morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2005-05-06
From: Glenwood - Apple Valley Inn

To: Wawayanda Shelter
Miles today: 9.1

Slept like the proverbial log. I think that it was the combination of a very, very, long day and a realy, realy, nice bed. It was one of those affairs with a huge mattress, so thick that there was a little footstool to help you climb up into it ¢ and a huge mound of pillows ¢ the whole thing topped off with an elaborate canopy. Sweet dreams indeed!      Had a late ¢ and large ¢ breakfast of pancakes, bacon, toast, coffee, juice, fruit, and crumb cake, and even read the local newspaper. Then wished a fond farewell to Lauren and Leigh. Leigh drove me back to the trail. They are both former corporate world workers, who bought the Inn two years ago, and despite all the hard work, realy like it.   Then it was off into a cloudy and cool midmorning. Soon I was crossing Country Road 517, and on to the relocated trail across the Pochuck Swamp in Vernon Valley. This is a beautifully constructed boardwalk that stretches across the marsh. The place is teeming with birds ¢ I saw red-winged blackbirds, indigo buntings, and swans! Met only one young lady going south on the boardwalk, before I crossed over the excellent suspension bridge over Pochuck Creek.   There is still extensive evidence of the recent flooding along this section, with tree limbs and all sorts of debris piled on the upstream side of the bridges ¢ and even along the boardwalk. The same could be noted in the nearby fields, where the loose stubble was piled up along the downstream edges of the fields. The fields were swept clean, and all of the loose material was piled up along one edge. Does this have ecological consequences for the field and the receiving edge?      After crossing NJ94 I met four young ladies, just before the very steep climb up Wawayanda Mountain to the Pinwheel vista. They call themselves The Pink Troop ¢ two of them used to wear pink hats. They met with the other two and all four, with their dog Diamond, decided on a three-day hike. They preceded me on the ascent and, although faster than I, they stopped so often that it was as if we were all hiking together.   This was a new experience for me, to be hiking in the company of others. I must admit that I liked it a lot! As tail end Charlie, I was absolved from route finding duties, and looking at the four hikers plodding ahead of me up the 800-foot steep climb in 1.1 miles, I felt a strong and nice sense of comfort. Company shortens the trip. We all had lunch together at the Vista. I started off before them, because I was getting cold and did not see them again until the shelter.      The rest of the hike was gentle. Crossed Barrett¢s Road [!] this PM, and arrived here in early afternoon. Got water from the Park Headquarters, as per the instructions in the Companion. The ladies have all decided to tent, and both their tents are up, and they all have water. Got a good signal and left KT a message.The Pink Group;   1 Is in advertising and sings in a band.   2 A bartender and a student   3 A physiotherapist   $ An athletic sports woman.Thought for today ¢      Company makes the Journey shorter.
Date: 2005-06-04
From: Fort Montgomery

To: Oak Park
Miles today: 0.0

Just a brief update on what¢s happening. Collected my son from college and drove him, and an SUV full of stuff, home. Have finished celebrating his 21st birthday, and now plan on returning to Forth Montgomery, and the west end of the Bear Mountain Bridge, to cross the Hudson and continue my trek north.   I plan on resuming the hike on June 9th ¢ one month after finishing my last section. I plan on hiking north until the beginning of August, when I will return home once again, to go on our annual family vacation, and return my son to college for his senior year.   So my next planned update of this journal will be in the middle of August. After that I will go back on the trail again, until the weather ends the hiking season, or until I finish!   Until then ¢ Slan Libh Go Lear.
Date: 2005-06-09
From: Fort Montgomery

