morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2004-07-13
From: Mt Algo Lean-to

To: Stewart Hollow Brook Shelter
Miles today: 7.3
Weather: overcast clouds

The three of us headed out together on this dank morning. The shelter was only 3 tenth of a mile from the road and the town of Kent was just a half mile from there. It was reputed to have a good breakfast joint. Collectively we needed to eat, buy food, do laundry and email. We figured we would just walk into town. We were to wet to bother hitching such a short distance. There were too many of us anyway and it just wasn't far. We weren't on the road for 2 minutes when a small car pulled over driven by the proverbial little old lady. She opened the trunk. We tossed our packs in. We squeezed into the immaculate car and she took us into town. What a mighty fine woman. It's acts like this that give you hope for the human race.We walked into CaraLee's, pulled up at the counter and ordered fantastic breakfasts. There were a couple of tables of what were obviously ¢The Regulars¢. It was so cool to witness this place. The phone was on the counter and they let us use it. What great folks.Yesterday or the day before, back in New York there had been a journal entry by Buick. It was a message to me. He had gotten word that a close family friend had died and that his dog was on his last legs. He said he was getting off the trail early at the Connecticut border instead of Kent. He didn't know what would happen after that. I called his folks from CaraLee's to offer my condolences and to ask if I could be of any help or comfort. His mom answered I think and appreciated the concern but declined my offer. I asked her to have him email or voice mail his plans to me when he figured them out. My sadness for him was quite profound. But what can you do. Nothing. We have to work these things out ourselves and seek out the council of others only if and when we need it. That much I knew from experience.The library kindly afforded the use of computers to access email and write email AT Update #9. The grocery store was small but sufficed. I stopped in at the laundry to repack my food on a counter but didn't bother to wash anything. One of the other guys was there. I headed back toward the trail but it was lunch time and CaraLee's was good food. It was kind of late as I walked out of town back to the trail. The hitching wasn't so good this time. The other guys got dropped at the trail just as I arrived on foot. That was sadly comical.The trail crossed a field and began to climb. I was dragging. Maybe it was too much CaraLee's. The other guys vanished. That was demoralizing and unaccustomed to me. It was almost 3:30pm at Caleb's Peak came under my feet. By the time the trail delivered me to Stewart Hollow Brook Lean-to I was done. The next shelter was 10 miles and it was nearly 6pm. The desire just wasn't there. Rocket was there, too. We had only done 7.3 miles that day. He didn't feel too good about it either. Oh well, it was a good chance to do some needed gear repair. Was I running out of steam? Was I bummed about Buick? Was it just too much town food? Hopefully tomorrow would be better.
Date: 2004-07-14
From: Stewart Hollow Brook Shelter

To: Limestone Springs Lean-to
Miles today: 22.3

The day started gray but got better with broken clouds and blue clouds. The hiking was easy. The trail followed the Housatonic River for a good while.I came across someone, maybe it was Rocket, eating lunch at a rock overlooking an auto racetrack. Later the trail came down to cross a road.An old style service station, Limerock Auto, was just a stone's throw away. There was a completely faded sign on an old unused style by the road that listed ice cream among other goodies. It was hotter than blazes so I hauled over there. The place was kind of run down with old junkers and under repair vehicles all around. It all most looked abandoned. I poked my head in the incredibly cluttered and greasy office and called out hello. From somewhere an older man emerged. I asked about the ice cream. He asked what I wanted. That seemed odd. Where was the freezer. I told him a Klondike Bar would be nice. We went through the same verbal dance regarding a drink. Then he went next door to the house and returned shortly with the goods. OK that was strange but it worked. As I ate the ice cream in the shade of the office he began to rant about the AT a bit. He said they had rerouted the trail around the field behind his establishment but that it was shorter to just walk down the road in front. He claimed they just didn't want folks stopping in at his place. I assured him it was just an attempt to reduce road walking. Upon my departure he tried in vein to convince me to take the road. Instead, I walked around 3 sides of a rectangular field just to return to the same road another mere stone's throw on the other side of this guy's shop. I really had to wonder. This reroute seemed very silly. It was at least 4 or 5 times longer and not a quality walk in the woods at all. Oh well, just keep walking.The trail was on the road for a disappointing while here. It would jump a few feet into the woods parallel to the road for a while and then back on the road. Finally it stayed in the woods and joined a nature trail as it approached a hydro electric plant. It did some more road walking and then went for a tour of Great Falls and they really were pretty great. Supposedly there was somewhere to go swimming but all the no swimming signs made it a bit unclear to me. That was a bit disappointing too but then again it was getting late.After 22.3 miles, Limestone Springs Lean-to would be home for the night. That was more like it. Bugs:Apparently Dave and Eric made for good company here along with a fair supply of skeeters. I always thought that bugs would be worse down south in the spring but they were almost non existent down there. Here in CT it's another story. There were a couple of bad nights a in PA or NJ too.
Date: 2004-07-15
From: Limestone Springs Lean-to

