morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2014-07-09
From: Mark and Pat's house via RPH Shelter

To: Wiley Shelter
Miles today: 25.6
Weather: overcast clouds

After a blueberry pancake breakfast, Left Turn, Dallas, Mark, and I piled into Mark's Prius for the ride back to the trailheads. Mark dropped me off first, followed by Left Turn and Dallas, who started the day twelve miles farther north on the trail than me. I was hiking by 7:30. A few miles into today's hike, I met a trail maintainer who was re-painting the white blazes on the trees and rocks. I stopped to talk to Ralph and found out his trail name is Elvis Trailsly AT 4000 and he first thru-hiked in 1975, the 311th person all time to do so. On his second thru-hike a decade later, he hiked briefly with Earl Shaffer, the World War II veteran and first ever thru-hiker, who used his hike in 1948 to "walk off the war." Elvis was even featured in a National Geographic documentary on the AT, and the RPH shelter is named after him.If was clear Elvis takes great pride in the several-mile section of the AT he maintains. Some men wash and wax their cars weekly. Elvis treats his section of the AT with the same loving care. There's an abundance of blazes, and even the small rocks that might otherwise cause a hiker to stumble have a spot of white paint.At five miles, I made a short detour at a road crossing for a second breakfast at a deli that had been recommended to me by both Plantman and Elvis. Their advice was right on, as I had the best bacon, egg, and cheese bagel of my life. Between the two breakfasts I had plenty of energy for today's 25-miler.Vicki, the trail angel from the DC area, who seems to be a kind of air traffic controller of the AT, texted me this morning informing me I was closing on ABear and might catch him with a few more big days. I could see from the shelter logs that ABear stayed at the RPH Shelter two nights ago, where I started my hike today. Thus, I'm now less than a day behind him.I'm sleeping in the Wiley Shelter tonight, just a few miles from the Connecticut border. I'm eager to get there tomorrow morning, thus entering New England, where my home state of Massachusetts is located. Today I moved to map AT-16 of my 22-map set.
Date: 2014-07-10
From: Wiley Shelter

To: Stewart Hollow Shelter
Miles today: 19.7
Weather: clear sky

The body's capacity to recover continues to amaze me. Last night I arrived at the Wiley shelter after a 25-mile day thoroughly exhausted with a sore ankle and a toe that felt like it was developing a nasty blister. It was all I could do to walk an extra 0.1 mile to fill up my water bottles before dinner. This morning when I went to lance the blister, it had mysteriously disappeared, and both my ankle and toe felt fine all day today. Tonight I'm lying in my tent just as exhausted, yet I have faith that during the night my body will heal itself once again so that in the morning I'll walk out of camp fresh and pain free.I got a text this morning from a friend farther south on the trail that a hiker in Northern Pennsylvania had a serious fall yesterday evening and after a six-hour rescue was taken by helicopter to the hospital. I haven't been able to get any more details from the Internet, but it shows that what we're doing out here is not totally without risk. Most thru-hikers, me included, would say the rewards justify the risks. The highlight of the day for me was crossing into Connecticut and, by extension, New England. Shortly thereafter the trail came to the Housatonic River, which I took a dip in to get cleaned off. The trail followed the river for the rest of the day, though twice climbed ridges as much as one thousand feet above the water.On the way to Kent, CT, I leapfrogged Left Turn, Dallas, Wrecking Ball, Burn, and Scout, all of whom were at the Wiley Shelter last night. To help us celebrate the official 2/3 point to Katahdin, an anonymous angel left a cooler with trail magic at the crossing of the road leading into Kent containing beer, soda, and apples. In Kent, I satisfied a craving for a deli sandwich and then bumped into the others at the local ice cream shop. Left Turn and Dallas had had enough after the first major ridge ascent and descent and decided to stay in Kent for the night. The rest of us elected to move on, not surprising given the prices in the town that hosts an upscale private school with the same name. The bugs practically ate me alive during the final few flat miles along the river, so I was not surprised to find that everyone at the Stewart Hollow Shelter, where I'm tenting tonight, was wearing a bug net over their heads when I arrived.
Date: 2014-07-11
From: Stewart Hollow Shelter

