morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2008-08-03
From: NY22

To: NY22
Miles today: 0.0

We washed clothes last night, but there was no dryer, so we woke up to wet ones. After breakfast, we were both in a really bad head space, and had no motivation to hike. Even though we can't afford it, we stayed another night and tried to come up with a plan that will help us get back in the game. We may have one.Cayenne
Date: 2008-08-04
From: NY22

To: Kent, CT
Miles today: 18.3

We got up at 4:30 am, and we were hiking by 6am. Within 15 minutes our shoes were soaked from some field we had to trek through. Later in the day, we ran into Vigilante and Y who we hadn't seen since Damascus, VA. It was another good reunion.The day was super tough. We just kept climbing up and down, and though we've had tougher mountains, our bodies have been conditioned by the flatter, rockier terrain of Penn, NJ, and NY recently. We slowed down a bit in order to hike some with Vig and Y, but later we missed getting to the post office by just a few minutes. My feet were a mess by the time we hobbled into Kent.Kent, not my favorite town. There are two good things about Kent: 1.The Episcopal Church lets you camp for free 2. The outfitter gives great service on Leki poles.Other than that, the town is so snobby. Strange how some towns are friendlier than others.Later in the evening Vig and Y took us out to dinner, and that was really nice. No macaroni and cheese on this night.CayenneCayenne
Date: 2008-08-05
From: Kent, CT

To: Cornwall Bridge, CT
Miles today: 11.1

We decided to call Tailgate's friend, Tara and see if she would be into slackpacking us tomorrow. Lucky for us- she was!Due to the numerous chores, we didn't leave town until after 2pm, so not many miles for today.Tara picked us up around 6:30pm, and we were wisked away to her home in NY where we met her partner Scott and dog Lila. For dinner that night we ate steak, mushrooms, potatoes, and salad without iceberg lettuce. We washed and DRIED our clothes and we slept in the most comfortable bed since we began this wacky journey. Yeah for friends with homes near the trail!!!!Cayenne
Date: 2008-08-06
From: Cornwall Bridge, CT

To: US 7/CT112
Miles today: 11.5

Tara dropped us off for a slackpack after a big bowl of hippie captain crunch cereal. We had light packs and were ready to go. Unfortunately, we had to ford a stream right away which took about half an hour because we spent too much time trying to find a way to cross without taking off our shoes. Finally, we took them off and waded across barefoot. I hear this is only the beginning of the fording.The woods have really changed their look now, and its nice. The climbing today was brutal and we were super glad to not have on our heavy packs.We finished the night with a dinner of fish, squash, and pesto pasta. I was so happy to spend one more night in that comfy bed. Tomorrow- back to the tent. Hopefully, this is just the R&R we needed. Cayenne
Date: 2008-08-07
From: US 7/CT112

To: Limestone Springs Lean-To
Miles today: 6.7

Loaded down with heavy packs, we trudged on. We decided to make a quick stop at the Toymaker Cafe which is very friendly to hikers and makes a killer sandwich. While there, a woman decided to scare the crap out of us by reporting the weather for the afternoon/evening. This is a strange thing about the trail. There are people out there who love to tell hikers that the weather will be terrible. I mean love to! Smile on their face and everything. This particular woman let us know that we were about to get nickel size hail. We freaked out a bit.The weather has definitely gotten the best of us lately. All of these thunderstorms are pretty tough to take when you're winded and at high elevations. We sat down for awhile and started contemplating what we wanted to do. Our funds have gotten low, and our morale is low as well. It seems that when morale is low funds get lower. Tailgate called her Mom to see about the weather. Apparently, the lady in the cafe was right. Big storm was a comin'. What else is new?We pushed on to the next shelter which was a treacherous half mile off the trail, and we got ready. We rarely sleep in shelters but we decided it was necessary. We had the shelter to ourselves because it seems not many people are interested in doing the mile round-trip. The storm came around 6:30pm, and went on all night. We got a bit damp in the shelter, but were glad we weren't in the tent.Cayenne
Date: 2008-08-08
From: Limestone Springs Lean-To

