morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2016-09-24
From: Undermountain Road, Salisbury, CT

To: Water Street Parking, Falls Village, CT 
Miles today: 7.4
Weather: clear sky

It was pleasantly cool this morning when I started hiking; the sky was crystal clear. From Salisbury it was an easy climb of 750 feet to the top of Mount Prospect which was four and a half miles away. The path here was mostly leaf covered with very few roots or loose rocks to trip over. My feet were happy to have such a long stretch of soft landings. After Mount Prospect the trail was mostly all down hill, nearly 1000 feet, for the next three and a half miles to Falls Village. Along the way I passed Great Falls, a wide, fast flowing water fall from which, undoubtedly, Falls Village got it's name. At Falls Village, a pretty little town, I stopped for lunch at Toymakers Cafe. After a great lunch I decided to stay in the camping area behind the cafe. I sat, plugged in, at a small table in the corner of the cafe all afternoon drinking coffee and working on my journal. In the evening I cooked a trail supper on the grass (actually more like gravel with a few tufts of grass) next to my tent then, when the temperature started to drop, I climbed in my sleeping bag and went to sleep.
Date: 2016-09-25
From: Water Street Parking, Falls Village, CT 

To: Silver Hill Campsite
Miles today: 14.8
Weather: light rain

Brrr! It was very cold, probably in the mid thirties, this morning when I woke up. It was very hard to get out of my warm sleeping bag. It wasn't until after the sun came up above the surrounding hills, around 9:00, that it got into the 40's. From the cafe the trail followed town roads then mowed fields for nearly three miles before re-entering the woods and starting a gradual climb up 700 feet to the top of Sharon Mountain. From Sharon Mountain the trail followed a hilly ridge to Mount Easter and then to Pine Knob. Between the two it passed through Cracked Boulder; a tight fit through a huge split rock. After Pine Knob the trail crossed over a couple more hills before climbing up Silver Hill to Silver Hill Campsite. This campsite is a unique tenting area occupying a large flat grassy area with a steep drop on one side. It has a roofed picnic pavilion with picnic tables, a wooden deck with benches and a porch type swing. There is also a well nearby with a hand pump that brings up clear, cold water. I dumped all my river water and replaced it with this water. I set up my tent, ate supper and did some journaling before the dropping temperature forced me into my sleeping bag for the night.
Date: 2016-09-26
From: Silver Hill Campsite

To: Schaghticoke Mountain Campsite
Miles today: 13.5
Weather: light rain

It was cold again this morning when I awoke and it stayed that way until late morning when it warmed up a bit. There were dark clouds and gusty winds most of the day as well; I was sure it would rain on me any minute. Until mid morning I wore my down sweater then, when it warmed up a bit, I switched to my rain jacket. From Silver Hill Campsite the trail headed down through rocky terrain to a dried up stream then was pretty flat for almost five miles. During this stretch the trail switched back and forth between leaf cover forest path and dirt trench through farm fields. The walk through farm fields provided nice views of the surrounding countryside but were wet from overnight dew and by the time I was through them my trail runners and socks were soaking wet. Soon after this the trail dumped out onto a little used gravel road which it followed for another mile or so. All of this relatively flat walking was enjoyable but came to an abrupt end when the trail started up to St John's Ledges (I knew by now that most named sections of trail were a going to be a challenge). This climb, while only 600 feet, was nearly vertical; a mix between over sized stone steps (I hate those) and steep rock climbs. I don't remember anything this steep since the Cascades going up Mount Moosilauke in New Hampshire (although The Cascades climbed much higher). From St John's Ledges The trail continued up another 400 feet to Caleb's Peak; a rock capped summit with some pretty nice views. After having lunch at Caleb's Peak I followed a ridge with a series of fairly steep ups and downs (just enough to wear me out) for three miles before descending 400 feet to Macedonia Brook. From here the trail rose 600 feet to the top of Mount Algo and then to Schaghticoke Mountain Campsite. This campsite was a disappointment; just 3 or 4 level spots and an open air (no walls) privy. The weather forecast called for heavy overnight rains and I would have loved to push on another six miles to a shelter but I was too tired. I set up my tent, had supper and tried to hang my food bag. The trees were very, very tall with no branches for the first 60 or 70 feet (I think they were tulip trees) so I couldn't throw a line over them. I simply took my food bag into the tent with me and went to bed for the night.
Date: 2016-09-27
From: Schaghticoke Mountain Campsite

