morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2003-05-23
From: Port Clinton

To: Allentown Shelter
Miles today: 22.6

Grabbed breakfast at 7:15 with the gang. Delicious big breakfast. One waitress was serving the whole place so we waited a lot. Packed up at the Pavilion which as real nice. Slept very well and cozy - wasn't kept awake by the 18 wheelers that drive over head. Hit the TRail at 9:30. Trail was touch with an initial climb outta town and lots and lots of rocks. I supposed it wasn't too smart to break in my shoes with a big day over rocks but hey I'm not too smart. Took a break at the Windsor Furnace Terrace shelter and started the second big climb of the day. The ridge was full of jaggged rocks that really tested both my new shoes and my patience. I was real disappointed since there was no sign of the Pinacle, which is a pretty famous AT view. There was an "overlook" sign and that was it. Don't suppose I would've seen much since its an overcast, white-skied chilly day #37 in a row. I can't believe its Memorial weekend and we're still holding onto our winter gear. At this hiking and weather rate, we'll have no real summer. By the time we hit late June and early July we'll be up north at 5000 foot elevations. Grunt and I stopped at the very nice Eckville shelter. It's .2 down a road and has no sign. It's an enclosed cabin with a stocked fridge offering sodas and ice cream. Had an ice cream sandwich and a juice. Place was very well maintained. I met the caretaker who took our picture. Just as we got in at 3 p.m. it started to drizzle. Grunt kicked his shoes off and announced he was staying. Flick rolled in and was in limbo about moving on or staying. I moved on and assumed I might be on my own tonite. After two miles I ran into Subman who had missed the last shelter and kept going. Started to rain harder as we had a 1200 foot climb back up the ridlge. Had lots of rocks to contend with and they were all wet. Once again, I don't recommend breaking in shoes in this manner. Hiked with Subman for two miles than passed him. Rest of the walk was drizzly, foggy rock hopping, not too fun at the end of a long day. Got here at 6 p.m. expecting a crowd for the holiday weekend and was very pleasantly surprised to find the place empty. Subman showed up and its all ours tonite. Water was a long way down which is never a party. Cold and rainy night. The miserable weather continues. I've only got 4 miles to hike by 10 a.m. to meet my family. I hope it doesn't rain since we are supposed to hike together. At least I can sleep in tomorrow a bit.
Date: 2003-05-24
From: Allentown Shelter

To: Lehigh Gap
Miles today: 17.4

Woke up early to another cold, raining, foggy morning. A section hiker came in at 8 p.m. and shared the shelter with Subman and me. A guy came in at 9 p.m. and said he was only in for a break. He was attempting a 24 hour hike of 50 miles. It was hard enough getting over the rocks in the rain. I couldn't imagine it in pitch darkness. Each to his own. Hung around the shelter until 8:30 and was able to finish my book "Walk Across America". The guy who wrote it was adventurous and cool but a terrible writer. I am pretty sure no one edited it. Had an easy four miles to the road. Got to the road early and slipped into the Bloue Mountain B&B. They let me use the phone adn gave me a hot cup of coffe. Ten minutes later my parents rolled up in the fog. I hadn't seen them since Springer so it was an exciting reunion. Coincidentally they booked a room at the B&B. I couldn't interest them in a rainy hike over the PS rocks so I hiked by myself. Rocks were incredibly slippery. Went over the Knife Edge which was a foot wide boulder trail. I was going at granny pace trying not to kill. myself. When I got to Bake Oven Knob shelter, I left a big bag of New York fresh bagels and a tub of cream cheese for my buddies. Kicked into cruise control and took a short break at the Outerbridge shelter and headed down the wrong trail. I got half-way down the mountain and realized I was lost. IHad to climb the hill and found the AT on the side of the shelter. Got picked up at 4 pljl at Lehigh gap to spend a night with my folks.
Date: 2003-05-27
From: Delware Water Gap

