morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2010-07-04
From: Campsite , NJ

To: Unionville, NY
Miles today: 12.5

Success! Up and out this morning before seven. We still had around 12 miles to knock of to town, but our early rise left me hopeful that we could make it there before the day got too hot. We stopped for a quick break and a pavilion which overlooked a spectacular monument rising out of the mountain. We could see a lake below, smell bbq, and hear people laughing. This made me wish I was with my family today at the lake, but how awesome is fourth of July being spent on the Appalachian trail? Pretty cool.We stopped for a few short breaks the rest of the hike, the day was getting very hot very quickly so we wanted to get into town before the worst of it. We passed at the edge of fields, through the woods, and hit the first running stream since the first day of Jersey! The state of New Jersey has been extremely dry. Fortunately there is a lot of water spickets and pumps in buildings along the way because water has been very difficult to come by up here.We arrived in Unionville around one where we were picked up and taken to the Mayors house who puts hikers up. Over here they feed you dinner and breakfast, do your laundry, provide a hot shower and a bunk all for a $10 donation which is a wonderful deal along the trail. As expected, there is a large group of hikers here for the night including the group I have been hiking with and it should be a fun night. I was also told that one of the hikers parents is buying a suite in New York City for our group to stay in next weekend, I am still debating whether I want to go into the city or not.
Date: 2010-07-14
From: Pawling, NY

To: Connecticut!
Miles today: 0.0

Sorry to leave you all hanging, I realize it has been a while since I have updated my journal and despite the consistency of entries during the first half of my trip, as of lately I have been slacking. Although I don't have time to fill in all the missing entries, I will let you all know that I am still happily hiking the Appalachain Trail The last week has been an absolute blast! After the group I have been hiking with left Unionville, the weather took a turn and the heat became unbearable. The temperatures for two days hit over 100 degrees and each day was more humid than the last. Unfortunately, our loving flowing springs and creeks were bone dry and if it weren't for the wonderful trail angels who left water by most of the road crossings, many of us would have been in for trouble. I hiked as slowly as possible and the miles this last week have been low.This past week I have also met some more amazing people. John, a trail angel picked us up on Mumbacha road and fed eleven hikers, gave us a place to shower, washed our clothes, and managed to find a couch or bed for every one of us to sleep on. Eva took me to her home in Cold Springs where she fed me breakfast and dinner, let me do laundry, took a shower, and even took me to a yoga class which felt amazing! I also owe a huge thanks to T-Funks aunt and uncle Jim and Marcella and his mother. This last week we took the train into NYC and T-Funks family bought two nights for all of us at the London hotel in downtown Manhatten. Not only did they provide accomodations for eleven of us, they bought us breakfast in the morning, took us sight seeing, and to the infamous Lambardis Pizza, the first pizzeria established in the united states. I can honestly say the three cheapest days I have spent on the Appalachian trail were in NYC which cost me a total of $27 including the train to and from the city ($20). I was iffy about heading into the city at first, i'll admit, but I am very glad that I did and extremely grateful. Tonight Sasquatch picked up five of us and took us back to his place where he provided a place for us to stay for the night and an awesome pool for us to swim in.New York has been good to us, but tomorrow we will be heading into Connecticut. The forrest has been dry and thirsty, but last night the much needed rain finally came. The terrain in New York has been surprisingly tough, many steep up and downs, however, after crossing the Hudson River, it has become much easier. The zoo near Bear Mountain was sad, but the pool before it was spectacular. As it has been for the last four months, my hike continues and I will update as often as I can.
Date: 2010-07-31
From: Vermont

To: View Entry
Miles today: 323.3

So it appears as though I am on the two week, two state schedule. I figure an update every other week though is still better than no update at all, so here I am!I am up to a little town called Danby just shy of Rutland, VA. Rocken Roll, Black and Tan, and I took a temporary detour to Boston this weekend for a little fun (which it has been!). The trail has been treating me wonderful. Massachusetts was a beautiful state and aside from the consistent afternoon thunderstorms (I think it rained every afternoon), the weather was fantastic! We all climbed Mt. Greylock, our first 3000+ footer since Three Ridges in Virginia, and once again I met so many amazing people on and off the trail.Admitingly, I was not looking forward to Vermont, I had heard the mud was awful and I was anxious to get my feet up to the Whites. As with most things on the trail, I expected the mud to be an exaggeration, the big mud puddle at the border of Vermont and Mass immediately proved me wrong! The mud has been awful and unavoidable and after a certain amount of trying to avoid it, your feet get wet anyways so you trudge through it. There is even mud on the top of mountains, I figured our great law of gravity would take care of that, but apparently not in Vermont. I have however greatly enjoyed Vermont. We have started to climb mountains once again high enough to be up in the pine level and have been hitting fire towers with wonderful views. I still have about 80 miles left of Vermont but I am at the moment now in my hike where I am trying to drag out every mile and savor every moment on the trail. I suppose my next big adventure will be the Whites. I'll be climbing Mt Washington here within the next two weeks which means i'll be getting my Winter clothes shipped to me very soon and my pack will be getting heavier.
Date: 2010-08-10
From: Hanover, NH