To: Field just beyond the Limestone Spring Shelter
Miles today: 22.4
Weather: broken clouds

Vicki, the trail angel from DC, sent me a text late last night, which I read first thing this morning. She's been following my journal along with ABear's and anticipating when I would finally catch him. Apparently ABear and Pockets had breakfast and resupplied in Kent yesterday morning and left town an hour before I arrived. They stayed at the Silver Hill Campsight last night, three miles north of the Stewart Hollow Shelter where I stayed. Vicki closed her text with, "Since u r only 3.3 mi from him I think u will definitely see him on Friday!"Her text was a call to action for me, and I managed to break camp and be on the trail by 6:30. I arrived at the Silver Hill Campsight at 7:45, and one of the stragglers there told me ABear had left at 7:00. So after chasing him since Northern Virginia where we parted ways when Anders came down with the Noro virus, I'd cut the gap to 45 minutes. It took the rest of the morning to finish the chase. When I rolled into the Pine Swamp Brook Shelter shortly after noon, there were Pockets and ABear. I hardly recognized him at first, because he'd replaced his distinctive green shirt with a blue one he'd bought in Harpers Ferry.The three of us hiked together the rest of the day. Late in the afternoon we passed Falls Village, site of a sizable waterfall on the Housatonic River, where we swam in the pool at its base. We finished the day in a massive field with a view toward Massachusetts and the mountains we'll be climbing tomorrow. We set up our tents, cooked and ate dinner, toasted our reunion and the two-thirds mark with shots of Jim Beam, and watched the sun set from our top notch vantage point in the field.Turns out the reunion with ABear and Pockets will be short-lived. My wife, Tor, has a few days off and is coming out to see me tomorrow evening in Great Barrington, MA. We'll spend the day together on Sunday, so by the time I hit the trail again sometime on Monday, I'll be at least a day behind ABear and Pockets again.Since entering Connecticut, the streams and brooks have had a distinctive New England feel to them. The rushing water looks clean and clear, and it's tempting to stop using my filter, though I won't take that risk with so much on the line at this point in the trip. At the Hatch Brook crossing a sign warned that high water made rock hopping hazardous and recommended either fording or avoiding the crossing all together by detouring on roads. Since the AT crosses the river, I chose to ford, but only after taking a quick dip.
Date: 2014-07-12
From: Field just beyond the Limestone Spring Shelter

To: US7 Great Barrington
Miles today: 25.4
Weather: broken clouds

The sunrise from the field this morning was even more spectacular than the sunset last night. In the Smokies, I never witnessed fog in the valleys that the mountain range is famous for. But the undercast we looked down on today more than made up for it.I knew I had a long day in front of me to get to the rendezvous point with Tor in Great Barrington, MA by early evening. So I was up at 5:00, and after saying goodbye to ABear and Pockets, hit the trail by 6:00. I spent the first hour debating in my mind whether to make a one-mile side trip into Salisbury, CT for a second breakfast. In the end, the food won. The only place that I found where I could get eggs and pancakes in the quaint, upscale town was the Country Bistro, which I could tell from its name wasn't going to be cheap. But when I went to open the door at 7:30, I found it to be locked, even though I could see employees roaming around inside. So I knocked. A waitress opened the door to tell me they didn't open until 8:00. I glanced at my watch and wondered whether I could afford to wait 30 minutes, given that I had to hike 25 miles, which included four mountains. The waitress must have sensed my concern, because the next thing I knew she was ushering me inside. When I saw the menu, I considered walking out: nine dollars for eggs, bacon, and toast, and another nine for pancakes. But, knowing I needed energy for the day's hike, I ordered both, along with orange juice and coffee. When the food came, the waitress said the pancakes were on the house, because the cook didn't think they were cooked right, because the grill wasn't hot enough. I realized the grill wasn't hot enough because the restaurant wasn't technically open yet. I felt lucky to get away with a $15 breakfast, before the tip. And the pancakes were just fine for this thru-hiker.Today's hike featured the first real mountains since Virginia. That, along with the prospect of seeing my wife for the first time since May, and the second breakfast, seemed to energize me, as I felt stronger today than I had in weeks, powering up the first three mountains before stopping for lunch. The dry air, cool breeze on the summits, and spectacular views made for an awesome day. I passed the 1500-mile mark just before the second peak, which happened to be the highest point in Connecticut. And between peaks two and three, I crossed the border into my home state of Massachusetts. The only trying time during today's hike was the final three miles, when the trail passed through a mosquito-infested swamp.I hitched the final three miles into town from a church organist named John, and Tor, who'd driven straight from her nursing job in Brockton, MA, arrived 10 minutes later. We went out for Mexican food and then hit up an ice cream shop afterwards.
Date: 2014-07-13
From: US7 Great Barrington

