morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2016-06-02
From: Kunkletown Hostel

To: Kirkridge Shelter 
Miles today: 17.2
Weather: few clouds

Got a late start this morning as John, the Hostel guy didn't get up too early. We were on trail after 8am. Basically two hikes today. The morning hike into Wind Gap, PA, and the afternoon one from there to the shelter. Nothing noteworthy today other than lunch. Gingersnap and I had decided to hitch into town for water and some food. When we got to the other side of the bridge, Unknown had already called for roadside pizza delivery. A nice surprise for sure! I asked someone at the trailer park across the road if we could fill our water bottles so all our needs were met without going into town. Very convenient! Tonight we are in a decent shelter near the top of a hill. At the top of the hill are some cell towers and some sort of religious retreat center. The water source is a faucet between here and there. Clearly tonight's stay is far from a wilderness experience. This will be my last night in Pennsylvania. I am sorry to report that I am not sad about this in the least. As far as I am concerned, the main focus of the hiker on the AT in this state is to be constantly vigilant for potential hazards. I am really looking forward to some more relaxed hiking in the days to come. Rocks, rocks, ticks, poison ivy, rocks, snakes, rocks, ticks... and, rocks. Ahhh, Pennsylvania!
Date: 2016-06-03
From: Kirkridge Shelter 

To: Delaware Water Gap 
Miles today: 6.4

With the rainy weather today it became apparent that I would spend the day in Delaware Water Gap after a 930am arrival. Unknown, Gingersnap, Rocky and I made quick work of the nearo miles and we're in the local diner having breakfast by 1000am. They had really good coffee and the food was excellent! I needed to resupply food in a neighboring town as well. By three in the afternoon there was really no place to go so we didn't!Tomorrow I will visit with an old hut friends at her home in New Jersey. After that, back to work. Here is a picture of some of the more gentle rocks in Pennsylvania.
Date: 2016-06-04
From: Delaware Water Gap 

To: Millbrook-Blairstown Rd 
Miles today: 14.0
Weather: light rain

A quick day today in order to meet my old AMC friend Heather who picked me up and brought me to her house for the evening. Great to catch up from so many years ago. Other than that the highlight was definitely crossing the Delaware River into New Jersey. So far the terrain has been scenic and pleasant. I must admit I never thought I would be so happy to be in New Jersey. For the usual PA/NJ border picture, see my instagram. I thought this little sign on the bridge was interesting. Sign of the times or the area?
Date: 2016-06-05
From: Millbrook-Blairstown Rd 

To: Times Square, New York City
Miles today: 14.4
Weather: light rain

Chose to zero today and help Heather's son move to the Bronx for a summer internship he is doing. The weather was forecasting severe thunderstorms with hail and potential tornados. Not my idea of fun so I opted for the ultimate urban day. After moving his stuff and meeting his roommates, a couple Fordham students, we went to Manhattan and had New York pizza in a nice restaurant. Afterwards we did a few miles of street hiking down to Times Square and back. No trees, no rocks, and no snakes. Not your average day on the AT but as Slug said, taking it all in! Back to work tomorrow.
Date: 2016-06-06
From: Branchville, NJ Rte 206

To: Jim Murray Property 
Miles today: 21.4

Heather dropped me off this morning and I was back on trail by 800am. After my alternate adventure yesterday, I wanted to have a good day mile wise. The day went smoothly overall. The weather was beautiful, dry air, bright blue sky, although it was still hot. Temps were forecasted in the 80s and they may have made it there. I saw very few people on the trail today. I passed Six Legs in the morning. He is taking it easy due to his recent spider bite and infection. I also caught up to Gingersnap and played leap frog with her until we arrived at camp this evening. I enjoy hiking and camping with her. I met a hiker named Hops who started in late March. He is camped with us tonight and is making fast progress. New Jersey hiking has been fairly easy although we haven't completely passed the Pennsylvania type rocks. They are however, not as bad here. I am seeing signs of the north country now both on trail and in town. The number of Beech trees that I see is rising as is the number of sugar maples. I'm seeing far less May apples as well. Last night in a pub I had a choice of a Long Trail brew or a Magic Hat brew. Both are made in Vermont. I also found Green Mountain coffee at a quick stop on Saturday. Biscuits and gravy for breakfast is no longer an option on the menu. Big bummer! I believe I miss the south. I can't remember if I mentioned this in a previous post but the south is the land of yes and the north is the land of no. I see more and more signs that say no this and no that. And speaking of no, I have started to see alot of yellow Posted signs. Hoping for another good day tomorrow. We'll see what the day brings.
Date: 2016-06-07
From: Jim Murray Property 

