morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2006-08-11
From: Clarendon Shelter

To: Churchill Scott Shelter
Miles today: 14.5
Weather: clear sky

Day 24On the trail by 08:00Trail Magic twice!! Sodas were left by the Hiking Gnome and then the Mad Hatter! Reached Governor's Shelter (6 m) by 11:50.The climb up Killington is 2000' over 2 miles. There were a lot of blowdowns that were cleared by trail maintenance along the way. Mapman and Robin caught up to us. Old Drum had relayed this tale of how Mapman and Robin had saved him from a spill during the floods of Pennsylvannia. Well, it was nice to see the story finally validated! Reached Cooper Shelter by 14:30 (3900'). I wasn't anxious for a shelter at such a high altitude. Finally reached Churchill Scott by 18:00 along with Mapman and Robin.
Date: 2006-08-12
From: Churchill Scott Shelter

To: Killington
Miles today: 5.1

Day 25On the trail by 08:00Reached US4 by 09:30, passed the Long Trail and Appalachian Trail junction and reached VT 100 by 10:30.Hitched into Killington, only 0.6 miles.A really great Deli and then we were booked into the Killington Sherbourne Motel for the night.Placed a call to Andrew McCabe - Megabyte 2004 thru-hiker - who just happened to be on the Appalachian Trail at the Mohican Outdoor Center in New Jersey.Supper was at Peppino's a mile up the Killington Access Road.The spicy food and coffee, kept me up most of the night. Only 2 hours of fitful sleep!
Date: 2006-08-13
From: Killington

To: Winturri Shelter
Miles today: 15.4

Day 26Up for continental breakfast @ 07:00On the road by 07:30.Reached the trail head by 07:40.Steep climb but reached the Stony Brook Shelter (4.6 m) by 11:10The day was fairly cool.Winturri shelter by 17:15.Old Drum celebrated his 40th Wedding Anniversary with lasagne magic pantry under candle light.
Date: 2006-08-14
From: Winturri Shelter

To: Thistle Hill Shelter
Miles today: 11.7
Weather: overcast clouds

Day 27Easy day as only 11.7 miles planned.On the trail by 08:30, and we reached VT12 by 10:30 and stopped for ice cream and drinks. Able to call home. It was a fairly warm day. The hiking after the break was harder. Another 9 miles of hiking, and I was rather concerned about running out of water. Reached the Thistle Hill shelter by 16:30.
Date: 2006-08-15
From: Thistle Hill Shelter

To: Hanover, New Hampshire
Miles today: 14.6

Day 28 - Last Day !On the trail by 07:00.It had rained last night but the trail was in good shape.Warm again though! The trail blazing through the town of West Hartford was rather poor. Reached Happy Hills shelter ( 8.8 m) by 11:30. Only another 4.3 miles to Elm Street in Norwich, VT. Finally Elm Street about 14:00. The houses along Elm Street are palatial! I wonder if they take in hikers!It was a long walk on pavement from Elm into Norwich and finally into Hanover.In Hanover, southbounders ( about 20) had accumulated. Hanover is a hiker / college town. Hanover is the current home of Bill Bryson, Baltimore Jack and Andrew McCabe.After booking into the Sunset Moror Lodge, Andrew picked us up for supper!
Date: 2006-10-01
To: Conclusion - 1 of 3
Miles today: 0.0

