morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2004-06-14
From: Wind Gap, PA

To: Delaware Water Gap, PA
Miles today: 15.6
Weather: light rain

i started out at 8am this morning. the air was cool an wet. the weather channel said i would be rained on and be given the thunderstorm treatment this afternoon. as i crossed the highway and went to the trailhead at wind gap, an elderly lady rolled down her window and yelled, "stay dry."the hike was over more rocks. i cannot wait to get out of this state. sadly, that may be what is fueling my enthusiasm lately. the more miles i do, the sooner this ends. i haven't figured out how to levitate or teleport yet so walking more miles is what i'll be doing. i hope my shoes will last one more week - they're starting to rip.i've seen more section hikers this week (out here that means the last 7 days; who can remember what day of the week it is?) than thru hikers. on my journey today i ran into a sobo couple and also saw jim from NH again. he was doing a sobo slack while his friends chuck and kevin spent some time in town.at my lunch stop, kirkridge shelter, i read some sad news in the register. mountain goat and talks with trees are off the trail due to ticks and lyme disease. it didn't say if one or both had lyme disease or were just concerned about ticks. i, myself, found another one of those microscopic deer ticks in my leg yesterday. i pulled her off and saved her for later testing.as i neared the delaware water gap (DWG), i caught myself worrying about how i was going to resupply for the next 3 1/2 days. there is no market near the trail and i would have to get a hitch down the highway. i said to myself, "future", reminding myself i was not staying in the present and to let the moment support me when i actually get to the DWG.just before the parking area to the DWG, a man and his 2 year old daughter were walking by lake lenape. a dog had been following me the last 7 miles and upon seeing them, ran past me. i explained that it was not my dog, but it was friendly. his name was jerod and we bagan talking about hiking the AT and the rocks in PA. i asked him if he was familiar with the area and how close the grocery store was. turns out, there isn't a close one, but he offers to give me a ride after he and his daughter go for a walk. we said we'd meet up after an hour at the Church of the Mountain.there really wasn't room in the car for my pack so jerod suggested i get my room first. he drove me to the ramada inn where i checked in and dropped my pack (the church is undergoing renovations, so there is no hostel in town). he then brought me to the grocery store and dropped me back at the hotel.i didn't explain to jerod what he did is called trail magic. this was some of the best i've received so far. he took over an hour out of his day to shuttle me around town. i truly appreciate what he did for me.in my normal life i don't see this happen much with total strangers. usually there is some kind of connection, be it friends, fellow firefighters, or coworkers. this expands the playing field a bunch, being the receiver of this magic.
Date: 2004-06-15
From: Delaware Water Gap, PA

To: Camp Ken-Etiwa-Pec
Miles today: 17.8

ah, new jersey finally! things were a little rocky today but i here the trail will smooth out soon. one gripe though about NJ: the grass is overgrown on the trail! ticks ticks ticks! NJ trail maintainers... git er done!i stopped at the ymca camp for the evening. thru hikers get to stay in their screened lean-to's for free. wouldn't you know the free shelters for the hikers are right on the lake. sweet. kinloch was there already and picked out the shelter with the best screening to keep out the bugs. that shelter also had mattresses! woohoo!after we got set up and ate dinner, i could feel the air changing. a storm was coming in. at 8:30pm a magnificent thunder and lightning storm crashed through. our little sweet shanty had some leaks over my bed. i pulled my bed over to the other side of the shelter and got our cups and pots to catch the water dripping from the ceiling. the floor got quite wet from the storm which lasted 30 minutes. but, no worries, i'm high and dry.we were expecting sauerkraut, a german hiker, to come to camp tonight. i hope he found some protection from the storm. there's really no where else to camp around here.now the frogs are making a boatload of noise. i'm going to check the other shelter for its sea-worthiness and look for sauerkraut among the ymca buildings. hopefully he ducked for cover.
Date: 2004-06-17
From: Mashipacong Shelter

