morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2017-05-13
From: Leroy Smith Shelter

To: Leroy Smith Shelter
Miles today: 0.0

5/13Leroy Smith shelter0I have never zeroed in a shelter before. It's a little weird. I woke up at the regular sunrise time but remembered that I wasn't going anywhere and went back to sleep. Finally I had to get up and use the privy. Funny how it seems much closer in the daylight. :) It's a pretty nice privy. There's a sign in it that says "throne room". Humorously there is a sign asking you to latch the door at top and bottom to keep porcupines out, but a porcupine has chewed away the bottom latch. The forecast has been revised down to under an inch of precipitation today, which is still quite a bit. It's going to be in the 40s until afternoon. I know myself well enough to know that I'm likely to get hypothermia, especially as I can't hike fast enough over rocks to keep my temperature up. Jimmy decided to walk into town to get a motel room and courteously invited me, but I'll stick it out in the shelter. The hot shower and bed don't appeal enough to endure the hypothermia on the way there. At not even ten AM, I'm pretty bored. I should have taken JD's advice and packed out a novel, but I didn't see any at the store. I can entertain myself texting JD for a while until my battery runs low. After that I'll have to make my own entertainment.
Date: 2017-05-14
From: Leroy Smith Shelter

To: Kirkridge Shelter
Miles today: 13.7
Weather: light rain

5/14Kirkridge Shelter13.7 milesGeorge, section hiker and retired hospice administrator, walked up to the shelter just at dinner time. He made a pleasant companion for the evening. He seemed to me to be a remarkable man. I've never met anybody who both aced organic chemistry and thought it was boring. I think maybe his trailname should be Smart Guy. The porcupine did not make an appearance. Either Jimmy dealt it a fatal blow with the shovel, or he at least discouraged it. In the morning I made coffee, bid George goodbye, and set out on the trail again. The rocks were bad. I mean, bad even for Pennsylvania. I took my first fall, and narrowly avoided several others only by painful twisting and wobbling. I wrenched both knees, both ankles, crushed toes on both feet, and developed new blisters. Old blisters came back to life. About that time I started cussing. I'm so over Pennsylvania. I pretty much lost my temper with the state, and said things I don't regret but won't repeat. I know I've said this before, but this time I really mean it: I'm never hiking here again. If I should by some twist of fate find myself doing another long distance hike that involves Pennsylvania, I'm skipping the section from Hamburg to Delaware Water Gap. Maybe give it a snappy name like the Painless Thru. About the time I was getting my hate on, I was passed by thruhiker Unknown Yet and his friend H. I like to imagine that H is like Q but with camping gadgets instead of spy gadgets. When I got to the bypass trail for Wolf Rocks, I took it. You bet your bippy I did. Please see my slow hike manifesto if you have any confusion on this point. Even if I hadn't hiked Wolf Rocks before, I would know that it's a bad sign when they name rocks. The blue blaze turned out to be extremely pretty, with soft, kind dirt to walk on. It was hard to keep my mad on while Pennsylvania was sucking up to me like that, but I'm holding a grudge. Oh, also it rained (and hailed) for an hour or so. Apparently my backpack is a sieve now. It was wet inside when I got to this shelter. My gear is all sort of simultaneously wearing out. I guess after I get a replacement sleeping pad I'll think about a replacement backpack. And socks, and shoes. And pants. My wool buff is still fine, FYI. Cocoa was at the shelter when I got here, so I have company tonight. Even though he fell asleep at 6:30, I'm happy he's here. My subconscious sentries turn off when there's another human around and I sleep more soundly. I sorted out my food bag when I got here and determined that there is four days of food left in it. Given that in theory I left the Leopolds with four days of food, I'm thinking that there is some kind of tesseract in my food bag. Buying the Zpacks food bag is saving me a ton on food costs. I didn't even know you could make a tesseract out of cuben fiber. I doubt I'll find it in town, but what I really want are an icy cold Shocktop beer and an order of fries. And a cheeseburger. And another icy cold Shocktop. Also clean clothes, but there is a dearth of laundry facilities in town.
Date: 2017-05-15
From: Kirkridge Shelter

