morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2012-06-27
From: Culver's Gap

To: High Point State Park
Miles today: 14.0

Even though we got almost no sleep with the couple in the motel room next to us screaming at each other all night long, it really was a pretty good day. I can't believe how good the weather has been. For the last 3 day it has been perfectly windy, keeping the bugs out of our eyes and ears, and the humidity was decently low too, making it hot but not oppressive. Due to the stupid miles we did yesterday, and the lack of sleep AB decided she wanted to go back to the High Point County Inn and stay another night. I'm getting the idea that AB doesn't like the idea of not getting a shower everyday! But who can blame her?!?! Not me that's for sure! I'll always take a shower if I can, so the hotel was just fine with me! In the afternoon, AB had her first snake encounter, it was just a black racer, so nothing to worry about, but it still made her jump and afterward she said every stick she saw was a snake at first glance. Which is exactly how I see all sticks! I had wanted to say something to the effect that I see all sticks as snakes but I didn't want to plant that idea in her head and figured eventually she would come across a snake and have the same experience anyway. Thankfully it was just a harmless black racer! As we were hiking we also flushed a pheasant which was I think the first one I have ever seen in the wild.It was a kind of strange day only seeing 4 hikers including Lady Forward, Jaws and 2 more I don't know their names. This time when we ran into Jaws he hiked past us since we were definitely NOT going to be talked into hiking the miles he was doing!When we were two miles from the state park we called Mike at the Inn to see if there was room available and thankfully there was. He met us at the visitor's center and drove us to the hotel again. It was a pleasant surprise to see Lee-Bob at the hotel, and we enjoyed catching up again but we were sad to hear he had decided to get too the trail. He was missing his family and felt 4 months was a long time away from them. Sad to see him go, but I understand how sometimes time can seemingly go so slow on the trail. Decided to lance the 4 blisters I have gotten... oh did I forget to say that I got 4 blisters from doing the 17 miles yesterday? Well I Did. What relief! And since Lee-Bob was planning to head home in the morning he gave me part of a roll of Leuko tape. I had never heard of this kind of tape, but he swore by it, saying it would stick no matter how wet your feet ended up. I decided I would air out my feet that night and in the morning I would try the magic tape.
Date: 2012-06-29
From: Pochuck Shelter

To: Vernon, NJ
Miles today: 6.5

Wow, when you have no water it's amazing how thirsty you feel! And having no real hope of finding water until we reached the car really made me scared to even drink a sip of the precious water I did have. And of course the heat was rising fast... in the early morning (2 or 3 am?) there was a surprise thunderstorm that blew through the area... we stayed dry in the shelter, but that really hit the humidity into high gear. AB and I were so happy as we reached the top of Pochuck mountain and there was a BIG sign that said "Water" ---> we knew it was going to be alright once we opened the big white bear box to find well over 15 gallons of water waiting for us! Such a relief! We guzzled what little water was remaining in out bottles and took just what we needed, AB taking 1 liter and myself 1.5 liters since AB had agreed to slack me the additional 2.3 miles to Vernon. After getting water the rest of the hike to AB's car at NJ517 was really quite uneventful. As we got closer to her car we were both happy to see it was still there and hadn't been vandalized while we were out hiking for the week. We both drank a "Propel" which she had int he trunk and I took off the brain of my pack to use it as a daypack for the next 2.3 miles of slack pack. I figured it would take about an hour or so to hike the next section, but I did it in about 45 mins. Beautiful wide flat boardwalk... it was so wonderful after so many days of endless rocks hidden in the grass just trying to trip us up! Since I flew though that section I sent AB a message that I would meet her at the farm stand just up the road, where I bought a cucumber to munch on. Just as I was exiting the store she pulled up and we were off to find the hostel and ice cream (I promised to take her out for the birthday but we never got the chance!) Luckily we found the Dairy Queen... it wasn't as good as last year's birthday ice cream outing but it was still cold and sweet! At first I wasn't sure about the people who were hanging out at the hostel, but eventually they opened up and we all had a good time chatting thought out the evening. That night Miss Maggie, Sasha, Milkman, Semper Fidelis and Download were all staying there.   Kind of stressing about the miles I need to do for the next 4 days so I can still catch the buss into NYC, but I'm sure it will work out and I will be able to hang with Dave for the 4th of July!
Date: 2012-07-05
From: NY 17 Southfields, NY

