morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2003-07-28
From: Seth Warner Shelter and Primitive Camping Area

To: Melville Nauheim Shelter
Miles today: 13.1
Weather: scattered clouds

Day 1307/28/0313.1 miles on trailI'm staying in the shelter just north of Bennington, VT (Melville Nauheim Shelter). I got here late because I went to town for the mail drop. I had worse luck hitching here than any prior town. I didn't get a chance to use the phone and it was already 5:30 when I got a ride back out.It did rain last night, but it was so windy my tent was dry when I packed it. The trail was rocky and muddy today. The bugs are playing in the light of my headlamp so I have to go. There were stories I wanted to tell. Like having to turn down 2 rides and then having teenagers mock me for hitching. Perhaps tomorrow will be an earlier day.
Date: 2003-07-29
From: Melville Nauheim Shelter

To: Caughnawaga and Kid Gore Shelters
Miles today: 12.8
Weather: scattered clouds

Day 1317/29/200312.8 miles on trail.2 offYup that's right over 1600 miles. Wow. The views today, from the shelters no less, were amazing. Goddard Shelter and Kid Gore have excellent views. There is no tenting at Kid Gore so I'm about .1 North at Caughnawaga. No bugs in my tent ... anymore. Today was gorgeous. It's a cool at night, but my winter gear is not yet necessary. It weighs a lot. I need it "just in case". My walking pace has decreased and my feet hurt a lot after about 12 miles so I'm going kind of slow. On the other hand it is really getting more beautiful each day I move north in New England.The AT and the Long Trail are the same route for about the first 100 miles in VT so there are a lot of Long Trail hikers. Along with SOBO's and NOBO's and weekender types. So there are lots of folks on the trail.I got a letter from Pippi. She had to get off the trail in Duncanon. She was in the hospital for several days and was being treated for Lyme Disease. She's recovering and gaining strength and weight, but won't be back on this summer. I miss her and her tenacious spirit. Wanderer and Babysteps are still a few days behind, last I knew. Euchre took off ahead, and the girls zeroed in Dalton. They should be catching/passing me again soon.I'm in moose country now. I haven't seen any, but they leave an unmistakable trace so I KNOW they are here (big animals).It is a nice dry cool night and the owls are singing. Goodnight.
Date: 2003-07-30
From: Caughnawaga and Kid Gore Shelters

To: Stratton Pond, North Shore Tenting Area
Miles today: 15.2

Day 1327/30/200315.2 miles on trail.7 offI'm tented at Stratton Pond North Shore tenting area. Nice place, great pond. I got to swim in the pond wow did that feel good after a long day. The weather was stellar from beginning to end. The day took me up and over Stratton mountain. Stratton has a great fire tower on top with a terrific view. Climbing the tower, however, is quite scary. It is very steep with open risers minimal handrails and different riser heights and tread depths. Ok, so it was scary. The view was worth every bit of fear, awesome barely covers it.I'm not with any AT through-hikers. There are a lot of Long Trail through-hikers around now. It's fun to talk to them too. They are feeling what I did 4 days out from Springer.Even though there was a big climb today (and a big decent) I feel quite good. I've got to do a resupply in Manchester Center tomorrow. Sure hope I can get good hitches in and out.Oh yeah I was all set up at the shelter and during dinner the skeeters started eating me. So I packed up quick and moved to the tenting area. So glad I did.
Date: 2003-07-31
From: Stratton Pond, North Shore Tenting Area

To: Bromley Mountain
Miles today: 13.2

Day 1337/31/200313.2 miles on trail.5 offWhat an incredible day. Woke early to a gorgeous morning. Got back to the AT. Lots of spider webs early so I was grateful to have a SOBO pass me. The trail was good and I made good time getting to Manchester Center, VT. At 1/2 a large pizza got supplies and carried the other 1/2 pizza to the top of Bromley Mountain. A couple people told me about the warming hut up here. So glad they did. I had to haul water up and I had a FULL load of food. The climb s=was steep but not long. It was worth it, 360 view and the most incredible sunset. I'm here with Brother Buzz, Lightning, and 3 trail maintainers. Good stuff.O yeah, I had great hitches in, from a quiet man, and out, from Blister Sister (AT 2000 PCT?) nice.Everyone else is trying to sleep, guess I should too.
Date: 2003-08-01
From: Bromley Mountain

