morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2007-06-27
To: Bears Den Rocks
Miles today: 18.3

Change of plans brought me here. I must be off my rocker to do 18 on a hot and humid day and to begin what is referred to as "The RollerCoaster". Ten ups and downs in a stretch of 13.5 miles. Who in the hell blazed this section of the trail. So here I am at Bears Den. Got the hiker special, Shower (I need it - stinky), large pizza (ate the whole pie) soda (drank it down) and the best for last Ben and Jerries Half Baked (I ate the whole pint - yummy). Washed clothes, caught up with some other hikers who were all excited about getting to Harpers Ferry. Mile marker 1009.1 The time has certainly gone by quick. but I can't believe I walked 1000 miles. Congrat to all ahead & to those coming up. Keep on hiking.P.S. Hello to Uncle Tom, Two Dogs & L.T. (Long Train). Maybe I'll see you up the trail sometime.
Date: 2007-06-28
From: Bears Den Rocks

To: Blackburn A.T. Center
Miles today: 7.9
Weather: broken clouds

Well I survived the "RollerCoaster" and lets just say I didn't get off of this ride saying its the coolest. It definitly kicked my ASS. So here I am at another great hostel run by RedWing, Hopeful & Baby Hikelet (shes 7mo). They are such nice people and worth the stop.It has finally rained. I sure hope this will help. Springs have been low, not so good on these hot days! Well off to Harpers Ferry tomorrow. Virginia has been good to me. Looking forward to new adventures & surprises in a new state.
Date: 2007-06-29
From: Blackburn A.T. Center

To: The Blue Ridge Center Harpers Ferry
Miles today: 12.6
Weather: light rain

Harpers Ferry, W.V. #460 on the Thru Hikers List. Had my picture taken for the photo album and weighed in at still 5 lbs more than when I left home. How in the hell can I gain weight when I've walked 1009.1 miles. Well I guess I'll just have to walk another 1,000 and see what happens.
Date: 2007-06-30
From: The Blue Ridge Center

To: Ed Garvey Shelter
Miles today: 6.4
Weather: scattered clouds

Awoke this morning at the Blue Ridge, watched the sun rise from the hammock I slept in. Rooster crowing, cows mooing, birds chirping and their cat meowing. It certainly was a great way to wake up. Toured a little of the town today. Lots of history with beautiful old buildings. Went to some museums and hung out with Vegas and Fuzzy Monkey. Moved on to the shelter later on. It looks just like a Giant Bird House. Its Awesome. Lots of people here tonight. The people at the A.T.C. were very nice and so worth the drop by to say hello and talk it up about the trail. All is still well.
Date: 2007-07-07
From: The Rose Sniffers PA 16 Trail Angels

To: The Rose Sniffers PA 16 Trail Angels
Miles today: 0.0

Well, finally feeling better. We, meaning The Rose Sniffers & myself, went out to dinner with some trail friends and some of the family. We all had a great time. On the trail tomorrow I am well rested and excited to get hiking again. Hello to all at home.P.S. To My Brother - Happy Birthday Joe!
Date: 2007-07-08
From: The Rose Sniffers PA 16 Trail Angels