Appalachian Dreaming ¢ 2006This year, My Appalachian Dream was delayed for 3 weeks. Sometimes when you go to bed, it is difficult to fall asleep, you toss and turn, until your mind unwinds and you finally achieve REM sleep. Likewise, it was necessary to put to rest, health and family issues before heading off for the Appalachian Trail. My youngest son ¢ Jordan ¢ was less than 1 week at Lakehead University on a SHAD program, when he came down with a collapsed lung. This apparently can occur spontaneously for tall skinny kids. The cause is unknown.   Fortunately, youth is resilient and Jordan has fully recovered.The 3 week delay may have been a blessing, as New England suffered the worst flooding seen in years. The Appalachian Trail became a kayaker¢s dream, with many sections impassable. The stories I heard from the thru-hikers were of trails with water up to your knees and of Trail Angels rescuing, feeding and housing drenched hikers. The Appalachian Trail Conservancy is now faced with major trail maintenance in Pennsylvania.With a clear conscience, I bussed down to New York City for 2 days of acclimatization to the heat, before hitting the AT.   In NYC, I toured the usual tourist attractions such as Central Park, Statue of Liberty, UN, Time Square and the site of the former World Trade Center. A 2 hr Metro North commuter train runs from NYC to the Appalachian Trail station! This would be the start of my 2006 trek, close to the New York ¢ Connecticut border. This year¢s goal required revision as hiking as far as Maine was now unrealistic. The Vermont - New Hampshire border was my new target destination. The 3rd week in July brought a heat wave to New England. The plan was to start out easy, and gradually increase the mileage. The heat and lack of conditioning made the first 2 weeks hard. Why had I put back on the weight I had lost the previous summer?   The first climbs were tough, hike for 15 minutes, then rest for 15, 15 on, 15 off. Heat, exertion, exhaustion translated into no appetite. My 3 days of food stretched into 2 weeks of rations. I could easily have shed 2 kilos of weight if I had just left my stove, fuel and food at home! I was careful with respect to staying hydrated, but I just had no appetite! Cooking up Lipton¢s soup, I would drink the broth and toss away the noodles. This was a male form of anorexia! Last year, I had also experienced this symptom. Eventually, you get hungry, but two weeks? It takes time to get trail legs. You just can¢t train for 8 hour hikes with 20 kilo packs on steep inclines when you are working 12 hour shifts during an outage. The Fundy Footpath is the only comparable terrain in New Brunswick, but we don¢t have the heat! Every kilometre, and every hill climbed is necessary to gain conditioning. You just hike to a shelter or campsite, then assess if you have sufficient daylight and the energy to make it to the next site.   The plan was to start out easy, and gradually increase the mileage.
Date: 2006-10-03
To: Conclusion - 3 of 3
Miles today: 0.0

In Cheshire, Massachusetts, a sudden thunderstorm forced me to take refuge in the back of a church hostel. In the front of the church Old Drum had also taken cover from the rain. After the rain let up, I went looking for Old Drum, but we missed each other. The next shelter was 6 km away up, and 3/4ths the way up Mt Greylock the highest point in Massachusetts. Climbing up Mt Greylock was eerie as deadfall was still dropping all around as a result of the thunderstorm. A half hour before dusk, I reached the Mark Noepel shelter and found that Old Drum had beaten me there by only 10 minutes!   Lightning Bolt had witnessed the thunderstorm and all its fury from inside the shelter. After 2 weeks on the AT, I had lost 10 kg weight and found my trail legs. The climbs were still hard but the recovery time was shorter. I had covered only 200 km of my 500 km goal. New Hampshire seemed so far away!   But, I was now managing 25 km days.The heat wave had let up. In fact, I soon regretted sending home my extra fleece. I was not prepared for campsites at 3000 ft and had only a summer weight sleeping bag. A couple of nights I wore every stitch of clothing including my raingear inside my sleeping bag. But, I was still hiking 25 km days.Teaming up with Old Drum, we decided to hike together through Vermont. The first day into Vermont was after another torrential downpour and the trail was the worst I have experienced on the AT. Mud, more mud and water. At one point a boardwalk was submerged under 15 cm of flowing water. New Hampshire seemed so far away! Some days later, clambering up boulders in the Clarendon gorge in a drizzle, I knew partnering up with Old Drum had been the right choice.28 days after starting in Pawling, New York, I had thru-hiked 3 states - Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont and almost 500 km. I have now completed a third of the AT. 2007, my plan is to start at Springer Mtn, Georgia and stop at Harper¢s Ferry a distance of just over 1500 km. That will leave just 700 km ¢ New Hampshire and Maine ¢ to complete my Appalachian Dream in 2008.
Date: 2006-10-04
To: Conclusion - 4 of 3
Miles today: 0.0

How does hiking the AT parallel working at Point Lepreau? These are some of qualities, I found are common when hiking the AT or working towards refurbishment!¢¢        Alignment ¢ Family, Heath, Work and Finances must be aligned.¢¢        Realistic Goals ¢ Establish goals which are realistic and achievable¢¢        Conditioning ¢ Trail legs take time¢¢        Equipment ¢ Make sure you have the essential gear, don¢t carry any extra¢¢        OPEX ¢ Information from south bounders can alert you of Trail Magic ahead.¢¢        Partnership ¢ Establish partnerships as necessary to achieve goals.¢¢        Rewards ¢ Trail Magic is random, unexpected, but it lifts the spirit¢¢        Perserverance - The trail is long, but every step brings you closer to the end.
Date: 2006-05-01
To: An introduction...and an apology
Miles today: 0.0

