morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2007-07-17
From: Palmerton, PA

To: Wind Gap, PA - Travel Inn
Miles today: 20.6
Weather: clear sky

We ate a cheap breakfast at Bert¢s Steakhouse. I love cheap diners. We got an easy hitch back to the trail with the 2nd car. The hike up out of Leigh Gap was one of my favorites yet.The hike was hand over hand rock climbing/scramble. Then once on top a beautiful ridge walk. Felt like the Subal pine of the Rockies. The view was widespread & crystal clear. I was ready to get back into the trees though. Skin had enough sun for the day.During a socks off break, Mojo, Tumbleweed, Hold On, & Soco came up from behind. We heard the news that Otto is being taken to the vet; took a big fall yesterday, now limping and not acting right.It was a trudge to the only spring out of 2 that was running. Most of the springs in the state have been dry it seems. The hike down to the beautiful was a real treat.   Trail has been steep, loose rocks, & long.The water pump is working good again. I guess the boiling worked. We¢ll see how this goes.By the end of the afternoon my feet wee on fire because of the rocks. The big ones are fun. Its all the other ones. Finally the feet went numb the last 3 miles. Then back to on fire and now just ache.   It will be another feet numbing day tomorrow. We came into wind Gap to find the guys.   Once again it was an easy hitch again into town. Wendy¢s hit the spot.Soco, Mojo, & Ox went to camp by some bleachers. Nice-Enuff, Hold On, Tumbleweed, & I ended up at the Travel Inn. Feels well deserved, must shut eyes.
Date: 2007-07-18
From: Wind Gap, PA - Travel Inn

To: Delaware Water Gap, PA
Miles today: 15.8
Weather: moderate rain

I woke up this morning with Ox & Soco walking in the door. Nobody felt like getting back on the trail because it was raining. Wet rocks did not sound fun. But as always, we did and ousted ourselves out of town. A feet numbing morning, the AM was dedicated to Retread. Out of the many things he told me about the trail, one thing I remember is him talking about the miles where you can¢t put one foot down like normal. So with still a numb right big toe, here¢s to Retread.After Kirkridge shelter the rocks gave me a break & it was fairly smooth cruising into Delaware Water Gap, beautiful area. Feels like a dreamlike world.Found our way to the church hostel then to the pizza joint for pie & beer.
Date: 2007-07-19
From: Delaware Water Gap, PA

To: Delaware Water Gap, PA
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Post office was the first stop today. Great cookies from mom and a mail drop from Grainger. Happy to see my watch. Feels like little by little getting my wardrobe back. Received a letter from Grainger at some length. It was flattering. Very sweet. Makes me think about how long I¢ve been away and how close the end is. So excited to see him in Maine.Made my way to the neighboring town. Took forever to get my photos onto disc. By the time I made it back to the hostel it was only a couple of hours until the hiker feed. Now its 7:30 and too lazy to hike out.
Date: 2007-07-20
From: Delaware Water Gap, PA

To: Catfish Five Tower
Miles today: 12.7

Made my way to the bakery in town before hiking out. Excellent.Hiked into New Jersey with Mojo, Soco, and Hold on. This is the first day I actually felt like we were going north.Beautiful weather with beautiful views. Sunfish pond was a little piece of home. Finally a natural lake Stopped on the rocks for lunch for about an hour then moved to a green campsite up on a bluff. Reminded me of the best campsite on other Man Lake. High cliffs with sapphire blue water.Eventually we found our way to Mohican door center for sodas and camping info. Found out about the fire tower.Spot is on a ridge with endless views on both sides. Watched the sunset with the boys on the tower. Also was able to watch fireworks later on.Nice-Enuff left before me this AM. I imagine he¢s only a couple of miles ahead of me.
Date: 2007-07-22
From: Catfish Five Tower

To: Sunrise Mountain
Miles today: 20.9

What a great day. Wildlife day on the AT. Saw 2 porcupines, a bear, 3 deer, and a huge rattlesnake. NJ is amazing. Had the most peaceful morning at the fire tower. Perfect weather and perfect location.Many laughs today. Everyone was having a great day and the energy was flowing. Stopped at GYP¢s Tavern for a burger and beer. Mojo carried a six pack up to the mountain. The state park police stopped and chatted for awhile. The beers were gone by the time we reached the top. Road walked it to sunrise mountain. Had a gathering in the middle of the road for awhile and watched the stars.On top we couldn¢t find the pavilion. Ended up sleeping near a bench with the city lights in the distance. Mojo slept in the entrance to the womens privy. Smelled terrible.Soco is making the decision of when to finish. Girlfriend is putting pressure on him to come home. Tough situation. The trail in a whole different world. Its days like these that make you smile.
Date: 2007-07-23
From: Sunrise Mountain