To: Wawayanda Shelter 
Miles today: 18.5
Weather: clear sky

Today's hike featured food, swamps, woods, a very solid climb, and the best wildlife experience of the hike to date. Food included breakfast at a country store in Unionville, NY. The trail was in NJ and the store was 0.4 miles away. Go figure. We also stopped at a farm stand store in the afternoon. While I could have had ice cream, I opted for an apple, a banana, and a chocolate milk. Before arriving there, we crossed the famous New Jersey boardwalk. Not the one in Atlantic City, the one on the AT. Lots of swamp land today. I saw some turtles and a blue heron in that section. The highlight of the day came as Gingersnap and I were starting the 900 foot climb called the Stairway to Heaven. As we were beginning the climb, I looked to my right and caught motion in the woods. A closer look revealed the largest black bear I have ever seen. An even closer look revealed that this mother had four cubs trailing her! I have never seen five bears together. It was truly magnificent to see them. It didn't take long to figure out that the bears were taking a path that had them crossing the trail directly in front of us. We stopped and waited to see what they would do. Sure enough they crossed the trail about 30 yards in front of us. We held where we were and waited awhile. One of the Cubs lied down as if to take a nap. At one point I inadvertently clicked my poles together which alerted two of the Cubs. This in turn alerted the sow who turned and looked right at us. While we backtracked some, she didn't seem concerned with us in the least which surprised me. A few minutes later, they crossed the trail and were above it. Some people were coming from the opposite direction so we took the opportunity to quickly move by the bears. Fortunately the trail went a long way before switching back and by the time it did we were well above the bear family. This was such a cool experience! The cubs were cute kind of walking and rolling along. One tried to climb a tree. The mother was truly huge. Gingersnap estimated she weighed more than 600 pounds. While I'm not sure, it really was the largest bear I've ever seen. So what's cooler? Seeing a rattlesnake or seeing five bears all at once?! All in all, despite a bit of rain this afternoon and again this evening, and having to go to bed sticky, this has been a remarkable day!
Date: 2016-06-08
From: Wawayanda Shelter 

To: NY Rte 17A
Miles today: 10.0
Weather: clear sky

Well the best laid plans... Left the campsite by 730 this morning heading for the road crossing at 10 miles. The plan was to get some lunch at a hot dog stand there, get some ice cream at a creamery further down the road, and go from there. We'll shortly before arriving at the road, the rain arrived and settled right in. While the forecast called for clearing later, the high winds and cooler temperatures led us to shelter up at a local motel. I'm here tonight with Gingersnap, and two new friends, Fiber, and a flip flopper named Mufasa. The highlight of the day was the ride Ginger and I got from Mike, the Boars Head delivery guy. We were standing under the tiny roof of the hot dog stand when the truck showed up to deliver a case of mustard. Since it was raining so hard, I asked Mike if he might be willing to give us a ride to the creamery. While he noted that the cab would not fit two of us, he did not hesitate to offer us the opportunity to ride in the refrigerated rear of the truck where the orders were. Now I don't know about you but before today I had never ridden in a refrigerator truck. Least of all when I was wet. Unfortunately and fortunately the ride was pretty short. Just enough time to see all the fine meat and cheese products they had. There were some very nice desserts as well. Not quite enough time to truly consider stuffing a ten pound ham in my pack which in hindsight would have been very tempting! Tomorrow well work to make up some of today's missed miles. Oh, did I mention I crossed into New York today? Also had a chance to see the NYC skyline from a mountain top. More tomorrow.
Date: 2016-06-09
From: NY Rte 17A