To: Lost Pond Shelter
Miles today: 11.8
Weather: heavy intensity rain

Day 13411.8 miles on trailRAIN. As beautiful as it has been, it got that ugly. The shelter/Ski Patrol warming hut on Bromley was very comfortable and I slept late because of the weather outside. At 9:00, instead of my usual 7:00, I started hiking. The water was flowing in a stream down the AT/LT. The rain let up a little at lunch time and then picked up again. The trail was pretty nice today. Would have been gorgeous on a clear sunny day. There was one peak, Baker Peak, that was bare rock and had a good view through the rain even with the reduced visibility.Neil from Scotland, Lightning and Brother Buzz are with me in Lost Pond Shelter. It's 7:15 and we've all eaten and are writing in our journals. Brother Buzz was amuse for quit a while by w water bugs zooming around a puddle in front of the shelter. The things that amuse us when we are on the trailMy pack didn't seem as heavy today. I don't know why but I am grateful. I'm also grateful for my winter gear. I had started to think I got them prematurely (and perhaps I didn't/don't need the long johns yet) but they sure saved my hike today. The conditions were almost as bad as the day I left Pearisburg.I also forgot to write about hearing the Loon and the Coyote at Stratton Pond. That was the first time I'd heard those sounds.Ok, think I've rambled and caught up enough, think I'll get some extra sleep.
Date: 2003-08-02
From: Lost Pond Shelter

To: Minerva Hinchey Shelter
Miles today: 14.9
Weather: light rain

Day 13514.9 miles on trail.4 offI'm here tented by Minerva Hinchey Shelter. No one else is here. Today I got to see old eroded trail adn new built trail. One right after the other. The old trail was built so that it couldn't easily drain or be maintained. The new section has a side slope and channels water off the trail. There is considerably less opportunity for erosion with the new trail.There was one opportunity for a view today, but I didn't go down the .2 mile blue blazed trail because the weather wasn't good for views. It stopped raining overnight but remained overcast and misty till 1:00pm. It is mostly clear, but hot and humid. The mosquitos like it a lot. There is a high pitched whine all around my tent. Take away mosquitos and outdoors becomes much more enjoyable. DUH. I raced through dinner and set up because of them. I walk down the trail (up the trail?) faster and don't take breaks when they are bad It's all as annoying as the high pitched whine.At one spot on the trail today there was a sign pointing to the overlook. I didn't take advantage of. At that intersection some one or many people have created piled rock sculptures in kind of a garden. I found it a delightful diversion. I was talking about it with Neil from Scotland at lunch. The same thing makes him very angry because it is a human trace. Oh well to each his own.Yesterday I was glad for the winter gear. Tonight it is hot and muggy. That is VT in the summer I guess.One last thought. How come everything that got wet has dried out except for my rain pants?Good night.
Date: 2003-08-03
From: Minerva Hinchey Shelter

To: Cooper Lodge
Miles today: 13.8
Weather: light rain

Day 1368/3/200313.8 miles on trailAwoke to warmish dampness. The temp came up and the humidity came with, so everything had gotten damp. The trail was ok with a couple of very steep ups. Coming up Killington it rained a bit and there was some thunder. It started when I was about 45 minutes into the climb and ended at just about the time I crested the mountain. I didn't get the benefit of the views. It's misty and cool now.There was a gorge with a suspension bridge today. The bridge had quite a bounce and sway which made it memorable.The rocks are slippery when wet. I slipped and fell once today. Fortunately I fell on my pack and no harm done. I think I'm gonna call it a day. Tomorrow is 16.3. Oh yeah I forgot the milestone. Less than 500 miles to go.
Date: 2003-08-04
From: Cooper Lodge

To: Stony Brook Shelter
Miles today: 16.3
Weather: moderate rain

Day 1378/4/200316.3 miles on trail.2 offWoke up once in the middle of the night and saw stars. Woke up in the morning in a cloud. The morning walk down from Killington turned out to be absolutely beautiful. The sun poked through. The trail was well managed for water and had few roots or rocks. That's just background. TThe trail went through a huge pine forest with shamrocks in a continuous bed as far as the eye could see. Then it went to a birch forest with ferns again, as far as the eye could see. There was a little spot to stop exactly when I wanted a break that had a good view (on a clear day it would have been a great view).I got to Gifford Woods State Park for lunch and as I sat a the sheltered picnic table eating lunch it started to rain. When I was done so was the rain and I moved on. There was a bad section of mosquitos and then a very steep uphill. It was hot and muggy up the hill and I got to the shelter and had a nice soak in a cold stream. That was delightful. Then had dinner and got set up in the shelter and it started to rain again. The skeeters aren't terrible at the moment.I'm looking forward to a shower and laundry tomorrow. My food bag is as empty as it has ever been. Life is good.
Date: 2003-08-05
From: Stony Brook Shelter

