morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2010-07-31
From: Unionville, NY

To: Vernon, NJ
Miles today: 11.8

Another short day today, but there were extenuating circumstances. Detour started having some ankle pain yesterday, which persisted this morning. She was hoping she could walk it off, but as we started hiking today, she was barely able to put weight on it. We tried several different things to try to alleviate the pain and walked extremely slow, but after three miles in three hours, it wasn't any better. We met up with Sideways, who waited for us to see if Detour was alright and decided that Detour should go back to the mayor's house for the day, rest, and hopefully hike again tomorrow. Because we'd gone so slow, it was late and Sideways and I decided to hike further to Vernon, NJ but have Butch come pick us up to go back to the house so we can check on Detour and hopefully all hike out together tomorrow. So Detour ended her day there and Butch picked her up and Sideways and I continued hiking. Today was beautiful. The weather was a bit cooler and we walked through a wildlife preserve and over some swampy areas on a really long boardwalk, which was gorgeous. I have been extremely surprised by how beautiful New Jersey has been. We met up with Yum Yum and Herro and explained what the plan was with Detour but they decided to continue hiking. We made it to the road and Butch picked us up. On the ride back I had a moment where I felt very touched by the experience I've had at the mayor's house. The mayor and Butch are so generous and helpful to hikers and it occurred to me that they have opened their home and spend significant amounts of time helping us because they believe in what we're doing out here. I felt almost undeserving of their generosity, but on another hand it made me even more proud of what I'm doing and more determined to finish the trail.When we got back we spent a lot of time talking to Detour about her ankle issue, which appears to be related to her tendon, and options of what to do. She definitely needs to take time off to rest it but we all want her to be able to try to continue hiking when/if the pain decreases enough to keep going. There are a couple of options on the table and we're going to sleep on it and make a decision in the morning. Either way, however, Sideways and I will hike out tomorrow and hopefully put in some good miles and catch Yum Yum and Herro.
Date: 2010-08-01
From: Vernon, NJ

To: Wildcat shelter
Miles today: 17.1
Weather: broken clouds

Another state down! We are officially in New York! We got on the trail this morning, sadly without Detour, who decided to stay at the mayor's house until her ankle heals, as it appears to be tendon related. We immediately climbed Wawayanda Mountain, which proved to be a boulder scramble. Shortly after the first shelter we ran into Wingin It, who is back on the trail and soon after crossing into NY, we met back up with Yum Yum and Herro, so the slackpack team is back in full force, though we no longer have the luxury of a car and day packs. Thus far, New York has been a series of boulder climbs with more ups and downs than we experienced in New Jersey. With only two miles left for the day, we hiked a little off the trail to the Bellvale Farms Creamery for ice cream, then hiked on to the shelter to tent. It felt good to put in good miles today after a few short days.
Date: 2010-08-02
From: Wildcat shelter

To: Arden Valley Rd
Miles today: 10.0
Weather: broken clouds

My trail dreams came true today. We planned on a 15 mile day to end up at Lake Tiorati but our plans changed when an amazing couple offered to take us to their lake house for the night. Today was hot and we hiked a series of boulder scrambles and we were all pretty beat after 10 miles. Pretty much all of the water sources were dried up, including Fitzgerald Falls, which we assumed couldn't possibly be dry, so finding water was an issue. We decided to go into Southfields, NY to get something to drink and some food but no one would pick us up. After a ridiculously expensive cab ride and the diappointing news that the one deli in town was closed, we ended up at a gas station with food and beer but no way to get back to the trail. We finally decided to just walk back when a man approached us and offered to take us back to the trail. We told him we were going to try to get to the lake and he said it was too late to hike that far and offered to let us shower at his house and camp in their back yard. The experience ended up being what my trail angel dreams are made of. He and his girlfriend live on Lake Mombasha on gorgeous property. She's an artist and he's a bee keeper. When we got to the house they told us it was his birthday. Several neighbors came over to help him celebrate and we spent the night hanging out by the lake with some of the neighborhood kids, drinking beer and enjoying this beautiful place. The couple, Brannin and Donna, are some of the most amazing people I've met on the trail and it was a true honor and pleasure to meet them and stay at their home- I couldn't have imagined anything better. They brought us food and homemade banana bread with ice cream and we sat overlooking the lake under the stars. It has truly been one of the most wonderful, memorable experiences on the trail.
Date: 2010-08-03
From: Lake Tiorati

