morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2019-04-28
From: Eckville Shelter

To: Bake Oven Knob Shelter
Miles today: 17.4
Weather: scattered clouds

What can I say, the rocks and boulders are definitely finally here.  This is the infamous ¢Rockslyvania¢ I¢ve been hearing about.  Today was definitely the hardest for rocks, and probably in general. A few times I simply had to put my trekking poles away and simply use my hands and feet, like some kind of rock climber with a very large backpack.span class="Apple-converted-space"> It was raining all morning, and I was prepared with my ridiculous looking Frogg Toggs jacket, plus my rain cover for my pack.It wasn¢t really too bad, but there were a few times I was rock scrambling and slipped because of the moisture.  I was able to regain balance most times, except once where I was on my way to smash my face into the rocks after a slip, but my hands caught me... phew.span class="Apple-converted-space"> and later in the day I found myself at some infamous precipice, scrambling on top of boulders called Knife¢s Edge.  Kind of freaky but I took it slow and did ok.Pushed myself to keep going to Bake Oven Knob Shelter, and I felt in good strength.  Maybe my office legs are finally shedding, and my trail legs coming into strength?Last unexpected bouldering and gripping onto rocks with both hands came less than a mile to the shelter, at Bake Oven Knob.  I kind of looked around and laughed... always seems like the trail planner is some maniac who plans the trickiest routes.Managed to lower myself through the rocks without dying...  I did disturb some duck who was nesting in the rocks.  Scared me... she flew out and started calling for help, like I was gonna eat her or her chicks or something.  Just passing through, lady!  Gheesh.Made it to the shelter at 7:15pm, happily with daylight to spare to cook and hang my bear bag.  The latter required more effort than usual, but I feel like I¢m getting the hang of it (hang, get it?  Sorry...).span class="Apple-converted-space"> I didn¢t mind that much - I was thankful just to have a place to put my head.  Backpacker¢s Pantry Risotto dinner was awesome, took longer to cook than Mountain House meals though.  My big fuel canister is finally starting to peter out, not bad after three weeks..span class="Apple-converted-space"> I started a little before mile 1025, so that means I am just over 10% done with the entire AT.  Hoping my pace quickens up... feels disheartening having so many folks pass me up.  The fast hikers from Georgia are also starting to appear more frequently... of course flying by at a crazy speed.  All in good time, I am just hoping I can keep going at any pace, even if it is slow.
Date: 2019-04-30
From: 1263.9 tentsite

To: Leroy A Smith Shelter
Miles today: 11.4

Was expecting an easier day today, but it was a challenge. So many rocks. I am growing to really hate them. Thankful for the stretches in between where there¢s more gravel. Thankfully just rock scrambling today, no rock climbing.Started to run out of water due to lack of water sources near the superfund site I camped on top of last night. Ended up doing a big detour down to a blue blaze trail at my first opportunity to get fresh clean water. Not too bad, just over 10 minutes downhill and about 15 uphill.Feet were killing me today. Also had some pretty bad issues with my back early in the day. Those sharp pains under my left shoulder blade are killers, but somehow I get through it and things feel better as the day goes on. Maybe the pain from my feet end up counterbalancing?Going on too many nights now without a trail town, so I think I was getting too demoralized. Wind Gap is just a few miles away, so I¢m looking forward to a brief excursion there for some food and hopefully beer! Delaware Water Gap is about 20 miles away from my shelter now, technically doable in a day, but I am sure it¢s rocky, so it¢s hard to guess how long it will really take. That will be the last city of Pennsylvania, where I will for sure take a real zero day and enjoy the town.After that it¢s onto New Jersey. The first part has some rocks, but it¢s supposed to taper off, thank goodness. I am sure glad I don¢t live in eastern Pennsylvania - the hiking here is a challenge but is really not pleasant. Shoes holding out for now thankfully...
Date: 2019-05-01
From: Leroy A Smith Shelter

