morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2006-07-05
From: West Carry Pond

To: Little Bigelow
Miles today: 7.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Wednesday   I couldn't hack it today. I woke up this morning after the shittiest night in a lean-to yet. The "no-see-ums" were out in full force, & yet it was too hot to completetly cover myself up in my sleeping bag, so it sucked. It also rained torrentially intermittently thorughtout the night, which woke people up as well. Van Go was next to me, & he got up in the middle of the night to set up his tent b/c the bugs were driving him nuts, then(!!) he got caught in a downpour so he came back in the lean-to, & then a little bit after that he went back outsde to take his chances w/ the rain. Haha. The bugs were that ridculous.   Anyway, so when I awoke this morning-as per usual-I didn't feel like moving at all. Tin Man & Anglia were hours gone by the time I arose. This vicious cycle of mine must be stopped. Van Go left after a bit, but Laurent slept in, which meant that Ben hung out awhile, & for that I was grateful. I actually took off a bit before they did, but it must've been 10:30 at least. Terrible. Oh, as a sidenote, the guy Seth from D.C. who was in the lean-to w/us was awesome. He's a lawyer who realized it sucked, so now he hikes for a living. He smoked with Ben, Van Go, & me by Carry Pond. Note to self: Smoking before hiking makes for a slow yet short day, & is not a good idea.   The plan had been to stop for a break at Little Bigelow lean-to 7 miles away, then to tackle Little Bigelow Mtn for a 12 mile total day, so I wouldn't have to do the Bigelows on the same day. But that tragically fell through. It was so nice sitting at the campsite, & Laurent played the guitar & we smoked & hung out & I sat there watching everyone wishing I could adequately capture my happy feeling in words. Next I went nuts & ate half my food, a decision I would quickly come to regret. Was it the munchies, or was it my hiker appetite officially kicking in? Perhaps a bit of both.   So when Ben & Laurent were ready to push on, I pretty much couldn't move, so I stayed. I kinda wish I would've pushed on, mostly b/c I love being around B & Laurent, but I guess a little extra rest never hurt anybody. I went to bed early, with Moses, Aaron, Van Go, & a cool guy named Jason hanging out around me. Jason helped build this lean-to I'm sleeping in, & he spent a lot of time on this mountain as a child. His Grandpa was a "Mainetainer." I think he's up here purely for sentiments sake. Good guy.                  ~Kerouac- The privy at the Little Bigelow lean-to had 2 toilet bowls in one outhouse so you could share your most intimate moments w/your new hiking friends.
Date: 2006-07-06
From: Little Bigelow

To: Horn Pond
Miles today: 10.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Thursday   No Stratton for me tonight, dammit. The Bigelows kicked my ass. I shouldn't have done both (& they have 'horns' you have to climb too!) in one day. I mean, I shouldn't have set myself up so that I would have to. & I SHOULDN'T HAVE EATEN ALL MY FOOD! It was cold Ramen for me today, baby, because that was abt all that was left. I did have just enough self-discipline yesterday to save one Snickers & a granola bar, but those were hardly able to combat this ridiculous(!!) hunger I'm experiencing & I finished the rest of my jar of peanut butter at breakfast. Damn damn damn.   But the views today were nice. :-) With Jason's help, I could see the first peak on Bigelow from the top of Little Bigelow, so once I was on Avery Peak it was neat to look back & feel like I'd actually done some climbing. There's actually a caretaker who lives on the mountain b/w the 2 peaks, so that was kind of cool. I felt strong going up & down Little Bigelow, but by the time I came close to Avery my feet were already aching-& even though my pack felt insanely light. Guess it's that damn food & water that really weigh me down.   My right ankle & left quad starting bugging me again after maybe 7 miles, so that sucked, but I think they lasted me longer today than they have in days past. But overall, I think today wore me out just about as much as Katahdin did. Who knew?    I'm at Horn Pond lean-to tonight w/2 nice sobo guys I met on the trail today, Marathon & Phil. Marathon let me use his stove to cook my Ramen (did I mention I'm out of denatured alcohol too?), so that was sweet. Hope to find the others in Stratton tmro. Only 5.3 more miles, & downhill, at that!                                                            ~Kerouac- There's also weird Napoleon Dynamite-like caretaker floating around here. Haha. He was weird/funny to talk to. I bet that in high school he got a lot of poon.
Date: 2006-07-08
From: Stratton, ME

