morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2015-05-24
From: Darlington Sheltet

To: Doyle
Miles today: 12.0
Weather: clear sky

Short day into duncannon, a little rocky but not too bad. Leg felt terrible but loosened up the more I walked. Iced it while I was in town. Hiked with bostrich who is from nyc and is taking some time off to travel for a while. He hiked kilamanjaro before this, and wants to take a cross country motorcycle trip after the trail. He's about our age (p-Diddy is 25), is a homebrewer, etc. Met the ridge runner for this area who was hiking in chacos. He did at least the last half of his trip in the same kind I have. Lots of thru hikers zeroing in town. Seeker, fireball, furball, gandalf, tropicana, chicago, sparkle, and emily, seekers friend who started in Harper's ferry. Bostrich, p-Diddy and I got pizza from the only restaurant open in town at 11:30, bought some beer, and joined them on the second porch to hang out and enjoy the sunny day. I relaxed and iced my leg. Also communicated with Keegan on the computer - had decided on getting an s5 since Jimmy seemed happy with his, and dad had gone to a Verizon store and picked one up. Keegan was bringing it in a week when she visited near palmerton, and we also worked out those plans.My scheduled maildrop had not arrived in time, but luckily I still had some extra food.   I picked up a little extra in town, withe the plan to stop in port Clinton in a few days for another short resupply. Probably for the best anyway, lighter pack would be better for my knees.Split a room at the Doyle with p-Diddy. The place was the definition of hiker trash. It was dry, with showers and functional as a hotel but was the dirtiest, possibly worst place I'll ever stay in.Went to a bar with most of the other thru hikers in town to watch game of thrones. Seeker is a huge fan of the series and knows all the house themes. I went to bed right after the show but they stayed up much better.
Date: 2015-05-25
From: Doyle

To: Camping
Miles today: 19.4
Weather: scattered clouds

P-Diddy had pizza left over from last night so that served as breakfast and it was great. Bid farewell to the Doyle and walked through the rest of town and back up to the ridgeline. On the edge of Duncannon there was a strip club boasting an outdoor stage. Classy place.Short but steep uphill led us to more rocks. This is supposed to be where rocksylvania begins. My leg did not feel much better than yesterday, even with icing it.About 10 miles crossed PA 225 via a pedestrian bridge and saw signs for a cookout inviting thru-hikers. A little cabin off to the side of the trail held the party, apparently an annual affair. The cabin had a great view of the valley. Furball and Chicago were there, having slack packed this section last night. They had ridden up with tricks. We had met tricks at the Doyle the day before. He had section hiked the trail and fallen love with it and the AT culture. Every year he hung around the trail and helped out hikers. He told us tails of other hikers, and particularly about Katahdin.   He liked to stay at the bottom of the mtn and counsel hikers, as many who reach there have difficulty finishing the journey. They are out here for so long that being done and what comes after is hard to fathom. I don't think I'll have that problem but hope to run into him again.The party had tons of food - lots of family and friends who had all brought many dishes. We ate our fill (especially all the desserts) but eventually had to leave as there were more miles to do.The rest of the day wasn't bad but we stopped a reward miles early. P-Diddy Saud his knees hurt and my leg wasn't feeling super either. Camped by a brown colored spring. Filtering did not help the color but drank it anyway.
Date: 2015-05-26
From: Camping

To: 501 Shelter
Miles today: 27.0
Weather: few clouds

Got up at 6:30 and had some more copper colored water. Utterly awful terrain today. Tons of rocks, and even more cobwebs and flies. Difficult to step over rocks while swarmed with flying insect. My legs were black as they were covered in webs and bugs and dirt stuck to them. Had webs and bugs in hair and everywhere. Was also incredibly hot. Just miserable, and so happy to finally be done. Pizza delivered to this shelter and we both ordered large pies. There was a solar shower and the water was not warm but still felt good to rinse the crap out of my hair and off my skin.The shelter was an actual building with wooden bunks and a caretaker who we never saw. There were two other hikers there, one with a dog. I think they were flip floppers from harpers ferry.
Date: 2015-05-27
From: 501 Shelter