To: Secret Shelter
Miles today: 12.5

the day started sunny and quickly went overcast. i stopped for a break at the high point state park HQ. i was only going to get water and take a short break, but kicking off my shoes and sitting on the bench outside felt nice.on the bench i got to thinking... i'm at this point again. i'm asking myself if i will change the structure of my thinking. i've been riding the line between living for a schedule and a destination and just letting go and allowing the experience be what it may. ...the line between trying to figure everything out beforehand and just letting the moment unfold by itself. ...the line between self-sufficiency and everything and everyone around me being a source of support. i want the changes, but when i see the structure start to shift, i get nervous and resist. my last week and a half have not been totally enjoyable. i feel like i've been a prisoner of my thoughts. (interesting reflection: as i sit here typing this on a bench at high point state park, a group of orange-shirted prisoners arrived. they are here to clean the facility.)i have to make the decision - to move with my own flow out here (and figure out what the heck that is), and forget about the destination and the possible time conflict with my week-long vywamus class on 8/7 in cumberland, me. or, push on... counting the miles, reaching big-K by 8/6 and not have to figure out the logistics of leaving the trail for a week while hiking through maine.i can't see the future... i may slow down for my experience and arrive at Katahdin "on time" anyway. it's difficult for me to live in the moment now and trust it will all work out in the end. that is what living on the trail teaches. covert agents at the secret shelter tonight: burning boots, j-bird, spider, and tortoise
Date: 2004-06-18
From: Secret Shelter

To: vernon, NJ
Miles today: 13.6

i walked to vernon today with burning boots, j-bird, and hershey (the dog). this will be hershey's last day on the trail since she is losing weight and not eating much. 'boot and j-bird will be taking a few zeros to get hershey situated with relatives.we got to the road around 1:30 and we were beat. 13 miles is not long, but the 90* heat and 100% humidity made it feel like a full day. before town, we walked .2 to a farmer's market that sells ice cream. one sprite and a blackberry shake later i was regaining my strength.our hitch to town came immediately. a young girl picked up the four of us and drove us to town. on the way there i saw a hiker trying to get a ride back to the trail. as we passed i saw it was swiss miss, the hiker i've been trying to catch up to for two weeks... and i just missed her.at the church hostel in town i took a shower, did laundry, and got in on a pizza order. i also picked up my new shoes at the p.o.my friends maria and dave from school (hofstra u.) are bringing me to their house tonight. they will be the first friends i've seen in over 3 months. they also have a son, ryan, who is three years old.maria and i met dave and ryan at a hamburger/hotdog place. yes, time to have a cheeseburger and a strawberry shake. "town" is for satisfying those cravings and give me an opportunity to eat tons of calories.for the life of me i can't remember what happened the rest of the evening. i'm sure i ate more food and got online or something. i do know i was very tired and my feet were burning. i guess walking all day in wet shoes and socks gave me an abrasion on both feet. p.s. wally added 75 more pictures to the photo section. check 'em out!
Date: 2004-06-19
From: vernon, NJ

To: vernon, NJ
Miles today: 0.0

maria drove me an hour to frank's custom shoe fitting in middletown, NY. i got his name and address from laura at superfeet.frank made me a new left custom insole to replace the one from traildays. the insole i got from traildays did not fit my foot or correct my pronation. frank did an excellent job with the insoles and also telling me about my feet and what size footware i should be wearing.what does a thru hiker do on his day off? go hiking?! maria and i decided to do a five mile hike around a lake before dinner. seems pretty silly to hike on my day off, but it is something we both enjoy. plus, i get to break in my new shoes and insoles.when we got back to the house, i was very tired. i elected to take a nap and have maria and dave get me something on their way back from dinner.the nap was refreshing and so was the mcdonalds i had for dinner. i spent the rest of the evening planning out my next section and seeing what food i'll need to buy tomorrow morning.
Date: 2004-06-20
From: North of Fitzgerald Falls

