morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2004-07-23
From: Happy Hill Shelter

To: Velvet Rocks Shelter
Miles today: 7.3
Weather: haze

yah... short day. was going to be a 19 mile day but the rain, and my fair-weather-ish-ness, gave my knees another recovery day. today i crossed the connecticut river and stepped into my thirteenth state: new hampshire. it is getting near the end, and i thought i'd be further north by this time. i've learned the importance of taking time off, and that that time off is part of the journey and necessary to reach the goal. i walked into hanover, home of dartmouth college. it's a very busy town without any place for hikers to sleep cheaply. and that's a shame 'cause there's lots of places to eat and things to do in town.i hung out at the dartmouth outing club (DOC) office on the campus. they provide a place for thru hikers to drop their gear, clean up, and use the internet. all the public terminals are iMacs. talk about feeling dumb. "like, how do i fire up the browser on this thing?"walking to the diner, i met PA mule. we had a very large second breakfast to the tune of $13 bucks each. after the meal we went to the DOC to use the internet. while we were there, a thunderstorm rolled in and it rained for a few hours. some hikers ventured out - i did not. there was a chance it would let up and i could get out of town with dry shoes.while we were waiting, mule gave me a ride to the food co-op. i bought some different vitamins there and some resupply items. i have been feeling like my vitamins were crap for a while now. they were cheap ones and i just felt they weren't doing anything for me. this morning i got an email from my mom talking about nutrition and eating well... i took the part about not depending on vitamins as a reflection that my vitamins really are crap and bought some expensive name brand ones i trust will actually dissolve in my belly. yes, mom, fruits and veggies are nice, but i'm not going to finish without lots of carbs, fats, and some protein. i hope you can be at ease knowing i'm taking better vitamins. another tidbit from the co-op experience: i was looking for my 500 calorie danishes. the guy i asked told me the co-op appeals to "healthier diets" and i probably wouldn't find them here. i told him my healthy diet has at least 5000 calories a day or i become very unhealthy. he looked at my skinny frame. "thru hiker", i said. "ah", he replied and said i should try the gas station for some high calorie items.back at the DOC, the sensory overload was getting to me... the young females, the push-up bras, all too much for this guy living in the woods for five months. it was time to hit the trail and the weather cooperated. the first shelter was a mile out of town and i reached it before it started raining again.hopefully the rain will cool things down and also keep the mosquitoes away. tomorrow, rested, i will be venturing forth into NH.tonight's shelter inhabitants: flippy and pita-man
Date: 2004-07-24
From: Velvet Rocks Shelter

To: Firewarden's Cabin
Miles today: 21.9
Weather: broken clouds

last night we met a guy who was taking a short hike out of hanover. we talked to him a little bit and bid him goodbye as we started making dinner.this morning at 6am, we saw people in the distance coming up the trail. that's weird, i thought, no hikers are out this early. it was the guy from last night and he brought his family up to meet us. (i wonder who told him to get here early, i mean, by 6:30-7:00am we're gone) we talked for a little bit about thru hiking and some of my experiences on the trail, then they went back down the mountain. that was really special. i mean, walking up just to meet us and see the shelter.so anyway, i did some killer miles today, especially if you look at the elevation profile. the air was deliciously cool and free of humidity - so hiking took much less effort. i got to my 15 mile destination by 2pm. that's really early; 6+ hours of daylight left. so i ate some food and took a nap. at 3pm i felt rested, so i got my pack on and did 7 more up this insane mountain. near the top i was dead tired, but my knees held up fine. the views were AWESOME!!! i can't wait to see what the Whites will offer in a few days.cabinmates: flyboy, captain salty (sobo), ranger, ce la vie (that's how he spells it).
Date: 2004-07-25
From: Firewarden's Cabin

