morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2007-07-20
From: Wildcat Shelter

To: William Brien Memorial Shelter
Miles today: 19.6
Weather: broken clouds

As if yesterday's rain and slick rocks weren't enough, Mother Nature today provided additional proof that New York isn't messing around.I should have known when I looked at the map and the names of topographical features that I was in for a rough day. How about Agony Grind to scare someone out of hiking? It's the Virginia roller coaster with bigger and steeper climbs and boulders six times the size, requiring hands, knees, and elbows to scramble to the top. How appealing does the Lemon Squeezer sound? It's two giant rock slabs with less than a body width between, a tunnel which gets more and more narrow until you must remove your backpack and go at it sideways. The most difficult feature didn't even have a name, just a sign pointing to the blue-blazed "Easy Way," not an option for me for the esteem in which I hold the white blazes. I looked at the six-foot sheer rock face, a single tree growing at angle from the top, and debated my strategy. I couldn't pull myself and my pack up, so I took off my pack again for the second time in 3 minutes, hoisted it up over my head to the ledge above, before grabbing hold and pulling my body up with all my might.It's what I call full-body hiking, for I felt strain in muscles I didn't even know existed. My 3-mile-an-hour pace has now been reduced to under two if I'm lucky, and even after months on the trail, today's terrain was a challenge. I don't remember terrain this difficult since, well, never. After ten miles, I was beat, and I still had many miles to go. As tough as today was, this is the kind of hiking I really enjoy, and so am looking forward to reaching the Whites of New Hampshire.OK, New York - I understand you aren't messing around, but then again, neither am I.
Date: 2007-07-21
From: William Brien Memorial Shelter

To: Graymoor Spiritual Life Center
Miles today: 15.2
Weather: clear sky

Love it or hate it, as most thru-hikers choose one extreme or the other, New York is proving to be a state of contrast. From rugged terrain to playing Frogger across the Palisades Parkway, gorgeous views of the surrounding hills with West Point artillery fire drowning out all sounds of the forest, gallon jugs of water left by friends of hikers at nearly all road crossings but not a smile or wave from speeding cars leaving hikers hoping to hitch in their dust. Early morning the NY city skyline was visible some 30 miles in the distance from today's high point of Bear Mountain. Mid afternoon, the trail ran right through a local zoo, descending to its lowest elevation between Georgian and Maine at 124 feet above sea level, right in front of the caged black bears. I read this could be an emotional experience for thru-hikers, and realized why when my own tears welled up as I stood and looked at the coyotes and bears. I have seen both a number of times in their natural habitat on the trail, so it seems unnatural, even cruel, for them to be caged, although all in this particular zoo are handicapped and likely wouldn't survive in the wild anyways.Even feeling sorry for the bears, I had to arrive to town early today to pick up my mail drop before the post office closed at noon, meaning an early start at 6 am and hiking full force 10 miles before lunch. Sending myself resupply, actually my dear brother has taken on the task, of pre-packaged boxes has its benefits, such as not having to shop in towns along the way, greater nutrition of meals I prepared myself, more control of what I eat on the trail, lower expense of buying food items in bulk. I will use the post offices anyways, to ship items home as well as send myself gear and maps along the way (plus pick up letters from family and friends at home - BIG HINT), so why not include food as well? But there are cons too, which is why many hikers choose to forgo mail drops altogether and instead resupply as needed along the way. One is the limited hours of the post offices; I had to arrive Saturday by noon or wait until the post office opens again on Monday morning, the former requiring more miles in a shorter time frame than I would have liked, the latter staying in an expensive town which I can't afford. Overall, I am still glad I opted for resupply by mail drops although I would plan fewer in the Northeast where stores are closer and more meals are available at delis and restaurants. As if there's going to be a next time.
Date: 2007-07-22
From: Graymoor Spiritual Life Center

