morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2004-06-21
From: Limestone Springs Lean-to

To: Hemlocks Lean-to
Miles today: 17.5

Well, it's the first day of summer today-- the summer solstice, as well as the longest day of the year. This time of year, the birds are chirping loudly by 4:30 am, it's fully light by 5, and it doesn't get dark again until almost 9-- almost 16 full hours of daylight. It used to be that everyone got up at first light, but those days are long gone. By 6:30, my usual wake-up time these days, it's been light for a while.Today is also International Hike Naked Day, a holiday which was officially commissioned by a Bunch of People I Have No Idea Who They Were, But They Were Probably Drunk At The Time. No, I did not hike naked-- probably a good thing, considering the number of section hikers I saw on the trail-- in fact, I saw nobody even partially naked today, something that I will count as a Good Thing.Interestingly enough, I did not see any thru-hikers today, either. I think most of the group I was hiking with got off in Salisbury, whereas I pushed on in my quest to get to Dalton by Friday. Moonpie and Aimy should be around somewhere, though.Today was actually a very good day-- the weather was again sunny without being overly hot or humid, in short, perfect hiking weather. I didn't have a huge number of miles to do, so I took frequent breaks to snack and read, and in general did my darnedest to enjoy the day.The trail did get a little tougher; after a long stretch in which the trail stayed below 2000 feet, today there were three peaks over 2,000 feet, including one which went over 2,500 feet. None of the climbs were particularly long or hard, but they were still challenging for someone whose uphill climbing muscles were not what they once were. What was nice, though, was that the cooler weather and low humidity meant that the views were absolutely clear-- I sat on one ledge and admired the view for a good hour while reading and snacking-- exactly the sort of break I wanted to take today.I'm the only thru-hiker at the shelter tonight, but there is a family here, with kids and dogs (all are quite nice), and I talk with them and enjoy their company, and answer the kids' questions about thru-hiking. It's been a good day today.
Date: 2004-06-22
From: Hemlocks Lean-to

To: East Mountain Retreat Center
Miles today: 16.4

I woke up fairly early, thanks both to the dogs who were staying in the shelter and to the large contingent of girl scouts camped very close by. The day was cool, but cloudy-- in short, while the weather was good for hiking at that point, it didn't look like that would last for long before it started raining.So I packed up and got going. I only had 16 miles to do today, which was a nice change-- and those miles ended in a hostel, with laundry, shower, and a bed. There was a lot of easy walking in the morning, as we spent about 5 miles walking through a valley that was almost totally flat. Unfortunately, it was also basically one giant mosquito bog, and after about half an hour of walking fast to avoid the cloud of mosquitos chasing me, I finally gave in and put on DEET. (Just for reference, most common brands of insect repellent contain between 6 and 20 percent DEET, which is the active ingredient. The stuff I'm using, and that most people out here use, is 95 percent DEET.) It worked, and the bugs backed off.After about 8 miles the rain which had been threatening all day finally came down. I pushed on, trying to use the hostel as motivation, but unfortunately dwelling on the hostel only made the time seem to pass slower.The hiking became slow, too, as I had to climb several mountains that were short but very rocky-- rocky climbs are never fun in the rain. I also saw some extremely impressive mosquito swarms near a few rocky crevices; at each one I would always rush through, and continue hiking fast for several minutes until I had lost all the mosquitos following me.About 2 pm I met a guy going the other way who asked me, "How far is it to Tom Leonard Shelter?" The shelter is about 2 miles before the hostel, and the question confused me, because I figured I was still about a mile away from it. So I turned him around and sure enough, about 40 minutes later, there it was-- his kids were there, and it felt good to have helped him. Very rarely does one get the chance to really be of serious help to anybody else out here-- it's a good feeling. They were running low on water, too, so I gave them some of mine and then kept hiking the last two miles to the road crossing where the hostel was. The last mile went through another mosquito swamp, and since all my DEET had washed off in the rain, I again found myself running from a cloud of mosquitos.The hostel was a mile and a half off the trail-- a little further than I like, but oh well. It's a nice place-- it's a retreat center often used for silent retreats, and there's a nice little sitting room and library. I order pizza and have a relaxing evening-- only two other people are here, Tell It Like It Is (who actually hiked with Scorpion for a while after I went home) and John, a flip-flopper who started out of Harper's Ferry.
Date: 2004-06-23
From: East Mountain Retreat Center