To: Stratton
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Zeroed today with everyone else as we waited around for the 4th annual Stratton Plaza Hotel pig roast! Ah, the beauty of the small town life - though I can't remember there ever being a pig roast in my own small town, Magnolia, Ohio. And Maine is certainly prettier than the Midwest. But yeah - so we hung out at my hostel awhile until the owner yelled at Laurent for using the internet (though it was my fault really, b/c I had asked Laurent to show me some pictures of his family, & since he and B had stayed at a different hostel, I guess that wasn't cool with Don) & kicked L & B out. Van Go and I left as well. Jerk. Haha. Actually, though, I got the impression that the guy felt pretty bad after he flew off the handle. But I definitely wasn't going to stay there again, caught in the crossfire.So we hung out at a nice spot by the lake after that & swam a little & laughed a lot. B had some friends visit from Rangeley, & we hung w/them before going to the bar for some PIG. The pig was great, & it was all-you-can-eat. Needless to say, I completely gorged myself & was stuffed before 5.After that, B's stupid friends kipnapped Laurent & him to Rangeley, and I was really bummed out that they were gone. I may never see them again. That's the thing about the trail. It's so transitory.So I felt like being by myself kinda after that, and the cable TV at the White Wolf Inn sold me, so I got a $27 single room. Blondie and Van Go asked if they could sleep on the floor, which was fine by me, but I wanted to chill by myself for a little bit first, which I did. They went back to the bar for a while w/Scrambled Legs, who's also staying at the White Wolf an extra day because his brother/hiking partner Johnny Walker is sick, and I was going to join them, but the TV sucked me in, & also Van Go came back rather quickly, which made me think they might have been done drinking early. I crashed pretty early regardless, and Blondie never came back.~Kerouac
Date: 2006-07-09
From: Stratton

To: Stratton ME has sucked me in
Miles today: 0.0

ANOTHER zero today, can you believe it? It's maybe a bit sickening and perhaps was a lame idea, but it sure felt nice. I had this runny nose and a cough before, but I think that it's all gone now. & I'm not at all sore anymore, & my blisters have hardened and healed. The bottoms of my feet sort of fascinate me now. Weird, I know. But they're much tougher; the skin has thickened considerably. When I have an itch on my foot, it feels as though its buried and it's difficult to scratch. So I should be well-rested for tomorrow, to begin to tackle what I'm told is "the toughest section of the trail," the southern part of Maine. I've been hearing that a few different sections are "the toughest on the trail," though, so I'm taking things as they come. Not that I in any way doubt the difficulty of Southern Maine - it seems the most popular choice for hardest section among those in the know, after all - but for instance, Blondie's hiked a bit all over the place, and he said the 100 mile wilderness was the hardest thing he's ever done. In his life. I dunno. It seems like what's most challenging out here is in a lot of ways a personal thing. For me, at least so far, it's been more psychological - I've struggled most when I've had a bit too much down time, or not enough social contact, and I've gotten lost in my head, doubting myself. But people say the AT is a mental challenge much more so than a physical one anyway, so I certainly don't feel that I'm alone in this sentiment.To change the subject, a few more physical changes I've noticed: my chest is smaller. Damn! I think I've lost between 12 and 15 lbs, though I've probably gained something back what with the way I've been eating in Stratton. & my arms are firmer, I guess b/c I use my trekking poles so much to help me climb. Oh, and I can't forget to mention the awesome farmer's tan I've been working on.Sweet Dreams,Kerouac
Date: 2006-07-10
From: Stratton

