morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2011-07-10
From: Pochuck Mountain Shelter

To: Wawayanda Shelter
Miles today: 11.6
Weather: clear sky

"Vegemite" and I decided to stop at the Heaven Hill Farm for some fresh fruit and ice cream. It was one of those shorter days distance wise that allowed us to enjoy the treats at these road crossings. "Vegemite" took off a little before I did. Eventually I caught up with him as we climbed up Pochuck Mountain. The first part of the hike had some nice views on top of the mountain peaks just beyond the shelter. Once down from the top of the mountain, the trail crossed a road and turned into a 0.6 mile boardwalk over a swamp. It was a easy walk because the terrain was even and unlike a road, the boards absorbed the shock of walking. There was another section of boardwalk that was 0.2 miles that took us to the road crossing that the farm was located on. Once in the retail area I bought several pieces of fruit and went out to the picnic table to eat them. When I went back in, I asked if they had a deli. They told they didn't but they were going to a deli up the road to get the staff lunch. They invited us to add our orders to theirs. I was the only one who took got a sandwich. After eating the sandwich, I got a milkshake. Because of the heat, we just stayed at the farm. They had picnic tables under a overhang that kept the sun off of us. Others joined us including "Coaster" and "Warbler". Once the heat dropped a little we took off for the shelter. Along the way, I met the twins, "Oak" and "Maple". We hiked down the mountain to the shelter but they continued to State Park that was located close to the shelter. They were meeting a friend in a couple of days that required them to hike long miles. Water for the shelter had to be obtained at the state park which was just a short hike from the shelter. "Oak" and "Maple" were there cooking dinner. As I was walking to the state park, "Baloo" and Brenda came around the corner. I joked that he was sent to spy on me since it was the third day in a row that we bumped into each other. He replied that it was the twins that sent him. He was basically making his way northward checking the shelters and make sure everyone was obeying the New Jersey laws. "Vegemite" and I were joined by "Coaster" and "Warbler" and later that evening, the twins. Nobody stayed in the shelter because of the mosquitos. The tent is best way to protect oneself from them. I had dinner, cleaned up and headed for the tent mainly to get away from the mosquitos.
Date: 2011-07-11
From: Wawayanda Shelter

To: Greenwood Lake
Miles today: 9.9

"Vegemite" and I decided to go into Greenwood Lake for the night to get a shower, resupply and some real food. There's also a creamery right off the trail. We got up, packed up and took off. "Vegemite" left a little earlier than I did so I didn't meet up with him until the creamery. The hike was fairly short so even leaving late, I still made it to the road crossing at lunchtime. There was just one view of the town we were heading to but other than that, it was just one of those mundane hiking days. I sometimes miss the great views we had in the first part off the hike, especially in say the Smokies or Grayson Highlands. The big milestone for the day was crossing into New York and being done with New Jersey. It was an especially hot day so the creamery was good to hit before heading into town. When I got there, "Vegemite", of course was there along with "Raw Dog". "Raw Dog" had already had his ice cream so he headed down the trail as he had no plans to stay in town. We were joined by "Coaster" and "Warbler" a little later. They also weren't staying in town so after eating their ice cream, they headed down the trail. "Vegemite" tried his best to find a ride into town for us but couldn't find anyone at the creamery who would give us a ride. It's funny that we'll hike nearly 10 miles but won't hike 2 miles into a town yet be willing to hike 16 miles the next day. I guess there's something about road walking that just isn't appealing, especially when it doesn't count toward trail miles. We hiked into town, found a hotel and got showers. I had enough food for breakfast, lunch, etc but needed to restock on snacks. There wasn't a laundromat in town so the only way to do laundry was to be creative. I washed the clothes in the sink then dried them using the microwave. Later, we went to a local restaurant to get some dinner and just hang out. Afterwards, we headed back to the motel. "Vegemite" is such a big wrestling fan that he tries to stop in town every Monday night to watch it. I did journal entries while he watched TV. We were up until nearly 11pm.
Date: 2011-07-12
From: Greenwood Lake

To: Island Pond Rd
Miles today: 13.6

"Vegemite" and I got up and headed to a cafe for breakfast. Then it was back to the room to pack and get back to the trail. "Vegemite" stayed up late to watch wrestling so I didn't get enough sleep. I decided to sleep for an hour before going to the trail. He took off. After checking out, I headed for the trail. The hike into town wasn't too bad because it was downhill. Hiking back of course, was more work. Hitching isn't allowed in New York so all I can do is to look pitiful enough to convince some sympathetic soul to pull over and offer me a ride. It didn't work. I walked all the way back. The first part of the trail was easy like most of New Jersey in that it was fairly flat. After climbing up to the first mountain, about 6 miles from the road, the hike turned into more of a rock scramble. I took a lot of breaks because of the heat and the effort so by the time 6 pm rolled around, I was nearly 3 miles from the shelter that "Vegemite" and I decided on staying at. I was also very tired from all of the rock scrambles. As I was hiking around a large pond (we call them lakes in the south), I heard a familiar voice. It was "Ladypants". She had found a nice camping area that was close to that pond. The water in the pond wasn't the best but it was treatable and tasted fine. I setup camp, made dinner and hung my food. The forecast was for a clear night so I left the rain fly off my tent to stay cool and to enjoy the stars while laying in my tent. It was a great spot to camp and a wonderfully clear night. "Ladypants" did well.
Date: 2011-07-15
From: Clarence Fahnestock State Park

