morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2016-05-13
From: 501 Shelter

To: Hamburg, PA via Blue Mountain Rd
Miles today: 24.4
Weather: overcast clouds

With the raindrops hitting the tin ceiling of the 501 shelter and the boys settling in for a round of hearts to wait out the storm, it was hard to get motivated to get out this morning. But move on I did, over the rocks and the mud of Pennsylvania through the rain. I passed white rabbit and large and caught up with Odysseus, whom I had met very briefly and had camped a few miles after the shelter last night. We paced each other and chatted for a couple of hours. He's worked for five years in wilderness therapy for at-risk youth and on semester-at-sea programs for high schoolers, and is now setting out one final "Odyssey" before settling into a steadier job. He's also from Maine, and thus on a long journey home. I enjoy his name. The rain came down very hard twice, and I got soaking wet. Today wasn't tough terrain, but the rain made it so I really couldn't stop anywhere and squished in my boots. The rain cleared up past about 2, and I ended up taking about two half hour breaks in the last couple of miles. The trail dropped precipitously down into Port Clinton, getting steeper and steeper until it became a rock staircase. It plopped me out in a railyard and I made my way over the Schuykill and into the small town of Port Clinton. I sat on the sidewalk and made some calls about lodging. I wasn't walking any more today, and with the weather looking oft for tomorrow, a break the next day was looking very nice. White Rabbit arrived in a few minutes and I left her to walk a woods road to PA 61, where I was planning to hitch a ride into Hamburg, the much more populated city just south. The road, however, was much larger than I was anticipating: the trail heads under an overpass rather than across the road, and I got very spooked trying to hitch a ride as I stood on the narrow shoulder and cars whizzed by at sixty miles an hour. I didn't like the idea of walking along the road at all, so I took the half mile of trail back into Port Clinton, planning to hitch at the intersection in the town rather than along the road itself. But when I explained the situation, a man putting in a fence just nearby told me that he'd give us all a ride if we waited for him to finish up! What luck! We sat in the sun and waited for Large to arrive, then sat around for some more as Cody - our new driver - packed up. We then loaded our things in the back of the truck and jumped in, heading to the Hamburg Microtel. The other great news was that Large invited me to stay in the hotel room with them (turned out to be perfect, there's a fold out love seat in the "suite" that I can crash on! We arrived in the hotel room and showered and began to dry out. Blues is staying just upstairs and visited. Later, I headed down to Pappy T's, a pub attached to the hotel, had a few beers and some very tasty dinner. I met a few other hikers and listened to an 80s cover band that was playing. Their name was Sloth Love Chunk. Huh. I went back upstairs and folded out the love seat and headed to bed.
Date: 2016-05-14
From: Hamburg, PA via Blue Mountain Rd

To: Hamburg, PA via Blue Mountain Rd
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: scattered clouds

I needed a break. The last few days have been pretty taxing on my feet and the rest of my body, and with the prospect of drying out in my future, I didn't feel like heading back out into predicted thunderstorms. Also, I've got four days of hiking to Delaware Water Gap, where I'm planning to get off the trail for about a week to go home for graduation, and don't really need to be home til the 19th or so. I slept just wonderfully last night and woke up at about 8:15 and headed down to breakfast. The Whitesides (Large and White Rabbit's real name) came to visit a little later in the day - White Rabbit's mother and sister were there and after being just amazed by the smell we'd created, they very kindly offered to drive me with them to resupply at Walmart. We then also went to Cabela's, the largest Cabela's in the world with 250000 square feet of retail space, as well as an aquarium, giant mountain display with taxidermied animals and a hall full of replicas of the most famous bagged bucks of all time. I bought some new fuel and headed out with the Whitesides back to hotel. They met up with some more family for lunch, and I facetimed with Ali before heading to Red Robin myself for lunch. The rain came down as I ate a burger, and I walked back through a drizzle. I talked with Ali some more and hung out. It was a relaxing day. All three of us went to the pub for a snack before heading back to the room and watching Mr. Smith Goes to Washington on TV. Then bed! Good zero.
Date: 2016-05-16
From: Eckville Shelter 