To: William Brien Shelter 
Miles today: 21.7
Weather: clear sky

Back on trail in the eight o'clock hour this morning. Today was the kind of hiking day I'll take as often as I can get. It was beautiful and sunny with dry air and a good breeze all day long. I think the temperature topped out in the 60s. Perfect! I felt like I could hike forever. The trail made a significant change today. For the first time in hundreds of miles we began to cross ridges instead of following them. This made for lots of ups and downs. New York also has alot of granite slabs on their small mountain tops. All of the sudden with the change in vegetation and terrain, this all smacks of New England hiking! It's almost like they're tuning us back up for the challenges to come. Grandma, who is camped with me tonight for the first time in awhile says that the mid Atlantic states have turned us back into yogurt. Others here tonight include Six Legs, Gingersnap, Tesla and Grits, and a couple section hikers. Wildlife sightings today included a hen turkey and about a dozen chicks who I jumped coming up a hill. They all flew off in a panic. It was something to see! Crossing I-87 was also a highlight for me today. I have seen the AT bridge across that road many times. Today I finally got to walk across it. For me that's a noteworthy milestone!Its amazing to me how the daily conditions affect my mind. One day I'm thinking, bag this, the next I'm all in. I have two options with my hike. Preserve the thru hike or complete the Appalachian Trail. One involves completing the whole trail in a calendar year. The other completing the trail in your lifetime. Prior to this adventure, I had already done 440 miles of the AT in New England. When I reach Salisbury, CT, I will have done the trail in its entirety from Springer Mtn, GA to Grafton Notch, ME. My choice then becomes preserve the thru hike, or complete the trail. Two different takes on much the same thing. Today I choose the thru hike. In about a week I will have to fully commit. May the weather be fabulous on that day!
Date: 2016-06-10
From: William Brien Shelter 

To: Graymoor Monastery
Miles today: 16.6
Weather: clear sky

Lots of activity today including going to the zoo, resupplying, a pizza lunch out, a stop by a trail side convenience store for a sandwich and Gatorade , and finally camping at a monastery where i got a wicked cold shower. Another dull day in the life of the thru hiker! Gingersnap, Six legs, Calvin the dog, and I all crossed at the same time. Pretty cool to cross those big bridges on foot! Oh, and did I mention we crossed the 1400 mile mark? Only 779 left to go!
Date: 2016-06-11
From: Graymoor Monastery

To: RPH Shelter
Miles today: 18.8
Weather: clear sky

Nothing much to report in terms of the hike today. Some occasional showers got me wet and the ensuing humidity kept me wet. Took a side trail to a state park concession for a cheeseburger mid day. There was a beautiful beach and nobody was there. Three kids were staffing the concession and we're very bored. I ate my burger while chatting with them. I got to the RPH shelter where there was still a bunk so I took it. The people who got here earlier had ordered a bunch of pizza so I was the lucky beneficiary of a few pieces so I have done well in the food department today. I may cook another meal soon.Tonight I'm sheltered up with Big O who, before last night, I hadn't seen since mile 700. Six legs, Gingersnap, Fiber, and a couple others are here too. There is a large group of hikers all together all of the sudden. This makes for increased pressure on resources such as camping, and resupply food at these little stores. I miss regular grocery stores but the towns the trail goes near don't have them and people in this part of the country don't seem to want to pick up hitch hikers. This makes things more challenging. Also, there is less camping to be found away from shelters. I think things will return to the way they were down south once we reach Vermont and points beyond.It remains a daily challenge to stay motivated and find fun in hiking day after day. There are good moments for sure. I feel like every day I wait for something different or unusual to happen. It is nice to have a little something to look forward to. Tomorrow there is a store about five miles up so I can have coffee in the morning. The perfect thing to look forward to!Finally tonight a shout out to the Mt Abraham Union High School Class of 2016. I missed their graduation which is the first I've missed in 16 years. I wish you all the best!
Date: 2016-06-12
From: RPH Shelter

