morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2003-06-17
From: windsor furnace shelter

To: allentown shelter
Miles today: 16.0

once again...beautiful! well, until just about 10 minutes ago when it started raining. we got a updated forecast and it calls for rain tonight and tomorrow. but, we still had an awesome day. got to the highest point in pennsylvania, the pinnacle. just over 1600 feet i believe. a nice climb i would say. enough to get me breathin a little heavier than normal. nice to get a little exercise every now and then. haha. it was a beautiful spot. the view was great. i dont know what i saw but it was cool. after lunch we got to the eckerville (???) shelter and man...amazing! they had a shower, a flushing toilet, and a fridge full of different sodas including mountain dew, in a can too! my fav! so we took a nice break there and headed out back up to the ridge. this is where the killer climb was. we managed to all average about 3 mph goin up it, which considering how steep it was is pretty impressive i think. but it was a butt kicker. anyways...thats also when the really bad rocks started! . we must have climbed over 5 miles of nothin but sharkfin rocks. they stick up about 10 inches and are impossible to get around. you have to just try to navigate through them. they are definitely ankle busters. but, we finally made it here to the shelter where once again it was full. we kinda figured it would be so we planned on camping anyways. not a problem except there is no place to put our tents! every supposed campsite is filled with rocks and theyre not even flat. so, we are havin to make due with what we got. we ended up diggin some rocks out of the ground so they wouldnt rip the tent and poke us in the back. after all that we built a fire and tried to get settled in. after dinner it did turn out to be relaxing. nice cup of hot chocolate next to the fire. very nice. then it started rainin so we are now in the tents. and its kinda good that its raining a little bit so we can test out our new tarp and see if it works. its doin great so far so we will see. im sure ill be tellin all about it if i wake up and im wet! hopin for dryness!
Date: 2003-06-18
From: allentown shelter

To: lehigh gap
Miles today: 17.4

haha...rain, rain, rain. it strikes again. and we are wet. and muddy. something weird happened. the water was dripping off the tarp and causing a splash of mud to come inside tent, on our sleeping bags and well, the rest of our gear. so...after careful consideration and the forecast of rain for the next two days, we decided to push for a town with a laundromat so we could clean and dry our stuff. well, the girls didnt have the problem so they didnt need to come in town. so, the 3 of us guys pushed on into slatington. we didnt stop but for lunch. and the rocks, well they were killer! weve not seen em this bad yet. and its really ridiculous cause the trail shouldnt ever go over the rocks the way they did. there was obviously another possible route around the rocks, but no...its the a.t. and it always takes the roughest, toughest route! anyways...after all the pain, we did make it to the road and we got picked up by the hotel shuttle. and now im sittin in the laundromat tryin to get all this stuff clean. the shower that awaits me at the hotel will be wonderful i can safely assume. and it will be nice to put on clean clothes. and of course we are gonna get some food! ive been thinkin about pizza all day so, it think we are gonna head over to the pizza shop after we clean up. lookin forward to that. and to callin my mom! that will be nice as well. anyways...hopefully things will work out with the tarp tomorrow. i have an idea of how to fix the problem. we just have to try it out.
Date: 2003-06-19
From: lehigh gap

To: leroy smith shelter
Miles today: 16.0
Weather: light rain

well it sure was nice in town there. all except the hotel room we got. it was the only hotel in town and the only room we could afford, but dang!!! the place was a hole in the somethin. we wouldve been more comfortable in the shelter on the trail. anyways...it was bad. but we got some really good pizza! and a lot of it too. actually enough to have lunch today. we didnt sleep much cause it was so dang hot in the room, but i did manage to get up at 6 and take a shower and get goin early. i guess i just wanted to get out of there asap. we got shuttled back to the trail around 8:30. the climb out of the gap was probably the most beastly climb weve had. but a lot of fun. we got to rock climb. and got some great pics of it too. but it was hard. we went through this place where theres no growth due to a chemical spill a few years back, where nothing grows. kinda cool. we were on top of the ridge but there werent any trees. definitely different. it made the morning more enjoyable at least. we caught up with the girls for lunch on top of this horrible, rocky summit. too many rocks!!! and we booked it from there to here. we have a really good campsite and we had a really nice fire goin earlier, until it started raining. thats why we booked it here, cause of the rain. but we have a better set up with the tarp tonight. its pretty much guaranteed to keep us dry. but well see. i said that last time and we got wet. but we are gonna be in delaware water gap tomorrow night, so if we do get wet we can get dry. anyways, gotta rest for our 20+ miler tomorrow, and the supposed worst section of rocks yet.
Date: 2003-06-20
From: leroy smith shelter