To: Bear Mountain
Miles today: 12.0
Weather: overcast clouds

This morning I woke up with the sun and watched what was left of the sunrise sitting by the lake. Brannin and Donna brought us coffee and talked with us for a while- they are two of the most incredible people I've met on the trail. Donna and Salty brought us back to the trail and we set off to hike to Bear Mountain where we were going to be picked up by Herro's dad and brought back to Herro's uncle's house to spend the night. The hike wasn't too bad and bear mountain was an easier climb than I expected. Herro's dad was at the bottom of the mountain and we headed to T's (Herro's uncle) house. His entire family was so nice to us and made us an amazing dinner. T let us take over his house and we sat outside eating and drinking with everyone. It was a great day, though I did get some bad news. I heard from Detour and her leg isn't getting well enough to keep hiking and she'll be leaving the trail for good. I'm very sad she wasn't able to stay on the trail longer and I feel awful that she wasn't able to get a fair shot out here, but she has some plans for what to do next and we brainstormed an adventure we can share after I'm finished with the trail. I'll miss her a lot.
Date: 2010-08-04
From: Bear Mountain

To: Bear Mountain
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: mist

We got sucked into town again...shocked? Me neither. What do you expect when you have a house to stay in with a great family, great food and it's hot as all get out outside? I don't feel too bad about it- it was a relaxing day and Herro got to spend some more time with his family. We were only going to hike a few miles anyway...
Date: 2010-08-05
From: Bear Mountain

To: Denning Hill
Miles today: 9.0

I love zero days but I absolutely hate the first day back on the trail after a zero day. We got back to Bear Mtn and started hiking around 10 am. The trail goes right through a zoo there, which I found to be quite sad. There were a few mangy coyotes, a possum and a bear that was eating a piece of wood while around 20 vultures stood around watching him. The climb out of town felt awful. Of course I didn't drink any water while I was in town so dehydration combined with the day off and insane humidity made me feel a little like I was dying. The climb really wasn't that high but it felt huge and I was instantly soaked with sweat. I felt like I was going really slow but I finally picked up the pace a bit after the second climb so I could meet Detour at the Graymoor Friary to spend some time with her and say goodbye. Butch from the mayor's house is the coolest- he brought Detour over to the friary and hung out for three hours or so before taking her to the bus station. It was great to get to spend time with her before she left and she of course brought great trail magic for all of us. After we said goodbye, we hiked just a couple more miles and stealth camped. We made a fire for the first time in several hundred miles which was nice. It is hot as sin in my tent tonight- I sincerely hope this heat breaks tomorrow as rumored.
Date: 2010-08-06
From: Denning Hill

To: RPH shelter
Miles today: 17.0
Weather: few clouds

I had a fantastic day today. The heat did break some and the day was gorgeous- blue skies, a nice breeze and mild terrain. I hiked by myself all day today which I haven't done for awhile and I really enjoyed myself. I listened to music, took my time and soaked in this last stretch of NY. I made it to the shelter around 6 and when everyone else got here we ordered pizza, which was a nice end to a great day. To top it off, someone left beer trail magic at the shelter which was the perfect accompaniment to the pizza. It's cold tonight so I hope I can stay warm. I'm picking my sleeping bag up in Kent, CT in a couple of days- I just have to make it until then.
Date: 2010-08-07
From: RPH shelter

