morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2019-06-29
From: Stealth Campsite 

To: Black Mountain 
Miles today: 14.0

Day 131 New York, Stealth camp at Little Dam to Tuxedo Motel, Day 132 Tuxedo Motel to stealth camp at Black Mountain total 14 miles.Yesterday we decided to go into the town of Monroe to resupply. We had run across a couple of section hikers going southbound and they had encountered an aggressive bear that had taken their food bag so we shared our food with them. Unfortunately now we were very low  on our own food.We ate breakfast packed up and hiked a couple of miles down to the highway and called a cab to shuttle us to Walmart. On our way to Walmart we saw an IHOP restaurant and we told our driver to stop and drop us off there ,we would hike to Walmart later , Eating always takes precedence,first things first! We each finished our second breakfast consisting of a plate of pancakes , eggs bacon etc and ended our feast with a milkshake . After breakfast we headed to Walmart for a much needed resupply and then we got a room at a motel in the nearby town of Tuxedo. Today started bright and early, we hiked down the hill to the gas station to wait on our cab that would arrive at 6:30 am. We got to the station before 6 am and had to wait for the owner to arrive a few minutes late. We were able to grab a breakfast sandwich before our ride arrived to drop us off at the trail head. The climbs today were steep with more hand over hand ascents and with the heat and humidity it was quite the workout. One particular section we traversed today is called the Lemon Squeezer as the name implies is a very tight squeeze through the rocks ending with an extreme climb at the end. We all successfully made it and did not have to use the bypass trail. We continued to climb pretty tough terrain and we were rewarded with a section of the trail with wild blueberries which we stopped to pick and eat . We pushed on up to Black Mountain which had a beautiful view of the Hudson River and a distant view of the NYC skyline . We could not pass up this opportunity to view the skyline at night so we decided to stealth camp. Pink Socks showed up later in the evening and decided to join us as well. Tonight we have a spectacular view complete with early Fourth of July fireworks in the distance. Totally Amazing! I forgot to mention I bought four little American flags and we decorated our campsite . Free Range is celebrating Independence Day week in style!
Date: 2019-06-30
From: Black Mountain 

To: Back of ball fields Graymoor Spiritual Center
Miles today: 15.2

Day 133 Black Mountain to ball fields at Graymoor spiritual life center 15.2 miles. My favorite night so far was followed by the coolest sunrise ever. The NYC skyline is actually to the west of us from Black Mountain, when the sun rose the orange reflection off one particular glass building in NYC made it appear as if the sun was rising in the west it totally blew my sense of direction until I could figure out what was going on. I was the first one up so I had to let the Free Range Crew in on this wonderful sight, slowly the other buildings magically appeared , reminded me of the fabled lost city of Atlantis. Our final destination for today is unknown well north for sure. Our first target is Bear Mountain ,on the way we were treated with trail blessings from a local hiking group called Kings Legend .They served , noodles meatballs , spring rolls, hot dogs, donuts ,fruit and much much more.Thank you so much Kings Legend!The climb up Bear mountain was challenging to add to the challenge of the trail was the number of people enjoying it today. This trail is the busiest section we have been on. The climb down was also very steep but more granite steps than trail. This downhill side was extremely busy as it led to the Bear Mountain Inn and Lake Area.The Lake was packed with people grilling and hanging out . I was still very full from the trail magic but did get a frozen ice sorbet in fact we all did except for Stingray.The Appalachian Trail actually runs through a zoo at this park, I normally enjoy zoos I really do ,but I found myself feeling sorry for the bears, foxes etc. I guess I¢ve been enjoying the wildlife out in their environment for so long it just did not seem right to see them cooped up in a cage.I was glad to hike the bridge over the Hudson and back into  the woods. Honestly the parks were so crowded today I felt uncomfortable around all of the people. Tonight it¢s steadily raining and we are camped out on the back edge of a multi use ball field . All is good, we hit 1400 miles today , OohRah!
Date: 2019-07-01
From: Back of ball fields Graymoor Spiritual Center

