morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2016-06-15
From: Wawayanda Shelter

To: Fingerboard Shelter
Miles today: 26.4
Weather: overcast clouds

6/15/16Got a good nights sleep and up and on the trail at 6:45. Looking at over 26 today and some of the terrain is challenging. A couple miles in I hear something and it is a large bobcat. He is a ways off and poses while I take a few pictures. I start hiking and he runs off. I'm sure glad I got my tent to keep me safe at night There is a note in my guide book that states although the elevation looks realitivly flat, there are some technical areas. So I don't know if it means a certain area or 25 miles. Not far into the day the boulder climbs start..the first one is a pretty good one. Then the trail is easier but not long after I am climbing on boulders again. I get to the highest point the AT goes in New York and looking around I believe I can barely see the NY city skyline. The trial goes small ups and downs all day. Some of the trail is very good walking trail...there are some rocky areas and then the boulder areas. The dry weather is starting to show. I got to one of the falls today that was suppose to be a good water source and there wasn't all that much water coming down. Other places the water was pretty stagnant. Several place people put jugs of water out for us. I got off trail at one place and a guy on a four wheeler was coming down the trail. I said you're not supposed to be on here and politely he told me I missed a fork in the trail. I went back and even knowing...the trail was kind of hard to find. I passed several small lakes/ponds. I did get trail magic a couple of times today. Both had gallon jugs of water, but one had chairs, bananas, peaches, nutty Buddy's and even a candle to keep the bugs away. The bugs are getting bad. Gnats buzzing you all day, flies around you and the last couple of days the mosquitos. I used my off for the first time when I got to the shelter. I found my first tic on me today and I caught it early on my shin and he came right off. Late in the day I came to "The Lemon Squeeze". It is a narrow pathway that gets narrower as it goes. I passed through some rocks that surrounded me and I though no problem..but then there is another part that I had to take my pack off....take my trekking poles over first...go back for my pack and hold it sideways. Then when I got of the tight spot I had to lift it over my head and set it on a rock above the narrow crevice. I made it through there and then had to climb a tall boulder. I think this was the most difficult thing I've had to climb. It wasn't long just a tough rocks to get on top of with not much foot or hand holds. There was an alternative route that was easier but that's no fun. It was a long day as I didn't get to camp until about 8:00. So over 13 hours on the trail today. I'm tired but don't feel bad. The temps are warming into the low 80s but that's not bad in the shade most of the day. The only thing I know now is I get to go hiking tomorrow
Date: 2016-06-16
From: Fingerboard Shelter

To: Hemlock Springs Campsite
Miles today: 17.7
Weather: overcast clouds

6/16/16Had my first night sleeping with no one else at the shelter campsite...so I thought. I woke up and someone came in and tented too. I didn't go to bed til after 9:00 so they got in late(after dark). It was dry all night and rained just long enough to get my tent wet and the rocks wet and slick. My first goal was to make it five milesnto water. There was no water at the shelter and the water source prior had stagnant water. Lucky someone left jugs close to the road yesterday so I wasn't completely out. Got to the stream and it was flowing good and the water looked good. Since I have been up north some of the water is brown even after filtering it. I made it to a four lane highway and I could have hiked .4 miles for a coke but decided against it and eat at a restaurant this evening. I bad a good climb and was suppose to have a view of NY city skyline but it was too hazy to see it. I was only like 36 miles from the city. Its crazy to think how much more different NY city and the AT are but so close together. Later in the afternoon I climbed Bear Mountain where Perkins Memorial Tower stood. By the time I arrived it was raining and again the NY skyline was unable to be seen. So after that I went down the mountain and into Fort Montgomery right off the Hudson River. Before you get there you have to go through a museum/zoo. The AT goes right through the zoo and you get in free. I didn't venture off the trail but did see a bobcat and the bears. I left there and went off the AT trail and went down a trail that gave some history and the importance of the Fort during the Revolutionary War. There was a museum and further down the trail and cannons were still sitting aimed at the Hudson River as they were at that time in history. I stopped by a restaurant and had a pizza burger fries and a couple of cold beers. Toped it off with a brownie Sunday. I then hiked my two miles back to the AT and had to cross Bear Mountain Bridge. This is what took me over the Hudson River. Busy road but they had a walkway on the side to keep us safe. I made to the campsite I planned to stay and met another hiker there I had seen earlier in the day. The temperatures are warming a little more every day but the rain made it comfortable. It was a wonderful day for a hike
Date: 2016-06-17
From: Hemlock Springs Campsite