To: View Entry
Miles today: 78.1

Well, i'm finally out of Vermont and in my 13th and second to last state. Vermont was anything but what I had expected and despite a few unplanned medical bills, I rather enjoyed it.Vermont brought back the mountains, something we all hadn't experienced since Virginia. I missed the pine of the higher elevations and the sense of accomplishment when you reach a mountain peak and look out at the view down below and see what you just climbed. Vermont was rough on me, I must admit. Between antibiotics for an infection, a wasp sting on my hand, and a hairline fracture on the other hand (slippery rocks), I got pretty beat up- and my budget took a hit as well. I am out of Vermont now however and am confident that New Hampshire will leave me in better shape. Coming up in New Hampshire is the part of the trail we have all been looking forward to for quite some time- the Whites. My Winter gear will be sent to Glencliffe and by later this week i'll be climbing Mt Moosilauke.
Date: 2010-08-12
From: Glencliff, NH

To: View Entry
Miles today: 43.3

Just a quick update for everyone before I head back out in the woods. I made it to Glencliff, NH, the start of the White mountains which I have been greatly anticipating since the beginning of my hike. Tonight, I will stay at the base of Mt. Moosilauke, perhaps the steepest climb as of yet on the AT; although Smart mountain a couple of days ago kicked my butt! I can honestly say I haven't had sore legs since the start of my hike, but after two intense mountains in one day, my calves are tight and sore and the mountains have only begun.Smart mountain and cube mountain were absolutely beautiful, but steep and intense. The views at the top were some of the best I have yet seen on the trail. Unfortunately my camera had an accident on the top of the fire wardens tower, the screen is broken, but it appears to still be in working order. Spent the night near a road last night and the mosquitoes were viscous! I certainly look forward to the cooler nights with less bugs. I almost forgot how miserable the bugs could be.I received my Winter gear this afternoon and sent home nearly 5 lbs of excess gear. My pack might possibly be lighter now, then it was with my Summer equipment, but climbing up through the mountains I will certainly curse any extra pound.
Date: 2010-08-23
From: Gorham, NH

To: View Entry
Miles today: 100.6

Well, it appears I have left all of you hanging for another ten days, perhaps wondering if I were still on the trail? Well, I am and tomorrow is going to be a very exciting day on my journey.. why? Tomorrow i'll be entering my 14th and final state on the Appalachian Trail, Maine. The Whites were absolutely stunning. Unfortunately my camera decided to fail completely right after I left Glencliff, but I will be stealing pictures from Rockn'roll and for the few important pictures (such as the summit of Mt. Washington and Moosilauke) I snuck my memory card into his camera just so I could get some pictures for you all right away. The weather in the whites was spectacular, if someone had told me I would summit Mt. Washington on a clear day with winds gusting at 1.6 mph I wouldn't believe them. We summited Mt. Washington on a clear day with winds gusting at 1.6 mph, one of very few days a year. I was extremely lucky to hit Washington in such great weather, even got a nice sun tan, the first since the leaves arrived on the trees in Spring time. Hiking above treeline was absolutely amazing and we experienced the best views so far on the trail.The group I have been with through the Whites; Stretcher, Heads Up, Rockn'Roll, Yahtzee, and I, essentially hut hopped through the Whites. There were a couple of hut "croo" that were rude (Lake of the Clouds and Zealand), but overall the hut experience was wonderful, the leftovers were delicious, and the dining room tables very comfortable. Rockn'Roll and I recieved some excellent trail magic at Madison Hut when we were refused a work for stay. A few hikers that had been guests in the hut we had met earlier had two members of the party that weren't going to make it and allowed us to take their spots in the bunks. Overall though I prefer my tent, I enjoy being able to eat when i'm hungry (hikers wait till all the guests have eaten), and I like to go to sleep when i'm tired and wake up when i'm refreshed which does not happen in the huts.Despite the wonderful weather over Washington, the next day we proceeded to hike out of Madison hut with winds sustained at 40 mph and gusts up to 60, and a chilly temperature of 39 degrees (without windchill). No surprise after staying in crowded huts and dealing with the intense weather changes I came down with a cold that I am currently fighting off.I have essentially taken the last few days off trying to recover from the Whites and get over this cold. I will be back on the trail tomorrow though for the last leg of my journey through Maine.
Date: 2010-09-03
To: Caratunk, ME
Miles today: 146.7

