morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2003-10-13
From: cooper brook falls lean-to

To: carl a newhall lean-to
Miles today: 18.9
Weather: clear sky

hiking in autumn can be a bit tricky. everything is covered in leaves, so you can't really see where you are placing your feet. hiking in autumn the morning after it was rained is a completely different game altogether. not only is everything covered in leaves, but now the leaves are wet. and slippery. and, that would probably be why it wasn't long before i took a spill today. i stepped. my foot slipped, rolled, twisted, and i went down. and, it hurt. pretty bad. i regained my feet and did a complete rundown of myself to make sure nothing was broken. i don't think anything was, but my ankle did hurt pretty bad. i took off my boot and my sock to give it a thorough examination and noticed that it was already starting to swell. i still had full movement in it, so i knew it wasn't broken. that is a good thing. i must have just sprained it, then.after the fall things were a little slower going than usual. i guess that would explain why i had only hiked seven miles by noon. that is okay, though. no need to rush things and hurt myself even more. it was a nice day. the sun was back out and shining strong after last night's storm. i took my time and enjoyed the day. i came across lots of signs of moose today. moose tracks. moose scat. no moose, though. today is the first day of moose season, so i guess they are making themselves scarce.after taking my midday break i began the long climb to white cap mountain. i crossed paths with a few northbounders along the way- doppler, firefeet, and chick flick. i had the typical northbounder conversation with them before wishing them luck and heading on to the logan brook lean-to for a short break. the two people that look after the logan brook lean-to came by yesterday and left some tangerines for the hikers. i don't know if i've ever had a tangerine or if i even like tangerines, but you'd better believe that i took the last one.when i finally reached the summit of white cap mountain -with its sweeping views of mount katahdin, among other things- i ate my tangerine. i'll have to say that it was one of the best tangerines that i've ever had. absolutely delicious.white cap mountain and her three friends (hay mountain, west peak, & gulf hagas mountain) worked me today. when they got done working me, they worked me some more. and, then they worked me some more. it was after 7:30 by the time i finally stumbled in here. my legs have been screaming obscenities at me for the past six miles. i don't think they really work anymore. i know my ankle doesn't work and that is definitely not good. we'll have to see how things feel in the morning.
Date: 2003-10-19
From: horns pond lean-tos

To: horns pond lean-tos
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light snow

why did the hiking yesterday wear me out so much? why did that first cold snap this morning make me so sluggish when i woke up? why in the world did mark have to mention the word, pizza?all of these variables somehow formulated the equation that caused me to take a zero day today. that's right, i didn't hike a single mile. heck, i hardly even got out of my sleeping bag. i was awake at 6:30 and for some reason i still felt completely worn out. those 17 miles did a number on me. you would think that after ten hours of sleep one might feel a little rested and rejuvenated.now, i like the cold. i thrive in the cold. but, that first cold snap always gets to me every year. it kind of hits me and saps my energy. usually, after a day or so, my body will adjust and regulate itself and i will be good to go. this morning it was 25 degrees and really made me not want to do much of anything. didn't mark know that i haven't had a good meal since i started this hike? the typical food that a hiker eats is decent at best. i definitely wouldn't say that it is good. mark had to go and start talking about how he was going to have pizza when he got to town today. i want pizza. i want a burger and fries. i want anything that you don't add to boiling water to make a meal. and, i'm not supposed to be in a town for four more days.after i made the decision to not hike today, i made the decision to start coming up with a plan b. this plan b would involve some good food and me. after i finished working out the details of this new plan i spent the rest of the day relaxing, reading, writing, and napping.what a great day for a zero. it snowed off and on for most of the afternoon. i had the shelters all to myself. everyone needs a day of rest every now and then.it is going to be a cold one again tonight. that is okay, though. i will be able to handle it tomorrow. and, tomorrow i will be putting plan b into action.
Date: 2003-10-21
From: andover guest house

