morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2007-06-12
From: Darlington shelter

To: Duncannon
Miles today: 11.3
Weather: few clouds

The town of Duncannon harbors the most legendary watering hole on the entire AT. Only in a ramshackle, blue collar, community such as this could "The Doyle" exist. This hotel reminds one of the first stop an ex-convict might make upon prison release.It is the quintessential hiker haven. A no frills hostel; devoid of all the comforts you might expect in even your cheapest roadside inn. No telephone, television, heat, air conditioning, electrical outlets, and only one toilet per floor which must be triple flushed in order to swallow an averaged sized deposit.Fire code violations, peeling paint, and rotting floorboards covered by cracked linoleum hold this one hundred year old structure together.However it has the perfect pub brimming with hikers quaffing their thirst with  ninety cent drafts, each of us, now a seasoned veteran, with our own unique tales of the trail. The cozy bar reverberates with laughter and elevated conversation from all corners. The scene couldn't be more perfect. I was met by good friends Bub Manning and John Koury who I haven't seen for over ten years but we immediately fell into easy talk and side splitting stories of days long past. Would life have any meaning without memories?When we hugged goodbye I was overcome with joy that they would make the effort to see me coinciding with a melancholy feeling that this may be the last time.The answer of course is no; life hasn't meaning without such memories.
Date: 2007-06-13
From: Duncannon

To: Duncannon
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

Today I am "zeroing" with many hikers in whom I trust. Once again I have time to reflect on lessons learned over the last 1000 miles walked. I hope you will find wisdom in my words.I have learned that you should put your feet in a cold mountain stream at least once a day.I have learned that if you grease the monkey first you use less toilet paper later.I have learned that when I say I'm as good at 50 years old as I was at 30, it is because I didn't do much at 30.I have learned that when you lose thirty pounds and your pack straps hang low then when you pee in the woods you eventually get your straps wet and they in turn get your leg wet.I have learned that when you are in the Forest you shouldn't speak unless you can improve on the silence.I have learned that a pedestrian is a man in danger of his life, a hiker is a man in possession of his soul.I have learned that it is fun to do something that makes your mother proud.and most importantly, I have learned that if you keep your penis clean then you don't have to wash your hands after every bathroom break; it is only if you touch someone else's penis you must wash your hands. The lesson is you can touch your penis and you can touch your friend but you CAN NOT touch your friend's penis.
Date: 2007-06-14
From: Duncannon

To: shikellimy trail
Miles today: 15.2

Today's agony was of my own doing. Yesterday was one too many. Too many hot peppers on my pizza, too many dollars in the juke box, too many beers around the pool table, too many trips to the bathroom, too many sleepless hours.It was a repeat performance of Tuesday night including a riotous, bawdy time with my great friend Steve Tucker. He has never failed to keep my spirits high. I miss him much.The difference is I must hike today and my hung over, alcohol dehydrated, oxygen deprived, brain is making me pay for it with each rocky step.I was fortunate that my clouded mind had some awareness of the path ahead. I came within inches of stepping on rattle snakes. If you look closely at the photo you can see 2 separate piles of snakes with the white blaze right between them. It wasn't until I moved in close for a picture that they began to rattle. I also want to mention an incredible hiker I met by the name of Beach Bum. (see photo) He is the kind of person I would like even if his wife were not a big gatorgump fan.We talked of her following my journal, "thank you Mrs. Bum, and I hope to meet you when you join your husband for his "conjugal visit".
Date: 2007-06-15
From: shikellimy trail

To: near old state road
Miles today: 20.0

I have been in Pa a while now and there are several differences worth mentioning. Hunting is very popular in this state. The animals know this. In Virginia, a bear will doze upon a rock and nonchalantly watch you hike past. Deer will walk toward you on the trail. Here you see no game. You can kill anything in this state. There are placards along the trail telling hunters what their "bag limits" are. I did not know there were many elk left in the eastern US but if you find one in PA, you can kill it. Some animals have no limits, beaver for example; you can kill em' all. It is as if some legislator had a bad beaver experience. I love beaver, always have, always will.There are also signs along the trail delineating "safety zones" where no hunting is allowed. The only problem is they have yet to teach the animals how to read.In the absence of so many other mammals, the gnats have become agressive. They are New York city gnats, no respect for personal space. Constantly up my nose and in my eyes, seems they love gator meat.
Date: 2007-06-16
From: near old state road

