morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2013-06-29
From: Kirkridge Shelter

To: Backpacker Campsite
Miles today: 11.7
Weather: light rain

This morning I woke up at five thirty and "Cash" and I left at six thirty. The rain has stopped but the trail is wet, so now my feet are wet as well. The trail was fairly easy but that last couple of miles was steep and rocky. We walked into town just before 10am and Cash noticed a sign hanging in Zoe¢s Ice Cream Shop that read, "2 Franks and a Drink for 3 bucks". It¢s a no-brainer! My franks had sauerkraut and mustard. My coke was two squirts of coke syrup and I think water, stirred together. That hit the spot! Delaware Water Gap is celebrating Founders Day today. We stopped off at The Church of the Mountain Hostel first and dropped off our packs and then I headed out to the train depot. I heard there's a steam locomotive coming in. I rode the free bus trolley around and finally it stopped at the depot. Anticipation is building - I've come to see the steam engine! When it pulls in at the depot I was let down. That's no steam engine. I noticed this lady taking pictures and asking people where they are from and she made her way up to me. Why I don't know. Maybe it¢s because I'm dirty or that I'm carrying this yellow dry bag (filled with my dirty clothes). She asked me where I'm from and how did I get here? I told her where I'm from and that I had hiked here and she said, "From North Carolina?" No, from Georgia. I then told her when I started and how far I've come. She then took my picture and said it might show up on this website: www.poconorecord.com. I jumped back on the trolley and got off near the Pocono Inn to do my laundry, as there is no laundry at the hostel. The laundry room was located all the way around the back. It was a little scary and dark in there and you have to kick the dryer to get it going - per the lady at the front desk. As I was leaving, I saw Little Engine and Timber. They¢re going to take a couple of days off and go see New York City. I then stopped off and resupplied at the Gulf gas station, stopped by the Village Farmer and Bakery, where I bought an apple turnover and then stopped off at Doughboy¢s Pizza and had a ham and turkey sub. Okay. I'm full now! So I went back to the hostel and took a shower and headed out of town at four thirty. I crossed the Delaware River on I -80 and halfway across I said, ¢Hot Damn, Pennsylvania is done!¢ I thought about doing the Ickey Shuffle but there were hikers behind me. All you Darrell Waltrip fans know what I'm talking about. I'm tenting five miles into New Jersey in foot and a half tall grass and my eyes are starting to itch. There¢s a guy tenting about 100 feet from me who just had a bear walking around his tent. The ridge runner went over there and asked if they had any food or fragrant items in their tent, but they said no. I¢m taking a Benadryl. Tomorrow - more Jersey rock hiking.
Date: 2013-06-30
From: Backpacker Campsite

To: Campsite near 1311.5
Miles today: 16.9
Weather: scattered clouds

I left camp around seven this morning and made my way around Sunfish Pond. It was formed by a glacier and is on the historical lists and it¢s also one of the Seven Wonders of New Jersey. Later I came to a paved road and turned left to go to the Mohican Outdoor Center. I heard a vehicle coming up the road and it passes me and stops. Alright a free ride! Wrong! It had stopped because a bear ran out in front of it. Then it speeds away. (Oh yeah, bear number ten!) When I got to the Mohican Outdoor Center, the van that had stopped was there. The lettering on the door said ¢Appalachian Mountain Club¢ - hum! I went inside and ordered a turkey sandwich, Coke, Power Aid and some M&M 's. I also picked up a bottle of 100 percent Deet. The mosquitoes and little, black, biting flies are sucking all the blood out of me. As I was leaving, a bus pulls up full of young teen girls and four adults. They are going hiking overnight. I lean over and told one of the men you¢re going to have fun! He smiled and then all the girls started asking me questions. As I left they all wished Boo Boo good luck on his hike.I came across this tower they named Catfish Tower because once you climb it you can see - you guessed it - Catfish Lake. Later on I hiked around Crater Lake and I set up my tent next to a small stream. But when I was eating supper I notice this stream had been out of its banks at one time, so I moved to higher ground as this area is under a flash flood warning. Also I can't find my rope to hang my food bag, so I just pulled a tree over and snapped my bag to a limb and let go and up it went. I'll go to Culver Gap and into Branchville, NJ tomorrow and find some more rope and FOOD.
Date: 2013-07-01
From: Campsite near 1311.5

