morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2004-08-15
From: Upper Goose Pond Cabin

To: Dalton MA
Miles today: 20.6
Weather: broken clouds

Wake, smell PANCAKES, I pack up. But by the time I get to the table all the food is gone !!!   &%$#$ bunch of hog¢s !!! I¢m livid, so pissed off. I immediately leave for the town of Dalton MA, 20 miles away!!I¢m out of food, this is going to be a very long day. Thank God the walking is easy. Meet a Ridge Runner, he asks where I stayed and were the pancakes good? I told him they sure smelled good !!Long, long day, I stop for nothing. The incentive to get to town to eat is pushing me hard. Meet two south bounders, one of them has a Mohawk hair cut.Easy climbing up Warner Mountain. Get to a road crossing. There is a cooler with soft drinks, I guzzle down two of them, I need the carbs badly. I can instantly feel my speed pick up.I¢m being powered by the thought of food, and the thought of me and ¢Gather¢ fussing, he¢s changed.I finally get to town, walking down the sidewalk, a man sweeping his porch. Asks if I¢m hungry! We talk, I learn that he¢s Tom Larvardi, he lets hikers sleep on his porch and tent in his yard.He says I¢ve got some ice cream. He goes inside and comes out with a huge glass dish with ice cream, whipped cream and banana¢s. I want to cry!! The he says I¢ve got some pasta and meat sauce cooking !! I eat a big plate of that also. Wonderful trail magic / Trail Angel !!!I decide to sleep here tonight. Two south bounders are here. ¢Harry¢ soon comes in. I think ¢Gather¢ is staying at the Kay Wood Lean-To which is about three miles from town.Rob Bird comes by, he is a fellow that takes in walkers. He and Tom are good friends. He asks, ¢I¢m looking for Slimer and Gather¢. I¢m surprised, it seems he is expecting us!! I inform him about Gather¢s birthday. My plans are to get him a cake, but I don¢t know how long he will be in town.I¢ve got so much to do. I didn¢t plan on staying here a full day. Need to keep moving to beat the weather. Rob Bird tells us to come over in the morning. He soon leaves. ¢Harry¢ and I go to a Pub to eat (I¢m still hungry), come back to Tom¢s and settle down ¢¦¢¦¢¦¢¦¢¦¢¦¢¦¢¦¢¦¢¦¢¦¢¦..Transcribers note:8/21/2004We received this part of the journal in yesterdays mail. It will probably be a week or so before Slimer mails the next portion home. At this time they are in Manchester Center VT, and were still hiking together (I think) as of the 19th of August. However I don¢t think they will stay together. They each have their own hiking style, wants and needs. One wants to push hard, the other wants to enjoy the trail. One has a large pack, the other a small pack. It will be difficult for them to stay together. We are hoping they will, but doubt it seriously. They both have their own hike, their own mission / goal. They are brothers and love each other, but that does not mean they will stay together on the trail. It's every man for himself out there.Thay are coming into the good stuff now (very rugged and remote) what they have done so far was just a warm up to what is ahead of them. Goose Pond Cabin to Dalton MA   20.6 milesGodspeed and good luck to the both of them on their journey north
Date: 2004-08-16
From: Dalton MA

