morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2011-08-29
From: Williamstown, Massachusetts

To: Mark Noepel Lean-to
Miles today: 14.1

8/29/2011Time: 7:27 p.m. DISTANCE TRAVELED:  9.6 + 4.5 = 14.1 Miles. FROM/TO:  I walked from the Cozy Corner Motel, through town, to the grocery store to buy food. From there I walked back to the trail and away I went. I walked on the A.T. to the Mark Noepel Lean-to. WEATHER:  It was cool and sunny today. MEALS:  I had two Danish and apple juice for breakfast before leaving the motel. After shopping, I had some sweet tea and a Pepsi. I drank sweet tea as I walked today, and when I got to camp, I ate peanut butter on a few wraps. I also made some Broccoli and Cheese macaroni and drank more sweet tea. ROAD/TRAIL CONDITIONS:  The Trail was fairly steep and more rocky than it¢s been for a while. SHELTER USED/SLEEPING QUARTERS:  I¢m sleeping in the Mark Noepel Lean-to tonight. PEOPLE MET, HIKED WITH OR SEEN:  I hiked by myself today. Then, at the shelter, the couple that had checked into the motel yesterday caught up with me - Two Packs & Twany (sp?) ANIMALS SEEN:  I¢ve seen no animals to speak of today. MONEY SPENT OR SAVED:  I spent $108 on ten days worth of food. MAIN CONCERN OF THE DAY:  Today I was concerned with the condition of the Trail and what I would find after all the rain and flooding. It wasn¢t too bad. SPECIAL NOTES:  Massachusetts is not nearly as muddy as Vermont. SUMMARY FOR THE DAY:  I got up, packed my bag, cleaned my room, and ate breakfast. I walked to the store, shopped, broke everything down into days of food and re-packed my bag. I walked to the A.T., took some pictures, made it to camp and ate. Now it¢s off to bed with me. TTFN.
Date: 2011-08-30
From: Mark Noepel Lean-to

To: Kay Wood Lean-to
Miles today: 16.9

8/30/2011Time: 6:30 p.m. DISTANCE TRAVELED:  16.9 Miles. FROM/TO:  I hiked from the Mark Noepel Lean-to to the Kay Wood Lean-to. WEATHER:  It was hot and sunny all day. MEALS:  I had oatmeal for breakfast along with tea to drink. I had a Power Bar for my first snack, with water, and I had a Snickers bar and water to drink for my second snack. For my third snack , I had a Balance Bar with water. I had a hot dog, french fries, and a coke, for lunch in Dalton, Mass. Later I had another snack of peanut butter on tortilla wraps, and I drank water with a drink mix in it. For dinner, I had a Lipton Side - Alfredo Noodles - and water with Ocean Spray drink mix in it. ROAD/TRAIL CONDITIONS:  Today is day two after Hurricane Irene went through this area and I did have to climb over a few trees that laid across the path. The small branches tangle up your feet and are the ones to watch out for. Still more rocky than my ankles like. SHELTER USED/SLEEPING QUARTERS:  I¢m sleeping in the Kay Wood Shelter tonight. PEOPLE MET, HIKED WITH OR SEEN:  I hiked alone. I did meet some kids who I assume were planning to have some personal time together, but I was here first. LOL  ANIMALS SEEN:  Same old same in the animal department, although the bugs are getting bad again. MONEY SPENT OR SAVED:  I spent $10 on lunch. MAIN CONCERN OF THE DAY:  I was concerned about making my mileage today. SPECIAL NOTES:  Nope! Not one special note today! Not 1! SUMMARY FOR THE DAY:  I got up and walked. I walked through two towns. I made it to the shelter in good time. I¢m having a hard time getting back into the high-mileage-groove. I hope it gets better. It looks like I¢m camping alone tonight. Off to read a while before turning in. Night all!! TTFN.
Date: 2011-08-31
From: Kay Wood Lean-to

