morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2017-02-01
To: Winter Wonderland
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

I'm so lucky to live here. Our home is walking distance to the Wendell, Montague, and Leverett State Forests and the Quabbin Reservoir, with hundreds of miles of woods roads and trails. There is hiking, cross country skiing, snow shoeing, ice skating, ice fishing, hunting - you name it. It is literally paradise! I was out today to explore some trails and take mileages for my Map The Woods project and ended up cruising around for over 3 hours. I didn't get any useful data, but logged in close to 8.5 miles of fun. The footing was sweet; a light snowfall last night on top of a few inches of frozen sleet made for some fabulous tracking. A few days ago when I was just bushwhacking through the laurel and pine I ended up following some moose tracks for a spell. Today I passed a section of very fresh bobcat tracks - Ruby even put up her hackles and glued herself to my side so I knew the critter was nearby. The tracks were big. I bet that cat was a good 40 pounds which is as big as Ruby.I'm happy with my fitness at this point. This is the second longer walk I've taken recently and have had no issues with my joints, other than a bit of arthritis pain in my ankle. I can easily make the distance, but I'm not carrying any weight or taking any long/steep climbs, so I know it's all honeymooning.My hiking buddy Amy is heading out for a flip flop thru in April and I will be starting with her. While I won't be able to swing a thru I am hoping to meet up with her for a week each month for the extent of hers. That's so exciting!And Cato Glen Shepardson is the name of my new grandson, due April 7, but don't tell anyone! His name is a huge secret for some reason, so mum's the word! And THAT'S so exciting!!Big changes coming. I'm ready.
Date: 2017-03-07
To: Wait...is it Winter again?
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

Wow. It has been so warm that the two feet of snow melted away, the trees have begun to bud out, and bird romance has been on the rise. Well it's clearly Spring!! Ooops. Then came the wind. Roaring and raging, the wind brought in a front cold enough to freeze sound waves in the air. It was fierce. Beyond fierce; more like lethal! On those days it's possible to get out and hike, but it's important to layer up. So on went the silk base layer, the wool long johns, the sweatshirt and two (count them!) lightweight jackets. Ops. Don't forget the wool buff and the thick polar fleece hat. Sunglasses keep the eyes from watering constantly. All set to go! Well, off I went, dog in tow. We actually had a great hike - a simple 5 miler that kept to the woods trails to avoid the blisteringly cold wind. But that was then, and now it's promising to warm into the 50s tomorrow. OK. So I pare down the layers once more and enjoy the warmth. Wooohoooo!Actually I've been busy plugging in my new dehydrator and experimenting with heating the fluid out of foods. It's really really neat! So far I've transformed 4 apples, a banana, a couple pounds of chicken breast, a bunch of celery, some pea sprouts, and even some yogurt. The review: forget the plain yogurt. BUT mix the yogurt with some jam and it becomes a high protein fruit leather. YUM!! I used my home made black currant jam. I think I'm on to something great. Really. Try it!
Date: 2017-03-17
To: Not again!!!
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

14 inches of dry, dense, heavy white stuff. Get up, shovel to the barn, do chores. Plow the driveway, shovel the cars out. Eyes are weeping from the wind. Go to spa and sit sore back muscles in front of the jacuzzi jets. Come home. Shovel to the wood pile, shovel to the shed. Load the wood sled, bring in wood. This better be the last one.
Date: 2017-03-25
To: Hallucinations
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

