morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2006-07-16
From: @ 3.5 before Wiley Shelter

To: Brownie's Parents (via Kent, CT)
Miles today: 16.4

This was officially one of (if not the) hardest days on the trail. It started out mildly. We woke early and motivated to get moving before the mosquitoes, were hiking by 6:30. We were moving quickly and went the first few miles rather effortlessly. Exuberantly we cheered as we crossed the state line into Connecticut. This officially marked our tenth Appalachian Trail state. Even early in the morning it was painfully hot. We were sweating out water more quickly than we could gulp it down. Halfway through the morning we needed more water and had to replenish at a stream. Since our water purifier is broken that was a risky endeavor. Thus far we had been lucky enough to replenish only at springs or spigots which are less likely to be contaminated with bacteria like giardia. Knowing we had to drink water often in this heat we crossed our fingers and gulped our ice-cold ¢giardia water.¢ We ate an early lunch beside a beautiful river and were excited to have only 8 miles until Kent. Souleman was hiking to a mantra of ¢ice-cream, Mtn. Dew, ice-cream, Mtn. Dew¢¦¢ Enthusiastically we began the last leg of hiking before our zero day. We faced an uphill but were undaunted since every hiker knows the trail eventually goes ¢down to town.¢ Apparently the residents of Kent aren¢t aware of this requirement. We went up and up and up. And when we thought we had reached the top we would round a corner to see more uphill. The mountain seemed endless. Even when we finally reached the actual summit and expected to finally be treated to a descent we were deceived. The trail would slope downward briefly and then shoot us straight back up to the top. This went on for seven miles. We were completely exhausted and in a lot of pain. Both of our bodies were revolting against the copious amounts of sweat and the oppressive heat. We had prickly heat rash, blisters, raw skin and all sorts of other nastiness. Our bodies desperately wanted to be still and dry. Not only was the trail steep and endlessly uphill, it was rocky. We had to place each step just so in order to maintain balance. We practically crawled to the road that lead to Kent.Graciously we sat barefoot on the shaded side of the gas station and gulped 2 large bottles of Powerade each while eating ice-cream cones. Our faces were red, our bodies were sore, and our clothes were soaked in sweat, but we had made it to Kent, CT. My dad picked us up shortly and we lavished in the air-conditioning as he drove us home for a couple days of rest and relaxation with family.P.S. The man at the outfitter fixed our MIOX! Now we have a functional water purifier again. No more giardia water!
Date: 2006-07-17
From: Brownie's Parents

To: Brownie's Parents
Miles today: 0.0

Today was a lovely zero at my parents house. We went to a movie with my sister (You, Me and DuPree) which provided a good number of laughs. It was wonderful just to sit in the airconditioned theatre and drink cold drinks. We bought Souleman some new super-breathable hiking clothes so hopefully he'll be more comfortable on hot days. We had a cookout dinner with my family and my friend Meagan. It was wonderful -- grilled chicken, corn on the cob, salad, lots of fruit ... and sherbert and brownies for dessert! Then we all played a new game we bought called Boxers of Briefs. It was really hilarious and greatly entertaining. A nice relaxing day.
Date: 2006-07-18
From: Kent

To: Brownie's Parents
Miles today: 0.0

A second zero for maximum rejuvination. Souleman and I went to the grocery store to resupply. I updated the trailjournal and we went to Texas Roadhouse for dinner with my family. We even fit in a morning viewing of Dawson's Creek (which has somehow become a tradition for us on zero days). The highlight of these rest days at home was that we had a chance to see all of our wedding photos. The professional pictures are fantastic. She did such an amazing job! I'm thrilled. I can't wait to pick the pictures to blow up to frame and hang wherever we settle down. The more casual pictures taken by family and friends are also fun and entertaining. We're lucky to have so many pictures to choose from.This afternoon we spent many hours poured over our Handbook planning out our next four weeks of hiking. We have never hiked with an itinerary for more than a week before. But, we have so many friends and family who want to visit with us in this area that we had to make a schedule to fit it all in. Having people to visit will be motivation to stick to our schedule. But, as all hikers know, it can be hard to maintain a schedule without some flexibility. We'll see how it goes!
Date: 2006-07-19
From: Brownie's Parents

