morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2016-05-05
From: S of Culvers Gap

To: Unionville, NY
Miles today: 26.0
Weather: overcast clouds

We dropped down from the ridge above Culver's Gap and headed down to the road looking forward to a great breakfast. To our dismay the deli was out of business and the restaurant was closed.It was another gray gloomy day. It rained off and on. The woods for some reason were bare. I guess spring hasn't arrived in this part of New Jersey. We didn't see any hikers today. We hiked through High Point State Park where there was a tower marking the high point in New Jersey. Makes sense. My shoes are shot, they have been raked over the rocks and shredded. I slipped and fell twice today on the wet rocks but no major damage. RR went down once.Our late afternoon hike was through the farmlands and flatlands which allowed us to pick up the pace and arrive in Unionville NY, a quaint little burg. We stopped at Horler's market. Butch gave us the lowdown on the town from a hikers perspective. We picked up some snacks and got a permit for free camping at the park. Then we went to Annabels for a large Sicilian pizza which provided us with enough food for 3 meals.Our planned easy week has fallen by the wayside as we needed to pick up the pace to get us to our next resupply point Greenwood Lake NY where where we have a bounce box with a tablet in it. We just need to get there on post office time. We'll carry the tablet for journalling.Badlands, ya gotta live it every dayWill
Date: 2016-05-07
From: Greenwood Lake, NY

To: Greenwood Lake, NY 
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: scattered clouds

When you make 8 out of 9 free throws in the NBA, you are a pretty good free throw shooter. When you go 8 for 9 in baseball, you are hot. When it rains 8 out of 9 days on the AT, you have 2 waterlogged and tired hikers. So today we took a rest day.It is still threatening to rain but at least for now we are warm and dry. The rain and chill has worn us down a bit and tapped into our reserves. We have spent a lot of energy the past few days just trying to stay warm.Yesterday the rain was continuous for long stretches and it rained as hard as it has the whole trip. All you can do at that point is keep moving to try and stay wsrm. We took a few short breaks and within 5 minutes of stopping we were chilled.Greenwood Lake isn't a great resupply town. The grocery is closed for remodeling and the nearest laundromat is 5 miles away. WE have managed to put together a few days of food. The library was nice as we got caught up on our journal, We had a couple of nice meals. Tonight it was some authentic Italian food at Planet Pizza.We got some rest but it always seems that our rest days are too short and pass too quickly. Tomorrow we will head back out and see what NY has to offer.Will
Date: 2016-05-09
From: Mombasha Lake

To: Bear Mountain
Miles today: 22.0
Weather: broken clouds

Today was a day of many short ascents and descents. Some were steep. We did some rock climbs and scrambling. We hiked through a 30 foot slot called the Lemon Squeezer. It was our most challenging day in awhile. My legs had gotten a bit lazy with all the flat terrain we had encountered. Today they had the burn going again.We started our day by waking to the sunrise on the front lawn of Brannin's house on the shores of Mombasha Lake. Brannin greeted us with some fresh fruit and then kindly drove us back to the AT so that we didn't have to walk the road.We did a small climb then skirted Mombasha lake before dropping down to Harriman SP. There were some nice pines in this area and this is where we went through the Lemon Squeezer. It is a short slot through a rock formation. We had to take off our packs to get through.We hiked through the forest along a ridge under blue sky. The temps rose as the day progressed and we were sweating as we climbed the ridge. We had a nice cooling breeze. We crossed several roads and the noise from the cars obliterated the sweet birdsong from our constant companions.We climbed Black Mt then dropped down to cross Palisades Parkway, a busy 4 lane divided highway. Then it was another climb up West Mt where we cooked dinner before dropping down to a road where we saw our second bear of the trip. I kind of felt sorry for the bear. It seemed to be hemmed in by roads, cars and noise.We made our final climb of the day up to Bear Mt where we set up a stealth camp in the fading light. We had a visit from the SP police/rangers who checked out our campsite and gave us the all clear as long as we were up at first light and took out our trash.Today it felt like we were back in the hiking groove to some degree. We try to focus on the positives and while it is a bit more difficult when the weather is lousy or we are feeling tired, there is always something to be grateful for.Here's a quick list of the little things that add up to make a good hiking day:1) The glorious radiance of the sun2) Brannin's hospitality and what he calls synchronicity3) Fresh fruit, bananas for breakfast4) Blue sky and the pines in Harriman SP5) Dry rocks and traction6) Hiking in shorts and shirtsleeves7) A cooling breeze on the ridge8) Plenty of water9) A bear sighting10)The simple joy of hiking.So far we are both liking NY as it reminds us both of the north woods of our home state of Michigan. Will
Date: 2016-05-10
From: Bear Mt

