morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2009-06-27
From: Brink Road Shelter

To: Ferguson Road (and a ride to the Outhouse)
Miles today: 23.1

The best damn Outhouse that there is! After a long day where the rain would just not let up, renewing everytime that Topo screamed that he was dying from the steaminess of being under the plastic bag and I let him out. A quick second breakfast was procured less that four miles from camp, where a great little place (that did not take credit cards!) offered us the chance at a bagel with bacon and egg and cheese with some coffee for three bucks. The only problem was that we wanted to get to the Mayor's house (the so called Outhouse) so bad that we really poured it on and forgot to eat. seven hours later and fueld on no more than snacks, we were ready to pass out. we had gone over 23 miles, but the last four would be a bitch. When I used the phone number that M&M and Pootz had given me, I was told not to worry and Butch promised that he would be there soon to pick us up. SCORE, cause we were beat! Dick is a kind man who two hyears ago opened his home to fellow hikers, allowing them a place to stay, showers and laundry before feeding them dinner (and breakfast). All he asks is that you sit and listen to him reminesce for a bit. Dick was the Mayor of Unionville, NY until this last March 31, handing over the guy lines to a competent replacement, and found that he is now busier than ever! Dick offers you all a hiker can ever need, and more. Butch runs you around and enforces his 'don't call me sir' rule with a quick shot to the arm (I learned that one). Bill does all the cooking and makes sure that everyone is full (great soup Bill) and enforces his rules about not washing your dish. It is a wonderful experience with a truly spiritual experience. Tomorrow they will drive us back to where we were, and sixteen miles down the trail, pick us up again so we can enjoy a second night of their wonderful generosity. This was well appreciated, especially afer my long arduous day thinking of new and old ways to curse the weather, which of course is one of the few things that I have no way to control. Got to work on that one. It is experiences like these that make up for the horrible weather that this years crew has had t endure. There has been a time or two that I thought it might make me crack. Somewhere into the third hour of a day that you started out by puting on sopping socks because even the good boots are wet can drive one to imagine that your love will be at the next road crossing and there you will abandon this quest because you know that a warm bed and a warm body awaits you, and if you do hike all day in the Dacks, you can return to camp or home and be DRY!!! Oh well, I guess that I will just keep heading north....topofgothics(Tmax here... Topofgothics was so excited about getting to the Outhouse, he forgot to tell you about the bear sighting. He spotted one but it turned out there were two! Glad they weren't as interested in him as he was in them!)
Date: 2009-06-28
From: Ferguson Road (and a ride to the Outhouse)

To: NJ Route 94
Miles today: 15.7

Finally a beautiful day without any rain. Solo and I took the generous offer from the Outhouse and had them drive us about four miles back to start a sixteen or so mile hike that brought us to Route 94, where after enjoying large ice cream cones (and forgetting my Sony Walkman at the store), we were picked up and brought back to the Outhouse for an easy late afternoon before another wonderful dinner with a dozen or so other hikers. They appear to almost come out of the woodwork to get to this place. Our hike was fairly easy, and included plenty of time for picking blackberries, some of which I brought back for the house to use, along with some ice cream for dinner. There was a national wildlife refuge that we passed and miles of flat hiking. One of the Jersey swamps even included boardwalk walking of well over a mile in total. What may have felt like a full day in the past was less then seven hours, including our hour long lunch battling the misquitoes. Tomorrow New York will be under my feet, and I am looking forward to somehow getting to Terri so we can enjoy a weekend of watching fireworks and oowing into each others eyes. I know the forecast calls for more rain, so I better store today's memories away to draw upon when needed. Let's hope the temps do not start to enter the upper eighties of nineties until we get back to a higher altitude. Hope to talk to you again soon....topofgothics
Date: 2009-06-29
From: NJ Route 94

To: Fitzgerald Falls
Miles today: 19.0

Tmax for Topofgothics... WELCOME HOME! Topofgothics crossed into NY today. He started off today with finding his radio right where he'd left it on a table outside the store. Great way to begin things. Very nice weather and two more bear sightings made for a nice day. Topofgothics and Solo got some serious down time taking in the views which is the reason TOG is out there. Solo stopped for the night a couple of miles back at a shelter as he didn't want to tent out in the rain again.
Date: 2009-06-30
From: Fitzgerald Falls

