morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2012-07-19
From: Village Vista Trail (NY)

To: Arden Valley Road (NY)
Miles today: 19.7
Weather: light rain

Day 100: Some days are diamonds; some days are stones (and after yesterday's trials and tribulations, although long, today was a diamond day...)Waking up well rested at "Anton's on the Lake," we had a steep climb (1.5 miles that doesn't count in our AT total distance) back up to the trail, but we were heading north again by 7am. Unlike yesterday, today's most challenging/ most fun/ most hairy/ circle "D" all of the above/ elements were spaced out, with each having a blue blaze bypass trail to use in bad weather, etc. The Eastern Pinnacles and Cat Rocks both came early, and with everything dried out from yesterday, we enjoyed them both. The general lack of water made Fitzgerald Falls a "no show." At West Mombasha Road, we would have likewise been disappointed by the water source, but there met Maine Dish (GA>ME '04, who we had last seen on 4/13 at the Hiker Hostel in GA) parked on the shoulder waiting on her son Tank, who she is now supporting. She offered us sodas and refilled all our water bottles. What an unexpected treat to see her again and we appreciated the Trail Magic she provided!We had cloudy weather up until late afternoon with a few periods of what N's mother would have called a "dry drizzle." Which kept the temperature very pleasant. A very steep descent brought us to the NY State Thruway 87 and Harriman State Park - home of the AT landmark "Lemon Squeezer." At the end of our day, we called Matt from Anton's who came to shuttle us back to his motel. There we met up with our hiker friends the Charon's (Manula & Tree Trunk) and Carver for a wonderful dinner at Murphy's Tavern. How good it was to spend quality time with them and catch up on each other's news. All in all a diamond day!
Date: 2012-07-21
From: Tunnel under US 9, Trailside Museum and Zoo, Bear 

To: Franciscan Way-Graymoor Spiritual Life Center, NY
Miles today: 6.9
Weather: light rain

Day 102: A Day at the Zoo (The ONLY zoo on the Appalachian Trail)When we last visited Bear Mountain Recreation Area (which would be in a light rain late yesterday afternoon), it looked to be on its last leg, a veritable ghost town. What a difference a weekend and a little sunshine make! When Matt the Anton's Manager's father, Bob the Former Owner came out of retirement to shuttle us back to Bear Mountain just in time for the 10 o'clock zoo opening, we encountered a virtual wall of humanity that included everybody in the state of New York who owned a cooler on wheels. We had been sorry not to have checked the zoo's white blazes off the day before, but wouldn't have believed the crowd unless we'd seen it ourselves! We now feel this part of our AT experience is complete. The zoo's animals looked a little shopworn, but we were encouraged to see work progressing on a new larger enclosure for the coyotes. The views from the Bear Mountain Bridge over the Hudson  River after the front passed through were magnificent as well. A few puffy little clouds and lots of blue sky. Combined with cool temperatures, it was a perfect day for hiking!We decided to stay at the Graymoor monastery where the monks have been hosting AT hikers since 1972, so we had only a short walk today. Even with a stop at the Appalachian Deli road crossing, we arrived at their ballfield picnic shelter by 3pm. This gave us time to plan as far as West Cornwall, CT, take a shower, and be in bed by eight. We should be rested enough tomorrow morning to up our mileage again...
Date: 2012-07-22
From:  Franciscan Way (Graymoor Spiritual Life Center, N

