morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2023-06-12
To: High Point State Park
Miles today: 22.0

The bears left both me and my bear canister alone last night. I got up at 5 am, had something to eat, broke camp and was on the trail by 6:20.All day it was chilly, windy and overcast. I didn't see the sun once all day. The hosteler agreed to pick me up at High Point State Park at 8 pm. I started to think I was going to dodge the rain until about 3:00 p.m. when it started to drizzle off and on. It did that for a couple hours, then it started to rain steadily. The shirt I'd been wearing all day was completely soaked, so I changed into my dry Under Armor and that kept me warm and snug. I threw my poncho on, successfully this time, and i was in pretty good shape for the next couple hours. My gaiters keep my socks and the top of my shoes dry and the poncho covers everything down to my knees.With all the rain I couldn't use my phone or map. I had told my ride earlier in the afternoon I was going to make it out at 7:30 pm, but when they texted me asking how close I was, I couldn't reply. I didn't know anyway because I couldn't check the map for landmarks. The rain made the rocks pretty slippery and I fell once while descending a cliff face, without injury but it could have been worse. I was really happy when I walked out into the state park headquarters parking lot at 7:29. The shuttle had given up and gone home, she had to come back and get me. Fortunately, the headquarters building keeps the vestibule open, so I was able to get inside out of the rain. Now, I'm at the hostel, in dry clothes after a hot shower.I decided 20+ mile days are too long. I can't move fast enough. I have to get up early and hike late to make that distance. I have tomorrow off, then another 20 mi hike to Vernon NJ. That's the last one for a while.Sometime around midday, I crossed the 300 mile hiked threshold. I'm over 25% of the way to Katahdin.No wildlife today.
Date: 2023-06-13
Miles today: 0.0

Got up at 630 am, the hostel provided breakfast. Chatted with the other hikers, Chuckster, Slipper, and Firefly, then spent the rest of the day doing laundry, drying out and taking stock of my equipment and supplies. Had a lot of phone calls to make, paid some bills and checked up on the girls.Bob and Tracy showed up in the afternoon. I didnt know it would be them as the hosteler referred to them by the their trail names AOG and Mule.We went to Walmart to resupply, then went out for Mexican food, which was pretty terrible. Ice cream afterwards on the banks of the Delaware that was much better.Heading out tomorrow at 730 am with 20 miles to go. Took a room at a motel there as rain is expected afternoon and evening. Bob and Tracy will also be there.On the way back from Walmart, we saw a bear. Young one about to raid the trash cans right up the street from the hostel. It ran off before we could get a photo.
Date: 2023-06-14
To: Vernon, NJ
Miles today: 17.0

Got dropped about 730 am with Slipper, Bob and Tracy. Bob and Tracy are retired firefighters, Slipper is a retired paramedic.Hiking was pretty easy all day. It was great having the company of the other three hikers. The rain started about noon when we reached Unionville, NY where Bob and Tracey had some new shoes shipped. Mine are getting worn, too. Hiker shoes are good for maybe 500 miles, but 1 mile in PA probably counts as two.We had lunch and set out in the rain. It wasn't too bad, my jacket and poncho did a decent job keeping everything dry. The rain lifted for a couple of hours as we passed through a wildlife refuge where we saw several deer, a crawfish, turtles and more. The rain started up again later in the afternoon, so we cut our day about 3 miles short and caught a shuttle to our motel. Today might have been most enjoyable day of hiking, even with the rain. The four of us seem well-matched, so perhaps we will stick together for awhile.Bob is a hunter and tracker, he showed me photos of some of the monster bucks he's shot in Vermont and New Hampshire. He sees the most wildlife, including three bears today, one of which I probably walked right by without seeing.I did see seven deer, goldfinches, turtles and the crawfish.
Date: 2023-06-15
To: Warwick, NY
Miles today: 9.0

