morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2007-05-14
From: Pa. 873 Slatington

To: Wind Gap, Pa.
Miles today: 20.7

Up in the junkyard at 6 am. Breakfast and a slackpack shuttle from Ira at 8 am. On the trail at 8:30. Sunny and cool. The climb out of Lehigh Gap was not as bad as it looked. It only took a half hour to get to the ridge line. Their were a few rock climbing spots but nothing too serious. A beautiful view at the top.. The ridge itself was barron due to the affects of zinc mining done there. An easy hike today with a lot of rocky areas. More numerous than previously. I called Patti and she had some very sad news for me. A former student of mine, Zachary VanWyke, passed away. My sympathies to all of his family and friends.... At Little Gap Boomer had left some trail magic. Water and Snickers bars! What a guy! You rock Boomer! Thanks. A short while later I met up with DC Turtle, Gray Hare and Second Chance. They were hiking south, doing a section. I had dinner with them in Port Clinton. Very nice people!With about 8 miles to go Blue and Tau caught up to me. They had started a half an hour behind me. It was nice to finish the day with them. We talked the whole way in. We made Wind Gap at 4:30. Waiting there with a room already booked for us was Pilgrim. He came to slackpack us tomorrow. He had a cooler with refreshments which was much appreciated! Tecumseh and Moxie came in later and Pulgrim shuttled us to dinner at a chinese restaurant. Lights out at 9:30. Tomorrow we hit the Delaware Water Gap and the end of Pa. Yeah!
Date: 2007-05-15
From: Wind Gap, Pa.

To: Delaware Water Gap
Miles today: 15.6
Weather: clear sky

Up today at 6 am. Muffins and bannas for breakfast. Pilgrim went out and got coffee and donuts. Thanks! Today we slacked again. Pilgrim was our support. He also provided reshshments at the halfway point. It does get better than that!The weather was warm and breezy today. The trail was mostly rocky but smooth in places. A pretty easy day. We celebrated the end of Pa. with Pilgim at the Delware Water Gap.   Glad to have THAT behind us. Oh there will be more rocks, but not Pa. rocks.... Actually, Pa. was not all that bad. In fact, it was the easiest state so far in terms of elevation change. Not many big climbs at all. And the famed rocks? Not nearly as bad as I imagined. But they ARE there..... Great state!Tonight we are staying in the Hiker Hostel at the Presbyterian Church of the Mountain in Delaware Water Gap. A very nice place! Highly recommended! Staying the night are: Tecumseh & Moxie, Blue, Tau and Lee, who will be doing the AT AND the CDT this year! Tomorrow- on to New Jersey, our 8th state.Thanks to Pilgrim for the great magic the past two days!
Date: 2007-05-16
From: Delaware Water Gap

To: Brink Rd. Shelter
Miles today: 24.8
Weather: overcast clouds

Got up at 5:15 am. and packed up. Tau, Blue, Li and I walked to the diner for breakfast at 6. Li, pronounced Lee, is attempting a thru hike of the AT and the CDT this year. He started April 25th and has been hiking 30 plus mile days.We started hiking at 7:15 with sunny skies and a good amount of humidity. Rain was in the forcast for later in the day. The climb out of the gap was not too bad. The forest seemed much different than in Pa. The trail was very rocky most of the way. Tau and Blue are fast hikers and I had to hustle to keep up. It was an adjustment, also, to have a full pack on. It started raining about 2 pm and there were rumbles of thunder but no lightning. Thank goodness! We arrived at the shelter at 4:30. The misquitos were out in full force... I set my tent up in the shelter to avoid them. Then it was dinner and in the sack by 8:30. A very long day. Tomorrow will be another 25 mile day....
Date: 2007-05-17
From: Brink Rd. Shelter

