morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2009-07-08
From: Black Mountain

To: Graymoor
Miles today: 13.8
Weather: scattered clouds

Today was jam packed. And I think I felt more energetic because of it. We slept in a little and let our tents dry some from the thunderstorm that rolled in last night. We finished climbing the hill that we started last night and then we passed the Palisades Parkway. A little while later and we found Billy Hoot and Nutmeg and we stopped for a bit and set off some firecrackers. Not a bad way to start the day. We then climbed West Mountain, which wasn't long, but was really steep. They're not much for switchbacks around here. We could see the tower on top of Bear mountain when we got to the top of west mtn which was cool. So we hurried down, ate lunch at the base and then had a nice climb up Bear mtn. I was surprised that a bit of it was road walking. At the top we could see nyc very clearly. A Fox News reporter found us and interviewed the Condiments and then proceeded to hike with us while filming all the way down the mountain. It was hilarious. The news story was about how apparently AT usage is up 20% this year.We got to the bottom, had some soda and fries and then waked through the most depressing zoo in America. The black bears had huge calluses on their butts from sitting on concrete all day. Wow. Plus it was filled with dozens of horribly behaved children. I was in hell.We made it to the Hudson and walked to Fort Montgomery where I picked up my new shoes at the PO! Exciitng! We finished out the 6.5 miles after and were happy to make it to Greymoor Monestary where Nutmeg and Billy Hoot were already as well as OG, who we hadn't seen in awhile. I hope we can explore this place in the morning some.
Date: 2009-07-09
From: Graymoor

To: Canapus Lake campground
Miles today: 11.9

Happy Birthday, Grommet! We started Grom's bday off with the birthday song and presentation of her first present:water guns! We explored the grounds and gift shop of the monestary and I spent a good part of the morning thinking about religion and spirituality and where it belongs in my life and in this hike. Groms, Storm and I took a nice break in the morning where we started planning future travels, like an awesome road trip or a bicycle trip across the country. Guess I'm going to have to get a job soon to pay for this stuff! Details...It was really humid today and clouds threatened the whole day but thankfully it never rained. But I'm not going to sugar coat it, the hiking was pretty awful. Constant rocky ups and downs, for no reason and with no views. When we finally got to the road where the lake was we walked another mile or so on the road to a campground where we had an awesome bday party for Groms. Her big present? Walkie talkies! So we will always know each others locations. We spent the evening eating, celebrating, and practicing our radio lingo. I hope tomorrow isn't as hard as today was and that I somehow get some energy back.
Date: 2009-07-10
From: Canapus Lake campground

To: Morgan Stewart Shelter
Miles today: 16.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Today we got to test out our walkie talkies right away! Grommet and I headed back to the road to go back to the trailhead and the others were going to find another trail. We said we would meet up at the RPH shelter, if not before. It was totally fun talking to each other on the walkie talkies until we met up a viewpoint. Turns out the "trail" they took was straight up the cliff. Hilarious! We all headed to RPH where we enjoyed a hiker feed and meeting and hanging out with Chuck Wood (trailname: Woodchuck), the man who made the 1/2 way marker on the AT and who thru-hiked in 1984. What a guy!Grommet, Storm and I banged out the 9 miles pretty nicely, and had several conversations about life after the trail, how to stay motivated out here, and how excited we were for the Whites. You know, the usual topics. Tonight at the shelter it's us, the Condiments and Billy Hoot and Nutmeg...and no one else. Fun!
Date: 2009-07-11
From: Morgan Stewart Shelter

