morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2013-07-24
From: Port Jervis, NY

To: Pochuck Mtn. Shelter
Miles today: 14.1

What a great day! The weather was perfect in the 70s and it's suppose to get into the high 50s tonight. I'm so excited to sleep in my sleeping bag for a change. The terrain today was beautiful and we saw everything from rocks, flat trail, ponds, swaps, bogs, and fields. Around 11, I slipped on a wood board in the mud and fell right into a huge mud puddle. Despite falling and getting my clean clothes and body covered in mud, I was still in a great mood and made sure to take a picture of the wipeout. The day was also filled with food, from breakfast at a diner, to lunch at a tavern, and then a deli sandwich for dinner. I am actually full on the trail, which hardly ever happens. We got to camp around 5 and I set up my tent and then relaxed in my hammock for the rest of the evening. It feels great to have an all around good day again. I didn't want to admit how much I needed that zero, but I feel so refreshed mentally and ready to take on the rest of the trail.
Date: 2013-07-25
From: Pochuck Mtn. Shelter

To: stealth camp before NY border
Miles today: 15.6

This morning was very chilly and I actually wore my long sleeve shirt to start the day. As much as I have been wanting cooler weather, I've decided I prefer dealing with the heat. We got on the trail around 7 15 and hiked 6.5 miles to a deli/bakery for breakfast and lunch. Today was day 4 of the New Jersey deli tour and my food bag has barely been touched. After lunch, we had a rocky but fun climb and I had my second bear encounter in NJ. This time it was a little more exciting though. I was walking down the trail and stopped to decided whether or not to check out a view. Blackhawk was looking back at me and suddenly told me to walk forward and to keep walking. A bear walked down a rocky slope and walked behind me about 10 feet away and just hung out on the trail. The bear then walked towards the lookout point and a local told us that the bear was about a 500 pound male. I got some pictures and then went to check out the view, which was very pretty. NJ has been surprisingly gorgeous and I have really enjoyed the state. After the bear, we ran into Orion and Davy and ended up stealth camping with them for the night. Another great day today and tomorrow morning I will officially cross into New York. Almost 8 states down and 6 to go.
Date: 2013-07-26
From: stealth camp before NY border

To: Lakes Rd, Greenwood Lakes, NY
Miles today: 9.5
Weather: broken clouds

Today was another great day, although like usual it didn't go according to plan. Almost immediately after getting on the trail, we crossed the NJ/NY border. 8 states down! Then NY decided to switch things up and throw rock scrambles at us. It was so much fun to have something different for a change, and it turns out I really love climbing up rocks. Although I was having a blast, it takes a lot longer to go across rock scrambles and we only made 6 miles in 3.5 hours. Luckily that put us right at the hot dog stand for lunch and then we went to a creamery for dessert. We may have overdone it a bit, and all felt way too full to hike, so we hung around a bit. We finally got hiking but Pathfinder was feeling very sick so we hiked to the next road and decided to go into town for the night. Our hotel ended up being right on Greenwood Lake, which was gorgeous, and we could sit outside our room and watch the boats. It ended up being a perfect night and we only have a few miles to make up to get to the zoo on Sunday. I love my life!
Date: 2013-07-27
From: Lakes Rd, Greenwood Lakes, NY

To: Fingerboard Shelter
Miles today: 12.8
Weather: overcast clouds

Today was hard! The day started out great with coffee overlooking the lake. Then we took a cab back to the trail and started hiking around 8 45. The trail was more rock scrambles and at times I had to throw my poles ahead and so I could use both hands to climb. It was fun but difficult and sucked the energy out of us. There was no way to move quickly through the rock scrambles so we were moving much slower than normal. At one point, there was a sign for the easy trail and then the real trail went straight up some rocks. Of course I couldn't take the easy trail, but it took me about five minutes to figure out how to get up the rocks and then I ended up taking off my pack and throwing it up top and then basically rock climbing up. Our plan was to go about 3 miles past the shelter but by the time we got there we were all exhausted after only 12.8 miles. We felt better when everyone else who came to the shelter felt the same way. You never hear any thing about NY, but it is definitely not an easy state. Once I got to the shelter I decided to try and sleep in my hammock tonight instead of setting up my tent. Hopefully the bugs aren't bad because I really don't want to set up my tent at midnight. Although I'm exhausted, I had a good day today.
Date: 2013-07-28
From: Fingerboard Shelter

