morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2013-07-12
From: NY 17

To: Bear Mountain Perkins Memorial Tower
Miles today: 17.0
Weather: light rain

I got a late start today and was pretty frustrated by the whole thing. First, Robert had me go with him to drop off another hiker and then said that before he could drop me off he had to go back and pick up two other people. Okay. He picks them up and then tells all that his wife will be going to the doctors to give blood and we are to go along and then she will drop us off. Okay. Then Trish (his wife) says she has to go back to the hotel to pick up her friend and then she can take us to the trailhead. Now do you see why I was frustrated? I could have just stayed back at the hotel and watched the morning show and drank coffee...The walk today was another totally enjoyable New York stroll. Have I said how much I like New York? The landscape is so striking - not a lot of understory, old growth trees, big boulders. This part of the Appalachians is very old so the boulders are left from billions of years of erosion. We are hiking in Harriman State Park, which was the very first part of the trail to be laid out. I could just imagine the gents and ladies from 1928 walking the paths. The two shelters I passed, Fingerboard and John Brien, were also very old and made of native stone. I don't think I would ever have stayed in them because they were dark and dank but the stone was cool. John Brien Memorial shelter is actually built on a huge boulder, the stone is incorporated into the structure. So cool! I had lunch there and met Cliffnotes, a young man from North Carolina. He has a year of school left at Chapel Hill and so is doing big miles in order to finish the trail in time. I enjoyed meeting him and wished him well at parting.There was a view where you could see New York City but the sky wasn't clear enough. I did see a great view of the Hudson however.We also had to walk through the lemon squeezer (pictured). It is so tight I had to take off my pack to get through. I was laughing so hard when I first tried to do it with the pack on - I was stuck!The trail led us across Palisades Parkway. This road is so busy it's nuts! I was walking with Fozzy Bear and told him, 'No way they would make us cross that busy road'. Boy was I wrong - you had to cross two lanes.Kim picked me up at the end of the day and took me to the post office, then back to the West Point Inn where I took a shower. We tried to go check out West Point but they were closed for the day. The academy has one gate that is manned by a very serious military person and you have to show ID to gain entrance. We'll try again tomorrow.
Date: 2003-10-08
From: Rainbow Lake

To: Abol Bridge
Miles today: 11.0
Weather: clear sky

      The loons were active throughout the night, their various calls echoing off the hillsides. As I worked my way along the shoreline, I had to stop by the gin clear water, and listen to the waves lapping on the exposed boulders. The fall colors on the far shore, the islands, the rocky shoreline on this this clear, sunny morning were stunning.       I made the last climb up Rainbow Ledges, with its magnificent views in all directions. This is the peak of the leaves changing color, and I feel so fortunate to be here to see it.       When I got to the little store in Abol Bridge, I bought some light gloves, a new lighter, an ice cream bar and a coke. The lady at the store said the trails going up Katahdin have been closed due to snow and ice. Apparently there is a large crowd of thru hikers log jammed at the base waiting to go up. Some have been there a couple of days, and I'm not sure how the park is going to handle this.       I went across the road and set up my tent at the campground. There is no one around. Later Sleepy Floyd comes in and sets up nearby. I go back over to the store to get a coulpe of cheeseburgers, and run into Doc and Llama, who I haven't seen for quite a while. They are waiting for someone to come and pick up their dog, Coy, before they go into the park. Back at the campground, Sleepy Floyd and I sit on the bank of the river and talk until it's time to turn in for the night.      Earlier today I stopped at the Hurd Brook Shelter and read the register. There were a lot of entries, much more personal and self expressive than most registers, since this is the last one on the trail. I read what others had written, and thought about what I might want to add to the book, but in the end I just set it down and walked away.
Date: 2013-07-14
From: Dennytown Rd.

