morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2011-06-15
From: Leroy A. Smith Shelter

To: Church of the Mountain Hostel
Miles today: 20.2

It has been more that two years since the start of my hike since I'm writing this, but I decided that leaving my journal half-finished was poor form. So here it is, May 2013 writing about June 2011. My journaling gradually decreased in length and detail while on the trail. I'll try to fill in as many of the gaps as I can, but the length of entries may be shorter, and I will eventually have to start skipping days, and eventually weeks. In hindsight, I should have continued to journal as much as I could. Sorry!Hiked into Delaware Water Gap today in good weather. Saw tons of newts on the trail, at the phase I believe is called Red Eft which meant we had to constantly look at our feet as we walked as to not step on any. Rocks were pretty bad today, but being the last day in PA I can deal with that, although PA took it's parting shot at me by breaking the tip of one of my trekking poles. DWG is a nice small town actually, and it's surprising that I've never been here before considering how many times I've driven essentially right through town on I-80. The hostel is run by a church, and is a nice setup. I've read other trail journals from previous yeas that mention that the shower used to be in the middle of the bunkroom in the open; glad they have actually put a small bathroom with a private shower in. Went to the Sycamore Grill for dinner with Pickle, Kirsten, Cayenne and Darvey. Kind of a high-end place for hiker trash, but had a good time and the girls decided to go for Tequila shots, so entertaining as well. Got a late night (for hikers at least) shuttle over to the Wal-Mart for resupply.
Date: 2011-06-16
From: Church of the Mountain Hostel

To: Church of the Mountain Hostel
Miles today: 0.0

As nice as this hostel is, I got a really bad night sleep due to a very loud snorer in the bunks that kept waking me up even with ear plugs in. Decided early that today would either be a late start or a zero because of things I wanted to get done. Had breakfast at the diner, followed by doing not much until lunch at the pizza place. Went to the outfitter where I had a new pole tip put on. It's a Leki tip, but it still fits on my Black Diamond poles. The deciding factor in whether or not to zero was the news that the church puts on a hiker feed once a week, and that tonight was the night! Zero it is.   Waiting for the feed however, I got so hungry that I needed to get an appetizer, which took the form of a calzone and beer at the pizzaria before heading back to the hostel to demolish some buffet style food prepared by church members. After dinner we heard that the swanky hotel next door, the Deer Head Inn was having some live jazz at the bar, so a couple of us went over to have nightcaps and listen to some music. Today was a pretty good zero day; productive and relaxing. Into NJ tomorrow!
Date: 2011-06-18
From: Mohican Outdoor Center

To: Home!
Miles today: 17.7
Weather: overcast clouds

Hot hike today in the sun; the storms yesterday were the start of a stretch of hot weather. Terrain was easy today and we're running out of the rocks. I hiked this section of the trail years and years ago with a summer camp that I went to, and I wondered if I would recognize any of the trail today; I did not. Stopped for a lunch break at Catfish fire tower with Trauma, Cayenne, Giggle and MEANGene before heading to Culver Gap where my mom would be waiting. Upon arriving, I found my mom waiting for me at a restaurant nearby, and she offere to take any or all of us back home for the night and back to the trail again, but out of the group only Trauma took her up. Trauma saw her first bear, but it was from the car, less than a mile from the trail so she doesn't count it as a 'trail bear'.Enjoyed a shower and another stay at my mom's after spending three days there from Harper's Ferry a few weeks ago. Went out to dinner with my mom and some family friends for Indian food, and got all caught up on Docton Who via the wonders of On Demand cable. Even though I have a room still, I ended up sleeping on the couch and letting Trauma have the bed. Still more comfortable than the trail!
Date: 2011-06-19
From: Home!

