morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2005-05-27
From: Quarry Gap Shelters

To: Pine Grove Furnace State Park Campground
Miles today: 17.8
Weather: scattered clouds

Miles hiked today : 17.817.3 AT miles + 0.5 roadwalk milesI woke up this morning at 6:00 a.m., ate breakfast, packed up, and was hiking at 6:45 a.m. I arrived at Birch Run Shelter at 9:25 a.m. after having covered 7.4 miles with only a 5 minute rest break along the way. The shelter was very nice and appears to have been constructed this year, as the data books list this site as having two small shelters. I stopped for a 30 minute rest break and then moved on.I reached the Toms Run Shelters at 12:00 p.m. and was pleased that I'd already covered 13.6 miles by noon and only had 3.7 miles remaining to Pine Grove Furnace State Park. I stayed for a 90 minute rest break and read for a bit before moving on.I crossed the halfway point at approximately 2:30 p.m. and stopped for about 30 minutes with Bones to celebrate. We walked on and reached the Pine Grove Furnace State Park at 3:15 p.m. According to the data book, the general store was only open on weekends until Memorial Day, which isn't until this Monday. When we arrived, we found that it had been open since 2:00 p.m., which meant we didn't have to wait until tomorrow morning for the half gallon ice cream challenge!I purchased a half gallon of Hershey's "Moose Tracks" for the princely sum of $4.85 and went outside to sit. Bones and I began at the same time and I finished at 20 minutes, 50 seconds while he finished in 17 minutes, 30 seconds. We collected our souvenir miniature wooden spoons which were stamped "Half Gallon Club Member" and sat around watching Dad's Grin and Wingit work on their ice cream. Wingit eventually finished after 1 hour, 43 minues, though Dad's Grin threw in the towel with about 1 pint remaining.Along with Doc, we all rented a group campsite for $12, split the cost 5 ways, and walked approximately 0.5 mile to reach the campsite. The rental office told us that our site was good for pitching a large number of tents, though upon arriving at the site, we found that this was clearly not the case. Regardless, we were able to pitch our tents and then Bones and I walked to the camp store for some groceries. I stopped by the Ironmaster's Mansion Hostel to pick up my maildrop, though the caretaker did not appear to be around. I spotted my package, grabbed it, and headed back to the camp site.We barbecued and ate pizza given to us by the campers in the next site over. After dinner, I journaled for a bit before settling into my tent to read. Tomorrow, I'm headed to the vicinity of Boiling Springs.Bedtime at 9:30 p.m.
Date: 2005-06-03
From: 501 Shelter

To: Eagle's Nest Shelter
Miles today: 15.5
Weather: light rain

Miles hiked today : 15.515.1 AT miles + 0.4 miles of side trailI woke up this morning to the sound of rain falling on the shelter roof, so I went back to sleep. At 7:50 a.m., I awoke again and wanted to sleep more, though the hustle and bustle of the other hikers kept me awake. I was experiencing difficulty motivating myself to get moving, so I slowly packed and read until 10:00 a.m. before heading out.I was the last person out of the shelter and had been strongly tempted to take a zero day, especially considering the weather. The whole day was rather dreary due to the rain and the extraordinary amount of rocks didn't help much either. Out of the several miles I hiked today, there were very few clear sections of trail and the rain continued off and on the whole day. Even when the rain would let up, the wind would blow through the trees, releasing a volley of raindrops upon me. If it sounds like I'm complaining, it's because I am.I took a 5 minute rest break at 11:30 a.m., and at 12:45 p.m., I'd covered 5.7 miles and arrived at the Hertlein Campsite. I was a little dismayed to see that I was barely walking faster than 2 m.p.h. My next 5 minute break was 3.7 miles later at 2:15 p.m., just after crossing PA183.I reached Eagle's Nest Shelter, 6.1 miles further, at 4:45 p.m. I was tired, wet, and my feet were extremely sore after walking over rocky trail all day. I was happy to see that Dad's Grin was on site, though the other 8 thru-hikers I'd camped with last night had pushed on 8.6 more miles to Port Clinton.I'd only eaten snacks today, as it had been too rainy to stop for lunch. As such, I made myself a large dinner before settling into my sleeping bag to journal and read. Depending on the weather tomorrow, I may do a short day into Port Clinton.Bedtime at 9:15 p.m.
Date: 2005-06-11
From: Church of the Mountain hostel - DWG, PA

