morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2004-07-04
From: Little Rock Pond Tenting Area

To: Minerva Hinchey Shelter
Miles today: 9.9
Weather: few clouds

After the late night last night, we all slept in fairly late this morning. When I was finally packing up my tent around quarter after 9, I heard Condor talking to the caretaker, and went over-- usually Condor leaves the shelter later than anyone, but today he had left, done 3 miles and caught us already!The pond was even more beautiful in the morning than in the evening. Condor went swimming, but I wasn't all that hot (having not hiked anywhere yet) so I sat on the side and watched the salamanders swimming amongst the rocks by the shore. There was a canoe nearby open for public use, too, so on a whim I took that out. I went around the lake once, then Condor got in the canoe as well and we went across the lake to a rock outcropping that made an excellent diving platform. The water was cold but refreshing, and the lake, the weather, and everything about the day was absolutely awesome. About that time, Skyline and Sundance came down to the lake, and when we got back with the canoe they took it out.Finally, about noon, we decided that as nice as the lake was, we really ought to get hiking. So we hiked 10 miles to a shelter that the caretaker at Little Rock Pond had told us had a "secret tenting area"-- follow a dirt road down about five minutes, cross a field, and then walk down the road to a lake where there were some campsites. But when we went down to look, there were Private Property signs all over, so we turned back.The mosquitoes are absolutely horrid tonight, and to make matters worse it appears that I left my DEET at Little Rock Pond. Luckily, people are willing to share.We're all tenting tonight-- as I write this, I can hear the constant high-pitched whine of mosquitoes coming from all directions outside my tent, and I can see several of them outside my door. I take a few minutes to taunt them before reading and going to bed.
Date: 2004-07-05
From: Minerva Hinchey Shelter

To: Cooper Lodge
Miles today: 13.9
Weather: light rain

As I was packing up in my tenet this morning, it started to rain lightly-- this would set the tone, weather-wise, for the rest of the day.We stopped briefly for a second breakfast at The Whistle Stop, a restaurant near the trail about two and a half miles into the day. Two eggs, pancakes, and bacon to supplement the assortment of breakfast bars and nutella that I had eaten earlier.The rain faded through most of the middle of the day, and the walking was fairly normal. We did pass some notable landmarks:(1) The official Less-Than-500-Miles to Katahdin mark.(2) Governer Clement Shelter, which sits in a clearing surrounded by dirt roads and is the only shelter on the entire trail which the guidebook actually recommends you do not stay at, because it's such a party spot for the locals.(3) A little brook with several sodas in it. There was a register nearby for people to sign, and we got to meet the trail angel responsible, "The Outhouse Repairman." (He got his trail name after re-building the privy at Gov. Clement Shelter, which was burnt down on what was apparently a particularly wild night of partying.) Apparently they've been maintaining the register and trail magic for years, but almost stopped doing it last year after someone tore up the register, smashed the wooden register box, and left a note saying, "Please respect the right of others to have a pristine hike. Leave your sodas by the road."(WARNING: Rant ahead)What utter crap. Here's a newsflash-- the AT, this section of it in particular, is NOT pristine. There are shelters every 7 miles or so, road crossings at least that often, and heck, only 2 miles away is the most notorious party shelter on the whole friggin' trail. And here someone is complaining about some trail magic, which 99.999% of hikers love?! Maybe whoever wrote that note was just looking for an excuse to be a vandal, but if not, he needs to soak his head in a bucket of ice water and then go hiking in remote regions of Alaska, because that's the only place in America he's going to find the unspoiled wilderness he's looking for.(Rant ended)Our stop for the night was Cooper Lodge, on top of Killington Peak, a 2,000-foot climb over about 4 miles. That's not too bad, but just as we started up the mountain it began to rain, and then to pour. My glasses fogged up, so I took them off and put them in my pocket, and trudged on in the wet.The rain stopped before we got to the top. Cooper Lodge is an enclosed cabin which is fairly nice, but it was built in 1935 and is beginning to fall apart. Skyline and Sundance had wanted to do another 6 miles to The Inn at the Long Trail, but it was 6 pm, so Condor and I convinced them to stay (not that it took much).The clouds blocked our view of the sunset, but there were some spectacular formations of clouds, and I sat on my bunk and watched them for a long time before a late evening fog finally rolled in.
Date: 2004-07-06
From: Cooper Lodge

