morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2003-04-04
From: Birch Run Shelter

To: Alex Kennedy Shelter
Miles today: 25.0
Weather: broken clouds

I had another bad sleep last night , I can't wait to reach Connecticut and switch back to my thermarest,.I have passed Scotland , Stirling , Caledonia and Renfrew in the past few days.......I have to keep reminding myself that I am not on the west highland way and I am on the A.T..The hiking terrian has been fairly easy the past few weeks much of which has been ridge walking.Although I am starting to see many more farms around me and houses , its a welcome change.I passed by a Hostel today it was actually an international youth hostel. I went in to say hello and ended up spending some time in the place talking with the manager , who was filling me in on the history of the local area an the hostel building itself.I got the chance to eat a cheesse burger today when crossing a road near to a store , I spent an hour in the store watching CNN catching up on all the news.Its was a bit chilly today and rain is forcasted for tommorow.....ahhh.. where has all the lovely weather gone that I recived in Virginia ????????????I am sharing the shelter with a father and son team out for the weekend.
Date: 2003-04-05
From: Alex Kennedy Shelter

To: Cove Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 25.0
Weather: overcast clouds

When I got up today I was feeling like crap because it was frezzing last night and my sleeping bag cannot cope with this late winter , plus the fact there was some seriously loud snoring going on.....I headed into boiling springs and arrived at the local cafe just before 10.00hrs , Boiling springs is a historical town with old houses and well kept gardens.Its the sort of place you go and visit on a sunday , its an 18th century iron industry settlement that became a 19th century tourist village.The name comes from the fact that there is 22 million gallons of water bubbling up each day in the surounding springs..... anyway enough history.I stopped at the local cafe to enjoy some bagels and good coffee and then I stopped by the local outfitters(something every hiker seems to do when in town even although nothing is needed)..While in the outfitters I got talking with some locals and they were very doubtful of my plans to reach Mt Kathdin (Maine) at the begining of june , he went on to ask where would I be spending tonight.I told him the second shelter from here the distance to the first shelter was 14.3miles then its another 7.3milees to cove mountain shelter.He looked at ! his watch and said its nearly noon and that I would have no chance of making it to the 2nd shelter and I would have to hurry just to make it to the first shelter.I tried to explain I would have the speed to do it because I have been out on the trail for so long I am trucking along pretty quick , but still he said he has been hiking this part of the trail for 20 years and that it would be impossible to make it there before dark.......I crossed over about 15 roads today , I was passing through a valley for about 12 miles to get back on to a ridge.I passed many farms , houses and stopped many times to talk with people who were out walking thier dogs.It was a good change of scenery and gave me the chance to give me a different view of the country I am hiking through.I rolled into the Shelter (2nd one) just before 1900hrs and met the 2 Israeli girls who's pictures I seen at harpers ferry , I was begining to think I had passed them becuse I have been doing big miles but still had not caught up with them.They still have no trail name so they are called micha & sara , they started at harpers ferry and are doing flip-flop.I am oviously the first thru-hiker they have met so we all spent hours talking about the trail , tommorow I will hike down to Dunncannon with them.
Date: 2003-04-06
From: Cove Mountain

To: Peter Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 15.4
Weather: few clouds

Today got off to a slower start since I had one less hour in bed because the clocks changed.....not that I needed to get up for anything special , only to walk up and down mountains all day.I hiked down the mountain and into town with the girls and we stopped at the first gas station in town and I filled up on coffee & doughnuts.....I am trying to eat as much as I can when I get into town because I am losing more and more wieght all the time , I just can't seem to get enough calories.i have went from 183lbs in january to 153lbs !!!! I am feeling ok but I am begining to look like a kenyan marathon runner except from the fact that the weather has not been good enough to turn my skin even pink yet.We managed to strike a deal with the local campground for $1 showers with the only catch being we would have to wait 1hrs for the water to warm up.So in the meantime we walked to the truckstop and done our laundry ,it was on the way back that 2 trailnames were born .Micha has taken on the name of Paitence since she seems to have none and Sara has taken on the name of Snail and it does not take much to figure out why she got that name.After the $1 showers which actually turned out not to be worth 10cents due to barely warm water we headed back up the mountain.I am going to hike with the 2 girls for a few days beccause we are having a good laugh and hiking with people is a big part of the trail but because I stared so early I have only hiked with Rocket & bono.For only being on the trail for 10 days they are both in good condition and can put the miles away pretty quick.Everythging was good today until I put my radio on for tommorows forcast...SNOW is on its way.....
Date: 2003-04-07
From: Peter Mountain shelter

