morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2018-08-27
From: River Road South End

To: West Cornwall Rd.
Miles today: 11.2

8/27/18 - River Rd to West Cornwall Rd. - 11.2 miles - 677.3 miles left to Katahdin!To head out hiking today in 96% humidity and 83 degrees admittedly had me nervous. I was armed with a Plan A, B, C, and D. Bailout plans. For three days now I have hiked and not a single person has passed me from behind nor have I gained on anyone. The only other people I see are SoBo thru-hikers. These are all young kids who started in Maine mid-June and are walking to Georgia. They all walk past me going the other way. There have typically only been 4 or 5 per day. So in essence I am truly on the trail alone. Also, I stayed at last night¢s hostel alone except for the caretaker (Jess Treat's hostel). I am at a different hostel tonight and for the next two nights also alone, just the caretaker and his wife and me (Bearded Woods Hostel w/ Hudson and Big Lu). All the thru-hikers are up in New Hampshire and Maine. What I¢ve found is ¢I am pretty dam good company!¢ I am really enjoying my ¢me¢ time.So the first 5 miles were flat as a pancake because it was river walking. Good start to what was perceived as a hard day. Just walking in the heavy air on flat was hard. I was armed with electrolytes (ie Gatorade) and more salt laden snacks. I took more frequent short breaks and required less water as I was now not sweating profusely. I also did less miles. The 2nd 1/2 of the day had 5 500¢ climbs and descents. I kept my pace to 1-1/2 mph and was pleased. I arrived on time at West Cornwall Road where Hudson picked me up and drove me back to River Road South End. I grabbed dinner in Kent, CT and headed to Bearded Woods where Hudson checked me in and I moved in for a four day stay.No bears today! Just more dam squirrels throwing nuts out of trees in preparation for winter. Gotta watch your head when they do that!My hostel caretaker Hudson turned my next two long days into three short ones! ¢¤   So I¢ll be hiking tomorrow in 90 degrees with 88% humidity, just keeping the miles shorter. Hudson is an itinerary miracle worker!!! I'll hit the trail at 7:00 a.m. and will be done early afternoon where I've been ordered to be back into A/C!!!
Date: 2018-08-28
From: West Cornwall Rd

To: Housatonic River Road
Miles today: 9.8
Weather: scattered clouds

8/28/18 Day 4 - West Cornwall Rd. To Housatonic River Rd Parking lot - 9.8 miles - 667.5 miles left to Katahdin!Nice 90 degrees high humidity day to be hiking!!! Cough cough cough! Got an early start at 7:00 am on trail. A mile in I¢m looking up at the white blazes on a huge rock wall. They beckon me ¢come up here and see where we are going¢! Shit it¢s too early for games. But up I go. Whew! It¢s not a rock climb just a skinny little scamper between two huge rock walls whilst climbing over boulders! Ha! Nice try. Not much excitement all day after that which was good. New rule is ¢No fruit that keeps you regular while hiking¢ has now been applied! Too many trips into the restroom I mean Woods today! ROFL ? Finally a northbound section hiker caught up with me after 4 days. Ok so he was 80+ yo and I was laying on a rock trying to cool off. His trail name was Retriever because his last name was Golden! Ha ha ha!!! ? I out hiked him and never saw him again today. I will see him tomorrow though because I¢ll be hiking SoBo and I¢ll run into him still going NoBo. Saw 2 NoBo thru hikers finally and they were moving FAST. 1 with light pack the other with no pack. Typically it takes 60-70 days from here to reach Katahdin. Katahdin closes mid-October due to winter so they have only 45 days to make it! They better go really fast! I crossed the Housatonic River multiple times and finally arrived at my car. Back at the hostel, Hudson helped me plan out my last four days such that I stay indoors every night. ? I wanted to stay in my tent and did come prepared to but this heat wave requires some a/c time and Hudson was making sure I didn't overdo it! No big miles! No hiking in late afternoons! Ok Hudson you¢re right! Sigh ?! Next year! ¢o  For the record, the 44.1 miles stretch between River Road South End and Jug End Road in South Egremont, I'd planned to do in 3 days. In cooler, less humid weather, it would have been a good plan. Hudson revised it so I did it in 4 days to shorten the miles in this heat wave we seem to be in. Hudson is a really good hostel owner and took really good care to make sure I didn't exert myself!
Date: 2018-08-29
From: Mt. Washington Road