To: Upper Goose Pond Cabin
Miles today: 19.1
Weather: clear sky

Breakfast was cold pizza and soda-- a nice change from granola bars, actually. I walked the mile and a half back to the trail and began walking at a fairly brisk pace; I wanted to get back on the mountains and to higher elevations, where maybe the bugs wouldn't be as bad. The bugs were actually a great motivator-- it's been a while since I've hiked that fast.(Just a quick note: I think the term "mosquito" is far too benign, and doesn't do a good job at all of coveying just how awful and annoying these insects can be. I think a name like "Insectoid Devil Spawn of Satan," or maybe "Carrot Top", would be much better.)Actually, it wasn't just mosquitos out today-- gnats, flies, moths-- I have never seen such a conglomeration of flying insects in my life.Despite the insects, it was actually quite a nice day. The rain from yesterday was gone, and it was again perfect hiking weather-- sunny,but not toohumid and not too hot. I actually spent the first couple hours of the morning in pretty deep thought, something that is actually fairly rare on the trail-- more often I'm hiking down the trail with Christmas carols stuck in my head. ("O Come All Ye Faithful" has been a recurring song throughout this hike.)So I was walking along,having a goodtime,whenI come across a man who's standing about five feet off the trail. He has a Swiss Army Knife in one hand with the saw blade open, and in the other hand he's holding a live tree about six feet tall that hejust finished chopping down. He sees me, smiles, and says, "I've just been dying to get a walking stick, you know?""Yeah," I say, and keep walking before I give into the very strong urge to hit him in the head as hard as I can with my Leki pole. What kind of absolute idiot chops down a tree in a protected area just so that he can have a f***ing walking stick? Maybe I should have yelled him-- other hikers I told the story to said I should have. I don't know; I'm not a confrontational person at all. But that sort of ignorant idiocy, which flies in the face of "Leave No Trace" and everything that is ingrained in us as hikers, really pisses me off. (When I told Moonpie about this guy, she said she met him a couple days ago and he gave her and several other hikers the creeps-- sounds like someone to avoid in the future.)At least Upper Goose Pond Cabin was nice. It's a two-story cabin by Upper Goose Pond, with a kitchen, sitting area, and bunk beds,and is staffed by a volunteer caretaker, Joanne, who looks after the place. There's also a canoe at a nearby dock that's available for use, so after dinner I take the canoe with Moonpie and Haiku out to a small island in the middle of the pond where the Sun is still shining this late in the evening, and we go swimming off the island. It's absolutely awesome-- I could easily take a zero day here.
Date: 2004-06-24
From: Upper Goose Pond Cabin

To: Dalton, MA
Miles today: 20.6
Weather: clear sky

My original plan today had been to do about 17 miles, stay at the shelter about 3 miles outside of town, then go into Dalton in the morning. There wasn't a guaranteed place to stay in Dalton-- the guidebook listed a house that will let hikers sleep on the porch "if convienent," and a hiker named Wolfwind had heard rumors of a "secret" hostel in Dalton, but that's about all she knew. But there were five hikers going into town today-- Moonpie, Haiku, Wolfwind, Whistler, and I-- so we figured that if worse came to worse, we could split a hotel room.The walking today is fairly easy, and reminiscent of the nice, flat ridgelines of Pennsylvania (however, the rocks in the trail are also occasionally reminiscent of Pennsylvania). Between the flat terrain, the ever-present mosquitoes, and the promise of getting into town, I walk fairly quickly today, and make good time as I leapfrog back and forth with a pair of section hikers who are also heading out from the cabin today.So all in all, the miles pass pretty quick. The weather is nice again, and soon I am crossing the railroad tracks and pulling into Dalton. My first stop is 83 Depot Street, the home of Tom Levardi, who lets thru-hikers stay on his porch when he can. Turns out Wolfwind and Whistler are already there, and so is Tom-- he's really nice, and even feeds us dinner (I have two pork chop sandwiches, a plate of Doritos, and two Pepsis).So I decide to stay here instead of looking for the rumored "secret" hostel. I'm just settling in for a nice, relaxing evening of reading and journaling when Moonpie pulls up in a van-- turns out there really is a hostel in town that's not listed in the guidebooks, called "The Birdcage" run by a fellow named Rob who also runs a gas station in town. In the end, Wolfwind and I go back to the hostel with Moonpie-- Wolfwind to stay there, me just to hang out for a while. I end up going out to eat a second dinner-- Rob takes Moonpie, Haiku, a hiker named Spicy and I out to eat at an All You Can Eat buffet, and I have two plates of food and ice cream. This has been an awesome evening.I get back to Tom's pretty late, and lay my sleeping bag out on the porch and crash pretty quickly. Tomorrow, if all goes well, I will meet Nikki, and get my shower, laundry, and internet access. It will also be my first true zero day since the end of the Shenandoahs; it's long overdue.
Date: 2004-06-25
From: Dalton, MA