To: George W. Outerbridge Shelter 
Miles today: 24.2
Weather: clear sky

Slept well, but just not long enough after watching Game of Thrones in my bag last night. Still worth it. Great episode. White Rabbit and Large were up and at em, and I promised myself I would be quick getting ready this morning. I was, actually, and got out just before them and headed back to the trailhead and began walking. It was gorgeous all day, but the morning was frigid, and I wore my TN/NC border outfit of my wool hat over my baseball cap. A great look. I immediately came up behind two other hikers, who turned out to be Audubon and Quixote! We said hi and chatted about how everything's been going. They apparently came in the shelter last night and were curtly told there was no space. I missed it somehow. It's so awesome to see them again! I pulled ahead going up the ridge and didn't see them again all day. The day was full of rocky sections offset by flat sections, good weather and great views. I actually enjoy scrambling through the huge slabs of rock, it's a fun challenge and reminds of me of Sleeping Giant State Park at home. I'm SO glad that I didn't have to do this in the rain, though. That would be miserable. Beyond miserable, downright dangerous. The most spectacular scramble of the day was Knife's Edge. The scrambling was the most difficult of the day, and was mostly along a fifteen foot drop down to the rocks below. It's just crazy looking over these giant boulder fields searching for a single blaze to tell you where to go. I passed the Bake Oven Knob parking area and a small child out hiking with his grandpa, who commented "He walks fast!" as I hiked by. The top of the peak (only a five minute hike from the parking lot and about 150 feet up) was filled with day hikers and teenagers smoking cigarettes, so I didn't hang around. Coming down from the peak was the second most impressive scramble of the day, but most of the rest of the day was smooth sailing over to George W. Outerbridge Shelter. The shelter is pretty dingey, but it'll get the job done. Already here were Nibbles, a flip flopper and Shadow, a LASHer going from Shenandoah to the MA/VT border (he just passed his halfway point today!). I enjoyed Nibbles' sarcasm and Shadow and I chatted a fair deal. Audubon and Quixote showed up a little later, as did white Rabbit, then Large and Blues (whom I'd managed to pass without even seeing him)! We cooked and hang around. Blues retold the story of the Peter's Mountain fire, as well as a few other strange tales from the past few days. It was me, Blues, Shadow, White Rabbit, Large in the shelter, and then Odysseus rolled up at about 8:45! Didn't get to talk with him, but I'm sure I will in the morning. Tomorrow takes us steeply down into Lehigh Gap, where we'll begin the most famously intimidating climb in Pennsylvania, 1000 feet up a steep hillside that's been denuded thanks to zinc pollution. Then it's flat and very very dry for the next bunch of miles. Not sure where I'll end up tomorrow, but I'm looking at two days of hiking and then a pickup in Delaware Water Gap to go home!
Date: 2016-05-18
From: Detzi's Tavern, Wind Gap, PA

To: Church of the Mountain Hostel, Delaware Water Gap
Miles today: 15.5
Weather: light shower snow

Was tough to leave Detzi's this morning. Joe arrived quite early and as soon as I woke up I went to the back door as John had suggested and Joe, who was blasting classic rock and making soup, showed me where I could find he restroom and filled up my water bottles for me. Seriously, we got treated like honored guests at Detzi's. Huge thanks to them for their incredible hospitality. We separately made our way back up to the trailhead through the overcast morning. My feet were feeling somewhat better, but I popped two Advil just to make sure I wasn't in so much pain. The rocks were pretty ridiculous until the end of the day, just constantly having to stare at my feet, for miles and miles. They ended mostly after a place called Wolf Rocks, the last crazy boulder hop in PA. I stopped for a long time in a field on the ridge where a gas pipeline crosses and someone has set out a number of lawn chairs. White Rabbit and the couple caught up with me and we paced down the whole way to Water Gap, enjoying the great weather and the views of the Delaware River below us. We pulled into town with me blasting Sister Christian by Night Ranger on my phone and rocking out (alone). A block away we found the Church of the Mountain hostel, which is a donation-suggested hostel in the basement of a church with a lovely outdoor table, great hangout area and a number of bunks. We also met Going Postal, one of Blues's hiking buddies from way back! I decided to go in search of food and ended up at the Village Farmer, which reminded me of the roadside stand near my house. I got a Reuben sandwich and a big pastry thing called a Cloud that is like a giant cream puff. I returned to the hostel and took a shower and played the guitar they had hanging up on the wall. Other folks went to the grocery store but I knew that I was getting picked up ten miles into tomorrow, so I was good on supplies. We all went to dinner later for happy hour at the local pub, and I think everyone ordered the rack of ribs special. Delicious. Blues and I went to pick up laundry at the Pocono Inn, where White Rabbit had dropped our clothes off a few hours prior. The place was like somewhere out of a horror film, abandoned and mostly boarded up, yet somehow still functioning. After a surreal few minutes searching for the laundry room, we got out of there and went back to the hostel. Tomorrow I am getting picked up by Lola, who was my nanny when I was younger, who has decided to take the day off of work to come find me in Jersey! It's so nice being closer to home now and I'm lucky to have someone willing to pick me up!
Date: 2016-05-19
From: Church of the Mountain Hostel, Delaware Water Gap

