morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2022-05-11
From: Thunderhead Lodge

To: George Outerbridge shelter
Miles today: 13.7
Weather: clear sky

It was hard to leave the Shanty on Blue Mountain hostel, partly because our host Lynn made blueberry pancakes and partly because today¢s walk included the Knife Edge!Lynn dropped Smugness, Sprite and I at the trail just after 8.30am.  I planned only 13.7 miles so I could take the long rocky sections safe and slow. And thankfully, the weather was perfect, sunny with a cool gentle breeze.  The first few miles were easy going. After about 3 miles the trail became mostly rocks as I approached Knife Edge. On the way up I meet Moonhawk, a local trail club maintainer. He gave me some great advice about the rocky sections ahead. Best of all that he had trimmed the trees to the left of the Knife Edge, allowing a traverse away from the steeper drop on the right side.  Also that I should pack my hiking poles so I could use my hands to scramble. Armed with this advice, I got up and over the Knife Edge with no problems.  Better, I was starting to enjoy rock hopping as my confidence grew.  I enjoyed the hopping and scrambling over Bake Oven Knob (real name, honest!) and took lunch at the Bake Oven shelter.  The shelter itself had a hornets nest in it so I had to settle for a bench in the sun to eat my tuna wrap and snickers bar.  A spring provided some much needed water for the next 7 miles or so. As I left the shelter, I nearly trod on the tail of a rat snake. I only stopped a few inches short because it hissed loudly at me. Not aggressively but more ¢could you watch where you are walking!¢  The remaining miles were a bit of a slog. Not matter the length of the day, the last few miles always seem to drag on.   Shelter is old school and no privy. But I got a spot near the corner and any night I don¢t have to pitch my tent is a good night!! Two more days of Rocksylvania to go. To keep my spirits high, I¢ve booked two nights and a whole day off in Delaware Water Gap to celebrate.
Date: 2022-05-12
From: George Outerbridge shelter

To: Windy Gap
Miles today: 21.4
Weather: scattered clouds

Up at 5.30 and away at 6.30 after a protein bar and a coffee. Also managed to poop in the woods without falling on my arse. So all in all a good start to the day!A short descent led to a road bridge over the Lehigh River. The ascent from the Palmerton ¢gap¢ back up to the ridge was mighty steep. So I took it real slow and enjoyed the smell of pine and the cool morning air. As the rocks increased in size, I took off my pack and put away my hiking poles as the last 75m of ascent was a boulder scramble that required both hands, plus an ability not to look down. At the summit the rocks continued with a mile or so of boulder scrambling along a traverse just north of the top ridge line. I¢ve learnt to take these boulder fields real slow as a fall could be hike ending or much worse consequences.  A sunny cool morning with a light breeze was perfect for taking this on. Not sure I¢d be comfortable in heavy rain and/or high winds. When the rocks ended, Lunchbox a northbounder with over 1200 miles hiked, caught me up.  The trail became flat and easy on the ridge line and we walked and chatted for a few hours, with me privately struggling to keep pace.  At 10.7 miles I needed a break and Lunchbox pushed on though not before agreeing to share a motel room together that night. Today¢s hike was unusual in that there were no possible water sources for 17 miles, and no guaranteed water for 20 miles. I¢d carried about 2 litres but was down to 0.7 litre for the 6 miles to the shelter with possible water.   It was now hot and those miles dragged on as I rationed my remaining water. When I finally got to the shelter I was completely out of water Luckily, the spring was flowing. I sat by the stream and filtered and drank a litre before filling my bottles with 2 litres more and heading back to the shelter for lunch. On leaving the shelter - which was at the 17 mile mark - there followed a horribly rocky section that went on for a few miles and sapped the last energy out of my legs. Better was the final few miles of switchbacks down to Windy Gap. Lunchbox was at the motel and we headed off for food. Food was great but the mile walk to the restaurant and back was less enjoyable. 21.4 miles today leaves me with just 15 miles to Delaware Water Gap tomorrow. This will be my last day walking in Pennsylvania. And I am celebrating with a full day off, what thru hikers call a zero, as no miles are walked.
Date: 2022-05-13
From: Windy Gap

