morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2003-07-07
From: Unionville NY 600

To: Long House Creek 1,180
Miles today: 20.0

Woke up at the park today around 6:15 after a great night's sleep. Oddly enough, I feel very at home in this little town. Once again the sun was shining and temps promised to be hot. As I was leaving the park, the mayor stopped by again. He is the coolest. He just recently lost his wife and I think he misses her a lot. He told us about the memorial park, showed us the tree planted in his wife's memory, and told us a bit about some of the other people who had trees donated in their name. Great man and a great little NY town.I left around 7:45. Booble and Sweet Ass went to have breakfast at Horler's Grocery again. I hiked alone until I ran into Gazer. He and I were both fighting off the mosquitoes. They were truly phenomenal through this section of trail. Walking in the woods was the worst. We were both swatting with a bandana in one hand and our hiking sticks in the other. We walked around the Walkill National Wildlife Preserve - literally around it. I think we did a big U turn. Ridiculous. The only wildlife preserved in this thing is mosquitoes! It was a big grassy swamp and not pretty. It was a former sod farm and should still be one. At the first shelter, Sweet Ass caught up to me. Again, the bugs were out in force. I hiked on alone after that until we got to NJ94 where we went .1 off the trail to Heaven Hill Farmers Market. What an oasis this was. It was 1:00 and hot as blazes. We ran into Freemont and Mr. Ed. We all got ice cream and I had some fruit, washed up a bit in their fine restroom, and we all took a little siesta on the picnic tables outside. Sweet Ass bought a whole watermelon. I had two slices and he and Booble ate the rest. I would have been sick. We were the last three to leave - imagine that. We stayed there three hours and by the time we left the skies were cloudy and I heard thunder. Things had cooled down a bit and it sprinkled some which, I can't believe I'm saying this, was nice. That is the first rain in over two weeks.We didn't make to our campsite until almost dark. We camped at Long House Creek. Burn joined us which was great. I was not the only female! Hamlet was already there and ready for bed, but tolerated us until we got situated. No one cooked. We were all exhausted, set up camp, and went to bed. It was hot and muggy still and my clothes were still wet from sweating. They smell great! My campsite was soft though with lots of leaves and my new Eureka Backcountry tent is awesome - lightweight and pretty roomy for one. Here's a little something I thought of today. Bugs are attracted to perfumes and food odors and shit and dead animals. Seems a bit contradictory doesn't it?Booble told a funny joke a few days ago and I said I would put it in my journal so here goes. A mushroom walks into a bar and the bartender says, "Get out of here. We don't serve your kind."The mushroom says, "Why not? I'm a fun-gi." I guess I was tired but it struck me as hilarious! Funny guys I'm traveling with!Goodnight Oscar.
Date: 2003-07-08
From: Long House Creek 1,180

To: Little Dam Lake Campsite 750
Miles today: 16.5

Woke up bright and early around 6:15, ate a cold breakfast, put on long sleeves to combat the mosquitoes, and left camp around 7:30. I thought we had a 20 mile day today. Kind of wish we would have, but it was hot and sunny again and we took some long breaks. The first momentus occasion today was we crossed out of NJ and into NY. Another state finished. Eight down, six more to go. The second momentus occasion came a few miles later when we were desperate for water and not sure what we were going to do. I was walking along the trail near NY17A and this woman with two children turns around and says, "Tucson?" I said yes and she said she had talked to my two partners. We talked for a while and I met Lauren, who she babysits. Lauren is about 10 and sharp as a tack. She loves to hike and was very excited to meet a female thru hiker. Alicia said she would take us to the store a mile away to get water and Lauren gave me a quart of Powerade! It was cold and soooooo good. We got to the road and I shared it with the guys, then grabbed two gallon jugs left by trail angels and took them to the store to fill them while the guys waited. I found out Alicia is from Sumerset, KY. Small world. I got some more Gatorade for the guys and a soda for me. Lauren asked me lots of questions about hiking and helped me get the water. She is a great kid and said she wants to do a thru hike when she is older. Awesome. Awesome trail magic.At the next two road crossings, we found many gallons of water for hikers. Obviously the people in NY know their water sources are bad. On the last stretch to camp, we saw another bear! I was in front and saw it first. It was pretty big and moved very slowly to the stream we had just crossed because it was hot. It was about 40 yards away. This was the best sighting yet for me and the bear did not seem alarmed by us at all. We got to camp around 6ish finally, set up shop, and the guys built a fire to try to combat the bugs. It sort of helped but they weren't really deterred. After we ate, everybody retired to their tents because of the bugs and we did our own thing. I am pretty tired because of the heat.Goodnight Oscar.
Date: 2003-07-11
From: Graymoor Friary 520