To: Housatonic River Road
Miles today: 12.6
Weather: clear sky

8/29/18 Day 5 - Mt. Washington Rd. To Housatonic River Rd Parking lot (hiking SoBo)- 12.6 miles - 654.9 miles left to Katahdin!Trip total of 62.9 miles. Today¢s heat index was 100+. 90 degrees and extremely humid. My transporter (Big Lu) and I saw a porcupine crossing the forest road leading to the AT. We got very close to him and stopped to watch. I got on the trail at 7:30 am and started with a 0.6 side-trail hike just to get into the AT. First order of business was the 500¢ climb up Bear Mountain the highest peak in Connecticut at 2316¢. The AT on the north side of Bear Mtn is a huge rock wall finger hold climb and here I was all by myself.  It¢s the kind of climb where you toss your hiking poles up and use toe and finger holds and pull yourself up to the next ledge with a pack on! I took it slow and felt quite accomplished. At the top is a monument with a plaque that is hard to read. It says ¢This monument marks the highest ground in Connecticut 2354 feet above the sea built AD 1885 Owen Travis Mason¢. Note in the picture I took TWO Gatorade with me today. Both were gone when I got to the car. Most of the rest of the day was spent going downhill to the 400¢ above sea level common elevation with one big climb out of Salisbury and the Summit climb to Mt Prospect. I passed the 1500 mile marker today coming out of Salisbury. There were a lot of hikers today. Solid mix of SoBo and NoBo thru-hikers, Section hikers, and weekend hikers. Got to talk with a lot of people! ¢¤   A deer jumped across the trail right in front of me in the city limits of Salisbury (go figure, none in the forest, only in town). Caught a 1/2 hour nap at the Summit of Mt. Prospect. Dinner was at a local deli. A/C in my car and hostel were a welcome reprieve from the heat!
Date: 2018-08-30
From: Mt. Washington Road

To: Jug End Rd, South Egremont, MA
Miles today: 10.5
Weather: clear sky

8/30/18 Day 6 - Mt. Washington Rd. to Jug End Rd. - 10.5 miles - 644.4 miles left to Katahdin! Trip total of 73.4 miles.Another hot day but 5 degrees less than yesterday. Again, Big Lu helped me stage my car, this time on Jug End Road. Then she shuttled me back to Mt. Washington Road and I repeated the 0.6 mile side-trail into the Appalachian trail and turned NoBo this time. The trail followed a stream for 0.3 miles. It was a rugged walk through a deep canyon. One of those fun stretches where you linger to explore instead of hike to make miles. It was so beautiful I just had to take too many pictures. Then I discovered I¢d finished CT! CONNECTICUT IS DONE! Yippee!!! Next was the climb up to 2365¢ for Mt. Race. The view and ridge walking was phenomenal!!! Wow! Again, too many pictures. Then there was the decent to 1950¢ followed but a really tough climb up Mt. Everett¢s back to 2602¢! This climb included a long stretch of steps that were made of out either wood blocks bolted to the side of the rock face climb or steps fashioned out of rebar. If that wasn¢t enough the decent to 875¢ and my car was a killer decent! Wow! This all put an end to the Appalachian Trail through the Taconic Mountain Range.I piled into my car and headed back to Tess Treats hostel to spend the night in what I now called "my room".Tomorrow I am moving my hiking headquarters up to Dalton, MA. Bye-bye CT! ?
Date: 2018-08-31
From: Goose Pond Road

