morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2007-07-01
From: Morgan Stewart shelter

To: camping near Wiley shelter
Miles today: 16.3
Weather: overcast clouds

Spence came to the shelter last night about 8:30. He is the guy Ninja was looking for a week ago when we shared a shelter. I asked him if he had hooked up with Ninja. He said he did a day after she and I were together at that shelter. They had been hiking together but Ninja had decided to stay back at the RPH shelter. About midnight it started to rain and blow hard. This was a surprise, since it hadn't been forecasted. I woke up to a bright morning fairly chilly for the first day of July. It was just a perfect day to hike, never rising above the mid-70s. In the late morning I met a trail maintainer fron the NY/NJ Conference. We talked a bit about trail matters. I hiked to Route 22, where I had lunch at a deli. It was a bit of a disappointment compared to to deli and pizzeria yesterday. Shortly after that I met up with a local youth group on a two day outing. The leader asked me to tell them about thru-hiking. They asked me several questions about hiking and tr! ail maintaining. They are supposed to be at this shelter tonight, although they haven't shown up yet. I have decided to tent tonight because they will probably use the whole shelter and also because my tent is less buggy than the shelter. That said, there were fewer bugs today, probably due to the rain. But new ones will probably hatch pretty soon. Tomorrow I head into Conn.
Date: 2007-07-02
From: Keys Gap

To: Mt. Algo lean-to
Miles today: 12.4

I passed into Conn. early in the day, and immediately started a series of climbs and descents, some of which were fairly rocky. Since the vacation season is starting, I passed several youth groups on hikes plus some day hikers. After going into Conn. for about four miles, the trail then went back into NY for a couple of miles, apparently to skirt an Indian reservation. I got to the hut and met Dethmarch, whose entries I'd been seeing in the journals for some time. He is leaving the trail for a short while to see his family. He brought some trail magic to the hut to celebrate, which I happily partook of. I'm doing a shorter day today so I can go into Kent to resupply and get some things from the outfitter. I had some good pizza at the Kent Pizza Garden.
Date: 2007-07-03
From: Mt. Algo lean-to

To: camping near Pine Swamp Brook lean-to
Miles today: 17.3

I got everything done in Kent that I needed except for the things I went to the outfitter for. The store that calls itself an outfitter is really a clothing store with a few other odds and ends. Late in the day yesterday several section hikers arrived, including Appy, Pappy and Sassy from Tenn., whom I first met a couple days ago. Today started out with several rocky climbs and descents followed by a long flat stretch along the Housatonic River. After that I went back up over several rocky hills before coming to the shelter. This shelter is fairly nice, but it could use some sogns to tell where things are. It took me quite a while to find the water source. I've decided to tent most of the time in this section because of the bugs. I found today fairly tiring, though I'm not sure why. Maybe I need a day off. I'll have one on Sat. when I meet Judy, my grandson Max and two other friends.
Date: 2007-07-04
From: camping near Pine Swamp Brook lean-to

To: Plateau campsite
Miles today: 16.6

Happy Birthday, America!!I was surprised to see that there was no one else camping or sleeping in the shelter. As I left, I noticed that the skies were clouding over. A couple of miles later, I heard and then saw cars racing on a speedway far below. I was later told that it is the Lime Rock Speedway, a well known track for sports cars. I continued to hear the cars for the rest of the day. About 10:30 I stopped for a late breakfast at the Mountainside Cafe, a well known on the trail. They are very friendly to smelly hikers unlike a lot of places. Two guys came over to me. One was Sandman, a 2006 thru. The other was Ol Graceful, a section hiker. OG, from Georgia, is doing a section from Kent, CN to New Hampshire, and Sandman, who lives nearby in Mass., met him for breakfast. They had hooked up on the trail last year during Sandman's thruhike. Sandman said he has seen my online journal.I had an excellent meal and moved on. A couple of miles later I met OG again and we hiked together the rest of the day. We had a good time talking as we hiked up and down the hills of northwest Conn. It was about as hilly as yesterday but the footpath was smoother. OG has been doing a section a year for several years and hopes to finish next year. It shortly started to drizzle, and did so most of the way to the campsite. The site is ok, but there aren't many level spots to pitch a tent. We each got ours up just before it started to rain again. We each cooked and ate our dinner close by or in our tents. It looks like it may rain for some time tonight.
Date: 2007-07-05
From: Plateau campsite

