morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2010-07-14
From: Schagticoke Mountain Campsite

To: Kent, CT
Miles today: 3.2

It was still raining when I woke up at 7:30 AM so laid in my tent until 8:15 AM hoping it would stop before I packed up. It didn¢t stop but eased up enough that with some quick maneuvering I was able to break camp without everything getting wet. Had a quick cold breakfast and hit the trail with Just Sauce by 9:00 AM.It was a tough climb down the mountain with the mud and slippery rocks. I¢m amazed we were able to hike last night without any injuries. By 9:30 AM the rain stopped and when we hit the road, we made a right turn and headed into Kent as they have an outfitter and restaurants and were only a half mile off-trail. Plus, I had a small mail drop to pick up at the post office.Kent is nice, everything within easy walking distance. I headed to the gas station to get a Coke while Just Sauce checked out the outfitter. Just as he got back, a lady who had been pumping gas came up to us and asked if we¢d like a place to sleep tonight, get a shower and do our laundry. Although we had planned to hike further, I only hesitated a moment and said, ¢Yes!¢It was only 10:30 AM and we had errands to run so arranged for her to pick us up at the post office on her way back from work as her house is about 5 miles out of town. Just Sauce and I went back to the outfitter and I bought new pole tips as I lost one about a week ago. They were very nice and installed it for me. Also wanted to buy a new headlamp but they didn¢t have any with a red lens and that¢s the kind I want. So I¢ll trust in Just Sauce¢s duct tape repair, get on-line, order one from REI, and have it shipped to me up-trail. Just Sauce bought a silk bag liner and shipped his sleeping bag home to lighten his load.Then we went to a restaurant and ate. I¢m very used to hiking alone but it was wonderfully refreshing to be in Just Sauce¢s company the past few days. It is so nice to have the social strata of ¢normal¢ life not interfere or filter one¢s more inner thoughts so our conversations were laced with insight and humor and not in the least superficial. Very refreshing.Regarding staying in Kent tonight, he¢s only out for a couple of weeks and really wanted to hike for a couple more days so decided to get back on the trail and head back to Pawling to catch the train home.So we had our lunch, went to the post office and grocery store and said our goodbyes when Sharon came to pick me up at 4:00 PM.Sharon and her husband, Gregg, live on a heavily wooded country lane with a spacious deck and swimming pool. They raise organically fed, free range chickens, sell the eggs and also have a fantastic vegetable garden. Sharon and I clicked right away ¢ kindred spirits ¢ and her husband, Gregg, is very cool, too. Gregg was working midnight shift so he retired early, but Sharon and I stayed up and talked for a couple of hours. What a wonderful oasis. Gregg made scrambled eggs for me in the morning, which were delicious and Sharon dropped me off at the trail head. What a nice couple. I¢m sure we¢ll stay in touch.
Date: 2010-07-15
From: Kent, CT

To: Sharon Mountain Campsite
Miles today: 19.4
Weather: overcast clouds

The heel pain persists, but not too badly today. Since it rained, the mosquitoes have made their presence known. I kept up a mile eating pace, only took brief breaks and arrived at the campsite shortly before sunset.I leisurely set up camp ¢ having the entire campground to myself. Threw my bear bag rope over a tree limb on the first try, made a cup of tea and let my dinner re-hydrate while I watched the sunset.I had a big mileage day today which I tend to do after zero or near zero days. Hopefully, I won¢t pay the price and hurt tomorrow and then have a low mileage day. That¢s a see-saw I don¢t want to get on. Wait and see. If I¢m hurting tomorrow, I may have to even out my daily mileages.So went to bed right at dark and slept soundly.
Date: 2010-07-16
From: Sharon Mountain Campsite