To: Ore Hill Shelter
Miles today: 12.6

chilly, chilly it was in the morning at 3200 ft. it's been a long time since i slept at any altitude. 50 degrees had me in my hat, coat, and wind pants, as i got ready for another day of hiking.the hiking day was another deliciously cool one. it only started warming at about 2pm. being sunday, i ran into and chatted with a lot of day hikers and dog walkers. today was typical though, almost boring. the cool temperatures made it fun to move about, but nothing really exciting happened today. maybe that's why my mind was so active - filling in the gaps with all sorts of dramas. ...reminding myself that all that stuff, which seemed to have a never-ending stream of content, had nothing to do with what was going on in the moment.i got to the shelter early and worked on my emails and journal entries from the past few days.in the shelter tonight:ranger and ce la vie.
Date: 2004-07-26
From: Ore Hill Shelter

To: Glencliff, NH
Miles today: 7.4

today i met a huge group of southbounders on my short walk to the hostel. i met: finn, song, spork, lute, steady, lazarus, flounder, little bump, turtle, beansprout, and king david.the "hikers welcome" hostel is also the home of moonbow gear. they offer a place to sleep, showers, laundry, food, snacks, tv/vcr, and internet. their dryer was out, so i'll skip doing laundry until north woodstock.the crew there was going to super walmart and we (ranger, ce la vie, and i) taged along. i burned one of my flashcards to CD so i could put a picture of wildcat, tinkerbell, and i on the site. we bumped into each other on the north face of killington. since we all have trail journals, we decided to get a picture of us all together.when we returned to the hostel, there was a ton of new people there... a group that calls themselves "the rat pack". they seemed well behaved, but they have a reputation that follows them. i packed food for the next three days. my bag feels like it has lead in it. i better eat all this stuff.i ate dinner with ranger, ce la vie, coyote, and ishmael at "the garlic clove". there we also met nobo hikers, fuzzy and stargazer. ce la vie and i split a large pizza. we could not finish it! i think my hiker hunger is receding. i can't put down the food i used to. oh well, no worries.i wrapped up the day with two of those grandma's chocolate chip cookies. very tired and hoping we don't have to build an ark tomorrow, i headed of to bed.
Date: 2004-07-28
From: Eliza Brook Shelter

To: North Woodstock, NH
Miles today: 8.8

i hiked down to franconia notch with stargaze and fuzzy. i kept up with them because free food was on everyone's mind. lonesome lake hut had a platter of leftover pancakes and sliced apples, free to hikers. after the free eats i let them get ahead of me since they, especially fuzzy, have a much faster pace than i.we got separate hitches into town but seemed to end up at the same place all the time.i first ran into them at the outfitter. i needed some bandanas since one of mine disappeared last night when the rat pack showed up. gear was everywhere; someone prolly thought it was theirs. next spot i saw them was the grocery store. buying food for the trip into the whites is very hard. every southbounder i talked to says they brought x days of food in and came out with some of it. seems free food and work-for-stay will supplement my food bag. but how much to bring? i had my thumb out, trying to hitch into north woodstock, when dragonfly pulls over and gives me a ride. he's taking a few days off and has his car. cool! dragonfly drops me at the woodstock inn and also gives me three donuts for the road. much appreciated... since i haven't had lunch yet.at the inn, i was given the "tripoli" room. i'm sure it has some symbolic significance. anyone got ideas?met ishmael in town at the laundry. he gave me some laundry detergent for free. back at the inn, i went down to the bar to use the internet. a guy named arrow ('02) offered me a beer and to come join him and the other hikers at the bar. i turned down the beer, but went over to the bar. there i was reunited with pastor john. he's finishing up his section hike this year. it was great to see him.i retired to my room for the evening.
Date: 2004-07-29
From: North Woodstock, NH

