morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2005-08-02
From: Salisbury, Ct

To: Sages Ravine Brook Campsite
Miles today: 6.8
Weather: clear sky

Total miles hiked; 1491.8, miles to go: 682.3I said goodbye to Salisbury this morning after 7 zero days recovering from what was most likely Giardia. Although I felt tip-top the past 2 days, my legs were rubbery and skin clammy as I began my first climb of the day. In fact, this morning I had another small bout of diarrhea, but decided it was psychosomatic and left anyway. Talking myself into staying with it, I continued over the gently rolling ridges and soon began to feel better. I stopped for an early lunch and rest at the Brassie Brook Leanto, a distance of only 5 miles from the days start.Want to know the deifference between a shelter, a hut and a lean to? Just different names. I started in the south with "shelters", slept in a couple of "huts" in the mid-atlantic states, and now that I'm in New England, they are called "lean to's". Same old three sided structures, just different names for different parts of the trail. I guess it means I'm getting further north in spite of my attempts to do myself in.Goodbye Connecticut in another 1.4 miles and hello Massachusetts. Salisbury, Ct will always be special to me because folks were so kind and generous to me during my illness. Maria McCabe, a 76 year young lady who takes in hikers, allowed me to stay in her home to recover. I was treated like family by Maria, her family and her neighbors. A special thanks to Dr. Peter Gott and Pat for promptly, professionally and generously taking care of my health needs. I will always remember all of you....Later at the camp site...I just barely snuck into Massachusetts before setting up camp. The first day back after being ill was ultimately very taxing. I guess I'm not 59 anymore. Absolutely no bounce to my step, but at least I didn't feel miserable or mentally tired. "Weak" is the operative word, even though I was essentially assymptomatic for 2 to 3 days before starting out again. Losing 11 pounds in 5 days seems to be a lot to recover from. Tomorrow I'll feel a lot better. Only 90 miles of Massachusetts and then Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine and I'm done. Ten states down and four to go.
Date: 2005-08-03
From: Sages Ravine Brook Campsite

To: South Egremont Rd
Miles today: 12.8

Total miles: 1504.6. Distance remaining: 669.5This morning it got hot early and stayed that way. I walked by the first source of water because my handbook indicated there were several "definite" sources of water shortly ahead, and I am not inclined to carry any more weight until I must. Unfortunately because of the lack of rain virtually all sources were dried up and I didn't come upon any water until about 1:00 p.m. and nothing more thereafter. The entire day was rough, not so much because of terrain, but a combination of heat, humidity, lack of water and my still debillated condition. I stayed with it the best I could but by 6:00 0'clock the addition of hordes of mosquitoes piled on the afore mentioned conditions drove me to the tent. It didn't cool off enough to sleep until after 11:00 and being short of water I only took small sips as I awoke frequently during the night. I was comforted that it was less than 2 miles from a road that would take me to Great Barrington, Ma. I intended to walk into town and see if a good meal might heal my body and rejuvenate my flagging spirits. I was ebbing pretty low.
Date: 2005-08-04
From: South Egremont Rd

To: Great Barrington, Ma
Miles today: 1.8
Weather: scattered clouds

Total trip miles: 1506.4. Miles remaining: 667.7I was still pretty drained as I broke camp and hiked the couple of miles to US7 with the intent of getting a hitch into town. It was a short hike and I caught a ride pretty quickly with a minister who may not have saved my soul, but definitely saved my butt. To my way of thinking if you don't save the butt, it's pretty hard to save the soul, so he had his priorities right.I ate a couple of breakfasts at a small roadside deli, filled up all my water bottles and got back on the road with the intent of continuing to do the best I could. A trail angel picked me up right away and soon I was headed north to the trail head, resumed my hike and shortly arrived at the Housatonic River. It was midmorning and already hot. The river was sandy bottomed and there was a nice shady spot, so I decided to just lay around in the river for awhile and so I did. I eased down the sandy bank, removed my shoes and shirt and slid into the gently flowing water. I lay back in the current and felt the soothing water rush over me. It was exactly where I needed to be. Suddenly, seemingly out of the blue, I realized that I wanted to stay right where I was. I didn't want to hike, just lay in the river. This was replaced by a revelation that my hike was over. I considered this for perhaps half an hour and then slowly dried myself, got dressed and headed south to Great Barrington. I had made up my mind to leave the trail and return home. It felt very comfortable to be heading south, much more than if I had continued north.
Date: 2005-08-12
From: Richmond, Va