To: Pawling, NY
Miles today: 8.5

What a lovely day out here. I slept like a log last night and woke up to the sun shining and a soft breeze blowing through the trees. The morning's walk wasn't too remarkable, except for about 5 miles we listened to gun shots all around Nuclear Lake. Hmmmm. We took a 15 minute break and ran into Steve, the guy who helped us get Grommet's bday stuff from the campground the other night. The trail is a small world! We headed down to the road and knew we were there because we were face to face with the biggest tree on the AT: the Dover Oak. Wow, this is some tree. It's totally incredible to think about how long that tree has been there. We hitched an easy ride from a local farmer who was really friendly and nice. We got Chinese food, did our laundry, caught up on some stuff on the computer at the library, resupplied at CVS (hilarious), and got some pizza. While we were at the pizza place an incredible woman offered to give us a ride to Murrow Park, where we could sleep for the night. She came back with her truck and cupcakes for each of us and incredible energy. She, as everyone we've met in this town was gracious, friendly and generous. I love it here. We made a nice home for ourselves by the lake and after we helped shield Storm from everyone seeing her take a shower, we got out our sleeping bags and turned on Prairie Home Companion. One of the best things about this hike is realizing how little I need to be content. Tonight we have a roof over our heads, cozy sleeping bags, good company and a good book to read. What else is there?Reality changing moment: Cupcakes from a stranger
Date: 2009-07-12
From: Pawling, NY

To: 10 Mile River Shelter
Miles today: 12.0
Weather: clear sky

I said it the other day and it seems to be holding true: everyday, at least once, something completely awesome happens out here. Today several awesome things happened. For starters, we had an incredible breakfast at the local bakery. Wow. The Condiments decided to "rail blaze" and took the train 2 miles up the trail while the 3 of us walked through some pretty farms and fields and met them at the AT train station. They were all taking showers when we got here and I was psyched to get cleaned up. We eventually headed out and within an hour we had a completely awesome surprise: a visit from our friend Angela (Moss) who showed up hiking south to meet us with beer and flavorice. It was so great to see her and we hiked with her all afternoon. We're planning on meeting up with on a week or so when she is going to graciously host us at her place! So saying goodbye wasn't hard since we know we'll see her soon. We shot off some fireworks, celebrated entering our 10th state of Connecticut and had a few beers before bidding adieu to Moss. Then we booked it the 3 miles before it got totally dark and are camped along the Housatonic River tonight which looks gorgeous. The weather was perfect today. I had a shower. We got a surprise guest visit and we're in a new state. All is well on the trail.Reality changing moment: Moss!
Date: 2009-07-13
From: 10 Mile River Shelter

To: Kent, CT
Miles today: 8.7

Today we actually had a pretty decent climb. It was about 1000' to the top of Schaghticoke mountain. But it felt good to have a nice climb early in the day. Of course my knee has started hurting again now that the terrain is rougher and steeper. I hope it isn't here to stay. After that climb, it was just a few more miles until we went down, down, down to the road and headed into Kent. The weather has been so beautiful that it's actually hard to believe. I don't think I've ever enjoyed July weather as much as I am this year. We headed into Kent, pitched our tents at the church and did the usual town stuff. We ran into Lil Dipper and Early Bear but they hiked on today. Staying with us tonight is Matchstick, Ink, Mississippi, Nutmeg and Billy Hoot, Wendi, Andy and Trigger.
Date: 2009-07-14
From: Kent, CT

To: Caesar Brook Campsite
Miles today: 13.6
Weather: broken clouds

After breaking down our little shanty town of tents, we headed over to the coffee place and relaxed a little before hiking out of Kent. We met two hikers from Holland while sitting there and McBride showed up eventually, too. The hike this morning had a few hills, but then the trail followed along the Housatonic River for about 5 miles which was pleasant. We stopped for lunch along the river and then continued on. Before we had to climb back up we stopped to get water and chatted for awhile with Nutmeg and Billy Hoot. The woods changed as we climbed up tonight. There were some beautiful creeks and the woods got dark because of the dense canopy of hemlocks. It was beautiful and made the constant ups and downs more tolerable. We got tour campsite and it's pretty crowded: Andy, Ink, Matchstick, Billy Hoot and Nutmeg, Chase, and probably others that I'm forgetting!
Date: 2009-07-15
From: Caesar Brook Campsite

