morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2008-07-17
From: Happy Hill

To: Farm Lookout
Miles today: 0.0

This is one of the more interesting shelters that I have stayed at. We are at Farm Lookout. This is an abandon lookout cabin. The views are incredible.There is a wooden ladder outside of the cabin that leads to a crows nest atop the roof. I sat up there alone for 30 or so minutes, the breeze was nice and the sun was just beginning to set behind the mountains.It looks like this cabin was a nice place at one time. I would guess that there is over 1000 sq. ft. of floor space as well as a loft upstairs. There is a fireplace with old burned logs and a considerable amount of trash in it (I would not trust lighting a fire in the cabin).The hiking was good today. There were some large elevation gains and decent's, but it wears only on my muscles. The inclines are tough, but consistent.Grettle, Mango and I just did about 20 minutes of stretches and the 1000 repetition ab routine. I can hardly breath and am ready for sleep. ~Santana~ "by myself but not alone"
Date: 2008-07-18
From: Farm Lookout

To: Rutland VT
Miles today: 0.0

Rutland VT... I have been hearing about this stop forever. All of the north bounders spoke of a Mate' cult with a hostel and unbelievable hospitality. These people are not necessarily a cult. It is a religious group called the Twelve Tribes. Twelve Tribes is a community of people who live together, dance and sing together and work together in Gods love. The groups has been established for over 30 years. They follow the Christian bible and live by rules established by the group.The gentleman that I spoke with throughout most of the evening was not pushy or insistent on anything. He actually didn't speak of Twelve Tribes until I asked him about it. Twelve Tribes is world wide, they are sustained by their Mate' products, organic soaps (made by group members) and a variety of other wholesome foods and goods.I am a lover of Mate'. Mate' is a drink much like a tea that comes from South America. Mate' brings incredible energy, clarity and a feeling of well being when drank (in my opinion). It also works as a great digestive regulator and provides an abundance of antioxidants. Anyone who has not tried Mate', I highly recommend it. We happened to arrive in town during a street party. All roads were blocked off and there was live music, food and venders set up up and down the street. Mango, Grettle and I walked around the block and checked out the festivities.Twelve Tribes has given me a bunk bed, hot shower, Mate', offered me free dinner, laundry services, 5 Mate' energy bars (580 calories of organic, energized perfection), and one full box of 24 tea bags for free. I left a $20 donation.~Santana~ "by myself but not alone"
Date: 2008-07-21
From: Mirvanah

To: Peru Peak
Miles today: 152.1
Weather: overcast clouds

19.6 miles, the most I have done yet. I hiked fast today and took no breaks. I visited all of the shelters along the way just to check them out. I felt good and strong today. I think that my determination to get to North Adams Mass. on time helps me through the miles.Through all 19.6 miles I had one gripe. It wasn't my knees, ankles, muscles, the rain, the trail or bugs. Once again my skin felt like razor blades were cutting in to it all on my back. The pain is agonizing, I don't understand what it is or how to alleviate it. Weeks ago I thought it was a skin rash from cheap soap. But I have washed my skin and laundry since then with the same detergents and soaps that I always use but, the pain has persisted... not every day or every moment, but here and there I feel all of the pours open up on my back and am hit with tremendous pain all over. Today was the worst yet, by far. I thought that maybe it was the polyester materials used to make my stretchy, quick dry shirts. I took my shirt off in the pouring rain and hiked shirtless for the second half of my day. The pain persisted. When alone I couldn't help but think that other people on the trail must have thought I was weird. I would stop to say hello as we crossed paths and in doing so! I was arching out my lower back so that it was not touching the pack. I looked like I was pushing my belly out as hard as I could. I hiked for most of the day in efforts to minimize points of contact with my pack. I kept thinking that if my skin wasn't in so much pain it would have been a perfect hike... however I wonder if the pain on my skin simply outweighed the pains in my feet and muscles. I had aaaaallll day to think about it. Any readers have an idea of my condition?Still got the 19.6 done though. I am at Peru Peak Lean-to. There is a large stream with a bridge out in front.Tomorrow I hit Manchester VT. My goal is to hit the grocery store in town for a food resupply... do my laundry if I can, purchase a pair of socks post my journal and then hike south on the trail for 2+ miles to Spruce Peak. Its a ton to do in one day in addition to 15 miles of hiking... but it will better secure prompt timing with arriving to North Adams.~Santana~ "by myself but not alone"
Date: 2008-07-23
From: Spruce Peak

