morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2004-05-03
From: RPH Shelter

To: Wiley (Webatuck) Shelter
Miles today: 24.7

Log entry: 93Start time: 0830End time: 1820Morning weather: Light rain but mildAfternoon weather: Rain off and on all day,most of the day was spent without rain gear on and I muscled out the mist.Evening weather: Solid, steady rain and falling temps, 40 deg @ 21:00Breakfast: Fudge Rounds and Star Crunch and Instant Breakfast, chocolate I believeLunch: Bleu cheese bacon burger, Doritos, and black cherry soda from the hotdog bus on RT 55.Dinner: Meatloaf,stuffing, mashed potatoes, corn, and cornbread from Boston Market brought to the shelter by "Socks" and her husband.Trail description: Another easy day of walking. Some short climbs but nothing absurd. Lots of mud after crossing NY22.People: The guys at the shelter in the morning but I didn't catch all their names. One I think was "Douglas" who hiked last year from GA-Hanover,NH before getting sick. At night Socks and her husband.Animals: Furry woodland beasts and some moo cows.Money spent: $5.75 for lunchBiggest complaint: It's a good day when you have to think for a few seconds about what was your biggest complaint and all you can come up with is, "It was kinda rainy".Thoughts: I slept great and felt even better when I got up at 0730. It started raining at about 0800. I had pleasent conversation with Dick and Dave who were still packing up.Today was pretty uneventful as far as things I want to remember and/or thingsyou want to hear about. I didn't see any orange salamanders today. I did walkthrough a pasture just after NY22 and the cow were loitering on the bridge which crosses a stream. There was no skirting around the cows and they moved along once I started crying out.Once at the shelter I got my water gathering equipment together and then grabbed a bucket and headed down to the water pump. On my way down I ran into Socks and her husband who had their arms loaded with stuff. We had been in email contact and she wanted to bring some magic to me. Timing was perfect. The food was still hot and I was of course hungry.It was nice to have great conversation again even if it only lasted for a while.Sunrises and vistas all become the same but the people are what make the Trailso special.Speaking of people, the caretaker for this shelter is Robert Woodin, The IceMan, and he checks in on the shelter about 3-4 times a week. The area is neatand the shelter is very well organized and maintained. It is good to know thatthere are still people around who take pride in their work. Thanks again Mr.Woodin.
Date: 2004-05-04
From: Wiley (Webatuck) Shelter

To: Silver Hill Campsite
Miles today: 22.9
Weather: broken clouds

Log entry 941-08452-19453b-clear,damp, and coolc-clear and mildd-starry night, full moon, 40 deg, We're wearing sunglasses, Lets hit it...4B-vanilla CIB with honey nut cheerios from Socks, cliff barL-poptarts,candybars, peanutsD-chicken tetrazini, instant potatoes, vanilla pudding5-Most of today was in Connecticut which reminded me a bit of Virginia. 3 goodclimbs today and an insane downhill off Calebs Peak. The downhill part is calledSt. Johns Steps. Basically it is just big rock steps but most of the drops arelike 2-3 feet. So I went slow. Then the trail follows the Housatonic River foralmost 5 or 6 miles. The grade is almost flat. Then a tough climb up to Silverhill but its worth it.6-several section hikers and Muddy Elephant who is doing a section of the ATtoo. No one here at the campsite though.7-lots of avarian species along the river (quackers, honkers, herons, even acormorant I think)8-none9-life is good10-I am tired now, whooped actually. Its 2230 and I am laying on the wooden deckat Silver Hill campsite. The moon is bright enough to see without a headlamp andthe stars are brilliant.A great day on the AT. I got my food drop in Kent. It feels like all of "AisleE" is in my pack but eating is a fundamental constraint.I ran into a "snake guy" at the post office. He is some kind of biologist andrattlesnake expert. He says most of the rattlers aren't out yet. Still notenough sustained warm weather. He says the snake I probably saw was a hognose.On my walk back to the trail out of Kent I met some pretty coeds on the sidewalk. All I said was "Afternoon ladies" but I meant, "You know back home I shower twice a day, wear a different "oufit" everyday, routinely shave and my hair is usually closely trimmed and "gellified", plus I wear deodorant rather routinely, I have a jeep and a yellow lab." They cooed, of that I am fairly confident.Then I walked past the tennis courts where the women's tennis team was practicing. And to think I sent my racket home at Neels Gap. My head is nodding as I type indicating to me that I must be tired. So withthat, until tomorrow or whatever comes first.
Date: 2004-05-09
From: Mt. Greylock 

