morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2012-06-03
From: the famous doyle in duncannon

To: peter's mtn shelter
Miles today: 11.3

.....*ugh*........"hangover".........(and i'm not even a "drankin' woman"!)....maybe something in the water at the doyle???....(heh heh)........but don't get me wrong now....i LUUUUUVVVVV the doyle!....(did i just say that?)...paw says he likes it alot as well...says it's the best night's sleep YET!...(well.... now.......THAT.......is.......just.......uh.........amazing!)....i guess sometimes "lowering your expectations" can have the most miraculous results! :-)....and duncannon!.....good ol' duncannon!.....at first glance you think, "poor little duncannon".....and THEN!....you meet its PEOPLE!....thank you duncannon!....and all of "these" :...pat and vickey...best hamburger...salad.....and HUGS on the trail so far! :-)...don (from the store)...for making an extra shuttle just for me!......."trail dancer" (whom we met at the festival)...for a shuttle and some good trail talk.......clerk at the pharmacy....for exchanging my memory card AND giving me a "camera lesson"....all with a SMILE!........all the folks at the festival who wished us well and helped to make our stay here so memorable!......thanks everyone!..........wellllll......it was a short day today in terms of miles.....arrived at the shelter EARLY....and have spent the afternoon waiting for the storm and "chillin" with instigator and expeditor........and boy!....did we ever get our storm!...a TREE almost fell on the shelter!...(so glad we weren't out still walking!).........had a random "blessing" this a.m. right after a great big breakfast at goodie's......"circuit rider" came in!...wow!....we hadn't seen him since he spoke at the sunrise service (and so encouraged us with psalm 90) at the SoRuck back in january!....i think paw and i have sort of considered C.R. our "trail pastor" and it was so good to hear that he had been praying for us!...(maybe THAT'S why the tree missed falling on the shelter!) :-)....AND......i forgot to mention day before yesterday about ALL the great "believers" we met and chatted with at breakfast at galinas manor!....it was what i imagined "heaven" might be like!....(and what i often wish this old earth were more full of now!).....yep!...."see ya 'on the river bank' in 10,000 years"!.........and for any of you guys still coming along, if you stay here at galinas, BEG michael to get his mom to make the italian breakfast souffle!....it's awesome!.....
Date: 2012-06-04
From: peter's mtn shelter

To: campsite beyond rausch shelter
Miles today: 17.8

.....(it's not the "glacial gravel" i mind so much along the PA trail, but the POISON IVY overgrowing the trail!.....*argh*).....this has been a day RICH with fond memories:.....fond memory #1--- our lunch location today caused us to recall an '03 episode of a giant rat there stealing one of maw's gaitors in the wee hours of the morning, and paw dashing out in the fog and dark to try and retrieve it!.........fond memory #2---paw's blood curdling scream (here at rausch also in '03, i think)as he stepped beneath our shower bag which had just been filled with COOOOOOOOLLLLLD spring water!....(REALLY "fond" memories, eh paw?)........there's more, but i'll not bore you.......let me rather intrigue you with some fascinating facts about supper tonight (and perhaps a bit of advice).......we have noodles.....nothing else....just noodles.....and so, let me warn you as you resupply in town to NEVER try "multi-tasking"........focus, hikers....focus!....this has been one incredible day in the woods, though!.....cool, breezy ridgewalking! (some of it even "sans rocks"!)....and i love this area down here by the creek at rausch!....i guess partly because it still has the feel of a hemlock cove....lush green, deep dark, resounding with echoes of water and thrush!.....yes!....i could "live" here!....(and tonight, i WILL!)........saw "coach" again today!.....we had met him a few days ago (i think up at cove mtn shelter) clearing out the shelter of CATFOOD that someone had left!...(yes...you heard me right....CATFOOD!....sheesh!....what are people thinkin'????).....anyway...coach is an old PCT acquaintance and is now "ridge-running" for this section......so when we bumped into him again today, he winked and said, "now...i just wanna know.....are y'all haulin' any catfood in those packs?"........."no sir", i said...."though it is pretty tasty when you're tired and hongry!"..........i spent the afternoon yesterday fashioning a "comic strip" (about the similarities between hikers and hobbits) in the shelter register, so i could photograph it and have something to "e-share" with "sunshine" (who seems to like my drawings)......but with all the excitement of the tree almost squishing us, i FORGOT to take a picture!....(sorry, sunshine!....i think you would have enjoyed it!)....
Date: 2012-06-05
From: campsite beyond rausch shelter