To: Past the kessel trail
Miles today: 14.0

It is said that one should never go grocery shopping when you are hungry. The same is true regarding allowing starving hikers to order "take out".The 501 shelter is very close to route 501 which is close to an Italian restaurant. There were only three of us but we ordered 80 dollars worth of food, far more than our shrunken stomachs could digest. (see photo)Hikers talk alot of food; seems we are always starving. Here is a poem I would like to sing to you now:Lord,You have taken the heart of meLeft just a part of meLook, look what you have doneYou took all the best of meso come get the rest of meLook, look finish what you've begunLord,there is someone you ought to meetIt's me; mr. incompleteLook, look at what I've becomeIt's due to the lack of foodI'm now only half a dudeLook, look finish what you've begun.
Date: 2007-06-17
From: Past the kessel trail

To: Port Clinton
Miles today: 19.0
Weather: clear sky

Happy Father's day to my father and to all the dad's out there. I can't wait to sit down and share a cold one with you dad. I hope you had a better father's day than I.I have had an open sore on my shoulder now for many days,(see photo) which refuses to heal as long as I wear a pack. I have also been suffering from vertigo and fever.In addition,Itoday's trail was 19 miles of rocky, hot, hell.Finally, I made it into Port Clinton. Now before you assume that I was just having a bad day, let me preface this description by telling you that every hiker here, bar none, had a similar experience.Immediately upon my arrival I inquired, of one of the residents, the location of the Port Clinton Hotel. She took one look at me and, I kid you not, said with an unmistakable tone of disgust, "You're going to need a bath".This town has one restaurant (at the hotel), it has one bar (at the hotel) and it has one hotel (at the hotel). You might imagine that with only one place of commerce as goes their attitude toward hikers, so goes the town's attitude.Now before you judge Port Clinton too harshly you must consider the history of this town. It grew up around anthracite coal and as coal went so did the local economy. The town slowly decayed into what is often referred to as "poor white trash". Today it is a collection of homes and small businesses held together by unemployment checks and NASCAR driver wanna-be's.After years of town neglect and pent-up disdain, along came the thru-hiker. There are only two things in this world that look and smell worse than poor white trash. One is the thru-hiker and the other are the Hare Khrishna singers.LESSON 19 Future thru-hikers If you are sitting at the bar in the Port Clinton Hotel and some fat bastard named Ed ignores you for the tenth time in a row, remember he is better than you. He is poor white trash. You, on the other hand, can treat the Hare Khrishna's the same way when they come through.
Date: 2007-06-18
From: Port Clinton

To: Eckville shelter
Miles today: 15.2
Weather: few clouds

It is good to be back in the woods. I have yet to be mistreated by a tree or a chipmunk.Speaking of chipmunks, they have got to be the most abundant animals in the forest. They are lightening quick and until now I have never gotten a real good look at one.He was unaware of my presence as I was sitting on his log eating my lunch. I never really knew this, perhaps you didn't either, but their testicles, in proportion to their small bodies are enormous.I was left to ponder why was I not so endowed?
Date: 2007-06-19
From: Eckville shelter

To: Bake Oven shelter
Miles today: 17.5
Weather: clear sky

More rocks today and many of the springs are dry but it was a great day as I got to see another friend. John "the boomer" Bashago picked me and two other hikers up at PA309 and treated us to a fantastic lunch.Boomer you are the best and more importantly you have nice breasts for an older man. On the trail you have to "cop a feel" whenever and from whomever you can get it. (see photo)I wish you, JK, the bubba, and tucker would come and hike the Florida Trail with me. It starts in Key West and we wouldn't stop laughing until we reached Tallahassee.
Date: 2007-06-20
From: Bake Oven shelter

