morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2005-07-18
From: Story Spring Shelter

To: Melville Nauheim Shelter
Miles today: 17.4
Weather: heavy intensity rain

Hot and humid was the story for today¢s hike ¢ well make that the story for the past week! Everything we have feels damp and sticky - summer hiking at its best...!The terrain we encountered was less slippery which was appreciated since yesterday¢s hike was virtually a mud walk. As a result, we took our time and enjoyed this section. During lunch we met Airbus @ Goddard Shelter. We liked talking with this NOBO from England while we dined on salami and cheese tortillas. Our lunch break became quite extended related to some light showers that moved in during our stay. After they subsided, we continued on for our final destination of Melville Shelter. This shelter is only 1.6 miles from Bennington, but we opted to crash here to save money. We¢ll head in tomorrow for a Nero and have all day to enjoy the town. We¢ve been seeing signs and posters since Hanover about a ¢fiesta¢ in Bennington tomorrow night. Natures Closet, a local business, is sponsoring the party featuring free Mexican food, 10 cent drafts, and a movie. We¢re anxious to check this shindig out as it fits into our budget perfectly! Also Super T¢s parents and Don King¢s Mom will be in town, too. We look forward to seeing them.
Date: 2005-07-19
From: Melville Nauheim Shelter

To: Bennington- Nature's Hostel
Miles today: 1.6

It rained on us last night which made a muggy night even muggier. But we weren¢t too bummed since we only had a 1.6 mile hike into town.Just before the VT9/AT trailhead there was a sign that read, ¢Hey JHP, welcome to Bennington¢ that Super T¢s Dad had affixed to a tree. Thanks for the welcome sign! When we reached the Vermont 9/AT trailhead, I saw a yellow bus that I mistaked for the courtsey shuttle. It turned out to be a gypsy's mobile home but he offered us a ride into Bennington anyway. He was an interesting man and we were thankful for the shuttle. We¢re staying here tonight since The Nature¢s Closet, a local outfitter, is sponsoring a party for thru-hikers! The Rattlesnake Caf© is catering the food and a good time should be had by all!Later today we are supposed to meet up with Super T¢s parents and Don King¢s Mom for lunch. I also need to buy a new pair of socks since my old ones are wearing thin. Hey, 578 miles out of a pair isn¢t too bad, huh?
Date: 2005-07-20
From: Bennington- Nature's Hostel

To: Seth Warner Shelter
Miles today: 11.5
Weather: few clouds

Today we got a late start since our party last night carried on into the wee hours of this morning... We had such a good time- Bennington, Nature¢s Closet, and the Rattlesnake Caf© rock! The weather we had today was phenomenal! It seems the humidity and hot temps have temporarily disappeared¢¦we¢ve got our fingers crossed! As far as scenery goes, today was more of the typical rolling green forests.Tonight we¢re camped 2.8 miles from the VT/MA border. Hard to believe we¢re leaving Vermont so soon. Vermont has been awesome- and its people have been amazing! The JHP is here and we¢re fixing to cash in!Oh, one more thing. We did run into on e NOBO, Krazy Katie, that I recognized from the REI at the Mall of Georgia. She told us that the masses of NOBO¢s were only a few days away. I guess the shelters will be full through Massachusetts and Connecticut.
Date: 2005-07-21
From: Seth Warner Shelter

