morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2007-07-25
From: Mark Noepel Lean-to

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

Today started out like any other 16-mile day. Up at 5 a.m., out by 5:40 a.m. Ascending in the early morning light we climbed Mt. Greylock, the highest point in MA. Had a snack up by the monument and headed down the famous Thunderbolt Ski slope named after the Thunderbolt Roller Coaster in Boston, MA. Early on I started feeling my hand burning and a slight problem breathing. I then put 2&2 together and realized it was my pack cover I accidentally sprayed with the Bear pepper spray the night before. I also realized that it was the same sensation I felt the night before, not a bee sting. When I sprayed the mace I thought it was an air horn and I wanted to see how Bono would react. Some sound training if you will. I didn¢t know it hit my cover and that I had gotten some on my hand. Once we got to the shelter, I began by putting the contaminated pack inside another pack cover in my backpack. At which point ¢Radar¢ suggested I wash it in the stream, so I did. I thought I was all set and began to wash my face, and boy was that a mistake! My eyes instantly began to burn, as well as my face and lips!!!!! I knew right then I was in trouble with 8 miles still to hike! As we descended and began to sweat, my pores opened and this incredible burning came to my face, hands and arms. The temp was 90 degrees when we came from the canopy and onto the road that lead through town. The sun on my arms and face was so painful I thought I would never make it! Saw two guys in their yard and asked them for an emergency use of their spigot and some soap. That sort of helped, especially my face, but my arms still pulsated with heat! Left our packs at the guy¢s house and walked 1 mile to Stop and Shop for some food and supplies, still on fire! By the end of the day the burn slowly went away. Then the horseflies started in. Once we crossed into VT the bugs seemed to fade, temp got cool. Now comes the mud!
Date: 2007-07-26
From: Set Warner Shelter

To: Goddard Shelter
Miles today: 21.6
Weather: scattered clouds

"The pressures on to do a 20 miler today! Not sure why it's stressing me. I've done 23, 21.6, can't be that hard?"This is me reasoning with myself and when the day is done, I found out I¢m wiped! Climbs felt steep and descending tore up my knees and quads. Starting to pass a lot of SOBO¢s (south bounders). They are 500 or 600 miles into the journey, so we ask each other questions about the terrain up ahead. It¢s interesting to hear what they thought of the ¢Whites,¢ Maine and Mt. Katadin.Met a lady named ¢Grandma Jean¢ who finished section hiking the AT in 06¢. Got a picture with her and Bono and proceeded North up ¢Little Pond Look Out.¢ My feet felt like two concrete the whole day and right now it¢s only noon. 6 more hours to go!Bono met this black lab pup on the way up and was very gentle with it. It was cool to see the pups curiosity and timidness and also see the 2 different generations of black labs. Reminded me so much of Bono when he was a pup. The trails are muddy. I¢m not used to dealing with it. Bono¢s constantly getting stuck! His pack is caked with it and my boots are as well. Most of the SOBO¢s have sandals on. They must have heard through the grapevine from MA to GA there is no mud, only rocks, roots, no water and other challenges.Horseflies were their usual selves, driving me to the point of insanity while walking. Bono did well slack packing today with this ¢0¢ food and ¢0¢ water. Actually, I planned it that way, as I was going to re-supply in Bennington, VT, but instead called mom to go shopping for me. She is going to give it to my girlfriend, who I will be hiking with for the weekend. Finally made it to the shelter, a nice new shelter with incredibly cold and clear water source. That¢s all we think about the whole night was how nice the water was. Decided to stay in the shelter since there was room, but 2 more showed up and now it was full with the dog in there. We ended up making it work all packed in like sardines.
Date: 2007-07-30
From: Goddard Shelter

To: William B. Douglas Shelter - Bromley Shelter
Miles today: 23.0
Weather: light rain