To: Raush Shelter
Miles today: 17.5

At first I thought I was having a dream or more to the point a nightmare......I woke up with the exact same feeling as I did Overmountain shelter many moons ago.The snow was coming in with the wind and it was blowing all over my face and I was in a good shelter with an upstairs , but when the weather wants to get you on the trail there is no getting away from it.I was cold enough when I was in my sleepng bac and when I got out of it to go down and put my boots on I nearly turned into a block of ice , the temp was in the low 20s.........absoultly crazy weather for spring !!!! I am not equiped for this weather I have been frezzing night after night.So Paitence , Snail and I set off into the winter wonderland once again , it snowed all day long .By the end of the day there was about 8 inches on the ground.......the day was made easier with the fact that paitence is a bundle fun and kept us going all day with her warped sense of humour.Well my hands are going numb which means it time to go to sleep or should I say its frezze time........
Date: 2003-04-08
From: Raush Shelter

To: 501 Shelter
Miles today: 17.5
Weather: overcast clouds

Today I had my earliest wake up call to date , patience was in controlof what time we were getting up since she "borrowed" my clock just before we went to sleep.So in the early hous of the morning she announced that it was 0600hrs ,I immeadiatly got up and started cooking breakfast and at the same time snail was complaining that it could never be 0600hrs.When I double checked I found the time to be 0150hrs ,paitence is lucky that she is a member of the opposite sex because otherwise she would have been rolled from the shelter to spend the reminder of the morning in the frezzing snow which is everywhere outside.The temp was in the low 20s last night again , I don't know how I am sleeping in my paper thin sleeping bag.So we got trucking and the depth of the snow was the same as yesterday with the temp below frezzing all day.The hiking would be really easy with no snow because its all straight forward ridge walking with a few rocks chucked in.We conduted lessons in Hebrew and Scottish today while hiking , I am a natural Hebrew speaker so say the girls.Paitence does the most peculier of things at times i.e blows her nose with leaves from the ground........The shelter we are sleeping at tonight is enclosed and has menus for pizza and stories in the register of how the people who stay in the house next to here sell ice cream and coca cola....but nobody is at home !!!! suprise suprise.
Date: 2003-04-09
From: 501 Shelter

To: Port Clinton
Miles today: 23.6
Weather: overcast clouds

Ok when the snow falls its crap but when the snow stays on the ground for a few days and forms a layer of ice across the top it gets really really crap,every foot step is hard work.Oh the joys of living in a winter wonderland !!!This state has got the reputation of being the worst because of all the rocks sticking up from the ground and the rock fields you cross that look like someting from LOST IN SPACE....now if you couple that with snow....Ahhhhh well I think you have the picture.Today Mineral mark is hiking with us , we met him in the shelter last night.He is hiking from MD-ME and has been on the trail for a week , he kept up with us all day but with many boughts of puffing and panting.Everytime I would stop to go into my backpack he would drop to his knees for rest , meanwhile the 2 girls are just cruising along the trail.I am very impressed with thier fitness and endurance for only being on the trail for a coulpe of weeks , plus the cold weather factor you would think would affect them more since they are used to the extemley warm weather in Israel.We arrived in Port clinton and made our way to the local bar....no not for beer but for accomidation.On arrival we were told the hotel was full , so we had a beer !!!! I walked to the next hotel (the only othet hotel) and enquired about a room for us all to share.The cost was $100 incl tax for the night..I would have slept in the local stream before I would give them that kind of money.In fact I remember being in New York City last november and paying $80 a night in a hotel on Madison Av and here this wee itty bitty hotel in a town that comprises of one street wants $100.......as they say in NYC ..Forgeeeeeeeeet about it!!!!!I went back to the first hotel and enjoyed the largest portion portion of food I've had on the trail.While talking with some of the locals at the bar a new addition to the bar crew appeared and on listening to me speak immeadiatly asked "are you Scottish"I repied "I" and then quickly corrected myself to "yeah sure am " he went on to tell me about how he is a Stuart and has traced back his family tree in Scotland.He asked what I was doing here in Port Clinton and when I told him of our accomidation headache for the night he invited paitence ,snail, minreal mark and I to spend the night in his house which was right next door to the pub......perfect.Brad also took us to the nearest town with a supermarket so we could resupply and then to his favouraite pub in Hamburg.So we all had a great end to a crappy day.
Date: 2003-04-10
From: Port Clinton

To: Allenton shelter
Miles today: 15.0

Today I was very tierd because we ended up pretty late last night and we had to be out of Brads house awhen he went to work.So mineral mark split from us right at the startof the day , he looked worn out and I think it would have been more of a punishment than a pleasure if he had came along with us.The sun was trying to come through today and most of the snow was dissapearing , it was rocky trail again today.I met Father Al on the ridge today , he was on a day hike and travelled all the way from Boston to hike some of the trail in P.A.Nothing much else happened today except from when I left the 2 girls at the end of the day to get to the shelter quicker......they got lost !!!! ha ha I gave them a few words of advice on how to follow the white blazes and not the trails with any other colours.But Paitence was quick to ansawer me back with her twisted sense of humour !!
Date: 2003-04-11
From: Allentown shelter