To: Shenandoah Mt
Miles today: 25.0
Weather: overcast clouds

We woke up as per usual and put the hussle on getting ourselves around and out of our ' illegal' but sanctioned by the Park Police dudes spot. We made extra sure it looked undisturbed, although we always are careful that way.We went down a road for a ways, and then it was down the well crafted steps for quite some time with views of the Hudson River here and there. When we got to the bottom we headed over to the Bear Mountain Recreation area. There is a lake there and a playground and a jillion picnic tables. There is also a small sort of zoo that has rehabbed animals in it. When this is open, the AT goes right through it, unfortunately, it was too early so we didn't get to see it.We made our way to the Bear Mountain Bridge.   This is a huge bridge over the Hudson River.   It has a sidewalk along the side. There was a barge floating lazily towards us and the early morning work traffic was flat out flying. When you get to the end of the bridge, there is a sort of Y there with different highways splitting off each way. This is one of the few road crossings that I felt super uncomfortable doing. Not only uncomfortable, but unsafe. Like I said, the morning work traffic is whizzing by and you have to sort of dart out to get across it. One of those above traffic cross ladders would be a really good idea. That seems like an accident waiting to happen to me.After a really steep ascent from the road we hit the forest once more. This area is still very rocky and I am super glad to have new shoes as I travel it. Along the way, we meet a couple and there little short legged dog. They are going southbound.   They started from Kent 7 days ago, which means they are doing about 7 miles a day. The Grand plan for them involves hiking down to Springer in GA but then continuing all the way down to Florida in this season . We wish them luck. After we reach our mileage goal for the day, we pick a likely spot and settle in for the night.   Living life large on the AT, with all I need to get along on my journey resting in my back pack. Ah, this is the life. Catch you later! Road Runner
Date: 2016-05-11
From: Shenandoah Mountain

To: Hammersly Ridge 
Miles today: 25.0
Weather: broken clouds

We camped on Shenandoah Mt and passed the 911 Memorial Flag that had been painted on the rocks. We descended a few hundred feet down to the RPH shelter where we stocked up on water that we got from an old fashioned pump. It was another sunny warm day and the miles passed by easily. We walked through forest, farmlands and swamps. We hiked around the shore of Nuclear Lake. We thought that this was a strange name for a lake but we passed by without incident and neither of us was glowing.We ate our dinner near the boardwalk that crosses Swamp River and then made our way across the train tracks of the Appalachian Trail RR. Then it was an easy walk across some open farmlands that had some Hereford cattle ranging about. That led to a short ascent up to Hammersly Ridge where we called it a day.Today we had less climbing. It was an enjoyable hiking day. Enjoyed the warm weather and humidity. It felt good to sweat. But I'm not sure I'd want to be hiking through here in the heat of summer. Too hot.We haven't seen any northbound thruhikers in awhile. We have had the trail pretty much to ourselves mid week with the exception of an occasional section hiker. Tomorrow we will enter Connecticut. We both liked NY.Will
Date: 2016-05-13
From: Kent Ct

To: Belters Campsite 
Miles today: 22.0
Weather: overcast clouds

We left Kent and walked the road back to the AT. We climbed Caleb's Peak passed St JohnsLedges and then began a long steep descent down the steps to the Housatonic River. We crossed several roads and then began a long flat section along the river.   The flowing river was soothing and tranquil, By midafternoon the sky darkened. We had several short ups and downs. The rains finally came around 2 PM. It rained nonstop for about 5 hours. It was one of those cold chilling rains so we had to keep moving.We passed through another short slot but this time it wasn't as tight as the Lemon Squeezer so we didn't have to take off our packs. The rocks were slippery so it was slow going all afternoon. We pulled into Belters campsite in the mist. The rain stopped. We had a big tree stump for a picnic table. Wehad a nice warm meal of chicken fried rice with extra sharp cheddar cheese and pepperoni which helped warm us up aand then we settled in for a good nights sleep. A decent day of hiking even with the rain.Will
Date: 2016-05-14
From: Belters Campsite 

