morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2012-10-08
From: Harmon Hill

To: Dalton
Miles today: 16.6
Weather: broken clouds

Woke up to more rain. I can now say it rained every day I was in Vermont. The state has been hiking walking through mashed potatoes. I headed into the mist and made it to the first shelter just as a group of guys was about to throw out left over breakfast. I politely cleaned plate for them. After that It was relatively gentle trail. Not much for a view except at a power line. I got really upset with a section hiker today. It started out routine where ya heading stuff. I told him I was a thru. He asked how far I was expecting to get. I said Georgia. He says o ya know it¢s getting cold, how far ya think you¢ll actually get. I said I¢m going as far as I can safely go. He says o well there are lots off good places to get off soon. I¢m tired of people saying stuff like that. When I was going north the group I was with was had an entire month to do less than 300 miles. But every section hiker thought it was there civic duty to say it¢s getting cold ya know. You may want to hurry up. It¢s like these people think we don¢t know its late in the season. Frankly I had no idea it gets cold in the winter. That¢s got to be some new thing. Never been cold in December ya know. I¢m just sick of hearing people tell me its late. That guy just put me in a fowl mood. And the more I thought about it, the more determined to make it I became. Just to spite every person who has said that. To anyone reading this online if you are out for a section or a day hike and you see a late in the season NOBO or SOBO. Don¢t mention it. We know. Just wish us luck. I know I¢m late in the season. I know it¢s going to be cold and I know it¢s going to snow. I have good gear and if it becomes no longer safe or fun I¢ll make the decision to get off. Afterwards I didn¢t much feel like talking to anyone else so I just cruised down the trail and didn¢t stop to talk with the people I saw. I called rob when I was at the shelter and he came and got me at the road. I got to see pillow talk and after a bit in the car with them I forgot all about the guy earlier. It was great catching up with pillow. He summated on the 5th and completed his trip. He also summated with a few others like dirty d and hombre. Eva and short term summated a few days before. I¢m so happy for them to have made it. We went to a buffet and rob said he could slack pack me all of mass. I¢m the last hiker to ever stay at the bird cage. He¢s closed up and is moving in a month. He¢s a really cool guy and has helped so many people over the years. I¢m already treated like family. Pillow is going to come hike with me tomorrow. Also the sun came out for a bit.
Date: 2012-10-09
From: Dalton

To: Dalton
Miles today: 20.7
Weather: overcast clouds

Today I did from mass 23 to mass 2. Woke up early and went to get a sandwich and snacks for the day. We got dropped off about 915. Pillow is with me again. It was pretty today. Still cloudy and a little rain though. My shoes were actually dry by the end of the day. I ran into a lot of people today who I know. Even some I didn¢t expect to see. Patrick who I met in Lincoln the first time. He had the best reaction though. It took him a moment to realize it was me then he went off about how I was going north again. It was hilarious. After that we ran into bebop and rock steady and that huge crowd. There is a ton of them. I also ran into river dog who I met in carters notch. After that we made pretty pitiful time considering we were slack packing. But I was talking with pillow the entire time and we stopped to talk to everyone. Afterwards we got hot dogs and made dinner. Rob convinced me to do a 31 mile slack tomorrow. I¢m going to do it. See how much I can push. It¢ll be hard but It¢ll be cool to know I did it. I¢m soaking my feet and just relaxing getting psyched up for tomorrow.
Date: 2012-10-10
From: Dalton

To: Dalton
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: mist

Woke up expecting to do the 30 mile day, but it was raining again. So i opted for a zero instead. we watched movies, i finally got trail journals done after neglecting them for nearly two weeks. after that i read a book i've been reading for a while. i'm nearly done with it after just reading in libraries on the way. over all it was a great zero aside from the rain. very relaxing and lots of good food. we went to five guys for dinner. came back and watched more tv. good rest with good company.
Date: 2012-10-11
From: Dalton

