morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2004-07-06
From: Allentown Shelter

To: Allentown Shelter
Miles today: 0.0

Someone asked me ¢How fast do you go?¢ Well, that depends on lot of things including weather, mood, terrain, and how close you are to the next town. At the time I told them it was somewhere between a saunter and a meander but on occasion it could be a walk, a hike, or even a jog if you were going downhill long enough. When I¢m lazy or tired I seem to do more tripping than anything else. There¢s another kind of gait you do when you have to go the bathroom very badly but I¢m not sure what that¢s called unless it some sort of cross-legged quick trot. When you get near a town you find your stride getting longer and your steps going faster. That¢s due to the ¢Sucking In¢ affect of the towns that is a combination of cleanliness [shower], pizza, cokes, ice cream, but not necessarily in that order.What I¢d really like to do is briggle around. That¢s something my Grandfather said he was always doing when asked. I never got a good definition of just what happen when you briggle around but as far as I could tell it meant going someplace without any purpose, or at least, no purpose that anyone else was supposed to know about. Not that I think about it also may have been a nice way of saying ¢its none of your business¢ which is pretty good but I¢m not too sure my Grandfather ever had any business. My Grandfathers real name was Albert, but he was always called Runt. I guess I wouldn¢t have been very motivated with a name like Runt either. Anyway, I¢d like to be briggling around because I think it sounds neat but I don¢t think it would get me to Katahdin. I guess I¢ll save my briggling around for when I get back home.
Date: 2004-07-07
From: Allentown Shelter

To: Wind Gap
Miles today: 19.1
Weather: scattered clouds

7/6 We left Allentown Shelter at 6 and was greeted by rocks, rocks, and more rocks until we got to Knifes¢s Edge which was a 14 mile of thin boulders on edge that we had to walk down. There was a step drop off on each side so you jumped from boulder to boulder-the name was surely appropriate. We then came to massive 3 story boulders called Bear Rocks but we luckily didn¢t climb them. The rest of the afternoon was mostly over trash rocks which made the walking slow and aggravating. We finished the day by descending the 1200 foot of Lehigh Gap and hitched a ride to Palmerton, Pa. We stayed at the Jailhouse Hostel, a basement below the old courthouse and picked out a bunk and showered. The Jailhouse Hostel was made up of several large rooms in the basement and one room had a dozen bunks for hikers. While we were organizing our things we were surprised by Peggy and Hawk, our hiking friend and his wife who were trying to find us so we could meet up in 3 days. We went out for a nice dinner and after they left went for ice cream before turning in for the night.7/7 We were lucky to get an early 6:30 itch back to teh trail so we could start on of our hardest climbs in a long time, the 1100¢ rock climb up Lehigh Gap. We had been warned about the difficulty and that we would be crawling on our hands more than using our hiking poles. The predictions were true and we spent the first hour puling ourselves over boulders until we finally got to flat road on the top of the mountain. While the going up the shear boulders was hard it was different and was exciting and the views were neat so most of us liked the climb. We then passed an area void of vegetation from a closed down zinc processing area below that was closed down in 1980. I took some pictures of some large bear tracks and bear skat that was almost all blueberries, We were still going over lots of rocks and after about 10 miles I tripped and fell flat on my nose-commonly called a face plant. It¢s common to fall but usually you can get your hiking poles in front of you to stop the fall. this time they got caught in the grass so my nose and right elbow were what hit the ground first. After 3 hours of walking my arm started swelling so much that I couldn¢t even hold my hiking pole in my right hand. We went another 8 miles to Wind Gap, the next town where I put it in ice and applied a pressure bandage on it overnight. The swelling was down enough in the morning that I could at least hold the pole. I feel very lucky that I wasn¢t hurt worse.
Date: 2004-07-08
From: Wind Gap

