morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2005-07-20
From: US41 CT

To: MA41, Egremont Inn
Miles today: 17.8

Well, I'm back on the trail and headed north after 4 great days off. I had a fabulous zero in NJ with my friend Martha, trail angel par excellence, and then headed home to get some chores done and rest. I planned and shopped for the rest of my food drops, got a haircut, and did a little work as well. I also went clothes shopping for things that fit me since not much in my closet is the right size, although I'm sure it will be again.Today it felt good to be back on the trail. The weather was much less humid, a really nice day, although a little warm, and the trail had some nice views. It would have been great except for some reason my feet were killing me. It was enough of a problem that it made it hard to hike. I have done various things to solve the problem, which may partly be caused by new shoes, and partly by bruising my feet in PA on all those vicious rocks. I certainly hope it gets better, because I can't see going all the way to ME in this state.I seem to be in a window between thru hikers. I saw only three day hikers and a ridge runner today, and he said I was the first thru-hiker he'd seen. He only saw 3 yesterday, so they must all be south of here. With my new slower schedule some may catch up though. It's strange not to see anyone after weeks of traveling with lots of others but I expect I'll catch up or be overtaken before too long.
Date: 2005-07-21
From: MA41, Egremont Inn

To: Mt. Wilcox South Lean-to
Miles today: 15.3

It's been a long time since I've done such a short day, but I 'm sticking to my plan to slow down. My body agrees with this plan. I frequently find myself loafing along, and I get tired quickly and appreciate more rests. I think I'm still recovering from my push through PA. I 'm glad I did it, though. I learned a lot about what my body was capable of, and got through a bad section of trail fairly quickly.Considering the fairly minor changes in elevation, the trail in MA has been pretty challenging, because it is rocky and steep on many of the hills. The good news is that most of the pain from yesterday is gone, apparently caused by skipping the EFAs I take to reduce inflammation. I guess they really work! The bad news is that MA has amazingly horrendous mosquitoes. I mean truly horrible. I was swarmed by them shortly after starting out this morning and have been fighting them all day. Stupid me, I don't have any bug repellant because up until now I haven't needed it. Other people have been having problems all along, but except with the kamikaze bugs in my eyes, I haven't, so I thought I was exempt or something. Hah! I've been in my tent since 7:30, because every bare piece of skin was getting assaulted outside. I'm listening to a steady whine as they all hang around outside my tent just hoping for a chance. God help me when I have to pee! Unfortunately I won't be in a town until Saturday evening so I have two more days to try to kill or dodge all the mosquitoes in Massachusetts. These things bite straight through my thick nylon shirt. The only thing that keeps them off is my rain suit, which is a little warm for hiking. At least tomorrow I'm planning to stay at Goose Pond Cabin which is enclosed.This seems to be a week for self induced misery. Pain in my knees and feet because I didn't take my pills, bug torment because I didn't bring bug spray, and blisters on my feet from my new sandals. I'll have to tape them with duct tape, because I don't have any more Second Skin. Somehow I think my mind wasn't quite on the preparations this time. Too much zero! There's no one at this shelter but me. In fact I haven't seen anyone on the trail at all today. I know there are three about a day ahead, but I seem to be in a bubble. Its a little lonely, but peaceful, just me and the mosquitoes.
Date: 2005-07-22
From: Mt. Wilcox South Lean-to

