morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2004-07-18
From: Riga Lean-to

To: MA 41 (Egremont Inn, So Egremont, MA)
Miles today: 14.0

H B-D T M !Mileage Countdown: -687.7The real mountains I saw from a distance yesterday, I went over today. First was Bear Mountain, the highest point in CT. Then Race Mtn in MA, and finally Everett Mtn at mor than 2600' the highest mountain since Shenandoah.Last night's thunderstorm left fog in the valleys below, which rose as the day progressed to become an overcast day on the mountaintops. All day rain was threatening, but never came down in more than a few sprinkles.Milestones:Less than 700 miles left to Katahdin.I entered Massachusetts today, my 11th state of the hike.Today I celebrated my 66th birthday, nearly 2/3 of a century old. I got a special treat for my birthday. Just as I was starting to descend Jug End, the last peak on the ridge described above, I ran into a couple coming the other way. I could scarcely believe my eyes. It was Blue Jay, with whom I had hiked way back in PA, and his lady friend, Carla. Happy as I was to see them, it got even better. BJ handed me an ice cold Heineken, which disappeared in an instant. The only bad thing about the encounter was that it happened at the top of the second steepest descent in MA, and I really had to mind my Ps and Qs when I started down again.As we were standing talking, BJ pointed out Mt Greylock in the distance. It is only about 10 mi from the VT border. Since I had only entered MA a couple of hours earlier, I could see from one end of the state to the other from where I was standing.Soon after leaving BJ I met my second SoBo thru-hiker, Paisley. When I got to the bottom of the steep descent I met my third, Dances With Moose, who was hiking with a long distance section hiker, McGruff. I noticed that McGruff was wearing a mosquito helmet (A mosquito helmet is a bag made of mosquito netting. It is put over the head and fastened at the neck, protecting the wearer from mosquitos and other biting insects from the neck up.), so I asked him if the bugs were that bad ahead. He answered "I guess I'm just a wimp.". [Added in editing: That's not the right answer, McGruff! For the correct answer see tomorrow's journal entry.]My luck continued after getting off the Trail as well. When I got to the highway into So Egremont, I could hear a car heading in that direction. Even as I came out of the woods (actually weeds there) I had my thumb in the air before I got on the right side of the road. To my amazement, the car stopped and they dropped me right at the registration desk of the Egremont Inn (My most expensive stay so far on the AT, but one doesn't turn 66 very often.). After I had had one of the best cheeseburgers in my life at the Inn's restaurant, BJ and Clara came to pick me up and took me to an ice cream bar in Great Barrington for a birthday banana split. I had heard of GB, as a 30 yr resident of MA, but didn't realize it was such an upscale community, probably rivaling Kent, CT, which I had visited a few days earlier. Thanks BJ and Carla for making my 66th so special.Needless to say I also got to speak with all my kids, one of the main reasons I pampered myself with a night in town.
Date: 2004-07-19
From: MA 41 (Egremont Inn, So Egremont, MA)

To: Mt Wilcox North Shelter
Miles today: 17.1
Weather: light rain

InsectsMileage Countdown: -670.6I am running low on water treatment solution, so even though it was a damp day, in order to avoid starting the day under-hydrated I drank lots of water both before leaving the Inn and at Mom's Cafe where I had breakfast. I paid for it later. In the first mile after got in the woods I had to stop three times. Each time I was swarmed by biting insects, mostly mosquitos and deer flies. I remember thinking that I hoped I got out of the woods soon. Unfortunately the woods lasted for about 6 miles, including nearly a mile through a swamp that featured as many boardwalks as the stretch of the Trail near Vernon, NJ (And I saw a swamp snake at least 4' long and 2" in diameter.). The insects persisted for that whole distance, and more.As I walked along I could constantly hear the whine of mosquitos and the buzz of deer flies. At any given instant there were at least 3 or 4 of each kind either docked or docking at some place on my body - my neck, my baldspot (through my hat), my shoulders and even the back of my hands. At one point both palms were covered with blood from slapping all of these places after several insects had had time to engorge themselves at my expense. I'm sure I killed at least 100 deer flies and 2 or 3 times as many mosquitos.There was also a horse fly. Ever since I got to New Jersay I have been almost constantly attended by a horse fly buzzing right behind my neck, swinging back and forth like a fighter plane on the tail of another fighter. Occasionally he would make a touch-and-go landing on an earlobe or temple, and even a full-stop landing on my neck for a couple of seconds. He very rarely bit, but was even more distracting than the other insects. I know this is impossible, but it seems like the same guy has been with me for the last 150 miles, biding his time when it is not so hot or damp, but zeroing in when conditions are right.I must have looked like a member in good standing of some self-flagellating cult, constantly beating myself with my palms, with sheaves of wild grain, and even my hiking poles at times I got particularly frustrated. I'm surprised I didn't dash my head against the rain-slick boulders I had to climb over today.Even after I got across that six miles of flats the assault didn't abate. As I started up the slope I both slowed down and sweated more, which seemed to make me even more attractive to my tormentors. Partway up the slope I encountered another SoBo, COBOL, who asked me if the insects across the lowlands were as bad as he had heard. I replied "YES!! You bet your sweet Bippy they were!" (I guess that expression pretty well dates me.). McGruff - That is what your answer to me should have been yesterday!
Date: 2004-07-21
From: US 20 (Merrimack, NH)

