morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2010-07-03
From: Mohican Outdoor Center

To: Gren Anderson Shelter
Miles today: 20.9
Weather: clear sky

Off too a slow start today. Our camping spot was in a low, humid spot and the clothes we washed out last night are a bit damp--very cool starting the day.Hiked up to the radio tower where we took a snack break. Nice views from the picnic table. We saw a bear watching us as we ate, but he split when another hiker came by.Todays hiking was short ups and downs and there are still a fair number of rocks. Lots of open areas on the tops of the ridges so the sun is really warm. We both listened to our music while we walked.We stopped at Culvers Gap for steak dinner at Kevin's Steak House. It was a good dinner, but the 3 mile walk afterwards was not too much fun.The water at Gren Shelter leaves a lot to be desired. We got some at the spring which is just barely flowing. The small dip spot has a resident frog to ward off mosquitos. Mrs. Limestone had unprintable comments about the open air privy.
Date: 2010-07-06
From: Wawayanda Shelter

To: State Rd 17A, Antons on the Lake
Miles today: 10.0

Got up and its hot.Walked to 17A and got ice cream.Called Antons and got a shuttle to hotel.105 degrees in adjacent town, over 100 here. Too hot to hike and lots of hikers are coming off trail for a dip in Greenwood Lake.Water is big issue, most of the springs are going dry and trail angels are putting water at the trail road crossings--life savers.
Date: 2010-07-08
From: Antons on the Lake

To: Campsite North of Arden Mtn
Miles today: 11.7
Weather: clear sky

The morning start was slow-11am. We slept in, went to the diner for breakfast and then to the library.We got a shuttle to the trail from Myra who works at Antons. There was a mix up in our travel plans--thanks Myra.It's a bit cooler today, but still pretty warm. All the plants along the trail are drooping and showing signs of heat stress.We picked up bottled water at one of the road crossings--many thanks go out to all the trail angels who are putting drinking water at the road crossings for thru hikers.We are camped just past Arden Mtn as night was getting close and we did not want to end up on the free way (just ahead) for the night. As it turned out, we are listening to trucks.Tomorrow is suppose to be a bit cooler--great news, but the bad news is higher humidity.Over the past couple days, I talked with the Gregory Pack folks and they are going to replace my back pack. It has holes forming in the waist belt and the shoulder strap connection. This is really good news, great service and a huge "way to go" for the Gregory Company. This is my second Greggory pack and I could not be more pleased.
Date: 2010-07-09
From: Campsite North of Arden Mtn

To: West Mountain Shelter Trail Jct.
Miles today: 13.1
Weather: scattered clouds

After a warm night on the mountain, we headed downhill, across the highway and back up to Island Pond. Took a short break and made our way up to the "lemon squeezer"--no lemons, but it is a tight fit. Limestone took his pack off to make it thru the rocks.We stopped at Lake Tiorati for showers--cold water only. We ate lunch supplemented with a coke and ice cream bars. On our way back to the trail, we filled up with water.The final climb of the day up West Mountain was pretty rough. Hot, humid, in the sun and a steep climb.   Along the climb, we noticed our first eastern larch of the trip. For the score keeping, we have less than 800 miles to go and after 4 weeks on the trail, Mrs. Limestone has covered about 375 miles. Tomorrow, we get to visit the zoo!
Date: 2010-07-10
From: West Mountain Shelter Trail Jct.

To: Graymor Life Center
Miles today: 12.2

The day started out clear and then turned to fog when we broke camp. When we reached Bear Mountain, a thunderstorm rolled in and it started raining. Fortunately, we were off the top of Bear Mtn as the storm rolled over us. When the rain started, we put on rain Coats and pack covers and continued to hike.We were both really happy with the new tread work and rock stairs as we came off Bear Mtn--again, many thanks to all the volunteers.We got to the zoo too early so we killed 45 minutes waiting for the gate to open and then we walked thru the exhibits--in the rain.The crossing of the Hudson River on the Bear Mtn Bridge was a bit un-nerving as it's a long way down to the water and we are not use to cars whizzing by at lots of mph's.We then stopped at yet another deli. Mrs. Limestone got a coffee fix while Limestone downed a pint of ice cream and root beer--a root beer float of sorts. We also picked up a few meals for later.We hiked up to the Graymor Center and missed the ball field so we were wandering around the cemetary before we finally found were we were suppose to camp. We order pizza and salad for dinner and then called it a day.
Date: 2010-07-11
From: Graymor Life Center

