morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2015-04-21
From: Wildcat Shelter

To: Fingerboard Shelter
Miles today: 14.3
Weather: clear sky

We still had lots of wet clothes from yesterday so we hung what we could off of our packs to dry. We got to Fitzgerald Falls and took some pictures. It was the first waterfall we had seen in a long time. I love waterfalls. If it had been a few days earlier, I would have stood under it and taken a shower. But not today, it was still cool and pretty wet from Yesterdays rain. We were almost to the top of the Mombasha high point when I fell on a muddy root. Bummer. Another bruised elbow and my pride. I am beginning to look pretty rough with all of my scratches, bruises, and blisters. We walked for awhile when we met two other hikers. We visited with them for awhile, and they mentioned they had just passed Fitzgerald Falls. We had passed that hours ago. They assured us it was just down the hill. Hmmm..... Had we gotten turned around??? How could that have happened? Weirman dropped his pack and ran down the hill to see if we had indeed gotten turned around. Nose Flute and I waited for him for about 10 minutes when he came back and told us the bad news. We HAD gotten turned around. How?? Where?? Off we went. Up the hill. Then we realized it was when we had gotten to the top of a rock cropping and there were two blazes on the rocks. One was north and one was south. There was a rock with two blazes on it telling us to go left. I remember Weirman saying someone had turned the rock around. NOT!! Oh well. I never thought we could do that, but it happened. That was depressing. Five hours five miles. It was going to be a long day. The climbs were harder and the downhills were brutal. Loose rocks on steep downhills. We got almost to the bottom to the Orange Turnpike and BAM!! TRAIL MAGIC!! A cooler left in the woods full of food, fresh fruit, and drinks!!!! A miracle just at the right time. We got into the state park and enjoyed the well groomed trail and scenic waterways. Then we got to the lemon squeezer. It was kind of fun actually. Weirman went through first and then took Nose Flute and my backpacks so we could squeeze through. We got to the top and took a long food break. Only two more miles to the shelter. It took FOREVER!! We were all so tired. We got to the shelter and we made dinner and climbed in the tent to sleep. Long day.
Date: 2015-04-22
From: Fingerboard Shelter

To: Fort Montgomery
Miles today: 15.4
Weather: overcast clouds

Wow what a sunrise!!!! Incredible. We got the tent down and breakfast down also. If it hadn't been for the trail magic yesterday, we would be out of food. Nose Flute woke up just before we left. We may not see him for awhile. We knew today was going to be another tough day in the mountains, so we were glad to be on the trail early. It is nice that spring is late in arriving for one reason. The views from the top of the climbs are so beautiful. We got to the William Brien Memorial Shelter, and there was a SOBO hiker just getting rolling for the day. Off we went to climb Black Mountain. We ran into our first snake today. I'm not a fan of snakes. The views of New York City were so amazing. We didn't know it was so close and surrounded by such beauty. We crossed Palisades Parkway and began the climb up West Mountain. The trail was wonderful for the first half mile. It looked like it had just been built. Then we hit the rocks.   I was done. My energy level was so low, I needed some food. We sat down and inhaled some trail mix.   Then finished the climb. We knew we had one more climb left , Bear Mountain. Even Weirman was exhausted today, and he never gets tired. We got to the road for the climb, and started up a paved pathway then started climbing up the stairs!! STAIRS!!! All the way to the top!! It was such a morale booster for us. No hand over foot pulling yourself up the rocks. STAIRS!! We practically ran across the top to the vending machines. Someone had left a can of soda sitting on the ground in front of one machine so we considered it trail magic! We got a can of Pringles to go with it and then climbed the Perkins Memorial Tower. The views and pictures in the tower were very interesting. Then we headed down the mountain toward town. The storm clouds had moved in and it started to rain. But there were stairs again. Lots of stairs. We got to the park and walked toward the bridge. As usual, we were confused where to go in town. I finally got my phone out and mapped out the route to the hotel. We got in our room, dropped our packs, and went next door to eat. Barnstormer BBQ. Weirman ordered the Pig Out.   Chicken, rack of ribs, Kielbasa, pulled pork, beef brisket, fries, potato salad, cornbread. I got some homemade Mac and cheese, and beans and a pork sandwich. Of course some beer. I went back to the room to shower and he cleaned up. We facetimed with Emily Etta and Hadley.
Date: 2015-04-23
From: Fort Montgomery