To: Killington, VT
Miles today: 9.5

Today was an interesting day, logistically. Condor and I wanted to re-supply in Rutland, which, according to the guidebook, required walking 6 miles down the A.T. to a road crossing, then hitching 9 miles in. So we could have hitched into Rutland from there, but instead of doing that we hiked past the road crossing an extra 3 miles down the A.T. to the town of Killington, which seems to be part of a large resort community in the area, of which Rutland is also a part. A shuttle bus runs back and forth around the area, so we catch the bus into Rutland, thus avoiding the need to hitch-hike, as well as getting in an extra 3 miles (miles we can do today are miles we don't have to do tomorrow).Skyline and Sundance are staying at the Inn at the Long Trail tonight, so they got off at the 6-mile road crossing instead and walked another mile down the road to the Inn. Condor and I, on the other hand, at staying at a little hostel in Rutland above a cafe, both of which are run by a spiritual community called the Twelve Tribes. It's a cozy little place, and we spent the afternoon doing laundry and buying groceries. As tempting as the organic cafe downstairs sounds, we opt to go to the Chinese restaurant across the street instead. (Chinese food is one of the things I crave out here.)The day had started out foggy, which meant we didn't get any views off the top of Killington Peak this morning. However, the fog cleared and by about noon, the day had become beautiful and sunny, providing some excellent views of the top of Killington from the valleys and mountainsides below. Like all the tall mountains in Vermont, ski runs criss-cross the mountainside, but it was still quite pretty. In fact, all of Vermont has been pretty-- I have not been this enamoured of an area since the area around the Roanoke Valley in Virginia.
Date: 2004-07-07
From: Killington, VT

To: The Lookout
Miles today: 14.2

I should have recognized that the day was going to be difficult when I was woken up at quarter 'til 6 by road crews doing construction across the street. (Is it even legal to start making noise that early?) Regardless, I stubbornly refused to get out of bed until quarter after 7, at which time I went back over to the local supermarket one last time and then went to the cafe downstairs, where I had a very tasty organic muffin and organic smoothie, and read the Boston Globe. I see that Senator Edwards is now the democratic candidate for V.P. (see, as much as I try, I'm not totally out of touch), and that there's trouble in Iraq (some things you don't have to be in touch to know, you just know).But I can't spend too much time lounging around, because the bus for Killington leaves at 9:15. So Condor and I pack up and head to the bus station, located a convienent thirty feet away from the cafe.So, shortly after 10, Condor and I are back on the trail. About a mile and a half down the trail, we meet Squish and Rockhound taking a break, and walk with them for a while as the trail begins a pattern of steep ups and downs that will continue for the rest of the day. I fall behind, plagued by a seeming lack of energy-- maybe it's the humidity, maybe it's the fact that I woke up before 6, but for some reason I'm just not doing well today.I catch up with everyone again at lunch, but afterward I fall behind again, and spend the afternoon walking along, which would be fine if I weren't so tired. The bugs are pretty bad, too, so all in all I'm in a foul mood for most of the day.The Lookout is a privately-owned cabin with an observation deck on the roof, and hikers are allowed to use it. The view is excellent, and since it's now quarter 'til 7, I decide to stay here with Condor rather than continuing another 2 and a half miles to the shelter.There's a nice porch, and I sit, cook dinner and read as I watch the clouds go by overhead. Ah, it's a tough life hiking the A.T., I think with a smile, my agonies of the day forgotten.Just Condor and I here tonight-- I had hoped that Skyline and Sundance would show up, but they either went on to the next shelter or stopped earlier.
Date: 2004-07-08
From: The Lookout

