morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2008-07-03
From: Unionville, NY

To: Vernon, NJ
Miles today: 11.8

Got back on the trail from the Mayor's house. The trail veered back into NJ. It will still be a few more days until I officially leave the Garden State. Last night the Mayor played some opera for us, an area of which I know very little about. Reunited with Bearpack, Amanda, and Shelter Monkey as we headed north on the AT, which was actually running south today just west of the NY border. Went through a lot of farm fields and skirted a lot of wetlands. At one point the trail became a boardwalk over the wetlands for about a mile. Also went over Pochuck Mt. today. Got to a road crossing with an ice cream place. I finally felt ready to eat ice cream in mass quantities again for the first time since the half gallon challenge. I got a pint and lucked out by getting a ride into Vernon, NJ to a free church hostel since it looked like a storm was rapidly approaching. Hanging out here tonight and have ordered the hiker staple of pizza for dinner.
Date: 2008-07-04
From: Vernon, NJ

To: Vernon, NJ
Miles today: 0.0

Decided to celebrate the 4th of July by taking a zero day in Vernon. Did this here in part because there is a water park in this town. We walked a mile and a half across town to the park and spent about five hours there. It was actually kind of cool and overcast so the park was chilly. Figures we would get a cool day in July instead of 90 degree weather on the one day we take a zero. Anyways we came back and went to the Vernon Inn for dinner and some live music. Back on the trail tomorrow.
Date: 2008-07-05
From: Vernon, NJ

To: Warwick, NY
Miles today: 15.2

Into New York today. 8 states down, 6 to go. Bearpack, Amanda (Q-tip), Bearbait and I were dropped off at the trail a little before 9AM. We immediately climbed Wawayanda Mountain in the fog. It was not too warm out, but it was very humid. Most of the day after theh initial climb was on ridgeline. The trail itself went over a lot of boulder scrambles today which required a lot of extra attention and focus in part because the rocks were slick. About halfway through the day we crossed into NY. Shortly after crossing into NY we reached the highest point on the trail in NY - Prospect Rock.Just before 4PM we reached the Warwick Turnpike and met up with SHelter Monkey and Snake Whisperer. The 6 of us went a little down the road to an ice cream place and cousins of Bearbait met us there, took us back to their famr, and fed us and put us up for the night. The farmhouse itself has undergone a lot of renovations but originally dates from the 1830's. The property overall is very well manicured and picturesque. I don't know what I'll do when I actually have to stay in my tent again.
Date: 2008-07-06
From: Warwick, NY

To: NY 17/Harriman, NY
Miles today: 12.0

Team Discovery Reunited. Again. Bearbait's cousins dropped us off at the trailhead this morning and two miles later we got to Wildcat Shelter where none other than Flamethrower was at. He pulled a huge day yesterday and got to this shelter late last night. So I guess in the end we technically caught up to him rather than the other way around. He joined our group and we went over Buchannan and Arden Mts. while catching up and exchanging trail stories. At one point there was a view from which the NYC skyline, 30 miles away, was supposed to be visible, but it was too warm and hazy out to see that far. There were some more rock scrambles today but not as bad as yesterday. One delightful little scramble was called the Agony Grind. My feet and knees were hurting by the end of the day. We got to NY 17 and there a former thru-hiker named Paddy-O convinced us to partake in some trail magic before heading into town for the night. Q-tip is leaving tomorrow and there is a train station up the road here where she can get to NYC and then to her flight, so a night in town seemed good. Also Flamethrower still wanted some recovery from his big day yesterday, so we were easily persuaded to go into town for the night.
Date: 2008-07-07
From: NY 17/Harriman, NY

