morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2009-07-06
From: William Penn Shelter

To: Phillips Canyon Spring
Miles today: 23.8

      It was another great day to hike and the miles are flying by. Not much to talk about other than the rocks. Glad to make it through another day with ankles intact.      I have high hopes that the next two days will see my mail drop dilema worked out. Tonight I'm camped only 4 miles out of Port Clinton where my drop is supposed to arrive via Fed EX over night tomorrow afternoon. I don't want to wait around all day so , using the extra days food I have, will go through town without stopping. Wednesday, my buddy Riche who is coming to visit, will drive me back to town to get the drop. He doesn't know this yet, though. A perfect plan indeed.      Camped tonight withTank, Moontower and Tweak with an enjoyable campfire. Until tomorrow...
Date: 2009-07-07
From: Phillips Canyon Spring

To: near Dans Pulpit
Miles today: 23.2

I was under way at 0800 this morning heading for Port Clinton. The descent into town was treacherous. It would have been easier to jump off of the cliff rather than to kill my knees for 45 minutes and 1000ft. I got into town about 1000 and someone showed me where the outfitter was located. There were other hikers already there including Ned the Fed, Waterboy, Moontower, Tank and Tweak. I went directly to their ice cream freezer to find that they only had two kinds of ice cream, vanilla and butter pecan! I'm beginning to see a pattern here! I made a quick call to Riche to confirm our meeting for tomorrow. He will pick me up and take me back to Port Clinton to give my food drop time to get here. I informed the outfitter staff of my intentions and they are expecting to see me tomorrow afternoon. Before I left the gear store, I signed their hiker register and found great news, Mostly had zeroed in Port Clinton on Sunday and left here yesterday. Now I'm only a day behind! As I'm sure you can tell by my mileage lately, I have been pushing pretty hard to catch up. I am really excited about the prospect of seeing my buddy again and picking up where we left off. It's been a little lonely out here lately. I think the hardest thing for me so far out here is that relationships are so hard to develop because none of us walk at the same pace. I know that Mostly and I hike the same and we enjoy each other's company, so it will be great to have a partner again.      As the day progressed, I found myself dealing with ridiculous amounts of rocks. There were two sections of huge boulder scrambles that slowed me down greatly. Also, my feet are killing me. Camped tonight in a hidden little site that looks like it used to be a road or trail. Tomorrow is a complex logistical day. And hopefully the end of "operation catch Mostly"!
Date: 2009-07-09
From: Palmerton

To: Leroy Smith Shelter
Miles today: 15.9
Weather: broken clouds

Everyone says that if you make it this far on the A.T., the journey is no longer so much physical as it is emotional. I have tried to make this journal representative of the journey that I am experiencing. Before, I have gone into great detail about physical hardships- ribs, knees, equipment, weather, trees falling,etc. Now, I sort of feel like I need to advise everyone that I foresee taking a slightly different track into the more emotional aspects of this journey for me, especially at this time of change.      The news from Mostly is, although sad and shocking to me, is excellent, wonderful news. His business is his business and I won't go into it here but I will say that I only surround myself with the highest quality people. He in his journey, is being honest, brave and true. And I send him off with the utmost support. I am so unbelievably thankful to have these last five days to spend hiking with him again and wrapping things up.   .
Date: 2009-07-10
From: Leroy Smith Shelter

