morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2009-07-20
From: Shenandoah Tenting Area

To: Pawling, NY
Miles today: 21.2

I got up at a reasonable time and took my time getting ready to let my body recover the previous day's 27 miles. I got to the RPH shelter fairly soon afterwards and discovered that I had managed to catch "the pack". There were still over a dozen thru-hikers in and around the shelter when I got there at nine--more than I had seen in a single place since Daleville.I lost the group after I got started hiking again and several of them stopped to eat at a nearby deli. After the first couple miles, the trail became really nice and I managed to hike at a rather quick pace for the majority of the day and got to my final destination before 5:00 for what felt the first time in months. Along the way I also passed the largest oak tree on the trail--it's over 20 ft in girth (circumference?) and estimated to be over 300 years old. I couldn't even reach from one side of the trunk to the other without using both of my trekking poles.At the road where I had was going to get off the trail to go into town, there happened to be a train stop for the Metro North---a commuter train from New York City---directly on the Appalachian Trail. What a strange clashing of worlds. Unfortunately, this particular stop only operated on weekends. On the bright side, though, the nearby town of Pawling also had a stop. The owner of a garden center nearby was a very cool guy and allows hikers to use his kitchen and shower and even gives shuttles into said town. I got into town, ate a pizza, did some laundry and camped out in a nearby park.
Date: 2009-07-21
From: Pawling, NY

To: Wiley Shelter
Miles today: 5.6
Weather: moderate rain

Today was not exactly my typical day on the trail. In fact, very little of the day was spent there at all (as my mileage reflects). I decided to take the Metro from Pawling to New York City and met up with my former RA, Alex. We got some great breakfast at a diner and wandered around the city--which is a very strange, bizarre world in comparison to the trail--and central park for a couple hours. Perhaps the most disorienting part was seeing consumerism at its finest as hordes of people flocked to the enormous stores and bought all sorts of ridiculous items, many of which cost more than my entire summer will. It was lightly raining and foggy/gray for almos the entire time I was in the city, but it really didn't bother me too much. In fact, it almost fit the cityscape better in my mind. All in all, the trip to New York was well worth it just to take a quick break and hang out with a friend from off the trail.I got back to Pawling around 5:15 that evening and took a little time to make sure that all of my gear was in order to head out again. I started hiking back to the trail and eventually got a ride (very glad I didn't have to hike the full 3 or 4 miles!) back to the garden center where I left off. I managed to hike to the next shelter without getting soaked by rain--others didn't fare as well--cooked dinner and went to sleep.
Date: 2009-07-23
From: Stealth outside Kent

To: Belter's Campsite
Miles today: 21.6
Weather: overcast clouds

The early evening paid off and I put in a decent day. I even managed to run across a hiker feed by accident!The morning went by fairly quickly and the afternoon was moving along as well, but with the constant threat of rain. I had planned on stopping in at a shelter to sit down, relax, and eat a snack, but was told by a hiker that someone had recently come through and was advertising free food at the next road. I decided I could push for the extra mile if it meant free food. I got there and found half a dozen other thru hikers and one hiker's husband and parents. The road was a forest service road (and hence rarely used), so we set up chairs and a table and we ate. They had fresh fruit, veggies, and even chocolate milk fresh from the farm! I really love those cows that they feed chocolate. The trail magic really brightened my otherwise mundane day.Afterwards I hiked another four miles or so and pitched my tent at a reasonable time of evening. I managed to have everything set up and crawl into my tent just before the rain finally started. Perfect.
Date: 2009-07-24
From: Belter's Campsite