To: NY-22, Appalachian Trail RR Station
Miles today: 15.2
Weather: broken clouds

Well, the weather forecast was correct; it rained hard from 1:00 am to nearly 5:00 am. Although my tent kept the rain out, because I had to close all the flaps, the condensation in the tent wet my tent floor, air mattress and sleeping bag. Packing up after a hard rain is not much fun; the ground is wet, the trees drip and there is simply no place to put stuff while trying to organize your backpack. After having breakfast while sitting on a wet log and packing everything up I started down the trail. The day turned out to be quite pleasant; cool, mostly overcast but just breezy enough to keep the humidity at bay. The trail started with a short climb up to Indian Rocks and then followed a very pretty ridge-line that took me to the CT/NY border (yeah - another state completed). After dropping 800 feet and road walking on a mile long section of gravel road I had to climb 700 feet of very muddy trail to the summit of Ten Mile Hill. From here the trail headed down to Duell Hollow before climbing to the top of Leather Hill where I stopped for lunch. After lunch I followed a very bumpy ridge for four miles before descending 600 feet to a series of farm fields leading to NY-22; a quarter mile from the Appalachian Trail Railroad Station. Once there I hitched a ride to Pawling NY where I picked up a mail drop at the post office. Just outside the post office, at a bench next to the sidewalk, I emptied my backpack, threw out my trash and the mail drop box, and tried to stuff all my gear and food back in. People walking by looked at me like I was a homeless person. After repacking I had a huge second lunch (a sub and three slices of pizza) before hitching back to the AT RR Station where I found a place to stealth camp (camp where there is no official camping area) for the night. It was super noisy 200 feet from a highway and 100 feet from a rail track but, after tossing and turning for a hour or so, I was sound asleep for the night.
Date: 2016-09-28
From: NY-22, Appalachian Trail RR Station

To: Morgan Stewart Shelter
Miles today: 10.9
Weather: clear sky

I was awakened by a very loud train whistle at 6:30 and it took me a minute to remember I was camped next to a RR track. It was cool and damp when I got up and didn't get much better all day. I had breakfast, packed up and was just starting down the trail when I remembered a sign at the RR Station advertising a deli just a half mile down NY-22. I decided to check it out and turned around and headed for it. Once there I had another breakfast of two egg and cheese sandwiches and a large coffee then ordered a large (turned out to be huge; must have weighed four pounds) sub to take with me for lunch. From the trail head at the RR Station the trail went across a swampy area on a long boardwalk complete with handrails and benches (some group spent a lot of money on this) then over a mostly level leaf covered path a couple miles to the Dover Oak. This oak tree is the largest on the AT with a diameter of over six feet. It is estimated to be over 300 years old. From the Dover Oak the trail climbed a steep 600 feet up to the summit of West Mountain where I ate half of the sub sandwich; it was big enough that I decided to save the other half for supper. From West Mountain the trail gradually descended, crossing some more very swampy areas, this time on very slippery boards, to Nuclear Lake. After this lake I crossed several stream, all mostly dry, before coming to Whakey Lake Stream which had a trickle of water. Soon after this stream I headed up a long, easy climb to the top of Depot Hill and then on to Morgan Stewart Shelter. It looked a lot like rain so, rather than set up my tent, I took a spot in the shelter. I ate the rest of the sub then a protein bar for desert while talking to two other hikers who had joined me at the shelter. It was cold so I climbed into my sleeping bag just to get warm and before long was fast asleep for the night.
Date: 2016-09-29
From: Morgan Stewart Shelter

