morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2012-07-11
From: High Point Shelter

To: NJ 94, Vernon
Miles today: 18.9

Day 111: Last night, it rained a little bit, but it was soothing to listen to inside the tent. SilverGirl slept just so so, but I slept very well. We rise at 5:00 this morning to get an early start on the trail. Our plan is to hike 19 miles today to NJ 94 in Vernon, where we will be picked up and driven to Antons by the Lake in Greenwood Lake, NY. By 6:25, SilverGirl, Sparky, and I are on the trail. Trail conditions are much smoother this morning as we walk along fairly flat terrain and cross many roads. At about 10;30, we reach the Wallkill Reserve, a large wildlife refuge, where rhe trail winds all the way around the perimeter of the refuge. We see many herons, geese, and ducks in the shallow flood plains of the reserve as we walk for the next 1/2 hour around the perimeter under a hot sun. Reaching the woods again, we climb up to Pochuck Shelter for our lunch break. About 2/3 of the way up, there is a short side trail to an abandoned house where hikers are still allowed to get water from a working spigot on the side of the house. While we eat lunch on the picnic table at the shelter, I take off my boots to air out my feet and let the sweat dry on my socks. From the shelter, we only have another 6.5 miles to go to get to NJ 94 and most of it is down hill. We cross NJ 517 after a few miles and begin a long pretty walk over a swampy section of flat lowland. Over this 1+ mile section, we walk along a pressure treated boardwalk that was constructed by the NPS about 12 years ago. Near the end of the boardwalk, there is a nice suspension bridge that crosses Pochuck Creek. After we leave the boardwalk, we run into trail magic at Wawayanda Creek. Bob and Esther, trail maintainers who helped build the long boardwalk are here and povide us with sodas and candy bars. They are very nice to talk to and they tell us a lot about the trail in this area. From here, we only have less than a mile to walk before we reach NJ 94. Matt, from Antons, is there waiting for us when we arrive. The drive to Greenwood Lake takes about 20 minutes. We get checked into our room, shower, and do a load of wash before making the short walk into town with Sparky for dinner at Murphy's Grill. After dinner, we call our daughter, Molly, to start working out a plan for her to pick us in Cornwall Bridge, CT next Friday night, the 20th. She will bring us back home for the weekend, where we will spend a couple of days and attend a wedding on the 21st. We are so looking forward to seeing her and spending a couple of days at home. Tomorrow, we will spend another day here in Geenwood Lake before returning to the trail on Friday, when we will cross over into NY. The states are going by fast now as we get close to New England!
Date: 2012-07-12
From: NJ 94, Vernon

To: Greenwood Lake, NY
Miles today: 0.0

Day 112:A nice, relaxing day here today at Antons By The Lake in Greenwood Lake, NY. We have not officially hiked across the state line into New York yet, but we are so close that when we resume hiking tomorrow, we will cross over within a few miles. SilverGirl and I slept in this morning, resting our tired feet. After a short excursion into town for breakfast and to the Post Office, we rested some more in our room. We have walked 1350 miles to get to this point, and we have to admit that we are feeling it. Coming this far has been quite a feat in itself, but knowing we still have another 800+ miles to go is a little hard to absorb sometimes. We need a rest, and that's what we're going to do when we reach Cornwall Bridge, CT a week from tomorrow. Our daughter will pick us up there that evening and drive us 2 hours back to our house in Charlton, MA, where we are planning to take 3-4 days off to give our bodies and our spirits a much needed break. Tomorrow, we will rise early and walk into town for breakfast. We will then be driven back to NJ 94 in Vernon to resme our trek north. Our plan is to hike about 17 miles, crossing into New York - state #9.
Date: 2012-07-13
From: NJ 94, Vernon

