morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2006-06-20
From: RPH Shelter

To: a shelter
Miles today: 16.0
Weather: light rain

Easy 16 mile day today over some nice terrain and even a lake to swim in. >There were tons of fisherman in the area so I found myself a nice little >cove and had a dip. There were tons of fish by me - I should have told the >fisherman to walk down the trail a bit! They didn't seem to be catching >anything. >I have the weirdest blister in the crease of my big toe. I don't know why >or how but it's there and it hurts. It may be the difference between a 13 >mile day or a 21 mile day. >In the shelter right now are all GA people! Law & Order, brothers born in >Savannah, are here, Buttercup, an Atl boy and then yours truly! How fun is >that. Anyone walking up on us would think they have done a time warp back >to the start of their hike. >Okay, the mosquitoes are unbelievable. First of all I have never seen >ponds/swampy areas on mountains but it's possible in NY. And they just >encourage those little pests. I was thinking that if I layed down and >sacrificed myself to them everyone else could have a good hike but then >decided that would just encourage them, getting a taste of this sweet GA >peach. So I better just keep slapping myself silly trying to kill them and >pray the West Nile Virus is under control. >
Date: 2006-06-24
From: a shelter

To: Cornwall Bridge, CT
Miles today: 0.0

Welp, I got into Cornwall Bridge, Ct on Thur. afternoon eagerly >anticipating the arrival of Mallow but she had a very hectic week and >couldn't make it until Fri. evening. Which was awesome because I took a >zero day and rested my feet, which needed a little recouping. So Go Go >drove Mallow down and I had a full day of lying in bed and watching tv then >we all went and had a big Italian dinner. It was awesome. We slept well >and this morning Go Go dropped us off and into the woods we hiked! It so >great to finally have someone out here that I know and can share food with >- we had puddin for dessert tonight. Not too mention that I can finish >Mallow's dinners until she gets her hiker appetite. Mine seems to have >come with a vengence! Of course now I'll be doing less miles so I can't >eat as much or I'll end up gaining weight! So after a short 6 mile day we >are at the shelter resting up and getting ready for another fun day of >hiking tomorrow! Mallow broke her pole already, so we will be heading to town to try to remedy that situation soon but in the meantime there are boy scouts here with a whole role of duct tape so we splintered it for now. Her pole looks like there's a cast on it. But it's not going to be able to hold any weight so hopefully tomorrow's hiking will be easy.
Date: 2006-06-27
From: Cornwall Bridge, CT

To: Salisbury, CT
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: moderate rain

We got McGiver! Here's how: on Sunday Mallow and I were hiking thru the river called the AT, absolutely drenched to the bone when we decided town would be a good idea for several reasons 1) Mallow broke her pole and it was very slippery and steep in sections, 2) Mallow's glasses were fogged beyond belief due to the extremely high humidity, 3) McGiver was trying to find us and we wanted him to find us, 4) We could pour water out of our shoes by the bucketful and 5) A guy in a truck said "Hey, you want a ride into town?" so we didn't hesitate. Into Salisbury, CT we went. We stayed in the lovely White Hart Inn and then McGiver and Maybe showed up on Monday! It was the best. We had a lovely dinner, celebrated McGiver's b-day, which is today, had two great nights sleep and finally made it back out to the trail. Five miles of nice hiking brought us into the Brassie Brook Lean-To with a Mom, Bro, and Sis doing a section hike and lots of thru-hikers. They are catching up to us and will be passing us in droves soon. We plan on taking it nice and easy until Mallow and McGiver get their hiking legs back. Perfectly fine with me, I'm in no hurry, as I have said before. I just can't eat as much as I have been else I'll end up 200 lbs. by the end of the hike. I sure did stuff my face in Salisbury though, and enjoyed every minute of it. I even packed out a small birthday cake for McGiver with candles and all which was great! We sang and ate cake. So, what I have learned is, you can have your cake ad eat it too, you just have to carry it up a mountain.
Date: 2006-06-28
From: Salisbury, CT