To: delaware water gap
Miles today: 20.5
Weather: moderate rain

the long awaited 20 mile day. weve been planning this one for a couple weeks. and dang, we had to pick some of the worst terrain to do it on. the rocks were insane today! i dont think my feet have hurt this bad. i couldve stopped earlier this morning and still been hurting, but no...i had to keep going and make it even worse. but...it is nice to be in town. it did rain all day. hard too! made hiking on the rocks very interesting. actually unpleasant. we made it though! and earlier than expected. and cires mom was here waiting for us to take us to the hotel. the hostel was completely full so we had to get a room. but its turned out really nice. they have an indoor pool so we all went for a swim. very nice! and relaxing. we also got some pizza. also very nice. now, just chillin, lettin the feet rest after a long day. good to be here!
Date: 2003-06-21
From: delaware water gap

To: mohican lodge-campsite
Miles today: 10.4

ahh...the first day of summer, and its 50 degrees! and raining! we did have a good morning. woke up and had breakfast at the hotel and just took our time getting packed up. we did rush to get some things done. 3 of us went to do laundry and the others went to the outfitter. to make it short, we hung out til about 2 and the girls hit the trail. us guys went to the outfitter and oopu got new shoes. then we hit the trail. it was about 4:30. we decided, well...i decided against it, but was outvoted, to hike 10 miles to here. the bad thing was that it was already late and its pouring down rain! the hike wasnt bad. actually it would be awesome if it werent raining. but we soon found out that the girls got split up and slickrock is missing. somehow we caught up to speck and slickrock should have been behind her, but we didnt see her, so we assumed that she got off the trail somehow, which was easy to do, and is lost. so for 3 hours we are freakin out. we couldnt stop cause it was getting dark and still raining, and still 50 degrees. we finally get here around 9. by the way, all this time im hating the trail. i hate how in situations like these - bad weather, and not hiking together - the trail can be so discouraging. but we got here and start looking for a campsite. kinda hard when its completely dark, and raining. the ones we found were all under water. nice! so we had to either keep hiking and find a site on the way or rent a bunk in one of the bunkhouses they have here. we chose the bunks. we manage to get in and settled by 10:30 and got a fire goin in the fireplAce and start to dry the boots and socks and shorts and shirts and everything else we have. things are surprisingly good right now. its been a long day and im tired. im goin to bed!
Date: 2003-06-22
From: mohican lodge-campsite

To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

haha...the being wet and hurting yesterday has caused us to stay another night in the bunk house of the mohican lodge. we had a very much needed discussion this morning about the dynamics of the group, all the wants that each of us have and what we all have to compromise. i have noticed a little extra tension in the group. i think that everyone has their idea of what the trip should be like and we are all afraid of speaking up. i would think that after almost 4 months out here wed have all that worked out. anyways...things are smooth, at least for now. today has been wonderful. i think most of us took a nap this afternoon, which will help with the crankiness i think. its just been a good time to relax and recoup. theres nothing here to tempt us to go do anything. we are forced to sit and rest. its very good. everything is just about dry and its supposed to be sunny for the next 3 days so, we are expecting to pick things up tomorrow and get back on a good foot.
Date: 2003-06-23
From: mohican lodge-campsite

