morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2006-08-24
From: Camp Dodge via Wildcat Gondola

To: Madison Hut
Miles today: 7.8

Had a nice, big ole breakfast at Pinkham. Man it¢s hard to pay for that which used to be free¢¦but I ate myself silly. After breaky, there was no hiking for an hour or so to digest. Once we got moving, though, I was chock full of energy. The Old Jackson Rd, the beginning part of today, was super nice ¢ well graded, easy. We took lunch at Osgood Tent site. Met a great flip-flopper there named BP. Perhaps I¢ll run into him further south. He reminded me of my friend Northerner. After lunch, the hiking was more difficult. It was obvious that Chance, who was leading, did not feel like hiking. I, however, did. The steep here, I knew, was worth while because it tops out at a gorgeous ridgeline that takes you up & over Mt. Madison. Having worked a season up here already, I have climbed Madison a bajillion times, so I opted to take the Parapet Trail which is the same distance; it just goes around the mountain on giant boulders instead of over it. We were the first thru-hikers in line for work for stay. I was so excited to help with the dinner dishes that I could hardly contain myself ¢ No, I¢m not kidding. The sad news is that Melissa was not here tonight¢¦She¢s at the end of summer party. The Croo thinks I should take a zero day so that I can hang out with her, but the weather is supposed to be real nice for going over Washington tomorrow, so I¢ll likely move on. We gave a small thru-hiker talk tonight. Nice guests here ¢ love being back.
Date: 2006-08-25
From: Madison Hut

To: Mitzpah Hut
Miles today: 11.8

What an awesome, fun day! We said our goodbyes to the Croo at Madison¢¦sadly I did not get to see Melissa, but it was time to move on. Had a nice, cool, walk this AM up to Washington. We were in and out of the clouds all morning. Made it to the summit house by 10:30. Did plenty of lounging at the summit house with lots of eating, and cell phone calls as the priority. Stayed put for about 4 hours ¢ now that¢s my kind of break. Eventually, we moved on, making only one stop to duck into Lakes. My favorite information volunteer was working and the hut renovations were beautiful. Moved on. The ridge did not disappoint a single time today. Eventually below tree line again, we ended up here at Mitzpah. Wasn¢t planning to do a work for stay here but they were on a short set (only 3 here! 2 of them brand new!) and I was more than happy to dive for them (do the dishes). We had a great time chatting with Heidi, Emily & Andrew as Croo & also enjoyed some of their food. Madison felt a bit cramped last night but it feels perfect here¢¦
Date: 2006-08-26
From: Mitzpah Hut

To: Ethan Pond
Miles today: 5.6

Slept tight despite the fear of Betsey coming to hunt us while we were slumbering on the dining room tables. Betsey is Mitzpah¢s ghost¢¦every hut has its own. Decided to stay to help out with breakfast, which I of course thoroughly enjoyed. After a big bowl of oatmeal, it was time to go. It was tough saying goodbye to the Croo, cause they were super fun. I even named Andrew ¢GQ¢ cause he might be the most handsome man the huts have ever seen ¢ it¢s ridiculous, actually. Heidi told us that we could use her car if we made it down to the Highland Center, so we decided to take the old AT down to 302 directly there. We located her car easily ¢ it was the only tan Corolla with a broken back window and the keys in the ignition. We drove to Littleton (my favorite town up-n-here) and did a resupply at the Shaw¢s and I had me a yummy sandwich at Sunshine Bagels. The guy at the front desk at Highland told us of a spot to do laundry & shower so that was the next stop. After a shower and laundry, it was time to drop off the car. We topped off the gas and parked it back at the Highland Center. As we were trying to hitch back to the AT, some men parked next to us began to ask about our hike. Intrigued, they offered a lift down the road to the trail head. Poof! Just like magic we were back on trail, hiking, sweating up our recently laundered clothes. We decided to shelter it tonight at Ethan Pond, though after I ate dinner, I felt as though I were ready to hiker more. Currently it¢s 7pm and well¢¦I think I¢ll sleep well tonight. Off to see more hut friends tomorrow!! Hope we beat the rain!
Date: 2006-08-27
From: Ethan Pond