Slow start today even though we were all up by 5:00 a.m. Bob and Tracey needed to resupply, so after we had a little breakfast, we got a ride to the grocery store so they could stock up, then back to the motel to get our packs, then finally out to the trailhead where we started walking around 8:30 am.The first few miles were pretty easy, we finally hit what I'd heard about, the boardwalk and not the one in Atlantic City. This one is in three sections and is about a mile and a half long carrying you over some New Jersey swampland. Right in the middle is a rather cool wooden suspension bridge. We somehow only made about 4.miles in 3 hours, probably because we stopped to talk to several people along the way. At a road crossing, we got ice cream, donuts and hot dogs for lunch, pretty much in that order.Then we had to ascend The Stairway to Heaven. Very steep 800+ foot climb with lots of rocks, many arranged like steps hence the name. That took a solid hour. I regretted my two hot dogs.Due to our late start and slow pace, there was no way we were going to make it to the next shelter on the trail, so we opted for a hiker mainstay, the drive-in theater in Warwick, NY. For five bucks they let you put your tent on the grass at the back of the lot and you can watch three movies at the same time. They don't start till 930 pm, so we'll probably all be asleep by then.I'm now officially a full day behind schedule, but I'm enjoying my time with Slipper, Mule and AOG, so no biggie. Nom Nom who was at the hostel with us is also here.Going to rain the next two and a half days. Shrug. Those of you who have to go to work tomorrow, have fun. :)No wildlife for me, but Tracy had two bears run across the trail in front of him.
Date: 2023-06-16
To: Greenwood Lake, NY
Miles today: 10.0

We couldn't line up a ride to the trailhead, so we ended up hanging around in front of the grocery store, eating bagels and donuts. A guy bought us some bananas and trail bars, then a woman driving her husband up to the trail offered to come back and pick us up. We got started about 9 am, but only had 12 miles to go. By noon, we'd reached the NY state line. Shortly after, the trail got rocky, with several climbs. The only really steep bit had metal rungs, but the rock climbs went on for two hours. Then the rain came in, hard and steady. Fortunately, we had only a couple more climbs on the wet rocks. Bob, Slipper and I were able to help each other out, but we all still fell at least once. We caught up with AOG at a road crossing about 330 pm, two miles short of the shelter. He'd already called a shuttle and motel. We were all soaked to the bone, hands and feet shriveled from the wet, so the idea of camping in a damp shelter wasn't appealing, even if it meant another short day. The motel is pleasant and inexpensive, and the manager did our laundry for us, although my shoes will still be wet tomorrow.No wildlife for me, but Tracey saw a bear. These bears are more skittish than deer. They run off at first sight; deer will often stare for a bit, trying to figure out first what you are.
Date: 2023-06-17
To: Southfields, NY
Miles today: 12.0

Started the day with breakfast at Dunkin Donuts, then the motel owner gave us a ride to the trail. First part of the day was very nice, sunny and breezy. Lots of rock climbs though, Bob can't say enough about how much he hates the trail in NY. The climbs mostly aren't very high or difficult but there are lots of them and early on Slipper slipped (hence her name). I saw it happen and hoped it wouldn't be as bad as it looked, but it pretty much was. She barked her shin on a rock edge and went down immediately. I can say it wasn't broken, but that hurt. In a matter of minutes, she had a huge swollen yellow and purple bruise. Tough lady, she put some cold water on it and carried on. It was a reminder to us all, be careful.Ticks are a real concern now. We stopped for lunch and were constantly picking deer and dog ticks off each other. It is definitely time to renew the tick treatment on my clothes.Late in the afternoon, a thunderstorm rolled in. Not a lot of rain, but we got hit with pea-size hail. All the climbs wore us out, so when we reached the state highway a few miles short of the shelter, everyone was ready to bail. We caught an Uber to the nearest fleabag motel and settled in. Good thing, we've had more rain off and on all evening.I'm not making the miles i wanted this week, but I'm enjoying myself more than ever. Weather should be better the next few days.No wildlife today.
Date: 2023-06-18
To: Willam Brien shelter
Miles today: 10.0