To: Kirkland Shelter
Miles today: 13.8

The climb out of Palmerton was amazing. It was hand-over-hand rock climbing with 360 degree views. Past thru-hikers compared it to aspects of Katahdin, which was fun to think about today. For the longest time, we were in the open, exposed on the mountain top over looking Palmerton. After about three hours we finally entered the woods and once again became acquainted with our lush, wild home.      I had left the trail to take a bathroom break when I heard sniffing and snorting. I thought it odd that a dog would be up here. But as the sound got louder, coupled with the sound of scurrying leaves, I imagined a wild boar approaching. Going on alert, I quickly "got my things together", and ran up to the trail. Then, I saw trees shaking and finally, the biggest bear in the entire world climbed onto the trail 100ft away from me and layed down. It stayed there for ten minutes and then got up and another one ,just as huge, came up and sniffed the trail for an endless 15 minutes. They finally left a scared sailor alone.      The best story of today is the story of the saved mail drop. My best friend's brother lives with his family in Wind Gap and was eager to help me any way he could during my adventure. I told Joe and Jen about my lost mail drop in Port Clinton and they went to get it for me and dropped it to me at a road crossing. I cannot begin to thank these guys enough, it is because of support like this that I have gotten this far. The picture of the kids are Tyler and Hannah who got to learn about what long distance hikers carry in their packs. They also got to hike with me on the trail on my way to the shelter. Thanks again to the Akob trail angels!      In the shelter tonight is Mostly, Feedbag, Lunchbox and myself. We got to look at stars and cherish our time together. Tormorrow is a short day, and will be Mostlys last full day in the woods.
Date: 2009-07-11
From: Kirkland Shelter

To: Delaware Water Gap
Miles today: 5.2
Weather: overcast clouds

It was only 6 miles to town today, but it may as well have been 60. The feet are in bad shape. I tried to keep up with Mostly for the first half hour but had to reduce speed because I was in so much pain. It was probably better for us to walk alone today anyway because there was so much to think about and not too much to talk about.Tonight we are staying at The Church of the Mountain hostel. It is the basement of the church and it is so great. The people are so welcoming and friendly. There are an unbelievable amount of hikers here! I haven't seen this many hikers in one place since Damascus. They had a huge dinner for us tonight and we are all very happy. Zero day tomorrow!
Date: 2009-07-12
From: Delaware Water Gap

To: Delaware Water Gap
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

Zero day today! My favorite memory of today was all of the hikers going to church together. I looked over at Mostly, who was dillegently studying his pearl colored retro 1950's bible like the angel he is. Then this deep voice from behind us(it was Robo), telling us if we misbehaved, we would be whacked in the head with a hymnal! This is what faith is all about!      Tormorrow is the walk out of Pennsylvania and into New Jersey. Another state, another group of people, another chapter in this story that I am so thankful to be telling. Until then...
Date: 2009-07-13
From: Delaware Water Gap

To: Mohican Camp Ground
Miles today: 9.5

It was tough getting motivated to leave town today. After one last breakfast at the diner, I went back to the hostel and joined everyone sitting around and talking to each other. Nobody wanted to move. I was all packed and just sitting around until the church bells began playing a noon concert and I knew it was time to go.      Mostly joined me for one last walk across the Delaware River Bridge to the New Jersey line. We crossed into Jersey and walked into the woods and then parted ways, me for Maine and he back down to town to catch the bus home. I walked up the hill out of the gap very content and very excited about all of the adventures still to come.      Hiking is business as usual and even though I only did 10 miles today, my feet are still having problems with the rocks. Hopefully we'll be out of them soon. Unfortunately, I scheduled a too big day tomorrow. I want to get to a road crossing so I can meet a friend who is bringing me dinner. The 18 miles by 1730 will be well worth it but I have to get out early.
Date: 2009-07-14
From: Mohican Camp Ground

To: Gren Anderson Shelter
Miles today: 20.9
Weather: few clouds

It was a hard task trying to do 20 miles today after so many shorter days, so slow was the name of the game. Three bears today, they are getting more frequent now. Lots of beautiful views. The highlight of today is that my old ship mate Jeannie came out and brought me dinner and some much needed supplies. We had a lovely visit while I devoured half a fried chicken! Thank you so much Jeannie for your help and your visit! Tomorrow the group I'm hiking with(Top Shelf, Gezza, Lunchbox), are planning to stay in Unionville but I don't think I want to be in town again so soon. This stretch is sometimes called the "diner trail" because you can be in town to eat multiple times a day. I really just want to be in the woods right now. The shelters are spaced a little weird so I'm not sure where I'll be headed exactly tomorrow. Until then...
Date: 2009-07-15
From: Gren Anderson Shelter

