morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2019-06-12
From: William Brien Shelter

To: Greymoore Spiritual Center
Miles today: 7.5

After realizing my Pop pop took my brother and I up the what-seems-like million steps, we finally left any trail that I would recognize from this point forward besides Mt. Washington. Weather was decent and had an easier day. We slept in and got coffee at the breakfast place next door. It was a very hard goodbye with Grandpa and Bella. I was allowed to sit in the back of the truck (brought out specially for us) so I could sit with Bella ( I love her). We promised to send them post cards! Highly recommend the motel! Hiked through the zoo and saw our first bears! (we only heard the night time bear at Pochuck). Got out passports stamped and met up with a college friend, Jake Craven. He bought us lunch and brought us back to his house that overlooked the Hudson River, Bear Mountain Bridge, and eagles! We met his father and he told us about his Uncle who was the 35th or 36th person to hike the trail. In order to hike across the bridge, you were supposed to pay 10 cents and if you didn't have it you had to prove that you had none by emptying your entire pack! After a quick resupply, Jake dropped us off and we congratulated him on his brand new engagement and good luck for his move to California with his new fiancee. The walk over Bear Mountain bridge was beautiful! The hike up the mountain after was not. Chauncy, a very famous hiker, blew past us with other in-shape- small-pack hikers. Hiked for a while and met Brick, another thru hiker that was at first a section hiker. We ended up at the Appalachian Market that seemed to be taken over with hikers. Here we saw J^2 and met one of the biggest characters of the trail; Brother Blood. He bought a beer and I got a piece of pizza. We talked for a bit. Then all hiked to Greymoore Spiritual Center where we could camp at a baseball field. Brother Blood started a fire and we sat around eating dinner and talking. Brother blood is a former thru hiker who had written a book. He was out section hiking with his lawyer friends, Maverick and Steve. He did claim that if it rained the next day, those two would be at a bed and breakfast. Lots of entertainment! At the fire it was Kara, Me, Maverick, Brick, Steve, Tortoise, Brother Blood, and J^2.
Date: 2019-06-13
From: Greymoore Spiritual Center

To: Clarence Fahenstock
Miles today: 14.5

First big day! We pushed 14.5 miles but with walking down to the campground it was more like 16. Rough morning to waking up to pouring rain. Kind of a hard day for me! Did 4 miles by 10 and started at 8:30. Soaked through though. Lots of salamanders again. Very slippery rocks and mud. I fell. I landed quite hard on my hand and was not really happy, so in my response to that, I cried. Thank you Kara for just letting me cry! When we were pretty down spirit wise, we ran into chocoholic! What a life saver. She again cheered us up with her stories. Had lunch and caught up with her. As we were eating we met another interesting and brave person by the name of Fern. She was a thru-hiker, starting in Georgia and from New Zealand. She was pushing 27 miles every day and had great advice. She was definitely a tough person and gone 100 or so miles without a zero day. She was finally taking one on Friday as she felt she was getting tired. We pushed on and left Chocoholic for a little while as we walked through cool forest and blow downs. We finally hobbled, hunch backed, and stumbled into camp at Clarence Fahenstock hiker campground on Canopus Lake. Here was J^2 sitting by trail magic beer! James was also here ( section Hiker). We set up camp, went up the showers where I got sprayed in the face with very cold water, and kara took a shower. When we got back Chocoholic had arrived! J^2 started a fire and we were eating dinner when Sela came in. Also a thru hikre from Georgia, he had done 27 miles. Very nice, softspoken guy who has become our hero. He has carried 45 lbs on his back since Georgia since he cannot figure out how others get their weight lower. At around 8, Brother Blood stumbled inn and true to his word Maverick and Steve were in a motel. He had to order them an uber, tell them how much to tip, and then pressed on. Brother Blood gave us our new trail names, I being Hatchet because I cut myself with an axe twice and Kara because he things a buck saw is a crosscut saw! We went to bed hearing Brother Bloods snoring and knowing that if a bear came into camp if would go for him first because he kept his food under his hammock.
Date: 2019-06-14
From: Clarence Fahenstock

