morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2015-06-16
From: dahlgren backpack campground

To: ensign cowall shelter
Miles today: 13.9
Weather: few clouds

Really hot. Sweaty day. Finished the hike drained. My planned stop was free state hiker hostel which I didn't know had closed. At last minute I found nostalgic dreams. Elizabeth to the rescue. Seeker joined and we headed to hostel.
Date: 2015-06-19
From: quarry gap shelters

To: pine grove furnace state park
Miles today: 15.7
Weather: overcast clouds

Nice hike. Good finish into the park to witness runs with beer, happy, Amish and several others conquer the half gallon challenge. Ice cream. Eat it in one seating and walk away. They all did. I passed. As they downed ice cream I convinced the grill to make me a stack of fresh blueberry pancakes. Great decision. Iron master mansion hostel seems very cool. More next post
Date: 2015-06-20
From: pine grove furnace state park

To: boiling springs
Miles today: 19.6
Weather: overcast clouds

Here come the rocks. Hike was fine just had to step over and around a rocky trailBoiling springs looks to be nice town. The AT goes down along a lake in the center of town. Saw a couple in a gazebo getting married. Allenberry hotel. Very cool. A trip back in time. It reminds me of the 1960s something maybe like the resort in dirty dancing. Very hiker friendly. Good bar! Must have eight hikers or so that checked in around the same. We met for buffet dinner. We did some serious chowing. I think we closed the place down.
Date: 2015-06-22
From: darlington shelter

To: duncannon. 
Miles today: 11.2

Made it to Doyle hotel for lunch. Great burgers and beer. Cowboy looking bar in town that's seen better days. Happy and I decide to share a room. $25 for a single and that was a stretch. Let's say the hotel has lots of character........I had no choice. Both knees need ice. Rocks are taking their toll on my knees and feet.
Date: 2015-06-25
From: PA 72 and PA 443

To: 501 shelter
Miles today: 13.6
Weather: scattered clouds

Party at 501 shelter. Pizza delivery. Whole team famished after spending several days on the rocks. Several members of our rambling hiking team going different ways. Wives, kids, grandkids are calling. Most will get back on trail after a couple days/ long weekend.
Date: 2015-06-27
From: port clinton

To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

Rain all day. Walked three miles to Cabelas in Hamburg. Store was packed with customers. Purchased new trail shoes. Waterproof Salomans a slight upgrade from my current pair. I put 700 miles on the old pair. Also purchased new shirts. I really like icebreakers Marino wool. Bought three. I mailed my three other shirts home, synthetics. Bottom line is that the wool is cooler, fits better and most importantly doesn't smell as bad as the synthetics. Hung out at dunkin donuts. I miss good hot coffee. Re supplied at Walmart. I have food re supply down cold. Everyday on the trail I eat some combination of the following: oatmeal and granola with instant milk, tortillas with peanut butter or cheese, grits mixed with couscous, raisins and mixed nuts. I'm completely cold. I only eat hot food when I'm in town. Anyway I can get in and out of Walmart pretty fast.
Date: 2015-06-30
From: bake oven knob

To: smith gap road
Miles today: 20.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Wow. Crazy day. I hike alone all day. In the morning weather was cloudy but thank goodness no rain. I climbed LeHigh Furnance Gap. I was unprepared. Sheer wall of rock. I spent 1-2 hours climbing up from hand hold to foot hold, not daring to look down, covered a little over a mile. I've never climbed a rock wall like this before. Totally focused. When I arrived at ridge trail on top I cheered. It was nerve racking. Exhilarating. Early afternoon the rain starts. Hard rain. Thank goodness it waited until I had finished LeHigh Gap. I can't imagine climbing it in the rain. Thunderstorms follow. Lighting and thunder. Lots of it. Very near. Scary. New waterproof shoes are completely soaked. I checked my phone, tornado warnings. I called mechanical man and he tells me I can tent in his garage. After 20 miles I hit smith road. Rain has stopped but I'm totally drenched and fried. A car stops and drives me the one mile to mechanical man's house. I take a hot shower, put on dirty but at least dry clothes and mechanical man takes me to a local pub. It's taco night. I eat tacos and big order of onion rings. Two Yuengling beers. At the local ice cream shop I grab a chocolate milkshake to go and drink it in the garage. Mechanical man wants to show me stuff on the computer. I do my best to pay attention. We discuss hiking and music.
Date: 2015-07-01
From: smith gap road

