morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2010-08-07
From: Macedonia Brook

To: Silver Hill Campsite
Miles today: 10.1
Weather: clear sky

8/7 Day 130        I woke up feeling like garbage this morning. I think I caught something while in New York City. It¢s funny to think that I have been out in the woods for over four months, dirty and unwashed with other dirty, unwashed people and I hadn¢t gotten sick once until I went into the city. It makes me view sanitation in a whole new way.        We made it to the Housatonic River by late lunchtime and spent a couple of hours swimming, eating and lazing by the river. It was a good way to spend the day while I was feeling sick. Unfortunately, we only made it 10 miles out of Kent to the Silver Hill Campsite before dark. It is a really nice campsite with a rope swing, picnic tables and a water pump.        Looking forward to sleep and hopefully feeling better tomorrow.
Date: 2010-08-08
From: Silver Hill Campsite

To: Belter's Campsite
Miles today: 12.0
Weather: light rain

8/8 Day 131        Power Nap and I set out trying to hike 15 miles today, but the terrain proved to be pretty difficult with consistent up and downs that were kicking by butt in my weakened state. By the time we hit Belter¢s Campsite, we caught up with Bear Blaze, Gonzo and Last On The Bus. I talked Power Nap into stopping early so that I could rest and hang with my old trail crewe.        We stayed up talking and catching up. It was a good reunion.
Date: 2010-08-09
From: Belter's Campsite

To: Stream at mile 1490.3
Miles today: 11.4

8/9 Day 132        We all got up and out of camp late¢¦again. We made it a few miles to Falls Village before stopping at the power plant to bathe in the outdoor shower. Yes, you heard right. There was just a showerhead on the brick wall outside of the building that you could shower under with your underwear on. What can I say? I¢ll do anything to get a little clean on trail. I had a bicyclist wave at me. Ha, ha.        We had lunch by Great Falls and went swimming. Power Nap climbed the rock face and did a swan dive off of the falls into the pool below. It was excellent.        After about 2pm, we pounded out about 7 miles to the town of Salisbury, CT. There we sat out back of the local market with Griz and Ice eating dinner and catching up on trail news. It was a great little spot to relax in the middle of the day. Future hikers should make the stop.        Near dusk, five of us hiked out: Griz, Ice, Last On The Bus, Power Nap and myself. We stopped at the cemetery on the way out of town to get water from the pump. This sort of water source seems to be the kind of water we can get through NJ, NY and CT.        We are now camped two miles outside of town and the mosquitoes are awful. The worst I¢ve seen on trail. I¢m hiding in my tent right now. Bedtime, I guess.
Date: 2010-08-10
From: Stream at mile 1490.3

To: Race Brook Falls Campsite
Miles today: 11.4
Weather: broken clouds

8/10 Day 133        We started our day trudging straight up the Lion¢s Head. I was pouring sweat by the end of it. This seemed to just be a sampling of the day of climbs we had ahead of us.        After a few big climbs, we all took a break on the top of Bear Mountain, the highest peak in Connecticut. After an hour or so, Mike and Laura showed up! I haven¢t seen these guys since Standing Bear back in Tennessee. We all hung out for a bit and then continued down the mountain and into Massachusetts. Another Stateline!        The trail dropped us into Sages Ravine, which had an awesome river full of great swimming holes. I definitely suggest this spot to future hikers. Last On The Bus, Power Nap and I continued on up Race Mountain and down into the Race Brook Falls Campsite.        I struck up a fire tonight since I wasn¢t able to have any through Connecticut. The water source is awful here though and there are about 2-dozen Boy Scouts washing their dishes directly in the only pool of water left in the creek. It sure is frustrating to watch a group of people who should have been taught better by their troop leaders polluting the only drinkable water around. Especially when we have had such terrible water sources to rely on daily for over a month now. I had to put a ton of Gatorade powder in it to even drink it.        Bah! Time for bed.
Date: 2010-08-11
From: Race Brook Falls Campsite

