morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2014-07-10
From: Gorham, NH

To: Gorham, NH
Miles today: 21.1
Weather: broken clouds

Gorham is the first town you reach in New Hampshire along the trail. I had heard for days from other hikers about this amazing hostel there called the White Mountains Lodge and Hostel. As I walked up to it I quickly realized what they were raving about. It is like an oasis on the trail completely geared for hikers. The staff is helpful, friendly, and knowledgeable. The hostel itself is spotlessly clean. The set up is great because it leaves all the "hiker funk" in the garage and you enter this beautiful home setting. It feels like you are at your mother's house and having a big sleepover with all your hiking buddies. It is like a vortex that I never want to leave. In keeping with that I talked to the owner about slack packing. Other SOBOs had done so and it seemed like a great idea. Basically slack packing means leaving all your gear with someone else and only taking a day pack with enough food and water to get through that day. The hostel shuttled me down to Pinkham Notch in the morning and I then slack packed the 21 miles back up to them. This of course meant that I got to stay at the hostel again that night! Awesome sauce! I had never done that many miles before (my personal best up until then was 16.7) but with a lighter load I wanted to see if I could do it.It was a long day of hiking (took me 13 hours) but I did make it back. Unfortunately I had to violate my rule against hiking in the dark for the last few miles but had been smart enough to bring my head lamp! The first couple of miles up Wildcat Mountain were brutal with 2000 feet of elevation gain in 2 miles. I kept hearing a clicking noise but didn't know what it was. At the summit I realized who some slight annoyance what it was. There was a gondola there that you can ride up and down to the summit. I am proud of myself for doing those miles, but if I had known about the gondola would not have been above taking it. By doing the slack pack I ascended the mountain. If I had just been hiking normally I would have been descending that. My knees quiver at that prospect. Such a descent is borderline dangerous, especially if the weather was sketchy.Going northbound back to the hostel for the day was fun because it kept confusing all these SOBOs I know that ran into while hiking. The looks on their faces as I approached were priceless. First of all I was heading the "wrong" direction. Secondly I had been behind them and here I was suddenly in front of them on the trail. It was pretty funny for me until I explained what I was doing. I'm now enjoying a zero day at the hostel recuperating from that day. This hostel is so wonderful. I spent a good amount of time sunning in a chair by their fish pond. Following a nap, a shower, and updating my trail journal the caretaker here treated me to a burger and beers. Amazing. I love it here. So tempting to just stay and not move on, but the trail is calling. I leave tomorrow morning to start the rest of the Whites, starting with the tough presidential range. I'll keep everyone posted on my progress as I go and have internet access!
Date: 2014-08-20
From: Great Barrington, MA

