morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2003-08-09
From: Telephone Pioneers Shelter

To: Wiley Shelter
Miles today: 9.0
Weather: light rain

Today was another "Deli Day." Only had to drop down .7 miles to County Road 20 that goes into Pawling. I hit the road about 8 AM and waited for a while to see if any cars would pass and pick me up -- NO LUCK . . . so I started to walk the 3 miles into town. I got about a mile away and got picked up by a fellow in a pick-up truck. He dropped me right in front of the laundromat. I started a load and then went next door to the cafe for some breakfast.I found out from the lady managing the cafe that she also runs a B&B in town. That wasn't mentioned in the handbook -- or I probably would have come into town last night.Anyway, I got my laundry done and had a good meal. Got a ride back out to the trail and headed north. Five more miles up the trail was NY22; right after I passed the "Appalachian Trail" train station. YEP, that's right . . . there is actually a commuter station right on the trail that runs into New York. Meanwhile, back to NY22. It just so happens that there was a deli only a half mile down the road. That was just too tempting for the old Footslogger-- I road walked the half mile in record time and was knocking down a foot-long hot dog and ginger ale in style.I struck up a conversation with the owner and asked him about a little town up the trail called Wingdale. I told him I was planning on staying there but that it was supposed to be reachable from Hoyt Road. He said . . . "jump in the truck and I'll show you Wingdale." Turned out that the motel I was interested in was on the same road as the deli AND . . .if I had hiked to Hoyt Road I would have had to backtrack to get there. So -- there went my plans for an overnight in a motel and a shower. But, in the meantime I avoided a real inconvenience and the guy was nice enough to drive me back out to the trail crossing. All in all things worked out pretty well.I jumped back out on the trail at around 2 PM and hiked the remaining 6 miles to the shelter.The shelter caretaker was there and told me that the forecast called for severe rainstorms and flooding. Rather than set up my tent and run the risk of getting washed away, I went ahead and jumped in the shelter for the night. It wasn't long before the rain started falling. I cooked dinner inside the shelter, did some journalling, and settled in for the night. Lots more hikers showed up and we filled the shelter. Nice to have a roof over my head on a night like tonight.I'm only 1 mile from the Connecticut state line. Tomorrow I enter New England.
Date: 2003-08-11
From: Kent, CT

To: Cornwall Bridge, CT
Miles today: 11.1

Had a great breakfast before hiking out of town ¢ and I¢m glad I did, because the day started out with a fairly stiff uphill. After about 3 miles, though, the trail dropped dramatically and ran along the Housatonic River for almost 5 miles. That really allowed me to cover some miles. But as I got closer to CT 4 I started a climb which was followed by a stiff downhill. It was one of those downhills where you had to choose your footing very carefully in order to keep from falling. On my way down that final part of the trail the sky darkened and it started to rain. I stood alongside the road and attempted to hitch a ride into town but no one would stop. As usual, I ended up walking the one mile into town. The first building I passed was the town¢s ¢package store.¢ A woman was coming out the door at that moment and I asked her if she knew where the motel was located. She immediately said . . . ¢Hop in and I¢ll take you there.¢ Nice lady.Anyway, I got a room and then walked on back up to the grocery store for some dinner. I also poked my head into the package store to see if they had any Jack Daniels (for medicinal purposes only, of course). After that it was back to the motel for dinner. By then the day had taken its toll and I was fading fast. Just enough time for journaling before falling asleep.
Date: 2003-08-12
From: Cornwall Bridge, CT