To: RPH Shelter 360
Miles today: 18.8
Weather: mist

Rain woke me up last night but my tent was awesome. No leaks but the rain stayed on top of the rainfly. Some Nikwax should fix that but I won't get to that before this trip is over. I got up around 6:45 but we didn't leave until 8:45. I hiked alone today. I didn't feel like trying to keep up with the guys but I caught up with them at breaks. We hiked today - period. There were no great views but Shenandoah Mtn. had a decent view. It is only a little above 1,000 feet. There is an American flag painted on the rocks at the summit. We took a break there and all of us dozed off for a while.When we got to the shelter, there was a hiker feed! Some trail workers are here digging a new privy hole and they have a huge grill and all this food for workers and hikers. For dinner I had two cheeseburgers, a hot dog, some chips, a peach, banana, grapes, and two Pepsis. Awesome. I was not expecting that. The weather today was wet but it didn't rain on us and the temps weren't above 70, so my appetite was pretty good. In the morning, I am planning to leave pretty early but we can still help ourselves to breakfast! No oatmeal for me! There are some section hikers here from Rhode Island. The father is Andrea and he is with his two sons, ages 13 and 15. Sharp kids, and they did the same miles we did today. The 13 year old ate two steaks and a hot dog. I am impressed. He ate more that Booble and Sweet Ass.I am in the shelter with Booble, Eric, Amble and a southbounder named Wandering Goat. He started in Maine on May 15th. I was really glad to see Amble again. He is one of my favorite people on the trail. Burn, Sweet Ass, Sundance and Bob, Freemont, and the trail workers are tenting. Big crowd here. I may regret not setting up my tent.Goodnight Oscar.
Date: 2003-07-12
From: RPH Shelter 360

To: Wiley Shelter 740
Miles today: 25.6
Weather: scattered clouds

I didn't sleep well at all last night. This is the first shelter I've slept in for a while and now I remember why. Eric was in the top bunk and he turns a lot. I know this because the bunks were pretty rickety. I was also paranoid about some critter trying to nest in my hair. At any rate, I got up around 6:00 or earlier because I knew we had long day ahead of us. Skies were clear and temperatures were moderate, so I was a happy camper. I ate Frosted Flakes and Fruit Loops for breakfast with real milk! Yum! I also had a peach and some strawberries - not washed. I figure I sweat enough during the day that all those cancer causing pesticides won't be in me very long.Today was almost all work. I started hiking around 7:00. The miles today weren't difficult, just long. We passed two things of interest today, the first being the Appalachian Trail Station. This is a train stop on the AT where you can go into New York City. Wish I had gotten a picture. Once you cross the tracks, there is a road with a hot dog stand. Of course we stopped and got sodas. We only had 6 miles left. We also passed the Dover Oak. This is the largest tree on the AT, even larger than the Keffer Oak back in VA. It was just as impressive. I noticed one limb had been cut off so it wouldn't grow across the road.That was about it for points of interest along our 25 mile trek. I did see several rock walls today as well. These are plentiful ever since we hit New Jersey. They are still intact after hundreds of years. The trail just goes right through them in places where the rocks have been dismantled. They are beautiful. When I got to the shelter, Booble and Sweet Ass were there and a bunch of weekenders and section hikers. I set up my tent, ate dinner, and went to bed exhausted. Today proves that we can hike major miles when properly motivated. Our motivation is Kent, CT tomorrow - shower, laundry, groceries, maildrop, etc. We camped tonight one mile from the CT border. We can't wait to leave NY and its crappy water!Goodnight Oscar.
Date: 2003-07-13
From: Wiley Shelter 740