To: Galehead Hut
Miles today: 11.8
Weather: overcast clouds

Whew! What a day¢¦after not the greatest night¢s sleep too. Chance has taken to waking up snorers in the shelters. I fear that he will get punched in the face on of these times he does it. He figures if he is kept awake by it, they (the snorer) should also be awake. Anyway, had a nice easy jaunt to Zealand this morning. I forgot how easy that stretch is actually ¢ prolly coulda made it to the hut after all. Anywho¢¦happened to know 4 of the 5 Croo there so we took a nice looong break. Chance & I helped with the Sunday restock in exchange for a bowl of homemade granola for me & a heart attack sandwich for him ¢ famous in these parts. The rain started while we were packing up to go. As I said my goodbyes to C. Neal, Selena, Geoff and Gates, we left them a gift of 2 plastic flutes. They seemed to love them! Off we went up, up, up Mt. Guyot we climbed, the wind and rain picking up as we gained elevation. The wind also began to pick up. I felt great ¢ full of energy. Once we got up to the ridge, we could really book. I was behind Eight & Chance and was starting to worry because I was getting colder and colder as we slowed. Somehow I managed to get in front eventually & I took off. No more rock hopping for me! I ran right through the mud & puddles. I warmed up quickly & really made good time. Eventually we topped out at South Twin & had only 8 left to go down the steep hill just before Galehead. Door to door from Zealand to Galehead ¢ 3 hours. Pretty good. As we got here, I asked the hut master, Cricket, for work for stay. I told her I knew it was early but¢¦She was nice enough to agree to work for stay even before she knew I was Old Hutsman (OH). Then I told her I worked with Ben Leoni last fall. He was napping, so I¢d have to wait to see my friend Ben. 8 & I read Trivial Pursuit questions to one another and ate leftover bread, soup & cake. Eventually Ben woke up & I got to catch up with him. The Croo let me dive at dinner & they only had 10 guests so there was plenty of food left over. YUM! Spent the evening chatting with Ben. So great to see him! So glad to be indoors tonight!
Date: 2006-08-28
From: Galehead Hut

To: Lonesome Lake Hut
Miles today: 12.3

11:30pm last night. Was awoken from a pleasant slumber to 2 men with headlamps entering. Apparently they were guests of the hut who were coming in late. They saw us sleeping on tables & the floor and couldn¢t figure out what to do. My initial reaction was to be pissed that I was awakened. Then I thought in terms of safety. Thank goodness these men made it up and over the ridge. Thank goodness my friends on Croo weren¢t sent out to find them. After a big ole breakfast, it was time to push on. I said my goodbyes to Ben & the Croo after playing a quick game of stick rock. Stick rock is a game¢¦where you hit a stick with a rock. As we began to hike, I felt the exhaustion from the push of yesterday. The hike from Galehead to Greenleaf is no picnic either. But in taking my sweet time, eventually we made it over Garfield and eventually up above tree line. The summits were in and out of clouds¢¦Never did get the unbelievable sweeping view of the Pemi (Pemigiwasset Wilderness) but views of Greenleaf kept coming and going. As we climbed I also saw views of my all time favorite mountain, Lafayette. Mmmmm¢¦The top. 2 women in hut t-shirts were hanging out ¢ eventually I asked who they were. One of them happened to be Benny. Benny has worked like 14,000 seasons in the huts and knows everyone I know¢¦she even lived all winter in Portland, OR where I spent all winter, yet I¢d never met her. When I told her who I was, she immediately got up to shake my hand. It¢s almost ridiculous that we¢d never met. An older gentleman popped on top of the summit. He was very interesting to talk to and even showed me where his friend, Guy Waterman, laid down in the snow near the summit to die. For a dark but wonderfully written account of this event, check out Laura Waterman¢s ¢Losing the Garden¢ ¢ a fantastic read. Hiking down the Greenleaf Trail to Hut brought back many wonderful memories from last fall, and entering the hut felt like a homecoming. I chatted with the Croo for a bit and took Benny over to show here where Croo rocks are (a hidden amazing spot that only Croos of past know about). Finally we moved on ¢ down the OBP (Old Bridal Path) which was also my pack trail last fall. Surely I¢d done this trail no less than 50 times. I feel sure that 8 & Chance wished I¢d shut up about last fall- but it was such a great time and being there¢¦We ducked into the woods at the Croo cut off making the OBP about .2 shorter for us than the rest of the world. Ah, Lafayette Campground. Here we had choices. Camp at the campground, hitch into North Woodstock, hike up to Lonesome Lake Hut for work for stay, or hike up to attempt to find camping. The hut it was! Hiking up the Lonesome Lake Trail was a pleasure. Although this trail is steep, it is relatively rock free in comparison to any and all other terrain we¢ve encountered recently. 45 minutes later we were at the hut begging Avery & Lynn for work for stay. They agreed. We ended up cleaning dish racks for about an hour in exchange for so much food you wouldn¢t even believe it. So, so, so tired.
Date: 2006-08-29
From: Lonesome Lake Hut

