morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2005-06-24
From: Shaker Campsite

To: Dalton, MA (Tom's house)
Miles today: 30.5
Weather: clear sky

Lots of shimmering ponds and rolling hills today. I saw no other thru-hikers on the trail today and the registers in the upcoming days are close to bare. I am thinking that a lot of people recently dropped off. I went into Lee to buy a sub (which is not called a sub but a grinder in this area) and the guy behind the counter put tons of roast beef on. Heading back to the trail, a guy picked me up who owned a brochure company and had thousands and thousands of them in his van. He was telling me how people in the Berkshires are cold and formal and non-discriminating; you have to play by their rules to be accepted. Back in the woods I thought I would burst because I was so full from my footlong humungous sub but I managed to keep on going. I've been so weary lately, walking 122 miles in four days with very little sleep. It is safe to say that I haven't been having much fun hiking in the past few days, with every night being a freezing nightmare and the bugs marauding me by day. I've been thinking a lot about getting to Katahdin and the end of the AT. I have a ways to go and I am tired. Then there's the decision about the rest of the Eastern Continental Trail from Key West to Cape Gaspe. After the AT there will be 1500 miles or so that I won't have done. I've got the money and the time, but do I have the will? Of this, I'm not sure. I've been walking for five and a half months now, and there is so much else to do with my life.Anyway, getting to Dalton, I entered the town and passed two guys sitting on a picnic table in a yard. "Do you know where the gentleman lives that lets hikers stay on his porch?" I inquired. They gave me a kind of odd look and then I realized, "So that's you!" Tom has been helping out hikers for over 20 years. A super nice guy, he offered me ice cream as soon as I arrived. He has a load of warm blankets on his porch and so there is no chance of my losing sleep tonight.
Date: 2005-06-25
From: Dalton, MA (Tom's house)

To: Mt. Greylock Summit (stealth camped)
Miles today: 17.0

Today I slept in until 9:00, enjoying a good night of sleep under warm blankets. I picked up my sleeping bag at the post office to find that Jon Phipps had sent me a super trail magic box. Thanks Jon!Next order of business was getting over to Eastern Mountain Sports at the Berkshire Mall to pick up a segment of a trekking pole to replace the one I snapped. No one seemed to want to pick up a smelly hiker like me so I walked the two miles over a back dirt road to get there. It was a pleasant walk and besides, I do need to get out more ya know. At EMS, I met the ridgerunner around here and he offered me a ride back to the trail. Finally on the trail at around 3:00, I enjoyed the easy walking. I met a flip-flopper named Wingit slackpacking back to Dalton. She says she does a lot of yellow-blazing but hey, at least she's honest about it. We talked for a little while and she told me about the ice cream place in Cheshire. Of course I had to stop there as well. The barrage of trail towns ends as I get into Vermont so I'm stocking up now!After Cheshire, I stopped to water the wheat in a pasture. I whipped it out without looking ahead of me on the trail and approaching me are three weekenders. Woops! They were cool about it at least. The trail continues in pasture for a ways and there was a small herd of cows grazing near the stile. I shouted "ya!" and clapped my poles together, hoping to get them out of my way. Instead of moving away from me, they all gave me an odd look and started towards me. This spooked me out and I jumped over the stile as fast as I could. I think they just thought I was going to lead them to feed but I'd hate for the headlines to read "AT HIKER'S WALK BROUGHT TO CLOSE BY DEADLY BOVINE MAULING". That would be embarassing.The walk up to Mt. Greylock is nice and gentle and the aroma of pine surrounded me. It's alpine-looking, lush green and mossy. A full day tomorrow and a warm night's sleep tonight.
Date: 2005-06-26
From: Mt. Greylock Summit (stealth camped)

