morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2008-06-11
From: Turners Gap

To: Ensign Cowall Shelter
Miles today: 13.7
Weather: clear sky

Slept in a bit at the Inn and hiked with the MErry Men again. Since I decided to hike yesterday instead of zero, I'm now ahead of BS... we'll probably catch up later. I consideereed moving on to the next shelter, but I was really tired today for some reason. The Merry Men stopped at anotherr hostel, but i just can't afford the hostel to hostel hike at this point. I'd really like to contnue hiking with them, but they are going a little slower than I need to in order to finish by my end date. Ah to hike for enjoyment or to hike to finish? With so many more miles and so many things that can go wrong, it's a tough call. Got really lonely tonight for the first time in a long time. It turns out no one in my family will be able to meet up with me the weekedn I'nm in Port Clinton. Booooo... Made me sad a little bit.
Date: 2008-06-12
From: Ensign Cowall Shelter

To: Rocky Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 24.7
Weather: clear sky

I actually saw more females than males today, something that's never happened before. Amanda, Shawna and Hot Cheese. Also met Bird Bath. Crossed the Bluue Ridge Summit area and High Rock. That's a significant area for me because I literally had life changing experiences there. I did a volunteer year after college and that's wehre our retreats were. Strange being back. There was a married couple out for a road walk where the trail crosses the road where the retreat center is. Funny they were just waiting there. I was hoping to camp at the retreat center, but they said no since they already had a full house. I enjoyed hiking alone todya but the gypsy moth caterpillers combined with the eerie sound of the locust sceeved m out a bit. It always sounds like it's raining, but now I know it's either caterpillar poop or eaten leaves hitting the ground. And my pack. And my head. Gross. It's amazing that those little guys are succeeding in defoliating the forests!
Date: 2008-06-13
From: Rocky Mountain Shelter

To: Pine Grove Furnace
Miles today: 22.9
Weather: broken clouds

Long lone hike today, but it's so different now. I'm not nearly as afraid as I was. I felt so sluggish and tired this morning, like I was sleepwalking. Found some much needed trail magic in the form of apples and oranges, which helped. Once again, I felt MUCH better after lunch which was hummus. Before that I wasn't sure I'd have the juice to push on to th ehalf gallon challenge at Pice Grove Furnace, but I made it here by 4:30. AND I OFFICIALLY CROSSED THE HALFWAY POINT!!!!There was no way I was going to put a half gallon of ice cream into my system--it would've wrecked me, despite the egging on of Blake, who I just met here today. Also remet Scrabble who I last saw near Roan mountain hiking south. Funny to re-meet folks who are flip flopping.Blake and I ended up yoging our way into a family campground area, which was great. But i seriously have to work on my yogi skills. They were having grilled lobster and I didn't get a crumb of it.
Date: 2008-06-14
From: Pine Grove Furnace

To: Boiling Springs
Miles today: 19.4
Weather: scattered clouds

Met Ellie, JC and Billy today and had a nice little go of it in Boiling Springs Tavern. This morning I was thinking about how I wanted a turkey and bacon hoagie while singing Godspell songs. I thought it was funny to crave a turkey and bacon hoagie since I never had one beofre. A couple hours later I roll into a deli close to the trail and what's the first thing on the menu? Turkey and bacon hoagies. I turned around and there's a sign on the wall for a showing of Godspell next week. Weird. I got dive-bombed by cicads all day. I have no idea what quirk in evloution allows these things to still exist. They seem so inefficient. They are massive, slow and clumsy and ugly. And creepy.
Date: 2008-06-15
From: Boiling Springs

To: Duncnnon
Miles today: 25.6
Weather: clear sky

The first 15 miles of today were great... and FLAT walkinng through farms. It was lovely, especially for a big mileage day. But for some reason the last 10 miles killed me... guess it was fatigue and rocks. I have officially decided to skip ahead. I don't want to risk not finishing because of time and I can finish whatever I skip in the fall. I'll be sad to leave behind such an awesome group of folks, though. Anyway, as I was hiking along today, i surprisingly saw BS hiking south. Turns out she got wind of my plans to skip ahead and wanted to say good bye, which was really nice. I really pushed to get to Duncannon in order to stay at the Doyle Hotel, which has been a gem of the trail since Earl Schaffer first hiked it. It was built in the early 1920's and I don't think it ever recovered after the great depression. When standin in the shower on the 3rd floor, you can see the plumbing of the shower on the 4th floor. Each room comes equiped with a little piece of wood to keep the windows open. It's certainly not the cleanest place i've stayed, but may be the seediest. But the Beer is cheap, the food surprisingly delicious, and the company delightful. I was a little disappointed to find out the bar closes at 8 since it's sunday.
Date: 2008-06-16
From: Duncnnon

