morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2014-09-21
From: October Mountain Shelter mile 631.9

To: US 20, Lee, Massachusetts mile 639.1
Miles today: 7.2
Weather: scattered clouds

Night was warmer and I was comfortable all night long.Ben Bensen is a thoughtful section hiker. We visited at the shelter and then leap frogged each other along the trail. Before we left he collected duff for the privy and swept the whole shelter. He teaches drama in a private Massachusetts elementary school. He had a story I liked. The four year son of a relative was drafted to be the ring bearer in a wedding. After lots of instruction about the importance of his job the little boy got the ring delivered as instructed. He went down the aisle of the church holding the ring pillow with one hand while the pawed the air with bent fingers of the other hand chuffing and growling trying to be as authentic a ring bear as possible. Several years ago Ben and his son were section hiking when the met Earl Shaffer on the trail. Shaffer was the first person to through hike the whole trail. He took on the project after tough WWII duty in the Pacific theatre. At the time trail supporters did not think that a through hike was possible. It almost wasn't. The trail had been neglected through the war and was not maintained or marked in many sections. Shaffer had to bushwhacked much of it. When Ben and his son met Shaffer he was completing his final through hike. They found him to be rather crotchety, complaining about the unnecessary food and luxuries soft modern hikers carry when all they really need is a bag is rice, a pan, a small tarp, and a poncho. I lucked out and missed the predicted rain. Foliage along the trail was wet from rain that had fallen before I arrived. I reached the highway early in the afternoon and hitched a ride five miles into town and the Pilgrim Inn Motel Where I had time to wash clothes and me, resupply, arrange slackpack transportation for tomorrow and eat a big meal.
Date: 2014-09-22
From: US 20, Lee, Massachusetts mile 639.1

To: MA 23, mile 659.8
Miles today: 20.7
Weather: few clouds

Taxi spotted me at MA 20 and I slack packed going North back to the Lee, MA trailhead. I looked at today's slackpack hike as a test to see what I can plan on doing when May Louise is here to support daily slackpacking. It also gives my shoulder a rest. It had begun to get raw again from my pack's shoulder straps. I had hoped to leave at daybreak, but the cab company does not start operating until 8:00; so I did not get on the trail until 8:30 and had to push to make sure I completed the 21 miles before dusk. The trail was fairly smooth and I was able to move at a brisk hiking pace over most of it, but there were numerous steep and/or Rocky sections that slowed me down. I am impressed that I am able to hike strenuously for ten solid hours with almost no breaks. The cab driver who took me to the trailhead is a local fellow whose first job as a young teenager was washing dishes in the real Alice's Restaurant. He recommended the Alice's Restaurant movie which was shot in the community and in which Arlo Guthrie, the Sheriff, and other characters from the song play themselves. I will want to find a copy and watch it when I get home.The trail and the day were beautiful. Fall has started. Leaves are starting to fall and change color and the air was nippy. The sky was overcast most of the day and a brisk wind blew all day. I wore my glove liners, but my fingers stayed cold and numb most of the day. It does not help that I have worn or torn a hole in one glove. I walked over the Massachusetts Turnpike today and brought my miles to go number below 700. I should be finished with Massachusetts by the time May Louise gets here Thursday and I hope we will be able to get the miles to go count below 600 before we leave for Story Telling. May Louise directed me to the wonderful pictures of my son Nathan posted on his Facebook page. Asheville had a Zombie Float with hundreds of kids in costume floating down the French Broad River through town. Nathan provided safety service on his paddle board dressed as death with Bomber in a Death Dog costume riding the board with him.
Date: 2014-09-23
From: MA 23, mile 659.8