¢3 Days with Papillion¢Recently my girlfriend, Cheryl (Papillion), hiked with me for 3 days and a total of 23 miles. The following is a recap of the time we had hiking together¢¦¢¦.Day 1: Stratton/Arlington Rd to William B. Douglas Shelter ¢ 11.7 milesOff to a late start today, must have been 10 a.m. or so. Today looks like rain and we got a few sprinkles though out the night among other things. At around midnight we heard crashing in the woods near our tent. ¢Pappi¢ got quite concerned as I (the fearless protector) rolled back over and went to sleep, spooning my dog, who happened to be snoring! It was comical to see her reacting to the noise outside the tent and I recalled my fear of the unknown early on in my journey. As we moved up Stratton Mt. It began a light drizzle as we stopped to take breaks on our way up. Finally to the top we encountered weekenders with their kids who had all kinds of questions for me about my dog. We made it to the shelter and was visited by a south bounder ¢ET.¢ Tried to get a fire lit, but no-go.Day 2: The plan was to hike into Manchester Center, VT. The hike was over rolling hills and Papillion was feeling a bit of yesterdays hike. Finally made it to the road, found trail magic and then got a ride, waiting only 5 minutes! Pigged out at Friendly¢s. ¢Pappi¢ couldn¢t believe how good the food tasted after a night of ¢Bowleg¢s¢ cooking! Got a ride back and spent the night at Bromley Shelter. The fear of mice was about to become a reality when ¢Pappi¢ flashed her headlamp and saw ¢Mike the mouse¢ staring back at her! Went to kiss her goodnight and all I kissed was sleeping bag! She had the bag over her head!Day 3: Saw us doing a short hike over Bromley Ski area with nice views and plenty of exposure in the hot sun! Made it to the truck and thank god it had all four tires still on! And that was my 3 days with ¢Pappi¢ in a very small nutshell.
Date: 2007-07-31
From: William B. Douglas Shelter - Bromley Shelter

To: Sugar Hill Road - Stealth Camp
Miles today: 17.2

Never did make it to Peru Shelter with ¢Vanilla Gorilla.¢ Hiking in the dark trying to keep up with him destroyed my ankles the next day. We stopped at sunset for a bit to eat and pitched our tents. 1.5 miles short of our destination. It¢s all I had left so I was pleased (and ready) to stop. Up and out by 6:30 a.m.; made it past Lost Pond and paid my $5.00 for use of the huts in VT (I thought the AT was FREE!). Passed quite a few south bounders. One couple had a black lab and we picked each others brain on successfully thru-hiking with a dog. Was nice and cool as we made our way North under river crossings, saw plenty of moose poop, but no moose. Just as well! Took some nice breaks along the way, one on top of this jagged mt with an awesome view. The trail went around 2 ponds today as Bono took advantage of both, especially Little Rock Pond. Got to Little Rock shelter to find Blue Sky with M&M, Blue and Ismahl. Proceeded onward North without getting some water. I opted to wait and I shouldn¢t have because I went thirsty and I didn¢t have too! Saw ¢Alpine¢ today. He was the dude who at Neels Gap (30 miles into the journey) looked at my pack and pack weight. He remembered Bono and said he wanted me to send a photo from Katadin. Went off trail .3 to the shelter only to find the spring was just about dried up, so I hiked back (another .03) and another 1 12 miles to water. Got my water at the road side and hiked .01 up and across to my current tent site I am on right now as we speak. Chores are done. Teeth brushed, journaling is complete. Now for some ZZZZZ¢s.
Date: 2007-08-01
From: FOOD AND SPIRITS REUNION SCHEDULE

To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

FOOD & SPIRITS REUNION FESTIVALSCHEDULE of EVENTSSaturday, August 188:00 ¢ 9:45         Food & SpiritsReunion Festival begins ¢ set up tents10:00 ¢ 10:45        Team X Demo11:00   - 11:30        Dog Show featuring thru hiker, BONO11:00 - 11:30        Lunch & Spirits Break1:15 - 2:30                Water balloon catch                        (bring baseball glove)2:45 - 4:00                Track ball ¢ horse shoes - kite flying                        Social hour4:15 - 4:30                Raffle for hikers4:45 - 6:00        Talent show & ¢A thru hiker is ¢¦.¢ In your own words6:15 - 7:15        DJ Freshee Hour ¢ Requests & Dedications7:15 - til Dusk        Live music jam session or other8:45 - 9:30        Fireworks immediately follow DemoHIKERS: FOR MORE INFORMATION ON TRANSPORTATION FROM THE TRAIL, PLEASE CALL 603-897-9220 OR 603-765-1496.DIRECTIONS: FROM 93 N OR S TAKE EXIT 26. FOLLOW 25 W. ONCE YOU GET TO THE ROTARTY STAY TO THE RIGHT ON 25 W. GO ALL THE WAY TO THE END (A POINT WHERE YOU CAN ONLY TAKE A LEFT OR A RIGHT). TAKE A RIGHT ONTO 10. ABOUT 1/4 MILE ON RIGHT YOU WILL SEE A WHITE CHURCH - TAKE THAT RIGHT AND FOLLOW ROAD TO RIGHT. LAND IS ON THE RIGHT AT THE END, WHICH IS A CULDESAC.
Date: 2007-08-01
From: Sugar Hill Road - Stealth Camp

