morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2007-07-05
From: Kirkridge Shelter

To: Delaware Water Gap
Miles today: 6.6
Weather: light rain

From: Kirkridge ShelterTo: Delaware Water Gap        Today's Mileage: 6.6        Total Mileage: 1279.4        We had a very short day today as we were going into town. The Kirkridge Shelter was one of the best we have seen in Pennsylvania. It was a short pleasant walk into town and the last mile or so we were walking through some old pine forests with soft needles under our feet, a stream (which we have not seen in awhile) and tall trees to shade us. As with almost every trail town we have been through you could look down and see a river, a road, and a railroad. Calamity and I were celebrating the end of another state and glad to be out of PA. It really wasn't as bad as I thought it would be as the rocks are not continuous. Everyday you had many miles of good walking. PA also had a lot of beautiful field walking around the Boiling Spring area. We arrived at and celebrated the half way mark! Also, you would walk up to the ridge and then walk with almost with no elevation changes for miles. And atop some of those rocky ridges you could see for miles. Many nights we found very good campsites and enjoyed the solitude of the forest. So, PA, even though I am glad to leave it, did offer the thru hiker some interesting and unforgettable experiences.         We arrived in town and immediately went to the Delaware Water Gap diner to eat. We also went to the Edge of the Woods Outfitters. It was a very nice store, but we didn't buy anything as we were pretty well supplied.        Stayed at the hiker hostel and are ready to leave PA tomorrow!
Date: 2007-07-06
From: DELAWARE WATER GAP

To: MOHICAN OUTDOOR CENTER
Miles today: 10.3
Weather: few clouds

From: Delaware Water GapTo: Mohican Outdoor CenterToday's Mileage: 10.3Total Mileage: 1289.7We left DWG around 9:00 as we were only walking about 10 miles today to the Mohican Outdoor Center. We walked across the Delaware River BrIdge leaving PA and entering New Jersey. The first few miles were great as we walked up a well used wide trail. We met many day hikers coming down the trail and some were talking about seeing a bear!We had lunch and a break at the beginning of Sunfish Pond. It is the southernmost glacial pond on the AT. It was fun to walk around it listening to and watching the bull frogs jump into the water. We also saw the biggest tadpoles we have ever seen!I Guess they were bullfrog tadpoles.As the day went on, the trail got as rocky as any in PA. I know that the rocks will continue all the way to Maine, but I did get discouraged walking on all those sharp pointy rocks again. Calamity tells me she thinks it will be a few more days before we start to see some improvement.We met Triple Deuce today. A young man who started March 4 and has taken many zero days. We visited with him at the Mohican Outdoor Center. It is operated by the AMC (Appalachian Mountain Club) as a retreat center. We had a sandwich and a soda and decided to stay in the bunk house as there were very dark threatening clouds approaching. We also got a shower. So now I am writing this inside as it rains outside and I will enjoy being nice and dry all night!
Date: 2007-07-07
From: MOHICAN OUTDOOR CENTER

To: BRINK ROAD SHELTER
Miles today: 14.3
Weather: clear sky

From: Mohican Outdoor CenterTo: Brink Road ShelterToday's Mileage: 14.3Total Mileage: 1304.0We left the Mohican Outdoor Center about 7:15 and were on the trail about 7:30. We passed Bucket and Water camping along the side of the trail. We had not seen them in awhile! We were up on a ridge almost all day looking down on water on one side and the Pennsylvania Mountains on the other. The trail was rocky again, but there was a lot of old woods roads and walking was very nice for much of the day. We had a few hand over hand climbs but they were not too bad and at least they had a purpose: to get to the other side of something. We passed a pond that was chocked full of lily pads. But again it was lined with a rocks all around it. I believe the glacial ponds must all be like that. We were walking on a ridge and could not find any white blazes but we were on a trail. Then we crossed a rock and looked down and there was the trail. We don't know where we got off but figured a lot of other people must have made the same mistake. We ran into Midnight, a ridge runner and talked to him a while but forgot to tell him about the blazes. He did say that the footing gets better after High Point, NJ. I am looking forward to that!   We got to Brink Road Shelter a little after four and Triple Deuce and his friend, Stoneage, were there and a group of four women who are out section hiking. They are from Indiana and are here to enjoy the outdoors and to spread one of their father's ashes (he had sectioned hiked the whole trail).Bucket and Water came in later. It is the first time in a long time we have been with a group of thru hikers. We all ate dinner together, set up our tents, and went to bed. There was a bear box at the shelter. We really like the bear boxes as then we do not have to hang our food and could put it all into a locked box.The two guys who are section hiking (Calamity found their flashlight) Mike and Shreiks in the dark showed up late but talked us for a while. Calamity and I are now snug in our tents for the night with the bugs buzzing around trying to get inside!.
Date: 2007-07-11
From: WAWAYANDA SHELTER

