morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2023-07-26
From: NY Route 52 - Curry Estate

To: Stealth Site
Miles today: 16.5

The Curry Estate was fabulous!!! The bed was so comfortable, and we slept so well! Breakfast was great, too! We didn¢t get a ride back to trail until about noon, but it was so nice of them to drop us off! One of the sisters dropped us off today, and before she did, she stopped at the gas station so we could get a beverage before we started hiking. She also gave us extra bug spray which was awesome!! The mosquitos are beyond swarms at this point. Almost seems like one of the plagues from O.T. times!Trail was not as bad today as it was yesterday, but NY has been tough!! Lots of ups and downs and rocks and muddy sections and bugs and more bugs and ticks and mosquitos and humidity and heat. Although, the sunsets have been beautiful! And honestly, every New Yorker we have met has been extremely nice! Maybe it¢s because we are out of the city!We hiked 14 miles to a deli that was 0.7 miles off trail. We got there around 6:20 in the evening. Moose and I got a sandwich and ice cream for dinner. The lady was NOT happy about us ordering a sandwich and she made it very clear she wasn¢t happy and that she wanted to go home. But, we got our sandwich!! It¢s nice Deli Blazing through NY and NJ, so we can hike longer since we don¢t have to make ourselves dinner.We were kind of freaked out, because as we sat on a bench before we walked to the deli, Moose Jaw noticed he had a tick crawling on his leg. I was able to flick it off because it was t attached, but it was a Lone Star tick. Those are absolutely no good!! I hope we never see another one again!! We want to continue to eat red meat!!After eating and getting ourselves water, we went back to trail to hike another 1.7 miles to a stealth spot. It puts us in a good position for a similar mileage day for tomorrow. 20 mile days are running a toll on our bodies. As I got around for bed, we have noticed that my bed sting area still doesn¢t look great. We cleaned it up and added Neosporin along with a bandaid. We also noticed that I keep breaking out in hives. Around my ankles and sock area and above my socks. We are not sure what¢s causing this. I¢ll just take allergy meds until I¢m better for now. Today was a really good day. Our feet didn¢t start hurting us until 12 miles in, and the start of our day was super peaceful. I loved today!
Date: 2023-07-27
From: Stealth Site

To: Mt Algo Shelter
Miles today: 16.8

Mood: °Today was a fun and spontaneous!! Moose Jaw and I woke up and started our hike for the day from our stealth spot. About five miles in, we stopped at a country store to get lunch and snacks. There we met a couple of other hikers such as Dos Entrados and Electro. Apparently, Dos Entrados has family in Mishawaka and Middlebury, IN. Which is wild, because I grew up in Mishawaka and I also have family in Middlebury! Small world! He currently lives in Ohio. Dos Entrados also started the same day as us, but we have just never met him up until now. He has always been ahead. He has been a lot of fun to chat with. He definitely has high energy which puts people in chipper moods. Electro is a flip-flopper. He started with a friend that ditched him for hiking too slowly. He¢s young, 21, but fun to chat with! He¢s super funny! Also, WE MADE IT TO CONNECTICUT TODAY!! Woohoo!!As we were walking, Moose Jaw and I decided randomly to stop into Kent to resupply. We thought about shuttling in tomorrow, but then determined it was best to do it today since we hiked faster than expected. Also, if we made it to town, we could wait out an impending storm. As we decided, Electro and Dos Entrados arrived. Thankfully, we got a hitch into town!!We were dropped off at the Sundog Shoe and Leather store, because they have Darn Tough sock exchanges there and Moose Jaw and I both had holes in our socks. So, we got new ones for free!! Plus I got new gaiters since I put multiple holes in my existing ones. From there, Moose Jaw and I resupplied at the local IGA. We sat in the vestibule of the store and packed up the food we bought. We realize we looked weird, and even a little girl asked her dad what we were doing. HA! I felt weird that we looked weird when it was normal for us to do this now! From there we walked to get Chinese food. We ate with Electro and Dos Entrados. We were so happy that the entire thunderstorm occurred while we were eating. After finishing our food and after the storm had run it¢s course, we were headed to the nearest shelter. Which meant a 0.25 mile back track. Which was fine since it would be around 8 that we would arrive. We wanted to hitch back, so Moose Jaw held up his bandana that said ¢HITCH OR RIDE.¢ A woman drove by and said that she couldn¢t fit us. We told her no worries, so instead she gave us a huge bottle of wine!! It was awesome! Then she headed to the liquor store to replace her bottle. When she drove by us again, she said she also got us a 6 pack of beer!!! We were so excited!! So instead of a hitch, we got beer and wine! I¢d saw that was a win!! When we got to camp, we shared everything with the other hikers! It was so much fun!! We had a wonderful day! It was great (minus the amount of mosquitos and gnats).Funny conversation bits from Electro:Electro: ¢You know you¢re in New York when¢¦ you go to a deli and you order a sandwich from someone who hates you.¢Electro: ¢I wanted to quit the trail, but then I saw a cool bird. Then I thought to myself, if I quit, then I won¢t see anymore cool woodpeckers. So I kept hiking.¢
Date: 2023-07-28
From: Mt Algo Shelter

