morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2012-09-01
From: Wiley Shelter

To: Morgan Stewart Shelter
Miles today: 16.6
Weather: few clouds

Well, it is September and we're still hiking. We're in NY state and it is Labor Day weekend. We are at the Morgan Stewart Shelter.We went swimming in Nuclear Lake. I wasn't sure if we would or not, but we did. I figured a one time swim wouldn't kill us, but maybe if we were locals we'd have some crazy cancer by now.We met this really nice couple who gave us an entire loaf of bread full of oats and other grains. They also gave us nori (!!) so we put that in our Ramen. YUM! Hooray for people from NYC who purchased too much food for their weekend hike and give it away to hikers! We briefly considered going into the city today. I'm glad we didn't. This was a good day. It was pretty hot, though - about 90 F. Swimming was the better choice. We hiked about 16 miles today and we'll hike about 16 more tomorrow. Must read about Abe Lincoln now. He was a vampire hunter, you know.
Date: 2012-09-02
From: Morgan Stewart Shelter

To: Clarence Fahnestock Memorial State Park
Miles today: 16.0

And on the seventh day God rested, but we did not. Today was a very difficult day for me. We were woken early by people that don't know how to use a quiet voice when they are surrounded by others sleeping.The hiking seemed more difficult. We went to the Mountain Top Market and Deli in Stormville, NY. They were overcharging us, but we were unsure if they were or not, so Heavyweight asked and the cook left the grill and said in a very condescending tone, "She'll do the pricing, sir." They overcharged us a little, but I think they realized they had been making a mistake and were overcharging everyone. Anyway, that bothered me and it bothered Heavyweight a lot more. We sat outside and ate our food while we talked about how so many people are mean and ignorant and egotistical. Then we hiked up.We met other southbounders today! Memento, Peanut, Lumber Joel, and section hiker Pizzity Paige. We hiked up and over rocks. It was hot. I was sweaty. I got a rash (again). The trail went past a lake. We couldn't swim because it was 200 ft above the lake - basically torture. We yogied a ride to the Clarence Fahnestock Memorial State Park - yay! and set up in site #4. Right next to the lovely Taconic Parkway. We showered in mold & salty water. Mosquitoes ate us alive as we ate. We will repeat this tomorrow. I am tired. Booterman quit the trail. My mom hates the idea of a Clue themed wedding.Things I thought today:What do katydids look like?Do birds grow new feathers if they lose them?How can the trail keep going up?We saw a fawn yesterday. I got a video. We saw an adult deer today. Steven saw a black squirrel. I kind of miss the angry/aggressive red squirrels of the northern woods. I dislike hiking so close to highways. It seems pointless to be "in nature" when there is still the sound pollution. Blah.
Date: 2012-09-03
From: Clarence Fahnestock Memorial State Park

To: Hemlock Springs Campsite
Miles today: 16.0
Weather: light rain

Today was a better day. We hiked another 16 miles. Heavyweight hiked ahead most of the day. I started to collect feathers that I found on the trail. I have three so far. We started to see giant slugs today. We are at a campsite with Lumber Joel, Peanut, and Pizzity Paige. There is a nice fire going, but it is still hard to see. It is supposed to rain tonight. We'll find out if the tent leaks...I got diarrhea today. BOO!!!
Date: 2012-09-04
From: Hemlock Springs Campsite

To: William Brian Shelter
Miles today: 12.0

Today was a gray day. We crossed the Hudson on the Beartown Bridge (or something like that) and went through the zoo. It was full of rescue animals that had either been raised in captivity, or been injured by cars or guns. They had several types of birds of prey, a deer, an otter, a beaver, two bears, and we saw 2 fawns playing. I thought they were in an enclosure until they bounded right in front of us! It was totally cute. We saw at least 2 other deer today. We ate lunch in the tower on Bear Mountain. It was kind of dirty, but it was out of the rain, at least. I thought we were going to get rained on all day, but it was only for the last 40 minutes to an hour. My clothes are soaked, but I think everything else is dry.We only hiked 12 miles today, but that was probably because we spent at least 1.5 hours at the zoo. It isn't even 8:00 and it seems that everyone else is asleep. Everyone else is Lumber Joel, Peanut, Paige, Heavyweight, and a couple that is doing a small section. I'm starting to get eaten by mosquitoes. Time to read about Abe Lincoln.
Date: 2012-09-05
From: William Brian Shelter