To: PA325
Miles today: 16.1

Decided to slack today with Blake and Filadelphia Greenberg... legendary Trail Angel Mary gave us a ride. THe hike was fine, somewhat uneventful until an almost giant thunderstorm.So glad I stayed here another night. Creek Diver caught up and I wanted to chill with her some more. It's not often that you meet other single female hikers out here. There was a nice little group of us, but we got kicked out of the bar much earlier than we thought we would. Boooo. Tried to go to one across the street that was also closed. Then we roamed the streets like high school hoodlums, but weren't causing any problems. I started snapping pictures and, for reasons unknown to me at that time, it caught the attention of a cop. He pulled over and asked to see my camera. For some reason I told him it was a gift. Turns out he was looking for a camera that had been left in the parking lot that we were standing in. I almost started to panic... told him that I'd had it for months and that he could even look at all of my pictures. He ended up being really nice and we chatted up West Chester for a bit. All good fun.
Date: 2008-06-17
From: Duncnnon

To: "Drunk"cannon
Miles today: 0.0

Ah yes, my first zero since Pearisburg, VA almost a month ago. And i wasn't even going to take one until Blake and Filadelphia Greenberg talked me into it. This, my friends, is a prime example of trail magic. One never quite knows what form in which it will come, but it will always be in the form of something a hiker will truly need. This zero was particularly good because it meant that the Merry Men could catch up and I could have a night of merry-making with them. I was hoping Jackaroo and Chewbaca would make it in too, but alas, one can't have everything. I also met lots of great new people including Lucky Dog and Red Dog, Danger Danjo, Sight and Alohawk. I managed to party hearty without drinking too much, but one thing is for certain: if you are a single female on this trail, you will be popular. Creek Diver and I were pracitally celebrities in an environment where women are a rarity. I fear that it's stroking my ego a bit too much... eh, who am i kidding? Is there really such a thing as too much ego stroking? It was a really great night full of good clean fun.
Date: 2008-06-18
To: Rausch Gap Shelter
Miles today: 11.8
Weather: broken clouds

Tomorrow is skip day where I'll skip ahead to Vernon, NJ.Sigh. After so much fun last night, I'm pretty depressed about it today. I will miss all these great folks that I've been hiking with for months. I'm positive I'll meet some great people ahead, but, after living such a transient life these last months, it's just striking me now how important a lot of the relationships I've made have been for me. Honestly, if I hadn't met so many great folks out here, I'm not sure I'd still be on the trail. It was a pretty uneventful day--hiked with Blake and Filadelphia and met BS, Pack Animal and some others at the shelter. I was tired and a little down, so i crawled into my tent early. I'm planningon getting up early tomorrow. Mrs. Connor is going to pick me up at the 501 shelter and deliver me to my parents, so I want to get out early.
Date: 2008-06-19
From: Rausch Gap Shelter

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

I ended up having an early morning wake up call from the privy, so i did end up getting a really early start--I was even out before Pack Animal. The hike to 501 was pleasant, fast and uneventful. I even called Mrs. Connor to let her know I'd be there early, and the great news is that she could pick me up early... I was grateful. What a great visit I had with the Connor women. Of course I missed the Connor men, Michale especially, but it was so nice to be around people I knew and in an environment with which I had familiarity and was comfortable. I ate about 10 pieces of chicken franchase... think i could out eat even Michael at this point. We got a call from him from Spain, which was awesome... it's only the 3rd time i've talked to him in 4 weeks. It'll be nice when he's home even though i still won't bee seeing him much. Anyway, Mr. Connor was away for work, but, knowing I'm a beer lover, he stocked the fridge with Sam Adams and even bought some vitamin waters for good measure. Ah...clean bed, clean laundry, belly full of home cooked meals... what more can a hike ask for? Thank you Connor Clan!
Date: 2008-06-20
From: 501 Shelter