To: Limestone Springs Lean-To
Miles today: 9.9

Slept in and didn't get out of camp until 10:00 AM. Leisurely breakfast and coffee and caught up on some journaling.When I got to the Housatonic River, the bridge was closed to pedestrian traffic and the AT "detour" gave me a 3.5 mile road walk. Finally I made it into Falls Church and the Toymakers Cafe. Had one of the best 1/2 pound Angus burgers with smoked gouda and grilled onions that I've had on the trail. It was gone in minutes washed down with two root beers.Headed back up the trail which followed the river to the magnificent Great Falls. There was a swimming area at the base of the falls. It was another hot day and I was sorely tempted but I had a mountain to climb to get to tonight's campsite, so kept on walking.Ran across a spring that wasn't dry, so loaded up on water in case the stream at the campsite was dry, which turned out to be bone dry.Finally made it to the turn-off for the shelter which they call lean-to's in Connecticut. I dropped about 500 feet in elevation over the 1/2 mile side trail to the shelter which I'm sure I'll gripe about climbing in the morning.I was still full from my stop at the cafe, which by the way was a 1 mile round trip off trail, so had a light dinner. I heard some rumbling in the distance so set up my tent, stashed my food in the bear box, hung my sweaty, stinky hiking clothes on a makeshift clothesline in the hopes it would rain, they'd get rinsed out and dry by morning.I no sooner got everything squared away and it started to pour. I have the whole camping area to myself, so after taking off the hiking clothes, I let the rain sluice some of the grime off of me.I climbed into my tent and dried off with my clean bandanna and all hell broke loose. The wind picked up, bolt after bolt of lightning lit the sky and the immediate thunder-claps echoed off the mountains. The rain was a serious downpour but I was safe and snug in my dry "home", 500 feet down from the ridgeline. Maybe I won't gripe too much when I climb back to the ridge in the morning. Today's gripe is the 5 off-trail miles that I can't include in my total for the day.
Date: 2010-07-17
From: Limestone Springs Lean-To

To: Sages Ravine Brook Campsite
Miles today: 11.5
Weather: scattered clouds

What a day! As I¢m sitting at the shelter eating breakfast, I see a black bear about 30 feet from my tent which was about 80 feet from where I was sitting. I yelled at him and he scooted back into the woods.The climb back up to the ridge wasn¢t too bad, but I always have more energy in the morning. Ran into Boo-Boo on the trail and he¢s heading into Salisbury to re-supply and go to the deli. Told him I¢d see him there.Nice trail with a couple of pretty views, one of which was Bear Mountain across the valley that I¢ll be climbing later this afternoon. I hiked the 12 mile off trail into town and spotted Michigan and Boo-Boo at the post office. I spread my soaking wet tent fly out on the grass in the sun and it was dry in 10 minutes.Then we hit the grocery store and deli. I bought a couple trail food items and a sandwich, salad, and iced tea for lunch. We sat outside on some benches and enjoyed our meal. Quite a few people stopped to talk to us about our hike, including three guys who thru-hiked the AT last year. We made plans to meet them at the campsite we¢re planning on staying at tonight.We got an instant hitch as soon as we hit the street heading out of town back to the trail. I kept a steady pace, but the guys are much faster so they pulled ahead quickly. Stopped once at a spring to get more water and slowly made my way up to Bear Mountain I realized as I started to climb that I heard thunder in the distance and knew I had to get up and over the mountain before it hit. So I power climbed up the boulders, rock walls and steps. I thought I¢d never reach the summit but I did and just kept going down the other side. Carefully, I made my way down two rock walls when the storm hit. Lightening, thunder, torrential rain and then hail. I was off the summit so I wasn¢t worried about the lightning. The rain felt good and my clothes were getting a rinsing. But the hail stung. So I hunkered down in a rhododendron thicket for protection and waited it out.It only lasted about 30 minutes but now there was water ¢ lots of water ¢ cascading down the mountain and the trail was all waterfalls, slippery rocks and extremely steep. It took me almost an hour to go 12 a mile just carefully picking my way down.Finally made it to the campsite only to find the guys weren¢t here yet. They stayed on the other side of the mountain until the rain passed so they got to climb both up and down on slippery rocks and mud. They got here after dark and are partying with the guys from town. Me? I had enough excitement for one day. I¢m climbing in my tent and going to sleep. Good night all!P.S. I¢m in Massachusetts now!
Date: 2010-07-18
From: Sages Ravine Brook Campsite