To: Wildcat Shelter
Miles today: 19.6
Weather: light rain

Today we hiked 19.6 miles to the Wildcat Shelter. It was not an easy hike. It rained this morning after we hiked about 40 minutes. Oh wait! Last night we had to sleep on the grody floor of the shelter. We laid out a tarp that was dirty, but not as dirty as the floor. It rained pretty hard and the roof started leaking onto Heavyweight!! We had to move over. I was almost in the dirt and he had to stay near me so he wouldn't get dripped on. It wasn't the best sleeping night. Anyway... this morning - the rain was accompanied by distant thunder. I was a little nervous, but we hiked fast. The rain became more of a downpour and soon when we were out of the shelter of the trees, it started raining even HARDER!!! Then the wind picked up. We were SOAKED!We stopped into the fingerboard shelter. There were at least five people there just sitting, staring at the rain. Memento was there. We talked for a short while, ate some snacks, and moved back out into the rain. We were already wet, so it didn't matter much. I was feeling despair about our 19.6 mile goal for the day by 11:20 Am - when we had lunch. Heavyweight chose a place we would camp if we didn't make it.The terrain was reminiscent of New Hampshire. Bluck! The big issue was that the trail was poorly marked and most of it didn't appear to be maintained. It was not fun. Then we got to the lemon squeezer. That was interesting. We had to take our packs off to get through. It took some time. I doubted we'd make it to the shelter even more. There are moments almost every day when I want to go home. Today was no exception. I was crying uncontrollably while climbing some rocks. I wanted to be dry, to sit, to watch television, to be with the cats, etc. Anywhere but using up all of my strength to get me up a hill just so I could go down the other side.Things got extremely rocky and at some point Heavyweight twisted his ankle. He was limping and going pretty slowly. He took some ibuprofen and I had him put my ankle support on. We kept on going after that. Poor guy.We made it to Fitzgerald Falls by 6:00 PM. That meant 2 more miles to the shelter. Even with the climb we made it by 6:50. The last 30 minutes of the hike were peaceful and gorgeous: why I am not home.
Date: 2012-09-07
From: Greenwood Lake, NY

To: Wawayanda Shelter
Miles today: 10.0
Weather: clear sky

See ya later, New York. Gah! My least favorite state of the AT to date. That being said, I fell pretty badly today in New Jersey. Alas. I went all the way down. I tripped in NY earlier and scraped my elbow on a rock. Boo!It was a HOT day for hiking. Luckily we only had 10 miles. Yesterday we neroed in Greenwood Lake, NY and stayed in Room 9 at Anton's on the Lake. They let us do laundry!! Showers + TV = good. We saw Peanut & Pizzity Paige at Murphy's. They had picked up Heavyweight's pack cover which he had lost in the torrential downpour the day before. How awesome! We sat with them until they had to leave. I was sorry to see them go. They felt like friends. Hopefully we'll see Peanut again. She is going to NYC for a day or two. Pizzity Paige is going home tomorrow. After that we resupplied at the grocery store, uploaded pictures to facebook at the library, and planned to go to the carnival. I was excited... until we got there. Three rides, one game, and one food booth. They also had a rock climbing wall and bouncy house, but they were closed. ------> LAME! <-----We went back to our room and watched TV instead. We also stayed up talking till about midnight and woke around 6:30. Bad decisions.We got free breakfast of muffins, yogurt, OJ, cereal... but no milk. It was good for me. We watched Spongebob while we ate. Around 11:00 AM I asked the guy to give us a ride back to the trail. About an hour later we were. It was good to be back in the woods. Despite the horrid rocks and the heat I felt better than sitting around in town - though I really needed the day off. I felt lazy and non-productive. Usually I enjoy that feeling for a change. Maybe I am changing. Who can say? I certainly love the woods, but I even more certainly love being able to go home at the end of the day. I hope that doesn't change.
Date: 2012-09-08
From: Wawayanda Shelter

To: Pochuck Shelter
Miles today: 11.5

We hiked 11.5 miles to the next shelter today. It wasn't difficult except for one small rocky section. We stopped early because there were/are severe thunderstorm warnings and a tornado warning. We got to the shelter around 2 and the first storm came around 4:30. We are waiting for the second which may not come until 9. I'll be asleep. It is 7 right now and getting darker.I don't know if it is from another storm or because the sun is setting sooner. Pretty sure the sun still sets around 7:30... an hour earlier than when we first set out in Juen. It is amazing how much more that sort of thing matters now. At least out here. The storm has brought a cold front. It is in the mid 60s now. Last night at this time it was over 80 F. Crazy. Some leaves have turned yellow and the forest floor is brightening as the days pass. Unfortunately, the leaves also hide rocks and roots. I don't have much else to write, I guess. Apparently there are mice that can get into the bear box here. I guess we will hang our food...I added a video of the first storm to the TrailJournals site. I assume you can find it. If not, here is the URL to the YouTube video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gbvg6-0Zw_8
Date: 2012-09-09
From: Pochuck Shelter