Took awhile to get a ride to the trail, so another late start. The hotel was a bit rough, so the other hikers didn't even want to fill their water bottles there, but I did. Good thing, decent water sources have been hard to find in New York, giving Bob one more reason to hate the state.Encountered the lemon squeezer today, a rock fissure so narrow you have to push your pack ahead of you until you can lift it up out of the squeezer. Not difficult but unusual.Right after though is an overhang. It is only 8-9 ft high, but the rock juts out with few handholds. Tracey tried, but couldnt do it. He and Bob bypassed it, Bob has too many miles in to get hurt on an unecessary climb.Slipper did it though, so I decided to take a look. It was a bit tricky with the barest of hand and toeholds, but I made it. Slipper and I both felt rather proud to have made that climb when the other two guys couldn't.We stopped for lunch at a state park on Lake Tiorati. It was very crowded being Father's Day. All we could get was some junk and ice cream out of the vending machines. We ate our lunch with the smell of grilling hamburgers all around us. Nobody offered us as much as a cookie.For you non-hikers:If you see a hiker walking on a road, he is not hiking, he is looking for a ride.Hikers will always accept, and are almost always looking for, food handouts. Our diet tends to be monotonous and spartan. I watched the guy at the table next us eat four cupcakes all by himself. Couldn't you at least let us lick the paper cups?The weather is quite nice, sunny and warm but a bit of a late start, a lot of time fooling around with the lemon squeezer and a long lunch at the state park meant we had to stop at a shelter a little earlier than planned. It probably didn't matter, Bob's foot is really hurting him and this stretch of trail does not have conveniently located shelters. The early halt let us relax and eat dinner together. It was actilually really nice to sleep in my hammock.No wildlife today, but something knocked over Bob's bear vault that night.
Date: 2023-06-19
To: Ft Montgomery
Miles today: 13.0

Slept a comfortable 10 hours in the hammock. We were all up and out by 715 am.My right knee is still hurting. Not much when I walk thankfully, but sitting and sleeping can really aggravate it. The brace doesnt seem to help much. I need to ice it, but seems like i cant get ice anywhere.We made good time early and reached the Palisades Parkway mid-morning. That's a very busy freeway and a hiker was killed there a couple years ago, so they've now set up a 3.6 mile detour. Bob told me later he wouldn't have done it if he knew how far it was. When we crossed the bridge across the parkway, it really wasn't that busy, we could have crossed it easily.After a pretty stiff climb, we got back to the AT proper, then to Bear Mountain. The Bear Mountain section is the most heavily used portion of the trail and there were hundreds of people there today, I guess because it was a holiday. The trail there is basically paved with stones including steps. But it is still very long and very steep. There is a lake and a park at the bottom where we had a lunch of burgers and beers. We planned to stop in Fort Montgomery so Tracey could go to the post office. It was almost noon before anyone realized today is Juneteenth and the post office will be closed until tomorrow. We found a hotel and got a ride to Walmart for resupply, something I desperately needed.There are very few campsites between here and Connecticut, so the next few days are likely to be several short trips or a couple of long ones. Our best option is to pull a 20 mile day on Wednesday, then we could cruise into Connecticut. But Bob's foot is still hurting him and Slipper isn't used to such long days so I don't know we'll be able to do that.Bob and I saw a skink today, not much more than that.
Date: 2023-06-20
To: Dannytown campsite
Miles today: 16.0