To: Glen Brook Shelter
Miles today: 24.0
Weather: clear sky

I would like to say right up front that there were several things I really loved about this day. I'll be glad to tell you all about it if you have a few minutes. You do? Awesome. Well, the first part of the day I didn't really love because we did a lot of road walking. It was a Saturday as you know, and in this area that meant tons of people. Several boy Scout troops were out, which I think is very cool. They get to see what it's like to wander around in the woods and they have the commaraderie of their scouty friends. There were a bunch of week end hikers too which I also think is great.Today we climbed to the highest point in Connecticut.   On the way up we met a guy who called himself the Mayor, because he had climbed to Bear Mountain, the highest point, like 150 times. I guess he must REALLY like the view from there. When we got there, there was a rock observation tower erected long ago and a plaque commerating the spot.The climb down was super steep and rocky. We really had to pick our way down very carefully. Once we were clear of that section, we met a girl named Bugs and her parents. She had hiked the AT in 2006. They were out for a day hike. We chatted with them for a bit before moving on.This next section was a highlight for both of us. The trail passed along beside the Laurel Creek. This creek had deep green mossy rocks, mini waterfalls, deep hidden pools. It was just gorgeous and will probably remain one of our favorite places on the AT. The trail crossed over the Laurel Creek and There on the tree before us was a sign announcing that we had reached the Connecticut Massachusetts border. Yay! Another new state!We then continued to climb up and over Mt. Everett ( not to be confused with Mt. Everest). We reached the Glenn Brook Shelter and set up the tent just in time to keep us out of the rain that started to pour down from the sky. So we're thankful to be warm and dry in the tent. Guess I'll call it a night. Catch you later! Road Runner
Date: 2016-05-15
From: Glen Brook Shelter

To: Great. Barrington, Ma.
Miles today: 8.0
Weather: light rain

We got our tent up just in time last night before a thunderstorm hit us. Big lightning and thunder. It rained off an on through the night.The rain had stopped by the time we packed up. The trail was wet and sloppy. The rocks very slippery especially on the steep descent from Bushnell Mt.Once we hit flatter ground we cruised in to US 7 where we caught a hitch with the pastor of a local church. He took us all the way into Great Barrington where I had reserved room at the Holiday Inn Express. This was an unplanned stop initially but today is RR's birthday so it seemed like a good time to kick back and celebrate. We have a lot to celebrate and be grateful for. We got an early check inn so we had plenty of time to relax. We did our laundry, bought our food for resupply, and then went out to Naji's Mediterranean restaurant for dinner. Real good authentic Mediterranean food. We got a Black Forest cake and some Ben and Jerry's ice cream It turned out to be a cold windy, blustery day. We picked a good one for a rest day.dayAnnie enjoyed her birthday celebration. We have had a few of her birthdays on trail. What better place to celebrate. Hopefully many more celebrations on trail in the future. She has been a great trail and life partner and her presence makes those around her better. Her spirit is something to celebrate every day, not just once a year.Will
Date: 2016-05-16
From: Great Barrington 

