morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2003-05-07
From: Campsite near Walnut Mt. Road

To: Dennis Cove Rd.
Miles today: 12.8

I thought I would get up early at 5:00 to get to the road before noon.Two things got in the way: 1) it was pitch black at 5:002) another morning thunderstorm rolled through just north of me.I didn't get much rain from the storm so the tent was just a bitwet when I packed up camp around 6:30.I had stopped early at 3:30 yesterday because my feet were starting to getchewed up after being wet for two days.Before leaving camp and at several stops during themorning, I tried to use moleskin and duct tape to protectthe raw areas but it didn't seem to be working.I had walked 300 miles in these new shoes without problems so I was abit puzzled and frustrated with the new situation.At Moreland Gap shelter, I decided to switch to my sandles and hiked theremaining six miles without trouble except for an unfortunate run-in witha wet root that left me sitting on another root with a bruised tail-bone.I did manage to save the Snickers bar I was eating at the time.At the road I found ice-cold Mt. Dews courtesy of Laurel Fork Lodge,where I had stayed last year.This year it is under new management and ownership.Since I had missed Kincora hostel last year -- one of the bestknown hostels on the trail -- I decided to head there this morningto check it out and see if I could find out what had become of Hepcat.The hostel was full of new faces for me:Two Speeds, Wrong Way Brown, Dimple Rock, Moo, 42and several old faces: Play, Nemo, T-Bird.I grabbed a bunk and while most everyone headed into town withthe host, Bob Peoples, I grabbed a shower and took care of laundry.For lunch, I walked over to Laurel Fork Lodge and had a nice cheeseburgerplatter and chatted with the new managers.I left a note with Hepcat's package.Nemo had told me that he had taken a day off at the 19E road crossingabout 20 miles back to get over his illness.Around 6:15, Bob packed us all in his truck for a ride to Elizabethtonwhere the majority of hikers headed for the movie theatre to see X-Men 2.Mr Magoo, Pipes, Windtalker and I headed to a Mexican restaurantfor dinner and Walmart and the gorcery store for resupply.
Date: 2003-05-08
From: Dennis Cove Rd.

To: Dennis Cove Rd.
Miles today: 0.0

Another zero day!Instead of hiking on or slackpacking, i decided to hang out this morningand see if hepcat showed up.I spent some time cleaning up around Kinkora and found out Hepcat waas atLaurel Fork Lodge when Moxie and Crazy Talk showed up.I packed up and headed over to Laurel Fork to catch up with Hepcat.After another cheeseburger lunch, I headed down to a swimming hole thatBob Peoples at Kinkora had told us about.I ran into Windtalker heading south on the trail near the turnoff tothe swimming spot.She had been slackpacking back to the hostel with Pipes who wasn'tfar behind.After a steep scramble up to the ridge and an even steeper climbback down the otherside to the river we found the secluded swimminghole.There was one fisherman there but he moved downstream after he foundout we wanted to go for a swim in the deep pool.The river water was cold but very refreshing. The hot afternoon sundid a good job of warming us up while we sat on the rocks.Windtalker showed up about 10 minutes after we arrived. Pipeshad drawn a big arrow and the word "SWIM" in the dirt at theturn-off.According to Bob, this secluded pool is the local skinny dipping spot.One of us decided to honor the local custom. :-)
Date: 2003-05-09
From: Dennis Cove Rd.

To: Vandeventer Shelter
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

While packing up this morning, I realized thatmy pack raincover was missing. I got a ride to Kincora and foundit under my bunk from the previous night.I carry a large garbage bag in my pack which I could haveused for a backup back cover, but it was nice to find myregular cover.I met hepcat at the trailhead and we headed north on my last fewdays on the trail.After a huge thunderstorm last night (it wasgreat to be inside) the river was really high.Laurel Creek Falls were thunderous with all the water.A couple miles down the trail, the AT cuts off to theright to go up and over Pond Flats.this is an 1800' climb to an almost viewless summit.After a lot of internal debate, I decided to takea blue-blaze along the river and to route 321 whereI could road walk back to the trail and avoid the 1800' up anddown.Hepcat is a purist (as was I last year) so he continue alongthe AT after telling me that if he was in my situation he wouldhave skipped it also.I headed to the Watauga Lake shelter to wait for him.While reading the shelter register, I discovered thatMoo had left beers cooling in the nearby stream--nicetrail magic on this warm (80's), humid day.Hepcat showed up about 2.5 hours after I arrived at theshelter. He had run into Nemo, T-Bird, Cuz, and play atthe road with trail magic.Cuz had hiked from Springer to Fontana and was backvisiting for a few days.Eventually Hepcat and I pushed on in the late afternoonheat. We took it slow and eventually made it tothe shelter where we found only Bearbait.We almost had to use our headlamps at the very endsince it was well past sunset when we arrived.I'm just getting to know a number of people well out here and I'mstarting to realize that getting off the trail in Damascusis going to be more difficult than I thought.I still need to go home to try to get my house back in shapeand work on my future plans.If all goes well, I may be able to get back on the trail inlate August and hike again for5-6 weeks to Katahdin.
Date: 2003-07-23
From: Home

