morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2003-07-21
From: Cheshire MA 960

To: Cheshire MA
Miles today: 0.0

Breakfast was at 9:00 this morning. We were eating at the B&B where my sister stayed. She was buying us breakfast. She picked us up and drove us to the B&B where we pretty much camped all day. Eva and Sam are the owners and they are really nice, hiker friendly people. Eva made breakfast and it was fantastic. She made two different kinds of granola, three different kinds of bread, rasberry muffins, French toast, fresh fruit, and a mushroom crepe by special order. I had two bowls of apricot granola, a rasberry muffin, lots of OJ, fresh fruit, and I tried both kinds of jam Eva had made herself. I should have tried the French toast. Sweet Ass ate at least 6 pieces. It was a wonderful breakfast. There were 6 other people there we didn't know and they had lots of questions for us. After breakfast we went to the post office, organized our food drops, went to Wal-Mart, had lunch at Lakeside Restaurant, then bought some beverages and planted ourselves on the porch at the B&B while we did laundry. I did few chores as did the guys, then I showered again. It was great! Only two days of not wearing a pack and my butt chaffing is almost gone. Then we went to dinner in Pittsfield at a place called 99 Steakhouse I think. Service was slow but the food was good. I had three fried chicken breasts smothered in lemon pepper gravy, mashed potatoes, carrots, and a biscuit. Booble ate the third piece of chicken but I took care of everything else including half of a strawberry shortcake! It was all good!After dinner, we went back to the church for the night where I cut my fingernails and went to bed. I was so tired, which is usually how I feel after a zero day. My feet feel better, my chaffing is gone, and I am not the least bit hungry! Life is good.Goodnight Oscar.
Date: 2003-07-23
From: Melville Nauheim Shelter 2,330

To: Story Spring Shelter 2,810
Miles today: 17.4
Weather: light rain

My tent took a real test last night. It rained for a long time! Wasn't very windy, though, and we didn't get the thunder and lightening predicted. I stayed dry and so did all my stuff. I love my Eureka Backcountry! When I woke up around 6:00, it was still raining hard, so I went back to sleep and didn't wake up until 7:30. It had stopped raining and was actually pretty warm outside. I was on the trail by 8:40 but it was slow going. The 8.5 miles to the next shelter took me almost four hours and the terrain was pretty easy. There are lots of obstacles on the trail in VT like rocks, roots, puddles, streams, etc. It seems there is no clear trail but there haven't been any difficult climbs either, although we've had a couple of difficult decents, like yesterday when we got to VT9. I ate lunch with the guys, New Zealander, and Two Fiddy, then hiked the rest of the way to the shelter by myself. I felt a bit better after lunch and two Advil but the obstacles slowed me down a bit anyway, especially the mud. There were no views today, nothing really notable to see, and I was in a bad mood for some reason. This was the second day in a row that was all work. I only took one break all day and my feet were killing me. When I got to camp, I set up my tent, got water, cooked dinner and then went to my tent. So did Booble and Sweet Ass because Two Fiddy and some southbounder were talking non-stop in the shelter. They were driving us nuts talking about hostel owners and the trouble they are in. Non-stop talking - worse than two high school girls on the phone.Tomorrow is looking like an all work day, too, but we are putting the miles behind us! Hope I am in a better mood tomorrow but that is up to me. I'm glad to be camping and traveling with two people who make me smile first thing in the morning.Goodnight Oscar.
Date: 2003-07-24
From: Story Spring Shelter 2,810

To: Spruce Peak Shelter 2,180
Miles today: 18.3
Weather: moderate rain

Once again, we awoke to rain. Once again, I went back to sleep. I did get up at 7:15 and start packing up and the rain stopped by the time I left my tent. I had had to pee for three hours! Whew! I got on the trail around 8:40 and the guys caught up with me when I was climbing Stratton Mtn. which is 3,900 feet, our tallest mountain in a long time. It just kept going up! We ate lunch at the top and the sun came out. I could have slept up there but we still had 11 miles to go.The rest of the day was hard. My feet hurt pretty bad. I am getting new shoes in the mail tomorrow and I hope that helps. I don't know why they are so sore unless it is because I need new shoes. I was almost to the shelter tonight when the rain came - a downpour! I had my rain jacket over my head and got to the shelter before I got too wet. I am sleeping in the shelter because of the rain. I am sheltering with Booble, Sweet Ass, Dr. Bong and his friend (they are a bit odd), Matt, who is hiking the Long Trail and told me I smelled good when I met him this morning, and a woman who is section hiking and is already asleep and snoring. I won't get much sleep tonight. I am used to my tent now and prefer it over the shelters.I ate too much for dinner, a deer fly bit me on my hairline, I think a spider bit me on my leg, and my feet reek from being wet for three days now. Life is good. Town stop tomorrow.Goodnight Oscar.
Date: 2003-07-25
From: Old Job Trail Campsite 2,100

