morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2007-07-19
From: Eagles Nest Shelter

To: Port Clinton, PA
Miles today: 8.6
Weather: moderate rain

July 19, Port Clinton and 1,200 MilesYoungle and I were on the trail at 7:30 this morning while Ronin and Melk werestill asleep. We were all business - wanted to get in and out of townimmediately and get the miles out of the way.We hiked 5.5 miles pretty quickly and took a break at the 1,200 mile mark. Imade a sign out of sticks and we sat and had a snack while we waited for Melkand Ronin. Breeze joined us for a little bit and we watched others hike by.By 11 a.m. we were moving again. Only three miles to town! We had a ghastlydescent into town - the profile makes it look like about a 89 degree angle. Wegot to the hotel, where we planned to have lunch, shower and do laundry. Whilethere we saw the weather report - rain - and became lethargic after a hugelunch. True to Team Average form, we decided to stop for the day. I feel okaywith that since my feet have been screaming at me for two days now and my kneeswere torn up from the last hill. The rocks are so bad that the tread on my brand new shoes are already falling off. So imagine what's going on in my muscles and bones.Again with the gnats today. Grr.We did all of our town chores and are calling it a night now. It was good totalk to my parents and my friend, Paula, today. Can't wait to visit soon!- Sound of the AC in the hotel room, Youngle breathing.Post Trail Thoughts:This was one of the first days that I can recall being annoyed by the group dynamics of the A-Team. Well, besides getting out of Duncannon. Now, we've all talked about this so I feel okay writing out it for the world to read but - we never had great plans for what to do when two people lagged behind. We should have just met up later but I'm not sure why that didn't occur to anyone. It was a good town stop though the folks at the Port Clinton hotel weren't the most excited to see hikers.Keymaster and Tree Work were at the hotel/bar that night too. Keymaster had to be escorted to her campsite by TalkerMan...what a sight.
Date: 2007-07-21
From: Campsite past Hawk Mtn. Lookout

To: Ashfield Road
Miles today: 17.9

July 21, Living Here in AllentownIt sure was cold this morning - low 50s in late July!? It immediately made me worry about colder temperatures again. Bah - I think we still have some time.I started hiking around ten after 7 a.m. The hiking was pretty good with a few rocky sections. We came to Dan's Pulpit which was a great rocky section with a view and a mailbox for a trail register. Soon after that we took a break at Allentown Hiking Club Shelter. It was short because we wanted to keep moving to the next road where there was a restaurant, Blue Mountain Restaurant. We got there in time for lunch and a digestion break - it was great. We hopped back on the trail around 2:30 p.m. with a little confusion - the trail was blazed in two different directions. Ronin went the wrong way but caught up to us shortly after.Melk, Youngle and I all hiked together for quite a while. We had a good time hiking over some rocks called "Knife's Edge" - quite a scary and narrow section that, if it was windy out, I would have been very scared. We definitely could have blown away. But the views were great and the hiking was fun. Glad I had Melk and Youngle there for support.The next few miles were a little rocky but we made it to our next rest break in a timely manner at Bake Oven Knob Road. We hung out there for a bit while Young Eagle figured out the plans for the evening with his friends. And then we hiked some more. We got to the road where Young Eagle's friends would be picking us up around 7 p.m. and waited. They came and fetched us and we drove around quite a bit searching for a vacant hotel. It was unheard of to come off of the trail and not be able to find space - it's not like the trail runs down the middle of New York City, these are supposed to be small towns! We finally found a HoJo in Allentown and checked in, showered, and went out for dinner at TGIFridays. Good to meet Youngle's friends today but now I'm quite tired. - Sound of someome walking down the stairs at Gadget's house, Melk closing the door, Ronin typing.Post Trail Thoughts:We literally stumbled onto KeyMaster and Tree Work in the morning. They were cowboy camping along the side of the trail to avoid the wrath of the Port Clinton townie that was chasing them down for swimming in his pool. What a riot. They had fake trail names from then on.
Date: 2007-07-22
From: Ashfield Road