To: a couple miles past Plateau campsite
Miles today: 6.0

We got a late start after the stormy evening. We had to stop in Salisbury to resupply, so I spent some time updating the journal at the library.Another storm came, so we waited it out in the coffee shop. Later we stealth camped (camped illegally) after the climb out of town. There is nothing more to say about this day. Let us never speak of it again.Cayenne
Date: 2008-08-09
From: a couple miles past Plateau campsite

To: a kind woman's backyard in MASS.
Miles today: 17.7

Last night, we decided that I would be the "General" in the morning and get us up and going without hitting the snooze. I succeeded! We got up at 6am and were hiking by 7:30am. The views were spectacular around the Massachusetts border, and we were happy to have another state down. The trouble was that we had 3 pretty big climbs that took most of the day. We found ourselves hiking into the dark.Now, this aint our first rodeo. We can night hike when we need to, but we had no idea that Massachusetts was going to turn into a swampy mess so fast. By 8pm, we were looking for a place to throw down the tent and everything was mush. We started to get a bit spooked and decided to take a break on a bridge near a road. While resting a bit, we heard a party, so we thought we'd try and camp on their lawn. When we started toward the road, Tailgate screeched and said, "There is an animal right there and I don't know what it is." She then began banging her poles together to make it go away. She even said, "Go away, go away." Eventually, it reluctantly lumbered across the path and revealed itself. It was a fat beaver! Yeah. I've been dying to see a beaver. I guess hanging out in a dark swamp is the way to go.Anyway, we did finally camp, but not the way we thought. We followed the sounds of the party down the road, but the party never materialized, so we finally knocked on the door of a house with lights on and Tailgate asked if we could camp on their lawn. Luckily, the owner was nice enough to let us camp in her backyard behind the pool. She even made coffee and toast for us in the morning. How's that for trail magic? Cayenne
Date: 2008-08-10
From: a kind woman's backyard in MASS.

To: East Mountain Retreat Center
Miles today: 10.2

we woke up and started packing up from our little slice of heaven in gail's backyard. she waved us in for coffee and breakfast with her mom and we stayed a short while to chat. they were so sweet--off we go to the woods.it's storming again. we climbed up[ one of the first climbs for the day and sat at a rock outcropping vista. we ate a snack while we watched a storm slowly moving towards us. oh the thunderstorms.....so we book it to the shelter and hang out there for a bit deciding on what we should do. we head to the hostel at the retreat center--which turned out to be a pretty good decision. we did laundry and had the place to ourselves--a rare treat.tailgate
Date: 2008-08-11
From: East Mountain Retreat Center

To: Upper Goose Pond Cabin
Miles today: 19.1
Weather: light rain

We had a hard time getting moving this morning--but we were out by 9. the hiking today was wet---it's raining and storming again. are we used to the lightning yet? well, no. it's not really easy to get used to the lightning and thunder clapping around us while we pray that the trail won't take us over an exposed ridgeline or through some vast pastures....though under nice weather conditions those terrains would be welcomed. we get to upper goose pond cabin and it's packed. we haven't seen thruhikers in days but somehow there is a convergence of people at the cabin. we each get a bunk and try to get an early night sleep. there's a family here from manhattan and it's a bit out of the ordinary for there to be kids running around "our" bunk room....time to be zen.tailgate
Date: 2008-08-12
From: Upper Goose Pond Cabin

To: Dalton
Miles today: 20.6
Weather: overcast clouds

it's another wet day. putting on wet clothes and wet boots. the boots really cause problems for the day. the 20 miles to dalton on the profile map seems totally do-able and not terribly strenuous--buit we've learned by now that something that looks flat on the map will surely have some treacherous side to it. and todays adventure is more swamps and bog bridges. yay!!half way through the day we stop at the cookie lady's house and eat some yummy cookies and a few handfuls of blueberries. we sat on the porch while another thunderstorm decided on whether or not it would drench us more. taking off our boots was a must to let our feet try to dry for a few minutes. poor cayenne's feet were just a mess. i think carebear actually said that they looked like a piece of crinkled up paper they were so wrinkled from wetness.it was a rough end to the day--really hard on the feet. we get into town around 7 and head to tom levardi's house for the night. showered and in a bed we were glad to be out of the storm.tailgate
Date: 2008-08-13
From: Dalton

