morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2015-07-23
From: Church of the Mountains Hostel

To: Brink Road shelter
Miles today: 24.8
Weather: few clouds

I was up early and was invited to go to breakfast again which I thankfully accepted. I had the same breakfast as the day before as it was a special and a good price. I ended up leaving later than I thought as the next shelter was almost 25 miles away but the terrain didn't look to bad and it seemed doable. It was a pleasant but challenging hike from PA into New Jersey that morning. Whoo Hoo! Another state bites the dust! My finger was looking so much better and the meds were working well so I hit the trail. The trail went across the longest bridge (with the state line midway across) thus far into a new and dwindling list of states before Maine. The road walk continued after the bridge for a mile and a half or so and ended just after passing a park on the right side of the road where there were bathrooms and vending machines, which I used in that order! There were some good rock climbs up and away from the road. The trail enters the Dunfield Creek Natural Area right of the road and passed by the Sunfish Pond Natural Area where I stopped for a snack break. There were easy trails to Kittatinny Mountain with its rocky summit and beautiful views. I stopped in at the Mohican Outdoor Center for a snack and a soda from the vending machines there before moving on. I enjoyed the climb and view from the Catfish Lookout Tower. The hike today rewarded me with great views and hordes of blood thirsty mosquitoes! I had to spray on the bug repellent or risk severe blood loss from the tiny Viking hordes of blood thirsty critters! There was a trail runner at the shelter who gave us some trail updates about bears in the area before moving on for the night. There were reports of bears coming into the shelter areas looking for food. With such warnings I made sure to use the bear box and inform the other hikers about the bear situation. One female hiker had looked up today and seen, not 10' away on a ridge above her a mother bear and her two cubs, looking down at her intently. The bear even followed her for about 100' or so on the ridgeline which made her very nervous and she had to fight the urge not to run away. She eventually turned around at one point and the bear was just gone without a trace leaving her shaken. The water was a little ways from the shelter so I went for water and rinsed out the sweat from my clothing and myself. As I cooked and got settled in it was already getting dark. I walked down to the picnic table, sponsored and was matched a safety meeting after which I went to bed and I was soon asleep.
Date: 2015-07-24
From: Brink Road Shelter

To: Rutherford Shelter
Miles today: 15.3
Weather: clear sky

I was going to get a quick getaway from the shelter but as I ate breakfast and drank my morning coffee I became captivated by the stunning sunrise. The colors were brilliant and played wonderfully with the wispy clouds painting pictures in my mind.(No safety meeting involved) I was enthralled for about an half an hour before I broke away to pack up and hit the trail with a giant smile on my face and a spring in my step. As I hiked today I first climbed Jacobs Ladder Trail which was pretty intense as you have to do quite a bit of minor rock climbing. Then was one of my favorite things - The Culver Fire Tower with wonderful views. Then there was the view of the NJ monument, the highestpoint on the trail in New Jersy. I stopped in at the Grem Anderson Shelter for a quick break before going up and over Sunrise Mountain at the pavilion entered the High Point State Park, a beautiful park with a monument similar to the Washington Monument in DC and is the highest point in NJ. At the HQ I was asked if I was a thru-hiker and when I answered in the affirmative I was given an ice cold free soda, congratulated on my progress and wished luck for the rest of my hike! Great people and park with good, well maintained and manicured trails. Hiking on I came to a short tower with a better view of the monument, but was slowly being overtaken by the trees in height so the view is being limited. The trail drops down to the Rutherford shelter where I arrived at about 4:00 in the afternoon. The short walk to the view is worth the effort and I had a safety meeting and relaxed and enjoyed myself for awhile before returning to the shelter. I set up and went down to one of the streams to take a bath, wash the clothes and get some water. The water was crisp and cold and felt wonderful.
Date: 2015-07-25
From: Rutherford Shelter

To: Pochuck Mountain shelter
Miles today: 12.4
Weather: clear sky

I was up early and on the trail after breakfast. I had a goal of reaching the Pochuck shelter today, which is a modest amount of miles. There were a lot of road and water crossings along the way. I saw the sign for water on my way up and took the side trail to the unoccupied house where water was provided from a spigot on the side of the house where I stopped for a snack break. Then it was back up the mountain where I took the abandoned trail to the shelter and was very confused with the trail marking around the shelter. I managed to get set up in the shelter and go for water which was a ways from the shelter as was the privy in the opposite direction. Once I got set up in the shelter I collected firewood and started a fire to drive away the mosquitos which had arrived in swarms. Soon I had a hoard of wood and a blazing bonfire going, tossing leaves in to make billowing clouds of smoke were drifting away and soon did the biting bugs follow! I then went to put my food in the bear box and found it full of dog jerky and other food trash. This is just an invitation for bear and other animal activity in the shelter area, endangering the hikers. I took the jerky way, way, away from the shelter and threw it into the woods and then took the trash up to the bonfire and burned it there to get rid of the food scent. Other hikers arrived including a couple that stayed in the shelter with me while the others camped below the hill the shelter was located on. I had been listening to the Call of the Wild lately and after dinner and a safety meeting with some of the hikers. I climbed into my bed and unwound with music and the Bible on audiobook as is my nightly routine. The bugs stayed clear for the remainder of the night and I was soon asleep.
Date: 2015-07-27
From: Greenwood Lake, NY

