morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2007-07-12
From: Stormville, NY

To: Wiley Shelter
Miles today: 20.4
Weather: clear sky

Back on the trail today. I have missed the rain and the temperatures are finally cooler, much better for hiking. I have put my gear together, repaired my Croc strap with yarn (great idea Terri!), resupplied on food and water, healed my hand and rested my spirit. It is overcast this morning, but it is supposed to clear up and be great weather for the next several days. Sounds good to me.      Today I plan on hiking 20.2 miles to the Wiley Shelter. It is less than 2 miles from the Connecticut border. That means I am close to finishing another state. Makes me feel good. I cannot believe I have walked over 1400 miles and through almost 8 states! WOW. It seems unreal.      I will be posting as much as possible. My next mail drop isn't until Dalton, MA, so I will be resupplying in towns along the way.    So Terri dropped me off at the trail where I left off. I saw the Dover Oak...the largest oak on the AT. It was huge (see photos).There was some trail magic by the oak...someone had left some cool water. I drank a bottle and was on my way. The trail was relatively flat and I felt good. The rest was just what I needed (Thanks again Terri & Bob).    It was sunny today and I came into the shelter and ran into Casstinents and WingHeart. They are nice guys and are averaging 15 mile days, so I may be hiking with them awile. I am happy to be with fun people. WingHeart thru hiked in 1996, so he has an idea about the trail. Castanets is a nice guy too and fun to be around. I am looking forward to hiking with these two guys!
Date: 2007-07-13
From: Wiley Shelter

To: Kent, CT
Miles today: 12.7

I hiked out with Castanets and WingHeart this morning. We are hiking into Kent where Flatlander and Mama Lipton are going to help us hike through Connecticut. The plan is we will hike the trail, but they will pick us up and let us spend the night at their house while we get in our miles. So every day we get a great meals, and hot shower as well as a soft bed...without mosquitos! How awesome is that? I am getting spoiled!   The weather today was PERFECT! Sunny and breezy...no more humidity! YEA! Even the trail was smooth with some elevation changes going from 250 feet up to 1330. The hills are coming gradually...getting our legs back in shape for the big stuff in New Hampshire and Maine! I have crossed out of New York and I am officially in Connecticut! YAHOO!! Nine states down and five to go! We are doing shorter miles now, which is good, because alot of people don't finish because they push ahead and get stress fractures. I could go longer, but I am getting used to the hills again, and I am listening to my body...so easy does it.   I am getting to know these guys and they are funny and gentlemanly. Great combination. We have fun and usually stay together when we hike, looking out for each other and having lunch and taking breaks together. It's nice. Plus, if there are good views, we take photos of each other. Lots of fun.   When we came back to the house after our hike, we celebrated Casstinents Birthday. We had cake and ice cream. It was nice and I think he was surprised.This has been refreshing.
Date: 2007-07-14
From: Kent, CT

To: West Cornell Road
Miles today: 15.9

Another fabulous day to hike. Fantastic weather agian. Cool, yet sunny and breezy. I love this! Today we hiked up to John's Ledges and took a nice long break. Such a wonderful view! We could see the Housatonic River and the sun shone on it and it sparkled like diamonds. So beautiful.   Hiked right by two shelters today, I didn't even see them. No signs. Good thing we didn't need to go into them! The trail had lots of ups and downs today with some higher elevation. Some rock climbs, but mostly pretty easy stuff. It hasn't been anything we haven't already hiked. We just have to get used to the hills again. But that is coming.. We did hike five miles along the river, that was kind of nice and I enjoyed that. We even stopped and had lunch there. But then into the woods and straight up the hill and followed by several ups and downs.    All in all it was a great hiking day with good company. We didn't run into any thru hikers that I knew.    As a surprise, Flatlander picked us up and we went to a chamber concert that Hotchkiss High School put on. This school is for very elite kids. Pretty much Ivy League high school. It has two hockey rinks, a golf course...the works. The music was so wonderful to hear. Violins and piano, very relaxing. It was a great way to end the day.
Date: 2007-07-15
From: Salisbury, CT

