morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2006-07-31
From: Ten Mile River campsite

To: Stewart Hollow Brook Lean-to
Miles today: 15.6

Today we went back to being just Four Dirty Old Men (FDOM), as the trail and our pace, combined with the hot, humid weather, were just too much for Mr. O. He got off the trail at Kent, CT.We got an early start making the 1000 ft climb in the morning. Haven't had one of these for a while. This should be good practice for VT, NH, and ME. There we saw a couple of views, but nothing spectacular. At noon, we made it to Wiley Shelter, our half way point for the day. We had lunch and all agreed with the register entries, noting the difficulty of the morning's hike. Bud Smith and Goose were lagging behind, coming in after we had finished lunch.We decided to go into Kent and left GreyGoose a note to call me on my cell if he wanted anything like a pepsi or ice cream. He had eaten lunch and walked down to the road crossing by the time we heard from him, as we ate our pints of ice cream on a bench in the shade next to the store. I brought both of the above back with me, wrapped in a newspaper to insulate them. I was careful to carry them in my shadow on the .6 mile walk back to the trail as the sun was blazing. We found the people in Kent to be very friendly.I took the lead on the afternoon half of the hike. There was a slow, steep ascent to start off. It was as difficult or more so than the morning, as it had gotten really hot. The exception is the last 3 miles into camp, which were a road walk then trail alongside the Housatonic River. We got to camp very late at 7:30pm.I decided to take a sponge bath to wash off the salt and sweat and dirt, then I cooked and ate by headlamp.On! On!
Date: 2006-08-05
From: Laurel Ridge Campsite

To: Great Barrington, MA, Days Inn
Miles today: 12.7
Weather: clear sky

Another milestone. We reached the 1500 mile mark today.A big thank you to trail angel Laura of Falls Village CN, who turned around and gave Four Dirty Old Men, the FDOM, a hitch into Great Barrington. Not only did she take us into town, she drove us around to try to find better accommodations than the last room here, which is a smoking room at an outrageous "considerably higher on weekends" price. On weekends, city folk from NYC and Boston descend on this yuppie haven, and the locals make hay while the sun shines. Thanks, Laura, for driving us around and returning us here. It turns out we hiked right by Laura's house on a road walk a few days ago, when we hiked into Salisbury. Hopefully we didn't leave too much "eau d'hiker" in your car.We got our usual 7:15am start, having risen at 5:30. The clothes on the line dried completely overnight. All last week, they simply got wetter overnight, as high as the humidity was.The weather was perfect for hiking. We made the road crossing for Great Barrington just after 2:00pm, having taken a morning break and a long lunch/refill on water break. There were two steep ascents with an intervening descent, and a final difficult hike down into the Housatonic River valley. We've been following this river for days, but will be leaving it for good tomorrow. The high points offered some nice views including, I think, Mt. Greylock, MA's highest point, in the hazy distance. We'll be there in a few days. Some of today's hike took us along an exposed cliffside, offering open views down into the valley. Only as we approached the road into town, which was adjacent to a wetland, did we need to apply DEET to combat the mosquitoes.We needed to come into town to resupply for 3 more days into Dalton, MA, our next stop. We've been keeping food to a minimum to keep pack weight down. Naturally, we're also filling up on town food. We found a great diner, and were very pleased with our reasonable dinners. We'll be returning for breakfast tomorrow at 7:00am, before checking out and hitching or taxiing back to the trail head. After dinner, we walked the 3/4 mile to a supermarket to buy our supplies and our ice cream. Two young hikers, who had difficulty hitching, were there having re-supplied, and were getting ready to hitch back to the trail about 7:30pm. Hope they got a ride.On! On!
Date: 2006-08-06
From: Great Barrington, MA, Days Inn