To: Vernon, NJ
Miles today: 0.0

Woke up sleepy after a great nights sleep and had strawberries, 6 pieces of bacon and an english muffin for breakfast.Today is a big day. Offically skip day. My mom picked me up from the Connor's brought me to Exton where I met my family, Dad, Brian and Cara for lunch. It was really nice, bt I refused to go to my parents house... didn't want to get sucked in. Had a great meal and decided not to fret over whether I'd be in one of those dreaded hiker holes. A hiker hole is where you ended up in a pocket with no other hikers. With being sad about having to skip ahead and seeing family, i was really hoping that that wouldn't happen. I really wanted to be with people when I got there. Well, I wasn't dissapointed. As my father dropped me off, I saw 2 hikers coming out of the church hostel. It turned out they were going to look for a tavern. Awesome. I had found my new hiking partners. I quickly joined ranks with Jukebox, a delightful fellow from Atlanta who has so much music he was carrying 2 ipods for a while. That was until he gave one to The General, a former major for the British Army turned international assassin. Well, that's my interpretation. He actually claims to be a "security contractor" but i know better. At least I feel darned safe with these fellows. This ended up being one of the most memorable nights on the trail... so memorable, in fact, that I will not write too many details here. I will say it was a night of general debauchery. we met a fabulous local couple who insisted on buying us drinks and eventually even took us to a resort. I don't remember much of what happened there, but I do remember that there was a posh wedding going on and i practically walked through the reception in all of my hairy, runner short clad glory. Jan and Corrine were responsible for all of this. Again, I felt in safe hands. Jan is the chief of police of Hamburg. They offered to slack us the next day and host us the next night, an offer we were way too smart to refuse.
Date: 2008-06-21
From: Vernon, NJ

To: 17A
Miles today: 15.0

Hungover hhiking is not good. This is the first time I've done it on the trail, and hopefully the last unless i feel like punishing myslef again sometime in the fture or forget how bad i feel today. But it ended on the lake with Jan, Corrine and all of their awseom neighbors. Dinner consisted of clams, ribs, sausage, london broil, salmon and veggies. I can't belive there are people out there who do this for complete strangers. What fantastic folks.
Date: 2008-06-22
From: 17A

To: Island Pond
Miles today: 13.7

Thunderstorms loomed all day though we managed to avoid a deluge despite the promises of the sky. I did manage, however, to end up with a soaked tent as 2.5 liters of water poured out of it from my water bladder, unknown to me. Good thing I'm in good company. Felt pretty bad today and the terrain was pretty tough. Had some great trail magic from Paddy and the Paddy wagon. This guy drives around with a grocery store on his truck. It's great. I really hope we see him again further north. I really like Jukebox and The General. Here's why.. quote of the day:"My God, I'm sweating like Michael Jackson in a room full of children." The General
Date: 2008-06-23
From: Island Pond

To: Ft. Montgomery
Miles today: 16.9

I woke up sore today... a first since North Carolina. Oy--I'm beginning to think skipping ahead was a bad idea. Can't get into a rhythm... just feel really tired and out of shape. It's been so ridiculously humid that I smell worse than I even have. I've been wet for the past 4 days. Nothing drys. This is why people quit the trail. But I'm not there yet. It's lies that folks have said that the trail remains easy through Mass... Lies! While I'm enjoying th beauty more and more, the hiking is tough. Climbs re shorter... biggest today was 800 ft... but it was over class 4 scrambles.Went through the Lemon Squeezer, which didn't disappoint. Actually felt like i was bouldering with my pack on. I was really looking forward to going to the zoo. Yes, the trail goes through a zoo, and the lowest point on the trail is in there. My book said it closed at 5. We got there at 4:37. Turns out it closed at 4:30. Damn... hit an all time low, mentally. Can't believe how much i was looking forward to the zoo when i see all those animals out on the trail.   At least I have a shower and clean bed to sleep in tonight... Bear Mountian Bridge Motel.
Date: 2008-06-24
From: Ft. Montgomery