To: Crocker Cirque Campsite
Miles today: 7.3
Weather: light rain

Had a hard time getting into it today. I woke up in my nice, comfortable hostel double bed. Watched some TV as I packed up. I wanted to get out of there a bit before 9 so I could get on the trail as soon as possible after stopping at the post office, but then I remembered that it was Monday, not Saturday (a weekday, alas!) which meant that Regis and Kelly would be on at 9. So I hung out a bit longer for that. Haha. In a way, it's almost as though TV is a primary source of connection with other females for me. There clearly isn't an overwhelming number of us on the trail, and the girls/women you do run into are almost always hiking with a boyfriend or husband, whatever. So I guess I'm kind of getting my female fix where I can, which is maybe a little sad. But America does live Kelly Ripa. And so do I.After finally forcing myself to at least make my way back out into the wild, I stopped at the post office and then proceeded to try and get a hitch to the trailhead on ME 27. It took me a little while, but 2 nice ladies en route to nearby Augusta for a shopping excursion picked me up. I was very grateful, almost as much for the female companionship as I was for the ride.Once on the trail, I was definitely struggling. I kept thinking about how nice civilization really is, and how I wanted to go back to it. I also kept thinking about how Southern Maine is supposed to be fragging hard. But a few miles down trail I ran into Lumps and Two-Step, this very nice, very young married couple from SC. They're sobo thru-hikers too, and I hiked with them and talked with them for a bit, which really helped me get back into the groove. We summitted North and South Crocker Mtn., which wasn't too bad, and we ultimately ended up staying at Crocker Cirque Campsite together. I set up my tent, managed to avoid the imminent rain, and enjoyed my company. At one point, Lumps was talking to me about the next day's hike, and then suddenly said something about how he was having wicked deja vu. He said he'd seen me sitting there next to my tent just the way I was before, except that a dark-haired guy who was "bigger than" he was had been sitting next to me. Maybe it was DJ!? It rained a little after I was in my tent, but I was sweet abd stayed dry.Love,Your Mom
Date: 2006-04-08
To: Started my journal!
Miles today: 0.0

Well, I've officially created my trail journal account. I think this step, more than any other so far, makes it seem as if I'm really going to hike the AT! I'm really excited, and I can't believe that I'm leaving in 3 days. It just seems so crazy. I've thought about doing this, and wanted to do it for so long, that I'm having a hard time believing that it's reality.My list of things to do is still really long. At heart I'm a procrastinator, and so as usual, I still have lots of things left undone. My mail drops are nowhere near ready and I'm still dehydrating vegetables. I've got most of my gear together - but there's lots of loose ends to tie up. It'll all get done though! It has to. =)
Date: 2006-04-13
To: About myself
Miles today: 0.0

So I should probably let you all know a little bit about myself, for those of you who don't already know me. I am 24 years old, and I recently graduated (Jan, 2006) from Lawrence University in Appleton, Wisconsin. There, I spent five and a half years majoring in trombone performance and instrumental music education. At some point in my life I would like to play trombone in a military band and also teach middle school band.As for what I've been doing since college, I went to work at the Appalachian Mountain Club (where I've worked in the summer before), and from there decided to do the trail this year. For as long as I can remember, I've wanted to hike the Appalachian Trail. I'm not really sure if I have a reason, at least not one that I can describe, I just know that I do.I want to say a quick thank you to everyone who has been encouraging me and supporting me in my effort to do this. Without all of your love and encouragement, I'm not sure I would've had the guts to pull this off this year. Thanks!!!!!!
Date: 2006-04-13
To: Hiker Hostel
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