To: Canopus Lake
Miles today: 13.8

Day 134 ,14.1 miles to Lake Canopus.Rhonda will tell you I¢m not the most organized person in the world. But out here I¢ve become super efficient and organized, you have to living out of a pack, I mean if I accidentally put my wallet in the wrong pocket  of my shorts I freak until I can place it back where it belongs. Everything has a specific place in my pack and it¢s packed the same way every day. Last night when we were setting up our tents , I panicked because my tent was not in my pack. I instantly thought how hard it would be to backtrack those rocky mountains and not to mention it was about to rain. As I was starting to get upset at myself  it hit me , I had stuffed my tent in the outside netting so that it would dry as I hiked today. I was so relieved but boy did I feel dumb. Last night it rained early on but it quit after an hour or two. Sleeping in a ball field was comfortable however the rain and the dew again got our tents quite wet. Lesson learned,I¢ll pack my tent exactly where it belongs.We hiked out pretty early to hopefully avoid the New York Heat.I did not know it got so blazing hot during the day this far north.Four hours into the hike we were surprised with trail magic my wife had arranged with Sunshine and Bluegrass it was perfect timing for a lunch break , they fed us bananas, oranges and Capri suns, Perfect!!!It¢s always so great to see Bluegrass and Sunshine my original tramily. The Free Range Crew took off to head to Canopus lake our destination for tonight.I stayed back and called my wife as I had excellent reception in this particular field. I found out later that there is a snack bar at the lake but it closed at 4 pm. I had five miles to do in about two hours. On flat ground no problem but rocky climbs this was going to be a challenge. I started flying and I soon caught Timber who was traveling slow do to some foot issues . He picked up the pace and we booked it in together. We soon caught Stingray and he had great news, RG and Q had raced on in ahead and had ordered us all hamburgers and fries , so we slowed down and cruised on in the lake area and there the food was waiting on us . How cool is that?Another great day on the trail, tonight there are several tents in a field by this beautiful lake park. Life is good!
Date: 2019-07-02
From: Canopus Lake

To: Morgan Stewart Shelter Area 
Miles today: 14.0

Day 135 , New York , Canopus Lake to Morgan Stewart Shelter Area 14 miles.My least favorite camp chore is blowing up my air mattress every night. You would think my lungs would be getting stronger by now. Some say the saddest sound is releasing the air from the mattress in the morning, not me I¢m ready to roll out of this uncomfortable thing at five every morning. Today we climbed a mountain and we found  a flag painted on the rocks. Normally I¢m against all graffiti but this Flag is special as it¢s a tribute to 9/11. Rhonda and I got to visit the 9/11 memorial in NYC last year and it will rip your heart out. I highly recommend that everyone should visit this memorial if possible. The mountains are not particularly high in Upstate New York , but the climbs are steep and lots of boulders and rocks (not as many as PA). There are beautiful farmlands and great views from the peaks. Today at lunch on the trail I met my first official south bounder . South Bounders or SOBO for short are hikers that generally start in Maine at Mount Katahdin and hike south to Georgia where I started. This year Katahdin opened late because of all the snow so some SOBO hikers started in other locations and will skip back up to summit Katahdin later.Wildlife update- I saw a skunk today, she was very beautiful . I believe this is the first one I¢ve ever seen in the wild.  Fortunately she did not spray us. 10 miles in we crossed a road and a short distance away there was a deli and pizza joint. Yes we detoured in case you were wondering and got some tasty subs, ice cream, drinks and snacks. New York is awesome, I think I¢m gaining weight. We hiked an additional 4 miles and set up our camp for the evening.We plan to hike approximately 30 miles to be in Connecticut for the Fourth of July maybe homemade ice cream , hotdogs, apple pies and fireworks? Maybe!!!
Date: 2019-07-03
From: Morgan Stewart 