To: Blue Mountain Lakes Road
Miles today: 17.6

Woke up at 7 and we all went back to the diner for breakfast. Didn't hit the Trail till 9:30. Crossed over the I-80 bridge and into Jersey. I am in my old stomping ground now. Excited to know I've walked from Georgia to my own backyard. Walked in familiar territory all day. Came to Sunfish Pond, one of my favorite spots (lovely day). Caught up to Yankee on the ridge. We had lunch together. Went .3 down to Mohican Outdoor Center to get a Mountain Dew. Met Subman there and the thre of us hiked together the rest of the day. None of us were up for 25 miles, which is inconveniently the first shelter out of town. So we walked a mile down to Camp Ken-its-wa-pec, a YMCA camp that is out of season now. No one was there, kinda freaky. All of the cabins were locked so the three of us set up on the porch of the office. Cooked dinner and two hours later in walked Grunt, Squirts, and Flick. As we all settled down the camp director drove up and told us there were two lean-tos on the lake we could slep in. We've got the place to ourselves. Tomorrow, Worthingtons Bakery and I meet my friend Darci. More rain expected.
Date: 2003-05-29
From: Mashipacong shelter

To: Pochuck Shelter
Miles today: 19.5

Good day. Not much to say. Stopped by the Seever Hostel, a nice place. Going home for a couple of days in NY. Taking Grunt, Flick, Squirts and Southern Yankee. Haven't had a day off in 500 miles. It'll be really nice to relax and espcially go home, sleep in my bed, and see everyone and eat! 21.6 until we get picked up tomorrow.
Date: 2003-05-30
From: Pochuck Shelter

To: NY 17A
Miles today: 21.7

Long day. We passed some cows sitting right on the Trail. Resisted the pull of town (vernon) and made the long steep trudge up Wawyanda mountain to the pinwheel vista. No views due to the haze and fog. I lunched at the top with the usual group and found a tick hanging out on my stomach. Really gave me a scare. This area is known for ticks and lymes disease. A couple coming the other way said they had just seen a bear so we were on close watch. The day became increasingly hot and humid and very buggy. Finally crossed into NY, my home state. Took a celebratory pic of my kissing the state line. The last 5 or 6 miles of the day were up on rock cliffs with excellent views of Greenwood Lake. Tough terrain that even included a ladder at one point. Glad it wasn't wet. About 3 miles before our arranged pickup I ran into Rick aka Clean from 99'. My dad had told him about our rendezvous and he decided to come out and suprise us with some sodas and his presence. He had run into all my buddies as Grunt and I took the rear. It was real cool of Rick as well as my dad to come out and pick us up. Took all the guys back to the city for 2 days of rest and they are shell shocked!
Date: 2003-05-31
From: NYC

To: HOME/NYC
Miles today: 0.0

Hello All! I'm sitting at home right now on my own computer and it feels really strange. I planned to take a day or two off when I hit Bear Mtn, NY but came in from route 17A just over the NY line, 1356 miles from Springer. With me are Trailbuds Grunt, Squirts, Flick and Southern Yankee. I hadn't had a day off in 510 miles and the rest the same. We were all getting a little burned out with the daily miles and the daily rain for a month+ now I guess started to take a little toll on us. I was developing a pretty nasty case of shin splints and called my parents aka the rescue squad to come save us for a weekend in NYC. I'm showing them around the city and we're slated for not one but TWO zero days which is incredible. I find myself 2 weeks ahead of my "schedule" i made before the trip. Still havin an absolute blast out there. Have started to hike through some areas ive hiked in the past. The next stretch ahead im very familiar with, and it'll be great to be familiar with the scenary.   Its crazy to think I'm almost 2/3 of the way. I exerted so much blood, sweat and drive into getting this far, but im starting to see the end, and it scares me. I wanna slow down this last 800 miles and make it last forever. Sure I wanna finish, but im gonna try to decrease the miles a bit, so I can savor every minute. Im reassured each day that I made the right choice and am constantly reminded that this is what I should be doing. It sure feels right. Its amazing to walk into a section such as the Deleware water gap, which im very familiar with and then to realize that I didn't just park my car down in the lot, i indeed walked from Georgia. Its even weirded now to think that I walked home.    Its time to show the guys around, but ill be updating tomorrow. Ciao!
Date: 2003-06-03
From: Fingerboard shelter