To: NY Rte 22 AT Rail Station Pawling, NY
Miles today: 19.9
Weather: scattered clouds

I am camped by the side of the road at a convenience store. There are cars passing by me every 5 seconds or so. They sound like they will run right through my tent. A couple weeks ago, I camped by another road in Pennsylvania. Once before I camped by a road in Virginia. That one wasn't very busy at all. There was also a very nice river for swimming and nice background noise. Regular readers may remember that entry. The point is that the Appalachian Trail isn't a complete wilderness experience. In fact, lately, it is more like a trail in the woods that connects a series of stores where you can get coffee and egg sandwiches, or Gatorade and pizza, cookies, or my current favorite, snack size pies! Actually I'll always go for the coffee and egg sandwich given a choice but the little pies travel well in the top of the pack for dessert! I had heard New York was known as the deli state. Now I know why. While the opportunity to get pizza delivered to a shelter does wonders for morale and attempting to mitigate the significant amount of weight I think I've lost, it does nothing to help reduce the weight of my pack because I am carrying the same three days worth of food I bought a week ago! It also doesnt do alot in terms of plussing my bank account. All this being said, I'll take it and enjoy it. The mid Atlantic states will yield to New England sometime before lunch tomorrow and by the time I get to Vermont those trail side food meccas will be a distant but pleasant memory. What's better than riding in the back of the Boars Head meat truck? Eating the product for dinner by the side of the road where you've pitched camp with half a dozen of your trail buddies who are all just as hungry as you!
Date: 2016-06-13
From: NY Rte 22 AT Rail Station Pawling, NY

To: Mt. Algo Shelter 
Miles today: 18.1
Weather: scattered clouds

The big news of the day was crossing into Connecticut and being back in New England! Quite exciting! We also passed the two thirds mark. From where I sit tonight there are only 722 Miles left to go. There are like 15 tents here tonight. Not sure where all these people came from. Lots of variations on thru hikes going on. Gingersnap, Big O, and I are the only three who started in Georgia. Yes, we are professionals, we are rock stars, and of course, our feet hurt more than theirs. Onward.
Date: 2016-06-14
From: Mt. Algo Shelter 

To: Belters Campsite
Miles today: 22.6
Weather: scattered clouds

Today was a beautiful day. The day dawned in the 40s with clear skies that lasted all day. The hiking is changing yet again. The long low ridges that were Virginia lasted through New Jersey. The amount of rocks increased through Pennsylvania and slowly eased off in New York where the trail began crossing ridges instead of following them. The easier grades there are sharpening in Connecticut with shorter but steeper ascents and descents. The views feature a rolling hilly landscape now with the farmlands a thing of the past. More signs of being in New England with paper birch, White pine, and hemlock trees. It is nice to be back! However I realize that at least in terms of the natural environment, there will be nothing new for me to see. I am effectively home. It is an early sign that this trip actually has an end. In fact it is exactly 700.1 miles away. If I can maintain my current ability to do 100 miles in six days, that means I can be finished in 42 days. Hard to believe. Tomorrow my cousin Bob will pick me up in Salisbury where I will jump ahead to Vermont. A thru hike is a thru hike if you complete the trail in a calendar year according to the ATC. Since I hiked Massachusetts last August, it is part of my thru hike now. I'm looking forward to a day off, a slack pack day hike with my daughter, and some home cooking! I will miss my friends in my current hiking group. Gingersnap, Six Legs, Big O, and of course the remains of the Trash only crew, Grandma, Frito, and Merlin and Monkey the dog. I do hope to see you guys again before this ends. For now, on to rest, family, a shower, and a new chapter in my AT adventure!
Date: 2016-06-15
From: Belters Campsite