To: Galehead Hut
Miles today: 13.0
Weather: scattered clouds

today i began my journey into the white mountains. much steeper climbs and descents will be before me for the next 5-7 days. my first stop of the day was at liberty spring tentsite. there i met the caretaker, andrew, who is a thru from '03. we talked for a little while about the trail and especially about "reentry" - leaving the back country and immersing myself into the "front country". he said he experienced not being able to multi-task, that there were areas of the brain that were not getting exercised on the trail. i mentioned the fragmented self. that's something i'll have to keep an eye on when i go back to the front country. i'll see if i start to fragment and discover what that really is.andrew also told me a group of eight people came by earlier. damn! that would be the rat pack. i did a short day and stayed in town yesterday so they would be a half day ahead of me in the whites. the whites is the last place you want to travel with a posse. work-for-stay at the huts is usually for two people. eight totally blows your chances.i had some good views over lincoln and lafayette. i remember the ridge in between them from a winter mountaineering trip i took in Dec '99. at that time everything was covered in snow and rime ice. the wind was blowing at 30-40 mph. today's conditions were a bit more hospitable. the southbounders i passed today jokingly spoke of the "horde" that was at galehead hut. i guess i can kiss work-for-stay goodbye at this one. i ran into a couple coming from greenleaf hut. they were resting on the side of the trail. they had the same destination as me and said they needed to let the croo know they'll be staying for dinner. "by what time?", i asked."5 o'clock".i didn't even have to look at my watch to know they'd never make it. i might make it by 5:00 and i've been conditioned for the past 5 months. as a favor i took down their name and said i'd tell the croo to count them in. when i arrived, there were thru hikers everywhere, including wildcat, easy duzit, bonespur, and tank. two of the guys got work-for-stay. i negotiated sleeping on the floor for $8.the work-for-stay people get to eat after the paying guests. bonespur and tank invited wildcat, easy duzit, and i to eat the leftovers with them. there was a lot of food and we filled our bellies to capacity. oh, food, glorious, food! there was: vegetarian chili, chicken with mushrooms and rice, pasta and vegetables, fresh baked bread, and apple/strawberry pie. my dinnertime calorie intake was probably 2-3 times what it normally is. sweet! i offered to help out the croo with anything they needed done, but they said they didn't have any other work to give out. free dinner. it's good to be a thru hiker.sleeping on the tables at the hut tonight: bonespur, tank, easy duzit, and wildcat.of note: i've been on the trail for over 5 months now and have 360 miles to go.
Date: 2004-07-30
From: Galehead Hut

To: Crawford Notch
Miles today: 14.7
Weather: broken clouds

first off, i'd like to wish my sister a happy birthday. i have no clue if she actually reads my journal, but i'm sure my mom and dad will see this and pass on the message.very early this morning, like 2am, the door to the hut opened and a few people came in. we were all sleeping on the floor (pretty much because we don't pay to stay in the cushy bunks) and the darkened figures quietly moved about the room, headlamps a blaze.who are these people? hikers aren't this crazy. night hike the whites?members of our hut's croo came out and caught the marauders red handed. the late comers were the croo from another hut, making an early morning raid to steal something from our hut. i guess that's the fun and games that goes on here. (the neareat hut is 7 miles away over lots of rocks, so only crazy college-age kids would do something like this)we got on the trail by 6:30. it seemed brighter than usual and we figured it's because there's less tree cover up here and more sunlight gets through. our internal clocks were saying it was around 8am but the watches said 6:30.hiking was easier today but still my knees felt spent at the end of the day. the last few days have been strenuous and harder on the body than usual. i could feel the cumulative effect and now know why they say not to do more than 15 miles per day in this section. that was good advice.there's really no where to camp 15 miles after galehead. the next hut is six miles further and 3000 feet uphill. not gonna happen! so, today we are stealth camping. i got a list of stealth sites from the "hikers welcome" hostel and there was one right here at the notch. the sites aren't very level (i'm sliding to the end of my tent now), but they are out of sight so the rangers won't see us from the road.after dinner was made, some of wildcat's friends stopped by with beer and nuts. that was really nice of them. a beer hit the spot.i'm going to try to get to bed early tonight to get an early start tomorrow. i'm going to try to get to lakes of the clouds hut and secure a work-for-stay position before the horde of hikers gets there. a lot of my day tomorrow depends on the weather. if the forecast is good i'll do a short day, but if sunday looks lame, i'll do mt. washington tomorrow with the billions of tourists.
Date: 2004-07-31
From: Crawford Notch

