morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2017-06-28
From: Leroy Smith shelter

To: Nelson Overlook, past Kirkridge Shelter
Miles today: 14.0

The most magical tenting spot for my last night on this segment! I had my tent set up behind Kirkridge shelter when the ridge runner told me I *had* to check out the tenting spots .2 away. So I pulled up stakes and walked out. And he was right. A spot on par with Max Patch and Burke's Garden.Night Crawler is here with his cunning cookstove (an apple design punched out in tin on the bottom, fed by the rays of the sun outlined above) and Sparks is in the pasture above, napping under his tarp. The expanse of land is stunning...and my gorgeous little photogenic tent looks straight out of an REI catalog. Can I talk about how awesome it is that my hiker legs finally kicked in? Or my rock feet?It's like two days ago I was painfully picking my way between rocks and now I can ploughing right through them, not even changing my rhythm. It's almost Zen-like. Stop fighting the rocks.I've been thinking while going over them how to explain these rocks. Walking on Legos is the best I've come up with. Some shift unexpectedly under you, others have sharp corners that stab you in the feet. But my sudden ability to cruise over them is amazing. I think some of it is confidence, moving quickly, not looking where you plant your feet. Bits and pieces:Met a former thru-hiker who described his signature trail dish, "the Ramocado." Ramen stuffed in an avocado with cheese.My phone now just dies when it gets cold. Cold must really sap iPhone batteries.Forgot to mention: watching heat lightning at Rausch with Night Crawler. Forgot heat lightning is a thing! Ran into Night Crawler on Wolf Rocks today!
Date: 2017-06-29
To: Delaware Water Gap / Lake George, NY
Miles today: 6.9
Weather: broken clouds

6:30 amI'm watching the end of the sunrise and just feeling happy, lying on my stomach, angled down because of the slope. It's so beautiful. The mountains are so soft and rolling. There's sort of three bands of color - the green "broccoli" layer of trees immediately in the valley below, a sort of turquoise next, then the blue-grey in the distance. I'm shocked at how well I slept last night, given the cold wind and slope. I actually couldn't sleep on the Thermarest because of the angle of the hill. It was basically a slip 'n slide and nearly shot me out of the tent! Ha! So I slept directly on the ground because I had more traction, with the backpack on one side of me and the thermarest on the other for support. Worked great!The sun rays are hitting the little farm buildings below, stretching their shadows far to the right. I'm super happy because today I'm reunited with Mr. AT-AT Walker! I'm a wee bit nervous about the logistics - being that I'm not entirely sure how I'm getting from here to Lake George, New York today. But I'm pretty confident I'll figure it out. There's a strong element of "figure it out when you get there" on the trail. This campsite is a great example. I had no idea it was here! I have about 6 miles to Delaware Water Gap (all rocks, no dang doubt), then I can eat in town, charge my phone (which died in the cold last night), then walk another mile out to the bus station and the next adventure! I will finally be done with Rocksylvania! Next: New Jersey! ("Everything's legal in New Jersey!" - Hamilton. Except it's really not. Fires aren't permitted. You can only camp at designated spots.)5:40 pmOn a Greyhound to Lake George!It was nice sharing coffee in the morning with Night Crawler before heading off to DWG. I sailed over the rocks, then there was lovely fire road walking and I saw my first bear of the summer!When I got to town I ran into Sparks, bought a van of Permethrin, and consumed a half pound of fresh local strawberries. Ran into Little Engine, we had lunch and realized how much we have in common - same age, both teachers, both section hikers, both scuba divers. Red had long been telling me I had to meet her, so I'm glad I finally did.I caught the bus to NYC, another to Albany, and then another to Lake George. I'm meeting Mr. AT-AT Walker and his family for a week at the YMCA Silver Bay, and I am SO EXCITED! (and a little bashful about how gross I am)Interestingly, I did feel a bit queasy entering NYC - all the traffic and buildings after the woods was overwhelming. Best thing about hours on the bus: time to catch up on trail blogs!Zero Week here I come!
Date: 2017-07-07
To: Silver Bay - Lake George, NY
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

