morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2007-06-05
From: Hanover

To: Thistle Hill Shelter
Miles today: 14.6
Weather: light rain

Yowza, I am glad that today is over. Today was not so good of a day. Was out waiting for the bus back to Hanover by 7:20. Went to town and had breakfast at a place called Lou's. Very popular. Ended up sitting at the counter because the line for tables was too long. Got hiking by about 8:30.It was a wierd morning. Looked like it was going to rain, but it never did. I saw that they were calling for storms in the afternoon. I had originally planned to stay at Happy Hill shelter, but decided because of the weather to keep pushing on to Thistle Hill. The mosquitos were ferocious in the morning. It was hot, humid and pretty nasty. I made it to Happy Hill by 11.The hike was different today. Went over 2 rivers (Conn and the White), into and out of three towns (Hanover, Norwich, and West Hartford). Spent a lot of time in the woods and some time passing through fields. My left knee was killing me today. Probably the weather.   I think that the socks I ended up hiking with were too thick. I know, it sounds stupid, but they just didn't feel right in my boots. My left foot was bothering me again. The same pain that I had down south. So, I ended up switching the sock and liner on that foot and putting the metatarsal pad back in my boot. It really helped.I ended up leaving my TP back at Happy Hill. Not good. It was too late to go back by the time I realized it. Not a good thing to just start out and have no TP. I stopped at the one room library in West Hartford and "borrowed" some from them. I then hiked about .5 mile and realized I lost my hate. I decided that I had to go find it. So, I took my pack off and put it in the pushes and started back down the road. My hat was sitting on the steps of the library. Just as I got back to where my pack was the storm came. I was about 4.4 miles from the shelter. Kept going, but it was scary. It got dark, the winds picked up, the rain came, and the thunder and lightning. Not pleasant. Every time I had to cross a field - I pretty much ran so that I was not sitting out in the open with lighting all around. The last 4.4 miles were tough - probably more mentally than physically, but I was whipped. I ran into two young guys at the firt shelter. They are Americorps volunteers in NH for the annual conference. They work out of Chicago. They decided to hike for four days before the conference started. They hiked from Norwich to the shelter and were calling it a day.Got to Thistle Hill and two guys were all sprawled out lying in their sleeping bags. They had hopes of getting to the next shelter, but came to this one when it started raining and decided to take a nap. They were only going to be out until Thursday. One of them is getting married over the weekend and instead of having a bachelor party - decided to go hiking instead. No real bird activity today, but I did see plenty of salemanders and snails in the shell. Plus, one barking mini shnauzer protecting his yard in Norwich.
Date: 2007-06-06
From: Thistle Hill Shelter

To: Wintturi Shelter
Miles today: 11.6

It got cold last night. Down into the 40's. I ended up sleeping with my coat on. I woke up around 4am because I was cold, but quickly fell back to sleep.The hot and humid weather from yesterday is gone - replaced by cool, breezy weather. I ended up hiking with my winter cap and jacket on most of the morning.Today, was a great bird day. Saw most of the usual birds that I saw down in Conn. But, had some good ones also. Saw a Rose Breasted Gross Beak (my first of the year), a Scarlet Tanager (always a treat), a common yellow throat (warbler), heard some white throated sparrows, and had a turky take flight as I came to it in the grass in a field.The hike today went through a lot of farm pastures, through the woods, over some country roads and over a Vermont highway. The last 3.5 miles were pretty much up hill.It is cold and damp and I am sitting in the shelter having some tea. No real place to set up a tent, so I will be sleeping in the shelter again tonight. The two guys from yesterday are also here.Passed a Nobo this AM - I think she said her name was Tau. She is the earliest Nobo I have met up with. She started back on Feb 21. Wow - that is early. Also, ran into a guy section hiking. He started in Killington and was going somewhere in the Whites. And, finally ran into two guys doing Vermont. They were getting a ride at Vt 12 to Hanover and were going to slack pack back to the same the next day. They said they try to get to a town every night and eat out. They rarely carry any backpacking food. They hate the stuff.Saw cows today and lots of Sap lines. No good birds today.
Date: 2007-06-07
From: Wintturi Shelter

