morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2007-06-07
To: View Entry
Miles today: 24.0

Refreshed and back on the trail this morning after staying with the Williams last night. Evvie, Ron, and Kelly were extremely hospitable, and I am properly spoiled.Today I should reach the dreaded pennsylvania border, where I will spend my next 2 weeks.Yesterday I climbed up the original washington monument... The view was nice, but the new monument is a bit more striking.Much ado has been made from me whining about my foot, but this morning it is happily swollen and numb, like after a bee sting. Remembering what the first Stealth was walking with... ground beef comes to mind... I really am in no position to complain. If it gets bad I'll see a doc, though I have a feeling he'll tell me not to hike 20 miles a day. In the meantime I'm cowboying up.Similar to the depressing annihilation of half the trees in the shenandoahs, the oaks in maryland are being eaten alive. I assume it's the gypsy moth caterpillar. It sounds like rain as you walk under them, and the ground is covered with green confetti. Stands of oaks are completely bare.it's interesting to remember the woods growing up from my perspective now. Obviously the kudzu was an invader, but even the way poison ivy took over everything... We see that near highways and other big clearings mostly, not in the deep woods. With the pine bark beetles and the dutch elm disease... I never considered that the woods I grew up in were really sick. It all got plowed for mcmansions long ago of course, but in my mind's eye I remember it differently now.Lots more dayhikers and weekenders lately. They aren't particularly friendly, they stumble along in their big boots, and they reek of soap, detergent, and perfumes. Even right out of town thru-hikers don't smell like that. Jocelyn would crinkle her nose and say we smell like "outside". Weekenders hike really fast when it's flat and they're near their car, and really slow going uphill. Some are quite friendly, and an occasional geezer could pass for a thru-hiker... I'm just sayin.*****Pennsylvania, hooray. So far the rocks were worse in maryland.here's a scary scenario. In the middle of nowhere and a stray german shepherd comes trotting toward you. I'm the biggest dog lover in the world, but a guard dog in the woods with one bloodshot eye, matted fur, and slightly emaciated haunches is a little scary, then later a little sad. Fortunately he was friendly and understood I couldn't take him with me. A thru has never been attacked by a bear but plenty have been bitten by stray or feral dogs.Big day today, 25 or 26 if I make it to tumbling run. Tomorrow is supposed to be a scorcher so I'm setting up for a short one.
Date: 2007-06-08
To: View Entry
Miles today: 26.3

It is so hot. There was a public pool at a park we passed, but it was closed today. The azure water is burnished into my memory. Forced hydration has me at 7 liters today (I drink one every time I pass water) and I still have 5 miles to go. it's tough, if I did 2 25s I could make boiling springs (a very unappealing name today) by tomorrow night, but today's 96f and humid and tomorrow is halfway point half gallon smackdown, so tough guy mileage is really pushing it.Praying for rain...
Date: 2007-06-09
To: Boiling Springs, PA
Miles today: 25.7

I'm at the halfway point, waiting for the general store to open so I can attempt the half gallon challenge.I am doing laundry at the hostel here, which the woman working here agreed to, then was really rude about it. Haters are everywhere.Half way... How can this only be half way? It isn't encouraging at all.later...I changed my mind, half way feels pretty darn good. I'm on the back 9 now.I am also a proud member of the half gallon club, a big box of chocolate ice cream fell in 25 minutes. Got my commemorative spoon and to sign the book. Afterwards I had to get up and walk 19 more miles.*****I made it into boiling springs, where I am camped out in the backyard of a local resident. Crazy.
Date: 2007-06-10
From: Boiling Springs, PA