To: Le Chambord
Miles today: 10.0
Weather: broken clouds

In the morning we talked to Sela and J^2 and decided to give a sign for trail magic a chance out of respect and gratitude for people like them. We walked 15 minutes to the real campground and met Eric. He was so excited. He sets up camp for a week and waits for thru hikers to make them breakfast, lunch, or dinner. He has done this for the past 10 years/ Unfortunately, the campground moved the thru-hikers to a new area and no one wanted to talk over to him. We were the first thru hikers he had seen and he was leaving the next morning. Talk about set up. he had everything thought out. He made us eggs and hot dogs, ham and cheese sandwiches, coffee, and soda. He had cups, plates, silver ware stored in tennis ball containers. Every condiment and boxes of cat food piled with snacks and foods for thru hikers. He was ex military and felt that instead of doing the trail he felt like he would make better use of his time to make food for hikers and has loved doing it! He's also a huge tennis fan! Will be keeping in contact through email! MADE IT TO 100 in our first 3 miles. Rained that night but otherwise beautiful day. More giant blow downs and huge trees to walk around. Met up with Chocoholic on trail for a bit but ended up passing. Made it to road where Eric from our hotel picked us up. The hotel was so unique and gorgeous. 6 sisters bought this hotel from the past owner and it looked like a renovated mansion. Eric brought our dirty, smelly bags up to a huge room with the most beautiful double beds, chairs, bathroom, view, and etc. They had blankets for us to spread our stuff on to spare their floor and Charlene was nice enough to touch our beyond disgusting clothes to wash them. After getting cleaned we walked down to grab an early dinner. We met a third sister who was helping out with the gardening and they let us sit outside as they were doing work. It felt like we were royalty. Between Eric giving us rides and talking to us about hiking, to Charlene sharing her dream of eventually doing the trail and giving me a garbage bag for my new rain dress, to the waiter making us laugh and attending to our every needs, to the chef for delicious foods and amazing grilled cheese display, to the hostess who was cheerful and showed us around, to the beautiful gardens, to the wonderful and fancy continental breakfast and man who ran it, this place is beyond perfect and amazing. I recommend going if you are a thru-hiker or looking to get away. Located in Stormville, Ny it is a perfect location to stay and hike!
Date: 2019-06-15
From: Le Chambord

To: Edward B Marrow Park
Miles today: 0.0

After getting dropped off by Eric, we had a very beautiful but not eventful hike. At Morgan Stewart shelter, we stopped for lunch and met Mountain Calf (NOBO). We met 3 other hikers, one of which made us feel uncomfortable. We encountered trail magic where a wonderful women's hiking club supplied chocolates, oranges, and a quinoa salad for us (WISH I GOT THEIR NAMES AND PICTURE). Here we saw another hiker who looked familiar but had shaved off his beard. It was PIRATE. we met him at the bear mountain bridge motel briefly for about 2 minute before heading off. We saw him again at the telephone pioneers shelter that we were hoping to stay at but it was OVERRUN with weekenders. He said he was going to camp in the park .6 miles ahead and the guy who made us uncomfortable was at that shelter, so we decided to push forward. Turns out the man did too and proceeded to say more uncomfortable things to us as they left the shelter and we passed them going down the trail. We quickly caught up with pirate and walked the VERY long 2.5 miles into town to the park. Well worth it! Pirate is our third close trail friend now and we met Scootch, who we also became good friends with. Another character! We ordered pizza to the park (buff chick). Not long after a trail nagle by the name of Tomkat with a K (or as we know him Komcat) showed up with his mom and two other hammockers. They had been drinking at the carnival in town and Komcat brought us some shaken up sodas that he admitted dropping due to being drunk. He enjoyed trying to learn our names but was too drunk to understand when to stop talking after asking a question. Him and his mom ( he is about 30ish years old) then went and relaxed on the swings and was yelling "wee". Pirate was cracking up and kept saying we were in the twilight zone of Pawling, NY. I do not disagree with that. The night was filled with some rain, good laughs, and loud bull frogs.
Date: 2019-06-16
From: Edward B Marrow Park