To: Falls Village, CT
Miles today: 11.6

Today was slightly ridiculous. The weather was perfect and it was actually chilly this morning. We were hiking a little after 8 and the trail was filled with little ups and downs all morning. We were still in a beautiful hemlock forest which was great. We met a southbounder after we squeezed our way through a big boulder who told us about a road walk detour coming up. We finally hit the road and ate our lunch and were totally unsatisfied. Immediately Ms. Muster, Nutmeg and Billy Hoot went to get food and we got separated. We waited for them for like an hour and a half and then we got a message from them that the would meet us further up the trail. Doh! So we did the road walk along a residential area and when we hit the Housatonic we all got in a truck and tried to find food. We didn't, but we found Muster and the rest! We're hanging out on the lawn and possibly camping here tonight. What a day!
Date: 2009-07-16
From: Falls Village, CT

To: Riga Lean-To
Miles today: 11.6

We tented at the Toymaker's Cafe lawn. When we woke up the place was open so I had a breakfast that was way too much food. I ate all of it anyway.It was a pleasant walk to Salisbury from there except that it was so humid. And buggy. And then it rained. Ok, maybe it wasn't that pleasant. But the terrain was easier so we made it to town around noonish and picked up a box of goodies that Persistent sent us. INCREDIBLE!!! Having a friend like her makes me feel like I can actually finish this trail in one piece. We had a nice lunch from the food store, resupplied and then Lil Dipper offered to let us take showers in her hotel room. Sweet! We left town around 5 and were just going to go 5 miles or so. About 30 minutes after we stated hiking we heard thunder rumbling. Katchup, Storm and I waited before going to a ridge line because the lightening was getting close. But then we decided the weather was getting worse so we should head on and get to the first shelter. The Condiments and I did and made it to the shelter before golf ball sized hail fell from the sky for 20 minutes. But Storm and Grommet had waited and we were really worried until they reached us. Everyone is in one piece and managed to pitch our tents once the storm stopped. The trail is going to be a river tomorrow I'm sure. Wow.
Date: 2009-07-17
From: Riga Lean-To

To: Campsite past elbow trail
Miles today: 11.3

What a day out here. We woke up this morning and at least it wasn't still raining. EVERYTHING was soaked, except my sleeping bag and clothes that I slept in. It was awful putting on wet stuff, but the view from the shelter was incredible and almost made me forget how uncomfortable I was. Almost. We headed out and I thought the trail would be like a river but it actually wasn't that bad. We finished climbing Bear mountain which had several false summits but when we actually got to the top there was a sweet rock pile to sit on and enjoy the view. We got to dry some stuff out and the clouds burned off. It was beautiful. We stopped for lunch at the bottom of bear mountain and McBride joined us which was fun. Then we crossed over into Massachusetts, climbed Race mountain and got some amazing views and got to the 1500 mile mark. It's still hard to imagine that we've hiked this far. I'm not sure when it will fell real, but it sure isn't right now. So, then we heard thunder rumbling and the humidity and mosquitoes became unbearable. We wanted to get off of the ridge we were trying to climb up and it was absolutely miserable to push in the humidity. In fact, I don't remember a time when I was that miserable. We got to the top and the storm was getting closer so we stopped to see how far the next shelter was when Storm spotted a structure that we could take cover under. So we watched the storm roll in and stayed dry which was pretty nice. Of course it started raining as soon as we left and we pulled in a mile later to catch up with the Condiments and make dinner. We pushed on another mile and a half and when we heard thunder rumbling. We pulled over to our closest flat spot and called it a day. I REALLY hope the rain stops by the morning. REALLY hope. Everything smells like a dead fish again and I'm really looking forward to Angela picking us up and drying out and relaxing.
Date: 2009-07-18
From: Campsite past elbow trail

