morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2012-07-15
From: NY17A (3D's house)

To: 3D's house
Miles today: 17.6

We got up early this morning so that 3D's wife Carol could drop us off at the trail crossing on NY17A. Since they live in the park it's very convienient for slack packing. 3D and I got off to a pretty fast start. I wanted to push 31.8 miles to Fort Montgomery today. But I realized that making 3D walk that kind of pace was inconsiderate (even though he was keeping up). He hasn't been hiking everyday for three months like I have. 12.5 miles into the hike we met with Carol and 3D's boys for a sandwich. I decided to let go of the 30 mile push. I would rather enjoy 3D's company and walk at a more normal pace. We decided to go for 20 miles and then go back to 3D's house for ice cream and a dip in the pool : ) After lunch 3D and I met up with "Loner".  It was cool for both of us because I had only met Loner briefly 1,000 miles back in Gatlinburg and 3D has been keeping up with him on YouTube. We spent the rest of the day walking together. Please check out Loner's YouTube channel. He has been walking through the trail about the same time as me lately. His video perspectives will give you an idea of where I've been walking. Not only that, but 3D and I will be in his next VLOG! Loner keeps a laptop in his bounce box to upload his videos. His videos aren't updated everyday, so keep an eye out. The address is http://www.youtube.com/user/Loner2012ATA storm started rolling in later in the day and we decided to get off the mountain. 3D called in our support vehicle for pickup : ) Carol arrived at just the right time too because it started to downpour. When the weather let up back at the house we jumped in the pool. Barbecued chicken was on the menu for dinner and we had brownies covered in ice cream for desert!I hope nobody was worrying about me too much. I was having so much fun visiting the last few days that I didn't have time to post my journal : )  If you haven't heard from me in a week or 10 days then you have my permission to worry : P
Date: 2012-07-17
From: Monastery

To: Monastery
Miles today: 0.0

I figured I would hang out here at the monastery this morning long enough to update my trail journal. I don't feel guilty about not getting an early start on the trail either, it's supposed to be 99 degrees today. I have my hammock strung up in the shade of the pavilion and I'm feeling kind of lazy. I told myself that I would do some night hiking to make up for it.The problem is, there's a pizza place that will deliver to the monastery. I called them this afternoon and ordered a ridiculous amount of food. As it turned out I only walked as far as the end of the driveway to meet the delivery boy today. Back at the pavilion I ate salad, mozzarella sticks, garlic knots, and pizza. Eating all that food made me even more lazy. I spent most of the day swinging in my hammock talking to other hikers. I had plenty of time to reflect on how my hike went yesterday. I started feeling guilty for skipping part of the trail. I haven't skipped any part of the trail so far. The only exceptions I make is when the trail goes through a town. If the trail officially goes down a street one block over and I can see on the map that another road leads to the same trailhead on the edge of town then it makes no difference to me. Walking every official inch of trail that goes through the woods is what's important to me. And according to the guidebook I missed almost 9 miles yesterday. I must have been more off course then I thought. I missed some cool things too. The guidebook says you can see the New York City skyline from the tower on top of Bear Mountain. I'm also bummed I didn't get to see the zoo. Thru-hikers get in for free, and the bear cages are the lowest point on the A.T. at 124 ft. above sea level.There's no excuse for skipping that section yesterday. I was upset and quick to justify my actions to other hikers when I told them I got lost. But the fact is I got lost, it doesn't matter that several other hikers got lost there too. If I skip it, I can't blame anyone but myself. According to the guide the point at which I should have made my turn is 15.6 miles back. So if I spend the day making it up tomorrow it will be a 31.2 mile round trip. I am going to see if I can leave my gear with the friars tomorrow so I can slack pack it. I've walked 1,400 miles and I'm not going to start taking shortcuts now.
Date: 2012-07-19
From: Clarence Fahnestock State Park