To: Caesar Brook Campsite
Miles today: 13.6
Weather: scattered clouds

We bungled our planned departure time this morning and didn't get to the trailhead until 11:30. Oops! Luckily we had a relatively short day planned. The first 3 1/2 miles flew by. The uphill was small and went easily and quickly. The woods around here are really pretty -- they look very New England-y -- more like the woods we both grew up hiking in. Today we were treated to a few miles of riverside walking which was refreshingly flat and breezy. We even saw two blue herrings. They were beautiful. One took off in flight as we watched so we were treated to a view of the enormous wingspan and beautiful flight of such a rare bird. We also saw a few snakes today.We ate lunch beside the Housatonic river where we learned that there are freshwater clams in some rivers (like this one). The rest of the afternoon was pleasant.The squeaking of my pack has to stop! I nearly went insane listening to it today. I had contemplated switching to my old pack, but when I packed it up and tried it on at home it seemed less comfortable. I love the suspension system and the fit of my Mountain Hardwear pack. If the squeaking noise would go away I'd be completely satisfied. The company is going to send me a replacement part to see if that helps. I'm trying to remain optimistic. All I know is something has to change. I nearly went insane listening to it today.Oh, we met our first Southbounder today! That means we are definitely getting farther north! P.S. We might see the Easter Bunny tomorrow.
Date: 2006-07-20
From: Caesar Brook Campsite

To: Limestone Spring Shelter
Miles today: 15.7
Weather: few clouds

Although we went over Easter Mountain today, there were no Easter Bunny sightings. But I did see the smallest frog I've ever seen -- smaller than my fingernail. We walked along the Housatonic again today and crossed it twice. The water is an icky brown color, but the breeze was greatly enjoyed. Connecticut may have a lot of rules (no fires, no camping except in designated areas, etc) but it is extremely well maintained and labeled. Every vista, trail, campsite, water source has a nice easy to see and easy to read sign.We passed a hydro-electric plant at a road crossing today and they had an outside cold water shower. Since we were extremely hot and sweaty this sounded incredibly enticing. We showered in our clothes and relished the freezing water pelting our skin. Then we sat on the steps nearby and cooked dinner while we let the sun dry our clothes. I've enjoyed this new hiking method we have developed where we stop to cook dinner before finishing our longer mile days. It breaks the day up and the extra meal seems to fuel us so that we hike the last section more quickly. The last four miles today went by really fast. We're camped at Limeston Springs Lean-to. (In the north the shelters are called Lean-tos.) It's a really prety area with a great spring. But, it is 0.5 miles off the trail. I know .5 miles may not seem like a lot, but when you tack it on to the end of a 15 miles day it seems unnecessary. Besides, that means we have to start our day with an extra 0.5 tomorrow. These extra miles add up quickly. Besides, this time the extra mileage was straight downhill on a slippery rock slope. That will be a frustrating start to tomorrow's 17.6 mile day -- especially since the steep uphill doesn't even count in our mileage.Hoping for an early start tomorrow -- so early to bed tonight!
Date: 2006-07-21
From: Limestone Spring Shelter

To: Hemlock Shelter
Miles today: 17.6

We got an early start today. The gritted our teeth and powered ourselves quickly up the steep 0.5 mile sidetrail. We met Fred at the first road crossing -- about 3 miles into our day. He is a northbound thru-hiker we hadn't met yet. He was going into Salisbury, CT for breakfast. It didn't take long for us to decide to join him. Souleman had some strawberry pancakes and I had a breakfast burrito. With very full bellies we returned to the trail. Our little breakfast excursion added another extra mile to our day.We did our first 2,000+ foot mountain since Virginia this afternoon. That was Bear Mountain. Then we entered Massachusetts and it was pretty much like, "oh yeah, Connecticut, that's all you've got? Take THIS !" And then we proceeded over two more 2,000+ foot mountains. MA greeted us with extremely rocky terrain and some rain. Mt. Everett (which sounds conveniently like Mt. Everest) was a beast. We literally went straight up a rock face! The slabs of rock were huge with very few good footholds -- and of course they were wet and slippery from the rain. Souleman had a few close calls since his shoes have no treads anymore. Even with my new shoes I was sliding all over. Even though it was hard, I think I prefer that to switchbacks. Although MA greeted us roughly, it also treated us to our first bear sighting this year. We heard a loud crashing off to our right and I saw the rear end of a bear running away from us. Sadly I found out today that my new Merrill trailrunners do not do well in the rain. Even though this rain didn't last too long my feet are in horrible condition. I have raw spots on each heel and on the tops of my toes. Also around each ankle is blistery and painful. Since I've already pretty much broken these shoes in this should not be happening.With my feet hurting and Souleman sliding all over the place and the day getting later and later, the last 1.8 miles seemed to take forever. Fred was right behind us and the three of us kept stopping near eachother and exclaiming that we couldn't believe that we weren't there yet. Finally we reached the shelter. It was a gorgeous new shelter with a sleeping loft. Two other hikers (out for a night) were already there. The rain made for a quick decision to sleep in the shelter instead of tent. Thankfully we weren't eaten alive by mosquitoes because of the rain. Unfortunately there was a snorer among us and I had pain in my bladder that kept me awake.
Date: 2006-07-22
From: Hemlock Shelter