To: Newton, MA via US7 Great Barrington
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: haze

It may be a cliche, but being on the trail really does make you appreciate civilization: sleeping in a real bed with sheets; taking a hot shower; and having plenty of clean water with the turn of a handle.On Friday morning Tor texted me with a proposal. Since I had reached the closest point on the the trail to our home just outside of Boston, why not have her drive out, pick me up, and bring me home to surprise Sonja on her birthday on Sunday. I'd been thinking about my daughter's upcoming 17th birthday for several days and was having similar thoughts. So that was the plan, to stay in Great Barrington Saturday night, drive home Sunday morning, and drive back to the trail Monday morning so I could continue my march north.It was surreal driving home this morning along the Mass Pike from Stockbridge to Boston, the route immortalized by James Taylor in his song Sweet Baby James. I felt strangely detached being behind the wheel, speeding along the highway at 70 miles per hour after having plodded through the woods at three miles per hour for the last three months. There's so much more stimulation in civilization than there is on the trail that I was feeling sensory overload. I can tell there will be a period of readjustment when I eventually come home for good. Sonja was in the shower when we arrived at home, and the first words from her mouth when she walked into our bedroom, wrapped in a towel, are not fit for this journal. Suffice it to say, she was adequately surprised to see me, as well as extremely happy based on the hugs she gave me. And our dog, Sammy, had a similar reaction.After taking care of a few odds and ends such as laundry and drying my tent, which was still wet from the dew in the field Saturday morning, I went to visit my parents, who live in the next town over. Unfortunately, my mom was not feeling well enough to join us for Sonja's birthday dinner, but it was wonderful to see them for the first time in 12 weeks, just a few days after their 60th anniversary.Sonja's boyfriend, Jack, joined us for her birthday dinner at a Chinese restaurant in Chestnut Hill, along with Anders and Tor's parents, Peter and Diana. On the way to the restaurant, the cake toppled in the car, and despite our best effort to repair the damage, the waiter joked that the cake reminded him of the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Climbing into my own bed felt strange as well. It's easy to see how the comforts of home could inadvertently draw a thru-hiker off the trail for good. But although some of the initial excitement of hiking the AT is diminished, I haven't lost my burning desire to reach Katahdin.
Date: 2014-07-14
From: Newton, MA via US7 Great Barrington