To: Pawling, NY
Miles today: 0.0

I bounded down the trail the next morning, partly to flee the pursuing mosquitos maddeningly buzzing in my ears and partly because I was in such good spirits. The air was cool and dry. Another state border crossing was within reach. I was so happy I sang as I hiked along. Hiking solo again after so long felt freeing. I had nothing to worry about except the path in front of me. The hike this day reminded me a little of Maine with long ridgeline views and actual peaks to climb, only not as hard or as beautiful. If I had a nickle for everytime a SOBO said, "That reminded me of Maine except not so (fill in adjective here)" I would have enough to buy me a new pair of boots! I stopped for lunch at Guilder Pond and laid luxuriously in the sun on a flat rock for a long time enjoying my last glimpses of Massachusetts. After crossing the border I headed on a few more miles wanting to officially spend the night in Connecticut. The new state welcomed me with a fabulous little climb up Bear Mountain. Although not very tall, the last couple tenths of a mile were steep and craggy. It was hand over hand climbing. Lots of people hate steep ascents like this. I just love them though. To me they are exhilarating rather than exhausting. Nothing gets my juices flowing like a good up. The feeling of accomplishment after reaching the top puts a smile on my face and makes my pack feel like it has wings on it. The following morning the trail came to some amazing water falls of the Housatonic River. The falls were humongous and fell steeply hundreds of feet creating a thunderous roar on the rocks below. After this though the river smooths and widens out. The trail follows along side for about five miles. Once I realized the trail was going to remain this way, a flat, sandy footpath mirroring the river's meandering, I changed into my crocs. My feet were very happy! So much so that when the trail took me up steep stone steps away from the river I kept them on. Around St. Johns Ledges I saw two white-tailed deer. This was like a sign from the trail and I decided to just stealth camp right there.One more day of rolling woods and glimpses of wide, rambling rivers lay ahead of me in Connecticut. With enough food to last me I made it the whole way through the state without having to go into any towns. I reached the official point of making it 1/3 of the way through the trail on the last day in CT just before crossing into NY. I was making great time so stopped at Ten Mile River for a swim to rinse off some of the sweat and grime. Dripping wet I set out for the border which felt wonderful in the heat of the day. I crossed unceremoniously over the border and into NY. I kept looking for a border sign but alas one apparently does not exist. Slightly disappointed by that but still thrilled to be in a new state after only three days! Five down. Nine to go. I have heard that NY is tougher than it looks on the map. Bring it on NY. I'm ready!
Date: 2014-09-03
From: Palmerton, PA

To: Eckville shelter
Miles today: 17.4
Weather: clear sky

The next morning we headed out toward the Eckville shelter. Even though this was less miles than most of the guys wanted to do in the day I convinced them this was a good destination for the day because of all the amenities. Eckville is an enclosed bunkhouse with a flush toilet and a shower, albeit not a hot shower, with a spigot and electrical outlets. That is hot stuff out on the trail. Ranger Stack stayed back to wait on Thor. I, of course, was the first one out of camp knowing it would take me the longest to get there. Until Latin passed me I spent the first hour of my day getting smacked in the face with webs. In the height of summer with no wind or rain to knock them down it seems like you run into one every ten steps. More of an annoyance than anything. The weather was still sticky hot, even in the morning, and the webs just added to the feeling that every particle of dust was stuck to your sweaty skin. Right before Dans Pulpit Ranger Stack caught up to me. Thor was not with him. Stack said he had waited until 11am before hiking on. He had left water for Thor along with a note telling him to meet us at the Eckville shelter. After a brief snack break we hiked the last three miles of the day. Stack got there only seconds before me, claiming the last real bunk. Latin, Chicken Fat, Knives and Unplugged had gotten there far earlier and already had their bunks set up and dinner cooking. Stack's air pad had started leaking the night before so having the last real bunk was probably good since they were slightly padded. Getting a good night's rest is essential out here. I ended up with a random old patio lounge chair as my bed. There were tent platforms in a field behind a tree across the street where I could have pitched my tent, but I didn't want to be separated from the guys and all by myself. What fun is that? The patio chair did kind of creep me out though. I blew up my air pad but refused to get out my sleeping bag. I was afraid of bed bugs or some other unknown horrendous creepy crawly thing getting nestled snug in my down bag. Instead I slept in my rain pants and coat. Although better than nothing, I was pretty chilly in the middle of the night. Still, I would rather be a little cold than deal with the nightmare of trying to get rid of bed bugs. The other tragedy of the day was confirming that Jinx and Hatchet are off-trail. Knives had told me that at Bake Oven Knob, but I hadn't wanted to believe him. Unfortunately though Jinx confirmed this tragic news herself. I thought I would cry. I just didn't get enough time with them and now never will. Tear...
Date: 2014-09-07
From: Raush Gap

