morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2016-07-25
From: AMC Mohican Outdoor Center-Camp Road - 1303.5

To: NJ, US 206 - Culver's Gap 1321.4
Miles today: 17.9
Weather: scattered clouds

If yesterday was all sunshine in Philadelphia, then today was anything but in New Jersey. Afternoon thunder showers were the theme. We had decided to end our approx 2 week string of free or nearly free hotel stays tonight with a return to camping. It was truly an upside down world. Private campgrounds cost $45/ night in many places and we never paid over $50 for a hotel. It was reminiscent of that time in college in 2005 when a 24 pack of beer was cheaper then a gallon of gas... We were welcomed back to the woods with a powerful display of Gods power. The worst of it was around 5pm, when it got nearly as dark as night and a fog rolled in. Winds chased the fog away with an impressive lightning display. Apparently, there were tornado warnings in the area. The scary part about being caught on the trail in those conditions is lightning while on exposed ridge lines and falling branches. During the worst of it, Sherpa caught up with Raiden, who was trying to find a nearby shelter. They walked together for about half an hour until it died down enough to pull up our location on a phone. The shelter was 1.5 miles behind us. Dismayed, Raiden turned back and retraced his steps, while Sherpa pushed on 2 miles to the shelter of Porters car. Porter had made arrangements at a nearby campground run by a witty old man, but the rain came before she could put up the tent. Porter overheard a conversation he was having with another guest that went something like this: guest "I locked my keys in my car" owner "I'll send someone with a rock to take care of that for you right away." Once reunited, we found refuge in a nearby Mexican restaurant until the storm passed and then setup camp for the night.
Date: 2016-07-26
From: US 206 - Culver's Gap 1321.4

To: NJ, Lott Road - 1,344.5
Miles today: 23.1
Weather: broken clouds

Today we walked to the highest point in New Jersey together. It is not our first state high point together. So far we have been to North Carolina, Texas, Georgia, Tennessee, and Virginia. Doing state high points together is a great way to add an outdoor element to family vacations and keep you from visiting the same places over and over again. We hope someday to see all of them but Alaska. There is even a nickname for people like us who are trying to summit a collection of mountains, we are called "peak baggers". New Jerseys was extra easy because it was right along the trail. It is on a mount aptly named "high point peak", and with only 1803 feet of elevation, close proximity to major population centers, and a location in a state park sporting a parking lot at the top, this one is very accessible. There is a fancy obelisk marking the location which has fallen into a state of disrepair and is now barricaded off for safety reasons.
Date: 2016-07-27
From: Lott Road - 1,344.5

To: NY 17 A-1,371.3
Miles today: 26.8
Weather: scattered clouds

We continued our journey today, starting in New Jersey and finishing in New York. New Jersey has been beautiful. It really exceeded our expectations. We assumed it would have an urban feel due to its proximity to major population centers. On the contrary, the views are either of the woods or farmland. There are occasional delis at road crossings but at no time did we feel like we were walking through a city. The trail passed through a nice wildlife refuge before leaving the state and followed a beautiful boardwalk that was about a half mile long thru a marshland complete with a suspension bridge. The exit from New Jersey matched its splendid welcome at the Delware Water Gap with an equally beautiful send off. Perhaps the only disappointment we had (and this is really minor) is that New Jersey had a reputation for having the most bears of any place along the trail. The only indirect evidence we saw was a bumper sticker on someone's car that had a heart, a black bear, and the state initials. Well, we heard something going through the dumpster at our campground too but that could have been hikers based on our experience in hot springs? Just kidding. Seriously though, there was "bearily" any evidence of bear activity. We expected to see lots of scree on the trail at least but only saw it once. One hiker we chatted with did see one bear eating blueberries, so they aren't mythical beings.Early indications are promising that New York's beauty may surpass New Jerseys. The state opens with a forest of mixed deciduous and conifer trees. The terrain then traverses miles of lichen covered slabs of rock overlooking beautiful lakes. It has a distinctly Northern feel that's hard to explain. And familiar faces seem to abound here. Porter saw Mermaid and treehugger at a crossing just before the state line, and Sherpa saw crockamole just past the boundary. As a side note, crockamole is now sporting a hiking kilt, the only somewhat socially acceptable man skirt on the market in 2016. So this part of the Appalachian Trail is known as the deli hike. Supposedly, you can time the road crossings to grab a meal each day without too much difficulty. This of course would be welcome relief if we were subsisting on dehydrated backpacking meals. Since we have the benefit of a car, our trusted cooler "Seewald the 2nd", a fancy Coleman stove, and uninterrupted access to grocery stores and restaurants, the novelty of a better than subway sandwhich is probably lost on us. We did stop in at a nice one for lunch today to honor the tradition. In addition to a fine array of deli fare, they had delicious homemade donuts. But instead of supporting another deli this evening, we intended to show solidarity with our hiker brethren by instead heating up some dehydrated fare. Nevertheless, convenience won out and all the good intentions in the world couldn't stop us from picking up some yummy New York style pizza by the slice!
Date: 2016-07-29
From: Arden Valley Road - 1388.8