To: Morgan Stewart Shelter
Miles today: 15.8
Weather: clear sky

"Vegemite" and I both managed to get some rest despite the noise from the nearby road. He took off about a half hour before I did as usual. The hike was refreshingly easy with just a couple big climbs but nothing that was to difficult. It was still hot but that was easy to take care of by staying ahead of the fluids. I caught up with "Vegemite" at the RPH shelter. It was one of those shelters that was more of a bunkhouse than a shelter. It was also possible to order pizza there which motivated many on the group I was in to push on to the shelter. When I got there, the caretaker was collecting all of the pizza boxes that were left there by those motivated hikers the night before. I had my mid morning snack then "Vegemite" and I continued on to the next road crossing where there was a pizza shop and a deli. "Vegemite" got a pizza and I opted for a sandwich. I also drank lots of Gatorade to replenish the lost electrolytes. It has been fun going from deli to deli. Sandwiches in the New York area are very good. We also hung out in the shade until about 3:30 so that we could avoid the heat a little. The hike to the shelter was a very easy 4 miles so we didn't get there too late in the evening. We did the usual camp set up, ate dinner and hit the sack.
Date: 2011-07-16
From: Morgan Stewart Shelter

To: Wiley Shelter
Miles today: 16.5
Weather: broken clouds

Today's journey took me to within just a couple of miles of the first NY-CT border. It was an encouragement in that I was almost done with another state, namely New York. The temperature was high all day so encouragement like this was timely. "Vegemite" and I agreed that a stop st the garden center about 10 miles down the trail would be a good place to get lunch. The owner of the garden center is hiker friendly so we were allowed to leave our packs there and walk down the road to a nearby deli for lunch. There was also a guy selling hot dogs on the roadside not too far from the garden center so that was another option. As usual, "Vegemite" got going before I did so I just planned on meeting him at the garden center. The hike was void of any views from mountain topsbut there was a lake that kind of neat. Given it was named Nuclear Lake, there wasn't a lot of motivation to swim in it or get drinking water from it. It probably is fine but the name ruins it. I was sure to stop got water at the next shelter. It was the first good water source in terms of the quality of the water. Many of the streams simply are not flowing that fast. When that's the case, there's a lot more crude that needs to be filtered out. Given that causes the filter to get clogged much faster, my inclination is to avoid those kind of water sources. After refilling, I hike a few more miles and got to the train station known as the Appalachian Trail Railroad Station. At this point, one could get on a train that would them to New York City. People from the city also take this train out to the trail to go hiking either for the day or for several nights. Last night, there was a couple staying at the shelter who did just that. They were hiking southward from this railroad crossing. Shortly after rail station was the garden center. I dropped my pack there and headed for the hot dog stand where I got two brats and a Coke. I came back to the garden center and just sat on the porch to rest. I headed down to the deli later on because I started getting hungry again. "Coaster" and "Warbler" came by later that afternoon just before "Vegemite" and I started to get back on the trail. They had decided to camp at the garden center which the owner allowed. The only problem that I saw was there were train tracks on one side of the camping area and a major road on the other. It was too noisy for me. After talking with them for a while, I headed down the trail to shelter. I got to the shelter, set up camp and still felt the urge to eat dinner. I just knew that I would be hungry in the middle of the night if I didn't. The normal nighttime chores were done and I was in bed. It's remarkable how efficient I've gotten with the routine at night and morning compared to when I started the trip. I've done this a little over a hundred times so I guess I've been able to fine tune everything. Of course, I will always be open to new ways of doing things no matter how good I think I've may have gotten.Tr
Date: 2011-07-17
From: Wiley Shelter