To: Tumbling Run Shelter
Miles today: 5.7
Weather: clear sky

So here I am. I've made a 1058.4 mile journey so far. Feeing good, well except my 3 day fever spell but otherwise doing great. In all this time I've met so many people from all walks of life, young, in the middle and retired. People in trail towns willing to give you a helping hand, a soda or a snack or maybe bring you to their home to have a home cooked meal & a shower, all out of such kindness. You don't think people like them are out here but I'm here to say there are many. They touch your heart and stay with you forever. Making new friends on the trail, what a beautiful event. "The Rose Sniffers" ... If anyones has met this beautiful family, they are among the very lucky. Not feeling well when Amy with her two great kids Gracelyn & Jackson brought Vegas, Further and myself back to their home for a good meal, clean clothes & showers. But there I stayed for 5 days nursing myself back to health. They fed me and helped me get back to myself. Not only did I get better but I found myself in another phase of this long journey.I could not wait to get on the trail and I felt this pull to get to Katadin. Its not a feeling of getting it done, it's like a spot deep inside and something I was told by many that it would change me and I think its starting and this all came to me while at Bill, Amy, Gracelyn & Jacksons. With all their love, kindness and support, I've reached a new beginning on this great trail. Thank you so very much for everything you have done for me and others. You truly are very very special people and will always be in my heart.Amy & I hiked today to the shelter meeting Bill, Gracelyn & Jackson and of course they always bring treats. Cake & milk with the A.T. Trail on it GA --- ME, it was delish. Now it feels so good to be in my tent again and can't wait to hike tomorrow but still taking it a little easy. Lifes good beginning to end. Make all dreams happen. Hello to Gracelyn and Jackson. Big hugs to you both. Love Luna*
Date: 2007-07-10
From: Quarry Gap Shelter

To: In The Woods
Miles today: 17.8
Weather: broken clouds

Another easy day. Went to Pine Grove Furnace for the 1/2 gallon ice cream challenge. Congrats to Golden Child who ate his in 19.58 minutes. No, I did not partake but I did do my fair share of eating. Went swimming to cool down at the lake here. Great swimming and a really nice beach. Oh, how I miss the ocean. A bunch of us camped out in some random spot, nice and quiet, still hot though. Looking forward to DunCannon The Doyle they say its the place to be, we will see.
Date: 2007-07-14
From: In The Woods

To: Peters Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 11.4
Weather: broken clouds

DunCannon was fun. The Doyle was definately worth the stay. Very friendly town. Hiked out mid-afternoon. Hot today and I saw my first copperhead. Kept my distance but he was a beautiful snake. Lots of hikers here tonight but lots of fun. Springs are getting low, hoping for some rain soon. Well life on the trail, take what you can get.
Date: 2007-07-16
From: Rausch Gap Shelter

To: 501 Shelter
Miles today: 17.4
Weather: broken clouds

Long hot day. Sprinkled with lots of rocks, big ones, little ones, ones that stick straight out of the ground, they look like fangs. But alls good at the end of the day. We all ordered 8 large pizzas, 2 large salads and lots of soda. Plus they have showers here. Couldn't ask for a better ending to a hard day.Thank you to the caretaker who brought G to get all of our food.
Date: 2007-07-17
From: 501 Shelter

To: Eagles Nest Shelter
Miles today: 15.1
Weather: clear sky

Another long hot day with lots of rocks. I sure wish mother nature would rain on us. The springs are drying up and water is getting harder to come by. Didn't see any snakes today. But I did read some info on the male rattlesnakes. They are out and about more in July and August because they are looking for their mates. Now I know why these snakes are always rattling at me. They are irritated because the females are playing hard to get. God I love PA.
Date: 2007-07-18
From: Eagles Nest Shelter

To: Ye Olde Backpacker
Miles today: 8.6

Today we stayed at a hostel. Thanks to Scott and Tammy for all of your kindness. Had a great time listening to Scotts firefighting stories. He fought fire all over the country (wilderness fires). Thanks to Pete, a local who gave us a ride to the grocery store and to the hostel. We certainly do appreciate all your help.
Date: 2007-07-19
From: Ye Olde Backpacker

To: Eckville Shelter
Miles today: 15.2
Weather: light rain

Rocky at times but flat at others. Water still is a problem. Hoping for the best. My feet are starting to hurt, haven't had a day off since my stay at the "Rose Sniffers". But pushing on to Deleware Water Gap. Get me some new shoes. Saw a sign today it read Mt. Katadin 955.9 miles north. Wow, I can't believe I've walked this far.
Date: 2007-07-23
To: Delaware Water Gap, PA
Miles today: 20.4
Weather: moderate rain