To: Rutherford Shelter
Miles today: 17.0
Weather: broken clouds

Last night around 8:30, a guy arrived at the shelter. This is pretty rare as it gets dark at 7:30 now. We were just about to go to sleep when he got there. Nice guy - works for the army - Adrian Dawson. He didn't stop talking which was interesting - as in what he was saying was interesting. It was mostly about life in the army and his time in Alaska. He was out for a three day hike. We hung out at the shelter this morning with him until almost 9 AM! I managed to leave a pile of hair behind that I meant to spread out (gross!) my hair clip (d'oh!), and sunglasses. I realized the sunglasses when I went to put them on in Unionville, NY where we stopped for lunch. What. An. Idiot! I feel pretty about about the hair, though. No one wants to find that.Today's hike was mostly lovely. We checked out an abandoned house, walked the perimeter of a wildlife sanctuary and made it to Unionville before lunch. We re-supplied at Horler's General Store. This guy, Butch, came over and gave us a fuel canister for our stove - for FREE! Someone left it with him and he was hanging on to it until someone needed it. YAY! He told us the trail used to go right through town when he was a kid and that we should "retro-hike". We had pizza at Annabelle's. After we ate too much, during our retro-hike I had diarrhea. AGAIN! WTH? My day wasn't as pleasant after lunch. We got to the High Point shelter a little after 4 PM and Heavyweight wanted to continue. High Point State Park has swimming and the office gives you a free soda! Well, we were one week late for swimming, and over an hour too late for the soda. BOO!We hiked on over crappy rocks. I am glad to announce that I'm developing a new blister. Grrrrrr. We did see a beautiful rainbow on our way to the Rutherford Shelter. When we first got here I commented on how low to the ground the floor is. Soon after that, a frog hopped into the shelter! HAHAHA. Low indeed.We set up the tent to keep the mosquitoes away. It is inside the shelter, though. It is getting quite chilly. My nose is getting cold. Last night I woke up because I was too cold and put on my fleece over my wool. Then I was toasty. Hopefully I will be tonight as well. It is in the low 60s. I'll just cozy up to Heavyweight if I'm too cold. Time for Abe Lincoln...
Date: 2012-09-10
From: Rutherford Shelter

To: Brink Shelter
Miles today: 15.0
Weather: broken clouds

Well, it was COLD this morning. The thermometer in the shelter read 56F, but I sure thought it felt colder than that. Steven's parents said it was 45F or something. My sleeping bag is rated to 55F, I was in my cocoon, had on long johns, fleece, socks, and hat and I was barely warm enough. GAH! I am getting my warm bag in two days at Delaware Water Gap, PA. Heavyweight's parents are coming to meet us and take us to dinner. I hiked most of today in long sleeves! It was windy and pretty chilly. The sun was gloriously warm, though.The rocks today were uncomfortable. My feet are tingly and throbbing from walking on them. OH NO! The mosquitoes have made an appearance!! It is dark now and I don't want to set up the tent. Oh well.I twisted my left ankle four times today and my right one once. Suck Ass! I'm getting pretty annoyed at that - since it doesn't feel good and all. My spoooooooooon broke this morning. I have repaired her with duct tape. Heavyweight thought I should put together a photo montage dedicated to my spoon and set it to some sappy love song. I had fun imagining that and all the stupid pictures we could have taken with the spoon. The steak house we were planning on going to? Closed. NOOO! I was pretty sad about that. Was SO looking forward to steak. I think I just heard a coyote.
Date: 2012-09-11
From: Brink Shelter