Zero Week Extravaganza!From June 29 to July 8 I stayed with the Johnson family at the YMCA Silver Bay in Lake George, NY.It was amazing. I don't even know where to begin to thank this family for the memories I will have for a lifetime.I took a break from all things hiking (well, except for that hike in the rain we did!), even journaling. I lived fully in the moment.Highlights: learning to do stained glass, learning to sail a Sunfish, driving to Canada to go cider tasting, watching fireworks reflected on the lake on the 4th of July, lots of quality time on a porch with lovely people.And showers! Clean clothes! Lake swimming!My heart is so, so full. The Johnsons will be returning me to trail refreshed with lots of memories to turn over in my mind during the weeks of hiking ahead. Thank you!
Date: 2017-07-08
From: Delaware Water Gap / Lake George, NY

To: Mohican Outdoor Center
Miles today: 11.1
Weather: broken clouds

Once again, the trail surprises me. I wasn't going to stop at the Mohican Outdoor Center since it was only 10ish miles from Delaware Water Gap...but there's a convenient place to meet my stepbrother and sister-in-law (Bret & Jackie) tomorrow just 3 miles out, so this seemed like good timing and spacing. Plus, my first day back after a zero week, it might be nice to get into camp early.Turns out, I couldn't have been more right about that! I didn't realize there was a lovely pond here (albeit with the unappetizing name, Catfish Pond.  Between that and the nearby Rattlesnake Swamp trail, I'm thinking they may need some PR help.)Of course, I'm spoiled after a week of swimming at Lake George, but after a sweaty, gross first day back, swimming in Catfish Pond felt AMAZING! I had it almost to myself - just enough people around to make it feel safe and less lonely.Side note: my knock-off Crocs ("knocks"?) float! Kind of awesome for swimming / floating.I collected an entire bowl of berries for tomorrow morning's oatmeal. Mmmm...I'm in the $10 overflow tenting area. I talked to Bret briefly today to set up our rendezvous tomorrow. "New Jersey is WAY better than Pennsylvania!" I said."I don't hear that too often," he replied. Right now I'm sitting perched on a rock I nicked from a fire ring and leaned against a tree. It would be perfect if it weren't for all the @?#%?!!! gnats. Probably can't fight them much longer.- - -I went inside the tent to escape the bugs and the sunlight is on it and everything is so warm and golden inside! The dappled sunlight, filtered through the trees and trickling across the tent fabric is unbearably lovely. It's turning the tent fabric into a scrim. (Funny how that word slipped into my mind - I learned it in high school, when they did a production of Oklahoma. Laurie's dream ballet scenes were behind a scrim. And Oklahoma songs were in my head today as I hiked. Again, what is it about hiking that brings back songs from childhood? Why did I sing verses of "This Old Man" until I got into the teens and started rhyming "This old man played knick knack with Charlie Sheen"?)My body feels so good right now. Clean. Refreshed. Nicely stretched from swimming. I should be calculating mileage but instead am reveling in the feel of lying on my back, my head propped up by a rolled-up sleeping bag, listening to mourning doves down by the lake.And the trail magic I encountered today! The annual Feast in the Forest,  run by a group called Hike for Mental Health. It was HUGE! I got to chatting with one of the members whose son was an RA at UCLA! Kids in the distance are singing "My Own Worst Enemy," which is hilarious to me. "I came in through the window...last night...and you're gone!"
Date: 2017-07-09
From: Mohican Outdoor Center

To: Brink Shelter
Miles today: 14.0
Weather: clear sky

A momentous day! Bret and Jackie have now entered the very exclusive ranks of people from my normal life who have hiked the AT with me! (only Tanya has been able to do far! And Sara Moz who met me on trail!)It was so neat to see them. To talk, catch up as we walked single file through the woods to Crater Lake. They brought two cars so they could hike one way with me - 6 miles. And the lunch they brought! It was epic. Pepperoni and cheese sandwiches, mangoes, strawberries, donuts! I decided it was the perfect time to bust out the airline bottle of ice cider I bought in Canada. We chilled it in the cooler and had cider and donuts. Decadent. I feel very loved. Thank you guys for coming out!After saying goodbye (well, actually after watching Bret pet a snake in the parking lot!) I continued to the shelter. There are so many people here, it's nuts. The shelter is full of city kids on an outward bound kind of trip, facilitated by this kid from Tipperary with an amazing accent. (I loved how strong he hit his Rs while telling the kids to put stuff in the bear bag). Then there's over a dozen hiker tents and hammocks around the shelter, plus more down the way. I've never seen this many people on the AT before. This is the difference between starting behind the bubble and starting in the bubble (or one of them).Met some other women thru-hikers - Blueberry and Ladybug.Oh, and I finally saw a porcupine today! In a tree! Did you ever imagine porcupines in trees? It didn't look anything like the cartoon porcupines. There was something more monkey about it, how black it was, the way its hands held on, how it looked at you. It's hard to explain. I'll put the photo in some day when I don't have anything to show. The sun is setting and it's so gold and shimmery on the tent netting. And man, middle school boys are SO LOUD!
Date: 2017-07-10
From: Brink Shelter