To: Grange Hall Road (The Campbells) 
Miles today: 19.7

Log entry 99Start Time-1330End Time- 1900Morning Weather-brrr cold and rainy. Nice and pleasant in church thoughAfternoon Weather- foggy and cloudy atop Mt. Greylock but the afternoon turned sunny and pleasant.Evening-Not sure, I am inside and intend to stay that way until morning. Breakfast- Scrambled eggs with sausage, toast, and a simple, yummy fruit salad.Lunch- leftover pork on a sandwich with raisins and a kudos bar.Dinner- grilled salmon, mashed potatoes, cooked carrots, and corn. A step or 37 above Lipton rice with chicken.Trail description- More of the same (mud, rocks, roots). The part that I did today, Greylock to Grange Hall, was almost all downhill. It would have been a bugger to do northbound. That was not my reason to ¢slack it¢ but rather to have another day of rest. . Does 20 miles in 5.5 hours that still constitute a rest day? Dalton and Cheshire are cool, quaint trail towns and the view from the Cobbles is mighty nice.People- Just the Cambells and the folks at church. I did meet a lot of people on the sidewalks in Dalton. A woman named Ruth who was very nice and interested in my hike.Animals- An owl Money-noneBiggest Complaint- I was just happy to be hiking and still have a warm place to go at night.Narrative- The plan was to go to church and then hit the trail and leave the Campbells. But the cold morning rain made me think about maybe taking a zero day. But it looks like the upcoming terrain will not be very conducive to making up miles. Since Dave starts work atop Mt Greylock on Monday morning I thought it would be cool if I did the part I planned for today southbound and then Dave could bring me to Mt Greylock again in the morning. Since Dave has a key to the gate, we could get up top even though the Lodge will not open for another couple weeks. So we drove up the mountain in the fog and I hiked downhill into Cheshire and then over to Dalton then back to Grange Hall Rd where I met Dave right at 1900, just as planned. I only ran a little and found that 3.5 is an easy pace for me to maintain with a light pack. About as easy as 3 mph is with a full load. Dinner was once again wonderful. I haven¢t had fish yet on this trek and it was a welcomed variety. I also loaded up on carrots and salad. I am thinking that those nutrients will be nice to have. I hope.After dinner I have planted myself in front of the computer and am journaling. Well, you probably assumed that.
Date: 2004-05-15
From: VT103 (North Claredon,VT)

To: Churchill Scott Shelter
Miles today: 15.5
Weather: scattered clouds

Log entry: 105Thank you all Armed Service members (Armed service day)Start time: 0915End time: 1600Morning weather: Sunny, muggy, and hotAfternoon weather: Partly sunny, still hotEvening weather: Thunderstorms and coolBreakfast: Meat omlette with toast and fried potatoes and chocolate milkLunch: Twix and a Granola barDinner: Bear Creek chicken noodle soup with club crackersTrail description: Lots of elevation gain. The worst climb was right out of the road crossing VT103. The climb up Killington wasn't too bad. Very long but not all together very steep.People: Ernie at the diner and the rest of the gang there.Animals: A live porcupine. I thought at first it was a bear cub but it turns out it wasn't. Regardless, I am glad I didn't pet it.Money spent: $10 for breakfast at the Whistle Stop.Complaints: I had a gut ache for the first 3 hours or so. I should have "pulled the trigger" and just thrown up but I wanted the nourishment. At the cost of feeling terrible.Thoughts: It took me about 10 minutes to pack up from the motel. All I had to do was dress and brush my teeth. I left the County Squire at 0800 and was able to get a ride to the restaurant for breakfast in the first 2 minutes on the road.The diner was filled with the "usuals" which included Ernie, a GMC trailmaintainer. While we ate we talked about trail stuff. Good guy. The omlette I had was huge, like a good 8 or 9 inches along the fold. Too goodand filling which would cause me a world of grief later. Ernie was headed to the trail anyways to do some maintenance so he dropped meoff.The first mile to Claredon shelter was tough. The omlette was doing a number in my stomach. After the climb up to the shelter the next 6 miles to GovernorClement Shelter should have been a breeze, but I was just ill. Making myselfthrow up would have been the smart thing to do but I pressed ever so slowly on.Governor Clement shelter is a really nice, big, stone shelter with a fireplaceinside. The problem with it is that it is also on a forest road and is the party spot. A still smoldering firepit and broken glass bottles littered the area. Looks like I missed a wild night.The trail then starts the 4 mile climb up Killington Peak. Like I said earlier, not too bad of a climb. Rather gentle.I was feeling pretty tired when I reached the sidetrail to Churchill Scott and I wanted to duck in anyways to sign the register since there weren't any atClaredon or GC shelters. As I sat down to write lightning caught my eye, thunder shortly ensued, and rain started. I checked my maps and I planned on staying at the Lakota Lake lookout tomorrow night and that would only be 20 miles tomorrow. So I decided to call it here and I'll get an early start in the morning. Besides the weatherman said Sunday was going to be a nice day.
Date: 2004-05-16
From: Churchill Scott Shelter

