morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2019-10-09
From: Dalton, MA 1571.4

To: Upper Goose Pond Cabin 1550.5
Miles today: 20.9
Weather: clear sky

It was a good day in many ways today. Slept like a dead rock last nite. Fell asleep at 22:00, about two hours after my hiker midnite time of 20:00, and slept soundly straight thru till 05:00. Was out the door of the motel and officially hiking at 05:30, my usual time.The trail today in MA was easy walking for the most part, and the climbs were very modest, making it easy to pound out some miles. I¢m thankful for the miles, as it sets me up in good position to make Sheffield (mile 1522.8) by Friday where I have a maildrop waiting for me (thanks Kayanne) and will be making a planned stop there. Overall the trail here in MA has been easy hiking so far - and very well marked with white blazes, I believe the best I¢ve seen so far. Although the trail is generally well defined, there are areas - especially at nite, through open forested areas covered with newly fallen leaves - where it is not so obvious. Thank you volunteers for your efforts in marking the trail.I today hiked thru a couple of tree harvesting areas that were marked with informational signage. I could hear equipment operating nearby, but it was not close enough for me to see it. According to the signage there is an effort underway to get rid of the non-native Norway Spruce, thereby making room for native species.I did cross over the Mass Pike, which I have driven on many times - always looking out for the AT pedestrian bridge when driving by. I also passed the ¢200 miles to go¢ mark for me - I¢m getting there.Most of the gear I¢m carrying has been what I started with in February 2018 down at Springer Mt., and some of it is starting to show some wear and tear (just like Opa). Come on gear, let¢s hold it together now for just a couple hundred more miles! I¢m also on my third pair of boots, currently wearing Solomon boots which I really like - but the front rand on the right boot is starting to delaminate. I put some Gorilla glue in there to try and hold it together for a couple more weeks, I hope she holds.I¢m spending the night at the Upper Goose Pond Cabin, which is a fully enclosed 2-story cabin just 0.5 miles off the trail. The cabin is available for hikers to use, it has bunks on the 2nd floor, there are tent platforms, several privies, and a caretaker (very nice lady, goes by the name of Bambi) in residence. This was a perfect spot for me to stop at, as it was just starting to rain when I arrived. Bambi made a fire in the fiireplace, perfect; much better than either my tent or a shelter. The forecast is for rain all day tomorrow, bummer. Hang in there Opa, the finish line is getting closer!I am safe, warm and dry in the Upper Goose Pond Cabin. Goodnite.
Date: 2019-10-10
From: Upper Goose Pond Cabin 1550.5

To: Tom Leonard Shelter 1529.2
Miles today: 21.3
Weather: overcast clouds

Thank you Mother Nature for not delivering the rain that the meteorologists were forecasting for today! You instead gave us a clear, comfortable day - great hiking weather! Thank you, thank you, thank you!I woke up at 03:00 this AM, and laid there for awhile but couldn¢t get back to sleep. No worries I said to myself, let¢s get hiking. I was on the trail at 04:30. The Upper Goose Pond Cabin really was a nice place to stay at, as it so happened I was the only one there for the nite besides the caretaker Bambi. Bambi told me that during peak periods in the summer they could have as many as 50-60 people staying there between the bunkhouse, tent platforms, sleeping on the covered porch, in hammocks, etc. They will be closing for the season on 10/20. In general I¢m seeing very few hikers on the trail these days. I think I saw maybe 3 hikers yesterday, and 3 today. I arrived at the shelter at 16:30, plenty of daylight still. No need to hang a bear bag, as there is a bear box here - as is the case for most of the shelters in MA. At least this bear box was relatively easy to open. Several nites ago I stayed at a shelter in MA, and the bear box  was not only bear proof, but also human proof. The clasp was tucked up underneath out of sight, and I really struggled to unlock that bear box. I wasn¢t the only one having trouble unlocking that darn bear box! Tonite at the shelter there is one other person here, a backpacker by the name of Tim.I wasn¢t intending on pounding out 21 miles today, but between the early start and relatively easy trails it was not that difficult to make miles. This leaves me with a relatively modest 6.4 miles into Sheffield tomorrow, where I will be taking a Nero. Time to let the body recuperate a bit.Missing Kayanne and family. Hey Grandkids, if Mom or Dad are reading this journal to you, know that I think of each of you a lot during the day. Hope to finish this thing and see you all soon!I am safe, warm and dry in the shelter tonite. Goodnite!
Date: 2019-10-11
From: Tom Leonard Shelter 1529.2