To: Trees, mile 1442
Miles today: 26.1

I finished the last of Kelly's cookies this morning for breakfast. The way they were packaged makes me think her intent was for me to share them. Only a few hikers were lucky enough to try one though, I ate most of them myself! Those were the best chocolate chip cookies I've ever had. You are a lucky man Dawson : )It rained a little bit last night. I was slow to get up and start walking. I'm not going to try and get to my mail drop by Saturday morning, it's too far. I'll get it on Monday. when I got to NY52 I walked a half mile down to the deli and got a sandwich. I met a hiker there who turned out to be a smart ass. I saw him again at the next shelter and decided to keep walking. While I walked I saw an animal I hoped was a bobcat running away from me. The only problem is that it had a long tail, it was probably just a fox or something. I walked into the night using my headlamp. I kept switching between two sets of dead batteries hoping for a little more light. I may have seen another bear but I can't be sure. I could see its eyes glowing, they looked too far apart to be a deer. Unfortunetly my lamp wasn't bright enough to see what it was. I finally decided to stop and set up my hammock. As soon as I put the rain fly on it started raining. Thank you God for your perfect timing.
Date: 2012-07-20
From: Trees, mile 1442

To: Trees, mile 1461.5
Miles today: 19.5

It rained like crazy last night, and it's still raining this morning. I don't feel like getting out of my hammock. I have to go to the bathroom though. I gathered a little tarp water to go with breakfast then crawled back into my sleeping bag. According to the weather app on my phone it's supposed to rain all day. I wasn't very excited about walking in the rain. But then a hiker walked past my hammock in full rain gear. It was like hearing the shift horn going off. Time to go to work. I packed up my stuff and put my wet hiking clothes on. It's chilly this morning and my raincoat and warm clothes are in the bounce box. Have I gone too far trying to shed pack weight? I slathered my feet in Hydropel, wrapped my tarp around me, and started walking. Right after the train depot on NY22 there was a mobil pizza wagon. He had it parked across from the greenhouse/nursery, you can see it from the trail. The guy running it is very hiker friendly. He makes hand tossed pizzas in a wood fired oven inside the trailer. I would recommend stopping there. You get a big slice for $2.50. He must have felt sorry for me standing there in the rain. I was wet, stinky, and had a tarp wrapped around me for a raincoat. In addition to the two slices of pizza I bought he gave me a free soda and a snickers bar. God bless that man!After pizza I crossed the state line into Connecticut. It feels good to enter a new state. That makes 10 so far. I'm seeing more south bounders now. I met an interesting guy today that has been hiking a lot of it barefoot. Although when I saw him he was wearing thin soled shoes. He admitted that it's probably not a good idea to go barefoot the whole way, I agree. Since he's south bound, he'll still be out here after I'm home. I'm definitely going to keep up with his journal. You can find it here, www.2gobarefoot.comI walked into Kent later in the day. The outfitter there doesn't have a very good selection of gear, but they do have good ice cream. I took my two scoops and went back to the woods. I hung my hammock on a very steep and rocky hillside just outside of town. You can't do this with a tent!
Date: 2012-07-21
From: Trees, mile 1461.5

To: Belters Campsite
Miles today: 22.0
Weather: scattered clouds

I am enjoying celebrity like status among the weekend campers on the A.T. I'm not sure when I crossed that threshold but I'm getting all kinds of respect from them today. There is no hiding the fact that I'm a thru-hiker. They don't even have to ask, they know just by looking at me. My beard is pretty burly. I'm also dirty, smelly, and beat up just like my equipment. Getting respect for my appearance is a nice change. When I stand on the side of the road to catch a hitch or go into a restaurant, people think I'm homeless and look at me with disgust. It doesn't make you feel good when people roll up their car windows when they see you standing at a stoplight with your thumb sticking out. That reminds me of a joke I read on the Internet. Q: What's the difference between a thru-hiker and a homeless vagrant? A: Goretex, or if you're telling that joke to a group of sophisticated hikers you might replace Goretex with Cuben fiber.It's just as easy to spot weekend campers and day hikers. They are clean, their gear is new, and they smell like shampoo. My nose has really tuned in to the smell of clean. I was a hundred yards downwind from a woman out day hiking today, and I could smell her. It didn't smell bad or overpowering, she just smelled like shampoo.Anyway, back to the hike...I stopped at a nice river for lunch and decided to cook something for a change. I propped my titanium cup up with rocks and lit an Esbit cube under it. I made ramen noodles with seaweed, tuna fish, and extra oil mixed in. I feel lazy and want to take a nap next to this river. But I made a cup of black tea instead and walked a little further.I passed a large group of friendly hikers when I got into camp tonight. I went a little further back and set up my hammock. My immediate neighbor said "you're a thru-hiker right?" and asked about setting up a bear hang. He had a dog with him. I reassured him that the bears won't come anywhere near camp with the dog around, it's the mice he needs worry about.
Date: 2012-07-22
From: Belters Campsite

