morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2006-06-23
From: RPH Shelter

To: Heidi's Inn, Pawlings, NY
Miles today: 17.7

Jake was gone this morning. He said he might take off in the middle of the night. I knew we¢d find him down the trail.        A woman from NYC came to the shelter this morning with orange juice and donuts. She was commuting to work in the city and stopped by to see who was around. She provided interesting conversation while we packed, and even informed us that the lot across the street was selling for $100,000 an acre.I made it to the shelter at nine miles before stopping for a snack. We kept moving because we needed to ensure we¢d meet Nicole¢s parents at 5:00. For lunch we walked down the road to a hot dog stand. It was hot in the sun so we ate quickly and moved onto Nuclear Lake.There weren¢t many good swimming spots at the lake except one. Lucky for us a nude man stood perched on the rock. I whistled to announce our arrival but he didn¢t put clothes on. When we reached the rock he had shorts over his legs, but they weren¢t on. Answer this, how long would it take to put the shorts on instead of laying them over himself? We jumped in quickly and moved out.We found Nicole¢s dad at the shelter before the road. We waited until everyone showed up before heading to the road. The car was parked next to the Dover Oak, the largest Oak Tree in the country. Three hundred years old, it¢s girth was twenty feet and its branches were individually the size of normal trees.         We tied our packs on top of the car and packed inside like sardines. At the inn we ate a spaghetti dinner and did laundry. My socks never made it into the load. Oops. It¢s probably the only item I actually wanted washed. Oh well.
Date: 2006-06-24
From: Dover Oak

To: Bulls Bridge
Miles today: 14.0

French Toast, sausage, bacon and fresh fruit, that¢s how trail breakfast should be. It was amazing. Jane and Jeff treated us like we were kings. After we finished eating everything in the hotel room, I drove half of the group to the trail head. When I returned we packed the car and Jane brought us back. The first group was an hour and twenty minutes before us, but I knew Ryan, Shane and I would catch them before long. Slackpacking is fun. You¢re able to jump over trees, run down hills, and move without hindrance. Around eight miles we found some trail magic. There were four chairs, an end table and a cooler full of soda, beer, cake and snack bars. We opted to eat lunch in this haven of kindness instead of going to the shelter. I decided that any time trail magic includes chairs, it immediately elevates it to another level of charity and thoughtfulness.Granite left a long party invitation in Wiley Shelter for the 4th of July. She goes to school outside of Bennington, Vermont. She¢s going to move ahead for the next week so she can get there early. She plans on picking us up when we get close.We caught Jeff and Nicole a couple miles after lunch. We stopped to take a picture on the Connecticut State line and moved on. We¢re finally in New England. For long we felt so far away, like we¢d never reach it, but now we¢re there. There¢s no doubting it, we¢re making it to Maine.We drove to the Kent (Connecticut) outfitter for a few gear repairs. I swapped my water filter and picked up denatured alcohol.        We also saw Patty-O in the parking lot giving a ride to a couple of hikers.At the hotel we began feasting on hamburgers, watermelon, potatoes and macaroni salad. Afterwards I used the clippers to cut my thick bush of hair. It¢s another relaxing night in the hotel before heading back to reality.
Date: 2006-06-25
From: Bulls Bridge