To: Beechy Bottom Brook
Miles today: 20.1

Tmax for Topofgothics... Nearly 5000 feet of elevation gain but only through lots of ups and downs. TOG described this as one of the most difficult hiking days so far on the trail. There was one spot with a very tricky move that some hikers opted to go around. The day stayed mostly pleasant weather-wise but it was hot. The rain started around 3:00 so TOG stopped hiking by 6:00. Didn't see Solo today at all. In to Fort Montgomery to pick up a food drop tomorrow.
Date: 2009-07-01
From: Beechy Bottom Brook

To: Dennytown Road
Miles today: 21.1

Tmax for Topofgothics... Lousy day today. Torrential downpours, close lightening strikes, feathers everywhere in the tent, and no cash and no store accepting credit cards all conspired today. But TOG did get into Fort Montgomery to pick up his mail drop and went through the Bear Mountain Zoo and over the Bear Mountain Bridge. Those were all good things! I'm picking him up tomorrow night somewhere on I87 or I84, so he can take a couple of days off to dry out!
Date: 2009-07-07
From: Route I-84

To: not far!
Miles today: 0.5

Tmax for Topofgothics... Dropped Topofgothics back at the trail around 10:00 pm. He intended to go a few miles up the trail to the shelter but about a half-mile in the skies opened up! Lightening, thunder, and heavy rain all suggested that he stop and pitch the tent ASAP. He's now convinced that I am in cahoots with Mother Nature!
Date: 2009-07-09
From: Ten Mile River

To: Stony Brook Campsite
Miles today: 15.9
Weather: overcast clouds

Tmax for Topofgothics... Went into Kent today to pick up a few deliveries. The replacement boots (gotta break them in all over again!)and a new tent pole were waiting for him. Took some down time at the RR station. Still having a bit of a hard time finding his hiking groove.
Date: 2009-07-10
From: Stony Brook Campsite

To: Just shy of Prospect Mountain
Miles today: 20.1

Tmax for Topofgothics... Came into close proximity to a huge rattlesnake today. Managed to get some pictures, I'll post them when he sends them to me! Also saw a fox. Mosquitoes are relentless and swarming like bees!
Date: 2009-07-12
From: Riga Lean-To

To: Hemlocks Leanto
Miles today: 10.0

Tmax for Topofgothics... Crossed into Massachusetts today! Lost something very important but went 10 miles before he realized it. Last I talked to him he was trying to decide if he was going to head back or wait for other hikers to come by and see if they picked it up. But about 10 tonight I got a brief e-mail saying he had it, but only went the 10 miles. P.S. I uploaded photos from 5-20 to June 22. Go check them out!
Date: 2009-07-13
From: Hemlocks Leanto

To: Mt. Wilcox leanto neighborhood
Miles today: 21.5

Tmax for Topofgothics... Update from yesterday is that TOG climbed over 6000 feet of elevation and over Race and Everett mountains three times. While he did well over twenty hiking miles, he only did 10 trail miles! But the good thing is his ring (the lost item) was returned to him by a thru-hiker who picked it up from the shelter where Ducky put it after finding it on the ground! For today, it was a good hiking day with time spent at a very nice pond. A local told Topofgothics that he was hiking through what is commonly known as mosquito alley! And that's in a normal rainfall year! Plans to get to Upper Goose Pond tomorrow.
Date: 2009-07-14
From: Mt. Wilcox leanto neighborhood

To: Upper Goose Pond Cabin
Miles today: 14.5
Weather: scattered clouds

Tmax for Topofgothics... Nice leisurely day today. Perfect hiking weather and not too much ground to cover to the cabin. It's a very nice place and even has a canoe you can take out on the pond. TOG says it's a great location. The caretaker makes pancakes for breakfast!
Date: 2009-07-16
From: Dalton And The Byrd Cage

To: Outlook Ave
Miles today: 10.1

Tmax for Topofgothics... Nice short day today. Got to sleep in and dawdle along the way. Managed to stay mostly dry. I picked up Topofgothics at Overlook Ave (I still get a little amazed that I can drive up on a dirt road and within a few minutes he'll come walking out of the woods!) and we are spending the night at my parent's house.
Date: 2009-07-17
From: Outlook Ave

