morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2023-06-18
From: MM 1508

To: MM 1524
Miles today: 16.0

Day 99 16 mi. MM 1524Well, I made it. I¢m now in MA. The last mountain in CT was Bear Mountain - yes, another one. It was a 2300 foot top from about a 600 foot base which made it one of the highest climbs since VA. But it was over almost 4 miles so it wasn¢t all that steep or hard going up. Down?  A completely different story. There was over a 500 foot drop on 0.4 miles which works out to a 25% grade. Imagine walking down a step ladder for almost half a mile. Of course, that¢s the average. Sometimes it was only 18% and at others it was vertical - hands and feet - put away the poles. Steep, rocky downs are my kryptonite so I went very slow. I spent 40 minutes on that section.  Then came a normal steep, rocky down where I could relax. NOT!  But somewhere over the next mile I left CT and hit MA. The first mountain, Mount Everette, was just the inverse of Bear Mountain. It was a steep climb and a long nice down. I think the up was about 850 feet per mile which is what a lot of the southern mountains were like. Since falling uphill isn¢t really all that dangerous, I definitely prefer those mountains. At the bottom I took a one mile side trip to Moms Country Cafe for a late lunch burger. And, of course, a Fizzy coke. It was worth the extra distance. Since it was a road walk, it was flat and easy. On the way back to the Trail a Trail Angel picked me up and saved some wear and tear on the old body. Speaking of which, the back seems back to normal. Knees and feet are talking to me a bit so it¢s time for new shoes. I ordered them from Amazon and am trying to have them delivered to the PO in Dalton. People have had varying success with that so keep those fingers crossed. I really don¢t want to go too long this way. I got just over 600 miles on the first pair and almost 500 on these. But those miles included Rocksylvania which were much harder on them. BTW, I wear Altra Lone Peaks in case you¢re interested. I set my tent up fast this evening and climbed in. There¢s no rain in the forecast but there are some mighty black clouds up there. We¢ll see what happens. Hike On!
Date: 2023-06-19
From: MM 1524

To: MM 1533
Miles today: 14.0

Day 100 14 mi MM 1533Yes, yes I know - the math doesn¢t work out. But trust me, I walked 14 miles. The Far Out app has a problem with continuity between maps. It would take too long to explain. So just trust me. Now to the good part. I met a hiker back in VA named Sneak Attack. She was doing a section hike and was headed back to MA where she lives. She gave me her number and told me to call her when I was getting to Great Barrington.  I have to admit that at the time MA seemed like another planet and I wasn¢t real sure I¢d get there.  But I did so I called. She has a property just 900¢ off the AT and she does Trail Magic there. The site has some history. Google ¢Great Barrington tornado ¢ and you¢ll get a better description than I¢ll give. But here goes. In 1995 a tornado came through the area and hit a boys school. Three people were killed and the school was destroyed. On the site, a small chapel was built in their honor. Sneak Attack is an avid and accomplished hiker and purchased the property a couple of years ago with the intent of helping AT hikers. I got to sleep in the chapel!She came up in the early afternoon and brought snacks and of course, Cokes for Fizzix.  We talked for several hours - she gave me tons of info about parts of the hike I will be facing. It was really helpful. She drove me in to Great Barrington to her favorite dinner location and then showed me a bit of the town. The place was interesting and deserves some follow later to take it in some more. I had a very pleasant and restful sleep on the chapel and a really great day. Many, many thanks to Sneak Attack!Great Barrington Tornado: https://youtu.be/Jks99nlu6t4
Date: 2023-06-20
From: MM 1533