To: RPH Shelter
Miles today: 23.0
Weather: broken clouds

6/17/16I woke up this morning to some loud snorting. I looked out my tent and found a large deer that was far away making the noise. He soon moved on. It was just after 6:00 so I started getting things gathered and packed up. I chatted with the guy who camped with me and was on the trail a little after 7:00. Three miles down the way I stopped at a store, Appalachian Grocery, for resupply and breakfast. The miles seemed to go slow today and but I kept pressing on. I came up on one guy and he said he found the end of the trail...I laughed and said it was time to get rid of my trekking poles. The trail was not well marked but we found the trail. There were three places I could camp but since the miles weren't coming very fast, I thought about stopping at the first one which was a state park, thru hikers could camp one night for free. During the 30s the CCC did work in the parks. They built stone walls in several areas that still stand today. At one area there was a stone wall about 12 ft high we were walking on with drop offs on both sides. It was pretty cool. When people make the statement its good enough for government work they need to see what these workers did 80 years ago and still stands solid today. Thanks to them i had a flat level trail and I'm sure it served a purpose for water run off as well. So I actually got to the state park by 3:00 and decided to head to the 23 mile shelter which was the farthest. I made it to the shelter by 6:00 so I did better than I thought. I don't know if its the terrain, nutrition, the continuous pounding on the body or what but my energy level doesn't seem as high as it once was. I'm still hiking faster than a lot of folks so maybe its a combination of all the things. I have been hitting a lot of big miles too, so that may be part of it. I got to the shelter and saw a lot of new faces. This is one of the busiest shelters I've been at. They deliver pizza here may be the reason why. I elected to eat my delicious Ramon noodles though. Even though the miles were slow...it was a great day for a hike
Date: 2016-06-18
From: RPH Shelter

To: Telephone Pioneers Shelter
Miles today: 16.8
Weather: broken clouds

6/18/16I had one of those moments when you wake up and thought "where am,I at?". I wasn't sure which shelter I was at until I looked outside. Moose is a 16 year old kid out here hiking the trail. I seen his mom waiting at a parking area yesterday. Today the shelter was close to the road and she dropped off muffins, OJ and milk for us hikers. A nice way to start the day. Since I had a long day yesterday, I was in no hurry to get going. I was one of the last ones out, on the trail at 8:30. I didn't push it today just hiked a little slower pace. The terrain was kind today and after five miles I got to a road that led to a deli. I went and got a chicken club sandwich, a Mt Dew, chips and a bag of M&Ms.. They didn't have a place to sit inside so I went to the bench out front and then decided to check out the back. They had a big yard with the lawn cut recently and a picnic table shaded by some trees. It was a perfect day without a cloud in the sky to enjoy my lunch. I took my time and ate and charged up my electronics. In was there about an hour and a half and just enjoyed the day. I had less than 12 miles left to the shelter and had a great day of hiking. I stopped by one shelter about halfway to where I was going and relaxed and talked to Fliker a hiker who was at the shelter last night. Later I stopped and was filtering water when (will insert name later)..came up. I thought he was ahead of me. I found out he actually started hiking last summer and hiked through the fall. He went back to college this spring and then came back to the trail when classes were over. He started at the NY/ Connecticut boarder and went north to Katahdin Maine last summer. Hit the southern part of the trail last fall and will complete it back at the NY/Connecticut boarder tomorrow. That is sooo cool. He is a fast hiker and will get there before me but is from the area and his friends and family will be there to celebrate his accomplishment. He is the same kid that the bear was sniffing his tent a few days earlier. I continued hiking went around a nice little lake and had a little bit of a climb before the shelter. At the top was a nice scenic view so I stopped and just took it in for a while. I made to to the shelter around 5:30 and just enjoyed the evening with the four other hikers in for the night. The gnats were very annoying towards the end of the day, but it was a beautiful day for a hike
Date: 2016-06-20
From: Algo Shelter

