morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2010-04-29
From: Cornwall Bridge

To: Falls Village
Miles today: 14.1

The Indian? Pakistani? owner of this motel is very nice and the motel room was nice and clean too. He even offered me the use of his vehicle last night which I was hesitant to do, especially without a drivers license. He was ready half an hour earlier than I asked (6:00) to take me back to the trail. Nice. So, Sharon Road was my start. I seemed to hike pretty well and with energy, if slowly. The morning was clear and without wind to start. The birds were singing and some woodpeckers were adding staccato rim shots for accompaniment. At one point in the day 2 woodpeckers were doing a duet in snare and tom tom. At least it sounded like that. The pack was heavy with food but my endurance was good (and necessary) as I went up 4-5 small mountains today. They may only be 300-500 ft climbs but you add several together and it is work. Most of the trail is real trail although there was an interesting pitch or two through the rocks. I had lunch on Easter Mountain - a good place for a pastor. By that time the wind was really whipping the trees. I think a number of trees went down today - one or two in the trail. Glad I wasn't passing by right then. The blazing left a little to be desired in much of the day. One place the trail was rather indistinct. Good thing there were blazes there. I don't think the maintainers have been out yet. I saw no hikers either. I did see a couple snakes - black and yellow garter snakes, I think. I also saw turkey vultures. They are in Conn too. I think they are everywhere. Among the flowers seen were columbine, violets, bluets (more blue here), skunk cabbage and marsh marigolds. I got a surprise at the end. There was a road detour of 3-4? miles due to work on a bridge. Well, at least it was flat. At the Iron Bridge I got a ride to the Toymaker's Cafe. The Inn has been sold so no bed and shower tonight. The Toymaker lets you camp in his yard. There is even a picnic table. He is closed tonight but he came out and gave me the number for a pizza delivery place. Hopefully it will come soon. So - the pizza came and I ate a whole small pizza. Now I am fed and snuggled into my bag in the tent. Lights out and life is good.
Date: 2010-04-30
From: Falls Village

To: Brassie Brook Shelter
Miles today: 12.8
Weather: clear sky

The Toymaker's Cafe really isn't open until seven but the owner starts baking at 5:30. I know because I was up and about and saw him. He let me dry out my sleeping bag inside as last night was bit of a condensation problem inside the tent. Too much green grass and heavy dew. After I had everything packed up he got me breakfast even though it was early. I had yummy cinnamon rolls, juice and milk and tea. Thus fortified I hit the trail at 7:00. The book says most of the day was easy and, indeed, it was. I went up fairly graded trail for the most part, even in the afternoon. I spent the morning flicking branches off the trail with my hiking poles. I couldn't move some of the bigger branches but I could do my part in maintaining the trail after the windstorm. I usually pick up some trash from the trail too. I try not to lose any but I am pretty certain that a kleenex packet left my pocket in PA and one in Conn too. I hope, when I pick some up, that evens out the score somewhat. I saw Columbine and violets, white flowers, a couple Jack In the Pulpits unfolding and was totally delighted with all the white wild hydrangeas between Riga and Brassie Creek. There were more pines and hemlocks in the forest too, which I like. I got to the shelter early enough to bathe and wash a few things. Felt Good!!! I met 2 day hikers in the morning, 3 girls are camped at Riga and 1 guy at Bond Creek. Here at Brassie Brook, Chris, Tofer and Jonathon arrived as I was eating dinner. They are nice young men and it is nice to have company in the shelter. They also have a sweet dog, Mazie. That should take care of the bears. There is also a bear box here and that is nice. This is a really nice shelter and a nice big privy too. The boys fed me carmelized apples for desert. Sweet - double entendre intended. As we all tucked into the shelter I sang Holden Evening Prayer. It was the right group. They are Presbyterian guys who even said prayers before eating. They appreciated Holden. And life is good.
Date: 2010-05-01
From: Brassie Brook Shelter