To: Mt. Wilcox North Leanto tenting
Miles today: 13.5

We continued training for the higher mountains further north with a couple of 1000' ascents. I'm now camped at nearly 2000', having started from about 600'. Along the way we passed along the edge of the Housatonic River and some hay and corn fields before we moved into the woods. I thought we were moving away from the Housatonic, but we'll be back at its source in two days at Dalton, MA.Spicing up the woods portion of the hike were a few views and some ponds we walked by. Down by the river the mosquitoes weren't really bothersome, but we were forced to DEET-up once we reached a point in the woods adjoining a swamp. The one treatment of DEET remained pretty effective from 10:30am until I jumped into my tent at 7:30pm. I figured out why Great Barrington was so yuppyfied and all the rooms where sold out: it's home base for the Berkshire Festival and Boston Symphony's famed Tanglewood concerts.We slept in until 6:00am this morning, then at 7:00 headed down to the Neighborhood Cafe where we'd eaten last night, and had huge breakfasts. I had a milkshake with mine. We'd decided to try to get a cab to take us the three miles back to the trailhead. I asked the waiter, who sports a thick Brooklyn accent in spite of being here 7 years, about taxis. He pointed to a man sporting shoulder length grey hair, and indicated that he was the taxi service. We got his card and called from the hotel as we checked out. Before leaving, Bigfoot and I both got some pics of the Searle (of eponymous drug company fame) estate. Behind the walls was a life-sized turreted replica of Neuschwanstein -- no kidding. The taxi driver told us the locals snubbed the Searles, so they built a duplicate near Boston and moved there.The taxi dropped us off about 9:15am, so we got a late start to the hike. About halfway into the hike at noon, we reached Tom Leonard Leanto -- shelters here are called leanto's here -- where we stopped for lunch and to fill up on water. We had to hike way downhill for the water. It was good cold water, however, having come from the scenic Ice Gulch. I got about a liter more than I thought I'd need, as the water source at this shelter was tentative, and prooved to be dried to an unusable stagnant puddle. We arrived here at about 6:00pm and decided to eat a lunch since it requires less water. We'll fix our dinners scheduled for today as lunch tomorrow.We're all tired tonight, and I'm closing down for the day just as dusk turns to dark at 8:30pm.Onward to Maine!
Date: 2006-08-07
From: Mt. Wilcox North Leanto tenting

To: Upper Goose Pond Cabin
Miles today: 14.0
Weather: clear sky

Got up to wind at 5:50am, suggesting oncoming rain, and quickly packed up. Was just getting stuff into the pack when the first drops fell. Quickly got the pack into the shelter, then pulled the stakes and carried the tent into the shelter to minimize the amount of extra weight I'd be carrying. Finished packing up the tent, I then ate breakfast in the shelter during the brief rain. We hefted the packs at 6:45am, determined to locate some water. I still had a liter, as I hadn't drunk my usual liter overnight, but the others were very low. Within 2 miles we located a good stream, and I pumped 2-1/2 liters and drank the remainder of my liter nalgene.The rain was enough to make the rocks and roots slick. We were careful not to slip. The first part of the hike was mostly down, and by 10:30am I was very hungry. We decided to cook on a stone wall by a pasture along a secondary road. I had the mac n' cheese with ham that was scheduled for last night. It hit the spot. The others had their dinners too. We all chilled while digesting a bit, then set out for the rest of the hike. We knew we'd soon be facing a steep 1000' plus climb. The climb was a challenge, but Veto set a slow steady pace, and we made it to the summit. By then we were drenched in sweat, and needed the break and the snacks we ate there. From there it was mostly downhill, but the trail tread had a lot of rocks and roots. We continued around a swampy area and up a hill to a spring, where we filled up with enough water for the remaining 2.5 miles over here. For that section I took the lead at a smart pace, mainly to try to outrun the bothersome gnats that were dive-bombing my eyes. I was also anxious to get a swim. We arrived here about 4pm, and Wayne, the volunteer caretaker, gave us the rundown on the cabin.I claimed an upper bunk right next to a large screened window facing the lake, and Veto took the opposite upper bunk next to the other window. Goose and Bigfoot have the lowers. I unpacked my pad, sleeping bag and clothes bag, emptied my pockets, and took off my boots. I then headed to the lake and went in with my hiking garb to rinse out the salt, later removing my undershorts and sleeveless shirt, using the hiking kilt as a swim suit. The water was great. After a while, I fetched up a bucket of warmish lake water from the surface near shore and took it up for a sponge bath with camp soap. I washed out my undershorts and hiking shirt in the soapy water and hung them to dry. I hope they dry by morning. Then it was time for supper.I was surprised to find Teddy and the rest of the ewoks here. Teddy had classic Lyme symptoms except for the rash, and they got her to a doc, but the doc did nothing. This evening she has a high fever and now has the rash, and the caretaker called an ambulance to take her to the hospital. She is evacuating in a canoe to a dock near with road access.Also here is Chuckbuster and as of 7pm, JohnnyK.Pancakes for breakfast tomorrow.On! On!
Date: 2006-08-08
From: Upper Goose Pond Shelter

