morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2008-06-08
From: Allentown Shelter

To: Palmerton City Hall
Miles today: 17.8

June 8                Palmerton City Hall        17.8 miles I think I may stop talking about the hardest climb on the Trail as it might be ever changing.Today was VERY hot, VERY challenging, and VERY rocky. Just constant ups and downs. And the experts and veterans say that the northern part of the trail, the Whites and Maine, are the toughest parts. This section I¢m in now must be training camp.Since the heat wave was forecasted, I kept me water supply full, which is a bit over a gallon. Some hikers would say it is a waste of weight, however being one who sweats profusely, ample water is critical.During the day, it just kept getting hotter and hotter and wisdom told me to take frequent breaks and drink water constantly. That strategy worked well for me. Towards the midafternoon, I had about 2 miles to go and was getting pretty heated up. The usual debate between resting and continuing to hike was short lived. I found a large rock in the shade, which meant rest time. The coolness of the rock was perfect at cooling me down, so much that I actually took a short nap and felt very refreshed when I continued on towards Palmerton. Arriving in town around 3:30, I got settled into the hostel, which is in the basement of the Village Hall. This is the first time I have seen a town host the hikers. The basement hostel was cool and roomy; access to the shower made it a 5star in my opinion. On my way to the hostel, the temperature on the bank sign noted it was 98 degrees; certainly felt that hot.Had dinner at the Inn and watched the basketball game with Root and Night Terror. In addition to rooting for the Celtics, we discussed taking a zero tomorrow. The heat was going to increase over the next two days, and I would be hiking on barren ridges (as in no shade) and though I had done okay so far, I was not interested in hiking in hotter weather.Since Palmerton only allowed hikers to stay one night, we moved to neighboring Slatington and stayed at Fine Lodging. We would come to find out ¢Fine¢ referred to the owner¢s name and not to the accommodations
Date: 2008-06-10
From: Slatington - Fine Lodging

To: Slatington - Fine Lodging
Miles today: 0.0

Staying here reminded me of when I took my first job out of college and stayed at a rooming house. It also reminded me of why I moved out of that rooming house. Not the kind of zero day I was looking forward to. However, we did find out that the temp in Palmerton last night was 103 while our room was at 78-80 degrees
Date: 2008-06-11
From: Slatington - Fine Lodging

To: Hahn's Lookout
Miles today: 20.0

We (root, Night Terror, Honeymoon, Shortstick, and I) left the Fine Lodging place at 8:30, somewhat eager to start the climb up the scramble. It has been said this climb is one of the toughest south of New England. My plan was to hike beyond the shelter and make today the long hike towards New Jersey.Night Terror led the way up and there was some hand over hand climbing and a great view of the towns below. It didn¢t seem as hard as predicted. We had also been told about the fact that the ridge line was barren due to the zinc mining that had gone on.That was exactly as predicted. The area on top looked like a storm had gone through some years earlier and killed all the trees and vegetation. just very desolate looking, which meant no shade of protection from the sun. Fortunately the heat wave was over and we were hiking in 85 degree weather..much milder than before. We took a break once on top and then continued on.As is typical, the group spread out and by the afternoon I was hiking on my own in front of the other hikers. I arrived at the camp ground around 5 and set up my tent.Night Terror and Root arrived a while later.
Date: 2008-06-12
From: Hahn's Lookout

To: Presbyterian Church of the Mountain Hostel
Miles today: 16.6
Weather: scattered clouds

Two big accomplishments today..less than 900miles to go and we have left Pennsylvania.Many hikers expressed complete joy on leaving Pa due to the rocks. The rocks there tested one¢s patience, ankle strength as well as tear up boots and shoes.However as I would find out, the rocks don¢t suddenly stop at Pa; they continued to occupy space on the Trail as well as testing one¢s ability to hike and not trip.The weather continued to be easy to hike in, temps in the 70¢s.I was headed to the church hostel in Delaware Water Gap, where the church members hosted a pot luck dinner every Thursday for the hikers.Several hikers got into town and a group of 12 of us ate some of the finest home cooking on the Trail. The generosity and hospitality of these church members was incredible.
Date: 2008-06-13
From: Presbyterian Church of the Mountain Hostel