To: Jug End Road
Miles today: 17.7

We headed out today and went over Lion Head. It was a good view. When we headed out to Bear Mountain, Mama Lipton and Flatlander were there! They had taken a shorter trail and beat us to the top! They brought snacks and it was a good laugh.   Then we came across a great swimming hole. We all jumped in the water and it was very cold, but refreshing. There are going to be more lakes and such further north, so more chances to swim. I can't wait.   We then headed out to Race mountain and onto Everett Mountain. They were big hills and we were on Everett when it began to rain. We made it into the shelter just in time. On the way down to Jug End we counted one hundred newts! They were everywhere. I could not believe there were so many of them. On the way we had run into Buttercup, she came back to the house with us and Mama Lipton will take her back to the trail tomorrow.
Date: 2007-07-16
From: West Cornwell Road

To: Salisbury, CT
Miles today: 16.7
Weather: clear sky

OK, so we had to go back and do this section of the AT because Castanets had to hike into Salisbury, CT today. Why? Because he is hiking to raise awareness and money for CdLS. It is Cornelia de Lange Syndrome that is a condition in which there is a collection of symptoms caused by three genes that is present at birth. Common features include eyebrows that meet; long eyelashes; low set ears; a short upturned nose; and thin downturned lips. The headquarters is located in Avon, CT and they wanted to give Jim (Castanets) their thanks for raising funds for this great cause. There is more to it, and I am just learning about it, but if you are interested in learning more about the syndrome, you can visit www.CdLSusa.org or contact Gail at awareness@CdLSusa.org.      Anyway, he hiked really fast today because he had a lot of nervous energy. He said he didn't want to be late for the interview and press coverage. We were teasing him about how he smoked up the trail!   When we arrived Gail, Marie, Julie (the executive director) and Laura were at Mama Lipton and Flatlanders house. They had a reporter interview Jim over the phone, and Cindy, the photographer from the Lakeville Journal took his picture for the newspaper. Then Gail and Marie explained the syndrome to several of us and educated us about the complications of trying to raise funds for helping familes who have children with the syndrome. It was very interesting.   Officially NOW, we are out of Connecticut and in Massachusetts. Yippee! I know, I celebrated prematurely, but what can I say?   Then his sister had arranged some food and a birthday present to be sent to (Jim) Castanets. By the time he unwrapped it we laughed...it was a package of bacon! What a fascinating day.
Date: 2007-07-17
From: Blue Hill Road

To: Jug End 
Miles today: 14.1

So today we got back on track from our little re-arranging of miles. What we had done is switched the last two days out of order. But now we are picking up from Jug End where we had hiked two days earlier. I guess that's clear as mud. But, we have hiked all of Connecticut...so we are back on track.   We had a great hike and the weather was clear and sunny. The first 5 miles were in flat swampy area. We stopped at a great little store called the Compo de Fiori (field of flowers). It was a unique little store, with wonderful gardening items. Then we went across the street to the corn crib and had ice cream.   Then we hiked up the mountain. We ran into Backyard Boogie and had lunch. Such a great view. I almost fell asleep on the rocks. Later we hiked to the Tom Leonard shelter. We were running late so we hiked the last three miles at a 3.2 mile per hour rate. At times we were running. It was kind of fun.      Flatlander picked us up and we had a great steak dinner. We are helping them around their home in return for some of their generosity. They have been wonderful shuttling us to and from the trail. We get to hike and then come to their home for a great dinner, sleep in a soft bed, eat a great breakfast, and go hike again. I am getting spoiled!
Date: 2007-07-18
From: Jug End 

