morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2012-08-03
From: The Birches

To: Katahdin
Miles today: 5.2
Weather: overcast clouds

Got up early and was surprised when everyone else got up too.  We'd heard that the weekends can be pretty crowded, for a summit of Katahdin,  and sometimes people have to wait in line to get their picture made with the sign. I don't think any of us liked the thought of that, so we were determined to beat the crowds.  Kdoe and I were the first ones packed , and we had a moderate first mile of hiking until the trail started going up.  I thought I'd be tired today, but I must have had a healthy dose of adrenalin because the steeper the climb got, the faster Kdoe and I seemed to go.  It is a five mile climb to Baxter Peak (the summit), and when we reached the sign it had only taken us two and a half hours to get there. We were thrilled to find ourselves totally and utterly alone.  I can't describe the feeling of excitement and accomplishment that washed over me, all at once, as I looked at the view and realized I'd crossed the finish line.  Rat Bucket arrived and we all had a tearful moment.  Then Trotter, Uno and Spice came one by one.  We made pictures and toasted each other with small bottles of champaign we'd packed in.  It was just the perfect moment....exactly as I'd hoped it would be.  We spent at least an hour on top then started down realizing we were finally thru hikers.  We had walked all the way from Georgia to Maine.  The journey had ended, but I realized, in a way, it was just beginning.  The trail had taught me so much about myself.  Now the task was to figure out what to do with the new me.
Date: 2012-08-20
To: In conclusion......
Miles today: 0.0

I've been home for a couple weeks now and thought I'd do one last post. Memories of my Appalachian Trail hike are becoming just that....memories....and the day to day activities of my 'real' life are beginning to crowd them out. I don't think that is a bad thing. It is just the reality of being part of something that you know all along is temporary. I think, in a way, that is why the AT experience impacted my life in such a positive way. I always knew the experience would be short lived, so I tried to appreciate each moment....Carpe Diem, if you will....but somehow, it's easier to 'seize the day' when your life has been simplified. When the goals of the day are to walk, eat and sleep, you have time to notice and appreciate the other people who are walking, eating and sleeping around you. Relationships develop easily and effortlessly because of the common goals and priorities you share with everyone you meet. The AT is a level playing field, and for me it was a glimpse of what can be possible when people are more important than things. This last post is an attempt to thank everyone, on and off the trail, who let me know they valued my adventure. I certainly value each and every one of you.
Date: 2012-07-02
To: Getting ready for this year's hike
Miles today: 0.0

I hiked a lot this year. I backpacked in winter. I solo hiked. I tried to do trails as tough as I could without actually driving to Maine. I switched my gear out for even more ultralight stuff. All this in preparation for the Whites. I'm older and more decrepit than last year, and I need to be as fit as I can be and carry as little as possible to help me get through that tough section. It's hard for me to believe it could be that much tougher than Maine. I mean, Maine was crazy. But you never know. I might be doing four mile days.I had a last minute brain cancer / herniated disk scare, but it turns out that I have arthritis. Arthritis sounds so ordinary after brain cancer, doesn't it? I couldn't really use my right arm for a week. Because of arthritis. This getting older thing isn't for the fragile types.Anyway I'm as prepared as I could get, barring time off due to lame wing, craziness at work (you heard of the Venus transit? We got 80 million hits on our hastily propped up web servers showing movies of Venus crossing the sun) and a "derecho" which is Spanish for "impressive storm which will disable your electricity during the middle of a heat wave". I.e. I'm feeling fat and old and out of shape. However, I am cheerful about it. I'm *always* fat and old and out of shape, and I have a good time anyway.
Date: 2012-07-03
To: travelling to the trail
Miles today: 0.0

