morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2015-06-28
From: Greenwood Lake, NY

To: Fingerboard Shelter
Miles today: 18.5
Weather: light rain

According to the news some areas got four inches of rain. The power did go out three times during the night. It was a good call to stay in town. It was good to see Lightning and Pork Chop too.We left for breakfast about 8:30 and it was drizzling. By the time we got our food it was pouring again. We waited it out until 9:45 when I headed back to the town trail and started the climb back to the ridge. I made it back to the AT at 10:15.The trail today was more of the same from yesterday. A lot of actual rock climbing and walking/climbing on rock slabs. The only difference was that the rocks were wet. In the first four miles I fell twice, both times sliding down the rock face amidst a slew of obscenities. I got to the shelter and saw Miles who'd also fallen twice. We were both extremely frustrated.I've read a lot about every section of the AT and did not expect southern New York to be like this. Tons of actual rock climbing and steep ups and downs. It was pretty constant all day and wore me out. The weather didn't help though. Word on the trail is that it eases up after Bear Mountain. I'll pass there tomorrow.I got to the shelter about 7:00 PM and it's still raining on and off. I'm still in a large bubble of hikers and made the mistake of hopping in the shelter again. I guess I hate a wet tent more. Tomorrow we go through the Trailside Zoo at Bear Mountain. As in the actual trail goes through the zoo. The bear enclosure is the lowest elevation on the AT.That's it. Unexpected tough hiking today. Hopefully the sun comes out tomorrow and dries the trail. Oh, and we cross Palisades Parkway tonight known for hiker frogger. It's supposed to be the toughest road crossing on the trail due to the traffic.
Date: 2015-06-29
From: Fingerboard Shelter

To: Fort Montgomery, NY
Miles today: 15.5
Weather: overcast clouds

It was chilly last night and nobody got up early. At 6:30 I decided to get up first. Everyone else slowly followed. Second best night of sleep in a shelter though. Nothing will top that magical night in Shenandoah.Early on it was more New York ups and downs. The rocks have dried out and I didn't have to be as timid as yesterday. The highlight of the early morning was Black Mountain where I had a great view of the NYC skyline. I took a solid food break and called Mrs. Rock Boat to see how her day was going.Less than a mile later it was time to cross Palisades Parkway. I've always heard how crazy it is and was interested to experience the highway myself. Well, it was over hyped. I waited a couple seconds on each side but it was no big deal.I stopped shortly past there to get water and ran into Doc and Forward again. We got to talking and headed up West Mountain together. The conversation made the climb fly and I was standing at the top in no time. On my way across the ridge I ran into a couple of day hikers. One of them asked if I wanted a chocolate bar and we all know the correct answer to that. He reached into his pack and handed me a locally made chocolate, peanut butter, rice bar. I gladly tore it open and finished it while I walked down the hill.Right after the descent I crossed a road and headed up Bear Mountain. The climb up, and descent down, was graded for all of the tourist traffic the mountain gets. I grabbed a soda at the top and did a little people watching. Doc and Forward caught me on the way down and we grabbed lunch at the snack bar at the bottom.When I got there I saw Miles waiting. He said Poboy and Jeopardy had gone into Fort Montgomery and wanted to know if we wanted to split a room. After succumbing to peer pressure I decided to go. Miles and I walked through the trailside zoo, commented on how sad it was to see a bear in a cage, and headed to town.Roker is also in town so we all hung out at the pool this afternoon before heading to BBQ for dinner. We came back to the hotel and I did laundry, for the second time in three days and Poboy, Jeopardy, and I ordered Chinese food. I told the Wife today that I'm over this hunger thing. It was funny at first but now it's a pain to have to eat so much just to feel normal.That's it though. The day started a little rough but I really enjoyed the hiking and goofing off with these guys. I even got a plug on Roker's Appalachian Trials blog so it's only fair if I return the favor. Click here if you want to check his blog out.
Date: 2015-07-01
From: Shenandoah Tenting Area