To: Stratton Mt.
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

The day was scrambled and and the weather did not cooperate.Spoon and I were up early. I realized that I had hiked up the night before with no boot inserts... not sure how I didn't feel that? I got a text message out to Grettle to please grab them from the hostel where I left them. Spoon and I waited for Grettle, Mango and Cubby to show up with my boot insoles. When they arrived it was down pouring and cold. They came inside the shelter to gather their bearings. The Spruce shelter was equipped with a full bench style table and a wood burning stove. This is the best lean-to/shelter we have seen on the trail yet.It was nice having the whole gang together in the shelter. I lit the wood burning stove and we decided to do our hiking during the second half of the day. We played Texas Hold 'em poker with our food. Each piece of food was judged by the group for its worth (mainly based on calories). We were playing more for fun, but when someone won something better than what they had, they would swap. I lost 2 of my organic ramens, one bag of trail mix and one package of salmon. I love all of my food and it was a big hit. In the end I ended up with Mac'n cheese singles and Swiss Miss hot chocolate. I refused to eat either and left them hanging for another group of hikers. I will now have to get off the trail in Bennington VT to do a short resupply of healthy food.We hung out at the shelter until noon. It rained hard all morning. We ended up hiking 14+ miles, but it rained the entire time. I had a hard time regulating my body temperature throughout the day. At first I hiked with the rain coat on... then I got super hot and took it off. My body was soaked one way or another anyhow. I also hiked shirtless but then cot cold going downhill. There was no perfect combination. The rain is wearing on me. This is 4 straight days of rain now. All views have been fog, my boots are soaked and heavy, all of my clothes are soaked and my sleeping bag is now wet also.Overall the day was pretty frustrating. It rained ALL day. Everything that I have is soaked 100%. When I put my shirt, shorts, socks and bandana on this morning they were all cold and wet... it's just no way to begin the day~Santana~ "by myself but not alone"
Date: 2008-07-24
From: Stratton Mt.

To: Goddard Lean-to
Miles today: 0.0

I has been raining constantly... through the day and through the night. Todays hike from Stratton Mt. to Goddard shelter was crazy. The trail has turned in to full flowing streams. I have fully been relying on the painted white blazes on the trees due to the fact that there are many streams coming down the mountains and they all branch off and come together hiding the true path to walk on. My boots are great in the sense that they are full leather and waterproof... however once they flood over and the water seeps inside the weight increases considerably. My boots have been fully saturated with water for over one week at this point. They probably weight up towards 2-3lbs each.Goddard shelter is awesome. It is of brand new construction and is facing a view of Graylock in MA (so I'm told that there is a great view). There is a large group of north bounders as well as people hiking the Long Trail (another long distance hike from MA - Canada, 390+ miles). I am at a point of severe exaustion. I promised myself to be asleep by 7:00pm. It is 7 now and I'm ready for 10+ hours of much needed recovery.
Date: 2008-07-25
From: Goddard Lean-to

