morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2015-07-29
From: Sharon Mountain Campsite 

To: Brassie Brook Shelter 
Miles today: 17.7
Weather: light rain

When I stayed in Kent, Splitter gave me a pain pill, indomethacin, that he's been using to manage the injury he has. He figured it'd help me out with my issue. I took it before starting the hike and felt doped up and high all morning. There were a few moments where I thought I should just sit and zone out for a while. What's worse, is that I still got pain in my ankle even with the drug.There was a long road walk today due to a detour on the trail. There's a whole bridge removed and it sent us hikers walking around.I hiked into Salisbury (with a hitch from the trailhead) for a late lunch and met up with Zipp and some other hikers. Zipp and I spent about 4 hours sitting in the grass, mostly avoiding the high heat. After we hiked up the hill out of town and had our choice of shelters and campsites. There were two shelters within a mile and a campsite in between.Fitbit-------------Miles: 20.9Calories: 4900Stairs: 381
Date: 2015-07-30
From: Brassie Brook Shelter 

To: Hemlocks Shelter 
Miles today: 8.8

Between the forecast for rain in the afternoon, limited options past the first shelter, and my upcoming doctor appointment, I had no reason to hike past the next shelter. I certainly would have liked to hike more than 8 miles, but in the end I think the extra rest days will be good for me.But I left the shelter with Zipp, and he wanted to go fast and hard. He's got a friend coming to join for three days and he wants to push his friend to the limit to show how hard hiking the AT can be. Zipp had no trouble keeping the pace and so I think he'll do a good job of giving his friend the right impression.I thought after today's short day I'd have two more full days before getting picked up. But when I called my parents to confirm my ride, based on the timing and limited road access, tomorrow morning became the most logical. So that'll likely mean three full zeros, and this time it won't be full of city walking.Fitbit-------------Miles: 11.4Calories: 3600Stairs: 268
Date: 2015-07-31
From: Hemlocks Shelter 

To: Great Barrington 
Miles today: 8.0

My walk into Great Barrington was mostly uneventful. I did however slip on a wet rock during the decent, and in doing so strained my neck in some form of whiplash. It almost masked the pain in my ankle. But it didn't stop me from enjoying the ice cream from the creamery in Great Barrington.My father came to pick me up. I'll be spending the next three days sitting around my parents house, resting my ankle, waiting for the doctor appointment on Monday. I'm expecting no matter what I learn from the doctor I'll be back on the trail Tuesday morning.Fitbit-------------Miles: 9.6Calories: 3100Stairs: 94
Date: 2015-08-04
From: Great Barrington 

To: Mt Wilcox North Shelter
Miles today: 13.5
Weather: scattered clouds

Firstly, the doctor didn't really provide much help. He didn't seem to knowledgeable about such injuries as mine and said that it's probably a ligament issue and rest, ice, and elevation are the best options. But since rest and ice aren't really an option, he gave me an ankle brace (which is too painful and cumbersome so I didn't take it with me) and he prescribed some pain/anti-inflammatory pills that I didn't bother to fill (I don't want to hike on pain medication and there is no swelling). The good thing is that I got some rest and I also scheduled an appointment with an orthopedic in North Adams for Friday that might be able to give a more thorough assessment.Secondly, I didn't hike many miles today, but there wasn't any sharp pain in my ankle. Maybe the three days rest was all I needed. I doubt that though, and will still go to my Friday appointment.My parents dropped me off back at the trail in the morning. My mother was excited to walk part of the trail (the first 500 yards were flat and grassy, she wondered if that was typical of the trail - it's not). It was quite difficult though once the climb started. Possibly because my body got used to the rest and lack of walking, but more likely was the extra weight from leaving town. I left behind my chair (I've contemplated getting rid of it since Virginia, but it kept proving to be useful) and some other things to cut back on my pack weight. But I also left carrying 13lbs of food which put me at 30lbs.I made it to the first shelter and was settling in to have lunch. Cameron showed up, as did the clouds and thunder. Within 10 minutes of arriving the sunny weather changed at it was an intense storm of wind, rain, and hail. About 15 minutes later it was back to clear sunny skies. But for the rest of the day the sky would change back and forth from sunny to thunderstorms a few more times. I did well to avoid most of the rain, but got caught in one such hail and downpour and then decided to shorten my planned 17 miles to stay at the shelter. It's supposed to be a dry night so I'm tenting, but I didn't want to have to hike any more in the rain, nor was I keen on night hiking.Fitbit-------------Miles: 16.1Calories: 4200 Stairs: 387
Date: 2015-08-05
From: Mt Wilcox North Shelter

