anyway. I have never camped by myself but I was ready to do just that when Whitecap and Braids along with their dog Sitka showed up and joined me. Whew! The evening started getting cool. It is supposed to get down to the 50's tonight. It was nice sitting and talking to my fellow hikers. They really are an interesting couple, Whitecap and Braids. I turned in at 7:30 pm and was ready for more good rest.
Date: 2016-07-01
From: Sunrise Mountain

To: NJ 23
Miles today: 8.9

We are staying at a Hampton Inn in Matamoras PA. Not Mexico! The breakfast that was included with our stay was excellent. We ate very well filling up for a good start on today's hike/activities. The plan was for Yvonne to drop me off where she picked me up yesterday and possibly transport Joker to town so that he could resupply and maybe get new boots. We arrived at Sunrise Mountain at 8am and Joker was there. I introduced him to Yvonne then got on my way. Joker decided to take it easy today and ride with Yvonne and help her set up for trail magic. We all have days that we just don't feel like hiking. It is important to listen to your body sometimes. Yvonne went to set up her trail magic at the park headquarters that we had checked out yesterday. It was going to take me around 3 hours to get to where she set up about 9 miles down the trail. The hike of course was rocky. One good thing is that the rocks seem to be getting further apart so I have choices on where I place my feet. The trail is definitely getting to be easier to maneuver through. I carried a very light pack today since I did not have to carry my gear in it. With only essentials and water, it weighed maybe 10 lbs and felt so light. I was slackpacking. It felt like I was flying on the trail with less weight. It was wonderful. I could get used to this. The hike had many ups and downs but none were too drawn out. There was a mixture of rocky and smooth trails and many times the trail came out of the woods to a scenic overlook. When I am hiking in the woods and I see a clearing in the distance where I know there is an overlook, I get an anxious feeling. Anticipation gets to me. I never get tired of beautiful overlooks that look out onto rivers, lakes, forests or towns. I passed a couple of shelters and made it to my destination, 8.9 miles, in 3 hrs and 5 minutes. Yvonne was set up in the parking lot and there were a few hikers there enjoying cold sodas, chips, pizza, snack bars and sweets. Most hikers sat and stayed awhile and Joker kept her company the entire time. Yvonne enjoyed meeting some of the hikers I have mentioned in my posts who she refers to as my trail family.
Date: 2016-07-04
From: Longhouse Drive/Brady Road

To: Longhouse Drive/Brady Road
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

Today was a well-deserved zero day for me. We slept in by my standards but it was not very late at all, around 7:30am. We are going to spend the day with family starting with Yvonne¢s son, Vincent, who lives in NY. Her other sister and her family were having a Barbecue at their home in NJ. The food was spectacular and the company was great! I did much of nothing today. Sat around, ate and chatted with family and friends. The question I get most from family and friends is, what has been the hardest part of this trip? As I have touched on it before it has been the commitment away from family/home. The physical part I can adjust to like doing a short day, taking breaks or going slow, the weather is a challenge at times but I adjust to it. I really miss spending time with my wife on the regular day to day things we do, Things I don't reall think about at home but out on the trail I do, and I miss them. When my son Gabriel sends me a picture of my grandson Noah, I wish I could just pick him up and play with him. Simply put I miss my life! The 5/6 month commitment is tooooooo long and one I will not make again for any venture. Tomorrow I will be back on the trail.Happy Independence Day.
Date: 2016-07-06
From: Wildcat Shelter