To: The Lookout
Miles today: 19.4

Log entry: 106Start time: 0730End time: 1515Morning weather: Foggy and cloudy, cool @ 50 degAfternoon weather: Cloudy and mildEvening weather: Sunny, breezy, but warmBreakfast: Chocolate CIB and OCPsLunch: Poptart and oats and honey barDinner: Hamburger Helper, stroganoffTrail description: Some good climbs today but not much else exciting to speak of. The view from atop The Lookout is splendid, maybe Top 5?People: Grizzly and friends, then a father and sonAnimals: Some more orange salamanders and the little tiny bright orange spiders.Money spent: NoneComplaints: Miss home, typical Sunday slumpThoughts: I shut my headlamp off last night at 20:00 and was asleep very shortly thereafter. I woke once at 0400 to the steady rythm of rain on the tin ceiling. When I woke up again at 0600 it was still coming down but my alarm at 0630 signaled both an end to the rain and my nights rest. I did eat a leisurly breakfast and enjoyed the morning coolness from my bag until 0700.I started off in full raingear but lost both the pants and jacket after a mileor so. At Maine Junction the Long Trail splits off and heads north to Canada. The Long trail runs the length of Vermont and shares the first 100 miles or so with the AT.Next I wound through Gifford Woods state park where the showers were closed butthe outside spigot was functional. Turns out they open next weekend.Sorry to say but that is as exciting as today got. I reached the Lookout cabinand met Grizzly, NOBO class of 03, and his friends. They were out on a dayhike. The lookout was surrounded in fog when he was up here last year. I chatted with them until about 1615 and they took off down the mountain. Grizzly was full of information and it was good chatting with someone.After they left I cooked an early dinner and then headed up to the lookoutplatform on top of the cabin to journal.Not long after I was up there a father and son came strolling up the path. They live "27 minutes downhill" and showed me the cluster of trees where they live. They only stayed a little while but the father told me some good stories about a problem bear they have been dealing with all spring.Once they left I called my brother-in-law Mikey and then later sister Bess andthe parents. It was good to hear their voices. There are A LOT of hikers out there that hate cell phones and never want to hear them in the woods. I can totally understand and agree with that. But having no one else to talk to is a different story. If I left later in the spring and was hiking with the herd it would be a different story. Another thing that bothered me a little was the fact that I got done so earlyagain today. I really feel like I am wasting time. Part of me wanted to push on but I only have 15.5 planned for tomorow. We'll see. I may move on and make it a 25 miler. There ain't much else to do.
Date: 2004-05-18
From: Happy Hill Shelter

To: Velvet Rocks Shelter
Miles today: 7.3
Weather: few clouds

Log Entry-108Start Time-0745End Time-Dunno yetWeather Morning-foggy and warm   Afternoon- rainy and cool   Evening- on and off showers and coolBreakfast-vanilla CIB, star crunches and honey bunsLunch-Subway and Ben and JerrysDinner- All you can eat pizza at Everything But AnchoviesPeople-Lots of cool people in town.Animals-just the usual domestics Money- white gas-$2, resupply-$10, Lunch- $7, Dinner-$9Biggest complaint- It would have been nice to get a shower and do some laundry but nothing in town was availible. Not really a complaint.Narrative:For whatever reason, I didn't fall asleep until like 2330 last night but felt okay getting up at 0645. Bugs were a big problem and I am thinking that it might be my last night in a shelter. Welcome to Hammock Season.I strolled into Hanover around 0945. It was cool crossing one more state line, VT-NH. Only one more to go!! Hanover is a cool town. I first stopped in at the Dartmouth Outdoor Club in Robinson Hall where I dropped my pack. Very nice people all through the basement that would stop by and chat with me. Very nice to talk with people.I picked up my new pack from the post office and spent a little time getting my new one dialed in. It should be great. The smell alone from the old one was a warranty issue I think. I made up a poem on my walk into town but you will have to wait a couple days to hear it.I also spent some time looking over maps and planning out the next 10 days or so, from here through the Whites to Gorham . I am so excited about the Whites. The pizza buffet at EBA is every Monday and Tuesday evenings, 5-8. So I was there at 5 to be sure to have time for my stomach to settle. Now I am back at the DOC on one of the computers flling you all in.Well, the rain looks to have quit so I am going to pound out a mile and a half to the shelter. Talk to ya again soon. I'll be in Glencliff on Thursday evening.
Date: 2004-05-20
From: Smart Mt Firetower