To: Greenwood Lake, NY
Miles today: 0.0

I ate breakfast at the Cumberlands Farm store. I bought a strong dark coffee, Chobini Yogurt, Cheese Sticks, a huge blueberry bran muffin and a Naked Fruit blueberry drink. This is the kind of food I crave for breakfast when I am in town. Calling and catching my wife at a good time we caught up on what we had been doing. I loved just hearing the sound of her voice as I missed her so much. Missing her is harder on me, in many ways, than my shoulder problem. I can't wait to get to Main so I can be done and on my way back to her arms. Everyone was still a little in shock from the death of Barbara Devivo who had been suffering from pulmonary fibrosis. She was a kind and wonderful person who had already defeated cancer some years before this. As I walked through town getting ready to leave I passed Holly Tree Service Inc. and without thinking asked if they needed any help and was directed to "see the boss inside" which I did and who introduced himself as Donald A. Weiss who asked when I would be available and I said "now!" I was immediately given a red shirt, gloves and ear protection and was sent out to help load up the truck for the day. It was fun doing something I liked and different than hiking for the day so I was ground crew and basically hauled branches to the chipper to be turned into mulch. I also did gopher work as I would often be asked to go for this or that while the others were up in trees working. I was tired but felt great at the end of the day and I walked next door to the Elks club and asked a man if I could sleep under their pavilion while I was working and the older man with a tracheotomy covered the hole in his throat and said that he didn't have the authority to let me, but would leave the gate unlocked for me, and sternly warned me not to break or take anything which I promised not to do either. After I got off work and took a hose bath and cleaned my clothes I went to the Planet Pizza where I ordered a beer and 2 buffalo chicken bowls made out of crust. They were delicious and I ate both of them. I liked the Lions at the front entrance and the fact that it was a authentic NY pizza place whose owner was Italian. I went, happy and sated, back to the Elks, and sure enough the gate was unlocked and I slept in a small utility shed that didn't have a door but would be dry in a storm. I really needed my safety meeting today as I was sore all over so I did a solo with my pipe that I had picked up in Gatlinburg. It was a pipe that looked like a rifle bullet on a keychain, but then unscrewed and transformed into a pipe. It only held enough for 2-3 puffs and was very compact. I put on my iPod and was soon off to sleep.
Date: 2015-07-28
From: Greenwood Lake, NY

To: Greenwood Lake, NY
Miles today: 0.0

I was up early and packed up before light so as not to get the older man in trouble. I went back to the Cumberland Farms for breakfast before walking around town while waiting for the time to go to work. I surprised them showed up early and helped to get the trucks loaded for the day. We had to clean up and service the chain saws, fill up the fuel cans and oil container and then load everything up that was needed for the day. We went to the Citgo store where they bought their breakfast and lunch. I was ready to spend another day and was getting lunch and Gatorades at the Citgo station where I also found they have an awesome breakfast deal. The breakfast deal consists of a large sausage, egg, and cheese biscuit and a cup of coffee for $2.50! I got an extra sandwich as the biscuits tasted so good! It was another gorgeous day for tree trimming. The boss invited me to his home for the night. He showed me around his beautiful farmhouse that he had totally redone to his specifications. The place was beautiful. We walked over to his barn and he showed me his Triumph Spitfire that he had restored which was very cool. He loved restoring old tractors and showed me several that were either complete or in the process of restoration. We took his gator up into one of his fields behind the house and he showed me a barn that he had saved from demolition from a neighboring farm that dated back to the 1700s. He had it dissembled and moved to his property and used it for storage. It was cool to see someone saving such a historical building, not a famous one but one of great age. Back at the house we sat on the back porch and enjoyed a cold beer and talked for awhile looking out at the pasture, wondering if his cows would bring their new babies for him to inspect. Sure enough, a few minutes later a herd of bovines mulled past the porch and we were treated to a first glimpse of two tiny calves who carefully hid behind their mothers. I did laundry and enjoyed a shower followed, by a great dinner. After I had showered I noticed that it looked like I had come into contact with some poison ivy as I had a few small blisters and a rash. I took some allergy meds, put some liquid benadryl on it and thought that it would be ok. Donald and his wife were watching a picking show where this crew went around to barns looking to find treasures that they could sell for a profit and we watched a few episodes before I was to tired to go on. The bed that I slept in was so comfortable which helped greatly that I was soon fast asleep.
Date: 2015-07-29
From: Greenwood Lake, NY

