morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2007-07-08
From: Mt. Wilcox South Lean-to

To: Upper Goose Pond Cabin - tent platform
Miles today: 15.8
Weather: clear sky

I didn't get up any earlier today and it was about 7:45 when I started hiking. Magellan was leaving just a few minutes after me and Sleepy....well Sleepy was still sleeping.The trail wasn't very difficult in the morning and I thought I was moving quickly, but a check of my watch and mileage proved otherwise. The mosquitoes were still out today, but they were not nearly as aggressive as yesterday. It has been about a week since I found any ticks on me. This is great after over a month of finding ticks on me everyday. The gnats and flies made up for the lack of ticks and mosquitoes today. I stopped at Shaker Campsite for about 15 minutes. I ate a power bar and drank some crystal light while I figured out my water strategy. The water sources have been more reliable since the last part of New York, but the water levels are still pretty low.I stopped to cook some macaroni and cheese with peas and carrots for lunch. Magellan passed me near the end of my break. We passed each other a couple more times later. The weather was nice today. I don't think it reached 90 degree like the forecast. It was breezy most of the day and the humidity was much lower. My wicking shirt was actually able to release moisture to the air and stay somewhat dry today.I reached Upper Goose Pond around 4:15 this afternoon. I have been looking forward to this place. It was mentioned on a couple of the AT DVDs I watched before starting my hike. It is not what I expected though. I remember an interview on one of the DVDs and the guy was sitting by a tent on a grassy field. The cabin is actually in a wooded area. I dropped my pack at the cabin, took my boots off, and headed down to the pond for a swim. I would actually call this a small lake instead of a pond. There were about 8 motor boats on the pond. It is probably about 3/4 of a mile long. The water was very clear and I could see fish around the dock.I decided to set my tent up on one of the platforms instead of sleeping in the cabin. The cabin is a two story building with a kitchen and living area downstairs and a bunk room upstairs for 10 hikers. Wayne is the caretaker this week. He said he would be flipping pancakes around 6:30 or 7:00 in the morning. Pancakes seem to be popular among hikers, but I haven't had any since starting this hike. I will have some tomorrow morning.Magellan, Breadless Horseman, Early Bird, and Sleepy are also staying here tonight.I have started a new thing I call "Diesel says". This is where I will add comments to the guest book entries, so be sure to check the guest book.
Date: 2007-07-09
From: Upper Goose Pond Cabin - tent platform

To: Kay Wood Lean-to
Miles today: 17.6

I had no problem getting out of my tent at 6:30 this morning for pancakes. Wayne (cabin caretaker) was already in the kitchen when I walked up to the cabin. Magellan was on the porch and the rest of the hikers made there way down by 7:00. All you can eat pancakes on the trail! (I remembered this morning that I had pancakes at Rusty's Hard Time Hollow, so this was my second pancake breakfast.)After breakfast I packed up my gear. It rained all night so my tent and food bag were wet. As I finished packing the skies suddenly got darker. I headed back up to the cabin just before a heavy 30 minute rain shower. When the rain slowed I headed out. It was sometime after 8 AM.It was a muggy, buggy morning. You could see the moisture in the air. As I climbed a hill I thought of the movie "The Mosquito Coast", but I didn't find an ice machine in the woods.The clouds finally cleared around 11:30 and the mosquitoes were replaced by the gnats and flies. I stopped at October Mtn Lean-to for lunch. I set my tent up to dry and cooked some macaroni and cheese. I was reviewing my schedule. I was to be in Dalton, MA tomorrow and was expecting a mail drop box with 4 days of food. I suddenly realized I had not made a box for Dalton. The next box would not arrive until Manchester Center, VT. I would get my bounce box in Dalton that had a few food items. I packed up and headed 2.2 miles north to "The Cookie Lady" u-pick blueberry farm. I arrived and was greeted by Roy who was talking to Stand By Me, Partner, and Sleepy. He let me charge my cell phone and get water. He brought me out some cookies, but unfortunately the blueberries were not ripe yet. I stayed there about an hour working through my resupply plans. Stand By Me and Partner were staying the night there. Sleepy and I moved on to Kay Wood Shelter. We walked though a lot of areas where the ground was covered with ferns, even some open fields full of ferns.We reached the shelter around 7:00 just before another heavy rain shower. I decided to stay in the shelter for the night. I saw a resident mouse peeking out from behind a board and had to deal with mosquitoes and gnats all night. I was missing my tent.PS: Dad is making up the trail sections he skipped in Connecticut and heading back towards Kent.
Date: 2007-07-11
From: Mark Noepel Lean-to

