morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2011-06-04
From: 501 Shelter

To: Port Clinton
Miles today: 24.0
Weather: broken clouds

Today was a little bit of everything. I started the day feeling quite good after a filling meal and continued good weather. Unfortunately we ran into some rocky sections that slowed us down. The plan was to make Port Clinton 24 miles away. After early rocks the walking was better and I made it to Eagles Nest Shelter around 1:00 for lunch. I met ¢Smokymtnr¢ and his hiking partner who are finishing the last section from Damascus to Monson, Maine. I tried to tell them they should just continue and do Katahdin again, he told me Katahdin nearly killed him last time and when he got to Monson he was done. I talked to both for a short while and they were both very interesting and enjoyable to chat with. Enzed joined us for lunch but wasn¢t having a good day; her feet are real sore. After lunch the trail got worse with long rocky stretches, and of course the miles were adding up. By the time I neared Port Clinton my feet were killing me, and then you go down this extremely steep downhill for about 12 mile. When I got to the bottom I decided to wait for Enzed, when she arrived she didn¢t look real happy. The rocks are tough on the feet, and the steep downhill made it tougher. We made it to the pavilion after a long walk through town and the Fire Department was having their spaghetti dinner. This meant everyone was out and about and wanted to talk. Enzed is especially popular as she is from New Zealand, so everyone has lots of questions. We really just wanted to sit down. When we arrived we found some section hikers we knew from the Doyle who had skipped ahead. Pajamas and Billy Goat came in later. Hopefully we will recover after a good night¢s rest. Over 1,200 miles done.
Date: 2011-06-05
From: Port Clinton

To: Windsor Furnace Shelter
Miles today: 5.8
Weather: overcast clouds

A pretty good night¢s sleep considering the fire whistle went off twice for calls in the middle of the night. After a quick breakfast we started to head to Hamburg for re-supply. Unfortunately, the mile to Hamburg is on a two lane highway that was not conducive to hitchhiking. We ended up walking the highway to Wal-Mart. At Wal-Mart we went in and left our packs up front, where we plugged in our phones of course, then did our re-supply. Once our re-supply was done, rather than go outside we did our organizing and re-packing in the comfort of the air conditioning. We did get a few stares from people as they watched two hikers stuff items into baggies, then into our food bags, parked right near the checkout lane, oblivious to all the hub-bub around us. Actually we weren¢t oblivious; we were just laughing at all the looks we got. We then proceeded to Cabela's for a look around, as Enzed had never been to a Cabela¢s. She thought Cabela's was typical America, everything here is large. We did laugh quite a long time over a car camping sleeping bag we found that was larger than my total pack, for $49, which weighed about 8 pounds. We thought it would be great fun to come into camp with that thing strapped to the top of your pack and proudly announce to a shelter full of thru-hikers that you had gotten a new sleeping bag! After getting a couple of small items, we figured we better get back to business and get back to the trail. It wasn¢t easy getting a hitch, but a gentleman with a mini-van pulling a fishing boat stopped and drove us back to the trailhead. It was a steep up, and it was very hot, so we walked to the first shelter at 6 miles and called it a day. It was kind of a nero, but after 24 it still keeps a 15 average going.
Date: 2011-06-06
From: Windsor Furnace Shelter

To: Allentown Hiking Club Shelter
Miles today: 16.5
Weather: scattered clouds

After an easy day yesterday, I was itching to go today. The 9 miles to Eckville Shelter was on and off rocky terrain. We pushed on to Pulpit Rock and the Pinnacle before lunch, with a nice view from the Pinnacle. I was more impressed with the Pulpit Rock Astronomical Park. They had 3 different large telescopes, with another smaller one, with several different pads and stands for scopes. They seem to have a top notch setup. After I stopped for lunch at the Eckville Shelter, I decided to try out the solar shower they had. I wouldn¢t say the shower was warm, but it did take a layer of grime off, and it cooled me down. This afternoon¢s walk was more rocky terrain that made my feet ache. Probably the highlight of my day was walking out on a blue blaze trail to see the balancing rock, but on the way back I nearly stepped on a rattlesnake. As I stepped over a large slab, just as I put my foot down I saw him. No rattle, no warning, nothing, just sitting there. I quickly went around him, and of course took some photos. It¢s amazing after you see one again how careful you are for quite some time about where you step. We made it to the shelter quite sore, and hot, but managed a good day considering the heat and rocks. Later in the evening Snifur came in; I hadn¢t seen him since Hot Springs. He had gotten off trail for several days to take care of some things at home. I¢m sure he¢ll speed away from me again. The plan is to be up early to beat the heat and make it to Palmerton to the Jail House Hostel Tomorrow.
Date: 2011-06-07
From: Allentown Hiking Club Shelter