To: Mohican Outdoor Center
Miles today: 10.9
Weather: scattered clouds

Miles hiked today : 10.910.5 AT miles + 0.4 mile of side trailI woke up this morning at 9:00 a.m. and lazily packed up before hopping in the shower. When I got out of the shower, I was pleasantly surprised to see that Tea Break had arrived at the hostel. I tried to find out exactly what had happened to him in Costa Rica, though he found it more amusing to withhold the specifics, especially when I told him about the various accounts of the tale floating around.I headed out at 10:55 a.m., not sure of my destination for the day, as I wasn't sure how my feet were going to feel later in the day. One option was the Mohican Outdoor Center, which was a little more than 10 miles away, and a YMCA shelter nearly 19 miles away.I made good time on my way to Sunfish Pond, covering 6.3 miles in 2 hours flat. Along the way, I passed Shades of Blue, who I hadn't seen since Palmerton. At Sunfish Pond, I sat on a bench for a 15 minute rest and snack break. Sunfish Pond is 41 acres in area and is the first glacial pond encountered by NOBOs. It's unique in that it has a high acidity and the only species of fish that survive in it are pumpkin seed sunfish and yellow perch.Moving on at 1:10 p.m., I could hear thunder in the distance, which made me strongly consider the Mohican Outdoor Center as a stopping point for the day. I reached a powerline crossing at 2:20 p.m., which meant that 2.4 miles remained to the Mohican Outdoor Center. By this time, my feet were becoming sore from my new boots, so I figured that would be a good stopping point.I arrived at the Mohican Outdoor Center at 3:35 p.m. and was sitting on the porch talking to a pair of SOBO section hikers, when a car pulled up and the driver, John, asked whether I wanted to go to the grocery store with he and his wife, Paula. I didn't really need anything, but decided that it wouldn't hurt to go. Shades of Blue showed up just in time to come along.At the grocery store, I bought ice cream, chocolate milk, orange juice, grapes, a couple snacks, and root beer. At 5:00 p.m., back at Mohican Outdoor Center, I pitched my tent just as it began to rain and then headed to the lodge to eat and journal. Afterward, I lounged around until it was time for bed.Tomorrow I'm headed to a shelter about 15 miles away, though I'm also considering a 3 mile round trip side trip to Buttermilk Falls, depending upon the weather.Bedtime at 9:00 p.m.
Date: 2005-06-12
From: Mohican Outdoor Center

To: Gren Anderson Shelter
Miles today: 22.0
Weather: clear sky

Miles hiked today : 22.020.9 AT miles + 1.0 mile of side trail + 0.1 wrong way mileI was the last one up this morning at 7:00 a.m. and found that me fellow thru-hikers had already departed. I was packed and hiking at 7:40 a.m. and left the Mohican Outdoor Center with the intent of hiking a little less than 15 miles. At 8:40 a.m., I was at the Catfish Fire Tower and 1 hour later, I passed under a powerline, which meant I had covered 4.4 miles. At 9:55 a.m., I took a 5 minute standing rest break and continued on. Around 10:30 a.m., I caught up to Shades of Blue and Snail taking a break, though I kept moving.At 11:00 a.m., I arrived at a water pump at Blue Mountain Lakes Road, though it didn't seem to work. Fortunately, I still had a liter of root beer left to supplement my water supply and pushed on toward the shelter.I reached the side trail to Buttermilk Falls at 12:30 p.m. and decided to bypass it, as I didn't want to hike the 3.0 mile roundtrip side trip. Moving on, I reached the Brink Road Shelter at 2:35 p.m. and filtered 4 liters of water before settling in to eat the pound of grapes that I'd packed out this morning. After filtering water, I counted 10 mosquito bites sustained while sitting at the stream.Snail showed up before long and told me that he was planning to hike an additional 7.1 miles to the next shelter. The mosquitos at the shelter were unrelenting and I'd already picked off 5 ticks from my leg during the time I'd been there. I didn't want to sit there for several hours experiencing more of the same thing, so I decided to move on as well. At 4:10 p.m., after a 1 hour, 35 minute break, I was on my way.I made good time covering the 3.8 miles to Culvers Gap, arriving at 5:45 p.m. After a 10 minute rest break, during which I pulled 3 ticks off of my legs, I continued on to Culver Fire Tower, arriving at 6:45 p.m. I took another 10 minute break to enjoy the view and then hiked an additional 1.3 miles to Gren Anderson Shelter, arriving at 7:30 p.m.I had worked up quite an appetite and ate a large dinner before setting up my sleeping gear in the shelter. At Campmor, I had purchased a bug net to sleep under, though while journaling, it proved to be ineffective against mosquitos, as they simply bit me through the netting. As such, I pitched my tent to avoid being eaten alive. Last night had I slept without my sleeping bag, though found myself in need of some sort of cover during the early morning when the temperature was a little cooler. Tonight, I'll use the bug net as a blanket, which should provide just enough cover to keep me warm without overheating me.By hiking a long day today, I've set myself up to stay at the "secret shelter" tomorrow evening. The "secret shelter" is an unpublicized shelter on the property of a former thru-hiker and is rumored to have both electricity and a hot shower. Sounds good to me!On another note, today marks one year since I graduated from college. At that time, I knew that I was headed for the AT. One year later, I'm quite happy to be out here.Bedtime at 10:40 p.m.
Date: 2005-06-15
From: St. Thomas Episcopal Church Hostel

