morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2018-07-18
From: High Point State Park

To: NJ Route 94
Miles today: 20.6
Weather: clear sky

Today was certainly an interesting day. Curly would probably it was ¢eclectic¢. However this day is described, one thing is really clear to both of us: New Jersey is absolutely NOT the unfair stereotype it usually gets. It is really a cool, diverse state, especially with respect to the outdoors. Today was our last full day hiking in this state. Tomorrow we enter New York and say goodbye to Jersey. During today¢s hike, here are some of the places we walked...We hiked through hay fields We hiked through bogsWe hiked through a National Wildlife PreserveWe hiked a road walk through neighborhoodsWe hiked through a cow pastureAnd yes, we hiked through forests as well!It was really cool to spend our last full day in this state experiencing so much diversity in their natural resources. Also, the rocks have lightened considerably and the feet truly appreciate it. Towards the end of the day, our goal was to get to Heaven Hill Farms for ice cream. The AWOL guide said it closed at 7pm, so we hustled to get there before they closed. We arrived at 620pm only to discover they close at 6pm! Ugh...no ice cream. But Tree Hugger asked the owner if we could at least buy a drink and he let all of us in, which was very kind. We then found out that we were allowed to camp on the property for free, which was awesome since our original plan didn¢t work out and we had no plan B.So tonight we are in the back of the Heaven Hill Farm property pitched with Tree Hugger and Bumblebee. It is supposed to cool off down to the 50¢s tonight which excites me! Tomorrow we begin the day by climbing up ¢stairway to heaven¢, then entering New York, then wrap up our day at another Creamery...if we can get there on time!!
Date: 2018-07-19
From: NJ 94

To: Wildcat Shelter 
Miles today: 17.2
Weather: overcast clouds

We said goodbye to New Jersey this morning and hello to New York. Jersey gave us lots of great views and an extremely diverse trail. After one day in New York, all we seemed to have gotten was rock scrambles! Yes there are some big views but also big rocks. It was a good day but tiring one. Perhaps most significant today was the milestone of today being our 100th day on the trail. Just writing that down blows me away. So much has taken place that it¢s hard to wrap our minds around it. We have walked from Georgia to New York...a distance of 1,375 miles! My feet feel like it too! We have said hello and goodbye to many new friends, people we would not have gotten to meet any other way than on this trail. We have both faced down fears and have discovered that this business of hiking the AT is really hard.Most important though is that we have seen the Lord take great care of us every step of the way, and His people have encouraged, ministered and prayed for us. It has been a glorious adventure.  Only 815 miles to go!We celebrated this day by what else? Eating! We both had our own banana splits and I¢m surprised we didn¢t swallow the spoon as well...nothing left but the memories. Tonite we are at Wildcat Shelter fighting off the skeeters. Tomorrow a long day to another shelter and Saturday a well deserved town day in Fort Montgomery (and crossing the 1400 mile mark). We are cruising along and appreciate all of you who follow us and comment as well. Please know that even if I don¢t respond to your notes, they are read and cherished!
Date: 2018-07-20
From: Wildcat Shelter 

To: Tentsite mm 1392.5
Miles today: 17.2
Weather: overcast clouds

Without a doubt, today was most likely our most difficult day in the trail. All dramatics aside, both of us were ready to go home. Quit. Fini. No mas. Crazy thing is that it was a beautiful, sunny, not too hot day. We also were the beneficiaries of trail magic. So you are wondering, what¢s the deal Flex? Why so grumpy? It¢s all about the ROCKS!Everyone talks about Pennsylvania and New kJersey being so rough on the feet, and they are. But the rock scrambles...the hand over hand, put away your hiking sticks climbing...the unrelenting ¢ups¢ on boulders that never seem to end...it truly got the best of both of us today. Very, very hard day. Very, very foul mood (Flex). Both of us were thinking without saying to each other...if this is the rest of the trail, we are in big trouble!Our goal was 19 miles that would put us a short 10 from town tomorrow. We settled for a hard earned 17 plus and a 12 into town tomorrow. I really did not expect to even get 17 today; the rock scrambles slowed us down to a crawl. But we started hiking at 7am, and didn¢t pitch our tent til 8pm! Now some of that time was spent on breaks and some great trail magic at the end of the day...which really was the key to talking us off our ledge.A group of folks that thru hiked in 1998 (20 year anniversary) are spending this entire weekend feeding hikers as they pass thru. We were some of the last of the day, but a burger, hot dog, and some Dr. Pepper got us back on track. Thank you class of 1998...you rescued Curly and I today.So now we are tucked into our tent on a hot evening, waiting for the night to cool things down. Tomorrow we have 12 miles to town, and are hoping for easier but expecting harder. That¢s just life on the trail!
Date: 2018-07-21
From: Tentsite mm 1392.5

