morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2007-07-25
From: Telephone Pioneers Shelter

To: Ten Mile River Shelter
Miles today: 13.0
Weather: few clouds

I'd been planning on administering some trail magic during my time in New York. Since i feel like the NY AT is home, there was an "obligation" for me to play hostess. In the morning, I woke up and walked down the hill and through the fields to Tony's Deli on Rt. 22. I bought some breakfast goodies and cases of beer to leave for the other hikers. The rest of the crew planned on heading to the Mt. Algo shelter near Kent, while I opted to dawdle my way across the NY/CT state line.I was leaving the beer in a cold stream near the trail when I spotted Rebel coming down off the mountain wearing a lei, fabulously creepy denim cut-offs, and a soft cast on one arm. I offered him a beer, and Forrest and Spaceman walked in soon behind him.We found ourselves hanging out at the Appalachain Trail commuter rail stop drinking beers and playing with fireworks. Forrest and Spaceman had to go to Hoyt Rd. to meet with Forrest's mom, and Rebel and I went back to Tony's Deli to replenish the trail magic beer that we'd "sampled".After lounging around until 4:00, we decided that it was time to hike. It was plenty hot, so we decided to hike naked. After crossing Hurds Corners Road, we stripped down in a farmer's field. We crested a hill, then, much to my chagrin, spotted a farmer driving his tractor in the field in front of us. He turned his tractor around and was driving straight at us as we walked past! What could we do? We both walked by naked as jaybirds and waved to him. And, he waved back to us from his seat on the tractor.Rebel hikes like a madman, and I had a tough time keeping pace. Every so often, I'd see a flash of his white behind in the trees, so I dropped back and hiked naked and alone through the last stretch of NY. A few miles into the last of the NY woods, I was listening to "Born to Be Wild" on my headphones, tearing down the trail buck naked, and loving every minute of it. Then I ran into Barking Spider and friends slackpacking south. I tore past them laughing -- they never knew what hit them!It was nearly dark when I got to Ten Mile River, proving that the fewer miles I walk, the slower I go. But, what a fun day I had! And now, I'm in Connecticut....
Date: 2007-07-26
From: Ten Mile River Shelter

To: Stewart Hollow Brook
Miles today: 15.7
Weather: scattered clouds

I woke up in my hammock feeling very refreshed after yesterday's debacle. I could hear Rebel sitting in the shelter playing a harmonica, so I decided to get up. We walked over to the deli by Bull's Bridge, then we road walked into Kent to meet the others who had stayed at Mt. Algo Shelter last night.So, how can I tell that I'm in New England? Well, town stops just got really expensive, and the shelters are now referred to as "lean-to's". And, things are suddenly very quaint -- lots of white picket fences, stone walls, cherubic looking children... and luxury cars everywhere. Okay, so the fleet of Volvos, Saabs, and Mercedes aren't really all too quaint, but they are yet another red flag signalling my entry into WASP country. Class issues aside, I love New England, and it's oh-so-good to be here.I've found myself in a hiker swarm. Not since Damascus have I seen so many other thru-hikers at a town stop. Once again, I'm strolling down the streets waving to everyone. It's so nice. What's nice is the fact that all of these great people have made it so far.I sucked it up and paid an outrageous $6 for a bottle of eco-friendly soap in Kent. I haven't had a shower since Vernon, NJ, making me one dirty bird. I feel like I'm covered in Birdlegs butter, and let me tell you, it's not the sort of thing you'd want to put on bread. So, down I went to the lovely Housatonic River for a plain air shower and shave....Post shower, we had a party at the shelter with games and cold drinks. Honestly, it felt like we were sitting in someone's apartment rather than the middle of the woods. A chaotic and fun night ensued, of which, I'll spare you the scandelous details...
Date: 2007-07-27
From: Stewart Hollow Brook