To: bed
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: scattered clouds

We got a good nights sleep. Got up at 6 and started laundry. We had a great breakfast with a couple dozen soldiers in their camos at the hotel. We walked about 2 miles to Highland Falls. We were cold and thirsty so we started to look for a little coffee shop. We went into Dunkin Donuts and turned around and went out. Across the street we spotted a little corner cafe. Country Girl Cafe. In we went and sat down to look at the menu. I ordered a hot chocolate with peanut butter and whipped cream!!! Weirman got a peach iced tea. Then we ordered a loaf of banana chocolate chip bread. DELICIOUS. We were the only customers in there so the owner came over and started a conversation with us. She was shocked that we didn't have a car and were walking for 10 weeks!!! She had never met any thru hikers before. I tell you if you ever get a chance to go into her restaurant, do it. Her food is so good and she takes a great deal of time and energy to make sure you ate not getting poisoned. She was so fun to talk to, we didn't realize we were across the street from West Point until she told us. She gave us so much food, power bars, a quiche, and a yummy Rice Krispie treat!!! We left with a big hug and and warm feeling inside. Then we went across the street to West Point. Amazing place. When we came out of the museum, it was sleeting/snowing. Fun walk back to the hotel. When we got back we hit the pool and sauna and had a nice relaxing night. We got to visit with all three of our daughters and the grandkiddos too. Life is so good.
Date: 2015-04-24
From: bed

To: Graymoor Spiritual Life Center
Miles today: 6.4
Weather: clear sky

We had a nice leisurely start to the day. A big breakfast. We weighed our packs. Weirman says the scale was wrong, they were too light. Then we walked down the road to the Post Office to mail a few things home. We decided to walk back to the Bear Mountain Inn and the zoo. The inn was pretty quiet, but still a interesting place to walk through. The merry go round was closed. Then we went to the zoo. We saw lots of school children on field trips.   Also some animals. Cinnon bears were my favorite. Then across the Hudson River we went. There were some amazing views.   Then back on the trail. There were more people hiking today than we expected. It is always fun to visit with the locals. We didn't do many miles, but it was cold and a few snowflakes fell now and then. We went to the Appalachian Market for burgers. Then on to the Graymoor ball field pavilion. That place was nice except the water wasn't turned on yet. But the electricity was working. Weirman took a walk around the grounds to see the statues and buildings. He took some pictures. We pitched the tent and got in and listened to the wind blow. We fell asleep listening to the bells chiming.
Date: 2015-04-25
From: Graymoor Spiritual Life Center

To: Clarence Fahnestock State Park
Miles today: 13.8
Weather: clear sky

Cold this morning. Only 30 degrees, but clear. Packed up the tent and enjoyed Cindy's wonderful quiche and energy bars and were on the trail by 7:00am. THANKS CINDY!! We walked past lots of walls and stone hedges. We stopped for lunch and got water from a well house near an old house with just the stone walls standing. Then we started meeting people on the trail. We are so amazed with the handiwork in the woods. These rock walls are incredible. They go on and on, and we cannot believe what great shape they are in. We planned to camp at the state park, and there was a sign in the woods that said to walk another 1 1/2 miles to the green blazed trail into the park. Let me tell you, my knees are shot. I want to quit hiking everyday. The pain is so intense on the downhills. We met 4 young hikers from New York City and talked for awhile. One of them offered to carry my pack for me, but I decided to be the good soldier and carry on. We got out the app on my phone because we thought we had passed the trail. The only thing we saw was a blue blazed snowshoe trail. We figured that had to be it, so we took it. I had called a few days earlier, and they said they were open. We got to the beach and the only thing there were some geese. All of the bathrooms were locked up and also the concession was closed. Weirman decided to go investigate further while I cooked up some dinner. He came back about 10 minutes later and said he had found the campsite. It was a bit further down the road. The road where the sign was that told us to keep going for a mile and a half in the woods...... Anyways.... We were able to pitch our tent and get a HOT SHOWER!!! That shower never felt so good.
Date: 2015-04-26
From: Clarence Fahnestock State Park

