morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2006-07-24
From: Wind Gap

To: Delaware Water Gap
Miles today: 15.6
Weather: few clouds

It was a beautiful day today. I met a day hiker whom I hiked with for a few hours. She was hiking 18 miles a day to prepare herself to hike the John Muir Trail in 7 days. We had a fun time chatting. She was trying out different gear and had to write a report on each item. It turned out her husband was an editor of Backpacker Magazine for that region. What a fun job that must be!I hiked the final 15 miles of Pennsylvania rocks! That is something to celebrate. I wanted to do just that by getting a room at the Ramada Inn, laying around, drinking lots of whole milk, and surfing through the TV stations.Usually, I will call a hotel to make a reservation so I don't add unnecessary miles to my feet. In this case, I did not do that even though I kept telling myself to do that. When I arrived at the Ramada, I discovered that it not only was it no longer a Ramada, it was completely gutted! Apparently, the river raised over 4th of July weekend and flooded the town including my hotel.So, I went back to the hostel and spent the night there. It was nice place and they had a shower so it wasn't all bad.
Date: 2006-07-25
From: Delaware Water Gap

To: Mohican Outdoor Center
Miles today: 10.5
Weather: light rain

I left the hostel in the middle of the afternoon after I got all my chores done, including getting new tips put on my hiking poles. As I was leaving, a few thru-hikers were coming in that I haven't seen in awhile, so had to get caught up on all the news.Even though the heat was back, I wanted to cross the river before the day ended because I would be in New Jersey. We were warned that the first 2 or 3 days would be rocky. I guess Mother Nature does not care about state borders!I hiked passed Sunfish Pond, is a large, serene glacial pond. Because of the acidity of the water, only the Pumpkinseed Sunfish and Yellow Perch live in the water.It was a beautiful area. All of the locals said it was a great swimming hole, but when I got there, there were signs everywhere saying "No swimming", but lots of people were in the water. Better safe than sorry. Besides, the Mohican Outdoor Center had a shower.
Date: 2006-07-26
From: Mohican Outdoor Center

To: High Point Shelter
Miles today: 33.9
Weather: clear sky

I tried to get an early start today, but it didn't seem to happen. I had to stop to do something or stop somewhere, etc. I even stopped at Joe's on the Go for breakfast. Since he also made sandwiches, I had him make me lunch too.The weather cooled off in the afternoon, but that just brought in the bugs. It doesn't matter how much Deet you put on, they will only stay away for about an hour, then they come right back.I hiked to the observation tower in High Point State Park with another hiker. The sky was gorgeous with lots of stars. It is not something we often see because we are usually under the cover of trees (which is also why AT hikers are never tan!)
Date: 2006-07-27
From: High Point Shelter

To: Pochuch Mountain Shelter 
Miles today: 12.4
Weather: haze

This is the hottest day that I can remember during this hike. Even starting out early didn't help any because it was hot as soon as the sun came up. It took me 8 hours to hike a little over 12 miles on an easy terrain. I was hoping to get to Vernon and stay at the St. Thomas Episcopal Church hiker hostel, but I couldn't do it. The heat sucked all the life out of me.Since Skywalder, Righty, and I got into camp early we were able to read and get caught up in our journals, etc. It turned out to be an enjoyable eveining just relaxing and drying out our equipment, still wet from the downpour the day before. I went to bed early and managed to sleep 10 hours.
Date: 2006-07-28
From: Pochuch Mountain Shelter 

To: Vernon, New Jersey
Miles today: 6.5

I had a short hike today to get into town. It turned out to be a good decision to camp early last night beacause the 6 miles into town was mostly uphill and I never would have made it in the heat.After the climb, we had a beautiful hike through the Pochuck Creek Wetland boardwalk. It is exactly what it sounds like, a boardwalk built over the wetlands. The ATC has been working on this boardwalk for 7 years and they are still not done. They've done a beautiful job and I thoroughly enjoyed the walk. I even sat down on a bench for an hour just to take in the whole view.I met a few day hikers that were extremely friendly and offered me all kinds of treats which I couldn't turn down. After all, I don't want to offend anyone! So, I scarffed the treats down and sat a little longer since my stomach was no longer growling.I made it to the St. Thomas Episcopal Church hiker hostel. It was a nice place. They had a kitchen if we have the desire to cook! But, I didn't have that desire. I'm just going to spend the day eating and relaxing.
Date: 2006-07-29
From: Vernon, New Jersey

