morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2004-09-28
From: Carlo Col Shelter

To: Full Goose Shelter
Miles today: 4.4
Weather: light rain

Obviously a very impressive day, mileage-wise. And we didn¢t even go through Mahoosuc Notch. The Mahoosucs continue to be extremely difficult. I had thought that Mahoosuc Noth was between the last shelter and this one, so I had only planned to do four miles. The average estimate I had heard for Mahoosuc Notch was two hours, and this being me, and with my difficulty moving over rocky terrain, I figured I had to allow at least three hours. Plus my continued mile-an-hour pace on average Maine trail, and I figured four miles was a pretty good day. Camping at stealth spots is virtually impossible¢where it¢s not rocky in Maine it¢s spongy¢so shelters are pretty much the only option. To make things worse, County and I got into a fight this morning, over something idiotic¢who was going to cook breakfast, and where, so we didn¢t get off until about eleven, if it wasn¢t twelve. The school group had decided to stay at the shelter for the day after they discovered that one of the kids had stolen a stove, and the Garland Five had already taken off for the day. The hiking was relatively easy, considering, and exquisitely beautiful, as is all of Maine¢untouched rocky mountain vistas spread out for miles, in the fog and mist.Coming to the tops of peaks you could see the trail heading down and back up the next mountain, the Maine boardwalks spreading through the sludgy ground. The colors in Maine are extraordinary. The alpine moss is positively pink, the trees are in glorious color, and the overcast sky only adds to the drama of it all. I have to say, despite my misery in this terrain, that it¢s by far the most beautiful part of the trail.We ended up, after a slow, depressing, cold, and foggy¢yet breathtakingly beautiful¢day¢yet another of the trail paradoxes¢at Full Goose Shelter. No matter what anyone says, quitting after four miles of hiking feels fantastic. There¢s always that last endless mile, every day of a hike, where every step you expect the shelter and every step you¢re disappointed. Not when you hike four miles, though! The shelter popped up, homey and inviting, far sooner than I expected. The Garland Five were already there, stopping for the day, as were four section hikers who had zeroed at the shelter. We pitched and ate dinner before it even got dark. We ate about three dinners. I¢m starving nowadays, even after only four miles. County continues to be dismayed at our low mileage, even though he only hints at such to me. I¢ve reconciled myself to being a slow hiker¢he thinks I¢m just selling myself short. And I probably am¢I definitely could have hiked further today, through the Notch, if we had only started earlier. But I hate hiking after dark, and I refuse to do it anymore. If I have to have my ego bruised by going the same pace as a family of five with three preteen children, then maybe that¢s my lesson to be learned at this stage of the hike. It¢s probably easier for me to take that lesson than it is for County, veteran of 33-mile days.
Date: 2004-10-06
From: Crocker Cirque Campsite

To: White Wolf Inn, Stratton, Maine
Miles today: 7.3

So we succumbed to the lure of town, yet again. We have a very hard time walking past roads, which is probably why we¢re in such a tough spot financially as it is. But we¢re being frugal in Stratton. It was a remarkably easy hike to the road, which made it more regrettable¢we could have done some really big miles today. Camping at the official campsite was a very good idea, because it meant we were already halfway up the Crockers, another set of 4000-footers. The summits were a steep 1700-foot climb, but we were fresh, the morning was cold but clear, and the air was scented with sweet alpine pine. Plus, there was a possibility for pizza in the town.The descent was extremely easy, at least compared to the Maine terrain we¢ve come through thus far, and on the way down we encountered Regular Brian, on his way southbound towards his rendezvous with the section hikers. He was fresh from his ascent of Katahdin, which he had climbed with several of our friends, so it was great to hear his stories. And it was great to see someone we knew from the class of ¢04 who has finished their thru-hike, thrilling in a way I hadn¢t expected. And he was back on the trail¢he said he was going to end up summitting the Crockers three times¢once on his thru, twice on his way back southbound, and a third time once he met up with his friends. Lucky guy. He gave us advice about hitching and towns from here to Katahdin. He said that Stratton was an easy hitch, which made the town stop more unavoidable.County flew down the mountain yet again, doing the last four miles to the road probably 45 minutes faster than I did, and was lying in the sun, reading his book on tai chi when I got there. We debated the town question. To hitch or not to hitch? The eternal question of the thru-hiker. We decided, as we usually do, to give it a half-hour or so and if we didn¢t get a ride to head on to the next campsite. We ran across the road in front of an oncoming car and that car immediately slowed and stopped for us. So much for hiking. The driver was a young woman¢she and her husband worked at a local skiing-snowboarding high school. He was a coach and had been a professional snowboarder. You meet the most interesting people hitching. We got a room at the White Wolf Inn and scoped out the town¢it was a cool town, two general stores, a diner, a place for pizza, a couple of motels. We decided we could just afford a pizza with our remaining cash, so bought one loaded pizza, which was delicious, and some generic Cheetos for our remaining hunger. We showered and then spent the rest of the evening watching a marathon rerun of crappy reality television. Ah, civilization.
Date: 2005-03-16
To: Life in the Great Hereafter
Miles today: 0.0