To: Ft. Montgomery, NY
Miles today: 12.3
Weather: scattered clouds

(cue music from ¢Annie - The Sun Will Come Out Tomorrow¢)Nothing like a hot meal (burgers and brats) and a good night¢s sleep (except for the 3am wake up call when a 30 foot tree ¢widow maker¢ crashes less than 10 feet from your tent!) to change your perspective on the previous day! We woke up ready to tackle 12 miles right over Bear Mountain and into a motel room run by none other than the world famous ¢grandpa¢. Actually he is only famous in the hiker world because he takes such great care of us hikers. So we got off by 645am and within the hour had run into Tree Hugger and Bumblebee. The mountains were just as steep as the previous two days, but one thing was different...steps! That¢s right, there were rock steps on this portion of the trail, so no hand over hand scrambling...it was awesome. Still difficult, but awesome and beautiful. Matter of fact, trail crews were working on the trail this weekend, which gave us the chance to thank them for their hard work. We did register 1400 miles hiked on the AT today...the miles keep racking up.The other thing about today was the tourists and Day hikers. Lots and lots of them. So many that they clogged up the trail as we came over the mountain. But boy did they ever smell good! Unlike us, who stank something furious. When we reached the top of Bear Mountain, we grabbed a couple of Cokes and watched the tourists from a bench. We haven¢t seen this much civilization since before the hike began, and it was crazy. This place is only 40 miles from New York City and lots of folks come out here to the ¢country¢. It was a show for sure.We finally got off our duffs and hiked down to the town. The trail goes right through a Trail Museum, which is a pretty sad exhibition of animals you would find in the woods. A Bear, some vultures, other critters locked up in cages for city folk to look at. I couldn¢t get out of there quick enough. Finally out, we had grandpa pick us up and take us to his motel a couple miles away.Did our usual chores, got clean, ate at a BBQ jointed and got ice cream at grandpa¢s son¢s shop. Curly had ANOTHER banana split! We are much better in our heads today than yesterday. Thankful to be in this hotel room as rains are coming tonite with forecast of up to 2 inches! Supposed to rain all week so we are preparing for the worst. We are only 60 miles from Connecticut and 103 miles from Massachusetts. We should be there within the week depending on weather and terrain. We look forward to some terrain void of rocks...our understanding is that it won¢t be long!!
Date: 2018-07-22
From: Ft Montgomery 

To: Tentsite at mm 1419.4
Miles today: 15.2
Weather: light rain

So first Curly. She is gluten free which means no wheat, and more expensive! She carries her breakfast and daily snacks. Breakfast consists of a cup of coffee or tea, protein bar, maybe some gluten free oatmeal. Snacks are all gluten free: pretzels, flatbread, peanut butter, honey, chips, jerky, and candy. She likes chocolate M&M¢s with mint or peanut butter or caramel. She eats gummy bears also. If she finds gluten free cookies she will carry those as well. Glutino products are her favorite.Flex carries everything else. We eat gluten free dinners which consists of instant mashed potatoes, rice, quinoa, or soup. We will mix in tuna or chicken or spam, although Curly is over all that processed meat (I¢m not). We also mix instant soup in our potatoes, and add chips, Fritos or Doritos for crunch. In addition, we have found gluten free instant gravy (brown and turkey) which we love! Great flavor that transforms boring instant food. We are both tired of tortillas and I¢m over peanut butter sandwiches. Instead, I carry a brick of cheese and crackers which I¢ll eat in the late morning or early afternoon. Cheese will actually last about 3 days before it turns to oil, so we just eat it quickly. I eat Kind bars, Nature Valley bars, Clif bars, pretty much any kind of protein bars and in addition, will rotate Pop Tarts, Little Debbie snacks and Hostess Donuts (chocolate covered) depending on what¢s available. I don¢t eat anything for more than a week if I can help it, just so that I won¢t get sick of it. I eat 2 bars for breakfast and a couple more throughout the day. I will spread Nutella or peanut butter on bars to add some calories. At night after dinner, I always eat a little chocolate to end the day. In the morning I ALWAYS have one cup of instant coffee. At night I might flavor my water with lemonade powder. The one thing I try hard to do is not eat something to the point where I won¢t even look at it. That¢s where rotating foods helps so much.As you can see, there¢s a lot of junk in our menu. I¢m not proud of it, but it keeps us alive (at least for now). We both look forward to resuming a healthy nutritional lifestyle once we return.
Date: 2018-07-23
From: Tentsite mm 1419.4