To: Delaware Water Gap
Miles today: 6.4
Weather: light intensity drizzle

5/15At hostel in Delaware Water Gap6.4 milesCocoa and I woke up around dawn and got moving. Well, Cocoa got moving. I visited the privy, got my food out of the tree, and got back into my sleeping bag to make coffee. It was chilly! Finally after a couple of hours of leisurely sipping and packing, I got walking. It was a very short day into town. I passed dozens of day hikers heading up Mt Minsi. In town I stopped at the post office to get my mail drop. I quickly unpacked it so I could give the box back for recycling before the PO closed at noon. I had forgotten how much I packed. I didn't need to buy anything else. I stopped by the outfitter to buy a sleeping pad but they only had Big Agnes pads and I didn't want those. I decided to live with my leaky pad a little longer and ordered a Klymit pad to be delivered to home so JD could bring it when he came to visit me.  While I was at it I also ordered a new watch. My current watch fell off my arm when I changed clothing this morning. The strap separated halfway down. Crazy. After that I stopped by the bakery  for their special - a hot dog and a slice of pie. Both were great. I was disappointed to notice that the diner next door had changed ownership and wasn't open. Also I googled the Pocono Inn and saw that the reviews since I last visited had declined wildly. Based on that and the diner being closed, that side of town looked less appealing. I decided to go to the hostel instead. I thought it would be just me and Cocoa and Yogi, but a ton of people showed up. People will be sleeping on the floor. Yogi and I and Fax Machine went to the Sycamore Grill to have a couple of beers and I had a great salad. Then Luna showed up, Fax Machine departed to do some laundry, and Luna, Yogi and I went out for pizza. Yes, we went directly from one restaurant to another. Hiker appetites are amazing. I'm really looking forward to hiking New Jersey. I love the trail there! And on Friday I get to see JD! And Neon is joining me again! The last few days in Pennsylvania will seem like a bad dream.
Date: 2017-05-17
From: Rattlesnake Spring

To: Brink Shelter
Miles today: 11.2
Weather: light intensity drizzle

5/17Brink Shelter11.2 miles It was one of those nights where I felt like I didn't sleep well until near dawn. Then it was time to get up. I wanted to walk as far as I could before it got too hot. The morning passed quickly as I said hello to old familiar places- the rock walled beaver pond, the pretty walk on the ridge up to blue mountain road. Near the trail to Buttermilk Falls it started to feel truly hot. I could feel the intensity of the sun on the back of my neck and on my hands. I couldn't wait to get down out of the sun. Finally the trail wended its way down to a stream where DeLee and I camped last year. I walked over the bridge and sat down on a log. I could stay here during the heat and walk on later, or I could go now - with the day only getting hotter. I decided to throw the tent up so I could climb in and lie down on my air mattress. Between ticks, flies, and gnats, lying down without the tent wasn't an option. I did some chores, and now I'm just hanging out until it gets cooler. My mileage will definitely be reduced, which makes the question of when and where I'm meeting JD and Neon interesting. At 2:30 a hiker walked by without breaking stride. He didn't even get water. Remarkable. By 3:30 enough hikers went by for me to be shamed/galvanized into action. Or I rested enough. One of those. I struck the tent, filtered water, made a smoothie, delayed some more, and finally, slowly started up Rattlesnake Mountain. I once again didn't see a rattlesnake on Rattlesnake Mountain but I did see one the next hill over. It got pretty snippy with me. Fine, whatever. I had hoped for more miles but I was pretty beat when I got to the shelter so I'm calling it a night.
Date: 2017-05-19
From: Rutherford shelter

To: Unionville
Miles today: 12.8
Weather: scattered clouds

5/19Unionville - staying elsewhere with JD12.8 milesI slept so well in my tent, but the longed for change in the weather didn't happen, so I awoke to another hot day. Botheration. Last night a bird started its cadence. "Is that a whippoorwill?" asked Peregrina. "Yes." I growled. I hate camping near one. It, of course, did not shut up for a good long time. The heat continued sapping the life out of me. Usually the woods are an endless source of beauty and wonder but today they were just an obstacle between me and my husband. I begrudged every hill, every difficulty that forced me to pause to regroup. I didn't even stop in at the secret shelter, just continued through the woods as speedily as I might. Of course, it was pointless seeing as how I got to town mid-afternoon and JD wouldn't be there until early evening. Friday traffic all the way from D.C. to northern NJ. I got a cold soda and some potato chips as I craved salt. I ate them sitting on Horler's front porch in the full sun. Going back in I got an ice cream cone and retreated to the hiker gazebo to await my chariot.
Date: 2017-05-20
From: Unionville

