morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2021-04-05
From: Kay wood shelter

To: Upper goose pond cabin
Miles today: 17.6
Weather: overcast clouds

Day 3Kay Wood shelter mile marker 1569.2Upper goose pond cabin mile marker 5151.6Total miles 17.6  Today started with the dread of getting out of my sleeping bag as the wind was howling and the windchill¢s were in the 20s.  However, haven¢t gone into my sleeping bag early in the evening last night I wasn¢t able to last past 6:30 AM and hit the trail at 7:24 AM.  Luckily I was able to hike out of the really bad wind and managed to start what turned out to be a very pleasant first 10 miles of the day.  The highlight being the views from Warner Hill of Mt. Greylock  in the distance.  The weather remain chilly and windy, but that¢s my preferred weather when hiking hard.  After stopping at October mountain shelter for a quick break the terrain the next seven miles proved more taxing, but I was in no rush, so just pushed through it.  On the downside during one of my water breaks today I apparently left my camp shoes where I braked, as I keep them with my water filter on the outside of my pack.  A minor inconvenience as I can get another pair until this upcoming Sunday.  I¢m camping on the front porch of upper Goosepond cabin tonight so that should be pretty cool.  A bunch of firsts today as I met a fellow hiker who is doing a bunch of section hikes on the AT from Connecticut, I met my first trail maintainer of the hike and saw my first garter snake.  Hoping with the bigger mileage day today I sleep a bit better tonight, it¢s been pretty rough the first two nights.  All in all a great day minus the camp shoes disappearing.
Date: 2021-04-06
From: Upper Goose pond cabin

To: Mt. Wilcox south shelters
Miles today: 16.0
Weather: scattered clouds

day 4Uppergoose pond cabin mile marker 1551.6Mt. Wilcox south sheltersMile marker 1535.6Total miles 16.0  Fun fact, I¢m pretty sure I heard a pair owls mating  last night.  Last night was actually the best night of sleep I¢ve had so far.  I left Goosepond cabin at 7:24 AM and proceeded for the next 7 miles over some pretty unremarkable terrain that was not the most enjoyable.  I had resigned myself to the fact that today may just be one of those days but then I hiked into Tryingham.  For the next 4 miles my spirits were lifted has the trail transformed into some thing different that it had been in the morning.  Boardwalks through wetlands, cow pastures and cornfields.  I stopped for lunch at a campsite, however upon departing that campsite I hit a climb that just kicked my ass.  It¢s grade was just enough to leave me totally gassed afterwards and made the rest of the day a bit of a struggle.  I mindlessly knocked out the miles bound to get to my destination and upon arriving found the water source was dry!  I had almost no water and eventually figured out that I need to hike .3 miles further south on the AT to find the next water source, then back track back.  It could¢ve been worse,but that was a real kick in the balls when you show up to camp and just want to stop hiking.  Have the place all to myself tonight so far and I¢m looking forward to a good nights sleep.
Date: 2021-04-07
From: Mt. Wilcox south shelters

To: GlenBrook shelter
Miles today: 19.6

Day 5 Mt. Wilcox south sheltersMile marker 1535.6Glen Brook sheltermile marker 1516.0Total miles 19.6  It has been said that long-distance hikers have a higher propensity for soiling themselves than the general population.  The extreme physical exertion coupled with visits into towns to eat fat and greasy foods can often lead to intestinal instability.  Despite not having eaten any town food on this trip so far I managed to deposit a half a can of wet dog food in my longjohns during my morning piss!  This is kind of a worst nightmare situation in the middle of the woods and if it weren¢t for my one luxury item that I have been question on by other hikers I would¢ve been in big trouble.  My little pack of make up remover wipes that I carry to clean up at the end of the day really saved me.  It was a lengthy cleanup process and my poor longjohns are now buried on the side of Mount Wilcox mountain hopefully to be never found again.  I did some hiking as well today I actually did 19.6 miles which was my longest day and ended with a 3.4 mile climb up towards Mount Everett that was super tough.  I was exhausted and dehydrated so my main focus was not falling as it was actually kind of a dangerous climb.  There was about a 5 mile Valley hike today that was nice and flat but totally exposed to the sun with no water sources, which left me suffering from symptoms of dehydration. I try to drink the best I can but I sweat so heavily that it¢s just tough to keep up.  I may have a chance to go to Salisbury tomorrow for some real food but after today and the ongoing intestinal issues I had throughout the day I may just skip it.  Sleeping in another shelter all by myself again tonight and I will sleep well!
Date: 2021-04-08
From: GlenBrook shelter