To: WILDCAT SHELTER
Miles today: 12.0
Weather: light rain

From: Wawayanda ShelterTo: Wildcat Shelter Today's Mileage:12.0Total Mileage:1359.8Well the bears left us alone last night, but it did keep me listening during the night for roaming noises. I was up early and because of me, Calamity was up and we were walking by 6:45. The first two hours were great and we did four miles and were out of New Jersey.I will remember NJ as rockier than I expected, but other than that I enjoyed the views, the food (almost every day), the different types of walking (I especially liked the boardwalk) and the trails were good after we passed High Point. But again I am glad to have one more state completed and to be n New York.New York could be called my home state, as this is where I spent my formative years. I lived on Long Island from the age of 5 until I was in my early 20's. I lived in West Islip most of that time on the Great South Bay and enjoyed the water and sailing very much. It certainly was a different way of life than walking this trail.The first six miles of New York were very tough for me. It was almost all huge boulder walking and climbing and it was hard on my legs as you have to do so much high stepping and pulling yourself up over the rocks. But having two people hiking together helps as we encourage each other on down and up the path. We also passed a man today with no pack or water but later saw a pack and a duffle bag sitting on the trail. He made us feel a little nervous, but he only moved aside and said hi and we did hike quickly away for awhile; again glad for the company.We did the 10 miles to NY 17 and walked another .1 to another ice cream store! The Belleville Creamery serves only ice cream so I got another orange soda float. They are becoming addictive but what I would really like would be a cheeseburger!We hiked on and had to climb the Eastern Pinnacles and the Cat Rocks so more hard rock scrambling. I took my pack off going down the Cat Rocks, I just get too nervous going down some of these rocks. Sometimes I think this trail was just not made for a short soon to be 59 (next week) women! But we both made it over and hiked on to Wildcat Shelter. We wanted to go on but the clouds were getting darker and you could hear thunder in the distance. We walked into the shelter took our packs off and it started to rain so once again we lucked out and were safe and dry and didn't have to climb over those rocks in the rain.We decided to stay for the night ad set our tents up inside the shelter. This was a first for Calamity but I have done it 5 or 6 times when I have been alone in a shelter. About 7:00 PM, All Right came in for the night. A 20 year old who goes to Ithaca College and who had done 30 miles that day. I can't imagine doing that kind of mileage. He left Springer Mtn on May 6, two months after me!!We all settled in and were glad for the rain as it cooled things off and kept the bugs away.
Date: 2007-07-12
From: WILDCAT SHELTER

To: FINGERBOARD SHELTER
Miles today: 14.3
Weather: few clouds

From: Wildcat ShelterTo: Fingerboard ShelterToday's Mileage: 14.3Total Mileage: 1374.1It rained again in the night so we were glad that we had stayed at and in the shelter and that our tents were nice and dry. All Right got up with us, but he was ready to leave before us so we will probably never see him again as he does between 20 and 30 miles every day!! We sent a message with him to tell Loner we are still on the trail and trying to catch up to him.We were on the trail at 7:15 and were going to stop at Fitzgerald Falls for water, but when we got there the whole falls was dry. We had passed a stream with some water a while back, so I waited with the packs and Calamity went back to pump water. We each were carrying 3 liters as all the streams seem to be dry. I have been using the Wingfoot Book to tell us where the water is but it is no good now as the water is gone. Twice today someone had put out jugs of water at road crossings for thru hikers so that was wonderful and we kept filling up every time we came upon water. There was a lot of hard rocky scrambling climbs today and carrying all that water it took us 11 hours to walk 14 miles. We did take a lot of breaks, but still it was somewhat discouraging. At one vista today, we could see New York City and the book said we could see the Empire State Building. It was very cool!We went through the Lemon Squeezers. It is a bunch of huge boulders and you have to walk between two of them, and you can barely get through, but it was not hard and it was fun. Both of us made it without taking our packs off! We again walked through a lot of different terrain today, some scrub brush, some old woods and tonight we are tenting next to Fingerboard Shelter in a big grassy forest with very tall trees and huge flat rocks.
Date: 2007-07-13
From: Fingerboard Shelter