To: NY 301 (Wappingers Falls, NY)
Miles today: 11.8

After 1,400+ miles and 103 days on the job, N becomes eligible for retirement as a Professional Walker (...but decides to keep on working at it for a little longer.) (...if he can get use to working with this new 65 year old body...)We headed out from the monastery ball field shelter by 6:30 following a very pleasant cool evening's rest. We left seven folks asleep in their tents, hammocks, and cowboy camps, including late arrivals Gumby and two of her posse. Kim Edwards, one of X's former Crow's Neck Environmental Ed Center SCA interns, had arranged for her parents to pick us up in the afternoon and bring us home for the evening. We'd been excited about their offer even before we learned they had a pool, and wanted to get to the pickup point as soon as possible!Today was a day of several road crossings and after Canopus Hill Road we were passed by EZ Nomad, who we hadn't seen in months at the Wood's Hole Hostel, but whose mother we met yesterday while crossing the Hudson River. We enjoyed the chance to get caught up and compare notes.One, our former AT fellow traveler who has retooled himself into a trail angel, came to Dennytown Road this morning to drop off trail magic. Remembering today was N's birthday, he stopped by a bagel shop on the way where he had them prepare two breakfast sandwiches, one with a birthday candle, and placed them in a bag marked "Please save for the Troverts." Early arrivals to this bounty had indeed left this for us, but as they had rummaged around in One's selection of treats, the bagel bag had worked its way from top to bottom, so that when we arrived, we found the bagels waterlogged in the now melted ice water. Appreciative but crestfallen, a disappointed N threw down two Throwback Mountain Dews to drown his sorrow, and felt much better. One, thanks so much for your thoughtfulness. Personalized birthday trail magic was something we never expected!The Edwards met us as the state park as planned, and Kim arrived home (wearing a new engagement ring! Congratulations, Kim) shortly after her parents got us in their swimming pool.  Peter Sorrel, another former intern, drove down from upstate NY with his fianc© so it was like a Crow's Neck reunion. We had a wonderful meal out on the deck, accompanied by much conversation, and concluded with a birthday cheese cake for N! After Peter and Amanda left, Kim took us to the grocery to resupply. She plans to have us back on the trail by 6:30am. We truly appreciate all the New York hospitality... As for the trail itself, up until entering Clarence Fahnestock State Park, we were about to describe this section of the AT as boring, boring, boring... But the last few miles passed by several signs of the area's early iron industry, especially a section looking like an old railroad bed with a stone work tressel.  We also passed our first two confirmed southbound thru hikers, Possible and Chanticleer. We think that might be the start of a trend.
Date: 2012-07-23
From: 301 (Fahnestock State Park, NY)

To: Morgan Stewart Shelter (NY)
Miles today: 16.0
Weather: light rain

Day 104: A rainy start and the second day of the AT New York deli tourWe awoke to lightning out the window at 4am and were thankful to be able roll over for another hour of sleep. When Kim returned us to the state park at 6:30, weather conditions remained ominous. Within minutes of starting to hike around Canopus Lake, we were donning rain hats and pack covers. For 80 minutes we counted the distance to the lightning (thankfully always at least a mile away) as we picked our way along the rocky lakeside trail. After many short ups and downs, we climbed to an overlook at the lake's north end where of course there was nothing visible in the mist except wet rocks and slippery roots. Thank goodness for trekking poles! Then for the next 40 minutes the bottom dropped out. In the deluge the trail became a swollen stream and we were soaked from head to toe. The one saving grace was the mild temperature which allowed us to walk wet but comfortable without our rain jackets.After four miles the rain began to let up as we climbed Shenandoah Mountain. At the flag painted on the open rock on top in memory of 9/11, the only view was straight over head to a hint of most welcome clearing sky. When we reached Ralph's Peak Hikers Shelter, folks who rode out the rain there were ready to finally begin their hiking day. (With its door at one end and covered porch at the other, plus amenities such as tables and a trashcan, the RPH shelter had as much personality as any we've encountered.) After a short snack break, we followed after them, under the Taconic State Parkway and up Hosner Mountain. The climb was not bad, but the trail paralleling the ridge top was rocky and slow going, especially down to and back up from Hosner Mountain Road. However, the thought of the deli ahead on NY 52 kept us moving. We arrived at the Mountain Top Deli (4/10 mile off the trail towards Stormville NY) to find a dozen backpacks lined up out front. Obviously this was the place for lunch! We not only ate well but took some time to dry out in the sun. The four miles to the next shelter was an easy hike, which we needed with our full stomachs. Looking at the approaching yellows and reds on the radar, it looked like a great stopping point, with a hand pump just down the hill. Several hikers passed through but only Lucky 10 and TP Tommy (named for the tent, not the paper) joined us for the night. Tipi Tommy (which as we think about it is how it should be spelled...) is a southbound thru-hiker from Gatlinburg who left Katahdin on 5/24. We enjoyed getting his take on the next 750 miles. Well past hiker midnight all those storms have passed north and south of us...
Date: 2012-07-24
From: Morgan Stewart Shelter (NY)