To: County Rt.519
Miles today: 16.3

After a fine day of hiking, I was persuaded to join Top Self, Gezza, and Lunchbox in staying a night with the "Mayor" in Unionville. Indeed, Dick used to be the mayor and he opens his home to hikers. I felt a little wierd because his name and number are in none of the books and I do not like to assume invitations. But Gezza had met him at Trail Days and was sure that we would all be comfortable.      Dick's "secret service man" Butch, picked us up and brought us to the house. On the way, shouting over a blaring radio playing 80's rock music, he explained to us the house rules. First beer is free, each additional beer up to 4 are fifty cents. Nobody is allowed to do dishes. Nobody is allowed to use words with more than 3 syllables. Everone must watch Dick's video. It looked like we were in for an interesting time!      We ended up having a wonderful stay with these old eccentric men. Dick's entire message was that if you believe in your dreams, you can make them happen. He said they all thought us crazy for hiking the A.T., but since that was our dream, they all wanted to help make it happen for us.      One video was a past thru-hikers adventure in pictures put to music. As I watched the pictures, I realized that my pictures were all the same as his except his adventure is over now and mine is still going. Ever one of those pictures looked like a dream and I knew where every one of them was because I had been standing there. Watching this video made me realize the reality of where I am. Every day I am walking through post cards and making memories. It's just hard sometimes to take a step back and notice the magic of here and now. Thank you Dick, Bill and Butch for helping me to remember to do this.
Date: 2009-07-16
From: County Rt.519

To: Pochuck Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 11.1
Weather: clear sky

Overall a descent day of hiking except I went the wrong way at a road crossing in an attempt to have an ice cream lunch. 1 hour and 3 extra miles later I got back on track.      Lots of swamp walking today. Thankfully they have built plenty of wooden boardwalks over them. It doesn't help the mosquitos, though, and as I write about a thousand of them are buzzing right outside my screen.      It's nice to be back in the woods tonight, even if it is New Jersey! Tomorrow is back into town for a resupply/mail pick up. Then out again.      Biggest news headline today is Lymes disease. Four hikers in the last four days have gotten it. Am doing my best to repel them and check for them often. Until tomorrow...
Date: 2009-07-17
From: Pochuck Mountain Shelter

To: Wawayansda Shelter
Miles today: 11.6
Weather: clear sky

It's lightly raining outside my tent and that reminds me that rain is a sound I haven't heard for awhile. I am so thankful to have made it through the rocks with no rain. Rain like what we had been used to, may have been the end for me and many others in that 200 miles of trickiness.      Not many miles today but a successful in and out to Vernon, New Jersey. My food situation has been totally unorganized the last two weeks due to the maildrop mess up and the opportunity to buy things and eat in town so often. Now I'm supplied for a solid 6 days to get to Poughquag, New York. It's going to be slow moving here for awhile, but I want to build up some strength before the hardships of New England. Plus, this is my thru-hike and I want to enjoy it!      Thank you to Daniel who picked me up to take me into town today. This was my first successful solo hitch hike. Thank you to Grumpy Pete(game 08) who rode me back to the trail. In a funny but not too uncommon thru-hiker coincidence, he was on his way to Baltimore for a party. Sometimes things just seem too coincidental...      Waiting for me in Vernon was a care package from my Smokies hiking buddy Kismet. You'll remember her, right? I was so excited to hear from her and to think about her again. As everyone knows, a good hiking buddy is hard to come by! Thank you Kismet.      Tomorrow is 15 miles to find a campsite with ice cream opportunities at 10 miles. I am taking full advantage of all the fatten-up ops but I do miss being lots of miles from anywhere. It always seems like there is a plane, motorcycle or a lawn mower to ruin the silence. It won't be long until New England. Have a great day everone!
Date: 2009-07-18
From: Wawayansda Shelter

To: Mombasha High Point
Miles today: 15.5

It was a rather difficult day because of miles of ridge walking along giant rock formations. Although it was beautiful, the first day of New York was harder than I expected.      We are camped on top of Mombasha High Point which, for all of our intents and purposes, is the top of the world. We have views all around and to the southeast we can see the Hudson River Valley open to the New York City skyline! What a treat to be able to sit and look at that amazing city so far off in the distance. I just can't stop thinking about the contrast between it and here. Everything in the world is there and practically nothing we have out here. Although I love New York, today I'm glad to be here looking from afar. I even got an offer to go into the city today but declined. There's plenty of time for that when this adventure ends.
Date: 2009-07-19
From: Mombasha High Point

