morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2015-07-27
From: Campsite at Stratton Pond

To: Manchester, VT
Miles today: 10.7

Some of the colors and designs on mushrooms are spectacular. This little pair of beauts decided to make a home on the side of a tree.I have heard so much about the upcoming White Mountains being so difficult and dangerous, but also spectacularly beautiful. I have tried hard to focus on the excitement of the beauty, but I have to admit some anxiety has lingered. I was walking with Ukalady and Chameleon yesterday and learned that they are both back from a two year stint in the Peace Corps in Micronesia. One thing they learned there was to be persistent and resourceful. Their attitude is -- whatever comes up, they will deal with. Well, I really like that concept. On this trek, I have had to deal with challenges that I was told would be almost impossibly difficult, and also some unexpected obstacles. But I've gotten through them all. So I'm feeling a new calm with their mantra of whatever comes up, I will just deal with. And I really believe I will. These two young and wise women could be my daughters or even my granddaughters, but it just goes to show you that you can always learn something from others.I came out of the woods today planning to hitchhike several miles into town to a boarding house where I had a room reserved. As I was getting set to stick my thumb out, a guy from a RV hollered up to me from a parking lot asking if I wanted something to drink. I never say no to trail magic, so I went over there. It turns out that he is a former thru-hiker named Fat Man Walking, and he offered me a ride into town. So just like that, a trail angel appeared and took me to the doorstep of where I was headed. This all is such an amazing experience.
Date: 2015-07-28
From: Manchester, VT

To: Off trail near Baker's Peak
Miles today: 12.8
Weather: overcast clouds

This little guy joined me today while I was enjoying a panoramic view. There are hundreds of dragonflies up in the higher elevations.After grocery shopping and errands in Manchester this morning, I tried a new method of hitchhiking to get back to the trail. Instead of just walking along with my thumb out and my back to the oncoming cars, I stood in the shade next to my pack with my thumb out. When a car came toward me I took my hat and put it over my heart (indicating "I'd be grateful for a ride"). I thought doing something is better than standing there as a motionless, weird, bearded guy. About the 10th car pulled over and picked me up!The guy who gave me a ride told me why Vermont is so muddy. Want to know why? During the last ice age, the glaciers scraped off much of the top layer of the earth, so the water table is close to the surface. This makes it difficult for farming because the fields stay so soggy. Nothing like a little geology lesson first thing in the morning. I've been asked about my sock system. I actually changed what I do in Maryland when trail angel Vicki told me what many other hikers do. I use Injinji sock liners that are like gloves with each toe having its own little sleeve. Then I use Darn Tough wool socks on top of them. Since Maryland, I have hardly gotten any blisters from my toes rubbing against each other. The only downside is that when these sock liners get wet, they stay wet. The synthetic or silk sock liners I had used before did not have separate toes, but they seemed to keep my feet dryer. Hmmmm, drier feeling feet or blisters? Injinji wins every time.At one point today, I heard singing coming my way. It was a group of about a dozen 17 year old girls. When the one in the front saw me, she hollered out "human!" I told them I knew that I was pretty rough looking, but glad that I'm still recognizable as a human. Quite a few giggles ensued. I'm in my tent near a peak and it is dry and the air is still. I can see the full moon from here and hope to see some shooting stars. There are supposed to be a good number of them tonight and I'm in an ideal location where I can just lie down and watch the sky. This is truly an awesome location and night. Nowhere I'd rather be.
Date: 2015-07-29
From: Off trail near Baker's Peak

To: Off trail near Minerva Hinchey Shelter
Miles today: 16.9
Weather: overcast clouds

Vermont has been amazing. The weather has been dry the entire time I've been here, so the infamous mud challenges have not presented themselves too much. I'm quite fortunate. And the lakes are spectacular. This one in the photo is called Little Rock Pond. (Yep, up here they call this a pond.)Vermont is also good because it's helping me get my legs back into shape for long ascents and descents. I've really enjoyed the state's variety of trail challenges and the trail not being too loaded with rocks.The Green Mountains here remind me a lot of the mountains in North Carolina. It's been awhile since I've had those long ups and downs, and I think these are good warm ups for the mountains of New Hampshire next month. I got great news today. My test results from last week came in and I do not have Lyme disease. Woo hoo! I must have just picked up some kind of intestinal bug that ran its normal course over that week or so. I'm glad that I stopped and had the test done though, because that bought me a full week of peace of mind while I took the precautionary medication. You don't want to mess around with Lyme disease. If you've been following this blog all along, you'll recognize this next name. I was shocked and delighted to run into Iron Lady today. She and I had met in our ATI class last Fall, and then we hiked together for a week or so much earlier in this trek. She left the trail to go to a wedding and another event, so I didn't expect to see her again. Since then she has had a friend helping her slack pack. With her pouring in big mileage, she has caught up to me and that's probably the last I will see of her. It was nice to see an old hiking friend even though it was only for a few minutes. I'll end on a note for my good ol' former co-workers, if any of you are reading this. It's been 4 months since I worked on a spreadsheet! I thought about that this afternoon. I think I'll be fine. I'm off trail near a shelter with the standard whine of mosquitoes nearby, and also the sound of small critters moving about. Probably mice. It's a nice temperature and I'm glad that I have some data service to check facebook and upload this blog.Nowhere I'd rather be.
Date: 2015-07-30
From: Off trail near Minerva Hinchey Shelter