To: Thistle Hill Shelter
Miles today: 14.0
Weather: broken clouds

It rained most of the night, which proved interesting when the roof in the cabin began to leak. Several times I had to move my sleeping bag as water began to drip near me (but never actually on me), and by morning I had moved halfway across the cabin, and the entire area where I had originally been sleeping was soaked.We were only doing 14 miles today, so between the short day and the rain, we got a late start. The rain had died down to a drizzle by this time, and we made fairly good time despite slipping and sliding in the mud on the trail.About 6 miles into the day, we crossed a road-- VT12. As soon as we did, it was like were on a different trail-- one that was much harder and much more annoying than the one we had been on earlier. For the next miles the trail would shoot straight up, then drop back down to a road, over and over and over. It was the worst series of PUDs (pointless ups and downs) I have seen in a long time. The funny thing was, my guidebook doesn't list these mountains-- it only lists the roads in between them, so looking at the list of elevations for each feature you might come to believe that the trail here was mostly flat. Ha! Since the guidebook didn't list these mountains, Condor and I took it upon ourselves to come up with names for them, none of which can be listed on a family-friendly website such as this one. Suffice it to say that we were pissed-- the day was still foggy, so it didn't help that there was not even a hint of a view-- not that there would have been a view anyway, since we stayed within thick tree cover the whole time.Finally reached the shelter about 4:30-- Squish and Rockhound are here, along with a couple other hikers. The shelter fills up as the evening goes on-- so it's crowded, but it's good to be in a shelter, since it's not long before a thunderstorm rolls in.
Date: 2004-07-09
From: Thistle Hill Shelter

To: Velvet Rocks Shelter
Miles today: 16.1
Weather: broken clouds

The thing about sleeping in a crowded shelter is that there will always be people who get up early-- in general, there seems to be an inverse relationship between a person's age and how late they sleep.So this morning, people were up and moving around at 5 am, and those of us with absolutely no desire to get up that early burrowed into our sleeping bags and tried to sleep through the noise, without much success.Squish, Rockhound, Condor and I finally all rolled out of our sleeping bags about 6, and we were walking by a few minutes after 7. That's been my earliest start in quite a while.Our destination is the town of Hanover, New Hampshire, about 15 miles away. First, though, we pass through the town of West Hartford, and stop for a good hour to have breakfast (two bacon, egg, and cheese sandwiches and a milkshake) and take a break from the constant drizzle that's falling outside.By the time we leave, the rain has stopped, which makes the walking easier as we finish up the last few miles in Vermont. Before long, we're crossing the Connecticut River, which is the state line, and with that we are in New Hampshire-- our thirteenth state of the tip. With each state line we've crossed recently, I become more amazed that I have actually walked this far. ("I walked from Georgia to New Hampshire?! What the heck was I thinking?")Hanover is a nice town-- it's the home of Dartmouth College, and even though it's summer, college students are everywhere. Dartmouth has a huge outing club with its own large building, and in the basement is a little area for hikers to store their packs and rest, as well as a computer with Internet access, and we avail ourselves of those offerings.The one problem with Hanover is that there's nowhere cheap to stay. So we decide to hang out here for the afternoon, re-supply, and have dinner, then head on out to the first shelter, which is only about a half mile out of town. Laundry and shower will have to wait 'til the next stop.So we hang out on the Dartmouth Green, letting our stinky socks and shoes dry in the sunny afternoon weather. Then we have dinner a local hamburger joint, go shopping, and head out of town. I carry a soda and a few extra snacks out of town, just because I can-- they'll hit the spot at the shelter tonight.
Date: 2004-07-10
From: Velvet Rocks Shelter