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

Day 136 New York , Morgan Stewart Shelter Area to  Wiley Shelter Area 16.6 miles. Got our usual semi early start around 6:45 am.We stopped at the beautiful Nuclear Lake for second breakfast .The peculiar name of this lake comes from a plutonium research facility that was once located on the shores of the lake. The facility was shut down in 1972 after a chemical explosion occurred. The area was tested and deemed safe before the AT was routed past the lake in the late 70s. Nowadays, the lake is a gorgeous destination for hiking (although you may want to avoid drinking the waterWe saw Dover Oak today it¢s the biggest Oak on the AT,bigger than the Keffer Oak back In VA. We hiked thru wetlands today very similar to our hikes in New Jersey. Great lengths of wooden board walks kept us dry. The AT intersects with a Rail Road Stop that will carry you into the big city if you want.At the end of the trail before the Pawling road crossing some nice trail angel left us a cooler with drinks and snacks. We were almost completely dry out of water so the magic was timed perfectly. To top that off there was a garden shop close by and the owner let us hang out under his gazebo. Then the final great news there was a food truck parked around the corner Super Score!! After our late lunch we headed up to the next shelter area and camped out. Marvel, Natalie and a couple all tented close by . A couple of raccoons tried to get into Marvel¢s Ursac which is a bear proof bag that you don¢t need to hang.The critters did not succeed, All is good!
Date: 2019-07-04
From: Wiley Shelter

To: Connecticut 
Miles today: 13.0

Day 137 Wiley Shelter Area toHappy Independence Day to everyone! Today is my Wife¢s , Father in Law¢s and My favorite Holiday.  It¢s painful not to be home celebrating with the family. I¢m sure they have enjoyed watermelon and barbecue as we normally do. After a few miles of hiking in the heat this morning I decided to wade a beautiful ice cold stream to cool off, I took off my shoes and decided to get my whole body completely wet , incredibly exhilarating. Later the fellas caught up with me at a road crossing, there we were the recipients of another day of trail magic and had watermelon on the trail, perfect for a blazing hot day like today. Thank you so very much! The lady told us about a covered bridge nearby and of course I had to check it out. Did I tell you I¢m in New England? Yeupp We crossed into Connecticut today another state down OOHRAH!I¢ll adjust the miles later as I¢m not thru yet for the day. I¢m sitting in front of the welcome center in Kent Connecticut charging my phone. All is good for now!
Date: 2019-07-05
From: Stealth site by creek

To: Connecticut, Pine Swamp Brook Shelter area
Miles today: 16.7

Day 138 16.7 miles to Pine Swamp Brook Shelter. So last night I arrived and set up camp around 9PM , I decided not to stay in town with the Free Range Crew who had commandeered a B &B at a very decent rate . The fireworks were booming all around me unfortunately it was not scaring off the mosquitos.I found a stealth site And set up right by a creek, I was so relieved as the trail was about to shoot up a mountain. I quickly dove in my tent for protection from the miniature vampires and was just about to doze off when I felt something hit my tent. Q is that you? No answer, crickets chirping . Well after a while I heard something large jump in the creek, ok no problem probably a deer or a bear. Well, I finally got to sleep when whap! something hit my tent again. I decided to jump out and investigate but first I had to put my sweat soaked clothes on which by the way never dry and they stink. Nonetheless I put on my garb went out and shined my headlamp all around and lo and behold I was camping under a crabapple tree . I totally missed that fun fact pitching my tent in the dark. I was quite relieved it wasn¢t the neighborhood kids hurling projectiles at my very fragile abode. Today¢s hike was over the top hot, I¢ve talked to a few hikers who are kicking back during the day and hiking in the evenings and by headlamp. Not for me I¢m not coordinated enough and plus I would need a really good bug suit. Once I made it to the top I had an extremely steep descent , I literally sat on my bottom and had to Scooch down at least once down the sheer rock face to keep from falling. Once at the bottom the trail winded along the Housatonic River  for several miles. This section was very relaxing watching the fly fisherman at play.  Several day hikers were out enjoying the heat and I must of spent at least an hour answering questions the people were very friendly and genuinely interested in my hike. Well eventually the flat trail ended and boy were the climbs tough. I made it to the last mountain road crossing before the shelter and I ran into PAC Man and his son Roomba who had just ordered a pizza and Mountain Dew . I graciously accepted a couple of slices and a drink. After about an hour or two we climbed another steep mountain and made it to our site. Tonight is going to be humid and hot. I¢ll keep the fly of the tent open. I¢ll get an early start as I need to go into town and pick up a package Rhonda sent me. Q texted and they camped seven miles back. I¢m sure I¢ll see them soon!
Date: 2019-07-06
From: Connecticut, Pine Swamp Brook Shelter area

