morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2023-08-01
From: Stealth

To: Stealth
Miles today: 20.9

Slept in until 7:15, then got up and going and out of camp by 8:05. I am so much more lazy when not being woken up.  I was able to refill my water at the cache at Smith Gap Road (people who stock water caches, I salute you and love you and only good things should happen to you), and kept hiking to Leroy Smith shelter for lunch where I ran into Hammer on his way out and I chatted with a SOBO section hiker during lunch as we complained about front country woes. I decided to take the gamble and not find a spring to refill my water as the section hiker said it took him 40 MINUTES to refill his water at the first spring, and it wasn¢t even the whole CNOC. No thanks. Plus I know how to camel even in the heat of the day. (This all seems to stem from high school crew regattas when I was afraid to use Port-a-potties and just wouldn¢t drink water all day as to avoid going to the bathroom, which looking back is frankly a little insane. Now when I see a port-a-pottie I just think ¢hell yeah¢ and barely register the smell/aesthetic/any other potentially gross aspects).I hiked down to Wind Gap and took a detour to Gateway Motel to refill my water and use their bathroom (I really enjoy investigating side quests and alts with FarOut merely because I HATE waiting to fill up my CNOC with life-saving water apparently). The motel was rundown but the manager was extremely generous to allow me to use his office¢s bathroom and refill out front. After reading the new chapter of JJK I went back and out of Wind Gap (nowhere nearly as notable as yesterday¢s climb out of Palmerton) and I hiked some more. I realized that while I could make it to the next shelter around dark, I didn¢t want to scramble in the dark (ah the days where I had the luxury to decide NO NIGHT HIKING AND NO NIGHT SCRAMBLES, this would not be the case in the dreaded northeast), so I decided to eat dinner before reaching camp to avoid any cooking smells as this was going to be MY FIRST TIME CAMPING ALONE AHHHHHHH. And it¢s day 114 lol. But I am going to be confident (well I¢ll be brave) as I practiced good smell discipline, moved my can further down than usual, and dove into my tent as soon as I set it up lol. I recorded a video and sent it to WGUW and now am laying here in the tent typing my entry. This campsite has the first diggable soil for a proper cat hole all state, THANK GOD.
Date: 2023-08-02
From: Stealth

To: DWG
Miles today: 9.2

In the morning I checked out a very cool watering hole on the blueblaze loop that I camped besides last night, and flew down into town, running past dayhikers and couples and church groups down into the CHARMING TOWN for a shower at the church. I would love to come back here and spend a day or two exploring the shops before heading north to fill in the section between here and CT. Perhaps since my feet will have healed the rocks won¢t be SO HELLISH on my sole and soul. In the church basement I ran into, and got lunch with, Hammer where I got ~more~ trail gossip (I am fueled on granola bars and trail gossip. I saw Rabbit as he caught up to me at last after 3 days, and then left to catch my bus to NYC. One thing I love about trail is just running into folks unplanned, and just going off to do errands or get coffee ¢ feels like adventures in their own rights and is a great way to get to know people better in unplanned ways.
Date: 2023-08-06
From: Salisbury CT

To: Salisbury CT
Miles today: 0.0

Returned from my Seattle wedding which was lovely but after leaving trail twice for 2 weddings I have decided I will not go off trail for weddings / etc on any future trail. It takes away from the immersion, you fall behind the folks you were bouncing around with, and it¢s just jarring.I decided to skip up as to get rid of the timer hanging over my head, as I can leisurely backfill the section between here and DWG as I can easily catch a bus back. I felt the rushing every day was taking away from my trail experience and wasn't allowing me to appreciate the every day magic. I¢m curious to see how terrain changed from Pennsylvania to ~the north~.
Date: 2023-08-08
From: Race Creek Campground

