morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2010-07-31
From: Stewart Hollow

To: Stewart Hollow
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Day 12 - Sat July 31 We take a zero here to swim fish and play in the Housatonic River. Nice lazy day. We discover that we are at the Stewart Hollow camp instead of the Stony Brook camp which is further down the trail. Genevieve just stopped at the first camp she came too. Lazy day. Wash clothes. Refill water bottles. Since we have all of this flour, powderes eggs, and powdered milk I make pancakes. The boys are amazed. They didn't know you could make this kind of food on the trail. I make *lots* of pancakes. Fuzzy has some wildberry preserves and and Wood Rangler has some honey. Everyone at this point has bottomless pit stomachs. The discussion turns to hiking outfits. Genevieve wants to tlk gear and inquires as to what type of hiking outfits they have. The guys insist that they do not have hiking outfits: they hiking pants and shorts and shirts but no outfits. There are a pair of young female hikers: one Kiwi and the other Aussie and get in on the debate. Life is pretty simple on the trail I suppose..
Date: 2010-08-01
From: Stewart Hollow

To: Caesar Brook
Miles today: 6.2
Weather: broken clouds

Day 13 - Sun Aug 1 Plan: hike 6.2 miles from Stewart Hollow camp to Caesar Brook Camp. One major 1000 foot climb to Silver Hill with 3 other fairly steep climbs. Weather fair. Soulpatch and Fuzzy have a mail supply in Cornwall. It is an easy hike after a day of resting. Everyone feels strong even old 1.0. This is really beautiful country. Very enjoyable walk with many scebic views. I stop to rest on top of Silver Hill and a local section hiker stops by for a moment on his way south. He gives me news about Genevieve and offers me a fresh plum. A fresh plum!! Genevieve had planned to go into Cornwall and I give her my cell phone and charger. I stay on the trail because I don't to get diverted and have any more in the dark arrivals. I meet up with Genevieve and Rangler at camp around 6:00. Rangler has been carrying a package of red beans and rice around for a couple of weeks but has no way to cook it because his stove requires a special cannister. We have the stove so we collaborate. We are running low on fuel because of the big group meals we have been cooking but water fortunately is plentiful. We decide to make it an early night and turn in around 8:00 just before dark. Around 9:00 a group of 13-16 year old girls on a two week wilderness retreat come in. What a ruckus!! They set up floodlamps and lierally take hours to get settled in. Wood Rangler gets out of bed and offers to help. The giggling and chatting doesn't die down until after 1:00. This camp has a privy with a view! It is just a raised box with a toilet seat out in the woods. I like it because you don't have the stinky cabin. But I don't think the girls liked it too much though.
Date: 2010-08-02
From: Caesar Brook

To: Belter's Camp
Miles today: 8.7

Day 14 Mon Aug 2 - Plan: 8.6 miles hike from Ceasar Brook to Belters Campsite. One 600 ft climb Mt Easter followed by another 500 ft climb to an unamed peak then 5 mi of up and downs and a 1 mile down into camp. Weather fair, slightly warm but cool on the peaks. The trail has narrowed to a single footpath and the terrain is more rugged and varied in Connecticut. Beautiful glorious pine forests with several species. It is a pleasure to walk in these woods. Pack is lighter and body in shape and feet calloused after two weeks on the trail evrything is easier and much more enjoyable. More scenic views and wildlife here too. Big deer crossed our path right out of camp. Many chipmunks and squirrels. I try to take their photo but they are shy and I am loud and clumsy in the forest. Just before camp a big owl flies across the path. Genevieve and Wood Rangler are ahead of me but only about an hour. Kept a good pace today - feeling much better. Of course when I arrive in camp about 5:30 Genevieve has changed from trail to camp clothes, bathed, filtered water for the night and set up the tent. She clearly loves it out here and is quite capable. Beautiful beautiful campsite all covered with a bed of pine needles. I took an hour out to fish a brook I encountered along the way. Caught several smallmouth bass on an Australian grasshopper fly I got to fish the Mitta Mitta river in Victoria. They didn't like anything else in my box. I guess it was foreign food to them. In camp we met up with Fuzzy and Soulpatch who brought in luxury food from Cornwall: ground beef, carrots, onion, potatoes, lime . We fixed "silver turtles" and had a feast in trail terms. Wood Rangler had been carrying a bottle of Porter which we all shared. Sang some songs told stories and then the guys started talking technical ultralight camping gear. With two other thru-hikers who showed up. I headed off to bed for an early night.
Date: 2010-08-10
From: Great Barrington

