morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2007-09-25
From: Mark Noepal Shelter, VT

To: Kay Woods Shelter, MA
Miles today: 16.7

It was 17 miles to Kay Woods Shelter. We passed through Cheshire and Dalton (I said the area was highly populated). It was an easy day with only 967m climbing and 1198m descending. We kept leapfrogging Mica and Jennifer (one of the couples from last night who had clearly gotten into pretty good shape) till they stopped in Dalton. There were apple trees from old orchards that we scrounged apples from. Dave bought 1 1/2 litres of ice cream in Dalton and we tried (and failed) to eat it all. Lee was waiting for us in the middle of Dalton and we headed up a hill out of town. We had been looking for fuel and were informed we could get it at LG Adams timber supplier just up the hill. When we got there it transpired that they donate fuel to hikers - they just leave containers out on the front porch with a funnel and you help yourself. This is typical of the altruism that hikers can find all along the trail. When buying ice cream at Cumberlands Farms store in Dalton, we had been looking at cell phones and a woman in the queue thought we needed to use a phone so she invited us to her place to use hers. We are constantly being offered assistance. Lee (person) will stop in Lee (town) to see his brother and Dave and I will continue and wait for him somewhere along the trail. We've got used to having him around, it seems. It was very hot today, up to 33o C. There are supposed to be thunderstorms tomorrow, so it may cool things down. Pond Between Dalton and Cheshire - photo by Jayne Gorup/SoxWater Falls in center of Dalton, MA ¢ photo by Kathryn Zimmerman/ The Bag Lady
Date: 2007-09-26
From: Kay Woods Shelter, MA

To: Upper Goose Pond Cabin, MA
Miles today: 17.6
Weather: clear sky

It was 18 miles to Upper Goose Pond Cabin. The going was relatively flat, we only climbed 863m (down 920m)! There were lots of beaver ponds, in fact that is what I'll remember most about Massachusetts. Tree felled by beaverThe trees are noticeably changing now as fall advances and the ground is covered with all colors of leaves, sometimes to ankle depth. Hope we can find the trail when more leaves have fallen. The forest floor is really bright with all the colors. The top of Mt. Walling was mostly a fern field but these are changing too and are really lovely. When we arrived at the turnpike we wondered how we would cross it, but there are overhead walkways with tall rounded sides to take pedestrians to the other side safely. Upper Goose Pond is a lovely place but very heavily used. We swam in the pond. The cabin is shut except on weekends but they make provision for hikers by leaving about 30 gallon bottles of water on the porch and inviting you to stay on the porch. There is even a hammock to lie in. We are feeling the pressure of population now, roads, planes, train noises, lots of people. There is an oppressive feel about it. We are not used to it. A small thunderstorm missed us during the night, so there was no relief from heat and no more water for the streams and ponds. Upper Goose PondUpper Goose Pond Cabin
Date: 2007-09-27
From: Upper Goose Pond Cabin, MA

To: Tom Leonard Lean-to, MA
Miles today: 21.1

We started at Katahdin on 27 July, so this is our 2-month anniversary. We did 21 miles today and it was a good foot day for me. Lee is about 1/2 day behind, we think, but we will wait in Salisbury. We have left messages for him along the way, with people going north, and on message boards. We passed through fields with crops (corn, mostly, and a bit of lucerne) and a few cattle. The farmers have spread feedlot manure on the fields, luckily not too recently. Grapes for lunchThe temperature was up to 27oC and by the end of the day we had climbed 1360m (1321m down). Mostly the travel was easy but we ended up doing about 2 miles per hour, including stops, so it took 10 hours and I was ready for the day to end.A helpful sign There were great beaver ponds but (we are told) no more beavers. (Someone please tell us the beavers are still there.) There were lots of roads. Autumn colors are everywhere. I got stung by a wasp - their nests hang in the branches of the trees unlike ours which you step on. Funnily enough I have not been bothered by the sting at all. It has not even itched. I then trod on a garter snake, poor thing. People have been warning us about poor water supplies along the trail and when we got to South Wilcox Shelter where we had planned to get water there was a tiny puddle under a big rock and that was all. We spent ages slowly filling our bottle but got enough in the end after perseverance. Wonder what it will be like further south. We got to Tom Leonard Lean-to and the water source was a LONG way down the hill. This we did not need at the end of a long day, and when we were filling the containers, a frog popped up and glared at me as if to say why are you stealing my water. We had nearly walked past the shelter due to the sign being oriented to NOBOs, so we are lucky to be here. I am sitting at the picnic table with a huge cup of tea. It is dark at 7:00pm now, so I have the torch (er, flashlight) out. We've been amazed at how well the body recovers after a long hard day. There is another big day tomorrow which may be rash, we'll see. I can see a huge spider on the table in front of me. When I tried to discourage it, it leapt into the air and shot upwards on the line it had climbed down on. There is a very tall tree overhead and the spider must be fixed to one of the branches. I expect it will drop in again soon. Wasp Nest ¢ photo by Librarian / Denise LaceyGnarled Birch Tree Between Upper Goose Pond and Tom Leonard Shelter
Date: 2007-09-28
From: Tom Leonard Lean-to, MA