To: Upper Goose Pond Cabin
Miles today: 18.1
Weather: clear sky

8/31/2011Time: 6:12 p.m. DISTANCE TRAVELED:  17.6 + .5 = 18.1 Miles. FROM/TO:  I hiked from the Kay Wood Lean-to to the Upper Goose Pond Cabin. The cabin is a 12 mile from the Trail. WEATHER:  It was very humid in the morning, and continued to be warm and sunny the rest of the day. MEALS:  I ate oatmeal for breakfast, and mixed Ocean Spay drink mix in my water. I drank Kool-Aid and ate a Power Bar for my first snack; and I drank more Kool-Aid (added the drink mix to my water) and ate a Granola Bar and a Power Bar for lunch. Later I snacked on a Snickers bar and drank water. For dinner, I added two tablespoons of peanut butter and some hot sauce to three packages of Ramen, and spread it on tortilla wraps. I drank water with Ocean Spray drink mix stirred into it. ROAD/TRAIL CONDITIONS:  The trail was flatter, but more rocky and rooty today than it has been in a while. SHELTER USED/SLEEPING QUARTERS:  I¢m sleeping in the Upper Goose Pond Cabin tonight. PEOPLE MET, HIKED WITH OR SEEN:  I hiked alone today. The Trail was more active today. People are getting back out and hiking after the recent storms. There are 8 people at the cabin tonight. ANIMALS SEEN:  I didn¢t see any animals worth mentioning. MONEY SPENT OR SAVED:  I¢ve spent no money today. MAIN CONCERN OF THE DAY:  All that I thought about today was getting to my goal in good time. SPECIAL NOTES:  I¢ve come too far on the Trail to quit now! SUMMARY FOR THE DAY:  I was up early in anticipation of a long, busy day. I had it in my mind that it would be a 20-mile day, but it ended up being only a 17.6-mile day. If you add the half mile off the Trail that I had to walk to get to the cabin, it was a little farther. Anyway, I walked. I came to the first lean-to, where I had lunch, at 11:00 a.m.; and I arrived at the cabin around 3:00 p.m. I rocked in a rocking chair until the caretaker got back. Then I had dinner, cleaned up, and wrote my log. Now it¢s off to read, and then off to bed. ¢Night to all.
Date: 2011-09-01
From: Upper Goose Pond Cabin

To: Tom Leonard Lean-to (Massachusetts)
Miles today: 21.1

9/1/2011Time: 7:06 p.m. DISTANCE TRAVELED: 21.1 Miles FROM/TO:  I hiked from the Upper Goose Pond Cabin to the Tom Leonard Lean-to. WEATHER:  It was hot and humid for most of the day, and became more and more overcast as the day went on. MEALS:  For breakfast, I had blueberry pancakes and drank water with drink mix in it. Then I had a Luna Bar for my first break, a Clif Bar on my second and third breaks, and a Snickers Bar for my fourth snack of the day. I also snacked on three wraps spread with peanut butter when I hit camp and I cooked Alfredo Noodles for my dinner. I drank 3 gallons of water today - sometimes the water was plain, and sometimes I flavored it with a drink mix. ROAD/TRAIL CONDITIONS:  The trail was hard today, with lots of altitude changes. The rocks, roots and mud didn¢t help either. For the most part, the trail is the trail. SHELTER USED/SLEEPING QUARTERS:  I¢m sleeping in the Tom Leonard shelter tonight. PEOPLE MET, HIKED WITH OR SEEN:  I hiked with Phoenix some in the morning, then I hiked alone the rest of the day. The shelter was full with a college group, but they made room for me and two other hikers. ANIMALS SEEN:  Massachusetts has the most chipmunks I have ever seen. MONEY SPENT OR SAVED:  I¢ve spent no money today. MAIN CONCERN OF THE DAY:  As I walked, I kept thinking about whether or not I should push for 21 miles. In the end, I liked the idea of getting to New York sooner, so I walked the 21 miles. SPECIAL NOTES:  I discovered that a few people I was trying to catch up with are behind me! SUMMARY FOR THE DAY: I awoke at 6:00 a.m., but didn¢t get up out of bed until 7:00 a.m. and I started hiking at 8:30 a.m. I made it to my target shelter at 2:45 p.m., so I continued on and arrived at this shelter for the night at 4:50 p.m. I made camp, cooked my dinner, and wrote my log. Now, I¢m off to read for a while. ¢Night to all.  Mr. Z.
Date: 2011-09-02
From: Tom Leonard Lean-to (Massachusetts)

