morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2004-07-30
To: The Return of Whoa and Moxie
Miles today: 0.0

Back in North Carolina, I first hiked and camped with thru hikers Whoa and Moxie, a couple from California. After that, they had been mentioned often in this journal. Somewhere along the way, Whoa contracted shin splints and they took some days off for him to recover. I had kept on hiking and never saw them again. Since then, we exchanged occasional emails to update our progresses on the trail. I left them messages in the registers at shelters.This morning, they re-appeared in the lobby of the hotel here in Delaware Water Gap, PA. We embraced joyfully.Our reunion had a bittersweet flavor. Whoa's shins are fine, but Moxie is recovering from a serious knee injury which happened on the trail before Harper's Ferry, WV. They are not sure what comes next, perhaps a few days of rest while her knee mends.This morning in the breakfast room at the hotel, I noticed people walking around with splashy looking t-shirts related to car racing. The shirts¢and the people wearing them¢were walking corporate endorsements. There were small NASCAR logos on the shirts and larger corporate logos, like Busch, on the front of the shirts. I don't know much about car racing, but it seems like corporate sponsorship is a big part of the NASCAR scene. Seeing these advance guards of the racing scene¢big spenders in the eyes of the hotel management¢reminded me that the time had come to shoulder my backpack, leave the hotel, and walk over to the hostel at the Presbyterian Church.At the hostel, I dried out my wet tarp and performed maintenance on some gear. The post office was nearby, and I picked up and dropped off my drift box. The box was shipped to Kent, CT, the location of my next day of rest.I hung out with hikers Whoa, Moxie, Brood X, Gather, and Baloo. London Len showed up in the evening.Some men from the church were performing renovation work on a shower area inside the hostel. Their power tools were noisy, so my level of relaxation was less than desired. But hey, the church does not have to provide this hostel to hikers, and I am grateful to them for it. The sleeping quarters are cramped at this hostel. I will sleep in a shelter out back.
Date: 2004-07-31
From: Delaware Water Gap, PA

To: Beautiful New Jersey
Miles today: 24.8

When General George Washington and his soldiers rowed over the Delaware River during the American Revolution, it happened in near silence to preserve an element of surprise.Today, over 225 years later, amid the noisy din of traffic, I walked across a highway bridge that spanned the same river. A concrete barrier separated me from motorists driving to their jobs during the morning commute.During this bridge walk, the thought occurred to me that my journey on the Appalachian Trail is not reality; rather, it represents an escape from reality. The stress of earning a living, which includes driving to work like the motorists beside me, is a true reality that I will soon face again.After crossing the Delaware River I entered New Jersey. Here, I was pleasantly surprised by the beautiful and varied terrain.For much of the day, I hiked on top of a ridgeline flanked by a forest uncluttered by brush. There were several viewpoints overlooking agricultural lands and bodies of water. Crows and hawks circled in the sky. A warm breeze kept the bugs down.I passed by undeveloped ponds. At one of them, the breeze caused lily pads to flutter on the surface of the water.Later in the day, the conditions became hard. The trail descended into lower sections of the ridgeline. The breeze disappeared and deer flies attacked the back of my neck.I met two new thru hikers during this stretch; they were a couple in their twenties named Mr. T, the female, and Flint. Since increasing my daily output of mileage, I have been catching up with hikers I have never met, including these two. We mentioned the names of hikers that we were acquainted with. Most of the names I mentioned were of hikers behind me. The names that they cited were of hikers up ahead. For the most part, they did not recognize the names that I mentioned. I was not acquainted with the hikers they were acquainted with. It was near dark when we arrived at Brink Road Shelter, occupied by hikers Baloo, Reverend Yukon Jack, and some weekend hikers.Gnats and mosquitoes attacked me as I made camp in the nearby woods. While cooking supper at the shelter, I discovered that my spoon was missing. Reverend Jack let me borrow his. I rushed through my meal, anxious to clean my pot before it became dark.It is muggy tonight. I would like to improve the ventilation in my hammock by taking down part of my tarp. But I am hearing thunder in the distance, a precursor of rain, and the tarp will remain in place.
Date: 2004-08-03
From: Route 94 near Vernon, NJ

