morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2014-06-19
From: Delaware Water Gap

To: stealth camp
Miles today: 17.0
Weather: clear sky

Who new New Jersey was so nice! Hiked out of town after a great breakfast about 9 am and soon crossed into NJ!! PA done!!!!Hiked with Murphy and Joe Hawk again. Fun people to hike with and we seem to hike about the same pace even though they do push me a bit! After 300 miles I'm starting to get my trail legs! They have there's!! Ha! Beautiful water falls and ridge vistas all day! Absolutely gorgeous terrain all day. 11 miles in we stopped for lunch at the AMC Lodge and had a great lunch! I had a bowl of some really good chili and a Reuben sandwich with fresh cole slaw! Unbelievable!! we took a 2.5 hour break and I even got a nap!! The staff were very friendly and accommodating. Probably the best rest stop and service yet! We had to pry ourselves off the couches and hike on! It was funny how we each found a way to procrastinate our departure. But we did and then hiked another 6 miles or so to a stealth camp site. Some of the people saw 4 bears ( I didn't), saw one small rattle snake. I also walked by a beautiful lake called Sunfish Lake! The trail followed a ridge with great views all day! Sent a video to my grandson Eli. I'll do better on the next one. Miss all my family but having the time if my life. Physically I feel good with some minor foot blisters and the always painful Achilles!! I will endure!50/50 Out
Date: 2014-06-20
From: stealth camp

To: Stealth Camp
Miles today: 24.0
Weather: few clouds

Left stealth camp near view at 1330 miles! 24 miles! Wow! My biggest mileage day yet! We hiked a full 12 hours and made camp at a really nice rock view area. The problem was, as soon as we sat down we were covered in ticks!! Those pesky critters that give you Lyme disease!! So we quickly jumped in our tents for cover! Haven't had the energy or brain power to journal at end of day due to long hiking days. The entry is 3 days behind so my memory may be off a little. All these long hiking days to get to Greenwood and finish NJ to watch the soccer World Cup! It's been fun pushing hard but once I'm done with NJ I'll need to slow down and back off the miles to preserve my feet and Achilles! 50/50 Out!
Date: 2014-06-21
From: Stealth Camp

To: Near HW 517
Miles today: 20.0

Stealth camp to stealthy camp near 1350. Highway 517. Shower and lunch at High Point State Park. Tough ups but some good dirt and grass trail! Jo Hawk and Murphy and I laugh because we have been driven by food so much! We literally hike each day with the plan of restaurant, snack bar etc.. Food! Today we hiked a mere 3.5 miles to get to Park for free showers and concessions food! How do you spend almost 30 dollars on concession food? Well I'm glad you asked; 2 empanadas, 2 cokes, one slice of pizza, I ice cream eclair bar, candy, and I'm sure more!! All in one sitting! I did bag up the empanadas for late night snack!!We decided we hike better if we just have a food location goal! Jo Hawk said it best; a Thru-hiker may hike an extra mile for a great view, or may walk an extra mile for a great waterfall, perhaps, but will walk an extra 2 miles for food! Certain!! That was paraphrased, she said it much better! It has been really hard hiking NJ but beautiful! Some trail facts:NJ has the highest concentration of bears per square mile than any other state!PA and NJ have a lot of Rattle Snakes and ticks!PA really can tear up a pair of shoes all by itself!!Nero's- are supposed to be low mileage days that you stay in town and sleep in a bed! Hike in, rest, do laundry, shower, eat, and sleep! The problem is in the mileage? Is it really a Nero when you do over 10 miles? There is great debate on this subject!! Hikers have a lot of time to talk and ponder such questions!! Ha!Zero- is definitely a full day off from walking! The body just needs rest!! We all love zeros but hate not getting miles for a whole day!! This is a huge mental battle! Do I or don't I??Good night Awesome Wife!50/50 Out!
Date: 2014-06-22
From: Near HW 517