To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Hi,It's now the 12th of August and I'm at my son's place in Richmond, Va, having taken a bus on a very convuluted and dangerous route from Great Barrington to Richmond. Shortly after arriving I began to realize that leaving the trail was not what I wanted. The best parts, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine are in front of me. They are the most rugged and the most beautiful. I'm not quitting yet. I've gotten a little more rest, laid on my butt and ate, re-outfitted myself and am leaving, by bus for Massachusetts early in the morning. I appreciate the kind wishes of everyone who has emailed me or left notes on my journal. However, I am not returning to the trail for any reason other than it is now something I want to do. Sooner or later the weather will cool off and until then I'll just hike early, take mid-day breaks and hike late. Drinking lots of water is a great idea (filtered water that is) and so is laying around in flowing streams. You're not rid of me yet. Stay tuned.
Date: 2005-08-14
From: Great Barrington, Ma

To: Mt. Wilcox South Lean-to
Miles today: 11.7

Total to date: 1518.1 Balance due: 656I arrived last night by bus at about 8:45PM. Having had nothing much to eat since the night before, a small Italian restaurant (yes, they serve small Italians) on the way to the trail became the latest in a long line of restaurants I have loved since the beginning of the hike. Lasagna, garlic bread, and ice tea. Simply awesome.I didn't get to camp until after midnight and had to hike in the wet and the dark. I intentionally pitched my tent on the very same spot on the Housatonic River where I had decided to quit the trail. Perhaps because I wanted to do a spiritual purging of any negativity from that earlier choice, but more likely it was just a pretty spot.I slept better than usual; and awoke at 6:00 with less that 6hrs sleep, but feeling pretty good. By 7:30, I was on the trail, slowly getting back into hiking shape after the long layoff.The good and the bad seemed to balance out evenly on this day. I was:a. hit on the arm by a falling limbb. stung on top of the head by a flying insectc. came upon a cooler full of sodas and water trail magicd. made it to the shelter mere seconds before a torrential downpourI need to average 13.9 miles per day in order to finish on 30 September. It's doable, but this means no more zero days and includes the very rugged trek through the White Mountains of New Hampshire and the 100 Mile Wilderness. If, for some reason, it doesn't seem to be panning out, I can always jump ahead, climb Mt. Katahdin, and head south to fill in the missing blanks. This isn't the preferred way, but it will allow me to finish this year.It's 8:30 the next morning. The rain was hard and steady all night. I awoke once at 3:30 to find a mouse staring me in the eye. Most shelters are infested with rodents and you just get used to them. They are one of the reasons I steer clear of shelters, but holing up in a shelter during a rain storm is very attractive. It seems the rain is finally letting up, so this hiker needs to get moving into the day's adventure.
Date: 2005-08-15
From: Mt. Wilcox South Lean-to

To: Unnamed Spring
Miles today: 12.2

Complete: 1530.3 Miles to go: 643.8The rain provided me with an excuse for not starting until 11:00, although it was really light enough for me to walk in it. I still have this thing about being unwilling to venture out in the rain, but if it starts while I'm hiking, it's a different matter. I just keep going.All in all a good day. My energy is coming back and only a developing blister kept me from reaching my goal of Upper Goose Pond. It seemed more practical to pitch my tent and take care of my feet. So I did.I did a backwards flip jumping from one puncheon to another. Because the wood was wet and slick, my lead foot slid forward causing my following leg to buckle under me. My head snapped back striking the edge of the puncheon and I got a small gash in my scalp. Thank God I'm Irish. I'm still surprised that I don't even mentally cuss wen these things happen. Spiritual growth? Not likely. Probably just the lack of an audience.
Date: 2005-08-16
From: Unnamed Spring

