morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2019-05-14
From: Wildcat Shelter

To: Tuxedo Motel
Miles today: 9.8
Weather: scattered clouds

Worst day yet. I¢m writing this several days after the fact, but I remember I slipped and fell twice. The second time I fell on my thumb and sprained it. Seems to be a common injury with skiers who similarly use poles.Everything eventually got soaked, and my feet were wet pretty much all day. I do think I went a little bit crazy. There were super muddy sections that I ended up gleefully stomping in like a little kid... maybe trying some of that old reverse psychology on the trail again, like I did to amuse myself and try to deal with the rocks. But it didn¢t work...Kind of bailed out and decided to go to the nearby Tuxedo Motel, which I thought was near the trail. But it was a 40 minute walk down the road, which I found out when I arrived at the road. My own bad planning, but I went kinda crazy in the pouring rain and let out a maniacal laugh that only I heard. But whatever... I waited for a Lyft and they dropped me off. The guy at the motel was super nice, but I must have looked crazy. He said something like ¢I know you¢re not crazy. You¢re a hiker, I recognize you. I¢ve been doing this a long time.¢Hmm, maybe it¢s time for a shave and a haircut...
Date: 2019-05-15
From: Tuxedo Motel

To: Tuxedo Motel
Miles today: 0.0

Zero day. Wasn¢t feeling well, and was still airing out stuff, so I paid for another night. Beautiful day outside, but I stayed inside my hotel room refuge all day. Regretted eating all gas station junk food yesterday. But I made up for it by ordering an entire pizza for delivery. It was great (being close to NYC helps)! My first pizza on the AT.My thumb was swollen and hurting from yesterday¢s sprain. Difficult to use it.
Date: 2019-05-16
From: Tuxedo Motel

To: William Brian Memorial Shelter
Miles today: 9.7
Weather: few clouds

Got a late start from the hotel and went by the Valero again and grabbed a fresh sandwich from the deli. Not too bad for a sandwich from a gas station! Boar¢s Head meat!Called for a Lyft to drive me just a few miles down the road. The last time I saw that area I was in a pretty foul mood and the rain was pouring. Today was a total contrast and I loved it. I appreciated it so much... it was a great day.It was only Thursday, but I saw some full parking lots when entering Harriman State Park. Also ran into a few more folks than I expected, including a big hiking group (thanks for the snack bar!). I could tell this place is even more popular on the weekends.Went through the Lemon Sweeze with my pack still on. Pretty easy. But the part immediately after was a rock climb straight up a rock. I found the foot placements and somehow dragged myself up. All the while being thankful it wasn¢t raining and slippery...Make it to Fingerboard Shelter for a break, but almost every entry in the logbook mentioned a problem bear that somehow got bear bags that were hung correctly - even the PCT hang?! Hound lost his bag this way according to the logs. I bunked with him way back at the secret shelter.Chatted with a day hiker who was spending one night out here. Also saw a through hiker. We all decided to move on to the next shelter, William Brian, another five miles or so north. Arrived just before sunset, cooked up dinner, and hung my bag. There were three of us in the old CCC shelter and two outside in tents.Slept pretty well and warm.
Date: 2019-05-17
From: William Brian Memorial Shelter

To: Hemlock Springs Campground
Miles today: 12.3

Left earlier than usual around 8:30am. Initially had trouble finding the AT again, but I should have figured to guess it went straight up some rock wall on the way out of the shelter.It was a pretty hard day today, with three big uphill climbs. Guthook says it was about 2700ft ascent, 3400ft descent.At the top of one of these was Bear Mountain, a very touristy area that had a few folks roaming around despite it being a Friday. Not a super great view today, but I took advantage of the vending machines - one which sold Pringles!Back down the other side of the mountain on a really well maintained trail. Despite it being a large descent, it was super easy - just a series of rock steps! At the bottom of Bear Mountain Inn, where I had a hamburger and ice coffee at the Hiker Cafe, then had a fancy cheese plate with beer up at the bar. Local cheese and pretty local beer! I was super happy. Great morale booster. :)Walked across a roll bridge and then hiked straight up the next mountain, till I arrived at a campsite just at sunset. I saw a few familiar faces from the previous shelter, including SlowDog.Hung my bear bag, setup my tent, and called it a day!Forgot to mention that I saw my first timber rattlesnake today, a bit down West Mountain. Got some good video from a distance, which I¢ll upload in one of my YouTube videos.
Date: 2019-05-18
From: Hemlock Springs Campground