To: Antons on the Lake
Miles today: 20.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Left stealth camp and headed to New York! Yes, NY!! Another state down. Number 8! we were excited to get to Greenwood to watch the World Cup. It was amazing to think a dozen or more thru-hikers set a goal to get through NJ in 4 days and do big miles to get to a soccer game! It was a challenge but we did it! To bad we only ended up tying the game against Portugal. Two of the guys hiked over 40 miles in one day to get here! Crazy miles!Jo Hawk and Murphy and I hiked the whole week together. What an enjoyable time I had with them. Talk about strong hikers! Much stronger than me at this time, but I am starting to get my trail legs after 300 plus miles. They really pushed me and were just the perfect friends to hike with in the this phase of my hike. Thank you, Jo Hawk and Murphy! Jo Hawk who is one disciplined hiker, and Murphy who has the best laugh even during the most grueling mountain climbs. She doesn't even breath hard!!! What's that about? Ha! Past the highest point in NY and the High Point Monument! Very cool! The NJ trail was beautiful but difficult at times. A great state after what PA offered! Just about wore out a pair of shoes just in PA! Literally! Murphy's Pub was fun watching the match with a big bubble of hikers! US almost one but ended up giving a goal back with like 15 seconds left for a tie. At least with live for another day! Should be fun with a march against Germany, as several hikers are German!! It should be lively!Thank you Lord for protecting me! Thanks everyone, Judi, Jerry, Fidget and Dot Com, family and friends for all your prayers! Keep them coming! I try to respond to emails but sometimes, time and cell service is a little tough! But, thank you!!50/50 Out
Date: 2014-06-23
From: Antons on the Lake

To: Same
Miles today: 50.0
Weather: few clouds

The pain will bind us!! Jo Hawk, Mombo and Murphy headed out today! I'll catch them Thursday for World Cup in Peekskill, NY! I'm taking my first real zero! Resting my feet and Achilles' tendon! Got new flip flops at CVS and am so excited to have comfortable camp shoes! The crocs just didn't work with my blisters! This way at least when I'm hanging around camp my flips won't rub on blisters.Plan to head out about 7 am and knock out 15 or so. Re supplied, ate breakfast and bought a sub for dinner so I don't have to walk anymore today! It's a day of rest!!!!Mombo showed me his AT app and so I had to get it! Really cool, shows elevations, water sources, camps, towns etc.. With GPS maybe I won't get lost as easy! Ha! Thanks Mombo!A mere 38 miles to Peekskill and 3 days to get there! Should be good! One week and I should be through NY. Unbelievable how fast the states are going now. Having a great time and seeing all the great views The Lord made! Please continue to pray for my continued safety and Achilles! Anton's on the Lake was a great choice for rest and food! Onward!50/50 Out!Mileage correction to just get the mileage adjusted. No I didn't hike 50 miles today! Ha!
Date: 2014-06-24
From: Same

To: Stealth right before WM Brien Shelter
Miles today: 20.0
Weather: moderate rain

Left Anton's about 7:30 and got on trail! The trail was fabulous with huge climbs and really steep downs! Very tough but for some reason I felt strong all day! Ah! Trail Legs kicked in after taking a full day of rest! Might have to do that again!!The woods have changed from scrub pines to hardwoods, very pretty! Saw a great waterfall today! After that the water sources got real sketchy. Fortunately, trail magic to the rescue! Twice Trail Angels left gallon jugs of water at really critical spots on the trail! Thanks Hikerman! I had planned on hiking 15 miles but got motivated and hiked 20 in very difficult terrain! Also, as I was getting critically short of water again, I ran into some more Trail Magic at the Toriata Park! Patty Oh, a 2005 Thru-Hiker, was at park cooking hot dogs, drinks, and chocolate twinkees! Awesome! Just what I needed. At last shelter I met up with Marshal Art, and he said he wanted to do some more miles also! I was shooting for WM Brien Shelter where Jo Hawk, Murphy, and Mombo were! I almost caught them! They had left yesterday and had a 4 mile head start! Oh well, I'll meet up with them sometime tomorrow! Were all staying at the Monks Monastery field where they have tent sites, showers and bath rooms! Then onto the Stadium Grill Thursday to the USA in the World Cup and eat pizza!! Oh, also squeezed through the infamous Lemon Squeeze! A really tight set of boulders that are difficult to carry a pAck through! Very fun!
Date: 2014-06-26
From: Graymoor Spiritual Center

