morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2004-07-05
From: Blue Mtn Lakes Road (Camp Ken-Etiwa-Pec)

To: Gren Anderson Shelter
Miles today: 13.6
Weather: light rain

Bear !!Mileage Countdown: -880.1Today's weather started out quite unusual for late. Just as I was getting up there was a bit of a shower, just enough to get everything wet. Until about noon it was grey and foggy. It wasn't too hot, but the humidity was so high I sweated more than I have for weeks. Then it rained for a while, and cleared up for the rest of the day.Halfway through the morning, as I was approaching the top of Rattlesnake Mtn, I spotted my first bear. More accurately, he spotted me. He was about 50' ahead of me and about 20' off the trail, probably browsing blueberries. I was startled by a commotion in the bushes, but was relieved when I recognized the black fur and the fact that it was headed in the other direction. He paused on the trail about 50 yds ahead, looking back at me. As soon as I started reaching for my camera, he bolted off the side of the trail, straight down the mountain. I could still hear him moving away when I got to the place where he had stood.I could only see him for a few seconds, but learned a lot in that time. First I learned that he could move a lot faster than me, even if I didn't have a pack on my back. He was a young bear, probably a year or two old and probably didn't weigh much more than 100 lbs. He was clearly as nervous about my presence as I was about his, but since he showed no aggressive tendency whatsoever, I wasn't at all frightened during the encounter. In fact, similar to my reaction to the rattler, now that I had seen a bear I had a much more real idea of what a bear is than the imagined idea of an omnipotent beast that I had before the encounter.Recall that my provisioning plan for NJ was to buy much less food than I would need, and make up the difference in local establishments along the way. In midafternoon I came to Culvers Gap, where US 206 crosses the ridge we have been walking. There are two eating establishments within .2 mi of the Trail. Since Gyp's Tavern has a good reputation among thru-hikers, I chose that one.I was impressed that the barmistress predicted that my choice of beer was going to be Yeungling Lager, since I had just decided that was what I was going to order. The first one was gone before my order of cheeseburger and onion rings came. The second one helped my order go down real easy. By the time I was done, a local customer had come over to talk about the Trail and offered to buy me another. Since I thought a third beer would hamper my climb up the next mountain, I declined. But the barmistress suggested a birch beer, which I drank and everyone was happy.Milestone: I am now closer to Katahdin than I was to Springer when I started out March 7. Looking back, that trek doesn't seem to have taken hardly any time at all. In fact, If I keep walking at the average of 14 mi per day that I have been doing recently, I would get to Katahdin around September 7. That is too early. Look for me to slow down soon, by taking more zeroes, by hiking shorter days, and just by hitting the tougher terrain of NH and ME.
Date: 2004-07-06
From: Gren Anderson Shelter

To: The Murray Property (Secret Shelter)
Miles today: 18.3

The Secret ShelterMileage Countdown: -861.8One of my favorite books when I was young was 'The Secret Garden'. One of my favorite shelters so far is the 'secret' shelter (which interestingly enough is in the Garden State).The secret shelter was built by former thru-hiker, Jim Murray, on property he owns near High Point State Park in NJ. From the top of this property you can see the monument at High Point, and almost to NYC. The shelter is in the middle of a field toward the bottom of the property, along with a couple of other similar buildings, a well-water faucet and a privy. Unlike most shelters, this one has electricity, running water and HOT showers (one al fresco, one not). The loft sleeps six (if they know each other very well) and is very well ventilated. With me here tonight are Koi and Timber and Tumbleweed, who are tenting. All three were with me last night, along with Shepherd (whom I met in the Smokies), Rocket, and Freedom and Carefree.Last evening was warm and muggy, and very buggy. In the middle of the night a breeze came up and a cold front must have come through. I had to get completely in my sleeping for the first time since heading north. Is this a harbinger of Fall? In any case, today's walking was qite pleasant, and sunny.I walked a bit with Machine and Waterloo, whom I met the day I went into Hot Springs (but didn't have those names then). They are travelling quite a bit faster than I am, so I was able to catch up on the whereabouts of the people I walked with in VA thru PA who are behind me because they took zeroes.The 'high point' of today's hike was High Point St Pk. It is at the highest point in NJ. They also have a concession stand that sells sandwiches and burgers. In line with my NJ resupply strategy, I planned to eat lunch there. The standard way to get to the concession stand involves walking a mile off the Trail, and then back again. But from the map it looked like there was a shorter way, so I tried it. I found the shorter way, but got lost in the process annd walked the extra mile anyway :-(. The cheeseburger and the hour and a half of relaxing above the swimming beach were worth it.Milestone: Today completed my 4th month on the Trail (including all days off), and my first month on the northbound leg.
Date: 2004-07-07
From: The Murray Property (Secret Shelter)