To: wind gap
Miles today: 8.1

Mechanical man does not provide breakfast. I eat oatmeal in the garage and then mechanical man drives me to the trail head. No rain but very wet trail. I need to fill a prescription at CVS in wind gap. I hit wind gap around noon. No luck hitching. I walk about three miles to CVS. To be honest I'm pretty disgusted that no one will will offer me a ride. CVS has my script ready. Next door is dunkin donuts. I eat and fill better. I check into the red roof inn. It's relatively new. Clean and nice. I think I'm one of about three guests. Nevertheless they give me an inside room with no windows. I'm pretty sure the owner takes one look at me fears I'm going to ruin and stink up a good room. So be it. I spend the rest of the day in my room resting and watching tv. Three hot showers. Ordered in. Slept really well. I cleaned up the room before I left. I leave it spic and span.
Date: 2015-07-02
From: wind gap

To: delaware water gap
Miles today: 15.6

I call a taxi to take me to the trail head. First he stops at dunkin donuts. One last chocolate frosting and a hot cup of coffee. Tons of rocks all over the trail. I see a bear or rather he spots me. He jumps up out of the ferns and runs the opposite direction. Within seconds he disappears. Bears are fast.Delaware water gap is a quaint town. I luck out. It's hiker hot dog Thursday at the Presbyterian Church of the Mountain hostel. The hostel is free for hikers. I take one of the last bunks.The hiker feed is actually a typical church pot luck dinner. Fried chicken, baked beans, jello etc. It's a wonderful night of fellowship as the small congregation shares their food with us. After dinner we watch a slide show of a trip to Denali. This is the last stop in PA. The state has lived up to its reputation of rocks, boulders, more rocks. At night my legs ache. I ice my knee frequently. But nowmy feet are giving me trouble. New shoes, wet, rocks, friction and heat. For the first time in the hike I'm developing blisters. Luckily no back pain. Knock on wood but carrying a pack seems to be good for my back.
Date: 2015-07-04
From: campsite before blue mtn lakes road

To: gren anderson shelter
Miles today: 13.6
Weather: moderate rain

Lots of folks out for the long weekend, section hikers and day hikers. Trail has been fairly flat and does seem less rocky than PA. The rocks have destroyed my new shoes. The soles are split and cracked. I need new shoes. Also by the end of the day my feet are screaming. I have band aids and moleskin all over.
Date: 2015-07-05
From: gren anderson shelter

To: unionville new york
Miles today: 20.1
Weather: light rain

Interesting hike today. Good views but then just about everyday has good views. Also passed a lake and state park. Swimming. Grilling out. People enjoying time off. Ended the day at Unionville NY. The upscale little village allows hikers to camp in a very nice park in the center of town near the ice parlor, the general store and the local tavern. There were half dz hikers. Good conversation and relaxation at the end of a 20 miler
Date: 2015-07-06
From: unionville new york

To: wawayanda shelter
Miles today: 15.7
Weather: light rain

Nice hike. Boardwalks over wetlands. Very cool and fun.Saw my third bear. Older than a cub but not fully grown. He was no more than 15 yards away. Once again he took off running when he saw me. I'm pretty sure I startled him pretty good. He looked very surprised to see me.
Date: 2015-07-08
From: greenwood lake

To: tiorati circle
Miles today: 19.6

Slack packed. Nice way to pick up some miles. Ran into nurse this morning. I haven't seen him since probably North Carolina. He's a very fast hiker. Turns out he's been off the trail for 19 days. Infection in his elbow among other things. Crazy how I continue to run into people that I haven't seen for a long time. It's part of the trail.
Date: 2015-07-09
From: tiorati circle

To: hemlock springs campsite
Miles today: 16.5
Weather: few clouds

Very interesting day. Crossed palisades parkway, climbed bear mountain and crossed the Hudson River on the bear mountain bridge and then ended the day with a climb. I recognized all the area from trips to west point to see john. I'm pretty I saw WP from the mountain. Unfortunately it was not clear enough to see the Manhattan skyline. Very tiring day. I camped alone.
Date: 2015-07-10
From: hemlock springs campsite