To: Musty Red Barn on VT 12
Miles today: 13.7

Day 1388/5/200313.7 miles on trail.8 offWell I'm doing lots of things I wouldn't normally do on this trip. Tonight I'm staying at an old barn. Yes it is a red one. It's old, very old. Now it is a musty old place that is used for storage mainly. There are 4 mattresses, they are damp from the humidity. There isn't a broom to sweep the floor. A lot of hikers have been through here, boots on. It's raining outside.I got into Woodstock, VT got my mail drop, shopping and laundry done. It was just about 5:00 son instead of sticking around and having a bite and ice cream, which is what I wanted to do, I grabbed a sandwich and hitched back to the barn. I found the Greyhounds packs, so they'll be here too. I've eaten and am doing some planning to get me to Glencliff. I'm gonna take a day off in Glencliff. It's already been 21 days since I zeroed. The trail was nice today. Lots of ups and downs but none too long or steep. There were a couple of overlook opportunities, but I was in a cloud so I passed them by.The greyhounds are 2 guys from Nova Scotia. They're a bit older. I think they are retired. Nice guys, been running into them on and off for a while.Well, my pack is heavy again. The real bummer about today was I didn't have time to use the phone while I was in town. Oh well Hanover and Dartmouth in 2 days.
Date: 2003-08-06
From: Musty Red Barn on VT 12

To: Happy Hill Shelter
Miles today: 16.6
Weather: light rain

Day 1398/6/200316.6 miles on trailToday sure seemed like further. The best I can say about the red barn was it was dry. It rained a lot and hard over night. All things considered though I would rather have been in a shelter.Today started out with a steep climb (go figure). I was rewarded with some views of the mountains in clouds. Quite nice, I wonder what they would be like on a clear day. As soon as I left from lunch it started raining. Hard at times and accompanied by the rumble of thunder. It stopped just before I hit VT 14. I had a milkshake and fries at the general store there and got moving again. My feet really hurt after the rest. Plus it was a road walk which is almost always harder on the feet. It started raining again, but not too hard, on the way up. I mean it can't be raining too hard if the mosquitos are still biting, can it? Oh well hear I am happy at Happy Hill shelter with the Greyhounds (Gimp and Scrounger) and 2 SOBO's Dax and Fisherman.Short walk into Hanover and Dartmouth College tomorrow.
Date: 2003-08-07
From: Happy Hill Shelter

To: Hanover, NH
Miles today: 5.8
Weather: haze

Day 1408/7/20035.8 miels on trailEasy walk Into Hanover this morning. Crossing the Connecticut river with 2/3's of the Greyhounds, Gimp and Scrounger. Good traveling buddies till Glencliff it looks like. Got to use the phone today and made a bunch of calls., but by no means did I talk to everyone I wanted to.On the way to town we stopped at a little bakery in Norwich, VT, great bread. We ate lunch at Lou's, then had a pint of ice cream at Ben and Jerry's (which is right on the trail), then dinner at a Pizza joint called the Brick and Brew, then a milkshake at Ben and Jerry's. So I should be well fueled for tomorrow.This town/campus is really cool. There are 2 Richardsonian (if not HH Richardson) buildings, and a lot of good colonial buildings. New England is really nice. Thee are places that are places instead of the next strip mall.We are staying at the Sigma Nu frat house since I was a Sigma Nu at FSU. I had to twist their arm a little but it worked well enough. It didn't rain on us today but it rained around us. The forecast doesn't improve till 8/13, we'll see. The frat house is quiet, odd at 8:30pm, but I'm grateful. Perhaps I'll be asleep when the revelry starts.
Date: 2003-08-08
From: Hanover, NH

To: Trapper John Shelter
Miles today: 16.7
Weather: moderate rain

Day 14116.7 miles on trailGood days hike. Some very steep ups. Good breakfast at Lou's. Sorry to leave Hanover. It's a great town. The Sigma Nu's were quiet. They usually have a poker game on Thursday nights. It got moved to the foyer and it must have been the quietest poker game ever played. We didn't hear a thing.It did not rain on us today. It was a hot muggy day. There were lots of mosquitos. There were a couple of great views.
Date: 2003-08-09
From: Trapper John Shelter

