morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2007-08-01
From: Mt. Wilcox Lean-to

To: Upper Goose Pond Cabin
Miles today: 15.8
Weather: broken clouds

Many of my faithful followers may not understand why I have been neglecting my journal lately. Besides the hardship of finding Internet access in the northeast, there are many reasons why this journey is difficult to describe to the outside world.I believe in seizing every opportunity presented, making the most of every experience, giving my all to each and every pursuit. The opportunity of hiking the AT is in the here and now, one that I will likely never undertake ever again, with so many moments to be savored to their fullest. I just want to be, to savor, to enjoy, without any obligations to fulfill. The pressure to write in a journal every day, for me, takes away from this living in the moment.Lucky me, for I am surrounded by some of the most amazing people I will ever meet. The people that are part of the group that is with me now will likely never be in the same place at the same time again. Although I know I will soon have to say good-bye, and boy is that going to hurt, I won¢t let the approaching end stop me from caring. Who knows when I will again share such strong bonds with other humans like in this current time and place? I don¢t want to give up a moment of time that I could be sharing with them, and so the journal is relegated to the back burner.The AT journey has so far been an experience that surpasses any I have ever known, and I am unable to find the words to express what I feel, what I share with other hikers, what I have come to understand on the trail. Trust me, it is something I definitely want to share, but while my audience at home has been spectacularly supportive, there¢s no way my readers can truly understand the emotions of my journey, no words that can aptly and fairly describe the journey. And so I choose to focus on the only ones who really get it, the thru-hikers around me. The rest of you will have to wait until the end of the trail.miles remaining 640.2
Date: 2007-08-02
From: Upper Goose Pond Cabin

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

Upper Goose Pond cabin is a superb place to take a zero. Yet again, I had every intention of hiking today, but what¢s the rush? When I find a good place, I want to enjoy it before moving on to the next.Part of the reason for staying an extra day, besides the peace and relaxation offered here, not to mention the fine swimming and boating, is because I ran into other hikers that I hadn¢t seen for a while, actually many of my favorites all at Goose Pond on the same day. There¢s Larry and Brue, who I haven¢t seen since we picked them up hitch-hiking south on Route 81 heading to Trail Days, and that was months ago. Splendora and BirdLegs, my girl power were a day behind but showed up for the reunion today. And who can forget my beloved Geezers? Plus, Rebel and Chuckles provided hours of entertainment, especially as they rowed me princess-style around the lake.And who could ever forget the frantic search for Splendora¢s glasses? So excited was she to jump in the lake, she failed to first remove her glasses, which when she again surfaced, were no longer on her face but instead somewhere on the bottom of the pond. Without appropriate scuba gear and unable to see through the water, 10 creative, but possibly not the brightest, hikers schemed ways to find her much-needed glasses. Chuckles attempted to create a breathable air pocket around his head by tying a plastic Wal-mart bag tightly around his neck. Good idea, but he came up gasping for air just a few seconds later. Crafty Splendora decided her best option was to duct tape Saran Wrap around her eyes and nose to enable her to see underwater. Didn¢t work as planned either. Close to dusk, Rebel and Chuckles rowed off into the setting sun to search for other forms of life more prepared for underwater expeditions, but unfortunately returned with nary a goggle. Now what? All but Splendora and Chuckles fled the scene and departed to the comfort of the cabin, sorry we couldn¢t help our friend, but unable to develop any viable plans. Lucky for her, Chuckles didn¢t give up so easily, and within a few hours had recovered the missing spectacles. Even after the plastic bag incident, I now have a newfound respect for the guy.
Date: 2007-08-03
From: Upper Goose Pond Cabin

