morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2008-06-12
From: Deer Lick Shelter

To: Gary and Teresa's House
Miles today: 13.5

I got into town this morning around 11:00 am. I started hiking a little earlier than normal around 5:45 am. It is the best time to hike because it is still cool plus I was excited to get into town. Around 11:45 am a car drove up on the other side of the road from where I was sitting and stopped. I didn't think anything of it. I thought this guy probably wants directions or something. Here it was Gary! He took a half day of work today so he could pick me up earlier than 3:30 pm. We drove back to his house and the first thing I did was get a shower. Then we has steak sandwiches and basically I have just been eating, eating, eating. I crave candy mostly these days. I have been averaging about 2 snickers, a handful of reeses, a handful of chocolate covered almonds, etc. a day and I have still lost 46 lbs according to Gary's scale. That puts me at 154 lbs. I look like a skeleton from the waist up. I am a little worried. I need to check into some sort of supplement I can take in order to help keep some weight on because I feel like I am eating enough.Paula should get here around 5 pm. We will slack pack together tomorrow. When we finish the hike we will be at the half way point and that means I must conquer the half gallon challenge. That is eating a half gallon of ice cream and I get a prize. I don't think I can eat all of that but maybe Paula and Gary can help me because Teresa already said that she won't eat any. I'll keep you posted.
Date: 2008-06-13
From: Gary and Teresa's House

To: Gary and Teresa's House
Miles today: 20.0

Well, I made it half way today with my hiking buddy / wife. I am now at 1090 miles. I started this long and arduous journey on Good Friday and made it half way on Friday the 13th!Paula hiked with me today. We did 20 miles in 9 hours. We left this morning at 6:15 am and arrived at our destination at 3:15 pm. She did great but now her posterior left knee hurts a bit. I only had to wait up for her a couple of times. She was sweating like crazy and I didn't even break a sweat. It sure is easier without that big heavy backpack!We saw lots of deer today and a black snake. I also found a white quartz rock that looks like a white blaze. It is the same shape and size and everything. At lunch today, we met up with Blake and Colleen (a.k.a. Forest Gimp).Gary picked us up this afternoon after trying to call him like a hundred times. We were in a dead zone, the pay phones didn't work, and the phones didn't let you make collect calls. Finally, a store let us use their phone because it was a local call to his house from there. I didn't do the half gallon challenge. We did the half pint (no not Laura Ingles) challenge instead. Gary, Paula, and I each had a pint. We tried to get Teresa to have one so together we could have eaten a half gallon but she just had a soda.We had pizza, beer, veggies and dip, deviled eggs, and chocolate cake with white icing that Paula made (one of my favorites!) for dinner tonight.Tomorrow Paula will drop me off about 4 miles North of Boiling Springs. If the weather is nice she will hike to Boiling Springs with me and then back to get the car. She will pick me up later at my destination so I can slack pack again...yeah!!
Date: 2008-06-14
From: Gary and Teresa's House

To: Gary and Teresa's House
Miles today: 24.0

Paula dropped me off this morning around 6:45 am in the middle of a big field. I slack packed 24 miles and reached my destination around 3:30 pm. So, a little less than 9 hours which is what we hiked 20 miles in yesterday. I went a bit faster today even though the trail was more difficult. It was rocky in parts and I had to go straight uphill for about 30 minutes. I thought I might pass RJ today along the way but I didn't see him. I did run into Bear Pack and Bear Bait. Bear Pack finished a half pint of ice cream like I did but Bear Bait finished the whole half gallon challenge! I was hoping it would rain today because it would have felt nice and I didn't have to worry about my gear getting all wet and everything. Unfortunately, it looks like it might rain tomorrow now. When we got back to Gary and Teresa's we had cheeseburgers and Paula's macaroni salad. Delicious! Tomorrow Paula will drop me off in the middle of the big field again and I will be on my way once more. She will continue home and John, Cindy, and Jake will arrive later in the evening so she will have company. I on the other hand will be flying solo. We had a great visit but it is time to get back to the grind.Thanks Gary and Teresa for all of your wonderful hospitality. Thanks Paula for being my hiking buddy for a day. See you at home in about a week!
Date: 2008-06-15
From: Gary and Teresa's House

To: Cove Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 17.5
Weather: clear sky

