morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2008-03-24
From: Rte 624

To: Rte 311
Miles today: 5.0

Monday, March 24, 2008Rte 625 to Rte 311, 6.9 miles, 5.3 countI can¢t figure out if I need to walk to Rte 311 from Rte 624 or Rte 785. My map says 785, but I haven¢t fully documented the June 19, 2006 hike in this area I did with Purple Rose and Zig Zag.   I lost my notes. I don¢t want to leave any skips so to be on the safe side I¢ll hike from 624.This morning I¢m hungry. I eat a roast beef and lettuce and mayo sandwich.Homer invites me to dinner and overnight. We¢ll meet at 5PM. I can't wait to meet Therese and the kids and to hear all about their thru-hike in 2002.Start 7:05, sunny 37 degrees.My left ankle hurts today. I probably overdid it yesterday.7:40 I meet Jeff and John from Colorado, breaking camp. No trail names yet. See photo.Into pasture. Cow pies.I see the same barn I took a picture of on June 19, 2006. OK, so I already hiked this little piece twice. Well, better 3 times than to leave a skip. Plus it's been a gorgeous walk today.More great maintenance, strong stone steps.I miss a blaze and go past the pinnacle full of boulders. Descend. Haven¢t seen a blaze for a while. Retrace steps. Yup, I missed a double blaze. There's a new shallow switchback down, instead of eroded steep descent I was taking.Hello again to Faithful.Hello to a Mom, 2 sons and a daughter, and a dog named Ranger. They hope to hike 9 miles today.Out 11:15. I upload photos and journal this afternoon. It feels good to be caught up on journaling.
Date: 2008-05-24
From: River Rd

To: 341 (Kent)
Miles today: 9.4

Saturday, May 24, 2008River Rd to 341 (Kent), Harley, Crazy Dog, Georgia, Amoeba and Benny, 9.4 miles7:55 we stop at a deli to pick up something for lunch. Start hiking at River Rd at 10:10. Sunny, 50¢s.Flat walkway beside the river, late spring flowers. Harley in the lead with leashed Crazy Dog and leashed Georgia. Me following with leashed Benny. Benny keeps pulling. He wants to be with the pack ahead, just like he wanted to be with Knitting Bull when she was leading. Harley tells me similar things to what Knitting Bull said about dog packs, leaders and followers.   Harley says don¢t fight it. Let the leash run out and let Benny hike with Crazy Dog and Georgia. Quickly Harley is surrounded by 3 adoring dogs, and I bring up the rear.We stop beside the Housatonic to throw sticks in the water. Only Georgia retrieves any. We can¢t coax Crazy Dog or Benny into the water.Pass a beautiful white-chinned black rat snake. I like snakes.We meet 3 backpackers hiking north, 2 young women and one young man. All 3 dogs behave like angels.Meet NOBO Pete, no trail name.Pass through an area I remember from 2003 because stately hemlock is one of my favorite trees, and I usually remember where they are.Meet a group of 5 people. Benny doesn¢t bark. Today he¢s much more relaxed about meeting other people, maybe imitating the good manners of Crazy Dog and Georgia, or maybe because in this group he¢s not the leader.   Pretty soon we come to steep St Johns Ledges. Fortunately we¢re ascending. With his inexperience and short legs, I¢m amazed how well Benny bounds and scrambles up rocks and boulders. I have to lift him in only a couple of spots. I¢m improving in the art of taking pictures with one hand holding the camera and the other holding a leash or 2 hands holding the camera and the leash between my legs. :- )))Meet a couple of day hikers. Benny barks at them but not menacingly. Crazy Dog turns around and glowers at Benny, ¢Benny, you¢re embarrassing me,¢ he growls. Thanks, Crazy Dog, I say.Today any time Benny pees, Crazy Dog overpees it. Guess who's the pack leader today.Crossing a log bridge, leashed Crazy Dog loses his footing and falls to the rocks below. A scare! Fortunately Crazy Dog isn¢t hurt. Because of this incident, Harley decides it¢s safer for the dogs if they cross log bridges unleashed.Benny has been eating some vegetation (I think grape leaves) beside the trail. Several upchucks. I watch him carefully, and make sure he gets enough water. NO food for a while.Out. I forget to note the time. No bugs today. I haven¢t noticed any ticks. More up and down and warmer than our first day, but everyone¢s done fine. It's been a terrific hike!We decide to save on gas by leaving my car on River Rd all night and all going back to Liza¢s in Harley¢s.We get take-out Japanese food to eat at Liza¢s. Tomorrow Max will be leaving for 8 weeks in Spain. There are lots of last minute to-do¢s that he and Liza still need to do. With all the company that's just descended on Liza, simplifying dinner is the least we can do.Goodnight.
Date: 2008-05-28
From: Graymoor