To: Dalton MA Zero day
Miles today: 0.0

8/16/2004SlimerWake, my feet were in Harry¢s face all night long. Sometime in the middle of the night I let loose with a ¢RIPPER¢! I¢m sure everyone heard it, at this point I don¢t care.It¢s a strange feeling sleeping on strangers porch. Harry and I head down to the deli for breakfast. Several south bounders are there. We eat slowly, suddenly Harry jumps up and says, ¢there¢s Gather¢! Sure enough he¢s just come into town. We motion him over, he eats with us. I¢m still trying to figure out how to get my hands on a birthday cake.Gather says he¢s going to the Shamrock Inn. I¢m going to see Rob Bird. Me and gather are standing outside the Shamrock Inn. Rob pulls up in his van, Harry is with him. I¢m going to Rob¢s to see everyone.Rob Bird tells me he has bought a ice cream cake for Gather, and that he¢s throwing a birthday party for him. Rob is the ¢MAN¢ !! We all go shopping in nearby Pittsfield. Rob picks out the perfect Birthday cake for Gather.We head back, drop by a sub shop and get sandwiches. My sandwich was the best sub sandwich I have ever had!! Rob brings me back to his house, then goes to pick up Gather.They arrive in short time, we are all in the kitchen. Gather walks in, everyone starts to sing ¢Happy Birthday¢! He is truly surprised! Delicious cake, a wonderful evening, with wonderful people.Rob Bird and Tom are truly two wonderful gentleman. After the party I head back to the Shamrock with Gather. We soon fuss and bicker with each other. Settle in for the night, I sleep on the floor of course!!Dalton MA Zero daySlimer
Date: 2004-08-17
From: Dalton MA

To: Mark Noepel Lean-To
Miles today: 13.7

8/17/2004SlimerWake fairly late, the floor of the room is littered with gear. We walk to Angelina¢s sub shop for sandwiches. I buy what is called a ¢Whoopie Pie¢! A big devils food cake is what it is. We eat heartily. We have errands to do before we go back into the ¢Green¢. We also want to say goodbye to Rob.We walk over to his Shell station, take some pictures, he gives us both big hug¢s. I damn near cry!We walk the trail out of town, head into the woods, it¢s hot, my packs heavy. I simply have no motivation or energy. Gather is way ahead of me. I sit down on a log and reflect upon many things. I begin to get depressed. I feel that maybe I should go home, I miss my family.It is then that I thought about the hug that Rob gave me and the picture of us on the summit of Mt. Katahdin he wants. I pick my rump up off that log and start digging!!Soon I go by Gore Pond , lots of beavers here. I come to the Cobbles, I find Gather here taking a break. Soon descend into Cheshire MA. We stop and eat lots of ice cream. We walk through town. We see ¢Harry¢ setting on a bus stop bench. He¢s going home, his dog is dying and he wants to spend some time with his pet. I have the utmost admiration and respect for hid decision. That tells me what Harry is made of!I just hope he is able to return and finish his trip. We say our goodbye¢s and he is gone. Me and Gather are quiet for the rest of the day.We begin to climb Mt. Greylock 3,491 feet. Parts of the trail are quite steep, very muddy. Our goal is the Mark Noepel Shelter. Today will be a 14 mile day. Not bad considering we left town at noon time.Get to shelter, Ranger Jan is there. Gather decides to pitch his tent. I almost decide to press on for the summit. But I¢m calling it a day. After a supper consisting of leftover sub, I settle in.SlimerDalton MA to Mark Noepel Lean-To 2,800 ft   - 13.7 miles
Date: 2004-08-18
From: Mark Noepel Lean-To

