morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2003-07-19
From: Cheshire MA

To: The Bird Cage at Dalton MA
Miles today: 8.9

I decided when I got up today to take advantage of a slack pack op and to take an easy day of less than ten miles. The logic behind my reason has paid off tonight with some rewarding experiences. Rob Bird who runs The Bird Cage, also plays in a band called Just in Kase. His band played a gig here in Dalton tonight at the VFW. I heard that his band was very good from a few SOBO's who stayed at his Hostel. So there are four of us hikers over at the VFW and I am sitting there pounding the table, and sucking down some Labatt Blue and this lady points at me asking if I wanted to dance. I hoped right up and I think that is probably the start of the VFW Thru Hiker Hodown!! It was great last night. I danced with this very nice lady quite a few times. Her name was Judy, she was there with a fella, probably her husband, but he did alot more sitting than dancing. There were not to many younger women, in the mid 20's age group at this little party so dancing with the older gals seamed to be the fun thing to do.Then about 30min before the band quit playing two very intersting young gals showed up. Then went over to this one table where I had seen one of the band members kissing a lady during a set break that was probably his wife. So I figure that these two cute girls are related to the band some how. I wound up dancing the last song with one of the two of them... this was after like 8 or 9 beers I cant remember. It was a blast. Laura was her name, and she is the Daughter of the drummer. Very cool... The band was great, the beer was cold, the girls and dancing were fun, and now my wallet is empty and it will no doubt be afternoon before I get a shuttle north to Cheshire and start hiking tomorrow... This had been my funnest town stop yet.Thanks Rob!!
Date: 2003-07-20
From: Cheshire MA

To: Wilbur Clearing Lean-to
Miles today: 11.0

Eleven miles today is not exactly what I had in mind but after 11 beers last night and 11 dollars worth of Chineese Fast Food from the food court at Berkshire Mall I figure that 11 miles is all I can handle.When I got up this morning I did not feel hung over but it was hard to get going and get out of The Bird Cage. Finally around 11am the group of hikers who conceeded to taking a zero day decided they would all like to got EMS and that is where I wanted to go before hitting the trail.So to the mall we go. Jon at EMS was great. He exchanged my broken headlight and he also sold me a new pair of hiking sticks. I have needed a new pair since boiling springs PA but did not want to afford them. Finally is just had to happen. When I got to the Summit of MT Greylock around 6:00pm I went to the snack bar to get a bite to eat only to find that the snack bar closes at 4:00pm so that they can serve the over night guests dinner. The fellas there were really cool and offered to make me a turkey sandwich any way. That was great. The sand must have had a whole pound of turkey on it and they even gave me a free bowl of soup. I drank some iced tea and chatted with a fella who teaches near Boston, and then headed on my merry way down off of the summit to the shelter.I am the only one here again tonight. That is just the way that I like it.Tomorrow is the VT border.
Date: 2003-07-21
From: Wilbur Clearing Lean-to

To: Congdon Shelter
Miles today: 19.6
Weather: haze

A near twenty mile day is more like what I feel like I am supposed to be doing at this point in time. The day got off to a slow start as I was still in my sleeping bag today at 8:45am. I finally decided at 9:00am that I had better get my duff up and go hiking. I hiked quite a few miles before I ever saw a single person today. I stopped at EPH's Lookout for lunch and crossed into VT and the start of the LT-AT in the early afternoon.I stopped at Seth Warner Shelter for a nap and water and met a few interesting people there many of whom are just starting there Long Trail Thru hikes from the VT/MA line to Canada.I arrived here at the shelter just in time to get a bite to eat and get my bed set up before thunder rolled in and a huge storm dropped probably close to two inches of rain on us. Recycled is here along with a southbounder and two northbound LT hikers. There is also a group of 25 kids that are here camping. The counselors have come back here into the shelter and have made a ton of racket since the rain started.I hope to get a little bit of sleep tonight!!Tomorrow is Bennington for Mail Drop and then on farther.
Date: 2003-07-22
From: Congdon Shelter

