morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2003-07-16
From: Upper Goose Pond Cabin

To: Kay Wood Lean-to
Miles today: 17.3

I had a great stay at the Goose Pond Cabin last night, and had my first good sleep in a week. It seems my cold decided to give me a break and not have me up half a dozen times coughing. I woke up to the smell of fresh brewing coffee and pancakes, blueberry pancakes. After downing 3 cups of coffee and 7 pancakes I packed up and was ready to hit the trail, in the rain. Thanks to Grampie, the cabin caretaker, for the hospitality. He made the stay that much more pleasant. As I was saying before I set out in the rain, and about 2 miles out I started the first serious climb of about 700 feet. About half way up I heard what sounded like a large animal off to my right walking through the woods. My first thought was that it was a Black Bear since it sounded heavier than any deer that I've heard, so I tapped my trekking poles together so it would know I was approaching. When I did that I had a big surprise for out of the fog and trees comes a Moose only about 20 feet from me and coming my way. It saw me and moved directly back into the woods away from me. In a word, Awesome! It was quite large and probably a female since there were no antlers. I wasn't aware they were in Mass., but I assure you that they are here.After gaining elevation the trail was really nice with long stretches of near flat trails that hike fast. The rain let up by 10:00 a.m. and it remained cloudy an humid through the remainder of the hike. About a mile from this shelter a pair of southbound hikers warned me about a bear cub near the trail a few hundred yards away. As I hiked I waas watching for it and like they said, about 200 yards I saw it sitting under a tree maybe 30 feet from the trail. Since I was that close I thought it wise not to stop to get my camera out of my pack and take a picture since Momma was sure to be very near and probably already was watching me closely, so I moved on. Thats two things I haven't seen on this hike until today, the Moose and a Bear cub. It seems appropriate though since today marks my 4th month on the A.T. I'm here in the shelter since its raing tonight with Big Paw and Big E. When I went to get water for dinner, which was down a steep hill to a creek, I apparently strained my right knee when stepping down a long step, probably hyperextending it a bit. At any rate I'll have to nurse it along for awhile. Tomorrow we'll hike the 3 miles into Dalton for breakfast and then move up the trail. If all goes well I should make Williamstown by noon Friday to see my old buddy Beekpr again.
Date: 2003-07-17
From: Kay Wood Lean-to

To: Mt Greylock Lodge
Miles today: 20.0

I left the Kay Wood Lean-To this morning with Big Paw and Big E and hiked the 3 miles down to Dalton by 8:15 a.m. We made our way over to Ozzies Restaurant and had a fabulous breakfast. After paying for our meal the waitress was kind enough to give each of us a bottle of water to take with us. After a quick stop at the pharmacy and a convience store I called Beekpr, who was on his way to spend an overnight in this very town tonight. We made our plan for him to meet me as I exit the woods and start walking down the first road.After the call I started hiking on to Cheshire, Mass. about 9 miles away. I arrived there at 1:00 p.m. and went to Christana's Restaurant where they made me an awesome meatball sub. This filled me up completely. As i was walking back to the A.T. i saw Big E and Big Paw by the Post Office so I stopped by. they just arrived from Dalton and had to pickup a parcel mailed to them. They decided to stay at a church hostel, but since I was to meet Beekpr, I pushed on towards the next shelter. When I arrived at the shelter at 5:00 p.m., I figured I could make it to the next shelter 1700 feet up in elevation from where I was and only have a 10 mile day tomorrow to meet Beekpr. When I got to the shelter the mesquitos started to swarm me so I checked the Thru Hikers handbook and saw that there was a hostel at the summit of Mt. Graylock, only 3.1 miles away and another 1000 feet of elevation gain so I went for it and arrived at 6 p.m.I'm in the lodge in a special section just for Thru Hikers complete with shower...God, did that ever feel great.The sunset tonight was just beautiful and I got to sleep in a mesquito free room. I'll leave tomorrow after breakfast and head down to Williamstown to catch up with Beekpr. Looking forward to it!
Date: 2003-07-18
From: Mt Greylock Lodge