To: none
Miles today: 0.0

Today we are taking a zero. It is rainy and WingHeart and Castanets have errands to run. We are waiting for Castanets to get a mail drop, and we stopped at the library. It is the first library built in the United States in Salisbury and it was built in 1808. Also, we have decided to go see the Norman Rockwell museum. I am really looking forward to that. So Flatlander, Mama Lipton, Casstanets, WingHeart and myself are going to visit the museum, have lunch, and perhaps visit Tanglewood. There are so many cultural arts in this area...it is wonderful and inspiring.      I am glad to take a zero today. We all have been saying how tired we are. As a matter of fact we slept in two extra hours today and we didn't get up until 7 am! Usually we go to sleep when it gets dark, but we haven't been getting to bed until 10 pm or 11 pm. It seems to be catching up with us.      Well, thats it for now. I may post more later today, depending upon what happens. If not, we plan to head out to the trail tommorrow.   Just wanted to add that we gave Mama Lipton and Flatlander a pear shaped candle and a carved limestone frog, that we picked up at the Compo de Fiori. We had to trick Flatlander to go back there so we didn't have to carry it in our backpack, so we told him Castanets left his credit card there. He was razzing Castanets about it. We thanked Castanets for being our fall guy and taking the wrap so we could give them a great farewell present. It was funny and we all had a good laugh about it.   Flatlander and Mama Lipton were wonderful hosts and their hospitality was wonderful. I am glad to have met both of them and I hope to stay in contact with them in the future.
Date: 2007-07-19
From: Blue Hill Road

To: Upper Goose Pond Cabin
Miles today: 17.9
Weather: mist

Flatlander and Mama Lipton drove us back to Blue Hill Road where we last hiked. It was bittersweet to leave them, as we had a wonderful time with them and yet the trail beckons us onward. They understand this, so it made it somewhat easier.   It was overcast and called for rain today, and we ALL know how I love to hike in the rain (NOT!)! So as we hiked, it was somewhat cool, overcast and foggy. It really didn't rain in the morning, but, when it is grey and dreary out, I don't hike quite as fast as when it is sunny. Does that make me a fair weather hiker? I ask other hikers if they like to hike in the rain, and the general consensus is they do not, they just tolerate it. So, perhaps that is my lesson...toleration, and learn to be uncomfortable and make the best of it.    This trail is teaching me so many of these lessons. Funny how most of them carry over into life! There should be a class that high school students take on hiking the trail...it would better prepare them for life. At least it would if they would be open minded enough to be receptive to the lessons the trail teaches.   We hiked to Jerusalem Road in Tyringham, MA and had lunch. As we were eating, it began to spinkle. We finished up and began hiking and it started to rain. The rain didn't stop until thirty minutes before we arrived at the shelter. We were drenched. Actually, I stayed rather dry because I had on my poncho...just my shoes were wet. But we started a fire and soon everyone gathered and dried out there gear. My shoes were dry enough to hike in for tomorrow, so I am glad about that. Dry shoes = no blisters!
Date: 2007-07-20
From: Upper Goose Pond Cabin

To: Birdcage -Dalton, MA
Miles today: 20.6
Weather: few clouds

Started off with a pancake breakfast that Carrie, the caretaker of the cabin makes for all the hikers. Hot coffee was included, and it was a great way to start the day.   It was somewhat overcast and cool along with a nice breeze, but the sun began to peek through. Everything was wet and slick. We hiked up Becket Mountain up to 2180 elevation and the rest was relatively flat into Dalton. Mostly we hiked by glacial ponds and marshes. The footing was incredibly slick, so it was somewhat slow going. Plus I think I have the beginnings of a sinus infection. I will take care of that when I arrive in town.   I am concerned with Bob as he is being treated for a medical conditon, I do not want to go into detail about it here, but it could be serious enough where I may have to come home. I will know for sure when final tests are run on Tuesday. Please keep him in your prayers, that he stays healthy.    We came into Dalton and stopped at Tom Lavardi's but his place was full. So we hiked to the Shell gas station where we were told to ask for Rob Bird. He opens his house up to thru hikers. He came and picked us up. We showered and did laundry and ate dinner. He put us up for the night and also asked if we needed any rides anywhere. I have to go to the Post Office for my mail drop tomorrow and update my journal. So he offered to give us rides to where we need to go. Very cool!
Date: 2007-07-21
From: Birdcage -Dalton, MA

