morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2012-06-23
From: campsite

To: 501 shelter
Miles today: 17.6
Weather: scattered clouds

Today we hit REAL PA - lots of rocks.However, the rocks are in short sections; I've been expecting just miles and miles of rocks.So far that hasn't happened yet. Stopped at William Penn shelter this afternoon just to get water and use the privy. A family came in while I was reading the register - a mom,dad, another adult male and 3 boys. The mom had one of the boys in a baby carrier on her back, he looked about 2. The adults all looked exhausted but the boys were having so much fun. The middle boy was about 5, and just sat down right next to me and started chatting away with me and Gribley. He was so cute. I love seeing families out here; props to those parents for putting forth the effort to get their kids out in nature.We ended the day at 501 shelter; so named b/c it's next to PA Hwy 501. It happens to be close enough to a town that you can have pizza delivered to the road crossing, so of course we did. Squatch was there, as well as Tater Tot, Daystar, Gribley and Float. We sat around the picnic table telling stories until dark, and Tater Tot demonstrated her "lefty throw", which Squatch got on film. (The "lefty throw" is when you throw a rock really hard with your left hand and yell something really loud to let off steam when you're mad.) The shelter was also neat b/c it was enclosed, with a door and windows and a domed skylight. There was a (cold) shower and water spigot as well. Heaven.
Date: 2012-06-24
From: 501 shelter

To: Shartlesville-Cross Mtn. Rd
Miles today: 17.0

We had one thing on our minds this morning: trail magic. Jersey had been writing in all the shelter registers that there would be an all-day hiker feed on the 24th, with breakfast, lunch and dinner. So we hiked the 9 mi there as fast as we could, and arrived at Hwy 183 around 12:30. Church mouse and Byte Code (GAME '07) were just firing up the grill for hamburgers and hot dogs. We ate a ton and talked to Jersey, Gypsy Sole, and Muck Fichigan. Then we got a food coma and laid out our sleeping pads under a tree and took a nap. Then we came back for more: BBQ chicken this time. Yum. We dragged ourselves away from the food around 5:30 and did 7.5 mi to a grassy spot next to an old road.I can't believe we still did 17 mi today, even with our 5 hr food break.
Date: 2012-06-25
From: Shartlesville-Cross Mtn. Rd

To: Makara house (Minersville, PA)
Miles today: 7.4

I had been looking forward to seeing my friend Kathy for some time and the day was finally here! She picked us up at PA 61 and took us to Logan's Roadhouse and Cabela's. Cabela's was definitely a sensory overload - there were dead animals everywhere, and tons of people and a food court and so much STUFF. But we did get head nets finally, thank God. The gnats will not be flying in my eyes and ears anymore.Then Kathy took us back to her parents' house, and they were so sweet and welcoming. We took showers, did laundry, and I typed some journal entries. Then Kathy took us out exploring. We drove thru a bunch of cute little coal mining towns with tiny row houses right next to each other. It really feels like we're in the North now. Then she took us to Centralia, the town that Bill Bryson talks about in "A Walk in the Woods".There is a bunch of anthracite coal underneath the town which has been burning for 50+ yrs.We walked along the old hwy, which is buckled and cracked from the heat; we didn't see any flames though. We drove thru where the town used to be - there are still a few people living there, but most of the lots are overgrown with weeds.Kathy took us to the grocery store, and then we had pizza from Palermo's - a new york-style pizza place. It was SO good. The guy working there said, "Hope youse enjoy!" and once again I thought, "Wow. I'm really in the North now!"We went back to the house and talked to Kathy's parents until almost 11:30, and I couldn't keep my eyes open anymore so I went to bed.
Date: 2012-06-26
From: Makara house (Minersville, PA)

To: campsite
Miles today: 8.2
Weather: clear sky

It was so nice to wake up in a comfortable bed and know that I didn't have to pack up a tent! Even better: real breakfast. We made blueberry panackes and bacon, and had fresh fruit. It was such a treat. After b-fast, we walked across the street to visit Nana - Kathy's grandma. Nana was so excited to meet us; Kathy had told her we would be coming to visit. She had lots of questions for us. We said our goodbyes, packed up our stuff, posed for a few pictures, and headed back to the trail. We got a late start - around 1:30 PM, but it was totally worth it. We saw Boots and Melody not far down the trail and hiked with them for a while. They suggested meeting for sunrise tomorrow at a lookout called The Pinnacle, and OD talked me into it. So it will be a very early morning tomorrow.
Date: 2012-06-27
From: campsite

