morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2010-06-29
From: Eckville Shelter

To: George W. Outerbridge Shelter
Miles today: 24.2
Weather: scattered clouds

8:50 p.m. Jerry just called. He had just arrived at the shelter for the night. The first shelter they had planned on staying at - the water source had dried up so they had to push on. Making it a 24.2 mile day. Holy Cow !Didn't have much to say. Had to set up camp and eat before he could rest.He reported that all told he has fallen 6 times on the AT. 3 of those happened today. "The rocks are wearing us all out."When we got to Bake Oven Knob Shelter about 5 pm, Nesta had gotten there earlier and looked all over the hillside for water, but all springs were dry. So we all took a deep breath and hiked on. Grolar Bear and Nesta went ahead, moving rapidly since they were virtually out of water. Stan, Candy Bar, and I followed as quickly as we could but the trail continued to be a difficult rocky endurance event. On the plus side we came across lots of ripe blueberries. We finally made it to Outerbridge just as it was getting dark. Fortunately, the spring there was flowing good. The dryness and heat really make you appreciate a good water source. I set up camp on a fairly good flat spot near the shelter, there weren't many decent spots to choose from on this rocky hillside.
Date: 2010-06-30
From: George W. Outerbridge Shelter

To: Leroy Smith Shelter
Miles today: 16.8
Weather: clear sky

I decided early in the morning to bypass the town of Palmerton and to hike on through. I packed up as much water as I could, about 4 12 L. to make sure I had enough for the day. I¢m short on food but have enough to get through to Delaware Water Gap conserving what I have. I¢m anxious to get out of PA, to get away from the rocks. When I left the shelter and went down to the gap there was a police officer on the road who offered to ride me in to town to get b¢fast at Burger King, which was very tempting. But I declined wanting to get to climb out of Lehigh Gap which is a notorious climb ¢ a serious rock scramble that involves about 30 minutes of high anxiety as you basically go hand over hand up the rocks to the ridge top. After you get to the ridge top you walk for several miles along the path where you overlook the valley and can see the old zinc plant in town and the environmental devastation that it caused to the area. It is now a superfund site but mitigating all the damage that was done by the zinc plant years ago is a massive task. On the plus side there are lots and lots of ripe blueberries which kind of slow me down for a little while because I just kept getting tempted by the blueberries. I also lost the trail a couple times today for short periods of time but was able to get back on track. The rocks continue. They are hard on the feet. They slow me down. One of the worst things is that you have to keep looking at your feet so you can¢t even look around at the sceneryGot to shelter around 6:15 tires, hungry and ready to be done with PA. Eddy from Germany is here, as well as Stitch who I saw recently in Port Clinton. She is booking it to catch up with her friends so I'm sure I won't see her again.
Date: 2010-07-01
From: Leroy Smith Shelter

To: Delaware Water Gap
Miles today: 20.2
Weather: overcast clouds

Jerry called ~8:30. He had just gotten in to DWG. He had planned on stopping at the Kirkridge Shelter but didn't like the looks of it and decided to add 6.4 miles to his day and spend the night at the Presbyterian Church of the Mountains Shelter. Another 20+ day. Holy Smokes!He'll be there until Friday evening when he meets up with his sister, Judy, who lives in the area.Said he felt fine but his feet really hurt at the moment.According to the guide book only 894.7 to go.Eddy and I sort of played leapfrog today along the Trail. We wound up taking a break together at a motel at a road crossing for PA33 at Wind Gap, the motel sells sodas and snacks to hikers. Eddy seems to be struggling with exhaustion. He is a retired teacher. We wound up at the Kirkridge Shelter together, but there were no nice tent sites on that rocky hillside so I decided since there was still some daylight I would head for Delaware Water Gap a day early. The trail was a bit tougher and longer than I had figured but I did make it to DWG about 8 pm, just in time to see the very nice ladies of the Presbyterian church leaving the parking lot after doing a "hiker feed" at the hostel. Timing is everything. One of the ladies still hanging around did give me some chips and salsa and there were a few cookies left over in the hostel. Later after setting up my tent and showering I went down to the Deer's Head Inn where there was a jazz thing going on. As I expected might happen, my brother in law Len showed up. I was sitting at the bar with a beer, he was down at the other end, I sort of waved and smiled at him. It took him a minute to figure out who I was. Later on he joined in with the jazz group and played a few pieces, so that was nice. Also there were Diggery Dude and Doodlebug. Diggery Dude had his harmonica and he joined the jazz group for a few pieces. He did a great job.
Date: 2010-07-02
From: Delaware Water Gap

