morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2014-06-09
From: Massachusets

To: Bascom Lodge
Miles today: 6.3

Today was a nero. We drove to the trail in North Adams and started out on the sidewalk. We had a little difficulty finding the trail but once we located it, we got started on our way to Mt. Williams and then back down again. Tracy was having trouble with her ankle again and asked Foodwalker to meet us at the summit of Mt. Graylock. From there he will take her back to Ohio to rest her ankle again. Jack Rabbit Slim and I checked in at Bascom Lodge to stay in the bunkroom. We found out that Jennifer Pharr Davis, the record holder for the fastest thru hike, was giving a talk, so we headed downstairs to listen. JRS and I cooked our dinners on the porch and listened while we ate. After a nice, hot shower, I headed back downstairs again and sat with Jennifer, her husband, Brew, and their cute little daughter, Charley. A nobo thru hiker named Nails was there too. John, who runs the lodge made us a dinner of leftovers...carrot soup, chicken with broccoli, and desserts of three kinds of cake. He made me a veggie plate of broccoli and onions. It was delicious. Brew gave us all a stout beer and we talked for a long time. Around 10:00 everyone decided to turn in. Great ending to a wet day!
Date: 2014-06-10
From: Bascom Lodge

To: Gore Pond
Miles today: 12.2

Today we started by sleeping in at the lodge. Breakfast was at 8:00. It was homemade muffins and coffee. Delicious! We started out in fog and descended Mt. Graylock. Gradually it cleared up. The hike today felt like walking in a rain forest. Everything was wet and smelled of decay. It was near 80 degrees and extremely humid. We sweat a lot and drank a lot. The bugs were fierce, swarming and biting all day. We stopped at Gore Pond and stealth camped. I knocked over my pot and alcohol stove while cooking and nearly set the woods on fire. The bugs are still swarming and trying to find a way through the screen on my tent. In the pond, frogs are croaking like old men, and crickets are making a racket.
Date: 2014-06-11
From: Gore Pond

To: Washington Mountain Road
Miles today: 14.5
Weather: broken clouds

Today started out pretty nice. We walked a couple of miles and came to Dalton, MA. We went a little off the trail and found a nice cafe where we got a breakfast sandwich and coffee. We then walked quite a way through town before heading back into the woods. It started raining, and kept raining all afternoon. We had planned to meet Foodwalker at Blotz Road, but when we got there he was still hours away, stuck in traffic. We continued on and had planned to camp. Some other hikers told us to stop at the Cookie Lady's house and she would give us cookies and let us camp in her yard. When we got there, she gave us delicious cookies but wanted us to camp in the garage since it was still raining. The garage was really a falling down house filled with lawn mowers, bikes and tools. It was in bad shape, with collapsing ceilings and floors. It was filthy and smelled of gasoline. While it was nice of her and her husband to let hikers stay inside, we didn't feel comfortable and called Foodwalker to see if we could get a motel. I am having trouble with my leg again and am a little worried about continuing. I will see how it feels in the morning. The trail today was mud! The thick, sticky kind that coats your shoes and socks, and tries to take your shoes right off your feet.
Date: 2014-06-12
From: Washington Mountain Road

To: Upper Goose Pond Campsite
Miles today: 11.1

We got breakfast this morning at the same coffee shop as yesterday. Their food is great and not expensive. We slackpacked today for nine miles, through bogs and mud for a while. It got better as the day went on. We passed some nice ponds that were shrouded in fog. I saw salamanders, a frog and a mouse. We leapfrogged with Fire, who we met yesterday. We met up with Foodwalker and got our packs back. JRS ate some and then we started off again. We hiked to Upper Goose Pond Cabin. We are camped just below it. Nice campsite. JRS put his tent on a platform. My leg is feeling a little better today. JRS's ankles are hurting so we might take a day off if we can find a good campground. Today I crossed the 600 mile mark! Woohoo!!
Date: 2014-06-13
From: Upper Goose Pond Campsite