To: NJ94 (Appalachian Motel, Vernon, NJ)
Miles today: 13.6

Vernon, NJMileage Countdown: -848.2Got up at my usual 5AM before any of the rest were up (Heat Mizer came in to the shelter after yesterday's entry was completed. He is the person I was talking to between The Hump and Little Hump when I made the incorrect time calculation I wrote so much about, probably in my 4/20 or 4/21 entry.), and took off for mail drop, town food, shower and whatever else awaited me in Vernon. Ken, the person putting up my photos onto this website, is from New Jersey. As I was nearing the end of PA I was kidding him about looking forward to NJ, since it doesn't have many mountains. I know I was surprised by the NJ mountains, but have found them quite enjoyable to walk through (as recorded in this journal). Today I was surprised by NJ's hills. Most of the walk was through wetlands, and the Trail made liberal use of board bridges. But every once in a while there would be a hill thrown in, and boy, what hills they were! Just straight up and down, like people describe the GA mountains. True, these slopes only change elvation by a couple hundred feet each time, but they leave me dripping in these warmer times nevertheless. And the 300' climb to the top of Pochuck Mtn contained a stretch of boulder hopping that would have made Lehigh Gap proud (harbinger of the climb up Wawayand Mtn out of Vernon, I wonder?).NJ is famous for its boardwalk in Atlantic City. But among AT people a much more famous NJ boardwalk is the 2 mile Trail relocation just west of Vernon. About half of this relocation is a 4' wide boardwalk raised 3' to 8' above a wetlands area. There is a lot of debate in the AT News about whether this kind of trail is in character with wilderness experience one gets from walking the AT. I myself have no definitive answer to this debate, but I did appreciate being able to walk through (or over) these wetlands that would be impenetrable using other trail-building techniques. But on a sunny day like today, walking along there, with little shade and the sun reflecting up from the boards, my water supply was certainly being challenged.My time in Vernon today was much like the beginning of any town day: find accommodations; shower; pick up mail drop; and do the laundry. Except this time I decided to pamper myself and stay in the motel at the edge of town instead of at the hiker hostel. That meant that I got to walk all over town. And is this town spread out! Particularly the laundromat. I got various estimates of its distance from town, ranging from 700' to half a mile. But judging by how long it took me to walk there, with nothing on my back except my laundry in my pack, it is at least a mile away. You can bet I had worked up a thirst by the time I got to the Vernon Inn (Pub and Restaurant), with its selection of more than 2 dozen varieties of bottled beer, on the way back to the motel.
Date: 2004-07-08
From: NJ94 (Appalachian Motel, Vernon, NJ)

To: NJ94 (Appalachian Motel, Vernon, NJ)
Miles today: 0.0

Vernon ZeroMileage Countdown: -848.2Easy day. Walked over to the hiker hostel in the basement of the Episcopal church. Koi, Timber, Tumbleweed and King Alobar were there, and headed out later on. Had breakfast with C'NN (couple in my age group, more or less), whose register entries I have been reading for a week or so, but haven't met before. They will be leaving tomorrow.Finished grocery shopping and was back at the motel by 10. Spent a few hours organizing my food, packing up my bounce box, and napping (and watching detailed coverage of the Tour de France on OLN). Sent off the bounce box long before the post office closed, and went over to the hostel to see if anyone wanted to go somewhere for dinner. (I ran into Stretch on the way. He is staying at the motel too, but was having pizza delivered. Hobbes, a hiker I have met only briefly was doing the same.) No one was interested, but I got to use the hostel's computer for over 2 hours, and was barely able to clean up my spam and answer my guestbook messages in that time. Had an excellent dinner and two excellent beers at the Vernon Inn, and was back by 8 to watch some more Tour, and hopefully early to bed. Tough zero. :-)Tomorrow I will leave early to make the steep climb out of Vernon, and will head for Wildcat Shelter in NY state. C'NN, Stretch and Hobbes are headed there as well, so it will be a geriatric accommodation tomorrow night.
Date: 2004-07-09
From: NJ94 (Appalachian Motel, Vernon, NJ)