To: Bear Mountain Bridge
Miles today: 15.4
Weather: overcast clouds

The night in my hammock went pretty well but it took me until about half way through the night to get used to moving around in it without having to completely wake up. As soon as we started hiking, it started to sprinkle and continued to do so on and off throughout the morning. My legs were also sore today from all the rock climbing which felt strange because although I'm always sore and definitely have the hiker hobble, my muscles haven't been sore in a long time. At lunch it started to rain hard but it only lasted a few minutes and then stopped for the rest of the day. The climbs today were much better than yesterday, and bear mountain was one of the easiest climbs I've done in a while with a nicely manicured trail. The top of bear mountain was packed with people who had driven up to the top, and I had more people ask me questions about what I was doing today than I've ever had. One couple was shocked that I had walked from Georgia and had a ton of questions for me and another man asked to shake my hand because he was so impressed. It was strange to be around so many people, many of whom were standing on the Appalachian Trail, who had no idea that the trail even existed much less that people hiked the whole thing from Georgia to Maine or Maine to Georgia. I was probably stopped by at least 15 people who asked what I was doing, so I guess I didn't fit in very well. After all of these encounters, I made it down to the park and then walked through the zoo, where I got many strange looks. Being a weekend, there were people everywhere at the park and at the zoo and most of them definitely looked at me like I was very out of place. I met up with Pathfinder and Blackhawk at the end of the zoo and then we got picked up by a woman from Pathfinders hiking group whom she had never actually met. Francoise and Joe were so welcoming and amazing, and Francoise made us one of the most delicious meals I have ever had. Francoise is thinking about thru hiking in the next couple of years so we talked a lot about thru hiking and just had a great time. Thank you so much to Francoise and Joe for inviting three complete strangers into their home and providing us with showers, amazing food, great conversion, and an indoor place to sleep. Many of the hikers I meet are very tired of hiking and ready to be done, but I am still having such a great time and having a great experience and a lot of it is because of all the amazing people I have met along the way.
Date: 2013-07-29
From: Bear Mountain Bridge

To: Graymoor Spiritual Life Center
Miles today: 6.4

I had a great nights sleep and then woke up to coffee in the morning. We only planned to do about 6 miles today, so we were in no hurry to leave. Francoise made us a delicious egg and toast breakfast and then took us to the store to resupply. When we got back to the house we organized our food and then grabbed lunch at McDonalds before being dropped back off at the trail. I was very full but feeling great when I started hiking, but within a couple hours I was feeling very week and shaky. I stopped to eat food and drink water, not knowing why I was feeling so bad. I took a long break and then started hiking again, but still felt very off. A little bit before a road crossing, we got trail magic from Floater and Gi, who are no longer on the trail but live in the area. It was so cool to get trail magic from them and even though I still felt horrible, I couldn't pass up a cold mountain dew. Immediately after this, I made it to another deli and after sitting for a little while I was feeling a bit better so I got ice cream. As soon as I started hiking again, I felt terrible, but I finally made it to the monastery grounds and set my tent up. I'm not sure why I felt so bad, but I'm betting it was the McDonalds. After a couple hours of laying on a picnic table, I was feeling a little better and ate a giant sandwich that I had packed out from town. Then later in the evening a girls camping group brought over a couple pizzas that they had left over so I ate two pieces of that as well. Despite feeling bad, my hiker hunger seems to be back in full force and I cannot stay full for longer than about 30 minutes. There were also 3 south bounders at camp tonight which are the first south bounders that I've actually talked to. It's crazy to think that in about 2 months I will be done with the trail.
Date: 2013-07-30
From: Graymoor Spiritual Life Center