To: Canopus Lake Campground
Miles today: 13.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Got up to a foggy morning and a very wet tent.A skunk crawled into one of the thru hikers back pack last night. Everyone was lucky as the skunk was very friendly and left taking all the stink with it.It got warm as soon as the sun burned off the fog so we stopped at Canopus Lake to swim and camp for the night. The beach was full of people and the deli very expensive with a marginal selection. We rechecked our food supply and figured we could make the next deli--11 miles north. It might be a late lunch.
Date: 2010-07-12
From: Canopus Lake Campground

To: Morgan Stewart Shelter
Miles today: 14.8
Weather: clear sky

Many thanks tothe Fahnestock Park folks for the free camp site, hot showers and swimming.After we broke camp, we headed to the beach area and bush wacked back up to the AT--still heading for Maine.We stopped at the RPH Shelter for a brief break (many thanks for the apple) and pressed on to the deli on State Rd 52. At the deli, we ate lunch and picked up a few things for later eating. Again, we headed north.
Date: 2010-07-13
From: Morgan Stewart Shelter

To: Ten Mile Lean-to
Miles today: 20.7

Lots of northern progress today. Stopped briefly at the Dover Oak which is reported to be the largest oak tree on the AT (300 years old and 20 foot, 4 inches girth). We made a combination lunch and pick up a food box stop at Native Landscapes & Garden Center--many thanks.After lunch, we hiked on to Ten Mile Lean-to. We hiked part of the way in the rain, but for dinner we were treated to the huge down pour. Ample amounts of rain. The temperature has now dropped to 80 degrees.
Date: 2010-07-14
From: Ten Mile Lean-to

To: State Rd 341, Kent
Miles today: 8.5

Last night was a huge gully washer and people were really wet. Black and Tan was washed out of his tent. We stayed reasonably dry, but the huge rain drops spashed mud up on the side of our tent. We were lucky to be in a good tent on a good tent site with drainage and leaves to soak up a lot of the water.We hiked most of the day in the rain and although its a short mileage day, the hiking was a lot of work. Along the way, we were greated by a huge rattle snake out soaking up the rain--goofy snake, but he looked happy. It's still 80 degrees so I guess the snake figured he would eat frogs today...Limestone was counting newts. A trail pass time to keep up his math skills. The count was 2 dozen and 5. He was told down south that newts are a good prediction that it will rain. Guess we have 29 newts worth of rain....We are taking the afternoon off in Kent--showers, laundry, TJ update, outfitter store visit and feeding freenzy.
Date: 2010-07-15
From: State Rd 341, Kent

To: Pine Swamp Brook Lean-to
Miles today: 17.0

Called Tonia to coordinate food box & gear mailing. Many thanks go out to Tonia who keeps us supplied with food boxes and makes all sorts of arrangements to make sure we have everything we need. It is not an easy task when the people you are trying to help keep the phone turned off and always seem to need just one more thing.   Many thanks.We slept in until 7AM in a nice "cool" (as in less than 90 degrees) motel bed. Went for breakfast, to the Post Office, to the Outfitters and to the grocery store before packing up and checking out. About noon, we started hiking out of town, heading north. Stopped for lunch at Stewart Hollow Brook Lean-to. A nice cool spot along the river walk. We are noticing all sorts of rock fences and house foundations from the days of old so it has been an very interesting walk and it has been much cooler walking along the river.Bugs are bad here at Pine Swamp so we ate dinner in the tent. The water source is spring between two swamps. The water is a touch off color, but does not smell too bad so I guess we go with it until we find something better. Water became an issue some time ago, and it continues to make for some difficult packing as it is very heavy to pack.
Date: 2010-07-16
From: Pine Swamp Brook Lean-to

To: Salisbury
Miles today: 15.7
Weather: few clouds

Bugs are still bad so we ate breakfast and packed up our gear in the tent, then continued north.Stopped for lunch at the Toymakers Cafe--cheese burger, soda/ice tea, chips and ice cream sandwich--great diet food. We ate lunch with Shakes who we have been leap frogging since before Greenwood Lake. Shakes ate about the same as we did, but added a large salad--he has lost about 30 pounds more than Limestone on a diet with a bit more volume. Stopped at a spring for some good water before we headed back up the mountain. It's a hot day, again. Took a break at the side trail to "Limestone Shelter" and we were joined by Shakes and Stinky Spices. We made a few phone calls and arranged for a shuttle ride and house stay in Salisbury. We quickly moved downhill and northward. The house was $30 each for laundry, room, shower, and shuttle to and from the trail.A thunderstorm rolled in just as we arrived at the House--what a perfect plan we have.
Date: 2010-07-17
From: Salisbury

