morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2003-07-13
From: Allentown Hiking Club Shelter

To: George W. Outerbridge Shelter
Miles today: 16.8
Weather: broken clouds

Karen woke me up last night because some animal was making noises near our tent. I know by now that Karen is no sissy, so I woke up pretty fast and took it seriously. Sure enough, some big animal was shuffling around in the leaves, just out of sight (full moon). I made some noise by banging my hiking poles against a water jug, and whatever it was (come on, you *know* it was a bear!) froze, then finally shuffled off a few minutes later.Today the sky was unbelievably clear - the most clear we've seen so far. And it was cool (in the 70's) with very low humidity. We ate lunch at Bake Oven Knob where we had views for at least 50 miles. Outstanding. We also met an ATC Ridgerunner, "Gizmo", and an ATC volunteer, John "The Mechanical Man". Theyexplained that they were surveying the area for ecological damage so that they could get a cleanup crew out. Later, John (The Mechanical Man) invited us to stay and have dinner at his house 20 miles north along the trail.As we hiked today, we caught a glimpse of what lies ahead - Lehigh Gap, site of a former zinc smelter, is now barren rock from the toxins from the operation. At Lehigh Furnace Gap, 5 miles before, a sign explains that the area is a Superfund site. Too bad - there were zillions ripe blueberries along the trail; apparently they do well in the contaminated soil. But we ate none. Better to be safe than sorry!We are tenting on a very flat site just above the Outerbridge Shelter. Even though the trees here are dying, it is a pleasant spot, and for the first time in a long time the bugs are leaving us alone.Oh! Almost forgot to mention - we saw a small rattlesnake today. Unlike our last encounter with a rattler, I recognized the sound right away, and we walked clear around it. Cool, though!- Oreo
Date: 2003-07-14
From: George W. Outerbridge Shelter

To: Blue Mountain Dome (Smith Gap)
Miles today: 13.2

This morning we started off with a steep, rocky section up Lehigh Gap. It was the first of its kind that we've run across on the AT. It reminded me of the White Mountains with the rock scrambles and handholds. But we got a nice view; about a 270 degree view. The air was very clear and crisp early. When we fot to the top we could see the haze starting to set in. We continued on the old polluted smelting area. The area was exposed since the trees were dead, although this gave us views on both sides of the ridge.There was only one water source between the two shelters we were going to stay at. We accidentally walked past that spring, though, and we missed it.We decided to cut the day short and go to John "The Mechanical Man"'s house. He invited us yesterday and he's in our book so we decided to go. It was a mile walk down the road to his house. When we got there he wasn't home, so we waited about 10 minutes until he arrived. He invited us to camp in his garage and take hot showers. The showers were great; we hadn't had hot showers since Duncannon. He offered to drive us to the restaurant to pick us some pizza or burgers. We got burgers with mozzarella sticks and fries. John's girlfriend Linda, aka the "Crayon Lady", gave us some salad and corn on the cob. Gizmo came over for dinner too. They told us quite a few trail stories. They also told us about how they keep the trail safe, information we didn't know.John has had Earl Schaffer, Dan "Wingfoot" Bruce, and a few other hiking legends stay at his house. Now he's had the famous Buttercup at his house, too. It was a great and restful stay at John and Linda's.
Date: 2003-07-15
From: Blue Mountain Dome (Smith Gap)

To: Kirkridge Shelter
Miles today: 17.3
Weather: clear sky

This morning, Linda dropped us back off at the trailhead in Smith Gap, and after a quick photo, Karen and I hiked on.Karen forgot to relate a funny story in yersterday's entry, so I will tell it. Just before bedtime, John introduced us to his superb Buffalo wings (recipe courtesy of Martha Stewart, the criminal). They were delicious and most definitely on the extremely spicy side. Karen look a bit surprised by their heat, so I mentioned that beer complemented hot wings perfectly because the alcohol breaks down the oils in hot peppers. So I invited her to share my Yuengling Lager (which John keeps on tap!). I turned away, and when I looked back, Karen had downed my entire beer at once. This elicited some hardy laughter from John, Gizmo and me.Anyhow, as for today's hike, I need only say one thing: pain. Today was the rockiest day yet. That's all there were - 17.3 miles of jagged, pointy rocks. Tomorrow is our last day in Pennsylvania and we are damn glad.The one good thing was lunch - we stopped at the Gateway Motel where the girl at the desk filled out water bottles for free. We also bought some grape sodas to go with our cold Ramen (which we've been eating every day for a week - blech!).Tomorrow we hike into the Delaware Water Gap. This is a big milestone for us, and we're very happy. Next up: New Jersey!- Oreo
Date: 2003-07-16
From: Kirkridge Shelter