To: Glen Brook Shelter
Miles today: 10.3
Weather: clear sky

Today the book said the day would be strenuous and it did not disappoint. I was on trail at 6:30 and went over 3 mountains for a total of about 2,400 ft elevation gain, some of it quite steep. And it was a hot day - up to 84 degrees. In the middle of the morning was the prettiest part - Sages Ravine. It is a lovely woodsy (hemlock and pine) walk by a stream with small waterfalls. It reminded me of the Cascades. I LOVE the wild white hydrangeas in the area! I started before the boys and although they caught up with me for lunch and one of them could have passed me easily, we stayed leap frogging pretty close together most of the day. I seemed to have fairly good trail legs for all the climbing today although the last one, Mount Everet, was pretty tough, especially in the heat. There were numerous day hikers out and 4-5 groups of backpackers doing short sections. The three young men and I were planning on stopping at the same shelter but Jonathan did something to his knee coming down from Everet so they got off the trail and I am in the shelter alone. I hope Jonathon is OK. I think he may have torn a meniscus. They were very nice young men and I enjoyed their company. This shelter is quite small, only for 4. There are tent sites nearby and one group is camped there above me. They gave me a spoonful of cholcolate cheese cake for desert. This shelter also has a bear box, although this one is closer to the tenting area and a little far from the shelter - the privy too. But it is nice to have the facilities. I have done my usual routine of bathing, washing a few things and having dinner. It is soon to bed for tomorrow is a longer day although it is supposed to be easier. It is a pleasant evening in the evergreen forest and life is good.
Date: 2010-05-02
From: Glen Brook Shelter

To: Tom Leonard Shelter
Miles today: 14.3
Weather: overcast clouds

When it is warm enough at 5:30 AM that you could envision going without clothes it is a sure sign that the day is going to be a warm one. It was. That is my prinary comment on the day. It got up to 90 degrees and now, at 9:00, it is 76. Not good. Hiking in heat just saps me! It turns me into a dead daisy, greased pig, and stewing in my own juice. The humidity was extremely high. Even easy miles seemed hard in the heat. In spite of that, it was fun to get up and pack up listening to an owl duet. Another thing of note is that I met The Gentleman again. He is a thru hiker from England whom I met in PA. He passed me again going to Jug End. He thought we would meet again later in the day after he went to re-supply in Great Barrington but such was not to be. I also met 2 bands of mushroom gatherers in the flat area. One even interviewed me for a paper/newsletter. Another one gave me a cookie when we all walked to a parking lot. The heat made me drink lots more water and when I came to a road I could see a store nearby. Turns out it was an Antique Store. But it did have a coke machine and I had a Sprite, which I guzzled. I needed water but he said he did not have any potable water and he looked like he wanted me out of the store - also seemed somewhat lacking in the milk of human kindness. The smaller shop I had passed by had a much nicer woman who got me a gallon of water and told me to take all I wanted. I paid for the water although she did not ask, just because she was so nice. It seemed the right thing to do. The last 5 miles in the heat and uphill seemed like an eternity. The heat has brought out the bugs, too - black flies and mosquitoes too. The trail makers seemed almost sadistic with the route of the trail through some very unnecessary rocks. Then the bugs tried to devour me when I bathed at the shelter and got my water. With repellant on, they seem to be leaving me alone for dinner. The spring was not very robust but it did alright for me, other than the bugs. This shelter is strange. There is something that has been chewing on the wood of the bunks. I hope whatever it is does not bother me. The Gentleman was here before me and left his note in the logbook. He said he was evaporating in the humidity. I agree. But I am here, reasonably clean, fed and it is after hiker midnight. Life is good.
Date: 2010-05-03
From: Tom Leonard Shelter

To: Cobble View B&B
Miles today: 13.0

I woke up to banging on my bunk and looked down at my feet and there was the mangiest looking porcupine I have ever seen trying to get up to my bunk. I told him I did not need a bedfellow and shined the light in his eyes. He gave me a squinty-eyed look of pain as if to say, "Now why did you go and do that?" and clambered back down to the floor and waddled over to the edge of the shelter and went down the side and out into the still fairly dark morning. I was too sleepy to do anything but look at him. Wish I had taken a picture. I packed up and went onward. When I reached Benedict Pond I met a seasoned thru-hiker of AT and PCT, by the former trail name of Rainbow 6. He reminded me of Sly whom I met on the PCT in '08. We chatted a bit. It was a nice little pond with a beaver house in the middle. It was much cooler today but the humidity still seemed high. A bit before The Ledges I met 3 older women hikers section hiking and we chatted a bit. I detoured to the Mt Wilcox North Shelter for lunch even though it was a ways off the trail as it was pouring rain about then. So I had a dry lunch and used the umbrella for hiking. When I got to the second crossing of the Jerusalem Road the first car that came by gave me a ride to Tyringham to the B&B. Thank you to the driver! I was at first taken a-back when the guy at the B&B said he would show me where to leave my pack; they did not allow packs inside the B&B. What?! I am a hiker. I live out of my pack. I have never run into that before at any B&B, some much nicer than this one. It made me wonder why they advertise in a hiker book. After I got past my initial indignation and checked in and got a shower I found thy were really quite nice folks and they let me use their computer which was a big plus as I had not been able to send a journal entry for several days. Oh well, they are afraid of ticks. I haven't seen a single tick although this whole trip has been in tick infested land. Well, last night I wondered if a tick nymph had gotten me but that was the first sign of ticks on the whole trip. I arranged for an early breakfast, to which they agreed which was also in their favor as nice folks to accomodate me. I am fed, clean and tired and ready for bed, by myself and without a porcupine. And life is good.
Date: 2010-05-05
From: Pittsfield Road

