morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2014-06-30
From: Wildcat Shelter

To: Fingerboard Shelter
Miles today: 14.3
Weather: overcast clouds

I hiked 1 mile and wasn't able to walk normally because the bottom of my heels hurt. I guess I'm paying the price for wearing my boots with no insoles all yesterday. So I stopped and put my after market insoles in my boots and made the toe box as roomy as I could by loosening the laces. Walked the whole day with them in. It helped at first but by the end of the day I was really struggling to walk. I dragged butt all day. I've heard other hikers say that they haven't had any foot issues until the rocks in PA.   There were lots of caches of water at the road crossings left by trail angels. I was able to keep my platypus full the whole day and kept filling my 16 oz bottle from the caches. That was great since there's no water at the shelter and the nearest stream turned out to be a mud hole with frogs!    One trail magic was a God wink for sure! Muffins, bananas, apple juice and cheese. And water! Saut© and I sat there and ate a little of everything for lunch.    The hike was hard with rock scrambles and climbs! I thought I was the only one that was struggling but everyone that came to the shelter said the same thing. We went thru the lemon squeezer today and did a crazy climb that required taking my pack off and tossing it up ahead of me. It's not easy for a little old lady to toss a 28 pound pack anywhere, anytime but it's especially hard at the end of a long hard day of hiking!   I'm meeting more hikers that I haven't seen before because I'm slowing down a little. I'm the only one inside the shelter tonight and there are 5 tents set up around the shelter. I have to ration the rest of my water until morning when I'll get to a stream about a mile and a half from here.   By tomorrow, I will have hike 23 days with only 1 zero day so far! No wonder I'm so tired. I'm heading in to town and think I'll take a much needed break.
Date: 2014-07-01
From: Fingerboard Shelter

To: Fort Montgomery, NY
Miles today: 15.4

Woke up at 4:45 and decided to get up since I'm going to town today and I'm assuming that it's going to be another challenging day. AWOL said Vernon to Bear Mt would be tough and today I go over Bear Mt. We're suppose to get some views of the NYC skyline today!   This was a really nice stone shelter with grassy hills all around. The problem is there's no privy! Since the tents are scattered all over the place, it was a challenge to find a big boulder to hide behind first thing in the morning.    I managed to do a face plant right off the bat. The trail was the best (flat/dirt) I've seen for days yet I managed to trip on the only rock in sight! So I lunged forward (with momentum enhanced by my 28 pound backpack) face first down hill. My front tooth hit a tree root on the way down. Needless to say, I have a fat, bloody lip!! On the bright side, I didn't break any teeth or anything else for that matter. I will say I'm quite the sight these days with all my blisters, bruises, etc.    I was able to get water from a stream 1.5 miles into the day. Not a fan of having to ration water so I was happy to be able to fill my 2 liter platypus for the day. It's going to be a hot and humid day.    I was leap frogging with Puddin and Flounder most of the morning. We crossed over Palisades Parkway and were in the woods for about 10 minutes when all of a sudden we couldn't see any more white (AT) blazes. Flounder thought we were fine following the red dot trail but I got really uncomfortable with that! So I headed back to the last blaze I had seen and sure enough I saw the error of our ways! We missed the double white blaze that signals a change of direction. We were suppose to make a 90 degree turn at the top of the stone stairs....not at the bottom of the stairs! Only hiked one extra mile today! Glad I turned back when I did.    The views were great at the top of all the mountains I hiked over today but I never did see the NYC skyline because it was too hazy. The Hudson River Valley was a treat to see. And the hike up Bear Mt was a surprise. There were tons of stone stairs going up and down the mountain. There's a tower at the top but I didn't bother climbing it because the view of the city was lost in the haze.    I was beat by the time I got to the Bear Mt Inn. It reminds me of The Grove Park Inn in Asheville, NC. I called the motel where my mail drop was and asked to be shuttled the 2 miles. Love when they'll pick you up at the trail head to get your business. I got a milk shake at the inn while I waited for my ride. The motel is one of those cute old roadside places with only 5 rooms. Glad I made a reservation because they're full. And the price for this area is the best. I talked to Ronnie about doing a zero day to rest and he was fine with it.
Date: 2014-07-02
From: Fort Montgomery, NY

