morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2009-06-19
From: Slatington, PA

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

I awoke in the morning unsure if I was feeling better or not. Hot Sauce slept in my room and we watched 2 hours of Saved By The Bell (the new class which isn't that good but oh well!) first thing when we woke up and got to the diner for breakfast just as Wags and Gangsta were finishing up. I only ordered a plain toasted bagel with butter and could only finish half of it. Ugh. Also, I won't go into details but I couldn't seem to keep anything in my stomach. With the lack of calories and energy, I was really wondering if it was a good idea to hike 16 miles out of town today. I took some Immodium, guzzled some water, and decided to hike out with the other girls. If I wasn't feeling well once I started hiking, there were several bailout options. Ira from Fine Lodging drove us to the trailhead at Lehigh Gap around 12:45. I feel a bit weird skipping the last 25 miles but maybe I will come back and do them later (or maybe not!). A big thanks to Ira for all his help over the past couple days - picking me up from the shelter, giving me a big room with a big TV and only charging me the price of a small room, and for driving us back to the trail today.The climb out of Lehigh Gap was awesome! It was pretty steep and rocky and at first I was questioning my choice to hike out because I was winded just after a few steps! The 4 of us hiked together up the boulders and through a zinc Superfund site. We met up with Western on the trail and was passed by Siesta who was cruising. I eventually fell behind the others because I walking on the slower side today but they would stop and wait for me just to make sure I was doing alright which was very sweet of them. I had an enjoyable hike today, and the rocks surprisingly didn't bother my feet too much - imagine that! In those 16 miles, I only ate 1 granola bar and drank 2 liters of water but suprisingly I was feeling fine. I finally arrived at the shelter at 9pm and we had a birthday celebration for Gangsta. Wags carried up a huge bottle of pre-made cosmopolitans, Gangsta's drink of choice. I thought it was best not to drink any but I hung out for a little bit, cooked dinner (but could only eat half of it - Loudspeaker took care of the rest), and then retreated to my tent for the night. Hot Sauce and I are tented tonight even though there is a chance of rain, but most of the folks sleeping in the shelter (besides Wags and Gangsta) are waking up at 5am which is too early for us when we only have 14 miles to walk tomorrow! Glad I made it out of town today, and hoping to be feeling 100% tomorrow!Hot Sauce and GangstaWags, Gangsta, Hot SauceWestern (and LOTS of ticks!)
Date: 2009-06-20
From: Leroy A Smith Shelter

To: Kirkridge Shelter
Miles today: 13.8
Weather: light rain

Luckily it never rained last night and I just lounged around in my tent until 8am or so. It looked a bit gloomy out and coincidentally it started drizzling just as I had packed everything up. I was feeling better and I was even craving poptarts for breakfast which was a good sign since the thought of poptarts yesterday made me want to ralph.As Hot Sauce, Wags, Gangsta, and I ate breakfast in the shelter it started pouring buckets outside. I was the last to leave the shelter and was soaked to the bone within an hour of walking! I didn't see anyone all day except for a group of wet boy scouts. I had my camera packed up because I didn't want to get it wet but wish I had it out at some points today because we walked through some awesome areas. I saw bright pink Mountain Laurel for the first time (we've been seeing white for a while now) and walked through a forest with these cool trees with knarley, twisted trunks. Even though I haven't seen the movies, it was very Lord of The Rings-esque.I got to the shelter around 4pm and was relieved to only find the other 3 girls there. I had been a little worried that it would be filled with wet hikers and we wouldn't be able to spread out. Whew! I got out of all my wet, smelly clothes and into my dry camp clothes and lounged around in my trekker chair listening to music and reading as it poured outside. Sooo cozy! Shenanigans showed up later (after hiking 30 miles, whoa!) and we all fell asleep before 10. The rain had actually stopped and we could see fireworks off in the distance. All in all, a wet but great day. Tomorrow is Hike Naked Day to celebrate the summer solstice, and is also coincidentally Father's Day. I highly doubt hikers in this general area will participate since tomorrow is supposed to be another rainy and chilly day, however the trail seems to surprise me every day so I will just wait and see! I am feeling 95% better, and my feet haven't felt this good in months! Things are looking up
Date: 2009-06-21
From: Kirkridge Shelter