To: Stony Brook Shelter
Miles today: 9.9
Weather: overcast clouds

It was chilly again last night. Woke up cold in the middle of the night. Pulled my back over my head and tried to get back to sleep. Woke again to Coyotes howling and yapping. The guys and I gathered wood and had a fire.   It was nice and took the chill off before I went to bed. I left the guys at the shelter around 7;45. They were trying to figure out where to have their ride try to pick them up, but were not having any luck getting a cell signal. Learned that they both were psychologists. One in research and the other at a hospital. Told them about Bubba's theory on deliquents and they laughed. They said when they were ready to get fired from their job they would pursue his theory. I met Bubba back in Georgia. He claimed to have come up with a way to cure juvenal deliquents. Have a well adjusted male chew some gum and then wipe his face with it. Then make the kid chew it - he swears it works. Maybe the guy in research can try to prove it.The trail was ok today. Spent most of the day in the woods. And, boy are they sure green. Lush and green is the best description. A few very nice vistas today. Other than that just woods and green. No real good birds today - except for a pileated. I did see about 5 snakes slithering in the sun.I got to the shelter around 2:15 and debated whether to keep going to the state campground about 6 miles away. I figured it would put me closer to Killington for a shorter day on Friday. Just after I decided to stay put, it started to rain. It didn't last too long.Passed a Nobo - Orange Blaze and another guy who was going from NY to Katadin.Decided I was going to have a fire, so I went in search of wood. This would be my first solo fire on the trail. Hopefully, the rain will hold off for good.A guy just whowed up at the shelter. His name is Trocar. He is a Funeral Director and a trocar is some piece of equipment that he uses in the business. I am quite impressed by him. He left Springer on March 15 and is already almost finished with Vermont. He has been averaging about 20 miles per day. Today, he did 26 to reach this shelter. He has only taken 4 zero days since he started. His pack weighs about 23lbs with food and water. From the looks of it - he is mostly carrying food. Incredible. Most of the people who started with me - around the 20 are just now passing through Harpers Ferry.Again, there is no place to really set up a tent, so I will be sheltering it again. There doesn't seem to be tenting sites at the shelters so far in Vermont. But, the shelters are really nice, so it is not a problem. Haven't seen any mice.Got about 10 miles to do tomorrow. According to what I heard on Monday, before I left a storm was coming on Friday. Hopefully, it will hold off until I am in town.I finished dinner and got my fire started. Pretty nice. As a matter of fact very hot. I am actually sweating because of it.I did see some Moose tracks today and a lot of Moose dung. And, I do mean a lot. But, unfortunately, no Moose. Maybe tomorrow.
Date: 2007-06-08
From: Stony Brook Shelter