To: Falls Village CT
Miles today: 8.0

Day 139 , 8 miles from Pine Swamp Brook to Falls Village  Connecticut. Day 140 Zero Day I love the autocorrect feature on my phone , this state is tricky to spell, I¢m not sure if I¢m pronouncing Connecticut properly but ,I¢m not using the second C . I woke up at 5 am and was on the trail by 5:45 am. A couple of climbs and I would be in the quaint little town of Falls Village  CT.  I¢m telling you although the distance was short I struggled to get there. My back was hurting and the humidity was at 100% .  I needed to get to the post office in Falls Village  by 12:00 PM to pick up a package Rhonda had mailed me.  I¢m almost 1500 miles in and unfortunately I¢ve noticed several of us are starting to fall apart. Just minor stuff in most cases but the trip is starting to take its toll on our old bodies and we have the most challenging sections and states yet to come. Wah, wah, wah suck it up cupcake! No pain, no rain , no Maine...I made it to the post office in plenty of time and then I went over to the Toy Makers cafe for a breakfast sandwich which was delightful. I washed it down with a New England soft drink called Moxie. Dave the owner of the hostel I decided to stay at, came and picked Pac-Man, Roomba and myself up and took us to the nearby town of Salisbury CT where his place is at. It turned out his hostel was a historic home ,we each had our own private room, use of the kitchen laundry etc all for $45.00 per night. I decided I would take a Zero the next day as well. I forgot to mention the home was walking distance to several restaurants and a gas station for resupplying. A major storm rolled in and unfortunately the rest of Free Range was still on the trail, I spoke to Q and they pitched their tents about three miles out to get cover from the storm. Q would come join me at the home the next morning and RG and Stingray would continue on.Tonight I¢m in a nice comfortable bed , I hope my back will be ready to load up in the morning. We bought breakfast items and Q is cooking for all of us here in the morning before we take off. Hey what about the USA Women¢s Soccer Team OOHRAH!!!
Date: 2019-07-08
From:  Falls Village CT

To: Brassie Brook Shelter Area 
Miles today: 12.0

Day 141,  Falls Village CT to Brassie Brook Shelter Area CT 12 miles.Finally we got a very nice weather day . The humidity was low and the temperature was cooler what s difference it makes on your body to not have to hike in the extreme heat. We headed out of Village Falls this morning but first we had to check out the beautiful falls I assume the town is named after. It was very impressive . Q and I talked with some fishermen at the top of the falls, I wanted to talk fishing and they wanted to discuss hiking , go figure.. Today the trail crossed Salisbury Ct and we stopped in for a sandwich and went to the post office we saw several other hikers in town including Pac Man and his son Roomba. Everyone was in a fantastic mood enjoying what felt like an early spring day. We had several climbs today but a major steep one ( Bear Mountain)coming up tomorrow.  We hit 1500 miles today and tomorrow we will cross over into Massachusetts , only 4 more states left , Ooh Rah!  Tonight should be a great night for tent sleeping.
Date: 2019-07-09
From: Brassie Brook Shelter Area 

To: Glen Brook Shelter Area 
Miles today: 8.9

Day 142 , Massachusetts 8.9 miles to Glen Brook shelter area. We climbed and descended a couple of steep mountains today but actually they did not feel that hard primarily because we had another day of outstanding weather. Bear Mountain is the highest peak in the Southern Taconic mountains. We climbed up slowly mainly because we kept stopping to eat wild blueberries growing alongside the trail. Indeed it was steep and the descent on the north side was even steeper but we made it no problems. Our day got side tracked when we discovered Guilder Pond. This is a beautiful Glacial lake with a big rock beach area. There was a Ridge Runner ¢Clydesdale ¢ hanging out and we all went for a long swim. Others started showing up later and were captured by the vortex of the crystal clear water and beautiful spring like weather.We decided to cook our dinner by the lake, it truly felt like a picnic. Swimming is more fun than hiking just my opinion...We finally hiked in to the next shelter area and pitched our tents. The place was/is crawling with young kids camping from a nearby summer camp. Q and I presented a mini class on how to hang a bear bag and the kids enjoyed throwing the rock line. We will go through Great Barrington tomorrow and pick up an additional two days of supplies.Hey camp counselor, teach these kiddos about hiker midnight...On second thought let them enjoy themselves, reminds me of my Boy Scout days.
Date: 2019-07-10
From: Glen Brook Shelter Area 