To: Race Brook Trail Campsite, MA
Miles today: 16.1

Tom Leonard Lean-toAt 11:45pm last night, two people showed up at Tom Leonard. In the morning one of them told us what had happened. They had camped early in the evening and were settling down for the night when one of them saw "eyes" in the forest, eight inches apart, he reckoned! After ascertaining that this was not a bear, they got unnerved and broke camp to try to find the shelter. Then the eyes stalked them all the way to the shelter, making no noise at all but keeping pace with them through the forest. They finally found the shelter after much trouble keeping to the trail and one twisted knee. We think they will dine out on this story for years to come.Today we crossed the Housatonic River and its wide valley with farms. Housatonic valleyTrail passing through corn fieldsWe found a grape vine and stopped for lunch. This attracted some others so we had a little gathering there for a while. Then we climbed up a long ridge forming the other side of the valley and walked along the top over Jug End and towards Mt Everett. This is a most attractive part of the trail with lovely views out over the valley. We had planned to go to Sages Ravine where we knew there was a good water source but the going was rocky and quite slow so we ended up at one of the many campsites along the way - Race Brook Trail it was called. This is such a highly used area that there are campsites every couple of miles or so it seemed. Notices on the tent platforms warned about recent bear activity in the area and we were careful to put all our food and almost everything else in the bear box provided. There was no sign of a bear but at about 8:00pm we were hailed by a couple of women arriving late. It turned out we had met one of them (Christine) in Maine, would you believe, at Wilson Valley Lean-to when she and a friend and their two daughters had arrived in heavy rain. In fact we had given her some trail mix since hers had been eaten by a crafty squirrel. The woman with her was a reporter and as we talked to them she produced a tape recorder and microphone, so I wonder what we said that might appear in print!! Same thing in the morning as we were packing up, she came with her recorder and we did a running interview. I hate to think what we said as it was way too early in the morning and we were distracted by packing. What goes around comes around, and they gave us enough food that we could relax and take our time into Salisbury. Camp at Race BrookReassuring sign on tent platform
Date: 2007-09-29
From: Race Brook Trail Campsite, MA

To: Salisbury, CT
Miles today: 11.7
Weather: clear sky

We are on our way to Salisbury, CT, about 12 miles away I think. We are going to stay with Vanessa in the middle of town and take a zero on Sunday. Guess what, Lee caught us up after about 4 miles. He had changed his plans and met his brother that night instead of for lunch the next day, so he was only about 2 hours behind us all the way. He said people kept asking him if he was Lee and giving him news about how far we were ahead, but he couldn't quite catch up. So here we all are in Salisbury. Vanessa turned out to be a gourmet cook so we had a beautiful fish dinner.Stairs Near Salisbury ¢ photo by Radar/Gary Wright
Date: 2007-09-30
To: ZERO Day in Salisbury, CT
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

