morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2012-07-02
From: 501 Shelter

To: Eagles Nest Shelter
Miles today: 15.1
Weather: few clouds

Left this morning at 7:30 to cool temps. Slept well in the shelter which was more like staying in a hostel. I hiked till about 10:30 by myself when I ran into Rhino, Spiceman and Passionflower. I left them and stopped at a couple of view points and took some pics. Met up with them for lunch at the Fort Dietrich Snyder Monument. It was where the fort was a lookout post to warn of the enemy approaching during the French and Indian Wars. I left them again as I hike a little faster and met them at Sand Spring to get our water for the night. We then had to carry it for a mile to get here. We have left Pennsylvania. The terrain is getting very rocky and this isn't even the bad stuff yet. Big boulders are fun to hop on but there are small ankle rollers and ones that stand straight up out of the ground that seem to grab the toes of my shoes to trip me. It will be like this and worse until we get well into New Jersey. My feet feel it. I will make it though. Hope all is well.
Date: 2012-07-03
From: Eagles Nest Shelter

To: Windsor Furnace Shelter
Miles today: 14.7
Weather: overcast clouds

Had a late start. Not a good morning as I ended up leaving one of my water bottles and my tent stakes at the campsite. I will hope someone picks them up. Hiked alone most of the day as I was leaving and felt like hiking fast today. Got into Port Clinton where Passionflower, Spiceman and Rhino ended up staying. I grabbed some snacks to fill out my food bag then hit the trail again. I met Roboticus' parents on the way. They seemed to be really nice people. They told me that they were slack packing her, Chameleon and Mr. Breeze. Halfway through my climb out of Port Clinton I ran into some ripe raspberries which I devoured. Man were they good. Got to the shelter and went to set up my tent when I realized I had no tent stakes. Luckily my tent base is self standing so with the threat of rain I set it up in the shelter to keep the bugs off of me. It is just me and Cheeze-it in here so there isn't any problem with it. Gotta go.
Date: 2012-07-04
From: Windsor Furnace Shelter

To: Eckville Shelter
Miles today: 9.1
Weather: clear sky

Short 9 miles today. Well, not really. First off let me tell you about last night. Just before we went to sleep we heard what we believed to be a bear in the woods across the clearing. Cheese-it got up and stoked the fire real good and we didn't hear it anymore. Had a couple of nice view points to the west of the Pennsylvania farm land. The next one was The Pinnacle which was really cool. I was able to do a bunch of rock climbing. After I left the Pinnacle I went the wrong way for .4 of a mile before I realized it. Then a little later I missed the turn off of the woods road and went .2 of a mile before I started to see blue blazes instead of white so I turned around. I got to the shelter and it is nice with doors and a shower and even a flush toilet. Unfortunately we are between towns so no fireworks for us tonight. We are OK with that though because the caretaker bought us all ice pops. Very hot so I hope I can fall asleep. Hope everyone had a great Independence Day. I know I did.
Date: 2012-07-05
From: Eckville Shelter

To: Bake Oven Knob Shelter
Miles today: 17.4
Weather: broken clouds

It was hot last night but at least the bugs didn't bother me because I set my tent up on the top bunk in the shelter. I left after everyone else at about 7:20. I caught up to them a couple of hours later and the 5 of us started hiking together. Me, Bobbie, Passionflower, Spiceman, and Rhino. We came to a side trail to a restaurant so I stayed with the packs seeing I wasn't going to eat there. When they came back they had Roboticus' father and Shaggy with them so the 7 of us hiked to the road where Passionflower, Shaggy, and Bobbie dropped their packs for a short 6 mile slack pack. Spiceman, Rhino and myself kept ours. It was an interesting 6 miles. First the three of us with packs missed the turnoff for the trail and had to back track 1/2 a mile. Then Rhino kept going after Spiceman and I took a break. Then we hit the Knife Edge which is a rock hop on top of a view ridgeline. I love these things but Spiceman is scared of heights so it was slow going. 1 mile before the shelter we all met up with the parents of Roboticus and waited for Roboticus, Chameleon, and Mr. Breeze to show up. We then headed out to finish our last mile and we hit another rock field. It wasn't blazed very well so we had a hard time following the trail. I wish more of the trail is like that. The rock fields not the lack of blazes. Got to the shelter, had dinner and am off to bed.
Date: 2012-07-06
From: Bake Oven Knob Shelter

