morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2015-05-01
From: Pine Knob Shelter (1046.3)

To: Deer Lick Shelter (1069)
Miles today: 22.7
Weather: broken clouds

Day 76 ¢ Friday, May 1, 2015It began to rain and thunder shortly after I left Vicki Margolis, the AT's best trail angel, yesterday, and I called it a day at the first shelter I came to, Pine Knob. Bad choice, but I was wet, and getting cold. No one in the shelter but me, and it was so close to I¢70, I had to wear earplugs.Today I resolved to get after it, and I did, hiking 22.7 miles to Deer Lick Shelter.Truth be told, that's not that big a deal. I'm in Maryland now and Maryland is, relatively speaking, as flat as a table. If you can't do a 20 in Maryland, you can't do it anywhere. In fact, some hikers walk through Maryland, just over 40 miles, in one day.Met another NoBo today, the first since a young fellow named Bruin overtook me just south of Harpers Ferry. The new guy is named Rebel Yell, and, like Bruin, he's a strong hiker. He was the last person in and he told me he did 30 today. There was a second thru-hiker there. I didn't meet him, but I was told he is called What You See is What You Get, or WYSIWYG for short. And, no, I have no idea how WYSIWYG is pronounced.
Date: 2015-05-02
From: Deer Lick Shelter (1069)

To: Caledonia SP, PA (1082.6)
Miles today: 13.6
Weather: few clouds

Day 77 ¢ Saturday, May 2, 2015I thought this would be a special day and it was. I hiked an easy, 13.6 miles to Caledonia State Park in Pennsylvania, and met my old friends, the Sullivans.(I forgot to tell you: I left Maryland yesterday at mile 1064.3 and crossed the Mason¢Dixon line into Pennsylvania.)John Sullivan and his wife, Adrienne, old friends and former colleagues, picked me up at the park and:A) Took me to my hostile, Trail of HopeB) where I showered and C) washed my clothes, after which theyD) took me to dinner ¢ steak, potatoes, and all you can eat salad and dessert - andE) took me to Walmart to resupply, andF) returned me to my Hostel.It was so good to see them again, and their children, Ben and Veronica. Haven't seen them in almost 2 years, since they drove down from DC to attend our 50th wedding anniversary.So I'm clean, full, resupplied, and ready to go. Put me in, coach. I don't smoke.BTW, the forest in Virginia was full of flowers, violets especially. Trees are in bloom too, many with white or purple blossoms. but not to Pennsylvania. Here, nothing. It's as if I have outrun ¢ or outwalked ¢ spring.
Date: 2015-05-03
From: Caledonia SP, PA (1082.6)

To: James Fry Shelter (1109.3)
Miles today: 26.7
Weather: broken clouds

Day 78 - Sunday, May 3, 2015You'll never believe what happened today. I was so surprised, I...Well, here's what happened:I caught up with six, count them, six NoBos, all at once. And two of them were the Hiking Vikings. After a good breakfast at the Trail of Hope hostel, I had planned to hike 15.8 miles to Tom Run Shelter, But I got there in the early afternoon and felt so good, I decided to hike another 3.6 miles to Pine Grove Furnace State Park and take the half a gallon challenge.Hikers, many of them, eat I have a gallon of ice cream one time. (I didn't regard this as all that much of a challenge ¢ I can, and have, eaten half a gallon of ice cream while watching a movie on TV.)Anyway, when I walked up to the general store about 4:15, there sat the Vikings, along with two young men, Tweet and Yo-Yo, and a German mother and son team, Mother Nature and Between. I had not heard much about the Germans, but the Vikings had told me lots about Tweet and Yo-Yo and I was glad to finally meet them. They have been hiking 2 to 3 days ahead of me for quite a while, but they took time off the trail so Yo-Yo could go see his girlfriend, a Midshipman at the US Naval Academy at Annapolis. Tweet is married to a French woman who is getting a PhD in literature. They were all going on to the next shelter, another 6.7 miles. So I decided to go too. If you're not keeping count, that's made it at 26.7 mile day for me. And, oh yes, I won the half a gallon challenge ¢ easily.
Date: 2015-05-04
From: James Fry Shelter (1109.3)