To: Glen Brook Shelter mile 676.1
Miles today: 16.3
Weather: clear sky

I considered a shorter day and a night at a B&B, but the weather was beautiful and most of the trail fairly easy even with a full pack; so I headed for the shelter expecting to arrive well before dark. Unfortunately the last three miles were an extremely steep climb that slowed me dramatically. I finally made the shelter as the last rays were fading and then had to struggle in the dark down a blowdown blocked vertical slope to get water. I ended the day exhausted. The trail included boulder walks at several places that made me think that I was back in Maine or New Hampshire, but fortunately the rocks were dry and fairly sticky; so the traverses felt relatively safe.I did take one fall. Climbing late this afternoon I failed to get the center of gravity of my pack thrown far enough forward in a big step up. It pulled me backwards into a 360 degree backwards roll down the mountain. Fortunately I did not hit any rocks and a small tree stopped me. I was not injured and no gear was broken, but the close call shook me up I am glad to have this afternoon's challenging section behind me and hope that there are not any more like it coming up. If I can follow my plan for the next two days I will be out of Massachusetts and into Connecticut when May Louise meets me Thursday evening. My poor eyesight cost me some time today. At a road crossing I thought I saw a sign for a farmer's stand mentioned in the trail guide. After a quarter mile walk to bring it in focus it turned out to be a mini storage business. Bright sunlight through the forest cover creates dappled patterns on the ground that made my footage hard to see and bright spots on tree trunks that resemble trail marker blazes. At on point today the phenomenon caused me to lose the trail. When I realized I was off track a house was nearby. I broke the normal male independence pattern, knocked on the door and got redirected. Nathan's students have calculated that after I hike four miles tomorrow the distance I had left to go will equal the distance I have walked since I left Katahdin. Unfortunately there are no more northbound through hikers left to share this happy news with. It is too late in the season for a northbound ear to finish the trail before the mountain is closed for the winter. Weather prediction has changed from clear and sunny to 60% chance of rain for Thursday. Instead of heading for a shelter I may try to spend the night inside in Salisbury tomorrow.
Date: 2014-09-24
From: Glen Brook Shelter mile 676.1

To: Undermountain Road, Salisbury, CT Mile 689.6
Miles today: 13.5

Trail was challenging with more steep climbs and descents. There were stretches where the trail surface was slanted boulders. The two miles an hour hiking pace I had gotten used to became one mile per hour or less. Nevertheless the Weather was great and the day was beautiful. The trail included some ridge walks with continuous vistas. Even the tough climbs felt like a fun challenge. Through Sages Ravine the trail followed a pretty brook with cascading waterfalls. A section hiker I talked with claimed it is the prettiest section on all of the AT. She May be correct. In the Ravine I passed signs for the Massachusetts-Connecticut border which made It more attractive to me. When I reached the top of Bear Mountain, the last of today's three major peaks I took a chance that the final six miles downhill to Salisbury would be easier to hike than the rest of the day's trail And I could get there before nightfall. I called and made a reservation with Vanessa Breton who is listed in the guide for hosting hikers in her home for $40 a night. The trail did become smoother and I arrived in time to complete the 0.8 mile road walk into town before twilight.   I did not have time to take a shower and get to the restaurant in town before it closed; so Vanessa invited me to dinner. She had been given a delicious casserole. I made sure she did not have to worry about leftovers. There was a scale in her bathroom that said I weighed only 140 pounds. I was worried about having shrunk more until she told me that her scale registers 10 pounds light. I have a new problem. The cool weather has made My nipples perk out and my pack straps shifting my base layer is making them sore. I'll try band aids tomorrow.
Date: 2014-09-25
From: Undermountain Road, Salisbury, CT Mile 689.6

To: US 7 & CT 112 at Housatonic River Bridge, Mike 699
Miles today: 9.4
Weather: overcast clouds