To: Minerva Hinchey Shelter 1,605
Miles today: 18.9
Weather: light rain

Last night's campsite left a bit to be desired but it worked. We were avoiding paying the $6.00 fee at Griffith Lake tenting area. All three of us have a problem with paying to sleep in a tent when we do it for free all the time! We got up and out by 8:00. I felt pretty good but my left foot is hurting. I am not sure what is wrong exactly but I know it isn't just one thing. We ate lunch at a shelter near Little Rock Pond. This is a beautiful place and we should have eaten near the water. There is also a tenting area here that you have to pay for through the caretaker. The rest of the day's hike was pretty uneventful. We did climb Bear Mtn. again, our third one, but this one was easier than the first two. I met a bunch of southbounders today but only talked to a couple of them - Birdsong and Stringer with his dog, Daisy. Nice guys but both are struggling with the mental aspect of the trail. They have done just over 500 miles. I struggled at that point too, but it never occured to me to quit. I wish them both well and I hope they finish.Southbounders add an entirely new element into this mix of hikers. They are eager to talk and tell us about what is coming up. They don't see as many people as we do, so some of them talk a lot! It is interesting to get their different perspectives on the trail and their reasons for going south.I am tenting tonight with Sweet Ass and Booble as usual, Matt, New Zealander (who has some bad gas tonight!), and two other non-thru hikers I don't know. I met Wench and Hot Dog today, too. They are in the shelter with a bunch of people I did not stop to meet. I am thinking a lot about home and going back to real life lately. I miss modern convienences a lot, my friends and family, and my regular life. I look forward to normalcy again and being able to feel my toes and going to bed at night without having to zip anything.There is a lot of gas here in tent city tonight. New Zealander is not alone!Goodnight Oscar.
Date: 2003-07-26
From: Spruce Peak Shelter 2,180 1,605

To: Old Job Trail campsite 2,500
Miles today: 13.3

I didn't sleep too well in the shelter last night. I have gotten used to my tent and the sounds of the night. Sounds of the shelter are a bit different as I have pointed out earlier in my travels. For example, when I'm in my tent, I can't hear Booble crack his knuckles. When I sleep next to him in a shelter, I can. He's quite gifted in this area. Today was a town day so we were up early and on the trail by 8:00, I think. We had under 3 miles to do before we reached the road to Manchester Center, VT. I met the guys who were already there, we crossed the road, and stuck out our thumbs. It didn't take long before Doug the Handyman stopped to pick us up. He was in a van and his tools were everywhere! Sweet Ass and I sat in the back on top of all his stuff with all three packs back there. He talked to Booble a lot which made me glad I wasn't in the front seat. He drove us to the post office and wished us well.I got my food, my bounce box, and my shoes at the post office. I am pretty excited about my shoes because my feet hurt. It took me a while to get organized but I got everything under control, finally. I found a bag of chocolate truffles my sister put in my bounce box when she mailed it for me. I ate them all at the post office and they were all good! We left and walked down to the EMS outfitter. Nice place. I just got moleskin and some snacks I didn't need. We left our packs outside, went to the grocery store next door, then to McDonald's. I had a burger, fries, and coke. I would never do that in real life. I went back to the store and made some calls, got ready to leave, and Sweet Ass wanted to stop at the donut shop, then we went to a pub and the guys had a beer. Finally, around 2:00 we left town. We hitched a ride with a young guy in a white Lexus. People in those kinds of cars usually don't associate with us hiker trash but he seemed pretty curious about what we were doing. We got dropped at the trailhead around 3:00 and still had about 12 miles to go. Deysman was hitching a ride into town to eat. We didn't break much but my left foot was really hurting. We got to camp around 8:00, cooked and ate and went to bed. Those town stops can really wear us out. Goodnight Oscar.
Date: 2003-07-27
From: Minerva Hinchey Shelter 1,605

