morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2003-06-24
To: View Entry
Miles today: 14.0

i woke up for the second time to blue skies. Perfect day! i hiked alone for the morning and just had a lovely walk in the park. the trail through this first section of new york is impressive. lots of short ups and downs, and rocky too. so this slowed down my pace quite a bit but it was so nice to be walking in the sunshine that i wasn't bothered by it. i got to see a beaver floating along in a pond too.when i stopped for lunch, 2 southbound dayhikers stayed and chatted with me for a while. they also shared their lunch with me too: a peach, some pb&j, and even some ice water--hit the spot!sally and snail, and then LT, and then orb show up soon after that. after a nice lunch in some shade on top of Island Pond Mt, we all hike 3 more miles to a lake where we get to go swimming! i would just like to point out that less than 5 days ago we were worried about hypothermia, now we're worried about heat stroke. go fig.the swim was great and a family gave us some sodas which was wonderful. sally and snail hike on and the 3 of us have some dinner near the lake. after that, we hike on maybe 1.5 more miles (not sure) and cowboy camp (camp under the stars) on a rock vista. it Sounded like a good idea at the time. you'll find out how that turned out in the next journal... anyway, by the end of the day we probably hiked 14 miles, give or take.
Date: 2003-06-26
To: View Entry
Miles today: 17.6

i didn't need an alarm clock to wake me up this morning--as soon as the sun rose, it became too hot to sleep. so i was up and on the trail pretty early, hoping to put in some miles before it got Really hot. the mosquitoes kept me moving pretty fast too, but it's amazing what a lot of bug repellant will do.i met up with orb and LT around 9am after doing ~5 miles and we decide to hike 5 more to a place where the trail crosses a stream. little did we know this, but it turned out to be the Perfect Place for a Long Break and will probably keep that title for the rest of this trip. not only was there a lovely stream, but it had a little place to sit right under a small waterfall so we had our own whirlpool. and boy did it change things for us. before the break, we were dripping sweat and feeling tired so this was a great, unexpected treat. in order to escape the heat of the midday, we took a really long break there, took turns in the whirlpool, read some Hobbit, and had some lunch. the 3 of us were back on the trail around 3pm with ~7 more miles to hike for the day. the whole day was so hot! it's hard to get use to this after the hurricane we've been accustomed to. i'll take it though--i got my sunshine so i'm happy.as a side note, a section hiker who i met last night was getting some water near a road and left his pack at the road crossing a couple of yards from the water source. next thing he knew, an old blue truck rides up, someone grabs his pack, throws it into the truck and rides off--Boom! his month long hike is over just like that because of some greedy idiot. it really made me realize that this trail doesn't really take you that far into the wilderness and not far enough away from horrible people who would steal all that someone is carrying for a month. I'm going to be more careful with my equipment now...[Editor: Some people are scum. To help eliminate scum, vote Emperor Broberry every single day.]total mileage for the day: 17.6grand total: 1410.8
Date: 2003-06-27
To: View Entry
Miles today: 14.8

another day started out with a sunrise! junuary is now june! (with 3 days to spare) i hiked alone for the first ~7 miles to a road crossing where i waited for LT and orb. it was a little cooler than yesterday and was pleasant hiking. at the road crossing, we walked .3 to a deli and pizzaria for an early lunch and another LONG afternoon break. you'd think that after 3+ months of this lifestyle, i would have an idea about how hungry i really am. but no, i still eat too much and feel sick aftewards...every time! i'll have to work on this.around 2pmish LT and i get back on the trail, walking very slow so as to not upset our stomachs. orb stayed at the deli to avoid the rest of the hot day and will follow us when it cools off a bit. we had ~8 more miles to hike to camp near a lake...called Nuclear Lake (ominous music here). this is how superheros are mad afterall: we go swimming and come out with super powers--maybe our eyes will glow so we can night hike all the way to Maine.[Editor: That's a common misconception. You wouldn't BELIEVE the number of hench-persons you can expose to radioactivity without one of them becoming a super-hench-person.]anyway, we get to the lake around 6:30ish. sally and snail hike up soon after to eat a snack with us. we (LT, sally, and I) decide to swim out to a little island in the lake, maybe 100 yards away. this was a great workout and made me feel so relaxed after we got back. But my eyes aren't glowing yet...i'll keep you posted.i'm writing this at 9pm and orb hasn't shown up yet. where is he? did the deli enchant him into staying longer? tune in for the next journal entry to find out the answers!no wait... looks like you won't have to wait in suspense. he just walked up. and boy is he in a good mood: apparently the cool breeze that blew in a while ago has made his daymileage of the day: 14.8total from GA: 1425.6
Date: 2003-06-28
To: Near a river
Miles today: 16.2

