morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2004-07-25
From: Murray Property

To: Eileen's Home NJ
Miles today: 10.0

July 25th. Murray property to Eileens house. About ten miles. I got up later than usual. I like sleeping in if I feel like it. The earliest risers around here seem to be after 6:00 a.m. I like that because before the birds start chirping it feels like night to me and the birds don't start until after 5:30. Anyhow, I slept till 7:00 and didn't leave until after 8:00. Lots of swampy area around here. You walk across two 2x6's that are nailed to logs. Kindof like walking the plank. I did a little slip and slide today on one and landed on my butt in the mud. No biggy cause my pack took the fall. Why is it when you fall that it always seems like someone is standing there? Just lucky I guess huh?I found some old bones. Either a bear or a deer. It could be either from this area. They were scattered everywhere....I took a couple of teeth to make a necklace out of. That will make me look tough huh? It feels like you are walking through lots of neighborhoods here. And Shoe, you were right about the walkill reservation. There seem to be lots more people hiking up here. Instead of the caboose I am now in the middle. I am meeting people that I have been reading about in the registers which is very nice to finally put a face too. It's strange how different you picture people. Some of these big mile people I thought would be like these hiking gods but they still deal with blisters and sore feet just like me. And nobody is that much faster than me either. I am so glad I saw the doctor because I had no clue how bad I was feeling until I started to feel better. That 20 mile day was a breeze for me and even the next day I felt great. I wouldn't want to do a bunch of them in a row but every now and again is fine. I like stopping wherever I feel like it and ending and starting a day whenever or wherever I want. I don't think I will ever experience this kind of freedom again. Not to this degree anyhow. So many people talk about quitting and just getting fed up with the trail. I have rarely !thought about quitting. I do wonder if I can make it though. If I stay in the health I am in right now I don't see a problem. I can finish in Maine and then hop back down and finish up my 400 something odd miles. I think the Shenendoahs will be beautiful in the fall! No where in the books does it say that your hike has to be from one point to another and in a certain direction. But for it to be a thru hike it has to be done in 12 months. Fabulous if I can make it but it doesn't much matter. If I have to end next year I will still be happy and forever changed.I am laying in a comfy bed at Eileens. She is a member of the breast cancer group I belong to online. You guys rock! How could I have gotten through last year without you guys? You have to stop worrying if I don't journal for a few days though. It's hard walking all day and then trying to remember it all. Chemo brain sucks! I can't believe I don't get lost more!Off to look in the fridge. I don't think Eileen eats very well cause there sure isn't much here! :-) Hungry sparepocket
Date: 2004-07-26
From: Eileen's House

To: Maine
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

I am still at Eileens. When she gets home around noon we are going to walmart so I can geta few things. And everyone knows how I hate to start hiking in the afternoon so I will leave early tomorrow morning. I am leaving with a little more food this time. I am fine on meals but I never seem to eat enough during the day...so more snacks for me....and pepperoni again and tortillas and the dreaded peanut butter. Peanut butter is kindof the perfect food for hiking but I get so sick of it. I am trying to make myself really sick of certain things so when I get back I won't have a problem with them. I am pretty much sick of Luna bars and cliff bars and snickers and peanut butter. What am I going to do when i get back home??? I can't walk ten miles a day.....and where would I walk anyhow? I need to start coming up with some kind of plan. I realized today looking at the journal that maybe I should have kept better records with the miles cause I know I am past that 700 mark. I know where I have been and where I haven't been though so I guess that's all that matters.over and out in New Jerseysparepocket
Date: 2004-07-27
From: Brenner road

To: eileens house
Miles today: 6.0

I ended up with a nice short and quick 6.0 slack pack. I came down a huge mountain without a pack. Otherwise I would have been climbing it with a pack. I did the 6 miles in 2 hours and 15 minutes so I am getting faster. Woohooooo! I am still going to be here tomorrow cause I am going to do a little plumbing for Eileen. So, depending on how the plumbing goes I will be off tomorrow afternoon or the next morning. I was happy to get those 6 miles in today though....and it STILL felt like a zero day.Life is good!sparepocketp.s. Can Eileen cook????? ;-) LOL
Date: 2004-07-28
From: eileens house