To: Route7, Sheffield, MA 1522.8
Miles today: 6.4

My pickup at Route 7 was scheduled for 10:00, and having less than 7 miles to go I waited to get on the trail until 06:15.  As it was I arrived at Route 7 a half hour early. Fortunately there was a hiker friendly garden center nearby, where I could sit on a bench to wait for Jess Treat, who was picking me up and where I was spending the nite.Tim, the other hiker staying at Tom Leonard Shelter last nite, got up shortly after me this morning and discovered he had a tick starting to embed itself on his chest of all places. He was able to pull it out, and told me he¢s already had Lyme disease once several years ago and it caused him a lot of health issues. I know I¢m in the heart of Lyme country right now, and contracting this tick borne illness is my single biggest concern. I¢ve treated my clothing with Permethrin, will be wearing long pants, applying DEET, and checking myself daily for ticks. I am also carrying Doxycycline, which is the antibiotic for Lyme. The problem is that the little buggers are so small, one can be bitten and not even know it as there often is no telltale bullseye. They say that if you experience flu like symptoms for 2 days, there is a good chance that you have Lyme and need to start taking the Doxycycline. I guess there¢s not much more I can do.Here at Jess Treat¢s I have my own room in her home, very comfortable accommodations indeed. There is one other hiker here, thru hiker Kingfish - who you may recall from a prior journal entry of mine he was the individual kind enough to give me some iodine pills when I ran out of AquaMira. Small world indeed, good to see you again Kingfish! Kingfish needs to get to Waynesboro, VA, about 600 miles away, to finish this thru hike. Godspeed Kingfish, you seem very well prepared and I¢m confident you¢ll make it.Sheffield is a small community, but it did have a nice cafe where I had lunch. Later in the afternoon I grabbed a ride with Jess to a nearby supermarket near Great Barrington where I did my resupply, and I picked up some prepared food  (fried chicken, potato salad and a fresh baked roll) for dinner.  I also took a short nap in the afternoon - you can¢t beat a mid-afternoon snoozer!The weather forecast looks decent for the next several days, we¢ll see how she holds (meteorologists have been known to get it wrong from time to time).I am safe, warm and dry in Jess Treat¢s home for the nite. Goodnite!
Date: 2019-10-13
From: Riga Shelter 1504.8

To: Route 4, Cornwall Bridge, CT 1480.2
Miles today: 24.6
Weather: overcast clouds

Man, I¢m pretty beat tonite after pounding out some big miles. I hiked from 05:15 to 18:15. The trail today was a mix of easy hiking and some ups/downs with rocks. I had to chuckle to myself at a couple of stretches on the trail early this AM, where the rocks/cobbles had all been placed neatly off to one side off the edge of the trail so that the trail was a nice easy walking path. Had that been in either NH or ME, I¢m certain trail crews would have been promptly dispatched with instructions to place the rocks/cobbles back in the trail where they belonged!I didn¢t see many hikers on the trail today, which was a bit surprising in that the weather was nice. Perhaps it was because there were a very limited number of viewpoints along the trail today, not many places from which to take in the fall colors.I was originally planning on getting to Cornwall Bridge for a maildrop/resupply in 3 days from Sheffield, with the third day being a Nero, but I managed to get here in 2 days. Am staying at the Hitching Post Motel. There¢s not much here, it¢s a small town, and by the time I arrived the local convenience store was closed. Fortunately the motel owner gave me a complimentary microwave pizza, otherwise I would have been relegated to eating freeze dried for dinner. Pizza, even of the microwave variety, was much better.I know I shouldn¢t be looking too far ahead, but I am starting to see that light at the end of the tunnel. Lately I¢ve been telling myself ¢...Opa, you better keep pounding out big miles from here on in so you get to that finish line promptly, before either you break down, your gear wears out, or your boots disintegrate...¢. There¢s probably a flaw in that logic, but that¢s my plan and I¢m sticking with it. We¢ll see how she goes.I am safe, warm and dry in my motel room tonite. Goodnite!
Date: 2019-10-14
From: Route 4, Cornwall Bridge, CT 1480.2