To: Mt. Wilcox South
Miles today: 18.4
Weather: scattered clouds

Today felt like a lot of tests. The first 8 miles were swampy, wet, humid and mosquito filled. We heard that there are twice as many mosquitoes this year than average because of the amount of rain and lack of bats to eat them. Sometimes when we're walking they attack every inch of exposed flesh: ear lobes, fingers, eyebrows. It is unreal and the buzzing in my ear is enough to make me go insane. Also, with each passing day I feel and do things that make me feel homeless. Like sleeping behind a store, or taking water from someone's garden hose because there are no decent water sources. Katchup and I had to do that this afternoon because the river was so flooded the water was undrinkable. We caught up with Muster who was just settling down from a freak out because of the bugs. Seriously, it is enough to make a person insane. We ate lunch and then Storm and Grommet caught up to us carrying candy bars and ice cold sodas they bought from a weird doll store at a road crossing. Amazing! They were my trail angels for the day. The next 5.1 miles seemed to go on forever, and for a little while I thought we had missed the shelter because it took so long to get there. Meanwhile my heels were getting completely torn up from crusty wet socks, wet shoes and not enough time with my shoes off. When we finally made it to the Tom Leonard shelter, my feet were bloody stumps. We made dinner there, enjoyed some bug-free time by the campfire, bandaged up my heels and left to get to the next shelter. By the time I made it 2.5 miles my feet were screaming and I was in pain. I put my crocs on and things definitely got better. We saw beautiful Benedict Pond at sunset and then climbed the Ledges. We hiked until about 9:15 when we saw Muster's headlight and she showed us the way to the shelter. It was a long day, and I seriously ripped up my feet. But I'm really looking forward to a zero and some time to just relax. And stay away from mosquitoes.
Date: 2009-07-19
From: Mt. Wilcox South

To: Angela's house
Miles today: 7.0

Today was one of the most pleasant hiking days I've had in a long time.We got up early and after Grommet helped me gauze and bandage my bloody stumps (aka. feet) we were off and hiking around 7:30. The hike the morning was almost totally bug free, cool, no humidity, beautiful pine forests, farmland, meadows and views of the town below. There were puffy white clouds and an amazing blue sky. It was a perfect summer day, really and I was completely thankful to be out in it, hiking the AT. We made it to the road where I immediately took off my shoes and bandages and we had a very picturesque walk into Tyringham where we waited for Angela to come pick us up.We got Indian food, caught up with our buddy and were so excited to sleep under a roof without mosquitoes! Thank you, Angela, for saving us from the bugs, if only for a short while!
Date: 2009-07-20
From: Angela's house

To: Angela's house
Miles today: 0.0

Our time off at Angela's consisted of:A trip toe REI, Ben and Jerry's and Moe'sLots of delicious, home-cooked, fresh food5 movies (wow!)24 hours of rain (we stayed dry during all of it)Thank you to Moss and her incredibly generous family for welcoming us and feeding us and making us feel so comfortable. She's got some majorly good trail karma coming her way!We can't wait to hike with her in NH or Maine!
Date: 2009-07-22
From: Angela's house

To: Upper Goose Pond Cabin
Miles today: 7.0
Weather: overcast clouds

We definitely made a good choice to wait out the weather. This morning Angela's Mom was so awesome that she drove us back to Tyringham where we took care of some stuff at the PO and then headed back to the trail. After the first muggy climb, the sky turned blue and it was suddenly a lovely day. We stopped for a late lunch on a wooden boardwalk where Grommet entertianed us for awhile by catching crawfish and fish. Some sectioners came by and told us how sweet Upper Goose Pond Cabin is so we shortened our long day and spent the afternoon canoeing, swimming and cooking a Mexican feast. It felt like summer vacation. Our relaxing couple of days was wonderful and I am happier than ever to be back in the woods hiking with my friends and enjoying the beauty of New England. I love this trail and this hike is incredible. I've never appreciated every single day like I do out here.
Date: 2009-07-23
From: Upper Goose Pond Cabin

To: Kay Wood Lean-To
Miles today: 17.6

Today started off on a positive note with pancakes made by the caretaker of upper goose cabin. We left around 9ish and after walking over the Mass. turnpike we hit some sweet trail magic by Gimpy '03. The bugs were bad so we didn't dilly dally. The hike today was very flat and pretty quick and we made it to October Mountain lean-to for lunch time. All day the sky was white and the weather was very ominous. So when we made it to the Cookie Lady's house and she told us a big storm was coming, we weren't surprised. We also weren't surprised because it had been 24 hours since it rained last, and that is way too long in between rain! It seems to happen every 12 hours out here. It's so hard to deal with. But we had delicious cookies and I ate 3 farm fresh hard boiled eggs. Mmmmm. The sky was darkening and the wind was picking up so we booked it the 6.6 miles to the next shelter. We had our tents set up and dinner made in good time. We're cozy in our tents and listening to some pretty big wind gusts. I wonder when the rain will start and how long it will last...Reality changing moment: farm fresh eggs!
Date: 2009-07-24
From: Kay Wood Lean-To

