morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2014-07-21
From: Cabin

To: Culver's Gap
Miles today: 17.6

With everybody refreshed (for the most part) we started off on day one of slackpacking. We were going to do 18 miles, nothing to crazy plus Culver's Gap is right down the block from the cabin so it worked out perfectly.   I was still shaking the rust off after being off the trail for five days and had to get myself back into the mental mindset of being on the trail. As much as I enjoy slackpacking as it allows you to enjoy the hike a bit more, it didn't help me feel like I was a thru hiker mainly due to wearing a school backpack on my back. I pressed on knowing these negative feelings would pass and the first thing thing to help that out was the fire tower we hiked up about two miles into the day. It feels like late summer at the moment,the air cool, the crickets are chirping and the air and the crisp electric feel to it if that makes any sense. We hung out up there for a bit before heading on,it was a beautiful hike as most of it hugged the ridge line and gave great views of the forest and and towns below. As a native New Yorker we are raised to dislike Jersey, frankly many of the other states aren't too fond of it either but I have to speak out and say the state has some beautiful scenery and is a welcome relief after Pennsylvania.    I had moments where I kept looking at my watch and wondering when the day would end and this was unlike me. Was I losing my passion for the trail? Is it time to throw in the towel. I kept shaking these thoughts and while doing so came across a father and son who were doing some overnight camping and when I asked him how was he doing, he looked at me with a smile on his face and said 'I couldn't be better, I'm out on the A.T'. That was all it took, I just needed some sense knocked into me about how special this experience is and not to take it for granted. I thought back on the texts I got from friends who said how proud of me they were and I was an inspiration. An inspiration. It's cool to think as much as I'm out here doing this for myself, some how it could be helping someone else out as well. After that exchange with the father, I stopped looking at my watch and before I knew it I was hiking down the mountain to Culver's Gap with a new vigor and motivation.
Date: 2014-07-22
From: Culver's Gap

To: Shhh...the secret shelter
Miles today: 21.4

Everyone was feeling good after yesterday's hike so we decided to go a bit further today. I was excited for it because we would be hiking past the first area I hiked of the New Jersey portion of the trail years ago, I get nostalgic over things like this. The problem is we seem to be starting later since being at the cabin, hard to leave delicious breakfast and coffee, I've become a coffee addict out here, it's not even funny.   Fueled by coffee and bagels we flew up Sunrise Mountain and enjoyed another spectacular view from the Culver Fire Tower,it was a great way to start the day. Delaware hiked it solo and blew Atlas and I in the dust, that girl has been hiking mighty fast these days,it's hard to keep up with her sometimes. We got to the Mashipacong Shelter in good time and had lunch there,it's been a bit dry so the local AT chapter left big water cooler jugs of water for hikers,it was such a thoughtful gesture. The weather has been beautiful for the most part, it's hot today so we hit up every water source to attempt to keep hydrated,it's been like this for a some miles now so in going to assume there's some sort of drought going on in the area.   Late afternoon we got to the High Point State Park Headquarters and signed in at the park office and got a free soda out of the deal. The friends of High Point State Park provide the sodas for thru hikers,thanks guys! High Point State Park is pretty famous in New Jersey because within the park is the highest point in New Jersey and marking this is a 220 foot tower which resembles the Washington Monument. This is the first section of the trail I hiked in Jersey way back when with my friend Joel so it was cool to be back here and remember the time we hiked it. We passed a wooden tower which have a good view of the monument and at the base was a cooler of sodas provided by Delaware's parents, they love providing trail magic for the thru hikers.   We ended the day in a gravel road which leads to Murray's shelter. It's not an official shelter but this man was nice enough to build a shelter and shower for thru hikers on his property, it's in the guide book I have but pretty sure it's not in the guide book put out by the Appalachian Trail Conservancy hence why it's named the secret shelter. It was around 6:30 when we were done hiking so we decided to wait until tomorrow morning to go see it. Time to head back to the cabin for another delicious dinner. Tomorrow we finally head back on the trail for real which I'm looking forward to, I have t slept in my tent in 16 days so I can't wait to crawl inside and reunite. Few more days until New York!
Date: 2014-07-25
From: Fitzgerald Falls

