morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2007-07-10
From: Mashipacong Shelter

To: Stealth Camp Off Arden Road Next to Lake Tiorat
Miles today: 17.5

75 degrees at 3:30 a.m. ¢ 95 degrees at 3:30 p.m. If I had an egg I could have fried it on my head! I felt dizzy most of the day as the heat beat down on me and Bono.This 15-hour day of hiking started off with a 3:30 a.m. drop off at the trailhead by my girl Cheryl and her daughter, Kayla. As I walked into the quiet darkness, I stopped and watched as the taillights on my truck slowly drove off ¢ that has got to be the loneliest feeling and I¢m not sure why I stopped. I should have just kept going into the blackness. The trail started off easy then it turned to a rock scramble with 3 ft. drops on either side. The sweat ran profusely as I followed the white blazes in the night. As I awaited and hoped for light to come soon, I know now I was hoping for something that would give me my toughest day of hiking to date. I was so impressed how Bono handled the heat and 4 spaced out swimming holes got him through this arduous day. The swimming holes for a dog were plentiful, but all, and I mean all, the streams were dry. Even the waterfall had but not one trickle! Trail Magic at two points along the trail saved me. One by ¢Pady-O¢ who gave me some magic at Jennings Creek way back when the trail offered some terrain challenges as well. The famous ¢Lemon Squeezes¢ where you have to take your pack off because of the narrow width was a chore to say the least. Had to throw Bono up a couple verticals as well. Finally, Finally! Made it to the public swim area ¢ guess what? All closed. Beach closed ¢ Snack bar closed. Showers closed! I did promise Bono a swim, so we did it stealth style! I was going to swim as well, but the water was so warm it wouldn¢t have been refreshing for me. I hit the soda machine for 4 sodas. I cooked my food then walked back up the road .03 to the stealth site I scoped out as I walked down. At least the bathroom was open so I could do my chores. I lay here sweltering and the dogs outside the tent.
Date: 2007-07-11
From: Stealth Camp Off Arden Road Next to Lake Tiorat

To: Bear Mt/Museum/Zoo
Miles today: 9.5

Waking up this morning was very, very difficult. I could have slept in another 5 hrs! Even hitting the trail at 7 a.m. is a late start. I must have been tired! Bono slept outside the tent since it was stifling inside, smart boy. Finally got a glimpse of a deer with antlers and felt hanging off. Not sure how I decided to look to my left, there was no movement and when I turned we met eye to eye. I like starting my day like that. After that uplifting moment, I got very emotional, recounting my friend¢s (whom I just visited in NY) story about how one day his dog crawled under a bush and took his last breath there. How they had a memorial with the past away friend laying on the couch for all to say their last goodbyes. I cried for 12 an hour straight as I watched my own dog walking in front of me, not being able to imagine life without him. He¢s a special dog; both my dogs are good boys! Took lots of breaks today. Man! Was it tough to get going today! Not as many swimming opportunities for Bono. No water anywhere on the trial, oh sorry, I forgot the frog pond I took water from, yellow water is not very appealing! Total drought is all you read about in the journals and 5 shelters in a row have no water next to them! Tough, tough going today! I felt lightheaded most of the day, which surprised me because I can usually handle the heat. Descending down Bear Mt. To the lowest point on the AT was a toe squeezer! When I finally came to the zoo some kids caught sight of the dog and made the comment, ¢stay away from the dog. Dogs are dangerous!¢ Who¢s teaching these kids that dogs are dangerous? It thundered about an hour after I arrived, which is good cause we need it, bad! Now I lay here under a pavilion on a cement floor with water that tastes almost as bad as the frog pond! Ahhhh, heaven!
Date: 2007-07-12
From: Bear Mt/Museum/Zoo