To: Delaware Water Gap, PA
Miles today: 6.4
Weather: broken clouds

Today was our last full day in PA, hooray! Hopefully the rocks will end very soon. We got into Delaware Water Gap just before noon. We didn't get much of a view because it was cloudy and misty. Last night and this morning it sprinkled. As we were in town it started to clear up.Our first stop was the hostel run by Pastor Karen. We were thinking about staying there. Then Dan's called the parents of a friend from college. They offered to let us stay in their home in East Stroudsburg, a town nearby.At 4:00pm, Bob Holland picked us up and brought us to his and Bette's home. We took showers and got real cleaned up. It had been at least a week since we had a thorough scrubbing. We did our laundry. They fed us a great dinner of chicken, pasta, and marinated vegetables. For dessert we had blueberry cake and blueberry pie. Tomorrow we're taking a zero day.- Buttercup
Date: 2003-07-17
From: Delaware Water Gap, PA

To: East Stroudsburg, PA
Miles today: 0.0

Karen and I took some much-needed rest today. I could tell that taking a zero today was going to be a good idea when I got up to go to the bathroom in the morning - my feet were so sore that walking on carpeting hurt them! Funny how I can walk nearly 20 miles every day and it isn't until I get into town and take a zero that they hurt.We did some maintenance stuff today. I cleaned and seam-sealed our tent. Hopefully the next time it rains, we won't wake up with a big puddle at our feet like last time. We washed our [SMELLY!!!] gear. Again, funny how you don't notice it at all on the trail. Karen ordered some replacement gear that hopefully her parents can bring to us when they visit us in Connecticut. I also ordered a replacement bite valve - mine is now starting to leak everywhere.We also did a bit of head-maintenance. We watched a funny movie, Old School, about a bunch of older guys who start a fraternity (starring Will Ferrell, Vince Vaughn, and Luke Wilson). The laughing was important for us, I think.For dinner, Bob and Bette Holland took us out to the Minisink Hotel, a sort of biker bar that serves truly excellent burgers. I realized that if this place had been closer to the trail, it would have been a hiker Mecca. I enjoyed it - and the pitcher of Yuengling Lager - quite a bit. After dinner, the Hollands took us to the Wal-Mart Supercenter for groceries and other stuff.We've had a great couple of days here in East Stroudsburg and we are very thankful to the Hollands for their generosity. They really made us feel welcome here, and we feel rested. If only other hikers were so lucky, I think they'd stay on the trail a bit longer!- Oreo
Date: 2003-07-18
From: Delaware Water Gap, PA

To: Campsite near Rattlesnake Spring, NJ
Miles today: 14.3

We left Bob and Bette Holland's house this morning. Before we left Bette made us oatmeal and lemon muffins. Then she brought us back to the trailhead. It was starting to rain as we were dropped off, but only a sprinkle.We hiked 6 miles before stopping for lunch. We ate lunch at Sunfish Pond. It's a glacial pond. It was very still and peaceful. You're not allowed to swim there but we saw a couple of people sneak in for a swim.After lunch we continued hiking along Kittatinny Mountain. There were nice views of the valley to the right of us. We walked up Catfish Fire Tower for a view. In the tower was a man working, looking for fires. I've never seen a worker in one of those towers before.Now we are at our campsite. We could hear thunder in the distance as we set up the tent. The storm has come and passed but it's still raining. We'll see if the seam seal works.-- Buttercup
Date: 2003-07-19
From: Campsite near Rattlesnake Spring, NJ

To: Gren Anderson Shelter, NJ
Miles today: 17.1
Weather: scattered clouds

Last night I got up to go to the bathroom (3:30 am) and I noticed that the rain had stopped. Looking up at the sky, I could see patches of stars as the sky cleared. I went back to bed knowing that we'd have a nice day today.Karen and I overslept a bit - we woke up at 6:30 am. And that was in spite of the fact that we went to bed at 7:30 pm. I guess we were tired!Today was a beautiful day; partly cloudy and tons of sun. No humidity and great views. Karen and I saw lots of animals today, too. Our first sighting was shortly after lunch. We heard a rustling in the underbrush and we looked just in time to see a black bear cub scurry off. Later we saw some deer cross our path. And just before we got to the shelter, we saw some turkey about 30 yards away, five of them. They followed alongside us, keeping their distance, for about 10 minutes.At Culvers Gap, we went to Worthington's Bakery and bought some brownies and sodas, and also some dinner rolls and cookies for tonight.As I sit here writing this journal and making dinner, a deer is snorting loudly in the distance. There are signs everywhere here - apparently bear are very active in this area. Hopefully we have nothing to worry about!-- Oreo
Date: 2003-07-20
From: East Stroudsburg, PA