To: Tom Levardi's floor - Dalton, MA
Miles today: 20.6
Weather: clear sky

Oh how thru-hikers love cookies, beer, and ice cream. Add a place to sit and we are golden.Less than 1/10 of a mile off the first road crossing lives the beloved cookie lady, who offers freshly baked goods, water fill-up, and cozy lawn lounge chairs to the weary hikers. Who knows why she does it, but I am certainly not one to complain. Her husband delivered oatmeal raisin cookies to us as we lounged in the comfort of the sun and perfect temperatures, a wonderful place to laugh and rest before continuing on for the day.The end of our daily miles gave us something to look forward to as well, Dalton, MA, where nearly every hiker takes a zero. We had heard so many good things about 2 of the places in town ¢ Tom Levardi¢s and Rob Bird¢s ¢ that our most difficult decision of the day may be where to stay the night. But Tom has one distinct advantage, that his home is located directly on the trail as it enters town. And we just couldn¢t resist sitting on the front porch rocking chairs before moving on, if we ever would.Enter Tom Levardi. His first question to us is ¢Want some ice cream?¢ Um, OK. ¢How about some beer?¢ Well, yeah. He disappears into his home, returning about 10 minutes later and presenting the goods on a silver platter, ice cream sundaes piled high with whipped cream and topped with star-shaped sprinkles served with ice-cold Milwaukee¢s best. First and only time I¢ve ever been served from a silver platter and it¢s on some stranger¢s porch on the AT. Truly amazing.Tom Levardi is one heck of a guy, opening his home to hikers unlike anyone I¢ve met along the trail, and I¢ve met some pretty great people already. There must have been 10 hikers sprawled all over his place, using his shower, borrowing his clothing, watching his TV, rocking on his porch, getting drunk in his yard. Tom, in response, cooks us all dinner! Again, I don¢t fully understand why he does it, but I do know that I will forever remember Tom and his generosity, when and if I finally leave Dalton.miles remaining 619.6
Date: 2007-08-04
From: Tom Levardi's floor - Dalton, MA

To: Tom Levardi's floor - Dalton, MA
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

Dalton is such a good place that I couldn¢t leave yet, especially not with the draw of rope swinging, swimming, and cliff jumping, compliments of Tom Levardi, who else? The first swing is always a little scary, but exhilarating too, while the second becomes just pure fun. Part of the adrenaline comes from overcoming your initial fear, then just enjoying. At this point in the hike, though, we have to be careful, for we don¢t want something stupid to force us to end early. Damn those technicalities.The rope swing was good fun, but when tempted with a higher platform, a more isolated location, deeper and warmer waters, a group of fellow adventure seekers and I just couldn¢t resist. At the first place, we met the friend of a friend who climbed the tree and inaugurated the rope swing; he knew of an even better place, a quarry with cliff jumping. Did we want to go? Um, yes.An absurd number of us, my guesstimate is about 10, piled in the back of his truck, with the requisite thru-hiker case of beer, for the long drive to the quarry, laughing the entire way, in the back of a complete stranger¢s truck, for not a one of us knew where we were headed, nor did a one of us care.The quarry turned out to be a spectacular spot, with the highest ¢safe¢ jump about 70 feet high, and various other lesser jumps from the surrounding rocks. All who jumped from the highest cliff didn¢t feel too well afterwards ¢ my sinus cavity hurt for about a week from the rush of water, Rambo and Teapot both hurt their backs and were laid up for days, Rebel walked funny for a while afterwards from the self-induced water enema ¢ but it was definitely good fun.Why on God¢s earth would we risk an injury at this point in the hike? Because our lives are all about adventure, making the most of every opportunity, never turning down fun. That¢s why we are on the trail to begin with.
Date: 2007-08-05
From: Dalton, MA

To: North Adams, MA
Miles today: 23.3

When someone offers you the option of slackpacking, without thought, the answer is always yes. Of course I want to hike without 35 pounds on my back, especially if it¢s over a huge mountain in my path. Yes, it would be nice to take a shower and sleep in a house and eat dinner in a restaurant afterwards. Such is how we conquered Mount Greylock, the highest point in Massachusetts and the first time since Virginia that the trail ascends to over 3000 feet, in a 23-mile, but relatively easy-hiking day.My favorite part of slackpacking is that, without the additional weight on my back, I feel unencumbered, much lighter on my feet, free to just enjoy my surrounds, able to return to why it is I hike. Higher elevation meant cooler temperatures and fewer bugs. All with a backpack only the size of my nephew¢s diaper bag. 23 miles never came so quick.A day hiker, all smiles, headed in the opposite direction shared my sentiments and remarked, ¢What a great day to be out. It¢s a good day not to waste.¢ I replied, ¢No day is a good day to waste, my friend.¢ Ain¢t that the truth.miles remaining 596.3
Date: 2007-08-06
From: Tom Levardi's floor - Dalton, MA