To: Shippensburg Rd (Suburban MD)
Miles today: 0.0

RecapitulationMileage Countdown: -655.0I have always liked the word 'recapitulation' ever since my friend, Jim Spalding, taught me the profound expression 'Ontogeny Recapitulates Philogeny' back in the late 60s.No, recapitulation doesn't mean 'surrendering again'. It means something like going over the same ground again. (I will leave it as an exercise for the interested reader to discover the meanings of ontogeny and philogeny, and how one can recapitulate the other.)Today, I literally went over the same ground again. I needed to visit the PO in Kent, since they didn't have a piece of mail last time that I knew had been sent there. So I decided to roughly follow my course over the last several weeks back to PA.I started by driving by the Mass Pike overpass. Thence through Gt Barrington, past So Egremont, near Salisbury, to Kent, Ct. Unfortunately the expected mail was not there. But I had a good breakfast again at Caralee's.From there I went past where the AT crosses the NY Thruway, and thru the Delaware Water Gap on I-80. I stopped at Wind Gap and had lunch at The Galley, as before. As I approached Harrisburg I even considered dropping in at the Doyle in Duncannon to have a pint draft before continuing on my way. But I was beginning to get sleepy, and was beginning to run late, so put off that pleasure to another day.I am now poised to hike the 16.4 mi that I missed last month.
Date: 2004-07-22
From: Shippensburg Rd (Suburban MD)

To: Pine Grove Furnace SP (Suburban MD)
Miles today: 8.7
Weather: overcast clouds

Half Gallon ChallengeMileage Countdown: -646.3What I had originally set up to be a leisurely hike, with shuttle included, with my friend Teasenberg, had now turned out to be a family affair. T'berg and I arrived at the trailhead this morning accompanied by T'berg's brother and sister-in-law, their son, Tommy, and T'berg's friend's son, Andrushka, who is visiting from abroad for a few weeks.The sun was out and shining brightly as we left Shippensburg Road (which may be the highest point in PA on the AT), but dark clouds were coming up behind. [Transcriber Note: I was originally confused, because the "Starting Location" listed above, it looked like Shippensburg Road is in Suburban MD. Here is Ponderer's explanation: "In my start/destination field I usually put the place on the Trail where I started/finished the day. That should correspond to an entry in Wingfoot's book. If I slept somewhere else, I put that in parentheses."] By the time T'berg's brother and his wife made their planned turnaround after a mile or so, it was overcast.The overcast continued to deepen as the afternoon wore on, and we began to hear rumbles of thunder as we approached a shelter. We decided to have our lunch there, a good decision. We hadn't been at the shelter more than 10 minutes when a thunderstorm rolled through, including quite a bit of rain.Underhill and Knuckles were in the shelter when we got there. I think I met them in TN, but don't clearly remember. Before the rain came, Magnet pulled into the shelter. I had met him in the laundromat in Fontana Village, and was very glad to see him again.The rain let up, so when we continued after lunch, we only got slightly wet from the remaining sprinkle. Even though it had been mostly downhill, we were all getting a bit tired as we came to the end of the day's hike, and didn't even note when we passed the midpoint of the Trail this year, less than a mile from our destination, the general store in Pine Grove Furnace State Park.The general store is the site of a thru-hiker tradition - the half-gallon challenge. The idea is to try to eat a half-gallon of ice cream in celebration of having come to the Trail's halfway point. Three hikers who had gotten there before us had attempted the challenge. One, Moose, had been able to eat it in about 45 minutes. The other two, James? and Jacob?, were just about finished with their ice cream, but had taken considerably more than an hour to do it.
Date: 2004-07-23
From: Pine Grove Furnace SP (Suburban MD)

