morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2003-07-31
From: Wildcat shelter

To: some hilltop
Miles today: 22.7

I awoke at a much earlier time than usual, I was even one of the first to leave the shelter. I was on a mission today to make it to the top of Bear Mountain to meet my college friend Andrew Minor who was in the national guard and defending the homeland in nearby West Point. I had put myself in the bad position of having to do a big (26) mile day yet again over some terrain that had been kicking my butt. Today was no exception to the rest of the NJ/NY trend that had been severely frustrating me. The terrain seemed to be unnecessarily hard with constant ups and downs that slowed my speed down to a crawl. When I passed by some landmarks I found that I was barely able to match the speed I went during my first days on the trail, two miles an hour. I was never going to make Bear Mountain.   There were far too many rock faces to go up and over. I began to curse the hills, groaning ever louder when confronted with a fresh rock wall. I was furious, how could this trail be so hard. It seemed that I went over cliff after cliff only to be reset back to the cliff I had climbed four cliffs ago. Ahhhhh.   I ran into some southbounders who informed me of a very convenient phone just ahead on the main road. I don¢t know what inspired the phone company to place a phone on a nondescript grassy corner or two undeveloped roads but it couldn¢t have been better for me. I left a message for my buddy to meet me about four miles shy of my goal, which took a great deal of pressure off my chest. I still had to continue ahead quickly and make time when I could in this terrain. I stopped only for lunch and to refill my water. It was the first source since the sulfur puddle I last drank from twelve miles ago. This time instead of a sulfur taste it was a brown color my filter was unable to remove. The rest of the day was very much like the beginning with the exception of the Lemon Squeezer. The squeezer was a narrow rock passage with five foot walls on either side that started out wide enough but slimmed down farther and farther until it just closed up at which point you had to squeeze yourself and pack up and out. Once out of that you were face with a sheer rock face about six or seven feet high with a blaze right in the middle. This was getting ridiculous. I somehow mad it up and over and eventually on to meet my friend just a little late. We cruised around the area a bit swapping stories about our respective existences. We went out to dinner at a nearby steakhouse where he treated me to dinner. We must have looked like quite an odd pair one completely without hair on his head and one that hadn¢t had a haircut or shave in about four months. We concluded our visit and I headed back up into the woods about a mile until I reached what seemed to be the top of a mountain and a nice grassy spot to pitch my tent.
Date: 2003-08-01
From: some hilltop

To: home
Miles today: 11.6
Weather: light rain

I awoke to a drizzly morning. My tent was soaked from some strong storms during the night but I took no care in trying to keep anything dry. I would be sleeping in my own bed tonight, something I hadn¢t done in what seemed like forever and couldn¢t really even comprehend right now. I hurried off into the morning mist eager to get this day behind me. I walked a few miles and finally reached the top of Bear Mountain that I had been trying to reach the day before. I would have had to walk until ten or eleven at night at full speed to make it. There was a nice tower on top with a gorgeous view of fog that reminded me of all those views I had down south. At the base of the mountain was the very beautiful Bear Mountain Inn. I got my maildrop at the small room they called the Bear Mountain P.O. and headed back to the inn to join several of my kind at lunch. We were all soaked and brought our wet gear in with us tracking dirt and water where we went, not that we cared. I couldn¢t resist eating a burger even thought I was in for a few days of gorging myself. I made the decision then and there that I didn¢t feel like busting my ass the rest of the day to again make a poorly thought out deadline. I called Joe Bars to tell him to pick me up about nine miles shy of my goal I had been killing myself over all these self imposed deadlines since mid PA and was sick of it. I hadn¢t been having much fun doing so and would be damned if today was going to be the same. I took my time leaving the inn and going through the Bear Mountain Zoo. The trail wound right through the small zoo and was free for thru-hikers. It wasn¢t much of a zoo. There was a coyote that constantly ran in a five-foot circle, all its cage would allow. There were a few other native animals but the highlight was two black bears sitting sadly in a concrete pen. They were devoid of any character and energy, they didn¢t move much and seemed not to even notice my presence even when I yelled at them.   These bears were sissies who would get smacked around by the wild bears I had seen. Not a very pretty sight. I crossed the beautiful Hudson River on the Bear Mountain Bridge and headed out to finish out my day and head home. I reached the intersections of US 9 and NY 403 where I was too be picked up and brought home. I was able to soak in some local color when the owner of the old defunct gas station/Uhaul rental allowed me to stay in his office for the time I was waiting. That man had some interesting things come out of his mouth and provided great entertainment until my ride came to whisk me off to home, my parents, a shower and my bed with the family reunion the next day. I was off the trail.
Date: 2003-08-06
From: home

