morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2016-06-20
From: 1217.2

To: 1232
Miles today: 15.2
Weather: clear sky

Decent Trail - almost no rocks, but some. Hot, humid. Trying to drink lots of water, but is hard. Too long at lunch - talked to WA state section hiking couple. Spock twin. Saw how "flat" PA was and decided to try a week or two. Surprised by the rocks!!Legs tiring quickly with rocks, even though there weren't many. Uphills seem harder as well - again, may be trying to go too fast. Wasn't going to use the Eckville shelter - was going to camp at the campground, but there were already 10+ tents there. Me and one other inside pretty nice shelter - old cabin, two doors to close at night, some type of carpet on the bunks. Has solar shower, but mine was fairly cool. After a long, hot day, was pretty nice. No towel, but dried fairly quickly. Was nice to go to bed feeling clean. Indoor flush toilet to complete the experience!!
Date: 2016-06-21
From: 1232

To: 1249.5
Miles today: 17.5
Weather: thunderstorm with rain

T-storms rolled through last night. 2 hammock users with NO overhead rain fly had to run into the shelter about 0500. Heh. Up pretty early and out. Some big rocks, some flat Trail. Have decided to NOT let PA make me quit. Lots of nice woods road walk - pretty, flattish, nice. Still have several places that I feel were unnecessary. Dan's Pulpit - Knife Edge - Bear Rocks - Bake Oven Knob - others. Dangerous, difficult, added nothing to experience. Went past shelter for decent campsite. Surprised at mileage with difficulty in places.
Date: 2016-06-22
From: 1249.5

To: 1264.5
Miles today: 15.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Pretty good Trail to Palmerton. Had group of Outward Bound middle schoolers at last shelter before Palmerton. Got to answer questions about Trail, hiking, etc. that even the instructors didn't know about. Hot and humid day - lots of Trail in the sun. Palmerton is superfund site from over 80 years of zinc smelting. Nasty stuff. Killed everything for miles around until 1980. You can tell from the age of the woods. Missed the spring by the shelter - was looking in the wrong place. Had to backtrack, as next water much further up. Very small spring going into aluminum pony keg and then into ground. Palmerton climb totally ridiculous. Blue blazed "winter" trail used to be AT. This was an actual cliff climb. Very hard, very scary. Wind blowing like crazy. Bad, bad, bad relocation. Other side was easier - road around fund site on top. Had first ripe blackberries. Forgot the massive pollution. Oh, well. Maybe I got the good ones. Heh. Trail Magic at Little Gap - 2012 thrus - one of which was pretty sure he remembered me, since he started at the Hiker Hostel on 29 Feb 12 as well. The two celebrate their thru every year in the same location. Fell in bad stretch of rocks - cuts and bruising below left knee. Still works. Right wrist sore and stiff.Finally found campsite - rocky, but stakes in.
Date: 2016-06-23
From: 1264.5

To: 1269.4
Miles today: 5.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Slept well - pretty dehydrated, though. Need to keep trying to chug water when I have it. Decided to dodge rain further up and rest a bit at hostel. Mile down road, but he picks you up. Called from Trailhead - no answer. Walked down. Called every 30 minutes or so, no answer. Finally got answer - he was home, just asleep from staying up the night before catching up on work. No prob. Had new boots and food drop here, so worked out well, even with only 5 miles. Has two Dobermans - one old, one young. Very nice once you get to know them and ignore the size. Did Wally/supper run. Hostel is garage under house. Asked permission and moved gas cans out - no probs from fumes. Had people complain about gas cans - did you ask to move them? Slept well - host very nice, very informative about upcoming Trail. Very informative about town and area. Got to see 1st ever Martin guitar company and new factory.
Date: 2016-06-24
From: 1269.4

To: 1285
Miles today: 15.6
Weather: scattered clouds

Hauled up to Trailhead by hostel owner. Did first 3.5 miles in 1.5 hours - timed !! Rocky trail, but no boulders, etc. yet. Cool, dry, blue skies. New boots doing well; however, had put epoxy on toe bumpers to keep them on and the epoxy peeled off in less than 2 hours. Drat !! Need the bumper to be loose so epoxy can get in to seal. Trail turned very rocky and stupid - Wolf Rocks a boulder hop. Cursing Trail and maintainers quite a bit now. Found good place just after Wolf Rocks right at 1600 - decided enough was enough, then did the math. Surprised at pace - 15.6 miles in 8 hours. Good bear tree, leaves underneath, no rocks, stakes in. Done. Just enough water for b'fast.
Date: 2016-06-25
From: 1285