To: Philmonts House - Glen Rock, NJ
Miles today: 9.0

A day of getting lost and taking wrong trails. It was a long 9 miles. After a couple hours detour going down the monument trail at High Pt. Hold on Called Philmont and had him pick ups up there. Philmont¢s mom cooked us some tasty lasagna. Drank beers with friends and family and crashed.High Pt was a great park. Took a swim in the lake with 100 eyes on me. The pack always seems to draw attention. Wasn¢t able to see the city but saw it from a place by Philmonts.
Date: 2007-07-25
From: Bear Tracks Inn

To: Arden Valley Road 1
Miles today: 21.5
Weather: light rain

New York, New York!New York is kicking my butt. Woke up this morning feeling refreshed. Finally a good nights sleep. The rocks and the climbs started right away. Straight up a rock face then straight down. We have been spoiled by the terrain in PA & NJ. Crossed into NY by 11am.Hiker reunion at a creamery. That¢s 2 days in a row with ice cream. Life is good.Saw a beautiful waterfall just after the ice cream stop. Something out of a fairytale. Awesome vistas as well.Feet were driving me crazy all day. The bottoms of both my pinkie toes are blistered badly and the ball of my left foot is giving me trouble. Grrr¢¦always something.Did the road walk up to the state park. Found the trail and set up camp. Don¢t think the group will make it up here. They were hitching into town for hot dogs.It¢s 10:10, oh here comes the guys, and looking forward to dinner. Lipton rice with veggies. Also looking forward to sleep. Really need to change my schedule. Start earlier=ending earlier.That wasn¢t the guys.
Date: 2007-07-26
From: Arden Valley Road 1

To: NY
Miles today: 12.0

4 p.m.Earliest start this morning. On the trail by 8am quite a few good climbs. Bear mountain wasn¢t¢ as bad as it looked. Arrived at the lake by 3. Went to post office, they closed @ 2pm. Crazy time.Walked to the zoo. Asked the questions about food and water and got turned down. Decided to go back to concessions and I heard the call from Soco. They walked the road from the state park. Lazy them hikers, it was good to see them. Also got kicked out of lake by safety patrol. Mojo had swam to a stranded boat. They wouldn¢t let him swim so they towed him to shore.I had a wizard of Oz moment today on the trail. Got stopped by a day camp group to ask questions. As I was walking away they sung me a son and yelled ¢Bye, Torpedo¢ and ¢Go Torpedo!¢ As I climbed a mountain it made me smile. They were 5-7 years old and cute as hell. Later¢¦Hitched back to Harrison State Park for a feast. It was over by the time we got there. Kevin picked us up. After driving around trying to find our way. We ended up at his house. Kathleen, his girl, didn¢t believe he was bringing hikers home. I guess it sounds funny when you say your bringing Soco, Mojo, Ox, & Torpedo home. Ah, the life of the trail!They entertained us well. We had turned down a evening w/9 lives because we didn¢t want to split up and he could only take 3 people.Had some New York pizza. Might be the best pizza yet. Kathleen, Kevin, & Mojo went out as the 3 of us passed out the evening got the best of me.
Date: 2007-07-27
From: NY

To: Graymoor Pavilion
Miles today: 6.6

Limped the better part of my way to the monastry. The bottom of my pinky toes are chewed up with blisters. Mind over mater. Lazy morning at Kevin & Kathys house. Had a good sleep in memory foam queen size bed with air conditioning. Could have slept all day. Was grateful that Kevin decided to skip out on work. A 5:30 morning definitely would have been rough.Kevin woke up finally and Kathy was in and out. $7.00 Asian buffet. The best buffet yet. Sushi and all. Got back to the trail at 3 or so. The climb away from the Hudson River was steep. 580 in. 5 mi.Ox mentioned that he didn¢t know how far he¢d go. He¢d been living in the bathroom all morning. We waited for him a top. Found out he ditched out. Poor guy I hope he¢s feeling a little better. We hoped we would see him here but no Ox.Soco and I walked the .6 out to Andrews Nose. Huge rock out cropping that over looked Bearn Mtn Bridge. The Hudson River, the mountains, and everything else in between. Gorgeous. Walked in and was greeted by Ox to running across the ballfield. Glad to see Moon Goat and Tumbleweed. Big shanty and Breeze are here as well. Happy to be going to sleep before 10:00.
Date: 2007-07-28
From: Graymoor Pavilion