To: Belters Campsite
Miles today: 11.1
Weather: light rain

Woke up early and peeked out the door ¢ rain again. I threw my things together pretty quickly, wolfed down a bagel and headed for the trail. The very first inkling of how the day was going to go hit pretty fast. There was supposed to be a little brook a short distance in on the trail. Well with all the rain we¢ve been having it had turned into a very fast-flowing 30-foot wide river. All of the rocks or logs a hiker would normally use to get across the brook were under water. I walked up and down the bank looking for a ¢dry¢ way to cross over but no luck. Didn¢t want to walk all day with wet shoes so I decided to walk across in my rubber camp shoes. Even with the camp shoes the crossing was a bit dicey due to the fast water flow but I took it slowly and used my hiking poles for balance. Once on the other side it was time to dry off the feet, replace the shoes and get the show on the road. This little brook episode, while interesting and adventuresome, ended up costing me close to an hour of hiking time and that¢s about 2 miles of trail. So I started the day a little behind the 8 ball. The trail was muddy from all the rain so both the uphills and downhills involved some ¢slippin¢ and a slidin¢¢ and progress was a bit slow.I got to the first shelter (Pine Swamp Brook) at about 11:30. I was pooped and soaked from head to toe ¢ a combination of sweat and rain. I decided to go ahead and have my lunch. At first the rain started to clear and I thought the afternoon¢s hike wouldn¢t be quite so wet. But just as I was pulling my pack together the sky darkened and the rain started to fall. At first I thought it would be a brief shower and I could wait it out. But after an hour or so of downpour that obviously wasn¢t the case. My other option at that point was to just unpack and stay there for the night. But that would really set my mileage back. So, I threw on the pack cover and off I hiked in the pouring rain. In some ways it felt good. I wasn¢t sweating so much and the mosquitoes (which, by the way, have become totally obnoxious) weren¢t biting me.It was raining so hard that at times I couldn¢t see 8-10 feet out in front of me. I felt more like a member of the Appalachian Trail swim team than an AT thru-hiker. But I pressed on and around 5 AM I located the campsite I had been shooting for. The rain stopped just long enough for me to set up my tent and crawl inside and then it started all over again. I could hear the mosquitoes buzzing around outside, desperately trying to get through the mesh on my tent. But they couldn¢t get in at me ¢ I was finally safe from their bites and in for the night. I pulled off my wet clothes, dried off and put on some dry ones ¢ ahhh, that felt great. I laid in my tent for several minutes and let my body cool off from the workout it got today. Then it was time to cook myself a little dinner, under the rainfly of course.That left just enough time for a little journaling before drifting off to sleep. Tomorrow I hike into Salisburg, where I have a mail drop waiting ¢ and I may even stay the night in town ¢ Woo Hoo!!
Date: 2003-08-13
From: Belters Campsite

To: Salisbury
Miles today: 10.5
Weather: few clouds

Let¢s cut right to the chase ¢ I¢m one VERY FORTUNATE thru-hiker. Again today I was on the receiving end of another random act of kindness.The day started early. I had camped last night at a spot that was less than one mile from a road. It just so happened that there was this great little caf© about .2 of a mile up that road from the trail. Sounded like a great breakfast opportunity to me!!I was sitting drinking a REAL cup of coffee and eating fried eggs ¢ definitely not an everyday occurrence on the trail. I finished quickly though and got back on the trail. That¢s when I met a trail angel named Linda Johnson. I was walking slowly on the Housatonic River and a huge dog came charging at me. The owner shouted, ¢Don¢t worry, she¢s friendly¢ ¢ which, of course, was very true. Linda walked up a moment later and I introduced myself. Her son had thru-hiked the trail so she was no stranger to the ordeal. Just as I was beginning to head off she asked me where I was headed and I said ¢Salisbury.¢ She then invited me to spend the night with her and her husband at their nearby house. Naturally I accepted and Linda told me to call her when I hiked into town. Wow, can you imagine that, a hot shower, dinner, real bed and breakfast the next morning ¢ FREE!Well, I had a wonderful night. We even had fresh corn-on-the-cob.I had been having some problems with my backpack and Leslie (BA Turtle) had sent me another one in the next town up the trail, South Egremont, MA ¢ that¢s right, Massachusetts! The only problem was that it is a 19-mile stretch of trail over 3 major slopes. So I didn¢t think I could do those miles with my current pack. Linda and her husband offered to drive my current pack up to S. Egremont and have it held at the Inn. So, I put together a sort of ¢day pack¢ made from a stuff sack. I had a plan.Even with the lighter pack the day would be rough. So, I decided to be on the trail at 7:30 AM. I called the South Egremont Inn and booked a room. They agreed to hold my pack until I arrived.Linda and Lawton (after a fantastic dinner) dished out fresh peach ice cream. I then got to check my email on their computer before heading off to my room. It was a storybook day and all I can think of is how grateful I am.There are some truly generous and hospitable people out there and Linda and Lawton Johnson are on that list, right near the very top.
Date: 2003-08-14
From: Salisbury