To: gren-anderson shelter
Miles today: 21.0
Weather: clear sky

finally, the sun is out again! and its warm. i mean, it is summer and all. its just nice to have a nice day. the trail is still wet, but that is to be expected with all the rain weve had. we had some wonderful views today, and its about time! and since it was nice it was easier for the miles to just pass by. by lunch we had already done 12 miles. only 9 to do after that, which is always nice to be over half way done at lunch. anyways...we pretty much busted it to culvers gap where there was a bakery-convenient store. we got some cinnamon rolls for a good price. very good. after that we got here and got a fire goin. the mosquitos are getting thicker and thicker every day. its becoming quite a hassel to battle them. the fire at camp does help a little and being in a tent helps too, but still. its been a long, but nice day. 21 miles wears you out. so, im hittin the sack...
Date: 2003-06-24
From: gren-anderson shelter

To: campsite
Miles today: 14.5
Weather: clear sky

dang, oh dang! its definitely summer! i know its gonna get even hotter, but 85 degrees is freakin hot enough to drain a camel out here! its bad when you are already worn out before noon. but...i shouldnt complain. weve had so much rain and cold weather, this nice, sunny weather is a treat! it made for an awesome morning too. it was kinda cool, and we got to sit at this pavilion on the top of sunrise mt. which had a 360 view and a nice breeze comin through. so nice. its just too bad it wasnt around lunch time, or we wouldve sat there for a couple hours and let the peak heat of the day pass. but it was still nice. we ate lunch and got water and thats when i started getting drained. the heat just sucked any energy i had from lunch right out of me. i took a break around 2 and then pushed on to hightop state park where there were showers and concessions about a mile down. the shower was so refreshing. and rejuvenating. we even got a cold drink and a nice snack. a very good break.! and this is when the real fun started. it was just me and cire that went down to the showers, and the rest of he group went on up the trail to thenext shelter which was only like 2 miles up. and the way the trail went was almost parallel to the road that we were on in the park. so we found a trail that crosses the a.t. in the park and thought we could just meet up with the group there. well, we missed the trail and ended up hiking about 2 miles down the wrong way, but on the right trail. we eventually figured out our mistake and started hiking back. bad, bad, bad. the cool thing about our mistake is that were able to go up to the hightop monument, which sits on the highest point in new jersey. we could see forever in all directions. to our left was pennsylvania. to our right was new jersey. and straight ahead was new york. very cool spot. it was a nice detour despite all the way we went. anyways...we finally got back up with the group and found a lovely campsite here next to a great stream and except for all the mosquitos attacking us, its a nice night. im definitely looking forward to tomorrow, going in to vernon, new jersey and meeting up with cires mom again. speck and slickrock are getting picked up and spending a couple days with their parents. we are gonna continue hiking and they are just gonna meet up with us wherever we are in a couple days. anyways...its supposedly a nice terrain day tomorrow as well. we are going through a section of farms, and its supposed to be relatively flat. so well see how true that is tomorrow
Date: 2003-06-25
From: campsite

To: state road
Miles today: 14.5

and dang, the sun is still out! it got up to 95 today. and we heard the heat index was at 114. freakin hot. and it wasnt so bad for the first couple hours. we came down from the ridge into the valley and just cruised in the lowlands for a few miles. very nice. then after lunch, and after speck and slickrock got picked up, the temp was risin! we met a guy, buckeye, who is running the trail. how crazy is that. he doesnt carry a pack, only water. he runs 8-10 miles at a time and then his wife meets him at a road crossing with food and drinks. his trip is scheduled to be 84 days long i believe. dang fast. an average of 32 miles a day. insane! anyways...hes an interesting fellow. we started on the last half of the day around 12:30. and we went through this wildlife refuge area, where its all open (no tree coverage) and the sun just beat me to death. i was drinkin water like it was runnin out or somethin. it drained me. but we started climbing and thats when it started getting really fun! i started to get a new blister on the heal. and why in the world did it decide to happen now, almost 4 months in to the trip. ive come all this way and been fine. anyways...the climbing just made it worse and worse. and the mosquitos! ive never seen so many. and they swarm you if you dont move fast enough. and thats the problem...theres so many rocks, you cant go fast enough for the mosquitos to not bother you. so, ive gotten the most bites ive ever seen anyone get. my arms and legs are swollen and red because of those things. its painful! and it didnt make the situation today any better. but! when i came to the road and saw cires mom, that was nice! we sat and drank orange juice for a minute. ate some fruit. so refreshing! and then managed to stuff all 6 of us into her small car with our packs and all. it was a long 20 minute ride. but the reward of getting here was grand. cires mom brought a bunch of food. and she already had us a campsite at the campground. and the camp has a pool! and man did it feel good to go swimming in that! well, we decided to take a zero here, due to the circumstances, and went to the groery store and picked up some goodies for tomorrow. weve got laundry done and i even took a shower! life is good, in the tent away from the bugs of course! looking forward to tomorrow, our day of needed rest!
Date: 2003-06-26
From: state road