To: RPH Shelter
Miles today: 18.9
Weather: clear sky

It's hard to write in my journal when the trail magic and company are so good; I just want to sit and revel in my surroundings, freezing this moment in time to forever remember in the depths of my heart and mind.Yesterday and today we saw signs along the trail announcing a BBQ in honor of a bridge-building project at an upcoming shelter, but it would require a long hiking day to arrive in time. The draw of free food, however, rouses hikers early from their sleeping quarters, with dreams of what's on the menu filling their every walking moment. For three hours this morning I imagined what the feast would be like - would it include simple hot dogs and hamburgers or more elaborate fixings? Would there be anything left by the time I arrived? Would there be beer? - but I tried to not get my hopes up too high only to be disappointed.Far from it. Not only did a group of volunteers give their time over three days to build a new bridge, but they also brought tons of food to share with thru-hikers. Ham, pork chops, and steak on the grill with marinades and smoky mesquite seasoning, corn on the cob with butter and spices, pound cake, fresh fruit and veggies, sodas and gatorade and bottled water - there was food galore or the most delicious variety. Unfortunately, no beer until at the end of my meal a truck pulled up with offerings of Yuengling and Sam Adams Summer, my two favorites, not like the piss water we are used to drinking without complaint, purely for the sake of replenishing carbohydrates lost to grueling hiking days. The smile on my face extended from ear to ear, shared with a great group of thru-hiker friends.
Date: 2007-07-23
From: RPH Shelter

To: RPH Shelter
Miles today: 0.0

Uh-oh. The rain is coming down in buckets, and rather than get me and everything I own wet, we opted to spend the day in the shelter, with the following facetious article appearing in the next day's made-up news: "Hikers Stranded in Downpour"It's the middle of summer, but the temperature's 60 degrees, the elevation of 360 feet making breathing difficult, the location of the AT north of New York City, so close to civilization, only about 100 feet from a modest suburban house, yet so far removed from the comforts of home. It's the kind of day which thoroughly tests a thru-hiker's will and resolve. It's also the kind of day in which the threat of hypothermia is very real, or so we tell ourselves to justify a day spent in the haven of the shelter. Thru-hikers at this point in their journeys are likely no longer carrying warm clothing or rain gear; it's simply too much extra weight not used enough to make it worthwhile. Those left in the shelter waiting out the torrential downpour pulled together their limited resources, plus the offerings of a local trail crew, to make breakfast over a roaring grill - a gigantic 60-egg omelet with onions, green peppers and a few pounds of ham. The RPH shelter, one of the only along the trail with four walls and therefore completely rain proof, still had a huge store of food from the bridge-building project during the days prior. It was still raining when we fired up the grill yet again - oh the difficulties of collecting and lighting wet firewood, but Spock proved a mountain man in this regard, with a roaring blaze soon the result of his effort. Hungry hikers cooked up another huge meal consisting of pork chops, chicken, homemade salsa, an enormous green salad, and whatever else we could scrounge from our meager surroundings.Shivering wet hikers continued to pour into the shelter all day, as the rain continued to pour down outside its four walls. Mr. Easy and Not Yet, drenched to the bone, arrived early morning, and we lured them into staying, eating, and napping all day. I had been trying for weeks to catch up with these trail buddies; little did I know they were behind me trying to do the same! Old friends continued to arrive throughout the day, including the illustrious Ice Man and Buffalo Bobby, without whom no party is complete.   That evening, a group of trail maintainers showed up for their annual picnic. Despite our wilderness surroundings, one even managed a beer run for us. There must have been about 15 thru-hikers assembled, the most seen in one place since months ago in the south. Together, we joked about our wilderness survival skills long into the night. And, in the words of Bird Legs, ¢despite the riotous party, we were all asleep by 9:30.¢
Date: 2007-07-24
From: RPH Shelter