To: Mass Ave
Miles today: 13.3

Tmax for Topofgothics... TOG and I were dropped off back at the trailhead by my parents. Not having slept enough last night, I needed a big dose of coffee and hiked the first 500 feet of elevation gain with a cup in my hand! The day was warm and humid. TOG was being bothered by the bugs but they were leaving me alone, until I took a walk off-trail. Then they swarmed! We took a long break at the first viewpoint and then climbed to the summit of Mt. Greylock. Bascomb Lodge is still trying to finish the work they've been doing and are only open on the weekends for lodging. A very feeble snack bar is open during the week (no food, some small pre-pacaged ice-creams and soda...). We had lunch on the summit and crossed paths with quite a few other thru-hikers. Walked down to Mass. Ave and then drove up to the trailhead to my parent's camp and hiked in to the camp in the rain. Had a great dinner prepared by my father.
Date: 2009-07-18
From: Mass Ave

To: Crooked Board Camp
Miles today: 0.0

Tmax for Topofgothics... TOG took a zero day today and did some trail magic right on the trail about a mile from the Mass/VT border. Crooked Board camp is about a half-mile off the trail so we were able to bring in a bunch of stuff (soda, snacks, sandwiches, fruit, etc...). It was a nice surprise to the hikers who stopped by. My parents joined us and had a great time getting exposed to the life of a thru-hiker. Back at the camp, TOG made steaks and some awesome potatoes for dinner.
Date: 2009-07-19
From: Mass Ave

To: Seth Warner Shelter
Miles today: 6.8
Weather: overcast clouds

Tmax for Topofgothics... Started out the day at Crooked Board Camp playing horshoes and enjoying the beautiful weather! Went up to the County Road to do more trail magic and saw lots of thru-hikers! Ran some errands back in North Adams and then dropped TOG back off at Mass Ave around 7:00 pm. He hiked up to the shelter getting there a little after dark. There is a bear that's been hanging around the shelter and some hikers have lost their food.
Date: 2009-07-20
From: Seth Warner Shelter

To: Goddard Shelter
Miles today: 21.6
Weather: clear sky

Tmax for Topofgothics... Back to the bigger miles! There's some big hiker-fest happening in Manchester this week so TOG is trying to get there. Poor cell reception tonight so no specifics to tell.(P.S. I updated photos on journal entries from June 23rd through June 30th.)
Date: 2009-07-21
From: Goddard Shelter

To: Stratton Pond Shelter
Miles today: 19.3
Weather: light rain

Tmax for Topofgothics... Rained ALL day. No views at all, not even from the Stratton Mountain fire-tower. Plan is to join the big 2 day hiker-fest outside of Manchester (they are running shuttles to and from the trail!)for the day tomorrow.
Date: 2009-07-23
From: Manchester Village 

To: Peru Peak Shelter
Miles today: 10.1
Weather: light rain

Lazed around into the afternoon and decided to take the 4:00 shuttle back to the trail. To my surprise, two of the hikers that had left that morning to meet a friend at the trailhead were still sitting in their car and imbibing. 2700 feet, 10 miles, and 3.5 hours later I arrived at the shelter to find Braid, Ironman, and BonBon; and low-and-behold the infamous whiner know as Minnesota Smith (often-called Debbie Downer) was there as well. He had jumped ahead 500 miles! While reliving the recent gracious events of the x-travaganza Debbie Downer told me that he heard it wasn't much fun and there was litle food to be had. After correcting him of his misled conceptions, he thanked me for the update. My double-duty late that evening in trying to start a fire while cooking my dinner resulted in only one positive outcome (I'll bet you can figure out which one!).
Date: 2009-07-24
From: Peru Peak Shelter

