morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2013-07-20
From: Culver lookout tower

To: High Point Shelter
Miles today: 14.1
Weather: clear sky

Day 28-7/20. Broke camp and started hiking at 7:10. Easy trail to star but turned nasty, rocks and brush enough to make me think I was back in Pennsylvania. Hiked solo through really nasty ups and downs with a lot of big rocks which really hurt my right knee. I arrived at High Point State Park New Jersey and got a free Pepsi from Park headquarters-Yum. Beerdra came in and we hiked to the beach and concession stand. Found Northstar and the neroers (garbear, Bearsnack, Peant, and Alphadog) at the beach. Had a hamburger, a hotdog, french fries, a diet Pepsi, two snapples and an Italian ice. I had a quick swim in the lake and then took a shower. Beerdra and I hiked out to the High Point shelter. Most of us stayed in tents because the mosquitoes were so bad. Total mileage for the day was 14.1.
Date: 2013-07-21
From: High Point Shelter

To: Vernon,NJ
Miles today: 18.9

Day 29-7/21. I left High Point shelter at 7 o'clock and arrived at Unionville New York at around 10. I had a big sandwich and twot Dees at the end of the line grocery. I left the grocery at around 1145. Got a text from Heartwalker telling me he was at a motel in Vernon New Jersey. I decided to push on to Vernon and stay at the motel. I arrived at the motel about 6:30 and walked to the Vernon Inn and met Heartwalker and TwoStints. I had a big salad and three rolling rocks and then it was back to the motel to shower and get ready for bed.
Date: 2013-07-22
From: Vernon,NJ

To: Greenwood Lake, NY
Miles today: 12.0

Day 30-722. I got a ride from the motel owner back to the trail at 6:30 and was on the road by 6:45. The trail went over Wawayanda Mt, a very rocky and steep start to thne day. After that the trail became truly brutal. More like rock climbing in some spots than hiking. Had to put away my hiking poles and go hand over hand in some places. In fact, in one place there was an aluminum ladder bolted to the rock wall. I don't know when I have hiked a more difficult 15 miles. By2:3o I reached a side trail to Greenwood Lakes. Got to town at 3:00 and stopped in to Murphy's Tavern. Great place. Within 15 minutes I had a free beer from the bartender and knew half the people in the place and felt like i was HOME. I checked in to Anton's on the lake and went back to Murphy's for dinner. Now it's bedtime. total miles for the day- 12.9 of the HARDEST MILES I have ever hiked. And besides my right knee is killing me.
Date: 2013-07-23
From: Greenwood Lake, NY

To: Greenwood Lake
Miles today: 0.0

Today is a zero day in what must be one of the finest towns in America. When I hobbled into town yesterday on sore feet and an aching knee, I had no idea what a wonderful experience awaited. When I saw the sign for Murphy's Tavern, my first thought was COLD BEER and my second thought was "Will I be welcome or just tolerated?" Well,the first sign was when the bartender looked up and told me to just drop my pack anywhere convenient and then asked if I needed to plug in my phone. I grabbed a seat at the bar and was immediately welcomed by Billy and Roy and the bartender set me up with a free beer. I was treated almost as a long-lost cousin who just arrived back from a long absence. Never have I felt such a warm welcome in a strange place as I did that day. I returned to the tavern later for dinner. Today I was in the tavern three different times, once for a beer at lunch, once in the middle of the afternoon when I spent an enjoyable hour having drinks with Bob and a host of other great guys, and for dinner again this evening. I was treated to several beers and was treated like a member of the family. I must honestly say that my stay in Greenwood Lake, New York has been one of the most enjoyable experiences of my entire Appalachian Trail journey. In addition, the stay at Anton's on the Lake has also been a treat. I especially enjoyed the wit and humor of Tricia. I am hiking out tomorrow morning and I can assure you that I will miss Greenwood Lake, New York, truly one of the great hidden treasures in this country, and I will be back.
Date: 2013-07-24
From: Greenwood Lake

To: stealth camp on Arden Mt
Miles today: 13.9

Day 32-7/24. I hiked out of Greenwood Lake at 8:55 and reached the AT at 9 o'clock. Quite a climb. Glad it was cool. I continued to hike out to the highway and picked up two hotdogs at Bud's hotdog stand for later. My knee is holding up okay but my little toe on my right foot is very very sore. Trail magic at two of the road crossings, just water but appreciated nevertheless. I ran into a volunteer from a Baptist church and helped him put out a cooler of trail magic. Climbed Arden mountain and set up camp on top at 7:30; now almost 9 and ready to turn out the light. Garbear and Bearsnack just hiked be in the dark. They are finishing a slack pack of 21 miles and have to go another three miles to get their stuff and then hike out another couple of miles to find a campsite . They looked beat and have my total sympathy. Total miles today-13.0.p
Date: 2013-07-25
From: stealth camp on Arden Mt