To: Duncannon, PA
Miles today: 26.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Up early to make duncannon tonight. The high miles are starting to take their toll, it took 20 minutes to get loose enough to walk properly this morning. When I make it I'll have done 125 miles in 5 days, which is "a lot", but after today i'll be ready to cool down a little.Walking throgh corn fields this morning before diving back into the woods.isn't it funny how things can swing back and forth on a trip like this? Yesterday morning I was treated like a vagrant for asking to do my laundry at a hiker hostel (iron works mansion) - a $4 service - then that evening a friendly guy at the diner makes a phone call and I end up tented in somebody's backyard, just being nice.My frind Paul once gave me some really good advice - you either assume everyone is going to be your friend or that no one is. It is a mode of survival out here, where the trip's success depends on the kindness of strangers. That was a scary part of the planning process, we tried to take serendipity out of the equation, but it's the best part. There was good reason for trying to minimize it, would you pick me up walking down northwest highway? But it's really different out here.*****I am in duncannon, at the doyle hotel. The doyle is the sort of hotel you can imagine a late 60s rock band living at. It is completely dilapidated, but nonetheless alluring. My room cost twenty dollars and came with the admonishion that "if it sounds fun, don't do it." The lobby is a bar, and a pretty good one. The walls are yellow and there is no air conditioning, phone, or anything else in my 8x12 room. The bathroom is down the hall. After 8 you have to use the fire escape to get in. But if I read that jefferson airplane was getting back together and eric clapton had rented the place out and that topless girl on the album cover was hanging out on the third floor, I would totally believe it. For now it's just full of us hikers.I did the 26 miles in about 10 hours across mostly easy ground, but I am getting a blister that hurts much worse than it looks. Jocelyn is awesome and is arranging a pair of something to be sent on to pine grove 45 miles ahead. I plan to limp it out in 3 days. Met a couple of good guys today, flick and golden boy. They bet each other that I would be unable to eat a salad, a cheeseburger, a buffalo chicken sandwich, and a half plate of fries at the doyle bar. Foolish... it took me 10 minutes, then I went looking for ice cream. I am losing weight a little, but it's not for lack of trying.
Date: 2007-06-11
From: Duncannon, PA

To: View Entry
Miles today: 17.0

Off into the woods again, thinking about pine grove tomorrow night. Jocelyn is trying to use some miles to come out for the weekend, so I can push a little harder if I'm going to take the weekend off.The gypsy moth caterpillars are horrific here. Whole hillsides are stripped bare, and the trunks of the oak trees seeth with millions of undulating bugs. it's a nightmare.*****I was... unable to stop at the 12 mile mark so I kept on, past a much needed spring to the camp of 2 section hikers I knew, scottie and mike. I could have plugged out another 2 miles to camp alone at dark, but... I try not to. So now I am in a mileage pickle with 29 to go for pine grove. All sense would say to do 25 and take a nero, what's the rush, but there is one twist - I managed to send home all my hot meals. I am fine on food otherwise, but it still stinks.I set my alarm for 5 and pre made my breakfast, but I am going to play it by ear.Really liking businessweek's podcasts, surprisingly. Slate, the economist, and the history network also are great. Ask a ninja and strongbad's emails also make me laugh. I am looking forward to a fresh crop this weekend from Jocelyn. She downloaded an entire season of the tv show battlestar galactica to put on my ipod. Crazy.
Date: 2007-06-12
To: Pine Grove, PA
Miles today: 29.0
Weather: few clouds

I managed to pry my eyes open at 5:07 and got moving. I choked down some cold oatmeal and a protein shake, and swatted at blackflies which swarmed me as I packed my tent. If you keep moving they don't bother you as bad, at least until late afternoon.I just passed the ruins of yellow springs village, a good waypoint. it's 8 am, and - have 22 to go out of the 29 I started with. I still don't know what I'm going to do. Theres a shelter at 25, but I'll be eating snickers for supper. I'd do a nero into pine grove tomorrow, then go for 26 to make port clinton thursday. Which is how the reservations are set up anyway. If I make the 29 today I won't turn around and do 26 tomorrow, i'd probably do half then half - again, snickers for dinner, I don't plan to resupply in pine grove. So all the options kind of stink. we'll see.Been thinking a lot about career stuff.
Date: 2007-06-16
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Today was fun, we went into manhattan and walked around. Jocelyn had never been, so I enjoyed showing her around the city. We hung out in soho and greenwich village, checking out the stores and people watching, no standard touristy stuff. I find new york inspiring, everything has a unique level of polish and attention to detail. And so many influences. Tokyo was the same way, but it makes all other cities seem small and crude by comparison.
Date: 2007-06-17
To: View Entry
Miles today: 6.0