To: Birdcage -Dalton, MA
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

We decide to take a zero today as Castanets has some chaffing from when we hiked in the rain the other day. So we will get our chores done and relax a little. I am concerned with it taking to long to get to Katahdin, but WingHeart says we still will make it by mid September. Besides, he doesn't want to miss any football, so I know he is motivated!   I picked up my mail drop and went to the library to update my journal. They only let you online for one hour, even if other terminals are available. It seems a bit silly to me, but I don't make those rules.   I am cooking tonight as I have enough food, and there is no sense leaving it behind, and then turning around and buying a meal. It is hard to do that when you are in town. I may just get some ice cream or a piece of pie. Shoot, I'll probably get both! HA!      We are considering consolidating our gear since we are hiking together. They are saying it doesn't make sense to carry 3 water treatments, 3 stoves, etc. I know my pack is the lightest, so I hope I don't have to carry additional weight when I went to the trouble to lighten my load. I told the guys the most I would be willing to add on is two pounds. We laid out all of our gear and took notes on what we could get rid of. We have some time to think about it and try out each others gear and see what we think. Or, maybe it stays the same, I am open to make an easier hike for all of us. We will see.      So after my chores I was able to take a little snooze and I got to lay out in the sun for just a little bit. It felt relaxing and good. Somehow the sun re-energizes me. I am glad. Tomorrow, we are able to slack pack 23 miles over Mount Greylock. It will be nice to carry a lighter pack up to the 3,491 foot elevation! I am looking forward to it.
Date: 2007-07-22
From: Birdcage -Dalton, MA

To: Pattison Road
Miles today: 22.4

When I got up this morning I was trying to be quiet, but I am on the top bunk. I keep hitting a metal plate that hangs by a window, and it makes quite a ruccous. Then when I get on the bed it squeaks. So when I crawled back into the bunk this morning, on the way up I hit the plate again, and then, landed on the mattress and it was sqeaking and creaking. I just started to giggle because, no matter how hard I try to be quiet, I seem to creak or make some noise. WingHeart started to laugh too. Later we found out Castanets was awake, pretending to sleep and he was doing all he could not to burst out laughing as well. We had a good laugh about that one.   Today was sunny and cool. Perfect hiking weather. We were shuttled to our drop off point and began the steep climb up from 900 to 3491 in five miles. When we arrived at the top of Mount Greylock, we were hungry and had lunch with a view. Mount Greylock is topped with a war memorial and Bascom Lodge. It is a stone tower, crowned by a globe lit at night,and is a tribute to the state's war dead. This mountain has inspired literary giants such as Thoreau and Hawthorne, and there are inscriptions carved in stone around the mountain. It was wonderful! The sun was shining, we had a good lunch and we all were in good spirits. When we decided to go, Castanets was in the lead, but as we started down a rocky hill, he went to the left and I shot by him, practically skipping down the rocks. I raised my poles over my head and was screaming Whheeeeee! They were laughing so hard, because they said I looked like Jim Carry doing one of his silly dances. I waited at a road crossing, and when they caught up they started to call me "dances on rocks!" It was fun!   Later on I started to get a bit tired and slow down. We stopped by Diane's twist and I had a root beer float. I really felt like taking a nap! We still had eleven miles to go. While I was there, I met Young N' Dumb's father. He said he made it to Hanover, NH, and had to get off trail, but will return this year to finish. I hope he does, because he was such a strong hiker.   Castanets set the pace as we headed out after our break. He set a good pace and after about two hours, I seemed to catch a second wind and picked up my pace. We hiked by the Cobbles, they are rock outcroppings of marble that overlook the Hoosic river Valley and offer views of Cheshire and Mount Greylock. The Hoosic River, which we cross south of Chesire, flows north and empties into the Hudson River in New York. Soon we were in town and as we hiked down the street we found a couple of drivers licenses that ended up being stolen from a car that was broken into a couple of nights ago. So WingHeart spoke to the officer, and I guess they will be returned.   I saw Kiwi, Tom B, Blue Skies BBQ, Pootz and M&M. It was nice to see them. Evil Eye is visiting his daughter and will catch up to them later. I love this trail!
Date: 2007-07-23
From: Pattison Road