To: Zero day in Fort Montgomery, NY
Miles today: 0.0

I really needed to rest my feet and tired body and it's suppose to thunder and rain so staying here is the best plan. But it's still hard to sit still when I really want to move forward on the trail. And I feel so guilty spending so much money. NY isn't cheap!   I've spent hours on my AT Journal. Got it all up to date including photos with captions. So my time has been well spent.    About 4:30 the storm started in earnest and I'm SO glad I'm not out on the mountain!!! It's so intense, I don't even want to go to the restaurant across the street!!! Now I feel even better about my decision to stay put.
Date: 2014-07-03
From: Zero day in Fort Montgomery, NY

To: Zero day in Fort Montgomery, NY
Miles today: 0.0

Looks great outside now but the forecast is for another afternoon and night of thunder storms! Something about my experience with Tutu on Jane Bald last year has made me really cautious when lightening is in the air! Looking forward to getting back on the trail. In the meantime, I'll do my best to eat lots of delicious (non-trail) calories! Yummy.
Date: 2014-07-04
From: Zero day in Fort Montgomery, NY

To: Zero day in Fort Montgomery,NY
Miles today: 0.0

Now I'm officially down in the dumps! I'm staying here one more day. Hopefully I'll feel so great tomorrow I'll hike past the Spiritual Life Center where I had hoped to hike to today. Sitting around here is hard to do!   I hear another hiker, Grinder, who has been staying here is staying another day (today) because of the weather. I'm leaving at 7 in the morning. Maybe I'll meet him on the way back to the trail.    I used my time today to make phone calls and answer emails, etc. and I watched Living Below Zero (about living in Alaska) on National Geographic TV. Hummm....Could that be the next adventure?
Date: 2014-07-05
From: Zero day in Fort Montgomery,NY

To: Clarence Fahnestock State Park
Miles today: 20.2

I couldn't go thru the Bear Mountain zoo, also the lowest point on AT, because it didn't open until 10 am. Grinder and I had walked as far as the zoo gate then had to walk back to the Bear Mountain Inn to call Doug (the owner if the hotel) to give us a ride to the circle where we would have ended up if we would have been able to go through the zoo. So I guess I missed about 0.3 miles of the AT. We immediately crossed the Hudson River on Bear Mt Bridge. What a beautiful river valley! The surprise of the day was the Appalachian Deli at a fork in the road right on the trail! Toto, Grinder and me had pizza and soda for lunch. What a treat!!   When we got to the campground, We met Moto and the four of us were treated to trail magic supper. Fried egg sandwiches and soda made by Joe Cruz, daughter Jasmine and boyfriend Chris and 2 grand daughters 10 & 6 yo.    Turned out to be a noisy campground because it was right next to Rt 301. It was also a very long way off the trail and Mosquito infested! It was 9:30 before I was able to lay my head down. And it took forever to fall asleep. I really prefer the woods!
Date: 2014-07-06
From: Clarence Fahnestock State Park

To: Morgan Stewart Shelter
Miles today: 14.0

Stopped at the top of Shenandoah Mt for the view and painted on a rock is a 911 Flag Memorial. We're pretty close to NYC here so I wonder if they were able to see the smoke from here.    I made it to RPH Shelter by 9am so I took a snack break with Grinder. There's a water pump here with a sign that says to treat it due to the presence of coliform bacteria. Yikes... admitting you have poopy water!!!!   We hitched into Stormville, NY for a slice of Sicilian pizza and Ruby Red grapefruit juice. It's now official! I'm honest to goodness hiker trash! I asked if there was a bathroom where I could wash my hands at the pizza house and I was told there's no public bathroom but I could wash my hands outside with the hose. Then this local couple came in and the girl asked if there was a Bathroom and they said yes and pointed to the door marked private. I was outside washing my hands at the hose when this was going on so Grinder told me about it when I came back in. So there you have it. Hiker trash is not welcomed in their bathroom. Hummmm. Good thing I have thick skin!   Short hike day today.... I'm gonna give the dogs a break. Made it to the shelter and the Mosquitos attacked so I set up my tent pronto, got my water from a hand pump with a sign that mentioned more coliform bacteria and got right into my tent. Grinder, Vagabond, Toto, Moto, Dog and Eastwood showed up too.
Date: 2014-07-07
From: Morgan Stewart Shelter

