morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2017-06-05
From: Bear Mountain Bridge Motel

To: Graymoor Spiritual Life Center Picnic Pavilion
Miles today: 6.4
Weather: light rain

Before getting into today, a humorous story about yesterday.  Just as I was approaching Fort Montgomery in the rain, wearing my pack of course, I got to a convenience store where I stopped to get directions to the motel.  As background, this town is a just a couple miles from the military academy at West Point who were our arch-rivals at Navy.  The store had a large mural of the West Point emblem on it.  Well, there was no place to set my pack down outside that was not in the rain, and I only wanted to ask a quick question in any case, so I kept the pack on to enter the store.  Big mistake.  Wouldn't you know it: just inside the door was a rack filled with hundreds of picture postcards of the academy and the cadets.  My pack nudged the rack and over it went, spilling every single card on the floor.  As I picked them all up one-by-one and put them back in the rack, I had a great laugh about how I had just destroyed Army.  Take that, you Woo Poos!  Made the long walk in the rain worth every step.Breakfast today was an experience.  100 yards from the motel is a deli/cafe in a former motorcycle dealership.  The owner is Perry, a man with a great New York accent.  He clearly loves to cook (and eat his cooking), and he has a lot of atmosphere in his place.  As Medicine Man and I ate, a stream of locals stopped by for coffee and deli sandwiches for the day at work.  Lots of banter.Right off the bat the trail crosses the Hudson River on the Bear Mountain Bridge, built in 1924 and at that time the world's longest suspension bridge.  That is the lowest point of elevation on the entire trail which means one thing: the hiker will be immediately going way up.  The first three miles you could hear bursts of rifle fire, coming no doubt from West Pointers at their rifle range (only about 2 miles from the AT for a long stretch).  An awful lot of bullets, boys and girls.  Need a Middie to come teach you how to shoot straight?  Hah!What with rain and T-storms due later today and a long distance between shelters, this turned into a short day.  This place had been my goal for yesterday, but the bear messed it up.  This is a friary for the Franciscans, noted for their hospitality to travelers.  For 40 years they have made a facility available for hikers.  Best is a covered picnic pavilion where we can stay (and gets out of the rain: key reason for being here).  But they also provide a faucet and a port-a-potty.  Only .4m off the trail, and worth it.  But I am now officially one day behind my ideal schedule.Here tonight are Medicine Man, Ultra, Groceries, Alps (Swiss man), and a pair of section hikers.Days since last shower: 1
Date: 2017-06-07
From: RPH Shelter

To: Telephone Pioneers Shelter
Miles today: 16.6
Weather: overcast clouds

Best day hiking so far: perfect temperature (high in mid-60s) with sun, and a lot of mild trail.  I slept great last night and was last one up.  Gone around 7:15.Not showing or feeling any side-effects other than a large band-aid on the noggin and soreness in the neck when turning either right or left (have had that since sitting up from the fall).  Five miles into the hike was a deli located .3m off the trail, so I went in for pastry, OJ and coffee.  What a superb addition to the day!  No wonder it was so good.Here tonight with Alps, Medicine Man, Tall Man, and Groceries.  Tomorrow is slated to be my longest day yet at 21.1 which should position me nicely to go into Kent CT (yes, Connecticut!) on Friday.  Lot of errands to do in Kent.Days since last shower: 3
Date: 2017-06-08
From: Telephone Pioneers Shelter

To: Mount Algo Shelter
Miles today: 21.1
Weather: overcast clouds

The shelter faces east, so when the sun came up this morning on a perfectly clear day at 5:30, it beamed straight in.  That made it easy to get up.  It was also a few degrees warmer -- mid-50s perhaps -- which made it easier to get out of the bag.It was a warmer version of yesterday, one last day of cool-weather hiking.  Will we have any more of them this spring?  The first 15 miles mostly in New York were very pleasant with easy grades and good trail surface.  Then we arrive in Connecticut and all that changed.  The original AT was harshly built, often going almost straight up these hills, ridges and mountains without the switchbacking often in place now.  That last 6 miles clearly is part of the original.  Hopefully that changes soon.Looking forward to half a day in Kent tomorrow.  Clothes haven't been washed since Palmerton 3 states back.  Think they need it?In shelter tonight are Moxie and Yardsale, Alps, Mountain Man, Tilly and Hops.Days since last shower: 4
Date: 2017-06-09
From: Mount Algo Shelter