To: Graymoor Spiritual Life Center
Miles today: 4.2

Slept in way too long this morning. I am either being lazy or I really need it, or maybe my body is still a bit sick.Had a rude awakening... opened my tent and saw what I thought were beetles scatter. I took a closer look at one and realized it was... a cockroach?! There were three scurrying around out front. I was pretty angry, and started moving my bag and stuff away. As I put away my tent, there were a few more that had been resting under my tent pad. They scattered suddenly...Very very late start, past noon today. I¢m not sure what¢s happening to me. Got hungry and cooked a little at the campsite, then hiked a very short distance to the Appalachian Mart, where I had a great sub sandwich, beer, and snacks. Best thing is that I saved one half of the sandwich for dinner!Crossed the road and walked about a half mile to the Graymoor Spiritual Center. This is a Franciscan center that allows hikers to camp here on their baseball field. It was still early in the day, but I took a quick break and was feeling super tired... the whole area was quiet and peaceful, but since it was the weekend, I should have known better. About a half hour later, several groups showed up and started setting up camp.I am not a social person... and now I have limited energy just to give to myself, and hardly someone else... I ended up putting my bag together and hiking into the complex to check out their bookstore. Bought a small book (extra weight! Oh no!) and got a ginger ale from the vending machine. Was interesting to see all the photos of the friars through the decades, and photos of the friars with popes in their various ages.Took a little break outside on one of their many benches, and contemplated where to spend the night. I just didn¢t have energy in me, so I resigned myself to the now-crowded baseball field.Came back and even more folks were there - with cars driven onto the field even, and what turned out to be a huge church-related gathering near the shelter, where I was earlier.But another unwelcome surprise came... as I took bags out of my pack, I spotted two hitchhiker roaches from last night¢s campsite. I smashed them both and checked for more. This made me angry again... definitely not a challenge I thought I¢d have to deal with.Met another flip flopped here who was of course older and just-retired, called Soaring Eagle I think? He started April 17, ten days before me, which doesn¢t really lift my spirits. He was also thinking of quitting early, despite the fact we¢re almost 400 miles in now.Aiming for a campsite tomorrow which will be just about 400 miles. Committed to going at least to mile 550, which is 25% of the AT. After that, one way or another I¢ll be taking off about a week to help my parents move across the country. That will either be a pause or the end of my hike for this year...
Date: 2019-05-19
From: Graymoor Spiritual Life Center

To: Canopus Beach
Miles today: 13.9

Left before 9am (good time for me) and made good progress today. It was not a pleasant day however. Even though I had done almost no miles the day before, my whole body was aching and tired. I pushed through though. It was a particularly hot day, so I made sure to keep super hydrated, but all my clothes got swampy and sweaty and gross. My face felt like it was sweaty all day really. I drank enough water and didn¢t pee at all, which is a sign my body needed all it got... I didn¢t eat enough though, and was feeling particularly exhausted.As I neared the Canopus Lake area, the terrain got flat and easy, and my pace picked up - I was passing day hikers comfortably at a nice pace. I really though this was an easy trail coming from the lake for the day hikers, but I was wrong... the trail got more difficult and rocky towards the end of the day. Of course there were lots of gratuitous ups and downs. And the ups seemed pointless, leading not to some beautiful viewpoint or anything, but to... nothing. Then downhill again after that.I was pushing myself to arrive before 5pm for a cafe by the beach, and I arrived just at 5pm and found it still closed for the season, with just Eagle Wings setup on the beach. I was disappointed, but soon got over that as I took advantage of the showers at the facility. Somewhat cold, but wonderful! Perfect end to a hot sweaty day.
Date: 2019-05-20
From: Canopus Beach