To: Ten Mile River Shelter
Miles today: 20.6
Weather: scattered clouds

What a beautiful day! The trail was so nice with dirt and very few rocks or roots. Took lots of photos. Started hiking early because we're expecting rain at 4.    Crossed over a really nice footbridge before gating to the Appalachian Trail Railroad Station. The train goes to NYC on the weekends. Grinder and I were sitting on the bench when the train FLEW by. It was so fast and loud it was scary!   I ate my PB sammie at the landscape business right next to the train bench. Got to wash my hair in their bathroom sink. Felt good for about a half hour...then I started hiking and sweating all over again. My clothes all have salt lines from sweating so much. Probably won't be able to shower or wash clothes until Thursday.    I got to Wiley Shelter by 3:30 and set up my tent in the shelter due to the Mosquito population! The place was a real dump with lots of empty soda and beer cans and trash in the fire pit (probably because it's so close to the road). Grinder showed up at 4:30 and said he was going to the next shelter since it was so early. I decided to join him because it was only 4 miles away and some other hikers said it's really nice.    Got to the shelter in good time in spite of the fact that there was a 600 foot gain in altitude! And we crossed over into CT! Woohoo! Another state done. There were 2 very large youth groups already set up in tents around the shelter. But no one was in the shelter so I set up my tent to avoid being eaten alive by the Mosquitos. Yes, I use insect repellant but it doesn't work that well. Within 45 minutes, it started thundering and pouring!! I'm always glad to be inside when that happens. So I was comfy and I was eating my favorite supper...wild rice. And some thru-hikers gave me a can of beer! Perfect ending to a perfect day!    It thundered and rained most of the night. And the lightening bugs put on a beautiful dance in the field in front of the shelter. I wish I had the sense to video tape it!
Date: 2014-07-08
From: Ten Mile River Shelter

To: Silver Hill Camp Site
Miles today: 19.0

It took me 6 hours to do 8 miles. CT isn't so easy after all!!! Grinder went out to breakfast in one town and to lunch in Kent. He's all about the food! He went to the Outfitters for a head net and the owner said this is the hardest section of the AT in CT.    The bugs along the Housatonic River were the worst I've ever seen! I didn't even stop for a drink for the entire 4 miles because the bugs were so bad. I didn't even consider the shelter or camp sites along the river. Needless to say, I put on more miles than expected. Worked out well because Silver Hill was at the top of the mountain with views, a swing and a pavilion that 3 of us put our tents under. Perfect since it thundered and rained during the night.    It was so hot and humid all day so all of my clothes were soaking wet including my socks. So now I have sock rash on both my heels! Bummer!! Hope this old body can hold up. I still have 338.6 miles to go!
Date: 2014-07-09
From: Silver Hill Camp Site