To: Bear Mountain (Fort Montgomery)
Miles today: 13.4
Weather: clear sky

From: Fingerboard ShelterTo: Bear Mountain (Fort Montgomery)Today's Mileage: 13.4Total Mileage: 1389.7        For some reason I did not sleep well during the night so was up early and we were on the trail by 6:30, which later proved fortuitous.        We had decided to take fewer breaks today as we wanted to get to town and to the hotel and a shower! We hiked five miles to the William Brian Shelter. This shelter was built in 1933 by the CCC out of stone and looked a little scary inside. I was glad we were not staying there. The climb out of the shelter was the only hand over hand climb we had to do today.         We then climbed Black Mtn and got our first look at the Hudson River and we think the Sing Sing Prison (this is where the phrase "sent up the river" comes from.         We crossed the Palisades Interstate Parkway, a divided highway, very carefully! And then went up West Mtn. That was a very hard climb but also had great views of the Hudson Valley below. At the top we met a group of children (maybe 8 or 9) who belong to a hiking club and their leaders. They were sitting having lunch and had hiked up hoping to meet some thru hikers. So Calamity and I stayed and answered as many questions that they had and they gave us turkey sandwiches! They were so cute and had some interesting questions.         We hiked up Bear Mtn to the Perkins Tower. Part of the hike was actually on the road to the top, which we were glad of. But as we were going back up into the woods these two guys pulled up and asked if we want water. Of course we replied yes and learned one of them was Birdman from Maine who completed a thru hike in 04. He then asked if he could do anything else for us and we said yes we needed a ride to the hotel. He gave us his phone number and we hiked on.up the trail         There were a lot of people at the top of the mountain at the Tower milling around, picnicking, and going up into the tower, but we took a few pictures and hiked on as we had told Birdman we would be there by 3:30.        We walked down into a multitude of people at the Bear Mtn State Park. There were hundreds of people there and the trail goes along the lake and through all the picnic tables. One couple stopped us and asked many questions about the trail. This was a day of questions! But we did get to stop at an ice cream vendor and enjoy that part of civilization.        Birdman picked us up at the park and took us to the grocery store and back to the hotel. It was true trail magic today as we would have missed him at that point on the trail by two or three minutes either way.         We were so glad to be in a hotel, as we have not showered in days and around 8:00 PM a huge thunderstorm rolled in from the west. Wind and rain pounded the windows and once again we were safe a dry. Now our challenge for tomorrow is to get back to the trail and find some place to camp, as the next shelter is 26 miles away!
Date: 2007-07-14
From: BEAR MOUNTAIN BRIDGE