To: Morgan Stewart shelter
Miles today: 14.0

It was a long walk back to the trail. We hiked at a pretty good pace until we came to a painted 911 memorial flag on the top of a mountain. When we got to the RPH Shelter, there was a gardener there planting hickory trees. This shelter was awesome. A cinder lock building with a deck off the back and chairs with backs on them! There was a strange man in the woods today. He had about 15 bags he was hauling through the woods at a very slow pace. When he saw us coming he ran off into the woods. Kind of unnerving. The next few miles of the trail were so wonderful we couldn't believe it. It looked like someone had gone through with a leaf blower and groomed the trail. They had also painted rocks on the trail for people like me who never look up. We gave it an A+ ....We decided to walk to the deli at Highway 52 A man pulled over and asked us how the trail conditions were. We laughed and said we had just commented on how wonderful the trailhead just gotten. He told us it was a friend of his who groomed the trail. He is on the National Geographic video about the AT talking about ticks. He offered us some ice cream but we turned him down. We went on to the deli and got some food. A very nice lady was very intrigued with our hiking. Then Shawn, our trail Angel gave us a ride back to the trailhead!! He just moved really close to the trail and wanted to know how he could be a good trail angel. We gave him some good tips and thanked him profusely for the ride. It is amazing what small acts of kindness can do for your spirit. We made it to the shelter ate dinner and settled in for the night.
Date: 2015-04-27
From: Morgan Stewart shelter

To: Wiley shelter
Miles today: 16.6
Weather: light rain

It was a quiet morning and a nice day for hiking. We walked to the biggest tree on the Appalachian Trail and we gave it a big hug. Then we walked to the Appalachian Trail railroad station. You can take the train into Grand Central Station from the trail. Next to the trail was a nice garden center where we picked up some food and drink. The rest of the day was walking through pretty pastures and very wet boardwalks. We got to the Wiley shelter and were able to soak our burning feet in a cool stream.
Date: 2015-04-28
From: Wiley shelter

To: Stewart Hollow Brook Shelter
Miles today: 19.7
Weather: overcast clouds

We made it to Connecticut this morning. The trail was beautiful we were soon walking alongside the Ten Mile river. We stopped at Schaghticoke Mountain campsite. We soaked her feet and made lunch. We walked about 2 miles further and onto alto my ascent was a young woman who had fallen and injured her ankle. There were a father and son who had stopped to stay with her. We offered to help but they told us to just make note of the time, and when we met the rescue team let them know what time it was when we passed them. It was another hour before we were met the rescue team. The terrain was very rocky and Hilly and they did not look happy about having to walk in to rescue a person who had fallen on the trail. It was hot hot hot.... We got to the next shelter and got some freshwater. Off we went only seven more miles to our final destination. The terrain was rocky and rough and the St. John ledges descent was scary!!! Once we got down the mountain we walked along the Housatonic river until we got to the shelter. When we arrived at the shelter there were highschooler's there from a boarding school. They gave us M&M s and raisins!! It was dark almost 8 o'clock so we pitched the tent, ate dinner and went to bed
Date: 2015-04-29
From: Stewart Hollow Brook Shelter

To: Belters Campsite
Miles today: 15.3

Up and on the trail before 630 this morning. We walked along the river for a few miles this morning. We hadn't eaten breakfast so we decided to stop at the Silver Hill campsite. This place was paradise! It had a pavilion with two picnic tables on observation deck and a swing!! There was a pump there for water but the water was very good. When we got to Highway four there was a sign to take a bypass because of high water on the trail. As we were coming up the road to finish our bypass we met another hiker. He was coming from town after a resupply and we leap frogged with him the rest of the day. After yesterday's long day my energy level was very low. My legs were so heavy and my spirits were very down. I cried. A lot. I knew this would be a different experience than last year but I didn't realize how hard it was going to be. I so miss the people we hiked with last year. There aren't that many people hiking around us this year, and it gets rough at times. When we got to Pine Swamp Brook shelter, there was another rather strange man there. He said he had been on the trail four or five days. But he was wearing blue jeans and a sweatshirt and he had a piece of carry-on luggage with him instead of a backpack. He gave us an odd feeling. We pushed on to belters campsite and our new hiker friend, Eric was there. We visited with him for a while and then rolled in the tent and fell asleep.
Date: 2015-04-30
From: Belters Campsite