To: Shaker campsite
Miles today: 9.2
Weather: broken clouds

Day 22 - Tue Aug 10Plan: Hike 9.2 miles from AT / Mass 23 intersection to Shaker campsite.Weather: rainy and steamy hotIt always rains when restart our hike after a town stay. It rained very heavy through the night. We make our early morning stop at the post office...send extra food back home and I bounce a package to our final destination Bascom lodge - extra clothes, spare glasses, computer power cord and other junk to make room for the netbook. Our packs are heavy with food. We prepare the big tomato sandwiches and call the cab. We are back on the trail (in the rain) by 9:40. Nothing much to report on this day. The forest is dark and damp. Instead of rocks we have sandy loamy slippery dirt trail with a zillion stumble roots. We could be walking in East Texas. I don't take many pictures. Much of the day we are walking on boards through swamp. You've already seen plenty of those - nothing new here. At one point there are no boards and we are walking through six inches of mud. Fortunately it does not top the boots. Did I mention bugs and mosquitos? Early on I meet a southbounder who informs me there is no water at Shaker Campsite - our destination. So quite reluctantly I treat 2 litres of water at Beckett's Pond adding 4 pounds to my already heavy pack weight and truck it the remaining 8 miles over some steep climbs. Genevieve makes camp by 2:30 but ol' 1.0 doesn't drag in until 6:30. My feet and knees are killing me because of the heavy pack and the 1500 down we had to do. Turns out there is excellent water at Shaker after all from a cold clear but very small stream and Genevieve has it already filtered and treated when I arrive. We meet thru hikers TRex and Tarzan there but they don't stay electing only to eat dinner and then hike at night on up to Goose Pond. Half dozen more thru hikers come through with same plan. Shaker camp is not our favorite - apparently no one else's either as we are alone and Genevieve notices the privy has no use. Swampy, rampant mosquitoes, damp, damp, damp. We dive into our tent early. It is fortunately pitched on a platform. We are safe, have water and get a good night's sleep. We have some concern because the hiker's were so careless with their food but Mr. Bear does not pay us a visit this night.
Date: 2010-08-12
From: Upper Goose Pond Cabin

To: Upper Goose Pond Cabin
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Day 24 - Thu Aug 12Plan: Zero at Upper Goose Pond Cabin to play and fish. Hopefully clear skies for the Perseid meteor shower.Weather: Overcast and coolThe cabin at Upper Goose Pond is a magical place. There is a staff of 25 caretakers who come up for a week each to steward this special place that caters to thru hikers and section hikers. We wake to the smell of pancakes. Everyone moves downstairs and the pancakes, butter, syrup and coffee are free and unlimited. There is a feeling of special love and caring that is infectious. After breakfast I have the use of a canoe for the day. Genevieve stays onshore and reads her book. I fish. I catch about 40-50 sunfish, missed a 3# bass that broke my line, a couple more bass and a weird looking alligator fish that later was I told was a pickerel. Most were caught on poppers and grasshopper flies a few on chartreuse wooly booger. It was reported that a 17 inch rainbow was caught in the morning. Around 2:00 I see Genevieve on the dock so I pick her up and we spend the afternoon together. During the last hour we keep 8 large sunfish and two 12 inch bass for dinner. I just scale and gut the sunfish to be fried whole but fillet the bass. Because of bears we have bury the fish guts deep and far away from the cabin. Genevieve does a good job frying them up and we share with other hikers. Everybody then decides to pool their food and we have beer, peaches, cucumbers, fresh fish, boiled corn on the cob, and chocolate cookies. There is enough for all. Everyone agreed the sunfish were tastier than the bass. No chance for observing the meteor shower tonight with these heavy clouds. We clean up the kitchen. I head off bed. Genevieve stays up and reads the cabin journal from all of the hikers who come through. Some entries are hilarious. It was a really good day. Tomorrow we will stay at the blueberry farm with the Cookie Lady.
Date: 2010-08-13
From: Upper Goose Pond Cabin