To: Wildcat Shelter
Miles today: 17.3
Weather: overcast clouds

WawayandaMileage Countdown: -830.9The climb up Wawayanda Mtn out of Vernon was not near as tough as the climb out of Lehigh Gap. They were both steep and long, no doubt. But there were several crucial differences. For one thing, Wawayanda is tree covered, plus I began my climb at 6:30AM, not 10:15 like for Lehigh Gap. So I was not baked by the sun. Also, the rocks on Wawayanda are only the size of a breadbox (remember them?) rather than a car, so the trail crew has essentially built a staircase out of them from bottom to top. It's still a hard climb, but it's a stair climb not a boulder scramble.At first glance the rest of the day looked easy on the profile (The profile is a graph with trail miles on the horizontal axis and elevation on the vertical axis. It has a vertical exaggeration of 5.28, so that one trail mile is the same size as 1000' elevation. The profile is a picture of the ascents and descents to be hiked.), essentially flat, with lots of little bumps. But those little bumps were steep hills 100' to 200' tall, and coming two or three to the mile. And some of those hills were boulder scrambles to match the best of what PA had to offer. All in all it was a tough day, one of the toughest I've had yet, even though the distance was not one of my longest.At the shelter with me are C'NN, Freedom and Carefree, Hobbes, And Stretch, with King Alobar expcted momentarily.Milestone: I entered my 9th state today, New York.
Date: 2004-07-11
From: William Brien Shelter

To: Graymoor Friary
Miles today: 15.2

Bear MountainMileage Countdown: -796.1Water is still scarce. All water I took on today was from a faucet. I even chose to walk nearly a mile out of my way in order to go to the Bear Mountain Visitor Center when I crossed Palisades Parkway in order to have enough water to get to Bear Mountain Inn.The mountains continued to go straight up and down (the Agony Grind down to the P Parkway certainly desrves its name) today so I was slightly late getting to Bear Mtn Inn to meet my niece, Miki, for lunch. It didn't matter, since the restaurant wasn't open until a half hour later (and didn't serve beer until an hour later). Nevertheless, the two of us had a good time catching up, and just being together.After lunch I went past the lowest point on the Trail, and crossed the Hudson River. East of the Hudson the mountains were noticeably gentler, so I was able to get to the Graymoor Friary in time to receive their hospitality.For over 30 years the friars at Graymoor have been looking after thru-hikers - feeding them a generous dinner and letting them camp out on their ballfield (with pavillion). Thanks to Graymoor for their generosity from last night's wel-fed, well-rested thru-hikers.Milestone: I now have less than 800 to go to reach Katahdin.
Date: 2004-07-12
From: Graymoor Friary

To: NY 301 (White Plains)
Miles today: 11.9

White PlainsMileage Countdown: -784.2Today's walk continued the pattern of yesterday afternoon - mostly gentle hills with only occasionally steep short sections thrown in. Also my walk was a short one today. Tomorrow I will slack pack a short section with my college friend, Judy, from White Plains, who picked me up in the early afternoon. But even then that was enough time so I could just mosey along. Quite a change from the blistering pace (for me) that I have been maintaining the last several days.When I woke up this morning, I could see the waning moon and Venus low in the eastern sky. For the first time on this hike I had slept under the stars, without a tent in the middle of the Graymoor ballfield (and was surprised how wet everything was by morning). But by the time I was eating breakfast the sky had clouded over and it continued to get darker throughout the day. When Judy and husband Ron picked me up, there were sprinkles starting to show up on the windshield. And as we sat down to dinner, we could hear a steady drizzle out the window.We sure do need the rain around here, but I was concerned about having to walk through the wet woods with my friend tomorrow. However for the moment I was happy to be inside and have a nice dry bed to sleep in.
Date: 2004-07-13
From: NY 301 (White Plains)