To: Tom Levardi's floor - Dalton, MA
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: mist

The vortex that is Dalton means hikers converge on the town, and where there are hikers in town, there¢s bound to be a party. A table for six quickly becomes a table for every hiker in town, for we don¢t discriminate. If you are a hiker, you are welcome at a hiker table, no questions asked, slide on over and make room. On the trail there is a bit of rivalry between SOBOs - those hiking southbound from Maine to Georgia, or about 10% of thru-hikers, and NOBOs ¢ northbounders hiking from Georgia to Maine, or the great majority of hikers. Benefits to the latter include following the seasons with an earlier start, beginning with easy terrain that gets way more difficult in the far northeast reaches, a more social environment which translates into a stronger support system. Our paths cross typically in Connecticut and Massachusetts. I hear SOBOs are a more solitary bunch, but not the ones we met in Dalton. Fun times with the SOBOs in Dalton meant this rivalry has been overcome, all just hikers, no matter the direction in which we travel.Even though we together have walked almost 1600 miles, other NOBOs are still getting off the trail. Last night we said good-bye to Bludog and Sleeping Beauty, who decided, due to work and relationship priorities, to end their journeys in Dalton. I am gutted saying good-bye to such fine human beings, but at the same time, am thankful our paths crossed for a moment in time. I wish them well as I continue north.
Date: 2007-08-07
From: North Adams, MA

To: Melville Nauheim Shelter
Miles today: 20.0
Weather: clear sky

Good-bye Bludog and Sleeping Beauty. Good-bye Dalton. Good-bye Tom Levardi. Good-bye Massachusetts. For today we entered Vermont, glorious Vermont, vortex par non.The trail in Vermont coincides with the Long Trail for the first 105 miles, to Rutland where the LT continues north towards Canada while the AT meanders east into New Hampshire and its endpoint of Mount Katahdin in Maine. At 200 miles or so, the Long Trail traverses the length of Vermont, but to us on the AT the name seems mistaken. Long Trail hikers typically don¢t like our sense of humor however when we refer to their path as the Short Trail as a more appropriate designation. Other hikers I encounter along the trail seem much happier at this point in their journeys. We are actually enjoying hiking again, as compared to the past few months, thanks to Vermont. We are excited to be in New England, rumored the best part of the trail, vistas which make the entire excursion worth the effort, what hiking the AT is all about. It feels like I¢m in the woods again, with fewer road crossings, more mud although less than usual for this season¢s lack of rain, cooler temperatures and less bugs. Most notably, the people in Vermont are just fabulous, as good as they get, as we would find out day after day during our time in the Green Mountain State.miles remaining 576.3
Date: 2007-08-08
From: Melville Nauheim Shelter

To: Story Spring Shelter
Miles today: 17.4
Weather: light rain

But even with all the pros of being in Vermont, we as hikers still encounter difficulties. I have already said good-bye to way too many friends in the past few days. And it breaks my heart to even have to consider saying good-bye to anyone else at this point. But that is the nature of the trail.No, Splendora is not part leopard, although the red bumps she has developed all over her body may lead one to believe otherwise. I left her, itching and miserable, last night at a road crossing so she could head into town, resolve the problem, and consider her options. I did not want to leave her, but there was nothing I could do to help her through her pain. Her phone message today, telling me of her decision to leave the trail, had me in tears, as I thought I wouldn¢t have the chance to hug her and tell her how much she meant to me. Because Splendora had become one of my best friends in a very short period of time, I couldn¢t help crying myself to sleep alone in my tent tonight.At this point in the trail, there are only good people left, for whom I care a great deal. I¢m more invested in those around me than at any time prior. While our moments together are fleeting, forever will our bonds remain. So let¢s make every minute count, holding tightly to the days as we will our memories.miles remaining 558.9
Date: 2007-08-09
From: Story Spring Shelter