To: North Woodstock via Kinsman Notch
Miles today: 13.4

Ugh¢¦The Kinsmans¢¦ugh. So exhausting. So steep¢¦so many school groups. Not my favorite stretch of trail¢¦but, I had a fun day nonetheless. 8 & I hiked together most of the day. We¢ve taken to trying to get bad songs stuck in one another¢s head. The latest is Milli Vanilli¢s ¢Don¢t forget my number.¢ I rambled on and on about my previous job, which I¢m apparently passionate about & it helped to push me up, up, up Mt. Wolf after lunch. Half of the way I made it through was knowing that we were headed into town. I needed a shower and a break ¢ the Whites are killer! The woman who picked us up actually turned around to get us stating that we looked pitiful. Her car was brand new but she said her son had hiked the Long Trail ¢ which is why she felt sorry for us. We checking into the Carriage House & started laundry. 8 & I headed to Truant¢s Tavern where we hade a fantastic dinner & good Long Trail Ales. Howie the bartender even bought all of our beers! Crazy! I am so exhausted ¢ I¢m sure it has nothing to do with the beers and the full stomach of food¢¦
Date: 2006-08-30
From: North Woodstock via Kinsman Notch

To: North Woodstock, NH
Miles today: 0.0

Didn¢t really start out as a zero day but ¢ what the hell! My muscles felt tight & sore at breakfast and small blisters had developed on the arches of my feet. Ran into 8 at breakfast time & he, too, said he¢d like a day off. I spent the majority of the day next to the pool talking on the phone. I did manage to walk down to Truant¢s Tavern again for lunch and then back to the pool for a swim. I won¢t bore you with the details of my evening because I did mostly the same stuff that I did all day. Lounge. Eat. Phone. Hopefully the weather tomorrow will be as gorgeous as it was today over Mooselauke. I did figure one thing out ¢ I will have to miss most of VT to meet my mom in Mass. I had hoped to get in all the AT miles not worrying about the LT miles since I have done the Long Trail since I¢ve done the AT. I can probably make it out 1 day into VT and back but it looks like bus service to Mass is much easier to catch from White River Junction than from Killington/Rutland like I¢d hoped. No matter ¢ I¢m still looking forward to Hanover and hoping to take a zero there, too!
Date: 2006-09-16
From: Jersey- PCT hiker reunion

To: NYC
Miles today: 0.0

As promised I am updating my journal. If you are actually still reading this Congratulations, you are as stubborn and obsessed with hiking as I am and should consider attempting a long distance hike! I will be adding the entries that are currently available to me. That is, I have the entries from 9/16-the end of my hike in my hands but my transcriber, my dear friend, Belcher will be sending me the missing entries, I hope. SO...think of it as a flip-flop journal where you've read the beginning, now you'll read the end and then...you'll read the middle, or at least I hope that you will cause there are some GREAT stories in there. Anyway, Welcome Back!
Date: 2006-09-18
From: Great Barrington

To: Riga Lean-to
Miles today: 10.2

Awoke at 7 in my ice cold $72/night hotel room. Nabor J showed around 8 and we headed out to have breakfast before our hike. After our breakfast, where our waitress CLEARLY hated her job, we headed out to the Race Brook Falls trailhead. I had thought of skipping up to Salsbury but I wanted to walk into Connecticut on foot, PLUS I remembered Race Mountain being a nice hike. It was an incredibly beautiful Fall day here in CT. The leaves had begun to change but the temperature was quite warm- almost too warm. The 2 mile hike up the Race Brook Falls trail was steep but easy and the falls were quite nice. Race Mountain was not disappointing. Amazing views on such a nice day and the terrain was simple. I¢ve noticed as a SOBO hiker that EVERYTHING seems easy after hiking Maine and NH.          We took a long lunch at a great view point at Laurel Ridge Campsite where I soaked my feet for a minute. I was having pain in the ball of my left foot all morning, which made me nervous. Eventually we left this lovely spot and moved on through Sages Ravine. What a neat, dark, mossy wet area! Apparently I paid no attention to it in 01¢, I have no memory of it whatsoever. We talked about swimming here but instead moved on. We took another 15 minute break on top of Bear Mountain on the rock tower and at last reached Riga Lean-to, our stopping point for the day. Nabor J attempted to cook on my alcohol stove, which didn¢t work so well for him. It¢s not my fault that he insists on cooking in a heavy ass stainless steal pot. At one point he was attempting to boil water for both Mac and Cheese and tea for us. As he was chatting away, not paying attention he added olive oil and fresh zucchini to the water before remembering to take the tea water out. After it boiled he decided to try the concoction of tea infused with olive oil and zucchini water. He promptly spit it out and I laughed at him for it for about a half an hour.
Date: 2006-09-19
From: Riga Lean-to

