morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2004-07-19
From: Kent, CT

To: Kent, CT
Miles today: 0.0

Today was my first real zero day since Erwin TN. I napped, then drove into Kent for lunch and some shopping. At the outfiters I got a new pair of Spenco insoles for my boots because the original insoles are walked flat, socks, and a spare bite valve for my Platypus. Then I got food for the next three days and more vitamins. I like Centrum Performance because they combine a multivitamin with extra B vitamins, saving weight. I also got new ziplock bags to replace the ones I had bought in Harpers Ferry, which had been too flimsy. Only freezer strength bags seem to stand up well to the rigors of the Trail. I also stopped at a bakery renowned for its cheesecake but alas, they were out. Sigh.Back at the house, I walked to the farmers market down the road and bought some raspberries. Maybe eating them will trick me into thinking I am still on the trail instead of watching TV.I also tried weighing myself this morning. According to their scale I am only 136 pounds, about ten less than the scale at Vernon NJ said about ten days ago. Judging by the way my watch is starting to rattle around loosely on my wrist, I suspect the lower figure might be correct. Gasp, the incredible shrinking hiker! When I started out I did not think I could get below 135 without getting a bit excessively thin but here I am at the doorstep.
Date: 2004-07-20
From: Kent, CT

To: Pine Knob Loop
Miles today: 13.2

Ann dropped me off at Pine Knob Loop Trail, a sidetrail leading to the AT. I would hike south back to Kent. Within an hour I ran into Gaiter Woman coming the other direction. After a big hug we got caught up. Last I had seen her she was sick and leaving the Trail at Pine Grove Furnace. She had not only gotten well but had caught up and passed me. She will never admit it, but Gaiter Woman is one strong hiker.Next was a lovely five mile walk along the Housatonic River, then there was a steep climb up St. Johns Ledges, with some rock scrambling but not as bad as in New York. Going up I passed two rockclimbing classes from local summer camps on the adjacent cliffs. From there it was a fairly level hike along the ridge south to the road to Kent.I found a ripe black raspberry almost as soon as I started hiking and blueberries up on the heights. Not enough to totally gorge on but enough to keep up my berry streak.While I was hiking I had a chore to do. Ann and The Walking Stomach maintain the section from the Ledges south and Ann had asked me to count the blowdown trees that needed clearing. Weeheee, I get to be a Junior Deputy Trail Maintainer for the day! Back in town I bought a whole cheesecake, then carried it back to the house. I was just about to take a shower when I heard voices outside. It was Little Tree and The Walking Stomach! They had hitched in from HWY 55 in New York to start slack-packing.After hugs of greeting and a very touching reunion between Stomach and her purse and car, we headed to the store to find enough food for 3 hungry hikers.
Date: 2004-07-21
From: Pine Knob Loop

To: Falls Village, CT
Miles today: 12.6

After I had a filling but slightly unorthodox breakfast of leftover cheesecake, The Walking Stomach drove me back to Pine Knob Loop Trail and I climbed back up to the AT but headed north this time. I met and remet Bluebell, Castro and Little Bit, two men and a woman who had been about a day ahead of me for weeks. It was interesting to finally meet them. When thruhiking, people are always speeding up and slowing down or taking breaks so you end up meeting hikers who were once far ahead of or behind you. News and gossip spreads that way too, disseminating up and down the trail like lightning sometimes. They say nothing is easier to carry than gossip!The blueberries are continuing up on the heights, but lower berries seem supplanted by other plants here. Oh well, Ann promised me that the really big blueberries are ripe just a bit north. Mmmmmmm.... I reached Falls Village by 3 and crossed the river. Right next to the Trail is the home of an Aunt and Uncle of my housemate's where I stopped in to visit. As well as two cats, they have three very cute dogs and I found myself with the pleasant role of the menagerie's babysitter for the evening while the aunt and uncle were out at a modern dance performance.
Date: 2004-07-25
From: Tom Leonard Lean-To