To: Vanessa BretonÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs home
Miles today: 13.5

Day 6Glen Brook shelter mile marker 1516.0Cobble rd Salisbury 1502.5Daily miles 13.5  After a fairly solid nights sleep last night I awoke shortly after first light moving quickly to keep warm in the cold mountain morning air.  I was met with Mt. Everett almost immediately out of camp and neither my legs or lungs were warmed up yet to tackle its short but steep ascent.  Up I slowly went only to find a very steep descent on the other side...  Mt race was up next as my legs began to feel spry.  With more gradual dimensions I made quick work of her.  Lastly, Bear mountain, I havw descended the north side of this mountain a couple times and it¢s Notoriously steep.The climb wasn¢t  long, but it required all four limbs as my trekking poles hung from wrists and I grabbed for rock and tree alike to continue my progress.  The descent down Bear was longer than I had remembered, but I finally arrived in Salisbury.  Straight to LaBonne¢s Market for chicken cutlet grinder, two chicken legs, fruit salad, cool ranch Doritos and two Arizona ice teas!  My eyes were bigger than my stomach, but luckily I¢m staying town at Vanessa Breton¢s house who hosts thru hikers for a very reasonable rate.  Hot shower, off my feet for the night and gonna eat the rest of my food tonight.  I¢ll be back on trail in the morning right I hit the bakery around the corner for coffee and a pastry when open at 7:30am. °
Date: 2021-04-09
From: Cobble rd. Salisbury 

To: Ceasar campground 
Miles today: 18.6

Day 7AT on cobble rd. Salisbury Mile marker 1502.5Ceasar Brook campsite Mile marker 1483.9Daily miles 18.6Total miles 111.1  After a peaceful evening at Vanessa Breton¢s humble and historic home, I treated myself to coffee and a croissant at Sweet Williams around the corner from her house this morning.  Unfortunately they didn¢t open till 730 so I didn¢t get back on trail until 815.  The hiking from Saulsberry to Falls Village was very stress-free although I did bring back a lot of memories of my 2016 hike.  I recognize the rock I was sitting on when I called my oldest son for a ride and I had decided to end my hike that year.  This was preceded by two days hiking through Connecticut after a week off recovering from Lyme disease.  When I return to the trail I just couldn¢t get back into the headspace that I¢ve been in for the last 11 weeks.  The emotional turmoil in those two days after making it so far and working so hard it was a really difficult thing to except, but it was what it was.  I tried to put those negative feelings behind me and quickly did when I got to Rand¢s View, which in opinion is hands down the best view in CT! I took a short break there to soak in the view and then continued on in to Falls Village and finally to RT7.  Saulsberry Rt7 was truly easy hiking and I covered 10 miles quickly, but then came the next 8.5 miles...  The next 8.5 miles is a good example of a part of the Appalachian Trail the people don¢t really talk about.  Continual pointless up and downs the woods all look the same with no discerning features, at one point I felt like I was trapped in a hiking time space continuum.  I finally reached a shelter and took a short break and a dad showed up with his son and daughter who are probably nine and seven, so that did cheer my spirits to see some young children out backpacking, although they will surely see no wildlife as I could hear coming from about a quarter mile away.  The highlight of my campsite tonight is the privy!  It¢s a small wooden box with the toilet seat on it and that¢s it, no walls no doors just a toilet in the middle of the woods.  Of course I had to use it and it was great, but maybe not in a downpour though..
Date: 2021-04-10
From: Ceasar campground 

To: CT 341 Kent Ct.
Miles today: 13.7
Weather: overcast clouds

Day 8Ceasar Campground Mile marker 1483.9CT 341 Kent CT Mile Marker 1470.2Daily miles 13.7  My bladder woke me up at 5:30am and I decided to start my day by headlamp.  I packed up my stuff after a peaceful night camper within earshot of ceasar Brook.  I was hiking by 6:25 and had the incentive of getting off trail today for a zero and my 2nd Covid vaccination the following day.  I had a high river detour that added about a mile to my hike followed by a steep climb from RT7.  Then down to the Housatonic river walk which is dead flat for 4-5 miles.  Going SOBO the hike up to the Ledges may be the steepest climb I¢ve seen during all my travels on the AT.  It was taxing and took me a bit to recover from it.  I contined on the last four miles trying to get to CT341 by 1:30 when my dad and stepmom had agreed to pick me up.  I arrived at 1:28 only to find out they were running 30 minutes late..°¡.  Hot shower, Japanese food and sleep was the rest of the day as I didn¢t even bother unpacking my backpack.
Date: 2021-04-11
From: Home