To: William Brien Shelter
Miles today: 19.6
Weather: light rain

I woke early since I wasn't getting a good night's sleep. The weather was humid and warm with no wind. It was miserable. On the positive side, I got an early start at 6am. The hike today was probably one of the most challenging to my body. It must have been the heat and humidity but the trail had a lot of steep up and downs also. I got many nice views from the top of hills and I entered Harriman State Park which was pretty. The terrain in NY has fewer trees along the trail and many bushy areas. Some bushes were only 2 feet tall so you can see further into the woods. The highlight was the Lemon Squeezer area. It had a challenging rock filled climb to get to it then I went under a big rock like I was entering a cave. I came out the other end then walked into a narrow trail between two rock faces. I could n't make it with my pack on so I had to take it off and throw it on top of one side. Two hikers came after me and one took off his pack while the other was determined to make it with the pack on. After some 'squeezing' he did! A few short feet away there was another climb where I had to take my pack off again and put it on top of the rocks before I climbed it. There was even a bypass trail with a sign that said "Easy Way". There were many more rocks and steep climbs and descents. I was so drained that I wasn't sure I would make it to the shelter but I did. I walked 19.6 miles in 12 hours. That was very slow and my body was spent. I do not remember being this tired in a long time. I had to find a nice tent spot with no rocks because I have not been able to fix my pad. I need to find a new one but I will not be near an outfitter until about 4 days from now. I am looking forward to some good rest tonight.
Date: 2016-07-08
From: Bear Mountain Bridge

To: Dennytown Rd
Miles today: 14.5
Weather: overcast clouds

I had a good sleep and an even better breakfast! I ate 5 fried eggs and lots of fruit. The cantaloupe was the best I have had this year. I decided to slackpack today since my pad is still not fixed. Hopefully the patch I put on this morning will work. I will find out when I get back. Sponge Bob, his wife Paulette, Jan and Scott decided to slackpack also. They will climb Bear Mountain. I got dropped off at a little past 9:30am and got going. The walk over Bear Mountain Bridge was really cool with the view of the Hudson below and Bear Mountain behind. This area is very pretty. Once I got into the woods it was a quite a hike up! I climbed from 198' to 727' in 0.5 miles. There were some rocks and again more ups and downs but nothing too bad. There were some nice spots where the trail had very few rocks so I was able to avoid walking on them. I made it to the Appalachian Deli just before noon. Most hikers stop there and have something to eat and resupply. I got a chicken wrap and it was pretty good. Optimistic Dreamer, Gung Ho, Backscratcher and Can Do where there, and Aurora and Conundrum came soon after. We sat and talked with some people there while resting and catching up. The hike was pretty much the same as in the morning. The only view I had was at Denning Hill. There was no ridgeline to walk, it was just a walk in the woods. The water has been scarce in NY so you really have to plan on where you are going to fill up. There was a water faucet at the Deli which I filled up at. I met Toiling Midget (no she is not a midget). She was picking something from the shrubs off the trail. I asked what she was doing. She was picking wild blueberries That were smaller than the store bought ones but they were very good. I picked some and snacked. It was threatening to rain since 3pm but thank goodness it hasn't. The wind picked up and the sun was behind the clouds. I got to Dennytown Rd at 4:30pm and waited for my ride. My pack only weighed about 10 lbs, and I was still tired. The heat and humidity are really zapping my energy. When I arrived I saw Scott and he invited me to drink some hard lemonade with them before dinner. I accepted and met them at the lounge by our rooms. We all sat around and talked about the day and the people we met. It is always good to unwind with fellow hikers. I went to my room and aired up my pad and laid on it, it seems to be holding air ok, Great! I will leave it aired up through the night and see how it does. We all had dinner together and again it was exceptional. This is a nice way to end a tiring day in the woods..good food and good company.
Date: 2016-07-09
From: Dennytown Rd

To: RPH Shelter
Miles today: 10.7
Weather: light rain

I had another good nights sleep followed by another wonderful breakfast! I packed up and took the shuttle to the trailhead and said my goodbyes to Sponge Bob, Paulette, Jan and Scott. I did enjoy their company and hope to hike with Sponge Bob in the near future. Today's hike was not a difficult one. I think the weather had a lot to do with my feeling that way. It was in the upper 70's and overcast and although it was humid, it was not too hot. After a while I climbed Shenandoah Mountain and was rewarded with beautiful views. There was a US flag painted on top of the rock as a 9/11 memorial...very cool. There weren't many other views but it was enjoyable hiking on some rock free paths. It started raining just when I got to a campground. There was a large shack with a carport which gave me cover until I decided what I wanted to do. After about 45 minutes the rain stopped and I decided to keep going to reach the RHP Shelter. If there is space there I will stay. When I arrived there were many people there but there was one space so I grabbed it!! This was the weekend that local volunteers come to do trail maintenance and the RHP is the headquarters. I passed a crew earlier who were making rock steps which is a very slow process. I hope to come back in the years to come and help with trail maintenance. There were a few hikers who had been here all day helping with the maintenance and there were some others, like myself, who just arrived. They kept coming in. One of the volunteers was a section hiker I had met about 6 weeks ago. It is good to meet up with him again. It is always good to see familiar faces. They were cooking hamburgers and hot dogs for us. I ate 2 of each and I was not full. Later they cooked some pork and corn so I had that too. Well, I had to have dessert and after that I was full!! After all the work ceased, we all sat around and talked. There are about 20 people here and they were all good company.   They said there would be blueberry pancakes in the morning. The trail has alot of wild blueberries on it and I partake often. Maybe I won't leave as early as I thought.
Date: 2016-07-10
From: RPH Shelter

