morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2012-06-15
From: Outerbridge Shelter

To: Leroy A. Smith Shelter 
Miles today: 16.7
Weather: overcast clouds

After a night of snoring in the shelter (yes, we have ear plugs now) we woke a little late and didn't get started until 7:45. Within a half an hour we started our climb out of Lehigh Gap. This is no ordinary climb. It is straight up over boulders to the point you put your hiking poles away and climb hand over hand. Suzie really enjoyed it! Yea, right !   Shortly after that we started across an area that had been decimated from 1898 to 1980 by zinc smelting. The whole area is a deforested ridge line and one of the EPA super fund sites.      After crossing that we had a hard time picking up our pace. Not because of the rocks but the blackberries and blueberries! They're just coming in and taste wonderful. Once we entered the woods the berries went away and we traveled at our usual speed. We made it to the shelter and set up the tent.      Tomorrow my oldest daughter is coming to visit us for a couple of hours in Wind Gap. We are looking forward to seeing her.
Date: 2012-06-16
From: Leroy A. Smith Shelter 

To: Kirkridge Shelter 
Miles today: 13.8
Weather: broken clouds

Awakened at 4 in the morning by the sound of a motorcycle and an ATV on a nearby dirt access road. They made about 3 passes before they were gone. We got up at 5:30 and were headed to town by 6:30.   We hit Wind Gap at 9 and walked through town to the McDonald's to have breakfast and wait for my daughter to arrive. She will be moving to California soon so it was our last chance to see each other before she goes.      We took full advantage of her car as we went to resupply and to lunch. We had a great visit and I'm glad we got the chance to spend some time together.   She dropped us off at the trail and we said our goodbyes. Soon we were back climbing across those blasted rocks that slow our pace to a crawl. It seemed to take forever to make the 9 miles to the shelter but just before it we ran into a little trail magic. Sierra Mist sodas from S. G. And Diesel Dog. Thanks guys!   Tomorrow is our last day in Pennsylvania. We will cross the Delaware Water Gap and head into New Jersey. With one day left we feel compelled to give our opinion of Pennsylvania. Yes, there are rocks that we will be happy to put behind us. But the rocks only play a part in the last 50 miles. The rest of Pennsylvania has been some of the best hiking we have had (yes, much better than the Shenandoahs). So don't believe all the bad press about Pennsylvania. Just like you shouldn't believe all the good press about Virginia and it being flat ridge walks.    Well, hopefully we will get a full night's sleep and make our way to Jersey tomorrow!
Date: 2012-06-17
From: Kirkridge Shelter 

To: Mohican Outdoor Center
Miles today: 17.2
Weather: overcast clouds

A good nights sleep! We headed out to find Jersey and leave the Pennsylvania rocks behind. Or so we thought...   We made it into the Delaware Water Gap and found the Water Gap Diner and had breakfast. Suzie called home to wish her dad a Happy Father's Day. As we were headed for the diner we saw the Village Farmer that had home made pies for sale. After breakfast we headed over and picked out a couple of the 6 inch pies and devoured them. Suzie had apple and I had mixed berry. Wow were they good!   We hit the outfitters and picked up a couple pairs of new gaiters. The rocks had shredded mine and Suzie had been using home made ones since Harper's Ferry.      We headed on to find Jersey's trail and get some miles under our boots. It being Sunday there were plenty of folks picnicking in the gap but no one offered us anything. About halfway up the mountain we ran into Iceman who has been reading the journal and had come out to meet us. We chatted for a while and then moved on. It really is nice when someone takes the time to come out just to say hi because of the journal.      Soon after we met Hal, the ridge runner for this section. Again the chatting began since he had done a thru hike in 2010. He wished us well and we headed on to Sunfish Pond. What a beautiful lake up on the ridge! Of course there was no swimming but it was over cast and 70 degrees anyway. There was an area where people had made a rock sculpture of cairns right next to the pond. We added a few rocks of our own as well. Very cool!      We decided to go to the Mohican Outdoor Center so we could get a shower. They also had a deli so we had dinner there too.      Now as for leaving the rocks behind. Apparently the thru hikers must hate the rocks in Pennsylvania so much that they must have picked them up and thrown them across the river into New Jersey. I tried to tell Suzie these were Jersey rocks but she says she knows better! Hopefully we will walk out of them soon. Our feet need a break!
Date: 2012-06-18
From: Mohican Outdoor Center