To: Sharon Mountain Campaite
Miles today: 19.7
Weather: clear sky

6/20/16I got a good nights sleep and was up and on the trail by 7:15. I hiked with Bevo again today, he had a group he was hiking with but they took some time off and are a couple of days behind. Planned to do 17 miles today and the terrain had some ups and downs but for the most part not too bad. We hiked a couple of hours and came down to a gravel road along a river we followed. After about a mile down the road we seen a pick-up truck with its tail gate down and a water jug on the back. Could it be trail magic? Bevo said "just some campers", I think just so we wouldn't be let down. But sure enough it was trail magic. They had peanut butter and jelly to make sandwiches, garanola bars, bananas, apples, watermelon, cookies and leftover anniversary cake. I believe they said they had been married 34 years. Never expected to find a spread like that on a Monday. He worked for UPS and didn't have to work last night so they drove an hour and fifteen minutes just for this kind act. We were they first hikers they had seen and soon three others joined us to include Buba. The rest of the morning was pretty easy hiking. Since we got to Connecticut, water has seemed to be more readily available. We did have one nice climb in the morning and it ended at a campsite. It was the nicest campsite I have seen. It had three picnic tables, an overhang, a bench swing, and a privy (outhouse). We ate a quick snack and pressed on. We kept leap frogging the other hikers that were at the trail magic with us. It was a very warm day so breaks were a little more frequent and I drank a lot more water than usual. I passed and talked to a couple from Indiana. They come out a couple weeks every year for the last eight years. They started at Springer Mt Georgia and have made it this far. I passed another lady who was struggling with the heat and stopped early so she could camp. The afternoon brought a bunch of ups and downs and with the heat made them a little more challenging. About 3:00 pm, the hostel we tried to reserve yesterday, let Bevo know they had two cancellations and we could stay. We had already planned out the next few days and were no longer interested. We went through another set of boulders that was like the lemon squeezer a couple of days ago. It was not as tight but we got some good pictures since there were two of us. We got to the next shelter just after 4:00. We decided to press on to the next campsite 2.5 miles down the trail. So our day turned out to be 19.7 miles in the heat but overall not a bad day. As a matter of fact...it was beautiful day for a hike.Funny story I left out yesterday. A hiker at the last shelter asked me who I was going to vote for. My reply " The person least likely to be reelected in four years.". His response "That's a new perspective I haven't heard before"...and we had a good laugh.
Date: 2016-06-22
From: Brassie Brook Shelter

To: Great Barrington MA
Miles today: 17.6
Weather: light rain

6/22/16I had a good nights sleep. I don't know if it is just me but it doesn't seem like I have been hearing any animals snooping around at night the last couple of nights. I was up and on the trail by 6:45, hiking with Bevo again. My pack was light as I have very little food and getting low on other supplies too. We bad a couple of good climbs this morning and then we would coast into town this afternoon. The climbs weren't too steep of grade going up but coming down the other side was a little steeper. At one point the trail was on the cliffs and it was a awesome panoramic view on our right side. I love when the trail is like that. At one view we stopped and had lunch. I called my sister and coordinated our meeting place and changed it because of road construction where we planned to meet and they(two sisters) had a little trail magic they wanted to drop off. I pushed an extra mile to make it a 17 mile day and found a place that had a parking lot for them to stop. Bevo and I got there a little before 3:00 and had some refreshing drinks and snacks. Bevo was going to a hostel tonight and got picked up at this same location. T, another hiker, made it for some refreshments too. We took a few pics and said our good byes. I am going off trail until the July 3rd for some family time. We put the cooler with drinks and snacks out for other hikers coming through later. As we headed to the hotel we picked up some hikers that were hitching out of town and took them back to the trail. I'd say that's the first time my sister has ever picked up a hitch hiker We went to the hotel so I could shower and then out for pizza. When we went to pick up the trail magic cooler....one hiker, was enjoying the refreshments. He told us Ace, another hiker, stopped short of here and was already in his tent. We hiked down and delivered trail magic to Ace. Even though I only hiked until 2:00...it was a marvellous day for a hike.
Date: 2016-07-02
From: Home

