morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2006-09-21
From: Blotz Road (by way of Williamstown)

To: Upper Goose Pond Cabin
Miles today: 14.2
Weather: few clouds

It was really early this morning when Courtenay and I left the house. It is sad to leave the Gibsons; I have had such a good time here. We get to the trailhead at ~6:30 and hug and say goodbye. Not much time to hang out though as she has to get on the road and to work.It is freezing! I can't wait to get to Tyringham to pick up my warm winter clothes tomorrow. Of course, I warm up as I hike. But its not too long and I arrive at the Cookie Lady's house. The Cookie Lady and her husband run a blueberry farm and let hiker's pick blueberries for a small fee and also give them homemade cookies. The blueberries are picked for the season. They were all gone before Labor Day actually. I stop to sign the register and to read the other info they have posted and Rufus, their adorable chow/golden retriever mix dog calls me out. I hear the garage door open and see the Cookie Man, Roy Wiley, come out to greet me. The Cookie Lady comes out behind him and hands me a basket of cookies. I visit with Mr. Cookie for a while and enjoy the delicious cookies. But I can't stay too long as I am starting to get chilled to the bone. The trail is really flat here and I I am at the October Mtn Shelter before I know it. I stop and eat and rest my feet and try and adjust my shoes so that my feet hurt less. I of course, as always, peruse the register.Then I am back on the trail. There are some ups and downs and the trail follows the shoreline of a pond for a while. It has turned out to be a beautiful day, perfect weather for hiking.I cross several roads and I even cross the MA turnpike. I former thru-hiker has left apples by the bridge that crosses the turnpike as trail magic. Delicious. Then, its just one final climb to the top of the Upper Goose Pond natural area and then down to the shelter. I hope that the caretaker is at the cabin as it is going to be really cold tonight and I want pancakes in the morning!I walk the 1/2 mile to the cabin and there are people there. I inquire about the caretaker and am directed to him, Traveling Jack. He gives me the shakedown on the place and I put down my pack on a bunk and get out my food bag to make dinner. I am soooo hungry. There are five other people here as well: two friends of Jack's, Tulie and Tim, two folks hiking sections to finish up their thru-hike from last year, Snowman and Sparkplug, and a nobo, Ramps who will go as far as he can go before the weather turns (he had to get off for a while due to an injury).We all hang out around the picnic table and Traveling Jack is quite the storyteller and host offering us lots of food and wine. It is a great time and we move inside to a fire in the fireplace. I love this cabin/shelter and I am so glad I made it here before the caretakers closed it up for the season!
Date: 2006-09-23
From: Shaker Campsite

To: Tom Leonard Lean-To
Miles today: 11.2

Well, I am happy to report that my food bag and I made it safely through the night without any disturbances from a bear or other animal of the forest. I did wake up to rain though, so I spent some of the morning in my hammock working on my journal and waiting for it to stop raining. Eventually, I ventured out and packed up. As I was leaving, a trail maintainer arrived to check on the campsite. I told her about the broken bear cable and she told me about the water sources that had gone dry south on the trail. The hiking today was pretty uneventful. There were some climbs, some descents, and some flat stretches. No views. Due to the rain, everything was misty, as though I was looking at the world through glasses that put a white hazy film on everything. I stopped at the first Wilcox shelter and Dorito had left me a note saying he would leave the soda he bought for me in town at the next shelter. I am beginning to think he is sending me on a wild goose chase. So I go to the next shelter and he did leave me a rootbeer and a candy bar. How nice! There are two men at the shelter for the weekend and I am amazed at all that they have brought in: 2 coolers, one is full of beer and bottled water, a grill, 2 chairs, a full size radio, and all the other camping stuff like sleeping bags, etc. They say they have been doing this for years, so I guess they are used to carrying all of that stuff. I move on and pass by a pond, cross some roads, and come upon a chicken coop. The roosters are making quite a racket.As I approach the shelter I will be staying at, the trail starts to get a bit colder and the fog that had lifted in the afternoon sets back in. The reason for this is I am hiking next to an ice gulch, a long deep cut in the rocks. Its kinda like a ravine or mini canyon. Cool to look at, but I wouldn't want to fall into it.At the shelter by 6:30 and I have it all to myself. Its a large shelter and very nice. I make my bed and fix dinner and then read the register and go to sleep.
Date: 2006-09-25
From: Hemlocks Lean-To