To: Dennytown Rd
Miles today: 8.1
Weather: clear sky

Wednesday, May 28, 2008Dennytown Rd to Canopus Hill Rd, Helen, Amoeba and Benny, 3.7 miles, Graymoor to Canopus Hill Rd, Amoeba and Benny, 4.4 miles Overnight a much cooler front of air blows in, now low 50¢s, bright sunshine, blue skies, fall-like day, perfect for hiking. Helen joins Benny and me for the morning hike.Start 10:15. We have a snack up on some high rocks. Benny power-naps. Trying to keep the sun out of his eyes, I subject him to another indignity. Covering his head with my hat. Oh, he looks so cute, says Helen. Can you photo it? By the time I move into position, Benny is up, with the hat off. Helen says, please, Benny, let me put the hat back on so grandma can take a picture.OK Helen, but after this I¢m DONE with pictures.Out to Canopus Hill Rd just before 1PM.Helen takes us to Graymoor Friary, where we say goodbyes. Thank you Helen for everything. Helen has treated Benny and me like royalty. She says, just call before you and Spinner come back in early June. Stay with me and I will cook for you, and, depending on the weather, maybe hike with you too.So many people have given me so much, not only on the AT, but on every other long-distance trail I¢ve walked. The little I¢ve done to try to even the score by helping others is a pittance. I resolve to try to do more, knowing whatever I do, it¢ll never be enough. Thanks, Helen for a great time with you.Benny and I start this afternoon¢s hike at 1:45. Starting out from Graymoor, I¢m not too sure about direction. Addition of N or S to some of the signs at road crossings would be a help.Like this morning a beautiful afternoon, cool temp, sunshine, birdsong, light breeze, minimal-to-no biting bugs.A deer runs off to our right.Benny spies something large looming in the woods, and starts to bolt for it. Benny, are you bolting at a tree stump? I ask, incredulous that he¢s mistaken a tree stump for a bear.   He gives ol' Grandma the look. I was bolting for the chipmunk that was running over it.Out at 4:40.   We head home to Syracuse, Benny hiking 23.1 miles in MA, 51.6 in CT (all), and 13.4 miles in NY, 88.1 total.
Date: 2008-06-06
From: Hosner Mtn Rd

To: Rte 55
Miles today: 8.8

Friday, June 6, 2008NY 52 to NY 55, Amoeba and Spinner, 7.2 miles, Hosner Mtn Rd to NY 52, 1.6 miles, total 8.8 milesAt the parking area is a red-headed young man, supine in the back-lowered driver¢s seat of a wet black sedan. His skin is pale, almost translucent. Looks dead. Spinner looks closer. He¢s breathing. It¢s OK.10:50 start. Cool today, 60, overcast, light sprinkling.At the outset we¢re greeted by cheerful paintings of bluejay, owl, chipmunk, swallowtail butterfly, lady¢s slipper, porcupine, junco and Baltimore oriole made by 8 6th grade students at LaGrange Middle School.Soft wet green trail beckons us into the woods.This morning¢s mist encapsulates us. Like we¢re inside a membranous bubble. Part of, yet apart from, the bigger sphere of road noise and other trappings of civilization that lie beyond our bubble¢s misty cloak.Hello to southbound section-hikers Drag¢N Fly and Fred, backpacking from the NY/CT border to Waywayanda Shelter in NJ. They stayed last night at Morgan Stewart Shelter.Wow, another huge oak right beside the trail. Spinner peeks out from behind it. Great photo.Trees are fully leafed out.   Foliage is now a mid-green, not the spring green we were seeing just a week ago.   Some of the forest floor boasts green grass, but not the expanses of grass we saw to the west of Bear Mtn.Cross 84, walk down into the woods again, over a small wooden bridge. Poison ivy on both sides of the trail. Poison ivy seems to be most prevalent near road crossings.I spy that plant that I¢ve not yet been able to identify that, as a place-holder, I call poison-ivy look-alike. Take a photo so I can again try to ID it.We stop at Morgan Stewart Shelter, a great shelter. New picnic tabletop and seats. Sunken fire circle. Great signage showing where the water and privy are. Bird droppings on the ground betray a nest of (I think) hermit thrush chicks built under the shelter overhang. While we're there, parent bird drops in several times to feed the hungry chicks.1:40 back on the trail headed from Hosner to 52. Rain and mist has brought out normal numbers of red efts. Before today, I was wondering where they all were.Hard to resist taking picture after picture of mountain laurel just coming out, especially in today¢s mist.Hello to section-hiker Pedestrian from California. He¢s done about half the trail. This trip Massachusetts to DWG. Then maybe a little up in Maine later in the summer. He asks about gear for Maine in July. Hard to answer, gear is so weather-dependent. Most likely he¢ll be OK without extra cold weather gear. The black flies and mosquitoes and water levels would be the biggest concern.A cooler of Bud Lite trail magic! Afternoon hike. We leave Spinner¢s car on private land at Hosner Mtn Rd with the permission of the landowner.Hello to NOBO¢s Kirby from Portland ME, 17 years old, and Cookie from AR. They¢ve been hiking together since Hot Springs.Hazy pale blue sky, getting warmer. Spinner speaks to her husband in Rochester NY where the temp hit 97 today. That heat will be here by tomorrow.
Date: 2008-07-22
From: Pinkham Notch