To: 501 shelter
Miles today: 17.4
Weather: overcast clouds

.....how long has it been since you TOUCHED a tree?.....to feel its texture and the years at its core........to plant (in remembrance of someone you love........to climb and rest in its arms to think........to attach a tent, a tarp or a swing.........to ponder Its Piercings.....done for you...done for me........how long has it been since a Tree touched "thee"?...(oh....don't mind me....some days are just "waxier" than others!)......let me tell ya......today?....was poison ivy...uh..."heaven".......and all for arriving at the 501 to find that the pizza place was CLOSED! :-(
Date: 2012-06-06
From: 501 shelter

To: stealth near philips canyon spring
Miles today: 18.7

......though thruhikers rarely know what day of the week it is, you will find few that don't usually have their "monday radar" activated!....and let me tell you, it is NOT their favorite day!...hikers dislike mondays, though, for a very different reason than the work-a-day world (which finds itself dragging out of bed after a "kick-a--" weekend to face yet another glorious day at the office)......no....hikers' "weekends" NEVER end!..........still......in the minds (and stomachs) of hikers, monday sometimes holds an "ominous aura" over its span...and this is why : it's because of the possibility of finding a mouth-watering-ly anticipated meal "CANCELLED" because of oft imposed restaurant closings on MONDAYS!........nope...it's not OUR favorite day either.........(what brought that on?....it's only wednesday...........i think).........remember "rrrrrrruffles have rrrrrrridges"?......how 'bout "rrrrridges have rrrrrrrrrocks"!...(heh heh)....this cooler weather is soooo nice.....PERFECT walking today through some really beautiful forests......lots of ferns....hemlocks.....pennsylvania really is so lovely!.......forgot to mention that we saw a momma turkey with her chicks yesterday, first thing!.....neat!........bunks are nice at hostels or shelters, but when you're sharing a sleeping quilt, it "don't work that good".....we started out (at the 501 last night) in separate bunks with me using the tarp and bug net as a covering.....no good....had to sneak into bed with paw in the middle of the night....(then we were both happier and warmer!)....good thing we've lost a little weight! heh heh!....ran into sunshine and balls (and beacon, too) today as they were coming southbound.....what a surprise!....we had heard that sunshine had broken her arm and sure 'nuff, it was sadly true....but she seemed very "chipper" about the whole ordeal... (they don't call her sunshine for nuthin'!)...and was ready with pink and purple pens so we could sign her cast!.....what a gal!.....fact : section hikers are noisier in shelters than thruhikers!.......well, paw made us a fire tonight!...our first!....don't know what possessed him, but it was the perfect ending to a perfect day....yep....there we were as the sun was setting, in the "cushiest" camp, under a huge old hemlock tree enjoying black beans with chips and cheese (and even a little chocolate chip oatmeal that we found in the hiker box at the doyle), and all was well with the world as the fire crackled down into the night..........tomorrow morning we will head into port clinton for a big breakfast and our most memorable trail burger from '03 and '06!......
Date: 2012-06-07
From: stealth near philips canyon spring