To: Cheshire, Mass
Miles today: 9.3

It was raining as we left town, but that did not stop the mosquitos. We took a nice deet bath earlier in the day. The terrain was fairly muddy but not very difficult. We stopped and had a few good laughs with Y2K.We planned to make a quick stop in Cheshire for fuel, but after checking the messages on the cell we found out that our last chance at a loan fell through. Ouch! We didn't realize that the trail would be so costly, but it has been. We sat and talked about what to do and came to the sad conclusion that we just didn't have enough funds to finish this year. 600 miles is so close, but we know how much it can cost.We took a bus back to Dalton and our friends Tara and Scott, who live in NY, came and picked us up. In the words of Chewy, "We are now officially section-hikers."
Date: 2008-08-26
To: We'll be back!
Miles today: 0.0

it's been 12 days since we have left the woods. we have had so many adventures on our trip along the AT it only made sense that getting home would follow suit. we spent some time with scott and tara in NY and when our funds wouldn't allow us to rent a car to drive home, we took a bus. we hoped on a train to NYC -- and got there around noon--but a bus that would take us to PA to my (tailgate's) parent's house wouldn't leave until 5:30 am. good thing this is the city that never sleeps!! so we movie hopped for a few hours and then called our new friends court and raffa--section hikers that we met at upper goose pond cabin. i'm sure it was a pretty funny sight to see these two amazon women with large backpacks on come strolling through a boy bar--but the karaoke was fantastic! court was such a sweetie all night and offered his place for us to crash. after a quick nap we started our LONG journey to PA on the greyhound. my dad picked us up and we've been at their place for a few days.our plan for right now? we got jobs working at the isabella freedman jewish retreat center in falls village, CT. so we'll be living and working there in the kitchen for 3 months--before we return home to the farm. our plan for the trail? we are definately going to finish--without a doubt. but we realize now exactly how much money we will need to make it. and when we finish--we're gonna do it in style!we were hiking for 4.5 months. and we've had some amazing experiences. it's been wonderful, exciting, heartbreaking, demoralizing, empowering, boring and incredible. there have been so many memorable moments that will stick with us for a long time. watching american idol in towns with pilgrim way back in GA/NC, laughing and building fires with crabby and chewy, praying for our lives with vig & y in the bunkhouse of doom, hanging out at hettie's with holler and pixie--playing cranium unitl the wee hours, spending a few days in the shenandoahs with daisy, half-gallon-2-case-of-yuengling challenge campout with easy bear train, knowing that sometime soon we will catch cookie monster in town, hiking with the menonites and rock and roll, creeping up on spidey and no-amp, talking about cows, religion and marylynn with vachon, playing with superfunk and thinker--he's the best blackberry picker around, and last but certainly not least, sweet potato and brahma bull cracking us up--from the cheetos to the tough actin' tinactin.
Date: 2006-03-26
To: Prep #1-I've Been Bitten
Miles today: 0.0

Well I have to say that I think I've been bitten by the AT thru-hike bug. It's been haunting my thoughts for about 6 months now, but today, I did my first gear-research trip and a quick gear budget just to see what I'm up against. I've been reading other people's journals and am quite inspired. When I don't read, I'm already thinking I'm crazy for even considering this. When I do read...I want to be out there now. I'm tentatively planning on starting from Georgia in March 2008. I kind of want to do it next March, but I don't want to feel rushed. I need to get back into shape physically and save a crap-load of $. Oh..and I also need to finish grad school (for the second time....ugh). Only time will tell.
Date: 2006-03-27
To: Prep #2-My Fears
Miles today: 0.0

