morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2019-07-31
From: Wawayanda Shelter

To: Bellvale NY-Warwick Motel
Miles today: 10.1
Weather: broken clouds

I woke up a little later than normal and Ranger was getting his food bag from the bear box which was near my tent.  Ranger is a younger guy who is traveling with a group that I had met the day I got back on trail. The group is behind and Ranger was out early.It was hot and still last night. I had a hard time sleeping. It¢s been a week since I did laundry. I showered last Wednesday. I¢ve lost a shirt so I have one shirt to wear. Last night right before sleeping I heard some soft screeching and I saw an owl swoop into a tree. I watched it for about 15 minutes as it went from tree to tree. I got on trail at 8. I had 10 miles to get to the Creamery at the next town. I stopped at the ranger station for water. The AWOL guide warned of rough terrain. The whole morning was walking a rocky ridge line, up and down. It was hot and I rang out my shirt two different times. I met up with High Tower again and we walked into the creamery together. It¢s supposed to rain today and I could see the storm front moving in. I turned around with my ice cream and Jarhead was standing there. He said he was staying down the street with High Gear and his girlfriend. I heard s clap of thunder and my mind was made up. I booked a Motel for the night. Jarhead and I caught a Lyft to the Motel and got a tour of town and a stop at the beer store, no liquor. The motel was nothing fancy but it was clean. You call the manager and he gives you a room number. The rooms are open and the key is inside. I split a room with Jarhead. We had late lunch, and later, dinner at the restaurant next door. I called the manager in the evening about laundry and he said he¢d be back shortly. We were in bed sleeping and he called the room at 950 and made us come down and pay for the room. I dropped off my laundry too. He called again at almost midnight for us to come down and pay.
Date: 2019-08-01
From: Bellvale NY-Warwick Motel

To: Fingerboard Shelter 
Miles today: 16.3

Motel sleep was alright. Our laundry was clean and hanging on the door. I took a second/morning shower and I trimmed the beard. I went across the street for coffee because the was no coffee or bagels at the motel, even though he said there would be.Jarhead arranged for a ride back to the trail. I got dropped off but Jarhead is six miles ahead of me. We exchanged numbers and he said he¢d text me about water sources.There were not many sources but I was fine all day. The day was hot and there were several short steep climbs. Three of the climbs required using your hands and reaching over your head. The first one I pulled myself up a steep point and was face to face with a small snake. Luckily it slithered past me. I saw another snake 20 feet later I had to get a stick and move it. The last climb was the Lemon Squeezer. It was a narrow crevasse and I had to take my pack off and lift it over my head to set it on a ledge then climb up. The trail was beautiful today with many areas of less dense forest with grass or fern floor.I encountered trail magic half way through the day sponsored by a through hiker who was taking the day off. Jarhead opted for a hotel room for the night. I met some new and old hikers today; George, Ira, Roadrunner, & when I got to the shelter AhhhKash was there. We chatted for quite a while. I saw several deer today. Buck, Doe and fawns. There are many warnings of aggressive bears at this shelter. Everyone hung their food bags and we didn¢t see any bears. I noticed the other day I really don¢t hear the trees rubbing together any more like I did early in the trip-making that creeky/screaming noise. I also noticed in the last few days how silent the woods can be, not a sound for long periods of time.
Date: 2019-08-02
From: Fingerboard Shelter 