To: RPH Shelter
Miles today: 10.7
Weather: light rain

Girls weekend ended this morning with Kim going back to New Jersey. Thank you Michael, Kelsey, Karli, and Matthew for holding down the fort at home so Kim could spend some time with me. We had a great time and I was able to explore this beautiful section of New York.My luck ran out today and I did a great face plant. I tripped over a six inch log in the trail. I heard my head take a whack and just laid still for a bit to assess the damage. Not too bad - a small cut on the head that quit bleeding pretty soon and a contusion on the side of my eye that will turn into a black eye. Grimm took a look at it and said it would be okay (he's like an EMT or something).This weekend is the annual trail maintenance weekend for this area and they had a cookout at RPH shelter. I was invited to join them when I arrived. Pork chops, corn, potato salad - yummm! It was hot today - in the 90's - so I've been drinking tons of fluids. I will have to go to the bathroom all night.
Date: 2013-07-15
From: RPH Shelter

To: Telephone Pioneers Shelter
Miles today: 16.8
Weather: broken clouds

Today is going to be a scorcher so I tried to get up early - I was on the trail by 6:30. I tried very hard to keep hydrated but some days you just lag in energy. This was one of those days.I ran across two of the trail maintainers I met at RPH shelter. They were finishing up some stairs by the new bridge they built. I admired their handiwork and got some photos. All the materials were donated so the support for this trail extends beyond just hiking enthusiasts.Big attraction on our daily hike was Nuclear Lake. The SOBO I met earlier in the day assured me there were no strange chemicals, such as plutonium, in the water. It looked safe to me. The best spot on the lake was taken by Vita-C so I didn't intrude. He said later he was there five hours swimming and sleeping. And he still planned on doing a 20 mile day. Oh to be young.....I also saw the largest blacksnake at the lake. He must have been over 6 ft. long - big guy. I never even think twice seeing snakes these days. They are so common, along with the frogs, toads, newts, salamanders, etc.I'm at the shelter with Coyote (been hiking around him a couple of days. Young kid) and Honey Bun and Stinkbug. This shelter has no level tent sites. Honey Bun and Stinkbug hammock so no worries there. Coyote and I set up our sleeping bags in the shelter. It didn't take long for the mosquitoes to find us. Finally Coyote flipped on his headlight and started setting up his tent in the shelter. I said ' well if you're going to do it, so am I!' and so I set up my screened tent (without the rain fly). There was little breeze so hot and muggy but at least we could sleep without being someone's dinner.
Date: 2013-07-16
From: Telephone Pioneers Shelter

To: Stealth Camp 1458.0
Miles today: 16.6
Weather: light rain

Who would have thought the AT had it's own train station? Well it does and if I thought cars moved fast, they can't compare to the train that past me as I was on the little deck shown here. Hard to believe that in less than an hour you can go from the AT trail to Manhattan.Next to the train station is a landscape business that offers snacks, tenting and showers. I arrived an hour early for the shower I wanted (they weren't open) but was able to get a coke and chips. (I can hear my kids now because our family rule was no pop before noon.) I debated over waiting around to get a shower and in the end it won out. I felt so much better for it and was able to see my black eye for the first time in the bathroom mirror. It's a first rate shiner! The cut on my head looked good. Just a little one.And so I was ready to tackle what would be the first of a couple of climbs today. Slowly we are getting back into mountains. It was only 9:30 but already the temperature was heating up. We crossed into CT but it doesn't count. The trail winds back around into NY.I'll be passing two shelters today and made the first by noon. Honey Bun, Stinkbug, Grizzly and Speed were there. I first took notice of Speed because he wears netting on his face (lots of hikers do for the mosquitoes) and on his legs. He also wears long sleeve shirts. Turns out he's doing a tick study - exclusive to around shelters. He has a white flag that he brushes against grass and low lying vegetation and then checks to see if any ticks have latched on. If so, he labels and sends them off to a lab to be checked for several diseases. He found one at Wiley Shelter. While he's doing all this, Honeybun says she thinks a nymph is attached to her leg. A nymph is the adolescent form that is tiny no bigger than a freckle. They usually transmit Lymes simply because you can't see them in time to remove. Speed checked with a magnifying glass and it was a nymph! He took a picture of it attached to the leg and then processed to send off. We were all kinda freaked by this time and checking our bodies.I took my siesta at the shelter and then headed out for Bull Bridge. This is one of two covered bridges that you can drive on left in CT. I had to get a picture for my dad who is a covered bridge nut. Here you go dad!There's a restaurant across from the bridge that said 'casual' in the guidebook so I went for dinner. I was definitely casual - bordering on hiker trash - but they were nice and I had a great dinner of stuffed cod, baked potato, salad, and steamed vegetables. I felt good and powered up the last big climb of the day- a 1000 footer. By the time I got to the top I was running out of daylight and so found a little spot off the trail. Mosquito city but I was tired and didn't care. They hummed all night and waited by the door for me to come out. Nasty buggers!
Date: 2003-03-26
From: Woodys Gap 