To: Ten Mile River Shelter
Miles today: 12.3
Weather: overcast clouds

Woke up at park and decided to have a late morning. We walked into town with pirate and scootch where we were easily convinced to do another 12.2 mile day. Had 5 creampuffs and a coffee at Sunflower bakery. Then got a sandwich at the famous Vinny's deli. Also we ran into none other then, J^2. Scoot took a train back to the second road we didnt get to and we got a taxi back with pirate to our spot. Here we took pictures of this 300+ year old oak that was the largest on the East Coast and known as the Dover Oak on West Dover Road of Pawling, NY. Hiked about 2 miles with Pirate through beautiful field where we talked about the haunted creepy shelter, gear advice, and favorite hostels and zero day spots. He then flew past us. We stopped at a garden center that was a huge fan of thru hikers and stamped our book. Here we ran into a section hiker by the name of Tri pad we passed going to bear mountain and who was also at Greymoore. He was still decided on NY being his most hated state to hike. He also does not hike in the rain and was eagerly awaiting his return to a manager position back home near D.C. We also met Mammoth briefly, (nobo thru hiker). As we hiked on it rained on and off but we remained mostly dry. As we stopped for lunch, we saw a scarlett tanager and we wished our dad's a Happy Fathers Day! We hiked onward to Wiley Shelter and met another section hiker Maple leaf and her dog Yankee (trail name: Marshmallow). We saw them again at Wiley shelter where we stopped for a quick break from the rain. We met Rooster here, who was a little hung over from his night in NYC with friends. Maple leaf and Yankee showed up as did Mammoth, and Tripad. I had looked at my radar though and saw we had a no rain break from 3-4 so we made our break short and continued onward over some steeper climbs into Connecticut. FIRST STATE DOWN. I'm getting my trail legs going up hill and Kara is learning how to be a steady hiker not a sprinter. The cool thing is that we hike about even on flat terrain but she is faster downhill and I am faster uphill so we keep an even pace! Eventually got to shelter in pouring rain, tent got wet but oh well, and we did our cool little cooking under a tarp trick. At the shelter was Scootch, J^2, Maple Leaf, Yankee, the three older guys, and Mammoth!
Date: 2019-06-18
From: Ten Mile River Shelter

To: Kent Connecticut
Miles today: 8.7

2 weeks on trail. Walked along the beautiful Housatonik River and over bridges. Went to the Bulls Bridge country store with Yankee and Maple leaf for coffee and went under the famous covered bridge. We said goodbye to Scootch, J^2, and Mammoth but ran into Tripad coming out of the woods. We hiked up a very long, steep mountain overlooking the river. It was a treacherous walk down, slipping on rocks (Kara fell twice), I almost stepped on a rattlesnake, and Kara almost fell on a copper head. Luckily we made it over and put our heads down to get into Kent, Connecticut. It was a beautiful day otherwise and was very pretty with views, JUST TOUGH. Saved a lot of salamanders again. Barbie (our hostel owner) picked us up and gave us a tour. We stopped at the grocery store to pick up lunch and dinner, and a quick stop to the cafe and coffee store. She then took us back to one of the most beautiful views of mountains, fields, and cows. Chocoholic was also here and we caught up with her on her treacherous journey on those very slippery rocks (in the rain). Barbie has a very cute house and we took a walk to see 5 wild turkeys (Tyrone, Tammy, and friends). We didn't see our friends Timothy (turkey vultures that Kara had named). We enjoyed a very nice dinner, fresh corn on the cobb, a great dessert, and tea!
Date: 2019-06-19
From: Kent Connecticut