To: Telephone Pioneers Shelter
Miles today: 16.6

"Backwoods Babes Separated at Birth Reunited on the AT"Read more about this trio of wilderness women - strong, undeterred, independent, nothing-stops-them friends who found each other on the trail.Splendora describes how, after having met only one other female thru-hiker during the first 60 or so days of her hike, the trio met: ¢This all changed 5 days ago. I met Snack Break at Delaware Water Gap. She's a Spanish teacher barely in her 30's, and she's been traveling the world for the last year; she started her AT thru-hike March 10. We immediately got along, and I was ecstatic that she was hiking to the same destination that I was. The next day, Snack Break was hiking a bit ahead of me, just out of sight. We were on a rocky ridge, carpeted with dry grass and desert bushes, and the trail was a little confusing to follow. I realized that I had taken a wrong turn when the trail became overgrown and narrow. I turned around to backtrack, and nearly ran directly into a young female hiker coming down the trail behind me. I asked her if we were still on the AT, and as soon as she could say, "I don't know," Snack Break's head popped up across some brush, asking if we were on the trail. But at that instant, the thought of being lost left our minds as we reveled in the presence of not one, but TWO other young, female thru-hikers. We took a few minutes to introduce ourselves and giggle a bit before re-finding the trail. Our new friend is BirdLegs, another barely 30 female who has spent the last few years as a librarian in Queens, NY. The three of us hiked together for the remainder of the day, and thoroughly enjoyed discussing female trail issues and contemporary issues that affect our gender today, as well as just soaking up the sound of a female's voice.¢After being surrounded by men for so many months, it sure is good to have girl friends on the trail. I will forever remember my Backwoods Babes, sirens of the trail, goddesses of the forest. Beside them, I feel not only empowered but also accepted for who I am, a strong woman with an independent spirit.miles remaining 743.9
Date: 2007-07-25
From: Telephone Pioneers Shelter

To: Mt. Algo Shelter, Kent, CT
Miles today: 21.4
Weather: scattered clouds

I have once again borrowed Splendora¢s words, for they paint such a vivid portrait of this evening¢s trail magic.¢For those not intimately familiar with the trail, "trail magic" is the phenomenon of strangers doing kind things out of the goodness of their hearts for hikers. These people are known as "trail angels." Their kind deeds can include leaving jugs of water, sodas in coolers, and snacks at places where the trail crosses roads. Sometimes trail angels are at parks and will cook for hikers. Trail angels also give hikers rides into nearby towns for resupply. In perfect timing, after a very strenuous introduction to Connecticut, I experienced a blissful bit of trail magic last night. My friends and I had hiked over 21 miles, the last of which included a series of difficult climbs and descents. We were thoroughly exhausted when we reached the shelter around 8:00pm. This shelter was 0.3 mile from the road that would lead us into Kent, CT the following day. Too exhausted to move, let alone cook, three of my hiking buddies and I were ecstatic to meet Paddy-O at the shelter. We eagerly followed Paddy-O down the trail to his waiting pick-up, lined with coolers overflowing with cold sodas and beer, frozen meats, chips and dips, and all the fixings. He whipped out a small grill and, before we had cracked open our first drinks, Paddy-O was grilling us hot dogs and mini calzones. We munched on Frito scoops and chipotle dipping sauce while the food grilled. Paddy-O opened the doors to the cab of the truck and blasted Johnny Cash, Frank Sinatra, and John Denver. My feet were sore, but my belly was full, and with every new beer that was opened, I was cheering with a retired politician from Texas, a school teacher on semi-permanent vacation, a middle-aged mechanical engineer, and another young, recent college grad. We were all singing "Country Road" at the top of our lungs and doing roadside jigs to "Ring of Fire." Soon, I would be making my way back up the dark trail, giggling and stumbling with my friends, ready to crawl into my sleeping bag and sleep away another peaceful forest night, filled with the overwhelming love and kindness shown to me by a stranger whom I may never see again. Passing cars may have smiled or shook their heads in confusion, but we all knew that we were caught in a moment that was truly, in all sense of the word, magical.¢remaining 722.5
Date: 2007-07-26
From: Mt. Algo Shelter, Kent, CT