To: Hemlocks Lean-to
Miles today: 17.5

The day began at Limestone Spring Lean-to. It was another fine mostly cloudy day on the trail. Rand's View was nice and Giant's Thumb was just plain strange.There were some guys clearing the trail in a field by the road to Salisbury. We chatted for a bit and I told them of my adopted trail. One of the guys said he was the adopter of the Derritisima Trail up in Pinkham Notch in New Hampshire. This was amazing. I pass that trail where it intersects the Glen Boulder Trail as I climb to my section of the Davis Path. What a small world. We figured we'd meet at the adopter's barbecue some time.A few miles later it was time for a nice lunch on Lion's Head. From there it was on the Brassie Brook Lean-to for a shelter journal update.The views from Bear Mountain were just fine. There was a sort of stone observation platform to aid with the view. A bunch of teenage kids were hanging out up there with a couple of leaders. It appeared to be a ¢hoods in the woods¢ program. A little discussion later confirmed that. It was around 3:30pm when the trail brought me into Massachusetts. Another state was behind me. It was only 3 to go now. Unreal. The trail for the next 5 or 6 mile was really nice, that is if you like rugged and I do. There was plenty of rock ridge as it climbed over Laurel Ridge, Race Mountain and Mount Everett. The sky became ominous with dark threatening clouds dancing about. Finally they made good on their threat on the summit of Mount Everett. The trail became quite treacherous in the down pour. When the rain stopped on the way down it left a mist for the setting sun to cast its beams of leaf breakups through. It was a beautiful sight that demanded some picture taking. This is the effect we try to achieve on stage frequently.There were 2 shelters here within a mile of each other. There were a fair number of folks at the first one but it was a nice post & beam affair with lofts and such. So I stayed here at Hemlocks Lean-to. A guy was there who had injured himself with a nasty puncture wound coming down those slippery rocks up on the ridge. A woman at the shelter happened to be a nurse. She cleaned and dressed the wound nicely.No Worries and Minus One were there. These girls were thru-hikers in their early 20s. They were either sisters or friends. It's hard to remember. They were pretty cool folks. I had read their entries in journals gone by.It was only a 17.5 mile day but there were actual mountains to climb with some serious changes in elevation. Granted, the highest was only 2600 feet but it has been a while since the trail reached that altitude. Even with a full shelter we all slept soundly.
Date: 2004-07-24
From: Bromley Mtn Shelter