To: Unionville
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

5/20Zero day in MahwahMy day off. Food, resupply, rest. Visited the Campmor store, bought very little. Traveled far to find a laundromat. Got new shoes, smaller pants, new watch, new sleeping mat, new scotch, new socks from the stash JD brought. I'm not sure about the pad. It's a Klymit Static V2. At first nap its less comfortable than my neoair. I'll give it a little time. My feet stayed swollen the whole time. Trying to remember if this happened on my first thru. No idea, really. I satisfied my veggie and protein cravings at Chipotle and at Outback Steakhouse. That was a damn fine steak. It was wonderful to spend time with JD. Walking away from him again will suck, as usual. Nota bene to other hikers: while Amelia Earhart and I sat at the gazebo in Unionville, a youngster approached it and started a conversation. He and his friends have been fighting, playing, and drinking there. They're responsible for a lot of the damage to the gazebo. He says they get violent when they drink. Also a homeless woman regularly tents there, and apparently likes to talk a lot. I definitely would not tent there solo. Maybe at all, given the possibility of drunken violent teenagers.
Date: 2017-05-21
From: Unionville

To: Wawayanda Shelter
Miles today: 15.7
Weather: overcast clouds

5/21Wawayanda shelter15.7 milesWalking out of Unionville I realized I needed to pee so I stopped when I found a private spot. As soon as I took off my pack, my body announced a surprise poop attack. I was forced to dig a hasty hole in a poison ivy patch. I realize that there will be repercussions following this rash act. I picked up Neon at Pochuck mtn shelter and we headed up the hill. An hour or two later we found Peregrina filtering water and she joined our merry band. It was fun for me to see them encountering the amazing swamp boardwalk. The weather was perfect for hiking. After the boardwalk we stopped by Heaven Hill Farm for a snack. I got root beer, a banana, chips and salsa, and watermelon. It was really good watermelon. Neon took off after. In the afternoon she likes to get to camp asap. I walked more slowly with Peregrina. We made it up the next mountain okay but a rock tilted under me on the next. I windmilled and landed on my pack, banging an ankle in the process. It hurt sharply when I stood. I limped to a good sitting spot and managed to maneuver the bone back into place, but right after that I started feeling sick. I felt worse and worse until I got to the shelter, where I promptly puked. Bad ending to a good day.
Date: 2017-05-22
From: Wawayanda Shelter

To: Wildcat Shelter
Miles today: 12.7
Weather: light rain

5/22Wildcat shelter12.1 milesI woke up less pukey but with a sore abdomen. I gradually felt better as I moved around and test eating went okay. I knew I would be tired from not eating enough yesterday but I was ready to hike. Today was a very tough day involving climbing up and down many many rocks. My shoes were sticking great until the rocks got too much rain on them. Then I had to be more circumspect. I put on an audiobook of Dune and chugged along. At the last road I skipped hot dog and ice cream opportunities and just headed for the shelter. I turned up before Neon because she didn't pass up on ice cream at Bellvale. :)Tomorrow is another tough day, as I well know. I hope more food and a good night's sleep makes it easier than it would be otherwise.
Date: 2017-05-23
From: Wildcat Shelter