To: Wiley Shelter (NY)
Miles today: 16.6
Weather: scattered clouds

Day 105: Lots of variety on the trail and the third day of the AT New York deli tourToday we saw lots of variety on the AT: boardwalks over swamps, train stations, garden centers, rocks, level, record trees, you name it, we had it. It all made for an interesting day on the AT! We had planned to take a break at the Telephone Pioneers Shelter but the lure of the deli tour proved too strong. Tony's Deli in Wingdale takes a backseat to nobody. Although .6 mile off the trail (and having to compete with a mobile pizza maker parked just off the trail) it proved more than worth the walk. Also, as we got to leave our packs on the porch of the Native Landscapes center, our load was non-existent there and back. That made three straight great lunches. After lunch we crossed through the Pawling Nature Reserve, managed by the Nature Conservancy. Much of it was very pleasant hiking, but there were several very recent blow-downs completely blocking the trail and they were difficult to navigate. At one spot tree trunks were piled three tall across the trail. The evening forecast showed 0% chance of rain, but this afternoon we still had to deal with a pesky 30%. About two miles from the end it caught up with us as we didn't quite dodge a small fast moving but intense thunder cell. The temperature quickly cooled and the sky turned very dark. We had just enough time to pull out our hats and pack covers and get the electronics under wraps before it hit. The tops of the trees were whipping in the wind and the rain quickly re-soaked our shoes which had finally dried from the day before. We had gusts of wind so strong they instantly blew away the clouds directly over head, like someone had thrown a light switch! We kept moving as this area had many trees weakened from earlier storms. On two occasions we looked back to see large falling limbs and then a whole tree coming down. It was quite exciting! [note to everyone except our two sons and the Base Camp Manager: You may have noticed we have gotten in the habit of using "exciting" as a code word for "dangerous." This is done so as not to upset our children. The falling tree happened so fast we had no time to be scared, but in hindsight it was a very close call...]The storm passed as quickly as it arrived, and we walked on to the next shelter for the night. The pump here has an out of order sign on it, but in an amazing piece of trail magic luck, someone had left a large cooler of ice water at the last road crossing just 4/10 mile from the shelter and lack of water will not be a problem tonight. We set up camp on a nice wooden platform and hope things will be drier in the morning. We saw at least 20 fewer hikers today than yesterday, and only Lucky 10 is here with us tonight.
Date: 2012-07-25
From: Wiley Shelter (NY)

To: CT 341 (West Cornwall, CT)
Miles today: 12.7

Day 106: Walking into Connecticut - three times!We woke to clear skies and temperatures in the 50's. Mornings after storms have cleared out the haze and dropped the humidity always produce great hiking conditions. Our first order of business was finding water, and within a mile of camp just north of the first road was a little stream flowing nicely, but with no trace of mud from yesterday's gully washer. Collecting and treating the water was time consuming, but the cold clear water was worth the effort. We had envisioned a brisk 12 mile walk into Kent CT, and as we made our first of several entries into Connecticut at Hoyt Road, the AT was almost flat. Even the 500' climb to our first vista on top of Ten Mile Hill didn't work up a sweat. Coming back down to the bank of Ten Mile River was a little tougher. After crossing the river at its confluence with the Housatonic, we had our first serious hint that western Connecticut has both hills and rocks. We paralleled the larger river, looking down as its low flowing waters tumbled over its exposed rocks - a treat for both eyes and ears. We walked along Schaghticoke Road before turning back into the woods for a rocky climb to a second NY/ CT sign photo opportunity. We passed four southbounders, who found us at the tail end of the northbound stream not to be the novelty they still were to us. (The tally for other hikers we saw today was four northbounders, four day hikers, one father-son overnight pair, and one very serious runner.) The Indian Rocks descent involved careful foot placement, as did the climbs before and after Thayer Brook. It was a gorgeous day to be out, just much slower going than expected. As a matter of policy we never turn down the offer of a hot tub, so when the mother of X's friend Jen Levy contacted us with an invitation to stay with she and Jim, we were all about it. Because Corinne has been following our trail journal with great regularity and interest, she was well-prepared as the perfect trail angel, waiting with a variety of cold sodas and fresh fruit as we ended our day on the outskirts of Kent, and had us soaking in the hot tub within the hour! Only tomorrow's nasty weather forecast put a damper on a perfect evening.
Date: 2012-07-26
From: CT 341 (West Cornwall, CT)