To: Salisbury, CT
Miles today: 10.8
Weather: scattered clouds

That large group of friendly section hikers I saw on the way in yesterday asked me to stop and have oatmeal this morning on my way out. They are fellow Michiganders who, interestingly enough are involved in ministry.  I was asked what advise I would give someone preparing for a thru-hike. My advise is to GO LIGHT!  One of the women also asked me about any intellectual epiphanies I may have had on the trail.It's tough to think of something brilliant to say when you're put on the spot like that. I always think of something better after the opportunity has passed. At any rate, I'm glad they invited me for oatmeal ; ) I was down to two Cliff bars this morning and I would have been hungry walking into town.In other news, I haven't seen a tick in over a week. Hopefully that means they won't be a problem anymore, because I took the last of the antibiotics yesterday. I'm going to get some yogurt from town to go along with the probiotic supplement I'm taking. I want to build the beneficial bacteria back up in my guts after taking that Doxycycline for a month.I stayed with Vanessa Brenton in Salisbury. The guidebook said she had rooms available for $40 per night. The only reason I decided to stay there was because it was across the street from the post office. If you wanted to stay in this area I would recommend checking out some of the other places, perhaps the new "Bearded Woods Hostel". I believe Vanessa may have had rooms available for hikers at one time. But now three of the four rooms are rented out to people full time. Instead of taking in less hikers she moved three beds into a tiny room. It was cramped, I was hoping that no other hikers would show up, but they did. To her credit she offered to let us take her car to the next town to get something to eat, but we had pizza delivered. She also charged me an extra $5 so I could use her washer and dryer, which isn't unusual. But taking the whole experience into account, I think you can do better for your money.
Date: 2012-07-24
From: The Hemlocks Shelter

To: Tom Leonard Shelter
Miles today: 14.4
Weather: light rain

I did not sleep good last night. Now I remember why I paid $150 for a Neo-air X-Lite mattress. This foam pad does not make a flat wooden bunk comfortable. I'm definitely sleeping in my hammock tonight. The only good things about foil coated foam pads is that they are warm and cheap.The rocks going down the trail were wet and slippery this morning. I've got about 400 miles now on my Brooks "Cascadia" trail runners. Out of 5 different pairs of shoes that I've tried on the trail, these have been the best. The rocks in Pennsylvania were no problem. The only issue I'm having is that the tread is a bit worn. I fell not once, not twice, but three times within the first hour of hiking today! I skinned up my knee a little bit too.....yes the one that hurts. I'm not blaming it all on the shoes though.So far on this trip I've carried my Granite Gear "Blaze" pack 653 miles and my HMG "Windrider" 864. Now that I've switched packs again, I've noticed that the suspension on the Blaze is superior. The shoulder straps and hip belt padding is more comfortable. Especially when carrying heavier loads. To be fair, I carried the Windrider without a frame for a long time. After pulling out the aluminum stays, I replaced it with a car windshield reflector. I later tossed the windshield reflector because it was so warm I didn't think I'd need the extra insulation in my hammock anymore. Before I swapped it out I was using a flexible plastic cutting board as a frame. I will update my gear page with a more detailed review of each pack when I have time. I will say that the Windrider is made of stronger material (even though it's lighter). The Blaze pack has two holes in it, the Windrider has zero. I also like how the Cuben fiber/hybrid material holds its shape compared to the thin flexible nylon on the Blaze. The Windrider is also a better size for light loads, it's waterproof, and the pocket design suits me better. There is a lot more to write back and forth about these two packs. I will get more in depth later on the gear page.....Hyperlite Hennessy Hammock review also.Anyway, I've got my hammock up now, near the shelter. There is a beautiful view of the mountains through the clearing behind me. Though Katahdin has been my destination for hundreds and hundreds of miles, reaching it seems almost bittersweet. It's clear to me now that I arrived at my destination months ago. Katahdin just means it's over.
Date: 2012-07-25
From: Tom Leonard Shelter