To: Gren Anderson Shelter 
Miles today: 20.6
Weather: overcast clouds

We woke to 53 degrees and overcast. We broke camp and moved on by 6:30. We were greeted by more rocks on and off all day. Suzie has resigned herself to the fact Jersey has rocks too.   The morning moved along and we soon came to a road crossing. As we turned back into the woods there was TRAIL MAGIC! Bewildered and Pebbles were there with sandwiches, fruit, candy bars, drinks, and snacks of all kinds! We hung out and grazed for a while with Nitrous Oxide, Man cub, and Kit fox. We even took cookies with us when we left      We passed several ponds and spotted a deer and her fawn right on the trail. The trail in this section is overgrown and hard to follow. I'd say it's time for a little trail maintenance.   We had the opportunity to have dinner in town again tonight but we still have all the food in my pack we bought two days ago so we kept on going through town. As we neared the shelter Suzie stopped dead in her tracks. We had stumbled upon a skunk. He didn't seem to care that we were there so we took a couple pictures and headed on.      We made camp and had dinner. The evening temps were dropping so we called it a night.
Date: 2012-06-19
From: Gren Anderson Shelter 

To: Murray Property 
Miles today: 18.4

Headed out at 7:00 but with a shorter day planned we were in no hurry. We climbed Sunrise Mountain and came to a huge pavilion that looked like it was past its prime but still a beautiful spot.    We were headed to High Point State Park which is the highest spot in New Jersey at 1701 feet. Not exactly Clingman's Dome but still a nice view.     We came across several deer who didn't seem to care we were there at all. They must know they are in the state park.      Yesterday Suzie almost killed herself trying not to step on a little black snake but today she walked right over a copperhead and never saw him until I pointed out her oversight. You should have seen the look of disbelief on her face.     After that we headed to the Murray Property where the secret shelter is. It's a one room cabin on private property that the owner allows hikers to stay in. Mr. Murray stopped by and visited for a while and we thanked him for his kindness.     Tomorrow we will be in Unionville, N.Y.to pick up our next set of boots and send the boots we have now to the cobbler to get new soles. We love our Vasque boots we just wish they would last longer than 600 miles.    Sitting out on the front porch of this cabin is a great way to end the day!
Date: 2012-06-20
From: Murray Property 

To: Vernon N.J
Miles today: 13.3

We woke with replacement boots on our minds. With just 2 miles to town we were there before the post office opened. We had a soda and a donut from the local grocery while we waited. At 8 we entered the post office with our fingers crossed. Our package was there and we took it outside to disembowell the contents. 2 pair of boots and our last set of maps! We pulled off our old pair and placed them into the box to send them to the cobbler for new soles. We put the new boots on and went in and mailed the others.     Soon my right boot didn't feel right so with closer inspection I realized the cobbler had sent me my left 10 medium and someone else's right 9.5 medium. More about this later.    We were now headed for Vernon N.J. to stay at the hostel there and get our clothes washed and resupply. The problem was the temperature was heading to 95 and it started early.    Today was the day to walk Jersey's boardwalks. Not the ones in Wildwood or Atlantic City but the ones through the Jersey wetlands. We must have walked 3 or 4 miles on the winding boards across scenes that looked more like Florida than anything you would consider New Jersey. Quite a change from the rocks we have been dealing with.     We were almost done when we saw Pireogi and Metso heading towards us saying hey it's the Mules! They are from Florida and members of the Florida Appalachian Trail Club which we belong to. They were out doing a section and knew we would be on it too! Again, great to have people meet us on the trail who are following the journal. We got to the church and did our chores. I then called the cobbler to see what could be done about the boots. The response I recieved was unbelievable. He wanted me to stop hiking, send these boots back and wait until he shipped me both of mine back. I don't think so! He kept saying you can't hike in the other person's boots, you have to stop hiking ... So what's going to happen is he will send my other 10 medium to a town further up the trail and when I get it I will send the 9.5 back to him. Customer service is an oxymoron with this clown! Tomorrow is supposed to reach 100. Good times!
Date: 2012-06-21
From: Vernon N.J