To: Home
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

Day 9Zero at home  A much needed zero today after 8 days of borderline overdoing it for roughly 125 miles.  I received my 2nd Covid vaccination earlier today, went shed shopping with my wife and hosted my brother and sister in law for a early dinner.     I would like to give a shout out to all the trail maintainers in MA. and Ct., they were definitely busy already in Ct. this spring as I witnessed a lot of fresh sawdust on the trail as a fall hurricane came through last year that caused major blow downs throughout the state.  I heard NY got it even worse, guess I¢ll find out this upcoming week.I¢ll be heading back to Kent, Ct. in the morning and will be in NY by the end of the day.  I¢m going to try to my daily mileage around 15 miles a day as I¢ll need another 7-10 days till my trail legs really start to show out. I lost 7 pounds first 8 days and that rapid weight loss will continue for the next 3-4 weeks.  Gonna be a long stretch before I see any loved ones again, but I¢m looking forward to the journey.
Date: 2021-04-12
From: CT 341 Kent Ct.

To: Telephone pioneers shelter
Miles today: 21.5
Weather: moderate rain

Day 10New York State of MindCT 341 Kent mile marker 1470.2Telephone pioneers shelter mile marker 1448.7Daily miles 21.5   My alarm went off at 5:45 AM and I quickly got in the shower, ran downstairs put on  all my hiking clothes and packed up my backpack.  I drove and my wife was the passenger on the way to Kent.  She dropped me off and a hug and kiss later I hiking up Mt. Algo.  I decided to pace myself a bit more today than I have been and it paid off.  I stayed at a comfortable pace all day long.  I reached Wiley shelter at 2:30pm and was at 13 miles.  I can¢t camp that early, I just can¢t.  Problem was next shelter was 9 miles away and rain was in  the forecast.  I manned up and pushed on.  As I had heard the blow downs in NY are far worse than MA and CT.  Most were manageable except one I had to crawl under and there were prickers on the ground.  I ended up reaching my destination around 6:15pm and quickly changed out of my wet clothes and got my chores done.  I was nice getting in to NY, a state I haven¢t hiked since 2016.  Getting cold off to bed after first 20 plus mile day.
Date: 2021-04-13
From: Telephone pioneers shelter

To: RPH Shelter
Miles today: 16.8
Weather: light rain

Day 11 Takeout Tuesday!Telephone pioneers shelter mile marker 1448.7RPH shelter mile marker 1431.9Daily miles 16.8   Today was a pretty unremarkable hiking day.  The things that really stand out in retrospect was that the sun didn¢t come out till about 1 PM and the aphids did come out.  New York continue to provide some flat ground for quick progress at times.  New York is just littered with a lot of little ups and downs that add up over time.  The aphids on the other hand were a true annoyance at times today, I can out hike them on flat ground, but if the are swarming me on a climb I can¢t lose them.  The highlight of my day was probably the destination, which is our RPH shelter, a true gem of a shelter.  This is one of two shelters on the AT, which you can food delivered to you.  I was only able to 5 of  the 8 slices of pizza delivered, but I¢ll go to sleep very full tonight.  Another big day planned for tomorrow as I ready my plans for Thursday and Friday when the weather forecast looks diabolical.
Date: 2021-04-14
From: RPH Shelter

