morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2005-09-01
From: Pinkham Notch,NH

To: Carter Notch,NH
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: fog

1 September, 2005Pinkham Notch, New Hampshireto Carter Notch, New Hampshire(7miles)    The Wildcats jump right out of the gap, or 'notch' if you'd rather. Countless hours of labor have been spent building that nearly vertical trail. My hike was rather patchy and sporadic, due to the physical demand and the lack of resolve.      Homesickness is starting to gnaw at my fraying edges. I love my family and all that but I'm just homesick in general. Thoughts jump into my mind, really random goofy thoughts about linen sheets at home and spiced tea. Thoughts about my little sister's laughing face and the happy chaos of the boys.    Snowman just told me that his journal entry for the day will be: "...Was bloody hard today. Did precious little miles..."    The rocks split apart at the top of the first Wildcat. They bent in like curved fangs, gaps between like hungry bellies. 15 to 20 feet tall, 15 or more deep and narrow as the grave. On days like this, my walk is the walk of the curious, peering down every alley, full of the wonder of children and the awed superstition of a wrinkled elder. Mossed layers of all shades of green, freckled lichened branches and my favorite fragrant evergreens. There is this wonderful light that filters through the stunted trees that makes me feel like I'm walking in a fairy tale as a displaced extra.    The knees are screaming for rest. Not mine, I've been like a little mule; sturdy as can be. Mouth though, and Touk, Tink and Snowman are all hobbling around after this short, savage day of ups and downs. So beautiful though! This is not quite the end of the Whites but psychologically, we're just about done with this AMC portion. Tomorrow; straight up into the sky and on towards Gorham. What a day. We've just caught a mouse and are aranging a humane little world for him to live in. How bizarre.
Date: 2005-09-11
From: Many Journal Updates From Gypsy

To: Top of Saddleback Mtn. A Phone Mess. From Touk
Miles today: 0.0

Hey Family!!! This is Touk and I'm calling from the top of Saddleback Mountain and I can see Katahdin in the distance!!!It is in visual range!!! We totally got this thing in the bag!!! It's 219 miles away and I can see it from the top of Saddleback Mtn. and I can see Mt. Washington in the other direction and I am completely geeked!!!This is awesome!!! I love you guys and I hope to see you guys soon. See you later-Bye
Date: 2005-09-16
From: Top of Saddleback Mtn. A Phone Mess. From Touk

To: Forded the Kennebec River Today/Caratunk
Miles today: 0.0

A phone message home from Gypsy LuLu 151 miles to KatahdinHi everyone! This is LuLu. I'm in...um...uh...whatever--I just forgot! We just forded the Kennebec River this morning. Touk got to canoe ferry across and I got there too late so I left my pack on the other side and I swam across. Now I need to get a ride back and then get ferried across and ...oh well, then on and on and on...(laugh) We are a couple days from Monson and we'll call you then. All is well. We hope to summit definately before the first(oct.), probably the 27th or 28th (sept.) and then we'll be home a couple weeks later. But I'll talk to you definately before then, most definately in a couple days. Hope everyone is well. Love you very much. Goodbye
Date: 2005-09-27
From: The Birches campsite

To: somewhere over the rainbow!
Miles today: 2170.3

As the heroine of this story moseyed (a perfected art form) around to the front of the last shelter on A.T. she (Touk) heard a voice very much like Cuppa Joes exclaim.."Oh look baseball bats again,.. too bad for Touk cause there goes her hopes for a good nights rest"..   It was in fact the excelent Cuppa Joes voice and what he really meant was.."Oh good thing she knows I'm really only jOkInG even though she is running around in circles for no reason yelling something about shelling nuts and falling skies"..."Oh good grief Touk"..I in fact had realized that the floor to the Birches shelter was sanely made with a solid pine floor before I had actually moved at all..(the above scenario was slightly over dramatic) But really the trail family knows me so well.. My sanity was out on a gnarly rotten limb at this point and I realized that baseball bat flooring for one more night was all it would take to knock me off my rocker.... I apparently wasn't the only one who knew this.            Our excitement about the mountain we were going to climb in the morning made the chance of any rest at all that night a roaring joke! Of course our plan was to party all night and eat celebratory Ramen.. huh.. I had the last laugh being the first one in my bag sleeping by.. Oh.. a crazy late 9:30.. closely followed by the party animals themselves (Cuppa, Mouth, Tink).. Apparently the big whup over the big climb was expressed best in twirling fire prods (sticks) at the bonfire (a fameous Cuppa's "One match wonder fire" I might add).. and every five minutes or so glancing around and saying to no one in particular.."dude I can't believe we are going to climb Katahdin tomorrow"..To which one replies.."yeah.. man.. I can't believe we have hiked 2200 miles"..And .. "yeah.. we did it".. then again"yeah.. and I can't believe we are going to climb Katahdin tomorrow..Etc..etc..      fifty rounds of this mixed with some sporatic shouts of jubilee and some crystal light.. and Team Group Squad was off to bed. Oh the longevity of parties on the trail... sounds like I'm kidding but truly, they can't be topped!
Date: 2005-09-28
From: ?