To: US7
Miles today: 14.0

Woke up at 2 AM to what seemed like a strobe light. It was flashes of lightning in the distance. Woke up at 3 AM to high winds, thunder, and heavy rain. Heard a tree go down and hoped it didn¢t fall on anyone as there were at least 20 tents at this sprawling campsite. Stayed awake for about an hour while all this was going on but finally went back to sleep and got up for the day at a very late (for me) 7:30 AM.Made breakfast, put on my wet hiking clothes as I had hung them outside overnight. That¢s 3 times in 2 days they¢ve been rinsed by rainwater. I was on the trail hiking out of the ravine a little after 9 AM. Then climbed Race Mountain that had panoramic views of the countryside and ate lunch on top where I spread out my wet gear to dry in the sun.Climbed and scrambled down Race and right away had a very steep 600 foot climb up Everett. After that the miles were more gentle and hitched a ride into Great Barrington from Rte. 7.Stayed at the Days Inn, ordered out for pizza, and went to a movie, Inception. I¢ll do my town chores tomorrow and plan on a short 6 mile day.
Date: 2010-07-20
From: US7

To: Mt. Wilcox South Lean - To
Miles today: 11.7

Checked out at 11:00 AM and only walked a block before I got a hitch to the trail-head. Again, dealt with dry water sources. The spring at the lean-to was dry so backtracked .1 miles to a trickle of a spring. Took me a half hour to collect 3 liters of water for dinner, breakfast and the trail in the morning. There's actually two shelters at this lean-to site, an old one and a newer one. No one was there so I set my tent up in the old shelter as it was threatening rain and this way I wouldn't have to pack up a wet tent in the morning. Of course, if a lot of people showed up I would have had to move it out of there, but only two people, Rock Steady and Mini-Muffin showed and they took the newer shelter.The mosquitoes are insane so climbed into the sanctuary of my tent and read for awhile before falling asleep.
Date: 2010-07-21
From: Mt. Wilcox South Lean - To

To: Upper Goose Pond Cabin
Miles today: 15.8
Weather: light rain

Early start to a long day. Walked several miles along the tops of ridge-lines where the brambles and stinging nettles encroached on the trail almost entirely obscuring it. Used my poles to push the plants out of the way. However, the trail had a lot of rocks that were hidden and it seemed like I was tripping and stumbling more than walking most of the time. Finally, one of the rocks got me and I did an inglorious face plant thankfully just in the dirt but have a bit of a bruise on my left cheekbone.The miles did roll by as the day progressed. With only 3 miles left to get to my destination for the night I encountered a steep elevation change, lots of rocks, and numerous boulder scrambles - not what one wants at the end of a long day.But it was all worth it when I got to the cabin. Totally enclosed, with a caretaker, on a pond where I took a refreshing swim. You could take a canoe and paddle around the lake, but I was too tired, so ate dinner and retired early sleeping on the first floor couch.
Date: 2010-07-22
From: Upper Goose Pond Cabin

To: October Mountain Lean-To
Miles today: 8.8
Weather: few clouds

Had a delicious breakfast of fresh blueberry pancakes and coffee, compliments of the cabin caretaker.After yesterday's long, difficult miles, my heel hurts so I took some Ibuprofin that at least took the edge off the pain but I just don't feel like hiking today. Besides the constant pain, I'm really missing all the conveniences of home so when I ran across a road crossing with a town 4 miles down the road, I made an abrupt left turn and hitched into town.Didn't do much there other than buy a sandwich and Coke for lunch and sit in the town square gazebo. A local bus stop was right there which could take me to an airport (and home) but that's too big a decision to make spur of the moment. Truth be told, I've been thinking a lot about going home. I'm frustrated with my slow progress. Every hike plan is blown in a few days because I can't/don't do the miles. And I'm really missing home, friends and family.I finally shook myself out of my melancholy and started back to the trail. Walked a half mile before someone picked me up but he had to drop me a mile and a half short of where I needed to go. So I did the 1.5 mile road walk and got back on the trail.And then to add insult to injury, it started raining. A couple miles later I stopped at the Cookie Lady's house for water as the water sources I ran into were full of silt from the rain or were still dry. She wasn't home so I didn't get any cookies, but I really appreciated the water.I met a few south bounders today. Southbound hikers begin in Maine and go to Georgia and start around June 1st. I anticipate meeting more in the days ahead.I called it a day when I got to the next shelter at 6:00 PM and set up my tent. Thought I'd have the place to myself but two section hikers came in right before dark. Quarter Moon and Ohm were 2007 thru-hikers. I asked if they knew Signage and they did! They remember hiking with her and Calamity Jane that year. Small world.
Date: 2010-07-23
From: October Mountain Lean-To