To: Woodbridge CT via Camp Road
Miles today: 10.5
Weather: broken clouds

I woke up earlier than everyone and got packed up. I had ten and a half miles to do before 11 o'clock, when Lola and I agreed to meet at the road crossing for the Mohican Outdoor Center. I said goodbye to folks as I headed out from the hostel. It'll be a long time, if ever, until I catch up to these hikers again. The couple's company and Blues's good humor have made for quite a happy trail experience for the last month. White Rabbit and Large especially have been incredibly kind and good to me, and I'll be sorry to be without them for the next leg of the journey. I wove through the streets of Delaware Water Gap to the on ramp for the I-80 bridge. I believe this was the first time this trip that I crossed a road I have driven on before. I remember driving down the highway across the bridge on the way back from Cleveland, looking excitedly up at Mt. Minsi and thinking I would be up there hiking someday. Here I am. Unfortunately, the bridge is not so nice from the pedestrian point of view. I stopped and took a picture of the NJ/PA border, but the bridge was incredibly unpleasant to walk across, and very long. The road walk along the Delaware was more pleasant, but I was happy when the trail turned back into the woods. Despite Blues's sarcastic predictions that "New Jersey will be nothing but beautiful wide trail full of dirt and loam," New Jersey began every bit as rocky as Pennsylvania. I passed a lovely pond and stopped briefly at a location where Google has a landmark called "Large Pile of Rocks." Indeed, there was a large pile of rocks there. I joked to my dad via text that that landmark should cover the entire state of Pennsylvania. Mostly I just hiked quickly, because I was slightly behind schedule for pick up. But 11 o'clock rolled around and I found myself down at Camp Road, and who should I find but Lola, there waiting for me! We immediately threw my smelly clothes in a trash bag where they'll stay until laundry, and I put on cotton for the first time in many weeks. It was surprisingly natural to go speeding through the back roads of New Jersey, I'm not sure why. Normally it feels very strange, but not this time. After a three hour drive, I found myself back at home, excited to see my family, friends, Ali, and to attend Yale graduation in just a few days. I probably won't post again til I'm back on the trail, see you then!
Date: 2016-05-25
From: Woodbridge CT via Camp Road