To: Seth Warner Shelter
Miles today: 16.5
Weather: clear sky

8/18/2004SlimerEarly rise today. Sometime during the night ¢Pacemaker¢ and ¢Night-Ryder¢ come in. Hiking Beaver leaves out first. I eat a few bagels with peanut butter and then hit the trail.I was expecting Greylock to be a tough climb, it wasn¢t bad at all, just a few steep spots. Trail is nothing but mud. I slip off a rock and my feet goes two feet in down in the mud! I¢m pissed, I yell out a few colorful words!! Then pull myself out of the mud. Just then I meet two day hikers. They said that they had heard a strange sound. They said perhaps it was a moose, what they heard was me ranting and raving about the mud fiasco!!Get to Greylock summit. Impulse stayed in the Hostel there with Doc Gnarly. This Hostel is part of a garage, the other half of the garage is food storage for the lodge. Someone left the food storage door wide open, I walk in, all kinds of food!! That¢s a big mistake leaving that door open with all the hungry thru-hikers in the area!Take a break at the lodge with Impulse, then hit the trail. Very steep decent into Adams MA. Trail takes me through a residential area. I walk by looking at the houses wondering what it¢s like to live here. I take a break at a intersection. Pacemaker is being dropped off by a local after going to the grocery store. We talk a little, then he heads up into the ¢green¢.His buddy Night-Ryder gets a ride to the store. Impulse and Doc Gnarly show up. As Night-Ryder rides by he yells out ¢Hey Doc¢! all the locals just look, I start laughing.We three walk about a mile to the grocery store, I really don¢t need anymore food, but I need a break from the monotony. We go nuts in the store, buy all kinds of food! Doc Gnarly makes a bee-line for the liquor store. We sit outside the store and eat, food all over our faces. We feel like kings! We are having a blast. Gather shows up, people just look and shake their heads.We spent too much time here, but we¢re so stuffed we can¢t get up off the bench. Off we go groaning and moaning. Soon climb back out of town, go through a section of tough rocks. The mud is what slows us down.Finally cross into Vermont! Yahooooo!! Another state down. Get to Seth Warner Shelter. Ranger Jan is here, gather is setting up his tent.It¢s dark, suddenly we hear a loud crash over by Gather followed by a barrage of cuss words. It seems that Gather has chosen a rotten limb to hang his food bag from!! We¢re tired! Settle in, 17 miles today. Not bad considering how long we stayed in town.SlimerMark Neopel Lean-To ¢ to Seth Warnet Shelter ¢ 16.5 miles
Date: 2004-08-19
From: Seth Warner Shelter

To: Goddard Shelter
Miles today: 21.6
Weather: haze

8/19/2004SlimerWake leave late. The trail in Vermont is nothing but mud. The mud bogs you down. Gather curses the mud for most of the day. I¢ve noticed that the climbs are increasing. See many beautiful beaver ponds everywhere. I take a break at one of them. Doc Gnarly soon ambles by, we sit and talk. He tells me that there are moose around here.Gather soon wanders up. I head out after a while, something crashes through the woods! I see a moose, this is one damn big animal! I soon see moose tracks through-out the trail.Get to the Congdon Shelter, a chipmunk flitters right up to my feet and stares. I feed him a little of my Pro-max energy bar, the chipmunk packs his jaws full and runs off, he will soon be juiced up!Finally get to VT ¢ 9 Bennington, a lot of hikers have been going into Bennington, I¢m skipping it. I watch a man fly fish in a nearby stream. The decent to the hi-way was steep, that means the climb will be steep.Get to Melville Nauheim Shelter. Night-Ryder is there resting. He does a lot of night hiking, nice guy. The next shelter is Goddard 8.8 mile hike away. It¢s getting late, I decide to try it, 4 miles later it begins to pour rain. More mud, I bet Gather is having a fit, I laugh at this.The motivation to get to this shelter is pushing me. Get there. There is just enough room for one more. The people there are not eager to make room. Finally I say fellows someone¢s gotta move over because I¢m not sleeping out there in the rain! They slowly move to make room. This is the problem I have with shelters, you have to deal with other people, their snoring etc.Settle in, fog and mist whizzing by ¢¦¢¦SlimerSeth Warner Shelter ¢ to ¢ Goddard Shelter ¢ 21.6 miles
Date: 2004-08-20
From: Goddard Shelter