To: Wawayanda Shelter
Miles today: 5.4
Weather: broken clouds

Miles hiked today : 5.45.3 AT miles + 0.1 mile of side trailI woke up this morning at 6:45 a.m. after a somewhat restless night of sleep. Although we were inside, the doors were open for ventilation and the mosquitos were out in force. I eventually had to put my shirt on to sleep, which was uncomfortable due to the heat of the night.Shortly after I woke, Opa, Shades of Blue, Mad Cow, and I headed to a restaurant called the "Mixing Bowl." My breakfast was almost too much for me to finish, though I managed and it was quite delicious. After breakfast, we returned to the hostel, where Opa and I discussed our options for the day. Doing a short day sounded good, so we sat around watching movies and eating food. During the first movie, I packed up and by the end of the third movie, it was time to get moving or I was going to end up staying the night again.At 3:30 p.m., Opa and I walked up the street and got a hitch within a few minutes and were hiking at 3:35 p.m. At 4:25 p.m., I passed a mailbox register after climbing up to Wawayanda Mountain and at 6:00 p.m., I arrived at Wawayanda Shelter.I was still quite full from the food that I'd earlier eaten at the hostel, so I ate snacks while conversing with Opa and Mad Cow. Opa made me a spicy 3 pepper hummus tortilla, which was very good. After dinner, I set up my sleeping gear in the shelter in the hopes that my bug net will keep me safe.Later in the evening, several more hikers showed up, including Cocoa Bean, who has returned to the trail. Her back injury was diagnosed as a systemic staph infection, rather than the brown recluse bite that many had suspected. I'm happy to see that she was able to resume her hike.The trail in the last couple days had been very enjoyable and I'm looking forward to more of the same. Fortunately, taking some time off in Vernon was good for the raw spots on my ankles and there was relatively little pain while hiking today. Tomorrow I'm going to try to find a campsite a little past Fitzgerald Falls. Happily, this waterfall is right on the trail, so I won't have to internally debate whether to visit it.Bedtime at 9:20 p.m.
Date: 2005-06-16
From: Wawayanda Shelter

To: Wildcat Shelter
Miles today: 12.5
Weather: light rain

Miles hiked today : 12.512.0 AT miles + 0.5 mile of side trailI woke up this morning at 6:00 a.m. feeling fairly rested. The mosquitos were out and biting, though I'd been able to rig my bug net to provide a bit of protection. During the night, it had rained and the temperature dropped considerably and at 2:30 a.m., I'd had to dig my sleeping bag out of my pack to stay warm. At 6:45 a.m., I was packed and on the move.The morning air was misty and there wasn't much to see. Light sprinkles of rain fell from time to time and the overall condition of the trail was very good. There were no major hills to traverse, though there were some boulder fields that required the use of both hands to climb. Despite the pain the boulder climbs caused my right heel, I found them to be quite fun.At 8:35 a.m., I reached the New Jersey / New York border and stopped momentarily to snap photographs. With the haze in the air, there wasn't much to watch for and so I steadily hiked on. At 10:05 a.m., I took a bad step on a large, wet, exposed tree root and my left foot swept my right foot, causing me to land on my back. Cha-ching, fall #18. Luckily, my pack broke my fall and I continued on unharmed. At 11:10 a.m., I dropped my pack for a 5 minute rest break and at 12:00 p.m., I reached NY17A.There was a sign stating that there was ice cream and water available just 0.1 mile off the trail. Happily, the hours said 12:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m., 7 days per week and so I was on my way. I arrived at Bellvale Farms Creamery and learned that they make their own ice cream. I ordered a strawberry milkshake, which was quite good. At 12:25 p.m., I headed back to the trail and at 1:30 p.m., I arrived at Wildcat Shelter, just as light rain began to fall.Opa was at the shelter and I settled in for lunch. While eating, the rainfall intensified and I questioned whether I was going to move on. A short while later, thunder claps began, which meant I was staying put for the time being.Shades of Blue showed up around 3:00 p.m. and the storm settled down a bit. There were some empty 1 gallon jugs in the shelter, so I went to gather water for the 3 of us. While I was scooping water, the rain began pouring and I hurried back to the shelter. On the way, while wearing my sandals, I stepped in a big patch of mud. Whoops!Not long after I returned to the shelter, flashes of lightning became visible and one of the strikes was amazingly close to the shelter. I felt very fortunate that I wasn't out in the open and decided that I was staying for the night. Opa and Shades of Blue had made the same decision.I cooked dinner before settling in to journal and read. The temperature is a bit chilly and so I'll be in my sleeping bag tonight. Hopefully the cool air keeps the mosquitos at bay.Bedtime at 8:20 p.m.
Date: 2005-06-19
From: Graymoor Friary Pavilion