I stayed at Cove Mountain Shelter tonight. There were signs warning about porcupines. About midnight 2 porcupines came into the shelter and they were there chewing on wood until about 3 am. Needless to say, I didn't get much sleep!My goal is to make it to Pine Grove by Wednesday. I am looking forward to seeing Mom, Dad, and Paula when they pick me up.
Date: 2008-06-16
From: Cove Mountain Shelter

To: Peters Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 15.4
Weather: clear sky

Tonight I stayed at Peters Mountain Shelter. There was only one other hiker there. A young hiker who was on the trail just for a few days. Today I saw a beautiful rhododendron. It has been a long time since I've seen one on the trail. The mountain laurels are gorgeous. There are still gypsy moths, but they seem to be getting less in numbers.
Date: 2008-06-17
From: Peters Mountain Shelter

To: Somewhere in Swatara State Park
Miles today: 25.0

What a beautiful day it was today. The weather was perfect for hiking, so I hiked 24.5 miles today. During my hike today, I could here gunfire near Indian Town Gap. I am camping in my hammock between shelters tonight, somewhere in Swatara. I have only 10 miles to reach Pine Grove and a ride home for the night. Can't wait to see home. It's been almost 3 months.
Date: 2008-06-18
From: Somewhere in Swatara State Park

To: Pine Grove
Miles today: 10.0
Weather: scattered clouds

I arrived in Pine Grove this morning around 10:30. Paula, Cindy, John, Jake, Mom and Dad came to meet me and take me home for a few days of slack packing through the rocky sections ahead. While we were in the parking lot, we met Crowded Feet's father. Crowded Feet thru hiked the trail 6 years ago. He hiked Crowder Mountain in North Carolina while growing up there--hence his trail name--Crowded Feet. He loved the outdoors and made many good friends while hiking the AT. His story is very inspirational. After saying goodbye to his father, we decided to walk back to check out the shelter because in the book it sounded like a really nice one. We noticed there was a small area of wet cement by the front door. Apparently they were replacing a concrete step. So we went around to the side door. Dad came in a little later behind us. The shelter was large and enclosed with many bunks, a skylite, a large picnic table in the center of the room with high backed chairs along the walls. There was a solar shower outside and a privy nearby. As we were checking out the accomodations, someone noticed foot prints in the wet cement. We all looked at each other and asked who did that? Dad admitted it and said, "That would be me". We all laughed and teased him about leaving his footprints on the AT. Fortunately, there was a trowel nearby, so I smoothed it out. You never know when your skilled trade may come in handy. A fun day!
Date: 2008-06-20
From: Port Clinton

To: PA 309, Blue Mt. Summit
Miles today: 26.0

Today I had lots of company on the trail. For starters, Paula dropped Cindy and me off at Port Clinton around 6:15 a.m. We hiked to Hawk Mountain where we met John, my brother Rod, mom, and dad. Mom and dad dropped John and Rod off along with a nice lunch packed by Paula. We enjoyed eating lunch together, then mom and dad left while I and my hiking buddies continued on. We were surprised to see Steve, my younger brother, come walking toward us later on. I sure do appreciate the family support and the chance to do these slack packing days on this rocky terrain. I have heard people say that the trail in Pennsylvania is referred to as Rocksylvania. How true it is. Rocks everywhere, you have to focus on each step that you take so you can place your foot on a somewhat flat rock or space between rocks. You can't take normal strides, you have to adjust your steps to little or giant steps, whichever will get you on a fairly even surface. We met up with thru hikers--Pilgrim, a minister, and Sand Groper, a hiker from Austrailia. We gave them some of our lunch leftovers, which they were very happy for. It's a good day on the trail when someone offers you food or some other kindness. I have been on the receiving end before and it is nice to repay the trail magic. The weather continues to be beautiful for hiking. We saw 3 snakes today, none of the poisonous variety though. Cindy, way to go, you hiked the whole 26 miles today with me. Thanks for the company. We all had tired and sore feet from all of those rocks.
Date: 2008-06-21
From: PA 309, Blue Mt. Summit

