morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2012-08-01
From: Undermountain Road (Salisbury, CT)

To: Glen Brook Shelter (MA)
Miles today: 13.5
Weather: overcast clouds

Day 113: Bear Mountain, Mt. Race, and Mt. Everett[Additional note to any readers who are not our children: Before commenting on our ascents of Bear Mountain, Mt. Race, and Mt. Everett today, we need to make the following brief clarification. So as not to unnecessarily alarm our children while we're on the AT, we will be using certain code words in our reports. When we encounter a particularly hairy/ formidable climb or descent, we will often describe it as "fun." This will cover all situations up to and including rocky areas the very sight of which is enough to scare the pooh out of you, but which we are able to navigate without drawing blood or breaking a limb. If we describe an area as "tough," that means we fell once. If we describe an area as "rough," that means we experienced multiple falls there. If we had done today's hike last Saturday as originally planned, many of the rocks would have been wet from the rain and the falls would have made the description in the "very tough" category. Today the sun was out, everything was dry, and while we didn't exactly fly up and down these mountains, we did have a lot of fun with the triple whammy the AT threw at us today...]Today was much anticipated, not just because we were finally out again for a full day of hiking, but because of all the notable landmarks: 1,500 miles completed; a visit to Bear Mountain, the highest point in Connecticut; and crossing into Massachusetts for our state #11. We also passed through Sages Ravine just after the state line, a pristine area that gave us a chance to walk beside a picturesque stream with lots of little waterfalls. We even had trail magic with a seemingly endless supply of ice water at the Guilder Pond Picnic Area. With three challenging but fun climbs under our belt, we didn't mind a fairly early stop today. Almost as many southbounders are here tonight as northbounders, plus a large youth group which makes us appreciate how open and spacious this site is...
Date: 2012-08-02
From: Glen Brook Shelter (MA)

To: Tom Leonard Shelter (Ice Gulch, MA)
Miles today: 14.3
Weather: few clouds

Day 114: A good day to worry about waterAlthough the first four miles of the trail today trended downward, we were still high enough on Mt. Bushnell to be looking down on the clouds and an early morning temperature inversion. The climb down from Jug End was fun, but N groused it was a lot of work for what really hadn't been much of a view. At MA 41, the rumored tin of homemade cookies was empty but we were still appreciative of the jugs of water. The next four miles was mostly flat and gentle. Mosquitoes. After 114 days, and after crossing some boggy woodland today, we guess it's time to say a word about those pesky insects. But that's all they're getting - that one word!Arriving at US 7 and deciding a fresh sandwich might taste good, we made an abortive attempt to visit the Route 7 Grill, according to our map only 3/10 mile off trail. After a ten minute walk towards town and not seeing it, we stopped to ask directions and were informed it was only 150 yards up the road, but every one agreed it wasn't open for lunch! How can you have 'grill' in the name and not be open for lunch???Our disappointment was greatly lessened by the cooler of sodas Bear Walker and Buttons had left at the US 7 crossing. Unexpected trail magic is always the best and the ice cold sugar & caffeine was a Godsend for what was coming up next! While there, we were joined by Bad Penny and Talloaf. Talloaf was a familiar name from shelter logs back when we were trying to stay ahead of Team Chick-fil-A, and Talloaf was just ahead of us. We'd never met, but recently he'd taken even more days off the trail than we had, and there he was...The trail then skirted fields as we again walked beside and over the Housatonic River (maybe for the final time?). Another two miles across the valley and we climbed East Mountain. Although now warm and a little hazy, we did have great views of our climbs in the last 24 hours. With the trail having a number of ups and downs, our water supply began to dwindle. Reports from up trail indicate lack of water is still a problem and we wondered what we might find at the Tom Leonard Shelter, our destination for the day. Upon arriving, Johnny Walker Red (another familiar face back after a break) was just returning from a very steep 3/10 mile trip to a stream that had a small amount of decent water flowing. By the time N made that climb twice, he referred to this eight liters of water as liquid gold. We drank our fill, and thankfully used a liter for bathing...About a mile from camp we met a girl scout group (3 girls and their 3 adult leaders) out as part of the Great Girl Scout Hike. Nationally groups of girls will hike the AT in each of its 14 states. This group is tackling the 100 miles in Massachusetts, the longest such effort. Neat stuff!We have not seen a shelter so well used since the Smokys. In addition to Bad Penny, Johnny Walker Red, and Talloaf, we have the girl scouts plus a group of young boys. Throw in a few southbounders and you get the idea this is prime hiking season in Massachusetts...
Date: 2012-08-03
From: Tom Leonard Shelter (Ice Gulch, MA)