Cold, wet, really wet. I know we needed the rain but damn. I got a ride into town by a lovely couple. They used to help maintain the section. It feels good to be done with PA. Looking forward to time off. Five days in New Hampshire with family and friends, fun, food, music oh yeah. Hope to catch up with familiar faces soon.
Date: 2007-07-30
From: Delaware Water Gap, PA

To: Mohican Outdoor Center
Miles today: 10.3
Weather: scattered clouds

Good to get back on the trail. Met some new hikers and saw some familiar faces too. The views today were so beautiful. Saw a deer today. She walked up pretty close to me, curious I guess. Thanks to Sleddog, he saw a rattle snake and waited for me to catch up. The snake was right on the trail. It was about 3 feet long. After a 10 minute wait it moved on. Well its 9:30 in the pm. Good to be in my tent. A thunderstorm is approaching. I hope this storm cools things off. It sure was hot today. Hoping for some swimming holes in the future. Well, lights out to watch the storm.
Date: 2007-07-31
From: Mohican Outdoor Center

To: A.T. Vista
Miles today: 18.4

Long hot day. But I saw lots today, a grouse, 2 black racers, lots of chipmunks & squirrels and 3 bears. One I'll guess was maybe the teenage stage. The other 2, one cub climbing a tree & the mama watching me. She was so beautiful. My day ended with some awesome ice cream & a fantastic sunset overlooking mountain range after mountain range. Stayed so late I pitched my tent and enjoyed watching the stars come out with a big bright beautiful moon. Great day all in all.
Date: 2007-08-01
From: A.T. Vista

To: A field next to Ferguson Road
Miles today: 16.8

Another hot day. Water still an issue but I got to go swimming & eat lots of hot dogs & ice cream so alls good. Saw 3 bears today & also 2 deer & a ground hog & 2 baby snakes. This state has Wild Kingdom written all over it, who knew. The home state of the Boardwalk, Atlantic City, the mob and oh ah The Soprano's. Who's up for a cannolli? Oh, I am. Can't wait to have a few of them yummy! Well the field I'm in is pretty but the only reason I am here is because I totally missed the shelter sign. Sleddog must be wondering where the hell I am. Oh well, he'll catch up.
Date: 2007-08-02
From: A field next to Ferguson Road

To: Murray Property
Miles today: 4.0

Took it easy today. Hot as hell & not feeling well. So I took a break for the day and slept. It's 8:00pm now and had myself some dinner. This "Secret Shelter" is amazing. Two shelters with lots of outbuildings scattered around the land. There are two donkeys who occasionally bray very loudly. There are rabbits and weasels, who as I write are looking for grubs. Deer crossing the path just down the way. The birds are busy. Its nature at its finest.
Date: 2007-08-07
From: Murray Property

To: Lake Tiorati Circle
Miles today: 15.4

New York proves to be a pretty state. No bears today but deer are all over. Ran into Skip, we hiked to the lake and camped. Harriman State Park is beautiful to hike thru. We saw a buck and he just stared and chomped on tree leaves. I was probably 25ft from him, it was awesome. New York as been a lot of ups & downs but terrains been easy. Almost to CT. I can't believe it seems to long ago I was in Georgia. Saw a lot, met a lot of great people along the way. Its been great!
Date: 2007-08-08
From: Lake Tiorati Circle

To: Graymoor Friary
Miles today: 19.4

Long hot day. Some big climbs today. Lost Skip some time in the morning I'm sure we'll meet again. Went thru the Bear Mountain Park today. I missed the zoo by 10 minutes. It's just as well. Seeing animals in cages would be sad after all I've been seeing, wildlife all around me in their own homes. I crossed over Bear Mountain Bridge which crosses over the Hudson River. Great bridge, really impressive.The woods have been pretty quiet, started seeing south bounders though. Other than that its just me and the animals. Still loving the woods.
Date: 2007-08-14
To: Riga Lean-To
Miles today: 19.8