To: Manchester Center, VT and the first Lakehouse
Miles today: 21.1
Weather: overcast clouds

Some times, more often than not, I cannot believe how the trail works, how things just come together, how I get exactly what I need precisely when I need it. For instance, today¢s unbelievable hitch to the post office.The post office in Manchester Center, about 5 miles from the trail road crossing, closed at 4:30 and for post offices, that usually means not a moment later. Arriving to the road intersection at about 4:10 didn¢t give us much time to spare.   Would we make it? I sure hoped so, for I had visions of birthday care packages and cards from loved ones dancing through my head. The first people we asked, pulling quickly out of the trail parking lot as I ran towards them, didn¢t want anything to do with us. Something about the frantic look on my dirty face probably scared them away. But 10 minutes of standing beside the highway looking even more forlorn yielded the results we desired ¢ a truck ready to make some time with only a few minutes remaining. 4:29 and there I was in line at the post office, all smiles now covering my once dejected face, my arms full of birthday goodies.An hour later I still couldn¢t believe my luck. If you think that¢s a fine ending to my day, keep reading. How about sleeping in a comfy bed in a house on the shores on a gorgeous lake? How about Venetian chicken slowly cooking in a crock pot all day and waiting our arrival? How about relaxing in a hot tub with my only concern what type of wine I shall choose? How about the graciousness and generosity of hosts beyond compare? Why should I keep walking when paradise is before me? That¢s it; the trail ends here. Welcome to Mark and Tina¢s world. miles remaining 537.8
Date: 2007-08-10
From: Manchester Center, VT and the first Lakehouse

To: Danby, VT and back to the Lakehouse
Miles today: 17.8

Happy 33rd Birthday to me! And no, I don't look or feel nearly as old as what my birth certificate seems to believe. Well-meaning family and friends wonder aloud, yes I can hear you, when I will settle down and act my age. Hopefully never. The morning started with a trip to a youth summer day camp, with Rebel and me the day's show and tell, a special surprise for the last day of camp. The kids, ranging in age from 8 to 15 or so years old, were totally engrossed in what we were saying, captivated by the stories we were telling, asking good questions about our adventures, attempting to carry our backpacks which overwhelmed their tiny frames. I'll never forget the look in the wild eyes of young Priscilla, with fire and determination to someday hike the AT herself; reminds me of someone I know well. I wonder how many young minds we inspired (corrupted?) this morning. I imagine quite a few, for the camp staff and director said they never saw the kids sit still, actively engaged, for such a period of time. But the presentation was good for us as well, forcing us to re-define why we hike the trail, what we hope to accomplish during the odyssey, why the goal remains important to us as individuals. At this point in the trail, many of us have forgotten why we started in the first place. Talking about the trail to the kids makes me excited to continue north, as I remember that it's not only the endpoint that matters, but just as important, if not more so, is the journey to get there. What a trip it's been so far. miles remaining 520
Date: 2007-08-11
From: Mark's and Tina's Lakehouse