To: October Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 22.8
Weather: broken clouds

I had to leave camp in wet shoes. For the most part all the rest of my stuff was dry, but my shoes were still soaking wet. I do think that putting on wet shoes in the morning is a most unpleasant experience. But thankfully the sky itself was clear and by noon the shoes had dried off on their own.I stopped in at Upper Goose Pond Cabin. It's a shelter that is more like a house in its design, staffed by a caretaker, provides pancakes in the morning to those who stay, and apparently had about 30 hikers stay the night before. Just in stopping for an hour it's clear that it's easy to get sucked in to staying longer than intended.Today I crossed the highway overpass, that 25 years ago was the catalyst in this epic adventure that I'm on. My only goal remaining, and a big goal it is, is to reach Katahdin.Fitbit-------------Miles: 27.4Calories: 5800Stairs: 500
Date: 2015-08-06
From: October Mountain Shelter

To: St Mary's Church 
Miles today: 20.6
Weather: light rain

My first stop today was at the Cookie Lady's house. A trail angel who lives in a large farm just off the trail provides homemade cookies to hikers, along with water, camping, blueberries, eggs and general greatness. Since it was only about two miles in for me, I came solely for the cookies and water. But unfortunately I arrived before she had started her morning, so there weren't any cookies yet available. City Kick was there though and she advised that there'd soon be cookies and likely eggs as well. So I waited. When the Cookie Lady came out to water the flowers I engaged in polite conversation, withholding from being the greedy hiker I was and not demanding the cookies I was owed. But when I saw that her and her husband were leaving for the morning, I seized the last opportunity and had to ask for cookies. I'm quite pleased to say that she happily provided a plate of cookies that I was able to share with Amish and Dora the Explorer as well.My next stop was Dalton. The trail enters town and goes right past an ice cream place, but for whatever reason it was closed for business. So instead I went and got a meatball sub, and an ice cream sandwich, and donuts. A satisfactory town pass through.As I continued my hike into Cheshire, I found that the trail yet again goes right past ice cream shop. This time it was open. I must say, an ice cream shop along the trail is a smart business decision. This one just so happened to have one of the best priced places. It was under $4 for an overflowing three scoop cup of ice cream.My plan was to stay in Cheshire at St Mary's church, which allows sleeping in their rec hall. The only negative, which is really just coming from a spoiled hiker, is that there were no showers. That and the pizza place/pub in town had gone out of business. The later just made the church a quieter and more peaceful place to be off trail.Fitbit-------------Miles: 26.1Calories: 5600Stairs: 357
Date: 2015-08-07
From: St Mary's Church 

