morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2013-09-11
From: Telephone Pioneers Shelter

To: RPH Shelter
Miles today: 16.8
Weather: clear sky

I got a short text today from the Crunchmaster who declared it was a hot day to hike. The heat index was 110 degrees. Not much fun hiking when it's that hot. A front is moving through tomorrow and quite a drop in temps expected following after, with highs in the low 70's and lows in the mid 40's. Just now got Trevor's FB post."Got a little later start this morning than I would have liked. It was 8:15 when I left. Milkrun and Cerveza left about 15 minutes after I did. I walked strong until I came to the first stream which was about 4 miles away. The shelter we stayed at had no water so none of us cooked last night. As I was filling up on water Milkrun and Cerveza rolled in and did the same. Another couple miles down the trail and I just had to stop because it was so hot! I chugged a whole bottle right there. It was only 10:45 and the heat index was already at 100 degrees. We continued another 2 miles to Morgan Stewart Shelter and ate lunch there. They have water pumps at a lot of shelters here in New York so I pumped it a few times and got under it to cool off. The afternoon was absolutely miserable! The temperature was in the mid 90s all afternoon. The heat index reached 110 degrees at the hottest point of the day. It was so hazy that it almost looked like fog in the woods. There was also an air quality alert so who knows what we breathed in all day. I stopped a few more times throughout the rest of the day due to the heat. I finally got to the shelter at 6:15 and the guys were already there. You can actually get pizza delivered to this shelter so we all ordered pizza for supper. It's nice not having to cook!Chewie, Rebar, and Pumba are also here. They are all SOBO. I can't wait to get out of these mid-atlantic states. They are boring and don't have good water at all!"A couple more scenes from the day:
Date: 2013-09-12
From: RPH Shelter

To: Graymoor Spiritual Life Center
Miles today: 18.8

Trevor's FB post:"Got another late start today at 8:15. Its been really hard getting up early to hike. Hopefully I can start getting earlier starts soon. The day started out climbing up Shenandoah Mountain. There was a 9/11 memorial flag on the summit. It would have been cool to have been there yesterday! I hiked continuously until lunch. I stopped at one of the few streams in the state of New York. Cerveza and Milkrun showed up about 30 minutes after I did. Just as we were finishing lunch the skies opened up! It poured down rain for an hour. The thunder and lightning was bad enough where I was actually a little nervous hiking along the ridge. We didn't put on any rain gear since we were soaking wet with sweat anyway. It actually felt really refreshing. Right after the rain stopped we came up to a road and there was a car parked there. Three ladies got out and offered us grapes, cantaloupe, and some water. The rest of the afternoon was pretty tough. Me and Milkrun's legs are in pretty bad shape because they are rubbing together. We slowed down quite a bit so the pain wouldn't be too bad. As we were walking to the shelter we saw 6 deer, 1 being a buck. We are starting to see them every day now. We are staying under a ball field picnic shelter at a monastery. Better than being out in a tent in the rain. We even got to take a ice cold shower at the shelter! Can't wait for some cooler weather."Today's scenes:
Date: 2013-09-13
From: Graymoor Spiritual Life Center

To: William Brien Memorial Shelter
Miles today: 16.5
Weather: overcast clouds

No word from Trevor today. Milkrun wasn't feeling well last night and so there was some question as to what they would do today. Fortunately cooler temperatures are prevailing, with a low tonight of 50 degrees and a high tomorrow of 70. New York is about to be completed and about 4 or 5 days in New Jersey will follow. Then comes the rocks of "Pain Sylvania".More to come...Here's Trevor's FB post:"I left the shelter at 8:00 this morning. I skipped breakfast because there was a deli a half mile from the shelter. I ordered 4 panckes, 3 hash browns, a big chocolate donut, and a half gallon of chocolate milk. It was all gone in about 15 minutes. It was definitely better than the normal pop tarts! The trail was fairly easy the next few miles. I crossed the Hudson River and then entered the Bear Mountain zoo. The trail goes right through the middle of it. The bear exhibit is the lowest point on the whole Appalachian Trail at a breath taking 163 feet. I bought some ice cream and soda as I left the zoo to help me with the two mile climb up Bear Mountain. The climb was really easy because it was a gravel path with rock steps. I took a very short breather on top and climbed the tower. You can actually see the NYC skyline from this mountain which is pretty cool. It was 12:30 when I was at the summit but I wasn't hungry so I pressed on. I finally stopped for I guess what you would call a lunch. All I had was one clif bar for lunch. I got to the shelter at 4:00. I dried some of my clothes out and just relaxed. It's nice getting to a shelter this early. I also saw about 20 deer today. They are pretty common to see now. I haven't done laundry since Massachusetts which really sucks. I can't wait to take a zero. I really need it.:William Brien Memorial ShelterHudson River from Bear Mtn BridgeBear Mtn BridgeHessian LakeStair Steps up Bear MtnPerkins Memorial TowerView of Bear Mtn from West MtnPath through woodsView from West MtnView of Hudson River from West Mtn
Date: 2013-09-14
From: William Brien Memorial Shelter