To: Morgan Stewart Shelter
Miles today: 14.0

There was a thunderstorm that kept waking me up all through the night. Luckily my tent on the beach was fine, and kept everything dry, even my pack, which always seems somewhat precariously placed in the vestibule area of the tent, but at least still under the tent cover. Felt great today despite hiking a decent distance yesterday. I am starting to think I must have gotten sick or something... felt so terrible some days prior even when hiking barely any.Stopped by RPH Shelter, which was super nice - with a garden and even lounge chairs. Took a quick snack break there and kind of regretted not spending the night. But the shower at the beach complex was well worth it, I decided, no matter how alluring the RPH Shelter was.Hiked on to a road crossing. Only a half mile detour promised to take me to a market-deli and a pizza place, and it was well worth it. At the pizza place I ran into the Adventure Boys, two guys hiking together. Turns out they had also camped at the beach, except in the proper camping area which Eagle Wings and I couldn¢t manage to find.While there, a crazy strong thunderstorm passed through the area, first turning the sky dark, and then belting out a huge amount of water into the area. I checked the weather app on my phone and got a kick out of the fact that the area was called Stormville.The rest of the day was dry luckily, and cool. Hiked on to Morgan Stewart Shelter, where the Adventure Boys and Eagle Wings were already waiting. I had trouble finding a good branch to hang on, but got some good help and tips from the Adventure Boys, who helped secure my rope even after I tied it off PCT style. They learned from an incident when they stayed at the Fingerboard Shelter.
Date: 2019-05-21
From: Morgan Stewart Shelter

To: Station Inn Pawling
Miles today: 3.5

Not a restful sleep last night.. I think I was too self-conscious of making noise and waking up the 3 others. Next time I think I will just pitch a tent when the shelter gets too full.Got a late start and was excited that this was my day to go into town, into Pawling, New York. I was initially thinking of hiking 10 miles and then taking a road into town via Lyft, but there was a much closer way to get into town via highway 55, and I ended up calling up a Lyft and getting into town around lunchtime. Looked like a pretty nice trail town. Went to the Tap House Tavern for a lunch. Food was alright, nothing special, but they had a lot of beers on tap, so I tried two. Definitely hit the spot after hiking, if even just hiking a few lazy miles...Checked out the bookstore and for some reason ended up buying yet another small book - Leaves Of Grass.There was a fancy bakery attached to a nice restaurant that had an impossibly large crowd for a Tuesday afternoon. Not just old retired folks, which I could expect, but folks of all ages. It was pretty swarming there - I really can¢t imagine how busy it must be on the weekends!Checked in to Station Inn, which was super nice, and a bit of a splurge for this trip. I booked on Expedia, but should have called and asked for the hiker discount... interesting guesthouse with no front desk, just an automated keyed entry system.The place was super clean and the bed super comfy, with really soft linens. I tried not to dirty it up too much...The hotel had Netflix, so I watched more than a few episodes of Monty Python...I liked Pawling, but everything did seem overpriced. As I understand it, things in the northeast will tend to be pricey, so this is just the start of it...
Date: 2019-05-22
From: Station Inn Pawling

To: Telephone Pioneers Shelter
Miles today: 4.3
Weather: scattered clouds

Late start today and not a lot of progress, so it¢s another Nero. I felt like I made the right choice though - I definitely saw enough of Pawling to satisfy me, and I saved money for another hotel stay, when I am really feeling the need for it.Had lunch at the Irish pub and tried another beer and a great steak sandwich. Tried to call up a Lyft, then an Uber, both unsuccessfully.. no cars nearby! Walked across the street and made another visit to Sunflour Bakery to get another cold brew, which was awesome. The business opened February 1.. I hope they do well!Waited a while and tried Lyft again, this time successfully. Made it to the Nuclear Lake trailhead and kept on hiking a bit to the first shelter. The name of the lake is a bit ominous, and has a little bit of a history, including an explosion at a lab across the lake which scattered radioactive plutonium into the area in 1972. It¢s been declared safe, but you never know... more info: https://www.poughkeepsiejourna...ake/13976085/
Date: 2019-05-23
From: Telephone Pioneers Shelter