To: Glen Brook Lean-to
Miles today: 14.2

Up a bit later than usual, but the coffee was ready when we got down stairs. Mrs. Limestone is a very happy camper!Bettina Drew is the wonderful person who took 4 hikers into her home for the night. We are most grateful and are hopeful we did not create too much mess-we pack leaves and dirt. Many thanks.Started hiking about 8:45am, stopped once for a snack break and many times to talk with day and weekend hikers. The trail is very busy this weekend. We celebrated the 1,500 mile accomplishment by taking a short break (as in too short) on top of Race Mountain picking and eating wild blue berries.We then hiked down, up and then down to Glen Brook for the night. Safely in our tent, we sat thru a thunder and rain storm while eating dinner. Life is good. Taked with Churchill at the picnic area and got an update on Winston. Seems Winston is off the trail, he has had a run of bad luck. First he gets food poisoning which requires he go to the hospital for a tube feed and antibiotics, spends another night at the "jail hostel", gets back on the trail, takes a tumble on the PA rocks which tears the achelies tendon and then he walks out to a road so he can be returned to the Jail. He has gone back to England which is really too bad as both he and Churchill are fun to be around.
Date: 2010-07-18
From: Glen Brook Lean-to

To: Great Barrington
Miles today: 7.9
Weather: few clouds

Thunder in the mountains---more than an hour of it and lots of lightening in the sky. We were jolted awake about 3 am by the next storm and it was quite a display of mother-nature's powers. Pretty impressive hour of noise. I checked out the back of the tent about half hour into the display to make sure we did not have a river coming in the back door. We stayed dry all night.This morning as soon as we got up and out of the tent, the bugs were back so we ate breakfast in the tent as we packed up our gear. You would think at least a few of the bugs would drown in the rain storms.Last night was an 8 newt count rain storm. Guess it was not as bad as we thought, that or the newt's are slacking off in the hot weather.We called a taxi for a ride into Great Barrington from Route 7 AT crossing. Good decision as we were in town in time to make lunch. Great Barrington is a big town and all the motels are on the opposite side so it is a big walk down town. Something the guide books seem to over look and there is no map of Great Barrington which would be most helpful. I hope the Mayor of this town reads this post and demands a bit better treatment as the town has a lot of opportunity for the hikers passing by on the trail. We got our showers and the laundry is in the machine. Guess it's time to figure out where to go for dinner.We need to pick up a couple meals and then tomorrow or so, we are off to Dalton. It feels good to have crossed the 1,500 mile mark. I just need someone to turn down the heat as it is slowing progress.
Date: 2010-07-19
From: Great Barrington

To: Mt. Wilcox Lean-to
Miles today: 13.5

Slept until 6:45 am and went down the hall for motel breakfast. Packed up, called the taxi and got a ride to the trail--$15. This was an expensive twon stop, i.e. room $140, dinner $60, groceries $35, taxi to & from $34 and REI order for gear replacements $325.Hiked to Tom Leonard Lean-to for lunch and water. Water supply still a major issue and it was a long walk (0.2 miles down hill and 0.2 miles uphill) for the water.Hiked on to Benedict Pond where we stopped for foot soak and snacks while we sat on rocks along shore line. Poppa Smurf showed up just as we were leaving.Picked up water at unnamed spring and hiked over to Mt. Wilcox N lean-to for the night. Another afternoon thunderstorm has just rolled in- more rain to keep bugs and newts happy.
Date: 2010-07-20
From: Mt. Wilcox Lean-to

To: Upper Goose Pond
Miles today: 14.0
Weather: few clouds

Rained most of the night so the tent was wet for the morning pack-up. Mrs. Limestone found a slug in her shoe, tough way to start. We were the only ones at the shelter last night and the creek is still dry.Counted 25 newts today, more thunder storms predicted tonight. Still lots of bugs, glad we have extra bug dope.Went for a swim in Goose Pond, very nice and refreshing. Ate dinner and put all of the wet gear on a line to dry. Even with the rain, water is still an issue.Upper Goose Pond shelter is actually a cabin with resident caretakers. We spent the night upstairs in the bunk room with 8 other hikers. We had a nice evening visiting with the other hikers.
Date: 2010-07-21
From: Upper Goose Pond