To: Palmerton, PA
Miles today: 7.9

Left at a decent hour this morning so we could get to town at an early hour, hopefully before noon which we did. It was just one of those walking days with decent terrain but no views to speak of. As we started our last descent our climb for the next day came to view. It looks like a monster and very steep. At one time it was a totally dead mountain as it was used in smelting zinc. There is a lot of life trying to grow now but some areas are still dead. A local gentleman was telling us horror stories about the climb. It was hot when we got to town. We checked in at the Jail House Hostel which is free. We got showers then did our laundry and did a little shopping before a late lunch. At 4 PM the bank thermometer was reading 102 degrees. Good thing we are staying in the basement where it is nice and cool.
Date: 2012-07-07
From: Palmerton, PA

To: Leroy A. Smith Shelter
Miles today: 15.6
Weather: overcast clouds

Got a super early start at 5:30 am as we had to hike 1.5 miles back to the trail. We wanted to get our hand over hand climb done and get through the superfund site before it got too hot as they were expecting it to get even hotter today. There were 8 of us, Passionflower, Socks, Sprout, Buzz, Rhino, Spiceman, Bobbie and myself. I took point going up for the climb. I felt like I was leading a mountain climbing expedition up Mt. Everest except without the cold temps. It was very tricky at times and I had to be on the lookout for rattlesnakes. We got to the top and had some awesome views. We then let Buzz take the lead as we hit the nice flat grassy trail along the edge of the superfund site. About halfway through that we ran into a huge rattlesnake and Buzz let me lead again. It was huge but he decided to move over to let us pass. When we got to the Little Gap Roboticus' parents were there to resupply our water bottles and had lemonade and tea. They were dropping off Roboticus and Chameleon and then they met us to resupply again at Smith Gap and brought a watermelon. Water is scarce through here with springs drying up. We are now tented at the shelter where we just had a thunderstorm pass by with little rain. At least it cooled us off. Should be about 15 degrees cooler tomorrow with a high of 85 degrees. I am beat so I am calling it an early night.
Date: 2012-07-08
From: Leroy A. Smith Shelter

To: 3/10s of a mile North of Kirkridge Shelter
Miles today: 14.1
Weather: overcast clouds

Was the last to leave this morning. It was raining some and I could hear thunder in the distance. It all passed and I packed up and got going at 8:20. I moved fast even though my feet hurt and there were a lot of rocks. Pennsylvania is known for its rocks but I think people make it worse than what it really is. I caught up to the group in a couple of hours as we headed to the motel in Wind Gap to get water but the owner said she did not give it away anymore but that we could buy it. I wasn't ready to pay $1.25 per small bottle of water so I put my pack back on and headed back to the trail head to see if there was a water cache there left by trail angels but there wasn't. There was an angel at the trail head with a watermelon as he was waiting for his wife, Sicilian Gypsy, to meet him for lunch. He also had a gallon of water which he gave me a quart to fill my second bottle. I thanked him then took off. Got to climb on top of Wolf Rocks and took a long break before heading to the shelter. When I got there I got some water and ate dinner while everyone caught up. I then went .3 of a mile to check out this campsite and called them to tell them that it was great. After the 6 of us were set up here come Hips, Chameleon, Roboticus, Toby and Lisa (Roboticus' parents). It was great to see Hips again. We took a ton of photos and this has to be the best campsite I have stayed at. Great view, plenty of room and practically no bugs. We all sat and watched night fall over the valley with all of it's farms. No rain flys on the tents tonight.
Date: 2012-07-09
From: 3 North of Kirkridge Shelter

To: Church of the Mountain Hostel Delaware Water Gap
Miles today: 6.2
Weather: broken clouds

7 states down, 7 to go. Time for a 7 & 7. Going to double fist 2 7-Ups to celebrate. Nice short hike into the hostel this morning. Got a shower and my bounce box from the P.O. Then waited for the others so that we could get lunch. Ate at the local diner and had an open faced Rueben sandwich. I then went to the bakery/ice cream shop and had a small fudge pie and 3 scoops of blackberry ice cream. Will head out for dinner later and will have breakfast at the diner in the morning before we hit the trail again. We will cross the Delaware River to leave Pennsylvania and enter New Jersey. Yeah Man!!!
Date: 2012-07-10
From: Church of the Mountain Hostel Delaware Water Gap