To: Port Clinton
Miles today: 24.0
Weather: light rain

More rocks today. Got caught in a torrential downpour and the trail turned into a river. Rain ended shortly though.The downhill to port Clinton was super steep a day especially treacherous due to the rain.Wet and smelly and dirty we got a room at the port Clinton hotel. Paid extra for a large bed but it was not very large at all, p-Diddy slept on top using his sleeping bag and I used the sheets. We made it work.Bought fries and wings at the bar. Large portions. Met 10 speed, a Swiss cyclist on his thru hike.
Date: 2015-02-05
To: Realization Setting in.
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

Today was the first day since I decided to hike the trail, and consequently upheave my entire life, that I actually began to realize what exactly I had decided to do. We all have a reason for wanting to complete the 2,185 mile trek from Georgia to Maine, or Maine to Georgia as I'm choosing to do. My decision to hike the AT, much like the actual hiking of the AT, was a very personal and individual one. I am on a search for self. I have decided that hiking the Trail was what was going to get me mentally where I feel I should be right now in life. For me, the Trail represents a new birth. A passage to a time where I can leave my past in the past, and concentrate on a more sound me. This decision does not come without consequence though. I am leaving a career that I have established with a very reputable company, after having worked for them the last 9 years. I am leaving connections, collegues, and long-term friendships that I have built over the last 9 years. None the least, I'm leaving my boss. A man who has helped me build my skills, and mentoured me to be the leader I am in my field today. I cannot express the dull ache in my chest, or the empty feeling in the pit of my stomach when I think of telling him this Friday. I don't want to disappoint him. Along with leaving my job, I am giving up my salary. I am giving up my health insurance, my disability insurance, my life insurance. I will have no more formal insurance on my life. My only insurance is my will, and sheer motivation to succeed at this hike. I'm cashing out my 401K. So I will have nothing put away for my future. Basically, I am undoing all the financial mature & responsible decisions I've made in the last 10 years. I may lose my house. And I'm prepared to do so, if I can't rent it out and keep up on the mortgage payments. These things are trivial though when I think about leaving the people in my life. How blessed I am that no one has turned their back on me for making this decision. My son, my mother, my best friend, and my boyfriend, are all supportive of what I need to do to be a better me. I can only imagine that leaving them will get harder and harder as May rolls around.
Date: 2015-02-05
To: Change of Plans
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: few clouds

Today I received my Trail books and maps that I ordered through the Appalachian Trail Conservancy. I ordered all of the AT guides and associated maps, AWOL on the AT, and A Walk in the Woods, which is now a second copy since a good friend of mine gave me his copy a few days ago. I also ordered The Thru hiker starter pack which included the data book. Upon reading the fluctuating temperatures in Maine during the month of May, I have decided to change my plans of hiking SOBO from Mt. Kathadin in May, and I am now planning a flip-flop from The Delaware Water Gap on the New Jersey/Pennsylvania border. I will start at the Gap and hike NOBO, turn at Kathadin, come home, and start SOBO from the Delaware Water Gap. Hopefully this is a better weather plan than my initial Maine start plan.
Date: 2015-02-06
To: Resigning my position
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Today I met with my boss and resigned my position, effective April 18th 2015. I spent 9 years under his direction, and on my hour and a half drive to his office this morning I asked myself why I was having so much trepidation around telling him I was leaving. I felt perfectly comfortable telling everyone else of significance in my life, my mother, my son, my boyfriend, and my best friend; but telling my boss was actually causing me anxiety and stomach upset. I realized on that drive, that he has been the only man over the last ten years (consistently), to have my back. He never let me down, and he always had faith in me. I don't know another man to have stood by my side for as long as he did, to empower me, and to trust in me and my abilities. He was not just my boss. He was my mentor, and my friend.
Date: 2015-02-10
To: 3 Points of Significance
Miles today: 0.0

