morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2007-07-04
To: View Entry
Miles today: 16.0

Descending from the mountaintop this morning I was assailed by bugs. Covering myself with deet helped, as did walking really fast, but it's clear mass has a mosquito problem.I crossed route 7 by a fruit stand, where I filled up and tried the local berkshire ice cream for the first time. Delicious! Like so many things on the trail the fruit stand made me miss my grandma.Pushing on to route 23 and great barrington. Hoping I make it before it rains.
Date: 2007-07-05
To: Lee, MA
Miles today: 21.0

Today I am doing the 20 between great barrington and lee, where I plan to zero as part of my program to wait for Jocelyn. I will take another at manchester center.I am happy to report some fir trees mixed into today's woods, it is really starting to feel more northern. The mosquitos remain a problem, but deet and a good pace help.
Date: 2007-07-06
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Ah, zero! I had breakfast and a haircut, found the post office and my package, planned the bounce box towns for the remainder of the trip (about 640 miles), and now I am resting and watching tv. The Man vs. Wild guy is waaaay more afraid of bears than I am. Other than him being a total wuss I like his show fine, some good tips. It makes me appreciate my snickers bar packages, worms look gross.it's quite warm outside today... I hope it cools back off. I heard of a guy in dalton who lets hikers sleep on his front porch, that's the plan for tomorrow, then there's a bunkhouse on the top of the formidable mt greylock for the next night. I am excited to get back away from civilization again, lately there's been an oportunity for town almost every night. Not much longer...
Date: 2007-07-07
To: Dalton, MA
Miles today: 19.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Man it feels good to be out of gomorrah- I mean lee. I met trail angel rob bird who offered to put me up tonight in dalton. His cold pepsis renewed my faith in humanity. He also says bennington is a friendly trail town, so I called the outfitter, they actually do shuttles. Sweet.An easy 19 today with fair weather and smooth trail. I am enjoying it while I can, tomorrow is steep and hot.
Date: 2007-07-08
From: Dalton, MA

To: View Entry
Miles today: 23.0

Rob ended up being really cool, his house is full of hiker beds.*****Today was a really good day. Dancer, a sectioner, and I slackpacked 23 miles over mt. Greylock aka castle greylock aka frylock greyskull. We made awesome time, finishing in 9 hours including a ben and jerry's break at rt. 8. Unfortunately this was dreamer's last day, but my old friend chocolate bandito turned up at the hostel tonight, and the georgia boys are still here. Good times.Bennington tomorrow, debating taking my last pre-Jocelyn zero there, as it looks like more to do than manchester center.
Date: 2007-07-09
To: Bennington, VT
Miles today: 20.0
Weather: clear sky

Today I crossed into vermont, and was immediately sucker punched by the trail. No more screwing around like we have been in the last few states. First, the mud is ankle deep over much of the trail, and slippery rock fields account for the rest. The mountains are much bigger, like castle greylocks lined up, and the woods are very dense and dark. A little creepy, even in the middle of the afternoon. Even the deer flies have maneuvers that belie soviet training.Rob had to cover for an employee, so I didnt get on the trail until 11:30, with 20 miles to go for bennington, and the temperature already almost 90.Anyway, it was strife, but that's good. I haven't had to really push since I crossed the hudson.Two more days into manchester center and a day off.
Date: 2007-07-10
From: Bennington, VT

To: View Entry
Miles today: 20.0

This stupid journal has no hope of helping me wrap up my thoughts here in the last four hiking days before my solo hike is complete. But I'll try again.I have learned that I am human first. All the other stuff - borders, races, wedge issues - it's all bullsh*t. In the end we're all brothers and sisters no matter what we do, and you can't ever lose that or deny it from someone else.There aren't any strings attached to accepting your humanity. No burden to give away your stuff or join the peace corps or even stop being a materialistic a-hole. Just look at the other guy as your brother, who is more like you than different no matter how crazy or evil or lazy or different he seems, or even how he treats you.For my own part I do feel a much stronger desire to help others, I feel a great mandate to live for inspiration and a breadth of experience.You should always feel uncomfortable with affiliation to a group or movement, even as you associate yourself with them toward a necessarily compromised goal.I believe the most worthy epitaph is "he left it on the field." Unfortunately living in an empire in slow decline there aren't as many opportunities to really apply yourself in a meaningful way. So until they start recruiting more hoplites to hold the pass at Thermopylae, Katahdin will have to do.
Date: 2007-07-11
To: Manchester Center, VT
Miles today: 21.0
Weather: light rain