Not much is happening today except internet and shopping for food and hanging out . . . . I notice Cathy Benton is doing a wonderful job on our journal, including adding pictures. Thanks very much, Cathy. Even though we have our camera cable with us now, no-one has so far allowed us to plug in our camera to their computer. They probably don't realize that this does not pose a risk to their computer at all, but you can't explain this and we have not persisted. Don't know when we will be able to provide our own photos but I will be keeping an eye out for an opportunity.Salisbury is a quaint little town but very expensive. Lee was dead keen to buy some icecream at a boutique just down the road from Vanessa's and we paid something like $9 for a small scoop each. There was a good supermarket but again very expensive. This must be a sought-after place to live. We were amused that quite a few residents had statutes of bears outside their houses, all of which had some strange theme. One (pictured) was a sort of bear-car. Vanessa prepared tacos for dinner and we had a pleasant evening with plenty of wine.Vanessa¢s house in SalisburyVanessa ¢ Marilyn B./Peach photo
Date: 2007-10-01
From: Salisbury, CT

To: Caesar Road Campsite, CT
Miles today: 19.7

19 miles and 1359m (1312m down) to Caesar Road Campsite. It was good easy travel so we got here in 8 hours. It is very dry and there is no water in most of the streams. We passed a power station on the Housatonic River which generates 3 megawatts, according to the information board - pretty small by power station standards and must be pretty old. The river runs over a bed of rock which is quite spectacular although the water levels appear quite low. We spent a bit of time looking for some trail magic which a sign said was in the river, but it was like looking for the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow and we gave up eventually. Looking for trail magicDinner was potato surprise! I had found potato powder instead of flakes at the last re-supply. I'd only had the flakes before and the powder grew uncontrollably out of the 2-litre pot. I had some trouble adding the usual embellishments to it. Amazingly, Dave ate all of his without batting an eye, and all of mine that I couldn't eat as well. I'd added coconut (as always) parsley flakes, cashews, butter and lots of tomato soup. Very nice. I hope we can find tomato soup down the line as it is the nicest soup mix we have found so far. Lee has put up his new Hubba tent and we are under our tarp. Hope it does not rain as I think we are camped in a puddle - this is a very well-used campsite and the water would collect in the depression we are in. I suppose we have mixed feelings about rain as it is so dry, yet rain tends to cause a lot of inconvenience for hikers. The "privy" at this campsite is just a hole in the ground with a box and seat. There is no little building to provide privacy. Maybe the porcupines ate it! Privy at the Caesar Road Campsite ¢ photo by Cohiba/Tim HuntMisty field
Date: 2007-10-02
From: Caesar Road Campsite, CT

To: Mt. Algo Lean-to
Miles today: 14.0

14 miles and 1048m climbing (1067m down). When will we have a day with less ups and downs? Funnily enough, it is the rocks that make me tired, not the climbing.We wasted lots of time going into Kent to re-supply. It is always a hassle getting around towns as well as to and from them. No-one, unusually, offered us any help and hitchhiking was a waste of time too.There was a lovely long 5-mile walk along the Housatonic River today, then an unexpectedly hard climb up to St John's Ledges, then easy going with occasional viewpoints over the valley. It was a very nice day. We ended up at Mt. Algo Lean-to instead of the planned Schagticoke Campsite due to too much time in town trying to get things done.Nightly chore getting water Up through the rocks>Climb up through the ledges ¢ photo by Adirondack 46er & Storyteller - Warren & Ann Axtell Part of the 5 mile section along the Housatonic River photo by Sasquatch - Chris Everett 3 weeks earlierTrail along the Housatonic River
Date: 2007-10-03
From: Mt. Algo Lean-to