To: Fort Montgomery, NY
Miles today: 18.6

Less than 800 miles to go as of today. All of the sudden Katahdin and the end of the hike seemed to be looming much closer. I did not expect that to happen until I got to Vermont at least. Today's terrain took me through Harriman State Park where the first miles specifically intended for the AT were laid out in the 1920's. I really enjoyed hiking in Harriman even though it was pretty warm and humid out. The forest seemed very open and spacious to me. Lots of room in between the trees. The trail in general was a little less rocky than the last few days. There was one rock formation I had to go through called the Lemon Squeezer, a complement to yesterday's Agony Grind. However, unlike the Agony Grind, I found the Lemon Squeezer fun. Basically it was a narrow passage between two giant boulders. So narrow in fact I was a little worried my pack might not squeeze through. Once through that there was a climb up a vertical rock face. Next to the climb was a sign that said the "Easy Way" with a blue blaze around the rock face. Looking at the sign, I had the same thought when I saw the sign at the entrance to the Roller Coaster in Virginia - 'sadistic trail maintainers.' I took the hard way, and with the help of Team Discovery I threw my poles and pack up the rock face ahead of me and then hauled myself up. Towards the end of the day I went up and over Black Mt. and West Mt. West Mt. was the hardest climb I've done in awhile. It was a pretty steep clib. After that I went up and around Bear Mt. and then descended towards the Hudson River. By the end of the day my right knee and ankle were hurting. I think it is just general wear and tear from all the rocky terrain and rock climbs. I'm ahead of schedule and I really have no reason to push it and within my budget, as evidenced by all my recent hotel stays (hard to resist the call of AC in this weather) so I think I'll be taking it easy with the mileage. Last thing I want to do is get seriously hurt in this stage of the game.
Date: 2008-07-08
From: Fort Montgomery, NY

To: Graymoor Friary, NY
Miles today: 6.3

Weak, weak, weak. We are weak. I am referring to myself, Flamethrower and Bearbait. Bearpack got up at 5AM and left the hotel to do a 25 mile day to the shelter. He is going to try to summit Katahdin by August 21st in order to go home for his sister's wedding. It is unlikely that we will see him again unless he slows down for some reason. The three of us on the other hand had the opposite day. We did not leave the hotel until noon and then stopped at a bagel place for lunch on the way out of town. After that we walked through the Bear Mt. Zoo. The trail goes through the middle of the zoo and it is free for hikers to walk through. The lowest point on the entire trail is in the zoo just in front of the black bear cage. A lot different seeing the bears in cages than from 20 feet away in the woods. After the zoo we crossed the Hudson River on the Bear Mt. suspension bridge, built in 1923. After that I climbed Anthony's Nose and ridgewalked until I got to Graymoor Friary, a Franciscan monastery. The reason for the short day was (1) the brutal heat and humidity, which the local weather report was calling a 'steam bath' (2) my feet and knees were still hurting, and (3) I've wanted to see the Friary since before starting the hike. Perhaps inexplicably I was expecting the friary to look like a European castle. Instead where the hikers stay is an old softball field. It was a little bit of a letdown. Also we were all so completely soaked in sweat we might as well have jumped in a lake. So being the weak hikers we are we called a cab and came back to the hotel. A cab and room split three ways is pretty cheap after all.
Date: 2008-07-09
From: Canopus Lake, NY

To: Poughquag, NY
Miles today: 19.3

No I did not miss a day's entry. I had to face an ugly truth and acknowledge that my perspective on my hike had slipped a little bit. I needed to readjust my thinking. I swear it must be the heat that causes my brain to scramble. The last time this happened was in the Shennies during the heat wave in June. I realized today that my perspective had changed insomuch as I was starting to hike just to get from one hotel to the next rather than just to hike. So much so that I skipped 10 miles this morning. We got up early this morning and it was already 80 degrees and humid at 6:45AM. So we decided to take the cab back to the trail at Canopus Lake rather than to Graymoor Friary. As soon as we were dropped off at the lake and I started hiking I began to feel guilty about skipping the miles. Some self-analysis was in order. In NJ and NY there are so many road crossing for the trail that it is possible to stay at hotels or hostels most nights and possible to eat at restaurants or delis for lunch and dinner most days. I have been taking advantage of this and will continue to do so when convenient, but where it got out of hand is when I became so focused on it that I was willing to skip miles to make it convenient. As I hiked I acknowledged that this is not what I wanted my hike to be. Some people do this and that is fine, hike your own hike. But I do not want to skip miles. Will I got back and make up those 10 miles? Maybe but probably not this year. Maybe it will make me less of a thru-hiker, I don't know, but so long as I summit Katahdin this year without skipping anymore miles I'll still consider myself a thru-hiker and at the very least a 2,000 miler. Otherwise, today's hike was over easier terrain and less rocky, but it was still ridiculously humid. I was soaked in sweat all day. My feet and knees hurt early on but by the end of the day felt ok. From numbness? From taking more breaks during the day? Hell if I know. For lunch I stopped at a deli at a road crossing where a bunch of other hikers were eating and trying to cool off at. Bearpack was also there and seems to be bailing on his big mile days due to foot pain. In the end it was a good day with some good self-reflection thrown in. Maybe a bit more than usual but all for the good.
Date: 2008-07-10
From: Poughquag, NY