To: Sister Judy
Miles today: 0.0

Spent the day doing chores. Had to take a bus into Stroudsburg to do laundry. Visited the wonderful Pie Shop in DWG, and the outfitter to pick up a few items. Later on Judy came and picked me up and took me home to Bangor for the night. She fixed a wonderful supper and I got to sleep indoors. In the words of Len (Judy's husband and a great jazz musician) 'Speaking of Jerry I went to the Deerhead Inn last night to play drums to get ready for my recording and who was sitting at the bar but a bearded Jerry VH I had to do a double take, he really looks like a changed man!'Spent the night at Len and Judy's. Good day!
Date: 2010-07-03
From: Sister Judy's

To: Stealth Camp near Mohican Otdr Cntr mile 1294.4
Miles today: 10.0

Hit the Trail about noon today. Judy is along for the next 24 hours. Camping on a ridge top about a mile short of the Mohican Outdoor Center. The heat has returned. Still no rain. All is well. It is good to have Judsy along for a bit. We found ripe wine berries around the parking lot at the trailhead. On the climb up to Sunfish Pond we ran into Dooglebug and Diggery Dude. At Sunfish, we ran into Churchill. Later on the ridge top Judy spotted two bears off in the woods. Since there was no threat of rain, and it was pretty hot, Judy brought some bug netting material from the farm that she used to fashion a makeshift tent for the night, which worked pretty well. She is thinking like an ultra-light hiker.
Date: 2010-07-04
From: Stealth camp near Mohican Otdr Ctr mile 1294.4

To: Rattlesnake Mountain
Miles today: 12.6

Hiked out with Judy in morning, we stopped at the Mohican Outdoor Center, got a soft drink and some snacks, filled up on water, and headed on to a road crossing where my nephew Justin picked up his mother Judy.Justin fortunately brought a bunch of water so I could replenish all my water containers. God bless Justin! Everything is still dry. There is not a lot of water available. I hiked up Rattlesnake Mountain. I found a nice campsite on the ridge top.I am very tired and barely have enough water to get through the night. I have a couple of miles to go to get to a water supply tomorrow.There are lots of blueberries around where I am camping so tomorrow I will have my oatmeal with lots and lots of blueberries. My campsite overlooks the valley, probably right above Blairstown, but I didn't see much in the way of fireworks from up there. Doodlebug and Diggery Dude came in later and camped nearby. At one point, laying in my tent, I heard a bunch of noise of something crashing through the underbrush on the perimeter of the camp area. I'm thinking it was a bear, but not sure.
Date: 2010-07-05
From: Rattlesnake Mountain

To: Sunrise Pavilion
Miles today: 11.2

Today was a very stressful day due to the heat and shorage of water. I gathered blueberries this morning to have with my oatmeal when I got to Brink Shelter a short ways to the left of the Trail, that had a good water supply and had a very large breakfast which helped energized me. I'm very down and weak from having a lack of water. The night before I had bearly enough water because Justin had left some water with be when he had picked Judy up the previous day. Thanks goodness for Justin!This morning I was having problems with my left foot being very sore and my back hurting. I wasn't sure if I'd be able to travel at all. After I got some breakfast I felt better. The day before I had seen 3 bears. Today I did not see any although several time I heard noises off in the woods so they might have been watching me this time. It was very hot today. I took several breaks. I kept hiking until about 6:00 pm, doing much better than I had expected considering how I felt early in the day. I stopped for a bit at Sunrise Pavilion, where people hike to from a parking lot just a short walk away, so there were about a dozen people there. I hiked on a short ways just past the Pavilion and found a stealth campsite. During the night I heard some other hikers go by on the Trail which was about 10 yards from my tent.....all is well.
Date: 2010-07-06
From: Sunrise Pavilion