To: Dalton, MA
Miles today: 11.8
Weather: moderate rain

Woke up about 6:00 AM. Quarter Moon and Ohm were already gone. Cool morning and overcast with the smell of rain in the air so I quickly packed up and then made breakfast under the shelter canopy. It started to rain just as I took my first sip of coffee.There was no sign it was going to let up so started hiking. It was about 70 degrees and I was soaking wet in minutes but the hiking kept me warm. It was really nice not to be sweaty for a change.It stopped raining around noon so I took a break and ate. A half hour later the rain started again only this time a much heavier downpour. Fairly soon I was no longer able to step around the puddles because they were too big so just sloshed through them.Met some more south-bounders and we stopped and chatted for a few minutes about what each of us could expect up ahead.I was heading for the shelter 3 miles short of Dalton, but town and a hot shower called to me and I bypassed the shelter and got a motel room in town as by this time I was soggy and cold. I think I spent a half hour under the hot water - it felt so good!
Date: 2010-07-24
From: Dalton, MA

To: Cheshire, MA
Miles today: 9.3

I went to breakfast with a couple of ladies, Jangles and Huckleberry, who stayed at the motel and are section hiking. Turns out Jangles is following my journal and knew who I was. Again today, I wasn't in the mood to hike but just couldn't justify taking another zero so hit the trail right after the 11:00 AM check-out. I wanted to make it about 10 miles to Cheshire but with stopping every mile or so for a break, the miles went slowly which, though self-induced, I found frustrating. Coupled with a hot, humid day, lots of mud, and a distinct lack of footbridges across streams, didn't improve my mood.Which leads to Trail Truth #2: If the trail throws something new at you, it's just preparing you for more of the same up ahead.On the plus side, there's now plentiful water.Finally made it to Cheshire and stayed at the Catholic church hostel close to the trail. The post office is only a block off the trail but nothing else is handy and the hostel only offers a place to sleep, no other amenities.
Date: 2010-07-25
From: Cheshire, MA

To: MA 2 State Road
Miles today: 14.0

Woke up early, packed up and walked a couple blocks back to the trail where I stopped at a conveniently located picnic table by the ice cream shop and made breakfast for myself. Got on the trail and started hiking at 8:00 AM.After a 1 mile road walk, the trail took me through hay and corn fields. When I hit the woods, the long 6 mile uphill to Mount Greylock began, a 2,500 foot elevation gain. Greylock is the highest point in Massachusetts and is in a sub-alpine zone. I took my time and didn't push too hard and made the summit by 1:00 PM.At the top, there's a huge, imposing War Memorial tower and the views were impressive. Looking north, I could see the Green Mountains of Vermont and the Whites of New Hampshire, all of which I'll be climbing in the next several weeks. On the one hand, I'm excited to be heading into what's considered the crown jewels of the Appalachian Trail. On the other hand, I'm totally intimidated by how big these upcoming mountains are. My heel is still hurting and I have a distinct limp after the first 8 miles of each day so it's hard to put together several higher mileage days as it always hurts worse when I try. Today though, I just took my time and kept at a comfortable pace and it wasn't so bad. Perhaps I'm my own worst enemy trying to push faster miles. There's a lot of daylight hours so perhaps hiking longer hours at an easier pace might be the answer. It's taken me 1500 miles to come to that realization but it's hard-wired in my DNA to push, so this is going to be a psychological challenge for sure.At the top of Greylock is Bascom Lodge where they teased me about all the food I ordered - a half pound Angus burger with all the fixings AND a large chef's salad. Trust me - it was gone in minutes - I'm basically hungry ALL the time.Spent a half hour trying to find where the AT continued on down the mountain, but finally got on track and started heading down. After a 2 mile ridge walk during which it started to rain, the descent got really steep. I stopped to put on my "rain gear" which consisted only of a waterproof cover for my pack and my hat (to keep the rain off my glasses), no raincoat - my clothes needed a rinsing.So slipping and sliding, and falling only once, I made my way down the insanely steep trail to town where I got an instant hitch to a motel and a hot shower. Ah, bliss!I hiked 10 hours, covered 14 miles of not easy terrain, and the heel is not totally screaming at me so maybe the idea of a slower pace might be the answer.One other thing of note for the day was when I heard a train whistle in the distance as I was coming down the mountain. I realized that although the majority of my time out here is in the woods, I have heard trains everyday since Erwin, Tennessee! Living in Chicago, trains are an ever-present background noise which is why I probably just accept the sound as part of the environment. I wonder if I'll notice when I don't hear them anymore!
Date: 2010-07-26
From: MA 2 State Road