To: Stewart Hollow Shelter
Miles today: 14.8
Weather: moderate rain

I love having the Brennan¢s around! What an amazing luxury it is to have parental support in the form of food, Slackpacking, and just a general reminder that you¢re close to home. We awoke at 6:30 to get ready. We all could have slept another few hours, but we needed to get moving before the 10:00 checkout time. We ate buck meal pancakes, oranges, bacon and steak bits for breakfast. The steak was the first red meat I¢ve eaten on the trail that wasn¢t a hamburger. They said they would slack pack us for the first seven miles. I left without any gear at all. We though two hours would give us enough time, but we were proven wrong. There was a lot of climbing and the wet rocks made descents extremely slow. I jogged most of the smooth sections because I felt bad that were going to be late. Just before we reached the car it started raining. When I arrived Jeff told me they could slack pack us another few miles to the next road. We were very thankful for the additional miles. The next section was much easier until the final climb and descent. Once again, wet rocks changed our pace to a crawl. A bad slip and fall could mean serious injury, especially in the steep sections. At the road we ate lunches and enjoyed the last moments with the Brennan¢s. Their company was all I hoped it would be and more. I know I won¢t be able to see my own parents before I return, but they are a great substitute. During the last couple of miles the clouds opened up and we were hit with hard rain. Rain is strange on the trail. Perhaps I feel this way because it hasn¢t rained in a month. It¢s almost liberating when you become so thoroughly drenched that you no longer have hope that you stay dry. You stomp through puddles and walk through streams, because your feet can¢t get anymore wet than they already are. It makes you feel one with nature. The shelter had four sections hikers in it when we arrived. Since I now carry my tent we set it up. It¢s great to have your own space on a rainy night. I don¢t feel cramped at all. In addition, if I¢m going to carry three extra pounds, I might as well use it. Water retrieval was a terrible hassle tonight. The creek raged with the falling rain. When it rains hard the water brings down all the dirt it can carry. You can imagine how clogged my water filter became. In filling six liters I had to scrub it clean several times.Granite left us at the shelter so she could get to Vermont quicker. She wants to have five zero days in Brattleboro so she can visit with friends before we arrive on the fourth. I think we¢ll pass there before then, but I¢m looking forward to seeing her there.
Date: 2006-06-26
From: Stewart Hollow Shelter

To: Falls Village Campsite
Miles today: 18.0

It was a wet morning. Rain was predicted all day so the tent would remain wet and heavy. We broke camp and started hiking along the river. I have one full day of food left in my pack and I¢m not looking forward to re-supplying. The pack already feels heavy and tomorrow it will weigh ten pounds more. I have a stinging pain in my shoulder. At break I checked it out. It looks like a giant zit directly under my right shoulder strap. That¢s not a great place for a soar. We came at a road crossing at four miles. White blazes went in both directions. We went up the hill instead of down because a sign announced the AT crossing. Two minutes later we realized why. A stream raged with great strength due to the rain yesterday. The other direction on the road would have been a high water route, or a path with a safer crossing. We decided to ford the river instead of going back. I strapped on my crocs and started across, making sure each foot had solid traction before committing to it. I knew my digital camera lay unprotected inside my pack, falling in would certainly destroy it. We made it across with ease, besides one off balanced step of my own. Shane charged through in his sneakers, never slowing down as the water rose higher than his thighs. It was a fun experience. I took off on my own afterwards. The terrain took us up and down, up and down all afternoon. At 1:30 I started to wonder where the shelter was. If I left at 11:00 it should have been soon, or did I leave at 12:00. I continued until 2:00 when I was absolutely certain I missed the sign. Lunch was lonely; I sat for two hours waiting for the others to come through. I finally got up and hiked another mile. I saw swatting mosquitoes by the dozen reading ¢Outside¢ magazine. Eventually they arrived. The plan was to hike an extra three miles to Falls Village. We eventually came to a wheel chair accessible portion of the AT, and Nicole took pictures for her rehab project. It brought us to a hydroelectric plant that provided free showers outside one of the buildings.At this point Jake, Nicole and I were separated from the rest of the group. They have us directions to town, but they turned out to be bogus. We wandered on a road for ten minutes before waving down a truck. The road we were on led nowhere so he gave us a ride back to a campsite by the river. The rest of the gang arrived a few minutes later. They were offered a few places to stay, but opted for the tent site.   It was late by the time we set up.
Date: 2006-06-27
From: Falls Village Campsite

