morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2005-07-30
From: Arden Valley Road

To: Bear Mtn NY (my house)
Miles today: 12.9

Today Mileage andI saw 3 more black bears, a bobcat, a porcupine, a couple of coyotes, and a handful of other creatures. We crossed crazy higfhways, climbed steep mountains, ate at a great pizza place, were surrounded by a group of amazed adults and children claiming that we were famous and posed for their camersa!I woke up feeling very stiff and nauseous, Mileage felt about the same. Big mile days do a number on your body, so does New York. What a tough state to walk through. I spoke to my Mom on the phone yesterday, and we agreed to meet at Bear Mtn. at 3:00. That gave us time to go easy on ourselves. We cameled 11 liters of water into the woods last night so we could be well hydrated all day. Very heavy, but worth the weight. The hiking was a lot better today. Its kind of funny, the only hiker we saw today was a southbounder who warned us the hike into Bear Mtn. was going to be hell. After doing the stretch, I realized that HE was the one that was really in for a hellish day of walking, because yesterday was so much harded! Good Luck Midlife Crisis Dude!When we reached the summit of Bear Mtn. we were psyched because we knew it would be downhill all the way to our meeting place. We are very spoiled by my parents inthe NY NJ metro area. There is a lookout tower on the top of Bear Mtn. and the whole area is paved. Threr were probably 100 people up there. Mileage and I went to sign the register in the lookout tower when some kids approached us. They informed us that we looked overprepared to be just climbing Bear Mtn. We told them that we actually LIVED on the trail and had walked 1400 miles from Georgia. One girls' eyes bugged out and she yelled to the crowd outside, " Hey everybody, these famous people walked all the way from Georgia to Here!" A crowd swarmed around us and started asking all kinds of funny questions. Cameras were going off in all directions and we felt like we were at a press conference. It was really fun but we had to break away. Going down thew Mtn. was steep and there were people everywhere. As we got down to the bottom we started smellin BBQ and I was actually lifted into the air and started floating towards the smell nose first. Just joking, but not really. There is a park and lake at the bottom of the Mtn. and I think half of the population of the Bronx was there BBQing and it smelled wonderful. We walked thru the crowds aling the AT and cameto the zoo section. There is a zoo where they kep injured animals and the AT goes thru it. It is there that we sawmy parents and had another great reunion. They took us home for the night and made us a great dinner. We are so greatful for all the great trail magic my parents have provided for us. We are now in the comforts of my house, but will bw leaving in the morning, more miles to do. Thats enough for now, talk to you tomorrow.               Pike
Date: 2005-07-31
From: Bear Mtn NY (my house)

To: Graymoor Friary
Miles today: 6.4

Today was kind of more busy and stressful than it should have been. Ms. Mileage and I went over to EMS to get a few things and her poles fixed. The staff had a lot of trouble getting the tips off her poles and it took over an hour. This one guys head looked just about ready to explode. I called my house to let my Dad know we were running late and he informed me that Crazy Horse had called in distress. He had been rushed to the hospital with heatstroke and possibly Lymes disease. They were discharging him and he needed a place to go, so we said we would pick him up. There was a lot of traffic and we arrived at the hospital about 2 hours later. Crazy Horse was sprawled out on the lawn not looking so good. My Dad was very nice and dropped him off at a church hostle on the way to our stop, Bear Mtn.      Our hike today was nice even though it was many steep climbs. Anthony's Nose was an especially tough climb. Now we are at the Graymoor Friary and have run into many of our thru-hiking buddies. Walrus, Moonshine, Sal, Fester, and a bunch of names I can't remember. It has been a fun reunion and even better we can hack in the morning. It has been a while so we are excited. Dirty and Elf are behind us and we will see them soon. The plan is to burn rubber all the way to Vermont. Trail life is great and I would rather be nowhere else. Shout out to Brian, Brendon, Kristen, Matt H, Cara, Tim, Forrest, James, Hugo, Tyler, Donald & Ellen, Mark, Matt, Deborah, Sammy, Alison, Lester, Michael, Janey, David, Micki, Casey, Charlzie, Mother, Vogue, Pumpkin, Sensei, Eagle Eye, Maineiac, Dirty, Elf, Cricket, Walrus, Litmus, Crazy Horse, Moonshine, Fester, Swamp Donkey, Mustard Seed, The Honeymooners, Bruce Moose, Bruce Spruce, Warlock, Squid Jerky (The Shattered GH3 Crew), Fear and Loathing Crew, Wandering Bull, Capt. Chaos, Burn, TDS, Drifter, Nomad, Gypsy Lulu, Touk, Stiltz, The Sequined Sisters, Restless, Okie, Sal Paradise, Skip, Phil, Toolman, Cuppa Joe, Trampas, Jared and Kai, Bruce, BriarPatch, Mandy, Ray and Mam, Terry, Spike & Hopper, Miss Janet, Domino, Not Guilty, Montana, Tom, Josh, Lea, Tiny Dancer, Hooky, Mike Kerr, Michael & Emily, Freightliner, Troll, Anchor, Oblivious, Sunshine, Jude, Blotter, Snowman, Icicle & all of the other wonderful people that we have been so lucky to meet on this crazy adventure!!!!
Date: 2005-08-01
From: Graymoor Friary