To: Chesire
Miles today: 12.3

We woke up alive! Which was a surprise to me since Grom and I listened to huge branches fall around our tents last night. We banged out the 3 miles to Dalton in time for some tasty breakfast. We ran into McBride and Col. Mustard in town too. After we resupplied Strom and I had some snacks while the others went ahead to get to the PO in Cheshire. Storm and I had a nice hike together in the afternoon which made the slighly annoying climb not too bad. When we got to town, the rain clouds were rolling in again and the forecast was rain all night! So, we're sleeping in the church hall and Mt. Greylock will have to wait till tomorrow.
Date: 2009-07-25
From: Cheshire

To: Camping past Williamstown
Miles today: 14.3

Today I remembered why I love hiking! We thanked the priest at St. Mary's for letting us stay out of the rain last night and found out that the lodge on top of Greylock would be serving lunch today! That was all the motivation I needed. It was really overcast and muggy in the morning and the first 15 minutes or so of the climb were grueling. But then the rest of the climb was gradual and the clouds cleared. The sky was blue, we were suddenly in a beautiful hemlock forest, and I was immediately reminded of Roan Mountain. It was gorgeous. We could see the monument on the top of Greylock as we got closer which was fun. It was beautiful and totally clear from the top and except for the droves of annoying tourists, it was a perfect day to be up there. We had lunch, enjoyed the view and then headed down. Let me just say that going down was not as fun as going up. It was so steep and it really hurt. When we got down lower, the trail became a total mud pit and I had a majorly funny fall. We made it to MA2 and hit up the stop n shop before going just a little further up the trail to a campsite. My legs and feet are tired but it was a great day to hike. We heard from someone that it's supposed to rain tomorrow which is an awful thought. The trail is barely walkable as it is, with inches of standing water and huge piles of mud throughout most of it. We'll see I guess!
Date: 2009-07-26
From: Camping past Williamstown

To: Congdon Shelter
Miles today: 13.8
Weather: light rain

One word describes today: mudtastic. Actually I don't think that's a word. But man, is the trail muddy! It was insanely humid this morning, but it wasn't raining so that works for me! We climbed 1000 feet or so and were soaked with sweat. But then we made it to the Vermont border and had a celebratory break and snack. We pushed on another 3 miles or so and had a nice relaxing lunch break at Seth Warner shelter. The rest of the afternoon was a complete mud pile and my shoes weigh like 5 pounds each from being caked in mud. We came to a little pond and stopped for a little bit and we watched a beaver swim around his house, go fishing and then head home. It was awesome! It drizzled on us a little while we were there, but after that the clouds parted and it turned out to be a beautiful day. It really was insanely muddy, but the woods here are beautiful and the trail took us along the most incredible beaver dam I've ever seen. I love Vermont so far and can't wait to see what's in store for us!
Date: 2009-07-27
To: Goddard Shelter
Miles today: 14.4
Weather: light rain

Last night I woke up at like 1 am to a nasty storm rolling through. I was so hungry that I got into my food bag and ate way too much! After the thunder stopped I drifted off to sleep and woke up nice and early to no rain, but my tent was soaked and covered in mud. Good times. We were hiking by 7:45 and the first hour or so was completely muddy and horribly humid. It was nasty. And then we had to climb down to VT9 which was incredibly steep and slippery and a little painful. And the rest of the day was up, up and up. Around 3:00 we heard thunder rumbling even though the sun was shining. And then we stopped for a snack break at a campsite and it started to rain. I said I was going to freak out if I got soaked again and Grommet came up with the brilliant idea to pitch her tent so we could get in it and stay dry. So that's what we did! And dry is what we stayed. We were all very pleased with our choice. The final climb of the day up Glastonbury Mountain was very muddy, tiring and completely beautiful. We're staying almost at the top at Goddard shelter and it is chilly up here! Cozy sleeping with the wind blowing through the hemlocks.Reality changing moment: pitching a tent to stay dry in the middle of the day.