morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2015-07-12
From: Kirkridge Shelter

To: Deleware Water Gap, PA
Miles today: 6.4

7/12/15 Day 101 - Nero in Delaware Water Gap today. I hiked 6.4 miles from the shelter to the Church of the Mountain Hiker Center. The hostel is free and there were a lot of people here by the end of the day. Someone said they counted 30 hikers. CousCous and I, plus a couple of other hikers went down to the local pizza place and ordered large subs. They were huge and I could barely finish mine. They were easily 20" a piece. Later on, we caught a ride to the local Walmart and it was packed. There were literally hundreds of Jewish people there shopping. You could tell because the men and older boys were wearing yarmulkas. It took about a half hour in the check out line to get out of there. The person who gave us a ride said a local resort or two offered deals on timeshares and catered to the Jewish community. Pretty good day.
Date: 2015-07-13
From: Deleware Water Gap, PA

To: Campsite at 1310.1
Miles today: 16.7

7/13/2015 Day 102 - I was up and ready to go by 7 am, but someone who stayed at the hostel the night before I arrived said the breakfast sandwich at the Village Farmer & Market was worth getting. I sat around the hostel for a while since the place didn't open until 8 am. CousCous and I left a little before 8 and got there just before the place opened and were the first in the door. The sandwich he was talking about is sausage, egg, and cheese encased in cinnamon and raisin French toast with maple syrup drizzled on top. Big, thick French toast with plenty of stuff in the middle. I got one of those, a cheese Danish, and a cup of coffee. The place is pretty much a pastry bakery with all the goodies and decorated tastefully country kitchen. The food was good and the atmosphere was very welcoming. I almost didn't want to leave. I got on the trail by 8:45 and it couldn't have been better weather for hiking. After a mile or so of walking on roads to get out of town, it was back to the woods. Today's hiking was quite beautiful and I crossed into a new state! Hello New Jersey! There were still some rough rocky trails, probably from being so close to Pennsylvania, but the trail did smooth out quite a bit. I hiked for a couple of hours and had a snack right next to Sunfish Pond and listened to the frogs. As I was leaving a boy with his family told me, "I saw a big bullfrog eat a snake!" He was so excited I had to stop and listen to his story. CousCous passed me and we met up at the Mohican Outdoor Center where I was expecting a package from Eric. When I got there I saw the White Wolf holding ice to his head and his leg was all scraped up. He told me he lost his balance when he was crossing a small boulder patch. I talked to him for a while while a trail angel named Doug cleaned him up and put some antibiotic ointment on the cuts. I really felt his frustration, because I've been there myself before.The mailman got there with both mine and White Wolf's packages just 45 minutes after I got there. Pretty good timing. Thanks again for sending that Eric. I bought a few things to include a Reuben and a Coke while I was there and left around 3:15 pm. I still wanted to put some miles in. I hiked a total of 16.7 miles today and I'm camping in an unofficial tent site solo tonight. I'm lying in my tent as I write this, getting ready to go to sleep.
Date: 2015-07-14
From: Campsite at 1310.1

To: Gren Anderson Shelter
Miles today: 14.7
Weather: light rain

7/14/2015 Day 103 - I left the campsite around 7 am. The weather was a little overcast and the views were beautiful. Who would have thought there was so much forest in New Jersey? The mixture of leafy trees and pines was nice.I made it to Brink Shelter at around 1 am and ran into Green Bay. She is always bright and cheery. Hardwear and the White Wolf showed up a short time later. They told me that there was a coffee shop and a tavern at the next road crossing 3.6 miles away. The coffee shop turned into a sub shop and just opened today. Unfortunately, they didn't have tables and chairs yet so we went to the tavern. I've been losing more weight so I've been eating even more. Got a burger and a couple of sodas then hit the trail again. I went another 3 miles and was the first one to Gren Anderson Shelter. The rest of the group, as well as Bigfoot and Micro showed up later on. My Achilles' tendons have been tight and a little painful at times, probably because of all the rocky trails. They're OK once I'm moving for most of the day, but hurt a little after a long day. I'll try stretching a little more and see how it goes.
Date: 2015-07-15
From: Gren Anderson Shelter