To: Cornwall Bridge, CT
Miles today: 11.4

Today was a good day. Moose and I slept in until 7:30. We were extremely tired and knowing that we had less than 12 miles to walk today, it was hard to get out of bed. But we finally did, and we left camp around 9. I felt tired today even though it was an easy day of walking compared to what we have been dealing with. I just felt like I needed a lot of breaks. But eventually Moose and I made it to town. Another hiker named Electro walked with us to town. He was getting picked up by his grandma today to rest and then take a zero tomorrow. When we arrived to town, we found a little coffee joint and ordered some chai teas. We sat outside in the shade and enjoyed our drinks before we walked across the street to get picked up by the owner of the motel we are staying at for the night. It¢s located in a tiny town that does not have a restaurant. However, the liquor store around the corner (mambo number five reference) gives a free beer to thru-hikers. He¢s been doing that for over 20 years! Which is awesome!! Moose picked me up one, since I decided to stay in the motel and lay in bed watching law and order. My body was just not wanting to walk anymore. The motel owner did our laundry which was nice. And when we checked in we saw Stogie sitting outside. We chatted for awhile before we went to our room to shower. My shoes are starting to get a hole in the side of them, and I think my body is wanting this walkabout to be completed. It¢s extremely taxing, but it has been a wonderful adventure so far!
Date: 2023-07-29
From: Cornwall Bridge, CT

To: Iron Bridge
Miles today: 14.6

Mood: °We woke up today and got a ride from the owner to the little cafe right next to the reroute for trail (a bridge was washed out from the flooding). Moose Jaw and I ate wonderful breakfast sandwiches. The baker makes the croissants (along with all of the other baked goods) fresh every morning! On the weekends, he gets into the store at 2 in the morning! The sandwiches were delicious! Once we were fueled up we started hiking. And of course it was raining. If we aren¢t wet from sweat, we are wet from the rain. Early into our hike we met two lovely day hikers. We talked to them for a bit about our trip, and they really encouraged us. We felt a little down hiking in the rain, but they gave us great words of encouragement that really perked up our spirits. These ladies were so kind! We got a selfie with them!Time flew by today! Before we knew it, it was 3:30 and we hadn¢t taken any breaks and we had hiked 12 miles. As we were nearing a rocky area, we heard girls screaming. So we kept hiking up towards them since it was right off trail. Then I heard a girl scream, ¢Grab the camera! Grab the camera!¢ It looked like a Girl Scout group. One lady came up to me to ask if I could identify snakes. They found one that was as wide as a softball! I said I could identify some. As I took four steps, I almost had a heart attack. One of the girls had her face 6 inches from a giant copperhead that was tucked under a rock. Moose Jaw did a great job instructing the girl to step away calmly and quickly. I was so stressed that that girl was so close to a copperhead. Things could have went south extremely quickly. I am so thankful that Moose and I decided to walk over to see the snake. We also told them about striking distance, so they didn¢t meander too close again. When we got close to Falls Village, we realized it was going to storm. So, we found out that there was a gentleman who goes by the Toymaker who lets hikers tent in his yard for free! It was nice because we set up our tents and then hung out and got an early dinner at the cafe in town! It poured while we were here, so it worked out that we got our tents up before the rain!!From the cafe we walked around the corner to the Tavern. Our bartender was sassy and just great!! Moose asked her how the Moscow mules were. She said that she¢s been doing this for over 20 years and she will make me the ¢shittiest mule I have ever had.¢ We were cracking up! It was an amazing mule!! Then she surprised us with free French fries! They were delicious! Apparently, the bartender was the owner! She was awfully kind to all of us and had us rolling. After the tavern, we walked to our tents and slept. It was a good night¢s sleep.
Date: 2023-07-30
From: Iron Bridge