To: Kay Woods Lean-to
Miles today: 17.6

Breakfast of blueberry pancakes and coffee, what a nice way to start the day. Thank you to the caretakers at the Goose Pond Cabin for the hospitality.Departed the shelter about 8 am and headed north. Stopped for lunch at October Mountain Shelter and visited with day hikers from Long Island, New York.Next stop was at the "Cookie Ladies" for water and fresh home made cookies. We also got sodas and 6 brown, farm fresh hard boiled eggs for dinner. Thank you "Cookie Lady"--the cookies were greatHeaded north again and put on rain gear to catch some rain and listened to two claps of thunder--then the sweating got to be too much so we took off our rain gear. Soon, rain stopped and it was really hot and humid.Crossed over Warner Mountain and took a picture of a "Warner" enjoying the view.Listened to the radio and prediction is for severe thunder storms until 1 AM. We are sheltering it tonight--we'll see if we made a good decision and missed another storm.
Date: 2010-07-22
From: Kay Woods Lean-to

To: Mark Noepel Lean-to
Miles today: 16.7

Enjoyed a huge thunder and lightening show with buckets of rain from the comfort of our sleeping bags in a dry shelter. Good decision to shelter it last night.Today is much cooler and we are both wearing fleece pull over shirts for the first time in many weeks.The bugs are fewer in number. The rain has grounded some and the strong winds are keeping the few brave airborne ones well off course. So far, so good with a few less bug bites.Hiked over to Dalton for breakfast, then to Cheshire for lunch and finally up to the shelter for dinner. In between feeding, we hiked up and down some steep sections of trail with much elevation differences. Tomorrow, we go above 3,000 feet to the highest point in MA. This is also the first time we have done a 2,000 foot sustained verticle climb in some time. It is a bit of practice for what lies ahead where the climbs go to the 3-4,000 foot range. Limestone's body has been dragging a bit lately--too much heat and not enough calories. Body weight continues to decline and he thinks he is well below the 155 pound mark....probably, there is still more that will be lost before the trip ends.
Date: 2010-07-23
From: Mark Noepel Lean-to

To: Williamstown, State Rd 2
Miles today: 9.6

Early in the morning, we finished up the climb to the top of Mt. Greylock so we stopped at the Bascom Lodge for our second breakfast as a reward to the bodies for all the hard work.Just as we started down hill, the rain started with a slow drizzle and then turned into down pour. Water running down the trail and it was a slog down to Route 2. Along the way down, we met several thru hikers doing a slack pack back to Dalton--hope they didn't get too wet.   With all the rain, our travel plans changed and we decided to stay in Williamstown. At the motel, Limestone poured the water out of his boots and announced we made good decision. We took showers and got a shuttle ride for dinner.
Date: 2010-07-24
From: Williamstown, State Rd 2

To: Williamstown, State Rd 2
Miles today: 0.0

Because this has turned out to be such a great stop and there are gear issues, we opted to take a zero day.We are staying at the Williamstown Motel and we highly recommend this business as one of the all around good people/places to stop. The owner picked us up at the trail (stinky and soaking wet), shuttled us to the motel and then later to dinner. Today, he has lent us his truck so we can run about and get groceries and make the library stop. The motel has been recently refurbished and it is clean and safe place to stay. It is also one of the less costly places here in town and the owners are very hiker friendly. Thank you Simi and Tarun, you are great hosts.Unknown to us, Nature's Closet has moved from Bennington to Williamstown so we checked up on Limestone's Gregory Pack replacement. Seems the replacement pack has been sent back to CA. So, new plans are in place and we will now make a stop in Rutland to do the switch. Today, we went thru our travel plans for the rest of the trip to make sure we have all the food and gear when and where we need it. Many thanks to Tonia for working thru all the adjustments. Who knew this would be so much work. If all goes well, we'll be on the Big K about September 22--give or take a few days. Back to reality, we will be into Vermont tomorrow and will have about 600 miles left to go.
Date: 2010-07-25
From: Williamstown, State Rd 2