To: South Egremont, MA
Miles today: 18.5

Woke up and got all my things organized. Lawton made some fantastic blueberry pancakes and I had a freshly brewed coffee (2 cups). I was hiking at 8 AM. The trail started off pretty nice but within a few hours I started up Bear Mountain. After Bear Mountain the trail dipped deeply into a ravine. It was down in that ravine that I crossed into my next state on the trail ¢ Massachusetts. Things got pretty ugly at that point because I started the climb up Mount Everitt. Man, that sucker was damn near straight up and pretty much all rock. BA Turtle had told me about this mountain and everything she said was true. I just backed off my pace and took it one step at a time. When I reached the summit I dropped my pack and took a very long break.The final miles of the day were a long agonizing downhill called ¢Jug End.¢ I finally made it to the South Egremont road crossing but unfortunately I missed the post office. I¢ll have to take care of that in the morning. I had no luck hitching a ride and ended up walking the 2 miles into town. My first stop was the South Egremont Inn. I checked in, got a hot shower and then headed downstairs for some dinner. It had been ages since I had any good fish, so I splurged and ordered the grilled swordfish. I washed it down with a Sam Adams and then did a little socializing with some locals at the bar. I finished off the night by watching a little CNN in the common room. Within a few minutes of my head hitting the pillow I wasw off to sleep. This was a long and hard day. Tomorrow it¢s off to the post office bright and early to pick up my backpack.
Date: 2003-08-15
From: South Egremont, MA

To: Tom Leonard Lean-To
Miles today: 10.0

Woke up bright and early and found a little caf© just a few doors down from the post office. Had a great breakfast and then picked up my box. It was a lighter weight backpack that BA Turtle had sent me. It¢s only taken me 4 months but I¢ve figured out that the name of the game (at least for me) is pack weight. Truth be told, I¢ve known that from the beginning but it¢s just now sinking in. The bottom line is that if I¢m going to get all the way to Katahdin I¢ve got to drop some pack weight. The first step in that process was to switch to a smaller, lighter-weight pack.So, I went back to the Inn and sifted through the contents of my pack. Including the reduction in basic pack weight I was able to drop about 4 pounds in overall weight. That may not sound like much but you can really feel the difference. By the time I had my pack all squared away it was time to check out and head back to the trial. I stopped off at the post office to mail back the items from my pack and the heavier backpack. Then, before walking to the trail crossing I grabbed a sandwich and a ginger ale at the local market. By now it was around noon and I decided to shoot for a 10-mile day. It turned out to be a pretty rough 10 miles though.I didn¢t reach the shelter until around 5 PM. I was pooped, but not as much as I would have been with the heavier backpack. The water source was 12 mile downhill from the shelter so I guess I could add a mile to the 10 I¢ve already hiked. The bugs were really bad. I¢m pretty sure that the state bird of Massachusetts is the mosquito! I knew that sleeping in the shelter would be a bug fest so I pitched my tent.With that all taken care of I whipped up some dinner and chatted with the other hikers.By 8 PM I was all out of steam. I crawled in my tent and headed off to sleep.Funny thing . . . there wasw a huge outdoor concert this weekend called ¢BerkFest.¢ Lots of hikers had paid for a ticket but once everything got quiet around the shelter I could actually hear the music. How about that . . . a free concert!
Date: 2003-08-16
From: Tom Leonard Lean-To