To: DENNYTOWN ROAD
Miles today: 14.6

From: Bear Mountain, NYTo: Dennytown Rd. (Camping)Today's Mileage: 14.8Total Mileage: 1402.8We were up and packed and ready to go by 7:00 AM, but we had no ride to take us back to the trail. We asked at the front desk and they were not helpful at all. We called a taxi in the area but they would not answer their phone, so we finally waited until 9:00 AM and called Mike, Birdman, to come and get us. He is such a nice guy, but he is working with bats so he does not go to bed until 2:00 AM. We know we woke him but he was very gracious about the whole thing. He took us back to the Bear Mtn Lodge and off we went at 10:00 AM!It actually worked out well, as the Trail Side Museum and Wildlife Center does not open until 10:00 AM. The trail is white blazed right through the zoo part and we would have had to go around and miss it if we were any earlier. It opened in 1927 and contains the oldest continuously used nature trail (the term originated in this park system). All the animals in this park are disabled and unable to survive in the wild so it is a wildlife refuge and rehabilitation center. The path in front of the bears is the lowest point on the At at 124 feet! They also had a very famous memorial to Walt Whitman.We then walked across the Hudson River on the Bear Mountain Bridge and up into the woods. We had some pretty big climbs today but for the first time in a long time we had no hand over hand climbing. It just went up and down with not many things to see. We did meet a trail maintainer working hard on this beautiful Saturday. Calamity gave him a kiss and we both thanked him for his work. We saw a few more day hikers, but no section or thru hikers going either way.We hiked in to the Graymoor which is a spiritual life center. They use to take hikers in and feed them but not anymore but they do let hikers camp and stay in their pavilion. We stopped for water and moved on. It was a pretty non-eventful hiking day and since we got such a late start we hiked until after 7:00 PM. We bought a sub the night before to have for lunch, but had it for dinner instead, as we sat on the side of the trail. The sub made me very thirsty, but I was afraid to drink any water until we knew we could get some, but just before the road was a cooler filled with lemonade. Most of the cans were empty but there was just two left, and we drank then quickly!We found a camp site after Dennytown Rd and there was water at a building at the road, so decided to stay for the night.
Date: 2007-07-15
From: DENNYTOWN ROAD

To: RPH SHELTER
Miles today: 10.7
Weather: scattered clouds

From: Dennytown RoadTo: RPH ShelterToday's Mileage: 10.7Total Mileage: 1413.5We were up very early and on the trail by 6:15 AM this morning, planning on walking 19 miles! We did not make it. The morning started out great and the terrain was not too bad, but we were just too exhausted by the time we got to the RPH Shelter at 12:00 noon. We took a lunch break but, CJ said she just did not want to go on anymore today. The RPH Shelter was a good one to stay at as it used to be one of those locked cabins as it has windows and a door but also one side is open. The shelter has a caretaker and is closed to hikers from November to April. There are six bunks, chairs, and a table inside and two picnic tables outside. There is also a pump right next to the shelter for water but you still have to treat the water. So we are took a half day off. We had not had a day off or zero day since Harpers Ferry about 400 miles ago and our bodies were rebelling, especially our feet. They just needed a rest. My friend, Mary Anne, was coming up Tuesday to give us a few days of slack packing also, to try to get some miles in without killing ourselves. It could not come at a better time for me emotionally as well as physically. This is one hard job that very few people complete it and I can fully understand why. After about an hour resting here at the shelter it started to rain and rained all afternoon. Again we have dodged the weather bullet and were very glad we chose to take the afternoon off. WE spent the afternoon looking at maps and CJ figured out we could hike 10 miles per day and still make it in time. And again we have set our tents up in the shelter to take care of the mice and bug problem and get a good dry nights sleep and try to hike the 16 something miles tomorrow.
Date: 2007-07-17
From: TELEPHONE PIONEERS SHELTER

To: CT SS
Miles today: 10.6

From: Telephone Pioneers ShelterTo: CT 55Today's Mileage: 10.6Total Mileage: 1440.7We again were up early and out of camp by 6:30. We passed a few interesting items on the trial in the morning. First we went by the Dover Oak. It is suppose to be the oldest oak tree on the AT, over 300 years old. Its girth, four feet from the ground, is 20 ft and 4 inches around. It was one big tree and I wondered about all the stories that tree could tell after living that long in history. We walked through a lot of swampy area today that was not very well maintained. The poison ivy and weeds grabbed at our legs continually.We then arrived at the AT Train station stop. If you want to go to NYC, you can sit there on the weekend and the train will stop and pick you up. I imagine it would be an adventure to take that trip to New York City. But Calamity and I just took a short break and then hiked on into Connecticut. We arrived at Hoyt Rd which was the boundary road but there was not any sign to celebrate another state.New York was a lot harder than I thought it would be. The first two day were climbing up and over rocks most of the day. Then the state became much easier and I especially enjoyed walking through Bear Mtn State Park and the Trail Side Zoo. It was great to meet Birdman and listen to him talk about the trail and understand what we are going through at this point. We walked through the best maintained five miles on the trail (thanks Ralph and Cathy). New York ended with some old woods and some swamp land that I didn't expect in upstate New York! And now we are off into Conn.And after hiking for days with not much water, my bladder has sort of shut down. It was very painful and I was very grateful my friend, Mary Anne, picked us up two miles over the boarder. For the next few days we will be slack packing and get some much needed rest. People think you should be in great shape by now but we are actually pretty worn out.
Date: 2007-07-18
From: CT 55