To: Appalachian Trail Railway
Miles today: 19.9
Weather: light rain

It had rained most of the night. I know this because my patch did not hold so I was up for most of the night! It was a rough night. I got up and out by 7:15am. The weather was a little overcast and it was humid and in the upper 70's. The trail was not difficult today. There were some rocky spots but for the most part it was manageable. There was a view coming out of the woods that looked like a postcard. Through the trees I could see that there was a barn in the distance. I took a photograph but it does not do it justice. There were some day hikers out and many had foreign accents. I met a lady from Ecuador and a group of five from Nepal. I talked to them all and they are just amazed at what through hikers are doing. They almost could not understand it just like some people I know . It sounds crazy when you tell someone you are walking over 2000 miles and living out of you backpack! I was planning on staying at Telephone Pioneer Shelter, but when I got there the creek was dry and I needed water. I ha to continue on to the AT RR station where there is a deli 0.6 miles down the road. I dislike those extra miles but a deli that allows camping!!!!! It was a no brainer! I got there and Optimistic Dreamer and Gung Ho were there. I set up and got me a Philly Cheese steak and fries. It was big and good! I felt really good today mentally and physically. It rained most of the day but it wasn't pouring. That helped to keep the heat down. I will be in Connecticut tomorrow where I am hoping to reach Kent, CT and go to the outfitter to buy a new pad. It is tough and sometimes impossible to sleep on hard surfaces.
Date: 2016-07-12
From: Mt. Algo Shelter

To: West Cornwall Road
Miles today: 16.2
Weather: scattered clouds

It got a little cool last night. Without a pad and no down on the bottom of my sleeping bag, there was no insulation to guard from the cold from the ground. I put on my down jacket in the middle of the night as it got into the 50's. My sleep was okay but not great. I started down the trail at 6:50am. While sleeping in the 50's is not perfect walking is! Of course, it was in the 70's by 9am. It was rocky and steep coming out of camp then I had a steep climb. There were a lot of steep ups and downs today! I had a nice view on Calebs Peak and at the top of St Johns Ledges. I took a break at the latter admiring the views. A day hiker came up and struck up a conversation with me. He was a retired geologist and worked with National Geographic as a hiking guide. He said an outfitter takes care of all logistics and he just goes as a guide and educates the hikers on various things. He goes on 6 trips a year to Utah and Hawaii! Sounds like a dream job to me and he agreed!   When we parted ways I started down the ledges and boy was it steep! There were big rocks and it seemed like they went straight down so I had to use my hands a lot. It was fun and exciting. I made it through, and came to a path next to Housatonic River. It was a long and flat hike with the river to my right. That was very pretty and scenic. I would love to jog through there some time. I hiked about 3 miles on a nice flat trail then the steep hills started again for the next 5 miles. The downhills were tough on my right knee. Without my poles there is a lot of pressure on my knees. Hope to get my poles back soon. I hiked with Aurora and Conundrum. We are always catching up to each other better known as 'leap frogging' on the trail. I got to West Cornwall Rd where I had arranged a ride to the Bearded Woods Hostel where I will stay for 2 nights and slack pack tomorrow. There were only 2 other hikers at the hostel. One was Hong Kong Steve who I have not seen since May. He always hiked with Freight Train and Sparky but they got off the trail in Harper's Ferry. Steve is great to talk to. It will be nice catching up with him later.I took a refreshing shower and hand washed a couple of items. My stay includes dinner and breakfast.I am looking forward to eating the family style dinner.
Date: 2016-07-13
From: West Cornwall Road