To: RPH Shelter
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

The hikers I met this spring between Springer and Damascus have now made it up to New England so I decided to cruise over to the trail this afternoon and see who I could track down.It took me about two hours to get from Madison, CT to Stormville, NY where I was going to track down some folks. On the way I picked up some cold soda and munchies to give away as trail magic.My first destination was RPH shelter since it is so close to the road. I thought I could check the register there and decide where to go next. As I pulled off the Taconic Parkway I immediately ran into Snowberry and Easy Rider. We chatted for about 15 minutes catching up on trail gossip before they moved on to make it the next five miles or so to the shelter for the evening.Just down the road I parked and walked to RPH shelter with some cold sodas. I found Field and Pace, a couple of hikers I hadn't met earlier. Field started on March 11th and has taken about 50 zero days so far!I checked the register and found out that Kodiak started out from RPH shelter that morning. My next stop was the AT trailstation crossing. I found a couple of section hikers and a southbounder. I didn't get any good information on Kodiak, but it sounded like he was farther north. The next shelter north was Wiley shelter which would have been a 24 mile day for Kodiak.Another 10 minutes of driving and a quick hike uphill and I was at Wiley shelter. I found Fly-By, Wanderer, and Young Jedi. I knew Fly-By had gotten back on the trail again but I thought he was a little farther north. He said Kodiak was still behind him so I had passed him somewhere between RPH and Wiley shelters.The humid weather and rainstorms had left everyone's clothes pretty wet with rain and/or sweat. Fly-By is still nursing a stress fracture, sprained ankle, and bruised tendons. He needed to do laundry and dry out clothes so he walked back to my car and we headed off to Kent.In Kent we stopped by the Episcopal Church looking for hikers. The Companion says the church is letting hikers sleep in the basement but we couldn't find any hikers, church members, or information. Next stop was the laundromat since the outfitters had closed for the night. No hikers there either but Fly-By was content. He planned to do his laundry and then hike back tothe Mt. Algo shelter just out of town.Before heading home, I swung by the trailhead to see if anyone was heading in to town. Nobody around so I headed back home. I'll probably head back out tomorrow to try to track-down Kodiak, Vagabond, Paladin, and the Blues Brothers. I just have to decide if I'm heading to southern Vermont or to Massachusetts!My current plan is to get back on the AT in mid-August, probably somewhere near Hanover and then hike back to Katahdin. If I'm still feeling good at that point I might try hiking the Long Trail and then head home.Still planning on the PCT next year!
Date: 2003-07-25
From: Home

To: Home
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: few clouds

I've been at home for about a month now and I'm bored.I want to be back on the trail.I want to be walking past trees and waterfalls andcliffs and flowers.I want to be climbing up and down mountains.I want to be sweaty and dirty and smelly.I want to be with other hikers.I want to be in the woods.I did have a nice weekend in the White Mountains.No, I wasn't hiking, but I was with hikers.I was attending the wedding of Wakapak and Giggler,two hikers who met on the trail in 1999 and thru-hikedlast year in 2002.I did pickup the Long Trail guide book and the CohosTrail guide book while in New Hampshire. Both trailsare possible options for hiking later this summer.My plan at the moment is to get back on the trailin August and hike through September. After thatI'm pretty sure I'm going to sell my house in Connecticutin preparation for hiking the PCT in 2004. I'll stillhave to find a way to kill a few months this winter.Maybe head down to New Zealand? Who knows?Everyone asks me if I'm going to start "working" again.I'm sure I will eventually, but I just don't know what I want to do next. Going back into the technologyworld is appealing from a intellectual standpoint butnot very appealing from a lifestyle standpoint.
Date: 2003-08-16
From: Home

