morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2006-05-11
From: Yellow Springs Village

To: 501 Shelter
Miles today: 22.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Last night I didn¢t think that it would rain, so I didn¢t set up my tarp. However, at 5am, it began to rain, so I just wrapped the tarp around me and went back to sleep. When I woke up a little after 7am, all the tents and people were gone. I never saw them again. They must have been going SOBO.Rausch Creek¢s water scared me. The creek was running bright green. It wasn¢t green from plant life; the water and the rocks were green. It appears that they acidify the river for the trout through a ¢natural process.¢ Such a creek didn¢t look natural.Later before getting to PA443, the AT turned onto a dirt road. I saw a double baze indicate a turn, so I followed the bend in the dirt road. After wandering around for 20 minutes, I finally found the trail. It went straight where they had blazed a turn. They seem to be at least temporarily back to the system where a double blaze indicates an intersection and not necessarily a turn.After crossing a lot of roads, I finally went back into the woods. At the William Penn Shelter I met a section-hiker who was going to spend the night. However, I decided to push on to the 501 Shelter because I had heard it was really nice. In fact, I was really impressed by the 501 Shelter. On a day with heavy thunderstorms, it was good to have a roof over your head (and also four walls around you). The place was beautiful with bunks, a really nice table, and a skylight. Nearby is a solar shower and a port-a-potty. There wasn¢t really anything else you could ask for except maybe the companionship of other thru-hikers.
Date: 2006-05-12
From: 501 Shelter

To: Port Clinton
Miles today: 23.7
Weather: light rain

This morning at 11am my mother was at the Port Clinton Pavilion and saw clothing and sleeping bags hanging up. She called me and left a message that it was likely a group of thru-hikers. However, when I arrived at the Pavilion it was empty. I guess whoever had been there had decided to spend only a day and a half in town.For a change the weather was really nice today. Last night¢s thunderstorms cleared up for a beautiful day. The views from the trail overlooks were awesome . I like that this section had views of tree-covered mountains instead of towns. It kind of gives a feeling of remoteness though we are never really far from any town.
Date: 2006-05-19
From: Home

To: William Brien Memorial Shelter
Miles today: 21.7
Weather: light rain

As I mentioned in my previous entry, I am going to skip both NJ and CT because I have already completed them. If I have time, I will come back and backpack them both again, but right now I would like to see every foot of the AT if possible: I am especially looking forward to the White Mountains.This morning, in order to attempt beating rush hour, my mother and I woke up at 5am. However, after brushing our teeth, making chai, double-checking I didn¢t forget anything and stopping at a bagel shop, we were right in the middle of rush hour. The approximately 120 miles took us almost 4 hours. We decided to eat at a local diner near the trail (with slow service) and I didn¢t get on the trail until 10:45.The second I stepped out of the car it began to rain. It continued to rain for the next few hours. That made the trail extremely treacherous in some places. On the Eastern Pinnacles, there was this green lichen/moss type plant that gave you absolutely no traction. My adrenaline really got pumping as the trail went near a rock ledge drop of 60+ feet. Luckily, I took it really slowly and didn¢t fall off a cliff (well obviously if I am writing this, I didn¢t fall off a cliff).After a slippery rocks section, the AT became a river. My boots, that were completely dry after 1 12 days at home, were completely soaked, which annoys me because these ¢waterproof boots¢ were not waterproof since the day I got them.At the Wildcat Shelter I met two really dedicated day hikers. They had planned this hike for today and despite the rain, came out and had a good time.After crossing Lakes Road, the AT came to a stream before Fitzgerald Falls (which was really beautiful). For some reason the AT decided that it had to cross this stream at least eight times. That probably would have been OK on a dry day, but with all the rain, the stepping stones were underwater and the trail after crossing the stream was marshy.People always complain about PA being rocky and difficult, however, I think the hills in the first 20 miles of NY are especially difficult. It didn¢t help that the rain made the rocks impossible to climb (I think that I fell on my butt five or six times). Even on a dry day, the hills would be formidable. However, the views offered on the peaks of the NY hills were unlike any of the others so far on the AT. It is breathtaking as you crest a hill, come onto a large flat rock top and see views of lush trees, rivers, and some uniquely shaped mountains.There were also some interesting rock features, namely, the Lemon Squeezer. This is a natural rock crack that the AT goes through. However, it gets smaller and smaller until your pack can¢t fit in. Despite all the rain and the rocks, today was an awesome day. NY is a great state.Oh yeah, the shelter is really nice too. It uses the natural stone as one of its sides and was built by the CCC in the 30¢s. It¢s a very pretty area. However, I am very confused how all these hilltops have few trees and so much grass. Why haven¢t the forests grown densely or why hasn¢t heavy underbrush taken over?
Date: 2006-05-20
From: William Brien Memorial Shelter