To: Goose Pond Road
Miles today: 2.7
Weather: few clouds

We had another nero today. Jackrabbit Slim is having ankle trouble and we both have wet feet issues. My shin splint feels a little better today though. Fingers crossed. We met Foodwalker early this morning and headed into Lee, MA for laundry and food shopping. By the time we finished, it was pouring rain again. We looked for a park to spend some time but couldn't find one except a little one in the center of town. Jackrabbit and Foodwalker wanted to see the new X Man movie, so we found a theater that was showing it. I'm not an X Man fan, but the movie was pretty interesting. The seats were comfortable too and I slept for part of it. Afterwards we headed back to the Upper Goose Pond parking and found a place to set up our tents. Foodwalker is going to slackpack us for a few miles tomorrow. Hopefully the weather will improve.
Date: 2014-06-14
From: Goose Pond Road

To: Mt. Wilcox South Shelter
Miles today: 13.1
Weather: broken clouds

Happy Birthday to my daughter, Sheryl! Jackrabbit and I started out with breakfast at the van. Since we shopped yesterday, I had a banana and yogurt. We then slackpacked 4.3 miles to Tyringham. It was still quite wet out but looked like it would turn out to be a nice day. While we were getting our packs together a bicycle race went by on the road. We hiked through beautiful meadows today, full of wild flowers and butterflies. We even got some views of the countryside below us. The afternoon was a lot of climbing and we were tired. We stopped at the Mt. Wilcox South Shelter where we are now camped. We put up our wet tents and hung our damp sleeping bags and clothing to dry. There are actually two shelters here, an old one and a very nice new one. Big Sky is sleeping in the old shelter. No one is in the new one.
Date: 2014-06-15
From: Mt. Wilcox South Shelter

To: Sheffield Egremont Rd. Shay's Monument
Miles today: 13.5
Weather: scattered clouds

Today is a beautiful Father's Day Sunday. We walked down from the shelter to the van and picked up our slackpacks. We did 10 miles pretty quickly and found Foodwalker again. Lots of rock climbing today. I saw a porcupine on the trail. It just looked at me as if to say, "I was here first!" Eventually it sauntered away into the woods. Shortly afterward I nearly stepped on a snake. This afternoon we crossed the Housatonic River and then followed it for some time with the river on one side and fields on the other. We passed the Shay's Rebellion Monument at the end of our hike today. Now we are back at the van. We will hike on a little further to find a place to camp for the night.
Date: 2014-06-16
From: Sheffield Egremont Rd. Shay's Monument

To: Laurel Ridge Campsite
Miles today: 10.9
Weather: scattered clouds

Happy Birthday to my husband Bruce! We started out today in the low bogs. The mosquitos attacked us as soon as we left our tents. We got moving quickly. After a couple of miles of easy walking, we started uphill. We rock climbed for hours, mostly uphill. We climbed over Jug End Mountain, Mt. Everett and Mt. Race. Coming down Mt. Everett was treacherous and long. I fell on one rock and landed in a puddle. Just before heading up Mt. Race, I ran into Fifteen, who I first met last year in Pennsylvania while hiking for a weekend with my sisters. He didn't complete his thru-hike last year because of an injury, and is back out this year to finish what he missed. What a pleasant surprise! Maybe we will see him again in Vermont. We are camped out tonight in Laurel Ridge Campground. We will meet Foodwalker tomorrow and get a motel so that we can clean up.
Date: 2014-06-17
From: Laurel Ridge Campsite

To: Undermountain Road CT
Miles today: 8.5
Weather: broken clouds

When I woke up this morning, my knee felt very bad and I could hardly even walk. Of course we were in a high campsite, so I had to hobble down just to get to the trail. Some Vitamin I eventually worked its magic and i could walk again, although still in pain. I started uphill before long and it was so humid I could barely see through the sweat and bugs. Bear Mountain was on the agenda for today. It was a very difficult uphill, full of high, steep rock climbs, some of them requiring just pulling myself up with my hands. Finally I reached and top and Jackrabbit Slim was waiting on the tower of rocks. I climbed up to join him and admire the view. We went down Bear Mt. and then up Lion's Head, which had a great view. From there I just walked slowly until I reached Foodwalker and the van. Now we are in a motel in Cornwall, CT. We are thinking of getting a campsite tomorrow for a zero day.
Date: 2014-07-05
From: Undermountain Road CT

To: Ohio then NJ
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

6/19 to 7/6Instead of getting a campsite we headed to Ohio. Tracy McG said her ankle feels better and she is ready for the trail. I needed to rest my knee, which was so painful I couldn't walk. We stayed two nights with Breezy and then went back to Harper's Ferry to head north. I still couldn't walk so I asked BRuce to pick me up in Harrisburg, PA where Foodwalker took me. Two more weeks at home. It was great to see the family again though. I miss them when I am away for so long.
Date: 2014-07-07
From: Parking Lot near Eckville Shelter, PA