To: Native Landscapes Garden Center
Miles today: 21.2

To Chaney Grace:1). I'm over 1200 miles from Newfound Gap. How crazy is that?2) I had a kid say I had a "mountain beard" the other day. It may have been the greatest compliment I've ever received. I may just have to keep it when I get home. Don't tell your Aunt though, she hates it.3) If you only saw some of the crazy stuff we have to hike through. McAfee's Knob is not even close to the scariest thing I've had to do.4) When are you going to climb a mountain with me?5) Love you too. Be nice to your brother.As soon as I posted my journal and rolled over last night it started to pour. I could hear rain pounding the roof above me but none of the pitter patter sound of it hitting my tent. Success! I woke up around 6:00 and it was still raining. 7:00? Still going. At 8:00 it had finally stopped and I was hiking by 8:15. I made it to the shelter by 8:45 and the guys were predictably gone. I was able to catch Jeopardy and Voldemort before NY 52 and convince them to get lunch with me at the deli.We all grabbed sandwiches and sat there talking for a good hour and a half. This New York hiking doesn't lend itself to motivation as there aren't many sights to see, just miles to make.   By 12:30 we decided we needed to go though.I stopped at I-84 and called Mrs. Rock Boat. When she asked how far I'd gone today I was a little ashamed of the 7.8 miles by 1:00 PM. Then I remembered all the rain.I got to the next shelter and sat there again talking to Voldemort, Jeopardy, and a section hiker. After 45 minutes we all got up and decided to walk more. After that I found my groove and flew the 8 miles to Telephone Pioneers Shelter where I was told Roker, Poboy, and Miles would be. They weren't there but I had a text saying they'd gone down the mountain to camp at a garden store. It was only 3.1 miles and 5:30 so I decided to make the trip.The hike down was really quick and when I got there I found all of them waiting on Jeopardy and me to go hit yet another deli. I'm not sure what my food bag even looks like anymore. I'm thoroughly enjoying the New York deli tour though.So, were camped right next to the train tracks that carry commuters into NYC. There's even an Appalachian Trail stop right around the corner. I've tossed around the idea of going but I've never been to Connecticut before. I'll be there tomorrow. So, last night in New York. Insane.
Date: 2015-07-02
From: Native Landscapes Garden Center

To: Kent, CT
Miles today: 18.4

So the Native Landscapes thing was a bad idea. We were twenty yards from the train tracks and twenty yards from a busy highway. Every time a commuter train rolled through it made my tent shake. Not to mention the horn and the flash of light. We all didn't sleep well but got up early laughing about it.The morning hike was a climb out of the road, down to the shelter and into a new state. Nine states down. I have officially been to Connecticut now. Vermont is the only other Northeastern state I haven't been to and it's coming quick.The initial hike in CT was a 500 foot climb and descent then a great walk next to the Housatonic and Ten Mile Rivers. One of my favorite stretches so far and with Nuclear Lake yesterday it's been two really cool places in two days.The climb out was steep and one of the longest we've done in a while. It was followed up by a rocky ridge walk and two nice size ups and downs before hitting the road into Kent, CT. We were all sore from the rocky descents when we got into town.The first stop was the outfitter who didn't have much of what we needed. There was an ice cream shop inside so I had a sundae. It was a solid tradeoff.We had gotten word that a clothing store in town had a back yard that hosted hikers so we went to check that out. It turned out to be a beautiful grassy yard with (cold) showers. We're all pumped to be sleeping on grass tonight and even though it was cold it feels good to be clean. The owners even supply towels. Very nice and free.Afterwards we ran out for pizza and yes, I ate an entire 16 inch pizza. They were having trivia tonight so we were all up for joining. For a bunch of thru hikers we didn't do too bad and took home first place. But, since we're a bunch of transients we had to give our winnings away. It was a fun night though.Tomorrow we'll wait until the grocery store opens at 8:00 AM then head over for a resupply. I have no idea where I'll be heading for the day. Fun night in Kent. This town obviously has a lot of money and seems nervous around a bunch of dirty hikers. At least they know not to challenge us to trivia.
Date: 2015-07-03
From: Kent, CT