To: Secret Shelter (Murray property)
Miles today: 21.6

Breakfast at home before the car ride back to the trail. Even with staying home and the "commute", still managed to do a 20+ mile day after a 10:00 start and it even went by pretty quick. Attempted to make it to the conscession stand at High Point State Park, but couldn't figure out which way the blue blaze trail went to get there, so gave up on it. Caught up to Thirsty during the day who had beeen behind us, but passed us in the morning before we started hiking again. She informed us that Twigg, Six String and Bean were just behind us at a shelter that we had passed and they would catch up to us soon, which they did. Hiked with them for the day before heading to the "Secret Shelter" at the Murray property, which is a small building that Stan Murray allows hikers to stay in. Ended up pitching tent though because it was small, and we were a decent sized group including Twigg, Trauma, Thirsty, Giggle and Six String.
Date: 2011-06-20
From: Secret Shelter (Murray property)

To: Vernon Church Hostel
Miles today: 11.9

Decided to take a slow day today hiking with Giggle, taking many breaks. Was thoroughly frustrated with the trail today. The trail is routed to avoid roadwalking as much as possible, but today was a little absurd. After crossing a creek on a road bridge, the trail makes a right turn around a series of man-made ponds. It then makes a left turn around the perimeter. And another left turn. (If you're not keeping track, this means we are now headed back towards the road we just got off of). The trail then proceeds to go nearly all the way back to the road, maybe two tenths of a mile from where we got off, after adding nearly a mile of walking around the biggest mosquito breeding area so far on the trail before heading into the woods. If I ever do this again, I'm road walking it, purists be damned. Also did the boardwalk today, almost a continuout mile of boardwalk over swamp. Bugs weren't too bad here surprisingly, and there was a mother deer with a very small spotted fawn less than fifteen feet from it that just kept grazing even as all the hiker trudge by and stop to take pictures.   Had lunch at Heaven Hill Farm Store, tons of fruit and some candy to balance it out before starting walking down the road towards Vernon, NJ and the hostel there. We ended up walking nearly halfway to town before someone stopped and gave us a ride for the last mile or so. Resupplied at the grocery store, and got breakfast supplies as well as the hostel allows us access to the church's commercial kitchen. Giggle is a NJ native as well, and knows that we could not possibly go through NJ without the magical wonder that is... PORK ROLL!! If you aren't from NJ, Google it. If you are from NJ, you Know.
Date: 2011-06-21
From: Vernon Church Hostel

To: Wildcat Shelter
Miles today: 17.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Fantastic day today! Slept really well in a recliner at the hostel after not wanting to sleep on the concrete floor with just some thin unpadded carpeting. Giggle, Cayenne and I made a HUGE breakfast of veggies, cerial, and the main course of Pork Roll, egg and cheese sandwiches, which ended up being something like 5 sandwiches each. late start on the trail again after hitching with Grandpa and Trauma, and getting a ride from the first car we thumbed! Slight delay again at the trail head after finding a box of trail magic there. Up and down ridges today with the crew but not too bad for terrain. Rained for 15 minutes, which was just enough to cool us down. Took an ice cream break at Bellvale Farms for a huge banana split with MEANGene, Trauma and Caveman who turned up again. Crossed the border into New York today as well. Sheltering at Wildcat Shelter as the forecast is for lots of rain tonight. Shelter is pretty cramped becuase nobody wants to tent in the rain. Tomorrow will be between 14 and 22 miles, depending on weather and how I feel.
Date: 2011-06-22
From: Wildcat Shelter

To: Fingerboard Shelter
Miles today: 14.3
Weather: light rain

Today stands in pretty stark contrast to the day yesterday. It was a tough slog after a lateish 9:30 start. Got to Fitzgerald Falls just as a thunderstorm rolled in. Decided not to go up to the ridge until it passed, as we were in a pretty protected area. After a good delay in which Twigg caught up to us the storm passed and we continued on. When we got up to the ridge, the storm was actually pretty striking with the colors, and I stopped to unpack my camera and catch some shots. Tougher terrain today, and cloudy all day threatening rain. Good views today though, and the trail got real pretty at Harriman State Park after crossing the NY Thruway on a pedestrian overpass.Hopefully set up for a 22 mile day tomorrow, then two zero days to go home, and to NYC with Trauma, Thirsty, and MEANGene. Even though all my stuff is wet, I'm in good spirits. Hope the rain holds off tomorrow...
Date: 2011-06-23
From: Fingerboard Shelter

