morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2004-05-31
From: Wind Gap

To: Kirkridge Shelter
Miles today: 9.2
Weather: light rain

Would you look at that, after being nice all weekend long it started to rain just in time for us to start walking again. Man Penn has been a really wet state; maybe New Jersey will be dryer tomorrow. So Steve got the pleasure of hiking on a lot of wet slippery rocks during his first 9 miles out. It must run in the family a little bit because it was nice to see someone other than (ok, maybe in addition to) me trip for once. But he managed to get to the shelter all in one piece. He was even surprised at how fast the miles went by. Maybe that means that we should push him for 31 miles tomorrow ;-).
Date: 2004-06-01
From: Kirkridge Shelter

To: Past Rattlesnake Spring
Miles today: 20.0

Well we didn't push Steve for 31 miles today, but 20 miles for his second day out wasn't that bad either. The terrain didn't it make it very easy either. My feet were starting to feel it by the end of the day and he didn't have the benefit of 2 months of calices. We spent a lot of the day trying to figure out what the weather was going to do. We started off in a slight mist, but that had cleared up by the time we got to the Delaware Water Gap. It was only a short walk in town to get to the P.O. where I got a great care package from Mom and Dad. I even got a letter that that they had sent to Harpers Ferry. I guess that that forwarding address form worked out well. Man has it been a long time since I've had Goldfish! Thanks guys that really hit the spot. Then we crossed the Delaware River into NJ. With Penn out of the way that makes 7 states down and 7 to go! We were told to expect scattered isolated showers today, but we weren't told to expect one of the just before lunch. (Wow, a porcupine just walked past my tent that is so cool) Luckily it was only a quick one so we were able to find some try rocks next to Sunfish Pond. The afternoon seemed to drag a bit, it didn't help that it was really rocky around the pond. (I guess that we didn't leave the rocks in Penn.) Things were made even more delightful by the fact that we were being chased by thunder all afternoon. That was really exciting seeing that we were walking along a ridgeline and that we were planning on tenting tonight! Speaking of tenting we ended up stopping about a mile short of our goal because around that time the sky got really dark and nasty, the thunder started to rumble and the wind started to blow all signs that we were heading for a storm. So we stopped at the first good tent site we saw and threw the tents up as fast as we could. Just after getting both tents up the skies cleared and the sun came out. Oh well, I'm not complaining. Hopefully we stay dry the rest of the night.
Date: 2004-06-02
From: Past Rattlesnake Spring

To: Mashipacong Shelter
Miles today: 23.6
Weather: broken clouds

Boy today was by far my biggest day yet! I pulled 10 tics off of my legs today. That shot my total way up to 30 since I started to keep count. If I keep this up someday I might even catch up to Sam. Aside from that today was a bit better then yesterday. For starters it was sunny and warm (sort of) when we got up in the morning. After that Rambler (a previous hiking friend) caught up to us which worked out well because that allowed Sam to hike with him and me to hike with Steve. I think that hiking a little slower helped him to have more energy to go a few more miles at the end of the day. This was probably Steve's biggest wildlife day yet. Aside from the tics we also saw about 5 deer and 2 turkeys. For lunch Steve and I stopped at a dump of a shelter and it took me about 30 minutes to find the privy. I didn't know that I was looking for a little brown step with a toilet seat on top! I mean really, it didn't have any walls or anything, just a hole. But tonight¢s shelter makes up for it because the privy is this huge house type structure with toilet paper, a garbage can, and hand sanitizer. Of course getting there was tough because we had to walk through a nice and big thunder storm on the way but it was worth it. We also finished our 13th century today. Only 8 more to go.
Date: 2004-06-03
From: Mashipacong Shelter