To:  NY 301
Miles today: 11.8

Today was a pretty great day. I felt much better today and actually had a little energy. It helped that I knew it was going to be a fairly short day, but it was nice to feel a little pep in my step again. Around lunch time we came across some trail magic. Socks, a past thru hiker, brought soda, fruit, and a bunch of other snack foods. She also provided me the most comfortable trail magic I've ever had by having a soft pad that I laid on and then she made me a pillow with a blanket and opened an umbrella to block the sun from my face. It was pretty awesome and I got snacks in the process. Pretty sweet deal! After the trail magic, Blackhawk, Pathfinder, and I hiked a few more miles where we got picked up by Plantman and taken back to his house where our laundry was done, we got to shower, and we got dinner. Thank you so much to Plantman and Pat for inviting us into their home and providing us with such a great time.
Date: 2013-07-31
From:  I had a great nights sleep and then woke up to co

To: Depot Hill Rd.
Miles today: 17.1

After a great nights sleep in a bed, I woke up to breakfast and coffee, thanks to Plantman. We decided to take him up on his slackpack offer and decided to come back to his house again tonight and slackpack again tomorrow. It felt great to hike without a heavy pack and the weather was perfect. We stopped at a shelter for a break and Beerdra and her mom, Beer Mom, had left trail magic soda and fruit. After a long lunch break, we continued on so that we could make it to the deli and have second lunch. The deli was delicious and Blackhawk and I both got lunch beers, which we drank outside in paper bags. The hobo/hiker distinction is getting smaller and smaller every day. After the deli, we hiked to the road where Plantman picked us up and we headed back to his house for a second night. Two nights in a row with showers, laundry, food, good company, and beds. Pretty sweet life!
Date: 2013-08-01
From: Depot Hill Rd.

To: Duell Hollow Rd
Miles today: 15.7

Today the plan was to slackpack and then pick up our packs and camp, but it rained most of the day and it was suppose to rain all night so we asked Plantman if he would put up with us for one more night. We walked by nuclear lake, which was really pretty, before the rain started and then everything else just became a blur of rain. Despite the rain, we still managed to walk the .6 miles off trail to yet another deli. Once again, the food was delicious, but it started to down pour while we were inside so we had no intention of leaving until it lightened up. We ended up sitting there for at least an hour and a half and then one of the ladies who worked there offered to give us a ride back to the trail. We made it back to the trail and hiked to our pick up point where we were once again whisked away to civilization. Day three with showers and clean laundry. I'm starting to feel civilized again and it feels a little strange. Thank you again to Plantman and Pat. You are both amazing and we appreciate everything so much. What a great few days! I feel so spoiled.
Date: 2013-08-02
From: Duell Hollow Rd

To: stealth camp, Connecticut
Miles today: 14.6

Plantman dropped us of at the trail around 8 30 and I thought we would have no problem doing the 12.5 miles into Kent to resupply. Turns out it was a very hard 12.5 miles and we barely made it to town in time to make it to the post office before 5. However, it was awesome to cross into Connecticut today and cross off another state. After a very quick resupply, I ran into Double Dare and we had a couple beers and caught up what we've both been up to over the past couple weeks. I finally headed back to the trail around 7pm and ran into Davy Crockett and Wooden Spoon. After catching up with them I headed back into the woods to find a stealth camp for the night. I ended up finding a great stealth spot and set up right before it got dark. Tonight is the first night on the trail that I am actually by myself. It's funny that everyone thought I was going to be so lonely and completely by myself for 6 months when I told them my plans to thru hike, and in reality it took me over 4 months to even spend one night by myself. Category: Other
Date: 2013-08-03
From: stealth camp, Connecticut