To: Grassy Brook Lean-To
Miles today: 12.0

The rain held off for most of the night and the wind picked up. By morning my tent was completely dry. that would help th epack weight. We casually picked up camps. While waiting I wrote my journal for the previous day and ready more in my magazine. Reading the articles about cycling and the Tour de France made me want to hop on a bike again.   As we started we cross the Great Falls and took some photos as we passed. We already saw them the night before, but they looked much better with sun light.    During the morning hike we crossed a couple of interesting places. the first was a gian egg shaped rock that stood on its end. We climbed all over it and took pictures sitting on top of it. The second site was a giant vine hanging in the middle of the trail. Jake has found similar vines in the past that allow a little swinging, but this one made you feel like Tarzan. I guess it wasn't that impressive, but it was fun. We would take a running start at it and grab it in mid air. You could swing several feet before returning. It made for another great photo.    For the rest of the afternoon we ate lunch and went to the library. I received emails from Heath, Kris, and Jon Brown, and also sent a few to update people about where I am.    Out of town my pack felt heavy with five days of food. It won't be as bad if my shoulder sore goes away. I can find a comfort zone that lets me carry it without too much pain, but I need to be carefully putting the pack on.    We met Grizzly on the way to the shelter. He is one of the people Granite told us about. He may stick around us until we meet her in Bennington. Tonight we're in the tent again. The rain fly is off for more ventilation, but it's supposed to rain tonight. Hopefully it wakes us up quickly before we get wet.   Massachusetts tomorrow! Yeeha!
Date: 2006-06-28
From: Grassy Brook Lean-To

To: Corn Crib
Miles today: 16.4

Man oh man! Let the rain come down! It started raining at 6:00 and luckily the people in the shelter got moving early, because it provided ample room to get ready. We contemplated taking the "Foul Weather Route" around Bear Mountain. The rain came down steadily so it would make it a treacherous descent. In light of this knowledge, we still went up. The water raged down the trail like rapids. If you didn't know any better the trail could have passed for a stream. We made it up and down safely. I fell once trying to make a foolish move off of a rock. This climb was typical for the entire day. We walked through water ankle deep and our feet were never dry. Walking felt similar to lifting five pound ankle weights with each step.       That continued for three climbs. At times I just laughed at how ridiculous the trail was. Baby streams turned into big streams and big streams turned into overflowing streams. We had to ford one major stream that may have been harmless on a dry day. We charged through the water without taking our shoes off. On the other end we saw a group of nervous YMCA hikers approaching the stream. We helped them across and turned to see the Massachusetts state line!      Slop, slop, slop. It stopped raining and the sun made an appearance around 3:00. The rain water kept streaming down the mountain and the wet rocks made descents dangerous. In total I fell four times today.    Off the mountain we entered a beatufiful stretch of pine trees. With the pleasant view came ten billion mosquitoes. I jogged a stretch of 3.5 miles to avoid being eaten. They were thick, but I was light on my feet. When we reached the road we thought it was the road to Great Barrington. We walked down the road and asked an older gentleman about campsites. He had no idea what we were talking about. It turned out that we had another 1.8 miles to go.       When we reached it we saw Ryan and Christina set up behind a florist shop. They gave us gallon jugs of spring water and showed us a shower to use. After a tiring wet day, it felt great to clean up before bed.    The mosquitoes are treacherous outside. thunder and lightning is coming towards us, so it might be another wet night.
Date: 2006-06-29
From: Corn Crib

To: Shaker Campsite
Miles today: 17.5
Weather: light rain

It started to rain this morning so we gathered our belongings and moved into a greenhouse for coverage. Being confined to a small space slowed us down, or maybe it was the store. We bought a few items to give them buisness, in exchange for the great hospitality. It was 9:30 before we left.    The mosquitoes were thick in the morning. One slap of the hand could easily kill two or three of the tiny monsters. We charged through the climbs and made it to the first road crossing. We needed protection. It put away both of my trekking poles to I could free both hands for pure mosquito slaughtering. In the next section it was better, but they were a continual nuisance.    We snacked at the first shelter and needed water. The stream was foamy and its color resembled tea. I wouldn't normally drink from it, but itwas the only source for several miles. It was 1:30 when we left. We weren't moving quickly.    The afernoon was more gentle and miles came more quickly. Nicole and I spoke about bicycling, bikes, and the Tour de France. It made me excited to get home and do something other than hike. Our conversation brought us to a beautiful lake. I jumped in to clean off today's layer of dirt and moved on. Five minutes later we crossed a group of girls from a summer camp. From the look of the girls, it seemed as though they were wealthy and hating every minute of the outdoors. A counselor told Des that a girl almost cried because she saw a spider. I'm glad that I held back the sarcastic comment about snakes just ahead. There may have been a mutiny.   We ate a quick lunch since it was so late. Thunder boomed frequently. We hurried down the trail to get as much covered before the trail flooded again. Fortunately we only caught a few drops of rain before it moved on. Just before the campsite we crossed terrain that a tornado supposedly came through years before. There were barely any trees, but it was full of green leafed shrubs. It was a neat sight.    The bugs are horrible again tonight; it's nice to be in a tent. We'll try to go without the rain fly unless rain wakes us up.
Date: 2006-06-30
From: Shaker Campsite