To: Culvers Gap, Branchville, NJ
Miles today: 6.2
Weather: light rain

The rain arrived at 1:55am and did not stop till 9:45am, so I quickly packed up and headed out. It¢s only six miles to US 206 where I hope to catch a ride into Branchville, NJ. But first I have mountains to climb over and swollen streams to swim across - just kidding on that last part, but they are deeper this morning and I hear we're in a flash flood warning. I start out with my rain gear on but after twenty minutes, I stop and remove them. I'm sweating too much with them on and I'm burning up. I reach the blue blaze for the shelter and decide not to go here, but I do stop and eat something. I reached into my food bag and pulled out a can of tuna. Now how the hell am I going to open this? I need a can opener. It doesn't have an easy pull off lid! I find a foil pack of tuna and have that and all of a sudden the mosquitoes decide to attack so I leave. They are as thick as bugs on a bumper and it¢s another 3.5 miles to go. They won't stop. It¢s unreal how hungry they are. The bug spray that¢s 100 percent deet does not work, and now I have it in my eyes. I stop to wipe them and I'm bitten on the back of my arms - damn they won't stop! I quickly put on my rain coat to keep them from sucking me dry and make it to US 206 in one hour and ten minutes. I have sweat inside the arms of my coat. It pours out when I raise my arms. I only fell once and landed on my left knee but I'm fine and will live another day to feed the mosquitoes. I wait at the trail head awhile hoping someone will stop and pick me up but no ride today so I walk in the rain. The first store I come to is a produce stand and I pick up an orange and a plum and a bottle of Snapple. I notice they have pies for sale and I tell the lady I went to the Village Farmers and Bakery in Delaware Water Gap and she said that's her uncle place. She then asked where I was from and I told her. She said she could hear my southern accent. 2.5 miles later I'm standing on the road in front of the hotel I am going to stay at and thinking, ¢My God; it¢s the Relax Inn all over again! I'm in my room at the Corbin Ridge Motel and it has five Christmas tree air fresheners hanging up inside. I have to tell myself over and over, ¢Boo Boo, it¢s raining out there, you have a headache, you¢re wet and you have no food and no food bag rope (it went missing while my pack was left inside the last hostel).I'd like to wish my good friend, Trudger a speedy recovery and wish her well on finishing her hike. I know she can do it, she's just as hard headed and determined as I am!
Date: 2013-07-03
From: Rutherford Shelter

To: Pochuck Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 16.7
Weather: light rain