Easy day. Threatened rain did not fall. I took time for breakfast at a Salisbury Bistro and some sightseeing along the route and still arrived two hours before May Louise. I made reservations for a motel in Cornwall Bridge, CT and bought a ride there from the motel operatorSeveral interesting sights along the trail today. Giant's Thumb is a rugged column of rock sticking upright on top of a hill. The geologists say it is just a cobble sticking up where the ground that was around it has eroded away. Local residents have proposed more interesting stories including the conclusion that the stone is a monument erected by Viking visitors to America.Trail passed by a picturesque old dam and hydro electric plant above a waterfall on the Housatonic River at Falls Village, CT. A short distance downtown from the waterfall the trail crosses the river on an old iron road bridge now closed to traffic with jersey barriers decorated with a formal warning to drivers: "Thou Shall Not Pass".Parallel to the river there was a huge stone wall that was part of an old, unsuccessful canal.I detoured into Falls Village hoping for a sandwich for lunch, but arrived after the two eating places in the little community were closed. May Louise arrived at the motel after a frustrating delay. Her GPS took her to CT RT 7 by a convoluted route on dark twisting roads to a location a little south of the motel. She spent two hours searching the area before she found herself driving past the motel. We drove south on RT 7 to Kent, CT to find a restaurant open late for supper.
Date: 2014-09-26
From: US 7 & CT 112 at Housatonic River Bridge, Mike 699

To: River Road South End Mile 717.4
Miles today: 17.9
Weather: clear sky

Today was my first day of slackpacking with May Louise's support. To make the pickup point easier to find, I hiked north from a trailhead by the river a little north of Kent to the highway intersection where the motel operator picked me up last night.The first five miles of the day's hike was a wonderfully easy flat stroll along the river. The remaining 13 miles were more demanding, but hiking without my full pack made them seem easy. Fall is coming quickly. I walked through a forest of tall oaks with big acorns. I was glad I was wearing my hat. When a large acorn falls from a tall tree and hits you on the head it can leave a lump. In a few places acorns had accumulated in depressions in the trail. Going over them felt like walking on ball bearings.Toward the end of the day's hike I heard an unusual sound for the Appalachian Trail, the roar of race cars.   The trail overlooked some sort of elaborate race track where time trials were being conducted.An added advantage of having May Louise support me occurred at lunch today. She did not finish the sandwich she ordered for supper last night and gave me the doggie bag half to eat take with me on the trail and eat for lunch. Delicious!Finding May Louise waiting at the trailhead to take me to get a quick shower and then a great supper in Kent wrapped up a delightful day.
Date: 2014-09-27
From: River Road South End Mile 717.4

To: Bulls Bridge and Schaghticoke Road Mile 729.5
Miles today: 12.1
Weather: overcast clouds

The trail guide warned that the hike over St Johns Ledges was demanding; so I planned a shorter hike today. We drove to the pickup point across the state line in New York to make sure May Louise could find it; so I got on the trail later than I planned. When we got to the trailhead to drop me off we found a REI class of rock climbers heading up to the Ledges. The trail was more demanding that I had anticipated with some boulder scrambles that reminded me of Maine and New Hampshire. To avoid running out of daylght and having to hike in the dark by headlight, I cut the planned hike four miles short I called May Louise to picke me up at Bulls Bridge, an attractive covered bridge south of Kent. Although she had visited the bridge the day before, she got her directions confused and drove the wrong direction on RT 7 looking for me. We still had time to wash my trail clothes at a washateria and get a pizza for supper.The trail continues to look more fall like. It is beautiful. The falling leaves make the trail colorful and soften the footfalls, but they also hide the trace of the trail and the rocks and roots along it creating increased trip hazards.
Date: 2014-09-28
From: Bulls Bridge and Schaghticoke Road Mile 729.5

To: County Road 20' West Dover Road, New York, mile 74
Miles today: 13.4
Weather: scattered clouds

It was another beautiful day. We slept late and I planned a shorter distance than I would have preferred.The day started with an easy climb then a smooth trail following a ledge along river. To keep me from getting too comfortable a north bound hiker warned me that New York trails become more rocky and difficult as you get closer to the Hudson River.   He introduced me to a new expression: "PA begins in NY"The day's hike ended at a huge oak, the biggest tree on the whole Appalachian Trail. May Louise took a picture of me with arms spread in front of the tree.
Date: 2014-09-29
From: County Road 20' West Dover Road, New York, mile 74