To: Wildcat Shelter
Miles today: 17.3
Weather: few clouds

I climbed the highest peak in New York today. Naturally, it was hot and sunny. Climbing over rocks in high places is always challenging, but I did have some beautful vistas of Greenwood Lake. I wished I could have been in the water or on one of those sailboats.This was the place I planned on taking a zero day. I've been feeling tired and I know I need a day off, but the Nero Day (i.e. Near Zero Day) I had yesterday seemed to revive me, so I wanted to push on and take a zero day in Kent, Connecticut. Nevertheless, that water sure looked inviting.This whole section of the trail is so dry. We drink a lot of water, but when the temps are up this high, water drinking increases a lot. People are leaving Trail Magic on the trail heads, usually water, which is what we need most. If it wasn't for these people, I am not sure how we would get through this section safely. I ran into a Trail Angel right before reaching the shelter. He makes this trek once a week bringing cold drinks and ice water. What a perfect way to end a hot day of hiking!When I reached the Shelter, Uncle Art was there! In case you forgot who that is, we started hiking the AT from Springer Mountain, Georgia the same day. I hadn't seen him since North Carolina, so we gave each other a big hug. It was nice catching up with him. Unfortunately, he had to skip two states to catch up with me. He was afraid that he wouldn't reach Mt K by the 15th of OCtober, so once he summits he will have to go back and complete New Jersey and Pennsylvania. The good news is that, contrary to popular belief, I'm not the slowest hiker on the trail!
Date: 2006-07-30
From: Wildcat Shelter

To: Island Pond Outlet
Miles today: 11.6

I do believe this was the worst day on the Appalachian Trail. The temperature reached 106. We took it really slow today and didn't put in too many miles. Some of the hikers took sick with early signs of heat exhaustion. For some reason, I fared well, but I hiked even slower than my usual slow so I would not fall victim to the heat.The Trail Angels came through with water, once again proving that they are truly life savers. Near the end of a very tough section, one of the Trail Angels was sitting in his truck next to the trail despite the heat. His truck was full of Gatorade, soda, beer, cupcakes, snacks, fruit, etc. It was like an oasis in the middle of a desert! We felt so much better, but then we realized we had to make that finally climb to our campsite.We camped overlooking Island Pond, which is a glacier lake. It is the most beautful setting for a campsite. Uncle Art and the people he is hiking with got into camp late and thought of taking a zero day the following day. We heard there was a public beach 5 miles down the road and planned on hiking there the next day for a dip in the lake.
Date: 2006-07-31
From: Island Pond Outlet

To: Beechy Bottom Brook
Miles today: 10.3

I started out early to beat the heat, but the humidity was so high, it didn't make much difference. There was a slight breeze, which always helps me, so I managed to reach Lake Tiorati in record time. Unfortunately, they do not have a concession stand, only vending machines. And even then, two of those were out of order, including the soda machine!I took a nice long swim in the lake that was both beautful and refreshing. After that, I took a shower in the bath house to get rid of the slight fish smell of the lake. After all, us hikers need to keep our appearance!Skywalker, Righty, Jerico, and I stayed at the beach until later in the afternoon when it started cooling down. The hike to the next shelter was only about 4 miles, so it was ok to wait a few hours.After reaching the shelter, I felt good and decided to move onto the next shelter which was only another 3 miles. I stopped a bit short because I found a great little spring for water. Dogwood stopped by. He planned to night hike so he could see the lights of NYC from the mountain top. It sounds like quite a sight, but I decided to turn in for the night.
Date: 2006-08-01
From: Beechy Bottom Brook