To: Pochuck Shelter
Miles today: 19.6

Can you believe it, a day with out rain, and the rocks started to disappear today too! The combination of the two probably helped Steve and his blisters out a bit. All in all Steve got a chance to experience one of those lovely days where not a lot happens. Oh what am I talking about, he did get to go over 3 stiles. On top of that we passed through NJ High Point State Park and saw the High Point Monument. It looked a lot like the Washington Monument just a bit smaller. The big excitement in the afternoon was the Walkill National Wildlife Preserve (aka mosquito breeding grounds). We got to see all sorts of exotic animals (aka mosquitoes) during this little detour. Basically it was this big loop around pretty much nothing butting standing water to get us only a couple of hundred yards further up the road then where we started. But hey what are you going to do? You have to go where the trail leads you.
Date: 2004-06-04
From: Pochuck Shelter

To: NY17A
Miles today: 21.7

Today was a pretty exciting and interesting day. The downside was that it was the last day that Steve hiked with us. The good side was that all 3 of us had people to hike towards. For Steve it was Amanda, for Sam it was his father, aunt, and uncle, and for me it was my parents. We weren't sure exactly what was going to happen when we got there but at least we had a goal. In the morning we walked over one of the nicest sections of the trail. It was this huge wooden platform that kept going on and on for a mile or two. It was our own wooden boardwalk. It sure beat walking through the swamp underneath. After that we met up with Aussi John in time for ice cream and cookies in Vernon. Man, you can't beat ice cream and cookies at 9:30 am. Lunch was really unexpected because we met a guy named Desperado who is one of the most generous trail angles on the trail. Since there is such a high bear population in NJ there are these big metal lock boxes at all the shelters to protect your food. Well Desperado goes around and puts all sorts of stuff (first aid, TP, candy, drink mix, cookies, stove fuel, etc) in the lock boxes for thru hikers. He said that he spends a couple of thousands dollars a year on trail magic! It was really great to meet and thank that guy that has given us so much. In the afternoon we completed our eighth state, now it is on to New York. So far the new state has offered us a lot of rocky mountain tops, a lot of swamps, and a view of NYC from on top of Prospect Rock. We met Mom, Dad, and Amanda at 17A around 6:30 and then went out for Subway before Mom and Dad took us to Sam¢s aunts¢ house. Along the way I got care packages from both Todd¢s and Tricia¢s households. Man candy and snacks galore. There were so many things that I haven't had in a long time like Oreos, Chips Ahoy, Cheese Nips, and Ritz crackers. It was incredible. In addition to all of that I got lots of great letters from Aleks. Thanks a lot Aleks!
Date: 2004-06-05
From: NY17A

To: William Brien Shelter
Miles today: 21.7
Weather: light rain

Hey every body sing it with me, come on you know the tune, 'I..Love..New..York'. I have to say, even though I have only seen a day and a half of it, I am proud of the NY portion of the trail. It has been like a little mini-Adirondack Park with lots of ups and downs over some nice and challenging rock scrambles and squeezes. What it lacks in height it makes up in forests and other attractions. Let¢s see where to start? Well we dropped off Steve yesterday and picked up Sam's father today. At the start of the day it looked like it was going to be all wet and nasty just like the last time that the 3 of us hiked together. Luckily it wasn't that bad, we had a few sprinkles and it was a bit chilly but not to bad if we kept moving. We started off with a lot of M.U.D (Multiple Ups and Downs) which lasted most of the first have of the day. In the afternoon we met a trail angle who treated us to soda, cookies, fruit, and chips! After that we hiked past some glacial lakes, through a hemlock forest, and to the Lemon Squeezer. This was a very tight fitting 'rock crack' with a big step up in the middle to climb over. Ever with all of the weight that I've lost (15-20 lbs depending on the scale) I still had a tough time getting through with my pack. Right after that was this nasty 'rock wall' that we had to climb. I had to try 3 different routs before I found one that my short legs and arms could handle. The last stretch was through a tall white pine forest (it really is nice to hike with someone who knows more about plants and animals then we do) to the shelter. Luckily the weather held off or else this could have been a really nasty day through a stretch which ended up being a lot of fun.
Date: 2004-06-06
From: William Brien Shelter