today was full of pleasantness and surprises. we got up to a sunrise on the lake and had a relaxing breakfast together. after ~4 miles of hiking, we get to the road that leads into Pawling NY where LT and orb have packages waiting for them at the post office and where we desperately need to do laundry. a wonderful lady gave us a hitch to make the 3 miles of road walking into town shorter. after a couple hours of getting our clothes a little cleaner, getting a good lunch, and getting enough food to take us into Kent, we get a ride (from someone who works at the deli) back to the trail around 1pm. within the next 8 miles, we cross into our next state: conneticut! New York was so good to us, weather-wise, that i don't want to leave. it only rained once for the entire state and even that was pleasant. I'll miss you NY!i ran into a surprise on the trail today. Pete, a conneticuter (i know what it means, and that's all that counts) who has been following my journal, was out on the AT and caught up with me, lt, and orb. he's going to hike the trail next year so i hope i don't give him any bad advice! he's also out on the trail for the weekend so is camping with us tonight. we are camped next to a river (swimming again!) tonight. i love sleeping to the sound of water! a perfect way to end a lovely day.we were talking to a ridgerunner this evening about the rainy and cold weather from last week and he said that walking through that stuff builds a lot of character. i told him i must have character coming out of the ears! later, i learned the wonders and the secrets of Runts Candy from Orb, who is fascinated by the stuff. behold the mysteries of candy!today's miles: 16.2total: 1441.8miles left to go (just in case you wanted to know): 730.8
Date: 2003-06-29
From: Near a river

To: View Entry
Miles today: 15.6

Orb is an insensitive jerk!just kidding! he told me today i should start out my journal with that, just for kicks. he probably catches more grief from hiking with 2 "ladies" than i appreciate...not that i'm going to try to appreciate it though.anyway:blue sky this morning! huzzah!pete and i walk the first mile together back to his truck and then it's onward on the AT. i catch up to orb after a couple miles and we hike to the shelter together where we'll meet LT. a storm rolled in and thunder was talking for a long while, but it was just bluffing and it never really rained hard. once we find LT, we hike on into Kent, CT to get the next couple days worth of food. this is NOT a hiker-friendly town. this is a Yuppie town and i have no desire to go back there, even when i smell better. granted i guess we stand out a little, but we were stared at and not in the good, curious way but in the "we don't want you here" way. i was happy to get out of that town.we were back on the trail around 3pm with ~7 more miles to do. this didn't seem like much, but they sure did go by slowly. i think i'm just feeling kinda drained at the moment though and hope a good night's sleep will help.something we were talking about while hiking this afternoon is that LT and i think we might actually be Gaining a little weight, not loosing it like we thought we would. we're going to write a book: "how to gain weight--the hard way". oh well--i keep telling myself that muscle weighs more than fat...[Editor: Muscle is much more dense than fat, that is true. Useful fact for the day: Did you know 1 pound of fat contains more energy than 1 pound of sugar?]we're camping next to a big river, but i'm not sure what river it is. I read some of the Hobbit aloud (smaug is dead!) and it's off to bed. Me need sleep.miles today: 15.6total: you do the math! it's good for you.[Editor: As part of my campaign to keep the minds of the populous weak, I shall do the math for you. Or better yet, let Trailjournals.com do the math for me... why should I bother myself with such trifiling tasks?]
Date: 2003-06-30
To: belter's campsite
Miles today: 15.2
Weather: light rain