To: Little Pond Lookout
Miles today: 30.5

Steep downhill from Greylock, thud thud thud, these descents do a number on my body. In North Adams, I went in search of the grocery store, where I spent almost three hours shopping for breakfast and resupply. Gatorade, chocolate milk, a quarter pound of honey ham, a blueberry muffin, and a fruit bowl for the last town food I'll eat for six days. I bought enough food to get me to Hanover, NH and I don't think too many other hikers could get away with calling me "ultralite" at the present moment. I've got a loaf of french bread in each of my side mesh pouches even. Back on the trail I see tons of snakes but none poisonous thankfully. It's a steady climb, soft mud and bunches of roots to get in the way. I meet four other thru-hikers calling themselves Team Vanity. I take a break, they keep going, and then I catch up to one of them sitting down, who says he just had a "funny moment", meaning he felt as if he was about to go unconscious. I asked him if he wanted me to walk with him until he caught up with his friends. He said no but afterwards I regretted not pushing the issue. I mean, what if something happened to him, I could have helped prevent it. I think it is hard for us to ask others for help on the trail since self-reliance is so crucial.A while later, on a primitive dirt road, a truck comes putting by, bouncing up and down on the rutted road. The driver, who was wearing a shirt that said "Rednecked & Blue Collared" jumped out of the car and asked me what I was doing. He was so drunk he could barely walk but when I told him, he offered me a cold beer. Then another one for the road. So I walked the next mile contentedly drinking an icey beer.Getting up to my stealth campsite, I met CastAway and Jives, who had built a fire. They gave me some more alcohol and we hung out a bit, talking about the trail. I can hear the bullfrogs croaking down below and the many songs that this night holds.
Date: 2005-06-27
From: Little Pond Lookout

To: Spruce Peak Shelter
Miles today: 31.5
Weather: scattered clouds

I was awakened this morning by the buzzing of mosquitoes around my head and their enjoyment of my blood for breakfast. They have no mercy.I walked alone all day, only seeing a few other hikers. Hitting the Story Spring shelter for lunch, I relaxed for a bit and a thunderstorm started. Rain pounded the ground and loud claps shook the structure. I watched it contentedly and drifted off to sleep for a little while. How glad I was to have gotten to the shelter before it came down!After the downpour, it cooled off a bit and I kept walking. Stratton Mountain was a gentle climb. On the summit, I met two bird researchers, one from Argentina. His English was pretty impressive for just being here eight months.I descended to Stratton Pond and, already getting late, debated whether or not to jump in. I hopped in and enjoyed the cool water. I bathed myself thoroughly and refreshed, got back on my shoes and started walking again.I'm enjoying Green Mountain National Forest. Vermont is one of my favorite states on the trail. Its lush and dense vegetation and frequent and crystal-clear springs and creeks make for an enjoyable hike. Arriving at the William B. Douglas shelter, I noticed that it was a half mile off the trail, whereas the next shelter was only three miles up. There was still some daylight left and so I decided to trudge on. Fortunately for my weary body, much of the next few miles was on a dirt road and all was flat. Hitting the sign for the shelter near dark, I started to walk up when I heard a large dog give a bark that sounded ferocious. I could see his green eyes reflected in my headlamp. Suddenly the dog became friendly and the owner walked towards me. His trailname was The Stone, and he thru-hiked in 2002. He is leading a camp for kids and they are out here hiking for a few days. He turned out to be a really nice guy and offered me a rice & beans dinner. I gratefully accepted it. The shelter is more like a cabin, with four sides enclosed and a wood-burning stove. And since The Stone's group is tenting, I have it all to myself. With the close of my longest-ever hiking week, 201 miles,! I don't doubt that I will sleep well tonight.
Date: 2005-06-28
From: Spruce Peak Shelter

To: Lula Tye Shelter
Miles today: 22.3

Since last week was so long and I had a wonderful shelter all to myself, I decided to sleep in. I awoke at 9:30 and didn't even get on the trail until noon. The Stone left me more trail magic, a generous quantity of granola and powdered milk for breakfast.I started hiking just in time for the rain to start. I didn't mind though; it drove away the bugs and wasn't too cold. It rained for several hours and the trail became quite muddy. I don't mean to be sappy, but I was thinking to myself how good the weather had been the whole time and how fortunate I was compared to thru-hikers of other years.There were a few steep climbs today but mostly the trail was flat. Walking down one of the peaks, I ran into this guy going southbound who is attempting to break the speed record and run the trail in 45 days. Unlike my meeting with David Horton, I really didn't get a good impression of this dude. He seemed so full of himself. I suppose thru-hikers ourselves need a bit of arrogance to believe in ourselves enough to think we can pull it off when so many people fail. Anyhow, he's on day 14 from Katahdin and this seemed a little slow in relation to his goal, so I said "Wow! You'd better hurry up." This got him all explaining himself...it was pretty funny. He seemed to enjoy condescending to me so I had to come up with something to get his panties in a bunch. We'll see if he makes it, I think there is a strong likelihood that he will succeed.I walked until almost dusk and was happy to find the shelter empty, for a second night in a row. Am I lucky or what?
Date: 2005-06-29
From: Lula Tye Shelter