I'm sitting in my king sized bed, comforter on, dog at my feet competing for blankets. It's the dead of winter in North Eastern PA. The trees are covered in ice, and my hiking pack is collecting dust in the corner. I have maps and guide books sprawled out before me, and I'm prepping for a warmer day in May when I set out on the Trail for 6 months to do some soul searching.It occurred to me quite out of the blue, as I stare at the NJ-NY Map number 4 out of the Delaware Water Gap, that I have already hiked the first day of my hike. I find some comfort, and some irony in this realization. And as I think of the irony, (I did not hike this section alone), I realize that there are actually three areas of significance I'm going to pass through while on the trail. 1) Delaware Water Gap- Sunfish Pond. This stretch of forest is in my back yard, barely 6 miles in one direction. I hiked this trail with "X" in 2014. I remember the day like it was yesterday. It was cold, and sunny. We packed lunchables and crackers for a day hike. The rocks were slippery, and footing was lost on several occasions. Sunfish Pond was slightly frozen over, and there was a family in the only spot with a good view when we got to it. We sat on a rock by the trail head sign and ate as the wind sliced through our skin. It was a good day. 2) Nelson Outlook and Kirkland Shelter in Bangor, PA. A November small hike, and overnight in my first AT Shelter. The fire was blazing, but it was so cold. I didn't have proper gear for the weather, but I did have a flask of vodka. I woke to howls of coyotes, and foxes barking. 3) The 40 mile hike between Pen Mar and Harpers Ferry. This is where I went to get my sanity back. It only slightly helped, which is why I'm committing myself for a longer length of stay on the AT. I found peace here. I can only think, I will find it once again here. I look forward to these three points of significance. Each one will be visited at a different time in life, from whence they were first known. It's funny how much a year can change a person. It's ironic how a place doesn't change, but the people in it do. "Time. Time. Time. See what's become of me."TamaRam
Date: 2015-03-01
To: Minimalist Thinking Setting In
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

I am 60 days from my start date. I have planned much, and yet not enough. My mind has taken on a minimalist need. I have begun to purge my life of distractions. I have decided that Facebook was taking up a considerable amount of time from my positive thinking, and productivity in life, and so I have opted to ignore it, and check only every few days for Private messages and my trail community groups. I've decided that a romantic relationship was probably not the best option for me, and have chosen to once again be single. I am cleaning house also. I am selling or giving away the items that take up space but are never used: games, clothes, and objects. I'm no longer interested in "stuff". I feel an internal change of priorities, and stressors. I'm calm, and excited at the same time. I feel I'm moving to a place of peace, and my eyes are open. I have found that I like my own company, alone, and don't need to fill time with television, idle chit chat, or meaningless thoughts or worries. I feel like I'm taking my life back from the hold of social norm, and I'm a rebel with a cause now. For most people, the thought of making a decision to leave your secure job, and possibly lose your house, is not an option. It was the only option for me, and though I feel I should be more worried about these things, I'm not. This is my path, I am choosing to embrace it, not fight it, and it's extremely liberating.
Date: 2015-03-15
To: Romping in the Woods
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: few clouds

When I was young, no more than six or seven, I used to romp in the woods by my NJ house with the Mannesse sisters from across the street. We would walk down the road until we found a "good spot", then descend into the thick branches and dense undergrowth until we came across a clearing from the trees. We had to be invisible to the road, and any neighboring houses, just three young girls in the thick of the forest, in a small clearing. This would be our world. We would imagine fantasy creatures, or buildings that were rocks. There could be snakes, it other dangerous animals, or maybe none at all. Whatever our world was that day, it was our own. It was devoid of adults, reality and the stresses we faces at that time in our life as young children in a world run by dysfunctional adults. This is what hiking and backpacking is to me today. My own. A world Devoid of anything negative, and civilized. It's fresh, and new, full of possibilities as far as the mind can see. These girls are still two of my closest friends, 30 some odd years later. They have grown out of romping in the woods, but I have not.
Date: 2015-03-30
To: Closer, and Closer
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