To: Hosner Mountain Road, mile 756.9
Miles today: 14.0
Weather: light rain

I am disappointed that I am not making 20 mile days, but in light of warning that the trail gets more difficult as I approach the Hudson, I decided not to try a real long distance.I stayed up to late trying to update my iPhone software, and therefore was not as rested as I wanted to be when I started the day. The phone project was partially successful. Phone software got updated, but the process did not completely restore all of my old settings.Again I had a beautiful day for hiking and the trail was not too bad. I was able to move at a half mile per hour average. We got to bed early, and I will try to complete a longer day tomorrow, but I anticipate I will still fall short of goal of reaching Hudson River before leave for Storytelling.With today's hike my miles to go number is down to 600 miles.May Louise found us a very nice suites motel room to stay in.
Date: 2014-09-30
From: Hosner Mountain Road, mile 756.9

To: Canopus Hill Road, mile 774.8
Miles today: 17.9

Although the trail was frequently rocky it was generally easy. I hiked by an atractive big lake. Met a local fellow out for a day hike after recovering from heart surgery.I reached the traihead at my target time, but May Louise had spent the day visiting the FDR home on the Hudson and misjudged the time it would take to get through traffic to pick me up. It was well after dark and getting cold when she found me huddled at the side of a dark road.
Date: 2014-10-01
From: Canopus Hill Road, mile 774.8

To: Tunnel under U.S. 9, Trailside a Museum and Zoo, m
Miles today: 11.3
Weather: broken clouds

I was tempted to head directly for home and Storytelling, but with May Louise's encouragement I decided to hike 11 miles and meet my goal of getting to the Hudson before leaving for Tennessee. The walk was pretty easy, but more leaves had fallen on the trail. At one point where I had lost the trace of the trail in the leaves and was trying to interpret an ambiguous blaze indicating a turn, I took a cautious step down a steep decline. I was not cautious enough. There was no foothold under the leaves. I fell in a heels over head roll down the steep rocky slope. Fortunately all I suffered was some scrapes and bruises, but I could have easily hurt myself seriously and broken some bones. The fall over the rocks tore multiple holes in my rain jacket that I was wearing because it had gotten chilly and been sprinkling. It also jammed my camera into my ribcage. The only injury that caused any pain was a bruised rib from the camera.I took a selfie to see if my camera still worked. I look as shaken as I felt.The walk across the Hudson River Bridge was impressive. It is a beautiful old suspension bridge with great views up the Hudson. The trail guide points out that the Hudson is actually a fjord, not a river, one of the few in the US.The trail wanders through the Bear Mountain Zoo. I was later arriving than the 1:00 pm target; so we did not take time to tour the facility, but we saw their bear and lodge before changing clothes and loading in the car for our drive back home to Pennsylvania. On the way we stopped and purchased a better slackpack and a replacement for my damaged rainjacket.Home looked and felt wonderful. Sleeping in my own bed for the first time in a coupld of months was great.
Date: 2014-10-02
From: Fayetteville, PA

To: Erwin, TN
Miles today: 0.0

We packed for Storytelling and hit the road. On the way we left the van at the dealer's to check the battery. It had lost its charge and I had to jump it to get it started. May Louise drove and I again marveled that it is possible to do on-line computer work while driving down the Interstate.Nathan, Dylan, and her mother Pam were waiting for us at the Bed and Breakfast when we arrived. The owners had left us their whole beautiful home to use for the weekend.
Date: 2014-10-06
From: Fayetteville, PA

To: Fayetteville, PA
Miles today: 0.0

We spent the day repacking gear and loading the van for returning to the trail. My brother Bob and his wife Barbara are in Gettysburg with their recreation vehicle. We picked them up, gave them a tour of our messy house, and had a delightful evening visiting with them. They are torn between the fun they have traveling with their RV and their reluctance to leave the Atlanta area and their three grandchildren. A year ago their daughter had twins.
Date: 2014-10-07
From: Fayetteville, PA