To: High Point Shelter
Miles today: 19.6
Weather: clear sky

Things started off cool today, but became muggy and humid. Rocks, climbs, heat, bugs. I was dragging anchor. I read about a hostel and hotel at the road crossing that did shuttles, so I started planning on that. It didn't seem right to go indoors after only 3 nights out though. Anyway, I was feeling discouraged. The insane humidity was causing tons of chafing and heat rash on my hips and thighs. And then we came down the mountain...and hit amazing trail magic! The family of a thru-hiker named Ironman (signs logs with Fe and a stick figure) had set it up to surprise him. They were offering a legit New Jersey specialty: taylor ham sandwiches. And blueberry pancakes with white chocolate chips! And orange juice (which I've been craving). And a hiker box with bandaging tape, which I needed.It lifted my spirits so much. I sat next to Princess Pee (who received her name after a snafu with the same funnel I once tried, and discarded for the same reason...) She was headed to the next shelter and I decided then and there to power through too, fueled with gorgeous pancakes.Princess Pee had actually been on my heels for a while coming up a rocky incline. It felt a bit like the Cliffs of Insanity with me as Fezzick, carrying the weight of 3 people, and her as the Man in Black.Had a nice chat with Longfish about the Whites.Another outward bound group of kids just arrived at the shelter. Thank god for earplugs.It's coming up on hiker midnight, so I need to wrap things up.
Date: 2017-07-11
From: High Point Shelter

To: Wawayanda Shelter
Miles today: 23.9
Weather: scattered clouds

Okay so this was not the plan. But I'm grosser than gross and still hopped up on sugar and adrenaline, so let me tell you the story even though it's past hiker midnight.The plan had been to do a second long day (ha!), 18.9 miles, to NJ 94, where I could call a shuttle to a motel or church that takes in hikers. I'm dying for a laundry stop and was looking forward to it all day. It was a really interesting, diverse hiking day. For a while there, it felt like American Ninja Warrior. Run across these two parallel wooden planks! Now scramble up all these rocks! Now navigate the boggy swamp!The boardwalks were the best. When you walk on the two parallel boards, they make these lovely tones...almost like a wooden xylophone. Some are springy when you walk on them. Thwok! Thwok!And there are also the far more fancy boardwalks - wide elevated platforms 4 feet off the ground where you can gaze at eye level to tall cattails.Just gorgeous walking today, a lot of it flat. Unfortunately, that was the first part. ..It was so obscenely humid all day. It made me feel validated when I heard local dayhikers complaining about it too. It's not just me! It's hellish for everyone!Towards what I thought was the end of my day, my energy was flagging. I was low on water. My phone was nearly dead. I was saving the battery for calling the motel and reserving my spot.Finally I made it to 94. And the motel? Full. The church? A error in the book. Hostel? Closed.There was a store called Heaven Hill Farm down the road. I went there to get drinks and figure out what to do.I purchased and quickly consumed:- a quarter wedge of watermelon- a Chobani yogurt- 2 bottles of orange juice- a cider donut - a large package of beef jerkyThey let me charge my phone and fill up my water bladder as I tried to suss out what to do. The next shelter was 5 miles away. I'd already walked 19. And of those 5. . . was a big 'ol incline up Wawayanda Mountain, plus several smaller climbs after.I felt way better after the food. I figured if I had to do 5 MORE miles on top of 19, in the godawful humidity, over MORE rocks, uphill, racing against sunset and predicted rain. . .then I was going into Beast Mode. (Which means pulling up my skirt for easier climbing, taking off my shirt, and going full-on with everything I got!)I found a trail magic cooler with sodas, grabbed an Arnold Palmer and sucked it down as I went. When it started getting dark and rainy, I counted lightning bug flashes to distract myself (92!). I kept moving, no matter what. I finally hit the shelter at 9:00 pm. Putting up a wet tent in the rain, in the dark, isn't one of my favorite activities.I'm now a day ahead of schedule, which is what I needed in order to make my friend's wedding in a week. I just thought I'd make up that time over two weeks. . . not two days. But anything could happen. There are supposed to be storms coming, and the AWOL guide lists tomorrow's section as "challenging." GREAT.
Date: 2017-07-12
From: Wawayanda Shelter