To: Top of Wildcat Gondola
Miles today: 2.9

Goodbye good friends. Honey, I hope to hike with you and Cal, Purple Rose and Zig Zag, in August, from Hanover to Smarts Mtn. We will stay in touch. Thanks for everything.Cheese Whiz, you will have to stay in touch and tell me all about the wedding. Nobody goes to Syracuse. How come you needed a ride there the same day I was heading home? Thanks for sharing expenses and for the company on the way. MAKE that MOVIE with Juicebox and Swing! No actors. You all play yourselves.The last of this second AT section hike will take me from MA/VT line to Glencliffe NH starting July 29 to August ??, and up Katahdin in Sept, if all goes well. I'm so far behind in writing journal entries. Will try to post what I can before July 29.Happy Birthday July 23 Wisconsin Dave! Signing off for now. --Amoeba
Date: 2008-08-16
From: 25A

To: 25
Miles today: 9.8

PR ZZ A plus Memere and her daughter Lynn, who have come out to hike with all of us and be part of the final hike of my second AT section hike. It's wonderful to finish with good trail friends. From Glencliff I'll go to Hampstead to spend 3 days with Mrs Smoke, Queen Diva, Sox, Pipesmoke and Pam.If all goes well, Sept 3 Memere and I will begin our hike of the 100-Mile Wilderness at Monson. Grey Feather was going to join us, but she's broken her ankle. So Memere and I will rehike the Wilderness and K with her next September. They will be Class of 2009. Memere and I hope to summit Katahdin somewhere around Sept 12 or 13 with Pipesmoke, who starts the JMT Aug 20 with the Roman Noodles. Good luck, Pipesmoke and Noodles!I have something very special to wear on the summit of Katahdin...More AT hiking is in the works for September in the area between MD 491 and Front Royal (or Thorton Gap, not sure which) after M and I finish Katahdin, as 3 friends will be completing their multi-year section hikes of the AT in Harpers Ferry and I want to hike the last miles with them. Also I want to be there to see the expression on Purple Sherpa's face when we surprise him with...This second AT hike has been so much more than the first. I'm looking forward to #3!
Date: 2008-09-03
From: Bodfish Farm Rd

To: Rte 15
Miles today: 14.4

I've uploaded all the photos of Memere's and my hike of the Hundred-Mile Wilderness and Katahdin, 9/3 - 9/14/08. Start another hike in VA on Friday. Will try to catch up on my journaling backlog after the Gathering. Hope to see many of you there!
Date: 2008-09-11
From: Katahdin Stream Campground

To: Katahdin summit
Miles today: 5.2
Weather: clear sky

This is the final entry of my 2005-2008 section end-to-end AT hike. Wonderful day, take a look at today's fun photos of friends on the mountain. A special tribute to Lois and Earl Arnold, who have helped me out many times on hikes and travels in the vicinity of their hiker hostel and B and B in Montebello VA.
Date: 2008-09-28
From: Weverton Rd

To: Harpers Ferry
Miles today: 4.0
Weather: overcast clouds

I'm posting photos of hikes with 2000-milers Uncle Bud, Zig Zag and Purple Rose. Congratulations, you three!Right now I'm in Buffalo preparing for my son's wedding on Oct 4.It's a happy time.Hope to see you all at the Gathering the following weekend. I'll be at the Hiker Fair at the Finger Lakes Trail booth. If I miss you there, I'll see you next year somewhere on the AT. Love, AmoebaPS November 6, 2008 Singing Sister emails me a link to the Tennessee Eastman Hiking and Canoe Club newsletter. http://www.tehcc.org/Newsletters/newscurrent.htm Yay Zig Zag! PS November 22, 2008 Both Timberdoodle and Singing Sister have sent me more photos of Purple Rose and Zig Zag's last hikes, including 2 good ones of the Ax Murderers. When the server is updated so it can accept simple photos, I'll add these. Thank you, Leif, for all you are doing to upgrade the site.
Date: 2007-10-19
To: Begin at the Beginning
Miles today: 0.0