To: RPH Shelter/Hillsborough NJ
Miles today: 9.0
Weather: clear sky

It was another cool morning with gloomy, overcast skies and it remained that way all day. It was cool enough that I wore my down sweater most of the day. The trail heading out of Morgan Stewart Shelter and climbed up to the summit of Mount Egbert then along a rocky ridge-line through hardwood forest for nearly four and a half miles. When it came off the ridge the trail went down and crossed a footbridge over a nearly dry stream bed. Most of the small streams and even some larger ones since leaving Vermont have been either dry or have only a trickle of water from pool to pool of muddy stream bed. I guess the drought, while sort of a blessing to us hikers, has been bad for water levels. This drought means hikers must carefully plan ahead so as not to run out of water. I have been forced to fill up and carry extra water when I find it because I simply cannot depend on getting water where the guide says I can. Once over the footbridge I continued on, crossing four small mountain roads and NY-52 before climbing 600 feet to another ridge where I had a late lunch. After lunch I descended from the ridge and crossed under the Taconic State Parkway before reentering the forest. After a short walk through this forest area I stopped at the RPH Shelter to get water from a well there. While filling my water containers I got a text message from Kathy's sister who lives an hour and a half away in NJ. She had seen the weather forecast predicting three days of rain and was offering to pick me up to stay in her guestroom for a couple of days. This was an offer I couldn't resist so I texted her back and told her where I was. By eight o'clock I was in her car on my way to Hillsborough NJ where I spent the night.
Date: 2016-10-03
From: RPH Shelter

To: Graymoor Spiritual Life Center
Miles today: 18.8

It was really cold this morning with overcast skies and even a little light rain. It remained cool all day and the sun never did break through the clouds. After breakfast, when I went to fill my water bottles at the shelter's well, I discovered I had left my water purifier at my sister in law' s home. I called her and she promised to mail it to me at the PO in Greenwood Lake, NY; about four days away from me. Not having my purifier meant having to plan everything around finding potable water. From the RPH Shelter the trail climbed, steeply at first then more gradually, more than 900 feet to the summit of Shenandoah Mountain. After this it was hiking along a bumpy, rocky ridge for nearly nine miles before dropping 500 feet to a small streambed in a pretty forest valley. From this valley the trail climb trail climbed steeply 500 feet to the top of Canopus Hill. The trail then descended a bit and then followed a ridge consisting mostly of short ups and downs to the top of Denning Hill. Then came a couple of miles of more or less level ground leading to Franciscan WY; a paved road that I followed half a mile to the Gaymoor Spiritual Life Center. This center is a large property of the Franciscan Friars where through hikers are allowed to tent on their baseball field. This field, being grass covered, is great for tenting and has a covered eating pavilion, port-o-lets, potable water and outdoor, cold showers. I tented there with two other through hikers.
Date: 2016-10-04
From: Graymoor Spiritual Life Center

To: West Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 13.4
Weather: scattered clouds

This morning again was pretty darn cold with dark overcast skies. By early afternoon the sun came out and it warmed to the mid 70's. The hike started easy; climbing 400 feet to a nice ridge that ran two miles before dropping to Hemlock Springs Shelter where I had a mid morning snack. From here the trail took a steep climb to Anthony's Nose ( I didn't see anything resembling a nose; maybe it fell off or something) which had some nice views of the soon to be crossed Hudson River. After this missing nose the trail climbed down to the Hudson River Valley. I roadwalked across the Hudson on the Bear Mountain Bridge and stopped at a bench on the far side and had lunch. After lunch the trail passed through the Trailside Museum (more zoo than museum) and through the Bear Mountain Recreational Area. The trail then became a demonstration of the many improvements made to the trail by the CCC in the 1930's with various examples of different types of staircases, bridges, switchbacks and walking surfaces. Every example was far better than what is typical on the trail; much more like a "rail trail" trail than AT trail. Nonetheless it was probably enlightening to the many tourists there. This "demonstration trail" continued to the summit of Bear Mountain; a climb of 1100 feet. I was shocked by how many of the park visitors actually climbed to the top. I was stopped several times by individuals or groups wanting to ask me about hiking the AT. Once at the top I bought a Coke from a sofa machine and had an afternoon snack. The climb down Bear Mountain started easy but soon was as steep and rocky as most other parts of the AT. Once down, the trail crossed several small, dry streambeds before climbing West Mountain and continuing on th the West Mountain Shelter where I spent the night.
Date: 2016-10-05
From: West Mountain Shelter

