morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2011-07-10
From: Dinges household, Salt Point, NY

To: Dinges household
Miles today: 0.0

This is Dave updating his own journal for a change. Thanks again to Rusty for the continued updates.Trail magic is an amazing part of the trail and I've experienced the ultimate in trail magic the past few days. After I came into the RPH shelter where a work crew was doing trail maintenance, I was fed lunch, worked on the maintenance crew and then was fed dinner. (The were feeding all of the hiker's, so the work wasn't required, but it was really interesting to see how much work goes into maintaining the trail. Unfortunately, since we were working in a thunderstorm, I couldn't get my phone out to get pictures of the work crew. I will send a picture from my phone to be posted that shows the steps we built though. When you are hiking, you hike over and pst these improvements without thinking about how much effort someone put into making the trail accessible. Thanks to all of the people who clear weeds, put in erosion control, cut up trees that fall across the trail, build steps and put down walkways through the swampy areas. Hikers really do appreciate your efforts even when they don't realize just how much effort you put in.During the posting from RPH, I mentioned that I was tired in body, spirit and mind and was going to need a zero day to recover and let my knees rest. The next morning, I found a message on my phone from Mark Dinges offering to pick me up at a trail crossing, put me up for two nights and take me back to the trail. (He extended the same offer to Quest Seeker, but she wasn't ready for a zero yet.) After hiking ten miles, he met me at the appointed location. He has been a gracious host, feeding me (He is vegetarian which fits well with my pre-trail diet of almost veggie based. Since I got on the trail, meat has somehow become much more prevalent in my diet.) and sharing some of his excellent home brewed beer. It is as good as any microbrew beer I've ever had. He took me to the grocery and the local outfitter to restock and change out my cooking gear. After repacking, I'm sending home almost two additional pounds of stuff that I haven't been using or that I replaced with lighter gear. Tomorrow, he will drop me off where he picked me up and I'll proceed on to Kent, CT with an expected arrival on Tuesday to pick up my mail drops. I'll likely hike back out the same day to the next shelter since I had my day of rest.The only downside to the zero day is that "my people" will have left me behind, but there will be other people to meet coming up the trail and I may still catch up with some of the others if they take a zero later.In addition to Quest Seeker and Delaware Dave that I've hiked with quite a bit, I'd like to mention Hydro and MadMike, a couple of section hikers that shared the trail for a couple of days. They do some wonderful trail magic in Maine starting the Wednesday after Labor Day, so I may yet see them later up the trail as well. Thanks again to Mark for his amazingly well timed hospitality and tomorrow I will get back on the trail to Maine.
Date: 2011-07-11
From: Dinges household

To: Wiley Shelter
Miles today: 15.4
Weather: scattered clouds

After a pleasant zero day with the Dingeses, All In is re-energized and back out on the trail heading to Maine (OK, so he has a few states to cross first but we won't quibble over details), so I (Rusty) will once again pick up the narrative. He covered 15.4 miles today to the Wiley Shelter. The terrain was pretty favorable, but the weather was hot and humid. The oppressive heat and heavy air hints at a possible late afternoon or evening thunderstorm, so All In plans to sleep in the shelter tonight. After dropping off All In on the trail this morning, Mark Dingess drove to the shelter and carried in several large containers of water. Mark is planning to hike the trail next year and is building up some good hiker karma for when he is on the trail and will be relying on Trail Angels.Rusty
Date: 2011-07-12
From: Wiley Shelter

To: Shelter outside Kent, CT
Miles today: 12.0

All In had his new best day on the trail today. He hiked 12 miles to a shelter just 0.3 miles outside Kent, CT, plus and extra mile to a farmer's market that turned out to be closed. NY did not go out with a whimper. He had to climb one of the biggest climbs yet on his way out of NY; but, it is now behind him and he has entered a new state. Yesterday evening, while he was fixing dinner, Hank the Dog, with Sasquatch in tow, wandered into camp. Sasquatch had a pack full of cold beer and sodas to share with thirsty hikers. After dispensing his magic, he and Hank moved on to the next shelter and more thirsty hikers.The highlight of the day for All In was meeting Julie. She was a beautiful woman with bright eyes and a brighter smile. She was walking her dog, planning on hiking on another trail, when she saw All In and decided that she needed to talk to him. They walked together for a mile, during which she helped him refocus on why he is out there. Their discussion ranged from philosophy, to metaphysics, to Tibetan Buddhism. He felt like they really established a friendship in the short 30 minutes they walked together. As they parted ways, despite the fact that he was a sweaty, smelly through-hiker, she gave him the most sincere hug he's had in ages and told him that it was the highlight of her day. He feels that this encounter was one of the best things to happen to him so far on his entire hike and had him walking on air for the rest of the day.Rusty
Date: 2011-07-13
From: Shelter outside Kent, CT