To: Rejuvenation
Miles today: 15.2

This morning, I received a ride into the town of Vernon, New Jersey from Nils, whose home I had spent the night at. In Vernon, I bought food for three days of hiking and visited the Post Office to pick up a box containing a new pair of hiking shoes.After that, we drove to the Appalachian Trail where Nils accompanied me for a day of hiking.During our hike we stopped to rest at a shelter. A northbound thru hiker was hanging out there. This person told us that he had taken some time off from the trail to help someone with a construction job. Now that he was back on the trail, he did not know any other hikers in this section of the trail. Everyone he knew is hiking somewhere near the northern terminus of the trail or has completed their hikes.The trail led us from New Jersey into New York. The hiking in New York is moderately hard, with numerous short but sharp ascents on rocky slopes. By the end of the afternoon I felt tired.After our hike, Megan picked us up at a place where the trail crossed a road. We returned back to their home and showered. Then Megan and Nils took me out to a restaurant.I am spending tonight as a guest in their home. Tomorrow, Megan and Nils will accompany me for a day of hiking.When this journey began, my cousin Joey was present on the first day. After that, I have not met anyone from my life beyond the trail. This time I am spending with Megan, a client and now a friend, and her husband Nils, is rejuvenating me physically and emotionally. I am eating decent food in large quantities that will hopefully add some weight to my body which is way to thin. I am sleeping well in their guest room.Hanging out with this couple is taking my mind off of the trail. In a sense, my mind is getting a much needed rest, even though I am still hiking every day. At their home I am petting their cats, looking into their fish tank, conversing with them on topics beyond the Appalachian Trail. The summer heat and bugs have been taking a toll on me. The hospitality of Megan and Nils could not have occurred at a better time.
Date: 2004-08-04
From: Route 17A near Greenwood Lake, NY

To: Wildlife Sightings
Miles today: 12.5

I hiked today with Megan and Nils through a hard section of the trail in New York.Before we set out, we drove to a trail crossing about 2/3 of the way along our intended distance of hiking. There we placed a couple jugs of water beside the trail. Someone else had also placed water at the same spot. We were happy to share our water with anyone else hiking by.On the trail, we passed bears on two occasions. Until today, Megan had never seen a bear in the wild. The creatures bounded off.We came across a large black snake slithering across the trail. Megan began taking photos of the creature. I positioned myself on the other side of the snake and took portraits of Megan bending over for a close up photo, well, sort of close, of the snake. I asked Nils to hold a tiny light reflector in a beam of sun in order to add some reflected sunlight on Megan's face. It was a bizarre scene, two photographers and a man with a reflector moving alongside a six foot long snake as it crawled along the ground. The photo session ended abruptly when the snake quickly wheeled around toward Megan. She dashed away to a safe distance and all of us got a laugh from her reaction.Later in the day we saw a tiny snake that had just caught a small toad. The poor toad was sticking out of the mouth of the snake and struggling to get free.Nils spotted a pickerel under the water where a footbridge crossed the end of a pond.We passed by and surprised a pair of humans in a compromising position.Like yesterday, there were numerous ups and downs on rocky slopes. By the time we got to the car, we were tired but satisfied with a nice adventure on this portion of the Appalachian Trail.I am composing this journal entry in the kitchen at the home of Megan and Nils. Tomorrow, Nils will accompany me on a long stretch of hiking. He is a high school teacher on summer vacation and has the time to hike. Their hospitality is a continued blessing to me.
Date: 2004-08-13
From: None

To: Rest Day in Great Barrington, MA 
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Today was similar to other rest days, or zero days, as hikers describe them. The word zero refers to the miles hiked.I visited the post office, a supermarket, a library to check email, and an outfitter.This day off was different because my parents were accompanying me, and I was driving their car. It was great not having to walk between these locations on a day that should be devoted to resting one's body.I drove out of town and pulled the car over to the shoulder of Route 7. There I pointed out to Mom and Dad the trailhead where the Appalachian Trail heads north toward East Mountain, my next ascent. As they looked at the trail with curiosity, I was looking at it with concern. The terrain between Route 7 and East Mountain appeared low and flat. Was another bugfest awaiting me tomorrow?During the visit to the outfitter, I told the man who worked there about my nasty experience with the bugs. He told me that a dozen thru hikers had expressed the same opinion that no other place on the Appalachian Trail was worse for bugs than in that area.Mom and Dad drove home during the afternoon. Since then, I have been reorganizing and drying out my gear in this motel on another drizzly day. It is time to check on my tarp which is drying on the bar which supports the shower curtain in the bathroom.Tomorrow I will venture back into the woods. But this time, I shall be packing in a small bottle of insect repellent.
Date: 2004-08-17
From: Cheshire, MA