To: Telephone Pioneers shelter
Miles today: 17.0
Weather: clear sky

Low Rider is back! He's only able to come out for a week, but I'll take what I can get. It was another beautiful day today- cooler weather and clear skies. Five miles in we stopped off at a store and had some coffee then continued hiking to the place we were meeting Low Rider. It was great to see him again and his mother and her boyfriend brought us cookies, drinks and fruit, which was amazing. We hiked on to Nuclear Lake and spent some time there, though given the name I was too afraid to swim. We're tenting at the shelter tonight but the campsites are pretty terrible and it is only a matter of time before I wind up at the bottom of my tent. There's no water here because the source is, of course, dry so we're all rationing until we can get some from a spigot at someone's house in the morning. I'm happy to be in the North but I miss the plentiful water sources in the South.
Date: 2010-08-08
From: Telephone Pioneers shelter

To: Ten Mile River
Miles today: 13.0
Weather: light rain

It is officially hot again. We had plans for a longer day but, again, a late start and the hot weather slowed us down a bit. In better news, we are out of NY and are now in CT! CT is short so in a few days we'll be finished with this state as well and will only have four states left. Even though I still have a bit over 700 miles to go, it's starting to feel like the end is closing in. I'm hoping to be finished by the end of September which is getting closer and closer. I'm trying not to think too much about it yet but it's been on my mind nonetheless. We found an incredible campsite tonight so to be honest, even if we'd made it here earlier in the day, we probably still would've stayed here. We're right by the river and the campsites are a dream- flat and soft. After a terrible site last night, this is way too good to pass up. Places like this are what you hike the trail for. We all got in the river after setting up camp and tried to cool off and clean up a bit. Even though we haven't been out on the trail that long since our zero day, the heat guarantees that you are instantly disgusting, smelly and uncomfortable. I feel a little better after a quick river wash up, but I hope to get a shower in the next few days. We're headed to Kent, CT tomorrow where according to my dad, I'm going to get a key to the city.
Date: 2010-08-09
From: Ten Mile River

To: Kent, CT
Miles today: 9.0

Another short day, but an interesting one for sure. The heat was unbearable today. I set out first around 9 am with hopes of getting to town around 1 pm, eating lunch, resupplying and getting back on the trail to make some more miles. I had a 1,000 ft climb first thing which wouldn't have been a terrible climb except the heat and humidity instantly drenched me and there was a constant swarm of gnats buzzing around my face. I try to be patient with what the trail hands me, but trying to climb a mountain in 90 degree heat with gnats dive bombing my face drives me to the brink of insanity. There was a moment where the thought crossed my mind to just sit down in the middle of the trail and pout but I plodded on. Quite a few gnats were cussed out as a result, however. The terrain is getting a bit tougher and we're starting to climb a bit more. While it's harder, it's good preparation for the terrain we have coming up and the trail seems to be easing us back into the routine of constant mountain climbing. I did get into town at 1 as planned, but no one else showed up for nearly two hours so I sat around the outfitter with Wingin It, who I ran into shortly after arriving. When Low Rider and Sideways got there we decided to stop hiking for the day as the heat and Low Rider weren't mixing too well. We ate lunch, took care of chores and tried to figure out where to stay for the night. Yum Yum and Herro decided to stay in a bed and breakfast and long story short, with help from a fellow hiker, Half Time, we got permission to camp on the lawn of the local church. Sideways and I decided to do laundry since we were going to stay in town so even though I'm still filthy, at least my clothes aren't as disgusting. While we waited for our laundry to finish, we all headed over to a nearby bar for a few beers. It was a strange night but I had a good time. It was a bit creepy to walk through the dark, empty church to wash up but I'm grateful to have a place to camp tonight... and a toilet.
Date: 2010-08-10
From: Kent, CT