To: Kent
Miles today: 0.0

This is Dave signing in from Kent. I've picked up my packages from the Post Office. (Mom, the brownies held up very well. I'll enjoy them over the next couple of days.) I've had a god breakfast and in true hobbit tradition, second breakfast. My plan is to head out and do about seven or eight miles today. There is a bit of climbing early, followed by a walk along the Housatonic River. The weather is overcast and much cooler than the past couple of days.A clarification on meeting Julie. Just so no one gets the wrong idea, she isn't Dora. Julie is a happily married mother of two kids who went out of her way to have a conversation with a stranger and in the process, made a difference. I had been struggling for several days with the "why am I out here" question. In the course of a short conversation, she helped me remember that it isn't about hiking to Maine but it is about reinventing myself and rediscovering the best parts of myself. It was time to break away from spending too much time in the casino, putting on too much weight, working a job that felt like a dead end and figure out what I want to be when I grow up. (Interesting that the abbreviation for Maine is ME and the hike is about getting back to Me.) Marguerite suggested that maybe Julie was actually an angel (I did tell her that she could have been one of the goddesses) and I said that angels didn't have business cards and husbands and kids and dogs. Marguerite pointed out that sometimes they do. I'll leave it at that.
Date: 2011-07-13
From: Kent

To: Stewart Hollow Shelter
Miles today: 7.0
Weather: broken clouds

Rusty picks up the narrative again: All In hiked 7 miles today, with much of the hike spent in the rain. He raced down a really tough climb to avoid getting caught on the slick rocks in the rain again. Fortunately, the rain held off until he reached the nice flat rail trail. Since he ended up soaked hiking in the rain anyway, he decided to end the hike with a skinnydip in the river to wash up.Rusty
Date: 2011-07-15
From: Stewart Hollow Shelter

To: Pine Swamp Brook Shelter
Miles today: 10.0
Weather: few clouds

All In hiked 10 miles yesterday to the Pine Swamp Brook shelter. With a name like that, it is not surprising that it was a fairly buggy place. After dinner, he headed straight to his tent to escape the onslaught. He expects to reach Salzburg, CT on Saturday and then on to MA on Sunday! He's beginning to see the mountains get higher again, so he figures he'll either get stronger or slower in the coming days. His next planned stop is at the East Mountain Retreat Center somewhere around Wednesday. He will have passed the 500 mile mark by then. You can send a care package via UPS or FedEx to them at 8 Lake Buel Rd, Great Barrington, MA 01230. He then expects to be in Dalton, MA about next Saturday. You can mail packages there to AT Through Hiker Dave Miller, c/o Postmaster, Dalton, MA 01226.Rusty
Date: 2011-07-17
From: Riga Shelter

To: Doll's Dwelling
Miles today: 0.0

To allay everyone's fears, All In did not fall off the edge of the world - I did. Actually, I was working as an EMT at the All Good Musical Festival and had limited internet service and was not able to post this weekend. All In appears to have been able to handle the postings well enough without me, based on his spiritual and deep posting from Saturday. However, now you are back to my fairly mundane updates. All In has linked back up with Delaware Dave and Quest Seeker and continues his northward trekking, passing through Salisbury, CT, and crossing over into Massachusetts. Along the way cross three mountains with about 2500 ft of climbing, along with the corresponding downhills. One particularly nasty climb, Mt Everett, climbed 700 feet in half a mile. However, they stopped by Guilders Pond along the way for an afternoon swim (Life is Good!). Today, the trek continued another eight miles to the Doll's Dwelling in Great Barrington, MA. The Doll's Dwelling is an establishment that sells dolls and the front room and has a place in the back room where hikers can stash their gear and get cold drinks and a place outside to pitch their tents. They stopped after only 8 miles because thunderstorms appeared to be imminent. In the end, the storms held off (until tonight, anyway) and the hikers were able to walk into town and get some subs for dinner. All In is at 498 miles and will break the 500 mile mark before reaching the East Mountain Retreat Center tomorrow.Rusty
Date: 2011-07-21
From: Doll's Dwelling