To: West Cornwall Road (CT)
Miles today: 15.9

Day 107: Some difficult stone steps and a pleasant river walkWe woke up to rain and a really nasty storm forecast for the late afternoon/ early evening. Would have been nice to sleep in, but that wouldn't have gotten us any closer to Maine. So, we did the next best thing and accepted Corinne and Jim's offer to come pick us up after a day of hiking and bring us back for another dip in their hot tub...Our initial three miles had one large climb and several small ones, all in the rain. At Caleb's Peak, the clouds lifted a bit and the rain stopped. We really appreciated that as we got to the St. John Ledges and had to deal with over 400 vertical feet of steep stone steps going down to the Housatonic River. About as tough a short section as we've seen on the trail, given the wet conditions. This extremely hard section was immediately followed by one of the easiest, as for the next four miles the AT was a level roadbed along the river. Our pace picked up, but our walk here had an almost contemplative feel to it. Quite a nice break. We climbed up and over Silver Hill to reach CT 4, where we took a break. While stopped, we were passed first by Gumby (on the way to town to pick up a package), and then by EZ Nomad. Everyone talked about the approaching severe weather and plans to deal with it.Just past CT 4, signs warned of the danger of fording Guinea Brook during ice or high water. We didn't have those conditions today but the slippery rocks still made the crossing treacherous. We found EZ Nomad changing his socks after slipping into the water. The only other thru hikers we saw all day were northbounders Otto and Perch. Perch also fell victim to one of the day's many wet roots, and was last seen getting some first aid for a leg scrape. Nothing major, but it seemed a frequent occurance out on the trail today. As planned, Corinne met us at West Cornwall Road. On the short drive home she stopped so we could take pictures of the West Cornwall covered bridge (one of only two left in CT). And after a hot tub session, she again fed us well! (She told us when we got here Wednesday afternoon her plan was to fatten us up!) The worst of the storms passed south of Cornwall but our thoughts are with hikers in that area tonight...
Date: 2012-07-27
From: West Cornwall Road (CT)

To: West Cornwall Road (CT)
Miles today: 0.0

Day 108: "Sometimes when Staphylococcus aureus bacteria comes to a head, the whole caravan has got to take a few days off..." (the day on which the Troverts are forced to change their AT hike motto from "The dogs bark, but the caravan moves on...")Now this came at us out of left field! After a few days of increasing fatigue and a growing tenderness near N's left shoulder blade, apparently two nights in a hot tub had acted like a hot compress to speed the process, and N woke up this morning to find a three year old issue he had had with a skin abscess had returned with a vengeance. Yep, looking just like the nasty pictures X Googled on her iPhone, there was a large boil on N's back.Thankfully we were still visiting the Levy's on a Friday, rather than stuck in a shelter in the woods on a weekend, and Corinne was able get us in to see their primary care physician, Dr. David Kurish. He was much more interested in our point of origin than the uniqueness of N's condition: "In all my years of practice, you're only my second patient from Mississippi." N pointed out not only that, but he walked 1,477 miles to be able to see him!Dr. Kurish's proposed treatment - lance the boil, use frequent hot compresses to aid the drainage, and wait 48 hours for him to get back a bacteria culture - all sounded easy enough, unless you're on the AT, where water, much less HOT water is not always available. Like it or not, we are going to be in town for the next few days...  [Warning: The following may fall in the "TMI" category.] When Dr. Kurish went to work with his scalpel, he pointed out the smell of infection and noted, with the toughness of the pus, it had been building for a good while. [We warned you that might be in the "too much information" department...] N got immediate relief just knowing what we are dealing with, although it has certainly put a wrinkle in our plans. Our hosts continue to be most gracious, but we feel terrible about the imposition we have become to them. We can't thank them enough for being our medical angels as well as our trail angels. We are extremely fortunate!Speaking of trail angels, on the way home from the doctor, Corinne drove us on a tour of other AT road crossings in the area. Near the town of Falls Village, we saw Gumby just as she crossed the highway. We were able to turn around and offer her a Coke before she disappeared into the forest. And just down the road were 30 Pack and Ragweed. Same thing. Now, what are the odds of that???
Date: 2012-07-29
From: West Cornwall Road (CT)