To: Riga Lean-to (Connecticut)
Miles today: 24.4

9/2/2011Time: 8:03 p.m. DISTANCE TRAVELED:  24.4 Miles FROM/TO:  I hiked from the Tom Leonard Lean-to to the Riga Lean-to in Connecticut. WEATHER:  It was hot and sunny all day. MEALS:  I had oatmeal for breakfast, and I drank water with drink mix in it. I snacked on a Power Bar during my first break, and a Luna Bar with water on my second break. For my third and fourth breaks, I snacked on a Power Bar and a Snickers Bar, and drank water. For dinner, I had Ramen noodles with some hot sauce added, and I drank flavored water. ROAD/TRAIL CONDITIONS:  The Trail was challenging today - put me in mind of Maine. SHELTER USED/SLEEPING QUARTERS:  I¢m sleeping in the Riga Lean-to tonight. PEOPLE MET, HIKED WITH OR SEEN:  I hiked by myself all day today. ANIMALS SEEN:  I saw a porcupine today, some frogs and some lizards. MONEY SPENT OR SAVED:  No money spent today. MAIN CONCERN OF THE DAY:  I had my mind set on making a new state today, and I did. SPECIAL NOTES:  I think I¢ll be in New York in three more days, and in Virginia within a month. SUMMARY FOR THE DAY:  [No summary included on this log - must¢ve been too tired.]
Date: 2011-09-03
From: Riga Lean-to (Connecticut)

To: Pine Swamp Lean-to (Connecticut)
Miles today: 19.8

9/3/2011Time: 7:35 p.m. DISTANCE TRAVELED:  19.8 Miles FROM/TO:  I hiked from the Riga Lean-to to the Pine Swamp Brook Lean-to. WEATHER:  It was hot and humid today. MEALS:  I had four packages of oatmeal for breakfast, along with water to drink. I took four snack-breaks throughout the day, and I drank three liters of water with dink mix stirred in. I fixed three Lipton Sides for dinner tonight, and I drank another liter of water. ROAD/TRAIL CONDITIONS:  The trail was pretty fast today. I left this morning at 8:00 and got into camp here at 4:30. A good day. SHELTER USED/SLEEPING QUARTERS:  I¢m sleeping in the Pine Swamp Brook shelter. PEOPLE MET, HIKED WITH OR SEEN:  I hiked alone all day but met up with Phoenix at the shelter at the end of the day. ANIMALS SEEN:  Today I saw bugs, of course, along with frogs, geckos and deer. MONEY SPENT OR SAVED:  I¢ve spent no money today. MAIN CONCERN OF THE DAY:  I worked on pushing myself on my time. I want to make my pace faster. SPECIAL NOTES:  I am excited to be keeping a 20-mile a day pace. SUMMARY FOR THE DAY:  [Again no Summary included with today¢s log.]
Date: 2011-09-04
From: Pine Swamp Lean-to (Connecticut)