To: Jailhouse Hostel, Palmerton, PA
Miles today: 17.7

Today Enzed and I were up at 5:15, quietly because nobody else wanted to be up that early. We had eaten and were packed and on the trail by 6:30. We tanked up on water today because it was going to be hot, and water is scarce today. There were plenty of rocks, but we seemed to handle them better, and it was much nicer before the heat hit. It was only eleven when we hit the first shelter so we went right by and ate on the trail. We made it down off the ridge and to the road crossing by 3:00. It¢s a busy road and they recommend you walk the 1.5 miles into town on a back trail. We didn¢t buy that, and attempted to hitch at the lights where people have to stop. It took 15 minutes, but a worker van stopped and drove us right into town. This was awesome as it saved us a hot walk into town. We were so pleased we stopped for an ice cream before we checked into the hostel. As we walked downtown a young boy about 11 or 12 passed us, he was putting up a flyer for a local gym. When he went by he asked if we were hiking the trail. He proceeded to tell us about some hostel, further north that we could stop at. As we were chatting with him some more his cell phone suddenly rang. In mid-sentence he stopped and states ¢I¢ve got to take this¢ and answered his cell phone. I think the call was from his mom, judging by his response and the faces that he made. When he was done he continued like nothing had happened. Enzed thinks he is going places. We checked into the hostel, which is great. The Jailhouse Hostel is in the downstairs of the town hall. There are several bunks, you can use the shower that is provided for the upstairs gym, do your laundry across the street, eat at a great diner, and re-supply about a block away. After laundry and re-supply about 7 of us went out to eat, again huge quantities of food were consumer along with several wonderful milkshakes. I won¢t go into details to protect the guilty, but suffice it to say many of us have ¢food babies¢. If you don¢t know what a food baby is, it¢s when you get so skinny from hiking that when you eat a huge meal you can actually see the ball of food in your engorged stomach, and eventually you can watch it kind of move on through. It¢s supposed to be 97° with high humidity tomorrow, and the trail has a huge, steep, climb out of town with an exposed ridge walk. A couple of us are actually thinking about skipping going out for breakfast and getting most of the miles out of the way early. Also, add to the mix that there is no water re-supply tomorrow without hiking .6 miles down off the ridge, and that is after you are 11 miles into the hike. Suffice it to say most everyone will be carrying a full load of water and filling their reserve bottles. Well, I¢m off to bed. I¢m full, clean, and tired. It is after 11:00 which is well past hiker midnight.
Date: 2011-06-09
From: Leroy A Smith Shelter

To: Delaware Water Gap
Miles today: 20.2
Weather: overcast clouds

Once again the heat is stifling. So, we were up and packed and ready to go at 6:10. We made it to Wind Gap around 8:00 and Enzed¢s knee was bothering her, so we went to a nearby motel for our planned sodas. She decided to catch a ride from the outfitter rather than further injure it with a big day over the rocks. Legion caught us and joined us as well as Gas Cap, who was actually at the motel for the night. Once Enzed decided to stop for the day I decided to just push the next 16 miles out as fast as I could to try to make the post office at Delaware Water Gap by 4:30. Coming out of Wind Gap was a sweaty climb then murderous rocks until I reached Wolf Rocks. After that there was quite an old woods road walk that was pretty rock free. I pushed the entire time, stopping only for about 20 minutes at a shelter 6.5 miles from town for lunch. I ended up getting to town about 2:30 and felt pretty healthy for once, even though I pushed myself. The church hostel was great; it had air conditioning, a nice shower, and comfy furniture. I picked up my mail drop with my new memory card, and my wife had included brownies and chocolate chip cookie bars. Both were excellent and appreciated by myself and all the hikers at the hostel. The best part of the stay is that on Thursdays the church holds a pot luck supper and the hikers are all invited. They informed us to be on the back porch promptly at 6:00. When we arrived we found hot dogs and 15 or 20 dishes including salads, casseroles, beans, and lasagna. The food was excellent and for once it was good, homemade, wholesome, food. They even had ice cream, homemade of course, and pies and cakes. Their hospitality was greatly appreciated. Later on the night took a turn for the worse when several of us went to a bar that was supposed to be 14 mile down the road but turned out to be a long walk away. We got a hitch back in a pick-up and one of the hikers lost his camera and wallet in the bed of the truck. He spent most of the night and next morning trying to track the person down. It should be a short day tomorrow.
Date: 2011-06-10
From: Delaware Water Gap