To: Tucker-Johnson Shelter
Miles today: 31.3

I saw no other hikers this morning until around noon when I met a group of "special needs" adolescents and their counselor. I was in a peaceful mood and stayed content as the thunder and lighting struck and the rain poured down. The bugs had been almost unbearable before the rain and I think I would usually take a downpour over the biting swarms.Vermont continues to be lush and beautiful and I am surprised about the few other hikers I see. I think that I have finally passed most of the thru-hiker groups and there are less than 50 NOBO thru-hikers ahead of me. In the afternoon, I met the first real southbound thru-hiker, a kid named Ryan. We swapped details about the trail in either direction and he seemed thrilled to be the first SOBO hiker and also eager to hike hard and fast. The climb up Killington was no big deal, long but not steep. I'm practicing for the Whites by walking quickly uphill.I go 1600-something miles without a shelter to myself and tonight is now my third night in a row with my own place. Lucky me!
Date: 2005-06-30
From: Tucker-Johnson Shelter

To: VT 12 (Big Red Barn)
Miles today: 22.7

The northern part of Vermont doesn't compare at all with the southern. The woods totally change when the Long Trail leaves the AT. They become less lush, ugly, and there are lots of steep hills with little redeeming value and no views. Yes, northern Vermont sucks. I was feeling rather miserable today walking in wet shoes for the third day of thunderstorms. My athlete's foot started to come back and felt rather gross.But as is frequent on the trail, just as I was feeling really miserable, trail magic struck. I was crossing an electric fence going down to the VT 12 road crossing and as my pant leg brushed against the fence, "whap!" I got an electric shock. But no, that's not the trail magic. Getting down to the bottom of the hill, I saw a sign for the "Big, Red Barn" a free shelter 50 yards away. I went over and met Tom, a cool kid who gave me a ride to town and hung out with me all night. He works for the owner of the house, Dan, who fixes old steeples. Dan has the same name as one of my favorite authors (not Dan Brown) and I asked him if he was the author. He said, "I'm just going to hold off on telling you that" and so he just might be...The night was fun and relaxing and after a shower, I felt great. We made sausage sandwiches, drank some beers, ate Ben & Jerry's, and talked about the trail. I passed out on the couch up in the old barn, surrounded by Dan's steeple-fixing equipment.
Date: 2005-07-01
From: VT 12 (Big Red Barn)

To: Hanover, NH
Miles today: 22.4
Weather: light rain

I started off the morning feeling great after a relaxing evening. I headed out really late, around 10:00, knowing that Hanover wasn't too far away. Somehow the steep climbs didn't seem too steep today, I think because my mood got a lot better. I'm picking up my tent at the post office tomorrow (Saturday) and am hoping that the post office is open this Saturday, being that Monday is July 4th. I was getting rather tired after some miles when a ferocious dog ran up to me as if it was going to bite me. What's with me and dogs on the trail? This one was a huge black lab with a vicious bark and looked like it could tear me to pieces. I started yelling at it "HEY!" and readied one of my trekking poles to rap it on the head. It came within three feet of me and then ran away. My adrenaline was pumping and so when I met its owner 10 seconds up the trail, I shouted "YOU OUGHTA PUT A LEASH ON YOUR DOG LADY!" She apologized, and I kept on walking, furious. My adrenaline gave me enough energy to motor into Hanover without stopping.When I was a senior in high school, I applied to Dartmouth early decision and spent a lot of time on my application. My college counselor told me it was one of the best she had ever seen and we both thought I would probably get in. Instead, they flat-out rejected me. Thoughts of what a big deal it was at the time drifted through my head as I approached Hanover. People have been offering to help me out lately so much. I am so grateful for all the trail magic, it is pushing me towards Katahdin. As I came out of the woods into Norwich, a gentleman slowed his truck and started asking me about my hike. Then he gave me his phone number and invited me to spend the night if need be. As I got to Main Street in Hanover, I asked some guys speaking Spanish where the grocery store was. They also asked me about the hike and then asked me if I spoke Spanish. "Claro que si" I responded and they invited me to a free dinner and a night in a dorm room. They were students in a 10 day full immersion program at Dartmouth. So I spent the night there, had a shower and change of clothes, and went to a dance after the wonderful dinner. Life is good.
Date: 2005-07-02
From: Hanover, NH