To: Stewart Hollow Shelter
Miles today: 7.3
Weather: overcast clouds

It was surprisingly chilly overnight, requiring all my clothes to stay warm. With not a single item of food in my bag, I was up at sunrise and had completed the .3m of trail and .8m of road walking into the town of Kent CT to be at the caf© at 6:30. Mission accomplished. This began a morning of easy chores: breakfast laundry, resupply at IGA, town library to update journal and do emails, lunch, resupply at the very over-priced outfitter, and a mandatory stop for an ice cream before leaving town at 1:45. There was even time for a quick stop at the post office so I could send a postcard to my dad. Just 7 more miles to this shelter on a beautiful day. I'm feeling rested and fit.Kent is a fascinating town. They do not allow fast food franchises like McDonalds or Starbucks. Everything is boutique-y, artsy, and expensive. Even the outfitter has more touristy stuff than outdoors equipment and supplies. Being a picture postcard kind of day, all the shops had their displays out on the sidewalk. Some shoppers in my family would love this. I ate superb food and had the best coffee by far on this hike.The weatherman calls for a warm up to 90 degrees by Monday, then back into the delightful 70s. Not much rain. That's very promising.Hope you had a platinum week, Glenn. Thinking of you today.Days since last shower: 5
Date: 2017-06-10
From: Stewart Hollow Shelter

To: Limestone Spring Shelter
Miles today: 21.4
Weather: clear sky

I have come to the conclusion that long-distance hiking is for young people. Today's 21.4 miles (life-time longest) simply wore me out. To add insult to injury, half a dozen 20-somethings of both genders who all started in Georgia 1500 miles back blew by me like I was standing still. Here I am sitting at the shelter's picnic table eating my Mountain House dinner with legs and feet that feel exhausted.Even worse: they built this shelter .5m off the trail with a ferocious 300' drop to get to it! That's not included in the 21.4. Just getting started back to the trail tomorrow involves going back up that monstrosity. Hopefully a 4-mile shorter day will help quiet the loud complaints coming from my lower body parts.Staying here tonight in a tent: Tilly and Hops. I have the shelter to myself.Days since last shower: 6
Date: 2017-06-11
From: Limestone Spring Shelter

To: The Hemlocks Lean-To
Miles today: 17.5
Weather: scattered clouds

For the first night of the hike, last night I didn't need all my clothes to sleep warm. It was also the first night I slept alone in a shelter. That half mile off the trail with the big elevation drop is probably the reason: hikers avoid it. But actually I wasn't totally alone: I saw a shelter mouse. Not a problem though since he didn't bother my Snickers and I didn't bother his cheese.We're experiencing the second big warm up of the hike, remarkably little for this late in the year. It was mid-80s and all sun today, near 90 is forecast for tomorrow. But when we get up higher in elevation, things are cooler.Drinking enough water is a key challenge. Due to a very wet Spring all the streams and springs are running fine with clear, cool water. Love it!We went over our first 2000' mountains of the hike, 3 of them to be exact: Bear, Pace and Everett Mountains, each higher than the previous. The views from Pace were stunning on a clear day as the trail went along the edge with a sharp drop off for hundreds of feet immediately on the right hand. I was at 2300' and the valley below at 800'.Hello Massachusetts. Five states conquered.Days since last shelter: 7
Date: 2017-06-12
From: The Hemlocks Lean-To

