morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2014-08-04
From: Greenwood Lake N.Y.

To: Day 114 - Greenwood Lake, N.Y. to Fingerboard Shel
Miles today: 16.4

I began after having breakfast with my remarkable wife. She dropped me off at the trail-head at 9:30. I was still unsure how things would go. Lots of anxiety. The new bandaging on my feet and some ibuprofen seemed to help with the pain though.I wanted to take my daughter Erin's advice and hike less miles, but in N.Y. they want you to camp at designated sites [and I was hoping for some company at night] so I slowed my pace instead. It was 16.4 to the next shelter. The hike was pretty nice. It covered rocky ridges, easy terrain beside a lake and wide trails through almost manicured forests. A very enjoyable day. It's amazing how quickly your mood can turn out here. I was miserable yesterday and today was one of the best I've had. I especially liked the area at Island Pond. The deer there were nearly tame and practically walk up to you. The views were beautiful and I took time there to watch some people fishing out on the lake.   There was a section a little further on from the pond called the Lemon Squeezer. It was fun, I only wished M and N were there to share the experience with me. I did have some luck in that regard. I met Gabe Gabeler and his pup out for a short hike. We talked about the AT and Gabe made sure I got through the Lemon Squeeze safely. Thanks Gabe!Besides Gabe, I saw only two other hikers; south bounders and their dog doing a section. That was it, not another soul for 16 miles when I met Gabe. I missed having people around that I'm familiar with. It's nice to know that someone is behind you if you have a problem or that those ahead of you will miss you if you don't show up.I had heard from the SOBO's that there were people at the pond, but they were gone by the time I got there. I thought they might be at the Fingerboard Shelter. Again I was wrong and I found it empty. I set my tent up inside to keep the bugs away, made something to eat, called home, and then settled in to sleep.NightP.S. When I spoke to Mike, he was in Kent, Ct. He said he was heading home for a few days with bad blistering on his heels. I hope I can make up some of the 80 miles while he's off trail.
Date: 2014-08-05
From: Fingerboard Shelter

To: Day 115 - Fingerboard Shelter to Fort Montgomery
Miles today: 15.4

Hot and humid today. All of the male hikers I saw today were shirtless. The only female I saw was in a strappy t-shirt; just too hot. The hike was nice though over some ridges with views of the Hudson River and just faintly in the distance the NY City skyline.At the Bear Mountain Perkins Memorial I met Whistler and his daughter, Sunshine; two NOBOs who made it to Pennsylvania where Whistler blew out his knee. They're from Peekskill, N.Y. and are doing Trail Magic now. Even though I was heading into town they offered me some homemade brownies and cold beer. Thanks for the Magic!All day I passed only five SOBOs. They all told me there was a bubble of NOBOs just ahead of me, but I never caught them. This part of the trail goes through a zoo and the lowest point on the trail is at the bear den. I always wanted to see this part of the trail, but the zoo closed before I got there. There was a bypass that went around the zoo and led, eventually, into Fort Montgomery. I was lucky and got picked up by some folks on their way out for a hike. They dropped me off at the motel. Thanks, guys.I had decided to stay the night in town to clean up my foot and to make sure I could go through the zoo tomorrow which opens at ten. Thanks once again to the Administrator who booked me into the Holiday Inn Express.While I was at the motel I met a young man who asked if I was thru-hiking. When I said yes he introduced himself as Reckless, Class of 2007 and a triple crowner. That means he's hiked the AT, the PCT, and the CDT. We talked about my hike and he encouraged me to continue. I've been concerned about the lost time due to the infection and he laughed and said when he hiked the AT he had 45 zeroes. 45 days off the trail over the course of his hike. He told me not to worry about taking time off when I need to and to relax and enjoy the hike more. Thanks for the boost, Reckless.Had diner at the BBQ place next door and spoke with some kids who were delivering books to West Point. I went back to the motel, enjoyed the pool and headed in to bed.Night All.
Date: 2014-08-07
From: Stealth camp at 1412.0