To: Mohican Outdoor Center
Miles today: 10.5
Weather: few clouds

It wasn¢t an early start today, but 5 of us went to breakfast at the diner before heading out. It was a long but nice gradual climb out of Delaware Water Gap. The trail climbs up to Sunfish Pond, which was a nice area loaded with wildlife. We saw a raccoon waddling towards us before he saw us and ran off, lots of deer and rabbits also. It¢s kind of funny because the last two days of Pennsylvania the trail had thousands of chipmunks; they seemed to run in the underbrush every few feet. Maybe that is why they have so many rattlesnakes too. Here I¢m not seeing as many chipmunks, but rabbits seem to be more prevalent now. At the pond you could hear the bullfrogs from a long way away. I also saw what I later determined was a common water snake at the edge of the pond. I got a couple of photos, and I must admit seeing the snake slither through the water and down into the debris of the bottom would make me nervous about swimming there. Again, today was quite rocky, especially around the pond. Fortunately we only did 10.5 miles to the Mohican Outdoor Center. This is an AMC run center that has camping at a lake, also more importantly they make nice sandwiches and sell soda and chips. We all had a late lunch and were informed that the sites were full, but we could tent at the maintenance shed area down the road. It was no big deal because it was a flat and grassy area. We stayed at the center talking, out of the bugs and near the soda. I finally met Shoofly and Nero whose names I have been seeing forever in the journals, but I was always just behind them. They seem like a really nice couple and hopefully I will be able to hike with them for a couple of days. I¢m going to try to do a 20+ mile day tomorrow, so it will be a shorter day into High Point NJ the following day.
Date: 2011-06-11
From: Mohican Outdoor Center

To: Gren Anderson Shelter
Miles today: 20.9
Weather: light rain

I awoke about midnight to the sound of rain on my tent. Of course I had just thrown the fly on top and rolled it up because it was so hot. This meant I had to quickly get up and roll it down. I wasn¢t able to stake it because the stakes were still in the pack which wasn¢t close by. It didn¢t really matter because it didn¢t rain too hard and I stayed dry. In the morning I packed up under the cover of the maintenance shed because it was still raining. Enzed was packed up and nowhere to be seen. As I was leaving I met her coming down from the visitor center where she had gone to eat. We headed out in the rain and fog, naturally we climbed right up on a ridge that was supposed to have great views, and we saw none. We pushed to the first shelter at 14 miles for lunch and we were soaked from the wet grass we had walked through. At the shelter the mosquitos were so thick we hardly stopped to eat and just headed on. We did manage 1 coke today at a road crossing. We saw several deer, rabbits, and a very small snake that I couldn¢t identify. The rocks seemed to get a little better but there were still plenty. About 1 mile before the shelter I came across a group on the mountain at the fire tower. They had erected several huge temporary antennas. I stopped to talk to them and found out they were amateur ham radio operators participating in a competition that takes place every year on this date. They compete to see who can contact someone the furthest away, basically. I could tell these guys were really into it, and they bent my ear for quite some time. They were talking to Florida today in the bad weather, but in yesterday¢s clear weather had contacted someone as far as Iowa. They said it was excellent and was a high point for them. They had quite a set up with several tents and tons of equipment, much of it appeared to be homemade. They seemed to be having a blast despite the weather. When we got to the shelter our feet were quite pruney, and it felt good to get into dry clothing and eat a hot dinner for once. Tonight Shoofly and Nero are here as well as Fixit, Enzed and a southbound section hiker. Hopefully the weather will clear off for tomorrow.AlanJune 23, 2011. I returned Alan to the trail in Connecticut yesterday after he came home to attend our son & niece's eighth grade graduation. When I dropped him off it was raining, and after 6 pm, so he had a wet hike ahead of him, and it ended up being an unplanned night hike as he didn't get to the shelter until after 10 pm. It was nice to have him home, even though it was for just a couple days. I am happy that he is now getting closer to "home" and I will be able to visit with him more often now as he completes his hike. He had time to read the entries in his guestbook and really enjoyed everyone's comments and encouragement. - Mary
Date: 2011-06-12
From: Gren Anderson Shelter