To: Hanover, NH
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

Aug 16S: Not listedE: Hanover, NHMiles: 0A thru hiker has little need for electricity unless you are not yet on the trail. I had planned to take the train from New Haven CT to Little River Junction VT (Just south of Hanover) yesterday. Due to the collapse of the northeast power grid, the train wasn¢t running.With an extra 24 hours, I did manage to get a few loose ends tied up before attempting to leave CT again this morning. Amtrak reported the train was on time right up to 10 minutes before departure: Suddenly the train was 40 minutes late. Thirty five minutes later, the train was now 1 hour and 15 minutes late. We didn¢t leave the station without losing some more time and we managed to get delayed along the way.I expected to arrive around 6:00, but it now looks like closer to 8:30. 8:30 it was. I had planned to get a ride to Glen Cliff, about 40 miles north of Hanover, by trail but the late trail and some miscommunication scuttled the plan. Plan B was a hotel room for the night just across from the trail station.[GW/dvs]
Date: 2003-08-17
From: Norwich

To: Thistle Hill Shelter 
Miles today: 13.0
Weather: light rain

Aug 17S: NorwichE: Thistle Hill Shelter (tenting)Miles: 13After a leisurely breakfast while reading the Sunday Times, I headed across the White River and stuck my thumb out for a ride up to the trailhead in Norwich.After 10 minutes a pickup stopped and I hopped in. A few miles down the road and we pulled over at the Dartmouth Co-op community garden. I got a summer squash to take along for dinner.Back in the truck, it only took us a few minutes to get to the trailhead. After ¢thank you¢s¢ and ¢good lucks¢ I headed south on the trail in search of Hepcat, Kodiak, and Mellow Yellow.Heading South into the on-coming wave of NOBO¢s is quite different than riding the wave north.Hiking north you can walk for hours without seeing another hiker. Hiking south you run into NOBO¢s once or twice an hour. I try to be friendly and chat with everyone but sometimes I just manage a ¢hey¢ before moving on.I ran into lots of folks I met last year (Sharky & Grey Jay) as well as folks I¢ve met this year (Blues Brothers, Billy Boy, Apollo, Snuggles) and lots of new faces. In West Hartford I grabbed lunch at the snack bar, relaxed at the river, and checked in at R-Kid¢s house, who hiked in 2002 and summitted on the same day.I hiked out of town around 3:00 and made it to the shelter by 6:00. Along the way I chatted with NOBOs and found out that the gang I was looking for had stayed an extra day in Killington so I wouldn¢t be seeing them tonight.I also managed to find myself under a storm cloud in an otherwise sunny sky. I rained enough to get me soaked before I made it to the shelter. On the plus side, I did get a nice view of a rainbow along the way.Today was my first full hike with my new pack. I have purchased new gear in preparation for my PCT hike next year. My goal is to lighten my base pack weight to 15lbs. With a new pack, tent, and sleeping bag and some trimming of extra gear I¢m down to 17.5 pounds. This hike to Katahdin should help me figure out if I can get any lower.[GW/dvs]
Date: 2003-08-18
From: Thistle Hill Shelter 

To: West Hartford
Miles today: 4.7

Aug 18S: Thistle HillE: West Hartford (tenting)Miles: 4.7The plan today was to hike back to town and stay just outside at the Velvet Rocks Shelter. On Tuesday I¢d hike back into town and meet up with the guy.It took me longer to get out of camp than I expected. With all my new gear, I don¢t have a ¢system¢ set up to keep everything organized. I should settle down into a routine after a few nights out.When I arrived back at the bridge in West Hartford I found Timber and Toothpick had stayed there with several other hikers at the house of a couple trail angles. Linda and Randy¢s nephew had hiked last year and I had met Linda and her kids when I passed through in 2002. We all hung out at the river for a while and then instead of hiking decided to go tubing on the river all afternoon. Linda dropped off Randy and several of us hikers a few miles upstream and we floated back to the bridge over the next few hours.Just as we floated up to the bridge, Hepcat, Kodiak, & Mellow Yellow hiked into town. Linda & Randy invited everyone to camp out in their yard for another night. R-Kid was also back in town tonight so I was able to catch up with him. He had spent the last few days in Baxter State Park with a bunch of 2002 hikers.[GW/dvs]
Date: 2003-08-19
From: West Hartford