To: NY 301 Stealth Camp
Miles today: 18.3

Eyes opened up at 5 a.m. Decided my body wasn¢t ready to get up, so it was back to sleep for 40 more winks. 6 a.m. was the second time I came around and as I cleared the sleep from my eyes, I was staring at this huge white footed vulture sitting on the stone shelf peering down at me and my dog with drool coming from it¢s gizzards! After the initial shock of seeing this creepy looking creature, I thought to myself, ¢Not dead yet!¢ and I decided it would be time to get up. Just as the bird took flight a mere 5 ft. from my dog, Bono was dumbfounded at a presence of something that was there next to him overhead.Off on 9W to find the way around the zoo to the bridge (Bear Mt. Bridge) that crosses the Hudson River. It wasn¢t long before we came to a flowing stream. Yes, a flowing stream! The thunderstorms the night before was well needed and water was good the whole day! I took many breaks and Bono had a great time playing in the fresh, flowing streams. Weather was in our favor today. Although the beads of sweat were still flowing, it wasn¢t as if someone had turned a faucet on top of me. I decided to hold off on Bono¢s booties to see how he would fair, and so far so good. His paws are staying stable. My feet still have that burning ¢hot spot¢ sensation, but what are you going to do? Still have to hike, sore feet or not. They did, however, start to come around at the end of the day. As I approached Rt. 301 I saw someone who looked like a familiar face, ¢Daddy O,¢ the trail magic man who helped me out on May 16 at Jennings Creek, then again day before yesterday with water and he was at it again with all kinds of fixings. He brought me to his truck and cooked me some hot dogs and calzones, PowerAde, candy bars and ¢soooda.¢ We talked at length and turns out he knew of one of my old instructors, fellow martial artist, Ed Brown, from New Canin, CT ¢ small world ¢ hope to see ¢Daddy O¢ at the Food and Spirits Reunion.
Date: 2007-07-13
From: NY 301 Stealth Camp

To: Morgan Stewart Shelter
Miles today: 16.0
Weather: clear sky

Rolled out of my stealth camp at 6:40 a.m. to another decent temp day at 75 degrees. Made 6 miles by 10 a.m. and stopped for lunch at ¢RPH Shelter.¢ Cooked some noodles and tuna and ¢Uncle tome¢ topped it off with a cola, which was actually a pretty good late ¢break.¢ Decided to make the .03 trip to this deli for a sandwich and some food for Bono. It was worth the extra travel. Stopped for a picture with this young environmental group and told them to check the pictures on the website. They were all excited to see a dog with a hiking pack on. Most of the day was in close proximity to the highways of NY, so it was quite a noisy hike today. At the RPH shelter ¢Diamo¢ was there and we chatted for a bit as I asked her who went into NYC. Told her about the Aug. 18-19 party in Glenn Cliff. A handful of other hikers showed up and caught the word as well.Bono moved a little slower with an extra 4 lbs. in his pack. I will start loading him up heavier with the cooler weather in the end of summer. A slew, and I mean a slew, of hikers showed up at the Morgan Stewart Shelter tonight, at least 30! I haven¢t seen anything like this in a long time! Some I haven¢t seen since Georgia! I filled them all in on the Food and Spirits Reunion Festival, so there should be a good crowd. Tents are everywhere and there are actually 3 dogs, so Bono had some company. Speaking of Bono, there was a UPS man at the Deli, so good old Bono had to give it a try and put on his pathetic begging face to try and smooch some treats. He got a meatball out of the deal! All for now, leaving NYC tomorrow!!!!!
Date: 2007-07-14
From: Morgan Stewart Shelter

To: Ten Mile River
Miles today: 20.5
Weather: few clouds

The weather has definitely been on our side. Another 70-degree day, low humidity. Water has been good and plentiful. Would have been nice to have the water during the drought when it was 95+, but I guess you can¢t have it all! All day long we saw hikers as the group of 30+ split up and left the campsite in the early morning. This guy, ¢Radar,¢ and me hiked together for some time today, bumping into this guy, Greg and his god BiBi. He was a cool dude from Colorado going to work early in the a.m. and he bestowed upon us some trail magic! Bono hiked with a miniature Portuguese water dog named ¢Boneka,¢ which stands for something in Portuguese? It looks much like a large poodle. The dog scared the crap out of everyone when it came to a road crossing and walked right out into oncoming traffic! I¢m glad I trained Bono to stay by the roadside and stay put until I come up and put him through his paces. At every crossing he sits, looks L and then R, then looks at me. I ask him if he sees any cars, then we go ¢ not before. He did have a slight mishap with an electric fence today, when he accidentally touched it! He let out a yelp! But you know he won¢t do that again!Got trail magic twice today. First time anonymous, the second ¢Good Time¢ and ¢Blue Berry Bert,¢ thru-hikers in 05¢. Brought up all kinds of fixing! Felt good to get that free ¢Good!¢ food and then cross into CT. Another state down! Feet were screaming today! Every time I stopped they would pulsate and burn. When Miss Holt asked how I was, I commented ¢great from the ankles up!¢ Luckily I camped at Ten Mile River, which was nice, but if it were a bit colder like those numbing Mt. Streams it would have done my feet better. Small re-supply tomorrow and 15 miles instead of 20.
Date: 2007-07-15
From: Ten Mile River