To: Hemlock Springs Campsite
Miles today: 17.6

In the first 15 minutes of being on the trail I saw a Buck, Doe, fawn and the 10 minutes later I saw another Buck. The day started out cool but when the clouds/fog burned off it got hot. Aaah Kash and I leap frogged each other all day. There were several views today where you could barely see the NY City skyline. There were also several points you had a great view of the Hudson River. At one of the shelters on top of West Mountain I laid down in the grass to rest and fell asleep. If I had water or a water source I would have camped up there. It would have been a short day but a night view of NYC may have been cool.  While walking I felt something biting the back of my left achilles, I looked down and it was a hornet. It stung me. That was the first time on trail I had been stung. I later saw a SOBO who¢s right eye was completely swollen shut. I asked him if he had gotten bit he said yeah a couple of days ago. I asked him if he taken a Benadryl? he said not yet! He had just walked through or near a town. I would have had that checked out. I was tired and craving something cold. From the top of West Mountain you could see Bear Mountain and the Perkins Memorial Observation Tower. There are vending machines there. I drank almost all of my water on the way. The vending machine had Coke, Dr. Pepper and Power Ade. I opted for Dr. Pepper. It was soooo cold and good, I had a second. The trip down from Bear Mountain to Bear Mountain Inn was 2 miles. I was alot of stairs. I did see a few more deer. At the Inn there is a deli. I had a sandwich, Fritos, 1 Modelo, and a ginger ale. I knew I had a least 2 more miles. It turned out to be 4. I left the Inn and walked through the park. The trail goes through a zoo and hikers get free entry. The zoo was closed so I had to take the bypass. What a crumby trail. A good word is nasty.  I then crossed the Hudson River and got to walk along side of the roadway for a half mile with cars whipping by me on my side and bumper to bumper traffic on the other. The trail finally cut into the woods and started a brutal late day accent. I got to the campsite which is kind of blah but, had a few nice flat spots. Another couple showed up. She may be a hiker but her man friend is not. About 7 other hikers showed up. Some I knew some I didn¢t. Milestones today, I hit my lowest point on the trail. Correction I hit the lowest point on the trail, elevation wise, it was 160 ft above sea level. I also hit the 1400 mile marker.
Date: 2019-08-03
From: Hemlock Springs Campsite

To: Clarence Fahnestock State Park
Miles today: 18.1

So the camping spot I slept at last night was pretty ugly. Broken glass etc. There ended up being about 9 of us there. I did not sleep well. I think it was mostly due to the heat and humidity. There were two other things going on. First, a bug kept making a noise and it was loud and mostly consistent. I liken it to a dripping faucet. Then it¢d stop you¢d relax and it would start again. The second thing is the squirrels are getting squirrelly and going nuts?? The acorns must be just ripe because the is a non stop barrage of nuts falling from the trees. Today was hot and humid again. I was making good time the first 4 miles to the Appalachian Trail Deli, which is a Shell gas station with a deli inside with short order cooks. I got breakfast and resupplied. There was a lady, I think a little mentally ill. She was the ¢unofficial greeter¢ and was chewing the ear of another hiker. I finished my resupply and got back on trail. I was tired so at the 1st view I took a good rest, almost a nap. I repeated this two hours later. There was a parking lot late in the day that has a water spigot. I was good with the amount of water I had, but rationed to that lot. I was actually hoping there¢d be trail magic there. I came around the corner and I saw grill smoke and several hikers laying on the grass, YES!!! Perfect timing. I relaxed, ate, and almost slept. It was getting late and I still had 6 miles to do. I made it to the South end of the park, and had two more miles to get to the hiker campsite. Off of the AT they had a blue blaze trail to the campsite. The campsite was right off the beach near the lake, I thought. The maintenance workers came and told us we were in the wrong spot. I was not set up yet do I walked another. 2 to the hiker campsite. I set up and walked back to take a shower. Yea, the shower was ice cold. So I did the best I could. Back at the campsite there were no trees, no bear cables, and no bear box. I ended up being the only hiker out there. Then the thunderstorm rolled in. I stayed dry for the most part.Wildlife update: One deer.
Date: 2019-08-04
From: Clarence Fahnestock State Park