To: Congdon Shelter
Miles today: 14.1
Weather: scattered clouds

Slept in until 7:15 am in a warm, dry motel bed. Ate one breakfast in the motel room and then went down to the office and ate another breakfast--two breakfasts to get the day started.We got a shuttle back to the trail and started out with a long climb out of town. Seems like all the towns are at a low elevation so every zero ends with us looking at a climb.Stopped at the MA-VT border crossing and took pictures. One more state has been completed and it now feels like the Big K is much more do-able. As soon as we entered VT, we noticed a huge mud hole, in fact it was right in front of the border sign. The trail has turned into a series of mud holes and rock hops.We found a dry rock to sit on and stopped for lunch. After lunch, we continued hiking north.Our nothern progress was soon stopped to put on rain gear. Our sunny day turned into a couple hour rain storm and the trail continued to worsen as the mud holes got larger and the root & rocks got slicker. Even in the rain, there were no newts to be seen. I think the storms of the last two days has then either hid out or under water. We hiked on to the shelter which is now totally full and there are people hanging (hamocks) outside. At dinner, we took an age check and the youngest hiker was 51 years young....but that ended a bit later when Bo Bo and Barley arrived. Bo Bo just turned 21--happy birthday to him. Tomorrow, we stop in Bennington for our bounce box and to pick up our REI equipment replacement order.
Date: 2010-07-26
From: Congdon Shelter

To: Bennington, VT
Miles today: 4.3
Weather: clear sky

Nero day. We left the shelter about 8 am and hiked along the mud track to the trail head. We quickly noticed moose tracks in the mud not too far from the shleter. Along the way to the road, we met two south bound hikers with a tent like ours (poles are a dead give away), the first time of the entire trip we have met anyone with a Stephenson Warmlite tent. We exchanged stories of how we came to acquire them and how happy we are with them.At the road, we got a ride from a nice man named John who shuttles hikers into and out of Bennington. Thank you very much.We picked up our boxes at the Post Office, called a taxi and went to the motel. Took showers, ate lunch and went grocery shopping--the usual town day stuff.Tomorrow we are back to hiking and the weather forecast is for sunny and cooler temperatures. All good news.
Date: 2010-07-27
From: Bennington, VT

To: Kid Gore Shelter
Miles today: 14.4
Weather: few clouds

Nice night in a comfortable bed, but morning came way too soon. Spent time packing boxes, one for home, one with extra food to supplement food box for NH, and bounce box heading to next zero day at Killington.The Hampton Inn provided a nice breakfast so Limestone ate plenty wile Mrs. Limestone sipped coffee and read a news paper.Stopped at Post Office on way out of town and started hiking a bit after 10 am. The hiking was almost all up hill until 4 pm, then switched to down hill. What goes up, must come down!We are tenting to keep away from the bugs and snoring. Two other thru's are tenting and 2 Long Trail hikers and one other thru hiker are in the shelter.Today was about 10 degrees cooler, lower 80's and a nice cool breeze. Great hiking weather.
Date: 2010-07-28
From: Kid Gore Shelter

To: Stratton Pond Shelter
Miles today: 15.0
Weather: overcast clouds

The shelter had a great sunrise view which made for an early wake up. Tent was wet from the dew in the grass even thought we slept under a few tree branches. There is a really good tent site along the right side of the clearing on a branch trail to the privy. That tent site catches the early sun while our site by the shelter does not.Big climb up and over Stratton Mtn, but nice views from the fire tower. The trail was less mud, but more rock.Still have not seen a moose, just fresh tracks and old droppings.We walked by a bunch of beaver ponds. The beavers have been very busy and parts of the trail across the front of the dams are below the water level. It is like sitting in a float tube and looking at water from a very low level.Tomorrow is a resupply day.
Date: 2010-07-29
From: Stratton Pond Shelter

To: State Rd 11 & 30, Bromley Sun Lodge
Miles today: 10.7

Lots of bugs last night and other hikers reading (with headlamp) late into the night which made for a difficult sleep in the shelter. Mrs. Limestone was happy as most of the hikers in the shelter were women--a first.Walked in the green tunnel to State Rd 11 and 30 where we called for shuttle ride to hotel. Called REI as the new boots (after 3 days of hiking) have a broken eyelet. REI is sending a new pair.Took showers and did laundry before heading down stairs to the bar for nightly specials of fish and chips and New York rib eye steak. After dinner, called it a night early and went to bed.