To: Mt. Katahdin news!
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: few clouds

Gypsy Sisters summited Mt. Katahdin today along with Cuppa, Tink, Mouth,Sisters Gretzke and Kitty ( the sequin sisters),Swifty, LongHaul, Hairball, Sandy and Limbo, Featured, Colors, B.U. Boys(brothers)Figi and Swazy.Gypsy LuLu and Touk checked in from Abol Bridge campground yesterday very excited about todays climb and the successfull finish of the AT. Touk said that "she is never going to walk again and that a helicopter was going to have to come and get her off the top of the mountain." Can't wait to hear about it! GypsyMomma P.S. Just heard from the GypsySisters tonight from Bangor Maine. All went well on the climb today. Perfect weather,60 degrees and not a cloud in the sky. Tears of frustration, shouts of joy, pictures taken, and fear for their lives on the way down the KnifeEdge Trail, (Touk realized her destitude fonancial position didn't exactly have helicopter ride as an available option and so she hiked down) and now separation from the hiker community with many mixed emotions. Ups and downs as usual. But they are looking forward to The Gathering.
Date: 2005-04-13
To: -- postcard to grandma --
Miles today: 0.0

--- Postcard to Grandma (Written by Firefly) ---Hi! Day 16. We¢re having a good time. Meeting lots of great people. We¢ve hiked about 160 miles so far: woohoo!Did you get that map from Elise? I thought maybe you all could kinda keep track of where we¢re at on your Monday night shindigs.We have trailnames. Mine is ¢Firefly¢ (b/c I¢m good at maintaining fires and I¢ll ¢fly¢ with the Air Force soon) and Bryan is ¢Hazy Sonic¢ (Smokes a pipe and plays music)We love you, Karis
Date: 2005-05-03
To: -- postcard to grandma --
Miles today: 0.0

--- Postcard to Grandma ---Hi Grandma! I¢m gonna let Bryan (Hazy Sonic) write this time¢¦We¢ve almost made it to Watuga Lake in TN and are looking forward to some easier hiking and hopefully some better weather. Past week, we¢ve had mostly rain and snow. We¢re going through lots of tiny towns along the way. On my birthday, we went in to Erwin, TN and ate pizza and shared a calzone. Last night we stayed with friends in Elizabethton, TN and we¢re going to try to buy a radio this morning to make the mountains go by easier. We haven¢t seen a bear yet, but we saw a grouse going through the Smokies (we¢ve been hearing them since GA) and a rabbit sitting on the trail. Amazing views yesterday. Almost to VA. Love you,Bryan & Karis
Date: 2005-05-10
To: -- postcard to grandma --
Miles today: 0.0

--- Postcard to Grandma (Written by Firefly) ---Hello again Grandma! Starting week 7¢¦ I¢m in Troutdale, VA staying at a hostel resting my feet (with blisters). Bryan (Hazy Sonic) hiked on until tomorrow. Then we¢ll head back to Damascus, VA Wednesday night for Trail Days, a big shindig where the town does a ton of stuff for hikers. Apparently thousands usually show up.It¢s definitely getting warmer¢¦ We¢ve done 500+ miles now! My feet got decent size blisters because I recently switched from hiking boots to tennis (trail runner) shoes. Hopefully the rest helps. We love you!Firefly and Hazy Sonic
Date: 2005-05-22
To: -- postcard to grandma --
Miles today: 0.0

--- Postcard to Grandma (Written by Firefly) ---Hello again, Grandma! Yep. We¢re still alive. In Pearisburg, VA now. We¢ve done over 600 miles. The miles are going much quicker than they did in the beginning.We stayed at a hostel last night. Our next ¢luxury¢ stay will be for our anniversary (4 years!). We plan to stay in Catawba or Ronoake, VA¢in about 4 days. We¢ll do laundry then too¢by then it will have been nearly 2 weeks!We¢re having a good time. The mountains are beautiful and majestic. It will be a bit hard, I think, to have to return to the Midwest¢¦ Probably not forever though (that we will will be in the Midwest). Love you! ¢ Hazy Sonic & Firefly
Date: 2005-06-18
To: -- postcard to grandma --
Miles today: 1342.3