To: Little Gap
Miles today: 10.3

July 22, Fabulous Lehigh GapGot up and had breakfast with Young Eagle's friends. Melk spilled her milk and water all over the table and Ronin. Disaster.After that we went to resupply and then Youngle's fabulous friends took us all to a Target so I could purchase some stand-in shoes since the PA rocks are eating my tread away at an alarming rate. It was really exciting to go to Target but I knew we were in a hurry. I picked the shoe with the most tread and carried on. They would have to work. I was very appreciative that Youngle's friends took us there - I now had less fear of slipping to my death on rocks that are positioned on a 45 degree angle over a huge cliff. After that, we headed to the trail. I was texting back and forth with Gadget about slackpacking so Team Average had a meeting. We decided we still had time for ten miles. We didn't start hiking until 3:30 p.m. but we'd be meeting Gadget tonight.The hike was very pretty today. We had about four miles before the shelter - most of which was rocky and on a ridge. We stopped for a break at the shelter and started hiking again at 6 p.m.About a mile later, we were at Lehigh Gap. We found four sodas that Gadget had left for us and stopped to enjoy them. We then began the fun and technical climb up Blue Mountain. It was about straight up and was all rocks. It was a really fun climb and Melk, Youngle and I all helped each other along the way. It was also quite scary. If you looked down, you could see that it would be pretty easy to fall if you slipped on the footing at all. After a while, my legs were shaking a little.We made it to the top of the hill and up to the ridge. It was beautiful and very different from what we've been seeing lately. There were views of the river and farmlands below and up on top, the trees reminded me of the West. It was a little desolate looking but really amazing. Little purple flowers peppered each side of the trail and the sun was going down as we hiked along the ridge. This was definitely right up there as one of my favorite sections of the trail. I tried to take lots of photos but I was also trying to beat hiking in the dark so I'm sure I didn't take enough.I did pause to take a photo of the sunset though.We made it down off of the ridge and to Gadget by 9 p.m. with only a few minutes of night hiking.Gadget drove us to Bangor where both he and Scribe live and we showered, did laundry and had dinner. Sadly, Scribe is out of town - in Maine of all places. We stayed the night in a six person tent on Gadget's property. It was a cool night and the rain started halfway through.- Sound of Gadget's dog's tags jingling, Melk singing a song about God.Post Trail Thoughts:The ridge above Lehigh Gap remains one of the neatest places on the trail to me. Sure, it got that way from zinc smelting but it was beautiful on top. I'm so glad I was up there at that time of the day to see the sun set. I wish I could have stayed longer.
Date: 2007-07-23
From: Bangor, PA

To: Bangor, PA
Miles today: 0.0

July 23, Bangor, PA: Not to be confused with Bangor, METoday's the kind of day that makes you want to strike from hiking for days.I woke up to the sound of rain hitting the tent a few times before I finally got up at 9:30 a.m. The other Team Average folks started getting up shortly after that.It didn't take us long to decide we didn't want to hike in the cold rain on rocks and boulders all day. There was no sign of it stopping either.So we packed up and Gadget took us to his shop to unload and then to breakfast. After that we headed back to Gadget's house and we've been loafing all day. I booked my flight home for Lindsey and Mike's wedding, updated my journal and rested a lot. Great!Gadget's mom made us brownies and we had some great pizza for dinner. It was a very relaxing day and hopefully we weren't too much of a nuisance.We're back in Gadget's six man tent again and it's a cool night.- Sound of fidgeting, something crawling around. Post Trail Thoughts:Truth be told, I was so glad we didn't hike that day. It was one of those days you just want to curl up in a blanket, lay on the couch and watch a movie. With hot tea. And a fireplace glowing in the background. Was so glad Gadget was there to help us out!
Date: 2007-07-24
From: Bangor, PA