To: Taconic Parkway (White Plains)
Miles today: 7.3

Slackin' in NYSMileage Countdown: -776.9Today was an easy day, with just over 7 miles to walk, and hardly anything in my pack. The trail was also perfect for walking along with a friend, mostly smooth trail and mostly gentle ups and downs, but with just enough challenging sections so that it was not just a walk in the park.The weather cooperated to the extent that last night's rain stopped, and the temperature was cool throughout. There was a light misting throughout the day that only turned into a slight sprinkle as we were having lunch, so Judy and I ambled along leisurely, chatting and taking in whatever views we passed, and came out to the trailhead where Ron was waiting within 15 minutes of the appointed time.The only notable thing we encountered was a slow burn. Apparently a week or so ago a campfire in a cedar grove had gone underground and smoldered slowly. A few days ago it came to the surface and burned an area 100' in diameter, and was still smoking until shortly before we came along. Several cedars had been cut down to control the fire, affording an extra view of the valley below.I am now back in White Plains, looking forward to dinner, maybe a movie and a soft bed, before getting back on the Trail under full load tomorrow.
Date: 2004-07-14
From: Taconic Parkway (White Plains)

To: Telephone Pioneers Shelter
Miles today: 16.3
Weather: overcast clouds

Photographs LostMileage Countdown: -760.6When I woke up this morning and started packing, I couldn't find my camera. I realized that I had probably left it at the restaurant we ate at last night. I didn't realize how upset I was, however, until I put sugar in my coffee at breakfast. After I was through adding sugar I replaced the sugar bowl lid. Plop! Right in my coffee cup. Then I knew I was really missing the camera.The restaurant wouldn't open until later, so Judy put me on the Trail at 9 and went to work, and Ron said he would check with the restaurant later. Walking up the mountain I passed many viewpoints, but they didn't have the same pizzazz for me without my camera to shoot them.Later I talked with Ron who said he had checked, and had even had them nearly dismantle the booth we had been in. But no camera! In fact when Ron said that it was a digital camera the hostess said it was probably gone. That disappointed me nearly as much as not getting the camera back.I will probably get a cardboard camera tomorrow to tide me over, and will probably replace the digital camera, but the picturres I had of the Lemon Squeezer, of Bear Mountain, of Judy on our slack pack with Canopus Lake in the background - they are gone forever.Tomorrow, on to Connecticut, and New England at last!
Date: 2004-07-15
From: Telephone Pioneers Shelter

To: Mt Algo Shelter
Miles today: 21.4
Weather: light rain

New EnglandMileage Countdown: -739.2Got up and broke camp early today since I had a long way to go. Last night was spent with 4 other people, all of whom I have stayed with before - Doc (way back south of Erwin, TN), Chill Out and C'NN (Charles 'n Nancy). We are more or less the same age group, so were very comfortable together.Even before 8 AM I had passed two AT landmarks - the Dover Oak, biggest tree on the AT with a slightly larger girth than the Keffer Oak & and the Appalachian Trail railroad station, with weekend service right into Grand Central Station. I didn't get a picture of the Oak, because I didn't have a camera, but by the time I went past the station I had a cardboard camera so was able to snap that.I continued my resupply strategy that I have been following since eastern PA - going light on groceries but eating at establishments along the Trail. Today I had two deli stops. At NY 22 I had a supplementary breakfast sandwich, and bought a liverwurst hoagie (a first for me). Ate half the hoagie at a shelter, but had reached the second deli, off Bull Bridge Rd in southern Kent by the time I was ready for lunch #2. The deli didn't look like much from the outside, a small building next to a small gas station, but I was impressed by the variety of products they had. I had two sodas and an ice cream sandwich that I had never seen before. The new owners are clearly trying hard to build a discriminating clientele (probably easy to do in a place like Kent.).I was also relieved to see lots of gurgling streams today. I should be able to switch my water resupply strategy back to looking for springs and streams in the Handbook rather than spigots and stores as I have been doing recently.Milestone: Today I entered my 10th state, Connecticut. That also marks my entry into New England, so I feel like I am almost home!
Date: 2004-07-16
From: Mt Algo Shelter