To: RPH Shelter 
Miles today: 10.7

Today we did the unthinkable...we quit hiking ¢just because¢. We had 3 goals for the day. First, to hike to RPH Shelter and break. Second, to hike 5 more miles to Mountain Top Deli for our dinner. Third, hike 4 more miles to the shelter. We didn¢t get past goal number 1!Our morning was a tough morning because of the rain. We packed up a wet tent, and hiked in rain that was on and off all morning. Both of us have really struggled with our mental and physical energy lately, and this day was the toughest of them all. When we reached RPH Shelter about 1pm, there was an older gentleman sitting outside in the pavilion area, and as we took off our packs, the skies opened up and he said matter of fact, ¢you should stay here for the night.¢ I smiled and reminded him it was only 1pm, then he said, ¢you do know you can order Chinese or pizza from here and it will be delivered, right?¢ I could feel my will breaking. Then Curly spoke up, ¢oooh Chinese!¢ So...you can figure it what happens next - we quit (for the day).  We did take naps; we did eat Chinese takeout; and we didn¢t even feel too guilty about it. But best of all, the gentleman at the shelter was none other than Ralph Ferussi, the namesake for the shelter we were staying at! RPH Shelter stands for Ralph¢s Peak Hikers, and he is an AT legend in these parts. He has hiked 4000 miles of the AT and has maintained this section of NY since the early 80¢s. I was in lofty company, so I had to stay. Over the next hour, Ralph shared story after story of the trail and the small part he has played to make it so special.Eventually, he had to leave and we said our goodbyes, and as he left, other wet hikers trickled in. We ended up with a shelter completely full as well as 8 or 10 tents. Everyone was ordering food and we all had a great day. I¢m not one for doing such radical stuff like this, but this time I am glad I did!
Date: 2018-07-24
From: RPH Shelter 

To: Telephone Pioneers Shelter 
Miles today: 16.8

We finally drug ourselves away from the picnic table and continued what turned out to be a great afternoon of hiking. Pretty flat and nice trail, plus the rain held off for the afternoon. About 330pm we arrived at Nuclear Lake, this stunning lake with nothing but forest surrounding it. And this perfect location for sitting in front of the lake, or dare I say it...jump in? Squeaks was already there and in the water. I wanted to keep moving, only 3 miles to camp, and Curly was not so willing. The sun was hot...we were sweating like crazy...my will once again was breaking. Or could it be something else? Could I have been bitten by the Spontaneity Bug? That evil critter that ruins all type A planners and organizers? I don¢t know, all I know is that I succumbed. Packs hit the ground, so did clothes (mostly), and then the splash! It felt soooooo good. Refreshing, guilty pleasures like this will be distant memories soon enough. We enjoyed the wet and the sun that dried us afterwards.Once again, we pulled ourselves from the lake and completed our hike right around 530pm, quitting time. Leftovers from the deli was for dinner and we made the Shelter our home along with Squeaks and Penguin and Robin Hood. Falling asleep, I can¢t help but wonder what tomorrow will bring? I just hope I can stay on task!
Date: 2018-07-25
From: Telephone Pioneers Shelter 