To: Goldsmith Rd.
Miles today: 24.9

We all got up at 5 am today. Nice morning! Tau was on the trail just before 6 and Blue was out a few minutes later. I got hiking by 6:20. Our plan was to meet for a second breakfast at Cup of Jo to Go which was just 3 miles up the trail on a road crossing. The temps were cooler and the air much drier. I made the road by 7:40. I ordered a ham, egg and cheese bagel with a big cup of coffee plus a sweet roll. A very substantial second breakfast! The trail continued to be mostly rocky with a lot of little ups and downs. Some nice views of the countryside and lakes in the valleys below. We met two young ladies, Amanda and Holly, from Charleston, South Carolina who are hiking from here to Maine. They just started today. The terrain improved just after High Point Shelter. Finally out of the rocks! The next 5 miles were through farm fields and forests. We arrived at our destination at 5:15.brian Murray, a 1989 thru hiker, has a shelter just for thru hikers. Very nice with running water and a hot shower! He also has two donkeys who are very entertaining. I'll just leave it at that... Squire, a section hiker from Mass. is here also. It's been another long day and time for sleep.. Checking out at 8:30. We'll do a 13 mile hike into Vernon, NJ tomorrow.
Date: 2007-05-18
From: Goldsmith Rd.

To: NJ 94
Miles today: 13.5

Up early at 4:45 am. Cloudy skies, cool temps. Tau and Blue left a few minutes before me and I was out by 6. It was very nice walking on rockless trails today. What a relief! There were a few ups and downs but very doable. The forests seem so different in NJ. Beautiful. I made the 13.5 miles in 5 hours. At NJ 94 I almost kept going but stopped to get my barrings. Two hikers doing the trail from DWG to Maine, Orange Camel and Dark Camel, came up and told me that I was on 94. Just up the road was a bakery.... You guessed it, we went right in and bought a cherry pie and devoured it! Tau and Blue were already there. After a hitch into Vernon we got dropped off at the St. Thomas Episicpol Churgh Hiker Hostel. A very nice place. We were able to shower and do our laundry here. They also have internet access. Next we went to pick up our mail drops. Blue was very disappointed when the shoes she ordered from REI were not the ones that were sent! But she called REI and they will send out the correct pair to my daughter , Kristin, who we will be visiting next week. So it was out to eat and back to get ready for tomorrow's hike. I hope I can stay with this higher mileage for the next 4 days.Also, I'm wondering if anyone in the southern Massachusetts area might be able to help me out with a shuttle. A former student is coming out to hike with me on the 25th of May. He will need a lift from the trail to the airport in Albany, NY on June 2nd.   We'd certainly pay for gas....
Date: 2007-05-19
From: NJ 94

To: Wildcat Shelter
Miles today: 17.3
Weather: light rain

We (Squire, Tau, Blue and I) took a taxi back to the trail at 7 am. After the first climb of 1,000 feet the going was fairly easy. Blue and I had lunch at what we thought was the NJ/NY State Line. It started raining shortly after that. We were on top of a mountain and the rocks are flat but very slippery when wet. A few moments after we resumed our hike we crossed the real state line. We walked along a ridge line most of the next 7 miles but there were many downs and ups with some rock climbing. The going was really slow with the wet rocks. It was like walking on ice.   The last 2 miles started out easy enough but then more rock climbing and slippery flat rocks! It was good to get to the shelter at 2:30, set up camp and relax. It was cool and damp so I took a nap inside my bag. Very nice! Tau had taken a side trip into a creamery and came in a while later. Also there were Orange Camel and Dark Camel, whom I shared cherry pie with yesterday. At about 6 pm Squire showed up. So we had a full house in the shelter. After dinner I slipped back into my sleeping bag and fell asleep. I was exhausted.....
Date: 2007-05-20
From: Wildcat Shelter

To: Palisades Interstate Pkwy
Miles today: 21.7
Weather: light rain

Woke up at 5:30 to a steady rain. Not a good sign. But after an hour it stooped and we got started at 6:50. Early on we saw a black bear, my first on the trail. It was a small one and quite timid. Neat! The first 10 miles today were painfull! A ton of dips, climbs and slippery rocks. New York did a number on us..... It really tired us out early in the day. Our goal was to make 27 miles today but after the first 10 we realized that wasn't going to happen. At NY 17 we stopped for lunch and Blue called the Adventure for Youth Leadership Camp to see about a slackpack and a place to stay for the evening. No answer...... This was very disappointing as we were counting on them.   Blue and I continued on with a long climb up through the Lemon Squeezer and on to Surebridge Mountain. New York is a beautiful state. Awrsome forests. The trail got quite a bit easier and we decided to push for the Palisades Pkwy and try to contact the adventure place again. We made it there by 5 pm and called but still no answer... So we walked a half mile to a visitors center and inquired about places to stay. A much appreciated ride from an attendant there and we ended up in a motel here in Bear Mountain Circle. We've been trying to contact the adventure center this evening but still no answer. Trail Magic: We needed a ride back to the trail tomorrow morning so I emailed Mike Vogel, a gentleman from Ohio who offered help next week. His son, Adam, is graduating from West Point next Saturday. He called me and Adam is going to pick us up tomorrow morning at 8! How cool is THAT??!! Thanks guys!Tomorrow remains a mystery as to how far we'll go. We hope to do 25. Hope my feet hold up.....
Date: 2007-05-21
From: Palisades Interstate Pkwy