To: Kirkridge Shelter
Miles today: 13.7
Weather: broken clouds

Saw two bears today! A mama bear and her cub, maybe the worst possible combo because the mothers are known to be very protective. I had rested my pack down for a break when I heard some rustling in the bushes made by a large creature. At first I thought it was turkeys, but I looked closer and noticed it was a mom bear with her brown cub behind me a ways, right on the trail. I got a not so great video of them before banging my trekking poles together, which sent them running away skittishly.Was still a difficult hike with lots of rocks... but went into the town of Wind a Gap to stop at the cafe, which lifted my spirits. Broadway Cafe - super hiker friendly. Charged my phone and battery pack there, and they even offered to refill my water.Was planning to make progress towards Delaware Water Gap as much as possible to cut down the mileage for tomorrow. Was going to camp but ended up seeing the bears, and decided to push on right to the next shelter. Got there at sunset to a very foggy Dahobah-like atmosphere, starting to rain a bit. 22 was standing there in the doorway asking ¢Philosopher, is that you?¢. Just a little while later a thru hiker from Georgia arrived at a very determined, fast pace, and seemed dazed at first when I talked to him, but he was nice enough. Said he did 38 miles that day, all the way from Bake Oven Shelter. These marathon hikers are just hiking a different hike entirely. It can be demoralizing to compare yourself to them, but I am happy to hike my own challenging hike.Old shelter, definitely saw a little mouse run by, but they seemed to leave me alone when sleeping. Put up a big tarp in the entrance because this one is facing the wind unfortunately!
Date: 2019-05-02
From: Kirkridge Shelter

To: Delaware Water Gap Rodeway Inn
Miles today: 6.4

Just a Nero day today - six miles to get from shelter to town. Not sure why it took me so long, but I meandered over, enjoying the views, accidentally dunking myself by a waterfall, and spending too much money on food and beer at a restaurant mid-day. Stopped in by the Outfitters since I noticed it was open.Finally got to the hotel and just crashed. Took a much-needed shower and bath, checked thoroughly for ticks. Visited the gas station across the street and spent way too much on junk food. Came back and Skyped with the family. That¢s about it! Goodnight!
Date: 2019-05-03
To: Delaware Water Gap Rodeway Inn
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

Glorious zero day today.Tried the Japanese place nearby - awesome atmosphere but the food was a miss. Strange to see okonomiyaki on the menu, but I went with ramen instead, which they specialize in. Too watered down though...Also took a trip to the Post Office to pickup my self-mailed resupply (mostly for topping off liquids).After this I stopped into the Ice Cream emporium and got a lemon sherbet with a coffee. I have definitely been craving those!Headed back to the hotel and stopped by the bakery, which looked pretty nice. Grabbed a few cookies only, then meandered back to the hotel. Had been soaking my clothes in the sink for a few hours, so I took those and threw them in the laundry. Nice newish modern machines! And some free detergent... nice!Spent time editing my latest video and started trying to upload it.After my laundry was dry I sprayed it with permethrin, which is a tick deterrent that should last for about six weeks, through six washings. Used up the whole bottle!Nice to spent up the last part of the day just snacking and relaxing in bed... much needed relaxation. But I know I can¢t stay here forever...
Date: 2019-05-05
From: AMC Mohican Outdoor Center

To: AMC Mohican Outdoor Center
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: moderate rain

Forced zero day today due to rain. Surprised I am still limping around in the morning... maybe my body needs more rest anyhow.Had a great breakfast buffet and spent the rest of the day reading, listening to audiobooks and music. Shoes seem to be stubbornly drying out very slowly...I know it will be still be muddy and slippery tomorrow, but I am hoping the rain lets up enough these next few days for me to make good progress without getting soaked...
Date: 2019-05-06
From: AMC Mohican Outdoor Center

To: Brink Road Shelter
Miles today: 14.4
Weather: light rain

Grabbed breakfast and lunch to go from Mohican, then left a bit late. Really thankful today had such a blue sky and clear forecast, with a small chance of rain that never materialized.The terrain is definitely a bit different, with the trail winding its way around lakes and beaver bogs. I saw a giant beaver bog and heard strange sounds from what I could only assume were the beavers.Also saw four snakes in the water, two of which were perched up in the branches of a plant in the water. Never have seen that before.Still plenty of stretches with rocks - including a rock wall that the AT goes right through. I got a bit lost on the trail here... wasn¢t expecting these sort of large rocks from NJ.Made it to Brink Road Shelter before sundown and saw Crash there, who I¢d met a few times during the day coming in. He is hiking the AT for the fourth time. This is his 20th anniversary of his 1999 hike. He said it was definitely easier when he was just 20 years younger. Yet here he is, all the way from Springer Mountain in Georgia.A really noisy group of campers were too close by. Their voices echoed around us for miles into the night, and they woke up surprisingly early the next morning to resume their volume, then made themselves even more annoying by banging things together and chanting while playing some game.Wisely, Crash had already left way earlier in the morning, as is the wont of most of the hikers I¢ve shared shelters with.
Date: 2019-05-07
From: Brink Road Shelter