To: Upper Goose Pond Cabin
Miles today: 15.8
Weather: clear sky

I had a great bug-free night in my tent and slept really well, but the minute I came out they were after me. I had to eat breakfast in my rain gear, and even so the mosquitoes were biting right through my socks!Except for the bugs, the hike today was a nice one. Even though it was hot and muggy by New England standards it was pretty comfortable compared to VA and PA. The bugs were bad partly because the trail went by a bunch of pretty little ponds and swamps, full of wildflowers and croaking frogs. In fact, I ended the day by walking around the top of Upper Goose Pond, and then along a blue blazed side trail to a beautiful little cabin right on the pond maintained by the AMC. There are a bunch of SOBOs here, the first I have met, and a NOBO section hiker, so, finally, after two days of hiking alone I finally met some other hikers. The cabin is really nice and bug-free! The caretaker, Cary, made us some hamburgers for dinner and popcorn for snack, and one of the SOBOs has a really nice dog, named Bailey, who has a special dispensation to be inside, because of the thunderstorm. Yes, a thunderstorm, and I am inside, warm, safe and dry! It is really homey with the dog sleeping on the floor and people playing cards and reading. I'm sort of sorry to leave tomorrow. This would be a good place for a zero. You can swim in the lake and there's a canoe. But, tomorrow I get to see Allen and Jessica, who are both driving in to Dalton so we can hike together on Sunday. It's cool hiking near home. I will get to see Allen every weekend until the beginning of ME, and get to sleep in beds and eat real food. Woohoo! I'm going to be spoiled.
Date: 2005-07-23
From: Mt. Wilcox South Lean-to

To: Grange Hall Road
Miles today: 17.9

This was one of the best hiking days in a long time. I started out full of cereal, fried eggs (courtesy of Cary, the caretaker at the cabin) and tea, and coated with DEET (also courtesy of Cary, a true trail angel). The weather was beautiful; a perfect New England summer day, sunny, blue skies, puffy white clouds and a cooling breeze, and the trail was nice soft forest floor and easy climbs and downhills. There were very few views, but lots of lovely hemlock forest and some pretty ponds and swamps. The bugs were practically non-existent, partly because of the breeze, I am sure, but also because of my coat of toxic bug repellant. One mosquito bit me all day, in contrast to the hundreds of bites I had the day before.I met at least 12 SOBOs today. I've never seen so many at once. A bunch of them were hiking together, but a few were singles, including a NOBO hiking South with a friend who I last saw over two months ago somewhere in GA! They were all headed for Goose Pond Cabin, so it should be lively tonight!I was having such a good time and was so relaxed I managed to get off the trail and waste 20 minutes having to retrace my steps, but I still managed to make it to the road to meet Allen before 6. Jess was waiting for us at the motel in Dalton with a great idea to go to an Indian restaurant in Pittsfield for dinner. The restaurant turned out to be in Lennox, but we found it, and the food was delicious, not your normal hiker fare! We finished the meal with a stop at Ben and Jerry's and tomorrow Allen and Jessica are going to join me for the hike to Cheshire, and out to dinner again. This is thru-hiking!
Date: 2005-07-24
From: Grange Hall Road

To: Cheshire, MA
Miles today: 12.0

Today was a picnic! Another beautiful New England day, with an easy 12 mile trail, and great company. I walked the first 2.2 miles alone while Allen and Jessica got the cars sorted out and met me back in Dalton. The only excitment was that I had to cross a high speed train tracks and just after walking down the embankment a train went whizzing by. That's the closest I've come, but they always make me nervous. Those and some road crossings are probably the most dangerous part of this hike.We walked and talked, and the trail just zipped past, until we were on the Cobbles right above Cheshire in time for lunch. Lunch included goodies like hard salami and gluten-free molasses cookies (contributed by Jessica, bless her heart), a much more lavish lunch than I am accustomed to. After a stroll downhill into Cheshire we arrived at an ice cream store! So I had a root beer float. If I go on eating like this I will be the first thru-hiker to get fat on the trail!I am spending the night at a B&B just outside of town, but Jess and Allen both had to go home. Before they did they took me out to dinner again to an excellent restaurant in N. Adams. This is the life! If only thru-hiking was always this way. Tomorrow I climb Mt. Greylock, a relatively short day, but more elevation than I have been used to recently, and the day after I will be in VT! That's when the hard work starts again; more mountains and longer mileage to get through the Whites by the 12th of August when everyone is coming up to the inn for the weekend. I hope I'm ready for it. I've had it so easy lately I'm afraid I'll poop out before I get there, but I made it through the South, so I should be OK.
Date: 2005-07-25
From: Cheshire, MA