To: Dalton, MA tent
Miles today: 20.6
Weather: scattered clouds

Tonight FDOM is staying at the home of Tom Levardi in Dalton, MA. Tom has been helping out hikers for a number of years, and will be driving us around town and to a slackpack tomorrow. The slack will replace the miles we had planned for tomorrow. Tonight we are Five, as JohnnyK has joined us. He, GreyGoose, and I are tenting, while Veto and Bigfoot are crashing on the living room floor. We all had showers and are wearing loaner cotton clothes, so we can launder our "town" clothes tomorrow. Cotton feels so good.A cold front has come through. The temperature may drop into the high 40's, a dramatic change from last week, but great weather for hiking. After eating pancakes (I had ten), we set off on our long day at 7:30am. Twenty-plus miles later we arrived here at about 6:30pm. I led the hike today at a 2+ mph pace. Not bad considering the ups and downs.Notable features of the hike: 1. Passed by a few ponds, 2. Climbed a few mountains, 3. Got cookies and water at the cookie lady's about halfway through the hike. The cookie lady is Marilyn Wiley. She has been treating hikers to cookies and providing water fill-ups for years.After we ate our cookies, we took off on the final 10 miles into Dalton. It was mostly a ridge walk -- level to small ups and downs. At the end there was a 400' mountain to go up and down, then we emerged at railroad tracks at the edge of town. The trail goes straight through town, and in a few blocks we were here.Tom recommended a restaurant just a few blocks down the street. As we started eating our main courses, JohnnyK came into the restaurant. We invited him to our table and learned that he too was staying at Levardi's.Tomorrow, we're treating Tom Levardi to breakfast. Then we'll go to the post office, where Veto is getting his tent back and sending home his hammock. After that we'll go to EMS, so the others can pick up new, low gaiters. Then, slackpacking back to town in the afternoon.Today is Carol's and my 36th wedding anniversary. As I was in the "hiking zone" on one of the smooth level places, I recalled a vision of Carol walking down the aisle on her father's arm so many years ago. She was beautiful then, and to me is just as beautiful now.Onward to Maine!
Date: 2006-08-09
From: Cheshire, MA

To: Dalton, tent at Tom Levardi's
Miles today: 9.3

Miles listed are a slack pack we did starting at 2pm. What a difference to be hiking with only water, first aid kit, and some snacks.I woke this morning at 5:30am. Knowing we planned breakfast at Duff & Dell's Variety at 7:15, I rolled over for a beauty rest until 6:30am. Noticed Bigfoot still asleep at 6:45am. This is very late for him, and combined with his not finishing dinner and being unusually exhausted yesterday, leads us to suspect he too has Lyme. He was able to get his doc to call in an antibiotic prescription for pickup at the local pharmacy. We walked to breakfast and treated our host Tom Levardi, who has been dispensing hospitality to thruhikers for years from his home on the trail as it passes through Dalton. Tom then drove us to the laundromat, where he washed loaner clothes and towels used by hikers, and the FDOM washed clothes. Then it was off to the mall to EMS, the outfitters. They didn't have small packages of boot waterproofing Nikwax, but I did pick up some GU energy gel and Ben's 100% DEET. The EMS clerks were taking polaroids of thruhikers, and ours are now in their collection. Elsewhere in the mall, I got a pin to secure my watchband, and at BestBuy, decent earphones for my MP3 player/radio to replace the ones that were destroyed when I ran them through the washer and dryer when I was home last month.By the time all this was done, it was lunch time again at Duff&Dell's. Then Tom drove us out to Cheshire for our slackpack back to town. We covered the 10 miles in 3 hours, returning at 6pm. Veto was right at my heels the whole time, so I think he is much better. GreyGoose and Bigfoot were only a few minutes behind. Hopefully Bigfoot's antibiotics will kick in overnight and combined with todays nero/slackpack, plenty of town food, and another good night's rest, will have him feeling better tomorrow for our walk up Mt. Greylock, MA's highest summit. The weather today was great and is expected to linger for the next 5 days.We returned to find Bluebird completing setup of her tent. Shortly after, Beernuts, Mary (Barnacle), and Hitch came in. They joined us all for dinner at the Milltown Cafe, where we ate last night. While there DadGum joined the rest of us, having set up his tent next to mine. He gave Veto his trail name. It was a festive dinner with 11 of us around the table. We all toasted Katahdin. I had a strip steak, salad. pasta, and broccoli. For dessert, Veto and I walked to the convenience store for ice cream. When Veto asked for a sack in his East Tennessee drawl, the clerk gave him a blank stare and asked, "What?" By the time Veto repeated, "Sa-a-ack", the third time, I intervened and explained that "sa-a-ack" was Southern for bag. Veto finally got his sack and we returned to Tom's where we ate the ice cream on the porch before retiring.On! On!
Date: 2006-08-11
From: Wilbur Clearing Leanto