To: MA 23
Miles today: 18.2

8/11 Day 134        Woke up early to get a move on my nearly 20-mile day. I was aiming for the East Mountain Retreat Center for my first laundry and shower in eight days. I think this is the longest I have gone on trail without stopping to clean up. This hostel is only $10.00 per person and you can order pizza there. The price was right for me. ?        Power Nap took off like a flash quickly leaving me in the dust. I¢m used to this by now; the guy is fast! I ran into Griz on the top of Mt. Everett and walked with him across the ridge and down to the road. We ran into some trail maintainers along the way and thanked them for their efforts.        At the road, a bunch of hikers hitched into town, but Power Nap and I pushed on for cheaper showers, beds and laundry than what Great Barrington had to offer. I hauled butt the last 10 miles since some friends of mine from Seattle, Kristen and Vince, were coming to see me at the Retreat Center with their new baby. I made it there by 6pm and quickly ordered pizza and showered. Unfortunately, Kristen and Vince were unable to make it; but it was still a relaxing evening. Fellow hikers Swift and Tiger Lilly were there and it was good to catch up with them.        Time to put this body to bed.
Date: 2010-08-12
From: MA 23

To: Camp at mile 1532.5
Miles today: 12.6

8/12 Day 135        I got up and out of the Retreat Center Hostel by 8:30am and started the long mile and a half back to the trailhead. This may seem like a small distance to you folks back home. After all, I have walked over 1500 miles to get here. We thru-hikers gladly trudge along every step along the trail because it all counts toward accomplishing our goal of hiking the Appalachian Trail. But, all those miles that are off trail to go into towns to clean up and re-supply are all extra and, although they still have to be hiked, don¢t go onto the books as part of the 2175 miles of the Appalachian Trail. So we¢ll walk all day and night pulling twenty miles a day with nearly no complaints so long as they all count towards the total. But give us miles off the AT and we drag ass. Luckily, I only walked a half-mile when a car pulled up to give me a ride. It was the Professor! Another 2010 thru-hiker headed to the trailhead. Got to love the way things just have a way of working out out here.        I made the distance to the first shelter easy enough and then killed two hours trying to get my phone figured out. I had cracked the screen the night before by accidently kneeling on it. I could call out and receive calls in but I couldn¢t see the screen. I thought it was humorous that I could only remember one phone number: my dad¢s work number where I had once worked as a chemical compounder. I¢ve just gotten so that I rely on my phone for all my contact numbers. So now I need to hitch off trail to get a new one in Pittsfield.        I am now stealth camped (not in a designated camp area) in some trees just up from Tyringham. I feel tired and still like I am battling illness. Time for rest.P.S. My water source today was spring water collected into an old bathtub in the woods. Definitely my weirdest water source so far.
Date: 2010-08-13
From: Camp at mile 1532.5

To: Washington Mountain Road (Cooky Lady's)
Miles today: 17.5

8/13 Day 136        Well, Power Nap and I didn¢t quite make it to the top of Webster Mountain, so started our day climbing that. It was a quick ascent and before we knew it, we were approaching Upper Goose Pond. We heard that there is a cabin there where you can stay, swim off the dock, canoe and then the caretaker will make blueberry pancakes in the morning. The tradition is for a southbound thru-hiker to pick blueberries at the Cookie Lady¢s farm north of the cabin and bring them south to put in the pancakes. We hit the cabin in the middle of our day, so we decided to move on.        I was pooped by the time we climbed to the top of Becket Mountain and we took a break here to scrape the bottom of our food bags. We are cutting it close on this re-supply.        By evening time we hit October Mountain Shelter and decided to keep going. There is supposed to be a meteor shower happening tonight and camping in the field at the Cookie Lady¢s house seemed to be the way to go.        So that is where we are now. We stayed up late talking with a father and daughter who are hiking 200 miles of the AT together. (Lo and B were their names). I saw seven meteors streaking light across the sky. It was unreal! I¢d never seen anything like it. It was a good way to end the day.
Date: 2010-08-14
From: Washington Mountain Road (Cooky Lady's)