This journal is horrible, absolutely dreadful...I apologize in advance if you even continue with it.There is barely a trace of description as to nature, as I am woefully ignorant of pretty much every tree, flower, mammal and bird that I saw out on the trail.There is also no talk of gear. This is due to the fact that I was unemployed at the time, and pieced together what I could from garage sales and Ebay. I probably spent less than $50 all together, and that includes one trip to Campmor for a bandanna and water purification tablets.None of this is said with pride...my one-dimensional journal...my poor preparation...my ignorance. These are sources of embarrassment.My journal also touches very little on the social aspect of the AT. I hiked alone almost exclusively. I wasn't completely averse to meeting people (though I did try to get out there before the rush of thru hikers), but I wasn't completely comfortable in a social setting...this was part of the reason that I withdrew to the woods in the first place. I was lost in my head- and in the woods, it is allowable to be lost in your head. In society, it is uncomfortable and a bit destructive to carry on in such a manner.And so it is, that much of this journey takes place on boulders and in the muck...of the trail...of my mind...of my life back home - my past and my future playing for me in the present in metaphor and allusion.
Date: 2006-05-11
From: Wawayanda Mtn

To: Mt Peter
Miles today: 6.0

"I find I'm so excited, I can barely sit still or hold a thought in my head. I think it is the excitement only a free man can feel, a free man at the start of a long journey whose conclusion is uncertain." -Red in The Shawshank RedemptionI woke up to pouring rain this morning, and knew it was the last time for a while that I would be able to so comfortably watch it pour. So even though my alarm was set for 6 am, and I was ready to go by 7 am, I decided to let Bethany sleep in. She is doing me the favor of driving me to the trail, the least I can do for her is the favor of sleep. So I would alternate between watching the rain and watching her sleep...thinking about my journey, our journey. The rain was beautiful, but it made me feel anxious and sad. Come to think of it...that's kinda how I felt as I looked at Bethany as well.Our cat, Peppy, somehow nestled herself between me and the back of the couch, as i was turned at an angle, trying to get some warmth and perhaps a bit of affection. I ran my fingers down her spine, the way an old arthritic cat loves.And it was as much for me as it was for her..."I'm gonna miss you, girl" I said.By late morning the rain had passed, and I could at least start out the day and the trip dry.The quote from Red was stuck in my head all day. I guess for me it is a rather simple and primitive freedom...freedom from the constant petty tyranny of automobiles, cell phones, computers, and television. And I'm paraphrasing Ed Abbey now, but damn we bury ourselves under so much intolerable and useless crap everyday.And we do put up w/ incredible sh*t...failing relationships, stupid and useless and degrading jobs, filthy rich corporations that will cheat anyway way they can to remain that way, all of the irrelevant advertising that we are inundated with in order to feed an oppressive system, giving a third of our paychecks to finances things that we are whole-heartedly against (Iraq war? {if you swing to the left} Welfare programs? {if you are more a rightie)...these are my first thoughts as I begin hiking, not even my own. I'm thinking other people's thoughts. But hey, I just got out here. It takes time.These are my thoughts...a mixture of revulsion and delight. Freedom, after being penned up in the city for too long, can cause this. Perhaps this is why They cover everything with asphalt.My body is tired...although it is only 9:00 pm, I will now try to sleep. There is not much to do in the rain...without sunlight...on a mountain in the middle of nowhere. I'm not sure that I'd know what to do with myself anyway.
Date: 2006-05-12
From: Mt Peter