To: Wawayanda Shelter
Miles today: 5.3
Weather: scattered clouds

standing on my friend's deck, i could feel the sun warm my skin. the trail is addictive - i cannot wait to get back there, though i totally enjoy the comforts of home.in the morning maria, ryan, and i went to the grocery store. i brought my long sleeve shirt just incase the a/c was cranking... and it was. near-artic air conditioning is one of those things i've never gotten used to. i got my resupply items while maria shopped for her family.back at her house, i got my pack together and ordered a new camera case online. the belt loop on my case is tearing. at lunch, ryan impressed us all by eating like a thru hiker. when i got here yesterday he wasn't eating much, but today he was packing it in as best a three year old could. he didn't finish his second hot dog and i could not resist asking him, "you gonna finish that?" i said good-bye to dave and ryan and brought my things to the car. maria drove me back to vernon with a pit stop to get some peanut m&ms. we said our good-byes and i started up wawayanda mountain. as i was hiking up i met three groups of people. they were all very friendly and curious about thru hiking. i enjoyed spending time answering their questions and sharing my experiences so far.up at the shelter i saw spider. the rest of the folks i was with at the church hostel were a day ahead; so was swiss miss. i don't know if i will ever catch up to her.i am going to try to sleep in the shelter tonight despite the bugs. the air is cooling down, so i can hide in my sleeping bag. desperado left some citronella candles here, only one of which we can get to light. i don't know if the candles will help keep the skeeters away or not. i hope so.
Date: 2004-06-21
From: Wawayanda Shelter

To: North of Fitzgerald Falls
Miles today: 13.9

the bugs finally left me alone at 2am and it was comfortable to sleep deep in my mummy bag. i awoke at 5am and rolled over until about 6:30. the morning was a cool 50 degrees. not a temperature i've seen for a while. i exited my sleeping bag and bundled in everything i had. the privy, i discovered, was just a box with a seat on top. classic new jersey, but this one had a snow fence in front to give you the feel of privacy. i have to laugh, because i could remember my first wide open privy in GA and how careful i was to see if people were around before i used it. now i just drop trow and do my business.back at the shelter, spider looks to be sleeping in. i quietly ready my gear and dump my extra water - the guidebook lists plenty along the way.at 7:45 i am on the trail, headed towards NY.now today is a special day, it's the summer solstice. to long distance hikers, not just AT hikers, it is also known as "hike naked day". across the USA, hikers were baring-all today for... tradition, i guess, and the fun of it. i put in about 3 hours of tradition and fun in the morning, crossing the border between NJ and NY. i can't say it felt much different than wearing a kilt... maybe a little cooler. the water sources were all duds today. one was barely flowing and since i dip (no water filter), i rejected that one. the next two had brown foam in them. yuck! rejected!i had a few miles to go and i was dehydrating. the road ahead, NY17a, had a town 1.6 away. i could hitch there, get water and hitch back to the trail. i wanted something easier though - like a gallon left by a trail angel at the road crossing. i've seen this a couple times in NJ.when i got to the road crossing, there was my gallon jug! it had maybe a 2 cups of water left in it. that would do until i got to town. further up there was a sign:"ice cream, h2o, left .1 mile"my jaw open, my eyes wide... ice cream shop? that's not in my wingfoot's (trail guide). i gulped down the two cups of water and set my course for the oasis. yes, in .1 it was there. Mmmm... gimme a pint of chocolate chip cookie dough with chocolate sprinkles on top and fill my water bottle please. i met 'bull' there. he was thru hiking and feasting on ice cream too. we talked a little and then hiked up to wildcat shelter. tomorrow aimed to be a long day so i pushed on past wildcat with the intention of finding a great campsite near water, without bugs. in two miles i hit just that. a sweet campsite that was up on a hill and had water running nearby... and barely any bugs.it was 4:30. too early to quit, i thought to myself. but this is the perfect campsite. i popped my waistbelt and sternum strap and dropped the pack to the ground. i'm staying.i used the extra time to relax, wash the DEET off my body, and catch up on my journaling and emails. i still have a pretty long day tomorrow, but i'll leave that until tomorrow.
Date: 2004-06-22
From: North of Fitzgerald Falls