To: Rattlesnke Spring
Miles today: 13.4

Wasn't sure if I was even going to leave today. My feet were still sore so I stayed in bed until after everyone left. I finally got up packed my stuff and went to the diner for breakfast where Wiffle Chicken joined me. After a huge breakfast I decided to leave at about 10:20. I got across the Delaware River and into New Jersey and a gentleman asked if I was a thru-hiker. I told him yes and he welcomed me to New Jersey and gave me a huge Baby Ruth candy bar. Cool trail magic. I wasn't in NJ long before I saw two small bear cubs running from me and start to climb trees. My first thought was cool, I need my camera followed immediately by uh-oh, where is mama? She was right in front of me so I made sure I wasn't in between her and the cubs and I got my camera out. Got a couple of good pics. My next adventure was going around my first glacial pond, Sunfish Pond. Filled my water bottle and ended up on Kittatinny Mt and then to here. It is raining a little now but should be done shortly. Going to do some reading and then hit the sack.
Date: 2012-07-11
From: Rattlesnake Spring

To: Gren Anderson Shelter
Miles today: 17.9
Weather: scattered clouds

Off to a good start this morning. Temps were nice this morning but we are still dealing with plenty of rocks. Had some nice views again today including a Timber Rattlesnake. Starting to pick blueberries but not very plentiful yet. Also got to see a beaver Lodge in the middle of a pond but didn't see the beavers. Towards the end of the day everyone but me went to town to get coffee or drinks at a tavern so I got here early and had all my chores done by the time they arrived. Met some of the nicest NJ people yesterday and I guess they met one of the biggest jerks from NJ today. Well, every state has both. Luckily I haven't met any of the local assholes on the trail so far. Looks like I will get some good reading done tonight.
Date: 2012-07-12
From: Gren Anderson Shelter

To: High Point Shelter
Miles today: 13.0
Weather: clear sky

What a beautiful day. Slept in a little and left about an hour after everyone else. Bobbie finally has a trail name, it is Pickup. He just trucks right up the climbs. My feet are really sore and tired with all of these rocks but I believe we should be out of them soon. I caught up to everyone about 6 miles into the hike. We decided to have lunch at the High Point State Park Headquarters. The ridge runner told us if we went inside and told them we were thru hikers we could ge a free soda. How cool is that? I decided to cut my day short and go to the beach at the lake nearby. That was a great decision. No one else wanted to go so they missed out on a great day. I was there until 6:00 PM when they close the lake down. There were showers and a concession stand also. Here at the shelter with the ridge runner Kite and his wife, Wiffle Chicken and Craisin. Sun took it out of me so I am off to sleep
Date: 2012-07-13
From: High Point Shelter

To: Wawayanda Shelter
Miles today: 23.9
Weather: clear sky

Got up and going by 6:45. What a difference the beach made for me. My first stop was for a bear encounter. 3 cubs and their mother. The cubs went up in trees right next to the trail and the momma bear was pretty big so I backed off for about 15 minutes. I didn't hear anything anymore so I went back and threw a stick just in case and mama bear took off. I continued on the trail past the cubs clicking my sticks so she would know I was passing by her cubs and not a threat to them. I then went on to the Murray Property to get water. There is a cabin with electric but no bunks so people sleep on the floor. It also has a water pump and privy. I then went to an abandoned house for water and ate lunch there. I decided to try to get to the shelter but I went and got 6 scoops of icecream first at Heaven Hills Farm. I got to the shelter at about 7:00 pm and set my tent up in the shelter. Sipsey and Craisin both set theirs up also. Looks cool if you ask me. Looking forward to a zero day tomorrow to rest my feet and legs.
Date: 2012-07-14
From: Wawayanda Shelter

To: Wawayanda Shelter
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

Actually camped out at the Meadow Lark Farm B & B. Dorothy allows thru hikers to tent for $15 which includes a shower and breakfast. It is Passionflower, Roboticus, Pickup and myself. Diane, a friend of Passionflower's friends, picked us up and took us to town. Warwick is a nice sized town with a neat town center called the village. Had lunch walked around and when Diane got done working she took us to the grocery store and then back to the B & B. We grilled veggie burgers for the girls and Pickup and I had hot Italian sausage. There are 3 dogs here, Quinn the golden lab, Oz the greyhound and the poodle Dorothy is taking care of for a friend. Looking forward to a great breakfast.
Date: 2012-07-15
From: Waywanda Shelter