To: Palmerton
Miles today: 8.0

Last night was a real treat. The wind snapped one of my tent poles, then the pooling rain seeped through the seams and left me sleeping in an inch of water.I lay awake at two AM contemplating my next move as the wind and rain continued it's assault.I felt a slight tickle along my backside. I'll be damned if there wasn't a tick in my butt crack.I have not washed my clothes or taken a shower since Boiling Springs. How many days is that? Hell, even if I was a tick I wouldn't eat there. Don't they have a sense of smell?I have sought refuge in the nearby town of Palmerton. I am here to heal, mend, and dry out. This town is everything that Port Clinton was not.I am staying at the famous "jail house hostel" (no charge). Here you check in with the local officials where they finger print and photograph you. Didn't think much of it until I met Bert, the local drunk, on the cot next to mine.I thought he was just another hiker until I noticed he had no pack and a bad case of Johnny Walker breath. "You on your way to Maine?", I asked."No I live a few blocks away", he replied, "I just like it here cause I get the best of both worlds.""How's that?", I responded."Well they give me a free meal and sometimes I get some hiker ass.""Oooookay", I stammered, "I'm just going to sleep a ways over here, good luck with that."Tomorrow I get to hike naked!!! It is a hiker tradition on the day of the summer solstice and you know from my act on Springer Mountain that the gator believes in holding with tradition. Stay tuned for the photos.
Date: 2007-06-21
From: Palmerton

To: Past Leroy Smith Shelter
Miles today: 16.2
Weather: few clouds

It would seem that the other hikers did not get the memo. You know the one announcing today as "Hike Nude Day". I am having to give other hikers on the trail a wide berth and the assurance that everything is ok; "I'm not going to hurt you." The weather could not be more perfect for a naked stroll in the woods, cool and sunny with a "stiff" breeze. While walking I couldn't help but notice what a fine male specimen I have become; loose skin, saggy breasts, and of course proud to be a dickdo. (That's where your pubic hairs stick out further then your dickdo.) I am soooo fine, I thought why am I not putting this body to good use? With that in mind I have stopped to create a few Mountain House advertisements that I believe might make me some extra cash. Check the photo section of my journal and if you agree, then perhaps if anyone out there knows someone who knows someone who works for Mountain House foods, please have their people call my people.I also have some great ideas using Ramen noodles nicely arrayed around a large Jimmy Dean sausage.
Date: 2007-06-22
From: Past Leroy Smith Shelter

To: Delaware Water Gap
Miles today: 20.2
Weather: few clouds

ON THE ROCKS OF PENNSYLVANIAMy feet were bruised and battered.I couldn't tell what I felt.They are unrecognizable, to myself.I saw my reflection in a puddleand didn't know my own face.Oh Lord are you gonna leave me,Wasting away,On the rocks of Pennsylvania.I walked the trail, till my legs felt like stone.I heard voices in my head, vanished and gone.At night I hear the blood in my veins.Just as black with misery as the rains.On the rocks of Pennsylvania.No trail angel gonna greet me.It's just I and me,My friend.And my clothes don't fit me,No more.I've walked 1,000 milesJust to slit my skin.The night has fallen, I'm layin' awake.I can feel myself, fadin' away.So receive me Lord,With your faithless kiss.Or will you leave me alone, like thisOn the rocks of Pennsylvania.- The Boss and the Gator
Date: 2007-06-23
From: Delaware Water Gap

To: Camp Road
Miles today: 10.3

Today's hike is dedicated to Charis, a great manager and Director of Marketing. Happy Birthday! I crossed the Delaware River where upon New Jersey welcomed me with open arms. A soft wind at my back sifted through translucent rays of sunshine. The leaves folded, then unfurled beckoning me down the trail. I have left seven states in my wake; bested the extremes of Georgia and North Carolina, the endless path of Virginia, and the rocks of Pennsylvania. The journey thus far has been rich with diversity. Certainly the best lies ahead of me. I am sure to be enchanted by New England's age old charm and majestic mountains.But more importantly: What lies behind usAnd what lies before usAre tiny mattersCompared to what lies within us.- Emerson
Date: 2007-06-24
From: Camp Road