To: Morgan Stewart Shelter 
Miles today: 14.0

I woke up in the middle of the campsite field alone. No one moved and no one else set up there. I packed a wet tent and most everything else was wet too. I swear it adds at least 5 lbs. I left camp and headed to the bathhouse where I cleaned up and stocked up on water. If you haven¢t noticed I like to break up my day into small goals. The first goal was to make it to the first shelter. I did and it was nice. You can have pizza delivered there. I did not. But, I did relax in one of the sun chairs for a while. Goal two was the 10 mile marker. Here is a road crossing where you can walk .5 miles to a pizza joint or a deli. As I walked up two hikers were sitting in front of the pizza joint having a beverage. ¢Pizza placed is closed, closed on Sundays.¢ I decided I was going to the Deli?. I ordered a sandwich and a beverage. We were sitting on the sidewalk in front of the deli relaxing and the owner came out and told us there were chairs, grass, electric, water, and a table in back. We header for the back. There was an old man sitting at the table sleeping. I later noticed he had two Naty Daddy 40oz malt liquors in front of him. 8% alcohol. He slept the whole time we were there. Two others showed up and we all chilled and chatted. No one was in a big hurry as it was hot and the next shelter was 4 miles away. As I was leaving I grabbed my phone from the outlet and I noticed the hiker girl had left here battery backup plugged in. I grabbed it in hopes of catching up to her and her boyfriend. I caught them taking a break an hour later, charger returned. The third goal of the day was to make it to the second shelter where I would spend the night. I made it there and immediately hung everything to dry from last night¢s rain. The mosquitoes are bad here and I used bug spray for the 2nd time?. On the way there I passed about 15 teenage girls in three different groups. I said hello as I passed and they all said hello. I was about an 1/8 of a mile ahead of them and I could still hear them. They were loud. I thought they are probably hiking to the same shelter. They were, they showed up 20 minutes later. They decided to set up on the other side of the AT. Several more hikers showed up to the shelter.
Date: 2019-08-05
From: Morgan Stewart Shelter 

To: Wiley Shelter 
Miles today: 16.6

The day started out good. I was up and out at a reasonable time, not 700 but not 800 either. I knew I had 10 miles to the road crossing with a deli, and a place to get a shower. I was walking along and met a SOBO hiker. He said hey you¢re Viking. His name is No Dice. He said we met back in Virginia. I kinda remember but not really. I checked my notes later I had met him and his brother Sparrow on Memorial Day, that seems forever ago. I had also met Hat Trick that day. He wears three hats and he¢s supposedly a day or two ahead. Sparrow is off trail. I made it to the Natural Landscapes place. They only had an outdoor cold water shower, I still took one. There was a food truck next door so Tweedle Dee, Tweedle Dum, and I went next door. I had a Philly Cheesesteak. Once back on trail I had 6 more miles to the shelter. It was awful because the gnats have become so thick and aggressive. You swat at one you hit 4-5. They are thick and you can see them swarming around you. I was swatting at them for 3 hours while walking. At the shelter NightWalker was getting a fire going and that really helped. I got set up and ate and chatted. Several more hikers, about 9 total, came into camp. NightWalker just bought a guitar so he was playing for us. He was pretty good. No wildlife.
Date: 2019-08-06
From: Wiley Shelter 

To: Mt. Algo Shelter
Miles today: 12.4
Weather: few clouds

I started out today at 740, and I knew there was a country store I wanted to go to in 5 miles. The morning was nice. I walked by a hornets nest about 5 feet off the trail. It¢s the first one I¢ve seen. I heard several roosters in different areas. I also crossed several streams that were flowing. It¢s been a while since I crossed nice flowing streams. Just before the Store you walked along a river with rapids and the over a covered bridge, the morning was nice. The people at the country store were nice. We charged our phones, ate, and hung out on the picnic tables in front for about an hour. I still wanted to do 14 miles. Once back on trail there was a pretty good climb. That took it out of me and I made 7 miles to the next shelter. About a mile before the shelter I saw a sign on the ground warning of a bees nest 50 feet ahead. It was another hornets nest hanging 7 feet high and right over the trail. I got set up and was prepping dinner when I noticed I lost my spork. I must have thrown it away at the store as I used it to eat ice cream. I checked the shelter for a spare, no luck. I made chopsticks out of two sticks. I was eating Ramen so it worked. I¢ll get a new spoon at tomorrow¢s store.The bugs are bad this evening, not horrible, but bad. I was in my tent early.
Date: 2019-08-07
From: Mt. Algo Shelter