To: Wildcat Shelter
Miles today: 19.6
Weather: broken clouds

The only word I got from Trevor today, other than his journal post for yesterday, was a private message indicating he was at Wildcat Shelter. I'll post more later when he posts.Here's his post:"Today was by far my favorite day in New York. I started a little before 8:00. I didn't have any water at all so I was very anxious to get to the first water source. It was 2 miles before I found water. I hadn't had any water to drink for 15 hours. The water situation here is absolutely pathetic. After I got water I didn't stop until lunch around the top of Arden Mountain. I didn't have to worry about water at all during the afternoon. People had left jugs of water at every road crossing. It's great not having to filter water for once. I got to the shelter around 5:30 and I felt so good I could have gone another 10 miles. Today was one of the first days where nothing hurt when I got to camp. I hope it stays that way. I'll be going into town tomorrow to resupply. I will also be leaving New York tomorrow and entering New Jersey. I can't wait for some real food!"800 down, 1380 to goTrail Sign north of the Lemon SqueezerTrail through large boulders near Lemon SqueezerThe Lemon SqueezerAnother view of the Lemon SqueezerAT Marker on large rock
Date: 2013-09-15
From: Wildcat Shelter

To: Wawayanda Shelter
Miles today: 12.1
Weather: clear sky

Trevor's FB Post:"I left the shelter around 8:30 since I knew it was going to be a short day. Milkrun and Cerveza left about 15 minutes after me. I was walking as fast as I could most of the day because I really wanted to eat lunch in town. I climbed Prospect Rock around noon. It's the highest point on the AT in New York. Another half mile and I was in New Jersey. I got to the road around 1:30 and it only took me about 15 minutes to hitch into town. I got picked up by Manny and Vanessa. They were very nice and even gave me a king size Hershey bar. I went straight to the deli and bought a Philly Cheesesteak. Milkrun and Cerveza showed up as I was shopping in the grocery store. After resupplying we went to the bowling alley to charge our electronics. We didn't start trying to hitch out of town until 6:30. It took us almost an hour to get a ride but someone finally stopped. We got into the shelter right as it was getting dark. The Puppy Pack is here at the shelter too. I'm so glad to be in a new state!"Scenes from the day:Flag on top of Highest pt of AT in NYView of Hudson River from High PointThis part of the trail requires a ladderAnother view of the Hudson River
Date: 2013-09-16
From: Wawayanda Shelter

To: Murray Cabin
Miles today: 18.5

Here's the scoop for the day:"There was a light rain falling when I woke up this morning. After I ate breakfast and packed up it had stopped which is great. It was 8:00 when I left with Milkrun and Cerveza. We hiked about 2.5 miles and then stopped to filter some water. We haven't seen any bears yet. However, a hiker just 20 minutes ahead of us had seen one so we must of just missed it! The trail was relatively flat most of the day other than the occasional PUDS (Pointless Ups & Downs). I'm definitely getting more creative with my lunch food. For lunch today I ate ritz crackers and pepper jack cheese burrito. It was amazing! I hiked with Milkrun and Cerveza the whole day for the first time in a while. It was nice to have the company. We arrived here at Mr. Murray's property around 6:00. He has a small cabin that he opens up for hikers, water, and showers. It's really nice to be at a place like this instead of the normal shelter. We will be in Pennsylvania in two days where the rocks are waiting for us. I haven't done laundry in over 2 weeks and everything smells absolutely terrible! It's starting to get pretty chilly at night now so the winter gear is coming into use finally. I love this time of year."And what did the Crunchmaster see today?
Date: 2013-09-17
From: Murray Cabin