I am getting pretty sick of waking up and hiking all day. Fun is where you find it, but I don't screw around nearly enough. When this is over some partying is in order.I finished my latest book, tom robbins' still life with woodpecker, last night. It was ok.I am low on food, but will be in town by suppertime. 21 today.*****I am so glad to be in town. Today was really hard to get up for, but it did it anyway.Check it out: someone drowned at stratton pond three days ago, and they haven't found the body. I almost swam in it today!!!I have a new mission... The vermonster. I would like to split it with someone, perhaps I should take out an ad in craigslist. Wanted: someone who can eat 10 scoops of ice cream + toppings. Vehicle a plus.
Date: 2007-07-12
From: Manchester Center, VT

To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Hooray for zero days. I limped over to a breakfast cafe after waking at 6:00 like always. I have a million errands, then will try to stay off my swollen feet.*****later... Hanging out in my room at the hostel b&b, eating a platter of fruit salad (a new craving), and reading the latest issue of the economist, my favorite mag. Loving the zero so much I am going to have to make it a snakeyes. Danby is the only place to stay between here and the 500 mark, and it's only a day hike away, so I get two whole days off to heal up. I am glad I waited for manchester center, there is a lot to do here.
Date: 2007-07-16
To: View Entry
Miles today: 17.0

A tough 17 today puts us at us 4, near killington and rutland. We are staying near the trail at the inn at the long trail, whose namesake we break away from tomorrow. This hard right turn ends a very long due northerly stretch that we began in new jersey to avoid barreling into manhattan. The extended due north tack has been good to me, today we enjoyed temperatures in the upper 60s, while it was significantly hotter down south.The cool temperatures made the nudist on the trail today all the more curious. An older gentleman with a backpack on and nothing else coming down from killington peak. Jocelyn was shocked and appalled.The 17 miles took us a long time. Jocelyn is tough but still working to get her trail legs back, and vermont is not easy. Fortunately we are positioned to take 3 easy-ish mileage days into hanover, and if we need it we can zero there.I crossed the 500 miles to go line today. 488 is the current number.I got a cute young girl to turn around for us hitchhiking. A good first hitchhiking lesson for Jocelyn: you gotta work it. Ha.A garter snake slithered right between my legs today across the trail. Also I fell on my butt for the first time all trip when I put my foot on what looked like a solid tuft of grass but turned out to be over the edge of a ditch. I am lucky not to have gone tumbling down. Jocelyn, already no stranger to falling down on her butt, was pleased.
Date: 2007-07-17
To: View Entry
Miles today: 5.0

I woke up today with a headache, not sure what it was from. Last night I passed out on top of the covers. Not like me at all, especially on such a short day. Anyway, we had a good breakfast and marched off. After 5 miles we came to a lovely resort however, and decided to take a short day. For $60 we had the place basicaly to ourselves, with a pool, a hottub, a lake with kayaks, a baby goat named charlie who was adorable, a vietnamese potbellied pig named alice who was much less adorable, a game room, computer, etc. etc. Bill, the proprietor made us an awesome homemade lunch and we are looking forward to a dinner this evening. Currently I am gnawing on my now dog-eared Economist in an adirondack watching the sun go down over the lake with the mountains behind.Tomorrow we'll need to have a decent day to keep our momentum going, but I have no quarrel with our slack ways today.
Date: 2007-07-19
To: View Entry
Miles today: 19.0

It felt like georgia all over again today, but with more rain. We got to the first farm stand after some hard ups and downs early, but being too early we missed it. The second farm in the afternoon was on the other side of some pretty major elevation change. We made it right as the sky opened up. They didn't have much for sale but some local ice cream and soda, which we ate sitting in their horse barn while the rain kept up. It didn't stop until 5, when we were almost to north hartford. On the tops of the hills the raspberries are getting ripe, we sampled a few. Upon reaching the small town of north hartford a trail miracle occured. Like something out of my sweetest dreams, a general store with a short order grill, right on the trail! The cheeseburger was... spectacular. It had just opened the day before so it wasn't in any of the guidebooks. Oh happy day. Even Jocelyn, who was looking a bit exhausted and soggy, ate heartily.We hiked on up into the mountains where we made camp in a hurry as the rain started again. 19 on the long day, with a pleasant 8 into hanover tomorrow. I am looking forward to the indian buffet and a warm shave.
Date: 2007-07-20
To: Hanover, NH
Miles today: 8.0
Weather: broken clouds