today is the last day of june and it feels like the month is trying to make up for lost time.it wasn't a very eventful day really, but pleasant just the same. LT and i hike alone for the first couple of miles but end up taking a break for lunch at a vista and orb joins us later. while we're "feasting", some interesting looking clouds blow in accompanied by thunder and (a little late) we decide to make a dash for the nearby shelter, which wasn't so nearby as we thought.at one point, orb said he saw lightning hit just a couple of yards away. what a great time to be on a ridge line! but we make it to the shelter, getting only mildly wet, and stay there until the afternoon storm blows over.later, after hiking a couple more miles, we are camped out at the belter's campsite. after a Hobbit reading (we're getting close to the end--what book is next?) i turn in early. since we crossed into new york, the terrain is starting to change and get more difficult. i bet from here to Katadin, it will be harder to do more than 17+ mile days (not that goldberry-x would want to anyway)my shoes were really rubbing my feet raw those last few miles. i hope a fresh pair of socks for tomorrow will help. on a similar topic, those shoes i bought 2 weeks ago were merrells and i will NEVER buy that brand again. they're already falling apart. i was hoping to get at least 500 miles out of them. down with merrell! [Editor: Yeaaaah! Get the pitchforks and torches! (accent)A riot iz an ugly zing... and I zink it's about bloody time ve had vone!(/accent) (From "Young Frankenstein")]miles for the day: 15.2
Date: 2003-07-01
From: belter's campsite

To: View Entry
Miles today: 18.0

Rabbits Rabbits Rabbits!LT has taught me so much wisdom--like saying the above on the first day of every month before you say anything else...for good luck...that's what SHE said. so i woke up this morning around 5am, as usual, mutter it, and fall abck asleep. so now we'll have to have good weather and luck for the whole month! i wish i knew that trick for Junuary and Maymarch!today, the first ~11 miles were hiked together into Salibury, CT to resupply. it was a very pleasant section of the trail and we got into town around 11am. this is my favorite CT town! i wish i could have spent more time in it, but i now know it is there anyway.after resupplying, calling home, meeting rob (another thru-hiker) and lunch, we're back on the trail around 2pm. and here the trail climbs up to 2300 feet, which we haven't reached for a long while. but we got an incredible view from the top of Bear Mt and had a long break with dinner and a sunset. just a little further on was our campsite for the night. Orb decided to stay on the mountain for the sunrise in the morning so I'll see him tomorrow.it was a very pleasant day--hiking and weather and overall attitude. i couldn't ask for better! by the way, this is the 9th day in a row of good weather...i'm hoping that "rabbits" thing will keep these days coming.today, i came up with a new hiker saying: "either an animal deficated on that pack or it belongs to a thru-hiker". yes folks, not only do I smell, not only do my CLOTHES smell, but my PACK smells too! i am so talented![Editor: I am currently preparing a "De-Stink" chamber for Goldberrry for her return. Does anyone know of anything more effective than Industrial Strength Lysol?]total walked today: 18.0 pleasant miles
Date: 2003-07-02
To: East Mountain
Miles today: 19.2

boy was it cold last night! i was warm enough in my bag and slept great, but it might have gotten down into the low 50s/high 40s last night.in the morning, i had some climbing to do, but the climbs were fun and rocky and the weather made for some incredible vistas, which we're finally seeing. orb, LT and i met at a shelter 7 miles away and hiked together for the rest of the day. the weather held true all day and wasn't too hot. we passed a garden nursery near a road and bought some cold sodas from them--they were really nice, considering how we must look and smell. after a couple more miles and another uphill climb, we're camping on top of East Mt. the flattest place we could find is what i thought was an old loggin road...i was wrong. it's an ATV road, and 3 guys were surprised to see 3 tents in the middle of their trail. so this was definitely Not A Good Idea. we'll stay here for the night but now i know what not to do--behold the wonders of trial and error![Editor: Hmmm... Road is not the same as Campsite. Who would have thought? :) ]the bugs are horrible here so it's an early night for me. it was a long day though so the sleep won't be wasted.total hiked today: 19.2
Date: 2003-07-03
From: East Mountain