To: Race Brook Falls Campsite
Miles today: 18.9

Mood: °Today we woke up and walked to the coffee shop so we could use the restroom before we left for the trail. Our five minute break turned into 50 minutes. HA! Typical for us, because we get distracted talking to all sorts of people! From there we started our trek. Not long into our hike we met four gentleman who were out for the day! They are from the New England area and were super kind! They were also cracking us up! One guy gave Moose Jaw and I a liquid IV. Another hiked in the group said, ¢Now, now. This seems like a lovely couple. Are you sure you want to give them roofies.¢ We laughed so hard! Knowing it was a joke, of course! They were an extremely fun group to talk to!9 miles in, we found three chairs and a cooler full of sodas for trail magic! It was awesome! Moose and I decided to sit there, enjoy our sodas, and eat lunch. Then out of the blue, Bob Ross was there! He¢s always ahead of us! We claimed it was his clone again! He sat with us while enjoying a soda, as well. He stopped in town that was a mile off trail. He enjoyed the bakery there. We then tackled a steep incline. At the top we had a wonderful view and met some day hikers. One of the hiker¢s name was Columbia. We called her Freelancer and her friend Sherpa since she wanted a trail name. She was kind and asked us lots of questions about trail. She was super encouraging as well! We love meeting day hikers and section hikers. They are always so chipper! They are like, ¢1.5 miles side trail to see a waterfall! See you there!¢ When we are like, ¢ugh a 1.5 mile side trail to a waterfall! Heck no! I gotta put in my miles and make it to camp. My feet already hurt. That¢s another 3 miles to my day and my feet already hurt.¢ HA! I also have fun meeting some of the SOBO hikers. They are still chipper and don¢t hate waking yet. Plus they have seen the best parts of trail! Their smiles do rub off onto us!HELLO MASSACHUSETTS!!! We made it!! Four states left!Mass has beautiful views, but has been super muddy and wet. I fell twice. Thankfully, I didn¢t hurt myself. However, the rocks have been killing my feet. While sitting down, I can feel them throbbing. I think it¢s time for new shoes. We set up our tent on a camp platform, cooked, and are settled in for bed. It¢s the first night in a long time that I feel cold. We will need our thermals soon. Today was a good day.
Date: 2023-07-31
From: Race Brook Falls Campsite