To: Ten Mile River, CT
Miles today: 17.2

Crossed into Connecticut today. 9 states down, 5 to go. Out of the mid-Atlantic and into New England. The trail and terrain were again easier and less rocky today. The trail went through some more wetland area and turned into a boardwalk for parts. The trail has gone through more wetland areas in NJ and NY than I would have expected.At one point today the trail crossed a railroad track where there was a small train station platform just for hikers. The train only operates on weekends but will take you into NYC. Just past the railroad tracks is a garden nursery that allows hikers to get water and hang out. After that there really wasn't much else exciting about today. The woods seem to be getting a little more coniferous. Crossed into CT and ended up finding a pretty nice tenting site alongside Ten Mile River. Surprisingly not that buggy here. Should be a nice clear night too. It was warm today but the humidity was down a lot from the past few days and there was a nice breeze. Amazing how much of a difference that makes. People tenting here tonight are: Flamethrower, Bearpack, Bearbait, Shelter Monkey, Snake Whisperer, Hot Wheels, Shutterbug, Freebird, Blaze and Bondi.
Date: 2008-07-11
From: Ten Mile River, CT

To: Kent, CT
Miles today: 8.5

Had a great night in my tent. There was no humidity so it was a cool, clear night. It got cool enough that I had to get in my sleeping bag. I slept without my rainfly on and for a while I just laid there watching the lighting bugs and the half moon move across the sky while listening to the river. I felt very content. I woke up a little after 6AM, packed up and was on the trail by 7:15AM. Mice got into Bearbait and Shelter Monkey's food bags last night. I walked along the Housatonic River and skirted Schaghticoke Indian Reservation before getting into Kent by 10AM. Kent has a very New England-y feel to it. Maybe it is all the European cars. Or maybe it is the three prep schools in town. Actually it is a very nice and quaint little town. I'm sure the very friendly residents pay a lot to keep it that way. I had several stop me in the street to welcome me to Kent and ask about my hike and the owners of a small clothing store on the main street are letting myself and other hikers tent in their backyard tonight. So far New England hospitality is rivaling that of the South.
Date: 2008-07-12
From: Kent, CT

To: Cornwall Bridge, CT
Miles today: 11.1

Another good nights sleep in my tent. Woke up and went across the street to the Kent Market for breakfast. While eating I overheard, as did everyone else in the place, the mother and daughter working there having a very loud argument while preparing everyone's breakfast. I'm going to go out on a limb here and venture the opinion that mothers and daughters should not work in such close proximity to one another. The trail again went along the Housatonic River today. I thought it would be buggy but it was not. Warm and humid today. At the end of the hike a couple offered myself, Flamethrower, Bearpack and Bearbait a ride into Cornwall Bridge. They dropped us off at a hotel which claimed it had no rooms available, despite no cars in the parking lot, but claimed they had rooms in another hotel they could shuttle us today. We accepted and were taken to Torrington CT. For some reason I kind of feel like we were scammed, but when broken down each of us did not pay that much. Maybe the hotel owners just didn't want hikers in the their Cornwall Bridge hotel. Anyways we had a short day. We may end up being the slowest thru-hikers to hike through CT.
Date: 2008-07-13
From: Cornwall Bridge, CT

To: Falls Village, CT
Miles today: 14.0

Less than 700 miles to go. And another leisurely day through Connecticut. Came into Falls Village, which is also named Cannan, I'm not sure which is the official name. It is a tiny town and I'm tenting in the backyard of the Toymakers Cafe, the only business open in town. Supposed to rain tonight. Not much else to write about except Dust in the Wind and Jackaroo showed up here as well. Haven't seen Dust since the Shennies and Jackaroo since Duncannon.
Date: 2008-07-14
From: Falls Village, CT

