morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2014-06-05
From: Upper Goose Pond Cabin

To: Dalton, MA
Miles today: 20.6

Woke up and had a great pancake breakfast this morning.That was all that was good because it was raining. Not just raining, but pouring. Water was flowing down the trail. Very tall grass was laid over on its side and when walking on top of it your boots just sank in. Then there was the area where the trees were all over the trail and you could not even see where to walk. I think I now know what its like to go thru a car wash! It was sooooo muddy. My boots were full of water! Rain stopped about 1 but the trail was a mess all day. Half way thru the day I stopped at the "cookie Lady's" house. She gives 3 cookies to all hikers and has other snacks for sale. I ate my 3 cookies, a klondike bar and drank a bottle of lemonade. There was a pine grove I walked through where if you listened you could hear rattlesnakes rattling as you passed by. Kinda creepy. I think this would have been a beautiful hike if not for the rain. I made it into Dalton, MA and got a room for the night. After pouring water out of my boots I took my socks into the shower with me. I never did get all the mud out of them. Hopefully going into the washing machine later will help. Heading out to dinner and then to plan the next few days. Side note---Racquet would not have liked the rain and mud today.
Date: 2014-06-06
From: Dalton, MA

To: Wilbur Clearing Shelter
Miles today: 20.5
Weather: light rain

Racquet update: went to the doctor today just to confirm plantar fasciitis and to make sure nothing else going on. Have to stay off feet, stretch arches, heels, calves and hamstrings! Also went to massage therapist this week and will continue to have feet worker on 2 x a week. Only time will heal. Side note- have also had discomfort from neuroma surgery site from last year. Thought I was developing a new neuroma. Doc thinks just scar tissue and quite a lot if inflammation. So, guess what. Out comes the needle with cortisone. Through the top of my foot just behind the third toe and it felt like the needle went all the way through. Well, so sore by the time I got home had to take Meds and try to sleep. Feeling better now and hope to get on my bike for a long ride tomorrow. Miss being on the trail and miss NoBigDeal! Wish me luck in getting better and returning to the trail as soon as possible. NoBigDeal started the day having breakfast with Crunchy and Timeout, two thru hikers from England. Quick trip to post office and the day's hiking can now begin. With mostly dry boots headed down into the town of Cheshire, MA. Arrived there after 4 hours of hiking and made a pit stop at Diane's Twist. Enjoyed a tuna melt, Gatorade and ice cream! Continued on toward the summit at Mt. Greylock. It was a long 8 mile climb to the highest point in MA at 3500 feet. The lodge there was full, a special event took all the rooms, so had to hike another 3 miles to the next shelter. Running into the same hikers a lot - Fancy Pants, Z, Tilicum, Milky and Streamside.
Date: 2014-06-07
From: Wilbur Clearing Shelter

To: Congdon Shelter
Miles today: 17.1
Weather: scattered clouds

Began the day with a hike up towards Mt. Prospect. Wonderful views and would have been a great place to see the sun rise. Hiking down the other side there was a reservoir I took a look at and soon crossed the MA - VT state line. Another state complete! Between Williamstown and North Adams I tried to hitch a ride into town to resupply. No one picked me up but I had walked far enough on my own to reach a store to get ice cream, my favorite these days, and some other food to charge the tank for the rest of the day. Hiked up towards a large peak and found the shelter for the night. There were 5 of us there.
Date: 2014-06-08
From: Congdon Shelter

To: Kid Gore Shelter
Miles today: 18.7
Weather: overcast clouds

Waking up early, 5:15 to be exact, and hiking by 6. Living by the sun these days. There was a very steep drop into Bennington, VT and then a steep uphill. As things go, on the AT, all things that go up must come down and vice versa. But this ascend led me to the Glastenbury Lookout. Almost a 10 mile incline and about 2500 ft climb ( put your treadmill on 10% incline and walk for 4+ hrs with 30 lbs on your back - then you can eat all the ice cream you want). There is a fire tower there, which I climbed just to get a phone signal to call Racquet. Seems things are fine at home and she is continuing to nurse her feet. I have 4 more miles to go to reach the shelter for the night.
Date: 2014-06-09
From: Kid Gore Shelter