To: NH 25 (stealth camped)
Miles today: 33.6

Long, tough day yesterday. Ha! Yeah right. Ended up being another unplanned zero. I packed up my stuff and thanked my host for the night in the dorm room. Spanish to the rescue yet again. My tent arrived safely in the mail. I had heard that the diner Lou's Kitchen served big portions at decent prices so I headed over there for breakfast. A local lawyer named Peter invited me to sit with him and so I did. The priest at the local Catholic church showed up as well as Peter's wife, Joyce. They had lots of good questions for me about the trail. The priest bought me breakfast which made it a great meal.I went to the barber shop and got my hair all cut off by an old timer named Jim. He didn't even use electric clippers, just scissors and a blade razor. I look quite different now and it's the first time I've had short hair in five years.I thought it would be fun to hang out in Hanover for much of the rest of the day and look at the Dartmouth girls. Talk about an affluent town. I went and saw Cinderella Man, a good movie about a guy pulling himself up by his boot straps by boxing. This morning I left Hanover nice and early, resisting the temptation to have another restaurant meal before leaving. It was a beautiful, cloudless sky today and not that hot. About as perfect as I could ask for. The terrain wasn't too tough most of the day with a few short, steep climbs. I saw some great views and seeing some of the Whites in the distance made me excited to get there. It will be good to have a stiff challenge this late in the game when I've been comfortable and rolling along for a while. I've been psyching myself up for the Whites for days now and tomorrow we'll finally see what I'm really made of.
Date: 2005-07-04
From: NH 25 (stealth camped)

To: One mile north of Kinsman Notch
Miles today: 20.3
Weather: clear sky

Most critters on the trail I don't mind, but if there is one that grosses me out, it's the slug. I don't get why they're attracted to my stuff. This morning, after another night of sleeping out, I woke up to find over 30 slugs slimed all over and in my shoes, backpack, shirt, and sleeping bag. Gross!The terrain to Glencliff was really easy. I headed over to the hiker hostel to relax for a while and ate a microwave pizza with tuna on top. Yum. There was a female section hiker who attempted a thru-hike last year. She twisted her ankle in the Whites, took some time off, and when she got back could not keep up. She quit 80 miles from Katahdin. She said it was very dissapointing.Climbing Mount Moosilauke was fun. The view from the summit is simply the best so far on the entire trail. I took so many pictures today. Going down is super steep. It's great that they put in some wooden steps or I would have cracked my skull. The trail runs parallel to some awesome cascades on the way down.Another day of perfect weather made for a spectacular day of hiking. I am excited for the Whites but not looking forward to a high chance of rain these next several days.
Date: 2005-07-05
From: One mile north of Kinsman Notch