To: Hunters Run Rd (Suburban MD)
Miles today: 7.7

Back on TrackMileage Countdown: -638.6Today's walk was a little tougher than yesterday's, with about a 500' climb followed by a descent of around 800'. Both boys had had a bit of foot problems yesterday - Tommy with sore ankles and Andrushka with a failed support in his shoe which threatened causing a blister.Both boys did fine, with an Ace bandage helping Tommy along, and a combination of Moleskin and duct tape staving off Andrushka's blisters. It was quite a change for me, used to being responsible only for myself on the Trail, suddenly being responsible for half a dozen people. But we all survived fine, finishing the day all worn out.One point of interest near the end of the hike was the half-way marker. This marks the spot where the midpoint of the Trail was when it was erected, in 1987. At that time it was 1069 mi from that point to both Springer and Katahdin, for a total length of 2138. This year the Trail is 2174 mi long, 36 more than 20 years ago, but the midpoint, which we passed yesterday, is only about a mile further south, so they are adding to the Trail about the same amount in the north and south.There have been many midpoints celebrated on this hike - the psychological midpoint at Harpers Ferry, my personal midpoint near Boiling Springs, half the states when I crossed the Delaware, and the two physical midpoints in the last two days. There is one more 'halfway' point to be reported on later, in northern New England. Those familiar with AT lore probably already know what that is, and I will mention it at the appropriate time.Now that I have gone back to do the skipped section in PA, I am 'back on track'. By that I mean that the distance I have walked in the AT is the same as the number of miles from Springer Mtn (according to Dan 'Wingfoot' Bruce's Handbook).At the end of our hike, the boys, Teasenberg and I piled back in my car, satisfyingly exhausted, to head back to MD. But Mother Nature wasn't through for the day. In the two hours it took us to get back there were three different episodes of about the heaviest rain I have ever driven through, each episode lasting 10 minutes or so.Milestone: With the completion of the Pine Grove Furnace section I have now completed 10 states. I am halfway through MA, and then there are only the 3 northern NE states left.
Date: 2004-07-24
From: Hunters Run Rd (Suburban MD)

To: US 20 (Merrimack, NH)
Miles today: 0.0

Travel DayMileage Countdown: -638.6The drive back to Merrimack was without incident. Since I was going to pick up the remains of our trail magic where the AT crosses the Mass Pike, I took a route I am not accustomed to, through Scranton, PA, and along nearly the whole length of the Taconic Parkway. That was a lovely drive, affording a couple of spectacular views of the Catskills. Alas, I was traveling on a schedule (to pick up the trail magic remains before dark) and didn't have my camera handy, so I didn't get a picture.When I got to the pick-up point, I was happy to see that everything had been consumed, the trash was neatly in a bag I had left for the purpose, and there were many signatures in my guest book. My only disappointment was that the pen I had left was gone, otherwise I expect I would have gotten even more signatures.
Date: 2004-07-25
From: US 20 (Merrimack, NH)

To: US 20 (Merrimack, NH)
Miles today: 0.0

MMK ZeroMileage Countdown: -638.6Today I took a zero day at home in Merrimack, NH. Even though it was a zero day I found I couldn't just laze around. There was shopping to do, corespondence to answer, and journaling to catch up on. In fact, by the time I went to bed well after hiker midnight, I still hadn't completely packed my pack for the 6 AM departure nor finished all of my journal entries.But, tomorrow I will be back on the Trail.
Date: 2004-07-26
From: US 20 (Merrimack, NH)