To: wow...i am slow (Buchanon Mtn)
Miles today: 8.0

I read somewhere before I started this hike that one can hike about 2-3 miles per hour, but that beginning hikers move at closer to 1 mph. Somehow I missed that that meant me. I really thought that I could do 12-14 miles today. These mountains are really turning out to be more than I expected. Especially this last one (hence I have set up camp). This mountain was the first one that was not a hike, but a climb. Having arrived at it, I was already beaten up and tired...it's late in the day, and here I am trying to pull myself up with my arms. Not fun. On one part of the ascent, there was a downed tree that I was trying to scoot under, while I pulled myself up. I mustered all of my strength, and gave it a solid lunge...only to smack my backpack on the tree, and get sent back down. Embarrassing. It is quite clear that I am out of my element.I am now sitting here on a wet log (it drizzled all day long) in the dark, writing this by flashlight. It's not too cold yet, like it was last night, but it is only 9:00 pm.I still haven't figured out the right way to set up the rainfly on my tent. I bought this lightweight tent last week (as my other tent weighed almost 10 lbs, which is not good for backpacking), but I foolishly threw the instructions away without even reading them. I figured I had set up enough tents in my life. The most absurd part is that it was really just about weight...getting so irrational about trying to make my backpack as light as possible, I threw out a flippin piece of paper. Ha!!!I am amazingly skilled with hanging a bear bag though. I even remembered that I am supposed hang it 100 ft. downwind.I like that I have to figure out the downwind part, as it gives me rationalization to have a cigarette. I can't seem to quit those, even out here. I met my first 2 people on the trail today. They were SOBOs (southbounders). I didn't get their names or much info about their hike. We just kinda traded talk about terrain very briefly.It is very dark out here now. Being out here creates the illusion that one is very far from civilization. It is merely illusion though, and that was just shattered as somewhere in the distance I just heard a siren.Or was it a coyote?Or was it someone screaming?
Date: 2006-05-13
From: Buchanon Mtn

To: "....in the Champagne Room" (Lake Tiorati)
Miles today: 10.0

...yes,indeed this novelty song by Chris Rock has been stuck in my head all day long! (no I do not have an Ipod, for which I am thankful, and yet...)Of course, today was an improvement over yesterday in which, of all things, a commercial jingle was stuck in my head..."Freeeee credit report dot com". Ugh! The damn bastards have won. They've purchased a part of my brain that could be used for almost anything else. I, to this day can not fully explain something simple like E=MC2. Or something practical, like how to change your own oil. Or something important, like how to make love stay....but I can tell you what website to go to if you want to check out your credit score for free! (which I'm sure isn't really free anyway...they probably make you sign up for a credit monitoring service...which if you cancel before your first bill comes would be free...but in order to do that you'd have to actually find a customer service number...because they're not going to let you do it on the website where with your own rational thought you could make such an egregious error...so 10 links later you find the number... and on the 4th time trying to call you get through to a person in India who thoroughly convinces you how likely you are to be a victim of fraud, identity theft, or genital herpes...and you just give in and pay the monthly fee for your freeee credit report).Am I hiking? Oh yeah, that's right.Water has become almost the sole focus of my life out here. The high point of my day was coming to a pipe spring at the Orange turnpike where I drank liter after liter of water. The low point was getting to Lake Tiorati and finding that the water from the spigot in the park was not turned on. Apparently, the park isn't open until Memorial Day. So now I am low on water. Where I am camped is 3 miles from a "potential" spring...and 6 miles from road access with a visitor center that has tap water.I am writing this w/ very faint light. The first 2 nights I was in complete darkness, which means that I am getting better with the nightly routine....change socks/hang bear bag/set up tent/put on rainfly. This campsite is the best I've had so far, no rocks, and a minimum of brush. My body is feeling better than the first 2 days, in spite of the fact that my mileage is slowly increasing.I saw a 6 foot snake today...just hangin out in the middle of the trail. I thought I'd just wait for him to leave, but apparently he was in no hurry to get anywhere...so I found an alternate route.I find my moods changing very quickly out here, which probably has much to do with the ascents and descents of the trail. At times I think that this is shaping up to be one of the most amazing whims that I have ever followed through on... and at other times I wonder what the **** am I doing out here pretending to be homeless.
Date: 2006-05-14
From: Lake Tiorati