To: Trapper John Shelter
Miles today: 15.2
Weather: light rain

Man, I slept late today-- it was almost quarter 'til 8 by the time I woke up, which of course meant it was almost 9 by the time I was walking. But that's okay, because I only have 15 miles to do today! Yay!Only one major mountain this morning, called Moose Mountain. We stop to have lunch at Moose Mountain Shelter, and end up just chilling there for over an hour. The only downside to that was that Condor had time to cook up some refried beans, the aftereffects of which plagued our hike for the rest of the afternoon.The major climb in the afternoon was Holt's Ledge, which climbed over a thousand feet in less than a mile and a half. The view from the top, though, was absolutely amazing-- it was our first really great view in New Hampshire.We get to the shelter shortly after 5, and have a nice, relaxing evening.
Date: 2004-07-11
From: Trapper John Shelter

To: Hexacuba Shelter
Miles today: 12.0
Weather: broken clouds

An even shorter day today-- which is kind of nice, because we've got a fairly large mountain in the middle of it-- a climb up from 900 to 3200 feet, and one that gets pretty steep in places. It's a nice warm-up for the climbing we'll be doing next week in the White Mountains.At the top of the mountain is a firetower, and once we've climbed it there's an excellent view. I can trace our path across the landscape for the previous two days, and I can see where we'll be going in the next two days-- across a valley looms Mt. Moosilauke, which at 4800 feet marks our entrance into the Whites. The Whites are widely considered to be the most challenging terrain on the trail-- steep, rocky climbs that regularly take us over 5,000 feet, and long stretches of exposed ridgelines that sit well above the treeline.Don't have to worry about that until next week, though. For now, it's down the mountain, up another small one, and we're at the shelter.Hexacuba is an interesting shelter-- it's six-sided, and huge. There's also a penta-privy to go with it.It's only 4 pm at this point, and I consider going on to the next shelter seven and a half miles away-- but either way, I'll be staying at a hostel in Glencliff tomorrow, so I decide to just take a short day and rest up. Best to save my energy for the Whites-- yeah, that's it.Squish and Rockhound have already moved on. They're on a tighter schedule than me, though I'm reasonably sure I'll be hiking with them again for the Whites. So for a while, it's just Condor and I at the shelter-- I cook two dinner, read, and enjoy the evening. Things get more lively when eight kids from a group called "Farming Wilderness" show up, but they're nice (just a bit loud).The one problem with this shelter is that there are no tentsites (at least, no good ones) and so we'll have to tolerate the bugs in the shelter. Ah, well... you can't win 'em all.
Date: 2004-07-12
From: Hexacuba Shelter

To: Glencliff, NH
Miles today: 14.7

I got up a little earlier than usual today in order to get to the Hikers Welcome Hostel in Glencliff as early as possible. We have 14.7 miles to do to get there today, and at least a couple of difficult climbs, including a rocky ascent up Mt. Cube, which is how we start the day. The view from the top is excellent, though-- we can see Smarts Mountain and the firetower we climbed yesterday, and in the other direction Mt. Moosilauke looms closer.Despite the climbs, the walking today is fairly easy, the terrain is gentle, and we make excellent time. Soon we're only a couple miles from Glencliff, and a scenic viewpoint provides us with our best view of Moosilauke yet. it's been a long while since a mountain as tall as Moosilauke loomed in from of us like this, and we spend several minutes marveling at it. The top seems very remote from here, almost touching the clouds-- it's almost hard to believe that in a day we'll be standing up there.The hostel in Glencliff is something of a mess, but it's cozy and the people and very friendly-- a fellow named Fedge is running the place. We hang out, I get my maildrop (thanks for the cookies, Mom!), and later buy a smoothie (the hostel is rumored to have the best smoothies on the trail-- not sure about that, but they are very good).Later we go into town and get pizza, and after that we hang around and a watch a movie at the hostel (Ace Ventura is a lot funnier than I remembered it being). It's after 10:30 by the time I fall asleep-- not good, considering I've got a hard day tomorrow.
Date: 2004-07-13
From: Glencliff, NH