To: US9/NY403
Miles today: 14.7

Today was all around a weird day. Well I guess that the rain wasn't that weird seeing that it was rain 16 of the last 20 days that we have hiked. I guess that the April showers that we never got are starting to catch up with us. The good part is that we have had rain through all of the rocky sections which was no exception today. In the morning was stopped to use the facilities (and to warm up) at a rest stop along the Palisades Interstate Parkway before moving to Bear Mountain which we walked most of the way up on a road. The trail just jumped off the road for the steep wet rocks on the top before dumping us back on to the road afterwards. This got us up to the Perkins Tower at the top of the mountain (not sure what it's purpose is). Then we climbed down to the 'town' called Bear Mountain. It consisted of a restaurant/inn, a bunch of pavilions, a lake, and a merry go round. After stopped there for lunch (which included a cheeseburger thanks to Mr. VerPlanck) we moved on to the Bear Mountain Zoo. We actually walked right through the zoo free of charge because we were hikers. Following the zoo we completed our tour of things name Bear Mountain by crossing the Hudson River on non other then the Bear Mountain Bridge! All that excitement if less then 15 miles of walking! It was so much excitement that we had to spend another night at Sam's aunts' house to recover. Ok so it was to dry out a bit but still it is nice to have such nice relatives near the trail.
Date: 2004-06-07
From: US9/NY403

To: RPH Cabin
Miles today: 19.4

You just have to love the climate swings this year on the trail. The last 2 days I was wet and cold and today I was sweating by 7:00 am! Hey at least we had a transition day today seeing that it was only suppose to get in to the 80¢s today before the 90¢s come in tomorrow. Maybe, just maybe I will have a couple of pleasant nights sleep before I start sweating at night. As for today we got an earlier start then usual. Sam¢s uncle dropped us off at 6:30 on his way to work so we could get a few miles in before it started to get hot. Unfortunately neither Sam nor I were felt very well today. I guess we were just lost not having a relative to hike with. Sam seemed a little worse off then me; I just had a headache for most of the day. We ended up finding a nice lookout over a lake in the shade for lunch where we decided to set our sites on the RPH cabin for a 4.7 mile afternoon. Just before we left after lunch Mak caught up with us so we were able to spend the afternoon with her. By spend the afternoon I mean that we all took naps in the cabin before getting up for diner. Right now we are experimenting with some sketchy water from the water pump by the cabin. In the register at the cabin the water was described as yellow and crunchy. Good thing for water filters.
Date: 2004-06-08
From: RPH Cabin

To: Wiley Shelter
Miles today: 25.6
Weather: overcast clouds

Yeah I guess that yesterday was the transition day because today was even hotter. Some guy told us this morning that the high was supposed to be 93! That is just plain hot if you ask me; especially in the afternoon when we went through a couple of long wide open fields that were just baking in the sun. It was definitely a day for both the hat and the bandana. We started the day in search for some water because when we got up the water that we had filtered last night had turned orange over night. I think that it is because of the high levels of iron in the water but we didn¢t want to drink it so we filtered out of the first stream that we found. After that we crossed both the Taconic Parkway and the Thruway before we had snack sitting in a tree before we caught up to Mak who didn¢t stop for water in the morning. We kept up with her for the rest of the afternoon and boy was it a good thing that we did. After all, she was the one who spotted the hotdog stand down the road when we crossed route 22. Boy was that a great snack. Now it is off to bed, if the mosquitoes and heat let me get any sleep that is.
Date: 2004-06-09
From: Wiley Shelter

To: Stewart Hollow Brook Shelter
Miles today: 19.7
Weather: broken clouds

What are those 3 H¢s that the weather men use to describe days like this? Oh that¢s right, Hazy, Hot, Hot, Hot, and Humid. Boy was it ever nasty hiking today. My shorts were squishing all day and I had trouble holding on to my poles because I was sweating so much. What made it even worse was that we hit Connecticut today. That¢s right with NY done that makes 9 states down and 5 to go. CT started off with a nice welcome to our state stretch just like every other state. Unfortunately this section was about 11.5 miles long and it included a 600¢ and a 1000¢ climb and a countless number of PUDs (Pointless Ups and Downs). We ended up pushing it to Kent CT for lunch which was great because I was able to sit in a restaurant with AC and have soda, a bacon cheese burger, and some chicken tenders. After cooling off I headed to the store to resupply (thanks again to Todd, Joanne, Tricia, Seth, and Mrs. VerPlanck for the food or I would have had to resupply a long time ago) before we hitched back to the trail. Mak must have some magic touch because Sam and I can never get anybody to stop for us. Even though we waited a couple of hours in town to let it cool down the afternoon was just as miserable as the morning. The good thing was that there was a river next to where we set up camp for the night. Boy did it feel great to jump in and take a Polish Bath.
Date: 2004-06-10
From: Stewart Hollow Brook Shelter