To: Riga Lean-To
Miles today: 10.0

Dorito and I both took our time getting started this morning. Today's trail was full of ledges. We did have some nice views at Mt. Everett and Race Mountain. At one point I looked out at the view and one word came to mind, Flat.Dorito waited for me at Sage's Ravine and we took pictures of each other crossing into our 5th state, CT. Woohoo!Then we made the steep rocky climb up Bear Mtn, the highest point in CT at 2316'. We both remarked at how hard that climb would have been for us months before when we were in ME, but now it really wasn't that hard.We sat and admired the view and looked at where we had traveled during the day and then headed to the Riga Shelter. As I am hiking down Bear Mtn, the sun is beginning to make its way toward the horizon and the air is very still. The only sounds to be heard are a slight ruffling of the leaves and an occasional chirp of a bird. It is so peaceful, calm, still, zen-like. I don't want this feeling, the experience to end. The hike to the shelter is nice and passes by another stream and shelter. Like MA, CT has two shelters right next to each other. We have decided to go to the second one as it is the only shelter in CT with a view. So nice to be in camp before nightfall. A quick review of the shelter register informs us of some places to eat and locations that give hikers free beer. We turn in early so that we can get an early start into the quaint, New England town of Salisbury. I am craving a shower and a cheeseburger!
Date: 2006-09-26
From: Riga Lean-To

To: Limestone Springs Lean-To
Miles today: 7.5

Today's journal entry is dedicated to Low Gear, a nobo thruhiker whom I met in the Whites and who entertains me with his register entries."I AM SUPERSTAR. I am sad. I realized today that I lost my special Backpacker toothbrush/toothpaste combo at the Hemlocks Lean-to. I am happy. I went into Salisbury today and ate a cheeseburger and fries and drank beer and ate ice cream and saw Dorito and Mrs. Gorp and Stumpknocker, and Mark and Twain. I bought a new toothbrush. It is gold and blue. GA Tech colors. I went to GA Tech. God is Great. I am Great. I AM SUPERSTAR."Okay. Other events for today. Easy hike into town where I bought a few dinner items and picked up a care package from Kelli. Delicious treats! Thanks Kelli. I visited the library to use the internet and found out that this library is the first public library in the nation. I had a great lunch at the White Hart Inn, whose cheeseburger comes close to Marlow's but lacked in presentation - Marlow's is still the best. Mrs. Gorp and Stumpknocker are back on the trail and it was nice to see familiar faces. Both flipfloppers, Mrs. Gorp is going to Duncannon and Stumpknocker to Catawba. I met Mark & Twain, a retired couple who can really put the miles on. Lovely folks.Not able to yogi a free place to stay in town, I hiked out to the next shelter. I passed a beautiful overlook (CT is so quaint) and the Giant's Thumb. The Giant's Thumb is an eradicate, a large rock left by the glaciers that probably was once covered with limestone, but over time the limestone dissolved and this funny looking rock is what is left. The shelter is 0.5 miles off the trail downhill into a ravine. I arrive in the dark and Slow Coach, another flipflopper, is amazed that I found the place in the dark. Dorito, Mark & Twain, and two section hikers are at the shelter. One of the section hikers is quite a talker and keeps Mark & Twain talking about their many adventures traveling the world.
Date: 2006-09-27
From: Limestone Springs Lean-To

To: Pine Swamp Brook Lean-to
Miles today: 12.3

Cold in the morning, but turned into a great day for hiking: sunny, warm. CT is not flat as many may think and even though the highest point was around 2000 feet there are still climbs. However, today did have some nice flat spots including a handicap accessible trail. I caught up with Mark & Twain at the falls of the Housatonic River at the dam and water power facility. We hiked together for the rest of the day. We went into Falls Village for lunch and encountered the most bizarre wait staff. Mrs. Gorp and Stumpknocker arrived before we left and then later caught up with us and hiked with us to the hang glider overlook. It was nice to hike with a group of folks and have plenty to talk about.Mrs. Gorp and Stumpknocker hiked on and Mark & Twain and I went to the shelter where we met up with Dorito. Mark & Twain tented as did Slow Coach & Spindleshanks (a couple from South Africa that flipflopped, but due to time constraints are just doing parts most appealing to them). Mark & Twain join Dorito and me in the shelter for dinner and I discovered that sometime between my yogurt breakfast and my tortolini dinner I have lost my cool Light My Fire fork/spoon/knife combo eating utensil. First, my toothbrush, now this. What will be next? And why am I suddenly losing things? The acorns, which have become my enemy as they are marbles on the trail just waiting to send me into a Scooby Doo slip, slide, flip and fall, attack the roof of the shelter sounding like bullets. During the night, they wake everyone up at least once.
Date: 2006-09-28
From: Pine Swamp Brook Lean-to