To: New Tripoli campsite
Miles today: 19.7
Weather: clear sky

It was a very early morning. We woke up at 4:15 and were out by 5 to catch the sunrise at 5:30 - it was about a mile from our campsite to The Pinnacle. Boots and Melody had even farther to go; they stopped at the shelter 4 miles before the Pinnacle, so they got up ridiculously early. It was a really rocky 4 miles for them - Melody said she fell pretty hard at one point and hurt her finger.But they made it in time and so did we. We couldn't have picked a more perfect spot - had a gorgeous view of farmland in the valley below. Boots and Melody said it reminded them of back home in Switzerland. We made breakfast ont he rocks and then I took a nap in my sleeping bag until OD convinced me it was time to hike. Then he and Boots stood around talking forever - they're a bad combo b/c they're both so talkative!In the afternoon we stopped at an overlook called Dan's Pulpit. There was a trail register in a mailbox there, and I read a crazy story about a hiker named Coffee-to-Go. Some hikers found him laying by the overlook vomiting and shivering. They called 911 and a first response rescue team came out to the area, but most of them weren't in good enough shape to climb up the mountain to rescue him! So one first responder and 3 hikers carried him down on a stretcher made of a sleeping bag and tree branches. Once he got an IV in him, they said he looked much better and was taken to a hospital to recover. [I've since seen his entries in registers, so he is back on the trail hiking again.]After Dans Pulpit, the trail got very rocky. It was just neverending, and we were going so slow - about 1 mph in some spots. I was hot and tired and sick of stumbling every 10 steps. When we got to Allentown shelter, I had a small meltdown. It was the first time I've cried on the trail.OD was so sweet - he asked if I wanted to stay there for the night, but I said no b/c it was still pretty early. We had dinner there and kept going.After that, the trail actually got really flat and easy. We did the 6 mi to the campsite in 2 hrs w/o stopping. We were practically dead when we got here, though. It was a hard 19.7 today.
Date: 2012-06-28
From: New Tripoli campsite

To: campsite
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

Today did not start out very well. We began the day with the Knife Edge and Bear Rocks, which were really tough and rocky of course. I'm fine with going uphill on the rocks, but downhill is just miserable for my knees and I stand there paralyzed, trying to keep my balance as I decide on my next move. It took us most of the morning to do the 4 mi to Bake Oven Knob Shelter, and I knew OD was frustrated by our slow pace, but I couldn't keep going any more. I had meltdown #2. I didn't think we would ever get past the rocks, and I didn't know if I could keep going. I told OD he could go on ahead, to the campsite we had talked about earlier, but he said, "No way. We're going to do this together." His patient encouragement was the only thing keeping me going at that point.I was in a much better state of mind that afternoon as we did the climb out of Lehigh Gap at the Superfund site. There used to be a zinc mine on the mountain overlooking the Lehigh River outside of Palmerton, which killed all the vegetation and polluted the area. They've been rehabilitating the area, and the vegetation is returning to the mountain. It was a really rocky climb up, but it was actually pretty fun, using my hands to scale the rock face. On the other side of the mountain, there were tons of blackberry bushes right next to the trail, so we ate as we walked. (Hopefully we won't get zinc poisoning!) It was our reward for making it up the mountain.We intended to camp near Metallica Spring, which was supposed to be on an unmarked trail 0.1W, but we never did find it. The next water source is quite a ways down the trail, so we'll have to go into Danielsville tomorrow to get water.
Date: 2012-06-29
From: campsite

To: campsite
Miles today: 16.3
Weather: clear sky

We got a ride into Danielsville from a guy in a pickup this morning, and went ot Millers Market for water and enough food to get us to Delaware Water Gap. Sat outside the store for a bit drinking our soda (me) and sweet tea (OD - he is addicted to sweet tea) then walked the mile back to the trail.Pretty uneventful day other than that. Water was pretty scarce, so we had to conserve until we got to Leroy Smith Shelter late in the afternoon. When we got to Wind Gap, PA, a hotel there was nice enough to let hikers get water from their spigot. We did a short but steep climb out of the Gap and are camped right at the top of the hill, along with Connect 4.
Date: 2012-06-30
From: campsite

