morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2004-07-07
From: Darlington Shelter

To: Doyle Hotel
Miles today: 11.4

Got out early enough to pull into Duncannon by 1 PM and make for a full afternoon off. My stay is paid for with a gracious gift certificate from my Aunt Gael and Uncle Curt. It's $50! and the lady won't budge an inch on selling me beer, so I'll have to find other ways to spend it. Very easy to do when they serve Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner. Got all my laundry done, got showered, and resupplied at the grocery store, so I'm all set to go. This place is a very cool building. A little rustic and run down, but luxury compared to a tent. I played some pool with the locals and managed to lose every friggin game. I've played so bad in my life. The trail must have warped my mind into not seeing correct angles anymore.
Date: 2004-07-08
From: Doyle Hotel

To: Peter's Mt Shelter
Miles today: 11.3

Super lazy this morning. It felt great. THe bed was so comfortable last night. The waitress looked at me funny when I ordered a 3 egg omelet and a stack of pancakes. You'd think she would be used to hikers. I had to redeem myself at pool, and what better way than to play against yourself! I shot much better. I think I just needed to relax last night. Finally got on the trail at 1:30 and hiked back into the wilderness. Pulled in as the sun was going down, so I finished off the day just lazy and didn't set up my tent.
Date: 2004-07-09
From: Doyle Hotel

To: Rausch Gap Shelter
Miles today: 17.5
Weather: broken clouds

I must say, not much happened today. Didn't see a single hiker all day. Trails were pretty flat. Oh, I did see 2 BIG rattlesnakes and got a picture. They weren't too happy to have me around so I left them alone. Back to my tent, so I should sleep better tonight. Nothing else.
Date: 2004-07-10
From: Rausch Gap Shelter

To: 501 Shelter
Miles today: 17.4
Weather: overcast clouds

Another eventless day of hiking, right up until the end. Then the magic started, literally. The only thing that happened before that was I passed the "1,000 miles left" mark. Now we're definitely counting down! Reached the parking lot before the shelter and an orange VW bus was parked there with a circle of chairs next to it. Turns out it was a couple of '03 hikers doing some trail treats. Dutch and his wife cooked up hamburgers while Loser played some nice tunes on a guitar. Good company to sit around with. And they're going to cook breakfast in morning! So Sweet!
Date: 2004-07-11
From: 501 Shelter

To: Port Clinton, PA
Miles today: 23.7
Weather: overcast clouds

Last one out of camp as usual today. I only planned on doing 15 miles today so I stopped at this gorgeous swimming hole for a couple of hours. It's an old dam up in the mountains that makes a nice small aqua lake. The only catch is it's ICE COLD! Took my breath away every time I jumped in, but there was a fun rope swing that kept me going back in. I swam from one end to the other on the last jump and I started to get the pins and needles numbness that you get in the ocean in April. I think it helped my muscle swelling though. So I pulled into the shelter all ready to cook and go to sleep Only to find the water source dried up! Not too big of a problem, there's a spring 5 miles from the shelter and I can do that fairly comfortably without water. As luck would have it, the spring is also bone dry. So now the only thing to do is push my parched body on the 4.5 more miles into town. It was a hellish hike, in 80 degree weather, but upon reaching town I realized the blessing in disguise. Turns out the hiker feed I thought I missed continued on another night. Burgers and cold sodas 2 nights in a row! Also, got to see Jolly Time whom I haven't seen since Trail Days. Just goes to show how a day can go from a relaxing swim, to stressfully thirsty, to 3 hamburgers, soda and contentedly sitting around a campfire.
Date: 2004-07-12
From: Port Clinton, PA