To: RPHC Shelter
Miles today: 19.1
Weather: overcast clouds

Miles hiked today : 19.118.9 AT miles + 0.2 mile of side trailI woke up this morning at 6:00 a.m. and was packed and hiking at 6:45 a.m. Opa headed out the same time as I did and we hiked together the entire day. We didn't have as many conversations as yesterday, though there is something nice about having a hiking companion that makes the miles go by quickly. The times that we did converse, mostly during rest breaks, the humor and wit were flying back and forth, which made for good times.My first 5 minute rest break was at 8:05 a.m. after covering 3.3 miles. At 9:15 a.m., I stopped for another 5 minute break, having covered another 2.7 miles to South Highland Road, which put me 0.7 mile past the 1,400 mile mark. I pushed on for another 2.7 miles to Dennytown Road and stopped for a 15 minute break, continuing on at 10:45 a.m.Toward the end of the next 3.7 mile stretch to NY301, I began to see a few day hikers, which told me that I was close to a road. As the number of day hikers increased, I knew that I was close to a park of some sort. Interestingly, there are a number of visual cues that a experienced thru-hiker can pick up on. Besides the cues provided by the presence of day hikers, broken glass on the trail usually indicates proximity to a road. At NY301, I was amazed by gigantic Lake Canopus, which had a huge rock wall as a back drop, and was very beautiful in the bright sun.I was quite hungry and had already covered 12.1 miles, so Opa and I stopped at 12:25 p.m. for a 45 minute lunch break. With only 7.0 miles to go, I quickly covered 4.2 miles to the summit of Shenandoah Mountain and took a 10 minute break at 2:55 p.m. After the break, I hiked a final 2.8 miles to the RPHC (Ralph Peak Hiker Cabin) Shelter, arriving at 4:10 p.m.RPHC Shelter has bunks and is enclosed on 3 sides. Since we're close to a road, I suggested that we order a pizza, so Opa and I split a large. Being able to order pizza is one of the nice things about carrying a cell phone on the trail. The water source at the shelter is a pump, though entries in the register indicated that the water is high in iron. As such, I walked back down the trail to fetch water from the creek and returned to the cabin to begin journaling while waiting for the pizza to arrive.The pizza arrived around 5:30 p.m. and was one of the best I've had on the trail. After dinner, I talked to my Dad and wished him a happy father's day before filtering water for tomorrow. Then I wrapped up my journal before settling in to read. I'm out of breakfast food, though I've got a slice of pizza that'll do the trick until I resupply in about 5 miles. Bedtime at 8:55 p.m.
Date: 2005-06-20
From: RPHC Shelter