So in order for me to feel "fully prepared" (whatever that means), I need to face the fears I'm taking into this thing....preferably before I show up on Springer. So..here's a list of my fears:1. Getting really sick (I tend to get severe sinus infections/sore throats if I just think about it)2. (Added this on 4/1/06) BLISTERS!!!! I could wear silk socks and walk on clouds, and my feet would still get blisters..ugh..3. Dealing w/extreme cold (which is my #1 fear) 4. Not being able to come up with the $5. Running out of water and not being able to find any6. Of course...spending a ton of money and failing at this thingI plan to attack each of the fears that I can within the next year. I'm a former U.S. Marine, and I feel I've got a decent amount of experience w/confronting fears head on....3 months of bootcamp gave me that!   I originally thought I might do this in 2008, but now I'm thinking 1 year from now. It produces a sense of urgency for me that allows me to get focused on getting back in shape and making some life decisions. I can't stop reading people's journals, and I wake up in the middle of the night thinking about what it will be like in the snowy Smokey Mountains. I'm obsessed right now. I hope I can make this work.
Date: 2006-03-28
To: Prep #3-Decisions Decisions
Miles today: 0.0

First, thanks for the words Conan.(Everyone, see my guest book) I am in the middle of deciding whether getting this 2nd Master's Degree is really what I need to be doing. Unfortunately, the job-hunting issue is my oh so frustrating reality right now, so in a way, I feel like getting something mindless job that I can work my butt off, save $, do my hike, and then figure out where to go. Only time will tell. So this morning I got out my "Guide To Hiking in Michigan" book, and discovered a hiking trail only minutes from my apartment. There's a 6 mile trail and a 2 mile trail (and several other trails my book didn't mention). I haven't been hiking in a year, so I decided to do the 2 mile. The trail map I had seemed like it was tracking a completely different trail--and I LOVE reading maps...so it wasn't me! haa haa After 30 minutes, I was back where I started, and I don't think it was because I walked 4 mph, but I do walk fast..so who knows. So I turned around and just started walking on random trails. 1 1/2 hrs later, I found myself back at my truck. As expected, I had the beginnings of a couple of blisters, but I'm trying to use this time to learn how to deal w/all of those attitude-defeating things, so I bought some moleskin, and I'm planning on going back tomorrow to see how it goes. I know I've got March 2008 as my goal, but I'm really considering moving that up a year to 2007. Slowly, I will face every fear head on....so that I can be that much more confident at Springer. Right now one of my biggest fears is running out of time.....I keep reading people's journals and watching their miles/# of zero days. I only hope I could do what they do.
Date: 2006-03-29
To: Prep #4-Making It Real
Miles today: 0.0

Well...I'm realizing that much like everyone else, there is that certain person/action you need to tell/take that makes your "crazy idea" a reality. I've been telling various friends and family members my idea...and the only reason it seems like such an issue is because I'm in school right now, but I desperately need a break. (I've already got 3 other degrees...not like I really NEED this one right now). The person I need to tell is my mentor/professor that I work for at school. She's a good friend, but as expected, our relationship has revolved around academia and scholarly discourses, so I fear she'll have a difficult time understanding my need to do this. On the other hand, I probably should stop assuming I know how she'll react. She's a great human being, and will probably be understanding.   I think I'm going to tell her next week when I see her next. I will consider that the point of no return and the true beginning of my adventure. Wish me luck. I never realized how difficult it can be to let go of your life's routine (but I can't freaking wait either!!!)
Date: 2006-03-31
To: Prep #5-Proposed Budget
Miles today: 0.0

So I've spent the evening doing some serious numbers crunching to see how much I will need to sacrifice in the next year in order to save the $ I need to save to thru-hike in 2007. Because I think it will be helpful to others considering this, here's what I've got so far:Purchase All Gear (I own nothing): $2500.00*7 months worth of my bills:      $5834.00**$ while on the trail:            $3000.00***Grand Total:                     $11,334 (YIKES!!!)*I'm bidding on e-bay and looking for used equipment to lower this #**I plan on doing the hike in 6 months, but I want some time to reflect/absorb afterwards, so I'm trying to allow myself a month for that. My partner will be home keeping up the fort and taking care of our 2 cats and 2 hermit crabs, so I can't just move out like I see a lot of people doing. It's our home, and I am responsible for half of the expenses. If she could afford it, she'd pay for everything in a heartbeat, but that's not possible. I'm just so lucky to have someone who is fully supportive of me going off and doing something crazy like this. ***This is my best guess after reading other hikers' opinions. I don't require fancy accomodations or expensive meals, so I'll be frugleI'm a big numbers nerd, so I'll be making my budget/expenses available for anyone who is interested, as I purchase and save. For common knowledge, I'm a poor college student who currently works 3 different jobs (probably all jobs = 40 hours a week) I'm NOT independently wealthy,(or even wealthy at all for that matter) but I am really good at managing the little $ I do make, and when I have a purpose, I am really disciplined w/saving. I'm hoping family/friends will help by purchasing some gear for my 33rd birthday/Christmas. I'm sure they will...that will help a little. Anyways....my motto is "If you can make it work on paper, you can make it work in life." It has always worked for me, and even if I have to work 60 hrs a week to make this happen, I will. I need this experience.
Date: 2006-04-01
To: Prep #6-Date Change
Miles today: 0.0