To: US 4
Miles today: 10.0

I sat by my fire until around 8pm. Trocar was already in his bag by 7. It was warmer last night than the night before. I probably could have gotten away without sleeping with my jacket on. Woke up a some point to Owls hooting. As I have said before, it is always a pleasure to hear Owls.Trocar was up by 5:15 and hiking by 5:45. He was trying to get to West Hartford to the PO. It was about 26 miles. He says he just puts on his earphones and motors along.Since I was awake, I got up and was hiking by 7. Earlier than normal, but I figured it would just get me to town that much faster.Had a nice bird visit before I left the shelter. Some type of warbler (maybe a Pine) was pecking around in front of the shelter. I got a picture, so maybe I can try to see exactly what it is.Today started with a steep climb and almost ended with one. The last 2 miles out of 3 were pretty much up hill with the last mile being down hill to US route 4. Again, the trail was mostly through woods. Lush and green and filled at points with mosquitos. I ended up having to put bug spray on and my head net. Saw another Rose Breasted Gross Beak and this one was singing away. And, a Blackburnian Warbler. Nice.Ran into two section hikers from PA. They started back in 96 and will finish the trail this year. They are doing Vermont now and will come back in August to finish Mass. They were very nice and talkative. PA Pinenut said he vowed way back when to finish before he turned 70 and he turns 70 this fall. And, the other guy Birdbrain. Their goal is to be under 10,000 for all AT hikers.   As of last year there were only 9000 something hikers who have finished the trail since it opened. I passed two young women who were hiking from NY to Katadin. They were pretty friendly also.Saw more Moose stuff, but no Moose. Bummer.I got to the trailhead and the book said the Inn at the Long Trail was .9 miles up the highway. So, I started walking. I couldn't hitch because I was walking against the traffic since I wasn't sure what side of the road the place was on. The road was really busy and it was up hill the entire way. Got to the Inn and there was a sign on the door that said they were closed until June 15th. Now, most people would say why didn't you call. Mainly because the hiker rate is only good for walkins and not for reservations. So, I figured why call - well dumb move. Of course most of the other places were the opposite way on the highway. Before, I headed back down the road I figured I would call the SQ and just vent and to let her know she would be picking me up a different hotel.I told her I would hitch back down the road. She said she would just come up and get me tonight instead of in the AM. Cool.So, now I am sitting in a trailhead parking lot across from the Inn roasting in the sun. I snuck over to the Inn and got some water from their lawn hose. Pulled out my book and got ready for a 3 hour wait. Never a dull moment.The SQ pulled up at 5:15 and we were off. Took exactly 2:15 to get there. Not bad and now I am in the car headed for home.
Date: 2007-06-19
To: One more section
Miles today: 0.0

I will be leaving Thursday to start my last section hike for this year. I am going to be completing Vermont. This last section will be a different kind of hike since I will be going with a group of women. I think there will be six of us doing this section.We are meeting in Williamstown about 3pm on Thursday and will drive up to Killington. The plan is to begin hiking on Friday morning. My hope is that we are starting exactly where I left off a week or so ago. If not, then I will have to go back up and finish. But, I am pretty sure that everything will be ok.It's official. I have sent a letter to my employer telling them that I will be back to work on July 30th. It is wierd because I have never had this much time off in my life. All told, I will have been out of work for 5 months. I finally found the socks I had been looking for. I went to every outfitter in the county. Last week, I even drove back up to Vermont to drop off my drop box and couldn't find the socks. I did end up buying two pair of Patagonia, but I am thinking that I will end up giving them to the SQ. I had been to so many stores before I left that I couldn't really remember where I bought them. I knew that it was either Beane or REI, but neither of them are really within driving distance. Especially since all I needed was the socks. I couldn't find them on either of their websites.Then it hit me - I have all the receipts just in case I needed to return any of the gear for repairs.   I dug them out and whala - it was REI and they were Thorlo. I thought they were Thorlo, but they don't have any branding on them at all. The receipt only had the item number - so I did what any true on-line shopper would do. I emailed REI and asked for help.   They answered me within 2 hours. The woman told me that they were Thorlos and that I bought them last August in Framingham.   She even sent me the link on their site to the socks.   So, I ordered them and they arrived today.   SWEET.   I mentioned that I drove up to Vermont to drop off my drop box. I was worried about the hassle at the PO about sending the fuel canister, so it was just as easy to drive up and leave it at the Inn. It was only about 1.5 hours and a friend and I did some shopping on the way home. It was a nice day trip.I was reading some journals today and another person whom I started with is getting off the trail. She will be getting off in Harpers Ferry. She is missing her family.   It really is amazing on many people start and do not finish. But, there are still a lot of hikers whom I hiked with still going strong - Tom-B, Diesel, Scholar, Ziola, Young N Dum, Hungus, Quake, TDS, and everyone else who is still trucking.
Date: 2007-06-21
To: One Last Time
Miles today: 0.0