By the time we got to the post office and got on the trail, it was 9:00 a.m. With few other options, we had to make it to a campsite 16 miles away which is okay for me as I need to be in Kent, CT by Friday to pick up a package. The day started out overcast and cool, probably good as we had a 550 ft climb after we crossed the Bear Mountain Bridge. The bridge is known to have nesting peregrine falcons and they can be aggressive, fortunately nobody got attacked although I did see one.Later in the morning it became sunny and hot. I'd guess my water intake doubles for every 10° F rise temp. I'm not sure we got over 80F, but I sweated buckets all day. Still I felt really good. My knee didn't bother me too much, my legs were strong all day and my pack didn't hurt me too much despite having picked up several pounds of food last night.We stopped for lunch at a nice deli that is right next to the trail. There were several other hikers there. We all had monster sandwiches even though we just bought food last night and probably should have eaten that instead to lighten our load. I just wish I had done what Slipper did and chugged a large Gatorade before we left as good water is scarce in NY.Trail wasn't too tough after that early climb. Late in the afternoon when we were getting close to the campsite, Bob and I came up on Slipper stopped in the trail. There was a 3-foot copperhead right on the trail ahead. She said she almost stepped on it before she saw it. It wouldn't move so we had to walk around it.After our usual dinner, I pulled out a surprise. I was tired of eating dehydrated hiker food so I bought a loaf of raisin bread, peanut butter and honey. I thought Slipper's eyes were going to bug out of her head. I offered to make her a sandwich that she at first she politely refused, but she had such a ravenous look on her face I burst out laughing. She didn't refuse a second time. The look on her face well eating that treat was utter bliss. I made one for myself and it was quite tasty. I'm very pleased with myself over that one.I told the group I'm going to start early tomorrow and do 19 miles so I can be in Kent by Friday. I didn't really expect them to go with me but I think they're all going to try. Slipper doesn't usually hike that far and I know Bob's feet are hurting him. I really appreciate that they want us to stay together. If I do get out ahead, I'll probably find a place to stay for a day this weekend and let them catch up. It's going to rain anyway.Saw three snakes today, a 5 ft black snake, a little garter snake, and the copperhead.
Date: 2023-06-21
To: Stormville, NY
Miles today: 16.0

June 21, the longest day of the year, is designated as naked hiking day. We did not participate. Neither did anyone else we saw. Perhaps it is an urban myth.We had some light rain last night, but it cleared out by morning. We were all out of camp by 6:30 a.m. I didn't really have the energy I had yesterday and the trail was unexpectedly rugged.Water continues to be a problem. There are few sources and many of them are undrinkable due to contamination. We stopped for lunch at RPH shelter which was one of the nicest I've seen so far. I forgot to take a photo, but it's an enclosed building with bunks and a covered roof for the picnic area. Best, it had a stream nearby where we could soak our feet and get water, although it had an odd after taste. Probably not from our feet.The trail got even tougher in the afternoon. It wasn't real steep or rocky, but it was narrow and there just weren't any easy stretches. The trail just beat us all to death. At the 15 mile mark we met up with a hiker who told us storms are moving in tomorrow morning. We got into town, had pizza and wings, and checked into a hotel. Declaring tomorrow a zero day was unanimous. We need to do laundry, visit the outfitter, and generally rest up. I won't make it to Kent in time to pick up my package, so I'll have to call the Post Office tomorrow and ask them to forward it up to Salisbury.Sometime today I hit 400 miles hiked. I'm ready to get out of New York, the trail has been kind of tough, there's no water, its been hard to find camping sites, and there's trash everywhere. We hadn't seen any trail magic at all until today when somebody left some Gatorade in a cooler, boy was that nice. No wildlife.
Date: 2023-06-22
To: Pawling, NY
Miles today: 0.0

We all took a zero day today. The idiot hiker we met on the trail told us thunderstorms would be moving in this morning, of course it never rained a drop. Still, we were so beat up from that day on the trail taking a day off was probably a good idea. We checked into the hotel, I took a shower and collapsed on the bed, waking up at 2:00 a.m. I realized I didn't have any clean clothes so I got some quarters from the front desk and did a load of laundry. Sign on the laundry room door says it gets locked at 9:00, but since it was open I went ahead anyway. I've been carrying three laundry pods around with me for a while. I texted the other hikers in case they wanted one. They're all trying to figure out why I was asking that at 3:00 in the morning.After that we just hung around and rested up at the hotel. We made arrangements to slackpack on Friday. Slackpacking is where you make arrangements for your pack to be carried forward on the trail or for you to be driven somewhere then picked up so you don't have to carry all your stuff. This will be my first opportunity to try slack packing, get to see if it all it is cracked up to be.
Date: 2023-06-23
To: NY 22
Miles today: 15.0