To: East Mtn. Retreat Center (Great Barrington)
Miles today: 8.0
Weather: moderate rain

Another eventful day on the AT. I decided I needed to see a doctor about my bladder. Since I had a UTI on the trail last year I knew I couldn't wait much longer or I'd really be in pain. We revised our plan (see, we couldn't even stick to our itinerary for a week!) and hiked only 8 miles into Great Barrington. Since I had worked near Great Barrington before, I knew there was a hospital there. We went to the ER where I was given a prescription for a UTI. It seems that my body really doesn't like to be out in the heat -- dehydration and heat caused the same problem for me last year. I met another woman on the trail who has had the same problem three times this year. I'll have to be careful! The doctor said I should stay off the trail tonight and hydrate and rest. All of this reinforced our purchase of Travel Insurance. We won't have to pay anything for my ER visit or my meds.The receptionist at the ER tried to help us find a hotel to stay in. But because of Great Barrington being such a summer tourist town the cheapest hotel was over $200. I flipped through our handbook and realized there was a hostel near the north end of town. We decided to pick up my prescription at the drugstore and then figure out how to get there. A nice man who was in the ER with his three kids gave us a ride to the drugstore to pick up my prescription. He also gave us his phone number in case we needed help. When we walked up to the prescription area, the pharmacist asked if I was Brownie and said I'd had a phone call from the ER nurse. What a small town! I called her back and she said she had a friend who is a trail angel that was going to meet us at the pharmacy in a couple minutes. Mother Nature and her husband Sourwood soon approached Souleman and me. They were the nicest couple. They happily drove us to load up on fluids and pick up dinner while they regaled us with stories about their own experiences on the AT. Then they dropped us off at the East Mountain Retreat Center hostel. Mother Nature and Soulwood even arranged to pick us up in the morning and get us back to the trail.East Mountain Retreat Center is a silent retreat. However we were the only people here tonight. We got showers, laundry, a dry place to rest and a bed for only $23. It was a cozy haven from the rain and a great place to rest and rejuvinate before getting back to the trail.Souleman has been very helpful and supportive today. I know it has to be frustrating that I keep having issues that delay us. Hopefully my body will start cooperating. In the meantime I'm gracious for his constant support and understanding.
Date: 2006-07-23
From: East Mtn. Retreat Center (Great Barrington)

