morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2004-07-01
From: PA 443

To: Applebee Campsite
Miles today: 13.4
Weather: scattered clouds

Today was an emotional day on the trail for the two of us. I learned last night that a friend of my family¢s granddaughter is losing her fight against leukemia. Today will be her 13th birthday, and quite possibly the last day of her short life. I have never even met her, but it¢s heart breaking to know what others endure. And even though it¢s my belief that this life is one of many that we¢ve had and will have, and even though I know this young girl¢s life purpose has been fulfilled, it still makes me ache for her and those that love her. I sent out a silent prayer for her transition from this life to the next be smooth, and that her family be surrounded with so much love. If that is indeed the course her life takes.For Wrong Way her emotion was connected to her Dad and his battle with stomach cancer. Her parents dropped us off at the trail today as they started their trek back to Texas. It¢s never easy for her to say goodbye to her parents. She puts on a happy face but since she only sees them 2 to 3 times a year, it¢s always hard for her. Her Dad appears to be doing well, it¢s just all so uncertain and complicated. And just as fiercely as parents protect their children, grown children desperately want to protect their parents from hurt, pain and difficulties.So with all this emotion inside us it felt great to hike. We walked and talked and cried a little. The trail¢s a good therapist.It was a nice, leisurely hike today. Since we were slack packing again, it felt like an afternoon walk. There was a big thunderstorm that rolled in about 2 PM. We were lucky enough to be at William Penn Shelter where we waited it out for a little over an hour. We ate lunch and then took a nap. We are staying at David and Dee¢s and they fixed us another awesome dinner. They are wonderful.My love to you all.
Date: 2004-07-02
From: Applebee Campsite

To: Port Clinton, PA
Miles today: 23.1
Weather: clear sky

Oh what a big day. We slack packed 23 miles, our longest day this year. It took us exactly 12 hours. The terrain was flat and just some patches of rocks here and there. The only thing that made it tough was that we were sleepy.We are staying one more night at David and Dee¢s, so we¢ll sleep in and then hike a short day tomorrow. One thing is for sure, PA doesn¢t know what a switchback is. The descent into Port Clinton is straight down. Good thing it was less than a mile, but man was it steep.It¢s off to sleep.
Date: 2004-07-03
From: Port Clinton, PA

To: Windsor Furnance Shelter
Miles today: 1.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Well it turned out it was a shorter mileage day than we had originally thought. Instead of the 5 miles we had planned to hike, we hiked about one mile. We slept in a little bit and then slowly got packed. After spending a wonderful week at David and Dee¢s, I didn¢t know if I could remember how to pack my backpack. Luckily it all came back to me.We had a nice, unexpected surprise get together today. We were able to have lunch with Blip, one of our hiking friends from last year. She drove 1 12 hours to come see us and buy us lunch! It was so awesome to see her. We had fun remembering stories from last year. And she also knew a short cut to the shelter which is why we hiked less miles. It was nice.We had tried to visit the Yuengling Brewery in Pottsville, but they were closed. David got me hooked on Yuengling Black and Tan beer. It¢s good stuff ¢ goes down smooth. While we were having lunch at Pizza Hut, I crossed my ankles. A short time later I tried to uncross them and couldn¢t. Somehow I had managed to hook my boots together. I couldn¢t get them unhooked, so Wrong Way had to do it for me. She laughed so hard she cried. She said it was funny to imagine me trying to unhook them by myself. It still makes her crack up.
Date: 2004-07-04
From: Windsor Furnance Shelter

To: Allentown Shelter
Miles today: 16.5

We were fully loaded today. No more slack packing. It took a while for us to adjust, but we eventually got back into the groove.We had a nice view at the Pinnacle. The farms down below looked like a beautiful green quilt. There were several hawks gliding at eye level with us as we sat on the rocks. At one point, as I sat on the cliff, I looked behind me and there was a copperhead sticking his head out of his hole not 3 feet away from me. I quickly decided I¢d like to sit somewhere else.Today is the first day in Pennsylvania that I thought it was rocky. We¢ve been hearing for a long time how rocky PA is. Here¢s the truth. Compared to the rest of the AT, PA is not that rocky. The section from Eckville Shelter to Allentown Shelter was rocky but doable. The great thing about PA is that it¢s flat. We were hoping to see some fireworks tonight but we aren¢t close to any overlooks. We were going to try to hike 4 more miles but it was late and we were tired and hungry. We can hear firecrackers off in the distance. That will have to do. Happy July 4th!
Date: 2004-07-05
From: Allentown Shelter