To: The Hemlocks Lean-to
Miles today: 24.6

Long day, rocky ridges. I somehow managed to not see any of the other half dozen hikers all day. It wasn't until mid-evening that I finally ran across four guys who had just gotten back on the trail from a big trail magic event in Vermont. I left them with 4 1/2 miles left to get to the shelter and not a whole lot of daylight.I chugged along across sheets of rock and stretches of mud until I reached another campsite around 8:30. Sunset. The sign there said I only had two miles left, which I figured wasn't too bad. About a quarter mile later, though, I found a sign that told me I still hadn't climbed Mt Everett, which I thought I had. But at that point it was too late to turn back.I got out my headlamp and started climbing. And it started raining. I wasn't terribly excited about hiking at night over a mountain, much less in the rain, but it just kept getting better. The way up ended up being more or less rock face---which is not fun in the daylight OR when it's dry.Add to that rumbling thunder and ever-closer lightning strikes.We'll just say that I wasn't too excited to be summiting the tallest peak I'd climbed in the last month at that moment. I managed to survive without getting struck (which explains why I typing this) and headed down the much more friendly side of the mountain. It was while I was heading down that the rain kicked up a notch and hit the level of torrential downpour and turned the trail into a gushing river. I was lucky if I could see more than five feet in front of me.At this point I really wasn't having too much fun, but I knew that the shelter was within my grasp and that there really wasn't anywhere that I could pitch my tent, either. So I just kept crawling along and searching for any white blaze I could find and, thankfully, it was well blazed in this section. I lost the blazes when I reached a road, but I knew the road would at least lead somewhere with shelter, so I followed it until it turned and I found blazes again. I found out afterwards that I technically cut off part of the trail by doing this, but I wasn't exactly worried about purism at the moment.The shelter came soon afterwards and I was quite delighted to have made it. I dried off (the sham-wow is amazing) and got into some dry clothes, made dinner and hung out for a little while with the others in the shelter. I met another Strider, who was hiking southbound, and saw Snarky, who I met at the feed, again. I slept well.
Date: 2009-07-27
From: October Mtn. Lean-to

To: Dalton, MA
Miles today: 11.8
Weather: clear sky

Got into town around 1:00 and stopped by the PO before heading over to Rob Bird's house. The guy is really awesome about taking in hikers and doing whatever he can to take care of them for the time they stay. Unfortunately, this meant that I got really distracted and got very little of my chores done. At least I had a good time meeting new hikers and getting to know everyone.I plan to be in Vermont Wednesday and I still feel like I'm on pace to finish before September, despite the way that I always manage to waste more time than I intend.
Date: 2009-07-28
From: Dalton, MA

To: Chesire, MA
Miles today: 8.7

I hung out in town and did some chores in the morning and talked to a south-bounder, Six Strings, about the fabled "godzilla omelet". We ended up catching a bus to nearby Pittsfield to get to the diner where this omelet was served. The reason for the name: it's a 12 egg omelet with 6 veggies (peppers, onions, mushrooms, spinach, broccoli, tomatoes), 3 meats (ham, bacon, sausage), and four cheeses. They give you 30 minutes to eat the omelet--which was over 3 inches thick in the center--hashbrowns and toast in order for you to get the t-shirt. It was delicious. Its sheer size made it difficult to put down quickly, but I managed it fairly easily. Six Strings came close, but started to get full within 15 or 20 minutes and ended with only a few more spoonfuls of egg and cheese left.I finally got a t-shirt for my eating endeavors!After that I took my time getting everything together and manged to make it to the next town, Chesire, MA. A church there allows hikers to sleep on the floor in some of their sunday school classrooms, so I stopped in and hung out a little bit with three other hikers (whose names I'm forgetting at the moment) before getting a full night's rest.
Date: 2009-08-01
From: Story Spring Shelter

