morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2006-07-12
From: Fort Montgomery, NY

To: Fort Montgomery, NY
Miles today: 0.0

Zeroed today. Needed one day where I did absolutely nothing but sleep, in a bed, and that's it. I haven't been feeling well lately and I hope this helps. They were calling for over an inch of rain, and tornados were apparently touching down just south of here. I think I made the right choice, no?I also figured that since i'd be taking a zero just 45 mins from the George Washington Bridge, I'd call my Mom to see if she'd come up for dinner. Wasn't too hard to convince her! Had a really nice dinner with a lot of food and it was very good to see her, even if just for a short time. She actually recognized me in the bagel shop not by how I looked but by the scrapes down my arm. That's how different I look, that me own mudda didn't even know me! (Granted it was from behind, but.. still.)Hope doing nothing all day helps.. Daytime TV is *awful*. Watched 'Titanic', it was sad.
Date: 2006-07-13
From: Bear Mtn, NY

To: Fahnestock State Park, NY
Miles today: 18.2

Much better today. Felt good to be back out, although I was dreading it. It was still drizzling this morning crossing the Hudson but the sun did come out eventually and it turned out to be a nice day. Pretty easy terrain so I made it to the park a little earlier than I had planned. They let thruhikers camp for free ("Anyone who walks 1400 miles to get here deserves a free night", said the ranger.)Have this place mostly to myself.. nice and peaceful and the bugs are leaving me alone for the moment. And I've got the hum of the Taconic Parkway only a few hundred yards away to help ease my cityboy nerves while I sleep.
Date: 2006-07-14
From: Fahnestock State Park, NY

To: Morgan Stewart Shelter
Miles today: 16.0
Weather: few clouds

Not much to say about today except that it was HOT. And it's supposed to just get hotter. Got to a deli 1/2 mile off the trail and drank 2 liters of gatorade and a coke, and ate a foot long bolgna sub and 2 slices of pizza. I was a bit undernourished, I'd say. Felt much better after that.A few dayhikers spending the night here at the shelter cooked us up some steaks that they've had marinating for quite a while.. that went down great, let me tell ya. Late to bed tonight.
Date: 2006-07-15
From: Morgan Stewart Shelter

To: Ten Mile River campsite
Miles today: 20.8
Weather: overcast clouds

Out of NY, into CT!Long day but it ended up pretty nice. Another mid-day deli stop.. always good! Was supposed to be very hot but it wasn't too awful, and it was cloudy and drizzley during the peak heat so it turned out fine.Camping right next to the river tonight.. beautiful spot. Haven't had a spot this nice since I can remember. Ate my dinner on a rock in the middle of the river and had a nice swim.Good crowd too.. Lowgear, Moviestar Dave (he doesn't like being called that but.. hey), Mike and Zanne (the eastern Aussies), Johnny Appleseed, Mr. Parkay and the Chocolate Bandito. The trail in NY will not be remembered fondly, even if it is in my home state. Hope CT treats me better. No more easy terrain for the rest of the trip, though.PS Happy birthday Owen! Someone ripped the phone out of the deli, so.. no phone call. Sorry .. !
Date: 2006-07-16
From: Ten Mile River campsite

To: Mt. Algo Lean-to
Miles today: 8.4

Beautiful day today, but hot. Connecticut is already really nice, and the tougher terrain is already kicking in. Feels nice to do some real climbs again instead of that pointless NY up and down.Made it a short one to resupply in Kent, but I actually didn't need much at all. Got to Kent by 2. Fancy town.. everyone here looks and sounds like they're famous, at least famous in some circle or another. "Daarling, you just *must* read (some book.) I'm obsessed. *Obsessed!*" Just overheard that. Lots of bikers here too.. Well, lots of folks riding Harleys, not bikers, really. Good thing you don't have to hitch to this town, ain't no way they'd throw a stinky hiker in the back of a BMW SUV.Supposed to be in the mid 90's and humid for the next few days.. going to be rough.Funny story that I forgot to write about from back in NY.. good example of how living in the woods can mess with your head. I was climbing down some rocky hill and on my left, out of the corner of my eye, I caught a gimpse of some wierd animal on a rock just over my shoulder. As soon as I saw it I jumped back and away from it in case it decided to jump, bite, whatever. It had a long neck and long legs.. was about 8 inches long. Once I got a safe distance I stared at it for, literally, about 3 full seconds before I figured out what it was. It was a toy brontosaurus. It was so out of context, standing on a rock in the middle of nowhere, that it threw my brain for a loop. That actually happens a lot out here when you see something in the woods that doesn't belong.. it looks completely foreign for a few seconds. Weird.
Date: 2006-07-17
From: Mt. Algo Lean-to

