morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2012-08-06
From: Manchester, VT

To: Big Branch Shelter
Miles today: 16.5
Weather: broken clouds

Day 137: At 7:00 this morning, SilverGirl and I are on the doorstep of Up For Breakfast in Manchester Center. This is a breakfast stop that hungry hikers should not miss when staying over in Manchester. After our very satisfying breakfast, we walk down to the donut shop where we hitch a ride back to the trailhead about 5 miles up the road. By 8:30, we are hking and on our way up Bromley Mt. Near rhe top of Bromley, the trail breaks out onto a grassy ski trail that offers a nice view behind us as we ascend. Reaching the top of Bromley, we make note of the the obvious change in the weather from the past few days. Today is much cooler and drier, with a nice breeze fanning us as we walk. The temperature never rises out of the low 70s all day. Moving on past Bromley, we dive back into the woods until we reach Styles Peak a few miles further north. The trail is quite rugged on this section of trail, with an abundance of rocks, roots, and mud laid out before our feet. We have to walk a little slower during this section because of the rugged terrain. Coming down to Peru Peak Shelter at about 1:00, we stop for lunch. There is a stream flowing in front of the shelter with a nice footbridge spanning the stream. Just beyond the shelter going north, we pass by Griffith Lake, with its long boardwalk over spongy ground. Soon after, we climb up onto Baker Peak where we are treated to great views. We can see NY, NH, VT, and MA from up here. Coming down off of Baker Peak, we begin a long, gradual descent down to Lost Pond Shelter and then to Big Branch. Big Branch is a wide, fast flowing stream that is spanned by a long footbridge. Just on the other side of the stream is Big Branch Shelter, where we are staying tonight. We pitch our tent right next to the shelter on one of the few flat spots here. Also here tonight is Count Chocula, another northbound thru-hiker, a Canadian man doing a section hike, and a father with his young daughter and dog. Tomorrow, we hope to hike to the Clarendon Shelter, on the doorstep of Killington, which we will climb on Wednesday. A good  day today. Our feet are tired as usual, but we're used to that now.
Date: 2012-08-07
From: Big Branch Shelter

To: Clarendon Shelter
Miles today: 16.9
Weather: clear sky

Day 138: We rise at 6:00 this morning, with 16.9 miles to Clarendon Shelter planned. As we dress inside the tent, we notice a bright light coming from the shelter. Then, we hear the young girl yell to her father, "Daddy, the shelter 's on fire!" I look out to see a 3 square foot section of the shelter floor up in flames. Apparently, Daddy used way too much fuel to prime his stove and it spilled out onto the shelter floor after he lit it. Thankfully, he was able to smother the fire with some of his clothes, which we guess are now destroyed. SilverGirl and I are on the trail at 7:20. The day starts off surprisingly cool, with a touch of fall in the air. It quickly warms up however, and by mid afternoon, the temperature is in the low 80s under a beautiful sky. Three miles into our morning, we reach Little Rock Pond. The water is like glass as we walk along the edge. Moving past the pond, we reach the side trail to White Rocks Cliff. At this junction, hikers have built many rock sculptures beside the trail out of all the loose rocks that lay in this area. It's really quite a site. Stopping for lunch at Bully Brook, we enjoy the clear, fresh water from rhe brook with our lunches. The afternoon starts with a long climb up Bear Mt. To our dismay, there are no views whatsoever as we pass over the top. On the way down, however, we run into a crew doing trail work. One of the workers has just arrived with an insulated bag full of ice cream and Italian Ices. She informs us that she brought too many and that they will just melt if we don't take some. We are more than glad to help her out. This is the first time we've ever been offered ice cream in the middle of the woods, miles away from any roads. Three miles further up the trail, we come to a nice overlook, with a view of the Rutland Airport below us. After pausing here for about 10 minutes, we make the very steep descent down into Clarendon Gorge, where we cross the gorge on a narrow suspension bridge. One tenth of a mile beyond the bridge, we break out onto VT 103. It is only 3:45, so we decide to walk 1/2 mile down the road to the Whistle Stop Restaurant, where we have some pizza, subs, and sodas for dinner. No cooking and cleaning for us tonight! Our last mile of hiking up to the Clarendon Shelter is a steep one as we scramble up the rocks. Arriving at the shelter just past 6:00, we quickly ser up our tent under the pine trees off to one side of the shelter. Count Chocula is here with us again tonight along with a geoup of section hiking teens. Tomorrow, we have a shorter day in store, but mostly up hill as we climb Killington. We plan to tent up next to Cooper Lodge near the summit of Killington tomorrow night which will set us up for a very short day on Thursday down to the Long Trail Inn. Can't wait. We are feeling good despite being a bit tired and are enjoying the hiking more now that we are into the beautiful mountains of New England.
Date: 2012-08-08
From: Clarendon Shelter