To: Wildcat Shelter 
Miles today: 17.1
Weather: clear sky

Up at 5 and left the hostel at 6. We were headed to the Burger King for breakfast but they didn't open until 7 so we stuck our thumbs out and soon had a ride the 2.4 miles back to the trail head. We were hiking by 6:15 hoping to get up on the ridge before it got too hot. We were on top having breakfast at 7:15.     The last few miles of New Jersey went well. We took a break about half a mile from the line and while we were there Pireogi and Metso came by again so we visited with them some more. Once they left we headed on and soon were standing at the New York state line. With pictures taken we moved on to see what New York had in store for us.   The day was heating up as the trail started taking us along exposed rock ridges time and again. It didn't take long for the heat to slow our pace along with the rock climbing. As the sun started to weaken we arrived at the shelter. The water source had dried up but some Trail Angel had hiked in water and left it in the shelter. THANK YOU! The mosquitos are so ferocious we set the tent up in the shelter. They are calling for rain tomorrow which will kill this heat wave which will make hiking much more enjoyable.
Date: 2012-06-22
From: Wildcat Shelter 

To: Fingerboard Shelter 
Miles today: 14.3
Weather: overcast clouds

We woke to another hot day. We didn't get started as early as we would have liked because we hadn't slept well. Today's profile map showed some ups and downs but nothing prepared us for the day we had.   We had one rock climb after another. Most of the time we just put the hiking poles away and climbed hand over hand straight up. Going down the other side was just as steep. We were doing maybe a mile and a half and hour which was very frustrating but there was no way for us to go faster.    We did have trail magic. At one of the roadsides there was 5 gallons of water so we filled up and left a note of thanks.   Our big event of the day was climbing through the Lemon Squeezer! Both Suzie and I struggled but made it through.      This being our third day of hiking in this heat we were exhausted. The thunder was off in the distance as we were making our way to the shelter. As we got closer so did the thunder and the rain arrived as we arrived at the shelter. We were low on water so we put every container we had out to catch rainwater. We caught enough for dinner and drinking until tomorrow.      The temperature is starting to fall. The next few days are supposed to be much nicer. That will definitely put a smile on our faces!
Date: 2012-06-23
From: Fingerboard Shelter 

To: Graymoor Spiritual Center 
Miles today: 21.8
Weather: scattered clouds

Last night after I had finished the journal Patio showed up at the shelter. He is one of the north east's more prolific trail angels. He does trail magic from Maryland to Maine. He had been doing magic a couple miles down the trail and decided to hike in to the shelter to bring us some. A couple cold beers, a 2 liter of coke, a frozen Gatorade, and some cookies. He hung out for a while and we had a great time talking about what's up ahead and a million other topics.    Today was not a walk in the wilderness. Our first run in with the real world was on top of Black Mountain where we could see the New York skyline 35 miles away. At the bottom of the mountain we had the distinct pleasure of having to take our lives in our hands and cross the four lanes of the Palisades Parkway. Yea,we just walk in the woods...    Later on we climbed Bear Mountain which was crawling with tourists and motorcycle riders all out enjoying the day. At the bottom of the mountain was Hessian Lake. Wow! The place was packed with people having cookouts. We grabbed a cheeseburger and a fry at the concession stand and then headed on to the next spot of insanity ...the zoo! That's right, the A.T. goes right through the Trailside Zoo. After seeing so many of nature's creatures out in the wild it was just depressing seeing all of them caged. The bear cage is the lowest point on the A.T. both literally and figuratively.     As if that wasn't enough, we then had to cross the Hudson River with cars roaring by. Finally back in the woods we headed for our stopping point for the night. The Monks at the Graymoor Monastery allow hikers to camp on their ball field. Just before we arrived we popped out of the woods and there was the Appalachian Market. We walked right in and ordered a couple subs and a Gatorade and chowed down! Much better than the food earlier. We headed on and are now camped in the middle of a ball field with several other hikers. We sure hope tomorrow we just walk in the woods!
Date: 2012-06-24
From: Graymoor Spiritual Center 