To: Hemlock Springs campsite 
Miles today: 23.0

Day 12 Quit bugging me!RPH shelter mile marker 1431.9Hemlock Springs campsite mile marker 1408.9Daily miles 23.0  Today¢s hike between 7:15 AM and 1 o¢clock was fairly slow due to train and a strong sun.  For some reason I thought all morning that I only had 20 miles to do today and then at 1o¢clock I rechecked my guidebook and realized I still had 12 miles to go.  I was doing a 23 mile day not a 20 mile today, luckily I was provided some cloud cover later in the day because I really needed to step on the pedal get get some miles in.  I hustled to Appalachian market and reach there by 4:30 PM where I decided I would take an early dinner and had two bacon grilled cheese sandwiches, onion rings 2l Mountain Dew and an Arizona tea.  I was slightly concerned with indulging myself in the miles that remained between me and my campsite.  Don¢t underestimate the jolt of 2 L of Mountain Dew and a forgiving ridge line.  I hiked like my pants were on fire and reached the campsite in a unbelievably fast time.    Outside of some annoying terrain early in the day the downside of my day was the if it¢s again.  Ignoring them in the morning, they became increasingly bothersome throughout the day.  Climaxing as I tried to set up camp and they just descended upon me.  I had no choice but to just throw everything I needed in my Tent and jump in to escape them.  It looks like I will be breaking down and using some insect repellent moving forward.   I¢m about a day ahead of the tentative schedule I laid out for the week for myself, this is a good thing as tomorrow looks like a total rain out and I booked a room in Fort Montgomery to escape a day that will be 100 percent rain.
Date: 2021-04-15
From: Hemlock Springs campsite 

To: Bear Mountain Bridge motel
Miles today: 2.4
Weather: overcast clouds

Day 13Ain¢t no hero, give me a Nero!Hemlock Springs campsite mile marker 1408.9Bear mountain bridge mile marker 1406.5Daily miles 2.4 milesTotal miles 188.5   After unsuccessfully managing to keep my daily mileage as low as i planned, heavy rain in the forecast and accruing 60 miles in the past three days I decided to take a Nero in Fort Montgomery NY.  My trail legs are starting to come into form, but I don¢t want to push them too hard just yet.  I was awake at 5:30 AM this morning and hiking by  6:20.  I made the short but steep descent down to Bear Mountain Bridge as the many cars raced by.  I decided to walk to Bear mountain bridge motel, enjoying the remnants of history just yards from the sidewalk were the remains of buildings that had been under heavy attack by British forces in 1777.  I managed to find hey small little breakfast place where I was able to get hot coffee and a breakfast wrap.  I was super early for my room for the night but luckily there was a vacancy and the owners found me on the front porch and let me write into my room at 9:30 in the morning.  Hot shower, get my trail entries entered into my journal and a whole lot of staying off my feet is in store for me today.  I feel lucky to of made it this far south as parts of Connecticut and Massachusetts that I hiked through could be getting 5 to 8 inches of snow in the next 24 hours.  Let¢s just say that¢s not typical weather this time of year and I hope the hikers up there are prepared for it.  As for me I¢ll be heading south in the morning as I look to get it very solid week of hiking in.
Date: 2021-04-16
From: Bear Mountain Bridge motel

To: Not so stealth camp spot as you enter Herriman state park
Miles today: 18.0

Day 14The highs and lows of thru- hiking.Bear Mountain Bridge mile marker 1406.5Stealth camp mile marker 1388.5Daily miles 18 total miles 206.5  I was dropped off at the rotary a Fort Montgomery at 7:50 AM.  From this point commenced a three mountain view field hike that was really top notch and maybe the best of my trip so far.  I got views of the Hudson river Mountain backdrops, I got views of Bear Mountain from West Mountain, and I got views of the New York City skyline from Taminy mountain.  It was a wonderful morning and I entered Harriman State Park with hopes of continuing continuing.  There was a slight chance of rain from 4-6 that I choose to hike through because weather forecasts are never wrong. Well it started to rain and it wasn¢t sleep, I ended up getting very wet and desperate for a place to camp.  I found one in quickly ingested  my remaining snacks.  However with the temperature at 42 I was quickly becoming hypothermic and as soon as there was a break in the rain I put up my tent and over for the night.  The chill I had was so bad it took nearly an hour for me to warm up my sleeping bag.  The cold temperatures last night into do heavy condensation in my tent in the rain on the upside of my tent resulted in most all my gear wet except my sleeping bag and camp clothes.  It was fairly disastrous.
Date: 2021-04-17
From: Not so stealth camp spot as you enter Herriman state park