2012/07/03I left home this morning. Ate breakfast (what I could scrounge - we haven't restocked since the power outage) and walked out. I left my keys there. A short jaunt down to the train station, then I took the commuter train to the airport. From there I take the Vermonter. I almost bought a magazine in the train station but figured I'd have finished reading it by the time the train arrived. Not worth it. Instead I filled my Gatorade bottle from the water fountain and mixed up a fruity drink. Yup. I'm on hiker time now. Between this morning and the evening of the 22nd, I live in public. I get water from water fountains and sinks if I'm in town. At eight o'clock it's already eighty degrees and humid. I can't wait to get farther north and higher in altitude. After a long day on the train I arrived in Amherst, where my friend Laurie picked me up and took me hope. I had a fun evening catching up with her and her husband Ray, but started feeling myself leaving the world of the awake around 9. I STILL haven't gotten a full night's sleep, since I got up early today. Planning to sleep like a log tonight.
Date: 2012-07-04
From: travelling to the trail

To: Thistle Hill Mtn
Miles today: 6.5

2012/7/4 Independence Day6.5 tent, side of mountainWe had a pleasant, fairly leisurely morning, the Laurie drive me to the trail. I got on at Woodstock, where I ended in 2010. It was a little hard to find the road crossing. Finally I said "That red barn looks a little familiar" and was hammered with skeptical silence. Just as I was saying "I guess there are a lot of red barns in Vermont" we passed the parking lot for the trail. Hah!I checked my watch. 11 o'clock. Eight miles to go. Thunderstorms called for. Totally doable. Within fifteen minutes my clothing was completely soaked in sweat, and it stayed that way all day. It was DC level humid out. I made verrry slow progress. There were a lot of toads and I couldn't really tell where I was, but I thought in the late afternoon that I was about two miles from the shelter. Then I came to an identifiable road crossing and realized that I had only gone four miles. And had drunk 3 liters of water without needing to pee. I decided to reload my water and make a dry camp rather than trying to reach the shelter. My pack felt MUCH HEAVIER with 3.5 liters of water in it. Oof. And then I couldn't find a place to camp. I walked on, feeling tired. At six I was two miles from the shelter. I looked up to see thunderheads behind me. I had to cross an open field, then I plunged back into the woods. And then I lowered my campsite standards. I'm currently set up on a bit of a slope and will probably slide downhill all night. But I'm out of the rain and off my feet. As usual on the first night, I felt no desire to make or eat my dinner. Instead I finished my snacks and ate a few pieces of beef jerky. I've got to stop packing a meal for the first night out. So, day one, I'm already off my schedule. It doesn't seem that likely that I'll make up the time tomorrow. Hmm. Also, I have my food in the tent. I never used to do this. But it's raining, I'm not camped somewhere with good hanging trees, and I've seen virtually no animal life signs today. I'll risk it. Other then Laurie and Ray, the only people I talked to today were a father and daughter section hiking. Their trailnames were Bull and Lightning. We all agreed that it was way too humid. I saw no other hikers. Sheesh. Well, it's early for nobos. I might see some sobos eventually. But this might be one of those extremely solo hikes.
Date: 2012-07-05
From: Thistle Hill Mtn