To: Green Mountain House
Miles today: 21.1
Weather: clear sky

The sun finally came out and helped to dry the trail out slightly. Granted, after all the rain that has been through up here in New England, it just meant that the mud was more firm and the rivers stopped flowing down the trail.I stopped briefly on Stratton Mountain to climb the fire tower and admire what view I could see through the mists and haze. I also called the hostel and was told that they were full. I knew that a guy behind me, Wheeler, probably wasn't going to make it (he's recovering from Lyme's) but had a reservation for the night, so I left a note for him at the register. It paid off later.I moved along to the Stratton Pond and took a longer break there. I ate lunch and talked to some weekend hikers before moving on. Just before I left I got a call from Wheeler saying that he would let me have his reservation since he wouldn't make it on time and we made the proper arrangements with the hostel.I got to VT 11 around 6:15 and got a ride to Manchester from some day hikers. I stopped by an EMS, did some grocery shopping, and ate dinner before getting a ride to the hostel from the owner. This is a pretty nice place. It makes me kind of sad that I have to leave it so soon. Then again, that's how most of this trip has been---just moving from one wonderful place to another. There will be more to come.
Date: 2009-08-06
From: Cloudland Farm

To: Hanover, NH
Miles today: 17.3
Weather: scattered clouds

I finally managed to make it to New Hampshire! It's time to finally see the White Mountains I've heard some much about.I picked up some new boots in Rutland, VT and they've felt really good for the last two days that I've worn them. It probably helped that they terrain was excellent--rolling hills and (finally) mostly dry trails--and the weather has been wonderful for the past few days. It's a strange thing to realize, but the new boots have really boosted my confidence. And, believe it or not, confidence actually does play a pretty large role in how I feel as I'm hiking and how far I can go in a day before I start to feel weary. I've been more tired lately--between big miles and less sleep than I want (though I want 12 hours...)--but the head games seem to be more of a problem than the actual physical limitations. At this point I just need to keep my spirits up and things will keep moving along fine.I feel the need to apologize to those who read this. I want to make every entry as detailed as I can to let you guys know what's actually going on out here, but at the moment I'm struggling to minimize the amount of time I spend in towns. Unfortunately, updating takes far more time than I can afford to devote on a regular basis. I'm doing what I can to update every 3-5 days when I stop in towns, but I can't promise completion until a good bit after I'm done with the whole hike. Thanks for bearing with me in the meantime though!
Date: 2009-08-10
From: Beaver Brook Shelter

To: Chet West's Garage (Lincoln, NH)
Miles today: 17.8
Weather: overcast clouds

I woke up early and hiked down the steep, damp rock stairs of Mt. Moosilauke. I took my time in order to make sure I wouldn't fall and I made it down with little trouble. And, while it was somewhat discomforting at first, it was cool to hike down parallel to a waterfall most of the way. When I got to the bottom, I managed to catch a ride in to Lincoln and claim a bunk in the hostel that Chet West runs.Within half an hour I was back on the trail again--with a much more limited pack--and climbing up to the peak of the Kinsmen. The fist two-thirds of the section alternated between uphill and mostly flat, but became increasingly steep as I went along. The climb to the top of the first Kinsman made me very glad that I had dropped off most of my stuff at the hostel--and the descent afterwards reinforced the sentiment, as increased mobility certaily helped in many portions. Unfortunately, I realized that I had also left my camera behind in the process of lightening my pack. And the view from the top was excellent. It was great to finally have a full view of the Presidential Range which everyone talks about so much, and man did they look daunting.
Date: 2009-08-11
From: Chet West's Garage (Lincoln, NH)

To: Stealth near Garfield Pond
Miles today: 9.0

Spent the morning running errands in town and patching up my sandals and pot so that I could feel confident in my gear. I stopped in at McDonalds for another $9, 3,000 calorie, 125g protein meal which my body loved (and it's weird that fast food might actually have been the best thing for me dietarily...).Just after I got out of the car at the trailhead, it poured on me for a short half-hour. It was enough to get everything other than my socks wet and I was glad it stopped there. By the time I got up to the ridgeline of Lincoln and Lafayette, though, everything had cleared and I found myself drying off very quickly in the high winds. Walking above the treeline again was excellent.
Date: 2009-08-19
From: White Birches Hostel (Gorham, NH)