To: Washington Mtn Rd, Becket, MA
Miles today: 13.8
Weather: light rain

8/31/18 Day 7 - Goose Pond Rd. to Becket, MA - 13.8 miles - 630.6 miles left to Katahdin! Trip total of 87.2 miles.This morning it was only 61 degrees and I dawned my fleece as I climbed into the 90+ yo Cookie Lady¢s blue Subaru Forester. I'd staged my rental car at the Washington Mtn Rd parking area just down from her house. She is famous for providing hikers with freshly baked cookies. Sadly I never did get a cookie. She gave me a shuttle back to Goose Pond Road.At Upper Goose Pond, I pulled up a huge rock on the shore to sit and eat my breakfast....and then this happened!!!OMG ?I¢m just sitting here minding my own business eating breakfast looking at my map not paying attention with a huge pond in front of me and I look up and 15 yards to my right is a huge bear standing there staring at me!!! I paced it out it was only 15 yards!!!! I jumped up and started screaming hey bear hey bear hey bear and he just gently walks off! WTH I later learned that this bear has been bothering the hikers who stay at Upper Goose Pond Cabin. It is not natural for a bear to NOT be afraid and move quickly away.... it was very unsettling.One of my favorite road crossings on the AT is crossing OVER an Interstate. I love the thrill of standing directly over the semi-tractor trailer lane and watching the semis go under me just feet away! Today I crossed over I-90 that runs from Buffalo, NY to Boston, MA. I¢m so weird!!! LOLOther than the bear encounter and the I-90 crossing today was pretty much just about getting the miles done. I saw very few other hikers and the temps climbed only to 75 with overcast skies. Very nice hiking day. Moved home base to Shamrock Inn up in Dalton, MA.
Date: 2018-09-01
From: Washington Mtn Rd, Becket, MA

To: Dalton, MA
Miles today: 9.5
Weather: scattered clouds

9/1/18 Day 8 - Becket, MA to Dalton, MA - 9.5 miles - 621.1 miles left to Katahdin! Trip total of 96.7 miles.The Cookie Lady arrived at the Shamrock Inn promptly at 8 a.m. and shuttled me back up to Washington Mtn Road parking area in her blue Subaru Forester. I left my car at the Shamrock and planned to walk from Washingtonn Mtn Road straight back into my hotel. Today was purely just about walking the trail. Nothing exciting. Nothing memorable. Nothing worth taking pictures of. AND NO BEARS! LOL ? So I decided to share with you some unique White Blazes.
Date: 2018-09-02
From: Outlook Ave, Cheshire, MA

To: Dalton, MA
Miles today: 10.4
Weather: few clouds

9/2/18 Day 9 - Outlook Ave., Cheshire, MA to Dalton, MA - 10.4 miles - 610.7 miles left to Katahdin! Trip total of 107.1 miles.Vic LaPort arrived at Shamrock Inn promptly at 7 a.m. to whisk me off to Outlook Ave in Cheshire, MA. Today I was to walk SoBo back into town. It was to be mostly downhill and with an early start, I'd be out of the heat by early afternoon and tucked into the a/c in my hotel room. Again today was purely just about walking the trail. Some sections are just this way and play a huge part in the mental game. They are mind numbing and often the cause of injury as the hiker isn¢t paying attention. Tomorrow however will be a totally different story. I¢ve been seeing to the north Mt. Greylock at some of the vistas. It looks like a monster out in the distance. It will be my first 3000¢ mountain since Virginia 625 miles ago. I climb it tomorrow before I leave for the Airport! Of the top 75 hardest sections on the trail, the decent off this beast includes #59 and #22. The hardest section I¢ve done so far is #27¢s decent into Port Clinton, PA. From this point on, its gonna get TOUGH! Vermont 2019!!!
Date: 2018-09-03
From: Outlook Ave, Cheshire, MA