To: Tom Leonard Shelter
Miles today: 16.4

Thankfully there wasn't a biblical flood overnight but the emotional floodgates opened about things I was worrying about in the morning. I was blowing my nose on leaves, just being a mess - the emotional toll of trail was kicking in. Rabbit quickly passed me in the morning as I was strugglebussing up and over the peak. It was a miserable hiking day but I did pass a hiker with an adorable beagle puppy, and broke for lunch by a roadside water cache with Colossus and Rabbit who had picked up a pair of new shoes left for him there (I love how trustworthy trail is, earlier in VA someone left me my knee brace by a bridge and I picked it up a day later).I hiked, got caught in the rain, passed Colossus chilling, and made it to camp just before 8 so I was able to set up, get water, and make dinner before darj. The shelter was super crowded, and lots of new people I hadn't met before. Today I realized that I dislike being back in the bubble, and prefer being behind it so I have all the time in the world to mosey, have shelters to myself, and not deal with competitive hikers.
Date: 2023-08-09
From: Tom Leonard Shelter

To: Webster Road
Miles today: 16.0

Woke up at 3:30am and was so bummed that I couldn't fall back asleep, and headed out at 6:50am today (back on schedule!). Trying to bring back the discipline and the feeling of flying up the trail in the end of Pennsylvania which was so freeing and fun. I cried some more, fell on a wet board (first time I fell in a LONG time, up to this point I fell maybe 4 times all of trail?) and cried some more, and called my mom for a pep talk. I talked to a SOBO while making lunch today, and he seemed sane until he put on his packs (yes PLURAL, one front and one back) and I concluded that SOBOs must be somewhat insane.It was easier going today, but still hard and feels like Georgia all over again - my trail legs are coming back post wedding and my climbing legs are kicking in after months of flat ground. I stopped for a break to sit on a bench on the charmingly-named Tyringham Cobble, and hiked down to the Running Springs Farm stand and bought 2 ice cream sandwiches which I devoured. Truly amazing, perfect, everything I ever wanted, no notes. After that was a beautiful woods carpeted with pine needles (the finest flooring is not mahogany it is soft beds of pine needles), moody trees draped with moss, and ravines cutting through everything. It was super pleasant and I was cruising listening to music after the suck of the morning.So of course I get a text from my mom that my grandfather was back in the hospital, and I texted some others back home about what to do. I'm climbing the last hill which feels near vertical, worrying about my grandfather and if I should go home this time, trying to contact the shuttle driver for pickup but his connection is so spotty, Rabbit who is supposed to make this shuttle is MIA, and juggling all of these things when I'm spat out onto the road and there is trail magic! I waited there until the others I was splitting a shuttle with showed up, we finally get rescued by the shuttle driver who takes off tearing down the tiny roads (we are clinging to the seats) and dropped off at the community rec center so we can shower before tenting behind it. The shuttle driver suggests we wash our clothes so somehow I end up guarding it while the others go for Chinese and I am trying to figure out if I am staying on trail or going back down, and getting deeply anxious about the whole thing.
Date: 2023-08-10
From: Webster Road

To: Webster Road
Miles today: 0.0

Took a zero to wait and see if I need to go down to see my grandfather, or if it was minor and he will get released quickly again like last week. Crypt rolls into town and we reunite for the first time since the DC trip, and catch up on everything. While at dinner with her I get the call to come home, so I am staying in Crypt's room for the night so I can wake up at 5am to get shuttled down to the Wassaic station and catch the train down to NYC.
Date: 2023-08-14
From: Webster Road

To: Upper Goose Pond Cabin
Miles today: 5.3

Took the bus back up to Great Barrington after a weekend visiting my grandfather at the hospital, which was shocking and upsetting. I called him in town to talk to him, promised to call him at the end of the day, and headed off to catch up with Crypt and Rabbit as there was hibiscus lemonade trail magic I was determined to catch.I got on trail at 2:24pm and at 4:25pm got the call that he passed away and just sat down on a log to cry. I was right by the shelter so went in, booked a bus to NYC the next day, and contacted a trail angel to pick me up at the road so I could catch the bus), and just was blank. I wish I were there under better circumstances because it's a gorgeous red cabin on a lake with canoes for taking out and bookshelves to browse (and pancakes in the morning!) but I was so deeply sad and blank that I just took a canoe out to be alone on the lake as the caretaker was somewhat callous and flippant about the whole situation. I really wish one of my friends were there for comfort, but just went to bed early sad and alone.
Date: 2023-08-23
From: Governor Clement Shelter

To: Gifford Woods State Park
Miles today: 13.8

Today was chill, I didn't sleep so well because I was cold (Rabbit pointed out that perhaps I should buckle my quilt straps under the pad which... after all this time WHY DID NO ONE ELSE POINT THIS OUT *falls to my knees* there was no reason to be cold in the Smokies).I had a nice hike up Killington (I think I've skiied this as a child, but interesting to hike up it and see it without snow), which smelled AMAZING - like pine needles and maple syrup lacing the fresh air. Weather was in the 60s and beautiful, enough to soothe the sweat and exertion but not cold. I took a 40 minute break at the top just to enjoy, and it was just amazing. Rabbit found me while I was eating lunch, and we discussed resupplying in Rutland because they had a Walmart which meant they would have The Bougie Snacks which making hiking Worth It. I zipped along down the blue blaze to the Inn at the Long Trail where I barely caught the bus.We were super fast resupplying as we were able to walk to Walmart, resupply, and get back on the bus within 30 minutes (my simple pleasure is walking around supermarkets looking at things so this was warp speed for me). I was unable to pack everything away before running to the bus, so my groceries were shoved in my pack and it was insanely tall and barely held together and I looked ridiculous - like the Flextrek Whipsnake ad (it's worth looking up on Youtube I promise). Once dropped off back at the Inn I repacked, got dinner at the Irish pub within the Inn (get the paddy melt, Rabbit got this and I wish I did) and recharged my phone / threw darts / unwinded a bit.After dinner we hiked to the campground (a passeggiata if you will, but with packs groaning with food), set up camp, and showered!! This was very exciting as this was my first time ever at a traditional campground which had showers lol. I have still never car camped, and it was a novelty looking at the amenities. Must order new shoes tomorrow, trying out Hokas as I need some more cushioning for my joints which are eroding like a sandbank before a tumultuous sea.
Date: 2023-08-24
From: Gifford Woods State Park

To: The Lookout
Miles today: 14.1

After a warm and toasty night from finally using my quilt correctly (thank you Rabbit), I got up and ate some pretzel Hawaiian rolls before heading out. It was a pretty morning walk along the lakeshore and I stopped to look at some falls and then zipped along a boardwalk before tackling a sharp, steep climb. I made good time to lunch where I (re? think I met them long ago) met Alligator and Ladybug at the shelter. After lunch I hiked, and reached the point where a memorial for Steady Eddie had been erected and I read the poem there which was moving. I paid my respects, and then headed on to where I found service and ordered leggings and Hokas to prepare for the Whites. After this I hiked through pretty alpine scenery, but my ankle started hurting (for the first time on trail) and I decided to stop at the Lookout versus the next shelter. I climbed up to the titular lookout perch and had fun watching people roll in, including Rabbit and Firefly who I haven't seen since Marion. Someone set a fire in the fireplace and it was a cozy night tucked away from the mist and rain.
Date: 2023-08-25
From: The Lookout

To: VT Route 12
Miles today: 6.4

Woke up to drizzling rain and my ankle still hurting. Decided to rest my ankle before it became A Problem (why I decided this for my ankle and not my knee back in May... who knows) so I blueblazed down to Abracadabra Coffee and hung out with Rabbit drinking DELICIOUS COFFEE (why is there a fantastic third-wave coffee shop in the middle of nowhere? Who knows but I miss their coffee and maple creemees regularly) and then meandered over to the pie store for pie while waiting for pick up. We ran into a section hiker who was lamenting his lack of trail name and witnessed the trail name bestowing in action (he ripped his frog togg pants and got dubbed Chaps, which the same pant ripping happened to me back before the Smokies lol).The hostel was fantastic, one of the best in the north and very chill. I hung out in the common space, icing my ankle and knee, reading my book, grilling, and introducing the cinematic masterpiece that is Twilight to the hikers there.
Date: 2023-08-26
From: VT Route 12

To: VT Route 12
Miles today: 0.0

Ankle felt not good, but OK so I took another rest day. I think my problem was amping up the miles after coming back versus easing back in, despite taking so much time off for personal matters. Breakfast was absolutely delicious, cannot recommend Wise Pines hostel enough. Curled up reading by the gas stove, drank a ton of tea, tried various Cabot snacks, did yoga with the owner, and watched more TV in the common space. A much needed lowkey day to rest physically and emotionally.
Date: 2023-08-27
From: VT Route 12

To: West Hartford VT
Miles today: 13.4

Ankle felt good today, and set off. I offered to buy the hostel owner a coffee so we sat at Abracadabra and talked about his interests including making wooden bowls and the tyrannical pricing practices of the local bougie tourist wood bowl store.After that lovely and non-hiking related chat, Rabbit and I decided to road walk to make it easier on my ankle for a bit and walked past pretty homes and farms while getting passed by retirees biking, and goofed off all day. We got into town, and tented behind trail angels Captain Smash and Scooter's home, which was lovely and had: a gazebo, a rushing stream, a privy, a fire pit, outlets to charge phones. Paradise! I soaked my legs in the water (best way to help with aches and pains), finished my book, and made dinner with other hikers who rolled in. After dark we all sat by the firepit swapping stories (Captain Smash won with a story about a person who showed up looking for the exact spot he was conceived in the backyard 22 years prior by his parents who were thruhikers).
Date: 2023-08-29
From: Stealth

To: Smarts Mountain Fire Warden Cabin
Miles today: 18.1

Lunch was with Alligator and Ladybug by the side of the road, and today had a HARD ending with a lot of hills and racing sunset up the mountain for the last 4 miles. Was grumpy but nothing dinner couldn't fix. I got lost several times looking for the privy after dark, but stayed calm and collected and made it back alive (Rabbit was waiting for me and said he was about to go looking for me by the time I finally made it back). It was a very crowded shelter, but I sucked it up and wedged myself in because it was supposed to rain A LOT tomorrow.
Date: 2023-08-30
From: Smarts Mountain Fire Warden Cabin

To: NH Route 25A
Miles today: 10.2

Today started out dog shit and ended pretty nice.I decided to head out early to beat the heavy rain, and fell down a couple of times but no injuries. When I got to the road crossing before Mt Cube I tried to see if I could road walk to Barn Door Hostel (as to pick up my thermals and Hoaks) and avoid scrambling on slick rocks in the driving rain but alas the only path was the AT. I passed Hexcuba and thought I should take a break and check out the cool shelter design since I hadn't taken a break all day, and then took a step on a flat slippery rock and F L E W off and wiped out, tumbling down almost into the creek. PFT was filtering water across the creek and witnessed the whole thing, and was waving his arms trying to see if I was ok. I tried to shake it off and keep going, and he pointed out I was bleeding out of my arm and firmly sat me down. He doctored my arm and forced me to eat a snackbar and take a breath, which I in hindsight deeply appreciate and was definitely the right call.I texted Barn Door hostel asking if they could shuttle me to urgent care since I needed to clean the cut (grit and dirt got deep inside and I needed to scrub it out + potentially get stitches? I was bleeding through the bandages) and they texted back saying to call them. I'm standing in a cloud on top of Mt Cube with the barest fraction of signal trying to reach them and the hostel (which caters to climbers as well mind you) tells me I'm a medical liability and they can't pick me up and they are cancelling my reservation. When I ask about how to pick up my packages they just shrug it off. Taken aback, furious, and confused I called the other hostel on FarOut and they agreed to pick me up no problem. Over 2 hours later slogging through the mud and rain (which dried up the further downhill I went), I made it out and the van was waiting for me. I checked in and must've looked stunned, because the hikers just swarm in to help which was very nice AND THE EXACT OPPOSITE OF HOW BARN DOOR was. I shower and feel human again, eat something for the first time all day, and meekly ask the management if they can take me to get my arm looked at (worrying that they would kick me out all the while) to which they say 'of course let's go right now). Management was so lovely and reassuring, and I find out that this is not the first time Barn Door hostel has done something like this to hikers (kicking sick hikers out and dropping them off at another hostel, cancelling someone's reservation after they already checked in and are slackpacking because they are 'having a staff party'... etc etc) and I started to feel better and not a Liability or a leper for gouging my arm. Urgent care patches me up and sends me off with apple sauce for being a good sport, and I make it back to the hostel where Rabbit is waiting convinced that I'm dead or grievously injured.
Date: 2023-08-31
From: NH Route 25A

To: NH Route 25
Miles today: 9.7

Slackpacked today to make up the miles between pickup yesterday and the hostel. It was very chill and cruisey excluding the mud and no crazy climbs for once. I was able to appreciate the early signs of fall, the cute beaver pond I passed, and smell the sweet delicious pine smell that I love and is the scent equivalent of the maple syrup sap seltzer I had at Stone's Throw Farmstand right before Killington.Food resupply was dank, and I ran into Spills and Junco at the hostel which was a welcome reunion. I also saw Hatcher and Stanley for the first time since Franklin, which was so many lifetimes ago.
Date: 2023-09-01
From: NH Route 25

To: Kinsman Notch
Miles today: 9.5

Today I finally went sobo for the first time and slackpacked up and over Moosilauc. This involved climbing up the side of a waterfall (thankfully with iron hand holds) and when we made it over into above the alpine zone - wow. It felt epic with the world opening around us with golden grass rustling in the wind. It was super crowded at the top, which I didn't love, but I ran into Junco and Spills and we all sat in an enclosure of rocks for some buffer against the wind, eating lunch and talking about how lucky we were to be here, how happy we were, and how the whole trail was worth it. After lunch Rabbit and I headed downhill but sadly my knees are so worn at this point that all downhills are now treacherous slow-going versus confident zooming uphill that he had to zoom off to catch a spot on the evening food resupply. Of course, almost as soon as he did this the ground leveled off significantly and I was able to zoom along the beautiful trail carpeted with pine needles (guaranteed to increase your mileage at least 0.75mph and reduce effort by 33% and enjoyment by 200%). I made it back in time to shower and catch the resupply shuttle for resupply + cinnamon rolls before a dank night's sleep.
Date: 2023-09-03
From: Kinsman Pond Shelter

To: Liberty Springs Trailhead
Miles today: 4.9

Hiking down took FOREVER thanks to my knee. However! We stopped at Lonesome Lake Hut for free mint brownies and tea (I do enjoy the huts have a much reduced membership for thruhikers that allow them some free snacks, drinks, and soup and if anyone tells you on your thru that you need to pack a week of food for the Whites.... just eat your heart out in the huts and save yourself 7 pounds off your back tbh) and I gazed at their beautiful lake. I regret not going in for a swim, but I wanted to keep moving and finish the Whites in the weather window and hit Mt Washington on a clear day - thoughts that were looming over everyone's head as soon as they committed to entering the Whites.However the true glory of this hut was not the lake, but the beautiful bathrooms which had REAL SOAP. Even more, it was naturally vented so you could feel the wind cooling and tickling your tush, which was really really really nice after being sweaty. Life's little luxuries.Got down finally to the road, got picked up by the hostel for shower and resupply, and then borrowed bikes to get ice cream! DELICIOUS. My only wish is that ice cream could somehow be more caloric - a 3000 calorie pint of ice cream would sell so well on trail. After this was must needed icing of my knee and passing out - the Whites are brutal and every mile is hard earned - gone are the days of blithely flying through the flat carpets of VA or even picking your way through the PA rocks. Every downhill feels like I'm getting mugged, and every climb feels like I am going to fall off or over.
Date: 2023-09-04
From: Liberty Springs Trailhead

To: Liberty Springs Trailhead
Miles today: 0.0

The plan was to head back out today, but I was so tired on a physical but also emotional and cellular level that I didn't want to go out. It had been a week since the last zero but deeply taxing with the tumble by Hexcuba, the Whites, the mud. While sitting outside for the shuttle back to the trailhead I was talking to Junco and Spills about this, and they were also dragging their feet to head back, and by the time Rabbit showed up we had all decided to do a zero and he was like 'are you kidding me I already packed' but didn't require much convincing to take another day off as once we went back to the trailhead there wouldn't be any more bailout points for 5 days as well as the weather window looked it would last to Mt Washington which was the real goal.After this roundtable we all biked into town to get pie which was supposedly amazing (it was not that great), ice cream, and headed back to veg out and then get a group dinner with everyone at the hostel at the local Mexican place. At this point Crypt had rolled up, and we had some gossip time before bed. She's probably one of the strongest hikers left at this point in terms of mileage + lack of wear and tear, she has never slackpacked and can consistently put up crazy mileage which is very admirable - if only my knees were like hers!