To: Limestone Springs Lean-to
Miles today: 22.3

Well last night sure was interesting. A nice little (ok really big) thunderstorm hammered us just after we settled into the tent last night. That¢s not bad that this is the first time that we have had to tent in the rain. We got a little water in the tent but ended up staying pretty dry. It was quite interesting trying to pack up a soaking wet and dirty tent in the morning but we managed. At least it was raining when we woke up. After packing up camp we headed up to a campsite 3 miles away to fill up on water. That ended up being the biggest waste of energy of the whole trip I think. Sam and I took turns pumping this hand pump for about 15-20 minutes before we got any of its nice and rusty water. After all of that work we decided to keep going and to filter out of the next stream. We spent the rest of the day swatting mosquitoes while trying to hike. Usually they only bother us when we stop but today I think that we had and AYCE sign around our neck because the bugs just feasted all day long. Good thing for 100% DEET bug spray because that kept them off of us for the most part once we took the time to put it on. Other then that it was kind of overcast most of the day witch prevented any views. So far CT has been full of PUDs. Maybe the last 11 miles or so of the state will be better.
Date: 2004-06-11
From: Limestone Springs Lean-to

To: Great Barrington	
Miles today: 25.5
Weather: overcast clouds

I¢ll be darned, just when I finally think that I have found a state that I can say that I really hated, CT goes and finishes off really strong. During the last stretch of CT I felt both very small and very big. First we were walking through a forest full of very tall pine trees. Boy did I ever feel tiny looking up at these trees. After the forests is when the fun really started. We finished CT with 2 really fun climbs. Neither of them was that big but they both had rocky tops with small trees. Bear Mtn even had a monument on top marking it as the highest point in the state. After Bear Mtn we crossed in to Mass (10 down 4 to go) where the fun climbs kept on coming. We went up and over two 2000¢ plus peaks with rocky summits which provide us with our first views of the state. That makes 4 mountains in one day. Best of all they are starting to feel like the fun energy pumping climbs that I have been waiting for since we started the trip. On top of that we also crossed the 1500 mile marker today, only 6+ centuries to go. I am really looking forward to the mountains that are to come. A great day of hiking ended with an even better day in town. Mak¢s lucky thumb flagged down one of the greatest hitches imaginable. The guy who picked us up let us pitch our tents in their back yard and let us use the showers and everything in the house. After cleaning up we were invited to a family birthday party for diner. By the time we had gotten back from the party it had gotten pretty chilly out so the family let us sleep in some of their spare bedrooms. They also let us use the laundry machines and the phones. Not a bad night seeing that we didn¢t even know where we were going to stay when we got to town.
Date: 2004-06-12
From: Great Barrington	

To: Mt. Wilcox South Lean-to
Miles today: 11.7

The awesome hospitality just kept on coming this morning. After a great night sleep on a bed, Shawn the guy who picked us up made us a great breakfast with eggs, potatoes, and homemade sausage from his organic farm. After a tour of his farm which included getting up close and personal with chickens, turkeys, cows, pigs, bees, and goats, we said goodbye to the family and Mak before Shawn gave us a ride to a store so we could resupply. We got a ride back to the trail from someone who was actually looking for Mak. We couldn¢t help her find Mak but she helped us out anyway. Then we started a short afternoon hike to the shelter. This was the first time in a long time that Sam and I have hiked alone. It was strange too because there wasn¢t a lot of people in the woods and we were the only ones at the shelter, which really surprised me seeing that the weather was perfect and it is a weekend. Hey I won¢t complain one bit if things aren¢t crowded.
Date: 2004-06-13
From: Mt. Wilcox South Lean-to

