morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2019-06-13
From: Whiskey Hollow Shelter

To: Rod Hollow Shelter
Miles today: 8.3
Weather: light rain

This morning, I had 38 miles to go and 4 days to get there. I guess that means no more 15 mile days... Oh. Darn. I'm so bummed....So today was 8.3 miles. I slowed down as best as I could (I've found my pace and my body wasn't interested in slowing it down again.) I stopped more often to move bugs off the trail and look for birds in the trees. I even got to help out a bee (who I named Beebee, obviously) who had gotten too wet to fly and was having trouble drying off on the wet ground. I held her on my finger as she dried her wings and cleaned herself off. When she was ready, she flew off onto a nearby tree. What a treat!I arrived in camp at 1:30 and got to setting everything up. Then I ate lunch. Then I ate dinner. Then I reorganized my food bag. And then I had absolutely nothing to do. So I built a fire! Which a downpour seemingly from nowhere promptly put out.... But have no fear, gentle reader! I whispered life back into her shortly after the rain subsided.We got some trail magic in the form of a man carrying a backpack full of cold beer and soda. We spent some time chatting with him and swapping stories before he headed out. There weren't many of us at the shelter when he came by, but based on how many people waltzed into camp with a cold can of beer, it looks like he lightened his load quite a lot on his way back to his car. I think this low mileage life suits me...10 miles tomorrow through (dun dun dun) The Roller Coaster *gasp! *
Date: 2019-06-14
From: Rod Hollow Shelter

To: Bear's Den Hostel 
Miles today: 9.8

Today was the first half of the infamous Roller Coaster; a 13.5 mile section well known for grueling climbs followed immediately by steep declines. Then back up and down, up, down, rinse, repeat.I. Loved. It. The varying terrain was a great way to give different muscle groups a break. When I was climbing up, my back and knees had a bit of a break and when they took over for the downs, my calves and glutes got a chance to breathe. I know everyone complains about this section, but it was my favorite section yet!Beyond the fantastic terrain, the trail was generally quiet. I stopped a few times to try (and fail) to spot birds in the trees, once to watch a deer munch on some undergrowth, and a couple of times just to take in the peace.I got to the hostel early afternoon and spent some time stretching and showering and chatting with other hikers. Dinner was an entire frozen pizza and a pint of ice cream.Tomorrow is 10 miles and my last night on the trail. I'm so bummed that I have to stop.
Date: 2019-06-15
From: Bear's Den Hostel 

To: David Lesser Shelter
Miles today: 11.3

I have to get off the trail tomorrow. I can't find a cute or funny way to say how much it sucks. I'm very excited to see my family and spend Father's day with dad. But also, Im very sad to not be getting back on the trail afterward. I keep saying this, but it's hard to explain what draws me back to the trail time after time, despite the bug bites and the rain and the blisters. Maybe it's the views or the challenge of pushing my body to the limits. Or maybe it's the inner peace that finds me when I'm in the woods alone. It may even be the community of people who I sleep next to in shelters and bunk with in hostels. The people who start the day as strangers but end it as friends. Maybe its a mix of all of those things. There was a point on this trip when I seriously contemplated whether or not I wanted to be hiking anymore. It was raining and I was cold. Hiking was a chore that day and I wasn't certain that I wanted to do it anymore after this trip. I think this happens a lot out on the trail because it is something that I am choosing, and so can easily be something that I stop choosing. I also don't think it's necessarily limited to people who are hiking. There are a million moments in a million lives that mirror that same feeling. But somehow, we get through those moments on the trail (or in life) and there always seems to be light on the other end. In my case, that light came in the form of fellow hikers and the community that they carry. What I'm trying to say is the trail can suck sometimes, but more often, it is beautifully flawed and perfect. It has this way of giving you exactly what you need when you need it. And yeah, Im going to keep choosing it again and again and again.
Date: 2019-06-16
From: David Lesser Shelter