To: Bear Mountain Bridge Motel
Miles today: 15.1
Weather: moderate rain

Hiked with Caveman and Trauma today. Drizzly to start with, and tough footing with slick wet rocks. We reached the Palisades Parkway with the rumble of thunder approaching, and decided to take shelter at the gift shop/visitor's center 0.4 miles down the parkway. Sat and ate snacks from the vending maching for over an hour while the thunderstorm raged outside with torrential downpours. Ran into GingerSnap again today. She had gotten to Fingerboard in the evening yesterday after I wrote my journal for the night. She ended up hiking through the rain and was miserable wet.Got into the town of Bear Mountain, NY on the late side, 4:45. which meant that we couldn't do the section of trail through the zoo as it had closed at 4:30. Called for a ride to the motel from the owner, and split a room with Caveman and Trauma. They must expect hikers to do this, as they had a room with three beds crammed into it. The hiker box at the motel was an unexpected treasure trove, full of mountain house meals and vacuum packed food that someone had dumped. Walked over to the BBQ place for dinner which was pretty decent, but definitely not the south anymore.
Date: 2011-06-24
From: Bear Mountain Bridge Motel

To: Canopus Lake campsite
Miles today: 20.3
Weather: overcast clouds

Nice scenery in the morning crossing the Hudson River on the Bear Mountain Bridge, with low clouds and fog. Stopped mid-morning at a deli near Greymoor and found Thirsty and Gingersnap there. Thirsty told us that she had decided to quit the trail, and that her ride has already been on the way for a few hours from KY to pick her up. We tried to convince her to ride the bad mood out for a couple of days, and zero with us in NJ, but she declined. Stayed and had lunch with her for an hor or two before saying our goodbyes and heading back onto the trail. Found a nice unofficial campsite on the shore of Canopus Lake and pitched tent for the night.
Date: 2011-06-14
To: Last night in OZ
Miles today: 0.0

Well here we go again, my last night in Melbourne, Australia until I fly out tomorrow morning to New York.I attempted a through hike last year but was forced off at Manchester Center due to medical issues. Believe me it was a hard thing to do.Starting again at Delaware Water Gap after a night in New York and then a further night in PA with a hiker mate I met last year called Sprawl who has kindly offered to put up with me.Am doing things differently to last time, for starters, my combined weight is approx 15kg lighter then last year's effort and will be enjoying the scenery and people, the journey and experiences, rather than just knocking out the miles!It would be great to meet up with some new hikers and especially old hikers from last year to cove some mileage, but otherwise am looking forward to completing this adventure and standing next to that brown sign on Mt Katahdin!!
Date: 2011-06-17
From: New York

To: Delaware Water Gap
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: moderate rain

I really hate long haul air trips - 23 hours from Melbourne to NYC and having slept for about 30 mins total is not a good start! On top of that on the LA leg of the trip I was sitting next to a long streak of misery who insisted on telling me his life story.Made it into NYC about 9pm Wednesday night and got to the hostel at about 11pm. Kept awake all night by drunken back packers coming in all through the night. Looking good so far - 36hrs and about 4hrs sleep. Feeling light headed, managed to do all the required errands in the morning and then caught the bus to Wisconville PA where Sprawl would be picking me up. Good to see him and Marion again. They prepared a great feast of a b-b-que and needless to say, we sat up till about 3am talking and imbibing the odd ale or two.Sprawl and Marion dropped me off at Delaware Water Gap around 5pm the next day and my intention was to hike to the backpacker camp site, about four miles up the trail. But after catching up with a few old friends from last year though, it was well after 6.30 and raining so I decided to sleep in the shelter. Last year I had spent four days here with my infection and it felt like coming home!
Date: 2011-06-18
From: Delaware Water Gap