To: Delaware Water Gap
Miles today: 15.1
Weather: scattered clouds

Rock a-bye baby! Today, I walked the last 15.1 miles of the AT in Pennsylvania.  The motel in Wind Gap that I stayed in last night should be demolished. The guy who owned it was eager to please but the place was a tip and the rate charged was extortionate. The most unforgivable of a long list of issues was that the bed blanket was filthy and had multiple cigarette burn holes in it. I was out at 6.30 and slowly crept up the only real climb of the day.  The weather was what I would call soft, not raining but the air was wet. Up on the ridge it was spooky as visibility was low in the mist and I was on the lookout for bears.   Be easy to walk up pretty close with so a short sight line so I decided to sing loudly enough to scare any living thing away!!For 3/4 miles the going was tough, ankle biting and breaking rocks all the way.  After a brief respite of flat AT superhighway, there was a quarter mile big boulder scramble. Dangerous in the wet ad the rocks were slippery as hell.  Two buzzard vultures had stationed themselves at the scariest section, with an exposed edge. I assume they were hoping for human remains!!The shelter at half way for the day was sociable with a few nobos (over 1200 miles into their AT journey) and Rerun and Irish, two more flip floppers that I¢d last seen in Port Clinton. The last six miles were a drag, mainly because my right thigh has a deep bruise that¢s been expanding for a few days since I fell over onto a jagged tree stump.  Today, it was like a ¢dead leg¢ and it hurt every time I pushed on it, being particularly painful downhill. The long, sometimes steep and sometimes winding descent into Delaware Water Gap, was therefore a giant pain in the arse. It took me about an hour longer than usual and I limped into DWG.On the plus side, I saw 4 chipmunks in the last few miles. And I love watching the cheeky little fellas!! Remember, ¢Chip and Dale¢?  I also saw my first groundhog a few days ago - apparently they like to stick to the same routine every day :-)   At the hotel, I immediately had  a long bath. Followed by a few visits to the ice machine to start reducing the swelling on the various bits of my legs and feet that are sore, Glad to have completed the Pennsylvania section of the AT. Looking forward to a less rocky New Jersey. I¢ve covered over 270 miles in 17 days.  Beating the longest thru hike I¢ve done previously, which was the Pennine Way in England. Taking a complete day off tomorrow - a zero day - to heal up and get ready to tackle New Jersey.
Date: 2022-05-14
From: Delaware Water Gap

To: Delaware Water Gap
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: few clouds

First zero dayAfter arriving at my hotel in Delaware water gap on Friday, I did my laundry, had a bath, iced the most painful areas of my legs - right thigh, left knee, and right ankle - ate a huge lunch at the apple pie bakery, and enjoyed dinner and a few beers at the sycamore grille. I had the whole of Saturday free to laze about in DWG.  I decided to walk as little as possible, spending as much time as I could icing my sore legs and keeping my feet up. I got all my resupplies in less than a hour at the local outdoor shop, the bakery and the service station.  That saved me getting an Uber to a Walmart and having a soulless traipse around the cheap but depressing aisles of processed food. My other mission was to keep eating and cramming calories as I am losing weight a bit too fast. For breakfast, I scoffed three iced donuts and coffee. And I went to the Sycamore grille again for lunch and dinner!!  In the evening, we got a little hiking crew together for dinner including EarlyBird, TinMan, Pozzi and Ness.  It was good to catch up with EarlyBird who¢s been a day behind me for a about a week now. He¢d been surprised by a big timber rattlesnake on the hike into town and was keen to share video and photos. Packed my backpack after dinner to be ready to roll back on the trail in the morning.
Date: 2022-05-15
From: Delaware Water Gap