To: Peters Mountain
Miles today: 18.0
Weather: few clouds

In the morning as I suspected my stuff was still damp. Latin used some of my fuel to get a fire going so I could dry out at least my clothes. I was eternally grateful for his effort. Stack and Thor took off pretty early. Latin kept me company while I packed up. I really enjoy having Latin to myself. Around others he is different, especially Stack. When the two of them are around each other they seem to ramp each other up. Their type A personalities and stories of military service get them all worked up. When it is just Latin and I he is much calmer and authentic. We have great conversations and talk about deep things they weigh on our minds. This morning was one of those. The people we meet on the trail and the interactions with them are such a huge part of doing a thru-hike. Latin challenges me. He doesn't let me think negatively but instead pushes me to do more, be more, hike more. That is just the type of influence I'm glad to have around me.Eventually Latin hiked ahead. He can only hike at my pace for so long before he gets ants in his pants and races off down the trail. He, Stack and Thor were planning on going to Clarks Ferry that night, and extra 8.3 miles than I had planned. We all needed to go to Duncannon though to resupply so we would just meet up again the next day. The day was uneventful except for the Yellow Springs Village site, an old coal mining settlement, that was just a bit off trail. Ruins are cool though and worth the extra steps. The guidebook had said that Peters Mountain had a weak spring 0.3 mile steeply downhill from the shelter. Not wanting to deal with that craziness I cameled up at a spring five miles earlier and packed water in. I was really thankful I did. The spring at Peters Mountain is down this crazy set of 300+ rock steps. I hate rock staircases. They just destroy your knees.When I arrived at the shelter I was surprised to see Ranger Stack and Thor there. They had decided to make today an easy day and get to Duncannon tomorrow a little later in the day like I was going to do. I was happy for the company. They even made a fire again! Peters Mountain shelter is a really nice shelter, two story with wind/rain screens and a picnic table inside. Thor and I watched and tried to get close enough to the resident cat to pet, but the cat wasn't having it. At least we knew that with a cat there would be no pesky rodents!
Date: 2014-09-11
From: Boiling Springs, PA

To: James Fry Shelter
Miles today: 12.0

Leaving the Allenberry was hard, but I couldn't stay there forever. Walking out of the town passed lots of fly fishermen standing in the waders, ever hopeful for a bite. Boiling Springs was a lovely town and seemed very family friendly.A few miles into the day I stumbled upon Knives and Unplugged taking a break at the turn-off for the Alec Kennedy shelter. I was super excited to run into them. I had missed them terribly ever since they had not shown up at Rausch Gap. My hopes to get to hike with them were quickly dashed. Unplugged's toe, which had not looked good at the 501 shelter, was now full on infected. Each step he took hurt. It had gotten so bad that they had gone to an urgent care clinic the night before where they had sliced open his toe to drain the puss. Now Unplugged needed a couple days off to let it heal. Knives' mother was going to meet them at a road crossing to take them home for a couple of days. That made me sad, but the good news was that because of Unplugged's gimpy toe their normal hiking pace was slowed to a rate where I could keep up. I got to hike with Knives and Unplugged all day long! I guess you have to take what you can get. A few miles into the day there is a super fun rock maze. Knives led the way. That was a good thing because my directionally impaired self would surely have gotten lost. Part way through the rock maze we came along a couple of rock climbers. Apparently the rock maze is famous in the rock climbing world and they were out for the day with their chalk exploring new routes. Hiking is hard, but what they were doing looked virtually impossible to me! A couple miles after that we stopped for a snack break. A nice long log made a great bench for us. As we sat chatting and laughing the sky overhead threatened rain. I had planned to aim for a campsite close to the Pole Steeple Trail that day but as sprinkles began to fall I looked through the guidebook at other options. I absolutely hate putting up and packing around a wet tent. I didn't want to leave the guys but knew I couldn't go to Maryland with them either. Eventually we parted ways where they waited for their ride, and I hiked on. If I had known back then this was the last time I would see them for a very long time I would have stayed until their ride came to soak up more time with them.I ended up staying at the James Fry shelter that night. There is a really beautiful campsite just a couple tenths of a mile from the shelter. If the weather had looked clearer I would have stayed there. Since rain clouds kept gathering overhead though I stayed at the shelter. That shelter is really pretty cool. It had some features that I really appreciated such as a sign letting you know if the spring uphill was good or dry (to be updated by the last hiker staying there), heat shields to cook on so you don't mar the wood, and best of all a professionally made mouse hanger with six hooks. It was pretty spiffy and unique. I never saw another like it on the trail.
Date: 2014-09-13
From: Pine Grove Furnace, PA