We got dropped off about 6:45 a.m. The trail was easy and with little more than some rain gear, a little food and some water, the hike was as effortless as it comes. We covered 10 miles by lunch.It began to rain pretty good as we prepared to get back on the trail, so I decided to try out my new rain pants. It only rained hard for about 20 minutes but they worked great. The pants didn't make me hot and sweaty like my jacket does and they dried out right away. When I was planning the trip, I really worried about rain. I didn't want to have to deal with wet clothes and sleeping gear, but so far rain has been very manageable. Getting water has been a far more difficult problem and it's not going to get a whole lot better over the next few days.We did five more miles after lunch, then got picked up and were back to the hotel by 4:30 pm. We did 15 miles about 8 hours, double the pace of our last hike. Slackpacking is definitely the way to go. When we get to New Hampshire, Bob promised to slackpack us every day. His wife will drop us off and pick us up and we'll stay at his house overnight. He says she's already laying in supplies. Still seems a long ways off, but we'll reach Vermont in just 10 days.We should be in Connecticut tomorrow. Going to rain for the next 4 or 5 days.We saw a beaver at Nuclear Lake, so named because an explosion at an experimental lab in 1972 spattered plutonium into the lake and surrounding forest. Alleged safe now. No, the beaver did not have three eyes.
Date: 2023-06-24
To: Kent, CT
Miles today: 7.0

We all went back to the diner this morning for one more plate of their great blueberry pancakes. By the time we'd walked back to the hotel, it was absolutely pouring rain, with more forecast for the next few days.We spent the next hour brainstorming various plans to get around the weather as painlessly as possible. We finally got a tip from a shuttle driver about a B&B that is not listed in the guides, right near Kent, Connecticut. Miraculously, the host had openings for four hikers for four days. We got the shuttle driver to take us to Enterprise where we rented a car and drove up to the B&B.The place is fabulous. The couple who live here have had the house in the family since it was built in 1967 and have been farming here since the late 18th century. The home is beautifully decorated and they have the garage all set up for hikers with tables, hooks for hanging and drying your gear, just everything we could want.The rain had pretty much stopped by the time we had lunch in Kent so we decided to get some hiking in. This was an excellent idea as it really sets us up for the next couple of days. Using the B&B as a base and the rental car we can slackpack all the way to Massachusetts.So what we did today is drive to our stopping point at the Connecticut state line. Bob and I start hiking south from there. Tracy and Melissa drive to where we stopped yesterday, park the car and start hiking north. When we met them halfway, they gave us the car keys. We hiked to the car, drive back to where we started and pick up Tracy and Melissa who had finished by then. Awesome.We hiked the seven miles in about 3 hours and that finishes New York. The trail was pretty easy although it was very wet, muddy and humid from all the rain and we got hit with a short 10 minute shower after a couple hours. It definitely would have been nasty to camp in the wet woods.We drove back to Kent, had some Chinese food, then back to the house for dessert courtesy of our host, and showers.Bob is so thrilled with this strategy, he's talking about having a relative drive his truck down from New Hampshire so we can do the same thing through Massachusetts and Vermont. Melissa likes the idea too, but I can tell she was feeling a little guilty about it like we're cheating or something. Hey, as long as you walk the trail, and it doesn't matter which direction you do it, then you've hiked the AT.The downside is you have to find a place to stay and whether that's a hotel or a B&B or a hostel, those cost money. Of course, once the weather clears up a little, we can still take advantage of campsites and shelters.So a full day tomorrow with two tough climbs but empty packs and hopefully not much rain.Wildlife: two wild turkeys.