morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2017-10-18
From: Wintturi Shelter

To: Mountain Meadows Lodge
Miles today: 16.0
Weather: clear sky

Wednesday October 18. Last night I slept in the shelter. It was a relatively warm night. I hiked through a world of falling leaves. It was a beautiful scene but added another element of danger to my hike. The problem is that the leaves now fall into the path, as well as all around the trail, making the distinction between the trail and just woods very difficult. Also what is under the leaves? All those leaves make going down hill very slippery. I feel as though I'm walking on egg shells not knowing what's under the leaves. I did get lost this morning after leaving the shelter but kept my wits and landmarks about me and found the AT after about 15 minutes of bushwhacking. I basically knew where I was so I wasn't worried. It was another beautiful day for "living my dream". I walked another 16 miles to a town called Killington, VT. Here there is a hostel called Mountain Meadows Lodge, where I spent the night. Also will resupply for three more days of hiking. That should get me to Manchester Center, VT. Where I will make arrangements to get to an airport and fly home for a photographic shoot that has to be done at the end of October. After the assignment, Finn and I will drive back to the trail and I will complete the last 150 miles to finish my dream. Hope the weather holds. Finn also hopes to hike a bit with me. Looking forward to going home.
Date: 2017-10-19
To: Cooper Lodge Shelter
Miles today: 10.2
Weather: few clouds

Today I woke up in a soft bed. So soft that it was not good for the old back. I needed to stretch out for 20 minutes to get the kinks out. Had a nice hot breakfast before heading out to resupply at a local deli and then onto the trail. I spent most of today hiking upill. There was one more 4000 foot mountain that I needed to climb today called Killington Mountain. I think starting tomorrow the terrain will be a little more forgiving and I should be able to do 15 to 18 miles per day. The plan is to hike to Manchester Center, Vermont by Sunday where I will then be picked up by a shuttle driver and driven back to Hanover New Hampshire. There I will spend the night in a motel and then catch a bus ride down to Boston's Logan international airport where I will catch an afternoon flight on Monday to fly home to Wisconsin. I will still be 150 miles short of the completed hike but will come back the first week of November to finished the last 150 miles. I just need to get away from the trail for about a week and recuperate. Also my wife, (Finn), would like to hike some miles with me on the AT so we would be driving back together. I am so looking forward to getting back to a normal life and enjoying my wife. She has been so supportive of this adventure of mine that I owe her my complete dedication and love for quite a while.
Date: 2017-10-20
To: View Entry
Miles today: 18.5
Weather: few clouds

Oct. 20, Friday. Hiked 18.5 miles today to make this day a very long one. Last night was a very windy night and due to the ferociousness of the wind I did not sleep well. At this shelter there are three tent platforms as well as an old stone building that was at one time the shelter. I took one of the platforms that was farthest for any tree falling on me. Before calling it a day I decided to hike two tenths up the mountain to the summit of Killington to see the views. When I got up there I was nearly blown off the summit due to the strong winds. Wonderful views for 360 degrees. Left to go back down after only 10 minutes and it was then I realized how steep a climb it had been. Took about 30 minutes to go back down, that two tenths, back to my tent. I definitely enjoyed my supper tonight. Goodnight
Date: 2017-10-21
To: View Entry
Miles today: 15.0

Oct. 21, Saturday.Hiked 15 miles to Peru Shelter. Nice fall day today. Seems to be a lot of weekend hikers on the trail today. Can't blame them due the beautiful fall weather. Tomorrow will make it to Manchester Center, VT. where I have arranged for a shuttle to take me back to Hanover, NH. where I will catch a bus to Boston's Logan airport to fly home. Getting excited to see the family. I miss my grand boys and my new grand daughter, and of course son and daughter and spouses. But most of all I so looking forward to rejoining my wife and home life and I will finish the last miles in November.
Date: 2017-10-22
To: View Entry
Miles today: 10.1
Weather: clear sky