To: informal campsite near Jug End Rd.
Miles today: 16.0

It rained steadily from about 5:30 last night to about 5:30 this morning. I was ready to go before Ole Graceful and left about 7:10. He is only planning to do about 14 mi. today anyway. I enjoyed hiking with him and I hope we meet again. Although it wasn't raining, the water on the trees meant it was plenty damp. The morning was a bit frustrating for me. First, I stupidly started down the hill for a ways before I realized I was retracing my steps from yesterday. I turned around then and went north. The day started out with a moderate climb that became more strenuous, first climbing up Lions Head and then Bear Mtn. The climb down Bear Mtn. would normally be a steep rock scramble. However, with the rain on the rocks it became much more treacherous. Along the way I met a nice young lady who doesn't yet have a trail name. She is doing a flip flop, first going from DE Water Gap to Katahdin and then going south from the Gap to Springer. I survived the climb down Bear ! Mtn. and then headed for the Conn-Mass border. I came to the Sages Ravine campsite and made my second dumb move of the day. The blazes for the campsite are a kind of light beige, which in the foggy morning looked to me like white blazes. So, I wasted about 25 minutes going through the campsite before I realized I was off thfe main trail. I'll take some blame for not looking carefully at the signs and blazes. However, I think it is a poor idea to use blazes for campsites, side trails, etc. that do not contrast clearly with the regular white blazes. Beige (or whatever color those blazes are) is not a good choice. Colors like bright blue, red and yellow are much better.In the afternoon there was a moderate climb up Race Mtn. and a tougher one up Mt. Everett, the hardest of the day. At 2,600 ft. it is the highest mounain since Virginia. But it will seem puny once I get to the Whites. The trip downhill from the Jug End was another toughie, made more so by the fact that I was getting pretty tired. As I went over to the nearby spring to get water I heard thunder. I rushed to find a good spot to stealth camp and then put up my tent quickly. It started to rain just as I was cooking dinner. All in all, a pretty tough day, some of it self-inflicted. But, at least I didn't have to hike in the rain.
Date: 2007-07-06
From: informal campsite near Jug End Rd.

To: Mass. Route 23
Miles today: 12.0

Once again it rained most of the night. However, it stopped right about daylight. Today was sort of a sandwich. The first five miles were very easy and mostly flat through fields and hemlock forests. The only problem was that the bugs were ferocious. However, the next five miles were a series of tough rocky climbs and descents, made worse by the slick rocks. The trail was not marked very well in two places, one on June Mtn. and the other on East Mtn. I met a young couple from Pottsville, PA who are doing a section from the Conn.-NY border to Mt. Washington. The last two miles was another easy stretch to the place where I was to meet Judy, Max, Georgia and Brian, making the other slice of bread in the sandwich. We then went to our motel room in Pittsfield, MA. I will resupply and do a zero day with my family and friends. I hope to return to the trail refreshed and recharged for the rest of Mass. and beyond.
Date: 2007-07-08
From: Mass Route 23

To: Upper Goose Pond cabin
Miles today: 19.1
Weather: clear sky

I had a great zero day with my family and friends. My wife, grandson and I rode a tourist railroad in the morning. In the afternoon all five of us went to the Norman Rockwell museum is Stockbridge. There a truly serendipidous thing happened to Brian and me. We are both Boston Red Sox fans although we live in central PA. At the museum there was a lunchtime presentation by the public address announcer at Fenway Park. Afterwards he would pose for pictures with anyone who wanted. Most importantly, he let anyone take the picture while wearing his 2004 BoSox World Series ring. Of course Brian and I took him up on that.Judy and Max dropped me off at the trailhead a little after 8. Before they left Max and I hiked together for a little bit. It was good to see them as well as Brian and Georgia. Today was a long day but not that tough, since the footpath was not that rocky. There were a couple of moderate climbs but nothing too stenuous. I bought a new bugnet yesterday and it came in handy today. Tonight I'm staying at a very nice enclosed cabin with a volunteer caretaker. Others staying with me include Diesel, Sleepy, Breadless Horseman and Magellan.
Date: 2007-07-09
From: Upper Goose Pond cabin