To: Port Clinton Pavillion
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

And the tables turned on me again...and again. Woke up this morning to the sound of a heavy downpour. No big deal usually, but in only a few minutes, I started to notice a pooling near the front of my tent. Then I noticed that the whole bottom of my tent would ripple slightly when I hit it. Kinda like a waterbed only much more unnerving. At 5:20, the command was given, pack up everything and abandon ship! I quickly packed and ran to the pavillion, thankful for a shelter from the storm. Turns out that in the dark, I had set up in a low spot that was now a pond. It poured ALL morning, so I just sat in the pavillion in my sleeping bag. Then someone mentioned that the world's biggest Cabela's Outfitter store down the street ran a free shuttle for hikers. Sure enough, Shagbark called up and the van came for us. The store was insane. Something like 4 times the size of any Super Megastore. 250,000 square feet of dead animals. It was actually pretty sickening to see all the animals mounted in these exaggerated agressive poses. They had about 200 stuffed game animals from Moose to Polar Bears to Elephants! The deer section was especially disturbing where they displayed some the biggest antlers ever taken and then had articles that talked about how beautiful the giant buck was. So beautiful they just had to shoot it and hang it on their wall!!! And their AYCE buffet wasn't that good, not even any venison. I did pick up the bus schedule and learn I could get a ride to Hamburg which has a grocery store and movie theater. It was a little risky whether I'd have a ride back after the movie, but I was just dying to see Shrek 2. Of course, I went for it so I could get food resupply also. Had to kill a little time people watching before the 7:30 show but not too bad cause it had finally stopped raining by now. Sadly, I was pretty disappointed with Shrek 2. I found it too similar to the first, almost like I had seen it all before. I went for the animation mostly, and that was the most disappointing. The didn't have anything new other than the cat. Although the opening horse scenes and a stream reflection shot were amazing, as well as the castle. Some of the characters just got annoying after awhile though. Afterwards, I was able to catch a bus back to Cabela's, but had to walk down the busy highway, the mile and a half back to Port Clinton. Overall, the zero day worked out mighty fine despite the wet start.
Date: 2004-07-13
From: Port Clinton Pavillion

To: Eckville Shelter
Miles today: 15.2
Weather: overcast clouds

Got up and out real late today. Most of the morning was spent cleaning the mud that was caked on my tent and ground cloth. Then had to do the post office errand and stop by the Peanut Shop. It's a perfect little candy store that makes its own chocolate and roasts its own peanuts. I splurged and bought some peanut butter and chocolate fudge and some honey roasted sesame sticks. Delicious.
Date: 2004-07-14
From: Eckville Shelter

To: George W Outerbridge Shelter
Miles today: 24.2
Weather: overcast clouds

It rained on and off all day today. Still did big miles though cause I want to make sure I'll be at Wind Gap by Friday. Mrs Dale is coming to pick me up and treat me. I hiked a ways back south on the AT to a campsite because Stubby was staying in the shelter, to put it bluntly. He snores like a bullfrog driving a diesel truck, but everyone including him knows it and jokes about it so it's no offense to him. I go through Lehigh Gap tomorrow. It's supposed to be quite the climb, complete with rock scrambles. Let's hope the rain stays away.
Date: 2004-07-15
From: George W Outerbridge Shelter

To: Leroy A. Smith Shelter
Miles today: 16.7
Weather: light rain

Good day of hiking today, comfortably warm and breezy. Had some great views of the dramatic rocky Lehigh Gap. It was actually fun having to scramble. I got to listen to my MP3 player all day too cause I knew I could recharge it at the Dale's tomorrow. I just put it on shuffle and let it skip from Alkaline Trio, to Van Morrison, to The Weakerthans, to Dwight Yoakum. I love music. Also, I occupied myself over the last 3.5 miles by counting my steps. It took 6,907 to hike 3.5 miles. At some point, I'll do the math and figure out how many steps the entire trail will take me. Or you could.
Date: 2004-07-16
From: Leroy A. Smith Shelter

To: Milford, NJ
Miles today: 4.6

A nice easy day in Wind Gap where I called Mrs Dale to come pick me up. On the way home, she suggested we stop at the Chinese Buffet for lunch. Yes!   It was real good too! Three heaping plates of something different every time. Then she took me grocery shopping and I got all resupplied and got some treats too. She made an awesome London Broil for dinner, with potatoes and grilled vegetables. Keith and I are going to go fishing in the morning. So cool! I haven't been fishing in almost a year. It's very comfortable being in a house, sheltered from the rain.
Date: 2004-07-17
From: Milford, NJ

To: Milford, NJ
Miles today: 0.0

Sweet zero day. Got up early to get on the water and catch some fish. Keith fishes with bait which is usually a sin in my book. HaHaHa. It was surprisingly fun to fish with bait though and we each caught a few smallmouths. He got a nice rainbow trout too. Got a little cooked from the sun, but not bad at all. What a nice reservoir they have, so close by. Kind of like if the MDC let boats out on Wachusett. We came back around noon and had hot dogs for lunch. Then I basically did nothing all afternoon, which felt so nice. Pat and Keith went out to dinner, and Matt and Vicky went to his concert, so I had the house to myself. What better way to spend the night than laying on the couch eating chocolate ice cream and watching a couple of movies. First I watched Apt Pupil, quite disturbing, but very good. Then the exact opposite..Antz. I'd never seen it before and was thoroughly entertained. A nearly perfect day.
Date: 2004-07-18
From: Milford, NJ