To: Past Big Branch Shelter
Miles today: 14.5
Weather: clear sky

It was hard to sleep in with the alarm dog going off every half hour, so the day began at 6am. The temperature was only 53 degrees. After breakfast there was a short adventure to find water. The bottle hanging from my pack took on a packet of powder and became red Gatorade. Throughout the day I would drink from this bottle and top it off whenever it was down a pint. By the end of the day a whole liter of Gatorade had gone down my gullet in ever increasing dilution. This was good since I don't really like Gatorade that much especially full strength. Then it was time at 8:15am to hit the trail. It was only about a mile to the summit and the warming hut at the top of Bromley Ski Area. The nice thing is they leave it open as an emergency hiker shelter all year round. Back in the winter of 1997 Justin M and I joined Keith K and Chris G there for a momentous night. The latter 2 were trying to ski the Long Trail. It was 6 degrees on the summit when we went to sleep that night but a piping 40 in the hut. Nice.I stopped into the warming hut to reminisce and use the phone. It would work for local or toll free calls. My calls included Chris of course with a ¢Guess where I am¢ thrown in there. I also checked in with June R who was looking after my house and mail, thank you very much.Yet Another Crash:The summit of Bromley was at 3,260'. Now the trail headed down about 800' and then back up to Styles & Peru Peaks at around 3,400'. The skies were clearing, the sun was shining and the day was warming. It was time for lunch part 1 at Peru Peak Shelter at about 1pm. Everything was fine. By 3 pm though, things were different. The head ache was back. I sprawled out on the summit of Baker Peak and took a break. Then it was on to Lost Pond Shelter for lunch part 2 around 4pm but now the fever and nausea had returned. I took a nap. At 6pm I was back on the trail. There were 2 more shelters a mile and a half from Lost Pond and Lula Tye Shelter was only about 5 miles away. Feeling all right again, I really wanted to get to Lula Tye. In stead I barely made it past the second shelter at another 1.7 miles. Those shelters were pretty full and I was already dragging as I passed the second, Big Branch Shelter. A quarter mile later I headed off trail up a gentle slope and pitched my tent in a small clearing. I wasn't completely wrecked yet so I made camp at 7pm and rested a bit. At 9pm I had dinner and at 10pm I had half a cheese cake to celebrate passing the 34 point yesterday. I missed Buick but that was OK. It was a 14.5 mile day. Not bad considering the bad nights sleep and my crashes today. That was a strange way to think about things for me.
Date: 2004-07-25
From: Past Big Branch Shelter

To: past Gould Brook
Miles today: 21.0

Last nights sleep was great in my tent with no one around to wake me. The sun was shining in the morning and all seemed right in the world again. If only it would stay that way. My fingers were crossed.The hiking today was nice and moderate. Not only did I get past Lula Tye Shelter but also Little Rock Pond Shelter, Greenwall Shelter, Minerva Hinchey Shelter and Clarendon Shelter. 3.5 miles later it was time to pitch my tent off the trail again. This was a 21 mile day and it felt great. Finally. Tonight I made and ate the second half of the cheesecake. There was an interesting rock feature today. It might have been on White Rocks Mountain. Chris and I found it on our LT hike in 97. Of course it's different now. It probably changes daily. There is this place on the trail where there are just a bunch of loose rocks. Folks stop and pile or should it be stack them in unique ways. It's really quite strange. It looks like aliens have been there or something. It was good to see them again.It had been fun today passing Clarendon Gorge as I had been there before not only on the LT hike but on a caving expedition. There were some folks swimming which was tempting. Alas there had been too many lows mileage days. Then there was remembering a certain winter night at Clarendon Shelter with Keith K and Chris G when I brought the snow. There were a bunch of 20ish southbounders settling in at Clarendon Shelter. It would have been nice to hang with them and talk about what lies ahead for them but the trail called.It was a 21 mile day. That was more like it. The best part of the day was just not getting sick. The only symptom that still remains is the occasional sore or stiff jaw which was still troubling.
Date: 2004-07-26
From: past Gould Brook