To: MM 1553
Miles today: 20.0

Day 101 20 mi MM 1553A long, long day. I'm staying at Upper Goose Pond Cabin tonight. It's staffed by a couples of volunteers from the AMC (Appalachian Mountain Club). It's a pretty location but it's a half mile off the Trail (therefore not included in the 20!) which always makes it a tough decision. But the important point is -- they serve pancakes for breakfast! So I pushed a long day and got in right at 7:00. Still plenty of daylight but a twelve hour day nonetheless. When I arrived, several hikers were gathered around the picnic table as I walked by to drop my pack and get some water. I heard "Fizzix" called out and looked at the source. Unbelievably, it was from a couple of hikers I had not seen in 60 days!  They are a married couple from Texas - possibly the rarest form of hiker on the Trail. The married part, not Texas. Their first day was the day I started Shenandoah. At that time, they didn't even have trail names. Now it's Plain View and Miso. It was remarkable to see them after so long a time. They are a lot of fun to talk with and it was a great end to a very long day. I expect to sleep very soundly and wake up to pancakes and real coffee. Worth the effort...
Date: 2023-06-21
From: MM 1553

To: MM 1562
Miles today: 9.0

Day 102 9 mi MM 1562I actually hiked 15 miles today but only get credit for 9. Why? I did start the day with my coffee and pancakes as promised. They were really tasty. But my morning routine was different. So off I go down the Trail. About 3 miles down, I grabbed my phone to check the map. reached for my glasses and did not find them. Crap!  Did I leave them at the cabin?  Probably but I had to completely unpack my pack to be sure.No joy!So I stashed my pack and poles away off the trail so I didn't have to carry them. Back 3 miles to the cabin. Passed 2 hikers who left after me who both verified they were there. No one knew who they belonged to. Sure enough, they were on the table waiting for me. Pick them up and restart. Remember the complaint about the cabin being a half mile off trail?  I now have done in 4 times!  Annoying to say the least. I had planned on going to a shelter 17 miles away but this little adventure changed that plan. I could do it but it would be another 7:00 pm day and I felt that's pushing it. So I did a leisurely 15 mile day to make .9 down the trail. Sigh....
Date: 2023-06-22
From: MM 1562

To: MM 1578
Miles today: 16.0

Day 103 16 mi MM 1578The day started with a 2.5 mile hike to the Cookie Lady. A Trail Angel who allows tenting around her home on a blueberry farm. She provides WiFi, outlets for charging, water, a privy and, of course, fresh baked cookies. I charged my phone, took a liter of water and had three chocolate chip cookies for breakfast. I know sitting wherever you are as you read this, it may seem strange for me to think this is a big deal. But I can assure you, there were many happy faces at that place and there will be many more. This simple generosity brings joy to my heart and I am sure to many other. In many ways, hiking the AT is like wandering in the desert - a tough, arduous task. It's easy to get a little down from the sheer effort required some days. And then you come across these oases provided simply from compassion for fellow humans. The Angels have never seen us before and will never see most of us again. Yet through love I presume, they give freely. Is there a better message? Thank you Cookie Lady!!!Well, on from there to Dalton, MA where I hope and pray that my new shoes will be. I got into town about 12:30 and went straight to the PO. Guess what? They actually were there. I was simply ecstatic. I really needed these shoes and was afraid it was going to be a problem. My knees and feet have been hurting for a couple of weeks. I think because the cushion was gone. I know I have been slipping on rocks because the tread was largely gone. But it comes on so gradually that it is easy to not notice. I'll let you know over the next few days if the pains go away. Remind me if I forget. ;-)I ran into another hiker in town called Mr. Friendly and let me tell you he is aptly named. Very kind and considerate to all whom he meets. A real gentleman who literally is half my age. Anyway, we were sitting in front Angelina's Sun Shop and Juice & Java Coffee House and partaking liberally from both. Again, great people. We were able to charge our phones and get our water bottles filled when we left. Which by the way was ad 4:15 for me. Mr. Friendly stayed on. What a pleasant way to spend an afternoon. But duty calls - in the form of the Hike. I still had an 800' climb and almost 6 miles to do. So off I went. I managed to get to camp at 6:05 - 40 minutes faster than I expected. The new shoes I'm telling you. The Trail gives and the Trail takes. Yesterday was a stressed out mess and today was a simple reminder of how good it is to be out here. Oh, I almost forgot to mention the bears. Last night about midnight, two bears were working their way up the mountain towards the campsite. You could hear them coming quite a way off as they were turning over rocks looking for insects. Another hiker, Redline, started huffing at them but they didn't pay much attention. We both shined lights-that didn't do much either. Finally, Redline lit a cigarette and the smoke smell discouraged them and they went back down the hill. Excitement plus on the AT!
Date: 2023-06-23
From: MM 1578