To: Shhhhhh....
Miles today: 28.4

Left at quarter to eight and less than four hours and 10 miles later I stopped for an early lunch. Mud abounded. It was too early in the day to convince myself that I could make it as far as Topo had planned for me. With a possible big day ahead of me, I eschewed the concept of climbing to the top of White Rocks Mountain, a place I had visited before that is littered with hundreds of cairns made of the quartz stone that exploded from this mountain so many years ago. Fortunately for me, there were more areas along the trail that had many of those little formations to admire. I hope to get back there soon on a pleasurable dayhike with Terri to explore this area further. Sweating like hell, I stopped for a brief moment at Clarendon Gorge, rinsed my shirt and washed up as I watched others play in the Mill River. With 23 miles under my belt already I walked down Route 103 for about a mile to pick up a drop which my wonderful Lady had sent to me. Upon entering the store, a guy in a hippie bus said he would give me a ride back to the trail after he gassed up. Two minutes later he rescinded his offer (maybe I smelled too much like a hiker?). One rootbeer and a couple of ice-creams later I headed back to the trail. With my pack heavier than it needs to be, I climbed one of the steepest pitches that I have encountered in awhile. About 700 feet in 6/10 of a mile that reminded me of home. With Topo encouraging me to go for the gold I passed the next shelter and with fierce determination trudged through mud puddle after mud puddle. As day slipped into night I put fresh batteries into my headlamp in anticipation of the search for the Shhhhh..... With hope all but lost I admitted to my trusty companion that I did not think we would make our destination. Minutes later the secret directions were found and after a quick washing-up and water resupply I headed with renewed vigor to the Shhhhhhh (secret shelter). Whupped as hell I had just completed my second 30 mile day that all 30 miles did not count. Tired as I was it took my body longer to wind down than my mind making sleep elusive.
Date: 2009-07-25
From: Shhhhhh....

To: The Inn at The Long Trail
Miles today: 11.3

Sometimes sleeping in is a pleasure! Lazing about it was 11:00 before I found my way back to the trail. For the next 2 hours and 15 minutes I climbed relentlessly until I finally found myself above 4000 feet for the first time in about 900 miles. There I spent almost 5 hours doing what I came here to do Damn It!! Lounging about on a summit and gazing at enjoyable (yet hazy) vistas. I even got lucky that there was not an abundance of GP on the summit of Killington Peak (which one can ride a gondola to nearly the top of). After talking to Tmax who was climbing Mount Washington for the annual "Seek the Peak" fundraiser for the Mt. Washington Observatory, I was distressed to hear of the inconceivable amount of pedestrians on the trail. All that and no views for her either. To my joy she later left a message that my blowhardedness had helped clear the fog, allowing her to enjoy fine vistas! Securing a room at The Inn at The Long Trail, I stayed on top of Killington until the last possible moment before beginning my descent. A minute later I passed Hellbender who was making his way to the summit with dinner in hand to enjoy the sunset. After a quick 6 miles in 2 hours I reached route 4 and DAMN... that last 260 feet uphill really sucked. Fortunately for me, that is where I was to meet Terri so it was a labor of love. I highly recommend the Inn at The Long Trail whose shepard pie reminded me of my trip to Ireland. They were even able to provide a vegan burger for Tmax which was cooked on a separate skillet.
Date: 2009-07-26
From: The Inn at The Long Trail

To: near Kent Pond
Miles today: 4.0

Tmax for Topofgothics... We spent a very enjoyable day at the Inn. The hospitality was wonderful! Dropped TOG back off at the the trailhead around 5:00 pm. He went about 4 miles and pitched his tent before the serious up started! He'll take that on tomorrow.****Terri and I lingered away the day. I could tell that part of her wanted to spend every last minute together, and part of her wanted to leave and get the goodbye out of the way. It was only logical that she spend the day with me after Seek the Peak, since it was easily on her way home, and by now she was sick and tired of the damn goodbye. She had been doing so much for my adventure, along with all the hours she puts in at work, and there was only so much that I could give back. It was easy to say thank you, but it was also easy to not say the right thing. It was getting long in the day by the time we found a place to have dinner and five miles was all I could do before it started getting dark. The only plausible place to camp had ¢no camping¢ signs about. I munched and waited until the shadows covered me more before setting up camp for the night. There was less than five hundred miles to go.
Date: 2009-07-27
From: near Kent Pond

To: near VT 12
Miles today: 19.8

Tmax for Topofgothics... Nearly 6000' of elevation gained today. Took the side trail to "The Lookout." A nice private cabin that has a 30 step steep ladder up to an observation deck with a very nice view. The owners let thru-hikers stay if they are not using it, but there's no water around it so Topofgothics moved on.   ****Another mile into the sky. With 5840 of gain and not quite 20 miles for the day, I must say that it did not feel like that much. Before too long I came upon a dozen green helmet clad youngins each with tool in their hands. It turned out that this was training for a work crew. They were happy enough to allow me to take a picture (notice that they are not actually doing anything). The long lunch at the Lookout made the day that much sweeter. Topo and I enjoyed quite a nice panorama from the small platform atop a private cabin. Topo was a little concerned with the steep ladder to the top, and he asked to be firmly secured in the constant (but refreshing) stiff breeze. It has been days since any significant rain has fallen, but there can be no letdown of the guard yet. If there would have been water about, there is a good chance of our spending the night in anticipation of a glorious sunset, something that is all too infrequent so far this trip. We looked for a place to camp, but as we came closer to the road, and civilization, the cattle and their byproducts were a put off. Like it or not, I walked up-steam at the road until I felt I was as far from the pasture as I could get without trespassing near someone¢s home. With a quick wipe down and two filtered liters of cow-pee tainted water, I then climbed another of couple of hundred feet up the rise and found a fine little spot to spend the night.
Date: 2009-07-28
From: near VT 12