To: andover guest house
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: moderate rain

i could have sworn that russ, bob, and stan all told me that it was going to snow today. of course, it didn't snow. but, it did rain. it poured non-stop from around midnight until well into the afternoon. let me think about this one- hike in the rain or stay at a hostel with a roof over your head and lots of movies to watch. hmm. decisions, decisions. i think i'll take the second one.i spent most of the day reading and catching up on my journal. i did wander over to the andover general store for a while. they have pizza for 99 cents a slice. i finally had my pizza and it was delicious.i also finally broke down and watched a movie. i had forgotten all about the stellar cast that is in "a time to kill." i'll have to remember that one for the next time i'm playing the movie game.if anyone ever tries to tell you that tv doesn't rot your brain, they are lying. somehow i ended up watching tv for almost 4 hours tonight. i'm not exactly sure how that happened. don't i know that i need to be getting some sleep instead of rotting my brain so that i can hike tomorrow?apparhently not.
Date: 2003-10-28
From: hermit lake shelters

To: heading south
Miles today: 0.0

i was up early and it was so nice to see that the sun was going to come out and play today with its friend, blue sky. after packing up my gear (now probably only weighing 57 pounds since i've eaten some food), i walked up to the caretaker cabin to see about doing some work. i helped gregg for a total of about three minutes and then he said we were even. now, that's what i call a work for stay. i bid gregg a farewell and thanked him for the hospitality. he said not to mention it and thanked me for the company. on the way down to pinkham notch i crossed paths with quite a few day-hikers. i can see why they would be out on day like this. it was absolutely incredible.a quick hitch got me to the mcdonalds in gorham where i found mahoosuc reading his newspaper and drinking his coffee. we chatted for a while. he is a wealth of knowledge when it comes to the white mountains. he can tell you elevations, mileages, and trails for any location. i had a second breakfast, going with the sausage buiscut (i couldn't remember if i even likd sausage buiscuts, but these things turned out to be really good. and they were cheap).mahoosuc told me the easiest way to get to glencliff. the only problem was that it consisted of 6 or 7 roads and that's not so easy when you're trying to hitch hike. two of mahoosuc's friends showed up, ed and jim (or was it john?), and i sat and talked with them until almost noon. there is nothing more entertaining than sitting around a table with three old men, listening to them carry on about who knows what for hours on end. i said good-bye to these guys and decided to head over to the library since i was already in town and it would be open soon. it is almost like i am trying to revive this lost art that was once known as hitch hiking. i know it is a thing of the past, but i'm telling you that i'm bringing it back. and, i'm getting pretty good at it too. the first guy that picked me up on my way out of gorham asked where i was headed. i told him, glencliff, and he had no idea where that was. i asked where he was going and he said that he was headed down to massachusettes by way of I-93. i told him that was exactly the way i needed to be going, so off we went. i got dropped off in the town of north woodstock and from there i hitched a ride down route 112 to route 118. after getting dropped off at route 118 i caught a ride all the way to the post office in gencliff.so, here i am, three hitches and 101 trail miles later, at the hikers welcome hostel in glencliff. all in a days work. i'm telling you- i may just abandon the AT altogether and start hitching my way across the country. just stick my thumb out and see where it takes me. i think that might be kind of interesting. i know i would get to meet lots of interesting people doing that. i could be onto something here.yep. if this ankle thing doesn't work itself out, then i'm taking to the open road.
Date: 2003-10-29
From: heading south