To: Cooper Lodge
Miles today: 12.6
Weather: few clouds

Day 139: We are in no rush to get going this morning with only 12.5 miles to go, so we sleep in until 7:00. It promises to be another beautiful, sunny day today. Vermont has been very good to us so far. This morning, we pass the 500 mile to go mark, which is exciting. After about 4 miles this morning, we reach a road where there is a sign detouring hikers onto a road walk because of all the damage that Hurricane Irene caused on the trail last year. We had heard through the trail grapevine however, that you could remain on the original section of the trail here without any problems, so that is what we do.  As we walk through this section before the Govenor Clement Shelter, we see a lot of the damage caused by the hurricane. At about 11;30, we arrive at the Governor Clement Shelter, where we stop for lunch. The wrestling coach from Williams College is here also, hiking the Long Trail south. We enjoy good conversation with him as we eat. Leaving the shelter after lunch, we begin the long assault up Killington, our first 4000 footer since The Priest in Virginia. The climb is very rough, with roots everywhere slowing our progress. By 2:15, we reach Cooper Lodge, where we pitch our tent on one of the platforms above the shelter. After getting the tent set up, we take the extremely steep 0.2 side trail to the summit of Killington, where we are treated to amazing views. We can see the Adirondacks of NY to the west. The Green Mountains of VT to the north, and way off in the distance to the northeast, the White Mountains of NH, where we will be entering in about 9 days. Tomorrow, we will do a very short day down to the Long Trail Inn, where we will stay tomorrow night. We've stayed there a couple of other times and recommend it highly even though it is 0.5 miles off the AT.
Date: 2012-08-09
From: Cooper Lodge

To: Sherburne Pass Trail
Miles today: 7.1

Day 140: This morning, we are up at 6:00. We pack up quickly and walk down to the shelter, where we prepare some oatmeal for breakfast. The sky is a solid gray this morning, and we expect it to start raning at any time. By 7:15, we are on the way down rhe north side of Killington. Our destination today is the Inn At The Long Trail on Rt 4. About 1/2 hour into our hike, it begins to sprinkle. We stop to put on our pack covers and rain coats. For the next hour, it rains lightly, but never enough to get us real wet. Then, like magic, it starts to clear up. The sun comes out, the temperature rises, and we are treated to a nice morning as we descend towards Rt 4. Crossing Rt 4 at about 10:30, we make a long, gradual ascent up through nice forest wirh very lush undergrowth to Maine Junction. This junction is where the Long Trail and the Appalachian Trail part ways, with the Long Trail continuing north through Vermont to the Canadian border and the Appalachian Trail veering east on a course towards Hanover, NH and beyond. About 1-1/2 miles past Maine Jct, we reach the Sherburne Pass Trail, which leads to the Long Trail Inn. Arriving at the Inn at 11:30, we have a wonderful lunch in McGrath's Irish Pub. Following lunch, we get checked into our room, shower, and then walk a mile down the road to a convenience store for some groceries. The walk there is all down hill, and we decide to ask someone at the store for a ride back up the hill when we are finished. The first person we ask gives us a ride back up the hill and drops us off at the front door. We are very grateful to have spared ourselves the long, hot 1 mile walk back up the hill. After we get back, SilverGirl takes a short nap while I do some laundry and watch the Olympics downstairs. SilverGirl joins me about 45 minutes later, and we watch the womens soccer team defeat Japan for the gold medal. Rain is in the forecast for tonight, so we're glad to be inside. We'll see what tomorrow brings, but whatever it be, we'll be ready for it.
Date: 2012-08-10
From: Sherburne Pass Trail

