morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2007-06-24
From: High Point State Park, NJ

To: Pochuck Mtn Shelter
Miles today: 14.1
Weather: clear sky

I was up by about 6:30 this morning. I messed around with stuff until about 7:30 and then started hiking. I hiked up a hill about a mile and came to a large observation deck at the top. It was a wood deck about 20 feet by 40 feet. There weren't any signs about not camping there. It would have been a great place to spend the night in good weather. There were good long distance views to the east and west, which would have made good sunset and sunrise views. The High Point Monument was also visible to the north. It looks like a half sized Washington Monument. After taking a fifteen minute break I continued hiking.The trail finally became less rocky around the High Point Shelter. Most of the trail the rest of the day was not rocky and was great change for my feet. I hiked through some fields and swampy areas. I was heading for the "secret shelter". I got confused on the roads I crossed and thought I might have missed the shelter. I reached a road and got a car to stop and tell me which road I was at. I was at Goodrich Rd which was still before the secret shelter. I continued down the trail until I reached a gravel road with a small (4 inch by 4 inch) sign on a tree that said "well water" with an arrow. If I hadn't been looking for this I wouldn't have noticed it. I walked 0.2 miles down the road to Jim Murray's property. He is a former through hiker. He has 85 acres with a few buildings on it. It has a hiker cabin with electric heaters, a hot water shower, a large sink, and a loft sleeping area. He lets thru-hikers stay for free. I just went down to get some water and maybe take a shower. When I arrived Jim was there fixing a fence that keeps his 2 donkeys away from the buildings. I talked to him for a while and he took me in to Unionville for lunch. This saved me almost a mile of walking off the trail later. When we returned to the shelter, Jim took his tractor down to work on a pond. I took a shower and washed clothes. The cabin is in an area that is mostly grassy fields with a few shade trees. Early Bird showed up and took a shower. A couple hours later Jim came back up to the cabin. We started talking some more. Mostly about renewable energy, water pumping, and different things that could be done at his property. He is interested in making the place off grid. Solar hot water would help a lot. Anyway it was 4:00 now and I had enjoyed 5 relaxing hours at the secret shelter. I could have stayed there several days to relax, but I must keep moving north. I left about 4:30 and hiked a couple miles to Lott Rd and decided to hike the 0.4 miles back to Unionville for dinner. I went back to the deli at Horler's General Store.After dinner I hiked past the Walkill National Wildlife Preserve. The trail passes along a raised berm through this area for about a mile. It is a swampy area. Then I hiked up to Pochuck Shelter where I am spending the night. Today was a good day for me. The shorter miles and less rocky trail was a welcome change and the secret shelter was a great place to relax and sit out the hottest part of the day.
Date: 2007-06-25
From: Pochuck Mtn Shelter

To: Bearfort Mtn
Miles today: 15.6

I feel so tired and worn out right now. The day started OK. I was hiking by about 7:30. The trail today only had a few rocky parts, but there were lots of ups and downs. Some of the climbs were 1,000 feet or more. I reached NJ94 hwy at 11:00. I had covered only 6.5 miles in four and a half hours and it wasn't because I was stopping to enjoy all the views. I just haven't felt very energetic for the past couple days. At the hwy crossing I walked 0.1 miles west to Heaven Hill Farm. They have a produce store that also sells baked goods, ice cream, and drinks. I went in and bought a golden delicious apple, a basket of grape tomatoes, a couple apple strudel sticks, and a Monster Energy drink. I went outside the building next to a small decorative fish pond and ate everything except half of the tomatoes. I laid down on a grassy hill for about an hour and then went back in the store. This time I bought another apple, two energy drinks, and a dish of strawberry ice scream. I went out and ate the ice scream and drank one of the energy drinks. I put the rest of the tomatoes, the apple, and last energy drink in my pack. I filled up my two liter water bladder and headed back to the trail at 1:00.The afternoon was more of the same. It started with a thousand foot climb with the temperatures in the mid eighties. I was sweating excessively and had to stop for a break about every 30 to 45 minutes. Most of the streams listed as water sources were completely dry. I was getting concerned about having enough water for dinner. Finally a Long House Creek just a mile before my planned camping area had water. In the past I would have passed this water source and looked for a better one. I was glad I have the First Need Purifier pump. I hope it blocked everything except the water.I hiked up to the top of Bearfort Mtn and pitched my tent on top to the rock shelf there. It was 7:30 and I just wanted to eat and lay down. I had Lipton Spanish Rice and cooked the rest of the grape tomatoes in with the rice.The temperature is suppose to reach the mid-nineties tomorrow. I have only planned to hike 12 miles tomorrow, but that will probably still be difficult. I hope to get an early start, so I am going to bed now. There is a whippoorwill singing near by this evening.
Date: 2007-06-26
From: Bearfort Mtn