To: stealth camp West Mt, NY
Miles today: 13.9

Day 33-7/25. Broke camp and hiked out at 7:20. Short hike down to the valley and a long hike up Bear Mountain to Fort Montgomery, a Revolutionary war battle site. The trail runs through a small museum and zoo. Hiked through with Keith Stone, (trail name-think beer commercial). Hiked up the road to the town of Fort Montgomery. I stopped at the post office and picked up my box from David, and looked up and there was Garbear, Bear snack, and Alpha dog. After chatting with them for a while I walked up the hill to the bear mountain bridge motel, a six room motel run by a husband and wife pair who live in the house next door to the motel. The wife washed my clothes and folded them for me. I opened the package from David which had my bottles of permethrin. I walked to a quickie Mart and bought a six pack of Rolling Rock, a small Styrofoam ice chest, and a bag of ice. I spent the rest of the afternoon drinking beer and icing my knee and my toes. After several days on the trail and sleeping in a tent it's very nice to be in an air-conditioned room with a shower. I'm going to grab some more town food and get to sleep early tonight. I will cross the Hudson River on the bear mountain bridge tomorrow morning. The owner of the motel has kindly offered to drive me back to the trail.
Date: 2013-07-26
From: stealth camp West Mt, NY

To: Fort Montgomery, NY
Miles today: 7.0

day34-7/26. Nero day 7 miles from tent site on West Mt. Broke camp and hiked out at 7:20. Short hike down to the valley and a long hike up Bear Mountain to Fort Montgomery, a Revolutionary war battle site. The trail runs through a small museum and zoo. Hiked through with Keith Stone, (trail name-think beer commercial). Hiked up the road to the town of Fort Montgomery. I stopped at the post office and picked up my box from David, and looked up and there was Garbear, Bear snack, and Alpha dog. After chatting with them for a while I walked up the hill to the bear mountain bridge motel, a six room motel run by a husband and wife pair who live in the house next door to the motel. The wife washed my clothes and folded them for me. I opened the package from David which had my bottles of permethrin. I walked to a quickie Mart and bought a six pack of Rolling Rock, a small Styrofoam ice chest, and a bag of ice. I spent the rest of the afternoon drinking beer and icing my knee and my toes. After several days on the trail and sleeping in a tent it's very nice to be in an air-conditioned room with a shower. I'm going to grab some more town food and get to sleep early tonight. I will cross the Hudson River on the bear mountain bridge tomorrow morning. The owner of the motel has kindly offered to drive me back to the trail. T
Date: 2013-07-27
From: Fort Montgomery, NY

To: stealth camp beside trail
Miles today: 14.0

Day 35-7/27. Bought two HUGE breakfast bagels from the shop across from the motel. Ate one and took the other for lunch. Doug (motel owner) drove me to the Bear Mt bridge and I crossed the Hudson. Hard start up Antony's Nose but the trail smoothed out. Stopped at a deli along the road a d bought snacks and a couple of liters of Gatorade. Afternoon was painful with knee not working and blistered toes. Finally got smart and relaced my shoes skipping the first two lace points...instant relief. By 6:00 I was bushed and started looking for a camp site. None appeared so I finally set up my tent next to the trail... In fact, one of my tent pegs was actually in the trail. Went to sleep immediately.
Date: 2013-07-30
From: Telephone Pioneer shelter

To: Ten mile River campsite, CT
Miles today: 14.2

Day 38-7/30. Left the shelter at 7:40 this morning and hiked down to Highway 22. Took a side trip to Tony's deli 6/10 of a mile got a large sub sandwich and a half. Just before reaching the highway i crossed ethe railroad tracks which has a train station to take Appalachian Trail hikers to New York City. (See the photos page for a picture of the train station). The hike was mostly easy dirt trails with very few big slopes mostly level to slightly down. At 2:30 this afternoon I crossed the New York Connecticut state line. I hiked up to the Bulls Bridge which is an old covered bridge over the Housatonic River. Went to the country market on the other side, which I found was a huge rip off. I hiked back 7/10 of a mile to an official camping site where I am now in my tent listening to the susurrus of the Housatonic River about a 100 feet away. I will upload this and the last two days as soon as I get service. Total miles for the day-officially 14.2 miles (actual miles with side trips-16.8). Total trip miles-437.2
Date: 2013-07-31
From: Ten mile River campsite, CT

