morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2006-05-15
From: Darlington Shelter

To: Duncannon
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

If you can only imagine. . .It's been raining for four days straight - EVERYTHING I own is some degree of moist, damp, or soaking wet - I haven't showered in 6 days - I've been sweating and shivering, covered in dirt, mud, and pollen and it's been too cold to even attempt my favorite creek sponge baths, everything stinks, my skin is shriveled with over-saturation, my hair is beyond description - I woke up this morning wanting a shower more than anything in the world, but I was going to have to walk 9 miles in a downpour to get to one - My, my how the trail makes me appreciate the most simple of luxuries. Somehow I ended up with four extra dinners and 1 breakfast short before town. Since I just can't stomach mac n cheese in the morning I ate my last energy bar and made an enormous pot of hot chocolate - probably a mere 350 calorie breakfast so by mile 6 my energy had bottomed out - it was a tough, tough hike but after 4 brownies from Mom in my mail drop and a shower at the biggest and coolest rat trap - "Doyle Hotel", I'm a new woman! I'm doing laundry and waiting around until 4 PM happy hour at the Doyle where I plan on being a big sinner and a glutton, between beer and bar food this evening. The Doyle is hilarious - it was built in the early 20th century and has hardly been cleaned or renovated since - the bathrooms are community hallway style and we're on the 4th floor up one of those old school winding staircases. The rooms are itty bitty and we've done a great job stinking ours up already but for 15 dollars a head I wouldn't pass up this trail landmark for the best 4 star hotel around.
Date: 2006-05-16
From: Duncannon

To: Clarcks Ferry Shelter
Miles today: 4.0
Weather: few clouds

My slacker transcriber (just kidding dad) has been traveling for the last week or so and my journals are far from caught up, but he'll be filling in all the gaps shortly with another bunch of pictures too. I had the BEST day in town yesterday. Came off the mountain drenched after 5 straight days of rain and 4 more days predicted to the warmth, hospitality, and charm of the Doyle hotel. What a great place...not recommended for romantic getaways, but for a stinky hiker looking for a break i can't recommend it highly enough. 90 cent lagers during happy hour, the best soy burger i've had in my life, a pool table, a juke box boasting neil young, janis joplin, queen, the allman brothers, pink floyd, johnny cash, and awesome company. around dusk we all got the surprise of the night when ole silver streak comes walking in the front doors of the Doyle after 12 days off the trail and as if THAT wasn't enough I finally got in touch with my Pennsylvania buddy from last year Gunter and HE walks through the door two minutes after silver. I let out about the biggest girly squeal i've ever made in my life and just about jumped in his arms from all the excitement. We sat at the bar looking at his pictures from last year and reminiscing about the 400 plus miles we walked together-then we went and got pizza and he's just about talked me into going with he and Pig Pen to trail days this thursday...doesn't take much to break me down. Slept super late this morning between my warm cotton sheets, ate monster sized blueberry pancakes for breakfast, lounged around the Doyle goofing off until the last possible minute, and am about to head back for another soy burger before the four tough miles to the shelter tonight...feeling great, having a blast...having the time of my life and never knew it could be this good.
Date: 2006-05-17
From: Clarcks Ferry Shelter

To: Rausch Gap Shelter
Miles today: 24.3
Weather: light rain

Best trail magic I've ever experienced. PigPen from my 05 hike met me at a random PA road crossing with yogurt, organic juice, pizza, fruit, organic chocolate, chips, and guacamole - unbelievable! But he of course was the best trail magic. We sat at the creek by the parking area (Scout & FireFly caught up and I shared a bite or two of food) for an hour or two sharing old stories and munching and making - Finally - the big decision to go to trail days. PigPen will pick us up at 3 pm tomorrow at 501 shelter to whisk us 800 miles back down the trail to Damascus. I hesitated to go because I've been in such a good groove and am not really needing a break from the trail, but it's been too good seeing Gunter and PigPen AND I found out Heidi (from last year) is going and FireFly wants to go AND the trail will still be here when I get back AND these fun little side trips are often the best parts of hiking the AT, so the real question was why NOT go. FireFly and I could hardly walk the last 13 miles we were so excited but luckily got in one of our deep-hardly-notice-you're walking conversations (tonight's subject was racism). So we made great time but our "PigPen" breat left us the last in a 1st come 1st served full shelter - Tenting on some great campsites nearby on a beautiful, clear, chilly night.
Date: 2006-05-18
From: Rausch Gap Shelter