To:  Shaker Campsite (MA)
Miles today: 11.1
Weather: scattered clouds

Day 115: Not at Upper Goose Pond Cabin We should be at Upper Goose Pond Cabin tonight, enjoying the foam mattresses. We should be at Upper Goose Pond Cabin where the gallons of water are lined up on the porch, there for the taking. We should be at Upper Goose Pond Cabin where we could be swimming or canoeing. And we should be at Upper Goose Pond Cabin tonight because the caretaker will be fixing blueberry pancakes tomorrow morning for all his guests. But we are not at Upper Goose Pond Cabin.We are spending the night at Shaker Campsite. We are going into Lee, MA, tomorrow to resupply, and that seems to necessitate dividing the total mileage into two short days. And cause us to miss a stay at the famous Upper Goose Pond Cabin. Stopping early does have the advantage of first choice of tent sites, letting us set up our tent on top of a 300-year old stone wall at this site that for many years was a thriving Shaker community. It also allows us to take a nice afternoon nap in the shady woods with the bugs at bay. And finish a leisurely dinner of chicken and pasta before 6pm. Why if we didn't have to worry about the 650.7 remaining miles, this <12 miles a day would certainly be the life!We met more southbound section hikers than thru hikers today. Water (availability of) remains a big topic for every one out on the AT in southern Massachusetts. In eleven miles of hiking, we only saw one stream worth using unless one was faced with the edge of dehydration. And unlike yesterday, there is no trail magic to be had even though we crossed several paved roads. A small stream just past the campsite provides us water for tonight. It's clear, if you don't stir up the mud while collecting. It's enough to make one look forward to a town day even more...
Date: 2012-08-04
From:  Shaker Campsite (MA)

To: US 20 (Lee, MA) 
Miles today: 11.6

Day 116: We swim in Lee, MA, rather than Upper Goose PondThis being a town day, we left the shelter early - just after 6 - and made great time all the way to the Massachusetts Turnpike (which now that we think about it is another major milestone). We started hiking in fog, and when the sun burned through, the day became very hot and humid, but because of the short distance, we were able to carry enough water to meet our needs.  We especially enjoyed the views as we circled Upper Goose Pond.Cars whizzed by us as we came out on US 20, and we were worried as we tried to hitchhike into Lee, but after just seven minutes a small pickup passed by us and then circled back to offer a ride ("I don't give rides to kids, so I had to look you over first!"). The afternoon was a jump in the pool, a hot shower, lunch at Friendly's, checking up on relatives, and a trip to the laundry. After four days out, all were badly needed...We had a treat when Corinne Levy (our personal Archangel Trail Angel) drove up from her home in West Cornwall, CT to have dinner with us in town. Really good to see her again so soon. All in all, a great short stay in Lee.
Date: 2012-08-06
From: MA 8 & 9 (Dalton, MA)

To: Mt. Greylock (MA)
Miles today: 17.2

Day 118: On top of Massachusetts, the Troverts decide to give the tent another night off...Once again we were treated with a great weather day after a really nasty night of storms. The temperature never got above 80°, and the haze and humidity were both "gone with the wind." We had about a mile long walk through town before beginning an 800' climb up and over Crystal Mountain towards Cheshire. The rain had driven a bunch of southbounders into the Mark Noepel Shelter last night, so we passed a number of new faces in the first few hours (such as Spiderweb, Kendoll, Misery, and Snickets).With the clear weather, we were looking forward to the view down on Cheshire and off to Mt. Greylock from the Cobbles, and it did not disappoint! The icing on the cake was the very civilized path down into town: smooth, gradual, and plenty enough switchbacks. It seems so simple, but we often run into something wholly other on descents from such vistas.Near the Cobbles, we ran into Kleenex, returned from a day off with her sister, and we shared Tom Levardi's advice to stop at the Shell station and its deli sandwiches on the other side of Cheshire for lunch, and she joined us, as did Bad Penny. We decided to make it our "big meal of the day," and left feeling very full. They also had a strange hiker special (buy two Powerades, get three free!), which allowed us to leave some trail magic as we headed back into the woods. The climb out of Cheshire is much talked about as it goes from 986' to 3,491' to the top of Mt. Greylock. Northbounders haven't seen the likes of that since Virginia! We had planned to only make the climb as far as the shelter, but arriving at the turn-off at 4:00pm, we decided we wanted to see sunset from Mt. Greylock and to splurge with a stay on top at the Bascom Lodge. It's been a treat and the views to the east this afternoon were magnificent! Even Mt. Washington and the Whites of New Hampshire could be seen on the horizon. What a sight and we hope to be there in just three more weeks!
Date: 2012-08-07
From: Mt. Greylock (MA)