The one thing I haven't really dealt with in my journal, as has been pointed out to be by some of my friends, is my relationship with County. I'm not sure that this forum is appropriate for addressing that issue, and I haven't been since I met him, which is one of the reasons I disappeared from my journal in early May. In a lot of ways I wanted him to be my secret, to be mine alone, instead of the world's at large. And I was worried about what people might think. Here I had gone out on this quest for solo female empowerment, and I end up with a boyfriend? I was supposed to do it alone!But trail relationships aren't that unusual. It seemed by the time New England rolled around that there weren't any single women left on the trail--they had all coupled up. And it seems that it's one of the best ways for thru-hikers to meet kindred spirits. Where else was I going to find someone who shared my passion for adventuring? My high tolerance for epic stinkiness and ancient accessories? A rejection of the stereotypical American dream of materialism and consumerism? A love for the pure aesthetics of nature and a spiritual appreciation that went along with that? And many people agree. That shared trail experience becomes a bedrock for many unshakeable marriages, not to mention the genesis of many babies named "Katahdin."My biggest fear in starting the trail was how it would change my life. Everyone says, "thru-hiking is life-changing," and that's frightening, not knowing how the person who finishes will be different from the much-afraid person starting. But my biggest life change is a thrilling one: I've come away with a life partner. As solipsistic as trail journals are, the pre- and post- entries are more solipsistic than any, so where else could I come clean about the thing that truly changed my life? I wouldn't have been living in Maine without County, I wouldn't be in Massachusetts now without County--who knows if I would have even finished without County. Or if I would have finished three months earlier. But as we progressed along the trail, the trail began to be about more than the trail. It began to be about us.County asked me many times if he had to get off the trail, for money concerns, or a broken leg, or anything, if I would keep going or get off with him. I'm glad I didn't have to make that decision. In many ways our getting off the trail in August for two weeks was getting "off the trail" for both of us--we were only able to return with lowered expectations and a truer sense of what the trail meant. That first night back on at Kent Pond was a pure experience. We were purely in the moment, really experiencing being out there, rather than experiencing our emotional overlay of goals and expectations. We had let go, for real, and the end of the journey didn't matter.I had to let go of MY journey to let County into my life, and into my thru-hike. As we set out now for the PCT, it's OUR journey, together.
Date: 2005-03-31
To: That's a Wrap
Miles today: 0.0

I guess this is it. My last entry. I've been dragging this on long enough. Plans for the Pacific Crest Trail progress apace, and I'm beginning to get those wacky apocalyptic dreams that indicate the onset of trail-time. I've given my notice at my waitressing job, and I'm all set to hit the trail. Aside from all the last-minute details that I'm procrastinating on, of course.But the AT. I still feel a need to figure out what it means, or what it meant. I wish I was out there. I have Springer Fever like it's going out of style. A couple of friends from last year are hiking again this year, and I'm insanely jealous as they go out and meet the new fresh-faced batch of recruits. What I love is life on the trail, the people you meet, never knowing what you'll do on a given day or where you'll end up. Never knowing where you're sleeping at night.I don't know if I can evaluate what the trail means to me. I probably never will. I know that it has changed my life. I'm completely disgusted by our culture of consumption--I feel more, by the day, that I'm going to have to withdraw completely from society and live entirely off the land. And I'm not even being kooky when I say that. I know how easy it is now. You build a log cabin, you set up some windmills, you grow a garden and get some laying hens. It's that simple. And I just don't think that long-term I can deal with our communal guilt.What else is there to say? The rest is silence. Or as a brilliant book I finished yesterday ends, "It's only the things you don't understand that you can resolve."
Date: 2006-10-10
To: The Continuing Adventures
Miles today: 0.0