To: Jim Murray Cabin
Miles today: 18.3

So the original thought was to make it to the High Point State Park and spend the day at the beach and concession stand, then hike the final mile to the shelter. Unfortunately when we got up it was cold & foggy, hardly a beach day. We still had hope for burgers and snacks at the concession stand; so off we went. We hardly got down the trail a mile when we came around the corner by a small pond. I saw a small wake which I figured was caused by a duck or something. In a couple of steps I realized it wasn¢t a duck, but a large bear swimming in the pond. I pointed to Enzed and we both scrambled for our cameras. He got out of the pond and shook off. Then, instead of bolting like I figured he would, he walked a short distance and stood up, and proceeded to scratch on a tree. Soon after he came back to the edge of the pond and stared at us. Next he stood up again, casually reached back and grabbed a sapling and scratched his back again. He then slowly wandered off, in no big hurry. I got some pictures and good video, though I was so excited that I forgot to shut off the video once. He was definitely a large bear, and was not at all worried about us. Finally getting pictures of a bear, not just getting a fleeting glimpse put some spring in my step and we quickly made it to High Point State Park Headquarters. I was a little nervous because a southbound hiker we met had said the concession stand was closed. I checked with a park ranger, and she said they close early sometimes, but she would check for us. She called over and the guy at the stand said he would wait for us. We met Shoofly and Nero and hiked with them a little, recounting our bear story; they convinced us that if it was a poor swimming day we should push on to the Jim Murray Cabin instead. We made it to the beach to find it nearly empty except for a few people walking their dogs and seven life guards in a building playing cards. We ordered our food. I ordered a cheeseburger, cheesy fries, and onion rings and then signed the 2011 hiker board. After lunch we pushed on to the Jim Murray cabin and boy am I glad we did. It was fully enclosed, had a tile floor, electricity, a fan, and an outside faucet. It also had an outside hot shower on another building. The shower was open to the view of other hikers coming up to the cabin, but was hot and was excellent none the less. It is a beautiful spot, with deer, turkeys, and many birds all over the fields. Jim letting hikers use the cabin is a blessing, especially with the number of mosquitos around. Again, the mosquitos were horrible today. All in all though, I must say NJ has been nice. The Mountain Laurel is just spectacular all over the ridges, there seems to be an abundance of wildlife, and the rocks have finally let up. The only drawback is the swamps and mosquitos. I¢m not sure what is in store for tomorrow because we hiked a little extra today.AlanI posted 2 of the videos of the bear - enjoy - Mary
Date: 2011-06-13
From: Jim Murray Cabin

To: Vernon, NJ Church Hostel
Miles today: 13.6

Today wasn¢t raining, so that was a start. We hiked into Unionville, NY for a re-supply and to check the Post Office for Enzed¢s new pack. We met Shoofly & Nero at a deli, and did a small re-supply. We also packed out subs for lunch later in the day. Enzed¢s pack arrived, and while she was organizing Snifur came in, he had caught up to us again after a delay in Delaware Water Gap. After much discussion we all decided to hike to Vernon, NJ to the hostel rather than take a short day and stay at the next shelter. The draw of ice cream at the crossing, and fresh laundry after a couple of rainy days was too much. Today we hiked around Wallkill Marsh and saw many water birds and several deer including a couple of fawns. I can now add swans, cedar waxwings and orioles to my list of bird sightings. Later in the day we hiked nearly a mile over boardwalk across a swamp. We met Shoofly and Nero again, and hiked all the way to the road crossing and ice cream. It took 2 hitches to get all six of us into town, but again it was worth it. The hostel is great. It has a nice shower, a place to do laundry, a huge area to sleep, couches, TV, and internet ¢ everything a hiker could want. We all spent the night getting organized and dried out. Of course more wet weather is predicted, so this is what we need right now. Later on one of the church ladies came by to check on everyone, she also brought pie and ice cream and offered us a ride back to the trail in the morning. The generosity of people still amazes me. The bugs have still been horrible, and the natural bug spray seems to do little to deter them. The only criticism of NJ has been the lack of trail maintenance; many of the trails have been severely overgrown, and a lot of the grass quite long. In the wet weather it makes it quite uncomfortable. But, overall NJ has been a pleasant surprise.
Date: 2011-06-14
From: Vernon, NJ Church Hostel