To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

The trail is a series od rivers and ponds. No kidding. I'm talking about puddles up and over my ankles, water running down Mt. Everett like a waterfall/river. It was amazing. We heard there were excellent views today but what we saw were clouds. Thick, dense clouds that swirled around you, so thick everyone near you was just a haze. It was truly amazing. I wonder if the trail even resembles a river when it's not as rainy. It looked like we were walking in river and streambeds all day. I've been at the shelter for 2 hours and I'm still soggy. I don't think my feet will become un-prune like anytime soon. I'm loving it. And now Mallow and McGiver are here and I'm just plum diggity happy. I smiled all day - thought it was a great day of hiking. I'm also listening to the mix cd Go-Go made for me and I love it. I've heard Johnny Cash, Lynard Skynard and so many more. What a nice treat. I'm going to contimplate dinner now.
Date: 2006-06-29
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

So, I'm a slacker. I haven't written in so long and now I have a ton to catch y'all up on. I'll start from the beginning. On Thur., June 29 we set out to go into Great Barrington because we were out of food. The day was very rocky and slick due to the copious amount of rain and humidity. We slide and fell and then Mallow really fell. She had decided to butt slide down a large rock, Gator style, when something caught and sent her flying face first into a rather large rock. Not only was it extremely scary due to the fact we were on a ridge, she mashed her face into the rock. So Great Barrington was a definite stay the night - we needed ice. Once we got to the road Mallow took off her pack and I discovered a very large rip in the seat of her britches. Now we also needed pants. We put it together that her pants are what caught her and sent her flying so the phrase "Those pants are the devil," or the easier term of "devil pants" became a common saying all over Great Barrington.   So what does the Pod do when they need help? They call super Go-Go and the mini-cooper comes to the rescue. Four! people and three backpacks stuffed into a mini, thank god it's convertible. So Go-Go comes and gets Mallow on the 30th and takes her to EMS for new pants and a Camalback for me since mine had sprung a leak and McGiver and I get slack-packed 9 miles. We stay in a very nice hotel room 2 days in a row! Of course town comes with town food and I get very full. I had a root beer float from Friendly's. After a taco salad and 2 beers from the brewery. I got a stomach ache.
Date: 2006-07-01
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Onto July 1: the three of us hike out of Great Barrington, Go-Go goes home and we trudge up the mountain with more food than we need and packs weighing an ungodly amount. So for the first day of July, a Saturday, we hike a nice/hard 9 miles to Shakercampsite. Shaker was an awesome spot that used to be a colony of celibate, dancing christians, known as Shakers, that were beaten up by the other christians. They made their own colony which didn't last too long. As I pointed out, since they were celibate they had to recruit and no sex but dancing is probably a hard sell. Now hikers use that colony to dance away the mosquitoes. It was an awesome night spent with the family - Zephyr, Monkey, and Yoda. M&M and Kilo also joined us. There were about 5000 fireflies there giving us a show once the sun went down and a 4th of July celebration in the little town that we could hear. As I was drifting off to sleep my tent got buzzed by a firefly and it was a totally awesome effect, but then it was followed by a huge bang that made me think we were under attack. Upon further inspection I realized we were getting a rather groovy fireworks display that was echoing all through the mountains and lighting up the mountain we were on. We had quite a lovely view through the trees and for such a small town it sure was a great show. It was definately a magical night.
Date: 2006-07-02
To: Upper Goose Pond Cabin
Miles today: 10.0
Weather: haze

Now July 2 could very possibly top that. After a very quick 10 mile day I arrived at Upper Goose Pond Cabin just in time for lunch. What I found was a 2 story "house" with lots of bunk space, a gas stove, a huge lake and a canoe! So, I went for a swim, got all the sweaty salt cleansed off me by the fresh water, had lunch, got rowed out to an island in the middle of the lake by McGiver and Mallow, swam back, and then ate dinner. It was a wonderful day. My bunk was right by a large screen window looking over the trees and lake. I slept like a baby. We had lots of company at the cabin including Kilo, Bear Cannister, the family, Master Plan, Mr. Wizard and Rue, plus a few others and a lovely caretaker named Peggy who lives in NYC and made us lots of pancakes this morning. Great way to start a hike. After another easy 9 miles we are at October Mountain Shelter and I am getting eatin alive by mosquitoes. Mallow has a huge blister under her big toe that makes her look like she has a Fred Flinstone toe and it really hurts her. But she has drilled two holes into the nail and has been draining the fluid - eeewwww. It's gnarly. Hopefully tomorrow it will feel better for the 12 mile day into Dalton where we hope someone will let us camp in their yard. After they BBQ and feed us. I hope they do fireworks, that would be so fun. Or bingo.   It's been a lovely day weather wise and hopefully that will hold up for the next few days. The humidity was actually low today and the sky has been blue. Neither my body nor my mind has been giving me trouble in the three weeks I have been out here and I look forward to the next 2 months. As Kilo and Master-Plan commented this morning "You are the happiest hiker I have ever met." What's not to be happy about?
Date: 2006-07-04
From: Upper Goose Pond Cabin