To: Darlington Shelter (1135.6)
Miles today: 26.3

Day 79 - Monday, May 4, 2015I hiked big miles again today - 26.3 - because, for a day or so at least, I wanted to stay with the Vikings, Tweet and Yo-Yo, and the Germans.But guess what? The Vikings and the Germans never showed up at the shelter where we had planned to meet. I'm ahead of the Vikings! Isn't that a hoot?That's 53 miles in 2 two days. I really need to slow down before something breaks, and I'm going to. Tomorrow.My feet are getting me a lot of trouble, because I hiked way too long in the first pair of boots. That was penny wise and pound foolish. I have calluses the size of a pencil and an answer to long on the outside of both heels, and the one on the right is also blistered. Yo-yo gave me some tape he swears by, and I'm going to try it tomorrow.BTW, I stopped off in Boiling Springs, Pennsylvania, today at lunch ¢ the trail runs through the town ¢ and had a pizza. Then I got back on the trail. That's the first time I've ever done that.BTW #2: I forgot to mention yesterday that I am now over halfway to Mount Katahdin. The halfway point was a gravel road called Dead Woman Hollow Road.BTW #3: the reason I was able to catch up to the Vikings was that they took her zero so Sharon could go shopping for a wedding dress. She found one. She said it was perfect.
Date: 2015-05-05
From: Darlington Shelter (1135.6)

To: Clarks Ferry Shelter (1151.2)
Miles today: 15.6
Weather: few clouds

Day 80 - Tuesday, May 5, 2015 I finally did it. I finally knocked off work before 4 PM after hiking 15.6 miles.It was an easy day. The tape yo yo gave me worked like a charm - my feet didn't hurt nearly as much.I like both those guys, Yo-Yo and Tweet, and wish I could hike with them. But they are just too young and too strong for me. I can gather myself and hike a lot of miles for a day or two (or three), but not day after day.I was sorely tempted to go onto the next shelter ¢ another 6.7 miles miles ¢ because I was hiking with Tweet when I called it quits. For once, I acted like a grown up. I do that occasionally.The big mileage days are not over, of course. I have three days of food left and the town where I plan to resupply is 66 miles away.Sounds like a problem, doesn't it?
Date: 2015-05-06
From: Clarks Ferry Shelter (1151.2)

To: Rausch Gap Shelter (1175.9)
Miles today: 24.7
Weather: few clouds

Day 81 - Wednesday, May 6, 2015Guess what?After dark last night, guess who arrived at the shelter where I was staying - Clarks Ferry? The Hiking Vikings! So we meet again.(The other two hikers there last night were section hikers on their way to Maine.)I set my alarm for 5 AM this morning ¢ it takes me about an hour and a half to bandage my feet, pack up, walk up to a half mile each way to get water, walk another couple of blocks or so, total, to and from the privy, cook and eat breakfast, and clean up.Anyway, I was in a bunk about 3 feet off the floor. My phone was on the floor. I reached for it, and reached, and reached, and then fell out of bed. And, presto, I was up!The HV's wanted a big day today, and I agreed to go with them, partly because I am almost out of food and am 66 miles from my resupply point, Hamburg, Pennsylvania.So I knocked out 24.7 miles, and I have to tell you ¢ it was not fun, especially the last 5 miles. My feet were killing me, and it was raining and lightning ¢ my third electrical storm.(I don't report every time it rains or every time I hurt somewhere. I hurt almost all the time ¢ everyone does. And it rains, at least for little while, right often. Feet swell and blister. You stumble on the rocks dozens of times a day. And it only takes one to drive a toenail backwards into the soft tissue behind it. You fall almost every day, sometimes more than once. But you don't talk about it much, not even with other hikers. What would you say? I hurt. I'm blistered. I fell down again. Really? So what.)
Date: 2015-05-07
From: Rausch Gap Shelter (1175.9)