To: Ten Mile River Shelter 1460.4
Miles today: 19.8
Weather: clear sky

Beautiful day today, even a bit on the warm side. I was surprised not to see more dayhikers out today on Columbus Day. I got a later start (07:30) than normal, as I was at the mercy of the motel shuttle. It didn¢t hurt me though, as I still managed to get to the shelter with some daylight left. The shelter has the usual of a privy, plus there¢s a bear box here AND a hand operated yard hydrant for water (but they still want you to treat).With the exception of a brief 2 mile foray into NY, I was hiking all day in CT - only have about 3 miles to go till I¢m officially in NY. The trail today was a mix of very easy flatlander turkey walk hiking (along the Housatonic River) and some steep and rocky ups/downs - and everything in between. It¢s hard to believe that some folks are able to complete the CT challenge, which involves hiking all 50 miles in CT in a single day. Folks usually begin at the stroke of midnite when attempting this challenge. I believe that last year the Young Guns (Capt. Blackbeard, T5000, Sour Patch and Mainer) were successful. I don¢t know how the heck they do it, the CT challenge is definitely out of my league.I did leapfrog a couple times today with a father & teenage daughter, Alex and Claire, who are from CT and were out doing a 3 day backpack. Real nice folks, they were asking me a lot about my hike as they are contemplating embarking on an AT thru- hike in the future.I did have two ticks land on me today, on my arms. Fortunately I felt them right away (now I know why the Good Lord gave me hair on my arms), and I was able to quickly brush them off. What a pain it is always having to worry about ticks! There¢s a cold front moving in tonite, I hope that dampens the enthusiasm of the local tick population a bit.Staying here at the shelter tonite is a 55 year old gentleman all the way from India, trail name KaKa (stands for Uncle). A very nice guy, he is attempting a thru hike but so far has hopscotched around a bit. He¢s going to get off the trail for the winter, then resume his hike in March.I am safe, warm and dry in the shelter tonite. Goodnite!
Date: 2019-10-15
From: Ten Mile River Shelter 1460.4

To: Morgan Stewart Shelter 1439.8
Miles today: 20.6
Weather: clear sky

Hit the trail at 05:30, and officially crossed over into NY shortly thereafter. Also passed the ¢100 miles to go¢ mark, Yea! A nice day for hiking, brisk this am but it warmed up. Had another tick on me, but again I felt it and brushed it off right away. Also fell once, towards the end of the day when I was tired on a downhill section with rocks. Had my long pants on, so I only had a minor scrape to my knee (which I treated right away, I¢ve learned my lesson). Other than that I¢m fine.I have 35 miles to go to Bear Mountain Bridge, 1404.4, where I have a room reserved for Thursday nite at a motel, and where I¢ll be doing my final maildrop/resupply. I need to hold this date, which presents a bit of a challenge in view of the weather forecast and the shelter spacing. Rain is forecast for tomorrow afternoon, turning into a heavy rain overnite. I¢d like to have a hard roof over my head tomorrow nite to ride out the rain. The problem is there¢s a shelter in 9 miles, which would leave me a long 26 mile day on Thursday. The next shelter after that is another 32 miles (ie 41 miles from where I¢m at tonite) - which is too far. There is a state park/campground that¢s 14 miles away, which would leave me a manageable 21 miles on Thursday. The park doesn¢t have cabins, but it has a nice hard walled restroom and hopefully a pavilion. Either of those would work to spend the nite. I plan on getting an early start in the morning and heading for the state park, with the intent of arriving there before the rain starts. Once this rain event is over, the forecast looks good for the next several days. In the meantime: C¢mon NY, 32 miles between shelters is embarrassing - you can do better than that!There¢s one other person here at the shelter tonite, Tom, an AT section hiker. Plenty of good tentsites near the shelter, so I elected to pitch my tent. I am safe, warm and dry in my tent tonite. Goodnite!
Date: 2019-10-16
From: Morgan Stewart Shelter 1439.8