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

I started my zero day this morning by sitting around on Tom's porch and reading the paper. Around 8 I meandered down the road to a little restaurant and had an excellent (though small) breakfast, then headed back to Tom's.I'm meeting my friend Nikki this morning, who lives in Holyoke, MA-- just over an hour's drive from here. I'm meeting her in front of the Dalton Library at 9:30, so I figure I'll pack up, then hang out and read until it's time to walk over there.But just as I finish packing up, who should drive by but Rob Bird, the owner of the Birdcage hostel. He offers to drive me the half-mile into town, and even though it's a little early, I take him up on the offer. Once there, I find a little bench across from the library and wait for Nikki.About half an hour later, I'm riding back to Holyoke, and back into civilization. Spent most of the late morning and afternoon browsing the shops in North Hampton (known as "Noho" to the locals), and later I get to see a movie and eat popcorn-- hurray! Been wanting to do that for a few weeks now. I also spent a large chunk of time online getting my journal up to date (finally), and in general had a nice relaxing day. It's the first day in six weeks that I haven't had white blazes to follow, and it's nice to finally have a break. But I only have 619 miles to go now, and Katahdin calls-- I'll be back on the trail before too long.
Date: 2004-06-26
From: Dalton, MA

To: Dalton, MA
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: mist

It had not actually been my intention to take another zero-day today-- at least, not originally. But when I got back to Dalton at about 2, after sleeping in late and having an excellent pancake breakfast (Thanks Nikki!), I went back to The Birdcage and ended up staying there another night. Rob is such a great guy, and his hostel so welcoming, I didn¢t really see a need to hurry out of town.I¢m glad I stayed, because around 7:00, Hoplite, Wings, Feathers, The Mad German and Packrat showed up. I haven¢t seen Hoplite since Delaware Water Gap, and I haven¢t seen the rest of that group since Duncannon. So we spent some time catching up, and went out to a local deli to eat. (Actually by that point I had already eaten, but I went out again-- hey, why not?) Skyline and Sundance are also in town, but they¢re at the local hotel instead.
Date: 2004-06-28
From: Mark Noepal Lean-to

To: Seth Warner Shelter
Miles today: 16.5
Weather: clear sky

The first climb we did today was a three-mile stretch that took us to the top of Mt. Greylock. At 3,491 feet, Mt. Greylock is the highest peak in Massachusetts, and the highest part the A.T. has crossed since the Shenandoahs, back in Virginia. It really is impressive to be back on a respectable mountain, and the view from the top is spectacular. We can see the Catskills, the Adirondacks, and far to the North we can see the White Mountains waiting for us in New Hampshire.After Greylock it¢s all downhill for about 6 miles, including some stretches that are so steep I could almost get on my butt and slide down, except that going over all the rocks in the trail would really, really hurt.Soon we are back down to 600 feet. Here the trail crosses a major road, and I take a detour to a supermarket that¢s only a quarter mile off the trail. A quick stop to re-supply and eat lunch, then it¢s back on the trail ¢ up, up, up to 2500 feet.In the middle of the afternoon Skyline and Sundance catch up with me-- apparently I passed them on top of Mt. Greylock, while they were making phone calls. Skyline¢s brother¢s wife had a baby this morning, so now they¢re Uncle Skyline and Aunt Sundance.)Soon after, we cross the border into Vermont -- eleven states down, three to go! The next three won¢t pass near as quickly as the last four though. (NY, NJ, MA, and CT all together total about 300 miles-- VT, NH, and ME total about 600.)Condor is at the shelter- woo hoo! Haven¢t seen him since Kent. There are also several section hikers I don¢t know, and a couple people who are hiking the Long Trail. The Long Trail is a 270-mile trail that runs the length of Vermont, and it shares about 100 miles of trail with the A.T.Setting up my tent, I discover that I have lost my tent stakes, so I use small sticks instead. It works, but not great. Oh well, it¢ll do.
Date: 2004-06-29
From: Seth Warner Shelter