To: Greymoor Monastery
Miles today: 0.0

Back on the trail again! The return trip to Fort Montgomery went well and I dropped off the rental car at Stewart Airport and Chuck ¢ a local hiker himself ¢ drove me back in a taxi to the west end of the Bear Mountain Bridge. He drove me over Storm King Mountain which he said can be very dangerous in winter, and soon I was making my timorous way over the Bear Mountain Bridge.   It was a hot and humid day and, as I climbed out of the Hudson Valley with a fully stocked backpack, I began to realize just how out of shape a one-month lay off from the trail had left me. I don¢t think that today¢s section was particularly difficult but the heavy pack, the lack of conditioning, and the weather all combined to make it a hot, muggy, thirsty and hard hike.   I found myself drinking a lot of water ¢ three liters on this short section. I resupplied with water at both of the water sources ¢ the first just beyond the Hemlock Springs Campground where I met up with another hiking couple, and again at a small pool just before US9.   Apart from the ascent out of the Hudson valley, the going was pretty good. Much of the trail was along old woods roads, but I still felt realy tired and easily exhausted!   I arrived here at Greymoor in the early afternoon and took a nap ¢ felt much better now. Cat, a thru-hiker, soon arrived and later three of his friends ¢ Flash Gordon, Four Cheese and Sweet Cheeks, also arrived. They are discussing whether to stay or to move on.   The shelter is in a ballpark with a half cement wall, so I have laid out my stuff close to the center in fear of thunderstorms and slanting rain.   Feel realy tired! Hope for a better day tomorrow.Thought for today,      The burden well carried becomes light.
Date: 2005-06-11
From: Fahnestock State Park

To: RPH Shelter
Miles today: 9.0
Weather: haze

It thundered during the night. Quiet a sensation lying in the tent and hearing the storm rage and listening to the thunder and the incessant beating of the rain on the tent, while safe and dry inside.   Awoke early and had conditions much like yesterday. Packed up a very wet tent and decided to change my strategy back to small miles again. Started off nice and slow back to the trail, but missed the trail intersection with 301 and had to backtrack.   Then it was another muggy walk around the lake. Was soon passed by Four Cheese, back with his belly, and his pack, full after a resupply and spending some time with his girl friend. A slow and steady climb to an overlook of the lake with the misty fog covering most of it. Then along the top of Shenandoah Mountain. I went very slowly, knowing that I had only nine miles to cover today. As I climbed up on to the mountain, I began to feel better. A small breeze, a reduction in the humidity, and two liters of water in the first three hours, all helped. I was still moving slowly, but at least I was not light headed, weakened and totally exhausted as I was yesterday. I wasn¢t going very fast, but I was going!   At Long Hill Road I met a group of day hikers out to stay at the Shenandoah Tenting Area, replete with plastic bags filled with groceries, and even a portable grill, all of which they were lugging 1.1 miles into the campsite. At the campsite I met with a large group of boy scouts ¢ all very young, with two attentive scoutmasters, who were also going to camp at the tenting area.   I took a long lunch break on some nice flat rocks, basking out with my boots and socks off and had a long conversation with KT on the cell. Then it was a nice and easy descent down here to the shelter. I met with Bugaboo SOBO. This is a nice shelter, rather like a hut with one wall removed, has bunks and a pump that yields rusty water. Tried to get my tent and gear dried out, but was interrupted by persistent rain showers.   Quiet a group has already gathered here. Lead Dog and NOBO¢S, Darcy and Susan, and Mailer have arrived and we are trying to figure out a way to get Pizza ¢ reportedly possible, but hampered by the lack of knowledge of which town is nearest to us.   I feel much better now than I did last night. I was realy concerned that I might have had a silent MI. I was feeling so bad that I was convincing myself that I had some disease process!   I will have to relearn all of my lessons. I can¢t just return to the trail and just expect to take off again at the same rate that I was at when I left. I am going to slow down and let my fitness dictate how far I can go each day.   The current plan is for another > 10 mile day tomorrow to Morgan Stewart Shelter, and after that we shall see.      It is still very, very, very muggy. I have to have a plastic bag between my hand and the journal to prevent this page from getting soaked with sweat. I felt more comfortable in the heat today than I did yesterday. We will see what tomorrow brings.Thought for today ¢      Some lessons need to be relearned.
Date: 2005-06-16
From: Kent

To: Kent
Miles today: 0.0

Slept well and late. Had a good breakfast at Caralees and sent my letter and silk underwear home to KT. Toured the town, and got a back up copy of Wingfoot in case the drop boxes are sent back home. Had lunch at the Deli. Made arrangements to stay at Cornwall Bridge on Friday and Salisbury on Sun-Mon- so all is organized. Also my drop box is at, and they will keep it at, Salisbury. Resupplied for the trip to Salisbury and deleted all 139 junk emails via the free Internet access at the library   This is a very upscale, i.e. expensive, small town. Filled with boutiques, antique stores, realtors, knickknack shops etc. Very genteel and well heeled. Thunderstorm coming on now ¢ a real gully-washer! Much staring at my yellow camp shoes as I walked about town.Thought for today ¢   Make the strange, familiar.
Date: 2005-06-17
From: Kent