To: Chesire via Dalton
Miles today: 21.9

Mass-Magic...let me explain. Last night was the best night of sleep we've had in a while since the temperatures and humidity were low. And, after we packed up this morning, we only had a short 2.8 mile hike to the Vermont/Massachusetts line.At the border, we celebrated with a hug and pictures. Shortly after crossing the line, we walked out of the woods into the town of North Adams where we stopped at the ¢Stop and Shop¢ for a coke and a sub sandwich. Between, for the next several hundred miles the AT will either be going through or winding close nearby towns. I¢m sure we will be taking advantage of these opportunities!When we were hiking out of town, south towards Mt. Greylock, Tom Levard and Baltimore Jack pulled up beside us in a blue Jeep Cherokee and they asked us if we wanted to slack pack. Without hesitation we all said yes as Mt. Greylock stood before us- it¢s the biggest climb Massachusetts has to offer with over 2400 feet of elevation gain in less than 4 miles. (Tom has been generously offering his services to thru-hikers for over 20 years. He lives in Dalton, MA and the trail passes his house on a sidewalk. He just happened to be in North Adams.) So, we loaded all of our gear into on e big garbage bag (minus our water and backpacks) for Tom to take to Cheshire, MA where he would drop them off at them St. Mary of the Assumption Catholic Church. This church has a free hostel where we were planning to stay.After he left, we virtually ran up Greylock! At the top, we went into the distinctive War Memorial tower that signified the summit. The views we had were incredible! We then descended down Greylock and into Cheshire. When we reached the church, we called Tom in Dalton, MA for a pick up as instructed. He came back and whisked us away to his place for a delicious Spaghetti dinner. During dinner, he convinced us to stay the night and slack from Chesire back to Dalton tomorrow. OK- now trail magic is at an all time high! Tonight we are full, relaxed, and thankful to be in MA! Halleluiah!
Date: 2005-07-22
From: Chesire via Dalton

To: Tom's House
Miles today: 9.3

This morning the JHP, Blaze, and North walked up the street to Duff and Dell¢s for breakfast, then Tom drove us back to Cheshire so we could slack our way back to Dalton. It¢s a rough life I know¢¦Today¢s hike was like a walk in the park. I actually jogged the last two miles as it was mostly a road walk through Dalton. When we got here, Tom treated us to lunch before he took us to the laundry mat. After we finished cleaning our nasty clothes, he then drove us to a local swimming hole we enjoyed jumping off its rock ledges.Presently, we are resupplied and read for bed. However, tomorrow morning we have to go by the P.O. since we forgot to today. Can¢t believe we did- guess we¢ll just have to sleep in tomorrow since it doesn¢t open until 9 AM.
Date: 2005-07-23
From: Tom's House

To: Upper Goose Pond Cabin
Miles today: 20.6
Weather: clear sky

After another fine breakfast at Duff and Dell¢s, we set off for the P.O. to pick up our forgotten packages. Thanks BDD4, Rock and Robin Dake for their gracious care packages. We enjoyed our loot and especially the Toccoa Record! It was nice to see news from home! Tom¢s generosity showed through once more today as he offered to slackpack us ten of our twenty mile day. He dropped our gear off at the ¢Cookie Lady¢s¢ house on Pitsfield Road. We arrived there around lunch to repack our gear and grabbed a bite to eat. The ¢Cookie Lady¢ lived up to her name and we received chocolate chip cookies. Thanks Cookie Lady!!!Towards the end of our hike today we crossed I-90/Mass Turnpike on a footbridge that crosses over the interstate. The zooming cars reminded us of the hustle and bustle we left behind.After the turnpike, we had a short hike to Upper Goose Pond Cabin. When we arrived, we jumped in the pond for a quick dip. The water was much warmer than the mountain streams we¢ve grown accustomed to, another reminder of home. There are many NOBO¢s here tonight as well as extended family formerly called ¢Team America¢. We enjoyed a nice fire and good company and are now headed off to bed.
Date: 2005-07-24
From: Upper Goose Pond Cabin

To: Tom Leonard Shelter
Miles today: 21.1
Weather: overcast clouds

Pancakes and hot coffee- man, I wish they had that for breakfast at every shelter. We were fortunate though to partake in this wonderful feast to start off our day.We left Goose Pond Cabin at 7:30 AM and made excellent time to Jerusalem Road where we walked .6 miles into Tyringham for ice cream and a coke. After our scrumptious snack we got back on the trail and continued south.At Benedict Pond, 2 miles north of MA 23, the JHP decided to go into Great Barrington for resupply before heading to the Tom Leonard Shelter. But, not before jumping in for a quick cool off.Tonight we¢re tenting on a platform overlooking a valley of green, lush, rolling hills. The weather feels as good as we do- PERFECT!
Date: 2005-07-25
From: Tom Leonard Shelter