To: Dennytown Road 1420.1
Miles today: 19.7

While hiking yesterday I crossed paths with a lady, trail name No Keys (she is an AT section hiker) out for an afternoon dayhike. We chatted for awhile, she seemed very pleasant, and then she told me that she and her husband live in the area and if I needed to get out of the weather on Wednesday I should contact her. I thanked her for that very kind offer, and we exchanged phone nos. I should mention that No Keys is a Marine veteran.I got on the trail this AM at 05:00, wanting to pound out a few miles before the afternoon rain hit. I hadn¢t quite decided where I was going to land, but kept monitoring the weather forecast. Heavy rain is expected for tonite with high winds: there is a flash flood warning for the area, and a high wind advisory. The forecast called for 1 - 2¢ overnite, with 3 - 4¢ in some areas. Not the kind of weather I wanted to be out in, so I texted No Keys to see if there was any way she might be able to pick me up at Dennytown Road. She said no problem, she picked me up at 15:30 just as the rain was starting, and took me back to her home where I am most comfortable. I met her husband Tom, plus her daughter and granddaughter who are visiting. I was made to feel most welcome. The kindness of others is truly overwhelming!That leaves me with a very manageable 16 miles for tomorrow to get across  Bear Mountain Bridge at 1404.4, where I will be staying at a motel; this will be my final planned stop with a maildrop/resupply for my final push to Vernon, NJ at 1358.7.I am safe, warm and dry in a home tonite. Goodnite!
Date: 2019-10-17
From: Dennytown Road 1420.1

To: Bear Mt. State Park 1404.7
Miles today: 15.4

No Keys drove me back to the trailhead this AM, I started my hike for the day at 06:30. I had a very nice stay at No Keys (Jenny) and Tom¢s home, they treated me royally. I hope they are able to visit Kayanne and I at Conesus Lake, we¢d love to have them!I had some light rain this AM, nothing major. The heavy rain came down during the nite. It was windy overnite and today, there was some fresh blowdown on the trail. I heard that there were some isolated power outages. So glad I was not in my tent out in the woods last nite. I made decent time today, the trail had its usual dose of ups/downs, but no major climbs. I am staying at the Bear Mountain Bridge Motel, they picked me up from the traffic circle by Bear Mountain State Park at 14:45. Today¢s hike took me across the Bear Mountain Bridge, a pretty impressive bridge with great views up/down the Hudson. The bridge represents the lowest elevation on the entire AT. Unfortunately I was not able to hike thru the zoo, as it was closed due to the high winds. Bummer, I was hoping go see the Black Bear exhibit so that I could say in good conscience that I actually saw a bear on my AT hike.After checking in, getting laundry done, shower, etc., I did my resupply shopping (minimal) at the local gas station convenience mart. The hardest part about that excursion was getting across the very busy 4-lane highway! I also had dinner at a nearby BarBQ place: pulled pork, very tasty.I now have 46 miles left, and am targeting finishing late morning Sunday at Vernon - that¢s 2.5 days away. Normally I wouldn¢t have any issue covering that mileage in those number of days, but I heard the next 35 miles in NY are fraught with slick lichen covered rocks. I¢ve also heard that hikers often fall and get injured in this section. I¢ll just have to be very careful and take my time, I¢m so close the last thing I want to have to deal with is an injury!My shuttle ride back to the trail picks me up tomorrow AM at 05:30, so at least I¢ll get an early start. Weather forecast looks good.I am safe, warm and dry in the motel tonite. Goodnite!
Date: 2019-10-18
From: Bear Mt. State Park 1404.7