To: NY Route 22
Miles today: 3.1
Weather: light rain

We woke up this morning ready for an 18 mile day to a campsite in Connecticut. That plan was to hike to NY Rt. 22, stop at a store for fuel for cooking and a Coke, then onward. The rain began the very moment we started hiking. Lightly at first, then progressing to harder and more intense. Umbrellas came out, shoes got soaked, and we were looking at a very wet day. Nothing we haven¢t experienced before mind you, but wet nonetheless. The terrain was easy if a bit slick, and we got to our first destination, a Garden Center that sells goodies to hikers, by 9am. Unfortunately, they didn¢t open till 10am, so we sat in the gazebo plotting our next move. That¢s when Squeaks calls the fabulous Karen, who just began a hostel this year, and within the half hour, our day of rain and pain was over! She picked us up, took us to her amazing place and we got cleaned up. Then we went to town, did our chores and have spent the rest of the day dry and relaxed.Folks, I just don¢t know what to make of this, it is so unlike me. This spontaneity is truly unbecoming, but oh so fun. Curly thinks it¢s hilarious, and the young hikers are like, ¢yeah, this is how we roll.¢ I¢m just trying my best to get to Katahdin before it gets cold. We will see.Tomorrow we are out the door and back on the trail. Food bags are full, clothes are clean, and we have the Connecticut state line in our sights. Who knows what pitfalls and Diversionary Tactics await?
Date: 2018-07-26
From: NY Rt 22

To: Bulls River Bridge
Miles today: 10.8
Weather: few clouds

One item I failed to mention over the last several days is that I popped another crown! The tooth right next to the crown I lost in Virginia came off about a week ago, only this time I placed the crown in a small baggie rather than back in my mouth. The plan was to see a dentist when we hit Massachusetts, thinking a family dentist that our relatives knew was a better option than me just googling one locally. Yeah, well, I was brushing my teeth this morning and was really disturbed at the discoloration of the ¢nub¢ the crown was attached to. So, rather than wait another week, I googled and called a local dentist who will see me tomorrow morning. Please disregard yesterday¢s journal entry where I stated unequivocally, ¢ we are hitting the trail and back on track.¢ Not so fast.Tonite we are staying at the awesome hostel we were at last night, and to make me feel a little better, we did get dropped off this morning at yesterday¢s pick up point and we hiked back to our hostel, which is just off the AT. So we did get 10.8 miles in for our trouble, AND we crossed state lines from NY to CT! 9 states down, 5 to go. Rain continues intermittently, so I don¢t feel too bad about staying dry another night. We also were greeted by the great state of CT with trail magic. At the first road crossing, Magic Jack, Rambo, and Julia were serving breakfast sandwiches and fruit and cold drinks. A great ¢how do you do?¢ For us new to this state. Curly T and I are most grateful for all the generosity displayed towards us and other thru hikers.I¢m not making any more predictions about tomorrow, just plan on rolling with the punches. Hopefully we will be on our way after I see the dentist!
Date: 2018-07-27
From: Bulls Bridge Rd

To: Mt Algo Shelter 
Miles today: 7.1

Curly T and I knew today was a bit of a wild card in terms of mileage, just because of my dental appointment in the morning. I was a little bit apprehensive going in to the dentist, concerned that there might be more of a problem than simply gluing a crown back on. Fortunately, the fix was simple, and Dr Mike took amazing care of me. He was really a great guy, and if I lived in Kent, he would definitely be my dentist. Thanks again Dr Mike for taking such great care of this thru hiker!With the crown back on, so was the hike. We got dropped at the trailhead just before noon and made our way down the trail. Rain was looming and with a pretty serious rock scramble coming up, the decision was made to just make it to the first shelter, a little over 7 miles from where we started, and save the scramble for tomorrow morning. The first couple miles seemed to be all up, and these short days most definitely make you ¢soft¢. And then the bottom fell out and the skies opened up! Thunder, lightning and torrential rain came down as we continued to climb higher and higher. I really hate feeling like we are chasing after thunder and lightning, and that is what it feels like when you are climbing in this kind of weather. But you have no other options, there is nowhere to go but wherever the trail takes you...which by now is a river. Finally, after about an hour, the rain let up and we were able to make time to the shelter.Per our usual routine, we are in the shelter because more rain is coming. Tonite it¢s 85% precipitation with more thunder and lightning. It¢s now a battle between us and the skeeters!Tomorrow morning first up is St John¢s Ledge, a rock scramble that is not very fun in bad weather. We are praying all that (bad weather) is behind us after tonite...the last thing we need first thing tomorrow is more stress caused by the treacherousness of the AT!
Date: 2018-07-28
From: My Algo Shelter 