To: Wind Gap
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

This poem was sent to me by my client/friend Harry Fox and seems so appropriate at this time of our hike when so many people have and are getting off the trail.Don't QuitWhen things go wrong, as they sometimes will,When the road you're trudging seems all uphill,When the funds are low and the debts are highAnd you want to smile, but you have to sigh,When care is pressing you down a bit-Rest if you must, but don't quit.Life is queer with its twists and turnsAs every one of us sometimes learns,And many a fellow turns aboutWhen he might have won had he stuck it out.Don't give up though the pace seems slow-You may succeed with another blow.Often the goal is nearer thanIt seems to a faint and faltering man;Often the struggler has given upWen he might have catured the victor's cup;And he learned too late when the night came downHow close he was to the golden crown.Success is failure turned inside out-The silver tint of the clouds of doubt,And you never can tell how close you areIt may be near when it seems afar;So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit-It's when things seem worst that you mustn't quitAnonymousThanks Harry.I wish I could pass this along to all the hikers.Quest
Date: 2004-07-08
From: Wind Gap

To: Delaware Water Gap
Miles today: 21.0
Weather: scattered clouds

7/8 I tried to keep from using the right arm today to give things a chance to heal. We still had lots of rocks to cover but I didn¢t really need to use the arm until we got to Wolf Rocks at the 7-mile mark on the day. Wolf Rocks were many large boulders that were slippery and required some climbing but also the use of both poles for balance as you jump from boulder to boulder. I was glad they only lasted 100 yards or so and we made it without any crisis. There were fewer rocks late in the day as we went into Delaware Water Gap and got a room at the Ramada Inn. We were lucky to get a ride to the post office before closing and by then were so tired we got a pizza delivered to the room that we shared with another hiker.
Date: 2004-07-09
From: Delaware Water Gap

To: Delaware Water Gap
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

7/9 We took a 0 day at the hotel and got a ride to Stroudsburg to do laundry, resupply, and use of the internet at the library. In the evening I got a call from my brother Bill that he was on his way for a visit in his motor home the next day. It would be good to see him again.
Date: 2004-07-10
From: Delaware Water Gap

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

7/10 While checking out of the motel at 6:30 AM I saw Bill¢s motor coach in the parking lot of the hotel. He had driven the final 300 miles in the night and I was glad he was joining us for breakfast. Bill took us to the trail and we agreed to meet in the early afternoon at the Mohican Campground, 10 miles away. WE got there at about 1 PM to find him all set up and relaxing in a lounge chair. After we showered, Bill fixed us all of the fresh Indiana corn we could eat and finished with cantaloupe for desert. We all had to take a nap so we could go into town for pizza before going back to the campground for the night. It was a nice break from our routine and I was glad to see my brother and for him to see a little of the AT and what we were doing out there.
Date: 2004-07-11
From: Mohican Outdoor Center

To: Gren Anderson Shelter
Miles today: 20.9
Weather: clear sky

7/11 Bill fixed us pancakes in the morning and dropped us off at the trail at 6:30 after pictures headed back to Indiana. Cat Dog, Hawk, and I headed north on the AT to again be greeted by more rocks. We also found New Jersey to lack all the streams and springs that were so common on the first 12 o f the trail and we had to divide our remaining water to get to our destination of Culver¢s Gap. We had a quick dinner of sandwiches, french fries, and cokes before heading on to Gren Anderson Shelter for a 20.4-mile day. Bears are more common in N. J. so they have locked bear boxes at the shelters and we tented away from the shelter and hung our food bags in the trees.
Date: 2004-07-12
From: Gren Anderson Shelter

To: High Point State Park
Miles today: 11.3

7/12 We got an early 6 o¢clock start and was told we would be finished with the aggravating rocks when were finished hiking for the day. It started raining mid-morning and promised to last all day. I fell one more time before we finished hiking at 1 P.M. but wasn¢t hurt at all. Cat Dogs parents met us at High Point State Park and took us into Port Jervis NY to the Comfort Inn. We cleaned up and went out to eat before turning in for the night. We hoped the rain would stop overnight.
Date: 2004-07-13
From: High Point State Park

To: High Point State Park
Miles today: 0.0

7/13 The day didn¢t look good. It was still raining and scattered showers were promised for the next 4 days. We decided to wait until noon to make our final plans. It¢s hard to start out clean and dry and know within the hour we¢d be soaked all over and walking in wet boots. If you wear rain gear you don¢t get wet from the rain but you sweat as much and are as wet when hiking with 40 pounds on you back as if you didn¢t wear rain gear at all. The bottom line is it helps keep you warm but not dry. We went to lunch with Cat Dog¢s parents and decided to rest and heal for the rest of the day and to head out tomorrow, rain or shine. All of our feet are still sore from the rock pounding and my right arm is still a little swollen from my fall 5 days ago. We walked down the road and had pizza for dinner. After dinner we went little farther to a Dairy Queen for ice cream sundaes. When we went outside to eat them there was a momma bear eating from the dumpster behind the building. She grabbed a trash bag and took it into the woods where she shared it with her two 15 pound cubs. Fun to see but I feel sorry for them.
Date: 2004-07-14
From: High Point State Park