To: Telephone Pioneer Shelter, NY
Miles today: 21.4
Weather: light rain

21 miles and 1555m today (1444m down). The temperature maxed at 28 degrees. It appears we are in drought conditions. We are told it is unusually hot for this time of year and all the locals we've met are complaining about no rain. We had a few drops today, just enough to wet the rocks, though there is still enough canopy to stop the rain from getting to the ground in most places. Mostly the streams are dry and finding water sources is getting to be a problem.Ten Mile HillWe got water at the "purple house" just before climbing up to Telephone Pioneer Shelter. These very kind and understanding people have a hose run out to the front gate (they have two dogs in their yard) and a sign inviting hikers to fill up. It is then a short climb up to the shelter which has a dry stream nearby. Apparently this stream is usually dry but the shelter is an oldish one and maybe the stream used to be more reliable. Lee went to town today to pick up a parcel from home and we met him again at the railway station on the AT which goes to New York City. Can you believe there is a special station (admittedly basic) for the AT? The train stops there twice a day and you can simply take a ride into New York City which is about 40 miles away. Lee said he had to walk almost all the way, both in and out of Wingdale. The people of Wingdale don't seem to be hiker-friendly. In fact he had a bad experience when someone came out of their house and yelled at him for being on the road in front of their house when their two daughters were inside! I can't work that one out, but knowing the person Lee is, it must have been pretty unpleasant for him.There was lots of fog today and no views. The trees dripped. On one of the rare roadwalks we were accosted by a bus driver wanting directions. He had a bus full of elderly folk who were out on a day trip looking at covered bridges! We thought that was an interesting type of outing. Approaching train station to New York CityAT Train Station near New YorkTelephone Pioneer Shelter
Date: 2007-10-04
From: Telephone Pioneer Shelter, NY

To: RPH Shelter, NY
Miles today: 16.6
Weather: clear sky

Today we went to RPH Shelter. This is a former cabin which has been altered and made into a shelter (by removing a wall!!). It has bunks and a bit of carpet. It was a big improvement on the usual shelter as you didn't have to worry about banging your head on a low beam, nor did you have to climb over a barrier to get into the sleeping platform (we have scratched our heads for the reason for this). AND it had two picnic tables, a pump for water and a big enough roof over a good-sized porch. Luxury! We've caught up with 3 young men SOBOs. Two of them had gone to town and one stayed dog-sitting. He told us they travelled at around 3-4 miles per hour which impressed us hugely. He also told us that the plan was to finish in early December and that meant an average of 17 miles per day. Very impressive, we thought. I wondered how we'd managed to catch up with them.The trail today alternated between fast and slow travel over rocky areas. I think I'll remember New York for lots of low granite outcrops. The forest is very open and there is some evidence of earlier land use in the shape of rock walls. Trees are all colours now, with the occasional bright red one, and the ground is covered in all colours of leaves. We were continually showered with golden leaves and sometimes the leaves are deep enough that it is a bit tricky to navigate the track. I disturbed a very large bird feeding on a dead squirrel - did it kill the squirrel? There are the occasional large birds flying around the apex of higher rocky outcrops. They look like hunting birds to me. Lee went off to the deli (surprise!) not far off the trail and we didn't see him again till later. We crossed a lot of roads including Interstate 84 (I think) which runs parallel to the trail for a while. What a din! What with the traffic noise, planes, helicopters and trains we've had a very noisy day. Luckily the noise is not so bad here at the shelter because it is lower down. There was a deer lurking in the bushes behind the shelter for a while, seemingly unperturbed by the nearby farmer's activities and our comings and goings around the shelter. Deer are protected except during hunting season. We saw a sign offering deer-management services, so they must be a nuisance for some people. Lovely to see, though. We arrived a bit earlier than usual today so I've had a bit of time to sit around. We climbed 1007m today (1170m down) in up to 29 degrees over 17 miles. It is terribly hot and dry. We knocked on doors today and asked for water. At RPH Shelter the pump produces rust-tainted water but you can't be too fussy.Crossing I84 - photo by Sasquatch - Chris EverettInside RPH ShelterLeaves on the trail
Date: 2007-10-05
From: RPH Shelter, NY