To: Melville Nauheim Shelter
Miles today: 5.9
Weather: light rain

When I got out of bed tody 5.9 miles was definatly not what I had in mind. It rained like hell over night, and when I awoke today it was raining like hell again. I decided to wait it out for about one hour till it slowed some and just as I was deciding to go ahead and set out into the driving rain drops it quit. The first few miles were up and over Harmon Hill. Going up was like fording a small stream. The trail literally had five inches of water gushing down it. When I finally reached the summit I found three Hammocks. It was Puff Puff, Snappy, Space Monkey, and just over the hill was Chicken Feet and Bloody Flanders' Tent. I cant believe that these five people spent last night on the ridge. They are flat out crazy. When I got up there this morning I did not know how crazy thought till I reached the town of Bennington only to realize that an F1 Tornado had skipped across the area twisting off trees and blowing windows out of houses around 11pm.So I am here at the shelter that is only a short distance from the road and I will not be hiking any farther tonight. I would really like to go farther but this will just have to do.
Date: 2003-07-23
From: Melville Nauheim Shelter

To: Story Spring Shelter
Miles today: 17.4
Weather: light rain

Today was another one of those pesky rainy cloudy days that I have grown used to on this hike.It was really cold and the wind was blowing really hard up and over Glastenbury mountain. There was a really cool fire tower up there and the hike was pretty easy today except for the fact that it was cold and rainy. Every time the sun would come out today it would be immediatly followed by a hard down pour.The shelter is full tonight too... Stratton Mountain is tomorrow.
Date: 2003-07-24
From: Story Spring Shelter

To: Bromley Mountain Ski Patrol
Miles today: 23.8

What a big huge day.I cant believe that I am actually sitting up here on the top of Bromley tonight. I climbed two huge mountains today in Bromley and Stratton. Stratton was really cool as there was a huge fire tower on the top.Perhaps the coolest part of the days was the mile or two before the road and then the trip in and out of Manchester Center VT. I am running to the road to make the PO by 4:30pm. About one mile from the road crossing I come around to a little brooke and there are two older ladies there. One of them is sitting down nearly naked changing here clothes. I just kept right on trucking by them... It was probably rude not to stop and turn my back till the lady was descent but I had to make the PO.I got to the road and got a cool hich from a YOTA driver and the guy took me right to the PO. From there I headed to EMS and Price Chopper for supplies. I am sitting outside of Price Chopper eating a whole rotissery chicken and who the heck walks by... Ted Torpe from the Ski Chalet in Chantilly VA where I used to work. We talked and I was trying to YOGI a night at Teds vacation house but he was not going along with me.So I decided to bust town and head back to the trail. That is when I met Laura. She is 26 and is a first grade teacher. She offerd to take me back to the trail and I was very happy to go along with a hot chick. At this point in my hike I think that I think with both heads.Anyhow she took me to the trail head, we had intersting conversation, and then off I went walking into the woods. From there I started to make the climb up Bromley when the sky let loose another pounding rain storm. Everything that I own is now soaked tonight. It is good to be in a shelter with four walls but really there is no way that any of this stuff is going to dry by morning...
Date: 2003-07-25
From: Bromley Ski Patrol

To: Lost Pond Shelter
Miles today: 11.8
Weather: light rain

Please. I am tired of the rain. It has gone away tonight for a little while but I really would like to climb one or two mountains on this trip without rain fog and clouds.When I got up today around 6:00am to get rid of the two litres of Powerade that were in me all night it was nasty outside. I could not see my hand holding my johnson to goto the bathroom it was so foggy.I went back into the shelter and I went back to sleep.Around 9:00 am that old fart Recycled showed up at the shelter to take a bathroom break. He convinced me that I should do some walking today so when he was ready to leave I left. The descent down off of Bromley was steep but it was tolerable. I did the climb up and over Peru Peak and the day started to shape up to being a nice one. We got to the shelter at Lost Pond and I decided that was all the farther that I was going to go since the next few shelters were pay shelters and I dont want to pay. I probably should have hiked another mile or two but there are some cute advisors here with an all girls camp that is hiking for four days.I helped to fix there Wisperlite stove and got the shaker valve to clean the jet out so that they could cook dinner. I forget the name of the camp now but where ever these nine little girls are from that are here they are the best behaved young campers that I have ever seen. Very good job by the three advisors to teach these youngsters some outdoor ethics and some other cool things. I doubt that any of these girls have ever pee-ed in the woods before.So it is Recycled, my self, and 12 back packs in the shelter tonight...
Date: 2003-07-26
From: Lost Pond Shelter