To: Wind Gap
Miles today: 15.1
Weather: scattered clouds

July 24, PA SlackingWe woke up early today - 5:45 a.m. - and started getting ready to hike. Gadget dropped us off at the trail around 7:30 a.m. and we started hiking at 7:45 a.m. Melk and Ronin were going to try to hike all 30 miles to town today but Young Eagle and I decided we'd rather split the mileage so we were doing 15.We did the first five miles in two hours, the next six in a little over two hours, and the last four in two hours. It was great - like a BandAid, it was fast and fairly painless. The trail was rocky all day long and now my feet and knees are in lots of pain but it sure was nice to be done by 3:30 p.m.Melk took a spill during her hike and her knee was puffy and painful so she decided to head in with us. Gadget picked us up and brought us to Rita's, a custard and Italian ice shop, and we feasted. He then took us to Delaware Water Gap.I got stung on my left calf by something on the way into Wind Gap today and I'm not sure what it was...hmm.Back at the Gap, we hit the post office and the diner and then the gas station for a pint of Ben and Jerry's. I'm trying a new flavor - Phish Food. Ronin arrived at 9:45 p.m. after his 31 mile day. Insane. I'm ready for bed.- Sound of the AC. Post Trail Thoughts:I loved this area of the trail - if only for the fact that I could get lots of miles covered in a short amount of time. It was nice to get to Delaware Water Gap that day and relax a bit. I felt bad that Ronin was out as it was pouring. I ran into Not Guilty again that day. It was always so good to see him. He gave me trail advice for the rest of the way. You know, I was always amazed at how well he remembered everything but I'm actually surprised how much I remember now. The trail has a way of sticking with you! We also ran into Bum Bum and Bee at the post office that day.
Date: 2007-07-25
From: Deleware Water Gap

To: Wind Gap
Miles today: 15.8
Weather: scattered clouds

July 25, Last Day in PA I got up today around 6 a.m. and got ready to hike. It was tough to do while everyone else was still fast asleep but I had fifteen miles to walk before tomorrow. I was so thankful it wasn't raining outside - it just would have been a scary obstacle. But I was also glad that I'd be slackpacking today - Gadget was picking me up at Wind Gap. Youngle wasn't hiking because his family was coming to visit, Melk decided to take the day off and Ronin was all caught up on miles so he zeroed too. I got to the trail around 7:30 a.m. It was humid as can be and you could see the fog all over. I climbed Mt. Minsi and enjoyed it - lots of rhododendron and scenic trail. At the top, there was a walk down a woods road for a while - quite nice.I stopped for a break at Kirkridge Shelter and then carried on. I was really just trying to get the miles in today, I wanted to get back to town and relax for the rest of the day.After Wolf Rocks, I ran into TalkerMan, Sunshine and Google so I stopped and had lunch with them. I showed them the sting on my leg and how swollen it'd gotten and they convinced me to take some Benadryl immediately. I was a bit leary since I still had six miles to hike but I took some anyway. Within an hour, I was very sleepy. And the rocks had gotten really bad. There was about a six mile stretch of really bad rocks. But, I finished at 2:30 p.m. and met Gadget at Wind Gap.He drove me back to Deleware Water Gap where I went to an early dinner with everyone. My leg was bothering me and I was pretty tired from all of the Benadryl so after that, I came back to the room and passed out for about two hours. I woke up around 9 p.m. just in time for an ice cream run - Chunky Monkey.- Sound of the AC.Post Trail Thoughts:I was really pretty proud of myself for getting up early and hiking that day. I was completely jealous that the rest of the A-Team would get to rest all day but, back then, I felt pretty good and was pretty pure-thinking about my hike. I wanted to see the whole trail. So, I did it and I'm glad I did. Sometimes it was just really nice to hike alone. It was nice to go at my own pace and take breaks the way I wanted. Later, Ronin told me he was proud of me for hiking while the others didn't. Maybe one of the last displays of my iron will power.I remember the area around Mt. Minsi was beautiful - and a little foggy to make it seem mystical. I saw a few locals out hiking and enjoyed the woods road and the flat land for a bit. The rocks were abundant too. I remember having quite a conversation about them with Google, Sunshine and TalkerMan.I also saw one of the strangest things that day in the woods - an alarm clock just sitting on a downed tree trunk. The cord was dangling in the wind hoping for power. Odd.
Date: 2007-07-28
From: Culvers Gap