To: Dalton, MA
Miles today: 9.6
Weather: broken clouds

8/14 Day 137        Woke up this morning pretty early since it gets lighter out in an open field rather than in the woods. Power Nap and I bought eggs from the farmer at the house for breakfast and paid for a couple pales to pick blueberries. It is $2.00 a pound for blueberries if you pick them yourself; and these blueberries were the biggest I had ever seen! Quite the deal. So we spent the morning picking 3 pounds of fresh blueberries to eat along the 9 miles of trail into town since we were out of food. The farmer explained that the bushes were 70 years old and that was why they were so good.        The 9 miles into town was easy hiking and by 3pm we were at the Birdcage Hostel. It is a free hostel that owner Rob Byrd started in 2001 involuntarily. He took in one hiker and that hiker told other hikers and soon he was a word of mouth hostel. I think he enjoyed it so much that he just kept doing it every year. His one request is to our picture and put it in an album. If future hikers want to stay here, go to the Shell Station in town near Angelina¢s Sub Shop and they will call for you. Rob and Nancy are great people with big hearts.        The rest of my day was spent showering, doing laundry and watching movies. It was a good way to unwind.
Date: 2010-08-15
From: Dalton, MA

To: Dalton, MA
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

8/15 Day 138        I woke up early to catch the morning shuttle into Pittsfield so that we could re-supply and so that I could get my phone replaced at the Verizon store. Big, BIG thanks to my mom and step-dad, Pete, for helping me replace this. Thank you, thank you!        We got back to the hostel around noon and started packing up to leave. A few hikers were going to see a movie and we let ourselves get sucked into that. Before we knew it, it was 6pm and raining, so we decided to stay one more night.        Our friends, Last On The Bus and Sanman, showed up and we got to catch up with them; so it made staying the extra night well worth it.        Onward Ho tomorrow!
Date: 2010-08-16
From: Dalton, MA

To: Mark Noepel Shelter
Miles today: 14.3
Weather: light rain

8/16 Day 139        As is the case every morning it seems lately, I try to get an early start to the day with no success. After sleeping in a bit, having breakfast with Sanman and Last On The Bus, and saying our goodbyes to Rob and Nancy, Power Nap and I finally left town about 11am.        We had a gradual uphill trail to follow nearly seven of the nine miles to Cheshire, MA. Right near the last two miles to town, the sky opened up and unleashed torrential rains. My raingear and pack-cover were powerless against this deluge and my gear got wet. It doesn¢t really matter to a thru-hiker how wet they get for as long as their gear stays dry they know that comfort can be found in camp that night. But once your gear gets wet you know you¢re in for some soggy times. The steep downhill turned into a small river that I was sloshing down. And then, just when we got to town, the clouds parted and the sun came out. Figures!        I headed to the Post Office for my re-supply box that I dumbly put snickers bars and breakfast shakes into, but no real food. Hey, it seemed like a good idea at the time! But, now I have to re-supply tomorrow in North Adams; although it¢s probably a good thing that I don¢t have to carry all that weight over Mt. Greylock. After a meatball sandwich, a root beer, some ice cream and plenty of procrastination, Power Nap and I hiked out of town and started the seven mile ascent of Mt. Greylock. The forests were foggy and rainy. But, despite the dampened spirits and cold demeanor that wet clothes and gear lend to me, I was still able to enjoy the beauty of the forest after a rainfall. At the worst of times, being on trail is the best of times.I am now camped 3 miles from the summit and looking forward to sleep. ¢Till tomorrow¢¦Weather: Cool, rainy and thunderstorms.
Date: 2010-08-17
From: Mark Noepel Shelter

To: Sherman Brook Campsite
Miles today: 11.4
Weather: clear sky

8/17 Day 140        Woke up about 7am today to find that all the clothes I had hung out to ¢dry¢ last night were still just as wet. I should have known better than to expect anything different. On the positive side, the sunrise was very beautiful and very autumn-like. The leaves are just starting to change and it was so beautiful to see the golden sunlight stretching its rays through the tree branches.I started the day climbing since I still had three miles to the top of Mt. Greylock. It was wonderful weather for the climb with blue skies and cool temperatures. The final few miles to the summit are through a conifer forest emitting the sweet smell of evergreen. I was in heaven.On top, there is a large lookout tower resembling a stone lighthouse. Power Nap snapped a quick summit photo for me and then we went to the lodge for burgers and sodas. This is my 22nd state highpoint! The trail down was long and very steep. At the bottom we crossed into the town of North Adams where I walked a half mile off trail to re-supply at the Stop & Shop grocery store. It was 5pm by the time we got moving again and we started the 1,000 plus foot ascent out of town with heavy packs. We made it 2 miles of the 6 that we had intended before admitting defeat.Now in camp, I made a nice dinner of tortellini Alfredo and finished it off with a cheap can of beer. Ahh, luxury!Weather: Cool, Sunny¢¦Awesome!
Date: 2010-08-18
From: Sherman Brook Campsite