To: Arden mountain 
Miles today: 8.8
Weather: light rain

5/23Tented on Arden mountain 8.8 milesI woke up with different faces next to me. Neon got fed up with a persistent mosquito during the night and set up her tent. Hot Pants was still there in the morning but two others had arrived during the night, one taking Neon's vacated spot. Neon's face appeared above me at some point in the morning. She kindly grabbed my water bag to get me water from the spring. I thanked her and grumpily started putting on yesterday's wet clothes, which smelled like hot death and felt like refrigerated slime. Last night Neon had suggested I make coffee this morning, and it sounded like a great idea to me. I had filched a little packet of creamer so that I could have a nice creamy coffee. It tasted great. I love a day that starts with a hot coffee. Since it had stopped raining I could sit on a rock by the fire ring and enjoy a mug. I was wearing my daytime shirt on the outside of my fleece so my body heat could dry it out. I had no such option for my pants, sadly. Neon, Andante and I solved some of the world's problems as we walked down gentle trail until reaching Fitzgerald Falls. Then Neon charged up the hill, as she does. We planned to meet at the top, but I didn't see her again for hours. She had stepped into the woods at some point and I bypassed her. She waited for me, I waited for her (in different places) and the twain did not meet until after lunch. I checked my phone but saw no message. (One eventually arrived at dinner time.) I was asking strangers about seeing her by the time she caught me. We walked together the rest of the afternoon, climbing up the very steep climbs this section is known for. We had planned a short day since I knew it would be tough. At four pm my legs gave notice that they were done. I knew I could continue, but at a cost. I estimate I was at about 85% Mrs Joy standard energy today and it would be easy to overdo and set myself back. Neon didn't argue too much about stopping early. The climbs were strenuous for her too - and we both knew we wanted to avoid the bear at Fingerboard shelter. We are camped in a pretty little site with a cluster of pink ladyslippers near us. I'm under a big pine tree, and both of us are on beds of moss. I hope for another good night of sleep to bring me back to normal. I figure I slept about twelve hours last night and it felt like just about enough. Those days of hiking in the heat last week really took it out of me. Combined with my brief illness and the tough hiking, it's very noticeable to me that my energy level hasn't been up to par. I don't feel the dragging fatigue tonight though. Just tired legs. Both of us are in our tents early because the noseeums here are horrendous. They went through my mesh headnet like it wasn't there. Fortunately the tent seems to be keeping them out.
Date: 2017-05-24
From: Arden mountain 

To: William Brien shelter
Miles today: 10.8
Weather: overcast clouds

5/24 Tented at William Brien shelter10.8 milesMy legs hurt so much when I got in bed that I couldn't sleep. I lay there, watching the color drain out of the world, until it got dark out. Sleep wouldn't come. I stared at the pattern in the fabric of my tent and let my mind clear. Eventually I remembered the existence of muscle relaxers and took one. It was a long time before I found a position that didn't hurt. At the coldest hour of the night, just after four AM, I became aware that I was chilly. Eventually I found the gumption to put on my fleece top, which was right next to me. Then I was warm enough but also awake enough to notice that I needed to pee. I got up and did that, then couldn't fall asleep again afterwards. Of course. Neon got our food down out of the trees we had used. No appropriate branches were available last night so I strung the rope through the crotches of two trees. It's a little more work then just throwing the rope over a branch, but if no branch is available, it's a good alternative. It seemed like it might rain, so Neon told me to get going after I inhaled my breakfast. Her oatmeal is lighter but takes longer to cook and eat. I headed up the mountain feeling pretty good. My outer thigh abductors are sore from yesterday, but not too bad. My energy levels are pretty much back to normal now. And of course I'm ravenous. And I smell bad. Agony Grind wasn't too bad. We dashed across the road and headed into Harriman State Park. I was happy to introduce another friend to the loveliness there. It's just so unrealistically pretty. There were climbs but the trail there is significantly easier in grade and footing than our last few days have been. It felt like I was saying hello to old friends as I passed some of the more spectacular and memorable features of the park. We both squeezed through the Lemon Squeezer, not even needing to take off our packs. The afternoon passed prettily through stunning scene after stunning scene. Andante caught up with us at lunch time and we played leapfrog a bit. After I passed him, I came upon a bear who was right on the trail. I was still about two hundred feet away so I watched for a bit, then walked back to Andante and said "Bear". We walked up the trail together, in time to see the bear casually strolling off. I kept my eyes open but didn't see another. However the shelter we are tenting near tonight has had recent reported bear visits. I hung my food PCT style and insisted we all hang our food separately so if the bear got one line down, he wouldn't get everything. I don't understand why shelters in a bear intensive area don't have any kind of bear-proof food storage. I hope my bear bagging does the job. If not.. well, it will be a hungry walk into town tomorrow. The woods here are open and you can see a long way. It's beautiful, but it sure does make it hard to find a place to have a private moment.
Date: 2017-05-25
From: William Brien shelter

