morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2013-04-21
From: Davis Campsite

To: Woods Hole
Miles today: 14.9
Weather: clear sky

We all woke up early and got out without breakfast because our main goal today was to make it to mile 580 to have lunch with our favorite trail angle, "Fresh Ground". We made it there just in time for a very large lunch. As we have become more experienced hikers, "Fresh Ground's" leap frog cafe has evolved into a very well-oiled feeding machine. Although "Fresh Ground" does not want recognition he definitely deserves it. We had egg and cheese sandwiches, chicken wings, banana pancakes and of course coffee. While after our one and half hour lunch break we still had seven more miles to hike and it was getting late. So we came up with a plan to get a ride to Woods Hole hostel. Basically skipping ahead and then slack packing the missed miles the next two days. This is what we thought was going to happen, but what a problem we caused ourselves. Unfortunately Woods Hole is not exactly located in a convenient place. We did get a ride by a trail angel, "Holy BeJebus" who took us to her home to then get a ride by "Nomad" in his cool van. But setting up the slack packing was not to be. We decided to stay there tenting at Woods Hole and get a ride in the morning back to Pearisburg for a zero day. And then make plans on making up the missed miles for the next day.
Date: 2003-08-19
From: Sherman Brook Campsite

To: Bennington, VT
Miles today: 16.6
Weather: clear sky

8/19 Sherman Brook Campsite to Bennington, VT - 16.6 milesWoke up a little chilly this morning. I even had to put my fleece hat on. I wasn't moving yet and Strider asked if I was awake. I told him I was cold and he said it was 58 degrees out. Guess it wasn't as cold as I thought.At 8:43 we were in VT!!!!!!! Woooo-Hoooo! Only 3 states to go and they are the 3 best on the AT in terms of scenery and excitement.I have had a lot going through my head the past couple of days and I seem to be dwelling on the same stuff. I decided it was time to use my radio again. Strider also assured me that we don't have to worry about poisonous snakes anymore. So I don't have to listen for rattlers.We finally made it to the road after a long steep descent. Strider and I tried to hitch for about 20 minutes with no luck. I happened to hear a car door close in the nearby parking lot and ran over. A realy nice guy gave us a ride to the Autumn Motel. Strider and I had to share the passenger seat, very cozy, but we had a ride to town.Strider and I are heading to the resaturant at the hotel for dinner. Then maybe some laundry. Then I plan on icing my feet and relaxing. I also hope to get some much needed sleep.
Date: 2013-04-22
From: Woods Hole

To: Zero Day - Pearisburg
Miles today: 0.0

I spent the day getting re-supplied and shaking down my pack. I lost six pounds, whew. I had too many extra clothing items that I no longer needed because the weather is getting warmer. I also decided to lose many extra items that I don't really use, such as my towell, a trowel, my wallet, hats, extra shirts, etcetera. All these extra little ounces seem to add up. They added up for me to six pounds. It was amazing the difference these made to my pack. I have to give "Daddy Long Legs" credit for persuading me to lose the weight. So now I am really ready to hit the trail again. We went to dinner at a local Mexican restaurant. I didn't order much, just an order of chili rellenos, which was good. And a mango margarita which I think they forgot to put the tequila in because I certainly did not taste the tequila at all.   I was not very hungry because we went to the local sandwich shop earlier that day, Little Nicky's. I got a huge twelve inch sub and coffee and donuts. We also went to Food Line for a resupply and add some snack food all day. At the restaurant we had another impromptu reunion. "Rash" a friend of "Daddy Long Legs" was there and so was "Biscuits and Gravy", "Chin Strap", "Karrabul", and then later on who walks in but "Slapp". He is now ahead of "Leprechaun" and "Fly" and "Woodrow". I also find out that "Cricket" and "Trish" are in town too. The trail family is so cool. We really do seem to thrive on keeping up with who¢s where and how everyone is doing.
Date: 2003-08-20
From: Bennington, VT

To: Goddard Shelter
Miles today: 10.1
Weather: clear sky

8/20 Bennington, VT to Goddard Shelter - 10.1 milesSlept awesome last night. I fell asleep so fast while Strider was taking a shower and didn't wake up until he was up in the morning. I finally got out of bed at 8ish. My next mission was to find an atm machine and resupply my food. I had to visit 3 stores to adequately get food for this week.The lady who manages the hotel was incredibly nice and gave Strider, Pipes, Moose Munch and myself a ride back to the trail. We are hiking through the Green Mountains right now. Everything seems to be greener. Green trees, green shrubs, green plants, green clover patches, green ferns, green mountains, green worms, green catipillars, green everything. The hiking is not easy but not difficult either. Lots of puds and mountains, but enough flat to cruise in between the bumps.Pipes was waiting at this shelter for us to night hike to the next one. Goddard shelter is so beautiful that I couldn't get myself to leave. It has a porch, a view of Mt. Greylock, surrounded by trees, and is very peaceful.Froggie Pete showed up as he made a wrong turn down to a pond and ended up hiking 5 extra miles. Crow Dog and Prarie Chicken just showed up too. Trying to get to bed early as I would like to make it to Stratton Pond tomorrow which is about 20 miles.
Date: 2013-04-23
From: Zero Day - Pearisburg

To: Stream Campsite
Miles today: 12.9
Weather: overcast clouds

I am awoken this morning to a fantastic site. "Paraguay" had gotten up and went to the Dairy Queen and bought all of us breakfast; pancakes and bacon and coffee. These West Virginia boys sure do know how to show hospitality. We get a text from "Nomad" and he is going to pick us up at 9:30 to take us back to the trail. We have 13 miles to hike today. We start hiking at US-52 where we were picked up two days ago. The temperatures are in the seventies which is nice and warm. It is pretty warm when you are hiking. I am wearing shorts now which feel so good. The sun is shining and trees and flowers are starting to sprout. It is nice to hike which "Twix", "Paraguay" and "Daddy Long Legs" because they take frequent breaks and my pace isn't too far off from theirs. So we eat lunch together and take breaks together. Tonight we will camp at the campsite that is exactly 600 miles. Such an amazing number!
Date: 2003-08-21
From: Goddard Shelter

To: Stratton Pond Shelter
Miles today: 19.4
Weather: overcast clouds

8/21 Goddard Shelter to Stratton Pond Shelter - 19.4 milesIt was tough to get up this morning, but I did it. Strider left early, so I was on my own. I hiked up to the top of Glastonbery Mtn. and climbed the fire tower but didn't get a good view as it was still cloudy.I got to the first shelter and found Pipes and Moose Munch still getting up and ready. They quickly passed me. Pipes, Strider, Moose Munch, Crow Dog and Prarie Chicken all stopped for lunch at the next shelter. Goggles, a southbounder, was there and gave us a few tips on places ahead. We also started to get in a deep conversation about how sometimes it is weird/hard to relate to things and people back home. Conversations are strange, people don't understand the excitement of what we are expeiencing. It was a little depressing, but real and it was interesting that we all have certain people in our lives that don't understand / can't try to relate / or don't even show interest or support.I tried hiking with Pipes up Stratton Mountain. When she wants to she can fly up mountains. I made it about 2 miles before she got ahead of me. The top of Stratton had another tower that offered great views but they were a little hazy.Just a few more miles later and I was at Stratton Pond. Peer pressure can be a great thing. I convinced Strider last night that we both could do the 20 miles to the pond and we did, with minimal pain. I took a sunset swim in the pond which felt good and hopefully cleaned me off a little.At the shelter tonight are me, Strider, Moose Munch, Pipes, Canvas Pack a couple doing the LT and 3 SOBOs. Moose Munch has a small MP3/CD player and speakers so we had some good music playing while we cooked dinner.When I went to the privy before bed I saw a critter run away. I couldn't tell what it was, but it could have been a skunk. Or porcupine. VT is rumored to have a lot of porcupines that like to chew on shelters, boots, and anything that has salt or is good to chew. I wouldn't mind seeing one, but from a good distance.
Date: 2013-04-24
From: Stream Campsite

To: Wapiti Shelter
Miles today: 13.2
Weather: overcast clouds

We have been scheming for a few days trying to avoid walking in the rain that was forecasted for today. There is a saying that goes, "No rain, No Pain, No Maine". So trying to avoid rain can probably cause more problems that being wet does. Well anyways, we end up walking for a short time in the rain to get to the shelter nonetheless. The day actually turned out to be a beautiful day. We had sandwiches from a small grocery store called Trent¢s Grocery. We carried our lunches to Dismal Falls. The hike was three tenths off the trail but it was worth the distance. We stayed for a long lunch. Some local ladies were also there with their little Toto like dog named Roscoe, he was so cute. There was a large tree crossing the water that Roscoe almost was brave enough to cross. We were hoping to get a cool YouTube video but he wouldn't do it. After lunch we had to decide where to stay for the night. The trouble with this part of the trail is that the choices are not spaced in such a way to have many choices especially with rain looming. We finally agree that Wapiti shelter is the smartest choice do to the possibility of rain. So we settle in, build a fire and cook dinner. "Not a Bear" showed up and it was good to see him because we had heard that his legs were having problems. As the sky began to darken the bright glow of the moon shined thru the trees as it rose into the sky. Time for bed for tried hikers!
Date: 2003-08-23
From: Bromley Mountain

To: Big Branch Shelter
Miles today: 13.5
Weather: clear sky

8/23 Bromley Mountan to Big Branch Shelter - 13.5 milesWhen I woke up this morning the hut was engulfed in clouds. And it was a little chilly. I knew I could hike a short day if I wanted to so I took my time getting ready. Before I left Bromley Mountain the clouds lifted and I had great daytime views of the mountains including Stratton.Strider and I hiked to Peru Peak Shelter where we stopped for lunch. Dana was there too. And who shows up.... Froggie Pete. Turns out he got sucked into Manchester Center. He claimed he went to town to fatten up. It was good to finally see him as we were worried about him getting lost again. And if he had gotten lost I was worried about how frustrated he would be.After lunch we climbed Baker Peak which also offered fantastic views. I keep pointing to everything asking people if certain mountains are Killington, but no, Killington is still ahead of us enough where we can't see it.While we were taking a break a GMC (Green Mountain Club) volunteer who happened to be out for personal enjoyment, not trail maintenence, stopped by. I bet he wished he didn't as he got an earful from Strider and Froggie Pete about shelters, privies, blazes, tentsites, etc etc. After the usual questions of where you are going etc, etc he said that we looked good for hiking so long. Wonder what he meant exactly. That we didn't look tired, emaciated, dirty?? Well, I guess it was a good compliment.I am tenting tonight at the Big Branch Shelter. Dana (the LT hiker) and I are tenting near the creek. Strider, Singalot, Steamboat, Crow Dog and Prarie Chicken, and 2 SOBOs are at the shelter. I'm starting to wonder if tenting was the right decision as there must be a lot of body heat in that shelter.I found the most wonderful rock in the world at the tentsite. There will be pictures of it. It is big, flat and right on the creek. It is big enough to sit and relax, stretch out, lay and sleep on, even maybe do some yoga or meditate on. Unfortunately it started to get very chilly and I didn't get to stay long on my perfect rock. If I had my winter bag I would have totally slept out on it. The sky is incredibly clear and Froggie Pete said the forecast calls for clear skies the whole week. I love VT!!!!!!!!!!I met Blue Jay LaFey here. He thru hiked in 98 and is a trailjournals fan. He read the shelter register and thought he had missed me, but Strider told him I was one of the people tenting. He stopped by to meet me again, more formally. He mentioned that when work was crazy he would enjoy reading the trail journals of several people including mine. I can totally relate. I knew I had a fan club of friends and family, but it is kind of cool to have other hikers following my hike. Felt kind of like an AT celebrity tonight. Thanks Blue Jay!!!!
Date: 2013-04-26
From: Pearisburg

To: Zero Day - Beckley WV
Miles today: 0.0

I had a very restful day at "Twix's" house. We sat around and eat waffles, fruit, grilled cheese sandwiches and "Twix's" Mom even made Pizzelles, an Italian cookie. I got to knit my socks a little which always makes me happy. Another cool thing happened today, I was interviewed by a podcast called the "AT Radio Show". Jimmy Joyce the producer of this podcast interviewed me before I left for the trail back in January. He wanted to hear from people who would be attempting to thru hike the entire trail and see what they¢re planning to use gear wise, physical preparation and such. He emailed me yesterday and said he would like to interview me again to see how the thru hike was going. So if you want to listen just go to "www.ATRadioShow.com" and download the interview. So that was pretty exciting. Soon after "Daddy Long Legs" came back from the clinic with news about his foot. Unfortunately it was not good. He has actually been walking on a broken foot. His third metatarsal bone on his right leg is fractured. The doctor said it would take four weeks to heal. We are all very sad that he will have to leave the trail, but not for good. He says that after his foot heals and gets a good report from the doctor he will return to the trail where we are and continue on with us to Maine. We are all hoping he will be able to meet us at Harpers Ferry, which should only be four weeks of hiking for us. I sure do hope that he will be able to do this. ¢Daddy Long Legs¢ is such fun and a great person to spend time with. We decided to go out to a local restaurant for dinner called Calicino. It is a pizza place with a bar and tonight they had a singer playing the piano for entertainment. We had fun watching the local ladies doing line dancing. People in West Virginia sure do like to support their ¢Mountaineers¢. Almost everyone in the place had something with the "WV" insignia on it. Go Team!
Date: 2003-08-25
From: North Clarendon, VT

To: Cooper Lodge
Miles today: 11.1
Weather: broken clouds

8/25 North Clarendon, Vt to Cooper Lodge - 11.1 milesHad to resupply my food this morning. It was a little expensive getting my food at a general store. I don't quite understand how they can rationalize upping the price of Little Debbie foods, when they are always 25 cents.I stopped at the Governer Clement Shelter for lunch. There are a lot of stories about locals living there or showing up at 3 in the morning throwing rocks at tents. All I saw were some empty beer bottles. It is kind of sad that the shelter is there for hikers, yet they discouage us from sleeping there because of the problems that happen. I saw Crow Dog and Prarie Chicken there. It was good to catch up with the again. Dana also showed up and we hiked up Killington together. It was great to hike at a comfortable pace and to have someone to talk with. We talked a lot about jobs, yoga, school, boyfriends/husband, etc etc. She is curently from NH and does Physical Therapy kind of work, but is going to school to become a yoga instructor.When we got to Cooper Lodge we were a little dissappointed. The shelter is a stone 4 sided building, but the front of it has 6 window like openings. We ended up hanging rainflys and groundcloths to keep the heat in. 15 of us are here tonight - Crow Dog, Prarie Chicken, Sleepy Floyd, Chops, Chilly Willy, Kilroy, Moose Munch, Singalot, Steamboat. Dana, Pipes, Phlem, Moo and 42 all tented.Around 5:30pm Dana and I went to the summit of Killington. The views were a little hazy but we did have some good views. About 5 minutes. Strange feeling when the clouds roll in so fast, but I have a feeling that it will happen a lot in the White Mountains.It is very cold tonight. I am sleeping in al my clothes including my raingear. I can't wait to get my winter sleeping bag.
Date: 2013-04-28
From: Charlotte North Carolina

To: Dickenson Gap
Miles today: 14.5

The last few days have been such a whirlwind. I can't believe all the different places I have been and how many times I have entered into Pearisburg. So now we are finally headed away from this town, going north of course. We get a late start, around one o'clock, and it really looks like there is going to be rain. We start with our rain gear on as the sprinkles start to fall. The temperature was in the fifties, so having the extra layer is nice. The weather stays cold most of the day but really does not rain that much. I get into the campsite late because I have a very heavy pack coming out of our resupply. This is due to the fact that the next resupply is not till five days in a town called Daleville. I'm also feeling a little soreness on the plantar area of my foot. That is the tendon in the arch area of the foot. So I'm trying not to strain the foot as much as possible. I am low on water as the site does not have any source, so I just eat a power bar and my apple. I'm not actually that hungry because we had picked up Subway sandwiches on the way to Pearisburg.
Date: 2003-08-26
From: Cooper Lodge

To: Stony Brook Shelter
Miles today: 14.3
Weather: overcast clouds

8/26 Cooper Lodge to Stony Brook Shelter (via Sherburne Pass Trail) -I slept warm for most of last night. I even got too warm and took my raincoat off, but woke up at 4am cold and had to bundle up again.I have been looking forward to eating at the Inn at the Long Trail. It is a really cool hotel with and Irish pub. I originally wanted to stay there, but since I stayed in North Clarendon I couldn't justify paying for another hotel room.There is a shortcut to get here called the Sherburne pass trail. It is actually the original AT, but the AT was relocated due to plans of a connecting ski trail from Killington to Pico. Well that connector trail never happened so it seems like the trail was rerouted for no reason.The Sherburne Pass leads right to the door of the Inn at the Long Trail, it is like a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. Food and beer waiting at the bottom of the mountain.Chops, Moose Munch, Singalot, Steamboat, Dana and myself all ate lunch at the pub. I had a great chicken sandwich, nachos and a Long Trail Blackbeary Ale. Everything was very tasty and satisfying.After a few hours of eating and relaxing I headed back on the trail with Singalot and Steamboat. As we talked we learned that we were all at Hawk Mountain Shelter (the one I stayed at my first night) on the same night and we had never met each other until now. That seems very strange.At one point we were also hiking with Kilroy and Chilly Willy. We came upon a couple with a very large german shephard. Kilroy tried to pet it and they told him the dog wasn't friendly. I was the last one to walk by and the dog started barking very ferociously at me. I don't know why as most animals like me, but I know that the dog wanted to eat me. We got to the shelter right after it started to rain. I decided to tent anyway. While we were cooking dinner Chilly Willy brought out a surprise - marshmallows. She carried them in from town. Crow Dog and Kilroy made a huge fire and we all sat around and enjoyed the marshmallows. That was my first time this whole trip where I roasted marshmallows over a fire. I'm thinking there should be a lot more nights like this.
Date: 2013-04-29
From: Dickenson Gap

To: Wind Rock
Miles today: 12.6
Weather: overcast clouds

We awoke to rain soaked tents this morning. The rain started in the middle of the night. I eat a pear and a Velveeta bar for breakfast. I will not see more drinking water for about 3 miles from here. We decide to go to the ¢Captain's¢ for lunch because we heard how cool the house is. There is a zip line you use to cross over the river to get to his house. When we arrive there is no one there but a posted sign that says there are cold drinks in the back porch. We also take advantage of a clothesline to dry out our drenched tents. I spend a few minutes soaking my sore feet in the nice cool stream. As I was hiking towards our destination I begin to think again that I am not hiking my own hike. I am allowing myself to hike faster than I enjoy and my foot is beginning to hurt again. So I decide to tell "Twix" and "Paraguay" that I will be pulling up short of our planned stop. They are really a sweet couple and do not want them to feel like they are always waiting for me. I also do not like that chasing feeling. So on my own I stopped today at a wonderful camping spot called Wind Rock and I'm so glad I did. As soon as I get there, I sent up my tent, settle my gear inside and went up to see the view, WOW such a panorama! As I look out over the treetops at the dark clouds I say to myself, "I can hear rain falling". And I do, I can hear the rain fall. And I can feel the wind blowing those dark clouds towards me. Within a few seconds the rain begins to fall and I had just enough time to get in my tent, Whew! But the down pour didn't last long and I got to see a beautiful sunset tonight. Before I settle in for the night I was serenade by an owl who was calling to his mate, Who Who Whoooooo. Glad I stopped here for my first night on my own hike. It was fun!
Date: 2003-08-28
From: Woodstock, VT

To: Thistle Hill Shelter
Miles today: 7.8
Weather: overcast clouds

8/28 Woodstock, VT to Thistle Hill Shelter - 7.8 milesAte my poptarts this morning, then got in the truck and before I knew it we were at a restaurant eating breakfast. I had an awesome second breakfast which was a plain bagel with granny smith apples on top covered with melted Vermont chedder cheese. It was almost like fondue. It was incredibly good.Then we headed to the grocery store where I ate a baby size cup of Ben and Jerry's. They make 3 ounce cups complete with a spoon. Then the post office, the finally back towards the trail. We stopped at Dan Quinn's barn where we explored the barn and talked to Dan, for a long time. Crow Dog and Prarie Chicken were taking a zero day there and everyone else was thinking about hiking on but no one was moving. I finally left around 12:30.I originally wanted to do 15 miles today so I would have a short day into Hanover and be guaranteed to get to the P.O before it closed. But because it took so long getting out of town I am going to do the 15 tomorrow.When I got to the shelter Sleepy Floyd was already sitting there. Chilly Willy, Kilroy, Pipes and Phlem showed up too. This shelter has the "most photographed" privy as it looks like a screened in gazebo. I enjoyed the open air feeling and the view.Sleepy Floyd made a great fire tonight but I couldn't sit out there long as I am getting very sleepy.