To: Unionville NY
Miles today: 16.8

In the morning I was able to have my breakfast and watch a nice sunrise from an overlook by my tentsite. Around 12:30, I got to High Point State Park, where I took a long afternoon break and went swimming in the lake. It was sort of surreal. All these people out for a day at the lake, and me. I got a shower and food at the concession stand. They have a lot of hikers stop in here, so they had a big poster board for us to sign. After about two hours there, I headed back out and decided rather than stop at the High Point Shelter I would trek on to Unionville. I spent the night at a hostel there called The Out House. One thing that continues to amazes me about the trail is the unconditional hospitality that is showen to the hikers. It amazes me how people open their homes and welcome all the varity of hikers that come through. The hostel is owned by the former mayor of the town. One of the people who help out, Butch, came and picked me up at a road crossing and shuttled me to the hostel where they provide a dinner and a bunkroom in the basement, and then breakfast the next morning. Bill, and 81 year old colorful character, cooks and minds the kitchen. I eally enjoyed staying there. Things are still hot and dry. Others at the hostel included Nesta, Yahtze, and Ace.
Date: 2010-07-07
From: Unionville Rd

To: Wawayanda Mountain Mile 1349.4
Miles today: 14.4

After a great breakfast prepared by Bill, and a walk with Nesta down to the "General Store" in town to resupply, I got a late start for The Out House this morning in blistering heat. Butch had gone to pick up a couple of hikers who had called, so I was waiting for him to take me to the Trail to resume where I left off. When he came back, the two hikes he had picked up were Bulldog and Hitchcock, the blind hiker and his companion who is videotaping his hike. An the Trail there was a long road walk and some plank walks. Used a lot of sunscreen. There is an incretable board walk over a bog area that is about a mile long. At the end of the day I was able to get to a place that had some ice cream. I started with an Italian Ice, then some fruit, then some ice cream, then another Italian Ice. Then I filled up all my water containers, and did a 1000 foot climb up the the top of Wawayanda to a stelth campsite, just to the left of the trail, where people had obviously camped before, but it was very nice and comfortable. It's always nice to get the hill climb out of the way late in the day so you don't have to start out with a tough climb. One of the things about the dry spell is that all the berries are dried up and have turned to little blue bitter pills. I am really missing all the berries.
Date: 2010-07-08
From: Wawayanda Mountain, Mile 1349.4

To: Wildcat Shelter
Miles today: 15.4
Weather: light rain

Again it was a very hot day. I bonked a couple of times. Had to stop to eat and drink water. I drew water from a miserable little stream that was tea colored and had frogs in it but it tasted fine. The frog assured me that he did not poop in the water. I crossed from NJ into NY for the last time - the trail has been wandering back and forth over the border. In NY the trail passes over a lot of high rocks which are very beautiful but also wear a person down. The contour looks to be pretty flat, but it is deceptive. You keep going over one bump after another. Near the border, I ran into a young lady southbound hiker named Hot Pants. She had done a partial thru hike a few yars ago, and is now filling in the blanks a bit at a time. There are a lot of bugs. I've used my head net a lot. I have found a few meger streams to wash in and get water from. It continues to be hot and difficult but I'm making progress. There were two other hikers at the shelter, Avatar was one, the other's name I don't recall. My feet are finally beginning to feel better after the punishment of PA and the first part of NJ.
Date: 2010-07-09
From: Wildcat Shelter

To: Fingerboard Shelter
Miles today: 14.3
Weather: scattered clouds

The miles were very hard today, and I was feeling pretty exhausted, depressed, and forlorn. I ran into Hot Pants again, whom I met yesterday, slackpacking south. We talked for awhile, and I told her how low I was feeling, trying to decide whether to quit or not, feeling really bummed. It was like the scene in Dodgeball, when the hero is in the bar and has decided to quit, and Lance Armstrong makes a cameo where he tells the guy how he wanted to quit too when he had cancer and almost died but he didn't quit and kept going and went on to win the Tour De France. Hot Pants told me about her experience and gave me some encouragement and words of wisdom which really helped boost my spirits. Later in the day, at Fingerboard Shelter, there was a couple who were out for a few days, and they were going on a water run down the hill and got water for me. Then, later in the evening, a young man named Juggles (he does juggling at parties for kids) showed up out of nowhere with a pack and after we talked a bit he offered me a beer and some snacks. He was just out roaming around seeking out hikers and offering them food and drink as a good deed. How can I consider quitting with so much help and support from strangers?
Date: 2010-07-10
From: Fingerboard Shelter