To: Lakes of the Clouds
Miles today: 11.2
Weather: mist

the trail was varied today. the first stretch went straight up hill out of the notch. my clothes soaking wet from sweat, it was hot and humid. i got to mizpah hut for a snack. they had all you can eat pastry for $1 and bottomless bowls of soup for $2. that actually turned into my lunch. it's good because i didn't use any of my food, and bad because my pack will still weighs the same when i leave.wildcat's friend from last night, ron, met us on mt. jackson and hiked with us until lakes of the clouds hut. the weather went to cloudy and cool. you can't see as much, but the hiking is much easier than with humidity.we got to "lakes" a little after 2pm. at that time, the sky was so cloudy it had the twlight feel of 8pm. spooky, the whites are. inside the hut i scored work-for-stay on the evening shift. i wanted the evening so i could get out early the next morning. my duty for the night is to set the tables for dinner (about 100 place setting). it's an ok job in trade for a meal and a place to sleep.for the hours leading up to dinner, we all did our planing and journaling. i think i will be going down to pinkham notch tomorrow and hitching into gorham, doing some resupply, staying at a hostel (Mmmm shower!), and returning to pinkham the next morning. i don't know if wildcat and easy will go with me or not.four of the thru hikers (wildcat, easy duzit, jolly rancher, and southern boy) got to do work-for-stay by being part of the night's presentation. pretty much a question and answer session with the people who paid to stay at the hut. those things are always fun.dinner was a little sparser than two night's ago, but calorically adequate. we were sad they didn't have any fresh baked bread left. after dinner it rained very hard with impressive thunder and lightning. glad i'm not tenting tonight!when you stay at the huts you have to wait until everyone goes to bed before we can put our sleeping pads on the floor or tables. this group is much more lively and noisy than the folks at galehead, who went to sleep soon after dinner.
Date: 2004-08-02
From: Pinkham Notch

To: Imp Shelter
Miles today: 13.1
Weather: scattered clouds

i camei sawi took 4 ibuprofeni went to bedtwo days to maine, hot diggedy. five days until i take a week off. we hiked with harrier today, though he was hanging in the back with wildcat because he has a cold. harrier stopped at the first hut and the rest of the group moved on.imp shelter had a bunch of hikers there. more sectioners than thrus. i'm quite tired so i'm going to stop typing now. need sleep for my tired body.
Date: 2004-08-04
From: Gorham, NH

To: Carlo Col Shelter
Miles today: 17.0
Weather: broken clouds

ok, i'm in maine, but i'm not happy at all. why? it could be because i reopened the wound on my left arm sliding uncontrollably down a rock face. it could be because i put a big-ass abrasion on my butt sliding uncontrollably down a rock face (remember, i wear a kilt. ouch!). it could be because i have new wounds on the palms of my hands from sliding uncontrollably down a stupid rock face. i really think this sucks. i feel like quitting today. i hate this. all of this. the only saving grace of this journey is i'm taking a week off in a few days. if i make it to friday without losing more of my skin, i'll finish the trail.yeah, i'm having a "deja" kind of day. we all have 'em i guess. i hope tomorrow is better.in the shelter tonight: bonespur, tank, wildcat, easy duzit, bearbait (03), southern boy, and a few section hikers.
Date: 2004-08-05
From: Carlo Col Shelter

To: Speck Pond Shelter
Miles today: 9.5
Weather: clear sky

the rat pack has once again stayed in sync with us. at 1am the boys arrived at the shelter. i had my earplugs in already so i wasn't disturbed by their cooking or moving around. what i think is sick is they night hiked the section that i slipped and injured myself. i gotta hand it to them, they go for a goal and they make it.after yesterday's anger-fest i was still feeling pissed at myself in the morning. my backside still stinging, i moved around the shelter as gently as possible. i needed to cover my scrape with a dressing or something so my shorts wouldn't rub against it. the gauze i carry is about 1.5" x 1.5" and my injury site is... real big, so i had to improvise with a bandanna. it worked ok, but it moved a little bit with each stride.today i nixed the kilt because it was to be a day of rock hopping, scrambling, and climbing steep rock slabs. if i happen to slide on my butt again, there's going to be some material in the way.some say the mahoosuc notch area in maine is the toughest terrain on the AT. there are places where i had to scramble over the rocks, using my whole body to climb from one section to another. at other times the rocks were so tight i needed to take off my pack and push it through a tunnel inside the boulders. there are also evil high-angle slabs, like the one i injured myself on yesterday. good thing for nobos, we got to go up those, not down.on the way into the notch, we met twisted sister 1 and 2 - sobos. #2 just got some nasty abrasions on her skin. i felt sorry for her 'cause i know how uncomfortable it is. i kept thinking to myself, why is the trail put together in a way where people can easily hurt themselves? in maine, some of those evil rock slabs have ladders on them so you don't accidentally slide down. i wish NH would do the same.for about 1.5 hours we rock scrambled down to the notch and then ascended up mahoosuc arm. it wasn't as bad as people were saying. the whites are still the toughest part of the trail, IMO. mahoosuc just takes a long time to do. i do have an advantage of having long arms and legs which i'm sure helped me move through the scrambles safely and quickly.at the top of the arm, wildcat, easy and i had a snack and took a nap in the sun. when we awoke, we realized that section took a lot out of us and we will not make it to the road today. easy lent me his phone and i called "the cabin" to change my pickup time to earlier in the day tomorrow. at the end of the day, my mood improved a little. i worry that i'll be in a funk for my week off, since moving is a bit uncomfortable. it will give me time to heal though, before i go out on the trail again. (my thoughts are in the future again, rather than here and now.)nobos in the shelter tonight: easy duzit, wildcat, little fish, mosey, and nana k.
Date: 2004-08-06
To: Kris
Miles today: 0.0