To: Snagged by a Tree
Miles today: 15.6

Today, the Appalachian Trail led me up Mount Greylock, the highest mountain in Massachusetts. The trail on the ascent was inundated by a succession of puddles and muck. I was constantly stopping to determine ways to navigate through or around these obstacles. In a few instances, I had the choice of walking through the muck or pushing through the dripping wet bushes adjoining the stretches of muck. I chose the bushes and my shirt and pants became wet.At one location on the trail, I walked by a tree with a trunk that was thin and flexible. The top corner of backpack became snagged by the trunk. My forward momentum kept me going as the tree bent with me. Suddenly, I felt myself being yanked backwards for several feet as the tree snapped back into position.The forest was cool and misty at the start of my ascent. When I reached the summit, the sun had broken through and the skies were clearing. This day was good for hiking.On the summit, tourists were milling about after parking their cars. Some of them were climbing a monument; others were visiting a store at a lodge or just sitting around and enjoying the views. A "summit ranger" named Ellis was keeping an eye on things and answering questions. I struck up a conversation with him. During our chat, I asked him where in Williamstown, a nearby community, I could purchase some denatured alcohol which is the fuel I use for my Pepsi can stove. He generously shared with me some of his denatured alcohol. He also uses a Pepsi can stove when hiking in the field.After descending the mountain, I walked to a supermarket and purchased some food supplies. My hike ended along Sherman Brook in the northwest corner of the state. Three other hikers are camping at this spot, a primitive camp site.One of the hikers has been walking north from Florida, traveling on the Appalachian Trail and on roads. His goal is to hike up to the border of Canada. In Vermont, he plans to walk entirely on roads.It is 9:15 p.m.. I can not finish the entry for today. My eyelids are too heavy. I must get some sleep.Tomorrow, I will cross into Vermont.
Date: 2004-09-02
From: Eliza Brook Shelter, NH

To: Few Miles But Great Views
Miles today: 8.8

The day began auspiciously. I hiked a short distance, slipped on a root, and toppled face forward on the trail. Fortunately, I was not injured. While I was hiking, the tip of one of my wooden hiking sticks got stuck between some roots. I did not realize this had happened and did not let go of the stick. My forward progress caused the tip to break. I prefer using sticks that are bent in the handle area. This shape is ergonomically superior to straight sticks. The problem is finding sticks with that feature. I picked up a temporary replacement stick. It will take me a while to find a stick with an angle at the handle end.The hiking continued to feature steep inclines with rocks and roots. But the views were spectacular. I more or less clawed my way up the slope of South Kinsman Mountain, then stood upon the top spellbound by the scenery of its viewpoints. Another great view greeted me on North Kinsman Mountain, but the descent was exceedingly steep and treacherous.At Franconia Notch, I left the trail and hitched a ride into North Woodstock, NH to rest and resupply. I booked a room in a motel. Wipeout and Chef have also done the same.The next few days of hiking will be spectacular, challenging, and if the weather goes bad, possibly dangerous.I will be traveling across the famous Presidential Range featuring large swaths of trail situated above the tree line.Unlike the rest of the Appalachian Trail, there are no shelters along this stretch. The Appalachian Mountain Club, which administers this part of the trail, has built huts¢large bunkhouses and dining rooms¢to accommodate hikers. The price to reserve a night in a hut is $75.00, too expensive for my tastes. There are some camping areas for a fee, but only a few of them. The logical option would be for me to camp in the woods, but the AMC does not allow this. Ridgerunners¢trail staff of the AMC¢reportedly patrol the area and fine hikers who make their own camps.I have been told that hikers on the Appalachian Trail must leave the high country and descend to lower elevations in order to make camps, which means having to hike back up to the trail each morning.I have been told that some hikers, usually two per day, are permitted to sleep in a hut and get a meal after performing a chore for a couple of hours. But what are my odds of getting that deal? Tomorrow, I will enter this zone of spectacular views and monopolistic regulations, and learn firsthand about how and where I can make my camps. But first, there will be a difficult ascent into elevations exceeding 5,000 feet.
Date: 2004-09-08
From: Carter Notch Hut

To: Faces From the Past
Miles today: 13.3

Late in the night, I was awakened by a loud crashing sound. A hiker lay sprawled across the floor beside my bunk. Most everyone awoke and asked him if he was all right. He said that he was okay, then he got up and walked outside.I also got up and went outside, using the rude awakening as a reason to take a leak. The crash had apparently awoken hikers in the other bunk rooms. Several of them were also walking outside with the same intention. The hiker who had fallen down was sitting on the porch and staring up at the stars. I think that he was trying to calm himself down.The next day other hikers told me that the fallen person had attempted to lower himself off of the top bunk and that his feet missed the rungs of the ladder causing him to fall and roll across the floor.Today the downhill hiking was steep and treacherous. On several occasions, I had to stop and figure out how to make my way down rocky facades. In most cases, it required me to toss down my wooden hiking sticks down, grab some evergreen branches, and lower myself facing backwards from the bottoms of the facades.These steep descents in The White Mountains have me worried about sustaining a journey ending injury late in my thru hike. I also remain concerned about the extra pounding my knees have lately been enduring. I broke a walking stick today and found another one. The new stick is not as light and stout as the one it is replacing. I must find yet another one.During the morning, I noticed some fresh moose scat on the trail at a high elevation. It surprised me that moose wander so high into the boreal forest.I stopped into an AMC shelter for lunch and was joined by Hans, the chess player. Several other thru hikers arrived. I am becoming acquainted with some of them but miss the closer relationships that I developed with hikers earlier in the trip. Many of these individuals are hiking somewhere behind me. A few of them are off the trail. One of them¢Wipeout¢is ahead of me. I realize that it requires a period of time and shared experiences for new bonds or friendships to develop.During the afternoon, I hiked with a middle-aged section hiker named "One Way." We ended up at Rattle River Shelter which was occupied by T-Bott and a twenty-something hiker named Pop Up. I have bumped into Pop Up several times on this trip. He is a quiet spoken and decent young man.It began to rain in the evening. After dark, several headlamps were seen approaching the shelter. Three wet hikers arrived; one of them was Sardine, a friend from previous days. He was accompanied by John and Steven, other hikers I knew from earlier days. They call themselves The Rabid Marmot Tribe. I was happy to see these guys again, especially Sardine. We hung out and caught up on things. What a nice way to end a day¢meeting friends from the past.
Date: 2004-09-09
From: Rattle River Shelter, NH