To: Tom Leonard Shelter
Miles today: 6.4
Weather: overcast clouds

I think I was subconsciously driving slower than normal along the Mass Pike to extend the time I got to spend with Tor. It had been a wonderful 48 hours with her, and I didn't want it to end. But we eventually arrived in Great Barrington and came to the AT trail crossing with US7 where we hugged goodbye and I set off north on the trail just after noon.Unlike in Boston, it had rained all night in the Berkshires, so the ground was wet, the trail was muddy, and the bugs were ravenous. The only place I found relief from the mosquitos was on a rock outcrop, where I spent an hour working on the logistics for the next rendezvous, with my friend Dick and two of his sons from Manchester, England, who are meeting me in Bennington, VT on July 19th. Because I'm a bit ahead of schedule, I'll be pumping the brakes, averaging 15 miles per day for the next six days. With the horrendous bugs, excessive humidity, predicted afternoon thunderstorms, and knowledge that I have more than enough time to get to the rendezvous point, I stopped at the Tom Leonard Shelter after covering a measly six miles.There are a bunch of section hikers at the shelter tonight, including a 20-something couple, Irene and Will, on an 8-day hike north across Massachusetts, Toons, a SOBO who started in Hanover, NH and is aiming for Springer, and River, a NOBO who started in Duncannon, PA and hopes to make it to Katahdin. Irene was drying her underwear by the fire, and somehow the conversation took us to the point where she was explaining to the rest of us how it's possible to remove your underwear while wearing shorts. Which caused River to pipe in that he'd once removed a bra underneath a shirt. Not his, of course, but his girlfriend's. Leave it to the AT to spawn conversations like this among perfect strangers. Toons had been hiking with the front running thru-hiking SOBOs, Toey and Spoons, who started on Katahdin on March 31st and apparently hope to be the first ones to Springer, given their 30-mile-per-day pace. I missed this pair come through when I was off the trail, but I can now expect to see a stream of SOBO thru-hikers over the next month or so.To cap off a fun evening at the shelter, Toons entertained us by playing his guitar and singing while we hung around the campfire.
Date: 2014-07-15
From: Tom Leonard Shelter

To: Upper Goose Pond Cabin
Miles today: 21.1
Weather: moderate rain

It really bothered me to have gone so short yesterday, particularly at this stage in the trip. I need the feeling of making progress towards Katahdin, and a six-mile-a-day puts me there in 100 days, about the time the mountain closes for the year. So today I got up early and, at 6:50, was the first one to leave the shelter. It had rained much of the night, and although it had stopped by morning, the air was as humid as it could have been without actually raining. The trail was extremely muddy, and the rocks and roots were slick, making for treacherous hiking today. I fell once after slipping on a root and had a couple of near misses as well.When I passed the Mt Wilcox Shelter, where I would have stayed had I pushed on yesterday afternoon, I realized I'd made the right decision to stay put last night. While I'd had a relatively mosquito-free night, Wilcox was tiny, and its one occupant had pitched her tent inside it. Her dog barked from inside the tent when I approached, and I moved on without bothering to read or sign its shelter log.I hiked hard all day and kept my few breaks short due to the mosquitos, which, unlike yesterday, weren't bad when on the move, but came in for the kill whenever I stopped. As a result, at 3:30 I rolled into the Upper Goose Pond Cabin, a must-see on the AT where I'm staying tonight. The two-story cabin is the closest thing to an AMC hut south of the White Mountains. It is fully enclosed and has 15 bunks upstairs and a caretaker, who by tradition cooks pancakes for the guests in the morning. I took a dip in the pond to wash off the sweat from today's tropical conditions, ate an early dinner, and still had plenty of time to socialize with the 25 or so other guests. Mister Blister, the third SOBO on the trail, enjoyed the cabin so much he zeroed here today and is spending an extra night tonight. There are two thru-hikers with dogs, who've been having fun playing with the caretaker's dog Coco. The caretaker, David, canoes across the pond to collect spring water in plastic jugs for the guests. Today is the last day of his three-day rotation.As I'm typing, I'm listening to the rain through the screened window. Looks like the trail will be wet and muddy again tomorrow.
Date: 2014-07-17
From: Dalton, MA