To: Unionville, NY
Miles today: 20.1
Weather: light rain

7/15/2015 Day 104 - I left the shelter at my usual 7 am start time and really didn't know where I'd be ending up today. There was rain in the forecast for the afternoon so I thought about a shelter 13 miles into the day, but Unionville is right around 20 miles and close to the trail. The trail was a little rocky, but the woods were pleasant and I heard, but didn't see a couple of bears in the brush. I've seen several in the past week and I'm getting to know what they sound like when they move through the woods. It started to rain at about 12:30 or so, right before I reached the High Point State Park Headquarters. I was hoping they would have a pavilion there so I could eat lunch out of the rain, but was pleasantly surprised when I got there. It was a very large building with benches inside. The lady at the desk gave me a Coke just for signing their register. So I sat inside this dry building watching a video on black bears while I made peanut butter and honey tortilla wraps for lunch. After I finished eating I headed back out. The rain had stopped.At this point I had decided to go to Unionville, NY for resupply and stay in their park. It rained pretty hard from about 3 to 4 pm and drizzled a little more until 5ish. I stopped and checked out the cabin on Murray's property a few miles before Unionville and it was pretty nice. Hardwear, the White Wolf, Bigfoot, Micro and a few others decide to stay there for the night, but I moved on. I got to town around 6:30 pm and check into Horler's Store where they had me fill out a permit to camp in the park. The little town is nice and Horler's is super hiker friendly. It has hiker food and they'll let you charge your phone on the front porch outlets. I ate at Annabelle's Italian food and the. set up my tent in the nice little park. A little wet, but a good day overall.
Date: 2015-07-16
From: Unionville, NY

To: Wawayanda Shelter
Miles today: 16.8
Weather: clear sky

7/16/2015 Day 105 - I had a hard time leaving Unionville, NY today. I packed up after drying my tent in the morning sun at the park then headed over to Horler's General Store. I got an apple pastry and some coffee, plugged my phone and brick in one of the store outlets, and talked to Hot Pants and Crumbs for a few minutes. I went back into the store and bought food resupply for a few more days. My brick (USB battery) wasn't charged enough so I went in and ordered a Taylor ham, egg and cheese sandwich. I sat on the store porch for a little while more until I finally thought the charge was good enough to last a few days. I got on trail at about 9:45. The weather was perfect for hiking. The sun was out, blue skies, and the temperature in the 70s. The trail was interesting and kind of fun today. Smooth trails alter ain't occasionally with jagged rocky trails, several hills, big swamps the had board walks on them to cross, and a big step hill call the "stairway to heaven". I passed a group of teenagers and I think their camp counselor today and they asked where I started and how far I've gone. I told them and a couple of them sounded impressed. I got to the shelter I was shooting for, Wawayanda Shelter, at about 6:15. I was kind of expecting the normal crew, but instead, Islander, Boots, and OSHA stopped by a little later and set up for the night. We all tented because the Mosquitos are kind of annoying.My Achilles are stills bothering me, but they're not keeping me from hiking.
Date: 2015-07-17
From: Wawayanda Shelter

To: Wildcat Shelter
Miles today: 12.1
Weather: overcast clouds

7/17/2015 Day 106 - the AWOL Guide said that this part of New Jersey and New York are "difficult". Yesterday and today were pretty challenging, that's for sure, but the rocks are, most of the time, fun to climb on. At about 9 miles into the day there was a hot dog stand just 0.1 miles off of the trail on Rt. 17A. I stopped and ate 4 dogs, a bag of chips and a Coke. It just so happened there was a local ice cream shop just 0.1 miles more. I was obligated to go eat there with the calorie deficit and all. It was delicious. I hiked the next 2.4 miles to Wildcat Shelter after climbing over some more rocks. I was the first there but more people people kept arriving and the count is up to 19 now. We've got quite the bubble going here. After all that climbing I am beat even though I only hiked 12.1 miles today.
Date: 2015-07-18
From: Wildcat Shelter