To: Kirkridge Shelter
Miles today: 9.2
Weather: overcast clouds

Well, despite the forecast for a solid day of rain, I passed up the offer for another day off. Unfortunately, the forecast was right and it rained for my entire hike. Fortunately, I felt very strong after a day of rest. I think if I took another day off I'd start to get sluggish. After getting to the shelter, I climbed into my sleeping bag in dry clothes and made some french vanilla hot cocoa, courtesy of the Dales. Spent the rest of the afternoon sipping cocoa, eating M&M's, and listening to music. Hopefully the rain will let up tomorrow for my hike into Delaware Water Gap.
Date: 2004-07-19
From: Kirkridge Shelter

To: Church of the Mt Hostel
Miles today: 6.4

Had a nice easy day into Delaware Water Gap today. It stayed overcast which was very nice. I saw my first bald eagle of the trip soaring over the Delaware River from Lookout Rock. It flew away before I could dig through my pack for my camera, but it probably just would have been a dot in the pic anyway. This hostel just re-opened after they closed for renovations. Very comfy couches, chairs and a flush toilet! I actually passed up the plywood bunks to sleep on this pleather couch, much softer. There was a puzzle on the table half done and I spent most of the afternoon working on it. Fun, but kind of sad I won't ever see it finished. I got a package from Gael and Curt again. Some wonderful freeze dried treats, money, and another offer to cover hotel room costs. They're too much! Soon I have to decide whether to go with the Fam on our yearly vacation to the coast of Maine. It would be a lot of time off, and kind of ruin the delayed anticipation of arriving in ME by foot. On the other hand, I'd love to see the family and get to go sailing. Something to think about while I walk.
Date: 2004-07-20
From: Church of the Mt Hostel

To: Bethlehem, PA
Miles today: 0.0

Talk aobut ending up in a random place, nowhere near where I thought I'd be when today started. I got sucked into town today and had confided on zeroing to allow me to finish the jigsaw puzzle at the hostel. Then, out of the blue, Clayton, Cowgirl, and Pippin drove up! These are people I haven't seen since Damascus! They came to pick up T and Rally and bring them back to Clayton's house where his Mom was cooking up a hiker feast. So, screw the puzzle. Had an awesome time here and got to have some incredible food. Kip, Trout, Puck Fin, Doc, and Nightrider also got picked up so we had quite the crowd of hikers. Got to play Pippin again in chess. Good game, but he beat me pretty fairly. Now we're 1 and 1. Tomorrow, I'll finally get out of PA. I won't miss it. And now this journal is full, so tomorrow I'll start a new one.
Date: 2004-07-21
From: Bethlehem, PA

To: camped
Miles today: 16.8

Clayton's sister, Laura(?) kindly gave us a ride back to Delaware Water Gap. Took some time trying to repack all of my food into a smaller size. got out of PA finally around 12:30. Nice easy walking today and got to see 6 rattlesnakes! It was crazy how many there were. Big ones too! Had a good talk with T today about life, but it was interupted when I got stung by a wasp and started yelling obscenities and "RUN"! T, Rally and I found these mediocre camp spots. There are tons of mosquitos now, the worst yet. Not a big fan of NJ yet, it hasn't welcomed me well.
Date: 2004-07-22
From: camped

To: Gren Anderson Shelter
Miles today: 14.6
Weather: haze

Had what could be my worst day yet. I was horribly sluggish getting out of camp this morning. Felt just very unmotivated and when I did start hiking, the entire day was up around 90 degrees with solid sun. My muscles and joints ached a lot and I had a headache all day. So I pulled into the shelter first and figured I'd cook a quik dinner and go to bed early. Ended up burning my dinner so bad, I had to scrape the black crust off the bottom of my pot. All while starving with a headache. So now, I'm the last one up and it's dark. T told me the bear box was full, so I'll have to hang my food separate after getting here first. Of course, while hanging the bear rope, the rock gets stuck in the tree so I have to hang my food within reach of a beer. Let's hope it's there in the morning. Not much went right today except I saw a bear, 2 rattlers, and 4 deer. Doesn't quite make up for all the mosquitos and hardships.
Date: 2004-07-23
From: Gren Anderson Shelter