To: Greenwood Lake, NY
Miles today: 0.0

I brought my gear with me to work, leaving it at the shop as I would be staying at the shed at the Elk's Lodge that night and heading out first thing in the morning. I had breakfast at the Citgo station again and bought lunch there as well for the afternoon. Work was fun and I really had a good time and made some money to help out as well. The rash was spreading but the ointment seemed to do some good so I prepared to leave town in the morning by getting everything ready the night before. I went to the Irish Pub for a couple of beers and snacks where I met a fellow thru-hiker that I knew. I also met an Irish man from the Old Country and we cut it up and talked for a while. He kept wanting to buy me more drinks but I didn't want to go over my 3 drink limit in an evening so I had to decline. The pub food at this place is awesome with good variety. I had a buffalo chicken personal pizza and some wings with my beer. There was a hunting game at the place so we tried our hand at different kinds of big game. We each grabbed a gun and we were pretty even, we were shooting like crazy, but eventually he got a higher score than I did and won the tournament and as the looser, I had to buy him a round! It was good clean fun and we had a blast. We then went to the Planet Pizza with the stone lions in front and showed him how great the Buffalo Chicken Bowls were. I ate and drank well with the fellow hiker at my expense as I wanted to pay forward some of the trail magic that I had been receiving. I set up for the night in the shed and was bothered by mosquitoes until I put on bug spray and had my safety meeting. I then put out my bedding and went to sleep.
Date: 2015-07-30
From: Greenwood Lake, NY

To: Wildcat Shelter
Miles today: 2.1
Weather: overcast clouds

I was up early but delayed departing for a good part of the day. First I went to breakfast at the gas station for their special with an extra breakfast sandwich and refill of coffee. I then returned to the library to work on the computer and internet until it was after noon posting on Facebook and Trailjournals. It was nice to catch up on the progress of the hikers that I had met along the way and commiserate with the hikers who for various reasons had to leave the trail and return to the world of make believe. I grabbed a quick lunch at the Irish Pub and started out of town. Picking up a six pack of cold Shiner Boch beer at the Friendly Beer & Soda store along the way for trail magic at the shelter. It was a long uphill road walk out of town and then up on the mountain. The view at Cat Rocks was pretty amazing so I stopped to drink n the view and bask awhile on the rocks un the sun. The shelter wasn't far beyond that and soon I was there. Arriving at the shelter before anyone else I set up in the shelter and went down to the water source to get water. While changing into my camp clothes, I noted that the rash from the posion ivy was spreading and the OTC topical Benydryl and allegery medicines weren't going to be enough to wipe it out. I figured that if it got worse I'd get off at the next crossing and catch a ride to the hospital and get checked out. Others were arriving at the shelter in a steady flow and it was soon filled. I passed out the beer as I ate dinner of cold pizza that I had brought up from town. I was rewarded by having someone sponsor a safety meeting, which helped, as I was still in pain from my stint as a tree trimmer's assistant. Soon it was dark and I removed myself from the campfire, climbed into bed and put on my iPod. Soon the sandman arrived and carried me away to dreamland.
Date: 2015-08-01
From: Fingerboard Shelter

To: West Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 8.5
Weather: scattered clouds