To: Dalton
Miles today: 9.6
Weather: clear sky

I left the shelter of the old farm garage very early, focused on reaching Dalton in the early afternoon so I could spend the afternoon, or much of it, resting and getting me and my clothes clean and typing journal entries into a computer. Today was an easy hike on good trail but it still was 9.6 miles so it would take me a while. There were lots of trillium, both painted and red, and lots of very nice Marsh Marigolds with big splashes of color although I didn't particularly like the bogs and marshes in which they grew. A couple miles into the hike I met Dot, a young hiker starting out from North Dalton and headed as far south as she could go in a month or so. Less than a mile outside of Dalton Tatu Jo passed me. He is a hiker I may have met at the PCT Kickoff last year. He has hiked the PCT at least twice, once with Scott Williamson in '08 when they set a record for speed of completion on an unsupported hike. I believe Scott then broke that record last year. Anyway, he is a very speedy hiker who goes very ultra light. He decided to try the AT this year. Then he may go to the CDT or some other trail. He is not in my class but he is a nice guy. It was strange though, as he knew my name, my real name. He thought he knew me from reading my trail journal. When I got to town I decided to have town food for lunch and happened to go into the same place as Tatu Jo. We chatted a bit and he went on. I found out from Tom Levardi, a local trail angel, that The Gent stayed here for a zero day yesterday so I almost saw him again too. I really liked my stay at the Shamrock Village Inn. They now also have laundry and internet. What more could a hiker want? I was very happy not to be walking all over town to get my laundry done and to find internet access. The manager was very eager to be of assistance and there was a lady visiting her that day that volunteered to take me to the Pharmcy so I could get a toothbrush and a comb. She also took me to the little store which was in the opposite direction. There were slim pickin's there but I got some chocolate milk and juice. It is a nice little town and she drove around showing me the sights. Thank you for the rides! I spent a lot of time typing on the computer. I am very unhappy that Pocketmail went out of business. It is much more difficult to write your journal up by hand and then have to spend all the time in towns finding a computer and typing them up again. It is double entry and very time consuming. I will have to figure out something different before I go on another long hike. This way is very inconvenient. I had dinner at the Pub - Irish Stew, which was very good. I also washed clothes and made a few entries for my journal. I am still behind but not as much. I also mended my pants which were trying to split out the bottom. Now it is time for sleep. I will be getting up very early as it is a challenging day for me and I hope my knee is up to it. And I now have no headlamp. There was nothing in this town to replace my missing one. But I still got a nice afternoon of not walking and life is good.
Date: 2018-10-17
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Hello to my peeps on trailjournals. On September 8, 2017 I completed the Triple Crown (Appalachian Trail, Pacific Crest Trail and Continental Divide Trail) as a long section hiker and an aging adult at 76. The winter of 2017-2018 I wrote a book about that journey, Old Lady on the Trail. it is available on Amazon in Kindle or paperback. I hope you enjoy the read. I also now have a website: maryedavison.com
Date: 2009-11-14
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

My name is Dan Klein, and I am preparing to thru-hike the Appalachian Trail during the 2010 season. First things first, I'll talk about me a little bit.Like I said, my name is Dan Klein. I'm a twenty year old male who just may never really figure out what I'm trying to do (outside of taking a few hikes and such). Currently I attend the University of Delaware and am majoring in both Sociology and Communications. I'm pretty certain that's really just a double major in people watching, talking, and thinking about things. I will be taking off the spring semester in order to hike, and then the plan is to wrap things up late august and get back down here to resume my studies.So, I like people, groups of people, and society. I'm also very interested in the environment. I've spent time working with the Student Conservation Association both as a conservation corp member and in a leadership position. I am a strong believer in the value of nature's intrinsic effect on mental and emotional health and have found it to be an incredible experience both for myself, and with others, to be able to spend a summer doing trail work and to guide and teach high school kids as well. Plus, it really is great to give back to our Mother, and our communities.So, I'm into people and nature. Those are big ones. Other than that, I enjoying music (I guess that's important too, but really, who doesn't like music?), drumming, ultimate frisbee, hiking/camping, reading, and snowboarding.That's who I "am" I suppose. There's a lot more going on than that, but it'll all come out in a much more organic manner from this point on. Every story needs a place to start, however.
Date: 2009-11-18
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Well, yesterday my roommate, Max, brought up a pretty good point. I'll be here at the University until the beginning of February so I can knock off a few extra courses before March comes around, but many of my friends here at school will not be taking winter session. What this means, is while I thought I had over two months of time to spend with them, I actually have now exactly one month from today until these people may be exiting (not exiting, but definitely taking a less active role) in my life for a good chunk time.Yeah, I've got time. And yeah, I'm ready for this. I often feel like I'm just pushing through my studies in order make it to March (which is rather ironic, because I know that from March 1st onward things are going to get much more difficult than the easy living I enjoy right now). Nevertheless, the fact remains, that this adventure of mine no longer seems nearly as distant and far off as it had. In fact, it feels as if it is rapidly approaching.It's a pretty wild world. Things move forward, and things change. It is certainly exciting, however.
Date: 2009-12-10
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