To: Cookie Lady's house
Miles today: 11.0

Day 25 - Fri Aug 13Plan: Hike 11 miles to Cookie Lady's house.Weather: refreshingly cool. Overcast in the morning. Partly cloudy and clearing late afternoon.We have pancakes again for breakfast at the Upper Goose Pond cabin but the caretaker has changed. Yesterday we got unlimited platters until we could eat no more. Today the caretaker lady says, "I think 4 or 5 pancakes each should be enough". My goodness. We get on the hike at 8:30 but plan to stop for a big lunch soon. We make Finnerty Pond (4.5 miles) in 3 hours - 1.5 mph not bad for old 1.0 with an 800 foot climb to Baldy Mtn included. We find a nice lunch spot under a giant pine tree and fix Jamaican Chicken with a side dish of mashed potatoes and mozarella cheese. We add extra olive oil to both. The remainder of the hike is pleasant but unremarkable. We meet several thru hikers on the trail which surprises us. These guys are late starters and speed racers covering 20+ miles per day. They only stop to chat briefly. We have to make one stop for water and walking a comfortable pace we make the cookie ladies place by 6:00...Roy and Marilyn are elderly folks who run a blueberry farm just a few hundred yards south of the AT & Pittsfield Rd intersection. They are famous on the trail. They have a wonderful old farm house and provide a rest stop for AT hikers. Known as the Cookie Lady and the Cookie Man they provide a plate of cookies as you walk up. You can pick your own blueberrys for $2.00 per pound and get 6 eggs fresh or boiled for $1.50. You can pitch your tent in their yard near an old apple tree. You can get fresh water from their outdoor faucet. There is a toilet but no shower in the older run down house now used as a storage shed. You have to carry a bucket of water in with you to flush since there is no active plumbing. What a lovely idyllic place! We meet "Gus" who is a fireman hiking the trail in three sections. This is his last year. Also met Cerveza (gal) and PowerNap (guy) a couple who are thru hikers. We fix a big meal starting with instant hummus followed by curried lentils. Thanks to Sofia for all of this wonderful and tasty food. We share the hummus with our trail buddies. We are famous on the trail for our food variety. We are still hungry so we fix a backpacker chicken and rice. We put lots of olive oil in it. We put olive oil on everything now. Quite good on oatmeal in fact. Since the skies have cleared we stay up late to watch the shooting stars and have quite a good show. We get our sleeping bags out because the night air has chilled considerably. Good day, good hike, good food, good friends. Good night.
Date: 2010-08-15
From: Tom Lenardi house in Dalton

To: Shamrock Inn Dalton
Miles today: 0.5

Day 27 - Sun Aug 15Plan: rest up an eat up to prepare big hikes on Mon and TueWeather: overcast all day turning to rain in late afternoon and evening.All day breakfast - I go to the corner store for a dozen apple turnovers, two bananas and coffee. Then we fix two big pots of oatmeal with heaps of blueberries and brown sugar. Still pretty hungry at noon so we go to Angelina's sub shop. Genevieve has a 18 inch Philly Cheesesteak cheetos and a quart of chocolate milk. Robert has a double cheeseburger with Russian dressing chips and a quart of chocolate milk. We are getting almost full so we decide split an order of fried eggplant. We hang out at Tom's who gives us some loaner clothes while we use his washer and dryer to wash all of our stuff. Tiger Woods is not feeling well and is laying in under the huge elm tree in his sleeping bag. He got this unusual trail name when a trail romance went badly and the girl went after him with a trekking pole. We book a room at the Shamrock Inn which has internet so Robert can load trail pictures. Also they have showers which is a huge incentive after a week of taking a bath in a half cup of water and a Handi-wipe. Its three o'clock so time for afternoon snack we each get a pint of ice cream and watch a sci fi movie. TV seems so stupid. A used car salesman keeps shouting at us to buy his car. There is another ad for a neck basket - a contraption that straps around your neck and shoulders and keeps things handy right there under your chin. Not sure what you would need to keep there - false teeth maybe. I work on the trail journal until I run out of battery power on the laptop I'm now carrying. I mailed the heavy power supply and cord forward to Bascom Lodge and I will have to climb 3000 ft on Tue to get it back. I bet it will rain today since we are getting back on the trail. We are 4/4 so far in that regard. We are looking for a knitshop for Genevieve. Not content with double hiking her miles and mine and doing pushups at the beginning and end of the hike - she wants to knit an Appalachian Trail scarf. For memories. I suggest a lightweight digital camera and get a "you are such a guy" look. We find a knit shop in nearby Lennox but they are closed. We are hungry so go to the tavern for dinner - beers and prime rib with mashed potatoes! Ahh but sadly the kitchen closed early and we are out of luck. So nothing else to do but back to sub shop. Our appetites have suddenly evaporated after losing out on the prime rib so Genevieve just gets a large order of chicken tenders ans I settle for a 12 inch meatball sub. Boringly back to the Shamrock for sleep. Forgot to mention the beautiful old houses we see - built 1801 and 1803. Moses Austin didn't bring settlers to Texas until 1820. Would like to spend more time here. Dalton is a friendly and interesting town.
Date: 2010-02-05
To: Home
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: snow