To: Upper Goose Pond Cabin
Miles today: 21.1
Weather: clear sky

The day started normally enough, except that my hat seemed to have vanished. Maybe a porcupine saw it as a salty treat and carried it off? That is my third lost hat. I am starting to feel like Peter Rabbit the way I lose clothing!The Trail went up several steep climbs then settled into rolling terrain and a soft pine needle surface. In some open spaces I found more new red raspberries and up on the heights some blueberries.All that was forgotten at lunch when the mad idea hit me to hike the full 21 miles to Upper Goose Pond Cabin. Even though it is a famous trail stop, I had reconciled myself to skipping it because it would mean yet another short day. Instead I decided to do a very long one and make up the time lost by the rain. I strode as fast as my legs could go, hoping to arrive well before dark. I found myself actually passing the two male hikers I'd crossed paths with the past several days, named Myst and Bones, as well as Loon and Lil' Bit and her twosome, all of whom had started closer to the Cabin than I had!Despite the fact the last miles turned rocky I somehow got there at 6pm. It is a cabin maintained by the AMC with a caretaker and kitchen rather like the Mohican Center. It has a legendary pancake breakfast, so my effort should be well rewarded.I also found Palm Tree. He said he had left Kent with Boonie and Tree Frog, then had taken a zero day in Great Barrington while they had gone ahead. He expects to rejoin them at Dalton.
Date: 2004-07-26
From: Upper Goose Pond Cabin

To: Kay Woods Shelter
Miles today: 17.6
Weather: clear sky

Since the pancakes would be ready at 630 I had the luxury of sleeping in until 6am this morning. I had five (seven?) plus two mugs of nice strong coffee.I had meant to go a nice conservative 12 miles and camp, but Palm Tree said he heard a weather prediction of heavy rain and flooding tonight. So I decided AGAIN to go long and make for the Kay Woods shelter eighteen miles away where I would be under cover. I headed up the hill, over the Massachusetts Turnpike, and across Hwy 20 just five miles from Lee, Mass, home of the Tanglewood Music Festival. Then up a REALLY big hill and then off over more or less rolling ground.A little after halfway, I came to the home of "The Cookie Lady". Her name is Marilyn Wiley and she lives on a blueberry farm and is famous for the home-baked cookies she has given to thruhikers for years. I think the farm has sucked in all the berry Kharma for miles around because I did not see a single blueberry until a mile away, red raspberries started apearing closer but the farm itself had blueberries the size of grapes! They were the biggest I had ever seen. Her husband Roy greeted us, explaining she was off in Indianapolis. He showed us where the water was and invited us to go pick. I gathered a pint of berries for just a dollar. Then he brought us a basket with a soda for each of us and six yummy cookies! Yum....Then we started the last six miles. When Palm Tree said there was a flashflood watch in less than an hour I shifted into high gear and sped to the shelter lest I get drenched.I got there first so I was able to get one of the lower shelves where I could set up my tent for the bugs.
Date: 2004-07-27
From: Kay Woods Shelter

To: Dalton, Mass
Miles today: 3.0
Weather: light rain

It was only 3 miles to Dalton but none of the other towns just down the Trail had reasonable motel rates and the heavy rain had not arrived yet and still threatened, so I decided to stop there. With the short hike, my only berries were Cookie Lady blueberries with my granola for breakfast. Oh well.While there I ran into Sanguine, whom I had last seen in southern Virginia. To my surprise, I also saw Little Tree, who was taking a break with a friend. Adam was here too, returning to the trail after waiting three weeks for his damaged arch to heal. He will do the section he skipped later.There was another reunion too. Lil' Bit's friend Bluebell asked if I had left a hat at a shelter, then pulled my missing hat out of his pack! Someone had hung it up and with all the gear in the shelter I had not been able to see it. Gee was I glad to see it! The weather is getting rainy and its broad brim keeps the water out of my face and glasses.Carefree, who is hiking with her friend Freedom, noticed what she thought was a spider bite. Today it got blistery and she went to a doctor here. She found out it was really the onset of shingles, probably brought on by exhaustion and stress. She is on an antiviral medication for a week and they had already decided to take the next day off and relax, so she ought to be all right.An email from my father suggested I go visit the Crane Paper Company's museum of papermaking. So I went through the rain to see it and found it rather interesting. They specialize in fine cotton based paper and have made the paper used for all US currency for over a century!I had the misfortune of having a room near the motel's pub. Most of the evening loud music hammered the walls of my room, so I ended up watching TV until 1am when it was finally quiet enough to sleep.
Date: 2004-07-28
From: Dalton, Mass

