morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2005-06-15
From: Wildcar Shelter

To: William Brien Shelter
Miles today: 19.6
Weather: light rain

So far NY had been a PUD. No not a Planned Urban Development, but Pointless Ups & Downs. The climbs in some place are going up a rock face with a trail cut in it. It takes upper body strength and hand holds to pull and push yourself up. The climbs themselves have not been too long but it does take awhile to get through them. The day was very long. I started at 6:53am and got here to the shelter at 8:06pm. It was a 20 mile day which is about the max I want to do in this weather. I wanted to make the next day¢s hike as short as possible. I will be getting a room while waiting for my cousin John to come from Michigan. I talked to him the other day and he expected to arrive about 7:00 PM. With a short hike I should have all my washing done and resupplying taken care of so I can be ready to have a meal when he gets here. I may even watch a TV program. I have only watched TV once in the last 3 months and I don't miss it (Editor¢s note: Somehow I doubt this). Water is still a problem and I don't know if it will get any better. I'm just trying to make sure I drink enough when I can.At one point today the mosquitoes were so bad I actual ran with my pack. I hit three of them together in one hit when I stopped. I know I must have been bitten at least 30 times and have the welts to prove it. It seemed to take forever to get through that section but in reality it was only 30 minutes. I don't know why that one section was so bad but it was. Everyone had the same problem.We had one other hiker show up to spend the night with the three of us. Blur, a thru-hiker that started April 16th, is also here. I know I'll only see him tonight because he is doing 20 to 30 miles days. It shows what a difference it makes by doing a longer distance day. He started almost a month after I did and he is here at the same shelter. I'll leave that to the youngsters and be happy with my 15 mile days.
Date: 2005-06-16
From: William Brien Shelter

To: Fort Montgomery
Miles today: 8.9

I saw my first bear today. I was walking down the trail and I though I saw a bear in the distance. I put my pack and hiking poles down so I wouldn't make any noise. I walked a little closer and confirmed it was a bear. I knew I would have to get closer to get the picture I wanted. I checked again and observed that I was down wind. That is the place to be with a bear. I waited and watched for bear clubs and did not see any. The bear was busy facing the other way so I could approach from behind. I proceeded ahead to get close enough to get the picture. I kept checking the wind and for any bear clubs that may be around, nothing had changed. I was finally close enough to take the picture -- 20 feet away. I knew I wouldn't have to worry about a clicking sound when I took the picture, my camera doesn't make one. Click, I had the picture, But the flash went the flasher on the camera. I had forgotten to take it off! The bear saw the flash and turned toward me and stood on its hind legs displaying its full size. The bear took a step towards me. I took a step back knowing I was safe behind the bear cage at the Trailside Museum & Wildlife Center. I had the picture I wanted, the lowest spot on the AT at 120 feet, in front of the bear cage at the Wildlife Center.The forecasted rain started at 2:45am last night but had stopped by day break. Other than wet rocks it looked like it would be nice hiking. I managed to only fall once. The weather had cooled off and I used my sleeping bag as a cover last night. The rain held off most of the day after the early morning showers I had just finished lunch and then it poured. We asked a fellow for a ride to the hotel where I was going to get a room and meet John. Also because of the rain Wing It and Doc decided not to hike out. We all got to the hotel but they said they didn't have a room. They told us to try the Holiday Inn down the street. We had to walk there in the pouring rain and when we got there, they also had no room. I called John on the cell phone number he left, but did not get through. They were nice enough to let us wait in the area next to the lobby. John showed up. I explained that we would have to try the next town for a room. John rearranged the gear he had and the three of us loaded our gear and headed to Peeskill to look for a room. We finally found one and that¢s where we all are tonight. We are still putting the plans together for tomorrow
Date: 2005-06-17
From: Fort Montgomery