To: Shenandoah Tenting Area
Miles today: 17.6

This morning we decided to sleep in since we haven't been doing that much lately. The night before we had a great stay at Piker's house in Jersey. It will be our last visit there until we are done with our hike. We showered, did laundry, had a delicious meal & a comfy nights sleep. Now we are going to push to Vermont.       We took our time getting ready & then we hacked for a while with Walrus before taking off about 10:30. The hiking today was much of the same NY has constantly been up & down, up & down. All day long. We actually did have a nice relatively flat area at the end of the day which was very nice. It was also very humid today so we took the hills slow to save some energy. The water situation seems to be getting better. Today we passed multiple streams that looked like totally acceptable water sources. SO hopefully this trend will continue. We stopped at Dennytown Road for a lunch break. Piker enjoyed his daily dose of Ramen & I had a bagel with tuna. After lunch we did a little more hacking with Moonshine, Walrus & Holden. We hit the trail about 3:30 & had 9.4 miles to go. Piker & I had a nice comfortable pace & were on top of Shenandoah Mountain in what felt like no time. The vista on top of Shenandoah Mtn. was beautiful. We took some pictures & checked out the Sept. 11 memorial that someone had painted up there. We were feeling pretty tired so we kept moving. We were happy because from that point it was all downhill. We got to the campsite about 7:30. It was a beautiful spot, flat campsites, a spigot & privy. We couldn't be happier. We met some really nice people here. Cola and his friend from home. We all just hung out by the fire, starring up at the stars. It was an absolutely clear evening. Just a wonderful peaceful night!!
Date: 2005-08-02
From: Shenandoah Tenting Area

To: Morgan Stewart Shelter
Miles today: 10.3
Weather: scattered clouds

Yesterday we were the recipiants of some wonderful trail magic. First while we were at Dennytown Rd. for lunch. A man pulled up & got out of his car with a cooler full of ice cold gatorades. On a hot day there is nothing I would rather have than a gatorade. So refreshing. When we arrived at the campsite we were given Rice crispy treats-thanks to Cola. It was a day of unexpected treats!!!      This morning we got a late start, probably because we stayed up so late last night just chillin' by the fire. Poptarts for breakfast and we were walking at 10:20. We knew that we only had 6.4 miles before we hit the deli & pizzeria where we planned on having lunch. The miles went quickly through the PUDS & MUDS of New York. Today was another hot & humid day. When you walk through the shaded woods you get some sense of relief from the heat. When you are exposed directly to the sun-beating down on you-your energy is just immediately depleted. We were so excited for lunch and it was delicious. NY Pizza...how could you go wrong. We enjoyed the Deli & Pizzeria with a big group of thru-hikers. We are right in the middle of a large group of hikers- its nice because there is a lot of positive energy going around the trail. After pizza, soda, yoohoo, coffee, & B&J's Chubby Hubby it took us a little while to get moving. The heat is just exhausting and as a result we decided to push on 3.9 more miles and camp at the shelter. We brought some Boar's Head hot dogs for dinner. We headed out about 3:30. The 3.9 miles went quickly even though we were a bit confused by a construction area.      We got to the shelter by 5:15 & it was really nice to be at camp so early. Piker got water & collected wood for the fire while I set up the tent. We lounged around & started roasting hot dogs. Boar's Head dogs are the best hot dogs that we have had out here. Dinner was so tasty. 6 dogs for Piker and 4 for me. We're never disappointed when we bring hot dogs out for dinner!!! While we were finishing up dinner a friendly face walked up-DOMINO. It was great to see him & to see him looking healthy. He is currently on anti-biotics for maybe Lymes. We sat by the fire and caught up for a while, it had been a while since we had seen him. Now we are in our boling hot tent & I feel like I am hiking since sweat is just dripping off my brow. Off to read- Piker took the rainfly off so it is much cooler in here. More heat tomorrow. We're ready for it, Bring it on!!            Ms. Mileage
Date: 2005-08-03
From: Morgan Stewart Shelter