To: Churchill Scott Shelter 3,400
Miles today: 18.2
Weather: light rain

We woke up this morning set to go to the store. It isn't the same as town, but very motivating to say the least. I was on the trail by 7:40, the morning was cool, probably in the upper 50's, and it looked like rain. None of it mattered because we were having sodas today at the store!The walk to the store was only 2.8 miles and my feet were killing me the whole way. Right before I got to the road, I noticed Booble standing at the end of a suspension bridge. It is a bridge over Mill River at Clarendon Gorge. Beautiful. Booble was reading a plaque that dedicated the bridge to a hiker who had died there many years ago crossing a bridge. They built the bridge that is there now after he died. I guess I should say thanks.Sweet Ass was already at the store, so Booble and I dropped our packs at the Whistle Stop Restaurant and walked the rest of the way to the store. I bought donuts, Nutter Butters, a banana, V8, and a Sunkist. Only the soda made it past the store's porch. We finally left the store, went back to the restaurant, and sat with a guy named Tom who camped with us last night. He was very excited to meet three thru hikers and offered to meet us at VT12 on Tues. morning for a ride to the store there. We said okay.At 11:30 we finally left there to finish our hike for the day. We climbed Killington Peak almost to the summit at 3,870 feet starting at 900 feet. I thought it would never end. I was walking in fog and clouds again, but no rain thankfully. Temps could not have been above high 60's up there and the wind was bad and the terrain terrible. I got to the shelter around 7:30 and my feet were really hurting. I set up my tent, cooked, doctored up my feet and went to bed. I shared a tent platform with Matt, Booble and Sweet Ass tented as did Dez and Drew. In the shelter were lots of new people we have caught up to including Bree, Spiderman, and 2x4 (he is a hottie!) with his dog. He lived in Phoenix before doing this. I didn't socialize much. I was pretty tired and just wanted to go to bed. I was almost asleep and it began to rain - hard! It didn't last long, but I didn't sleep well anyway for some reason. I have been amazed at what I can do out here on so little sleep.Goodnight Oscar.
Date: 2003-07-28
From: Churchill Scott Shelter 3,400

To: Wintturi Shelter 1,970
Miles today: 21.8

Matt was supposed to get me up at 6:00 this morning but he didn't. I got up at 6:30 when I heard Booble shaking his tent out. Mine was really wet but I was dry and so was my stuff. I got on the trail around 7:50, once again motivated by sodas. I told the guys I would meet them at Gifford Woods State Park which was only 5 miles away.When I got there, they were at the showers. I think they thought I would take one but you had to pay. No thanks. We moved to the lodge which had a Pepsi machine and we pretty much took over their porch for almost two hours. Matt and New Zealander were there but didn't stay long. We finally left around 11:30 with 16.7 miles left to do.We had two pretty big climbs but the terrain was a lot better than yesterday. I hiked most of it by myself, met up with the guys for a late lunch, and finally got to the shelter around 7:30. Vermont has been somewhat of a disappointment. I don't see what all the fuss is about, although we did have a couple of good views. Much of the Vermont AT is part of The Long Trail which runs from the Vermont border to Canada. They split at the Maine Junction which we hit today. The Long Trail shows serious signs of overuse in my opinion but I am not doing anything to help maintain it so this is all I will say. I have not particularly enjoyed the trail in Vermont.There is a comment people make that I have really been thinking about because I can find no positive connotation for it. Lots of people say to us, "I would love to thru hike the AT if I just had the time." One woman on a Canyon Ranch outing actually said she would do it if she didn't have a life. What a crock of horse ____! If I only had the time... This could mean a few things. It could mean they think we have no life so we just tramp around in the woods for a few months so we feel productive. It could mean they think we gave up our lives of productivity so we could tramp around the woods doing nothing productive. It could mean they think we should be doing something productive instead of using our time to tramp around in the woods. What have you. That statement is not one I care to hear again. Everybody has goals (maybe not) but not everybody has a goal to hike the AT. It doesn't matter what your goal is as long as you work for it. All goals require time and effort to accomplish. Sometimes you have to make the time and along with that comes sacrifice. It all boils down to this - if you truly want to do a thru hike, do it. It is an amazing experience but not the only amazing experience out there. Go find your amazing experience and make it happen.
Date: 2003-07-29
From: Wintturi Shelter 1,970