Once again it's certainly been a while since my last entry, especially with all that has happened the last week and a half. The weather had cleared up by the time we had all left Gorham and although we had been forewarned that the most difficult part of the trail was Southern Maine, little did I know what we were getting into. Difficult is an understatement, downright dangerous is more like it! Southern Maine was just as beautiful as the Whites were if you asked me, the only difference was there were much less people and the trail was scary at times. We hit many mountaintops and ridges above treeline with spectacular views. We also climbed straight up wet, slippery rock faces, climbed down unsecured ladders, and hopped from wet boulder to wet boulder in the "notch", Mahoosuc Notch to be precise. Many of you have heard of Mahoosuc Notch, the most difficult mile of the Appalachian Trail. The mile long mumble and jumble of boulders took nearly two hours for us to make our way through and the rocks were slick from the inch of rain that fell the day before. As soon as you think you're done with the most difficult part of the trail you start climbing the arm which half of the time involves what feels like a straight up rock climb. With every step straight up I was terrified that my feet were going to slide out from underneath me and I would tumble my way down the mountain. Slow and steady was how I made it through Southern Maine (which made the whites seem like cake by the way). The first few days of Maine brought chilly weather, and my gear was slightly damp (and smelly) from our day of rain. As soon as the low system passed a high system rolled in bringing record breaking Maine temperatures in the ninetys for nearly a week! The air has been extremely thick and muggy which brought hazy skies limiting some spectacular views which we experienced on nearly every mountain top. The trees are beggining to change, and the yellow of the birch intertwined with the random red maple makes for a wonderful contrast. The changing of the trees remind me that I am near the end of my hike and although I am very excited to be done and see my Kelly dog again, I am also quite sad and know I will miss being on the trail. My final finishing date is September 13th and i'll be getting a ride to Kentucky from RocknRoll where my brother will be picking Kelly and I up to take us the rest of the way to Washington.As of right now I am at Northern Outdoors in Caratunk, Maine- 151 miles from Katahdin. Young One ended up with a job here on his hike so it was great to see him and catch up. It seems I am the last of the people he had hiked with to come through. I also saw Quarter Pounder climbing up Old Blue Mountain which was quite a surprise! I didn't realize he had flip flopped but was very glad to see he was still on the trail.
Date: 2010-09-04
From: Monson, ME

To: View Entry
Miles today: 36.7

Hey everybody! Made it to Monson, ME, the start of the 100 mile wilderness. Since it is the 100 mile wilderness and Kahtadin is shortly thereafter, my next entry will be after Katahdin so wish me luck!Let me say the last few days of hiking have been wonderful, despite the threat of hurricane Earl (which dumped rain the night I stayed in Caratunk and was gone the next day). I was able to get my first peek of Katahdin on top of Moxie Bald mountain, an exciting moment indeed which also brought me to the reality once again that my journey is almost complete; I can only imagine how I will feel when I summit Katahdin and pass by the last white blaze of the trail.This morning Tree, Hot Foot, Rocknroll, Skippy, and I rolled in to Monson early to get a bite to eat at Shaw's infamous all you can eat breakfast.. let me say, delicous! Since I don't plan on stopping at White House Landing, Shaw's is likely the last good meal i'll until I reach Katahdin.Maine has been absolutely spectacular. Ponds an and lakes are dime a dozen, MATC does an excellent job catering to hikers although the rocks and roots can be obnoxious. The trail has flattened out more so and I was able to do my first 20+ mile day yesterday and feel great afterwards. Despite the wonderful trail I don't believe I have seen so many people yellow blaze as I have in Maine! You would think being near the end people would be hiking, not so. I suppose we all hike our own hike but I suspect over 50% of hikers who started from Georgia have skipped through most of Maine.Well, wish me luck on the rest of my hike, I realize a lot of you had questions and i'm sorry I never got around to them. After my hike i'll be reading through them all again and answering them, i'll also try to fill in my journals a bit more Katahdin here I come!
Date: 2010-12-02
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