To: Falls Village, CT
Miles today: 18.1

There are many allusions to trains in hiker lexicon. Every year, there are groups of hikers who refer to themselves as "The Maine Train" (last year's Maine Train did power sit-ups after each day of hiking, this year's does power drinking). The class of 2007 even features "The Pain Train" and the "Crazy Train". Today, Chuckles, Rebel, Director, and I decided to see what all the train talk was really about. So, we hit the rails for a little blue-blazing action for part of the day. To get to the railroad bed, we had to do a little aqua-blazing via wading across the Housatonic River.We hopped back on the trail and headed into Falls Village, a tiny hamlet tucked away in the hills. The owners of Toymaker Cafe allow hikers to tent for free in a field behind the gravel parking lot. The cafe wasn't open while we were there, but they let the hikers sneak in to buy cold drinks and ice cream. A slew of us ended up staying there for the night: Chuckles, Director, Rebel, Snack Break, J.B., Spock, Tennessee Jed, and myself. We had all stayed up a little too late the night before (whooping it up with a case of beer someone brought in from Kent), so we had every intention of going to bed early... until a few of the hikers discoverd the package store and a local, Ben, who was willing to shuttle people there. Ah! We're going to need rehab after all of the shin-digging! I did manage to go to sleep at a reasonable hour. Due to the lack of trees, I had to pitch my tarp on the ground and sleep in the grass which worked out well despite the evening rain showers.
Date: 2007-07-28
From: Falls Village, CT

To: Salisbury, CT
Miles today: 7.5
Weather: scattered clouds

There was a slew of boxes waiting for me at the Salisbury post office, and I desperately needed to get at their contents. My socks had begun to wear through, and my feet were feeling it, so I decided to pick up new socks that I had mailed to myself. The trouble is, the post office closed at noon, and despite the relative short walk over the mountains, I had to wake up very early to get there. As soon as I was packed and ready to go, it started raining and thundering and lightning. What to do? It was the age old dilemma of dealing with morning thundershowers versus going without decent socks. So, I hiked on.Salisbury is... well, interesting. It's very upper middle class, white, and pricey. I was sitting outside the country Bistro covered in mud and wolfing down a bowl of lentil soup, when I overheard the man at the table next to me order, "....iced coffee? Do you have skim? Not too much ice in that now..." He was one of THOSE kind of people. You know, the sort who orders everything on the side and frequently sends dishes back to the kitchen. His fake nasal euro accent alerted me to the fact that this is a whole different sort of Appalachia up here.By early afternoon, everyone had poured into town. The White Hart Inn graciously allows hiker trash to crash on their elegant and heavily cushioned wicker-clad front porch. About 20 thousand dollars worth of gear was laid out to dry in the front yard -- it looked like the staging area for the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Present at the White Hart were Snack Break, Tennessee Jed, Rebel, J.B., Not Yet, Mr. Easy, Unicycle Pirate, Chuckles, and myself.Everyone slowly drifted out of town and back to the mountains, while I decided to stay and have my first shower since Vernon, NJ and sleep in my first bed since Wind GAP, PA... it was high time! So, I went to Maria McCabe's, a local woman who lives near the trail and puts up hikers for a very reasonable rate. She's a real character -- she loves pulling pranks and has outlived multiple husbands and boyfriends. Though she wasn't born in New England, she seems to embody the virtues of people from this area --- tenacity, humor, and a no-nonsense approach to life.Maria told Churchmouse (her other boarder for the night) and I that a woman and two other men were planning on staying the night here. Apparently, the woman got very sick in the woods and had to go to the Sharon Hospital because of dehydration and possibly Lymes disease. When I heard this, I immediately thought of Splendora who had stayed eight miles behind us because she didn't feel well. It did turn out to be her, as well as, Spaceman and Forrest who had chivalrously accompanied her to the hospital to provide moral support. Splendora said she felt a lot better after drinking lots of fluids and getting an I.V. at the Emergency Room, but she was warned by the doctor to take the day off and rest.
Date: 2007-07-29
From: Salisbury, CT