To: Stony Brook Shelter
Miles today: 22.3
Weather: broken clouds

Another great night of sleep alone in my tent in the forest had me feeling great. Maybe all this nonsense had been the result of nutritional and rest issues. Then again there had been a lot of weird symptoms and what's with the stiff jaw.The first 2 miles of the day were pretty easy. There had been a thought last night of pushing on to Governor Clement Shelter. Seeing it now reassured me that the tent was the right choice for last night. It was perfectly timed for a privy stop though. Then there was a good climb up the back side of Killington. I was hauling pretty good but holding back a little in fear of the return of whatever had been ailing me. Things were still going pretty well when I reached the shelter, Cooper Lodge, just below the summit, so I took the side trail with pack on my back and climbed the really steep trail to the summit. That felt really good. The tourists who rode the lift up the other side enjoyed talking to me too. After that climb it only seemed reasonable to go over to the lodge at the top of the lift line. It was great to buy too much food at the too expensive snack bar. But that's OK. It's about the idea. It was a nice break but now it was time to get back on the trail.From Killington the trail headed down along the ridge and then on down to Sherburne Pass across US-4 at the Inn on the Long Trail. Then the trail climbed back up 400 feet to Maine Junction. I hauled on this climb late in the day and continued to climb up to the ridge and it felt great. This is the point at which the Long Trail continued north to Canada and the AT turns right or east and heads for New Hampshire. This was kind of momentous. From here my boots were once again forging new territory. Oh yeah.A couple of nice outlooks on the descent later, the trail made its way through Gifford Woods State Park and crossed Route VT-100. The skies had turned gray and there were sprinkles from time to time but nothing serious. Across the road the trail took me to Kent Pond. There were some great scenes across this pond. There were some great photos too but no one will ever see them thanks to the bit bucket.Todays hike ended quite happily at Stony Brook Shelter after 22 miles plus a big side hike up Killington Peak with a long lunch break. It was a great day. I was healthy all day.
Date: 2004-07-27
From: Stony Brook Shelter

To: Thistle Hill Shelter
Miles today: 21.5
Weather: moderate rain

This was just another day on the trail. The only thing to really comment on is that there was a light rain all day. That made for a very soggy hike. Aside from the sore jaw which was less of an issue now, my health seemed fine. The weather tends to keep me moving.The privy at Cloudland Shelter had something of a history. First, it was a hexagon. Second, it had been relocated form some other shelter for some reason. It's all a bit foggy but I had to make the jaunt down the side trail to check it out. Pretty cool.There was another hiker at Thistle Hill Shelter when I got there. He was working on a fire in the soaked fire pit. Most thru-hikers don't bother with a fire. Maybe it was the damp day. The water source was a stream crossing just a little north of the shelter. It was a really nice set of small deep pools worn into solid granite. They were about bathtub size. There was a big temptation to take a dip downstream but the air was a bit on the cool side and the sun was missing.This was another 21.5 mile day. That's exciting. Even though the shelter was nearly empty, sleeping in my tent seemed like the safest bet. Then, in the middle of the night, a downpour woke me and drove me into the shelter. My tent isn't exactly waterproof. MSR is a great gear but their MicroZoid leaves something to be desired. It was still a good night for sleep.
Date: 2004-08-04
From: Crawford Notch

To: Nauman Campsite
Miles today: 6.4
Weather: broken clouds

In the morning Jim & Faith loaned me a car to drive to the doctor. Being behind the wheel again after more than 3 months without driving was a bit strange and overwhelming. My doctor is a good guy. He asked me lots of questions and checked me out thoroughly. He thought it could be Lyme Disease as did Merrill and several thru-hikers. He hadn't dealt with Lyme Disease and confessed that he had to look up the info on which blood test to order. The results wouldn't be back for a week or two. We agreed that he would leave voice mail on my home phone when the results came in and that he could give any info needed. He saw no reason not to continue my hike. Both he and his assistant were pretty happy to help me out on this incredible adventure.I went back to my friends, the Ruperts' house and emailed AT Update 11. Then they took me on the hour and a half ride back to Crawford Notch. The ride was full of plenty of good conversation as any time spent with them always is. They must have dropped me off around 5pm and we said our fare wells.The Webster Cliff Trail which the AT climbs out of Crawford Notch is a pretty tough piece of work. In the first 1.8 miles it climbs 2,060 feet. That's steep. Back when my brother Randy and I were still teenagers we lost the trail here and wound up on an impossible bushwhacked up this steep slope through a boreal forest still recovering from the hurricane of 1948. We made it some how. What an experience. Some times our feet wouldn't touch ground for a hundred feet due to the fallen trees between the dense growth. Anyway, by 6:20pm the outstanding views from the top of Webster Cliffs were calling out for photos. The trail dances along the tops of the cliffs for quite some distance, nearly a mile and a half as it climbs to the summit of Mount Webster. There were so many great photo ops it was tough to keep going. By 7:15pm I was on the summit of Mount Webster and headed along the start of the Presidential ridge to Mount Jackson. Mizpah Spring Hut, tonight¢s destination was in view at a distance of 3.1 miles. The setting sun just made for even more beautiful pictures along this alpine stretch of ridge. As gorgeous as the sun set was it would soon be followed by the impending darkness which could pose it's own problems.It was well after 8pm as I passed by Mizpah to the adjacent Nauman Tentsite after a mere 6.4 miles. The caretaker seemed to be out and all the platforms were full. This wasn't my first time staying here so it seemed the obvious choice was the overflow site. Later the caretaker came by to confirm my choice and collect the obligatory $10 fee. We had a good talk. After dinner this would be another stellar night spent out under a crystal clear sky.
Date: 2004-08-26
To: Average Daily Miles by State
Miles today: 0.0

