morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2017-06-14
From: Wildcat shelter

To: William Brian Shelter
Miles today: 19.4
Weather: overcast clouds

Better weather, relentlessly difficult trail in the morning. Thank God for the trail angels leaving water.We packed up quickly in the morning avoiding the mosquitoes by eating breakfast as we hiked out around 6 a.m.The air was noticeably cooler and the humidity much more bearable. The trail was still very difficult and tedious over the first two-thirds of the day. Most of the hikers we met on trail we're still complaining about how tired they were and how the heat had affected them.In the early afternoon after entering Harriman State Park the trail improved and we enjoyed a tasty lunch at the picnic tables by the lake.Since our water filter was still on the fritz we packed out 11 liters of water to carry up to the shelter.We arrived a little after 4 p.m. and set up our tent in a very nice spot downhill from the shelter.After enjoying dinner we went back to the tent and laid down to decompress from another difficult day. I was asleep fairly early, but Caboose stayed up to enjoy a movie on her phone which she found to be a really good time.It was a difficult but very good day.
Date: 2017-06-15
From: William Brian Shelter

To: Fort Montgomery
Miles today: 10.2
Weather: overcast clouds

Okay, I'm sorry to say that my phone died a permanent death on trail and I lost all of my diary information. The next couple weeks are just going to be daily mileage and destination. I will get a new phone sometime around the end of June and will try to add photos and a brief description to the day's affected by the loss of information.
Date: 2017-06-26
From: Mount Wilcox North

To: Upper Goose Pond Cabin
Miles today: 14.0
Weather: scattered clouds

We all got an early start this morning because we were very excited about getting to Upper Goose Pond cabin in time to enjoy everything it had to offer.After arriving at the cabin, we quickly set up our tents and then got down to business. Caboose and I got a canoe and went out on the lake which was very enjoyable and a peaceful break from the constant hiking.The cabin itself is truly amazing when compared to the typical amenities we dealt with on trail. The AMC does an incredible job of providing this for hikers and it is greatly appreciated. Everyone we met was excited about being there.
Date: 2017-06-27
From: Upper Goose Pond Cabin

To: Kay Wood Shelter
Miles today: 17.6
Weather: overcast clouds

Pudge left us early in the morning as she wanted to get a 30 mile day in and spend some time alone.We all enjoyed the coffee and pancake breakfast provided at the cabin before heading out for a long day on the trail.Around lunch time we arrived at the cookie lady's house with great expectations. Unfortunately, she was not home and her husband had decided not to answer the door since it was lunchtime. We made ourselves some lunch and sat in the yard. We were pleasantly surprised when she arrived just before we were ready to go. We didn't get any cookies but did enjoy some cold soda and ice cream which was a nice addition two our tasty lunch.Thankfully, we beat the rain to camp and had our tent setup just a few minutes before it began to drizzle. Shortly after that it stormed quite hard and we had some significant hail while we sat under the awning of the shelter and a dinner. After that, it was off to bed for a badly-needed night of rest.
Date: 2017-06-28
From: Kay Wood Shelter

To: Crystal Mountain Campsite
Miles today: 7.2
Weather: scattered clouds

I know that 7.2 miles sounds like very low mileage for the day, but in actuality this was a long tiring day. Mostly, due to my stupidity.We arrived in Dalton just a few miles after breaking camp in the morning. While walking through town, a very nice couple offered to provide us a ride to the Walmart for resupply which we gratefully accepted. Once that task was completed, we headed to the post office where many of us had business to take care of.Unfortunately, some of the packages that we were waiting on had not arrived, or at least we were told they hadn't arrived yet. Sarge had important mail coming from home that wasn't there even though his wife had paid for overnight shipping. It seemed the same thing had happened to Caboose and I with a package coming from Amber, our Logistics officer par excellence.After a few minutes of confusion that issue was straightened out and we found our package which happened to contain a badly-needed water filter. The bigger issue, caused by me, was that my replacement phone had arrived and when I sent the old phone back to Verizon I forgot to remove the SIM card.This caused me to have to take a bus to a neighboring town to go to a Verizon store and have a new SIM card created. Thankfully my wonderful friends, including Popcorn, Sarge, and Monkey, actually waited for me.Once back with the group, we hiked the remaining few miles to the campsite and enjoyed a relaxing evening before bed. It was a long day but at least we got the important things done that we needed to.
Date: 2017-06-29
From: Crystal Mountain Campsite

To: Wilbur Clearing Shelter
Miles today: 16.3
Weather: clear sky

This turned out to be a beautiful day of hiking. We enjoyed some amazing scenery and really enjoyed one another's company along the trail. It felt like family!At this point in the hike, all of us are feeling the fatigue of the miles in our feet and legs. We've come to the realization that without slowing down we might put our hike in jeopardy. In addition, it's nice to slow down and enjoy everything about the trail without feeling so rushed.Katahdin is coming too soon!
Date: 2017-06-30
From: Wilbur Clearing Shelter

To: Congdon Shelter
Miles today: 17.1
Weather: broken clouds

Everyone was very excited this morning. We knew that we would be reaching Vermont which had always seemed like a huge milestone in the hike. In my mind, Vermont had always felt like the gateway to the true north as the AT continues on.Knowing that we had a relatively long day with some more significant climbs than we had seen recently, we got an early start.After just over 7 miles we finally hit the sign indicating we were crossing into Vermont and had joined the Long Trail, which coincides with the Appalachian Trail for the first 105 miles into the state.Almost immediately, we realized why hikers sometimes refer to Vermont as "Vermud". For the remainder of the day we spent about 75% of our time hiking in or around deep dark mud. By the time we reached the shelter it was raining steadily, we were all relatively exhausted, and ready to stop hiking. The shelter itself was an Antiquated structure that had probably outlived its useful life span. Caboose, popcorn, and I decided to stay in the shelter. Sarge, not being a big fan of shelters and probably having better judgment than I, decided to pitch his tent. Later in the evening I would regret not having done the same as sleep was very difficult in the small shelter that had become overcrowded by dark.
Date: 2017-07-01
From: Congdon Shelter

To: Bennington, VT
Miles today: 4.3

By morning, the rain had stopped and we were looking forward to a town day for resupply and the other benefits of town. After days of hiking without a shower and in dirty clothes, it's amazingly nice to get cleaned up and get some laundry done.After getting to the motel, we walked into town and grabbed a bite to eat and did our resupply at the local Dollar General.Once back at the motel, we took our dirty clothes over to have the laundry done and then got busy with the many tasks that get put off while on the trail. It sometimes seems like even a short day is exhausting when all of the other non hiking related details have to be dealt with.
Date: 2017-07-02
From: Bennington, VT

To: Bennington, VT
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

We got up and went to breakfast, which was a delicious change from the normal morning trail food. After eating, I went into the office at the motel to check out and met a local logger's with years of experience in the local mountains. He informed me that going out might not be wise due to the heavy rain last night. Apparently the creeks were flooded and the mud would be even worse than we'd been dealing with.We spent the rest of the day relaxing and just hanging out.
Date: 2017-07-03
From: Bennington, VT

To: Kid Gore Shelter
Miles today: 14.4
Weather: clear sky

Caboose and I caught an early ride back to the trail with Popcorn, Sarge, and Monkey. We realized it was a good idea to zero yesterday when we hit the mud. It was deep and thick, almost like hiking in wet concrete.The day went by quickly and we all got into camp earlier than usual. We've been hoping to see a moose, but so far all we've seen in a track and a large pile of moose poop...It was a good day!
Date: 2017-07-04
From: Kid Gore Shelter

To: Stratton Pond Campsite
Miles today: 15.2
Weather: overcast clouds

Vermont is starting to get better, the trail is drying out and we've been making better time. It was so good to enjoy the trail and we had a great time on top of Stratton mountain talking with the day hikers. It was almost like we were hiking rock stars. After 30 minutes of answering questions about hiking the AT, we headed downhill to the pond.Once at the lake, we hiked about 20 minutes around the shoreline to the camping area. It was disappointing to see the normal tent sites on the shore were closed due to flooding. Instead, we had to camp up into the woods without much of a view. But, Popcorn and Monkey both enjoyed a swim and I had a humorous experience. While washing my feet at the Lakeshore, a small catfish bit me on the toe. We celebrated the 4th of July with some libations and hit the tents before dark. It was a good day!
Date: 2017-07-05
From: Stratton Pond Campsite

To: Bromley Shelter
Miles today: 12.5
Weather: clear sky

It was a beautiful morning to wake up to and the views across the pond were nothing short of breathtaking. Days like this confirm our decision to through hike. As the day went on we really enjoyed the amazing weather and the much drier trail conditions.If there was any complaints today it would only be related to a very annoying swarms of black flies that would descend upon us occasionally as we stopped. Apparently, due to all of the rain that this area has seen through May and June the black flies are here much later than they would normally be.At the end of the day, Caboose and I discussed how happy we were to be among good friends and enjoying ourselves as much as we are. It was a great day!
Date: 2017-07-06
From: Bromley Shelter

To: Little Rock Pond
Miles today: 17.8

After a great night of sleep we all got up and hit the trail early with expectations of beautiful weather and less mud since things had pretty well completely dried out by this time.Caboose and I joked with Sarge and Popcorn throughout the day and during the times that Monkey was patient enough to hike with us old folks, it was good to spend time with him as well.By afternoon things had warmed up and we were beginning to experience some nice views as well. At one point in the day we began to see a lot of moose droppings as well as tracks. The woods were very thick in that area and expectations of a moose sighting were high. About 30 minutes after entering that section of forest I spied something moving through the trees ahead of us and we began to follow it through the forest hoping for another siding. It ended up being a fellow backpacker and the joke was on me for tracking the "Moose" through the forest for nearly an hour.We arrived at the pond in the late afternoon, and found a tent pad large enough to fit Popcorn's tent as well as our tent on. Pitching are non freestanding tents on a platform takes a little work but we have figured out a system and it's nice to know that we'll be able to do it when that's all that's available further north.We also ran into Tiptoe and T-Rex during the day and it was great to see them again. The group of us sat around and joked in Camp until it was nearly dark and hiker midnight had arrived. It was a great day!
Date: 2017-07-07
From: Little Rock Pond

To: Clarendon Shelter
Miles today: 13.7
Weather: scattered clouds

Since it was going to be a shorter day we slept in and didn't leave until 7:30. Well, actually by the time we got rolling it was closer to 7:45 but the plan was for 7:30.Yet again we were blessed with beautiful weather and another day of hiking was filled with laughter and smiles. There were a few climbs that began to remind us that we were getting back into real mountains again. But, we just geared down and took our time getting over them while we regain our climbing legs.We enjoyed a nice lunch while covering ourselves in Deet. Between the mosquitoes and the black flies this wet season in Vermont has us wondering how things will be when we get to Maine.The camping area near the shelter as we arrived was better than we had hoped. There were room for mini tents and we pitched under a Grove of Pines on a bed of soft pine needles. Another evening was spent joking and laughing with friends both new and old. And we were reminded yet once again of how lucky we are to experience this together. It was a truly great day!
Date: 2017-07-08
From: Clarendon Shelter

To: Rutland, VT
Miles today: 16.8
Weather: few clouds

Last night before we went to bed we discussed the need to get an early start since we had to climb up and over Killington Peak and we wanted to get into town at a reasonable time. The consensus was that we would leave at 5:30, but as seems to be the rule we were about 15 minutes late getting out of camp.The day started with a steep thousand foot climb and we just took our time while the world woke up around us. We saw a beautiful sunrise and listen to the forest start another day. It was humbling for all of us.It seems like almost daily one of us will pipe in and mention how excited we are to be hiking the Appalachian Trail. To still have that level of excitement when we are now less than 500 miles from our destination is such a gift.Eventually we reached the base of Killington Peak and we took a quick break before the climb. The climb itself lasted a little over two hours with the last hour spent in a cold rain. Just before reaching the shelter that sits under the peak Caboose slipped and badly Twisted her knee. It was a very scary moment, but thankfully the injury did not turn out to be serious and she was able to limp on to the shelter.Since they climb off Trail up to the peak is very Steep and rugged Sergeant I went while popcorn stayed at the shelter with caboose. The rumor was that we could get cold sodas and hot sandwiches at the ski resort Lodge up top. What we didn't know, was that the .2 mile climb actually gained nearly 500 ft in that short distance. It was by far the steepest climb we've done to date. By the time Sarge and I got up and over the top, stopped to take in some of the most amazing views we've had on trail, and got to the lodge, it was nearly 30 minutes later.We quickly grabbed four sodas, four bags of chips, and a sandwich wrap for Caboose. The trip back down on steep wet trail with one hand full of food was an interesting Journey. But, eventually we made it back to the shelter and we all enjoyed a quick meal together before finishing The Descent to get into Rutland. We had checked earlier about a rumored bus that would pick us up and take us into town eight and a half miles from the trail. We got to the road and hiked up to Pico Ski Resort which is part of Killington. We had been told we could just wait out front and the bus would pick us up at 20 minutes after the hour. The timing couldn't have been more perfect since the thunderstorm arrived at 19 minutes after the hour and we dovin the door of the bus as it started raining.The trail provides!We got into town, got cleaned up and got our laundry done. We enjoyed a nice dinner at the local Wendy's, and then relaxed in our rooms for the remainder of the evening. We are blessed!
Date: 2017-07-09
From: Rutland, VT

To: Gifford Woods State Park
Miles today: 3.1
Weather: scattered clouds

We decided the night before we all needed to sleep in and get some more rest. So, we got a late check-out and took care of resupply after breakfast. The bus took us back to the trail around 2:30 and we hiked a quick 3.1 miles to the state park. Caboose, Sarge, Popcorn, and I enjoyed some ice cream and soda before pitching our tents in the somewhat small site we were provided with.Just as we were sitting down to eat, Pudge and her mom arrived to visit. It was a fun few hours of laughter.Eventually they left and it was time to grab some sleep. It felt good to take a nero day... we're getting more tired and the fatigue comes earlier in the day now.
Date: 2017-07-10
From: Gifford Woods State Park

To: Winturi shelter
Miles today: 16.6
Weather: broken clouds

It was a somewhat fitful night of sleep brought on by the many roots and rocks under our tent. We did manage to finally get up and get moving in the morning though.The hiking today was harder than we've had recently with much more elevation gain and loss over a shorter distance. The climbs are getting steeper, and it's obvious we're moving back into some more rugged mountains.After what seemed like a much longer day than it probably actually was, we arrived at the shelter found some decent spots to pitch our tents.Unfortunately, the only good spot for Caboose and I was fairly close to the shelter. On a normal day this would not have been an issue. But, this was not a normal day on the Appalachian Trail. We are starting to see the front edge of the Sobo hikers and we are in something of a Nobo bubble. The end result was something like 30 hikers in and around this shelter. We haven't seen numbers like that for months and it was a noisy evening while we tried to get to sleep. It was a good but difficult day.
Date: 2017-07-11
From: Winturi shelter

To: White River (Linda's place)
Miles today: 17.3
Weather: few clouds

Knowing that the terrain had gotten harder, we decided to get an early start. Even though it was raining when we awoke, we got up and packed up in the rain and where hiking by 6 a.m.The trail was difficult but we made decent time throughout the day and enjoyed some nice views as we had much more open forest than we've had recently. Caboose and I, along with Popcorn, Sarge, and Monkey, enjoyed a hearty lunch as we sat on top of a mountain that provided 360° mist shrouded views of the mountains nearby.Late in the afternoon as we neared our destination, we had a very scary experience. We were faced with a very narrow eroded Trail and a steep drop off to our right. At the same time we had to climb over a large slick rock with little or nothing in the way of handholds. I was behind Popcorn as he got to the obstacle and warned him about the penalty for failure which was going to be a nasty 30-foot fall. Somehow, all five of us made it over the obstacle without falling. But, just as Sarge cleared the rock, another hiker behind us started over and slipped. I think all of our hearts stopped as we spun around and watched him fall down the side of the mountain. After flipping and tumbling for over 30 ft he finally came to rest against a tree. I hollered to him and he said that he didn't feel as though anything was broken. It It turned out that he was relatively uninjured other than some major scrapes. After he got back up to the trail, we moved on while I thought about how lucky he was and and how quickly the trail can take away Katahdin.A little while later we arrived at the Blue Barn which is a wonderful Trail Angels home who provides ten spaces and many goodies for hikers. We set up our tents and then Popcorn, Sarge, and I went and jumped off the nearby bridge into the river which was both thrilling and refreshing.After having some pizza delivered, we called it a day and got to sleep because we wanted an early start in the morning headed into Hanover.
Date: 2017-07-12
From: White River (Linda's place)

To: Hanover, NH
Miles today: 9.7

When the trail angel's rooster woke us up at 4:45 in the morning we got ready and got started by 6 a.m.The miles flew by and before we knew it we were crossing the bridge over the Connecticut River and there was New Hampshire. Another state down and only two to go!We climbed the steep roadway up out of the river and into downtown Hanover where we enjoyed a delicious breakfast at Lou's which is a local hang out.After that, we moved on to the post office where Caboose and I had multiple packages waiting including new shoes, winter clothing for the whites, and a box full of gifted goodies from Molasses and Wedges! We miss them both and really look forward to seeing them again one day soon.In addition to those goodies, our daughter Amber and her husband Mic sent a bunch of tasty treats including another large bag of Mic's now trail famous jerky. I have to hide that from people now or it goes too fast!We broke down the boxes into something more manageable to carry, then we caught the bus and headed to the hotel. It's kind of in a no-man's land between Lebanon New Hampshire and Hanover New Hampshire but it's not a bad spot. We are really looking forward to relaxing here.As evening arrived we all went back up into Hanover and enjoyed a tasty dinner and displayed our lack of trivia knowledge as we played with other teams at the bar. It was a very good day!
Date: 2017-07-13
From: Hanover, NH

To: Hanover, NH
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

A badly needed day of rest and resupply. Caboose took care of some chores that needed to be done while I went for resupply with Sarge and Popcorn.We relaxed all afternoon and then went into town for dinner. It was a good day!
Date: 2017-07-14
From: Hanover, NH

To: Trapper John Shelter
Miles today: 16.6
Weather: overcast clouds

Coming out of Hanover we passed dozens of Sobo hikers coming into town although many of them were probably section hikers and weekenders. But, it was easily the busiest morning we've had on trail passing other hikers in sometime.Our introduction to New Hampshire wasn't too bad for the first day and we made it to the shelter at a decent time which left us able to relax and enjoy the evening.After dinner Caboose and I spend time laughing with Sarge, and Popcorn. It was a great day!
Date: 2017-07-15
From: Trapper John Shelter

To: Hexacuba shelter
Miles today: 12.0
Weather: broken clouds

Since the distance for the day was only 12 miles we decided to sleep in a little bit and get a later start. This turned out to be something of a mistake as the day went on. The trail was exceptionally difficult and slow with some very dangerous sections that caused Caboose and I to be pretty worried about one another.The big downside was that everything was wet and there was almost as much mud as we saw in southern Vermont.We finally reached the shelter around 5 p.m. and settled in since there are no tent sites suitable for Caboose and I in our larger than average tent. Shortly after we got done with dinner a large group of southbound thru-hikers arrived and the shelter became very crowded. Overall though it wasn't a bad evening and we enjoyed a decent night of rest.
Date: 2017-07-16
From: Hexacuba shelter

To: Glencliff, NH
Miles today: 14.8
Weather: clear sky

Today the trail was noticeably better than what we had seen the previous two days. We made good time even though we didn't get as early a start as planned. We still haven't seen a moose but we sure are looking hard everyday.We were glad to get a room at the hostel and it was nice to get clean and get some hot food. But I also we are all getting tired and while we're enjoying ourselves I think it's reaching a point where will be glad to be done.