To: Bennington VT
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

It finally cleared up today. We had some minor storms roll through but nothing like it has been.As we (Mango, Grettle, Spoon and myself) came off the trail in to a parking area in the town of Bennington VT we happened upon a gentleman sitting in the back of his pickup. He introduced himself as "Shaft". Shaft had hiked the trail many years previous and told us he was doing his "trail angle" duty. He had a cooler stacked with cold soda, fresh fruit, smoothie drinks and other snacks. He told us to go nuts and we did.The afternoon was beautiful and we hung out with Shaft for a couple of hours. It was nice to be out of the woods and out of the rain and in the sun. Shaft extended his trail angle duty. He offered all of us a ride (in the back of the truck) in to town for us to do our laundry and find a place to stay for the night. He basically hung out with us and became part of the gang for the day. We also picked up a Long Trail hiker named Sean. Sean was hiking out of the woods when 2 beagle dogs randomly came from the brush and followed him for the rest of the day through the mountains. He tried to push them away but they continued to follow him all of the way to our parking area. We called the owners and they later came to pick up the dogs... we named Sean "Dog Bait".After doing our laundry and a quick resupply in town Shaft took us to the river to search for some camp spots. There were many homeless people who had already claimed the area so we moved on to a campground about 15 miles outside of town. After getting checked in we gathered a couple of bundles of wood and lit a nice fire. Everyone accept for myself was drinking beers around the fire. We exchanged stories about the trail and had many laughs.Because I got rid of my tent many weeks ago I have no place to sleep other than under my tarp. I was fully prepared to do so when Shaft got a 12" thick air mattress out of the back of his truck. He filled the mattress with an electric pump that hooked in to the truck outlet. I am in the back of a Chevy pick up truck on a 12" thick air mattress. This is one of the most comfortable beds I have had yet. There is a little gap in the trees above where I can see the night sky perfectly. The sky is black and the stars are unbelievably bright. I have seen several shooting stars and plan to fall asleep searching for more.I have captured only 1/10 of this day in my entry. Today has felt magical.
Date: 2008-07-26
From: Bennington VT

To: North Adams MA
Miles today: 68.6

I'm in my home state of MASSACHUSETTS!!!Look... this morning myself and the others cheated a bit. We hitched a ride in to North Adams and missed 6+ miles of the trail. I have no shame. I was on a strict deadline to meet my family in North Adams and was not going to make it. The rain over the past 7 days slowed me down and threw me off schedule. Technically I could get a ride back to where we got a ride in to town and begin the trail from there... but we as a group decided to put it behind us. I was so excited to see my brother, sister and friends that I was stressing myself out. My sisters Cindy and Amanda came out first. They met me at the Stop & Shop super market on rt 2. After some good strong hugs and hellos we decided to get my crews gear to the campground before anything. Cindy and Paula (my oldest sister) had arranged a reservation for 3 campsites all next to each other. We decided to pitch one of the large tents on one of those sites and store all of the gear in it so that we could free up the car to transport Mango, Grettle, Spoon and myself. Cindy's car was already stuffed to the brim with her camping gear. We shoved 2 packs in the back, one on my lap in the front and another on Amanda's lap in the back seat. Us hikers resupplied our food at the Stop & Shop. Cindy and Amanda waited patiently for us and then we moved on to the campground. Some time after noon my sister Paula, my brother Rick and my friends Jeff, Brad and Smokey (Chris) arrived. It was so great to see everyone, I was honored that they came out to see me! We also picked up Cubby from town as well. He had split from the group days earlier but managed to still hit town on time to meet back up with us.I enjoyed just hanging out all afternoon. After driving around town looking for a decent place that could accommodate a large group we all ate lunch a Friendly's. We lit a fire and told stories and I showed the 500+ pictures that I have not gotten a chance to post yet...The party was cut short with a sudden down pour that never let up. I am sleeping in my brothers REI tent with Cubby. Spoon is in his single man hammock. Grettle and Mango are in a tent borrowed from my sisters. Paula, Amanda and Cindy are in a tent. Rick and Andrea are sleeping in their Jeep. Smokey and Jeff are in a tent and Brad is in his single man tent.
Date: 2008-07-27
From: North Adams MA