It seemed that the trail was easier in some states than others. This chart kind of says it all. I didn't count the first day in Georgia with only 2.5 miles actually on the AT. The same goes for the last day on Katahdin.What is included is a zero in Virginia and another in New York. Also there was the Lyme disease thing in Vermont that slowed progress from about 20 miles per day. It also kept me psychologically from really pushing it in New Hampshire and Maine. Though there were no zero days in New Hampshire, there was a 24 hour absence from the trail to see my doctor about the Lyme disease thing without which the average would have been 16 miles per day. Of course the 18 visits from welcomed friends took time while hanging out on the trail or maybe slowed the pace a bit as we walked together.Don't get me wrong. I make no excuse. I'm thrilled with every bit of this adventure / experience / accomplishment. These comments are just an explanation for those who may be looking at this as a reference and also just to satisfy any curiosity.
Date: 2004-02-17
To: An Account of All Kinds of Things
Miles today: 0.0

Greetings. Salutations... Hi!I trust by your having come across these words that you're an aficionado of hiking. I also feel comfortable in guessing that you are interested in the Appalachian Trail.Perhaps you're an experienced thru-hiker and are interested in the words and deeds of those who share your grand passion.Or maybe you're someone who wishes to do the Appalachian Trail someday. Maybe. If time, or situation are right.Or maybe you'd been juggling around the notions of doing the AT for a long time and it kept on entering your thoughts, unbidden, at random points of your day, and you kept on thinking things like "instead of waiting here in this line at this bank, I could instead be, um, say, marching along the upper ramparts of a mountaintop, everything around me skyscape and majesty, the clouds below, my cares only for the living moment itself, with everything I need for sustenance and survival there on my back." But things conspired to keep you away. And you kept mildly obsessing about how to make the Appalachian Trail finally happen for you. And then, years later, time and situation suddenly changed for you and you realized you're at a point when you found yourself deciding - as I have done - that this is the year.That decision for me was made one year ago.I'd been in Los Angeles for five years at that point, and the smog and the cars and the endless urban congestion of the place was getting to me. My heart and soul needed a change - a huge one. And I remembered an old powerful dream.In 1989 I had been all ready to do the Appalachian Trail. In fact, in going through some old papers at the apartment here (you know - one of those inevitable steps of packing everything away) I found some of my old notes and lists which I'd kept for nostalgia's sake. They were thrilling to come across.I'd been going out with Moxie for just four months at that point last year when I was suddenly filled with a fire to make the hike from Georgia to Maine - only four months but she said something rather remarkable to me then. She said "if you can wait til next year, I'll go with you".And, my friends, one year has passed.In less than two months, we will be on the trail.These are very exciting times.And if you're in the same position we're in, you probably knew that already.-------------------Oh. Another possibility to add to the ones on top --- you might be here cuz you know me and/or Moxie, and are interested in keeping up with our goings on, and hearing what's going on with us on The Trail (we're going to do everything we can to keep these pages updated as we make the long voyage from Georgia to Maine). You're in the right place, and keep tuning back for updates - both from our pre-trip days (now) and the trail days to come. This is a great adventure, and I appreciate your interest in reading these words.