To: Stealth camp near Bear Mountain mile 1388.2
Miles today: 9.1
Weather: mist

The day started out with a heavy rain but lucky for me it didn't start up until I had packed up after breakfast. There were some ripe blueberries on the ridgetop near the shelter. It was hard learning to walk in the rain again. It had been a long time. I stopped by a swimming lake area at Lake Tiorati where they has a concession stand to get some water and a snickers bar for the day, and waited out the downpour. Later I stopped at a Visitor's Center at Bear Mountain Park where I ran into a section hiker named Mike who gave me his left over food because he has finished his hike. That was some nice trail magic which will help me with my resupply for a day or so. I've been very fortunate lately with trail angels and people encouraging me along the way. I'm very appreciative of that.Today was a very short day. I didn't do too many miles. I'm taking it a little easy in order to recover from the heat wave of the past week. Hopefully I'll be able to pick up the pace here in a little bit. My stealth camp is on top of the mountain and has an incredible view towards the west. There is some major road construction going on way up the valley, and every now and then you hear a loud ka-boom and can see a cloud of dust. I'd been hearing the booms for a few days and finally saw what it was.
Date: 2010-07-11
From: Stealth camp near Bear Mountain mile 1388.2

To: Graymoor Friary
Miles today: 11.4

Today I went over Bear Mountain in NY. It is a State Park, sort of a resort area. The trail passes right through a zoo and passes a museum. (The lowest point on the entire AT (145') is in front of the black bear exhibit.) Then you cross the Hudson River on a large bridge which leads to the next mountain that you have to climb. Right at the bottom of the climb there was a cooler with some trail magin in it. Whohoo! After I climbed that I eventually got to the Graymoor Friary. (Home of the Franciscan Friars of the Atonement.) Just before the Friary there was a gas station/food mart so I got some goodies before going on. Going through Bear Mountain State Park is kind of surreal. Many families picnicking, and bar-b-q-ing, concession stands and farmer's market and all sorts if activities that I just don't see every day. The Graymoor Friary has a nice picnic pavilion that hikers are allowed to stay in with a cold water shower so I got cleaned up and rinsed out some clothing. It is a very welcoming place. I will be heading out tomorrow and hopefully getting back to full days of hiking. Quite a crowd of hikers showed up as the evening went on, including Cowgirl, Michigan, and a host of others. Many of them had taken a few days off the Trail and gone in to New York City, and it sounds like they had quite a wild time. After dark, the sky was very clear, and I saw the Space Station go over so pointed it out to the others. Most had never seen it, had no idea you even could see it.
Date: 2010-07-12
From: Graymoor Friary

To: RPH Shelter
Miles today: 18.9
Weather: clear sky

This morning I was able to attend mass at the Friary. I had a quick breakfast and then hiked on. During the day I leapfrogged with a couple of guys who were carrying very light packs. Their goal was to do the Trail in 90 days. When I got to the RPH shelter there was an annual meeting of the local trail club which included a pot luck dinner. They had ample food and they also served hikers who happen to be passing through. I was able to partake of the meal that was left over from the meeting. Burgers, and fruit, and macroni salad, and desserts, and juices. Oh, and a beer. I ate very well and had plenty. Later in the evening I noticed that my left knee was getting puffy from fluid buildup. I don't know why that is happening but will keep an eye on it and see what happens. I slept in the shelter, which was more of a cabin and quite nice.
Date: 2010-07-13
From: RPH Shelter