To: Upper Goose Pond Cabin
Miles today: 21.1
Weather: clear sky

My knee feels a little better this morning. I think doing lower miles has helped. The current dilemma is that I'm running out of food again. There are two packs of ramen left for dinner tonight and half a tub of peanut butter. I glanced at the guidebook the other day and noticed the town of Tyringham was coming up. I thought I might be able to resupply there. But, I should have looked at the guidebook more closely. Tyringham doesn't have a market, diner, or even a gas station. The next big town on the trail is Dalton, 30 miles away. Running out of food for a short amount of time is inconvenient but not dangerous. I fasted for 10 days once and if I get hungry enough, I'll kill something.I met up with "PJ's" and "Grandpa Detour" at a creek just past the road that goes into Tyringham. PJ's told me that the Upper Goose Pond Cabin serves pancakes in the morning. That sounds like a pretty good deal to me. A pancake breakfast would definitely make the 20 mile walk into Dalton tomorrow a lot more bearable. As it turns out, the Upper Goose Pond is really nice. There is a sandy swimming area and a couple of docks. You can even sign out one of two canoes to paddle around the islands out in the pond. The cabin itself is great. The upper loft is filled with bunks and the bunks have mattresses. This would be a good place to zero.I'm seeing many faces here that I've seen before plus a few new ones. Bowser offered to cook my ramen noodles for me on his stove to save me the hassle of starting a fire. I met Bowser going into Daleville over 800 miles ago and hadn't seen him since. These are the names of hikers staying here that I've met. Warrior, The Honeymooners, Towely, Cheese Water, PJ's, Muck Fichigan (flatlander from Ohio), Gypsy Soul, Bowser, Grandpa Detour, Dances with Flies, Wild Turkey, Whiffle Chicken, and Spirit. In addition to the hikers I've met, there are probably just as many hikers staying here that I haven't met.
Date: 2012-07-26
From: Upper Goose Pond Cabin

To: Tom Lavardi's (Dalton, MA)
Miles today: 20.6
Weather: clear sky

The pancakes this morning were awesome. The caretaker mixed in some blueberries that a south bounder had picked at the "Cookie Lady's" blueberry patch. Spirit was also kind enough to leave me some snacks for the hike into Dalton.It was a little rainy early in the hike, but not too bad. Trail conditions have been good to my knees the last couple days. The path has been relatively flat and covered with soft pine needles. I arrived at the "Cookie Lady's" house around lunch time. I was hoping to get some cookies and hard boiled eggs, but nobody came to the door. So I kept walking. ( I found out later that they were out in the shed.)When I arrived in Dalton I saw a group of hikers sitting on Tom Lavardi's front porch, (the A.T. follows the sidewalk right in front of his house.) For the record, Tom Lavardi is cool! Tom allows hikers to tent in his yard for free. But since there is a tornado warning tonight he asked us all to stay inside. There are hikers sleeping in the living room, bedrooms, basement, and hallway! The house is packed. Tom also gives free haircuts. The only catch is he only does one kind of haircut, the mohawk. Tom did three tonight, including my stylish doo. We also carried the picnic table out to the garage (to get out of the rain) and had an awesome dinner. I'm glad to be here.
Date: 2012-07-27
From: Tom Lavardi's (Dalton, MA)

To: Tom Lavardi's (Dalton, MA)
Miles today: 23.5
Weather: light rain

Tom Lavardi offers free slack packing to hikers that stay at his house, (although space is limited). It's sort of a revolving slack pack. He drives the hikers north to slack pack south back to his house. The next morning he'll drive you back to where you started along with a new group of slackers : P hehehe... There are two trips you can take. The longer one is 23.5 miles and starts in North Adams. There is also a shorter one from Cheshire. I took the longer trip. Mt. Greylock is the highest point in Massachusetts and going over it without all the extra gear was fantastic. The hike was rainy and overcast. Even though I couldn't see anything, I still went to the top of the observation tower.I hiked slow and steady all day. When I got back to Tom's, dinner was almost ready. There are a ton of hikers here again tonight. I decided to give another slacker my spot on tomorrow's shuttle. I'm going to take the bus to the outfitter in the mall, then back up to North Adams.
Date: 2012-07-28
From: Tom Lavardi's (Dalton, MA)