To: Mohican Outdoor Center
Miles today: 14.0
Weather: overcast clouds

I forgot to write about my newt friend in the morning at the Rutherford Shelter. Well, I don't know how much it liked me, but I named it Eftie Trinkett. Awwww Eftie! I miss her <3Today was an okay hike. Very chilly this morning! I'd say it was in the 40s, but I could be wrong. Brr! We had some nice views and flat stretches. YAY for flat! There were still a lot of rocks, though. Happily my feet don't hurt like they did yesterday.Today I wondered how many eastern gray squirrels it would take to make a guy the size of Heavyweight. I call it Optimus Squirrel. I laughed really hard at my own imagination. I constructed a human shaped entity comprised of squirrels. I guessed 36 squirrels would do it. Heavyweight guessed 213. Now that we know they weigh 1.5 lbs maximum, he says 90+ squirrels. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAI called Grandma twice today. Tomorrow Heavyweight's parents are bringing stuff for us from my house, so we had to coordinate. Grandma couldn't find the ONE pair of underpants I wanted. She went through my entire stash of underwear. It was humorous and embarrassing. I don't know where that one pair went. Oh well.We are at the Mohican Outdoor Center just north of Delaware Water Gap, PA. We're in NJ, though. Tomorrow we hit PA and start to get the damn rocks over with. I've been dreading them for months now and have been hearing about them for over a year. Finally the horror will be over.I was on the lookout for sunning snakes today. I gave up and all of a sudden, there was a scary rattle by Steven!! We both froze and I got that tingly sensation of my hair standing up on end when you're really scared. We both froze instantaneously. The rattle stopped. That didn't make sense to me. I moved a bush with my trekking pole. It rattled! Nope not a snake. It was the bush. I guess the seeds are all dried up in the pods and they are kind of like maracas. It sure scared both of us, though. Oh, tonight we shared the BEST roast beef sandwich I've ever had (at the Mohican Outdoor Center). Multi-grain bread, roast beef (a lot), double stacked tomatoes, lettuce, swiss cheese, pickles, may, mustard, salt and pepper, and onions. So good. We also got Swedish Fish. Then we both had Ramen Noodles at the campsite. I'm not very thirsty, but I don't want to drink anymore or I'll be up all night peeing. I already had the broth and tea. Dilemmas...
Date: 2012-09-12
From: Mohican Outdoor Center

To: Presbyterian Church of the Mountain
Miles today: 10.8
Weather: clear sky

Today we hiked about 11 miles into Delaware Water Gap, PA. Yeah! Seven states down, seven to go... though we're not at the halfway point yet. We are past the 40% point, though. Heavyweight's parents came and took us out to dinner in Stroudsburg. I had spinach salad with steak, a Philadelphia roll, pinot noir, and I split a molten chocolate cake with Roy.We are slacking 16 miles tomorrow to Wind Gap. I hope the rocks aren't too awful. Lights out here at the Presbyterian Church of the Mountain.
Date: 2012-09-13
From: Presbyterian Church of the Mountain

To: Beer Stein
Miles today: 15.5

Today was our first official day of Pennsylvania. We were slacked - thank God! Sixteen miles over THE ROCKS with no packs was good. Actually, the first 9 miles weren't that bad. The rocks everywhere get annoying after a while, though. My feet hurt, but not as bad as they did after some days in New Jersey.We finished by 3:30 (!) and Roy & Janet brought us to the Beer Stein in Wind Gap. We set up a tent in the fenced in area behind the bar. At 9 AM the door opens and we can make our own breakfast.This afternoon we took a trip to KMart where I got synthetic underpants to wear with my longer pants. They are kinda sexy, but simple. Perfect! Hopefully, they'll be comfy when hiking.We have too much food. Again. We shopped when we were hungry. Dumb! We also went into McDonalds for dinner (sigh) and then our hosting bar for drinks. Happily "Wipeout" was on television (the US version of Most Extreme Elimination Challenge). It was totally entertaining with no sound.
Date: 2012-09-14
From: Beer Stein