It is a little over 2 weeks until I start the trail and I continue to fuss over equipment. Yesterday I purchased another set of long johns and some new ear muffs. I have a new tent due next week and then I am done. I have spent a huge amount of time testing and research gear for the past few months. I am sure that will be of some benefit at the start, however I suspect that good luck and a good mental attitude are far more important. This winter is looking like one of the worst for the southeastern US in terms of cold and snow. Today, Amtrak will not be operating south of DC. That is dictating a lot of what I will be taking. Your kit and clothes must be adequate for down to 0 degrees and snow or 33 degrees and rain, which is worse. For those of you who care this is the list and weight in poundsBASIC Osprey Atmos 65 Pack - 3.56Rain proof rain cover - .25REI Sub-Kilo Down Sleeping bag (rated at 20 degrees) with silk liner 1.81Thermarest Deluxe foam pad 1.00 Tarptent Rainbow tent 2.13Total Basic 8.75 Kitchen StuffSoto Stove with ignition .19Fuel Canister .50Titanium spoon/fork .03Titanium cup .27Titanium bowl, (w/home made insulation) & lid .25Insulated REI cup .25Scrubber .03Steripen (UV water sterilizer) .222 L water bag .132-19 oz aluminum bottles .41Food sacks including one Ursack Lite, (rodent and raccoon proof?) .31Salt and pepper shaker .12One candle for emergencies .10 Total kitchen 2.84Clothes (excludes pants and tee shirt to hike in) Ear muffs .10Mt. Hardware Jacket (Rainproof with hood.0 .54Marmot down jacket .88REI long sleeve tee shirt .28Mask .09Two pairs of wool socks .50Extra running shorts .19Bandana .06Balacava .09OR Seattle Hat .192 pair of REI long underwear .75REI down booties .75Gaiters .38Ex Officio long sleeve shirt (with built in bug repellant) .69OR Alti mittens (double mittens) .75Poly gloves .28OR waterproof bag for clothes .14Total clothes 6.81Hygiene First Aid kit, wash rags, tooth brush ,sunsreen,glasses with case, TP, Purell, dental floss, mirror, 2 oz soap,razor, medications, deooderant, nail clippers.Total Hygiene 2.68 Misc. Camera , matches, compass with thermometer, 36 feet light cord, headlamp, zip lock bags, journal, maps, cell phone, books to read at night, batteries for steripen and headlamp.Total Misc. 3.28 Total winter pack without food or water 24.36 pounds30 ounces of water weigh 2.30 pounds and food is about 2 pounds per day. Total starting pack on day one is 34.24 pounds. So all a person really needs to live can be put in one pack weighing less than 25 pounds. Everything else is just "stuff". I like "stuff"
Date: 2010-02-06
To: Home
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: snow

This is a public journal and may be viewed by many people other than family and friends. So most people post a little bit about themselves. Plus they have a rule with this program that you need to have three posts before anyone can view it.I am 66 and I have been teaching Finance and Insurance at New Mexico State University in Las Cruces NM. for the past five years. I really enjoy that job. Most of my life has been spent as a small business owner. I have a fair amount of backpacking and hiking experience. My dad used to take the family camping in California in the late 1940's and 50's. When my children were young we used to go backpacking for a week every year. Those were very enjoyable times. However, I lack experience hiking in the east, where there is a lot more rain. Plus I do not handle cold very well, so the winter start will be a challenge. Due to a plantar fasciitis injury for the past several months I have not been able to train for this trip the way I would like. I do hope my 30 years of running will help. Except for the expected bad weather I feel pretty prepared for the trip. Right now I am just trying to get all of the loose ends taken care of before I leave, such as doing my income tax returns. UGH.
Date: 2010-02-07
To: Home
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Yesterday the weather was pretty bad in the east. There are a few thru hikers on the trail already and it appears that they are getting hammered. I have been reconsidering my start date, but as of today I am still planning on starting February 21st. I will just hope that the weather is not too bad. Also, even in April you have pretty good odds that you will have snow. The plus side is that if I can get to Virgina in early spring, I will avoid the heat in the Mid Atlantic areas. This map will give you a better idea of the scale of this trip. 2178 miles is a long way, roughly like Las Cruces NM to New York City! I am almost done with trip preparations.
Date: 2010-02-19
From: Home