To: Mark Noepel Shelter
Miles today: 13.7
Weather: overcast clouds

I got going a bit sleepily from the late night. The forecast called for late afternoon thunderstorms so rather than waste time having breakfast at the excellent diner I had been to the previous morning I went to the convenience store on the way to the Trail. I got two egg-muffin things, zapped them in the microwave and wolfed them down.There was light rain and the woods were dark as the evil woods in a Disney cartoon. Here and there was a less dense spot where it was brighter, reminding me of the cover illustration of the old paperbacked edition of "The light in the forest" I had read in grade school. The ground was drenched from the recent rain, streams ran high with water cascading noisily and the stepping stones were often awash which made crossing tricky. I found two red raspberries, then on the hill called The Cobble I found blueberries, those frosty friends of mine. I had a handfull, then left the rest for other berry addicts.It was nine miles to the town of Cheshire. I ran into a whole string of southbounders who spoke glowingly of the hostel at the catholic church. I was inclined to stop there, since it was five miles further to the next shelter high up the flanks of Mount Greylock.In Cheshire I stopped at Diane's Twist, an ice cream and sandwich shop right by the trail just inside town. I had a nice roast beef wrap with a coffee shake. On top of that, she let me fill up on water, use the restroom behind the counter, and for good measure she wrapped up a couple of the ends of roast beef left over after slicing to give me for free, saying they should get me up the mountain. Well after that generosity how could I slink off to a hostel? Invigorated, I headed up the mountain.I could see the top disappeared into the base of the low clouds. Soon I was up there, swallowed up in the cloud as well It was not raining but was quite foggy and the ground was even more saturated. I had to pick my way through large boggy areas.The shelter was over 2800 feet up, the heighest I have slept since Shenandoah Park in Virginia. I am back in the serious mountains and they will get higher and more rugged as the days go on.
Date: 2004-07-30
From: Sherman Brook Campsite

To: Congdon Shelter
Miles today: 12.3
Weather: few clouds

I SAW MY FIRST MOOSE!!! Two of them! Or is that mooses? Meese? About 1pm I came to a beaver pond and there they were, out in the water grazing. I slipped out my camera, advanced the film and crept closer. I got one shot and went closer still, where the Trail went along the edge of the pond right past them. One turned and looked at me, then went back to grazing. I got a couple more closer pictures before they decided they had had enough. They splashed out of the pond, crossed the Trail and disappeared in the underbrush.I went on cautiously, clacking my poles together every few seconds so they knew where I was. I did not want find out what they do when surprised at close quarters!. In a few moments I saw them splash into another pond below the beaver dam. I went over some large stepping stones across the fast-running outflow from the dam, went up a hill, and my first moose adventure was over. Gee, a few days ago I saw a porcupine. Now all I need is to be snowed on and then I will have had all the Northern AT experiences and can go home, right? Guess not. Well on to Katahdin.Earlier at around 9am I crossed the border into Vermont. That point is the south end of Vermont's Long Trail, which shares the next 100 or so miles with the Appalachian Trail, then runs 165 more to the Canadian Border. The Long Trail was completed in 1930 and helped inspire the idea of building the Appalachian Trail.A southbounder I ran into has dubbed the state "Vermud". It has probably dried out a little but was still quite muddy. It made for a slow day, picking the driest way through. Several times I sank a boot nearly up to the top into soft mud. They managed to keep out the water, that is until I slipped crossing a stream and plunged my right foot into the cold water and scrapped my left leg in the bargain.I managed to find blueberries on both sides of the border, mostly on the high peaks, along with two red raspberries.Early in the day I found the lining of my left boot was starting to fray at the heel, exposing the hard edge of the plastic heel cup. I cushioned it with a square of moleskin and added a large piece of duct tape to hold it in place. Hopefully I can keep it repaired until I can replace them, probably at Manchester Center.The shelter tonight is odd, almost like being in a garage with the narrow front opening and three glassed-in windows on the other walls. It has two double-bunk things that seem to be meant to hold two people each. That looks a bit optimistic, so I hope I get a shelf to myself.Ponderer arrived with one hand swathed in gauze. He had fallen and slashed the palm near the border and had to hike back down to the road and spend a zero day getting it stitched.
Date: 2004-07-31
From: Congdon Shelter