To: Blue Mountain Summit
Miles today: 12.4
Weather: clear sky

I have been off the trail again for a knee injury but am ready to hike again. Jeff and Jenna were nice enough to make another trip out to the trail. I met Tracy, Jackrabbit Slim and Foodwalker at the parking lot and we set up tents for the night right there. It was great to be back. Today was a lot of climbing over rocks. PA is known for its rocky trail,and it lived up to its reputation. It was so hot and humid. We slackpacked for 12 miles and got back to the van about 2:00. We set up camp at a site off the trail and are resting through the hottest part of the day. Tomorrow we are going to skip forward to Palmerton for Jackrabbit Slim's last day on the trail. He will be heading to LA to hike some of the John Muir Trail with his brother. We are definitely going to miss him.
Date: 2014-07-08
From: Palmerton PA

To: Smith Gap
Miles today: 12.0
Weather: broken clouds

Today was Jackrabbit Slim'S last day with us. We moved up to Palmerton so that he could do that climb. The views were wonderful, but the climb was hard. The top is a Superfund site for zinc smelt contamination in the 1980's. At the top we sat down and ate blueberries as fast as we could pick them. They were not in the contamination area. After the Superfund site we walked on an easy, pleasant ridgeline. The path was lined with wild blackberries, so we ate and walked. After that it was back to rocks and boulder fields. Between the difficult walk and the intense heat, we were worn out when we met Foodwalker at Smith Gap Road. We all went out to eat, and then came back to camp near the road. Thunder is rumbling overhead and some wicked storms are forecast for tonight. Tomorrow Foodwalker will drive Jackrabbit Slim to Portland, Maine where he has plane reservations. Tracy and I will continue north.
Date: 2014-07-09
From: Smith Gap

To: Stealth Campsite
Miles today: 9.9

Another rocky day. I had walked this section last year with the Sisterhood of Payne & Sheryl so I knew what was coming up. We said goodbye to Jackrabbit Slim this morning. After several hours of walking, as I was looking down to see the rocks I had to walk on, I saw and almost stepped on a large rattlesnake sunning itself and digesting a meal. I immediately turned around and ran back up the hill. Tracy and I approached it carefully, and it coiled itself and had its head in a position to strike. We took a detour through the bushes and then warned another hiker who was approaching it, unaware of its presence. We hiked on, then stopped for lunch where we had camped last year. After lunch, we continued on over the endless rocks. Around 3:00 we stopped at a campsite on the trail and set up our tents to dry from last night's storms. We were about to cook dinner when thunder got louder and the sky turned dark. Just as I lit my stove under the tent vestibule, the storm hit. Now I'm sitting in my tent. It's still raining with lots of thunder, but I also see sunshine. Well, it's time to eat dinner.
Date: 2014-07-10
From: Stealth Campsite

To: Fox Gap
Miles today: 6.2

Today we hiked the rock river, or rather, the river of rocks. It really looks that way. It makes your feet ache. We crossed Wolf Rocks, which I had such trouble with last year. Then we hiked to Fox Gap to meet Foodwalker. His van needed repair and he wasn't sure how long it would take, so we all went to Stroudsburg. We got a room at the Days Inn and dried out our things. I went for a swim in the large, heated pool, which I had all to myself. Tomorrow we will head south from Palmerton to make up the miles we skipped the other day.
Date: 2014-07-11
From: Fox Gap

To: Kittatiny Visitor Center
Miles today: 8.3
Weather: broken clouds

We decided to continue north today and go back to Palmerton tomorrow. We hiked from Fox Gap to the Delaware Water Gap. It was kind of fun to hike over such familiar terrain. This is one of the hikes I have done as a day hike, in addition to our weekend hike last summer. There was great trail magic at the Water Gap parking lot from The Goonies parents. We ate lunch at the diner and then Tracy and I walked on over the Rt. 80 bridge into NJ. Foodwalker picked us up at the visitors center and brought us back to Palmerton to do the section we skipped earlier this week. I met my first Ridgerunner today. His name is Blue Eyes. Today I completed 700 miles on the trail!
Date: 2014-07-12
From: Palmerton PA 