To: Mt. Algo Lean-to (Connecticut)
Miles today: 19.3

9/4/2011Time: 7:25 p.m. DISTANCE TRAVELED:  17.3+2=19.3 Miles FROM/TO:  I hiked from the Pine Swamp Brook Lean-to to the Mt. Algo Lean-to, still in Connecticut. WEATHER:  It was a hot, hot and muggy, muggy day! MEALS:   I had oatmeal and a Luna Bar for breakfast, along with flavored water to drink. I took six breaks, but only snacked during four of them - it was too hot and humid. I drank four liters of water before I hit town (Kent, CT.) And once there, I drank a pint of strawberry milk, a 20-oz. Sprite, and a 20-oz. Pepsi. Then I had a Coke with my quart of Chicken & Broccoli with Rice. ROAD/TRAIL CONDITIONS:  It was a beautiful day for hiking the Trail, until I hit St. Johns Ledges. Southbound sucks on the ascent of St. Johns Ledges!  SHELTER USED/SLEEPING QUARTERS:  I¢m sleeping in the Mt. Algo Lean-to tonight. PEOPLE MET, HIKED WITH OR SEEN:  I hiked alone all day, but met Phoenix in town where we also met Red-Eyes. ANIMALS SEEN:  Saw frogs and geckos today along with the ever-present BUGS!  MONEY SPENT OR SAVED:  I spent about $100 today between food re-supply and what I ate (and drank) at the restaurant. MAIN CONCERN OF THE DAY:  Pizza for dinner! SPECIAL NOTES: At this point, I¢m not planning on staying in Virginia. SUMMARY FOR THE DAY:  I was up and on the trail by 7:30 this morning. I hiked 17 miles and then went into Kent. I was in town by 2:30 this afternoon, and hung out for a few hours. When I went shopping for the next 5 days worth of food, I met up with Phoenix, so we went out to eat before heading back out to the Trail. Now I plan to read a while and then I¢m off to bed.
Date: 2011-09-05
From: Mt. Algo Lean-to (Connecticut)

To: Telephone Pioneers Shelter in New York
Miles today: 21.1
Weather: broken clouds

9/5/2011Time: 7:04 p.m. DISTANCE TRAVELED:  21.1 Miles FROM/TO:  I hiked from the Mt. Algo Lean-to in Connecticut to the Telephone Pioneers Shelter in New York. WEATHER:  At first it was hot and humid, then in the afternoon it rained. We had two downpours. MEALS:  I ate two bagels for breakfast, and drank water with them. I took four breaks, so had four snacks . . a Snickers, two Energy Power Bars, and a Luna Bar. With each of my snacks, I drank water flavored with drink mix. When I got to the shelter, I snacked on two bagels and some peanut butter spread on tortillas, along with water to drink. For dinner, I mixed two Lipton Sides . . Teriyaki Rice and Mushroom Rice. I added some hot sauce, and rolled the mixture in soft tortillas. I drank plain old water with dinner.  ROAD/TRAIL CONDITIONS:  The Trail was up and down all day, but it was nice moving. SHELTER USED/SLEEPING QUARTERS:  I¢m sleeping in the Telephone Pioneers Shelter tonight. PEOPLE MET, HIKED WITH OR SEEN:  I hiked alone, but met several day hikers along the way who had lots of questions about the Trail and my trip. At the shelter I met up with Phoenix and two section hikers, Mike and Nick. ANIMALS SEEN:  Today I saw deer, frogs, bugs (of course,) birds, geckos, and . . . people. LOL MONEY SPENT OR SAVED:  I spent no money today. I would have, but the pizza place that delivers to the A.T. would only accept cash. :-( MAIN CONCERN OF THE DAY:  I had pizza on my mind all day long. The shelter is close to the road and the local pizza place would bring an order to the road at the A.T. crossing, but I just didn¢t have any cash, so I had to make ¢trail food.¢  SPECIAL NOTES:  The miles seem longer when you aren¢t well-rested. SUMMARY FOR THE DAY:  Let me just start by pointing out that it was so hot and humid last night that it was hard to sleep, let alone in a sleeping bag. Added to that, Red Eyes did not sleep at all and was up all night. The bugs were bad, too. It was just an awful night. I finally fell asleep some time around 4:00 a.m., and I was up at 6:00 a.m. I started hiking at 7:30. The miles seemed long and slow, and I was grumpy. It rained on me twice today, too. The only thing that kept me going was the thought of a hot meal tonight. Then I discovered that no cash = no pizza! Sucked! I exchanged my wet clothes for dry clothes, and made my dinner. I¢ve now written my log, so I¢m off to read and then to bed. ¢Night, my friends.
Date: 2011-09-06
From: Telephone Pioneers Shelter in New York