It's already been nearly a month since my last entry.... School has kept me pretty busy I suppose. I've got finals this coming week, and then I'm out of here on the eighteenth for winter break (only to return January fourth for a condensed winter session in order to wrap up some lose ends). I've also found that renting a house for next year is pretty damn difficult. On a college campus this size any and all housing will be rented and landlords know this. What it means, is that students engage in a ridiculous race to turn in leases before other students do, and landlords aren't always the most helpful. So far this year we have lost two suitable living arrangements to students who submitted a lease the morning before we got a chance to. Right now however, we have found a place to live, checked it out, and all we need is a copy of the lease to view, sign, and then we will be good to go. The thing is, the landlord will not return our phone calls. We've been trying to get a look at this lease since monday night.... It may be necessary for me to continue to live out of my backpack even after completing my hike.So, that's what's been occupying me.I did get a chance to run to my "local" (half an hour away) EMS to pick up some needed gear for the trip while I was home over Thanksgiving break. Trekking poles, a new headlamp (I hated the old one I have), and a pack cover (why I didn't buy one of these long ago is beyond me, it would have been a great help to have had one. Yes, I'm looking at you Palmerton, PA to Delaware Water Gap hike this summer). The last piece of "gear" I'm looking to pick up is a camera yet. I've never owned a camera, but I'd very much like to bring one along with me on the hike. I'll look into that further while I am home for winter break.Hopefully within a week or two I will also have a list of mail drop locations and estimated arrival dates for each one. I'm thinking I'll only be doing around six mail drops. This will serve a few purposes. It will let myself and anyone else interested know where I am, roughly, and also allow me to gauge whether I am ahead or behind "schedule". I've been trying to get some sort of schedule together for a while now, but by the time I am through with school work for the evening I don't often feel too inclined to start on that project. So, I'll get that up over the break.Another job for the break will be to figure out what classes I'll need to take next fall as well as when registration for the fall semester begins and post that information somewhere on here. That way when the time comes for me to have to deal with that it should be relatively simple for me to figure out what I need to be doing. Although, scheduling never, ever, is.I apologize for such a dry post today. Next time I post I'll have finals out of the way, a place to live next year (hopefully), and some time to clear my head. March is coming on quickly.
Date: 2010-01-11
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Well, things are moving along. On my agenda right now has been winter session at the University. That's going alright, it's a lot of work, but I kind of enjoy the relaxed atmosphere as opposed to the circus that usually seems to set up shop in my room. (That's only half true, I love the circus.)I've posted my mail drops for the trip as well as a projected timeline as to where I will be, and when. I am rather certain, however, that these numbers will quickly prove to be rather inaccurate, but I can and will adjust them if needed. My timeline was created by taking 2,178 miles and dividing by my available hiking days. That puts me at just over 12 miles daily, and so the mileage between each point was divided by 12 in order to derive how many days it will take me to move between each location. In reality, I know I will be hiking more than 12 miles daily, I also know I will be taking zero days from time to time. Trail difficulty is also a factor, hiking in New Hampshire is much more difficult than Pennsylvania. But, an estimate is an estimate. And another task can now be crossed off of my to-do list.I have been receiving some very interesting and entertaining emails from a group of men and women prepping to thru-hike NOBO (north bound) with start dates ranging from March 1st through April. I haven't responded to any of the emails, but I have been enjoying the banter. I'm looking forward to meeting those of you who have been involved with the emails, as well as any and all other hikers down in Georgia. (If any of the Sawbucks catch this, feel free to call attention within the email list to my covert behavior.)