To: Cornwall Bridge
Miles today: 0.0

Cornwall Bridge Hitching Post Motel, Room 2Rained on and off overnight, but was dry and cool and foggy as I left Kent. I got a sort of a pseudo sunrise as the sun broke through the bank of fog, as I hiked back along the road to the trail.   The trail starts out along some meadows ¢ I love meadows ¢ and then crosses and follows a stream ¢ I love streams also. There is a steep, but well maintained ascent up to Glacier Rock and a long and very pleasant walk along the crest of Fuller Mountain. There were some excellent views along this section, especially from Caleb¢s Peak and Saint John¢s Ledges ¢ the view is off to the east of the Housatonic River Valley and Kent Mountain on the other side.      There is an extremely steep and rocky descent off of Saint John¢s Ledges down to River Road, some of it on extremely well placed and constructed steps. As I approached the bottom, I met with Otis ¢ from a town of that name in Mass ¢ SOBO. He had just returned to the trail after taking some time off, due to heat exhaustion during the recent heat wave ¢ so everybody who was hiking realy felt those temps.       Once the trail hits River Road there are 4.7 miles of the nicest, flattest hiking so far. I don¢t think that there are another five consecutive miles on the entire trail that are this flat and pleasant beyond belief. The trail parallels the Housatonic River, right along the bank, and always flat for the entire stretch. It was just glorious. A warm, not hot, day ¢ bright sun, but not muggy, flat trail along the banks of a wonderful river, birds singing, flowers blooming ¢ all was well with the world. I had a wonderful lunch sitting on a rocky ledge that juts out into the river, listening to it gurgle past me as I munched on my foil tuna.   Met a group of young ladies with their supervisor out on a camping trip, awaiting their transport back to base camp.   The end of this stretch skirts some cultivated fields and then runs through more meadows! ¢ Joy upon joy! What a hike.   But like all good hikes it finally did come to an end. After passing Stewart Hollow Brook Lean-To and the Stony brook Campsite, the trail started up Silver Hill, and just beyond the Silver Hill campsite, I met with Panzer. He had spent Sept 11th at the Silver Hill Campsite, during a 500-mile section hike. Since he was attending a business meeting in Hartford, he decided to revisit it. A fortuitous turn of events, since he gave me a ride down here to Cornwall Bridge, when he saw me hiking down the road to the motel.   This is a tiny spot ¢ got some goodies at the Deli and have settled into my room. Nothing much else here. Am promised a ride back up to the trail in the morning.      This was a realy great day. Excellent weather, felt great both physically and mentally, and a wonderful trail. I will remember the five-mile ¢River Walk¢ for a long time. It was in many ways like hiking in Illinois. I was reminded of the Illinois and Michigan Canal section with the flat trail close to the river. Thought for today ¢   Rest is on the Heights ¢ but enjoyment is on the flat!
Date: 2005-06-20
From: Salisbury

To: Salisbury
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

White Hart Inn Room 2.   Slept late and had an excellent breakfast here at the Inn. It was ¢only¢ an omelet, but it was the lightest fluffiest one that I ever had, and hunger is a great sauce!   Recovered the drop box without incident and planned out a 5 night, 6 day trip ¢ I hope ¢ to Dalton. Saw a few hikers around town, and chatted with a group of four outside the PO, all NOBO and fast.   Waxed the boots this evening and mailed my old maps and film back home with a letter to KT.   Bright sunny day with the wax melting into the leather of my boots, in the summer heat outside my room. Forecast looks good. We will see what the next section holds for us, starting early tomorrow. No thoughts for today!
Date: 2005-06-23
From: Tom Leonard Lean-To