To: NY, NY 9 D - 1,403.9
Miles today: 15.1
Weather: broken clouds

Today's highlights were walking on a bridge across the Hudson River and finishing early to cleanup before dinner to celebrate our 5 monthiversary. We know that there is much anticipation around our monthly romantic dinner plans, especially after we celebrated 4 months at McDonalds. For those of you betting on Taco Bell, we had that for lunch yesterday, so it really wasn't an option. And now that we are in New York, which is famous for its own pizza, there are not many Little Ceasars nearby. We ended up going on a double date with friends to a fancy smancy old world style Spanish reastaurant for a 37 course candle lit meal (ok maybe 17?)... We know, we know- we have only been married 5 months and we are already losing our romance. Wendys for six months babe! We will reignite the flames of love!On a much lower note, we hit bottom on the trail today, figuratively speaking. The trail dips to 124 feet above see level near the bridge across the Hudson River. Thankfully they didn't route the trail all the way down to the river which is closer to sea level. Another low note was that the trail side zoo was closed by the time Sherpa reached it. Yes, for those of you unfamiliar with this section of the Appalachian Trail, it actually passes right through a zoo. It is quite possibly the only zoo in the world where some of the the guests (hikers) are smellier than the animals. And speaking of wild animals, the lowest note of all was the deer we saw while having lunch at a crossing. When it saw our food, it started drooling worse than a dog trained to beg at the dinner table. Unfortunately, although not surprisingly, several tourists saw that poor deer's predicament and traded treats for photos. Sherpa tried a slightly passive aggressive deterrent to defend the creature. Aware of the attitude of many locals towards guns, he advised "they taste better when you don't feed them human food..." It was slightly more effective than just telling them plainly 'if you tame them with treats, it isn't loving, it just makes it easier for the hunters...' The story does bring up an interesting topic- is it alright to eat meat? YES. YES. YES. God gave mankind permission to eat animal flesh in the Old Testament (Gen 9), reaffirmed that it was alright in the New Testamemt (Acts 10, 1Cor 8, etc) and then warned us about wicked people who would forbid us from eating meat in the last days (1 Tim 4). So unless you are more righteous than God, eating meat is acceptable, although too much of the wrong kind might give you high cholesterol, and by the way, hunting is an acceptable way to source meat which generally won't overload you with cholesterol, according to some studies.
Date: 2016-07-30
From: NY 9 D - 1,403.9

To: NY, Dennytown Road 1,417.7
Miles today: 13.8
Weather: scattered clouds

This morning we had a special request from the 9 year old daughter of the family that we have been staying with. Up to the challenge, Porter baked a special version of a classic breakfast delight, think French Toast meets monkey bread in buttery Paula Dean fashion. It slowed us down getting onto the trail for sure. Heavy rains in the afternoon also forced us off the trail early. Or maybe the invitation to go out for New York pizza in the evening was just too tempting to pass up. In either case, the shorter day was welcomed by Sherpa, who wrapped up nearly 400 miles of hiking in just 3 weeks. While Sherpa was hiking, Porter went out with the ladies and got her nails done. Sherpa's coworkers gave Porter a condolences card when we began our trip. Clearly another example of how right they were as our sufferingmoon continues...
Date: 2016-08-01
From: Dennytown Road 1,417.7