To: William Brien Memorial Shelter
Miles today: 19.6
Weather: overcast clouds

7/18/2015 Day 107 - This morning was tough. It took me and several other hikers about 6 hours to travel just 10 miles. There were several small rock formation that required some scrambling, and the trail was pretty rocky in some areas, so we just couldn't make good time. A few of us stopped to get water near the road and a Trail Angel stopped us and told us to follow him for some trail magic. We got to his pickup and he pulled out his grill and cooked us some hot dogs as well as sodas, sweet tea, and some bagels. His name is Patty-O and he is an interesting individual. He's been doing trail Magic for going on 14 years. We ate our dogs and listened to some Johnny Cash and John Denver. Patty-O said that the ten miles we just did was the hardest in New York and the rest of the day would be a little smoother. He was right. I hiked another 4.4 miles to Fingerboard Shelter where I talked with a couple of young men who were just camping there for the night then back to work Monday. I ate some tortillas and peanut butter then hit the trail again. The trail was nicer but still rough in spots, to include the Lemon Squeezer. This is a narrow slot through one of the rock formations that gets narrow as you go and you have to squeeze through the end. It was fun.I made it to the William Brien Memorial Shelter where a group of young men had moved into the shelter. There was no way I was staying there for the night so I pitched my tent downhill. Chewy calculated that we hiked 19.6 miles today, but it feels a little longer.Overall, a fun day with good hiking and good company.
Date: 2015-07-19
From: William Brien Memorial Shelter

To: Fort Montgomery, NY
Miles today: 10.2
Weather: overcast clouds

7/19/2015 Day 108 - I was hoping for some easy miles into Fort Montgomery, NY for my Nero, but the first part was some more rock fields. I kind of like them, but time on nero days is important. Simple Sole and I didn't see water at 3 miles where it was indicated in AWOL's guide so we walked to the Visitors Center At Palisades Parkway, 0.4 miles off trail. It turns out there was a stream just a little further if we had been a little more patient. It wasn't a total loss, I got an ice tea and used the bathroom at the visitor center. At about 5 miles into the day, I came across a trail maintenance crew and one of the volunteers said my solitude was about over for the day. I found out what he meant about a mile later. Bear Mountain Recreation Area is apparently a big attraction for New Yorkers on the weekend. Motorcycle riders, day hikers, bicycle riders, and when I got to the lake, picnickers. All those people in one place was a little uncomfortable, especially since I looked like a homeless person. After 7 days without a proper washing of my body or my clothes, I looked a little out of place. I was also drenched in sweat after climbing hill all morning in 95 degree heat with high humidity. I'm sure I was quite the site. There is a small zoo with a few animals exhibits that is actually part of the trail. There was a fox, porcupine, woodchuck, a couple of bears, as well as a few others. I was a little hot and tired so I didn't looked at all of the exhibits. I reached the end of the zoo and met up with one of the owners of the Bear Mountain Bridge Motel. It's a quaint but nice little place in Fort Montgomery. They even washed my nasty clothes for no extra charge. It was only 10.2 miles, but I was ready to stop for the day.
Date: 2015-07-20
From: Fort Montgomery, NY

To: Fahnestock State Park
Miles today: 20.2
Weather: broken clouds

7/20/2015 Day 109 - I crossed the Hudson River this morning. After a nice big breakfast at a local cafe I caught a ride to the zoo parking lot where I left off yesterday. The owner of the Motel gave me a ride and wished me luck. The sky was clear and it looked to be a nice day. About 6 miles in I stopped at the Appalachian Market for a few grocery items and an early lunch. There's a deli in the market and I got the Bronx Bomber. It's a roast beef, corned beef and grilled onion sandwich which really hit the spot. I met a couple of other hikers there, a German named Autobahn and a young lady from Florida who is getting off the trail tomorrow to get ready for medical school in a month or so.I hit the trail again and passed by the Graymoor Spiritual Life Center, a Franciscan monastery that lets hikers camp there for a night. I saw a few hikers on the trail, but the rest of the day was pretty quiet. It was a clear day, but hot and humid.I reached the Fahnestock State Park around 7:30, but the placed was closed and the only signs were for the lake beach and concession stands. They had several of these on the trail, but nothing for the camp ground. Me and another hiker, Shtrunker, took a gamble and walked down the road a ways. We eventually found it and a few hikers that had already set up camp. I put up my tent right before dark. It was a long day. I hiked 20.2 miles today.
Date: 2015-07-21
From: Fahnestock State Park