To: 1293
Miles today: 8.0
Weather: clear sky

Getting old, getting soft, getting tired. Made Delaware Water Gap. Hot, sweaty, vile. Called motel - got great deal - took. NEED laundry and shower. NEED, not want. Got water at last shelter, was almost out. Carried 1 full bottle into town - should have dumped on way down, but didn't decide to stop until I was there. Fair food - stromboli NOT any where as good as Boiling Springs, hot fudge sundae, root beer float, easy day. No notes on Trail. Must have been fairly easy.
Date: 2016-06-26
From: 1293

To: 1306.9
Miles today: 13.9
Weather: clear sky

Short, cryptic notes in journal. Must have been tired that night. Good b'fast in DWG. Fairly easy up out of town. Had box waiting up ahead at Mohican Center. Box had too much food, I thought. Left some in hiker box - MacGyver (now MacGoober for some reason - didn't ask) got a lot of leftovers. She was happy. Rocks into and out of Mohican. Book says "swamp" at 1307.3, but is beaver pond. Several lodges, didn't see beavers. Lots of gnawed trees and stumps. Going around Sunfish Pond a rock hop - bleah. Rock "sculptures" just rocks piled on top of each other. Woods road after climb up and out of Sunfish Pond. Tons of camping. Several Outward Bound groups from Philadelphia going past. Shelter areas will be swamped. Mostly middle school aged. Nice to see.
Date: 2016-06-27
From: 1306.9

To: 1322.9
Miles today: 16.0
Weather: clear sky

Good early start - sun right into eyes at 0545!! Rocks again - and again - and again -..................Clear day until afternoon. Rain at 1600 - BOTH diners at AT crossing closed. Waited 2 hours under an overhang for rain to let up or at least moderate. Light rain, went forward. Slippery, water on Trail, rocks, not good. Went forward over an hour, found existing campsite but didn't like it. Too sloped. Forward a bit more, found better place, never used. Set up tent in rain. Everything wet or damp. Found huge tear in pack cover - no idea from where. Ordered new one for up ahead. Dried out inside of tent where rain came in while setting up, quilt and liner dry, no probs. No condensation, no leaks. Should be a good night.
Date: 2016-06-28
From: 1322.9

To: 1335.7
Miles today: 12.8
Weather: overcast clouds

SEVERAL night hikers last night - talking loudly, having good time in the rain. Couldn't tell if they were the middle school Outward Bounders or not. Glad I didn't try to get to the shelter - would have been very crowded. Seemed to rain all night. Still no probs inside tent. Foggy in morning. Late start - can't seem to get wet gear protocol down. Have to think about every little step to keep wetness to minimum. Wet, miserable all day. Nasty feeling, nasty Trail. Rocks, climbs, etc. Saw location at NJ 23 for hotel pickup at trail-head and took. Expensive, but don't care at this point. Laundry, shower, bed, Chinese food delivery. Had to order too much for delivery and wasted quite a bit.
Date: 2016-06-29
From: 1335.7

To: 1355.7
Miles today: 8.8
Weather: moderate rain

T-storms last night - never heard. Glad I was inside. Started with rocks and uphills/downhills. Mellowed out after a bit. Did pretty well to Murray Cabin. Owner converted 150 year old ice house into cabin for hikers. New interior walls, floor, large window. Ate brief snack and owner came up, talked about farm. Very nice guy. Great water - good camp sites, would have been a good place to stop if it had been a long day, but need to press on to Unionville for resupply.Good food at grocery store diner, not as much resupply variety as I wanted, but I made do. We'll see later. Pizza place fair. Free tenting at Unionville park - thought it was going to be a mistake, as nasty mouthed middle and high school kids were there, but left about 2030. Hard ground, security lights made it hard to find a good place, but finally did. 2 more hikers came in about 2230. Had SoLong 6 (my tent type) in grey from Top of Georgia hostel. Nice.
Date: 2016-06-30
From: 1355.7

To: 1361.3
Miles today: 16.8
Weather: broken clouds

Good b'fast at grocery store. 1st part of Trail flat, mostly, but unnecessary walk around Allkill Preserve. Another 1/4 mile road walk would have cut out over 1.5 miles of hot, sunny dirt road. Lots of boardwalk through swampy areas. Few ups and downs until lunch after roadwalks. Still, 7.5 by 1140. Then:Stairway to Heaven. Sheesh. Really? Climb up and over cliff. Tons of rock stairs and climbs. Saw my first Dad of the Year award nominee here: was CARRYING baby in arms down this intensely difficult part of the Trail. No sticks, no nothing. Good grief. Last mile to shelter, ankle hurting bad. I believe the total flats are what is doing this, NOT the rock climbing, hopping, etc. That just irritates me. Think I'm trying to go too fast on flat areas and stumping the right foot down too hard. Leg pains until 2300 or better - pain meds not working well. Just dozed, woke up, dozed, etc. One bright spot: had GREAT bear bag branch. High up, away from trunk. Section hiker came up and asked how I got it up so high? Uhhhhh, threw the rope up and over and pulled the bag up? I dunno.
Date: 2016-07-01
From: 1361.3