To: Kay Wood lean-to
Miles today: 17.6

It started raining in the wee hours, but stopped before I got up. I was a little late getting on the trail, but for a very good reason. The caretaker made pancakes and coffee. We all gorged ourselves, except for Breadless Horseman, who can't eat food made from wheat flour. Too bad for him, more for me. I was the first one out, and I was caught in a thunderstorm about fifteen minutes out. It only lasted about twenty minutes and it washed the sweat off of me. That was the only rain while I hiked, though the skies looked threatening in the afternoon. Today was another day of moderate ups and downs and a mostly smooth footpath. The trail in this part of Mass. goes through lots of marshes, so there are plenty of bugs. I used my brand new bug net for a while today. Breadless Horseman and I hiked near each other most of the day. BH is a young fellow and faster than me, but he tends to take longer breaks. When we got to the shelter we met Route 66, a flip flop thru-hiker from Pittsburgh. Also in the shelter tonight are Magellan, Sleepy and Diesel. Sleepy and Diesel just made it in before the thunderstorm. I decided to stay in the shelter because of the rain and also because there aren't any good spots for tents. I hope I don't get eaten by bugs.
Date: 2007-07-10
From: Kay Wood lean-to

To: camping near Mark Noepel lean-to
Miles today: 15.7

Today everything was laid out for me just about perfectly. I had breakfast, then hiked three miles into Dalton. There I had a second breakfast at the Dalton Restaurant. Good food at a reasonable price. I then hiked nine more miles to Cheshire. There I had a late lunch at Diane's Twist, an ice cream stand that also has good sandwiches. I then did the long climb up to the Mark Noepel lean-to. If the facilities were laid out this well every day, we thru-hikers would get spoiled. The only negative was that the trail around Gore Pond was not very well marked.This shelter and camping area is almost 3,000 feet high, the first time we have been this high since Shenandoah National Park. So far there is a Boy Scout troop here along with Breadless Horseman, Lily, Diesel and me.
Date: 2007-07-11
From: camping near Mark Noepel lean-to

To: Sherman Brook campsite
Miles today: 11.4
Weather: broken clouds

Today started with a tough climb up to Mt. Greylock. I believe this is the highest spot in Mass. There would normally have been excellent views, but the summit was fogged in. There is a lodge and park there, but it is closed for renovations. I spent most of the day hiking with Lily, a nice young lady who is taking a break from teaching to hike the trail. She is taking a few days off to attend a friend's wedding in Williamstown. Breadless also hiked near us but most of the time he was ahead of us. Breadless has to go to an outfitter to get his pack fixed or replaced. We split up at Mass route 2, with Breadless and Lily going left to Williamstown and me right to Mt. Adams. I hiked the short distance to the laundromat and adjoining grocery store. Everybody I met there was frindly and helpful. My impression is that Mt. Adams is a blue collar town, while Williamstown is more upscale. When I finished, I hiked back to the trail and then a couple of miles to the campsite!The skies threatened all day and it started to rain shortly after I got my tent up. Tomorrow I head into a new state, Vermont.
Date: 2007-07-12
From: Sherman Brook campsite

To:  Melville Nauheim shelter
Miles today: 18.2
Weather: scattered clouds

Just after I got my tent up last night it started to sprinkle. About an hour later it began to pour and did so for several hours. I was fine in the tent except for some condensation and the occasional drip. By morning it was all gone and the weather had totally changed. The temperture was in the 50s and there was very little humidity. It was a good day for hiking except for the numerous muddy sections. Some of the ponds are almost over their banks. After a couple of miles I passed into a new state, Vermont. I think this is the first time I have ever set foot in the Green Mtn. State. For the next hundred miles or so the AT runs on the same route as the Long Trail. After that, the Long Trail goes north to the Canadian border while the AT turns east to New Hampshire. The hike was pretty good today until the last four miles. Then there was a very steep downhill to VT 9, the road to Bennington, followed by an equally steep uphill. It was tough to do late in the day.I'm in the shelter tonight with Charlie, who is doing a section of the Long Trail. I've been avoiding shelters due to the bugs. They don't seem too bad tonight. Tenting nearby are Gaiter Gal and another lady whose name I didn't get.
Date: 2007-07-13
From:  Melville Nauheim shelter