To: 501 Shelter
Miles today: 18.0
Weather: overcast clouds

As if Pig Pen's trail magic yesterday weren't enough he shows up today with pasta salad, girl scout cookies, and 2 Newcastle's for FireFly and I. . .starting the weekend off right - it's been a whirlwind ever since - we drove 2 hours back to Chambersburg, took showers & did laundry and ate cheese and reunited with my girl "Heidi" who gave me a big comfy skirt and cotton shirt to wear - so good. Then we hopped over to Gunter's house where we were fed like Greek gods - vegetable lasagna, eggplant parmesan salad, garlic bread, grilled portabellos with smoked gouda, blackberries, wine, peanut butter brownies and ice cream cake - oh my God was it good - at least when I managed to get a bite in my mouth. . .we laughed so unbelievably hard through the whole meal I thought my sides would split, I'd lose my lasagna or both - Trail reunions are the best. Gunter & PigPen's families are so great and fun - the whole night was a blast. So then tipsy and stuffed to the gills we start to pack Gunter's 1988 itty bitty Honda with 5 people's crap for a weekend of camping - only a picture will do the image justice - we gave the meaning to the saying about being packed in like sardines. At 10 o'clock at night we began the trek to Gunter & PigPen's friend's house in Blacksburg, VA 4 hours away - I didn't sleep a wink being "monkey in the middle" of the back seat and felt at 2:30 in the morning when we unloaded, like a truck had run me over. After watching a bit of Saturday Night Live at Friend Ben's house, Gunter and I set our sleeping bags up out on his back porch and fell asleep to the sound of a gusty cold front blowing in.
Date: 2006-05-19
From: 501 Shelter

To: Damascus
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

5/19, 5/20 and 5/21   Trail Days was CRAZY! Talk about sensory overload! On the way to Damascus we stopped at a thrift store where I bought an old soft cotton T-shirt and corduroy pants - Joyous Rapture of cotton! We also bought a shopping cart full of groceries - Annie's Goddess dressing, eggs, Ben & Jerry's, bags of salad - I was in heaven - but we ended up sitting on cases of beer and had bags of chips and produce in our laps the last 2 hours to Damascus - truly amazing the amount of junk we crammed in Gunter's car! We had a big sleepover 6 man tent Gunter brought along - got drenched the first night but the weather was great afterward. . .left Woodstock style mud that we sloshed through the rest of the weekend, but what's a hiker party without a bunch of muddy stinky hiker trash? Through hikers get so hooked up at trail days - I had a leak in my Big Agnes pad and was handed a brand new free replacement by a Mr. Fix It under a distributor tent. I was thrown a pair of pink thorlos at a Mardi Gras style gear give away. I got to see Billy, Traction, Bob Peeples, Miss Janet, and all the people ahead and behind of me this year. There were drum circles, dancing, a useless gear contest, lots of free gear, lots of eating , a good bit of drinking and laughing, and goofiness -FireFly had one especially prime evening inspired by whiskey where we'll just say he ended up spread out by Miss Janet's tent covered with a sequined piece of fabric, a styrofoam lid as a pillow, begging us to let him sleep because and I quote "I'm safe in sequins! I'm safe in sequins!" I learned how to make egg sandwiches on a grill and tin foil - talk about hiker ingenuity. Elise dropped me off at 501 shelter Sunday night more tired than when I left but man was it worth the reunion - best party I've been to all year.
Date: 2006-05-22
From: 501 Shelter

To: Port Clinton Pavillion
Miles today: 24.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Woke up to another reunion! Lug & Zama caught up to us after our days off and woke us up with coffee and big smiles. Got into our first serious PA rocks and I am sore as could be tonight. Port Clinton is a wild little town with lots of poultry curbside in cages - saw the biggest ugliest turkey of my life and I've never been happier I'm a vegetarian. 24 miles was a rude awakening after trail days and I have big miles to do tomorrow to catch up with PigPen - he's doing a short section hike and I'm catching up with him and hiking in to Delaware Water Gap with my buddy from '05.
Date: 2006-05-23
From: Port Clinton Pavillion