To: Delaware Water Gap, PA
Miles today: 6.4
Weather: overcast clouds

Happy Summer, Father's Day, AND Naked Hiker Day!It's funny (well, not that funny) that the first day of summer and longest day of the year started off rainy, foggy, and probably no more than 50 degrees. I'm glad the rain had subsided by the time I hiked out...even though we only had 6 miles to hike into town, I didn't know if I could handle another wash out. Yesterday was rough!The 6 miles went super fast and I was really surprised that we were already descending into Delaware Water Gap after only a couple hours of hiking. I would never participate in Hike Naked Day, but all day I was running into day hikers and imagining how AWKWARD it would be if I had been hiking naked! In just 6 miles, I had conversations with a 70 year old man, a father out with his son, a group of 15 Asians, and a few older couples, and would be so embarassed if I had approached them wearing nothing but my backpack. Plus, it wouldn't even be comfortable! Anyways, I was so happy to be in DWG...I had heard great things about both the bakery and free church hostel in town. Hot Sauce and I reserved bunks at the hostel and then hightailed it to the Apple Pie Bakery. This place is awesome - fresh produce, breads, pies, desserts, prepared foods, etc. I was in heaven! I was finally feeling 100% and ordered a mac 'n cheese pot pie which was a-maz-ing, and definitely the biggest meal I've had in 4 days. I polished it off with a key lime pie for dessert I bought a very lightweight Patagonia longsleeve shirt (capilene 2) at the outfitter so I can finally send my wool longsleeve shirt home...it's definitely too hot for that now. Back at the hostel I took a shower and washed my wet, smelly clothes in the shower since there are no laundry facilities in town. I'm excited about the new hiking shirt I had Dom mail me that I will pick up from the post office tomorrow...today is the last day that the OR shirt will be in my possession. Tomorrow it belongs to the dumpster!We went back to the bakery for dinner with Mischa and Shenanigans where I had a grilled cheese sandwich on fresh, homemade bread, fries, and a chocolate covered strawberry for dessert. We hung out at the local bar for a bit, then back to the hostel. LOTS of people here tonight: Wags, Gangsta, Hot Sauce, Shenanigans, Mischa, Rabbit, Saint, Wind Up, Cuppa Joe, Paulman, Jukebox Hero, Double Vision, Not So Crazy, Siesta, and Tax Dollar. Seriously looking forward to tomorrow: breakfast at the bakery, leaving Pennsylvania, and throwing my hiking shirt away. In sad news, my buff is nowhere to be found It is probably in Slatington somewhere - I'll have to pick up another headband asap!Delaware Water GapApple Pie Bakery
Date: 2009-06-22
From: Delaware Water Gap, PA

To: Mohican Outdoor Center, NJ
Miles today: 10.5
Weather: light rain

Hot Sauce and I met a bunch of folks for one last meal at the bakery. They have amazing egg and cheese breakfast sandwiches on fresh bagels, prepared just how I like them.Almost everyone at the hostel last night had taken at least 2 days off in DWG, so everyone cleared out shortly after breakfast except Wags, Gangsta, Hot Sauce, and me. I took my time packing up and was finally ready to head out shortly after noon. The trail today was awesome!! Immediately after leaving DWG, the trail follows I-80 over the Delaware River which is the PA-NJ state line. Woohoo! I had never been so excited to cross a state line...PA was definitely my least favorite state so far. There was a lot of traffic on the bridge because of construction and I was actually walking faster than some cars were driving.The trail then popped into the woods and followed a stream for a while, and I knew right away I was going to like New Jersey. Lots of Mountain Laurel thickets which have become one of my favorite things lately, and the trail eventually emerged at Sunfish Pond, the first glacial pond on the AT heading north. I spent at least 30 minutes there, it was so pretty. There was a nice viewpoint a few miles later, with nice vistas of the valleys to the right and left. Today was extra exciting because it was the first day in MONTHS where I haven't stunk to high heaven! My tech t that was sent to me isn't new, but I've never hiked in it before and it smelled great all day. I tried to embrace it because this won't last long! Hot Sauce and I had tentatively planned on camping at Mohican Outdoor Center tonight...I had a maildrop there, the next shelter wasn't for another 14 miles, and thru-hikers camp for free. I'm so glad we chose to stay here! We split a pint of ice cream and then rented a canoe. Saw Man and Intents are also staying here and rented kayaks (we each only paid $1 each!) and we all paddled around on the lake, it was lots of fun! We saw 3 beaver lodges and 3 beavers swimming around which was pretty neat, too. Mischa and Rabbit are also camping here tonight, and a couple other thru-hikers who I don't know are staying in the bunkhouse.Today was one of my favorite days!Sunfish PondMohican Outdoor CenterBeaver!
Date: 2009-06-23
From: Mohican Outdoor Center, NJ