To: Sages Ravine Campsite
Miles today: 21.0
Weather: light rain

What a nice beginning we had to our last day in MA! After a fairly easy ridge walk, through cornfields, and pastures we made it to US 7. From there we walked .1 miles to a nursery where we were able to purchase ice cream and Snapples.Later in the day we ascended Jugend Mountain followed by Mt. Everett. These provided many views of the MA Valley; however, the most breath-taking vista was from Race Mountain! Once at the summit of Race, you reach a cliff where you can see 180 degree views. We sat and admired the scenery before we descended into Sage¢s Ravine Campsite. On our way to this campsite, we reached state #5- Connecticut! We made it through MA in 5 days. Not bad considering MA is 92 plus miles of the AT! We¢re happy to be in Super T and Don King¢s home state as they are, too!At camp tonight Samoa recognized someone from UGA. His trail name is Prodeus- what a small world. Also, the caretaker at this site offered some trail magic in the form of Tall-Daddy Budweiser. Gosh, did he know we were coming?!
Date: 2005-07-26
From: Sages Ravine Campsite

To: Belter's Campsite
Miles today: 18.0
Weather: overcast clouds

The temperature was perfect upon awakening, 65 degrees with a cool breeze that made getting out of our tent difficult.Bear Mountain was Connecticut's welcoming climb and we enjoyed its greeting! We had excellent views from the summit which also made leaving there difficult, too!Once we descended down to US 7, we hiked into Salsiburg for resupply. After we reprovisioned, we ate a sub on the lawn outside the supermarket. The temperature was in the 90's so we decided to postpone our hike back out to 2:00 PM in order to "beat the heat". Later in the afternoon we reached the Great Falls of the Housatonic River. Apparently, they were releasing a lot of water form the dam above because the water coming over the falls was intense. Of course, the JHP swam and played in the rapid water for hours!After our swim, we had an easy "River Walk" along the Housatonic to Butler's Campsite where we are crashing. However, on our way we saw the damage of a train derailment and earlier in the year. There were still railcars turned over and twisted with their cargo in tact. Pretty scary...It's hot tonight- hope we sleep well.
Date: 2005-07-27
From: Belter's Campsite

To: Kent, CT
Miles today: 22.2

Samoa and I knew today was going to be tough as the heat and climbs were meeting us early. So, we left Belter¢s campsite at 7:30 AM, in hopes to get a jump start. After lots of ups and downs in the terrain, we approached CT 4 where we hitched into the Cornwall Bridge, CT for fuel. While in town, we stopped by Cornwall Package Store to sign their hiker register and to drink our free beer for doing so! Thanks!From Cornwall, we hiked along the Housatonic River to St. John¢s Ledges before arriving at CT 341- which leads into Kent, CT. However, just before CT 341, Samoa hiked through our first thunderstorm. It was intense, but short in length. At CT 341, we hiked .5 miles into Kent where Super T and Don King led us to a secret stealth site. Along the way, we met a NOBO, Lighting Rod, from Atlanta, Georgia. He was struck twice by lightening in 1996 hence the name. Thank goodness he wasn¢t hiking with Samoa and me earlier¢¦haha!We¢re all going to a pizza place soon so I must go! But tomorrow we¢ll be in NY- CRAZY!!
Date: 2005-07-28
From: Kent, CT