To: North Adams, MA
Miles today: 6.3

I had a great nights' sleep at the lodge last night and got up around 6. Since they weren't serving breakfast until 8 I read a book, "A Connecticut Yankee In King Arthurs Court" for a little over an hour and just relaxed reading a little Mark Twain. Breakfast was great, pancakes, strawberries and blueberries, cantelope, ham, coffee and a pitcher of orange juice. I left the lodge at 8:45 and headed down the mountain. Around 11 I saw this guy in a red shirt taking pictures of me as I was descending in the woods. It was Beekpr. He hiked up about a mile to meet me coming down. It was great to see him and I'm looking forward to hiking with him again. We're moteling it for today so I can resupply and get ready for Vermont, which is only 4 miles away. It's hard to believe I'll be in Vermont, I remember when that seemed an eternity away. Here we come Vermont and looking forward to some new adventures.
Date: 2003-07-19
From: North Adams, MA

To: Melville Nauheim Shelter
Miles today: 20.0
Weather: few clouds

We took our time this morning getting up at 6am. After watching the weather on TV and filling our backpacks up we headed for the grocery store across the street for coffee and an assortment of donuts which we brought back to the motel. By the time we were finished eating, throwing our backpacks on and hiking the .3 mile back down the road to the trail it was 8:30. Beekpr did very well on the first 1,600 ft. climb from the road for being off the trail for 3 weeks. We completed that climb and the 2 1/2 miles it took in under an hour. About 10:00 we came to the Vermont border, the 12th state, and took pictures by the sign of the state line. The weather was perfect with a cool breeze most of the day. We stopped in Seth Warner Shelter about 11:30 for an early lunch where we met Pooh Bear, a section hiker going south, also eating lunch. We finished eating and we headed up the trail to Sucker Pond which has a huge beaver dam. It had to have taken generations of beavers to complete and maintain it. We completed the 20 miles to our present location by 6:30 and we were both happy to make camp for the night. It felt good having ole Beekpr to hike with once again. I'm sure it will make the hike to Mt. Katahdin that much better.
Date: 2003-07-20
From: Melville Nauheim Shelter

To: Story Spring Shelter
Miles today: 17.4
Weather: few clouds

Beekpr and I took our time this morning and left capm around 6:45 since we weren't going for any big miles today. The trail made us hike a little slower because of many steep angled climbs and descents and most of the trail was very rocky. On the bright side, the weather was perfect for hiking. We arrived at Goddard Shelter, about 8 miles, at 10:30 and what a beautiful shelter. We decided to eat our lunch there while we layed back and took in the view. The area in front of the shelter drops down abruptly and you have views of all the mountains in your front. We reluctantly left after a good hour and resumed our hike. We climbed up to Glastenbury Mountain where there was a fire tower built in 1927. We climbed to the top for some spectacular views. The tower is getting a bit rickety and probably doesn't have many years left. The rest of todays hike consisted of lots of climbing and descending, mostly on rocks, which can really slow you down. We saw a few more beaver dams and saw some moose droppings, so we know they're in the area. I'm looking forward to seeing another one again. The shelter is full tonight with many southbound and section hikers. The only ones we know are Big Paw and Big E, but we had fun dinner conversation with everyone. The weather report doesn't look good for tomorrow and I hope it doesn't start raining tonight. Hate packing up that wet tent. At any rate, wish us luck.
Date: 2003-07-21
From: Story Spring Shelter

To: Spruce Park Shelter
Miles today: 18.3
Weather: overcast clouds

We woke up today with the threat of rain and hiked the whole day with just a couple of moments of dizzle. We definitely lucked out. The trail for the most part was awesome and Beekpr and I were able to put miles behind us rather quickly. We had one big climb up Stratton Mountain to it's 3,936 ft summit. The views from the firetower on the summit would have been fantastic were it not for the clouds, all you could see was gray. About 3 miles from the summit as we descended we arrived at Stratton Pond and Shelter. It's a beautifully built shelter with a tenting site on a lake nearby. We stopped here for lunch and you couldn't ask for a nicer setting. The rest of the afternoon we pushed on to this shelter trying to stay one step ahead of the rain. We arrived at 3:30 and had time to clean up and do our chores before a thunderstorm hit us at 4:30, so our timing was pretty good. To avoid packing a wet tent I'm staying in the shelter tonight. Tomorrow we are heading for Manchester Center for breakfast and resupply. With the way the rain is presently pouring down I'm glad we decided to stop at this shelter for the night. Right now I'm anxious to hitch into town and get a good breakfast...sure miss a good cup of coffee at times. I also need to mail these journal pages home so my wife can transcribe them. They go back to 7/6 so she is going to be very busy. Sorry I couldn't get them sent home sooner.
Date: 2003-07-22
From: Spruce Park Shelter