To: MA Rte 2
Miles today: 14.0

Thank goodness today was an easy day! Late last night I developed the symptoms of food poisoning (I will spare you the details) and spent three miserable hours until it was over. I was worried about the effect the lack of sleep and still shaky digestion would have on my hiking today, but I did fine. I'm glad it was not a particularly stressful day, however.The day was beautiful for hiking; cool and cloudy on the uphill in the morning and clearing while I was on the summit of Greylock so that I got a view. I started late (just before 10) but still managed to spend two hours eating lunch and fooling around on the summit and get to my motel by 6:30. I'm glad to be enjoying the hiking again, not just putting in the miles. Tomorrow it starts to get a little tougher, longer days and more elevation change. So, it's back to getting up early and getting going. Tomorrow will be hot, so morning hiking is a good plan.
Date: 2005-07-26
From: MA Rte 2

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

I have mud all over my shoes and my legs. This must be Vermont! It was another beautiful day for a hike and tonight I am safely in a shelter waiting for a big storm to come through. There are two SOBOs with me, entertaining me with stories about the huts in the Whites and river crossings in ME.The trail today was easy and fast. It was fun to hike a section that I have done in the past and see the difference in how easy it seems.
Date: 2005-07-27
From: Melville Nauheim

To: Story Spring Shelter
Miles today: 17.4
Weather: scattered clouds

Got caught in the rain twice today. The first time we(I was hiking with Terry Doyle today) made it to a shelter before we got too wet. The second time we got caught in thunder and lightening about ten minutes out of the shelter. I was soaked by the time I got here. The shelter was already pretty full, but they made room so I'm warm and dry and fed for the night. Terry went on to the road where her group are camping tonight, but I decided to stay where I wouldn't have to carry a wet tent tomorrow. It means a longer day tomorrow. I had hoped to go another couple of miles and camp, but here I am! I've never been in a shelter quite this crowded. I hope I can sleep!
Date: 2005-07-28
From: Story Spring Shelter

To: VT 11/30
Miles today: 21.1

The best part of today was getting to the road crossing for Manchester and gettin to see Patsy and Mark. We went to dinner with some friends of theirs to celebrate Patsy's birthday and then they took me home with them to Salem, NY for the night. I got to see their house again, which they have done some more work on since I was last there (It looks great) and meet their new cat, Sophie. I also got a shower and clean laundry. All of this was worth getting up at 5:30 and hiking for 11 hours for.The hike was fun until the last few miles. I climbed Stratton Mountain again. The last time was last July in the rain and fog. Today the weather was beautiful and the view splendid. I got to hike for awhile with another NOBO, Mailar, who was very knowledgeable about wild foods and showed me how to identify Indian cucumber. You eat the tuber at the bottom of the plant. It was crisp, sort of like water chestnuts, and surprisingly tasty.Yesterday Terry and I saw moose droppings for the first time, and today I saw lots of moose prints on the trail, but no moose yet.
Date: 2005-07-29
From: VT 11/30

To: Stealth camp off the trail near FS
Miles today: 17.8

I had a great time last night, but oh do I hate hiking without enough sleep, and 6 hours is not enough! It was another beautiful summer New England day, however, and after I woke up (around 1:30) I actually began to enjoy the hike. The climbs were all in the first part of the day and weren't too tough. It's cool to come back and do sections that I did a year ago and see how much stronger I am.The second half of the day was fast and fun, starting with a great view from Bakers Peak, and ending with a campsite next to Big Black Branch. The Doyle group has kindly allowed me to camp near them, so even though I am near a road I feel safe. I wanted to get as much mileage in to day as I could, as I have a lot to do tomorrow to meet Allen. I cooked and ate my dinner with the group as well, and had a great time. They joke and laugh a lot, even at the end of a long day. They have all been very generous and supportive of me, and I much appreciate it.Alas, still no moose, but I saw a very pretty little snake with a checkerboard pattern on it, and plenty of moose droppings, which, an entry in a shelter journal informed all of us, can be used to start fires!
Date: 2005-07-30
From: Stealth camp off the trail near FS