To: Stewart Hollow Brook Shelter, CT
Miles today: 15.7

Day 39-7/31. Day distance -15.6 miles. Rough trail most of the day with several long, steep hills, both up and down. Last 2 miles to he shelter were flat and easy but the two miles before that was a.very steep downhill of big rocks who h required huge steps. Had a couple of tuna burritos, a snickers, and a giant cup of hot, sweet tea for dinner and I'm in my tent and ready to sleep. Nighty night.
Date: 2013-08-01
From: Stewart Hollow Brook Shelter, CT

To: Bearded Woods bunk and dine
Miles today: 8.9

Day 40- 8/1. Day distance-8.9 miles. Food bag getting low so I ate two packages of instant oatmeal together, one strawberry and one peach. Still not exactly a fan of oatmeal but it does fill the space inside and doesn't taste totally nasty. Hiked out at 7:40 and the first two miles were flat and easy. Soon started uphill and over big rocks. Rain was forecast for early afternoon so I called the "Bearded Woods one of a kind Bunk and Dine" at about 10:00 and asked for a pickup. I made pickup spot about 1:30 and called Hudson who runs a sort of high class hostel with his wife BIG Lu in their home. Have a bunkroom in their basement with shower room and big TV. Dinner and breakfast and laundry plus snack resupply at a discount. All for $50. Had chicken pot pie with a complimentary beer and lava cake with ice cream for dinner. Watched Avatar on DVD after dinner and to bed.
Date: 2013-08-02
From: Bearded Woods bunk and dine

To: Salisbury CT and back to Bearded Woods
Miles today: 17.2

Day 42- 8/2. Had a great breakfast of cheesy scrambled eggs. Loaded up Hudson's truck and headed out with all the hikers to different drops. I was first off and started at 8:00... Lost the trail and had to backtrack but soon was on track and moving. After a short steep climb, the trail was mostly small ups and downs on the level. Hiked along the Housatonic River for quite a way. Made it to the outskirts of Salisbury and hitched a ride to the grocery store for resupply. Called Hudson for pickup and had a long conversation with a family (the Fratts - sp?) (see photos page) the kids and dad were really interested in the trail and the little guy was a hoot. picknicking outside. They were fascinated with the idea of thru hiking Bought a bunch of food for the trail while I waited. D ate two containers of Chobani yogurt. When we got back to Hudson's I showered a d the. Watched the DVD "Young Guns." Had a great dinner of sausage and sourkrout, bruschetta, pasta salad, pasta and chicken breast skewers with a couple of beers. Ready for bed at 9:30.Total distance for the day-17.2 miles slack packed.
Date: 2013-08-03
From: Salisbury CT and back to Bearded Woods

To: Hemlock Shelter, southern MA
Miles today: 13.7

BIG Lu dropped me off in Salisbury at 8:00 and I hiked three mountains slowly and carefully protecting my knee which seems a lot stronger. Lots of elevation gain but not difficult. Great views from one of the mountains. Visited with a number of hikers along the trail and one lady gifted me with a big bag of homemade trail mix. Made it to the Hemlocks Shelter at 5:30 and decided to call it a day. One other hiker here, Sawdog.. Nice two decker shelter with two bunks on the lower level. Sure felt different carrying a full load pack after the light slack pack yesterday.
Date: 2013-08-04
From: Hemlocks Shelter, southern MA

To: stealth camp, Beartown State Foresti
Miles today: 17.0

8/4- Day 43. Woke at 6:30 and on trail at 8. Rough hike down Mt Everett...very steep with lots of big step downs over large boulders. Fast flat trail for next six miles but a sudden thunderstorm made the hike up June Mt very slippery over steep rocks. I arrived at Tom Leonard shelter about 5:30 and had a couple of tuna burritos (pack of tuna on a tortilla with two packets of mayo). While there, a group of 11 middle school age girls from a Reformed Judaism summer camp showed up with their counselors and began setting up camp. Very entertaining bunch of girls but I decided to move on...didn't feel like trying to sleep thru a backwoods slumber party. Darkness caught me along the trail and I finally gave up looking for a good campsite and just put up my tent next to the trail on a not quite flat spot in the bushes.Day total- 17 miles
Date: 2013-08-05
From: stealth camp, Beartown State Foresti