To: 501 Shelter (1193.4)
Miles today: 17.5
Weather: scattered clouds

Day 82 - Thursday, May 7, 2015Met some new (to me) hikers at the shelter last night ¢ Twisted, a NoBo, Umbrella Man, SNAFU, and Crockman. All of us, and the Hiking Vikings, skipped the next shelter (it was too close) and went to the 501 shelter, an easy 17.5 point five mile hike.We could order pizza at this shelter ¢ and did, yum! And we could take a birdbath, which I certainly needed. I hand-washed some clothes too: a pair of underwear and a T-shirt. They, too, were in desperate need of soap and water. (We don't carry deodorant. Why? Pack weight.)I ran into short stretches of serious rock today, but I'm told that the real fun begins tomorrow - that we'll be rock-hopping from here to New Jersey - 100 miles. Tomorrow, we begin to find out why other hikers call the state "Rocksylvania."
Date: 2015-05-08
From: 501 Shelter (1193.4)

To: Port Clinton, PA (1217.5)
Miles today: 24.1
Weather: light rain

Day 83 ¢ Friday, May 8, 2015Try dreaming up this day:I'm up at 5:07 AM but still, I think, I'm the last one out of the 501 shelter, only the Vikings remained, and they tented nearby.My plan: hike 15.1 miles to Eagles Nest Shelter and call it a day. Two reasons, no, four:A) I need to slow down. Period. B) my feet are beat up and I need to rest them. C) I don't need more miles ¢ 15 is enough to get me to the church on time.D) I am concerned about trying to make a lot of miles and what I expect to be difficult terrain.So what did I do when I got to Eagles Nest?I kept on hiking. What else could I do? It was 2:30 in the afternoon. I couldn't quit work at 2:30. So I hiked another 9 miles to Port Clinton, Pennsylvania, giving me 24.1 miles for the day.And it's a good thing I did.There to meet me as I came off the mountain was Iceman ¢ not the Iceman I've written a little about in the past, a different Iceman, a.k.a. David Martin. He had read my blog, new I might arrive this afternoon, and drove to Port Clinton to offer me some trail magic, beginning with an ice cold Coke and a ride to the pavilion where Crockman, Umbrella man, Temper and I planned to spend the night.Iceman offered to take all of us to Walmart tomorrow to resupply. We excepted.He invited me to his home and took me to the Cracker Barrel for supper. Iceman, 63, is a section hiker who plans to finish the whole thing this year. He is still working so he's had to do it in bits and pieces.What an end to an already good day. I had planned to eat trail food for supper and spend the night in a shelter nine trail miles south of Port Clinton.But thanks to Iceman, Trail angel who came right out of the blue, here I am in Lancaster Pennsylvania: full, clean, and with clean clothes to wear tomorrow.I think him, again, and all of his tribe too.
Date: 2015-05-09
From: Port Clinton, PA (1217.5)

To: Hawk Mt./Eckville Shelter (1232.3)
Miles today: 14.8
Weather: scattered clouds

Day 84 ¢ Saturday, May 9, 2015Iceman and I ate breakfast ¢ my treat this time ¢ at an all-you-can-eat place in Lancaster that had everything, including fresh pineapple. I ate until I just couldn't eat anymore.He drove me back to Port Clinton Pennsylvania, and we met my friends at the post office ¢ Temper, Crockman, Umbrella Man, and the Germans, Mother Nature and Between. And then he took all of us to the Walmart and to an outfitter to resupply.I mailed the last of my winter gear home, an insulated jacket, rain jacket and pants, mittens and bag liner. I hope I don't live to regret this.As hikers finished their shopping, Iceman called them back to the trailhead. This guy is top drawer, he helped all of us so much.Crockman and I got back on the trail at 11:30 and hiked together for a few minutes. Then he shifted gears and walked away. He is much faster than I am, almost all of them are. I managed to keep up, only because I walk longer and I don't take zeros ¢ I don't take days off.We hiked 15 miles, not bad for a near noon start, and stayed at Eckville Shelter, the only one I've seen with a flush toilet. Crockman and Temper tented and Umbrella Man and I stayed in the shelter. Umbrella Man had his light on at least twice, looking for critters ¢ mice. I presume there were lots of them around because there sure was A lot of mouse poop. Didn't matter. I was tired. I slept.
Date: 2015-05-10
From: Hawk Mt./Eckville Shelter (1232.3)