To: Great Barrington
Miles today: 3.4
Weather: broken clouds

I swear to God I¢m never coming back to Great Barrington again after this hike. This is my 4th night in a motel here- that¢s ridiculous! Here¢s what happened.        Did not sleep well last night Warm weather brought mosquitoes out. There weren¢t a lot of them but I had lots of bites on my face, neck, and hands. Grrrr¢¦ It was quite warm when we got hiking ¢ warm and hazy- no chance for a view from Lion¢s Head. My foot problem was NOT getting better. It seemed likely that the ball of my foot was compensating for the deteriorating condition of my shoes. Nabor J insisted we go get me new shoes. I reluctantly agreed.         As we got to the Conn 41 trailhead J¢s car was waiting for us. We went into Salsbury where I had coffee while J cleaned up at his friend¢s house. We took backroads up to Great Barrington which were super duper neat. There were all kinds of interesting things to look at- old houses, changing leaves, rock walls, waterfalls, lakes, old trails- it was a highlight, this drive. Back to Barrington, stupid ole¢ GB. Back in GB I quickly found New Balance shoes, on sale and some really expensive insoles. Straight into the trash my old NB went along with my Super Feet, which had over 3000 miles on them. Next it began to cloud up and the weather called for storms all afternoon. You all know what happens next¢¦if you know my rules. NEVER LEAVE TOWN IN THE RAIN. Back to the Travel Lodge we went. There was Thai food, brewery food, bad movies and beer- while it POURED outside. True, I wanted to hike but obviously this was the right decision. Plus¢¦my foot was resting this way.
Date: 2006-09-20
From: US 44

To: Sharon Mountain Campsite
Miles today: 13.3
Weather: scattered clouds

I love that I come up with the best ideas EVER out here. For instance- it¢s perfectly safe to eat in your tarptent during a rainstorm because- why would any bear in their right mind be out wandering during a rainstorm? Smart, right? I¢m finally camping in my tent again! It feels like it¢s been an eternity. I know I¢ve been slacking off a lot lately but I sure have had fun! I¢ve enjoyed hiking with my Mom and Nabor J and it was great ot see North, Belch, Agent, Ender and NYC! Now though as of tomorrow I¢m alone again for awhile so I¢m gonna HIKE!         Today was great. That rainstorm really cooled things off so it was a crisp, New England, Fall day. Sigh¢¦I love it here. After delightful breakfast burritos Nabor J and I made our way back to Salsbury where we got back on trail at 44. The first 4 miles were easy and fun with J but he had to work tonight so he backtracked just past Rand¢s view. Speaking of Rand¢s View we took a 2 hour lunch here watching the clouds roll in and out, build and diminish. What a great spot! Especially with the foliage. After saying goodbye to Nabor J I moved on at my ¢hiking alone¢ speed. Got a bit confused at the Housatonic River Rd. crossing. As I got my map out I suddenly felt very alone. There was No One to consult with. No One to bitch about the lack of blazes with and No One to agree with me which way to head. I¢ve had Chance, Eight, my Mom, and Nabor J throughout the first month and a half of this hike and now it¢s just ME. Me, Me, wonderful me. This¢ll either be the best experiment ever or I¢ll be cuckoo within the next 5 weeks I intend to be out. And truth be told I will see North, Agent, all the wonderful folks at The Gathering and maybe a handful of other SOBO¢s so it¢s not like I¢m REALLY alone. Plus, I¢ve done this before on the Long Trail and loved it. I wanted time for me and now ready or not here it is.         Anywho I put my head down and hiked the rest of the afternoon away. My new shoes are great! My foot feels better already. Man, I¢m Sleepyville. Night Y¢all.
Date: 2006-09-21
From: Sharon Mountain Campsite