To: Tyringham, MA
Miles today: 13.0

Today was another one of those ¢magic¢ days. First, a little history . . . there is this fellow from Hartford, CT who has been following my hike via my website here on trail journals. His name is Brian Lynch and he goes by the trail name ¢braveweed.¢ Earlier on in my hike he had sent me an email indicating that he hoped we could meet as I hiked through New England. Well, recently he sent me another message asking if I would be near Tyringham, MA on 8/16. It just so happened that I was so I called the phone number he had left in the message. His email had gone on to say that he had a friend with a cabin in Tyringham and hoped I could overnight there with him and his wife. So, on my way toward Tyringham I ran across a pay phone and left him an updated message with my estimated arrival. I continued onward toward Tyringham with hopes of meeting him at the post office. As I approached a road crossing at Tyringham later in the lafternoon I found a note and a quart of cold gatorade he had left for me. The note said he would be back later so I just dropped my pack, sat down, and proceeded to enjoy my gatorade. Two other hikers (Superfly and Morten) came up in the meantime.About 20 minutes later Bryan and Jim pulled up in a van. We introduced ourselves and then jumped in the van and headed for the cabin. It was a beautiful place on a secluded and private road. We met Bryan and Jim's wives and Bryan's sister and sat down to several bowls of hot chili, complete with corn bread. Oh, yeah and they had a cooler full of cold beer too! For dessert we had home made brownies. Does it get any better than this?? I mean here¢s Brian who coincidentally discovered my on-line journal. And then there¢s Jim and his wife who generously open their home to total strangers. I¢m telling you, the list of very special people is growing!We talked a lot about thru-hiking and learned that Brian hopes to do the trail in 4 years. I encouraged him to do whatever it takes to keep the dream alive.The evening drew to a close and we all climbed up into the loft for a good night¢s sleep. Life is GOOD!
Date: 2003-08-17
From: Tyringham, MA

To: Upper Goose Pond Cabin
Miles today: 8.1
Weather: light rain

Definitely not your average morning on the trail. We woke up to freshly brewed coffee, fresh fruit, muffins, and bagels with cream cheese. Man, this is living large!! Brian offered to drive us into the town of Lee, where there was a laundromat and food store. We took him up on his offer. While we (Martin, Superfly, and me) were in Lee, we went ahead and grabbed an early lunch.Brian and Jim had us back at the trail crossing around noon. We took some parting photos, said our farewells and then hiked on. We promised to stay in touch and let them know how our thru-hikes all worked out.Martin and Superfly decided to shoot for the second shelter, which would be a 17 mile day (afternoon really). I set my sights on the first shelter, which was 8 miles up the trail. Basically I heard that this shelter (Upper Goose Pond) had a caretaker who made pancakes in the morning for thru-hikers.Anyway, we went our separate ways. That¢s the beauty of a thru-hike. You hike your own hike. Shortly after getting started on the trail I heard thunder and noticed that the sky was turning dark. Within about a half hour it started to drizzle and then progressed into a full blown thunderstorm. The rain was cool and felt good but the trail soon turned muddy and the rocks became slippery. My feet were soaked but I kept on hiking. About 4:30 I walked up to the shelter and introduced myself to Paul, the caretaker. Paul gave me a rundown on the place and then I went up to the bunkhouse to get organized and out of my wet clothes.Once I was dry and unpacked I felt a hunger coming on so I fixed myself some dinner. That left time for a little journaling before I crawled in my sleeping bag, snug as a bug in a rug and drifted off to sleep.
Date: 2003-08-18
From: Upper Goose Pond Cabin

To: October Mountain Lean-To
Miles today: 8.8
Weather: light rain

Well for starters . . . the breakfast stories were true. I got up early and came downstairs in the cabin. Paul already had a pot of coffee made and was in the process of whipping up the first batch of pancakes ¢ blueberry pancakes that is! It had rained pretty much nonstop all night but had stopped by morning. The trail was bound to be a mess so none of the hikers were in a big hurry to get started. Regardless, we finished off the pancakes (thanks Paul!) and everyone pitched in to wash up the dishes.It started to look as if the sun might come out so I got started pulling my backpack together. By 9 AM I was packed and ready to hit the trail. I had checked the handbook and saw that there was a shelter about 17 miles out. That seemed doable and I decided to make it my goal. That would put me within 4 miles of Dalton, Mass, where I planned to get a shower and do some food re-supply.As I had imagined, the trail was one huge mud puddle. In fact there were some uphill and downhill sections of the trail with ankle-deep running water on them. My shoes were still a bit wet from yesterday but I had put on clean dry socks in the morning and was hoping to keep them that way. Well, that was my first mistake. In the process of trying to rock hop over some deep puddles I slipped and my feet went completely under water ¢ YUCK! As if that wasn¢t enough, about 10 AM the sky darkened and it started to rain. I knew there was a shelter about 8 miles out so I just put my head down and hiked on. I reached that shelter around 2 PM and decided to have some lunch. I no sooner got my backpack off and it started to rain . . . . and I mean REALLY rain hard. After having hiked for 4 hours in a downpour yesterday I was in no mood to get soaked again. So, I decided to hunker down at this shelter for the rest of the day. It was pretty early to stop hiking but I just couldn¢t deal with the thought of going another 8 miles under the circumstances.I hung up a clothesline and got everything hung up to dry. I put on some dry clothes and rolled out my sleeping bag. This would be home for the night. I used the rest of the afternoon to catch up on my journaling and to do some advance planning for the days ahead. Tomorrow I will hike the remaining 12 miles into Dalton and go on from there.
Date: 2003-08-19
From: October Mountain Lean-To