To: Stealth Site
Miles today: 16.2

One last dip for bono in the Ten Mile River before we left for today¢s hike. He was having a tough time with this confidence in getting up the stairs to the bridge. When he gets nervous, he barks so being the ¢little stinker¢ I am, I let the barking go a little longer than usual at 6:30 a.m. Nice hike along the river into Kent, CT. Pretty uneventful the whole day as we walked the 0.8 miles into the town. Met up with ¢Radar¢ and a bunch of others as I grabbed some grub and some snacks for the trail. Spent about 1 12 hours under a tree next to the outfitter (this guy also was unable to fix my poles) when I noticed this lady drive by with a rubber neck looking at the whole Motley Crew as we lounged in the shade hiking from the 90-degree heat. As me and ¢Radar¢ contemplated the walk back to the trail, this lady pulled in. ¢Oh I just had to stop and say hi to your dog.¢ My response was ¢How would you like to help the dog out by giving us a ride up the road to the trail? The tars kind of hot on his paws.¢ No problem was her response and off we went, the three of us and two packs squeezed into this Audi headed back to the trail! Cynthia (the driver) said she dealt with death sentence inmates on death row! Wow!!! Couldn¢t thank her enough. Got a picture with her and Bono and off we went.About 15 min. into our hike it began to rain. We stopped so I could put my camera away and grab my pack cover. Just then it really started and the thunder came as well. As I turned to ask ¢Radar¢ if he wanted to wait it out, he was half way gone up the hill. So Bono and I huddled under the tarp until it passed. About 20 min. later I hear ¢Bowleg.¢ It was ¢Radar¢ who doubled back to see what was up! Bono lost his pack today going down these ledges. He comes running back up to me with no pack! He must have put on the breaks and his pack and harness kept going over this head and off his body! Overshot the shelter and ended up carrying 5 liters over a mile and one-half! I had enough carrying an extra 11 lbs., so the first open spot to pitch I took.
Date: 2007-07-16
From: Stealth Site

To: Hydro Electric Power Plant
Miles today: 16.7

Looked like I was in for a good day of travel, weather-wise, and I was. 70¢s all day. The hills made you sweat, not the temp. Saw ¢Tom B¢ and ¢Pootz¢ slack packing south and we talked about the trail for a bit. I told them how Bono lost his pack going down ¢the ledges.¢ I carried on and crossed some nice running water gorges with deep pools of clear water for Bono to swim in. I was breaking for a snack by a stream when ¢Radar¢ who showed up quite surprised! We hung out hiking together for the day, joking and goofing to pass the time. We came upon a racetrack around 12:30. We could see them practicing below and the sound traveled! Ended up we heard the track for most of the day. At one point we pretended to race as we descended yet another mountaintop. Road crossings were a bit treacherous! Seemed water was all around us this day, as I replenished by spigot on a small schoolhouse. We passed the time as the miles fell and we reached our day¢s goal. As we came into Falls Village, CT, we over shot our destination. We did find the outside shower, but neither of us had soap. Instead we soaked our heads. Crossing the Housatonic Bridge felt right, but it wasn¢t! A guy on a cycle helped us out by checking up the road for our tent site. Heading back the opposite direction I made the comment ¢I¢m not holding back, I¢m going to always put my thumb out!¢ No sooner did I say it, these two kids Eric and ???? gave us a ride instantly! We squeezed into their Subaru and sped off to the store. The guy at the store said camping was allowed by the Hydro Plant so that¢s what we did. I ended up finding this sweat shack with a concrete floor! Looked like they were going to build a bathroom and didn¢t finish. My Big Anges air mattress fit perfect with all my gear and my dog. Interviewed ¢Radar¢ with my night vision button on my camera as we drank and stuffed our face with some well-needed food.
Date: 2007-07-17
From: Hydro Electric Power Plant