To: Cooper Lodge Shelter
Miles today: 13.8
Weather: overcast clouds

I've posted pictures of trees, creatures, and beautiful views, but this is pretty much what I look at all day, everyday...foot placement. It's a wonder that my neck has never gotten sore from looking down so much.Oh, I sent the yellow shoes back home not because they were loud (which they were), but because I ordered them to be an additional half size bigger for more toe room. This was already on top of wearing one full size larger than my regular size. But adding that extra half size simply made my heel slip up and down in the back of the shoe. So I'm back to my good and snug fitting one size larger shoe again. In black. I had another large animal event last night. Around 1 o'clock am, I could hear at a distance something large plodding through the woods and snapping branches as it went. Clomp clomp clomp. I hoped that it would not get near, but it came towards me and I could hear that it got within 30 yards or so. It must've found something interesting to eat because it just stayed there rustling around for over an hour. I decided my best defense was to stay quiet and still in the darkness. But I was ready to flip on my head lamp and clap my hands and make a ruckus to startle if it came too near my tent. I assume it was a bear, but I am also now in moose country so, who knows? Keeping very still like that in the middle of the night after walking all day, I couldn't help but fall asleep off and on. One of the times when I woke back up, I could hear it but it was a good distance away, and eventually it was completely gone. That whole experience gave me a nice little adrenaline rush in the middle of the night. I slept in this morning to make up for my losing some sleep.I've been meeting occasional south bounders. One of them today told me that there is no phone service on the top of Mt. Katahdin. So, by the way, I won't be calling anyone to say I'm there. Today turned out to be a kinda tough day. I had a few steep ascents, and the last one was a long one equivalent to climbing the stairs of a 250 story building. I've done that sort of ascent before, but today had a special added challenge. You know those hard rains when you just run from your car to the building and get totally drenched? Well it rained pretty much like that for about 4 hours, making the hike a muddy, sloppy, slippery extra challenge. But I have had so much dry weather in Vermont, this was overdue - so no worries.I'm in my tent and everything is drying out. It's probably in the upper fifties here tonight at this elevation of over 4000 feet. I've got on my wool cap and fleece jacket, so in my sleeping bag, I'm warm and snug.Nowhere I'd rather be.
Date: 2015-07-31
From: Cooper Lodge Shelter

To: Killington, VT
Miles today: 10.2

Here I am passing the 1700 mile mark this morning. These leaves were fresh so someone had just recently made this special marker on the trail. I've got less than 500 miles to go now -- But the toughest 500 miles. There's a saying that at this point you've gone 75% of the distance and put in 25% of the effort. I've awakened many mornings and removed my dry sleeping clothes and put on my wet hiking clothes from the day before. Today was the first morning since the summer began that I put on my (rain soaked) wet clothes in temperatures in the fifties. Pulling on a cold wet shirt is certainly a special feeling. But pulling on cold wet undershorts? -- That made the boys scream for a moment. It is amazing, though, how quickly everything dries out once I start hiking on a dry morning. And this morning was dry and the sun came out for a particularly beautiful, sunny walk.I always sign off my blog, when I'm in the woods, "Nowhere I'd rather be." But I have to confess that I get pretty excited when I'm coming into a town and know that I will be eating well, showering, washing my clothes, drying out my equipment, and sleeping in a bed. Now though, I'm in a place on this trek where I can almost see the end in sight. You know how when you take a long driving trip, the first quarter of it is fun because you're starting your big long trip. The second quarter you are sustained by trying to get halfway. The last quarter is exciting because you are almost there. But the third quarter is kind of the drudgery part. I think I've just finished the drudgery part and frankly it was wearing on me. Plus, and I don't dwell on this, my feet have never stopped hurting and this hike is really hard. But I'm feeling like I have my second wind, and the end actually is almost, sort of, in sight. As I'm sitting here in the comfort of a motel room, I'm pretty psyched about getting back out on the trail tomorrow. I'm still enjoying the energy of the woods, the panoramic views, the tiny little details of the forest floor, and the solitude. But a new small, and perhaps growing part of my overall motivation is to be finished and get back home. I'm just being real.
Date: 2015-08-01
From: Killington, VT