To: Dalton
Miles today: 23.5
Weather: broken clouds

Today was a day of extreme weather. woke up this morning to do the section from north adams to dalton. it was supposed to be clear but it was still cloudy in the morning. i went and got a sandwich for the hike. rob dropped me off. the climb up greylock was a beast. even slackpacking it was tough for the first few miles. right before i got to the top it started snowing hard. i forgot my gloves at the house. i didn't much have a view but the snow was cool. there was a bunch of kids from a school hiking around. i must of seen 200 people up there. after taht the weather warmed up and the clouds cleared. by lunch i was sitting by a tree in a field and it was sunny. i had a great view of the chesire valley. there was some friendly people who asked questions. after that the hiking was pretty easy. and the weather was nice. i finished about 430 and went straight to the library. i almost finished my book but they kicked me out with only 30 pages left and a huge twist. after i got back to the house we ordered a party sized pizza for 3 people. nothing was left. my friends are coming out from boston tomorrow. it'll be cool to see her again. tomorrow morning i think i'm doing the lee to dalton section and the 30 mile on saturday. the weather was not suiting for that big of a day yesterday.
Date: 2012-10-12
From: Dalton

To: dalton
Miles today: 19.0
Weather: overcast clouds

woke up this morning pretty early. went and got my sandwich and headed out. the weather was crazy again. at any point in the day it was liable to snow, sleet, hale, rain, blow wind like crazy, or be sunny and warm. each cloud brought on a different weather cell. it was crazy. there wasnt much of a view at all today. but i wasn't moving to quickly. i think i realized if i have big miles i push cause i'm racing dark. if it's less miles i just kinda piddle and take my time. in nearly the same time as yesterday i did 4 miles less. i nearly ran across a porcupine today. it was right in the middle of the trail. i tried to take a picture but he kept turning his back to me. i poked him with my steak gently to get him to move. he used his tail as a flail and tried to spike my stick. glad i didn't use my shoe. i got back and went to the library and had only 5 pages left before the angriest librarian ever shooed me out. mean lady. pillow had trouble with her yesterday and i was talking with rob. apparently she doesn't like any hikers. after that my friend sara and her boyfriend kevin came and we went to dinner. we talked for the longest time and i had alot of fun. they even paid for my meal. glad i could seem them again. i got back to the house and i'm about to turn in for the big miles tomorrow.
Date: 2012-10-13
From: dalton

To: dalton
Miles today: 29.8
Weather: clear sky

Rob woke me up at 530. had to get an early start today. i went to get a sandwich but the deli wasn't open. but because i've been coming everyday she made me one any way. after that we drove down to salisbury ct. it was 27 degrees. he dropped me off and i quickly ditched my coat. its amazing how warm you are when hiking. there was a few good climbs. bear, race, and everate. bear had a good view abut race was amazing. walking on an exposed ridge on the first sunny day in weeks. it was beautiful. i ate lunch from the top of everate with some day hikers. coming up the mountain i passed a group and one guy commented "the only thing similar about me and you is our socks" i thought that was hilarious. i met up with patrick and butters again. the rest of the group disappeared in great barington. after that the trail was nearly flat for a ways. i hit 20 miles before 2 aclock. the last little bit was the hard part. about 5 miles to go and i slowed down. and no day hiker could give a estimate to the shelter that even came close to being right. one guy said 5 miles but i passed a sign that said that an hour before. i understand why they said it was that long. the trail was all over the place. go up the mountain? no lets go down. on second thought back up. no really go down. backwards? why not. crazy trail. i finally got to the shelter and called rob. no signal. but he knew my estimated time. i'm usually pretty good at guessing when i'll get somewhere. I started down and got a second (maybe third) wind. which is good cause it was starting to get dark. i got to the road and no one was there. crap. i walked down to the parking lot and found a map. wrong road. one more mile to go. started out again and it was getting dark fast. i finally got there and they were honking and flashing the lights. i was two minutes off my estimated time. 11 hours and just barely under 30 miles down. not bad i think. i was tired. but we had made plans to do a food challenge. the godzilla at the misty moonlight dinner. 12 eggs, 5 cheeses, 4 meats, 6 vegetables all wrapped up in a giant omelet with toast and homefries. it was huge. full platter sized plate and 3 inches high. if you eat it in 30 minutes you get a tshirt. i finished in 22 minutes. i was about to pass out before starting but then i realized how hungry i was. it wasn't even hard. i just put it down. the waitress said they've had to bring buckets for some people but it looked like it didn't even phase me. she asked if i wanted dessert. i politely declined. we got back to the house and i passed out on the couch. i'm writing this entry the morning after.
Date: 2012-10-14
From: dalton