To: Laurel Ridge Campsite
Miles today: 17.0
Weather: clear sky

¢Radar¢ gave me a wake up call at 5:30 a.m. Could have slept another 10 hours easily! We hit the trail right after seeing ¢Two Dogs¢ and his friend Mart across the Hydro Plant getting water. Too bad the Housatonic River polluted. It¢s a nice looking river. Some small ups and downs, but pleasant hiking. Ran into the two ¢M&M¢s.¢ One¢s Bono¢s adopted Aunt I¢ve written about and the other is the guy ¢M&M.¢ ¢Tom B¢ and ¢Grasshopper¢ were also along slack packing south. Chatted with them, took some pictures and we were off again. Took a long break by the side of the road. It was a very loud and busy street. It was actually very dangerous as people sped by doing 50 in a 30 zone! Other hikers showed up ¢ ¢Big Sky,¢ ¢Two Dogs,¢ Mart and a few others. We were the last to leave 1:30 p.m! Did the dangerous road cross and a guy in a truck pulls up to tell us about a spigot in the cemetery! Of course ¢Radar¢ hears him say he put a cooler in the cemetery, but that was not what the guy said. It¢s what he hoped he said. Ended up finding the hand pump spigot right dead (excuse the pun) in the center of the cemetery, just like the guy said! Score!!!!! Bobby Orr!!!Made our way up Lions Head Mt, then Bear Mt, which went up to 2316 ft. Our first Mt to go over 1,000 ft for quite some time! The down was tough and I was glad Bono had an empty pack. Massachusetts!!!!!!! Don¢t get me wrong; I thought CT was very nice with some tough climbs and down hills and vultures! But the water was always there and it was cold and clean! Came upon a pack of day packing girls who posed for a group shot with Bono. What a beautiful site, a cold clean pool of water, a mountain pool of water. I had to go for a swim and I knew if I hesitated I wouldn¢t go under, so I went for it! YAAAA! That was cold, but it was time for a shower as the grime was building. We made it to the state line sign on the tree. 1.3 to the campsite. Ended up being no one here. The night ended with me at the privy listening to ¢Radar¢ playing the harmonica ¢ only on the AT.
Date: 2007-07-18
From: Laurel Ridge Campsite

To: Monument Moutain Motel
Miles today: 12.7

The rain made its presence known and I wasn¢t in a hurry to go outside and hike in the rain, so I slept in getting a late start at 9:30 a.m. At times the rain held off, but still the ground was wet and the rocks were slimy. I ended up taking what I call ¢falls¢ but ¢Radar¢ calls them saves if your entire body doesn¢t touch the ground. Climbed up over 2,000 ft again with Mt Everett, was very sustained and exposed with fog, so thick you could cut it with a knife! Ascending was slow with black, slippery rocks and descending more tedious! Incredibly steep with high granite step-downs. Glad Bono had an empty pack on his back. These climbs come at just the right time to get our legs in shape for the ¢Whites¢ and then Maine.Oh, I can¢t forget to mention the mosquitoes and how they were waiting right on the state line of MA for us to come on by! Ferocious! Annoying! Persistent bugs that make you hike faster than you normally would to try and get away from them. But there is no escape! Made it to US 7 in Massachusetts at 5:30 p.m. ¢Alpine Strides¢ was there thumbing and a lady pulled over to pick her up. Turns out from what ¢Radar¢ said, she was going to give all of us a ride, but he turned it down? So we started to walk and 10 min. later a lady gave us a ride in a small (I mean small) Chevy and brought us to town. Her name was ¢Viv¢ and she dropped us off at the grocery store. I watched out stuff and ate McDonalds and ¢Radar¢ went to the store. Then it was raining again, so we decided it would be better to get a room then go back into the woods to set up a wet tent. I ended up having to walk in the heavy downpour back to the grocery store. Picked up the usual ¢ Dog food, pepperoni, sweets and then I headed back to the motel.
Date: 2007-07-19
From: Monument Moutain Motel