To: Stratton Pond Shelter
Miles today: 19.4
Weather: light rain

8/20/2004SlimerWake, pack, leave late. Impulse leaves first. It¢s beginning to get cold. I think ¢What am I doing here¢ again. Am I having fun yet ?I have no clue as to where Gather is. My goal today is William B Douglas Shelter, 24.4 miles. Gonna be a long day. Trail is very rooty and muddy. Again I question myself as to , why I¢m here. Homesickness creeps back in. it can only creep in so many times before something happens.Moving fast today, stop for nothing. Moose tracks are everywhere. Get to Stratton mountain trail head. See two cars with Maine tags, this is a little bit of inspiration. Pleasant climb up Stratton in heavy rain (3,936 ft). Near the top, meet two south bounders from Raleigh NC. They said the weather across Mount Washington was rough. 60 mph winds, 40 degrees. They said not to use pack cover because it will get blown away.Get to top of Stratton mountain, it¢s a near white-out, high winds, clouds. I stop at the care takers cabin. The lady says bad weather is coming tonight, and to try to get to shelter. Beside the cabin is a fire tower, I climb it. Nearing the top I¢m blasted by viscous gusts. I quickly descend.2 12 mile walk down hill to Stratton Pond Shelter, get there. A couple is there for the night, their doing the long trail, 254 miles. Eat quickly for it¢s getting cold out. Impulse comes in, rain starts coming down heavy. Where is Gather? Not in his tent I hope.Shelter not crowded at all tonight, good company. I¢m resting, I¢m thinking of my family, I want to be with them so much. It doesn¢t seem selfish for me to be out here, almost irresponsible. I try to push these demons aside, but I just can¢t. it¢s not as if I can switch it on or off as with a light bulb. Every day I think about Jerry, Junior, Tom, Gary and all those guys, they are like family to me. I settle in to the sound of heavy rain ¢¦¢¦¢¦.SlimerGoddard Shelter to ¢ Stratton Pond shelter ¢ 19.4 miles
Date: 2004-08-21
From: Stratton Pond Shelter

To: Manchester Center VT
Miles today: 10.0
Weather: moderate rain

8/21/2004SlimerWake, it¢s pouring, Impulse just groans. The long trail hikers simply abandon all hope for today. The trail has turned into a stream. Get moving. I¢m out of food, going to try to get to Manchester Center VT. Rain all day long. The streams are quickly rising. I¢m hungry, the rain is a very cold rain.This can be a dangerous situation. The mud is beginning to mentally affect me. I curse it to no end. I¢m constantly slipping and sliding all day long. The energy used for each step is completely wasted. Basically I¢m spinning my wheels, slow going. I step into a hole and go up to my knee in mud! I¢m pissed off, will someone please tell me what I¢m doing here?Manchester Center is 5.5 miles off the trail, going to have to hitch. This is not good, I¢m soaking wet, it¢s pouring rain, I¢m muddy, who¢s going to give me a ride in these conditions?I finally get to VT 11-30 (the highway into town). I just start walking, very busy highway. I¢m getting quite cold. I still don¢t know where Gather is, I¢m guessing he¢s about two hours behind me. Pickup trucks zoom by, no one stops! I begin to curse, these wretched people!About three miles later a beat up Ford Ranger whizzes by, a hiker is curled up into a ball in the bed, he looks cold, but he¢s got a ride. I watch them disappear thinking to myself, ¢that lucky bastard got a ride¢.I walk 5 miles in this mess, stop at a ¢Welcome to Manchester¢ and begin to curse it! I soon stop at a restaurant, talk to a fellow about directions, he says get in. He¢s driving a new Mercedes SUV, very expensive. I look rough, he says he understands.He recently retired from teaching film at a University. Says he did a film in NC, ¢A Preachers Life¢. Wonderful person he is.He takes me to the Sutton Place, (boarding house type dive). Manchester Center VT is a very busy tourist town with lots to do. Lots of high rollers live here.I first shower, walk out of bathroom, Gather is standing there! He says he saw me come in. How can this be? He was behind me! Says he¢s been here for an hour!My mind is trying to calculate this? Ah, yes, I remember the Ford Ranger with the hiker in the back. It was Gather that got the ride! That little shit! He says he didn¢t see me! We laugh about this (actually he laughs, I don¢t).Head to town to do errands, get food, make calls. Here we are two of the biggest rednecks in a very ritzy town! We just bump around town exploring. Getting late, we¢re still out on the town.I hear someone yell out ¢HEY SLIMER¢! very loud. But I don¢t recognize the person, go back and settle in ¢¦¢¦¢¦SlimerStratton Pond Shelter to ¢ Manchester Center VT Trail Head ¢ 10.6 miles
Date: 2004-08-22
From: Manchester Center VT