To: Fingerboards Shelter
Miles today: 4.6
Weather: broken clouds

After a few days with Dave, Jonathan, Cricket, Litmus, and Rhiannon in New York City it was time to head back to the trail... sad to say goodbye but ready to hit the trail again. Only problem is it's still hot!Bought a bus ticket from the Port Authority in NYC and I think this was the first time I have ever rode the bus in this fashion... not sure how it took so long in my life for this to be the first...The driver dropped me off at in the town about 2 miles from the trail crossing but I needed to get some food and water anyway. I'm not quite sure about the way New Yorkers make sandwiches... the one I ordered was actually hot... which is about the last thing I wanted on a 95 degree. Oh well. Thankfully I was offered a ride by a local man on his way home which was right near the trail. It was another slow start to the hike once I was at the trail though... it seems my hose off the water bladder was kinked so when I tried to drink I got no water, and that's no good on a hot day! Then of course I needed to apply the protective layer of DEET before hitting the tall grasses of the trail. Into Harriman's State Park, which was BEAUTIFUL! Of course water-less but still beautiful. I was happy to know I would have a treat when I stopped next because I hadn't been able to drink all of my rootbeer from lunch and it was in my little nalgene, which I do quite often. However the break cam earlier than I expected... when I noticed first just one drip on my leg, and then another... turns out it was the rootbeer which I had over filled and due to the carbonation it was leaking! Drank half of it down hoping that was going to be end of my dripping!I am amazed at the heat... I know I live in AZ and all but this is so different. In the short 4.6 miles I hiked I drank 1.5 liters of water... and that wasn't nearly enough! I do have enough water for dinner and some for the morning, but I will need to be careful and be sure to walk the extra .8 of a miles to lake to get water. I guess that might be the theme of this year's hike, walking extra miles to get water.Three SOBOs were at the shelter, Matthew, Alex and Melissa. We had a good time chatting and I was happy not to be alone since there was no way I would be able to eat all of my dinner, at least I knew I could get them to help me! Just as we were headed to bed, 4 more SOBOs came into the shelter hand carrying 3 gallons of water!!!!! I am always amazed at the magic of the trail.
Date: 2012-07-06
From: Fingerboards Shelter

To: Stealth Campsite at 7 Lakes Rd
Miles today: 10.2

Slightly cooler today but still HOT!Feeling stronger today but that could be due to the food I forced down this morning. I haven't been hungry at all... and that only makes the miles go even slower. But one of my only goals today was to eat. And to eat often. Not far from a shelter I was passed by a thru hiker who seemed to be struggling as well. Which sort of made me feel better knowing it wasn't just me. When I got to the shelter, he was there and we both sat for a while mostly without conversation, but learned his name was Chez11. Not sure where the name came from but he is from just outside Liverpool, England and here just to hike the trail. Soon I was laying down and passed out for an hour or so. After relaxing for almost 2 hours we tried to figure out what the water sources were going to be like into Bear Mountain... which wasn't looking good. We agreed to camp together that night past the next shelter (West Mt Shelter) because it is .6 off the trail and although it has great views of the NYC skyline, with no water and in this heat I wasn't going to do the extra 1.2 miles today!
Date: 2012-07-07
From: Stealth Campsite at 7 Lakes Rd