To: Melville Navheim Shelter
Miles today: 18.2
Weather: overcast clouds

8/18 Day 141        We got an early start today at 8am. Pretty good for us lately. After about 2 miles we crossed into Vermont. Another state line! Only two of the 14 to go. The end is getting close. Almost immediately though, the trail turned to mud. I had heard about Vermont being muddy, but this was a little dramatic. The miles flew by for me in a blur of muddy, water-laden trails and past swollen beaver ponds to the steep descent to Route 9 to Bennington, VT. A bunch of hikers went into town here, dreading the steep climb out from the road, but I continued on two more miles to the shelter. I needed to save money and wanted to get an early jum0p on tomorrow. I¢m still feeling sick, so I¢m going to bed early.
Date: 2010-08-19
From: Melville Navheim Shelter

To: Kid Gore Shelter
Miles today: 12.8
Weather: scattered clouds

8/19 Day 142        I woke up pretty refreshed today and made the 8 miles to the top of Glastenbury Mountain in what seemed like no time. There, I finally caught up with Power Nap and we had lunch with fellow Nobo hikers, Ups and Sideways, as well as a Sobo hiker, Radar. There is a big fire tower at the top of the treed-in summit and there were awesome views of the Green Mountains of Vermont from the top. The forests and terrain are definitely changing. We now have many more climbs through conifer forests instead of flat terrain through deciduous forests. We are getting into the type of backpacking I really enjoy. The seasons are changing as well. I see autumn leaves here and there and the temperatures a getting a little cooler everyday. I¢m glad that my hike got extended so that I could walk through Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine in the fall.Power Nap and I lingered too long on Glastenbury and only made it another 4 miles to Kid Gore Shelter before the rain hit. We¢ll try for a 20 mile day tomorrow.Also, water sources are getting a lot better now. There are springs nearly everyday and the creek water is looking clear again. I may send my filter home from Manchester Center, VT. I¢ll start using bleach again. The filter weighs one pound, while my bleach weighs an ounce. You can¢t beat the weight savings from my pack.
Date: 2010-08-20
From: Kid Gore Shelter

To: William B. Douglas Shelter
Miles today: 19.9
Weather: clear sky

8/20 Day 143        We had a full shelter last night with AT northbound and southbound hikers, Lang Trail (LT) hikers and section hikers. You can definitely tell we are getting into the more popular parts of the trail. The AT also shares the same trail as the Long Trail from the Vermont/Massachusetts border to Rutland, VT (100 miles). The Long Trail starts at the border and travels over 250 miles to Canada. We are in the middle of a hiking super highway of sorts for a little while.   We hiked to Storey Spring Shelter where we found an amazing spring. I am happy that the water sources have been getting so much better.   After replenishing our water stores, we started the four mile climb over Stratton Mountain. It seemed to take forever but the grade of the trail was low enough that I could keep a good pace up to the top. I am definitely starting to feel stronger lately by doing more mountain climbs. Doing some of the Mid-Atlantic states after Virginia and before Vermont have gotten me lazy and soft. Time to beef up again before the White Mountains of New Hampshire.   En route to our destination for the night we came across a big porcupine in the trail. It is the first one I have encountered the whole time on trail. He just looked at us lazily wondering if we were a threat. Once we started walking towards him, he almost looked annoyed and then lazily started climbing the nearest tree; which turned out to be too small for him. It was really quite comical and cute. Disney cartoonists would have loved this guy!      I am now at a shelter that marks the 34 point of the trail. Not too much longer now to the finish.
Date: 2010-08-21
From: William B. Douglas Shelter