To: Manchester Center VT
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

8/22/2004SlimerChilly overnight, even in the house, but good sleep non- the- less. I hear Gather fussing with his gear. We stuffed ourselves last night at a good restaurant , desert and all.I can barely get out of bed. Perfect day, blue sky all around. Gather is hell bent on leaving first thing. I have to wait on the outfitters to open. I can already feel myself being sucked into the vortex of town again.We head down town to eat. Then we call home, everything is fine. Gather and I start arguing, he heads for the trail. After some serious thinking I decide to zero.Once again I feel guilty, I should be in the ¢green¢. But I got too much to do today. Go to Mountain Goat Outfitters expecting to buy s new pair of Montrail Hard Rocks, but the store is out of my size! I¢m pissed! Go to E.M.S. and reluctantly buy a different brand. Very concerned switching shoe brands in the middle of a long distance walk.Get back to room, 3 south bounders have arrived, ¢Cobweb¢ ¢Giddy-Up¢ and ¢Commando¢. Giddy-Up has cut off her pony tail and is carrying it in her pack. She says it¢s too heavy! That girl is hard-core.I feel bad knowing that Gather is out there and I¢m here. But some things you can¢t change. I¢m trying to remember a line from the movie ¢Cool Hand Luke¢ in which the Warden explains to the prisoner that some people just can¢t change. I can¢t remember the exact quote, but it¢s very true. I can be very difficult to be around and I realize that.I settle in, lay awake a long time thinking about this ¢¦¢¦¢¦¢¦¢¦¢¦¢¦¢¦¢¦Manchester Center VT ¢ Zero day
Date: 2004-08-23
From: Manchester Center VT

To: Lula Tye Shelter VT
Miles today: 19.2

8/23/2004SlimerWake early, the south bounders are dead asleep. I need to get moving today. I settle up with the Inn Keeper. I walk to the store and get breakfast. Mail my old shoe¢s home, for some reason mom wants them. I sure wish I could get the same type I that I had.I go to the drug store hoping to buy a cheap watch, there are no cheap watches there. As I eat at the store, a fellow offers me a ride back to the trail. Much easier getting out of town than getting in. He explains to me that the Orvis Company basically made Manchester what it is today. Orvis is the name in fly fishing equipment. On the way out of town we pass by the Orvis head quarters.Get to the trail head. Someone is dropping ¢Doc Gnarly¢ off. We sit and talk a while. He pulls out a big can of Budweiser from his pack and chugs it down!I hit the trail. Absolute beautiful day. Meet some trail crews doing trail work. Get to Bromley Summit (3,260 ft). Nice 4 sided shelter at the top. The ski lift is right beside it. The rescue crew¢s use this shelter in the winter.I descend the summit, come to a trail head, very drowsy day. I nap heavily. Am awakened by a noise. A big Labrador dog is about to give me sugar! The owners call their dog. I¢m laughing.Meet a black guy named ¢Sarge¢ he¢s skipping a large section. Says he¢s sick of the mud. Very southern he is, New Orleans is his home. Ah yes, I¢m not the only southern person here today. I get homesick listening to his accent.I was going to camp tonight, but weather has moved in. I get to Peru Peak Shelter, it¢s full! I push on to the next one. I meet some guys camping, they say the other shelter is full also! I know of another shelter, but it¢s a mile off the trail. It begins to rain, I decide that¢s where I¢m going.Easy flat walk, shelter is empty except for a bat. Getting cols, settle in. ¢¦¢¦¢¦¢¦¢¦.Manchester Center VT ¢ to Lula Tye Shelter ¢ 19.2 miles
Date: 2004-08-24
From: Lula Tye Shelter VT