To: Harpers Ferry
Miles today: 9.3

I woke up this morning a little bummed to be done, but very excited to see my family. The walk into Harper's ferry was quiet and easy(ish). The trail skirted along a ridge for most of the day until dropping steeply into town. After a long downward climb, I hit the long bridge that crosses the Shenandoah river. The water looked so good! If I didn't have people meeting me, I 100% would have jumped right in. Ah, but I had a deadline and a family waiting... After the river, the trail headed back into the woods on the other side with a steep (unexpected) climb. So close, yet so far! Finally, after a bit more up, down, up, down, I walked into downtown. Harper's Ferry is a tiny city tucked into the hills where two rivers meet. It's beautiful and full of history. Dad, mom, sister and I spent some time exploring and reading all of the plaques (so many plaques!). I had a lot of fun pointing out all of the thru hikers as they made their way across town. I'm sure my family loved it to.... We headed to the ATC Headquarters where I got my picture taken and was officially added to the AT class of 2019 section hikers. There, I spent some more time pointing out thru hikers to my family and hemming and hawing over the t-shirt options. Eventually, I picked up a few AT patches to add to my backpack once I finish each state, and we headed toward the hotel and a shower (Dad's actual loving words: "Not gonna lie, you smell. Bad." With the completion of this section and my visit to the ATC, I have officially begun my journey to hike all 2190 miles of the Appalachian Trail. It's going to take a long time, a lot of physical pain, and a good bit of money in shiny new gear (ok, I probably have a problem. But it's so shiny and it weighs like 2 ounces less than the one I already have! I need it!) I'm beyond excited to be on this journey. Time to get to walking! Next Section: Port Jervis to Vermont, August 2019
Date: 2019-07-06
From: Pochuck Mountain Shelter

To: Wawayanda Shelter
Miles today: 11.5
Weather: overcast clouds

I did not sleep well last night at all... It was just too hot in my tent. So I was up and out quite early this morning. It got hot quick today. Within an hour, I was already getting a heat rash. BUT there was ice cream at mile 5, so I pushed on. The trail spent about a mile on the Pochuck Boardwalk, which (while being completely exposed and so, so hot) was absolutely beautiful. The boardwalk spans some wetlands that were full of lots of different birds. Perfect for a bird nerd like myself. If there wasn't ice cream in my future, I think I would have stayed there longer.Around 11, I walked into the Heaven Hill Farm for an apple, a coke, and a big serving of moose tracks ice cream. The lunch of champions!The sugar helped me drag my tired butt up what the locals call "the stairway to heaven" and what the thru hikers call something very different... The Stairway to Heaven is a one mile, 1000 foot climb to a view that is pretty but decidedly not heaven.By the time I hit the vista, I was struggling. It was hot and humid. I was overheating and sweating bullets. The wind was not blowing. At all. It was miserable. 'Five more miles. I can do this. Five more miles.'As I was heading up the stairway of hell to the mediocre view, there was the occasional rumble of thunder from behind me. It was teasing me. All I wanted was a shower. Something to cool me off and keep the bugs away. The rain could do that! But instead, it was just thundering. I looked to the sky. "Oh dear rain Goddess, oh Goddess of storms. How I loathe yet adore you. Please bring me and this thirsty forest floor sustenance for we are not worthy but desperate! I promise I'll never complain about the rain again!"Soon, I started hearing a few drops hitting the leaves above me, though none were making it to the ground. " Stop teasing me!"Then, with a crack of thunder that tore the sky in two, it started to pour. And I started to laugh, and then dance, and then sing my way through the rain all the way to camp. It has rained on and off since, but the air is cool, the bugs are (mostly) tolerable, and the inside of my tent is bone dry.Tonight is my last night on the trail. Tomorrow, I walk five miles and catch a bus back to the city. And on Monday, I go back to work. Stupid work, always making me leave the woods....
Date: 2019-07-07
From: Wawayanda Shelter