To: Gren Anderson Shelter
Miles today: 18.4
Weather: clear sky

Trevor's post indicates another good day..."This morning we got a late start because we hung out and fed the donkeys at Murray's place. We started around 9:00. For the first 6 miles we hiked through a bunch of pastures so it was really flat. We reached the highest point in New Jersey around 11:00. We took a short break on top and then went another mile to the park headquarters. Thru-hikers get a free soda there so we all enjoyed that treat. We went another mile or so before we stopped for lunch. My appetite is really getting big so I'm having to carry a ton more food. After lunch I put my music in so the day would go a lot faster. We walked steady until the shelter and arrived around 6:30. Ninja was already at the shelter when we got there. Didn't see any wildlife today so hopefully I will see something tomorrow. The weather was fantastic today. It was the best we have had the whole trip. Mid 60s and not a cloud in the sky. I hope that continues."What did we see today?View from ShelterFeeding the "Wildlife"Donkey FacePondA trail for my mother...View from ridge top
Date: 2013-09-18
From: Gren Anderson Shelter

To: Stealth camp near Camp Road
Miles today: 20.6

Be looking for a special journal posting this weekend. I will be interviewing the Crunchmaster and asking some questions that will provide some introspection. This is an opportunity for you, the reader, to share some specific questions you'd like to have Trevor answer. Share whatever questions you have by posting them on the guestbook.Here's Trevor's FB post for today:"It started out as a pretty cold day. Temps were in the mid 30s when we left the shelter at 8:00. It took about 20 minutes to warm up since we are only hiking in t-shirts and shorts. We had gone a mile and we came across a fire tower. Cerveza and I climbed it to get some good views. When we got to Culvers Gap, Milkrun and Cerveza kept moving while I went to the deli and ate a second breakfast. I gobbled up the food and caught back up to them in about an hour. I hiked ahead for a while and almost stepped on a big black snake laying in the trail. Glad it wasn't a rattler! We all stopped for lunch near Rattlesnake Mountain. My feet started hurting in the afternoon so I was moving a lot slower. I don't know why they are messed up again. Maybe because I haven't had any time off since Dalton, MA. We got to Camp Road around 6:45 and decided to stealth camp by it since there is actually water here. The water in New Jersey has been almost non-existent because the trail stays up on the ridge the whole time. This makes the trail a lot flatter but also makes water hard to find. We have also started having a lot of rocks in the trail. I guess it's getting us prepared for "Pain"sylvania. We will be heading into Delaware Water Gap tomorrow where Milkrun and Cerveza are getting off to visit family for a couple days. I will be hiking on alone until my family meets me in a couple days. I can't wait for the days off!"Here are some views from the trail:Early morning sunrise from ridge topClouds in the ValleyAnother view of low lying cloudsCulver Fire TowerView of Delaware River from overlookWatch your step!A Hiker's Burrito
Date: 2013-09-19
From: Stealth camp near Camp Road

To: Delaware Water Gap, PA
Miles today: 10.8

Trevor's post:"Well my feet are giving me trouble again. I'm not sure what it is this time but hopefully it is nothing serious. I was on the trail at 8:30 this morning. Milkrun and Cerveza left about 30 minutes before I did. I walked until I was about a mile south of Sunfish Pond before I took a water break. I basically ran to town from there because I wanted some food! I crossed into Pennsylvania right before town which was pretty exciting! Once I got to town I ate lunch with Milkrun, Cerveza, and their family. After lunch I just relaxed here at the hostel in town. I'm in a huge SOBO bubble right now! This is a list of everyone staying here tonight: Blue Tick, Ado, Hover Job, Treegasm, Ninja, Smooth, Squared Away, and Freerange. There was also about 6 others that were here that decided to move on. I ate at the local pizza place here in town for supper. Now that I'm in Pennsylvania the trail is going to get extremely rocky so I hope my feet will heal fast so I can walk normal. Time for some much needed rest."Today's pics:View of Delaware River from OverlookView from RidgetopLow lying clouds over valley floorRocky shoreLake SceneDelaware River bridge
Date: 2013-09-20
From: Delaware Water Gap, PA