To: Nero Day in Gorham, NH
Miles today: 1.9
Weather: fog

The word "Nero" conjures up images of an emperor of ancient Rome playing a fiddle as his city burns.On The Appalachian Trail, the word nero describes a day of rest but not without some hiking. A full day of rest is called a zero, as in zero miles hiked. Today, I hiked a couple of miles in the rain, then hitch hiked into Gorham, New Hampshire. In this town, I am resupplying, taking it easy, and spending the night in a hostel. I am pulling a nero.I visited a supermarket and purchased food to last three to four days.At the library I checked email and relaxed. Sardine hung out with me for a while. Hikers, Chris and Ellie, a couple in their late twenties I am getting friendly with, also hung out with me at the library. It was nice to shoot the breeze with an old trail friend and new ones. There are lots of thru hikers ahead of me, staying in town, and hiking behind me. I am hiking in a bubble as some hikers describe it. I prefer hiking in a social bubble then being in a social "void," as described by thru hikers.The Barn is a hostel with mattresses spread across a second floor of an old barn. On the first floor are laundry machines, a shower, and a seating area. Hans the chess player has constructed a chess board and pieces with cardboard. I shall give him a chess match this evening.Right now, I am composing this journal in the library. It is 7:30 p.m.. I still have not showered and washed my clothes; that will happen soon.Tomorrow, it¢s back to hiking if the rain has stopped. I am now less then 300 miles from Mount Katahdin. All of us thru hikers are feeling a rising sense of optimism.
Date: 2004-09-13
From: Baldpate Mt. Lean-To, ME

To: Brrrr!
Miles today: 8.0

As soon as I broke camp, The Appalachian Trail led me up the slope of Baldpate Mountain (3,812 feet). There are three peaks on the mountain and the scenery was great. On the upper elevations, a stiff wind and mist was blowing across the open terrain. Brrrr! I had not felt so chilled since the first day of hiking in The Great Smoky Mountains. The cold weather up there had me wondering what the conditions could be like on Mount Katahdin in October.I ate lunch at a shelter with a group of younger thru hikers. One of them compared the hiking yesterday in the Mahoosic Notch and Arm to one of the lowest circles of Hell in Dante's Inferno. Back on the trail, another hiker from that group described the creation of The Appalachian Trail using the language from the seven days of creation in the Book of Genesis. There are some interesting and educated young men and women hiking on this trail.The trail led us to a rural road crossing where the owner of a hostel was expected to show up and provide transportation to his establishment called "The Cabin." I had shipped a box of food to his place and was planning to spend the night there.When the van arrived, the owner informed us that there was no room for additional guests. I told him that I had mailed to the hostel a box of food for the next few days of hiking. When he heard this, he told me that the box was as good as a reservation and invited me into the vehicle. Before I got in, I explained to the other hikers the reason for my being allowed to stay at the hostel.To my dismay, the box of food had not arrived at the hostel. The box had been shipped by priority mail in late August. Some hikers have been feeling a little under the weather with problems of the digestive system. I too am experiencing these symptoms in a mild way. It makes me wonder if all of us drank some bad water in spite of our chemical treatments and filters.The co-owner of the hostel told me that many hikers arrive at his place feeling tired and worn out due to the rough terrain in the mountains between Gorham, New Hampshire and this area.The owners of the hostel, Earl and Marge, cooked a spaghetti dinner for all of us thru hikers. It felt great to sit together with fellow hikers in a civilized setting like a dining room.I will sleep tonight in a bunk room with sheets and a pillow; what a luxury!Tomorrow, I will pay a visit to the post office to try and find out where my box of food is located. I am hoping to resume hiking after that.