To: North Adams, MA
Miles today: 13.1
Weather: scattered clouds

9/3/18 Day 10 - Outlook Ave., Cheshire, MA to North Adams, MA - 13.1 miles - 597.6 miles left to Katahdin! Trip total of 120.2 miles.I¢ve been looking forward to this section for two years! It¢s the end of Massachusetts with Vermont on the horizon. It¢s Mt. Greylock day, the first 3000¢ mountain since northern Virginia 625 miles ago! I met transporter Vic LaPort at the Greylock Community Center in North Adams, MA at 6:45 am. He had me on the trail by 7:15 am back at Outlook Ave in Cheshire, MA. I made double sure I was heading NoBo before we parted ways! I was going to have to hustle to make it back to Hartford, CT for my 6:00 am flight tomorrow. It was going to be hot and humid today but for now it was 70 degrees. The climb to the top, 7 miles, did not disappoint. Beautiful evergreen forest. Sadly there were no vistas as the mountain was cloaked in fog due to the humidity, but that gave the dense forest an air of mystery. As I neared the top, there were more and more day hikers. It was after all Labor Day and this was a popular mountain. There is a paved road to the top for tourists. At the top there is a huge stone tower and Bascom Lodge where you can spend the night. The views were incredible as it was now noon and the sun had removed the fog. I grabbed lunch at the lodge and sat with 3 other hikers chatting for over an hour. There were a lot of people at the top due to the holiday adding to my excitement to be there. At 1:00 pm I began the difficult 6 mile decent. This was to be my most difficult so far on the trail. Of the top 75 hardest sections on the trail, the decent off this beast includes #59 and #22. The hardest section I¢ve done so far is #27¢s decent into Port Clinton, PA. The decent did not disappoint. Wow that was long and tough. Ouch! I arrived at my car at 5:30 pm, gassed up the car, grabbed dinner on the run and drove the 2 hours back to Hartford International Airport. Wow I hiked a long way away from the airport!!! I grabbed a hotel room, reorganized my bags for flight, showered and got a few hours sleep with a 3 am wake up call for a Tuesday flight home. I had successfully concurred Mt. Greylock in 10.5 hours and drove the 2 hours back into CT to the hotel next to the airport before collapsing!Pet peeve... tourists in large parks on holidays! Asked by tourists on my decent near top of Mt. Greylock.... ¢Which way to my car?¢ You stop, drop your pack, pull out your map, answer them, and they don¢t believe you and go the other way. WTH
Date: 2018-09-04
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: few clouds

I rose at 3:00 a.m. and made my early morning flight back to Midway Airport in Chicago without issue. I even managed to score an empty seat between myself and the other passenger. I then entered the most dangerous part of the trip, the road travel from the airport home. Since work is right next to home, and it was early Tuesday when I arrived, I stopped in at work..... my puppies and hubby would be there! After getting a rope around work I finally made it home safely!This completes my TWO 2018 Section Hikes! I returned home thrilled that I have less than 600 miles to complete the trail, happy to have successfully gamed the heat/humidity, and pleased I had no rain in 10 days of hiking. Bring on Vermont 2019!!!!
Date: 2018-02-10
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

For thepast few months, many aspects of my life have been consumed with the realitiesof hiking consistently for up to six months in areas of the country I havenever been to before. All that coupled with the fact that I will be hikingthese unknown woods alone, in the technical sense, isn't necessarily unsettlingbut does introduce some skepticism into the realm of my thoughts. Thinking ofmy one way ticket to Georgia and the "walk" home is extremelyhumbling. This is no small task, that's for sure. Logistically,I had never imagined the amount of work I would have to put in to preparing formy hike. I am figuring out where to send myself mail in order to eat somethingother than what I can find at the dollar store and put on a fresh pair ofsocks. I'm doing gear research and purchasing hundreds of dollars of newequipment that I will use as my house, shower, stove and bed while carrying iton my back 2200 miles. I have been creating a rough itinerary for those backhome to have an idea about where I am and to not feel the need to call NH Fishand Game on me again (Thanks Mary, mom and Abby). I've been figuring out how toeven get to the start! And finally deciding whether or not it would bepractical to attend my graduation at Westfield State in May. There's a lot andhonestly I probably will still walk into this whole trip completely blindanyway, and that's okay with me. For all the planning I do, my dad will remindme that life will happen and change everything similar to John Lennon¢s quote"Life is what happens to you while you're making other plans." Thereality is that as much as I plan, something will happen or an experience willarise that shifts those plans into the worthless Word document they are now.But still it makes me feel a little better and I think it will help with theglobal time frame.With anyfree minute I can get from work and obligations I am pushing to get out on a trailof any sort, and do some pre-training for my six month career as a hiker. Myjob for six months is to literally hike -- and that sounds amazing. I guess thatmakes it sound somewhat easy, which it won't necessarily be for the most partbut I will take the homework of finding the next reliable water source oversome of the homework and essays I had to painfully work on in the past years.Hiking has been a passion for me especially in the past five years. The goal ofcompleting the Appalachian Trail has been on my radar since college began andthe thought of experiencing such a journey has yet to lose it's appeal to me.As Martin Sheen is told in 'The Way'--- "You don't choose a life, you live one" and Ihope this experience can help me do just that.I wantto send a special Thank You toeveryone that has helped me prepare in some fashion! From friends and family tocoworkers, you guys know who you are and know how much I appreciate even thesmallest of gestures!
Date: 2018-02-22
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