To: Wintturi Shelter
Miles today: 16.0
Weather: clear sky

This is the third ladder I have encountered so far on this trek. Some of these small cliffs are just too difficult to scale without some kind of hand hold. The local trail maintenance club evidently decided a ladder is the best approach. Suits me.I hiked a good portion of the day with "Glamper" who told me that he and a couple other thru-hikers have sort of hit-the-wall in Vermont. They all have reduced their miles due to general fatigue of the accumulation of so many miles thus far. He said they are also saving up their energy for the New Hampshire mountains. I certainly understand that and have some of the same feelings.On a lighter note, Glamper and I saw a good deal of what we assumed are moose droppings. Either that or there is a 12 foot bunny running around out here.I was grateful today for almost a complete lack of annoying gnats, flies, or mosquitoes. Even when I was stationary and setting up my tent, there were hardly any mosquitoes. Previously, they've swarmed at that time of the evening. I'm not sure why. Perhaps it's that cold night we had, but I am delighted to not have to deal with them.My tent is near a gurgling brook and birds are singing their last nighttime songs. It's probably in the upper 60s and the air is still. This is really an ideal place with perfect conditions to be tenting in the woods.Nowhere I'd rather be.
Date: 2015-08-02
From: Wintturi Shelter

To: Near Happy Hill Shelter
Miles today: 19.5
Weather: clear sky

Look at these pillars of spruce (?) reaching several stories into the sky. I've never been in a forest with the canopy so high at the top of such straight, stark trunks. Very cool.Today was a beautiful day for hiking. Piercing blue sky with intermittent sharp-edged bright white clouds. The temperature was probably in the upper 80's and some hikers were complaining, but for this ol' Southern boy it seemed pretty darned nice.I had two instances today of having the trail blocked by some critters. One was in a meadow where a cow on the path just turned and looked at me. I would take a couple of steps towards her and then she would take a couple of steps away and then turn and just look me again. This went on for a couple of minutes before she finally moved off the path and let me by. A young bull was nearby watching us, so I kept my eye on him. The other time was a little fuzzy baby bird that had just left its nest and couldn't yet fly. There was thick grass on either side of the path and little birdie couldn't escape in either direction. So she just kept hopping away from me as I walked down the path. Poor little thing was probably scared half to death as her mother watched helplessly. She finally flapped her little fuzzy wings enough to gain a little altitude and she veered into the grass where she was able to steady herself on some stiff stalks allowing me to walk by. Cute.I'm off trail in my tent on a warm and windless night. It's perfectly comfortable for sleeping without my sleeping quilt. And I've got the steady drone of mosquito buzzing right outside my netting. Yep, the mosquitoes are back in force. I've gotten used to that sound now and it doesn't bother me in the least as I am safe inside here from their little vampire desires.Nowhere I'd rather be.
Date: 2015-08-03
From: Near Happy Hill Shelter

To: Hanover, NH
Miles today: 6.8
Weather: clear sky

New Hampshire! The 13th of 14 states. I rolled into Hanover, NH this morning. I've had Hanover circled on my mental map since the get-go. Dr. Doyle, of my Appalachian Trail Institute class, had suggested that Hanover would be an ideal place to trade out my summer gear and get my winter gear mailed back to me. (Thanks Beth.) I also received the last section of pages of my trail guide, which I had left at home to be mailed to me when needed. So I arranged two nights in Hanover to get well rested, reorganize my winter gear in my pack, and get set for the last quarter of this expedition.I took some time today to walk around Dartmouth College, which I had never seen before. It's a nice campus and it was fun to see the students out sunning themselves (evidently a simple bra is a good substitute for a bathing suit top), playing frisbee, and walking and chatting with one another. There were also several groups of high school students getting tours by some of the Dartmouth students. The meticulously kept grounds were a bit surreal for this guy used to trudging through the rocks, mud, and downed trees of the forest. It was a beautiful day and I quite enjoyed the change of scenery. Especially that bra part. In hindsight, I really liked Vermont. The trail had a bit of everything in it and much of it was nice soft earth rather than rock. I totally lucked out on the mud challenge due to a significant dry spell making the trail pretty darned nice most of the time. My memory of Vermont will be a pleasurable one.And now tomorrow - a coveted zero day.
Date: 2015-08-04
From: Hanover, NH