To: October Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 18.7
Weather: light rain

What a strange day! At the campsite we started moving early. Slugs crawled over all our belongings during the night. Jake removed the ones from his rain fly and covered Des's trekking poles with them. She freaked out! It was pretty funny.    We left at 8:00 and arrived at a road for snack at 11:00. As we dried our belongings a couple stopped in the road. They asked if anyone wanted to go into town. Des was desperately low on food so it was perfect timing. They told the rest of us that we could go to their house and hang out on their porch if we wanted. We felt weird about going to a stranger's house. When Shane and Des were dropped off they told me he was a sculptor and was finishing some work for the Botanical Gardens in Boothbay! It blew my mind so I had to go check it out.   When we arrived we looked at his pieces of glass sculpture. The main piece for Boothbay was a glass orb that would glow in sunlight. I told him about my Boothbay connection and he wrote down the name of our restaurant so he could stop in and say hello to my parents! They will be down to deliver the artwork in two weeks. It turned our that Henry's father was Nicole's pediatrician in Winthrop! It's a small world. The Richardson's were an amazing couple and showed us great hospitality. We wished we could have spent more time with them, but we needed to get to Vermont in a few days.   We charged ahead since we still had 11.5 miles to go. We crossed the Massachusetts Turnpike so I was sure to cast a full moon from the bridge. Our next amazing story came five miles later. We came to a road with a sign for "Maine Train" and a Maine state flag hung from two trees. Christina's uncle Bruce set up on Tuesday and waited for us to come through. Today is Friday! He slept in his car, which was parked across the street, and patiently waited for us to arrive. It was great! He hung out with us for an hour and even hiked an hour with us. Seing family is such a morale booster. It doesn't necessarily need to be my family, because I get to enjoy it vicariously.   We still had five miles after we left Bruce. We turned on the after burners to arrive before dark. I listened to the radio and even caught a bit of the Red Sox game! Yesterday I heard they were on an eleven game winning streak, but they were losing 5-0 to the Marlins.    To bed!
Date: 2006-07-01
From: October Mountain Shelter

To: Crystal Mountain Campsite
Miles today: 16.7
Weather: light rain

I didn't want to move this morning. My legs ached throughout the night; perhaps I didn't drink enough water. I normally wake up before Nicole. This morning she shook me to tell me it was 6:30. I needed another half hour. Ryan was ready to leave us when I left the tent. He is going to hike with a friend for a couple of days and then head home. We'll miss his company.   It was another late start and slow morning. We ran into C-Ram a few minutes from the shelter. He's slackpacking with his mom for a couple of days, but assured us he'd see us for the 4th. They left a cooler full of sodas at the road crossing where they left their car. While at the road we also went to see the famous "cookie lady". She wasn't home, so we didn't get to indulge in cookie heaven.    A few more miles down the road we stopped for a snack. We tried to plan where Nicole's parents could meet us and when we might make it to Hanover to see Chris.    On the trail to Dalton I had another attack of diahrria. I haven't had a semi-firm bowel movement in a few weeks. It's starting to take a toll on my body.    On a brighter note, it's July 1st! It seems hard to believe that we've been out here for so long. Today however, I had a period of low spirits. I spent a long time thinking about finishing and wish it would be sooner. We're so close, but still so very far away. It's understandable why only 50% of those who make it to Harper's Ferry actually reach Katahdin. We read in a register today that our friend Freeze Out left the trail. It's sad to know he's no longer out here with us.    When we reached Dalton I wanted to get to the library to check my email. As I walked down the road a man invited me in for water. I turned him down, but couldn't say no when he offered ice cream. It turns out that his name is Tom, and is a source of amazing trail magic. He lets hikers sleep on his porch, allows them to park their cars in his yard, and slack packs as well. The ice cream sundae he presented was gigantic. in addition, it wasn't generic ice cream, it was Ben and Jerry's. He even let me use the internet so I didn't have to rush to the library before it closed. We ened up spending qutie some time before leaving.   While checking my email I saw that Aunt Mary and the family wanted to meet us in Bennington. I was very excited at the thought. I wrote to my dad and said they could meet us at the route 9 road crossing. I can't wait to see family!   We left town around 6:30. We stopped to get a very late lunch and tried to make phone calls. We wasted 200 minutes on phone charges and only spoke to one person! The 35 minute surcharge for calls from pay phones is horrible. We tried to buy more minutes, but we can't until a weekday.   I enjoyed the hike out of town. I was excited about visiting with family. On my radio I caught another Red Sox game. It was cool knowing that my dad was probably at home watching the same game.
Date: 2006-07-02
From: Crystal Mountain Campsite