To: Mt Wilcox South Lean-To
Miles today: 19.8
Weather: overcast clouds

The by-word for today was hot -- 90 degrees. Not the best day for a 19 mile hike. The up side is that the humidity isn't bad, so on the longer straight or slightly down stretches -- particularly if I could catch a breeze -- I actually would quit sweating for a while.I ended up being the only person of any sort at last night's lean-to, and at 5 pm as I write this there is not another soul here.  Where has everyone gone? Do I smell that bad? (Only a week since my last shower...)There was trail magic in the form of 6 gallons of spring water at the one the road crossings. That was most welcome. Last year when there was drought throughout the east, those water moments were priceless to hikers as springs were dry and streams almost non-existent. That's not a problem this year, so the trail magic water isn't vital, just very nice and thoughtful.Today the trail started on the mountain with a very severe down. We then crossed a valley for 7 miles at about 800' elevation, following the Housatonic River. Often we were skirting pastures with cattle or fields of hay or corn. Then came the stiff ups to get back on the mountains which exhausts the hiker and makes him wringing wet in the heat: Mt June, Mt East, Mt Wilcox. Up around 2000'.The last fly in the hiking ointment was actually gaggles of mosquitoes. There was one 10-minute stretch which for some reason was swarming with them. Repeatedly I was swatting my arms and killing two or more a time, something that's tricky to do when walking as fast as you can with a trekking pole in each hand.Oh, now I have three female hikers who have joined me for the night. A mother-daughter combo (Goddess and Boss) are with me in the shelter, and Checklist has decided to tent in order to avoid the mosquitoes.Days since last shower: 8
Date: 2017-06-13
From: Mt Wilcox South Lean-To

To: Upper Goose Pond Cabin
Miles today: 15.9
Weather: clear sky

Wanting to do as much hiking while the temperature is cool as possible, I was up at first light 5:15 and gone at 5:45. Just like yesterday there wasn't a cloud to be seen, and the wind was minimal. Yuck. Fortunately it was about 5 degrees cooler as a cool-off is beginning.Mid-morning I reached a road-crossing with something beautiful. Fifty yards down the road was a shack with 'Hikers Store' painted on the side. Turns out a couple young people have set up a business which works on hiker honor. A variety of snack items, beverages, and chicken and duck eggs (they raise them) were for sale. Take what you want and put the money in the pouch. My can of Pepsi, banana, and bag of Doritos was $3. A steal and delicious on a hot day. Just 15 minutes before arriving I had revisited my most recent fantasy, that of drinking a frosty can of Coke. The fantasy has been with me for 3 days. Imagine having the fantasy fulfilled!Tonight's destination is a popular stop for hikers. The cabin sleeps 14 in bunks, has kitchen and porch with rocking chairs, a caretaker who watches things, and a huge pond (we would call it a lake in Ontario) of crystal clear water and SWIMMING! I couldn't wait to get my hot and sweaty self into that water. Simply delightful! Poor fish... No Lyn, it wasn't skinny dipping. Like all the hikers (men and women alike) I was in my skivvies. No one has swim suits, of course. Duh. But then, wearing skivvies that haven't been washed in a week, they probably needed the lake time more than I did. Have I over-shared?I'm staying in the cabin with seven female hikers. A couple of guys are tenting around about. The growth of women hikers is one of the recent trends in the AT, the majority of them hiking solo but often ending up in pairs or triples. Fortunately they have gone as long with a shower as I have, so we're all in the same level of hiker stench. By the by, in case you're interested, it's my shoes that smell the worst.Days since last shower: 9
Date: 2017-06-14
From: Upper Goose Pond Cabin

To: Shamrock Village Inn
Miles today: 20.5
Weather: overcast clouds

So looking forward to a stay in town... awake at 5:15 and gone by 6. It cooled off nicely overnight and has turned back to mid-70s. What a blessed change.It was a very straightforward hike with minimal longer ups and downs. This stretch has some of the fewest strong ups and downs of the entire length of the trail. But quite monotonous as there was only one vista the entire day. Most of the time it was plugging away in the long green tunnel of trees and underbrush. Some stretches hadn't been maintained in a long time, so the grass and shrubs were encroaching over a very narrow trail, and tree branches were everywhere at about the 5 1/2 foot level, and I pushed my face through hundreds of them. That gets very wearying when you do it for hours at a time.But at 3 pm I emerged from a long down into the delightful town of Dalton MA. At the edge of town was trail magic in the form of squeeze containers of fruit juice. Delicious! I had made reservations at this motel for two nights, so they were ready for me on arrival. Within 30 minutes I had taken my first blessed shower (you all may thank me) and in 30 more minutes the clothes were in the laundry provided by the motel (a second thanks is in order). The motel is a hoot. The owner is a delightfully friendly and helpful woman named Laura who runs the office with her two cats and dog. Her family members help her run the business. I made a lengthy call to Lyn, getting to talk to her for the first time since the head injury 8 days ago. Then I was able to do some emails on Laura's laptop. Great folks, and a great stop! Post office, library, convenience stores, restaurants all within a few hundred yards. Perfect!Days since last shower: 0
Date: 2017-06-15
From: Shamrock Village Inn