To: Just Past NY 301
Miles today: 26.5

Today was an eventful one. Blue and I got a shuttle from the motel at 7:45. Thanks so much Adam! On the trail by 8:20. Gorgeous day! We climbed West Mountain in good time and saw the skyline of NYC. Cool! I had my first rattlesnake sighting in an interesting way... Blue was just ahead of me as we walked across an open flaf rock. Suddenly she turned to me and pointed downward saying: "Hey, hey, hey!" My foot was a couple of inches from stepping on a rattlesnake! Yikes! But no harm, no foul.... A little unnerving though. Just before crossing the Hudson River, we hit the lowest point of the trail (124 feet) at the Bear Mountain Zoo. The ticket taker allows ThruHikers free passage. He said he had good and bad news. The good news was we got in for free. The bad news was the AT is all uphill from here! Some tough climbs again today. My longest day on the trail. We also hit the 1400 mile mark!   We hiked about a mile and a half past NY 301 and tented in a clearing at 8 pm. Tau came in a short while later. I'm exhausted! One more long day tomorrow and then it's in to NYC and a 3 day rest....
Date: 2007-05-22
From: Just Past NY 301

To: Pawling NY
Miles today: 22.5
Weather: scattered clouds

Up early at 5 am. Beautiful morning! On the trail at 6. The first 5 miles were very easy with the sounds of birds chirping and the sweet smells of new spring vegetation. A great view of a river from the top of a mountain. I was really excited to get into NYC and see my daughter, Kris. I caught up to Blue at a shelter and we hiked pretty much the rest of the way together. There were a few climbs but nothing that was too tough. I'll mention here that I haven't had a map since Pa. and it's been a little unnerving not having an elevation profile to look at. The guide book just has points of interest so the elevation there might go from 890 to 890 in 2 miles but it won't tell you about the 500 ft. climb inbetween. We've had a lot of that in NY. Once again, the forests in NY are beautiful to walk through. Tau walked with us the last few miles. Ofcourse Blue and I were singing New York-New York all the way. We got a hitch into Pawling at 2:45. We were all pretty exhausted from the last several 20 plus mile days.. After a huge sandwich at the deli Blue and I secured tickets for the train into NYC. It was a two hour commute but it was nice to be sitting and just watch the people and the changing scenery as the train approached the city. We reached Grand Central Station at 6:45 and my daughter Kris greeted us a short while later. What a change to be in the big city!! We grabbed a sandwich at a local pub and then walked down to Times Square. Awesome place. Then we got on the subway to get to Kris's appartment. 5 flights up..... Oh well- a great ending to a long day on the trail.
Date: 2007-05-23
From: Pawling NY

To: NYC
Miles today: 0.0

Great day hanging out with Kris and Blue. We took the subway downtown to see the Today Show. When we got there Martha Stewart and Meredith Viara were on the plaza giving a food demo. When they finished Meredith came over and shook our hands and then went back and brought us the steak that she Martha had just made! Just a few minutes later, during a break, Matt Lauer came over and read the sign that Blue had made saying that we had walked 1430 Miles on the AT to see the Today Show. He shook our hands and talked with us for a minute. Really cool! Then it was breakfast and some site seeing including a trip to Murray's Cheese in Greenwich Village where Kris is the Executive Chef! Neat place with some real characters. It's so interesting to be in such a different world. Pizza for lunch and then Blue had to track down some packages that were sent to her at Kris's but couldn't be delivered. At one point Blue and I sat out on the steps at Kris's appartment building waiting for the FedEx truck (which never showed up) and just watched the people in the neighborhood. Quite a different culture for sure. So we had to go to the FedEX office to pick up Blue's backpack and then on to dinner at an upscale restaurant in the village. Great meal. Hey you only go to NYC so many times....Blue will leave tomorrow and I more than likely won't see her again on the trail. She's an outstanding young lady with a great sense of humor, smart and steady. I will miss her. Such is life on the trail.
Date: 2007-05-24
From: NYC