To: clarence fahnestock state park
Miles today: 18.0
Weather: clear sky

I lost my sawyer filter at greenwood lake. I've been hiking with lots of water and taking advantage of hand pumps and public water sources. To be sure the streams in NJ and NY look dirty, the color of birch beer. The extra weight and slight anxiety are annoying me. There's an outfitter in Kent. I plan to buy new shoes and new filter there.Decided to camp at state park. They advertise hot showers, water and allow thru hikers free camping for one night. It's a dud. Walked a mile out of my way. The campsites are dirty and next to the parkway. The water comes with a warning that it has high sodium content. Big deal. I drink it but it tastes terrible. The shower was great! I slept clean but listened to cars all night.
Date: 2015-07-11
From: clarence fahnestock state park

To: morgan stewart shelter
Miles today: 14.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Passed the RPH shelter mid morning. Large volunteer group doing trail maintenance. They gave me breakfast. I pigged on cereal and cold, fresh, whole milk. Wonderful. Added bananas and pastries and fresh hot coffee. I exchanged my sodium laded water for fresh bottled water. Not as good as cold spring water but I'll take. But I'm reminded hat each liter weighs two pounds. I carry an extra four unnecessary pounds. So be it..I run into daisy and blue feather, two section hikers from Indiana. Teachers who really enjoy teaching. Good folk.
Date: 2015-07-12
From: morgan stewart shelter

To: ten mile river shelter
Miles today: 20.6
Weather: overcast clouds

Very nice hike today. Cool forest, the beautiful nuclear lake (yes an odd name, I wonder) and nice board walk section across swampy lands. Early to mid afternoon I reach the Appalachian trail rail road station. Kind of cool. For $15 I could hop a ride to Manhattan. I visit the very hiker friendly Landscape and garden center. Refilled with fresh water. Ate ice cream and snacks. Visited with other hikers for an hour and then hit the road. Some folks decided to stay and experience the free camping with trains every 15 minutes. I camp at a beautiful camp site near the ten mile River and Housatonic River. Went swimming. The pump water was very cold and clear. I refilled.
Date: 2015-07-13
From: ten mile river shelter

To: kent connecticut
Miles today: 8.7
Weather: overcast clouds

I arrive in Kent in time for lunch. I see twister and big easy. We have burgers together. Twister and I hiked together for a week back in NC around Hot Springs. I haven't seen him since. After lunch they hit the trail and I head to the outfitters. Very disappointing. No filters. They don't sell shoes. They are actually a clothing shop that sells ice cream. Luckily I find a shoe store that does carry a decent selection of hiking shoes. I buy new shoes. I call REI and have them overnight a filer to a hostel in Sheffield Mass.
Date: 2015-07-14
From: kent connecticut

To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

Kent is a very nice upscale tourist town. No cheap hostels. Luckily a couple businesses support a free hiker camp area. Prime location behind a women's clothing store and next to the antique book store on Main Street. Very nice people. I decide to zero. I break in my shoes for a day and re bandage my feet. I eat well and spend time at the coffee shop. Recharging.
Date: 2015-07-16
From: pine swamp brook shelter

To: salisbury conn
Miles today: 15.1
Weather: overcast clouds

The AT runs through or very near quite a few New England towns. I decide to book a room in Salisbury. Great choice. Maria is a riot. 85 years old. Been taking in hikers for probably 30 years. She's a lot of fun. Picks me up, gives me a cold coke, shows me the shower, gives me laundry detergent, takes me to laundry mat that's next to several quaint local restaurants. I have linguini with claim sauce and a large glass of milk. Maria doesn't approve of alcohol so I dare not have a glass of red and besides I crave dairy. Next morning I up at 4:30. I cook my breakfast and I'm on the trail at 5:45.
Date: 2015-07-17
From: salisbury conn

To: south egremont
Miles today: 17.8
Weather: scattered clouds

Really tough hike. Unexpected. The berkshires are beautiful. The terrain is starting to seem more mountainous. Climbed bear mountain, Mt Race and Mt Everett. The climbs aren't that difficult. The descents are steep and well dangerous. Jess from the hostel picks me up 4 miles short of where I had intended. I'm fried. My legs are spaghetti. I'm out of water. Four other hikers are at the hostel. I know three. We go out for burgers. I don't sleep that well. My knees ache all night. Even though I took two Advil PMs I don't sleep well.
Date: 2015-07-19
From: south egremont

To: mt wilcox south shelters
Miles today: 15.3
Weather: overcast clouds

Mosquitos. Swarms. Humid. Temps mid to upper 80'sMiserable day in the berkshires. I wore long pants and long sleeve shirt. Completely soaked in sweat. Had to use my jungle juice - 100% deet. Very swampy, wetlands. Take away the hills and you would almost think you're in the bayou. Good news. Knees did not bother me.
Date: 2015-07-20
From: mt wilcox south shelters