To: William Brien Shelter
Miles today: 17.7
Weather: light rain

my day began at 5:30. the sky was overcast which caused me some concern. to see what i was in for i turned on my weather radio which said there would be morning and afternoon showers. that means i WILL get wet today. it's a long haul to the first shelter so there no chance of escaping.about an hour into the hiking day the rain started coming down. i was under tree cover so i kept going with just my pack cover in place. the footing got real technical once the rocks got wet. i should mention, the trail builders in NY thought it would be fun to route the trail over EVERY rock scramble out there. i don't mind rock scrambling, i rather like it, but i don't like to do it for hours! ok, now add some rain to the long, sheer rock faces we gotta go down. can you say rock surfing? oy! ...another state that needs some reroutes for safety's sake.i digress... where was i? raining, rock surfing, oh yeah... the rain wasn't bad. my shoes got soaked and my marmot precip raingear got wet on both sides. the marmots are great in the winter, but hot & humid makes 'em choke. still, life is good. i'm not drenched and it's not cold.twice today i came across trail magic at road crossings. the familiar water jug jamboree. trail angels know the water in this section is either non-exisitant or is undrinkable. their gifts of water are the only reason we aren't all dehydrated right now. today i even walked .3 down a road to get city water because i didn't want to take chances at the shelter. that little walk paid off. the spring at the shelter smelled funky and had lots of mosquito larve in it. i'll be out of NY in two days (yay!) and back on my home turf (CT) for a few days.when will i be in CT? best guess is: 10 mile shelter on saturday, 6/26 and kent on monday, 6/28. i have to do a very short day (mt algo?) in there to hit town on monday. such is life and maildrops. i might do that extra day in NY, so 10 mile shelter/campsite could be sunday instead. stay tuned, i'll try to send updates whenever i get to a phone.tortoise and wild horse are in the shelter tonight. my bunk is way up near the ceiling. i feel like i'm doing a confined space rescue drill. man, do i miss running around in nomex.
Date: 2004-06-23
From: William Brien Shelter

To: Peekskill, NY
Miles today: 14.7

i took a break on perkins rd. near bear mtn. a motorcyclist zoomed by wearing a blue helmet and a mirrored visor. of the many vehicles that passed me, he was the only one to beep and wave. he shares the feeling of freedom and risk that i do. i wonder if many backpackers also ride motorcycles. my father and i are both backpackers and also ride.there were some great climbs today in NY. good trail... which complements my complaining the other day about having to climb over every rock pile in NY. on this clear day, the views from west mtn and bear mtn made the hiking worthwhile. (hiking through forest all the time can get monotonous.) this is the best section in NY so far; i even found some clean water north of where the crappy dribbling brook was.the highest point on the AT in NY is bear mtn. oddly, the top of bear was... bare. i found the area totally overgrown and the perkins tower closed. did they close this attraction this year? or is the road closed? at the peak (picture lots of touristy buildings like mt. washington or greylock), i took 15 minutes and popped off my shoes and spread out my wet clothes. i guess one benefit of this peak being closed to cars is there are no tourists to give me funny looks. tortoise and bull soon arrived and followed suit, spreading yesterday's wet gear and shoes all about.i have discovered part of my joy on this trip is to talk with the people i meet as i hike. this gives me a sense of connection which, at this time, is important since there aren't many thru hikers around to talk to. half way down bear mtn i met up with a hiking club from manhattan. the group consisted of about 20 children (8 y/o ish) and five adult leaders. the purpose of the group is to bring the children from the city out to the forests. today they are climbing bear mountain.i initially stopped and talked with one of the leaders (cute brunette!), breaking the ice and asking about the kids¢ activity for the day. one of the other trip leaders asked if i was thru hiking and i said yes. they took the opportunity to tell the kids about what i was doing and asked them for questions. boy, was there questions. you name it these inquisitive youngins asked it. i had a wonderful time sharing with them and watching them - some were boisterous, others a little more reserved.if i had a message for these kids it would be this:find your own pace & rhythm in whatever you do. you do not have to be like anyone else or follow what someone else thinks is best. be true to yourself... you cannot figure this out with your brains - it is a feeling inside.you can do anything in this life. use the trail (a thru hike, perhaps) to discover yourselves and how much support there is for you. this is what she teaches. - - -i finished up the day hitching to peekskill. i needed food for the next few days and a shower, so i got a room at the only motel in town. my energy reserves were low, so i grabbed a quick dinner, a pint of ice cream, and called a few friends before going to bed.
Date: 2004-06-24
From: Peekskill, NY