To: Mohican Center
Miles today: 10.3

After picking up my supply box, I headed to the bakery in town where I had made arrangements to hike with Steve James and his family. Steve and his wife Helen are friends from Ball State; they were vacationing on the east coast and wanted to see the Trail and understand Trail life. We agreed to spend a few hours together.So naturally that meant food. We met at the bakery in town where we took advantage of the special: slice of pie and hot dog for $1.50.After the fueling session we headed to the Trail head and hiked for a few miles. It was fun to spend time with them and share stories of my hike. During our hike, Helen asked what that noise was she kept hearing. It sounded like very light rain drops hitting the leaves of the trees, but the skies were clear and I had no clue what the noise was. I would find out later that the noise was the sound of gypsy moth caterpillars pooping. And I thought it was a pain to hike in the rain.Steve, Helen and their son Tom finished around 11. I continued on and arrived at the Mohican Center around 4 where I set up tent. Root and Night Terror got in a bit later.
Date: 2008-06-14
From: Mohican Center

To: Culvers Gap
Miles today: 17.9

I¢d been hiking with Root and Night Terror for a few days and the objective for most days was to go where they could see the Celtics play, which was today¢s plan as well. We¢d hike to the Gap, where Night Terror¢s friend would pick us up and we¢d get a motel room, drink beer and watch the game tonight. Or so we thought.The hiking was a bit tough, with several climbs and much ridge hiking. It was hotter than expected, but we eventually got cooled off by the rain, which also left us drenched.One of the changes hikers go through is loosing track of time, day of the week, or the date of a day. With little connection to the outside world, like TV, radio, newspaper, and no real reason to focus on time, hikers frequently have to stop and really think about what day it is. We can usually tell you the distance we have hiked today, how much we will hike tomorrow, but go ahead and ask us what day of the week it is. Sometimes it is like trying to figure the square root of 146..takes a bit of time. That is such a change for me. In my previous work life, I knew what day and date it was, what a week from tomorrow would be, etc.So after a relatively tough day of hiking, there is excitement in the air knowing there will be pizza, beer, hot showers, and dry motel rooms and then there is disappointment to learn the expected game is tomorrow night. Turns out our information on the date came from Treat. There is little anybody can do or say to Treat; at 6¢8¢ and not quite skinny, he is sort of immune from being harassed over something as trivial as having the wrong day for a championship NBA basketball game.Since I am not a big sports fan, it was a great evening to eat pizza, drink beer and channel surf.
Date: 2008-06-15
From: Culvers Gap

To: Rutherford Shelter
Miles today: 11.7
Weather: broken clouds

Since it was a light night, it was a late start of the day. Nathan, Night Terror and I hit the local diner for breakfast. The diner is vintage stainless steel variety and had the food and service to boot..greasy food and ¢we don¢t care if you come back¢ service. Pure AmericanaSo Nathan drops Root and me off at the Trail. Root took off while I worked on my pack and tried to put off hiking up the mountain. I decided to make it an easy day, which meant just under 12 miles to the shelter, which was .4 of a mile off trail. The shelter is like that seasoned motel with grass and weeds growing in the parking lot. Shelters that are nearly a half mile off Trail just don¢t get used that much. So it was just me, listening to the greatest cacophony of bird noise ever. It was like being in the middle of my own, private aviary. I suppose because the shelter was in a remote area, there were many more bird s than normal. At one point I could hear 4 different ¢conversations¢ between birds..Just the grandest sounds ever. It reminded me of the sounds of a neighborhood full of kids and adults and the conversations among them. ¢Come home to dinner¢, ¢Honey, can you go to the store?¢, ¢Pick up your toys!¢ ¢Whose turn is it to take the trash out?¢ These birds were talking up a storm and that is what I suspected they were saying.As I lay on sleeping bag, one other noise started and it was not welcome..mosquitoes. They saw me as their dinner and were relentless in their attacks. I tried getting in my sleeping bag, but it was just too hot. I didn¢t feel like lathering myself in bug repellant. So I ended up pitching my tent in the shelter with out the rain fly. Perfect sleeping weather and no mosquitoes
Date: 2008-06-16
From: Rutherford Shelter