To: Graymoor Spiritual Life Center
Miles today: 12.9
Weather: scattered clouds

It was a fun day of hiking. We all were tired of the heat, but I tried to ignore it and enjoy the rest of the day.The trail lead us through the Bear Mountain Zoo that contained many native species, including black bears. One animal that I looked for was the Opossum, but they did not have one! I was disappointed since this is also a native animal. I have mixed emotions over zoos. I never really liked them because I felt sorry for the animal being caged up, but I recognize the importance of education the public. This particular zoo emphasized the importance of the animals in the overall cycle of life.I hiked over the Hudson river on the Bear Mountain Bridge. It was quite high and it really took my breath away. It had some beautiful sights of the river, but I wasn't really sure where the trail went at the end of the bridge. Instead of looking around with all the traffic there, I decided to sit it out a few minutes and enjoy the views until some hikers from the other direction came by.I stopped off at the Graymoor Spirtual Life Center where the hikers can sleep at the monastery's ballfield picnic shelter. It has water, a cold shower and a toilet, so it is much nicer then it sounds.I was the first to arrive and I was getting ready to order pizza when Low Geared showed up. It was good seeing him again as it has been a few weeks and I thought maybe he was off the trail. Several other hikers showed up that I hadn't seen in awhile so it was a fun evening with good company.
Date: 2006-08-02
From: Graymoor Spiritual Life Center

To: RPH Shelter
Miles today: 18.9
Weather: clear sky

I got up early and I was ready to head out by 6:30am, but I decided I wanted to explore the monastery a bit firtst. All night, the church bells would play from up the hill. Where the ballfield is located, you can not see the monastery. So, I finally left camp after 8:00amThe day was rather uneventful and I wanted to get 19 miles in so I could reach Pawling the following day. Friends of mine, Kathy and Martha were driving up from Northern Virginia to visit me for the night. I was really looking forward to that since the week had been so tough.I got into camp later then usual and I met up with Brock, a section hiker. I didn't think I'd ever see him again since the last time I saw him was south of Waynesboro, Virginia. He injuried his foot and skipped a section of trail while he recovered. He had already hiked Pennsylvania, so he moved further north to continue his hike, but had to get off the trail for 10 days to attend a wedding. It's funny how it all works.
Date: 2006-08-03
From: RPH Shelter

To: Pawling, New York
Miles today: 17.3

I had 17+ miles to hike into town by 4-ish. Thankfully, the terrain was not difficult because I was drained of my energy.There was a deli located about 5 miles down the trail and I thought I'd stop there for a break. The chart said it was 0.4 miles off the trail. As I mentioned before, this walking is serious business and unnessary mileage is always a consideration, so I debated with myself about making the side trip as I normally I don't like to go any further then 0.2 off the trail. I came to another sign that said the deli was only 0.3. Well, that sounded better and took the turn. I was glad I did as I needed to eat some real food. All this junk food, candy, and cookies taste good, but it really does wear on me.Kathy and Martha were running late because of traffic, so I slowed down on my hike. Shortly after getting to the trail head, they showed up and off to a motel we went for a nice long shower, a wonderful meal, and great visit! These mini breaks with friends along the way have been real moral booster for me and can not express how much it has meant to me!
Date: 2006-08-04
From: Pawling, New York

To: Ten Mile River Campsite
Miles today: 12.5
Weather: light rain

I had a great time with Kathy and Martha last night. They picked me up at the trail head and we went into Danbury to spend the night, ate at Outback Restrauraunt. We also had some great wine and just enjoyed the evening visiting.I crossed the state line into Connecticut. New England at last!I am spending the night at a beatiful campsite on the river. I talked with Major Turtle. I hadn't seen him since our 3rd day of starting the trail down in Georgia. He always would draw happy faces in the dirt as he hikes. If he is still doing this, I will surely enjoy his drawings tomorrow on the hike into Kent, Connecticut where I plan on taking a zero day. It will be my first one since Harpers Ferry. No wonder I'm so exhausted!
Date: 2006-08-05
From: Ten Mile River Campsite