To: RPH Shelter 
Miles today: 18.8
Weather: clear sky

What a difference a day makes. Most of the day was spent hiking in a beautiful forest. As we headed out we came upon a a doe and her fawn out for breakfast. What a sweet way to start the day.    We really didn't have any big ups or downs but it seemed like we were doing one or the other all day. My size 9.5 boot has finally given me a blister on my heel. The toes aren't much better. Tomorrow we will be able to pick up my size 10 boot in the afternoon. I still have 16 miles to do tomorrow so hopefully my foot won't get any worse.    We were unaware that the shelter we are staying at is right next to a road which means we could order pizza! There are probably 15 hikers here so the pizza guy has done well tonight.
Date: 2012-06-25
From: RPH Shelter 

To: Telephone Pioneers Shelter 
Miles today: 16.8
Weather: heavy intensity rain

Woke at 5:30 wanting to get an early start. We had 16.8 miles to town and the post office closed at 5. We were just about ready when the wind picked up and the rain came down. We hung out in the shelter for awhile until the storm pasted.   At 7:30 we finally started hiking. So much for that early start! We were headed for a spot about 5 miles away. The Mountain Top Deli served up a couple great subs that we washed down with a couple of Gatorades.   Back to the trail. It was becoming obvious we wouldn't make town by 5. My blisters were slowing us down considerably. Soon the sky turned dark and the thunder started. We put our rain gear on just as the rains started. We call it rain gear but it does very little to keep us dry anymore. Soon we were soaked as always.   The rains subsided and we moved on up the trail. The afternoon rolled on. We stopped six tenths of a mile from the shelter for a Snickers bar. Bad move! We found ourselves scrambling to the shelter to beat the third rain of the day.   We set the tent up in the rain and then dove inside. The rain continued so we just ate snacks for dinner and listened to some music. We are only seven tenths of a mile from the road to town. The only problem is town is 3.1 miles east and hitchhiking in New York is illegal! I hope we don't get thrown in jail for trying.... I need my boot!
Date: 2012-06-26
From: Telephone Pioneers Shelter 

To: 10 mile River Shelter
Miles today: 12.8
Weather: overcast clouds

We only had .7 miles to the road into town so we were in no hurry. We left the shelter at 7. We were not sure how the hitchhiking would go but the third car by stopped and picked us up. We were at the post office at 7:45. The problem was they didn't open until 8:30. Problem solved by going next door to Chris's Deli for breakfast. Two omelets and a couple Dr. Peppers had us set.   When the post office opened I got my package. My boots are now the same size! We shipped the other boot back and then headed to the drug store for a couple of items.   With that done we headed back to the road out of town to try our hand at getting a ride back. The first car was the same lady who had given us the ride into town. She pulled over we hopped in. What are the odds?    Back at the road crossing was the Dover Oak. This is the largest oak on the entire trail. Very impressive. We moved on and soon met a man who had done a thru hike back in 1976. It was a lot of fun comparing the hike 36 years apart.   My foot did much better in the correct size shoe. The miles came easier than yesterday and I was thankful for that.   We were going along when we heard a noise in the grass beside us. We thought it was a bird chirping but it turned out to be a couple of shrews fighting over a tunnel in the ground. Now that's something you don't see every day...   We got to the shelter and set up camp. Although it looked like rain all day we only got a sprinkle in town. Tomorrow we will be taking a nero. One of Suzie's friends from work is here visiting and has a brother with a cabin we can stay in. Sometimes life is hard on the trail...
Date: 2012-06-27
From: 10 mile River Shelter

To: Bull's Bridge
Miles today: 1.5

Nero day! We only had 1.5 miles to the the road where our detour took over. We crossed through the covered bridge and found the market just ahead. We had an hour before we were going to be picked up so we grabbed a couple of muffins and couple mountain dews and headed outside to the picnic table to sit in the sun. With that gone I went back in and bought a pint of Ben and Jerry's Cherry Garcia ice cream.      Laurel picked us up at 9:30 and took us to the cabin. We showered and then headed into Kent, Ct. We did laundry and did our resupply. With that done we went back to the cabin and hung out. Thank you Laurel for breakfast, lunch, dinner and for being our taxi for the day!   Laurel's sister in law and brother came home and we all had dinner and spent the evening together. Thanks Cliff and Karen for your wonderful hospitality and the use of the cabin!   It feels good to finally get to the New England states. We are now two thirds done with the trail and the reality that we might actually make it all the way is beginning to set in. Tomorrow we start the third act of this play. We know what's up ahead and feel confident in our abilities to see this through.
Date: 2012-06-28
From: Bull's Bridge

