morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2015-07-14
From: Seven Lakes Drive, 1391.4 NY

To: Peekskill,NY US9 1409.4
Miles today: 16.7

Tuesday, July 14th The Iceman began today with a tough climb up to a rock outcropping. It was a lot like yesterdays but as the day wore on it became less difficult. Early in the day he met a SOBO who was on his way to Harpers Ferry. Last year he had hiked from Springer Mt. in Georgia to Harpers Ferry, WV. He's called a section hiker. When one does sections of the AT in different years not within the same 12 months they're referred to as a section hiker vs a thru hiker. The Sherpa surprised the Iceman today by hiking up to meet him as he came down the trail to the Bear Mt. Inn. The hike was almost entirely on stone steps and the Sherpa met the Iceman short of getting to the Perkins Memorial Tower which took about 45 minutes. They hiked back together and had hot dogs and beer in the Hikers Caf© at the Inn after which they both walked towards the Bear Mt. bridge through the small zoo. At the end of the zoo the Sherpa turned around to go back to the Inn and the Iceman completed another 7+ miles of the trail. This section of the trail was about the easiest yet on the AT. During the day he ran into Warm & Toasty again and at the end of the day he met EZ and Red Hot. Last Sunday the record for the shortest hike on the AT was broken by Scott Jurek. He completed it, by running, in 46 days and 6 hours (I think that's the correct number) and Red Hot met him, on his run, in Maryland. Scott asked Red Hot if he wanted his picture taken with him and of course he said yes. The Iceman and the Sherpa looked at the picture on the iPhone and sure enough it was Scott Jurek. That's a nice memento to have. The weather was good today, cloudy but not too hot, although it did get humid after the rain shower in the late afternoon. Dinner was at Sheehan's Irish Restaurant nearby. The Guinness Beef Stew and Seafood Risotto were both very tasty.
Date: 2015-07-15
From: Peekskill,NY US9 1409.4

To: Long Hill Road
Miles today: 17.0

Wednesday, July 15th The hike today was non-eventful. It was a 17 mile hike at first going north from the US9 to NY301, 12 miles where the Sherpa was waiting and then the Iceman and Sherpa drove to Long Hill Road and the Iceman hiked south for another 5 miles. This was done because the condition of Long Hill Road was not known and as it turned out it was reassuring that the Iceman was in the car with the Sherpa because the road was rock and gravel. The tires are good on the car but one never knows if a sharp rock will puncture one. On Long Hill Road there were two hikers looking for water, the Iceman gave them 2 bottles from the stash in the trunk. They also asked about a ride to Fort Montgomery which was about 20 - 30 miles away. That wasn't going to happen. The hikers, a guy and a gal, were hiking from CT. to GA. and they said when they got there they were going to help her mother build a house. The 5 mile flip flop gave the Iceman a chance to see those who were still in his bubble. He met about 10 NOBO's on this section and they included, EZ, Iron Lady (that's Buffy from his course at Warren Doyle's school The Appalachian Trail Institute in Mountain City TN) Huckleberry Thug, Pony Puncher and some others. It was cloudy all day and a lot like it was going to rain but thank goodness that didn't happen. Because the Sherpa was on call today it only left her a couple of hours to do something fun and that came in the form of a visit to Boscobel. This is a home, built in the early 1800's, overlooking the Hudson River and West Point. It was through the generosity of Lila Acheson, Readers Digest owner, that the house was reassembled and restored to it's original condition furniture and all. It had been dismantled and was being stored in several barns in the Cold Spring, NY area. The tour was excellent and very informative. It's believed the Dykeman cherry is named after States Dyckman, builder and owner of the home. The property is also the home of the local Shakespeare Theater and this night the Sherpa and the Iceman enjoyed "The Winter's Tale" outside under a tent overlooking the Hudson with glass of wine in hand. A GREAT performance! Sorry there's no photo for today nor yesterday. We are staying at the Bear Mountain Inn and they are in the process of installing fiber optics and as of now their wifi is not good! Our laptop can't be used so photo's are not able to be uploaded from the Inn's PC.
Date: 2015-07-16
From: Long Hill Road