--- Postcard to Grandma ---Grandma Well Im hiking by myself for the time being, since Karis got off the trail for her sisters wedding and to work a little. Im just about to Harpers Ferry, WV and I should hit the 1,000 mile mark either later today or tomorrow. Saw quite a few bears in the Shenandoah National Park (hadnt seen any prior to that). Today as I was walking along I heard a noise in a tree next to me and looked up to see a bear climbing down as fast as it could and then took off running straight through the bushes to get away from me. My beard is starting to get quite long, so now I look like a real hippie/mountain man (Ive smelled like one for awhile now). Hope things are well. Love, Bryan
Date: 2005-07-08
To: -- postcard to grandma --
Miles today: 0.0

--- Postcard to Grandma ---Almost through PA now! I¢ve been hiking hard the past 10 days, averaging about 20 miles a day. I got a hammock tent in Harper¢s Ferry, WV, which I am using while I am by myself, but today I am going to only hike 5 miles, then hitch back to Harper¢s Ferry to meet Karis, along with Ben, Elise, their dog, and Greg to hike MD together. I¢m eating tons of food and still losing weight. The beard is looking gnarly too¢¦ Say hi to everyone for me. Love, Bryan
Date: 2005-07-15
To: -- postcard to grandma --
Miles today: 0.0

--- Postcard to Grandma ---Grandma ¢ How¢s life treating you? This weekend, Firefly came to MD to hike with Ben & Elise and Greg (and dogs), and now we¢re headed back to northern PA to pick up where I¢m at on the trail. I¢m trying to finish by the 3rd ofSeptember or near then. Lately I¢ve been hiking an average of about 20 miles a day. So far my longest day has been 25.1 miles. Now that I¢m almost through PA, I¢ll get to start going through the states a little quicker. I¢m still enjoying being on the trail and especially looking forward to getting up to the White Mountains in NH. Take care and love you, Bryan & Karis
Date: 2005-07-18
To: -- postcard to grandma --
Miles today: 0.0

--- Postcard to Grandma ---Grandma ¢ We¢re in Unionville, NY now and glad to be done with PA. Since passing the Mason-Dixon line, we¢ve missed the hospitality of the south, but the people of Unionville are refreshingly friendly. The town lets hikers camp in town on the lawn of a little park, where we stayed last night. The hike is definitely changing as we go north. More and more hikers quit or drop out, and the ones on the trail are getting more spread out from each other. PA was rocky and relatively flat compared to the rest of the trail. Hopefully we¢ve left some of the rocks behind. Right now I¢m making coffee for breakfast while Firefly takes down the tent. I don¢t know if I¢ve told you about my stove, but it is on of the fun oddities of the trail¢made intirely from aluminum cans. I¢ve made about 5 of them now. They run on denatured alcohol, which jets out as the vapors heat up. The whole deal weighs a few ounces. It may not sound too exciting, but to a thu-hiker, the less something weighs, the more amazing, wonderful, and exciting it is. Maybe next time I can write you a postcard about my fleece blanket, which weighs 1.5lbs less than my sleeping bag did¢¦ Love ¢ Bryan & Karis
Date: 2005-07-19
From: ME

To: Riga Lean-to
Miles today: 0.0

After a sketchy experience in Kent, CT where I was flipped off by an old lady, snubbed by a librarian, and, in general, shunned by an uppity community, I'm having a much more pleasant experience in Salisbury, CT. After realizing the other day that I had somehow misplaced or forgot to copy the profiles for the maps from here northward, Livestrong offered to let me copy his. When we got into town, I found out that the post office doesn't let people use the 11*17 feature because of the old people being confused by it. They sent me over to the town hall, which was closed, but I talked to a guy getting into his car and he offered to take me back to his office to use the copy machine there. There were 3 other ladies who worked there who had the glaring evil eyes going when they saw me coming in with him, but he totally helped me get my maps copied. When we got back into the car, he commented on their looks and said "they'll get over it"... I have a real sense of fufillment, knowing that my super-power body oder stench is being put to good use. Now, on to hit the beer store, or "package store", as it is called in these snub-nosed New England communities, and then back to the trail for a few more miles. We're definitely enjoying the cooler weather today after the 99 degree weather killed us yestereday...Also, I added the story of my trail name, for those interested...
Date: 2005-08-01
To: The Cookie Lady's
Miles today: 0.0