To: NY301 Fahnestock Campsite
Miles today: 18.2

Because of the logistic of parking the car at the trail head so John could hike with me and staying in Peekskill we did not start back at Fort Montgomery. There was no place to leave the car there for the two weeks John will be with me. We went to Graymoor Friary instead. John asked about leaving the car there and they said we could. John was excited about starting the hike. In fact he was so excited that he started the wrong way heading back south to Springer. With my vast experience about going the wrong way I caught him and we headed back north towards Maine.I remembered how I felt the first couple of days so we did 11.9 miles for the day. John is in pretty good shape and we traveled at a comfortable pace all day. He did want to take a break each hour so we did. We keep busy passing the time talking about families, school, jobs and everything in between. Sometimes we were talking so much we would miss the white blazes and stop and see where the trail was. We were never far off and were back on the AT after a few minutes.We did have to hitch a ride to the camp grounds where we were going to camp for the night. The first night here is no charge for thru-hikers. They also had a coke machine so I had a coke with dinner (Editors note: Upon his return Rick will be writing a book called. ¢Hiking the AT on nothing but Cokes and Ice Cream.¢) We arrived here a little after 4:30pm and we both pitched our tents. They are not to close together but I could see John lying down while I finished putting mine up. I was hungry so I got my food and stove out and walked down to the picnic table to cook. I walked over to get John but he had already fallen asleep. I waited and walked around the camping area to see if I could ¢Yogi¢ some food, but there were no good candidates. I went back and started my dinner and while I was cooking John got up to get his started. Just as we were finishing dinner a few sprinkles fell and some thunder could be heard in the back ground. It rained hard and the wind blew pretty strong while the storm went through. The part of the park we are camped at used to be an old iron mine. So here we sit in tents on rocks with a high iron ore deposit, just what you want with lighting.Our old group is really split up now. Doc and Wing It are a head of us. I think the rest may still be behind us but may pass us in the next day or two while John works up to the longer days and miles. Doc is going to the outfitter in Pawling so we might catch him.The weather and trail has changed for the better. Its cooler now and the trail did not have as many rocks and climbs. I just hope it lasts for a couple of days. In 33 more miles I'll be out of NY ready for another state.
Date: 2005-06-18
From: NY301 Fahnestock Campsite

To: Morgan Stewert Shelter
Miles today: 16.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Things are starting to get back to normal. The rocks have started to give way and there haven¢t been many hard climbs. The longest climb even had switch backs. John made it through 16 miles and still is alive. He isn¢t even complaining to much. We are still walking along and talking until one of us will realize we haven¢t seen a blaze for a while. We did have some nice views and I got some more pictures.It¢s been fun as we talk about different things, events, jokes and solve some world problems. It really makes the time and distances fly by. We also decided that as family, with all our parents now gone, that we are going to have to keep better at seeing each other and keeping in touch. John's kids will now be off in school and he and Candy will be able to take some summer time off to go hiking. They both teach so they have summer time available. I have already said I want to go and may even talk my son to doing a week with us (Editors note: If Dad¢s Grin is paying and Wyoming is the destination, his son might consider it).I showed John some real trail food today. There was a pizzeria .3 miles from the trail. We went there and each had a medium pizza. We both ate 3/4 and brought two pieces for dinner at the shelter. I also had four cokes and two ice cream bars (Editors note: Four Cokes?? Shocking). It¢s a small world. I got to the shelter and a section hiker from St Pete was here. Her trail name is Slowly but Shirley. After talking with her I found out she went to the same high school I went to and lives in the same neighborhood I grew up in. She is a teacher and teaches at same high school. That¢s the second person from St. Pete I've met. She also said there is another hiker called Pine Tree who is out here. Tomorrow calls for the same weather as today. If it holds true, it will be another nice day for hiking.
Date: 2005-06-19
From: Morgan Stewert Shelter