Beautiful day to hike. Went into Salisbury for dinner. Met some friendly locals. Hiked on to Riga which is the very first shelter I stayed in when I hiked the A.T. for the first time. I never thought I would be thru-hiking in the future. So todays hike to me is very special.Thanks to my brother Ken. If not for you I never would have known such a great trail with all its great mountains.
Date: 2007-08-15
From: Riga Lean-To

To: Hemlocks Lean-To
Miles today: 10.0

Today is one of my favorite hikes. Sages Ravine up to Race Mountain. absolutely beautiful. Long lunch today on Race Mountain watching the hawks soar. Met some southbounders today. They always seem to be in such a hurry. Sure hope they learn to slow down, there is just so much to see out here.   So happy to be hiking.
Date: 2007-08-18
To: Upper Gooseneck Pond Cabin
Miles today: 21.1
Weather: overcast clouds

Long long day but worth the push. Hiking Friday and took Saturday off in the woods, the only true way to get any rest on the trail. The caretakers here were so great and the blueberry pancakes were awesome. Big crowd on Saturday night, good to see some familiar faces. Thanks to Deb, Joseph & James for the great trail magic. Hot dogs & marshmallows Yum!
Date: 2007-08-21
To: Mark Nuepal Lean-To
Miles today: 13.7

Great stay in Dalton last night. Thanks Tom for having us as your guest. On to Mt. Greylock. Great day for a climb where I ended at the shelter only to find some friendly faces who carried up the mountain 2 cases of beer, hamburgers & hotdogs. Wow, what a night! Trail magic everywhere.
Date: 2007-08-23
To: Congdon Shelter
Miles today: 17.1
Weather: overcast clouds

Ok so here I am crossing the VT line, state number 12. Wow holy shit. I can't believe how far I've come but whos on the other side, John who I have not seen since North Carolina. It was so great to see him again. Caught up on trail gossip. What a great way to spend the afternoon.
Date: 2007-08-28
To: White Rocks (Vista)
Miles today: 13.0

What a great day. The humidity finally broke. Hiking has been so great. Swam today at Little Rock Pond. Now I'm up on a little vista and decided to end my day here. With views to the west I can look out at the Adirondack Mountains and watch the sun set. No one is here tonight and its so very peaceful here.Happy Birthday Kelly!!!I Love You Mom
Date: 2007-08-30
To: Inn @ The Long Trail
Miles today: 12.9

Another great day for hiking. Climbed Killington Peak again and still loved it. Met some nice people at the views. I took the blue blaze in which was, in fact, the old A.T. to the inn. A little retro blazing brought me right across the street to the Long Trail Inn.Thanks to Birdstar & G. I was able to stay with them. Great place to hang, highly recommended. Also made good timing seeing that a thunderstorm came in 1/2 hour after I got there. All worked out in a day of hiking.
Date: 2007-08-31
From: Inn @ The Long Trail

To: 12 Tribes - Rutland
Miles today: 0.0

12 Tribes is where I am at. A hostel in Rutland. Had to pick up a few things today so I'm zero-ing today. What a great place to stay. Everyone here is so friendly and the food is just great. Met up with Sir Privywinks & HandyMan. Sure is good to see them again.Well off to dinner with the "community" so their referred to as, with singing and dancing.
Date: 2007-09-04
To: Hanover
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

Hiked into town yesterday. Crossed over the CT River, did a little dance. Only 2 states left. Still hard to believe I've come this far. Visiting the town today and will later go to Bings home. So I'm now sitting here watching Dartmouth students getting ready for school. There's a fraternity here welcoming all. Welcomers are all dressed in fairy clothes dancing to some good and some really BAD music but it's all entertaining. I know I'm having a good laugh :-) It really is a friendly town. Having a good time.
Date: 2007-09-07
To: Mt Cube Sugarhouse
Miles today: 16.9