Out for a hike today to test some gear. I put in a lumbar pad in my ArcBlast pack for added comfort and it felt great. Took my DIY poncho for a spin as well since it was raining. The poncho did fine, but I got as much condensation inside as with any other rain equipment, which was disappointing. By the time I got home - only 5 miles later - my polar fleece was as wet as if I'd just been walking in the light rain without any poncho. Even my pack was damp from condensation. Not sure how to address that. If anyone has any ideas, I'm eager to hear.For some reason, as I slid along the slushy, icy, snowy trail, I began to remember the hallucinations I had during my long hikes. Let me first say that, no, I wasn't taking any medications or strong alcohol, or even weak alcohol. But on two of my distance hikes, both in VT on the long trail, I could swear I smelled hot dogs grilling. And I mean GREAT hot dogs. Beefy and juicy and so yummy. This was a real, true, hot dog aroma. It was great, only, no hot dogs for miles! Either that or there really WAS somebody there, grilling up some dogs and staying tantalizingly out of sight. Do elves eat hot dogs? Maybe....Then last spring on my Maine journey on the AT I was in a shelter at the end of the day during a monsoon and I could hear people talking as the rain pounded down on the shelter's metal roof. Unlike the hot dogs, that hallucination was actually sort of creepy.For all of these mental entertainments I've been completely solo. Maybe TOO solo!I wonder what the trail will do for me this year?
Date: 2017-04-01
To: The Big Stall
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Having a little moment here. With snow falling again, roads and trails covered, and spring warmth just a vague meteorological concept, I find myself faced with a bad case of frustration. I can feel the conditioning I'd build up just draining out of my body. By April 1 I'd expected to start some more serious hill work; now I'll be slogging through the slush and slipping around the lowlands. Grrrrr. Oh yeah! I forgot; flexibility - mental flexibility - is the foundation of every distance hike plan. OK. Suck it up. Sigh. Put on the boots and start slogging. Grumble grumble grumble... Post Script: went out for a few hours. Light freezing rain turned to snow by the time I was finishing. It was a good workout because of the slippery footing; two steps forward and one step back sort of thing. It was not too cold and not too windy and just a total relief to be moving. Motion is perfection. Wet feet, soaked to the skin, happy, glad to be out and moving and feeling the natural world at it's seasonal nexus. Ahhh!
Date: 2017-04-19
To: Spectacular Delay!
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Of all things to keep me off the start date on a hike, this is the absolute best ever! My daughter produced a wonderful healthy 9 pound, 21.5 inch baby boy yesterday afternoon of a lovely spring day. Mom and baby doing great! And the baby is the cutest baby on the planet, and I'm not exaggerating. So today was to be my departure date to drive to PA then get the shuttle to MD, but all that will delay a bit now. I'm hoping to leave next Monday and catch up with my partner at some point. We'll see. Tired but very happy.
Date: 2017-04-25
To: The beginning
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

I can't say that I got a great night's sleep last night.  I'm excited about the hike and anxious to get going.  It's been such a fabulous few weeks; Jer and I have been busy at home with building projects, Ariel and Ryan have welcomed little Cato into the world, and the hike is starting.  I feel like I've been focusing in twelve different directions at once.There is something freeing about driving out first thing in the morning.  I'm saying goodbye to all of the routines of my home life and in a single day I'm starting up a second set of routines.  Hiking is such a condensed life.  You carry your life on your back, except for the new friends you meet and the thoughts of home you keep in your heart.  It is life simplified.  You wake up,dress, eat (maybe), hoist on your pack, and start walking.  The walking thing lasts all day.  Easy peasy.  Then you get to your destination, get your water, set up your tent, eat, clean up if possible, chat with your trail-mates, and by 8 or 9 pm you are sleeping.  If you are lucky you hear the rain pass during the night as a round of comforting splats on your tent roof and then it's over and dry by morning.  And a day of rain might be your biggest worry.  Perfect.But today there is traffic and roads and I'm in my little '04 Insight to save on gas and realizing this little car is NOT build for comfort, but for saving fuel.  I am feeling every pebble and after several hours and finally getting to PA I pull into a Friendlys to grab some lunch.  Wow.  I'm stiff all over.  The plan is to get to Fayetteville to meet up with Mrs Joy and hike north with her for about 5 days and then drive home.  The devil is in the details - I finally get to Fayetteville and arrange to leave my car at the hostel for the duration.  I'll sleep in the Scottish Inn tonight - Mrs Joy has a room there as well - and tomorrow we start north.
Date: 2017-04-26
From: Fayetteville, PA