To: Wiley Shelter
Miles today: 16.6
Weather: overcast clouds

Again, the hiking was nice. The trail had very few rocks, the climbs were not hard, and they had switch backs. We also passed many water sites.Choo-Choo and Slowly but Shirley started at 6:00 AM today and made it to the shelter just after John and I got here. We had passed them about a half mile before the shelter. John and I had started at 7:30am which is about normal for me. Two other thru-hikers made it to the shelter later, Spitfire and August. They were both were late March starters, so it looks like the fast March and early April hikers are going to start catching me. They will be doing way more miles per day than I am, so I will probably only see them once. I'm still happy with my 15 mile days. John and I both have time to talk, take breaks and get to a shelter with time to cook and set up without rushing. We are both camped on a wooden platform tonight in the tents.Tomorrow is going to be a short day with a trip into town for lunch. We will be doing 12.4 miles and stay at a shelter .3 miles from Kent, CT. We can get into town first thing the next day and have breakfast, do laundry, resupply and go to the post office for my bounce box. It would be a long day (19 miles) if we try for the shelter, but there are some campsites along the way so we can choose where we want to stop.
Date: 2005-06-20
From: Wiley Shelter

To: Mt. Algo Shelter
Miles today: 12.4
Weather: broken clouds

Two short days in a row. John loves it and I'm glad for a little break. We hiked slow today while taking in the vistas and talking as usual. We got a late start today and did not get going until 8:03. Neither of us heard the other hikers pass our tents. The trail passed within 10 feet of the tents. Around 10:00am we came to the Ten Mile River. That was too much temptation for John and he took a dip in the river. There was another young couple section hiking that was doing the same thing. The difference was they had suits on and John didn't. John did go up the river and around the bend before going in for the dip. It was cold, but he said it felt good.We made it to the Bull Bridge Road and hitched a ride to the deli for sandwiches, snacks, cokes and ice cream. I did have to help John finish his ice cream. While we were eating Spitfire came in with her son to eat a quick snack. John got to talk to him about fuel cell technology. Spitfire¢s son had spent two semesters interning for a company that does that as part of his college program. We walked back to the trail and continued our hike. We are tenting again tonight and you can hear the mosquitoes buzzing around the tent. It would not be a fun night in the shelter. I can see the mosquitoes as they buzz around and land on the netting outside the tent. Tomorrow will be another short day with all we'll be doing in town. There is a shelter area about eight miles from town and we should be able to make it there before night. Before the mosquitoes carry me and the tent away, I'll turn off my light and get some sleep.
Date: 2005-06-21
From: Mt. Algo Shelter

To: Stewart Hollow Brook Lean-to
Miles today: 7.3

June 21 is the Summer Solstice and the longest day of the year. There is a trail tradition surrounding the solstice. On this day you are supposed to hike naked. All I'll say is that one of the two of us did. I'll let you decide. It wasn't a pretty picture.(Editor's Note: Rick's daughter Stephanie was appauled by the thought of her father hiking naked. In fact, she was quoted as saying, "A grown man shouldn't be doing stuff like that." As we can see, she was born without a sense of humor).Last night there were some hikers that came in after I went to bed. When I got up this morning I saw Stealth and Ninja walking down to the shelter. They were one of the three groups that came in last night. The last time I saw them was going into Waynesboro, VA over 600 miles ago. They had spent time with family and were just now catching up. They had taken about 6 or 7 days off and had been behind me all this time. They are now ahead after today but did say they were taking time off for the 4th of July. Who knows, maybe I'll catch them this time. Doc is still signing the register but soon will be two days ahead of me since I only did 7.3 miles today.I wish John could come along for more of the hike. He got us a ride with the first car that came by going to Kent, CT. This was a real uppity town and John and I really looked out of place. It was also expensive. The shower and laundry mat we wanted to use is not open any longer. So we have no clean clothes and we still stink. I got my mail and bounced it to Manchester Center, NH and added some more items to a third box now. John picked up what he needed at the outfitters. I got a new bandana, because I lost yet another one. It¢s a yellow one to go with the yellow shorts my son likes so much. We also had both breakfast and an early lunch in town. John and I did our best to get cleaned up and have some clean laundry. I rinsed my shirt in the Schaghticoke River and washed off with my bandana. John did the same.The moths are bad tonight and they keep hitting my tent. So it¢s off with the light.
Date: 2005-06-22
From: Stewart Hollow Brook Lean-to