To: NYC
Miles today: 0.0

Blue left at 6:30. I'm glad to have a couple more days of rest. My legs are tired. Kris and I shared some coffee and breakfast at her appartment and it was nice to just sit and visit. We then headed out on the subway to Central Park. Beautiful! You don't even know you are in the middle of NYC. Our next stop was Chinatown where we had lunch. It's amazing to go from one part of the city to the other via subway. When you come up to ground level you are in a totally different environment. Then it was another visit to Murray's Cheese and back home for a nap! This evening we went to a pub near Times Square to watch the NBA playoff game between the Pistons and Cavs. Kris's friend, John, joined us. They are both avid Pistons fans,having lived in the Detroit area. I've really enjoyed my time in NYC and most of all visiting with my daughter. I'm SO proud of her! She is on her own "Adventure" here. Tomorrow I'll travel to Fairfield, Conn. to talk with Barry Smith's (4Frank on trailjournals) 7th grade classes. I'm really looking foreward to that. Also, Christian Vollbrecht, a former student will be joining me for a week on the trail. Life is GOOD!
Date: 2007-05-25
From: NYC

To: Fairfield, Conn.
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: few clouds

Up early. Quick breakfast at Kris's place. On the subway to Grand Central. A sad goodbye for me. I caught the 8:04 train to Fairfield and arrived there just past 9:30. There I went to the middle school and met Barry Smith. It was good to finally be there and talk with him. He's a very enthusiastic person with a passion for hiking. The students in his math classes were very well behaved and seemed to enjoy what they were doing. At 2 pm I gave a short presentation about being on the trail. The students were great and asked a lot of thoughtful questions. Fun! Afterwards Barry drove me to EMS. There I purchased a head net (for bugs, not my hair) and a fuel canister. Then it was off to his house where I met his wife, Karen and his two children, BJ and Allysa who were both getting ready for the prom. I was even invited to attend a dinner at BJ's date's home. Christian and his dad, Scott, joined us a while later. Very nice people! We all crashed at Barry's house. A long but good zero day. Thanks to Barry, his students and family for a great stay.
Date: 2007-05-26
From: Fairfield, Conn.

To: Ten Mile Creek Shelter
Miles today: 12.6
Weather: scattered clouds

I got up a little earlier and had a cup of coffe with Barry. Good conversation. When Scott and Christian woke we packed up and headed out for breakfast at a local diner owned by BJ's girlfriend's parents! Great food. Ofcourse I had 2, tggs, homefries, bacin and blueberry pancakes! We decided that Scott would shuttle us to the trail, with Barry, and Christian and I would slackpack the first ten miles. We started from NY 20 at the Dover Oak, the largest on the AT, at 9:30. Warm, humid and somewhat overcast. The 10 miles to NY 55 was pretty easy, traveling through fields and gently rolling hills. Christians dad met us there at 2pm with huge deli subs, chips and cokes! Thanks Scott! Scott walked with us for part of the last 2.6 miles and we said our goodbyes... Christian and I continued on to the shelter. It was now very warm, muggy and sunny. A stream near the shelter served to cool us off. At the shelter were Jack from Conn. and Paul from NYC, out for a night of camping. We got to know one another over a game of Farkel. Haven't played that since Pennsylvania! A good day! Thanks, again, to Barry and Karen for their wonderful hspitality and to Scott for carting us around and feeding our faces!!!
Date: 2007-05-27
From: Ten Mile Creek Shelter

