morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2003-06-11
From: Harrisburg

To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Watched Dawson's Creek, ate lots of McDonald's, and then Remember the Titans--love that movie. Played guitar outside in the most comfy chair. That night I went with Tiffany and her youth to Central PA Food Bank. They volunteer once every other Wednesday as a service project. We separated boxes--huge boxes of all sorts of canned goods, toilet tissue, drinks, and more. So many people do things for us--5 Alive. I'm glad I left the group tonight and came to the Food Bank. I felt good and had so much fun. I'm glad I got to give back and help somebody else. Tiff and I ate at a really good restaurant. I can't remember the name. Really glad to have had the time to spend with Tiffany and the family. After we got back, I talked with a good friend who just got back from her Chrysalis journey.Something I've realized this weekend is that I'm ready to go home. Up until now, I've not wanted to go home, mainly because I'd have to go back to school and get back in the swing of things. I'm going to enjoy the rest of this adventure, this hike, but I know when it is over I'll be ready to move on with my life. I guess you can say that I'm trying to prepare myself for the transition that will be really hard to make. I'm just glad I realized that this hike will not last forever. My life beyond this trail will be another chapter in my life.
Date: 2003-06-12
From: Duncannon

To: Peter Mtn Shelter
Miles today: 11.4

We got back on the trail close to 11:00. Speck found her missing wallet--or should I say plastic baggie. We had quite a climb that resulted in my sweating buckets. Had good views of the Susquehanna River - the longest river the AT passes. We ate lunch at the first shelter. It began to rain but soon stopped.The six miles to Peter Mtn Shelter were a struggle for me. I was mentally tired. I was more than excited when we reached the shelter. The shelter was packed. It was a huge shelter. We saw Jan Liteshoe and Crow - who are a part of Pack 31. More people kept on showing up. Twenty-seven total either in the shelter, tenting, or at the 2 person shelter Earl Shaffer built. Where did all these people come from?Diesel played guitar - harmonies filled the air. Texas Jack even played his harmonica. Way too crowded for me. Liked the people, seeing Crow and Jan Liteshoe, but I do enjoy fewer people. It reminded me of the night back in Georgia at Gooch Gap. A thunderstorm blew over us but we stayed dry.
Date: 2003-06-13
From: Peter Mtn Shelter

To: Campsite
Miles today: 18.2
Weather: light rain

Half the people were gone this morning when we woke up at 7:00. Another humid day, but at least no rain. The first 6 miles we hiked over rocky boulders. We met up with Paul. I've been carrying fresh fruit with me which is so refreshing, but also it adds extra weight to my pack. It's amazing the things you crave out here.We took a good long lunch break. Good to have Paul hiking with us. He knows a lot about nature, trees, and animals. So the girls are finally outnumbered - 4 to 3.There must have been some kind of military thing nearby because all these planes (tank killers is what Oopu calls them) continually flew over - extremely loud. The hike to the shelter wasn't too bad. Had some mud, lots of fallen trees to step over, and branches to go around. The temp. got up to 78 degrees, which is really warm considering what we've had lately. Flies are out - mosquitos, the black flies, and other little pesty ones that like to fly in your ears and around your face.We decided to pass up the shelter at 17.5 miles because we figured it would be full, and we wanted to tent. We hiked along this big creek to a very nice campsite. Speck and I are sharing tents for the week-end. It began to lightly rain. Still a big humid. Wonderful campsite - as Jan Liteshoe said, when she thinks of hiking the AT, she thinks of sites like these.
Date: 2003-06-14
From: Campsite

To: 501 Shelter
Miles today: 16.0
Weather: broken clouds

Today is another miracle. Woke up and got going about our usual time. The terrain got rockier. Had a beautiful part of the hike that took us into this clearing. Tall grass and wildflowers, mountain laurel and daisies lined the trail. Had a good climb that wasn't so bad. I think I've gotten stronger. We saw 2 rattlesnakes - BIG ONES! We passed up the first shelter at 13 miles and headed to 501 Shelter. Very nice shelter! Seems like a hostel. 6 bunk beds, big table, huge sky light. NICE! We ordered pizza and took ice cold showers. Diesel played guitar as the last bit of day faded into the night. Hearing the music was like getting a piece of Heaven. Today's hike was good. Like the group we are hiking with...Liteshoe, Crow, and their crew. Notes is awesome, too!!Pray for Oopu. He got a little sick today. Maybe it was that he got too hot! Blessing.....Ketchup
Date: 2003-06-15
From: 501 Shelter