To: Blotz Rd.
Miles today: 17.8

Total miles: 1548.1 To go: 626I awoke at 6:00 and was on the trail at 7:24. Lying in the tent I toyed with the idea of getting off the trail again, but decided to stick it out til my physical strength returns and re-evaluate at that time. I think I have a strong spirit, but when your body is weak and your will is sapped by constant heat and dehydration, it's pretty easy to get glum. That's me, the holistic hiker. All parts must be in harmony for me to function at an optimal level. This hike demand a high level of functioning; average won't work.Anyway, I filter water before starting (Hell, I'd filter holy water at this point) and started at a good pace. The day was overcast, terrain easy, and so I made great time.About 1PM I met Lisa, a young section hiker, and her Mexican dog, Marietta. Lisa is a vet student at Michigan State. She and I met at the part of the day where I start to tire and slow down. Having a companion always quickens my pace and keeps my mind from my various aches and pains. Soon, while we were taking a break we were caught by another thru-hiker, Trampas. He is a doctor whose specialty is emergency health care. How neat, we all shared a common background. Lisa stopped at the last shelter, but Trampas and I have continued together. We've had the same recent emotional ups and downs, so hopefully we'll help keep each other along. If nothing else, I've got my own personal doc to take care of me, for awhile anyway. A good day of hiking and 2 new friends.
Date: 2005-08-19
From: Mt. Greylock

To: Wooded campsite
Miles today: 11.0

On the 18th of August I climbed down the southern face of Mt. Greylock, the biggest mountain in Masschusetts, and the next day I climbed down the north face, somehow never having climbed up the mountain. The first day Rob Bird of the Bird House Hiker Flophouse drove me, Trampas and Dandy to the Top of Greylock and we made the long, gentle descent on an absolutely beautiful day. I ran much of the trail and got back to the Bird House in Dalton well ahead of the others. I think I'm back from the giardia and then some.Today we drove back to the top of Greylock and descended the much steeper north face. Although much talked about by southbounders as a rugged downhill, it really wasn't that big a deal. Lack of sleep and a big meal made it a days' work, but really not that bad.Crossing into Vermont at about 6:30 gave me a rush of excitement. 12 states down, only New Hampshire and Maine to go. Massachusetts was fun, the trail maintained and as always, the more into the rural areas we hiked the nicer people were. The stay at the Bird House was great. Rob does a lot for hikers.
Date: 2005-08-20
From: Wooded campsite

To: Melville Nauheim Shelter
Miles today: 15.3
Weather: light rain

Total 1597.8 To go: 576.3Tonight in my tent I admit to being scared. Not for myself (had you going, huh?), but for a big, overweight, unprepared section hiker who should have stayed home. He's out of water because he "forgot" to water up, he was afraid of the dark hiking up the mountain, and he just borrowed my head lamp because he can't find his mattress. He's also so deathly afraid of hiking alone that he doubled his mileage on his second day to keep up. I'm so afraid that he'll slip and fall on me on the steep downs that I make him walk in front. He means well; they always do, but he should have stayed home. I have found my Katz and must kill him before he kills me.
Date: 2005-08-21
From: Melville Nauheim Shelter

To: Kid Gore Shelter
Miles today: 12.8
Weather: light rain

Total: 1610.6, to go: 563.5My tent let in a lot of rain last night because the bathtub floor detached from the tent wall. Easy to fix when you're aware of the problem, but when you find yourself floating around in the wee hours it's a little late. I slept very little and it took until 9:30 to get on the trail. A long day in which there was no energy to do more than the minimum.
Date: 2005-08-22
From: Kid Gore Shelter