To: Gren Andersen Shelter
Miles today: 21.0
Weather: clear sky

The state of New Jersey is thick with bears. I am hiking with "Walking Cowboy" and we have seen 8 bears in just two days! Yes, my bear was one of them and honey I have some explaining to do. You know a man gets lonely out here, seems I have a cub. Looks just like me, big nose and a hairy face. There is so much I could teach him; the wisdom of the great philosophers. Men like Red Green whose words, as my son, he must learn to accept. "If the women don't find you handsome, they should at least find you handy."It was early evening, around 7 pm. I tented near "Walking Cowboy". He was asleep but I was still awake reading. I heard a rustling noise in the dense undergrowth nearby. When I got up to investigate, I came face to face with a 500 lb. male black bear sitting no more than 5 feet from Cowboy's tent.He remained still, eyeing me, then Cowboy. There is a certain quickness of the pulse when one is just a few feet away from an animal who can kill you with one swipe of his claw; an animal who has obviously lost his fear of man.I called out to Cowboy and the bear slowly walked away, so slowly I had time to get my camera. He stopped and looked back toward me as if undecided whether to stay and eat me or move on. If you zoom in you can see this massive animal with his head turned back toward me for one last look.
Date: 2007-06-25
From: Gren Andersen Shelter

To: The Secret Shelter
Miles today: 18.0

There are days here when everything comes together like a well made puzzle. It was stifling hot but the trail took me past High Point Park where I rediscovered how good an afternoon swim can feel. I was starving, as usual, so I washed down a large peppers, tomatoes, and sausage hoagie with 3 twenty ounce cokes. My tent frame had split apart last night, collapsing around me. I don't know how soon I can have a new one shipped here but as this day would have it, I came upon the "secret shelter". (See Photo) This place is not well known, Cowboy and I are the only ones here. It is an amazing shelter built by a previous thru-hiker who loved the AT. It has a shower, kitchen, loft, electricity, and best of all...donkeys. That's right, one male and one female; and as with most young males, he is forever horny. Each time he attempts to mount the female, he brays with a fervor that would wake the dead. It is hilarious, I've never seen anything like it. (See photo) She keeps moving away and kicking him in the face and he screams as if his manhood was in a vise.
Date: 2007-06-26
From: The Secret Shelter

To: Vernon, NJ
Miles today: 14.6

Well, it's official. The male donkey gets first prize in the "rejected but never gives up" category. The attempted humping went on all night. Throughout the evolution of mankind there must have been a time when we happily coexisted with the natural world around us. We have become soft, fragile. Lest you think that all of my days here have been one long amusement ride, please allow me to introduce you to the insect. Today a fly flew directly into my ear. It did not hover or land on the lobe to investigate. It went full speed, deep inside and my attempted dislodge only embedded it further. I hiked for over an hour with a live fly in my head, finally had to use my precious water to flush it out. But gnats in your eyes, flies in your ears, and ticks up your ass, pale in comparison to the misery that mosquitoes can inflict on a tent-less hiker. They land on your sweaty butt, bite you, get stuck in the moisture, then bite you again. Man has conquered nature by running from it; I am now but a visitor in their world.This morning Walking Cowboy and I stopped in a small village called Unionville, just .4 of a mile off of the trail. The mayor came out of his office to greet us, and invited us to use his own washer, dryer, and shower. I declined as it has not been 7 days yet, but what a kind gesture. This is an AT 9th first for me; I have never before been greeted by the mayor of anything.
Date: 2007-06-27
From: Vernon, NJ

To: Vernon, NJ
Miles today: 0.0

Over the past few weeks I have attempted, in vain, to return a telephone call from a reporter. He works for the Bradenton Herald and is hoping to write a follow-up story regarding my thru-hike. I have decided that it is easier just to write my own interview.THE INTERVIEW THAT NEVER WAS:Reporter: So you've done over a 1,000 miles, that's impressive, how's your body holding up?Gump: So far, so good, aches and pains but no real injuries.Reporter: No problems with your heart?Gump: Far as I can tell, it's still beating.Reporter: The diabetes?Gump: Don't know, I've been eating the worse food you can imagine. It will be interesting to see the blood test when I return.Reporter: Now that you've been out a while, is there anything that you would have done differently?Gump: What do you mean?Reporter: Well you upset some people when you put your bare ass on the plaque at Springer Mountain.Gump: Only a few anal, uptight morons.Reporter: Yes, but you apologized?Gump: No, go back and reread my journal. I said I was sorry they were offended. I thought it was funny then and I think it is funny now. It was a nice way of saying I'm sorry you don't have a sense of humor. Reporter: So you would do it again?Gump: Hell yes, look small minds always take up small causes. If those anal morons had any intelligence, they would know the real threat to our national treasures are things like acid rain, global warming, and George Bush. Not some guy out here having fun. Reporter: Has it been tough? Gump: No and yes. The AT has a lot of support, by that I mean shelters, nearby towns, and lots of helpful people. But I am lonely, tenting by myself most nights in the woods.Reporter: Well, thank you for your time but I don't think we will be printing this story. Gump: Why the hell not?Reporter: It's just not that interesting or newsworthy.Gump: Then why did you interview me?Reporter: I didn't, you just made this whole thing up. Remember?
Date: 2007-06-28
From: Vernon, NJ