To: Wayanda shelter
Miles today: 23.9
Weather: overcast clouds

Day 15Bye NY, Hello NJ!Stealth camp mile marker 1388.5 Wayanda shelter mile marker 1364.6Daily miles 23.9  My day today began as it ended yesterday, wet and cold.  My hiking clothes were soaking wet and it was 37° out.  I rang them out the best I could and took a deep breath as I put them on.  Took extra care to keep my few dry items dry, packed up the rest to be dried at a later date.  The morning was very slow as the train and up and down mountains with no Ridgewalk just up and then down and repeat for over three hours.  Finally at 11 AM the trail became a little easier as I found myself behind schedule for the day and reaching my destinations in a timely manner.  I did have the psychological boost of crossing over into New Jersey which pushed me on as the daylight hours dwindled.  I finally made it to camp close to 7 PM and to my surprise I had my first camp me of the hike.  It was nice to have someone to converse with as I shoveled some dinner into my mouth and quickly tried to take care of all my chores before it was dark out and too cold.  Looking like another long day tomorrow, I was considering trying to get into Vernon New Jersey for small resupply and some town food but it¢s going to be tight timewise, we shall see.
Date: 2021-04-18
From: Wayanda shelter

To: High point shelter
Miles today: 24.1
Weather: overcast clouds

Day 16¢You so strong¢Wawayanda Shelter mile marker 1364.6High point shelter 1340.7 Daily miles 24.1  I hit the trail early this morning at 6:45, as I reached a descent known as ¢starirway to heaven¢ and began to go down my first highlight of the occurred.  I passed an out of breath middle aged Spanish woman ascending, she looked at me muttered, ¢You so strong¢ and nothing else.  This stroke of my ego after being humbled daily by a footpath was a real boost!  It was followed by arriving at heaven¢s hill farm just as they opened!  Large coffee, 3 apple cider donuts and two chocolate chip cookies for the road!  This section today featured a beautiful boardwalk walk and a walk through a bird sanctuary, both totally flat!!  My legs felt incredibly strong all day, although my knees took a while to warm up after some tough downhills yesterday.  New Jersey may be the most underrated state on the AT.
Date: 2021-04-19
From: High point shelter

To: Campsite 
Miles today: 23.6
Weather: scattered clouds

Day 17Gyp¢s tavern and grill and a black bearHigh Point shelter mile marker 1340.7Campsite mile marker 1317.1Daily miles 23.6   I left camp at 6:40 AM and hiked up to the Overlook, which gave a great view of the High Point Veterans Memorial.  From there it was ridge walking it was very unremarkable.  The first few miles were very rocky preparing me for the next state Pennsylvania.  The rocks eased up and I continued on making great time for the second day in a row as my trail legs are allowing me to hike at a faster rate and cover more miles and less time.  At around 1:30 PM to my great surprise I hit Route 206 and realized I was right up the road from gyp¢s Tavern and grill!  Being ahead of schedule for the day I took it vantage and went down and enjoyed a mushroom cheddar bacon cheeseburger, Gatorade and a Coke.  There were a couple other hikers there one being another flip-flop or who started in Harpers Ferry, the guy wouldn¢t stop talking I was happy to leave as soon as I was done eating.    I left there at 2:45 and had the option of going 3.6 miles to a shelter or 7.6 miles to a campsite.  I got hit with a Bree shower on the way to the shelter and there was more rain in the forecast so I hunker down at the shelter for a bit with two female hikers. It was a small shelter and a bit crowded to stay so after I realized the forecasted rain wasn¢t really going to hit I took off around 6 PM.  As they arrived at the first campsite there was a black bear awaiting my arrival.  It quickly ran away when it saw me but you didn¢t make me feel great about staying there so I decided to push on.  As the sun was getting close to setting I realized I might be doing some night hiking but I found a nice little campsite for one or two tents quickly quickly set up.  Despite the doldrums of the morning Ridgewalk it was a good day and I made more miles then I expected which means a shorter hike tomorrow into Delaware water gap.
Date: 2021-04-20
From: Campsite 

To: Episcopalian church on the mountain
Miles today: 22.0

Day 18Feet prepare your selves we¢re entering PA.campsite mile marker 1317.1Episcopalian church of the mountain mile marker 1295.9Daily miles 22.0  I intended to get up super early today since I was hiking into town but my camp spot was so nice on top of a ridge with mountain winds blowing all night but not going my tent.  I still manage to get on trail by 645 and found today¢s hike a bit physically and mentally challenging.  It was actually a pretty hike but for some reason it just went very slow and it seemed like I wasn¢t moving very fast even though I made decent time.  I ended up getting into Delaware water gap around 3:30 PM.  Took a quick shower and headed into town for a re-supply, purchase a new spork, and a medium pizza.  Weather is looking very iffy tomorrow as are my camping and shelter options so we will see what tomorrow brings.