To: RPH Shelter
Miles today: 19.4
Weather: few clouds

i was wicked tired this morning - i did not want to get out of bed. (for those in different parts of the US and abroad, "wicked" is like "really", as in "really tired"... just an expression we use in the new england area.)i did not want to hitch this morning so i called a cab to take me the short distance to the trail. it would be a tough hitch out of town anyway.at lunchtime i met up with arewn and heather, a.k.a. camera 2 and camera 1. we sat on the roadside and had cheese & sausage on crackers and peanut butter on bagels. they warned me that al (camera 3) was going to be at RPH tonight with the big digital camera shooting footage for a documentary on the AT.we traveled together for what seemed the next million miles of our 20 mile day. it was all forest with little to break up the scenery. quite a contrast considering the vistas near bear mountain yesterday.al the camera man met us about a mile before RPH. he was taking all kinds of hiking footage which made us stop quite often so he could get in position to shoot us. it was 6:30 and heather said i didn't have to wait around for al to finish, so i sped off with dinner on my mind.at the shelter i met barbwire and squarepants, two nobo section hikers. as i was getting my dinner stuff ready, arwen, heather, and al showed up, followed shortly by doug (no trail name). as we all started cooking dinner on the two picnic tables, al move around with his camera. arewn and heather are his main focus, doug and i are like extras who happened to be at the right shelter at the right time. as the sun was setting, al began interviewing everyone in camp. he would ask "why are you doing the trail?", "do you think you'll finish?", and "what did you do before the trail?". when i said i was a computer programmer, he and arwen both laughed and then he panned back to arwen who was grinning. "i don't know what it is about computer programming, it seems everyone out here either writes software or is a hippy."arwen himself is a computer programmer and heather works with websites. i gathered from he and al's reaction that these shelter interviews have turned up a lot of programmers. maybe we should form our own software house or consulting business based on a more trail-friendly atmosphere like the work environment found at ideo. i've mentioned this company twice so far in my journals. it is where every creative company should be pointing their compasses.what's the programmer - apalachian trail connection? no idea so far, but something fun to ponder as i walk on.in the shelter tonight: doug, arwen (camera 2), heather (camera 1), barbwire, and square pants.
Date: 2004-06-25
From: RPH Shelter

To: Pawling, NY
Miles today: 17.3

news flash:25 June 2004 at 1700 hrs...the chocolate bandito has been captured in pawling, NY!today i finally caught up with swiss miss (a.k.a. the chocolate bandito) after, i dunno, months of hiking. i last saw her in hot springs which is 1200 miles ago. we did a lot of catching up with who we've hiked with and adventures we've had. we started saying "back in the day..." every time we referred to our smokey mountain experiences. we'd get a good chuckle out of it too since it seems so long ago and it really isn't. it's great to see a familiar face from the beginning of the trip. others i started with: moonpie, haiku, and captain hook are probably too far ahead to ever catch up. i'm sure i'll see wildcat again, as he is only 5-6 days behind me and i am being sucked into the chocolate bandito gang for a while. (see below).swiss miss and i could not agree if i captured her or she captured me. she is the ringleader of a gang of chocolate-stealing miscreants. she's trying to turn me to the dark side - she wants be to join her gang of slow-moving, experience-savoring banditos. (imagine her best darth vader voice) "it is your destiny dharma, join with me... be a bandito"i was warned by wildcat about apprehending this cruella de ville alone. he said, "she'll tempt you with snickers bars, smoked oysters, and raw ramen... not many thru hikers can resist that."i held my resolve for now. but, what did she just pull out of her food bag? water crackers and tennesee hot sauce? uh, oh... i think this is going to be a long night...at the pawling town pavillion tonight: swiss miss, kinloch, and myself. tomorrow morning (saturday) it's going to rain, with the forecast of more rain all day. this might affect my previous schedule to CT. it's possible i could zero in pawling and eat pizza and ice cream all day waiting for the weather to clear... the life of a bandito. mom/dad- might be shifting kent to monday, i'll let you know on saturday. brian, hutch, and millipede, hope to see you on the trail in CT/MA.also i'd like to mention that swiss miss has a journal on trailjournals and i believe arwen and heather (from yesterday) have one too.