To: Stewart Hollow Brook Shelter 
Miles today: 14.2
Weather: clear sky

We got a late start and by the time we had breakfast we were hiking at 9:30. A couple good climbs to start with had us shedding our long sleeves.   We thought we had an 18 mile day to do but we did the math wrong so we only had a 14.2. With our late start we were happy about our mistake.   We were hiking along when Suzie spotted something on the trail ahead of us. Upon closer inspection we realized it was a porcupine. We grabbed the camera and took some shots. He climbed a tree like there was nothing to it. We didn't know they climbed trees.   We ran into a couple of day hikers and chatted about the trail and the thru hike experience. It seems odd to hear ourselves talk about the trail and the things we have experienced out here. When we're doing all of this its kinda like not being able to see the forest for the trees. The big picture blurs when you're living in the moment, but talking about it brings it back into focus.    Just before the end of the day we had a really steep downhill over alot of rocks. Suzie had quite a bit of anxiety over it and is sure the Whites are gonna kick her butt. I'm sure she will be fine!
Date: 2012-06-29
From: Stewart Hollow Brook Shelter 

To: Belters Campsite 
Miles today: 15.3
Weather: clear sky

The rain started at 5 just as we were ready to get up. We had hoped to be hiking by 6 but we didn't step off until 7:50. So much for the big mile day. The beginning of the day was a nice walk beside the river. We stopped for a while to watch a deer crossing the river. She noticed us but didn't seem to care.    By now the sun was out and beginning to heat the day. We climbed up and down most of the day. Between the climbs and the heat our reserves were depleted early. We took several snack breaks trying to regain some stamina but the legs were just dead.       We stopped to filter some water and the filter decided to stop working just as we were finishing up. We will be in town tomorrow and there is an outfitter there. We will see what our options are when we get there.    As we were just leaving from filtering we met Felix Magillicuty and Jennifer (Squirt). They were holding ice cold sodas for us! We talked for a while then went back to their car for dough nuts and more sodas. He thru hiked in 98 and went south bound. We spent an hour talking trail.   We still had more to go so we headed on for the last few miles. We settled in and got our chores done. Very tired tonight, hopefully the nights rest will rejuvenate us for tomorrows miles.
Date: 2012-06-30
From: Belters Campsite 

To: Sages Ravine 
Miles today: 17.9

Up at 5 and gone by 6 trying to get a few extra miles in before it got too hot. As soon as we made it down the hill to the road we met Socks who had just shown up to do trail magic. She did a thru hike in 2005. She had muffins and fruit, lemonade, Gatorade, chocolate milk, and assorted goodies! She also had brought water because she has been reading our journal and saw that our filter had stopped working. She even offered us her own filter to use until we could get ours fixed! The people on this trail are amazing. We knew we would be able to get the filter situation taken care of later in the day so we declined her filter but what a great offer!    Now we didn't need to stop at Falls Village to get water so we continued on towards Salisbury for our resupply. As we were moving up the trail we came to Great Falls on the Housatonic River. What a gorgeous waterfall!     We made our way over Mt. Prospect and soon we were on the road walk to town. Salisbury was a nice town and the grocery had everything we needed. We also had a sandwich and a soda before we headed back out.    We finished the day by crossing into Massachusetts! 10 states down, 4 to go! We also passed 1500 miles. We're getting there.
Date: 2012-07-01
From: Sages Ravine 

To: Great Barrington Ma.
Miles today: 14.6
Weather: broken clouds

Up at 5:30 but by the time we got water and broke down it was 7. We had 2 climbs right off the bat. Mt. Race was first and it was a grind but Mt. Everett was much more of a straight up and down which had us sucking wind and dripping with sweat.     It seemed like forever until we hit trail we could actually move on. The heat was taking it's toll as well. We finally made our way down off of the ridge and decided we were going to town for the night. It took forever to hitch a ride but we finally got one. Sari dropped us off at the motel and we settled in. The air conditioning was wonderful as was the shower. We did laundry and ordered pizza to go. Tomorrow we hike but for tonight we sleep in air conditioned comfort!