morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2013-06-13
From: Pochuck Mountain Shelter

To: St. Thomas Episcopal Church Hostel in Vernon, NJ
Miles today: 6.5

We heard the rain start early in the morning, so we packed up quickly and were on the trail by 7:15. The first part of the trail included a solid uphill climb up Pochuck Mountain.Within an hour the rain started in earnest, and the trail became muddy and slick. In spite of the rain the terrain was still beautiful... NJ has been a real treat.Eventually Hannah and I came to a large swamp, and we walked close to a mile on a boardwalk right through the middle. Again, very lovely. Once through the swamp we came to a pasture filled with cows, and the trail took us right through the pasture on planks. Very cool.Given the fact that we were soaked and that the forecast called for heavy rain in the afternoon, we decided to stop for the day once we reached Rte. 94. We walked to Heaven Hill Farm, .1 mile up the road, and warmed up with hot chocolate, coffee, and doughnuts. The Florida 5 were there, gearing up to go 5 more miles to the shelter. Impressive given the weather, but we'd had enough. A man working at Heaven Hill kindly gave us a ride into Vernon.We are in the basement of St. Thomas Episcopal Church, which is the hostel to end all hostels. What a well organized, clean, and thoughtfully set up place! A shower, laundry, hiker refrigerator, computer access, and the list goes on. All for a $10 donation per person. Thank you to the nice folks at St. Thomas Episcopal Church!The rest of our day consisted of a visit to the grocery store, showers, laundry, and dinner at the Vernon Inn. By the time we returned from dinner there was a torrential downpour. Navigator is here tonight, along with Jericho, who walked in late after 19 rainy miles. Good final day with Hannah.Today's highlight: staying at this great hostel.
Date: 2013-06-14
From: St. Thomas Episcopal Church Hostel in Vernon, NJ

To: Wildcat Shelter
Miles today: 17.1
Weather: clear sky

Hannah and I started our day with a great breakfast at the Mixing Bowl Restaurant. If you're in Vernon, this restaurant is worth a visit.By 8:30 Ron, the shuttle driver, arrived. He dropped Navigator and I at the trailhead and then drove Hannah on to where our car was parked in Branchville.It was hard saying goodbye to Hannah, but what else was there to do but hike? So up the trail I headed at 8:45. The trail immediately climbed, and continued climbing up some rocks for the first mile.After reaching the top, the trail followed a series of gentle ups and downs through the woods. As the day went on the sun even started to make an appearance.As I neared the NY border, however, the trail started to change. Once in NY the trail became rugged... climbs over exposed rock, lots of blowdowns, and poorly marked. To top it off, because of the recent heavy rainfalls much of the trail was a muddy, wet mess.As I climbed along some of the rock I thought about how glad I was that it wasn't raining, because that would add wet and slippery rocks into the mix. Well, I probably jinxed my luck with my thoughts, and by 3:30 the thunder rolled in and the downpour started. I made it to Wildcat Shelter by 6:30, but it was slow going. Here in the shelter tonight are Tin Cup and Buddy Backpacker and his folks. Buddy's only 5, and his family started the trail in Harper's Ferry and are heading north to Maine. There are also 2 groups of section hikers tenting.I believe that tomorrow's forecast calls for sun. Let's hope so... my shoes are totally soaked!Today's highlight: crossing the border into NY.
Date: 2013-06-15
From: Wildcat Shelter