To: Murray "Secret Shelter", NJ
Miles today: 18.3

We made it safe through the night without any bear attacks, even though there were tortillas in the tent.In the morning we hiked up Sunrise Mountain. There was a pavillion on top and a great view of New York and New Jersey.We stopped at High Point Park for lunch. Dan made us rice for lunch. We met a couple of the locals at the visitor's center. One group of people wanted to take their picture with us. Suds and Dharma Bum came by. We haven't seen them since around the Smokies. We thought they were way ahead of us but they had actually taken 3 weeks off.In High Point Park we saw High Point Monument. The monument is on the highest point in New Jersey.Tonight we are camping at Jim Murray's "secret shelter." It was in our book. There are quite a few other thru-hikers here. There's a hot shower here, so we got to take showers before dinner. There are also some crazy donkeys here fenced in.I forgot to mention that this morning we saw another bear. It was a bear cub even smaller than yesterday's. It ran away when it saw us, although it had alittle trouble because it was so small. Instead of running through the bushes, it hopped over them.-- Buttercup
Date: 2003-07-21
To: Wawayanda Shelter
Miles today: 18.9
Weather: light rain

Karen and I both agree: today was a difficult day. We woke up feeling refreshed at the "Secret SHelter" (Slept in our tent), and hiked off energized. But early on we ran into our first difficulty: the Walkill National Wildlife Preserve. Apparently it used to be a sod farm, so it was extremely wet. The trail was on elevated, flat terrain, so it was easy walking, but the mosquitos were like nothing I've ever experienced. Even covered in 95% DEET and wearing bug netting on our heads, they made us miserable. We hurried out of there as fast as we could. Life as a sod farmer must be miserable! Unfortunately, the northern terminus of the bog ended in steep terrain; it felt like a 45 degree angle. Karen and I were still hurrying to get away from the mosquitos, which chased us nearly halfway up the slope.We missed the turnoff for the place we planned to eat lunch, and we ended up walking through a marsh near Wawayanda Creek. Fortunately, a strong breeze kept the mosquitos away and it was a pleasant walk over the boardwalk.After finally stopping for lunch at 2 pm, we walked to the Heaven Hill Farm and we filled up on ice cream (me: rum raisin, Karen: Almost Joy with rainbow sprinkles) and sodas. It was a tough hike back though - the food weighed our stomachs down and the steep climb combined with the heat and humidity made for rough walking. But an hour later we felt good and by 7:00 pm we made it to the Wawayanda Shelter.We arrived at the shelter to discover a Boy Scout troop from Mayland in residence, provoking that "oh no!..." sinking feeling (Boy Scouts are not generally good company for tired thru-hikers), but this troop was remarkably well-behaved and backwoods-savvy. They even gave us their leftover red rice and beans, so Karen and I didn't cook at all tonight. Awesome! They were also very interested in hearing about our thru-hike. It is so much more satisfying telling wide-eyed kids about the A.T. than adults...A big storm is rolling past as I write, and so far our recently seam-sealed tent is holding. Good, good, good.-- Oreo
Date: 2003-07-22
From: Wawayanda Shelter