To: Upper Goose Pond Cabin
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

Due to poor phone signal on All In's end one night and a busy ambulance on my end one night, I am a bit behind on my tales of All In's travels and travails. So, we'll see if we can get caught up:On Tuesday, All In covered 8.2 miles to the East Mountain Retreat Center. It was a really nice hostel; but, the best part was that the local pizza place would make deliveries - a service of which All In made good use!On Wednesday, All In had very poor phone signal. In fact, the sum total of his message was, "Very weak signal". He had indicated the previous day, though, that he planned to hike 12 to 14 miles to make up for a couple of shorter days leading up to the East Mountain Retreat Center. With no evidence to the contrary, we will give him the benefit of the doubt and say he covered the 14 miles.Today, All In and Quest Seeker covered ten miles to the Upper Goose Pond Cabin. The heat has really been taking a toll and 10 miles was about all he could cover (yeah, just ten miles, with no air conditioning, no ice cold drinks, a pack on his back, and nothing to get him where he was going but his own two feet!). However, the Upper Goose Pond Cabin was the reward at the end of a very hot day: swimming, canning, bunks with mattresses, and a pancake breakfast! Along the way, he saw his first porcupine on the trail - a very strange animal observed from a safe distance. He and Quest Seeker also shared the trail today with a woman from Switzerland who was hiking with three kids, aged 8, 11, and 12. He decided that, after they covered the same hot, sweaty 10 miles that he did, that they make kids pretty tough in Switzerland!Rusty
Date: 2011-07-22
From: Upper Goose Pond Cabin

To: Cookie Lady's Home
Miles today: 11.2

Cookies!! All In hiked 11.2 miles today to the Cookie Lady's house. It is a pick your own blueberry farm that lets hikers camp in the yard. Marilyn, the Cookie Lady, bakes cookies for hikers and they also sell soft drinks and hard boiled eggs. In return, the hikers mowed the grass and picked blueberries for the Cookie Lady to sell. All In will finally reach Dalton, MA tomorrow, where he will decide whether to take a Zero Day in Dalton or push on to Cheshire. After Dalton, All In will have the 2700 ft climb up Mt Greylock (or Mt Gridlock, as his phone spellchecker appears to think it is). All In expects to be in Bennington, VT next weekend. As All In says, "All is well".Rusty
Date: 2011-07-23
From: Cookie Lady's Home

To: Dalton, MA
Miles today: 10.0
Weather: clear sky

All In hiked 10 miles to Dalton, MA today. He is spending the night at a hostel in a private residence with about ten other hikers. He went to Jacob's for a dark beer and a burger (this long distance hiking stuff can be pretty hard on a fella!). All In received packages from Susan, Lisa, and Crazy Ed. He wanted to thank them all for sending him very useful stuff.Rusty
Date: 2011-07-24
From: Dalton, MA

To: Dalton, MA
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

This is Dave, checking in from Dalton. Although I'm physically in great shape for hiking, I decided to zero for a break in the routine. It's been two weeks since my last zero, but I still had a hard time convincing myself to take a day off. Tomorrow I'll move on to Cheshire, MS and Tuesday is the 2700 ft climb up Greylock. On top is a monument to whalers because the hump of Greylock among the rolling waves of the surroundong mountains inspired Herman Melville to write Moby Dick. (My pictures of the mountain are on my other camera. I'll try to take one with my phone and post it later.) I've already had a burger for lunch and pork chops for dinner yesterday. So much for my almost going vegetarian. I hadn't't had more than a half dozen soft drinks in the past three years. There have been days with that many when available. I'll definitely need to refocus my food choices when I'm no longer burning 6000 to 8000 calories in a day. I've attached a picture of a typical hiker eating standard town food. I received my packages from Lisa, Susan and Crazy Ed. Thanks all! The fruit cups and some of the cookies were eaten immediately. The ale was chilled and enjoyed later. Some of the food was shared, but most was packed away in my food bag for the next few days. (The cookies that spent three weeks in transit before they caught up to me were a little dry but still tasty. When offered, the other hikers hoovered what I didn't rat almost instantly and grunted their approval.) One last anecdote before I sign off. Hiker manners are one of the early casualties of the informality of the trail. Eating oatmeal with your fingers, no problem. Need to beach? No "excuse me" necessary. Build up of gas? Release it. Of course, when you get to town and are standing in the line at the grocery store... that would be a really good time to remember how polite society regards such things. I'm just saying ... innkeeper, never mind.
Date: 2011-07-25
From: Dalton, MA