In case anyone still checks back at this journal, or gets led to it somehow or other, by the whims of fate, you can check out my new website at www.casting-off.blogspot.com. Yes, it's true--County and Marzipan are endeavoring to sail around the world. Or at least that's the next adventure, until it all falls apart.See you out there!
Date: 2004-03-17
To: What makes a King out of a slave?
Miles today: 0.0

Welcome! I'm glad you stopped by to visit. I am about to take a long walk from Georgia to Maine, and thought I might dig out a favorite anthem of fortitude and resolve, and weave it into a trivia question. So for 10 points and the weekend off, can you tell what American movie the following is from, and what character delivers the following?The answer is directly below the passage, so don't peek if you can help itWhat makes a King out of a slave?What makes the flag on the mast to wave?What makes the elephant charge his tusk, in the misty mist or the dusky dusk?What makes the muskrat guard his musk?What makes the sphinx the seventh wonder?What makes the dawn come up like thunder?What makes the Hottentot so hot?What puts the "ape" in apricot?What have they got that I ain't got?Courage!A fellow from NY kindly let me know I should give proper credit for this passage above.It is from the Cowardly Lion's speech about couragefrom the Wizard of OzI think E. Y. Harburg wrote the lyrics,but whether he wrote this unsung passageI really don't know.Thank you blue jay.
Date: 2004-03-21
To: Vermeer's Paintings
Miles today: 0.0

man stands for long time with mouth open before roast duck flies in. chinese saying the other night with some friends i got to see Girl with a Pearl Earring. Wuhoww! for two hours we were transported back to 1660. We got to step inside Vermeer's paintings, to turn around and look back at him (!) and his family, and explore his house, his attic, his stairways, streets, troubles, thoughts, his very soul, their very souls. and now it's early Sunday morning, the second day of spring 2004, and it's snowing to beat the band, and out the window of my mind's eye i can see Breughel's Hunters in the Snow, the hunters with their dogs, trudging past the fire toward the skaters in the village below. there's Vivaldi's Four Seasons on the box to heighten the illusion. someone's calling out in Flemish in Pieter and Annah. fast forward to here and now, then advance a bit more. the good people where i work (and no, there are no bad ones here) are allowing me six months off to try to hike the Appalachian Trail. in two days i will be getting on a bus for Georgia. i think it's gonna be a good trip. namaste
Date: 2004-03-24
To: Rite of Passage
Miles today: 0.0

T minus 2 daysTuesday, March 24spent some time feelin' inferiorstanding in front of my mirrorcombed my hair in a thousand waysbut i came out looking just the samedaddy said, 'son, you better see the worldi wouldn't blame you if you wanted to leavebut remember one thing don't lose your headto a woman that'll spend your bread'so i got out-rod stewart, ron woodRight now I'm sitting in the front right passenger seat of a Greyhound bus in South Street Station in Boston. A train whistle is coming up loud from a lower level.Early this morning my friends Barb and John drove me to Bangor from Ellsworth to board this bus. For a lark and a laugh, I asked the bus driver if I could sit at the wheel while Barb took pictures from out in front. With a big smile, he agreed! Too much, my magic bus. Well, for sixty seconds anyway. I resisted the urge to ask him if I could actually drive for a while.For three hours Walt (the bus driver) and I traded stories (thank you for that tip about sitting up front, Robin) about dogs and wildlife and life on the road. He asked me about the trail and the risks involved. He gave me good advice and much to laugh about. When he got off here in Boston to drive a different bus home to Vermont, he shook my hand, wished me well, and said he was going to follow my progress on the Web.It's 33 hours by bus from Bangor to Gainesville, Georgia.T minus one dayWednesday, March 25It's 10 a.m. We just left Winston-Salem, N.C. The sky is cloudy, and it feels about sixty degrees. The green is deep green and I haven't seen any snow since just north of New York City yesterday.Last night a Korean woman got on the bus and sat down next to me. Her English was not very good and my Korean needs some work, but I could figure out her name was Han and she was going to Baltimore. She fell asleep soon after, with her head on my shoulder.Gainesville, Ga. bus station, 4:40 p.m.The bus driver just took off without me. Gosh dang it. I guess I'll just have to walk home now.Buenos nachos, Mike Riley
Date: 2004-03-25
To: hawk mtn shelter
Miles today: 7.6
Weather: scattered clouds