To: Pine Swamp Brook Shelter 
Miles today: 17.3

It rained on and off all night, or so it seemed. It did not rain hard. The only thing that was really wet was the rain fly, everything else was just moist. I got moving because I had a long day and there were some decent climbs coming. The forest was quiet again today. I met a hiker, Whip, and his dog Buck at the first road crossing. The bugs became intolerable again. I was using my hat to constantly swat them. I definitely need a net. My sister in law bought me a BUFF for my birthday. I put that on my head like a bandanna and covered my ears. If I did not have that and didn¢t do that I may have gotten off trail. The middle section of the hike was flat along a river. It was a pleasant view for several miles. I knew there was at least four good climbs before I got to the shelter. Weather was showing rain from 1200 on. I got a few alerts on my phone and heard some thunder but the rain never came. I made it to the shelter by 500. I got set up and went for water which was a good 1/4 mile. I made dinner in my tent because of the bugs. I was still getting weather warnings. I battened down the hatches and it came. I must be in a low spot because my tent is almost afloat. The bottom of the tent is kinda like a water bed. Thankfully I am dry lying on my air mattress.
Date: 2019-08-08
From: Pine Swamp Brook Shelter 

To: Salisbury CT-Maria McCabe Hostel
Miles today: 15.2

It rained all night. When I woke up I was no longer in a puddle. It actually wasn¢t too bad packing up. The rain fly was soaked but everything else was not bad. I knew I only had 15 miles and I would be in a hostel. Hot shower, bed, laundry, and the ability to dry everything out. I don¢t know if you are aware but I try to keep my journal rated G, and positive. But I am going to share some recent feelings, still rated G. I describe the hike as 1st half and second half. Pre and Post being off trail from July 6-22. When I got off on July 6 I had a nasty/infected blister on my right heel, and what I would describe as pre or onset of plantar fasciitis. I bought new shoes at home, good shoes but probably not the right shoes for the remaining miles I had in Pennsylvania. 1st half I was doing 20+ miles a day for a few weeks. 2nd half my feet hurt every day , and I may have tendinitis in my left Achilles. I¢m struggling to get 15 a day. I am a Licensed Massage Therapist so I¢ve been keeping a close eye on everything and working it out with a golf ball daily. This doing less miles a day is actually good physically but not mentally. I have lost all of the trail ¢friends¢ I was walking with. But I have met some, new to me, hikers that are great people. I am also missing home, friends, and family after having seen alot of people on my break. To add to things it¢s been hot and stupid humid. The other day I was able to wring water out of my shirt after an hour and a half of hiking. Then the bugs really started, they were/are awful. Constantly being swarmed by 100s of them. Flying in your face, into your eyes, into your ears. I¢ve eaten several. The first day I used a ball cap to swat at them constantly for four hours. The second day it started again. I was seriously ready to call it quits. Mentally, emotionally, and physically tired, and now uncontrollable bugs. I remembered my brother and sister in law gave me a Buff. I put it on like a headband and covered my ears. It made all of the difference in the world. Today my spirits were lifted. I saw many orange salamanders, I talked to a few friends on the phone, I talked to Seaneen, and my mom is saying a rosary for me daily. I know many of you are cheering for me and wishing me well.....Thank You!! To top off this day the hostel I¢m staying at is run by the sweetest 90 woman named Marie. She is awesome and told me she was glad I was there. I¢m comparing where I¢m at on the hike to the 17-20 mile mark of a marathon. That is where things start to fall apart. That¢s where you have to reach into the reserves and see what you are made of. Percentage wise I¢m at that point on the trail. I will finish, it¢s just time to mentally focus and remind myself I¢m Just Taking Steps?I crossed the 1500 mile marker today!
Date: 2019-08-09
From: Salisbury CT-Maria McCabe Hostel