To: Housatonic Meadows State Park
Miles today: 15.0

It of course rained last night and into the morning, so everything is damp and muggy. I hate trying to break down camp in the rain, but sometimes it's just the way things go. We ended up staying in town until 11 as we ate breakfast and finished up chores. I found the pair of boots I was looking for in a shoe store for a good price so I went ahead and got them. I really liked my trail runners but PA stole all of the tread off of the soles so I've been slipping a lot, which is an injury waiting to happen. Considering the terrain is only going to get more ruggid, I decided to go back to boots. I loved my Keens so I went back to those, though I opted for the Keen Voyagers. I discovered my feet have grown a little as I had to go up a half size. We did some creative hiking today. We were on the AT for most of the day, but the couple sections where you could either continue walking next to the river or stay on the AT, we opted to stay by the river. It was much prettier and cooler. We took a long break at a gas station to get out of the heat during the hottest part of the day then decided to camp at the state park so we could grab showers. It wasn't a luxury shower- no towel, real soap or hot water, but I'm clean finally; at least for a little while. We're camped by the river again, which is always nice, though it looks like I may be packing up a wet tent again in the morning based on the rumbling in the distance.
Date: 2010-08-11
From: Housatonic Meadows State Park

To: Falls Village
Miles today: 12.0

Today was one of my favorite days on the AT, though (purists cover your ears) we didn't step foot on the actual AT all day. We put in the miles from point A to point B, but we did things a bit differently. We started by fording the river beside the campsite, which was great fun and something I was hoping to do on this trip. Across the river were railroad tracks, which we walked several miles on. We only had to dodge one train, which was also a lot of fun. We walked to West Cornwall on the tracks then had breakfast at a great place called the Wandering Moose- best coffee on the trail. We noticed in the handbook that the town had an outfitter where you could rent kayaks so we decided to kayak the river up to the next town- Falls Village. I'd never kayaked before and it was a great experience. The river was calm; no rapids, but it was nice to use my body in a different way and make miles without just hiking. After we were finished with our trip, Low Rider's girlfriend came and picked us up to take us (me, Wingin It and Sideways- Herro & Yum Yum are on the trail) to his house where we'll stay for the night, then tomorrow we'll bring his car back so he can slackpack us for a few days. No, I'm not a purist, but I am having a great time.
Date: 2010-08-12
From: Falls Village

To: 41
Miles today: 19.0

Yesterday we experienced fun adventures. Today held some adventures of a different sort that weren't so fun. We had a two hour drive back from Low Rider's house so we didn't start hiking until 2 pm. We were slackpacking though, so we hiked fast and made it to Salisbury in good time. Low Rider took Sideways into town to pick up a package and on the way back, they spotted Yum Yum and Herro, picked them up, and offered to slackpack them as well. The plan was for all of us to hike to Sages Ravine Brook campsite, where Low Rider would meet us and we'd all grab our full packs and camp together. We set out to climb Bear Mountain and Sideways and I pulled ahead. We made it to the campsite but didn't see Low Rider. We waited for an hour but no one showed up and it was getting dark. We walked back up the trail nearly a mile and still didn't see anyone. We were worried by now that somene was hurt or something had happened and the plan had changed, but I couldn't get a hold of anyone. It started to rain and was completely dark by this point and we had to get out of the woods. We had no gear to camp and no other option but to try to get to a road to try to find somewhere to go out of the dark and rain. Luckily Sideways had his map and we found two side trails that would take us to 41. We didn't know what we'd do when we got to the road, but we had to chance it. Halfway through the hike Yum Yum finally called and said Low Rider hadn't been able to park where he thought he would be able to and came up the mountain to tell everyone but we'd already passed. They got their gear and went to the campsite and Low Rider and Wingin It were waiting at a parking lot for us, but Low Rider didn't have phone service. We'd gone too far to turn back so we had to just keep going. Once we got to the road I found the number for a trail angel, Maria McCabe, that lets hikers stay at her house. Luckily, though it was 10:15, she answered the phone and came to pick us up. She ended up being an amazing lady. She's 81 years old and absolutely hilarious. She made us hot tea, gave us dry clothes and fed us cheese and crackers. It was an exhausting and frightening experience but the day ended as well as possible given the circumstances.
Date: 2010-08-13
From: 41