To: West Dover Rd. Rt 20 1446.3 miles
Miles today: 19.9

Thursday, July 16th   This morning when the Sherpa dropped off the Iceman, on Long Hill Road in NY, it was very chilly, 59 degrees but it quickly warmed to the low 80¢s.   The almost 20 mile hike was over relatively easy terrain and the Iceman hiked from 8:30 to 5:30. At 3:30 the Sherpa met the Iceman on NY55 after hiking 14.7 miles to see if he wanted to continue hiking to County Road 20 near Pawling, another 5.2 miles. He was tired but decided to continue and the box of blackberries he took with him gave him some energy.   His hike was over Shenandoah Mountain and it was a bit lonely since most of the NOBO¢s, who had camped near the trailhead the Iceman was starting from, had gotten up early and were on the trail before the Iceman got to the trailhead. They were about 12 hour ahead of him and he didn¢t catch up with them this day.   He did see two or three SOBO section hikers and one of them told him of a very large Oak tree that he¢d come to within 14 mile. The tree was very large but was not an Oak it was a Maple. At the end of todays hike there was an oak tree and it's called the Dover Oak and it's the largest on the AT and there are photos of it in the photo section. The Sherpa stayed at the Bear Mountain Inn until check out time, 11am, then drove in the direction of the new base camp, Cornwall Bridge, CT. First a stop was made in Cold Spring, NY to pick up more Vitamin Water, a different flavor this time but still with lots of Potassium, and fruit. The next stop was made in Fishkill, which was just a minor deviation from the route, in order to visit a laundromat and have a quick lunch at Five Guys. The Sherpa met the Iceman at 14.7 miles and because he decided to continue his hike and she had to pick him up in 1 12 hours there wasn¢t enough time to do anything special.   A drive around the area, looking at the homes and scenery, took up the next 1 12 hours. After picking up the Iceman it was on to The Cornwall Inn on Rt. 7 in CT. This will be home for the next 3 nights. It¢s a small inn with a main building containing an eating area and an all purpose room with a few bedrooms upstairs and another building across the parking lot with about 6 more bedrooms.   Dinner tonight was at Gillford¢s a very pretty restaurant in Kent.   The Pecan coated fried oysters were excellent, almost as good as those in Georgia and North Carolina, and the Cesare salad with white anchovies was also very good. Photos will be put on the last two journals now that there¢s better internet connection and the laptop can be used.
Date: 2015-07-17
From: West Dover Rd. Rt 20 1446.3 miles

To: Kent, CT Rt. 341
Miles today: 20.7

Friday, July 17th Dropped the Iceman off at 8:50 today at the Dover tree trailhead where he proceeded north east for about 3 miles and then came to the train station for the NY Central Harlem line. Many hikers take the train into NYC for a day of sightseeing and relaxation. He continued for another 13 miles over moderate terrain and arrived at Bulls Bridge near Kent, CT where the Sherpa was waiting for him. He was tired but it was such a beautiful day that the Sherpa (and his coach) convinced him to go further. After a pep talk he was sent back into battle. He started a climb of 900' to Schaghticoke mountain, descended 400' climbed 500' descended 500' climbed 300' and then descended 900' to route 341. This section of the trail was very difficult but after it was done he was glad that the Sherpa had convinced him to go on. He hiked today a total of 20.7 miles. Two trail angels were on the 341 with cookies and other food and they were very interested in the Iceman and his hike. The conversation lasted about 20 minutes then it was back to the Cornwall Inn to change for dinner. The only hiker the Iceman met today was Iron Lady who was flip flopping. At the local pasta and pizza joint the Iceman saw Huckleberry Thug who was with friends and Sam I Am with his girlfriend who lives in CT and was visiting him. Sam I Am has been making Youtube video's of his hike and apparently it's very popular. He also stayed at the Cornwall Inn so after dinner the four of us sat in the all purpose room and enjoyed a glass of wine and conversation. The Sherpa spent the day walking around Kent and at the small grocery store in town met Chocolate and her son while telling some folks in the store about the Iceman. Chocolate and her family, husband and 3 children, are through hikers and they know the Iceman from the trail. There were several hikers walking around town, resupplying and just relaxing. Kent is a lovely small town and a popular stop for through hikers.
Date: 2015-07-18
From: Kent, CT Rt. 341