To: Caesar Brook Campsite
Miles today: 13.7

Today was a long but good day! We had a beautiful morning up a mountain to cliffs and St. John¢s ledges. There was some mountain laurel, sassafras, and red efts. There were crazy technical downhill ¢stairs¢ of rocks and had to slide on butt mostly. Stopped for lunch at Stewart Brook Shelter and decided to do more miles instead of stay at silver hill campsite. We came down to a flat road next to a river and luckily saw a bear! There were large boulders of quartz with reds, whites, browns, and etc. We crossed a river to meet a girl named Jukebox and a guy named Peach. Apparently Peach had heard about us (the lumberjills from Brother Blood). We ended up at the campsite with Peach and his father, Gopher. Peach quickly ran into his tent for the night after we were swarmed with mosquitos. We instead suffered and talked to gopher while eating dinner outside. We were excited to see Mayor show up and he offered us some candy!
Date: 2020-03-14
From: Lance Creek campsite

To: Neel Gap
Miles today: 7.4
Weather: broken clouds

Lance Creek campsite to Neel GapMile 23.9 to 31.3, 7.4 milesFirst night no rain overnight. Got up around 7:30, ate two strawberry oatmeals, and got on trail at 9 am. Cameled up at small stream on way out of camp and carried usual full bottle of water. Replenished at Slaughter Creek along the way.Even though mostly uphill to Blood Mountain, there were quite of few flat sections and slight downgrades. It was on one of them that I got inspired to get into a slow jogging rythm. My pack was now a few pounds lighter than at start and I think my legs are getting in better shape. It's like the difference I can feel when I hit the treadmill four or five days in a row. You feel like you are ready to just bolt if you have to. I think I jogged a good quarter mile out the 7.4 I did today.The climb to the top wasn't all that bad. What made it difficult was that it was cooler today, maybe mid to upper fourties and raining. My hands got cold so I got out my rain mitts and they helped alot. Would have been really nice to put one of the three pair of gloves I had in my pack, but they were burried deep in there and I wasn't about to unload my pack on trail while it was starting to rain. Lesson learned - always keep one pair of gloves in an outside pocket so I can easily get to them if it gets cold.Since it was windy and cold up on top of Blood Mountain didn't hang around for more than a few minutes in shelter. Just took a picture of shelter and headed down mountain. The initial descent was pretty tricky going down a smooth boulder field. Would not want to do that with snow or ice on trail!Arrived at Neels Gap at 1:20 pm. Checked out Mountain Crossings outfitter to re-weigh my pack. Wasn't the best scale to get an accurate weight, but it read 30 lbs. That's 4 lbs lighter than at start which is about right for three days of food. Actually, they say you should eat 2 lbs/day, but I don't feel like I starved myself at all.Overheard someone saying there were still spaces in hostel, so for $20 sounded like a no-brainer. Got my first shower since Jetty Park Campground in Cape Canaveral 8 days ago. Got a few slices of someone's leftover pizza, went to Mountain Crossings to resupply, bought a Philly cheese steak and Coke for dinner. Played a little harmonica. Did a little birding. Heard and saw the usual suspects like chickadees, nuthatches, Robin's, Cardinals, Carolina Wrens, Downy Woodpeckers, and Dark-eyed juncos.First leg of journey is in the books. Next resupply should be at Dick's Creek Gap four days from now where I'll spend a night in Hiawassee.Fortitudine VincimusHarpo
Date: 2020-03-19
From: Plumorchard Gap Shelter

To: Standing Indian Shelter
Miles today: 12.2
Weather: overcast clouds

Day 9 - Plumorchard Gap Shelter to Standing Indian ShelterMile 73.7 to 85.9, 12.2 milesMorning temp: 51Shortly after starting trail it warmed up enough to change into t- shirt and remove convertible bottoms of hiking pants to turn them into shorts.
Date: 2020-03-20
From: Standing Indian Shelter