To: stealth site
Miles today: 16.1

Today has been a difficult day for us, but it started out ... well... there were some good parts of today.We woke up to the tent dripping on us. Not from rain. From condensation! Now that we have our down bags again, we cannot get them wet! I got dressed and up and tried to dry it off as best I could. The grass was wet and cold, so by the time I was done my feet were frozen. I couldn't go back to sleep so I read my Kindle. We still had three hours until the guy at the Beer Stein opened the door for breakfast, but we waited. We were allowed in the kitchen and to cook any food they had there! Heavyweight had bacon with an omelet and I had scrambled eggs. We shared an avocado and both had peppers, onions, and cheese with our eggs. I also took two stale pieces of bread and fried them a bit. It was good to have eggs and veggies for breakfast. The only issue with that is we didn't leave the Beer Stein until 10:15. GAH!As we walked the 0.8 miles to the trail, I was feeling very discouraged. Then a woman pulled over and offered us a ride. SCORE! Her son is currently hiking the trail, so she is now aware of hikers. That was great because the rest of the way to the trail was uphill.Our packs are insanely heavy. We both got warm gear, got a resupply, and then went shopping for more food on top of that. Also, we have full water which is VERY heavy. I carry 2 liters of water and Heavyweight carries 4.We hiked the first five miles in about 2 hours. Maybe 2.5 we're not really sure. We were feeling the weight and didn't know how much farther we'd be able to go. Certainly not the additional 11 or so miles to the campsite beyond Little Gap. Yet, here I sit at Little Gap Rd. waiting for Heavyweight to come back with our water refill.We are both in some (aka a lot) of pain from hiking on the rocks. They stick up every which way from the ground with no rhyme or reason. There are virtually no views and water is scarce. The worst part about the water is that if people leave jugs of water for hikers, the authorities come and take them away!! They do this daily. That is the least friendly thing to do for hikers when it is mid summer and the air is dry (or humid). It is a good way to cause dehydration. I understand there may be a mess by the coolers, though. This must have been a problem area for that. Otherwise, I cannot understand why leaving trail magic would be prohibited. Anyway, the sun is setting and we still have 0.4 miles to hike and Heavyweight isn't back yet. Poor guy. His feet are killing him. I'm getting cold. I'm sure we'll both be taking Vitamin I (ibuprofen) tonight. PA = PAin. *side notes*Wish we could watch Wipeout again tonight. It was good to laugh.PA made me cry a lot today because of foot pain.Maybe I have PMS.
Date: 2012-09-15
From: stealth site

To: Bake Oven Knob Shelter
Miles today: 12.0
Weather: broken clouds

Today was an excellent day. We hiked 12 miles from our stealth site [we found in the dark because we couldn't find the unmarked trail that AWOL mentioned in his book] to the Bake Oven Knob Shelter.We started a bit late since we didn't get to bed until 10 PM at the earliest. Heavyweight dried off the tent from the rain. The first thing we reached was a double power line with an enormous boulder pile nearby. It was impressive. We obviously had to climb it. Then we took the old AT through the superfund site. It was sparse, but some life seems to remain/be regrowing. Then came Lehigh Gap. I call it "crap gap". It was a treacherous boulder climb and descent. I don't think we've done anything like that since New Hampshire. It was something different, and I didn't really mind. It did take about an hour, though.We had lunch at the Leroy something or other shelter where we met a young couple from Philadelphia and their dog. There was also a shelter maintainer who offered to take our trash! That was very nice of him. After that we had a realatively easy 6 (?) miles to here by 5:00 PM.A remarkable thing that happened is that a glider flew directly over us! It was very low and quiet. It took us by surprise, but I thought it was awesome.A bunny nibbled on grass here while we ate our dinner. It was very cute. What is not cute is the trash at this shelter. We are(or I am) concerned that people will show up later to party. I hope no one does. This is a party shelter for the locals on the weekend, I guess. Getting chilly...
Date: 2012-09-16
From: Bake Oven Knob Shelter

To: Eckville Shelter
Miles today: 17.4
Weather: overcast clouds

Happy birthday to me! Today started out amazingly. A bird (when I was the only one awake) flew over to a nearby tree and chirped "Happy Birthday" to me! I SWEAR!! It wasn't totally perfect, but it was close enough - and it was a bird. I felt like a fairy tale princess or something. It was just for me. Then I saw the bunny from the night before, but only briefly. Our hike was pretty tough this morning. We went over Bake Oven Knob, then took a "break" and climbed up Bear Rocks with no packs, and then the Knife Edge. The first four miles took an hour longer than I had anticipated. We stopped for water and lunch at the Blue Mountain Summit B&B. We left our packs there for Roy and Janet to pick up. We slacked the next 11.4 ish? miles. The first four were delightful! The rest... not so much, but I am so grateful that we did it with no packs.I found a beautiful black and white feather today. I'm not sure what it is from, but I would guess either a magpie or a pileated woodpecker. Speaking of which, I saw one this morning!The weather today was absolutely perfect!Roy and Janet were waiting for us at the trailhead near the Eckville Shelter. We then went to Walmart, Cabela's and ate at Red Robin. Steven had no less than FOUR root beer floats!!! I guess he needs the calories and fat. He was getting pretty cold, though. hahahaIt is chilly now. I'm ever so grateful to have my warm sleeping bag. No matter how cool the nights have been the bag has been toasty warm. It is now 10:00 PM. WAY past hiker bedtime, but I'm going to read for a bit too. Abe Lincoln, Vampire Hunter is a fun/ny read.