To: dalton
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

I took a zero day today. had to plan the next few days. i haven't looked at my guide book in nearly a week. i got groceries and saw a movie. packed my gear and made ready to leave. its been a needed break. i was starting to feel a little run down. showers and food while still being able to do miles is perfect. i think i managed to gain a little weight back to. i've been hovering around 175 lately. my size 32 shorts fall off with a belt on. its crazy how skinny i look compared to a picture of me just before i left. i'm not gaunt, but i'm not filled out like i was. i can't thank rob and pillow enough. it's been great but i kinda miss being out at night. i'm looking forward to being on the go again.
Date: 2012-10-15
From: dalton

To: pine swamp brooke shelter
Miles today: 15.4
Weather: overcast clouds

well it's raining again. i woke up and got everything in order to leave. i got way to much food and bag weighs a ton. i ate well today in an effort to get the weight down. never shop hungry, especially if your a starving hiker. i swear i have 12 pounds of food for 3 1/2 days. we all drove out and i said goodbye to rob and pillow. i'm going to miss them, but i have to get going. the trail today was pretty easy but my legs feel heavy. gotta get used to a real pack again. there wasn't much for views today and there was a few sections of road walking. i didn't see a single person today .first time. well aside from people in cars. no hikers. i got to the shelter pretty early but as soon as i got in it started to pour down rain. i've been reading a book i found in a shelter a ways back. i burnt some noodles pretty bad in my pot so i'm letting it soak tonight. it feels normal to be in a shelter. like this is where i'm supposed to be. rob's was like a vacation, but by the end your kinda glad to be back in your own house in your own bed. that's the way i feel. it's good to cook dinner and sit and read. i messed this. but not the rain. that can go away when ever it wants.
Date: 2012-10-16
From: pine swamp brooke shelter

To: ten mile river shelter
Miles today: 25.7
Weather: scattered clouds

i think this morning was one of my best times at waking up and getting out. i was on trail by 8 which is good cause i had a big day planned. i passed bones pretty early on. it was really hilly for a while but i came to a really flat section by the river for miles and miles. it was wonderful! then i was straight up like i was in southern maine again. i caught butters at the top and hiked with him a bit. company is great. he fell behind after a while. i got to a shelter around 230 and there was a homeless guy with a tick. good thing it was still early. i moved on adn hit a wall around mile 22. i just slowed down and it eventually got to the i don't care anymore stage and i got back to pace. i made it to the shelter around 540. not bad for such a big day and with a real pack to! patrick and another fella are here now. i'm going to hang with him a few das i think. i miss having pillow around. today was actual sunny and warm and tomorrow is supposed to be the same. two days in a row of sun? that hasn't happened in 3 weeks. and thats not an overstatement
Date: 2012-10-17
From: ten mile river shelter

To: telephone pioneers shelter
Miles today: 13.0
Weather: scattered clouds

My sleeping pad has a hole in it somewhere. I woke up around 4 with my hip driving into the shelter floor. I blew it up again amd went back to sleep. Luckily its a slow leak. The morning was fairly typical. Out by 9 and it was nice and easy trail. I got to the road at 1230 and there was a hot dog stand. I got a few and talked to the lady for a while. She told me the closest grocery store was 4 miles away but it was a hard hitch. 40 minutes later I got a ride. I did really well at the store. I only got what I needed. Way better than the 15 pounds I came out with last time. I called REI had them send me a new pad to greenlake. I have to go slowly the next few days so I dont get there and have to sit around and wait. I went back to the trail and there is a garden center where I could charge my phone. I read my book and made some calls while it was charging. I left around 4 it was nice to sit in the sun a bit. I hiked out and got to the shelter just after 5. There is a young guy here tented a little ways off. I read and made dinner. It gets dark so early. Its 630 and you have to have a head lamp. I dont think im going to change my clock for day light savings. Dark at 5 isn't going to work for me. I don't think it will affect me to much. I'll find out at least.
Date: 2012-10-18
From: telephone pioneers shelter