We made good time to hanover this morning, arriving in late morning. Indian food was great, and we picked up our four packages (bounce boxes and winter gear) and hit the sunset motel. The digs were great with a nice view of the river, so we stayed in and ordered pizza and dried our stuff off.We'll get going in the morning, mostly because it's saturday so the buses don't run and the post office closes early. New Hampshire awaits. In 3 days we'll be in the white mountains.
Date: 2007-07-22
To: View Entry
Miles today: 18.0

Long 18 today, climbing smart and cube mountains. we're beat, trying to make 25a and a campsite. The mountains are tough to be trying for the longer miles, but at least this was the last day of it. Until we make maine I am only scheduling 12s in the whites.Tomorrow is a short day to glencliff, on the edge of the whites.
Date: 2007-07-23
To: Glencliff, NH
Miles today: 9.0

A short 9 today into glencliff, to hang out at the hiker's welcome hostel and rest up for the whites. 2.5 lbs of ground beef, a large pizza and a quart of ben and jerry's is helping us recharge.Mt. Moosilauke is looming. They actually say the day after moosilauke is the worst on the entire trail... Good thing we'll have north woodstock to rest at afterwards. It sounds like there is food to be had at the huts, so we may already have enough food to make it across the whites. I discovered a neat trick with the deep trailfoods envelopes, cutting off the tops so it makes a better bowl. The ones that use red pepper sauces really pop, and the alfredos aren't quite as good. Overall trailfoods are A-number-one.
Date: 2007-07-24
From: Glencliff, NH

To: View Entry
Miles today: 10.0

Today we climbed mt. Moosilauke in the morning, but the way back down again might have been the toughest 2 miles of the trail so far. We followed a waterfall straight down a rock wall they had dynamited to break it up enough to get down. We had to rappel down muddy rock faces and scramble down rebarred steps. The unique part was how long it took to get down... We were navigating it for 3 hours. Which gave us time to have a really bright idea... You can get to n. Woodstock from kinsman notch as well as from franconia notch where we'd planned. 16 miles separates them... A nice slackpack distance. So we're in woodstock! it's a funny town, half uptight new england and half poor. Our hotel is just over the border on the antiquey side, but the nearest cherry garcia is in the boondocks.I met baltimore jack last night, we hung out around the campfire with some blasts from the past who skipped ahead to do the whites, fox and hippie. Jack is a bonafide trail celebrity... He wrote the articles I use to determine my resupply, and has thru-hiked eight times and sectioned many more. I frankly don't understand what would possess someone to do that, but he was entertaining for sure.Also, we got some awesome pictures of the new kind of grouse I've been seeing. I think they are "alpine grouse"? They are quite different than the ones back in georgia.By the way, we see moose pellets everywhere but still no sightings. We actually haven't seen a deer in a week, and only one since massachusetts. No bear scat since new york. The red squirrels are much cuter than grey ones, but still not quite as cute as the ubiquitous chipmunks.Jocelyn experienced blackflies today. She declared "I am going to kill you all!" after being bit. The trouble with blackflies is that they bite almost instantly when they land on you, and they can slip in undetected. Deer flies, public enemy number two, buzz loudly and have to land for awhile before they bite. Mosquitos are really bad, but deet works awesome. It lasts about 6 hours if you don't sweat too much.Oh, I forgot to mention the tree sap contraptions. There are hoses all over the forests of vermont and new hampshire, ending on the sides of maple trees. It took us a little while to figure them out... I thought you just cut a V and attached a spigot.
Date: 2007-07-26
To: View Entry
Miles today: 12.0