To: Clarendon Shelter
Miles today: 19.6
Weather: few clouds

Today was a good day.Recylcled and I got off to a start around 7:00am and we hiked along till parting ways at Little Rock Pond. I stayed there to swim since I had not had a shower in six days.I caught up with the old man down at Minerva Hinchey Shelter where he was staying for the night. I decided to push on to the Whistle Stop Rest. $15 later I had not eaten any really good food and I thought that the service was also very poor. Tonight up here at the shelter there is quite a crowd of NOBO's SOBO's and LT hikers. Right now I am sitting here listening to a banjo and a harmonica playing by the camp fire. It would be great if it was like this more often. Tomorrow I am shooting for a big day.
Date: 2003-07-27
From: Clarendon Shelter

To: Stoney Brook Shelter
Miles today: 25.4
Weather: light rain

Why in the world I decided to hike 25 miles today is totally beyond my imagination. I got up early because two others got up early and were making a ton of noise. I was hiking at 6:00am and by 9:00am I was already making good progress on the climb up Killington. Of course it is raining today because I had a mountain to climb. Killington was not tough at all. It was long but it was no where near as steep as I had expected. I was down at the road crossing to goto the Inn at Long Trail by 1:00. I had lunch there and then decided that I would push on to the shelter here tonight.The last four or five miles were hell. Since the data book forgot to mention the 2000 foot climb from River Road up to the top of a mountain I was all but bushed to walke the last three miles here. I could smell the camp fire from a mile away too. That made it that much worse because for the last 20 min I thought that I was just a few hundred feet from the shelter. I feel very worn down and it has taken all of my energy just to make food and get into bed.
Date: 2003-07-28
From: Stoney Brook Shelter

To: Red Barn at VT 12
Miles today: 13.7

I settled on an easy day today because I was tired from that huge day yesterday. That and I am also out of food. I tend to eat alot when I hike 25 mile days. Last night I slept right through a huge down pour. I was sleeping on the bench stoop on the back of the shelter. Some how I stayed dry. It is a miracle that I did not get soaked. The little 2 foot overhang was just enought to keep my dry. I decided to sleep back there because Red is here and he snors really really loud. I wanted to get a good night of rest so that I was able to hike today.When I got down here to this Red Barn Hostel I found that there was a showere here but the pipes to it were busted from cold weather last fall when I hiker did not drain them. I decided to take the time to fix four spots on the hot and cold water lines that were busted. It was great. Four of us showered in a hot shower. It was my first shower in Vermont. It felt great.Tomorrow I am going to make the push all the way to Hanover. Vermont has been great but I am ready for NH and the White Mts.
Date: 2003-07-29
From: Red Barn Hostel at VT 12

To: Panarchy House
Miles today: 23.4

I got up late today after a much needed good night of sleep. I left the big old red barn well after 9:00am an started towards Hanover. I was doubtful that I would even be able to make Happy Hill Shelter but as the day pushed on I realized that I was going to be able to make it to town after all.I stopped for a short little while to take a nap at Thistle Hill Shelter and I also made a quick stop at Happy Hill to refill my water bottle. All in all the ups and downs today were pretty easy. I am excited that I was able to complete all of Vermont is a week and a day. I actually cant believe it.Tomorrow will be a zero day and some much needed rest. Plugger will be here in the morning to see me and hang out.
Date: 2003-07-30
From: Panarchy House

To: Panarchy House
Miles today: 0.0

Plugger came down to see me today.He met me around 9:00am at the bridge over the river and the state line here between VT and NH. It was great to see him. We had coffee and then went tom EMS to get my G-Pack replaced again. I also bought a new EMS 40* sleeping bag to get me throught the Presidential Range. He left shortly after lunch time to head back to his home over 100 miles away. He is going to come out and hike with me some in the next few weeks while I am close to where he lives. That is just great.I also went to a movie premier tonight. It was a Kayaking movie calle Wehyakin. It was pretty cool. There was about fiftey people there and the footage was great. I also found a Bob Dylan shirt in a clothing recycling bin today in the dorm on Massachusettes here at Dartmouth College. I decided to take the shirt to wear. Tonight I was walking down the street and some guy said man that is a cool shirt. He asked me to trade him T shirts and obviously to his surprise I said yes... I was not planning on wearing the shirt anywhere past the Panarchy house. I was going to throw it in the hiker box. So the guy gives me the shirt that he is wearing and I give him the Bob Dylan shirt. Pretty cool huh??Tomorrow I am out of this town. I hope to get about 15 to 20 miles in...
Date: 2003-07-31
From: Panarchy House