To: Black Mountain
Miles today: 17.2

I felt like a freight train today which was great because things are starting to get difficult terrain wise. I have stayed up too late chatting in camp so this will be short. But our campsite is, once again, amazing with views of both the Hudson and NYC skyline. It is so beautiful and wonderful to see things from up here. Have a great night everbody.
Date: 2009-07-20
From: Black Mountain

To: Graymoor Spiritual Center
Miles today: 13.9
Weather: light rain

Quite alot of goings on today. The day started off great waking up to the beautiful view of the Hudson Valley. It didn't take me long to realize that I over stressed somthing in my right calf yesterday and it spent the entire day letting me know it wasn't happy. I think it's just a minor thing, so lots of stretching.      The first seven miles of the day took forever and the terrain was more difficult than it has been for weeks. Everyone was looking forward to the zoo where the A.T. goes directly through in Bear Mountain. It was so funny to see all of those animals that we see out here frequently, in captivity. They have such different spirits when they are in a cage. Evidently, the animals in this zoo are all handicapped or injured so they're better off here, but still there were a few times I found myself getting quite sad for them.      After eating as much ice cream as I possibly could at the zoo, I proceeded up the next mountain to a particularly comfy campsite that I would have been pretty happy to stay. However, that was less than 10 miles for the day so I convinced myself to push on. Camp tonight is at the Graymoor Spiritual Center. It is evidently a Catholic monastary and they let us camp on the baseball field. There are many hikers here tonight: Tarzan, Miles, Sunday, Whispee, Rattler, Don Quiote and Nacho Pancha. Top Shelf, Gezz and Lunchbox showed up at the last minute and surprised me. It is great to see them again The four of us stayed up a long time catching up.      In the news: my shoes are shot and I am compromising my safety walking on them. Uncle Charlie is getting a new pair to meet me in Kent, Connecticut by Friday. I am mad at myself for letting this go so long. The right one actually has a hole in the sole. They're just so expensive and I thought I could get a little further... Not good safety ethics on my part. Expecting rain tomorrow. Until then...
Date: 2009-07-21
From: Graymoor Spiritual Center

To: RPH Shelter
Miles today: 18.8
Weather: heavy intensity rain

I sailed with a captain one time who took our crew to a Cape Cod beach late one night in October for a lesson in celestial navigation. It was really cold that night so we were all bundled up but still shivering uncontrollably. The captain started his lesson as follows: "Everyone is cold. We all know it is cold. So saying that you are cold is not helpful or productive." Today it poured all day and I am thankful to have made it through in one piece. There is nothing interesting to talk about. So I will simply say that we are all soaked. Everyone knows they are soaked. Telling you how soaked we are will not be helpful or productive. Good night!
Date: 2009-07-22
From: RPH Shelter

To: Morgan Stewart Shelter
Miles today: 9.0
Weather: broken clouds

It was one tough 9 mile day. Not because the terrain or weather was bad but we really got kicked hard yesterday in the rain all day. There was a great deli at a road crossing about half way today that we sat at for hours and dried things out and ate. The final five miles to the shelter was painful as my feet are not being supported from my dead shoes. To make matters worse, we are expecting bad rain again tomorrow so making it into Kent on Friday is getting sketchy. Tomorrow, I'm trying for 20 miles as early as possible to get done before the rain. Then it is 9 miles to Kent Friday for my new shoes. In a more positive outlook, I was able to skip my resupply in Poughquag and avoided a half day in town. Of course this is because of all of the deli availability but this is okay. The extra time is welcomed for my sore feet!
Date: 2009-07-23
From: Morgan Stewart Shelter