To: Wildcat Shelter
Miles today: 17.1
Weather: overcast clouds

Day 113: Sparky, SilverGirl, and I walk into town at 7:15 this morning for breakfast at the Buzz Cafe before being returned to the trailhead at 9:00 by Matt, the owner of Antons. Our hike starts with a very steep climb up Wawayanda Mt. Thankfully, the day is overcast, otherwise we'd be broiling in the heat on all of the open ledges that we pass over. At 5 miles, we stop in at Wawayanda State Park, where we are able to get water, use the restrooms, and eat lunch at a shaded picnic table. After lunch, the trail becomes more difficult, as it skirts the open ledges up over Greenwood Lake. At times, we hike hand over hand up and down seemingly endless sections of open ledge. Late in the afternoon, we reach Rt 17A, where we walk down the road 0.3 miles to the Bellvale Creamery for some well deserved homemade ice cream. Returning to the trail, we walk our final 2 miles to the Wildcat Shelter, arriving at 6:30. It has been a very long, hard day and we are relieved to finally be in camp. We slap away at mosquitos as we eat dinner and watch the daylight slowly fade into dusk. We clean up our dinner dishes, brush our teeth, and settle into our tent for the night. Good night. Too tired to write anything more.
Date: 2012-07-14
From: Wildcat Shelter

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

Day 114: A super hard day today. We get started a little late this morning, not rising until 6:30. The first couple of miles on the trail this morning are fairly flat and we move right along. Then the fun begins. We break out onto open ledge after open ledge, with each one going steeply up before dropping steeply back down. Over and over we do this before stopping for an early lunch on a nice grassy spot with a big rock backrest. We are tempted to nap here after finishing lunch. Sparky hangs back to call his wife as SilverGirl and I move on. From here on, the trail just seems to get harder and harder, as we make one steep climb after another up over rocky ledges. The terrain now is markedly different from what we saw in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. We are now hiking over large slabs of granite that make numerous climbs and descents very challenging. Make no mistake, the AT in New York is hard, much harder than we anticipated. As the sun beats down on us, our pace gets slower and slower. Thankfully, we find 3 separate caches of water jugs during the day that have been placed out on the trail for hikers. The springs and streams in this whole area are all dry, so if it weren't for the kindness od local people, we would be having real problems getting water. Making a hellish 1/2 mile descent down towards I 87, we stop just short of the road where we find some protein bars, soda, and water. We take a much needed break here. Crossing I 87, we enter Harriman State Park and resume climbing and descending. At about 4:15, SilverGirl and I find a meager water source about 0.7 miles from the shelter, so we stop here to cook and eat dinner. We do not expect to find any water at the the Fingerboard Shelter, so we take advantage of this spot before moving on. Reaching the shelter at 5:00, we set up our tent on a nice grassy spot beside the shelter. Sparky, Lobster, and Chickadee arrive shortly after and set up beside us. Tomorrow, we plan to hike at least to Ft. Montgomery, about 15 miles up the trail.
Date: 2012-07-15
From: Fingerboard Shelter

To: Hemlock Springs Campsite
Miles today: 17.6
Weather: overcast clouds

Day 115: Sparky, SilverGirl, and I are up at 5:00 this morning and on the trail at 5:50. The day is overcast and extremely humid. It does not take long for the sweat to drench our clothes. At 1 mile, we make a quick stop at Lake Tiorati for water and vending machine sodas. We also eat our breakfast there. Midway through the morning, we catch up with Lobster and Chickadee. The five of us cross busy Palisades Parkway together at about 9:30. At 11:00, we all stop on the summit of West Mt for lunch, where we have a great view of Bear Mt across the way about 3 miles away. When we reach the summit of Bear Mt, we are drenched with sweat and in need of fluids. There are vending machines here and we buy several much needed sodas and Poweraids.  Before heading down, we climb the observation tower, where we get hazy views in all directions. On a clear day, you can see NYC from here, but not today. The walk down off of Bear Mt is a joy, with nicely groomed trail all the way down to the Bear Mt Recreation Area. When we arrive here, we stop at the concession stand and buy some hot dogs and more drinks. There are many people here today near the water trying to beat the heat. Moving on, we walk right through the Bear Mt Zoo. It's weird seeing all of the animals in captivity when for the last 4 months we have seen only wild animals. Crossing the Hudson River, it begins to rain a bit as thunderstorms brew all around us. While we climb Anthony's Nose on the east side of the river, light rain falls on us, but it feels so good after sweating so profusely all day. Arrving at camp at about 4:30, we quickly set up the tent during a lull in the rain. Soon, the sun comes back out, so we cook dinner and get all of our night time chores done just as another, more severe line of thunderstorms approach. We are hunkered down in the tent now waiting for the storm to hit. Lightening is starting to flash all around us. Time to go.
Date: 2012-07-16
From: Hemlock Springs Campsite