To: Bear Mountain Rec Area
Miles today: 4.5
Weather: clear sky

Had to work my "Yogi" skills (think Yogi bear talking picnickers out of their food) with a day hiker... but getting half a liter of water instead of food at the top of Bear Mountain. Hitting trail early was my defense for again having only limited water for the day, but that really didn't help too much today since the humidity was higher again and within 5 minutes of putting on the pack I was dripping with sweat.Just before I hit the top of the mountain, I saw a gaggle (is it a gaggle?) of turkey. There were about 6 adults and maybe 20 little babies running around. It was kind of cool to see the wildlife comfortable with me being around and not running away. Then a day hiker came up behind me and after talking about the hike so far it came up that I was looking for water... of course when he offered, I declined but then, in the end he insisted. So I took the half liter and guzzled it down right there. It felt so good to get water into my system and not feel guilty or worried I might not have enough to make it to the bottom of the mountain where the next water source was!Partway down the mountain, I took a break and checked my phone to see if I had coverage, and I did. Sitting on a rock watching the Saturday morning day hikers walking past I called home and talked to my Dad and Nonna for a few minutes. Then I sent a text to Wilderness Bob and called him about getting together in the next few days... turns out it would be sooner than I thought to when I got to see my good friend again!He was on his way as we hung up! After hiking down into the sea of crazy day picnickers ALL over the place at the base of Bear Mountain, I was so happy to see my friend pull up to rescue me from the crazy people! Music blaring grills cooking... it was just all too much to deal with! Do you really need all that stuff to enjoy nature?!?!? When Bob got me, he took me on a tour of West Point which was really cool. Impressive campus... but I am so happy I decided not to head that direction in life! Love to see friends... and meet new ones! Happy to finally met Bob's wife Brenda and her sister Danielle who is visiting and is actually living in Essex! I find it crazy how small the world is sometimes.Loving life.
Date: 2012-07-08
From: Bear Mountain Rec Area

To: Wilderness Bob's House
Miles today: 0.0

Ended up zeroing again... I know I have to walk if I want to make it to Maine, but on a 90+ degree day how could I pass up a the perfect swimming hole with Wilderness Bob and his sister-in-law Daniela?Morning was spent resupplying which started off good, but ended up with me leaving my journal at the grocery store! Thankfully WB was more than willing to drive me back to find it and thanks to the WONDERFUL cashier (I think her name was Becky) it was being held for me in case I returned. What a relief it was to get it back. I know it's just a stupid notebook, but I hate it when I do something stupid like leave it somewhere! That night for dinner Brenda (WB's wife) and Daniela made the most wonderful salad for dinnerand followed the perfect day up with a soak (my feet only) in the hottub and watching "The Way" on Netflix. Looking forward to hitting the trail again tomorrow with the cooler temps forecast!
Date: 2012-07-09
From: Bear Mountain Rec Area

To: Graymoor Spirtural Center
Miles today: 7.1
Weather: clear sky

WB and I hit the road just before 9 and stopped in a quaint little town for breakfast. Good hardy meal to get me hiking with gusto. And since water has been in such sort supply, we stopped at the grocery store to pick up a few gallons of water to leave at a trail head or two. We drove down to the entrance to Harrimans State Park and left a note with 5 gallons just inside the woods. Knowing our friend Squatch would be hiking south in that area that day it was nice to know he would benefit from the water. WB walked with me to the bridge at Bear Mountain and we said our goodbyes there. Even though I knew it was officially going to be cooler than the last 2 days it sure didn't feel like it was. So again I was slowlu slogging up another mountain with sweat dripping down my back and into my eyes. Saw a few hikers throughout the day and since I know they are all faster than me at this point I know I will most likely not see them again. JayBird was able to get some water from WB at the road crossing, and later that day I ran into Lighhouse, a very friendly young Scotish guy. All the hikers I met that day hiked on but I decided, even though it was early in teh day and I could have done more miles, I wanted to stop at Graymoor, which is a monastery of Franscian Monks who allow hikers to camp on the property and even supply water and a shower (cold water) if needed. Even though I know I was arriving early in the day I was a bit shocked no other hikers came in for the night. So I camped alone.Just a few things I have been meaning to share but keep forgetting...Every day, with almost every step, I scare bunches of Daddy-long-legs all ove the place. They kind of look crazy running from each foot step. And the wineberries are ripe!!! 3 years ago, Willow and I learned that the "fuzzy looking" raspberries we were seeing were actually eatible an we were instantly addiced. They are super sweet to the point your fingers will be sticky after eating them. Wish Willow was there to munch on the wineberries again this year!
Date: 2012-07-10
From: Graymoor Spirtural Center

