morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2015-06-15
From: Wilbur Clearing Shelter

To: Congdon Shelter
Miles today: 17.1
Weather: clear sky

It rained hard last night. It was a good thing I was in the shelter though. I stayed nice and dry. When I woke up, I didn't want to get out of my sleeping bag. I could hear the rain beating down and the wind whipping in the trees. I knew staying dry wouldn't last long.I left the shelter with my rain jacket on. I wore it for a couple hours but it just makes me clammy after a while. I just took it off and hiked on on the rain. All morning it rained and there was no escaping it. The trail turned into a flowing river. At first I was tip-toeing around the puddles. It proved to be way more work than needed. It was inevitable my feet would be soaked so I just walked straight through the water all day. It just made it easier.The trail was a river in many places, a mud bog in others. The water wasn't too bad because it just drained out of my shoes. The mud was tough though. I didn't know if it was going to be an inch deep or three inches deep. It was slick, regardless. I was slipping and sliding and ended up on my butt at one point.Despite the bad weather and terrible trail conditions, I made surprisingly good time! I even had a steep, slick, boulder field I had to navigate through. I didn't think making good time was going to happen but it worked out. My time led me quickly through the boulder field and up to the sign welcoming me to Vermont! Now, three states left!After a picture with the Vermont border sign, I hiked on and made it to the shelter at 2:30pm. Although that's really early to get into camp, I am going into Bennington, VT first thing tomorrow morning so I need to stop here. It will be good to stop early I think.The crappy thing is that the trail is going to get really busy for the next 100 miles. The Appalachian Trail and the Vermont Long Trail are the same for that period of time so now we will have AT thru hikers, Long Trail thru hikers, AT and Long Trail day and section hikers all sharing the same space. If I decide to use a shelter at some point, it will be crowded for sure! It will be even busier once the weekend hits. This is similar to how The Smoky's and Shenandoah were. Oh, and school is out for many people.I'm looking forward to getting into Bennington, VT tomorrow. I'll be crashing the night with Heg (Erik) and we are going to do all of my town chores too (laundry, resupply, etc). Looking forward to it!
Date: 2015-06-17
From: Bennington, VT

To: Kid Gore Shelter
Miles today: 14.4
Weather: few clouds

It was difficult to get up today. I went to bed late and got up early. I was not looking forward to getting out and hiking today¢¦the weather was perfect too. I was just tired and feeling a bit lethargic.Heg made breakfast and that was much appreciated. We ate, talked, and just hung out for a while. Once we cleared our plates I needed to lie on the couch. I was dead tired. I actually fell asleep for a half hour. I needed it. I felt better but could have just kept sleeping.I packed up the rest of my gear and we hopped in his Jeep about 10:00am. We were at the trail shortly after and we took a walk to the river where the AT crosses on a bridge. It¢s actually where Heg and I went backpacking MANY years back. This was the spot where my very first backpacking trip took place.I crossed the bridge and departed from Heg. I was so unmotivated though. I didn¢t want to hike. It¢s always tough to leave town, family, friends and walk with a pack loaded with food. I knew I had to hike, so I did. Certain times were tougher than others. It helped when I stopped to talk to people along the way. It was tough at the start but it got easier as it went on. The thing is I¢m getting bored. I need to figure out what to do to stay fresh. Maybe it was just the trail has been the exact same lately¢¦and that makes for boring hikes.I hiked in a tunnel of green the entire day. There were no flowers or buds alongside the trail. It was purely green or brown. The forest was quiet and still. There weren¢t many birds singing or chipmunks running around. There wasn¢t a breeze either. Maybe that¢s why I¢ve been bored. The highlight of the day was getting to the Glastonbury Mountain fire tower. It had a perfect 360 degree view of surrounding Vermont. I¢ve been into this tower before and I really enjoyed it. In general I enjoy the views from inside the old fire towers.I hiked on and made it to the Kid Gore Shelter. I have a really cool spot where I set my tent up. It¢s on a ledge, with a view of a mountain ridge in the near distance. It¢s a bit uneven of a surface but it¢s a prime spot. The weather is going to be cool tonight so it should make for some good sleeping!
Date: 2015-06-18
From: Kid Gore Shelter