October 22 Sunday. Woke at 6 am and started packing up for my last day of hiking till I return the first week of November. I hiked 10.1 miles to Manchester Center, VT. There I met Andrew who I had arranged to shuttle me back to Hanover, where I Will catch a bus to Logan Int. and fly back to Wisconsin. Once home, I will spend a week with loved ones and do a photo shoot on the 27th and then Finn and I will return to Manchester and I will continue my hike to Salisbury, Connecticut, and complete 2189.1 miles.
Date: 2017-10-30
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: heavy intensity rain

October 30, Monday. Today is a very windy cold typical fall day here in Sterling, IL. For people who have checked in on my blog, I'll tell you that I have gone home for a photographic assignment in Wisconsin and after that, my wife, (Finn), and I always go to Sterling, IL., to visit some dear friends for a few days. So that is where we are right now. Having a wonderful relaxing recuperative time. Also trying to put on some of the pounds I've lost over the last seven months. I plan on leaving on Tues and driving back to Manchester Center, VT. with Finn. There I will continue my trek and finish the last 150 miles to Salisbury, CT. which will complete my thru hike. I will also return to Marion, VA., where, way back in July, I missed a 5 mile section of the trail. I would feel terrible if I didn't finish that short section. I am not a purest by any means, but in my mind I know that I have to complete that short section. I will finish that section as well before heading home for good. I am starting to have some butterflies floating around my stomach in anticipation of the final leg of my adventure. I guess that's all normal and good. Thursday we will work together to Finn-ish this adventure.
Date: 2017-10-31
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

October 31, Halloween, Tuesday. Left our friends in Sterling, IL., and traveled to Pennsylvania. Ten hours of driving was enough today. Stayed in a motel near Erie. Tomorrow will be an easier drive. About seven hours to Bennington, VT. It¢s fun to be able to talk to Finn and plan our future as we approach our retirement with excitement and apprehension. Also I have to say how fast the miles go compared to hiking. Amazing these metal devices with four rubber wheels!!!!!!!!!
Date: 2017-11-01
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

November 1 st., Wednesday. Arrived in Bennington, VT. around 4 pm and checked into the Paradise Hotel. We will be staying here for the next 3 or 4 days before moving to a motel in Massachusetts. It¢s really quite nice to have a base of operations at one place for a few days before moving to a hotel further south. Also Finn likes to go out, while I¢m hiking, and sight see interesting features in the area. Finn is quite excited about finishing this part of the adventure. She¢s nervous about being able to find and pick me up at the different pickup points. The trailhead May be difficult to find at times, but she¢s getting better at it. To help Chris, we have taken a trip up to the first trail head drop off and found the dirt road to be quite drivable. She feels confident that she can get to the trail head without too much of a problem. The weather is supposed to be quite nice for the next week. Hopefully I will be able to complete my hike by next Thursday or Friday before the weather turns. Tomorrow I will start the last part of the hike and hike 19.7 miles.
Date: 2017-11-02
To: View Entry
Miles today: 23.0
Weather: overcast clouds

November 2 nd. Thursday. Woke up at 5am, ate at Macs and headed up to the trailhead to hike from Manchester Center towards Bennington. Would hike today from 8 am till 5 pm. Chris was able to find me without any difficulty. The hike today was quite wet as it has stormed for two days and the Vermont soils tend to prevent water from percolating down below surface level. Consequently I had to hike through all sorts of mud holes and water puddles. Also, as luck would have it, it rained again for two hours this aft. At days end I was able to cover 19 miles. Tomorrow will be a harder day as I need to hike 23 miles to Bennington where Finn will pick me up. There are no roads between the trailhead and Bennington, so, will need to do the whole mileage before dark and get picked up at 7pm if all goes well.
Date: 2017-11-03
From: Stratton Mt.