Incredible stay last night at Upper Goose Pond. Firefly was excited all day at the prospect of a nice swim, but the weather was overcast by the time we rolled in. We had the great company of Gypsy Lulu, Touk, Mouth, Apple Pie, Ug, Navigator, Troll, Anchor, Oblivious, & Hairball. Sleeping in a bed was relaxing--especially later that night as it rained while we were sleeping. This morning we had an awesome pancake breakfast. As everyone else was rolling out, we lounged around for half a day, reading, playing guitar, and finally going for a swim, once it warmed up. A very beautiful, relaxing environment. Once we finally hiked out, we made it as far as the Cookie Lady's house, where we stayed in the yard and were treated to chocolate chip cookies and hot blueberry pie.
Date: 2005-08-03
To: Dalton
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

Got in yesterday and went to the Shell station to ask for "Rob", who, word had it, had a place for hikers to stay. We then proceeded over to the bar next door to wait for him, when I discovered that my wallet was missing. That has to be the ultimate worst feeling, to be on the trail and not know where your wallet is. We stayed that night w/ Rob at "The Bird Cage"--great stay, along with Gypsy Lulu, Touk, Mouth, Navigator, Crazy Legs, Linux, and Lightning Rod. The next day I started calling around for my wallet. It turned out that I had left it in the White Heart Inn in Salisbury, where I had stopped to use the bathroom on the way out of town. They had been trying to get in contact me for several days. The funny thing is that I wouldn't have even stopped in, except I had asked a local in Salisbury if there was a restroom nearby. He told me to walk a block up and put my pack in the bushes--he told me three times: "noone will steal it, make sure you leave your pack in the bushes". He then gave me detailed instructions on how I was supposed to walk into the side door of the White Heart Inn, past the bar, up the stairs, and through the doors on the right. "Just keep right on walking", he said, "and noone will stop you"... It is understandable though. I could see how terrible it would be for the people of New England for a hiker to use the bathroom. But I'm a rebel...
Date: 2005-08-04
To: -- postcard to grandma --
Miles today: 0.0

--- Postcard to Grandma (Written by Firefly) ---Hi Grandma!!We¢re in Cheshire, MA staying at a church for free. We¢ll be out of MA by the end of the day today and in Vermont. Mass has been truly beautiful! And the people have really been friendly. Hazy and I have made not of yet another place we could someday settle in¢¦Today¢s Thursday. I only have a few more days before I leave Hazy on his own again. My bus leaves from Manchester, VT on Tuesday. Time sure continues to fly, even out here!Well¢¦ We¢ll soon be climbing the highest point in Mass here¢¦ (Only around 3400ft). We love you. Hazy Sonic & Firefly / Bryan & Karis
Date: 2005-08-05
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Firefly left early this morning, to try to get to the post office before it closed, while I was supposed to sleep a little later, and then catch up. What *ACTUALLY* happened, was that I slept in till 11 and didn't make it to the road until evening. By then, she had already hitched into town, along with Crazylegs, Ug, LowBridge, & ProfessorNutbag. Stayed the night in Bennington, VT w/ Rodeo, with an awesome couple, Chris & Arla, who host hikers occasionally. Chris was into "junk drums", so he had all kinds of fun percussion toys, although I never really had the chance to jam on anything. We did catch some live music down the street though-a bluegrass/jazz band that wanted really badly to be the Flecktones. Firefly found pipe tobacco for me, which was a real bonus.
Date: 2005-08-06
To: Glastenbury Mt.
Miles today: 0.0

Amazing, amazing view and campsite tonight on Glastenbury Mt. Camped with Rodeo, Camel, Sunshine, Wilderness Bob, & someone else who I'm forgetting. The sunset view from the firetower was the best view yet on the trail. Also really enjoying the pine woods and cooler weather-it was especially nice to sit around a campfire for the first time in a long time. Wilderness Bob called it "Ranger TV"...
Date: 2005-08-18
From: Riga Lean-to

To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Ok, lost wallet for 2nd time on this thru-hike. It's found now... After an awesome weekend in Brownie's parents' cabin near stratton pond (with souleman, mouth, touk, gypsy, cuppa joe, tink, JAX, & clearwater), I left it laying on the counter in the kitchen... Gypsy carried it up the trail to me, so I had to wait for her in Hannover. The forced zero turned out to be a good thing though, b/c I ended up being able to stay with Baltimore Jack and Blister Sister. Now the world is right again and I can hike on...
Date: 2005-08-21
To: Kinnsman's Notch
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