To: RPH Shelter
Miles today: 18.8
Weather: light rain

Every days and adventure out here. Had good conversation with everyone at the shelter this AM. Was lad I moved my things inside the pavilion. It poured during the night.Decided to take the 3 lakes blue blaze. The lakes were pretty but had nothing on the northwoods. Sometimes blue blazes are very enjoyable. Other times you¢d rather be on the AT.My toes were giving me some grief. Tumbleweed, Moongoat, and I were going to go to the state park and road walk it to the shelter. Not really saving miles but saving the feet. We were .5 down the parkway when we got ¢pulled over¢ by a state patrol. I guess its illegal to walk on parkways. Seems like everything is illegal in New York. Ended up back tracking and eventually took a ride from a lifeguard. New Yorkers are different people. Most wont talk to you but the ones that do are great. The trail is becoming less and less known as we head north.Made it to the shelter in time to order pizza. Looking for some good New York pizza like the other night. It was food anyways that I didn¢t have to eat out of my pot. Gypsy Spirit talked the delivery guy to give her a ride to go get beer. Pizza and beer, how spoiled are we.
Date: 2007-07-29
From: Port Clinton, PA

To: Pawling, NY
Miles today: 16.3

Sitting and taking a break at a shelter. It has been an excellent day so far. Really enjoyed hiking this morning. Beautiful section of trail. Finally a section in NY that is maintained. Switch backs and everything. Worked up an appetite by the time I got o the deli. Huge sandwich, peanuts, banana, and pink lemonade did me good. Was tempted to join the guys in the Budweiser tall boys but chose not to. Better off that way.Called mom to rub it in a little about the trek to the city very excited to see NYC. Didn¢t think I would be interested in going , but this is the prime opportunity.As the thunder lingers in the distance I need to move on. At least to next shelter, maybe into town. Easy hitch?continued...Left the shelter just as Bean showed up. Said that the guys stopped at a sign. Drunk by 2 makes for some rough walking for them.Got stuck in the rain a little before reaching the shelter before town. The canopy of the trees caught most of it though. Not Guilty was at the shelter. Haven't seen him in the woods in a very long time. Met my first true southbounders. Can't remember thier names. I thought it was very exciting to meet them. They, on the other hand, have met so many northbounders.Soco and Mojo pulled up the rear and we went down to the road to hitch in. Didn't have any luck hitching. Almost died at one point.The road was windy and narrow. There was a car coming at us and next thing we know there is a car locking up there brakes. I look back and there is a car 10 feet behind me. I thought for sure I was hit. Scared the hell out of all of us. Seriously thought that was it. The 3 of us dodged the car by jumping onto the back. It was a scary walk after that experience. Walk the 3 miles into Pawling. Went straight to the tavern for a burger and a beer. Ended up closing up the place with Soco, Suess, and Nice. It was the locals jam night and they were tearing it up. I love good music.Wandered to the park at 4am. Didn't have any luck finding the pavilon but found Mojo sleeping on a picnic table at some building. Looked like a great spot for all of us to join him.
Date: 2007-07-30
From: Pawling, NY

To: NYC!!!
Miles today: 0.0

Woke up at 11am. Crawled our way to the train station. We had an hour or so wait.Called Grainger while we were waiting. Finally figured out a date to meet him in NH. So excited for him to come out. It was an excellent conversation. Now onto New York City.We hopped on the train for a 2 hour ride. Dropped us off at Grand Central Station, packs and all. First task was to meet Hold On and Ox. Decided to meet them at Ground Zero. Had a hell of a time getting around the city at first. The subways just were not making sense. But after some patience trying use of public transportation we were there. People on the trains were not appreciating our smell that we have worked so hard for. Some were actually gagging. Funny. Ground zero was not what I was expecting. Just a couple of big holes in the ground with a plaque listing all the names of everyone who died. Met Ox and Hold On at the Burger Kind near by and worked our way to Chinatown for the best dumplings outside of China.Ended up staying at Soco's friends, IB, house on Long Island. Very happy to have a place to stay. We went into the city winging it and it all work out. Love this trail.
Date: 2007-07-31
From: NYC!!!