Today was the hardest but most beautiful day so far on the trail. Franconia ridge had breathtaking views for over 2 miles along a thin ribbon of ridge. Aside from the touristas I would have believed we were in tibet. Along those lines I am practicing loving-kindness and smiling at everyone. Ever observant, I occasionally make comments to Jocelyn like "you'd think with all those gold chains those boys could afford more than a wife beater for a shirt..." but I digress.We managed to eke out 12 miles today and make it to a hut where we're going to try to wash dishes for supper and a spot on the floor to sleep. The thru hikers are all lined up outside waiting to be called.
Date: 2007-07-29
To: View Entry
Miles today: 11.0

Today we fell a little behind. We were up on the ridge of the presidentials all day long, and we got bogged down. The altitude and the climbing and descending are fine, but they design the trail up here by putting blazes (often not white) across a field of loose boulders and calling it a day. They take forever to navigate. It was also a good day to slow down, the presidentials are spectacular. We made 11 and are camped.So we are going to hike out to pinkham notch and go into gorham tomorrow for a rest, then do the last 21 miles in two days and take a zero again in gorham before we enter maine and its scarce towns. We are scheduled to met my friend Jason in andover on the 5th to hike with us for a few days. He is a hardcore athlete, so he should be fine. Hopefully after a rest we will be too!
Date: 2007-07-30
To: View Entry
Miles today: 5.0

Robbed! I left my bag outside the pinkham notch visitors center for maaaybe 10 minutes, and somebody lifted $100 out of my ditty bag, tossing the atm card that was with it into the bushes. Something we do alll the time - many places require it - that isn't ok in the whites.This is a perfect example of a negative aspect of the disneyland atmosphere created by the amc in the whites, and how the teenagers they hire are not capable of efficiently handling the herds of tourists they ship in. The free soup is nice, but not worth it. Even before I was stung by thieves I would have had a hard time arguing the amc is a positive thing for thru-hikers or the white mountains - really anyone but the amc's coffers or the tourists who might not otherwise make it up the hill. We put up with the attitude, played by the rules, and got our food and shelter and even met a couple of really cool croo/caretakers, but given the choice I'd shut the whole tourist operation down.
Date: 2007-07-31
To: View Entry
Miles today: 13.0

Today we had to work all day for our 13 miles, but we made it to imp campsite. 8 more tomorrow and we'll be out of the whites. it's up in the air whether we'll take a zero or not... We are both tired but the zero would be very, very boring and maine and Katahdin await.The puds today were excruciating. The stairmaster part is trivial, but these godawful rock walls are killers. Slippery granite rock faces where you have to let yourself down standing on a crack... Falling is likely fatal and you are wearing a backpack and are up to 12 hours into a day full of such walls. I am not doing justice to how ridiculous today was. The other 2074 miles aren't like this. Why does the AT go through the whites at all? We don't fit into the six flags atmosphere. The amc clearly doesn't think much of thru-hikers and the feeling is mutual... The presidentials and franconia ridge were mind blowingly gorgeous, but even if you kept them you could have us in-and-out in a very few miles... we've been doing corkscrews around this place to make sure we hit all the rocks. I am a tough cookie, but if the rest of the trail doesn't surpass a 5 in technical difficulty, does 100 miles of 9+ make sense? Honestly, I had moments when I wasn't sure which crack in the sheer wall was more likely to get me down alive. This isn't what the rest of the AT is about.Overall I'd rather have skipped the whites altogether and come back another time to ride the $60 cog train. It was so, so, so, pretty... but otherwise a real headache.
Date: 2007-08-01
To: Gorham, NH
Miles today: 8.0
Weather: broken clouds

We made it out of the whites this morning and into gorham for real this time. Under 300 to go, 1875 down. I am now faced with the imminence of finishing. We set a date, planning to summit on the 25th but not fly out until the 27th in case of weather etc.We are zeroing here, our last planned day off. I am sore myself after the whites, so I am certain Jocelyn is hurting.
Date: 2007-08-02
From: Gorham, NH