To: Unknown shelter, MA
Miles today: 0.0

Only got a partial message from All In tonight; but it appears that, with a let-up in the searing heat, he had a strong hiking day today. Even with a steep climb, he was averaging over 2 miles per hour. He was considering doing Big Miles today, with the cooler temperatures; but, Mother Nature had different plans. When the Heavens opened up, a soaked and bedraggled All In made for the next shelter, where he put on his warm clothes and climbed into his sleeping bag to read for awhile. The only real down side to the day was that he took a tumble before the rains started and ended up bruising his leg, hand, and forehead, but no real damage was sustained.Rusty
Date: 2011-07-26
From: Unknown shelter, MA

To: Williamstown, MA
Miles today: 10.0

Today started late due to a rainy morning. Once the rain ended, I started up the last three miles to the summit of Mt. Greylock (another 1000 ft added to yesterday's 1700 ft). About three tenths of a mile into the day, I realized that I'd forgoten the Pirates cap that I'd found in a hiker box two days ago. Of course I went back for it. Come on, its a found Pirates cap! As I got to the shelter, Quest Seeker was coming along with my cap attached to her pack. I bought her a Coke later as a reward. Once on the summit, Delaware Dave caught up with us and we stopped at Bascom Lodge for lunch. My new girlfriend, Sparkplug, joined us. As usual, she is married,so her emotional and physical commitment to this relationship is extremely limited! We had fun picking on each other though. She gave me my new mantra when things get tough. "Stop whining and suck it up, Buttercup." After lunch, Quest Seeker and I started down the other side of the mountain. We were quickly inundated by yet another quick moving thunderstorm. Once we made it off the mountain, even though I sat down in the mud a time or two, I declared that Mt. Greylock really was a pussycat! Soaked and wanting to dry out, we got a motel room, did laundry yet again, got a sandwich and called it a night. By the way, the next planned post office stop is the middle of next week at Killington, VT (zip code 05751) I am four miles from the Vermont border. Another state down tomorrow.
Date: 2011-07-27
From: Williamstown, MA

To: Congdon Shelter, VT
Miles today: 14.2
Weather: broken clouds

All In has crossed another state line and entered Vermont today. He covered 14.2 miles to the Congdon Shelter. He is now halfway to Mt. Katahdin and will break the 600 mile mark either tomorrow or Friday. Wow! He feels that he is getting stronger on the climbs - just in time, too, because he's got a couple of 4000 footers to cross next week. If you haven't done so already, check out his picture of the view from atop Mt. Greylock in the photos section - it's just gorgeous. In other news, a couple of days ago he started spotting very large pellets on the trail - so, naturally, he started watching for a very large rabbit. Well, someone informed him that it was not very large rabbit droppings - it was actually moose droppings. Now, he is on the lookout for a moose. So far, though he thinks he may have heard one, no moose sighting yet. He did see a very large dog that was as big as a moose. I told him that I'd report that he had observed a "moose-like creature".Rusty
Date: 2011-08-04
From: Green Mountain House