To: Campsite
Miles today: 19.0
Weather: clear sky

When we woke up my termometer read 38 degrees - 38! At 8 AM !!! Freezing! I picked up an enormous mail drop & delicious oatmeal raisin cookies from my Aunt Judy and cousin Lauren that I ate for second breakfast - powering up the hill out of town I reasoned I had a 2500 calorie breakfast. FireFly and I planned on 23 miles today to a shelter but it was so beautiful we had to take a break in a big open field, and then on some PA rocks overlooking a view, and then at the Pinnacle where there were all these wild rock formations and a cave 30-40 feet down where we did some rock hopping and some caving. We flip-flopped around a great section hiker Big Bob and his dog Sunshine! Bob carried a big old school pack like my dad's and we were telling him about all of the new lightweight gear goodies available now. As we were sitting there eating goodies Bob was taking notes as I talked about how awesome ULA packs are when FireFly let out a short but audible toot - I attempted to ignore it and keep talking but he started giggling then I started giggling and couldn't remember what I was talking about and Bob laughed and said - I can't imagine what all it's like with a bunch of thru hikers in a small cramped shelter. Hikers love potty humor, I know, but what else can we do? We're so close to true animal nature out here. . .eating, pooing, shelter, sleeping being our main activities - that what else can we do as "civilized" rational human beings but laugh at what animals we are? Anyway, we've found a gorgeous campsite and I've built my first big fire since I started this year and it's clear as a bell and the stars are out and I would take this animal life over a civilized one any day.
Date: 2006-05-24
From: Campsite

To: Palmerton Jailhouse Hostel
Miles today: 22.0

Ugh - today was rough. . .I've found the rocks that Pennsylvania is famous for and they are killing me! FireFly and I were insanely lazy again today and didn't get to Palmerton until almost dark - disappointed to realize we HAD to hitch the 2 miles into town because the super busy highway prohibited pedestrians - since men along the trail immediately forfeit any responsibility for hitching when in the company of a woman, I went to work thumbing a ride, getting one after two short minutes from an evangelist which made for a rather uncomfortable ride - luckily for FireFly he calls himself straight up Christian without hesitation but me - being anti labels and clear cut categories - gave a very vague answer to his are you Christian question despite my Christian upbringing and background - and while FireFly had our ride pegged from the get-go I was broadsided by the fire and brimstone lecture that followed. All kinds of respect to anyone with that kind of calling but I felt really attacked, unable to explain where I was coming from, and he had the doors locked on us for Heaven's sake - not to mention PigPen was waiting for us curbside and I couldn't even get out of the car to hug his neck. . . anyway blessings to the man and his mission and for anyone willing to pick up and safely deliver stinky hikers to town. From damnation to jail - do I feel like a criminal tonight! I was hoping the self-proclaimed "jailhouse hostel" of Palmerton would REALLY feel like a jail, but alas it's just a dingy basement - We did have to flag down a policeman on patrol to check in and any time we wanted to get back in the building after hours and he took down our information pull over style, while leaning grim faced against his patrol car, our licenses in hand, so that was pretty authentic. PigPen, Fly and I ate a huge meal of Chinese food and then PigPen and I made an ingenious and gut wrenching dessert purchase of a half gallon of chocolate milk and a half gallon of cookies and cream ice cream. . .we were ill of course and surprisingly PigPen ate the most of it. Feels good spending my first night in jail a free woman.
Date: 2006-05-25
From: Palmerton Jailhouse Hostel

To: Campsite
Miles today: 16.5
Weather: clear sky

I lost one hiking buddy and regained an old one. . .FireFly's shoes are literally falling apart on the PA rocks so he's speeding up to hit the P.O. in Delaware Water Gap. So PigPen and I battled the rocks and ticks - found 1 on me and 2 on PigPen - the snakes - 1 rattler and 2 HUGE black ones I almost stepped on - and the first mosquitos of the year. Kind of an unnerving day combined with the fact that water was scarce, but we've got an excellent campsite with Hitch who's leaving us at Delaware Water Gap - and - spoiled as we are ANOTHER town stop tomorrow.
Date: 2006-05-26
From: Campsite