To: upper goose pond cabin
Miles today: 15.8
Weather: light rain

Bad day on the trail. I did not sleep well last night. I camped in the shelter in my tent. I stayed dry during the storm and mosquito netting in tent gave me some relief from the Mosquitos. However all night some animal keep me up. it wanted something in my stuff. I put my food in the bear bag so I have no idea what it wanted but all night I was chasing it away. Anyway I hiked today with tired legs.The good news. This upper goose pond cabin is outstanding. More tomorrow
Date: 2015-07-21
From: upper goose pond cabin

To: cookie lady
Miles today: 11.1
Weather: overcast clouds

Great day today but first last night. Upper goose pond cabin is a gem. Old cabin outfitted for hikers. Place is awesome. Clean. We'll run. Books. Games. Two privies. No electricity but gas for cooking. The pond has a dock and swimming beach area. Canoes for rent. Tons of hikers. I haven't seen this many hikers in weeks. Probably 25 hikers many of whom I knew. Evening was spent reconnecting with old friends and meeting new ones. I had a great swim in the pond. I along with a half dozen other hikers went to bed at 7:00. I slept great. 6:00 the next morning pancakes and hot coffee. All of this free however I left a nice donation to help the cause. Good news I met up with old eagle scout. He gave me a tube of icy hot. Feels good on the knees. Eagle and a couple of others hiked to the cookie lady. Free cookies. She owns a blueberry farm. She also sells sodas, hard boiled eggs, blueberries, raspberries, ice cream etc. very good prices. Old eagle and I will camp at the cookie lady. Next to the blueberry plants. Waiting for Happy. He's suppose to arrive later this evening. Good day..
Date: 2015-07-22
From: cookie lady

To: chesire ma. st. mary of the assumption 
Miles today: 18.3
Weather: broken clouds

Happy, Eagle Scout and I reconnected at cookie lady and hiked together to Cheshire. Mosquitos not too bad today. Lunched in dalton. Hot dogs from Cumberland farms.Cheshire has a nice feel. Small town and mountain air. Lots of American flags. Slept in fellowship hall at st Mary of assumption church. Father David and his staff were friendly and very helpful. Slept fitfully. Back hurts. Needed two Advil pm to sleep
Date: 2015-07-23
From: chesire ma. st. mary of the assumption 

To: petes spring. sherman brook campsite
Miles today: 16.3
Weather: overcast clouds

Climbs are back. In the morning climbed Mt greylock, highest peak in mass. Strenuous 2000 ft of climbing. Beautiful hike. Grand views. Had a picnic lunch on the summit just outside the Bascom lodge. 3491 ft. Hit Williamstown/ N Adams late afternoon. Hiked to shop and save. Re supplied and ate dinner. Hiked on to shelter. Weary legs. Made camp late. 7:30 or so. Late night. Tired
Date: 2015-07-24
From: petes spring. sherman brook campsite

To: bennington vermont
Miles today: 16.8
Weather: light rain

Worst day yet. I slept terrible. Woke up tired. Cement legs all day. Crawled into Bennington and checked into autumn inn motel. Right knee swollen. Lower back sore. Good news I'm now in Vermont, past 1600 miles and have less than 600 miles to go.
Date: 2015-07-25
From: bennington vermont

To: zero in bennington
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

Fell into bed at 8:30. Woke up 7:15 Saturday morning. Great sleep. Decided not to hike. Iced knee, ate and rested all day. I'm lucky to have Happy and old eagle with me. It's starting to become a real team effort.
Date: 2015-07-27
From: kid gore shelter

To: stratton pond cabin
Miles today: 15.0
Weather: moderate rain

Wonderful day. Hiked up Stratton mountain. We handled the climb fine. Spent 20 minutes with the caretaker learning about the history and story of Stratton mtn. Climbed the firetower. Beautiful views. After the summit we hiked to Stratton pond. Camped next to this pictoresque pond. Took a refreshing swim before bed. I'm becoming a fan of Vermont!
Date: 2015-07-28
From: stratton pond cabin