To: Upper Goose Pond Cabin
Miles today: 18.0
Weather: clear sky

Day 44-8/5. Ignore the mileage counter at the top of the page. It is very wrong...I will keep a running toTotal here.I slept reasonably well in my woodland stealth camp...except for occasionally sliding off my mattress due to the slight slope I was on. Started hiking at 7:30. Planned to have breakfast later at the first shelter, about 2 miles away. Arrived at the South Wilcox shelter and cooked a hot meal and took my Aleve (I don't take it on an empty stomach). Soon after, I ran into an older couple who introduced themselves as trail maintainers and they gave me a huge Oreo style carrot cake cookie with cream filling. I saved it for later and soon after Splash came walking up the trail with his usual perma-smile. About a mile later, Cat Lady caught up with us. I hiked on to Upper Goose Pond cabin, which is a two story very elaborate shelter with a bunk room upstairs and sitting room down with a fireplace. The caretaker prepares pancakes and coffee in the morning and there is a canoe and dock on the pond. Over 30 hikers had already arrived and there are only 18 bunks so many of us tented.Day miles-18.0Total miles-526.To Mt Katahdin-640.7
Date: 2013-08-06
From: Upper Goose Pond Cabin

To: Kay Wood Shelter
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

Day 45-8/6. Left Upper Goose Pond cabin at 8 and hiked with Brianna and Jacinda (section hikers from Chicago who are on a 14 day hiking vacation). We, along with several other hikers stopped at a road crossing and visited the "Cookie Lady" and her husband. They run a U Pick blueberry farm and Marilyn got her nickname because she gives her homemade cookies to hikers who drop in. I hiked on about 3:00 and stayed at the Kay Wood shelter with Brianna and Jacinda. Planet and Girlfriend Rig showed up just before dark and tented next to the shelter.Day miles-17.6. Total miles-544.
Date: 2013-08-07
From: Kay Wood Shelter

To: Dalton, MA Shamrock Inn
Miles today: 17.0

Woke up late (7:00) since we were only hiking three miles to take a nero in Dalton. Left shelter at 8:30 and arrived in Dalton just over an hour later. Stopped at Tom Levardi's house and chatted with some hiker trash and waited for Brianna and Jacinda to catch up and the. Walked into town and got a room at the Shamrock Inn. Showered and shared laundry with the ladies and went to lunch at the Dalton Restaurant. Had a big meatloaf melt on Texas toast and a big green salad (really craving the veggies). Caught a city bus to Walmart and bought a bunch of snacks for the trail plus a box of Honey Nut Cheerios and a quart of milk and caught bus back to motel. For dinner tonight, I ate about 80% of the Cheerios and then we went to Sweet Pea's where I downed four scoops of assorted flavored of icecream and back to the motel to complete my journaling. Rain due tomorrow and planning a short day.
Date: 2013-08-08
From: Dalton, MA Shamrock Inn

To: Bascom Lodge on Mt Greylock
Miles today: 17.2

Day 47-8/8. Checked out of the hotel at 8:30. Can't find my knee brace anywhere so I decided to just hike along without it. I planned to hike to Cheshire Massachusetts and Make a decision about carrying on that point. When I arrived in Cheshire about 1 o'clock, I stopped at Diane's twist, an ice cream shop. I got a milkshake and a Gatorade and called the Bascom Lodge on Mount Greylock. I made a reservation for a bunk in the bunk room and continued on towards Mount Greylock. The lower part of the mountain was quite steep but only for about 1 1/2 miles. The middle 3 miles of the hike was mostly flat to slightly uphill, a very comfortable hike. The last mile up to the summit was quite steep but not unusually so. The climb took about 4 1/2 hours to cover 9 miles. I checked out the Summit Tower, and then checked into the lodge. I picked out a bunk near the window and had a shower and changed clothes and went downstairs to have dinner. Dinner was excellent, albeit a bit expensive, $30. It was a fixed price menu with chicken piccata as the entr©e. I could easily have eaten everything on the menu twice and still wanted more. Seating was family-style so I had an opportunity to meet and chat with a number of interesting people. Went up to the bunkroom at about 9:30 and spent half an hour completing journals. Lights out at 10. I was the only person in the bunk room. Day miles-17.2. Trip miles-564.6.
Date: 2013-08-09
From: Bascom Lodge on Mt Greylock