To: Wildcat Shelter
Miles today: 12.1
Weather: broken clouds

It was a great breakfast. We got to the trail at 9:15. It was nice and slow going most of the day. We had some fun rock climbing today and we also finished New Jersey so that is 8 states down and 6 to go. We also stopped at another creamery, the Bellvale Farms, and I got a banana split. We would liked to have stayed longer but with the threat of rain we filled all of our water bottles and hiked the last 2 miles with another couple of rocks climbs thrown in for good measure. Got our tents set up and ate our dinners and now it is raining for a change. Hope it helps our water sources as most of them have been dry or stagnant. Off to bed.
Date: 2012-07-16
From: Wildcat Shelter

To: Fingerbread Shelter
Miles today: 14.3
Weather: scattered clouds

Last one out again. Everyone is moving slow today. This is one of the funnest states to hike. There are plenty of cool hand over hand climbs. It has really made us tired. I got ahead of everyone and went for a swim in the Island Pond. It was so great to jump in but unfortunately I still had a ways to go. I got to the Lemon Squeezer and had to do it by myself. I took off my pack, put it over my head and rolled it along the rock wall until I could get it over the top. After I got through Slim Pilgrim showed up so I helped with his pack then we looked at the sheer climb and took our packs off again and he went to the left and I went to the right and we both made it. We then hiked to the shelter where we picked blueberries with a 4 point buck. It was cool doing that with a deer next to us. Everyone else finally showed up so we will leave early to make it through the Zoo in Ft Montgomery before they close.
Date: 2012-07-17
From: Fingerbread Shelter

To: Hemlock Springs Campsite 
Miles today: 17.6
Weather: overcast clouds

What long hot day. Heat index around 108 degrees. I left camp at 5:50 am. was the first one out today and I saw 17 deer all together. I hiked most of the day alone. Hiking was a little easier today but the heat is awful. We got lucky with a couple of water sources today though not enough. We all met at the Bear Mt. Perkins Memorial Tower where I had 4 orange sodas from the vending machine. Pickup didn't catch up to us so we thought something might be wrong or he would catch up to us soon. We descended down to the recreation area and headed into the Trailside Museum and Zoo. This is where we found out Pickup took the wrong trail and was 9 miles off trail. I went across the Hudson River on Bear Mt. Bridge and started my next climb. The heat index was well over 100 degrees, so I drank a lot of water hoping that the water source at the campsite wasn't dry. I took a right at the top instead of a left and ended up .6 miles off trail so I turned around and went back. I found Roboticus and Passionflower at the trail intersection. Passionflower was suffering from heat exhaustion. We started toward the campsite when Spiceman called and asked me if I could drop my pack at the campsite and come back to get Pickup's pack as he was suffering really bad from the heat exhaustion. Luckily when I met up with them they were at the top of the climb. We got back to camp and are hydrating as the spring here is good. Going to try to sleep as the heat is still unbearable.
Date: 2012-07-18
From: Hemlock Springs Campsite 

To: Graymoor Spritual Life Center
Miles today: 4.2
Weather: clear sky

Didn't sleep well at all. It was way too hot. We all felt a little better but knew we needed to take it easy. We went 3 1/2 miles to the Appalachian Market to plan our strategy. Spiceman and Rhino went to look for a doctor to remove Rhino's cast. After all day they finally found one. I left the deli after eating my Italian hero and headed to the Graymoor Spritual Life Center which is a monastary. They allow hikers to camp in the ball field. It has a cold shower and a pavillion with lights and electrical outlets. Good thing for the pavillion becasue a bad thunderstorm rolled through. The lightning was right on top of us and a hige branch came down near us also. After the storm the place started to fill up with hikers. Then Pickup's mother and aunt showed up with a huge container of turkey salad, bananas, peaches, cherries, nectarines and the best plums I have ever had. They also brought a cooler full of sodas and Gatorade. It was Pickups last day and I sure am going to miss him. It was my pleasure to hike with such a fine young man. There are 18 tents and 4 hammocks here with 25 people. Haven't seen so many hikers camped out since I think Trail Days in May. What a great day.
Date: 2012-07-19
From: Graymoor Spritual Life Center