To: Slatington, PA
Miles today: 13.3

Another early start this morning for yet another day of slack packing. Today my hiking buddy was Paula. We drove our car to Slatington, then Cindy drove us from there to PA 309, Blue Mt. Summit, where we started our hike. Many rocks and boulders today. There were even huge rocky cliffs we had to climb up, down, and around. Poor Paula's knees were shaking, and I think she froze for a minute or two when we encountered the first mountain of rocks. She did okay though and by the third rock pile she was feeling more comfortable with it. We met up with a thru hiker on one of those rocky cliffs moving very gingerly with his big backpack, and he commented, "They didn't show this in the book". There were some pretty views from the outcrops though. I had my first blueberries on the trail this afternoon. Loads of bushes and some of the berries that grow in the sunny open spaces were ripening (very good, yum yum). I kept stopping to pop a few, but Paula was anxious to get on the way. We saw a mother turkey and her little ones in the woods--no doubt after those same blueberries. Lots of hikers out today. It must be a weekend.
Date: 2008-06-22
From: Slatington, PA

To: Wind Gap
Miles today: 20.7
Weather: light rain

Paula drove me to Wind Gap and I slack packed south to Slatington today. It was interesting hiking the ridge through Palmerton where the area looks like a wasteland because of the former zinc smelting plant. The view from the rocks on top before you descend off the mountain in Slatington is awesome. You can see clearly from both sides with the Lehigh River below. This would be a great day hike which I definitely will do again.
Date: 2008-06-23
From: Wind Gap

To: Delaware Water Gap, NJ PA line
Miles today: 15.0
Weather: light rain

My last slack packing day through Pennsylvania, and Paula hiked with me one more time. Same old rocky trails and another rocky cliff to climb. It was buggy out today because there was not much of a breeze. We saw about 6 deer this morning and an owl fly through the trees. I had my first black raspberry. I love to snack on berries while I'm hiking. The climb down into the Delaware Water Gap was beautiful. There were thousands of rhododendrons lining both sides of the trail as well as canopying above. They were just beginning to bloom. Imagine what a sight to see when in full bloom. There were some views of the river as we were descending that were breathtaking. Mom and dad picked us up at the Delaware Water Gap visitor's center after we crossed the bridge over the Delaware. What a feeling that was to cross the bridge on the footpath alongside of the rushing traffic. You could feel the bridge shake as the tractor trailers zoomed by. Back to civilization, ugh,--A.T. take me away.
Date: 2008-06-24
From: Delaware Water Gap, NJ PA line

To: Blue Mountain Lakes Road
Miles today: 18.0

Today I'm back on the trail full time with my heavy pack. My brother Rod hiked with me today for about 10 miles, then turned back to walk those 10 miles again to his car. What a hiker! We got caught in some thunderstorms today. We stopped in at Mohican Outdoor Center, where we ate our lunch. It was a real nice place where thru-hikers can stay overnight in a cabin which includes a shower for just a few bucks. The store had snacks and sodas. I might have stayed there, but I wanted to get in more miles so I continued on toward Blue Mountain Lakes Road and Rodney headed back to his car. Thanks Rod, for the support, the company, and the ride to Delaware Water Gap. Maybe we can hike again soon. The camp tonight was an old YMCA camp (Camp Ettawa) which was really delapidated and ruined, but was set by this beautiful lake. The camp was recently turned over to the government and will be refurbished. There was a group of thru-hikers there called the Over the Hill Gang ranges in age from 51-59. Also a couple of other hikers about the same age. So I guess you can say that we were all over the hill. Great company.
Date: 2008-06-25
From: Blue Mountain Lakes Road

To: Mashipacong Shelter
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: scattered clouds

My total miles on the trail is about 1300 miles now. I left camp this morning around 5:30. The over the hill gang left about 15 minutes earlier, so I didn't get all of the webs on the trail this morning. It's a beautiful morning and I am lucky to be alive. Around 7:30 I passed thru-hiker Aloha and he asked me if I'd seen a bear. I hadn't seen any so I told him "no". We each went on our way. The trail was narrow and brushy and making a turn in the woods. Suddenly I hear this awful noise and it was getting louder and coming toward me. This big bear about 350 lbs. was running full speed right at me. I thought, dang, what should I do? I waved my arms and made noise. He came to within 30 feet of me and then turned away. Then to my amazement there was another bear, even bigger than the first bear about 450 lbs. right behind him, chasing him with foam coming out of his mouth and running so unbelievably fast. Then the first bear turned a corner and the bigger bear stopped chasing it. This crazy big old bear must have been really upset about something to be in full pursuit of the other bear and running so fast that he was foaming at the mouth. Then he turned and looked right at me. I thought this was it. He came at me and I did the waving of the arms and making lots of noise. He came really close, probably about 25 feet away and then backed off. Whew!!!!!! So I'm lucky to be alive. I must now go find a water source and check to see if I messed my pants. I'll get back to you at the end of the day to let you know how the rest of my day went. It's a great day to be alive.
Date: 2008-06-26
From: Rutherford Shelter