To: Shamrock Village Inn
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

My second zero mileage day in 39 days. Way over-due. It is a day for pure loafing and working hard to rebuild the body. I am very much worn down and significantly dehydrated.There were chores to be done. Over to the post office 50 yards away to pick up my supply package mailed by Laura and Ben (thanks guys!) and also a nice letter from Krista, Joel and kids (thanks guys!) I was able to send my medical receipts home in case I need them and a postcard to Dad. Did I tell you he's 97 years old? What a remarkable guy. A trip to a grocery allowed me to finish up the resupply purchases. Time spent doing more emails and updating this journal. There's the mandatory large cup of coffee, of course. Make that two cups.I was able to locate a shuttle driver who took me to the urgent care unit three miles away. Tom is an institution on the trail, having been helping hikers for 37 years. It was a true pleasure to meet him after having heard so much about him. Any rate, the stitches had to come out. Another of God's marvelous blessings regarding the injury: the stitches need to come out between 7 and 10 days of being put in, and here comes Dalton with an urgent care facility on day 9. Yes, another $230, but it's only money! I could have had a broken arm or ribs and ended up in an ER with thousands in costs. Sorry, but no price can give me any sanity regarding doing this hike.One side-advantage of the urgent care stop is that I was able to weigh myself and discover how much I am de-hydrated. That's going to cause a small change in plans (which always means spending money, of course) allowing me to get some additional building-up of the body before resuming the hike. More on that tomorrow.Half the people staying here are, understandably, hikers. So it's like a family reunion.What a wonderful day of resting with clean body and clothes! A true Sabbath.Days since last shower: 0
Date: 2017-06-16
From: Dalton

To: Mt Greylock
Miles today: 17.0

Tom picked me up ($20) for the 25-minute run up Mt Greylock at 7:30. This is the highest point in Massachusetts, and the trail goes directly over the top. It was very chilly and windy on top, so I was glad to get scooting with the day pack he provided... maybe 3 pounds.The trail down is badly eroded making it exceptionally gnarly. After a couple miles it improved, but all day there was never an easy lengthy stretch of hiking trail. Nonetheless I did the 17 miles in 6.5 hours including a 30-minute detour to Dunkin Donuts in Cheshire and 15-minutes of chatting/breaks with hikers I met along the way. Oh to slackpack all the time!I met roughly 3 dozen northbounders during the day as they of course were headed the opposite direction from me as I was going southbound back to Dalton. Notables included: Goddess and Boss (who saw a moose this morning); Powerhouse (!); Medicine Man(!); Alps. All these had taken days off the past week, so I wasn't far behind them after all.After clearing Cheshire it began to lightly rain. There were a couple of moderate showers, but all told maybe 2 hours of precip. Shortly after I got to the motel it let loose much more and has been continuous for 90 minutes since. Good timing! I'm waiting for it to quit so I can go the town library 10 minutes up the highway. This is an approaching warm front, though it's only 60 degrees now. Warm and humid in the 80s tomorrow and Sunday. Yuck.Days since last shower: 0
Date: 2017-06-17
From: Mt Greylock

To: Seth Warner Shelter
Miles today: 13.2
Weather: overcast clouds

Of all days for me to oversleep, I awoke at 7! It was a quick scramble to Juice N Java for peanut butter on a bagel and coffee, and then back to finish packing which I had mostly done the night before. Tom Levardi then drove me once again to Mt Greylock where it was all fogged in but much warmer than yesterday.The down from Mt Greylock into North Adams was long and treacherous due to the moisture on everything: I fell 3 times. I also got going the wrong direction coming off Mt Williams where it's quite confusing and saved when Medicine Man came walking toward me 10 minutes later, clearly showing me I was headed the wrong way. Traffic Director clearly needs a traffic director. Doh!Upon reaching Massachusetts Highway 2, I was able to stow the pack and make what became a great side trip .2m to Papa John's pizza and a grocery right next door. Pleasantly surprised to find that AT hikers got 50% off at PJs! Wahoo! So I bought lunch (large muffin + 2 bagels + 16 oz Gatorade) at the grocery for lunch and to carry out for dinner a large order of cheese sticks. Including tip it was a total of $8! I ate the lunch at PJs and packed the dinner here. The other hikers were envious. But hey! They opted not to go in and do the same.The up from MA 2 was long but familiar from my section hike 12 years ago through here. For half the way there was a beautiful stream coming down. The last 100 yards of the up was a super-steep boulder field -- a memory of 2005 but worse than I remembered. Maybe it was the wetness...I remember taking a lunch break at this shelter back then. Here so far: Durable, Medicine Man, Birk, and Flip-Phone (who is from Guelph ON).Happy 44th anniversary, Lyn! Love you!Days Since Last Shower: 1
Date: 2017-06-18
From: Seth Warner Shelter