To: Summit of Little Haystack Mtn. (stealth camped)
Miles today: 20.0

Do the Whites rule or what? Before doing the AT, this is what I thought the whole trail would be like. The climbs are steep and rocky but the challenge is finally in the trail terrain itself, not just in "keeping on going". Walking up Kinsman was tough - I found myself wondering when the summit would finally appear. The weather was overcast in the morning and so the view wasn't spectacular. I went to boarding school right near here, at The White Mountain School in Bethlehem, NH and so it's funny to pass by some places I kinda sorta knew, like the under-the-bridge road crossing where the sign is for The Flume Gorge. The man in the mountain's nose has fallen off since I was here last, I've heard. At Lonesome Lake hut, I offered to wash some dishes for a piece of rhubarb pie, brownies, and lemonade. I only did about 20 minutes of dishes and the pie and brownies really hit the spot. The folks at the hut were really nice too.I just got word about two trail friends. AirBus, who is British and got off the trail to go to Canada to renew his visa, had to go back home because US Customs officials wouldn't let him back in since Canada is a neighboring coyntry. This must have been really disapointing for him but he is coming back to the States July 11th to finish the trail. Great determination! Tom, formerly of Tom & Mateo, also got in touch. He seems glad he got off the trail, reports that Mateo is still on (yeay!) and invited me to come hang out at his place when I finish. Might do.Back in New Hampshire, I made my way up from Franconia Notch to Liberty Spring campsite. As I got there, rain started to beat down and thunder cracked in the distance. The caretaker, a big Leave No Trace proponent, told me it would not be a good idea to walk on Franconia Ridge in the rain, much less a thunderstorm, since it is exposed above treeline for a few miles and also can be dangerously windy. I took her more seriously when she told me she was a 2004 thru-hiker. She told me about the stealth site where I'm camped and was quite helpful. The rain beat down and the thunder clapped nearby as I made my way along the unexposed ridge beneath treeline. Believe it or not, this is my first night setting up my tent on the entire AT. My day ended early, with more time to relax and rest.
Date: 2005-07-06
From: Summit of Little Haystack (stealth-camped)

To: Crawford Notch
Miles today: 23.0
Weather: fog

Man, more rain all day, cloudy skies,and cold weather! It would be nice if I got just a little bit of good weather in the Whites. But it's still cool up here. The walk on Franconia Ridge was really beautiful and my shoes seemed to grip pretty well on the downhill rock. At one of the huts, they were offering a bottomless bowl of great potato leek soup and bread for $3 and it was great to come out of the rain for a bit and dry my feet. I talked to Indy for a while, part of the hut crew and a thru-hiker from last year. She told me that the hut was in compliance with the American Disabilities Act and as I was thinking "Huh? How would a person with disabilities be able to make it up here?" she told me that 7 people in wheelchairs had come up with planks on the trail and support. Pretty wild since there are boulders the size of cars leading up to here.The walk to Zealand Falls Hut wasn't bad in the rain. I met a mother and son who were wearing all cotton clothing in the 50 degree downpour. I put on my best helper face and explained to them that wearing cotton in this weather was like driving drunk without a seatbelt. They seemed receptive and I felt good that I came across without seeming like a know-it-all thru-hiker.At the Zealand Falls hut, I was chatting with some tourist hikers and they were really interested in my hike. One of them tried to give me a $20 bill. Eight easy miles more down to Crawford Notch and I thought about my options. It was raining pretty hard still and a lot of my stuff was wet. The AMC hostel seemed expensive at $25, but I decided to get a ride there anyhow. There were two southbound thru-hikers there and another non-hiker. Kind of an odd setup, seems more like a big company than a place for hikers.
Date: 2005-07-07
From: Crawford Notch

To: Mitzpah Hut
Miles today: 6.4
Weather: light rain

Well today started off as one of the worst days on the trail and ended as one of the best. $40 was stolen from my pants pocket last nigt at the Highlands Center hostel as I slept. The management at the AMC Crawford Center was not only uncooperative, they were extremely rude. But if this is the worst thing that happens to me on the AT, I suppose it isn't so bad.I felt really out of wack and upset because of this incident this morning and so when I got back to the trailhead, I decided to do a very short day and relax. Plus there was a hint of blue peaking through the clouds and I thought this might possibly be my only opportunity to relax in the Whites and see the views. I spent a few hours napping on a ledge and walked leisurely to the hut. On the way I met this girl named Becca drying her clothes and talked to her a bit.At the Mizpah hut, they said I could do work for stay and put me to work burning maggots in the compost with a blow torch. This was unique and I got a kick out of watching the little bastards crackle and die. One of them exploded in my eye though. Another part of the work for stay agreement was doing a little talk about my trip. It was mostly kids from a summer camp present and I thought they wouldn't really be interested. On the contrary, they were enthralled, and asked me questions for almost an hour. It was really neat and I got into it. After everyone went to bed, I talked to Becca for a long time and it was a great conversation.