To: Shakers Campsite
Miles today: 18.0
Weather: broken clouds

Did you know that going into a town and enjoying the comforts of a nice hotel can endanger a hikers through hike? Well it's true. It feels so good to be warm and clean and eat 'town food' that some people just never go back out on the trail after a town stay, they just quit and go home. Backpacking light guru Ray Jardine talks about that phenomenon in his book. He says you should get in, get what you need and get out. That the comforts of the town suck people in and it ends their hike.Will and I had a nice hearty breakfast, packed up our stuff and sat in our warm, dry, comfortable room looking at each other.   He said I'm tired and I don't really want to leave town.   I said me neither.   But the only way to finish this hike is to keep on walking, and we do want to finish this hike. So we reluctantly headed out.   We needed to hitch the 4 or 5 miles back out to the trail. But since we were in town with not much room for people to pull over and pick us up it was setting up to be a difficult hitch. Quite a few people passed us on this very busy road, but no one stopped. Until a very nice lady, who, as it turned out, was in the habit of helping AT hikers in need. She is a massage therapist by trade but she loves the outdoors and hiking in it, sometimes taking her dogs. We were so grateful to her for picking us up and taking us back to the trail. Did I mention it was cold and windy and we actually saw some tiny snowflakes? We walked through the forest and then through several open fields. I enjoyed looking at the spring flowers and listening to the birds sing their songs.   But I think my favorite views today were of and on the North Ledges. As you can imagine from the name, the were high ledges made from large sort of rounded rocks.   They were neat looking and they gave some good views of the surrounding forests. We hiked until we came to the Shaker campground.   We called it a day there.   Will went down to the creek to get some water while I stayed in camp and started setting up the tent. When he came back to our campsite he had some exciting news, he had seen three bears pretty close up and personal.   But I'll let him tell you about it tomorrow on his journal day. Didn't you love those kind of shows? 'To be continued tomrrow night in the next exciting episode! ' Well, on that note, I'll bid you a fond goodnight. Road Runner
Date: 2016-05-17
From: Shakers Campsite

To: Warner Hill Campsites 
Miles today: 25.0
Weather: light rain

Last evening after setting up camp, I walked down to the creek to get us some water. As I was filling my last jug, I heard a noise. I looked up to see two cubs scurrying up a tree no more than 20 yard away. In no time they were 40 feet up the tree. Momma bear stood at the base of the tree staring intently at me. She then climbed about 10 feet up the tree. She was big black and looked very healthy. I headed back to camp with the water. It was a beautiful moment on the AT.Most of the day the sky was gray. It threatened to rain all day but it never did.We walked through a lot of boggy areas on planks. It kept our feet dry. Late afternoon we stopped to see The Cookie Lady. Roy and Marilyn Wiley run a blueberry farm. They have been helping out hikers for over 30 years.They invited us to set up our tent in their yard. Marilyn is known as The Cookie Lady. She bakes chocolate chip cookies for the hikers. We had a nice time chatting about the trail.We hiked down a few miles and stopped at Warner Hill campsite and setup for the evening. It was a spectacular sunset to close out our day.Will
Date: 2016-05-19
From: Wilbur Clearing Shelter 

To: Williamstown, Massachusetts 
Miles today: 3.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Last night we set up our tent on a platform at the shelter. Unfortunately even though we were on the platform we still had mice problems. The mice in and around the shelters are one of the reasons we prefer to stealth camp.Last week we tried to cut back on our mileage to make it an easier week and get more rest. It didn't work out that way. But this week we're going to end up taking two rest days. We are hoping that the extra rest will pay off in the long run. The miles have gotten a little tougher lately. We're doing more climbing. As we are heading north we understand that the the trail becomes becomes more rugged through Vermont and New Hampshire. We are trying to give ourselves a chance to get ready for these sections.Today we only had a couple of miles into Williamstown. It was easy hiking and when we reached the road we got a ride from Christina. She took us into Williamstown where are we had booked a room at the Williamstown Motel. We got there by 9 a.m. and we were fortunate enough to be able to check in right away. We enjoyed a nice continental breakfast and then began our chores. They do your laundry at the motel but it is a rather steep charge at $10. We felt it was worth it gave us a little more time to rest.We did have a restful day. We were able to work on our Journal and we did the usual things to go along with the resupply day.Williamstown Motel is Hiker friendly. We enjoyed our stay. Tomorrow we will cross over into Vermont and begin the Long Trail. We both liked Massachusetts.Will
Date: 2016-05-20
From: Williamstown, Massachusetts