To: Bascom Lodge
Miles today: 0.0

Day 48- 8/9. Zero day at the Lodge. I woke up during the night to the sound of heavy rain hitting the window by my bed. Great sleeping in my warm bed in an otherwise empty bunkroom. Got up at 7:00 and went down to the dining room for cont. breakfast of strong coffee and fresh from the oven fruit and nut muffins. Weather report is for rain most of the day and flash floods so I decided to zero here and ice my knee and get caught up on this journal.Brianna texted me from Cheshire that she and Jacinda were going to yellow blaze (catch a ride by car) up to the lodge since they had already booked bunks for the night. I am going to go into the dining room and have lunch now. Will eat the dinner tonight which is a fixed price meal...very gourmet food but kind of expensive...oh we'll, I'm out here to enjoy myself, not save money. The girls arrived mid-afternoon along with Flatfoot a d several other thru hikers. We hung around the lobby on the very nice mission style furniture for the rest of the day. At 5:00 was beverage time in the lobby and the. A really well prepared dinner of swordfish alla puttanesca. Hung out around the fireplace for the rest of the evening with a bunch of hikers and then off to the bunkroom.
Date: 2013-08-10
From: Bascom Lodge

To: Sherman Brook campsite near N Adams,A
Miles today: 7.9

Day 49-8/10. Total miles for day-7.9 miles.Mt Greylock summit to Sherman Brook campsite. Flatfoot, Brianna, Jacinda and I left Bascom Lodge on Mount Greylock at about 8:30. About 1/2 mile down a very slippery trail, I heard Jacinda send out a wail behind me and then several repeats. Brianna and I raced back and found her on the ground crying. I could tell that she probably had a fractured wrist from the bumps on her wrist. B ran back up the trail for help while I wrapped J's wrist with an ace bandage. Flatfoot and I helped J back up to the road where B had an ambulance on the way. B rode to the hospital with J while Flatfoot and I hiked the trail down to north Adams to meet his cousins who were driving in. For the next 5 miles we kept a text dialogue with B; we met Flatfoot's cousins Phillip and Dan and rode to the hospital where we picked up B and J. We all went to lunch and then Phillip drove J to the airport in Albany to fly home while t he other three of us did some resupply and headed back to the trail (thanks to Dan who not only shuttled us to resupply and the trail but also bought lunch). B, Ff, and I hiked on another couple of miles to the Sherman Brook campsite where we ran into Hipsy Gypsy, Oak, Catnap, and Walk Hard.Total for day-7.9 miles
Date: 2013-08-11
From: Sherman Brook campsite near N Adams,A

To: Bennington, VT (Catamount Motel)
Miles today: 16.8

Day 50-8/11. Sherman Brook campsite to Bennington, Vt.Pretty easy day with one major uphill. Brianna (now known as "Red Blaze" because of her ride down the mountain in the ambulance with Jacinda), Flatfoot, and I crossed into Vermont (often known as VerMUD) early in the day. Fun hike. We called the Catamount Motel in Bennington from the trail and got a ride into town with a trail angel named Steve, who also gave each of us a cold pop. We had heard that the Catamount was very hiker friendly from several SOBOs we met on the trail but the reality was far better. The managers Alan and Annie made us feel at home right away. After we checked in, they gave us the keys to their car (a cool old 1985 Lincoln) and sent us off to have dinner. Had a great dinner and several excellent beverages from a brew pub called Madison's and finished the night with massive sundaes from Friendly's (a chain restaurant with gigantic servings).Total miles for day- 16.8Total for trip-589.7. 578.2 to Katahdin
Date: 2013-08-12
From: Bennington, VT (Catamount Motel)

To: Goddard shelter
Miles today: 10.1
Weather: clear sky

Day 51-8/12. Alan and Annie gave us the car keys to go do laundry and resupply. We put on the wash and got breakfast at a bagel shop, put the clothes in the dryer and headed to Walmart and Price Chopper, then a shoe store for socks, retrieved the dry clothes. Flatfoot's sock liners had melted into the dryer so we went back to the shoe store for replacements. Finally made it back to the motel and Alan drove us out to the trail. Started with a big uphill with big rock steps. We took it slow with lots of long breaks since we had only 10 miles to do and made it to the Goddard shelter by 6:00. Very nice shelter- there was a mom with two teenage sons already there, one apparently autistic. Mom was a very capable and appealing camping partner a d me for to her kids. Several more thru hikers showed up before dark, Fancy Feet and Mouse and a few testers. Full house shelter with snorers, sleep talkers, etc. about two AM it cleared enough to watch the Perseid meteor shower but I slept through it.Total miles-10.1