To: Route 4 1478.2 mile
Miles today: 11.1

Saturday, July 18th   The 11.1 mile hike today took the Iceman up 500' and then for about 5 miles it was a lot of ups and downs. He came to St. John's Ledges where he had to hike a very steep drop of 500' through a large boulder field and at last he arrived at a river walk along the Housatonic River. This area was flat and for the next 5 miles he enjoyed a very pleasant and scenic walk. But that wasn't to last. His hike ended with a 700' climb over Silver Hill with many ups and downs. The drop off and pickup places are becoming more difficult to navigate with the present car so we opted to swap vehicles and now have a better vehicle for dirt and rock covered roads. The Iceman and Sherpa drove to a point half way between CT and NJ to swap vehicles this afternoon and then did some sightseeing back in CT near Cornwall. The Sherpa didn't have time to do to much in the morning but did attempt to write a journal and gave up because of the poor WiFI connection at the Inn. Dinner was in West Cornwall at the Wandering Moose Caf© just on the other side of the red covered bridge that crosses the Housatonic River. It's a small rustic place with very good meatloaf and veggies and French onion soup. Tonight time must be spent packing as it's onto Great Barrington, MA tomorrow, Sunday
Date: 2015-07-19
From: Route 4 1478.2 mile

To: Rt. 44 Salisbury, CT 1499.2miles
Miles today: 21.6

Sunday, July 19th      The Iceman spent a hot and humid day hiking and within 12 hour of beginning the trail he was soaked to the skin with sweat and stayed that way until he finished hiking at 4:30pm. The trail consisted of a half dozen 500¢ ups and downs and one 1000¢ climb.   Along the way he met the Texas hiking family with ¢a simple man¢, his wife ¢chocolate¢ and two of his children, ¢lollipop¢ and ¢tigger¢. Towards the end of the day he was passed by ¢iron Lady¢, Buffy from the AT Institute. Buffy¢s friend came to pick her up at the end of the day and when the Iceman got to the same place he was offered a nice cold beer. Thank you Buffy¢s friend!!! The photo is of the Housatonic Falls that the Iceman saw along the AT. The Sherpa went directly to the Kent Laundromat after dropping off the Iceman and was there for about an hour. At the Cornwall Inn breakfast was still available in the breakfast room and there were still many guests to have conversations with.   11am rolled around quickly, that¢s the normal check out time, so it was time to gather up the rest of our belongings and head out for the day. Tonight we move base camp to Great Barrington, MA. There was enough time today to do something fun and the choice was difficult, a play, ¢Merrily We Roll Along¢ at the TriArts Playhouse in Sharon, CT or the Enzo String Quartet in Gordon Hall at Music Mountain in Falls Village, CT both venues were near the pickup point. The string quartet won out. Today the Sherpa would spend a warm and sunny afternoon listening to beautiful music on a mountaintop. It was only 1pm and the concert wasn¢t going to begin until 3pm so with oranges and chips in hand a picnic table was found and for the next 2 hours the Sherpa enjoyed nature¢s sounds and the fresh air. The drive to the Holiday Inn Express in Great Barrington, MA was very scenic and dinner was right across the street at the Caf© Adam Restaurant. The Iceman had his usual 3 course meal, he¢s very, very hungry at night and also in the mornings. His meal during the day, while hiking is only fruit and occasionally some dried meat like Slim Jim¢s, etc. so he¢s ravenous in the evening. Tonight he had a large salad, a side of Kim chi, Bouillabaisse and was still hungry so desert was fried calamari. The motto in this family is ¢Eat whatever you like, whenever you like¢.
Date: 2015-07-21
From: Guilder Pond Picnic Area