To: Graymoor Friary
Miles today: 20.5

Woke up feeling pretty crappy. Tired and achy and just couldnt get into a good pace. I also had chills througout the day which concerns me a bit. What started out as a mundane day turned out to be an eventful one. A mile before the Brien shelter we spotted our first Rattlesnake! He was only a foot from the Trail and his rattle was loud. Grunt, who has to play around with, or disturb every animal, flipped the snake off the Trail with his pole. The snake tried to bite him a couple of times!    Today was a tough day. 20 miles don't come easy anymore! Up and down all day. Not big hills, just enough to wear you down. The Trail also shoots right up hills instead of skirting around them, like down south.    Got to the top of Bear Mtn and checked out the very good view from the Perkins Tower. When I was coming down the tower a woman asked me if 'it was worth it'? I thought she was talking about the walk from georgia to here, but instead she meant about the walk to the top of the tower for the view. Its amazing how lazy some people are. Of course i say that now. When I;m done hiking ill ask someone to pass the remote, being too lazy to get up.    Today was Johhny Walkers birthday so we all had a big lunch at the Bear Mtn Inn. Got into the Trailside zoo just before it was closing. We are sad, really sad. Not only have we gone 1393 miles without seeing a bear, we didn't even get to see them in the zoo. I guess they were in their cage.    5 of us crossed the Hudson river together on the Bear Mtn Bridge. When we got to the other side a woman got out of her car and walked up to us. She told us her daughter had just started hiking in Georgia and that she was nervous b/c her daughters partner had quit at Neals Gap. She asked if it was OK if her husband and her brought us Pizza and beer to Graymoor for dinner. WOW! WHAt Trail magic! Thanks so much to Joanne, Kirby and grandma Willy. They brought cookie, milk, carrots and a birthday cake for Johnny. Grunt, Streak, squirts, Flick, shovel, mox, JW, Yankee, Afterburner, Monko and myself all enjoyed the feast on this raining evening. were all cramped in the pavilion tonight. Turned out to be a great one!
Date: 2003-06-08
From: Rt 7, Mountainside Cafe

To: Camp Hi-Rock, Bear Rock Falls
Miles today: 18.9

Had a huge breakfast at the cafe, but couldn't get motivated. Grunt and I layed around until 10:30 then hit the Trail. Good climb up Lion's Head and Bear Mountain. The black flies were attacking us up on Bear Mtn! The descent down was steep and wet. I'm very nervous going down wet rock surfaces. My shoes have horrible treading and I am constantly slipping. We flew all day and crossed into Massachussetts at beautiful Sages Ravine. Got to Bear Rock Falls at 4:30 where it's a 15 minute walk to my childhood summer camp. Spent the night there with Grunt. Was great to see some of my friends, but made me yearn to go back to camp.
Date: 2003-06-09
From: Camp Hi-Rock, Bear Rock Falls

To: Rt 23
Miles today: 20.9

What started out as a rainy nasty day turned beautiful. The lazy guys we are didn't hit the Trail until noon. So glad we got wonderful weather for the Race Mountain ridge walks. Definitely one of the coolest spots on the Trail Next to it was Mt. Everett, which was a challenging but fun climb. Tough descent coming down Jug End. We caught a break and got to a nice 5 mile flatish section. But the mosquitoes were destroying us. Definitely a tough day. Rock scambling and climbing up East Mountain. My friend Sam picked us up at 7:30 and took us back to camp. Great to have dinner and spend another night indoors.
Date: 2003-06-11
From: Upper Goose Pond Cabin

To: Dalton Mass, Tom Levardis
Miles today: 20.9

Hey all! Im in the beautiful Berkshire Mtns in the small town of Dalton, Mass. I'm staying at Trail angel Tom Levardis house. Hes the greatest. We came in off the Trail soggy, wet and tired and he came onto the porch and offered to let us stay at his place and made us an AMAZING dinner, with sundaes after. Does it get better than that? Well....almost. Stayed last night at Upper Goose Pond Cabin, also a great place. No road access, just for thru-hikers. Amazing pond and cabin and a pancake breakfast. The caretaker did everything for us and kept us entertained all evening. We even had some live music.   The weather is crap as usual, but hey im used to it. Rain rain every day. I heard it was the wettest may ever, not suprised. Its gotten so bad the towns people don't bother lying to hikers, they tell us flat out 'yeah, its gonna rain'. Been in a cluster with Grunt, Flick, Yankee, Moxie, Johnny Walker, Goose, Miles to go, squirts and redstreak.    Its just started to hit me that, damn I walked all this way! I'm a day and a half away from Vermont. I practically walked to my college at this point. We've been averaging 20 miles a day thru NY, CT and Mass. The terrain has been somewhat gentle, but were warming up for the big boys, or the boss states as Grunt calls them (vt, nh and me). Everyones currently laughing at the profiles we got for new hampshire. Resembles nothing we've been doing for the last 1000 miles. OH YEAH, I hit the 1500 mile mark a couple days ago. I think the official tally is 1553.    Its almost the end...well kind of. Im excited, scared and all the rest. Stay tuned!
Date: 2003-06-12
From: Dalton Mass, Tom Levardis