To: Goddard Shelter
Miles today: 21.6
Weather: broken clouds

It rained most of the night-- definitely better than if it came during the day, although it did mean my tent was totally soaked in the morning. I wonder how other people with single-wall tents handle this problem. They probably just put up with it, same as I do.My plan calls for 21.6 miles today. It¢s a fairly inflexible plan, since it was the plan I used to buy food yesterday. Most of the people here are only doing 13. Skyline and Sundance are taking it slow. Condor is taking it slow, and everyone else is either just starting the Long Trail, or they¢re a section hiker in their 60¢s. Looks like I¢m the only person being crazy today.A quick side-note about my fast progress: a lot of people have commented on it, and yes, I¢ve been going faster than I originally planned back in February, and no one is more surprised by it than me. I¢m currently on track to finish the trail in about five months, a month or so less than the typical thru-hiker average, but I¢m not racing, at least not on purpose, and I don¢t even have a deadline.There are thru-hikers out here whose goal is to make the trip last as long as possible, either by doing short days or taking a lot of zeros. I am not one of the hikers, any more than I am a racer. As much as I enjoy being out here, I am also ready to go home. I miss home, and the people there, and when I go back home sometime in mid-August, I will be very glad to be back. I'm kind of torn-- on the one hand, I like being out here, but on the other hand, I miss home.Homesickness on the AT is actually an interesting thing-- there are some days when it feels like my whole trek is a battle with homesickness. But it¢s a different sort of homesickness than I would have if I, say, got a job across the country and had to move away. In the latter scenario, I would still be connected to the world-- phone and internet would always be at my fingertips, and I could get in touch whenever I wanted.Out here on the AT, it¢s different. Telephones and computers are scarce, and you are largely out of touch. In some ways, it¢s like being in another dimension, in an Otherworld that only intersects with the real world from time to time, and you have no control over when or where that intersection happens.I often get that sense of the AT being another world-- when I go into towns, I often feel like an alien, with my bushy beard and smelly clothes. At times I almost feel like a zoo exhibit, and at those times I can¢t wait to get back on the trail, in the Otherworld where I belong.This sense of separation from the world, I suppose some people like. For me, though, it¢s weird, and more than once I have found myself wishing that my trek though this Otherworld was over. And soon it will be-- I¢ve come over 1600 miles on my 2,174.1-mile trek now and the pull of Katahdin is far, far stronger than my homesickness.But anyway, that turned out to be a very long explanation for why I did 21 miles instead of 13 today. Suffice it to say, I¢m not racing, but I don¢t see any need to take my sweet time either. Katahdin calls, and its call is strong.
Date: 2004-06-30
From: Goddard Shelter