To: Woods Hole Shelter
Miles today: 4.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Start Woodys Gap destination Woods Hole Shelter total miles 6.6The day started out with blue skies. Several former thru hikers had come to shove us off.I managed to say goodby to Jerry without getting emotional.Then just a few minutes later up the trail he came carrying my fanny pack that I had left in the truck.My identification,,money,medicine and toilet paper were all in that bag.I repacked my pack last night and could not find my spoon,litle light and my knife.So I had to buy replacements before I left this am.The up hills were not too bad.But I think that I am in much better shape than I thought.We made 6.6 miles in 5 hours.We got to the water source just before the shelter,and it was almost dry.Good thing we still had water left from the last stream.The shelter was already full by the time we got there,so we pitched our tents.After a hot bowl of spinach soup,crackers and some really great girl scout cookies.It was 6.47 pm and the wind picked up just as soon as the sun went down.The temperature started dropping so we all headed to !our warm sleeping bags,then someone managed to get a fire started and some of us sat around the campfire until the wee hours of the night(8:30).Tomorrow will be a short 4 mile day,but it will take us over Blood Mountain.Until next time this is Trail Tales by Terri
Date: 2013-08-01
From: Manchester Center, VT

To: Peru Peak Shelter
Miles today: 10.1
Weather: scattered clouds

Rain day. Gotta love those. We knew it was coming in sometime in the afternoon so I tried to out as many miles behind me when I was dropped at the trailhead at 9. The rain started around 2. I made it to Peru Peak shelter around 3:30. I was wet and cold so sat around a bit to decide whether to stay or go on. I had hoped to go to the next shelter 4.6 miles away but didn't want to do it in the rain. There are so many rocks on the trail and you all know how I've been prone to falls. I'm just getting to the point where I'm feeling healed. The decision was to stay. There was one other couple there, from the Czech Republic, plus their little Boston terrier. They pretty much ignored me, speaking to each other in their own language.That went on around an hour when Funky Town started arriving. Again, Funky Town is a group of hikers - members vary. Today nine showed up. Individually, I like them all; collectively they are a little overwhelming. I weighed the pros and cons of hiking on but in the end decided I could put up with it for one night. But, I really need to get out of that bubble!
Date: 2013-08-02
From: Peru Peak Shelter

To: Minerva Hinchey Shelter
Miles today: 19.6
Weather: overcast clouds

Well I survived. Everyone quieted down once it got dark.My morning walk took me 10 miles to Little Rock Pond. We would actually call these 'ponds' a lake at home. The ones on the trail are undeveloped, pristine, beautiful. Coupled with that today were big puff ball clouds amid a brilliant blue sky. I spent about an hour eating my lunch and soaking my feet st this pond/lake.The rest of this long day (I'm trying to make up for the short day yesterday) was spent on a spruce forest. It smelled like Christmas trees all day. I loved it!I also came across a couple of rock sculpture gardens. Who know when these were started but the variety is amazing. You can really spend some time checking out the creativity of each piece.I had a tough 1000 foot climb at the end of this long day so I was pretty beat. Into camp - do my usual chores: set up tent, get water, filter water, make dinner, wash up and change into sleeping clothes, eat dinner (my dehydrated meals sit for 10 minutes before eating), write my journal, and then hit the sack. Sweet dreams.
Date: 2013-08-05
From: Kent Pond - Mountain Meadow Lodge