To: George Outerbridge Shelter
Miles today: 16.8
Weather: scattered clouds

The humidity has returned. It was a sticky day. And of all days to have a spring dry today wouldn¢t have been my choice, but that¢s what happened. Luckily, we came across a day hiker who¢s first question to us was ¢Do you need water?¢. It made this afternoon bearable.We had planned to go into Palmerton tonight, but we changed our minds. Little Tree and The Walking Stomach (two other women hikers) were staying at this last shelter a mile from Palmerton. They suggested we stay at the shelter because it was 7 PM and the hostel would be full. Plus we could have the whole day in town. It sounded good to us because we were ready for the day to be done.Lots of rocks today and we saw 3 snakes. That¢s all I can think of. Oh yeah, lots of trash by the locals. There¢s lots of road access in this area. We even saw human feces on the trail ¢ so gross.
Date: 2004-07-06
From: George Outerbridge Shelter

To: Palmerton, PA
Miles today: 1.0

We got up early and we were in Palmerton eating breakfast by 7:30 AM. We were eating at a place called Bert¢s Steakhouse right across the street from the hostel. Palmerton is a great trail town. It has a grocery store, Laundromat, library (for email), restaurants, and post office all within walking distance. Plus the hostel, known as the Jailhouse because it used to be the old police station, is free and it has a hot shower. The shower setup is hilarious. You have to walk through this ancient gym into an empty room and then through a door to the shower room. There are 3 showerheads and it¢s wide open. We all had flashbacks to junior high and the group showers. My school fortunately didn¢t make us shower, so I suffer no trauma from such an experience.This town has beautiful landscape. It reminds me of Colorado with its rocky mountains. There¢s an EPA Superfund site in the area we¢ll be hiking tomorrow. Back in 1980 they shutdown a zinc manufacturer. They¢ve taken measures to restore the area, however, we will have a 16-mile stretch (possibly longer) that we¢ll have no water source because the water is contaminated because of the zinc. We are definitely getting an early start because we have a big climb first thing in the morning. Plus it will be cooler in the morning.It¢s amazing that n 2 days we¢ll be in NJ. I¢ve loved PA and the rocks are not that bad. It¢s all a big myth!We took a great nap this afternoon, so we are rested and ready to keep movin¢ on!
Date: 2004-07-07
From: Palmerton, PA

To: Leroy Smith Shelter
Miles today: 15.8
Weather: scattered clouds

We got an early start this morning. We left the hostel at 6:30 AM and had a difficult time getting a ride back to the trail. Finally a pickup truck took me, Wrong Way, Quest, and Catdog to the trail.It was an awesome rock scramble up 1000 feet first thing this morning. We had to put down our poles and grab on with our hands to get up and over some of the big rocks. It was so much fun. We saw a lot of dead trees from the zinc factory. It looked like a nuclear disaster area. It was a nice change being out in the open without the tree canopy for a while. We saw bear scat and a big bear print in the mud. Later we heard some hikers saw a bear right in that area and he was big they said. And based on the bear poop, he likes blueberries.So right after all that business we crossed a road and what a beautiful sight we saw. There was a cooler from a hiker named Scholar that had so much amazing goodies¢¦.sodas, ham, roast beef, cheese, rolls, brownies, sugar cookies. It was so great!!About 4 PM, we heard thunder and quickened our pace dramatically. It was no fun funning over rocks but that¢ what we did for 45 minutes. It all paid off because we got to the shelter and stayed dry. So the shelter is some what small and it¢s packed. I would really love to sleep in the tent, but it¢s still raining and should continue through the night. So it¢s the stinky shelter. At least it¢s a fun group. Adios!
Date: 2004-07-08
From: Leroy Smith Shelter

To: Kirkridge Shelter
Miles today: 13.8
Weather: scattered clouds

We swear the book mileage is incorrect for this section today. It felt like we hiked so much more than 13 miles. It must have been all those little annoying rocks. Not a section I would recommend or ever do again.We had a nice detour into the town of Wind Gap this morning at 10:30. Me, Wrong Way, Little Tree and the Walking Stomach ate at a diner, stopped at the Post Office and grocery store. All that good town food made us a little sluggish, I suppose.Tomorrow is a big day because we¢ll leave PA and cross over into N.J. We¢ll hit a town called Delaware Water Gap in the morning. We¢ll stop there for lunch and then move on another ten miles. At least that¢s the plan for now.
Date: 2004-07-09
From: Kirkridge Shelter