To: North Adams, MA - Redwood Motel
Miles today: 9.6

Well it didn't rain last night, but I was in the middle of a cloud when I woke up this morning. My tent was dry, but you could only see about 100 feet. Lily was up and gone before I packed up this morning. I was the second one to leave the shelter a little before 8:00.A few miles down the trail Breadless Horseman passed me. Most of the bugs seemed to be less active today. The humidity was still very high, but the temperatures seemed to be lower. Maybe it was just the higher elevation. I climbed to the top of Mt. Greylock at 3,491 feet. I have hiked many miles since I was last over 3,000 ft. The view from the top of this mountain is probably great on a clear day, but today it was just a light grey fog.The rocks have been very wet recently. With the high temps and high humidity, the cool rocks in the shade collect water condensation. Today I slipped and fell. My ankle hurt for a while, but seems to be okay now.I hiked down 1,800 feet to the town of North Adams, MA. I found Lily and Breadless Horseman waiting for a ride from Lily's friend Dave. Dave also gave me a ride a half mile to the Redwood Motel. I checked in and walked across the street to the Super Shop and Save grocery store. It was the largest grocery store I have been to recently. I spent an hour roaming around the store just looking for stuff to eat today. I went back to the motel and worked through my schedule and resupply needs. It rained this afternoon. After it stopped I went back to the grocery store for food supply and dinner. It started raining heavily while I was there. I waited a while but the rain didn't let up. I finally decided to walk back to the motel in the rain. It started raining even harder as I walked. I reached the road cross walk. Massachusetts law requires cars to stop for pedestrians at cross walks, but many drivers don't do this. I was waiting to cross as several cars sped by. Then a car braked hard to stop for me. The car behind him almost ran into him, but swerved out of the way. I was soaking wet when I got back to my room.I dried out and sorted the food into zip lock bags for the next 4 days. Tomorrow morning I will head out and cross the state line into Vermont! I now have less than 600 miles left on this journey. As I ate my honey BBQ chicken and potato salad this evening, I reflected on how great this journey is. I am so glad to have this opportunity and will soon be wishing I was back where those who were trying to catch up to me are.
Date: 2007-07-12
From: North Adams, MA - Redwood Motel