To: Limestone Spring Shelter
Miles today: 19.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Another very slow morning with lots of PUD's (pointless up and downs). Right off the bat we had to cross Guinea Brook in Cornwall Bridge, CT. It has a high water detour that's about a mile of road walking which I would rather avoid. So Grinder and I decided to check out the water level since it's rained hard the past 2 nights. It was neither low nor slow but I decided to take off my boots and socks and roll up my pant legs to ford it. It was a slow crossing but all went well. Grinder followed after he saw that it went OK. I never saw him again during the day after he made it across.    I decided to stop at Pine Swamp Brook Shelter for an early lunch since the hiker hunger has set in! I met Pit Stop...named for his frequent stops for breaks. He's from FL and sold his landscape business. He's hoping to figure out what his next career should be while he's hiking. There's a lot of that going on on the AT!    After lunch, I used my iPod for the rest of the day since I'm not getting miles done as fast as I'd like. The music really helps my pace!    I decided not to stop in Falls Village, CT. I could camp for free at the Toymakers Cafe but he's closed on Wednesday so there's no place to get water or a bathroom. So I hiked on another 4 miles to the shelter and quickly wondered if I had made a poor decision. The wind picked up and it started to sprinkle and I could hear thunder. So off came the iPod and on went my pack rain cover. I figured I should listen to the thunder to play it safe. I made it to the shelter, got my tent set up inside to keep the Mosquitos at bay, got my water purified and ate supper. I put my food bag in the bear box and started journaling when all hell broke loose. What a storm!! The shelter has a metal roof so it's going to be a noisy night. But I'm not complaining! I've managed to be inside every night when it's rained!!! Thank You Lord!   Once I finished my journaling, I looked behind me and found rain drops on my sleeping bag! The metal roof was leaking and it was dripping thru the mesh roof of my tent. So I had to put my rain fly on my tent in the shelter to keep me dry! The rain continued off and on all night. I even heard 2 very loud thuds in the woods during the night and expect either big branches or possibly trees fell over due to the steep pitch of the land, shallow root systems and really wet dirt!
Date: 2014-07-10
From: Limestone Spring Shelter

To: Salisbury,CT
Miles today: 4.1

The 0.5 mile hike uphill back to the AT only took 20 minutes. Not bad considering how steep and rocky and wet the trail was!    Salisbury is a quaint little New England town with big old houses and stone walls. It was easy to get a ride into town. I can't tell you why, but I felt safe. The first place I went to was the Country Bistro for a delicious egg and cheese sammie! One of the waitresses,Holly, was so friendly. When I asked if there was a laundromat in town, she said no but suggested I stay at Marie's where I could shower and get my laundry done. Holly even called Maria to be sure she had a room for me then drove me to the house after I did my food resupply at the market next door. Maria was equally kind. I got a shower and some "hiker clothes" to wear while all of mine were being washed. Grinder showed up so Maria took us both to the laundromat in the next town after Grinder had a chance to take a shower.    Once the laundry was done and I was wearing my own clothes again, I walked to the town center to the outfitters hoping to buy some new (not wool) socks, gaiters, and fuel. I was disappointed that the only thing they had was the fuel! So I went to the pharmacy to get neosporin and band aids. My spirits were low because I had high expectations at the outfitters so to change my bad-attude, I got my hair cut. This time it came out much better for trail wear! Mighty short but it works.    I bought food for supper and ran into Holly, the waitress from the bistro, and she gave me a ride back to the house. Very hiker friendly town!   I charged my phone and iPod, updated my AT Journal and made lots of phone calls. Grinder and I have a loose plan to hike together till he gets to Dalton, MA where he gets off the trail to go home. The spacing of shelters and tent sites is really poor for us 18 milers a day types so it's hard to come up with a good/solid plan.    In the morning, I get to cook breakfast because Maria isn't licensed to cook for her guests and she wants us to head out well fed! What a sweetie!
Date: 2014-07-11
From: Salisbury,CT

To: Zero Day in CT
Miles today: 0.0

My right knee is still painful and slightly swollen and my pitiful feet are still raw. And I discovered that my 2 liter platypus water bag has a serious leak. So I've made the decision to take a couple of days off to heal and to get to an outfitters to replace socks, get some gaiters to keep trail debris out of my boots and buy a new platypus. I called my niece, Heather (aka Tutu) to see if she has time to pick me up for a weekend at her house. Turns out she's happy to help and there's a birthday party this weekend so I'll be able to see the whole family! And there's an REI near her home. What a blessing! I only have 315.5 miles left of this 2,185.3 mile journey so it only makes sense to take the time to heal now so I can finish well.    Grinder left without me this morning. It was a strange feeling to watch him walk away knowing I'll never see him again. As the saying goes, people come into your life for a reason, a season, or for life. All the people I meet on the trail will be in the season category. But I hope some are also with me for a reason....I hope that our meeting will have benefitted us both in some special way.
Date: 2014-07-12
To: Off the trail in MA
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