To: Cooper Lodge
Miles today: 17.5
Weather: clear sky

Felt good today after getting rained on. 6:30 a.m. departure time. Plenty of water. The whole day ¢ Mill River Suspension Bridge was very sway-e and loose. I heard Gorilla and Hyde slept on it after a rough night. Getting more difficult to find things to write about unless there is another bear mace incident. Was joined today by Blue Sky who has added ¢GA-BBE¢ to his trail name since there¢s so many named w/¢Blue¢ in their name. Also M&M (male) was back and forth hiking as well. Hiked for awhile with a brother and sister from Canada hiking the Long Trail. I tried to impress them with my French, but wasn¢t successful. Ran into 2 trail magic opportunities today ¢ soda and crackers. I thought that was cool! Bono ran into (and has been) another mean dog on the trail, what is it with dogs that don¢t get along? Killington was to test Bono and me today with our first climb over 3,500 in a while. The terrain was challenging, lots of roots and sideways¢¦¢¦angled trails. Thought I would never see the top! Finally it came just shy of the top which is a tough .2 to the summit. Made it to Cooper Shelter around 6:30, which gave me time to cook and do any chores, even had time to cook and do my chores and even had time to dry out my tent. This shelter is old and there¢s talk about tearing it down. It has a great water source with the water being ice cold. It also offered us a time to brush the teeth and call it a day. My hip is throbbing and it¢s hard to find a comfortable way to lie. Oh well, not complaining.
Date: 2007-08-02
From: Cooper Lodge

To: Stony Brook Shelter
Miles today: 12.5
Weather: clear sky

Correction to my mother when I spoke with her today at lunch time. It wasn¢t 70 degrees it was 85 degrees in the shade and 90 degrees in the sun! Today was a sweat fest with a couple of steep climbs. The nats like to stay 1¢ in front of your face at which time they make little flight pattern circles until you go cross-eyed. Horse flies ping you off your head until you have no choice but to try and smash them on your won head giving yourself a headache in the process! Just part of the game as you try and wipe the sweat from your eyes.Today we said bye to the Long Trail in VT as it makes its way to Canada and the AT heads towards Maine. Took a picture with ¢Tom B¢ in front of the sign and headed towards McGrath¢s, an Irish Pub/Restaurant .05 off the AT. It was nice to get some real food, there was a total of 8 of us there ¢ 6 which were staying the night. I was just passing through. I¢m excited to take a ¢0¢ this Saturday as I feel my body needs it, also, there¢s only 478 miles to go! Yup, almost out of trail to walk with the toughest part in ¢the Whites¢ to come! In just 30 more miles I will be in my home state! Hard to believe I¢m almost finished! All this time I¢ve been telling Bono ¢almost there.¢ It¢s going to feel good telling him ¢we made it!¢ He¢s been a great partner and I know he¢ll have many stories to tell his ¢Bradda.¢ I believe something has changed inside of me since I started this journey. One, among many things, is compassion. As I lay here in the shelter writing I noticed a ¢fleet¢ of carpenter ants making their rounds. I instantly started crushing them with my calculator without thinking. As I watched as others came to the dead and suffering and I instantly felt bad, especially when they brought their dead on my journal.
Date: 2007-08-05
From: Stony Brook Shelter

To: Thistle Hill Shelter
Miles today: 7.8
Weather: clear sky

14.1 miles takes me into my home state, NH! I¢m sure I will be a bit emotional tomorrow knowing I¢ve walked with my dog 1731.6 miles! The home stretch is upon us ¢ we¢re coming home!Just got off taking a ¢0¢ with ¢Pappi¢ and ¢A-1¢! While sitting at the trail head watching Bono and ¢A1¢ play in the brook, I contemplated on my journey thus far and wondered what my answer would be if asked, ¢Has it been all you¢ve dreamed it would be?¢ My answer, ¢YES!¢ But to elaborate I would go on to say it has been so much more than just me and my dog hiking the Appalachian Trail from Georgia to Maine. So many people have come along with us on this ¢Trek¢ in our hearts and our minds. They just don¢t know they have. Most times I¢m so alone I bring their faces, their smiles in my thoughts and it keeps me moving forward to Maine and soon (2 wks) I will reunite with most and to say I¢m a little bit excited is a slight understatement! Before I even left I dreamed of crossing Rte. 25 in NH. A road I¢ve traveled many times by car, but not foot. Seeing the AT signs and saying to myself, ¢Someday I¢ll cross this road. It will take some doing, but I¢ll do it!¢Bono got zapped for the second time by the electric fence today. This time I¢m sure it got his full attention since he was playing in the creek and his snout was wet. Man did I feel bad for him. Caught up on some news while in the hotel Saturday night. The bridge collapse was a huge tragedy I can¢t imagine losing someone close to me in such a terrible accident. What really turned my stomach was how Geraldo Rivera was reporting with a twinkle in his eye and a grin on his face. At one point, he told the camera man, ¢Can you get a close up of Captain So and So¢s mustache? We look similar don¢t we?¢ Making light of it as people are drowned below in the murky waters just didn¢t seem right to me, but that¢s just me.
Date: 2007-08-06
From: Thistle Hill Shelter