To: nowhere
Miles today: 0.0

The day after I was brought home I had a great time visiting at the family reunion. I was bombarded with questions and told many tales of trail living. I felt like bit of a celebrity. In the following days I have been out running errands and taking care of minor gear problems, and of course sleeping. I have been home for five full zeroes now. I didn¢t intend to stay home this long, but you know how that goes. I have been enjoying air conditioning, mattresses, refrigeration, real food, and especially driving my truck. I have come to the realization that the two things I miss the most being removed from society are my car and my music. It was heaven to me driving around listening to music. Automobiles are fantastic! I did a very thorough washing of all my belongings. They still smelled but were visibly cleaner. My aches, pains and overall weariness had worn off and now my muscles were actually in pain from immobilization. They were crying out that they needed some action. My legs were constantly twitching and stiff. I couldn¢t stretch enough to make them feel ok. Tomorrow they would get what they wanted; tomorrow they would be back to work. I couldn¢t have been more relaxed from being home, but it wasn¢t quite right. I was a stranger in a strange land, an imposter living someone else¢s life, even if it was my own. Here at home I was a tourist. Tomorrow the caged animal will be reintroduced into the wild where it belonged to continue on northward, ever northward.
Date: 2003-08-07
From: home

To: Dennytown road
Miles today: 8.7

Around noontime my father, Uncle Bob and I set out back to New York. We pulled into the old gas station/U-haul mid afternoon. I didn¢t stop in to say hello to my friend there, instead heading right into the woods. I had walking to do. Dad and Uncle Bob followed me into the woods. We had prepared a plastic bag with a few ice-cold sodas and ice to hang on a tree for some trail magic. We started to walk on but doubled back when we heard some sodas being opened. Dad and Uncle Bob got to experience the extreme gushing gratitude of a hiker who had just received trail magic. The huge grin, the repetitious thanks you¢s, the promised firstborn etc. They got a real kick out of it. I knew one of the three that had stopped there from way, way back. It was Reason who I had met ages ago in the Great Smoky Mountains and who was a hero himself. It was Reason who swept into camp one of the last days in the smokies (4/27) at dusk bearing a bottle of Jim Beam announcing we had just finished the first ten percent of the trail. That seemed like another age. They asked me if I was going to stay at the monastery just ahead that was a favorite hiker destination for a night. I had to pass since I couldn¢t justify a one mile day after five off. Besides I wanted to do some walking. I said my goodbyes and headed out. I meandered a slow few hours trying out my new toy, a small radio and getting a feel for my new boots. I had beaten my old boots past the point of rationality until they were literally falling apart, shredding with each step and causing my feet unnecessary pain. The new ones were a real pleasure. I made it to a large grassy field that was available for camping. I found a spot off too the side of the main field that seemed cozy and set up my tent.   I was happy to spend a night alone back out in the woods.   I fell asleep to the sounds of the Red Sox.
Date: 2003-08-08
From: Dennytown road