To: View Entry
Miles today: 13.3

the bugs (no-see-ems and misquitoes) were making noise all night Outside my tent so i slept better than they did (do bugs sleep anyway?)today was an easy day--a short day. the plan is for orb's aunt and uncle who live in massachusetts to pick us up tomorrow afternoon and for us to get there on time, we only really have to hike ~13 miles today. AND the first 6 were walking to a lake where we could swim! so that's what i did. i got to the lake around 10am and the 3 of us stayed there until 1pm--swimming, drying off, drinking and eating. a lovely break. around 1 we throw our stuff together and hike another 7 or so to a campsite. this was a 13.3 mile day. i'm wondering if i'll be tired enough to sleep well, but i'm willing to try!my feet have been acting up on me recently. these darn shoes aren't helping and i'm going to replace them as soon as i find something better. orb suggested buying a different brand of socks too. my feet don't bother me too much while i'm hiking, but they're not looking all that hot when i have an opportunity to peel the socks off. LT lent (but i'm not going to give it back) me some talcum powder to help too. my poor feet!
Date: 2003-07-04
To: View Entry
Miles today: 11.5

i fell asleep to the rumnblings of nearby fireworks but when i looked out of my tent, all i could see were fireflies, which i'll take over the other ones anyday. we had 11.5 miles to hike to a road where orb's aunt jodi was going to pick us up at 12n. and what a pleasant hike it was too. there were a lot of day hikers out on this holida too and we had loads of questions about thru-hiking to answer. our pace was good enough that we had time to swim in upper goose pond, and in theory this helped calm down the stench of hiker funk before meeting aunt jodi.the highlight of my hiker day was walking across a footbridge crossing an interstate. the 3 of us came up with a dance to do together across it and lots of cars honked at us as we made fools out of ourselves. good times...so we got picked up by jodi (who rocks the casbar!) and she drove us back to her house in Lowell MA which was 2 HOURS away! (we didn't know the drive was so long) the rest of the day was spent getting cleaned up, doing laundry, and going to a 4th of july picnic with jodi and phil. this has been the longest i've gone without a shower--10 days--and i hope that never happens again. whew!jodi, phil, and their son nick (and their dog) are incredible people (except for the dog, she's a great dog). i loved staying at their place! thanks!
Date: 2003-07-05
To: View Entry
Miles today: 16.0

the original plan was to get onto the trail early... yea, it was a nice idea.jodi and nick took us out to breakfast--YEA PANCAKES! from there, the plan was to head back in the direction of the trail but stop at the REI sporting goods store to buy new shoes to replace the horrible merrell shoes i've got right now.it was the most embarrassing thing to happen in a long time--we could not, to save our lives, find this store and had to call them 4 separate times for directions. i mean, i can walk from georgia to massachusetts without getting lost, but can't follow directions to a store. so sad...but after the forth call for help, we managed to find the place. for the record, REI rocks so much more than i had ever realized. i told them about my issues with the merrell shoes and since they sell merrell and the montrail shoes that i wanted, they were willing to Exchange the two. Wow--how cool is that? they will really stand by their store's products. so i left REI with new montrail vitesse shoes and got new socks in the process. my feet have no excuse but to be happy now...except for the 600+ more miles i have to hike anyway.after that, we do our grocery resupply thing, then head back to the trail and finally get there around 3pm, not an early start but the day was well spent and thanks to jodi for putting up with us!it was really pleasant hiking weather (i'm starting to get use to it!) and we met up with sally and snail after 9 miles. they were staying at the "cookie lady"'s house for the night. it was 8pm and LT, orb, and i decide to push on for ~6 more miles for a night hike. i haven't night hiked many times but it's such a fun thing to do now and then. it's a chance to see the trail with a totally different perspective. i managed not to fall for the entire hike in the dark...until i was within 100 feet of the shelter. at that point, i fell flat on my butt. sigh--almost made it.we got to the shelter around 11pm. we hiked 16 miles from the road. good times.
Date: 2003-07-06
To: Mt Greylock
Miles today: 20.0