To: Delaware Water Gap
Miles today: 20.4
Weather: light rain

I started out having a great day hiking in the rain despite the rocks and then it turned crappy with a horrible fall on a knife edge corner of rock and intense foot/achilles pain harkening back to last year's problems - and then it turned great again when I walked in to one of the nicest hostels along the trail to FireFly's smiling face and a hot shower and chocolate peanut butter pie and a brownie mail drop from Ma and Pa. FF and I will take a zero tomorrow to avoid hordes of Memorial Day hikers and certain death for my feet if I don't take an ACTUAL zero day because Trail Days were way too crazy to count as rest. We had a huge hiker party at the pizza joint with PigPen, Cedar Moe, Hitch, Lug, Zama, Fly and I, and I ate my very 1st ever stromboli which was exciting and sickening both. Silver once again knocked my socks off by walking in the hostel doors tonight but with sad news that he really is getting off this time. I say the fat lady has not sung and I wouldn't be surprised if he pops in a door somewhere down the trail - but we sat around the hostel visiting and laughing like a big weird incongruous long lost family. We all took turns doing before and after weigh ins - everyone was 10 pounds heavier after dinner than they were before. The best part is tomorow we'll be 10 lbs. lighter again and ready for a huge breakfast.
Date: 2006-05-27
From: Delaware Water Gap

Miles today: 0.0

Ahhh..a real zero day. Woke up to a big breakfast at Trail's End Cafe - I had eggs, eggs, and more eggs with cheese and spinach. This vegetarian girl was craving some protein. FF and I made a dashed pilgrammage to Stroudsburg for outfitter and laundry and a dashed goodbye to PigPen and his mom. Town as always was a bit overwhelming and frenzied. It's wild how different town stops have been north of the Mason Dixon line - definitely distinctly northern. We got back for an afternoon of chill time and I soaked my feet in ice for a couple of hours in hopes that this foot pain is PA rocks and not the beast that knocked me off last year. And now - one true joy of thru-hiking - after two full caesar salad bags between Fly and I we went to the oh-so-good town bakery and bought an entire peach pie and quart of milk and ate the entire thing in a gazebo overlooking the river and watching a little kitten chase after two bunnies in the nearby grass...it was great and perfect.
Date: 2006-05-28
From: Delaware Water Gap

To: Some campsite
Miles today: 16.0

Whoa. . .today was overwhelming - Memorial Day crowds were CRAZY! and people acted like they were the only ones on the trail (move over! thru-hiker comin through!). We told everyone we were just section hiking to avoid the onslaught of questions. Our first heat wave hit, too and knocked the energy right out of us. Saw 5 snakes today - 1 a big rattler around Sun Fish Pond and LOTS of huge black snakes. The mosquitoes are out too unfortunately and are adept already at driving me bonkers. New Jersey has been surprisingly beautiful and full of wildlife - just prior to sitting on a spread of rocks to watch the sun set we saw an Enormous Black Bear - biggest one I've ever seen. I'm trying to think of what to compare it to but suffice it to say I could have hopped on its back and gone for a ride and not looked much more awkward than a young girl on a pony. We're camped on a ridge with several hikers under some power lines - the big kind but luckily these don't buzz - a little unnverving, but the clearing makes for great sunset/sunrise views and gorgeous star gazing AND we've used the metal structure to hang our food from - far away from Mr. Bigfoot Yogi bear. There's an eerie and beautiful new moon rising and our section hiker neighbors are laughing and telling jokes and I'm trying to reconnect with that joyous new feeling of being in the woods for the first time in a while away from civilization - I forgot to tap in to that joy after days & days taking this simple life for granted.
Date: 2006-05-29
From: Some campsite

To: Gwen Anderson Shelter
Miles today: 17.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Today was just hard and uncomfortable. We woke up early to avoid the heat and still hit temperatures of 85 and humidity of 50% or higher. We came across another bear and more snakes and MANY more bugs that swarm and ticks that try and give us nasty diseases. Water sources have been scarce and unreliable. The heat is stifling and when we attempted to stop at a shelter to rest we were literally swarmed by mosquitos and biting black little flies - I managed to yogi some deet from a Memorial Day hiker and even though I'm morally opposed to the stuff it was just that bad. FireFly and I crawled into Culver's Gap to a raodside tavern and guzzled water and bar food but were mostly just thankful for the sanctuary and a/c. All that appreciating the woods crap went right out the window today. . .so we grudgingly struggled to find something to feel thankful for tonight. . .maybe the mosquito netting of my tent and a tired, exhausted body to lay down to sleep.
Date: 2006-05-30
From: Gwen Anderson Shelter