To: Kent, Connecticut
Miles today: 8.5

I thought I heard thunder around 5:30 this morning and decided I was mistaken since the weather report for the weekend was to be clear and fabulous. So what do I do? Roll over to lay a little longer before getting up. Half hour later it dawns on me that it is Monday and I don't have a clue what the weather report was suppose to be. Well, it was rain.If I got up the first time I heard the thunder, I could have been packed up and hiking before the rain came. Instead, the rain fell and my tent was still up, so I had to pack up a wet tent. It didn't rain very long so I was able to see the happy faces Major Turtle drew in the dirt.The terrain was hard going into Kent. Even though it was only 9 miles, I was tired when I reached town. The other hikers were saying the same thing. I'm not sure if it was because we hadn't had such steep hills in awhile, the heat, the excitement of going into town or maybe a little of all those things.
Date: 2006-08-06
From: Kent, Connecticut

To: ***Zero Day!
Miles today: 0.0

I just spent the day relaxing. That is, after I dried out my tent, sorted out my stuff from the Post Office, and shopped for food.There is no laundry service in Kent, so I spent last night washing my clothes in the bathroom sink. Thank goodness for camping material because everything dries so quickly.Kent is a bit of a tourist town. Apparently, people from New York like to come here for the weekend. It is a cute town, but a bit pricey. It has shops of art work, books, etc and several ethnic restaurants to explore. Tonight I'm eating Japanese food.If the heat stays away, I plan to be in Massachusetts by Friday (unless the terrain proves to be difficult). I'm looking forward to meeting up with Turtle, a section hiker I hiked with in the Smokies. She had fallen and decided to get off the trail early in Hot Springs, North Carolina to recover before returning to work.
Date: 2006-08-07
From: Kent, Connecticut

To: Caesar Brook Campsite
Miles today: 13.6
Weather: broken clouds

The first day back on the trail after a zero day is always hard for me. I'm not really sure why. Some of the younger hikers will take several zero days at once then will do big miles to catch up. I don't know how they do it (other than their youthful energy).I came across a dead cow while cutting through a farmer's field. I never expected to see that on the AT! I didn't see a farm in sight to report it, but I'm sure it will not take the farmer longer to notice that one of their cows is missing.Near the end of day I ran into Skywalker's wife, Anne, on the trail. What a pleasant surprise to see her again! She is here for a few days to slack pack Skywalker through Massachusetts.I camped at a nice site next to a babbling brook with a few hikers I meet a couple of days before. It was a very relaxing and enjoyable evening.
Date: 2006-08-08
From: Caesar Brook Campsite

To: Rands View
Miles today: 15.8

I got an early start after a restful evening and it was a nice day for hiking.I ran into Anne again where the trail crosses the road. She had her car full of stuff to make sandwiches, sodas, fruit, snacks, etc. and she was feeding the hikers. We were elated!We are running into more and more Southbound thru-hikers. It's always good to share information about the terrain, places to eat, etc.I came across a sign saying the AT was rerouted because of a train wreck. Of course, this only sparks your interest and the hikers continued on the normal trail to see what was going on. I didn't really see anything that would cause the trail to be rerouted. One hiker saw a lot of wood, but I saw nothing. My guess is the sign was old and should be removed to eliminate unnecessary confusion.It turned out this section was really enjoyable. It even had a couple of benches where you could sit and watch the river go by.
Date: 2006-08-09
From: Rands View

To: Race Mountain
Miles today: 14.5

It was another enjoyable day. I decided to go into Salisbury, Connecticut for breakfast since it was only 0.4 miles off the trail. I only had to hike 3 miles before crossing the road into Salisbury when I ran into Lance (Monkey Face) and David (Stampede). I was so surprised to see them since I'd just been wondering if they were still on the trail. The last time I saw them was when we hiked from Georgia into North Carolina. They were the two hikers that dehydrated about 350 meals for the trip.The problem with the hikers I met early on is many of them did not have trail names. Gradually, people's names disappear from the register because they were now using a trail name versus their real name. Monkey Face and Stampede were now Southbounders. Because of injuries, illness, and a wedding they were a bit behind where they planned to be. When they restarted the trail they started in Maine and headed south.Salisbury was a great little New England town. The breakfast fabulous, but expensive. I stopped off to see the first Public Library in the country before heading back to the trail. I had a very enjoyable hike, particulary through the Sages Ravine before crossing into Massachusetts, my 11th state on this hike!
Date: 2006-08-10
From: Race Mountain