To: Seth Warner Shelter
Miles today: 7.8
Weather: moderate rain

I woke up this morning and of course I made a ruccous again...too funny. At least the guys have a sense of humor about it. I am sleepy though. I stayed up to watch "The Last of the Mohicans", and that was not a good idea. By the time we left and got on the trail it was 10:30. We had to go into Williamstown for WingHeart's mail drop. Then we found we each needed another day's food, so we stopped for that. We got back on trail at 3:30. I was tired and grumpy as it was raining, and I have a lot on my mind. I told them to hike on and I would catch them at the shelter. I told them to hold me a spot. But they were hiking slow too. I think they did that for me. I lagged behind and had some time to think and shed a few tears over some things that were weighing heavy on my mind.   I don't mind hiking alone from time to time. No offense to these guys, but I think I will talk this over with them. I need some space to think things thru, and when you hike in a group, you can't always do that. Yet, hiking alone can be awfully boring at times. I think I will talk it over with them and we can come to some sort of arrangement. Even if I hike out early and they catch up with me at first break. I feel confident we will work this out.   Today we hiked out of Massachusetts and into Vermont! WaaaaHoooo! another state down! Only 3 more state to go through! I have hiked over 1585 miles and have 589 miles to go! Wow! They are going to be some of the hardest miles on the trail, but I know I can do it!   So anyway, we arrived at the shelter and there were 20 hikers with tents and 5 other section hikers in the shelter. I just wanted to eat and go to bed. The guys pitched their tents and we went to sleep. Another good day, even if I was a crabby pants!
Date: 2007-07-24
From: Seth Warner Shelter

To: Vermont 9
Miles today: 11.5

I awoke early this morning and headed out. WingHeart was right behind me and as we hiked away from the shelter and to the trail, he clocked his head on a low tree that had fallen across the trail. I turned around and started laughing, I didn't mean to, but it was so funny. He said he saw stars, but he was ok. I told him I was sorry I laughed at him, He said it was ok. Just a bruised ego.      It was rainy and cloudy again today. There were 5 section hikers from Vermont in the shelter, they said it is like that often, or that it is really hot and humid...I asked them why they live here...hahaha! They laughed and said I will soon see as I hike through the state. they told me they actually have five seasons in this state...the fifth season being Mud Season. The state closes the trails and they don't let people hike because the trails can get damaged. They also said their cars actually freeze in the mud, so they have to be careful where they park. It lasts from March to May generally, and then it begins to dry out.       Today was rather uneventful, but then WingHeart received a phone message from Mud Elephant, he thru hiked with WingHeart in 1996. He wanted to meet us at the next shelter! We kept trying to call him back, but he couldn't get reception. Finally WingHeart got through, Mud Elephant was going to meet us at Vermont 9,      When we arrived, he took us into town and we ate and showered, it was raining and I was glad I didn't have to hike in the rain.       Tomorrow we will hike to Story Spring Shelter.
Date: 2007-07-25
From: Vermont 9

To: Story Spring Shelter
Miles today: 19.0
Weather: clear sky

We hiked uphill for 10 miles today. The hills are gradually increasing and becoming more frequent, getting us ready for the tougher terrain ahead. It felt good to get a long day in...at least while we still can. Believe it or not it was sunny and cool today! What a great surprise!      We stopped by Goddard shelter, some section hikers asked us where Cartilidge was...we laughed because he meant Castanets! So, all day we called him : Cassanova, Casablanca, Castleman, etc. We had a good laugh and so did Castanets.      We came to the shelter and we are running into a lot of Southbounders now, I hear there is a Southbounder named Boo-Boo! I can't wait to meet her! it is kind of cool to see all of them. But we think it would be harder to hike South as most of them hike alone, and they have done the hard stuff, and really don't have anything to look forward to but finishing. The drop out rate is higher for Southbounders as they get the doldrums and mentally it gets to them and, they run out of Northbounders, so the shelters are empty (other than day hikers and section hikers). I think that is why the majority of people start in the South.      I am facing my fears on the trail. Today I climbed a fire tower 3/4 of the way up. Going up isn't so bad, but coming down...ugh! I feel like I'm going to fall. But I am getting better and better. I think this is the 8th fire tower I have attempted while hiking, and it is the highest I have gone. Pretty good, for being afraid of high places. I will be ready for the tough stuff later!   As we hiked into the shelter we passed many glacial ponds and we kept seeing moose marbles and moose tracks...but no moose yet! I hope I can get a photo of one. We heard some loons calling too. It was very peaceful and cool. I think I like Vermont.