To: Mr. Tom's House
Miles today: 9.0

Wow, did I have a great 4th of July! We started off the day with an easy 9 mile hike into Dalton, MA that took us directly in front of Mr. Tom's house. Mr. Tom has been a trail angel for over 25 yrs. and was hosting a nice little get together for any hiker coming through town. We were a few of the lucky ones! First we relaxed under his big ole maple tree sippin sodas until he drove us (me, Magiver, Mallow, Tony the tiger, Tucan Sam, Cosmic Punchline, and Kilo) to a great swimming hole that was at the base of a huge waterfall. The water was freezing but we were dirty so it sure felt good! After that he cooked a huge dinner of pasta, chili and corn on the cob. It was fantastic! We had watermelon for dessert and I could barely move after that. I don't think I have eaten so much in a week! Then to round off the evening he drove all of us over to Pittsfield to see the fireworks. The town put on a great display and we surely enjoyed it. After that we were exhausted so ! were happy to hit our tents set up in his backyard and the soft grass they were on.
Date: 2006-07-05
From: Mr. Tom's House

To: St. Mary's Church
Miles today: 9.0

On the 5th we got up, ate a great breakfast down the street, did our PO stuff and hiked on out of town. It was a beautiful day of hiking with perfect weather. The trail was in great shape and we had some lovely views. After 9 miles we hit Cheshire, MA and the ice cream shop! Three root beer floats later (one for each of us) we hit St. Mary's church where we spent the night. They've also been hosting hikers for 25 or 30 yrs. Father Dan was awesome and happy to see us. We were happy to have an inside toilet two nights in a row, although we haven't had a shower in a week! One of the coolest things about Cheshire was being able to look up at the mountain and see a rock formation that we had passed during the day. It's rare to be able to see exactly where you had walked.
Date: 2006-07-06
From: St. Mary's Church

To: Mt. Greylock Lodge
Miles today: 8.0

Today we woke up and got prepared to climb Mt. Greylock, the highest peak in MA. Mallow and I had Thai Sesame Noodles for breakfast and started our climb out of Cheshire. It was fabulous. About 8 miles, 2500 ft. in elevation, done in under 4 hours. I was a hiking god today. Master Plan came up the mountain and told me that I had smoked Mallow and Magiver up the mountain. But I really hadn't, Magiver made it up 30 min. after me and Mallow 30 min. after that. It was a gorgeous day of hiking. No bugs, nice cool day, wonderful terrain, couldn't have had a better day. And now we are on the summit of Mt. Greylock staying in the lodge, relaxing and waiting for Go-Go to come get us. We're showered so we smell a little better, hopefully we won't offend anyone at dinner. Go-Go will be slacking us down the mountain tomorrow and then taking us to a hot air balloon festival in NH for the weekend. It's got a tractor pull and pancake breakfast. I'm excited! It's time for anot! her zero day or two anyway. But then Mallow leaves us and that makes me very sad. Magiver and I will be on our own, at least for the next couple weeks.      <
Date: 2006-07-07
From: Mt. Greylock Lodge

To: Hillsboro, NH
Miles today: 6.0

What do you get when you mix hikers, fair rides, and carnival food? Fat, dizzy, stinky, happy people. And so we were. After an easy 6 miles down Mt. Greylock on Fri. Go-Go drove us to Hillsboro, NH for a really fun hot air balloon fest. Not only did Magiver, Mallow and me go we, successfully succeeded in kidnapping Master Plan. Master was doing 35 miles a day until he met us and now he is corrupt! What fun. Cous Cous met us there on Sat. and we were really rockin' then. On Fri. Go-Go and Master Plan ran a 5K race and both did really well, then we ate lots of food at Olive Garden and passed out. Of course we each had two drinks with dinner.
Date: 2006-07-08
From: Hillsboro, NH