To: Bake Oven Knob Shelter (1249.7)
Miles today: 17.4

Day 85 ¢ Sunday, May 10, 2015Until today, I didn't know what all the fuss was about.This is the only state hikers have renamed. They call it Rocksylvania. They say it's the place where rattlesnakes lives and boots die.But until today, Pennsylvania had been a piece of cake, the first 168 miles at least. Now, apparently, it's game on. This was a tough day. You could hardly put your foot down without stepping on a rock, and a 17.4 miles of rock gets a little tiresome.The four of us, Crockman, Umbrella Man, Temper, and me, joined later by Bruin, tented at Bake Oven Knob Shelter. The shelter journal said someone had seen a black snake in the shelter, eating mice, no doubt. That didn't bother me. But the wasp nest on the ceiling did, so I tented with the others.Bright spot of the day: when I got to PA 309 around 12:30, Iceman was waiting for me. He visited with Crockman and me while we had lunch at a restaurant a couple of blocks down the road. And, later, filled all four of us (Crockman, Umbrella Man, Temper, and me) with soft drinks, cookies and the like. Next time we see him, I hope he's hiking with us, and maybe we will, in the Whites in New Hampshire.Note: saw snake number six today, but still no rattlers.
Date: 2015-05-11
From: Bake Oven Knob Shelter (1249.7)

To: Smith Gap Road (1269.7)
Miles today: 20.0
Weather: broken clouds

Day 86 ¢ Monday, May 11, 2015I was up at 5 AM and on my way at 6:25. Even so, I was the next to the last one to get the trail.This was another terrible day ¢ rocks everywhere. I stubbed my toe forty-'leven times, I stumbled. I fell. I may even have said a bad word.I'll say this. Rocksylvania's reputation is richly deserved.Bright spot: I'm walking along. It's hot. I'm tired, and I have a long way to go. That's when I see a note stuck on a small lamb, addressed to "Lucky." The others have decided to walk another 2.5 miles ¢ bringing the total for the day to an even 20 ¢ so they could stay at a hostel and get a shower. What I'd like to join them?Yes.So we stayed at the home of John "Mechanical Man" Stempa and his wife"Crayon Lady." I slept in the garage with two section hikers. The other three tented.Mechanical man took us into Conkle town, to the general store, for sandwiches and ice cream. I had two hotdogs, cheese sandwich, a Coke, and a milkshake.Then I got a shower and went to bed. It had been a tough day, worse than yesterday. Worse, because I did what we call a rock scramble today, and it frightened me. The trail went straight up, over boulders higher than my head. You "hike" this section by reaching over the top of the Boulder, feeling around until you find a handhold, and then pulling yourself up. If you slip and fall you're going to wind up in intensive care. Or the morgue. One or the other.I made it, but when I did, I didn't feel happy, like I have accomplished something. I felt foolish, because I had risked my life. And for what?
Date: 2015-05-12
From: Smith Gap Road (1269.7