At times, the desire to explore screams so loudly in my soul it is deafening. I am not content with just a single adventure but thrive off the idea that everyday in life holds something new, challenging, and lovely.   In my wanderlust I have hiked under snow covered cedars in Japan, broken bread with a doctor in Cuba, cowered from a charging elephant in Africa, been blessed by a medicine man in the Andes, stood alone in front of Michelangelo¢s David, crawled through the caves of Kentucky, rafted under waterfalls in the Costa Rica jungle, and counted wild flowers in the tallgrass prairie.   Now, I will hike the Appalachian Trail.                I do not go alone. My husband, Hank, walks with me. It was his idea ¢ mentioned in passing during a first date a million years ago (7.3 years precisely). He has since learned to be careful with such suggestions, as they are the fuel of my mania. I think he might be equally content if he were left with the cat, his fine scotch, and Hegel¢s Science of Logic. Then again, I believe the idea may have stirred happy memories from younger days that his years in academia have since buried. Most importantly, he loves me.         If luck prevails, Hank will join me in journaling our account of our outdoor outing. He did, after all, kiss the Blarney stone, which grants the gift of eloquence.
Date: 2007-10-20
To: Mountains & Marathons
Miles today: 0.0

In the closet, the hiking shoes and our running shoes sit side by side. Most days I look longingly at my boots, then grab the running sneakers. Hank and I are spending this year in Paris, France where Hank can properly research and write his dissertation. Though the city of lights has much to delight and dazzle the senses, a good hiking spot is not included within her city limits, so I put on my running shoes.        Hank is the runner. He was a track-star in high school, and when we sign-up for races he gets a fancy colored bib that allows him access to the ¢elite athlete¢ corrals. I run like a rock. Come to think of it, I have seen faster rocks. And in spite of my claims to hate the sport, I have just registered for my third marathon, the Marathon de Paris on April 6th. Hank finds this amusing.         Now, the Marathon de Paris has an absolutely lovely course. It begins at the Arch de Trimophe, runs down the Champs-Elysees to the Tuilleries gardens, then takes you along the Seine river by the Louvre and up to the Bastille. It will run in Paris¢s two forest parks, by a medieval castle complete with drawbridges and moats, under gargoyles of gothic churches, and near grand baroque palaces turned government buildings. Soon after passing the Effiel Tower, the course turns and brings you back to the Arch de Triomphe for a grand ol¢ finish.        What tickles me most is that though I have twenty-five weeks of work-outs ahead of me to prepare for race day¢s intensive 26.2 miles, this marathon is mere training for the Appalachian Trail! We trust that the miles on Katahdin will be taxing at best, and I cannot imagine that all those mountains that follow will be much easier. We want to be in great shape when we hit the trail, and running is but one tool we are using. I am arranging several heavy picnics (easily created by a few bottles of wine) to be packed to the gardens on the outskirts of Paris. Hank is planning a number of hikes on the seaside cliffs of Brittany and a few in the Siebengebierge Mountains of Germany.         There are moments when you realize your life is charmed. Hank and I are happily living those moments.
Date: 2007-10-21
To: Support Network
Miles today: 0.0

Hank thought it important to introduce you to our cat, Jasper. From purring us awake in the morning to curling up at our feet at bedtime, she is the perfect companion. Though a city kitty, she loves to explore the outdoors while on her harness. (Tip for singles: the adorability and oddity of a happily leashed cat is a fabulous conversation starter.) Jasper likes the idea of the AT and has greatly enjoyed terrorizing the bags and boxes that delivered our gear, but she is glad to stay the duration of the journey at Grandma¢s. It is rumored that Grandma spoils her pets with treats and lavishes them with attention, so I expect Jasper is looking forward to our departure.        Grandma¢s oldest son, my father, has been our biggest fan with regards to our hiking the AT.   In the first weeks after we announced the trip, he would often call and say, ¢I was thinking about the AT, and¢¦¢   He has helped us research gear, agreed to send our mail drops, and is designing and building our stoves as a Christmas present. He and my step-mother, Gin, will drive us the 19 hrs up to Baxter State Park next June. I hope they see a moose. I anticipate that this solid base camp will be reassuring during our hike.        Even before we have taken our first step on the mountain, there has been a delightful outpouring of support. Friends in Chicago are now roped into watching our fish another five months. A stranger at the outfitters shared his AT adventures and then answered our questions, even those we did not ask! Heated and hilarious discussions on websites help us choose the right equipment. Hank¢s aunt and uncle encouraged us to hike while we are ¢still young.¢ Store employees pulled out piles of tents, backpacks, and sleeping bags only for us to decide¢¦the fit is just not right.        But not all support comes as you might expect it. For example, Hank¢s parents literally frowned when we told them about our hike. Then, they berated us with an arsenal of questions, particularly centered around the success of Hank¢s dissertation writing and defense. One might equate this hesitation about the hike with a lack of support, but it is quite the contrary. It is reassuring that some are particularly concerned with our affairs before and after the trail. I anticipate it will bring peace of mind while on the AT.Unless you are the bravest of souls, many things you tackle in life are difficult to manage alone. For all we have accomplished, the support of friends and family has been an essential component to our success - the Appalachian Trail is no different. To all who have and to all who will help us, we thank you.
Date: 2007-11-04
To: Morning Chorus
Miles today: 0.0