wildlife: 5 deer 3 canadian geese, 2 possum (roadkill, hey, if you have never seen the species, it counts), and 1 ostrich (at a farm)sunny and mild Josh Saint shuttled me to within .9 mi morth of summit start. We got lost on the way and stopped to ask for directions (oh yes, ladies, there ARE men who will ask for directions). i headed south to reach the southern terminus, and turned around to start the hike north about 12:30. it was warm and sunny, with a few gnats biting, but not bad. lots of duff and soft soil, very few rocks, nice way to start. pulled into hawk mtn shelter by late afternoon. fifteen people at table and tents nearby, struck up conversation with pleasant young lady at table, trail name coyote, from harpswell, maine. she had been a reporter for the brunswick times-record. when i asked her for her favorite story, she told me of a Scot named The Regurgitator who swallows and then "brings back up" things like billiard balls, live goldfish and lightbulbs. she won a MPA award for the story, and wide eyes and laughter from me. more people pulled in, including 2 sobo's, fu man and bedpan. fu man started last september and bedpan joined him in novem. they hiked thru the winter thru snow and ice. hardcore, they endured much cold and took only three days off at most. i suggested to fu man that he should be awarded Castaway (as in the movie with tom hanks) status. we had a great time trading stories. i set up my hammock near and in front of the shelter. we had a fire and traded more stories.
Date: 2004-03-26
From: hawk mtn shelter

To: gooch mtn shelter
Miles today: 7.1
Weather: broken clouds

day 2fridaysunny and mildwildlife: 2 partridge, 1 fu man, 1 bedpan7.1 miles   14.7 totalyou know it's a mad missionunder difficult conditionsnot everybody makes itto the loving cupit's a mad missionbut i got the ambitionmad, mad missionsign me up...            -patty griffin got up at five. packed, then got breakfast. bedpan and fu man came to table and remarked that in all their trip, no one had gotten up before them until me. this is their last day. it was great to share some time with them, just before their last few miles to springer summit. i got to hiking. was alone til mid-morning, when coyote caught up. we talked as we hiked. she's funny and clever and caring, es una chica muy amable. she wants to go into the peace corps. and she's very good at spanish, which i'm trying to get better at. she stopped at a brook, i went on, and promptly found a camera in the trail. 5 mins later i found the owner, fellow named newt from wichita, about 70. got to shelter about one. beautiful, new, innovative design, very nice. coyote came in with opalika from alabama, recently a bartender in nashville. radar and newt appeared. hiking bear from ny and pipesmoke from new hampshire pulls in.he mentions a woman died recently from exposure on mt lafayette. wonderful group, excellent evening.
Date: 2004-03-27
From: gooch mtn shelter

To: neel's gap
Miles today: 16.0
Weather: clear sky

day 316 mi   30.7 totalwildlife: turkey buzzards, 1 foxnice and sunny up around 4:30, saw 2 shooting stars, heard two owls. on the trail by 6. soon met bumpo from ny, with a tivo pocket pc, quite the gizmo. later i caught up with halfway, then later 552, then roberto leon. coming down blood mtn, i saw a fox run low through the rhodos, thirty feet away. pulled into mtn crossing outfitter, neel's gap about 4:30. got a bunkbed, took a shower, and got a ride in a convoy to winton's house where he put on an AYCE feast for all the hikers who paid to stay at his hostel back up in the gap. i got to meet oneleg, his wife and kids and his hiking buddy flash hand. we ate til we died, burgers, wild onions, fresh caught trout. it was A W E S O M E things are peachy here in georgiabuenos nachos,
Date: 2004-03-28
From: Dahlonega