To: Fahnestock State Park
Miles today: 18.2

We went over the mighty Hudson River today. Another tough day. Another day of not feeling like I'm on my game. I had to resupply at a gas station and, while I had enough calories todya, I felt hungry ALLLLL day. I'm convinced it's the quality of the food I've been eating. My legs felt like lead once again, but the General and Jukebox are experiencing the same thing. Met Chief Daddy at the Greymoor Friary, which is a cool place. the Franciscans are generous and have a shelter and privy for hikers on their property. HAven't met another woman since i skipped ahead. camped at a great little park and it was almost chilly tonight.
Date: 2008-06-25
From: Fahnestock State Park

To: Morgan Stewart Shelter
Miles today: 16.0
Weather: few clouds

The Brew Hike begins. Okay, it really began in Vernon, but we needed some dry days... liver wise. Weather wise, it's been hot and humid, but little rain--we've been lucky.We found 2 kittens today and it was heartbreaking. I can't believe I was so afffected by cats on the trail. They cute little buggers followed us. The General tried to put on e n his pack and would have carried it all the way to Maine if it would have stayed. It ended up running away.ONe of the great things about NJ and NY on the trail is that you can get to a deli almost every day. And one thing that both NJ and NY have over PA is that you can usually buy beer at delis. Jukebox, General and I stopped at a deli for lunch and packed out beer to the shelter. Thank god we can't do that every day. I don't know which body part is more thankful, my liver or my back. Had fun at the shelter, but I'm glad that hauling beer over multiple miles is not a habit of mine.
Date: 2008-06-26
From: Morgan Stewart Shelter

To: Wiley Shelter
Miles today: 16.3
Weather: moderate rain

Today it sprinkled and was humid all day. I opted out of the deli option today to decrease pack weight, so me and Chief Daddy Hiked together for a while. We had fun messing with some local college students who were ostensibly researching a wetland. Since I've done some similar research I knew the equpiment they were carrying was for triangulating tagged animals. When prodded about what animal they were looking for, they conceded that the project was "top secret." When we struck up conversation with the last student, CD asked her how big it was. Her reply, "What, you mean the turtle?" Turns out they are researching a local endangered species. It's top secret because they want to protect the area and that always makes a stir. Anyway, it was funny.We caught back up with Jukebox and General and they surprised us at the shelter with... you guessed it, a 24 pack of beer. My liver is not in this kind of shape, but it was fun as always.
Date: 2008-06-27
From: Wiley Shelter

To: Kent, Ct
Miles today: 12.7

TOday I had a first--I GIGANTIC timber rattle snake rattled at us for a good long time. I got some pictures and I hope they turn out well... don't really know how well my camera works yet. We thought today would be a quick easy 12 miles into town. Ugh. I should have learned long ago not to make such expectations for myself. It was a sucky 12, but for the rattle snake. It was likely in large part due to the fact that i was out of food by the time i got into town... partly because it was just a sucky uphill day. Way more uphill than any of us expected. I also fell 3 times... very biblical, i know, but uncommon for me at this point. Need a break.Coolest part of today? Colleen and Kathleen came up to see me! We're going to hike tomorrow, but tonight we're camping at Macedonia state park with Chief Daddy and General. Jukebox got picked up by a friend in Fairfield.
Date: 2008-06-28
From: Kent, Ct

To: Stewart Hollow Brook Lean to
Miles today: 7.0

Funny story from yesterday that I forgot. It was another hot and humid day. I did laundry, which usually happens wearing my rain jacket. I had to stop myself About 47 times while my laundry was being laundered from unzipping my jacket. Lordy, that is one embarrasing moment I don't need on this trail.Colleen, Kathleen and I had a nice day. Swam in the Housatonic. Weird to think I used to live at it's outlet, but also fun. Kathleen and Colleen's yoga definitely turned some heads at the shelter.   Met Site see, Apostle, Shiloh and Willy Boy today. Seem like awesome guys.
Date: 2008-06-29
From: Stewart Hollow Brook Lean to