I once again packed up a wet tent, fought off the mosquitos and put on my wet clothes. This is getting old quick! I don't have any energy anymore and I have to figure out why. Is it the heat? Lack of nutritional food? Fatigue from swatting the bugs? Something has to give! I slowly made my way to High Point Park Headquarters where they give a free soda to thru hikers. I found the beach area where there is a concession stand, so I ate and recharged my phone and decided to visit the Veteran¢s Monument. It was a .3 mile blue blaze so I hide my pack behind this boulder and started walking up the trail. Man this feels good with no pack, when all of a sudden I look over, maybe thirty feet to my left, and there's bear number eleven standing on a boulder looking at me. I freeze and before I could reach for my camera it slowly turned and went down the hill. When I reach the monument, to my surprise it was open. I go up 291 steps. When I was about halfway up, I realized that I had food in my pack about a hundred yards from where I had seen the bear. I thought my food might be gone when I got back to the bottom, but I continued to the top of the monument. It¢s the highest point in New Jersey so for about eight minutes I was the highest person in New Jersey - height wise. This day is dragging and I knew I needed to log some miles and I was starting to run out of daylight. I came across four section hikers who said they were going to Pochuck Shelter nine miles away. It lifted my spirit when I was told I was in New York and I said I'm going there too. The four of them took off and I sat on the side of the road taking a break. I soon caught up to them while they were taking a break. One of them I think was headed towards heat exhaustion. The humidity was zapping all of us and walking the trail through mud and water was bad enough, but throw in the bugs and it¢s a killer. One of the guys asked me where Murray's private cabin was so I told them and I left but ending up going there myself to fill my bottle with well water. Just as I started to enter the woods, here they come. Because one of the guys was not feeling well, they decided to stay here at the cabin instead of going on to the shelter with me. Good, because where I was going took me five more hours to get there. I hiked in the woods, through farm land, neighborhoods, along a busy road, around one big swamp called Wallkill (google it), in the woods, walking over planks and then up a steep mountain in the dark. The whole time I was hiking, if I'd stop, the mosquitoes would feast upon my O+ blood. I did stop once and put my rain coat on to keep the mosquitoes at bay. I was sweating so much it was collecting in my sleeves. As soon as I arrived at Pochuck Mountain Shelter, I set my tent up and it started raining and I was soon sawing some logs.Note: I have posted some new videos.
Date: 2013-07-05
From: Warwick Turnpike

To: NY 17A, Bellvale, NY
Miles today: 9.5

I left the hotel at eleven. The owner could have taken me to the trailhead, but I was not ready and he had to leave at nine. So I walk roughly two miles to the Rite Aid drug store to have my prescriptions filled and then over to the grocery store. While in line, this lady behind me asked if I needed a ride back to the trail and, of course, I said yes! So she drops me off at the trail head and I thank her and then start to repackage my food into my food bag. All the product packaging takes up a lot of space so now I¢m left with a bag of trash. I see this day hiker come out of the woods and I asked him if he would mind taking my clean garbage and he said he would. I thank him and after about ten minutes of conversation, I take off. It¢s now 2:30pm. Man, it¢s late and hot and not too far up the trail I'm soaked - oh well! The other day I was the highest person in New Jersey and today I'm the highest person on the AT in New York. That¢s right! I'm now done with New Jersey and I'm in my eighth state, New York!While I was ridge hiking, I came across a flag pole made from a tree over-looking Greenwood lake. After boulder jumping and having a hard time finding the trail, which is not very well marked, I find this ladder strapped down to a boulder. It¢s a good thing it was there because that climb would be a challenge without it. I have about four miles until I reach NY 17. When I picked up the pace, I almost stepped on a three foot rattle snake, then two yards farther I come across a black snake - welcome to NY! I reach the highway and I decide to call the same hotel I left this morning. The owner said for me to go to the Bellvale Creamery and he would pick me up. It¢s just right down the road and when I get there, I counted thirty-four people in line outside the creamery. I wanted some ice cream, but I figured I smelled too bad to stand in line. After a while this guy comes up and asked about my hike. We probably talk for about fifteen minutes and the line keeps growing; it¢s up to about eighty people now. He wishes me luck and then he gets back in line with his family. My ride shows up and I'm back in the same room as before. If I¢d have known I was coming back I would have left my pack here today and slack packed.
Date: 2013-07-07
From: NY 17, Southfields, NY