To: Sages Ravine Brook Campsite, MA
Miles today: 15.1

It rained most of the night and did not stop until about 9AM this morning, so I got a later start than usual on the trail. I walked out of Falls Village or Cannan (still not sure of the name) and got back on the trail, crossing over the Housatonic River again. Just over the river I stopped to admire the Great Falls, which looked impressive due to last night's rain. Everything on the trail today was wet and the weather was that weird combination of being cool and humid at the same time. The sun came out more towards the end of the day but did not dry things out much. I hiked up and over Mt. Prospect, the Lion's Head, and another Bear Mt. today. Who would have thought that Connecticut has mountains? Bear Mt. is the highest peak in CT at 2,316 ft. I also met my first SOBO thru-hiker today. It was like seeing a rare and exotic animal. I didn't catch his name but from what I've heard he is probably about the 5th or 6th SOBO of the season.Halfway through the day I hit a road and walked half a mile into Salisbury, CT for lunch at a bistro cafe. I had a 1/2 lbs burger and then was still hungry so I had an egg salad sandwich. While I was sitting there two reporters from the local Lakewood Journal newspaper approached me and asked me some questions about thru-hiking for their paper. I did not give them any audio on my GI tract though, rookie mistake.Later in the day, just after summiting Bear Mt., I crossed into Massachusetts. 10 states down, 4 to go. The descent from Bear Mt. into Sages Ravine was steep and slick. Lots of wet rocks and roots on the way down. But not a bad campsite here in the ravine itself, just a little buggy, so I'm hiding out in my tent early tonight. As nice as the AC and hotels are I really do enjoy staying in my tent when it is not 85 degrees and humid out at night.
Date: 2008-07-15
From: Sages Ravine Brook Campsite, MA

To: Great Barrington, MA
Miles today: 14.6
Weather: clear sky

Crossed the 1,500 mile mark today.Pretty sure I heard coyotes last night, but otherwise I slept well. Woke up early and saw no point in going back to sleep so I packed up and an early start on the trail. I climbed out of Sages Ravine and up Race Mt. I had excellent views of the Massachusetts countryside from up above and got to watch the fog and clouds in the valley get burned off as the sun rose higher. It reminded me of the day I climbed Albert Mt. back in North Carolina. After Race Mt. I climbed Mt. Everett, the 2nd highest peak on the AT in MA. The last few miles today were through farm fields and on boardwalks through wetlands. Towards the end of the day's hike I saw a stone monument to the last battle of Shay's Rebellion in 1787 just sitting in a cornfield. Surprisingly I actually remembered from history classes what Shay's Rebellion was all about.When I got to a road crossing at the end of the day there was a farm place called the Corn Crib which allowed free tenting for hikers. I was planning on staying here, but first got a ride into Great Barrington with Bearpack, Shelter Monkey, and Snake Whisperer for a later lunch. We ate at a pizza place and then ran into Stomp and Shuffles who spent last night in town. They told us that there was a Day's Inn just down the street that we could talk into letting us stay in a double room for $60. Hotel room for $15 per person? How could we resist. So we're in town and ended up having dinner at the Helsinki Cafe, a Finnish restaurant. I had the Finnish meatballs for dinner. I've now had two kinds of Scandinavian meatballs.
Date: 2008-07-16
From: Great Barrington, MA

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

Got a later start on the trail this morning because we had to walk about two miles back out of town first. Crossed the Housatonic River again and climbed uphill. The first six miles of the trail today to the Tom Leonard Shelter felt like a lot more than six miles and the trail was not well blazed for parts. Just about everyone I talked to today seemed to have wandered off the trail at the same spot. It was also pretty warm out and I ended up almost running the last mile to the shelter because the mosquitoes started swarming. Some were even biting me through my shirt. I got to the shelter and doused my arms and legs in DEET, after which the bugs largely left me alone for the rest of the day. I dislike using DEET because it seems so toxic but the bugs have been getting progressively worse the past few days that I had no choice. It's only the second time I've used DEET so far on this hike. If it were not for the mosquitoes I'd be enjoying Massachusetts a lot more.The rest of the day was easier and went faster and I stopped briefly at Benedict Pond and then at the Ledges and got to this shelter area by 4PM. I decided to stop here because the shelter area was right off the trail and the water source, a small spring was reputedly better than the next shelter (which was also downhill off the trail). So I ended up having a relaxing night here and am tenting without my rainfly.
Date: 2008-07-17
From: Mt. Wilcox South Lean-to, MA