To: Tyringham
Miles today: 14.1

Cobble View B+B Blue Aster Room A quiet night at Tom Leonard, but cold enough to zip up the sleeping bag, and to wear the fleece top this morning. It was in the mid-40¢s this morning. I still have my fleece top and hat and gloves, am trying to get enough courage to send them home! After climbing up and out of the gulch, it was a fairly broad and sweeping descent off of Warren Mountain down to the road, and then a fairly flat run across to MA23. A steep up Konkapot Col, across Blue Hill Road and up Livermore Peak in what was now a very, very, nice, cool and fresh morning, brought me to Benedict Pond. This is a realy nice glacial pond with the surrounding landscape reflected on its surface this morning. On the ascent of Mount Wilcox, I came across Torque Screw, a section hiker SOBO, on the Ledges, which afford a great view. We shared a midmorning break. He has completed the entire trail, and is repeat section hiking much of it. He works as an air traffic controller, and deals in real estate. After passing Mount Wilcox South, I came across Beaver Pond, on a great day. Beyond Mount Wilcox North Shelter, Whitey and Marion passed me. They are thru-hiking NOBO, having departed Springer on March 6th, and are bent on serious miles. We leapfrogged each other on lunch breaks, and then they were long gone. Whitey has lost 40 pounds, and Marion 25 [he is a tall and skinny guy and looks emaciated] Passed by the Shaker Campsite on a beautiful afternoon, and met with Chuck SOBO, 200 mile section hiking. The last bit of the day was the hike over Cobble Hill ¢ called the Tyringham Cobble. The hill became separated from the mountain, and sits as an isolated lump on the landscape. Very pleasant hiking down through the meadows ¢ I love meadows ¢ with purple lupine, primrose, and multiflora rose, all in bloom. After crossing Hop Brook, I was at Main Road, and the 0.9-mile [or 0.6, depending on the guide] hike on here to Tyringham. The village consists of a PO and this B+B and nothing else. No one was home when I arrived here, but there was a note explaining which room I was in {the Blue Aster Room!} So I checked in and had a shower, before the Innkeeper ¢ Lynn ¢ arrived. There are also other guests here ¢ The Joneses ¢ Mom, son and granddad, who have also just arrived. There is Diet ¢ decaffeinated ¢ Coke here, so all is well with the world. Spoke with KT. Lynn says she can fix breakfast for me at 6:30AM, and predicts that I will have an easy time getting a ride into Lee tomorrow. Feel realy good ¢ a nice 14-mile day with only one or two significant up and downs, but no difficulties today. I was thinking today about the power of belief ¢ or of faith ¢ and how it can significantly change things. In Medicine there is something that we call the placebo effect i.e. the placebo reactor gets the desired effect, although they never get the real drug. This is an example of scientifically proven faith healing. The reactor is every bit as cured as the patient who received the drug ¢ but only through the belief that they would get better. Thought for today ¢ We all need to be placebo reactors!
Date: 2005-06-25
From: Lee

To: October Mountain Lean-To
Miles today: 7.2
Weather: clear sky

`   Slept late and eat breakfast at Rosie¢s, on the recommendation of Vicki at the Motel 8, who, true to her word, drove me back to the trailhead this morning.   As I started out, I met Steve, who leapfrogged with me all day long, and is staying here at the shelter. It was a day of meeting other hikers ¢ a lot of day hikers out enjoying a very hot Saturday in June. The forecast was H-H-H, Hot, Humid and Hazy, but it turned out not to be so bad in the ¢long green tunnel¢, where I never saw a temp>mid 80¢s.   The day started out with a steady ascent up Becket Mountain, on a smooth graded trail ¢ then a straightforward crest walk over to Walling Mountain, and a very picturesque passage of Finerty Pond, resplendent in its shore ring of pink laurel blossoms. Then there is a rather swampy passage down to County Road and another easy climb up to Bald Top ¢ which is not bald at all, but covered in spruce trees. I was here at the shelter by early afternoon, despite a late start, and much relieved to find the stream still trickling. It was described as ¢intermittent¢ by Wingfoot, a description that worried me all day long.   Before long Steve and I were joined by Peg Leg. I had already heard a lot about him. He is a young veteran with a semiparalysed left leg, and is certainly not allowing his handicap to limit his activities. He has developed a neuropathic ulcer on his left foot and is trying to get it to heal. It was nice and clean with good granulation tissue, but he can/will not take time off the trail to let it heal up completely. Not alone do I have shelter and water, but I also have good companionship for my stay here.   I had a very long and interesting philosophical discussion with Peg Leg about religion. He is an ecology graduate, and makes an interesting point that religion is, in many ways, analogous to an organism. It evolves over a period of time in response to environmental needs, growing, reproducing and defending itself against attacks by similar organisms. The same could, of course, be said of any philosophical idea, but he argues that this is the scientific basis for the very existence of religion in the first place.   I got a so-so cell signal and spoke with KT. All is well. The #9 Killington package has been mailed today. Hopefully we will be able to spend more time talking on a landline tomorrow.   Thinking today was about belief in God, as opposed to belief in religion. All religions are based on some concept of a God. One could however have a belief in a God and yet not belong to any particular religion. You would essentially be a ¢religion of one¢. Religions do however offer a full cosmology of settings for the indivual belief, and makes for a more satisfying package.Thought for today ¢   If belief in God is dependent on faith ¢ it doesn¢t take much more faith to believe in a particular religion.P.S.   Getting a little ¢buggy¢ here in the mid afternoon. A warning foretaste of things to come tonight according to the register entries
Date: 2005-06-27
From: Dalton