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

7:30 amLook who slept in! I slept HARD last night. My feet had been throbbing so I took 2 Advil, the first of the trip. Insane dreams of Prince, Adrian Tomine (cartoonist), and bluegrass last night. This is what hiking 23 miles into the night will do to you. Between the rain, humidity, the sweat of 5 days (? I'm losing track), I'm reaching DEFCON levels of grossness. And I still have 2 days until a town. Oh well. Embrace the funk.3:40 pmThe book wasn't kidding when it. called this section "rocky and challenging." At first I was into it. Now I'm hot and over it. I keep checking the mileage to a roadside creamery and it feels like I'm gaining NOTHING on it.I'm OVER views. "View" means "go up more #%?!!! rocks to be cooked by the sun on an exposed ridge line to see the same #%?!! vista you've been seeing for three days from a slightly different angle."And I fell on my butt again.And there was a rebar ladder climb.8:30 pmA short day, but it had to be. SO MUCH ROCK SCRAMBLING. And the heat. And bugs.There are tons of people here. The valley floor looks like a tent and hammock catalog - no two alike! Almost all thru-hikers. One schlepped up a box of wine and shared it with us.One started a fire to give us a reprieve from the mosquitoes.Some folks I met: Eeyore, Re-route, Lady Bling & Mick, Yoda, Gaucho.I stopped for a root beer float today. I tell you, I pick right up after a sugar rush like that. If only there were a way to do it every night!
Date: 2017-07-14
From: Fingerboard Shelter

To: Holiday Inn / Fort Montgomery, NY
Miles today: 15.5
Weather: light rain

Today I got up obscenely early (5 am? 5:30?) and left with Yoda, Gaucho & Co. It was cold and drizzling. I had to put on wet, smelly clothes and wet shoes from the day before. The one redeeming factor was coffee. It poured life back into me.I could keep up with the guys on the straightaways and downhills, but not ascents. I have endurance and strength, but cardio kills me. It rained most of the day and the trail was one continuous river, but I didn't mind too much / was resigned to it. The temp was low enough that I could wear my rain gear and finally, no bugs.I imagine there were great views I passed all day. . .if I weren't hiking in a continuous raincloud. Apparently you can see the NYC skyline from the peaks I climbed today. I saw a white-out that reminded me of Clingman's Dome.I sang songs for a chunk of the morning to keep spirits up. "Helpless" from Hamilton figured prominently in the set list.My feet felt good despite being soaked. My wet hands were raw from holding the poles while being pruned for so long. And I was tiring from the climbs.And then I slipped and fell onto my left shin on the rocks. (Always the left! The sinister side?) Hurt like the dickens but the cut wasn't deep.The trail got really nice at the end - all level and wide and gravel, and I sailed over it like a barn sour horse, thrilled by how close I was to a motel for the night.And then the trail hit the lake, which was eerie and empty in the rain, and then... went through a ZOO. The Appalachian Trail goes through a zoo. Because of course it does. (The only other people there were hikers, but I wonder on a nice day, do the muggles stare at the hikers in the zoo instead of the animals?)I enjoyed the statue of Walt Whitman, the WPA-era natural history exhibits. It was weirdly fun. It was also the closest I've been to bears this trip. Seeing them in the enclosure, I said to the other hikers, "This is both cool and sad."And then I was done and ready for logistics!Two weeks ago, Uber became legit in New York, and thank god because I had a complication - the place where I sent my resupply was full. So no place to stay, no shuttle. But because a hiker told me about Uber, I was able to Uber to get my box, and then to find another motel. You should see how quickly I wrecked a fairly nice room with my wet tent hanging in the bathroom,  wet gear exploded everywhere, wet shoes drying on the heater. . .I promise, I cleaned up before checking out!I think I showered for close to an hour. I wore a towel and a rain jacket to do my laundry, where I met other people wearing only towels and crocs in the motel - sure sign of thru-hikers. I got to chatting with one, Thunderbuns, as we waited for our loads to finish.I ordered delivery, ransacked my resupply box for the cash to pay for it, and reveled in the feeling of being clean and dry!
Date: 2017-07-15
From: Holiday Inn / Fort Montgomery, NY