To: Winturi Shelter
Miles today: 16.6

Day 141:After a nice night at the Long Trail Inn, we go downstairs this morning for our breakfast that is included with our stay. It's blueberry pancakes and bacon for me and a broccoli and cheese omlet with bacon and toast for SilverGirl. By 8:30, we are heading back up the 1/2 mile stretch of the Sherburne Pass Trail toward its junction with the AT. The morning is cloudy with rain threatening. Walking through Griffith State Park and around Kent Pond, it begins to rain very lightly on and off. This continues for the rest of the day while we are hiking, but somehow we manage to stay reasonably dry. At lunch time, we stop in at Stony Brook Shelter. We meet Tater Tot and Pants on Fire here, who are also northbound thru-hikers. After lunch, our afternoon hike becomes a race against the rain, which we know is coming at any time. Luckily, we win the race, arriving at Winturi Shelter at 5:00, just as the sporadic rain drops start to turn into a steady rain. We set up inside the shelter for the night to keep all of our gear dry. As we eat dinner under the cover of the shelter, the rain comes down steadily. We are glad to be here, warm and dry. with us here tonight are Andante, Tater Tot, and Pants On Fire. Tomorrow, our plan is push on for another 16+ mile day into West Hartford, where SilverGirl's brother, Gordon, will pick us up and bring us back to his house on Lake Sunapee for a day of rest on Sunday. Today was very hard, with lots of ups and downs all day. Our feet are tired and sore, so the days rest will be most welcome.
Date: 2012-08-11
From: Winturi Shelter

To: VT 14, West Hartford
Miles today: 16.4

Day 142:Surprisingly, the rain stopped shortly after we settled into our sleeping bags last night, and this morning, we wake to an almost cloudless sky. Excited about the prospect of a nice day, we pack up our gear, have a quick breakfast, and are on the trail by 7:15. Alas, the clear skies do not last. Within 1/2 hour of starting, low clouds close in all around us and once again the threat of rain looms over us. Like yesterdays hike, todays is very challenging, with constant climbs and descents. There is very little flat terrain for us to catch our breaths on. The woods take on an eerie, dark gloom for much of the day as the overcast sky and evergreen canopy over the forest floor make it seem like dusk is upon us. Moisture just hangs in the air and the woods are damp and soggy. At lunchtime, after one particularly tough climb, we break out of the woods onto an open hilltop. The clouds have lifted a bit and we are treated to a nice view. Suicide Six Ski Area across the valley is front and center, with unknown mountains visible further behind. From our high lunchspot, we call SilverGirl's brother, Gordon, to arrange for a 4:15 pickup time in West Hartford. We also call our daughter, Molly. She and her husband, Dave, will be coming up to visit us on Sunday, bringing with them our winter gear. It's hard to believe that we'll be switching back to our winter gear, but now that we are getting very close to the White Mountains, we need to be prepared for any type of weather. The afternoon's hike seems endless as we push as fast as our tired feet allow us to get into West Hartford. Sporadic rain falls as we walk, but like yesterday, we manage to stay reasonably dry under the cover of the forest canopy. By the time we finally reach the West Hartford Village Store, the rain begins to turn steady. Our feet are screaming at us and we are very glad to be here. We arrive here 45 minutes before Gordon is supposed to arrive, so of course we go inside and buy ice cream and sodas. Count Chocula is also here for a mid afternoon "snack". At 4:30, Gordon and his daughter, Rebecca, pick us up and drive us back to Lake Sunapee for a much needed day of rest tomorrow. On Monday, we will resume our hike in West Hartford. We are hoping to reunite with Sparky, Passion Flower, and Voltron, who are only 1/2 day behind us now. It would be nice to have their company again as we all hike through the White Mountains.
Date: 2012-08-12
From: VT 14, West Hartford

To: Lake Sunapee, NH
Miles today: 0.0

Day 143: Zero day today at Lake Sunapee. Last night at 1:30, the smoke alarm went off in the house. I heard the alarm while in a state of semi-sleep, along with the shouting of FIRE by others in the house, and my first thought was that hikers from a shelter were yelling that the shelter was on fire. Confused, I crawled out of bed, wondering where the fire was and why I couldn't see the trees in the woods around the shelter. Finally, I became lucid enough to realize that I was not in the woods, but inside Gordon's house. I've really been in the woods way too long! Our zero day at the lake is relaxing. Our son, Pat, arrives during the morning and drives us up to the grocery store for some food to tide us over until we get our next maildrop in Glencliff. Thanks, Pat! A little while later, our daughter, Molly, and her husband, Dave, arrive. Molly brings with her our winter gear along with some delicious home made chocolate chip cookies. We all enjoy a lunch of grilled chicken sandwiches, watermelon, chips, sodas, and cookies. Later, we go for a refreshing swim in the cool water of Lake Sunapee. It feels so good on my sore muscles and joints. The rest of the day is spent just relaxing. Thankyou, Gordon and Joan for your hospitality. Tomorrow, it's back to the trail.
Date: 2012-08-13
From: VT 14, West Hartford