To: Goddard Shelter
Miles today: 21.5
Weather: clear sky

What a miserable night last night. Around 10 pm 2 men who may be brothers, one mentally challenged I'm guessing, arrived in the shelter. They set up a string of LCD lights and proceeded to make camp as well as dinner. A little tough to sleep, and incredibly poor shelter manners.I wasn't looking forward to today's Father's Day challenge, an exceptionally long day. But at 6:30 I was off. The down to VT highway 9 into Bennington was very rough and full of rock steps that were yet again damp (when will we dry out?) Careful with every step! The up back out was equally steep but much kinder with nice trail and few rock steps. There were long, long ups throughout the day to get to this shelter at 3500'. On the way up it seemed that black fly season suddenly burst upon us. I was exhausted but delighted to get here. Because there is a prediction of 1-2 inches for rain tomorrow with it arriving before sunrise, everyone wants to squeeze into the shelter. So we have 13 of us in a shelter designed for 8.One of the hikers is another young gent from Guelph: Gofar who began in Georgia in February.Days Since Last Shower: 2
Date: 2017-06-19
From: Goddard Shelter

To: Stratton Pond Shelter
Miles today: 19.3
Weather: broken clouds

All the concern for today was built around the weather forecast of heavy rain. At sunrise it hadn't yet arrived. No one wants to tent in it, and no one really wants to hike in it, but it's impossible to do this hike without walks in rain. Otherwise you'd never make it.Everyone set out with unsure plans, watching the weather. There was even talk of just staying put in the shelter to avoid the inevitable. But no one ended up doing that. The weather fluxuated from sun to brief sharp showers. Five hikers of the 13 at last night's shelter ended their day short in a shelter at 8.8 miles. I opted to put in the full planned day to try and stay on schedule.It rained with thunder most of the way up Stratton Mountain, the second highest Vermont peak we have to summit. A long tough pull. This is the second time I have gone over Stratton and had it all in fog and rain. About 15 minutes from this shelter, with a couple cracks of thunder, a deluge hit. I was totally drenched upon getting here, but was I ever glad to see it and get under the awning. We have about 18 in here and could well get others yet. Fortunately it is a huge shelter and could probably sleep 24 in a pinch.Days Since Last Shower: 3
Date: 2017-06-20
From: Stratton Pond Shelter

To: Peru Peak Shelter
Miles today: 20.1
Weather: light rain

After yesterday's dousing of rain, we were needing sunny and dry today, and that's what we got. It took most of the morning for the sun to do its work and lower the humidity, but finally it did and a strong west wind helped big time. I and the clothes I was wearing largely dried out, and even the backpack dried a lot.At the half way point where the AT crosses a highway into Manchester Center where most of last night's hikers seemed to be going, someone had left a cooler that had large donuts in it. Wahoo! I chowed down on two of them. Also important: they had a garbage bag attached to the cooler which gave me the chance to unload 4 days of garbage. This is an element most non-hikers don't think about: you have to carry out all the packaging and garbage you created from your food sources, so to have a chance to be rid of it is welcome.Immediately after the trail magic came the big challenge of gaining 2000' to the top of Bromley Mountain. But after getting to the top was a great reward. The top is bald with a ski lift station, so the views are superb. That strong west wind was most refreshing until I was almost turning chilly.Interesting: all those hikers at last night's shelter and not one of them here tonight so far. The 15 hikers here are all totally different, and I have not met any of them so far. Curious.Days Since Last Shower: 4