To: William Brien Memorial Shelter
Miles today: 19.6
Weather: broken clouds

Finally, a clear and sunny day. At 5:30 a.m. Navigator appeared in front of the shelter. I'd wondered what happened to him yesterday since I thought we were both heading to the same shelter. Apparently he took a side trail into Greenwood Lake and ended up camping on someone's front porch. He woke up at 4 and started hiking back up to the trail. One never knows what to expect out here!I was on the trail by 7:15, planning to go 2 shelters out for the night. The overall word of the day was challenging... although the terrain doesn't looking much on the profile map, it's a rugged walk. Adding to the hilly and rocky terrain is the lack of white blazes. Going in the wrong direction always adds a bit of excitement to the day.A couple of hours into my hike I met Walker, and we hiked together for part of the day. The miles always seem to go faster when you're chatting. We encountered some good rock scrambles and blowdowns, which seems to be the N.Y. state theme on the AT.Sometime in the afternoon I entered Harriman State Park. Since it was a sunny Saturday, there were lots of day hikers. I climbed through the "Lemon Squeezer", which is a narrow rock passage. I had to take my backpack off and carry it through. More exciting was the rock climb right after the squeezer. Always a good way to get the adrenaline flowing. Lots of trail magic today. In two spots trail angels had left gallons of water to refill water bottles, which is always much appreciated. I was also given a protein bar by a couple of hikers interested in my hike, which came at the perfect point in the afternoon. And finally, I'm camped at the shelter tonight with a group of people from NYC who had made too much Pad Thai and offered it to me for dinner. Walker, Tin Cup, and I indulged in the food and answered lots of questions about the AT. Very fun to be treated like a celebrity! Looking forward to possibly seeing the NYC skyline tomorrow and hiking through Bear Mountain Zoo. It sounds as though there may be plenty of food opportunities, which is always a good thing.Today's highlight: eating great food and answering questions about the AT tonight.
Date: 2013-06-17
From: Graymoor Spiritual Life Center

To: RPH Shelter
Miles today: 18.8
Weather: light rain

Woke up to a clear and sunny morning. Stretch's knee was bothering him, so he decided to stay put, but Walker and I packed up and headed out.After all the crowds and distractions of yesterday's hike, today was back to business as usual. Walker left before I did, and I ended up walking all day by myself. The humidity was thick, the mosquitos were annoying, and the cicadas were loud. If ever there was a time for my iPod, this was it. My right ear bud stopped working recently, so I had music in my left ear and the sound of cicadas in my right one, but it was an improvement.Not much in the way of views today, but I stopped for lunch overlooking Canopus Lake, which is part of Clarence Fahnestock State Park. I also took a nice break in the afternoon on Shenandoah Mountain, where a pleasant breeze was blowing that kept the mosquitos away.By 4:15 I reached the RPH Shelter, which is quite the place. It's a fully enclosed cinder block building, complete with a covered picnic table area, a pump for water, and lawn furniture. The other N.Y. shelters have been fairly run down, so this one was a surprise. The big selling point is that two pizza places will deliver here (we're near a road), although we sadly learned that both places are closed on Mondays. Now what are the folks in this area supposed to do without pizza on Mondays? There's a deli not far off the trail about 5 miles north, so now the plan is for breakfast there tomorrow.I'm here tonight with Walker, Aggie Al, Crazy Legs, Shadow Wolf, Clark Kent, and a father/son section hiking duo. Great to sit on some furniture after a day of hiking!Today's highlight: enjoying the breeze on top of Shenandoah Mountain with less than 3 miles left in my hiking day.
Date: 2013-06-18
From: RPH Shelter