To: Day 117 - Stealth Camp to Morgan Shelter
Miles today: 21.9

21.9 miles if you don't count the side trips for food or the south bound journey I made because I lack a sense of direction. Yup, I finally did it. I joined the ranks of those who have gotten turned around on the AT and hiked in the wrong direction. No excuses, just a dope. Luckily I spotted a painted stone on the side of the trail that had caught my eye as I headed north earlier. If not for that stone I'd be back in New Jersey by now.It happened when I stopped for something to eat at the mountain deli about a half mile east of the trail. I had a nice sandwich, met a bunch of NOBOs (the first group since I restarted) and headed back to hike. I was thinking that if I hurried I could get to the shelter at a decent hour so I plunged into the woods all gung ho. When I realized my error all I could do was laugh. What a dope. I hightailed it back north, caught the group of hikers I'd met earlier and got to the shelter just before dark. One of the hikers I met is called Rote Mann (red man) who is from Essen, Germany. He knew of Andi and Yvanna and we chatted for quite a while. The others were a trail family. I don't recall all their names, but there was one called Lobster (it was his birthday) and a young woman from MA. called Good and Plenty. We all ended up at the same shelter.The day's hike was uneventful otherwise. A stop for lunch by a lake in Fahnstock State Park. Checked out the nice shelter at RPH (Ralphs Peak Hiker Cabin); there were bunks inside a shelter with actual doors and you could order pizza or chinese food from town. Later I found some delicious blackberries and I passed a lot of SOBOs.A big mileage day to get me closer to Gaylordsville where I'll meet Amy. Sleep tight.
Date: 2014-08-08
From: Morgan Stewart Shelter

To: Day 118 - Morgan Stewart Shltr to Bulls Bridge Rd
Miles today: 21.9

The plan was to hike into Gaylordsville to meet Amy. I got there early and one of the south bound section hikers I had met two days ago was driving by. He stopped and offered me a ride to town. When we got there, we saw that it was a quiet little town with nowhere to hang out until Amy got there, so he took me back to the trail. He had hiked the next section just a few days ago and he said it was a pretty easy hike over a small rise to Bulls Bridge Road where there was a tavern, so I kept going. Thanks for the ride!Earlier in the day I had hiked around Nuclear Lake. It had been the site of a private firm working with bomb grade plutonium. After a leak there, the plant was shut down and they took the land to create a recreation area. Only in America. I know they've cleaned it up, but it's a little disconcerting.Later there was a long boardwalk over a swampy, reed covered area. The reeds were over six feet high. It was a nice walk through there with some benches to sit on and two wooden chairs, one marked Maine and one Georgia. The boardwalk ended at the Appalachian Trail Railroad Station. I got some trail magic there from a commuter rail worker. Thanks for the water and snacks!There were other north bounders there. People other than those I met yesterday. We didn't talk much and I headed out for Bulls Bridge while they went to a store near the RR Station. I went up through another section of farmland which I always like. A bit of a climb, then an easy descent to the Ten Mile River Shelter and shortly after, Bulls Bridge Road.A one lane road through a beautiful covered bridge led me to the Bulls Bridge Inn. What a nice, hiker-friendly place. I thought, when I first got there, that maybe they'd be a bit too high class for my smelly old self, but they couldn't have been nicer. They showed me where I could stow my bag and where I could plug in my phone. I said I might be around for awhile waiting for Amy and they said no problem. I got myself a Long Trail and something to eat [and a couple more Long Trails] and waited for Amy to get me. A zero tomorrow then back to the trail. Life is goodBye For Now.
Date: 2014-08-09
From: Day 118 - Morgan Stewart Shltr to Bulls Bridge Rd

To: Day 119 - Saturday 8/9 Danbury, Ct. Zero Day
Miles today: 0.0

Amy and I enjoyed a zero day in Danbury. Originally we thought I might hike on to Kent in the morning while Amy did a little work on the computer, but fate intervened when the keyboard was inadvertently left at home. A good thing I think. We had breakfast at Sonny's [Yum!], did a little shopping, slept out by the pool, and had a delicious steak dinner at The Black Angus Grill. Back to the trail Sunday.
Date: 2014-08-10
From: Bulls Bridge Rd