To: 1373.4
Miles today: 12.1
Weather: few clouds

Slept OK after 2300 or so. NOT doing over 15 or so unless I can't find a good place. May start stopping even earlier. Now have 90 to complete the Trail. Did have Trail Magic 3 times in 1.5 hours - coolers and boxes with drinks, snacks, etc. Not often I get to the Magic first. Huzzah !! Last one was break at 1030 - Pepsi, crackers, cookies from the first TM. I never take a lot and didn't the second and third time. I try to leave stuff for the next hikers. Skeeters are now out - have been using my Deep Woods Off for ticks anyway. Stupid Trail in places, decent in others. Pinnacles and Cat Rocks stupid.T-storms coming in - had to beat to shelter. Up and over Pinnacles and Cat Rocks with lightning and thunder overhead - this Trail placement isn't the only thing that was stupid - I was as well. Blessed I was to make it over without getting fried. Beat the storms with 10 minutes or so to spare. Tent up, rain down. Had water running BETWEEN my Tyvek footprint and tent bottom. I kept waiting for the hail, as these storms were intense, but nothing. Whew!After storms were over, went to get water. Found older lady - not sure if a hiker or not - Believer - trying to start a fire using plastic bags as a fire starter. Not working, went and got my wax coated jute twine fire starter I've been lugging since GA. 4 inch piece started a GREAT fire with no probs, even with the wet wood. Believer cooks over an open fire - not sure how that works over time. Hope she makes it.
Date: 2016-07-02
From: 1373.4

To: 1387.7
Miles today: 14.3
Weather: light rain

Slow start - another line of t-storms last night - had tent "stormed down", which means the awning was in a reduced profile. Worked great - no probs. Not as bad as the previous storms, but still lots of rain. Early lunch - got to dry out Tyvek and tent. Hung both from tree while eating. Got to explain to day/section hikers what was going on. Did OK - 2+ mph. Didn't feel like it - not as many idiot climbs, etc. ANOTHER Father of the Year Award nominee - had baby in backpack, going down rocky, steep (!) stretch of Trail. No poles, just rock hopping. Sheesh. Got to Fingerboard Shelter - people started showing up after I did. Did not like the shelter, went 100 meters down slope to nice, flat spot. Problem was next to it: slope above funneled ALL water past site. No evidence of water where I was, though. deep soil, no rocks, leaves for padding - nice. People still talking at 2300 - section hikers, I believe. Idiots.
Date: 2016-07-03
From: 1387.7

To: 1403.7
Miles today: 16.0
Weather: clear sky

Early start - have to do 16 today for zero day in Ft Montgomery, NY. Not too bad except for one shelter where you went up and over cliff the shelter was butted up against. THEN you see the woods road that could have led around it. Rough climb, scary in places. Have plenty of water from previous shelter - went down to Lake Tiorati and filled up at the taps. Walked down .4 miles, mostly past a TON of people already out at 0900, BBQing, cooking, oh, my. Fairly decent Trail after lake - not too bad in most places, still had a few steep cliffs and whale back walks. Think of a whale coming out of the water with just its back showing - that's what it looked like. Could see glaciation scars across and the erratics (boulders) left behind. Trail up to Perkins Memorial Tower was decent, road walk part way up, then tons of decent stairs and flattish trail. Lots of people going up. Trail down mostly steps. Not too bad at all. Hessian Lake a zoo - tons of people, tons of grills going. Stopped and bought a hot dog at the concession stand. Ate with a left over Trail Magic lemonade. Tasted great. Got to actual Bear Mt zoo right after closing. Bypass was closed off - attendants still let me walk through as long as I didn't stop to look at the exhibits. No prob - seen it all on the Trail. Bear cage lowest point on AT. Got to Bear Mt. Bridge - crossed over as was instructed by commune/hostel employee the day before - go to the NORTH side to be picked up. 1/2 mile over Hudson River. Called commune/hostel - oh, no, we only pick up on the SOUTH side of the bridge - Bear Mt. Lodge. Oh, my. 1/2 mile back. 1/2 mile to lodge for pickup. Total miles for the day: 17.5. Yeesh. Decent meal for supper and fairly inexpensive. Decent meals all together. Now: I say commune/hostel. Is actually a non-denominational center for pretty much everyone. Nice people, "justice" posters, etc. everywhere. Some makes sense, some does not, but it's a nice place to stay a day. They have conference rooms, dorm rooms, grow a lot of their own veggies, have chickens for eggs, etc. Very well laid out. Just a little too socialist for me. Whatever. I recommend them. No TV - drat - but actual computers with *gasp* keyboards. Spent several hours updating journal, checking Facebook and farming. Decent day - mood is better, but legs are intensely stiff and sore from yesterday's road walks.
Date: 2016-07-04
From: 1403.7