To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Hi! I'm Diesel's Mom/Secretary! Diesel's email composer is out of commission for a couple of weeks, so in the meantime we have to rely on snail mail. Sorry! We'll be a couple of weeks behind on the journal. Hopefully, he'll be back online by the time they get to Tyringham, MA. Keep checking! I did load some new pics, so check them out!
Date: 2003-07-11
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

due to the technical difficulties that had occurred, i will attempt to sum up the past two weeks in one entry. new york is where the butt kickin really starts back up. though it was very beautiful, and definitely not what i thought of when thinking of new york. very enjoyable all around. and me, oopu, and ketchup took the metro in to new york city! so exciting, since i had never been before. went to the top of the empire state building, went to central park, went to ground zero and saw the memorials for 9-11, and went to battery park to watch fireworks since it was july 4th. and since we hadnt budgeted to stay there, we just walked around the city all night til around 8 when we caught a bus out to meet back up with everyone on the trail. it was probably one of the coolest things weve done on the trip yet. anyways...conneticut hands out even more butt kickins! we are definitely back in the mountains. we had a wonderful zero day at cires uncles farm in conn. one of the funnest ive had. i love his family! so much fun. so...on to massechussets! weve been in for three days now. the terrain is gradually becoming more difficult, but my body is finally adjusting itself to handle it better. but its all been beautiful and im pumped about getting into vermont in a few days! i know itll be hard, but its that much closer to katahdin. and my mom and sister are coming to visit in bennington, vt one last time before we finish . i cant freakin wait! ive missed them so much. it will be a great encouragement to see them. one last push to make it to the end! the weather has been so so. it rains every other day. its been rather cool. definitely chilly for the middle of july. definitely doable! hopefully that catches us up somewhat.
Date: 2003-07-12
To: pittsfield road
Miles today: 17.0

im not quite sure how to start this entry. the days are running together now. and the days are beginning to feel the same. it was hard. it was long. but!!! we got to a great pond this morning and got to swim for a while. which was different from most days. i never thought id be swimming in a lake in the middle of massechussets. craziness. me and oopu decided to just hike until we got here without stoppin. so we just ate a quick snack and skipped lunch and just busted out the rest of the day. we got here around 4, which was nice because its so early. we are pretty much camping in a couples front yard. the guide book says that hikers are aloud to stay here so, us and 8 other hikers are camping here too. very weird being around so many people. but weve had a good time hangin out. the really great thing is that we are gonna be in dalton tomorrow. and we only have 9 miles to get there. there we will find pizza and other fine foods of the sort. i, and every other sane person here, cant wait to get there. it will definitely be a treat. so i have that and the visit from mom and my sister to fill my thoughts tonight as i sleep. sweet sweet dreams!
Date: 2003-07-13
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Hi ya'll! This is Mom! Just want to let you know I have loaded more pics, so take a look. Diesel will be back online in the next couple of days. So keep checking. Jessica, Diesel's sister, and I will be flying to Bennington, VT to meet them, give them lots of hugs, kisses, and some trail magic! We'll return on Sunday. This will be the last time they get a visitor from home until the end. I hope we can give them 6 weeks of motivation!
Date: 2003-07-13
From: pittsfield road