To: Bear Mtn
Miles today: 9.0

I just got done setting up my stealth camp. i am sitting here so quietly that 2 deer just walked up to me.....about 5-10 feet away. Their eyes doubled in size as soon as they noticed me. They froze for about 2 seconds and then darted away. I saw 2 this morning as I was starting out hiking also, but since I don't hike anywhere near as quietly as I write, they heard me coming before I even got close and scampered. I also saw a turkey vulture today...I think. I'm no bird expert. And that's the wildlife report.I hardly slept last night (even less than the first 2 nights). It got really freaking cold sometime after I initially fell asleep, and it started raining. I woke up cold and damp and remained so the rest of the night, never falling back to sleep.There was a bright side, though. When I popped my head out of my tent this morning, there was a stream running next to my tent that wasn't there last night. That solved my water problem of from the park being closed last night. Of course, I had to treat the water, which takes 4 hours with the tablets I am using. Waiting 4 hours for water definitely sounded better than hiking 6 miles for water. It has been taking me an hour or two to get motivated, packed up, and organized anyway.The ground is saturated and the trail has become a soupy mess. There are long stretches where I walk straddling the flowing water that is the trail. I don't know why I do this. My feet are soaked anyway, and have been since about the 1st mile. I have to break myself of this...learn to stop treading carefully, and start plowing through.I am developing blisters on both of my heels.I wear cargo shorts out here. I keep a water bottle in the front right pocket. I keep my journal and guidebook pages in the front left pocket. My legs are now chafed under each pocket.My backpack doesn't fit me properly. I am constantly making adjustments just to make different pains tolerable.I sound like a crying baby, don't I? ...still walking though.It is very cold tonight, which doesn't bode well for sleeping once again.I am camped out very close to a park road that leads to the summit of Bear mtn. I hope I don't get myself in trouble. In NY it is illegal to camp anywhere but designated campsites. I have stealth camped every night so far.
Date: 2006-05-18
From: Shenandoah Tenting Area

To: Morgan Stewart Shelter
Miles today: 10.3
Weather: clear sky

Dostoyevsky clearly delineated men into two groups: "men of action" and "men of conciousness". For the greatest parts of my life I have been cursed to be part of the latter.To paraphrase: "The direct fruit of conciousness is inertia. Men of action are active simply because they are stupid and limited. In consequence of their limitation they take immediate and secondary causes for primary causes, and persuade themselves that they have found an infallible basis for their action, and their minds are at ease...which is most important. (George Bush, anyone?) In order to act, one must set their mind at ease.Conscious men can not set their mind at ease. They exercise reflection and consequently with every primary cause, they draw a still more primary cause, and so on to infinity."Yes, these are archetypes, but certainly I know that I have frequently been guilty of living life within my own mind (even to the point of inertia in many ways). But I am absolutely relishing the reality out here, that from sun up to sundown, there is little chance for reflection. There are mountains. There are dangers (large, small, and imagined). And action is the only way to exist (you can't think yourself over a mountain...I know this cause I tried it once.)Don't misconstrue, intellect is helpful out here, but strength, stamina, and will take over.Today was another example. I started out the day with some steep and rugged terrain. I kept a pretty moderate pace, trying to avoid aggravating my leg. Around 4:00 I stopped for lunch at a deli .5 miles off of the trail. I called Bethany and talked to her for about a half hour, and then I opened up the newspaper to the weather."Today-PM Thunderstorm"What? that's a 12 hour window. can't you give me a better idea.I looked up and around and over my shoulder. Motherf***er...are you coming now...or in 7 hours? The sky looked dark.I was 4.5 miles from an AT shelter, so w/o hesitation i threw on my pack, and I was back to hiking double time on a bum leg (this thing is never going to heal out here.)Fortune was on my side, as I made it here by 6:30 and the storm began at about 6:35.in the course of hiking so hard, I hadn't even had time to question...why was B. so distant on the telephone? is our relationship truly ending, even as I try to avoid it by disappearing into the woods? In some ways, I feel closer and more connected to her out here than I did at home, lying next to her in bed. Is that possible?It is...because the mountains begin to change you (and I know I have barely been out a week and don't wish to sound grandiose). They clear your mind and your heart...make understanding and compassion so much more palpable.I am sharing this shelter with 4 people in their sixties...they are also section hiking to VT, so I'm sure we'll meet again. Now I get to try to go to sleep, wedged in between 2 total strangers for the 1st time. I knew that this was inevitable as much as I tried avoiding it. I am not comfortable sleeping with strangers.Also, I think that I snore.Oh well, here goes nothing.