To: Green Anderson Shelter
Miles today: 6.6
Weather: broken clouds

From Brink Road Shelter to Gren Anderson ShelterShort day today in term of miles - just 6.6 miles. The muscle above my right knee was really acting up and aching on downhills. The next trail town was only a few miles from where I started, but it took an agonizingly long time to get there with my hobbling steps. Looking back now, I should have simply had a snack with some ibuprofen.Took a short detour into Culver¢s Gap, which was disappointing. Gyp¢s Tavern has just ok food but a good selection of beer on tap. The service wasn¢t super great though - the waitress barely looked up from her phone. As I left, she was still glued to her phone. Nice area out back by the lake though - I should have just relaxed out there a while longer.Sporting goods shop next door had mostly fishing stuff and car camping stuff. I don¢t think they really understand what thru hikers want, and don¢t care. Just grabbed an iced tea and the cashier gruffly said ¢is that it?¢ Hey, want to make money? You should be asking ¢what were you looking for that you couldn¢t find?¢Made it out of Culver¢s Gap and stopped at the first shelter I came to, which was taken over by another school group, shelter and all. I went straight into the shelter and said ¢hello¢ to the middle schoolers sitting around the table out front, but they just ignored me. I guess they aren¢t supposed to talk to strangers. Or I look like some crazed homeless man coming in to raid their shelter.A minute later the two girls sitting on the table out front left and then returned with their teacher. Their teacher tried to smooth things over a little by asking my trail name. ¢Hey everyone, meet Philosopher¢. Maybe one hello in return, and also a question about how many miles I¢d done. I told them about 280 or so, since I hadn¢t looked it up in a while. But writing this now I realize I¢d actually just passed 300 miles!There was an afternoon thunderstorm, so of course the whole group crammed into the shelter and had their group meeting and such. I¢m supposed to share it, so I told them it¢s ok, but my bedtime was around 9pm or so. Around then I finally started inflating my air mattress and tucked myself in, and they gave me some distance and went off to their tents, their stuff still sort of strewn about the whole shelter. Gah!
Date: 2019-05-08
From: Gren Anderson Shelter

To: Secret Shelter (Jim Murray Shelter)
Miles today: 18.3
Weather: overcast clouds

Woke up very early, motivated to leave the school group behind and get out early.A teacher of the school group mentioned Sunrise Mountain up ahead as a little bit of a challenge. It was uphill, sure, but it was pretty easy to ¢summit¢. At around 1,600 feet, can it even be considered a mountain anymore? I feel like whipping out a picture of the California Sierra and saying ¢that¢s no mountain...¢ in a cheesy Crocodile Dundee sort of way.Had a snack bar on the trail for breakfast, something I don¢t do enough. Got to Mashipacong Shelter and had a second breakfast that I cooked up. I knew this shelter was the goal for the school group for today, so I knew I would make it far past there. Passed another shelter and kept marching on to High Point State Park.My muscle above me knee initially felt ok, but eventually started to give me some pain. By the time I arrived at the state park, I was kind of hobbling along and needed a break.The state park is pretty nice - a local group called the Friends of High Point donate boxes of Pepsi¢s to be given out to thru hikers, with the single caveat that hikers need to sign their logbook. I saw that they also carried some other off brand soda and candies, so I grabbed a soda and a big bag of Runts, then lounged around inside a bit. Wonderful break!Bit of a mistake though - I should have had a real lunch here instead of a bag of candies. But I think I needed all the sugar in any case.Walked north a bit further to an observation platform and suddenly saw a giant obelisk resembling the Washington Monument in DC. Oh, I guess this is the logo I saw on all those shirts at the HQ, I thought to myself. Good place for another 360 photo...According to comments on Guthook, this is supposed to be the ¢end¢ of the PA rocks. But I am not sure what folks mean exactly by ¢rocks¢. I keep seeing jagged pointy rocks on the trail, but there¢s definitely less of them. I am no longer cursing the ground I walk over.High Point Shelter was my original destination for the day, but upon arriving there I found I still had energy to go a few more miles to the ¢Secret¢ Shelter run by Jim Murray, a former thru hiker who setup a shelter on his farm property.Got in those next miles before sunset, which made me happy (it also means today was a loooong day). These next miles were beautiful, taking me through pastures and land that resembled my favorite parts of Pennsylvania. Never would have guessed that New Jersey looked so beautiful.It got very muddy in the last few miles, maybe the worse I¢ve yet seen. Also felt something funny near a toe on my left foot - I could swear a toenail had fallen off somehow. When I got to the shelter I found that the sock liner had simply torn open... Not bad after 300+ miles I guess.18.3 miles today!
Date: 2019-05-09
From: Secret Shelter (Jim Murray Shelter)