To: Stealth Camp near Wind Gap
Miles today: 14.0

Trevor's post:"I didn't sleep very good last night for some reason. So when I got up at 7:00 I was feeling pretty tired. I ate a quick breakfast and was on the trail by 8:30. It was chilly out and very foggy. About halfway up Mt. Minsi I came out of the fog and had some pretty good views. Once I was up on the ridge the trail was really nice and flat. I stopped for lunch at Kirkridge Shelter around 11:30. Ninja and Treegasm were already there. This was my last water source for the day so I carried 4 liters of water all afternoon. The trail this afternoon turned extremely rocky as well. Every step was stepping on a sharp, jagged rock. I got to camp around 5:15. I'm camping 1.5 miles outside of Wind Gap, PA, where my mom, dad, and grandma will be meeting me tomorrow morning. I'm really excited to just kick back and relax for a couple days, something I haven't done since Dalton, MA. Going to bed really early tonight so I can be in town around 7:00."Nice trail through woodsCampfire ring on ridgetopRocky trail - "Pain"sylvania
Date: 2013-09-22
From: Stroudsburg, PA

To: Stroudsburg, PA
Miles today: 0.0

Today was a zero day. Just resting and relaxing with family. Trevor will hit the trail tomorrow. A few weeks ago we did a special post on photos of ponds and lakes with reflections. Today we'll do a special post on photos of bridges. Enjoy.AT BridgesPhotos by the Crunchmaster
Date: 2013-09-23
From: Stroudsburg, PA

To: Easton, PA
Miles today: 0.0

We took Trevor to a walk-in clinic to check out his feet and they recommended another 24 hrs of rest. This will allow Milkrun and Cerveza to catch up after they spent several days with family. We'll take this opportunity to highlight a very unique feature that one wouldn't expect to see on the trail, Ladders of varying types and sizes."Ladders on the AT"Photos by the Crunchmaster
Date: 2013-09-24
From: Wind Gap, PA

To: Leroy A. Smith Shelter
Miles today: 4.6
Weather: clear sky

"First of all, I'd like to wish my dad (Happy) a happy birthday. The past few days in town have been great. I've gotten to eat tons of food, rest my feet, and finally watch some football. They dropped me off at the trail around 11:30 this morning. Once again it was hard leaving and going back to trail life. Right as I entered the woods the rocks were already horrible. However, it was a pretty quick walk to the shelter. I got to the shelter around 2:30. I couldn't decide whether I wanted to keep moving or stay here. Gabe got to the shelter about 15 minutes after I did. We thought about moving on and stealth camping somewhere but the longer we sat the harder it was to leave. Around 4:30, Milkrun and Cerveza walked up. They couldn't decide whether to keep going or not either. As we were going down the 0.4 mile side trail to get water there was a man with 4 dogs sitting in the middle of the trail. Turns out, three of his dogs had found a porcupine and they had quills all over them. It was pretty painful to look at! We sat there for quite a while and helped him out. That made our decision easy to stay at the shelter. Tomorrow we will be back to doing normal 15-20 mile days. The weather looks like it will be great the next several days. Hopefully the rocks don't slow us down too much!"Just a couple of photos from this "nero" day..."
Date: 2013-09-25
From: Leroy A. Smith Shelter

To: Palmerton, PA
Miles today: 15.7

The boys are in jail tonight. The jailhouse opens its doors for criminals and, in this case, for thru-hikers. It's actually the basement of a former jailhouse that has been converted into a hostel. Water is a little harder to come by when hiking the ridges of PA. This is a free place to stay and the water is from the tap, which saves having to filter or treat, plus there are showers.Here's Trevor's FB post:"We all left the shelter around 8:30. The weather was perfect when we left. It was around 60 which is perfect for hiking. The trail was flat all morning and the rocks actually were not that bad. We didn't stop until about 11:00 for a water break because we were trying to conserve water. We were going through a 16 mile section with no water at all. We had to carry enough water for the entire day. We stopped for lunch at 1:00 at a stealth spot. We took an hour for lunch and then hit the trail again. During the afternoon we walked through an old mining area. The whole top of the mountain is treeless where they were mining. It looked as if we were on a different planet. We took another break about 2 miles from the road. We started getting bored so we started having rock throwing competitions. We would try to hit certain rocks. Like they say...boys never grow up, they just get bigger! The descent into town was extremely steep! We were going straight down a cliff until we hit the road. We got a very quick hitch into town and went straight to the hostel. We are staying at the Jailhouse Hostel which is in the basement of the police station. It isn't as bad as it sounds. It's actually a pretty nice place. It's after 10:00 so it's time to get some rest!"Today was a little rocky...
Date: 2013-09-26
From: Palmerton, PA