To: Upper Cold River Road VT
Miles today: 18.3

8/24/2004SlimerWake late, quite cold last night. I find it hard to climb out of this bag. Get going, pass by the next shelter. Doc Gnarly is there getting ready to leave. Walk by Lookout Pond, gorgeous lake, crystal clear water. Doc says it¢s full of trout.I set here and think about home. Get moving, I¢m not happy with my new shoes. They don¢t grip rock very well at all. I¢m going to call Montrail and see if they will ship me the Hard Rockers.Meet ¢Mustard¢ and Night-Ryder 2 south bounders. Very nice day, going to camp tonight. A lady says it¢s going to get below freezing tonight. Keep moving forward. Cross several big trout streams.I see a lady carrying a bucket, that means she¢s picking something, I investigate. She¢s picking blackberries!! Or shall I say Black Raspberries as the locals call them. I stop and eat some, really homesick now! It is impossible for me to walk past a blackberry bush without stopping. Getting late, a few steep climbs later and I¢m going to camp. Gonna be cold tonight!Lula Tyle Shelter ¢ to ¢ Upper Cold River Road 18.3 miles
Date: 2004-08-25
From: Upper Cold River Road VT

To: Tucker Johnson Shelter VT
Miles today: 13.0

8/25/2004SlimerAwake only to find my sleeping bag damp! This could have been a serious problem with the low temperatures overnight! But I¢ve got a good quality bag, very weather resistant. Slept quite well. I slept on a big flat rock, the rock retained heat so this helped out.Get going. New shoes are hurting my feet! But I keep digging. Moderate walk to Governor Clement Shelter, very old house made of stone, keep on moving. Walk down old road bed, there¢s a car in the ditch. The car has burnt to the ground. I¢m sure it was stolen, then set on fire. New model car too!Begin to climb Killington Peak (3,850 ft) long climb, trail is very steep and rooty. Foot placement is very critical here.Meet a fellow who volunteers at the ATC in Harpers Ferry WV. He said he had lunch with Gather yesterday. Gather and some others went to a store just off the trail. The store is known for it¢s soft-serve ice cream. I must have missed it !! Oh, well. Stop at Cooper Lodge Shelter, nice enclosed shelter, quite crowded. Meet a couple who asked to borrow some bug dope. The girl is from Sidney Australia.Begin descent, this takes forever. On the way down, I think of everything back home. Actually that¢s all I ever think about while walking. Gonna have to find a line of work, maybe Gary will hire me, Ha, Ha. Junior might hire me as well, Hee, Hee.Trail changes to many fir tree¢s. It has that Christmas tree smell. Get to US 4 Killington Road Crossing. I want to go into town and use the phone and get food. I quickly hitch a ride in the back of a truck. Get to store, Night-Ryder is there, he said Gather was here just a little while ago. Night-Ryder is one cool dude! Easy going and laid back. He hitches back to the trail.I get a sandwich and sit outside watching people come and go. Meet a fellow who rides in on a Harley. He stops in to eat a bit. We talk for a while. He has section hiked a lot. He soon heads back out on the road. It¢s funny I meet these people and I know I¢ll never see them again.I go back in the store and buy a ¢Whoopie Pie¢. Southerners would call this a very large devils food cake. It is instant energy!Getting late, I start walking back up towards the trail. In minutes I get a ride. This guy thru-hiked last year. Says it was pure hell for him. I bid him farewell and start digging. I decide to shoot for Tucker Johnson Shelter. The shelter is 0.4 miles off the trail, that¢s fine with me because there probably won¢t be anybody there, hope it¢s empty.Eat part of a deli sandwich, settle in listening to owl¢s hoot and screech.Upper Cold River Road ¢ to ¢ Tucker Johnson Shelter 13.0 miles