To: Shenandoah Tenting Area
Miles today: 17.5

1st 8.1 miles took me almost 8 hours to complete... I started the day at 830 in teh morning. I had wanted to get an earlier start, but with no other hikers ruseling about in the morning, I just slept though the sunrise. Funny thing is the last miles into camp were done in MUCH less time! I completed the 9.4 remianing miles in just over 4 hours! Granted the terrain was much better, but I was still shocked at just how well I hiked that afternoon. I was excited to make it into the campsite and even more excited to see there were 6 other hikers staying there for the night. JayBird who I met yesterday was there, and also hikers by the names of Shorts, Aquablaze (who as it turns out is a friend of a guy I hiked in the Smokies (Flex) with back in 09). Had a great chat with a SOBO hiker named Paul while I was on a break, and ran into SOS while doing a SOBO slack since his wife is following and supporting his hike (lucky guy!)My day started with a deer runnning from me as I hiked by, she ran up an embankment, and watched, no stared at me. So I stopped and talked to her, but in a few moments she started to stomp her front feet at me and I figured she had left a young fawn in the grasses below, so I walked on.The last 2.5 miles into camp it rained on me, but thankfully only very lightly. The rain was good at knocking down the bugs which seemed really bad that afternoon. But it still wasn't enough to actually make the trail slippery. The perfect kind of rain!
Date: 2012-07-11
From: Shenandoah Tenting Area

To: Morgan Steward Shelter
Miles today: 10.3
Weather: clear sky

I know I could have walked farther, and I had planned to, but by now you should know how I get when the weather gets hot. And it has once again gotten really hot. I'm kind of shocked at just how hot and humid it is for this time of the year. Normally in the northeast the 90+ degree days don't really hit until mid to late Aug and even then they are seem to only last a week or so. But not this year! Meet Trail Dog and Pole Breaker, and hiked early in the day with them, but once they decided to break for lunch I knew I needed to keep hiking for a bit longer before eating. Later we all caught up with each other again and I passed them again when they decided to hike into town for cold drinks. After arriving at the shelter, I knew I should have kept going, but after walking down to the water pump (thank goodness the springs in this part of NY have hand pumps to bring up the water!) I pretty much knew I would not be hiking on that afternoon. And sure enough not long after I arrived at the shelter in walked TD and PB. The 3 of us had a good evening of telling stories and eating dinner together. A bunch of NOBO thru hikers came in later but I only met "Muck Fichigan" before I fell asleep. Texted with Patch(AT05)and it looks like he will be driving from Albany to slackpack me on Friday!!! What a guy! Taking his day off and the morning before he has to go to work on Sat just to help me with my hike! I really can't ask for better friends out here on the AT...   I am more than greatful to all the help I am given each and every day by so many!
Date: 2012-07-12
From: Morgan Steward Shelter

To: Wiley Shelter
Miles today: 16.6
Weather: scattered clouds

Another big day. And thankful I didn't hike the extra miles last night. I think in the heat I never would have made it the rest of the way to the next shelter. Met tons of NOBOs today, and for the first time since Angry Bird left the trail I actually had a great day of hiking! Even though it was hot yet again, and the bugs were in full force trying to attack my eyes, it really was a great day! The biggest surprise was when I reached the Appalachian Trail Train Station (yep there is a trail station RIGHT on the trail) one of the NOBO hikers (Machine) said his mom was meeting him there with cold gatorade and all of us were welcome to join him for a drink. Turns out she was there with not only drinks, but ships, fruit salad, water, cookies and sandwiches! Now that was quite a treat to come out of the woods to! Decided to tent at the shelter due to the "run-down" nature of the shelter, and the bugs. And that night there were 5 other hikers there that night making for a great evening of laughing and gettign to know each other. "Muck Fichigan" was there as well as the woman he hikes with "Gypsy Soul" and "Amish" who I got to hike with some (until the trail went up hill and I lost him, as I do all hikers on the up hills). It really was s fun evening. But we were all a bit worried at sunset because we hadn't seen Trail Dog and Pole Breaker yet and we knew they had planned to hike to the shelter that night as well. Thankfully they arrived, albeit tired, just after 10pm and pretty much climbed right into their sleeping bags and slept in the shelter not even bothering to put up their tents for the night.I was just happy to know they were ok and would be able to slackpack the following morning thanks to Patch!
Date: 2012-07-13
From: Wiley Shelter