To: windsor furnace shelter
Miles today: 10.1
Weather: scattered clouds

.....met instigator and expeditor going to breakfast at "3C's" in port clinton this a.m.!....(which is where we were "energetically" headed!...heh heh!....you should've seen us headed down that mountain in "breakfast mode"!).........and we had such a nice visit with these folks, whom i have dubbed the "cutest couple on the trail"!...(uh....yeah....even with all the "jiggles", eh instigator?).....(she knows i'm teasin'!).........we learned a lot about bicycles from these two, who seem to be athletes in every genre!...our time together included quite a few good laughs (even though i think expeditor (whom i always wanna just call "x-man" for short...AND for my failing memory) might have been suffering from a little pain in his ankle)....but even in his pain, he had enough presence of mind to offer me ("maw") his leftover toast!...heh heh!...(guess he didn't want to get mugged for it!)...so i, being the true hiker i am, gladly accepted!...(i never turn down FOOD!.......though... for the life of me, i can't figure out how in the world "x-man" turned down that toast!....how did he have ANY food left on his plate?????!....THAT would make thruhiker headlines!).....anyway....i hope we can keep in touch with instigator and expeditor!........we actually got resupplied in port clinton (though we originally had planned to have this as one of the few places this time to which we would send a maildrop)....since we waited too long to send the drop, we just decided to see if we could manage right there in port clinton (very limited resupply) without going into hamburg....and we did it!.....since it was only a couple of days to palmerton, we loaded up on cinnamon rolls and raisin toast from "3 C's"....extra hamburgers and grilled cheese sandwiches from the hotel....and lots of high energy/high calorie snacks from the "peanut shack".........WE ARE NOW LESS THAN 1000 MILES FROM KATAHDIN!....WOOHOO!.....i am soooo looking forward to this northern half of our hike!.......oh!....and we saw our first white birches yesterday!...(they don't have those down in georgia where WE come from!) :-)
Date: 2012-06-08
From: windsor furnace shelter

To: allentown shelter
Miles today: 16.5

.....my daughter's birthday today!....(many fond memories of this day 34 years ago kept me "company" as i hiked some more of this amazing and much loved trail!)....happy birthday coco!.........(now if we can just get a few more miles under our belts before my son's birthday at the end of july!).....alas.....maw has had some, uh, shall we say, "not comfortable" stomach pains over the last week....yes....not comfortable.....more like "stabbing"...."excruciating"...."gut wrenching"...(to put it mildly)....i'm thinking "appendicitis"???? ....(labor pains?....nope)....i'm sure it has nothing to do with my diet, and the fact that the pain began the night i added a giant slim jim to our ramen noodles.....nah)........carli and michael say, "get yourself to a doctor, mom, before your appendix ruptures all over a shelter somewhere and you get gangrene and die and they have to throw you in a dumpster behind a macdonalds!"............okay....i'll think about it..........trail this morning?...."a piece of cake"!.....trail this afternoon?...."rocky road fudge"!...(or whatever other type of "bumpy cuisine" you can imagine!)........hmmmmmm....lets see.......what would you other hikers say is the "best burger experience".....port clinton hotel?.....or the doyle hotel?....we know how WE vote!......pat and vickey at the doyle win by a (S)MILE!.........(however....i will admit that the port clinton burger DID taste pretty darn good this morning for breakfast!......especially at sunrise on "pulpit rocks" overlooking the dawn-drenched pennsylvania countryside!).........meditation was sweet and simple today : john 3:16 ......it doesn't get much better than THIS!.........so good to meet up with an "old" familiar face today : "woodchuck"! (whom we first met way back in tennessee at standing bear farm!).....if you happen to read this, woodchuck, give us a shout!....
Date: 2012-06-10
From: palmerton jail