To: NYC
Miles today: 4.1
Weather: few clouds

I woke up dry this morning, but my clothes did not. Everything was still soaked from that rain storm that I was so pumped about yesterday. I should have at least put on a rain coat... As I was waking up, dry and lazy in my tent, I realized that I might be able to catch the 10:15 bus instead of the 12:15. It was going to be close, but if I got up and moving (and skipped breakfast), I'd just make it. So I did, and then kept up a relatively quick pace for the next 4 miles. I probably missed a lot, but I did manage to catch sight of a few birds and salamanders. The bus was uncomfortable. Mostly because I knew I stunk. And because the bus stop was just on the side of a road in a residential section, I had to change out of my wet clothes and into my dry ones on the bus. Except that its a New Jersey Transit bus and it doesn't have bathrooms. Thank goodness I still haven't swapped out my full size camp towel for a half size! And thank goodness the bus was mostly empty and I could grab a seat away from everyone else for the stealth costume change.Ahh, dry (and significantly less stinky) clothes! I, did at one point, ask one of my neighbors if they could smell me. They assured me that they couldn't, but I feel like they were maybe just being nice. NYC is still big, loud, and hot. I miss the woods already...
Date: 2019-08-10
From: NYC

To: Wiley Shelter
Miles today: 5.7
Weather: scattered clouds

I woke up every hour last night to check the time. I was a kid again, waiting for Christmas morning to come. When the alarm finally went off at 6:30, I practically jumped out of bed! Ok, so maybe it was more of a sleepy stumble to the kitchen for caffeine... But inside, I was jumping for joy! Yay! Time to hike!! The 9:10 train from Grand Central got me to the AT station by 11:30 and I was on the trail shortly after. It would have been real nice if I had done even a single squat in the month since my last hike. Hell, even standing on the subway or, I don't know, taking the stairs would have been a good idea. Maybe even a salad would have been a smart move. But nooooo I was tiiiired and wanted to order chiinesee fooood. Well, thanks past Rachel. Hiking hurts again. My trail legs might be a thing of the past, but it didn't take the rest of me too long to fall back into old habits. It's quiet and the weather has been perfect today, and beyond the bugs (I forgot the bug spray! How did I forget the bug spray?!), everything is falling right into place. It's nice to be back. It's eerie to go from hundreds of people next to me on a train to being completely alone. I've been the only one at the shelter since I arrived, and that has me a bit nervous... I've been fighting a bit of a depressive state the last couple of weeks. While being alone in the woods is one of the best ways to work through my downswings, being alone is also the last thing I want when I'm down. Really, what I'm trying to say is "waahhh don't make me deal with my feelings. Send me strangers so I can distract myself with conversation and not focus on making myself unsad." Well, there are some squirrels throwing nuts at me so I guess I'm not completely alone.... 12.4 miles tomorrow.
Date: 2019-08-11
From: Wiley Shelter

To: Mt. Algo Shelter
Miles today: 12.4

Today was so great! The weather was perfect, the trail was in fantastic condition (I'm impressed, Connecticut!), and I really got to enjoy everything that makes hiking so amazing. The air was still cool and crisp as I stepped onto the trail at the very late hour of 9:30. It was a comfortable hike up and over a small mountain. Four miles got me to the Ten Mile River. I stopped for lunch and a quick swim that turned into a short nap before hoping back on the trail. The water felt great and my leisurely lunch had me feeling ready to tackle just about anything. But the trail was kind, and the hike was easy. Just after crossing a road, I spotted a baby snapping turtle sunning and spent a few minutes on an impromptu photo shoot. When she had had enough, I moved along. Very shortly after, right before the biggest climb of the day, I was stopped again. This time, by a trail angel giving out bananas, oranges, ice cream sandwiches (gasp!) and ice cold sodas (gasp again!). I stood there chatting and eating and chatting and eating for a while. Oddessumus (??) is retired from the military and has thru hiked a few times. Now, he spends his summers driving his RV up and down the Appalachians bringing trail magic to wary hikers. His presence made my day and filled my stomach to the point of bursting. When the sugar from that coke hit me, I felt like I floated up that mountain!On the way back down the other side, as I gallumfed along the trail not at all gracefully, I suddenly heard a rattle... Like a baby rattle, except scary and potentially deadly.... 'oh crap, I know that that is!' I stopped dead in my tracks and turned to see a six foot long rattle snake just outside of striking distance. Just in case, though, I stumbled (not so gracefully, again) backward and nearly fell over a rock. When I was balanced and the snake was staring (and probably laughing) at me, I pulled out my camera to get a couple of shots before he got bored and slithered away.Beyond some frogs, a very curious chipmunk, and a huge bright green caterpillar, the trail was uneventful from there until the shelter. I was ok with that... One snake is a good number of snakes, I think.The shelter tonight was a bit busier, so I had some good conversation while making dinner. A couple of deer visited the stream out front, and I listened to two of my favorite birds sing their night songs. Ugh, I'm such a happy camper!Bedtime for now. Tomorrow is 10.6 miles and hopefully a meteor shower!
Date: 2019-08-12
From: Mt Algo Shelter