To: Stewart Hollow Brook Shelter
Miles today: 7.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Greetings from Kent, CT, picture-perfect New England, except for the hordes of hikers sitting on the sidewalks, soaking up the sun in the town park, scamming free beer from the local liquor store, overrunning the laundry, taking much-needed baths in public sinks. And that was just my agenda for the afternoon in Kent.BirdLegs - check out her journal, for it's fantastic, plus she has a book coming out soon - describes Kent as such: ¢So, how can I tell that I'm in New England? Well, town stops just got really expensive. Things are suddenly very quaint -- lots of white picket fences, stone walls, cherubic looking children... and luxury cars everywhere. Okay, so the fleet of Volvos, Saabs, and Mercedes aren't really all too quaint, but they are yet another red flag signaling my entry into WASP country. Class issues aside, I love New England, and it's oh-so-good to be here. I've found myself in a hiker swarm. Not since Damascus have I seen so many other thru-hikers at a town stop. Once again, I'm strolling down the streets waving to everyone. It's so nice. What's nice is the fact that all of these great people have made it so far.¢ Kent is too expensive to stay the night, so the posse of hikers continued 7 miles into the woods, where the party really got started.   We somehow, taking advantage of the Ridge Runner¢s offer, managed a beer run, although through no effort of our own, with more alcohol than most of us needed in a week. BirdLegs sums it up best with ¢a chaotic and fun night ensued, of which, I'll spare you the scandalous details.¢ Ditto that. No one really needs to know what happened that night in the woods.miles remaining 715.5
Date: 2007-07-27
From: Stewart Hollow Brook Shelter

To: Toymaker's Cafe yard, Falls Village
Miles today: 18.1

I have a new hero, none other than my darling Unicycle Pirate, who built me a bridge today, I kid you not.Today included a bit of rough terrain, Connecticut¢s version of the roller coaster, never-ending ups and downs, sometimes called MUDS for mindless ups and downs, or PUDS for pointless ups and downs, in hiker lingo. Many from our scandalous affair last evening decided to avoid the roller coaster by rail blazing, or walking the train tracks to the next town instead. I, ever the purist hiker, in my mind anyways, decided I would hike the white-blazed AT, even with the more difficult terrain.The Ridge Runner from last night warned of an over protective vulture at some point in today¢s trail. And there she was, about halfway through today¢s miles, guarding something I didn¢t want to get close enough to find out. I steered clear of the danger by climbing on rocks as far away as I could without losing the trail. It looked like many other hikers before me had the same idea.I wonder if the many other hikers before me got as hopelessly lost and off the trail as did I. I retraced my steps again and again, still staying far away from the vulture, searching for the next blaze, looking for some   indication of a trail, for about 30 minutes without success. As I debated just sitting in the woods and waiting for the next hiker to find me, glory be, I spotted the trail. So I climbed back down the rocks and went on my merry way ¢ in the wrong direction of course. No wonder the trail looked so familiar.Darn that vulture. This time I just walked right past, eyes glued to one another, nearly nose to beak, as the actual trail passed directly in front, no rock scampering way to get around.As tired as I was, with only one mile remaining, I simply couldn¢t resist a swim, then perching on a big rock in the middle of the stream to dry in the sun. But after drying, how could I get back to land without getting wet again? That¢s when my superman spent about an hour collecting logs to build me a bridge to safety. Now that¢s what I call chivalrous. Unicycle Pirate, you¢re my hero.miles remaining 697.4
Date: 2007-07-28
From: Toymaker's Cafe yard, Falls Village

To: Plateau campsite, Salisbury, CT
Miles today: 8.5
Weather: scattered clouds

When it¢s raining in the morning, you have two options. Lay in your tent for a while hoping the skies will clear before setting out. Or get up, shove your wet, and now heavier, belongings into your pack as quickly as possible and start hiking. I chose the latter, for I wanted to make the post office in Salisbury before it closed. I figured I was going to get wet anyways, so I might as well get it over with.Salisbury is even more New England than is Kent - very upper middle class, white, and pricey.   Boy did I feel like I was transported to the wrong time and place, looking and I¢m sure smelling like something the cat drug in to this charming town. I¢m glad I had a resupply box waiting for me at the post office, for I could scarcely afford to buy anything here. Plus the ladies at the grocery store didn¢t seem to appreciate my hiker presence.The snobbery of most was more than compensated for by the graciousness of the staff at the White Hart Inn. Now this Inn is just as quaint, white, and pricey as is the rest of the town. But they are nice as can be to hikers, even with 10 of us taking over the joint. By early afternoon, everyone had poured into town, with hiker and belongings soaked from the morning rains. The White Hart Inn graciously allowed hiker trash to crash on their elegant and heavily cushioned wicker-clad front porch, with about 20 thousand dollars worth of gear laid out to dry in the front yard. Meanwhile, Rebel, BirdLegs, and I opted to spend at least a few dollars in the Inn¢s pub to procrastinate our day¢s hiking dilemma ¢ to hike or not is always the question. As he does with all big important decisions, Rebel got out his trusty quarter. When BirdLegs returned from the bathroom, we were still arguing the validity of this system, to which she incredulously asked, ¢are you two trons still arguing about the quarter?¢Rebel ¢ ¢Did you just call us trons?¢BirdLegs ¢ ¢Why yes I did.¢And so the Tronathon begins in Salisbury, CT, to be continued the remainder of the trail. Stay tuned for more exciting news from the tron front. I bet you can¢t wait.miles remaining 688.9
Date: 2007-07-29
From: Plateau campsite, Salisbury, CT