To: Mark Noepel
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

Last night the whole crew experienced a killer thunder/lightning/rain storm. We could hear the thunder for hours before the sky opened up. A couple of us were counting the distance of the storm based on the thunder and lightning, then it began to downpour. The rain pretty much lasted through the night. At one point the storm was directly over the campground and the thunder was shaking the ground. I enjoyed myself immensely.In the morning it was slow going. No one was in a rush to pack up wet gear and I was in no rush to leave my family. Rick, Spoon, Mango and myself went to Dunkin Donuts and picked up enough breakfast food for the group. After eating, the caravan of cars brought us hikers to the trail head. It was strange to say goodbye and see my friends and family disappear as we walked up the hill and in to the woods again. I enjoyed the company so much!I set off in my new EMS short sleeve shirt that my friend Brad brought for me. He had read my previous entries regarding my skin pain and brought a different material to try. We began hiking around noon time. We reached Mark Noepel Lean-to around 5:30pm. During the hike we climbed Mt Greylock, the tallest mountain in Mass. @ 3491 ft. I have climbed Greylock several times, but this time I walked over it with ease... as a matter of fact I wasn't sure if I had climbed it or not when I began to descend. This was a good test of my trail legs.~Santana~ "by myself but not alone"
Date: 2008-07-28
From: Mark Noepel

To: Dalton MA
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: few clouds

I have been hearing about Dalton MA since Maine. All of the north bounders kept saying, "make sure you stay at "The Bird Cage", it's the best hostel on the trail". The group was excited about getting in to town to experience this "Bird Cage". The group split up on the trail throughout the day. When I came in to town I was with Grettle. No more than 2 minutes at the road and an older, blue mini van pulled over and the driver asked where we were staying for the night. I replied "The Birdcage" and the driver said... "I'm the Birdman, pleasure to meet you guys, I can swing back around when I'm done dropping some people off and grab you". We waited for Mango to catch up and the three of us got a ride back to Rob's (owner of the residence called "The Birdcage). Cubby and Spoon had already hitched a ride in. Rob offered us a shower, a bed, laundry, soda, beer and rides in to town... for FREE. He is legendary on the trail and has 8 years worth of pictures and journals and registers from most thru hikers both north bound and south bound.We ate at the Country Buffet in town. I ate to much and was in pain for the ride to the hostel. I scored a bed on the long couch in the living room. Rob's 140 lb Labrador/Pit Bull mix named Tinker keeps trying to sneak up on the couch with me, he is now on the other chair and at times right next to me on the floor (on Mangos sleeping bag!).The plan is to slack pack 20 miles tomorrow. Mountain Squid (an ex thru hiker who is helping Rob out during his busy season) will be driving us out 20 miles south and we will walk the 20 miles back to The Bird Cage (with only snacks and water on our backs) for another nights stay... then Mountain Squid will bring us out 20 miles again the following morning and we will continue our trip south. ~Santana~ "by myself but not alone"
Date: 2008-07-29
From: Dalton MA

To: Lee MA
Miles today: 0.0

Today was luxurious. We moved at over 3 miles per hour through 20 miles of mild mountain ascents and decent's. I carried Cliff Bars, trail mix and 2 bottles of water. About half way through the 20 miles we stopped at a farm house known on the trail as "The Cookie Lady". We had heard about this stop for the past few days. A woman offers unlimited berry picking in her yard for $1.75. She also serves fresh, home baked cookies to thru hikers and offers her property for a break... we capitalized on this to its maximum. The cookie lady was not actually at the house, but two gentleman who were splitting wood brought out a plate of cookies, they were delicious. We ate 2+ dozen within 5 minutes. There were full length lounge chairs in the yard. Mango and I slouched down for a 2 hr afternoon under the perfect blue sky. The slack pack afforded us plenty of time to enjoy the unbelievable weather. We pointed out different creations and formations within the puffy white clouds. When we got back to the hostel we ordered "2 for Tuesday" 2 pizzas for the price of 1 from Dominos Pizza. I split my bill with a north bounder called Professor Longjohns. I ate a large cheese pizza in less than 10 minutes.Once again I scored the same spot on the couch. Mango and I put in Two Towers to fall asleep to. I have been whistling the Lord Of The Rings soundtrack for weeks.Tomorrow morning we get a ride out 20 miles in to Lee MA were we began our hike this morning.The Bird Cage was all it was made out to be. I will definitely continue to spread good word on the trail. Mango and I restocked Rob's refrigerator with soda and beer to show our appreciation for the ridiculous hospitality.~Santana~ "by myself but not alone"
Date: 2008-07-30
From: Lee MA