Today Jocelyn and I took care of errands and I returned to the trail. I made it 6 miles to bake oven shelter, which I've found empty. A tough night for it, as I am struggling with returning to the forest after a too-short respite. Got a lot of new podcasts and some tv shows, including some scrubs, though I don't want to burn down the batteries until I am close to town. I am skipping palmerton and am headed straight for delaware water gap.Luke meets me in 10 days, I am looking forward to the company. Everyone wants me to slow down... At this rate I will be close to kent.
Date: 2007-06-18
To: View Entry
Miles today: 24.0

As soon as I finished typing last night it started to rain, so I pulled my tent up into the shelter. I fell asleep safely out of the unexpected thunderstorm. I was awoken in the middle of the night to footsteps and a flashlight on the side of my tent. I called out, "hey, how's it going?"A male voice answered "hello, do I know you?"Though half awake I was undeterred. "well, considering we're alone at a shelter in the middle of the wilderness you probably will soon enough." Great, a rude northeasterner."no, I mean, don't I know you?" It was spence! I slid my tent over, leaving enough room for his bedroll, and went back to sleep.*****The last 24 hours have to be in contention for the hardest so far. This morning I had to descend and climb back out of lehigh gap. Talk about undersold. In my idiom when you have to reach above your head to stick your fingers in a crack in a sheer vertical rock face and pull yourself up to the next crack for your feet, that's not a scramble, that's rock climbing. About a 5.4 I figure, but I was wearing a heavy pack and it kept going up and up... A thousand feet above the busy highway straight down. It made dragon's tooth seem like a logging road.And man was it hot. This is the area bryson talks about being a wasteland because of zinc mining. I can confirm the wasteland part... I was exposed for a long time. The rocks were ever-present, and water was non-existant. Up on the ridge where I spend most of my time they send a side trail straight down every 15 miles or so, at least a mile round trip and steep.This was the situation 20 miles into the grueling day when I encountered the cooler of pepsi. With plenty of water to refill my tanks it was exactly what I needed most, just when I needed it. My day turned around and my faith in humanity was restored.I'll make 24 today and 20 tomorrow to close out prehensylvania.
Date: 2007-06-19
To: Delaware Water Gap, PA
Miles today: 20.0
Weather: few clouds

Slogging it out again today on the last 20 miles into dwg, a section of trail baltimore jack appropriately called "a mean little stretch" of trail. Pointy slag and boulder fields require constant attention and have my foot bottoms wincing. I think I shall zero in delaware water gap tomorrow. Numerous upsides, no downside, and the ramada is only fifty bucks a night.
Date: 2007-06-20
From: Delaware Water Gap, PA

To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

I am glad I am taking a zero today, I don't feel well at all. I pushed hard to finish pennsylvania and it may be catching up with me. Hopefully I will be back to normal tomorrow. In the meantime I am watching my 3 deer tick bites since I entered the high risk zone very carefully, but no bulls eyes so far.I must be near new york, because the strombolis have gotten better. I am the stromboli king now. Dough boy's in dwg gets four and a half garlic rolls, a superlative score.Did you know that today in dwg I am a full three weeks ahead of schedule? Crazy.Stroudsburg is a quaint little town, I took the shuttle van to do some laundry.
Date: 2007-06-21
To: View Entry
Miles today: 25.0

I rolled out of bed this morning and somewhat reluctantly got back on the trail. 25 miles to the next shelter, and especially with the stories of bear infestation I don't have much choice.*****argh... rain. This tent is quite moist these days, as dirt and use have worn away the coating. Drip. Drip.Made 25 look easy today, arriving at shelter by 6, even after I ate breakfast at the diner. All that water I was carrying paid off, it was scarce today.Rumble rumble goes the thunder. Good thing i am scheduled for shorter mileage tomorrow, I may need drying time.The rain brought out tons of bright orange newts. They are awesome looking.
Date: 2007-06-22
To: Branchville, NJ
Miles today: 4.0