To: Soccer Field - Dartmouth College
Miles today: 15.3

As I awoke in the night to take care of business, the wind was blowing and I thought to myself, ¢It should be a nice day for hiking tomorrow¢ as I enter my home state. The wind changed to rain and I (once again) had to pack a wet tent. I thought again to myself, ¢at least my dog won¢t overheat.¢ Walking through the tall grass got me totally soaked. I tried my Frog¢s Tog¢s rain coat, but that didn¢t cover my legs, so my shorts got totally soaked. I crossed the Iron Bridge into West Hartford, VT and stopped at a local Deli for a bite to eat and to warm up. As I left I changed to my tarp poncho since it retains body heat. Wouldn¢t you know it, no more rain. Take off the poncho. Then as I thought it might, the rain started up again! As I looked to the heavens I thought, ¢Oh no, if I put this poncho back on you¢ll stop. I¢ll show you¢¦¢¦I won¢t put it back on.¢ Well the rain continued and I got soaked¢¦weird day, but I didn¢t care ¢ I¢m heading home!Heading over the bridge that is VT ¢ NH state line was incredible! I shed a few tears and felt this unreal sense of pride. I swear I was 10 ft. tall! Bono and I spent 12 an hour on the bridge taking photos and then headed into Hanover, NH, home of Dartmouth College. Folks must have thought I was losing it as I shouted ¢We made it home!¢ But I didn¢t care for they not know of what I have been through to make it here. As I walked the hill people stared at Bono and I and I stared back and waved. ¢Sniper¢ and ¢Trailblaze¢ drove by and shouted out my name then turned around. I thought that was nice of them. I headed for the soccer field where we are allowed to tent and stopped at the outfitter to pick up some water treatment and got their last one right before they closed! Someone was looking out for me this day to make it my proudest moment yet!
Date: 2007-08-08
From: Soccer Field - Dartmouth College

To: Trailhead - Wentworth, NH - Rte 25A
Miles today: 16.9

Up at 2 a.m. to the sound of pouring rain up again at 6 a.m. to see my dog in a pool of water inside my tent! At this sight I knew it would be a long day! As I packed all my gear up from inside my ¢wet cavern,¢ I thought back to the time early on in my journey when we had 4 days of rain.   Also thought of the year, 2004, when thru-hikers had 30 days! of rain! How they did it (and most didn¢t) and made it to Katahdin is a testament in itself. So yes, it would have been easier to sleep in on my ¢life raft,¢ but I have to keep moving, wet or not!As we slithered out of camp, I wondered who would hike today and who would stay to dry out their gear? We¢re all in good shape as far as miles go as we near the end of our journey. Right away it got tough as we climbed from 880 ft. to 3,220 ft. in the rain. This day of hiking would go from 1,345 to 880 to 3,220 down to 1,450 up to 2,911 back down to 900 ft.! All this was done in wet conditions! Ends up that I fell more times on this day alone than on the entire journey. The rain played the ¢on and off¢ game all day long. At one point it looked like it would clear, so I set up all my wet stuff on a back road to dry. Taking a 2-hour lunch, of course, the sun went in and it began to rain again! An outward bond group passed by. I then ended up catching up to them as they huddled from the down pour. AS I passed them I commented ¢at least it¢s not lightening.¢ When I rounded the corner, I took a nice flop! Right in front of the group! At this point I thought I broke my wrist, but luckily I bruised only my ego and knew I had to get off their mountain and call it a day. Mt. Cube was as smooth as a pair of dice and ¢slick as snot.¢ Bono even took a spill! Two more outward bound groups were on their way up with a long way to go. I passed one kid who had fallen behind. He sat in tears, so I stopped to try and motivate him with personal stories of how at times I didn¢t think I could go on, but did. Maybe it helped? My hike on slick rocks and roots and slippery mud ended with my sister, my niece and nephew waiting to pick me up with food and spirits and a warm, dry bed waiting for me and Bono.
Date: 2007-08-13
From: Trailhead - Wentworth, NH - Rte 25A