To: Wildcat Shelter
Miles today: 17.1
Weather: light rain

Exactly 3 months on the trail today. It was a weird day. The trail was nice in the morning, gently rolling with good footing after the big climb up Wawayander Mountain. Hiking with Legion, Snifur, Scavenger, Tanglefoot, and Enzed today. Apparently Tanglefoot and Enzed saw another big bear today. As we approached the NJ/NY state line it started raining, and the trail was very ledgey and slippery. When we actually got to the line the weather cleared enough to get pictures and eat lunch, then it opened up again for about 2 12 hours. We were all drenched to the bone. It took us forever to get over the rocks as they were all covered with lichen which was very slippery in the rain. We were all trying to make it to the creamery for ice cream about 2 miles before the shelter. Just as we were getting there the rain stopped and the sun threatened to come out. As we ate our ice cream Tanglefoot decided to go into town and get a room to dry out. Snifur, Enzed and Legion were also trying to work something out. I felt like I was just in town and had plenty of dry clothes so I left the others and headed the 2 miles to the shelter alone. When I arrived Scavenger was already there and shortly afterward Billygoat came in after a long day. I¢ve got a 19.6 mile day tomorrow and they (Enzed, Snifur, Legion & Tanglefoot) will have a 21.6 mile day; so we will see how it goes. NJ is officially done now making 8 states down and 6 more to go. Tomorrow I should cross the less than 800 miles to go point of the trail. Well it is pretty chilly tonight, and raining, so it¢s off to bed.
Date: 2011-06-16
From: William Brien Memorial Shelter

To: Graymoor Spiritual Life Center
Miles today: 16.1
Weather: broken clouds

After a good night¢s rest I broke down camp and waited around a little hoping Enzed, Legion, and Snifur would show up. Around 8:30 they showed up after a long night at Fingerboard Shelter with a bunch of partiers. We all hiked pretty steady as we had some tough terrain to do, as well as a package to get in Fort Montgomery, and a trip up Bear Mountain and the Zoo. Again, good water has been scarce, and when we got to the Palisades Parkway I ran 12 mile to get 8 sodas for us to drink. Bear Mountain was a surprise as the trail is graded walking paths with stairs. This was quite pleasant and we made good time. We took a quick look from the tower atop the mountain, and even though it was hazy, you could just make out the skyline of New York. At this point we were only 35 miles or so from New York City. The trail down was equally well graded, but when we got to the bottom we were disappointed to see the concession stand closed, even though there were lots of people around. We walked through the Zoo where you¢re kind of an attraction yourself because you are carrying a big pack and have hiking sticks. We did see two more bears at the exhibit in the Zoo. As we left the park ranger told us the Montgomery Post Office was only about 12 mile away, and we started walking. The Post Office turned out to be about 1 12 miles on the hot pavement. When we got to the Post Office Enzed had a package from home; she received mostly candy, which she generously shared. There was a convenience store right next door where everyone filled up on drinks and food. We were also lucky enough to convince a gentleman to shuttle us back to the trail saving us the 1 /12 miles back in the hot sun. We finished the long walk today at the Graymoor Spiritual Life Center, which is a monastery where the monks allow hikers to camp out in the pavilion at the ball field. The pavilion was quite full and I started out inside, but the bugs were so bad that I got up and set up my tent on the ball field. Wildlife is still quite abundant with tons of deer, and a couple of bear sightings, though I didn¢t see any today. June 28, 2011 - Earl Grey has made it to Vermont. - Mary