To: Seth Warner Shelter in tent
Miles today: 9.9
Weather: few clouds

Today we entered Vermont.We got a good start this morning, and seeing the terrain, were glad we'd pulled up short yesterday. North Adams was a nice town, and just .3m west of the trail was a great supermarket, where we stopped for resupply and our second breakfast. The foodbags now seemed very heavy. My second breakfast was OJ, 2 doughnuts, a coffecake muffin, a cup of decaf loaded with half&half and sugar, and 1160 calories of Hagen-Dasz pistachio ice cream for dessert. The shopping, stowing, eating and hike to and from the store consumed two hours, and held us from reaching our planned destination 7 miles further north.When we got back on the trail, I took the lead and set a slow steady pace up the 1650' ascent up from the Hoosic River valley. Toward a ridge, we picked our way through a very steep rock field. We had an "Aha Moment" as we figured out the reason for the "foul weather trail" that bypassed this feature. As we rested in the sunny rocks at a summit, three generations of a family came southbound. We warned them about the rock pile, and filled them in on the foul weather trail to bypass this hazardous section. We were still full from the second breakfast at noon. Therefore, we decided to continue on to the Vermont border to eat lunch. We reached there about 2pm. Two men were there and offered to take pictures of the FDOM, so we have all of us at the sign.When we reached the turnoff to this shelter it was after 4pm. We considered continuing part of the way to the next shelter, but decided after some discussion to stay here. It appears it will be close to 40* overnight and Goose needed to stay in the shelter so he can use his tent as an additional blanket. We were the only ones here when we arrived. I set up my tent, as it is warmer in the cold. The water source, a small steam, was very good, and I got water for a sponge bath in addition to filtering a full liter. I also dragged down some wood and broke it for the fire Veto planned to make. The bath felt great.As I was eating my dinner of chicken and chicken-flavored stuffing, two southbounders, Spoonman and Smallpot, came in. Then Hitch (f/k/a Mackenzie) came, in followed by Mary (Barnacle) and Beernuts. Everyone enjoyed the fire. Beernuts melted chocolate to dip strawberries he'd brought from the store, and shared them around. Finally, JohnnyK came in and, as I started journaling after dark, Orangutan and Stinky joined the party. Haven't seen this many together for a long time.On! On!
Date: 2006-08-13
From: Melville-Nauheim shelter tenting

To: Storey Spring Shelter tent
Miles today: 17.4
Weather: scattered clouds

Today we reached 1600 miles.The FDOM all slept in until 6:10am, except Veto who woke up the rest of us. I packed while eating my poptart breakfast, and was actually not my usual last to be ready. I took the lead and set a fast pace, as we were all chilly, having stowed the jackets. Soon there was a substantial up that warmed us all. Along the way were some viewpoints out into the Green Mountains and back into NY toward Mt. Greylock. Toward lunchtime their was an ascent up Glastenbury Mountain which tops out at 3500'. The forest changed from yellow birch, maple, and beech to fir. It was very alpine looking when we reached the new Goddard Shelter at 11:30am for lunch. There was a great view. We sat on a bench looking at the mountains we'd already crossed, as we ate our bagels and peanut butter. After lunch we had a short way to go to reach the summit fire tower. The 360* views from the top were fantastic. The 8 miles in the afternoon section of the hike were unremarkable, except for a very picturesque Beaver Pond as we approached the shelter area.We reached the shelter about 5:30pm. Veto and I set up tents, leaving the shelter space for BigFoot and GreyGoose. The sun was still shining and the water source was close, so I took a sponge bath again even though it was somewhat chilly and the spring water was quite cold. Afterwards I made supper, four cheese potatoes with salmon. By the time I finished eating it was getting dark, so I went to bed and journaled.Onward to Maine!
Date: 2006-08-14
From: Storey Spring Shelter tent