To: Mt Algo Shelter
Miles today: 12.4
Weather: scattered clouds

Today was the last day for New York. The trail actually crosses the border twice before getting into Connecticut for good. I've never been to Connecticut before and here I am hiking in it. That just seemed really strange to me. I decided to take a day off in Kent to do gear purchases, resupply and laundry. But because it's so expensive, I didn't want to stay 2 nights. Going to the shelter right before allows me to get there early the next morning and have all day to do what I need to do. "Vegemite" told me about a small grocery store on Bulls Bridge Rd. They have ice cream and other snacks. I decided to make that the lunch time snack point for the day. "Vegemite", of course, took off before I did so I expected that I wouldn't see him at the store. The hike was fairly easy with a road crossing early in the morning. There was a deli down the road but it was just too early and I didn't feel like carrying the sandwich until lunchtime. So I just decided to skip it. I got to the road crossing for the grocery store just as "Vegemite" was getting back on the trail. We chatted a little then I continued to the store. I got my usual pint of ice cream along with a Gatorade and another drink, went outside to the picnic tables and found a spot that was shady. There were several motorcycle groups traveling up and down the road. Some of them would stop at the restaurant but most just past on by. It was fun watching them ride by. I finished my snack, made a few calls then headed down the trail. Not too far down the trail, I met another ridge runner who remembered me from trail days in Damascus. After talking a while, I headed down the trail. There wasn't much along the trail other than just a couple of views. It was another one of those hot humid days. I got to the shelter, set up my tent then got into my town clothes and went into Kent for dinner. I had arranged to meet "B" in Kent for dinner since the town was only a mile from the shelter including the road walk. We found a good restaurant, told "B" where it was and waited for her to arrive. It was a joy to see her again. It had been over 2 years since we saw each other. Not only was "Vegemite" there but another hiker named Dan joined us. He was planning on camping in the ballfield of the nearby school. "B" and I planned the next week as to where we would meet up again. After dinner, "Vegemite" and I headed back to the shelter area and called it a night.
Date: 2011-07-18
From: Mt Algo Shelter

To: Kent CT
Miles today: 0.4

I chuckled at myself because it was one of the shortest hikes that I've done on this trip. It was hard to decide if it should have been called a zero day (no miles hiked) or a nero day (near zero). Technically, it should be a nero since I really did hike a distance greater than zero but it's so close to zero, that maybe it should be called a zero. Oh well, that's what I kicked around in my mind as I headed into town. The goal for the day was to get new shoes, replaced the hiking pole tip that I lost, get more fuel, get a replacement stuff sack for the food, laundry and resupply. Of the gear related stuff, I was able to get only the fuel. The outfitter in Kent is simply horrible. The owner just doesn't know what he's doing. I don't recommend anyone depending on him for any gear purchases because he doesn't have what a hiker needs. He did have a tip for my pole but it was obvious that it was installed then removed. The process of removing it did a tremendous amount of damage to it yet he wanted to charge me full retail. I declined. I normally wouldn't rant and rave on this journal in this manner but this store is so bad that I feel the need to warn others about it. I had to wait until near noon to get my room which was fine other than having to carry my backpack around town. I ended up staying at the Fife and Drum on the north end of town. It's expensive but was well done. It was fine because I hadn't had a fancy hotel stay in quite a while. After getting the room, I got the rest of the chores done with time to spare. For dinner, I ate at the restaurant associated with the motel along with 2 hikers from Holland, "DD" and "Tea". Rather than get a table, we just sat at the bar. It had an Irish feel to it both physically and socially. There were a couple of folks that were interested in the fact that "DD", "Tea" and I were thru-hiking. That interaction would not have been possible if we were at a table. After dinner, I headed back to the room and called it an evening.
Date: 2011-07-19
From: Kent CT

To: Pine Swamp Brook Shelter
Miles today: 16.9
Weather: few clouds

I headed to a local diner for breakfast before hitting the trail. "DD" and "Tea" joined me shortly after I got there. After eating, I took off for the trail while they stayed back to have a cigarette. I could tell the day was beginning to heat up already. I just reminded myself to stay hydrated. While in town, I also bought Gatorade mix to replenish electrolytes for the hot days to come. That, I've discovered, helps a lot with the endurance. Since being on the antibiotics, I can't seem to last as long. I can crank out a good fast pace but can't do it as long as I used to. I still hope for my energy level to return. The first part of the hike had a lot of short steep climbs followed by a nasty, rocky descent down to a very flat stretch that paralleled the Housatonic River. I was really glad that it wasn't raining. The rocky descents can be hazardous when it's wet. While hiking in the hilly section, I met up with "Stinkbug" and "Molehill" whom I haven't seen in a while. We ended up leap frogging each other all day. The hike along the river was very pleasant except for the gnats that kept trying to fly into my face. After the river walk, it was back to the short climbs again. There were a couple views from the mountains that almost made all that climbing around on the rocks worth it. I made to the shelter area at a reasonable time considering the distance and the time I started. This was encouraging because I began to believe that my energy level was starting to come back. "Stinkbug" and "Molehill" had just arrived too so we picked one of the camping areas away from the shelter itself. I got the tent set up, mixed up some Gatorade and just chilled for a little while before going to do the normal evening chores of fetching water and cooking dinner. The temperature dropped enough where putting the rain gear on was enough to keep the mosquitos off me. "Stinkbug" and "Molehill" were just swatting them until they noticed my rain gear. Then they got the idea to put on their long sleeve gear too. The name of the shelter says it all. The swamp was about 3 or 4 hundred yards away from the camping area so the mosquitos were pretty bad. The guy staying in the shelter ended up setting up next to us because of them. With no desire to stay outside, we all retired to our tents for the evening.
Date: 2011-07-21
From: Salisbury CT