To: West Hartford VT 405
Miles today: 16.4

Woke up this morning at 6:00 and actually got up. I was anxious to get to the road and to the store! When we hiked to the road, we waited for a while for Tom, then figured out he was down the road about 100 yards at the Red Barn, which is owned by Dan. It is a barn across from his house and hikers can stay there. I met Dan and he is super nice, then I found Tom. He drove us to the Teago General Store where we bought sandwiches for lunch and some junk food which we ate right there, then Tom slackpacked us to West Hartford. He dropped our packs at Rick and Tina's General Store and we hiked the 13 miles in between. We had some serious climbs and lots of roller coaster action. I was really glad to not have a pack. When we got to West Hartford, we ran into Matt and New Zealander at the store. They said they were camping in Randy's yard two doors down. We pretty much decided to stay at that point. We had cheeseburgers, fries, and sodas at the store, then walked to Randy's and set up our tents. This family is so nice and they also allow us to use their bathroom and they have a cool dog named Tammi. I am so glad to be in their yard and not at a shelter. It is just a nice change.We just sat around and talked and relaxed.I am debating a second dinner. I think I will go use their bathroom and contemplate this some more. Here's what I have eaten today:Breakfast - pop tarts, Nutri Grain bar, 20 oz of grape Kool-AidSnack - Doritoes, apple juice, Mt. DewLunch - turkey sandwich, a whole sleeve of Oreos, Milky WayDinner - cheeseburger, fries, onion rings, V8, Sunkist, candy bar, more OreosI will never be able to eat like this again. I am about the same size I was in high school. Lovin' it!If I cook mac and cheese I'll have to clean the pot...Goodnight Oscar.
Date: 2003-07-30
From: Wintturi Shelter 1,970

To: none
Miles today: 0.0

Just a note from me to anyone planning to mail something to my future maildrops. I have changed the dates of my drops as we are hoping to finish on Aug. 30th so keep that in mind if you send something. You will probably want to send it priority. Someone in my guestbook asked about my feet. They hurt. I rub them with Bert's Bees Hand Salve every night and take Advil and keep going. I will need a liver transplant when I return so if anyone is up for that! I feel good, Booble and Sweet Ass feel good, and we are still going strong. We are in Hanover, NH right now. They are on the Dartmouth green watching girls while I do all the work. They are useless in town! Thanks to everyone reading my journal and signing the guestbook. Tammy and Eldon, I will take any freeze dried dinners you want to send or unsulfured dried fruit or chocolate. I'll share with the boys as well. Take care all. I am off to find a shower, laundry, and a hotel room whether the boys like it or not!
Date: 2003-07-31
From: Hanover NH

To: Trapper John Shelter 1,345
Miles today: 16.8
Weather: scattered clouds

I slept great last night. That hotel bed was awesome. We woke up at 7:45. No birds today! After we got our stuff ready, we went downstairs for breakfast, then caught the free bus back to Hanover. The weather was great and stayed that way all day - sunny and warm.When we got back to Hanover, Booble and I checked on our cold weather gear. Mine had arrived but his had not. I decided to forward mine to Glencliff so I could have two more days with a lighter sleeping bag. Sweet Ass and I walked down to Ben and Jerry's again, got ice cream, and went back to our bench at the post office so the guys could watch more girls and I could just eat ice cream. A SOBO named Jeff was sitting there. He is an odd cat.We finally started walking around 10:30. The trail goes right through Hanover, by the Dartmouth stadium, then by the soccer field. Hiking today was pretty uneventful. We climbed Moose Mtn. which is about 2,300 feet and we started around 900 feet. We had a late lunch, then walked to the shelter and got here around 7:00. There are three SOBOs here, I didn't get any names, and Two Fiddy. All are in the shelter. The three of us are tenting. The privy here is new and has no steps or door. I had to sit down on the floor and slide out in order to get out. Glad it was clean!I am tired and I want to study our day tomorrow before I go to sleep. Goodnight Oscar.
Date: 2003-08-01
From: Trapper John Shelter 1,345