To: Unionville (Town Pavillion)
Miles today: 20.0

Today was my worst day so far - broken up by a great mid-day stop at High Point State Park with swimming in cold lake Marcia and showers - but I fell twice hard on slick rocks, sweat to excess in 85 degree 55% humidity, was swarmed by mosquitos, and my feet are getting worse and worse. FF and I are having a logistical nightmare figuring out mail drops for his tent poles and my new insoles - there's no hostel or cheap motel for 8 days or more meaning no reprieve from the conditions. But we made it to this friendly town where I nursed myself with OJ and yogurt. The mosquitos are at least 50% better and it's raining so a bit cooler. It's so tough to smile after a day like this but I keep telling myself the trail is what it is - PUPs, heat, bugs, pain and some days it gets to you and feels overwhelming and insurmountable - But other days it's beautiful and perfect and I wouldn't want to be anywhere else and I'll forget days like this all together - The yin and the yang - It's life, it's the trail - all I can do is smile at the fact that my smile is all I can control.
Date: 2006-05-31
From: Unionville (Town Pavillion)

To: Wawayanda Shelter
Miles today: 15.0
Weather: light rain

Woke up to overcast skies and were under the impression it would be a cooler more pleasant walk today so we hung around a great shop soda shop in Unionville drinking coffee and watching Katie Couric¢s last day at NBC ¢ even though we live in the woods we manage to catch these all important current events from time to time...we didn¢t leave until Unionville (great town ¢ met the mayor at the soda shop, great guy) until 10:30 and a short hour later the sun, humidity, and mosquitos were back with a vengeance. Dreamer, Team Steve, FF & I were all plodding through the swamps of New Jersey fantasizing about ice cream and swimming pools. We hit a roadside farmers market around 3 pm to reported temps of 90 degrees and took it upon ourselves to take the afternoon off. After 3 rounds of fruit, ice cream, and bakery goodies (we actually had TABS at the register¢¦..do they know hikers or what?) we all were perched on bags of miracle grow and potting soil in the back of the gardening section under the slight shade of the store's outdoor tent canopy. There we stayed until 6pm attempting to digest and move as little as possible until the heat let up. We got a few strange stares, but the conditions were so miserable I¢d rather be kicked out for loitering - but the Farmer¢s market people had pity on us. The last 5 miles to the shelter we were swarmed by mosquitos worse than ever ¢ buzzing our ears, biting our necks & arms - I couldn¢t even stop long enough to deet them away¢¦¢¦miserable. Got in so late there¢s not even time to cook, but I¢m still full from my Farmer¢s market buffet anyway!
Date: 2006-06-01
From: Wawayanda Shelter

To: Some campsite
Miles today: 19.0

Today started great ¢ got out of the shelter early planning 26 miles to make it to packages waiting for me at Bear Mountain early on Friday. Beautiful morning and no mosquitos as I hit the NY/New Jersey border ¢ Sionara Jersey, won¢t be missin ya. Hit a sign 8 miles in at a road crossing advertising ice cream and knew it was meant to be as ice cream always is on the 1st day of June on the App trail¢¦ got a double scoop of cheesecake and cookies & cream and ate in the air conditioned goodness of the shop. My ice cream induced coma promptly set in so I headed outdoors to find a shady spot in the 85 degree outdoors to casually loiter/nap in the heat of the afternoon. Somewhere between ice cream and the drastic temperature change I got super ill & almost lost my cookies & cream right there in the convenient Port - a ¢ John. Luckily I held down those precious calories but the nausea & ill feeling stayed with me all day. We made it to some beautiful falls a couple miles later and turned them into a stinky hiker style Roman bath ¢ Dreamer, Team Steve, FF & I cleaned up and soaked our feet for a good hour and then started hiking again right as a huge thunderstorm hit and dumped rain that never again let up. We¢re in a crummy section of trail with no shelter for 30 miles so after slip¢sliding over crazy straight up & down rock scrambles all afternoon we were forced to set up tents in POURING rain right next to a already swamp as we were eaten alive by mosquitos ¢ you¢d think they¢d give it a rest in the rain but not so. I couldn¢t be more over this summer time hiking thing ¢ I was entertaining the idea of hanging up my poles until fall all day¢¦ we¢ll see how the next few days ago.