To: Brink Shelter 
Miles today: 14.3
Weather: overcast clouds

It has been a pretty great week. I got to see Ali graduate, see many of my friends from college, and got to participate in the many days of Yale graduation, wearing the cap and gown and everything. It's been relaxing and tons of fun. Pulling away this time was much easier than last. I'm not sure quite why. One reason may be that while I had reached a big milestone - Damascus - right before my last break, I am in a strange place where it would not make sense to stop. I've past halfway, and in a way, Katahdin is the next big milestone. Another reason is that in just over a week's time, when I reach eastern New York and Connecticut, my family has offered to pick me and drop me off at the beginning and ends of my days of hiking. It sounds wonderful, and I will be able to see everyone then. My mother drove me back to jersey this morning - thank you so much, momma! - and after the requisite pictures and a hug, I began hiking right where I left off at Camp Road. I started just after noon, and the day was hot. I'm in for some blisteringly hot weather for the next week, it looks like. The trail was also pretty exposed up on the Kittatinny ridge line, and passed many open swathes of rock with hazy views of green forest below. My legs felt good and my feet felt more protected in these new boots. I passed probably a few hundred Southbounders, students from a school in Newark, who apparently have to go on an overnight camping trip to move up a grade level. I drank a lot of water throughout the sunny, hot day. I saw no thru hikers, and when I pulled into Brink Shelter at about 5:30, there were two older gentlemen camping, but no one else. I am guessing I am between some larger bubbles or groups of thru hikers, and our own anxiety about overcrowding in the last couple days of hiking was just a function of us all glomming together, not of it actually being more crowded on the trail yet. I made dinner and caught up on journaling. Three other people are here tonight, just one other in the shelter, which had been recently rebuilt and is pretty gorgeous. I believe two of them are on their final section to complete the whole trail, from Water Gap headed to Falls Village CT. Another is southbound from Massachusetts, attempting a three-part sobo flip flop. A peek in the shelter register shows that I'm two days behind Magic and three behind the Doctor. Unfortunately, being .2 off trail, this register don't get much love. I'll pass who I'll pass I spose.
Date: 2016-05-26
From: Brink Shelter 

To: High Point Shelter 
Miles today: 19.6
Weather: clear sky

I was up at 6:30, but hanging around old guys will make you feel lazy any day: everybody was gone by the time I started packing up. The day was nice and was clearly going to be another hot one. I started out just before 7:30. I could've slept in later, but I do love me a long break during the day. I passed the two older guys who were Nobo from last night, and made my way down to Culver's Gap. I stopped in at the AT sunrise deli, but found that the place was out of business, or at least not yet open for the year. No snack for me. The trail has been pretty empty since getting back on. I was imagining (as I'm sure everyone does) that there was a huge bubble of hikers right on our tail when I got off, but this seems to have proved untrue. A number of the people whom I was sure would have passed me are still behind - Toast, North Star, Ghost - and I didn't see any Nobo thru hikers yesterday. It made for a lonely kind of day. I miss eating lunch with people and catching up and being caught. Still, the weather was nice and the hiking was pretty easy. New Jersey is very pretty, actually. If I had to describe it right now, I would say, "Like Pennsylvania, but better in every conceivable way." I took a break at the pavilion at Sunrise Mountain and stopped for lunch at Mashipacong shelter. I listened to a lot of Lake Street Dive on my way over to High Point Stats Park HQ. At the building I met Tow Truck, as well as Lois and Clark, all of whom I'd met at Eckville Shelter. They've been taking their time, and indeed were only doing 7 miles today. I went in and got the free Pepsi they give away to thru hikers. I don't know if I've ever downed a soda more quickly. It was hot and I was thirsty. The three flip floppers went on a little before me, but I stuck around, poring over the Awol guide to see whether pushing on more miles made sense. It was only 3:15. I decided it wouldn't make a difference to where I stayed eventually, so I decided that 1.7 more was good enough. I paused at the wooden observation deck that only has a view of the obelisk on top of the New Jersey High Point, then descended a half mile to High Point Shelter, where someone has stacked chainsawed rings of log all across the front of the shelter, I guess for warmth? It is pitch black inside. I hung around and did nothing for quite a while, and felt kind of silly for not doing more miles, especially where two Nobos named Justin and Michael came and went a half hour after I got there. Ah well. It's only the second day back out. Let's take it easy. The Berenstain Bears, a brother and sister from outside Boston, rolled up around 5, and we talked and got along well. Tow truck and Lois and Clark had gone done to a lakeside from the High Point and were later in arriving. I was very happy when they all decided to tent, as Tow Truck snores IMPRESIVELY. We turned in around 9 with the sound of mice scurrying everywhere around the shelter. Tomorrow I think I'll head to Vernon where there's a church hostel I'd like to stay in.
Date: 2016-05-28
From: St. Thomas Episcopal Hostel, Vernon NJ