To: Wiley Shelter
Miles today: 16.6
Weather: few clouds

The days seem pretty fused together right now, I don't even really recall the day in too much detail. A lot of walking, walking up and down rocky foothills, thousands of feet up and then down. Forget about flat stretches. Wading thru neck high grasses spouting out of swamps that are thick with mosquitos and deer ticks. These are the hottest days we have known out here and we drip with sweat constantly even when not walking. There are even thick patches of poison ivy growing into the trail (just for you Moose), but as long as the miles keep coming we will walk them, quitting is never an option.      Many thru hikers have left the trail and a good number have also contracted Lymes, we here that someone new has it almost every day. We are in a pocket of really cool thru hike survivers, and it is nice to see faces from the past. A few days ago we didn't see a thru for two days. Mileage and I ran into Milkman and Sensai today, these guys are from the way beginning of the hike. We all found two big coolers stocked with great food and lots of drinks. Trail Magic is good today and very uplifting. Now we lay on a tent platform in the sweltering heat. Walrus and Domino are tented right next to us. I would still rather be here than anywhere else.                              PIKER
Date: 2005-08-04
From: Wiley Shelter

To: Kent Connecticut
Miles today: 12.7

We passed over the state lines today into Connecticut and I cant say how great that makes us feel! New York and its evil ways are now behind us, we can look ahead in a possitive light, and maybe even find some water on the trail too. Ms. M and I are now walking thru the wealthies state in the country, not that we can tell by looking at the trees and rocks. The towns do seem to be pretty nice though. The trail is beautiful and well maintained so far. The steep climbs are still here however, that is what we sighned up for.      The heat as you all know has been pretty extreme, that makes a 12 mile day feel like a 20. Under these circumstanses you will shell out 100 bucks for a hotel room in no time. We are currently at the Fife and Drum Inn, Kent Connecticut. Walrus, Domino, Not Guilty, and Rocket must all agree because they all got rooms too. It is starting to look a bit like New England in the forest and towns, very exiting. 6 miles tomorrow? We will finish this thing eventually, we have not missed one blaze yet.                                 PIKER
Date: 2005-08-05
From: Kent Connecticut @ Fife and Drum Inn

To: Stewart Hollow Brook Lean-To
Miles today: 7.0

Last night we had a wonderful stay in Kent. Nice people, great food and the sweetest hotel room that we have stayed in yet. We were lovin the lounging around in the AC drinking a few Long Trails. We were both able to get A great nights sleep . When a train blew by our window at 6AM we both turned over and went right back to sleep. Kent was an oasis after the heat wave.    This morning we were refreshed and ready to go. We hung out in the room until check out. Ate Life cereal for breakfast, tried doing laundry and soaked up all of the AC that we could. Before we knew it, it was 11AM. We were packed and unfortunately had to get out. We ran some errands. Post office, library and a lunch stop at Cara lees Restaurant. The heat was making it hard to head back out to the woods but we knew we had to go.   During the .5m walk to the trail the sun just beat down on us. We climbed and climbed and began hearing some very loud thunder. The wind picked up and the breeze was cooler. We dnew a storm was on the way. There were no 18 wheelers around to hide under. We got our packs ready and cruised on. The rain began slow and then turned quickly into a downpour. Right as the storm started (Rock me like a Hurricane) came on Pikers radio. Too funny! We trudged on through the rain and were completely soaking wet and dreaming about our hotel room last night. The rain stopped after about 40 minutes. Then we were rewarded with a lovely flat roadwalk. It was very nice after a tough climb and a steep descent. We rolled into the shelter at 5:30. Once again its nice to be at camp so early. Today was a short day for us. We are going to try and push a little to VT. At least 15 miles a day. But really we don't tend to stick to schedules so you never know what will happen!                                 Vermont or Bust!                                       Ms. Mileage
Date: 2005-08-06
From: Stewart Hollow Brook Lean-To