To: Birch Run Shelter
Miles today: 10.0
Weather: overcast clouds

OK.  Another restless night of non-sleeping.  Oh well.  Too late to worry about that; today is trail day!!  Wooohoooo!!  I'm up and enjoying cleanliness for possibly the last time in several days.  Mrs Joy and I set out to the hostel where owner Robert gathers us up along with You Can Call Me Al for a quick skip to the trailhead.  The trail is only a mile or so down the road but it's nice to be shepherded since the road is busy with fast cars and trucks.  We are at the trail in a matter of minutes and then on our way! I spend some time fumbling around, trying to get oriented to my new routine.  Where do I put my bandana?  Which pocket is my snack stash in?  What did I forget?  It's an awkward transition for me - I feel disorganized and inept.  I'm also woefully unprepared.  I've completely forgotten to bring my AWOL guide sheets and while I had a copy of the AT companion I just left it behind in my car.  Duh.  That was the first time I've ever done that and it will certainly be my last.  But the legs swing forward and back and the trail slides under my feet, and beyond the roughness of my start I feel happy.  Mrs Joy is a good companion.  I began to marvel at how two hikers who typically hike solo can mesh so well when paired up.  Good.  It's nice to chat away the miles.  I'm certainly not at my finest, though.  I feel wiped out even though the trail is very reasonable and hiker-friendly.  It winds through a woods, makes gradual ups/downs, courses through a short stretch of rhododendron that completely overhangs the trail such that it forms a tunnel of growth.  The day was wonderfully foggy and cool, so hiking was at its best.  No sun to burn, few bugs to bite.  I am tired, out of hiking shape, but happy.In at the shelter we meet up with Sqeptiq (Sceptic, but with q's instead of c's), Sea Dog, Hot Pants, Go, and Trail Snail.  Talk was lively with these folks who are mostly flip floppers like Mrs Joy.  A beautiful stream ran alongside the shelter area and after setting up the tent I availed myself of a quick bath (of sorts) in the cool refreshing water.  It's great to get the stickiness off before hitting the sack.  I was surprised at seeing no rodents at the shelter and few animals on the trail.  No chipmunks or squirrels even.  Odd.  The weather prediction for the next day is for very hot and sunny, so as a group we were inclined to start hiking early to avoid the worst of it.  As it turned out, all of the guys ended up in the shelter on bunks and all of the women were tenting.  Hoping for a good night's sleep.  Tired to the bone.
Date: 2017-04-28
From: Unofficial campsite

To: Boiling Springs
Miles today: 14.7
Weather: clear sky

Well the two thin pads worked OK last night and I woke to a reasonably wonderful day.  The other half of yesterday's burger made for a decent breakfast then I was off and hiking after Mrs Joy had already departed.  The trail through southern PA is just as nice as possible; often wide with gradual ups/downs, it is well maintained and boasts some nice looking shelters.  Today's trail was one of the nicest.  I kept stopping to take pictures.  There were several spots with wildflowers and an occasional view.  Just delightful.  It made me feel like this is the perfect time to be hiking in PA and the flip floppers I was following were smart to take the trail in this manner.  I'm not sure how hiking through the southern states in July will feel for them, but this is perfection.Not having my AWOL guide was just a dumb-ass mistake.  I was left with just my Guthook to follow, which has some serious limitations.  I didn't use it much during the day - generally no point in looking at where the blue dot has moved - but just kept putting one foot in front of the other.  The elevations on Guthook were wildly skewed by an exaggerated scale, such that it looked like we were climbing Everest on the device, while in reality we would be making a fairly gradual uphill climb.  Go figure.  There were a few places where the trail got steep but the trail engineers in PA added frequent switchbacks, so it never felt too bad.At one point the trail wound through a few hundred yards of a rock jumble.  It was a bit of a challenge.  It one point there was a long step to stretch from one point to a lower rock and I stupidly chose not to make the maneuver on my backside.  Instead I thought I could more or less 'step' to the lower rock.  I sort of made the step, but the pack overbalanced me and I went diving headfirst down to the ground.  No major damage; just some bruises.  Mrs Joy and I leap-frogged along, and finally got to Boiling Springs where Mrs Joy had (showing excellent forethought!) got us a room at the Red Cardinal B&B.  But bed wasn't on my mind as much as beer was, and I was happy to be allowed in to the Tavern despite their sign (Proper Dress Required).  Mrs Joy and I downed a brew and a burger - OK, Mrs Joy had wings instead of a burger and phoned the B&B owners that we were ready to catch a ride "home". The owners are Joanne and Bill and it was Bill who picked us up.  He took us to the house where we dropped our gear, then Joanne kindly ferried me to the local WalMart where I picked up a new bright blue lightweight foam pad for $7.29.  Awesome.  Mrs Joy enjoyed a shower while I was away then it was my turn and I brought my clothes in with me, 'washed' them as best I could, and shampooed my hair three times!  Cleanliness is definitely a sacred state.
Date: 2017-04-29
From: Boiling Springs