To: Stealth Campsite 1386.2
Miles today: 18.5

My shuttle ride picked me up this AM at the motel at 05:30, and I was on the trail hiking at 05:45. The zoo was naturally closed at that hour, and my shuttle driver told me they¢d likely be closed all day because of the winds. It was in fact windy today, but generally comfortable temps. I ended up putting my rain jacket on/off multiple times as a windbreaker. Generally off on the uphills, but on the rest of the time to break the wind. A fair amount of new blowdown on the trail today from the recent wind event.The climb up Bear Mt. to start the day was a rock staircase, very easy climbing. I got to the summit and climbed the tower in time for the sunrise. The NYC skyline is visible from there. Link, Lucy and Charlie: I was waving to you in Brooklyn. Elena, Evelyn and Owen: I was waving to you guys in Westwood as well!Today¢s hike took me thru the Lemon Squeezer, a very narrow channel in the rock. The only way I could get thru was to take my pack off, and carry it sideways. A very tight fit. Other than that the trail was a mix of conditions, no slippery rocky sections (maybe tomorrow?). The trail also took me across the Palisades Parkway at grade, 2 lanes of traffic in each direction with a median. Traffic was surprisingly light, so it was easy to get across.I got a big blister on one of my toes, I can¢t believe it. The first one after over 2,100 miles, go figure. My sciatica also started acting up, but I stopped about 3 or 4 times during the day and did some stretches, which seemed to help. I tell ya, it¢s a good thing I¢m nearing the end of my hike, who knows what¢ll break down next on this old quarter horse!I was happy with today¢s progress, as I am now in good position to finish Sunday AM. Kayanne is going to meet me at the Vernon trailhead, and I believe some other family members may be there as well. It will be an emotional finish for me!I am safe, warm and dry in my tent tonite. Goodnite!
Date: 2019-10-19
From: Stealth Campsite 1386.2

To: Wawayanda Shelter 1363.7
Miles today: 22.5
Weather: broken clouds

I started hiking at 04:30, knowing that I had a long and tough day. I wanted to get to Wawayanda Shelter, leaving myself a modest 5 miles to the finish line (Vernon, 1358.7) where Kayanne and some of my family were going to meet me. In addition my sister Heidi and her husband Gary were going to hike in and meet me on my hike out. I told everybody that I¢d be coming out of the woods at 11:00. Only needing to hike 5 miles, I guess there¢s no need for a 04:30 start tomorrow, HaHa.Early on I did cross the NYS Thruway via an overpass. Kayanne and I have driven under this bridge many times when we travel downstate to visit the kids, and I always comment to Kayanne ¢look, it¢s the AT....hallowed ground....¢, and she just rolls her eyes. Now I¢ll be able to say I¢ve hiked the AT across this bridge.I¢ve heard from others that the trail in NY has some tough sections, and I concur. There were a couple of steep sections today that in my opinion were borderline dangerous. I did actually fall in one spot, but fortunately didn¢t get hurt. It was on a steep downhill section, there was this small cliff that the only way I could get down was to sit on my but and jump. Of course the trail is covered in leaves, so I couldn¢t quite tell what was underneath. Upon landing I slipped and rolled, but was fortunate not to hurt myself. Lots of ridge walking today as well on rock, which wasn¢t bad except for a few gnarly sections. Fortunately it was dry today so the grip was good - but I imagine on a rainy day it could get a little hairy. There were nice views from up on the ridge, and although there¢s still some nice color on the hillsides it appears that this area may be past peak.I arrived at the shelter at 18:00, there were several weekend backpackers here already so I decided to pitch my tent. Am looking forward to tomorrow, it will be an emotional day for me.I am safe, warm and dry in my tent tonite. Goodnite!
Date: 2019-10-20
From: Wawayanda Shelter 1363.7

To: Route 94, Vernon, NJ 1358.7
Miles today: 5.0

I finished, hooray, and what a wonderful greeting I received today in Vernon from many of my family!!! Heartwarming is all I can say, brought me to tears. Kayanne of course was there greeting me at the end, so good to hug you again sweetheart. And much to my surprise and joy, others met me along the trail and hiked out with me: daughter Amy and family (husband Danny and grandchildren Link, Lucy and Charlie); son Eric and grandchildren Elena, Evelyn and Owen (Eric¢s wife Ingrid had a prior commitment, but I knew she was there in spirit); sister Heidi and her husband Gary, and their lovable golden retriever Ruby. I knew that other members of my family, who live many miles away, were also there in spirit. Anyway at the trailhead there were homemade posters that the kids had made, and a photo collage and balloons. It doesn¢t get any more special than that, I am blessed! Even trail angel Jenny (No Keys) was there, serving as chief photographer. Afterwards we all went for lunch, and a few of us then went to Dairy Queen for ice creams. I am back home in Conesus right now, sitting comfortably in my easy chair after the long drive back. There are many emotions going through me right now, but it is getting late - and I still need to take a shower - so I plan on doing a final ¢Reflections¢ entry in a day or two. For now just a brief note of thanks to all those who helped me along the way, and thank you Lord for keeping me safe on this incredible journey. Goodnite!