To: Wildcat Shelter 
Miles today: 17.2
Weather: broken clouds

Graybeard had extremely kindly offered to give me a ride back to the trail head in the morning, so I packed up my stuff and was ready to go by 7:30. We stopped at Dunkin Donuts for breakfast (which he refused to let me purchase) before heading back to the trail. On the ride, he asked me for three pieces of advice for thru hikers. It took me a while but I came up with: "Plan ahead, but know that your plans will get ruined sometimes""Being in a group will motivate you, but don't let it stop you from doing what makes you happy"And "Hot Springs is the best damn town on the damn trail." Graybeard dropped me off and I headed on through the hot hot morning. It was already quite muggy, but at least i wasn't going to be walking through a swamp like yesterday. The first climb up Wawayanda mountain, known as the "stairway to heaven," was pretty ridiculous, but then the miles afterwards were absolutely gorgeous, very very nice trail. The trail then began to follow huge open spines of rock, which made for hot, sunny, sweaty hiking. But soon enough, I came to the New York border! I baked in the sun long enough to take pictures, then took a break in the shade and pushed on. The change from New Jersey to New York was drastic. The trail traveled over more spines of rock requiring difficult scrambling, down rock filled gullies and through root-filled first paths. I was egged on, however, by the promise of food: at Route 17A, I took a left and made my short way over to "hot dogs plus," a seasonal hot dog stand where I calculated I ate 2400 calories worth of food in the form of four hot dogs with sauerkraut or chili, two bags of chips and two sodas. Delicious. And as if that weren't enough, I then went over to Belvale Creamery, right next door, which has some of the best ice cream in the state, and got a cone of salted caramel ice cream. It was wonderful. And I only had 2.2 miles left to do, which I left for around 4 o'clock. I made my way over the easy terrain to Wildcat shelter and posted up with my stuff. On my way to get water, who should I run into but a friend from Yale named Nimal, who was in the Whiffenpoofs two years ago, and is now out on a weekend hike with his 11 year old sister. We chatted a little about my upcoming year in the whiffs and what he's been up to (he is a fact checked for the New Yorker, there is hope for English majors like me). Rigby showed up eventually, as did another flip flopper named Neera. Two other guys who've sectioned the whole trail named Jeff and Noah are in the shelter tonight and wanted to know all about my hike. Good day.
Date: 2016-05-29
From: Wildcat Shelter 

To: William Brien Memorial Shelter
Miles today: 19.5
Weather: scattered clouds

I slept prett terribly last night, the weather and the bugs (which have gotten pretty terrible in the last few days) kept me up and uncomfortable. Packed up and was on the trail by 7:45. The trail today was consistently the hardest terrain I've seen since Virginia. Rock scrambles, big climbs, cliffs, ledges, faces of rocks, yeesh. New York is no joke. They make you climb up and down and up and down all day. Highlights included Buchanan mountain and the descent off of Arden Mountain. After crossing over interstate 87 (funny to me because we won't cross 89 til Hanover, I guess the trail heads more reliably north as opposed to east in the next few hundred miles than anywhere else) I found myself in Harriman State Park, with many other Memorial Day weekend hikers. The park is absolutely gorgeous, full of meadowy open Forest that really really appeals to me. I hiked up to the lemon squeezer, a crevice that hikers are forced through in the rock (followed by the only moment so far on trail where I've taken off my pack and poles to heave myself up a rock scramble). I also passed the New York long path, which extends from the GE bridge in Manhattan through the Catskills to Albany. There were a mother and daughter there when I passed. The daughter sounded out "Ka-tah-din.... 793 miles. Wanna go, mom?" And I said "that's where I'm going!" They asked me a few questions and took my picture. I was making good time so I decided to pass up Fingerboard shelter and go to William Brien. Fingerboard mountain had to be one of my favorite places so far, absolutely gorgeous walking through meadows and rock outcroppings. When I got to William Brien, I was immediately thrown off by a group of people in their early thirties who told me there was a group of 15 camping here tonight, but that became more ok when they said that no one was planning to use the shelter. The rest of them showed up and we chatted and they turned out to be very nice, a bunch of high school friends and their significant others out for the weekend. I especially liked Justin, who works for the AMC in New York and New Jersey. He said he'd put in a good word for me at the huts in the white mountains, which is incredibly kind of him. I cooked dinner and played games and talked with everyone. It was a good evening. Tomorrow is onto Bear Mountain and the Hudson River, where Ali and my dad will meet me to do a little hiking, then we'll all go to my aunt and uncles in tarry town!