To: Base of Prospect Mountain
Miles today: 20.6

It was a long hard day and I was laying there thinking I needed to do the journal. The next thing I knew it was after midnight. I had fallen asleep without ever starting the journal. So I am writing this the next day. I washed my shorts and shirt in the river. They were too dirty for me to look at or smell anymore. It helped some I just need to get to a laundry mat and get them clean even if it¢s only for a day. At the picnic area we talked to some lady and she was going to check to see if the pizzeria would deliver to the picnic area. It was only a half mile from town. However, she never came back to tell us if they would. We waited about a half hour before starting dinner. It was the usual burritos made with rice, tuna and cheese. They are simple to make and have some favor especially if you use hot sauce.Because we waited for the lady to come back we did not have enough time to make it to the Lean-to (Lean-to's are what they call the shelter in CT). It would have been a 22 mile day. John and I did find a good area just off the trail to camp at the base of Prospect Mountain. We did not want to have to climb the mountain in the dark. John did great and did not complain about the long day at all. He is becoming a seasoned hiker already. We stopped at a gas station and the first thing he wanted was a coke. So much for the long and tiring day.
Date: 2005-06-23
From: Stewart Hollow Brook Lean-to

To: Race Brook Falls Stealth Camp
Miles today: 17.4

Today was another long day and we had another town vortex to deal with. We were trying for the Hemlocks lean-to but did not make it. It would have been a 19.6 mile day. We started early enough but took a side trip into town for breakfast and some quick resupplying. We were in and out in about two and a half hours, but in the end we needed the extra hour to have made the lean-to.We tried a hitch but after about ten minutes we said to heck with it and walked. The town was another uppity town and things were expensive. The breakfast was excellent though. I had three eggs, fruit and some homemade fruit bread and raisin bread. Johnny Blaze another thru-hiker came in and order the same thing plus the pancakes. He did not get through the third pancake so John and I ended up splitting it. It was excellent and I almost ordered them. Next we resupplied and were soon out of town, but not before eating a ice cream bar, a box of cookies and drinking a coke. John only had the ice cream and one of my cookies. I did offer him more he just didn't like them. A few more days on the trail and he'll like the cookies just fine.Again, we just didn't have enough time and did not want to get stuck climbing Mt Everett in the dark. We have a nice place to stealth camp again. While in town we found out that a mother and two cubs were walking around the area last night. We have been hanging our food bags and I don't see that changing for the remainder of the hike.Because we knew we were not going to make the shelter, John and I decided we would eat dinner on top of Race Mountain. We had a full north to south view from the very top of the mountain. To the north you could see Mount Greylock, the highest spot in Massachusetts. I should be there in about four days. I've now gone through my tenth state. I expect to be through Massachusetts in five more days. That will only leave VT, NH and ME. I'm getting there one step at a time.Time for bed.
Date: 2005-06-24
From: Race Brook Falls Stealth Camp

To: Tom Leonard Lean-to
Miles today: 16.6

Today was the worst day yet. I never knew there could be so many mosquitoes. It¢s unbelievable. It may have also been the hottest day yet and they are saying tomorrow will be hotter.Where to start? John and I got up early and were under way by 7:00 AM.We wanted to make a quick trip into Greater Barrington for laundry and a one day supply of food plus a meal. When we got to the Hemlocks Lean-to there was a woman there with her young son. They were hiking the last section in Massachusetts and were heading home to Connecticut. John started talking with her and found out she was heading back towards John¢s schedules pickup spot. Originally, our plans called for John to hike some of NY, NJ and CT with me and then get picked up in northern CT. Since I had gone further than expected before he joined up with me, he decided to get a ride back to CT to meet his friends. So I lost my hiking partner today at the Jug End Road.In John¢s case it may have been a good thing. The trail was flat and had more mosquitoes than any other place so far. I'm sure it was the breeding ground for every mosquito in the state of Massachusetts. It was so bad I didn't even stop to put on my rain jacket to keep them off. The trail was flat enough so I decided to run for a while. I ran three miles with a full pack of 4 days of food and two liters of water in 53 minutes.With the mosquitoes, the heat, and his blister John wouldn't have had much fun here. I'm camped at 1,650 foot elevation and the mosquitoes are still here. I'm going to wear long pants and my rain jacket tomorrow. I got into my tent as soon as I got here and skipped dinner. At one time I had upwards of 25 mosquitoes on the outside of tent. With John gone I ended up here alone. After getting here and reading my guide book I discovered there is a hostel two miles down the trail. I would of had time to reach it had I realized it was there. I'm sure at least one hiker is there.I have another low section to go through tomorrow. This time my rain jacket will be where I can get to it easily.
Date: 2005-06-26
From: Upper Goose Pond Cabin