To: Pine Swamp Brook Shelter 
Miles today: 17.3
Weather: broken clouds

We got up and out early because today we would be hiking down St John¢s Ledge, which has been described as a very dangerous descent even when the rocks are dry (which they weren¢t). Fortunately for us, the rocks were wet but not particularly slick, and two, the overstating of the severity of this descent was typical of hikers. Hikers love to blow things out of proportion and this was no different. The hike down was steep but not as bad as it was made out to be. After that, we were treated to a five mile stroll along the Housatonic River which was awesome! People were catching fish on the shoreline and the sun was shining on the river. It was a classic summer time scenario. It became more and more humid as the day wore on, which definitely took its toll on the two of us. We had a horrible time moving in the afternoon, so much that we ended our day 2.5 miles short of our intended stop. Then of course the rain came as it has so faithfully done over the past week. Seems like we can¢t go a day without rain. We just endure it, fortunately today¢s rain was a short one and not too demoralizing. It was simply a much longer day than we both expected...so dragging ourselves into camp at 645pm was about the way this day should have ended.Tomorrow we will hike 8.1 miles to Falls Village and then be picked up by some new friends for a day of rest, laundry and chores. I can¢t wait to meet Ann and John, they are good friends of Wade and Betsy Weaver, so I KNOW we will love these guys! I¢m excited about tomorrow and can¢t wait to meet them. A great ending to a very difficult day.
Date: 2018-07-30
From: Salisbury, CT

To: Laurel Ridge Campsite 
Miles today: 15.5
Weather: broken clouds

Curly T and I woke up this morning in the bliss known as John and Ann¢s home. Such a wonderful time with them and the Weavers. Alas, all things must eventually end and this visit was no exception. However, we concocted a plan to extend our time with them at least through lunch. The Bartram¢s are less than two minutes from the AT by foot, so we had them drop us off where we were picked up yesterday, and we would hike the 7.5 miles back to their house, then eat one last meal together, and THEN we would say our goodbyes. Curly slackpacked in the morning, I carried everything except for food bag (not sure what you call that), and we had a spectacular morning, energized by all the great food and fellowship over the past 24 hours. It really was a magnificent time!We arrived noon, ate and by 115pm we¢re saying our final goodbyes. Back on trail, we had two mountains to climb today, first up was Mt Prospect which we got up and over with no problem, and then late in the afternoon was Bear Mountain. Again, the hoopla concerning the descent was over sensationalized, and although it was super steep, the rocks were dry and we just took our time. Like the entire day, it was just good to be out there. Curly and I are convinced that all the healthy nutritious food our friends fed us with truly gave us an energy boost. We will remember that for future town visits.For me, the highlight of the day though was after descending Bear Mountain and entering Sage¢s Ravine. This ¢ravine¢ had a gorgeous stream flowing through it and the water cascaded over multiple little water falls and into these pools of still water that would have been great swimming holes if the day was right for that. The rocks were pitch black and the water was clear, giving off this eerily beautiful, yet spooky look. I was mesmerized by the water and if we had made enough miles up to that point, we would have made camp there. But we pressed on. Finally, about 630pm, we reached Laurel Ridge Campsite where we are now...oh yeah, and we are now in Massachusetts AND have crossed the 1500 mile mark! All in all, a pretty good day. Now we are snuggled into our tent hoping for another dry, yet cool evening.
Date: 2018-07-31
From: Laurel Ridge Campsite 

To: Great Barrington, MA
Miles today: 12.7
Weather: light rain

As a result of all this, we decided to spend the night in Great Barrington at the Community Center. They allow hikers to pitch their tents for free, and the location is nice because lots of food joints and grocery stores are within walking distance. Best of all, we reconnected with ¢One Step¢, which I¢ve really been looking forward to, and a hiking partner who has been with him for a couple weeks, ¢Autumn¢, a very sweet, beautiful young lady who is an absolute joy to be around. Bottom line is that although the day once again did not go as planned, but because of the people it was an outstanding day! We are Greek food for dinner and I consumed a pint of Ben and Jerry¢s ice cream for desert!We have adjusted our miles accordingly, and have pushed back our arrival in Dalton to Saturday rather than Friday. If we get to Dalton as hoped, we will hike out Sunday with our cousin Alyssa for the day, which will be awesome. Outside of crummy weather coming in tomorrow, we have lots to look forward to in the next couple of weeks. Stay tuned!