To: Stealth campsite near summit of Mt Arden
Miles today: 14.2
Weather: overcast clouds

This morning it was cool and cloudy but by noon it turned warm and sunny; a great day for hiking. From West Mountain Shelter the trail went up and down, up and down most of the day. The first descent was about 500 feet to Palisades Parkway; a four lane busy highway that I had to trot across to avoid being mowed down. From this Parkway it was up 500 feet to Black Mountain then a series of steep rises and drops until coming to the top of Fingerboard Mountain where I had lunch. After lunch it was more of the same; steep climbs and descents over very rocky terrain before crossing Surebridge Brook and Island Pond Road. Then I had to scramble down a short, steep descent before I had to navigate the Lemon Squeeze; a very tight squeeze through a large split stone. After squeezing through this obstacle I descended another 700 feet and road walked a bridge across NY State Thruway 87. After crossing this busy little taste of civilization the trail climbed sharply nearly 800 feet to the summit of Arden Mountain. By now I was pretty beat and there was no official shelter or camping area for another 8 miles so I decided to stealth camp (tent where there is no official site). I found a flat spot, put up my temt, ate supper and hung my bear bag. To stay warm I got into my sleeping bag and was asleep by 7:30.
Date: 2016-10-06
From: Stealth campsite near summit of Mt Arden

To: Village Vista Train to Geenwood Lake NY
Miles today: 12.6
Weather: overcast clouds

Late last night, maybe around 2:00am, something big was trudging and snorting all around my tent. It sounded like a horse but smelled bad like a bear. I couldn't see what it was in the dark and didn't want to attract any more of its attention by shining a light on it. It roamed around out there for probably a half an hour and then wandered away. It is amazing how vulnerable I felt in a tent, in the dark, in the middle of the woods with an unknown animal just a few feet away. It is also amazing how quickly I fell back asleep when I thought it was gone. When I awoke it was a great day; cool crisp air and clear bright skies. A perfect day for a walk. After eating and packing up I started down the south side of Arden Mountain struggling over a couple of steep piles of rocks before coming to the Orange Turnpike. From this busy road the trail was quite flat, mostly through pastures and swamps crossed via skinny board walks. These board walks look easy enough but can be devilishly slippery; one careless step can cause a slip into yukky swamp. After this flatland the trail rose an easy 300 feet to the top of Buchanan Mountain then down to a couple more miles of board walk crossed swamp before climbing to Mombasha High Point which wasn't too terribly high at all. After this the trail climbed to the Sterling Fire Tower then down some 600 feet to a footbridge over a dry streambed. I then climbed that same 600 feet to Cat Rocks and a ridge leading to the Eastern Pinnacles. Here I crossed another busy road before a longish climb to where a side trail, the Village Vista Trail, leads to Greenwood Lake NY. This trail was very steep and covered with loose slab rocks that were very trecherous to walk on. This trail was poorly maintained and made me appreciate the effort put into maintaining the AT. I picked up two maildrops at the PO; one a resupply and the other my water purifier. That night three of us thru hikers who had hiked a lot together had a feast and a couple pints at a local tavern. I shared a room with one of them at a "hiker class" hotel and had a good night's sleep.
Date: 2016-10-07
From: Village Vista Train to Geenwood Lake NY

To: Wawayanda Shelter
Miles today: 7.9
Weather: light rain

Today was nice and sunny but not too warm. We three through hikers that had dinner last night together had a leisurely breakfast at a nearby cafe and then stopped at a local grocery to pick up a few things. All this, when added to the difficult 45 minute climb back up the Vista Trail, meant we didn't get back on the AT until 11:00. The trail was a ridge walk for almost three miles with little elevation change but plenty of leaf covered, baseball sized, loose rocks. One of these loose rocks did cause me to roll my left ankle badly enough that I took a fifteen minute time out to let it rest. I have rolled both ankles a couple of times over the course of 2000 miles but this one hurt a bit more than the others. Just what I need entering NJ and PA; the rock capitals of the AT. After the time out I got up and tested my ankle and, though it hurt a bit, it was OK to walk on close to normally. Soon after I came to a vertical slab of rock,15 feet top to bottom, with iron rungs to climb down on. It was not very difficult but was about the last thing I expected to encounter here. Just after 2:00 I passed the NY/NJ border; another milestone announcing I was getting close to finishing. Another couple miles of trail brought me to the Wawayanda Shelter. When I arrived there was a section hiker just finishing his first day on the trail. We stayed together in the shelter and I spent lots of time answering his many questions about hiking the AT. I slept well despite sharing the shelter with a world class snorer.
Date: 2016-10-08
From: Wawayanda Shelter