To: 83 Depot Street
Miles today: 20.2

Here I am on the front porch of Tom Levardi¢s house at 83 Depot Street, Dalton MA. I was going to complete the journal tomorrow since I did another long day. So how did I end up here?As bad as the day before was I did get some things done that weren't in that day¢s journal. After getting to Goose Pond I still tried to do laundry and take a bath. The bathing consisted of going down to Goose Pond and sitting in the pond and cleaning the best I could using just water. It wasn't much, but I did get some of the dirt and grim off. I would have used soap, but I wasn't allowed to. I¢m not sure you were allowed to get naked but I did. There was absolutely no one in the area. My clothes have not been washed in about two weeks. I did the best I could there using a five gallon bucket and pond water. The water came out dirty but the cloths weren't fresh and clean smelling. I'm sure they are cleaner than before, but I still need to go to a laundry mat and wash everything. After that it was getting dark and I did not want to fight the mosquitoes. I was just too tired so I ended up in bed by 8:30pm without dinner.Although I promised myself never to do another long day like that, I hiked just as far today. Mostly because there was a town not too far away. I got into town at 7:22pm. It also gave me time to call my daughter and see it my son-law¢s aunt is home. I would like to stop there or call my friend Greg Taylor and see if I can spend a day or two there.I was able to get some bug repellent from one of the section hikers at Goose Pond, as a result I wasn't fighting mosquitoes all day. I still got bitten but not like the last three days. The mosquitoes bent my spirit but they didn't break me. Like I said I am staying at Tom Levardi¢s house. Tom is a previous thru-hiker and his house is right on the trail in Dalton. He will normally let you stay on the porch in inclement weather. It wasn't raining when I got here but it was booming in the distance. I rang the door bell even though it didn't look like he was home. I was walking down the steps thinking I would have to find a room in town or find the first flat spot and camp. Neither of which were good options. Just then, Tom opened the door. He said he had just gone to bed he had to get up at 4:30am tomorrow to travel. I asked if I could spend the night on the porch and he said yes. So here I am. I even walked to the convenience store and got a couple of drinks and the girl there let me order pizza to be delivered back to the house.Tomorrow will be another long day. If I'm lucky it may work out that I can get a couple of days off after getting to Greylock. We¢ll see.
Date: 2005-06-27
From: 83 Depot Street

To: Wilbur Clearing Lean-to
Miles today: 20.8

Again, it was the little things that made a difference. The trail went directly through Cheshire, MA. I was able to stop right on the trail and have lunch at the local ice cream shop. I would have rather had a restaurant lunch but the two places in town were closed on Monday. I did have a sandwich, a milkshake, plus a couple of cokes.Again, the trail was flat with only one hard climb. When I got to Greylock I was too late for dinner. I had to settle for a coke and an ice cream sandwich. There was a bunk room you could stay at for ten dollars but I had to go back south to get there. I have a rule never go back unless absolutely necessary. So I decided I would hike to the next shelter if I needed to.I called Greg but no one was home. He was probably out of town at a race. He has sent me an email with the dates he would be around but I did not have it on my pocketmailer. I tried my daughter and she said Rich's Aunt wasn't home either. I was out of luck for a place to stay so I hiked to the shelter.One nice thing about having a shelter to yourself was that there is plenty of room to pitch my tent inside the shelter. Also, no one is there to get you up early as they leave. Another 20 mile day done and 10 miles left in Massachusetts.