To: RPH Shelter
Miles today: 16.8
Weather: few clouds

Woke up and was out by 815. Don¢t know why. I¢m not didn¢t go far today. The short day syndrome got me again and I just loafed about. I hate short days now. I got to a shelter and met fugitive. She started a month and a day before me, skipped the whites and I still caught her. She¢s had a crazy time including one very bad hitch where she wound up in Canada. She¢s here at the shelter tonight and is getting off trail tomorrow. I tried to get her to push on to at least a hundred days which is just next week for her. The guy from last shelter is here as well. Its an odd shelter. A building right by the road and there are houses within sight. But we had the idea to call an order pizza. Two large peperoni pizzas sent right to the shelter. Awesome. We made a pretty big fire and stayed up a while talking. I read a good portion of my book today. Even loafing around, walking down the road and getting ice cream and taking a nap I made the shelter b y 330. Plenty of time to read so not all bad. Its supposed to rain all day tomorrow but I¢ll gladly take the 3 days of sun we¢ve had. It was really warm today. On a side note I had a swarm of a few hundred lady bugs fly all over me. Tons and tons of them landing on me and in my clothes.
Date: 2012-10-19
From: RPH Shelter

To: Greymore spiritual life center
Miles today: 18.8
Weather: clear sky

Rain rain rain and more rain. Torrential down pour of rain. From the moment I left the shelter to when I got to the next. Down pour of insane amounts of rain. I have never been so wet while hiking. I literally could of jumped in a lake and not come out more wet. There was no sense in even dodging puddles. At one point I was up to my knees. Not even a stream crossing. Knee deep puddle in the trail. And to top it off, the shelter isn¢t really a shelter. Its an awning with low walls that is soaked. I put down a trash bag as a ground mat. I just got in my bag and took a nap. I¢m drained today. I think it didn¢t rain the past 3 days just so it could all drop today. Rain.
Date: 2012-10-20
From: Greymore spiritual life center

To: New York City
Miles today: 6.5

Woke up after a horrible nights sleep in a grumpy and all around horrible mood. I slept in a puddle last night. I ¢m pretty sure a bear came and destroyed a trash can 10 feet away and a number of other noisy animals came after. My sleeping bag and pad were wet and my clothes didn¢t even attempt to dry last night. All that I can deal with, but the soaking wet shoes and socks just puts me down. I hiked out in a bad way. I thought maybe I¢d cheer myself up and try to play some different music than normal on my phone. I didn¢t care if it killed my battery and I got on Pandora. But it kept skipping which just made me more mad. Then I fell. I have a huge scrape all down my fore arm. Its bruised and purple. I just sat there for a while. I finally got up and got going and I started seeing people. Lots of people. I started to run down the hill. No one would get out of the way if I was walking, but when I came barreling down the trail they moved. That made me feel a bit better. I got to a road and all blazes disappeared. I took on faith that I need to cross the river. In Bear Mountain Park it was a mad house for Oktoberfest. Crazy amounts of people. I found Aaron who I¢ve been camping the past few days with. We decided to split up, he¢d get beer and I¢d get brats. The line was insane. I started talking to the couple behind me in line. Nice guy and he bought the brats and pretzel I was going to get for me. After that things turned around. The sun came out and Aaron asked if I wanted to come stay a night in Manhattan with him and see the city. I said sure. We walked a ways on a sketchy narrow road and got on a train. Walked around the city bit and at his place I got a shower and did laundry. That in itself is a huge boost. He had plans with his girlfriend but he gave me a key and told me some things to see in the city. I went to central park, walked to time square and got some street vender food and people watched. It was crazy but kinda fun. Now I¢m just going to sleep and catch a train back out in the morning. Crazy twist to get where I am now.
Date: 2012-10-21
From: New York City