To: Barrington, MA
Miles today: 10.0

We had some pretty views hiking today. And then we had a steep decline on our way into town. At the bottom, we met some section hikers that were a lot of fun to talk to! They had us cracking up! They have done many sections of the AT in the north. And one lady just finished Connecticut, which is exciting!! When we got to the bottom, they asked us, ¢wasn¢t that rock scramble fun!?¢ In my head, I thought it was just an inconvenience. I love how peppy they were about it! It helps me remember that hiking is fun! It¢s hard to think it¢s fun when you rarely get good views anymore. When we see a view that requires an extra twenty steps, we are sometimes like,¢¦ we can see it good enough from here. Then we keep walking. After chatting more, they told us we inspired them! I was shocked! It¢s amazing that being out here inspires people. It just feels like we are living a normal, yet not normal life. One of the ladies asked if the pain goes away. She said she always forgets to ask that. And we were like, no. It never goes away. We just kind of put up with it. I hope we don¢t end up with any permanent injuries. 0.6 miles before town, we received trail magic!! Burgers and hotdogs! They were delicious! It was just Moose Jaw and I there for about an hour. Then we left and got a hitch into town by Spreadsheet. He just so happened to be at the road intersection as we arrived! It was impeccable timing!! When we checked into the quality inn, we took a nap before getting dinner. For dinner we had sushi, at a place where we actually sit on the ground! It was awesome! I had never done that before. But now I want a table where you can sit on the ground to eat at. The chairs without legs did have backs for us to lean onto which was nice! We had our legs outstretched. It¢s hard to keep them bent for long periods of time because they hurt. After dinner we got some delicious ice cream! We met a gentleman named Joey outside of the ice cream joint! Joey moved from New York to Massachusetts because he missed being outside. So he bought a bunch of land and has been here since! He is awfully kind! He loves the outdoors including skiing! We talked about the trail a lot and showed him the app we use for a map of the trail. It was humbling to hear him say we inspired him. We focus a lot on how trial affects us, but we rarely think about how our experience may affect others. It¢s extremely humbling and encourage. Joey has been wanting to do the trail for some time now, and I think he should go for it!! He seems much more prepared than we were! We were so surprised to find such kind and generous people up north, and Joey is one of those people!! Today was wonderful!
Date: 2023-08-01
From: Barrington, MA

To: Barrington, MA
Miles today: 0.0

Moose and I slept in today. It always hard getting out of bed, because we know those first steps will always be painful. As we got up and around, we grabbed our dirty clothes to go to the laundromat. There we saw Savage! We haven¢t seen her since Trial Days in Damascus! It was great seeing her. She was looking to share a room with another Hiker so we put her in touch with Cambio. He was looking to split the cost of a room as well, but moose and I only had one bed in our room. While our clothes were washing, we got breakfast at a little Patisserie shop. Great Barrington is a ritzy area. We definitely did not fit in wearing our sleep clothes with socks and crocks. But I always say, if you ain¢t sockin¢ while crockin, then you ain¢t rockin¢. When we grabbed our dry clothes, we met a mom thru-hiking with her three kiddos. Goose, sonic, buttercup, and jelly bean. That¢s just impressive! We talked about high calorie food that doesn¢t weigh much. After we dropped our clothes off, Moose was hangry. On our walk to the Big Y to resupply, we stopped to get pizza. He was much better afterwards! The ladies checking out our items at the store were extremely kind! They scanned their grocery card for us to receive discounts and then asked a lot of questions about trail. They were super encouraging. It¢s nice to hear words of encouragement, because lately it has been hard leaving town to go back to trail. They did make us laugh, because they said we looked good for being thru-hikers. I told her we like to shower. She laughed. She said it was more than that, we don¢t look starved and shabby. I¢m glad we have a ¢I live in the woods¢ type of glow. Hank, a local shuttle driver picked us up to take us back to the quality inn. He was high energy, super kind, and carried our groceries up to our door for us! It was awesome! He sure made us laugh a lot on our short ride!After all of our chores, I took a nap. It was nice. Then we went and got Mexican food with Sunny, Snickers, Day Walker, Savage, and Cambio. That was a lot of fun! It¢s nice hanging out with other hikers and hearing where a bunch of people are on trail that you haven¢t seen in hundreds of miles!Next was milkshakes and walk back to the hotel. Our zero days always zoom by. It¢s always full of chores. We miss the relaxing part. Hope we get to relax soon! But all in all, today was a good day!
Date: 2023-08-02
From: Barrington, MA

To: Shaker Campsite
Miles today: 17.7

Today was a good day. I didn¢t want to leave town. Leaving town has been getting harder and harder. We don¢t want to hike when our bodies and feet hurt. We know we are getting closer to being done, but it¢s tough. It seems like I never get to bed early when we go into town for a zero. We are going to the grocery, doing laundry, and uploading photos and entries. It¢s hard to get it all done while trying to relax because you are pushing your body past it¢s limits. But, we left town because we had to!We are definitely in a bubble. At the campsite this evening there were over 20 thru-hikers. We don¢t mind the bubble, because we love talking to everyone! But it makes getting a Tent site tricky. And that can be stressful. We saw Savage, Cambio, and Day Walker today. Savage and Cambio got a ride with us from shuttle driver hank back to trail today. It was nice seeing them again! We chatted with Cambio for a little bit while hiking, and then had lunch with them! It was fun!! From lunch we made our way to camp. I was tired and happy to have arrived. I need to get new shoes mailed to me. They have already been purchased, it¢s just hard to figure out a place to have them sent so you can pick them up. All in all, today was good!
Date: 2023-08-03
From: Shaker Campsite