To: NYC
Miles today: 0.0

What a day!!!! Wasn't sure how much of the city we would actually see. We got out of IB's house later than expected. First stop was the Empire State Building. Oh, that was after we all bought I heart NY shirts. Ox and I were the only ones that went up because of hte cost. IN the end, well worth it. The observation deck was outside. The city roared down below and the breeze smelled like hte sea.
Date: 2007-08-01
From: NYC

To: Wiley Shelter
Miles today: 8.0
Weather: few clouds

Takes a long time to get out of NYC. Took the Long Island train back into the city to catch the train to Pawling. Walked from Penn Station to Grand Central right through Times Square again. Packed with people. Saw a guy in his whitey tighties playing a guitar with his cowboy hat on, in the median. Only here¢¦Ate dinner at the tavern before hitting the trail. Was the smallest Philly cheese steak ever and they charged for refills on soda. Liked this place much better the previous visit.Many laughs we had in the 8 miles to the shelter. We crossed the Appalachian Trail Railroad Station. While we were sitting there a train came. Mojo, Hold On & I knew it wasn¢t going to stop, but we weren¢t expecting the rush of air. We knew we were close but it made our stomachs go into our chest. Got a video of it coming back. Jedi was at the shelter when we arrived. Haven¢t seen him since the Doyle.Ready to start trekking north. Nice-Enuff has to be 3 or so days ahead of me by now. I¢ll catch him sooner than later.
Date: 2007-08-02
From: Wiley Shelter

To: Cornwall Bridge, Connecticut
Miles today: 13.0

Walked into Connecticut this morning. New York went fast as expected. Had a couple good climbs into Kent.Easiest hitch into Kent, 2nd car. Felt bad leaving Hold On on the mountain but the ride was there. Great guy. Gave me a ride into Kent and gave me the tour.Dropped me off at the post office. The package is still lost in the postal vortex. Maybe it will show up in Dalton. Wound up at the Cornwall Package Company. Trail gossip says that they give a free beer to thru hikers. It definitely would not be in our nature to pass up beer, especially free beer. Ended up drinking beer & a couple of bottles of wine on the rock outside. Had some great conversation about why we are all on the trail. The conclusion was that none of us are getting out of this experience what we thought. Flexibility and flow.The store closed and we had spotted a cozy grassy spot in back to Cowboy Camp. Richard said it was ok. Next thing you know the cops show up asking for ID¢s. Neighbors thought we were breaking in. It was cleared up after a quick phone call.
Date: 2007-08-03
From: Cornwall Bridge, Connecticut

To: A field in back of some guyÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs house
Miles today: 15.1

Hot humid day, stopped at a caf© for a milkshake.Took advantage of Great Falls. Water wasn¢t the cleanest and it smelled like fish but after this hot of a day it didn¢t matter.Watched Mojo do a cliff jump of about 50 ft. I was nervous for him. Hold On took some excellent photos.Ended up camping in a spot close to heaven. A campsite in the middle of the field overlooking the mountains. Some local guy rode his bike down to the falls and we just started chatting. Asked him if we could camp in his yard and he hooked us up. Very excited to see it tomorrow morning at sunrise.
Date: 2007-08-04
From: Rattle Snake Shelter

To: Hemlocks Lean-To
Miles today: 20.6

No wonder why I¢m dead. Didn¢t realize I pulled a 20 today. Lost in my own mind I guess. Woke up to a beautiful sunrise at 6:15. Hate the fact of getting up but once I¢m up, love it. The field we stayed in last night was even more amazing this morning. Drank coffee and packed slowly. The owner came up with apples from his tree. Great man.On the trail by 8 am. Great walking for the first 10 miles. Did 9 miles by lunchtime, or maybe 11, doesn¢t matter. Hold On & I hiked most of the day together again. Lost Soco & Mojo right off the bat. Just on the north side of Bear Mountain we were able to check off our 10th state. It was the most beautiful ravine.The last six miles were the longest 6 miles of my life. Climbed 2 mountains with some gnarly class 4 climbing. Seriously didn¢t know if my body could do the last mountain. There are a few times when you truly know if you are a thru-hiker. I experienced a couple of them today. You will eat any food off the ground. Doesn¢t matter what it is, where it¢s at, or how long it¢s been there. You think you would probably eat your dog if he was with you. And you are able to climb the last mountain for the day when your body gave up miles ago.Couldn¢t get enough food today. Haven¢t felt that in a while. No food went to waste.Got to the shelter around 7 pm. Proud that I pulled the last couple of miles off. And I will do it all over again. That¢s really the amazing part that has always blown my mind. But even when I don¢t want to hike, it is always better than working.Hold On called Soco & Mojo. They walked Highway 41 and are 5 trail miles ahead of us. Glad I wasn¢t tempted. I¢m here to hike the trail. And there were some absolutely beautiful things today. Maybe we¢ll see them tomorrow, maybe not. Soco wants to make a push to be home by mid-September. He¢ll be doing more mile than I want to do.Off to sleep as Hold On snores above me. Where¢s my ear plugs?
Date: 2007-08-05
From: A field in back of some guyÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs house