I'm finally in Georgia. After a 28-hour bus ride (including layovers), I'm here. The bus ride was extremely interesting. Usually when I travel cross-country, I do so on the plane, which feels so disconnected. On the bus, I saw up close all the places I was going through, and some of them made me think a lot. Driving through New York City, the bus when through the Bronx, then Harlem, then the Julliard area, then finally to the bus station. To see the juxtaposition of all the different cultures was thought provoking.Another interesting thing about the bus is that once I got to Harford, CT, I was one of only two or three white people on the bus. Everyone else was black. There are VERY few times in my life when I've been in the racial minority. It was a very different experience. And although they may never see, thank you to the family who I was sitting near. They were wonderful and helped me laugh and keep my sanity through the long bus ride!Anyways, the hiker hostel is absolutely gorgeous! The people are fabulous, and I couldn't ask for a nicer location (the hostel/house is amazing) or day. I ate lunch on the back porch in a tank top, looking out over the mountains of Georgia with the sun shining down on me. I can't recommend this place enough!I'm really nervous about starting tomorrow, but the guys at the hostel are helping to put me at ease, giving me little tips and pointers and just being nice. One of them "Old Man," from '04, is going to look at the stuff in my pack later, and help me determine if there's anything I don't need. I weeded out one thing already, and possibly two more - I'm going to consult with him first.I'm going to go enjoy the nice weather outside now, but I'll update my journal when I get to another internet spot....after I've started the trail of course!
Date: 2006-04-14
To: About to Leave
Miles today: 0.0

Well, it's 8am on Friday morning. I'm leaving in a few hours. I had a fabulous time last night with a bunch of people. We went into Dahlonega for dinner, then I went to Walmart where they had Squeeze Parkay (I'm the happiest person in the world now!) After that, came back, talked and repacked my pack several times. I haven't officially weighed it yet, but I already cut a little out of it....so we'll see. This morning, breakfast was fabulous, and now I'm just waiting. Hope to hear from all of my friends soon. My email's always open!
Date: 2006-04-14
From: Springer Mountain

To: Hawk Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 7.6
Weather: clear sky

This is a disclaimer. I write in my journal while I'm out on the trail, then I just type it directly into a computer. Sometimes it might be a little convaluted, but I hope you all get the drift of how my days are and how I'm feeling.Well, it's my first day out. Trying to write this while conversation's flying at the shelter. At first I thought I would be all by myself. I got here at 4pm, and I was cooking by 4:45pm. There was no one else here, so I was a little sad. However, people started showing up, and now there are 6 other people here. Four of us are sharing the shelter, and three women are camping. It was a gorgeous day out today. I started out about 9am with Bob, who stayed with me at the Hiker Hostel. We climbed the .9 miles to Springer (headed south on the AT), then we took some pictures and headed out. I hiked by myself pretty much all day, crossing paths with lots of people. I ate lunch at the first shelter I came to (Stover Creek Shelter). Feeling fabulous about the hike! After the shelter, though, the path started uphill and the trees got thinner and the day hotter. I got kinda hot and tired, and was VERY happy when I got to the shelter. I shared my dinner with someone else because it was too much for me, and I've been hanging out with everyone since. Time to go to bed now, as it's getting dark. I'll write more tomorrow. Can't wait for what tomorrow will bring!
Date: 2006-04-15
From: Hawk Mountain Shelter

To: Gooch Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 7.6
Weather: overcast clouds

Today was a very interesting day. I woke up feeling stiff, but great! However, I ran into a slight problem. While trying to get the Compeed patch off my blister (it was already partially coming off), I ripped the skin off my blister....not the smartest move ever. It's on the back of my heel, so I put a band-aid on, duct-taped it, and hoped for the best!The day was crazy hot, probably mid-80's, and I had to go 6 of my 8 miles before I could get any water. The trees were sparse, and the sun was relentless. Passed several GA AT trail crews on the way, which was nice, and I got some nachos and cold salsa from someone else's car resupply person. That was nice. Sassafras Mountain was a killer though! Very steep! My blister really started to hurt towards the end, and I'm having shooting pains from a tendon area in my ankle. Today was not my day for feet, so hopefully tomorrow will be better! Gooch Mountain Shelter (my evening shelter of choice) is very nice. Two levels and very clean. =)
Date: 2006-04-16
From: Gooch Mountain Shelter