To: William Bren Memorial Shelter
Miles today: 9.7

I went down to the gas station this morning to pick up a ham, egg and cheese on a roll, a gallon of water and a lottery ticket. Hey, you never know, I might be the 1 in a billion. Can't win if you don't play and if I do win, I guarantee Kathy will be following me in an RV. After my 2.1 mile, four lane highway walk back to the trail, I stopped on a bridge overlooking Interstate 87. That road was packed. When I reached the parking lot at the foot of Island Pond Mountain, trail magic was waiting - provided by Patio. I had two chocolate donuts and a Power Aid. I thanked him and started my climb up to Island Pond. I¢ve been told it¢s the second glacier pond on the AT. When I got close, I could hear people swimming in it and I thought that would be nice, but the trail went around it and not right beside it - Boo Hoo! These New Yorkers with their sick humor not only hide the white blazes but now I have to go through a rock formation they call the Lemon Squeezer. I tried going through it with my pack on, just like everybody else does, but only made it about two feet. I ended up taking my poles and water through first then carried my pack through over my head. It¢s bad enough that it¢s tight but it¢s also on a slope too. Then you have to pull yourself up and over a six foot wall just passed the lemon squeezer.I bypassed the first shelter I came to and ended up stopping on top of a big flat boulder and had Mac and Cheese with some Ramen Noodles and two candy bars and then took a little nap. After about thirty minutes, I hear thunder, and lots of it, so I leave for the next shelter. Along the way I saw four deer about thirty yards from the trail, just eating away and not a worry in the world. So here I am, I know it¢s hard to believe, but I'm in my tent and not in an air conditioned hotel. Today was another hot one and this morning on my highway walk, this hiker stops and says he's had enough. He said ¢Its not fun anymore - the heat and the bugs are killing me! My wife's coming to pick me up, if she can find me.¢ (I know exactly how he feels.)
Date: 2013-07-08
From: William Bren Memorial Shelter

To: Bear Mountain Bridge
Miles today: 10.1
Weather: light rain

Last night, lightning and thunder woke me up. Luckily the rains where light and it soon passed and I fell back to sleep. My goal was to get up at first light and start while the heat and humidity was low, but by the time I left, it was 6:45am - so much for getting up early, maybe next time. I only had ten miles to town and four miles into it I was all used up. This was going to be a long, short mileage day. I've talked to other hikers and they all say they have cut their mileage down due to the heat and high humidity. In this heat, you¢re just too hot to eat. I was getting close to Perkins Memorial Tower when I thought I saw a drink machine. I did, I did! The giddiness was soon erased when I thought, ¢Do I have a couple of dollars?¢ I dropped my pack, opened my wallet and I had two dollars, yeah! Then I noticed the machines take credit cards, wow! So two Power Aids, a bottle of water and yes! a can of Pringles! I was on cloud nine. Just that little bit boosted my energy enough to climb the tower and I was able to see the New York City skyline. It is 34 miles away. Although it was hazy, I could still see the outline. Then it was off to the zoo. There were a couple of bears, coyotes and other animals, just a very basic zoo. The zoo is also the lowest point on the AT at 163 feet. I caught a ride with four other hikers to Bear Mountain Bridge Motel to retrieve a package from home. The motel was full and the owner was trying to put me in a room with another hiker and the other hiker said no, and that's when the owner said he doesn¢t usually let hikers send mail packages here unless they stay. He was getting a little upset, so I thanked him and apologized and out the door I go - I can't help he only has three rooms! So I walked to the street, looked left, and half a block away there's a Holiday Inn Express. A little pricy but close by. I was able to wash my clothes and spray them with Permethrin to help repel ticks and other little biting bugs. This makes the second time I¢ve done this (I did it at home while I was recovering from tendonitis) and knock on wood, I¢ve only removed three ticks and only one of them was attached. Then I went through my pack. I'm sending some stuff home. I called my mom and my older brother. He's coming up in two weeks to hike with me a couple of days - this is going to be fun!
Date: 2013-07-09
From: Bear Mountain Bridge