To: Highway #9
Miles today: 23.0
Weather: broken clouds

November 3rd, FridayAgain we woke at 5am, headed to McDonald¢s for breakfast and then up the highway to the trailhead where I started walking at 7am. It was barely light out, but was still able to see the white blazes. I knew today was going to be an extremely long day. I needed to cover 23 miles in 12 hours. That would mean I would have to hike at the rate of two miles per hour in order to finish this stretch before it gets dark. Chris was scheduled to pick me up at 7 pm., just outside of the city of Bennington, where the trail crosses Highway number 9. As I walked in faint morning light, I could see from the red sky that it would be a nice day. Whatever happened to the saying of red sky in the morning sailors take warning? As I walked in the beautiful glow of early sun I could see it would be a challenging day. There were mud holes and puddles of water throughout the trail all day long. Also, due to the previous storms, there were trees and limbs laying across the trail, which made negotiating the trail a real challenge. And to make matters worse, at 10 AM the rains moved in. It rained till 3 pm. After the rain stopped the fog moved in and the temperatures dropped. As the day progressed I realized I would have to walk a quicker pace in order to get done before dark. Although I had my headlamp with me I care not to hike in darkness if at all possible. During my hike today my boots became progressively wetter and muddier. At one time I stepped off of a rock and into knee deep mud. Also crossing rivers became a real challenge as all rivers have risen due to the increased rain over the past three and four days. At one time I almost went for a swim as I slipped on a rock in the middle of the river. I finished my hike today at 6:15 in the parking lot next to Highway number nine. Chris was to find me without any problem. We went back to the motel where I quickly showered and cleaned up and we both went to a very nice restaurant for supper. We ended the day at about 10 PM and decided that Saturday would be a zero day. I cannot begin to tell you how difficult it was to be hopping from one rock to the next, or walking around the many fallen trees and limbs on the trail, not to mention the constant drone of rain striking my rain parka. I will zero tomorrow and spend the day with my Finn exploring some covered bridges and the history of the Bennington Vermont area. The sun is suppose to shine tomorrow after four cloudy and rainy days.
Date: 2017-11-05
From: Bennington 

To: North Adams
Miles today: 18.5
Weather: light rain

I like this picture of the covered bridge so will send it to you folks again and will filp it over and see how it works. November 4, Saturday. Took a zero after an extremely rough day of hiking Friday. Finn and I walked around town, sightseeing, and driving to different historic areas and covered bridges and also were able to sneak in a little nap. Otherwise just relax. November 5, Sunday. Gained an hour of extra sleep due to going off daylight savings. We woke at 5 am and Finn made coffee for us. After getting dressed we drove to McDonalds where we got two sausage McMuffins with egg, juice and coffee. One sandwich would be saved for lunch and the other would be gone by the time we get to the trailhead. Started hiking almost straight up hill for 45 minutes before the terrain would level out. After that it was easy going. Did 18.5 miles today. In the afternoon I teamed up with Felix the Cat. He lives in NC. and started a SoBo, ( hiking south), in Sept. He expects to hike into the new year unless the weather turns. Good luck Felix. Finn was able to find me, again, at the designated pickup point in North Adams, Massachusetts. My last state that I will be walking through. I have to figure a place where she and I can hike together as she really wants to hike with me for some mileage. The terrain was a little dryer, with less mud holes along the way. Still a lot of blowdowns to walk around after the storms from last week.
Date: 2017-11-06
From: North Adams

To: Cheshire 
Miles today: 14.2
Weather: overcast clouds

November 6th, Monday. Total mileage today was 14.2.Slept in this morning till 6 AM, had coffee and doughnuts and drove to North Adams to continue heading south. I was on the trail by 8:30 and as it always goes, had to start walking up hill for 5 miles to the top of Mt. Greylock. Arrived at noon and also as usual, I couldn¢t see any further than 50 feet due to the thick fog surrounding the mountain top. This mountain is a little over 3,200 feet and will be the LAST mountain I will be climbing on this trip. Yeah!!!!!!Right after summiting and as I sat down for lunch the weather turned nasty again and it started to rain. Lightly at first and then a steady heavy rain the rest of the afternoon. By the time I reached Cheshire, MA. I found myself totally soaked and starting to get cold. For the last four days it has been very wet and rainy and this makes it difficult to hike at a normal pace. One has to be careful not to slip on wet rocks or roots as well as being careful walking on the large mass of leaves that collect in the depression of the eroded trail. These leaves tend to slide one on top of the others, creating a very slippery situation. All of these hazards slow me down quite a bit. The terrain is favorable to hike at a good pace but can¢t. Now the weather is expected to turn colder, but little rain till next Monday. Hopefully I will be done walking by then. Finn is getting pretty good at getting to each of my pickup points. She loves her Garmin in her Subaru. Kind a fun to be able to spend time every night with the love of my life and then spent all day living my dream.
Date: 2017-11-07
To: Blitz Road
Miles today: 15.6
Weather: mist