To: Homes Road
Miles today: 16.0

We finally heard from Low Rider this morning and heard the whole story of yesterday's debacle. He came and picked us up at Maria's house and we headed back to the trail. The weather was nice and the hiking wasn't bad, but by the time we met up with Low Rider we were all exhausted. Yesterday's events took a lot of energy away from all of us and we decided to take advantage of Low Rider having a vehicle and find a hotel. We drove to some random town back in CT (we're in Massachusetts now!) and found a cheap hotel. We got some beer and some pizza and all hung out outside the room talking until after dark. I've been spoiled here recently with all of these showers and beds but I figure this is our last hurrah before it's crunch time and we just have to hike and stay in the woods until the trail is over. It was a great night and I'm glad we got some down time to hang out with Low Rider.
Date: 2010-08-14
From: Homes Road

To: Upper Goose Pond
Miles today: 25.0
Weather: broken clouds

Despite somewhat of a late start, Sideways and I hiked one of our longest days. Wingin It started a little ways up the trail to cut a few miles but Sideways and I put in a very full day. Though we were slackpacking, 25 miles is always tough. It was a perfect day though- the weather was unbelievably nice and the trail was pretty. Benedict Pond was beautiful and I wish I could've spent some time there, but we were on a mission. We met up with Low Rider and Wingin It at a parking lot about three miles away from Upper Goose Pond cabin and grabbed our full packs. We all hiked the last section together and dark fell soon after we left. I have grown to hate night hiking. I can't see well enough, especially right now because my headlamp needs a battery change, and I feel like I'm just fumbling around. We finally made it to the pond and decided to set up camp by the water instead of hiking the 0.5 miles to the cabin. After such a long day, we were ready to stop and just go to bed. Tonight is Low Rider's last night on the trail and I wish we'd had a little more time to hang out with him before he leaves tomorrow, but at least we have a beautiful spot.
Date: 2010-08-15
From: Upper Goose Pond

To: Kay Wood lean-to
Miles today: 18.0

Today was extremely difficult for me- I felt terrible. We didn't cook dinner last night when we got to camp; we just ate tortillas and peanut butter because we were so tired and I think the lack of food combined with such a long day yesterday just sapped all of my energy. It was hard for me to hike today and I was in a pretty foul mood for most of the day. Sideways offered to go into a town with me and cut the day short, but it didn't really make sense to since we're planning on going into Cheshire tomorrow and I need to save money, so I kept going. We made it to the "Cookie Lady's" house, which is a blueberry farm right off of the trail where the owner lets hikers get water, camp and makes them cookies. The three of us bought sodas, ate some cookies and picked some blueberries to bring to camp. I felt better after such a nice break and set out first to finish the last six miles. I was enjoying my hike, listening to some music when it started raining about a mile before the shelter. I hiked as fast as I could but was soaked anyway by the time I made it there. I got into some dry clothes and once Sideways and Wingin It got there we made dinner. I'm sleeping in the shelter tonight because it's pouring and I don't want to deal with wet gear tomorrow. Tomorrow we'll have a short day into Cheshire and stay somewhere in town for the night.
Date: 2010-08-16
From: Kay Wood lean-to

To: Cheshire, MA
Miles today: 12.3

It was nice to have a shorter day today. We hiked an easy three miles into Dalton, grabbed some coffee and a sandwich to bring on the trail and headed back out. We had one decent climb and then a long, steep descent into Cheshire. Right as I was getting ready to come down the mountain a huge storm came in. It downpoured on me- probably the hardest rain I've been in on the trail to date. Once I made it to town I waited for Sideways and Wingin It at the post office and once they got there we decided to check out the Mason Mill hostel to stay for the night. The hostel was absolutely amazing. It was a renovated barn on a huge plot of land with apple trees, a waterfall, horses, etc. It was extremely peaceful and once we took a look around we decided to stay. The hostel is so clean and nice- I highly recommend it. I took one of the best showers ever in an old school clawfoot tub and changed into dry clothes. We spent the rest of the afternoon enjoying the hostel then ordered great Chinese food for dinner. It was a fantastic evening in a beautiful spot- I'm so glad we stopped here. Tomorrow we climb Mt. Greylock, which will be the biggest climb we've had in a really long time. The terrain is getting tougher as we head farther north, but we need some climbs under our belts to get our legs back in shape for the White Mountains which are quickly approaching.