To: Belters Campsite
Miles today: 15.2
Weather: overcast clouds

Today was another manatanous day on the trail. I woke up not really in the mood to hike wishing I wer with family today. Happy Birthday Ali! We wish we could be there to celebrate with you! Hopefully next year. I wish I was hanging out with my parents and Aunt Mary in VT or with Pikers family in NC at the beach house, or watching our dog. Life goes on as we trudge along.   Much of the same today. Up and Down and do it again and again. The weather was a nice relief though. Sunny and much cooler. The first 6.6 miles we cruised along. Stopped for lunch and enjoyed some lasagna, which gave us great energy for the second half of the day. Stopped at some nice viewpoints before the campsite. When we rolled into camp we walked up upon a kid washing all his families dirt dishes with non bio D. soap. All soap scummy residue floated on the top. We were not so phyched about that. Pretty Gross. Loud campsite tonight. We ate Beef Teriyaki for dinner and immediately jumped in our tent to escape the horrible mosquitoes. I'm so itchy from many bites. Tomorrow we may go into Salsbury or Massachusetts. Reading then sleep!                                       Ms. Mileage
Date: 2005-08-08
To: Piker
Miles today: 0.0

Right now I am sitting at Kates computer desk and this is where I have spent my morning updating our journal, doing laundry, and swimming in the pool. Kate is an angel that picked Mileage and I up this morning and whisked us over to her home at a time I feel we were very in need. Mileage was on the phone with family not feeling so happy when Kate and her mother in law Ronny started asking me some questions about the hike. I might have mentioned we weren't feeling so hot and they were very positive and comforting. They said things like "Don't give up", and "you can do it, this has always been my dream".       We were all packed up and had just paid for our cabin when Kate popped the question, "Do you want to come over for a swim"? We were overjoyed and came home with her. She is a school teacher so we all talked about teaching and how our mothers are teachers, while we sipped on cold Dr. Peppers. I don't know where we will end up tonight but this little break from the woods is very uplifting. Hiking the Appalachian trail means a much larger experience than just walking. Meeting great people from all different states and walks of life is a great thing.   Just a little update to let people know whats going on.                                    PIKER
Date: 2005-08-09
From: Mountain Side Cabins

To: Riga Lean to
Miles today: 13.6

Today we eased ourselves back into the trail. Like slowly dipping into a cold swimming pool. The motivation to continue hiking has been hard for me especially since I have not been feeling so great. However, after another night in cabin #4 we were ready to go.      We orderded breakfast and ate while we checked out the weather channel. The owner, Michael, knocked on the door and offered us a ride to Salsbury, very nice but even in our current state we could not justify missing any blazes. We walked away from Mountain side at nine thirty after spending two days there. We knew that the first couple miles were going to be easy road walk and that was a nice warmup. As we were entering the woods there was a sign warning about a detour. Take the road .5 miles and go left at trail crossing is what it told us to do. However, Piker had other plans. "We're taking the trail, he said." I waw just hoping that we wouldn't have to back track. When we came upon the crash there were 2 smashed up train cars and lumber everywher. There were trees uprooted and the embankment was all torn up. We carefully made our way thru the mess and were on the marked trail in no time. The trail definitely needed some repair following the RR accident but it was perfectly safe to walk thru. After this we began climbing. I wasn't looking forward to it but my legs felt good climbing. Its like when you don't want to work out , you do and then you feel great after. The woods were calm and peacful and it put me in a good mood. Before I knew it Prospect MTN was behind us and we were looking at Giantss Thumb, a very unusual geological rock formation. We took a bread at "billys view", which made me think abouty my uncle. We got some nice trail magic at the road. Fresh carrots, it was a delicous snack, somthething that we never have out here. The carrots were good energy for our climb up lions head. A 1000 foot climb. Slow and steady and we were at the summit. It really seemed as though it was going to rain so we booked it to the shelter. We beat the rain and decided to stay the night. I went to get water and saw a snake. I didn't even freek out, I jumped a bit and then watched it slither off. Not quite sure what kind, it wwas but I was very proud of how brave I was!! Ha Ha! We had a splendid lazy afternoon nappping and reading. The alarm is set for 5;45 AM. We are told that the sunrise up at this shelter is great, plus an early start mans big miles, Mass, adn closer to Vermont. Tonight is our last night in CT. For a small state we have sure taken our time hiking through. Nice people, cute towns, great places to stay. We really enjoyed CT but on to Mass. It will be so sweet to be in New England. Almost home!                              Mileage
Date: 2005-08-10
From: Riga Lean to