To: NY, Taconic State Parkway 1,428.7
Miles today: 11.0
Weather: light rain

Yesterday, we took the day off to worship the Lord, rest, and enjoy each other's company. We visited a large beautiful church building with a small elderly congregation. The area we are in is blessed to be very affluent, and cursed to be very secular. It's another example of the classic battle for the heart that has replayed itself in every generation of humans since Adam sinned. Jesus spoke of this struggle in Matthew 6 when he said, "no one can serve two masters, he will either hate one and love the other, or serve one and despise the other, you cannot serve both God and money." The great irony is that wealth is sometimes spoken of in scripture as a blessing from God, and it can be, yet it is dangerous because our eyes have this tendency to covet and when their focus becomes anything other than the Lord, our hearts follow our eyes. Solomon was the classic example of this. Spiritually he started off so well as a young man, blessed with the privilege of building a temple for the Lord. He was incredibly blessed by God with material wealth. Eventually his heart drifted from the Lord as a direct result of the blessings. Jesus's words still ring just as true today in New York as they did 2000 years ago where people on fire for the Lord built great places of worship, and then fell away amidst the distraction of material wealth.On a lighter note, we went to a horseback riding lesson of the daughter of the family we are staying with. She is less than 10 years old and doing jumps under the instruction of a US Olympic team trainer. Supposedly she is a natural or they wouldn't bother giving her a timeslot. Hopefully she sticks with it and does well! For other hobbies, she really enjoys putting hair ties in Sherpa's hair and painting Porters nails. She also taught us to make a slimy playdough like substance out of elders glue and borax. Today was a lighter day on the trail, with only about 11 miles. We finished making preparations in the afternoon for a surprise trip to California. Porter has been blessed with the ability to take all of her nieces to Disneyland when they turned 5. So far she made three trips. This has been a really special way that she has been able to invest in their lives and show them love. A fourth one was turning 5 this week and the family decided to do a vacation together since we were on the trail and weren't in a position to take her. But since we have the car, we hiked fast the last few weeks to make up time to be able to take the week off and join them. If any of you wonder what Porter does while waiting for Sherpa to hike, in the last few weeks she made three Disney shirts for the kids of this family. She has also made a first birthday outfit that includes a tutu for another niece. You could say that she is crafty.... We will check back in with you in a week.
Date: 2016-08-08
From: Taconic State Parkway 1,428.7

To: NY, Appalachian Trail Train Station, 1448.3
Miles today: 19.6
Weather: broken clouds

After a fun filled week in Disneyland with Porters mom and younger brother's family, we decided to spend Saturday night in the heart of New York City. We like to hike, so instead of catching the subway, we walked 100 city blocks from where our bus let us off from the airport in Harlem to our hotel. As usual, Sherpa was carrying Porters bag... We were amazed by the crowds of people hunting Pokemon! There was one area people even setup lawn chairs, which sort of defeats the point. We bought dinner at a food cart taking advantage of the Pokemon crowds. While waiting for our food, it became clear that the territory belonged to other carts, who gave "friendly" warnings to the food cart to leave. Waking up near downtown on Sunday, we caught the subway to Brooklyn to worship the Lord. We attended the Brooklyn Tabernacle, a large and alive church. This was the first church we have visited on our trip that has a choir! Apparently they have won 6 Grammys. Go big or go home. The pastor hit on the need for Jesus to satisfy our spiritual appetite, teaching from the passage where Jesus tells us, "I am the bread of life, he who eats of me will never go hungry again." It was spot on. After service, we had the normal physical food which of course only temporarily satisfies until the next meal time. We enjoyed pizza and garlic knots. Sure wish we had those again today.... After we walked back to Manhatten across the Brooklyn bridge, we made our way back to the trail.Today we resumed the northward adventure with Sherpa hiking and Porter driving. The trail is now strangely empty of thruhikers. We passed a couple, but the majority are hundreds of miles ahead. This must be what it was like hiking here 30 years ago! The weather was slightly cooler today, which made for some really nice hiking. We missed meeting up at one road crossing which turned a 2 mile hike into a 7 mile hike. There was a nice reward on the other side, however. Porter picked up dinner for us at a place called Vinny's Deli which has been featured on the food network.   Yum! The hike concluded today at the only train station right on the trail with direct service into New York City.
Date: 2016-08-09
From: Appalachian Trail Train Station- 1448.3

To: CT, Skiff Mountain Road 1,469.5
Miles today: 21.2
Weather: clear sky

What a beautiful day! We got back to the train station by 10Am to start the days hike. It was sunny, warm, the smell of wild flowers hanging in the air, not too buggy. Perfect for a walk in the woods. So blessed to be here immersed in the work of Gods hands! Beginning at the Appalachian Train station in New York, the hike passed through pasture for about a half mile before entering the woods. A photographer (www.fluentimagery.com/) was staged at a crossing with snacks, drinks, and free pictures. He is working on a photo project of hikers and hopes to get the material picked up by a magazine. Sure hope it is successful. Sherpa paused to chat with a Southbounder named Bright Side, named for his optimistic attitude. He started with his granddaughter, but she bailed on him after surviving the hundred mile wilderness. He is retired and enjoying the hike. He expressed a desire to get his wife out with him. Sherpa explained slackpacking and how it allows us to do the hike together even though we aren't both on the trail.Not long after getting on, we crossed into Connecticut! This state has a 50 mile section of the trail. Geologists think the rocks here comprise the oldest along the trail because the top layers have eroded away exposing lower layers. Psalm 104:5 says "He set the earth on its foundations, so that it should never be moved." and Psalm 89:11 says "The heavens are yours, the earth is also yours, the world and all that is in it. You have founded them." How awesome to tread upon the depths of Gods creation?We met at the 2/3 point of the trail, mile 1459.4 right on schedule with about 2/3 of our total time spent. Wildlife spotted today included a beehive, a deer, a rabbit, a raccoon, and a rattlesnake. We also chatted with Arrowhead and Skydog, a father son team that started about the same time we did. They are in the oil industry in Colorado and are out of work right now because of the low oil prices. They expressed frustration with the stoner culture that is taking over their home state. We sympathized. It went without saying that they hadn't escaped it by hiking the Appalachian Trail. Praise God that there is hope for stoners in Jesus Christ!
Date: 2016-08-10
From: Skiff Mountain Road 1,469.5