To: Hanover
Miles today: 10.2
Weather: clear sky

Aug 19S: West HartfordE: Hanover (hotel)Miles: 10.2It takes me a few days to get use to trail time so this mornings 6:00 alarm wasn¢t very welcome. I did manage to get packed up faster today and we were headed off to Hanover by 7:00A few hours later we started across the bridge spanning the Connecticut River and walked into New Hampshire. As we approached the NH end of the bridge, we spotted six or so hikers hanging out. Kodiak¢s wife Sassy had surprised him by flying up from Atlanta to visit and was giving out trail magic. We had missed her this morning in W. Hartford but she had slack packed 4 or 5 hikers into town. With Sassy, and a car in town, our plans soon changed. We stopped at the P.O and then headed to the Super 8 to get a room for the night.The pizza buffet attracted thru-hikers like moths to a flame. After dinner, Hepcat, Mellow Yellow and I saw Finding Nemo and then enjoyed a few drinks before heading back to the hotel for the night.[GW/dvs]
Date: 2003-08-20
From: Hanover

To: Hanover
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

Aug 20S: HanoverE: Hanover (hotel)Miles: 0Kodiak decided to take a zero day to stay with Sassy and the rest of us quickly fell in line. I guess my hike really isn¢t going to resume until tomorrow![GW/dvs]
Date: 2003-08-21
From: Hanover

To: Trapper John Shelter
Miles today: 16.7
Weather: overcast clouds

Aug 21S: HanoverE: Trapper John Shelter (tenting)Miles: 160.5 ¢ 143.8 = 16.7With all the time off in the last few days today seemed like my first day back. Sassy drove us all into town and after good-byes and bathroom visits at the gas station we were headed north by 8:20.Today was my first real opportunity to see if I could keep up with the guys on a long day. Mellow Yellow, Timber, and Kodiak are all fast hikers and unless I¢m on level ground they quickly pull ahead. Hepcat is slower but especially on hills, I¢m slower still.The first half of the day I kept up but the terrain wasn¢t too difficult. In the afternoon things went downhill for me as the trail started heading up and over Moose and Hunter mountains. I was moving quite slow towards the top of Hunter. The high humidity didn¢t help either. Hepcat and Mellow Yellow waited for me at the top and we all walked into camp around 5:30.On these hot humid days I need to wash up before I feel comfortable. After setting up my tent I headed down to the stream to clean up and rinse out my sweaty hiking clothes. Next on the agenda was to guzzle down 1.5 liters of Kool-Aid. Dehydration is so hard to avoid when hiking in humid weather.The shelter area quickly filled up with hikers tonight. Bugbite, who I had hiked with last year, got on the trail on Tuesday and stayed at this shelter last night. She is a day ahead of us and is also planning to hike to Katahdin.[GW/dvs]
Date: 2003-08-22
From: Trapper John Shelter

To: Hexacuba Shelter
Miles today: 12.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Aug 22S: Trapper John ShelterE: Hexawber Shelter (tenting)Miles: 12Hepcat and Mellow Yellow need to get to the P.O. on Saturday morning so they had a 19 mile day planned. I don¢t need to get to the PO so I had planned to ¢see how it goes¢.It was another hot humid day and I was soaked in sweat soon after leaving camp. At the road I decided to take a small blue-blaze to make up some time and save some energy for the climb up Smarts Mt. The road parallels the trail for about two miles. I hooked back up with the trail at the bottom of Smarts and managed to leapfrog Timber who was a bit surprised to see me when he crossed the road. I managed to see a bear on my blue-blaze. Smarts Mt. is a 2100 foot climb. I did it last year in hot & humid weather and it was no different this year. I caught up with the gang at a rest break about 1/3 of the way up and again at the top. At the bottom of the long downhill on the north side of the mountain we stopped again for food and water. Despite drinking close to 5 liters of water I was still having a hard time staying hydrated. A couple of miles later I decided to call it a day at Hexawber shelter. It is only a 12 mile day but hot, humid and lots of elevation change. The weather is suppose to be cooler and dryer tomorrow so I¢ll get up early and synch up with the gang in the afternoon at Glencliff.[GW/dvs]
Date: 2003-08-23
From: Hexawber Shelter