To: Happy Hill Shelter
Miles today: 10.5
Weather: overcast clouds

2012/7/5  10.5 milesHappy Hill Shelter. TentAs I lay in bed last night, my legs twitching and cramping, I was forced to accept that the six miles I had walked had been difficult for me. I don't understand why, but they were. In my practice hikes I had carried as much weight on longer hikes. Of course, I had no mountains to practice on. Apparently the last month of taking the stairs two at a time was less helpful than I had hoped. By this point in my hiking life I'm pretty good at revising expectations downward. So that's what I'm doing right now. I have plenty of food and plenty of places to get more, so I don't have to worry too much about a schedule. Everything is cool and damp after the storm last night. It should be a pleasant walk until it gets hot again. I made a smoothie from Packit Gourmet for breakfast. These things are genius. Just add water, no cleanup, 30+ grams of protein, and they taste good. Not cheap, but good. Sometimes eating in the morning is a chore, but not with these. An hour of walking found me at the shelter, last night's original destination. I signed the register and was shocked to see a name I recognized. In 2010 Lazerlegs read my journal and came out to meet me on the trail. Either he was there yesterday or there are two Lazerlegs in the world, which is hard to imagine. He's a full day ahead of me though. The shelter had this amazing privy. It was totally screened in and geometric - hexagonal I think. It was a real majestic throne. I walked in to West Hartford by one and ate a delicious sandwich at the Full Belly Deli, which I highly recommend. Only problem is now I could really use a nap. The mile after the deli was rough and the next three aren't looking so good either. Tight hip strap plus full belly = ugh. After a rough mile my belly and the terrain settled down, and the last three miles to Happy Hill were nice. I am happy to report other hikers in residence! Nice ones, too. Stripper turns out to be friends with Sarge and Weaver.  Rocky and Bobo Kitty (Mr Kitty until you get to know him) and To Go are here as well. I'm tented to ward off mosquitoes, but there don't seem to be many. And it's raining again. Nevertheless, I'm happy in my tent. I like being able to spread out my stuff and worry less about making noise. Or snoring. I have a sneaking suspicion that I snore louder than I used to. I put a hole in the screen of my tent this evening, which I have sewn up with dental floss. It's getting that well-used look. Tomorrow is Hanover and resupply. I should be able to shower, do laundry, have a good meal, buy groceries, and still make it to the next shelter before it gets too late. I haven't been out long enough to want to take a day off. Maybe when I get to Glencliff.
Date: 2012-07-07
From: Velvet Rocks Shelter

To: Moose Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 9.5
Weather: light rain

2012/7/7Moose mountain shelter9.5 tentThe terrain and bugs both changed as soon as we entered NH. For the worse, if you don't like rocks. I was up and on the trail around 7, as usual.  The morning was sticky. I kept hoping it would rain but it never did more than sprinkle. Stripper and I walked together and discussed all the mysteries of the world. It was really nice to hike with someone. I expect she'll lose me tomorrow though. Her natural pace is faster than mine, and I'm not sure if I'm going to the first or second shelter. She's definitely going to the second. We encountered a big slab of rock today with a thoughtfully provided rope draped down it. I'm not sure it was all that helpful, but I used it. Hiker Cool Breeze and his dog Petey are hiking near us, and Stripper and I are both loving the opportunity to make much of a dog. Rocky passed us midday and told us the water at the shelter was pretty bad, so we tanked up at Mink Brook two miles before the shelter (and at the base of the mountain).  It was brutal, adding four pounds of water to my pack, already loaded down with five days of food. I got the familiar searing pain down the left side of my neck.  I begged off from talking and put on an audiobook so I could immerse myself in the story and not pay attention to my backpack. It worked like a charm. Before I knew it, I was at the shelter and setting up my tent. I'm eating my heaviest food first. Lunch was Thai chili tuna and a tortilla. Dinner was a reconstituted cheeseburger on a tortilla. It was really quite good, for the first half. It was too much food but I choked down the remainder, because it wouldn't keep and I refuse to carry leftovers. Am overstuffed now. I apparently set my tent up on an anthill. No big deal, but it's disconcerting to see ants crawling over the outside of the mesh. The others have a fire going and are listening to a baseball game. I like the fire. Not so much the radio. I might hit the sack early.
Date: 2012-07-08
From: Moose Mountain Shelter