To: MM 1591
Miles today: 13.0

Day 104 13 mi MM 1591Today was Mt. Greylock, the highest mountain in Massachusetts at 3489'. Also, the biggest climb we've had to do since probably southern Virginia at 2200'. Good prep for what's coming in VT and NH.Remember the discussion about leaving a state and how they all seem to be unusually difficult?  I was expecting this today since this is also the last mountain in MA. I was pleasantly surprised. It was a big climb but the gradient and route selection was just normal. That made it a much easier climb. The big deal of the day was the weather. Apparently there is a big slow moving system off the coast somewhere and rain was forecast to begin at 4:00 pm. And it's supposed to stay around for 3 or 4 days. Real bummer! So my goal was to get to the top where I had reserved a bunk before the rain started. I made it at about 4:15 and looking back down you could, indeed, see some nasty clouds on the way. Winds picked up; clouds moved in; and it started to rain about 5:00. But I was high and dry at the lodge. I even had a shower by then - first in several days. You do not want to know what that water looked like! We had 3 thru hikers and a Brit who was trail/road motorcycling the area. They put us all together for a really nice dinner. The lodge offered three choices and I selected the double thick pork chop with cranberry chutney.  It was delicious and I could have eaten another but I was good and didn't. All in all a pretty good day!
Date: 2023-06-24
From: MM 1578

To: MM 1604
Miles today: 13.0

Day 105 13 mi MM 1604Rain Day!It rained most of the night as I slept soundly in my bunk. Breakfast was not going to be served until 8:00 am which was too late for all the hikers. We all had day old coffee and muffins and prepped to leave. About 7:00 I put on my pack and headed to the door. The drizzle turned into a downpour-I kid you not. You can only get so wet so out I went anyway. I knew from experience that I would be pretty soaked in an hour and just have to hike wet all day. Exactly what I did. The trail was a running creek in a lot of places.  Best thing to do is just walk right in and get it over with!  I did. So by 7:10 my shoes and socks were as wet as they could get. Nothing to worry about now. After a couple of hours, the hard rain backed off to a steady, gentle, soaking kind of rain. Really needed to get the water sources full again but not all that much fun to hike in.  But here's the deal, you simply cannot hike the AT without getting wet. It is by far the wettest of three long US hikes. It rains a lot. This has been an unusual year as I've been in a half dozen or so rain days and none that were multiple days. So it's time to pay the piper, I guess. I can tell by the look on some of your faces that you are puzzled at why my feet got wet. I mean wasn't I wearing waterproof boots?  ¢¦ Warning: the following discussion is what works for me. ¢¦No, I wasn't. I have hiked in "waterproof" Gortex boots before. Guess what? They aren't. Sure, if you go out for a few hours and it rains and you don't have to wade across anything deeper than the top of the boot, you'll probably get home with dry feet. But trust me, given time, everything wets out even Gortex boots. And once they are wet, it can take days for them to dry out. So I just stick with trail runners that give no protection at all from rain but will dry out the next day. In case you are interested, I wear Altra Lone Peaks. ¢¦Now that's MY opinion on the boot issue. But I have not seen a single thru hiker in waterproof boots this year. Just saying....It stopped raining about 4:30 and I got to my camp spot at 5:00. So I was able to set up without dealing with the rain. Very nice bonus!  I can, if necessary, set up my tent in the rain and get very little water in it. But it takes a lot of practice to get to that point. It's about 8:00 now and the rain hasn't restarted yet. So maybe I'll get lucky again. I'll let you know tomorrow.Oh, I'm in Vermont so another state down. And I passed MM 1600 today. 16 behind me and 6 in front!I started @MM470 in Damascus, VA on 03/12/2023I anticipate finishing the Damascus, VA to Katahdin, ME by mid to late August. Then I¢ll so the Springer Mtn, GA to Damascus, VA section.
Date: 2023-06-25
From: MM 1604