To: Clarence Fahnestock State Park in New York
Miles today: 23.6

9/6/2011Time: 8:07 p.m. DISTANCE TRAVELED:  23.6 Miles FROM/TO:  I hiked from the Telephone Pioneers Shelter to the Clarence Fahnestock State Park. WEATHER: Today was wet! It rained all day. MEALS:  I started my day with bagels, oatmeal and water. On my first break, I snacked on an Energy Bar and a Power bar, with flavored water to drink. On my second break, I had a Snickers and another Energy Bar, and I had water with that snack as well. I stopped by a store and picked up some mac & cheese with meat in it, some Chicken Cordon Bleu, 2 liters of Pepsi, and 20 oz. of Ginger Ale. For dinner we have pizza and beer on the way.   ROAD/TRAIL CONDITIONS:  Today the trail was wet. Everything was wet because it rained all day long. The trail was like a little brook - rocky and slippery, over rolling hills. SHELTER USED/SLEEPING QUARTERS:  We could find no shelter or motel, so I¢m sleeping in my tent tonight inside a picnic pavilion. PEOPLE MET, HIKED WITH OR SEEN:  I hiked some with Phoenix, and some by myself. I also met a section hiker named Mike. ANIMALS SEEN:  I¢ve seen bugs, geckos, toads, three deer, and people. MONEY SPENT OR SAVED:  Between the deli, the pizza and the beer, I¢ve spent $65. MAIN CONCERN OF THE DAY:  Today all I could think about was taking a hot shower, but the shower building was closed by the time I got there. :-( SPECIAL NOTES:  It sucks to hike when you are soaked to the bone, and everything you own is wet. Everything is heavier when it¢s wet, too.  SUMMARY FOR THE DAY:  It rained all night, and it was still raining when I got up this morning. I started hiking in wet clothes, so it took about an hour to warm up. It rained on and off all day, but the miles came pretty easy so I got off the Trail to eat lunch at a deli. That put me a little more than an hour behind where I wanted to be. When I got to the campground around 6:00, it was a ghost town. I walked down to a picnic pavilion where I met up with Phoenix, and we set up my tent after spending some time, with the help of my mom and sister, trying to find a motel. Even if we had found one, we would have to get there, and a cab would cost us $65. We did, however, find a place that would deliver pizza and beer out to the campground, so we settled for a hot dinner and a tent. It¢s off to bed for me, my friends. TTFN.
Date: 2011-09-07
From: Clarence Fahnestock State Park in New York

To: Bear Mountain Recreation Area in New York
Miles today: 18.7
Weather: light rain