To: Trapper John Shelter
Miles today: 15.5
Weather: scattered clouds

I never got out of town today till some time around 11:00am. I got up early and then went back to sleep. Then I ended up back at the Library answering E-mail and other stuff.From there I was sucked into donuts and coffee on the sidewalk in town and eventually after sitting and talking to Sweet Ass, Tucson and Booble, I made my way down the streets of town, past the food co-op, across the soccer field and up into the woods.Leaving town was wierd. I really like Hanover. I wish that I had went to a college that had the girls that this place has. Anyhow the skeeters were biting like hell and for the first time in two weeks I had to put some deet on. I really hate this stuff. It causes me to get very hot, and I even gett goose bumps which is wierd because I am hot and not chilled. This is some bad stuff I am concluding.Anyhow I decided to call it a day here at Trapper John because the next five miles goes up about 3000 feet to the top of Smarts Mountain. I will save the climb for tomorrow.
Date: 2003-08-01
From: Trapper John Shelter

To: Firewarden's Cabin on Smarts Mt.
Miles today: 5.8
Weather: light rain

It took me nearly five hours to hike five miles this morning and right now I am sitting here in a four sided cabin at 1:00pm with my dry camp cloths on, curled up in my sleeping bag. I think that it literally has rained a foot since I started hiking today. The shelter here is full of girls from and all girls camp and the two advisors are cute. That is just one small reason to stay here. They are making chocolate chip pancakes right now and they have offered my self and two Sobo's a treat. I would love to hike farther today but it is raining like heck out and I just cant force my self to leave the warm confines of this shelter. It is nearly full here with 9 girls and 2 advisors and 3 of us thru hikers. If anyone else shows up tonight it is going to be a very tight squeeze to get us all in here. I really hate doing just a 5+ mile day today but I am getting to a point where I really dont want to hike in rain like this anymore...Tomorrow I am going to the Glencliff Hostel
Date: 2003-08-02
From: Firewarden's Cabin on Smarts Mt.

To: Glencliff NH Hikers Welcome Hostel
Miles today: 20.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Twenty miles even today in little under eight hours. What a day. The terrain was great and the miles were easy. I am so happy that I did a twenty mile day. The terrain in getting harder and the big mountains are just a day away so it was kind neat to put in a twenty miler this close to the big mountains.The hostel here tonight is packed. I cant believe that this many NOBO's are all bunched up again. I dont want to be hiking with this big of a crowd through the work for stay huts in the whites. The group went to a club tonight and I decided not to go and to stay here. I am tired and after all of that rain last night and the walking on the wet trail today I am tired. Tomorrow I am going to climb up and over Mt. Moosilauke. This will be the first hard climb since Roan Mountain TN. I am sorta looking forward to the challenge. Big John and the folks here at Moonbow manufactuing made a few small stiching manuvers to my Gregory G-Pack to keep a few of the repeat failure spots from becoming a problem on my replacement three day old pack. The repairs or reinforcements are great. Job well done.There are alot of critters running aroung here tonight. I have seen a few skunks near the garbage and there a chipmunks in the house. It will be great to be out of here tomorrow.
Date: 2003-08-03
From: Glencliff NH Hikers Welcome Hostel