To: Peru Peak Shelter
Miles today: 12.6
Weather: moderate rain

We woke up at 5:30 to the sound of a downpour and everyone stayed in their sleeping bags in hopes it would stop soon. Of course it didn't so we all got up, Beekpr, Big E, Big Paw and myself, around 6:30. After a quick breakfast we put on our raingear and headed to VT11 for a hitch into Manchester. Before I forget, I should mention the storms last night. We had a terrific thunderstorm hit around 9 and by 10 the wind and rain were deafening. I put on my radio and they said Bennington, about 25 miles away, was under a tornado warning. It was pretty dicey there for a while. Anyway, we hitched into Manchester and had a great breakfast at Up For Breakfast Restaurant. Afterwards we did our laundry, filled our fuel bottles at EMS Outfitters, went grocery shopping, did lunch at McDonalds and finally went to the post office and hitched back to the trail by 3. We had a 9 mile hike to make it here tonight with 2 very steep climbs up Bromley Mt and Peru Mt so we had to move to make it by sundown. We finally arrived, after getting rained on coming up Bromley Mountain, at 7:15 and settled in to take care of evening chores, washing the mud and sweat off ourselves, getting water and cooking dinner. Beekpr and I are the only ones here tonight and there is a stream in front of the shelter. That will surely put us to sleep. It's 10 now so I'm going to sign off and turn in. Hoping for better weather tomorrow.
Date: 2003-07-23
From: Peru Peak Shelter

To: Minerva Hinchery Shelter
Miles today: 19.6
Weather: light rain

Another rainy morning. I woke up at 5:30 and it was pouring again so neither Beekpr or I got up. We laid there until 6:30 and decided we best be moving since we were doing about a 20 mile day. We left camp around 7:45 in the rain but after about an hour it subsided. It rained sporadically throughout the day. The trail was very nice with 2 big ascents at the end of the day. With so much rain over the past few days there are puddles and mud everywhere and one had to be a bit more careful when on rocks and exposed roots since they're as slick as ice. We still made pretty good time arriving here in camp at around 5:00. When we got to the shelter it was full so we headed over to the tenting area. A voice yelled out from inside the shelter, "hey Rest Step" and when I turned around I saw it was Footslogger. I haven't seen her since Damascus, VA. She came down to chat with us as we were preparing our dinner. It was fun catching up on each others stories of the trail. It started to rain again just as I finished eating so we said good night and I gathered all my gear and put it in the tent. Beekpr and I are planning an 18 mile day tomorrow and then a 2 mile hike the next day to US4 and a hitch into Rutland, VT where we'll take the day off, rest, and take some badly need showers. We'll be back on the trail Saturday heading to New Hampshire. I'm looking forward to getting into the White Mountains, hopefully the mosquitoes don't go that high up.
Date: 2003-07-24
From: Minerva Hinchery Shelter

To: The Inn At Long Trail
Miles today: 20.1

I woke up this morning to the sound of rain hitting my tent fly, which was not what I was hoping for. I packed up my wet tent and left camp at 7 and immediately ran into Big Paw who was tarping just off the trail near our campsite and he hiked the whole day with us. We hiked the 2.7 miles out to VT103 and walked the 1/2 mile down the highway to "The Whistle Stop Restaurant". This place is a hikers dream. The omlettes are huge and delicious and I would recommend the detour to any hiker passing through. From VA 103 the trail starts climbing steeply and with the high humidity we were sweating heavily. When we were just .3 mile from Govenor Clement Shelter we crossed a stream on a foot bridge and Beekpr spied something in the streams edge submerged....Beer! yep, 3 cans of Budwiser, on for each of us, left by some trail angel. That definitely hit the spot. When we arrived at the Shelter we ran into "Just Dan" once again. The last time I saw him was the day before I arrived in Port Clinton, Pa. on June 19th. Mighty Mouse and Bishop were there also along with a friend of Just Dans hiking with him for a couple of days, from N.J. From here we had another steep climb up to Killington Peak where we had a wild thunderstorm which did a good job of soaking us all. Big Paw, Beekpr, and myself moved ahead of the rest and went down to U.S. 4 where we had an immediate hitch from a Boy Scout leader to a fabulous place a mile away called The Inn at Long Trail. We got a room there for the night and had a great meal in their Irish Pub and a few Long Trail Beers as well as some nice hot, long showers. They didn't have any rooms for Friday so we're heading into Rutland for a zero day for resupply and a trip to the local outfitters. Big Paw had family picking him up at the Inn to take a few days off the trail. Beekpr and I are heading back to the trail on Saturday morning. New Hampshire is looking a lot closer now.
Date: 2003-07-26
From: The Inn At Long Trail