To: Congdon Shelter
Miles today: 14.1
Weather: scattered clouds

I didn't feel too good when I woke up this morning. I was feeling the effects of my excessive eating yesterday. I woke up a little after seven, but didn't leave the motel room until 10:15. I headed back to the Super Stop and Shop for a phone charger that works with AA batteries. I had one of these before, but got rid of it to save weight. Hmmmm....my pack sure feels heavy these days.I walked the 0.4 mile through town back to the trail. The trail crossed bridges over a river and rail road tracks, then down a road and a turn up between a few houses. The small New England towns are pretty cool. I think the last time I saw a chain restaurant was the KFC back in Strausburg just outside of Delaware Water Gap, PA.The weather was much improved today. The humidity was much lower and the temperature was in the upper 70s! It reminded me of September in North Carolina. I think the most of the bugs took the day off to celebrate the good weather.About 4 miles outside of town after a 1500 ft climb, I crossed the border between Massachusetts and Vermont. Eleven states now completed. Can you name them in order South to North? (see answer below) The border crossing also marks the entrance into the Green Mountains National Forest. Vermont is famous on the trail for having a lot of mud. So far it appears they don't use many board walks to avoid this like I have seen in previous states. Here you have to jump across rocks and roots or just trudge right through it. They do have boards down in some areas. The trail has been going up some bigger climbs recently. The climbs have been similar to those in NC with long gradual inclines and few steep rocky climbs. I had expected to have some trouble with these climbs after hiking flatter trails for the past month, but I haven't had any trouble climbing these hills. There weren't many views today. It was mostly hiking the green tunnel, which was disappointing because the skies were clear and there was no haze today. I'm sure there were great views up on Mt Greylock today.I reached Congdon Shelter just before 8 PM. I saw one tent set up on my way in. I think it is Abby. I haven't met her, but she signed the shelter log. There is no one in the shelter tonight. I am in my tent.I just discovered my Platypus bottle I have been using for my denatured alcohol for my stove is leaking. There is a puddle on my pack. It looks like I lost about 4 oz of fuel. I have plenty left to get to the next town. I will have to convert my Gatorade bottle to a fuel bottle for now.Answer: Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts.
Date: 2007-07-14
From: Goddard Shelter

To: Stratton Pond Shelter
Miles today: 19.4
Weather: scattered clouds

I have gotten behind on my journal for several reasons, so the next couple entries will be fairly short.I only saw a couple south bound hikers today. I started late considering I was planning to hike 19 miles. I didn't start until 9:00 this morning. I climbed back up to the top of Glastenbury Mtn and climbed the lookout tower again to see the morning views. This morning I could clearly see the wind generators spinning atop the ridge to the southwest.I spent much of today thinking about renewable energy, effeciency, and related subjects. It was good to keep my mind busy. I hardly noticed the time and miles flying by. I stopped for lunch at Story Brook Shelter. I was there for about two hours. Cooked mac and cheese with peas and carrots. I read a couple chapters in my book and then headed back to the trail.I have noticed the biggest change in wildlife this week. The white tailed dear, cotton tail rabbits, and grey squirrels have gone away. There is noticeably less wildlife in the forest. I have now seen some red squirells that are smaller than the grey squirels. There are still a few chipmunks around, but not nearly as many as before. I have seen a couple snoe shoe hares. The caretaker at Stratton Mtn told me that their fur changes from brown to white in the winter. I have also seen what I am told is moose droppings, piles of brown 1" diameter spheres.I finally reached Stratton Pond Shelter at 8:30 PM and walked about a half mile to get water. I didn't even cook dinner. I just went to bed. Gaiter Girl and Dolly were already at the shelter. Dolly is hiking with her dog Tai. They are both headed to Maine this year, but didn't start from Georgia.
Date: 2007-07-17
From: Manchester Center, VT