To: Mayor's House Unioinville, NY
Miles today: 10.4

June 16 Unionville, NY Mayor¢s Home 10.4 milesI was up and hiking by 8 and it was a mild day. The sun was out for a short while then it became overcast and very muggy. The beautiful country side made the day a bit easier to take. My destination was the City Pavilion in Unionville, NY. It looked like Unionville was going to try to be like Damascus and Palmerton in terms of being hiker-friendly. Those 2 towns are indeed very friendly to hikers, but in my opinion would loose out to Unionville if a vote were to be held.So I go to the Post Office to get my bounce box and am asked by the Postmistress if I am staying at the Mayor¢s house. I¢d heard that the Mayor was very hospitable, but had no details. What a great opportunity for a Yogi. ¢Well¢ I responded, ¢I had hoped to, but had not been officially invited¢.¢Go see Kitty, in the white house next to the Village Hall. She¢ll help you¢.¢Thanks very much¢ and off I go to see Kitty.There is no answer at the front door so around back I go looking for the kitchen door. Passing by a really cool patio, with multiple bird feeders and a few fountains, my knock on the back door is answered by the little, loudly barking dog, who is told by Kitty to be quiet. Before I explain that I am a thru hiker, (she had to have smelled me coming up the drive way), she said just a minute, then called Butch (turned out to be her son, who also worked for the Mayor) and told him she had another hiker here and to come pick me up.I get escorted to the home of Mayor Dick Ludwick, a very unassuming fellow who provides a hostel and meals at no charge to hikers. While it is nice to have free housing, it is also great to have the kind of hospitality that Dick provides. Meals, bunkroom, laundry, beer, and a tv..all at no cost to the hiker. There were about 10 of us at the Mayor¢s house.We ended the day with a community dinner.
Date: 2008-06-17
From: Mayor's House Unioinville, NY

To: St. Thomas Epicopal Church Hostel
Miles today: 12.7

I was back on Trail around 8 and had an easy day heading toward the church hostel in Vernon NJ. Another example of a local church providing a hostel with sleeping area, laundry, and showers to the hikers.I was heading toward setting another record..5 showers in a week. Showers become much more important as the weather causes hikers to be extra dirty, grimy and sweaty.
Date: 2008-06-18
From: St. Thomas Epicopal Church Hostel

To: Breezy Point Motel
Miles today: 15.0

Several of us left in the morning ready for another day of hiking. We were anticipating an ice cream break in the afternoon; 3 tenths of a mile from the Trail was an ice cream place. Oh joy. Of course once we started thinking about ice cream not much else mattered; not even the rain that was forecast. The 5 of us end up at the ice cream store around 4 after being soaked in the cold, rain. So being hikers with little sense when it comes to food, we load up on some of the best ice cream available. Sitting inside we watched the rain get worse as we ate out dairy products. Cuda, almost in passing said something about how great a motel would be, especially since some of us were getting pretty chilled from the ice cream inside of us and the cold rain outside. Within minutes Cuda had arranged for a shuttle form the motel owner and we were headed to another warm, dry motel room and shower.That was a wise choice as the next day was another one of those exhausting hikes for all of us.
Date: 2008-06-19
From: Breezy Point Motel

To: Fingerboard Shelter
Miles today: 16.4
Weather: overcast clouds

What a day.Matt, the motel owner, dropped us off at the ice cream store. We certainly weren¢t going to pass up another ice cream cone. We started hiking around noon and would end up working off any calories from any ice cream. It was a day of constant ups and downs with a fair amount of hand over hand climbing. Seemed like more training for the northern part of the Trail.I was headed down one mountain when my foot got stuck as I rounded a tree; major league ouch. My reaction to twisting my knee was laced with profanities; I couldn¢t believe how quickly it happened nor how painful it was, nor how my knee twisted. It hurt quite a bit and I SLOWLY walked down the mountain and sat down. After a few minutes I got up and was able to move pretty well, but couldn¢t help but wonder was it just a little twist or a major injury. I started walking gently and found that the pain eased up quite a bit and felt very relieved. Hopefully it would be a case of a minor sprain and Motrin would help.We all ended up at the last climb of the day, where Cuda would be the hero. He was the first up and then helped pull the rest of us up over the rocks. We all were very grateful for his help as it was very difficult to climb alone and I was, of course< worried about further straining my knee.We ended up at the shelter around 8, all of us just exhausted. I had planned on some time off in a few days and was looking forward to resting my body (especially my knee) as well as my mind. I was feeling the effects of nearly 10 straight days of hiking and needed the break.
Date: 2008-06-20
From: Fingerboard Shelter