To: Great Barrington MA
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: few clouds

7/2/16I am very blessed. I don't ask, but my brother, sisters and friend Susan have helped me out soo much getting on and off the trail. My family takes a trip to a small lake in Michigan every year. I was going to skip it this year but my daughter only makes it up from Texas every three or four years. This was the year to come up and introduce my granddaughter to my brother and sisters familys. So I wasn't going to miss it. A fellow hiker once told me that I was quick with a smile. Well I'm not going to say exactly that she gets it from me, but baby Abigail is also quick with a smile. She is a very happy girl. It took a while to warm up to me and I even considered shaving my beard if she wouldn't have warmed up to me. That little angel is the only one I would have considered shaving for. Yes...she already has me wrapped around her little finger. I have been blessed with great daughter who is a wonderful person, mother and role model for Abigail. She knew what she was doing when she chose a husband too. I could not ask for a better son in law. He has a great personality, would help anyone and does a great job taking care of his family. One common denominator of all these people is they all believe Christ is their Saviour. To any unbelievers out there it is not by chance that I have all this awsome family around me but a solid foundation in Christ that was intoduced by my parents. I am truly a blessed man.
Date: 2016-07-04
From: Mt Wilcox South Shelter

To: Upper Goose Pond Cabin
Miles today: 15.8
Weather: light rain

7/4/16Happy July 4th!!! I made through the night with out any bear activity. I actually slept really well. I fell asleep early and had to finish my journal when I woke up. I had to gather things up quickly because waiting at the door of my tent were a bunch of mosquitos. I considered spraying some deet on me but as long as I was moving I kept from getting bit. I was looking at just over 15 miles today and going to the Upper Goose Pond Cabin. You can swim, canoe and they have pancakes for breakfast. Everyone stops at this shelter and being a holiday it worked out great. It was a good day hiking, the terrain was tame for the most part and not too many hills. Im not in bad shape but can tell I've been off trail a few days. I think it is both physical and mental. I did 15 miles in just over six and a half hours, and was ready to be done. I got to the cabin just after 2:30. Took some time to relax and then went and soaked my feet in the water. No one else was swimming and it was late enough I'm not sure my clothes would dry so I elected not to swim. Getting into camp so early the day seemed long. Tomorrow I'll try to push a few more miles and see how it goes. It wasnt one of my longest days but it was a beautiful day for a hike
Date: 2016-07-05
From: Upper Goose Pond Cabin