To: Buchanan Mtn - campsite
Miles today: 14.1

Let's see how my day went today. Temperatures above 90 degrees? YesHumidity above 80 percent? YesRocky trails to hike on? YesSteep up hill climbs? YesClothes soaked with sweat? YesMosquitoes biting all day? YesGnats flying into eyes? YesFlies buzzing around my head? YesGusty winds and hail? NoOK there you have it, it could have been worse. The hot humid weather is suppose to be here for 2 more days then rain followed by cooler days.I got up about 5 AM and was hiking at 6:00 today trying to beat the hot weather. I hiked about 50 feet and crossed the New Jersey / New York state line. New York provided a rude welcoming trail. Yes, New York has rocks too. The trail climbed up and across many rock faces this morning. After a few miles the rock climbing ended and hiking resumed. I passed Early Bird around 7:00. He was packing up his gear. He passed me about an hour later. After hiking 6 miles I reached hwy NJ17A. I headed west 0.1 miles to Bellvale Creamery. It was only 10:00 and my guide book said they don't open until 12:00. They let hikers fill water bottles at an outside spigot so I headed that way. When I arrived there was a lady watering the plants outside and she said she would serve me ice cream even though they weren't open! I ordered a banana split and a rootbeer. I sat outside at a picnic table to eat. I was there for about an hour.I returned to the trail and hiked 2 miles north to Wildcat Shelter. I set my tent up so the condensation from last night could dry. I stayed at this shelter for 4 hours. I took a nap, looked at my schedule, and ate lunch. The water shortage continues to be a problem. Most of the sources listed in the handbook are dry. I am having to rely just on places where I can get tap water. That means carrying more water and changing my stopping points.Now I need to figure out where I will get water tomorrow. The mosquitoes are buzzing around outside the screen on my tent, trying to find a way in.
Date: 2007-06-29
From: Graymoor Spiritual Life Center - Ballpark Pavilion

To: RPH Shelter, NY
Miles today: 18.9
Weather: clear sky

I started Friday morning from Graymour Spiritual Center around 9:30. I started slow again today. I haven't seen any thru-hikers in about three days. I saw a few day and weekend hikers today. The trail was a little better today. The trail slopes are not as steep in this area and the trail doesn't go up and down every rock face in sight. There are still rocks in the trail, but not as many as recent trails.It is still humid (80+%), but the temperatures have dropped to the low 80s and there has been a breeze most of the day. I picked up my pace a little as the day progressed. I considered taking a 0.9 mile side trip to a state park for swimming and a concession stand, but decided against it. Turned out to be a good thing. The trail passes an overlook a couple miles further, where you can see the swimming area. The place looked closed. One of my guide books says its open late June to August. Wow, what a short summer season here.I finally reached RPH shelter at about 8:45 PM. There were three hikers in the shelter already sleeping. I was quiet and set my tent up away from the shelter.
Date: 2007-06-30
From: RPH Shelter, NY