To: Hemlock Shelter
Miles today: 13.2

I realize my mileage has been sporadic and non-committal over the past few weeks since I returned to the trail in Delaware Water Gap. It¢s all part of the new me, enjoying each day for what it¢s worth, making the most out of my time on the trail, spending time with some of the most quality people I will ever meet. I¢m still making progress though, for today, slowly but surely, we crossed the state line into Massachusetts.   Ten states down and only four to go. Maybe I should slow my pace a bit more.The terrain right before the state line was beautiful, and it may have been my slowest mile of the trail to date. With swimming holes and waterfalls everywhere, who can resist the temptation of numerous breaks? Even when other hikers promise to do the same and then stand only in water up to their ankles, I¢m not one to resist a place to swim, no matter how cold the water. The miles and the remaining trail will still be there tomorrow.miles remaining 675.7
Date: 2007-07-30
From: Hemlock Shelter

To: Great Barrington, MA
Miles today: 8.0
Weather: scattered clouds

I think I am now the definition, quite possibly the epitome, of the term ¢hiker trash.¢ Although I hated this phrase up until today, it was only today that I began to embrace it for all its worth. I don¢t know if the townspeople of Great Barrington, MA appreciated my newfound identity, but I definitely don¢t think I was bothering anyone either. It¢s not my fault the library was closed today.The day began with good intentions, hitch into Great Barrington, visit the post office, stop at the pharmacy, and spend the afternoon at the library updating my now long-forgotten trail journals. You will soon realize that I have attempted many times to keep my faithful readers informed, but alas, situations completely out of my control always got in the way. The library in Great Barrington looks like a fabulously modern building, I¢m sure with high-speed Internet, eager to assist hikers, just not on a Monday.So we opted for the next best thing, instead lying on the sidewalk for three hours in front of the library. I just could not be bothered to move. I like to tell myself that we, in fact, provided a much-needed service to the community by informing other would-be patrons that the library is indeed closed on a Monday.miles remaining 667.7
Date: 2007-07-31
From: Great Barrington, MA

To: Mt. Wilcox Lean-to
Miles today: 11.7

Intentions were still good the next morning, as we prepared to leave town, but again, just couldn¢t muster the required energy. Bypassing the library, for we had already worn out its sidewalk the day prior, we moved on to the church, which offered the shade of a giant tree over a welcoming grassy plot. The we¢ll-leave-at-noon itinerary was deemed not the best start to our proposed daily miles, for the sun is at its peak during the midday hours. We had to wait until at least 2, but by 3, we would still have enough daylight to hike when the temperatures may begin to get cooler. Well then, 4 it is.Many people think MA is the standard postal abbreviation, shortened form of Massachusetts. They are mistaken, for the MA actually stands for ¢mosquito alley¢ or could be ¢mosquito attack¢ or even ¢mosquito assault.¢ I hear Massachusetts has some of the most resilient mosquitoes around, sucking up DEET like it¢s hot sauce on human flesh; spraying a few years back didn¢t help but instead created a more aggressive version resistant to any and all forms of repellent.Nor do I like the taste of mosquitoes. Granted, I may need the protein and extra calories at this point. In just a few short hours today, I swallowed one alive and whole, gagged on but fortunately was able to regurgitate another, dug far up there and blew air hanky style for the one stuck in my nose. I know, more information than you probably need, but that¢s life on the AT.miles remaining 656