To: Culvers Gap
Miles today: 0.0

The scene in our room was amazing this morning. No one spoke about it but we hadall silently and individually decided we didn't want to, and probably wouldn't,hike today. We slept until 7:45 a.m. and then I started to write while Melk and Youngle readHarry Potter. Around 10 a.m., I fell back asleep for an hour. It was then thatRonin proclaimed the need to hike. So we all packed up and got a shuttle back toCulvers Gap. We went to Gyp's Tavern for lunch and it was there that we decidedwe weren't hiking today. We were all in a state of turmoil because we really didn't want to hike but weknew we should. In the end, we traded hiking for a game of darts. It was a muchbetter option today. We were all still pretty bitter about the trail fromyesterday.Just had dinner at Fratelli's and now am getting ready for bed.- Sound of a movie on TV, teenagers in the room next door yelling, the AC.Post Trail Thoughts:The most appropriate word I can think of to describe the way this day made me feel is "ew". The day was like drowning in a sludge of guilt, dread, exhaustion, hope, and pain all at the same time.Our hotel room was laughable (with pity) that morning. We literally all went about our own business without talking about the day ahead. It just so happened that hiking was on none of our agendas. Matters turned desperate quite quickly. At some point, the TV was tuned to VH1 where a special on Lindsay Lohan was selected for our viewing pleasure. None of us were really the kind of people who enjoyed that sort of television show either. Things were dire. We left the blinds hermetically sealed. The hotel owner knocked on our door shortly before 11 a.m. to see if we would be leaving. I had to tell them I didn't know. I was embarassed. In the end, it was nice to waste the day away at Gyp's. We ran into Yellow Snow Man and BigBy, etc. so it was nice to see them again. Darts, drinks, and a good dinner seemed to be the cure for the wretched day we'd had before. Also, to be accurate, today should have had "Happy Birthday Dutka!".
Date: 2007-08-01
From: The Boardwalk

To: Campsite past NY state line
Miles today: 14.1

August 1, New York, New YorkI woke up at 5:45 a.m. today as the sun rose over us. It was 54 degrees in mytent, very nice. Sadly, though, everything was wet. Since we were on a boardwalkand I couldn't stake my tent, I slept with my fly off. The thick fog that laidon top of the field we were in had seeped onto the walls of my tent and onto mysleeping bag. The water was beaded up on my tent and it was hard to move withoutmaking it worse. Luckily the sun was starting to come up to dry everything out.We took it pretty easy for a while and sprawled everything out to dry on theboardwalk. After about an hour and a half, the sun was blazing and everythingwas pretty dry so we packed up at about 8:30 a.m. and took off.One mile of hiking later and we were at Heaven Hill Farm on NJ94. We stopped and feasted on cherries, berry bread, and hummous. We even stayed for round two -ice cream. The longer we sat there, the hotter it got. It was humid and I wasnot looking forward to the hiking. We were actually tempted to go to a waterparknearby and call it a day but we held strong and I think we ended up leavingaround noon. I had to pace myself up the first climb but it turned out to be a pretty nicehike. Yellow Snow Man, Melk and I found ourselves soaking our feet in a stream about a mile after the climb - felt great.I was glad when we got moving again. It was already around 3 p.m. and we'd onlyhiked about three miles. I find myself getting antsy about long and frequentbreaks now.We made it to Waywayanda Shelter and had a late lunch there. Then we made abreak for New York.We arrived at the state line around 7 p.m. and celebrated accordingly. The nextfew miles were spent climbing up and over large rocks until it got dark. Wefound a campsite and called it a day. Glad this one is over. I miss our friends and I'm tired from the heat. - Sound of the insect choir again (loudest chorus yet), Melk rummaging around inher tent, an airplane overhead.Post Trail Thoughts:This was a very antsy day for me. Looking back at this day, I'm surprised to see we made it 14 miles. We were dragging and it seemed to be one of the hottest days on the trail. Nonetheless, I started getting annoyed with the multiple long breaks. I just wanted to get the hiking done and be on with it. We did take some nice breaks though. New York seemed to be eluding us and we kept walking and walking though it felt like we'd never get there. Finally, when we did, we were introduced to New York style rock scrambles. It was a tiring day and none of us had much water left. We camped in what seemed like a pretty random spot and felt like the perfect place for a bear to stalk but we were too tired to care.Mentally, I was having a pretty tough time with our group being split up. To me, it felt too late in the hike to be starting anew with hiking routines. I just wanted the old Team Average routine back.
Date: 2007-08-04
From: High Falls, NY