To: Fort Montgomery
Miles today: 0.0

Spent the morning fixing some plumbing at Eileens house. And boy was I glad too cause it has rained allllll day. But rain or shine I am back out there tomorrow. I should be in Fort Montgomery by Saturday. I feel really strong. Time to step things up a notch.Sparepocket chomping at the bit!
Date: 2004-07-28
From: on NJ AT

To: State of NY AT
Miles today: 14.6

July 28th. 14.6 miles. According to my map this was supposed to be an easy day. Not even close. I fell down at least 7 times today. I lost count after a while. I left this morning and it was damp and I thought it was perfect weather for hiking. Only if you are not rockclimbing. I hit the New Jersey New York border around 11:30 and then my welcome to New York began. There was some scarey climbing. If the weather had been perfect I would have been scared but with it wet too.....yikes. There were many times I just got on my butt and tried to control my sliding. Even on my butt it was hard. A couple of my falls were reminiscent of my hip fall on the bridge. Mostly the pack took my falls but once again it hurts to sit. Just not as bad as last time. Today was the first bloody day too.....I scratched my hand and my knees. I was on my knees alot today because of how steep things were. I spent some time being genuinely scared today. And tonight I feel like I have been beaten up.On the brighter side. I came to a road with a sign that said Ice cream 1\10th of a mile. Ice cream sounded good. When I arrived there were about 8 older ladies all dressed in bright purples and red hats. They looked awesome. Of course I had to get some pictures of them so I went and talked with them. They had lots of questions and I took pictures and so did they. They all seemed pretty amazed about what I was doing. One lady even offered me a shower. Hmmmm, I can't imagine why she thought I needed one. lol! I gave them the address of trailjournals and I hope they find their way here. I would love to hear how they all met and the name of their group is "The Redwicks of Warwick New York". I can't wait to see the pictures of them though!Well, time to finish my book and socialize with my fellow hikers.Hurting sparepocket
Date: 2004-07-29
From: State of NY AT

To: Harriman State park NJ
Miles today: 15.3

july 29th. 12.6 miles. Once again I planned on a fairly easy day and once again the trail said, "not so fast!".Lots of steep climbing. The kind where you toss up your treking poles and grab hold of anything you can with your hands. Grabbing rocks is a little scarey with all the snakes. At least it was dry today. I only fell once and that was going up so I didn't have far to fall. I caught myself with my hands so it looked like I was doing a push up. Not really a push up though....more of a hold yourself up so your head doesn't smash into the rocks push up. My mph has really slowed down the last two days. No problem....I have plenty of food and a little more courage left. I planned on going 14 to the next shelter but I came upon a lake. Island pond lake. Or maybe it's just a pond? It looks like a lake to me. A man named Mike who lives in the area told me there was great swiming there. It was so beautiful when I got up here that I decided to stay. Of course the fact that I was hot and tired egged me on. I set up my tent overlooking the lake. It is amazing. Then it was time to!wash my stinky clothes so I jumped in and swam myslef silly. The water is perfect. I feel like a new woman. I thought about K-bear. She would have stayed in for hours. And because she is a much more confident swimmer than I she would have swam to the island in the middle. Don't miss this swimming hole K-bear! The sky is as blue as can be and the mosquitoes are outside the tent and the sun is setting over the lake and what could be better? I am not planning my hike tomorrow. I thought I would be crossing the Hudson river in the morning but I am a tad slower these past few days so I will just take one step at a time and enjoy the views. And like a fellow hiker once told me, "the steeper the climb, the more places to sit down".by the way, did I Happen to mention that a full moon is coming over the lake? I think I may have to go skinny dipping,,,,,it's been on my list of things to do before I die. I am feeling braver and braver and it would make my sore muscles feel so good.Well, it was way too good to pass up. skinny dipping in a lake at night with a full moon glistening on the water.It was exhilarating and terrifying at the same time. better drift off to sleep now.over and out from beautiful Harriman state park in New York.Sparepocket
Date: 2004-08-02
From: Bearmountain