To: Sherman Brook Campsite 
Miles today: 16.3

The good and bad of this morning was that my ankle issue started again. Good because I had the follow-up appointment with the orthopedic and I was starting to think it was already healed and the appointment would be a waste of time. Bad because, well, it hurt. That and it was possibly the earliest it had ever started hurting. Once I got going though it was back to not being noticeable. Then I reached the top of Mt Greylock, took a short break to snack, and bam, it started hurting bad. I did my usual stretch it out and walk it off, but that strategy wasn't working very well. That is until once again the pain went away entirely. However there was another time during the decent down into North Adams when the pain came back and I really began questioning my ability to continue. I got through it though and made it to the trailhead into civilization.That was when I met up with 4Be. I hadn't seen him since Pearisburg, and I'd been "carrying" a message for him from No Trace since Daleville. As we walked down to the main road into town, we shared stories of hikers we hadn't seen for a long time, as well as plans for summitting Katahdin even if our injuries prevent a complete thru-hike.I got a hitch straight to the doctor's office, and even though I was an hour early, I didn't have to wait long to be seen. They also didn't mind when I warned them how stinky I was, telling me they smell worse when opening people's casts. I described my symptoms, did a few movements (which of course didn't hurt), got some x-rays, and in general felt like I was speaking with a doctor who understood the situation. After my x-ray (which looked normal), the doc came in with some paperwork to describe Posterior Tibial Tendon Dysfunction. The symptoms matched and of course the treatment was rest, ice, and physical therapy. The other treatment that was an option was a brace, and the nurse (timing it perfectly) walked in with a lace-up brace. It proved to be much more comfortable than the other doctor's brace, but it didn't feel like it provided much support. The doctor however felt that using this should allow me to reach Katahdin no problem (though I'll be willing to bet there'll be another problem once this one goes away).I spent a few more hours in town. I was hoping to meet up with a CouchSurfer I had been previously messaging, but I also just wanted to eat. One of the things I got a craving for yesterday was garlic fries. Without seeing the menu I asked the waitress if they had such fries and she said they didn't, but they could make some. With only a vague description of what I wanted they managed to make some good garlic fries. And after everyone smelled them, I have an idea what will be the next item on their menu. I never heard back from the CouchSurfer, so I hitched back to the trail and wandered up a ways to camp alongside the brook.Fitbit-------------Miles: 21.4Calories: 5000Stairs: 483
Date: 2015-08-08
From: Sherman Brook Campsite 

To: Hell Hallow Btook
Miles today: 20.0
Weather: scattered clouds

I crossed the border into Vermont today. Before starting the trail I had ideas of retiring from software and becoming a brewer in some small Vermont town. I still find that idea appealing, but I'll likely do a few more years in software first. In the mean time I hope to grow my appreciation for the state of Vermont.As I'm still listening to The Count of Monte Cristo (it's a long story but I'm almost done), the day was mostly a blur. There was one point where the ankle hurt, but it wasn't as long lasting as it was yesterday.I needed to hitch into Bennington for some additional resupplies, and caught a ride from Carl, a young farmer from Maine. He drove down to Bennington for the weekend to visit some college friends. When I told him I was going to get some groceries in town in addition to a burger or some such, he recommended Kevin's as it has the best burger he's ever had. That and he was heading there to meet a friend. It turned out that we stopped by the friends house first along the way and had a beer there, then went out to get the burgers. It was indeed a tasty burger. But since Carl had to continue north to visit more friends, he left me with Liam who brought me grocery shopping and then back to the trail.Fitbit-------------Miles: 22.7Calories: 5200Stairs: 522
Date: 2015-08-09
From: Hell Hallow Btook

To: Stratton-Arlington Campsite 
Miles today: 19.4
Weather: clear sky

There really wasn't much special about today. There was a really nice fire tower with lovely views of the Green Mountains (and other mountain ranges). There were stretches of trail in which all the pine trees made it smell like Christmas. There was a good group of hikers hanging out at the campsite. But for the most part I just hiked along listening to the last bit of The Count of Monte Cristo. Actually, I purposely hiked about five miles not listening to it in an attempt a) to make it last longer, and b) try to remind myself what it's like to hike without listening to a book.I was talking with someone the other day about my lifestyle of moving around, and how usually after three months I'm ready to go somewhere new. I'm about to hit four months on the trail and thought maybe that's why I've been so eager to complete this hike and move on.There was no pain in my ankle today in the same way I was getting pain. But by the end of my day there was significant fatigue in other parts of the ankle. My take on that is the brace is doing the trick and soon enough I'll be hiking pain free.Fitbit-------------Miles: 21.7Calories: 5100Stairs: 417
Date: 2015-08-10
From: Stratton-Arlington Campsite 