To: Lambert's Ridge
Miles today: 10.3

2012/7/8  10.3 milesLambert's Ridge  TentI woke up half am hour early at 5:30, but fooled around cooking breakfast and waiting my turn to use the privy. The privy is really something. It has a roof and peeled trees as corner posts, but no walls. I thought it had a bit of a tropical look. Maybe King Kongish. I seemed to be the only one who felt awkward about it. I faced a dilemma today. The first shelter was too close. The second was too far. I reached the first at noon and wasn't ready to stop, so I carried on knowing that I'd need to find my own campsite short of the second shelter. The rules say that you have to camp 200 feet from the trail here. I don't think I'm legally camped, but I'm well away from the trail. Much further and I'd be off the side of the mountain. I wasted a fair amount of time thrashing around in the woods, looking for a spot. The best I could find had a pointy root in the middle. I'm uncertain how well I'll sleep, but it's home for the night. While looking for a flat spot I came across a weathered old red blanket somebody left behind. I poked it to make sure there wasn't a body under it. I also found something that might have been a monument or memorial marker. Or maybe just a cairn on an abandoned trail. Camped by myself, I'm feeling lonesome and a bit homesick. I had enough signal to text JD, and he sent me pictures of home. I miss him and the animals a lot, the more since I have nobody to distract me here tonight. Despite walking farther than I had initially planned, I feel more like I failed than triumphed today. I guess it's a mood swing. I need to refocus on my original plans. If twelve miles is too much in this terrain, I need to stick to my plan and do shorter days, even if they seem too short. I'm not doing myself any favors by pushing, especially when I don't know when I'll encounter obstacles, like today's rock climbing late in the day. I think I'm feeling peer pressure from other hikers, maybe. Just because somebody else (who is in better shape than me, having walked for the last couple of months) can go farther doesn't mean that I can. Or should!It's after 8 and getting dark. I could be imagining it, but I thought I heard the click of hiking poles on rocks. Some other poor bastard also stuck out here? Or maybe a sturdy thruhiker who thinks nothing of night hiking. Braver than me, to try to navigate these rock fields at night. Or, a ranger coming to tell me I'm too close to the trail. But on the whole I think it's more likely to be hikers. And at any rate, I'm not going to look. If somebody wants to talk to me, they're going to have to tromp out here to find me.
Date: 2012-07-10
From: Hexacuba Shelter

To: Ore Hill campsite
Miles today: 7.5
Weather: clear sky

2012/7/10  7.5 milesOre hill campsite, tentI think the next time I come to New England to hike, I'll wait until later in the year. The weather has been fabulous, but the bugs are omnipresent. I do all right in my armor (long pants, long sleeves, hat plus bug net) but it would be nice to feel unharassed. Those using bug spray say it doesn't help that much. I got a late start from Hexacuba this morning after cooking breakfast. I think I'll toss my remaining hot breakfasts. I don't like them enough to make them worth the effort. I can eat a leftover bar for breakfast tomorrow. I forget what is in my maildrop at Glencliff, but I know the hostel runs shuttles to a grocery. I can't get more of those fantastic smoothies, but perhaps I can find a good substitute. Hexacuba shelter is accompanied by the Pentaprivy. I like the play on words. Pentagram/Hecuba. I dare say some more religious types might be offended, though. First order of business today was climbing Mt Cube. It was a bit of a rock scramble up. On top were open ledges with great views of the surrounding towns and mountains. It was the kind of view that made me shout "Woo!"Cool breeze thought there was a general store at the base of the mountain, but he was sadly mistaken. No cokes for me. just as well. I have lots more food and only a half day more hiking before my stop at the hostel. I stopped at 4 PM at the Ore Hill shelter site. The shelter itself was burned down last fall, but the amenities remain. I would have rented anyway due to bugs but it would have been nice to have the shelter for cooking and socializing. Tomorrow it's a 7-8 mile hike, and then I have to decide what to do at the hostel. Take a day off? Resupply in Warren? Slackpack Mt Moosilauke? All three?I've gone over my schedule and I think the only way I'm doing Mt Washington this year is if I can get a shuttle home from the top or maybe from the bottom if I take the cog railroad down.  It'll be really close. If its not looking like an option when I get closer, I'll stop at Crawford Notch and find a shuttle.
Date: 2012-07-11
From: Ore Hill campsite

To: Glencliff Hiker Hostel
Miles today: 7.3

2012/7/11 7.3 miles +.5Glencliff Hiker's Welcome hostel, tentI slept well back in the trees. Everybody else set up on hard packed dirt in a clearing. I don't get it. Why sleep on a hard surface of you don't have to?I had a relatively easy hike in to Glencliff. I got there a little after noon. I hadn't been sure of my plans, but now I know. I'm slackpacking tomorrow rather than taking a day off. After that, Phat Chap is trying to convince me to hop up to Franconia notch to hike the pretty parts. I'd have to come back to do Kinsman to Franconia later. I'm considering it. I don't have any other maildrops to worry about. Skipping north a bit would make my end of trip shuttle / travel quite a bit easier. But then I'd need to skip around on a later trip. I guess I'll figure it out while hiking tomorrow.
Date: 2012-07-12
From: Glencliff Hiker Hostel