To: Spruce Peak Shelter
Miles today: 18.3
Weather: broken clouds

The big story today was not just that there was trail magic with coolers with drinks at Stratton-Arlington Road, just 3-1/2 miles into our hike, but today was the day MagicRat (GA-ME '03) set up the grill and cooked for hikers. We got there as he was setting up about 9am, having left camp about 7:30am.What a spread! I had apple pie pastries, a candybar, 3 root beers, a Long Trail Ale, a humongous cheeseburger, and a hot dog. MagicRat is a fulltime cook at Stratton Ski area. His wife Emily (GA-ME '03) and 1-1/2yr old daughter joined him from their nearby home, and we enjoyed talking and eating for nearly two hours.It was hard, but we managed to hike out at 11:00am to begin today's big 1600' ascent of Stratton Mountain. It was long, but the trail was well-designed and maintained, and we made the top by 12:30pm. At the top stands the fire tower and the tower attendant's cabin, now used by AMC caretakers. The caretaker climbed the firetower part way with us, and pointed out the highlights of the terrain. We could barely see Mt. Washington in the Whites to the north. We also saw Stratton Pond, which we walked by later in the day. We snacked here, but were too full still from the trail magic to eat lunch.When we reached Stratton Pond Shelter at 2:30pm, we did stop briefly for lunch. We then headed out at 3pm for our destination. Veto had gone for water, planning to meet us after we finished our lunches, but wasn't at the water when we got there. He had gone down the wrong trail, a blue-blaze that goes around the pond. (What New Englanders call a pond, we Midwesterners would call a lake.) I thought he had gone ahead, and hiked out to try to catch up. Thus I was first into this shelter at 6:45pm, fully expecting that the others would pull up 3 miles short at the previous shelter where I'd left a note that I'd wait here in the morning.This is a nice shelter with windows, a sliding door, and a wood stove for cold weather. It has bunks for 12 and an inside table as well as the outside table. It is probably the nicest one I've stayed at. Just as I was settling in, Veto came in followed by Bigfoot and Goose. Also here is a section hiker, an electrical engineering student from the University of Akron.Tomorrow will be a nero into Manchester Center.Maine Ho!
Date: 2006-08-16
From: Danby-Landgrove Rd.

To: Sutton's Manchester Center, VT
Miles today: 17.8
Weather: broken clouds

Today's entry is dedicated to DJ and Tara, who were kind enough to give Veto and me a hitch into town at the end of our slackpack. Bigfoot and Goose got a quick hitch too. We've found it easier to get a ride if just two are hitching.We had breakfast at 7am at Up for Breakfast again, then headed out with Leonard, our shuttler, for the start of our slackpack.There were four mountain summits and three with views. The morning view was from Baker Peak toward the west and south, and was spectacular. There was a long, gradual hike up to this peak of over 1300'. We snacked, took pictures and enjoyed the view. Then we continued, passing by Griffith Lake on a long series of puncheon boardwalks of at least a half mile. What a job it must have been to carry everything in to build it. Then it was on to Peru Peak Shelter for lunch at about 12:30pm. The 1400' climb up to Peru Peak was on easy trail, and we were refreshed from our lunch break. However, there was no view. It was a short down and back up to Styles Peak. Just before reaching it we heard, "Fee, Fie, Fo, Fum, I smell the blood of dirty old men." It was JohnnyK, who'd just started down from the summit view. He backtracked a few feet to join us at the view, where we chatted on the rocks. JohnnyK had practically sat down on a garter snake, which was in a crack next to him in the rocks.Next was an 800' descent to Mad Tom Notch. There we filled up with water at the pump, and talked with a nobo Brit who'd set out from Harper's Ferry in early June. Finally, then came the 800' ascent up Bromley Mountain, where Stinky and Orangutang were camping in the ski patrol warming hut. There was an observation deck, and I think we saw Mt. Washington in the distance. The 3 mile 1400' descent was on generally good trail, and we made good time. Just before the trailhead, we came across Shreck, SoulLive, and company along with Beernuts, Hitch, and Mary. It looked like Beernuts had just hitched out from town, as he was passing out candybars to the whole group. I think my pepsis and ice cream the other day was a more impressive treat. Overall we made 2.5 mph, but the last 3 miles, a downhill, was 3 mph. Pretty good for a bunch of old guys.DJ and Tara brought us right to Sutton's, and Veto headed for the shower followed by me. While I was in the shower BigFoot and GreyGoose arrived. We had pizza next to the breakfast place, and we were all ready for bed at 9pm when we returned here.On! On!