To: Darlington Shelter
Miles today: 14.4
Weather: overcast clouds

Last night I was fine lying down until I rolled onto my side and then I started to get some painful cramps in my back.  Muscle cramps are a problem of mine and they usually mean a restless night.  I didn't want to keep Mrs Joy awake by thrashing around all night so I slid to the floor and stretched out on the thick carpet.  Astonishingly, I slept well and never had another cramp.  Bill and Joanne were very friendly and kept a neat, clean home.  They were extremely helpful as well, and gave us a huge breakfast in the morning.  We packed up our gear and headed out to town where we met up with Sqeptiq and Hot Pants et al.  I had a bear of a time trying to fit the new blue BULKY pad onto my pack and get things snugged down under my pack cover, out of the rain.  In the end I used my bear bag rope to tie the pad to the bottom of the pack.  It kept smacking me in the butt at first so I stopped several times to readjust the thing and make it more secure.  My stomach problems continued to haunt me, even getting worse through the day.  That issue, as well as the realization that the whole trip for me was coming to a close when I didn't want it to, made me take more and more time just stopping and enjoying the moment. I even considered stopping for the night in Carlisle, but in the end kept moving through the day.  And it was a brilliant day.  The morning rain was perfect for cooling me and trail was fabulous, winding through fields of brilliant yellow rapeseed flowers.  Truly stunning.  And there were wildflowers and wide green hayfields.  Everything was blooming and budding and bursting into spring!  It felt like all the plants were churning through a frenzy of photosynthesis,and I was breathing in their cloud of newly formed oxygen molecules.  Inhale!  Ahh!  Feel the energy!  Mrs Joy was way ahead of me but we joined up at the Middlesex Diner on PA 11.  It always feels strange to go from the relative serenity of the trail to the frantic rush of  speeding traffic and walking the short distance on the side of the highway was no different.  But the diner was great, with unlimited Pepsi and some stomach-friendly cheese quesadillas, so the shock of the traffic was well worth it.  And the Pepsi helped climb a steady uphill to a nice lookout and then on to Darlington Shelter.  We set up our tents along with several other hikers and settled down.  Food was not an option for me, but stretching out was, and the new pad was welcome.  Mrs Joy discovered an unattended fire and did the right thing by smothering it with dirt before things got out of hand.  The evening quickly moved toward hikers midnight and we were treated to a sound I haven't heard in years - the call of a bobwhite.  I think, thanks, to the Pepsi overload, I finally got to sleep around 2 a.m., but at least I got some journaling finished!
Date: 2017-04-30
From: Darlington Shelter

To: The Doyle in Duncannon
Miles today: 11.0
Weather: few clouds

We got up and going by 7:15.  It's my last day on the trail and Mrs Joy will take a zero tomorrow.  I suppose that's a sort of incentive.  The campground was quiet last night except for one camper who fired off more salvos than even I did.  Humbling.  The hike through the woods this morning was delightful.  We walked through a slight breeze and were treated by birdsong.  Thrushes and warblers in the upper woods, red winged balckbirds in the lower fields.  It was an uphill hike to Cove Shelter (thank you for the switchbacks!) then down and suddenly REALLY down, with a series of knee-popping stone steps that went on and on.  And on.  I was very thankful to be going northbound!  Hiking uphill with a full pack would be memorable.At the bottom of the hill was Duncannon and in about a quarter of a mile there was the very famous Doyle Hotel.  Man, they make the best burgers!  Lunch, beer, Mrs Joy, Hot Pants, Sqeptiq, One Way and then Robert showed up to shuttle me back to Fayetteville and my car.  Well.  Hopefully I'll be reconnecting with Mrs Joy next month.
Date: 2017-05-14
From: State Line