To: Blue Mountain Summit
Miles today: 12.9
Weather: broken clouds

What a night last night! Loud booms, traffic, motorcycles, airplanes. I even saw a hot air balloon floating overhead. It was a beautiful evening with the sky and mountains lit up by the sunset, and then by the full moon. About 10:30, a fireworks show started. I could see it from my tent so I watched it. There was a lot of traffic after the show. Finally it all settled down and I could go to sleep. I got up this morning still feeling tired. We headed south today from Palmerton. The trail was very rocky most of the day. It was also very hot. We started up a rocky ridge hill, then hiked a rocky ridge line. We had two very difficult, technical climbs today. The first was Bake Oven Knob. There were a lot of people there because it was close to a road. The other was the Knife Edge. It was even higher and steeper than the Knob. At last we got over and continued on the rocky trail. Our feet were aching. The last few miles were much better. Now we are camped for the night and glad to be resting our feet. Tomorrow we head back to NJ.
Date: 2014-07-13
From: Kittatiny Visitor Center

To: Millbrook Blairstown Road
Miles today: 12.7

Today we started at the Kittatiny Visitor Center, the beginning of NJ. We crossed under Rt. 80, and then headed up the hill to Sunfish Pond. I had a real lack of energy today. By the time we had done a mile I had to sit down and eat. I also made myself an electrolyte drink. I think all of the sweating has affected me. After the break I felt a little better and we could continue. We saw quite a few hikers coming down from the Backpackers Campground. Soon we came to Sunfish Pond. It was beautiful with the mist on it. The shore was very rocky, and that was also the trail. We followed it along until we came to the end and then hiked back into the woods. We leapfrogged with several other hikers all day. It was a hot hike but very pretty. It's fun to be hiking in NJ.
Date: 2014-07-14
From: Millbrook Blairstown Road

To: Sunrise Mountain Road
Miles today: 14.7
Weather: scattered clouds

Happy birthday to my son Jeff and my sister-in-law, Melissa! Today started out pretty well. The trail was flat and easy to walk on and we made great time. The grass was wet and the humidity was about 100%, so we wound up with soaking wet feet. Eventually the trail turned rocky again with lots of steep ups and downs and even a little rock climbing. We had some great views of the valleys and lakes below us and we could even see High Point from several of the higher spots. About mid-afternoon I looked up and saw a bear not far from us on the trail. It didn't seem at all alarmed by us and kind of rambled on up the hill a little, then went back to looking for food. We took a few pictures and then moved on. It started to sprinkle, then rain, and then it just poured. We got back to Foodwalker's van and went to a little motel in Branchville. My feet seem unhappy about all the wet. My heels are fairly raw, but hopefully will recover quickly. Right now we are showered and dry, and looking forward to a good night's sleep.
Date: 2014-07-15
From: Sunrise Mountain Road

To: Deckertown Turnpike
Miles today: 8.7
Weather: moderate rain

Another nero today. Bad weather was in the forecast and with the wet weather, my feet and heels have deteriorated. We decided to get a campsite at Highpoint State Park for the afternoon and night. The park office gave me and Tracy a soda since we are thru hiking. I was #267 on their list for this year. We got a nice site on the lake with a platform for our tents. Foodwalker took us down the road for food. I got a Subway veggie sandwich, coffee, chips and two Dunkin donuts. Most of the afternoon was nice with only a few drizzles. It started to really rain about 4:00. I have been in my tent listening to my iPod and reading. I've never camped on a platform before. It's nice and flat but a little challenging for a tent which requires stakes. I managed it using rocks and tying lines to the platform edges. Not bad.
Date: 2014-07-16
From: Deckertown Turnpike

To: Wooden Tower at High Point
Miles today: 6.3
Weather: broken clouds

This morning was very peaceful. The lake by our campsite was covered in mist. A family of geese went swimming by. Tracy and I decided to hike a little later in the day when some of the water from last night's rain had dried. I am hoping my heels will be better by the weekend, when we will meet our sister, Blondie to hike in Vermont.It was a pleasant hike today. Much of it was familiar as these are the trails I trained on. At one point we left an overlook by the wrong trail. We realized it when we got to the bottom of the hill. Back up we went and found the white blazes. The trail looks so much the same that we didn't even realize we were heading down the hill we had climbed before taking the wrong trail. It was only when we met a nobo that we realized we were heading south. Blush. Again we turned around and climbed back up to the overlook once again. We got to the wooden tower and climbed up. High Point was right there in front of us. A short hike from there brought us to the beach and concessions where I got pizza and a root beer float. Foodwalker drove us to the monument but it was closing for the day, so we headed back to camp.
Date: 2014-07-17
From: Wooden Tower at High Point