To: Bearded Woods Hostel
Miles today: 13.8

It was lightly raining this morning so it was really hard to convince myself to get up. I finally got going around 9 and immediately was having a very off day. I didn't seem to have any energy no matter what I ate and it just seemed hard to pick up my feet. I made it up to St. Johns cliffs and then had to climb down one of the most rocky and steep declines to date. Afterwards I had a 5 mile flat section along a river, which would normally be the greatest thing ever, but I couldn't even muster up any energy on the flat terrine. I ran into Beerdra around lunch time and she was having an equally off day, so it was nice to be able to sit and vent a little bit about our off day. After lunch I continued on and only made it about 2 miles before I had to stop again out of lack of energy. I made my breakfast drink to see if it would help and then Davy Crockett and Wooden Spoon showed up. I ended up hiking with them for the rest of the day and it helped to have people to try and stay caught up with. They were getting picked up for a hostel and I planned to do 3.5 more miles but when Hudson from Bearded Woods Hostel showed up, I quickly changed my mind and decided to go to the hostel for a family style dinner, a shower, laundry, and breakfast. The hostel ended up being amazing and was one of the best places I have stayed on the trail. We watched Into The Wild after dinner and it was so relaxing and such a great movie to watch on the trail. I definitely saw it from a different perspective than the first time I saw it. I'm so glad I decided to go to the hostel. What a great ending to a rough day.
Date: 2013-08-04
From: Bearded Woods Hostel

To:  Undermountain Rd
Miles today: 17.5

I woke up to coffee and breakfast, which always makes me happy. At breakfast, Hudson offered to slackpack Davy, Wooden Spoon, and I to Salisbury. We immediately took him up on his offer and got ready to go. We were making great time and having a great time hiking, which was very different than yesterday. Today I felt great and had all the energy in the world. It's strange how some days you are completely off and the next day you feel great. We took a break at a waterfall and laid on the rocky edge of the falls, which was beautiful. After a great day of hiking, Hudson dropped off our packs and informed us that a pizza place delivered to the parking lot we were at. So, of course we ordered pizza and ate it in the parking lot. After dinner we walked back into the woods just enough to stealth camp. Tomorrow morning we plan to head into Salisbury to resupply and then head back to the trail for a very difficult day of hiking from what we hear. Today was one of the best hiking days I have had in a long time. Hopefully the energy sticks around for tomorrow.
Date: 2013-08-05
From:  Undermountain Rd

To:  Laurel Ridge Campsite
Miles today: 8.5
Weather: broken clouds

I slept in a bit this morning, which is always nice, especially now that it is cool in the mornings. Davy, Wooden Spoon, and I walked into Salisbury, CT for some breakfast and to resupply, and then ended up just hanging around town until about 1 30. I was planning to at least do a 13 mile day after resupplying, but as usual my plan did not work out since I got sucked into town. It was a lot easier to convince myself that I needed to sit in the grass and relax then to convince myself to hike. Davy and I finally left town and although we were told that today's hike would be difficult, it wasn't to bad. It ended up being a pretty good day, and I crossed the 1500 mile mark and crossed into Massachusetts. 4 more states to go and 681 more miles.
Date: 2013-08-06
From:  Laurel Ridge Campsite

To:  Tom Leonard Shelter
Miles today: 19.3

Today was a long day. I felt pretty good in the morning for the big climbs but around lunch time my energy totally disappeared. I was hiking with Davy and around 1, we were both feeling dead so we took naps on the side of the trail. Since I still had about 12 miles to hike, around 2 I figured I should probably start hiking again. I felt pretty good after my nap but within a couple hours I felt dead again. I ended up stopping to eat my dinner right in the middle of the trail because I didn't feel like I could even make it to a decent break place. I finally made it to the shelter, not in the best of moods, to find out that the water, which I had been out of for about an hour, was .3 miles away down an extremely steep trail. Great! I finally got back from getting water and immediately set up my tent and went to sleep. Hopefully I feel better tomorrow. It seems like I've been having a pattern of on/off days lately. I'm trying to do 40 miles in the next two days to meet my parents, so I'm hoping the terrain and my body allow me to get there so I can enjoy a couple days off with my parents and puppy.
Date: 2013-08-07
From:  Tom Leonard Shelter

To: Upper Goose Pond Cabin
Miles today: 21.2
Weather: few clouds

Today was a much better day then yesterday. By lunch I had already done about 13 miles and then I ran into Arrow, Sea Biscuit, Balloo, and Persistent and hiked with them for the rest of the day. I made it the 21 miles by 5pm and headed to Upper Goose Pond Cabin for the night. It was on the verge of raining so I didn't go to the beach or canoe but I still had a great time sitting around and listening to a section hiker play the guitar and sing. The care taker also made us corn on the cob, corn bread muffins, and chocolate cookies. On top of all this, I got to sleep on a mattress. Pretty good day.
Date: 2013-08-08
From: Upper Goose Pond Cabin