To: Maria McCabe's. in Salisbury
Miles today: 9.5
Weather: broken clouds

We woke up early this morning knowing we were heading to town. The hike was fast and easy and the sun was shining in my sunburn is hurting. We called Maria and she picked us up at Highway 44 about noon. When we got to her house she offered us cold sodas and clean clothes to wear and a hot shower. Then it was off to do laundry and we all ate lunch at a pizza place. Then Weirman and I walked around the town it is a cute little New England Village. We got a few groceries and some food to snack on. Or resupply box had arrived.... thank you Laura
Date: 2015-05-01
From: Maria McCabe's. in Salisbury

To: Race Brook Falls Campsite
Miles today: 12.3
Weather: clear sky

We got up early and made breakfast at Maria's. Eggs and toast and orange juice Yum!! Then we went upstairs and finished our packing we have lots of food. Maria got up and we visited with her while she ate her breakfast. She is quite the character we looked at her family photo album and heard lots of great stories. Then she took us back to the trail in her car and we exchanged many hugs and headed up the hill. We got to the top of Lionshead and then headed to the Riga shelter for lunch. The shelter has one of the best views on the trail. Cold pizza and a fresh apple for lunch. We hiked to the blue blaze Trail around bear mountain under Mountain Trail to Paradise Ln., Trail. As the weather was questionable and so was the trail on bear Mountain. We made it to 1500 miles today and not long after that into the state of Massachusetts!! Then we climbed up race mountain and enjoyed the beautiful views down into the valley for quite a while. Decided to camp at the race Brooke campsite it's nice here.
Date: 2015-05-02
From: Race Brook Falls Campsite

To: Tom Leonard Shelter
Miles today: 16.2
Weather: light rain

We got up in the morning enjoyed hard-boiled eggs and real live bananas for breakfast. Another beautiful sunny day. We had to climb up Mount Everett right off the bat it was rocks that were big and kind of fun to climb over. We got up there and enjoyed the summit and took lots of pictures. Enjoyed some nice hiking the trail was in good shape and it was just a beautiful morning. We met a local couple and visited with them for a while, they told us about a garden shop about 4 miles ahead. They didn't have any food or drink there but they let us get cold water from their water cooler. We stopped and ate lunch and continued hiking through the country roads and then started the ascent up East Mountain. My back started to spasm out so Weirman came and got my pack and relayed me up the mountain. Those last 5 miles lasted for ever or so it seemed. And then we arrived at the Tom Leonard shelter. It was about 630 at night and there was a young couple there from Boston who were just in for the night. About 7:30 another hiker showed up and it was Rocketman a man from Colorado. We visited for a little while and the young couple went off to their tent. Then Weirman I and Rocketman crashed in the shelter.
Date: 2015-05-03
From: Tom Leonard Shelter

To: campsite at mile 1538
Miles today: 14.5
Weather: clear sky

We heard some noises in the night and we all woke up. It was a Porcupine chewing on the shelter. Weirman and Rocketman both shined their headlights towards the noise. Off he ran into the woods. We got up and ate breakfast and visited you got to know our camp mates. It was a late start for us we didn't start walking until 9:00 AM. We were planning to stay at a B&B in Tyringham but we couldn't get a hold of the owners. We pushed on and found a nice campsite,ate dinner pitched a tent in the rain and went to bed. Stopped raining after five minutes. It was another sunny day and the trail was good I'm liking Massachusetts trails more and more every day. Except for the leaves. We went through the zoo in bear Mountain a few weeks ago and there was a sign there that said every year 2.4 billion tons of leaves fall to the ground every year. We figure about a quarter of those leaves have fallen into the Massachusetts forest. They are deep they are slippery.
Date: 2015-05-04
From: campsite at mile 1538

To: October Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 15.7
Weather: clear sky