To: Hoyt Rd.- CT/NY Border - Then to the Mannion's
Miles today: 11.5

An old-timey siren was our 4:30 AM alarm this morning. Sounded like an air raid- still not sure what emergency service was responsible for the wicked noise?! But we were all excited about today as it was going to be our last for a week. Super T¢s Dad is picking us up at 12:30 PM on Hoytt Road- the CT/NY border and bringing us back to his home. So getting up that early wasn¢t a problem!Initially we climbed Mt. Algo and Schaghticoke Mountain which had us huffing and puffing. Then we cruised along the Ten Mile River before hitting our last climb of the day- Ten Mile Hill! The JHP crushed this last obstacle before arriving at Hoyt Road.Mr. Mannion was there at 12:30 PM sharp and we were as excited to see him as he was to see us! He drove us back to Chesire, CT where he and his wife are treating us like royalty. Since we are taking OFF from (7/29 thru 8/4), there will NOT be any trail related entries during that time. However, there will be a few pictures of the Mannion¢s (Trail Angels) and the beach. Well, we are going to tour Cheshire and enjoy spending time with family on Anna Maria, FL during this time- so, Gills out!
Date: 2005-07-29
From: Cheshire, CT - The Mannion's

To: Cheshire, CT - The Mannion's
Miles today: 0.0

Picked up by Dennis Mannion at Hoytt Road yesterday. We're cleaned up and hanging out before we depart to NYC Laguaria' International airport in the morning. Dennis and Super T are taking us to the airport at 3 a.m. in the morning. These guys are incredible.
Date: 2005-08-06
From: Hoyt Rd.- CT/NY Border

To: Morgan Stewart Shelter
Miles today: 17.8
Weather: clear sky

Wow, what a few days off can do to a body! Mentally we feel like gold but physically our bodies were in shock after our little break.We had a wonderful time in Florida and would like to thank Mike Haynie, my dad, for getting us there and having a fabulous location on the beach for us to stay. Also, thank you to Jeanne Willis, Kim, and Eric Willis for making the drive to see us! We enjoyed seeing and spending time with all of our families. Thanks so much to the Mannion¢s for their hospitality and getting us to and from the airport! Also, we¢re grateful that my mom and step dad made the trip down to the Atlanta airport! It was so nice to see them! While we had an excellent break, it¢s so nice to be back on the trail- if only our bodies agreed¢¦Today¢s hike was not too strenuous, but our ¢trail legs¢ were a little wobbly. The trail through New York so far has been very picturesque. We¢ve crossed several pastures and even the Appalachian Train Station. Another cool Sighting was the Dover Oak. It is supposedly the largest oak on the trail-it was HUGE!!! As we were admiring the tree¢s size, we met Lioness, a female NOBO from Atlanta, GA, who I knew from Trail Journals. Her parents actually live in my hometown, too! Then we met ¢The Newlyweds¢, a NOBO couple who I was following on trailjournals as well. Shortly before Morgan Stewart Shelter, we swam in Nuclear Lake- hope it wasn¢t radioactive¢¦The crickets and bugs are making lots of noise as I write this. Looking forward to getting a good night¢s rest in the tent- I actually missed it!
Date: 2005-08-07
From: Morgan Stewart Shelter

To: RPH Shelter
Miles today: 9.0

Our first night back on the trail was great! The weather was cool and the skies were clear.This morning we got an early start as we wanted to get out before the heat did. We left saw some nice vistas before we reached the Taconia State Parkway. After that, we only had a .3 mile hike to the RPH Shelter where we stopped for lunch while we were on our break, we decided to cash in for the day as this shelter Rocks!!! We called a local pizza restaurant and had them deliver 3 large pizzas, buffalo ranch fries, and two 2 liters of Pepsi. After our feast, the JHP had a 5 game waffle ball series. It went the whole 5, but in the end Super T and Don King pulled out a W. We had a blast- a nice afternoon off was had by all!Now we are getting ready for bed and planning tomorrow¢s hike. We¢re sleeping in this shelter tonight with high hopes that the mosquitoes are not. By the way, this is the first shelter we¢ve seen that resembles a small house. It has four walls constructed of cinder blocks, a porch, and a 9 foot sheet rock ceiling. Its location is unique, too. We¢re adjacent to a road and someone¢s home. Doesn¢t feel like we¢re deep in the woods¢¦
Date: 2005-08-08
From: RPH Shelter