To: Hanover, NH
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

This was an amusing sign I saw along the trail this week that said, "When in doubt, the AT always goes up." And sure enough, the easy, level trail I had been on continued in one direction, while the AT trail split off and went uphill.I enjoyed my zero day today. I completed all of my errands and figured out a way to pack my backpack a little differently to accommodate the additional winter gear I just received from home. One of the reasons I had sent home my hard foam sleeping pad is that I had had it strapped onto the back of my pack, like a shark fin. I knew that the winds on the upcoming mountains could be substantial, and I didn't need that sail buffeting me as I scrambled on the rocks. The air mattress I've been using recently had been packed inside my backpack, but today I had to strap that on the back of my pack to make room for everything inside. However, it's in a Cuban fiber dry bag and should still keep my pack aerodynamic in the winds.As I approach the White Mountains I'm reminded of my first science fiction book I read as a boy - "The White Mountains." In that book, set far in the future, there were young people my age at the time looking at the wondrous ruins of the Ancients. The Ancients had built magnificent structures, but I recognized the columns and remains of bridges as those that we have in our modern world today, or at least the modern world we had when I was a boy. At the time, it blew my mind that our current day civilization could be viewed with such wonder by people in the future who had lost the ability to build such things. That book probably did more to trigger my imagination than any other book, and it turns out it was about this very section of mountains I'm about to experience. I'm well rested now and ready to hit the trail again tomorrow.
Date: 2015-08-05
From: Hanover, NH

To: Stealthing a mile before Trapper John Shelter
Miles today: 15.7
Weather: broken clouds

I've been seeing these fungi on trees for the last several hundred miles. They're unusual, at least to me, in that they have a hard underside. After one final large breakfast, I walked out of Hanover and back into the forest. This was another beautiful day for hiking, mostly sunny and mild. The spruce and pine woods meant that the forest floor was open and I could see for quite a distance between the tree trunks. Much of the trail was fairly flat and covered in pine straw allowing me to look around quite a bit. After all, my trail name is 3D. Before I left home, my son asked me to take a selfie everyday on my hike. He's in advertising and has access to all sorts of technology and software. He plans to take all of those pictures and put them together in a short video that will basically show my beard growing. Everyday I try to position my phone camera in the same place for each selfie. I probably have remembered to do it about 4 out of every 5 days, or so. That could be an interesting (bizarre) little one minute video.So much of this trail and the landscape have been shaped by the glaciers of the last ice age. People talk about one mile high glaciers that existed about 20,000 years ago. That's so enormous and hard to get my head around when I look out and see the tallest mountains are also a mile high. I've researched this a little, and some accounts tell of even thicker glaciers. Amazing.I am far off the trail tonight, high up near a peak. I found a sweet little flat spot amongst the spruce where I also have good data connectivity. I'm near Trapper John Shelter which is rumored to be named after the character on the old show M.A.S.H. It's going to be a coolish night and I now have my winter sleeping bag that I'll probably use as a blanket when necessary. It's too hot to climb into the bag, but it'll be quite comfy on top of me snoozing on top of my air mattress.Nowhere I'd rather be.
Date: 2015-08-06
From: Stealth camping a mile before Trapper John Shelter

To: Stealthing Northside of Cube Mountain
Miles today: 15.5

In the exposed rocky areas, cairns such as this are used to mark the trail rather than white blazes. I suppose with all the snow they get, a white blaze on a rock would be fairly useless. This particular cairn had a little pizzazz to it. I hiked up and down over two mountains today: Smart Mountain and Cube Mountain. I didn't have a specific tenting destination, though on the map it appeared that after coming down off of Cube Mountain there was a brook followed by a fairly flat area for about a mile. I had hoped that I could stealth somewhere in that flat area and it wouldn't be overgrown. So here's how it went down. The ascents to the two mountains were tough going and really slowed me down so that it was already 6:00 pm by the time I summited Cube Mountain. It starts to get dark by 7:00 in the woods here and I still had it least a mile and a half (45 minutes at best) to get down off of the mountain to even begin to get to that flatish area. On top of that, my water was low so I had to first reach the brook at the base of the mountain before I could pitch my tent and have enough water for dinner tonight and breakfast tomorrow. I hustled down the mountain as fast as I could but it was steep and rocky and I just could not go all that fast and still be safely sure footed. It was getting darker and I had very little water and no idea where I could tent. Yikes. Lo and behold, I came across a trickle of a spring that was not on the map. I was able to use my sierra cup to scoop water and fill both of my water bottles. One problem solved. This now gave me the flexibility to look for a potential flat spot without worrying about first getting to the brook. Sure enough, the steep rough terrain let up a bit and I found a little flat spot before it got dark, and I have enough water for the night. Whew! I kinda lucked out. I believe I am really learning flexibility out here, as well as how to take advantage of opportunities when they present themselves. I'm also learning to just have faith that things will somehow work out. I'm now in that nice flat area in my tent writing this. I have no phone data service down here in this low ground, but I'll find someplace to upload this blog tomorrow. When I set up my tent there were hardly any mosquitoes. I'm so glad to not have to deal with those pests too much anymore. This is a comfortable spot and I'm delighted it worked out for me tonight.Nowhere I'd rather be.