To: Ore Hill Shelter 1,800
Miles today: 19.3

We woke up to clouds this morning. It rained almost all day and continues to do so now. I bet the temperature never got above 60 today. Once again, perfect hypothermia conditions. We started hiking around 8:00 and it started raining around 8:01. We hiked to the first shelter which was about 7 miles. It is a cabin on top of Smart Mtn that was used by the fire dept. at one time. We went from 900 feet at the road to 3,200 feet on top of that mountain. It rained the whole time and we had to go over rocks for much of the climb. I thought the climb was really difficult, the wind was cold, and the one view I had was incredible.When I got to the cabin, Booble and Sweet Ass were just standing there trying to dry out a bit, Two Fiddy had settled in for the night already, and there were about 10 girls there who had hiked in the day before. I stood around a while, got sick of it, and left. So did the guys. We hiked to the next shelter which was an easy 5 or so miles with no rain. This shelter is called Hexacuba because it is a hexagon shape. It is big and there were only three other people besides us. We had lunch, I was freezing, and we debated staying there. My winter gear is in Glencliff, though, and there was no way I could hike 15 miles by 1:00 tomorrow when the post office closes, so I went on the last 7 miles. I told the guys they could meet me in Glencliff but they hiked on as well.Now we are all in our tents. The shelter is almost full of thru hikers who did 12 or less miles today. I met Fish, Footslogger, Zipoff, Dirty Red, and two others whose names I can't remember. They offered to make room for us but for some insane reason I set up my tent in the rain. I would never have done that in the beginning of my hike! I am cozy in here though, waiting for the rain to stop so I can go pee (I forgot to do that earlier when I got here) and cook dinner. I am going to cook under my vestibule. Don't try this at home kids! It is too cold outside for me to stand and cook. It is at least 10 degrees warmer in my tent.Today was no fun but we made a lot of progress and stuck to our plan. I am glad we did. I mentioned today at lunch that if the weather had not improved when it did this summer, I am not sure I would have stayed out here. Today was really difficult because I couldn't relax or rest during my breaks. Tomorrow we may stay in a hostel in Glencliff if the weather doesn't improve. I think we just got a little taste of what the White Mtns. can be like.Goodnight Oscar.
Date: 2003-08-02
From: Ore Hill Shelter 1,800

To: Jeffers Brook Shelter 1,350
Miles today: 8.5
Weather: overcast clouds

I gained some valuable knowledge last night. My tent is not meant to be used in prolonged rain. It rained all night. I woke up in a dry sleeping bag with a dry therma rest with dry clothes as a pillow, but there were puddles in all four corners of my tent and condensation all over the walls. Packing up was difficult and messy to say the least. It finally stopped raining long enough for us to pack up but I didn't get going until 9:00.We hiked about 7 miles down to the road knowing we were going to a hostel to dry out. We also knew the hostel had sodas. The 7 miles was not a big deal and was uneventful. I got to the hostel around 12:15, went to the post office to get my winter gear, then the hostel owner took about 7 of us to Warren to a restaurant and the market. When we got back to the hostel, we dried out all our stuff, drank more sodas, I took a shower and did laundry, cooked dinner, then walked another mile to a shelter just off the road. There was a full house at that shelter. I didn't meet everybody, but the people I knew were Spiderman who I hadn't seen since TN, Red, Two Fiddy, Don Quiote, Big E, New Zealander who is sheltering with us tonight, Fish, 2Paw, and some others. New Zealander just informed me he was the good looking bloke at the end of the table at lunch today. He wanted to make sure I didn't leave him out since his wife is going to read this. The hostel is called Hiker's Welcome and I highly recommend it as a pit stop, but there is a shelter an easy one mile further on the trail. The hostel was nice to hang out in but not so nice I wanted to stay, plus it was really crowded tonight. There are only four thru hikers here tonight and a group of kids from a placement school nearby. They are all tenting and are pretty quiet right now. Today was a good day. No rain after it quit this morning and it warmed up to about 80 this afternoon. I called my dad and all is well at home. I will be glad to spend some time there when I finish this adventure.Almost forgot, Booble and Sweet Ass are sharing a bug net in the shelter tonight. Booble made it a point to brush his teeth...Goodnight Oscar.