To: manchester center
Miles today: 10.7
Weather: broken clouds

Short day. Hiked to Manchester trailhead. Hitched into town. Pretty little town. Very hiker friendly.Jeff at green mtn hostel picked us up in town and took us to his hostel. Great hostel., roomy. Clean. Nice grounds. Horses. Hikers had full use of kitchen. Grilled steaks, sausages, fresh veggies, fresh fruit. Next morning blueberry pancakes, Vermont maple syrup, eggs......
Date: 2015-08-04
From: west hartford vt

To: hanover
Miles today: 9.3
Weather: clear sky

Hanover is quite a college town. It feels like Dartmouth students are arriving back to school. Lots of parents and families. Picked up a package from Marty with my winter gear.. The whites are just ahead. Cold. Stayed at days inn. Five of us in one room! Good bye Vermont. The state lived up to the hype. Very good hiking. Beautiful place. Hello New Hampshire. Finally. From day one on the AT people talk about the white mountains. I'm almost there. I think/hope/pray the legs are ready. The Will is there.
Date: 2015-08-05
From: hanover

To: moose mountain shelter
Miles today: 10.9
Weather: overcast clouds

Spent the morning running errands and resupply. Hit the post office again to check for more mail (nothing), browsed the northface retailer, (bought nothing) and headed to the co-op food store. Great co-op. I bought fresh ground peanut butter, some fruit, two croissants and cup of coffee. I sat on a bench outside of the co-op and waited for McFly. Lots of friendly people asked me about my hike. One man introduced himself as the ice cream man and reminded me to stop at his house along the trail for a free ice cream. But one woman stood out from the rest. She had white hair and must have been in her mid 70's. As she pushed her cart toward the entrance she asked "are you a NOBO (northbounder)? I replied "yes ma'mm" then she says "the whites are a bitch, sorry" and strolls into the co-op. I laughed, finished my chocolate croissant and coffee. Then McFly and I loaded up our packs and and started hiking. I wish I could have spent more time in Hanover. The trail runs right through town. I saw an Indian restaurant, Thai, steakhouse, taverns and of course Dartmouth. Very Nice town but not a good time for a zero so moved on.
Date: 2015-08-06
From: moose mountain shelter

To: hexacuba shelter
Miles today: 17.7

Passed by bill ackerly's (the ice cream man) house mid to late morning. Enjoyed an ice cream and a soda. Worked hard climbing smarts mountain but nothing to extreme. Very few camp sites so slept in the shelter. No mice. Starting to meet sobos on a regular basis. It's cool meeting them and sizing them up.
Date: 2015-08-07
From: hexacuba shelter

To: oliverian road. warren nh. hikers welcome hostel
Miles today: 14.8
Weather: clear sky

Hard hike today. Terrain is getting a bit tougher. Rocks, climbs, mud. The destination is the hikers welcome hostel. Looking to organize a slack pack for a day or two. Tomorrow is mt moosilauke. I think it's the first of the official hikes in white mountain national forest. Doesn't really matter because I know the mountain by reputation. It's going to be a hard climb. We grill brauts for dinner. Fresh corn on the cob, tomatoes, potato salad. Sampled a local craft IPA. Fun night but we still go to bed by 9:00. Big day tomorrow.
Date: 2015-08-08
From: oliverian road. warren nh. hikers welcome hostel

To: mt moosilauke
Miles today: 9.3

After deliberating the team decides to slack pack from north to south. We're told this is the safest way to approach the climb. This means we will ascend not descend the steepest side of the mountain. The slack pack means we'll be carrying 10 lbs packs not 25-30 lbs packs. The hike was a great success. Perfect weather. In addition joe, a friend of happy's from Boston joins us. He thru hiked 14 years ago at 30 years old. Today he trains for ultra marathons and hikes a lot in these mountains. He's very informed and a pleasure to hang out with. The mountain did not disappoint. The climb was very technical. Rocks, slabs of granite. 3000 ft of climbing over 3 miles then 3000 ft descent over 6 miles. We climbed alongside a beautiful waterfall. We ate lunch and probably spent an hour on the summit. Arrived back at the hostel around 5:00. Joe treated us to burgers and beer. Like so many thru hikers he insists on reciprocating the trail magic that he received on his thru hike and he pays for every thing. We celebrate with IPA's, tons of food, cheeseburgers, ice cold water melon, chips and for dessert birthday cake. Great way to turn 61. I feel so lucky to have had such a birthday. Thanks to joe, happy, Eagle Scout, McFly and walkin home. Before hitting the sack we have root beer floats.