To: Glencliff Hiker Hostel
Miles today: 9.3

2012/7/12 9.3 milesGlencliff, tentFirst and most important, today is my anniversary. JD, I am proud to be your friend and wife. You're a good man, and you've brought an immense amount of happiness into my life. And a bunch of quadrupeds, who also make me happy. Today I slackpacked Mt Moosilauke southbound. It had been my intention to do so since I first heard of its hazardous north side, years ago. It was not nearly so bad going up. It did take a long time. The climb, paralleling the falls and often assisted by rebar and wooden steps attached to the bare rock, was tough. I kept up a steady pace but I ended up going a bit less than a mile per hour on the incline. Once on top I could go at a more normal pace. The view from the top was fantastic. I'm sure I could see at least fifty miles in every direction. But my favorite parts of the hike were the steep climb beside the falls, and the hiking just within the treeline. I love the stubby little evergreens that grow up there. I think I had the best possible experience. It wasn't cold up top - I rolled down my sleeves to prevent sunburn, not to keep myself warm. I lost my bug netting on the way up but Haystack found it and carried it for me. I didn't fall, and barely even stumbled. The air coming off the falls was cool and refreshing, and the trail was so enjoyably challenging that it was quite late in the day before it occurred to me that I might listen to music while hiking. Moosilauke. Tough and beautiful. What a great day. On my way up the mountain I paused and noticed that with the wind not blowing, the only sound I could hear was my own heartbeat. It sounded strong and sure. It said to me "I can do this." Hearing it beat, slow and steady, made me feel strong and capable, and I walked on with more confidence in my step. My back, on the other hand, was less thrilled about the day. By the time I got back to the hostel it was good and stiff. I took a hot shower, applied liniment, and took my daily muscle relaxant. I hope that a good night's sleep and some stretching has me moving more freely in the morning. Nobody wants to hear a middle aged woman groaning her way down the trail.
Date: 2012-07-14
From: Liberty Spring Tentsite

To: Garfield Ridge Shelter
Miles today: 7.6
Weather: overcast clouds

2012/7/14 7.6 milesGarfield ridge shelterLast night Queen said my leg pain sounded like an IT band issue, and she showed me a couple of stretches for it. She must have been correct, because in the morning my leg felt quite a bit better. I packed up and headed uphill toward Franconia Ridge. It was one of the prettiest hikes I've ever done. A large portion of the trail was above treeline, giving incredible views in all directions as we walked along the narrow crest of the ridge. I was surprised at how very many hikers I saw. I mean, it's a bit remote. There were plenty of dayhikers, and they had to have walked a pretty tough hike just to get up to the ridge. It took me all day to do those seven miles. I left the campsite at ten to seven and got to the shelter near six. There were very few steps that didn't have to be planned. Several times during the day I had to take off my backpack and heft it and my poles up on a ledge, then literally climb up rocks using my fingers and toes. It still wasn't as tough as an average day in Maine, but it was a hard hike. Toward the end of the day my left leg started speaking up again, and on the long descent to the shelter, both knees complained. I'm tired, wind burned, and sunburned. I'm going to sleep really, really well tonight. And I'm really happy.When I finally got to the campsite, I was surprised to find that the shelter (which would easily hold twelve, and which is almost new) held only one thruhiker. I had worried about finding tent space with my late arrival and all the hikers who had passed me during the day. When I saw the nearly empty shelter, I decided to stay there instead. I think there actually still is tent room available, but the bugs aren't bad and the shelter appealed to me. I hope the bugs don't converge overnight. Tomorrow I hope not to be too sore. I need to make it to the next shelter before predicted storms hit. And at my slow pace, I need to figure out if my plan for next week holds or if I need to get off the trail before Mt Washington so I can get home in time. I find that I don't particularly care if I climb it this year or not. As far as I'm concerned, Franconia Ridge is about as good as it gets, and I did that today.