To: View Entry
Miles today: 19.0

Got up at 6:00. The front came through and the temperature dropped 10 degrees. It felt so good! Swift Sandals came to meet us. So, according to this map at the shelter, we went 19 miles. It felt like we did 19. Oh, well, who knows?We walked to Sandals' house. There was an amazing overlook. We are the most blessed group. John and Barbara Speir and Ryan (Swift Sandals) cooked us a delicious breakfast of pancakes. Had strawberries. Got to take showers and check e-mail.So, our angels were great today! We only met Swift Sandals once in Erwin, TN and hiked several days with his dad and him. They were so good to us. How blessed are we?We left the nice family and magic singing "Unto You" and "Dixieland Delight." Started hiking around 11:30 with full bellies and grateful hearts. We ran into rocks - big boulders. Stopped at Hertlein Creek, ate lunch, and waited for Slick Rock who has been hiking with Paul. We got separated the day before. It felt good to relax, write, and nap.Headed on over smaller rocks that would make your ankles turn in every direction. Still not as bad as I thought. They will get worse. Saw a black snake. Again, I was really tired today. Felt like my body was drained of all energy...felt like I was just dragging my feet.We made it to Eagle's Nest Shelter and camped. Visited one of the nastiest privies on the trail. The guys made a fire, and I hung the bear bag rope. Got it on my first try!! Good day. Long day. Great sunset filled the sky.
Date: 2003-06-16
From: Eagle's Nest Shelter

To: Windsor Furnace Campsite
Miles today: 14.7

Slept like a log. Had 9 miles into Port Clinton. The rocks were not my friend today. Port Clinton was a nice, small town. Mostly a railroad town. Waited for the Post Office to open. The only restaurant in town was closed for the day. We hung out in town for most of the afternoon.I found out the latest to register for classes at TSU. Feeling a little stressed about making it back in time. Mentally, my body wants to push, and physically my body wants rest. Of course, my mind wins that battle. The guys and I got a hitch after 5 minutes into Wendy's. The guy offered to take us back as well. The food hit the spot! He even tempted us to yellow blaze 5 miles, but we passed up the offer.Got back on the trail, and had a good climb. At the top of the ridge I saw a HUGE rattlesnake. I got a picture of it. Rocks still everywhere. Feet throbbing, I reach the campsite. After setting up my tent, we all saw a bear. Yep, a bear. It was about 50 to 75 feet away and a pretty decent size. It was heading away from our tents - thank goodness. Another hiker saw another rattlesnake at the shelter (right next to where we're camping). The snakes are everywhere. Slick Rock's pole got stolen.I decided to sleep without the fly tonight. I hope it doesn't rain. Going to bed, pooped through and through. Hopefully, we'll have no wildlife visitors tonight.
Date: 2003-06-17
From: Windsor Furnace Campsite

To: Allentown Hiking Club Shelter
Miles today: 16.5
Weather: overcast clouds

I froze last night! We got a later start this morning. As we were making our first climb of the day, I saw this large black object. Once it moved, I realized it was a 400 to 500 pound black bear 15 feet away. My second one in less than 24 hours. Fish, this other thru hiker, was behind me. I got a picture of the bear as it crossed the trail. Fish took off after it, trying to get more pictures. Today was a great day for views. Beautiful and clear. We went to Pulpit Rock, which was great! There, Speck found a tick on my lower back which hadn't gotten in my body too deeply. Had a nice hike up to the Pinnacle, the highest spot on the AT in PA. Amazing view!!Swift Sandals caught up to us after lunch. The Eckville Shelter had drinks and ice cream sandwiches. Met Lazee there - very nice guy! The last 7 miles were tough. ROCKS! Need i say more? There were long stretches of nothing but rocks. Rocks of all shapes and sizes. Finally made it to the shelter. First thing I did was massage my feet. We had another fire tonight. Got in our tents right before the rain hit. Please pray for our feet. The next 3 days are going to be really hard on them.
Date: 2003-06-18
From: Allentown Hiking Club Shelter