To: Bake oven shelter
Miles today: 10.0
Weather: light rain

The rain started in the early hoursof the morning and lasted through out the night , so I thought for 1 second about hiking in the rain and decided "no way hozai".Now coming from Scotland I have not got a problem with the rain , but since the extended forcast was for sunshine starting from tommorow I thought to myself why get wet and misrable when I could stay dry and happy.So ai stayed in the shelter and the 2 girls decided to hike on in the rain , I wished them wet luck and offthey went into the clouds.At around 1500hrs Vista man & Feather appeared , both locals who were out on a day hike.I spent some time talking with them and Vista man took a photo of me with his digital cammera and was going to send it to my Mum&Dad in Scotland.Modern technology its amazing , here I am sitting up the top of a mountain somewhere in America cut off from the world to a certain extent and my family can get an image a few hours after me meeting someone 5000 miles away from home.The rain stopped just after they left , they told me about a restruant in between here and the next shelter so that gave me extra motivation to get my boots on and push on.I had a good but budget busting meal which I am sure added some well needed calories to my reserves.I got to the shelter quite late since I hiked in the dark over knives edges and bear rocks , which were pretty tough in the daylight never mind in the pitch dark with a fading light and 20ft visabilty due to the mist.So after getting lost about 10 times I reached my destination and woke up the girls to annoy them some since I was in a annoying mood.
Date: 2003-04-12
From: Bake oven shelter

To: Leroy A Smith
Miles today: 23.5

Due to the fact we stayed up late last night talking and then spending time this morning talking some more I never got trucking until after 1200hrs.I had lots of fun hiking with Paitence & Snail all week , they are both very strong and I am sure they will complete thier hike.As I left they were starting thier prayers while my prayers had already been answered .....the sky was blue , the sun was shining and I was hiking in shorts & t-shirt once again....I hope the good weather is here to stay.I bumped into steve,rich and bob all friendly locals out for a day hike , it lifts my spirit when I met people so happy & friendly.The whole 25 miles today was ridge walking with only a couple of small ups and downs when Done a few road crossings.If I stopped all day long to talk with other hikers , the mountains were very busy.I was crouching down drinking from a spring when a familar face approached me , it was one of the crew from he AMC who I had met in the Bears den hostel exactly 2 weeks ago to this very day.She said she was only just talking about me to her friend today and could not believe how far on I have hiked (I am near the end of Pennsylvania) we stood talking for a while.In fact I spent about 25% of the day talking with people , so much so I never reached the shelter until after midnight.The shelter had people in it so I just crashed in front of the fire.
Date: 2003-04-13
From: Leroy A Smith

To: Fox Gap
Miles today: 13.8

I never got much of a sleep last night beacause the temp dropped so low I spent most of the night shivering , at first it was ok because I still had some heat from the camp fire but as the night went on it got cooooooold.Another beautiful morning with no clouds !!! I apoligised to the other hikers if I woke them up and then spent an hour talking with them , one guy had just returned from Scotland and done some hiking while he was there he also told me about a friend who was going over in a few weeks to do the West Highland Way....our best long distance hiking trail in Scotland.After walking for 5 mies I reached wind gap and got talking with a group of AT trail maintaners who were out with white paint re-blazing the trail.I got speaking to one guy who was telling me he was going to Scotland in exactly 2 weeks time and guess what he was doing ??? yeah you got it the West Highland Way......I told him the name of the guy I was talking with but there seemed to be no connection between them !!!!!Just after I climbed back onto the ridge I started to feel unwell , I had to keep on stopping and take a rest and this is something I never do.By the time I reached fox gap which is 6 miles short of my destination I was feeling as sick as a dog.I got talking with some hikers who had just pulled in to the gap to go for a day hike.I told them about how I was feeling and I got a run into town from one of the guys.I am staying in the Presbyterian church(a Scottish import) hikers hostel which is joined onto the church.I phoned a number on the door for someone to come and open the hostel for me , a man called Dave appeared and let me in to show me around.The place is really good and hikers are left here on a trust basis without a live in caretaker.I am now lying in my sleeping bag shivering and feeling very sick , maybe I have the flu or something...I will maybe have to take a Zero day tommorow.....today has ended up a disater since the hip belt tore off my backpack and it felt like a ton all day without it.
Date: 2003-04-14
From: Fox Gap