To: Day 120 - Bulls Bridge Rd to Silver Hill Campsite
Miles today: 17.7
Weather: light rain

Thanks for the visit, Amy!Some roller coaster hills after being dropped off at the trail. I hiked along the Connecticut/New York border for a while before entering Ct. for good. There were some nice views and lots of streams. I met Good and Plenty from West Brookfield, Ma. We had met at the Deli the other day. She's meeting a friend in Kent and doing some slack-packing tomorrow. I hope we meet again, a very nice young lady.It seemed to take forever to get to the road into Kent. I had miscalculated the mileage [how unlike me] by a mile and a half. Oops! When I got to the road I turned on my phone and saw that I had messages from M and N. They had come back to the trail a couple of days ago after Mike's blisters had a chance to heal over. I'd been chasing them ever since, knowing that Natalie would be hiking slowly until she got her hiking legs back. Unfortunately, she just can't seem to get her energy back and is leaving the trail. Mike's not sure what he's going to do. Mary [Mike's Mom] is going to pick either one, or both up in Salisbury Ct. tomorrow. I should get there sometime in the afternoon.I met Rote Mann at the road coming back to the trail from Kent. He had spent the night there. We hiked together for a bit, then I moved on. When I stopped for water at a stream further down the trail I heard someone behind me and looked up to see Dandelion and her dog Zodiac. They both looked terrific. I hadn't seen them in quite a long time, maybe back in Pennsylvania. They moved out ahead of me, but I caught up to them at St. John's Ledges. We hiked together for a while after that and we were joined by Rote Mann who had caught up.When we got to the Stewart Hollow Brook Shelter, Dandelion stopped to eat while Rote Mann and I hiked on. We went another 3.5 miles to the Spring Hill Campsite. It was really nice, there was a pavilion with benches where you could cook, a nice wooden swing and a pump that drew water from a New Hampshire aquifer 375' underground; according to the ridge runner who was there.While we were eating, Hat Trick came in. Wow, old home week seeing him and Dandelion in the same day. He's going to night-hike tonight since there is a full moon. No thanks, I'll do my hiking by sunlight. Meteors tonight if I stay awake, but I'm beat and want to make Salisbury tomorrow, 22.2 miles away, to hopefully see the kids.Bye For Now.
Date: 2014-08-11
From: Day 120 - Bulls Bridge Rd to Silver Hill Campsite

To: Day 121 - Silver Hill Campsite to Salisbury Ct.
Miles today: 22.2

I tried a sleep supplement last night called Somnapure. It has melatonin and other natural sleep inducing herbs. It worked well for me. I got eight hours, nice!I headed out for Salisbury hoping to catch M and N before Natalie left for Quincy. I know Mike said he wasn't sure what he was going to do, but I thought he'd probably keep hiking until Mt. Greylock. I'm sorry Natalie has to leave the trail, I know how much she wanted to complete it and I was looking forward to catching up to them to hike together again. She's strong and tough and a goof and I love her. Considering she was told she wouldn't get a hundred miles with her bad feet, bad knees, her inhaler, and her allergies, I'd say she's done pretty damn well. See you when I get home.I didn't take much of an opportunity to look around today; I was too intent on getting where I was going. I did pass Hat Trick who was resting after his night hike and I passed J, the guy who had run Boston this year and who I had last seen in Harper's Ferry. He said he'd taken 10 zeroes as well, with time off in Washington D.C. over the fourth and in NYC for a few days. The rest of the day I passed only SOBOs.I stopped to eat in Falls Village at a place called The Mountainside Cafe. I didn't see it listed in AWOL's Guide, but it was good. You get to it by cutting through a trail across from the High School up to Rte. 7, look left and there it is. Great burger, better milkshake. After lunch I put my head down and marched to Salisbury where I saw Mike standing on the trail. I had missed Natalie and Mary by minutes. Mike had brought me some beers from town [Thanks, Mike!] which I enjoyed before we hiked off into the woods where we set up camp. It looks like there's rain in the future. We'll see how we do.TTFN
Date: 2014-08-12
From: Salisbury Ct.