To: wildcat shelter
Miles today: 17.3
Weather: scattered clouds

Today's hike took me into New York over many large boulders in the pouring rain. I fell hard once and thought I may have broken my tail bone. I just lay there for several minutes in the mud and the rain. I have a large bruise but nothing serious.Earlier I had passed a small statue of Buddha that someone had cemented to the top of one of the boulders. In his lap there was several dollars in change; someones offering to the deity. I took the money and rubbed his belly; thinking good luck and several free cokes. That's probably why I fell shortly thereafter.
Date: 2007-06-29
From: wildcat shelter

To: past arden valley road
Miles today: 16.0
Weather: moderate rain

The gator's luck has changed for the better. My tent frame was at the Arden post office so I am once again free to camp where I like.I went a short distance off the trail to the Tiorati Circle lake park and who should I see there but old trail angel Paddy O!!!You might remember him from an earlier journal entry. He once again set me (and other hikers) up with Sam Adams beer and shots of Jack Daniels.Is it just me or does everyone hike better with a slight buzz??Go Paddy O!
Date: 2007-06-30
From: past arden valley road

To: Fort Montgomery
Miles today: 12.3

Today's trail brought me through the mosaic that is New York City. Bear Mountain lies just 34 miles from the big apple. The park was a mass of humanity on a weather perfect Saturday. I counted five separate languages; Spanish, Indian, Japanese, Chinese, and Ebonics in just a few yards. (see photos)The trail winds along the bear mountain wildlife center. My appearance and odor left me extremely conspicuous. Without a flat billed cap, long baggy shorts, and a wife beater t-shirt I was unable to blend into the New York crowd; many heads and upturned noses glanced my way.One very large Hispanic man approached me as I hiked the promenade along Hessian Lake. He was grossly overweight, man tits resting comfortably on his portly stomach. "Yo dude", he bellowed, "you one of them hiker guys, it ain't all that, you think i could do it?"I stopped and slowly took my pack off, looking him over. A half eaten hot dog in one hand, mustard stains on his shirt and around the corners of his mouth; homies and bitches right behind him. I did the only thing any average white man would do in such unfamiliar territory... I broke into my favorite Gnarles Barkley song. Come on people you know the one, sing it with me now: "I remember when, I remember, I remember when i lost my mindthere was something so pleasant about that date.Given those emotions, you had to be there.And when youre out here, out there,yea youre out of touch.It isnt because i didnt know enough;i just knew too much.Does that make me craaaazy? does that make me craaaazy?(hip hop, pelvic thrust, spin move)All of the thrus tell you, have the time of your lifeBut think twice, that's my only advice. Come on now, who do you, who do you, who do you think you are?Ha ha ha bless your soulYou really think here, you're in control?Well i think you're craaaaaazy i think you're craaaaaazy.just like meeeeee!!Thru hikers all have a broken limbAnd i remember, i remember thinkinDont wanna be like him.Ever since I was little, it lokked like funAnd i can die when i'm doneMaybe I'm craaaazy, maybe you're craaaazyMaybe we're craaaazyProbably."He just stood there, his jaw open, exposing a half chewed hot dog."You gonna eat the rest of that hot dog?", I asked.
Date: 2007-07-01
From: Fort Montgomery

To: Fahnestock trail
Miles today: 19.0

Today's hike is dedicated to B.J., thank you for the great praline crunch.I crossed the mighty Hudson river today. When you consider the James, the Shenandoah, the Potomac, the Delaware, the Susquehanna and now the Hudson the AT has taken me across some of the most significant rivers in our country's history.New York does not challenge you with high altitude climbs but it is one taxing rock climb after another. It has taken it's toll on many hikers. We all seem to be full of cuts and bruises from slippery rocks.