To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Well I woke up during the night 100 times (at least) tossing and turning , I felt like I had the flu.So when I finally got up this morning I decided not to hike and take it easy for a day and try to figure out whats wrong with me.I sopke to Pastor Karen in the morning and she offered to take me to the doctors but I decided not to and wait another day for one simple reason $$$$$$$$$ its very expensive for me to go to see someone who might just turn round and tell me to drink some hot milk and take a few days rest.So I just hung around the hostel all day and rested.Dave the chairman of the hostel popped by late in the afternoon to see how I was doing and Pastor Karen dropped in to give me some ginger ale.Both very friendly people who have took time to see that I am feeling ok.The hostel here in the Church is very good and the Pastor was telling me that its the oldest hikers hostel on the trail.Late in the Afternoon patience and snail appeared from the woodwork and were very suprised to see me , they thought I would be well on my way.They left to catch a bus but returned late in the evening blaming weekenders for giving them some mis-information.If i am feeling up to it tommorow I am going to go over to the next town to do my Laundry and then hitch back to where I came of the trail to do the 6 miles to the Hostel so that I can have a fresh start the following day without having to back track on myself.
Date: 2003-04-15
From: Fox Gap

To: church on the mountain
Miles today: 6.2

I got up this morning feeling a little better with my headache dissapearing but my tendency to visit the toilet rising.Dave(hostel chairman) gave me a run over to the next town where I could do my laundry and get a hair cut.I got to Stroudsburg just before lunchtime and hung around the laundrette dressed in my waterproof jacket and trousers   , I sure was getting a few strange looks but what can you do when you only have 1 pair of shorts , 2 t-shirts and boxer shorts and they are all dirty.The weather was amazing outside probably in the high 70s and I was stuck inside running back and forth to the toilet.After I spent my time in what felt like a sauna wearing a boiler suit I crossed over and got my spring time crew cut.I went to CVS and spoke to the pharmicist about what would be a good antidote for my problem , but he ended up talking more about the trail and less about my problem.I left the store with some ......... .and a sore head again.I got a hitch up to the trail where I came of on sunday and I walked the 6 miles back to the Church.I got walking just after 6pm and the sunset was one of those ones I would normally sit down and enjoy but since I had only sandals on and it was getting dark and the trail was really rocky I thought I had better get   trucking.I met a guy at the top of mt misa and he was there to enjoy the full moon .I arrived back at the Church to find my old and knackered hiking buddy mineral mark , he caught me back up and he could'nt believe it.
Date: 2003-04-16
From: church on the mountain

To: church on the mountain
Miles today: 0.0

I had to get up sevral times during the night with major cramps in my stomach and make some fast exits from my bed to the you know where.It is most definetly not the flu that I first thought I had , I am pretty sure I have Giardia all the symntoms match up.Pastor karen and Dave both called round to see if I was ok and offered to take me to the Doctor , since this costs mucho dinnero $$$ I declined thier offer and hoped for it still to clear up by its self.But as the day has progressed it has only got worse and I think I will have to see a doctor tommorow.The Church is having all the congregation round for an Easter egg painting picnic so Rev Karen invited Mineral mark and I to join the congregration for thier picnic.We helped set up all the tables outside and   got introduced to everyone as they arrived and then the Rev announced hikers & children were to approach the food table first.....this hiking game sure does have its good points.The food was very good and everybody made us feel very welcome.What a great place to stay on the trail , Bob Peoples hostel in TN was top of my list but I think this one has just knocked it off its #1 spot.The town here is really small and has the best pizza so far , the best bakery and in my opinion the best hostel along the trail.Rev Karen really knows how to open up the church to "everyone" and for everybody to enjoy it.
Date: 2003-04-20
From: church on the mountain

To: church on the mountain
Miles today: 0.0

I am on a bus heading to N.Y.C !! I seen the Doctor today and I am waiting for results to come back from the lab to see whats wrong with me.Pastor karen took me to see the doctor this afternoon , the doctor was used to hikers coming with Giardia and was very friendly and understanding of my plea of being a "poverty stricken hiker" He gave me a reduced rate which was very much appreciated.Lesson # 1 -always get medical Insurance !!!!!!So I am getting a train from NY to Stamford CT and I will spend the Easter weekend there with family , I was planning on being half way through NY state by tommorow and Heather was going to drive the short distance from Stamford to pick me up for the weekend but as I should know by now plans change on a daily baisis on the trail.So I will get the bus back to Delaware water gap on monday and pick up from where I left off.I cannot Praise the Rev enough for all the help she gave me , I most definetly landed in the right place in my moment of need !!!!! The Church on the mountain sure is the #1 spot on the trail for me.-