To: Native Landscapes Garden Center
Miles today: 19.9
Weather: light rain

I woke up early, thinking about breakfast at the Mountaintop Deli. I was cheated out of pizza last night, so I was determined to get a real breakfast. Aggie Al, Walker, and I all had the same thought and were on the trail by 6:15. Those five miles to the road crossing and the .4 to the deli flew by, and I was ordering a breakfast sandwich and cup of tea by 8:30. Walker arrived shortly after. Ah, life's simple pleasures. I've come to appreciate businesses that are hiker friendly such as this one; the owner has a hiker log to sign offers water from an outside spigot, and is genuinely interested in hikers. A good start to the day.Fueled by a breakfast other than my usual crumb cake delectable (I've maxed out of honeybuns) the next miles flew by as well. The trail in this 20 mile stretch is a pleasant woods walk and is much better maintained than what we've experienced in N.Y. up until now. The trail skirted a pretty lake with an unfortunate name: Nuclear Lake. Now just who was responsible for naming this body of water? No buildings of any kind on the shore. Walker said he was tempted to jump in just to see if his skin would glow...The weather was humid and the mosquitos were out in full force as the day wore on. Almost worse than the mosquitos are the annoying black gnats that like to zoom into one's eyes. I hate putting bug stuff on at all, and I really don't like it on my face, so all day I kept shooing them away. Very annoying to say the least.The final few miles were my favorite part of the hike. The trail popped out into an overgrown meadow complete with a bucolic group of cows. Then it headed back into the woods before emerging onto a boardwalk through a lovely swamp. The trail was terribly muddy in parts, but it was still nice. I felt fortunate to wrap up the miles by 3:30, shortly before the rain started.Walker and I have our tents set up in the north end of the parking lot at Native Landscapes, a garden center right near the trail. Native Landscapes kindly offers hikers a shower for $5 and free tenting. We're right next to the railroad tracks, so every time a train passes our tents shake. What can you do but laugh?.6 miles up the road is Tony's Deli, where we headed for dinner. Tony's is also very hiker friendly, and I have to recommend their burgers and onion rings. The rain started in earnest on our walk there, but fortunately the deluge didn't start until we were already inside.All in all another good day on the AT and tomorrow I'll cross into Connecticut!Today's highlight: the final few miles of today's hike, although a shower and two meals of non-trail food would be a close second.
Date: 2013-06-19
From: Native Landscapes Garden Center

To: Kent, CT
Miles today: 18.4

Thankfully there was a moratorium on train traffic overnight, but shortly before 5 a.m. The first train of the day whizzed by. Clearly a sign it was time to get moving. Not the most restful of nights, but what can you expect when your tent is sandwiched between train tracks and a highway?We packed up our wet tents and were on the trail by 6. Walker was moving particularly fast today, so I never saw him until I ended my hike for the day. It was a beautiful day, but much of the trail was wet and muddy from all the recent rain. I only saw a few other hikers all day, and they were all out for just an overnight.Within about 6 miles I came to the Connecticut border. Wow, another state down. I've just been taking this whole hike one state at a time... it's baffling to me how far I've walked when I stop to consider the big picture.The trail provided some good climbs today. Although the hills may only be 1,200 feet, when you start at 200 feet that's still a significant climb. Up and over 10 Mile Hill, and then a long walk following the raging Ten Mile River. My first worry was that I'd somehow have to ford that big river, but fortunately there was a solid bridge.I reached a campsite and realized that I only had 3 miles left before I reached the road crossing for Kent. I thought I'd cover those 3 miles in a flash but soon found out I was in for a slower time. The trail spiked steeply up this unnamed hill, only to then descend over lots of rocks. It was all rather tedious, and the mosquitos chose that part of my hike to take full advantage of my slowness.By about 3 I reached CT 341, and I headed east .8 miles into Kent. Kent is a picture perfect New England town that looks as though it caters to tourists. I stopped at both the outfitter's and the shoe store on my way through town but didn't find what I was looking for at either place. I bypassed the antique shops, clothing stores, and two bookshops... amazing how any consumerist tendencies change when one has to carry everything on their back.I'm staying at the Fife and Drum Inn, which is in a whole different league from the Cobmin Ridge Motel in Branchville, NJ where Hannah and I spent a night last week. This place is quite a treat. I showered, did laundry, visited the grocery store, and then had dinner at the Fife and Drum Restaurant with Walker. Buffalo and Postman are also staying here and I last saw them at the motel in Branchville. Rumor has it that Hoosier's also in Kent but staying at another motel. I'm going to take my time leaving here tomorrow since this place is too nice to rush. Today's highlight: being in town for the night.
Date: 2013-06-20
From: Kent, CT