To: Wilbur Clearing Shelter
Miles today: 20.5
Weather: broken clouds

Today was a truly awesome day for me on the AT.When I was hiking along the ridge toward Dalton yesterday, I came to a rocky peak where I caught my first glimpse of Mt Greylock, looking massive 20 miles in the distance. I woke up this morning excited to climb my home state's highest mountain, at 3500 feet. After four days of wet weather, the forecast called for an equal number of sunny days, and It would have been hard to ask for better weather than we had today: sunny, cool, and a slight breeze to keep the bugs away.On the way out of town, I stopped at the Dalton Restaurant for an egg and pancake breakfast, which so far has always set me up with lots of energy for the day. The trail climbed over a smaller ridge and passed through Cheshire, MA on the run-up to Greylock before the real ascent began. With almost 24 hours since the rain stopped, the trail was significantly drier today. Dry enough that it was actually worth avoiding the water and mud, unlike yesterday, I felt great powering up toward the summit. Near the top the hardwoods gave way to much shorter fir and spruce trees, reminiscent of the White Mountains in New Hampshire. Mt Greylock has a tower on its summit, which unfortunately is closed for renovation, as well as Bascom Lodge, which has a small restaurant. The top was crawling with tourists who'd driven up the auto road by car, and there were also a dozen or so hikers.I started a conversation with a 20-something SOBO from Pennsylvania named Hogie, who was concerned he'd been losing too much weight. When his hamburger was delivered to the table along with a mayonnaise packet, he asked me if mayonnaise had any calories. When I told him it was pure fat and therefore did, he went back to get another 10 packets or so and, after each bite, emptied an entire packet into the resulting crater before consuming it with his next bite. He then emptied at least 20 sugar packets into his liter water bottle before chugging it down.I'm staying in the Wilbur Clearing Shelter on the north shoulder of Greylock, a few miles from its summit. When I arrived, I was told jokingly the shelter is for SOBOs only. There are four of them here: Professor, Thumper, Sandles, and Gnarly. Over dinner we swapped stories of our adventures so far and gave advice on what to expect farther up/down the trail.
Date: 2014-07-18
From: Wilbur Clearing Shelter

To: Congdon Shelter
Miles today: 17.1
Weather: clear sky

Because the shelter was close to the summit of Mt Greylock, last night was the coldest since somewhere way down south in North Carolina or Tennessee. And I loved it. With a shorter day ahead, I lounged in my sleeping bag for an hour after my alarm went off, finally emerging at 6:30. It was still cool when I hit the trail at 7:30, so I started out in my long-sleeve shirt but soon stripped that off on the long, steep descent into North Adams, where I had a second breakfast at the local Friendly's. During the road walk, I noticed signs in many yards imploring the powers that be not to close the local hospital. I learned from the SOBOs at the shelter last night that the hospital in North Adams is being shuttered, forcing its residents to make a long trip out of the valley when seeking medical care.Shortly after starting the climb out of North Adams, I passed a stream with a perfect swimming hole. At first I walked right past it, but then reconsidered after remembering the incident on top of Mt Greylock yesterday. When I sat down at a table in the cafe, a middle age couple sitting at the table next to mine immediately got up, glared at me, and moved to a table in the corner, as far away as possible. Inconspicuously, I stuck my nose in my armpit, took a whiff, and realized why I'd driven them off. The dip this morning felt great, and I made sure to wring out my shirt several times. An hour of so later, I arrived at the border of Vermont, affectionately known by the thru-hiking community as Vermud, which means the green mud state, though so far all the mud I've seen, and there's been plenty of it already, has been standard issue brown. It appears the trail maintainers in this state take pride in the challenge presented by the trail conditions, because so far there have been only a few token boardwalks. Several 50-yard sections appeared capable of swallowing a hiker's shoes, and possibly the entire hiker as well! I'm just glad I'm passing through after 48 hours of sunny weather, as I can't imagine what it was like during the previous four days of rain.For the next 100 miles or so I'll be on both the AT and the Long Trail, which runs the length of Vermont to the Canadian border. Near Mt Killington the trails diverge, with the AT turning east towards New Hampshire. Two of the hikers in the shelter tonight are thru-hiking the Long Trail.Despite the mud, today's weather alone was enough to make me happy to be alive. And to add to that, I'm now in my 12th state, with just three to go. I passed the 1600-mile mark this afternoon, which means I'm within 600 of Katahdin. But there are some tough miles ahead, with the Green Mountains of Vermont, the Whites of New Hampshire, and some daunting terrain in Southern Maine.