To: Salisbury, CT Rte 44
Miles today: 9.5
Weather: broken clouds

Well today I connected the dots. That is, I returned to the very spot I ended my section hike of Massachusetts last summer. This had been my "short term" goal for a month or more. It was the thought that got me through some mentally challenging times. Times when I thought about bailing out. Reaching this milestone now leaves me having completed the AT from Springer Mtn in GA to Grafton Notch in ME, 1900 miles. UFB! I was excited about doing that and was awake by 5:00am. I decided to pack up and head out and was on trail by 6:20. The hike was easy and peaceful thru the neat, seemingly groomed, Connecticut woods. By 10:00, I was standing in the field I had walked to last August feeling pretty darn proud of myself! Gingersnap was taking a near to zero day and had been picked up by someone after hiking just a few miles. We met at the bakery and had coffee before parting ways which I hope will be temporary. I enjoyed hiking and camping with her for the two and a half weeks thru the mid Atlantic states.About an hour later, my cousin Bob showed up and brought me back to his house in Bondville, VT where my daughter met me and we had a great homecooked family roast beef dinner complete with rhubarb crisp for dessert and some of my favorite Vermont ales. Thank you Sherrie! I'll zero here tomorrow and resupply and consider a couple gear changes and rest my feet.
Date: 2016-06-16
From: Salisbury, CT Rte 44

To: Williamstown, MA Rte 2
Miles today: 93.7
Weather: broken clouds

Well today was a great zero day with Aliza in Manchester. Did a resupply, had lunch at Zoey's deli, ice cream at good old B&J, and a great dinner with Bob, Sherrie, and their friends. We went to a restaurant in Ludlow that was an all you can eat prime rib buffet with an awesome salad bar. They also served some really good grilled lamb. Also all you could eat. This was clearly the best buffet so far. Beat the Chinese buffet in Waynesboro by a long shot.Well this is also skip day. Tomorrow I will start on Rte 2 in Massachusetts and head north into Vermont. I looked up the ATC definition of a thru hike and they state it is completion of the trail in 12 months so I will not be repeating Mass. I'm looking forward to the next phase of the hike and the possibility of seeing some of my trail buddies from way down south. Allons y!
Date: 2016-06-17
From: Williamstown, MA Rte 2

To: Nauheim Shelter 
Miles today: 20.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Back on the trail today after Aliza and I had breakfast at a diner in Bennington. The increased elevations in Vermont and the longer climbs really didn't feel that difficult. While I got a late start, I finished shortly after 7:00pm having covered 20 miles. I was pleasantly surprised to find Mantis at the shelter when I arrived. I hadn't seen him since Chestnut Knob Shelter way back in Virginia. We caught up a bit while I ate my dinner. As I ate, at least six more people showed up at the campsite. Two are weekenders and six are flippers. Mantis and I are the only northbounders. I am really surprised to be totally outnumbered by flip floppers. It kind of doesn't seem right. With the addition of Long Trail hikers, there is suddenly a lot of people around. I guess that will only last for a week. The biggest surprise of the day was a wildlife sighting. Around 6pm. I had stopped to check my guide to make a final decision as to where to camp. I put my pack on to leave, took two steps, and there was an explosion of activity about 15 yards ahead of me. I saw a large black shape, a bear that is, take off full speed away from me to my right. At the same time, two cubs each raced up separate trees. It took me about 2 seconds to realize that I needed to get away from those cubs fast. Since the mother had run away from the trail, I started running away from them down the trail to the north. Lots of running in the woods at that moment! While I would have enjoyed a better look at the bears, I'm glad the mother didn't come after me! That makes 10 bears that I have seen on my hike. I never expected that at all! Maybe I should call myself 10 bears. Many thanks again to my cousins Sherrie and Bob who took such great care of me the last couple days. I enjoyed seeing you and am grateful for all your support. See you soon!