To: William Brien Shelter
Miles today: 17.8

The adventure of Shea and Atlas continued on with a bright and early start, this all starting late nonsense was getting out of hand. We aimed for the William Brien shelter which I was excited for as I've stayed at this shelter many times before on overnight trips. There were some big climbs but the big worry was the water which has been very unreliable so far.      We got to the first road crossing of the day and there were jugs of water for thru hikers left by a local trail angel group,it was a beautiful sight.We continued on and came across a shelter that looked abandoned but upon closer inspection it was left there intentionally for hikers in an emergency. The person also built a first aid cabinet full of supplies and attached it to a tree. This person also left trail magic in the form of fruit and drinks at the bottom of the mountain, yet again my fellow New Yorkers came through.   The water was a godsend as the next climb called Agony Grind lived up to its name. New York was a lot harder and rockier than I remember. On the way down we passed a day hiker who gave us some fruit and sent us on our way,the trail magic has been crazy today. We crossed over Arden Valley Road and when we got to the next parking lot, a man named Tent Man was there to greet us with more trail magic, this is getting crazy! He worked for a camping company called Campmor so he had everything a hiker could need from dehydrated meals to Clif bars, he even gave us a new pair of hiking socks. This worked out for us because we needed to resupply in the next day or two so this worked out perfectly for us.   After walking out stunned from all the trail magic we received today, we hiked through the Lemon Squeezer which is a narrow space between rocks that you have to say squeeze through. Things weren't too eventful until we got to the next road which led to Tiorati Park which was a beautiful spot that had a beach and a lake. Atlas likes to stay clean on the trail so we went there so she could shower, I was distracted by the ice cream machine and opted for that instead. They were closing soon when we got there so we didn't stay too long.   We got to the shelter an hour before dark and we set up camp and I went to get some firewood, it was a perfect way to end the day. So with a fire in front if us and some delicious dehydrated meals in our bellies, we ended that day perfectly with smiles on our faces. New York has been amazing so far and the generosity has been so overwhelming that it brings a smile to my face. I love my state.
Date: 2014-07-27
From: Graymoor Spiritual Center

To: Shenadoah Tent Site
Miles today: 17.5
Weather: broken clouds

It was a bleek day which always makes it hard to get out of bed but once I hear Atlas deflating her air mattress, I know it's time to get up. We hung out at the pavilion to avoid the rain and eat breakfast, it also had outlets there do we took advantage of that and charged out phones.   We were the first to leave and headed back to the trail and soon on there we saw a young coyote looking at us, I never saw one before so it was pretty cool. We hiked for a bit when the skies unleashed upon us and we were soon hiking in the rain. I haven't showered for a few days so a free shower was okay with me plus it was warm out so it was pretty enjoyable.    Our plan was to take a stop at Clarence Fahnestock State Park for some lunch and to dry off for a bit. On the side trail to the park, a wasp somehow managed to get tangled up in my sock and proceeded to sting me three times. My manly reaction was to throw my trekking pole, curse and jump around in a circle for a few minutes. After some deep breaths and wiping the bites with a anti bite wipe, I was good to go.    Fahnestock State Park is a beautiful park and more parks should model themselves after it. The park was situated on a beach on a beautiful lake and since it was a cloudy day not many people were there. We got some food from the general store, I got some chicken tender with fries, it wasn't anything great but out here that equates to a gourmet meal. The bathrooms there were amazing, not only were the bathrooms immaculate, they even had showers with curtains and hot water. When this was found out, Atlas made me take a shower, I already had all my stuff packed and didn't want to to open my park again but she wouldn't hike with me unless I took one.    Clean and full, we headed onward and crossed Shenadoah Mountain where someone painted an American flag on the top as a memorial for 9/11, it was a heartwarming sight and I stopped there for a few minutes to pay my respects. We camped out at the Shenadoah Tenting Site which was an interesting place. It looked a garage in the middle of nowhere with a mowed lawn,water pump and privy. There was only one other hiker camping there so it was yet another quiet night at camp. A guy who lived in the area came by and asked us about the hike and offered us some granola bars which we accepted. With his trail magic, we have received trail magic everyday so far in New York which is crazy. We ate dinner with bats flying over head which made me paranoid after hearing the rabies stories but I braved it out and didn't hide in my tent. The sky is darkening and the rain is starting to come down, time to retreat to the tent for a good nights sleep.
Date: 2014-07-28
From: Shenadoah Tent Site