To: Beaver Brook Shelter
Miles today: 7.9
Weather: overcast clouds

I never left the hostel today till noon.I took a large nap after getting up today and it was much needed. I was really tired and did not sleep well after the 20 miler yesterday. It figures that I would be climbing a mountain today because it is raining, foggy, and there is no veiw from the top. I hope that this kind of weather will pass soon. I would like to see some views from the White Mountains.I a decided to call in at day today after only 7.9 miles because the next 1.5 miles is supposed to take like 2 hours to walk. It is very steep down hill.I called Plugger tonight and he is supposed to meet me at the road 1.9 miles away in the morning. Maby I will take a short day tomorrow too so that I can let that crowd from the hostel get a day ahead of me.Tonight here at the shelter there has been some intersting time with a few NH section hikers that are here and one SOBO that has a Choco Lab with him.Today the climb was the hardest climb in a long time. Even coming down the hill to the shelter here was very difficult. The Whites are going to take there toll on me. However I will survive them...
Date: 2003-08-04
From: Beaver Brook Shelter

To: Kinsman Notch
Miles today: 1.6
Weather: moderate rain

Some times you never can tell what the heck your day is going to turn into. I walked out of the shelter a little later than I normally do today. I left around 9:00am. I walked down the 1.4 miles of very steep steep hill to get off of Mousalakie and I walked the additional .1 from the parking lot junction out to the main road at Kinsman Notch. I look to the right and who the heck is standing there... Plugger.Now how in the sam hell this fella knew that I was going to be there I have no clue. It was great to see him. I decided that because of all of the people who were just in front of me that I would go and call it a day and go with him to the home of him and his wife to spend the rest of the day out of the rain.We hit a Dunkin Donuts right away I got a coffee and bagel and we drove off past Loon Mountain Ski Area and up over the pass. I spilled some of my coffee in my lap and I have scald marks on my three parts between my legs tonight. It is very uncomfortable. Needless to say tomorrow I am headed back to the trail with a good Sho Goo job on my boots, and with some very clean laundry and a full bell of steak thanks to Pluggers very kind wife. These two people are kinda like my grandparents at home. That is the best way that I can describe the situation.
Date: 2003-08-05
From: Kinsman Notch

To: Lonesome Lake Hut
Miles today: 12.5

Tonight I am at Lonesome Lake Hut. It is the first of many AMC huts that are here in the White Mountains. I am "working for stay" tonight with two other southbound hikers. It started to pour down rain today right after I got here to the hut. The work for stay deal is pretty cool. They feed us leftovers from the dinner that is made for about thirty paying overnight customers who are staying in the bunkhouse here. Tonight it was salad, mashed taters, ham, and corn chowder. The three of us are sleeping on the floor in the dining hall which is just fine with me because outside it is a downpour and it has been that way most of the nigth.I am so tired and sore right now. The climb up and over the Kinsmans today was tought as heck. I kept walking up the hill thinking that I was near the top only to find that after the bluff was more steep rock up hill. My gear is so water logged right now. I have most of it hanging up trying to dry it but it is so humid that does not appear to be very effective at this point in the evening. Tomorrow I hope to get an early start and goto Galehead Hut.
Date: 2003-08-07
From: Garfield Ridge Campsite

To: Zealand Falls Hut
Miles today: 16.4

I did not sleep well again last night. Red was in the shelter snoring his head off. Around 4:45 am the early morning crew got up. Damn if they did not take two hours to pack up, cook breakfast, and to top it off they talked most of the time. Finally around 6:45 I asked them to please hurry up and leave or shut the heck up as I wanted to try to go back to sleep.Indeed I did get a few more hours of sleep and around 9:00am I finally got on my way to Galehead Hut. That was my first stop of the day and it was only about three miles into my hike. I decided to take advantage of the sunshine and dry out some of my stuff on the porch. I had some coffee and lemonade and the croo at the hut had some left over chocolate mint cake that I had after I ate some instant taters for lunch. I then proceeded to write post cards from the hut while waiting for my stuff to dry. Around 2:00 I decided to get my butt moving and hike over to Zealand Falls hut. I made the 8 mile trip over in a little over three hours which made me very happy. I got here to the Hut early and did hiker laundry in the zealand falls stream and then sat down and relaxed and waited for supper to be over so that I could work for stay and get some grub on.I am sleeping on the porch here tonight because it is very cool out. It feels good to be outside vs inside. I cant sleep inside very well because the air is so darn hot. Tomorrow I am going to hike out of here and go down to the road and try and call Plugger and see about taking a zero day on Saturday. I need a little break because my legs are killing me from the past few days.It is good to be ready for bed after a good day of hiking.