To: glencliff, nh
Miles today: 0.0

if i wake up and it is raining, then chances are that i am not going to leave the comforts of a roof over my head, four walls around me, and a bed to sleep in, to go hiking. thus was the case this morning. there is no need or reason to head out into the rain. especially, if that is going o give me an excuse to sit around all day and let this ankle do the healing that it needs to be doing. (it is feeling much better at this point). big john came upstairs to the hostel this morning to introduce himself and tell me to let him know if i need anything. this place is pretty much closed down for the season. the mattresses are all stacked in the corner and the hostel is now essentially a storage unit- full of boxes, gear, and furniture. during the summer there is a bathroom facility behind the house, but the water has already been turned off to that as well. the plus side to all this is that i don't have to pay anything to stay here. the down side is that this place is no more than a glorified barn and is not really insulated, therefore making it a little drafty. but, i have a roof over my head, a comfortable couch to stretch out on, and a warm sleeping bag to snuggle up in. yes, i did just say snuggle. when you can see your breath inside, you're laying on the couch, and you want to read; the only thing you can do is snuggle up in the warm depths of your sleeping bag. so, that is what i did for most of the day. i read and caught up on the journal. when there was a break in the rain i walked down the road and used the phone. it is always nice to talk to friends while i'm out here. but, it always makes me long for home and the company of friends and family. at some point during the day i helped big john switch out and replace some doors in his house. i'm able bodied and had nothing else going on. i enjoyed helping and enjoyed the conversation. after that it was back to the couch and the reading. the rain tapered off late in the afternoon and i thought about packing up and heading to the first shelter, but then i thought better of it. so, i cooked one of my extra dinners as an afternoon snack instead- hoping that would curb my hunger until it actually was dinnertime. i think the rain has finally decided to move on. i think i will try hiking tomorrow and see how the ankle is doing.
Date: 2003-10-30
From: glencliff, nh

To: fire warden's cabin
Miles today: 20.0
Weather: scattered clouds

i have two suggestions for the doc (dartmouth outing club- maintainers of this section of trail): water bars and bog bridges. water bars work wonders when it comes to controlling, A) erosion, and B) water running down the trail. the whole purpose of a water bar (whether it is made of rocks or a half-buried log) is to divert water off the trail. if there is an area of trail that is always saturated with water and constantly underwater, muddy, or "boggy," then build a bog bridge. they seem easy enough to build. just don't go about it in the half-ass manner that i've seen some areas use. don't strip the bark from a log, throw the log down in the mud and call it a bog bridge. that would be more aptly called a death trap. when those things get wet they are slicker than ice. i know because a slipped on one today and fell into a sloppy, muddy, mixture of nasty funk that was a foot deep. wait. i fell in that today? and the doc maintains the section of trail i was hiking today? interesting. very interesting. so, one of the nice things about this daylight savings time change is that when my watch reads 6:00 in the morning, my body still thinks it is 7:00 in the morning and is ready to get up. it really helps me to get out on the trail a little earlier. i was hiking by 7:00 this morning. the sun was shining. the ankle felt good. the trail was more like a series of rivers and ponds. a great day for hiking. i was picking them up and laying them down. before i knew what was happening, i had already climbed up and over mount cube and arrived at my destination. i originally planned to cut down on my mileage today and ease back into this hiking thing so that my ankle wouldn't get angry with me. but, when i arrived at the hexacuba shelter (14.7 miles from where i started) and realized that it as still early in the day and realized how good i was feeling, i decided to push on. i descended down to a creek and was pleasantly surprised to actually see a bridge over it. after crossing the bridge i had a four-mile climb to smarts mountain. during this climb i started thinking about something- a survey of sorts. would i rather have a long, gradual climb like this one (1800 feet over 4 miles); or, a short, steep climb like the one to white cap mountain (1400 feet over 1.4 miles)? i think i would rather have the short, steep climb. i would rather go ahead and get it over with. forget this dragging it out for mile after mile. give me 500 feet in 3/10 of a mile (i.e. albert mountain). i made pretty good time covering those four miles. i made it to this old fire warden¢s cabin on smarts mountain (which is kind of creepy for some reason). twenty miles by 4:30- that's how it should be. i'd like to be able to say that i'm back, but i really won't know until the morning when i start hiking and then we can see how i'm feeling. if you were to ask me right now- yeah, i'd say that i'm back and it won't be long until i am once again a hiking machine.
Date: 2003-11-06
From: merck forest & farmland center