To: Upper Goose Pond Cabin, MA
Miles today: 15.8
Weather: clear sky

As I lay in my tent last night I could hear the mosquitoes buzzing outside my tent mesh walls. So loud in fact that I checked a few times to make sure they had not found a way inside. It was probably only a matter of time before they banded together and figured out a way to open the zipper or bore a hole through the mesh. I would have been a goner.I woke up at 6AM and laid in my tent for 15 mins. before getting up. I was on the trail by 7:15AM and re-applied some DEET as the mosquito situation was not improving. I finished hiking over Mt. Wilcox and then descended down into a valley and walked through some fields. I had lunch in the shade of a tree along a stone wall of a cow pasture. After that I climbed Baldy Mt. The forests in general have been more coniferous and the ground of the forests here in MA are more wet and muddy. In some ways the woods here remind me of the early parts of the trail in NC. I hiked the last part of the day by Upper Goose Pond to a cabin run by the AMC. Once I got here I took a swim in the pond. It felt great. Who needs showers? There were a lot of sunfish in the pond that would come right up to my legs if I stood still in the water. It is pretty relaxing here, and I'm just hoping that no mosquitoes sneak inside the cabin tonight. Tomorrow I am on to Dalton where I am meeting up with my friend Karen from school and taking a zero day on Saturday.
Date: 2008-07-18
From: Upper Goose Pond Cabin, MA

To: Dalton, MA
Miles today: 20.6
Weather: clear sky

Fun night last night. Roasted marshmellows and had an awesome view of the red tinted moon rising over the pond. Slept well in the cabin bunkhouse too. This morning the AMC caretaker, Grampie, made blueberry pancakes for everyone. Unfortunately today the mosquitoes did not go away. More DEET was necessary. I do not know how people can live with the mosquitoes up here. They must have evolved some high powered immunity to them over the years. The only big climb today was up Becket Mt. After that there were only small ups and downs with some small ponds and marshy land thrown in. I do not think the ground ever truly dries out up here.I made it to Dalton just in time to get my maildrop at the post office and am currently waiting for Karen to get out of work and pick me up. Looking forward to hanging out with her and a much needed zero day tomorrow.
Date: 2008-07-20
From: Dalton, MA

To: Dalton, MA
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: haze

Another zero day. Other than the three days I took off to go home, this is my first back to back zeroing since Hot Springs, NC. Based on when I got up this morning I would not have gotten an early start on the trail and the weather was calling for heat, humidity and intermittent rain and storms. I'm ahead of schedule so why not take abother day off I thought. I probably won't take the zero I had built into my schedule for Vermont anyways, so I most likely will not zero again until I reach Hanover, NH. Plus as Kenny said today how often do we see each other and what is the liklihood we'll see each other again any time soon. The one downside to this is that it will put me about a day behind Bearpack and Bearbait (Flamethrower is getting off the trail for two weeks to go to his brother's wedding). Part of me is ok with this because even though I have really enjoyed hiking with those guys (and I'm sure I'll catch up to them eventually), I am also curious to see who else I'll meet on the trail.
Date: 2008-07-21
From: Dalton, MA

To: North Adams, MA
Miles today: 23.3

4 months on the trail today. And I still get lost. I was walking out of Dalton on the wrong road until I ran into Shelter Monkey who pointed me in the right direction. Shortly after entering the woods it began to rain. Not hard enough to soak me through the leaf cover, but enough to make everything wet and slick. The higher I climbed, the foggier it got, so there was nothing to see today. It was like walking through a cloud. While humid, it was also cool out. By 11AM I descended to the small town of Cheshire. I had lunch at a small deli/ice cream place called Diane's Twist. While there several locals laughed at me that I was planning on going up Mt. Greylock in this weather. The mountain was clearly covered in clouds and fog. I thought they kind of had a point. The most amusing part of the day for me was that the town of Cheshire had a monument dedicated to a 1200lbs block of cheese, the 'Cheshire Big Cheese', that was delivered by the town to Jefferson's first inauguration. At the end of the day I ended up catching up to Bearbait and Bearpack after all because they had taken a zero day in North Adams. I got a room and am trying to dry out my wet clothes. Fortunately everything else in my pack seems to be dry. Vermont tomorrow.