To: Dennytown Road
Miles today: 8.0
Weather: light rain

What a fun day! We all slept in until at least 6 am and lounged around all morning waiting for the Restaurant to open at 11:30 for lunch and the Soccer Match!! We had a huge crowd and we had a great time! It's funny how we all have pushed pretty big miles the last 10 days or so to get to a place where we can watch the match! First we hiked all the way through NJ in 4 days for one of the USA matches, and then we hiked a few days in NY to watch today's match! Ha! Even though we lost 1-0 to those pesky Germans, were still alive! Next game is Tuesday! Let the strategy begin! It's really funny how everyone is planning there hike around the World Cup! I didn't even understand soccer until now! I'm really getting into it!! Garmeal and Pyro are our hiking German buddies, so this match was fun! They are really good sports and fun to be around. When they scored it was so funny watching them with a room full of Americans trying to cheer very subdued! Ha!!After much food, we all grudgingly hiked out 8 miles until about 7 pm to a nice grassy area with spigot water! There are about 8 tents set up by a country road. Could be a little noisy tonight. Ah, ear plugs!The plan is to hike in morning to a park for swimming and concession food! I know, again the food thing! Sorry, but it always seems to be a prime motivator!!A really cool thing happened. I got a e-mail from someone who has been reading my journal and lives in the area I'm hiking. He offered to pick me up and feed me dinner, laundry, shower and a comfortable bed! Trail Angels! Total strangers offering random kindness! The kindness of total strangers on the trail is an experience I'll never forget! I wish this happened off trail in daily life more! I'm sure there is a great faith message here! Thru- hikers are some of the most appreciative people I've ever met. They come from all walks of life, but have the love of the Appalachian Trail and hiking, that binds us all!!I'm loving the experience as much this year as last and really feel I'm getting my stride! Now if my little toe would heal! It looks like macerated hamburger! How can one small appendage hurt so much!! I'd like to cut it off! Just kidding but I do need this problem to cease! SOON! Please, all prayers are appreciated! 50/50 Out
Date: 2014-06-27
From: Dennytown Road

To: NY 52
Miles today: 17.0

Thank you Trail Angel Mike and his wife Pat for your timely hospitality! Mark had read my Trail Journal and saw I was having issues with Toe and feet and offered to pick me up from trail and take me to his home for a shower,food, and bed! I can't thank you and Pat enough! Pat even did our nasty laundry! God Bless them!!I asked if he could handle taking in my hiking partners, Mombo , Jo Hawk and Murphy also ! He said absolutely! Very generous! We had an enjoyable evening talking and just relaxing. Back at it early tomorrow where Mark will return us to trail about 6:30.What a crazy night last night camping in a field near Dennytown Road! About midnight 30-40 cars pulled up next to the tenting area and made an obnoxious noise and basically raised cane for a few hours. It was a group of High Schoolers who just graduated and they had no consideration for any of us thru-hikers! We got about 2 hours of sleep! Jo Hawk finally got fed up and called the Sheriff who showed up and cleared them out! Parents, do you know where your kids are??Hiked 6 miles to Fahenstock State Park where we got a hot shower, had lunch and moved on! We ended up hiking 17 miles of tough terrain before Mark picked us up ! Resting, clean for a day , and it all begins tomorrow! Heading to Kent, CT Sunday where Awesome Wife booked me a 2 day stay in a King Bed Room! Your really are Awesome! I'm so looking forward to a good rest and hopefully healing this toe!! I can't wait until I don't have to talk about feet! Will that really happen? Ha! Saw a cool rock painting of the American Flag honoring the 911 disaster victims! Very humbling!50/50 Out!!
Date: 2014-06-28
From: NY 52

To: Kent
Miles today: 10.0

Well, way laid by a little toe!! Hiked out from Trail Angel Mark and Pats house with Murphy, Jo Hawk and Mombo! We started hiking at 6:30 and made it about 8 miles before we found Trail Magic!! Very good! Started hiking again after a break and got about 2 miles before toe started really acting up! Took shoe off to check it out and it was UGLY! Very swollen and the swelling covered my tie nail! TMI! Well it is what it is!! Pretty nasty infection even though I've been very diligent on trail about cleaning, treating and dressing it. You can only do so much in field with a lot of dirt and constant pounding. Decided the prudent thing was to get to a clinic and get some antibiotics and hoped to get them to remove nail. They wouldn't do it with the infection and swelling nomatter how much I tried to convince them. They wanted to send me to a podiatrist Monday! Not going to work with my hiking schedule! I'm trying to get to Kathadin dang it!! Thanks Mark for picking me up and taking your afternoon to get me some medical help. Once we were done we went to the Pasta Barn for pizza! Long story short, Awesome rearranged my town stay in Kent to start tonight. So, I will soak it, treat it, and take meds, and pray for a 2 day recovery!! Although she said, just take a few more days and rest! Did I say she was Awesome!! So here I am, resting, and watching this thing that looks a lot like a TV! Ha!I'm going to try to do a couple of days of low mileage slack packing. This should at least let me get some miles without the weight of a full pack on the feet! Nothing else to report! 50/50 Out!
Date: 2014-06-29
From: Kent