To: Mohican Outdoor Centre
Miles today: 10.5
Weather: overcast clouds

Had a terrible night's sleep and was up at 5am and with the other hiker in the shelter "Spotty", we chatted for a while and decided to walk to the diner for breakfast. Met "Mofo" and we all breakfasted together. Both Spotty and Mofo are about my age and are thru hiking. Mofo was taking a couple of zero days and Spotty was leaving early to meet his brother on the other side of the Delaware. I waited for the post office to open to ring home and then was off at 8.30am. It was strange to start hiking again, it was like deja vu seeing all the old land marks reappearing. The walk up to the Sunfish Pond seemed a lot easier than I remembered. Last year the infection must have really taken it out of me, as I'm feeling so much stronger and fitter now. Met up with Spotty and his brother at Sunfish Pond and we continued chatting as we walked in the direction of the Mohican Outdoor Centre (MOC). The lack of sleep and the jet lag is really affecting me as I'm stumbling over the rocks and am feeling incredibly weary. My feet have also forgotten how to negotiate the rocks! Or was it the odd ale or two that was consumed with Sprawl that's still kicking around?Finally arrived at MOC at about 2.30pm and set up camp. Guess what? Left my ground sheet at home. I know exactly where it is, only it's 12,000 miles away! Spent the afternoon sleeping and then went with Spotty to the visitor centre. Music was playing and it was a good atmosphere that lasted until 8pm when we finally decided to call it a day, totally bushed!
Date: 2011-06-19
From: Mohican Outdoor Centre

To: Brink Road Shelter
Miles today: 14.3
Weather: clear sky

Must have been extremely tired as I slept ten hours straight through last night! Spotty was leaving as I awoke and we said our goodbyes. He is doing big miles and I probably won't see him again, as I've decided to pace myself and take in the roses. Got underway at 7.30am and hoped for an easy 14 mls today. A couple of things I've noticed: I'm finding this section much easier than I remember last year. I had some serious trail fitness then so I can only put it down to how sick I must have been. I'm also not seeing many people on the trail and the ones I do come across, are all young and blasting their way past me doing huge miles.I'm very conscious of my feet and body and am regularly scrutinising for any warning signs/pain. Things seem to be holding up well though and feel good, although I had forgotten how much I hate the rocks! I haven't got the technique right as yet and keep stumbling.Arrived at the shelter and was greeted by about 50,000 mosquitoes and in the time it took me to apply Bushman's, I was bitten about twenty times! The trail is much wetter this year and the good news is that I don't have to worry about water so much, but the bad news is the bugs and mozzies have become regular fixtures on the trail. Zipped myself inside the tent until it cooled down and the mozzies left before making dinner. I am the only hiker here.
Date: 2011-06-20
From: Brink Road Shelter

To: High Point Shelter
Miles today: 19.7
Weather: clear sky

An early start to miss the dreaded mozzies and intending to walk to Mashipacong Shelter which is about 12 miles. Met a few hikers who had camped up on the ridge to get away from the dreaded bugs. Didn't seem to have worked though, as they had been pestered by the critters all night. Had lunch at Sunrise Mountain with a young hiker called Ben who was doing big miles (30+). He said the reason I'm seeing so few hikers is that I'm at the pointy end of the trail with only about 150 hikers ahead of me. The ones I do meet are the young, high mileage hikers who blast straight by me.Decided not to stop at Mashipacong as it was still early, there was no water around and the fact that I was going and feeling well, why break the pace. Shortly later I surprised a wild turkey with a flock of chicks waddling down the trail. So I made a detour at High Point State Park and took a dip in the coolness of the lake. Washed off three days' grime and sweat and felt fantastic, but arrived at the shelter tired and with sore feet. No wonder, did 19.7 miles!Once again, I am the only one here
Date: 2011-06-21
From: High Point Shelter

To: Vernon
Miles today: 19.0
Weather: broken clouds

Left early with the intention of hiking to Pochuck Shelter. I had originally planned to head into Unionville but as the "Mayor's House" had closed and the town was no longer welcoming hikers, I decided against it but when I got to Lot's Road, thought what the heck and hiked the .7 miles into town. I ordered a coffee and sandwich at the market and while sitting on the veranda I saw Butch from the hostel walk by and called out to him "hey, Butch remember me?" he looked up said "take off the sunglasses" and "Boomer, what the hell are you doing here!?" We chatted for a while and then he suggested I go up and see Bill as he lived alone in the old hostel. Bill remembered me as well and we spent a pleasant afternoon sitting in the shade, drinking a few beers and reminiscing about the past. The hostel is up for sale and is completely empty. It's sad to see an end to what was once a hive of activity. Later that day Dick "the Mayor" arrived and it seemed like old times! So officially speaking, I am the last hiker to be at the Mayor's Inn. By 5pm, Dick drove me to Pochuck Mountain and I hiked into Vernon as dusk descended. Saw my first bear as coming into Vernon and stayed at the church hostel there.
Date: 2011-06-23
From: Zero Day - Vernon