To: Telephone Pioneers Shelter
Miles today: 18.1
Weather: light rain

The storm last night was really intense that it actually woke me up in the middle of the night, you know it's a good storm when the lightning lights up your whole tent like it's the middle of the day. The good thing about using this camping site was the abundance of blueberries in the area. I picked a whole bunch and added them to my oatmeal this morning, it was a great way to start the day.    Today was a pretty quiet day overall. The only thing on our agenda was to go to a pizza place in Stormville that served huge slices of pizza. Someone who reads Atlas's journal recommended it so we're planning on taking the four mile round trip to get there. We stopped at the RPH shelter which is a really nice and quaint shelter that's enclosed. I didn't read the whole history behind it but there's a lot do love and care that goes into keeping that shelter maintained. We got to the road to that brought us into Stormville and started road walking. We had a late start to the day combined with the fact that the road walking brought us up some uphills and it was hot out made me to start doubting this decision for a few reasons. One, we just passes a deli and pizza place .3 miles down the road and two, we were going to be in NYC in two days so we could have as much delicious pizza as we wanted. After my griping, she reluctantly agreed and we to the pizza place that was .3 down the road. There were two thru hikers ahead of us and after they ordered the guy behind the counter told them that thru hikers have to eat outside. This annoyed both of us and when next door to the deli who was real hiker friendly and enjoyed an sandwich and ice cream. I understand where the pizza place was coming from but I don't necessarily agree with it. The area is near an industrial area and I'm no more sweaty or dirty than one of those guys so I'm strictly being judged by my appearance. I'm not a thru hiker elitist and no my place on where to go into based on my appearance and odor but to be put on blast was a real uncomfortable experience.       After a full belly we had got back on the trail which went around Nuclear Lake which was a beautiful lake with a interesting past surrounding the name. We got to the Telephone Pioneers Shelter around 7ish and opted for set up our tents, unfortunately there wasn't much flat ground but we made due with what we had. It was a early night because we had a 3 mile hike plus another 2.6 miles of road waking to Pawling to catch the train into NYC. New York City here we come!
Date: 2014-07-29
From: Telephone Pioneers Shelter

To: NYC
Miles today: 2.9
Weather: overcast clouds

We were up bright and early so we could catch the 10:41 train into the city, I wanted to have as much time there so the earlier the better. The three miles to the road brought us through fields with cattle who didn't like my cow calls to aboard walk through a marsh where Atlas may have seen the Loch Ness monster, it's was blurry.   We got got the road and stopped at Tony's Deli and got a coffee and sandwich which made the walk more pleasant. We got into Pawling pretty quickly and enjoyed a few hours there before the train arrived. Of course there were track repairs and the train didn't show up but don't you worry they were sending a bus to pick us up an shuttle us to the next station,it never arrived. So we split a cab with a another guy who was stranded and eventually we were on the train to Manhattan.       I've never been on a train that arrived at Grand Central Station so I was shocked at how busy it was. It's hard enough walking around the city, now add some backpacks and it's a whole new adventure. I was playing bumper cars with people left and right and eventually we made to the streets and decided to walk the fifty or so block to my brothers apartment.   It was a great sight to see my brother and after getting sloes to us he made us shower immediately and to put our bags on the fire escape as they were the culprit of the smell. After freshening up, we went out for a few drinks in his neighborhood and called it a night. It's good to be home.
Date: 2014-07-31
From: NYC