To: Seth Warner Shelter
Miles today: 6.9
Weather: light rain

I met the bus shortly after morning coffee. The mall is only 6 miles away but it took FOREVER to get there. I could have ran there faster. When I got to the mall I was disappointed to find out that the outfitter didn't have a single thing I was looking for. By the time I got back to North Adams it was 12:30pm. I wasted half the day on the bus and I still have to walk two more miles to get back on the trail. There is another bus I could wait for that would get me closer, but I'm over it.It's a little rainy on the trail again. I crossed the border into Vermont after walking about 4 miles. It feels good to be in Vermont, only three more states to go.Since I have to wait for the post office in Bennington Monday morning, there is no reason to rush. I only walked to the first shelter tonight. There are a couple of section hikers here on their first day out. It's like Georgia all over again. One fellow's pack is at least 60 pounds. He packed a full two weeks worth of food, a full 32 oz. can of denatured alcohol, a house sized bottle of shampoo, a solar shower, a full size aerosol can of bug spray, a travel pillow, and the list of ridiculously heavy things goes on. He was complaining of how sore his back was. He said he took 1,600 mg. of ibuprofen today and he had only walked 7 miles! I suggested he lighten the load and showed him some of the stuff I carry. He offered to cook me dinner and out of the goodness of my heart I agreed to help him eat up some of his food ; )I slept in the shelter tonight so I didn't have to deal with the rain. Sleeping on the foam pad again reminded me how excited I am to get my air mattress back. IT'S SO COMFORTABLE! I think I can use it partially deflated for insulation when I sleep in my hammock too. I've also decided to switch back to the HMG pack.
Date: 2012-07-29
From: Seth Warner Shelter

To: Bennington, VT
Miles today: 11.5
Weather: moderate rain

I stepped out of the shelter and into the morning rain. The section hikers staying here don't seem very excited to leave the comfort of the shelter. I said "hey guys, no rain no Maine", they said "but we're not going to Maine"..... I guess that saying only motivates thru-hikers.The trail was very muddy today. I slipped off a bog board at one point and stuck my foot right in it. Some hikers are calling Vermont, VerMUDnt. I guess that's an accurate description of the trail so far.I met up with "Gypsy Soul" and "Muck Fichigan" (the flat lander from Ohio) packing up a wet tent. They wanted to go into Bennington to dry out their stuff. I suggested we share a shuttle, they agreed. There was a steep rocky down to get to the road leading into Bennington. I didn't have any cell service, so I couldn't call the shuttle. Gypsy and Ohio hadn't made it out yet. While I waited for them, I managed to negotiate a ride at the trailhead parking lot. When they came out of the woods we loaded up our stuff and went into town.I got a room at the "Autumn Inn". It's your basic run down hotel. The Indians from India have bought up most of these depreciated hotels all the way up the east coast. Every time I get off the trail to stay in a cheap hotel I have come to expect it will be owned by Indians. I don't feel one way or another about that, it's just an observation. Any thru-hiker can tell you the same.The room is beat up but the shower has hot water and the cable TV works.
Date: 2012-07-30
From: Bennington, VT

To: Bennington, VT
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

I walked down to the post office first thing this morning. It's only a mile from the hotel, but that mileage adds up when you start making round trips. Carrying my bounce box back to the hotel room wasn't fun. I think the box needs to be lighter.I dumped the contents of the box across the hotel room floor. Some of this stuff is going home. I decided I'm going to finish the hike with the HMG pack. I pulled the plastic frame sheet out of the Granite Gear pack and put it in the Windrider.....now we're talkin'. I'm also going to carry my Neo-Air for the rest of hike. I may not need the added cushioning in my hammock, but it's amazing when I want to sleep in a shelter. I put two boxes together, one is going back home and another (smaller) box is following me up the trail. I went back to the post office and mailed my stuff out. Then I walked two miles out of town to Walmart. After I got my resupply I stopped for lunch and walked back to the hotel. I hiked some serious miles around Bennington today, not much of a zero. The good news is the hotel has HBO. I caught a great movie tonight called "In Time". If you haven't seen this one yet, you should! I'm going to watch it again when I get home.Over all it was a productive day. I got a lot done and I'm pretty happy with my pack setup. I'm ready to go for a walk!