To: Kent CT Church Hostel 350
Miles today: 12.7

Today was a pretty relaxed day. We all needed it after yesterday. I didn't get up until 7:00, didn't leave camp until 8:30, and didn't even eat breakfast. There was a store 5.5 miles north on the trail and I was stopping for breakfast. I made it there in record time and had a slice of pizza, pound cake, Nestle banana flavored milk (which later turned out to be a mistake), and of course, a Mt. Dew. After the guys got there, I had a cookie dough popsicle. Excellent.The really nice woman working at the store offered to slack pack us to Kent. She drove our packs to the outfitter and we hiked the last 7 miles. That was awesome because we had a 1,000 foot climb up Schagticoke Mtn. and it is only about 1,300 feet. The first 5.5 miles today was really easy and the trail was beautiful. We walked along the Ten Mile River for a while and for the first time since Laurel Creek in TN I wanted to just stop, set up camp, put my feet in the water and stay a while. The river had so many great places to swim or wade or sunbathe and it was beautiful. I would like to come back to this place on the AT someday.When I got to the road that takes us into Kent, the guys were trying to hitch a ride for the half mile or so. I put my thumb out, and the second car pulled over. It was a really nice older lady who drove us to the outfitter. She said she picks up hikers all the time. We went to the outfitter, bought what we needed, then crossed the street to the church hostel. We are staying in the Episcopal Church parish house. It has bathrooms, a full kitchen, and we sleep in the floor of the main building. Pretty nice setup and it is free!We finally got our act together and set out to do laundry. It is amazing what you know about people you hike with day in and day out. For example, none of us are wearing underwear right now at the laundramat! The guys don't know that about me but I know it about them. Funny. We are all starving, but laundry comes first.Kent is a small town and appears to be wealthy and touristy. It has been very good to us so far, people have been friendly, especially at the church, and I think it is a great town stop thus far. I'll let you know more tomorrow after we visit the post office and the grocery. We had dinner at an Italian/American place. I had a huge plate of baked ziti and a salad. After dinner, I went to Eric's room at the B&B and took a real shower. There is no shower at the hostel. Eric was outside and said he didn't mind if I used it, so I did. We left NY today. Five more states to go. We should finish CT in two more days. The closer we get, the more motivated I get. I dream about finishing and returning to real life. I miss things like driving, music, and going out with my friends. I can't wait to sit in traffic with my radio on!Goodnight Oscar.
Date: 2003-07-14
From: Kent CT Church Hostel 350

To: Pine Swamp Brook Lean To 1,075
Miles today: 17.0

I slept great at the church hostel last night, even though we were on a concrete floor. With my therma rest, it matters not! We had to be out of the church parish house by 9:00 because they were having a rummage sale, so we all got up and were out of there by 8:00. Sweet Ass and I went to use the phone at the gas station. It is the only pay phone in Kent. I got breakfast and a Mt. Dew. While we were on the phone, Eric stopped by and we also met Chief, Zapman, and Sharky who are thru hiking. After we made our calls, we walked to the post office and picked up our maildrops. I had lots of stuff!Thanks to Cheryl for the brownies. We ate half of them at the post office and the rest were gone before dinner. Thanks to Shev for the Bert's Bees and other goodies. And thanks to my friend Steve for sending more mango and altoids! Several people wished me well while I went through all my stuff outside the post office. Kent is a pretty friendly town and I enjoyed it a lot.We went to the grocery store, then headed over to the liquor store. If you sign his AT map and label where you are from, you get a free beer or soda. Needless to say, we took advantage of that. It is now 9:30. While we are drinking outside on the fence, In and Mem show up (Paul and Audra from Atlanta). I met them one rainy day in a shelter before Waynesboro and hadn't seen them since. They skipped NY and NJ because of her feet and time constraints. They are doing well. They decided to get breakfast at Carlee's and we decided to join them. Town had sucked us in once again! By the time we finished eating, it was after 11:00. We walked out of town feeling a bit like we were in a zoo. There were a lot of tourists and "pretty people" and they all watched us while we walked down the street. Cool. We got on the trail at noon or so to do 17 miles. We did it - before dark.There wasn't anything to memorable about today's hike, except for a 4 mile stretch that was flat along the river - truly flat. It was a wide path, clear, and made for great walking. That was the main reason I got to camp before dark. Zapman, Sparky, and Chief were at the shelter but I didn't talk to them. Too much to do and they went to bed early. We cooked dinner and went to bed as well. I was tired! Today was a good day and I really enjoyed Kent. I would go back there someday when I can afford the B&B.Goodnight Oscar
Date: 2003-07-15
From: Pine Swamp Brook Lean To 1,075