To: Cold River Road
Miles today: 18.5

I camped last night near the Doyle group at their invitation, so that I could make a few more miles and not have to worry about camping alone near a road. It was nice to have some company at dinnertime and good to be able to go a little further without worrying about my safety. Today was another beautiful day, and I walked one of my favorite sections of trail. The trail goes by Little Rock pond, White Rocks and Clarendon Gorge. At White Rocks hikers have been carrying on the tradition of building a city out of rocks near the trail. There were some other thru-hikers there when I got there working on a free-standing arch. After several dramatic collapses they managed to get it to stand. The whole city is pretty neat, all made of of white rocks and about knee-high. Some of the houses had lawns made of moss. I had Terry's company for the second part of the hike which made the mile go fast. When we got to Clarendon Gorge some very drunk locals were playing on the suspension bridge, jumping up and down. All in all the atmosphere was not conducive to hanging out, which was a pity, because it is a beautiful place to swim or soak your feet. But, right up the hill was trail magic from Mrs. Gorp (soda) and Warren (a ride to the Whistle Stop for ice cream). The next few miles of stiff uphill were much easier as a result, and I met Allen in good time at the road.We are staying tonight at the Inn at the Long Trail, an AT tradition. It's really neat,and the bar had excellent food. They also had live Irish music, but I couldn't stay up that late.Today was an excellent day on the trail; good company, good food, and a chance to see Allen at the end of the day!
Date: 2005-07-31
From: Cold River Road

To: Gifford Woods State Park
Miles today: 16.7

I am sharing a shelter tonight in the state park with the Doyle expedition. We all got in late and tired and there was a thunderstorm, so the chance to stay dry and to take a shower was much appreciated. Today was a fun day for most of it. I climbed Killington, which was the first substantial mountain for awhile. The forest was beautiful. There was a steep sidetrail up to the summit, and Allen and I arranged to meet there for lunch at the restaurant. Unfortunately the summit was fogged in, but just before I left to go back down to the trail it cleared and I got a brief view. The trail down was through conifer and then birch forest, just lovely with the mist curling through the trees. Today I passed the point where I had only 500 miles left of the trail, and towards the end of the day the point where the Long Trail and the Appalachian Trail separated, and the AT heads east for New Hampshire. In another week I'll be in the White Mountains!I'm getting tired of being on the trail, but I am also loving walking this section. It is so beautiful!
Date: 2005-08-01
From: Gifford Woods State Park

To: VT12, The Red Barn
Miles today: 20.5

I am staying tonight in a big red barn right off the trail with about 10 other hikers, courtesy of the barn's owner. Since we made it here right before the thunderstorms hit, the shelter was much appreciated. The company has been good, friendly and relaxed, and I am about to sleep on a mattress on the floor. Luxury accomodations! Tomorrow I have a room in Hanover with another hiker, Mary who drives the van for the Doyle group, so it's going to be a long hike again, almost 23 miles. Today was a lot of up and down over a series of ridges, and I was pretty tired by the end. There was a neat view off of the trail about .1, on top of a cabin roof that is open to hikers, and near the end we went thru a section of old growth forest with venerable giant maples.I have started to use metatarsal arch supports in the hopes of reducing the pain and numbness in my feet and toes and they seem to be helping. My feet feel much better tonight, although the toes are still numb. The rocky trails in the Whites will be a good test.
Date: 2005-08-02
From: VT12, The Red Barn

To: Hanover, NH
Miles today: 22.4
Weather: clear sky

I had a great sleep last night on an old mattress on the floor of the barn, and got going by around 7:30. The day was hot but less humid, thank goodness! The trail was across ridges again, so there was a fair amount of up and down, but the footing was good. As we got closer to the river the terrain got easier and the tops of the ridges were open fields with lovely views. In the woods the maple trees had tap lines for maple syrup, and in the valleys we passed farms and barns. Halfway through the day we got to the White River, where we swam and watched the locals jumping off the bridge. It was hard to get going again, especially with a steep climb out of the valley in the afternoon sun, but Warren showed up and motivated us with lunch for Terry and a Chunky bar (my favorite, and very hard to get these days) for me. So, on we went and crossed the bridge into NH and Hanover a little after 8. Only two more states to go! This was my last day to walk with Terry as she is zeroing tomorrow and I am moving on. She has been a great hiking companion and I'll miss her, but we have plans to adventure together again, so that is good. I have also spent more time with the group in the last few days and have enjoyed hanging out with them. They have alot of fun together. Tonight I am sharing a room with Mary who has organized it all and has been a great support. Tomorrow I'll get back on the trail in Hanover (I'm in a motel in White River Junction) do some resupply and move on, headed for the Whites!
Date: 2005-08-03
From: Hanover, NH