To: Mohican Outdoor Center
Miles today: 17.0
Weather: overcast clouds

The ¢plan¢ did indeed happen. We had a nice, easy hike into Delaware Water Gap. Where we stopped at Trails End Diner and had a fabulous breakfast. We walked a mile on I-80 over a river. It was quite a shock to have semi-trucks blasting past us. We saw a small dead bat on the bridge. And crossed into N.J.! It was great! However, the AT didn¢t have a border sign, so that¢s no good. Luckily we took a picture by the highway to mark the occasion.We hiked up to Sunfish Pond without any breaks. It was very gradual and not a lot of rocks. After our break, it was 4 miles of consistent rocks. Not so much fun at the end of the day. Plus, I almost stepped on a rattlesnakes head. He was halfway across the trail and blended in perfectly. Luckily I stopped in time. He wasn¢t moving so we went around him. Boy was he big and fat. We even saw his rattle, but he never used it.We finally arrived at the M.O.C around 6:15 PM. My feet were talking mean to me and I was glad to be done for the day. We got a cold soda and candy bar. The best thing about his place is they have $2.00 showers! Sign us up!! We even ordered deli sandwiches. A nice treat after a long day. Feels so good to be clean. We are tenting for free and it is so quiet. It will be a great nights sleep! G-night.
Date: 2004-07-10
From: Mohican Outdoor Center

To: Brink Road Shelter
Miles today: 14.3
Weather: few clouds

Dawn came so fast today. My body didn¢t want to start the day too fast, so I took my time, gradually easing it into the morning. Wrong Way and I are not naturally early morning people, so we are always impressed when we get up by 6 AM.We were on the trail by 8:15 AM. We took it slow and easy today. My feet were still a bit sore from yesterday. I was also paranoid that we¢d see another rattlesnake. The trail took you through several rocky vistas ¢ a favorite hangout for the rattlers. I was more worried going through the tall grass that covered the trail. Your feet get swallowed, so it was a leap of faith. We were going to push on a few miles more miles past the shelter, but then Desperado a trail angel showed up with some goodies. That delayed us enough that it wasn¢t worth it to push on.The big news of the day is I lost my right pinky toenail. It just fell off. And the privy here has no walls. There¢s just a toilet seat in the middle of the woods.
Date: 2004-07-11
From: Brink Road Shelter

To: High Point State Park
Miles today: 18.0

We slept in today and hit the trail about 9:30. We got into Culvers Gap about 11:00, so we had lunch at Gyp¢s Tavern. The famous Worthington¢s Bakery had closed after 45 years. Rumor is that the owner died.We got some great trail magic from a section hiker at Mashipacong Shelter. We pushed on until 8:30 tonight. The last 6 miles were a bit rushed and unpleasant, but at least we¢re here. A ranger let us camp illegally in the park, which was so great because the 1.7 miles to the next shelter felt like a million miles. We also saw a black bear running through the trees. It wasn¢t too close and it ran as soon as it heard us. A lot of other hikers have seen bears too.It¢s late and been a long day, so that¢s all for now.
Date: 2004-07-12
From: High Point State Park

To: Pochuck Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 14.1
Weather: light rain

Today feels like it¢s been three days. Wrong Way and I didn¢t sleep well because we were so sticky. It wasn¢t hot at all, but the dried sweat on your skin makes you clammy at night. So we were wide awake at 5 AM. We were on the trail by 5:50 AM. I am so glad we got an early start because it began to rain around 9 AM.We reached a secret shelter about 9:30 where we got a hot shower. It was fabulous. We stayed there for about 3 hours and took a nap. We got up and hiked the 2 miles to Unionville, NY for a cheeseburger and the post office. It continued to rain and I dreaded going out in it, but we did and it wasn¢t that bad. Plus now we only have 7 miles to go tomorrow to Vernon, NJ.We have a spot in the shelter tonight because it is still raining.
Date: 2004-07-13
From: Pochuck Mountain Shelter