To: South of Killington, VT
Miles today: 0.0

Electronic goblins appear to be trying to put a stop to the reporting of All In's adventures! Communications have been spotty the past couple of evenings, so details have been slim. I finally got a chance to update the journal tonight, spent 40 minutes typing an update and lost the internet connection when I went to upload it. So, here goes again:I talked to All In on the phone last night. It was an OK connection; however, with the roar of the engines from the demolition derby behind me (I was working on the ambulance)and nothing on which to take notes, I will have to do my best to reconstruct our spotty conversation from memory. On Tuesday All In hiked 15 miles to the Little Pond shelter. It was a good day on the trail, but nothing really out of the ordinary (huh - hiking 15 miles through the beautiful Vermont woods on a pretty summer day is 'nothing out of the ordinary' - wish I could say the same!). Yesterday, he hiked another 14 miles to the Mineral Hinchley shelter. It was another beautiful walk through a pine forest on a mountain where hikers over the years have built a rock garden of cairns of various sizes. All In planted a rock in the garden in the hopes it will grow. I guess he will just have to check back in in a couple of years to see what has sprouted.All In is really feeling up about his hike. He has fallen into a pretty good rhythm. He is up early every day and onto the trail. The uphills have gotten easier, the downhills have gotten smoother and the average daily miles hiked have gotten longer. He has become part of a loose group of trail friends that make each new shelter or hostel feel a little more comfortable because they are filled with familiar faces. He has continued to leap-frog his way north with Delaware Dave and Quest Seeker. They don't always hike together, or even stop at the same place every night. However, every few days, whether by chance or purpose, they meet up on the trail. When I told him that his Aug 1 picture of him standing in front of the boot graveyard had generated a lot of comments in his guestbook, he shared with me that when he stepped on to the trail in Harpers Ferry on Memorial Day, he weighed 272 lbs (see picture #2 in his photo album). On Aug 1, he weighed 220 lbs! That's a 52 lb weight loss - no wonder his step if much lighter! That's the equivalent of TWO backpacks.All In expects to reach Killington, VT tomorrow, where he plans to take a rest day. Then, it's on to New Hampshire and the White Mts and the Presidential Range. Mt Washington is beginning to loom large in All In's psyche. It's a big, treeless mountain on which the highest surface wind gust ever recorded was measured - 231 mph! His next planned rest day will be on or around August 11 in Hanover, NH. Packages can be sent to him c/o the Hanover, NH post office at zip code 03755.Rusty
Date: 2011-08-06
From: South of Killington, VT

To: Inn at Long Trail, VT
Miles today: 0.0

All In hiked 9.5 miles to the Gov. Clement shelter yesterday. It was a late start to the day and a long break at the Whistle Stop Cafe in the middle of the day, resulting in a short, but enjoyable, day on the trail. The Gov. Clement shelter was a fitting end to the leisurely day - an old historic shelter with a fireplace. Today was a little more strenuous hike - 13 miles to the Inn at Long Trail, which included crossing up and over Mt. Killington. Heading ever northward, All In has noticed that the nights are becoming comfortably cool. Cool enough that the bugs go under the ground cover.Rusty
Date: 2011-08-09
From: Inn at Long Trail, VT

To: 14 miles South of Hanover, NH
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Communications have been spotty again (I think it has something to do with hiking in the woods rather than in the middle of the city). All In hiked 8.1 miles to the Stony Brook shelter in VT on Sunday. It was a tough climb over Quimby Mountain in a steady rain, but he got settled in at the shelter in the early afternoon for an afternoon of reading and relaxing while the rain came down outside.Yesterday, All In covered 12 miles through the mountains of Eastern Vermont. He found that the constant up and down was pretty tiring; however, with a new state just over the horizon, he is pretty excited. He expects to be in Hanover, NH either this evening or tomorrow morning.Rusty
Date: 2011-08-12
From: Moose Mountain Shelter

To: Somewhere in NH
Miles today: 0.0

I only got a partial text from All In today. Apparently, he did close to 4000 ft in climbs today. He also appears to have done something to injure his leg - the same leg that apparently got a bee sting earlier today (his fourth this trip). He seems to be alright, though, because he said that a good night's sleep and a couple of Vitamin I (ibuprofen) would fix him up. He also felt a real sense of accomplishment for completing a challenging hike today.Rusty
Date: 2011-08-13
From: Somewhere in NH

To: North of Cube Mt, NH
Miles today: 0.0

I got a brief phone call from All In today. He was sitting on top of Cube Mountain in NH looking at the White Mts to the North. We had a poor connection and our call kept getting dropped; however, he did fill me in a little more about yesterday's hike. He ended up covering 12.4 miles to the Fire Warden Cabin on Smart Mt. The hiking was very steep ups and downs and he ended up takingthree spills. The last spill was the worst, when he kicked up a stick with his right foot and got tangled up with it with his left foot and he went down and got a deep bruise on his thigh when it banged into a sharp rock. He said he was hiking well today, with minimal pain. He appears to be in very good spirits and is proud of how well he is negotiating the mountains in NH. The White Mts continue to loom larger and larger on the horizon, though...Rusty