To: Dalton, MA
Miles today: 11.8
Weather: clear sky

Sure glad I decided to stay at the shelter after lunch. It rained non-stop well into the evening. The only issue I really had to deal with today was the mud ¢ and that was an understatement. The trail dipped into a bog and ran alongside several beaver ponds. The rain caused the ponds to overflow and all of that water was running down the AT ¢ what a MESS! There were times when the water was almost knee deep. In some cases I had to search for big rocks or tree roots to avoid getting soaked and covered in mud. But it just got too bad and finally I bit the bullet and simply started slogging down the trail. It was either that or hike at a ridiculously slow pace. Little by little I climbed out of the bog and the water/mud got a little lighter and I could make decent time. When I walked out of the woods I looked more like a rugby player than a thru-hiker. I was soaked with perspiration and had mud up to my knees. I could feel things starting to stiffen up as the mud on my feet and legs began to dry in the sun. I made my way over to the Shell Station and got details on the house belonging to Rob Bird where hikers could grab a bunk, shower, and do some laundry. Needless to say, those were my priorities followed by a good dinner and, oh yeah, a couple cold Sam Adams.That having been taken care of, I headed for my bunk and called it a night.
Date: 2003-08-20
From: Dalton, MA

To: Mt. Greylock
Miles today: 17.0

Actually, I hiked the day in reverse from what is listed above. In other words, I hiked southbound. Rob offered us the opportunity to start at Mt. Greylock and hike back to Dalton. It sounded like a pretty good deal to me and I went for it.Mt. Greylock is pretty tall so the day started off on a downhill run ¢ literally! Little by little the terrain leveled off and I hiked into the town of Cheshire. I decided to grab a sandwich and a soda there before finishing off the last 10 miles into Dalton. There were several ¢re-routed¢ segments on this trail and they weren¢t always well marked or ¢worn in.¢ That made navigation a bit of a challenge at times.But I just kept putting one foot in front of the other and around 6 PM I popped out of the woods, back in the town of Dalton. I made my way back to Rob¢s, grabbed a shower and headed over to the library to check my email. I then hitched a ride out to the Pittsfield Mall and paid a visit to the EMS (Eastern Mountain Sports). The last couple nights out in the woods the temperatures dipped into the 40s and I was a bit chilly. So, I picked up a hat and long sleeved shirt to sleep in. then it was back to Rob¢s. Only problem was that the buses had stopped running and it was too dark to hitchhike. I mentioned my dilemma to the manager of the EMS store and she offered to drop me back in Dalton after the mall closed. Of course, that meant a late return to Rob¢s, but that was my best option.Once back at Rob¢s, I visited with the other hikers and then crashed. Hopefully I will be able to hike on northward in the morning.
Date: 2003-08-21
From: Mt. Greylock

To: Dalton, MA
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

OK, so the plan was to hike out today. Well, plans change! The ride out to the trail head was just too early for me. I still had some stuff to do. Plus, I had a package at the post office in the next town up and wanted to see about picking it up. I was barely awake but went along for the ride with the other hikers. About 10 miles out of town the driver (Rob) got a call and had to go back to Dalton. When we got back to Dalton he asked me if I could drive the van with the hikers out to Mt. Greylock. How about that for a change in plans ¢ you¢ve really got to be flexible out here.Naturally, I told Rob I would make the run, even though I wasn¢t familiar with the road. He gave me a few directions and off I went.Long story short . . . I found the road to Mt. Greylock without any problem AND was able to pick up my package at the post office in North Adams on my way back to Dalton.I finished off the day getting organized for my departure tomorrow and just getting some rest. Tomorrow I WILL hike on and should be in Vermont within a day or two ¢ Yahoo!