To: White Birches Hostel (Gorham, NH)
Miles today: 1.0
Weather: fog

Well, it's been a little while since I last updated. I made it to Gorham, NH on Friday night via the road on Mt. Washington. Unfortunately, the reason I got off there was due to illness. I had a high fever, headaches, nausea, and general weakness--making it hard to put in the last few miles. I went to the ER since the local doctor was closed and ended up being there for 8 hours while they ran blood tests and rehydrated me. I was told I had a stomach virus (gastro-something-or-other) and that I should try to slowly work back up to eating simple solid foods while I rested the next couple days. I went back to the local doctor on Monday for a check-up. They took more blood for further testing and not much else. I probably should have pushed for antibiotics.I didn't hike until yesterday, when I hiked the 13.5 mile section from Mt Washing to Pinkham Notch, but I still don't feel like I'm back to the condition I should be in. Today I was dropped off at Pinkham Notch to hike over to Rt. 2 (where the hostel is), but ended up taking a side trail back to the road because I just wasn't feeling well at all. I felt weak and a tad feverish again, which didn't excite me much and I knew wasn't a good sign if I was trying to hike over Wildcat. I'll stop by the doctor again and hope I feel better in the morning. Ugh.
Date: 2009-08-29
From: Stealth 2 miles outside of Stratton

To: Horns Pond Lean-to
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

So the section from Gorham, NH to here (Stratton, ME) took me a bit longer than I expected. The mountains in southern Maine, while smaller than the whites, were still very difficult. The trail was really rough due to the rockiness--both enormous flat slabs and smaller rocks--and the rain that drenched me every time I approached the treeline.I ended up stopping in Rangeley to get enough food to push the last 30 miles here and found the Gull Pond Lodge to be an excellent place to stop and hang out. At least I managed to put in a solid 20 miles yesterday, for the first time (with a full pack) in a few weeks.At the moment I'm waiting out a little bit of tropical storm Danny, but I should be over the Bigelow Range by early afternoon tomorrow and the terrain will flatten out a lot. If I can manage to get back on a sleep early/wake early schedule (it's hard to transition into...), I should be able to get my mileage back up consistently again. Considering my looming deadline, this is becoming more and more necessary. My flight back to Chicago is on Thursday 9/10 and I'd like to at least stop at home for a while, but it looks like I might only be there for two days at most. My current estimate is that I'll reach the base of Katahdin on Sunday 9/6, summit the 7th and fly back home on the 8th.Nine more days.
Date: 2009-09-02
From: some cold shelter or other

To: Monson, ME---Shaw's
Miles today: 9.0
Weather: clear sky

Well, here I am: Monson. The edge of the hundred mile wilderness. I was hoping to be hiking again by now, but my package full of food hasn't arrived at the post office yet. I briefly considered resupplying from the general store, but a) I don't have anywhere else to forward the package of food, b) I would very much prefer to not spend what little money I have left if I can help it (though staying isn't really avoiding that), c) I really didn't want to miss out on the legendary Shaw's breakfast, and d) I need a break before I tackle this last section. The post office gets their daily delivery in the morning and opens at 7:30, so hopefully I can still get out on the trail at a reasonably early time.I still have 115 miles left and five more days--but the fifth day will be spent summitting Katahdin. So really I have four days to hike 110 miles and then one last day to enjoy the finish. This will be fun. And really difficult. If things get really ugly there actually are roads that I could take to get out of the wilderness, but I'm banking on being able to push through with only moderate discomfort. Everthing I've heard about the terrain and the weather seems to be favorable, so all I need is to follow through mentally.On the home stretch.
Date: 2009-09-07
From: Abol Stream

To: Roaring Brook Campsite
Miles today: 14.0

I summitted!Traveling home the 8th, packing the 9th, flying back to school the 10th, RA training the 11th and thereafter. For those of you who still are curious about life on the trail near the end (and more than just where I was), I'll work on filling in my journal more once I get back to school. Thanks for reading!9/12: Filled in the gaps in the mileage...maybe the stats will be correct now? It also creates a space for me to more easily fill in the details in the near future.
Date: 2008-11-14
To: Appalachian Trail
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