9/7/2011Time: 8:18 p.m. DISTANCE TRAVELED:  18.7 Miles. FROM/TO:  I hiked from Clarence Fahnestock State Park to the Bear Mountain Recreation Area. WEATHER:  Today was another wet one - rained off and on all day.  MEALS:  I had two slices of cold pizza for breakfast with some Coke to drink; and I snacked on a peanut butter and banana bagel, with some Coke to drink, on my first break. I had three more snacks of Power Bars throughout the day, with water to drink. At a store by the Trail, I got a Pepsi and a turkey wrap; and for dinner, I munched on a Power Bar while I made Ramen noodles, and I drank a liter of water with drink mix stirred into it along with my noodles.  ROAD/TRAIL CONDITIONS:  Today the trail was wet and rocky. It has rained so much that the A.T. is like a small stream in places. It¢s impossible not to get your feet wet, and some streams are too deep to rock-hop, so you have to ford them. SHELTER USED/SLEEPING QUARTERS:  We are ¢camping¢ in my tent on the back porch of a Lodge that¢s closed for the season. We're overlooking a beautiful lake, though. PEOPLE MET, HIKED WITH OR SEEN:  I hiked with Phoenix part of the day, and by myself some. I met no one else. ANIMALS SEEN:  I¢ve seen deer, bugs, a falcon, a buzzard, and more bugs. MONEY SPENT OR SAVED:  I¢ve spent $10.00 today. MAIN CONCERN OF THE DAY:  I¢ve been concerned all day about my feet. They have been wet for two days now. I feel every rock, and they just hurt. SPECIAL NOTES:  Hiking in New York sucks! SUMMARY FOR THE DAY:  I got up late, and I just didn¢t want to walk today. I had planned on a 25-mile day, but with the rain, the terrain, and my late start, it didn¢t happen. It was just a hard day . . . mentally and physically. Tomorrow should be better. I need a break soon. A few more days, and I¢ll take a zero day. Well, it¢s off to bed for me. I might try to make up the six miles I lost today by doing a 28 tomorrow.
Date: 2011-09-08
From: Bear Mountain Recreation Area in New York

To: A stealth campsite on Arden Mountain in New York
Miles today: 20.0

9/8/2011Time: 7:41 p.m. DISTANCE TRAVELED:  20 Miles FROM/TO:  I hiked from Hessian Lake in the Bear Mountain Recreation Area to a stealth tent site on Arden Mountain. WEATHER:  The day started out rainy. The rain stopped, but it remained overcast until afternoon when the sun finally came out. Then it was warm and humid the rest of the day. MEALS:  I had two sausage egg and cheese muffins along with a 20 oz. Pepsi for breakfast; and I had four snacks throughout the day along with flavored water with each. For dinner I made two Lipton Sides - Cheddar Broccoli and Taco Rice. They were both rice, so I mixed them together. It was good. I drank water with dinner. ROAD/TRAIL CONDITIONS:  The trail was wet today, with lots of ups and downs. It was rocky, too. They should change it¢s name to the A.T. River Trail. Water ran down it all day making it a stream. SHELTER USED/SLEEPING QUARTERS:  I slept in my tent at a stealth site. PEOPLE MET, HIKED WITH OR SEEN:  I hiked mostly by myself, but I spent some time hiking with Phoenix. I met a New York City fireman, a nurse, and an Army medic at one shelter. ANIMALS SEEN:  I saw a duck today, along with some geese, a falcon, some buzzards, bugs, some deer, and, of course more bugs. MONEY SPENT OR SAVED:  I spent $10.00 on breakfast this morning. MAIN CONCERN OF THE DAY:  After hitting the trail at 9:30 this morning, my thoughts were on whether or not we¢d make 30 miles today. We stopped at 20, and made a stealth camp. SPECIAL NOTES:  Yes! There certainly is a special note today! I fell a few times in the mud and the muck, and one of those times I hit my right thumb just right and pealed back the nail. I think I¢ll lose it. Darn!  SUMMARY FOR THE DAY:  We slept in a bit this morning, and when we were packing up, Security came by. They had no problem with us using the porch to get out of the rain, and even told us about a deli that was only about a 10 minute walk away, so we left our packs on the porch, and headed out for breakfast. When we got back to the Lodge, we picked up our gear and hit the Trail again. We agreed to meet at the third shelter down the trail - 14 miles away - where we would decide whether or not to continue on another16 miles to the next shelter, putting in a 30-mile day. When I got to the second shelter along, I found some trail magic - candy left for thru-hikers. I enjoyed some that before heading off on the next five more miles to the third shelter. I met up with Phoenix, and we decided to see how far we could go, so we headed back out. We made it six more miles. The last mountain was straight up, and it kicked - my - butt. We decided to find water, and then a campsite - so that¢s how we ended up stealth camping. We¢ve eaten our dinners and we¢ve written in our journals/logs, so now it¢s off to bed for me. TTFN