To: Kirkridge Shelter (1287)
Miles today: 17.3
Weather: scattered clouds

Day 87 ¢ Tuesday, May 12, 2015I can't wait to get out of Pennsylvania.Every ugly thing that's been said about the 40 gazillion rocks in and on the a AT here is true. I'm sick of them, right up to my eyeballs. The last 52 miles have been the toughest of the almost 1300 I've hiked.At least it hasn't rained, not enough to matter, anyway. If there's anything worse than rocks, it's slick rocks.All, well. I guess I should just leave it alone, focus on what California used to tell me: "It's all good."I'll tell you what's good. In another 6.7 miles, I'll be done with Pennsylvania. I'll be in New Jersey. And that can't happen too soon.
Date: 2015-05-13
From: Kirkridge Shelter (1287

To: Mohican Outdoor Center (1304.2)
Miles today: 17.2

Day 88 ¢ Wednesday, May 13, 2015It is over. Rocksylvania is history. I'm in New Jersey, at a hostel called the Mohican Outdoor Center (mile 1304.2). I've had a hot shower, a good supper of my own making, and I'm ready for bed.The last 6 miles and change were easy, like Rocksylvania wants to kiss and make up. But I wasn't having it. No six. Not after these last three days. Go sell that somewhere else.This was an easy day, for the most part. Oh, there were some rocks to contend with, here and there. But not like Pennsylvania.Umbrella Man stayed in Delaware Water Gap and plans to take a zero tomorrow to give his knee and feet a chance to heal up a little.Crockman and Temper are here. We plan to sleep in, have breakfast here, and then do an easy 15 tomorrow.Note: I cracked 1300 miles today. Only 885 to go. Piece of cake.
Date: 2015-05-14
From: Mohican Outdoor Center (1304.2)

To: Brink Shelter (1318.2)
Miles today: 14.0

Day 89 - Thursday, May 14, 2015We slept in ¢ Temper, Crocman, and I ¢ expecting to eat breakfast here at eight, but they weren't serving. I messed around to almost 10 before pulling out, a mistake.All of us planned to go to Brink Shelter, only 14 miles. But starting late turned what should have been a piece of cake into, well, cornbread.I stayed in the shelter with two other guys - one of whom snored like an overloaded truck straining to climb a steep hill. This guy sounded like a 200 piece orchestra warming up. Temper, who was 30-40 yards away, heard him. So did Crocman, who was even farther out. This guy may have cured me from sleeping in shelters.Met a fellow at the shelter (Oh, yes. Snoreman woke him, too.) who was backpacking for the first time - it was his Day One.Someone asked him if he had a trail name and he replied, "Not Yet."But Not Yet does now.
Date: 2015-05-15
From: Brink Shelter (1318.2)

To: High Point Shelter (1337.8)
Miles today: 19.6
Weather: overcast clouds

Day 90 - Friday, May 15, 2015I learned my lesson.When I arrived at High Point Shelter, I pitched my tent. I needed to get some rest tonight. Couldn't take a chance on sleeping near a foghorn two nights in a row.An old newspaper friend of mine, Andy Lehren, a reporter for the New York Times, and his son, Stephen, 14, arrived about 7:30 or 8 PM. We had been planning this meeting for weeks, so the three of us could hike together for a couple of days.Andy brought steak sandwiches which he shared with Temper and Crocman, who were tenting nearby. I had already eaten ¢ was I hungry enough to eat again? Does a bear live in the woods?(They say they do, but, actually, you can't prove it by me. Maybe I need to switch to "is water wet," something like that.)Rain was in the forecast, but we planned to leave a little later than usual in the morning and get to the next shelter, at Pochuck Mountain, a little earlier than usual to leave more time for visiting. We had a lot of catching up to do. Rain or no, we'd be fine.Note: met a new (to me) NoBo at the shelter this evening, Good Knight. Why Good Knight? His trail name was given to him by a woman for whom he had done a favor.
Date: 2015-05-16
From: High Point Shelter (1337.8)