So if anyone has read my 4 other entries, you'll notice that last night I moved my date from March 2008 to March 2007. Interesting how something as trivial as a flickering little thought in the back of your mind can suddenly become a focus in your life, something that can make you wake up excited again, something that makes you want to spend hours surfing on the internet reading other's experiences and looking at gear, creating budgets, and making you completely willing to live well below the poverty line for the next year so you can afford to do it. THAT is what life is about to me.....experiences and people. I don't need $ to be happy, I need these types of grounding experiences, where I can anticipate meeting the people that will in part define my journey. What is interesting, is that somewhere out there, there are probably a handful of people that I will meet next year, that have not yet heard of thru-hiking the AT. I've threatened for years to just disappear from society and go live in the mountains somewhere (out of being fed up with what I see our human family doing to one other). I suppose this journey can be my compromise....I'll only detach from the consumerist, capitalist, "keep up with the Jones'" world for 6 months.......it's certainly better than nothing.
Date: 2006-04-03
To: Prep #7-A Few More Steps
Miles today: 0.0

I saw my professor today and told her I needed to have a talk with her. We're going to sit down next week (over a beer or six) and I'm going to tell her I'm not coming back to school next Fall, but will instead be preparing for this hike. I'll be relieved to get this all out, so that I can fully concentrate on my preparations. I've been trying to bid on gear on ebay, but so far I've lost my first 2 bids (Leki Makalu Trekking Poles and a Pocketmailer). I found another pocketmailer and am currently bidding on that. I really need to figure out a way to lower my expenses. It will just take a lot of pressure off....but worse case scenario is that I buy everything new, and I can make that happen if I have to, but would rather not. I guess time will tell. I think this week I'll post the entry that so many other people do....the "WHY" entry. I've got to get through several papers for my last 3 weeks of school first. Uggg....
Date: 2006-04-06
To: Prep #8-It's Official..2 Milestones
Miles today: 0.0

Milestone #1: Well....I told my professor last night that I was finished with school. As expected, she was totally understanding and respectful of my decision, even though there were certain stressors that are now added to her life. (I'm her editorial assistant for a scholarly educational journal, and my job takes a certain type of person...but I told her I'd be happy to train another person, so we're both going to figure out a solution together).   I felt really horrible driving home, only because I had caused another person more stress, however, I've lived enough life to know that you can't make your life decisions based upon other people's happiness. So if I'm not going to be in school...that only means one thing....I'm going to be on the trail.Milestone #2:I purchased my very first piece of gear for my adventure last night....a Pocketmailer Composer on e-bay for $61.00! That's the first thing I've ever purchased/won on e-bay, and if I had bought one new...it would have been $100.00, so I saved money. That's good. Anyone who knows me, knows that I don't waste $ on trivial stuff...so this purchase only drives the nail further into the coffin. I'm actually going to do this.Other Stuff: Work: Oh...I have to find a job now, school is out in 3 weeks...been applying all over, but no calls back, which is pretty discouraging considering my education-level and skills. Oh well..something will work out I'm sure.Blisters: I've been hiking a few days a week, about 4 miles each day, but getting blisters everytime, despite pre-treating my feet w/all kinds of moleskin, duct tape, medical tape...geez you name it, I've tried it. I've posted questions on some forums, and have come to the conclusion I'll need to probably hike in trail runners. My feet are just too sensitive for boots.