To: Stealth Camp Nuclear Lake mile 1433
Miles today: 14.5

This morning I still had the fluid on the knee. I decided to try and hike and see what happens. I left the shelter and hiked toward Nuclear Lake.   Later in the morning I got to a road crossing where a passing motorist asked me if I wanted some Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream. What do you think my answer to that was? So he took me to his house and gave me a pint of ice cream. His wife arrived shortly with some of her friends and a bunch of small children for their "play group", and offered to make me lunch or let me shower but I declined so that I could get back on the trail. Later it started raining but I got to Nuclear Lake where the frogs are exceptionally loud maybe they're mutant frogs - I don't know.   I set up camp and it continued to rain and it is raining now. Hopefully it will stop.Wife note:Note from the guide book - "Nuclear Lake - the site of a neclear fuels-processing research facility until 1972. After the Park Service acquired the lands for the AT, the buildings were razed, and the area was tested extensively and given a clean bill of health, dispelling fears that the lake was contaminated and allowing the Trail to be rerouted along the shore."That was from the 2009 handbook. The 2010 handbook doesnot mention the lake the Trail no longer passes along the shore. Hmmmm...
Date: 2010-07-14
From: Stealth Camp Nuclear Lake mile 1433

To: Ten Mile Shelter
Miles today: 15.0
Weather: moderate rain

It was a drizzly day,but no major heavy rain to contend with. I hiked alone through the day, stopping for a morning snack at Telephone Pioneers Shelter, where a southbound section hiker with two dogs was holed up from the ongong drizzle. My knee was still causing me concern, with fluid buildup staying about the same, but no pain or weakness. When I got to Wiley Shelter around noontime and stopped for lunch. There were lots of ripe raspberries to be collected which no one else seemed interested in. There were four other thru hikers there - Thunder and Daytripper whom I hadn't seen for a week or so, Six Courses, and Hi-Tech, a section hiker. Hi-Tech is working his way north a bit each summer. We leap-frogged a bit the rest of the day. Shortly after Wiley Shelter, I crossed the border between New York and Connecticut. This felt like a milestone.   I was pretty relieved to leave New York behind. At Ten Mile Lean-to, Hi-Tech had arrived earlier and we both tented near the shelter, which had a nice pump for a water source. It also had some sort of hornet next in the grass near the pump, and I got stung a couple of times before realizing I had to avoid their zone. In the evening I continued to puzzle over what to do about the knee. Hi-Tech had a smart phone, and helped me out with information about available medical facilities and doctors near Kent, Connecticut, which was about 8 hiking miles away the next day. He also had a list of available shuttle drivers. I called one of the shuttle drivers, and he said he could pick me up the next day at a road crossing at Bulls Bridge Road, only a mile and a half from the shelter. I decided that was my best course to take, to get to town as early as possible and try to see a doctor.
Date: 2010-07-15
From: Ten Mile Shelter

To: Bulls Bridge Road
Miles today: 1.6

After breakfast I hiked toward the road crossing to meet the shuttle driver. As I was hiking I ran into a woman taking her dog for a walk and we struck up a conversation about hiking the AT. It turned out that she had just retired recently from her career as a nurse, so I asked her about my knee problem. She said that if I did go to a doctor for the problem, they would no doubt refer me to an orthopedic doctor, and if I went to an emergency room at a hospital they would do the same thing, and since she wasn't really doing anything today she would take me to an orthopedic doctor she knew. It was like the heavens opened up and this angel dropped down to the Trail. So, Jodie turned around from her walk, we went the half mile back to her car, I called and left a message for the shuttle driver to cancel our plan, and she took me to the orthopedic doctor's office. They x-rayed it, and drained the fluid from the knee. The diagnosis is bursitis. Could be due to kneeling on something that irritated it, or due to some bone spurs on the kneecap and repetitive motion irritation. The doctor said it had about a 50-50 chance of the fluid building up again, and would then require additional draining. He suggested trying to take it easy for a week or so to see how it would develop. After leaving the doctor's office, I felt I needed to crash somewhere to re-evaluate and make decisions, and Jodie suggested a hotel in New Milford, and took me there. It is right in town, near the Town Green, a laundromat, library, restaurants - everything I need. So I showered, did laundry, and tried to figure out the next step.