To: Jeffers Brook Shelter
Miles today: 15.0
Weather: clear sky

Aug 23S: Hexawber ShelterE: Jeffers Brook Shelter (tenting)Miles: 15I got up at 5:30 today and was on the trail by 6:30. What a difference a day makes. The air had cleared, cooked and dried out over night.I spent the first hour hiking up Mt. Cube with great views back towards Hanover. Hiking in the cool air today was wonderful.I hiked the 15 miles to Glencliff with out seeing a single hiker. At the Glencliff road crossing I ran into Timber. He told me the gang had continued up Mt. Moosilauke to Beaver Brook Shelter. The outstanding hiking weather was too good to pass up. Since Moosilauke is the first point where the AT goes above the tree line the views of the White Mountains from the summit are wonderful.I briefly thought of joining them but I wasn¢t up for the 3000 foot climb after a 15 mile hike. I was also planning on meeting Zues today so I headed down the road to the hostel.Zues called to see if I had arrived and then drove over around 5:15. It was good to see him. We had last gotten together in February. Even better, he had brought his gear and was going to camp overnight and hike Moosilauke with me tomorrow. We went to town for dinner and then headed out to a nearby shelter to camp for the night. [GW/dvs]
Date: 2003-08-24
From: Glenncliff

To: Kinsman Notch
Miles today: 1.0
Weather: clear sky

Aug 24S: GlenncliffE: Kinsman Notch (hotel)Miles: 1 [I think this is an error - dvs]In the morning, Zues and I drove back to the hostel to pick up some packs for some hikers heading over Moosilauke on a slack pack. We followed Packrat (the hostel owner) over to Kinsman Notch and left Zues¢ car while Packrat dropped off a bunch of slack packers heading south back to the hostel. We hopped back in the van and got a ride back to the trail head on the other side of the mountain.The cool weather and light pack (yes, I was slack packing) made the hike up much easier than I had anticipated a couple days ago in the 90 degree weather.We made it up in just over two hours and enjoyed the views at the summit for almost an hour before we had to start down the much steeper Beaver Brook trail. I was meeting Timber and Toothpick¢s grandparents at 3:00 for a ride back to the cabin they had rented. The rest of the gang had met them earlier in the day but Toothpick and I had stayed in Glencliff and couldn¢t make the earlier ride.Last year I hiked this trail in a cold rain. The steep, rocky decent was much easier today with dry rocks and bright sunny weather. The brook was flowing much more compared to last year during a drought.[GW/dvs]
Date: 2003-08-25
From: Kinsman Notch

To: Franconia Notch
Miles today: 16.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Aug 25S: Kinsman NotchE: Franconia Notch (Hotel)Miles: 16Despite the iffy weather today and the tendency for this group to change plans every five minutes, we did manage to get out to the trail as planned by 9:00. I should say that we ditched the idea of spending today at the water park as we watched the weather channel last night. Overcast with highs in the 60¢s isn¢t water park weather.I was a little apprehensive about the 16 miles today over the Kinsman range. I did the same hike last year and remembered it being very rocky with several almost vertical rock climbs. I knew that today was going to be a real workout.Overnight it clouded over and the humidity returned. The wind was gone but the cooler air remained, scattered light showers interrupted our hike all day long. This weather combined with some severe topography kept me changing clothes and messing with my pack rain cover all day. In the end I didn¢t have to worry ¢ it never really rained for more than a minute or so and wasn¢t very windy even above the tree-line.I hiked with Hepcat for most of the day and enjoyed catching up with him during the long day. We were at the tail end of the pack today so we were surprised when we arrived at the parking lot to find Timber and Toothpick, Kodiak, and Mellow Yellow.The trail and road crossing is somewhat confusing at Franconia Notch but we soon found everyone waiting by the road instead of in the parking lot where the trail lets out.We headed back to the cottages for showers and then a hearty beef stew provided by the Blues Brother¢s Grandmother. The Kinsmans had beaten us up pretty good so it was a somewhat quiet evening.[GW/dvs]
Date: 2003-08-26
From: North Woodstock

To: North Woodstock
Miles today: 0.0

Aug 26S: North WoodstockE: North Woodstock (Hotel)Miles: 0After five solid days of hiking and 70 trail miles, I needed a break before tackling the heart of the Whites. I decided to take a zero day in town instead of hiking out today. My body needed some rest. I wasn¢t sure how I was going to catch up but there are some alternate routes and the AMC (Appalachian Mountain Club) runs a shuttle through the area so I had a couple of plans in mind.The guys headed out to the trail around 9:00 while I checked into the Carriage Motel ¢ the same place that Southpaw and I stayed last year.I took care of town chores and ran into Blaze while walking around town. He and I walked over to Lincoln, a slightly larger town to stop at the outfitters. Blaze was picking up a hat and gloves before heading up to Franconia Ridge.We had lunch, went grocery shopping and then got a ride back to the motel by Rambler and _____?______ who were driving through town.[GW/dvs]