To: Tom Leonard Lean-To
Miles today: 14.4

Cold wake up this AM. Had to get out of sleeping bag. Tired after yesterday¢s hike. Felt good for the first mile then I got really dizzy. Had to cross some exposed rocks, made me???Grrr. Can¢t get away fro the mosquitoes. Finally got down into the valley. Thought we might see Mojo & Soco but no one around. Hold On & I both needed to get into town to resupply. Got a hitch within 5 minutes.Bought groceries, ate lunch at a bagel shop and met up with them at a bar. Sounded like they had an interesting night at a healing party. Was happy to see them. I¢ve seen those 2 so much in the past month that it felt weird to not have them around.Had another awesome conversation with Grainger. I have so many stories to tell him but always little time. He¢s going to be hearing trail stories for a long time. The phone call put me in the best mood. Smilin¢ all the way up the mountain. Even the guys noticed. Life is good.Stopped short at the shelter. My feet and legs are exhausted. Took a look at a profile of yesterday & damn. No wonder why I feel like I got ran over. It was no terrain to be doing a 20 in.Just as many southbounders here as NOBO¢s. Good mix. Ditched out on the shelter because of bugs and having a hard time sleeping due to aches.Crosse the 1500 mile mark today. A many times before, I had a moment of reality that I¢m actually doing it.
Date: 2007-08-06
From: Tom Leonard Lean-To

To: Upper Goose Pond Cabin
Miles today: 21.1
Weather: mist

We¢ve gotten used to getting on the trail at a fairly early time. Hiked to Benedict Pond and took a dip. Ended up staying for over an hour. The rest of the day was a push to the cabin. I thought about paddling most of the day. The southbounders told me that there was a canoe to paddle. That was enough motivation to get me anywhere.The last couple of miles were tough. Not hard terrain, just hard keeping my body moving forward. I¢ve felt like I¢ve been having a hard time keeping my head above water. Mentally feeling absolutely wonderful but physically just can¢t get enough food in me.Was surprised so see Nice-Enuff at the cabin. Was so tired had a hard time being excited. We were out paddling within 15 minutes. The lake was gorgeous. So nice to paddle. Made me miss my guiding days. Arms were so weak. If only I could paddle with my leg strength.Soon after it was dinner time and then off to bed. The beds looked excellent.
Date: 2007-08-07
From: Upper Goose Pond Cabin

To: TomÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs House - Dalton, MA
Miles today: 20.6
Weather: broken clouds

Tough miles this morning, a little dehydrated. Had awesome blueberry pancakes made by the volunteers. Should have fit more in my belly. Was happy to hike with Nice-Enuff again. It¢s been almost 300 miles. Had a lot of stories to share.Stopped by the cookie ladies house. Two lemonade and cookies, & I was ready to go. Arrived at Tom¢s. Greeted by many southbounders and some northbounders that I haven¢t seen in a while. Was a good night with wine, beer, & good people.
Date: 2007-08-08
From: TomÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs House - Dalton, MA

To: Dalton, MA
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

Very excited about my decision to zero today. Didn¢t get much sleep last night. House was full, had to sleep on the porch. Storm rolled in and wind was blowing so I got misted on most of the night. Also want to enjoy Mt. Greylock and it is raining out so will do a 23 mile slackpack tomorrow.Had breakfast with Mojo, Soco, & Hold On this morning. It¢s come to the time where they are going to make the push to be done mid-September. Not my idea of fun. Feeling sad about it though. Been hiking with them for about 500 miles. Will miss them but everyone¢s got to hike their own hike. The trail teaches you to let go.