To: Wiley Shelter
Miles today: 16.3
Weather: overcast clouds

Thankfully, I made it in before the rain and am writing from inside Wiley Shelter, rain pounding the tin roof so hard that conversation is almost impossible. This is only my thirteenth night in a shelter(compare that to 75 nights in the tent). Sleep is always more difficult in the shelter because everyone is all around you. Thankfully it's only Lunchbox, Top Shelf, Gezza, Mark Trail and myself here tonight.      The name of the game today was equipment issues. Lots of things need work right now. The stretchy big pocket on my pack ripped today and I spent some time sewing it up tonight. My sun glasses broke and I super glued them. One of my poles lost it's tip, which I will need to replace in Kent tomorrow. I couldn't figure out why the right pole kept sliding all over the place! I was planning on having them looked at before the hard states anyway. Oh, and did I mention shoes? If I make it out of the shelter without them falling apart it will be a miracle.      I was able to fly here today and got all 20 miles in by 1600 hrs. It still wasn't raining and I decided to take a bath in the river. Am so happy to be clean as I was worred about my skin rotting from being so wet and dirty.      Tormorrow is an in and out through Kent, Connecticut. We will cross into Connecticut from New York in about 5 miles then 4 more miles into town. Then 7 more out to the shelter. That is a big day for a day that will probably be wet so we'll see.
Date: 2009-07-24
From: Wiley Shelter

To: Stewart Hollow Lean To
Miles today: 19.7

The miles preceeding town are always so difficult and slow because you know you're going to be able to eat real food and can't get there fast enough. That's why I like to be situated 2-3 miles outside of town the night before. Today it was 9 miles into town which may as well have been 20! Never the less, we had the 9 tough Connecticut miles behind us and were eating by 1300hrs.      I had a really bad experience at the gear shop(Back Country Outfitters), that I don't want to talk too much about it. The owner was apparently very offended that I sent my shoes there, even though he didn't carry anything like what I needed. He made several embarrassing remarks about me loud enough for all to hear. It is very easy to discern who is out here to help and who is out here to take your money. I would recomend steering clear of this store if you're in the area. I was so upset not only with this man but because I was taken so off guard that I didn't stand up for myself. Hardly ever am I speechless! In my anger, I left town and practically ran the next 7 miles to the shelter. It didn't seem to matter to me that in my haste, I had forgot to get water and that I finally had my new shoes. Thankfully I got there safely and had some time to myself before everyone else showed up and I had to explain why I disappeared out of town so quickly. Turns out the outfitter was rude to 2 other hikers and condescending about their gear.      As I'm writing, a huge powerful thunderstorm is pounding rain on the tin roof of the shelter. There are not many better feelings than being dry in a shelter during a down pour, like you have out smarted Mother Nature. I will happily end today on the good feeling!
Date: 2009-07-25
From: Stewart Hollow Lean To

To: Pine Swamp Brook Lean-to
Miles today: 10.0

I think Connecticut is a touch more difficult than everyone expected. It seemed that every single hiker had a bad day today. I made it to a shelter at 1400hrs for lunch and took a big nap. At 1700hrs, Lunchbox, Gezza and Top Shelf arrived and woke me up. We had all planned to go further but ended up staying here. I need to sleep in my tent tonight, having spent the last two nights in the shelter out of the rain. I just don't sleep as well in the shelter.      This morning we crossed a deep, quickly moving river called "Guinea Brook". I had to take my shoes off because there was no where to cross. On the other side, I sat there for an hour hoping to see some other hikers attempt to cross and maybe fall in. How vindictive of me! To my shagrin, I only got to see Tarzan and, in his perfect hiker form, he crossed magnificently. We have decided to split a hotel room in Salisbury tomorrow night and it sounds great!
Date: 2009-07-26
From: Pine Swamp Brook Lean-to

To: Salisbury CT
Miles today: 15.7
Weather: clear sky

We made it into Salisbury today but not before a tough hike. It rained again last night with all it's might for hours. Because of this, all of the rocks are super slippery. It's been so wet that I can't get a good feel for my new shoes. I have no idea if I can trust them or not because every surface is liking walking on ice. Gezza evidently fell hard today and was concerned about his ribs. He seems okay but I can empathize about how scary that feeling really is. The entire town of Salisbury closes at 1700hrs on Sunday and for an hour we considered trying to get a taxi to pick us up and take us to the neighboring town to get ice cream. However there was T.V. to be watched and so we enjoyed the rest of the night in the room.