It¢s been nearly three months since I climbed Katahdin- I went on a hike this morning and as the flurries fell, I allowed myself to get lost amongst the trees, dead for the winter, and couldn¢t help but think about the early days of my Appalachian Trail hike. Never could I have imagined the way my life would turn out after the trail. After Katahdin, I headed to Washington for a week before driving cross country to my new home in Louisville, KY with Jeff ( Rocknroll). Jeff and I have been living together for the last couple of months and I feel so fortunate to have found someone who understands who I have become after the trail; somebody who understands my obsession to return to it someday and shares that same desire. My life so far in Kentucky has been good. Shortly after moving to Louisville I found work at a small local outfitter, it is a growing business and I really enjoy my job and the people I work with. Looking at gear all day and talking to outdoor enthusiasts however only seems to strengthen my drive to return to the trail in the near future and I constantly find myself planning new unrealistic trips and refiguring gear. Jeff and I hope to make it back for trail days in the Spring and would love to provide a little magic to the Appalachian Trail thru hikers of 2011, best of luck to ¢y¢all¢Kelly and I have finally been reunited. Danette took such great care of her and is a great example of an amazing trail angel who has become a life long friend. The trail has changed Kelly into a confident and happy dog and although she couldn¢t make the entire trail with me, over 1200 miles is pretty darn good for a little dog and I know she¢ll always be my most loyal hiking partner.Quest, the horse, is still enjoying his extended vacation in Wyoming. After the trail I couldn¢t come up with the funds to haul him across the country so he will happily be enjoying his pasture over the Winter until I can pick him up in the Spring.Not all changes in the last couple have months have been for the better. I am sad to say that my most loyal trail journal fan and one of my biggest supporters, my Grandma, passed away a few weeks ago with complications from what should have been a simple surgery. She is greatly missed and I don¢t know how I could have done this trip without her support.Overall, the changes that have occurred throughout the last couple have months have been positive changes in my life. I am happy with where life is taking me and at the person the trail has turned me into. Although I may never get to do another thru hike on Appalachian Trail, I¢ll never forget the Summer of 2010 and the people on the trail who have changed my life.
Date: 2009-04-18
To: Prep #1
Miles today: 0.0

Entertained the idea of doing an AT thru-hike when I was in my twenties but marriage, kids, career, and life intervened. Started backpacking and winter camping about 10 years ago and found the woods soul cleansing; the simplicity of tending to one's basic needs revitalizing. The draw of the forest is irresistible. I was born and raised a city girl as a flatlander in Chicago, lived 3 years in a log cabin in northern Minnesota and 10 years in Miami (2 of which were on a sailboat). Having visited both the eastern and western mountain states, knew I could not live around mountains because I always have an overwhelming urge to go see what's on the other side of the mountain; just like I always want to see what's around the next bend in the trail. Do I want to do this for 2,176 miles? Oh, yeah! It's there--it HAS to be done. And let's face it, earning those bragging rights is priceless. A couple of weeks ago the idea of doing an AT thru-hike came crashing onto my radar. At first I dismissed it out of hand--too long, too hard, too old, too out of shape. So I put the burner on simmer and let it process in my left brain, and literally woke up a few days later with an action plan of what I needed to do. Be intentional with a fitness regimen, lose 40 pounds, update some of my gear, put my condo on the rental market so the rent will pay the mortgage; put my few precious possessions into storage for the duration; and move to my summer home (which is only 16 miles away and I own outright) until my departure for Springer. Computed finances and set aside the money for the trip. My start date window as of now is sometime between Feb. 12 and March 12, 2010.
Date: 2009-05-08
To: Prep #3
Miles today: 0.0

ON FINANCES AND PHYSICAL FITNESSAnother beautiful day that started out with this gorgeous sunrise. It's definitive--spring has arrived! Birds start singing about 4 AM with all the females chirping, "Build the nest first..." lolBeen a busy few weeks. Since I won't have any income next year while I'm hiking and need to pay the mortgage on my condo, I decided to rent it out and move to my summer home which I own outright. Have put my precious items into storage (with my backpacking gear clearly marked in plastic bins right in front), moved a few necessities out to my summer home, and am almost finished getting my condo ready to rent out. Painters are finished, repairs are done, new carpeting to be installed Monday, for rent ads placed. Officially moving to the summer home the last weekend of May.Packing, moving and home repairs are all physical activitIes that I'm not used to and so have a few sore muscles but still have managed to put miles on the inclined treadmill 4x+ per week at 3.25 mph. I'll lose access to the treadmill once I move but my summer home is on a hill in a river valley so will do my morning hikes on "real" inclines with real rocks and roots. Out there I'll also have access to a pool and will swim laps daily, too. My 5-year-old grandson is spending the entire summer with me (mom and dad only live about 6 miles away). He will be involved in the camp youth program which includes gymnastics and swimming. My other two grandkids (ages 5 and 10) from Miami, will visit for 2-3 weeks. Keeping up with all of them will definitely keep me physically active. October and November will find me backpacking the North Country Trail in Michigan for 4 weeks solo as a final shakedown. December will be a leisurely road trip to Tennessee and Miami to visit family. January and February will have three 4-day winter camping/cross country ski trips in Michigan and Wisconsin including a candlelight ski at Newport State Park at the tip of Door County in Wisconsin. Then on to Springer around Feb. 15 or so.