November 7th. Tuesday.Finn and I are staying in a Best Western here in Pittsfield, MA. We are using this hotel as a base of operations while I try to finish this endeavor. Today I planned to hike about 18 miles toward Lee,MA. At 11 am, Finn sent me a message saying that the road, she was to pick me up on, is closed. She wanted to find the location of the road before the pickup time to make sure she could find it when 5 o¢clock rolled around later. We decided to change the pickup to MA. 20. After realizing I wouldn¢t be hiking the total distance of 18 miles, but rather 4 miles short, I thought maybe Finn would like to hike the AT with me for about 6 miles. I contacted her and made arrangements to meet in Dalton, MA., at noon. We met up and hiked together to a new trailhead, where I had made arrangements with a shuttle driver to meet us and take us back to Dalton where she parked the car. She really hiked quite well considering the terrain and not having hiked since the Smokies and, yes, we still made our shuttle time appointment. Finn hiked a total of 6.4 miles. I hiked that plus my morning mileage for a total of 15.7 miles. Tomorrow will start a cool down in temperatures and possible snow. We'll see how tomorrow turns out.
Date: 2017-11-08
From: Blotz Road

To: Lee,MA
Miles today: 12.7
Weather: fog

Wednesday, November 8.Slept in till 6:30 am. Checked the weather channel for current conditions and found it was 24 degrees and 1 inch of snow. It was a cold start to what would be a beautiful fall day or more like a winter day. Finn took me out to the trail head, where we finished yesterday, and I started hiking at 8 am. Only saw two other hikers today and they were only out for the day. Finn picked me up at 1:30 pm, after hiking 12.6 miles. I decided to go back to the hotel, shower and take a long nap. After checking mileage I see I have only 50 miles to go. Looks like I¢ll be finishing by Sunday night. SOooooo looking forward to then. We ate at a small local Italian restaurant before retiring for the night. Finn enjoyed her new found toy- the GPS function in her car. Now she can enter the GPS coordinates for the pick up location and not worry about getting lost. She definitely is becoming more independent. Im glad we are finishing this adventure together.
Date: 2017-11-09
To: View Entry
Miles today: 21.0
Weather: clear sky

November 9, Thursday. Another day of typical fall weather here in the east. Sunny and a high of 50 degrees. The plan was to walk from Lee, MA., to a road crossing 12.6 miles away but like many of these best made plans things change. Chris dropped me off at the trailhead at 7:30 and I slowly walked up my first hill. After 15 minutes I had to shed my puffy jacket and stocking hat due to the warmth my body was putting out. By noon I also took off my pant legs of my zip- offs. It was indeed a nice day for hiking. I reached the trailhead by 1 pm and called Finn to change the pickup point to another 9 miles south of the previously arranged site. She was able to enter the GPS coordinates into her Garmin and drive to that trailhead and arrived at 4:30. I arrived at 4:45. I would have been there earlier except, about 6 miles from the trailhead. I ran into Cash Money whom Black Sheep and I met in the Hundred Mile Wilderness back in early September . His plan was to hike to Harpers Ferry but had decided to call it quits due to the cold weather. Cant say as I blame him. Tomorrow they are predicting record lows and 40-50 mph winds.
Date: 2017-11-10
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

Friday, November 10. Bitterly cold today. Slept in till 7am and checked the weather channel. 20 degrees and 40 mph wind. Chill factor in the low teens. Ain¢t no way I will go out and freeze my beautiful little toes in that weather. Instead I would spend the day with Finn and do a little sightseeing in this beautiful area of New England. Every time we got out of the car we were reminded of how bitter it was outside. Later this afternoon we took a nap and hit a popular restaurant in the area for supper. Tomorrow the wind will diminish and temps will slowly rebound to 30 degrees. I will start walking about 8 am, totally bundled up in all the clothes I have with me, and hopefully will stay warm. At least the sun will be shining.
Date: 2017-11-11
To: View Entry
Miles today: 13.0
Weather: clear sky

