morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2006-06-25
From: William Brien Memorial Shelter

To: Graymoor Spiritual Center 
Miles today: 15.2
Weather: light rain

Woke up and was immediately offered a donut by the Boy Scouts. (I can get used to this!) On the trail by 9:30 and soon after it began to rain, hard. Luckily it wasn't a cold rain and I was able to maintain a fairly comfortable body temp while hiking. Comfort for the rest of my body was the big problem. Walking in the rain is just not fun at all. It slows you down and makes all your clothes weigh a ton. By noon the rain had stopped and I had dried out for the most part. Around this time I also made it to the top of Bear Mtn which at an elevation of 1305 ft is one of tallest points the trail hits in NY. Then I began a steep descent down to the lowest point on the entire trail, 124ft. At this point the trail goes through a park with a really pretty lake and then through a zoo where hikers are admitted for free. The zoo has lots of animals that are common to the AT including Black Bears, rattle snakes and foxes. While I was walking around the zoo it began to rain again so I ducked into one of the in door exhibits to keep dry. Once the rain stopped I got to hiking again and almost immediately crossed the Hudson River on a huge suspension bridge. Shortly there after I ran into 2 girls, Biz and Bloody Mess. I ended up hiking with Bloody Mess for the 5 miles into the shelter. The finally 5 miles went much better than the first 10 and reminded me again why I like hiking. At the shelter I ran into Posey Picker and Sandman and was extremely excited to see them both. They are great guys and a blast to talk too, plus they are hilarious and their outlook on life is always very uplifting. There is a cold water shower at this shelter so I took advantage of that and was able to move my cleanliness level up one notch. It mainly just made me feel better, and that was the best part. Overall today was a pretty crappy day, however. I am tired of being wet and have started developing this really annoying rash on the back of my left leg from my shorts always being soaked. Also, I somehow reset my Treo cell phone which deleted all the programs I use to write my journals. So now I am going to have to figure out a way to fix this problem on the trail, which won't be easy.
Date: 2006-06-26
From: Graymoor Spiritual Center 

To: Clarence Fahnestock State Park
Miles today: 11.8

It rained a little bit last night but my tent had dried out by morning. On the trail by 9am and it almost immediately started to rain again. This is the 4th day in a row where I have had to hike in the rain and I am really tired of it. My shoes stayed pretty dry until the trail went through some thick shrubs and all the water on the shrubs fell onto my shoes, soaking my feet. Hiking with wet feet really sucks and after 4 days of it your feet begin to get really raw. I think I am getting a little bit of trench foot on the bottom of my right foot. Around noon the rain stopped and I also caught up with Sandman and Ole Graceful. I ended up hiking with those two guys for the rest of the afternoon. Hiking with them also completely changed my mood and I almost forgot that I was wet and miserable. For the last 2 days I have noticed a rash on the back of my left leg and today I noticed that it had gotten bigger. So when Sandman, Ole Graceful and I walked down to the state park I asked the guy in the front office what he thought the rash was. He told me that he didn't think it was lyme disease but that I should keep an eye on it and if it continues to get bigger I should check with a doctor. The three of us set up camp at the state park camp ground around 3:30. I decided to stay at the state park instead of hiking on because I figured I could use the moral boost of a hot shower. And let me tell you, it may have just been the greatest shower I have ever taken. I have begun to get worried about the trail for me; it has stopped being as much fun as I remember. I know the rain is playing a big role, but I am still worried. I think that I have begun to think too much about finishing and I have forgotten that I still have 750 miles to go. I also think that I have been focusing to much on the joy and excitement I will find on top of Katahdin and not enough on the joy and excitement of getting there. I mean when I am finished I know I will forever remember the day I climbed Katahdin to finish the trail, but that I just 1 day out of more than 150... I need to start focusing more on the journey and less on the destination. Wow, that's pretty deep... But really all I want is to be happy... and maybe a little for the rain to go away.
Date: 2006-06-27
From: Clarence Fahnestock State Park