To: Kent, CT
Miles today: 0.0

So, I got up at 6:30 this morning and ran to the gas station for some juice. When I returned everyone was slowly getting up and heading to the coffee shop. Two hours later we hadn't left yet and I'd found out Pork Chop and Lightning were close.I found Pork Chop about 9:30 and went back to the campsite. We all packed everything up and walked over to the grocery store. After resupplying we stood outside on a beautiful day and debated staying. I mean, a free campsite in the middle of town on a really nice day with everything a hiker could want close by? Unexpected zeroes are the best zeroes.We spent the early afternoon rebuilding camp, tossing a football, and sorting through our resupplies. We even helped the property owner do some yard work. It's been a pretty decent day. I've been back to the pizza place twice for lunch and dinner.Tomorrow I'll get up and head back to the trail early. I've grabbed something for breakfast already since I don't want to be tempted to tool around in the morning. It's way too easy to get sucked into the town vortex. I'm hoping to get to Lime Rock Park for fireworks and even some racing if I can quickly knock out the 20+ miles.
Date: 2015-07-04
From: Kent, CT

To: Salisbury, CT
Miles today: 22.6

There were a ton of folks that ended up in Kent last night. I struggled to sleep because of snoring - in stereo. Tents on both sides of me were in the business of log sawing. A couple of folks made a ton of noise at 5:00 AM so I gave up and packed my things. I was walking a little before 6:00.The hike today was a lot of ups and downs with a nice long walk along the Housatonic River. By 1:15 I had already finished 17 miles to Pine Swamp Brook Shelter and sat there for over an hour eating lunch and avoiding the rain.One of the places I'd been excited to see was the race track at Lime Rock Park. I came to an overlook around 4:00 and watched a race before deciding to head down and see if I could get in the stands. Unfortunately I got there a few minutes too late and they were done for the day.The good news is that there was insane trail magic at a house nearby. They've been grilling burgers and hot dogs and even let us camp in their awesome back yard. After dinner we made the walk back to Lime Rock Park to catch the fireworks.They wanted $5/person but eventually let us all in for free. I have to say, it was almost surreal watching fireworks after walking here from Georgia. I still can't believe we're in Connecticut. It was a fun group to spend the holiday with.Speaking of Connecticut, there's a chance I'll be Massachusetts tomorrow. I'm not entirely sure but it's looking like it will happen at the end of the day. I have a feeling these last weeks will speed by. I'm itching to get back in the mountains.
Date: 2015-07-05
From: Salisbury, CT

To: Race Brook Campsite
Miles today: 21.5
Weather: clear sky

The older crowd got up at the crack of dawn again. I even heard an alarm go off at 5:00 and again at 5:10. With no particular place to be these folks sure are in a hurry to get there. I left tired and groggy a little before 6:00.There was a long detour around Iron Mountain Bridge this morning so I know we walked further than the mileage says. The bridge wasn't out of commission when the 2015 AT mileage was set so the extra distance doesn't count anyway. I'm guessing it was somewhere between 1 and 2 miles.The walk this morning was great. We went by a huge waterfall then up to Mt. Prospect. I enjoyed the longer climb and the views from the top were of the fog below with a hill across the way sticking out. I haven't been above the clouds out here in far too long.I got towards the bottom and waited for everyone. The trail walked within half a mile of downtown Salisbury, CT and it didn't take much to convince everyone to get breakfast. These Connecticut towns are nothing like the Southern AT towns. They're all really nice and I feel guilty for being there with my hiker funk. The omelette was delicious though as was all the chocolate milk I drank from the market.After town was the typical climb out. This one was pretty sustained and ended five miles later on Bear Mountain. Poboy, Jeopardy, Lightning, Pork Chop, and I sat up there for about an hour and a half enjoying the views and talking with day hikers. One even gave us a bag of snickers and some fun conversation. I gave her the trail name "Rookie" since it was her first time hiking.After that, we headed down the really steep hill, hit Sages Ravine, and walked along the creek until we were out of Connecticut.10 states down.Massachusetts greeted us warmly with a two mile climb up and over Mt. Race. But, when we got to the top there was a half mile cliff walk. We've had nothing like it in so long that we were almost giddy. It was a lot like Tinker Cliffs back in Virginia. We sat out there and enjoyed the view until we had to leave to beat the setting Sun.We've since done the usual camp chores and headed to bed. Mt. Everett will be first thing in the morning. I feel like we goofed off a lot today, but in a good way. I'm usually jealous of day hikers who get to enjoy spots that I feel I don't have time for. I was on trail for about thirteen hours but it didn't feel like a long day with all of the stops. For once I feel like we did it right. The miles were awesome.
Date: 2015-07-07
From: Enfield, CT