To: Vernon, NJ
Miles today: 7.5

Man, did it rain last night. There was a steady rain until 10 AM this morning with occasional bursts of hard rain. There was a church group of about 8 people that made room for us in the shelter. When we arrived last night the boys of the group decided to sleep under a tarp. I noticed that their tarp wasn¢t pulled too tight. They all came running into the shelter at 10:30 PM because their tarp failed and they got soaked. I slept amazingly well. The rain was so soothing.It was a great hike into Vernon today. There was an amazing section where we walked on a boardwalk through a beautiful marsh. We also walked on bog logs that felt more like teeter totters because they weren¢t always stable. We arrived in Vernon around 11:00 with the whole day to re-supply, do laundry and shower. We walked the 7.5 miles without stopping because of the rain and it wasn¢t too bad. Our bodies are strong and able to handle longer distances. Although, it¢s more enjoyable to take breaks.The hostel we are staying at is great. It¢s the St. Thomas Episcopal Church. We have the whole basement, with a full kitchen, TV, shower, washer and dryer and sodas for only $5.00! And it¢s close to the grocery store, Post Office, Dunkin¢ Donuts, etc. It¢s a full house tonight with us, Little Tree, The Walking Stomach, Tapeworm, Lint, Wonder Lost, Krispie Kritter, and Bucket.We watched the Disney movie Pocahontas, so now we want to dance through the woods like Pocahontas with our hair flying dramatically behind us. And now we have the Pocahontas songs in our heads and Grandma Willow¢s advice, so we have so many good inside jokes.   It¢s the little things that make an AT hiker happy.
Date: 2004-07-14
From: Vernon, NJ

To: Vernon, NJ
Miles today: 0.0

We decided to take the day off and rest. Instead of calling it a zero day, we have changed it to a ¢plus¢ day thanks to a hiker named Bucket. Because after all, it is a positive thing to rest your body and relax. Zero has such a negative connotation and there¢s no need for that.Our plus day was a beautiful thing.   We took a two hour nap, went on a drive with Little Tree and a trail angel, and best of all we went to a Bar-B-Q. A hiker named Raven has a sister that lives close by, so she had a bunch of us over tonight. Her and her husband, Jeff, grilled us hotdogs and hamburgers. They had the works. It was wonderful and much appreciated. They also had a hot tub and pool. The pool didn¢t get as much use since it was rainy tonight. Plus we got to check our email. It was great.We are exited and ready to return to the trail tomorrow.
Date: 2004-07-15
From: Vernon, NJ

To: Wildcat Shelter
Miles today: 17.3
Weather: broken clouds

It was a beautiful day today with sun and mild temperature. We were ready to return to the trail. The big new of the day is that we crossed into New York! We stopped to have lunch there and within minutes a big cloud hung over us and sprinkled. It quickly passed.After the border, we got our first taste of the N.Y. rocks. Ugh! They are large, flat rocks (like steep tabletops) that roll up and down. It was fun for the first mile but after that I was done with it. However, they weren¢t done with us. It was like that for about 6 ¢ 7 miles. It plain wore us out. It would¢ve been more fun without a pack and poles. We were thankful it wasn¢t raining because that section would be a nightmare in the rain. It would be easy to slip in wet conditions.We hiked a lot today with Little Tree. She¢s fun and easy going. We stopped at a road and got ice cream. It was about 6 PM and we had goose bumps as we ate it outside. The sun was setting but we were still chilly and it¢s July. I¢m not complaining because it beats the heat.We¢ve been meeting some real nice trail angels in this section. There was a man this morning doing trail magic and we met another man right before the shelter who had put out jugs of water by the road. So far we haven¢t had a problem with dry springs, but sure is nice for him to do that.Hope those rocks are done. We¢ll find out tomorrow
Date: 2004-07-16
From: Wildcat Shelter

To: Tiorati Lake
Miles today: 15.4

What a grueling day! Those big rocks did stop, but we went over every mountain in New York. We think we went up and down at least ten times. It was worse then the Roller Coaster section back before Harpers Ferry. They rarely had any switchbacks. It was straight up and straight down.The great thing about today is we had lots of great trail magic. There were a couple of places people had left water, which is great because the water sources are a little iffy. After climbing straight up and straight down Arden Mountain, there was a guy and woman with soda, fruit, and candy. It was the perfect spot because we needed a boost at that point.After that we entered Harriman State Park, which was beautiful. We went through the Lemon Squeezer. It¢s these giant rocks on a hill and you squeeze in between two of them. We both made it with our packs on. It was a bit of a challenge. The park still had us going up and down.Right before we got to the shelter we saw Enigma, Wonder Lost (an 80-year old man from Wichita, Kansas) and Nik. Nik is friends with Caterpillar (a thru-hiker) and he was out looking for Caterpillar. Nik had some cherries, banana and P&J Sandwiches. Perfect timing because we needed to eat again. We had also found Little Tree. So the 6 of us sat in this beautiful section of trail, as the sun got low in the sky.Nik had mentioned there were showers at the Lake a mile down the trail. Wrong Way and I perked up because we definitely needed one. Nik said he was planning on camping at the campground and we were welcome to join him. So me, Wrong Way and Enigma hiked to Nik¢s vehicle, which is a short, yellow school bus. He named it Big Beautiful and it¢s awesome! So here we are camped at this extremely packed campground with a million kids running around. Which is fine because I¢m clean!There¢s a big hiker feed tomorrow at the lake called the Fat Fest.   A group of former thru-hikers are hosting it and we think it starts at 8 AM, which would rock. It lasts all day Saturday and Sunday. We¢ll probably stay for breakfast and lunch and then move on ten miles.So we¢ll get up and ride over on the school bus. How great is that!
Date: 2004-07-17
From: Tiorati Lake