To: Kay Wood Shelter
Miles today: 16.0
Weather: clear sky

More MassachusettsMileage Countdown: -622.6It was good to be back on the Trail, with new enthusiasm for the hike. The infirmities that had plagued me for the rush through NY and CT, aching knees and a rash around my hips resulting from a pack carrying more than it was designed for, were completely gone. In fact, this is the first time that my left knee has felt perfectly sound since I hurt it in the spill coming into Harpers Ferry. The chafing that had caused the rash had begun to appear by the end of the day. But I have decided I will switch back to my heavier pack, with its better hip support, when I begin switching to colder weather gear in Hanover (Yes, Fall is just around the corner, at least in northern New England.). I will not be trying to do the high mileage I was doing through the Smokies and later, so I think the heavier pack will be fine (I wore the heavier pack on my recent slackpack to PA, and it sure felt comfortable.). I have continued to eliminate things I carry, so my load should still be lighter than it was then.For a good part of the day I encountered something I didn't expect - lots of roots. I have heard about the roots of Maine (sort of like the rocks of PA), but didn't expect to see so many in Massachusetts. I guess this is just a foretaste of ME. In any case, other than the roots today's terrain was quite moderate, so I thoroughly enjoyed the hiking.The people I was hiking with through NJ and NY are now far ahead. But I am now with people I hiked with in various parts of PA, having left them behind in my rush to get to the Mass Pike. In the shelter tonight with me are Mouse, Palm Tree, Freedom and Carefree, with Boonie and Tree Frog staying in Dalton just 3 mi away. Also here are Bones and MYST, whom I met the day I hiked out of Hot Springs, and two SoBos, Sweet Fish and Sour Cat.16 mi may seem to be a lot for someone trying to cut down on his mileage, but the arithmetic works out. I aim to average 12 mi per day from here to Katahdin, including zero days. Since I plan to take about one zero per week I should average 14 mi on days that I hike (12 x 7 = 84 = 14 x 6). Tomorrow I have 12 miles into Cheshire, where I will stay at the house of my friend, Mark, and then 14 mi the next day over Greylock into Williamstown. So so far I am on track.
Date: 2004-07-27
From: Kay Wood Shelter

To: Cheshire, MA (Mark's Place)
Miles today: 12.3

Mark's PlaceMileage Countdown: -610.3Up at usual time even though today should be a short walk, because heavy rains are predicted for later in the day. Just a poptart to eat since I plan to have breakfast in Dalton, only 3 mi down the Trail. Stop at Duff and Del's, a variety store popular with hikers because it serves a good breakfast at reasonable prices. By the time my order arrives, all the NoBos from last night's shelter are there, as well as Red Beard and Magellan, who had stayed in town.Fully stuffed, I notice sprinkles on windshields as I leave D&D's. I put on my pack cover and start walking. The rain is no more than a gentle sprinkle as I walk out of town, but increases steadily as I climb the ridge beyond. I am protected somewhat from the heavier rain by the dense foliage above, but nevertheless my shirt is completely drenched by the time I get to the high point for the day.Then the process seems to magically reverse itself. The rain decreases as I descend into Cheshire, and has stopped completely by the time I reach the streets of town. And even my shirt is almost dry then too.I have two items of business before I can go out to where I will be staying for the night on the farm of my friend Mark, a former colleague - eating lunch and checking my mail drop. I pass a little ice cream stand as I enter town, so I poke my head in to see if they also have something for lunch. They do, but tell me the post office is about to close for their lunch hour, so I better rush over there. I do, but just too late. The window is closed.As I was opening up my pack to get Mark's number, gentleman comes out of the PO after checking his box. Since Mark has told me that everyone in town knows him, I ask if he knows where Mark lives. Jackpot! Bill not only knows where Mark lives, but his wife Janet, who is in the truck, was a best friend of Mark's late aunt. The next thing I know I am in that truck as well, headed out to Mark's place, a couple of miles off the Trail.Mark is not there (I didn't expect him to be, since he was at work in NH), but his mother is, and before you know it I am sitting in their kitchen drinking coffee with Ceil (sp?), Bill and Janet, and hearing about the bazillion friends they have around Cheshire, since they have lived here for longer than I have been alive.I never did get to the PO (Mark's friend later called and determined that I had no mail).
Date: 2004-07-28
From: Cheshire, MA (Mark's Place)