I am packed and ready to head up to Williamstown.It is very bittersweet to be heading out for the last time this year.   Deep in my bones (or knees) I know I made the right decision getting off the trail, but I am very sad at the same time knowing that I could not do it.   As I read journals - I wish that I could have continued.   But, reading the journals is a great diversion.   Still it is hard to accept one's limitations.As always I had a difficult time packing my food. I have no problems with breakfast and dinner, but always struggle with what to do for lunch. And, the snacks. There must be some deep routed fear inside that I worry about running out of food. I think I always bring too many snacks and I usually have some left over when I finish hiking. I only came close to running out of food once and that was when I got stuck in the Smokies and even then - I was not close to starving.   Maybe I need Dr. Certain's help with food issues.If y'all have not read Certain's journal - do so. She is a very good writer and her journal is great.The weather looks to be good until at least mid next week. This is great news. The weather has been spectacular almost every day that I have hiked since I started doing sections.I am hoping to run into YoungnDum while I am out. He is in Mass heading North and I will be in Vermont heading South. It would be really nice to run into him.   Happy Birthday to the SQ. I asked her if she wanted to do a small hike in honor of her big day. Needless to say we did not hike. Probably won't be able to talk her out onto the trail for quite a while.  Well, I made it up to Killington. We had two cars shuttle us up from North Adams. I rode with a woman named Karen and our driver Edward. Very interesting conversations all the way up. Made the ride go that much quicker.There are 6 of us going on this leg of the hike. Mel, the leader and 5 hikers. All of them are doing the miles toward the LT, but I of course am doing the miles toward the AT. Our plan is to do 10 miles tomorrow. Big climb up Killington Mtn. My bag feels really heavy - most likely too many snacks again. I'll have to make sure that I get them all eaten by the time of our maildrop stop.src='http://www.trailjournals.com/images/faces/smile.gif'>
Date: 2007-06-22
From: Vt. 4

To: Govenor Clement Shelter
Miles today: 10.6
Weather: heavy intensity rain

Started the day with a big hearty breakfast at the Long Trail Inn. After I started hiking, I kinda wished I hadn't eaten it. But, it sure tasted good going down. The Inn was nothing fancy. Room was pretty simple - pretty much just a bed. But it worked. The group of women hiking seems pretty good. I think we will work well together. Seemed like we all hiked at about the same speed.Again, as I said there are 5 hikers and the leader. As I get to know them I will talk about them. Today's hike was not too bad. Started climbing right away and the rains started right away. Lots of rocks and lots of mud. It also got pretty cold. Hopefully, this will be it as far as the bad weather is concerned.My knees were as expected a little sore. And, my right foot was really hurting today. I think tomorrow I will put the metatarsal pad back into my boot.We are staying at the shelter that the Green Mountain Club recommends against staying at. It is also the same shelter that a few people told me when I was hiking down to Killington to stay away from. We figured that there is safety in numbers. Plus, I think the issue is local teens and the weather is so crappy that I can't imagine that they will come up here to party. But, you never know.Most of us are tenting away from the shelter, but two of the women decided to set their tents up under the roof of the shelter. If it weren't for all of the trash, the shelter would be a nice shelter. It has a huge overhang roof and a fire place. So, they were able to set up their tents pretty easily and we were able to have a pretty good fire despite the wet conditions. I actually was able to dry out my socks and liners.Not a lot of bird activity today. The only real highlight was some white throated sparrows. Also, so a couple of trilliums still in bloom.I passed a thru hiker today that I know I hiked with back in Georgia, but I couldn't remember his name and at the time he didn't have a trail name. He is making pretty good time on his hike. The last time I saw him was going down into Stecoah.   I was hoping to see his name in the shelter register, but as expected this shelter doesn't have one. The rains have started up again.
Date: 2007-06-23
From: Govenor Clement Shelter