To: Tunnel under U.S. 9, Trailside a Museum and Zoo, m
Miles today: 0.0

The process of getting everything packed took longer that I wanted; so we were late getting on the road, but we were able to get almost every task on the to do list finished. The short stay at home was delightful and I am anxious to complete the trail and get back to the projects waiting there.The drive to New York was easy, but we arrived late and did not get to enjoy the views and amenities at Bear Mountain Lodge where we had resevations for the night. Actually we found that we had reservations for last night, but they were kind and corrected our error without charging for an unused night.
Date: 2014-10-08
From: Tunnel under U.S. 9, Trailside a Museum and Zoo, m

To: Arden Valley Road mile 799.9
Miles today: 13.8
Weather: clear sky

Beautiful day. Although the forecast showed a 89% chance of rain, the day was sunny and the temperature comfortable. The new day pack also proved to be comfortable. The wide, stone step climb from the lodge to the summit of Bear Mountain was a very impressive stretch of construction work. The trail itself was attractive as it wove its way around boulders going up the mountain and the views of the State Park and the Hudson River along the climb were magnificent. I spent some time looking at historic photos on glazed tile in the well maintained observation tower at the summit. The lodge, park, and mountain are another site along the trail worth coming back to visit and explore more thoroughly. The rest of the day's walk was also attractive with frequent ridge line vistas back to Bear Mountain and the Hudson. I was not able to complete the 19 miles I had planned. I spent extra time taking photos and enjoying the sights at Bear Mountain, and the trail, though not difficult, was strewn with leaf covered rocks that required time consuming care to navigate safely.I salvaged a couple of feathers from a small pile of fluff where a hawk had eaten a small jay he had caught. The stone New York shelter I passed was picturesque, but not particularly comfortable looking.Although it was a great day for hiking and a beautiful section, there was not much traffic on the trail. I only met a few day and section hikers.I almost ran out of daylight before I reached the 14 mile pickup point. May Louise had not been able to find a motel or restaurant; so we did not get the early supper and bedtime I had hoped for. I found a motel and asian fusion restaurant in Vernon, NJ. The meal was delicious, attractive and small. It was served with chopsticks, no fork. Although I handle them clumsily, I did not leave any rice scraps on my plate. I made up for the small serving with a Dairy Queen blizzard.
Date: 2014-10-09
From: Arden Valley Road mile 799.9

To: AT on Arden Valley Road Mile 805.0
Miles today: 5.1

Another beautiful day and I planned to hike at 18 miles. I came off the trail yesterday with my right knee hurting a little bit. This morning it was a little stiff. I looked for my knee brace, but could not remember where I had packed it. By the time I had hiked one mile it was tear-the-eyes painful. I called May Louise and asked her to pick me up at the first road crossing four miles down the trail.It took me three hours over easy trails to walk the four miles. By the time I got to May Louise ibuprofen had kicked in and the knee had loosened up so I could walk without limping, but it felt like it would stiffen up as soon as I stopped. We went back to the motel, elevated my knee, put ice on it, and took a nap. By the time I got up for supper my knee was feeling normal. Along the trail my head finally kicked into gear and I remembered where I had packed the knee brace. (May Louise had bought a new one at a drugstore.) Although I am disappointed in myself for the physical breakdown and the short milage, it is typical of the trail to remind hikers not to become too confident of your capabilities. I am optimistic that with a good night's rest and the support of the knee brace I will be back to normal tomorrow morning.The trail was rocky but generally easy. The hills they call New York mountains are low and not very steep. One exception today was the Lemon Squeeze, a long narrow slit through a huge bolder. The Squeeze itself was fun. The slit is at a slight sideways angle that throws you off balance as you go through it. On the approach to the squeeze there was a vertical rock climb. The rocks were jagged and I spent some time looking for a safe route down, but every one I tried required looking for a hidden foothold beneath an overhang. I decided the risk of falling was too high and found a bypass around it. From the bottom I could see several routes that would be easy to climb up and that I could have used to climb down with eyes in my toes or someone below to guide me.