To: MM 1611
Miles today: 7.0

Day 106 7 mi MM 1611It did rain a good piece of the night. But was clear in the morning. If you want to have some real fun and feel like thru hiker-do this. Get the clothes out you are going to wear tomorrow and take them to a sink. Half fill the sink with cold water. Now the fun part-gently hold your clothes underwater until the are fully soaked. Take them out and wring as much water out as possible and then put them on the back porch. Now go get a good nights sleep knowing what awaits you in the morning. You've still got it easy because the clothes are wet with clean water not a mix of mud, sweat and rainwater. Now you have a feel for how my day started. Sure, it wasn't raining but I was soaked before I got out of the tent. That put me in a somewhat grumpy mood. But I could only be grumpy with myself and I was. It got worse as the morning went along because hiking conditions weren't all that great. The trail still had running water in places just not ankle deep like yesterday. Lots of mud - Vermont is famous for its mud even on days when it hasn't rained. And the worst thing was that the trail was not trimmed back at all. So lots of wet leaves hitting you as well. That's pretty normal but the stuff is usually knee high or so. I was constantly getting hit on the face. I had to push branches back just to see the trail. I ran into a SOBO hiker who confirmed that this was the normal state for Vermont. This did not improve my grumpiness at all. I was tired all morning. I must not have slept well or something. Hiking was slow.  At 12:30 or so i arrived at a shelter 7 miles from my start.  I made lunch; got some water; and decided to take a break for 30 minutes. Shortly afterwards, a father -daughter team came in and we talked awhile. Meantime, the clouds got heavier and heavier and thunder could be heard in the distance. The rain started again just like yesterday so I decided to stay the night. I don't like the short day but I should still make my resupply point on Tuesday. Oh, and fall number 10 came today. Ground just broke apart and went sideways due to the water content.  Nothing seemed hurt at the time. Hopefully, the back did not get jerked too much. We'll know tomorrow!BTW, since I'm not wet tonight I'm not as grumpy as I was this morning. Clothes will still be wet in the morning though...
Date: 2023-06-26
From: MM 1611

To: MM 1625
Miles today: 14.0

Day 107 14 mi MM 1625As I am writing this, it is raining. Had a good morning without rain. Then two and half hours starting about 1:00. Dry until now - 6:45. But I made it to the shelter around 4:30 so all my chores are done and I'm in bed for the night. So the rain on the metal roof is kinda nice. The thunder isn't but I haven't actually seen any lightning all day. It must be somewhere else. Thunder in the mountains is really different. It seems to rumble on and on. I expect it has to do with some interaction with the valleys and reflections. Nothing significant happened today. I'm still wet. Hands and feet have turned white and wrinkled from being wet so long. I cleaned up as best I can with wipes and then got as dry as possible with a camp towel. That means damp dry. I'd like to hang my feet out in the air for a while but the rain dropped the temperature. So I'm under my quilt. Forecast is for rain all day tomorrow. Oh, joy. Hopefully it will be like today and not be all day.  Hiking wet just stinks. There's no way around it. On the AT you can't really get dry either. It's just too humid and no direct sunlight. You have to go to town where they have those fancy clothes driers. Miracles!A bit of info regarding the Green Mountain section I¢m currently hiking¢¦https://gmcwoo.org/our-section/
Date: 2023-06-28
From: MM 1638

To: MM 1638
Miles today: 0.0

Day 109 0 mi MM1638Zero Day. I was alone in the hostel today. Walked down to the grocery store and got food for the day and then ate it. Tough day, huh?I did order a couple of things that I needed. Some gear is just plain old wearing out and needs to be replaced. Did some planning for the next couple of good drops. And started to look ahead into NH. Options really are getting slim. The Trail is a long way from towns in some cases 20 miles.  I¢ll have to be very particular about where I get off to resupply. I also think I¢m going to have to carry more days of food just when I had hoped to carry less. I expected to be slowing down due to the terrain being tougher. Add onto that more weight and even slower I¢ll go. Hopefully, all this rain will have replenished the secondary water sources and I will be able to carry less. That would be a good trade off. One liter of water is just about equal to a day¢s worth of food. I¢ll try to fill only my 700 ml bottle at a source and then camel up (drink what I can hold - usually  another 700 ml) to get to the next source. If they come every five miles or so that will work. Temps are going up though at the same time which means more water. See how this gets complicated?  The good news is you just change your plan as needed and keep moving forward. I¢ve decided to switch packs back to my heavier Granite Gear. I feel like my loads are going to be over 30 pounds a lot and it handles the heavier weight much better. It¢s only a pound heavier so not a disaster. But since ¢a pint is a pound the world around¢ it¢s another pint of water to displace. Of course, I could just suck it up and carry a 40 pound pack and quit whining. Naw, I think I¢ll keep whining and try to stay light. I do feel rested. I hope that translates into a good day tomorrow. I hope even more for nothing more than a few showers. That looks inevitable for the next week. I was dry today at least.
Date: 2023-06-29
From: MM 1638