To: Telephone Pioneers Shelter 
Miles today: 23.6
Weather: light rain

Woke up at 5am this morning all ready to put in a big day of hiking. Just as I was beginning to get my gear together the skies opened up and it started to rain. So I climbed back in my sleeping bag and went back to sleep. Around 7:30 it had stopped raining enough that I could move all my gear to the bathrooms and pack in there. On the trail by 9am and within minutes the sun had peak from behind the clouds and then gone away again. My morning hike felt really good, first time hiking has felt good in a while. There was a great breeze, very little rain, and every once in a while the sun would come out just to let you know he still exists. About 2pm I reached a road crossing where you could walk .5 miles east and find a pizza place and a deli. So I went and ordered my own pizza and then got some icecream bars at the deli. I was also able to resupply with enough food to get me to Kent, CT. I even bought a ham and turkey sub to eat for dinner once I got to the shelter. The second half of my day went just as well as my first. Hiking felt great and I was finally able to get into a groove causing the miles to fly by. I arrived at the shelter just before 8 and found Posey Picker was the only one there. We sat and talked and I ate my sub. Later OrangeMan showed up. It is a pretty big shelter so we all had plenty of room to spread out. I am really glad hiking feels good again. I was really starting to get worried. I think the sun helped a lot today, it dried me out. Hiking while wet is just not fun.
Date: 2006-06-28
From: Telephone Pioneers Shelter 

To: Mt. Algo Lean-to 
Miles today: 21.4

So 2 big things happened today: 1. I entered my 10th state, Connecticut. 2. I have now completed more than 2/3rds of the AT!! Not really sure when it started raining last night, but it seemed like it rained for a long time.   I was gonna get up around 7, but the rain made me lazy so I slept until 9. I then ate breakfast and read my book for an hour. It stopped raining around 11 but I didn't get on the trail until around noon. The trail was really muddy in places and there were a couple of times where I misstepped and almost lost my shoe to a deep mud hole. This caused me to have to hike with wet feet most of the day, which I have stated in the past, is not fun. Also had to cross a bunch of swollen creeks and streams, lucky for me this just means hopping from rock to rock, long legs do have benefits. Around 1 the sky cleared a little and the sun came out off and on for the rest of the day. My clothes dried from the rain just in time to get soaked from me sweating climbing up the hills. Oh well. I did get to see and cross a covered bridge built in the 1800's. I crossed it on my way to a little market to buy a sandwich and a soda. I also got some wonderful trail magic from some fellow hikers named Mac & Cheese that consisted of a Pepsi, a 1/3 of a tube of thin mints and a couple sprays of bug spray. I night hiked the last 3 miles to the shelter with Orangeman and the terrain was surprisingly very rocky and technical, but I made it. I am currently about a mile from the town of Kent, CT and hope to get into town early to get stuff done. I would like to get new hiking shoes and socks, have an "expert" glance at the rash on the back of my leg (it is starting to fade away some in the middle, but this only furthers my worry that it is lyme disease), and I also hope to go to the library and write some emails. I am also hoping the library will let me download a few files that I need to make my cell phone easier to write my journals on. If not I will have to beg other locals. I was hoping to be able to wash my clothes since it has been a week since there last wash, but there is no place in town to do so. My clothes have taken on a very nasty smell due to all the moisture in the air and I have started to smell like a stagnant pond. Since I can't do laundry in town I hope to just find a creek that I can wash them out in and hope that the sun will be around to help them dry.
Date: 2006-06-29
From: Mt. Algo Lean-to 