To: Campsite near stream in NY
Miles today: 7.1

This morning the alarm clock went off at 5:30. At 5:30 we heard thunder and rain. We went back to sleep. At 6:45 we got up. The rain and thunder had stopped. Our tent didn't have puddles in it but the floor was damp. When I looked at my backpack (that was covered) the top was wet. When I pulled the trash bag out of my bag that I use to protect my things from the rain, there was a puddle of water in it. Luckily the bag was empty. Then for breakfast we had to walk 0.4 miles off the trail for water to the park ranger's maintenance office. Since it was raining and we didn't know if there would be anywere to sit and eat breakfast Dan siad, "Well, if we have to we can eat in the restrooms." Great, smelling poo and uring while I eat breakfast. This morning was the first morning I though I was sick of this. The shoes that are too small, the wet gear, dishing out money for worn out gear, another 18 mile day, and the possibilty of smelling poo with my Cocoa Puffs cereal bar.Well, we ate breakfast outside the ranger station; the rain had stopped. As we ate a van full of New Jersey Department of Corrections criminals pulled up to get ready for their day of yard maintenance. Just what I needed; a bunch of ill-supervied criminals to go with my breakfast.By the time we left to hike it was about 10:00 am, pretty late. We walked about 4 miles and took a break. It was almost noon and we were getting hungry so we decided to eat lunch. The thought of doing another 14 miles after lunch was not appealing to Dan or I. Dan suggested we go one more mile and call it a day. Dan also thought this would improve my mood.We walked a bit more and crossed the NJ/NY state line. We are officially in New York now. We were going to camp at the spring near there. When we got there, the spring smelled funny. We thought there was another spring 0.8 miles away so we kept going. We never found the spring 0.8 miles away. We ended up going another 3 miles over big rocks on top of a ridge. We heard thunder in the distance but it never came.We found another stream with a nice tent site. We spent the rest of the day resting and napping. We planned out our days for the next few days so we're not behind schedule. Right now there's a thunderstorm in the distance. We'll see if it gets here.-- Buttercup
Date: 2003-07-23
From: Campsite near stream in NY

To: Southfields, NY
Miles today: 14.8

The rain did finally come last night, and it was a big storm. The lightning was non-stop and the rain came down hard. When we woke up this morning it was still raining and Karen and I didn't have the courage to leave the tent until 6 am.The rain stopped a little before breakfast, so this morning's walk was nice and cool, albeit a bit humid. After a couple hours on the trail, we had our first big run-in with Karen's worst fear: a big (enormous) black bear. We made lots of noise, which scared it off the trail, but it didn't seem to be in any particular hurry to leave. Karen was totally pumped on adrenaline after, though, and she said that her left felt shaky.We had an uneventful lunch on the top of Mombasha High Point (1280') which was nice. After lunch, we though that it would ve an easy walk into Southfields, NY (6 miles), but we were wrong. At times, the trail climbed and descended rock scrambles steeper than 45 degrees. When we finally reached the road to Southfields, we saw a sign that called the steep slope we had just come down "Agony Grind." Figures.We walked down the road attempting to hitch unsuccessfully. When a Volkwagen Beetle drove up, I tought it was our lucky break - VW drivers are supposed to be young and adventurous, right? But he kept going. I raised my fist to the air and shouted "Farfegnugen!" and amazingly, the guy turned around and came back. He said that as he drovew past us, he tought "What the heck, they're only harmless backpackers," and he was suddenly compelled to give us a ride. There is a god - the Volkswagen God!Joel (that was his name) drove us tp a convenience store run by a friendly Indian family who made us an excellent pizza for dinner. The father also asked me a zillion quesations about the trail. I don't think they see many hikers in Southfields.Now we are at a bushwhacked campsite near some railroad tracks in town. Tomorrow we go back for our mail and then we push on.-- Oreo
Date: 2003-07-24
From: Southfields, NY

To: Campsite at Beechy Bottom Brook, NY
Miles today: 12.0

Last night we got a decent sleep even though we woke up a couple of times because of the trains. As we packed up our bags this morning we found bugs in our bags. They were grey with lots of legs. There were handfulls of them in our waistbelts and in the side pockets. It was really gross.We walked into Southfields. Dan got his mail drop from his parents. There was lots of great food for dinner and breakfast. It also contained my birthday present, which was a surprise. There were two cupcakes, 2 freeze-dried ice creams, and a miniature Parcheesi game. Dan and I ate the freeze dried ice cream for dessert tonight. I never had it before and I thought it was good. After the post office, we went to the Red Apple Restaurant for breakfast / lunch.After town we started our walk in Harriman State Park. The terrain has tall trees with grass as underbrush.Tonight we are sleeping near a brook. "Dutch" is camping near us - we met him a few weeks ago.-- Buttercup
Date: 2003-07-25
From: Campsite at Beechy Bottom Brook, NY