Saturday, November 11. Well folks, it¢s coming to an end. Today I woke up to the realization of hiking only 13 miles and that tomorrow will be the last day of this grand adventure. Today started out at a record low temperature of 11 degrees and slowly crawled up to 28 with sunlight and little wind. Tomorrow will be my last full day to walk. The hike will take me back to Salisbury, CT, where Black Sheep and I did my flip to Maine, way back in September. Temps will be a record low again, but should warm up to 40 by noon. While I¢m out hiking, Finn is checking out the towns in the area. Usually she goes to a coffee shop and enjoys a good latte and reads her book till it¢s time to leave and meet me at the trailhead. I do try to be off the trail by 4:30 so as to avoid walking in the dark. She has done an excellent job of finding the pick up spots and being on time and has learned how to use the Garmin in her car.
Date: 2017-11-18
To: View Entry
Miles today: 4.4
Weather: overcast clouds

I was able to finish my thru hike on Sunday November 12th at 5 pm in Salisbury, CT. This was the town that Black Sheep and I hiked to at the end of August before I flipped and traveled to Northern Maine. Then I started hiking south towards Salisbury, CT. The weather has turned cold as I knew it would. I wasn¢t expecting the record lows though and 50 mph winds. Because of the wind chill on Friday, November 10th, I decided to zero that day and then finish up hiking on Saturday and Sunday. It was still very cold both days but the wind was non existent. A high of 34 on Sat. and 36 on Sun. The terrain on Sunday was quite rugged and it took a little longer to cover the 17 miles than I expected. I made it to Salisbury by 5 pm. Then Finn and I drove a day and a half to Marion, VA. to finish the 5 mile section that I missed back in August. Tuesday November 14, was a travel day and we stopped in Harper¢s Ferry, at the conservancy, to register my thru hike and make it official. Also had to buy a few souvenirs from my adventure. Wednesday we arrived at Marion around 9 am. We found the section I missed and started to hike about 10 am and told Finn she could meet me at the other end at about two pm. It was a nice day to finish this section, and head for home. On the way back to Wisconsin, we decided to stop and visit Papa Choo Choo and Elsa Lin in Indiana. Spent a wonderful day and a half with them. Then, on Thursday, we traveled to ¢The Farm¢ where we met up with one of our former employees. A great time to reminisce on the past. Next we visited Cherry Girl and Sir William in Cherry Valley, IL and then continued on home. Arrived at 10 pm back home. Some dear friends, Boo and Willie wanted to make sure we didn¢t get lost, so they put up a white blaze on a stick and stuck it in our front yard. Then some other friends brought over a bouquet of balloons that welcomed me home. Heart felt thanks to all. Now the plan will be to recuperate and then look at statistics and evaluate all the experiences that have occurred over the last 8.5 months. I would like to express my sincere THANKS to all of the people that followed me on this adventure. It¢s been memorable!!!!. I hope I was able to give you some idea of what it was like to be on the trail with me. If you would like to contact me at any time about anything trail related you can email me at buckleysportsimage@charter.netThis AT Journal site will remain active for about a year and I will, now and then, put out a post with info about the hike when I have time. Have a safe and joyous holiday season. Huckleberry.
Date: 2018-02-08
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

Thursday, February 8th. Well it¢s been four months since leaving the trail and I¢m beginning to miss it. I have managed to adapt to civilization but I do have to admit that life was simpler on the trail. On the other hand life is more enjoyable with all the creature comforts of life at home. It¢s very cold here in Wisconsin now and I am glad not to be out hiking in it.     I would like to get back to walking but will need to wait till after June. Finn and I have agreed to babysit till Mid June. As you may or may not remember, in August I left the trail for the birth of my daughters first child. On the 19th of August, she gave birth to a beautiful baby girl, and named her Hadley. So now Finn and I will spend the weekends in Eau Claire, WI. and then spend the week living with Peter and Jenny, in St. Paul, MN., taking care of Hadley. It¢s been quite the experience taking care of a little one again. A lot of things I experience with Hadley, I don¢t remember when we were raising our two kids. Being a grandparent and retired definitely has its benefits. I¢m currently working on statistics from the trail and will get them out to you later. Till then enjoy the winter as spring is just around the corner.