To: NYC
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

So on our second zero day we walked around the city because we don't do enough of that on a daily basis to begin with. We walked around Central Park, had a hot dog on the steps of the Met where she got hit in the head by a pigeon,had coffee at a coffee shop and people watched for a while and ended the day waking around Washington Square Park. It was a great day with beautiful weather and to walk around the city and just relax was amazing. I love it here and to be able to come here while I'm on this journey made it that much special.    Tomorrow we head to Long Island for a bit and then head back to the trail Saturday. My friend is coming out for the week so this is going to be interesting.
Date: 2014-08-01
From: NYC

To: Long Island
Miles today: 0.0

We stayed in the city for awhile and Atlas made my brother and I chicken Parmesan which was delicious. He reaped the benefits as he had a good amount of leftovers. We said our goodbyes to my brother which was hard but knowing I'll see him in a few months lessened the blow and we were of to Long Island.   Penn Station is pure chaos with people running every which way to catch the train. Thankfully we survived and got to our train unscathed and were on our way. My dad picked us up and we went to a bar for a few drinks and supplied some people with some good stories, it was fun.   My friend is coming up for a week and has been excited to this for a long time. I'm excited as well but at the same time a bit nervous because I feel like I'm already on a time crunch and two he hasn't hiked for a bit and I know it will take him a few days to get his legs and be able to do big miles. We all resupplied from food my parents had at the house plus a stop at the grocery store. I also went to a local outfitter and picked up a rain jacket for the states ahead,I don't want to unprepared for the big three states,I'm already nervous enough. Time for bed and tomorrow we'll be back on the trail!
Date: 2014-08-02
From: Long Island

To: Ten Mile River Campsite
Miles today: 9.8

After a later start and a trip to a bagel store (Atlas needed to have a NY bagel) we were back on the trail. We didn't get there to around twelve so we decided to limit the miles plus we needed release my friend Dave into it. Thankfully the terrain wasn't too bad with only one decent uphill, I've don't most of this days hike before so I had a decent idea on what to expect.   The day started off through fields of grass and into the woods and we took a break at the Wiley Shelter which was the last shelter in New York. My only gripe with the shelters in NY is they are all pretty old and overused and need replacement. Along with the fact that they oddly spaced out with no campsites in between make it difficult not to stealth camp. I definitely want to get more involved in improving the NY section of the trail when I get home, it's a great section, just needs some updating.   So we crossed in Connecticut and after the one big uphill which Dave survived we were hiking along the Ten Mile River which was a big,fast moving river and a pleasure to hike along. We got to the campsite which was probably one the best campsites we stayed at all trip. It was well maintained, flat ground, had a privy and was along the banks of the Housatonic River which provided beautiful ambient sound to fall asleep to. The only problem with Connecticut is there no campfire rule which I don't fully understand. It's the only state that doesn't allow them and it being such a small stretch of the trail,not really sure why it's enforced. They probably have there reasons but we still tried anyway to no avail.
Date: 2014-08-03
From: Ten Mile River Campsite