To: Tom Leonard Shelter
Miles today: 6.4
Weather: moderate rain

We all made a pact last night to not get up at the crack of dawn. When I woke up at 9:00 and they were still asleep I was a little proud. We milked that hotel room until noon which included a McDonald's run at 10:15. While driving back we made jokes about taking a road trip but knew we needed to get back on the trail. We did stop at a grocery store to resupply and had lunch at Barrington Brewery. It's been a while since I've been able to hit an actual large grocery store. Hamburg, PA to be exact. I didn't need too much but restocked on the hard to find items.Once we returned the car and got a ride back to the trail the skies turned dark. We decided to hunker down in a garden center to wait it out. Well, it dumped everywhere except where we were. By 4:30 it was time to make some miles.The trail followed and crossed the Housatonic again then headed up to the ridge line. The hiking, although pretty easy, was miserable. I've never seen so many mosquitoes in my life. The walk was mostly just a battle as we walked through swarms around each of us.I've since made it to the first shelter, done my chores and hidden away in my tent. Supposed to rain sometime in the morning so I may get up early to beat it. Tomorrow we're going back to the regularly scheduled program. Maybe.
Date: 2015-07-08
From: Tom Leonard Shelter

To: US 20
Miles today: 22.7

There were a group of kids at the shelter last night. We've had such good luck with groups in camp but last night it ran out. Just a lot of arguing and talking in really loud voices late into the night. I resorted to iPod white noise and finally fell asleep around 10:30. I might have made quite a bit of noise when I passed their tents at 6:30 this morning.Since I left so early I didn't see much of anyone today. The trail was up and over ridge lines for most of it. The climbs are all pretty quick but challenging due to the bugs. Trying to climb and kill four mosquitoes at the same time takes more focus than it should.About two miles from Upper Goose Pond Cabin I ran into Mama Bear and her three kids. I'm not sure if I've mentioned them before but their story is awesome. They hiked from Springer to Harper's Ferry last year and they're finishing the trail this year. The older son is eleven and the younger boy and girl are five. When they finish she'll be the youngest female to complete the AT. They're an impressive bunch.The eleven year old and I hiked the last two miles to Upper Goose Pond Cabin together and had fun talking about our favorite trail foods. It was late in the day and the conversation always makes the miles fly. The four of them went to the cabin and I told them to let Poboy know I'd gone to the road. As I was climbing the hill I heard him show up and yelled down to him to come meet me. Apparently he'd had a rough day with a couple of falls, yellow jacket stings, and a trip in the mud. We were both game to hit the motel right next to the trail and order pizza. Jeopardy has since shown up and we've all eaten far too much while talking in our best (worst) Boston accents.Tomorrow we head to Dalton, MA and possibly farther depending on how we feel. I'm thinking I'm in Vermont by Saturday. We'll see.
Date: 2015-07-09
From: US 20

To: Dalton, MA
Miles today: 19.0

We've gotten into bad habits in hotels lately. Nobody is willing to leave first. We watched Married with Children reruns until 9:30 when I finally decided to pack up and climb the hill out of town.   Jeopardy and Poboy weren't far behind.My first stop was at the Cookie Lady's house about 9.5 miles in. This is a place I've always heard about. It's only 100 yards off the trail and they sometimes have cookies ready for hikers. Well, I met her in passing but had a longer conversation with the Cookie Man. He was an interesting guy and I ended up with a soda, snickers, and some cookies. I waited on everyone but didn't see them until I was walking back to the trail. With a little peer pressure I headed back for another soda.We all left and I walked with Poboy for a little while. About three miles later we ran into a 2014 thru hiker making cheeseburgers. Awesome. We had a great time talking and even discussed why all of us are starting to feel terrible. Apparently it's pretty common that folks start breaking down between mile 1500 and 1600. So much so that he went to the doctor in Dalton, MA during his hike last year and had it confirmed. The doctor told him to just keep walking so that's what were going to do.We flew the next six miles down to Dalton in order to beat the rain. Tom Levardi has let hikers camp in his yard for years so that's what we're doing. It started raining as I put my tent up and hasn't stopped. But, we've had dinner and all of my stuff, minus my rain fly, is dry.Tomorrow we head to Williamstown, MA which is 23.5 miles away. Mt. Greylock, the highest point in Massachusetts and the first 3000 foot mountain we've climbed since Virginia, stands in the way. Hopefully this rain will subside so I can get somewhat of an early start. It's 5.1 miles from Williamstown to Vermont. I'm excited to get there but dreading the muddy reputation. Massachusetts has had enough mud for all of us.
Date: 2015-07-10
From: Dalton, MA