To: CT, West Cornall Road, 1482.6
Miles today: 13.1
Weather: light rain

Some days just aren't meant to be! We woke up feeling great, with ambitions to do a 26 mile day, but by the time we made it to the trail, it was raining raccoons and coyotes. Sherpa set off in his Chacos sandals instead of his running shoes, because he did not want them to get soaked. The sandals are much slower to hike in, however, with the first two miles taking well over an hour. Huge rocks on the steep section of trail required using both arms and legs to descend. These rocks become somewhat slippery when wet, which meant more time was needed to safely navigate them. Porter travelled a scary gravel road that was inundated with water and became a river from the rains. Carrying precious cargo of hot chocolate, she made it safely. Thankfully the rain let up, and in his haste, Sherpa surrendered both his rain poncho and his beloved bug net at the stop. The next 5 miles the gnats swarmed him as the rain subsided. Without bug spray, or the bug net, the only other escape would have been to outrun them. This section was especially flat and would have been easy to jog. Alas, he was still wearing his sandals. An optimist, he thought to himself, at least gnats have protein... as he breathed them in. When God drove out the inhabitants of Canaan to give the land to the Israelites ~3500 years ago, the bible says that one of the things he used to make them flee was hornets. Imagine how effective that would have been, no bug spray, houses that weren't sealed well, etc. We would have left in a hurry! Thankfully these gnats don't sting! After meeting up we did a flip flop and hiked South several miles because we weren't sure if there would be parking at the next crossing. Sherpa grabbed some snacks, his tennies, the bug net, and jumped back on the trail. To his surprise, he passed gasket! Apparently he had taken some time off at Harpers Ferry. Always fun to run into people you have hiked with before. Spirits renewed, he hurried to the next crossing, which thankfully, was mostly downhill. We took off early to fetch Sherpa's mom, who flew into LaGuardia today to spend the weekend with us. We predict more New York style pizza in our future. Her flight was delayed, so instead of Porter picking her up while Sherpa hiked, we went together, calling it a day around 5pm.
Date: 2016-08-11
From: West Cornall Road (CT), 1482.6

To: CT, CT 44, 1499.2
Miles today: 16.6
Weather: scattered clouds

So very hot hot hot! The sweat just rolled off today. Our goal was to get near the Connecticut/ Massachussettes border. After enjoying breakfast at our hotel, Porter got an idea. Let's make egg salad sandwiches for lunch. Among the contents of Seewald the 2nd (our cooler) that had been transferred to our hotel mini fridge were mayo and mustard and the breakfast bar had bread and hardboiled eggs. Delicious innovation. A few minutes later, with sandwiches in hand, we set out along with Sherpa's Momma Mia. There really isn't a convenient rendezvous point near the Connecticut border.   Our choices were finishing 5 miles before or 7 miles after.   Not wanting to do a 12 mile hike in the evening without breaks with a weather system approaching, we opted for finishing at mile 1499. Momma Mia did get out and hike a couple miles. No trailname yet, but she still has 2187 miles to go... It was fun hiking with someone who is not a thruhiker. We carefully selected one of the flattest sections (a fair amount followed a road, the rest paralleled the Housatonic River). Still, the few elevation changes brought forth astonished outbursts of "You've gotta be kidding me!". For those of you thinking about hiking the AT, it's not flat and it's not paved. You can't really appreciate the many small ups and downs until you've walked a bit of it. But she also noticed the things that thruhikers get used to, like the smells, the sounds, bark peeling off trees. Once, she started to follow a blue blaze side trail. Her experience was made even more authentic when a southbound hiker asked Sherpa for weed and then saw her come up over a hill and said "oh, never mind". After sweating thru a couple miles, she was ready to return to our air conditioned chariot. Back in the car with Porter, they set out to find a bathroom that didn't require using leaves or burying waste. That brought them to the oldest free public library in the United States, located in Salisbury, Ct. Allegedly, some of the books still haven't been colored in. We will be off the trail the next few days enjoying NYC with momma Mia, which is fine because it is supposed to pour. See you next week!