To: Glencliff,NH (Hiker's Welcome Hostel)
Miles today: 20.0

Log entry: 110Start time: 0715End time: 1415Morning weather: Clear and mild, mid 50sAfternoon weather: Sunny and a slight breeze, clouds moved in sometimeEvening weather: Thin, high level clouds. Maybe rain?Breakfast: Chocolate snackie cakes and strawberry CIBLunch: Chips Ahoy mini cookiesDinner: Hamburger helper, 4 cheese lasagnaTrail description: The downhill was gradual enough off from Smarts Mt and the climb up Mt. Cube was long but not terrible steep. Most of the climb was on smooth rocks, steep in parts but I enjoyed it. The rest of the trail was quite gradual when it climbed or descended. Some great views.People: 3 day hikers Animals: Garter snake (again) and I pulled 3 more wood ticks off me (again) throughout the day.Money spent: Nothing yet, but I will clue you in tomorrow about the fees.Complaints: A great day overall but I slipped off a log bog bridge when it shifted on me and my left foot stepped into mud up to the knee and I fell landing on my right shin, which is still broken. That was the extent of my plights today.Thoughts: I slept great in the firetower. It was amazing how long it stays light up there. It was light enough to read at 2100 yet. It was also light very early but I forced myself up and at 'em at 0615.I didn't try to move fast but found my groove just above 3 mph. From atop Mt.Cube I looked behind me at Smart Mt. It sure is amazing how much distance youcan cover in 2 and a half hours.I took lunch at Ore Hill shelter where I pulled the 2nd tick of the day off myright shin. The mosquitoes were also too thick to linger so I wolfed my cookiesand quickly signed the register.The Dartmouth Outing Club maintains this segment of trail and the shelterregister was ripping into them for the lack of trail maintenance. This wasmostly from late last summer into the Fall. Maybe I am just used to blowdownssince most of the AT hadn't seen spring maintenance yet, but I didn't think itwas all that bad.I picked up my food drop from the Glencliff Post Office and then headed over tothe Hikers Welcome Hostel which is located across the street. The town ofGlencliff very much reminds me of Idlewild in northern Michigan, on US10 nearBaldwin.I called and left a message here from Hanover 2 days ago and they were expectingme. I think I talked with Packrat, Rhia. The hostel isn't really up yet but she let me shower and do a load of laundry. Both were very much needed. I am staying now in the loft above the garage. Its nice and simple. I was hoping to catch the Piston's game tonight but it doesn't look that is apossibility. There is a CD player/radio but I can't get any reception, AM or FM.There is a handful of classic rock CDs laying around so I am spinning those now. I spent a long time already this afternon looking at my maps. I am very excitedabout the Whites. My only fear is the weather, but my days are so short I thinkI will be able to work around it. The next update should come Monday when Andythe school teacher picks me up from Crawford Notch.
Date: 2004-05-24
From: Zealand Falls Hut