To: MA23 near Great Barrington 1529.4mi
Miles today: 16.8

Tuesday, July 21st   The Iceman started his day today with a 1400 foot very steep descent from Guilder Pond picnic area, which is at the base of Mt. Everett, down to the plains of Great Barrington, MA. Thank goodness it was a dry day because if there had been any rain the descent would have been a treacherous one since it was over a shear rock face. This was a very difficult descent but not an impossible one. He arrived at a flat, swampy area of farmland and hiked through this for 3 or 4 miles finally coming to the Housatonic River. The mosquitoes are brutal and several of the hikers wear net over their faces. So far all of the Deet, the Iceman has been rubbing onto his body, has kept away the ticks, not the mosquitoes, but he¢s a little concerned that it¢s not the best chemical to be rubbing into your skin. He doesn¢t want to glow in the dark at the end of the journey. Hopefully he won¢t have any side effects from its use. After reaching the Housatonic he climbed up East Mountain another 1100 feet. If he adds up the whole day he feels, even with the heat and horrible mosquitoes, it was a moderate hike. He met the Iron Lady, who was flip flopping and Chocolate and her family going north. The Sherpa and the Iceman have dear friends from NJ, Rona and Claude, who came to Great Barrington to spend the next two days with them and this night the four of them had dinner at the Aegean a Mediterranean and Greek restaurant. The food was very good but nothing could compare to the company. Normally we¢d dine and chat till the cows come home but these days the Iceman needs to get to bed early so he can rise with the sun and get an early start on the trail. Can¢t wait to see our friends tomorrow.
Date: 2015-07-22
From: MA23 near Great Barrington 1529.4mi

To: Goose Pond Road 1545.8 miles
Miles today: 16.4
Weather: overcast clouds

Wesnesday, July 22nd   The Iceman climbed about 2,500 feet throughout his hike today of 16.4 miles and they were challenging vertical climbs. Although it was a cool day, temperatures in the low 60¢s to start, he quickly worked up a sweat. This hike is a preamble to the bigger vertical climbs in Vermont and New Hampshire.   Just before entering a swampy area he met a SOBO who told him to beware, that up ahead there was a hive of yellow jackets under a wooden bridge that he¢d have to use when crossing a stream.   The SOBO met some other through hikers, earlier, that decided to run across this bridge and each one of them got stung about 4 or 5 times so the SOBO thought he¢d try walking very slowly across the bridge and see what happens.   He made it without getting stung. The Iceman came to the wooden bridge and saw many yellow jackets swarming through the wooden slats in the bridge. He took the advice of the SOBO and walked very slowly across the bridge and ¢¦. Viola!! he also made it across without getting stung.   Now you know what to do if you need to cross a wooden bridge that has a hive of yellow jackets under it. Two NOBO¢s passed him and they told him that they slack pack every day and are picked up at the end of each day and dropped off the next day at the same spot. One¢s trail name is Mr. Clean because he likes to take a shower each day. One other NOBO passed the Iceman and he was hiking between 25 and 30 miles per day so that he could get to Mt. Katahdin by the end of August as he has plans to start grad school this fall. The Sherpa also had plans and they were to meet her friends, Rona and Claude for lunch and sightseeing.   They were at their car and preparing to pick up the Sherpa when Claude shut the trunk of his car and the rear window spontaneously shattered into a billion pieces. That pretty much took care of the afternoon. After calling the insurance company it was off to Pittsfield, MA, 35 minutes away, to have a new rear window installed. The Sherpa drove to Pittsfield to give them moral support and while there, they all walked to a nearby restaurant, La Fogata.   Sometimes one finds the best food in the most unlikely places and that was the case today. Excellent Brazilian food in a small corner store with great service by Erin Rita, our wait person (or, as we used to say, Waitress).   The Iceman and Sherpa also met their friends for dinner, the last until the Iceman finishes his hike, and tonight it was in Stockbridge. Stockbridge is a very quaint town and a lovely place to spend a week or a weekend. It was wonderful to be with our friends the last couple of days and we will miss them.
Date: 2015-07-23
From: Goose Pond Road 1545.8 miles