To: Manchester, VT 
Miles today: 17.5
Weather: overcast clouds

The weather has definitely been colder this past week. Last night was the coldest it's been since Georgia (well maybe not quite that long, but certainly not for a while). But with my sleeping bag, the cold wasn't much of an issue. And if anything, getting out of the tent to feel the fresh, crisp morning air was one of the best sensations I've had on the trail.Even though I still had a little bit more on the audio book, I started my hike up Stratton mountain without listening to anything. And as I passed through another area that smelled like Christmas, I began thinking about the programmable led lights I have and how to configure them in the future on a Christmas tree. My next two miles of hiking were spent contemplating algorithms for detecting musical notes in songs to sync the lights to the beat. I definitely forgot what it's like to hike without an audio book...I got to a point about ten miles in that I started noticing that the fatigue in my ankle was becoming pain in my achilles. I stopped and rested for a bit, took an advil, but it didn't really help. If I didn't already have a hostel bed booked I probably would have cut the day short by six miles. With the forecast for rain tomorrow, and already being at a hostel in town, I'm going to zero tomorrow. The good news is that the posterior tibial tendon isn't causing any pain, so maybe the day off, and a nero out will be good enough to keep hiking.Fitbit-------------Miles: 20.3Calories: 4800Stairs: 335
Date: 2015-08-11
From: Manchester, VT 

To: Manchester, VT 
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

It's now been four months since I first set foot on the Appalachian Trail. Although to commemorate this I didn't set foot at all on the AT today...I zeroed at the Green Mountain House hostel here in Manchester. This has been the best hostel so far, and it's hard to imagine any better. At $30, it includes a pint of Ben & Jerry's ice cream, unlimited soda, shower and laundry, pick up from town and drop off at the trail in the morning, wifi and computer access, and unlimited breakfast (cereal, pancakes, eggs - you just have to cook it yourself). Not to mention that the hostel is a three bedroom house, with eight twin beds distributed out, so it's easy to get a good night sleep. Jeff and Regina are doing it right and anyone hiking through should plan to stop here.I was just sent this article listing the top ice cream places in the US. http://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/55c9099ee4b0923c12bdd465I'm happy to see Bellvale on the list (it really may have been the best ice cream I've ever had), but there's a few in western Massachusetts that could be included. While I was off trail for a few days in MA to wait for the doctors appointment I managed to go to five of the top ten ice cream places in the area. Each of them had different things going for them but Flayvors in Hadley seemed to be the best all around. Anyhow, I'm sure that article isn't truly representative of the singular best ten in the country.I'd like to shout out to City Kick and her friend Old School for shuttling me around this afternoon, and more particularly to Old School for cooking us an amazing dinner tonight. She's a chef in the real world and managed to whip up a great salad dressing with just the random things that were in the kitchen.Fitbit-------------Miles: 2.6Calories: 2200Stairs: 12
Date: 2015-08-12
From: Manchester, VT 

To: Lost Pond Shelter 
Miles today: 14.8
Weather: few clouds

I started the trail with trepidation this morning. After a big breakfast of nearly the entire package of bacon and five big, thick pancakes with pure maple syrup, Jeff, the hostel owner, drove us hikers back to the trailhead. But as I started taking my first steps onto the trail, I was unsure how far I'd be going; not only today, but for the rest of the trail. Less than a mile in I felt good. I was excited to be back out, my ankle felt ok, and I had only one goal, walk to Katahdin. I started listening to a new audio book, Awol on the Appalachian. (Awol is the man behind the most commonly used guide book on the trail, and his book is about his thru-hike that he did in 2003). Being able to listen to the troubles he went through and the perseverance needed to complete a thru-hike really helped me get back the perspective of why I'm out here. The simple answer is that I've always wanted to hike this trail, but more importantly, I enjoy this. The pain of injuries and the days of rain make it hard to remember that sometimes, but even though I don't like this popular phrase: "no rain, no pain, no Maine".I saw some more people I haven't seen since Virginia. I passed by Dirty Peanut and Blue Kazoo today. Then later saw Slider who stayed at the same shelter, along with Brewery and 4be.Overall it was a great day back on the trail. The weather was pleasant throughout most of the day. It started off cool and foggy with the last bit of rain clouds lingering in the higher elevation but no longer precipitating. Then the sun came out for a bit and I napped at one of the shelters. And when I finished my 15 mile day and set up my tent I started a fire with the wet sticks. After I got the fire blazing a thunderstorm passed through so a group of us hung out and ate dinner in the shelter, but otherwise all was well. Except for the fact that I set my tent in a spot that is going to puddle and therefore cause my tent to leak and be a puddle inside in the morning.Fitbit-------------Miles: 17.2Calories: 4400Stairs: 379
Date: 2015-08-13
From: Lost Pond Shelter 