To: Morgan Stewart Shelter
Miles today: 14.0
Weather: overcast clouds

7/21/2015 Day 110 - I didn't sleep well last night and woke up at 4:30 am. I typed up yesterday's journal entry and waited for it to be light. I packed up and hit the trail around 7:30. The water I got from the campground tasted like it was full of chemicals so the first stream I came to I dumped it out and replaced it with good tasting water. Stream and spring water taste so much better than tap. I must be getting spoiled.At about 10:30 I stopped by the RPH Shelter for a break and a snack. This shelter is pretty nice. A cement block cabin was converted to a hiker shelter with a covered porch out back. It had flower beds, cut grass, bunks for 6 inside and a hand pump for water. I almost didn't want to leave, but the trail calls. I was really dragging today and those little aches and pains were bothering me more than usual. When I got to the trailhead at hwy 52 I walked 0.4 miles up the road to a pizzeria and got a small pepperoni and a soda. OSHA (hiker) was already there and we were soon joined by Silent Sole. I left for the trail and bumped into Hammertoe on the road. His ankle was hurting him pretty bad. I hope it's not serious. I hiked on to the Morgan Stewart Shelter where Coffee Maker and a section hiker were already set up. When I was eating dinner, Coffee Maker offered to make me some coffee. He pulled out a neat little setup he got from Amazon and filtered some mighty good coffee. I'm really tired tonight and almost fell asleep before writing this up. I hiked 14.0 miles today.
Date: 2015-07-22
From: Morgan Stewart Shelter

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

7/22/2015 Day 111 - I had a good night sleep and felt much better today. It was nice and cool this morning and the skies were clear, perfect hiking weather. I hiked a few miles and when I reached Old Highway 52, I saw OSHA taking a break near a couple of styrofoam coolers. Someone had just left some trail magic. I got a soda, bag of chips and a Nutty Bar. Tasty. A little after noon I made it to Telephone Pioneers Shelter where I joined Simple Sole for lunch. It's a nice little shelter that has a glass front cabinet, with quite a few books in it, attached to the side of the shelter. There was a sign on it that said, "take or leave a book". I talked with Simple Sole for a while then got back to hiking. I was getting a little worried about water a few miles later because one of the sources I was hoping to get some from was dry. Not to worry though, at the Appalachian Trail RR Station, a man told me and Simple Sole that the landscape center on the road was hiker friendly. When we got there two other hikers, Tink and Wolf, were already relaxing in the center gazebo, Tink told us about the shower out back we could use, the bathroom inside, snack and ice creams for sale, and even fuel by the ounce. I bought an ice cream bar and a Cliff bar and chilled in the gazebo as well. I got up and left before I got too comfortable, because nice places like this one will suck you in and you won't want to leave. The trails were pretty easy for the rest of the day with only one 600 foot climb. I reached Wiley Shelter a little after 6:00 pm with Coffee Maker and Simple Sole the only other two there. A few hikers joined us later in the evening and one of them said Sole's brother, Hammertoe, was looking for a place to camp near the landscape center. It looks like his ankle is still bothering him. I hope he's doing alright.Another good day on the AT. I hiked 16.6 miles today.
Date: 2015-07-23
From: Wiley Shelter