To: Morgan Stewart Shelter
Miles today: 19.7
Weather: light rain

I awoke and headed out of camp at a reasonable time. The water source for the campsite was a spigot on the side of a small building near the trail. I walked down to fill my bottles and was surprised to see Happy Feet standing nearby. Kung-Fu and Superfly were there with him, both of which I hadn¢t seen in several hundred miles. One thing I was worried about after taking five days off was whether I had fallen behind everyone I knew. I was relieved to see so many familiar faces right off the bat. Happy Feet was only a day behind when I got off the trail, but took several days off to go sailing with his brother in New York. He too thought he would be way behind everyone he knew. We headed out catching up about the long days I had done and our time off. It was a wet dreary day, but the humidity had me soaked long before the first raindrops hit me. The hot, humid trail I had left days ago had transformed into an all out sauna. I was trying to keep up a respectable pace but was finding that I was weakened by my days off. I have felt like this after a few long town layovers, but even then I had to walk everywhere. I had just done absolutely zero exercise for five days and could really tell. I couldn¢t move as fast, my muscles ached and I was tiring much easier. Luckily the terrain in the second half of New York was a little more relaxed than the first half. Its amazing how quickly the body slips. I was still in amazing shape, but not the peak shape I had been in just a week ago. A group of five or six of us traveled steadily along today with a major goal in our minds, a prepared supper at the deli and pizzeria 16 miles from where I started. Visions of sandwiches and pizza pie danced in our vision as we willed ourselves along without breaks. We were rewarded with big greasy subs and pizza at the mountain top deli arriving shortly before close. As much prepared food as I had eaten in recent sections it would never be enough to keep me from the next restaurant. Happy feet and I continued on with a four mile night hike to the next shelter while the other four went out of their way to pay a lot to stay at a motel in a nearby town. Oh well, some of us are rugged and some are simply tourists in our rugged world.
Date: 2003-08-09
From: Morgan Stewart Shelter

To: Wiley Shelter
Miles today: 16.6
Weather: light rain

It was another gloomy day, as well as another extremely humid day. This was my last day in New York before finally walking back into my home state of Connecticut and New England. I wouldn¢t be shedding any tears over this state that went out of its way to antagonize and frustrate me. As usual there were few opportunities for water and I as was forced to fill up from a house nearby the trail that kindly offered its hose to thirsty hikers. I think 95% of my water during this last section came from a spigot. I yearned for cold clean mountain springs, but would have to wait a couple more states before I reached some real mountains. On that same road was the Dover Oak. It was the largest oak tree on the trail and second in size only to the Wasilik Poplar that I hiked my first twenty mile day to early on in North Carolina. The Poplar would kick this tree¢s butt in a fight. Nevertheless it was a very large tree. We next came to the Appalachian Trail railroad station. It was a platform and bench with an AT sign right on the railroad track. Apparently the train does actually stop there on a very limit basis. For me it was nothing more than a photo-op, that and a marker for where to turn to the next deli. That¢s right, another prepared lunch, this time at Tony¢s deli. New York does compensate for its unappealing aspects by offering plenty of opportunities to get food. Put up a food sign and thru hikers would follow like sheep to the slaughter. I called up two more college friends and arranged to be picked up for dinner in six more miles. I was eating well today.   Happy Feet and I hit the shelter right at the arranged time, set up our tents, changed and headed the quarter mile down to the road to meet my friends Sokraty Ung and Anthony Arlotta. We found a restaurant where we could once again gorge ourselves on prepared food and entertain Sok and Anthony with our tales. We had a good visit and were dropped back off to march uphill to our waiting tents.
Date: 2003-08-11
From: Kent