To: Clarence Fahnestock State Park
Miles today: 20.2
Weather: overcast clouds

Well, that didn't go as planned either. I left the motel late - had a huge breakfast, did another journal entry, had a lovely long phone call with my mom, waited for an Uber back to the trail. So it was, what, 10:30? 11:00? by the time I started.I crossed the Hudson. (enter Hamilton soundtrack again)There were a bunch of families day-hiking up to Anthony's Nose. Ahead, I saw a familiar face from the night before."HEY THUNDERBUNS!!!" I called out past all the families.I'm pretty sure that will never grow old.(Btw, he earned the moniker one night during a huge storm when he ran out of the tent in just his underwear to help his sister, whose tent was flooding.)Like so many other thru-hikers out here, TB's faster than me but takes longer breaks, so it evens out. We hiked together for the day, swapped trail stories, then attempted to head to a state park for the night. But it was a busy road with no shoulder, so we thought we'd walk the trail around. But the trail dumped us off really far from the campsite, and by the end of it all, we walked stupid far to stay at a terrible tenting area next to a major road with trucks going by all night. Moral of the story: don't stay at Fahnestock State Park.But Thunderbuns has the upbeat attitude. And I respond by singing, "Everything in awesome!" from The Lego Movie.
Date: 2017-07-16
From: Clarence Fahnestock State Park

To: Tony's Deli, Pawling, NY
Miles today: 26.4
Weather: scattered clouds

26.4 miles today.I walked a marathon.I'm tenting along a road, in a deli's tenting area, w/railroad tracks on the side.I can barely move.Thunderbuns and I were cracking each other up - the delirium had set in.First day ever trying slackpacking. Funniest moment: montage of me and Thunderbuns running downhill past the last shelter to "I'll Make a Man Out of You" from Mulan.I rested my feet in Nuclear Lake today (brought to you by the same people who named Rattlesnake Swamp. . .)Too tired to continue. More later.
Date: 2017-07-18
From: Schaghticoke Mountain Campsite

To: Stewart Hollow Brook Shelter
Miles today: 10.2
Weather: overcast clouds

10:00 am, somewhere in CTA few minutes ago, I slipped and fell on a rock. Again. Left shin, left wrist. 11:40 amThe nice thing about your meal needing 20 minutes to cook is that it forces you to rest and gives a great excuse for journaling. I haven't been doing sit-down lunches, but there's climbing ahead and I can tell I'm out of gas.In the middle of the night I got up because my legs were itching so bad. There's one welt behind my knee that's nearly the size of my fist. I made the mistake of indulging in a good long scratch - which of course feels ecstatic in the moment but then makes everything worse. I was so itchy I couldn't sleep, so I opened the tent, took a Benadryl, and got off the Thermarest so my legs could be on the cool ground. 6:20 pmA short day. It was stupid-hot and humid all day and I was having a terrible time with the inclines in the heat. And the bugs were *relentless*. Then there was the ridiculous rock descent that I thought would kill me, especially since I'd already fallen earlier in the day. When I got down to the flat walk along the Housatonic River, I could see how beautiful it was but it was hard to enjoy it with the constant threat of gnats going into my eyes, nose, and ears, even as I windmilled my pole.It's so gross pulling gnats out of your eyelashes.The young guy (Spoons) in front of me had clearly had it with the bugs. He'd already set up his tent and got inside when I reached the shelter, even though we'd only done 10 miles. "I was about to lose it," he said to me through the netting.So I decided to call it quits too, to have an early night and finish reading Sister Carrie. Thunderbuns continued 3 miles ahead, but he's a late riser so I can probably catch him in the morning.