To: Telephone Pioneers Shelter
Miles today: 16.6
Weather: broken clouds

I got up in time to meet the three other hikers who stayed at the RPH shelter last night. (Magellan, Littlefoot, and Dragonbreath) They all left while I was still messing around. There is a hand pump at the shelter that I used last night to get water to drink. This morning Dragonbreath informed me there was a notice in the shelter saying the water should be filtered or treated because it has tested positive for choliform bacteria in the past. Oh well nothing I can do about that now.I got organized, packed up, and departed the shelter about 10:30. Not to good considering I needed to hike over 17 miles today. I hiked 5 miles over to hwy NY22 and got off the trail heading east 0.3 miles to a deli and pizzeria. I ordered a small pepperoni and mushroom pizza and got a mountain dew and a rootbeer. I ate two thirds of the pizza and put the rest in my pack. Then I went to the deli/grocery store and got a few food items so I would have enough food to get to Kent, CT on Monday. I also got some ice cream to eat there and a can of AMP energy drink to put in the pack.I headed back to the trail about 2:30. The trail was much more foot friendly today. There were a few climbs, but they were mostly gradual slopes. The trails reminded me of Virginia. Most of the day was spent walking through the green tunnel with just an occasional overlook view. I walked past Nuclear Lake which Wingfoot lists as a water source. The companion guide says it was the site of a nuclear fuels-processing research facility until 1972. Is that a six legged frog I see over there by the three headed snake? I think I'll find some water elsewhere.I reached the Telephone Pioneers Shelter around 7:45 and found my dad was there with Magellan, Littlefoot, and Dragonbreath. I showed everyone my Pack-a-feather alcohol stove and ate my left over pizza. Dad has a Swissgear tent and complained about the condensation raining when he touched the side. I remember at Hogback Ridge Shelter in Tennessee Musicman and Hiking Pole had similar problems with a swissgear tent.It is a little after 9:30 and I can here fireworks going off. I can't see any through the trees here. I didn't think about fireworks for the 4th of July being set off on June 30th. Hopefully there will be more July 4th or next weekend. I will try to get to a good overlook location and watch from the top of a mountain.
Date: 2007-07-01
From: Telephone Pioneers Shelter

To: Ten Mile River Campsite
Miles today: 12.7
Weather: overcast clouds

It rained quite a bit last night. There was also some good thunder and lightning. I stayed dry and fortunately dad did too. We stayed around the shelter until about 9:30 trying to let the tents dry.We crossed the rail road tracks where the Appalachian Trail Station is for the commuter train that goes to New York City on the weekends. Just 0.1 miles we crossed hwy NY22. There is suppose to be a hotdog stand within view, but we didn't see one. Maybe it isn't open on Sundays. We ate a snack bar and went on down the trail. We were walking through a flat valley this morning. The trail was nice with a lot of boards to walk on through some areas. The trail turned uphill shortly after NY22 and we had to climb 500 feet. I stopped at the top and waited for dad to catch up. A couple day hikers stopped by us at the top of the hill. It was 4Frank and someone else. 4Frank has a trail journal and has been following my journal. He also follows The Hobbit and Twofer. I was following these journals before I got out to the trail. He updated me on their progress and told us about Trail Magic from Mac & Cheese a few miles up the trail. Spence passed us on our way to the trail magic. I had not seen Spence since the day I left Delaware Water Gap. We caught up to Spence, Littlefoot and Dragonbreath at the trail magic location near Leather Hill Road. There were 4 lawn chairs, cold water, Gatorade mix, cookies, chips, apples, oranges, and a few other things there. It was great.We hiked 4.4 miles from there to Ten Mile River Shelter, which included another 500 foot climb up Ten Mile Hill. It wasn't too bad since it was a gradual ascent. There are about 30 people around this shelter area including about 20 loud teenage boys playing by the river. We ate dinner up near the shelter with Littlefoot and Dragonbreath then returned to the tent area near the river.Tomorrow we have about 9 miles to get to Kent, CT and hopefully a room for the night and a chance to clean up.PS: Ed Walker, Thanks for giving dad a ride from the airport to the train station in White Plains.
Date: 2007-07-03
From: Fife & Drum Inn - Kent, CT