To: Bear Mountain Lodge
Miles today: 14.4
Weather: broken clouds

Since I was not completely sure of my knee¢s condition, I was up and on the Trail by 6:30. That would give me extra time if needed. When I got up, my whole seemed very stiff, but the more I moved around the looser it became including my knee. Then. Motrin certainly helped quite a bit.The day¢s hike went pretty well and was not a difficult as yesterdays. I made sure to take several breaks.I got into the Bear Mtn Park around 4 after hiking in the rain for about an hour. I was unsure whether to continue hiking in the cold and increasing rain or to get a motel room or to ¢stealth camp¢...at the park, where camping is not allowed. I just wasn¢t interested in spending money on another motel room, but certainly didn¢t want to pitch a tent in the rain or continue hiking>Within a few minutes the rest of the gang showed up and Cuda had done it again, he arranged for a motel room the 5 of us could share, so we would again be warm, dry, showered for $20 each. We were saved again.
Date: 2008-06-21
From: Bear Mountain Lodge

To: New York City
Miles today: 5.9

I was up on the Trail early, around 6:30. My plan was to hike to Cold Spring and catch the train to NYC for a few days off. The hike ended up being pretty enjoyable, though of course there were mountains to climb, but I got to walk on the bridge that goes over the Hudson River. Some folks may not get much thrill from walking over a river, but keep in mind, it was the Hudson River. Just a beautiful sight. The rest of the hike went well; I got into Cold Spring around noon and caught a train to NYC pretty quickly. I would stay with relatives the city, eat a lot of food, take a couple of baths, and head back to the Trail on Tuesday, June 24.
Date: 2008-06-24
From: New York City

To: Graymoor Monastery
Miles today: 0.5

Talk about a lame hiking day..one half mile!! That's the distance from Cold Spring to Graymoor Monastery where I stayed the night. I caught the train (actually 3 different trains) from Manhattan to my first night back on the Trail: a monastery run by the Franciscans. My time off in NYC went well and of course it was great to see sister-in-law Robin and neice Allegra. I had the usual errands to run and even took a nap while off Trail. What was rather odd is the fact that I did not go walking in Central Park. It has been my habit to visit the Big Apple 1 or 2 times a year for the past 10 years and I always spend a fair amount of time in the Park, but not this time. One would assume I am getting plenty of hiking on the Trail.So I am staying the nite in a pavillion on the monastery grounds and while there meet Apostle and Sight See. Both of these guys are in my age range and both are retired, which gives a bit of commonality.Of course having pizza delivered to the pavillion ended an easy day.
Date: 2008-06-25
From: Graymoor Monastery

To: RPH Shelter
Miles today: 18.9
Weather: few clouds

Apostle, Sight See and I took off with the intent of getting to the shelter where we could order pizza for delivery.The miles went pretty well, partly because I was energized from my time off and having bulked up on food.The weather was pretty mild, but as always I sweated quite a bit.That meant a cold water shower to wash off the sweat, dirt and grime. Please don't ask the difference between dirt and grime; I just know at the end of the day I have this gross coating on my skin and desparately need to wash it off.
Date: 2008-06-27
From: Telephone Pioneers Shelter

To: Dutchess Motor Lodge
Miles today: 21.4

The 3 of us, Apostle, Sight See and I took off with plans to probably stay in a B and B. The terrain was okay as was the weather.We endedup with a long day of miles and just Apostle and I staying at the Dutchess Motel in Wyndale. The motel was the home to several construction workers while they were on the job. We got there as they were having an end of hte week party/gathering on the front lawn. We were welcomed by the group and had our share of beer and pizza.We had made plans with owner of the outfitter to pick us up in the mroning to take us to Kent for some shopping and food.
Date: 2008-06-28
From: Dutchess Motor Lodge

To: Stewart Hollow Lean-to
Miles today: 7.0

After shopping and eating in Kent, I got to the shelter around 3:00. Several hikers were already there and one had a message frm Apostle that he was moving on to the next shelter. I setup the tent and settled in for the night, looking forwad to connecting with Keith Adams tomorrow.
Date: 2008-06-29
From: Stewart Hollow Lean-to