To: Pochuck Shelter
Miles today: 6.5
Weather: scattered clouds

Felt like a slow day today, and the next shelter wasn¢t very far away, so I took it easy. Picked up breakfast and a big sub to go at the General Store in Unionville, and snacked and recharged on their porch for a bit.A local guy came up to chat a bit. A little bit later WrongWay came up to stop and resupply and chat. I left and hiked just a little bit more until I got hungry again, so I waited till I got to Wallkill River to eat at a bench. Saw WrongWay crossing the bridge and waved at him.This next section must have been the muddiest I¢ve been through, with the mud again trying to suck off my shoes. Definitely got my feet wet and had to hike with some soggy feet for a least the last few miles to the shelter.There was an abandoned house with a water spigot, but the spigot hadn¢t yet been turned on for the season. Peaked inside and it seemed weird - just saw an office chair and some pizza boxes inside.Went a bit further and relaxed at Pockuck Mountain Shelter for the night.WrongWay heard something in the woods at night but couldn¢t really make out any eyes shining back in his headlamp. The rustling in the bushes subsisted eventually, but kinda freaked us out. I got out of my sleeping bag temporarily to try to look for it, and I was shivering a lot... surprisingly cold still... Despite that, I had a pretty nice sleep. Thankful for the functioning air mattress!!
Date: 2019-05-10
From: Pochuck Shelter

To: Wawayanda Shelter
Miles today: 11.5
Weather: overcast clouds

Today I hiked with WrongWay, with him leading. We finally did the boardwalk we¢d kept hearing about, which was beautiful. We have been walking on a couple boarded sections here and there, which has provided a great break from the mud. But this section was solid boardwalk for a mile or two, with a wooden suspension bridge in the middle. Really beautiful area with tall grasses. Black birds with red patches were perched atop some of these plants... reminded me of a similar looking bird back in Santa Cruz.Stopped at Heaven Hill Farms and saw an outdated sign on the trail saying they had lunches and fruits, but was disappointed that they had neither. Instead I grabbed some junk food, some bakery items, and the highlight - some lemon New York italian ice. Should have had more of that!After that we hiked up the ¢stairway to heaven¢ we¢d heard about from the locals. I wanted to stop halfway for a break and refill at the stream, then we continued up for a great view of the valley we¢d just hiked out of, including the little boardwalk we walked out of to get to Heaven Hill Farms.Spent the night at Wawayanda Shelter with another thru hiker, didn¢t quite get his name. He passed us on the way up and had already setup his tent near our shelter.Chatted a bit during dinner, then had a pretty nice sleep.
Date: 2019-05-11
From: Wawayanda Shelter