To: Stratton Pond Shelter
Miles today: 15.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Woke up at Kid Gore to rain (ugh!). Fortunately it let up and even thought he trail was wet it turned out to be a good day. Tried to push it some as any hiking without rain is a good thing. Big climb up Stratton Mtn with more nice views, pictures were not great as it was still a little overcast. Met a girl on the trail with her dog the day before but the dog was struggling (her pack was rubbing her forearm pits). Looks like they will be pulling off the trail, but it was nice having the dog in camp - not likely that other critters would be coming around with a dog there. Kid Gore is known for its eastern view and sunrises are supposed to be spectacular. I did get (4:55) up but the sunrise looked more like a sunset - still a nice picture. I was inspired by the pictures that Larry K sent me of sunrises at the reservoir that he took while fishing with Moose. Unfortunately I am often in bed before the sunsets and up too late for sunrise (not to mention that most of the time we are deep in the woods with no view). Big climb today with peak at almost 4000 ft (probably hit 4000 when I climbed the tower!)
Date: 2014-06-10
From: Stratton Pond Shelter

To: Manchester Center Vt - Green Mtn Hostel
Miles today: 10.7

Called for rain today and it rained like crazy last night (I know as I got up at 4:00 am to do what old men do). Once again we lucked out and it stopped by the time we started hiking at about 6:00. Got to road to Manchester Center at about 10:30 and struggled to get a pickup. Finally a car pulls into the parking area and out climb a group of hikers that we had met several times. (This crowd goes all the way back to St Thomas Episcopal Church Hostel for Racquet and I : Z, Pre Fontaine, Beast, Trilicum). PreFontaine's girlfriend offered us a ride to town. We had the best burritos then got chocolate milk and ice cream for desert. I wwent to an outfitter and bought a new sleeping bag and some new hiking shoes for my birthday. Send my blister factory home (but I have to give it to the Vasques - they were holding up!) Hostel is nice and I may slack pack tomorrow. I am getting a bit ahead of schedule so will then have to slow down for a couple of days and really enjoy the scenery (hope the weather cooperates). Merckies, I have a great idea for a "supply chain/logistics" summer intern experience. Will write more on that later. Tell Julie that you cannot outrun mosquitoes - they are a pain!
Date: 2014-06-11
From: Manchester Center Vt - Green Mtn Hostel

To: Danbury - Langrove Rd
Miles today: 17.6

Got Jeff the hostel owner to slackpack me, I actually walked south back to the Rt 11/30 parking area and thumbed back into town. Nice hike with 4 peaks. The wind was blowing and it was cool. Rain was threatening all day but it did not really start up until I had about 2 miles to finish. Ride to town came pretty quick from a dump truck driver but unfortunately he was only going to the Rt 7 turnoff so I had to walk most of the last mile and half to town. Went back for another burrito, then off the McDonalds for a big mac and an oreo flurry. Views were pretty cool but pictures were not great since it was quite overcast. Highlight was Bromley Mtn. At the top you are literally at the top of the ski lift (no the lifts were not running - but it would have been tempting to take it down!). Walked in my new hiking shoes and did not even have to take my "vitamin A", hiker talk for Advil. Will have to see how it goes tomorrow with full pack weight. Vermont is so GREEN - there are sections were you walk among vast fern groves - it looks like you are in a tropical rain forest. Also saw lots of moose skat, especially at higher elevation. I never see any hoof prints? Do they back up to the trail? Did talk to one hiker today at the hostel that saw a moose earlier this morning.
Date: 2014-06-12
From: Danbury - Langrove Rd

To: Minerva Hinchey Shelter
Miles today: 12.1
Weather: overcast clouds

Wet but not raining! Called for 60% chance of rain but it held off for the day's hike. The path was extremely wet and early on i was faced with running water on the trail that was almost as deep and swift as the stream that was running next to the path. I slipped many times during the day and actually fell twice. One fall was just a butt buster and more impactful on my pride but the other was a full blow face dive into the roots that had my chest hurting every time I breathed deep. Walked again through a fern grove where the ferns were spread out as far as you could see. This was an Orange Newt day - they love this weather and I am sure the ferns also were not complaining. Also came upon a couple of places where there were all these little rock stacks (I am sure there is a name for these??). Late in the day I came upon "Bully Brook" and it took me about 20 minutes searching up and down the stream to find a place to cross. Water was high and the Brook was at the top of a really steep and long water fall. One bad move and it would be tidy bowl time! When I made it out of there woods and onto VT140 I discovered that the previous night a dam had failed and washed out portions of VT140 that was now closed for boulder and dirt removal. Glad I was not down stream of that! When I got the to the shelter I was the only one there and it was still early so I decided to make a fire (not easy with wet wood) but eventually prevailed). The shelter log had several entries about porcupine visits so I was hoping the fire would help deter that activity. Not long after 2 Canadians came along and decided to stay. They were hiking the Long Trail back home! Nice kids. It started to rain pretty hard at about 7pm and put the fire out so we quickly called it a night.
Date: 2014-06-13
From: Minerva Hinchey Shelter