To: Stratton Pond Shelter
Miles today: 19.4
Weather: scattered clouds

The day started off cool and foggy. It¢s amazing how cold the weather can get in late June up here, especially when you¢re camped at 3500 feet. Well, I¢d still prefer too cold to too hot (though my preferences may have been different in March!)It was chilly enough that I began hiking with my long-sleeved shirt on, something I haven¢t done in a good two months. But the fog soon lifted and the sun came out-another beautiful day here on the Appalachian Trail.Met a section hiker named Sparrow, who was sitting by the side of the trail this morning-she hike the AT in ¢99, and is now doing it again in a few large chunks. She seemed very anxious to talk, and while it was good conversation, she had picked the absolute worst place to take a break¢right next to a mosquito-infested pond. So I found myself slapping my arms and legs. constantly, engaging in polite small talk while trying desperately to end the conversation so I could escape the bugs. Finally I did, and got underway again.In the afternoon, the trail went over Mt. Stratton, which at 3936 feet, really drove home that we¢re not in the Mid-Atlantic States anymore. Still, despite the climb, the view was awesome. You could see from Mr. Greylock in Massachusetts all the way to the Whites in New Hampshire.After that, it was all downhill to the shelter, which was actually quite nice¢bunks and a loft. Too bad the mosquitoes are absolutely horrible here¢even though I applied DEET less than six hours ago at lunch, I put it on again¢this stuff is supposed to last ten hours, but apparently the bugs didn¢t bother to read the label on the DEET.
Date: 2004-07-02
From: Manchester Center, VT

To: Manchester Center, VT
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: few clouds

Today was my second unplanned zero day in less than a week. I seem to be getting lazy-- maybe now that summitting Katahdin is not a question of "if" so much as "when", I feel like I can be more laid back.Or maybe it's just that Manchester is a really nice town. Lots of shops clustered together, an awesome bookstore, a movie theater, some great outfitting shops, and plenty of restaurants, all within easy walking distance. All that's missing is decent Internet access, but well, you can't have everything, I suppose.My original plan had been to hang out in town most of the day, then do either 3 miles or 10 miles, depending on what time I got out. But as I was preparing to leave, Skyline and Sundance walked in, and after that, well, it didn't take much convincing for me to give into my already strong urge to just take a zero day.It worked out quite well-- I had a nice, relaxing day, finished Kitchen Confidential (I would like to temper my earlier glowing review with a warning that there are a lot of references to drugs and sex-- apparently the kitchen of a restaurant can be a very seedy place), and in the evening I went to see Spider-Man 2 again. I also saw Hoplite, Squish, and Rockhound in town-- Rockhound has finally caught up after his week off in Pennsylvania! Sweet!I'm sharing a room at the guest house tonight with Pilgrim, who is apparently the first Southbound thru-hiker of the season. He started at Katahdin on May 14th, which was the day it opened. Not bad.
Date: 2004-07-03
From: Manchester Center, VT

To: Little Rock Pond Tenting Area
Miles today: 19.8

Well, no question today-- it's a hiking day. Skyline and Sundance are meeting some cousins named Dave and Robin for breakfast, and are then going to get a ride back to the trail from them, so to avoid having to hitch out of town, I also score a ride with them. It turns out that they have also offered to slackpack us today, and we accept the invitation. This will actually be my first full day of slackpacking on the whole trip, and it's a challenging one. 17 miles off a 10 am start, then we meet Dave and Robin at a road crossing, get our gear back, and hike another 2 miles to the campsite where we'll spend the night.We hike the first three miles up to Bromley Mountain with Dave and Robin. There's a ski area on Bromley Mountain, so at the top there's a chairlift, an observation tower, and a warming hut. We have lunch in the warming hut to get out of the wind, and a little while later, up walks Squish! He's hiking with Rockhound and Rockhound's Dad for the weekend. We talk for a while, but we've still got 14 miles to do and it's 1 pm, so we say good-bye to Squish, Dave, and Robin, and hurry down the trail.Whoever called this "slackpacking" obviously wasn't doing it like we are. After a half-hour and the first mountain, I am more soaked with sweat than I've been in a long time, and we're all pretty tired. Nevertheless, we push on. Despite the rush, there's still time to enjoy some views-- one peak, Baxter Peak, is particularly pretty-- the climb up is along a rocky ledge, barren of trees, and looking behind us we can see the valley and surrounding mountains beautifully.About a mile and a half before the car, Dave and Robin meet us. We walk back with them, re-pack all our stuff in our packs, and they give us some trail magic-- cans of Guinness! We decide to pack them in and drink them at camp.So, fully loaded once again, we set off the final 2 miles to camp. It was a little after 7:30, and at 8:30 we finally reached camp. It's a series of tentsites maintained by a caretaker (which means, unfortunately, that there's going to be a $6 fee), but there is a beautiful lake nearby-- if it weren't getting late, I would seriously consider going for a swim.Guinness, dinner, and bed.