To: George W Outerbridge Shelter
Miles today: 16.8
Weather: overcast clouds

It rained all night long. Felt tired and achy this morning. The guys pushed ahead of us because they needed to go into town - so it was the 3 girls and Sandals. What is better than the rocks we've been having? Wet, slippery rocks! Today's hike was like an obstacle course. I guess they make sections like these to weed out people. If the AT were easy, everyone would hike it. Another bad day on the feet. Didn't see any wildlife or views. My favorite part of the day was near the end of the hike. We hiked along mountain laurel on top of the mountains. Could barely see the outline of a small town. It even smelled really good through there, but this part of the trail was rock, too. Just Do It slipped and fell yesterday and broke his arm in 3 places. With that in mind, I took each step carefully.There was just enough room for the 4 of us in the shelter. So good to be here. Looking forward to the day we get out of PA and the rocks! Met Healer - a guy who is hiking the trail with Multiple Sclerosis. Really neat guy. Went to bed before dark.
Date: 2003-06-19
From: George W Outerbridge Shelter

To: Leroy A Smith Shelter
Miles today: 16.7
Weather: light rain

The morning started off with a light rain. We had a wake-up climb - 1000 feet vertically up rocks. It was fun, hard, and a little scary. The rocks were still slippery. We climbed most of them on all fours. At the top of the mountain everything was dead or about to be dead. It was foggy and very eerie looking. Lots of rocks! Some volunteers told us that the worst is in a stretch of 15 miles - which would be tomorrow. So, tomorrow will be a 20 mile day over the hardest section. Yipee! Made it to the shelter and camped. Swift Sandals is still with us. Two other guys camped here as well. We were told we are under a flood watch - supposed to get 2 inches of rain. The thunder is getting louder and closer. In for quite a storm tonight. Trying to get some sleep for the big day tomorrow. The question that is on my mind tonight..."Will my feet ever be the same after these rocks?"
Date: 2003-06-20
From: Leroy A Smith Shelter

To: Delaware Water Gap
Miles today: 20.2
Weather: moderate rain

Got up and going before 8:00. Stayed positive, even though the rain was falling. No views once again. Had some trail magic from Bud Cassidy. Had 2 pickles from a jar. The other magic was canned goods. Several good things about today. First, with the rain, it made me hike faster - not wanting to take as many breaks. Two, the rocks were no harder than the previous days. We did 14 miles before lunch. Ran into the same type of trail magic and grabbed spagettios, which we gladly ate and appreciated! The rain came down in buckets then. Sandals and I walked through all the puddles along the trail - ones that came up to our shins. We were making great time. Going to reach Delaware Water Gap by 6:00.Well, Speck and I decided that 20 miles weren't long enough. We accidentally got off the trail once, then luckily found it. As we were talking, we happened to miss the small one blaze that stood off of the trail. So, we ended up walking about 1 to 1.5 miles down this old woods road that basically turned into a river. We turned off that road and decided we'd find the road because we could hear it. Bad idea. Going back the same way we came, we had to climb this steep bank. Well, rain all day brings slippery mud. I almost got to the top of it, and my feet slid right back down--clothing me in mud. I had to climb up it on all fours. We decided to hike back up the mountain to see if we saw any white marks. Could this day get any longer?We climbed back up the mountain and found the hidden trail. Got to Delaware Water Gap at 7:15 and found out that the hostel at the church was full. Hikers stayed there today to get out of the rain. So, we went to Ramada Inn. Cire's mother was there. We had lots of pizza and got to take showers. Then, we went swimming in the heated pool. Felt good and relaxing. Long, long day. Feels so good to be here. Only one mile left until we're out of PA. Hitting New Jersey tomorrow - 1277 miles.
Date: 2003-06-21
From: Delaware Water Gap