To: Clarence Fahnestock State Park
Miles today: 18.0

Day 116: Another very hot day today - 90s and very humid. We get up early this morning to try to beat some of the heat and because we have a long day in store. By 8:00, we have covered 3.5 miles and break out of the woods at the Appalachian Market & Deli. Stopping here for breakfast, we enjoy a couple of delicious egg wraps and drinks. Sparky sees an EMT go into the store, so he asks him to check the nasty looking sore that he has on the back of his left leg. The EMT says that it might be a spider bite and that he should get it treated. Sparky has the EMT call an ambulance to take him to the hospital to have it checked and treated. We are sorry to see him leave us in an ambulance, but he has to get this sore checked and treated. It is really beginning to look nasty. As SilverGirl and I move on after breakfast, we pass by the entrance to the Graymoor Spiritual Center, but we don't stop in. The hiking is hot today, and we are dripping in sweat as we climb ro the top of Canopus Hill for an early lunch in the shade. By mid afternoon, we reach Dennytown Rd, where there is a potable water spicket on the side of a pump house. I put my head under the faucet and let the cool water run over my head for a minute. Breeze and Joe Four arrive shortly after and do the same thing. From here we have about another 3+ miles to get to the beginning of Clarence Fahnestock State Park, where we plan to stay tonight. It seems to take forever to get there as we again become soaked in sweat. Reaching the park at Rt 301, we cross the road and follow the signs on trees, which direct us to walk to the other end of the lake, about 2+ miles further up the trail. It is rocky and rooty as we walk this section parallel to Lake Canopus, but finally we make it to the other end at about 5:00. From here, we walk another 3/4 of a mile along the park roads before finally reaching our campsite in the park. As I sit cooking dinner while SilverGirl showers, a man walks into my campsite claiming it is his site. I apologize, thinking I've made a mistake, but then he cracks into a big smile and tells my he's joking and invites us to come over to his campsite for dinner. He continues on, walking around the park, looking for other hikers to feed. Again, we stumble into trail magic out here as we have so many other times. Beeeze and Joe Four also are invited to dinner there and we enjoy hot dogs and cold soda together with our host, Joe, his daughter Jasmine, and son, Chris. Getting back to the campsite, Sparky walks in at 8:30 along with Lobster and Chickadee. Sparky has been given medication for Lymes Disease. We hope that it works quickly because the back of his knee continues to look worse. Tomorrow, we are planning a 15 mile day to get to the Morgan Stuart Shelter. We are getting close to CT and getting very excited about being in New England and getting picked up by our daughter Friday evening.
Date: 2012-07-17
From: Clarence Fahnestock State Park

To: NY 22, Mountain Top Deli
Miles today: 10.1

Day 117: SilverGirl and I sleep in a little later this morning after yesterday's grueling march through the heat. Today promises to be more of the same as the sun and the temperature rise together. Sparky's wife is flying out from Arizona today to be with him and make sure that he gets the proper care and treatment for the sore on the back of his leg. Today, it looks even worse than yesterday. He needs to get back to a hospital. SilverGirl and I start off at about 8:00 this morning. The temperature and humidity levels rise very quickly, and again we are soaked in sweat in no time. The shade of the woods helps and the terrain is easy, but it is not enough to keep us cool. During the morning, we pass up over Shenandoah Mt, where there is a 911 memorial flag painted on the rock. We hope people never forget the tragedy of that day and not take for granted the freedoms that we enjoy in this country. At noon, we arrive at a nice ledge on the side of Hosner Mt, where we plop ourselves down for lunch under rhe shade of the trees. To our west, we look out over a vast panoramic view of the New York countryside and the Taconic State Parkway in the distance. From here, we have about 3 miles to go to get to NY 52, where we plan to walk up the road for 4/10 of a mile to a deli for some dinner food. After a sweat drenching climb up a long hill, we finally descend to the road and walk to the Mountaintop Market Deli. We start with some ice cream and drinks and then go back in to order some subs for dinner. As we pay for our food and get ready to leave, the store manager tells us that we can camp out back if we want to. We look at eachother and the decision is made. We were planning a shorter day tomorrow, but instead, we cut today short. We are hot and tired, so it's a big relief to us to be able to camp here tonight.  Sparky shows up here unexpectedly at about 4:30. His wife, Janet, will pick him up here in a little while. We are worried about his leg - it looks terribly infected. Janet arrives a little before 6:00 and wisks him away, hopefully straight to a hospital. Tomorrow, we will hike to the Appalachian Trail Railroad Station at NY 22. There is a hiker friendly Landscape and Garden Center there, where we plan to camp and shower for our last night in NY. On Thursday, we enter CT!
Date: 2012-07-18
From: NY 22, Mountain Top Deli

