morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2003-07-26
From: Silver Hill Campsite

To: Belter's Campsite
Miles today: 12.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Weather was fair and in the 80's. So far the weather has been treating me pretty well.Saw 1 deer and 2 snakes today. Also a buttload of hikers. Maybe the weekend had something to do with it. Today was a section with a lot of ups and downs but I made it alive and with some pretty good mileage. It seems the last three miles (even when they're mostly downhill) are always the toughest. There were some swampy areas so the bugs were thick but the treated clothes and DEET are keeping them off -- still haven't found a tick on me. This was my slowest day (MPH-wise) yet but in many ways my best. I took a lot of short breaks (4) and 2 longer breaks. Had plenty to eat and drink (but still not drinking enough I suspect). This, I believe, made a big difference.Camped at Belter's with several of the folks who had been at Silver Hill the previous night so I guess today was a legit thru-hiker mileage kind of day. Still, I'll have to ramp up the daily miles more to get to Katadhin in a reasonable time. Belter's is kind of a so-so site not far from Lime Rock. There are some wonderful views about a mile before you get to the site. Hang Glider View, a ledge over Lime Rock Park, stands out. There was a great view of the track from there, but no racing was going on. Apart from these few, isolated views, most of the hiking is through trees. I hear it's going to be like that most of the way until New Hampshire's White Mountains.No major physical complaints (finally). Cooked dinner for a change. Water filter stopped working at the camp site, but after a tear-down and cleaning everything was okay again. Slept fitfully.
Date: 2003-07-28
From: Salisbury, CT

To: Riga Lean-To
Miles today: 3.4

Got a late start out of the White Hart Inn (about 1:30 p.m.). Couldn't get a hitch so I had to hike the mile or so to the trailhead and then a quick 1000' or so 3.4 mile climb up over Lion's Head (one of the best views in CT) to the Riga Lean-To (the only shelter in the state with a view, the guidebook helpfully pointed out). Weather was good. No bears. The day-hikers I encountered got kind of freaked when I asked if they had seen any bears, so I've got to remember not to do that any more.Hiked most of the way with a family from Florida who were visiting Connecticut for the week. The mother had seen the "short" 5+ mile hike to Bear Mountain (CT) from Salisbury on one of the CT ATC's maps and thought it would be a good quick hike to do with the family. Being from Florida (and thanks to the ATC map which doesn't have any notes about elevation) the question of a climb didn't enter into her mind. I wouldn't have been surprised if she and the two kids could have done the round trip by sundown, but given that a) Dad was huffing and puffing with me up these mountains, b) the total elevation gain was something like 5 times the distance between sea level and the highest point in their home state and c) water was pretty scarce (and they only brought about 1.5 liters each, they decided to turn around after Lion's Head. I assured them that Lion's Head's view is better than Bear's, anyway. They had to get back to Westport that evening, in time to get enough sleep for a visit the next day to Rhode Island for lobster. Did I mention that somehow I've gotten a wart on my cursed right big toe? The thing hurts like a bitch every time I take a step. I've got a wart pad on it now (thank you Compound W and Salisbury Pharmacy) and between that and the blister pads this little piggie looks like Boris Karloff in The Mummy.The shelter was everything the guidebooks said -- a beautiful view of the Twin Lakes area. Lots of bugs but DEET did the trick there. Had a cold dinner and then spent about 45 minutes locating a branch adequate for hanging food (the bear thing still fresh on my mind). Had a visitor around 5 p.m. who went on to the next shelter and then I was by myself. Thought I'd be camping solo but then the midnight visitor from 10-Mile rolled in just after sundown after having zeroed in Kent and then having done a couple of big days. Chatted with him for a while and then a decent sleep in preparation for a big day tomorrow.
Date: 2003-07-30
From: Glen Brook Shelter