To: Dennytown Road
Miles today: 23.4

Today as most of the last week, there was rain. On top of Black Mountain, I was supposed to be able to see New York City, but with the cloud cover and the partial fog, all I could see were some of the suburbs along the Hudson.As usual, I could tell that it was a weekend, seeing no fewer than 60 people along the trail, including two different Boy Scout troops, several birdwatchers, and a couple of professional photographers. Another rainy weekend and still massive numbers of hikers! I wonder what it would be like on a beautiful summer weekend?On top of Bear Mountain there were even more tourists and a group of 12 motor cyclists pointing to a road in the valley saying ¢Let¢s ride down that road; it looks like it has some wicked turns.¢ It was nice though, that I met a section hiker who I believe has completed the entire AT. He gave me a pemmican bar made of natural ingredients. It was pretty good, but I know that I would get tired of them pretty quickly. On my descent down to bear Mountain, NY ( Hessian lake), I saw dozens of people hiking up to the summit without a bag or even a water bottle.
Date: 2006-05-21
From: Dennytown Road

To: Morgan Stewart Shelter
Miles today: 19.7
Weather: few clouds

I have never seen a Cub Scout pack as efficient as the one staying at this campground. By 8am everyone was gone (except for me, because I am slow and like to sleep).Today was one of the easiest days in a while. The terrain was flat with only a few rocks. However, there were still awesome views which bring me to the conclusion that I love NY. Though I am biased since NY is my home state, I believe NY is the most beautiful of the nine states I¢ve seen on the AT so far ( I section-hiked NJ and actually NJ was quite beautiful too). I¢m not sure what it is, but the views in NY just inspire me.I passed the RPH Shelter today, but I couldn¢t find the shelter, just the cabin. It was weird; the book says that the shelter is on the AT, but I can¢t see it.A bit later, I came to NY52 and went just .4 miles ¢east¢ (I¢m not sure if it actually is east, but it is east compared to the north of the AT) to a pizzeria. Down South the pizza wasn¢t really good, but this was real NY pizza, the kind where you say ¢Wow, this is great.¢ After chowing down on a pizza, you can head next door to the convenience store where they sell B&J ice cream along with a large assortment of other foods, snacks, and newspapers.On the way back to the trail, I was met by a State Police officer who had never hiked, didn¢t know that the AT was there, and was eager to learn more. I spent a good 20 minutes answering questions like ¢Where do you sleep?¢ and ¢How do you get food and supplies?¢ He even wanted to learn more and said that he wanted to do some hiking. I told him that an outfitter could help him get started.In the late afternoon, I arrived at the Morgan Stewart Shelter to find no other hikers, but entries from three others who had passed through in the morning.
Date: 2006-05-22
From: Morgan Stewart Shelter