To: NY 22, Appalachian Trail Rail Station
Miles today: 14.8

Day 118: Last night, we roasted inside the tent all night long. It seems as though it has been so hot and humid for so long. This morning, we rise to another very hot and humid day. As we sit at the deli picnic table for breakfast, the temperature is already well into the 80s and the humidity is oppressive. We walk the 4/10 of a mile back to the trailhead and are on our way by 7:30. The terrain is easy today and we cover miles quickly, despite the oppressive humidity, which makes it hard to breathe. For lunch, we stop at the north end of Nuclear Lake, where we find a nice log to sit on as a beeze blows on us from across the lake. As we get to within 2-1/2 miles of our destination, we begin to hear distant rumbles of thunder. The race is on for us to get to NY 22 and the Native Laandscaping and Garden Center there, which is where we plan to camp for the night. Thankfully, we beat the storm by about an hour. As I finish my shower and come back outside, the thunderstorm is in full fury, with lightning slashing across the sky accompanied by booming thunderclaps. We are happy to be under the shelter of the porch at the landscaping center. After the storm clears, SilverGirl, Breeze, and I walk 6/10 of a mile up the road to Tony's Deli for some dinner and lunches to carry with us for the next couple of days. While we eat outside the deli, we hear another round of thunderstorms approaching, so we quickly stuff our half finished meals into a bag and hightail it back to the landscaping center. This round of storms is much tamer than the first and it moves through quickly, leaving partly cloudy, but still very muggy air in its wake. We set up our tent down a ways from the business. We have the noise of NY 22 on one side of us and a railroad track 20 yards away on the other side. The train has already come by about five times since we set our tent up. This does not bode well for a good nights sleep, but we'll make the best of it. With us here tonight are Breeze, Lobster, and Chickadee. Tomorrow, we enter Connecticut, and then on Friday evening we get picked up by our daughter, Molly, for a much needed rest at home in Massachusetts for a few days.
Date: 2012-07-19
From: NY 22, Appalachian Trail Rail Station

To: Schaghticoke Mt Campsite
Miles today: 15.1
Weather: overcast clouds

Day 119: As expected, we got hardly any sleep last night. We were camped alongside Native Landscape and Garden Center on NY 22. Twenty yards to one side of us was the busy highway and twenty yards to the other side were the railroad tracks. The train must have come roaring by no less than a dozen times while we were camped there, buffeting our rain fly in its wake as it passed. The morning dawns very cloudy and extremely muggy. It could rain at any moment, but it does not. As we get out of our tent, we talk with Breeze, who is also up early. He informs us that he has to leave the trail today because of family issues back home. He does not know if he will return to the trail or not. So many of our fellow hikers have left the trail since we started. We leave the Garden Center at about 8:00, crossing the road and entering into a nice stretch of open fields. Crossing over a wooden stile, we admire an old wooden water tower up on the hill. Moving into the woods, the trail is fairly easy as we walk the last few miles of New York. At 10:30, we reach the NY/CT border and give eachother a high five. We are back in New England! We still have a long ways to go before we reach Mt Katahdin, but this is a big psychological boosr for us. When we reach the top of Ten Mile Hill, we stop for lunch on a log by the side of the trail. The sun begins to come out as we finish our lunches. Descending Ten Mile Hill, we soon reach Ten Mile River. Walking alongside the river for the next half hour, we look down at many nice swimming holes and riverside spots where one can just sit and admire the beauty that surrounds. Climbing up and away from the river, we walk along some open ledges where we get some nice views of the countryside below. At one spot, we encounter a group of college students from Western Connecticut College who have hiked up here to fulfill an outdoor education class assignment. I wish I had a class like that when I was in college! By 3:30, we reach our destination for the day at the Schaghticoke Mt Campsite. It's a pretty spot and we are alone here until about 8:00pm, when a few other hikers arrive. Tomorrow, we hike into Cornwall Bridge, where our daughter, Molly, will pick us up and bring us home for a few days of much needed rest. We are happy to be back in New England, where we are more familiar with our surroundings and closer to family, friends, and home.
Date: 2012-07-20
From: Schaghticoke Mt Campsite