To: Pine Swamp Brook Lean-to
Miles today: 17.3

Almost a perfect day. Perfect until about 5pm.Ended up at a bar in Kent last night until late and had to walk back up into the woods in the dark with a few in us. We only had one headlamp for 3 of us (Mr. Parkay and Dirt) so it was tricky climbing the rocks, but a nice little late night adventure. Didn't get to bed until about 11ish, lying in a pool of sweat.Another rediculously hot day. It was actually pretty nice, though.. went swimming in the Housatonic, then took a nap by a creek with very cold water. Felt like a million bucks, and was very, very happy. The last 6 miles, though, kicked my ass.There was no breeze and the bugs were everywhere. Out of all the things you have to deal with out here I think the bugs are the most likely to put you in the nuthouse. They're so frustrating that, for short bursts, you completely loose your mind. You swat and curse and throw things, but to no avail. They're still in your ears, in your eyes, biting everywhere, buzzing in circles. DEET doesn't work. Nothing works. And so insanity sets in.I'm in my tent with barely anything on, on top of my sleeping bag, dripping sweat. This is gonna be a long night.Tomorrow is my last day hiking before the hiatus for the wedding. 5 days off. It better be fall when I get back.
Date: 2006-07-18
From: Pine Swamp Brook Lean-to

To: Salsbury, CT
Miles today: 15.7

Was rough sleeping last night through the heat and the bugs, and really rough in the morning. Lesson learned : never stay at a shelter with the word 'swamp' in the name.Another hot one up in the mid 90's, but we made it to town by about 3:30 before the real heat kicked in.I was pretty itchy to get into town since my Dad was coming to pick me up to get off for the wedding. I was sitting at a table with Miss Parkay, Johnny Appleseed and Wildbill and he came up to the table and started to ask us if anyone knew where I was.. didn't recognize me sitting there!He was staying about 15 mins away and offered to take myself and the other hikers back for the night. Wildbill declined (sucka!) but we convinced Johnny and Parkay to come back for some steaks and sleep in a bed. Dinner was goood. Today was my last hiking day until next Monday.. this break should help quite a bit. Staying with my cousins in NY and going to my college buddy's wedding. It will be interesting to see how I feel when I get back on, and who's around. Should be near a lot of my old hiking buddies.. excited to see them all again.
Date: 2006-07-23
From: Warwick, NY

To: Salsbury, CT
Miles today: 0.0

Ahhh 5 days off. Ate too much, slept too much, got a haircut, went to a wedding, saw the family, saw some old college buddies, missed some rain.. all very good things.Thanks to Brian and Krissy for letting me stay at their place in Warwick!
Date: 2006-07-24
From: Jug End Rd

To: Salsbury, CT
Miles today: 18.5

Hard but beautiful day today. Got slackpacked up in MA a bit and hiked back to Salsbury. I don't know if it was the terrain or the fact that I've been off for 5 days, but it all really kicked my rearend. I ended up being pretty late trying to meet up with my dad so I didn't really take any breaks. Bad idea!Doing the slack was nice because I got to see a whole load of folks that I haven't seen in ages: Indiana, Rush Hour, Identity Crisis, Treehouse (fka Nick), Bama and Littlewing.. haven't seen them since the floods. Also saw Coolhand, Gretchen, Trickster, What? and Fiddlesticks (fka Sherps). Haven't seen her since Tenn! I did not see the Layman family.. such slackers. 5 days off and they're still behind me, and no one has seen them.The mtns today, though, were some of the most beautiful that I've seen in.. hundreds of miles. It was hard but it all paid off when you got to the top. Since it was so cool and clear you could see the Catskills, Mt. Greylock.. miles and miles. New England is living up to it's reputation.Two milestones today : 1500 miles under my belt, and another state line into Mass. Not bad!
Date: 2006-07-25
From: My Dad's place in MA