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

This was a tough day. I didn't get started until almost 10 by the time I got back into Hanover from the motel and did my resupply shopping at the Co-op. I wasn't feeling well and was short of sleep. My day improved in the afternoon as I began to have more energy and feel a little better, but I was still dragging when I got into the shelter tonight. People came in late and there are a bunch of kids camped nearby, but they have settled down early and it's quite peaceful, and minimally buggy due to a nice fire built by an early arriver.Today was my first day walking alone for awhile. I definitely missed the companionship, but I am enjoying being alone in the woods again as well. I was ready for company by the end of the day, though so I chose to stay at the shelter. I'm going to bed early, and hope to be up and out feeling better tomorrow. It's hard to enjoy the trail when you feel bad.
Date: 2005-08-04
From: Trapper John Shelter

To: Ore Hill Shelter
Miles today: 19.3

I'm getting eager to see the Whites now! Today the mountains were great, not tall enough to be above treeline, but lots of exposed rock ledges, beautiful pine and birch forests, and views! At last when you climb up something you get rewarded with a view! It's definitely beginning to feel like the White Mountains. Tomorrow I climb Moosilauke, my first 4000 footer since mid VA and my first mountain above the tree line. I'm planning to stay in a shelter at the top and walk down in the morning as the trail is steep and difficult, although scenic. It turns out that my not feeling well yesterday was probably due to a bladder stone, based on the symptom and rapidity of recovery. It was certainly extremely uncomfortable, so painful, in fact, that it was hard to walk for awhile, and I thought I would have to get off the trail and go to a doctor. By evening I was feeling much better and today I feel fine, thank goodness! Let's hope that is the end of it, because a reoccurence could certainly be problematic. So far I've been very lucky that whatever problems I have had have not stopped me from hiking.Incredibly I have only a little over 400 miles left, and less than 5 weeks. I have very mixed feelings. I'm feeling tired physically and ready to stop hurting and rest, but I am also just beginning the part of the trail I have most looked forward to and I want it to last a long time. I will have only a week in the Whites. I'll just have to come back again! I had a couple of hours today on Mt. Cube where I was as happy as I've ever been. Being alone in the woods is still my favorite thing in the whole world, even after 1700 miles.
Date: 2005-08-05
From: Ore Hill Shelter

To: Beaver Brook Shelter
Miles today: 15.3
Weather: light rain

And a long tough 15 miles it was! I started out with a quick 7 miles to Route 25, and then the fun began. First I forded a brook, and then I started a long six mile, 3500 foot climb. After about a mile a thunderstorm hit, and the trail became a rushing stream, with mud and slippery rocks. So, I continued even more slowly up Mt. Moosilauke. The rain cleared before the top and the wind picked up, blowing the clouds across the summit so that the views were intermittent and the walking difficult. The summit is above the tree line and was absolutely spectacular, but so cold and windy that I didn't linger. The downhill to the shelter was steep and slippery as well, and the shelter is crowded. I got here early, but couldn't face the final steep rocky climb down, so I'm in for the night. The shelter faces due east and the sky has cleared. The view is of the mountains over a birch and pine forest, and the sunrise should be gorgeous. A good thing too, because I have long miles tomorrow and another long ascent, so I need to get out early. The elevation and the rocks are getting to me some, so I hope I can handle the route tomorrow. I'm sort of committed, because I am meeting Allen at the other end. He's planning to walk in 3 miles though, so if I poop out maybe he can carry my pack, or maybe me!