As the stars slip from sight and the sky watercolors into a rosy indigo, you are awakened by sounds so rich and enchanting that you are not sure you have awoken at all. It is called the morning chorus, and it is a brilliant finale to the symphony that is a night in the woods. When the sun peaks out at dawn, the birds begin singing with melodies so gentle as to cause Pachelbel to weep and with such power as to make Mahler cower. Above all, this is what I look forward to the most about hiking the Appalachian Trail.         Both Hank and I are blessed with the burden of being birders. It fevers during migration, this need to grab both binoculars and guide and run to the nearest patch of nature at sunrise to catch a glimpse of a tit as it flits about in the brush, to watch a flock of cormorants V towards the south, or to marvel as a kettle of kites climbs higher and higher into the sky.        At two thousand plus miles, the Appalachian Trial will be Hank¢s and my longest bird walk. In preparation of such, I have created a spreadsheet of the 237 species we are likely to encounter on the trail, although the actual number is likely much higher, as I did not include all migrants or potential accidentals blown in during hurricane season. So as not to carry a guide, we are currently memorizing all the field markings and songs of the AT birds. We are giving particular attention to the forty-two potential life-listers that await us on the trail.         And while I am throwing stats at you, I might as well conclude with some superlatives from our birding adventures: Hank has a life list of an even 450, and mine currently stands at 333. The largest bird on our list is the Common Ostrich at a hundred-plus kilos (Is there an Uncommon Ostrich?), and the smallest the Ruby Throated Hummingbird at less than six grams. We have picked up birds on five continents, with the Japanese Wagtail acquired in Kyoto being our species farthest from home. And if we had to guess the bird which we have seen the most, I would say - the pigeon. We do live in Paris after all!Happy birding.
Date: 2007-11-18
To: Nothing is Harder than Hegel
Miles today: 0.0

Alas, the hike will no longer be sans philosophy, but instead we will walk in the company of the German Idealists. Hank is taking along his Hegel. Perhaps this is better: Hank is always happier with his Hegel. Hank the Hegelian.         Hank¢s biggest reservations for hiking the trail have been the progress of his dissertation. But after a few weekends hiking among the cliffs and prairies of Illinois, the call of the wild won out (it often does). Still, he loves his philosophy and mourned the idea of its absence.       Then, the Eureka moment ¢ without the leaping from the tub and the naked running about, but a Eureka moment nonetheless ¢ this is not an either/or but an opportunity to exploit the both. Thus, Hank will be hiking with Hegel.   We are working out the details: xeroxed books in mail drops, perhaps a personal organizer for notes. Boring, boring details.   He can spend the trudging hours pondering the metaphysical arguments he studied the night before. (Hank likes his philosophy like he likes his beer: dense and difficult to digest.)       I am pleased with this adjustment to our hiking plans. No longer anticipating a pause in his philosophy, Hank is happier about the hike. I think it will give him an edge, as many philosophers have worked out their ideas during their walks in the woods.   Hegel, Schelling, and H¶lderlin would battle wits as they walked together along the Swabian Alps to the W14rmlinger Kapelle. (Hank often hiked this same trail when we lived in T14bingen.)   And during his alpine excursions, Nietzsche came up with all kinds of catchy quotes: "That which does not kill us makes us stronger" and "Exhaustion is the shortest way to equality." We will see what clever things Hank figures out on the road to Damascus and beyond. Wherever we are, there¢s always Hegel,There¢s always Hegel and us.Whatever we do, Hegel comes too.¢Let¢s go have a bagel,¢ I make a small fuss.¢Lovely, only ¢ so long as I bring along Hegel,¢ says Hank, says he.¢So long as I bring along Hegel.¢    (in the manner of A.A. Milne¢s Us Two)