To: Wooded campsite
Miles today: 19.0

A good night of sleep and an early start will do wonders for your energy and I had both. I slept very well and was on the trail before 6:30. The day promised perfection and wasn't far from it. Mostly sunny with about 15 minutes of rain and temperature in the low 70's. Few bugs! I climbed Stratton Mt. today, the biggest in awhile at just under 4000 feet. A very easy climb with a firetower on the top for a wonderful (view) of all points, north, south, east, and west. Met a lot of neat people and must have talked to all of them. Tomorrow I'm going into Manchester, VT, for a small resupply and a meal. It's about 8.5 in and I'll get more miles at the end of the day. The Northeast sure is beautiful; glad I came back. My energy is back and I again have the strength of 10 because my heart is pure.
Date: 2005-08-23
From: Wooded campsite

To: Manchester Center
Miles today: 6.7
Weather: scattered clouds

Total: 1636.3 To go: 537.8Today's short hike and walk into town was accompinied by wonderful late summer waether, stunning views, and some very snobby people.The heat seems to be gone, (knock on wood), probably from a combination of having gotten this far north and the end of summer being near at hand. It was cool in my tent last night, covered only with 2 thin sleeping bag liners, wearing a 50 cent yard sale sweater, long pants and socks. Soon enough that combination will be ineffective in my battle with the encroaching cold, but my sleeping bag awaits me 95.9 miles north in Hanover, NH. Forty miles north of Hanover lie the White Mountains, the true test of the mettle of all who would be thru-hikers. After the Whites I will either be a "thru-hiker" or a "through hiker".The other day I wrote about the water in my tent from the heavy rain and a malfunction of my bathtub floor. The resultant lack of sleep gave me a miserable hiking experience the next day. My body is so sensitive (reactive?) and the demands are so great that a poor night's sleep really affects me much more seriously that it did in the 9-5 working world. Anyway, last night it didn't rain but I still kept waking up wet. Age and the advent of Depends? Not quite. With morning I was able to see that the hose from my hydration bladder had worked itself under my body and every time I rolled over on the mouthpiece a little water leaked out. Over the course of the night enough was leaked to make me uncomfortable, but never enough to fully awaken me to the point I would try to address the problem. So I got wet and today, in town, I did laundry. The life of a hiker. (big sigh!)
Date: 2005-08-25
From: Unknown campsite

To: Minverva Hinchey Shelter
Miles today: 14.9
Weather: clear sky

Total: 1666 To go: 508.1Last night it was down in the 40's and with my yard sale sweater I was able to survive. Only 65 more miles until I pick up my sleeping bag in Hanover and barely in time. The days are getting shorter and the nights are getting colder.Because of the cold and a series of weird dreams I was late getting started and wasn't underway until 8:37, about 2 hours late. Vermont is beautiful, the prettiest state thus far, by a wide margin. Southbound hikers tell me New Hampshire and Maine are better yet. The best is yet to come.It's looking more and more like a September finish is not realistic through the White Mountains. What will be will be. The date isn't as important as getting the job done. Right now I'm really enjoying the beauty, the weather and the hike.
Date: 2005-08-26
From: Minverva Hinchey Shelter

To: Cooper Lodge
Miles today: 13.9
Weather: clear sky

Total: 1679.9 To go: 494.2Started out fresh and strong at 6:37 this AM. Hiked a whole 2.7 miles to VT103, turned left and walked half a mile to the "Whistle Stop Cafe" for breakfast. The Whistle Stop is an old RR Depot that has housed half a dozen enterprises since the 60's, the most recent being this very hiker-friendly diner. Fifteen minutes to walk there, an hour to eat, and 15 minutes back to the trail took only 1.5 hours from the hiking day -- or about 2.50 miles. The remainder of the day seemed good, that is, I felt good -- but the miles just didn't disappear under my feet the way I think they should. There was a 2000 ft climb up a mountain that is not named in the hiker's guide, but it was spread over 4 miles. I guess it's just that the terrain is getting more rugged the further north I get.I worked hard today but there are still things I can do to hike smarter. Skipping those roadside restaurants may be high on the list. There's under 500 miles to go now and only 33 days til my most recent goal. Mt. Katahdin is essentially shut down in 49 days, the 15th of Oct. I've got to keep myself mentally fresh while staying with the task. Any ideas how?
Date: 2005-08-28
From: Old Logging Road