To: Shaker Campsite
Miles today: 17.6
Weather: overcast clouds

This morning we were up extremely early to meet Mother Nature and Sourwood at 6:30 for a ride. We're so grateful that they volunteered to shuttle us (and that they are early risers)! Since we shortened our day yesterday we had to lengthen our day today to get back on schedule. Instead of about 11 miles we had to go 17.6 miles.Immediately upon walking into the woods we were swarmed by massive amounts of mosquitoes. We were constantly swatting and swinging our sticks in an effort to escape their relentless biting. Finally Souleman threw his pack down and declared it time for war. We liberally bathed in 99% DEET and then laughed as mosquitoes veered quickly away from us in an effort to escape the noxious DEET. Today was perfect hiking weather -- overcast and cool. It never got above 74 degrees today. This afternoon the fog cleared up enough to allow a few pretty views. About 10 miles into our day we passed a group of three hikers heading south who told us we would be extremely happy in about 50 yards. Smiles spread across our faces as Souleman voiced the question "trailmagic?!?!?" When we crossed the road there were two men sitting in the parking lot with a grill and a couple coolers. They introduced themselves -- one was Chubster, a thru-hiker from last year and the other his friend. Also, Walkabout and Caboose whom we've seen off and on since Duncannon were there. The men asked, "Are you headed to Maine?" We nodded and then they asked "are you hungry?" Of course! Two hot dogs, a cheeseburger, a powerade and about an hour and a half later I stumbled north on the trail. We had vague plans for a spades game that night with Walkabout and Caboose. The rest of the miles ticked by smoothly. We were hiking a steady 2 miles/hour but were content and happy. With smiles we arrived at Shaker Campsite with a lot of daylight to spare. There was a group of guys there on a three generation family backpacking weekend. They ranged from 14 to at least seventy. One of the teenagers expressed an interest in hiking the whole trail so we wholeheartedly encourged him to make that dream a reality. We also met Cake and Pie, two thru-hikers who were tented there. After we had settled in for bed Walkabout and Caboose showed up. We suspect their late arrival represented a fear of losing at spades (wink wink)!
Date: 2006-07-24
From: Shaker Campsite

To: Brownie's Parents (via Lee, MA)
Miles today: 11.5

What a perfect day! We were hiking by 7:00. It was a brisk, pleasant morning. I listened to my IPod for a change and really enjoyed singing down the trail to familiar tunes. The time passed quickly and before we knew it we were standing on Goose Pond Road -- our targeted destination, where we were supposed to meet some friends. Donna showed up with her kids -Anthony (our ringbearor), Rachel (our flowergirl), and Allee (wedding assistant extraordinaire!), and her niece, Amanda. They all hiked with us up to Goose Pond Shelter where we had a nice lunch courtesy of Donna. Everyone did a great job hiking. I was surprised at how quickly the kids hiked. Anthony learned what moss is, Rachel got excited by a frog and Alle and Amanda had fun hiking up ahead of everyone leading the way. After lunch the kids went swimming before we continued hiking. Rachel and Anthony started to get a little tired so I taught them the game 20 questions and Donna and I played with them to distract them. Everyone was a real trooper! We all enjoyed getting trucks to honk their horns on the I-90 bridge crossing. We ended at US20, Jacob's Ladder Highway. They hiked a good 5.3 miles and it must have worn the kids out because all four of them fell asleep on the drive home.It was so wonderful to see the kids and talk with Donna. Everyone seemed to have a great time. They dropped Souleman and me off at my parent's house for another free night of rest and relaxation. Sadly my family is out of town so we won't be able to visit. But, we're looking forward to lounging around in comfort. My feet are still in really bad shape from that rainy day a few days back. I'm going to have to really rest them. Hopefully they will recover enough on this zero tomorrow.
Date: 2006-07-25
From: Brownie's Parents (via Lee, MA)

To: Brownie's Parents (via Lee, MA)
Miles today: 0.0

Let's talk about feet. To a hiker, feet are pretty much the most essential component of life. The average person these days is dependent upon a car or maybe a bus or subway for transportation. But a hiker has only his feet. If a person's car breaks down, what does he do? He drives a rental while his is repaired. If the bus breaks down, the company sends an alternate. For those of you traveling with other modes of transportation there is almost always an alternate. But a hiker has only his feet. My feet are currently a mess. I have blisters and sore spots and cracked dry skin. This is the equivalent of your car having a flat tire. Only I cant just buy a new foot or take it in to get patched. So instead I have soaked and scraped and bandaged and rubbed ointment on my damaged feet. They will heal. They have no choice, because I'm not stopping.Aching feet aside, it's a zero day and that is ALWAYS positive. We've eaten large bowls of icecream (twice), gone out to lunch, done all of our errands and rented movies for tonight's entertainment. As always it has been a an enjoyable time.
Date: 2006-07-26
From: Brownie's Parents (via Lee, MA)