To: Wood's Hole Shelter
Miles today: 12.4
Weather: broken clouds

It's currently lunchtime - I stopped at Woody Gap after 5 miles to access the situation of my feet. While my blister's feeling fine, the side tendons in both my legs are absolutely killing me! I think I will loosen my boots and try to go on though. It's funny though, for the first time in my life I enjoy hiking up more then I do hiking down. It feels better on my feet and legs.As I was writing that first part, I got some trail magic! An elderly gentleman came up to me and asked if I'd like some water (which I did). I went down to his car to get it, and then his other companion offered me a cold soda. So tasty! We chatted for a few minutes, and now I'm back to writing this...with a soda!Last night I was feeling kinda low for the first time. There were 5 other thru-hikers with me for dinner, and all of them had done more mileage in their 1st day then I had done total. They were bonding, and I just didn't seem to fit into the group. Today, I'm happy being on my own again though, and I'm sure I'll meet some people (hopefully thru-hikers) who want to hike my speed.I was on the trail by 8:10 this morning...not bad. I had a sketchy run-in with a large, unidentified bug on my pillow last night, but otherwise I slept fine. Hiking's going well, but I hope my feet get better. Oh well, it's Easter Sunday and I'm trying to look on the bright side of things. I'll write more tonight when I stop.Okay, well somehow I fixed my boots so my legs didn't hurt. However, my feet started hurting because by loosening the tops of the boots, my toes could hit the end when I walked downhill. Oh well, it was better then the other alternative. I kept pushing on my saying "I'll only got hte next water source, mountain top, etc." and I finally made my original goal of Wood's HOle shelter. Absolutely exhausted, so I'm going to bed now. SHOWER AND LAUNDRY TOMORROW!!!!!!
Date: 2006-04-18
From: Neel's Gap

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

Today was long, and my feet hurt - but it was a good day! It started out foggy and cool - which was just fine by me! My first 30 minutes, I went uphill non-stop 'cause it was so cool. It rocked! The sun eventually came out though, and I even ended up with a little more sunburn. Wildcat Mountain was a Bitch to climb, though I ate lunch at the top, which was nice. =)Met a nice guy from Germany who's hiking with his family, a guy from New Zealand (Frank), another guy (John) and a girl (Melissa). Too dark to write anymore. Here's to either an easy day or a day from HELL tomorrow!
Date: 2006-04-19
From: Low Gap

To: Blue Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 7.2
Weather: overcast clouds

Well, as for my prediction for today, both points were accurate. It was an easy day mileage-wise, but the weather left something to be desired. It was cloudy and cool for most of the morning. Then I looked down into the valley, and the valley just turned a combination of black, yellow and green almost instantly. I said, "hmmmmmmmm....maybe I should put my packcover on." So I started to do that, and it started to rain. By the time I got the rain cover on my pack, the lightning was so close I had to stash my pack away from me (since part of it's made of metal). I went away from it and crouched enxt to a BIG fallen dead tree. It starte raining, then raining harder, then HAILING!!!! Probably about the size of pencil erasers (the hail was.) They hurt. A lot!!! I was freezing, the storm kept picking up, and I was all alone. I was really scared, and I really wished I wasn't by myself.After about 15 minutes, when I was trying to decide whether I should stay away from my pack and die of hypothermia or go near it and die from being hit by lightning, the storm was far enough away that I could get my pack on and continue. I put on my rain jacket and my gloves (thank you White Mountains for teaching me to carry gloves). There were still a few lightning scares, but I finally made it the last mile uphill to the shelter. John, Frank, Melissa and Dave were already there, and they welcomed me! Because the next shelter was 7 1/2 miles away and because there was more hailstorms expected - I decided (along with everyone else), to stay there.We've been talking and laughing ever since, and it's been lots of fun. I'm feeling a little confused about what I want to do though. I like the three thru's I'm with, but they're ineterested in larger miles then I am right now. I don't know whether to keep up with them or not. I'd really like to get a group to hike with, but I'm just not sure. I'll have to figure it out soon, but not right now.