To: Seth Warner Shelter, VT
Miles today: 6.9
Weather: clear sky

Walked 1.5 miles from my motel to the post office to pick up my mail drop and my sleeping bag that I sent here from Harpers Ferry. Nights have been cool and I¢ll be sleeping at progressively higher elevations. Also did laundry, bought alcohol for my stove, some trail snacks and a sandwich for lunch. The motel owner¢s grandson was kind enough to give me a ride back to the trailhead. Accomplished this and was on the trail at noon.The trail followed Sherman Brook for awhile, a delightful fast moving stream with lots of cascades and waterfalls. If it were warmer outside, I would have definitely taken a dip in one of the many pools beneath the falls. Since I knew I was doing a short day, I took a few long breaks ¢ still not into the hike, but at least not pushing big miles coming out of town. Had a long climb coming out of town and the pack was really heavy with a full food supply and the added weight of my sleeping bag. I consciously kept my pace comfortable and the miles went by without the stress. Wish I had figured this out a few hundred miles ago.Had a big, nasty uphill boulder field to negotiate right before the summit and several areas of the trail were big mud holes that had me jumping from rock to rock.Crossed into Vermont today where the AT and Long Trail share the same treadway for about 100 miles so there will be more people around for the next week or so.At the shelter were Rabid and Safari who I last saw in Virginia, Boomer from Australia, Doctor J, and Timber. Set up my tent and went to get water where I took a misstep and stepped into the stream so my right boot is now soaking wet and assuredly won¢t dry by morning. Aargh!
Date: 2010-07-27
From: Seth Warner Shelter, VT

To: Melville Nauheim Shelter
Miles today: 13.1
Weather: clear sky

It was really chilly last night, probably in the upper 40¢s, so the timing on getting my sleeping bag was perfect. However, I forgot how hard it is to get out of one¢s cozy, warm cocoon, put on cold, damp hiking clothes and get one¢s day started. So I was late getting up and last out of camp.Vermont¢s nickname to hikers is Vermud and I definitely can see why. There were huge mud pits that had me hopping from rock to rock or balancing on logs so I wouldn¢t get ankle deep in the mud. There were also hillsides where water was running right down the trail. Again, a lot of rock-hopping to keep the feet dry. In conjunction with the roots, it was a slow first 7 miles. I crossed a long, probably 900 foot, rather shaky boardwalk over a really wet area on the downstream side of a huge beaver dam. The water level of the big pond that the dam formed was at eye level ¢ an interesting perspective.Stopped and had second lunch about 2:30 PM after which the next 6 miles went more quickly. There are actually a couple miles of treadway where I could walk at about a 3 mph pace without dancing around obstacles like a mountain goat. But a sharp, long descent over a boulder field had me rock hopping again.With only a mile and a half left to go, I then had a really sharp uphill of about 900 feet. It¢s the last thing you want at the end of a long, rather hard day, but I persisted and made it to the shelter just before sunset.Rocky and Playgirl were here who I haven¢t seen since Kincora down in Tennessee. They too, skipped a big portion of Pennsylvania.Set up my tent, bear bagged my food and slept as only the weary can.