To: New Milford, CT
Miles today: 0.0

August 4, Visiting Melkerson's FamilyThe day started out wonderfully. Phil, Erin and I went out for breakfast inPhoenecia, NY and I witnessed the best idea anyone has ever had about a pancake.It's called a Summer Sundae. It's two pancakes topped with plain yogurt,blueberries, peaches, and strawberries. Heavenly, I tell you.We made our way over to Tomaso's house where they dropped me off. It was greatto see them.Back with my trail friends, we hopped in Tomaso's car and headed towardConnecticut. We would be visiting Melk's aunt and uncle for the day. I was tiredso I tried to fall asleep - to no avail. We got there around noon and so theeating began...We had a great lunch and a fabulous dinner - lots of corn on the cob and freshfruit....It sounds like we are staying here for a while and Melk's aunt and uncle will beslackpacking us each day. Not a bad deal!- Writing this days later, I can't recall the sounds. Post Trail Thoughts:If I could have put that amazing pancake creation in the blueberry patch I'd enjoyed the day before, I can't imagine what it would have taken to get me to walk another step. That pancake was simply a divine creation.This was a tiring day even though we didn't hike. It was really nice to meet Melk's family and it was especially nice to eat corn on the cob - something I craved throughout the summer months on the trail last year. I tried to be polite - I can't remember if I was successful!
Date: 2007-08-05
From: Palisades Parkway

To: South Highland Road
Miles today: 18.6

August 5, 1,400 Miles!I did not want to get up today. But, we did and we left around 6:45 a.m. withMelk's parents to drive to the Palisades Parkway.They dropped us off at the visitor center and we started hiking north.Immediately there was a tough climb. Then we came down and hiked back up on Bear Mtn. We took a snack break up at the top where the observation tower is andtalked to a couple of people who were interested in our hike. The top of themountain was littered with motorcycles and people in leather - quite a sight.As we left from the break, we realized you could see New York City from the topof the mountain. It was very cool to see the skyline from such a place. So we descended Bear Mtn. and came to the state park which was filled withpeople having picnics. It was chaos which was interesting to stumble upon. Westopped at a picnic table for lunch and some Italian ice and ended up buyingsome yellow plums to share. Delicious.The day carried on and we came to the trailside zoo and museum. The zoo was arehabilitation center of sorts with things like a red fox, black bears, riverotters and other things. Interesting.Then was probably the most exciting part of the day - crossing the Hudson River.We crossed along the Bear Mtn. Bridge on a pedestrian pathway. It was prettyneat.We climbed another hill after that and met Melk's cousin, Tom, who hiked thelast nine miles with us. We stopped for a break near the Graymoor Friary andthen hiked the last stretch of the day.Melk's parents hiked in about a mile when they picked us up so we had quite acrew walking out to the road.We finished hiking around 8 p.m. and feasted on some fresh sweet potato chipsand strawberries that Melk's parents had brought. Mmm. I was so excited aboutthe chips that I forgot to make a 1,400 mile marker and celebrate. Oh well, I'lldo it in the morning. But, yea, 1,400!There was about an hour car ride home and I passed out in the back seat. We haddinner and then went directly to bed. I was exhausted.- Don't remember what sounds were around.Post Trail Thoughts:I never actually realized it while we slackpacked our way through New York but slackpacking is more draining to me than backpacking! And reading this entry a year later, I think it shows in my writing as well. This entry seems to be a list of events rather than a journal. But, that alone is pretty telling to me about the wall I would soon hit.The other strange thing is that when I try to remember details from days that I slackpacked, I can barely come up with anything. I really think all of the driving and planning took everything out of me! So, this was a nice day, I remember that but I can't say much more! Oh - other than that were were a ton of motorcycles on the top of Bear Mountain.