To: Salisbury, CT
Miles today: 25.7
Weather: haze

Today sucked, especially the last 8 miles. Thank god my brothers are coming in. I had the worst head ache of my life. I was really hoping they would get into town in order to pick me up earlier so i wouldn't have to go all the way to Salisbury. I was glad to run into The guys I met yesterday--Shiloh, Apostle, Site See. They made the last 8 miles bearable. My brothers got in at midnight, but I chose to say at the White Hart. Great Place! Had the most extravgent meal of the trip and the best pie of my life there. So glad my bros are coming in tonight. I know our hike will be fun tomorrow. And it's just plain good to have family around.
Date: 2008-06-30
From: Salisbury, CT

To: MA 41
Miles today: 18.5

Sometimes I'm really surprised that I come from the same gene pool as my brothers. I don't mean that in a bad way. I love they both very much and they are both great people. But for the love of life, guess what they brought in lieu of sleeping bags? Towels. They brought towels. I don't know why they thought owels would be better than blankets... perhaps pulling a page from Hitch Hikers Guide to the Galaxy?   There was no way that I was going to bring them to a shelter and risk my family name in the hiking community. Shucks. That meant another night in the hotel on them. Life it tough.After shredding them on bringing towels and poor planning, I'm guilty of poor planning myself. I decided that we could do an easy 18.5 miles. Duh! I failed to look at the profile, which meant failing to see 4 huge mountains ahead of us. I really wasn't trying to punish them. Bt it did end up being a great section of trail. Challenging, to say the least, but beautiful. Race mountain and Bear Mountain had some of the best views on the entire trip. And the day was full of laughter, naturally. Kenny (Trail Name Road Kill) was in a lot of pain to begin with since he played some brutal games of volleyball the day before and did some copiuous liver damage. Brian and I named him Road Kill because it became quickly apparent that we were not going to be able to complete the 18 miles. We planned to take a side trail, go down to the road and walk back to the car, and pick Kenny up like a piece of Road Kill. We named Bran Skipper because the little brat was hop skipping and jumping his way up the trail... I couldn't keep up. I think I only could have shamed him after a few days of hiking. IT was so very awesome having them there for a day. There's nothing like having family around.
Date: 2008-07-01
From: MA 41

To: Mt. Wilcox South Lean To
Miles today: 15.3

Today I really wished I had a friend from home to hike the whole AT with. I was definitely going through brother withdrawal, and just felt lonely. ON the way to the shelter, just before it, I came to this beatuful pond with a perfect rock to sit on, cook on and swim from. But I like having company for dinner and I was already felling lonely, so I kept hiking to the shelter. Big plus at the shelter--there were a bunch of section hikers out and one of them gave me a giant hot Italian sausage to accompany my dinner.Also, I met up with Rhino and his dog Ronja today... he passed me way back in VA, and it's great to see him. He has a Swiss Mountain Dog and she is BY FAR the BEST trail dog I have seen so far. And Rhino is just a delight, all the way from Germany and this is their second thru-hike. Glad to run into such a positive person on the trail on such a lonely day.Oh and a side story. Yesterday when we were driving to the trail head, we saw a turtle crossing the road. I begged Brian to stop, but Brian is Brian, he likes to go fast and was impatient to get to the trail, so he assured me the turtle would be fine and kept driving. What do we see on our way to the trail today? You guessed it. Squashed turtle guts. I was almost in tears and we were both screaming and I told Brian he was a bastard and as penance he has to pick up every tutrle he sees from now on as long as it's not too dangerous. He felt bad.
Date: 2008-07-02
From: Mt. Wilcox South Lean To

To: Upper Goose Pond Cabin
Miles today: 15.8
Weather: clear sky

As lonely as I was yesterday, today I feel totally ambivalent about wanting to be with people and wanting to be alone. It's making me a little crazy. I ran into Site See, Apostle and Shiloh and was instantly annoyed, and then was grateful for their prescence 5 minutely later, then annoyed again. This went on almost all day, and it is NOTHING personal to any of them. They are great fellows and we had some really good, close-to-the-heart kind of conversations. I think the trail is just starting to get to me. I'm glad it took this long.Anyway, the shelter is actually a cabin with a care taker. It was awesome. 2 stories, gas stove, beds, big pond and a canoe. What more is there to ask for? I went for a swim in my clothes to launder them and met 2 brothers from the Philly area. It was a great end to a confusing day.