To: Hanover
Miles today: 21.4
Weather: clear sky

Tmax for Topofgothics... Good day today! Stopped at a small country market on Cloudland Road that sells local and organically made ice-cream, but only two flavors; coffee and cinnamon! But both were great. Had the opportunity to swim twice which was nice relief in the hot and humid weather. Passed out of Vermont and into NH. Walked into Hanover (which is the home of Dartmouth College)and is tenting on the soccer field where the town allows camping for thru-hikers. Plan is to zero tommorow and get some errands done and hopefully to meet up with Sir Richard.****Just over 20 miles separated my feet from the state with the big mountains. Topo was excited. I stopped at a little farm just down Cloudland Road. It turned out that all they had besides beef was locally made ice cream, and in only two choices, coffee and cinnamon. This made me laugh, since these are two of Terri¢s favorite flavors. I thoroughly enjoyed the coffee ice cream, and the short early break. Seven miles later I strolled into West Hartford just after one. Every town should have a village store like this. Good selection, great food, fair prices (and a cute counter girl to boot! (many others left comments of such in the register, and I am just quoting them here)), and a river to cool off in right across the street. I ate well today, and the flop in the cool water on a hot afternoon was perfect. While leaving I watched as some young men played ¢look at me¢ by jumping off a bridge into the flowing current at a height of at least thirty feet. Walking slow to up the rise to start out the afternoon, it was not long before I was to say goodbye to Vermont. All in all it was a muddy state, though there may well have been more sunny days than Topo and I have seen in a while. Somehow as I was walking the road into Norwich, I missed a box of trail magic (TM) and it¢s homemade banana bread. Alas. Before I crossed the Connecticut River into Hanover (Dartmouth College), NH, it was hard to resist another soaking to remove the salt stains from my body. The sun shined as I strolled across the bridge. Only one more state line to cross.
Date: 2009-07-30
From: Hanover

To: Smart's Mountain Firewarden's Cabin
Miles today: 23.4
Weather: light rain

Tmax for Topofgothics... Tough day. It's not often David gets that unpleasant with me on the phone so I could tell it was a rough one. Some areas got 3-4 inches of rain overnight and he was doing the mudslog all day. Says his altimeter watch tells him he did over 7000 feet of elevation gain today! Plans to get to the Hikers Welcome Shelter in Glencliff tomorrow night and I'll meet him there on Saturday so we can walk through the Whites together.****Yesterday was a true zero town day. This is the first time I have done that except for my day with Terri in North Adams. It was also the day in which I did not estimate the total gain for the hike. It had rained like hell overnight, with some area getting a reported 4-5 inches, and my boots became heavier with moisture as the day passed. There were a number of climbs of 1000+, and as the day wore on even Topo got somewhat weary. The last bit of business was twenty five hundred feet of work, and the going turned slower as the evening drew on. Once I finally reached the Firewarden¢s Cabin I had had enough for the day and need some fuel. The feet were all but technically wet by now. They would be wet tomorrow. Climbing the stairs to the tower, I knew cooking would be tough. Others were in the tower, including one who slept there last night, so even though they bade me enter, I stayed on the upper most landing, hoping to gather a good vista for the coming sunset. Boiling water for my dinners (two were needed this day) was a task, minimizing my enjoyment of the evening phenomena. When the flame went out and the water was barely warm, I had no patience to wait any longer, though hot meals a little later would have been a thousand times better than lukewarm meals then. It is a good thing the pictures of a burning sky came out fantastic so I can make myself believe the night was enjoyable sometime later. Evidently my lack of wistfulness spilled over to my daily conversation with TMax, and even 7490 feet cannot justify that.