Good hiking today. Met some more Dartmouth oh I don't know Insane possi. Two were up in a tree.. who knows what they were doing. Two on trail dressed in very colorful clothes. Oh but were nuts ha who knew. I met Sir Privywinks at the Sugarhouse. The woman who owns it is just so nice. She has a little maple syrup stand and sells lots of other tasty treats including fresh corn, yum. We had use of her kitchen so we ate lots and lots of corn for dinner, listened to music and read the newspaper, caught up on the happenings.
Date: 2007-09-12
From: Greenleaf Hut

To: Galehead Hut
Miles today: 6.6
Weather: scattered clouds

Well conditions have not improved but were pushing on. We must be nuts. Wind gusts at 70 miles per hour. Oh what we had fog, wind, cold. Made the hut in good timing. The croo there were great and we ate great food. Still being hopeful that the weather will turn for the better. Welcome to the Whites!
Date: 2007-09-13
From: Galehead Hut

To: Ethan Pond Shelter
Miles today: 11.8
Weather: fog

Great day to hike. We actually got to do more than 7 miles Yea. Saw great views today on lots of summits. Our day ended with a very large male moose walking thru the camp. It's ruting season which means he's on the lookout for a cute female and if he hasn't found what he's looking for they got a little testy. Met some nice people out for a few days. Other than that the trails been quiet. Heard there is a large group ahead and behind and here we are in the middle. Alls good though.
Date: 2007-09-14
From: Ethan Pond Shelter

To: AMC - Mizpah Spring
Miles today: 9.3

I wish I could say the hike was all great but NOT. Gorgous views but to get them the climbs were holy shit. Well lets put it this way, don't think about what you need to do, just do it and don't look down while your climbing!Todays hut fed us very well in exchange for some labor well worth work for stay. We heard bad weather closing in tomorrow. Hope it holds off. We need to get up over Mt. Washington. Well, we'll see. Love to all back home!
Date: 2007-09-15
From: AMC - Mizpah Spring

To: Lake of the Clounds
Miles today: 4.8
Weather: moderate rain

Well weather turned to the worst. Heavy winds, fog, rain. 5040' was good enough for us. The croo here was awesome & the food great. Met some good people & had a great time. We sure hope the weather improves. This is the last night all the huts on the Mt. Washington range are open. They all close Sunday & hopefully we'll be in Gorham tommorrow night. Wish I could say the Whites have been kind, it's been a rough few days. Hoping Maine will be kinder to us. Excited to get there, still can't believe I've come so far.
Date: 2007-09-16
From: Lake of the Clounds

To: Madison Spring Hut
Miles today: 7.0
Weather: mist

Woke up to frosted windows, icy rock & plants. Today we climbed Mt. Washington. Slow but fun. Met a couple of sobo's today. We all hung out at the restaurant. The mountains here are so huge, all rock & very large boulders. Very little lives up here. Very slow going, only made it to the hut. We tried to make it to Osgood camp but the croo plied us with cake, soup and anything else they could cook up so here we are. Weather has been pretty good to us in the Whites. We'll be in Maine soon. Can't believe it's almost the end.
Date: 2007-09-20
From: Imp Shelter

To: Town of Gorham
Miles today: 8.0
Weather: clear sky

Climbed Wild Cat yesterday, wow. New Hampshire will not let us out without a bitch of a climb. Stayed at Imp Shelter last night, got there at dark, a long day. Well we're here at Gorham.   We went to Burger King to check out the nutrition chart & picked out the most fattening food, whats called a "The Quad Stack". 4 burgers w/fries & 36oz soda & cheese nuggets. It was not enough so we had a pint each of Ben & Jerrys. I'm still hungry so I had a very large Bavarian Doughnut. I'm still hungry. Burning lots of calories & fat, can't eat enough at this point. Oh well, I should enjoy all the cakes, ice cream & fatty food I could stand to eat. 16 miles to Maine! Hurray state number 14. Happy & sad all in the same.
Date: 2007-09-22
To: Full Goose Shelter
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