To: Bread Loaf Mtn
Miles today: 11.4

This morning we woke up around 8:30. Dad was going to leave first and I would leave a few hours later and catch up to him at Silver Hill Campsite. We went over to the post office. Dad mailed home about 6 lbs of stuff out of his pack (second set of eating utensils, second knife, battery charger, binoculars, etc). I mailed a box of excess food forward to Dalton, MA. Then we went to the grocery store for a few items.It was almost 10:30 by time dad headed out of the hotel. I finished loading my new Osprey Aether pack and experimented with different lacing methods and insoles for my new Lowa boots, then had to leave the hotel by 11:00.I went to the outfitter and dropped off the old pack to be shipped back to North Carolina. Next I went to the mini mart at the gas station and bought a couple energy bars. I saw Ninja and Spence a block up Main Street, so I went over to talk to them for a while. I met Spence's mom, Free Thinker who is hiking some loop sections. I went to the library and updated my gmap website. See the bottom of yesterdays entry for the link. Rookie, Marked, and Breadless Horseman were also at the library.Then I stopped at the bakery for a roastbeef sandwich and tea. I stopped by the mini mart one more time for a Snickers candy bar and Rockstar energy drink before heading out of town at 2:30. I enjoyed my time in Kent it is a small town with lots of locally owned shops. Its nice to not be surrounded by chain stores.There were a couple hills on the first part of the trail that ended with a steep rocky descent. The trail then followed the Housatonic for about 5 miles with a nice level trail. The trail turned uphill for 0.7 mile to the Silver Hill Campsite. I met a nice family there (Appy, Pappy, and Sassy - I think, I got there names from someone else later). They told me they had hiked with dad today and were worried because he had not made it to the campsite. They asked me where I passed him, but I hadn't passed him. I got out my phone and dad had left a message saying he had missed the campsite and was now going down the other side of the hill. I put my pack on and tried to catch up to him. When I reached Hwy CT4, I had no cell coverage. I decided to hike up the hwy until I got a signal. I had to go about a mile. It turns out dad had hiked down this hill to a gas station. Our cell phone coverage was weak causing broken messages. Dad hiked another mile to a state park and I hiked a half mile to a small flat spot and set up my tent in the dark. Socks, I was there. I need to update my file picture. I look a little different these days.
Date: 2007-07-04
From: Bear Loaf Mtn

To: Belters Campsite
Miles today: 10.8
Weather: overcast clouds

Dad and I exchanged phone mail messages this morning. Dad decided to walk along the river today rather than hike 2 miles back up the hill to resume a hike with several steep climbs for today. I left Bread Loaf Mtn and headed north on the trail. I met Schwartz and Quartz.I stopped at Pine Swamp Lean-to for a break and to eat some food. Marked arrived a few minutes later and then Schwartz and Quartz arrived. I took the longest break and was the last to leave the shelter. It was overcast and the forecast was for rain this afternoon, night, and tomorrow. It started raining before I reached Sharon Mtn Campsite. I stopped there for a few minutes and called dad. He had decided to hike up to Belters Campsite for the night. That was a few miles from where I was. I hiked past the Hang Glider View, which overlooked a race track. I had heard the race cars on the track for a while before I reached the track and would here them all the way to Belters Campsite.I figured with the rain there wouldn't be any fireworks to view there tonight. I proceeded to Belters Campsite and set up my tent. Dad arrived about an hour later. It was raining so we talked from our tents. I think I fell asleep before dark.I am not sure if the privy design in the picture was done by someone who really loves the outdoors, someone who gets claustrophobic, or the result of cost cutting. I'm not sure that it meets all of the customer requirements. There may have been some things missing from the customer requirements document.
Date: 2007-07-06
From: Salisbury, CT - Vanessa Breton's House