To: Velvet Rocks Shelter
Miles today: 11.3
Weather: light rain

Day 144: SilverGirl's brother, Gordon, gives us a ride back to W.Hartford this morning. We arrive back at the Village Store there around 10:00 and order up some breakfast sandwiches at the deli there. By 10:30, we are back on the trail. Thanks, Gordon, for shuttling us all the way back over to W.Hartford. Our hike today is easy. After less than 3 miles, we pass by Happy Hill Shelter. The sun shines on us this morning and cool breezes keep us comfortable. It's a nice change from the past couple of days of humidity and showers. At lunch tme, we stop beneath some power lines 0.6 miles from the Elm St road walk into Norwich. Reaching Elm St, we walk for a mile down to Main St, where we take a right and walk another 1-1/2 miles into Hanover. Crossing the Connecticut River, we enter our 12th state, New Hampshire. We reach Hanover at 3:00, and spend the next couple of hours killing time downtown. For dinner, we go to Molly's Restaurant. It is so nice being in Hanover and in New Hampshire. At 5:00, we walk out of town and run into Voltron and Ranger Bill. It's nice to see them again. They tell us that Sparky and Passion Flower are close behind. The hike up to the shelter is only 0.8 miles from town, and we arrive by 5:45. We are excited to be in NH and we're starting to see the little light at the end of the tunnel way up there at Mt Katahdin. Our spirits are high and we're feeling good.
Date: 2012-08-14
From: Velvet Rocks Shelter

To: Trapper John Shelter
Miles today: 15.2
Weather: overcast clouds

Day 145: We are up at 6:30 this morning and on the trail at 7:45. The sun is out, but clouds build as the morning progresses. The walking is fairly flat and easy as we pass through hardwood forests. At lunch time, we stop at Moose Mt Shelter. Someone has left a 2-1/2 gallon jug of spring water in the shelter, which we are grateful for. The descent off of Moose Mt is long and steep. We do get a nice view north towards Smarts Mt with the fire tower on top. After taking a break at the road crossing at the base of Moose Mt, we begin another ascent up towards Holts Ledge. The climb is long and hard, but we are rewarded with another nice view north off of Holts Ledge. We reach Trapper John Shelter at 3:30. Voltron has just arrived here as well. The forecast calls for a 40% chance of rain sometime tonight, but we decide to take our chances and set up our tent next to the shelter. Tomorrow, our plan is to hike 12 miles to Hexacuba Shelter, or perhaps a little farther if we feel like it. In two days, we will be in Glencliff, at the base of Mt Moosilauke and the White Mts.
Date: 2012-08-15
From: Trapper John Shelter

To: Hexacuba Shelter
Miles today: 12.0
Weather: light rain

Day 146:At 5:15 this morning, we wake up to the sound of rain starting to fall on our rain fly. We roll over and don't finally emerge from our sleeping bags until 7:00, by which time the rain has stopped. On the trail at 8:20, we arrive at the Bill Ackerly House within a mile or so. There are free sodas on the front porch here for hikers, so we stop for a quick break. After our break, it's Smarts Mt. The climb up is very long and steep, especially as we get up higher on the mountain. With the persistent high humidity, we sweat profusely. At the top Smarts Mt, we climb the fire tower and get our first views of the White Mts off in the distance to the northeast. For lunch, we sit on the front porch of the Fire Wardens Cabin just below the fire tower. The walk down off of Smarts Mt is long, but much easier than the climb up. At the bottom of our descent, we stop at S Jacobs Brook for water and to freshen up a bit. We arrive at the Hexacuba Shelter at 3:30 and are by ourselves there for awhile. With thunderstorms in the forecast, we set up our tent inside the shelter. The shelter is a huge six sided shelter so we're not worried about taking up too much room with our tent. Later, Ranger Bill, Sunkist, Roller, Dehydrator, Solo, and a few Southbound hikers arrive. Today was a good day...lots of climbing and descending, but we felt pretty good. Tomorrow, our plan is to hike 15+ miles into Glencliff, where we will stay at the Hikers Welcome Hostel, at the foot of Mt Moosilauke and the White Mts.
Date: 2012-08-16
From: Hexacuba Shelter