To: still at the Lakehouse
Miles today: 0.0

Why hike when you can lounge around a lake house all day? I'm sold.   Mark and Tina have been promoted to the status of trail gods, for no others even come close to their ability to pamper hikers, making us feel at home in a warm and caring environment.   Raspberry white chocolate scones, freshly baked everythings, homemade pasta sauce, organic vegetables, milk straight from the cow, Venetian chicken that I'd give anything for right now.   We were easily convinced, not much arm twisting involved, to stay a few extra days, during which time we did nothing but eat, relax in the hot tub, play with the dogs, eat, play games, lounge by the lakeside, eat, play the piano, and use more bath and body products in a single shower than I have this entire trip. The lifestyle in Vermont is pure and simple.   Organic produce is plentiful, with the new localvore movement encouraging residents to eat only locally grown produce. Strong women, beautiful without adornment, are honored and celebrated.   The locals are friendly to one another, committed to the outdoors, living with lower levels of stress. Billboards and Wal-marts are nearly banned throughout the state.   No wonder hikers are so happy again, for everyone in Vermont has been kind to us, sharing what they have, inspiring in what they have decided they don't need, encouraging us to continue north, cheering us all the way.   Transplants to Vermont have opted for a greener, simpler, healthier lifestyle. Just like Mark and Tina.
Date: 2007-08-14
From: Danby, VT

To: Clarendon Shelter
Miles today: 15.6
Weather: broken clouds

As hard as it was to bid a fond farewell to Mark and Tina, and their dogs George, Sterling and Trot, it was time to move on. All my best hiking buddies seemed to come out of the woodwork today, trying to shake the lazy-itis that is tempting us to take zeros without thought. At lunchtime, we reunited with BirdLegs, with her wit, humor and tell-it-like-it-is, no-holds-barred personality, one of the coolest people I've met along the trail.   I also ran into Walnut and Low Gear again, two other females with whom I haven't spent much time since the snowstorms in the south, way back when they didn't yet have trail names.   Another new female Chach is back to finish the northern states after a month hiatus.   There are now so many women around! I can really see our strength and determination to finish the trail; because a higher percentage of female thru-hikers make it to Katahdin than our male counterparts, our relative numbers have greatly increased at this point in the hike.   Poor Rebel, surrounded by so many women. Or maybe lucky Rebel. Fortunately for him, Mojo showed up while we were eating dinner at a restaurant now commandeered by women.   Funny story how I first met Mojo way back when I was working at the Bear's Den. The night he stayed there, I couldn't find the keys to the hostel and store anywhere, and it's not like me to lose or misplace anything.   I knew where I last saw them, just couldn't figure out to where they disappeared. My worried mind didn't allow me to sleep well that night. The next morning I asked each and every guest if they had accidentally pocketed my keys, but what would a thru-hiker do with keys?   It's not like we have cars or houses or anything that requires keys while we are on the trail.   Mojo appeared sheepishly before me, producing the lost keys from one of his pants pockets.   First impression aside, I'm glad I got a second chance to befriend Mojo, for despite his key-snatching tendencies, turns out he's a pretty great guy. The best news of the day came when I approached the shelter and heard Splendora's voice through the darkness of night.   She had decided to stay and give the trail another shot! So happy was I to see my best girl again. And so good it was to be back together with the original posse of Backwoods Babes. miles remaining 504.4
Date: 2007-08-15
From: Clarendon Shelter

To: Killington, VT and on to the second Lakehouse
Miles today: 16.4

Only one night in the woods and I'm back at a lake house in Vermont again. How does that happen? Splendora explains: "BirdLegs hiked the first half of the trail with Mark "Bad Influence" or "BI". BI lives on a farm in Vermont near the trail, and he had told BirdLegs that when she reaches Vermont , she and anyone she was hiking with were welcome to stay with him and enjoy a few days of slack packing. Fortunately for me, I was hiking with the lovely BirdLegs when we reached that section of Vermont. The other fortunate hikers include Mojo, Snack Break, Chach, and Rebel. BI is a barely 50 professional photographer, full of energy, with an infectious smile and a generous spirit. He loaded us into his Suburban and drove us to the beautiful farm where he and his lovely wife Katie live, work, and play. On their 58 mostly wooded acres lies their spacious house, a pond for swimming, three horses with stables and pasture, two goats, two dogs, and plenty of peace and relaxation. We ended up spending (an outrageous number of) nights at BI and Katie's¢¦Their generosity was overwhelming, and those (you won't believe how many) nights spent in their cozy, welcoming abode rank among the best experiences of my AT hike." Thanks Splendora; I couldn't have said it better myself.miles remaining 488