To: Cabin with observation platform
Miles today: 17.5

We finally got started on the trail at 9:30. Just Dan and his friend, Todd, picked us up at the Comfort Inn in Rutland after Beekpr and I ate our fill at their continental breakfast, and did we ever pack the food away. We hiked a little over a mile when we came to the sign indicating the trail was splitting with the Vermont Long Trail heading north and the AT heading notheast toward New Hampshire. This is called the Maine Junction. All told, we did a little over 100 miles on The Long Trail from where we got on it at the Massachusetts border. The trail for the most part was a lot of up and downs today with definitely a lot of ups. We knew we would make the next shelter very close to dark so we checked our trail guide and saw that there was a cabin before the shelter about 900 ft off the AT. We checked it out and wow, what a cool find this was. We had it all to ourselves and it had an observation deck on the roof with a fantastic 360 view of the surrounding mountains and what a sunset. It's always nice to have 4 walls for protection instead of just 3 so I'm looking forward to a good nights sleep. Tomorrow we should make some serious headway toward New Hampshire. We're really looking forward to getting into the White Mountains next.
Date: 2003-07-27
From: Cabin with observation platform

To: West Hartford, VT
Miles today: 18.8

We ended a pleasant stay at the cabin when we packed up and headed for the trail at 6:30. We covered the 2 1/2 miles to Wintturi Shelter by 7:20 and decided to stop in and get some water. Doing so we woke the 4 hikers in the shelter, all of them southbounders. It's probably a good thing we stopped by since they would have stayed in their sleeping bags a few hours more wasting the best time to hike. The terrain we crossed today had numerous ups and downs. Since leaving The Long Trail we're not following the ridge lines any longer which run north and south. Instead we curved to the N.E. to head into N.H. and the White Mts. but in doing so we're hiking against the grain of the mountains so to speak. The mountains have roads that run in the valleys separating the mountains. When we come out of the woods to the roads and cross you usually start climbing the first of serveral ridges as you cross ove it and down to the next road. The bottom line is that your day is spent constantly climbing one ridge on a mountain after another and in the heavy humidity, it can be quite exhausting. We arrived in West Hartford around 4:15 and stopped at Rick and Tina's Country Store for cheesesteaks and ice cream. Our intention was to eat and hike the remaining 4 miles to the next shelter but the lady at the counter informed us that a few houses down the road people took thru hikers in for the night. While we were talking it over the owner of the house came in, saw us and invited us to stop by which we did. We decided to stay and he put us up in a small cabin behind his house. They really go out of their way to make you feel at home here. We spent about 1 1/2 hours with them on their deck rapping, it was really nice. Tomorrow New Hampshire, my 13th state, another adventure.
Date: 2003-07-28
From: West Hartford, VT

To: Hanover, NH
Miles today: 9.8
Weather: broken clouds

I woke up last night about 1:00am to heavy rain and wind. When it was over the humidity was pretty much gone and the sky opened up until it was full of stars. It was beautiful to see. When we woke up at 5:30 we left our cabin and walked through West Hartford to have breakfast at the local grocery store. By 7:30 we headed back to the AT and completed our hike into NH. Before getting there we passed through a very nice village, Norwich, VT. Before leaving there we were looking at an Inn we thought would be cool to stay in but we had to get going to Hanover. When we arrived in Hanover there weren't any good places to stay so we took the free bus that runs between Hanover and Norwich back to Norwich and stayed at the inn we had been looking at when we passed through. The Norwich Inn was built in the late 1700's and the rooms were very nice. We'll be eating breakfast here before taking the bus back to Hanover to resume our hike tomorrow. We're resupplied now and ready to head into N.H. and the White Mts. We're both looking forward to getting there.
Date: 2003-07-29
From: Hanover, NH