To: Roaring Branch, pond (VT)
Miles today: 16.1

Day 119: The "Not ready for Datona" PitstopThe Bascom Lodge atop Mt. Greylock serves a very nice breakfast, but not until 8:00am, which did not seem to fit with an over-30 year old thru hiker's schedule, at least not ours. Still, the sunrise view from the lodge porch was so captivating, we had a tough time pulling ourselves away, even after their coffee and our honey buns were long gone. But we did, and took in some final views to the east before we started our hike downhill. The six-mile walk to Massachusetts Avenue in North Adams had some steep sections, but we were glad to see an AMC (Appalachian Mountain Club) trail crew hard at work rerouting the trail with some new switchbacks. By the end of the summer this part of the trail will be about three minutes longer, but much easier on the knees. Keep up the good work, kids!A key part of the day's plan involved lunch and a re-supply as quickly as possible, with the target being a Price Chopper grocery and an AYCE Chinese buffet, both the same 7/10 mile off the trail. We were the first through the doors at the buffet, did some serious damage, especially to the chicken wings, made a short detour across the parking lot to hook on to the wifi at Friendly's, and then picked up four days worth of food (and not a single granola bar more!). On the way out the door, a man stopped to tell us about a short cut back to the trailhead, which X used as her chance to yogi us a ride back to where we had gotten off. Total time: two hours, 47 minutes; which won't get us a post hike job with a NASCAR pit crew, but allowed us a full afternoon of hiking. Four miles uphill and north of town, we had an emotional entry into Vermont, our 12th state. We were so psyched when we reached the next shelter, we weren't ready to quit, so we made it a long day on to Roaring Branch. The water flowing from the pond has a slight color to it, but is much better than it would have been before the recent rains. Tent space is at a premium and we are one of three couples, both camped and cramped, here for the night, with our companions all getting started on the Long Trail today. The local frogs sound like they will keep us entertained this evening, and with the cooler temps, the mosquitoes don't seem to be a problem tonight. Camping in Vermont. Doesn't that have a nice ring to it???
Date: 2012-08-08
From: Roaring Branch, pond (VT)

To: Goddard Shelter (VT)
Miles today: 18.7
Weather: few clouds

Day 120: A hard climb up to Goddard Shelter (but with the cool air at 3,573', all's well that ends well...)Don't get us wrong, we think Vermont's woods are beautiful, maybe the prettiest we've seen. But after hour after hour and no views (except maybe one at a power line), they were beginning to wear on us. Part of it was the 2,200' elevation gain from VT Highway 9 and the shelter, but just as bad was the last seven miles without a single landmark to locate our position - just gently undulating but always upward woods, woods, woods!What a downer! We were in fact feeling beat up and running on empty. Then in less than 100 yards, everything changed and the world once again became a wonderful place. After dealing all day with streams with brownish water, here was crystal clear water flowing from a plastic pipe just a few feet from the shelter. And right in front of the shelter, someone had cleared just enough trees to see three parallel ridge lines off in the distance. With the perfect weather, you could see for miles. We quickly fixed our dinner and enjoyed the sunset colors as we ate. Way back at the start of the day, we walked over another nameless stream which gave us our confirmation that we were indeed over 1,600 miles for the hike. Looking back over the last four months, that takes a while to sink in...At the shelter we run into two old names from July and New York: Animal and Radio. Animal still has bucket in hand, but is complaining of fatigue. His symptoms sound a lot like Lyme, and he says he has had several tick bites. We hope he can resolve his health issues quickly. (We had commented earlier in the day how we seem to be just about out of tick habitat.) We last saw Radio back on N's birthday. It's something how all our different journeys occasionally intersect. Even more amazing, we run into a young hiker who saw our old friend Sixty-five on a nearby trail just two days ago. We were tickled to get that report that his Florida to Canada hike continues. After a lot of miles today, we go to bed tired but very content...
Date: 2012-08-09
From: Goddard Shelter (VT)