To: Devil's Farm Tentsite-Housatonic River
Miles today: 18.9

Today was a very long day. Our early start did not happen, rather we walked out of camp at 9:30. Our day started by climbing Bear Mtn. & reaching the highest point in CT. After that we were closing in on Massachusetts. Another state down. CT is one of the shorter states but it took a lot of our time. We are happy to be in New England and putting miles behind us.Mass did not wait long to challenge us. Race Mtn. followed by Mt. Everett (Everest-is what we called it!) welcomed us to MA. It was hot and muggy today & there were a lot of exposed rock scrambles & rigde walks. The hiking was tough but rewarding with beautiful views. We took a break at Hemlock Lean-to & met a lot of thru-hikers. A NOBO couple & 4 SOBO's. We sat and talked with the SOBO's for a while. It was uplifting to hear all that they had to say. Once again I needed a boost. We left there at 3:30. Had decided to go to the last water source & then stealth camp before town-since we had to go in & resupply. As we walked through shady pine forests & swamps the mosquitos were horrendous. Supposedly the state bird of MA is the mosquito & we found out why they say that right away. I haven't been bit up so badly while I was hiking yet. We arrived at the bridge & the water source, Piker immediately said, "We're not drinking that." It waas mucky brown water, I agreed. So we decided to push to the road, hope for a ride, and that the stores would still be open. We made great time and were at the road by 6:30. We tried to hitch for a few minutes with no luck & began walking. About 10 minutes later a car pulled over & asked if we needed a ride. Internal Monologue, a section hiker, had just gotten off the trail. She was headed toward town. There were 2 big sections of town all spread out & she drove us all around looking for an open outfitter. There wasn't one so we went to Manhattan Pizza for dinner. After a day of only eating chewy bars and kudos, the pizza, garlic bread, and beer made us feel so much better. She had already done enough, but Internal Monologue drove us to the grocery store to resupply & then back to the trail. We were so lucky. Also since it had been her last day on trail she gave us her left over food. Bagels, Poptarts, Jerky, and trail mix. Internal Monologue- You made our day!! Our town stop worked out perfectly. Resupplied- In & out and back on the trail. We thanked her so much & got ready to search for a stealth spot. It was just getting dark. We donned our headlamps & took off. We questioned every potential spot that we saw. The river bank, the plowed field but nothing was that great so we kept on walking. About a mile in I heard Piker gasp in front of me. The perfect spot. We were both so happy, it had been a long tiring day. We set up camp & crawled in our tent to escape the bugs. Another example of the unexpected happening out here. You never know what your day will entail. Pushing to Vermont!                                    Ms. Mileage
Date: 2005-08-11
From: Devil's Farm Tentsite-Housatonic River

To: Mt. Wilcox South Lean-To
Miles today: 10.8

Oh...Oh yes, what a tangled web Mileage and I weave. There are always highs and lows when you walk 2000+ miles, we are currently enjoying Mass very much. Thru thick and thin we are doin' it baby, and now we are official Mass-holes.Today we busted out a cool ten miles. We woke up at the Devil's Cornfield. I named it this because it is a creepy cornfield that is exactly 666 miles from Mt. K. The hiking was really steep, 3 or 4 700+ foot climbs. It weaved thru some old growth pine forests and large flowering swamp lands. The plan is to make sure we do an average of 30 miles every two days. Factoring in 7 zero days puts us on Katahdin on October 1st. Yes, it looks like we finally have a date to finish. Tonight there is a wilderness school sharing the tenting area with us. They are inner city kids enjoying half a month in the woods. They fed us burritos and that is always nice. Things are going up from here. The scenery is so much cooler as we get further north. We are closing in on Vermont, I can't wait to see the Steady's and go to Burlington. I want to say hello to my family vacationing in North Carolina, I wish I could be there.                           Lots of Love, PIKER