To: Vernon, NJ
Miles today: 22.0

7/14 After the morning the rocks finally let up so hiking was a little easier. We walked .4 miles off the trail to Unionville where Hawk picked up 2 packages. The general store had great sandwiches and cokes and the meal was one of the best and cheapest on the trail in a long time. We got back on the trail after 1 1/2 hours and managed to go 22-miles on the day. We stopped at N.J. 94 and hitched to the Episcopal Church where they have a very nice hostel in their basement. We did our laundry while we showered and went to Burger King for dinner. Six or 8 other the other hikers had gone to a party and so when they came in at 10 they still had to go to the grocery about 1 mile away and then did their laundry. So the downside was we had people coming and going til about 1 AM so we didn't get much sleep.
Date: 2004-07-15
From: Vernon, NJ

To: Wildcat Shelter
Miles today: 17.3
Weather: broken clouds

7/15 We started the AM with a 1000' climb, mostly up rocks of course. Again the day had plenty of rocks but the morning ended as we crossed over from N. J. to New York. New York greeted us by walking around the edge of a mountain on boulders for 1/2 to 1 mile. We were again tired of boulders with sore feet when we got out of them later in the day. With 2 miles to go we came to NY 17 and was told there was an ice cream store 200 yards to the left. I had a great sundae and a coke. We thought we needed a NY treat after all the boulder climbing we had to do. We walked the rest of the way to Wildcat Shelter for a 17.3-mile day. Cat Dog and Hawk had a reunion of sorts with 2 other hiker twin girls called the Hobits. They're short and very soft spoken so the name fits. It was the first time I had seen them.
Date: 2004-07-16
From: Wildcat Shelter

To: Fingerboard Shelter
Miles today: 14.3
Weather: light rain

7/16 New York continued to pound us with more rocks and tough climbs. It was a hard morning and when we came to NY 23 we decided to hitch to a restaurant for lunch. As we started on the trail we came to some trail magic so we had another coke. We finally got back on the trail at 1:30 and went up a hill and then through the Lemon Squeeze, huge boulders that were very close together so you had to take your pack off to get through the narrow passage way. Most of the afternoon was nice hiking and we finished at a beautiful park-like setting at a stone shelter called Fingerboard for a 14.3 mile day.
Date: 2004-07-17
From: Fingerboard Shelter

To: Bear Mountain
Miles today: 14.1
Weather: scattered clouds

7/17 We left at 5:45 for Bear Mountain early so we could have lunch and resupply for the next 4 days to get us to Kent, Ct. Late in the AM we came to Perkins Tower, a 5 or 6 story rock building that had scenic views all around. You could even see some tiny buildings in New York City, 34 miles away. After drinking 2 cokes we hiked on to Bear Mountain Inn and had some nice sandwiches before going through a wildlife center. We took pictures at the bear exhibit, which at 124' is the lowest point on the AT. We hitched a 3 miles ride to our hotel that was expensive and had a very indifferent owner who was not helpful on anything we asked or needed. Hello New York. We walked the 10 minutes to town for Mexican food and went back to the motel after resupplying at a grocery.
Date: 2004-07-18
From: Bear Mountain, NY

To: Dennytown Camp
Miles today: 14.6
Weather: overcast clouds

7/18 We got an expensive $35 cab ride back to the trail at 8:30 and had 2-500 foot climbs before we stopped at the Graymoor Friary. We had lunch on the grounds but didn't go in since it was Sunday and we weren¢t planning on staying there. The Monks welcome hikers and will feed you if you get there by 4:30 in the afternoon. We continued on for a 14.6-mile day and camped at a very open campsite called Dennytown Campsite. It was a nice day but still too many rocks. It sprinkled on us off and on in the afternoon but was good enough to wait until our tents were set up and dinner was over before it set in for the night.
Date: 2004-07-19
From: Dennytown Camp