before i start with the day, i realized that i forgot to mention something about yesterday. when jodi dropped us off at the trail, who should walk across the road but skeemer and CHARLIE! i haven't seen him in a long time (erwin). we didn't have time to talk because jodi was going to give them a ride into town (what an angel!) but it was great seeing him again.okay--back to business. we slept in a little because of the night hike. around 7:30ish as i was packing up my stuff, an old and unexpected friend comes up to me: T from way back in Georgia is on the Trail! we chatted and caught up a little. he's section hiking from CT to ME so maybe i'll be seeing him off and on for the next couple of weeks.today, the trail went through 2 towns: dalton and cheshire. nothing very exciting was going on in either town so i didn't spend much time there. the goal of the day: Mt Greylock--the highest point in Massachusetts at 3491 ft. we haven't climbed that high since the middle of Virginia but i'd better get use to it for the whites of NH.just 3 miles from the mountain, we get another surprise--Tang walks up! she got off with her relatives for a couple days and is back on the trail. she said that stringbean was a day behind us and wizard was maybe 2 days in front. looks like a potential reunion for the "gang"! when we hiked on to the lodge on top of the mountain we also found Lady there too. good times.we got to the summit around 6:30 and had an impressive sunset as a reward for pushing ourselves today. there is a new hostel on the summit, which includes showers so i'm even moderately clean (cleaner anyway). tomorrow we'll be crossing into vermont!today's miles: 20.0total: 1570.3
Date: 2003-07-07
From: Mt Greylock

To: View Entry
Miles today: 20.5

once again, i was planning on getting up for the sunrise and missed it...but this time i just missed it by 10 minutes. i must have been really tired because it took all my will to drag myself out of bed (a real bed!) and walk to the overlook for the sunrise. so i was a little late, but it was worth it. and after that i prompty went back to bed.i was finally on the trail around 8:30ish. we resupplied in a nearby grocery store after 6 miles of hiking. after that, I hiked right into Vermont! goooooooo me! the AT and the Long Trail (runs the length of VT) follow the same route for ~80 miles so this section of the trail is very well travelled and it will be a crowded place while we're hiking it.while we were resting on the VT-MA border, 2 southbound AT hikers (people who start the trail in the north and hike south) walked up. their names were bojangles and Wheels. and this is how i heard about the Vermonster for the 1st time. the vermonster is...well... it's a lot of things. when the time is right i'll describe exactly what is in one, but for now just know that it fits into a huge plastic tub that bojangles has been carrying since hanover NH where he bought it. and now it's reached the state border. so Orb offers to carry it Back to Hanover. if you're thinking something like "that doesn't make much sense", well you're right but he's doing it anyway. and then, when we get to hanover, we (hopefully at least 4 people will do this together) will partake of our own Vermonster. oh yes. so let it be written, so let it be done. so if you notice that we're doing some big miles through VT, you now know why.anyway, we hiked 20.5 today and i'm feeling it a bit. but i'm glad we are doing some bigger days than recently--the miles feel good.
Date: 2003-07-08
To: View Entry
Miles today: 23.3

i got up and out on the trail around 7:30ish i think. today was probably the first time i've woken up to overcast skies in weeks. it was dark and spooky for the morning walk, but then the wind came in and blew those clouds away. huzzah!it was a great day for walking--pretty cool weather with a good breeze. so far, the terrain in vermont has been very kind. there aren't as many vistas as i would have hoped but the trail is very pretty. i met another southbound AT hiker and he is from Kentucky! his name is blue grass hopper and he said he's got a journal on this webpage so be sure to check him out. it's frustrating that i'll never run into him again on the trail but maybe we can compare pictures later.today i saw what i hope to be the most disgusting thing on the trail. one of the privies at a shelter. UGH. i'll just say that i made other arrangments--i hope no one uses that thing.the 3 of us met up for a late lunch at a lovely little shelter. we hiked together for the last ~8 miles. tang and rob (aka pillow who i met in salibury) are here tonight also. total miles hiked today was 23.3--haven't done that many in a while. 3rd 20+ miler in a row! where's goldberry-x during all of this?