To: Greymoor Friary
Miles today: 14.4

Aug. 2nd. 12 .4 miles today. Good to be back on the trail! Sherry dropped me off early this morning and I climbed Bear Mountain and climbed down and now am sitting at Trailside museums and zoos....waiting for it to open. The trail goes right through it. While I can bypass the zoo I decide not to cause I have just another hour to wait and also because the lowest point on the A.T. is here. It is 123 feet above sea level at the bear cages. While I am sitting here at least six military helicopters fly over so low that I can see the men sitting in them. This morning the terror alert was raised to Orange in NYC and Newark and D.C. That is the reason for the military choppers. Scarey times we live in.Update....the choppers do not have anything to do with heightened security. They are from Westpoint.Nice relatively easy day...talked to lots of people. Passed a group of kids from the Bronx and they asked questions and then ten minutes later I ran into some kids from Conn. and they asked tons of questions. It was a nice break and I never seem to mind answering questions.I also ran into a nice woman by a road who took pictures of me and videotaped me for posterity. She offered me a ride to Greymoor Monestery but I was only a half a mile away so I declined. I neglected to get her name but did get her email address. So, what's your name?Now I am at Greymoor Friary. Not a monestary like I thought. And there is a difference but I am too tired to explain. There are lots of thru-hikers here and it's funny cause they think they are the caboose of thru-hikers. I am not sure they believe me that there are more people behind. But I know there are. I can't remember all the names of the folks here.Brother Leo came and invited us to dinner. And a trail angel namedBordon came and drove us up. We had a great all you can eat dinner of pasta and salad and bread and iced tea and jello. We ate ourselves silly and then brother leo and his dog buddy took us on a tour of the friary. It's a wonderful place here. I took a lot of pictures. In a garden they had a cross that was donated from the new york ironworkers local that was made from I-beams from the world trade center. I took a picture of that too. Maybe I shouldn't have but I already did.The hikers are playing a game like rock paper sizzors but it is like a duel. They take three steps and then strike a pose of either a bear, a ninja, or a cowboy. Nice and fun game and it doesn't weigh anything.I suppose I should find out how many miles I have done and I should also figure out how many miles tomorrow.Over and outSparepocket
Date: 2004-08-03
From: Greymoor Friary

To: a town with huge Calzones!!
Miles today: 18.7

august 3rd. 17.6 miles. I got a late start. And hot is the word of the day. At 7:00 a.m. it was 75 degrees. And the humidity was high.....don't know what but it was high. Drank lots of water....and then some more. Talked to lots of hikers. stopped alot. Stopped at Canapus lake and went swiming at 3:00. I spent about 40 minutes in the water. It was great but then I had to hike. Hot some more. Hike, sweat, hike, sweat. That was my day. I stopped at Shenendoah campsite. It was so much more than I expected. Nice grassy places to set up the tents. Picnic tables and a few buildings and water from a pump. And now I am tired but it is a good tired. Not sure how far I will hike tomorow but I know there is a deli with huge calzones coming up. Mmmmmmmmm, I canKt wait!sparepocket
Date: 2004-08-04
From: Buzy Trail

To: Connecticut
Miles today: 11.0

Aug.4th. A pathetic 11 miles. Ughhhh. I got up late. I started late. The humidity was a little lower but 88 degrees is still hot. So, I am into camp early. Going to bed earlier and geting up earlier. It is supposed to rain so that will either slow me down or help me move quicker since I'll be cooler. The trail was like Grand Central station today. Lots of people. Including Smack who I saw at the deli. I had a calzone and it was the best one I have ever had. It was only 4.50 and it must have been a foot long. I ate most of it and wrapped the rest up for dinner. I stayed way longer than I should have. I just felt drained today. Thank God the temp. is going to be lower tomorrow.And as I write the rain begins. It is really comfy in my tent but my socks are stinking the place up. Peeeeeyouuuuuuuuu. Sparepocket planning on a longer day tomorrow. And Conn. is just 17.6 miles away. Woohoo!
Date: 2004-08-05
From: In New York