To: Crystal Mountain Campsite
Miles today: 24.8
Weather: light rain

7/5/16I got a good night sleep at the cabin. There was a party boat in the lake last night and I wondered if they would be up all shooting fireworks but they didn't seem to be. It did start raining during the night so I was glad I didn't have to pack up a wet tent. I was up at 6:00 and ready to hike by 7:00 and tooknoff before the pancakes were ready. I think I have found some hikers hiking my pace, Echo, ORoy and three others. We had a little bit of a climb to start the day off and then it leveled off before dropping down to the town of Dalton. I missed the pancakes but not far into my day I ran into trail magic times two. The first had water and a couple sodas. I downed a water, I needed a water bottle to use as a scoop when water sources are shallow. I got hydrated and got a scoop. My old one was getting kind of nasty and I threw it away when I was home. I crossed a road and there was more trail magic. A case of PBR beer and some fruit. Since I just downed the water...I wasn't real thirsty so I just grabbed an apple. About nine miles in I stopped at a shelter for lunch and then headed out to the cookie ladies house. She has a place for hikers to eat and has sodas and candy for sale. She also has blue berry bushes you can pick and eat from. She was gone so there were no cookies and it didn't seem to be blue berry season either. I read the log book and it seems that my old hiking partner Bumble Bee had been there the day before. That surprised me because she was weeks ahead of me before I took my last break. She is a day ahead so we will see if I catch her. ORoy and I kept leap frogging each other throughout the day. Later in the day I ran into a flipflopper named retainer. I passed him and we had a short conversation. When I got to Dalton and was looking at a map he caught up with me. We decided to go to a bar for dinner. When we sat down I recalled running into him one day and he was heading southbound. Being a flip flopper he was doing a section southbound and has since came back north and is heading northbound. We ate dinner and decided to hike another four miles to a campsite. I stopped for ice cream and Retainer decided to push .on. I made it to the shelter a litre after 7:00 and met Carl. He is 67 and has been on the trail three times since 1978. He has done everything south of here and is heading to main to complete the entire trail. As you all know...it was a beautiful day for a hike.
Date: 2016-07-06
From: Crystal Mountain Campsite

To: Pete's Spring, Sherman Brook Campsite
Miles today: 20.9
Weather: scattered clouds

7/6/16I had a good nights sleep and was back on the trail just after eight. ORyan made it in late because he stopped in Dalton and watched a high school baseball game. I talked to him and he said he was coming into camp last night and turned a corner and a bear was sleeping just off the trail. They startled each other and the bear got up and ran off. I have always wondered what goes on outside of my tent at night. Today's hike included quite a bit of elevation gain. We came into the town of Cheshire and dropped to under 1000 ft and then climb Mt Graylock at just under 3500 ft. As I was hiking I came to an intersection of another trail. After I passed it I noticed a guy with his German Sheppard. I kept walking an a short while later I hear the large dog barreling towards me barking. I just stopped and looked down and he stopped as he got to me and barking. The owner called him.off of me. After I moved on, I wish I would have told him to put that dog on a leash because what if I would have been a kid and started running who knows what would have happened. The guy obviously didn't have control of him. That was probably the most scared I have been on the trail. So, I was one of the later ones out of camp and passed Charlie just as he was getting into Cheshire. We hiked to the Duncan Doughnuts and found three other hikers there, Retainer, Wishing Bone and Puck. Everyone was fueling up for the climb we had ahead of us. I found the breakfast sandwich with the most calories and ordered that and an OJ...also got a Mt Dew before I left. Charlie and I were the last two out and I passed Wishing Bone, who stopped to take a break, and then I caught Puck soon after. We ended up hiking together up to Mt Graylock. He had been in the Marines and worked for National Security. He had some good stories and the hike up the mountain went surprisingly fast. We got there around 2:00. They had an observation tower but they were renovating it and had scaffeling all the way around it all the way to the top. We grabbed a bite to eat at the lodge and filled our water bottles. I ran into one hiker I met at the Doyle in Duncannon and had camped at a few shelters together after that. She was surprised to see me...I told her I just came off a ten day break. There were several other hikers up there too. On the way down the mountain Puck and I were going at different speeds and leap frogged each other a few times. Before I got to the campground I passed another small town but I had been eating too good and had to pass up the Poppa Johns Pizza. I did run into ORyan and sat down for a break though. I had 1.5 miles to the campsite. By this time I was dragging, but made it in by 6:30. I met another hiker named Gentle Ben and visited with him while I was eating. There seems to be quite a few hikers I enjoy being around in this area. It heated up a little late afternoon but with no doubt it was a great day to be on the trail.