To: Blotz Road 1562.7
Miles today: 16.9

Thursday July 23rd   Today the Iceman had an easy hike, nice change for him. There were few vertical climbs and it wasn¢t rocky. It¢s been cool here in north western MA for this time of year but it¢s supposed to change this coming weekend and there¢s a possibility temperatures will rise into the 90¢s. The Iceman crossed the MA pike (I-90) today, which makes him feel that he¢s now in northern MA. He¢s seeing a lot more birch and evergreen trees and lots of pretty ponds along the trail.   7 or 8 younger hikers passed him today on their way to Mt. Katahdin. They¢re now doing as many miles as they can to get there as quickly as possible and one said that he was about 50 days away from the end. The Iceman hopes that he can make it in that amount of time. It was a clear and sunny day so the Sherpa took a drive to Mt. Greylock to see the views from the summit. The first stop was at the visitors center and while there talking to a ranger the subject of Scott Jurek came up and his having broken the record last week of the person to do the Appalachian Trail in the best time, from Springer Mt. in Georgia to Mt. Kathadin in Maine. It seems that in the last day or so the State of Maine felt it obligatory to give him summonses for one, having opened and drank champagne in Baxter Park and two having too many people on the top with him. Maine should be ashamed!   This must be repeated; ¢The best government is that which governs least¢. Thomas Jefferson   Off to the summit, pictures are in the photo section, and on Saturday the same places will be photographed only then they will have the Iceman in them. Bascom Lodge has some good food and good views from the windows. There are a few rooms to rent. Some of them have bunks in them for 10 people and other are for a single person. Dinner was in Williamstown, MA at Hopkins Choice a small rustic restaurant that has great food. We are now staying in the Berkshire Hills Inn on Route7 and it reminds one of the older style motels where you pull your car up to your room although there is a second level.
Date: 2015-07-24
From: Outlook Avenue

To: Blotz Road 1579.5 miles
Miles today: 16.5

Friday July 24th   A cold front came through today which made it a perfect day for the Iceman to hike. He started early and throughout the day met at least a dozen and a half NOBO¢s. Today he was flip flopping. He never realized, until today, how many through hikers there were in his bubble. This was a unique section of the AT as it went through the middle of 2 towns, Dalton and Cheshire, MA and this gave the through hikers lots of opportunities to stop for food and resupply. The main event of the day was when the Iceman hiked on Werner Hill which the locals call Blueberry Hill because it¢s covered with hundreds or maybe thousands of blueberry bushes. He not only stopped to take a photo of the huge amounts of blueberries on the large bushes but also to enjoy handfuls of them before he continued on to finish for the day. He did leave some for the bears. The Sherpa found a great place for dinner in Williamstown called Mezze Bar and Bistro. One of the chefs is a graduate of the CIA so you know the food was exceptional and included Golden Beet soup and Gazpacho, made with strawberries, a main entr©e of a large meatball cut in half and topped with burrata and chicken breast over pureed broccoli with hen of the woods mushrooms. It was so busy that the only place to eat was at the bar. Our daughter, her husband and 2 of our grandsons are driving from the eastern part of MA tonight, to Williamstown, so that they can hike tomorrow with the Iceman. They plan to hike up and over Mt. Greylock, the highest point in MA.
Date: 2015-07-25
From: Outlook Avenus

To: MA-2 Hoosic Bridge 1592.6
Miles today: 13.2
Weather: broken clouds

Saturday, July 25th   Today the Iceman hiked with family. He started the hike with our daughter, Sandra, her husband, Jon and their oldest son, Walter who is 13 years old. The hike started at Outlook Ave. and ended at the MA2 at the bridge that crosses the Hoosic River. All hiked up to the top of Mt. Greylock where the Sherpa and Sam, their 10 year old son, met them for lunch. Bascom Lodge is at the top of Mt. Greylock and serves breakfast, lunch and dinner. The views from the lodge and the Peace Memorial, which is just a few hundred feet from the lodge are spectacular. After lunch the Iceman, Jon and Walter continued the hike down the other side of Mt. Greylock and the Sherpa, Sandra and Sam decided to go back to the hotel to swim in the pool. The total hike was 13.2 miles with about 2,500 feet of climbing and descending.   Walter had no trouble at all but Jon¢s blisters, from running on the beach near his home, got worse. After picking up a couple of cold beers for the Iceman and Jon it was off to North Adams to pick them up. The trail angel today was a friend of Sam-I-Am¢s and he and his daughter were giving out cold water and lots of other goodies a couple of blocks before the bridge. Sam-I-Am and Red Hot were taking a breather on the soft grass in the shade before going on to the next shelter. Along came Iron Lady and then Iceman, Jon and Walter. They all agreed that it was a tough hike but fun and were looking forward to hiking the next day. The Iceman was so happy having company and it made the hike seem much easier. Gala Steakhouse in Williamstown was the dinner venue for the evening and no one was disappointed. From Fish Head soup to Buffalo Chicken fingers there was something to satisfy everyone and all was delicious. Sleep will come quickly tonight for the hikers.