To: palmerton emergency room
Miles today: 0.0

......(wow......looking at our "starting location" and our "destination" above, one might judge paw and i got into some kind of a "brawl" or something!...."jail"?....ER?)...........nope....but i hafta say....the emergency room FELT like "jail"....or a "circus" (perhaps a more fitting description).......i was sitting and sitting there (in my lovely and somewhat "breezy" hospital attire) when a nurse comes in after a couple of hours and giggles and says, "oh....i am so sorry.....we were waiting on your blood work to come back, and we realized we hadn't DONE your blood work yet!"......(grrrrrrrr!).....i'm not gonna even mention the various other fiascoes that were playing out for me in there today!.........and.....after what i'm sure will be a couple of thousand $$$ worth of tests and so forth...of course....they found NOTHING!!!!! (double grrrrrrr!)..........ANNNNNND.....that "promise" paw and i made to each other at the beginning of our hike to encourage the one who might be "down", even if it meant staying in a trail town for a few days or a couple of weeks?....uh....that isn't exactly happening either.........so.......if'n you're thinkin' ol' maw sounds a little "peeved" today....i think you thunk RIGHT! ;-)
Date: 2012-06-11
From: palmerton, PA

To: home
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

.....this is the entry that every thruhiker is hesitant to write..........(even when you COMPLETE a thruhike, it's difficult to put into words.......because in the midst of the exhilaration, a strange and unfitting "sadness" comes to settle in as well... like a "neighbor" with as much right to "own property" there as "celebration" has!....it lines right up alongside exhilaration.....not usurping or overwhelming it....not trespassing its proper boundaries...but offering a look over the "fence"....a reminder how thankful you are to have "LIVED HERE" at all!........but........even a completed thruhike has its "blue-er" moments and sometimes you can do no more than state the facts of that final ascent toward an old weathered marquee on a very famous summit in maine that you can't take home with you.....but it's hard to put down finally....in black and white...those last few lines that will ultimately say more to YOU, to your OWN heart, than to that of your readers....the final entry : "all done!").................but for the majority of hikers who start out with the very same dreams of a "thru" as any other hiker that walks all 2100 miles of his or her hike, having to say "goodbye" at any point short of that is REEEEEEAAAALLLLLY difficult to do!.........i think i can honestly say today to those folks : "i know exactly how you feel"........paw and i are on our way "home".....and it doesn't really feel exactly, 100% "right"........still.....i know that for whatever lies ahead, we can rely on the promise of psalm 90:1 (of which our new friend "circuit rider" reminded us back in january at the SoRuck) : "Lord...You have been our Dwelling Place and our refuge in all generations!....before the mountains were ever brought forth or ever You had formed and given birth to the earth...even from everlasting to everlasting....YOU ARE GOD!...........teach us to number our days....in wisdom..........SATISFY us with Your Mercy and Loving-kindness....that we may rejoice and be glad ALL our days!....and let the beauty and delightfulness and FAVOR of the Lord our God be upon us!....confirm and establish the work of our hands----yes....the work of our hands, confirm and establish it!".............."satisfaction and gladness in ALL our days"!......isn't that what it's all about?....isn't that what every hiker and life-walker ultimately wants?.....i'm glad i know the One who gives us just that.........now.......... on to the "next page".......
Date: 2012-05-16
To: Wishing I was there already
Miles today: 0.0

I'm planning on restarting my AT hike this summer in Vermont where I got off the trail. Last time I hiked I was using a Blackberry, which was easy to write the journals at night then copy and paste into Trailjournals when I had a connection, but I couldn't add photos. Several years later I now have a Droid. I think the photo upload is simple, but the simple process of copy and paste has been mystifying. But today I think I have finally figured it out and maybe even have it mastered. This entry is my test of this process. If it works, then woohoo - one more thing off the to do list!
Date: 2012-06-11
From: Cloudland Rd, Vt