To: Pochuck Mountain
Miles today: 37.3
Weather: haze

Boy, yesterday was sure adventurous and exciting. I have never had a day quite like it ever in my life. You know about the 2 bears I saw in the morning. Well, around 3:00 pm I saw another big bear. He was just off the trail, and when he saw me, he moved a few steps to the side just to let me know he was there. He was savoring the blueberries. Around 5:00 pm, I saw 2 more big bears walking on a ridge just above me. So I saw 5 in all, and they were all big ones not the cubs that were seen in the Shenandoahs. The only other hiker to see a bear yesterday was Aloha. The Over the Hill Gang were all envioius of my encounters. I also saw two hen turkeys with about 12 little ones. At Sunrise Mountain there was a nice pavillion, so I sat down to rest a while, and a hummingbird flew right up to me. I thought he was going to land on my nose. I camped at Rutherford Shelter last night instead of Mashipacong Shelter which was the next shelter down the trail. So I walked a total of 22.3 miles yesterday.Today the trail took me through Wallkill National Wildlife Preserve (the first Fish and Wildlife managed area to host the Trail.) I saw egrets, great blue herons, swans, and other migratory birds. A really nice area. I am staying at Pochuck Mountain Shelter tonight along with 8 college kids who are section hiking. They have asked me numerous questions about my thru-hiking experience. Today was a 15 mile day. Tomorrow I plan to hike into New York (about 20 miles yet). Maybe there won't be so many bears there. My total trip miles to date: 1335.4 (About 800 more to go to Katahdin)
Date: 2008-06-27
From: Pochuck Mountain

To: Between Eastern Pinnacles & Wildcat Shelter
Miles today: 23.3
Weather: overcast clouds

Well, I guess they do have bears in New York. I saw 3 of them today, and one of them was a young cub. He was really cute. His mother walked away, but he just stood there and watched me. How can anyone be scared of that? I passed through Bellvale today where there was a place that made homemade ice cream. I had a double scoop strawberry waffle cone and a scoop of chocolate on the side. Sure did hit the spot. It is very hot and the walking is getting tough--more ups and downs again. I'm camping just off the trail tonight somewhere between Eastern Pinnacles and Wildcat Shelter.
Date: 2008-06-28
From: Between Eastern Pinnacles & Wildcat Shelter

To: Fingerboard Shelter
Miles today: 14.4
Weather: broken clouds

Another hot day today with some mild T-storms. Water is scarce up here in the mountains. You walk atop and see the Hudson River and all these lakes below you, but no good water sources on the trail. There has been some trail magic which has saved me. At places where the AT crosses a road, there will be big containers of water. Some times though when you get there--the water's gone. At one point today there was great trail magic. Some guy set up in a parking lot with 8 coolers filled with all kinds of drinks. God Bless Trail Magic, it keeps you going. During my hike today I went through Harriman State Park. It was beautiful and very large. There were loads of New Yorkers, grilling and picnicking (making me hungry). This park is about 30 miles from NYC. I took a quick swim in the lake to cool off and washed out my socks. I saw another first today, a scarlet tanenger--gorgeous scarlet color. I stayed at Fingerboard Shelter tonight. A really neat place. It sets on huge flat rocks on top of the mountain where there was a welcoming breeze and NO BUGS. Lots of campers here tonight, about 34--some are scouts.
Date: 2008-06-29
From: Between Eastern Pinnacles & Wildcat Shelter

To: Hemlock Springs Campsite
Miles today: 17.0
Weather: light rain

Nice views today hiking, but very hot again. I have been venturing off the trail to find water--sometimes a visitors center in a park. Today it was Bear Mountain State Park. Here there was a museum and I actually walked through a zoo. Those poor caged animals, bet they wish they were free to walk the AT. I had supper at a concession stand in the park. Hamburgers, hotdogs, ice cream and sodas. Crossed the mighty Hudson River today which is almost a half mile wide here. (Awesome) I'm camping at Hemlock Springs Campsite in my hammock tonight, alone so far. I hiked with thru-hiker Pond Scum for a while today, but he decided to continue on down the trail. Happy Trails.
Date: 2008-06-30
From: Hemlock Springs Campsite