To: Tent Site 
Miles today: 16.7
Weather: clear sky

I enjoyed my last morning in the hotel, showering and eating another 3 glazed donuts with coffee for breakfast. I had a final coffee (a good flat white) in town and then got back on trail. Plan A was to walk 15 miles to a campsite. Plan B was to walk 16.7 miles to another campsite. And plan C was to stop at just over 10 miles if the forecast of possible thunderstorms or heavy rain were proved right. There was a mile or so of road walking, over the Delaware river and through the parking lots for day hikers. The ascent back to the ridge was gentle and easy going. What a difference a state makes!!!Sunfish Pond is a glacial lake and apparently one of the seven wonders of NJ. It was impressive though the rocky moraine along the side of the lake made for slow and careful progress. The ridge ran parallel with the Delaware river below for all of the morning, allowing glimpses of the valley, and the hills and woods to the far horizon. At 1pm, I stopped for good lunch at a rocky viewpoint with a beautiful broad vista. No lunch is complete without a packet of Cheetos now! No sign of rain so I pushed on along the grassy ridge, full of tree in leaf and wildflowers. Dropping down towards the AT mountain centre at 10 miles, I came across a cooler full of ¢trail magic¢. The cooler was full of water, snacks and medical supplies provided for free by a local Methodist church group. I drank a water and filled my bottles with two more. Also grabbed alcohol wipes and green tea bags that I couldn¢t find in town.  The snacks and treats looked tempting but I had a full food bag so didn¢t take anything else.  My first trail magic!Later, I stopped at the poorly named Rattlesnake Spring to collect enough water for an overnight stay at a dry campsite. Soon after, I came across a taped off area with signs warning of an aggressive bear in the area. There taped area contained a big metal baited bear trap, working by means of the one way flap method.  If caught, I hope the bear just gets moved along and nothing more. Putting a few miles between myself and an aggressive bear felt sensible, so I summoned the energy for plan b and the campsite at 16.7 miles. The next campsite beyond that was 4 more miles. I had the energy for it but I stuck to my promise to myself to limit my miles, to keep my legs happy and to savour the trail a bit more.  As I erected my tent, thunder could be heard over on the next ridge  I ate dinner with Smugness and Sprite - who¢d arrived just after me - guessing when the rain would reach us.  Unexpectedly, we were treated to a glorious sunset and then just a light smattering of rain.  But it¢s only 8.30pm and it could be a long night if we do get the predicted thunderstorm.
Date: 2022-05-16
From: Tent site 

To: Gren Anderson shelter 
Miles today: 14.9
Weather: overcast clouds

Last night was hot and humid, making for a difficult night¢s sleep. Before bed, I¢d found a tick nestling into my hairline on the back of my neck.  As the weather warms there at lots of bitey things about. I rolled out of my tent at 5.15 to find some cooler air.  Made coffee and slowly packed up. Left at 7 and walked solidly for 5 hours to make the 11.8 miles to Gyp¢s Tavern. On the way, I had a fall. I slipped on a glassy wet rock and my feet went from under me in classical fashion. I landed flat on my back, which would have been v painful if I had not been wearing my backpack. As it was, it was like flopping on a gym mat, with no harm done. Today, Gyp¢s Tavern has a taco food truck outside, sells cold beer and welcomes hikers to charge their phones and whatnot. It¢s an institution on trail and it was great to spend a few hours there.I left 2.45 hoping to get to a shelter 3 miles away before a thunderstorm was due. Unfortunately, because of my last beer I was about half a mile short of the shelter when the downpour started. I arrived soaked and bedraggled.  Soon warmed up with dry clothes and hot tea. Nice people and chats at the shelter. 14.9 miles and these shorter days are working well for me. 300 mile marker passed today!!!
Date: 2022-05-17
From: Gren Anderson shelter 

To: The Secret Shelter
Miles today: 18.3
Weather: clear sky

I walked 18.3 miles on the AT in New Jersey today.  I didn¢t see a soul all day.  I¢m staying at the (not so) secret shelter, in an idyllic setting of a wildflower pasture enclosed by woods. It¢s been close to a perfect day, only Fi being with me could make it better. I had a dehydrated breakfast of eggs, potatoes and bacon bits plus coffee at 6 and I was on the trail at 6.30. After almost 6 miles of gentle up and down, smooth and rocky, I stopped at a shelter for 10 minutes to rest my back and eat a snickers. The next 7 and a bit miles were a bit tougher, ending with a steep climb to a fire tower - with good views - and then down to another shelter where I had a good lunch of bread, salami, cheese and a hard boiled egg. The view at the fire tower included the cenotaph shaped needle marking NJ¢s High Point at 1798 feet. I didn¢t go up the side trail to see it so I do not know whether it is another of seven wonders of NJ to add to my check list. (In case you have not been keeping up, yesterday I walked around the glacial Sunfish Lake - my first visit to a wonder of NJ.)After lunch the path lost height and the walking was easy, except for two nasty little steep PUDs (pointless up and downs) before my arrival at the secret shelter. Jim Murray is an ex-thru hiker who owns the land where the shelter is located.  Amazingly, he allows hikers to use it for free. The hiker hut has 4 walls (v unusual),  a water spigot, electric sockets (!!) and a privy.  But the best feature is it¢s Eden like location. And the friendly donkey called Jake, who called to visit soon after I got here.  I am sitting on the porch of the hut watching Jake and an assortment of birds amongst the wildflowers and it¢s a moment in my life that I will never forget.  Thank you Jim Murray!
Date: 2022-05-18
From: The Secret Shelter