To: Hemlocks Lean-to
Miles today: 14.1

I left Salisbury about 7:30 this morning. Dad walked with me out of town until the trail turned back into the woods. I was moving along fairly well this morning until I reached the overlook at Lions Head. I ended up sitting on the rocks here for an hour. There was a good view and a day hiker stopped and talked for a while.I continued up to the top of Bear Mtn at 2,316 feet. I don't think the trail has gone over 2,000 feet since Virginia, but I am not certain of this. There were about 8 day hikers up at the top of the mtn. I also saw Dos Olivers up there. They are hiking to Dalton, MA. I stayed up at the top of Bear Mtn for about an hour and decided to hike down to Sages Ravine Campsite for lunch. It started to rain before I reached the campsite. I passed Magellan at the campsite. She was headed south slack packing. I wished I had my poncho/tarp about now. I decided not to carry it to keep my pack weight down. It would be nice to tie it up between some trees to get out of the rain for a while. I thought things over and decided I didn't feel like being in the rain. I went into the campsite and set up my tent. I ate my lunch (pepperoni, cheddar cheese, and grape tomatoes) and laid down until the rain stopped. I was at the campsite for about 3 hours. I wasn't making much progress down the trail today. It was 4 PM and I had only gone 7.5 miles, but I was enjoying the day.The skies cleared and I packed things up. I was determined to get some more miles in today. I was only carrying 4 days of food to get to Dalton, Ma., so I needed to keep moving. I followed the trail down Sages Ravine. It followed a wonderful cascading stream with waterfalls and pools. If it had been a hotter day I would have been tempted to jump in. At the bottom of the hill I crossed the state line, leaving Connecticut and entering Massachusetts. The trail into Massachusetts was almost as bad as entering New York. I was on wet slippery rocks for most of the rest of the day including the climb up and over Mt. Everett at 2,602 ft. It feels good to get back into the taller mountains. I made it to Hemlocks Lean-to about 8:30. It started raining when I arrived. I quickly set up my tent and then got soaked by rain when I went to filter water. There is a nice shelter here with a roof that extends out over a picnic table. There is a group of section hikers here. Some of them were playing cards while I cooked my dinner. They had a good fire going in the fire ring. A ridge runner hiked in while I was cooking, he joined in the card games, while I stood by the fire drying out after the rain stopped.It is 11 PM now and I am tired. Tomorrow I need to hike more miles.
Date: 2007-07-07
From: Hemlocks Lean-to

To: Mt. Wilcox South Lean-to
Miles today: 19.7

I was the next to the last one out of the campsite this morning. Only the ridge runner was still there when I left a little before 8:00. I am not doing too well with early starts these days.I moved along fairly well once I got on the trail. The trails were pretty flat for a while followed by a steep rocky descent down Jug End. The trail then passed through a lot of low swampy areas and the mosquitoes were ferocious. Normally the mosquitoes will leave you alone as long as you are moving, but today they didn't care if you were moving. I tried to hike faster and swing my arms more, but they kept biting. Finally I reached a bridge over Hubbard Brook. It was out in the sun and the mosquitoes didn't follow me out there. I sat down on the bridge to review my water sources for the day. I reviewed the Wingfoot manual and was ready to go, then at the last minute I pulled out the companion. Wait a minute. What's this? The Corn Crib is only 0.1 mile off the trail at the US7 Hwy crossing 2 miles from here. They have fresh vegetables, fruits, and ice cream. I had a new destination and covered the 2 miles quickly. I had a peach, an orange, a pint of vanilla ice cream, and a 23.5 oz. Arizona green tea Rx Energy Herbal Tonic! The lady running the store also gave me a tomato with a small bruised spot for free. I went out to the gazebo and ate everything except the tomato. Then I went back in and got another orange and two Red Bulls to put in my pack with the tomato. I had spent about an hour there and needed to get back to the trail. I caught up to Magellan shortly after returning to the trail. I passed her and headed back up into the hills hoping the mosquitoes would leave me alone, but they stayed around the whole day. I stopped at Tom Leonard Lean-to for lunch. Magellan arrived about 15 minutes later. I ate some pepperoni, cheese, and the free tomato. Then I drank one of the Red Bulls before heading out. There were more hills and mosquitoes. I reached the trail to Benedict Pond at 6:00. I decided I had time to walk the half mile to the swimming area, go swimming for 30 minutes, and walk back while still getting to the shelter before dark. Benedict Pond is another glacial pond. I still don't know what a glacial pond is, but I went swimming in one today. I hiked up to the shelter and found Magellan and Sleepy there. Sleepy is hiking the AT north from Pawling, NY and then taking the Long Trail up to Canada. He was playing a small guitar when I arrived.I ate dinner and retired to my tent. It was a pretty good day on the trail except for the mosquitoes.Today as I was walking through the flat lands I was thinking about my journey. I have now completed over 1500 miles. In some ways it makes me happy to know I have accomplished this, met so many wonderful people, and visited a lot of wonderful places. I am also saddened to think that I have less than 700 miles to go and this adventure will all come to an end.Tomorrow the temperature is suppose to be above 90 degrees again. That is okay. I am headed for Upper Goose Pond and swimming again!