To: Thomas Leonard Shelter Area
Miles today: 14.3

Day 143  14.3 miles Thomas Leonard Shelter Area Massachusetts. So for whatever reason, my sense of direction was off this morning luckily Q was around to set me straight. I wanted to go south out of camp instead of north weird how the mind can play mean tricks like that.Once we got going in the right direction the trail led us down some steep descents . At one point we walked in a bog and the mosquitos were horrendous. I¢m not sure but I believe they prefer Q¢s blood over mine , maybe my garlic pills are working. A couple of churches got together and provided trail magic which included grilled hamburgers and homemade cookies. I promise you I have gained some weight since entering NJ ,NY and New England , either a deli or trail magic almost everyday most excellent!When we got to a road crossing  we called the famous Joe who shuttles hikers in this area and always features them on his instagram account.  He took us to a nice grocery store in Great Barrington for us to resupply and then he came back and brought us to the trailhead. Thank you Joe!!With our now heavier loaded packs we headed back to trail and climbed , climbed ,climbed.I believe my cardiologist is going to be amazed at my next checkup . I can really tell a difference on how my heart does going up the mountains. I still keep my speed in check and certainly I get winded but my heart does not feel like it¢s trying to beat out of my chest. We finally got to our campsite around 7 pm unfortunately we had to climb down a really steep hill for half a mile to retrieve water. Tomorrow we have a BHAG of 22 miles. There¢s a really cool shelter cabin on trail at Upper Goose Pond . It¢s supposed to storm tomorrow evening so we want to beat the nasty weather . This place looks perfect to weather the storm. They also have a lake and canoes and I¢m hoping a fishing rod somewhere. One very nice piece of gear that I have used everyday since I started and has never let me down is my space pen. It writes upside down and in the rain. Halo approved!
Date: 2019-07-12
From: Thomas Leonard Shelter Area

To: Kay Wood Shelter
Miles today: 38.9
Weather: heavy intensity rain

Day 14421.4 miles Tom Leonard Shelter to Upper Goose pond Cabin.Yesterday the threat of rain had us pushing to get to Upper Goose Pond Cabin which is an enclosed building with 14 bunks upstairs. It truly is a neat place on a beautiful lake with canoes that we can use. By the time we arrived after seven PM I was too beat to even go swimming. I watched Q and several others enjoy a late evening swim while I ate my Ramen noodles.  I finally got to meet Yalah formerly Tiger . She¢s a super nice young lady that the rest of Free Range had befriended while I was gone. She¢s quite the hiker and likes to swim every chance she can. She¢s also super smart and will be attending Brown University Med school in Rhode Island in the fall. Today the sweet caretaker at the cabin fixed us pancakes, they truly were amazing. She said the secret ingredient is the spring water. Whatever it is they are the best pancakes I¢ve ever had. So last night it barely rained at all but just enough to make all the rocks super slick today. Yes I slipped and busted my tail and Q also tripped and fell as well. If it wasn¢t for the stupid rocks hiking would be fun. However roots are evil as well and will trip you every chance they can.We are both fine.  On a more serious note as we got to the October shelter we saw emergency personnel with a stretcher.A trail maintainer had a medical issue maybe heart or heat related. Q and I helped the first responders carry him off the mountain to the ambulance waiting below. We believe he will be ok. Later we stopped by the famous Cookie Lady¢s home and she served us cookies, ice cream and boiled eggsWhat a late afternoon treat. It was hard to get going from there but we had 6 miles to go and it was 6:30 PM. We finally made it to the Kay Wood Shelter where we finally caught up with Stingray and RG our long lost Free Range family!! It was awesome to see them again, we quickly pitched our tents and cooked our suppers  unfortunately got dark and way past hikers midnight so we will further catch up tomorrow. Today statsDay 145 17.6 miles,UGPC to Kay Wood Shelter 38.9 total for both days .I¢m beat ....