To: William Brian memorial shelter
Miles today: 10.0
Weather: scattered clouds

I slept awesome last night. Woke up and said thanks and bye to Aaron and walked to grand central station. I got to people watch for a while. I was sitting by the wall cause there are not benches and some guy tried to give me change. I got on the train and watched to scenery go by. I like trains. I went to a different station than I had left from and got a easy hitch back to the trail. Still a thousand people at the park. It was stressful. I didn¢t mind the city cause I was expecting people. But on trail waiting in line to go up the mountain is ridiculous. I passed everyone by walking up the side. At a point I got tired off asking people if I could go around and I¢d just walk through the brush or over boulders. Just move past was my only thought. Anything to get away from the herds of people. A thousand people coming up the trail is an understatement. It was a total horror after being used to seeing maybe 10 people a day. I did finally get through the throngs of people and met a nice couple. I started talking about the trail and soon had a crowd of people listening to me talk. I was out of there after that. When I got to the first shelter at 4 and they had a fire going. Two guys gave me hot dogs and I¢m feeling better now. I¢m still going to the same shelter tomorrow as I had planned to go so I¢m not off in my food supply. Today is the end of day hiker day so hopefully I wont see so many people tomorrow. Thank god.
Date: 2012-10-22
From: William Brian memorial shelter

To: Wild cat shelter
Miles today: 19.6
Weather: clear sky

Woke up to a beautiful day with one of my favorite sections yet. It was these really cool rolling hills with big trees and grass. All the leaves were golden and orange. The trail was amazing and I made really good time until lunch. Then a meth head took over the blazing for the trail. I have never head to back track, bush whack or just stop so many times in my life. No straight lines. It zig zaged like a deer trail and the blazes were sparse to nonexistent. They tried to hide the blazes from site so you had to explore to find one. And its not like other parts of the trail where the path is obvious. There is no made path cause no one can find it and has to make their own. Then in the only straight section it went directly west so that the sun was bearing down into my eyes for an hour. I¢ve been ready to just sit down so many times today. I fi9nally got to the shelter path and I got lost on that to. So did the other guy staying here. The blazes are done by monkeys in this state. Its such a beautiful area and it would be so enjoyable if I just find my way. It took two hours longer than my planned time. I¢ve never been off that much. I¢m ready to be done with this state.
Date: 2012-10-23
From: Wild cat shelter

To: wawayanda shelter
Miles today: 12.2
Weather: overcast clouds

Barr killer was up pretty early so i was on trail by 830. the first two miles were good and i walked into town. i got my new sleeping pad. Woo!!! I had to blow up the old one back up 4 times last night. I got subway and had some trouble with the Indian lady. I¢d ask for a price and she¢d say one thing and ring up another. But I did charge my phone while I was there. After that I got really expensive CVS food. The normal stuff I get was fully double priced for most of it. I only got two days worth and expect to go to town again tomorrow to a real grocery. I got back on trail in the rain but it was a light rain. It did soak a lot of the slick bou7lders the trail went over. I think new York was trying to kill me by the end. In the last log book of new York I wrote a letter to new York that I was rather proud of. It was something like this        Dear New YorkWe need to talk. I¢m leaving you. When we first met you were beautiful and gentle. I love you at first. But after a while things got a little rocky. You started giving me mixed signals. It reached a point where you hurt me. People would ask about the bruise on my arm and I would look away and say I fell. After that things were different. I kept getting mixed signals and I just got more frustrated. By the end I felt you were actually trying to harm me. I cant take it anymore. I¢m leaving you for New Jersey. She¢s waiting just over the hill. I think it would be best if didn¢t see you again. I¢m sorry it¢s come to this. But good bye New York                                Silly Or something like that. As soon as I got into New Jersey the trail was actually clear and blazed. It was amazing not to have to second guess myself over and over. I made it to the shelter and thought I was going to have it to myself. But goat showed up well after dark. Its raining pretty hard right now and I think its supposed to rain tomorrow. But clear the day after that hopefully. But I don¢t care. I¢m out of New York.