To: Kidd Gore Shelter
Miles today: 18.7
Weather: overcast clouds

If I walked an even 14-15 miles each day until Manchester Center then tomorrow I would have to camp in the woods away from a shelter or campsite. This was allowed in Vermont but was discouraged, and the muddy and bouldery landscape promised little in the way of a flat dry tentsite. To stay at a shelter meant doing one long day. So I got on the Trail at 530am to get an early start and kept as fast a pace as the terrain would allow. The weather was blustery with gusts all day that threatened rain yet stayed dry.The hike started with the discovery that the water we had drank last night came straight from a beaver pond, not the cleanest source. To emphasize the point, the trail followed a line of marshboards, most of which were submerged beneath the pond leaving my feet drenched.From there it went uphill to a height that had the first real view since entering Vermont as well as a good handful of raspberries. Next it plunged down a deep gorge to the road to Bennington, doing so via a fearfully steep flight of rude stone steps for hundreds of feet down. I slipped and fell once. I was unhurt but more than a little unnerved falling on such a dizzy slope. I suddenly felt really tired of falling and for a moment wondered if the whole thruhike was really worth it. By a miracle there was a cooler of Trail Magic at the bottom and I got a bottle of Gatorade which helped restore my composure and forget thoughts of quiting. Across the road the trail went over a river then up again, fortunately less steep without so many steps.The shelter I might have stayed at was high up the side of Glastenbury Mountain, which loomed over 3700 feet. At the top I climbed the firetower, hanging on against the strong wind. It was the first firetower I had seen still standing since Virginia or before, most have been taken down.Four miles later I reached the shelter and the long-threatened rain showers finally started. I cooked two days worth of supper, using up the spare food I had brought in case I was delayed and followed it up with hot chocolate. Ponderer arrived as well as a man named Snowman who was hiking the Long Trail but everyone else who was with me seemed to have stopped at the last shelter.
Date: 2004-08-03
From: Manchester Center, VT

To: Lost Pond Shelter
Miles today: 14.8
Weather: few clouds

It is surprising what a shower, three big meals and a night in a comfy bed can do. I was all smiley, bright-eyed and bushytailed this morning, my zero day yearning evaporated, and I hit the Trail.I had hardly left the road when I found a nice patch of raspberries, enough to graze properly and still leave plenty for others. It was nice and sunny and the mud was much better, largely dried and only a few boggy spots.I spent much of the day high up in that Cristmas Tree looking landscape, very cheery and a deeper more alive looking green than the broadleaf forest lower down. At Baker Peak the Trail went up a rock spine straight up the side of the mountain. It was steep enough to be exhilerating but not steep enough to be unnerving. It was long enough to make you work for it but not too long. The view was incredible. And at the top, the trail dove back into cool Christmas Tree terrain again. One of those perfect experiences that one discovers along the Trail!At the shelter there was Ponderer, who had preceeded me, and a pair of southbounders. Also there was Hobbit, a woman I had last seen at Partnership Shelter in Virginia! I got there just in time to avoid a light thundershower, just enough to cool things off for a good night's sleep.There are good days on the Trail as well as hard ones, and today was a good one.
Date: 2004-08-04
From: Lost Pond Shelter

To: Minerva Hinchey Shelter
Miles today: 14.9
Weather: clear sky

Today was nice hiking, with long stretches of smooth level footpath.The highpoint was a spot called White Rocks. Here hikers over the years have gathered rocks of all sizes and stacked them into dozens of fantastic sculptures. Just before there I found empty blueberry bushes and just when I had nearly given up hope, I found one bush with a handful of berries. They were the first blueberries I had seen since the first day in Vermont! I found a scattering of more blueberries on the next mountain. Perhaps there is hope for this state.At Minerva Shelter I could not decide whether to stop at a sensible 15 mile, do 14 tomorrow and then just five the next day to the Inn At The Long Trail, or go 4 more miles to the next shelter and reach the inn tomorrow evening. The second choice would put me a day ahead, but a 19 mile day would take a lot out of me. I couldn't decide and couldn't decide. Suddenly it started sprinkling, making my decision for me!There were lots of mosquitoes, so I hung my tent from the rafters as a mosquito bar with my mattress inside.
Date: 2004-08-06
From: Cooper Lodge Shelter