To: Mt. Wilcox North Lean-to
Miles today: 13.5

Packing up to head back out on the trail at 7 a.m. ¢Radar¢ thought he needed a ¢0¢ so Bono and I were once again on our own. Hitching back to the trail proved to be a challenge, but not impossible. One lady stopped and then said she didn¢t think she¢d be going that far. I agreed and she sped off and I was standing there just about ready to kick myself! I can¢t believe I did that! I could have made it work, but I wasn¢t thinking obviously! My second ride was from a young lady named Liz who had borrowed here roommate¢s truck to get mulch. She was super nice and I thanked her as I grabbed my pack and left for the AT.A drizzly, dark day it tis with the mosquitoes close at hand and ears and neck and legs! Vicious! Took a break at Tom Leonard Lean-to and put on a healthy dose of Bens Deet 100 ¢ not sure if it was the Deet, but I felt a bit lightheaded as we climbed. Soon the rain became steady and I was dealing with it knowing Bono was going to have a good day, but then it really started to pee, so I broke out the tarp poncho and headed out into the downpour, climbing up a mudslide with slippery rock and water seeping into your boots (as you know I¢m not complaining). I can think of more pleasant things to do. Made it to Mt. Wilcox North Lean-to around 4:30 p.m., got into my dry clothes and went for water. All the streams are flowing and they look very clean, which is good since I ran out of Aquamira water treatment.The shelter is all ours, well except for a few mice and the skeeters. It¢s home for the night. Man it¢s good to have dry clothes ¢ food and a place to sleep. I truly feel fortunate ¢ the only bad part is I know tomorrow I have to put my wet shirt and shorts; wet socks and boots back on and trudge off again.
Date: 2007-07-23
From: Mt. Wilcox North Lean-to

To: Kay Wood Lean-to
Miles today: 16.0

Something was different about my hiking partner today? Was it that he just turned 3? Was it the two ¢0¢ days? Or a combo of both? Not sure, but it is truly a joy to have my dog with me on this journey. He brings laughter in the shelters at night, inspiration for me during the long days while we hike and all he asks for is a chance to swim in any and all lakes and ponds he sees and I make sure I oblige.Super cool weather today with temps around 60-65. I think it was the same temp when I got dropped off at the trailhead by my girlfriend, her daughter and my mom. Man was it great to see all of them and to have them here to celebrate Bono¢s 3rd B-day. He was so excited to see his ¢Grams!¢Hiking was very uneventful today with a cool breeze blowing all day, then on/off showers. Very muddy trails with not much to look at. I think I took two pictures today. Took a break at one of the shelters and massaged my Achilles tendon. I would think after 2 days off it would feel better, but it seems worse today. Go figure? Got to the next shelter at mile 16 and was exhausted, so I took a nap thinking I would be the only hiker here. Ends up 12-15 people showed up, including ¢Slinky Dog!¢ Next week I hike with my girl, so I¢m excited about that ¢ also another state falls as I enter Vermont and the Long Trail on Wednesday. Slowly I¢m making it. I had my doubts that I would get this far. I also have to remember I¢m not there yet. One hiker who I know just broke his ankle and his dream is lost ¢ at least for this year.
Date: 2007-07-24
From: Kay Wood Lean-to

To: Mark Noepel Lean-to
Miles today: 16.7

Hikers started to motivate early in the crowded shelter so that got me and Bono going with a 6:30 a.m. start. All packed and ready to leave the shelter and it started to rain, but it didn¢t continue, so that was good. So many hikers today ¢ mostly going south. Got a bit confused when I got to Dalton as to where the trail went. Finally, I figured it out. Ran into ¢Radar.¢ He ended up staying at a free hostel. As we hiked through town I must have seen 6 black labs. I thought as I returned to Dalton the trail would run right by the coffee house I went to when I had the visit with the family. I was wrong, so no breakfast for me. Oh well! I could almost taste it.Hiking was a foggy, wet, slippery day with lots of wet roots. Coming into Cheshire I met ¢Frito¢ who had done the trail once before. We walked into town together and took a break at a little sub shot right on the trail. I ended up getting a meatball sub and a very expensive $5.25 ice cream! As we left, we ran into another black lab and also the famous cheese press in which Thomas Jefferson was presented with a 1320 lb. Cheese!!!! Heading out of town and headed towards Mt. Greylock and MA-VT border! Decided to wait to do Greylock when it¢s clear out and not limited visibility. Got to the shelter and soaked my feet in the ice cold water. So cold I couldn¢t keep my feet in for more than 30 seconds. Right now my hand is numb and I fear the worst. I think I got bit by a bee or some kind of insect. My arm is throbbing and I feel a bit dizzy. Hope the Benadryl takes effect ¢ I had 1 left.