To: Kent CT
Miles today: 12.6

Crossed another boarder this morning! Make it 9 done and only 5 to go. The first 1.7 miles I walked with Trail Dog, Pole Breaker and Amish until we reached CT55 where we were to meet Patch, who was not only going to slack pack us into Kent, but also he was bringing water which was really great since the hand pump at the shelter broken. On this first section of trail we ran into a lost puppy. A cute little beagle no more than 5 weeks old. She just came out of the woods barely big enough to even climb over all the branches and small plants. She was so excited to see us and kept following us down the trail. Well Pole Breaker decided to bushwack into the woods in the direction of the howling momma. After cold drinks and loading up Patch's car with our gear we were off. I was so happy to have the chance to slackpack! I was shocked it too me so long to hike the 10.9 but having Amish to hike with made it even more enjoyable. (MOM STOP READING NOW)At one point I came around a corner to see Amish sitting on the side of the trail reading his book. When he spotted me he said I should be careful because right next to the trail there was a rattle snake all curled up under the leaves. But I couldn't see anything! Kind of was scary to know a 3-4 foot snake could be hidden so close to the trail and I couldn't even see it. (MOM YOU CAN START TO READ AGAIN)With the heat in full force it was really great to hit the road crossing and see Patch would be there with cold drinks! Patch took Amish and I into the town so we could resupply and since the library was having a sidewalk sale he and I both and to buy new books for the trail. After our resupply was done, he took us back up to the trail crossing so Amish could hike back up the trail to the closest shelter for the night instead of spending the $150 for a hotel in town. And so Patch and I could wait for Trail Dog and Pole Breaker to finish the hike and take them into town where they planned to stay for at least a night and maybe two. The two of them looked pretty bad when they finally got down the mountain. We could tell the heat was really getting to them and they had run out of water too. I was really happy that they had made it. Patch and I decided to stay in a hotel outside of Kent since we had a car and could drive to a less touristy place.
Date: 2012-07-14
From: Kent CT

To: Kent CT
Miles today: 0.0

Even though Patch did his best to get me back on the trail, I knew I needed to zero today. It seems the temperature only keeps going up. I tried to get a room at the local hiker friendly B&B but although had a room open they did not have a bathroom on the same floor for me to use. I guess in the past hikers have agreed to use only the downstairs bathroom and then still used one of the ones upstairs angering the other guests who paid for a private bathroom. It always bugs me when hikers in the past were so disrespectful that they have now ruined it for the rest of us. So I ended up paying the big bucks for a room at the Fife-n-Drum. Which was a really great place although very pricy. I took care of some more resupply stuff, and while at the outfitters met Hillbilly and both Huff & Puff. Trail Dog and Pole Breaker, who were also staying at the Fife-n-drum invited me to join them for dinner. Which was I think the best meal I've had since getting on the trail! It was really good to have a chance to say goodbye to them has they had decided to get off the trail due to the heat. They were both looking much better, but I could tell they were still not healthy. So sad to see them leave, but happy they will be back when the weather is better and there is less of a chance of heat stroke! Happy to have a zero!
Date: 2012-07-15
From: Kent CT

To: Stewart Hollow Shelter
Miles today: 7.0
Weather: light rain

I was planning to hike farther but when the rain started I decided the shelter was the place for me! I figured I would be the first and possibly be the only one at the shelter for a while but as it turns out the ridgerunner "Ember" was already there and just like me due to the rain had decided not to continue on for the day. So it was a lovely afternoon chatting with him while watching the storm from the comfort of the shelter. As the night went on, we were joined by Deep, a young German guy and Catwoman who is completing sections this summer and is from Montreal. This was also the first day I noticed my urine output seemed to be too much for the amount of water I was drinking and for how much I was sweating... my first indication there might have been a problem brewing by the name of Lyme Disease.