To: Morgan Stewart Shelter
Miles today: 19.7
Weather: light rain

7/19 We left Dennytown Camp at 6 AM planning for a long hiking day of 19.7 miles. The rain had stopped in the night and while everything was wet we were happy it wasn't raining while we packed up. There were still plenty of rocks and many climbs that had the sweat pouring out of us because of the high humidity. The clouds helped keep things cool but we had no vistas or views all day. At about 2:30 we hiked .4 miles off the trail to a deli for sandwiches, cookies and ice cream. I ate 1/2 of my sandwich and saved the rest after we set up camp. The Morgan Steward Shelter was typical of those on the trail but it was set in a lot of rocks and was made special by an old-fashioned hand water pump that was 380 feet down a hill. It was a good day but we were glad to be done with it.
Date: 2004-07-20
From: Morgan Stewart Shelter

To: Wiley Shelter
Miles today: 16.6
Weather: scattered clouds

7/20 We got a 6 o'clock start on what was to be a nice day to be hiking. We passed a RR crossing that was called the Appalachian Trail Station that was just a bench and sign and would get you to NY City on certain days. At the next road we could see a hot dog trailer setup along NY 22 and we were happy to have cold cokes for our lunch. It was an average 16.6-mile day.
Date: 2004-07-21
From: Wiley Shelter

To: Kent, Conn.
Miles today: 12.7

7/21 & 22 today is another exciting day. We leave NY and are now in Connecticut. We had 2 or 3 hard uphill climbs but were rewarded by going into Kent, Ct., a hiker-friendly little New England town. After a nice lunch, we got a room at an inn, cleaned up, and rested. We were very relaxed because tomorrow we planned to stay in town to rest and heal. We were surprised to find the priced on rooms and food had gone up a lot, mostly because of the tourist traffic from the big cities. We also learned each drink refil was an extra charge, which hurts when you can drink 4 or 5 glasses and are used to having free refils. At least the local church would let you tent in their yard for free and by the end of the 2nd day the church looked like it was having a tent sale.
Date: 2004-07-23
From: Kent, Conn.

To: Pine Swamp Brook Lean-To
Miles today: 17.0

7/23 We got a 7 o'clock start out of Kent and planned for the routine ups and down's that seem to occur every day. The morning got cloudy and the wind picked up during lunch and by 1 it was starting to rain. For the next 3 hours the rain came down harder and the climbs steeper. We planned to go to a shelter after 17 miles but it was raining so hard we hitched a ride to West Cornwall. The rocks and roots get so slippery when they are wet it is risky to try to go fast because one slip could end your hike for good. I've been close enough to that already and was ready to get off the trail for the day. We were lucky to get a room with a nice lady in the next town who rented rooms in her house to hikers. The local inn was over $200 per night and is out of the league for hikers. Cat Dog was with her daughter and had a car so we all went to dinner, quite a luxury to get a ride somewhere.
Date: 2004-07-24
From: Pine Swamp Brook Lean-To

To: Salisbury, Ct.
Miles today: 16.8
Weather: mist

7/24 Cat Dog picked us up at 7 in the morning and took us back to the trail where we had stopped in the rain yesterday, some 10 or 15 miles away. We started hiking in the cool day with low humidity. While the trail was challenging, everything went well and we finished a great day of hiking the 16.8-mile day in Salisbury by 3 PM. We ate with Cat Dog and her daughter again and turned in early.
Date: 2004-07-25
From: Salisbury, Ct.

To: South Egremont, Ma.
Miles today: 18.5

7/25 We walked out of Salisbury on another nice day hoping for a repeat of yesterday. We wanted to get to South Egremont 18.5 miles away so Hawk could get a mail drop early on Monday morning. We had a big climb up Bear Mountain to get over 2300 feet for the first time for a while. We had a celebration shortly later when we crossed into Massachusetts, leaving only the 3 big mountain states of Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine left to go. The afternoon turned ugly when some climbs weren't listed and others were tougher than expected. We finished with a long tough climb down the mountain that took forever, and then couldn't get a hitch into South Egremont 1.2 miles away and so had to walk even more. We had made reservations at the South Egremont Inn and found both the room and food to be pricey, again due to folks from the city [New York] coming to the mountains for a weekend break. We were lucky that Steve, the inn manager gave us a ride to the post office and then to the trail the next morning.
Date: 2004-07-26
From: South Egremont, Ma.