We broke camp early and started hiking around 6:30am. We climbed Baldy Mountain and made breakfast at the top. It was another hot and sunny morning. Around 9:30, we ran into Nose Flute sitting by the trail, eating. We hadn't seen him since New York, so it was nice to see a familiar face. We hiked on to the next stream to get water and wet our clothes and bandanas. In New England we have learned that lakes are ponds, and we have hiked by lots of beautiful ponds. When we got to Hwy 20, we hiked a bit off the trail to a little lodge where they had cold sodas. It was so refreshing. Then we found NoseFlute again and finished the days hike to the shelter. When we got there, we met another hiker, Chris, who had just started hiking today. He was beat. I went down to the creek to wash up a bit, and Rocketman showed up. He had spent the night at the B&B that we couldn't get ahold of. It was a good night visiting and sharing trail stories. It is so nice to have company on the trail again. Before we fell asleep we noticed the beautiful full moon it was orange and incredibly beautiful.
Date: 2015-05-05
From: October Mountain Shelter

To: Crystal Mountain Campsite
Miles today: 16.0

It was another beautiful sunny day. We have been extremely lucky with the wonderful weather we've been having. He started hiking early knowing we were going to hike into Dalton today for lunch. The trail this morning was flat and fast and me made really good time into town. Just before we got to town we met two women hiking in the woods and they told us a good place to go and get lunch, Jacob's pub. We found the place and ordered burgers and beer. Just as we were finishing up Rocketman walked in. We decided to go get showers and run a few errands. The community center offered free showers to hikers so we took them up on that. Then we went to the pharmacy and got some Mother's Day cards and birthday cards and a sympathy card for my aunt. We walk to the post office wrote some messages in the cards and drop them in the mail. Then we went to Cumberland Farms and picked up some dinner and drinks for the rest of the days hike. We headed out of town around five and got to the campsites just past 7 o'clock. We pitched the tent and just before dark another hiker showed up. We were able to face time with Emily and heard news from home.
Date: 2015-05-06
From: Crystal Mountain Campsite

To: Mark Noepel Shelter
Miles today: 9.7
Weather: few clouds

Weirman got up early and was visiting with the southbound hiker who had arrived late last night. He was in the Air Force and he's headed for Delaware water gap. We started hiking around seven thinking we could get to Cheshire in time for a big breakfast. No restaurants were open before 11:30 AM so we stopped at the general store. We got cold sodas and a bag of popcorn to share. The nice lady there told us we might as well just go to the Shell station. There was a Dunkin donuts there and we ordered breakfast at the Dunkin donuts. We hung around and picked up a few snacks at the convenience store then headed down the trail. Actually we headed up the trail it was uphill till we got to the shelter. It was early when we got there so we went down to the creek to get water and do some laundry. We also soaked our tired hot feet. Rocketman showed up just as we were coming up the hill back to the shelter. We visited and got some tips about the White Mountains from Rocketman. Then Eric showed up. We haven't seen him since before Salisbury. We all ate and Eric educated us about lots of stuff. Especially the earthworms. Off to sleep.
Date: 2015-05-07
From: Mark Noepel Shelter

To: Williamstown Motel
Miles today: 9.7

ANOTHER beautiful sunny day, man we have been so lucky with the weather. We hiked uphill right away today toward the summit of Mt Greylock. There is a road up to the top and a lodge there. The lodge is not open yet, so when we got there we had the place to ourselves. There is a big tower at the top, but of course it was still closed for the winter. The sun was so bright and beautiful, the view was unbelievable. After a bit Ricketman showed up, and then Eric. We all enjoyed the view, took lots of pictures, and then tried to find the trail. Always a challenge for us when we get distracted. After many walk arounds, and then finally getting out my phone and looking up the GPS on my APP, we found it!! Down we went. We only had 7 more miles to hike today. We had a motel reservation in Williamstown. We met a few people on the trail, and they all cautioned us about the leaves on the downhill. We encountered one spot that was very steep and slippery, but not too bad. We got to town and called for a ride from the motel, but they weren't too keen on picking us up, so we started walking. After a whole we found a big grocery store. This was the biggest store we had seen in a long time. I ran into the mailman and we talked shop for a bit. We got some drinks and food, and headed to the motel. We got here and they did our laundry and we relaxed in the room. We went to dinner, and then walked around the town. It was a good way to relax and unwind. Tomorrow we should enter Vermont!!