To: the Cookie Lady's house
Miles today: 9.4

Ahhh -- freshly healed feet! Nothing like walking painlessly. The day off seems to be exactly what my feet required. The spots that were so painfully tender when we left the trail Monday are healed today. I'm lucky. Tender spots are no fun, but I'll take this over last year's pain any day. This pain is completely tolerable and in no way permanently damaging.Our neighbor was kind enough to drop us off on the trailhead (thanks Mr. Phelps!) this morning. We had a beautiful, non-taking walk woday. It was almost 90 degrees, but the humidity wasn't bad which makes a huge difference. The elevation changes were minimal and the hike was easy, but we didn't see too much. Souleman didn't feel too well today. His stomach was bothering him and he's kinda achy. We'll keep an eye on it, but I'm sure it's nothing too serious.We met a family today from Denmark. They are here hiking for a "fortnight." It turns out that the parents worked at the Castle in Vermont at which we looked into having our wedding. It was a reminder that the world isn't as big as we all tend to think. We are connected to so many people in ways we don't even realize. Souleman and I talked about the seven degrees of connection theory ... We are camped at Marilyn, the "Cookie Lady"s house. She gave us some homemade cookies and she and her husband let us camp on their lawn. We mowed around their blueberry bushes to recipricate for our stay. Although mowing at the end of a hiking day was tiring, it was nice to sample a few blueberries as we worked. This was our first work for stay experience. The grass is soft underneath our tent, the water is cold and doesn't need to be filtered, and we got cookies. Not a bad arrangement. And, best of all, Roy (her husband) fixed my pack squeak with some WD40. I'd mow his whole property for that!
Date: 2006-07-27
From: the Cookie Lady's house

To: Crystal Mountain Campsite
Miles today: 14.3
Weather: haze

I love hiking! There is always something unexpected going on. Today we were treated to a very gentle stretch of trail. We hiked 3 miles, had a snickers braek. Then hiked 3.5 miles, had a lunch break. Hiked 3 miles, ate a meal in town. Then hiked the last miles to camp. A nice, easy day. We literally hiked right through Dalton, MA, so we had to take advantage of the opportunity to eat. After our meal at a pub we got icecream at the gas station. I ate my first pint of the year -- Dove Chocolate. It was wonderful to eat, but my stomach revolted a few hours later in the intense heat.It thunderstormed during our last hiking miles, but the rain wasn't too hard and the trees overhead kept us relatively dry. We were lucky to stay dry and make camp without more rain. It was nice to have an easy day again today because tomorrow we do 15+ miles including Greylock, which is the highest mountain in Massachusetts. Tomorrow will be our last night in MA as well.EXCELLENT NEWS!! :: Today, for the first time this year I hiked WITHOUT my pack squeaking! It was positively incredible. Roy, the Cookie Man is my hero -- he deserves his engineering degree as far as I'm concerned.
Date: 2006-07-28
From: Crystal Mountain Campsite

To: Wilbur Clearing Lean-to
Miles today: 15.6

Well, we've officially climbed the highest mountain in MA. Greylock is something I have thought about since the beginning of the Appalachian Trail. Being from Massachusetts, climbing the tallest mountain in the state seemed like a neat goal. It was much less difficult than I expected. It was foggy and raining when we summitted -- this is becoming standard for us. Of course we didn't see a single view -- just like on Clingman's Dome in North Carolina. We got a patch for our collection and had Gatorades and french fries in the summit lodge. There were severe thunderstorm warnings with heavy lightening until 9 PM. We waited out the heavy rain but then decided to brave it around 5:30. We lucked out because we made it to the shelter without further rain or lightening. We were the only two people at the shelter. Someone had left a bottle of champagne in the river as trail magic, so we shared that and cooked dinner.Earlier today we passed through Cheshire, MA. Draggin' whom we hiked with last year lives there. We happened to meet a man at the gas station who knows Draggin' and he drove us to his work and his house to look for him. Unfortunately we missed him, but we were able to leave him a note. At the gas station we each had two hot dogs, a Powerade and an icecream bar. Nothing like 1,000+ calories to power you up Greylock.In the Greylock summit lodge we met three nice older men who called themselves the "weekend warriors." They were funny and a little roudy. They told me I should write a book about this adventure and said they would read it (or, in one man's case, watch the movie). They also said I was pretty funny!EXCITING NEWS: Jer came up with the perfect title for my book -- but I can't tell you now -- you'll have to wait for the book. (I know you are all on the edge of your seat in anticipation!)We've been so spoiled with food lately -- and we're planning on a Friendly's breakfast tomorrow. I feel like I simply can't get full lately. We're sure going to have to change our eating habits post-trail... unless Souleman resumes his plan to become the next thousand plan man.