To: MA 2 (Redwood Motel)
Miles today: 14.0

Greylock, and MoreMileage Countdown: -596.3I immediately fell asleep last night in Mark's comfortable guest house, and apparently missed a torrential downpour that lasted for a couple of hours. But I could see evidence of it all day today on the Trail. Many sections of the Trail today were flowing streams. Most other sections were mud, 2" to 6" deep. But by the time I got out this morning, the rain had stopped, though it threatened all day until the evening.This morning I ate my regular breakfast before leaving. But then when I checked for mail again, the PO lady mentioned a restaurant that serrves breakfast and is only 10 min off the Trail. Before I knew it I was sitting there eating corn beef hash and all the fixins.I got to the top of Mt Greylock, the highest point in MA, in the early afternoon. The snack bar in Bascom Lodge there was open, so I had a cheeseburer and all the fixins.After coming down off of Mt Greylock (Blue Jay - I didn't think that descent was tougher than the descent from Jug End, or even the descents from Race Mtn or Mt Everett), I checked into a motel in Williamstown. There is an Italian restaurant directly across the street, where I ate shiitake mushroom ravioli Gorgonzola (better than it sounds, though quite salty). That completed my first day on the Trail (I think) where I ate all three meals in a restaurant. This can't go on forever.I rarely gripe about accommodations, but the motel I am in in Williamstown is the most expensive I have been in On the Trail so far, by far. And it doesn't even have telephones in its rooms. But what really gripes me is that they have no no-smoking rooms because according to the owner people will smoke in them anyway. I am surprised that that is legal in Massachusetts.I met several SoBos today, and one NoBo slacking south, Two Cents. He is a big, redheaded, flamboyant Israeli-American teenager whom I met way back at Miss Janet's in Erwin, and then again at Trail Days. We seemed to find lots to talk about, since we chatted for over half an hour, compared to the usual 5 to 10 minutes I chat with people I encounter on the Trail.Milestone: Less than 600 miles to the top of Mt Katahdin.
Date: 2004-07-31
From: Congdon Shelter

To: Kid Gore Shelter
Miles today: 18.7
Weather: overcast clouds

Long DayMileage Countdown: -563.5After I finished the journal last night, a young northbounder came up to the shelter, and immediately greeted me by name. I didn't recognize him right off, but after we talked a bit I remembered meeting him, C Legs, and his hiking partner, Bear Feet, the day I summitted Springer and their first day on the Trail. He is from Pittsfield, and back in May I had mentioned that I had met Greylock, also from Pittsfield, and his wife (Scamp?), way back in March. They had been the first thru-hikers I had met, and it had been in a terrible freezing rainstorm, and we both had hurried on. C Legs told me I had probably met Greylock again. And sure enough I had. Greylock had to leave the Trail and is in charge of the snack bar in Bascom Lodge on top of Mt Greylock. He had in fact stopped for a few minutes to chat with me when I was there. But neither of us recognized the other, even though I had the same bright orange pack cover on that they had mentioned in their journal after our meeting. The problem was that my pack was in the snack bar, but we chatted in the lobby. I am truly sorry we didn't get a chance to relive that cold March afternoon.Today's walk was notable for having considerably less mud on the trail than the last few days. That was particularly appreciated on the descent to VT 9. I have driven that route many times in the last two years, and always noted that the hill on the south where the Trail crosses Rt 9 about 5 mi east of Bennington was particularly steep. I had expected the descent there to be steep as well, and it certainly was. One of our steepest descents so far. But it was the kind of dscent I like best, consisting of big rocks solidly arranged like 16" steps all the way down the mountain. The lack of mud on the Trail allowed for sure footing coming down those rocks, and a pleasurable experience.Speaking of Mt Greylock, I think I forgot to mention that, at 3491', it is the first mountain since the Shenandoah that is over 3000'. Today I upped the ante a bit by climbing Mt Glastenbury, 3748'. Ahead are mtns nearly 4000' high, but I think the next peak actually over 4000' is Moosilauke, in the White Mtns, in NH.
Date: 2004-08-02
From: Stratton Pond Shelter

To: VT 11/30 (Sutton's Place)
Miles today: 10.6

Manchester NeroMileage Countdown: -537.8Everyone who is going to town today was off the block early. I'm usually the first one to hit the Trail, but today, Mouse, Palm Tree and Tree Frog left while I was still packing up, and Pilot and Vapor Trails were less than two minutes behind.It was a nice day for hiking, sunny and warm. Too bad I was going to town instead of hiking (yeah, sure!). The trail had dried out considerably since yesterday, so the walking was mostly good, though there were still a few tricky mudhole crossings.I got to the road earlier than I expected, and caught a ride from about the 25th car that came by. I was in town before noon, which I guess qualifies this as a nero day, even though the mileage was almost normal.Milestone: Today I crossed the three quarters mark on the Trail, so now there is less than one quarter to go.