To: Kent, CT
Miles today: 12.7

7/23/2015 Day 112 - Last night I set my tent up on a wooden platform that some of the shelters have on this part of the trail. I used my hiking poles on the ends instead of stakes, a design that kind of sold me on it in the first place. It worked well. I started hiking around 7 am, a little after Simple Sole and Coffee Maker left. It was another beautiful day and the cool morning air made for nice hiking. At about 3.5 mile I heard the sound of rushing water and soon saw 10 Mile River. At about 4 miles I took the blue blaze to 10 Mile River Shelter where I took a break and filled up my water from an old nearby hand pump well. The water was cold and tasted like water should. Right after the shelter I crossed a bridge which is part of the AT. The trail wasn't too bad, but there was a lot of up and down going on. I saw another SoBo, which is pretty common at the part of the trail. The hills tired me out a bit and I was ready for a long break. When I saw the sign for the Mt. Algo shelter, I saw Simple Sole leaving with a young woman who's trail name is Splash. She offered me a ride to town once we reached the trail head which was most welcome. Kent is only 0.8 miles from the trail, but I was ready to take a break. We set up our tents behind a hiker friendly business called Country Clothes. It's a nice place with a big lawn, a make shift cold shower and lawn chairs to relax in. They don't charge anything which is really convenient since restaurants and stores are nearby. Had hotdogs at the outfitters, went grocery shopping, then chilled for a while before getting the ribeye special at the Pizza, Pasta and Grill. Good day of hiking.
Date: 2015-07-24
From: Kent, CT

To: Caesar Brook Campsite
Miles today: 13.7

7/24/2015 Day 113 - I didn't get out of Kent until after 9 am and on the trail by about 9:20. I was drying the condensation I got in my tent from last night, and visited a couple places for coffee and food. While I was walking back to the trailhead a man started walking by me and we talked about the trail, where I was from and what I did. When I told him I was retired army he said he was an interrogator in the army. We discovered that we went to a lot of the same training bases, just about a decade removed. The trail was beautiful this morning and the sun was shining. I met a couple of SoBos (southbounders) at Stewart Hallow Brook Shelter when I stopped for lunch. Their names were A-town and Vanilla Thunder. They told me about New England and I told them what to expect just south of us. For several miles today the trail ran along side the Housatonic River and was a really nice walk. I had originally planned on going 17 miles to a shelter, but my heels started hurting pretty good, so I cut it short. I stopped at the Caesar Brook Campsite and was soon joined by Simple Sole and OSHA, as well as a few other hikers. I hiked a total of 13.7 miles today. Good enough. The views were quite nice today.
Date: 2015-07-25
From: Caesar Brook Campsite

To: Limestone Spring Shelter
Miles today: 14.7
Weather: scattered clouds

7/25/2015 Day 114 - I got out of my tent this morning around 5:45 and a big black dog started barking from another tent and then came over to my area and made sure I knew he was barking at me. I tried to get him to calm down but he just got more aggressive. Finally, after a few minutes, someone got out of their tent and got control of the dog. I worry more about dogs on the trail than I do bears. I started hiking at around 7 am and saw a few other people on the trail, mostly day hikers. The trail had a lot of little ups and downs, which aggravated my Achilles' tendons and calf muscles. By the time lunch rolled around I was ready to stop for a while. I stopped at Belters campsite, refilled my water and ate lunch. I met a lady there at the spring who was a former through hiker, and we talked for a few minutes. After lunch I saw Simple Sole and we hiked for a few miles together on a detour road. This is an official white blaze detour because of a bridge outage. I got a peanut butter cookie from a family who were setting up party for what looked like a birthday party and met up with Mantis and Neil, the father of another thru hiker. They were slack packing to Salisbury. I hiked on and off with Simple Sole for much of the afternoon and we arrived at the Limestone Spring Shelter a little after 4 pm. The Achilles are feeling a little better, but I decided that I'll take a Nero in Salisbury, CT tomorrow. I called a lady named Vanessa who has beds for thru hikers in her home for $40.00 a night. Her house is right in the middle of town and I can do laundry there. Hammertoe showed up, as well as OSHA and a young section hiker from New Hampshire. Hammertoe's ankle is a lot better and he put in some miles to catch up. It's good to see him no limping. I'm a bit tired, so I'm going to go hit the sack. Cheers.