To: Graymoor Monastery, near Peekskill, NY
Miles today: 18.8

19.5 miles, 1277 metres and 30 degrees today. It is really, really HOT. We are melting. We were in a flight path all day with planes droning overhead. There were lots of little ups and downs. Dave is suffering a lot with the heat and getting rashes and other nasty heat-related things. My feet have gone poxy. There was a tap at one of the roads but we hadn't read about it and had carried water, much to our irritation. Yellow leaves along the trailWe were heading for the Graymoor Monastery, which allows hikers to camp out in their playing field shelter. It is a bit of a walk away from the trail following blue blazes and I was pretty tired on arrival. It has a cold shower and I found a tiny sliver of soap. Managed to wash my hair! We didn't see any of the monastery inhabitants, although a notice said that someone would check on us each night. It was very misty during the night and in the morning we could scarcely see across the playing field. Misty shelter at Graymoor Friary playing field
Date: 2007-10-06
From: Graymoor Monastery, near Peekskill, NY

To: William Brien Shelter, NY
Miles today: 15.3
Weather: scattered clouds

This was a very hard day even though only 15 miles long. I think we have been worn down by the heat. It was even hotter today (31C) and we climbed 1376m (1174m down). Up and down, up and down, over endless rocky promontories. Lee had some chore to do in town and we didn't see him again till we arrived at the shelter in the evening. We crossed the Hudson River in the fog. This is a spectacular bridge but we could hardly see across the river. Bridge over the Hudson River We re-supplied in the local store in Fort Montgomery rather than try to get to the supermarket about 2 miles away, but the selection is really unsatisfactory at these convenience stores. We knew some food compromises would be necessary, but I hope not to have to eat Ramen noodles for breakfast again. They are awful at the best of times.We walked around a lake with people everywhere. We were a bit of a curiosity as unfortunately there were no other hikers around to provide other distraction. It is Columbus weekend so people are out in droves. We laboured up Bear Mountain in the heat just after lunch, the worst possible time. Trail to Bear Mountain photo by Fishstick & Bullwinkle - Sarah & Donnie BentonThere was, unusually, quite a lot of road-walking. Then up and down over rocky promontories again till we finally got to William Brien Shelter, only to find that there is no water supply there, so off we went down the hill looking for water. Lee had already arrived and was making his way back up the hill after getting water. We went down a disused road first till it crossed a stream bed, then we had to make our way down very difficult big rocks buried in debris until we finally found some water, then back up and up to the shelter. This was not a good day. To add insult to injury the shelter here is really grotty, so we pitched the fly and it was very late before we could relax. There were quite a few others camped about and I wondered what they did about water. Not too many people would have survived the trip for water that we did. One consolation was that we got a view of the Manhattan skyline from one of the ridges today. Just to taunt us there were a few spots of rain in the night causing a mad dash by campers for their tarps and tent flys, but it did not turn into anything. View of New York City
Date: 2007-10-07
From: William Brien Shelter, NY

To: Fitzgerald Falls, NY (near Wildcat Shelter)
Miles today: 18.0
Weather: light rain

We hiked 17 miles today. It¢s really a problem getting water. (This is becoming a refrain.) We had a litre each from the previous night's efforts but all the streams are dry. Dave and I were sitting on a rock waiting for Lee when a large white-tailed deer went by. They are surprisingly unafraid of people despite being hunted. In the lemon squeezerWe climbed 1314m (1454m down) today and the temperature reached 26 degrees. Not as hot as yesterday but hot enough. Dave has a rash on his back and my feet are rotting. Lovely fall coloursThe last three miles were pretty long. Just across the Interstate we were preparing to get water from the river (a long difficult climb down) but there was a rock house nearby so we knocked on the door (in spite of the unfriendly sign reading Keep Out). No-one was home but fortuitously there was a tap (faucet) right next to the door. What wonderful luck! We filled up. We were originally going to camp at Wildcat Shelter but it proved too far what with rocky outcrops and lots of up and down so we stopped at Fitzgerald Falls which we thought would have water for sure. It has, as it turns out, but the falls themselves are dry and the stream below is only just running. There have been small groups of Canada geese flying overhead today as they have been doing for several days now. I think it must be their migration path. Luckily they fly lower than the planes. Two drunken youths were here when we arrived and I had a few bad moments thinking about the bad things that happen to people. I hope they don't cause trouble. We had some trail magic at one of the roads where volunteers had left gallon jugs of water for hikers. William Brien Shelter in June 04 ¢ photo by Haiku - Andrew BreecherCanadian GeeseCanadian Geese migrating