To: dalton.ma
Miles today: 9.6
Weather: overcast clouds

so nice to wake up knowing youll be in town by lunch time. we got going about 8 and just booked it basically. me and oopu got in to town at 11 and just chilled til everyone else got here. pizza for lunch was sooo good! then we came back to this guy, toms, house where he is letting hikers camp on his back lawn. and hes offering rides to a nearby town that has a mall with a theater. so, yes, we went to see a movie. i saw terminator 3 by myself i might add, and it was freakin amazing. way better than i thought. very good choice. had subway for dinner and came back to the house. its been a nice, relaxing day here in town, but i am excited to be going tomorrow. i think we might try to get a little farther along tomorrow. we climb mt. greylock, which is supposed to be a beast of a climb. the highest since virginia. 2500 feet up! but, we will be staying on the summit tomorrow night so, thats exciting. well be that much closer to vermont! so, until tomorrow...
Date: 2003-07-15
From: mt greylock

To: seth warner shelter
Miles today: 14.0
Weather: clear sky

yes, the climb up to mt greylock was a big one! to say the least. 8 miles of climbing. but the down, thats another story! 6 miles down. and steep as all get out. my legs have never burned so much in my life. i better have ripped legs when this is over! anyways...i was down and in north adams at 10 this morning. and my motivation, pizza hut, was soon crushed. well, it had closed down. so...i had to find something to replace it. and what better than a 4.95 all you can eat chinese buffet! cheap, and dang good too! and we had a good time cuttin up in there too. lots of fun. but, like every good town experience out here, it had to end. yes, the trail awaited us. but...we were only 5 miles from the vermont state line! so...i busted it up the mountain. the climb was big, and hard, but the reward of being in vermont was too good. the state that ive been looking forward to since we started. ive heard so many different things about it - how hard its gonna be, and how beautiful it is, and all that. well, here i am! and only 11 miles to bennington where i will see my mom and sister. im definitely excited to get up and go tomorow morning. and the sooner i go to sleep, the sooner the morning will come!
Date: 2003-07-19
From: seth warner shelter

To: bennington,vt
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: few clouds

spent the last few days with my mom and sister. things couldnt have been better. it was so, so, so nice to be off the trail and just hangin out with the fam! the trail has actually been good to me lately. we are finally in vermont and the weather is nice, and we are down to the last 500 miles! although it will be sad to be leaving the trail, and all the people that i am with, i cant wait to get home and see everybody there and get on to the next part of this journey. but back to the past few days...well, we didnt do much, but that was kinda the point. we got everybody where they needed to go. some of the group went on to the trail, while i stayed back with my mom. we drove around a while. we went up to mt greylock, but it was cloudy, misty, and cold. so, we didnt see anything, or what i saw when i was there a few days earlier. but it was fun to show mom around the mountain. it was just neat to go to a place that ive been on the trail, only not have to hike there, or be dirty and nasty while i was there. it was like i was a normal person for a couple days. very nice. but like all breaks on the trail, it has to end. this morning we got up and went to breakfast in bennington and drove up to manchester for the hiker festival there today. we met up with all the people weve been hiking around the past couple of weeks. i got some gear fixed and picked up some free stuff that they were giving away. it was a nice little festival. and the back to the trail. and after a fun time trying to find the trail, we finally arrived and oopu and ketchup is waitin for us there. and i said my goodbyes to mom and my sister and now im back at camp, around a fire, writing this. and i dont want to sell short the time off that ive had because it was so good, but it can never be enough. i so didnt want them to leave and part of me wishes i had left with them. i know i would regret that if i had so, im here and im continuing on. only 6 more weeks!
Date: 2003-07-20
From: bennington,vt

To: stratton mtn
Miles today: 0.0

a short day, for good reason. cire is not feeling well so we came downthe mountain to the ski village and he saw the onsight emt and decided to goto the hospital. he has a possible spider bite that is making him sick andreally tired. so...we stayed here at the resort to let him rest. and wegot a great deal on the room. its been a nice stay. i just hope cire is ok togo tomorrow. i think i might go to the pool!