To: Bull's Bridge Road
Miles today: 22.2

Today I saw the most interesting behavior by a bird. Near Nuclear Lake there was a woodpecker that was throwing pieces of bark at me and two other hikers. We would move and it still would hit us. It was really strange.A little bit later, I went past the Dover oak, the largest tree on the AT. It was a fairly impressive tree. Its base didn¢t look that big to me though its girth was more than 20 feet. What really impressed me was the size and breadth of the branches. One stretched all the way across the road and then some. Looking up it was a massive tree.At NY22 there was a pleasant surprise, a hotdog stand set up just 200 feet from the trail. I stopped to eat four hotdogs, two bags of chips and a soda. The woman says that she sets up everyday except Sundays and days when it is snowing a lot.The next section of trail was extremely beautiful. We walked through fields with magnificent views of the mountains and trees. NY is by far the most beautiful state. I even met an artist/section-hiker who was so inspired by the scenery that he began to draw the landscape.Passing Hoyt Road, I entered CT. Although I am skipping CT, I backpacked to Bull¢s Bridge because my last hike ended at TMR lean-to and we had backtracked to Bull¢s Bridge. I though it very cool that our troop¢s entry on 07/10/05 was still in the register on page two. We called ourselves the ¢Intrepid Trekkers.¢At Bull¢s Bridge, I met my mother and we went to Housatonic Campground for the night. It was nice to take a shower after five days in the same wet clothes.
Date: 2006-05-23
From: Jug End Road

To: Mt. Wilcox North Lean-to
Miles today: 18.0

¢It¢s a beautiful day, the sun is shining, I feel good. I feel right and no ones going to stop me now. No way.¢ QueenI had this song in my head today because it was so fitting. Finally after days and days of rain, the sun burst through the clouds in a spectacle of light! I love the sun, the big ball in the sky that heats the earth! Days of hiking in the rain really make you appreciate a day without rain.There was some nice terrain today that kind of reminded me of central PA with the farms. Before going over the Housatonic River, we passed through several scenic farms and paralleled the river. The AT in this section was flat without rocks; it was just perfect to enjoy the day.Though it was sunny, the AT was like walking in a river. In many places there was ankle-deep mud and/or water. My legs which began clean from a shower were once again encased in mud. But if I look on the bright side, it should do wonders for my skin.Much of Massachusetts, so far at least, seems to pass through/by marshland and ponds. It is a nice change in scenery from just the mountaintops. However, what I really enjoyed was walking through the pine forests. I find this so relaxing and beautiful. There is a soft mat of pine needles under your feet and an even canopy over your head. It¢s impossible to describe the feeling I get when I walk though these forests.At the shelter, I met up with Woody Crow whom I had met at Dutch House and Colorado Pete, a section-hiker currently doing NY to VT. Colorado Pete had set up his hammock in the shelter. After about 10-15 minutes in his hammock, he came crashing down to the ground. The log to which he had connected one end had ripped out, leaving nails exposed. Then he reconnected the hammock to a supporting beam. I was afraid that the whole shelter would come down.I look forward to another sunny, beautiful day tomorrow, or as they say at Camp Hart ¢another glorious day in paradise.¢
Date: 2006-05-24
From: Mt. Wilcox North Lean-to

To: October Mountain Lean-to
Miles today: 22.8
Weather: broken clouds

I think night-hikers are a little crazy. This morning Woody Crow left at 4:30am so he could put in a long day. I¢m a little amazed that people put in these 30+ mile days on a regular basis. If you exclude the quad-state craziness, my longest day was only 25.7. I don¢t find anything longer than that much fun.Today was much like yesterday, beautiful and sunny. Again I passed several ponds and a whole lot of marshland. There were several wooden plank walkways. Beware though, they are not always stable. One broke in half when I walked on it. Another one went completely sideways and made it so I fell into the mud. A third came up and almost bopped me. Another one sunk a foot plus, making the walkway moot. Beware of these conveniences; you might end up muddy anyway.There was an interesting section on the trail today. After crossing the interstate, the AT made a loop under itself. It was the only time that the AT was above my head. On a map it would look like the AT crossed itself.October Mountain Shelter was huge. As of 8:30pm there were no other hikers. The only people I saw were two section-hikers and a businessman who likes to stop by the woods to relax and wind down when he is on trips.
Date: 2006-05-25
From: October Mountain Lean-to