To: CT 4, Cornwall Bridge
Miles today: 14.4

Day 120: As we wake this morning, excited about hiking into Cornwall Bridge to be picked up by our daughter, we hear the patter of steady rain on our rain fly. Mother Nature is not going to allow us an easy day before we go home. Packing up everything wet, we hit the trail at just after 8:00. The trail is slippery today as we climb up and down many steep, rocky hills. We are trying to get into Cornwall Bridge by 4:00pm, but the going is slow in many spots. We both fall during the descents over steep, slippery rocks, but only our pride is hurt. The rain continues steadily as we finally push on past the steep climbs and descents and begin a long, flat walk beside the Hoosatonic River. We reach the Stewart Hollow Brook Shelter at about 1:15 and stop there for lunch. The shelter is crowded with several other hikers who are taking refuge from the rain. After one more long climb, SilverGirl and I reach CT 4 at 3:30 and walk the mile into town. Our rendezvous point with our daughter is the Cornwall Package Store. We drop our packs outside and walk in for our free bottle of beer, which the store gives to all thru-hikers who come in and sign their register. Molly arrives at about 4:45. We are so happy and excited to see her. I drive as we start for home, and wow, does it feel weird to drive after 4 months of walking in the woods. It's almost like being on a carnival ride. Getting home at 7:00, we walk into our house. It is wonderful to walk around from room to room, but things seem oddly strange, like we have been away for 50 years. After a quick shower, we go out to Papa Ginos for pizza with Molly and Dave. Later, we finally settle into the comfort of our own bed. It feels like heaven! We will stay home for 3 days (our plan anyway), and return to the trail on Tues, the 24th.
Date: 2012-07-24
From: CT 4, Cornwall Bridge

To: Stealth Site Near Falls Village
Miles today: 14.9

Day 124: After 3 wonderful days off at home, we are back on the trail. We were wondering how we'd feel about getting back on the trail after being home for 3 days, but it was not a problem. Our time at home allowed us to rest our bodies and minds, visit with family and friends, and just forget about the trail for a few days. This morning, we felt ready to get back to business. Our good friend, Buff, picks us up at 6:30 and drives us 2-1/2 hours back down to Cornwall Bridge, where we left off last Friday. Thanks, Buff. You're the best! By 9:00, we are back on the trail. The morning is sunny and very humid. We quickly break into a profuse sweat as we hike over rolling, but not difficult, terrain. There isn't much to see for most of the day as we spend most of our time under the trees as we walk. The gnats, mosquitos, and horse flies are all over us, and we are forced to don our bug nets for awhile. Stopping at Pine Swamp Brook Shelter for lunch, we spend about 45 minutes there resting and enjoying our lunch, especially the home made brownies that Buff's wife, Cindy, made for us. Thanks, Cindy. They are yummy! By 4:00, we reach Water Street in Falls Village, and walk over to the Toymakers Cafe, where our guide book says the owners allow hikers to camp for free. The cafe is closed, however, and nobodyanswers our knocks on the door, so we leave. We walk over to the Hydro Plant down the road and get water there from the spigot on the side of the building. Our feet are getting very tired by now, so we start looking for a place to put down our tent. We wind up walking a little further north on the AT to a flat spot we find by the side of the trail. Close by are some beautiful waterfalls that serve as a swimmng hole for many local teens. Tomorrow, we hike into Massachusetts near the end of the day. Our feet are sore after our first day back on the trail, but hopefully they will feel better as we get back into the swing of things a little more. Massachusetts, here we come.