To: Day 122 - Salisbury, Ct. to Great Barrington, Ma.
Miles today: 21.4

Mike and I are together again on the trail, but we miss Natalie because we have no one to pick on.The weather outlook was wet so we wanted to hike the 21.4 miles to Great Barrington quickly to try and beat the rain. There were some pretty good verticals that paid off with some nice views. Bear Mountain [yep, another bear mountain] had a rock pile at its summit to look out from. We met three section hikers there who had done some of the trail ahead and told us about it.Paradise Lane Trail and Sages Ravine constitute the border of Connecticut and Massachusetts. We knew we were home because the sign marking the border was in the wrong place. Yep. There is a beautiful creek that runs along the border and on a better day I'd be swimming or at least soaking in one of the many pools along the way.   Mt. Race, which looked like a gradual climb in the guide, was actually kind of tough. There was a beautiful ridge walk across the top that made it well worthwhile. We met Achilles [Alex] up there, who we last saw in Hot Springs. The first thing he asked us was, "Where's the girl?" We told him what happened and he was very sympathetic. He had been off the trail for two months. He had gone to a family wedding in Poland and then traveled through Europe. He was back now section hiking until 9/15.We left Alex and hiked up Mt. Everett. It was a straight up climb that seemed better than many of the switchbacks we've seen. After that there were a lot of roller coaster hills and some rocky terrain.We found H2O trail magic at Guilder Pond, [Thanks!] then pushed on to Mt. Bushnell where we met a couple of section hikers enjoying the view. Nice vista from a rocky perch.From Jug End Road to Great Barrington, the trail was very tame and we got to Rte. 7 just as the rain began to fall. We hitched into town [got a ride from a guy who used to live in Sommerville. Thanks!] and booked a room at the Days Inn. There are severe weather warnings for tomorrow with flood watches in effect. I'm thinking we'll zero tomorrow.Mike spoke to his friend, Rob, who is out here for a wedding. We hope to see him tomorrow. Got a meal at 20 Railroad St. Really good Backyard BBQ Wings. We'll check the weather tomorrow before we book for the night.Ta!
Date: 2014-08-13
From: Great Barrington, Ma.

To: Day 123 - Great Barrington weather zero
Miles today: 0.0

Severe weather/ Flood warnings.We stayed in town for the day, did some laundry and caught up with Mike's friend Rob and part of the wedding party for dinner. Congratulations to Kacee and Jeff on their wedding!I was surprised and glad to see Pearse Lombard, the son of a friend and co-worker, Brendan. It's been ten years since I'd seen him. The boy's become a man.After dinner it was early to bed.Night All
Date: 2014-08-14
From: Great Barrington, Ma.

To: Day 124 - Great Barrington to Tyringham
Miles today: 20.6

We got back to the trail at 8:45 and hiked in nice temperatures through the morning. We walked between fields of corn that were taller than us by at least a foot. A nice flat start to the day. The rain from yesterday left everything slick and muddy. We'd have no problem finding water today. Soon we began our climb into the mountains.At one point I said that the landscape made me homesick even though we were home. Mike agreed to that and said that he thought when we got to Mt. Greylock he was going to call it a hike. As we continued into the day he said he really wasn't enjoying himself anymore and hadn't been for quite some time. I suggested that he might just want to call it today. If you're not happy out here there's not much sense staying. Once you're done, you're done. He called home and Natalie said she'd pick him up in Tyringham.We hiked on through the day and made it to Tyringham at around six. Natalie had called earlier and said she had rented a car from Enterprise, but when she got on the highway she noticed it had no gas. She called them and told them she wouldn't be returning the car with a full tank since she didn't get one. Not long after Mike got another call. As she was driving down the Mass pike the hood flew up and smashed the windshield! Thank goodness she was alright, just shaken up. She called Enterprise who were slow to respond and left her to get the car off the pike. They said they'd send a new car to wherever she had the first car towed.Meanwhile Mike and I were in Tyringham, population Mike and John. There wasn't anywhere to go near us so we hitch-hiked five miles to the town of Lee. Thanks for the ride! We figured Natalie could pick Mike up there and take me back to the trail. We went to the Morgan House to eat and wait. Natalie kept getting calls from Enterprise telling her the car was 20 minutes away. After a few hours waiting, the Morgan House was closing, it was getting late and Natalie, when she got the car, was still over an hour away. We decided it made more sense to get a room, so we walked two miles to The Roadway Inn. Natalie got there at midnight after being told every twenty minutes that the car was on it's way. FIVE HOURS to get her a car. They couldn't have someone drive a car out there for her and take care of the towing process? Crazy!I'm thankful Natalie's safe here with us. Mike will deal with Enterprise tomorrow.Night All
Date: 2014-08-15
From: Tyringham