To: Cheshire
Miles today: 21.1

The trail today was basically flat. As a result, there were relatively few views, though there wasn¢t a cloud in the sky. I think that I am getting spoiled with three days in a row with nice weather.The highlights of the day were passing through Dalton and Cheshire. Both were pretty little New England towns. The trail went right through the middle of Dalton, past dozens of houses, following the road for more than a mile.Though many people hate passing through towns, I rather enjoy it. It¢s a nice change of scenery. It¢s also interesting to see how towns change from region to region.In Cheshire I ate ice cream at a shop right next to the trail. They are very friendly and even have a register to sign. After crossing Rt. 8, I decided to go to the Shell gas station for some snacks. It was funny that a 2 liter bottle of Coke was 99¢ while a 20 0z. bottle was $1.39. You obviously know which I chose.
Date: 2006-05-26
From: Cheshire

To: Seth Warner Shelter
Miles today: 20.9
Weather: clear sky

Today was certainly exciting. The first several miles were through forests that had a lot of spruce. The smell was intoxicating. It was just blissful to walk through this section.It was really exciting to summit Mt. Greylock. I believe that it is the tallest peak in Massachusetts. On the top is Bascom Lodge. I got some food at the snack bar, even though my stomach wasn¢t feeling well. The lodge looked really nice, but it was too early in the day to stop. After eating, I climbed to the top of the war memorial. With the around 90 spiral stairs, I was so dizzy. On most days the view would be amazing, but the haze, fog and clouds obscured most everything. As I am coming off the tower, a ranger approaches me and tells me that there are severe thunderstorms and fist-sized hail in Albany. He said that it was just 50 miles away. I quickly went down the mountain. About halfway down, I was hit with a mild thunderstorm. It lasted about 30 minutes. The ranger made it sound like I was heading out with a monster storm coming.A bit later, the AT went through yet another town, North Adams. Past all these houses, the school, over the river, and up the highway, the AT really let you experience the town.After leaving the town, the AT paralleled a stream. Somehow though, I got off onto an old road and went 12+ minutes. I saw what I thought were faded blazes which turned out to be white bark. The only reason I realized that I wasn¢t on the trail was that I was going downhill and passing the state forest boundary markers.Once I found the trail again, I continued north into Vermont where I was welcomed with signs telling about the Long Trail and the Green Mountain Club. From the border to the shelter, the trail was fairly flat and easy except for one muddy spot which almost ate my right boot. It really wasn¢t fun to walk with thick gritty mud.
Date: 2006-05-27
From: Seth Warner Shelter

To: Goddard Shelter
Miles today: 21.6
Weather: light rain

There are two things that characterize Vermont so far: mud and bugs. I would say that a good third of the trail is full of 6-8 inch deep mud. Unfortunately, people have started to widen the trail by going to the right or the left of the mud. In some parts, there are multiple trails or a 10-15 foot wide trail. It¢s really bad what people are doing. Can¢t they just stay on the trail and get a little muddy? As for the bugs: they are absolutely and completely insane. When I stop for water, I quickly put the filter together, pump as fast as I can and run away. There are literally hundreds if not thousands of bugs swarming around my head. When I stop to look at a pretty view there¢s no escaping them.For a lot of today I was in a fairly remote area. When I was more than five miles from the nearest road I saw a guy running down the AT/LT without a shirt and without any water or pack. Considering the heat, bugs and mud, this guy must have been insane (well, is he more insane than a thru-hiker?).It was quite obvious that today was not just a weekend, but Memorial Day weekend. As I passed VT9 there was a parking lot that was completely full with at least 20 cars. Many of them were going south like the five groups I saw or north just to the first shelter. The shelter I chose to stay at (Goddard) turned out to be the most remote on the Long Trail. As a result the busiest hiking day of the year yielded only eight people and two dogs. We fit comfortably in the 8-month-old shelter, and all of the people there were interesting. There was a family of four ( Papa Bear, Tumbleweed, Bobcat, and Dragonfly). They were from NH just north of Boston. They are attempting to section hike the entire LT. Another guy, Jeff, comes up from RI every Memorial Day to hike this section of the trail. It was nice to talk to these people, but it wasn¢t crazy like I¢m sure almost every other shelter was.Oh yeah, I forgot last night I scared the rest of the people in the shelter. You know that I talk in my sleep, but I¢ve never done anything like this: in the night I yelled ¢holy s**t!¢ Somebody asked what was wrong and I said that there was a yellow snake in the trail. Soon enough they realized that I was talking in my sleep and calmed down.
Date: 2006-05-28
From: Goddard Shelter