To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

Spent quiet, No TV day at the Stony Point Center. Caught up on this journal, ate well, relaxed, re-evaluated. One more zero day in town to resupply - I can get to a grocery store instead of waiting for 1409 where I'm not sure what will be there. My next 785.4 miles will be dedicated to my brother-in-law, Larry, who is struggling to overcome the effects of a stroke. He is in rehab and struggling to regain control of his body. Prayers and thoughts for Larry would be greatly appreciated. Every time I whine and complain about my "problems" on the Trail, I know it could be far worse.
Date: 2016-07-05
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

Seems to be a pattern emerging: Dee-Dee from the Center, a self-proclaimed older Jewish mom, gave me a spontaneous hug when she dropped me off at the Bear Mt. Inn,saying, "Old Hikers need hugs, too." Wonder if she is kin to the Doyle lady?Settled in to the Bear Mt. Inn - ate, thought and re-evaluated. Moving on tomorrow.
Date: 2016-07-06
From: 1403.2

To: 1413
Miles today: 10.2
Weather: clear sky

Third time across bridge - whoot. 3.3 miles in 1.5 hours - not too shabby, but a hard, nasty road walk. Hot and muggy. Too much weight, food and water, but since mileage is dropping, more food is necessary. Very slow, still tired. However, attitude has improved so I actually talk with people now. Before, I was just not wanting to talk. Rainbow from the Center has passed me and we have leapfrogged all day. Found place to camp about 1700.
Date: 2016-07-07
From: 1413

To: 1424
Miles today: 11.0
Weather: light rain

Still slow, weight of pack and legs holding me back - not sure why. Still did fairly well, almost and up to 2 mph. It seemed very slow, but it's actually faster than a few weeks ago. Trying too hard, trying to go too fast without realizing how fast I'm going. Lots of breaks, longish lunch. After lunch, two young pups, Verge and Legs, showed up. I have/had too much weight, so I asked if they wanted a zip-loc of trail mix. Thankfully, they said: YES!! I think it was the dark chocolate m&ms that got them. Later on, in a shelter journal, found out they are Bombadil's and Goldberry's daughters, hiking to catch up. Neat. Shortish t-storm after lunch. Walked thru the rain with no problems. Took another break at 1500 when it got DARK !!!!! Strong thunder started and I put the tent up just in time. If I had been in FL, I would have waited for the hail, the storm was that strong. Had water running between the tent floor and my Tyvek footprint. Took a 30 minute power nap, still raining, done for the day. Rain finally quit around 1800, too late for me to get anywhere.
Date: 2016-07-08
From: 1424

To: 1437.4
Miles today: 13.4
Weather: overcast clouds

Up and out with very grumpy, nasty attitude until 3 older guys came past: Rainbow from the Center, Pigeon Toe and Mr. Clean, all moving at or about my speed, all having pretty much the same problems. This helped me see that I'm not alone with these physical and mental problems. Went to deli on highway for break - beauty of a ham sammich, chips, drinks, company. Pigeon Toe got me going the right way at the highway - even though I was going the way the guide said. They stayed to camp at a pizza place a bit down the road, I moved on. Helped at the RPA shelter for about 30 minutes. They were going to have a BBQ later for hikers, but I needed to make some miles. Got coffee, OJ and a donut for a snack. Cloudy and windy, spitting rain every now and then. Made the shelter and found a camp site before the rain started, no prob.
Date: 2016-07-09
From: 1437.4