I am closer and closer to my start date of May 1st. Many of the people I've met online that are thru-hiking this year, are already out on the trail. Some have even already aborted the trail for differing reasons. It's cold in Georgia right now, where many of them have started, and it's been raining and snowing for their first few weeks out. I am sorry to see some of them have left the trail, though there's no shame in their game. I feel more comfortable with my decision to start later, and do a flip instead of starting from Georgia. The weather should be warmer, and the trail in NJ easier for my first week. I have to find my hiking legs. I went out Saturday for a five mile hike, to break in my new boots. It was sunny, and looked like the perfect day. I didn't realize it was only 20 degrees out, and the trail was covered in a foot of melting snow and ice. What normally would have taken me an hour and a half to complete, took two and a half. My boots, never touched earth, but they got their fair share of snow. All in all, it was a good hike, and I'm equally excited and sad about leaving.
Date: 2015-04-14
To: side note
Miles today: 0.0

Most recently I received some anonymous guest book entries that have been less than supportive, derogatory rather, and extremely personal. I left them up until this most recent entry because I feel everyone is entitled to their opinion. If you feel I'm an idiot, or selfish, or unstable... That's your opinion, and you are entitled to it. However, I will not allow my family to be discussed negatively. I have deleted all negative entries and will continue to do so from here on out. Please feel free to email me your thoughts. I will respond diplomatically. However, please understand that I don't accept judgement from anyone but God.
Date: 2015-04-16
To: Humbled
Miles today: 0.0

Tomorrow is my last day of work. The last few weeks have been extremely humbling. My staff, colleagues, superiors, have given me so much support and well wishes, not to mention a great deal of fanfare. I never expected such a grandiose exit. I can't put into words, how grateful I am to have worked with such an amazing group of people. I am sorry to leave, yet I can't wait to start a new chapter of my life. I am two weeks away from my start date. I have 99% of my gear, a planned itinerary, mail drop boxes with addresses, and a smile on my face. I'm ready. Someone (actually many people) asked me if I was afraid. No. I'm not afraid. I've never been afraid of dieing, but I've always been afraid of not living. "Let's do this shit!"
Date: 2015-04-22
To: Perspective
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: few clouds

8 days and counting! If ever I needed a confirmation that I NEED this hike, it was the past week. Things are rarely what they seem, and sometimes a big dose of reality can set you back a few steps. I've regained my footing, clearer in mind, heavier in heart, but still strong and on track. I'm finalizing everything now; getting my home life squared away, and attending to the details. I've had some very thought provoking conversations, and I've tested my resolve, reaffirmed my faith in the bigger picture of life, and gained some insight.   Life is still good; Perspective needs some adjustment.
Date: 2015-04-29
To: Nearing Take-Off
Miles today: 0.0

2 Days and not much left to count. Last night I sat with a friend and pulled up the weather forecast. Looks like I'll be challenged with rain for my first two days on the trail, a small hiatus of sun and then three more days of rain. What an initiation it will be! I'm hoping I've fully weatherproofed my gear, I'll know soon enough. My sleep patterns, which have not been normal for several months, have become increasingly erratic. This has probably added to my deteriorating sanity and I'm holding on to the thought that exposing myself to rhythms of nature will correct my dysfunctional mind. I'm holding on to that, with a great deal of strength. I do not want to hike in the dark. I've spent most of the last 7 days with loved ones. I have reluctance to leave them, but the support has been both heartwarming, and humbling. Those who do not know me well have told me I am brave, and an inspiration to others. I am grateful for their kind words, but those that truly know me understand that I am not going on this hike to prove I can do it, or to inspire others. They know, I am broken and this hike is an attempt to be whole again. This is my attempt to feel the sun as it should be felt, to breathe in life that I have lost, and see a path that I need to follow. The trail is my church, and I am going to walk it to speak to God. Honestly, I would not have upheaved my entire life if I didn't feel this hike was a must to continue a normal existence. I thank you for all your support. It has helped me to continue to make my plans, and see this through. "It is only when we silent the blaring sounds of our daily existence that we can finally hear the whispers of truth that life reveals to us, as it stands knocking on the doorsteps of our hearts." - K.T. Jong
Date: 2015-04-30
To: View Entry
Miles today: 31.5
Weather: scattered clouds