To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Taking a zero is always a little boring, maybe a little guilty, but feels so good. I have a lot of conflicting emotions here... almost to the Maine border, 300 miles to go. We bought plane tickets for August 27th, so everything is official now. This will likely be our last zero day. I am a little tired of thru-hiking... the constant drum beat telling me to go, go, go. It's the mental discipline that keeps you on the trail, a muscle I am looking forward to relaxing. In that way thru-hiking is very much like quitting smoking was... more like quitting smoking than anything else actually. All you have to do is not light up with the one, and all you have to do is get up and walk with the other. The nice thing about hiking is that the effort has an ending, with smoking you just forget you're still quitting. For anyone who doesn't know me I quit um, seven or eight years ago now. You make your mind like a chinese finger puzzle... the more it wants you to give up the harder your resolve becomes until there is an unbreakable knot in your mind. I could walk forever.It will be really strange to put in a closet the backpack that has melded itself to my body. To be more comfortable in a bed than a tent again. To go for Japanese food even if the restaurant is 0.7 miles away. To stop noticing the way townfolk reek of detergents, deodorants, lotions, and petrol... to smell like those things myself again. To not be able to answer questions with "Georgia".I still have twenty-five days to get used to the idea of this thing ending, and I will need all of it.
Date: 2007-08-03
To: View Entry
Miles today: 16.0

Tonight we are camped on the maine border after a very hot, hard day. Tomorrow we face mahoosuc notch in the late morning, called the toughest mile on the whole trail. Tomorrow is also my four month anniversary, good timing for actually crossing into maine.There is distant thunder tonight but we haven't gotten any rain. I am very tired, and I hope the chittering squirrels leave our food alone.
Date: 2007-08-04
To: View Entry
Miles today: 10.0

I am feeling completely elated tonight. We made it into maine, up then down the mountain, past the dreaded very dead moose, through the hardest mile on the whole at- the mahoosuc notch, then up the vertical "arm" and finally to rest at a lovely camp by a very swimmable lake high in the mountains. The 10 miles took all day, leaving 15 for tomorrow. Jocelyn slipped and fell onto her butt at one perilous edge scaring me half to death, but otherwise we made it fine. It really was over, under and through. There were many spots you climbed by bracing one foot on either wall of a slot and crab walking up, or bracing a hand on a boulder so you could walk sideways against another one. It was actually quite fun. The notch is so deep and secluded that there is ice in the crevices year round. Cold air flowed around us the whole time... Pretty surreal.But the thing that has me feeling so groovy is that the hard stuff is over. All of it. We just have to cruise out the last 270 - supposed to gradually get less bumpy and we're there. Katahdin herself can be as wicked as she wants, I'll be climbing those 4000 on pure adrenaline. Knock on wood, but this was the last big name challenge.
Date: 2007-08-05
To: Andover, ME
Miles today: 15.0
Weather: overcast clouds

We got up early this morning and churned through the last 15 to andover and my friend jason. He hiked in to meet us about 4 miles out with a pickup from the hostel here, "the cabin". On the drive back we saw a black bear by the side of the road! A common sight in virginia, I hadn't seen a bear since new york. Unfortunately Jocelyn missed it, she was looking at food advertisements in the reader's digest someone left in the truck. Jocelyn has become hungry recently.we've decided to slackpack the next two days and keep the cabin as our base. They are really nice here. Jason seems plenty happy to take it easy, and we're right on schedule.
Date: 2007-08-06
From: Andover, ME

To: View Entry
Miles today: 10.0

Today we slackpacked 10 miles through a hard rain, up and over mt. Moody. Jason got to experience rebar stairs his first day out with lightning crashing two seconds away. The trail turned into a stream pretty quickly. Anyway, it was fun.My hunger has been back lately, along with Jocelyn "hungry tiger" coe. We are happy to be staying at the hostel again, where they seem to like seeing how much we can eat.
Date: 2007-08-07
To: View Entry
Miles today: 13.0

Today was a fun day. We did another slackpack for 13 miles, over some really pretty terrain. Having three in my group is much nicer than hiking alone, and it made the time pass quickly. We go a bit slower. Once in awhile if I need to warm up I will whoosh ahead (I get cold really easily and have to hike pretty hard to get my heart going) but for the most part it's a nice leisurely walk. Jocelyn is a much stronger hiker with three weeks under her belt and Jason has done several triathalons and just recently a full ironman - so they keep up just fine.Tomorrow we start back into the woods for the remaining two nights before stratton. I struggle with how close the end is getting.Jocelyn's hunger has changed her nickname to "hungry tiger". She fell sideways into the river we had to ford today, but wasn't hurt so we were allowed to laugh.I am sorry to leave the hostel... they have taken very, very good care of us. Another example of the amazingly kind people you meet out here.