To: StewartHollow Brook Lean-To
Miles today: 10.0

Happy Birthday Mirage and Wild Child!Well, the tentative plan for today's hike was to go almost 17 miles into Kent, but for me and Dorito it did not happen. My foot was feeling really sore today, I followed the wrong trail twice within the first mile (but Slow Coach and Spindleshanks were equally as confused about the route of the trail, so I didn't feel completely incompetant) and then I fell into Guinea Brook and lost a leaf guard off of my hiking pole. I guess if bad things happen in threes, I'm done losing things...for a while anyway. Word on the trail was that the liquor store in Cornwall Bridge gives a free beer to thruhikers. I was only going to go into town if I could see the store from the road at the trail crossing. Well, after my dip in the water, I decided I was going to take advantage of the trail magic. As I am walking to the store, a police officer drives by and asks me if I am all right. I tell him yes, but I wanted to tell him no, I would only be fine if he gave me a lift to the liquor store, but I don't think he would have seen the humor. I hear CT really frowns on hitchiking - probably not a good idea to try and hitch from a cop.At the store, I leave my pack on a sunny rock to dry and go inside. The lady in the store is super friendly and directs me to my beer choices. As I am selecting, Dorito walks in. He and I have a knack for ending up at the same spots - off trail. The lady says that the most popular choice is a Fosters Oil Can with a straw. Fosters is the most bang for our free buck as it the largest volume, so we both take her up on the offer minus the straw. I walk across the street to the deli and purchase a slice of lasagna for lunch (Dorito has already eaten) and then we both sit on the rock in the sun and toast our good fortune. Of course, we have to dodge the acorn bombs that are being dropped on us left and right, but its a great relaxing afternoon. Then its back on the trail.Nothing like a thousand foot elevation climb in 0.5 mile to ruin a good beer buzz. Perhaps drinking and hiking are not the best mix. But after that initial climb, the trail flattens out and follows the Housatonic River. Dorito and I end up at the Stewart Hollow Brook Lean-To right near the river only having hiked 10 miles today. Oh well. We both purchased a small flask of schnapps at the liquor store and set out with our bottles to sit on rocks in the river and chill. I look over the trail mileage and learn that if I want to finish the trail by my expected Dec. 16 date, I need to be averaging 18 miles a day. Highly unlikely. The thought that I may not finish until 2007 is slightly depressing. But Dorito reminds me to just look at it one day at a time and enjoy it all the way. So that hopefully is what I will do. We head back to the shelter and revert back to college days with a game of "I Never" until both of our bottles are empty.
Date: 2006-09-29
From: StewartHollow Brook Lean-To

To: Schaghticoke Mtn Campsite
Miles today: 10.2
Weather: overcast clouds

Oh my gosh! I don't think it could have rained any harder last night. It rained so hard and loud and knocked acorns onto the metal roof of the shelter, it woke both Dorito and me. Luckily, it was just dripping off the trees in the morning as we were getting ready to hike. The plan is to hike 15 miles, but we both know that Kent, CT is between this shelter and the planned shelter destination for today. We are both really enjoying the fact that we can pop into town on a daily basis, so its highly likely that we won't make 15 miles. The 1st 2-3 miles of trail are nice and flat and quick as the trail follows the Housatonic River. Then the trail turns right and heads straight up 470 feet in a half mile up the St. John's Ledges. Why is it that I always encounter steep rock scrambles in the rain? At least I am climbing this rock jumble instead of sliding down it! Not really any views for a while due to the rain. But the clouds do seem to lift and after noon the sun does start to peek out and dry things out including me.As I descend to CT341, the road that goes into Kent, I come out of the woods and around the bend in the trail and come face to rear-end with a huge cow! Not the wild life I was expecting to see. The cow turned to look at me with little interest and then went back to chowing on some grass. I cross the brook and pass more cows and pass through their pasture carefully dodging their large turds and head to the road. There is a white Toyota Tundra parked at the trailhead and I yogi a ride into town. Turns out the driver is a section hiker from NC, trailname Thru-Thinker, and he is responsible for getting NC's new AT car license plate. He drops me off near the post office but as they are closed from 1-2, I sneak into the Pizza & Grill and find Dorito's pack outside. I go in and join him for lunch, a western burger and fries and the most chocolatey gooey cookie with ice cream desert. We discuss the idea of going into NYC for the weekend and the logistics of making it happen. We decide to make some phone calls and if our connections pull through, we'll go if not we'll skip it and live it up in a town closer to the trail with a more trail friendly price tag.Our connections either are not available or are unattainable, so we decide to skip NYC and move out of Kent. Knowing that we are not going into NYC means that we don't have to push the miles today. Dorito decides to stay at the sheter right out of town and I decide to hike on to the next campsite. We make plans to meet at the CT/NY border tomorrow.I make it to the Schaghticoke Campsite and set up camp skipping dinner as I am still full from lunch. It's supposed to be as low as 37 degrees tonight and by 7:30 its rally cold. Thank goodness I have my fleece jacket and pants!
Date: 2006-09-30
From: Schaghticoke Mtn Campsite