To: merck forest & farmland center
Miles today: 0.0

A CORD OF WOODa cord of wood measures 4 feet by 4 feet by 8 feet. this unit of measurement dates back to colonial times. it was easy for an animal to pull and easy for one person to handle.at merck forest and farmland center, the 3100 acres of forest grows a volume of wood equal to 1800 cords of wood per year- enough wood to make a stack 4 feet by 4 feet by 2.7 miles long.each year about 500 cords of wood are harvested from the forest.there are three basic qualities of wood: the highest quality is used for veneer furniture and hardwood floors, the middle quality for lumber and plywood, and the lowest quality for firewood and pulp.merck uses about 100 cords of firewood every year for the maple syrup evaporator and to heat cabins.A CORD OF WOOD WILL YIELD:-20 to 25 gallons of maple syrup in the evaporator-an amount of heat equivalent to a ton of coal or 200 gallons of fuel oil-12 dining room tables that each seat 8 people-30 Boston rocking chairs-942 one pound books-89,870 sheets of bonded letterhead paper-(and here is the kicker)- 7,500,000 toothpickspretty interesting stuff, huh? this is just a sample of all of the useful information that one can find at the merck forest and farmland center. i could spend months at this place and still learn something new everyday.this place is pretty great. tomorrow i¢ll try to dig up some more useful information to share.oh, about my day (if someone wanted to know): i called my mom and told her to mail some more chocolate chip cookies to my next mail drop location. i also told her to mail some cookies to amanda as a way of saying thanks for all of the kindness she is showing me. (not that mom¢s chocolate chip cookies could ever repay this sort of kindness and hospitality. but, they sure could come close).i mailed a letter to a friend. is it bad that i¢ve been bad about writing postcards or letters out here? shouldn¢t i be sending postcards to family and friends saying things like: ¢hey, wish you were here.¢ or, ¢i have done this and that and it has been great. too bad you can¢t be here to see it.¢ instead, i have only written to one person since i came out here. maybe that is something i should work on. i know how much fun it can be to receive mail. especially, a hand-written letter or postcard at that.and, amanda and i drove to albany, ny, to pick up her friend, todd, who flew in from michigan for the weekendlastly, i have decided to start hiking again tomorrow. still not exactly sure how i feel about that, but we¢ll see. we¢ll just play it by ear. one day at a time. sometimes that is all a person can do.
Date: 2003-01-05
To: Meteor
Miles today: 0.0

I would rather be ashes than dust! I would rather that my spark should burn out in a brilliant blaze than it should be stifled by dry-rot. I would rather be a superb meteor, every atom of me in magnificent glow, than a sleepy and permanent planet. The function of man is to live, not to exist. I shall not waste my days trying to prolong them. I shall use my time. ¢ Jack London
Date: 2003-01-11
To: Determination
Miles today: 0.0

"Expression deepens impression," is a well-known adage around the Lifestyle Center of America where I used to work in Oklahoma. I experienced this first-hand these past two weeks on my trip to Kenya. Spending the long (LONG) hours of flight time poring over the ATC literature on thru-hikes and beginning a tentative itinerary drew attention from the people around me, and I found myself stating with more and more determination my plans to hike the AT after my graduation from college in May. Reactions varied from "You could drive that a lot faster than walking, you know." to "If you finish the AT, then I'll know you're tough." to "You're an Amazon woman aren't you?" to "That's awesome." to "Do you have someone to go with you?" to "You must really like hiking." to "Five months? How boring will that be?"Still not sure how it will all work out, but if it's to be, God will open doors. He already has, in amazing ways, and I trust Him to continue.Oh, and my trip to Kenya? Awesome; indescribable; incredible; amazing. I will be going back: that will not be the last time I am in Africa.
Date: 2003-01-22
To: Simplifying
Miles today: 0.0

It's preparation, in a sense.Three and a half months left of school and I have to move. What a hassle! But I'm packing up most things to store for the long haul, as I'll use my roommates' kitchen stuff, furniture, and etc. at the new place. Moving is really just motivation to sort through and throw out - I'll shed about three bags of clothes and shoes, furniture, lawnmower, CDs, a trash bag or two... Envisioning myself hiking the Trail come May 12 makes simplifying come naturally! That's where my heart really is - on the Trail. d(You'd think I was on the Trail, with how much I've been eating... My not-so-good way of dealing with stress! If I can eat this much now, what will I be eating on the Trail!?) I'm following along, somewhat obsessively perhaps, the journal of my friend who is out there hiking right now. A short trip out this last weekend (in the snow!) reminded me how much I miss him; I know he'd be impressed with my snow-camping adventure. I've got a major case of "senioritis"...class? studying? school? What is that? I've overextended my two-years-at-a-time maximum before burnout sets in. I'm so ready to be done in May.
Date: 2003-01-25
To: Budgeting
Miles today: 0.0