To: Dahlonega
Miles today: 0.0

Day 4zero day in DahlonegaMid morning at Mountain Crossing Outfitters. Coyote and Opalika show up and we call Josh who comes to shuttle us to Hikerhostel. We take showers (lordy, what joy) and do laundry. Matt and Lindsay (from England) show, getting off trail. We go to Dahlonega for dinner and a great time.
Date: 2004-03-29
From: Dahlonega

To: Low Gap Shelter
Miles today: 10.6
Weather: overcast clouds

Day 5, March 29 (Monday)Low Gap Shelter10.6 mi. (41.3 total)still sunny and warmCamp with Bumpo, Blue, Arms, Roberto, 552, Craig, Opalika and Coyote. I find a saw to cut some firewood. Roberto gets a great fire going and does a fire dance as Arms plays guitar. It rains overnight but clears by morning.
Date: 2004-03-30
From: Low Gap Shelter

To: Tray Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 14.9
Weather: light rain

Day 6, March 30 (Tuesday)Tray Mountain Shelter 14.9 mi. (56.2 total)sunny, warm        Opalika, Coyote and I caught a wonderful panoramic view of northeast georgia from Blue Mountain. It reminded me of images I had seen of some parts of Africa. It looked quite rural.With Coyote in the lead we charged up Tray Mountain nonstop, in fourth gear. Found room in the shelter with Gramma Jean and Sally from Keene, NH. Rock Steady and Arms stayed over too. Again it rained through the night, but cleared by morning. Arm¢s sleeping bag is not that great and he suffers for it.
Date: 2004-03-31
From: Tray Mountain Shelter

To: Dick's Creek Gap/Blueberry Patch
Miles today: 10.6

day 716 miHiawassee,GAtrip total: 66.8 miles"...the winter's windwhich when it bites and blowsupon my body, yea, even 'tilI shrink from cold, I smile and saythese are not enemies, nay,rather friendly counselorswho feelingly persuade mewhat I am."-William ShakespeareAs You Like ItOur temporary dream team consists of Craig (from Washington, ME), Dude (from Opelika, AL), Coyote (from Harpswell, ME) and me, Meanderthal from Ellsworth. These odd nicknames are a part of AT tradition, chosen by ourselves, or conferred on us by other hikers. Dude started out as Opelika (his hometown), then the Incredible Eating Machine, and now he is Dude. Another hiker, Trevor, sat down in his rain pants and discovered that they were not all that waterproof. He has been christened Soggy bottom.Mother Nature treated us the first five days with sunny and warm skies. Then yesterday, out of nowhere, we were blindsided by a freak, drive-by snowstorm, high up on Kelly's Knob. Craig and I took shelter, shaking from the cold, and made some hot chocolate. It could have been bad. Really bad. Donner Pass bad. Cherish the chocolate. The AT here in Georgia, in my opinion, is just peachy. Very few rocks, with a lot of gentle grades on soft or packed soil. Today we hope to cross into North Carolina. It will take us six days or so to reach Nantahala Outdoor Center, near Wesser. We will cross at least seven mountains over 5000 feet, including Standing Indian at 5499. It just doesn't look like Kansas anymore, Toto.Some of our hiking friends have had to leave the trail due to illness or injury. Matt and Lindsay from Slough and Chelsea, England have gone to plan B and are off to see the USA in a rental Chevrolet. We are going to miss them. After the snow, when I got to the road, I just started walking down on the right side. Within 15 minutes, a woman name of Mary Joyce pulled over and gave me a ride to Blueberry Patch Hostel. I did not have to hitch! Caught up with Opalika, Craig and Coyote there. Gary Poteat gave us a tour and then did our laundry. Later he gave us a ride into Hiawassee and dinner. Mary Joyce and husband, Vernon, came up to us and offered us a ride back to the hostel and allowed us time to get some groceries nearby. Very nice people here in Hiawassee. Coyote¢s knees are swollen and she¢s taking at least one day off to recover, more likely several days.Namaste,