To: Mount Greylock
Miles today: 17.2
Weather: broken clouds

It rained until about 3:00 AM last night. When it finally stopped I could hear the loud snoring of my tenting neighbor. It wasn't the best night of sleep. I packed up my wet tent and headed to the gas station about 6:30.I needed to charge my phone so I sat outside for a while. I spoke with a couple of locals and Poboy before finally heading back to the trail around 8:00. Cheshire, MA was a little over nine miles away so it was an obvious lunch spot. By then the sun had come out and there was a breeze so we all took time to dry out our tents. After lunch we ran to the gas station to grab Gatorades before the climb up Greylock.The actual climb wasn't bad, just long. The mud in Massachusetts has been really bad, especially the last couple of days. At one point I heard what I thought was a stream. Nope, it was the trail, which was a river. I still enjoyed the climb though and this is only the beginning of some really tough terrain. I miss the mountains.I summited Greylock a little after 4:00 and sat in the sun trying to dry out after I'd fallen in the mud a little earlier. It's really beautiful up top. You can drive to the peak so there were tons of people staring at the sweaty hiker that was covered in mud.The original plan was to go to Williamstown, MA tonight. We called every hotel in town and they were either booked or wanted ridiculously high prices for a room. Weekends are the worst out here and it's a problem that we sometimes have no idea what day it is. We all decided to head to the lodge on top of the mountain and sleep in the bunkroom instead, leaving us six miles short of town. I'll be there in the morning to resupply for the trip to Killington/Rutland. It's a little over 100 miles.That's it though. I hated stopping short but I'd hate the three of us having to split $150 to stay at a Howard Johnson's. Not to mention my feet were wrecked after the rainy night/muddy day. Last night in Massachusetts!
Date: 2015-07-11
From: Mount Greylock

To: Congdon Shelter
Miles today: 20.4
Weather: clear sky

I had an outlet next to my bed last night and could charge my phone and listen to white noise at the same time. I slept really well. At one point my earphones came out and I heard the chorus of snoring. I popped them in and fell right back out.I walked out of the lodge about 7:00 AM and my first surprise was how cold it was. It was nice to be on a mountain again. I checked out the view before I headed down and it was predictably awesome that early in the morning.Before long Poboy caught up and we walked the six miles to town together. Once there we headed to the Stop and Shop to resupply then over to Papa Johns for lunch. I asked about the pizza specials and the lady mentioned a medium pizza. I quickly told her that wasn't enough to feed a hungry hiker. At that point she informed me that thru hikers get 50% off. Amazing. We then discussed her dreams of hiking the trail. After lunch we headed the half mile back to the trail, all griping about the weight of our food bags. We crossed the Hoosic River and met Doc and Forward sitting by a creek. They joined us for the 2000+ foot climb and we hiked with them for the rest of the day.We got to the top then headed a couple miles across the ridge to meet up with the Long Trail. We'll share the same trail for the next 105 miles until Maine Junction when we head to New Hampshire and the Long Trail heads to Canada. Hitting that point also meant we were now in Vermont.11 states down.Now, Vermont has a reputation of being very muddy and is lovingly called Vermud. I'm now ten miles in and I can verify, it's nuts. It's taken some creative hiking to not be covered from head to toe. At one point I heard Forward groan and when I looked back he was over ankle deep in it. From here it looks like were going to get back to the old style of hiking. No more daily town stops and a lot more big climbs. Despite the mud, Vermont is beautiful. I'm pumped to be here. Less than 600 to go.