To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

On Sat. with Cous in tow we went to see "Pirates of the Carribean", which was so much fun. And after all the stunts they pulled in the movie I was ready to ride some fair rides! I got everyone on the squirrel cages right off the bat and I had forgotten how much fun they were! We all screamed and I giggled the whole ride! None of us could walk straight after, you would have thought we were drunk. It was awesome. But we had to take a break so we ate some food and watched the hot air balloons blow up. So cool. They are huge! It's really interesting how they get them blown up and into the air. Then it was Tornado time! Magiver, Mallow, Master Plan and I spinning the car faster then any car has ever spun while Guns-n-Roses "Welcome to the Jungle" played. As Mallow quipped, "It was like the teacups on acid." We were going so fast our heads were being thrown back from the gravity! It was fabulous. Then it was time for more food and a game of frisbee! Master Plan hadsecured us a frisbee in the big giveaway and what else do you do but play and try not to whack the locals. We laughed so hard, especially when Go-Go's mis-thrown disc landed smack dab in the face of a woman eating ice cream. And when Cous threw hers backward. Six hikers and a frisbee = dangerous fun. After it got too dark to play we decided it was Tilt-a-Whirl time. Master Plan being a Tilt virgin, Go-Go and I rode with him and schooled him in the art of leaning to make the car spin faster. Cous remarked that she had never seen any car go so fast. We were so dizzy at the end! All I could do was giggle all day. It was magnificent. After all that excitement and the country band (in NH?) there were fireworks. And a great show it was. It was one of the best displays I have ever seen. We were sitting right under them so we got the full effect. Those suckers are huge. It was amazing. But before we could leave we had to do one last twirl on the Tilt-a-Whirl. Again, giggling the whole way. Master figured out that once we got to spinning, if he leaned forward we would spin faster. It rocked. We drove back to the hotel happy as ever.
Date: 2006-07-10
From: Hillsboro, NH

To: Bennington
Miles today: 17.0
Weather: light rain

Today, Monday, was a big day. After 12 miles we hit the shelter but since it was only 5 more miles into Bennington and the hiker chow down tomorrow we decided to come on down the mountain. Right now I'm sitting in an adorable motel and we just had the biggest dinner of bratwurst and freshly brewed ales. Now we are waiting for the All-Star game to come on and there are six beers chillin in the sink. Of course I may pass out before they get drunk. I love the hiker life. So tomorrow is another zero, I have to go to the outfitter and replace another piece of gear (my headlamp) and then we are invited to eat and drink for free in the center of town. Oh, by the way, I crossed into Vermont today. Yeah, another state finished! And I can see why they call the mountains "The Green Mountains." They are fab! I'm very excited about the next few weeks. On the 15th Magiver and I will get picked up at Manchester Center, VT and carted up to Pinkham Notch, NH by Maybe Muscles and we will hike south through the White Mountains to Hanover, NH. Then we will be picked up and shuttled back to Manchester Center, VT where Kapodin 2006 starts. We will hike back up to Hanover, NH and then I'll be shuttled back to the other side of the Whites. I can't wait to see eveyone in the POD. It'll be a fun ten days of hiking and getting R-Kid's pool dirty! Did I mention that I love the hiker life?         Hope everyone is doing well at home! Love you guys!
Date: 2006-07-11
From: Bennington

To: Hiker Chow Down
Miles today: 0.0

So Bennington and the hiker chow down was a fun time had by all. The keg of beer wasn't tapped out till late in the evening and and the food was gone early. Magiver, Master and me each had like 3 or 4 beers and we were all snoring that night. It was nice to sit in town and relax.
Date: 2006-07-12
From: Hiker Chow Down