I didn't feel well this morning so I decided   to go into branchville, 4 miles up the trail.   I got a room at a hotel and an appointment with a doctor. They took blood and gave me a tetanus shot and started me on antibiotics just in case. He says my symptoms also sound like a virus going around, and that the blood tests will show my liver something something if it's the virus, otherwise if I have lyme undead zombie disease that will show up too. Hopefully the antibiotics will stave off the craving for living flesh in the meantime.I turned the wrong way looking for the pharmacy, and ended up in bfe. it's ok though, because I turned up at a gas station with ben and jerry's neopolitan dynamite, the best flavor ever. I sat eating my ice cream with a nice fellow who had recently regained his freedom while I waited for the exorbitant 30 dollar taxi back to the motel.People in jersey come off just plain pushy, but if you're patient with them they end up being really nice. And they make REALLY good bagels. Nobody knows what a thru hiker is anymore. it's funny to remember back in hiawassee and franklin - hikers seemed to have taken over the whole town, and signs outside of restaurants and businesses proclaimed "Welcome 2007 Hikers!" I have seen a total of half a dozen other thru hikers since harpers ferry, so it's no surprise no one seems to know what a thru hiker is anymore.I also haven't seen any bears in jersey. My wind chime is out all the time and I like to sing bon jovi songs loudly while I hike in new jersey, which might affect it. Fine by me, I've seen all the bears I care to.
Date: 2007-06-24
To: Vernon, NJ
Miles today: 19.0

Awoke to a pounding headache again, not a migraine, higher. Excedrin helped.The walk today, like all of jersey, is pretty. Marshland with swans, boardwalks, and low ridges. I am about 3 hours from vernon, having just crossed into new york and back again.A clear and cool morning to hike in can't be purchased. You really do get a sense of opulence when the weather is good, the trail is smooth, and your pack is light. Baby you're a rich man.
Date: 2007-06-25
From: Vernon, NJ

To: View Entry
Miles today: 19.0

I am hanging out at the bk lounge waiting for the post office to open so I can get my food for the next stretch. This is the last section before my brother Luke and our friend William join me. Vernon is fine, the people are super nice, a lot like bland va that way. People keep offering me rides and asking about my hike... Even though the town is spread out I haven't had to actually hitchhike yet.As I cross into new york for good this morning, I'm struck by how different new jersey was compared to expectations. You know, I can't think of any section that remotely matched my expectations or the hype about them. The following are my broken preconceptions, NOT my overall opinions of the regions. Georgia deliverance? Hiawassee is an atlanta exburb of minivans and casual eateries. I had sun the whole time in the smokies, which felt much more like the rockies that I expected. North tennessee had the cool trail towns, but was by and large dirt poor. Southern virginia was beautiful, but it was because of the rolling pasture land instead of the forests. Central virginia was some very difficult trail - it's supposed to be easy. The shenandoahs have been wracked by acid rain and looked terrible. Maryland was really rocky and the urbanites there came off snooty. Pennsylvania had the easiest trail of all in the south, only the last 2 days were especially rocky.Churchill is competing with TR for my number 2 favorite historical figure (ben franklin is a comfortable number 1) and I think it's because the podcasts I am always listening to give an edge to oratory. Churchill was a very powerful speaker, but he was really a one trick pony as a warrior, albeit an extraordinary one. TR on the other hand has a river in brazil named after him because *he discovered it*. He was also in many ways the first powerful environmentalist. It's hard to choose, and I think churchill has an unfair advantage because I can listen to his speeches. Anyway, I admire both very much.*****I made 19 today in the heat... Got some sun, it's the antibiotic, it makes me sensitive.
Date: 2007-06-26
To: View Entry
Miles today: 20.0

I saw a big bear this morning, he didn't get out of my way. When I yelled at him he just glanced over at me and kept rolling around in the grass. I finally bushwacked way around him. I am surprised because they supposedly hunt bears in new york, but it isnt the first time I've heard of a big male acting nonplussed.*****Got a little baked by the sun, but otherwise it was a good day.Good news on the home front, things are falling into place.I found out I don't have zombie brain craving disease, my lyme test was straight negative.I am eating chili tonight, it reminds me of fishing with my dad, I ate chili that tasted like this at flamingo once, before a hurricane destroyed the restaurant.I just finished Wildlife by Richard Ford, it was very good. "what your life means is not what you have or what you get, but what you're willing to give up."20 scorching miles today, 15 tomorrow into town.
Date: 2007-06-27
To: Peekskill, NY
Miles today: 15.0