To: Manchester Center,VT
Miles today: 8.8

8/21 Day 144        We booked the six miles to Manchester in good time and hitched from the trail into town pretty easily. I went to the Post Office first to mail home my water filter and then went to grab some food at Friendly¢s. It¢s always awkward going into a place to eat before showering, but there really isn¢t a choice for us hikers out here.   After a quick re-supply, we called Jeff from the Mountain House Hostel to come pick us up. The hostel is a mile and a half from the center of town in this cute little blue house at the base of the Smokey Green Mountains. The owner is an AT and PCT section hiker who retired a few years ago and decided that he really wanted to open a hostel. And let me tell you, it is the cleanest hostel on trail! I strongly recommend this place to any future hikers.   I bee-lined it for one of the two showers and then popped open a soda and made use of the computer at the hostel. It¢s the little things that really make the difference! Being clean, drinking soda and uploading pictures. There are quite a few other hikers here and we spent the evening talking, watching movies and relaxing.   I also sold some of my stock today to help with money issues out here. One more month to finance and then time to get a job and quick.   Moving out tomorrow, but I hear that a storm is brewing. Hmmmm¢¦
Date: 2010-08-22
From: Manchester Center,VT

To: Bromley Mountain (ski hut)
Miles today: 3.0

8/22 Day 145        Well, there for sure was a storm moving in and Power Nap and I are holed up in a ski warming hut at the top of Bromley Mountain while the storm rages outside.   It rained last night but subsided this morning. We took the bikes from the hostel into town to grab breakfast at this great place in town called ¢Up For Breakfast¢. We then made it back by 9am to pack up and catch the 9:30 shuttle back to the trail. The storm hadn¢t hit at that point and we hoofed it the 3 miles up Bromley Mountain to the warming hut used for the ski season. We got set to hole up on the hut¢s benches for the duration of the storm.   I¢ve spent the day reading and making phone calls The day has actually passed pretty quick. Only three other hikers came through. They were soaked and freezing. It was definitely not a good day to be out hiking.
Date: 2010-09-03
From: Mt. Mist

To: Beaver Brook Shelter
Miles today: 10.4
Weather: overcast clouds

Well, I finally got an early start today at 7am. I woke up at 6am sharp and just felt like moving. There was a weird humming above the trees on the summit of Mt. Mist that sounded like a million flies descending on my tent. My first thought was, ¢do my hiking clothes smell that bad?¢ But no flies appeared when I unzipped my tent, just the noise. It was really eerie. I made quick time to the little town of Glencliff and walked into the Post Office there just after 8am. Big thanks to my mom, dad and step-dad for the awesome cards and words of encouragement. It really means a lot. Even though it is a lot of fun to be out here everyday, it is still challenging to keep this up for so long. Also, a big shout out to Lauren, Lara, Kelly, Anjoulie and Mike for the cards and goodies. The coffee and snacks will fuel me up the big mountains I have coming up in the Whites. The rubber chicken was a nice touch Anjoulie After a quick shower and laundry at the hiker hostel in town, I set off to conquer Mt. Moosilauke, the first BIG peak ahead of me. But I was derailed by some awesome trail magic at the trailhead by Cabana Boy and Dutch Tape. Thanks for the burgers, dogs and sodas guys!The climb was quite a challenge and I didn¢t make it to the windy, stormy summit until 6pm. I hurried to the shelter to get out of the storm and I am now crammed in with 10 other hikers to wait out the storm. I sure hope this clears up by tomorrow.
Date: 2010-09-04
From: Beaver Brook Shelter

To: Eliza Brook Shelter
Miles today: 9.0
Weather: light rain

It rained so hard last night that I thought for sure there would be some sort of flash flood coming down the mountain. All this rain was the result of Hurricane Earl, which was raging off of the coast of Maine last night. It remained cloudy at the summit this morning but the rain had subsided.Coming down the steep trail down the North side of Moosilauke was stressful and I moved as a pace of one mile per hour. The ¢trail¢ follows a steep ravine down parallel to a large waterfall. This is exactly the type of trail that I hate and after an hour and a half of deep concentration to Kinsman Notch, I was exhausted. After a quick lunch, I continued onto Eliza Brook Shelter up some gradually hilly terrain that proved to wipe me out. My body is not used to this large amount of elevation gain anymore and is adjusting. Hopefully tomorrow will be better.It was a nice, sunny day though and the views were amazing! It is so nice to be out of the trees and on top of mountains again. I spent a good hour at a lookout before Eliza Brook Shelter taking in the beauty of the valley below and relishing the peaceful state I found myself in. I really want to live somewhere small and mountainous later in life. Cities are proving to be too stressful for me these days. Maybe a product of my thru-hike? I now find myself trying to figure out how I can make this happen when I get done with the trail.