Some figuring of how much I need to be able to do this thing...The Hike (May-Oct) $2000Car pmts (Jun-Nov) 900Rent post-hike (Nov) 300World Vision sponsored child (May-Nov) 182Storage (May-Oct) 150Misc gear 200Ebbe (cat food, litter, etc) (May-Nov) 90Car Ins (May-Nov) 245Health Ins - SAU coverage paid for thru August 26, then hikers' ins?Total $4027Have I forgotten anything?Now, things I can sell and anticipated value...Table and chairs$100Misc clothing 100Misc CDs 100Lawn mower 80Textbooks 75Vacuum 30Outdoor table 15Total $500
Date: 2003-02-02
To: Training, Scrambling, & Living Up to Expectations
Miles today: 0.0

My new neighborhood will be very conducive to AT training - lots of hills. My roommate and I took an hour-long walk today, climbing about eight in the process. Now to do that with my pack on! Five-thirty in the morning is still under cover of night... =) Had four things on my studying to-do list today, in what I thought would be an easy five hours. Unfortunately it took well over the five hours just to do one of them - and it is still unfinished. Now the week's to-do list seems even more insurmountable; it just never ends. My day-to-day essentials consume my energy and leave so little to maintain connections with friends from the past, to reflect on the present, or even to plan for the future. I will not spend the rest of my life scrambling to catch up, caught in a cyclone. I know it is a mindset, but days like this remind me why I want to be on the Trail - life must be simpler than this. Five months of leisure ought to alter my state of mind, and make up for the last two years of days scheduled to the minute! I have not said to anyone with absolute certainty that I AM GOING to hike the Appalachian Trail after graduation. Always it has been expressed as "I hope to be able to..." I talked with a friend on Friday who told me she had been talking to her husband about my trip. "My trip" sounded so certain, she said it with such finality; I guess that is part of the power of "Expression deepens impression." I looked and saw my non-committal attitude in the mirror, afraid of failing.How to deal with others' expectations if I do NOT hike? If I do not finish? Will I wish I had not made my dreams so vocal?
Date: 2003-02-08
To: It was just a day trip...
Miles today: 0.0

...and I didn't get very far, but my longing for the outdoors was overpowering, and at least I could pretend I was on a longer trip. Guess I've got the jones. (Thanks BW for the terminology...) So I spontaneously threw together the essentials, cinched down my Ophir as small as it would go to keep the few items from rattling around, and headed out to the Fiery Gizzard Trail. Hiked a little over two miles, perched on the edge of a cliff near Small Wilds Campsite, and watched the birds soaring below me. A waterfall was whispering through the trees off to my right, the creek babbling by about a hundred feet below me, and a tree-lined ridge lightly frosted with snow straight across. Beautiful. The sky was blue, sun shining; about 35-40*. Lunch was baby carrots and rehydrated black beans on homemade bread. Not something I'd serve at home to guests, mind you, but it satisfied me out in the wild. Hiked the two+ miles back, this time taking the climber's loop down to Foster Falls. Had my miniature hymnal and did a little trail-singing. How cheesy is that? Ah, that's the beauty of being alone, you can be as cheesy as you want.Topped off the peaceful day watching a Warren Miller Ski Movie. I have always enjoyed those - always yearned for some of the extreme adventure they portray. Had a little bit different perspective on this one as I stand on the brink of my own adventure. Oh, I may not be forging ski tracks on Antarctic mountains never before touched by the foot of man, but I'd say walking over 2000 miles is extreme adventure - at least a good place to start. Next stop: Antarctica. Oh wait, I guess I should get to Katahdin first...Harper's Ferry...Damascus...the NOC...I will head out tomorrow to do some boot-shopping. (Thanks for the birthday money Mom, Erin, and Kenny!) Hope to find a good pair soon...