A note from The TranscriberOur friend Dharma has certainly had some challenging experiences lately. Thankfully, he'll be taking a week off the trail to rest his body and renew his spirit. Time for some self-nurturing and rejuvenationI will see him next week, for we will both be attending the Summer Intensive program at A Place in the Heart, otherwise known as the Vywamus Foundation, in Cumberland, Maine. I'll be sure he takes care of himself! Blessings to you all.Stay tuned to updates next week (or sooner if Dharma decides to do some updates on his own)-Kris
Date: 2004-08-06
From: Speck Pond Shelter

To: Grafton Notch
Miles today: 4.6
Weather: light rain

Brrrr... it was a 48* morning in the ol' shelter. i hope this is a freak thing and not an indication that fall has already come to maine. Today is the day i'm taking a week off to be with my friends at the vywamus foundation in cumberland, maine. there i'll be doing some physical and spiritual R&R, plus maybe a side trip to a summer home before i get back on the trail.I walked with wildcat down to grafton notch today. easy duzit was already there resting in the sunlight. i was to meet 'bear' there for a ride to "the cabin" and wildcat and easy wanted to drop off their gear so they could slackpack the next ten miles to andover.bear got there at about 10:30. we loaded the gear and bid the guys goodbye. bear brought me to the cabin and showed me around. this is one outstanding place and a "must stay" for thru hikers (call ahead for reservations). his philosophy is to take care of anything a thru hiker needs and just let them focus on one thing: walking. if you need it, it will be there for you. the home cooked AYCE dinner i had was awesome too!I showered, did laundry, and took a nap. my ride, TrailFrog ('03), was coming at 6pm and staying for dinner. She arrived right on time, and after dinner, drove me to her house for the night. trailfrog is providing me grand© magic here. she doesn't know me from adam, but is shuttling me across maine, feeding me, and giving me a place to sleep tonight. sweet! i cannot express my gratitude enough, but hope to 'pay it forward' at a future time to another thru hiker.
Date: 2004-08-07
From: Grafton Notch

To: Cumberland, ME
Miles today: 0.0

trailfrog made me biscuits this morning which i slathered in butter and jelly. this was just the appetizer before we went out to get breakfast at a diner in the next town... which was her treat also. after a great bacon omelette and cranberry juice, we headed for cumberland.cumberland is the home for the vywamus foundation. here i am attending a summer intensive which is happening all this week. this is where i go to figure myself out. the 'reflection' i keep talking about in my journal entries is taught here along with other techniques to get me living all that i've dreamed life could be. no, i'm not kidding. a life of pain, struggle, striving, wanting.... is something i don't want. there are easier ways to live life and have what i want - i just need to get out of my own way.hiking the trail has given me much insight into how life can be simpler and lived with ease. i've had a few painful days lately, but those are very few compared to the number of days i've been in the backcountry. i need to get serious and apply all i've learned to life, love, and job when i rotate back to the front-country. this shall be an interesting experiment.