To: Ten Mile River Shelter
Miles today: 12.8
Weather: overcast clouds

Fairly decent day in terms of miles. This was the last big day of NY.Came out of the trail onto a nice boardwalk reminiscent of NJ. Met a thru hiker from 1976 (¢I hiked it before you were born¢) who said the boardwalk was made fairly recently by folks even older than he was. He said when he hiked, he kept his pack weight down decently, but had to make a lot of his stuff from scratch to keep things light. He was jealous of the amount of information we have access to these days about the AT.Right after this there was a train stop right by the tracks. The train stops on the weekends and will take folks to and from NYC! The thru hiker said there are all sorts of interesting folks who arrive from the city, dressed inappropriately for a day of hiking...Walked down the road a bit towards Tony¢s Deli and got snacks, a late breakfast, and a sub sandwich for later. That sub sandwich ended up being my late lunch and dinner, and was the best one I¢ve had so far, with a really generous portion of turkey.Passed through the Wiley Shelter and waited for some rain to pass through. There were folks setup with tents, and I saw them pass by but they didn¢t say hi. I soon smelled the overwhelming and horrible smell of pot, and that was enough motivation to make me decide to push on 4 miles to the next shelter. In the meantime, Hostel and then Bump made their way through.Later at Ten Mile Shelter I saw them plus Slow Dog and a weekend hiker with what seemed like a heavy pack, complete with 4 liters of water and a super heavy bear canister.We slept 4 in the shelter, the second time I¢ve bunked with so many. Used some earplugs from the hotel and kicked myself for not doing it earlier... it was a pretty relaxing sleep...
Date: 2019-05-24
From: Ten Mile River Shelter

To: Mt Algo Shelter
Miles today: 8.4

Unexpected ups and downs today made for a tougher time than I planned for. Wanted to make more progress - I had daylight in the day to make it to the next shelter, some 7+ miles away, but I decided to call it a night at the lovely Mt Algo shelter, which was in a great area by a stream.Took a detour in the morning to visit an awesome store for some snacks. They listened to their hiker customers and carried a lot of popular stuff, including the largest Knorr Side selection I¢ve yet seen.Not as many folks at this shelter as I thought... it¢s now the beginning of Memorial Day weekend.
Date: 2019-05-25
From: Mt Algo Shelter

To: Caesar Brook Campground
Miles today: 13.9

This was the start of Memorial Day weekend, so I knew there would be more hikers out and about, and I was kind of expecting all the shelters and campgrounds to be filled up. But I lucked out.In the morning I had the option to head into Kent, but I had already left somewhat late, and still felt satisfied from the last trail town, so I pressed on.Went up Caleb¢s Peak and saw a bear. The bear actually saw me before I saw it. Before I knew what was happening, that bear had turned around and started scrambling away like mad. It seemed to be right on the trail, and I hoped it wasn¢t running further up the trail I needed to pass through. Luckily that was the last I saw of it.Made it to the top and saw three hikers, two older ladies and one older man who sort of scrunched up his face at me and seemed to not like me from the get-go. We chatted a bit, then I headed off. The scrunchy face man started mumbling something like ¢He didn¢t even stop to enjoy the view¢ just as I was heading down the rocks a bit to get a more unobstructed view to stop and photograph. Just as I did so, he groaned a bit as a ladies laughed at him for his impatient remark.Later in the day I came close to Cornwall with lots of time to spare, so I walked in for some food. Found a liquor store there that gives hikers a free beer for signing their logbook, which was nice!Went to the market - the deli was closed, but they had bagged sandwiches to go. I splurged and got a sandwich and tons of snacks to eat on their porch while I charged my phone and used their WiFi. Grateful for these hiker friendly places!Hiked a bit more till I got to Caesar Brook Campground. It was after sunset, and I struggled with the lack of light. I was already using my flashlight during the last part of the hike, and I shined it around and spotted a hammock camper - probably Slow Dog? There was also a huge tent with a big campfire. I found a spot to setup and tried unsuccessfully to hang my bear bag, so I kind of gave up and set the bag by my tent.Later on, another hiker came right by my tent for some reason, then laughed, probably at the bear bag that was just laying there. Soon after I heard what turned out to be a Bear Box closing. A bear box at just a campground, not even a shelter?! Connecticut is wonderful.Got out of my tent to move my bag into the box, and there was barely space for it. Some day hiker had thrown their entire backpack into the box... but I found room and pushed the box shut, like a traveler struggling to shut their suitcase.
Date: 2019-05-26
From: Caesar Brook Campground