To: camping near Story Spring shelter
Miles today: 17.4
Weather: light rain

It was surprisingly chilly this morning. I had three layers on top as I cooked breakfast and broke camp. The bugs weren't bad in the shelter last night. The morning was bright and sunny as I meandered up and down the hills. I had lunch at the shelter near Glastenbury Mtn., the high spot of the day. There I saw Tintin, Stalin and Pythagoras, whom I had seen before in Pennsylvania. They are getting off the trail for a few days in Manchester Center. Around 1:30 the clouds rolled in quickly and it rained for about twenty minutes. After it quit I got to the next shelter and met Bug Bite. She is doing a flip flop starting at the Conn - Mass border. When I got to the shelter where I planned to stop I was tired but not nearly as exhausted as yesterday. There I met two women doing a five week section hike and a couple and their daughter on an overnight trip. Bug Bite came in a bit later. All the creeks are very high and the ponds are bank full due to the recent rains. L! ast night Charlie told me there are lots of moose around. I saw lots of their scat today but no actual moose. I've never seen one in the wild so I hope to do so.
Date: 2007-07-14
From: camping near Story Spring shelter

To: camping near Bourn Brook
Miles today: 15.4

I awoke this morning to the sound of loons on the pond below, one of my favorite sounds in nature. It's one way to know I am up north. I started out this morning and was making good time while listening to NPR when I realized I didn't see any blazes in a while. I had to backtrack about a half mile before I found the AT again. The trail had followed a jeep road for a while and then turned right abruptly. I had followed the jeep road too far. There was a double blaze indicating a turn, but the tree it was on had partially broken off, thus obscuring the double blaze. I went off on the right trail this time and did the long climb up Stratton Mtn. At the top there is a fire tower that offers tremendous views of the fir and hemlock forest. The big ski resort nearby is clearly visible too. I talked to the caretaker there for a while, then moved on. There was lots of mud and water to dodge on the trail today. Still more moose scat today but no moose sighting. I'm stealth camping near the intersection of the AT and the Branch Pond Trail. I'm about 6 miles from the road to Manchester Center, where I'm going tomorrow to resupply.
Date: 2007-07-15
From: camping near Bourn Brook

To: VT 11&30
Miles today: 8.0

My stealth site worked out well last night. It was a nice reasonably flat grassy spot near the trail just big enough for my tent. During the night it got windy, but it didn't affect me much since there were lots of trees to deflect it. It sprinkled a bit during the night. When I got up it was partly cloudy. I hiked the short distance to the road, then hitched into Manchester Center. I got a ride quickly from a guy who has hiked parts of the AT and is considering a thru-hike. He asked me lots of questions about my adventure. He took me to Sutton's Place, a small boarding house. The proprietor said I could share a room with two beds if the other fellow consented. He did and I got the last bed in the place. Two more people came right after me, one of them being Bugbite, and he had to turn them away. Diesel came in later and suffered the same fate. I charged my cell phone, called home, got a shower and went downtown to do errands. This town must be close to hiker heaven. It must have just a few thousand residents, but it has two good outfitters. Plenty of larger cities (Harrisburg, PA, for example) don't have one decent outfitter for backpacking needs. Places like Cabelas, Bass Pro, etc. are really just for hunting and fishing. I'm rooming with Gadget, who is hiking the Long Trail. The LT is a very populr trail in its own right. At some point I would like to hike the whole two hundred miles, not just the hundred miles also on the AT. At the laundromat I saw Bugbite again. It looks like she'll have to go back to the trail tonight, since everything is full.
Date: 2007-07-16
From: VT 11&30