To: Silver Hill Campsite
Miles today: 10.6

Oh boy! Today was such a great day to be a bird nerd! Over the course of the day, I saw a pilieated woodpecker, goldfinch, scarlet tanager, blue heron, and several egrets. I was in bird heaven! The morning started off with a long, difficult climb to a great view and a nice lunchtime view. Afterward, the trail took me down to the river where it followed alongside for a few miles. The trail in this section was flat and beautiful. It would have been an amazing couple of miles if it weren't for the bugs!Swarm doesn't feel like a strong enough word for what I experienced in those few miles. It was AWFUL. Luckily, though, they were the biting type. Instead of biting, these little guys like dive-bombing your eyes. And nose. And mouth. And ears. When I was packing for this hike, I took a moment with my bug net. I thought 'I always bring this thing and I never use it. At this point, its just been dead weight.' Usually, if i start feeling this way about a piece of gear, I bring it one more time to assess whether or not I actually do want to remove it from my pack list. THANK ALL OF THE GODS that I brought that bug net. Those few miles would have been unbearable without it. I'm never leaving that little net behind. Ever. After swimming through no-see-ums and watching some egrets fly up and down the river for a while, the trail turned back into the woods for the final climb of the day. I had read on my guide book app that water might be dry at the campsite that I was planning on staying with. I've done the 'well let me just get to the campsite. I'm sure there will be water there' thing before. Never again. There was a nice, cold, clean water source just before the mile long climb to the camp site, so I "cameled up". I filled all of my bottles and bladders so that I'd have enough water for dinner, breakfast, and the first part of tomorrow's hike. I wound up collecting over four liters of water. One liter of water weighs 2.2 pounds. At the end of a long day, at the base of a tough climb, I added NINE POUNDS to my pack. And I felt every single ounce. It did feel great, though, to be able to add those pounds and still make it up the mountain. A friend and I stayed up late in hopes of catching the meteor shower, but the clouds rolled in right as the sun set. Instead, we stayed out watching the moon rise and talking about nearly everything. It was a great way to end the day. I needed the conversation. I get to sleep in a real bed tomorrow. And drink a coke. And eat real food! I can't wait.
Date: 2019-08-13
From: Silver Hill Campsite

To: Hanta Yo Hostel, Lakeville CT
Miles today: 12.8
Weather: broken clouds

Seriously. Just, like, even a single squat would have been grreeaat. Ugh.Beyond the pain, the hike today was nice. Pretty scenery, but not much in the world of wildlife. A slight drizzle kept the forest relatively quiet.I did, at one point, think I saw a baby bear, but it was just a squirrel. This turned out to be both a disappointment and a relief because boo no bear but also, yay no protective momma bear that views me as a potential threat! Yay not getting eaten!I hit some trail magic early on in the day. A bottle of Poland spring that I chugged and a bag of goldfish that I saved for lunch. There was a fun squeeze between two large boulders that I had to do. (The pack was an added challenge) Lunch was at a shelter with two south bounders who were attempting to do the entire state of Connecticut in one day. They were on track to do it when I ran into them around noon, but they had been hiking since 3am and had run out of steam. More power to them! If I had woken up at 3am, I would have run out of steam around 4am!I got to my pick up spot for the hostel around 3:45 and called Dave, the hostel owner for a pick up. Within five minutes, I was in a car on the way to a shower! We made a quick pit stop by the grocery store for a resupply and then on to the hostel! The house is absolutely beautiful. Dave gave ne a quick rundown of the history while he showed me around. Built in the 1800's the house was initially a factory, making wagon parts. Later on, the building was converted to a car garage which was how Dave's dad bought it in 1940. Dave and his several siblings and parents moved into the top floor while his dad worked on renovating the house. Now, the ground floor is a kitchen, living room, and dining room, but when Dave was a kid, he and his siblings had huge hockey games in the very room I was sitting in! It was such a treat to wander around this piece of history. I'm happy to be indoors for tonight. Having clean laundry and cold soda is always a welcome respite from the discomforts of hiking, but I'm already planning out tomorrow. There is a cat here, though so I may just stay a few more days....
Date: 2019-08-14
From: Hanta Yo Hostel, Lakeville CT