To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

I will be flying from Roswell to Atlanta tomorrow, and then starting at Springer Mountain on Sunday. It appears that there will be a break in the weather next week with temperatures a little below normal. There should be some cold rain. Hopefully that will melt the snow.The trails in Georgia have been very icy, but the snow has mostly melted. Reports indicate that parts of the trail in North Carolina are impassable due to waist deep snow and fallen trees. A week of normal weather might take care of the snow. My basic strategy is to hunker down during the storms and wait for better weather. My pack weight has gone up due to adding more clothes for the winter weather. I added a small am/fm/sw radio to listen to when I get snowed in, and to try and stay updated on weather.I also added a pair of yak traks to help walk on the ice. I have heard mixed reviews on these, but I needed to get something fast. They look like they will work for short distances. The pack weight without food and water is a little over 26 pounds. The total starting weight will be about 36 pounds. It seems to make more sense to carry some extra weight and stay warm.A big thank you to some of the people who are helping out with this trip. The Rader family is taking care of the house. The trip medical adviser, Fred French, has assisted with some help on staying alive and well. Quartermaster Paul Whitwam is in charge of my mail drops. Bruce Ritter is providing inspiration. "No Metro stops" (This is a private joke among friends.)If you want more information on the AT you can go to www.appalachiantrail.orgYou can get an idea of my proposed schedule by clicking on "Mail Drops". I developed this schedule based upon a lot of hours of research and going over maps of the entire trail. The result is a schedule that is as reliable as a hedge fund salesperson making a pitch to a pension fund, managed by a state or local government body. It is highly accurate as long as all 100 or so assumptions are true and there are no external events that cause a change in plans on a hike of 2178 miles.If anyone wants to join me along the way I would enjoy the company. Bring food!
Date: 2010-02-21
From: Springer Mountain

To: Hawk Mountain Shelter 
Miles today: 7.8
Weather: few clouds

Arrived in Atlanta yesterday and met a fellow thru hiker Bill from NJ. He kept me from going the wrong way from the Marta station. A third hiker, Frost from WA joined us. Josh from the Hiker Hostel picked us up and took us to the Hiker Hostel, owned by himself and his wife Leigh. We had a great breakfast this morning and Josh drove Bill and myself to the trailhead for Springer Mountain. We started up the trail at 9:45 going south .9 miles to the top of Springer Mountain. The trail was very icy and I slipped and fell 3/4 of a mile on the journey north of 2178 miles. My right thigh muscle was pulled and hurt some the rest of the day.It was a cool, but sunny day. At the shelter I met four section hikers, and four more thru hikers. There were lots of day hikers on the trail.It may be awhile before I get pictures up here due to a lack of access to computers. Also updates to this journal will depend upon computer access.
Date: 2010-02-22
From: Hawk Mountain Shelter 

To: Woody Gap
Miles today: 12.3
Weather: overcast clouds

It rained most of the night at Hawk Mountain Shelter. I was in my tent and about 5:00 am noticed that there was some water in my new tent. I did the normal thing and blamed the tent manufacturer. Of course I assumed that it was not my fault.By 6:00 am the puddle has grown. When I got up my bag was partially wet and some of my clothes were wet. My cell phone was also damp and died later that day. What I did not do: Think that I might have caused the problem. Analyze the problem.Assume personal responsibility for the situation.Take corrective action. I will not put the water bottle inside my tent. The rain stopped in the morning. It was foggy at the start but nice hiking weather. I went out with Gary, Mario and Mario's son "Rasputin". Bill, Shelter Leopard and Sonia left a little later and will stay at Gooch Gap Shelter. The four of us decided to push further to Woody Gap. The Hiker Hostel has a deal where they will pick you up at Woody Gap and take you back to the hostel for the night, provide breakfast of eggs, french toast, juice and coffee for $16!It was a hard hike out. The first 30 miles of the AT are supposed to be some of the toughest on the AT until New England.I was able to get my clothes and sleeping bag dried out.The four of us will head to Neel's Gap in the morning.