To: Mt. Wilcox South Lean-to
Miles today: 15.3

7/26 It was 9 AM before we got on the trail because we had to wait for the post office to open. Out first 4 miles were flat over swampy areas that had enough mosquitoes to carry us away if they all got together. We smeared on the deet to make walking bearable and again had tough climbs until the end of the day at Mount Wilcox South Lean-to, a 15.3 mile day. What have been called shelter is now being called lean-tos with everything else being the same. We just got our tents set up and dinner finished when a light rain helped cool things off and put us to sleep.
Date: 2004-07-27
From: Mt. Wilcox South Lean-to

To: Upper Goose Pond Cabin
Miles today: 15.8
Weather: light rain

7/27 We got an early 5:45 start on a day that was humid, uphill, and full of mosquitoes to get the morning off on the wrong foot. We planned a short 15.8 mile day because of threatening storms and because that would take us to Upper Goose Pond Cabin. The hiking went as planned and we were surprised to find a large house-like structure that was manned by caretaker-volunteers thru the summer. We got in about 1 and picked out our bunks upstairs as the rain started pouring about 2 PM. We had a brief lunch and got organized before cooking dinner. The cabin was full by dark because of the rain with both northbound and southbound hikers. We've been passing the south bounders who start in Maine for a few days now and we each try to get info on what is coming up on our parts of the trail. We also tell war stories about how bad a section is and special places to stay and eat on the parts of the trail we have already hiked. I worry about getting cold and so usually ask about the temperature at night. The caretaker had a fire in the fireplace at night before we all turned in for the night to the sounds of someone playing the guitar and the rain on the roof.
Date: 2004-07-28
From: Upper Goose Pond Cabin

To: Kay Wood Lean-to
Miles today: 18.1

7/28 We got a 7 AM start after the caretaker made pancakes for all who wanted them. Most of the day was overcast and cool-good for hiking. We had a couple of tough climbs but the hiking was routine with the usual annoying ups and downs and rocks. We were happy to find snacks at 2 of the road crossings that turned out to be the first and last treats we had in Mass. We also stopped at lunchtime at Marilyn and Roy Wiley's who operate a small blueberry farm. We were treated to cookies and a coke and were invited to camp in their yard. We declined but did take him up on the offer to have a few blueberries that were very good with some as big as nickels. It was a very nice place with great people. We finished the day at Kay Wood Lean-To after 18.1 miles-looking forward to time off in Dalton tomorrow and Friday, July 29 and 30.
Date: 2004-07-29
From: Kay Wood Lean-to

To: Dalton, Ma
Miles today: 3.0
Weather: broken clouds

7/29 We got on the trail by 6:30 to hike the short 3 miles into Dalton. Hawk and I had a nice breakfast before getting rooms at the Shamrock village Inn. After resting we took our clothes to the only laundromat in town and had a sandwich and French fries next door at a Pizza Shop while we waited. Shortly after getting back to the hotel, Hawk¢s wife, Peggy, came into town for a 4-day visit. It¢s great for everyone around because she is great about taking you places and is fun to be around. I went to the library to work on e-mail for a while. When I got back to the motel, Lonesome Dove and another hiker walked up to the motel and she said that Cat Dog was about 1 hour behind her. Peggy, Hawk, and I took film to Walmart to put on CD¢s and passed Cat Dog on the way out and we told her where we were at the hotel. We all went to dinner that night and planned a 0 day tomorrow.
Date: 2004-07-30
From: Dalton, Ma

To: Dalton, Ma
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: scattered clouds

7/30 After breakfast we picked up the CD¢s that held about 400 pictures that I had taken over the last 6 weeks. I always hope they copy them right because I erase the images on the camera and it would make me sick if they lost them. We drove on to the next town of Cheshire where we would be hiking tomorrow and looked for a place to stay tomorrow night. Since most places were full or expensive, we booked rooms at a hostel at the Bascom Lodge, on top of Mt. Greylock where we would be hiking and staying the next night anyway. It¢s great to be riding in a car and going wherever you want to go instead of walking all day long.