To: Dana Hill
Miles today: 4.25

I'm on the trail! Many thanks to great friends Charles and Mary. Among other things, they gave me a place to rest and recover from the drive east, helped me get organized for hiking, have fattened me up considerably anticipating my limited food carrying capacity, are car sitting, and today drove 200 + miles to deposit me at the exact spot I got off the trail 4 years ago. I can't thank them enough for everything.Today's hike was short, slow and hard. It's going to take a while to get my hiker legs back. I set off prepared to only do 5 mile days for this first stretch, but was secretly hoping I'd be able to do more. It didn't happen! The 4 mile mark was at a road crossing, and a brook for water. By the time I reached it I was hot, sweaty, muddy, and aching. I was rather hoping that there would be a suitable camp spot near the water but out of sight of the road, but it was not to be. So I loaded up with 4 liters of water (3 for tonight and one to get me to the first water source tomorrow) and crossed the road, again hoping for a level spot for the tent. Of course, because I'd just added 10 pounds of water to the pack, the trail went straight up for almost half a mile before I finally settled for an "almost flat" spot just off the trail almost at the top of the hill. I'm sure I'll spend most of the night rolling off my mattress, but it will have to do. It's now almost 8 and I'm fed, watered, bathed and in my bed ready for dark, which won't be for another couple hours yet. I'm pretty sure I'll be sound asleep before then anyway.I saw only 3 northbound (NOBO) hikers today. Being the newbie at this again, I didn't have much to contribute to them in the way of trail conditions behind me and ahead of them, and didn't even ask their names. One was carrying a full size video camera and tripod to film interviews and raise awareness about taking care of the planet, and another was an ex pat Brit like myself, but had an extra 13 years over me. I only stopped to chat long enough to catch my breath, then moved along. My miles came hard today!Tomorrow, with longer to hike, I might be able to increase the miles, but I know I'm going to be stiff and sore. My 5 mile point is a shelter, so I may just stop there and camp anyway, even if it's early, just to continue the breaking in process.Very little wildlife other than squirrels today, and no views. It seems that in Vermont I,ll be going up hills just to come the other side, with no visual payoff "you can't see the wood for ths trees!"
Date: 2012-06-12
From: Dana Hill

To: Winturri Shelter, Vt
Miles today: 5.0

I slept pretty well last night for the first night out. By midnight I was glad I had not gone any further. I woke with leg cramps, but nothing that a couple of Tums, a vitamin I (ibuprofen) and a little tot of rum couldn't cure. As I drifted back off to sleep, I was sure I could hear running water. This morning started off with the horrifying ritual of getting out of a cozy sleeping bag and into cold wet underwear. Never pleasant! After that, packup was easy, if a little slow from lack of practice. Once on the trail, sure enough, within 10 minutes of walking there was a little stream with a perfectly level camping spot nearby. I can confidently say that living in AZ has totally drained my ability to deal with humidity. By 8:30 I was completely soaked with sweat, and my bandanna, which I was using to swab myself off; could not have been wetter if it had just come out of a washing machine. By 9 I had found a small stream with a convenient bench. I knew I would not have to hurry to get today's 5 miles in, so took the time to rinse out and dry my bandanna and t-shirt. Even with the hour plus break I arrived at the shelter by 2pm. The timing was perfect. After last night's episode of carrying water uphill I had planned how much I would need today, and drank the last of my carried supply as I turned on the .2 mile side trail to the shelter. I went straight to the stream just past the shelter to fill up on water. As well as the fresh cool water, someone had left a 12 pack each of ginger ale and cokes. That sure did hit the spot, and I'll happily carry out the can. Just as I finished the soda I felt a few drops of rain, then a few more and a little heavier. I'm happily ensconced in the dry shelter. I hadn't planned to actually sleep in the shelter, as I prefer to camp, and suspect it will be a very buggy night, but the only other hiker here so far says the forecast is for heavy storms tonight. I guess I'll stay right where I am, and just load up on the bug juice for the night.LaterIt's now 6:30pm. My shelter mate Beeman was spot on with his forecast: it's coming down heavy and steady. Just the two of us so far and we're both tucked into our respective sleeping bags. This shelter has a metallittle roof and trees all around, so as with my very first AT shelter experience, tonight is going to be like sleeping in a demented out of tune xylophone. At least I'm dry.My body has been cooperating with the hike so far. Both knees are cooperating, and toes/feet doing fine. A few minor aches, cramps and stiffness, but my biggest issue so far has been the humidity. There is another shelter 10 miles south, and I think I'm going to try to double my mileage and head there, with the option to camp 5 miles in at a water source if trail conditions turn nasty from all this rain.