To: Quarry Gap shelter
Miles today: 16.9

Leaving the Ironmaster's Mansion hostel my body was not happy with me. All that ice cream from the night before was causing havoc. The day was rainy and yucky, a stark contrast to the beautiful sunny day I had yesterday. I didn't expect to see anyone out in such crappy weather. Luckily though I ran into a couple out for a day hike. They were super friendly and we hiked together for a while. It was perfect timing because otherwise I wouldn't have had anyone around to take my picture at the midpoint sign! Yet another confirmation for me that I was exactly where and when I was supposed to be on the trail. A few miles into the day at the Toms Run shelter we stopped for a bit. They made some coffee at a covered picnic table and had a snack. I spent almost an hour talking with them about thru-hiking. Really sweet couple. Eventually though I pressed on.I stopped for lunch at the Birch Run shelter so I could dry out. By that point I was thoroughly drenched and pretty chilly. I stayed there over two hours trying to dry out and warm up. Any thoughts of stopping there for the night were squashed quickly. A section hiker named Detour was there when I arrived. He fancied himself a sort of George Carlin of the trail. He probably thought he was a riot. I found him abrasive and overbearing. You couldn't get a word in edgewise! Plus he knew everything about hiking and you knew nothing. There was no way I was staying with him all night long. Even though it meant donning cold, wet gear and setting out into the rain again I pushed on to the Quarry Gap shelter.That turned out to be a great decision. The Quarry Gap shelter is amazing. As soon as I got there I let out a sigh of relief. It is like a two bedroom home with a cooking and living space in the middle. The shelter is immaculately clean. The place is landscaped and even has hanging flower baskets! A section hiker had a fire going in the fire pit. By then the rain had let up so I stuffed newspaper into my boots and placed them and my socks around the fire to dry out. It was the most homey feeling place I had found yet on the whole trail. Even better was the fact that Smilie showed up that night! I was tickled pink to see her again. Of course the only reason that I was seeing her was because she had torn her shin muscle which had forced her to take nine days off to heal. I was sad to hear she had been injured but super stoked to get the chance to have more face time with her. Smilie is just so much fun. Her positivity is infectious. We talked long into the night catching up.
Date: 2014-09-14
From: Quarry Gap shelter