To: Tom Leonard Shelter
Miles today: 14.4
Weather: few clouds

14.4 miles -- a big day for me and got through it okay!Steep downhill about 2.5 miles south of last night's shelter @ Jug's End (which I am rechristening "Jughead" after the 2nd-most irritating character in Archie Comics as it was the 2nd-most irritating descent of the past two days -- Bear Mountain is hereafter to be referred to as "Big Ethel.") Next a long flat stretch to the Housatonic River and Rte 7. Water almost nowhere -- ended up filtering out of a bog a mile or so north of the Shay's Rebellion monument (yes there is such a thing) and had to really screw with the filter to get it to work with all the muck in the water but I was not going to repeat yesterday's bad move. Had some pretty major cramping in my right calf but fortunately there was an organic fruit stand at the Rt. 7 junction with plenty of fruit juices and the best plums I have ever had. Got to chat with Animal, a southbounder, for a while, who was a nice guy with plenty of advice about the stretches to come in VT and NH. The break at the fruit stand ended up being about an hour and then I was excited as I was about to head over East Mountain, which, the map noted, has a difficult weather bypass. I was picturing more ledge walking and stunning views. Well, apparently the difficult weather bypass was put in to get hikers around an area with marginal views and a senselessly difficult routing. We're talking the trail being blazed over boulders standing alone with flat areas to either side. We're talking going up and down cliffs when there are perfectly-fine flat areas above and below running to the same spots. Took another long break about 3 miles from Tom Leonard, tried not to curse the trail routers and maintainers, and took about an hour and a half to get to the shelter, dragging myself the last half mile.Tom Leonard is a nice shelter but it's at the bottom of a kind of steep trail off the AT and at that point I was in no mood for games. Still, I bit my lip and made it down and set up in the shelter. Then the coup de grace -- the closest water was another 1/4 mile down an EXCEPTIONALLY steep trail past the privy. Sucking it up, I made it down and filtered about 6 liters (as I wasn't planning on making the trip again in the morning) and slowly hauled myself back to the shelter. Made dinner. Ate well. Hung out with Thermo and Oopala and Snowberry and Easy Rider and slept like a log. Blisters okay. Wart hanging in there but okay.
Date: 2003-07-31
From: Tom Leonard Shelter

To: Shaker Campsite
Miles today: 11.2
Weather: scattered clouds

A ho-hum day -- ho-hum scenery, ho-hum miles, ho-hum terrain, ho-hum pace. It was all very nice for a change. Water is still relatively scarce, but this will change as rain is predicted over the next several days. Camped with Thermo and Oopala at Shaker Campsite, which is on the ruins of an old Shaker settlement just south of Tyringham, MA (Trivia question: Why did the Shakers die out?).So, having gotten in at a reasonable time, 2 miles from Tyringham (which is noted in the guide books as having no hiker services) what would be the reasonalbe thing to do? The reasonable thing to do would be to eat and get an early sleep. Ah, but Opposite George is doing the opposite of what is reasonable, so I decided to walk the 2 miles into town to see what was going on. Oopala and Thermo told me to my face that I was crazy (and after I left I believe they shared more choice opinions pertaining to my sanity) but I was not to be stopped. And so I started walking.The walk was pretty nice, down a hill through farm land, up over a more steep hill and then down. I took an apparent shortcut that wasn't on the map, which would normally be a stupid thing to do but in the world of opposite logic it actually made sense, shaving about a half mile off my walk. Well, I got into Tyringham and indeed, there was nothing there for hikers. Except, a B&B NOT in the guidebooks selling sodas and ice cream and whose owner offered to take me into the next town (Lee, MA), about 4 miles to the west. I declined the offer but did get a cab number from her and bought a soda and then called a cab to take me into Lee, where I managed to find an open package store (small bottle of Canadian whiskey purchased for later consumption) and several restaurants. Pizza Hut was offering a "one-person meal" for $5.00 which included a personal pizza with THREE toppings, a large soda and a trip to the salad bar. They didn't know what hit them until after I'd left.Rehydrated, full of food and with a bottle of hooch in my pocket, I called my buddy with the cab to take me back to the campsite. Fortunately, there was a trail crossing only a quarter-mile south of the site and it was all downhill from there. So I got to the site before the sun set, and got to gloat about how doing the opposite of common sense is sometimes the best move.Oh yeah, it started raining about 4 in the morning and I had to get up in the middle of sleep to set up my rain fly in a half-awake state and apparently there was a bear not too far off and all my stuff was wet in the morning but I still think it was all a very, very good evening.
Date: 2003-08-03
From: Rte 20 Junction, Lee MA

To: October Mountain Lean-To
Miles today: 7.2
Weather: haze

Slept in, provisioned, and then did the long (hour-plus) drive back to the AT from Hadley. Got a late start (~3pm) and then a short uphill to flats to the October Mountain shelter.The knee braces did a wonderful job of constricting the circulation in my calves and generally causing my much aggravation. They will be dumped. I ended up limping the last mile to the shelter. Thanks, braces!Full house at the shelter as the rain was progressively getting worse over the course of the p.m., evolving into a full-fledged downpour. 3 thru-hikers plus an incredibly well-behaved dog when I got to the shelter. Two SB sectioners on the first day of a three-week hike stopped in late, having spent almost 8 hours getting in from Dalton, trying to stay on the trail which was by now mostly under water. At least it would be easy to find stuff to drink tomorrow...
Date: 2003-08-04
From: October Mountain Lean-To

To: Dalton, MA
Miles today: 11.8
Weather: light rain

Thankfully, the morning rain subsided around 10. Unthankfully, the rest of the day was warm and muggy (80's).Still not seeing any deer. I guess they're more of a NY/CT phenomenon. No other interesting animals. Passed 5 SBs on the way -- I guess I'm starting to get into the thick of that bunch.Mostly flat again with a couple of short climbs. I'm really flying with the poles (braces are in the pack). Took a long stop about 8 miles in as my knees were acting up again. Then an innocuous downhill with a short climb and a mile or so through town to the Shamrock Village Inn. There are a couple of folks who host hikers in town, but by the time I got there the motel was the best solution (people plan their trips around Rob's in Dalton, apparently).I checked in, watched some TV and then walked about 1.5 miles round-trip to do some laundry. By the time I got back, my right knee was KILLING me and the left knee hurt too. I had to take Ibuprofen just to get to sleep.The next day I woke up with both knees feeling great. Called a zero and booked the motel for another night. Got a ride to the Crane papermaking museum in Dalton (they give you free stationery if you sign their guestbook) and then walked about 1.5 miles back to the motel. By the time I got back both knees were killing me and my legs were still giving me problems.Got up the next morning and decided to take an early break (I had one scheduled for that weekend). Got a city bus into Pittsfield, then took Bonanza to Danbury, CT and finally took Metro-North into Fairfield. Got home about 4:30. Getting back on the trail after recuperation Monday or Tuesday.When I got up on the
Date: 2003-03-21
To: The Trail!
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

I just finished putting our mail drop schedule together. I doubt that my estimated dates of arrival are all that accurate, but hopefully they'll be a starting point for Karen's parents and my parents to send us things. We'll revise it as we go, I think.Last night, Karen and I spread all of our gear across the living room floor at my parents' house so that we could get an idea about what else we need, if anything. Unfortunately, that plan was derailed slightly by ice cream and a movie (thanks ADAM!!!). But we did get a few things done, namely, finally settling on a list of mail drop locations.Also, we gave my MSR SuperFly stove a workout. While my mom made the chicken mole and black beans, we made Spanish rice on the stove, outside. I was a little worried that it wasn't going to work very well, as it was about 30 degrees out last night, but it seemed to do fine (on the other hand, the fuel canister was full, so that probably made a difference, too). Spanish rice takes far too long to make - Uncle Ben's boil-in-bag rice would probably be a little closer to reality for us. I'm surprised at how easy the stove is to use; it'll most definitely need a windscreen, though. But I have a plan.Anyhow, I have to go clean up the mess in the living room before my mom gets home. And I need to deposit a check at the bank today- unfortunately, my wallet went through the washing machine last night, so hopefully they'll take the check.We may have one more journal entry before we go - on Monday morning!
Date: 2003-03-25
From: Amicalola Falls

To: Black Gap Shelter 
Miles today: 7.3
Weather: clear sky

What a long day! Today was our first day hiking and we¢re not even on the AT yet!Karen and I arrived yesterday in Atlanta, GA by air and we spent most of our first day on a long, arduous trek to the Atlanta REI. We learned two things: 1). Take the time to familiarize yourself with your local mass transit; forget the taxis, 2). Find a closer outdoor outfitter than REI. Oh well.There was a little confusion this morning about how we were actually going to get to Amicalola Falls. Tom, our hiker shuttler, informed us (at the last minute) that he had to work today, and he offered to take us tomorrow, even suggesting that we stay at his house overnight. I told him that I appreciated the gesture, but that we really wanted to get hiking today. Tom eventually managed to get his girlfriend¢s mother to drive us. It was an interesting ride ¢ she gave us her theories on the world from the aliens that run the pentagon to the cure-all soap that she says will make her a millionaire in the next few months. Still, despite our differences, she was a very nice and pleasant person to spend the hour ¢ long car ride with.We arrived at Amicalola State Park around noontime, and we started hiking up the approach trail around 12:30. The thermometer hit about 75 degrees during our hike and we were down to shorts and t-shirts. A huge change from our 30ish temperature back in Massachusetts.So after about 8 miles of hiking today, we are now sharing our shelter with a boy scout troop from Florida and a cigarette smoking couple from Pennsylvania. I guess you meet all kinds.But at least there¢s one thing to comfort Karen & I from our though good-byes with our families, the long miles, and the odd people: We have aliens running the Pentagon. Iraq is royally screwed.Dan
Date: 2003-03-26
From: Black Gap Shelter 

To: Springer Mt./ Hawk Mt.
Miles today: 10.6

Last night was a noisy night in the shelter. There wee mice running around the shelter and our neighbors were snoring pretty loudly. I woke up with a pain in my back because I slept on a bump all night. I didn¢t remove the bump all night from under the sleeping bag in fear of it being a dead mouse. In the morning, I realized it was only the case for my bag liner. I¢m going to have to work on my fear of mice running rampant in the shelter.After a restless night we woke up and prepared oatmeal for breakfast. Then we headed out for another 8 miles. First we finished hiking up Springer mountain and took pictures with the AT plaque. The top of Springer has a few trees and grass, along with a 360 degree view. We went down Springer mountain and hiked on flat land most of the way. This area was much more beautiful than yesterdays dry terrain. We criss-crossed a spring most of the way that was lined with Rhododendron¢s and mountain laurel. Some of the trees were so big that if the trees weren¢t gray and I didn¢t know I was in Georgia, I¢d think I was in the Redwood Forest in California. For wildlife, I believe we saw a total of one squirrel. I¢ll take one squirrel over one bear for now.Karen
Date: 2003-03-27
From: Black Gap Shelter 

To: Near Liss Gap
Miles today: 0.0

It was a beautiful day today. This morning, at camp, my thermometer read 50 degrees, plus there was a moderate wind. Two fleeces didn¢t seem like quite enough to me. But around noontime, the sky cleared up and it was nearly all blue for the rest of the day.Last night, as hikers converged on the Hawk Mt. Shelter (there were at least fifteen people there) Karen and I managed to snag a coveted spot to put our sleeping bags. Or not. Not only were we relegated to the upper loft, the whole shelter was filled with mouse shit. After some discussion (Karen was doing a good job trying to tough out her fear of mice), we opted for a tentsite.We woke up this morning before nearly everyone else, and we hit the trail again at 8:06 am. Our first few miles were easy, and even the relatively steep Sassafras Mtn. (3330¢) didn¢t seem that hard. Of course, all of this was made much more pleasant due to the fact that we remembered something my brother, Adam, gave me before I left home: jellybeans. Of course, these were Bertie Botts¢ Every Flavor Jellybeans, but with the one exception of what I think might have been ear wax, there weren¢t any bad ones.We had lunch at Justus Creek ¢ only it wasn¢t just us, eventually nearly half the gang showed up; a New Zealander, a father and son from Virginia, a hippie who refuses to use toilet paper from New York, and ex-marine with a 70lb pack named "booble", and two guys from Jersey, one of whom is a traffic engineer who call himself "parkway".At the end of the day, Karen and I decided that we needed a break fromloud camps, and so we hiked up to what I think is called Grassy Gap¢ even though there¢s no grass up here. We made ourselves a hiker stew with a white bean soup mix, leftover spaghetti, and tuna (foil pouch). Now we¢re getting ready for bed.Lesson for the day: Don¢t forget the chapstick. Our lips look like tree bark. We¢ll pick some up in Suches, GA, along with some food, tomorrow.DanP.S. forgot to mention ¢ Due to the fact that we slept outside of the shelter, away from the snoring and mice, Karen slept great all night.
Date: 2003-03-28
From: Grassy Gap

To: Miller Gap 
Miles today: 7.3

Today we hiked for about 2.5 miles to Woody Gap. At Woody Gap we followed the road into Suches, GA. We resupplied on food at the general store and had tatey hamburgers and ice cream with cokes for lunch. We also had a chance to do our laundry nd mail back a few things at the post office. The we got a ride back to the trail from a guy in his early 20¢s who works at the back packing store at Neel¢s Gap.Back on the tail we walked another 2.5 miles. Today we saw more wildlife than any other day. From about 50 yards away I heard something running in the woods. It looked white in color, it was on four legs, and it ran like a bear would run (it seemed like it had a large stomach). Then two of them ran fast across the trail and we only caught a glimpse of 2 white tails. As we walked closer they snorted at us. But we kept going and talked loudly. We think they were elk, possibly one was pregnant since it was so big.We also saw a hawk today as we continued walking to our tent site. The tent site we are at is pretty. It is next to a stream. One of the girls, Jen, that we met the other night also happens to be here. Her trail name in now firefeet, because she has 3 blisters on her feet.Tomorrow is the day to go up the highest mountain yet, 4500 ft., Blood Mountain. But after that we¢ll get our first real shower at the Walasi-Yi Center in Neel¢s Gap. The weather calls for rain tonight and tomorrow, a change from the perfect weather we¢ve had.Karen
Date: 2003-03-29
From: Miller Gap 

To: NeelÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs Gap (Walasi-Yi Hostel)
Miles today: 7.0

Karen and I made it to Blood Mtn. And Neel¢s Gap today. Tonight we are staying at the hiker hostel at the Walasi-Yi Center at Neels Gap. I don¢t mind spartan, but this place is a little¢¦grubby. Last night we had a beautiful campsite in Miller Gap, a few miles west of Woody Gap. Karen woke me up at 3 AM to tell me to listen to what was going on outside of the tent. Coyotes, or what sounded like coyotes, were running up and down the gully we were staying in. When we woke up at 7 AM this morning, you could still hear a few faint howls in the distance, plus a pair of owls and some woodpeckers.Hiking the AT can be expensive. The stores that are accustomed to seeing thru-hikers jack up the prices accordingly. At Walasi-Yi, a can of tuna cost $2.49. So Karen and I have resorted to looking for the dest price/calorie/weight ratio. The winner, by a landslide, are moonpies. Of course, you can¢t subsist on moonpies (can you?), so powerbars, at 240 calories per &1.69 are the next best thing. Moonpies wiegh in at 400 calories per $.75.Tomorrow, we are going ahead to Low Gap, about 11 miles away. Hopefully we won¢t hear any coyotes tonight, probably just amorous hikers.Dan
Date: 2003-03-30
From: NeelÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs Gap (Walasi-Yi Hostel)

To: Low Gap
Miles today: 10.6
Weather: broken clouds

Last night there was a storm in the mountains of Georgia. There was about 0.5 inches to 2 inches of snow on the ground and tree. There was about a 20 mph wind and high 30's, rather chilly. The terrain was pretty easy today, mostly flat with a few bumps.Low Gap shelter is pretty small, but there's already about 4 people here with a few more on the way.Karen