To: Wiley Shelter
Miles today: 9.5
Weather: overcast clouds

Oooh, it was chilly last night, but the stars were out. That was about as wild as it was at this campsite as I could here the traffic down below in the gulch.I packed up my stuff - I have way too much stuff, clothes mostly, that I must send home when I get to a PO - and set out down the trail. It is a gorgeous fall morning, perfect for hiking. I cross paths with a huntsman carrying a bow. I guess that hunting season has begun. Then I spot a deer in the distance running down a hill. I guess the hunter missed this one, lucky animal. Supposedly I hiked through an Indian Reservation today, but there were no signs identifying where the reservation began or ended. I met lots of day hikers out today as I headed down to the road. The first road crossing comes within a half mile of a covered bridge that has been in existance since the 1700's and George Washington is said to have crossed over this river on the covered bridge 3 times during the Revolutionary War. I check it out and it is very interesting to see structurally and historically. Then I walk up to the Country Market to use the phone, but the phone was removed two weeks ago due to loss of revenue - a result of the cell phone industry. Oh well. Lunch will do. Back on the trail, some dayhikers tell me that Dorito is just ahead of me having caught up and passing me while I went into town. We have made plans to meet up at the state line, but when I get there he is not there and neither is any indication that we have crossed from CT into NY. So I hike on to the shelter where he is waiting on me preparing to build a fire in the fire pit (CT was a no fire state.) This is not the best looking shelter but it does have things most shelters don't like a gutter, a thermometer, a mailbox, a badmitton set, plenty of grills for the fire pit and a slew of dishes. A couple comes up prepared to spend the night at the shelter but change their minds upon seeing us there. I guess spending the night with two smelly thruhikers is not what they envisioned for a romantic Saturday night. Dorito and I cook dinner and make plans for a tourist day in Fort Montgomery, NY. We are both needing some town time to get cleaned up and feel "normal" again. We also just goof off around the fire and Dorito, while collecting wood, finds a vine that he can swing on. He swings once and it looks like fun, but on the second swing, he falls flat on his back. It was hilarious, but we are both glad that he did not hurt himself. A note in the shelter register from a section hiker, Matthew, that I met in VT, means that we will be taking a short detour tomorrow off the trail to see if we can visit with him. I love the trail!
Date: 2006-10-01
From: Wiley Shelter

To: Telephone Pioneer Shelter
Miles today: 9.0
Weather: light rain

Well, if you haven't figured out by now, Dorito and I are not big mile hikers, well, not yet anyway. We have decided that since it is supposed to rain today that we will just go to the next shelter, 9 miles from here. Then tomorrow, when it is supposed to be sunny, we will jump up to 16 miles and make it to the RPH shelter which is unique in that you can order pizza and have it delivered to the shelter. So we set out in the rain. We try and follow the directions Matthew gave us to his house to visit with him, but we can't find the way. We meet two section hikers, Dan and Kathy, from my hometown area of Roswell. Quite friendly and they promise to get in touch with me when I make it home to GA. The trail is nice and flat as we hike through the Pawling Nature Preserve. Even though it is raining and I am pretty much soaked, my feet have stayed fairly dry, that is until it stopped raining. I had to walk through many fields and the wet grass soaked my shoes! Oh well, that's life on the trail! Dorito and I make plans to meet at Tony's Deli for lunch and the 0.6 mile road walk is dreadful as the NY cars speed past me.   Nobos had told us about the NY and NJ deli's right along the road and so far Dorito and I are enjoying our fair share of fresh sandwiches for lunch. We each had a huge deli meat sandwich, potato chips, ice cream sandwiches, and sodas. See mom, I am eating! A quick call home just to check in and let them know I made it to my 6th state and then back to the trail. At least it has stopped raining!We pass by the Appalachian Trail Train Sation. Yep, there is a commuter train that stops along the AT, only on the weekends though. Quite an oxymoronic occurence and worthy of a photo session. Since there was no sign or any indication that we passed into NY from CT, we use this train stop as our backdrop for the border crossing. More fields to walk through and hills to climb. At the next road crossing, we come to another impressive trail feature worthy of photographing: the Dover Oak. It is reportedly the larest oak tree on the AT with a girth four feet from the ground of 20 feet, 4 inches and it is estimated to be over 300 years old. Each limb extending out of the trunk is big enough to be its own tree and a structural marvel at how strong each limb is to cantilever out without toppling over! What a reminder of what the forest must have been like before logging. Now, just a mile to the shelter with plenty of daylight left. Dorito immediately begins to build a fire - he loves having a fire every night. I try and figure out where I can get to a phone tomorrow to call and have my bounce box bounced from Pawling to Fort Montgomery. Despite having eaten a huge lunch, we both fix dinner. I realize I am running low on fuel - good thing we are ordering pizza tomorrow - I'll hopefully be able to pick some up in Fort Montgomery. We try Dorito's cell phone to call my dad to see if he will call the PO for me. Just enough battery juice to make the call. Success! No need to find a phone tomorrow, just easy walking...hopefully!