To: Glencliff, NH
Miles today: 14.8

Day 147:W e get an early start this morning, hoping to get into Glencliff early so we can enjoy some rest time this afternoon. The day starts off the same as the last 7 days, cloudy and humid. It does not take long to work up a good sweat as we immediately ascend up to the summit of Mt Cube. The view from up here is extensive. Low clouds hang in the valleys below and shroud the higher peaks. The terrain is difficult today, with much of the trail this morning being very muddy with lots of roots and slippery rocks. I fall once, misjudging how slippery one particular rock is. At lunchtime, we stop in a grassy area alongside of Rt 25C, about 5 mies short of Glencliff. As we eat, we watch towering cumulous clouds build to our north. Luckily, we don't get rained on while we eat as the clouds pass by to either side of us. After, lunch, we climb Mt Mist. We pass Squatch coming the other way, and he warns us about a hornets nest in the ground right on the trail just before Glencliff. He has been stung 3 times. Later, we meet another older couple coming the other way on the trail. They too have been stung by the bees. They give us a very good discription of the location where the bees are, so we are able to avoid them when we come upon the location of their nest. Later on in Glencliff, almost evey hiker that arrives at the hostel has a bee sting story to tell. The Hikers Welcome Hostel is a nice place to stay. The post office is right across the street, there are hot showers, snacks for sale, and the option to either tent on the grass or stay in the bunkhouse. We choose to stay in rhe bunkhouse since there is again a chance for rain tonight. Tomorrow, the forecast looks fairly good for our ascent of Mt Moosilauke. Now that we are entering the White Mountains, we plan to cut back on our daily mileage. Tomorrow, we will hike only 8 miles up and over the mountain to Beaver Brook Shelter. Oh, and by the way, today we passed the 400 miles to go mark.
Date: 2012-08-17
From: Glencliff, NH

To: Beaver Brook Shelter
Miles today: 7.8
Weather: broken clouds

Day 148: It is a beautiful looking morning as I wake up and peer out of the hostel door here in Glencliff. The air has a chill to it this morning that reminds us of the cool fall days that will be here soon. We cook some oatmeal for breakfast, which we enjoy with our cups of tea, bagels and cream cheese, and dehydrated strawberries. Before hitting the trail, I call the Carriage Motel in N. Woodstock to reserve a room there for Sunday and Monday nights. At about 8:30, we are on the trail approaching the 4 mile ascent up to the summit of Mt Moosilauke. We begin the climb at 9:15, and reach the summit at 11:30. The climb is very steep as we gain about 3800 feet in elevation. At the summit, there is a large group of college students who have hiked up for lunch. SilverGirl and I grab a spot behind one of the old stone foundation walls, where we are sheltered from the cool breeze that blows. The sun goes in and out while we are up there, warming us nicely when it is out and chilling us when it disappears behind the clouds. After lunch, we walk over to a grassy spot, where we lay down for awhile and just bask in the warm sunshine. It is so unbelievable that we are here. Both of us will be ready to go home when we reach Mt Katahdin, but there is a big part of me that wants to hang onto this experience and savor these last 5 weeks. As we sit at the summit, several other of our fellow thru-hikers arrive: Voltron, Sunkist, Roller, White Wolf, Pants On Fire, Tater Tot, and Solo. We have known most of these people now for a couple of months or more. After 2 hours of relaxing on the summit, we finally decide to push on for the final 2.3 miles down to the Beaver Brook Shelter. We arrive at the shelter at 2:30 and set up our tent on a flat spot above the shelter. From the shelter, we have a panoramic view of the Franconia Ridge. As we eat dinner in the shelter, we hear some thunder in the distance, but nothing materializes around us. Tomorrow, we will hike over to the Eliza Brook Shelter, about 9 miles up the trail. With the terrain becoming more challenging now, we will be doing fewer miles as we pass through the Whites. This is such a beautiful and special section of our hike and we don't want to rush through it.