To: Stoney Brook Shelter
Miles today: 2.8
Weather: moderate rain

Total: 1696.1 To go: 478A rainy day in Vermont. I was up and on the trail, ahead of the rain at 8 minutes past 7:00. Soon it began to sprinkle and then pour down cold and steady. Unfortunately, the shelter was a tad less than 3 miles north and that's where I headed. Had it been ten miles away I might have muttered a little and just kept on truckin! Today it was a little too close and cozy; I've been here all day taking naps, making my food bag lighter and reading whatever the shelter has to offer.The terrain has gotten steeper and more rugged during the past week. A steep climb early in the morning just gets the heart pumping. It's sort of a brutal eye-opener, but it can get the day off to a good start. It's all in the timing. If my day has gone well and I've knocked out 12-14 miles by early afternoon, a steep climb just ends the day. Nothing left in the tank; the day is essentially over for me. Still, all in all, I look at every climb as training ground for the rest of the trip. It's the only attitude to take and it's worked since Georgia.
Date: 2005-08-29
From: Stoney Brook Shelter

To: Woodstock Stage Rd.
Miles today: 15.2

Total: 1711.3 To go: 462.8Although anxious to build some miles after the rain day, it continued to pour and I left the shelter at 7:08. The trail was slick mud and slippery rock, staying upright on the downhills took total concentration. I slipped shortly after crossing the stream where I watered up yesterday, one pole was in front, the other in back, and I pitched backward landing on my pack. When I got up I noticed that my forward (left) trekking pole has snapped completely in two. I was amazed, never thinking that a pole of this "quality" would snap so suddenly. Poles, for me, are absolutely vital and I consider them my number one safety item. It took most of the rest of the morning and a few more falls before I learned to use one pole with any degree of competence. They (the poles) do have a lifetime warranty, but the malfunction could have had nasty consequences.
Date: 2005-09-04
From: Glen Cliff

To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Hi everyone,I'm in Glencliff, NH. The White Mountains are tomorrow so tonight I had a couple of beers. The bar reminded me of Frank's Angler Bar & Grill in Danbury, Wi, a place that all of you should head for right now. They have Karaoke most nights if there are enough people sufficiently inebriated to dare sing in public. Frank is a great guy and you don't want to miss his rendition of "Great Balls of Fire".   If you ask nice he may even share with you the stories of the most recent shootouts (no lie) and bar room brawls in his establishment. Most likely there have been others since I left. Anyway, this place reminded me of his, only less bloodshed and the waitresses seem to have more natural teeth. I'm really enjoying New Hampshire. At this point it's very rural and the people are my kind of folks, down to earth and very real. There are now less than 400 miles to go and I'm anxious to get on with it in the morning. This time of year is my favorite, cold enough to hike and cold enough to sleep at night. The colors will be changing soon and I will be treated to the real majesty of upper New England. If I didn't love it so much where I am right now, I'd more here in a heartbeat. Thanks again for your interest and support. There's more fun to come and, more than likely, a little pain as well.Adios
Date: 2005-09-04
From: Brackett Brook

To: Glencliff, NH
Miles today: 11.6

1175.6 done 398.5 to goI camped by Brackett Brook last night, about 11.6 trail miles south of Glencliff, NH. Those I hiked with during the day (and a few days preceding) seem dismayed that I seldom sleep at or near shelters. Here are my reasons for not doing so:A. Shelters have peopleB. People have food.C. Mice eat food.D. Mice run over your head to get to the food. (or they think you're a superhighway)E. Some people stay up late and talk loud.F. Others snore.Camping alone means I stop when and where I want. The brook campsite, although not intended as one, was absolutely idyllic. A beautiful stream in which to wash my flithy socks and from which to draw and filter drinking water. A soft noise to to lull me to sleep. The comfort of being alone in my own tent and knowing exactly where everything is and not having to defer to the group's arcane ideas of the right and wrong way to camp. The ability to get up and pee in front of my tent at any time without regard for the opposite gender (one of the basic northern Wisconsin freedoms, I believe) Not having to answer dumb questions -- or ask them either...Tents are great!