To: Gren Anderson Shelter
Miles today: 20.9
Weather: broken clouds

Photos have been added to recent entries...enjoy!Wild blueberries, firetowers, beaver dams, ponds, lakes, porcupines, fawn, sunsets, rainbows...New Jersey has it all!Hot Sauce, Tropical Thunder (and his dog Lexi), and I walked together most of the day. The hiking was great all around! We emerged from the woods at Culvers Gap around 7pm and decided to get a beer at the tavern 0.3-mile down the road. The tavern ended up being directly on a lake, and we all drank our beers on the dock out back. It was great...and the rainbow over the lake was icing on the cake! We finally left just after 8pm and had 3 miles to hike to the shelter. Dark clouds were rolling in but we didn't think it would actually rain. We caught an amazing sunset after the climb out of the gap and minutes later the sky opened up and it POURED! It was getting darker and darker and I didn't want to get my headlamp out for fear of getting the contents of my pack completely soaked, so Hot Sauce and I walked in the darkness and pouring rain to the shelter, dodging rocks, roots, and mud. It was quite the adventure We made it to the shelter around 9:15pm and luckily no one was in the shelter (except Tropical Thunder and Lexi) so we could cook dinner and dry out. The bugs are pretty bad and it was still raining, so I actually set my tent up inside the shelter for the night. It's actually pretty cozy! We are thinking about waking up early to catch the sunrise on Sunrise Mountain in the morning. We would have to wake up at 3:30am and since it's already 11pm and I'm not asleep yet, it's questionable whether it will actually happen or not! Beers on the dock at Gyp's Tavern (Hot Sauce, Loon, Tropical Thunder)
Date: 2009-06-24
From: Gren Anderson Shelter

To: Unionville, NY - The Outhouse
Miles today: 20.1

The sky looked overcast when my alarm went off at 3:30am. I actually slept right through the alarm but Hot Sauce heard it and woke up to check the sky. We decided to skip sunrise because we both were so tired and needed at least a few more hours of shut-eye, plus we were lucky to have caught the sunset last night. There will be other opportunities to watch the sun rise over the next couple months, so of course we were fine with our decision to sleep a bit longer.The hiking today was great with scenic ponds, fields, and overlooks and I really didn't stop at all except for lunch at High Point State Park. We were on a mission to get to The Outhouse (formerly The Mayor's House) in Unionville around dinner time because we had heard that he cooks up a feast every night for hikers. We got to the trailhead around 6:30 and was picked up by Butch, a friend of Dick's (the ex-Mayor) who helps run The Outhouse. He went through all the "rules" with us as we drove to The Outhouse, one of which was that you couldn't say words with more than 3 syllabuls or you had to put a quarter in the jar. Another rule was that your first beer was free and subsequent beers cost a quarter each. I was liking these rules The place was packed when we got there and we had just missed dinner, but Bill (another helper at The Outhouse) whipped us up some spaghetti with sauce and garlic bread. The folks at The Outhouse are SO generous and Dick basically opens up his house to hikers, letting us take showers in his bathroom, do laundry, and hang out in his living room and back deck. PLUS, the hostel is run on donations only! Dick, Bill, and Butch take great joy in bringing in hikers and giving them a warm, cozy place to stay.    If we were to only take one thing away with us from our stay at The Outhouse, Dick hoped it would be the saying "Vin Cera", meaning I Will Win. Not just in completing this thru-hike, but in life in general. Dick is very inspirational and I've really enjoyed my stay in his house.Hot Sauce and I were going to tent in his back yard but ended up sleeping in the living room so we could watch some TV before going to bed. Other hikers here include Plunger and Mr. Right (who I hadn't seen since Duncanon), Shenanigans, Paulman and CuppaJoe, Jukebox Hero and Double Vision, Siesta, Saint and Wind Up, a couple SOBOs, and a guy just out for a few days. Lots of fun!Vin Cera!
Date: 2009-06-25
From: Unionville, NY - The Outhouse