To: Inn At The Long Trail
Miles today: 8.2

This morning was chilly as I had expected and I took my time about leaving my nice warm sleeping bag since there was only a short distance to hike. I nearly gave up hope on berries, but a nice patch of raspberries near the Inn saved the day.I was sitting reading in the lounge waiting for my room to be cleaned when the manager called my name. I gaped in astonishment. My friend Libby was standing by the desk. She had driven all the way from her home in Missouri to visit me and had not only guessed where I would be but she had arrived within an hour of me! An amazing feat considering all the emails and coordination that had been involved in all my previous Trail rendezvous.We spent the rest of the day together getting caught up and watching vintage "Rocky and Bullwinkle" cartoons on DVD with her laptop computer. That brought back a lot of fond childhood memories. We ate in the Inn's pub. Libbie was unfamiliar with thruhiker appetites so she was a bit astounded by my capacity for food.
Date: 2004-08-07
From: Inn At The Long Trail

To: Chateauguay Road
Miles today: 12.8

After a night in beds so soft and comfortable they should be outlawed anywhere within 50 miles of the Trail, Libbie and I went down to our complementary breakfast. To my delight, it was not one of those pale thin continental things, but serious food from a menu. Libbie had french toast and I had a big omelet with sausage, toast and potatoes. Mmmmmmmmmm!At the table next to us we discovered Palm Tree, his wife, Boonie and Tree Frog. Palm Tree had been slack packing and spending evenings with his grandchildren. The other two had hiked in last evening and tented across the road.Then we packed, for me a bit more work since Libbie had been like Santa Claus. She brought me poison ivy creme she had tried to mail to me way back at Boiling Springs, sunscreen and best of all, a half dozen packets of instant Thai iced tea mix. We checked out, then Libbie took more photos and we said farewell. I had my day's raspberries and went the half mile up the side trail to the AT.It was a wet day, raining off and on much of the afternoon. It was also surprisingly chilly, never getting above 60 degrees. At Stony Brook Shelter I met Pilot and Polar. The three of us hiked together the last 5 miles to the road. Just as we got there it started raining again and there was a rush to get our tents up and things inside. Like at Big Meadows we were three women with three Nomad tents.It let up long enough to cook and eat. Palm Tree, Boonie and Tree Frog showed up and tented with us.My tent seems to be leaking a bit on one side, probably from the seam. If I get a chance I will try to seal that section again in Hanover.
Date: 2004-08-08
From: Chateauguay Road

To: Thistle Hill Shelter
Miles today: 16.8
Weather: scattered clouds

The morning was chilly but clear.Instead of haunting the road crossings, the raspberries grew up on the heights where I am used to finding blueberries. As we had a lot of heights, I had a lot of raspberries. A few miles from the shelter I hit the mother lode, a huge thicket packed with ripe berries. I ate them by the handful and still there were lots left for those behind.I stopped at the first road to spread out my tent and try to dry it in the sun. I got the worst of the moisture dried before the sun hid behind clouds. It showed no sign of reappearing so I packed up my tent and moved on. Naturally then the sun came back out to laugh at me.I had been told that the southern section of Vermont was easier because it ran along a ridge while this section went across the grain of the ridges. There were a lot of ups and downs, but the going seemed no worse than the Long Trail section with its steep deep gaps and high peaks.I got to the shelter just in time as a rain shower started right after I arrived. Pilot and Polar got in about an hour later and Palm Tree after them. Of course the sun came out to laugh at us again right after the rain. Don't you hate it when the sun starts teasing?I burned my supper trying to simmer it and then of all things, the handle broke off of my Lexan spoon! I thought they were supposed to be indestructable. I had to eat by holding the bowl of the spoon with my fingers. At least my timing is good. Tomorrow I get into Hanover and can get the spare from my bounce box.Everyone else straggled into the shelter after me and they all thought this section of Vermont was brutal, far worse than the early section and that I was nuts to think it was just the same. Hmmmmmm, maybe my brain is getting soft. Oh well.