To: Lost Pond Shelter
Miles today: 14.8
Weather: scattered clouds

Back to the TrailI woke up about 6:30 and was ready to go to breakfast at 8:00. I met Wanda and Crystal outside and Crystal drove us to the restaurant. Laurie joined us a few minutes later. I ordered the "Hungry Hiker" breakfast. It included 2 eggs, bacon, sausage, homefries, toast, and 2 buttermilk pancakes. I was a little hesitant at first. I thought I might not be able to finish it, but I had no problem eating it all.We went back to the motel and I finished getting ready to leave, then Crystal drove me to the trail head, which was about 6 miles away. The day was off to a great start.I started hiking a little before 10:00 and by 1:00, I had only made it to the top of Bromley Mtn a whole 3 miles. It was all uphill and I had stopped a few times along the way. As I am writing this I hear strange noises outside my tent. Some creature is out there. I shined my headlamp under the edge of my tent, but couldn't see anything. It got quite then the noise returned. I opened the door to my tent to look. Wow, that porcupine must weigh 50 pounds. It is huge. I have seen the damage they do to shelters and privies from gnawing on things. I sure hope it doesn't try to eat my tent or stick me with its quills tonight. I shined my light on it and made noise and it slowly walked away for now. It won't be easy to get to sleep tonight.Back to the hike. There is an observation tower at the top of Bromley Mtn where you can see over the trees in every direction. There is also a warming hut and two ski chair lifts there. I saw Walking Cowboy there. I haven't seen him since Duncannon, PA. We talked for a few minutes then he headed up the trail while I explored the area.Shortly after leaving Bromley Mtn I met two ladies that were hiking south. Today was their last day on the trail. I talked to them for a few minutes and one of them gave me a couple German cookies. They told me they had found three trail magic sites in the past couple days. A couple miles further north I stopped for a break at Mad Tom Notch. There is a forest road and parking lot there. Breadless Horseman and Mystery Chicken arrived shortly after I did and then a couple (Pat and Dave) pulled into the parking lot and came over to talk to us. They brought a strawberry rhubarb pie. Breadless Horseman can't eat stuff like that, so Mystery Chicken and I each ate about a third of the pie. This zero day has really worked out well.(The porcupine is back stirring around outside my tent.)Now it was mid-afternoon and I still needed to hike 9 more miles. I hiked over to Peru Peak shelter and found Dolly, Larry, Pablo, Laura, and Pablo's father (I think). I talked to them for a few minutes and signed the shelter register, then moved on. I reached Lost Pond Shelter about 8:00. There is no shelter here. It burned in 2001, was rebuilt in 2002, and burned again last November. I am starting to suspect this porcupine is behind all of this. I sure wish I knew how to keep porcupines away.
Date: 2007-07-19
From: Minerva Hinchey Shelter

To: Governor Clement Shelter
Miles today: 9.5
Weather: light rain

The rain continues.It wasn't raining when I woke up this morning in the shelter. AAA was packing up his gear at 5:30. He left around 6:00. I stayed in my sleeping bag until about 6:30. Bugbite left a little before 7 and I left a little after 7. Gadget and Mr. were still in the shelter when I left. All of the north bounders were heading to the Whistle Stop for breakfast. It was 3 miles up the trail and then left 0.5 miles at hwy VT103. AAA was on his way back to the trail when I reached the road. He asked me if anyone ever told me I look like the lead singer for the Foo Fighters. I said no and he said I do. I don't know what that singer looks like. Bugbite was at the restaurant when I arrived. I was trying to decide what to order when her food arrived, the all meat omelet with homefries and toast. Mmmm. I'll have the same with a side of bacon and orange juice. It was a very good meal. I was outside checking my email and charging my phone when Gadget arrived. I had left my pack cover hanging up at the shelter and he had brought it to me. It was a good thing because I would need it today.Bugbite and I left the restaurant and went back to the trail. We stopped for a break at Clarendon Shelter and then continued up Beacon Hill. At the top of the hill, Gadget caught up to us. The three of us hiked through the soggy trail and it started to rain again. We reached the Governor Clement Shelter at about 2:30 and realized we would never reach the top of Killington Peak before the concession stand closed. We were soaked and it was raining heavily. After about 30 minutes Bugbite and Gadget had decided to get dry and stay here for the night. I was still considering the options, but decided I too would rather be warm and dry now. It was a good chance to catch up my journal entries even though I don't have a cell signal to upload them from here. Perhaps I will finish reading one of my books today. About 6:00 Michael showed up. He is thru-hiking and started in Georgia on May 9th! Wow he is moving. While I on the other hand am celebrating the end of my 4th month on the trail today. He said he said he met Dad at Maria McCabe's in Salisbury, CT.The rain has stopped and started throughout the afternoon, but I have still not seen the sun break through the clouds for a second day. I only have one more pair of dry socks. If this continues tomorrow I will probably try to find a motel to stay at for a night and dry out all my gear and me.
Date: 2007-07-26
From: Grant Brook - campsite