To: Housatonic River
Miles today: 11.8

I had beautiful vistas from Race Mountain this morning, so I'm glad I decided to camp a few miles earlier then originally planned so I could see the sun rise. Of course, I missed that since it was so cold I didn't want to get out of my tent.Even though I missed the actual sunrise I was still on the mountain top early enough to catch the beauty of the morning. The trail crossed of the ridge through this area so I went over several other mountains but none of them compared to Race Mountain.I ran into a lot of day hikers. They are always interested in the thru hikers. My picture has been taken so many times, you'd think that I was a celebrity.There was one women that I met who asked if I was the thru-hiker another couple told her about. It turned out that I was! She was so excited about me hiking the trail and she was certain she would read about me in the newspaper when I completed my journey. I tried to explain that there were a lot of people that hiked the Appalachian Trail and nobody would notice except my family and friends, but she didn't believe me.
Date: 2006-08-11
From: Housatonic River

To: Shaker Campsite
Miles today: 16.7
Weather: scattered clouds

I finally got some of my energy back today and felt more like the old me. It was a good feeling.I've been forcing myself to eat more. I've lost about 40 pounds and really don't want to lose any more. So, I've been going to town more often just to eat and increase my caloric intake. The motto out here is that the women come back with the buns of steel while the men return with monkey buns or no buns! I can't say that I fall into the buns of steel category yet, but I do have more room in my tent!I stopped off at a little pond, but I couldn't find a name for it. At first, I thought is was just another place to visit with mosquitoes and I was going to push on. But the place was serene and quiet, it was a perfect place for a break. While sitting there, I noticed a beaver house and hoped to see the little guys at work. Sure enough, one popped up out of the water and swam across the pond in the opposite direction. For some reason, he changed his direction and came toward me and stopped for a look. I was able to get a picture this time. It was a nice way to end the day.
Date: 2006-08-12
From: Shaker Campsite

To: Washington Mountain Road
Miles today: 20.9

My own smell woke me up several times last night. It was awful, but there seems to be less water then usual lately. I always tried to keep as clean as possible but when the water is short, then the washing part goes out the window as keeping hydrated is the highest priority. I haven't washed much in the last week and have been wearing the same clothes, so I'm looking forward to reaching Dalton tomorrow.We have been at a lower elevation for so long that when we encounter a hill, it can be difficult to climb. This is not good since the White Mountains of New Hampshire are going to be coming up and they are the second highest point on the Appalachian Trail. We seem to be going up more hills which will help prepare us for what is coming up ahead.
Date: 2006-08-13
From: Washington Mountain Road

To: Dalton, Massachusetts
Miles today: 9.6
Weather: clear sky

The trail passes through Dalton, Massachusetts, so it is next to impossible not to stop for a shower and some food. Earlier in the hike, when I would arrive in a town my priorities were in this order: shower, laundry, then eat. But now, my list has changed and food has moved into second place.It was just under 10 miles into town, but Dalton is spread out so I had to do a lot of in-town walking to get my chores done, so my feet didn't get much rest.I originally planned on hiking the nine miles to Adams, Massachusetts tomorrow morning to meet Turtle. However after some consideration, I decided it would be better to meet Turtle here since she would be arriving mid-morning from Boston.
Date: 2006-08-14
From: Dalton, Massachusetts

To: ***Zero Day!
Miles today: 0.0

I had a great day with Turtle. Shortly after she arrived, we walked about 10 minutes to a restaurant for breakfast. We walked right passed her vehicle. She did ask if I wanted to ride or walk, but I could tell she was definately in walk-mode after sitting in the car for over 3 hours, so walk we did.Turtle brought me some goodies from home that I enjoyed with my dinner. For the remainder of the day, she drove me wherever I needed to go to resupply, etc. Wow... one can get things done so quickly with a car!The most important thing Turtle did for me was cut a paperback in sections. Don't ask me why, but I just cannot ruin a book like that, even if it is for a legitimate reason. With the book broken up, I could carry a section and forward the others onto destinations further up the road. Even a few extra ounces makes a difference when you hike this much.