To: Bearded Woods Hostel
Miles today: 8.9

Woke up to a pretty sticky hot and humid morning, and was happy to snack on two blueberry cheese croissants from the market from yesterday (which they gave me for free - they were gonna toss it out otherwise). The heat emboldened the bugs, and they were already out in full force, mosquitos included.Packed up my stuff slowly. It¢s always fun to see all my stuff start spread out everywhere, and slowly make its way in its compact travel form in my bag. And when I¢m ready to go, there are just a few more lingering items - usually my teeth brush kit and contact lens kit are the last bags in before everything gets zipped shut.This day had been forecast to be unusually hot - 85 degrees plus humidity, and I knew it would sap my energy later in the day. But something was already wrong - my energy was already low. I suspect I didn¢t have a good nights sleep due to not sleeping on my air mattress, which I felt would be too hot... And I learned the hard way that a bad night can set you back and turn into a bad next day.I decided to splurge and try to stay at a nearby hostel for the night, the Bearded Woods Hostel. Thought it was a long shot because it was Memorial Day weekend, but this is a hiker hostel and had bunks available thankfully! Also, I think I am still above the Flip Flip bubble. Though I seem to be seeing more and more hikers around in general...Hiked some more until I reached highway 7, where Hudson picked me up. He has been running the nearby Bearded Woods Hostel in addition to a shuttle service. The hostel was super clean and at a really comfortable cold temperature - just walking around there felt like I was drinking a cool drink to ward off the day¢s heat.Saw Sharon, the LASH (long ass section hike), as well as Eagle Wings and his wife. Hudson also ordered Mexican, so I tagged along on the order and got a steak burrito and nachos. It was ok... I think I have been spoiled by knowing good Mexican food.Sleep in a bed was wonderful... that was a nice end to a hot day.
Date: 2019-05-27
From: Bearded Woods Hostel

To: Bearded Woods Hoste
Miles today: 0.0

Nice lazy zero day at Bearded Woods Hostel. Ate a bunch of snacks and drinks, cooked a frozen pizza, played a guitar a bit, caught up on stuff, and rested my legs. Unexpectedly our hosts cooked up dinner for Sharon and I - corn on the cob, toast, and a sausage and chicken dish in a cast iron pan - tasted like fajitas that I like to make. And Hudson gave me two beers from Atlanta for free! Super nice.
Date: 2019-05-28
From: Bearded Woods Hostel

To: Limestone Spring Shelter
Miles today: 5.8
Weather: overcast clouds

Hudson dropped me off right where I started, and I resumed my hike. There was rain in the schedule for the afternoon, so I did a short day and went to just the first shelter. This one was infamous for having a pretty steep decline to get to it. It was steep! But I managed, and knew the uphill coming back the next morning would have surer footing. A younger section hiker came in a bit later. He was a smoker and offered me weed. Getting tired of these smokers on the trail, but I thanked him and declined anyhow. We both kinda were taking a nap when three brothers showed up. They were out for a few days¢ hike, and brought all the random useless gear that comes with them: a big knife, big bulky army compass, etc.A through hiker from Germany came in later, and we all managed to cram in like sardines. Six of us in the shelter, and not a great restful sleep that night. The guy next to me had a whoopie cushion for a face. I also rolled over and found myself with no space to stretch my arms... really I would have had more space in my tent. Never want to experience that again.
Date: 2019-05-29
From: Limestone Spring Shelter

To: Race Brook Falls Campsite
Miles today: 15.4

Horrible sleep due to overcrowded shelter and the whoopie cushion next to me. Left before dawn, just past 5am, which is super unusual for me. Couldn¢t wait to get the heck out of there. Went up another Bear Mountain - this one in CT. Then went up Mount Race.Ran into Quill, an older lady who was an artist. She is one of the few folks who I actually outpaced on the trail. She would end up arriving at the same campsite that night and we both tented on the tent footpads.I cooked dinner and ate while it was starting to rain again. Luckily I had the tent all setup and ready, but not staked down, which wasn¢t smart. The rain fly not being staked meant it got a little wet inside the tent...