To: Stewart Hollow Brook Campsite
Miles today: 15.7

It was a cool morning which means it's extra comfortable in the sleeping bags so it took a little longer to get out of bed this morning. Dave brought his two person tent which is like the Taj Mahal compared to mine so I'm crashing in there while he's here. It's one less thing I have to break down in the morning so that's another plus. It took a little longer to leave camp today since it's his first time packing up and it takes a bit to get into a routine of where everything fits, it reminded me of my first days on the trail and how long it took me to break down camp. He wasn't feeling to sore this morning so we're going to push it a bit and try to do a fifteen mile day, there's options along the way in case it's a bit far for him.   We left camp around ten and the trail followed along the Housatonic River for awhile which was nice, it's always a plus to hear the sound of moving water while hiking. The trail was pretty flat cow awhile and then had a moderate climb which is when Atlas and I would pull ahead and wait for Dave at the top or at certain points so he could catch up. It's a fine balance on how far to hike ahead because I didn't want to discourage him and I wanted to him to enjoy himself as much as he could but at the same time it's hard to slow down the pace and he didn't want us to do that for his sake. We stopped near Macedonia Brook for some water and a snack break and that's where Dave got his trail name. The placement of the water bottle holders on his bag made it so that he couldn't reach them without taking his bag off so watching a big guy flail about trying to get his bottles made him look like a T-Rex, a big animal with short arms. He seemed happy to get a trail name and laughed at this one so from now on he will be called T-Rex on the trail, it's a lot better than some of the names we call him at home.   We hiked on and the constant rolling terrain was taking it's toll on T-Rex but he sucked it up and kept going. Luckily after the steep decent down St. Johns Ledges the trail followed a dirt road until we hit the campsite which was poorly mark but we got there. We didn't get there until 7-7:30 so we all plopped down the bags, set up camp, ate dinner and crawled into the tents. The long day took a toll on T-Rex and his body, especially his feet which were starting to blister up so he's being to get a bit hesitant on how long he'll last. I'm proud of him so far and hopefully he can keep going for a little longer, see how he feels in the morning.
Date: 2014-08-04
From: Stewart Hollow Brook Campsite

To: Sharon Mountain Campsite
Miles today: 12.4

T-Rex was feeling good in the morning thankfully, his feet were hurting a bit but he wanted to keep going which I was happy to hear. I had a scrambled egg dehydrated meal that I gave him to hopefully lift his spirits a bit and keep him happy. The trail was flat for a it and hugged the shores of the Housatonic River for awhile which was a nice way to start the day off. We were pushing for another fifteen mile day, I know we're pushing our luck but we're trying to keep pace or catch up to Delaware who's a few days ahead of us with Guppy and Tim.    We had a big climb about four miles and in and that's where we met a Sobo hiker named Sky Chicken who was just a really happy and motivational person. She talked about the upcoming trail and how proud the southbounders were of us and how close were to competing this journey, right now they're about 700 miles into theres. We've been seeing more and more southbounders lately,more so that northbounders and I love it. It's great to talk to people who are going the opposite direction of you and to get info about upcoming trail and where to go and what to look for. We have the same goal of completing the trail but are going about it differently and having a totally different perspective. After talking to her, I got a morale boost and headed up that mountain full seam ahead. When we got to the bottom of the mountain, we saw a sign about a detour on the trail due to dangerous conditions crossing a river so we hiked down the road to it. We consulted the book and saw that there was a gas station nearby so we took a side trip to get a soda and once we got there that had microwaveable sandwiches so we knew we would be there for awhile.   After about an hour or so break of gorging we headed on with full bellies. While hiking along , Atlas stepped on a wasps nest that fell onto the trail and got stung three times, it's been a bit of a rough stretch of trail with getting bit and stung lately. Earlier in the day I took a tumble and was real close to rolling down a mountain and the only thing that saved me was a small tree that blocked me from doing so.   We got to the Pine Swamp Brook Shelter around 4:30 and it was extremely buggy. Connecticut has been rough with the mosquitos and it hasn't let up a bit, the sound of them buzzing in my ears gives me nightmares. T-Rex looked a bit tired and was hurting but I convinced him to go a few more miles to a campsite which he did and we got around 6. The campsite was nice and spacious and there wasn't anyone there so it was nice. After setting up camps and doing some river laundry we made a small fire to keep the mosquitos away because they were extra hungry. T-Rex wasn't in good shape and was contemplating leaving the trails early so once again we'll see how he feels in the morning and take it from there.