To: Wawayanda shelter 
Miles today: 18.6
Weather: few clouds

The secret shelter kept giving. At twilight, a doe and two fawns entertained us by frolicking at the end of the pasture. The fawns would run, get their legs tangled up, struggle to stay upright and then have another try.  The walk out of the shelter was flat for a good few miles, which including walking over big boards and along a road to avoid the worst of the marshes.  Along the way - a little bit off trail- I  popped into Horley¢s General Store in Unionville for a big breakfast sandwich, a coffee and a extra sandwich for lunch. The highlight of the morning was walking around three sides of a big wetland nature reserve. Lots of birds to see but it was red buntings that mainly kept me company. The middle miles of the day were the familiar mini rollercoasters of the AT, up and down, up and down. At 13 miles there was a road crossing with a garden centre selling various produce and ice creams. Ate my sandwich there, had a Gatorade and an ice cream and headed for the steep climb of the day. The climb was called ¢the stairway to heaven¢ and it was rocky and fairly steep in places. On the way up, I saw my first Garter Snake, not that I knew that when I saw it and took picture. But that¢s what folks tell me it is, another non poisonous snake. After the climb was 3 more tedious rocky up and downs before I reached the shelter. Steady is here, who was at the secret shelter last night. Plus two new flip floppers to me-  Silver and Fallout. Tomorrow is a short day: 10 miles to a hot dog stand and an ice creamery, and then a pick up to the motel lodge where I have a room.
Date: 2022-05-19
From: Wawayanda shelter 

To: 17A highway
Miles today: 10.0
Weather: broken clouds

A social evening in the shelter with Steady, Fallout and Silver was followed by a night of heavy rain.  It was good to be in the shelter but with rain forecast until 10am, I wasn¢t much looking forward to the morning¢s hike. I set off at 7am with 10 miles to hike to the 17A highway crossing, where I was to picked up by the Greenwood Lake Lodge motel shuttle. There was also the promise of a hot dog stand and an ice cream shop near the road crossing. The elevation profile showed a few minor ups and downs but what looked like a long ridge walk.  It was not! After a few miles of powering along in the drizzle there was the first of many very steep scrambling ups and downs on some wet and very slippery rocks. In the 5/6 miles of continuous rocky ups and downs, I fell over 4 times, grazing my hands a bit more each time as my legs went from under me and I broke my falls the best I could manage. A couple of the sharp descents on slick lichen covered rock, had my toes and fingers in tiny inch or two crevices as I tried and just about succeeded in not tumbling 20 feet or so onto a rocky landing.  I was swearing and cussing and generally mad at myself for letting my expectations of an easy day get the better of me. To cap a bad morning, when I finally made it to the road crossing the hot dog stand was closed!!!On more positive notes, I saw my first wild orchids (ladies slippers?) and some sweet smelling wild azaleas. The hosts at the lodge are also lovely people, offering the shuttle for free and doing my laundry for $5. There¢s also a bath!!!!
Date: 2022-05-20
From: 17A highway