Well we crossed into Maine today. What a feeling. I'm not sure, I'm feeling both happy & sad. We all have been saying for so long "were hiking to Maine", now that were here well now its Katadin were climbing to. Looking forward to seeing Maine country. We climb the Mahoosuc tomorrow. Told to be one of the toughest & most fun to go thru. We all shall see. Still happy to be hiking!
Date: 2007-09-23
From: Full Goose Shelter

To: By A Stream
Miles today: 8.1

Not many miles today. Mahoosuc Notch was tough, but proved to be a lot of fun & laughs. We climbed over giant boulders, slid down big slabs of rock covered in moss or tree roots. It took about 2 hours to go one mile but Sir Privywinks, Coldylocks, Sadoku and myself had fun. Crawling thru the caves were by far the best. But on a sad note though we did have to pass a dead moose who had fallen into the notch. Maine has proven to be very beautiful, with its views of lakes, ponds & rivers with only more to come. Oh we met the Hobbits today and according to one local they met, she has seen the "white flies" which means no snow for about 3 to 4 weeks. Lets hope she's right. Weather has most definately been on our side. Here there are more tough climbs up ahead. Well bring it on. My legs are shot anyway, what the hell.
Date: 2007-09-26
To: Bemis Mountain Lean-To
Miles today: 12.8
Weather: scattered clouds

Well it felt good to do more than 10 miles in a day. Climbing was good today but we had rain start when we took a late break at the shelter so here we stayed. Hung out with Hobbits & M.O.F. (Man of Fire). Good to see Are We There Yet. Haven't seen him since PA. On to Rangeley for a mail drop. Sure hope the weather holds off.
Date: 2007-09-27
From: Bemis Mountain Lean-To

To: Town of Rangeley
Miles today: 17.7

This was by far the easiest part of the trail. But rumor is after town we go thru the toughest miles of the Maine A.T. As for the weather, it only held out for about 13 miles. We hiked the rest in rain, fog & then my least favorite hour & a half of dark. Thinking that we'll never get a ride. We crossed the pitch black road with only our headlamps glowing. Turned to see a car, truck I'm not sure coming towards us. Bravely putting out our thumbs got picked up immediately. Oh what luck. Thinking well never get a ride to the town hostel only to be invited out for Thai food, wine, a place to stay with showers & laundry. Wow talk about TRAIL MAGIC!Thank you to Sev, Cynthia & Conner for all your kindness. Maine has not only proven to be a beautiful state, but the people are by far just as wonderful.
Date: 2007-09-28
From: Town of Rangeley

To: Town of Rangeley
Miles today: 17.7

Long day, one long rocky down but all in all it was a good day of hiking. Night hiked again for about 3 miles. We got to the road by dark hopeful. We waited a whole 1 minute for a car while the rain came down and drenched us. Oh but whats this, I see a truck, our first put out our thumbs bam a ride to town. Now heres where the Trail Magic comes in. We not only get a pickup but they (Connor & Severance) bought us dinner & then invited us to their summer home on Rangeley Lake. Cynthia was at home making delicious crabmeat soup & a mexican soup, all veggies from her garden, topped off with a great bottle or should I say bottles of wine. Thank you again to the Beliveau family for all your kindness. Oh and thanks for inviting us to the bachelor party. We had a great time lake swimming, sauna & hot tub. We really needed. The body is starting to wear but we're almost at 2000 miles, the body is starting to feel it. Well onward to Katadin.
Date: 2007-09-30
From: Poplar Ridge Lean To

To: Stratton
Miles today: 21.5
Weather: few clouds

Oh god we must be out of our minds. 22 miles into town by 10:00pm. Night hiking crazy, especially when large animals are crashing thru the trees. Well its all part of the trail experience. We got another easy hitch to the hostel where we caught up to Sadoku & Coldylocks. Good to see them again. Oh & the Hobbits. We're all still trucking along & all still happy to be hiking.