To: Wilbur Shelter
Miles today: 16.0

At 6:30 I rolled over and saw that Nicole was awake. It didn't even phase me. I rolled over and went back to sleep until 7:15. When I woke again I finished writing in my journal from the previous day. It began to sprinkle. We tore down the tent and packed as fast as possible. It never came down hard, but we kept everything dry.    In Cheshire we waited for Christina and Shane to arrive. Behind our bench was a monument for a famous native who carried presidential votes for Thomas Jefferson and presented him with a 1,235 pound block of cheese at the White House.       We stopped in a sandwich shop for lunch. I ate half and packed out the rest for a snack on the trail. On the way out of town we made phone calls. I reached Chris and he approved the idea of a zero with him. We should make it to his house on a Friday, so it's perfect timing. I spoke to my mom and there was a miscommunication about when I was meeting the Sanderon's. They waited for me this morning, but I never showed up. They now know to be there on the 4th. They can bring us to their house and deliver us to Brattleboro, because it's down the road from them. I think we will take a zero day with them as well (pending their approval), because Christina has been sick lately and needs a break.    Before leaving to hike up Mount Greylock we heard that Buttercup, Grizzly, and the Jutebox were right behind us. we should see them at some point today. At the road crossing before the climb, C-Ram's aunt set up trail magic. I didn't stay long because we just spent two hours in town, and I was pumped for the big climb. I moved swiftly to the top, in hopes of lunch at the summit. The 2,500 climb was spread out over seven miles. It was our first time over 3,500 feet since southern Virginia. At the summit stands an amazing tower monumenting World War I veterans. The view from the top was incredible.    Thunder started to boom loudly so we left the mountain lodge. Rain never came from it, which surprised us because the thunder was so frequent and loud. At the shelter we set up our tent on a platform. It took quite a bit of rigging because they are made for free standing tents.
Date: 2006-07-03
From: Wilbur Shelter

To: Can't Remember
Miles today: 17.0

At six we heard a racket down from the shelter. This was too early for such excitement and laughter. I took my ear plugs out during the night because they made my ears feel so disgusting. Normally I wouldn't have heard a thing. We decided to pick up since we were wide awake.    We were on the trail by 7:15. We had a few snacks for breakfast, but I still had a giant hole in my stomache. Snapper and Grizzly joined us in the morning. We parted shortly afterwards when we went to the supermarket.    Shopping for breakfast was amazing. I had two banannas, two muffins, and a half gallon of milk. It was a great treat. We also needed to purchase food for lunch, dinner, and tomorrow's breakfast.    When we crossed the border into Vermont we instantly hit the mud zone. Fortunately the mosquitoes weren't a problem. The trail must have been porrly designed, because Massachusetts wasn't nearly this bad. The shelter is just as muddy and there aren't clear camping areas. We were tempted to push on to route 9, but we would have arrived pretty late.   A few weekenders in the shelter gave me one of their chicken and steak kabobs! It was delicious.