To: Pine Swamp Brook lean-to
Miles today: 17.0

I woke up in time to be out by 8:00. I wandered around town and headed into a restaurant for some breakfast. Happy Feet wandered in shortly thereafter. He had stayed in the expensive inn and was thinking about staying an extra night. He thought that he had been pushing himself too much lately and his body needed the rest. Staying was out of the question for me. I was pushing ahead in order to take more days off and needed to do miles. We sat outside sipping coffee and making conversation with other hikers. I was in no rush to leave on this beautiful day. I took my time leaving. I once again bid farewell to Happy Feet pledging to try and catch up to reunite with the old crew that was now spread out over at least a hundred miles.   I didn¢t know it at the time, but it was the last time I would see Happy Feet on the trail.   The trail was a one-mile walk out of town. As I strode down the sidewalk I could see a well-dressed man walking toward me. Shortly after I came into sight he looked both ways and scurried across the street. I just had to laugh. My beard and hair were getting quite long and I had a huge pair of Unabomber shades on, maybe I would have crossed the street too. I yelled out to him that he didn¢t need to cross on account of me, to which he replied ¢I don¢t know, when¢s the last time you took a shower¢. I laughed again and headed on my way. It was another wicked hot, sticky day and I was soaked minutes into my first climb. The trail today was mostly easy, including a several mile long stretch along the Housatonic River. I was alone all day until a couple miles before the shelter when I met a thru-hiker about my age named Bond. He had hiked with Snot-Rocket a week or two ago and speculated he was still three or four days behind. Hopefully after my next time off he will have caught up. We hiked along quickly racing a thunderstorm to the shelter. For once I beat it, but only by about a minute and a half. Not even enough time to set up my tent. It was torrential rain and I would have to squeeze into a full shelter, not something I ever looked forward to, but I had no option but to pack in like sardines and spend a night bumping into people on both sides of me since the rain continued on all night pounding the shelter roof.
Date: 2003-08-12
From: Pine Swamp Brook lean-to

To: Riga lean-to
Miles today: 19.8

I woke up early after a restless night in which I couldn¢t spread out. Bond and I headed out together in the morning. We got along well and had good conversation swapping our various trail experiences. He was a guy who started more than a month after me in mid May. It was an unconventional time to start and he was told all the way from Georgia that ¢you¢ll never make it¢, but had managed to find his way into the pack by doing excessive long days and taking only a few zero days. There was a small crowd of May starting folks that pushed each other along sweeping the back of the pack, but now were making their way ahead by not changing their grueling pace. He could really move fast and I was having trouble keeping up with him. At mid-morning we came out on U.S. 7 near the town of Falls Village. We had gotten word of a restaurant with a pay phone a half mile up the road and decided to make a side trip. Of course the phone was really what we were interested in not the food, but since we were there¢¦ I had eaten a prepared meal every day since my time off and even for several days prior. This section was spoiling us all and we knew it. Still, no one walked by a restaurant. We did another flat section along the Housatonic River that was handicapped accessible and passed by the falls that the village was known for. It was a tempting swimming hole, but we passed it by. With the humidity we were swimming all day anyway. We went up and down Prospect Mountain passing some very nice views, one of them showing an impending thunderhead. We managed to make it another few miles before the inevitable drenching. It didn¢t matter, I couldn¢t get any wetter if I was walking on the bottom of the Housatonic instead of next to it. We passed over the trail town of Salisbury, CT and headed up the next mountain and over a ridiculous steep hump called Lions Head. We stopped a little early and settled in at the next shelter. There were only three of us there and I opted to stay in the shelter since I could spread out. The front of the shelter opened up to provide a beautiful view. The mountains in this region were less dramatic, but still provided very nice views. This was the best one in Connecticut I had seen.
Date: 2003-08-13
From: Riga Lean-to