To: Keith Adams Home
Miles today: 9.1

It was an easy day as I had only 9 miles to hie to Cornvall Bridge Road to connect with Keith Adams, a classmate from West Lafayette High School. Keith had helped his brother hike the Trail a few years earlier and I was to find out how good Keith was at supporting thruhikers.He met me at the road crossing at the time we agreed upon. Nearly 40 years since I had seen him, I was concerned about recognizing him. He was quicker to id me and he showed up wiht me favorite beverage AND brand; what a great welcome.On the way to his house, he almost apologetically said he had committed to brining me by a freind who was having an art show in town. He said his freind wanted to meet a hiker and see what a "hiker" smelled like. Well after not having had a shower for few days, I could certainly accommadate that request. So I walk into this art show and see the second sign that Keith knew how to take care of a thruhiker: there were 2 tables of snacks and drinks wating to be had. So the next hour was spent looking at art and gliding by the food table for snacks.Within the hour I was at Keith's home where I met his welcomng wife Stephanie and their children Sidney, Jordan, and Alex. A special thanks to Sidney for surrendering his room to me for my visit. Over the next day and a half I was treated to:awesome and plenty of food, including this incredible home-mad apple pie Stephanie and the kids made for my visit;3 am visits to the kitchen for pie and ice creamvisits to several stores to get resuppliesvery refreshing swim in their poolmy "own" room without mice or bugsthe atmosphere of a very relaxing household (okay the 2 dogs were a bit rambunctiousreconnecting wtih a friend from over 40 years agoI found myself very grateful for Keith and his family generousity and the refreshing visit that provided.
Date: 2008-07-01
From: Keith Adams Home

To: Limestone Shelter
Miles today: 14.3
Weather: few clouds

Keith dropped me off at Cornwall Bridge in the morning; he again made clear his offer to provide any help he could over the part of my journey. In less than 3 days, he would again show his generousity and support.I was about 50 yards up the Trail when I heard those 2 distinct voices also entering the woods..Piper Hiker and Dartman. Piper and I had started within a day of one another and we had hiked together a few times since then.I got hiking towards the Limestone Shelter, a trek of about 14 miles. Like many of those days that follow a zero day or 2, today seemed like a long day.Along the way, I stopped at Falls Village hydro electric plant. The plant had water and a shower available for hikers. The manager looked at me and said he figured I had about 55 days left before finishing; I told him I had calculated between 55 and 53. He laughed and said he had been seeign hikers come through for nearly 20 years and had become pretty good a estimating time to finish; I guess so.I got into camp late afternoon and set up my tent. Then took a "creek bath" to degrime. Piper and Dartman came in soon after.
Date: 2008-07-01
From: Big Branch Shelter

To: Clarendon Shelter
Miles today: 10.2
Weather: overcast clouds

This was a tough day at the start but, turned out just fine. I headed out in the beginning and went the wrong way, and not just a few hundred feet. No, when I go the wrong way, I go big time. All the way down the gorge and it wasn¢t until I was at the bottom that I recognized an opening in the rock formation. I could probably be at Katahdin by now if I would quit doing that. However it was another opportunity to laugh at my error and move on. Actually, I did let loose a few choice words before heading NORTH!The good news is that today is my 5th month anniversary on the Trail and I broke through the 500 mile mark. Like all other milestones I ask how I have managed to get this far and the answer is always the same. I can certainly take credit for the physical part, but so much support from so many friends and relatives gives me that mental toughness to have endured this the challenges of this trek. Every day I realize how very lucky I am to have that support.The location for the lodge is atop Little Killington Mountain at the tenting site. It was a tough climb up as the Trail seemed to be recently cut and was not very smooth. But the 3 of us (Dartman and Piper) survived and set up tents. The clear sky had us hoping for some stargazing.
Date: 2008-07-02
From: Limestone Shelter

To: Glenbrook Lean-to
Miles today: 17.6

It was a good day of hiking with a few climbs.Mid-morning I got into Salisbury for a 2nd breakfast. My food in-take is getting better and I can tell the difference in my energy level.There were several stops along the way to eat blueberries as well as ¢to smell the roses¢. Though there were no roses, those latter stops were mostly to stop, take off the pack and enjoy the views. Because so much of the hike these days in the forest, there are not that many views..