To: Connecticut
Miles today: 0.0

August 5th. Hmmmmmm.....this has turned into an interesting day. It rained alll night and really downpoured at times. I woke up early as planned. I finally got up to pee and boy did I have to. I got back in my tent to get warm. Who would think you could be cold in August? Especially after the last few days of heat. My sleeping bag was dry and the top of my thermarest was dry but everything underneath was wet. I didn't want to pack up in the rain so I decided to sleep some more. I finally got up....around 9:00 a.m. And believe it or not I wasn't the last one up! I hung up the tent fly first. And cleaned it too.....dirt had sprayed on it from the wind. Now, it's 11:35 and everything is hung up to be dried and the sun just came out. Ok, so I hated the sun the last few days and love it now. Fickle, aren't I?I forgot to mention that I woke up feeling neauseaus. I still can't spell that either! I have been judicious about treating my water so I don't know what's going on. Anyhow, I decided to zero right here. I am feeling pretty ambivelent about it. I am also feeling ambivelent about my hike today. I WILL finish this hike but I am not sure I can do it before the weather goes south. So, on one hand I think....so what??? Who cares if I don't finish this year? It's not like I'm a failure. On the other hand I feel like a complete failure. With all that being said what do I do now? Hmmmmmmm......not sure but I have all day to think about it.The day turned into the afternnon and the afternon has turned to dusk. Believe or not I took a walk earlier. Scared a bunch of frogs.A thru-hiker named screamin steven came in about 8:00 p.m. and introed himself and said that he met me in the south at bly gap. He complimented me on how far I have walked and how much better I look with less weight. Then he told me yogi was down at the deli looking for me. Yogi couldn't quite get his head back into the hike. He gave me his phone number and hopefully Yogi will help me with some ideas about my hike.Oh, and then screamin steven came down to give me a pepsi....what a treat.I still feel like a pathetic loser but maybe I will see some light tomorrow after I talk to Yogi.down but not out sparepocket
Date: 2004-08-06
From: NY

To: New Paltz NY
Miles today: 4.0

August 6th. Maybe 4 miles. It was crisp cool morning. Almost felt like fall. My spirit was just not into the hike though. This was the first day I have felt like actually leaving the trail. When I talked to H the other day she said she was having a heart cath done. Minor procedure and she didn't need me there. I was thinking yesterday and today though. After all that I went through with the burn and then the cancer and she was there through every bit of it. Maybe a heart cath isn't a big thing but I want to be there. I called and told her that and she said, "no, no, no" and I said it was a done deal.Next I called up yogi and he asked if I wanted picked up and I said yeah. He picked me up and we drove to New Paltz and I took a long bath and did my wash and even took a nap. And who calls while I am sleeping but screamin steven. So, we drive back out and pick him up. About an hours drive too....not just a five minute job. Too bad we didn't know what we were doing beforehand huh? We could have saved yogi lots of driving. Your'e a champ yogi! Well, I have a two week plan right now anyhow. I will finish New York in a few days and then Conn. and Mass. I should be able to do all of that easy in two weeks and than come home to do the cath with H and then.....hmmmmm.....not sure what than. I will come back hiking but I think I am realizing that I can't finish the trail this year. I feel dissapointed and kind of like I failed but I feel ok also. I better not plan for that now cause I know I will change my mind a million times.over and out for now.sparepocket
Date: 2004-08-07
From: New Paltz NY