To: My Dad's place in MA
Miles today: 0.0

Sick today. Very sick. Started feeling chills and aches last night and it just got worse. Today it's aches and headache and no appitite. Ordinarily I would have waited it out but I was worried about Lyme so I went to a clinic up in Pittsfield.The women who checked me out was frighteningly dopey. She ruled out Lyme because of how rare it is (um, no it's not) and because of how fast my symptoms set in (ok, that makes sense). She said that my headaches were from dehydration, which I assured her was wrong. She also asked me if the tick that bit me was on me for more than 72 hours. Now how would I know that?! "Well, I saw that tick on me but, with the hiking and all, I just plumb forgot to pull him off until three days later. Oops."So I've been told to wait it out and see if I feel better. Hard to do when you're trying to hike, and also trying not to interfere too much with my father's plans, since I'm staying with him until I'm better.I hate things like this, where I don't know what's wrong, how long it's going to last, and what it's going to mean for the hike. It's just so much easier to go home and quit than it is to wait and see...
Date: 2006-07-26
From: My Dad's place in MA

To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Still sick, felt even worse today than yesterday. Fever peaked off nearing 104 and I couldn't take it anymore.. took a bath in cool water and that helped tremendously. I could almost feel my brain cookin. Went to another doc today and she was 1000 times better than the one from yesterday.. Did blood work and put me on a general antibiotic until the bloodwork comes back.Got a call from Bluey today.. they're all in Salsbury, 15 mins away, but I was too sick to visit. They'll be ahead of me by a few days now I reckon.Bed time..
Date: 2006-07-27
From: Dad's Place

To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Still at my Pop's place shaking this thing off. Fever broke today, thank goodness. I think if my temp went another tenth of a degree I would have spontaneously combusted, but instead I was drenched in sweat and took an exhausted nap, which felt great.Still in rough shape though, not hiking tomorrow. Going to see if I can't find my old crew along the road.. have a pretty good idea of where they should be.
Date: 2006-07-28
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Still improving. Bad headaches, aches, and dizziness, but, no fever and finally eating again. Still no way I can hike though.. tried walking about a mile today and it seemed like the ground would always meet my feet about 6 inches higher than my brain expected it to.   Like suddenly walking up a ramp that you didn't realize was there.Met the Aussies and Hawkeye at the road and made plans to pick them up at the end of their hike. My dad and Linda invited them to come over, spend the night, shower, eat some food, etc. They made some speghetti with meatballs and sausage and it all came out unbelievably good. Was the first real meal I've eaten in a long time and my body was quite happy.Was so good to see those guys again.. it's been months. Everyone looked really great.. happy and healthy. I remembered almost right away why I missed them all so much in early VA. Wish I had more time to spend with them.. I'm going to have to get better and catch their zero-day-takin' asses. Had lots of good laughs over dinner and I realized that it's been a while since I've laughed like that on the trail.I also spent a few hours with a couple doing a hiker feed at Benedict Pond and I don't remember their names, like an idiot. They were a cool couple, very nice talking to them. They have a son who did the trail a few years ago.. he must have told them the huge huge difference trail magic can make.
Date: 2006-07-29
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Dropped the gang off at the trail this morning, which was hard to do. I'm pretty sure I'll catch them, but it was also hard to watch them hike off when I can't.. like I'm not hiking anymore and they still get to. I've been feeling very disassociated from the trail lately. Not by choice, of course, but just because I've been away from it for so long. Thruhikers hike by and don't see me as a hiker.Speaking of which, I'm going to try to hike tomorrow. I'll do a short slackpack and see how it goes. I did feel healthier today, but I also had points where I needed to stop and not move for a while. I'm giving myself a lot of time to do the miles so if I need to rest, I will. Still, I'm nervous about it. If tomorrow is a disaster then I'm not sure what I'll do.
Date: 2006-07-30
From: Jug End Rd.