To: Graymore Friary
Miles today: 18.9

OK, the bugs rousted out of the RPH Shelter at 11:00 PM and into our tent. After I killed the 1,036 one, I had enough!We were on the trail by 7:00 AM since we had to be at this Friary by 4:30 PM in order to get dinner. Along our hike today we saw a deer and a few vistas that only provided minimal views as the skies were rather hazy. Also, we¢ve been going through Maple tree forests that put off an extremely distinct maple syrup smell- made me crave pancakes!Once at the Friary, we took a cold shower in our outhouse and set up our tent under one of the pavilions. Then Super T, Don King, and I walked .5 miles to US 9 and hitched into Peeskill, NY for resupply. We didn¢t want to do it in the morning as we had a big day planned.On the way back to the Friary from Peeskill, NY, we got an awesome hitch from a couple who even gave us their Chinese carry out. I believe that¢s ¢road magic¢ if such a term exists¢¦Lots of NOBO¢s here tonight- I must go so we can chit-chat.
Date: 2005-08-09
From: Graymore Friary

To: Williams Brien Shelter
Miles today: 15.2

Today was an awesome hike. First, we saw a whitetail deer just minutes after getting on the trail. Then we popped out of the woods onto Rt. 9 D where it led us to the Hudson River Bridge. This sucker was HUGE! It¢s hard to imagine all of the engineering that went into the construction of this mammoth. The views from it were awesome, too!After the bridge crossing, the AT goes through a zoo! There were all types of animals: beaver, eagles, bears, coyotes. I¢m sure that the other patrons thought we were part of the exhibit, too- with our backpacks, trekking poles, and that ¢famous¢ thru-hiker odor¢¦At the end of the zoo walk, we got a coke and ice cream. This gave us the energy we needed to climb Bear Mountain. Again, the views from atop were in incredible. You could see back down to the Hudson River and surrounding towns and mountains. We took a tour of Perkin¢s Tower before descending Bear.We¢re at Williams Brien Shelter tonight hanging out with some NOBO¢s. They are some of the last we¢ll see as Katahdin closes in two months. Shelter life and the trails have been busy lately since so many SOBO¢s and NOBO¢s finally crossed paths. We¢re gonna miss meeting the different walks of life- pardon the pun¢¦hahaTomorrow, we will stop early and ¢camel up¢ (the act of filling all of your hydration reservoirs) to avoid the dangerous situation of running out of water. New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania are notorious for dry water sources. We¢re gonna have to be cautious over the next several hundred miles.
Date: 2005-08-10
From: Williams Brien Shelter

To: Wildcat Shelter
Miles today: 19.6

19.6 miles in 90 degree heat with lots of ups and down = SWEAT! I personally drank approximately 2 gallons of water today. And, since most of the water sources have been dry, New York¢s trail angels strategically placed gallon JUGS full of potable water at trailheads. If it wasn¢t for these remarkably generous volunteers, Samoa and I would have gotten dehydrated today! Thanks NY Trail Angels!We finally passed thru the anticipated ¢Lemon Squeezer¢ (a tight section of boulders that the AT goes through) which was fun! New York has been a great AT state contrary to what a lot of NOBO¢s we¢ve been passing recently have said. Perhaps they are annoyed with all of the ups and downs New York has given them. Oh well, Samoa and I have enjoyed NY- definitely wasn¢t what we had envisioned¢¦Askusthree, a NY Trail Angel, happened to walk up to Wildcat Shelter tonight as Samoa and I were eating supper. And, he gave us a gallon of cold water and 2 Buds. The beer was so delicious after drinking nearly 2 gallons of water today. Thanks, Askusthree!!!Tomorrow, we head for Vernon, New Jersey. We will be crossing into our 7th state! Hard to believe we¢ve walked over 800 miles already!
Date: 2005-08-11
From: Wildcat Shelter