To: Thunderbolt Shelter, Mt Greylock
Miles today: 17.5

Spent an excellent night at Tom Levardis's last night. We all went to breakfast at the cheap Duff n Dell restaurantHit the PO and on the Trail by 9. The first mile was a cruise through residential areas. Climbed Crystal Mountain and then down into Chesire for lunch Had a delicious Peanut Butter Bar at T's Treats. She just opened and is so friendly. She filled our bottles, gave us her register and chatted with us. Then the long climb up Greylock. It was mostly gradual and pretty fun. The sun poked out for a few hours, something that rarely happens anymore. Right after Mark Noepel Shelter I turned a corner and ran into a big porcupine. He stared me down for a minute. "Hey buddy, someone's gonna have to move." He slowly started walking up the Trail and I followed him. I figured he was guiding me up Greylock. He started moving fast and faster and finally moved off the Trail. He climbed a tree and I got a good shot of him.Hit 3000 feet for the first time since the Shenandoahs. It was cool to see the forest change as we got higher. Pine trees, bog loge and roots oh my! Just a little of what's to come.Got up the summit at 4 p.m. and decided to stay. A bunch of us were crashing at the "emergency" Thunderbolt Cabin. Some are eating dinner at Bascom Lodge but I passed. 16 bucks is a little steep. Tomorrow into Vermont! Rain is expected. What else is new...
Date: 2003-06-15
From: Story Spring Shelter

To: Manchester, VT
Miles today: 21.1

On the trail by 7 a.m.. Long climb up Stratton Mountain. No views as always. We met the GMC caretaker who lives up there. On the way down a tree fell on Miles to Go's head. Pretty crazy stuff.We all lunched at Stratton POnd at 10:45. The day started to clear up and turned beautiful. We took another break at Prospect Rock which had an awwesome view of Manchester. Also stopped at Spruce Peaks Shelter. Extremely nice shelter. Made it down to the road by 3:15. Got a ride - stopped at Avalanche Motel with Grunt and Yankee.
Date: 2003-07-05
From: Knisman Notch

To: US 3 North Woodstock
Miles today: 16.3

Long day! Tubbs and his uncle Jim dropped me off at a quarter past 8. Thanks so much to Tubbs, Jim, Gus and Joanne. Great hospitality!Tough little climb straight outta the Notch. Ups and downs over Mt. Wolf. Last mile or so to the Eliza shelter seemed to take forever. Lunch breaked it at shelter and began the slow climb up and over South Kinsman. As it started up it rained - first a drizzle and then hard. Really made it tough over the boulders and rocks and roots. Not much of a view from the top, a little dissapointing. finally started to see some day hikers near the summit. Hadn't seen anyone all day. Ran into 3 SOBOs - Dixiebound, Squirrel meat and another guy, Squeaky. So weird, no NOBOs. I'm in some strange pocket. Crumbsnatch is behind and Tubbs took a zero day. I expect to see tons of people tomorrow on the Franconia Ridge. It's a Sunday and a holiday weekend. Hoping for good weather and a work for stay at Galehead Hut. Took a break at both Kinsman shelter and Lonesome Lake Hut. I found the entry from when I stayed at Lonesome hut on 8/24/98! Pretty cool. I called home and couldn't reach anyone!
Date: 2003-07-13
From: Carlo Col shelter