To: Consultation Peak
Miles today: 11.0
Weather: clear sky

Today shouldn't take that long to tell you abouwt. We packed up, ate the breakfast provided by the motel and then headed out to resupply from the local grocer.   We planned to walk there but then thought better of it and went to the bus stop. However our luck with buses from Greenwood, NY held and we sat there quite a while and then ended up missing it anyway.So we walked out to the road and started hitching. Pretty soon a very nice man with a big black friendly dog named Sam stopped to pick us up. I got to sit in the back with Sam and get my dog fix. Went to the store and got our food, yada, yada, yada. And then went out front to try and catch the bus once again. This time to go to the Post Office. Guess what? Got it! Post Office taken care of and then contacted our new good friend Christina to see if she could drive us back to the trail. She had given us her phone numbers yesterday and told us to call if we needed help. She said she liked helping people.   Well, obviously! Because she helped two rather smelly people out yesterday with a ride. She was more than happy to! So we walked over to the nearby Burger King, a hikers got to eat right? She picked us up and drove us back to the trail.   That's a to AND from, I don't think we've ever had one of those before. And we truly appreciated it. Will and I were discussing it later and decided that the people on the trail are what makes this hike so special for us right now.So we started our hiking day in the early afternoon. We walked along with beautiful Creekside. It was narrow and it had the large rocks in it. The water was falling over these rocks in mini waterfalls. With those dark green mossy rocks along the way. I really love this kind of hiking along the riverside. And that's where today's title came from. Remember that old song 'I love the rivers I love the rocks and rolls I love the mountains I love the Rolling Hills I love the fireflies when the lights are low boomdiada boomdiada boomdiada boom boom.'A bunch of uphill again today. Will said it was over three thousand feet before we were done. It took us a while to find a campsite, because the roots and the rocks were prominent. But we finally found one we're camped in here next to the trail. Short hiking day for us but a good one. I'll call it a day. Catch you later Roadrunner
Date: 2016-05-21
From: Consultation Peak

To: Story Spring Shelter
Miles today: 26.0
Weather: clear sky

This morning we had a gradual descent down to Highway 9. From there we climbed approximately 2500 feet up to the Glastonbury Mountain lookout tower. There was a nice pine forest in this area. We climbed up to the tower and we were above the trees. We had great panoramic views. The skies were gray and it was a cool day asthe winds gusted up top.From the lookout tower we descended to the Kid Gore shelter. We cooked dinner and as we were leaving we saw our first northbound thru hiker in some time. We last saw Padawan in the Smokies . He was coming in to spend the night.We decided to put in a few more miles and hike down to the Story Spring shelter where we found a flat spot to set up camp.We've had warmer temps the last few days and with the warmer temps the black flies have come out. Tonight they were swarming. Still all in a pretty good hiking day. For me the last week or two have been the dog days. We have done a lot of miles but we are still a long way from being through. Just have to try and stay in the moment and remember that the 'journey is the destination' . So far we have been enjoying the Long Trail.Will
Date: 2016-05-23
From: Bromley Shelter 

To: Bear Mountain
Miles today: 26.0
Weather: broken clouds

Yesterday was kind of a gnarly day for hiking, a lot of rain, dead trees, stunted forest. Today it was the polar opposite. It was a perfect hiking day. Blue sky, sunshine, warm, cool breeze, lakes and healthy pine forest.We left the shelter in the cool of the morning and climbed through the forest to Bromley Mt where we had some nice views.Then we descended to Mad Tom Notch, then back up about a 1000 feet to Styles and Peru peaks. We dropped down to Griffiths Lake and then had a short steep climb to Baker peak.From there it was easy hiking down to Lost Pond shelter. We cruised into Little Rock Pond which is actually a big beautiful lake. We walked along its shores in the midday heat enjoying the shade of the tall pines which dot the lakeshore.We stopped at Greenwall shelter for dinner where we met Bear Bait another NoBo thru who had started in Georgia.   He explained that he got his trail name due to his penchant for spilling food on himself. Whereupon he gave a demonstration. He tipped his jetboil with rice and spam all over the picnic table and himself. Thus Bear Bait.We finished dinner dropped down to Vt140. We then climbed to Bear Mt and called it a day. The only drawback today was the blackflies. They were out in full force. We picked up some Repel Lemon Eucalyptus at EMS yesterday. It is pretty effective as long as we keep applying it frequently.   Plus we smell good. We are cowboy camping tonight.   It is probably the warmest night we have had. An owl is out there hooting. It kept getting closer and then finally flew over about 20 feet away. Beautiful night, warm, bright moonlight through the trees.Will