To: Mile 101.3 stealth site
Miles today: 15.4
Weather: clear sky

Day 10 - Standing Indian Shelter to Mile 101.3 stealth siteMile 85.9 to 101.3, 15.4 milesThis is the day I conquered Albert Mountain. The clouds were threatening all morning, but then it cleared a bit, warmed up as the sun broke through, so changed into t- shirt again. That didn't last long as there was a brief drizzle and a cooling off, so I changed back to long-sleeved base layer top. Fortunately, the rain bands passed just to the north and it turned into another dry day on trail with mild temps in mid- fifties. Perfect hiking weather.Fortitudine VincimusHarpo
Date: 2020-03-21
From: Mile 103.1 stealth site

To: Silar Bald Shelter trail stealth site
Miles today: 11.8

March 21, 2020Day 11 - Mile 101.3 stealth site to Silar Bald Shelter trail stealth siteMile 101.3 to 113.1, 11.8 milesMorning temp 42. Had the campsite all to myself (#2). Another beautiful day. Got on trail at 9:20, passed US64/Winding Stair Gap at 3pm, then arrived Silar Bald Shelter at 6pm. That's only 1.4 mph, alot slower than a couple of days I did at 1.75, but there were a couple of good climbs that really slowed me down.Started off hiking in my usual long sleeve base layer running jersey, but quickly changed out to my short sleeved t- shirt. It was a beautiful day for a hike in the woods, right around 60 I'd say. Being a Saturday, passed quite a few day hikers, a few of which paused to chat a minute. On departing, offered them a rendition of "Scotland the Brave" on my harmonica which was met with various levels of jubilation.Took the blue trail towards Silar Bald Shelter and was gonna go all the way there, but got to a stealth site where a couple (Ben and Amy) that passed me along the way were setting up camp. They told me it was another half mile to shelter, but water was just a short walk away. Since there was room for my tent on a slight slope it was a no-brainer to just drop my pack, go get water and camp here as well. Hey, thruhikers will do the whole 2000+ miles of the AT, but go an extra half mile down a hill for a place to sleep - forget it.Only 23.7 miles to the NOC from here. That's one full day of hiking today and should get to the general store there to resupply and recharge batteries before they close tomorrow. I'm down to one bar on my power pack, but I've got a near-full charge on my phone. If I stay in airplane mode and conserve, should make it to NOC tomorrow without my phone dying.Fortitudine VincimusHarpo
Date: 2020-03-22
From: Silar Bald Shelter trail stealth site

To: Cold Spring Shelter
Miles today: 12.1
Weather: clear sky

Silar Bald Shelter trail stealth site to Cold Spring ShelterMile 113.1 to 125.2, 12.1 milesAs has been happening pretty much every day since I started trail, I crawled into my sleeping bag soon after dark about 9pm and fell asleep. Like clockwork, I woke up again in the middle of the night about 2:30 am. It felt pretty cold, checked thermometer and it read 41. Stayed awake for an hour then fell back asleep.What was different about this morning was that I woke up to a quite vivid dream, first one I can remember on trail. I got off trail to go to some kind of hotel/casino where I bought trifecta ticket that hit for $200,000! Checked and double-checked the numbers a number of time. Sorry, but I don't remember the numbers for all you gamblers out there that love numbers. I had a really hard time getting to the cashier and for a while couldn't find it, but finally did and made it to a real makeshift type of cashier. They didn't seem to have a way of handling big winners, but then a supervisor lady came and took my ticket without getting my contact info. I remember talking to people about how I really wouldn't get the full two hundred grand, but maybe half after tax withholding. I started thinking about how I might be able to buy a boat already equipped for ocean sailing rather than spending the time fixing up my boat to sail around the world. Oh, then totally unrelated, I dreamt I sat on or rolled over into my glasses and broke them. Well, then I woke up and found out that it was all a dream. Damn, no winning ticket in my sleeping bag and glasses intact. I think I would gladly take a broken pair of glasses for that big chunk of change!Met Mitch and 007 again on trail at both Silar Bald and Wayah Bald. First saw them at Stover Creek. They remembered a guy playing harmonica there. I guess that was me.Ben and Amy pitched their tent in the same general area when I was at Silar Bald Shelter trail stealth site. I saw them again in the morning after the cool lightning storm at Cold Spring Shelter.Fortitudine VincimusHarpo