To: NY/NJ
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

Well it looks good for meeting up with MrsJoy to continue the trek through NY state.  Planning the departure date for probably the 19th or 20th or so.  What a schizophrenic life I'm leading; one week I'm hiking every day and the next few weeks I'm rockin' the new grandson on my knee all day.  I'm gettin the best of both worlds!
Date: 2017-05-15
From: Still at home

To: back to the trail
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

OK.  Folks often want to know the Why of long distance hiking.  Heck, so do I some of the time!  On my walk today I came up with a possible, partial answer.  As I strode along I realized that with every step forward I was pushing back against the earth with an equal but opposite force as the one pushing me forward.  And, despite my fears, since the mass of the earth is greater than my own mass, the result of those opposing forces was to move the less massive body forward MORE than the earth was pushed backward.  And yet, there can be no doubt that the earth was being pushed backward and, in some hugely immeasurable manner, was in fact MOVING in a direction opposite to mine with each step.  And that's true of every step of every entity moving in any direction.  I suppose, if we could organize all living things to move in one direction at precisely the same moment - let's say, for arguments sake, we all move in a direction exactly opposite the rotation of the earth - it might be possible to actually measure a slight change in the movement of the earth on its axis.  And the 'so what?' of that is this:  when I am walking I am actually single-handedly (albeit imperceptibly) moving the earth.  Now THAT's a confidence builder!  And building confidence is just ONE of the many off shoots of distance hiking, with greater and greater effect the more and more one hikes.  Brilliant, don't you think?  Or is it really just a case of too much whiskey?
Date: 2017-05-20
From: Unionville, NY

To: Pochuck Mtn Shelter
Miles today: 6.2
Weather: clear sky

I have a fantasy that one day, on any first day of hiking, I'll arise fully rested, refreshed, with dewy skin, boundless energy, and agile, crystal clear mind.  I'll enjoy brief raconteur with all I meet before sweeping through the trail on fresh, spring-loaded legs.  Behold reality.  One brief nod to the accompanying picture should set the stage pretty well.  After managing just a few hours sleep I was gonged by the 3:45 a.m. bell.  Hardest thing to do at that hour while immersed in zombie brain:  put on toe socks. Just brutal.  I'm pretty sure I looked exactly as I felt; a train wreck in progress.  But I wrestled my clothes on and gratefully accepted the large black coffee Jerry held out.  Too early, too much, too tired.  Even Ruby gave the situation brief scrutiny before heading back to her bed.  Arrrhhhhgggg.  Somehow fumbled the key into the ignition, got on the highway and headed south to meet up with my shuttle in Kent, CT.  Driver Dave met me there just after 7:00 and together we headed to Unionville, a place completely unknown to public transportation on the NJ/NY border.  Thanks to Dave's functional mind and a helpful bit of iPhone GPS, I was deposited on an unremarkable trailhead replete with dingy gravel and broken glass. Oy.  A small group of cigarette smokers congregated near their cars just downhill of the trailhead and I began to hope they weren't heading out into the natural world for the weekend and end up in my destination shelter loaded with brewskies and butts.  Wait.  Don't stereotype.The trail itself was well used and not terribly scenic but it led inexorably onward, flashing the occasional white blaze.  It didn't take long to reach a section of the Wallkill Game Reserve where I was treated to several lovely benches overlooking a man-made marsh.  A system of levees created habitat of differing water levels suitable for various species of wildlife.  Canada geese predominated, with a splashing of killdeer, indigo bunting, red wing black birds and even a cedar waxwing.  The trail encircled this preserve then headed back into the woods before passing, in short order, the Pochuck Mountain Shelter.  A good number of great tent sites led to the shelter, with more sites after.  It was only just after noon and I picked a nice flat spot a short distance from privy and shelter, and set up my tent.  A group of young boys with dads and leaders appeared shortly and I knew it could be an active night.  No worries.  I was tired enough to sleep through Armageddon if necessary.  They were a church group from New Jersey called the Royal Rangers out for their first night in the woods.  This was going to be fun!