To: camping near Big Branch shelter
Miles today: 16.5
Weather: scattered clouds

I was able to find just about everything I wanted in Manchester Center. I got a tip for my hiking pole and a couple items of winter gear at the two outfitters. I looked at a couple of backpacks but decided to stay with my Granite Gear Vapor Trail. In the afternoon, Gadget and I walked around town. The Northshire Bookstore is one of the most impressive independent bookstores I have ever seen.I got up around 5:30, got a shower, got my gear together and left Sutton's a little after 6, before anyone else was up. Sutton's is a nice place that I recommend to othrs. I had a large breakfact at McDonalds and hitchhiked to the trail. Within ten minutes I got a ride from a nice lady who says she gives lots of rides to hikers. We had a pleasant conversation as we rode to the trailhead. The day's hike started with a jaunt up Bromley Mountain. At the top is a ski area and hikers can camp in the warming hut in the summertime. This was followed by a downhill, then up to Peru Peak. The trail is not very well marked there. I passed Gater Gal there, whom I had seen a couple days before. After that it was mostly level or downhill the rest of the day. I took a break at the site of the former Lost Pond shelter, which burned down last year. The only animals I saw today were several grouse. Over the last few days I've started to see some southbound AT thru-hikers. Tonigh! t I am camping near Chili. He started from Katahdin in mid June. Like many southbounders, he started after he finished his year at college. We exchanged information and reflections on the trail ahead for the other person. He is going to slow down because he has to wait for a package to arrive in Williamstown. I'm also seeing lots of folks who are hiking the Long Trail. In a couple of days the LT will continue north while the AT will head east to Vermont.
Date: 2007-07-17
From: camping near Big Branch shelter

To: camping near Clarendon Shelter
Miles today: 16.9
Weather: few clouds

It rained briefly sometime during the night. I had a good night's sleep with the white noise provided by the nearby stream. Today was a day that didn't look that hard on the map but turned out to be kind of tough. Early in the day I passed the pretty Little Rock Pond.   There were three tough climbs, though all were mercifully short. The first was up to White Rocks Mountain. Near the top there were numerous piles of rocks someone had made. It looks a little like Stonehenge. The second tough climb was up Button Hill in the early afternoon. I crossed VT 103 late in the afternoon. I read that there was a good restaurant just a half mile away, and a southbound hiker confirmed that. But it was so late in the day that I decided not to go there. Right after that road crossing was the hardest climb of the day a rock scramble stright up to a sort of plateau. The climb became more gradual after that, followed by a short downhill to the shelter. The shelter here is just av! erage, but the setting is really spectaculer. It's in a break in the hemlock forest near a rushing stream. The shelter is surrounded by grass and green moss. So far Gater Gal and I are the only ones here. Both of us are tenting.
Date: 2007-07-18
From: camping near Clarendon Shelter

To: Churchill Scott shelter
Miles today: 14.3
Weather: moderate rain

Once again I got a great night's sleep due to the pleasant noise from the nearby stream. It rained for a few hours during the night, stopping just as I got up. I saw that Leader of the Pack came in late and tented nearby. There were three of us around the shelter but no one slept inside for fear of the bugs. The day started with an easy up and down stretch to the Governor Clement shelter. There were two separate caches of trail magic on this stretch. I had two sodas and some peanut butter crackers. They hit the spot, since these days my hiker's appetite knows no bounds. It had started raining steadily by this time. Next was a tough uphill to Killington, home of the famous ski resort. By the time I got to the top I was wet and cold. At Cooper Lodge, I had lunch and put some extra layers on. This made it easier to go through the afternoon in steady rain. The Churchill Scott shelter is a nice new shelter. I had planned to go a ways further, but with the rain this ! was a good day's work. So far I am alone. It may stay that way since perhaps most folks aren't dumb enough to hike all day in a downpour. I've been blessed with excellent weather on this trek for the most part. The only really bad stretch was they very cold stretch in the Smokies. This was the first day I've hiked in an all day rain since the Tenn.-N.C. section. So I have little to complain about. I've got wet stuff hanging all around the shelter in hopes it will dry a bit by morning.