GEARNot simple at allI've always loved going on hikes and testing new gear and trying out what works well. Browsing the internet for new items to add to my growing collection or running into Eastern Mountain Sports (they have great rewards, I really recommend them!) is absolutely my addiction. BUT, I have never been hung up on brand names and styles like some. Similar to my ignorance of car makes and models-- I guess I just don't care much. If it works, Awesome! If not, I just move on. The caveat to that is that hiking 2,200 requires an ever so slight increase of interest in brand models and styles. So... for that reason and simply because I love the gear I have now, I am posting a list below of it if you're interested. If not, I'll at least add some fun to the writing to make it worthwhile to read! This is a list prior to a gear shakedown I'm hoping to receive from a friend of a friend. It's always changing but most of the big ticket items will likely remain until something I like better comes into my vantage point. Not all gear is listed.Sleep (the most important): Therma Rest Z-Lite sleeping pad EMS Boreal 20 Degree Long Sleeping BagTent (This may switch to my ENO Hammock depending on the trail):Marmot Tungsten 1 Person Tent with modifications to make it lighterPack (I suppose this should be at the top because of its importance but it ended up here):Osprey Exos 58L (Love this thing so far!)Cooking:Jetboil with a coozie! and a sea to summit spork (yes I said spork)H2O:Sawyer Water Filter with one or two 32oz pouches (These are amazing-never had any issues filtering my own water) Camelbak 2L resevoirMed Bag:Tons of Ibuprofen, Gauze, bandaids, moleskin and foot+body powder (Everyone who knows me well knows my feet reek-- You're Welcome)BodyglideFire:MatchesLint (NOT LINDT!)Electronics:My phone, an IPod Shuffle with some classics on it, Goal Zero Flip 10 portable charger (this may be sent home early on), SPOT Gen 3 GPS for peace of mind of Abby and friends as well as my own safety and batteries/charging cords.Misc:Custom Knife-- Courtesy of Mike Tryon 'Happy Trails"Sawed off toothbrush+ toothpasteBlack Diamond headlampDry Bags for clothes, food, electronics and my sleeping bagSuunto Compass mini on my shoulder strap (Thanks to college for orienteering class)Montem Cork Trekking Poles (a.k.a knee savers)Crocs as versatile shoes for camp and when crossing rivers (Yeah i'm embarrassed to wear them just as much as you are to read that)Merrell Moab boots (not quite hiking boots but a bit heavier than trail runners)Toilet Paper AND MORE! (I swear I'm going to be wearing clothes)
Date: 2018-03-13
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

My flight was canceled... not the entire trip! Luckily, I was notified of this the day before and did not have to sit in Logan Airport all day and night through our crazy snow storm! The new schedule is to leave tomorrow morning (3/14/18). With modifications made to the beginning of my hike, I will no longer stay at a hostel the night before-- I begin right away! Transitioning from shoveling 20" of snow to hiking in North Georgia rain will be tough but the excitement is growing. Travel logistics are tough! Did I mention this is actually the first time I have flown by myself? Yeah, I didn't realize that until recently myself. I've flown plenty but this is a trip of firsts. The whole logistical nightmare continues to remind me of that meme on social media where young adults look around the room for an adult or at least an adultier adult for help until then find out they are that person. Luckily my Mom is just a phone call away (if I have service).Saying goodbye to everyone has been real tough. The Hampton Academy students and staff treated me so nicely and I hope they will follow along with the trip. Friends and family have been texting and visiting to wish me luck. It will be even more difficult to say goodbye to my parents and Abby but I'm aiming to make them all proud! Thanks to everyone for your support!I hope to be off and running tomorrow afternoon and will do my best to update this when I can. My sub-30lb pack and I will be working to build my trail legs up and get use to hiking again before tackling big miles. I know as soon as I step on the trail and begin my blood pressure will drop from its slightly elevated systolic position now (last set was 128/78-- I look really funny taking my own blood pressure). Everything will work out and this is just one small hurdle out of many I'll face for the next five months!-Phil