To: Pochuck Mountain Shelter (1350.2)
Miles today: 12.4
Weather: clear sky

Day 91 - Saturday, May 16, 2015My oldest son is going to be awarded a doctorate today, on his 51st birthday. My wife is there, celebrating.Shouldn't I be there to0? I could have. Do I have my priorities turned upside down in this drive to hike to Maine?Maybe so.But I am here, listening to the last of a night¢long rain drip on my tent, making music of a sort.It stopped soon after Andy, Stephen, and I got up and began packing up. The day turned radiantly beautiful and stayed that way.Nice day all the way around: good weather, good trail, and good friends to share it with. And dehydrated apple strudel for dessert, Andy's treat. Was it good? Oh yes. Better than good.Only one other person at Pochuck Mountain Shelter, a woman named Emily who was hiking south. I slept in my tent ¢ told you I had learned my lesson.
Date: 2015-05-17
From: Pochuck Mountain Shelter (1350.2)

To: Warwick Turnpike (1362.2)
Miles today: 12.0
Weather: light rain

Day 92 - Sunday, May 17, 2015No! I haven't seen a bear. Please don't ask again. And I don't think I will unless one lays down on the trail and wiggles like a snake. (That's where I keep my eyes, 95% of the time, looking for snakes. Looking for rattlers. I've seen a dozen snakes so far, but no rattlesnakes.)Anyway, let the record show that I almost saw a bear, Three of them.Andy, Stephen, and I were climbing Waywayanda Mountain, and everyone coming down told us the same thing, and they were pretty excited about it: there are three bears at the top, two cubs and their mother. I begin climbing a lot slower. I have no desire to accidentally come between a mama bear and her cubs. And when we arrived, they were gone.(BTW, this was a tough climb. Rocks,boulders, and more rocks. They call it the "stairway to heaven.")I had 10 times rather see my wife than any old bear, and today I was going to see her ¢ she was waiting for me in nearby Greenwood Lake, New York.Andy, Stephen, and I got off the trail in the early afternoon at the Warwick Turnpike, south of Greenwood Lake, and drove me to the New Continental Hotel. The four of us ate a late lunch and then they left for home. I've made a lot of new friends on this trip but there's no friend like an old friend. It was so good to see my wife again. It was our fourth meetup. We plan one more, in New Hampshire, before I finish.This evening, we ate supper on the hotel veranda overlooking Greenwood Lake. It was a sweet time.
Date: 2015-05-18
From: Warwick Turnpike (1362.2)

To: NY 17A, Bellvale, NY (1371.7)
Miles today: 9.5

Day 93 - Monday, May 18, 2015Made a mistake today that might end up costing me dearly.I hiked too fast, climbed too fast. I broke one of my rules: never keep up, never catch up. Hike your own hike.I decided last night to stay one more day at Greenwood Lake. Donna and I had some catching up to do, and I was behind on my hike planning. One of the surprises of this trip is how much time I have to spend planning where to go next, we are I'm going to be able to resupply ¢ trip logistics.But I didn't want to take a zero, that is, hike no miles. I don't take zeros, or, at least, I haven't since I returned to the trail two months ago.So, after lunch, (we had gyros), Donna drove me back to the trailhead where I planned to hike 9.5 miles. En route, I overtook Stretch and, later, we overtook Mother Nature and Between. And then I tried to keep up with them, even when my hernia begin acting up. I should have slowed down, immediately, but with the competitive juices start flowing, it's hard for me to do that.Had I injured myself further? Maybe. Maybe not.It was a tough trail. We climbed Prospect Rock, the highest point on the AT in New York. And, for the first time, we used a ladder to climb one of the boulders on the trail.(BTW, there were five NoBos on the trail at once with a six nearby, a rare occurrence on my hike: Mother Nature: Between: Stretch: a new (to me) NoBo named Elmer, and me. Elmer's hiking partner, Bridges, was not far behind.)Late this afternoon, I crossed out of New Jersey and into New York. That's eight states down (Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey) and six states to go: New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine.The day ended on a high note. Donna took Stretch, Elmer, and me for ice cream ¢ I had a banana split. I also renewed an old resolution: slow down. Finish. Everyone who finishes wins.