I started my thru-hike! May 2nd I said goodbye to three good friends that dropped me in the parking lot at the Delaware water gap trail head in New Jersey. I can't lie, I was extremely apprehensive, and one question kept running through my mind on the drive- "What the hell am I doing?" By the time I reached camp that night, I knew the answer, and my fears subsided and I went about doing what I came out here to do. Hike, and think. I couldn't think about too much more than what an ass I was to pack so many things, and I'll be parting with them as soon as I reach a post office. That was mistake number one. Mistake number two was overestimating my abilities this first week. Yes I hiked before I came out, but I didnt "train". Not that I needed to train, but calculating 14 mile days in the first week was pretty ridiculous of me. The good part of that though, is it doesn't really matter! There are no times or days I need to do anything but hike. I keep telling myself, "you don't have to go far, you just have to go somewhere." It's been working for me so far. Today I found myself picking up my pace and logged the same amount of miles as the previous day with two hours to spare. I have to give credit to my friend Jeff who taught me how to breathe. Yes, he taught me how to breathe. Sounds pretty simple, but I was doing it all wrong. I'm much better now. Tonight I reached my shelter and thought I'd have it all to myself. As I was eating my re-hydrated pad-tai a group of hikers came noisily down the shelter path. I thought I was going to get stuck with a bunch of section hiker partyers. But it turned out to be an 8th grade school trip. There are three chaperones and about 15-20 8th graders camping be find the shelter. I still get the shelter to myself! I'm glad because I would have set up my tent otherwise, because I snore and I'm courteous like that. They were all taking turns asking me thru-hiker questions, and I was surprised that I was so versed. I never thought about all the things I needed to know to do this hike. I also was asked my trail name, and it's the first time it's been spoken aloud on the trail. . I'm feeling very fulfilled no blessed to be here.
Date: 2015-05-14
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

I'm in New York. One state down, 13 to go. I would like to say I did this without incident, however on Sunday morning getting into the shelter to get some things, I stepped wrong on a rock, slipped, and ever so gracefully, fell onto the same rock. I gashed my leg pretty good. I butterflied it up, and I continued to do 12 miles that day. It was the hardest terrain I've encountered so far on the trail. I was running on adrenaline, and scaled rocks and climbed ladders (?) ?all day long. I didn't get to camp until after dark, and by then my leg was hurting. It has been in the high 80's everyday, and I had put in 10 days of hiking. I was tired. On the 11th I set out knowing the next shelter was 15 miles away, and I got about two miles and decided I needed a break. So I took one. I caught a cab ( can't bring myself to hitch yet) into greenwood lakes and stayed at the breezy on the lake. There was a restaurant and bar on site and I had myself a few cocktails a nice shower and a real meal. It was heaven. I stayed two nights. A friend came and visited me, and we had a good dinner and slot of fun. I was back out yesterday, put in 10 miles and plan on the same today. My legs healing, feels much better and the temp has gone down so it's bearable to hike. Feeling good!
Date: 2015-05-15
To: View Entry
Miles today: 100.0
Weather: broken clouds

I'm feeling exceptionally good today! I have a few more days in New York, and then off to CT. Tented out last night in a severe thunderstorm. It was intense...in tents! Ha. My tent is awesome, and I stayed dry all night. Big Agnus UL1. Get it! Packing up in the chilly air, missing music but singing..."Busted flat in Baton Rouge, waiting for a train, I was feeling bout as faded as my jeans. bobby thumbed a Diesal down, just before it rained, it brought us all the way to New Orleans. I pulled my harpoon outta my dirty red bandana, I played it soft while Bobby sand the bluessss, oh yeah...."