To: Pocono Inn (Delaware Water Gap, PA)
Miles today: 15.1
Weather: overcast clouds

Today was our last day of hiking in PA - thank God! It wasn't too bad of a day; I'm always extra motivated coming into town. We got to Delaware Water Gap about 4 PM, and our first stop was the ice cream shop. I had the most delicious strawberry milkshake. We stopped by the church hostel to see if they knew how we could get a bus into Stroudsburg, a larger town nearby with a mall. We found out the bus doesn't run on weekends, so decided to stay in DWG. After a rough few days in PA, decided to splurge and stay in a hotel instead of the hostel. It was a great decision - the A.C alone was worth it, plus cable TV. We've been watching the Olympic trials tonight. It kills me that I won't be able to watch the Olympics this summer; I always look forward to it, especially the swimming.
Date: 2012-07-01
From: Pocono Inn (Delaware Water Gap, PA)

To: Pocono Inn (Delaware Water Gap, PA)
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: scattered clouds

After a lovely continental breakfast at the hotel, I went to church at Church of the Mountain Presbyterian, where I sat with Tag'n Along and Head'n Out. OD and I had lunch at the Village Farmers Apple Pie Bakery, which had amazing pies of all kinds. I had a shepherds pie as well as a slice of peach pie. We saw Daisy and Flowers there (a couple from FL who we had met at the hiker feed on 6/24) and decided to figure out a ride to Stroudsburg together so we could see a movie. We had heard that a place called the Pack Shack had shuttles to Stroudsburg, so we walked over there to check it out. The Pack Shack is mostly a place where you can sign up for guided canoe trips, and there was a family with 4 adults and at least 10 kids all trying to get fitted for life jackets and get paddles (which they were all hitting each other with). There was a baby, about a year old, that the parents wanted to take in the cnoe with them but there wasn't a life jacket small enough. We all just stood there and watched for about 30 minutes - it was like being at the zoo.Once the chaos died down some, one of the staff drove us to the mall. We ate at the food court and saw "Prometheus" (it was the boys' choice), then took a taxi back to DWG. It was really strange to be in a mall with all those normal people.We ended the day by watching more of the Olympic Trials on TV.
Date: 2012-07-02
From: Pocono Inn (Delaware Water Gap, PA)

To: campsite
Miles today: 13.7
Weather: clear sky

Left the hotel this morning around 10, which is pretty early for a town day. Within a few tenths of a mile, we crossed the Delaware River into NJ! State #8 and out of PA for good.NJ so far is surprisingly beautiful. We climbed Kittatinny Mtn, where there were gorgeous views all around. We met a ridgerunner there named Mile High. We caught up with Daystar, Tater Tot, Gribley, Pants and a few others who had been staying at Pace and Hungus's house and slackpacking. Oh, and I finally met Secrets and Shenanigans after all this time. (Secrets is the little brother of a friend from my backpacking club in Nashville, who I have been trying to catch up with since the very beginning.) I tried to explain to Secrets how I know his sister, and it took a couple tries before it all made sense.We stopped for dinenr at Catfish Lookout Tower, which we climbed despite the "No Trespassing" sign. This dayhiker named Skylark came up and started chatting with us. He seemed OK at first, then started telling us about how stressed he's been with the contractors workinga t this house, and started getting into all this personal stuff. He actually walked with us all the way to our campsite and kept talking as we set up our tents. We went to get water and luckily he started talking to Secrets and Shenanigans. We thought we'd never get rid of him!
Date: 2012-07-03
From: campsite