To: Pine Swamp Brook Lean-to
Miles today: 17.3

KentMileage Countdown: -721.9Only two people at the shelter last night, Liz and Drew, UNC Asheville students hiking from Dalton, MA to the Appalachian Trail train station. I got into Kent, CT pretty early. Kent is a quaint New England town that also seems to be an upscale commuter town as well. Its main street is lined with a variety of shops and eateries.I took my time having breakfast, picked up some mail and got some groceries. By this time others I have been travelling with began to show up. Stretch was there with Mrs Stretch and some family friends who live in Kent. In quick sequence Doc, C'NN, Chill Out and King Alobar came into town. I was just leaving town, so am ahead of them all. Since I plan a long day tomorrow, I probably won't see any of them again until after my break.I don't think of CT as a mountainous state, but I got some surprises today. A few miles north of Kent the AT is nearly level for about five miles as it goes alongside the Housatonic river. But to get there from Kent the Trail goes over a small mountain. All went well until I was just about down to the river, when I encountered the steepest extended slope on the AT so far. Steeper than the ascent out of Lehigh Gap, steeper than the descent down the south side of Mt Albert in NC, I descended over 600' in about a quarter mile. My guess that this was just an intimation of what lies ahead in the Whites. Then at the end of the day, the data book indicated a 250' elevation change over the last mile before the shelter. 'Piece of cake' I thought. Not so. In that mile I first went up 500', in the process going through something like the Lemon Squeezer - higher, steeper, longer, but also a bit wider, and then descending 250'. I was glad to get to the shelter as the light was fading, although it has more mosquitos than anyplace else I have stayed (Well, Duh!, given its name.) And tonight I am the only one in a shelter for quite a while.Milestone: I have now walked more than 2/3 of the miles from Springer to Katahdin.
Date: 2004-07-17
From: Pine Swamp Brook Lean-to

To: Riga Lean-to
Miles today: 20.2

MishapsMileage Countdown: -701.7Out of the shelter early again, hastened by the mosquitos. Descended to the Housatonic River, where a trail maintenance crew was working on the only wheelchair accessible section of the Trail. Thanks to all trail maintainers for your considerable efforts that make this hike possible.Later on I had a different impression of the Trail. After walking through woods for most of the day I came out into a large cleared field on the side of a hill. There in front of me was a ridge with the first real mountains on it since the Shenandoah (Sorry Bear Mt, NY, High Point, NJ, The Pinnacle, PA, High Rock, MD, but you were just high hills.). It took my breath away, especially when I realized they would be tomorrow's hike. Soon after I met my first SoBo (southbounder), Miracle Man, who was on the 40th day of his hike.The wheelchair section ended at a hydro-electric plant on the Housatonic. This plant has a shower outside, and thru-hikers are welcome to use it. Unfortunately, after stripping down to my hiking shorts, as I was putting on my camp shoes, I felt a stinging pain, probably a yellowjacket. I forgot about it right away, took my shower, and had lunch. But after lunch as I started up the mountain, my foot began to throb. Just about then I met another trail crew, and the woman in charge asked me how I was doing. I allowed as how I was a bit tired (because of my pace the last few days), but must have looked in pretty bad shape, because she told me her crew often rescued hikers, and asked if I wanted to be rescued. Right about then that sounded like a good idea, but I said I would be OK. And as it turned out, after walking another 15 minutes, the soreness vanished almost completely. Probably the poison was worked out of the sting site.Within a couple hours of getting my first bee sting of the hike, I got my second. Just as I was starting up the first steep of the ridge of mountains I had seen earlier, I felt a piercing pain in my shoulder and heard a loud buzzing go by my ear. It was bad enough that in reaction I threw my poles in the air and grabbed my shoulder. I figure it was some kind of bee or hornet (attracted by the rank, sweaty, smell of my hiking shirt, no doubt' Wheeyuuu!) that had crawled up under my soulder strap, and had gtten squeezed when I hunched up in preparation for the effort of climbing the slope.Tonight I, along with 4 section hikers from near Philly, were entertained in the shelter by the fiercest thunderstorm I have encountered so far. It was very peaceful afterwards.