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

Day 1428/9/200312.0 miles on trail.5 offI left off abruptly last night. Lots of folks, In and Mem (short for in memory), Gimp and Scrounger, and Caddis were with me at Trapper John Shelter. Tonight the same crew plus Nathan is at Hexacuba Shelter. There were some good views but the one at the top of Smart Mountain was obscured and that one had a fire tower top. There was some steep climbs and slick rocks. Everybody is laughing and enjoying each other. Nathan is a flip flopper who will finish in 2 days in Hanover.It's raining out. That makes rain in every day in August except one so far. I'm hoping that will be good for me to get to the White Mountains when the weather shifts.Oh well I'm tired. Good night.
Date: 2003-08-10
From: Hexacuba Shelter

To: Glencliff, NH
Miles today: 14.7

Day 1438/10/200314.7 miles on trail.7 offInteresting night and day. It rained hard all night, stopping just before dawn. That made the trail sloppy. The way the trail was built/maintained made it the easiest place for water to run. The mud and water were incredible. You know the sucking sound when you pull your feet out of deep mud. Oh yeah. It did rain on us but only briefly. The Greyhounds are going to slack-pack the entire White Mountains. I'm going to zero tomorrow and let the body rest, make a few calls and look after my equipment. Then I should be ready to hike the Whites. Tonight I'm staying in the bunk house at Hikers Welcome in Glencliff, NH. This town has a post office and, well, that's it. If it wasn't for Hikers Welcome and its owner, Pack Rat, staging for the Whites would be quite tough for me. I've got to look at my gear and supplies and make sure all is OK.It's a pretty nice night so far and there are quite a few folks here. Gimp, Scrounger, Freemont, Shwag, and 3 or 4 more whose names are blank now. Oh well I'll catch them tomorrow.
Date: 2003-08-11
From: Glencliff, NH

To: Glencliff, NH
Miles today: 0.0

Day 1448/11/20030 miles on trailWhat a good zero. I walked across the street and got my mail drop and listened to music all day. I feel rested and eager to hit Mt. Moosilauke tomorrow.I've been kind of isolated from other hikers, especially NOBO's for a while. I thought that put me in really good position to hit the Whites. There are at least 8 NOBO's here today and 5 that just passed through going North. It's great to see so many familiar faces and meet so many new folks, but it may mean that work-for-stay in the Huts may not be available.Hikers welcome hostel is a great work in progress. The owner is laid back but organized. His name is Pack Rat. It is amazing to me that no less than 30 people cam through today and everyone left, or is here, feeling good.Blue Sky, Big Red, Tadpole, Strappy, In, Mem, and a few others are downstairs watching a movie. I want to get an early start so I'm going to try and sleep.
Date: 2003-08-12
From: Glencliff, NH

To: Beaver Brook Shelter
Miles today: 7.9
Weather: light rain

Day 1457.9 miles on trail.2 offIt was raining hard at 4:00am when I woke up. It was still raining hard at 7:00am. By 9:30 it was a light mist, and I started to hike. As soon as you cross the road there is a stream crossing with no bridge. After the hard rain this was a boots off challenge. It's hard to keep balance on slippery rocks in camp shoes with heavily flowing water over knee deep. That done I caught up to Chaka, Winginut, Aloha and Found and hiked with them to the summit. The summit was completely inside a cloud. Disappointing but still pretty cool emerging above tree line. I couldn't keep up with them going down to Beaver Brook Shelter, and when I got here they were already on their way down. From what I've been told the descent on the North side of Moosilauke is quite steep and treacherous in the rain. It started to rain shortly after I settled in, in the shelter. Hope they made it down before the rain started.About an hour after I got here Big Red, Tadpole, Stappy and Hover got here. Fun group, lots of laughs. A fellow named Tater from Idaho is tented. He's got a bit of the hiker plague and doesn't want to stay in the shelter. Very considerate with the weather as bad as it's been. This shelter is at 3650 feet above sea level. It's nice and cool up here. Tomorrow morning we get to see just how steep and slippery the descent is!!!The view from this shelter would be amazing if it weren't in a cloud. There was a partial break in the clouds for about 30 seconds which showed a shrouded view. On a clear day it must be awesome. Sure hope the weather breaks soon.
Date: 2003-08-13
From: Beaver Brook Shelter