To: Salisbury, CT
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

"To walk three miles, or four miles, or five miles, or whatever it is, above her ankles in dirt, and alone, quite alone! What could she mean by it? It seems to me to show an abominal sort of conceites independence...." - Jane Austin, Pride and PrejudiceDespite my excitement to enter the state of Massachusetts, I opted to stay the day at Maria McCabe's in Salisbury. I slept over 12 hours last night and got to have a leisurely breakfast with lots of coffee at the cafe. It was pleasant to be inside last night, as a series of thundershowers rolled through the surrounding mountains. While I love the sound of rain hitting my tarp, packing up wet gear is nice to avoid every so often.Per doctor's orders, Splendora also zeroed at Maria's, and we had an Appalachian spa day consisting of plucking our eyebrows with my Leatherman micra tool and slathering our feet with lotion found in the hiker box. That, combined with my first real shower in nearly 150 miles, left me looking almost as clean as a townie. Yesterday, I was so filthy that even the other hikers were telling me to bathe (you know it's bad when that happens), but today, when I met Grits, he had to ask me if I was a hiker, because I smelled so nice.I visited Johnnycake Books, an old and rare bookshop, today. There, I found a $400 copy of Le Corbusier's "Towards a New Architecture" among other things. Despite the fact that I've ditched my own book collection to become "unencumbered", I thought that the Le Corbusier would be a nice object to have. Cradling its spine in my hand, I thought about how much I like books as objects. Their look, weight, even their smell perfectly packages the information inside them. Of the things I miss while on the trail, books are at the top of the list (though, at one point, I was carrying three in my pack). It was a real treat to browse a dusty collection of printed relics. I always had stacks of books on my kitchen table, at my desk, on the floor, and even on my bed... they're comforting to have around. Maria McCabe's is crowded with women hikers tonight. Splendora and I are staying here as well as Sleeping Beauty, who I haven't seen since Tinker Cliffs. It's great to see a clutter of razors and hairbands around the place! A wild fox frequents Maria's yard, and she made an appearance to see what all of the girly chatter was about.
Date: 2007-07-30
From: Salisbury, CT

To: Salisbury, CT
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: thunderstorm

Well, I was packed up and fully prepared to head up the mountain this morning when Maria McCabe's son came to visit. He found out that it was Sleeping Beauty's birthday today, and offered to pay for her room for the night. He then looked at me and offered to pay for my room as well. How could I say "no" to such an offer? Plus, that meant I could stay and help bake a birthday cake... and rest my feet for one more day. And, hang out with the ladies.After I agreed to stay, Sleeping Beauty asked if I felt guilty about not doing my miles today. While I was excited to step into Massachusetts, I had absolutely no quelms about staying (for free) in a quaint town with a great group of ladies. In fact, I feel great to be able to enjoy myself so much! In the non-trail world, guilt is most definately a part of my make-up. Afterall, my mother is jewish, and my father was Roman Catholic, giving me a total tool kit of guilt to utilize (I doubt that there are any more guilty feeling people than Jews and the Catholics, and to see those two types of guilt at play in one household is a riot!) Despite my upbringing, I don't feel guilty at my town slothfulness -- I'm out here to slow down, enjoy, relax, and to not let any opportunity pass me by. If I were to hurry off to Maine, I would feel profound guilt over the missed relationships and opportunities. But, perhaps, when I am wading through late September snow, I'll kick myself for living it up! When I told Sleeping Beauty how I felt, she agreed with my sentiments, saying that Massachusetts will be there in the morning. And, not only will it be there, there's supposed to be dry, sunny weather ahead which means great views from Race, Bear, and Everest Mountains, some of the most beautiful places I've ever seen.We had an amazing relaxed day hanging out in Salisbury with Maria, who is one of the dearest women I've ever met. She's part pixie, part angel, part mother hen. Splendora baked a cake with homemade cream cheese frosting, and I whipped up a massive organic salad. Pop-Eye and his father showed up as well as Maria's son, and we had ourselves a proper birthday party on Maria's back porch. When we went to say good bye and good night to Maria, she teared up... such a lovely lady. She really loves hikers... all people, actually... and it shows.
Date: 2007-07-31
From: Salisbury, CT