To: MA 23
Miles today: 12.9

Tough day, tough day. Good weather and easy terrain, but, hard on the body. Started out swampy and buggy (someone wrote a little sign that looked a few years old that said 'If you pass this point without DEET, kiss your ass goodbye!'), but pretty flat.Was dizzy but still ok during that but once it started to climb I was in trouble. Very dizzy, weak, and faint.. had to stop and just kneel in the middle of the trail a few times because my knees would buckle. Finally I had to lay down but it took me a mile or so to find a flat spot on a rock in the sun. It was a completely different type of fatigue.. it was my whole body and gave me no choice but to stop.I was actually really upset by this.. I couldn't walk another step, and I've been resting for a week now from this damn bug. I felt like this was it, what more could I do but be done, and I mean done done. Not sure if I've had a worse moment out here.. it was a pretty deep hole.So I laid on this rock not able to move for quite a while, feeling bad for myself. Finally I just got my ass up and kept going best I could and I did actually feel better. My worry was that I had overdone it and now that was it for the day, but it seemed to be just a spell. If it's going to be just a spell I can deal with it, and that got my hopes up.Finished with no more real trouble, and it all turned out good. Good confidence booster and I needed that.Slackpacking with an increasing pack weight for the next two days, still staying with my Pops.This is a long one but I forgot one thing : broke a pole between a rock and a tree. Awesome, right?
Date: 2006-07-31
From: Webster Rd

To: MA 23
Miles today: 14.0

Lyme test came back negative today, which could be a false-positive (Lyme is apt to do that) or it could be that whatever I have/had wasn't Lyme. I was actually pretty disappointed, because at least there's a clear way to treat Lyme. I have been feeling better day by day, but I still don't have a lot of my strength back. It could be that the antibotics are helping or I could be doing this on my own.. who knows. My symptoms and recovery acutally line up well with West Nile, which is kind of a creepy thought. Still, frustrating not knowing *why* I had to take nearly a week off, and if this weakness that I'm feeling means that I'm still not well.Anyway, hiking was much better today. Still some slight dizziness and headaches, but they probably would have gone unnoticed if I weren't paying attention. Beautiful day with easy terrain.Bumped into some more old friends.. Old Drum, Birkenstock, and E'nuff & Too Much who I really haven't hung out with since Kincora in TN. I'll be right with them now so it'll be good to have some familiar hiking pals.Still being slackpacked by my Pops.. wonder how much of MA I can do this way
Date: 2006-08-01
From: Webster Rd.

To: West Branch Rd.
Miles today: 14.6

Pretty easy day today. I did have a good hour of weakness though, out of the blue. Very dizzy, knees buckling, dragging my poles and my feet. I would sit down every 200 yards or so and shuffle in between. Then it would pass, and I'd be fine.Calling the doctor tomorrow morning to wrap up loose ends with these symptoms and my perscription.Hiking-wise today was very uneventful.. mostly heat and bugs and swamps and mud. And bugs. Didn't see one other thruhiker.
Date: 2006-08-02
From: West Branch Rd.

To: Railroad tracks (Dalton, MA)
Miles today: 10.5
Weather: haze

Short day today.. meant to do 12 to get into Dalton proper but I was running a bit late and we needed to hit the post office and pharamacy before they closed. Spent most of the miles with Enuff and Too Much.. missed those guys.Was pretty damn hot.. I think this is heat wave number 12 this summer? Is that right? How many days have we had in the 90's?Felt good today.. very strong and healthy. Today is the last day I'll be staying at my Pop's place.. tomorrow I'll be back into the woods. I can't say how lucky I've been and how thankful I am to My Dad and Linda for taking me in. They've been driving me to and from the trail for days now, and putting me up until I was healthy and worked things out with the doc. If it weren't for them I really think I'd be off the trail back in NY. Ain't no way I wouldn't have been in the hospital if I were alone.Very itchy and excited, though, to be going back in. I'll be in Vermont in a few days, and see my friends on Sat. Then the best 600 miles of the trail.And I got new boots! 1215 miles on that last pair. They had no treads, were full of holes, and actually had whole chunks missing from the soles.
Date: 2006-08-03
From: Railroad tracks (Dalton, MA)

To: Mark Noepal Lean-to
Miles today: 14.3

Short day (done at 3:30) but I figured I'd take it easy on my first real day out. My dad and Linda dropped me off in Dalton pretty early so we got breakfast and said our goodbyes, and then up up up out of Dalton, only to go back down down down into Cheshire.Cheshire was a strange one.. you would walk down residential streets, then through a corn field, then through a town park, then residential again, and finally up into the woods.The new boots worked out well so far, but they're already starting to pull away in the same spots as before. After one day! If they didn't fit like a glove (a foot glove) I'd definitely be looking for different boots.Staying in a shelter with RockChalk.. the weather is definitely cooler up here, with a nice breeze. Hoping for some nice thunderstorms.Climbing Greylock tomorrow and then into Vermont! Managed to spend only one night in the woods in all of Mass.
Date: 2006-08-04
From: Mark Noepal Lean-to