To: campsite/trail
Miles today: 22.2

Super long day. Before we left DWG, we decided that we'd try to make it to Unionville, NY for the 4th. With our short day yesterday, we had to makeup some miles today. I felt really sluggish and grumpy in the morning; I think I need to switch back to oatmeal b/c the PopTarts just aren't cutting it.Speaking of bad food choices, for lunch OD decided to eat 3/4 of a can of chocolate frosting. (The gas station in DWG that we resupplied at didn't have Nutella so he bought that instead.) It was pretty comical seeing him that high on sugar, but he paid for it later with a stomachache.We got to Branchville, NJ around dinner time and ate at Gyp's Tavern. The food was great - we both had cheeseburgers, and shared cheese fries and fried mushrooms. (We are eating the worst diet ever out here!) And we sat outside, just steps away from Kittatinny Lake.As we left Branchville, we saw Trail Mama and SOS and they gave us some snack food (even though we said we didn't need anything). We went up Sunrise Mtn and walked through a pavilion. We were aiming for a a stream and campsite about 2 mi past it, adn we crossed the stream but couldn't find the campsite. It was pitch dark, e were both exhausted, so OD said, "Why don't we just set up our tents on the trail?" The section we were in had been really rocky but there was miraculously a 15' long section of trail that was flat and rock-free, so we set up our tents end-to-end right on the trail. Check that one off the AT bucket list.
Date: 2012-07-04
From: campsite/trail

To: Wit's End Tavern (Unionville, NY)
Miles today: 16.5

Happy 4th of July! It felt a little strange to be out on the trail when everyone else was celebrating. OD and I talked about what we would be doing if we were at home, and got a little homesick. We walked through High Point State Park and heard a ton of people at the beach and smelled meat grilling. It was only 0.3 mi down a side trail to get to the beach, but we really wanted to get to Unionville, so we kept going.We stopped for lunch at High Point Shelter and I got to experience something I've been wanting to see for a long time. After 1300+ miles, I finally saw a bear! OD spotted it first, through the trees. We tiptoed over to the clearing where he had seen it, and then we saw it in the stream, downhill from us about 20 feet. He was taking a bath and rubbing his paws across his face. We stood there for a couple minutes watching, and he never saw us. He started to climb up the hill, and we decided it was time to leave.We got to the road crossing for Unionville a little after 5. It was only 0.7 mi into town, but I had to stop and take my shoes off b/c my feet were torn up. They had been hurting since lunch but I hadn't wanted to stop. So I did a 0.7 mi roadwalk into town in my flip flops.We went straight to the tavern, had dinner, and they let us set up our tents in the side yard. It is unbelievably hot tonight, so I'm laying in my tent with the rainfly off, sweating. Too tired to move, but I can see fireworks from my tent. God bless America.
Date: 2012-07-05
From: Wit's End Tavern (Unionville, NY)

To: Wawayanda shelter
Miles today: 15.8
Weather: clear sky

Had breakfast and resupplied at Horler's Grocery Store, then walked back to the trail. The trail went along the perimeter of the Wallkill Nature Preserve, where we saw lots of birds. It was out in the open, however, which meant we had no protection from the sun. Later in the afternoon, we walked through a bog-like area that had almost a mile of raised boardwalks. It was really cool and definitely didn't feel like I was in New Jersey! A couple tough climbs today - up Pochuck Mtn and Wawayanda Mtn. When we arrived at the shelter, there were a ton of Boy Scouts there so I hurried to set up my tent before they took all the good spots.
Date: 2012-07-06
From: Wawayanda shelter

To: Harlem, New York!
Miles today: 7.9

Who knew the trail leads through NYC? For me it does! I never thought I would be here as part of my AT journey, but it just goes to show, you never know what the trail will bring or where it will lead you. OD and I had been waffling for some time about whether we were going into NYC. Mr. Fab was having a party at his friend's bar, and we wanted to be there, but we were too far away from the train station to make it in time. But then I noticed in the guidebook that there was a weekday bus heading into the city from Greenwood Lakes, NY and we realized we could make it in time. So this morning we left the shelter in the woods knowing we would be in NYC by the evening - what a strange feeling.It was a rough 7.9 this AM - rocky and steep in places. OD got really frustrated at one point b/c the guidebook wasn't clear on which landmarks we should be crossing, so he couldn't tell how far we'd gone. We finally made it into Greenwood Lakes around 1 PM, sweaty and starving. Ate lunch at a pizza place that had no A/C, then went next door to a thrift store where I bought a cute dress for the city. We killed time for a little while until the bus arrived.It took us a couple hours to get into the city - it was so nice to just sit and relax and watch the scenery go by. Apparently the bus ride was taking much longer than usual b/c I could hear people around us complaining. But we couldn't care less. I was so excited to catch my first glimpse of the NYC skyline! Mr. Fab texted us directions for how to get to the apt. by subway, and even with that info, it took us quite a while of staring at the subway map to figure out which train to get on. I wasn't quite as overwhelmed as I thought I'd be, just amazed at the diversity of the people around me.We got off at 135th St in Harlem, where Mr. Fab met us and took us to a store and then to the place we are staying. His brother is renovating a brownstone and kindly let us stay there. There were 6 of us sleeping on the floor in the living room area - me, OD, Mr. Fab, Shanti, Babe & Voice of Reason. I had met Shanti before but Babe and Voice of Reason were new - they just graduated high school and started a flip-flop at Harpers Ferry in June. We all talked and told stories for a while, then went to bed - sleeping pads and sleeping bags spread out everywhere as if we were in a shelter.
Date: 2012-07-07
From: Harlem, New York!