To: West Cornwall Road (CT)
Miles today: 0.0

Day 110: More hot compresses, more pills, and more frustration at being off the trail for recuperationAlthough for the third straight day there were periods of rain, there were also stretches which would have been nice for hiking, and our forced time off really started to wear on us today. Thanks to the Levy's, we have added a little weight back, have gotten some much needed rest, and are certainly more current on the events of the Olympics than we would be out on the AT. We will be as patient as we can as we wait for the doctor's report on Monday...
Date: 2012-07-30
From: West Cornwall Road (CT)

To: Water Street (Falls Village, CT)
Miles today: 9.2

Day 111: (At least 85% of) A Clean Bill of HealthWe didn't get out of the doctor's office until almost lunchtime today, but the important thing is we emerged with an almost clean bill of health, and his blessing to resume our northward hike. Thanks to X's excellent nursing, the doctor said the abscess on N's back looked 85% better than it did when we were in last Friday. He said to finish the round of Cephalexin he had perscribed, and keep the incision filled with Neosporin and covered with a band aide until it was healed. This was certainly good news, and a major relief for both of us. Although the hiking day was half gone, we decided we could at least cover the distance from West Cornwall to Falls Village in the early afternoon hours. This section of the trail is not too demanding and with the return of sunshine, it was great weather for walking the AT.Highlights for our brief day included looking down on the noisy race cars at Lime Rock Park, and walks both along and over the Housatonic River. Corinne Levy met us at the parking lot near the hydro plant to take us back for another restful night, a great home-cooked meal and to give N's back another session in her hot tub. N's back is much appreciative at being able to ease on into the hiking routine. We met some new NOBO thru-hikers: GOMan, Spring (from Germany), Crocadilly (from the UK) and Papa Wolf in addition to crossing paths with EMT again fresh off several town days. Just that quick, we are under 700 miles to go...
Date: 2012-07-31
From: Water Street (Falls Village, CT)

To: Undermountain Road (Salisbury, CT)
Miles today: 8.3
Weather: broken clouds

Day 112: One last full day in Connecticut's quiet cornerAfter looking at distances beyond, and future possible re-supply points, we decided to go no further today than Salisbury, where we'd restock and get serious about picking up the pace tomorrow with a fully recovered N. When we got into town about lunch time and saw the veritable hiker convention, we guessed we'd done the right thing.The patio of the Country Bistro was packed with a walking clientele, as was LeBonne's Market (as one would expect at an upscale place catering to the AT crowd with specialty items such as powdered peanut butter! Whoever heard of such a thing???). We saw people we haven't seen in weeks - maybe months (Riff Raft and Franklinstein), people we didn't expect to see again - at least certainly not this soon (EMT and Carver), and people we hadn't met before. In this last category was Kleenex from South Dakota. As SD and MS are two states not well known for sending a lot of people to hike the AT, it would be interesting to know what % of those two states' combined 2012 contingent was in Salisbury today...Hiking-wise, this was about as easy a day as you could ask: only one gradual climb up Mt. Prospect after taking in the rather impressive Great Falls of the Housatonic, then a little bit of a steep descent coming into Salisbury. A large stand alone rock in the woods called Giants Thumb, and Rands View (a look to distant hills across an open field) were two spots worth noting today.Before saying goodbye to Connecticut, we must once again thank the Levys, who invited us for a night and wound up having us stay for a week. Their hospitality went way beyond what one might hope for from a best friend, and is unheard of considering we arrived as two complete strangers. It's been fun getting to know Jim and Corinne, and if we are successful in making it the rest of the way to Maine, all kinds of credit will go to them for getting us back on track after our medical hiccup. Thanks so much for everything you did!