To: Camp Road - Mohican Outdoor Center
Miles today: 10.5
Weather: moderate rain

NEW JERSEY NOT WELCOMINGWe had a great breakfast and lunch - thanks to Cire's mom. Did laundry and everything else as the rain came down in buckets. Is it ever going to stop? We went to the church hostel and hung out until the thunderstorm passed by. Once we left and crossed the Delaware River, we entered New Jersey - state number 8. I hiked most of the day alone - watching the blazes on the trees more carefully because of the day before. The water on the trail was worse because of the consistent rain the last several days. Next came Sunfish Pond that was a good size and was flooded. The trail went right by the pond. All rocks, too, (we have 44 miles of rocks left) were along the trail. This part of the trail wasn't marked very well. I ended up getting off the trail, climbing up rocks up the mountain. Finally reached this stream where Speck was waiting. She thought Slick Rock was behind her but I was the last one. So, she went back to look for her. I waited about an hour at the creek, not really knowing what to do. The guys were about 2 hours behind us. Realizing that I was going to run out of daylight, I headed on. Walking on top of the ridge, I was in a cloud. It was foggy, rainy, and very windy. I thought a storm was about to hit at anytime. I was freezing cold, so I decided to find the first campsite that was off the ridge. I heard several voices of girls, so I'd stop and wait, but no one would show. It was freaky, and I began to get scared. Scared of not knowing where Slick Rock was, scared I was alone with no idea what to do. I found a camp area and set up my tent. I was about to get into my sleeping bag with the thought that I might have to camp alone tonight. Then out of nowhere comes Cire and Diesel. I was bawling - so glad to see them. Speck and Oopu were right behind them. I packed up a wet tent and hiked probably faster than I've ever hiked before. We had to cross a flooded stream to get to a footbridge and made it to the road leading to Mohican Outdoor Center. Slick Rock was there. Whew!!!It was now pretty dark and getting close to 9:00. We at first looked for a camping spot but everything was at least a food underwater. So, we decided to rent or get a cabin. It had a wood furnace and lots of room to spread out our wet gear. My heart was still beating several beats faster than normal as I reflected on the day. A lesson well learned, thankful that we are all here, safe, warm, and dry.Today is also known as "naked day." For some odd reason, hikers like to hike naked on the first day of summer. What a day they had. Thankful that we didn't see any. First day of summer. It doesn't feel like it at all. Haven't seen the sun hardly, and we haven't had much warmth.
Date: 2003-06-22
From: Camp Road - Mohican Outdoor Center

To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

We had a group discussion this morning. A very good thing. Sandles and Cire are joining in. The meeting was good for me because I realized that I have been stressed out about school - that making me want to push and me not really wanting to. I'd rather hike with the group the rest of the trail and finish together - enjoying it rather than pushing and being miserable. It rained most of the day. I got some much needed rest. It's beautiful here - probably even more when the weather is better. Listened to music, then to sleep. Sandles is joining our group for the moment. It's good to have him with us. Adds more character and it also allows him to see how hiking in a group is. Not always the easiest thing but so worth it.
Date: 2003-06-23
From: Mohican Outdoor Center

To: Gren Anderson Shelter
Miles today: 20.9
Weather: clear sky

The sun was shining this morning as I left at 7:30. The hike was very nice. The temp. got up to 86 degrees - the warmest day I think we've had. We had pretty easy terrain, allowing us to do over 11 miles before lunch. Amazing views all along the ridge. New Jersey is a beautiful state. Saw a mother deer and her fawn, a huge lake (Culiver Lake), and got to climb a fire tower. We ate at a bakery that's on the AT - apple turnovers were scrumptious! We decided to push on to the shelter - going over 20 miles. I'm tired, but it didn't seem like we hiked that far. Time flies when you're having a good time. We reached 1300 miles, - only leaving us with 863 more to go. Got to meet Red, Blue, and Mike - pretty cool guys.
Date: 2003-06-24
From: Gren Anderson Shelter

To: .3 mi past High Point Shelter
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