To: St. Thomas Episcopal Church- Vernon, NJ
Miles today: 17.3

We left the shelter early this morning as we were looking forward to crossing in to New Jersey! Approximately 2 miles into today¢s hike we reached New York 17 A where we hiked 150 yards North to Heaven¢s Creamery for water.We were hopeful for ice cream but they weren¢t going to open until 12 PM. Before we left for the trail again, I checked our cell phone messages and found out that my Grandmother, Miss Dot, had passed away. (Please see my 8-11-05 Guest entry). After we came to the realization that we could not make the funeral, we said a prayer for our family and pressed on.The NY/NJ state line met us for lunch and we were delighted to find our first NJ trail magic, in the form of sodas, too! JHP took a few ¢state line¢ pictures- look out for those!New Jersey showed us pasture crossing with her mountains in the backdrop, rocks, creeks- hope she has more h2o than NY, and another creamery at NJ94. Once we finished our ice cream, the JHP hitched into Vernon from NJ94.The St. Thomas Episcopal Church opens its basement doors as a hostel from thru-hikers so that it is where we are staying tonight. Looking forward to a shower, laundry, and a roof over our heads.
Date: 2005-08-12
From: St. Thomas Episcopal Church- Vernon, NJ

To: High Point Shelter
Miles today: 18.9
Weather: clear sky

Today started our perfect. Got a quick hitch back to the trail and we were on our way by 8 AM.First we walked at least 2 miles through a marsh on a very well-built board walk. This section of the trail reminded us of Savannah, GA. At the end of the boardwalk, we met a nice lady who works at the ATC in Harper¢s Ferry, West Virginia. Hard to believe we should be seeing her in a couple of weeks when we pass through.At Loft Road, I walked .5 miles into Unionville, NY (the trail splits NJ and NY for several miles) to pick up new shoes Vasque sent me. I called them up 3 days ago and told them that the pair I bought in Gorham, NH had already camp apart- that as only 543 miles ago¢¦so, they sent me a replacement pair for my troubles. Thanks, Vasque!By the way, today was H-O-T! Samoa and I felt like we were in the Sahara Desert around noon when we were walking through an old farm. But we made it, none the less! Once we reached High Point Shelter, we decided to press on another .7 miles to an observation tower so we could sleep under the stars. Big mistake. As soon as we got to the tower, an impressive thunderstorm rolled in. Immediately, we hiked the .7 back to the shelter where we¢re dry in the shelter. The mosquitoes are bad, so we¢re going to tent in here tonight for protection.
Date: 2005-08-13
From: High Point Shelter

To: Culver's Gap- Pete's House
Miles today: 16.0

Don King and Super T never made it to High Point Shelter last night, so we checked our cell phone this morning to find out their status. The message was that we were meeting Bewildered, from Team America, at Culver¢s Gap around 4 PM. Team America and JHP are getting together at Bewildered¢s parents home in White House Station, NJ for a SOBO part and a zero tomorrow. We hit the trail this morning with that in mind.When we reached the Ranger¢s station at High Point State Park, we filled up on spigot water for the rest of today¢s hike. A few miles further in today¢s hike, I felt this stinging sensation in my left calf. As I looked down, I saw a yellow jacket having his way with me. Then he flew from my leg to Samoa¢s lat where he stung her. This bee was on a mission¢¦ Oh well, at he only stung once!We reached Culver¢s Gap at 2:30 PM and decided to walk .1 miles North up US206 to Gyp¢s Tavern for a cold brew while we waited on Bewildered. These beers hit the spot since it was 98 degrees out!Once we got to Bewildered¢s, I jumped in a little kidney pool to cool off. His parents had an amazing spread of fruit, cheese and crackers, and lots of different types of microbrewed beer. They even cooked shish-ka-bobs on the grill for supper. We are in heaven!