To: Vermont
Miles today: 0.0

On Wednesday we opted for the 10am shuttle back to the trail to give us plenty of time eat breakfast atthe Blue Benn diner. Yummy! It's one of those old fashioned diners with juke boxes on every table and for 25 cents you get 2 songs. We played some oldies and chowed down on, among other things, gingerbread pancakes, biscuits and gravy, and lots of eggs. After breakfast we caught the shuttle and headed on up the mountain. It was a rainy day but the trail was gorgeous. Some good ups and downs with forest all around. It was a wonderful day. I got to the shelter just as the skies really opened up and got huddled safe inside with about 12 other hikers. And the hikers kept coming in just as the rain kept pouring down. I finally decided to set up my tent after a mother and 14 yr. old son decided to share a spot right next to me. I knew that I wouldn't sleep a wink and it was worth it to have a wet tent. Of course with the humidity it was wet both inside and outside but the lightning was cool. And I was away from all the people so I had a quiet night and morning. It was! obvious how quiet when Magiver came knocking on the tent at 8:30 and I was still laying in bed. But it was still pissing rain and I only had 10 miles to do so I decided to lay in bed a little longer. It was definately the latest I had gotten out of camp, 10 in the morning. And I still made it to camp by 2pm.
Date: 2006-07-13
From: Vermont

To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Vermont sure is living up to it's reputation of being muddy! I've had mud caked up both sides of my legs the past two days. Sandman reckoned that there was no more mud left on the trail because I had it all on me. It sure felt like it at the end of today. I had mud on my clothes, my boots, me! And there was no getting around it. I finally gave up and just started stepping directly in it. My new shoes put up a good fight but finally succumbed to the drenching mud after 6 miles. I am slowly getting used to the new shoes but they don't hold on to rocks at all. The proof is the nice big bruise forming on my behind right now. It's going to be a doozy. I sure wish I could show it off. Or at least get somone to massage it for me! I don't think I'll get anyone to kiss it either. Oh well, one day someone's going to want to kiss my ass. I guess just not when it's a nasty hiker behind.
Date: 2006-07-16
From: Mt. Washington

To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Well, I finished my first day in the Whites! After arriving in Manchester Center, VT yesterday Maybe Muscles came to ferry Magiver and me up to Pinkham Notch, NH for our big southbound adventure. Only now it's just me. Magiver saw Maybe and realized how much he had missed her and went home to Maine and left me all alone. I'm not at all suprised and pretty much figured that would happen. So, for the next few days I get to be an angel to a new thru-hiker every night we were scheduled in a hut. Tonight my old friend Brian, whom I met first day out, was the lucky winner. I am sad though, I hadn't planned on being alone so now I have to get a new mind set. Maybe and Magiver did hike with me to above treeline today, which was good because it was so beautiful I couldn't really cry when they left. It's absolutely magnificent up here. The day is gorgeous and I can see the ridges that I've climbed and am going to climb. I can see for miles. I'm very lucky to have a day so perfect, it's not very common. The rocks are tricky and I was very slow going up and down. Basicaly, once above treeline all you do is pick your way over big boulders and smaller rocks and around them and over them... It can get frustrating while being fun at the same time. Hopefully tomorrow I'll be a little faster than I was today, I do have 12 miles to do, including Mt. Washington! I'm at Madison Hut tonight and it's pretty weird. There are so many people here who must've hiked the shorter routes up. The Whites are designed more for weekenders who will pay lots of money for a bed, dinner, and breakfast. I wouldn't have necessarily opted to stay in the huts if I had known I would be hiking alone. But I'm sure it will be a fun experience and I don't have to worry about cooking for the next few days. I plan on being in Hanover on the 27th and then heading down for Kapodin. The dates have gotten a little mixed up but I've decided to take a little bit more control of my hike and let the POD find me. I can't sit around and wait for people who might not come and hike and I can't keep getting left by people hiking with me. It gets depressing. I want to have some sort of group that I know around me when I summit Katahdin so I'm not alone doing that.   Since I plan on finishing the Long Trail I will have solitude for the last 2 weeks of my hike and so I! want the last few weeks of the AT with people. It's got to be great getting to the top of Katahdin and having people you know and have hiked with excited for you.         Well, I think that I will make myself more comfortable in the grass by the brook that I have found and read my book. The sun is shining on me and I am in an area I have only dreamed about. I can't believe I'm finally getting to hike it.