To: Kent, CT
Miles today: 0.3

The Short Story: Some stuff happened and I caught a train from Bridgeport back to DC and will be off the trail for 6 days.The Long Story:Was woken up by a huge thunderstorm at 7am this morning. It was raining so hard that rain was hitting the ground and then bouncing up under my the rainfly on my tent and getting me wet. It rained for about an hour and a half and then I packed my gear and hiked the .3 miles to the road and then walked about a mile to the town of Kent.My goal was to take care of all my errands and be back on the trail by 1pm. I got almost everything done I needed to, and then I hit a road block. I went to the Pharmacist in Kent and had her look at the rash on the back of my leg. She looked and didn't think it was lyme disease but thought there was definitly some sort of infection and recomended that I go to the emergency room to get it checked out. This threw me for a loop because if I went to the emergency room it would mean that I wouldn't be able to make it the 32 miles to Salsbery by Saturday at noon. Therefore not being able to pick up my mail drop until the post office reopens on monday.I called my dad and he made several suggestions and then before I hung up he said "Or you could come home and go to your Uncle Tom's lake house for the July 4th weekend." That got my mind going. I then went to the Outfitter to see about getting a new pair of shoes, but they didn't have any shoes that would fit me. This really got me thinking about going home. Then while I was standing in front of the outfitter Ole Graceful sticks his head out of a car window and yells my name. He introduces me to a lady named Socks who thru hiked the trail last year. I tell them whats going through my head and thats when Socks says that she could drive me to a train station. This is when my internal monologue went crazy with debate...In the end I decided to take Socks up on her offer. She drove Ole Graceful and I back to her house where I was able to look up train times. Amazingly I was able to find a train that was leaving from Bridgeport, CT at 8:30pm and would arrive in DC at 1:30am. Then Socks let me take a shower, wash the clothes I would be wearing on the train and she bought pizza! It was some amazing trail magic and I can still not thank Socks enough for her kindness and hospitality.So I made my train and 5 hours later my sister picked me up at Union Station. Whew... what a long day.
Date: 2006-07-05
From: Kent, CT

To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

So I have been off the trail for several days and wanted to give an update of what has been going on.I went to the doctor and had the rash on my leg looked at. The doctor seemed to think that I had been bitten by a spider and that has caused an under the skin infection, so I was perscribed some anti-biotics. My family then drove to my Uncle's lake house in southern Kentucky and spent 3 days water skiing, tubing, swimming and drinking beer. I also managed to convince my youngest cousin Anna that she has 6 toes on her right foot. I did such a good job that she started counting out 6 toes and when asked by her mom how many toes she has she responded "Eleven!" I am so proud of myself. haha On our way back from the lake we drove up to Columbus, OH and surprized my Memaw and Papaw with a visit. It was really good to see them and I also got to show my Memaw some of my pictures. To all my friends in Columbus, I am really sorry I didn't get to see any of you but I was only in town for a couple hours. My mom and then drove back to Kent, CT from DC and were able to get me some new shoes on the way.Overall it was a very restful and productive time off the trail, it would have been nice if I could only have had 3 or 4 days off as opposed to the almost 7 but I am glad I did it.
Date: 2006-07-06
From: Kent, CT

To: Breadloaf Mtn.
Miles today: 11.6

My Mom and I drove from our hotel through Kent and up to Salisbury to pick up my mail drop. I wanted to make sure I got my mail because I wasn't sure I would make it to Salisbury by the time the Post Office closed at noon on Saturday. I got a few birthday cards and some packages that my mom had sent me before she knew I would be coming home.I said goodbye to my Mom and was back on the trail around 2pm. I made good time early on but still felt really stiff and breaking in a new pair of shoes didn't help things any. I had to ford my first stream today, which was a huge pain in the ass, I thought I may be able to rock hop across but 2 of the rocks were just to far to risk it. So I took off my shoes and waded across in my flipflops. Set up my tent around 7:30 and almost got eaten alive by mosquitos before I was able to jump in my tent. I am really tired and pretty sore so I am going to try to get to sleep early tonight.After 6 days off the trail I figured I would be itching to get back like I was when I was at Harpers Ferry. But for some reason I kind of dreaded getting back on the trail. I wish I knew why I feel this way. I have already decided that no matter what happens I am finishing my hike but I would really like it to be something that I cherish and enjoy. Hopefully this is just 2/3rds slump I have hit and I will soon regain all the wonderful feelings I have had for most of the rest of my journey. I think I just need to gain some hiking momentum.
Date: 2006-07-07
From: Breadloaf Mtn.