To: Hemlocks Shelter
Miles today: 14.2
Weather: clear sky

"... at daybreak, I am the sole owner of all the acres I can walk over. It is not only boundries that disappear, but also the thought of being bounded. Expanses unknown to deed or map are known to every dawn, and solitude, supposed no longer to exist in my country, extends on every hand as far as the dew can reach."- Aldo Leopold A Sand County AlmanacSplendora, Sleeping Beauty, and I walked out early in the morning and climbed up 1,000 feet to what was a day of beautiful terrain. The descent off of Bear Mountain and the ascent up Everett were a little more difficult than what we were used to, but our labors were well rewarded with unbelievable panoramic views of the valley farmlands below.I remember standing on a mountain towards the Northern end of Shenandoah and seeing the point where the mountains melted away into low lands. Looking south at Lion's Head, just a few miles out of Salisbury, reminded me of that transition in reverse. We're now getting back into some elevation, and it's great. I saw a vulture fly BELOW me today.Up on Everett Mountain, I ran into a group of teenage girls out on a 20 day hike with some wilderness school. They asked me how long I'd been hiking, and I told them that it had been a little over four months. They were on their sixth day of hiking, and were obviously not huge fans of the sport. But, I can understand how making a novice urban kid walk up Everett would lead to a little bitterness. While I was talking to the girls, Lightweight walked up and one of the girls asked me if I was Lightweight's mom (Lightweight is 23, by the way). What a question to be asked -- and only 5 days away from my 31st birthday!I'm here at the Hemlocks in Massachusetts (!) and about two miles away from the 1,500 mile marker. After I cross the road into Great Barrington, I'll be in territory that I've never hiked in before. Exciting!I saw my first two southbounders today, Mr. Whiffle and Surge. 600 some odd miles into their trip (though over tough terrain), they looked very clean and bright eyed. Using them as a foil to us northbounders made me realize how dirty and deranged we look. It's good to see the southbounders, because they bring "news of the north" (ie. gossip about our fellow northbounders ahead of us, trail conditions, and other tidbits of information).Here at the shelter with me tonight are Splendora, Sleeping Beauty, Light Weight, Pop-Eye, and a section hiker, Slimfast. Despite the fact that it's pretty warm out, we built a big campfire... just because we could. There had been fire restrictions in Connecticut, and nothing made us crave fire more than being told we couldn't have it.
Date: 2007-08-01
From: Hemlocks Shelter

To: Benedict Pond
Miles today: 18.4

Diane Arbus, the photographer, once said that she loved nothing more than to be someplace she'd never been before. And, while I loved visiting all of my familiar haunts on the AT, it's exciting to know that every mile between here and Maine is unchartered territory.We're definately back in the mountains -- my tired body will attest to that. There are ups and downs, good views, and gobs of granite. I'm stealth camping next to Benedict Pond with Splendora and Sleeping Beauty. Supposedly, there are tent sites here, but we can't find them, don't want to pay, and are too tired to deal with it all. While I say that we're stealth camping, I should really say that we're tucked into a 10 foot by 20 foot thicket of trees surrounded by picnic tables. It's hilariously un-stealth. At least Splendora had trouble finding us when she came over to pitch her tent -- so, we're somewhat sneaky....I ran into Barking Spider and Plodder on my way up East Mountain. The first thing out of Barking Spider's mouth was, "Birdlegs, you have a different outfit on today!" If you recall from my entry a few days ago, I was buck naked last time I bumped into him in the woods. Being clothed, I felt comfortable standing around chatting rather than streaking past.There were more southbounders out and about today: section-hiker, Hitch, and thru hikers, Salty Dog and his partner who's name I can't recall right now (sorry!). Light Weight, Pop Eye, Sleeping Beauty, Splendora, and I hung out with the SOBO (southbounders, that is) boys at the corn crib farmers market on Rt. 7.Salty Dog just graduated from a photography program and is documenting his trip using a Holga, a small plastic toy camera which uses 2 1/4 film. Holga's make dreamy distorted images that are beautiful, and I hope I get to see the work Salty Dog does on the AT.We got to hear more news of the north from the SOBO's. My general impression of what's to come is that I'm going to get my butt kicked, but it's going to be so pretty that I won't even notice the pain. Sounds good to me.
Date: 2007-08-02
From: Benedict Pond