To: The Cookie Lady
Miles today: 21.0

This morning was cold! We survived another night with no bear encounters. Our friends crummy bear hang still presided over the picnic table, a victorious emblem reminding me of Georgia. Packing up camp was a clean task today having set our tent up on the wooden platforms available at the tent site. The beginning of our hike took us to a view over a historical village: the people who lived here were famous for ¢shaking¢ during worship and persecuted by more conventional Christian sects for their strange practice. The meadows were beautiful, as were the pine trees, perfect hiking weather today! Only a few miles in we crossed a road where a guy had a shed with a working refrigerator and venmo sign up, along with wifi. So we purchased some sodas and enjoyed the picnic bench looking out over the grassy fields. A brief moment of peace: less bugs, cool temps, less sweat, clear skies¢¦ almost felt like an Arizona winter day! Continuing our hike we had some respectable inclines over the first ten miles. We passed two major recreational ponds. One of which had a famous ¢Upper Goose Pond Cabin¢ that has bunks available for rent and is a phenomenal swimming hole¢¦. Sometimes it¢s a shame all the cool stuff we have to pass up to hit 21 mile days! After the goose pond we stopped for lunch at a motel that accepts hikers where we took a break for lunch, and slammed some calories before the last big climb of the day. We finished off the last 11 miles to get to the cookie lady cabin on Blueberry Hill farm¢¦ what a beautiful place! There is an old landing strip and an airplane hangar in the back of the property, and a few acres of blueberry bushes where hikers are allowed to eat as much as they want while they¢re picking blueberries! The airplane hangar and the old short bus both had multiple beds set up for hikers to stay in¢¦ but they probably weren¢t exactly up to par with modern Healthcode regulations. Not entirely sure if the bedsheets had ever been changed or if they just considered a new layer of dust enough to count. The beds in the old bus must¢ve been a unique experience¢¦. But alas, we enjoy the comfort of our own tent. It¢s nice to only worry about your own smells. It¢s windy and chilly tonight, we are pretty close to a road. Hopefully tonight is restful for another day of hiking tomorrow. Into Dalton we go!
Date: 2023-08-04
From: The Cookie Lady

To: Crystal Mountain Campsite
Miles today: 14.3

Mood: °We left for Dalton, MA from cookie lady¢s house. It randomly rained at a pint during the night, which we weren¢t expecting. It was so loud, I could hear it through my ear plugs. Thankfully, our stuff stayed dry!Not long into our hike, we received trail magic!! Bandit and Toaster were already there. I got some Gatorade, Coca Cola, and donut holes. It was delicious!! The gentleman, Wurther¢s, providing the trail magic was super kind!! We liked talking to him. Before we knew it, we made it to town. But we were hiking quickly towards the end, because we could hear Thunder off in the distance. We didn¢t want to get caught in the rain. So as soon as we got to town, we headed to a restaurant for lunch. We went to a pub called Zinky¢s. It had some pretty good food. From there we walked to Levardi¢s. This was a gentleman¢s house on the AT, whom allowed hiker¢s to tent in his yard. We went there because we thought we were going to stay. A storm was rolling in and we didn¢t want to get caught in it. Stogie and Bob Ross decided to hike another 10 miles. We weren¢t going to do that, so instead we had Toaster flip a coin. The coin hit Tails. Tails is always for trail. So instead of staying, we walked five miles fo the nearest campsite. Thankfully, we made it before the rain and got our tents set up. It was the first time in awhile we made it to camp early! So moose and I watched a show on his phone, and then went to sleep. It was a good day!!