To: Seth Warner Shelter
Miles today: 16.5
Weather: light rain

Goodbye Mass hellooo Vermont! We've also passed the 600 miles-to-go mark.. not too shabby for one day's hiking, eh?Today started out pretty rough.. slept awfully in the shelter (porcupines gnawing, mice chewing, SOBOs snoring..) but I'm glad I didn't tent.. we got about an inch or so of rain in the morning. Delayed my leaving by a few hours but I made it up Greylock by 10am, just in time for the snackbar to open.It was completely socked in with rain and fog so we didn't get to see the view, but on top is a huge tower that looks like a chess pawn. Pretty awesome to see that thing just appear when the fog would thin, and then disappear again.Greylock is the highest mtn in Mass and the hike down was a doozy. Straight down from ~3500 to ~700 feet. Then on the other side (after ice cream at the Stop&Shop) it goes right back up again, to the VT border.After the rain stopped and the fog cleared it was actually a perfect day.. low humidity, low temps, blue skies, puffy clouds.. all that high pressure jazz.Tired tonight (might have overdone it a bit..) but feeling strong, and confident that I'm healthy again. Weather is supposed to be perfect for the next few days..
Date: 2006-08-05
From: Seth Warner Shelter

To: Bennington, VT
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

Short day into Bennington to meet up with the old gang. Another beautiful day.. almost no humidity and in the 70's. So far Vermont has been, well, muddy. Constant mud. Anywhere where there should be dirt is mud. At one point today the trail followed the shore of a pond, but the pond was 3 feet higher than the trail, being held up by a very leaky beaver dam that was about 30 feet across. Very cool.Got to Bennington and got some bad news.. Waltzing Matilda had to go to the hospital with a blood clot in her leg. She'll have to be there for at least a few days so they can make sure it doesn't move. Luckily she was in Ohio with Hawkeye so they had easy access to a good hospital. Remains to be seen what this means for her hike.Relaxing tonight and zeroing tomorrow with Bluey and Vegemite while they work out what to do with Hawkeye's and Matilda's gear.
Date: 2006-08-07
From: Bennington, VT

To: Bennington, VT
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Was planning on hiking out today but as the day went on I started feeling worse and worse. Decided to zero here again with ERock, Bluey and Vegemite. I feel exactly like I did at my father's place.. definitely have a fever.This has been going on a long time, and I don't think it would be safe to hike without solving this and finding out exactly what's wrong. I'm pretty sure that tomorrow I'll be going to NY. I don't want to get into it right now but I feel completely brokenhearted about this.
Date: 2006-08-08
From: Bennington, VT

To: Bennington, VT
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Didn't go to NY today but I didn't hike either. Still sick.. going back to NY tomorrow. The Aussies got their Visas denied, which is bad. They're going to try to renew but it's getting down to the wire.I'll write more tomorrow.
Date: 2006-08-09
From: Bennington, VT

To: Home in NY
Miles today: 0.0

Writing this from a bus going back to NYC.This morning was hard.. said goodbye to Vege, Bluey, and ERock, not knowing when I'll see then again. If the girls don't get their Visas renewed they'll have to leave the country on the 4th of Sept and I won't see them. Matilda is doing better but I think her hike is over; she'll have to be monitored too closely to be out in the woods. Hawkeye will be coming back Tues, he believes. Knock Knock is doing work-for-stay in Rutland waiting for us, thinking that we're closer than we are. So we're all scattered about.. not the way we envisioned the last, and best, section of the trail. I know I talk about a lot of people out here but I'm very, very close to this bunch, and it's extremely hard to know that this might be it for a long time.So, I don't know if this is it for me or not. It takes a lot for me to concede for health reasons, but I can't seem to shake whatever it is that I've got. For the past two or three days I've felt just like I did when I was sick in Mass, but it comes and goes. In the morning it's fine, then in the afternoon / evening I get a fever of around 101, and all of the other symptoms from before.I'm sure when I get home and go to the doctor I'll feel fine, and they won't find anything, and I'll want to come right back out, because that's what always happens. But I did that once and got sick again. I hate this being only *vaugely* sick so they have nothing to go on. If I took one more zero and not rushed home, would I have felt better? Would that mean that I *am* better? I hate having so many questions..This is long, sorry. Very upset about all of this. And right now, as I'm heading home, I feel healthy as a horse and it's a beautiful day.