To: Falls Creek campsite
Miles today: 19.9
Weather: overcast clouds

The next morning I tried my hardest to convince Smilie to do a short day so we could have another night together. And by short day I mean only 20 miles (her minimum). I had a package to pick up in Waynesboro but since it was a Sunday I was going to have to wait until Monday and not go any further. But Smilie felt the need to press on down the trail now that she was healed so we said our goodbyes.That morning I was lucky to get to meet Jim Stauch, the caretaker for the Quarry Run shelter. He showed up early while I was still packing up to work on a covered picnic table. His trail name is the Innkeeper. He clearly shows pride in his work. I chatted with him about his efforts and thanked him for all his hard work. I expressed to him how comforting it had been to stay there and how I wished more shelters were so meticulously maintained. It was an honor to shake his hand, but he followed up the handshake with a hug. Even better!This must be a particularly high use area because there were shelters every few miles. I had snacks or lunch at a shelter the whole day. I must say that the club that maintains this section really steps up the game here. Each shelter had something that made it special and amazing. Adirondack chairs, porch swings, piped springs, large decks, covered picnic tables. Pretty impressive. Other clubs should take note.I ran into a section hiker partway through the day that let me know to pack in water if I was planning on staying at the Falls Creek campsite. Apparently some toxic sludge had been accidentally dumped into the creek and the water there was not potable, even if treated. This was a shame because the campsite was large and lovely. The creek babbled on curving around the tent sites. It was an ideal location to spend the night. I was the only one there though. I'm sure any locals knew about the water situation and would avoid it for quite some time.
Date: 2014-01-13
To: Hiking with Mom
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Spring is coming, and that means thru hiking! The dream of hiking the PCT sustained me through high school, and that dream became reality when I finished it last October. However, that was just the beginning. My motto is "too much of a good thing is an even better thing" (I would always say that while eating ice cream as a child), so it is time to hike the Appalachian Trail! And this time, instead of starting the trail alone, I am going to hike with my Mom, Marilyn.I've seen father-son teams, father-daughter teams, and mother-daughter teams, but I have yet to meet a mother-son team on a long trail. I'm hoping to mix that up a bit. Why mom? Mainly I want her to get to live a crazy adventure. She had long ago given up the dream of biking across the country and was content with our quiet and peaceful home life (think of Bilbo in the Shire), but the adventurous spirit lay not far beneath the surface. Several years ago, when I started getting books about thru-hiking in preparation for the PCT, I noticed that she would read the ones I left on the table. At one point, she said something like "I have friends and family that live near the AT" and I realized that it was a trail we could hike together. I pushed the "long green tunnel" description until she agreed. Only recently have I learned that the AT will probably be much more challenging than my experience on the PCT (but don't tell her that!). As you have probably guessed, I get along great with my parents, so there will be no danger of me leaving her out in the wilderness. We will travel at her speed and do whatever it takes to avoid injury.Last year, Mom, Dad, and the dogs were wonderful trail angels. The photo was taken (by my new fancy camera) in Belden, the first time they met me on the trail. My transcriber (Mom) will now be a fellow hiker! Follow us on this journal as we share what it is like for a mother and son to hike the Appalachian Trail together. You will get to hear from both of us. Since I have thru-hiked before, Mom will write most of the prep journals, but we will share journaling responsibilities on the trail.Live a dream!
Date: 2014-01-13
To: I think I can
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Since visiting the Appalachian Trail Museum in 2010, and knowing that at least my son would be thru-hiking the AT at some point, I¢ve become a member of the ATC. Reading their journal, AT Journey, is very inspiring, reading it from cover to cover. Learning about the ¢trail towns¢ and the hiking communities whipped up excitement and intrigue. Although I know it will be a lot of hard work, this sounds like a lot of fun!   Maybe I have an overly-romanticized view of the trail and journey, but of all the sports and physical activities available, walking is my most pleasurable.¢I¢ll carry all the shared gear, Mom, so you just have to carry your sleeping system and personal gear.¢ Well, my sleeping system could very well be half my pack weight! But as my son Michael reminds me, light or ultra-light backpacking isn¢t about doing without, it is taking what you absolutely need and no more. I have watched him, over the years, go from a 50+ lb. pack at age 13 with the Boy Scouts, carrying huge community pots and tons of food, to a base weight of about 15 lbs on a no-cook trip with his Dad! I¢ve read some of the same how-to books he has read, and watched as he¢d cut his sleeping pad down, ¢carving¢ it to also be his ¢extra¢ warmth layer. He uses a silnylon tarp instead of a tent, and scrutinizes every piece of equipment for double duty.I¢ve never been the most physically fit, but I¢ve tended to be strong, relatively. As my paternal grandmother would say in her Slovak-accented English, ¢Strong like bull, make good wife!¢ I can also have a lot of perseverance, having gone through Army Basic Training, back in my early twenties! Like I told Michael, the time frame for doing the AT is the same as Basic Training and my Advanced Individual Training, although it will be more like 6 months of Basic! (I have to keep it in perspective.)I also have my own personal Encourager, Cheerleader, Guide, Assistant, Butler, Cook, and Maid, at least while I¢m getting used to the trail. Michael is prepared to take the lead for the first few weeks, while I ¢learn the ropes¢. For this, I am very grateful, because I could not even attempt it otherwise.~ Marilyn, Mother of: