morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2016-09-03
From: Etna-Hanover Center Road

To: VT-14, West Hartford
Miles today: 15.7
Weather: broken clouds

This morning we again drove from Barre to the trailhead where it was cool but sunny. From Etna Road the trail was a series of small to medium ups and downs until the climb up Velvet Rocks Mountain. This whole section of trail was strikingly pretty with stands of birch and tall pines and the occasional sections of low flowering bushes. From Velvet Rocks the trail dropped 600 feet to Route 120 near the Hanover Co-Op Food Store. Nearby, near a well maintained baseball diamond, were a few backpacking tents; probably hikers taking a zero in Hanover. From here the trail went through the middle of Hanover; past the Dartmouth College Green and many college buildings to Main Street. From Main Street I walked down to where the AT crosses the Connecticut River; the boundary between NH and VT. The trail then followed sidewalks for another mile to Norwich VT where I met Kathy for lunch; awesome deli sandwiches from the local General Store there. The trail then road walked more than a mile uphill before turning into the woods. The trail then climbed steadily some 1000 feet to Happy Hill (there must be a story behind that name). Then it was back down to Podunk Road (very appropriately named) where I road walked another two miles to where the trail left VT-14. Kathy picked me up and we headed to Barre for the night.
Date: 2016-09-04
From: VT-14, West Hartford

To: VT-12, Woodstock,VT
Miles today: 13.0
Weather: clear sky

This morning it was foggy for our drive to the trail head and for the first hour of hiking but after that it was a bright clear day. Temperatures were in the 70's with no humidity to speak of. From the start the trail climbed pretty steadily,first 600 feet to a grassy hill top with nice views, then another 900 feet to the summit of Thistle Hill. From this summit the trail did a ever downward roller coaster of six downs and five ups that deposited me on VT-12. On the last down hill section, as I rounded a corner I found myself face to face with a good sized bear. He (maybe she) was probably 50 feet down the trail grazing on a shrub or something on the side of the trail. I watched for half a minute before I clacked my trekking poles together - hoping it would go away. All it did was glance up at me then continue grazing. I told it "go away" in a loud voice and it immediately went running off into the woods. I could only see it go for 20 or 30 feet so I was extremely tentative as I walked down past where it had been. After I was well past where I had seen him I started breathing again and picked up my pace. When I got to VT-12 I met Kathy and we headed for Barre for the night.
Date: 2016-09-05
From: VT-12, Woodstock,VT

To: Stony Brook Road
Miles today: 12.7
Weather: clear sky

Today was another good day for hiking. All this dry weather has, so far, seemed to tame the notoriously muddy trails in "Vermud". As I hike I can easily see where the mud would, in more normal years, be in abundance; lots of dirt and dust around stepping stones and under board walks. Today the trail started with an 1800 foot climb up a mountain not named in my guide book or gps. At the top I came to a nicely shaded stone wall the just screamed "take a break here" to me. I stopped and had a protein bar and several gulps of water before continuing on. The trail now headed down hill through forest very much like the climb. After the better part of an hour I met a hiker I knew coming up the trail. He asked me why I was heading north today. I told him I was't and he convinced me I was. When I had gotten up from my break I had gone the wrong way and, backtracked 2.2 miles down hill! I usually avoid this by putting my trekking sticks ahead of me when I break but this time I had't ( maybe I did then saw a flatter rock past them to sit on). Whatever, it was no fun re-climbing more than half of an 1800 foot mountain. I will be doubly careful from now on. Once back up to the stone wall I continued south on a gradually rising stretch and came to The Lookout; a privately owned cabin open to hikers. It is called The Lookout because there is a ladder in the rear that leads to a lookout platform above the roof. From there the trail went up another few hundred feet to an overlook with no view (it was blocked by overgrown vegetation). The trail then headed down 500 feet to Locust Point where I took my afternoon break. From there, after checking my direction on my gps, it was a hilly but easy walk to a very nice footbridge over Stony Brook. Shortly after that I came to Stony Brook Road where Kathy was waiting to take me to Barre.
Date: 2016-09-06
From: Stony Brook Road

To: US-4, Rutland VT
Miles today: 10.6

Today, after driving down from Barre, we had a big breakfast in the van before I started on the trail. As I set out the weather was warm and beginning to get humid; by mid afternoon it would be very warm and humid. The trail today started with a climb (what else is new?) of 1600 feet up to a ridge that ran to Quimby Mountain. It was nice on the ridge with lots of sun and enough of a breeze to make the heat tolerable. As I started down from the summit the trail quickly got steep and rocky all the way down to Thundering River. Climbing up from the river I passed Thundering Falls; a 60 to 80 foot waterfall that crashed onto the rocks at it's base. From the falls the trail climbed another 1000 feet to Sherburne Pass then past a side trail to Deer Leap ( probably a gruesome story behind that name). I then came to a place called Maine Junction where the AT and the Long Trail (LT) meet. The two trails share about 100 miles south to the Massachusetts border and the LT heads north to the Canadian border. Both trails use white blazes so I had to take care to head south and not north. Shortly after Maine Junction the trail dropped to US-4 just east of Rutland where Kathy was waiting. We headed for Barre for the night.
Date: 2016-09-07
From: US-4, Rutland VT

To: VT-103
Miles today: 17.7

Today the weather was much improved; sunny with a cool breeze and little humidity. The trail was pretty flat for the first mile or so before it started a 1500 climb to the summit of Pico Mountain. From Pico Mountain I followed a ridge up about 500 feet before passing a side trail to Killington Peak; the second highest mountain in Vermont. I passed on climbing the quarter mile to the summit; the AT has quite enough climbing without taking side trails. From here the ridge continued another couple of miles to another side trail; this one to Shrewsbury Peak. After passing this side trail as well I started down a long, gradual descent, nearly 2500 feet over seven miles, to Gould Brook. After Gould Brook it was an easy 500 foot climb (500 foot climbs are never really easy but this one was not too hard) to Beacon Hill before coming to a surprisingly difficult downhill rock scramble to VT-103. From the VT-103 trailhead parking area Kathy and I headed to a nearby State Forest campground where we spent the night.
Date: 2016-09-08
From: VT-103

To: Danby-Landgrove Road
Miles today: 14.8
Weather: broken clouds

Today, on the drive from the campground and the trail, we stopped at a Duncan Donuts where I bought three chocolate covered donuts. Disputes just eating a pretty huge breakfast in the van at the campsite I managed to devour all three donuts in the five minutes it took to reach the trail head. The weather this morning was good with a mix of sun and clouds and little humidity. By afternoon it was downright hot and humid. The hike today started with a steep 1400 climb to the top of Bear Mountain. From Bear Mountain the trail dropped 1100 feet to a small stream where I got water and ate lunch. I treated the water from the stream with my Steri-Pen. I always treat water unless it comes from a a valved water source or a piped spring. After lunch I climbed past another stream, Billy Brook, to White Rocks Junction; a bizarre bunch of piles of rocks. From there the trail headed up to a viewless un-named peak before heading downhill past Homer Stone Brook where I met Kathy who had hiked up to meet me. We hiked together past Big Black Branch (stream) to the trail head at Danby-Landgrove Road where we hopped (well, I mostly staggered but she hopped) into the Vanagon and headed for a State Forest campground where we spent the night.
Date: 2016-09-09
From: Danby-Landgrove Road

To: Bromley--Landgrove Road
Miles today: 14.6

Today was hot and humid and, carrying a full pack with five days food for the first time in over a week, sweaty. The trail started with a long, gradual climb up 1200 feet over the course of four miles to Baker Peak. From there the trail followed an ascending ridge to the summit of Peru Peak where there were some nice views. After Peru Peak the trail followed a jagged (as in up and down) ridge line to Styles Peak where I stopped for a late lunch. The trail then headed down to Mad Tom's Notch ( I kinda like that name) before starting a grueling late day climb up 900 feet to the top of Bromley Mountain. Bromley Mountain is a ski mountain with a gandola offloading station and a skier warming hut. The hut is a simple one room building, about 20 feet by 20 feet, with wide wooden benches on two walls and countertops on the other two. The hut is open to hikers during the off season wishing to spend the night. I was the second one to arrive and grabbed a section of bench to sleep on. By 7:00 that night there were seven hikers there for the night; four on benches and three on the floor. The views from Bromley were wonderful and the sunrise was awesome. At an elevation of 3260 feet it got downright cold overnight and I was glad to have my 30 degree sleeping quilt. In spite of a couple of world class snorers I was asleep by 8:30.
Date: 2016-09-10
From: Bromley--Landgrove Road

To: VT-11 & 30, Manchester Center
Miles today: 3.0

Today the weather forecast was for heavy rains starting at noon and continuing through the night. Tomorrow is supposed to be nice weather. So, to avoid a soggy afternoon and night and to get some rest and journaling done, I decided to take a NERO (near zero) day. I stayed at a B&B and shared a room with another hiker. It did rain lots in the afternoon and evening. I was happy to be warm and dry.
Date: 2016-09-11
From: VT-11 & 30, Manchester Center

To: Stratton Pond Shelter
Miles today: 10.7
Weather: light rain

Last night there was a tremendous thunder storm and it woke me at 2:30 with a simultaneous thunder clap and lightning flash. It turns out that the B&B I was staying at was hit by lightning which knocked out all of its electronics and smoked its surge protector. The storm, though much deminished, continued until 10:00 this morning which delayed me getting to the trail until just after 10:00. By noon the weather was marvelous with cool temperatures and clear blue skies. The trail was wonderfully flat and, if not for lots of mud and the occasional root, a pleasure to walk on. There were no difficult climbs at all so, despite the very late start, I was able to cover 10.7 miles before 5:00. There were several people in the shelter before me and all the bunks were full. As I turned and headed for the overflow tenting area ( a lousy place on the side of a hill) one of the young kids jumped up and offered me his bunk. He said he would sleep under me on the shelter floor. I told him he did not need to do that but he insisted and I took the bunk. He is representative of many of the youngsters I see on the trail; really nice, respectful kids that have restored my faith in their generation. After accepting the bunk I ate, cleaned up and was in my sleeping back by 7:30.
Date: 2016-09-12
From: Stratton Pond Shelter

To: Kid Gore Shelter
Miles today: 15.0
Weather: clear sky

Wow, it was cold when I woke up this morning. I had no long sleeve shirt or down sweater in my pack; only my rain jacket. It was 6:30 and I knew it would be an hour or more before it even started to warm up; I dreaded getting out of my warm sleeping bag. But I had a long way to walk so I got out, dressed, packed and on the trail by 7:15. By eight I had hiked a mile and the rain jacket came off. It turned out to be nice day; warn and sunny. The trail from the shelter rose very steeply up 1500 feet in the next three miles (hence the warmup that made me shed the rain jacket) to the summit of Stratton Mountain. At the summit is an old, kind of rickety fire tower (with a sign at the bottom that no more than four people at a time were to climb it) that provided wonderful views of mountains in every direction. To the south was Mount Graylock, the highest peak in Massachusetts. Also on the summit, next to the fire tower, is a plaque commemorating this spot as the birthplace of the idea of an Appalachian Trail. From the summit of Stratton Mountain it was a very long 1730 foot descent to the Deerfield River and then an eight mile trek over roller coaster like terrain to the Kid Gore Shelter where I spent the night.
Date: 2016-09-13
From: Kid Gore Shelter

To: Melville Nauheim Shelter
Miles today: 12.8
Weather: clear sky

Nice day today; sunny and not too,too warm. I noticed in the afternoon that there was not a single cloud in the sky; the blue color was simply beautiful. The trail today followed a ridge line that crossed the summits of Glastenbury and Little Pond Mountains and a whole bunch of smaller hills in between. The trail was very walkable with sections of pine needle and dried mud pathways; very easy on my feet and brain ( not requiring constant attention to every footfall ). After Little Pond Mountain the trail descended a few hundred feet to Porcupine Ridge then to Hell Hollow Brook where there was a nice wooden bridge. I stopped for the night at Melville Nauheim Sheler where I spent the night with three other hikers; all hiking the Long Trail.
Date: 2016-09-14
From: Melville Nauheim Shelter

To: VT-9, Bennington
Miles today: 1.6

The website AT Weather, the best trail weather source, predicted heavy rains by noon so I decided to have a very short day and meet Kathy in Bennington instead of in Williamstown, MA as planned. It would have been a long day to hike the 20 miles to Williamstown and, truth be known, my legs were simply not up to it. I arrived at a VT-9 right at 7:30 and I was on a free town shuttle by 8:00. By 8:30 I was in a nice little diner eating blueberry pancakes with real Vermont maple syrup. I spent the rest of the morning drinking coffee and journaling. Kathy called at 10:00 to tell me the pipe connecting the exhaust and the muffler had broken. She luckily found an excellent repair shop that was able to weld it together and reinforce the hangers. She arrived in Bennington, repairs complete, at just after 1:00 and we headed off to a State Forest Campground for the afternoon and night.
Date: 2016-09-15
From: VT-9, Bennington

To: MA-2, Williamstown,MA
Miles today: 18.4

It was cold when we woke up this morning so we decided to go to town for breakfast. We ate at the little diner I had tried the day before. It stayed cool for most of the day but it was another one of those clear, cloudless days when the blue skies are simply beautiful. The climb from the trailhead on VT-9 to the top of Harmon Hill was extraordinary steep with many of those uneven rock steps that hurt your knees just to look at them. Although only 800 feet I was huffing and puffing by the time I reached the summit. From Harmon Hill the trail followed a ridge for nearly 7 miles before rising up another 700 feet to the top of Consultation Peak. From there the trail descended, very gradually, to Roaring Branch Pond. After a long break I climbed 500 feet to an unnamed hilltop before a long descent to the MA/VT border. Soon after the border I came to a blue blazed "Bad Weather Bypass Trail" offering a safer way to go when the weather is bad. These always mean a difficult or dangerous section of trail is ahead. Sure enough within a couple hundred feet there was a very steep ledge with no option but to trust the treads on my trail runners and walk straight down it (holding my breath the whole way). After this scary ledge the trail headed gradually down for nearly 1600 feet to MA-2 and the Hoosic River where Kathy was waiting. We went right to Sterling, MA and spent the night at her mom's house.
Date: 2016-09-17
From: Sterling, MA

To: Furnace Hill Road
Miles today: 15.2

Kathy and I got up very early this morning and headed back to western Massachusetts. After a two and a half hour drive and a stop for gas and breakfast I was on the trail by 9:30. The weather was cool and the skies clear. The trail started with a steep climb up more than 1300 feet nearly to the top of Mount Prospect ( I didn't take the side trail to the top ). From here the trail dropped a couple hundred feet before climbing to the summit of Mount Williams where I took my morning break. Then, after a steep little drop to a gap in the mountains, I climbed another 700 feet to the summit of Mount Greylock; the highest peak in Massachusetts. Kathy met me up there and we had lunch together before I pushed on. Going down from the summit was far easily than the climb up with a nice gradual descent of 2500 feet over eight miles. Kathy hiked up more than two miles to meet me and we walked together down to Furnace Hill Road where we hopped (well, she hopped and I kind of staggered) into the van to drive to a nearby State Park campground for the evening.
Date: 2016-09-18
From: Furnace Hill Road

To: Grange Hall Road
Miles today: 11.0

It rained very heavily all night love but by sunrise it had slowed to a light sprinkle. It would continue the rain lightly for most of the day. From the trailhead I had a fairly easy climb up 1100 feet over a distance of four miles to the trail to Crystal Mountain and a ridge that was more or less level for more than three miles. The trail then dropped 800 feet down some very slippery rock to the town of Dalton MA where I road walked for nearly two miles. When the trail re-entered the wood it immediately climbed the only hill in the area. At the top of the hill I met Kathy and we walked to Grange Hall Road together. We went to a State Park campground where we spent the night.
Date: 2016-09-19
From: Grange Hall Road

To: US-20, Lee MA
Miles today: 16.3
Weather: light rain

It rained all night again, sometimes pretty hard; enough that I worried that my trail runners and socks stored under the van for the night (they smell too bad to bring into the van) might float away. By morning the rain had turned to a light drizzle and it stayed that way until noon. From the trailhead I had but a short 500 foot climb to Tully Mountain and a ridge to Warner Hill. The trail then continued over October Mountain, Bald Top, Walling Mountain and Becket Mountain. The climb down from Becket Mountain was steep and super rocky but, thankfully, dry and not terribly slippery. When I reached the parking area for the trailhead Kathy was waiting in the Vanagon. We spent the night at a nearby State Park campground.
Date: 2016-09-20
From: US-20, Lee MA

To: Beartown Mountain Road
Miles today: 14.8

Today the weather was much better; cool and dry in the morning and hot and pretty humid in the afternoon. Today the trail was a bunch of small, steep hills, I'd say more than twenty in all to be climbed and descended before the day was over. Right after lunch Kathy texted me to let me know the Vanagon would not go in reverse; only forward. All I could respond was we would figure out what to do tonight. When I came down the last hill I found her and the van in a pull through spot. I got in and she told me she had found a pull through campsite at a nearby School Park campground. When settled at the campground we decided that, after she dropped me off panthers trail tomorrow, she should head to Maine to have the transmission repaired. After a shower and supper we went to bed for the night.
Date: 2016-09-21
From: Beartown Mountain Road

To: Tom Leonard Shelter
Miles today: 7.9
Weather: overcast clouds

Kathy dropped me off at the trail head and then headed for home to have the Vanagon transmission repaired. I trudged off, a little slower than usual, with seven days of food, tent, sleeping bag and all the other necessities of living in the woods on my back. The weather was nice; cool and clear in the morning and not too hot in the afternoon. The hike out from Beartown Mountain Road was an easy 500 foot climb to the north peak of Mount Wilcox then along a ridge to the south peak. There was a steep climb down off of the south peak to a small stream (dry) where I had lunch. After lunch there was a 400 foot climb to The Ledges (does every state have a The Ledges?) with some very nice views of the mountains ahead of me. From The Ledges the trail descended to Benedict Pond before heading up again, this time to Blue Hill. The last section of trail today was down to and across MA-23 and on to Tom Leonard Shelter where I was the only hiker. I set up my tent, ate, hung a bear bag and was in my sleeping bag by 7:30.
Date: 2016-09-22
From: Tom Leonard Shelter

To: Hemlock Shelter
Miles today: 14.4

Today it was hot and very humid without a breath of wind. The trail climbed from the shelter a couple of hundred feet to the summit of East Mountain then down 600 feet before climbing a short 100 feet to the top of June Mountain. After June Mountain the trail headed down almost 600 feet to US-7. By the time I got to US-7 I was nearly out of water. Every water source for the last day and a half was either bone dry or so shallow and muddy that I couldn't fill my water bottle. I walked down the road looking for water and found an antique mall with a water spigot on the side of the last building. The lady in the shop said I could have water but that I ought to treat it before drinking. The shop also had a Coke machine and I bought three cans of Coke which I drank while purifying two liters of water. From US-7 it was a nice flat walk across a couple of fields, a RR track, a bog with wooden planks to walk on and, finally, a half mile of gravel road. After this almost relaxing walk the trail abruptly started up a very steep 1000 foot climb to the summit of Mount Bushnell. Once up Bushnell the trail followed a rugged ridge for a mile or so to the Hemlock Shelter. Turns I would spend the night there alone. Hemlock Shelter is fairly new and the tenting spots lousy so I decided to sleep in the shelter. After supper I did some work on my journal (it is hard to write in a tiny notebook while sitting on a log) then crawled into my sleeping bag and was asleep by 7:30.
Date: 2016-09-23
From: Hemlock Shelter

To: Undermountain Road, Salisbury, CT
Miles today: 13.4

This morning it sure looked like it was going to rain any minute. I even started out with my rain jacket and backpack cover on. By 9:00, although still overcast and windy, it was obvious that it wouldn't rain anytime soon. The hike from Hemlock Shelter went up a very steep, 700 feet in less than a mile, climb up to the top of Mount Everette the down, even more steeply, to Race Brook Falls. The trail then took me up to the summit of Mount Race; a much less challenging 600 foot climb with lots of switch backs and level sections. From Race Mountain it was a long three mile 1000 foot descent to Sages Ravine where I had a late lunch. Soon after lunch I crossed the CT-MA border before climbing Bear Mountain; an 850 foot, very steep climb (who said there weren't any tough mountains in CT?) From Bear Mountain it was a long forest walk along a mostly down hill, leaf covered trail for six miles to Under Mountain Road (no round doors on any of the houses) in Salisbury, CT. I spent the night there at the home of Maria McCabe; a legendary trail angel who, for $35 provides a shower, ride to town for laundry and eats, a comfortable bed with clean linens and a hearty breakfast.