To: Sharon Mountain Campsite
Miles today: 19.4
Weather: scattered clouds

I slept in until 6:30 a.m., enjoying a real bed. I left the room by 7:30 and stopped at JP Giffords for a breakfast sandwich and cup of Earl Grey tea on my way out of town. For a moment I felt like a day hiker... clean clothes, well rested, and well fed.It was a gorgeous morning as I walked the .8 miles back to the trailhead. The trail started with a good climb, and within 15 minutes I'd lost all remnants of that clean day hiker's feeling. I often wonder why I even bother to wash my hiking clothes. Following a steep decent and some gentler ups and downs, the trail leveled off and followed the Housatonic River for about 4 miles. While this flat walking gets kind of boring, it is easy to make good time. Somewhere along the flat stretch Walker caught up with me, and the time passed more quickly with conversation.Nothing too dramatic with the landscape today, and it seemed like a good hiking day. I passed a few hikers either doing sections or just out for the day, but no thruhikers. We made a plan to camp at the Sharon Mountain Campsite, and I arrived here at about 5:30. We have a good group of tents and a hammock here, and all new faces. Mousetrap, Trudger, and Vegas are here, and they're all thruhikers that I'd never met before. There are also three women who recently graduated from Dickinson College: Hermes, Writer, and ? (I'll get to the bottom of that in the morning) who are section hiking between Carlisle, PA and the VT border. Walker and I also have our tents set up and the mosquitos are so fierce that we both ended up cooking right outside our tent screens and eating in our tents. Pretty pathetic but these bugs are unrelenting whenever I leave the tent. It's a beautiful summer solstice evening. On to the CT/MA border to meet John tomorrow for a couple of zero days over the weekend.Today's highlight: just a good hiking day.
Date: 2013-06-22
From: Bear Mountain

To: Brattleboro, Vermont
Miles today: 0.0

Perfect zero day today. I didn't think going home to VT for a couple of days would be the wisest idea because I thought it would be hard to resume my hike! So instead John and I are "vacationing" in MA and southern VT for the weekend.After a leisurely breakfast at the Comfort Inn in Great Barrington, we checked out the Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge. Very cool. We went to Target for some of my resupply items (also interesting because VT is the one state without a Target so it's new to me)) and made a stop at Eastern Mountain Sports. For lunch we stopped at a Red Robin restaurant, a chain I'd heard about from Tommyhawk, Goat, Buffalo, and Postman but had never been to. Good burgers and have to love those bottomless steak fries.The rest of the day included swapping cars with our daughter Hannah, who is working this summer at Kroka Expeditions in Marlow, NH, seeing the movie "World War Z" at the Latchis Theater in Brattleboro, VT and finally a stop at Metropolis. Metropolis is a wine bar in Brattleboro that's owned by our friends' daughter Alyssa and her boyfriend. All in all a restful day!
Date: 2013-06-23
From: Brattleboro, Vermont

To: Wilder, Vermont 
Miles today: 0.0

Second zero day today... I could get used to this! Spent the day with easy Rider in southern Vermont. We visited the Putney Farmer's Market to say hi to his niece Marissa, who sells veggies there each week. I then stopped into the Putney Coop for a cup of tea and experienced a wave of homesickness... I really do miss Vermont.We then stopped in to visit Reed and Kathy, John's brother and sister-in-law, at their home in Putney. Reed and Marissa have quite a farm going, and it was great getting a tour of Lost Barn Farm and all its crops.By this time it was time to move on toward New Hampshire. After a stop at Eastern Mountain Sports for a new pair of Superfeet, we had a late lunch at a nearby restaurant. Then it was a trip to a grocery store for some final resupply items and a backpack reorganization in the parking lot. I said my goodbye to Easy in Wilder, Vermont, where I'm spending the evening at the home of Greg Cook, trail angel extraordinaire. The greater Hanover area has a wonderful network of trail angels and I'd been given Greg's name by our good friend Short 'n Sweet, who lives on the AT in Norwich. Back at it tomorrow - White Mountains here I come!Today's highlight: you know, with zero days I really don't need to write a highlight since the whole day is a treat.
Date: 2013-06-24
From: Wilder, Vermont 

To: Moose Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 252.4
Weather: light rain