Since it was a Sunday, and I wasn't sure if my winter gear was shipped via postal service or UPS, I decided to hike right past Glencliff, then hitched back here in the evening. Stayed in town overnight, but I'm still waiting on the box to show... Score: Hiker-0, small-towns with crazy postal hours-1
Date: 2005-08-22
To: -- postcard to grandma --
Miles today: 0.0

--- Postcard to Grandma ---Grandma ¢ How¢s life in flatland? I¢m in Hanover, NH (next-to-last state!) now. I had a good weekend with some friends who got off the trail who have a cabin in VT. There was food, beer, foursquare, movies, and real beds¢¦ Today was not so great, since I realized that I had left my wallet (actually a zip-lock bag) in the cabin when I left. So now I¢m in a town with only about a day¢s food left, no money, and no ID. Fortunately, it sounds like my wallet is being carried up the trail to me by Gypsy Lulu (a friend who was at the cabin), so as long as I can find her, the world will be restored to its proper order. Meantime, I¢m hanging out on the campus of Dartmoth. I stayed in a co-ed frathouse last night, and tonight (if I¢m still waiting on the wallet), I will stay at Baltimore Jack¢s place¢He¢s a famous thru-hiker who likes to hike with a little ¢Jack¢ in him. Dartmoth is an interesting and pretentious experience. This morning at the frat, I was reading a book they had on the International Society of RPS (rock, paper, scissors). New Englanders are nice, but they take themselves a little too seriously. Me, on the other hand, I stick to the really important things in life, like walking really, really far and citing it as a major achievement¢¦Love Hazy Sonic
Date: 2005-09-08
To: Caterunk, ME
Miles today: 0.0

Grandma ¢ Don¢t have much time to write. In a very small town in ME: Caterunk, where I¢m actually just at a hiker store/hostel. ME is very secluded, even compared to the rest of the trail. I¢m doing 20-25 miles a day and may do more as the terrain allows. I¢m trying to finish by the 13th, so I can be at Karis¢ graduation from her COT. Either way, I¢m almost there and it¢s a good feeling¢¦ Hazy Sonic (or ¢Lazy Sonic¢ or ¢Crazy Sonic¢, depending on if I do more or less miles)
Date: 2005-09-16
To: -- postcard to grandma --
Miles today: 0.0

Grandma ¢ I¢m sure you¢ll hear the news before you get this postcard, but I¢m done! I thought I¢d send you one final postcard. I finished on Sept. 15th, on a rainy, cloudy day. Two days before, I did my longest day yet¢30 miles. Anyway, in the end it has been awesome. Definitely gives me a lot of insight into people and myself. I¢ve got a bus ticket out tomorrow (the 17th¢I¢m in Bangor, ME) to Warsaw, IN, so hopefully I¢ll get to see you when I¢m back, before I head down to FL to see Karis (She has more training there). The feeling is incredible. See you soon. Love, Hazy Sonic
Date: 2005-02-11
To: Hawk Mtn Shelter
Miles today: 7.5
Weather: clear sky

Woke up at sunrise after the night of the mice to cold, 20 degrees I think it was. We ate and packed up as fast as we could, which wasn't very fast. About 9:00 we were on the trail for day 2. Day 2 was similar to day 1: Up, down, up, down. Around 10:30 we came upon Stover Creek Shelter, about 2.5 miles from the mouse palace, and stopped for a break. Five minutes later we were freezing cold and decided to move on. Nothing happened the rest of the time. We just carted our 50 pound torture devices up and down the endless mountains. It was around 2:15 that we made it to Hawk Mtn Shelter and met our first fellow thru-hiker, Tumbleweed. Tumbleweed had been in the Marines for 20 years and was now hiking around "wherever the wind blew" him. My first job when we got to camp was to get water for cooking. I took the collapsable bucket and set off for the water. A sign marked "water" pointed toward both a well-traveled trail, and a poorly-maintained trail. I decided I would have better luck with the well-traveled trail and set off. I remembered the book saying 800 yards to the water, which would be about 1/2 mile, which would mean it would take me about 10-15 minutes to find it. Fifteen minutes later there was no water. Usually a water trail is marked with blue blazes, this trail had none. But, being a novice, I had ignored that fact, until now. I turned around and headed back to the shelter. When Jim saw me returning I could see the anticipation of dinner in his face until he saw the bucket was empty. As it turned out, the water was on the poorly-maintained trail and was only 400 yards from the shelter. Tumbleweed showed me where it was and everyone lived happily ever after.That night Tumbleweed suggested that we make a fire. With the extra warmth we were able to stay up until 7:30. There were mice in the shelter that night, but only a handful compared to Springer.