To: Hemlock Springs Campsite, NY
Miles today: 8.8
Weather: scattered clouds

Today was a short day but it was totally exhausting. We woke up from our beautiful tentsite near Beechy Bottom Brook. We both agreed that Harriman State Park was a very pleasant experience and that we'd like to return sometime in the future. By 9 am we were packed up and ready to go.After hiking over West Mtn, we hiked up Bear Mtn. There was a visitor's center on the top with some interesting history about the park. The weather was clear and the views were fantastic - we could even see New York City more than 30 miles away. Unfortunately the water fountain was broken, but there was a soda machine and that was a good substitute.We hiked into Bear Mountain (the town) a little while later. We walked past the neat, old inn, and then we walked through the zoo, which was also cool. Next, we walked to Fort Montgomery, which was diccifult due to the heat. While we were in the Post Office, a nice guy offered us a ride to a grocery store in West Point (yes, where the military academy is) and then back to the trail. We took him up on his offer.Finally, at 5pm, we hiked out of town the 3 miles to the Hemlock Springs Campsite. It looks like all the old hemlocks that were here have died and fallen down, but this is still a pleasant place to camp.-- Oreo
Date: 2003-07-26
From: Hemlock Springs Campsite, NY

To: Clarence Fahenstock State Park, NY
Miles today: 16.0

This morning we left at a reasonable hour. The terrain was fairly uneventful today, but pretty easy. We saw a black snake 3 feet long and an inch thick. It moved really fast, away from us. It made a noise with its tail by tapping on the leaves. We didn't see any rattles on its tail. Then, a couple miles later, Dan got stung by a bee. So I disinfected him and gave him some medication.As we were going down a hill, one of our fellow thru-hikers started singing happy birthday to me from above the hill.We camped at the Clarence Fahenstock State Park. They let thru-hikers stay for free in the campsites they don't use anymore. We got hot showers.At dinner Dan surprised me with a cookie, peanut butter-chocolate cake and he sang happy birthday to me. I got to blow out a candle. He also had a bottle of Mike's Hard Lemonade or me. He carried it for about 3 days. We shared the cake and drink. It was a nice birthday surprise.-- Buttercup
Date: 2003-07-27
From: Clarence Fahenstock State Park, NY

To: Morgan Stewart Shelter
Miles today: 16.0
Weather: overcast clouds

The sound of raindrops on the tent (without a fly - we weren't expecting rain) woke me up this morning. I hurredly put the fly on and made sure our gear that was left out to dry was put away. And then the rain stopped - and it didn't come back.We left camp a little later today. We dilly-dallied around camp this morning; I had some gear that needed repairing (sewing it back together). When we finally left, it was nearly 10am, and so we decided to try to hitch a ride back to the trailhead. A car that looked especially promising came around the corner so I turned around, walking backwards with my thumb out. The car sped by without even slowing, and so I began to turn back around when I caught my foot on a big rock by the side of the road. I fell, sideways, off the road and into a pile of rocks. Karen said my fall looked really bad, and it must have, because she frantically tried to pull me up, thereby snearly strangling me on my pack straps. I finally had to tell her "This is not an emergency," and slip my pack off to get up. I fared pretty well, though: only the palm of my hand was skinned a little.Injuries aside (my bee sting is a bit itchy and swollen, by the way), today was pretty easy going. The trail, though rolling, wasn't rocky and it was soft and leafy in most places. The humidity rose a bit, but there was a pleasant breeze all day.The only annoying thing was the water -- apparently a good deal of the water on the trail today was posted as bacteriologically contaminated. The signs said to filter and treat waster, and even the well water at a few sites was bad.Now we are tenting out behind the shelter in a nice but windy spot. It may rain tonight - hopefully not.Tomorrow is our last full day in New York. New England, here we come!-- Oreo
Date: 2003-07-28
From: Morgan Stewart Shelter

To: Wiley Shelter, NY
Miles today: 16.6
Weather: scattered clouds

It rained a bit during the night, but nothing major. In the morning the sky was clear and there wasn't much humidity.The terrain was fairly easy today - no big ups or downs. We passed the Nuclear Lake which apparently has low levels of radioactivity. We did see some hikers drop their packs to go in for a swim though.We ate lunch at the Telephone Pioneers Shelter and met a southbounder, "Nanowolf." He's one of the first non-GoLiter southbounders that we've seen. He gave us a couple of reccomendations on places to stay up north.After lunch we passed a 300 year old tree. It is called the Dover Oak. It was really wide and a little bigger than the Keffer Oak.We also stopped at a hot dog stand that was near the trail on the side of the road. We got hot dogs, sodas, and Doritos.We made good time to the shelter. So hopefully we can squeeze in a game of Parcheesi.-- Buttercup