To: Undermountain Road
Miles today: 16.6
Weather: scattered clouds

Ham, eggs, English muffins and hot tea. That is how my day started out. That was a pretty good start! I slept well but I touched poison ivy so now I have spots on my right calf that were itching me last night. The best thing about last night was that I got to sleep on a mattress!Hong Kong Steve and I left the hostel at 7am. The trail was very steep today. It was pretty much like yesterday. We went through another gap between two slabs of rocks that was pretty tight. Steve and I had different paces so we decided to meet in Salisbury as I moved on ahead. The canopy was thick in the woods making it dark and eerie on the trail. I was thinking this would be a good place for bears, but there were no bears. Lately I have only been seeing chipmunks and squirrels in abundance. I also see a couple of deer a day...mostly running away. At Hang Glider View I saw Bougie there. We sat and took a snack break. A little ways down the trail I came upon some teenagers doing trail maintenance. They were part of a group that did service projects. They had built some stone steps and did a good job. I came out into a field at Falls Village CT, walked on a couple of roads and crossed a couple of bridges over Housatonic River, the same river as yesterday. The trail entered the woods and came up along the river for about a mile, then there was Great Falls, a pretty water fall that fell about 60 feet. I spent some time there enjoying the sound and view then decided to have lunch as well. It was a great spot to rest. I had a long climb up Mt Prospect then down to the road leading to Salisbury. There was a market in town where I saw Jake and Taylor (brother and sister). They had some good food at the market so I bought some macaroni salad and olives and joined a few other hikers outside. I waited there until Hong Kong Steve arrived. We got our ride back to the hostel and picked up another couple of hikers on the way. Backscratcher and Can Do were at the hostel when we arrived. It is Can Do's birthday and Backscratcher arranged a surprise birthday party for her. We are having BBQ then a big dessert! I can hardly wait!Never a dull moment on the trail
Date: 2016-07-14
From: Undermountain Road

To: Guilder Pond Picnic Area
Miles today: 13.0
Weather: scattered clouds

I slept in today and started hiking a little later, around 8am. I was slack packing again so we took a long drive to the starting location. The forecast is for rain this afternoon and I am hoping to finish before it comes down. Everyone who stayed at the hostel slack packed today. Steve and I went north and are heading south to Salisbury while everyone else is doing what we did yesterday. There were 3 big climbs today the first, Mt Everett and second Mt Race were back to back right near the beginning. When we got to the top there were no views because of the low hanging clouds! That was dissappointing. I walked a ridge line with cliffs but there still wasn't a view. I couldn't even see the bottom of the drop off. It was very humid and wet and slippery. I fell twice going downhill on flat rocks. Fortunately I didn't get hurt. It was hard to get traction on the wet rocks. Since I was going south, I saw many hikers I knew but a few I had not seen before.Oh, in case you are wondering, dinner was great last night. We had bbq chicken and sausage, grilled corn, cornbread, cabbage, salad and dessert. We indulged after singing happy birthday to Can Do of course! The menu for dinner tonight is a surprise. Our instructions from Big Lou was to bring an appetite! That will not be a problem! The third climb was to Bear Mtn. There was a lot of hand usage going up because of the slippery rocks. Again, I made it without any mishaps. I am glad I am going south and climbing it instead of going north and descending it! It would have been much harder. On the other side coming down was not hard and it was all mostly downhill to town. When I walked into town I conveniently found a baker and hung out there until Steve arrived. Salisbury is an old town that incorporated in the 1700's. There are some very nice old style homes and absolutely no chain stores. It has kept its old charm but it is an expensive community. Once everybody made it in, Lou picked us up. We all had the same thoughts...we were wondering what the surprise was going to be for dinner. Waterfall and Treebeard were at the hostel when we got there. We were all happy when at the table we learned that it was the 5th annual hiker Thanksgiving Dinner! The spread included a turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes and all the trimmings with pumpkin pie. It was great!!!!! I will sleep well tonight especially with the extra wine Steve served me.