To: 1 mile North of Billy's View
Miles today: 19.9

Slept in today because it felt better than waking up. On emerging from my tent I was passed by 3 hikers: Mystic, Marley and Daedilous (Who I had hiked with back in southern PA). I finished packing my gear and was on the trail around 10. At first hiking felt just like it had yesterday, I was sore, grumpy and moving slow. But slowly I started to get into a rythm. Around lunch time I caught up with Mystic, Marley and Daedilous and hiked with them for the rest of the day.We all went into a little town off the trail called Falls Village hoping to hit up a pizza place there. Only to learn that the pizza place has been closed for 3 years, but found out about a cafe in town that served sandwiches. We got there only to find out that they were closed, but the lady said that she could serve us cold sandwiches so we took her up on her offer. Once back on the trail we came to a really cool water fall where we hung out and talked for an hour or so. We then hiked on and camped about 2 miles South of Salisbury, CT.
Date: 2006-07-08
From: 1 mile North of Billy's View

To: Hemlocks Lean-to
Miles today: 16.6

Today is my 26th Birthday! Happy Birthday to me! I am no longer a child of 25, I am now a child of 26!!I also entered the state of Massachusetts today, my 11th state on the trail.Up at 6am and on the trail by 6:30. Got into Salisbury at 7 and we all got breakfast at a local coffee house. We then proceeded to sit on the patio and eat food from the market and coffee shop. When the library opened at 10am, I went there, updated my journal and answered some emails.Mystic, Marley and Daedilous had left town about an hour before me so once I got back on the trail I was hiking my hardest to catch up. Today was the first day of real climbing. Went above 2000ft for the first time since PA, and had a really intense climb up Mt. Everett right after the Massachusetts border. I got to the shelter around 6 but surprisingly Mystic, Marley and Daedilous weren't there yet. They arrived almost 2 hours later and I had passed them while they were taking a side trail to swim in a creek.Going into Great Barrington tomorrow and will be staying the night. Only 8 miles to the road so it will be a short day, but we are all planning on drinking lots of beer and watching the World Cup.
Date: 2006-07-09
From: Hemlocks Lean-to

To: U.S. 7, Great Barrington, MA
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: few clouds

Up at 6am and on the trail by 7. The hike was pretty easy no big climbs, lots of flat and one big down. Once down in the valley, I was attacked by swarms of mosquitos. They were so bad that I didn't even want to stop and put on bug spray for fear that I would be eaten alive before I could put it on. That's when I started to run, when I finally stopped and looked back I saw a huge cloud of mosquitos about 10 feet behind me and closing fast. I finally made it to a road and was able to put on bug spray, but not before I received about 50 bites.Made it to US 7 with Mystic around 10am and got a hitch pretty quickly into the center of Great Barrington. The hotel we were planning to stay at was still pretty far away so we walked the 2 miles to the Travellodge. Once we got our room I found Marley and Daedilous and told them what room we were in and then we all went to McDonalds. We then went back to the Hotel room and watched the World Cup Final.Later Daedilous and I went to see Superman at the downtown movie theater. It was weird to see a movie, very hard to sit for that long, but I did enjoy the movie. After the movie I went to a Brew-Pub with Marley, Mystic and 2 girls (Emily and Jen) who we had met the previous day at the shelter and who were also staying at our hotel. We all toasted to my birthday and had a great time talking about all sorts of stuff.Today I was also able to check my voicemail and found I had received lots of great messages from friends wishing me happy birthday. It was great to hear from all of them and most of the messages were pretty funny cuz they had called after getting drunk. I miss my friends.
Date: 2006-07-10
From: U.S. 7, Great Barrington, MA

To: Tom Leonard Lean-to
Miles today: 6.4

Got to sleep in and went to our hotel's continental breakfast at 9:30. I packed up my stuff and then went to the grocery store to get a couple of food items. I then walked the 2 miles back to the center of town with Marley and then called my parents while he bought new shoes.I really didn't want to get back on the trail and was kind of dreading it. But when I did get to hiking again it felt good and I enjoyed it. I got to the first shelter and found Mystic, Emily and Jen (Who are now named Magic Hands and Spooner). I was planning on moving on since it was still early but was convinced to stay and hang out. The mosquitos were so bad that we built a fire and the smoke seemed to keep them away for a while. When it started to get dark they just got to bad for me so I put up my tent.
Date: 2006-07-11
From: Tom Leonard Lean-to