Made it to peekskill. I think today was actually hotter than yesterday. I crossed the hudson and had a really hard climb. It was so hot it made my stomach hurt so I had to stop a lot. I will remember swatting the constant deer flies with soaking wet hands since I was sweating so much. I found out hitchhiking is illegal in new york so I had to call a cab, which I shared with judo.Peekskill is spread out so I have a long walk to the post and the laundromat.
Date: 2007-06-30
To: View Entry
Miles today: 13.0

It turned out we couldn't get a room in kent, so Jocelyn did some digging and located a place in new milford. Since there were 3 of us we splurged on the suite because it had a hot tub in the room. So nice.So far luke and william have experienced many of the quirks of thru hiking. The way townies smell like "inside"; the way most dogs fear and want to kill us because we smell like outside; hitchhiking (much harder with three!) nice people, less nice people, spontaneous changes of plans and the way everything always works out, thunderstorms, the incredulous looks I get from people who find out how I got here, doing laundry in the sink, hot weather, and mild weather. For some reason the kamikaze deer flies still always attack me though.
Date: 2007-07-01
To: View Entry
Miles today: 18.0

I had another fun day with luke and william today, we hiked 18 miles and went into kent for lunch, then on to silver campsite. We had a nice japanese lunch to celebrate my two-thirds point, which I really find to be a more depressing statistic than most, but it was still nice.We make a lot of fun of conneticut, the people are a little sweater-around-the-neck, but are generally friendly. The terrain is getting pretty again. We are camped under some hemlocks, my favorite tree.
Date: 2007-07-02
To: Salisbury, CT
Miles today: 22.0
Weather: clear sky

Back on the trail after saying goodbye to luke and william. It feels... Back to normal, and not lousy like I expected. I really had a good time making fun of conneticut, new yorkers and the mets, making sisqo's thong song into a hiking march, and steering them clear of trouble.But it's like when theyre around I'd rather be sitting around drinking a beer with them instead of hiking all day long, but by myself it is as good an activity as any.I am assuming that by the time this is posted Jocelyn will have made public her intent to walk the last 500 miles with me so I am allowed to talk about it. 12 days and counting, and I am very excited. She is planning to send ahead some key resupply packs for the last 6 weeks, and I am factoring a relaxed schedule to let her condition. Hooray!
Date: 2007-07-03
From: Salisbury, CT

To: View Entry
Miles today: 16.0

Made 22 to salisbury last night, a very conneticut wide spot in the road. What is conneticut like, you ask? Well, every other car is a volvo station wagon, and every other shop sells antiques. The women all look like hillary clinton with tall collared white blouses, pearls, and a sweater around their neck. The rooms at the inn are all furnished by horchow, with different gaudy patterns for the walls, bed, and chairs. It seems to be where uppity old new yorkers go to live out their snobby victorian fantasies. But the people were friendly and I ate well and it was a short walk from the trail, so I am happy.*****As I was sitting by guilders pond this afternoon, completely alone but for the dragonflies, I was suddenly struck by the thought that this could be Walden pond save for a few trivial details. There is something about a lake in the wilderness with not a soul in sight around the coast that makes me feel very content and happily alone. I am now in massachusetts, and it is pretty, especially if you like hemlock trees, and I do.Four states to go, and I cross the 1500 mile mark early tomorrow morning. It will also be my 3 month anniversary, something like 90 days on my journey.In many ways I have only 11 days to go. How different it was with luke and william with me put in stark relief how much will change with Jocelyn here. The trail has been an intensely introverted experience with a trail as a backdrop. Most of the fruit of that experience are outside the scope of this blog, but three months of free-association will defragment your hard drive pretty thoroughly. So in many ways I am starting to tie up loose ends preparing for Jocelyn to get here. I am excited about the new hike, but will cherish the experience I am having now.By the way, you guys are going to get fewer regular journal entries with my editor/poster out here with me. If I hadnt been so darn punctual until now I'd consider stopping journalling entirely, but now I have a thing going so I ought to keep it up.16 today to avoid a really expensive inn. I am going into great barrington tomorrow because I can, then lee the following night. Dalton, a shelter then bennington round out a relaxed week while I try to be still in vermont when Jocelyn gets here. I love it, I haven't spent any time in this part of the country so it is all fascinating.Oh, luke brought out my new tent, an msr hubba hubba. It has a lot more room than my black diamond did and is more suitable for long term 2 person use.