To: VT103, North Clarendon
Miles today: 2.7

Just had a quick hike out to the road, then 0.5 miles to a small restaurant on Vt103. I was being picked up by my cousin Chris who drove down from Vergennes Vt to bring me to his house for the weekend with he and his wife Laurie. Racquet also drove up for the weekend! We had a great time!
Date: 2014-06-14
From: VT103, North Clarendon

To: Vergennes
Miles today: 0.0

First a big thank you to my Cousins who took me in and fed me, let me do wash and get cleaned up and provided a great place for a reunion with Racquet! We had a great dinner Friday and celebrated birthdays (mine on the 10th and Chris's on the 20th). On Saturday we visited a property recently renovated that Chis was the design architect for. The camp was on Lake Champlain and both the cottage and the lake views were stunning. Also want to take a moment to thank all of you who send me messages on the guest book. I want you to know that I read every one of these and they are very motivating and something that I look forward to. Especially when I go several days with no phone contact - they really give me a sense of home and warmth. I was so excited to see some notes from my "Puerto Rican" friend and Diane. Keep them coming. All you Merckies - thanks for all the gear you provided by the retirement gift - I have totally blown my gear budget but your send off was a giant help. Larry and Talia - you guys have fed me for a good portion of this trail endeavor so far. And someone tell Chuck and Relenne that I could not have survived without the Leki hiking poles - they are true appendage extensions. I would have fallen dozens of times by now without them. Last but not least - thanks to my home support crew that has sent me my resupply packages. Believe it or not I have only lost about 3 pounds so far!
Date: 2014-06-15
From: Vergennes

To: US 4, Inn at Long Trail
Miles today: 17.4

Lots of R&R today (not rest and relaxation) roots and rocks. Tough climb over Killington Mtn highest AT peak in Vermont but only 2nd highest Mtn. in the state. Hike up Killington was in the clouds and I was worried that there would be no view at the summit but there was some clearing right before I got to the top! Quite cold up there. Day started at 860 ft but peaked at 4000. 6 miles of constant up to get to the top. Good news is that Chris and Laurie made a great suggestion - Racquet drove me to the trail head and decided to stay the night at Long Trail Inn so I slack packed the 17.4 miles. This was a good day to slack!
Date: 2014-06-16
From: US 4, Inn at Long Trail

To: Winturri Shelter
Miles today: 19.9

Long Trail Inn was nice, unfortunately I zonked out right after dinner. After a couple of hours I got up and found Racquet watching the Bball finals down I the hiker lounge. Monday morning I got up and hiked 2 miles before breakfast ( was able to slack pack this section.). We had a hearty breakfast then had to say our goodbyes. Tough since this is probably the last time we will see each other till I flip back to Harper's Ferry. Hike was a lot of ups and downs, probably as demanding as the day before. Gifford Woods St Park was really nice as was Kent Pond, both were early I'm the hike. Had a couple of nice vistas but the most spectacular was from a tower that is atop a private cabin that is one tenth a mile off the AT. Cabin was locked but the tower was open. I would have loved to stay the night and get pictures of both sunset and sunrise but I did not have enough water. Views were excellent 360. When I did get to the shelter the couple that had arrived first found a bear inside the shelter (trying to get to some trash that previous hikers had left). I did end up sleeping in the shelter with one other hiker (goes by Gizmo) but the couple stayed in their tent!
Date: 2014-06-17
From: Winturri Shelter