To: Mashipacong Shelter
Miles today: 5.8
Weather: haze

So what classifies a bad day? Low miles? Lots of pouring rain? Enough mosquitos to carry you away? Well this day had all of that. But something this hike has shown me is that no day goes without at least one good experience, and in order to enjoy life fully, I must recognize these small moments and appreciate them. Like successfully fishing my bear rope out of the tree this morning, or getting free ham sandwiches from "Uncle Jim", leader of the Diabetes Camp, of spending a wonderful afternoon off under shelter from some of the rain with Sparepocket and Duke. They're two great people I just met and we shared some funny stories all the way until bed. I'm having some motivational problems hiking lately. The rest of the trail is looming over me and I need to keep taking it one day at a time, and just keep moving even if it is slowly. I always remind myself that if I was sleeping in my cozy bed, then tomorrow morning an alarm would ring and I'd be off to work or class.
Date: 2004-07-24
From: Mashipacong Shelter

To: Secret Shelter
Miles today: 12.6

You'd think I was in New England the way the weather and my spirits have changed in the past 24 hours. From 90 degrees hot and humid, to pouring rain, to perfect 75 degree blue skies. And from soaking wet, sore, and my first thoughts of being home, to sitting by a pristing pond, listening to Nora Jones and feeling nearly perfect. She's bringing back some good memories of Springfield times. I try to hang on the good parts and not let them turn sad by missing them. I hiked nearly the whole day with Duke. Very interesting guy. He's a writer and "found object artist". He pulled me back to my pace and inspired new directions in old thoughts. There's some major questions onlife that I'm struggling with. Like what is earning a living? And at what point are you merely earning and not living? I'm sure priorities change with age, but as of now I see no reason or desire to lock myself down with a job. A long term job that is. For now, at least while I'm single, or even after I'm not, it's most appealing to have small odd jobs that are enough to get me by and are flexible enough to allow travel, fishing, skiing, hiking and anything else I love to do. Where school fits in with all this, I'm not sure yet, and at what point I will get sucked into being a contributing member of society (as Mrs Anguilo says will happen), I also don't know. I'll have to consult someone who has already gone through this for clues as to my fate, or I could just let it all play out as the only way to learn lessons is to make the "mistakes" myself. This part of New Jersey is absolutely beautiful.
Date: 2004-07-25
From: Secret Shelter

To: Vernon NJ
Miles today: 13.5

So my quest brings me to Vernon now. Specifically to the St Thomas Episcopal church hostel, where I showered and washed my toxic clothes. Went to the family restaurant and had a large portion of cheese tortellini with sliced chicken breast that should have stuffed me, but left me only just satisfied. I had to make a trip an hour ago to Burger King to grab two hamburgers, and some fries so I wouldn't go to sleep hungry. Got an awesome hitch into town from a nice guy driving a mini cooper. Those cars are pretty awesome, but way not worth the price tag. Also got to call home and arrange the meeting with my Mom in 3 days. She's going to drive down and spend an afternoon feeding me and other hikers, so that'll be sweet. Duke and I escaped the concrete floors and snoring hikers of the church to this firehouse pavillion, where we're talking the night away with Burger King and Budweiser. How much more american can you get? He's got quite the stories to tell, and years of vagrant lifestyle to draw from. But he prefers "traveler". Also, tried to call Dom again tonight just to talk to an "old" friend. The only phone number I consistently remember other than my house phone.
Date: 2004-07-26
From: Vernon NJ

To: Wildcat Shelter
Miles today: 17.3
Weather: scattered clouds

I'm in NY! Today I took part in the 15 mile dash. That is, I had to make 15 miles and get into town before the P.O. closed. I made it in plenty of time and got my food drop with treats from home. It was in Greenwood Lake, a nice little town, and absolutely crawling with good looking girls. I don't know where they were all coming from, haha. Maybe it was just "trail goggles". Early in the day I got stung on my lower calf by something. I never got to see the bee, wasp, or hornet, but judging by the amount of pain, it must have been the size of Nebraska! My whole lower leg nearly cramped up. It was like someone stabbed me with a needle and left it there. Later in the day, I came across T, who had just been stung really bad on the thumb. He broke out in hives all over and had to hitch at the road to the nearest hospital. I hope he's ok.
Date: 2004-07-27
From: Wildcat Shelter