To: Stewart Hollow Shelter
Miles today: 15.7
Weather: broken clouds

Up at 6 am. Cloudy and humid. Back to oatmeal and coffee. We were on the trail by 7:45. Today was marked by several climbs. A legitimate AT hike for Christian. I'm hoping that the15.7 miles is not too much for him. We take a few breaks and on one of them Conquestador shows up. He's a Thru Hiker but needs to leave the trail to make money for college. He reminds me of Scott Sabol, our HS principal. Christian concurs... The last few miles were flat, taking us along the Housatonic River. We reached the Stewart Hollow Brook Lean-to by 4 pm. . Waiting there for us were Joe From Iowa, Conquestador and Trocar.... All on Trail Journals.   It was cool to finally meet them. I've read their journals on several occasions. Great guys and funny! Later on Remix and Stash joined us. Remix is from Wisconsin, Stash is from Minnesota. The Midwest Connection! I was one of the first to drop off....
Date: 2007-05-28
From: Stewart Hollow Shelter

To: US 7 Housatonic River Bridge
Miles today: 16.3

The crew (Trocar, Joe, and Conquestador) at the shelter was up up and gone by 6 am. I was happy not to be in such a hurry. Remix and Stash were a little slower. Remix likes his coffee also. Christian and I got out at 7:45. Another warm day that started out cloudy and cleared up around mid morning. The profile called for a lot of 500 ft. climbs today and it was tough going. A lot of sweat! Christian rolled his ankle going downhill at about 4 miles and then again a while later. We made to West Cromwell road and decided to try and hitch a ride to Falls Village and see about renting a cabin at the Mountainside Cafe. With the help of a few very nice people Christian got a ride and I continued on the trail another 6 miles and met up with him at 4 pm. On my hike I heard what sounded like Road America and came upon an overview of a car race track. Funny and a little annoying. The restaurant at the cabin was closed for the day but Christian noticed the proprietor there and asked if there was a place nearby that we could eat at.. He said he could make us up some sandwiches and boy did he! Huge delis with potatoe salad and cole slaw plus a big pitcher of pepsi! Later I called Shep and asked her what our options might be for help with a slackpack if Christian could not hike tomorrow. She gave me the # of Maria Mcabe in Salsbary. We called and made arrangments. Squire was staying with her so they both came by and picked up our extra gear this evening. Our plan is to slack the 10 miles to Salsbary in the morning. If Christian isn't up for it Maria will pick him up here while I hike. We'll stay at her place tomorrow night. What a day.....
Date: 2007-05-29
From: US 7 Housatonic River Bridge

To: Jug End Road
Miles today: 27.0

Up at 6. Breakfast at the Mountainside Restaurant. We thought it best that Christian should give his ankle a days rest so we called Maria to come pick him up. I started hiking at 8:20. A beautiful ten mile slack to Salisbury. A great view of the falls on the Housatonic River. I got to Salisbury at a little past 11 and made the decision to do 17 more miles. Maria and Christian picked me up and drove me to Jug End Road so I could hike south on the AT back to Salisbury. Oh, while I was waiting for them, up drove Orange Blaze with his parents. He was back on after a 5 day layoff. At Jug End Road I realized I had left my trekking poles at Hwy. 41. Darn! Oh well... So I hiked without them. There were several tough climbs today including Mt. Everett, Race Mt. Bear Mt. and Lions Head. Awesome views! Along the way I came upon Squire and Orange Blaze who were hiking north. I got back at 7 pm. 27 miles today.... Staying at Maria's tonight. Pizza and Pepsi! A point of interest for me here is that Ethan Allen, a famous Revolutionary War leader, lived and studied here. I am a decendent of his. A very enjoyable day on the trail....
Date: 2007-05-30
From: Jug End Road

To: Tom Leonard Lean-to
Miles today: 10.9

We got a late start out of Salisbury (9:30) but with only 10.9 miles to go we had plenty of time. Another beautiful day. Starting out at Jug End road we had 7 miles of flat going. The only problem was we traveled through a swamp area and hoards of mosquitos! Not fun but we managed... At Hwy. 7 we took a .1 mile detour to the Corn Crib for some ice cream and a root beer. Then it was a couple of good climbs up to a beautiful overlook where we could see the mountains I came over yesterday and three states including Mass., Conn. and Vermont. Christian's ankle seemed to be doing fine. His pace increased as we climbed when he listened to his MP3 player .We reached the shelter by 3 pm and decided to call it a day. We tented on a wooden platform that had a nice view of the valley below. However, the water source was a pain being a quarter mile down a steep hill! The mosquitos are a little bothersome but not bad.   The payoff is we have a full moon illuminating the sky this evening....