To: Minerva Hinchey Shelter
Miles today: 9.5
Weather: overcast clouds

We had some visitors at the shelter last night. It was almost dark when some four wheeled drive vehicles came up the river bed and pulled into the shelter. For a minute we were worried that they were there to party. Our fear was short lived though. They were actually trail workers who were dropping off wood at shelter. They are planning on doing some trail work on Saturday and were going to have a fire after they finished. They also picked up all the trash and took it with them. Todays hike was not too bad. Pretty much a walk in the woods except for the last few miles. We had to come down into Claredon Gorge. It was difficult, but I've done worse. It would have been treacherous yesterday in the rain. We had to go over a suspension bridge over the gorge. It was actually pretty neat. The bridge was put up by the family of a thru hiker who drowned crossing the gorge back in 1973.Lots of flowers today - forget me not, indian paint brushes, daisy, and butter cups. Again, no real bird activity. We did hear an owl once we got closer to the shelter and a scarlet tanager flew into a tree at the shelter. Sweet.Two of the woman on the hike I had met last year. Mel, the leader (Midnight) hiked the trail in 96 with another woman. They even published a book about it. She lives near the trail in VA and runs a business that leads hikes and stuff for women. She is an incredible hiker. Melissa is from Maine. She and her twin sister run/own a landscaping business near Portland. Her goal is to do a solo thru hike in 08. It was cool today and continues to be cool tonight. We got a pretty good fire going and it feels good to get warmed up. I took a spill today at the bottom of the climb down into the gorge. Bam - down I went. I could not get up with my pack on. I was on a slope and ended up having to take my pack off and roll over to get up. Pretty pathetic.
Date: 2007-06-24
From: Minerva Hinchey Shelter

To: Lula Tye Shelter
Miles today: 10.2

Today was a climb day. Lots of climbing. Up and down, up and down. Again, a pretty lousy bird day. A few warblers and a few more white throated sparrows. But, nothing to write home about.Lots of bog bridges and lots of mud. The lower part of Vermont is a lot more muddier than the upper section. I did hear lots of owls last night. A couple different calls and as usual I always get stoked hearing the owls.My new ankle gaiters are pretty good. I thought I would try ankle type versus my others to see if they would cut down on the heat rash that I seem to get when it is very hot. Hasn't really been hot yet, so I can't see if they will help, but they are a lot cooler.The temp was warmer today than yesterday, but it is still not hot which is good. The forest is a very vibrant green. We had some nice vistas today. We took a blue blaze side trail to a vista for lunch and it was really nice.More about my hiking party:Susan is 50 years old and from New Jersey. She has three children and a dog. She is very funny and sounds like she is very creative. She does what she calls curb side restores. Finds things that others are trashing and turns them into nice pieces. Sounds like she and one of her sons have done quite a bit of hiking. She is a very interesting person.Karen is about 33 years old and from Northern VA. She teaches at a community college at the moment, but sounds like she has taught in elementary, middle, and high school. She is well travelled and is very involved in her community food bank. She has done a lot of hiking including some solo backpacking. She has a dog and a cat. Julie is about 48 years old and from Northern CA. She is also a teacher. She taught music for a long time, but due to down sizing she is now a 6 grade teacher. She is also very well travelled and has done a lot of hiking and backpacking.I am going to enjoy getting to know the woman better and hiking with them.There is only one tent spot at this shelter, so I will be sleeping in the shelter tonight. Not my favorite, but what are you going to do.There is a thru hiker here tonight (hasty). Nice kid. Very young. He started on March 1st. He is hiking in sandals. Took a while to get through VA because he had a stress fracture. He hopes to hit Katadin by August 1st.
Date: 2007-06-25
From: Lula Tye Shelter

To: Mad Tom Notch
Miles today: 14.0

Five of us and Hasty slept in the shelter last night. Hot and buggy. I ended up having to sleep with my mosquito head net on, but it didn't really do much good. We were hiking by 7 because we wanted to do more miles than we had been doing mainly so that we have a shorter day tomorrow into Manchester.First five miles were not too bad. Then we climbed, and climbed and climbed. My legs felt like lead and the bugs were horrendous.Again, the forest was a vibrant green with the sunlight streaming through. It was amazing. We had a couple of really nice vistas, some nice rivers, and a beautiful lake. Best part of the day was a evening gross beak on top of Baker's Peak. More bogs and more mud today.We are stealth camping today near a forest service road. There is a water pump down near the road, so we will be able to get water from it.Headed down to get water and who is sitting on a rock near the pump - none other than Young N Dum. It was great to see him. I was hoping to catch him in Vermont, but wasn't sure if I would miss him when we went to town tomorrow. He was hoping that I did some trail magic back in Mass and have a pizza for him. His goal is to catch Mr. Ed (who gave him his trail name) and to summit by August 1st.Lots of butterflies today including banded purples and a dead polythymus moth.