No, I really didn't hike 252.4 miles today. Today's mileage from Hanover to the shelter was 11.5 miles. If you're just reading my trail journal for the first time, please read my June 22 entry for an explanation. I wanted the mileage to reflect my current location, so this total includes my section hikes through Massachusetts and Vermont. Unfortunately this will skew my stats page, but it'll have to do.I was up early to get organized. My backpack seems too heavy once again... I tried to be conservative with my resupply but I'm not sure what to expect with this next stretch. Cecilia Elwert, a good friend and avid hiker from home, was planning to hike with me today and was arriving at 7:30 a.m. to pick me up so I wanted to be ready.Cecilia showed up right on time and off we went. I needed to start my hike on the bridge between Vermont and New Hampshire, exactly the spot where I've stopped each of the two times I've hiked the eastern Vermont AT section. We parked her car in the designated Hanover lot for hikers and Greg came along shortly after to transport us to the bridge (thanks, Greg!).We were on the "trail" by 8. The trail through Hanover is essentially a road walk through town past many businesses. Too much food temptation, and I ended up stopping at Subway for a sandwich to take with me for lunch.There had been a thunderstorm and heavy rain last night, but it did little to cure the humidity. The pine woods were damp and humid. The path trended uphill, but nothing too steep. It was great catching up on life since Cecilia and I had last seen each other in early March, and conversation helped pass the time on our hike. As the day wore on the heat and humidity increased to an oppressive point. We didn't see another hiker all day. Nothing too exciting about the trail today, although with each step I get closer to the White Mountains.We arrived at Moose Mountain Shelter as a thunderstorm rolled in. This is a spacious and well constructed shelter, so we stayed dry as the rain hit. It's 7:30 and we're the only people in the shelter, which feels quite decadent. In the morning Cecilia will retrace her steps back to Hanover and I'll continue my trek north. The weather forecast calls for heat, humidity, and afternoon thunderstorms all week, so I hope to be on the trail early.Today's highlight: having a friend from home hiking with me for the day.
Date: 2013-06-25
From: Moose Mountain Shelter

To: Hexacuba Shelter
Miles today: 17.7

Cecilia and I both woke up early, and the sun was a bright red. I was bothered by those pesky mosquitos all night so didn't get the best sleep. They were already active this morning, so time to get moving.We said our goodbyes at 6:15 and Cecilia headed south toward Hanover and I went north. My day consisted of three solid climbs. After a descent from Moose Mountain to 963 feet, it then gained 1,000 feet in elevation to Holts Ledge. Back down again, and I came upon a sign for "free ice cream and water" for hikers at Bill Ackerly's home, so of course I had to check that out. Bill has a charming home with a comfy porch for hikers. He was away but left a sign instructing hikers where the ice cream bars were, so I enjoyed my ice cream on his cool porch. Wish I could have met Bill... apparently he's been treating hikers for many years.It was another oppressively hot and humid day, and both mosquitos and those equally annoying gnats that love zooming into my eyes were out in full force. It was time for the second and biggest climb of the day up and over Smarts Mountain. Bill's house is at about 800 feet in elevation and the summit of Smarts Mountain rests at 3,237 feet. Sigh. The climb took me quite awhile, in part due to the heat. The conditions really zapped my energy and I was sweating buckets. Just another day of living the AT dream!The summit of Smarts is totally wooded, but there's a fire tower that I climbed for a view. Then it was back down to 1,450 feet before climbing up to Hexacuba Shelter, which sits at 2,071 feet. This shelter is built in the shape of a hexagon and is really spacious. The rain started just as I reached the shelter, and a bit later there was thunder and a downpour. These afternoon thunderstorms don't seem to help with the heat and humidity.I only saw 3 day hikers today so thought I might be alone in the shelter, but I'm here with Sandgroper 1 and 2, a couple from Australia. They hiked a large section of the AT 25 years ago and are back to finally finish it. After last night's mosquito attack I decided to set my tent up in the shelter in hopes of a better night's sleep.Today's highlight: ice cream trail magic and successfully making it to the shelters before the rainstorm two days in a row.