To: Crawford Notch
Miles today: 7.7
Weather: fog

Log entry: 114Start hike time: 0830End hike time: 1100Morning weather: Hard rain and coldAfternoon weather: Light, steady rainEvening weather: Thunderstorms and heavy rainBreakfast: Instant Breakfast and Star CrunchLunch: PizzaDinner: A great bacon cheeseburgerTrail description: The flatest and easiest walking in New Hampshire, for the first 4 miles, along an old rail road grade. After that the trail got very wet, rocky, and rooty; but still basically flat. Hard walking due to the amount of water in the trail. A steep downhill into Crawford Notch.People: Andy and AJ and the kids at Kennett Alt Ed High school.Animals: NadaMoney spent: $4 for laundry, something for groceries, and $32 for dinner.Complaints: I left a bag of groceries at Walmart (Twinkies and cereal)Thoughts: The 0700 weather report woke me up and the hard, cold rain kept me moving slow. Plus all the fun people in the hut to converse with. The AMC keeps all the old guest logs at their respective huts and Taylor found an entry from when he was 6! (He is now older that 6) It was sometime in the early 70s. I can't wait to return one day with children of my own to witness my sloppy chicken scratch entries.   By 0830 I the rain showed no sign of letting up so out I went.Walking was fast and no views made me not feel guilty about zooming. Once thetrail turned off the railroad grade walking slowed but I made descent progress. I stepped off the trail to check out Thoreau falls which was wild and raging. Igot sorta lost on the trip back to the AT but lost no more than 10 minutes orso. (Just because I don't know where I am doesn't mean I am "lost")I carried on down the hill and made it to the parking lot at 1100, a half hourearly.The rain didn't start again until 1130 when Andy Johnson drove in. I was stokedto be back in a controlled environment and Andy and I then headed to the EMSoutfitter to see if I could get my poles replaced. Lo and behold they did it so. I now am on my 3rd set of Leki's. And I would buy another pair again if I need to. Then Andy and I headed to his school where he gave me a quick tour andintroduced me to some cool peeps.His class is small, 6 when all in attendance. And not everyone was here today so the few that remained headed over to Fire-21 and had some pizza. While we ate I answered questions and conversed with the kiddos. It was a good time.Andy's wife, AJ, joined us for lunch and after we ate we headed to the Walmartfor a couple grocery items. I also picked up a wicked cool pair or water shoesto replace my Waldies. Then a nice, hot shower (fabulous water pressure) back at the Johnsons crib andwe headed into Wolfeboro for mail and dinner. I had sent some extra food aheadin order to save weight.I forget where exactly we ate, I sent the receipt home already, but it wassuper. Our waitress had just finished Bryson's book and shared in everyone'sfrustration that he didn't finish the trail.As we drove back home it began storming and I spent the rest of the eveningsorting food out and then watching Law and Order as I fell asleep. What a goodday.
Date: 2004-05-29
From: Gorham, NH (Hiker's Paradise)

To: Gorham, NH
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: fog

Log entry: 119Ahhh, no walking today (well sorta)The plan was to meet Bess (my sister) and her boyfriend Aaron at my motel at10:00. I got up at 0800 and ate breakfast in the small diner down below. It was great. Eggs, sausage, home fries, and all-you-can eat pancakes. Finally a zero day where I can eat, eat, and eat. Usually I use moderation as I have to hike. No restraints.As I ate I talked with Bruno, the motel owner. A super nice old man. He advised me that Baden, who was the cook and also the caretaker of the hostel had left. At first I thought he ment that he just didn't show up but he actually packed his things up and his room was empty. I never heard him leave, oh well. He seemed like a nice enough dude. Leaving the Bruno and his wife to run it all by themselves is pretty low budget.After breakfast I packed up and moved out into the parking lot to await thearrival of my sister.It was great to see her maroon Escape come rolling into the parking lot. I wish that that feeling could be put in a bottle and saved for later. It is sowonderful to see those that you love. Only three more weeks.....wow.After a few minutes of hugs we headed over to our new hotel and dropped somestuff off. We then headed over to Shaw's grocery and I grabbed the neededsupplies to get me to Andover, ME by Tuesday.The CD player in my sister's 2003 Escape went down on the trip here. We tried a lens cleaning CD but to no avail. We stopped at a car audio joint and the dude there said the laser was shot. So we listened to the radio all day.First we headed up Mt Washington via the Autoroad. It was 18 degrees on top and wind was somewhere around 70 mph. Plus there was snow and rine ice. So they only let us drive up 4 miles to just above treeline. It was amazing seeing the mountains I had traversed from below. The view must be unreal from atop.After climbing halfway up we headed over 90 miles east to Portland, ME. I asked Tiana a couple days ago what we should do and that was all she could suggest unless we wanted to hike.It was a fun drive through Maine. It reminds me of Michigan's upper peninsula.The area by New Hampshire is pretty hilly but then it flattens out into forestand lakes.Portland has a cool downtown area and it is on the Atlantic, which I haven'tseen before. I think we were actually in South Portland. We walked docks andducked into a few small shops. It was still too early to eat so we drove around a little and found the actual open ocean and played a little on the rocks.Then back to So Portland to eat. We ate at the Drydock. It was good, none of us were too impressed. We mosied back to Gorham and stopped for ice cream then rolled back into thehotel around 2100. We have been watching the Laker game. A great day, not too anxious to have toget back on the trail tomorrow. But I will be in Maine by 4 oclock or so. Should be some beautiful 300 miles.