My shoulder had bothered me and I had woke up a number of times that night. I was sluggish until I ate breakfast and had my safety meeting with my large morning coffee. Once the pain was under control I put my pack together and soon Katahdin was pulling my feet, haltingly at first but then more firmly as the day went by. I had seen that the next shelter was less than 10 miles away, but after that the next shelter was over 33 miles! It made me wonder if a midway shelter had burned down like a few that used to be on the trail where I had passed. The trail went up, up and over Fingerboard Mountain. On Seven Lakes Drive I saw with curiosity, a Humvee pull onto the trail and drive in the same direction that I was going as the trail followed an old roadbed. Further along the old roadbed I soon noticed that I missed the turn off to the trail. Turning around and finally reached the trail I saw another hiker about to make the same mistake and was going on by, zombie walking and I called out to him and soon got him back on track. Further down the trail I saw the vehicle again at the Brian Memorial Shelter where major renovations were underway. The shelter was completely gutted and was being rebuilt. I stopped and thanked them for the work that they were doing and offered to help, which was politely declned. I pressed on up the Black Mountain where I got a good view of the NY City skyline which really blew me away realizing how far I had come to this point. I stopped briefly on Palisades Parkway at the Park Visitor Center/Book Store in the median and charged my phone and drank Gatorade and coffee. The employee was very nice and I filled up with water from the spigot out back and brought two Poweraids and snacks with me for the hike. The shelter was only 1.5 miles more and .5 mile off trail but was supposed to have the most beautiful view on the trail with the NY Skyline on the horizon and the Hudson Bay below the high rocky hill the shelter was perched on. It was truely worth the easy extra half mile to come to this shelter! It was kind of scary for awhile, when a thunderstorm passing close by had us a bit worried as the lightening was within a mile of the shelter! Setting up in the shelter I then went for water and cleaned up and refreshed myself. The rash was so much better than the day before and I made sure to take the medicine. Making dinner, I sponsored a safety meeting and made coffee as I still was hurting from the work and the Lemon Squeezer. I read some and then went to bed looking out at the city lights as I drifted off to sleep.
Date: 2015-08-04
From: RPG Shelter

To: Morgan Stewart Shelter
Miles today: 9.0
Weather: scattered clouds

I was up early and hit the trail after breakfast. I met the caretaker of that section of the trail who also once owned the property with the RPH shelter. He donated it to the trail and narrowly averted having it torn down by putting in a door and calling it a shelter. Thus it remained as a bunkhouse shelter made of cinderblocks with a back porch. He had put so much stonework along the trail making hiking that section very easy and pleasurable. On the one side of the trail was a huge oak tree that had branches the size of most trees. It was very impressive. I hit a wall with the climbs with the Benadryl that I was taking. The poison ivy was all cleared from the steroids and Benadryl, but the benadryl was making hiking so hard - like sleepwalking. Today I was exhausted by 2:00 when I reached the shelter so I just ate lunch and called it a day. I rested the afternoon after a good nap, found that there was a frog in the shelter who had just eaten another frog. It was so stuffed that it just sat there stupidly with the leg of his victim dangling out of its mouth! It didn't move for hours, even when other hikers showed up and looked at it wonderingly. I found a leopard print, horseshoe neck pillow that someone had abandoned at the shelter and decided to use it for my pillow. I got cleaned up below the water source and filled up my containeres before I ate dinner. Not long after Joker showed up and settled in at the shelter along with other hikers who either set up in the shelter or pitched tents or hammocks around the place. One of the day hikers passed out trail magic beers, and I had one with my dinner and returned the favor by making everyone safe with a group meeting. Someone got a roaring fire going in the huge fire pit and we all sat around it, enjoying the warmpth against the chill of the night. I said good night and climbed into my sleeping bag, put on my iPod headphones and went to sleep.
Date: 2015-08-06
From: Wiley Shelter

To: Kent Used Clothing Store shed
Miles today: 12.7

I ate and hit the trail early and shortly after crossing a footbridge over a stream, arrived in my next state - Connecticut! With every state line I cross I feel more excitement and determination to make it to the end and finish my thru-hike! I have arrived in the New England states and closing in on the end of my journey. I made a snack stop at the 10 mile shelter after walking along the river for some time. I then crossed the 10 Mile River over the Ned Anderson Memorial Foot Bridge which was a pretty impressive footbridge. At Bull's Bridge Road I saw a vehicle stop and it was a ridge runner telling me that I should stop into Kent as they were having a festival there and that there was a place for hikers to stay in town. That sounded good and put a pep in my step towards Kent. The climb up to Indian Rocks was a tough one but the views down to the river were pretty awesome. I stopped for a snack break and found that I had service there so I called and talked to my wife while I admired the beauty of the scenery and watched tiny cars and truck make their way down the road across the river. It was a tough hike to the Schaghtticoke Road to Kent. The descent down past the Mt. Algo shelter was very steep and slippery from the rain the night before so I had to proceed very carefully. At the road I had to ask someone for directions into town as I had no idea which way to go. I was directed to take a right from the trail and that would lead me straight into town. I had arrived in Kent during the early afternoon - after 2 or 3 o'clock. I walked past a private high school that looked to be from the mid to late 1700s and then crossed a bridge over a placid river about 75' wide. I was looking for the grocery store and laundry mat when a gentleman asked if I was looking for a place to camp and showed me the camping area at his used clothing store for thru-hikers which had a shower,Porta potty, trash and a place to charge phones. I asked for permission to sleep in the shed and was given permission and so set up. I showered, ate and went to bed.