To: Wallkill River Parking
Miles today: 10.1
Weather: scattered clouds

This morning was beautiful and clear. After breakfast, Foodwalker drove us to the Wallkill River Parking Area to hike south back into the park. On the way we saw a bear crossing the road right by some houses. We were quite surprised! The hike today was pleasant and easy, some of it on smooth paths and a lot of fields full of crops or wildflowers. We met many nobos who we had seen yesterday. We got back before 1:00 and went to McDonald's for lunch. The afternoon was spent reading and talking. We did a little planning for our hike in VT, which we will start on Saturday. There was one big rainstorm this afternoon and then the clouds blew away and it has been nice and sunny. Tracy passed the 1000 mile mark so Foodwalker and I made her a 1000 out of stones while she was out walking. Congrats to Tracy! That is a huge number.
Date: 2014-07-18
From: Wallkill River Parking

To: NJ 94 Vernon
Miles today: 9.0
Weather: overcast clouds

We packed up camp this morning and headed to our starting point. The beginning of the hike was through the Wallkill Wildlife Preserve. It is marshy, and we saw many kinds of water birds. We then climbed Pochuck Mountain, which was rocky but not too hard. After a steep downhill we reached a boardwalk which went for a long way through a marsh. It was great to see the turtles and marsh plants without getting our feet wet. We continued through some woods, a wildflower meadow and a cow pasture. By noon we met Foodwalker and headed to town for a diner lunch. We drove back to Port Jervis to meet Blondie and then drove to Vermont. Tomorrow we have a two hour drive to Hanover NH, and then we will begin our sobo trek through VT.
Date: 2014-07-19
From: Hanover NH

To: West Hartford VT
Miles today: 9.9

Very exciting day today. Blondie joined us for the first time this year. We started in Hanover NH this morning. It's a very nice town, home of Dartmouth University. Since it was Saturday there were a lot of vendors with booths on the street, nice little art shops and quaint little New England buildings. We continued on across the bridge into Vermont and then walked through the pretty town of Norwich. There were a lot of nice old houses with pretty gardens. Along the way we hit trail magic - water in Hanover, cookies, watermelon, marshmallows and graham crackers in Norwich. Finally we entered the woods and walked on fairly easy trails. The pines were beautiful and the scent in the air was fresh. Blondie hikes faster than I do so she soon left Tracy and I behind, but waited for us from time to time. We walked into West Hartford, a tiny farming town. There used to be a deli but it has closed. Tonight we are camped by a stream near Podunk Road.
Date: 2014-07-20
From: West Hartford VT

To: Woodstock VT
Miles today: 13.0
Weather: broken clouds

It was a hard day today. We started right out with a five mile uphill, then steep ups and downs all day. Guess we are in Vermont!! In spite of the difficult hike, the scenery was beautiful. The woods are filled with tall pines, and in places the ground is so thick with pine needles that it is like walking on a soft carpet. In between the wooded sections are beautiful meadows filled with wildflowers. The scent is intoxicating. Sometimes the grass and flowers are higher than our heads and it is hard to push through them. Brambles and berry bushes grab and scratch our arms and legs. Blondie is suffering a little with sore feet and fatigue. Her spirits are good though and she still leads. Most of the time she is well ahead of me and Tracy. Tonight we are camped in a cow pasture. Foodwalker is in the parking lot just a few feet from us. There is a pretty stream so we were able to wash our legs and feet.
Date: 2014-07-21
From: Woodstock VT

To: River Road Parking Area
Miles today: 17.7
Weather: few clouds

Poor Blondie. On her third day out we made her do such a long hike. She did very well. We stopped at The Lookout, which is a cabin in the woods. It is open for hikers to sleep in and would be a great place to stay, with windows that open and close, and a door. On the roof is a lookout tower with steps to climb up. From the top you can see for miles. After hiking on, we came to a large rock with a ladder to help you get to the top. It was great! We got back to the van quite late and had trouble finding a place to camp. Since it was already getting dark, we went to a lodge. Showers felt wonderful and we hand washed a few of our smellier clothes.