To: Riga Lean To 1,610
Miles today: 19.8

All three of us woke up this morning full of motivation to do 21 miles. It was clear and cool and beautiful outside. We got up kind of late around 6:45 or so and were on the trail by 8:30 I think. Booble and I were determined not to be derailed today by town. This determination soon faded with me.I caught up with guys when they were getting water. I suggested we go into Falls Village for sodas and pizza. Booble was holding fast but Sweet Ass and I convinced him. I went ahead while they got water. When they met me at the road, we headed into town, not realizing we hadn't actually gone far enough on the trail, so we skipped a small section. Then we went the wrong way and had to turn around and walk back about a mile or so. When we finally got to the pizza place, there was no pizza.We went across the street and got sodas at the package store, then ate lunch from our packs on the porch of the pizza place. Then we went back in to the bar so Sweet Ass could use the phone. Mistake. There was a TV and Booble ordered a beer. I started writing emails, Sweet Ass ordered a beer, and, all in all, we were there three hours. We still had 12 miles to hike. Eric came by and saw our packs on the porch. That's about the third time he has discovered our packs when our train has been derailed.We got back on the trail at 3:45. We had two major climbs, one of which is noteworthy. We hauled ass to get to the shelter before dark, and at .6 miles before the shelter we climbed to the top of Lion's Head at 1,738 feet. There is an amazing view at the top if you go out to an outcropping of rocks. It was 8:00 when we got there but if we had been there earlier, it would be a great place to sit for while. After you walk a few more feet north on the AT, you can see the sunset from the other side of the mountain. Beautiful. We got to the shelter, finally, set up camp, cooked, and now I am going to bed. My short legs did double time today and I am very tired. Goodnight Oscar.
Date: 2003-07-17
From: Housatonic River Campsite 610

To: Shaker campsite 995
Miles today: 16.7
Weather: broken clouds

Booble woke up this morning before 6:00! Why?!? Probably because of traffic since we were next to a road but that is no excuse. It didn't rain last night though and when I was going to sleep the last thing I saw were stars. Nice. I got up around 6:45 and was on the trail by 7:30. I don't know how that happened. Today was perfect hiking weather - partly cloudy skies and temps in th 70's I guess. I hardly broke a sweat today even though we had some pretty good climbs this morning. Our first mission was to make it 5.5 miles to the first shelter for water. We started at 7:30 and didn't get there until 11:00. For some reason we stopped twice before we ever got there. Our train was derailed and there weren't even any sodas involved! We got water, ate lunch, and left there around noon.Next on my list was to just hike to our camping spot with maybe one break. But the guys were going to a payphone .5 off the trail at a swimming area of Benedict Pond. I never intended to go but didn't tell them that. I did stop at the pond which was right on the trail. It was beautiful and is actually a lake. I took my shoes off, put my feet in the water, and fell asleep for about 15 minutes. I stayed there about 30 minutes then took off for the campsite. The hike was pretty easy from that point and I walked through some really pretty forest. Mass. is beautiful but the trail is not easy.When I got to the campsite, it was about 5:30. That is the earliest I have been at camp for a while. They guys weren't here yet so I figured they stayed a while at the pond. They showed up about 30 minutes later and were talking about sodas at the pond. I couldn't believe they didn't bring me one. Sweet Ass says the machine didn't work. Likely story. I tried to be mad and couldn't do it. They are just too funny.There are two section hikers camping here with us. Both are from KY, but they don't live there anymore. They are very quiet since the guys arrived. We ate dinner and everybody is pretty quiet now, reading or writing something. This is a nice campsite with a privy and water nearby in a stream. At the back of the campsite is a rock wall. The info on it says it was built around early 1800's and was a Shaker barn. I enjoyed hiking by myself today and relaxing by the water. This was a perfect hiking day and a short one. Anything under 18 is now officially considered a short day. Never dreamed I would think that way. It is hard to believe I used to just hike all day thinking getting from point A to point B was the most important part of my day. Not anymore.Goodnight Oscar.
Date: 2003-07-19
From: The Cookie Lady's House 2,000