To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

The Appalachian Trail is a real marvel but I've come to know that it is really about the people you meet. You take a bunch of people who come from different backgrounds, different parts of the country, and different career and life experiences, throw them together in an epic struggle, and at the end of the day, it's just human nature at its best!! We all pull and feel for each other, and genuinely care how everyone is doing. We all struggle with emotions, pain, and even sometimes trail boredom! But, we hike on!! The trail has restored my faith in the goodness of people when you take them out of there busy, daily lives! Random acts of kindness, with no expectations, except a grateful heart! I love it! Without getting to syrupy, it's just refreshing! We all say, hike your own hike, (HYOH), but then kiddingly (most of the time), raz each other if you skip a blaze, or in my case, hike for two years which is considered a long 2 section hike. I call it a thru- hike with some alterations!! 50/50! Half last year, half this year! I pray!! Or as I've come to be called, retro-blazing!! I don't really care what you call it! I've had to miss a total of about 64 miles because of a pack problem and feet problems to date! You add the extra miles I've done getting lost to date about 40 total from last year till now, and I've missed about 24 miles of trail! Ok, may sound like excuses, but I'm still proud of my hike! HYOH!My dream and goal was to hike the AT. If missing a very few miles helps me succeed, I'm emotionally good with that. I feel so fortunate to have a wife, family, and friends who pray and support me! Even my hiking buddies are rooting for me! How much more could I ask for! I'm blessed and highly favored! I say this very humbly and with much gratitude.I wish brother Mike and Rick could join me for a few days and experience the AT! Maybe?? Come on Brothers! Mombo and Murphy came into town awhile ago and we plan on pizza for dinner. Jo Hawk is on trail back from NY city and hiking this way with her friend Jenna. 50/50 Out!!
Date: 2014-07-01
From: Kent

To: Cornwall
Miles today: 12.0
Weather: broken clouds

Left Kent and hiked 12 miles or so to Cornwall. Tough day with heat and humidity! Soaked! Disappointed Toe didn't respond as well as I thought it would with meds for 4th day! Very painful hiking! May have to regroup and think about several days of low mileage. Not sure what else to do. Don't have much more to say! 50/50 Out!
Date: 2014-07-02
From: Cornwall

To: Bearded Woods Histel
Miles today: 16.0
Weather: broken clouds

Left Cornwall early and headed to the Bearded Woods Hostel! Hot humid day with some big ups and then relatively nice pine and leaf covered trail. Passed through a cracked boulder similar to the Lemon Squeeze but not near as tough or impressive, but nice. Did have a couple of really nice overlooks, one of which was called the hand glider! I don't know what was going on today. Seemed like a time-warp! Every mile seemed like 3! Maybe with all the humidity and high temps, I just wanted the day to end! CT, let me go! I think if I hadn't had the foot problem I might of enjoyed it more! The antibiotics are tough on the gut! I feel I'm slowly getting better, but reducing the miles should really help. The Bearded Woods Hostel is awesome and I'm really glad I stopped! Hudson and Big Lu his wife are really great! Hudson is a thru-hiker who will finish his hike after the hiker bubble is done in September. Hudson is a really strong hiker who I followed on TJ's before I left this year! He hikes crazy miles!! They have operated there Hostel out of there house for 3 years! We lack for nothing! Thanks guys!!
Date: 2014-07-03
From: Bearded Woods Histel