To: 1451
Miles today: 13.6
Weather: overcast clouds

Decent sleep - had to get the quilt out about 0200, turned off cooler. Shirt sweat is turning into ammonia - I smell like an overripe cat box. Ick. The moisture feels slimy as well. Not a pleasant feeling. No rain - all to the north - HUGE t-storms, evidently. Cold and cloudy - I like this type of hiking weather. Decent Trail as well. Helped a day hiker at Telephone Pioneers shelter start a fire - got to play firebug again. Stayed too long, but the rest was nice. Started raining about 1445, right before I got to Native Landscapes for my mail drops. Waited out the rain and pushed on. Too much food again, now. Was able to give some away. Still can't coordinate days and meals - not sure of how far I'll get for each day. Walked until 1800, found place, done.
Date: 2016-07-10
From: 1451

To: 1464
Miles today: 13.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Can't remember much about today. Rained over night.Bad trail - streams dry. Legs and ankles seem shot. Can't do more than 13-15 per day now. Took hour for lunch - dried tent out. Skies finally cleared about 1330. Schaghticoke Mt campsite absolute crap - way up hill, hooting, hollering, general noise with at least 1 dog barking. No thanks. Got water and pushed on. Met Troop going up and warned them. Didn't seem to be any flat ground for a while. Looked uphill about a mile or so past the campsite, seemed to be a ridge line. Took a chance, went up, nope. Looked further, another ridge line. Went up a bit more and found an old collier pit, 20 yards across, circular, flat and ditched all around it. Wished I could have told the Scouts - everyone would have fit, even if illegal. Camp at 1800.
Date: 2016-07-11
From: 1464

To: 1477
Miles today: 13.0
Weather: clear sky

Cool, dry night. Wet clothes almost dried overnight in tent. Very restful when it's a flat spot. Still tired, even after good night's sleep. Still can't understand why. Bad Trail again - ups and downs that are absolutely insane. NO, repeat, NO reason for a lot of it. Very bad downhill set of stairs to the river, but wait - look - a woods road that went to the same place, but less steep and dangerous.I'm really getting an attitude towards the planners and maintainers. Had 3 butterflies either kissing my left ear or trying to commit suicide in my sweaty hair. Looked up into the canopy and there were hundreds of the things, all swarming around. Very neat. Running out of food - didn't count on low miles, counted on 15 or better. Salisbury on Wednesday. Can't really move faster, legs just won't go.
Date: 2016-07-12
From: 1477

To: 1489
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

Decent sleep away from herd at pavilion. 6 tents, lots of people. Lots of crap Trail again - up and over to see a "view", then back down and across, over and over again. Why? No switchbacks, no finesse, no subtlety. Just "BANG", up against it, hiker. We don't care. Hot and humid again - trying to drink as much as possible. Ran into Trotter again - she beat the Lyme disease and sinus infections and is really moving now. Had female hiker compliment me on my "impressive calves". "Wife will like them when you get home." Heh. Arrived at 1740 - could have gone on, but no idea of camping ahead as usual. Tired as usual. Only one here - took sponge bath with iodine water and felt a lot better. Shirt, pants and undies never seem to dry. Found extra bag of tortillas I didn't realize I had - yay !! Enough food now.
Date: 2016-07-13
From: 1489

To: 1499
Miles today: 10.0

Fair Trail, still have spots with no finesse or switchbacks. Sheesh. Go to Georgia and learn. Way across to see an impressive view of a........hang glider company. Asphalt with a large circle on it. Almost missed Giant's Thumb, looking down, went right past. Stopped for a breather, turned around and there it was. Another unimpressive, useless landmark the maintainers had to put in. Hostel had no dryer - was worried, but the owner actually took the wet laundry to the laundromat and dried it. Sweet ! Nice place, nice owner. Grocery store across street, post office as well, pharmacy. No TV, but very comfortable bed. Got room mate later in the afternoon - can't remember the name - nice guy. Had food box waiting, resupplied the corners and need to plan further on. Had 1 meal left in the food bag.
Date: 2016-07-14
From: 1499

To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

Planned, fretted, worried over plans. Pretty sure I've left something out.Planning 13 per day now - can't make more. Not good. Planned to 1747, Hanover, NH where I'll get my cold weather stuff back for the White Mts. Had day hiker couple rescued with hypothermia around this time. Tired of stress, worry, no miles, home probs. Same old grips.
Date: 2016-07-15
From: 1499

To: 1512.6
Miles today: 13.5
Weather: clear sky

Hard day - more Trail with ups and no switchbacks, woods road beside same place that could be used. Rock climbs - almost fell several times. Glasses popped off twice, now bent and right lens falling out every now and then. All runs together now - not taking notes, not caring about anything but one step at a time. Hard going, but worse in the Whites. Oh, well. Trail magic with a Brownie Troop - gatorade and water. Very nice.