To: Wawayanda Shelter
Miles today: 16.9
Weather: light rain

New Jersey just keeps getting better and better! We cross into New York tomorrow and I'm hoping I like it just as much as Jerz. We awoke to the wonderful smells emanating from the kitchen. Bill was whipping up breakfast for all 20 of us hikers - omlets, potato pancakes, and toast (and sausage for the meat-eaters). The generosity of the folks at The Outhouse amazes me...I'm going to miss this place!A whole crew of us watched some early morning Saved By The Bell, then Hot Sauce and I walked to the general store down the road to resupply for the next few days. I don't have a maildrop until Killington, VT so I'll be resupplying in towns until then. The store in Unionville is pretty small so I had to get creative with lunches and dinners...at least they had Cabot cheddar cheese which is a delicious addition to most Lipton sides. Dick drove us to the trailhead around 10:45 and we were hiking by 11. The hiking today was awesome! We first walked the perimeter of part of the Wallkill National Wildlife Preserve, which is a former sod farm. The preserve was nice to walk through...swans, birds, flowers, and lots and lots of blackberries! I had to use some self control so as not to deplete all the blackberry bushes. I think I'm going to start carrying a very small container to hold all the berries I pick so they will last until breakfast the following morning. They would go great in my oatmeal!The climb up Pochuck Mountain was fun and steep, and was followed by a 1 mile boardwalk through another wildlife preserve. The boardwalk was one of the best parts of the day, and I highly recommend it to anyone who lives in this area. A quick detour to Heaven Hill Farm, located just 0.1-mile off the trail in Vernon, NJ, came at just the right time today. My pack was feeling a bit on the heavy side with 4 days of food and I really needed a break to give my back a rest. Also, today was a scorcher and ridiculously humid. A mango Italian ice was JUST what I needed!We got back on the trail around 5:15 and got in to the shelter around 8:30. Whipped up a quick dinner just before a thunderstorm moved through. I didn't get my tent up in time so I set my tent up in the shelter along with Skittles and her tent. Everyone else is tenting near the shelter - Double Vision, Jukebox Hero, Hot Sauce, CuppaJoe and Paulman, Moonwalker, and No Nails.      Dick Ludwick - the ex-Mayor of UnionvilleBlackberries!The Boardwalk
Date: 2009-06-26
From: Wawayanda Shelter

To: Wildcat Shelter
Miles today: 12.0
Weather: broken clouds

Since we only were walking 12 miles today, we slept in and lounged around all morning. Good thing too, because a monstrous thunderstorm came through around 9am and I was sooo glad we weren't out hiking in it. The storm passed and we finally hiked out around 11am. Gotta love lazy mornings! I was hoping to see a bear while in New Jersey since it is the most bear-populated state that the trail goes through. Plus it seems that everyone (except Hot Sauce and I) has seen a bear in the past few days. No such luck though! We crossed the state line into New York in the early afternoon...8 states down, 6 to go!There were lots of rock scrambles today, and the rain from this morning made them super treacherous. The gray and green lichen is sooo slippery. I had a few slips and a couple close calls but no major falls. Hot Sauce took a digger and was a little shaken up by it for the rest of the day. Wet rocks are scary, that's for sure! We took a quick break on Prospect Rock where apparently you can see the NYC skyline but we couldn't see it. After 10 miles, we got to NY17A which is what we had been looking forward to all day. This is an exciting road because a creamery with homemade icecream is located just 0.2-mile off the trail. We saw Double Vision and Jukebox Hero there who had already been there for over an hour.I got some icecream and ate it overlooking the valley below. Not 20 minutes after we got there the storm clouds rolled in and we could see lightening streaks off in the distance. It was awesome being able to watch as the storm got closer and closer to us. It eventually was right overhead and it felt like a monsoon was coming through...the winds picked up, the temperature dropped at least 20 degrees, and it poured probably the hardest I've seen in the last few months. I was so glad to be able to take cover in the creamery and was hoping no hikers were out in the storm. It was raining so hard that water was actually coming into the creamery through the closed dor and my pack was sitting in 3 inches of standing water before I even noticed. We all waited around for the storm to pass. We felt a bit bad loitering at the creamery for so long (about 2 hours at this point!) so we all just kept ordering more and more icecream and soda. We all finally hiked out around 7pm and just had 2 miles to hike to the shelter. Got in to camp around 8, made dinner, set up my tent, and called it a night!Feels great to be in NEW YORK!
Date: 2009-06-27
From: Wildcat Shelter