To: Telephone Pioneers Shelter
Miles today: 17.5
Weather: overcast clouds

Miles hiked today : 17.516.6 AT miles + 0.9 mile of side trailI woke up this morning at 5:55 a.m. and was packed and hiking at 6:25 a.m. Once again, Opa and I hiked together the entire day, which made for a fun time. A leftover slice of pizza made an excellent breakfast and carried me 5.5 miles to a deli on NY52.I arrived at the deli at 8:40 a.m. and purchased breakfast food and snacks for the next couple days, as well as a a 2 liter bottle of root beer, a quart of OJ, a pint of ice cream, and a delicious deli sandwich. Before leaving at 9:55 a.m., I put away the OJ, ice cream, and half of the sandwich. I knew that the other half would be good for dinner, so I packed it and the root beer away.Back on the trail, I covered 3.9 miles to Morgan Stewart Shelter, arriving at 11:35 a.m. I stayed for an 1 hour, 10 minute break, during which I drank the 2 liters of root beer and filtered 2 liters of water for later in the day. Heading out at 12:45 p.m., I took a 15 minute rest break at 2:30 p.m. at a rushing stream, shortly after passing NY55. A few minutes later, I passed by Nuclear Lake and at 4:15 p.m., I arrived at Telephone Pioneers Shelter.The register at Telephone Pioneers Shelter had some amusing entries about 3 eyed fish at Nuclear Lake and apparently some people swam there. While there were signs aying not to camp or build fires, there weren't any saying not to swim, so I suppose it was fine. After reading and signing the register, I polished off the second half of my deli sandwich. It was even more delicious after the juices from the roasted red peppers had soaked into the bread and the provolone had softened.After eating, I journaled and set up my sleeping gear, then made a tuna fish sandwich with rye bread that Opa had purchased at the deli. After eating again, I called a gentleman, Rob, who had e-mailed me with an offer of r&r for me and some friends once I reached the Kent, CT area. He's going to meet Opa and I at the outfitter in Kent at 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday. Having made plans with Rob, Opa and I are planning a relatively short 13.0 mile day tomorrow followed by an even shorter 8.7 mile day into Kent on Wednesday.Later in the evening, Debbie, a day hiker we'd met at the previous shelter, showed up and had 2 packages of Smartfood popcorn for Opa and I, as well as a carton of OJ for us to split. Such generosity is greatly appreciated out here!Tomorrow is the summer solstice, a.k.a. "naked hiking day." "Will he or won't he?" That's the question I've been asking myself for the last few days. Chances are that I will, though Opa told me I'd be hiking alone if I did. Ha!Bedtime at 9:00 p.m.
Date: 2005-06-22
From: Ten Mile River Lean-to

To: The McConaghy's - Sherman, CT
Miles today: 9.5

Miles hiked today : 9.58.7 AT miles + 0.1 mile of side trail + 0.7 roadwalk mileI woke up this morning at 5:15 a.m. and was packed and hiking with Opa at 6:00 a.m. The hiking was fairly easy today and after covering approximately 4miles, I took a 5 minute rest break at 7:45 a.m.At 8:30 a.m., I passed Schaghticoke Mountain Campsite, which meant I had only 0.7 miles to go to the 2/3 completion mark of the AT. Moments later,it began to rain and continued to do so all the way to Mount Algo Lean-to, where I arrived at 9:55 a.m.Bones was taking a nap at the lean-to and awoke upon my arrival. I asked him whether he wanted to have Chinese food for lunch with Opa and I and alsoreminded him of the offer to go to Rob's home. He faltered, though after my 30 minute break, he decided to accompany us and packed up while Opa andI headed down the trail.From the lean-to, it was only 0.3 mile to the road and then a 1.0 mile road walk to the Chinese restaurant. Bones caught up to us during the road walk and we arrived at the restaurant at 11:15 a.m. We had to wait 15 minutes for the restaurant to open, during which I walked to the post office topick up my package. We seated ourselves in the restaurant and it was another 15 minutes before anybody came out to greet us. Oddly, our meal wasserved on styrofoam plates with plasticware, though the food was decent.After lunch, Opa and I went grocery shopping, then headed to the outfitter to meet Bones. Rob showed up within a few minutes and shuttled the 3 of us tohis home in Sherman. The scenery is beautiful out here and his house is very nice. Rob brought out beverages and we all sat and talked for a bit beforehe went in to work on some projects. I started a load of laundry and after journaling for a bit, I hit the pool. The water was fairly cool, though thesun was out, so it felt good. When the clouds came out, the air began to chill, so I moved to one of the lounge chairs to relax.Rob left after a bit to pick up his daughter, Charlotte. He brought her home with a friend, introduced them, and soon thereafter, took them to a slumber party for the evening. While he was gone, I checked my e-mail and updated my trail journal. Upon his return, Rob made a great dinner for the 4 of us, after which we hikers cleaned up. After clean-up, I accompanied Rob in the car to refill his trail magic cooler, which I had previously benefitted from on my to Wiley (Webatuck) Shelter.After returning to Rob's place, we all lounged about and talked, while I finished journaling. In the morning, I'm stopping by a hardware store to pick up a new battery for my compass-altimeter watch before heading to the trail. I'm not sure how far I'll be hiking, as it depends on what time I hit the trail.Bedtime at 9:40 p.m.