To: 2 miles south of Bear Mountain
Miles today: 8.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Fat Fest was a great success. We arrived via mini-school bus, Big Beautiful, at about 9:30 AM. There was tons of great food from a group of thru-hikers from 1998. They¢ve had this gathering ever year since their thru-hike. A great group of people.Me, Wrong Way and Little Tree hit the trail about 1:30. It was tempting to stay at the Fest, since they will continue the feeding frenzy until tomorrow evening, but we all wanted to move on. There¢s exciting things just around the corner. For instance, tomorrow we¢ll hike right through a zoo at Bear Mountain and then tomorrow night we¢ll stay at the Graymoor Friary.Beautiful weather today and the climbs not so bad as the southern part of N.Y.
Date: 2004-07-18
From: 2 miles south of Bear Mountain

To: Graymoor Friary
Miles today: 11.4

What an exciting day! We got to go through a wildlife center in Bear Mountain, NY. The trail goes right through it. It was so cool. We saw a coyote, bobcat, 2 black bears, an otter, a beaver, rattlesnakes, copperheads, etc. Then we crossed over the Hudson River on this huge bridge. It was all very exciting. The black bears and bobcat were sleeping when we walked through at 10 AM, so we didn¢t get to see them in action.As we were walking across the bridge a couple passed us and congratulated us on making it this far. It felt really good to hear that. They were so sincere and kind and it made me stop and think, ¢Wow, look how far we¢ve come!¢ We just completed 1400 miles of the trail Wahoo!We are staying at a huge picnic pavilion at the Graymoor Friary. Earlier today we all took a cold shower here. And when I say cold, I¢m talking hypothermia. It took your breath away. But it was worth it because I¢m going to sleep good tonight because I¢m not sticky. We also got to eat dinner up at the dining hall. It was chicken fajitas, black beans and rice, salad, Jell-O and soup. It was so good. I was starved. Brother Leo took us on a tour of the grounds after dinner and told us the history of the place. He also introduced us to his dog Buddy, who was a sweet girl.It was really overcast and humid today. It looked like it would rain all day, but it didn¢t until 4PM. Since then it¢s been sprinkling off and on. It should be a good night for sleeping.
Date: 2004-07-19
From: Graymoor Friary

To: Dennytown Road
Miles today: 8.2

It rained all night and it was a bit drippy this morning. It did clear up and the sun came out later in the day.I was having an off day and not feeling very strong. I didn¢t sleep well, so maybe that¢s why. Or perhaps I¢m just physically tired. So we decided to find a hotel and call it a day.We watched a great documentary about the evolution of women¢s sports. It¢s crazy to think that the first woman to run a marathon was 30 years ago. And how it was a common belief that women couldn¢t run 26 miles. It was also believed that if women exercised too much they would get huge muscles, grow facial hair, and wouldn¢t be able to have children. So crazy to think how recent all that was. I¢m so thankful that times have changed.
Date: 2004-07-20
From: Dennytown Road

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

We got a ride from the motel owner¢s daughter back to the trail. It was a gorgeous morning with clear blue skies, beautiful sun, and mild temperature without a bit of humidity. We slept in and got on the trail at 10 AM. I felt much better today. It was a smart idea to find a motel yesterday. I just needed a break.The terrain has flattened out a bit, which is nice. Much easier to manage. We got a special treat tonight because we passed a roadside pizzeria and deli. It was pizza for dinner and I carried an egg salad sandwich to the shelter (4 miles in) for 2nd dinner. It was tough hiking after eating pizza. Our bellies were dragging.We¢ll be out of N.Y. either tomorrow or the next day. N.Y. was okay. I¢ll be glad to move on to CT.