To: Canopus Hill
Miles today: 10.1

I got up, went downstairs to have breakfast and ¢Red Rocket¢ and ¢Raven¢ were there eating. I was on my way back upstairs when I noticed this lady hiker at the checkout desk. I thought it was ¢Why Not¢ as I had seen her yesterday, but I was wrong. It was ¢Trooper¢, ¢M 80¢ and their dog, ¢Willow¢. They said they had zeroed here and asked me if the heat was affecting me. I said that it had been bothering me for the past week and a half. Trooper was glad to hear it as she thought it was just them. Their shuttle driver shows up and they leave and I go get ready to leave as well. Once I check out, I stop by the donut/coffee/deli/convenient store and grab a Gatorade and a breakfast sandwich then head to the post office to mail home some stuff, (I think I washed those socks!) then it was off to the trail head one more mile further. The trail goes right over the Bear Mountain Bridge which is over the Hudson River. Now you talk about goose bumps, let me tell you - I had them. I don't know if it¢s the history of the Hudson and the battle with the British or the suicide phone on the bridge! Once I'm across, the trail follows the two lane road awhile then goes straight up. It¢s high noon and I take my sweet arse time going up this one, strategically placing my foot where no rock has been to help keep my feet numbness down to a minimum. Later on ¢Whistler¢ comes by and we hiked together to the Appalachian deli / gas station where I had more Gatorade, pizza and ice cream. I met this local named Carl who was sitting by himself and we start talking. He offers to buy me something and I nicely turn him down, told him to eat his pizza before it gets cold and I¢ll go get me something and be right back. When I get back he starts telling me about the history of the area and that he's been in my neck of the woods before. He was a real nice guy to talk to. I wish he had more time to shoot the bull, but being retired you don't have the time, like you did when you were working - that saying must be true; I remember my dad saying that when he retired. I gave him my Trail Journals address, so Carl from New York, if you¢re reading this, please sign my guest page. After Carl left it started to rain lightly so I waited awhile and then the bottom let go. After thirty minutes, it stopped. I've been here long enough, two hours long, so I take off, not knowing where I was going. All I knew was I need miles. Whistler was going to the Graymoor Spiritual Life Center half a mile away. You can tent and shower there for free. I end up stealth tenting. Well it¢s not really steathing - I'm two feet off the trail. There's no tenting allowed, but hey, it was getting dark and I was sweating and feeling sickly - yeah that's the ticket! That's what I'm gonna say if Mr. Ranger shows up anyway, here on Canopus Hill.
Date: 2013-07-10
From: Canopus Hill

To: RPH Shelter
Miles today: 15.1
Weather: haze

I woke up to the sound of mosquitoes buzzing around the outside of my tent. Great, I have to go ¢you know what¢ and I'm dreading it. I don't even make it all the way out of my tent and they¢re already on me. There's no wind at all and the air is so thick you can cut it with a knife. It¢s going to rain. I do my business and gather all my stuff and put on my pack and it hits me - pain in the belly. I think I had too much Gatorade. I pop an Imodium and head out. I cross a road and there's trail magic on a big rock, a box of honey buns! Just my luck - empty! I bet they were good! The rain finally came and I stopped and put on my pack cover and didn't bother with my rain coat as my clothes are already wet from sweat and the rain feels good.Throughout the day I'm having to use my head net as the little pests are driving me crazy. Something happen today while I had it on, something I've stopped myself from doing before today, but I forgot I had it on and I spit. The net not only keeps bugs out but it also keeps spit in! I thought you all might enjoy that tid bit. Yesterday I forgot to mention this, but all day long I kept hearing loud explosions. At first I thought it was thunder, then I thought it was fracking for gas but after I crossed the Hudson River it hit me ¢ it¢s West Point, firing off artillery rounds. Well today I hear them again, or is that thunder?I soon find myself reading a sign that says Beach and Concession Stand only ten minutes away. I didn't have to read it twice, I was gone. I ordered my food and went back outside and it started pouring, so I waited it out, and two hours later I was in the woods. I only had five miles to the RPH shelter where you can order food so I ordered a sub sandwich and an orange soda and two bottles of water. I'm tenting and there are about eight other hikers here, most of which have blisters on their feet and multiple bug bits all over so I¢m in good company.One of my readers, Stephen from the UK, asked me about my weight loss. Well Stephen, I just weighed myself the day before at the hotel and to date I've lost about fourteen pounds of fat, muscle and liquid since I started in February. But I've gained about a pound of face hair! Thanks for the question and thanks to all of you who follow along or leave a message. I do read all of them and it turns my day around, especially after a day of digging bugs out of my ears, nose and eyes. Oh, and teeth!