To: West Hartford
Miles today: 16.4

Got up early and hit the trail. Focus was on getting to Cloudland Market. It was a little bit of a bust since I was expecting more but I was able to get a pint of homemade ice cream and two sodas (a root beer and a raspberry-rhubarb, pretty good stuff. This was about 10 miles into the hike. Next stop was West Hartford where there was a deli that I hoped to get dinner at (about 6.4 more miles). When I got to the deli it was closed - I was bummed. However, not far down the street was a house where a sign maker lives and he offered camping in his back yard. And water from his hose. I ended up taking advantage of both. Will make tomorrow 4 miles longer but it was worth it. Backyard had a stream with a water fall and a small swimming hole. Will make a perfect place to sleep. The hike today was pretty nice and included 3+ miles of meadow walks. Views were really nice. At one point the trail growth made it hard to even see the trail and then out of nowhere a forest of really tall pines appeared. You never know what is around the next corner.
Date: 2014-06-18
From: West Hartford

To: Stray Cats AT Hilton Hostel
Miles today: 9.9

Tactical error - did not check the weather till just before bed. It called for thunder showers and sure enough one rolled in at 1:00 am. Luckily it was not raining at 5 when I got up. Tent was wet but every thing else dry. It did rain on me some during the 10 mile hike to Hanover but not too bad. The hike was easy by any standard, including a 2.5 mile road hike at the end. In town I went to the PO, ate multiple times and sat in the library to make this post. Nice college town, home of Dartmouth (Larry, Chris may go here next!).Off to get some groceries then onto the hostel.
Date: 2014-06-19
From: Stray Cats AT Hilton Hostel

To: Trapper John Shelter
Miles today: 16.6

The stray cat hostel was nice. Steve and Keely his wife were great hosts. They fixed a big dinner. One additional hiker came in but he was getting off the trail with a sprained knee. I did take a picture of the sunset. Thursday morning Steve took me back to the trail (did I mention that this place was 30 min away from Hanover?). While on the trail I could hear someone singing and hiking behind me. Eventually "Emerald" caught up and overtook me (pretty common for these young thru hikers. Not long after she stopped and I got ahead and when she passed me the 2nd time we started talking. It was great and made the time go by quickly. She is a white water raft guide in Maine and going to school in the fall. Once we summited Holts Edge she sprinted off to do another 6.7 miles and I headed for a shelter that was just a half mile away. Emerald did teach me how to recognize moose tracks - of course she found some almost immediately. At the shelter met a section hiker, Willis and eventually Timeout and Crunchie came along too.
Date: 2014-06-20
From: Trapper John Shelter

To: Ore Hill Campsite
Miles today: 19.5

Hiked the day with section hiker "Willis". Even though we did almost 20 miles the time went quick. First stop was about 7 miles out where we came to the Fire Wardens Cabin and tower. Snapped some pictures from all views but cannot post since I am at a Hostel but do not have phone service. It was pretty cool looking back on where we had just come from. We tented since the shelter had burnt down several years ago. Water starting to get a little more scarce on the trail. Our campsite was listed as having a muddy stream 100 yards away. Muddy was an understatement. We had to make due with what we had for the night and get some early on the hike the next morning. Good opportunity to catch up on some guest book questions: Shoes that I got in Manchester Center are much better on my feet. Still get some hot spots on the big days but nothing like the blisters that the Vasque's were causing. Snacks on the trail are a variety- peanut butter crackers, beef jerky, candy bars and lots of Cliff Bars also trail mix. You really cannot carry and eat enough to replace the calories you burn on a 16 to 20 mile day so you have to look to get off the trail and supplement with town food. I do not think my Emerald was your dog whisperer but it was nice to share the time with someone. Thanks Larry for the Carin history - very cool. This adventure dows beat more BPIC or TRIAD endeavors. Do not know that I have changed much but continue to learn more about myself and learning to let go some and go with the flow (little by little). Lots of contemplation on the trail - it is obvious that what keeps streaming into your thoughts is obviously what is most important to you and your life. Lots of imaginary conversations!
Date: 2014-06-21
From: Ore Hill Campsite

To: Hikers Welcome Hostel
Miles today: 7.3

Short day. Left at 6:30 and got to hostel before 10. Second guessing if I should have pushed on with Willis but my plan is to slack pack the next two days. Still working out logistics. Mt Moosilauke is tomorrow - the start of the Whites, the climb is from 1000 ft to 4800 over 7 miles of up. Will be bouncing between 2000 and 5000 for a week before summiting Mt Washington at about 6300 ft toward the end of next week. Stays pretty intense until you get about 50 miles into Maine, then it is rocks, root, bogs and rivers. Thanks to Tim Taylor and his family for the offer to come off the trail a few days back. The people in this area have been exceptional and I have heard many stories of some great "Trail Magic". Hope I can post some pictures tomorrow. Also thanks to Trail angel "Mud Elephant" who took me to town and bought my lunch! Hard to believe all the nice people you meet on the trail.
Date: 2014-06-22
From: Hikers Welcome Hostel