To: South Peak Wilcox
Miles today: 0.0

Back to a full pack! Actually my pack feels lighter after having a day with a fraction of the weight. We accomplished 3 miles per hour still with full gear. I figured that our legs were still moving at a grueling pace from the day before and the extra weight was barley noticeable. I kept worrying that I might have forgotten something at the hostel.The hike from Lee to South Peak Wilcox was 18+ miles. The weather was great and the hiking was wonderful. As we increase our speed it allows us to spend more time to pick berries and enjoy our surroundings. We found a nice spot on Warner Hill where the berries were abundant. I ate handful after handful of fresh blueberries, raspberries and blackberries. Previous to this trip I was skeptical that the berries were not safe to eat. However that is my "regular life" way of thinking when not in the wilderness. These berries have never seen pesticides or lawn care chemicals or growth inhibitors. They are wild and fresh and so sweet and so tasty.Cubby and I got a fire going as soon as we arrived at camp. The mosquitos are horrible (MA is known as one of the worst states for mosquitoes and black flies) tonight and we attempted to guide the smoke in to the lean-to to "smoke out" the bugs... I think there is to much smoke and we have smoked our selves out... and the bugs are still here! ~Santana~ "by myself but not alone"
Date: 2008-07-31
From: South Peak Wilcox

To: Great Barrington MA
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

Today we arrived in Great Barrington MA. I have been trying to arrange for my parents to come out and visit. Originally they were going to meet me in Conneticut but plans have changed, they will be here in Great Barrington tomorrow!Today's hike was a little over 12 miles in to town. Once we reached the road we hitched a ride with an Italian woman in a Subaru. We crammed all five of us plus our gear in to her small hatch back car. She was very nice and encouraged us to get involved in changing American politics. She was blatantly unhappy with the way George Bush has handled things over the past 8 years.Spoon has been masterminding an aqua blaze out of the Great Barrington. He realized days ago that the Housatonic River flows parallel with the AT. An aqua blaze is when you complete part of the trail via water way or by boat. Some purists may consider an aqua blaze wrong and non traditional... we look at it as additional adventure and a unique twist to our overall trip!We spent most of the afternoon at Adventure US Outfitters. This is the only outfitter that was willing to entertain our canoeing idea down the Housatonic (no AT thru hikers have ever arranged a aqua blaze through this area). While Spoon discussed the maps and terrain with PJ (outfitter), I went back and forth with my mother on the phone to arrange them coming to visit.Great Barrington does not offer much for hikers as far as cheap places to stay. Mango and I contacted all of the hotels, motels and Inns in the area for price quotes on a bed for the night. We asked for thru hiker discounts and were quoted a discounted price from ALL of the places! In the end we settled on Days Inn. We split it between the 5 of us and it was only $15 dollars or so. We had to sneak all of us in after dark due to the fact that they charge by the head after the first 2 people.I am all showered up and feel good. I can't wait for my parents to come.11:20pm....... I just left the motel with Mango, Spoon and Grettle. We were supposed to go find a package store because I told Mango I would drink some wine or beer with him. Instead of going to the package store we somehow ended up in a bar. The bar had clean, fashionable people at it. I walked in with my blue Crocks, my hiking cargo shorts (commando mind you), a Patagonia stretch T-shirt and my hair was up in a head elastic that bunches all of my hair up like a turnip stem. I smelled the perfume of the group of girls next to me. I eves dropped in to their conversation about a girl that they knew and how bitchy she had been lately blah blah blah. I think I had a minor anxiety attack and announced that I was leaving. I was at the bar for 5 minutes, I left a $1 tip for the tap water that I ordered from the bartender. Cubby and I are now watching Batman Begins on TV and the others are still out. I have a feeling it is going to take some gentle transition time to get me back in the saddle for society... at least in the bar scene. ~Santana~ "by myself but not alone"