To:  Bear Mountain
Miles today: 6.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Aug. 7th. 6 miles.A great day even with a 4:00 p.m. start. yogi and screamin steven and I had a great breakfast in New Paltz. Then off to the grocery store for some shopping. Then to Bear Mountain to see if we could find some hikers. We found a couple of south bounders and apparently we just missed slimer. Bear Mt. was so different on a Saturday afternoon. When I crossed over it was early and closed but today it was open and oh so busy. And I finally got my view of the city. It's about time huh? We hung around for a while and left some water for hikers and off we went. It was a gorgeous day. Almost feels like fall. I got on the trail around 4:00 p.m. and boy did I feel good. Yogi got me thinking right again. I don't know what he said or did but I feel ready to conquer the world again. Thanks Yogi! Let me know when you guys are going to be hiking up north. I'd love to hike with you and Shoe again! And now I can keep up too! Woohoo. I was planning on staying at telephone pioneer shelter but boy was that place crowded. This must be where all the north bounders and south bounders collide. Anyhow Carp was there and asked how and where K-bear was and I told him what I knew. And Baloo was there and asked how Gary was doing and I gave him the info I knew. He is looking forward to seeing you as you head south. And so am I.I didn't stop though as it was way too crowded for me. I hiked about another mile or so and am stealth camping up on a huge hill with open fields and beautiful views. My hands are getting cold typing though.Into Conn. tomorrow. Finally! So New Jersey and New York will both be out of the way tomorrow.If I can just keep my thinking right I can do this.Sparepocket
Date: 2004-08-08
From: NY state

To: Kent CT
Miles today: 18.8

August 8th. 18.8 miles.Let me go back to last night for a moment. I am stealth camping next to an electric fence for a farm. The only reason I was so close was because it was mowed. So first it rains really hard. Only for about a half an hour and then the stars came out. What a view I had last night. Then I fall a sleep and maybe an hour later I am awakened by loud thuds on the ground and an unhappy animal sound. Before I remember about the fence I am terrified! I didn't know what was going on. After a few seconds I remember that I am next to a farm and then I got curious so I opened up my fly. Standing not five feet from me...an electric fence between us...is THE biggest cow, or steer or bull I have EVER seen. And he seems even bigger because I am on the ground. He was not a happy camper! I worried about the fence at that point cause I didn't know how well it worked. I maybe got a picture of him but I am not sure.Cuyotes howling throughout the night were doing some howling too. I was on the trail by 8:00 a.m.My fingers are freezing again so I am going to be brief about today.Goodbye New York! Hello Conn.!Lots of south bounders. Lots of day hikers. Lots of BMW's. And even a man in a suit walking with a cellphone. A covered bridge that George Washington crossed. A train platform that went to nyc and lots of flattened pennies. Walked through a field that looked like a Monet painting. More BMW's. Kent tomorrow morning but moving on after I get my mail. Oh, and I am thinking I can finish my thru hike again. But ask me tomorrow and it could all change.More BMW's tomorrow.Sparepocket, glad to be out of New York.p.s. more rain tonight.....I love my tent.
Date: 2004-08-09
From: Kent CT

To: North thru CT
Miles today: 4.0

Monday August 9th. 4 miles. I am finally in Kent Conn. What a nice little town. Expensive though. I paid 4 dollars for an egg salad sandwich. It was a good sandwich but not THAT good! I wasn't really planning on staying here but I can camp out for free at one of the local churches. So, I have had a shower already and am ready to do some laundry. I picked up my mail and wow....lots of stuff. Thanks Shoe, and Mom and Dad, and H .....I ate lots and packed lots and shared lots too. A really nice woman asked me if I needed a ride and I took her up on it. Lots of hikers here.....I am finally beginingto remember all of their names.A little girl at the deli must have thought I was homeless cause she tried to give me some money. lol! I just said no thank you.Hopefully I can get Conn and Mass. out of the way before I need to get home. And then.....I still don't know. It changes hourly.Sparepocket.
Date: 2004-08-11
From: Note from Editor

To: View Entry
Miles today: 5.0

I am so sick of the rain and thunderstorms and rain and thunderstorms and rain and thunderstorms. I have some stuff to post but just too tired today to do it. I am in Salsbury Ct. and what a pricey place but Maria Mcabe is a doll! I called my sis and she is coming to get me tomorrow and than off to Ohio for H's Heart cath and than hopefully back to the trail. These last couple of days have been rough and it's supposed to rain the next three days....all the remnants of Tropical storm Bonnie and Hurricane Charlie. It felt like I was in a hurricane the last couple of days and I feel whipped! I need some encouragement or some words of wisdom ......I need something. Sparepocket feeling like I've been beat. :-(