Slept good last night without my fly on my tent. Another really nice, sunny day. After hiking 2.5 miles we went to Sunset Mountain Pavilion. The pavilion made of stone was cool, very breezy. It sucked us in, and we ended up staying there for several hours. Nice views on both sides. I wish I knew it was this nice because I would've tried to see the sunrise. We decided to go several more hours before lunch. We walked along a lot of ridges - putting us on top of the mountain - even with the trees. Ran low on water for several miles but soon found a small stream.The day grew warmer - reaching the Visitor's Center. Another good break - out of the sun. Some of the guys went to the recreation part of High Point Park, and I went on to the observation platform. There, in Wingfoot's book, it says that NYC is visible but we didn't see it. We could hear children's voices from nearby Lake Marcia. Oopu and I ended up hiking to the monument that resembled the Washington Monument. A perfect night for a sunset. Boy was I excited. Really neat to see the mountains we just crossed. As I sat on the stone wall that went around the monument - the highest point in New Jersey - I could see Lake Marcia to the left, the Delaware River to my right, and miles and miles away the sun setting on the horizon, disappearing behind ridges that go on as far as the eye can see. I didn't think New Jersey was so beautiful. It is known for a lot of bears and has lots of ticks. Oopu and I did some night hiking. Spent another night with my fly off. Great day!
Date: 2003-06-26
From: County Road 565

To: 0 day
Miles today: 0.0

Ate cereal before we headed into Vernon to get our mail drops. Blazing hot today. Glad this was the day we're taking off. We ate at Burger King and then hit the freezing cold swimming pool. It felt great! Had a nap and sat by the fire to keep the mosquitoes off. Got to bed as early as I could.
Date: 2003-06-27
From: Co Rd 565

To: Stream
Miles today: 14.5
Weather: clear sky

Got up before 6:00, left the campground, and hit the trail by 8:15. My pack was more full and heavy because of the 7 days of food. The one word that describes today the best would be mosquitoes. I hate mosquitoes. They attacked me the whole day in swarms. They even bite through your clothes. Drove me insane! It was again hot today. The temp at 9:45 was 92 degrees.We walked along this boardwalk for several miles. It made me think I was down in Florida, walking through the swampy Everglades with boiling hot sun beating down. Today's hike was tough. More climbs than usual. We took over 2 hours for lunch by this pond. The mayflies lit up blue and green when they were hit by the sun. Got a good nap in. We crossed the New Jersey/New York state line. State number 9. New York greeted us with huge rocks. Good thing they were dry! It brought with it a lot of views. The wildlife I saw today consisted of a frog, a gopher, a huge turtle, 6 snakes, and a million mosquitoes. Felt weird being the only girl in the group. All the guys joke about it. I tell them that I'll have to just be one of the guys. Oopu and I talked about how quickly the time is flying by. Almost left with only 800 miles. Sounds like a lot, but the miles fly by. Well, a cold front is coming through. Hopefully, tomorrow will be a little cooler.
Date: 2003-06-28
From: Cascade Brook

To: NY 17
Miles today: 16.6

Cooler this morning. Got started by 7:00. Had a good day of views. We saw Eastern Pinnacles, Cat Rocks, and one of my favorite of the day was Fitzgerald Falls. First waterfall we've had in a while. I could only put my feet in because the water was ice cold. Most of the guys got all the way in. How they did it, I don't know.We hiked several more miles to Mombasha High Pt, another place where New York City was "supposed" to be visible. No NYC. We went a little past that to some shady trees, lunched, and napped. The day grew warmer as it grew later. The last 5 miles were tough. I was drained. We had more climbs that went straight up - no switchbacks. Sandles and I stopped a lot to pick blueberries. Most of them were ripe and good. To finish the day, we climbed down Agony Grind. The name says it all. We could see the road from the top of the mountain almost straight down from where we were. It took us awhile to climb down this crazy rock face. Just glad we didn't have to climb up it. We met the rest of the group at the bottom of the mountain. We made a campfire right next to NY 17. We decided to hit up a restaurant, so we attempted to hitch as several cops rode by shaking their fingers at us. This really nice lady and her little girl did stop and gave us a ride to Red Apple Rest. We enjoyed the cheeseburgers and fries. Saw 2 x 4, Heidi, and Slats there. Talked to an older gentleman for awhile, then headed back. This time we had no luck - walking 2 miles back to our tents. Come to find out that it is illegal to hitchhike in NY. OOPS! Another night to sleep with my fly off.