To: .2 before Conn 341
Miles today: 20.2

Hiking solo is Da Bomb.! Um, it¢s my first day doing it but¢¦Seriously though, I had such a great day. Got 10 hours of glorious, deep, dream filled sleep last night and still found it hard to awaken at 7:30 this morn. Eventually left camp at 8:30. Cold, crisp, sunny morning- had to hike in long johns for awhile! Found Dark Entry on the map. What is Dark Entry you may ask? Well, it¢s an area that comes into Cornwall Bridge that used to be on the AT waaaay back in the day. Earl Shaffer¢s account of hiking through it makes it sound amazing. I WILL go there when I do my retro-hike. If I weren¢t alone I¢d have hopped onto the Mohawk Trail just to see old trail but I had no maps, no nothin¢¢¦so next time. The weather today was perfect for doing the River Rd. section of the AT- one of my all time favorites. Where else do you find 5 miles of flat, rockless, rootless, stonewall covered terrain? It¢s EXACTLY what you THINK the AT will/should be like before you know any better. And to make it more picturesque the leaves are all changing! CT in the Fall¢¦Awesome!      Had thought that St. John¢s Ledges would be a pain but they only took about 20 minutes to climb up up up! The rest of the afternoon was a blur as I was in my head deeply at this point. Almost forgot, had to take the high water detour around Hatch Brook. Oh and PS I¢m counting the extra mile since I followed white blazes the whole time- so there! Hiking solo, so far has been a lot more fun than I expected though I do wish I had a running commentary of my thoughts all day long. One funny part was shouting Elton John¢s ¢Philadelphia Freedom¢ and being surprised at the sound of my own voice, especially singing such a ridiculous song. Made me laugh out loud. I also decided today that there should be hiker hotlines. Baltimore Jack could have one. I¢d have called it this afternoon. ¢Jack¢s AT hotline, what can I do for you?¢ he¢d have said.¢Hey Jack, it¢s Teatree. Can you tell me if there¢s anywhere to camp just before Kent at Conn 341?¢ I¢d have asked.¢Sort of¢¦there¢s a random patch of grass just before the cow pasture next to the stream. I guess you could camp there. Your stuff will likely end up soaking wet from dew though.¢ he¢d inform me.       You see, if I¢d had this information earlier maybe I wouldn¢t have camped in the random spot next to the cow pasture and ended up with soaking wet stuff.       The other hotline would be mine. Hikers would call looking for blue-blazes, road walks, retro- blazes and intown events. Brilliant, right? Just a small glimpse into the mind of Teatree as she hikes alone.
Date: 2006-09-22
From: .2 before Conn 341

To: Wiley shelter
Miles today: 12.7
Weather: overcast clouds

Somebody was Crankypants Johnson today and her name is Teatree. The morning started off ok- thought my tarptent was completely drenched with condensation. But¢¦things were still a-ok cause I was headed into Kent for coffee! First stop the Coffee shop where I had a Large with soymilk and a pumpkin muffin. Next, the IGA for a resupply. I sat out in the morning sun afterwards re-packaging my food, drying out my soaked tarp and talking to my Dad on the phone. I hid in the back parking lot afraid that I¢d be yelled at any minute, but it was no problemo. Eventually my tarp dried , I packed up and headed back toward the trail stopping first for a real breakfast. I enjoyed my eggs and multi-grain toast immensely and also appreciated the fact that the restaurant had a jar out for collecting money for the 2 thru-hikers whose packs had been stolen. Yep. It¢s sad but true. In Kent CT. 2 thru-hikers backpacks were stolen this year. How twisted is that? One of the richest towns on the trail¢¦crazy. My waitress told me that if she found out that it was a local kid not only would she make them replace the gear, she¢d make them hike it to CT from GA too.      Eventually I made it out of Kent. I had planned to walk River Rd. some more- the old trail which I accidentally took in 01¢ ¢ even followed old blazes for a while ¢ but I couldn¢t find it and decided to just take the current AT instead. My pack heavy, I climbed up and down and up and down. There were some nice views but my attitude was skewed and so, I didn¢t care. I cursed the trail¢¦just like I hate when others do it. Ran into Mr. Natural and Buddha as I was being negative but at least had the sense to blame myself and my heavy pack for the attitude, not the trail. Mr. Natural and Buddha said they were headed to Wiley Shelter to have a Fall Equinox celebratory firs for the night. Although this fell short of the mileage I hoped to do I decided that company would be nice.       At some point I crossed into NY- I don¢t think there was even a sign¢¦ Made it to Wiley around 5pm, set up camp and figured out how to get water (the pump wasn¢t working) with a bucket and a rope. Buddha and Mr. Natural showed up close to 7pm and we chatted the night away with a nice fire. Super nice guys. We stayed up waaaaay past hiker midnight which only sucks since I had intentions of hiking 25 tomorrow.