To: Pochuck Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 11.5
Weather: light rain

The forecast was for rain today and, when I awoke, it sure looked like it would rain any minute. The sky was very dark with clouds that looked to be full of water. It even sprinkled for a few minutes while I was eating breakfast. Then it never did rain and by mid afternoon it even started clearing up although it became real cold and the winds picked up. My ankle was sore but not too painful when I started hiking. The trail continued along a bumpy, rocky ledge the three miles to the summit of Wawayanda Mountain. The climb down the south side of Wawayanda Mountain is called The Stairway To Heaven. It is a steep, rocky descent of nearly 1000 feet that was made much more difficult by the two two dozen or so day hikers trying to climb it while I was going down. At the bottom the ground really flattened out with almost a mile of boardwalk over a large swampy area. These boardwalks were, like the others over the last couple of days, very treacherous to walk on. After crossing the swamp and a couple more miles of hilly pastures the trail climbed 750 feet up Pochuck Mountain then across a mile long ridge before coming to Pochuck Mountain Shelter. This was a nice shelter with wonderful views but the water source, and I needed water, was a half mile down a steep hill; not much fun at the end of the day. There were no level tent sites so I stayed in the shelter for the night.
Date: 2016-10-09
From: Pochuck Mountain Shelter

To: High Point State Park Headquarters Building
Miles today: 14.1
Weather: clear sky

It was spitting rain when I got up this morning and the temperature was in the mid 40's. The rains stopped just before I started hiking and didn't start again all day even though it remained overcast. After leaving the shelter I started down the same steep hill that I struggled with yesterday to get water. Once all the way down the trail flattened out considerably. I walked nearly a half mile on a boardwalk through a swampy area and then more than a mile on a "rail trail" like walkway through the Willkill Wildlife Preserve where I saw absolutely no wildlife. After leaving the wildlife preserve the trail climbed over a small forested hill before crossing another mile long swampy area; this one on a fancy boardwalk with handrails and viewing benches. I stopped at the last bench and had lunch before taking the trail into the forest and climbing a long, nearly 6 mile, gradual slope up 900 feet to High Point State Park. Once in the park the trail came to a wooden observation deck with a nice view of a 220 foot tall obelisk, built in 1930 as a war memorial, that sits on the highest point in NJ. After taking a photo from this deck I hiked a half mile to the park headquarters building where I waited for a shuttle to Mosey's Hostel. I planned to stay one, maybe two nights at her Hostel to clean up, do laundry, journal and sleep in a real bed (well, at least a real bunk). After eating supper at a local pizza joint I journaled until 8:30 or so then went to bunk.
Date: 2016-10-11
From: Mosey's Hostel

To: Gren Anderson Shelter
Miles today: 11.3
Weather: clear sky

It was super cold last night, close to freezing, so I was glad to be in a hostel. After a big pancake breakfast the hostel shuttle gave two of us a ride to the trailhead at the High Point State Park Headquarters building for an 8:00 start. Us two hikers were going in opposite direction so we said our goodbyes and started down the trail. It was still cold and I was wearing nearly everything I had with me. The trail followed a rugged ridgeline for the first seven miles, while slowly shedding layers of clothing, before it started climbing to the summit of Sunrise Mountain. The rocks on the trail seem to get worse every mile; I guess they are working there way up to what they will be like in PA. At the top of Sunrise Mountain there was a parking area with picnic tables and a great view of the surrounding countryside. I had a late lunch at the picnic table and answered lots of question about through hiking as people came to take in the view. After lunch I continue fo follow the ridgeline for two and a half miles to the Gren Anderson Shelter where I spent the night