To: Dalton, MA
Miles today: 20.6

I was going to leave the cabin early so that I wouldn't have to rush to meet my parents in Dalton, but I got sucked into blueberry pancakes, coffee, and putting on temporary tattoos. I finally left around 8:30 and immediately did not feel like hiking. I felt like it took me forever to do 8 miles, but then I ran into some other hikers and the hiking seemed to go much faster. I was making good time and was actually going to be there early but then another hiker offered me a beer so I ended up sitting around for about an hour. I got going again and was making up time and then got stopped again for some awesome trail magic. After hanging out for about 15 minutes, I was back on the trail and pretty much ran down the mountain. I got to Dalton right as my parents and puppy arrived. It was great to see them and get lots of puppy kisses. We headed to the hotel room so I could shower and then went out to dinner. Very excited for a zero day tomorrow and to spend some time with my parents and pup.
Date: 2013-08-09
To: Williamstown, MA
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

Today was a great zero day. I played with my dog, Belle, took a nap, watched movies on Netflix, ate tons of food, and just relaxed. It was great hanging out with my parents and just having a relaxing day. I also got to open all the stuff that I had sent to their house, my new shoes, insoles, new pack from granite gear because a strap on my pack broke, and new sleeping pad. It felt like Christmas. What a great day.
Date: 2013-08-10
From: Dalton, MA

To:  Cheshire, MA
Miles today: 8.8

After going out to breakfast, my dad dropped off my Mom, Belle, and I at the trail for an 8.8 mile hike. I didn't take anything with me except my dogs leash and it was amazing to be able to just hike without a pack or trekking poles. I had such a great time running through the woods with my dog and playing in the streams. I felt like I was just out frolicking in the woods for a day. It was a great feeling and good reminder about how much fun the woods can be. We met my Dad in Cheshire and got ice cream and then drove to North Adams to take a phone that my dad found to some thru hikers that would be meeting up with the owner of the phone in a couple days. Afterwards, we went out to dinner and then relaxed for the rest of the evening. Another great day with the parents and pup.
Date: 2013-08-11
From: Williamstown, MA

To: Williamstown, MA
Miles today: 0.0

I decided to take another zero today because I am a few days ahead of all the people I have been hiking with. The day was very relaxing, and I got more play time in with Belle and got a nap in. After my nap, we went into town so that I could do laundry and resupply and then went out to an amazing dinner. It has been so great to spend a few days with my parents and puppy. It's strange to think that next time I see them, I will be done with my hike.
Date: 2013-08-12
From:  Cheshire, MA

To: Wilber Clearing Shelter
Miles today: 11.7

After packing up my pack and cleaning my scattered hiker stuff up at the hotel, my parents took me to breakfast before dropping me off at the trail around 10 30. We said our goodbyes and I got lots of puppy kisses to last me until Maine, and then I headed up the trail. I was feeling pretty good after 3 days of eating and relaxing but had no motivation to hike quickly, so I just meandered up Mt. Greylock and enjoyed not feeling like I had to get anywhere in particular. I made it to the top around 2 and sat on a bench to snack and chill out. It was pretty busy with day hikers but I didn't get as many strange looks as when I was at Bear Mountain. While I was sitting at the top, I ran into Indigo and then hiked with her for the rest of the day. We went to Wilber Clearing Shelter, which was packed with 3 different camp groups of about 30 kids and then 7 SOBOs, a mom and her 2 kids, and then Indigo and myself. I didn't want to stay in the shelter, but there really wasn't anywhere to set up my tent so I spent my first night on my new sleeping pad in the shelter. It ended up being a pretty fun night because one of the camp counselors was very entertaining with the kids and there was so much people watching to do. Definitely couldn't handle that many people every night but it was fun for the one night. We squeezed 8 people in the shelter because it was suppose to rain but even that wasn't too bad. Definitely ready to sleep in my tent again though. Tomorrow it is suppose to rain most of the day so I'm not really sure what my day will turn into.