To: Fingerboard Shelter
Miles today: 16.6
Weather: overcast clouds

This was a bad day. The hardest day of walking so far and my lowest day physically and mentally.  And the first time I have thought about quitting. My day off was not as restful as I had hoped.  The 10 miles into town were hard and once there I had a lot to do in an afternoon: visiting the post office, buying supplies and ice for my aching legs.  Plus the centre of town was a good half mile walk from my motel.  It was good to have a bath and rest and ice up but it was over all too quickly. The motel owner drove me back to the trail junction. I had been told it was a tough stretch ahead and that proved true almost immediately. In the first few miles there were two big rocky outcrops to overcome; the Eastern Pinnacles and Cat Rocks. With some difficulty, and the odd treacherous slip I made it.  After wildcat shelter I thought the terrain would get easier. That was wishful thinking. For the 16.6 miles I walked today, I must have bouldered up 20 or more rocky little summits. After the first few of these scrambles I was ¢all in¢ with hardly any gas left in my tank. I just seemed to run on empty all day, getting through each scramble by sheer desperation. My mood was awful: flustered and negative. I tried to turn myself around about half way through the day with a big effort to be more positive and push a bit harder, but I almost immediately got lost and walked over 0.75 of a mile on the wrong trail, adding 1.5 miles to my day. For the rest of the day I had grim thoughts about giving up and not being physically up to the demands of the AT.  Though I did rally enough to haul myself through and up and over the famous Lemon Squeezer rocks.  Just before I got to the shelter, walking pitifully slowly, I turned a corner to find a big deer just 7 or 8 feet away staring at me quizzically. It stood staring at me for a full 5 seconds or so in what seemed a kindly manner. And I took this as a sign to calm down and relax, as if the deer were saying ¢You¢re ok. Take it easy, You got this. We¢re watching over you¢.  An uplifting end to a bad day. I collapsed into Fingerboard shelter just before it started to rain heavily.  Fallout was there ahead of me, smugness and sprite rolled in wet 30 or so minutes later.  The shelter was busy with New Yorkers out hiking for the weekend, making for a social evening. It was a hot sweaty night and I slept anxiously worrying about the next few days hiking. It was a hard day and I¢m doing ok, but I need to be careful not to push myself too hard.  16.6 was probably 4 or 5 miles too much for me today.
Date: 2022-05-21
From: Fingerboard Shelter

To: Hemlock Springs campsite 
Miles today: 17.6
Weather: few clouds

I started today at 6.30am feeling anxious after yesterday¢s struggle.  And aware that it would be a hot day with temperatures up to 95F. Fortunately, the trail was mellow to begin with allowing me to get into a steady stride and process the events of the day before. I kept up a good lick all morning, knocking off miles of my day. But also saving my energy for Bear Mountain later in the day.  The mountains before and after Bear Mountain looked steeper to me so I was pleased to get over the first of these in good shape.  I¢ve got a solid approach to walking up long steep hills on big mileage days, which is to take them real slow and let the mountain come to me.  The slower I go the quicker I seem to make the ascent as I never stop as  going so slowly means I am never out of breath. I call this the ¢million steps of zen¢ method and I always thank the mountain for giving me time to mediate at the start of a climb. Cheesy? Perhaps?  It works for me¢¦The climb up bear mountain was fine, not  hard at all.  At the fire tower, I was shocked to see a mass of cars and hundreds of people out for the day. Though happy to buy a coke from a vending machine.  I bounced down the 1.7 miles of steps down the other side of the mountain, watching NY¢s finest struggling up the hill in their best clothes, many with music blasting out to bring a festival atmosphere  .The bear mountain recreation ground below was heaving with picnickers.  It was fun to see so many people out enjoying the sun with their families.  And I got to rest up, eat lots of food and use the rest rooms. Result!The end of the day was a near vertical ascent of Anthony¢s Knob (it¢s not a knob but I can¢t remember it¢s real name).  I had to use all my zen powers to get up and over and then a mile or so on to my campsite. On this occasion, I might have forgotten to thank Anthony for his knob. At the campsite, I realised I had lost my tent stakes.  I used some twigs and my tent pitch wasn¢t too bad though I was glad that  no wind was forecast!
Date: 2022-05-22
From: Hemlock Springs campsite 

To: Canopus Lake Beach Shelter
Miles today: 18.6
Weather: overcast clouds

I¢ve been too tired to write my journal the last three days.  New York has been tough! Today was another very hot (95F) day but slightly easier terrain and included a stop at the Appalachian Trial Deli for breakfast, more supplies and recharging. A hiker oasis.Three days food on board plus water meant my pack was the heaviest it has been.  I made pretty good progress until a a late lunch at a state camp ground about 13 miles into my hike.Thw afternoon and the last 5 miles or so were a drag, particularly a couple of miles around Canopus lake to get to the shelter. The water was always close but the trail, as the trail does, took the steepest, rockiest path up and around the lake, which had me walking at snail pace.The shelter itself is new and the lake has some facilities, most of them closed but a rest room and some sockets are always welcome.Watched a big thunderstorm with a giant rainbow from the shelter  and slept better as night was much cooler.  If the humidity is lower I might even get to put on dry clothes to hike in for the first time in 4 days.  There¢s nothing like putting on wet clothes every morning. It¢s a joy of hiking not often discussed.