To: Hwy NH25A - campsite
Miles today: 14.1

I still felt tired when I woke up this morning. Bugbite packed up and started hiking about 30 minutes before I did. It was already warm and humid.The days hike started with a 2,000 foot climb in the first 4 miles. It felt like I was climbing a lot more. The sweat was pouring off me and I took my shirt off. I haven't had to do that since Connecticut. I caught up to Bugbite at Firewardens Cabin. I also met nobos Umbrella Lady and The Habitual Hiker along with sobo Tom at the cabin. There is a firetower there with 360 degree views, but the sky was very hazy from the high humidity.I cooked mac and cheese for lunch and everyone else departed while I was still eating. Bugbite was heading to hwy NH25A to hitch to Wentworth for food supply. I wasn't able to keep up with her today. I liked the idea of going to a store for food, but told her not to wait for me.I have been feeling very fatigued the past couple days. I think I need to adjust my diet a little. I will by more food in Glencliff. I will concentrate on more protein. I also had not taken any vitamins for a while. I started taking them again today.The trail went up and down a couple more hills in the afternoon and I slowly drug myself across them. I reached the hwy NH25A crossing around 6 PM. Bugbite had already been to town and back. She arrived back at the road crossing just before I got there. She brought back a 6 pack of Klondike ice cream bars and split them with me. The ice cream was great, but the mosquitoes were terrible. We hiked another mile up the trail and found a place to put up our tents and hide from the mosquitoes for the night. I don't think the mosquitoes have been that bad since Massachusetts. I cooked my dinner and was asleep before dark.
Date: 2007-07-27
From: Hwy NH25A - campsite

To: Hikers Welcome Hostel, Glencliff, NH
Miles today: 9.8
Weather: few clouds

Diesel makes it into the Final Four!Yes folks it is true less than 400 miles to go. I woke up this morning still tired even after about 12 hours of sleep. I got up and was on the trail around 7:00. I hiked up to Ore Hill Shelter. It was up hill about 700 feet and 2 miles away. The bugs were all out again this morning. My shirt was soaked with sweat by 8:00 when I reached the shelter. I took my shirt off and pinned it on my pack for the rest of the day. Bugbite started after me this morning and caught up to me at the shelter. Rudy (section hiker) arrived at the shelter as we were leaving. I wished it would rain and cool things off, but the clouds disappeared and the sun blazed through the forest the rest of the day.We took another break and filtered some water from a creek near hwy NH25C. Bugbite left the creek before me. I was strugging with the heat and feeling fatigue again. As I started the 700 foot climb up Mt Mist, my emotions changed. I had been feeling worn out and bad about my lack of energy. I was feeling down and wondering if I had enough left in me to finish this trail. As I climbed the hill these feelings changed to anger and determination. Anger that anything could stop me from completing my journey and determination to do what ever is necessary to achieve my goal. I will improve the nutrition of my diet. I need to increase protein intake. I will carry more food or whatever it takes to maintain my energy level. There is nothing I can do about the hot humid weather, but I can control my attitude and recognize the affect it has.I flew up to the top of Mt Mist not even feeling like I was climbing. There are bigger hills to climb in the coming days, but I am ready for it. We reached hwy NH25 and walked down the road 0.5 miles to the Hikers Welcome Hostel in Glencliff, NH. Bugbite lives in NH and is taking a few planned days off at home. I am staying at the hostel tonight and taking a zero tomorrow. I need to eat as much food as possible while here and resupply at the store in Warren. I will head into the White Mountains on Sunday. It starts with a 3,800 foot climb up Mt Moosilauke. This is the by far the biggest climb I will have done in a long time. I will be back to hiking alone. I have enjoyed hiking with Bugbite the past week. I haven't hiked with anyone else since dad in Connecticut and Backyard Boogie before that back in PA.Olivier, Magellan, Walking Cowboy, Squirel, Teasip, Javaman, and a couple other hikers are here tonight. Gator Girl was here earlier, but she also got off the trail for a few days.I haven't had much internet access with this cell phone so I can't keep the online jounal updated as often. Stay tuned and the entries will eventually show up.