To: Eliza Brook Shelter
Miles today: 9.1
Weather: light rain

Day 1468/13/20039.1 miles on trailTough day even though it was only 9.1. The climb down the north side of Moosilauke was incredible. Incredibly steep and incredibly beautiful, even inside a cloud. I woke this morning in a cloud and got kid of a late start for me, because I didn't want to make a lot of noise early in the shelter. On the way down the steepest most prolonged down so far it started to rain. The rocks really didn't need to be any more slippery. The wooden steps were interesting and helpful but slick and placed oddly. There was a waterfall beside the trail for almost the entire descent. It was magnificent. At the bottom is a road and then a very steep up. It started raining again on the up. My pace is 1/2 what it was. It's all steep steps and scrambles over rocks using trees, roots and other rocks to help. There has been so much rain that the trail has bog and mud where there isn't rock. Ankle, knee deep stuff, some of it (much of it) is unavoidable and the rocks are often slick too. About 2:30 at the east peak of Mt. Wolf the weather started to clear. We (Team Tadpole/The Big Red Army/Hover's Hellions/Strappy and the Strappettes) sat and had a snack and got to see the Franconia ridge laid out in bright sunshine with puffy clouds hovering just above them. So glad for the view of something spectacular and not the inside of a cloud.I'm tented tonight by Eliza Brook Shelter. Neil from Scotland showed up late, Tater and The Big Red Army are here and so are a couple of SOBO's. It's 8:15 it's dark and there are a couple of big mountains between me and where I intend to sleep tomorrow. So nighty night.
Date: 2003-08-14
From: Eliza Brook Shelter

To: Liberty Spring Tentsite
Miles today: 11.4

Day 1478/14/200311.4 miles on trailI'm in my tent on a platform at Liberty Springs Campsite. I just watched an incredible sunset. We were all commenting on how few of those we've seen. There are lots of people here. Mostly day/section hikers. Neil and the Big Red, Hover, Strappy, Tadpole crew, plus Finch are the NOBO's.The climb up and the descent down Kinsman were incredibly tough. Some rock scrambles, some butt sliding, some hand over hand, and lots of root and tree grabbing. There was no way to make time, and who would want to. This stuff, though tiring is really great hiking. Fun and challenging.The top of Kinsman was incredible.At first I was bummed because I was in a cloud. I decided to have a pack-off snack break and the clouds started to do great things. First one side would be clear for a moment, then a glimpse of a different direction. Then the clouds would envelope me, then clear, here, there. Hard to describe but very impressive. Almost more impressive than having a free unobstructed view.We stopped at Lonesome Lake Hut for lunch. There weren't any leftovers so our packs got lighter (the huts sell leftovers for $1 AYCE). Then up out of Franconia notch. Not as interesting a climb, but long, steep, and hard.The campsite is great. Piped cold spring water source and tent platforms. The platforms need some modifications to make them friendly to non-freestanding tents. The $8.00 fee per person per night should cover the cost. Oh well I did get my tent set just fine and only needed one 18" piece of line to do it. Very ingenious if I do say so myself.It's late, I need sleep. More tomorrow. I should say that I've been looking forward to the stretch of trail I walk tomorrow since Springer. So glad the weather cleared after this morning!!!!
Date: 2003-08-15
From: Liberty Spring Tentsite

To: Galehead Hut
Miles today: 10.4
Weather: broken clouds

Day 1488/15/200310.4 miles on trailWhat a fabulous fabulous day. A mean uphill started the day to above tree line. Above tree line is magnificent. The weather was perfect. Between 60 and 70 blue sky, good breeze, and unlimited visibility. The ridge was Little Haystack, Lincoln and Lafayette. Then down and up over Garfield. There were incredible views from all of the peaks and ridges. Very hard hiking day. I'm tired. I made it to Galehead Hut after the 4 girls and Pez. There were 3 SOBO's here already and 2 more NOBO's showed up. They are letting us all stay but there isn't food to go around and that was in my plan. I don't know how to handle it quite. It'll work out.The hut is a great place with a great view. There are so many of us that it's hard to write.Today was the most amazing view day of the 1800+ miles so far.6:00am We were served plenty of dinner (after all). All anyone could stuff in: pizza, soup, broccoli, mac and cheese, and a dessert surprise. The hut staff gave us mattresses and since it was a beautiful night we set up out under the stars. By midnight that changed to overcast and misty. Most of us moved into the dining room. I was further encouraged by something furry trying to share my warmth. The cook is making a bunch of noise and it's past my usual wake up time anyway. The sky has patches of blue and low cumulous and high cirrus clouds. The hike looks like it might be a little easier today than the past 2 days. We'll see.