To: Baldplate Lean-to
Miles today: 16.4

Today can be filed under the list of "not the wisest things i've ever done". I knew this section was the toughest and most slow going on the AT, yet my stubborn, motivated, competitive side came to play on this beautiful afternoon. The day started with a climb of the beautiful Goose Eye mountain. Last time I hiked this i was tromping thru 2 feet of snow. It was amazing to experience this in July with views in every direction, being able to see all the mountaintops i had crossed and will come to. Cheddar and I took a short break at Full Goose Shelter and were entertained by register entries from SOBOs who had just traveled thru the feared Mahoosuc Notch.    One SOBO refered to this as the "jungle gym for adults". I suppose it could be looked at that way. I was so thankful for good weather. This could be a horror in rain. I was happy to have Cheddar around just incase. We helped each other find the best way over, under, around and thru (haha) the rocks. It was slow, tiring and trying in some spots, but overall i'd say it was an experience. So much of the Trail is very similar, its great to have some diversity.    The notch claimed one of my water bottles that fell out as i squeezed thru a tight crevice. I actually filtered water right out of a pool in the notch, the coldest water i've drank out here.   The climb up Mahoosuc arm after the notch is the tough one. Straight up, tons of rocks, boulders and roots. The top was extremely rewarding and we had great views descending down to Speck Pond.    I planned on staying here but it was pretty early and there was no way I wanted to give the AMC another 8 bucks to stay in a wood shelter. Cheddar convinced me to push on to the next shelter, another 7 miles. I knew this would be a long, tough haul.       After slogging over Old Speck, it was a long 4 mile descent down into Grafton Notch. Passed tons of kids and groups on the way down. When I got to the parking lot i was completely beat. I knew i had reached an uncomfortable point in the day where i wish i had retired. Luckily the last 2 miles were gradual up to the shelter. I arrived at around 6 as did Cheddar. We ate dinner and got in our bags. At 745 Team Iowa rolled in as well as Train. Great to have some company. A very long, hard day. Maybe the toughest day so far. Short one into Andover for some food tomorrow
Date: 2003-07-15
From: Andover, ME

To: South Arm Road
Miles today: 10.1

Well the decision to slack the 10 miles back to Andover was easy. The All-star game is on tonight and i also had to wait for my maps which didnt arrive yesterday but showed up today. Also giving Dimps, Java and all else a chance to gain some ground.    The hike was beautiful today. Maine is more amazing than I could have imagined. Came about 5 feet from a porcupine who slowly climbed a tree as i passed. The 3rd ive seen so far. Apparently a couple people have spotted Moose nearby but still none for me. I'll be very frustrated if i go home bearless and mooseless after 2172.6 miles! When I got to the road both Sandra from Guesthouse and Earl from the Cabin were there. Both offered to give me a ride into town. Its nice to see competing hostel owners getting along unlike some other towns where its like dealing with two divorced parents who hate one another and being in the middle of it. Although im staying at the Guesthouse, i was amazed to see how friendly and generous earl from the cabin was. He was not trying to persuad me or anyone else to stay with him and he doesnt advertise. He was gonna give me a ride to town despite not giving him any business. The guest house is nice, but next time i hike thru :) ill be staying at the cabin.    Met up with Poptart at East B hill road. She slacked the 10 miles after doing 8 so we are now up to the same point. I picked her up at 6 this evening from the Trail. Hopefully we can stay together for awhile, or until the end. It would be really sweet to finish with someone from the past. Seeing a familiar face is really nice. Ben and Witt also showed up today altho they hike so sporadically (huge days, time off) i wont count on seeing them much.    I realized today that i underestimated the power and importance of friends on the Trail. I attributed my success on the Trail to myself, for being flexible and becoming comfortable with Trail life. When in reality it was my friends that created such smooth sailing. It was natural to be on the Trail and to enjoy it while i was with them because thats all i ever knew. Now that I'm on my own its different. There are down points and times that never use to exist because of the comraderie that we had and the inside jokes and experiences we shared. I don't have the mindless conversations and joking to get me up that last hill or the satisfying feeling of getting into camp and watching 5 other stoves light up next to mine. I've been more uncertain of what i can accomplish being on my own. I never doubted making the miles or beating that obstacle because i had the back up support and confidence. I suppose being on my own is a blessing in disguise. Its made me have to rely on my own strength more. The crutch is gone, but its not a bad thing, just something to get used to.
Date: 2003-07-22
From: Pierce Pond Lean-to

To: Caratunk, Me
Miles today: 4.0

Got ferried across the Kenebeck River by canoe. The ferrywoman was very nice and had a cute retriever that would doggy paddle next to the canoe. Easy flat walk into Caratunk in the morning. I checked into the Caratunk B+B. Jensen drove me 20 miles to the town of Bingham to a medical clinic. The doctor diagnosed me with giardia, which im almost certain i dont have. I took the medicine anyway, in hopes that itll kick what i've got.    Paul drove me and two SOBOs to an AYCE taco place. I totally showed those guys up. After 2 tacos they were satisfied. I asked 'are you guys serious'? and continued for another 5 rounds until i could barely breath. Paul is a great guy, one of the best on the Trail. He was very supportive and we talked Trail for awhile.