To: Stratton Pond Shelter (VT)
Miles today: 19.3
Weather: few clouds

Day 121: The Two TowersToday was a tale of two hikes: one before and one after lunch. If we hadn't divided it in two, it would have been one really, really long day. We started off leaving Goddard Shelter a little after six, and following the AT to the top of Glastenbury Mountain. N made a quick two-purpose trip to the top of the lookout tower - one to try to find a signal for the iPhone to send out yesterday's journal (something that wouldn't happen until nine hours later) and two to take in the sunrise from above the treetops. He certainly would have lingered longer on top except he found another hiker still asleep and taking up all the room there. The rest of the morning was a very fast walk to Story Spring Shelter, 8.9 miles away. Much of the early going was not conducive to fast hiking with lots of rocks and short ups and downs, but we made good time, filterd more water (once again clear from a small spring), had some lunch, and got back on the trail before noon. The afternoon was a ten mile hike up and over Stratton Mountain, featuring a 1,700' climb. We had clouds and cool temps but still worked up a good sweat before being treated to the day's second great view from a fire tower. [Legend has it this view inspired Benton MacKaye to think about the possibility of a continuous footpath in the eastern US. We could clearly appreciate how he was inspired!] We could see rain clouds approaching from the west so left before we really wanted to, and headed down to the Stratton Pond Shelter. The predicted storms never materialized, but by the time we arrived, it was a little too late to go swimming in the pond, one of the real pluses of this shelter. Of the nine folks here tonight, we are two of three NOBO thru hikers. Just a word or two about our natural world... we notice the days are getting a tiny bit shorter while the shadows are getting longer. Warm, early summer gentle breezes have a crisp edginess to them now. The leaves are starting to take on hues of purple and gold. The woods are eerily quiet of birdsong since most of our feathered friends have successfully hatched and fledged their young, have moved on and/or no longer care about our intrusion into their space. When the two of us aren't chatting, humming or singing, all this 'new found quiet' leaves us alone with our thoughts and still dreaming of reaching Katahdin...
Date: 2012-08-10
From: Stratton Pond Shelter (VT)

To: VT 30 & 11 (VT)
Miles today: 10.7

Day 122: The Green Mountain House (and by the way over mile 1638)Today we had a short, mostly easy walk to Manchester Center, VT. Actually to a road crossing about seven miles east of town. We'd planned our schedule hoping to miss rainy weather on the trail this afternoon, and did, arriving at VT 30 & 11 at little after 11am. We set some sort of record getting a hitch into town in under three minutes, from a young fellow who took us right to the door of Mountain Goat outfitters. These accomodating folks fixed all three broken hiking pole tips we'd picked up north of CT and tipped us off as to where to find a great burrito for lunch, and a great deli sandwich to save for dinner. We walked through light rain to the grocery where we re-supplied (with way too much weight we fear!) and ran into Retro and his daughter Forrest who had been with us at Stratton Pond Shelter last night. They were going to the same place as us for the night, a hostel we'd anticipated visiting for over three years - the Green Mountain House. After shopping we called owner Jeff Taussig who came to pick us all up. Suffice it to say Jeff exceeded all our high expectations, and we wish our schedule allowed us to stay with him a little longer!And it's probably worth noting: 2.6 miles into the day, we passed the 3/4 mark for the AT...Additional Disclaimer: While deleting pictures from our iPhone from very early in the trip (as we had finally filled up the memory), N noticed back in GA, there were two porkers running around on the AT using our names. We claim no association with these two fat individuals! And today X moved into size 4 shorts...For a picture of the Troverts, click this link: Green Mountain House
Date: 2012-08-11
From: VT 30 & 11 (VT)

To: Big Branch Shelter (VT) 
Miles today: 16.5
Weather: overcast clouds

Day 123: A day of fog, rain, and distant thunderWe were twice sad when Jeff carried us back to the trail at 6:30 this morning. First, we would have enjoyed much more time at his Green Mountain House, and secondly, we were once again loaded down with four days of food and facing a 1,400' climb up Bromley Mountain. For the next five hours we hiked in a thick fog, with only the immediate surrounding forest to be seen. The rocks and roots were wet and slippery, but all day long the most treacherous walking was the slick bog boardwalks. As everything around here has been so dry, we mostly walked beside rather than on them. Near the top of Bromley, the AT follows one of the ski slope runs. We wondered if southbounders could "get air" as they came over some of these sharp rises... The decrepit old Bromley tower (from which five states were visible) was taken down this year for safety reasons, but in the fog we didn't miss it. A sign said the local club was raising money to build a replacement. The path down to Mad Tom Notch was rocky and steep, as was the climb back up to Styles Peak. After some undulating trail, the path was really rocky and really steep down from Peru Peak. We were almost below the clouds when it started raining. We decided to stop at the next shelter, fix our big meal of the day, and give the rain time to pass. Several other hikers joined us (including Hashbrown and John Wayne who we would wind up camping with tonight). The Peru Peak Sheler was roomy and clean, and it was tempting to stay, but we needed more miles and when the rain didn't stop, we moved on. A highlight of the day was Baker Peak, where the AT makes a sharp turn to follow an exposed seam of rock up to the top. This would have been extremely hairy in wet conditions. Thankfully, the rain now stopped, and the clouds parted enough to give us some nice views. However, we could hear thunder in the distance and thought it prudent not to dally at the top.We got to Lost Pond Shelter just as it was filling to capacity, and on X's intuition we'd have better luck further along, we decided to push on the 1.7 miles to Big Branch Shelter (in record time!) where we hoped to find more space. We are much less crowded here, and although we certainly won't need it after today's hard effort, we have the rushing waters of the large stream in front of the shelter to lull us to sleep...