To: South Egremont
Miles today: 17.2

Got up and had a wonderful breakfast then headed for the trail. Elfe has been a wonderful host. I greatly appreciate her hospitality. When I got to the trail head, I said my goodby's to Elfe and as I got ready to hike, "Sparkplug" and her husband showed up. He was helping her slack pack today. We decided to hike together. The only problem was that she's younger than me, she's run several marathons and her pack is much lighter. I had to work a little harder but it was still enjoyable hiking with her. There were 3 major climbs on the section of the trail we were doing. All of them had great views. The second climb put us on a ridge that gave us a view of the valley as we hiked. As we hiked, especially along the ridge, the heat, the previous day's speed hike and the pace all began to take its toll on me. By the time we got to the base of the last mountain, I was spent. We headed to a camping area to get water but I really didn't want to continue without a break. She went on as I stayed there trying to regain my strength. I still had to do one more climb so I made up some more Gatorade, drank it then had a snack. After resting for a while I took off for the mountain climb. I just took it slow knowing that the descent and the hike to the road crossing would be easy. The unexpected thing was that the descent had a lot of rock scrambles. Even going downhill, they're a lot of work. When I finally got through with the rocks and got on smoother trail, I was even more exhausted than I was at the camping area were we got water. I knew about how long it was to the road crossing so I just kept hiking along as best as I could. About a mile from the road crossing, I looked up and there was "B" carrying a bag of ice that was mostly water and a 20oz Coke. Needless to say, I was very happy to see her at that point. She poured the ice water on the back of my neck to help cool me off. We then sat down on a log while I drank the Coke. After a few minutes, I was ready to continue. By the time we got to town, I was back to normal. We stopped at a pizza restaurant for dinner. I had a pizza plus a pasta dish. The pasta I knew was needed to help me recover. It was the first time in a while since we talked at length. It was great time just visiting with her. After dinner, we headed down to an ice cream shop (of course!) Then she dropped me off at a hotel. I stayed up a little while trying to get caught up on the trail journal. I wanted to do a lot but just didn't have the energy to stay up. I guess the long hikes in the heat while still on the antibiotics finally caught up to me. It was off to bed for this weary hiker.
Date: 2011-07-23
From: Mt Wilcox North Shelter

To: Upper Goose Pond Cabin
Miles today: 14.0
Weather: clear sky

Got up very refreshed. It was one of those nights that I slept very well. I got everything packed up and headed down the trail. The days journey was basically unremarkable as far as the hike was concerned. It was still hot and humid so I just made sure that I got enough water throughout the day. I caught up to the family that stayed at the shelter with us last night at the first water source. Found out that the wife was struggling with blisters last night yet was going to continue to hike today. I got my water for the first part of the day and continued on the trail. There were lots of water sources so I didn't have to carry a lot of water at point during the day. This section of trail didn't have any shelters between the starting point and Upper Goose Pond shelter. That meant that snacks and lunch was just wherever I was on the trail. I did find a stream with a downed tree next to it that made a perfect spot to have lunch. Even though it's not as convenient in terms of making lunch, it's nice to find settings like this for lunch. I can take in the beauty while eating. Upper Goose Pond Shelter is really more like a bunkhouse. The bunks are upstairs with a kitchen, living room and dining room downstairs. There is always a caretaker present that looks after the shelter. Because the pond isn't the best water source, the caretaker paddles across the pond periodically to refill jugs with spring water. There were tent sites available but I decided to just stay in the bunkhouse for a change. "Shaka", "A-Game", the couple that was with them last night where already there when I arrive. "Sparkplug" arrived about a hour after I did. The last folks to arrive were the family that stayed with us at the shelter the previous night. Mom's blisters had gotten to the point where they were very painful so it took them a long time to get there. "Sparkplug" helped her with the blisters later that evening. It was clear that they would at least have to do short miles tomorrow if not just zero. I first made dinner since I was quite hungry when I arrived. While eating, I talked with two guys and there sons who where there for a fishing trip. Later on, I day on the edge of the dock with my feet in the water. I didn't have anything I could swim in so I had to just be content with dangling my feet. I don't know why the people in the area call such a large body of water a pond but that's how it's called. It was large enough to have an island in the middle. There were people skiing, fishing and just simply canoeing with plenty of room to spare. There were mountains all around the pond giving it that nestled in the mountains feel. It really was a gorgeous setting. I worked a little bit on the journal then headed for bed.