To: Crystal Mtn. Campsite 2,100
Miles today: 15.7
Weather: clear sky

I got a little chilly last night. I think I will have to get my long johns and hat out of my bounce box on Monday. I can't believe it. There was no rain last night like we expected, though, just a few sprinkles before we fell asleep. We never did meet the Cookie Lady but Roy was great and such a nice man. Sweet Ass mowed 7 rows of blueberries for him. I was not up for mowing, so I told Sweet Ass I would set his tent up for him tonight and I did. I really enjoyed staying at the Cookie Lady's house and would recommend it to anyone who is thru hiking. We could even use the bathroom this morning and I think we could have showered there if we wanted.We started hiking around 8:00 this morning. Clear skies and beautiful hiking weather. Once again we were very motivated by town. Dalton, MA was only 9 miles away and right on the AT. Perfect lunch stop. Booble was in front of me and I saw him outside the deli when I got to town. Neither of us knew where Sweet Ass was. Turns out he had yellow blazed! He missed the AT at a road crossing three miles into today's hike, so he hitched into town instead of turning back! He was in town by 9:00! We ate sandwiches at Duff and Dell's Variety shop and they were outstanding! I had pastrami and highly recommend it. After lunch we walked down to the payphone at a gas station. This is where we really got off track. I made some calls while the guys sat in the grass nearby. We ended up sitting there for over 2 hours! Then we walked across the street to the pub and had a drink before leaving town, finally, at 4:00! We got there before noon!Dalton is a nice little town. I tried to convince the guys we should stay but no dice. We left around 4:00 and hiked another 5 miles to the campsite. The guys built a fire, we ate and talked a while and now I am ready for bed.Goodnight Osc
Date: 2003-07-20
From: Crystal Mtn. Campsite 2,100

To: Cheshire MA 960
Miles today: 12.3

Woke up bright and early this morning, very motivated because I knew after today's 12 miles we were done, would have a car, and a zero day tomorrow! We got started around 8:00 and I hiked into Cheshire with Sweet Ass who slowed down so I could keep up. We talked for the 5 miles into Cheshire, then took our pictures by the Cheese Monument in Cheshire while we waited for Booble. When Booble got there, we hiked to the convienence store, got Gatorade and left our packs in the back room with the really nice ladies working there, and slackpacked up Mt. Greylock. We were at 960 feet in Cheshire. Mt. Greylock is at 3,491 feet. I am so glad we didn't have our packs on. When we got to the top, we checked out the monument on top. It is a war memorial to MA war dead. It is a beautiful memorial and well worth the climb up the 89 steps. Amazing view. The Bascom Lodge is also there which offers a hostel to hikers. You can also get ice cream or burgers if you are willing to cut off your right arm. We basically laid around, slept on the rock wall until my sister got there to pick us up at 5:00, and then left to go back to Cheshire. When we got to Cheshire, we picked up our packs at the store, my sister got a room at the Harbour House B&B, which is beautiful, and we took our stuff to the St. Mary's church which allows hikers to stay for free for one night. We drove to the Old Forge Restaurant for dinner. It was excellent. It is not in Cheshire, it is in Lanesboro, MA and was really good! Having a car is awesome! After dinner, we went back to the B&B and all took showers in my sister's room. Awesome! Then we went back to the church to sleep. This was a great day. I am looking forward to my zero tomorrow and resting my feet and legs. I think the people in the north have been so nice and hospitable so far. Many churches have opened their doors to us at no charge. Their generousity is overwhelming and much appreciated.Goodnight Oscar.