To: Winturri Shelter
Miles today: 16.0
Weather: scattered clouds

I left the lodge this morning after breakfast but first had to say hi to Alice. She's a looker, isn't she? Honeybun and I tried to get her to come out of her pig box yesterday but she just grunted.Today was a gorgeous day to hike. Cool, nice breeze, sun now and then. My plans were to hike until the day ran out. We are in a Vermont roller coaster of sorts - lots of ups and downs. It kinda wears you out. There is a private cabin 13 miles into my day that Boo Boo, Cash and Sky Pilot were staying. When I got to it and saw the crows nest on top (and how snug and tight it was) I decided to stay. I got out my sleeping pad and bag, then started dinner. A little later Bootsie arrived. He is part of Funky Town and said the rest were on their way. There were already 7 hikers there so the little cabin was getting quite full! I ate my dinner and packed up to head to the shelter 3 miles away. I still had enough daylight. We had three tenters and 2 in the shelter. Much more to my liking - calm, relaxed, peaceful.
Date: 2013-08-08
From: Hanover, NH

To: Hanover, NH
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Great day today. Kokopelli and I tooled around Hanover all day - went to EMS (I got a new camp towel to replace the one I left at Stratton Pond), lunch at a great diner called Lou's, visit to PO, toured the art museum (awesome landscapes of the Whites makes me want to go there), saw The Heat with Sandra Bullock and Melissa McCarthy (very funny) and the dinner at Ramutto's pizza. Whew! What a day!We called Ralph to come pick us up and found we are having an impromptu fireworks display tonight. We have a little 5 year old hiker and his parents staying with us. Buddy may become the youngest hiker to do the AT if he can complete the flip flop they started in Harper's Ferry. That means they would hike to Katahdin then go back to Harpers and home to Springer in Georgia. Buddy is the cutest kid. Very well behaved and is having a fun time out here. He likes to hike in his Superman outfit - so apropos.So we had some sparklers and three little shooter type firecrackers. He loved them. Nice ending to this day.We hike on tomorrow - rain is in the forecast, of course!
Date: 2003-04-03
From: Hiawassee Gap

To: Plum Orchard Shelter
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

start Hiawassee,Ga. Day 9destination Plum Orchard ShelterWe had several errands to run this morning.Resupply at the grocery,bounce a box of food forward to Franklin,NC.Since we were only doing 5 miles we were in no hurry to leave the motel.Finally,got packed up and headed down the road.We were planning on stopping at the Subway for lunch.Ata red light,a guy in a van called out to us that it was'nt much of a trail we were on,then asked us if we wanted a lift to Dick's Creek Gap.We told him we would love a ride but that we were headed to lunch.We offered to buy him lunch and then take him up on his offer of a ride.He graciously accepted our offer.His name was Tim and he was in Hiawassee with his family at their vacation home.He is an emergency room doctor in Vero Beach Florida.Now I can honestly say I have been picked up by a stranger on the side of the road.Again,my children,do as I say,not as I do.It seemed as if the climb today up Cowart Gap would never stop.We climbed about 800 ft.in a mile and a half.The views of the mountains are still stunning.I doubt that I will ever get tired of them.We are in the process of giving Julia a trail name.She is mulling over them to se which one she likes.She hiked in front today with me next,then Silver Lining and Mudbutt bringing up the rear.We had hoped rather cautiously that we would seea bear since it was close to dusk,but no sighting.Julia and I stopped at a campsite just off the trail to Plumorchard Shelter.Since we were all tenting,it just made sense not to go the extra two tenths of a mile down to it.The campsite was perfect and Julia built us a roaring fire and after our supper we sat around writing in our journals.While we were sitting here who should walk up from the shelter but Parkway and Sidewinder.They were really glad to see us and hugged us all.
Date: 2013-08-09
From: Hanover, NH