To: Camped
Miles today: 15.4

Had the hardest day of hiking since southern Virginia. Steep up and down all day long with lots of rock scrambling. And if that wasn't enough, it rained from noon until, well, it's still raining. I'd planned on doing a big day so I could meet my Mom in the morning tomorrow, but I came up short. Now I've got to get up super early and hope it's not still raining and that the terrain is a little easier. I fell twice today, which doubles my number of falls for the entire trip. One face plant, and one on my ass. Neither drew blood. The rain was relentless today, and everything on me got completely soaked. My pack and everything in it also got drenched, and then I had to set up my tent while it was still pouring. Bleh!!
Date: 2004-07-28
From: Camped

To: Fort Montgomery, NY
Miles today: 13.1

Got up at 6 am this morning in order to make it to Bear Mt at a reasonable time. It was horrible packing up soaking wet stuff in the morning drizzle and putting on wet socks and boots. Not the greatest hike. I think NY needs to be taught what a switchback is. Had my hardest fall yet, while hurrying downhill. Both feet went completely out from under me, almost cartoon style. Scraped up my leg a little, could've been a lot worse. Then I got stung by some angered bug while hiking up Bear Mt as if the hiking wasn't hard enough. But it was all worth it when I finally reached the picnic area and my Mom came running up with a hug, and Duke, Skibum, and Rooster were there already scarfing down food. I gorged myself on Tuna Mac salad and deviled eggs. I'm glad the other hikers got to enjoy it all too. When my Mom mentioned taking the night off in a hotel, it sounded like heaven after the past couple days of rain. So T, Rally, Billy the Kid and I hurried off and just made it through the zoo before it closed and me my mom on the other side. Quite the weird experience hiking through a zoo after seeing these animals outside tiny cages for months now. So now all my gear is dry and my stomach is full of Chimichangas and I'm laying on a soft mattress with the hum of an air conditioner lulling me to sleep. So posh...
Date: 2004-07-29
From: Fort Montgomery, NY

To: Dennytown Rd
Miles today: 14.5
Weather: broken clouds

Took forever to get all of the little errands done this morning. Going to the P.O. packing everything back up, going to breakfast, a grocery store stop and then another quick look in the zoo. Billy and I weren't back on the trail until about noon. I felt so sluggish today, it was pretty hot and I had a slight headache all morning. I think caused by a lack of sleep. Thankfully, the terrain was easier and I had a much lighter pack after getting rid of that god damn extra tent. Long story...
Date: 2004-07-30
From: Dennytown Rd

To: Morgan Stewart Shelter
Miles today: 19.7
Weather: haze

Had a good solid full day of hiking today. It was insanely muggy, so I sweated my ass off all day. It rained once, but didn't cool things down at all. I haven't done more than 20 miles in a LONG time. Guess I'm doing ok though, still moving. I could make it to CT tomorrow but I think I'll hold up a little so I don't arrive in Kent on Sunday. Two full days without getting stung! Woohoo!
Date: 2004-07-31
From: Morgan Stewart Shelter

To: Wiley Shelter
Miles today: 16.6
Weather: light rain

And that was July. It sure let us know today that we're in the middle of summer. Hazy. Hot. Humid. Had a nice swim break at Nuclear Lake. I didn't want my only pair of shorts to get soaked through so, yup, skinny dipping it was. I sure fit that term perfectly too! Today I must thank the world's largest agriculture machine manufacturer, John Deere. It just so happened that as I passed a farm field, the ominous black clouds were closing in on me quickly. And in that field, sat a green tractor. No sooner had I climbed into that tightly sealed fully enclosed tractor, it started to pour. Complete with thunder, lightning, and buckets and buckets of rain. But I, I stayed completely dry, thanks to John. Tomorrow it's goodbye New York, Hello New England!!
Date: 2004-08-01
From: Wiley Shelter

To: Mt Algo Lean-To
Miles today: 12.4

Insanely muggy day today. Again. I just had sweat pouring off of me all day. This humidity is killing me. It just zaps the energy right out of me. And no one warned me how hard Ct is! And the mosquitos are horrific. I can hear them all buzzing around my tent. Even now, just sitting here, I'm sweating. It so damn stuffy!   Hopefully, I'll be up early tomorrow to get in and out of Kent by noon to stay on schedule for Benedict Pond.