To: Dalton
Miles today: 0.2
Weather: haze

Shamrock Village Inn, Room 16      Dalton   First I should explain the 0.2 miles for today. When I came into town yesterday, I thought that I followed the blazes correctly. Turns out, I didn¢t. The trail goes along High Street and not all the way along MA 8+9. So I hiked ¢ yes, with the pack ¢ the 0.2 that I missed yesterday.   Otherwise a quiet day. Sorted my box and mailed Shurleys stuff for her. Met with Blaze and asked him to let her know when he passes her NOBO soon. Mailed my own stuff, and a letter to KT ¢ including the jammed camera. Had to buy a gallon of bleach in order to get 2oz as a back up for my rapidly diminishing Aqua Mira supplies. Forecasts are of H-H-H for 2-3 days, and then a better 4th of July weekend.   Oh yea! ¢ Wingfoot is wrong ¢ Ozzie¢s Restaurant is not where he shows it to be on his map- believe me!!Thought for today ¢ ¢What we work at is our living,   What we give back is our life¢                                                         ? Churchill?
Date: 2005-06-28
From: Dalton

To: Crystal mountain Campsite
Miles today: 4.7
Weather: moderate rain

Slept late in anticipation of a short day. It had rained overnight and there were large steamy puddles of water on the blacktop of the parking lot as I walked to breakfast.   By the time I was ready to check out, it had started to drizzle in a hazy and humid morning. I started off on the road out of Dalton with rain pack cover and jacket. By the time I had left the road and entered the woods it was raining in earnest, and I added the rain pants, since it seemed a little cold under the trees.   On the road out of Dalton I passed a string of hikers SOBO, no one ¢ myself included ¢ was much interested in chatting because of the heavy rain. Most of them were hiking in their short pants and accepting the inevitable wet feet,   The climb up here was not realy that bad ¢ in general the trail was smooth and well graded ¢ but the rain, which by now was a full-blown thunderstorm, turned every rock into a slick foothold and the leaves were like underfoot grease.   It was not long before I was totally saturated. Every stitch that I had on was just ringing wet. I was beginning to get concerned that the rubbing of my wet pants against my thighs would bring on a recurrence of my now healed crotch rot, so I was relieved when I saw the side trail to the camp site.   The site itself was totally flooded ¢ puddles of water occupied each tent site, and were deepening as I watched, under the onslaught of the incessant rainstorm. I was reduced to pitching my tent on a slope to keep it above the water, which I feared might rise even higher, because the storm showed no signs of abating.   The water source is 0.1 mile off, and was a raging silt filled torrent. I quickly collected my rather black silt colored water and dived into the tent and my ¢ blessed ¢ dry cloths and sleeping bag.   Everything was wet and damp except for my bag and camp cloths, but I was a happy man in my dry tent, listening to the storm rage outside.   Then suddenly it was all over, or at least the thunderstorm was. The trees continued to drip water heavily on the tent and the campsite for another good hour. They are still dripping now, but I detect a faint glimmer of sunlight and have rigged up my clothesline and tried to spread out my saturated gear in every available sunspot.   I have made myself an afternoon cup of coffee and am eating a pop tart. I figure that I will be going through Cheshire and North Adams and can grab some extra snacks. Got a good cell signal and spoke with KT.   As I sheltered in the tent from the downpour of the rain, I felt truly lucky and strangely at peace with my situation. Dry in the midst of a storm!Thought for today ¢   Be happy with what you have.   Do not covet what you lack   Keep your life simple.