To: Trapper John Shelter
Miles today: 15.9
Weather: light rain

I probably could have used another day of rest but the trail beckoned. My knees have been a little sore since the downhills have been so steep the past week. I am trying to be more aware of the downhill pounding and trying to take my time. It slows me down but these knees are the only ones I have and they have to make do.It was raining when we were dropped off at the trailhead and continued to rain for the rest of the day. Fortunately the temperature was warm so it didn't bother me. You should see my feet though - so wrinkled after being in wet shoes all day!Really not much to report today. I didn't get any pictures - just too wet. It did stop raining when I reached the shelter and tomorrow looks like it will be a beautiful day. There is a man at the next road crossing that loves to have the hikers visit. He plays croquet with them. How cute is that! I can't wait to meet him.I am tenting tonight with Boo Boo and Sky Pilot. Cash, Kokopelli, Buddy and his parents, and Subaru and girlfriend are in the shelter. It's only 8 but everyone is down for the night. No partiers in this crowd! Sleep tight y'all.
Date: 2003-04-04
From: Plum Orchard Shelter

To: Muskcat Creek Shelter
Miles today: 7.6
Weather: overcast clouds

Day 10 start plum orchard gap destination muskcat creek shelternote to anne i have pictures of us at the state line.jerry should have them by next friday.For some unknown reason,we all woke up at about 7:00 am.Today was the first morning on the trail that I had a hot drink for breakfast.I had neglected to pack any in my initial food bag.I had also neglected to pack any of my medicine.But at the chiropractor's last week my blood pressure was way done,so I wasn't too worried.My maildrop in Hiawassee had everything that I needed and then some.But this morning it was really nice to drink a cup of hot cappachino before breakfast which was apple date oatmeal and some dried mangos.    It still was almost ten before we hit the trail. Today wa a big milestone as we crossed our first state line.Only 13 more states to go!It was 1:47 when I reached the North Carolina Border.There is a small wooden sign just a little bigger than a 3 x 5 card.It has GA-NC with a double arrow on it.Of course we whooped and hollered and took lots of pictures.Anna cried and almost made me cry.Beleive it or not,there was a hiker there at the same time as we were that was a professional photographer.He took all of our pictures and promised to send us a copy.We had been carrying a small cake and had one candle,so after we crossed the stateline,we fixed lunch and celebrated with the cake.   Our jubilation was short lived as we started climbing into North Carolina.It was to me the toughest climb yet.Several times Mudbutt was on her hands and knees trying to get up the trail.She has very shotr legs and by her own admission,she is overweight.I came up behind papa Bob who is hiking to Fontana.He was really worn out.He had passed us earlier in the day at the stateline.That might not seem too unusual .We were all pretty tired,but Papa Bob is 78 years old!At one point today,he put his pack down to get out his rain cover,and when he got started again,he went the wrong way on the trail.Someone finally got their compass out and convinced him,so he turned around and headed north again.He said he was thinking of a trail name of Slow but Sure,and now he was not so sure!I hiked with him the rest of the way in.He had not brought a light and it was pushing dusk.We had a good time visiting,but was he relieved when the shelter came into sight. Hiker Biker Babe had already staked us out a campsight,since the shelter was overflowing.She and I filtered some water for supper,then gathered some fire wood.It had been spitting rain for about an hour,but we decided to chance it and make a fire.It stopped drizzeling long enough for us to eat,get warm and dive into our tent.Then about the time we got into our tents,it quit all together.It was 53 degrees,and we wondered if it was really just yesterday that we were all sunburned and windburned with the 80 degree weather??total miles today was 7.6.
Date: 2013-08-10
From: Trapper John Shelter

To: Hexacuba Shelter
Miles today: 12.8
Weather: light rain

The mix of food I ate in Hanover didn't agree with me - I felt uncomfortable all day. I can only attribute it to dairy. I have been eating a very low dairy diet for the last four months and I had no less than 5 dairy rich foods that day. In any event, I struggled with it all day.Our hike included Smarts Mt. with its fire tower as well as two other long climbs. Today was a short day and I was grateful for it.I am at Hexacuba shelter. It is .3 mi. uphill but I am happy I decided to stay here. This shelter is so cool! It is six sided and the privy is a pentagon - all in keeping with MtCube which is the mountain we climb tomorrow. I'm here with Buddy Backpacker, his parents, Vagabond, Boo Boo, Sky Pilot, and Cash.