To: Allentown Hiking Club Shelter
Miles today: 17.8
Weather: scattered clouds

Trevor's FB post:"We got a pretty quick hitch this morning and were on the trail by 9:00. The trail started out pretty steep coming out of the gap. We stopped in at the Outerbridge Shelter and talked with a couple guys just out for a few days. The trail was fairly easy the whole morning. Not too rocky and pretty level. We stopped for a water break in Lehigh Furnace Gap. We took a 15 minute break and then continued on to Bake Oven Knob for lunch. The views were great from the top. You could see farmland for miles and miles! The trail was extremely rocky around Bake Oven Knob. The rocks are so pointy that it feels like needles when you walk across them. I got pretty far ahead of the guys the rest of the day. I was the first to arrive at the shelter around 5:15. A woman, M.A from PA, was there with her two grandchildren just for one night. She has hiked the whole trail twice! Just like the rest of Pennsylvania, the water situation is terrible at the shelter. I had to walk 0.4 mile down the mountain to get water. And this was no stream! I had to get water from a tiny muddy spring that had frogs in it. Not exactly what I wanted but water is water! After a great meal of Alfredo noodles I was ready for bed. Time to get some rest so I can be full of energy tomorrow!"The photos today:
Date: 2013-09-27
From: Allentown Hiking Club Shelter

To: Windsor Furnace Shelter
Miles today: 16.5
Weather: broken clouds

"Today was a really tough day! I had a headache most of the day. That with the rocks made it a rough day. I was on the trail around 8:00. I hiked the first 3.5 miles really quick because I didn't have water and that was the first water source. I had to hike down a steep side trail to get to it! The rocks were horrible all morning. I stopped for lunch with Milkrun, Cerveza, and Gabe along an old dirt road. We took a really long lunch break and didn't leave until 3:00. We stopped at the Pinnacle during the afternoon. They say it's the best view in the whole state of Pennsylvania! While we were there we saw two huge blacks snakes. Both of them were at least 5 feet long. The last 4 miles were killer. My feet were really sore from walking on rocks all day. I also have a blister on my little toe. All four of us got to the shelter around 6:00. We hadn't planned on staying here but we were really tired. Tomorrow we are heading into Hamburg to resupply and maybe go to Taco Bell. Then we will head out to the next shelter for the night. Hope tomorrow is a better day."Day's photos:Every hiker is supposed to throw a rock on this pile...
Date: 2013-09-28
From: Windsor Furnace Shelter

To: Eagles Nest Shelter
Miles today: 14.7
Weather: overcast clouds

"Got on the trail at 8:30 this morning. I saw tons of day hikers right after I left probably because it's the weekend. I caught up to Milkrun and Cerveza about 3 miles down the trail and we walked the last 2 miles to the road together. It took us about 15 minutes to get a ride. A nice women picked us up and she even gave us some dark chocolate with caramel in the middle. She gave us a ride to the Walmart in Hamburg. After resupplying we headed over to the Taco Bell. I was eating a Subway sandwich and nachos from Taco Bell. Cerveza had to have eaten 6 donuts while we were there. And Milkrun ordered two big nachos! It always amazes me the things that we eat. After lunch we went to the library to use the computers. We had only planned on staying 30 minutes but we ended up being there an hour and a half! We got a ride pretty quick and were back on the trail at 4:30. We still had 9 miles to go so we knew we would be night hiking. We stumbled into the shelter at 8:45 and it was full so we had to find an open tent site. After eating supper it was already 9:45. It was a long day and all three of us are ready for bed."