To: NY17 - Tuxedo, NY
Miles today: 9.9

We woke up planning to hike close to 20 miles today so I was up and hiking by 8am. I stopped for a break on Mombasha High Point and still couldn't see the NYC skyline. Hot Sauce, Wags, Gangsta, Wind Up, Saint, Double Vision, and Jukebox Hero all caught up to me and we all hiked in a pack of 8 all day. It was awesome and I felt like I was part of a camp or school group or something.And then we hit the trail magic mother lode. We found some jugs of water in a cooler on the trail with the names and number of trail angels who take hikers in to their house for food, laundry, showers, and a place to sleep. It was hard to pass that offer up even though we had only hiked 10 miles today. We gave Susan and John a call and they came to pick all 8 of us up within 20 minutes of calling. As we pulled into their driveway a HUGE black bear (the biggest I had ever seen!) was just hanging out in their front yard. It was awesome! It quickly ran off into the woods as we pulled in so I couldn't snap a photo. We all took showers (probably the best shower on the trail so far!), threw our laundry in the wash (all 8 of us put our clothes in together and the laundry room smelled like a combination of roadkill, privy, and raw fish), and then feasted on chips, salsa, and hummus as dinner was being prepared. Susan also let us wear her comfy clothes while ours were in the wash which was a huge treat!Dinner was delicious! Grilled eggplant, portabella mushroom burgers, and pasta with veggies and peanut sauce. AND good, local beer! OH and I can't forget dessert - mango sorbet, vanilla bean icecream, blueberries, and whipped cream. John and Susan are so hospitable and generous and take joy in taking hikers into their amazing house.We spent the evening hanging out, watching Michael Jackson music videos on VH1, and resting the ol' feet. I'm so glad we are here tonight even though it means hiking 25 miles tomorrow! Thanks SO MUCH to Susan and John, the trail angels of all trail angels!      Yummmm
Date: 2009-06-29
From: Graymoor Friary

To: NY301 - Clarence Fahnstock State Park
Miles today: 11.9

I wish I could have slept in this morning but I heard people packing up and the sun was out and beating down on my tent. I woke up around 7:15am to see that everyone was here - Plunger and Mr. Right, CuppaJoe and Paulman, Gangsta and Wags, and Cricket. They were all surprised to see us and thought we probably wouldn't have tried for the 25 miles yesterday - little did they know!Plunger, Mr. Right, Hot Sauce, Cricket, and I took our time in the morning and didn't start hiking until 11. My feet definitely weren't ready to leave any time before then! We hiked more or less together all day and ended up camping at Clarence Fahnestock State Park, which allows thru-hikers to camp for free. It's a pretty nice deal since we get a tent site, hot shower, and flush toilets for free, but there's a 1-mile road walk to get to it, which is a long distance to walk off-trail even after only hiking 12 miles.I cooked dinner, took a quick shower, and got into my tent right away. The mosquitos are so bad that it's almost impossible to be outside and not get slaughtered by them...I probably have about a total of 30 bug bites! I'm looking forward to a good night of sleep tonight since I only got less than 5 hours last night.I can't wait to see my parents and Dom tomorrow!!!!!!      Pavilion at Graymoor FriaryCricket, Plunger, Hot Sauce, and Mr. Right leaving Graymoor Friary