To: Harlem, New York!
Miles today: 0.0

First full day in NYC! Me, Babe, and OD decided to walk over to a Goodwill in the neighborhood so the boys could get some non-hiker clothes. It wasn't open yet, so we went to breakfast at this great place which had amazing shrimp and grits. The guys made their purchases at Goodwill, then OD got a text from Mr. Fab saying he was at the REI in SoHO. We got on the subway and met him there, where we also saw Bigfood and Big Naranja. I had been thinking about getting some new shoes, but I ultimately couldn't make a decision, so decided to stick with my New Balance trailrunners for a few more miles.Babe went off with Mr. Fab, so OD and I walked around SoHo, bought lunch and I got a cute scarf at a street fair. We walked down Broadway for quite a while, chasing down the Empire State Building, until I got tired and decided to go back to the apt. to get ready for the party.Once everyone was ready to go, we took the subway to 42nd St and I got to experience Times Square. It was unbelievable - all the lights and people and commotion! We made our way through the theater district to Hell's Kitchen, where we arrived at Reunion Surf Bar. The name comes from a small French island that is famous for its great surfing. The atmosphere there was so fun - surfboards, surf movies and lots of rum drinks. Mr. Fab's friend Gene owns the bar and was so nice to all of the hikers. It was a really fun evening. There were 13 hikers there altogether - the 6 of us staying in the apt, plus Bigfoot, Big Naranja, Catnap, Daystar, Gribley, Pants, and Tater Tot. After a few drinks (and some amazing fish tacos), we all got up and started dancing. OD had been insisting all night that he doesn't dance, but it turns out he's a liar b/c I got him to. The song "Empire State of Mind" came on and everyone went nuts. Eventually I got so tired that I couldn't keep my eyes open, so we went back to the apt. and called it a night. What a great day!
Date: 2012-07-08
From: Harlem, New York!

To: Harlem, New York!
Miles today: 0.0

Went to the McDonald's down the street for breakfast with OD, Babe and Voice of Reason, where we ordered a ridiculous amount of food and brought it back to the apartment. We hung out there most of the day, resting and trying to decide what to do. Got some authentic NY Chinese takeout for lunch.In the evening we managed to get ourselves out of the apartment and took the subway to Times Square, where OD, Voice and I saw MIB3 (in 3-D!). Then we hustled across town to Stand Up NY, a comedy club where one of Mr. Fab's friends does stand-up. Jeffrey really took care of us - he got us in for free and got us drinks. The show was really funny, too - there were 5 different comedians. We got back to the apt. around 12:30 AM and collapsed after another great day in NYC.
Date: 2012-07-09
From: Harlem, New York!

To: Fitzgerald Falls
Miles today: 6.1

Rode the bus backto Greenwood Lakes this AM, had a huge lunch at a tavern and resupplied at a grocery store. The water situation was not good today; it has been so dry lately that even the sources listed in the guide as "reliable" are dried up. We are camped tonight at Fitzgerald Falls, which is actually just a trickle. I'm grateful even for that b/c we are able to fill our water bottles at least.My favorite part of today was as we approached the Eastern Pinnacles, a big rock formation overlooking a valley. I heard singing as we approached and when we got closer I saw it was Gribley, who was praying the rosary. When he saw us, he said we were welcome to listen or join him, and he started singing the Lord's Prayer. It was so beautiful and so moving - just a perfect moment on the AT.