To: Warwick Motel
Miles today: 8.7

Lower mileages these last few days... supposed to be rain starting today, but it didn¢t turn out too bad actually.Neglected to read AWOL¢s guide today and regretted it. Took a look at the Guthook app and the elevation gains didn¢t look too crazy for the day. The note in AWOL said it¢s deceiving, as there is bouldering around rocks, and sudden rises and drops...Hiked with WrongWay again today. Early on we encountered my first real roadside trail magic - some folks setup with a tent and all sorts of goodies. I grabbed a beer, hot dog, and a donut. We chatted and found they were waiting for Frozen from a YouTube channel called Outdoor Adventures. We waited around a bit, hoping they would pass through, but eventually around noon decided to head back onto the trail.We ran into another hiker who also grabbed the trail magic - a middle aged lady hiking with one arm bandaged up - she had broken it and taken a month off the trail, and now she was back... We ended up crossing paths a few times, since her pace was slower, but we took more breaks.When we were all close together, we passed a day hiker heading southbound who looked trustworthy and told us the trail ahead was flat and not rocky at all. We all bought it and looked forward to the relief, after having climbed through rocks and boulders coming up to that point.But the trail ahead was the section I neglected to read in AWOL¢s guide... And we all ended up laughing and repeating the girl¢s words ¢it¢s flat¢ as we went steeply uphill, sometimes straight up rock walls. And ¢there¢s no rocks¢ as we climbed up giant boulders. Like always, the trail seems to have been planned by a maniacal planner, or someone just randomly drawing lines on a map without any topographical information. On one occasion we climbed up a rebar ladder fixed right into the solid rock, a straight up climb that reminded me a lot of a similar one at Pinnacles National Park.Damn practical jokers...Made it to the side trail into Greenwood Lake, which followed a steep path downhill. We didn¢t quite make it to the post office in time, so I figured I¢d grab the package I mailed myself on Monday (the Post Office is closed Sundays).Grabbed food and drinks at Murphy¢s Tavern, where I tried Overpass IPA on tap, which was great and hit the spot.Afterwards we took a Lyft to Warwick Motel, which turned out to be a bad decision. The motel was run down but kind of manageable, but the folks upstairs turned out to be some sort of drug addicts who vacuumed their floor constantly, pounded and yelled on their floor, and paced back and forth all night... I split the room with WrongWay, and he didn¢t really sleep. I slept a few hours, but it was an overall bad experience... Stay out of room 103.
Date: 2019-05-12
From: Warwick Motel

To: Holiday Inn Express Chester-Monroe-Goshen
Miles today: 0.0

After a rough sleep at our motel, we checked out and walked around Warwick a bit in the rain. Checked out a beef jerky shop and chatted with the lady there about hiking in general - people always seem so impressed about the distances and the time on the trail, especially with WrongWay, who started January 2 in Georgia.Grabbed a coffee and some food to go at Caffe a La Mode, then walked over to the Craft Beer Cellar, which had a lot of single bottled beers for sale in addition to 20 beers on tap. Here we ran into a nice couple who were curious about our hiking, and I didn¢t realize it but the lady bought our first beers for us. I didn¢t have a chance to thank her. I think that can also be considered trail magic! I have a lot of unbalanced trail magic karma that I desperately need to pay forward somehow...It was around 3:30pm so we took a ride to get another town called Chester for a hotel that wasn¢t booked up. For the same price as the motel last night, we have a wonderfully clean and modern room and no drug addicts pacing around upstairs... as always, always wonderful to experience joy after suffering. Always great to regain peace after suffering through something breaking or some other hell.
Date: 2019-05-13
From: Holiday Inn Express Chester-Monroe-Goshen

To: Wildcat Shelter
Miles today: 4.2
Weather: overcast clouds

Had a great sleep and huge, great breakfast at the Holiday Inn and was super tempted to stay another zero day. On the news they flagged today as a cold and ¢Raw Weather¢ day, which I guess meant something like it was especially cold and uncomfortable. WrongWay decided to stay an extra day, but I felt like I wanted to keep making progress, if even a few miles.Took a Lyft back to Greenwood Lake to pick up my self-mailed package, then climbed back out of the city on the same blue blaze WrongWay and I took down a few days back.Hiked up in the foggy morning before the rain started for the day. Made it to the Bellevue ice cream place I¢d heard so much about, and had a great two scoop dessert - one with sorbet (which I was craving), and one with vanilla raspberry (?) which seemed to be popular.Went back out into the light rain and aimed to get in just a few more miles to the next shelter. It was tough. There was a section called Pinnacles which involved rock climbing and then walking over a slippery rock face. I distrusted every single step, and was super thankful for my poles. There was a similar area up ahead called Cat Rocks, which were not as bad, but still very scary in the rain.Made it to Wildcat Shelter, where I met SlowDog.Slipped and fell once today.