To: October Mountain Shelter	
Miles today: 24.6
Weather: clear sky

Wow, what a beautiful day! The weather was just perfect for hiking. I am starting to get a little tired of the cold nights but the day just couldn¢t have been better. The temps were probably in the mid to upper 70¢s, the sun was shinning all day, and there was a slight breeze to cool me down exactly when I needed it. Add the outstanding weather to a nice and easy path and it made for a really enjoyable day. We went through a handful of forests (most of them pretty dense pine and fern) and past a couple of really nice ponds. It was kind of hard to follow the path through the forests where there were a lot of leaves and pine needles on the ground but I think that my experience on trailless peaks paid off because I made it through without too much difficultly. The thing that is really starting to get nasty is the bugs. The mosquitoes are just out of control. I¢m not a big fan of wearing pants and socks around camp, but I think that I am going to have to start to bust them out pretty soon.
Date: 2004-06-14
From: October Mountain Shelter	

To: Cheshire, MA
Miles today: 21.1

Besides a little rain in the morning today was a pretty pleasant, relaxed, and laidback kind of day. After another chilly and windy night we got an early start so that we could be in Dalton on time to meet Sam¢s grandmother for lunch. You know it really makes it difficult to get up in the morning when it is cold out. We ended up not really needing the early start because other than some mud the path into Dalton was pretty easy going so we weren¢t really in any danger of being late, but how were we suppose to know that? In the end our pace must have been just right because it got us to the right place at the right time to see a black bear a couple miles out of town. Seeing it charge that fast UP a mountain really showed how powerful bears are. It is a darn good thing that they are afraid of us! We strolled into Dalton at about 11:30 just 10 minutes after Sam¢s grandmother arrived where she treated us to lunch at the Dalton Restaurant, where I have some great strawberry pancakes and a bacon cheeseburger. We followed up with some good ice cream from Ben and Jerry¢s. We ended up leaving Dalton at 2:00 with plenty of time to do the 9 miles into Cheshire; we even got a little bit of sun along the way which is always appreciated. We were planning on staying at St. Mary of the Assumption Catholic Church but when we got there there was a sing saying that it was closed to hikers. It turns out that the priest had been on a 5 month leave but he was there tonight for a wedding rehearsal so he let us in anyway. What a blessing that we happened to get here at just the right time. We are actually the first people to stay here all year!
Date: 2004-06-15
From: Cheshire, MA

To: Mill Road, VT
Miles today: 21.2

Man, it is so much easier to get up in the morning when you have gotten a good night sleep! Sam found the thermostat in the church classroom that we were staying in so he pushed it up a little bit. With a warm room and no bugs, I slept great. Well MA put up another good day of hiking. I¢d have to say that MA is making a strong case for the most enjoyable state of the trail so far. We¢ll have to see at the end how it stacks up with the remaining 3 states before I make any final decisions. We ended up maxing out the state today in both elevation and miles. After an 8 mile climb out of Cheshire we got to the highest point in MA on top of Mt. Greylock at 3491¢. It sure has been a long time since we¢ve toped 3000¢! We had excellent weather for it as well. There was a nice cold breeze for the way up and clear blue skies at the top. Unfortunately it didn¢t last because the afternoon got really hot. Oh well, we¢ll take the good weather as long as it will last. In the afternoon we crossed into Vermont to complete our 11th state. Man that is crazy to think that we only have VT, NH, and ME left! Things went downhill after getting in to VT. We were supposed to meet Mom and Tricia for diner but they weren¢t able to make it because Tricia¢s car broke down trying to get over some impassible roads. That really bummed me out, not only didn¢t I get to see them but I also broke Tricia¢s car! Luckily we met these two guys with a truck who took us into town to resupply and to call home to see what happened. After that they took us back to the trail, built us a fire, and sat around and chatted for awhile. They were really cool guys who went out of their way to help us and they wouldn¢t accept any form of repayment!