To: CT 55
Miles today: 0.0

From: CT55To:CT55<Today's Milage:0<Total Mileage: 1440.7We woke up in the hotel in Kent CT today to pouring rain and decided to take a zero day. Calamity and I have not had a zero day since Harper's Ferry, over 400 miles ago. Also it was my birthday and I thought it would be nice not to have to walk on my day, so the rain helped me out. I also just needed to re-hydrate my body after the last weeks of very little water. So we rested for most of the day and drank and drank fluids. I felt so much better. After a restful morning we went into Kent proper and walked around, did laundry, and later went to the Fife and Drum for a birthday dinner. It was a great day and I was very glad to have Mary Anne and Calamity help share my 59th birthday with me.
Date: 2007-07-19
From: CT 55

To: CT 341
Miles today: 10.8

From: CT55To: CT 341, Kent CTToday's Mileage: 10.8Total Mileage: 1451.5We were up early and slack packing over Ten Mile Hill and Schaghticoke Mtn. So far I am enjoying Connecticut's trails and their signage. Trails are well blazed and well marked with the information a hiker needs. The day started out foggy then became sunny and then the clouds moved in again. Gimpy passed by us. We have not seen him since PA. He said he had taken off eight days and was just back on to continue his hke. Also, we were passed by Lion and Wolf Taffy. While we were hiking, Mary Anne. was busy being a trail angel. She was giving rides, handing out snacks, and first aid items to hikers.When Calamity and I came off the trail, Gimpy was at the car. He was going to go to the motel with us. One hour after we were off the trail it again started to pour and there was a tornado warning and one touched down in a town right near where we were staying.We again spent the afternoon transporting hikers around Kent to and from the trail. Although most of the hikers were young and I didn't know them it was good to see them out there.Mary Anne had picked up Little Pony and Billy Goat's packs and they were walking to the motel. They later came by the room and we all talked for hours about the AT, hikers, etc. Gimpy, Mary Anne, Calamity Jane, and I went to dinner at AJ's, a local hang out. The food was very good even if the place was pretty noisy!Even though we only hiked 10 miles it was a busy day and we were all tired by the end.
Date: 2007-07-20
From: CT 341

To: WEST CORNWALL ROAD
Miles today: 15.9

From: CT 341 KentTo: West Cornwall RoadToday's Mileage: 15.9Total Mileage: 1467.4We set off around 8:00 this morning and Gimpy was hiking with us today. Mary Anne had his stuff and he slacked with us and then picked up the rest of his gear and moved on to the next shelter.We had to go over the St. John's Ledges today. They were not very hard to climb but they were very steep with huge steps down that caused me to sit and slide to get my footing. It took me forever to get down them. Gimpy was waiting at the bottom and walked with us along the river. I really enjoyed the river walk. The Housatonic River will be with us for awhile. We had about a four miles walk along the edge of the water which was very flat. Someone was shooting guns very close to us which was pretty scary for awhile. We all stopped for lunch at Stewart Hollow Shelter and then moved on. Mary Anne met us at the 12 mile mark with cold drinks. She again had been doing trail magic for many hikers. We went on hiking and had to ford our first stream. Gimpy managed to cross without taking his boots off but Calamity and I, with our short legs, would have ended up going for a swim. So we finally decided to take our boots off and wade through the rushing stream, and actually the water felt good on our feet. It took some time to ford, as we had to walk upstream to find a calm spot to cross.We arrived at West Cornwall Road around 5:30. Gimpy picked up his stuff and moved on to the shelter. We went back to the Hitching Post for the night.