I'll start out my telling you about myself. I'm an 18 year old kid from Brunswick, Maine. I have 2 older sisters who are both in college and 7 younger siblings. If you check your math, that would make me 1 out of 10 kids. I graduated from high school this past year and chose to take a year off before college. Since my sophomore year in high school I had plans for the year off. Since both my sisters had taken years off and traveled, I envisioned myself doing the same thing. But this past winter I decided against it and thought it better to just go straight off to college. Then, around the beginning of January I was inspired my the movie "Into The Wild". Not so much McCandless's decision to seclude himself and abandon his family, but his thirst for adventure. After doing some research, I came across some information on the Appalachian Trail. As I dug further, I became more and more interested in it. It went from being something I considered would be cool to do at some point in my life to something I decided I wanted to do now. And so my plans for a year off reemerged. When I first presented this idea to my family, they dismissed it as just a phase. I don't think they really believed that I would follow through with it. My oldest sister, Courtney, was the only person who fully supported my plans from the beginning. As time passed, and I went on overnight hikes in Massachusetts and the Mahoosucs, my parents began to realize I was serious, and their support soon followed. Throughout the spring of my senior year, I spent a lot of nights researching rather than doing homework. I also began selling all my guitar and music equipment that I had bought during my "I want to be a rock-star" phase. Slowly, I acquired the necessary hiking equipment. During the summer I worked at Bowdoin Day Camp as a camp counselor and served delicious gelato at Hatties Ice Cream Parlor. I also did a fair amount of hiking during the month of August. I did 2 different trips in the Mahoosucs, hiking Old Speck on one, and conquering Grafton Notch on the other. In addition, I did a 5 day hike in the Whites with my friend and cousin. Doing the hiking in August allowed me to meet quite a few thru-hikers and pick their brains for information and tips. Listening to their stories inspired me and solidified my decision that this was something I wanted to do. A lot of people have asked me why would I want to spend 6 months hiking. I think it is a combination of the adventure and the idea of doing something unfamiliar. I also look forward to meeting new people. At the moment I am currently employed at L.L. Bean working as a seasonal picker, saving up money and acquiring my last pieces of gear.
Date: 2008-12-06
To: Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes
Miles today: 0.0

Just an update on my plans. I have decided to delay my start by about a month. This decision is based entirely on my financial situation. I have calculated that I will not be able to save $3000 by my planned March 5th start date. Although this is a set back, their are quite a few advantages to this. First and foremost though are the disadvantages. For one, the AT will be a lot more crowded than if I had started so early. Also, I will not be able to attend the fall semester at college. Thus, when I finally do go to college in January of 2010, it will be after taking 1 1/2 years off. Now on to the advantages of delaying my start date. Firstly, I won't have to worry about carrying a lot of cold weather gear. This will save me money and pack weight. Also, and this is a major advantage, I won't have a deadline. Since I won't be attending the fall semester of college, I don't have to worry about rushing through it, and pushing myself at times when maybe I shouldn't push myself. This way, I can take my time and enjoy my hike. Another advantage will be I'll be able to work in the fall after my hike and have 3 to 4 months to get back on my feet and used to society again.
Date: 2009-01-06
To: Update
Miles today: 0.0

So just a brief update on my plans. I have finally found a group of people that I will be hiking with. One of them is a friend and the other person I know through a friend. It will be nice hiking with people that I know. As a result of this surprise, I am changing my start date to match there's. As of now, I believe March 20th is my new start date. I am starting to get really excited for my thru-hike. I am still a little worried about money though. As of now, I am short of my pre-planned goal by quite a bit. With a little more than 2 months left, I'm hoping some type of job appears. If that does not happen, I am prepared to auction off my everything I own, even if that just leaves me with a bed mattress and an empty bedroom.