To: Stealth Camp 1 Mile past Lonesome Lake Hut
Miles today: 14.4

Tough day prior hiking with ¢Papillion¢ and Bono on Mt. Moosilauke. The ascent wasn¢t too bad ¢ the descent - murderous! And, of course, right at the end of the hike it started to rain making the steep rocks that much more a pain in the but!!!!! Glad I was able to get off the trail this day! OK here we are, the next day, 6 a.m., and up we go right away to 3,478 ft.! And here comes the rain! It felt like I was circling this Mt. Wolf all day! A slight decent and now a short break and the suns poking its head out! Now time to tackle N&S Kinsman Mt. Downpour! I just started to dry out! These two peaks proved to be the most challenging yet with on your hands and knees rock scrambles. Everyone passed me as I worked to get myself and Bono up these treacherous cliffs. Once up N Kinsman Mt. the sun came out and it reminded me of the Smokies, only rain fell from the trees, not snow. Now tired, I still had another peak to contend with. Half way up I ran into ¢M&M¢ and ¢Pootz¢ slack packing. They gave me some fruit and cookies. The views from the top were worth it as the sun came in and out. On the descent it was slow going, but we finally made it to the Lonesome Lake Hut. This hut is the first full service in the Whites and there wasn¢t one thru-hiker in sight! They said I could work for stay, but the dog stays outside, so off I went. ¢Nobody puts Bono outside!¢ Now the fun began. I went to the left about .5 North trail, went back around to the other side and realized ¢I¢m lost.¢ I decided not to get frustrated and pitch by the lake. After I was all set up, I noticed the sign! $200.00 fine for camping! I was so mad and decided I wasn¢t moving! A guy and his son passed and I asked where the AT was? Another guy came by and told me something I already knew ¢ no camping. I was torn. Do I pack up all my stuff or do I stay? Finally a bunch of kids came down the trail ¢ that¢s it, I¢m out of here! This is the last thing I wanted to do is hike in the dark after 14 miles, but I did and found a site.
Date: 2007-08-14
From: Stealth Camp 1 Mile past Lonesome Lake Hut

To: Garfield Pond
Miles today: 11.1

Tough day prior hiking with ¢Papillion¢ and Bono on Mt. Moosilauke. The ascent wasn¢t too bad ¢ the descent - murderous! And, of course, right at the end of the hike it started to rain making the steep rocks that much more a pain in the but!!!!! Glad I was able to get off the trail this day! OK here we are, the next day, 6 a.m., and up we go right away to 3,478 ft.! And here comes the rain! It felt like I was circling this Mt. Wolf all day! A slight decent and now a short break and the suns poking its head out! Now time to tackle N&S Kinsman Mt. Downpour! I just started to dry out! These two peaks proved to be the most challenging yet with on your hands and knees rock scrambles. Everyone passed me as I worked to get myself and Bono up these treacherous cliffs. Once up N Kinsman Mt. the sun came out and it reminded me of the Smokies, only rain fell from the trees, not snow. Now tired, I still had another peak to contend with. Half way up I ran into ¢M&M¢ and ¢Pootz¢ slack packing. They gave me some fruit and cookies. The views from the top were worth it as the sun came in and out. On the descent it was slow going, but we finally made it to the Lonesome Lake Hut. This hut is the first full service in the Whites and there wasn¢t one thru-hiker in sight! They said I could work for stay, but the dog stays outside, so off I went. ¢Nobody puts Bono outside!¢ Now the fun began. I went to the left about .5 North trail, went back around to the other side and realized ¢I¢m lost.¢ I decided not to get frustrated and pitch by the lake. After I was all set up, I noticed the sign! $200.00 fine for camping! I was so mad and decided I wasn¢t moving! A guy and his son passed and I asked where the AT was? Another guy came by and told me something I already knew ¢ no camping. I was torn. Do I pack up all my stuff or do I stay? Finally a bunch of kids came down the trail ¢ that¢s it, I¢m out of here! This is the last thing I wanted to do is hike in the dark after 14 miles, but I did and found a site.