To: Shenandoah Mountain
Miles today: 20.2

Hiked 20 miles today. I should be entering CT in about 2 days. I'm still hoping to run into R.J. soon. I miss my hiking buddy, and wonder where he's at and how he's doing. I'm writing my name in more logs so maybe he can see where I'm at and leave a message for me.
Date: 2008-07-01
From: Shenandoah Mountain

To: Morgan Stewart Shelter
Miles today: 11.8
Weather: clear sky

I pulled another deer tick out that was embedded--and, yet, another. Tonight I slept in my hammock, but left my bag in the shelter, which was empty, to keep it dry because of the showers we've been having. There was one other hiker camping in a tent. He was from Arizona and hiked an 800 mile trail there some time ago. Tonight around 3:00 a.m. howling coyotes circled the camp. It was an eerie feeling. I don't know how many there were, but you could tell it was a group of them. The pitch and intensity of the howls kept changing every so often. I think they carried on for an hour or more. It sure put me on edge as well as the other camper, because I saw a light go on inside his tent, though in the morning he said that being from Arizona he was used to coyotes.
Date: 2008-07-02
From: Morgan Stewart Shelter

To: Ten Mile Hill
Miles today: 19.3

Early this morning, about an hour into my hike, a couple of dogs came running up over the hill on the trail wildly barking and growling. After my night with the coyotes, I was thinking they might be wild dogs. I had my stick ready. Thankfully, coming up behind them was a ridge runner who called to them. I told him that I was just about ready to whack them after my night's experience. He shrugged it off and said, "Oh these guys here are friendly. They are all bark, but real scaredy cats." Could have fooled me. I crossed the CT border today. Yeah---5 more states to go.
Date: 2008-07-04
From: Stewart Hollow Lean-to

To: Belter's Campsite, CT
Miles today: 15.2

Happy 4th of July! More rain again today. This rain makes walking the rocks trecherous. It can slow you down for about 2 hours, but better to slow down, then have a fall that will totally end your hike. I was talking to some thru hikers that said they hadn't taken a fall until now with these conditions--so slippery. Ever since I entered CT, the weather has been bad. You can't have campfires here either, and I don't like the way the shelters are spread out and the camping areas are small. It is what it is and I just keep on hiking.
Date: 2008-07-06
From: Riga Lean-to

To: Tom Leonard Lean-to
Miles today: 24.4

Wow is it foggy today. You can see the trail in front of you, but it looks like you could walk off the mountain onto the real thick billowy clouds. At Guilder Pond Picnic Area I ran into the nicest family from Massachusetts. They offered to help me in all kinds of ways. After talking a while, the father seemed really interested in giving this a try. I hope he gets a chance to do The Hike. Well, the count down begins--entered MA today, so that means I'm down to 4 states to hike through. A nice thought after this LONG day.
Date: 2008-07-07
From: Tom Leonard Lean-to

To: Upper Goose Pond Cabin, MA
Miles today: 20.3
Weather: haze

Another very wet, muddy, hot and humid day. Nothing dries out. I can't wait to get higher up in the mountains again where the temps are cooler. I can't stand waking up with everything sticking to me. This cabin we're staying in tonight is great. It's run like a time share by volunteer caretakers, (some former thru-hikers). The people here tonight served us hot dogs, hamburgers, a great healthy green salad, watermelon, brownies, and beer. I went swimming in the pond to wash and cool off. Great group of hikers here tonight. Lots of fun.
Date: 2008-07-08
From: Upper Goose Pond Cabin, MA

To: Lee, MA
Miles today: 2.4

Great to see Paula. She's a life saver...looking forward to a Nero day. We got a place at the Super 8 Motel in Lee. A nice friendly touristy New England town. As I was resupplying and packing in the motel room this afternoon, I noticed a small hole in my food bag. I'm not sure where and when that happened, it must have been a hungry mouse. Get the duct tape! We had some great burgers at Arizona Pizza for dinner and then ice cream at Friendly's across the street a little later in the evening. Not ready to say goodbye tomorrow morning.