Woke up at 6:30... late for me. My knee hurts even more this morning! And my feet and ankles are so swollen. It seems like I'm going backwards! So more Vitamin I and ice are my plan for the day.   Heather, the kids and I went to her gardening job at Peggy's house after breakfast. Nicely landscaped place with a pool. I went for a swim and the cool water helped with the swelling. I decided this would be a great place to check out where the leak is in my sleeping pad so I put it in the pool. I was right...it was leaking from both rubber seals.    After gardening, we went to REI and I returned my 3 pairs of smart wool socks and my platypus. My sleeping pad was out of stock so they called another REI nearby and put one on hold for me to pick up tomorrow. I bought 2 pair of silk sock liners and 2 different pairs of hiking socks. Hopefully some combination will be perfect for the rest of my hike!   We finally got to the birthday party at 4. We had so much fun, we stayed until midnight!
Date: 2014-07-13
To: Off the trail in MA
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

Woke up at 7:30 to a little girl making lots of strange sounds in her yard....I guess her parents put her out there so they could sleep.    We went to Dunkin Donuts (yummy) then to REI to exchange my sleeping pad and I bought some gaiters for my boots. I don't think they'll stay on but I'll give them a try. Heather took all the kids swimming while I stayed home and did the laundry, iced my knee and made phone calls. My brother in NH wants to pick me up so I can visit them while I rest my knee. You know what they say about fish and company....they both stink after 3 days! So I'll consider moving on and resting my fat feet and my knee in NH. Sure looking forward to getting back on the trail!
Date: 2014-07-14
To: Off the trail in NH
Miles today: 0.0

I'm beginning to wonder if I've torn the meniscus in my right knee. There's a familiar sharp pain when my knee is in certain positions that reminds me of the pain I had when I tore the meniscus in my left knee in 2007. All of the abraded areas on my feet are improving thanks to generous applications of neosporin. And the bruise on my left shin looks better, too.      Plan B is kicking in today. My brother George and his wife Patty are picking me up at Heather's house tonight after George gets home from work. I'll spend some time with them while I rest my knee.
Date: 2014-07-15
To: Off the trail in NH
Miles today: 0.0

Called my insurance company to see where I can go to have my knee checked out. Just want to make sure it's in network! So I ended up at St Joe's ER in Nashua, NH. Nothing but bone spurs noted on the X-ray of my knee. So rest, ice and elevating my feet to decrease swelling is the plan for the rest of the week.    I have an appointment with an orthopedic Dr for next week if it isn't improving and will probably have an MRI.    Sitting around is hard to do but I really want to finish the last 315 miles....so I'll sit. At least for now.
Date: 2014-07-16
To: Off the trail in NH
Miles today: 0.0

My knee hurt slightly less when I got out of bed which is a good sign. My sister-in-law, Patty, had a dentist appointment so I tagged along. We went to Good Will afterward so I could buy some "town clothes" that I'll send home when I'm ready to hike again.We stopped for a few groceries and I picked up some hard cider. Seemed like a good idea since sitting around is hard to do! ;D
Date: 2014-07-21
To: Going home
Miles today: 0.0

Well, it's official....I'm off the trail and in NC at my daughters house. I'll be heading back to my home tomorrow. It looks like my knee is going to need a few weeks to heal and there's no place like home to rest up. I'm very hopeful that I'll be able to get back on the AT this summer and finish the last 315 miles. So close yet so far.....
Date: 2014-08-22
To: Ready
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: scattered clouds

I'm happy to report that I'll be heading back to Salisbury, CT to finish my hike. Only 315 miles to go... a drop in the (AT) bucket! I've been following the journals of the Nobo thru hikers that I met along the way this summer and some of them have already reached Katahdin. I'm always excited for all the hikers that make it all the way. One hiker I met said most thru hikers are really section hikers.... they just don't know it yet. They end up running out of money or get sick or injured and have to get off the trail. It's so disappointing to have to toss in the towel. But it is what it is. That's why my signature is "May the odds be ever in your favor". We never know when we start out what the end will be. So as I head out again, I still have to wonder if I'll make it. I'm gonna give it my best shot and enjoy the journey along the way.