To: Clarendon Shelter 
Miles today: 18.6
Weather: broken clouds

I was eager to get to Qu's Whistle Stop today. It's a burger place with ice cream just off the trail that allows for camping as well. So I did my hike with just my typical short breaks, and by the time I did about 15 miles my ankle began to complain. I only had about three more to go, so I took a longer break at the next shelter and meandered my way down to the restaurant. The burger wasn't quite as good as it had been described, but that didn't make it any less good in my eyes. It still wasn't even 5pm, which meant going back to the trail and the one mile to the next shelter would put me at a better place for tomorrow morning (that and the road noise would have been annoying while camping at the restaurant).There had been a few hikers I met the past two days who were eager to be atop Killington tonight in order to get the best view of the meteor shower. I didn't want to do any extra hiking, but did take the opportunity to "cowboy camp", not use my tent and just sleep on the ground. The challenge though was getting my eyes to actually open during the middle of the night. It's one thing to wake up, but it's another to get the clarity of vision to see distinct stars.People have been asking me why I don't cut my mileage back. It should be easy for me to just do 10 mile days and still finish in a reasonable time. But I think the answer is that I'm too impatient. I hike ten miles, get to the shelter, and it's only noon. It was easier to do when I just started, but now that I've spent weeks and months pushing for miles, it feels very uncomfortable to stop so early in the day.Fitbit-------------Miles: 22.6Calories: 5300Stairs: 375
Date: 2015-08-14
From: Clarendon Shelter 

To: Rutland 
Miles today: 16.4

As I was hiking along this morning and came across a small stream, I noticed a woman off to the side setting something in the water. She was out putting a bag of sodas in the water to keep them cold for trail magic. I stopped to drink one of the sodas that weren't cold yet and we talked about the trail. She said how difficult it has been this year to keep the soda stash filled due to all the hikers coming through.Today's hike consisted of a looonng climb up Killington Mt. It was well rewarded though, cause at the top there was a steep side trail to the summit with some really great views. From there, you could continue around to the other side of the mountain where the gondola and ski lodge are. This was the source of the large group of tourists who took the easy way up the mountain.After the equally long decent from Killington, I hitched a ride into Rutland. My accommodations for the night would be at the Yellow Deli hiker hostel. This is a hostel run by the Twelve Tribes, a hippie, commune church group. Friday after sunset begins their sabbath, so us hikers were treated to a celebration with dancing, followed by a delicious feast. Another perk of their donation based hostel is a large breakfast that is included.Fitbit-------------Miles: 23.9Calories: 5400Stairs: 493
Date: 2015-08-15
From: Rutland 

To: Stony Brook Shelter 
Miles today: 10.0

After stuffing myself at breakfast at the Yellow Deli, I managed to pack up and out to get out of town. The folk at the Yellow Deli make it very enticing to zero there. In fact there were a few hikers who had spent a week staying there. There was some joking concerns that they had been seduced into the cult.While yesterday's hike over Killington was tough because it was so long, today's hike had what was probably the highest climb we've had since Tennessee. The central Atlantic states are now done and we're hiking in the mountains again. Maybe it was simply just because it was a steep climb, but it tired me out. I found myself more drained than I had in some time. My thought was that it may have been my body coming down from the caffeine overload I got from the yerba mate at the Yellow Deli.Partly due to the draining hike, but more so due to the clouds and thunder, I stopped at the Stony Brook Shelter and settled in to stay the night. I took a spot in the shelter, but opted not to commit to it entirely since it was still before 5pm and there was the chance of more hikers coming along wanting to sleep in the shelter. Sure enough, as time went on, more and more people showed up. I'd say that by 7pm there were about 20 people hanging out waiting for the rain to stop (a few just pitched their tents and hung out inside em). Since the shelter was only designed for six, I set up my own tent was the rain ended.Fitbit-------------Miles: 15.4Calories: 4100Stairs: 293