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

I am still definitely sick; I felt weak and a bit dizzy all day. My pace on flat ground for the first 12 miles was about 2 mph. My stomach still hurts and I have a headache. However, towards the late afternoon, after taking some pain reliever, I began to feel a little better.After passing Arlington Road and seeing 20+ cars, I thought for sure that the shelter would be swamped with screaming kids, partying teenagers, and gabby tourists. However, to my surprise, there was nobody. I really appreciated all the silence after being mentally prepared for a mob.Before arriving at the shelter, I passed over Stratton Mountain, the supposed birthplace of both the AT and the LT. The views from the top of the fire tower were really inspiring. Though it was a bit hazy, the 360 degree view was incredible.There was also another fire tower today on Glastonbury Mountain. The caretaker for Stratton Pond Shelter, TJ, had spent two months with another volunteer rebuilding the tower. That really was a difficult feat he told me. All the steps were replaced, and railings built. They also installed cables to stabilize the tower.
Date: 2006-05-29
From: Stratton Pond Shelter

To: Peru Peak Shelter
Miles today: 20.7
Weather: scattered clouds

¢I would now like to have this marked as prosecution #32.¢¢Do you recognize this water bottle sunset?¢ he asked me.¢Yes, I always carry it in my backpack.¢ I answered.¢Well,¢ he said ¢Isn¢t it true that on May 29, 2006 you used this water bottle to kill an innocent mosquito?¢There I was in a courtroom packed with black flies and mosquitoes, sitting before a jury of angry insects, My trial or mass murder and attempted genocide didn¢t last long. Within minutes I was sentenced to death and was dragged off by a mob of bugs.Wow, good thing this was all just a day dream inspired by my killing a mosquito with my water bottle.Well, in the real world I wasn¢t sentenced to death. In fact, it was a very beautiful, although, hot day. Seeing Stratton Pond this morning made all the insect annoyances OK. It was so peaceful. It really wasn¢t like the other ponds that were very mucky; this one was clean and clam. I was tempted to jump in for a swim, but for some reason, I¢m not sure why, I didn¢t.Down the trail, I came to Prospect Rock. At the side trail were four parked ATVs. I was afraid that they were going to be a bunch of drunken partiers, but it turned out to be just a family going out for a ride on Memorial Day.Next, I climbed up Bromley Mountain. This was a pretty cool experience because we actually followed the ski slope for a couple tenths of a mile. At the top there was a tower that let us see a hazy view of the surrounding mountains. That was a little strange because it was a clear sunny day but the visibility was very low. The AT went straight past the ski lift and I could see that the trail I followed was only a green circle (easy slope). Now why couldn¢t the AT be on a black diamond (difficult slope)?As we descended from Bromley into Mad Tom Notch, the trail was topped with several inches of stone. Apparently, there is a guy who adopted this section of trail and comes in with buckets of stone to lay on the trail. He is really dedicated and has spent weeks helping maintain the trail.Between Styles Peak and Peru Peak, I met a couple who¢ve hiked a lot together. The guy told me that the crews in the Whites are really nice and understanding of thru-hikers. That eases some of the fears I have about the upcoming trail. After I left this couple, I spent several minutes trying to get past blowdown after blowdown. In one part, there was a 10-tree pileup with no way under, to the left or the right. The only option was trying to get over a chest-high pine tree with branches sticking out.After passing through that challenging area, I came to Peru Peak Shelter where I met my first LT thru-hiker, Taylor. He is from VT (Burlington) and alsodeferred from college for a year after high school.