To: Bear Mountain
Miles today: 9.4
Weather: overcast clouds

5/25Bear Mountain/ hotel in PeekskillMile 1403, 9.4 milesYesterday we called around and finally found a room for the night in Peekskill, so it wasn't too devastating to wake up to rain on the tent this morning. I knew I would be clean and warm and dry at the end of the day. It was actually a cozy feeling to wake up knowing that I and all my gear were dry. I pulled on my hiking clothes, packed up everything, and got out to collapse my soggy tent and pack it up. That's a filthy job. Every blasted thing sticks to the tent when it's wet. I retrieved my food from its PCT hang and went up to the shelter to heat water for coffee. I'm low on fuel - only one or two more coffees worth at best. I was out of pop tarts so I ate my Ding Dongs for breakfast. They were quite filling actually. Not nutritious. But filling. Neon was out of oatmeal so I gave her a Luna bar for breakfast. And then we walked. It poured and we walked. The Palisades Parkway traffic was much thinner and less terrifying than the last time I had to cross it, for which I was grateful. Neon pulled ahead while I filtered water, and so I hove up to the next mountain solo. The wind picked up and the rain intensified. It felt epic to be climbing the mountain as the elements challenged me. I was getting wetter but the climbing kept me warm. I enjoyed it in a splashing through puddles sort of way. I ran into Andante at a road crossing and he slowed down so we could walk together. He always has interesting things to say. We talked about oil painting and old houses and asbestos and radiators and all sorts of things. We were still gabbing when I spotted Neon in the distance, standing and watching our approach. Now three, we continued up Bear Mountain. We were all completely soaked and I was getting cold. We skipped the summit and headed down the 1000 stairs. By the bottom my knees hated me. I was feeling pretty bad until we finally dropped below the clouds and the temperature climbed. Then all was well again. At the base of the mountain we headed for the Bear Mountain Inn, where they graciously let our sodden selves into the dining room. I was pretty hungry. It was lunch time, and except to filter water I hadn't stopped moving in hours. I had two beers, two cups of coffee, an enormous cheeseburger, an even more enormous pile of fries, peach cobbler, and some of Neon's dessert. Honestly I could have eaten more. I'm hungry now come to think of it. We called a cab to get to the motel. He came right away and we were at the motel in a snap. We've all three showered and we're washing clothes and generally drying out. It's supposed to be a pretty wet week so we need to make some plans for surviving with relative equanimity. I think I might be looking for a higher than average number of motel stays. I can hike wet in the day if I know I can be warm and dry at night. Multiple nights in a wet tent tends to cause discontented yowling.
Date: 2017-05-27
From: Graymoor Monastery 

To: Clarence Fahnestock state park
Miles today: 13.8
Weather: clear sky

5/27Mile 1424 Tented north of Fahnestock13.8 milesToday wasn't very long compared to an average day on this hike, but it was long compared to yesterday. Oof. Lots of folks out hiking, unsurprisingly. It was very pretty weather most of the day. Clear blue skies and about 70 degrees. I woke up to a tent soaked in dew. I wiped it down as best I could with my camp towel, then got up and made coffee. Neon and I sat companionably in the pavilion as we ate our breakfasts. I'm trying to eat the heaviest things first, of course. Today it was a honeybun. My thruhiker eating powers are in full operation. Generally speaking I can eat double servings of anything, any time. I definitely used up all my snacks today, and really would have liked more for the last hour of hiking. When we camped, I was finally in the mood for the polenta and Italian sausage meal from Packit Gourmet that I've been carrying since Delaware Water Gap. I suspect I need to start planning for more filling dinners. I was full after this one but an hour later I would be happy to eat again. I thought I remembered the terrain for today pretty well, but I definitely didn't.  Basically two little bits had stuck in my mind back in 2010. A region with a lot of stone walls, and a level area on built up stone walls. But there was a whole lot of climbing up and down ridges that apparently escaped my notice last time. Also I'm not sure if I blundered into a swamp and had to fumble my way over a guard rail in 2010.