To: Upper Goose Pond Cabin
Miles today: 21.1
Weather: haze

Up at 6 but right around the time I was ready to get hiking it began to thunder so Emily, Jeni, Jump Start and I all waited around for a thunderstorm that never came. Actually got on the trail at 8 and quickly realized it was a huge mistake to not put on any bug spray. Most of the hike today felt really good and the trail went through some really beautiful sections of forest. My favorite was this section where the entire forest floor was covered with waist high Jackweed- it was gorgeous!Late in my hike I started to feel pretty sore but still made it to the shelter at 4pm. The shelter is an old cabin that has been turned in to a bunk house. It sits up on a hill about 50 yards from a beautiful mountain pond. I went swimming in the pond and was able to wash out some of clothes. There are a lot of hikers here: Mystic, Marley, Jump Start, Mr. K, Cookie, BP, and I was really surprised to see that Emily and Jeni had hiked the 21 miles to the shelter as well.I feel so much better today than I have for the past few days. I think the key for me was just to get some miles under my belt and get the feeling of really hiking again. Momentum is a very power force and I am really glad I have found it again.
Date: 2006-07-12
From: Upper Goose Pond Cabin

To: Dalton, MA
Miles today: 20.6
Weather: haze

The caretaker of the cabin made pancakes in the morning and then I sat around and talked with Marley, Emily and Jen. Got on the trail at 9 and felt good. I ran into a large group of girlscouts on the trail who offered me a Cliff Bar and then sang me a couple camp songs... one of them had to do with donuts. I just remember thinking that their song made me really hungry for donuts.Around 1pm it started to rain a little and by 1:30 it was pouring. It was a warm refreshing rain at first, but within an hour I was soaked through and had to keep a fairly brisk hiking pace to keep warm. Once wet, however, I was able to relax and I kind of enjoyed my hike in the rain. I did fall down once when I slipped in the mud, but it didn't hurt too bad.I got to Dalton, MA around 4:30 and was following the trail trough town when I noticed 2 other hikers (Jump Start and Mr. K) sitting on a porch of a house along the trail. So I went over to talk to them and was introduced to Tom who offered me a hot shower and a place to crash for the night. Being that I was cold and wet I didn't even have to think about how to answer. Tom them offered me some ice cream and when he returned he brought out this huge ice cream sundae, it was great! Later, Tom drove Jump Start, Mr. K and I to the Old Country Buffet, we offered to pay for Tom's meal but he refused. 5 plates of food and 4 helpings of desert later we drove back to Tom's house and watched the movie The Big Lebowski.Today was a perfect day, it had its ups and it had its downs but in the end everything seemed to come together and work out wonderfully. Life is good.
Date: 2006-07-13
From: Dalton, MA

To: Wilbur Clearing Lean-to
Miles today: 21.3

Up at 7 and once packed up Tom, Jump Start, Mr. K and I all went to a diner for breakfast. We got on the trail around 8:45 made it the 9 miles to the town of Cheshire by 11:30. In Cheshire I was able to get a soda, sandwich and shake.The next part of the trail leads up Mt. Greylock, which, at 3,491ft, is the biggest mountain I have climbed since the Shenandoahs in VA. I had been really nervous about hiking up a big mountain again, but once I got hiking climbing the hill felt great and I enjoyed it. The top of Greylock had absolutely beautiful views.   I was also able to get a couple sodas and dry out some of my wet gear.To finish off the day, I hiked the final 3 miles down to the shelter for the night. At the shelter we ran into a group of hikers getting ready to hike the Long Trail in VT. I also met my first Southbound Thru-hikers tonight, but they weren't around long enough for me to remember their names.