To: Upper Goose Pond Cabin
Miles today: 17.1
Weather: clear sky

Upper Goose Pond is swarming with hikers tonight. There is a large confluence of southbounders and northbounders. We re-united with Snack Break, Rebel, Iceman, and Buffalo Bobby, and we got to meet over half a dozen hikers who started in Katahdin.The cabin is amazing -- there's a bunk room, canoe, blueberry pancakes (made from fresh blueberries), and, of course, the beautiful pond. I walked in during late afternoon with the Band Aid kid, who I met a mile or so before the trail to the cabin. Immediately, I went to the lake and took a bath and did my laundry at the same time. We messed around in the canoe, swam, etc. Then, Splendora lost her glasses while diving in the lake, prompting a huge search and rescue mission involving homemade diving bells made out of Saran Wrap and duct tape. The glasses were recovered and all was well on the AT.The highlight of the day was when the Band Aid kid and I took the canoe out through the channel and to the adjacent pond. There, we saw a juvenile loon on the water. Band Aid is a wildlife expert who works for the forest service, and he told me all sorts of interesting things about loon development and behavior. For me, the loon signified our official entry into New England, and before I went to sleep, I lay in my bunk bed aching to hear a loon's call in the night.
Date: 2007-08-04
From: Washington Mt. Road

To: Dalton Mass
Miles today: 9.6

Dalton is the hiker's paradise of the north. There are two men who live in town who put hikers up out of the kindness of their hearts -- Rob Bird and Tom Levard. Tom's place was overflowing when Ice Man, Sleeping Beauty, and I walked into town, so we went to the shell station where, by a secret system of insider hiker hand shakes, we got a ride up to Rob's place (known as the "Birdcage" to thru hikers). Blu Dog picked us up and drove us to the Birdcage, where we settled in.After we dropped off our packs, we went to Jacob's, the local bar and grill. Jacob's is super hiker friendly -- they fired up the grill for us even though they weren't offically open. We saw General Tso, and his friend from Boston walking by on the street, and Iceman stepped out and yelled, "hey, hiker trash! It's too hot to hike, so come in and drink beer with us!" So, they joined us, and the owner of Jacob's surprised them by giving them some bear meat to grill at camp.After a late lunch and drinks, we headed out to the local package store to get some tastey drinks for the trail. We each bought a pint of something interesting, blackberry brandy, Ragin' Red, Butter Cream Schnapps, and Cinnamon flavored whiskey. We also bought some Backwoods cigars and smoked them on the way back to Rob's, sampling our other purchases out of paper bags along the way. This made the 1/4 mile walk to the Bird Cage long and disreputable, but at this stage, we're pros at long and disreputable walks!We slept off our late afternoon adventure, then headed back to Jacob's for dinner where we met up with Splendora, Snack Break, and Rebel, who are staying at Tom's place. Snack Break and Rebel surprised me with a banner, balloon, and cupcake (complete with a musical candle) for an early birthday celebration. They also brought sparklers (we love our fireworks out here), and we ran around the parking lot with a couple of kids who were eating with their parents. Sparklers were lit and a chorus of Happy Birthday rose above the din of the busy parking lot. Such a nice, nice way to turn 31....Tomorrow, Sleeping Beauty and I are going to slack pack a short distance , then get ready for the "real" birthday bash in the evening. We're probably going to hitch hike into the mountains, then walk south back into town along the AT. The hikers staying at Tom's are going to slack pack 23 miles south over Mount Graylock, then join us for the festivities, and Iceman and Buffalo Bobby are planning on taking a zero here in town. It should be a good hiker trash party!I talked to Bad Influence on the phone today. He's currently putting up Uncle Tom, Two Dogs, Dick Wizard, Bird Dog, and Grasshopper, and I got to talk to everyone over the speaker phone. He's going to pick me up when I get to Rutland and is going to hike with me from there to Hanover, NH. I can't wait. It should be a fun reunion, and I'm excited to meet his wife, Katie, and their menagerie of horses, goats, and dogs.