To: Day 125 - Tyringham to Kay Wood Shelter
Miles today: 24.5

If I tried to express my feelings about Mike leaving the trail, I'd never get to the hike itself. I'll address the emotional side of the day later in Trail Notes.Mike and Natalie dropped me off at the Tyringham trail head at 8:30. There was a lot of boggy terrain today and an abundance of rock strewn paths. There were a few climbs, but nothing remarkable. It was a long day, 24.5 miles.The only relief from hiking came at Washington Mountain Road where the "Cookie Lady" lives. Just a hundred yards from the trail is a house with a barn, a shed, and a large attached garage. There are blueberry bushes growing beside the gravel drive where you can "pick your own" for a small fee. There were three north bounders in the yard and they told me to go into the garage and knock on the door. When I did the "Cookie Lady" came out with a couple of homemade cookies and I asked if I could buy a couple of cold drinks. She said sure, that she had lemonade and coke. I got two lemonades and went out to join the other hikers.A fourth NOBO, a young woman hiking with one of the guys already there had come into the yard. We talked for a while, with them saying they were pushing on to Dalton. I was already tired and decided to go to the next shelter. They were the first NOBOs I had seen all day.When I got to the Kay Wood Shelter there were some day hikers, a SOBO, two NOBOs [Zip Lock and Rock Man] and one of the guys from the "Cookie Lady" came in late, Rabbit.Sorry, this isn't much of an entry; I'm just not in the mood.Night
Date: 2014-08-16
From: Kay Wood Shelter

To: Day 126 - Kay Wood Shltr to Mark Noepel Shelter
Miles today: 16.9

I started about 7 and hiked into Dalton, Ma., about three miles away. I met up with Zip Lock and Rock Man and we entered the town together. On the way through they met people they knew and headed off to find some breakfast.I stopped at a coffee shop and saw Yellowbeard; I hadn't seen him since Wanyesboro, Pa. They only had coffee and sandwiches there so I continued down the street to the Dalton Diner. I wasn't there long before Rock Man and Zip Lock joined me. A little while later Raven came by; another hiker I hadn't seen in quite a while. We finished eating and I headed back to the trail. I was looking forward to meeting my friend, Chuck Raymond, in Cheshire at 1:30. It's was about ten miles north so I needed to get moving.It was a lot like yesterday on the trail; lots of mud, boulders and a few climbs. I got to the Cobbles, an outcropping of marble that looks over the Hoosic River Valley, when Chuck called. He was waiting for me in the parking lot next to the Cheshire Post Office. It was great to see a familiar face and share a couple of beers with him.We hopped in his car and headed for the Bass Water Grill. On the way we saw Yellowbeard and Cherry Blossom walking so we picked them up. They were heading to the same place so we all sat together. Chuck surprised us all by treating us to lunch! Great Trail Magic, Thanks Chuck!YB and CB were being picked up by friends, so Chuck drove me back to the trail after a nice two hour visit, and we said goodbye.I decided, with the late hour, to just hike five miles in to the Mark Noepel shelter. There were a bunch of hikers there, none of whom I knew and they weren't very talkative so I set up my tent on a platform and went to bed.Night All.P.S. It's 4 a.m. and I have animal visitors roaming around my tent. I'm up writing this and making a bit of noise to chase them off. This hasn't happened often out here, but it's a pain when it does. Sometimes I just shine my light outside and sometimes I shake my cooking pot. If I need it, I've got an air horn that the Administrator insisted I carry. I don't think the other hikers would appreciate it if I used that. I think I'll just put on my ear phones and pretend there's nothing there. Night.