To: MM 1648
Miles today: 20.0

Day 110 20 mi MM 1658High Mile DayWith all that rest and food from the zero day, I apparently was ready to crank out some miles.  I managed one of the mythical and magical (at least for me) twenty mile days. The reality was that about half the miles today were also cross country ski trails so they were pretty flat and much better groomed. Also - No Rain!  All that made for a somewhat easy day. There were lots of large creeks today that were very nice to see. Water not falling from the sky can be quite beautiful. I have officially switched from drought mode to normal AT mode where water sources are plentiful. I'm only filling my small bottle to carry.  There seems to me a water source every mile at this point. So not having to carry water is also a big plus. In the morning once I am on the Trail and alone, I try to spend a few minutes in prayer. It's pretty simple and somewhat repetitive - I hope God doesn't get bored easily. I usually ask for protection and guidance and then express my thanks for being able to do this. This morning when I opened my eyes I saw that I was standing in a place so beautiful that it literally brought tears to my eyes. The forest was stunningly bright, green and vibrant. I wish you all could have seen it the way I did. It was almost like I'd never seen it before. It would be so easy to take for granted. I hope I never do.
Date: 2023-06-30
From: MM 1648

To: MM 1670
Miles today: 12.0

Day 111 12 mi MM 1670Or Day Eleventy-one in Hobbit. A slightly short day today for a couple of reasons. I was headed to a shelter at 15 miles that sits right on a flowing river. It would be a beautiful place to set my tent. I love camping next to moving water. But then I read through the comments and found one that said this site was very popular on weekends because it was only a mile from the road. I've had some bad nights in this situation so I decided to stop one shelter short. This one also has a good sized creek beside it and it's making that wonderful noise. Not a bad compromise. My second reason for going short was that my left knee was giving me a niggle. That's what I call those little messages a body part sends you that aren't really pain but demand you pay attention.  Fall #14 came yesterday on a boardwalk. Those things are incredibly slick when wet and they all are right now. Anyway, I just took a slightly too long step with my left leg and it skidded down the board. I fell off to the right into a mossy section. No harm from the fall but I might have stretched that knee a bit too far. So, a niggle. I listened and moved a bit slower and stopped a little sooner. Tonight at the shelter, I was talking with a couple who is SOBO (southbound). They started at Katahdin but skipped down to Vermont because high water has made many of the crossings in Maine impassable. Many of the NOBO hikers are stuck in place and unable to continue. I sure hope the waters subside soon for them and for me. If you have the time and the inclination, a little prayer for them would be nice. Thanks to all of you out there who are supporting me in this adventure.
Date: 2023-07-01
From: MM 1670

To: MM 1685
Miles today: 15.0

Day 112 15 mi MM 1685Water DayPassed lots of beautiful rivers and a nice lake today. No rain so it was easy to appreciate the water. At the lake shelter, three young Turkish men were camping for the weekend. I talked with them for almost an hour. They were very generous and gracious giving me brownies and fresh coffee. They had lots of questions about how I managed things on the hike. One was video logging back to Turkey. Maybe I¢m famous there now - naw, I don¢t think so. Not a whole lot to share except some pictures. It was a pretty routine day. Went over my twelfth Bear Mountain. Everybody wants one!Rain is forecast to begin at 6:00 am and go all day. Maybe they are wrong???