To: Wildcat Shelter
Miles today: 17.0
Weather: heavy intensity rain

Had breakfast with Smokey at 6.30 at the local diner and hit the trail by 7am. A real heart started up Wawayanda Mountain and then the rain started. It didn't just rain, it bucketed down with thunder and lightning! In some places, the train was knee deep in running water. Up on the ridges it was quite hairy with the rocks as slippery as ice and exposed to lightning. I basically hiked alone all day until about two miles from the shelter when I came upon a father and son out hiking - Mountain Dew and Red Bull respectively. It continued raining all night long - everything was soaked!
Date: 2011-06-24
From: Wildcat Shelter

To: Island Pond Mountain
Miles today: 11.5

Continued to drizzle all day long and every was still soaking through, so decided to stop at 12 miles to see if I could dry everything out. Island Pond is a beautiful spot. Stayed here last year as well. Difference was, then it was 100 degrees. I had forgotten how hard New York State is. At least it's cooler this time round and there is plenty of water.Still basically hiking alone, as there are a few others out but all are young and doing much faster than me.
Date: 2011-06-26
From: West Mountain Shelter

To: Fort Montgomery
Miles today: 7.1

Arrived at Bear Mountain State Park by around 12 noon and tried to book accommodation, but everything was booked out on this weekend as all the new recruits are being inducted into West Point which is close by.As I needed resupplying, I decided to walk into Fort Montgomery. Things worked out rather well as the lady from the Garrison B&B saw me walking by and let me set up my tent in her backyard with shower and laundry included. Two other hikers were there as well, Chopper and Schmuck and we spent the rest of the afternoon chatting until it was dinner time at the local B&B house.I have forgotten how hard New Jersey and New York really are. My feet and legs are taking a real battering so I'm going to ease off the mileage a bit more.The view from West Mountain Shelter was absolutely stupendous, especially in the morning light! Looking west you could see right down the Hudson River and beyond. At the top of Bear Mountain there was a viewing platform and you could just about make out NYC.Hundreds of motor bikers and cyclists everywhere as it is a Sunday. Road cycling here is very popular.
Date: 2011-06-27
From: Fort Montgomery

To: Graymoor Monastery
Miles today: 6.5

Had a really good night talking to Chopper and _________ until the wee hours. Woke early and wandered up to a cafe where I met some new hikers, Mayo from England and Timber from Germany, and talked (what else would you do) over breakfast. Timber suspects he may have Lyme's Disease and needs to find a doctor (it's so debilitating having anything go wrong during the AT). Mofo, Guiness and Corky, hikers about my age with whom I've hiked before, joined us at the table and we continued talking about our hiking experiences.After breakfast we all went back to the Garrison House where we stayed last night and (of course) continued chatting until about 1pm. Chopper and _________ are getting off the trail and Timber is going into Peekskill NY, to find a doctor and Mayo is going with him. Funny, the last week I've been hiking on my own and staying at shelters alone, now I finally meet people and they are all getting off the trail!Left Fort Montgomery around 2pm. The easy last couple of days have paid dividends as I am feeling really strong and motivated, feeling like I could hike all day. No pain anywhere and the blisters have all healed.Arrived at the Greymoor Franciscan Monastery around 5pm, and Mofo, Guiness, Corky and of all people - Gipcgirl (an Australian I had met last year at Franklin, nursing a broken leg) were already there. It was good to talk Aussie again and great to be with hikers about my own vintage! Am realising that my trail fitness is pretty good and am getting back into the rhythm of the trail.