To: Eliza Brook Campsite
Miles today: 17.0
Weather: overcast clouds

It's another good day for an early start-- 17 miles doesn't seem like a lot, but there are a couple of very large mountains between us and our destination, the first one being Moosilauke.Glencliff is 1140 feet above sea level, and the top of Moosilauke is 4802 feet. That gives us 3662 feet of climbing to do, which is by far the longest single sustained climb of the trip so far. Luckily, it's fairly gradual, and so slowly but surely I work my way to the top. It's cloudy today, but I'm hoping that as the morning progresses, the clouds'll burn off.No such luck. I find myself climbing into the clouds, and as I near the top I am enveloped in fog. The forest changes as we go up, too-- from mainly deciduous trees to mainly pines that get smaller and hardier the further up we go. As we near the treeline, the pine trees become more like pine shrubs, barely standing three or four feet tall. The wind is gusting hard now, and finally we leave the trees behind altogether. At the top of the mountain, ther are grassy fields, and rocks covered with moss and lichen, but that is all the vegetation that will grow up here. Bracing myself with my poles, I lean into the wind as I climb the last couple hundred feet to the summit. There's no view-- visibility is only about fifty feet in the fog-- but it's still amazing up here, in the wind and fog, surrounded by scraps of hardy vegetation. Welcome to the Whites, I think to myself.There's a shelter about a mile down the mountain that we stop at for lunch. It's 1:30, and I briefly consider stopping for the day, but there's really no need to-- anyway, if I do short miles today, I'll get to North Woodstock later than I had planned, and I won't catch up to Squish and Rockhound. It's time to move on.Surprisingly, Condor, who is the King of Stopping Early, comes as well. Two other hikers, Singe and Spam, decide to stop for the day.The hike down the rest of the mountain is steep-- very steep, as in a 45 degree or better grade, and is entirely made up of rocks and boulders. The rocks are wet, too, which makes the descent particularly treacherous. There are some beautiful waterfalls, though, and I pause occasionally to take a break and admire them. But a quick pause only-- after that, it's time to descend again. When the descent finally levels off, I am so happy I could kiss the ground.We stay on approximately level ground for a good, oh, 200 yards before we a cross a road, and on the other side of the road there is a cliff-- we immediately begin ascending along the side of it, at an angle almost as steep as the one we just came down. Again, I think-- welcome to the Whites.It's after 7 by the time I make it to the shelter-- this may be the toughest 17 miles of I've ever done, and it's a great demonstration of why people shorten their mileage in the Whites. Luckily, I plan to do shorter miles after today.
Date: 2004-07-16
From: Garfield Pond

To: Ethan Pond Campsite
Miles today: 15.6
Weather: fog

It was pretty cold when we woke up this morning, and I stayed comfortably nestled in my sleeping bag as I ate breakfast. It's amazing how cold it can get up here in July.Nevertheless, when we started walking, we warmed up quick-- in the first mile, we went up 600 feet and then down again 800 feet.The rest of the day was easier, but not by much. This is by far the hardest terrain we've walked on-- the trail is rockier, muddier, and steeper than anything we've done so far, and our pace is much slower than we've become accustomed to.It's not all bad, though-- the clouds clear a bit, and we finally get some vistas, which are stunning. The White Mountains are incredibly beautiful when they aren't foggy (which so far has been pretty rare).We reach our second hut, Galehead Hut, and stop there for a break. We don't get fed this time, unfortunately, but we do get an excellent view of the peak 1,000 feet up that we'll be reaching soon. When we finally do get up there, though, it's fogged in again. This happens again later-- we get a great view of a ridgeline we'll be crossing from down below, but once we get up there the clouds have moved in again.We do get some excellent views later in the day, though. We can see the Presidential Ridge, the grandest peaks in the Whites, their tops still shrouded in cloud.Last five miles of the day are our easiest so far in the Whites, going along an old railroad bed. I have a new appreciation for easy trail.At the Campsite, we catch up with Condor. The caretaker is a fellow named Ballpark, who's very nice (despite his willingness to explain in great detail just how a privy gets emptied).