To: Tom Leonard Lean-to
Miles today: 24.4

I awoke early and set out to climb Bear Mountain, the highest peak in the state of Connecticut at 2,316 feet. The summit was mostly cloudy and I wasn¢t given much of a view. The descent was steep and rocky with many places where I had to be careful of my footwork, especially since it had rained overnight. I was trying to make good time in order to do a big day and my feet were sliding around quite a bit on the slick rocks. I tried to take one giant step down a very steep boulder and lost my footing. I fell forward landing kind of upside down on my side with my pack on top of me. It was quite a scare, the kind of fall where I had to lay there in a heap for a moment analyzing whether I had hurt myself or not. I was bruised and had a couple cuts but was unhurt by what was my worst fall by far on the whole trail. To injure myself at this point would be a nightmare. I took better care the rest of the way down to Sages Ravine, which happened to be the Massachusetts border. Only four states to go. I climbed over Race Mountain, which on a nice day was a beautiful ridgewalk affording great views out over a set of cliffs that paralled the trail. Today it was a cool cloudy walk with no views. I climbed up and over the short steep Mt. Everett on which I saw Old Bill and Psycho Pat. Pat had gotten off the trail in Harpers Ferry, WV with a heel problem. I was happy to see her back out on the trail. We ate lunch together catching up and I continued on my way hiking the rest of the day with Bond. We made good time until late in the day when we came to a note on a tree that indicated the next stretch of trail was flooded out and we should walk way around via nearby roads. Bond wasn¢t feeling that well and was trying to talk me into sharing a hotel that was nearby, but I was getting picked up tomorrow to take a few more days off and needed to press on. He took the road. I, being the stubborn purist, insisted upon navigating the flooded section. Our brief friendship was over, I never saw him again. The flood wasn¢t too bad, my boots got a little bit wet stepping on immersed bog bridges but it was only a minor hardship since my boots were still wet from the day before. I could see a massive thunderhead a long distance off, but it was sunny where I was. A giant thunderstorm is a pretty awesome thing to behold from a distance where you could appreciate it in a dry manner. I continued on in the excessive humidity and mosquitos that the area had to offer, eventually making it to the Tom Leonard lean-to where I was alone except for a couple tenting nearby. Since it was so incredibly buggy and I didn¢t want to deal with a wet tent in case it rained I set up my tent inside the shelter to spend a dry bug free nights sleep.
Date: 2003-08-14
From: Tom Leonard Lean-to

To: Tyringham Main Road and Home
Miles today: 14.3

I awoke eagerly. Today I was getting picked up by Uncle Bob to go home for my second mini-vacation. I headed out and quickly covered the four miles to Benedict Pond where I had to drop my pack and head a half-mile down a side trail to a pay phone where I called my Mom and Aunt Sue to arrange my pickup. I would do a 15-mile day to Tyringham Main Road to meet my uncle at 5:00. I went back to my pack and headed out. As happened the last time I was picked up the day couldn¢t have gone by any slower. I had to maintain a fairly fast constant pace to make it on time and it seemed like I was going nowhere while time continued to glide by. I was ready to stop hiking for a few days and I wanted that feeling to start now, not in a few hours. I eventually grew nearer my goal and realized that I would be about 10 minutes early. Uncle Bob was impressed how I was able to project my arrival times with such accuracy. It was the only time estimation I had ever been able to do correctly in my life and I only had to hike many miles, daily, for months on end to do it! I was pleased to see that he had come to pick me up with a cooler full of sodas and beers for trail magic. I had taught him that this was the proper thing to do. Plus it was fun to see the ecstatic faces of tired hikers drinking cold beverages. Old Bill and Psycho Pat arrived at the road just as I did and I ensured that if they were to wait a few minutes it would be in their best interests. Old Bill drank a soda while Psycho Pat and I enjoyed a beer. They both took one for the road as they continued across the road and disappeared up the hillside while I got in the car to go home once again.
Date: 2003-08-19
From: Tyringham Main Road and Home

To: nowhere fast
Miles today: 0.0

Today is the last of five zero days before I hit the trail for the final time till the end. I got home and headed up to New Hampshire for the last couple days of scout camp. I hadn¢t missed camp since I was 11. I enjoyed hanging out there during the final days and camp breakdown. I felt like I was sort of a celebrity. I did however receive lots of crap over how many zero days I take and my lack of progress. I was several hundred miles behind where Lewis and Clark, other troop staff, and 1997 thru-hikers were when they hiked the trail and came to camp. A few (jokingly?) told me that I would never make it. I told them all where they could put that kind of talk and tried to make bets with them though no one took my offer. I then went home for a couple days where I washed out and tuned up my gear once again. My troublesome backpack straps had broken in the 153 miles since I got them replaced last week so I once again had to get replacements. I slept in my bed, showered often, and ate, and ate, and ate.