To: Glen Brook Shelter 
Miles today: 13.5
Weather: broken clouds

I woke up before 7. The grocery store didn¢t open until 8. I packed all of my things and headed toward the grocery store.I had noticed the kitchen table was set. I didn¢t realize we got breakfast. I saw Whip and Buck outside the grocery store. It was 745 so I went across the street for a coffee and pastry. On the way out three women Jen, Loralyn, & Leah stopped me to ask me some trail questions. Two of them, Loralyn & Leah we¢re headed out to walk the Massachusetts section of the AT northbound. I enjoyed my coffee and pastry with them, and we went our ways. The grocery store had everything I needed. I bought granola instead of oatmeal. I also bought more tuna packets so I can add one of them to each night¢s Ramen. Back at Maria¢s I organized my pack and Maria insisted I make myself breakfast. I made three eggs and toast. I gave Maria a big hug on my way out and thanked her. Back on the trail it was nice. There was a breeze and the humidity was down. Bugs were not an issue today. At one point Goat came flying past me, he said he was going to slack pack all of Massachusetts and Timone and Night Walker were not far behind. I did not see any other through hikers until the last mile. The woods were beautiful today and there were a couple of good climbs with great views. About a half mile before camp I met 4 through hikers. One guy was Mr. President. He remembered meeting me outside of the Shenandoahs. Rick had given him and a few others a ride.I got to camp and Loralyn and Leah were there. Mr. President arrived shortly after. We all sat at the picnic table and chatted through dinner. Wildlife update: 2 snakes.
Date: 2019-08-10
From: Glen Brook Shelter 

To: Tom Leonard Shelter 
Miles today: 14.4

It got a little chilly last night. Good thing I will be getting my heavier sleeping bag, jacket, and stocking cap soon. I got on trail at 740. Mr. President was still chilling and Laura Lynn and Lia had left 20 minutes earlier.I was hiking along enjoying the morning contemplating whether or not to go into Great Barrington. I caught up to the NH ladies and had a break with them. We hiked and chatted for the rest of the morning. We saw sheep and later a lady walking two dogs, one was a Newfoundland named Summit. Summit was huge but oh so sweet and slobbery. We found trail magic put on by a church 1 mile later. They have a pole tent they set up for hiker season. The magic was great and at the right time and place. I could have sat in a chair for hours. I think I was there for just over an hour. My hiker hunger still has not returned. I did eat quite a bit though. Back on trail just after the trail magic I saw a cooler, the sodas were gone but there were a few mini candy bars. There was also stamped envelopes and stationery so you could write a letter home and they¢d mail it. I pressed on and I caught, and passed, the ladies again. I saw several deer, snakes, and salamanders. I made it to the shelter and there were two sweet tent pads there. I don¢t use tent pads because there is nothing for me to steak my tent to. I found a great spot. The water was 1/4 mile straight downhill, so I got that out of the way. Several hikers arrived and got set up. There is a trail runner staying here, nice girl. Her mom is here for dinner but then hiking out. The mom packed in cold root beers for everyone.
Date: 2019-08-11
From: Tom Leonard Shelter 

To: Upper Goose Pond Cabin
Miles today: 21.3
Weather: clear sky

Thank you for all of the encouragement through FB & the Trail Journals guestbook. The last 2-3 days have been much better. I will be purchasing a bug net.Today was a good day. I woke and it was clear and cool. Myself and several others were going to push for 22 miles to Goose Pond Cabin. There is a beautiful pond you can swim in and they make coffee and pancakes. I have not done a 20+ day since I¢ve been back.There were a few good climbs and I knew it was going to be tough. I headed out about 715. I leapfrogged the NH girls all day. We were told of trail magic at a road crossing. It wasn¢t actually trail magic but a farm with a stand/shed that had a charging station, cold sodas, and a few snacks for sale. We stopped and had a soda and some snacks. The NH Girls do 10 push-ups at every peak. So, I started doing push-ups at the peaks too. I regularly do push-ups anyway. The rest of the day was just long and it was good for all of us to have company. We got to Goose Pond Cabin at 645. We got set up and I climbed in my tent to make dinner and avoid mosquitoes. The girls went swimming. I talked to the caretaker and they do serve coffee and pancakes. Coffee starts at 600, pancakes at 7. We saw one deer today.