To: Shenandoah Tenting Area Trip
Miles today: 17.5

Slept super well last night. The storms cooled things off. Left at 8:00 am and just hiked all day. Nothing spectacular today, just walking. At this tent area and it is really nice. There is a youth group here also. they are on the other side so I don't think they will be a problem. Expecting rain tomorrow. Hope it stays light rain. The high tomorrow will be around 70 degrees. What a difference a couple of days make.
Date: 2012-07-20
From: Shenandoah Tenting Area Trip

To: Telephone Pioneers Shelter
Miles today: 18.1

Woke to rain today. Wet tent to pack. Packed everything up and headed out. Not much to do when it rains but hike. I did stop at a deli and got a chicken parm sub, a couple of chocolate milks and some snacks for later and headed off into the rain again. With my shoes falling apart my feet were wet within minutes of leaving camp which makes for a long day in itself. It finally stopped raining with about 6 miles to go when Passionflower caught up to me and we hiked together the rest of the day. I forgot to mention that I fell on my butt twice within the first 20 minutes of my hike. That brings my total to 7. Rhino said he fell 5 times just today. It is slippery when wet. Also met my first 2 southbound thru hikers. We will start seeing more of them in the next couple of weeks. Hopefully things will dry out some overnight.
Date: 2012-07-21
From: Telephone Pioneers Shelter

To: Ten Mile River Shelter
Miles today: 12.8
Weather: broken clouds

Didn't leave until 9:30. Tried to let some stuff dry out. 3 miles into my trip I got to the Appalachian Trail Rairoad Station which is just a platform but the train will pick up passengers there. Immediately after that is NY 22 with a deli 1/2 a mile off the trail which I was going to skip, which I did, but there was a mobile pizza parlor with fresh slices. Man that made for a great second breakfast. Said goodbye to some of the people we have been hiking with the past few days as they are putting in more miles than us. Namely Ginger Snap, Oliver Twist, Sunshine and Medicine Man. Just 3 of us here tonight. Rhino, Spiceman, and myself. Passionflower and Roboticus are spending another night at Plantman's and will catch up tomorrow.
Date: 2012-07-22
From: Ten Mile River Shelter

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

Another early start at 6:15. I had to get to Kent, CT to pick up a couple of meals and some snacks which I did. Very expensive place. It was a .8 mile walk in so not too bad. As I was starting to walk out of town a hiker by the name Panic Button picked me up and took me to the trail head. He was actually heading in the opposite direction. That is what the hiking community is about. I enetered Conneticut today so I can say goodbye to New York. 5 more states to go. Even after going into Kent I got here at 3:45 and that includes sitting in the Housatonic River for a good 30 minutes. It's always nice to soak in the rivers and lakes. I also sat with my feet in Stewart Hollow Brook after I got settled in at the shelter. It is pretty corwded here tonight. Hope to start early tomorrow.
Date: 2012-07-23
From: Stewart Hollow Brook Shelter

To: Stealth Camp Mile
Miles today: 20.0

I did get my early start today at 6:05. Everyone was still sleeping when I left. Wanted to beat the bugs. Yesterday as soon as we hit the River Road along the Housatonic River they got thick. Also had rain coming. Bugs weren't too bad and as soon as I cleared the river here come the rain and lightning. I asked God to give me shelter and I ran into a cave. Talk about a prayer being answered. I waited 20 minutes until the thunder passed and took off in the rain. Spiceman and Rhino are taking a nero into Cornwall Bridge, CT, so I probably won't see them again until Dalton, Mass. Passionflower met up with her friend Elise who hiked the first week with her and they are about 5 miles behind me. I ran into Cheesy Turtle who I haven't seen since the Shenandoah. Ran into about 8 southbound hikers also. I even met a couple of north bounders that started just a couple of days after me. I was going to stop in Falls Village but kept going. Washed my hair at the outdoor shower at the hydro-electric plant and filled all my bottles. Got some great pics of the falls but had a storm coming in so I moved on. I am stealth camping as the storm hit before I could reach the shelter. Will go into Salisbury for a mail drop tomorrow and Passionflower and Elise will catch me there.