To: View Entry
Miles today: 13.0

What a great day at Bearded Wood Hostel with Mombo, Murphy and Jo Hawk. We had a fantastic Italian dinner with pie and ice cream for desert last night! Hudson and Big Lu are terrific host and leave no need unattended! By far the best, cleanest and most relaxing hostel to date!! They really know the hiker needs and exceed expectations!We all slack packed 13 miles today in some very hot and humid weather! I was soaked from the 1st mile to last! I wouldn't be surprised if I loss 5-10 lbs water weight!! The trail had a tough climb up to Bear Mtn and a really steep downhill requiring hand over hand climbing! It was fun! I met the coolest family of four (Kallin), who are thru- hiking the whole trail. The kids were in 2nd grade, Cartwheel the girl and Robin Hood the boy, in 4th. Cartwheel actually guided me down the steep down!! How humbling was that! She was so cute! Sir, you may not want to go where I go, it's tougher! Go that way! Lol! Thanks Cartwheel! What an impressive family! My toe is finally turning the corner and I'm feeling much better! Thanks for all the prayers!! Tomorrow's hike will be a tough one so I plan on a fairly low mileage day and then the following should be a little easier! We will see! We had a huge thunderstorm last night and even loss power at the Hostel! It was supposed to rain again today which was one of the reasons we decided to stay another night and slack pack to get some miles! We passed the 1500 mile mark today!! Which Murphy and Jo Hawk made out of M&M's! We also only have .1 tenth mile before we finish CT!! Yes!!!!!!Another great dinner and off to bed! Big thunder storms from the remnants of Hurricane so and so? Supposed to be lots of rain tomorrow, but we hike on! Talked to Awesome Wife and let her know I'm doing much better!! Onto MA!! 50/50 Out!
Date: 2014-07-04
To: Hemlock Shelter
Miles today: 7.0

What a crazy day! With a big weather front coming from the NW and the Hurricane from the Southeast, it made for some interesting hiking weather! They said the two fronts might converge! We discussed staying another night at Bearded Woods Hostel but we really wanted to hike! We knew it could be crazy and it was!! Hudson was shuttling us back to trail and as we got close, a tree had fallen across road and took the electrical lines with it! Couldn't drive any further so we hiked an extra mile to trail! Just in case we needed some more miles!! Ha!! Should have been a clue to shape of day! Onward! The trail was flooded all day! Literally walked through water all day and some areas clear up to our knees! Crazy, but beautiful and fun!! Passed several beautiful water falls and streams! Should have been great views but because of fog and clouds, NOT!!Fell towards end of day and broke my walking stick, and bent the other! Fell backwards into a flooded trail and soaked pack!! Knee got banged up a little but not bad! Wish i had a video of that!! Would of been funny! Looked like a turtle on back trying to get out of deep puddle! Made it to shelter with several other soaked hikers! Hoss, Marshall Arts, Mombo, Jo Hawk, Murphy, Colonel, and a few others! Crazy, dangerous, slippery day, but fun!! Will remember this day for sure! Tomorrow's plan, dry out!! 50/50 Out!!
Date: 2014-07-05
From: Hemlock Shelter

To: Tom Leonard Shelter Area
Miles today: 14.5
Weather: clear sky

Left Hemlock Shelter after a very loud snorer kept us awake all night! Did I say I really dislike shelters!! They do come in handy when the weather doesn't permit tenting, but I still try and avoid them!! Picture perfect day! Bluebird day with low humidity and cool breezes all day! The trail has changed to some long gradual climbs but very hiker friendly! I prefer these climbs to crazy ups and downs all day! The vistas at Mt. Bushnell and the Ledges were awesome. The really nice view was definitely, East Mountain! What a great view of MA!! We wanted to stay for sunset but needed to hike a couple more miles to tenting site at Tom Leonard Shelter area! I set up just a few feet from a huge ledge down, so I hope I don't sleep walk off the mountain! Ha! The highlight of day besides the great views and weather was Trail Magic mid-morning which consisted of orange drink, cookies and chips! Thanks Trail Angel! You just do t understand how good a soft drink is until you have been out here for awhile and drinking nothing but water!Oh, we also hiked an extra mile or so for a restaurant outside of South Ergomont, MA. Had a barbecue chicken sandwich and fries!! After cooking dinner I was run into tent by massive Mosquitos!! Such a shame because the view was beautiful! Clear night! So I'm sleeping without rain fly to hope and see some stars! I don't usually get to see the sky much because we're hiking in the "Green Tunnel" most of the time. So when you get to camp near a clearing it really is special! New Hampshire is supposed to be much more open and some of the best views on the whole Appalachian Trail! They say 80% of the effort is in the last 20% of the trail!! Feet don't fail me now! Oh and yes, my feet are doing much better! Thanks for prayers!!I'm really enjoying my hike and the group I'm hiking with. As you know, this has been a 35 year dream for me, and it hasn't disappointed!! It's been hard, real hard, physically and emotionally, but what an adventure! I feel so blessed to have had this opportunity! Thanks Awesome Wife and Family! So for now, good night!50/50 Out!!