To: Lion's Head Trail Parking Lot
Miles today: 11.7
Weather: overcast clouds

Hanta yo hostel to hanta yo hostel, 11.7 mi, slack packedAnyone who knows me at all knows how important I find having a plan. I've never been particularly good at "winging it" or even "going with the flow". I know that this is a character flaw more often than it is an asset, and I've made a lot of strides in the last year or so toward being a more flexible person. That's probably why today was difficult, but not impossible.I woke up a lot last night. My bed was uncomfortable, I was having nightmares, my body was achy. When this morning came, I was exhausted, in pain, and not at all in the right mind-frame to hike 12 miles. I was angry with myself for overestimating how many miles I could do. I was frustrated that I wasn't prepared for the challenge. I had thought that I could blast through this week like I have all my other hikes this summer, but I was wrong. Multiple high mile days back to back have broken me down too quickly. It's difficult for me to admit that I've taken on more than I can handle.I think that if I didn't have such a strict deadline for getting these miles done, I wouldn't have hiked today. I would have hung around and let my body rest. But I didn't have that option. I have to be on a bus back to NYC on Friday, and there are 30 miles to walk between here and there. So I had to hike. Or I had to give up. I had to make a new plan.I found an alright alternative between the all or nothing choices in slack-packing. Slack-packing is a term for when someone shuttles your bag down the trail for you so that you can hike miles without all of the weight on your back. It can also refer to what I did, which was to go out and day hike a large section and then stay a second night in the hostel. Dave dropped me off at the parking lot where he picked me up from yesterday around 9am. From there, I hiked 11 miles without the weight of my full pack which let me get my miles in without adding even more pressure on my body. It was a good compromise between pushing myself (perhaps too far), and giving up on my goal. I did get to enjoy some good views and saw some wildlife... Lots of birds, a deer, and some new flowers. Afterward, I came back to the hostel and relaxed with some TV, this amazing cat (no one tell my cats I'm cheating on them!) and dinner. Tonight, I'm set up for a good 10 hours of sleep and a bit of a lazy morning tomorrow. I'll have 11 miles to do, but I feel confident that I'll be ready to tackle them. Tomorrow will be my last night on this section before I head back to the city for a week. I'll be sad as always, but I'll be so very happy to be done with Connecticut, its incessant bugs and these deceptively difficult mountains.
Date: 2019-08-16
From: Hemlocks Shelter

To: Great Barrington, MA
Miles today: 8.0
Weather: clear sky

Today was a nice walk. The weather was lovely, and the trail was easy. I focused on savoring my time on the trail; something that I really forgot to do this week. I spent a lot of time stopping at views and smelling flowers and sitting next to ponds. I even took some time to feed goldenrod to some cows across the fence. It was a great way to finish off this section. When I got to the road into Great Barrington, I tried to get a cab which proved impossible. I decided to walk the two miles to the hotel where my bus would pick me up. A short distance down the road, though, I came across Fiddlehead's Grille. I decided to pop in to get out of the heat and maybe have a cold drink. When I stepped up to the porch, there was already another backpack sitting in the grass. Yay! Another hiker! I sat down at the bar next to Lunchbox, who I had met on the trail earlier in the day. We chatted over food and beers for a good hour. I was happy to hear about his thru-hike. When we settled up and headed out, he was able to get a car into town and let me join for the mile or so to my bus stop. The bus picks up and drops off right in front of a days inn, so when I head out again in a week, I'll catch it back to this same spot and stay in the hotel before heading out the following morning. I was able to make a reservation in person (20% hiker discount!), so I'm all set for next Friday. For now, its time to head home and start getting things ready for the next leg. Massachusetts, I'm coming for you!