To: Kinsman Notch, Lincoln NH - One Step at a Time
Miles today: 9.3

Had to get a ride to Kinsman's Notch so I could hike back to Hikers Welcome Hostel. Moosilauke was the biggest club so far so I elected to slack pack. Climb up the N face was steep and paralleled a waterfall for over a mile. I have never seen a continuous waterfall for such a distance. As I approached the summit the wind picked up and temperatures plummeted. However, the day was clear and beautiful! Views on the summit were crisp and spectacular. The day went much faster then I anticipated. Back at the Hostel before 12 (hit the trail at 7:15). Next stop was Chet's One Step at aTime hostel in Lincoln NH. Forgot to mention, big raccoon fight last night over the trash at the Hikers Welcome Hostel. Quite the noise and quite the mess.
Date: 2014-06-23
From: Kinsman Notch, Lincoln NH - One Step at a Time

To: Franconia Notch
Miles today: 16.3

Wow, that hike up S Kinsman was brutal. Much tougher than Moosilauke. I went for about a mile and only saw one blaze - this slows you down since you are always concerned you may be forging into wilderness. Lots of people staying at the Lonesome Lake AMC Hut which I hit at the end of the day. Saw about 10 different groups hiking up to N Kinsman Mtn (easier trail than S Kinsman). Tomorrow it is back with the full pack and a trek to Galehead Hut. I get to experience hut life and food first hand. Only 13 miles ( plus the mile at the trail head since the drop point is not exactly at the AT). Hope to get to Galehead by 3 tomorrow.
Date: 2014-06-24
From: Franconia Notch

To: Galehead Hut
Miles today: 13.0

Befriended the local taxi driver shoe came and got me 15 min early (6:15 vs 6:30, there normal starting time) so we could stop and get him a coffee and me a breakfast sandwich. Surprise, we stopped on the way to pick up another passenger and it turned out to be Willis, my hiking buddy from a couple of days ago. The day was starting out even better than expected. As usual Willis pushed me on the hike but more talks about politics, finances and general philosophy kept our mind off the trail and time passed quickly. Unfortunately the day was mostly cloudy and views off the big peak Mt Lafayette was limited. I stayed with Willis till Galehead Hut but then he moved on to the next hut Zealand Falls. Galehead hut was pretty cool and the crew was nice. Only 5 of us as guests and two hikers doing a work for stay (sweep the floor or some other task and they get left over food and can sleep on the floor under the dining tables.). On the middle of huge night the crew from Galehead hiked the 7 miles to Zealand Hut and stole a metal knights helmet then hiked back to Galehead (14 mile round trip). They were quite proud of there trophy! For us guests the food was plentiful, the beds were comfortable and warm.
Date: 2014-06-25
From: Galehead Hut

To: Crawford Notch
Miles today: 14.7

Breakfast not till 7 but still got out by 7:30 after sausage, oatmeal, homemade nut bread, eggs and juice. Heavy thunder storms predicted for the afternoon so wanted to get to Crawford Notch as early as possible. Hiked most of the day with "Boulderdash" a 69 year old section hiker. He is doing NH and Maine. Once again not a day for spectacular views but I have landed at the AMC Highland Center and got a room in their bunk house but it includes a shower, dinner, breakfast and a shuttle back to the trail tomorrow. I lucked out, had to hitch hike the 3.5 miles up here and got picked up by the first car that passed. Guess it helps to look pathetic in the rain!
Date: 2014-06-26
From: Crawford Notch

To: Mizpah 
Miles today: 6.4
Weather: scattered clouds

Insanity def'n = hike 8 miles to reduce Friday by 3.8 miles. Boulderdash does not want to backtrack down the hill to the notch so I hiked a loop to cover that section of the AT. Will have to retrace the 2.6 miles back up to Mizpah tomorrow but should allow us to get to Madison by the end of the day. Will be a big day but weather is supposed to be beautiful. Today was a lot of stream walking since the water was flowing down the paths after the 2+ inches of rain we got last night. Only had one ridge with a view today, looking down at the valley.