To: Trapper John Shelter
Miles today: 16.7
Weather: scattered clouds

Today was one of those beautiful hiking days where you love to throw on your pack and head into the mountains. The morning started cool and warmed up during the day with fairly low humidity. We didn't get started on the trail until 10am. The Norwich Inn doesn't serve breakfast until 7:30 and by the time we caught the bus back to Hanover, stopped at the post office, the bagel shop and talked with some other hikers, Footslogger, Spiderman and Just Dan, it was 10:00. The hike was on good trail with some good climbs as usual. We passed through a forest in the beginning of the hike that had the mapel sap collection tubes still running from tree to tree. This is how the sap is recovered now when the trees are tapped for processing into maple syrup. On Three Mile road we saw a cooler near the parking lot marked for thru hikers. It was full of cold Gator Aid and soda, a delightful find and some great trail magic. The last climb of the day, some 1,150 ft., Beekpr and I came out to Holts Ledge with some fantastic views of the valley below. From here we hiked down to the shelter where we ran into Big E. It was nice seeing him again. Mighty Mouse and Bishop came into camp about an hour or so after we arrived and tented also. We're going to try to take advantage of the good weather forcasted for the rest of the week and try to get into the Whites while the getting is good. Hopefully we'll be there by Friday.
Date: 2003-07-30
From: Trapper John Shelter

To: Ore Hill Shelter
Miles today: 19.3

Today I'd characterize as a tough hiking day. It began with a very steep 2,300 ft. climb up Smart Mt., where on the summit is a fire tower. The views from there were stunnning but because of a little haze in the distance we couldn't see Mt. Washington, which is visible on a clear day. After a long climb down to 1,445 ft we started climbing again. This time passing Eastmans Ledge at 2,010 ft and then a steep climb to the summit of Mt. Cube at 2,911 ft or around 1,500 ft of elevation gain. Then after another long descent we had a 900 foot elevation gain to this shelter. We were rewarded on Smart and Cube Mts. with great views. All in all Beekpr and I are pretty well beat. After a dinner of one of Liptons Noodle Entrees with tuna fish added and instant mash potatoes to thicken the whole mess, I'm ready to catch some sleep. By the way, that concoction is actually pretty tasty by thru hiker standards. I also had a bagel with what was left of my sharp cheddar cheese and a snickers bar for dessert. After this hike is over I don't think I'll ever be able to eat another snickers. Beekpr and I decided to accept a local hikers invitation to stay at their place, use their washing machine and showers and a ride to the grocery store. Now that's trail magic. We're doing a short day tomorrow, about 9 miles into Glencliff where we will be picked up. Next, the Whites!
Date: 2003-07-31
From: Ore Hill Shelter

To: Glencliff, NH
Miles today: 7.4

We were on the trail by 6:30 moving as quickly as we could to put some distance between us and the swarms of mosquitos at the shelter. Beekpr, Big E and I hiked toward Glencliff on a great trail. Even with a 700 foot climb up to the summit of Mist Mountain and another couple of hundred feet up Wyatt Hill we moved fairly quickly and came out to NH25 at 9:30. We walked 1/4 mile up the highway to Glencliff and the Post Office. We had a surprise when we picked up our packages, we found out this particular post office shuts down from 10-2 which gave us 10 minutes to get our bounce boxes and letters ready to mail, it was quite hectic. After this was finally accomplished Big E walked over to the hikers hostel across the street and Beekpr and I hung out at the Post Office waiting for a trail angel to pick us up. For 2 days we kept running into 2 local hikers slackpacking through N.H.. On the second day one of them, Russell, invited Beekpr and me to slack pack with them the next day over Mt Moosilauke and to stay at his house so we accepted. We've had a great stay with Russell and his wife Jen and their dog Marley, a big brown setter. They are the perfect hosts and made our stay in New Hampshire a very pleasant one. Thank you so much!