To: William B. Douglas Shelter
Miles today: 19.9
Weather: few clouds

Today was a tough day. It wasn¢t so much the weather. It was beautiful out actually. It wasn¢t that the terrain was tough. It was nice actually. It was that I am just by myself out here.All day, every day, I hike by myself. I haven¢t seen Axon and Shrugs in over 800 miles. Stretch has been gone since Virginia. I don¢t have a trail family anymore and it kind of sucks. I see hikers during the day, and sometimes we camp at the same places multiple times. But we are acquaintances. I don¢t have people, like back home or earlier in this trip, to share my day-to-day frustrations or experiences with. I love hiking by myself, truly. But it¢s boring hiking by myself ALL the time. I tried calling and texting Nikki about this but cell reception has been spotty, at best. I wasn¢t able to get in touch with her. I tried last night at camp, this morning as I hiked, but I finally got to talk to her this evening. It¢s always helpful!It took a long time to shake this feeling of loneliness. I don¢t think it¢s gone or will be either. But, I feel better. I was able to focus on the rest of the day more. The day (still boring green, brown, and muddy) had a really nice fire tower atop of Stratton Mountain. It had views of the Stratton Ski Area as well as Mount Snow and others. It was really beautiful.Once I came down from Stratton Mountain the trail brought me past a shelter and alongside Stratton Pond. It was very clear and completely quiet. It was picture perfect with the dense forest along every bank.I had a few more miles until I got to camp. They surprisingly went by quickly. I got in, ate, and took care of my typical camp chores. That¢s also when I was able to talk to Nikki.I¢m staying in the shelter tonight. It may rain so I¢ll just crash inside and then hit the trail early. Looking forward to a better day and a more positive outlook.
Date: 2015-06-21
From: Hikers Hostel at Yellow Deli

To: Pico Camp Shelter
Miles today: 13.6
Weather: light rain

It was an easy day. Maybe it was the short mileage. Maybe it was because I decided to take a couple days off. That thought has been weighing on me, so maybe since I made the decision I feel better. Maybe I am not just starting to enjoy Vermont. The terrain is more beautiful than in the southern section. Maybe it¢s that I broke the 500 mile mark. That¢s truly an accomplishment. Whatever the reason, I feel better.I left the hostel at 10:00am and a taxi driver brought me back to Route 103 to pick up where I left off. Another hiker I know showed up because he was about to walk down the street to a little breakfast place. Before we parted was, we chatted for a half hour or so. I explained to him that I am taking a couple days off. Maybe I was looking for validation or reassurance that taking a couple days off is the right decision. I need to remind myself that I am just taking a couple zeros. I am having such a tough time with coming to that reasoning though. I feel, as someone who hiked 1,700 miles, I should be able to keep going and not take days off. I look around and see others take days off, but I almost feel superhuman. I don¢t THINK I need a day off. I guess I really do. I need to suck it up, get over it, and enjoy the few days of rest I am going to have.So, I got to hikin¢. I walked across the street and into the woods. There were a couple little ups and downs for the first five miles or so. Nothing too big. But shortly after, until mile 10, I had a large climb. The climb was up Killington Mountain. It was rocky under my feet. There were large, twisted, hemlock and spruce roots directly in the footpath. There were downed trees I needed to detour around or climb over. All the while, I had a large incline to deal with.Despite the challenges up to the summit of Killington, it was a really beautiful section of trail and a really nice hike. It was quiet most of the time too. Other than hearing myself breathe, the forest was silent. It was perfectly peaceful.Reaching the summit was unfortunately unfulfilling. The true summit was actually .2 miles off trail. Clouds rolled in and it started to rain so I chose not to go. I could hear thunder rolling in the distance too. I just kept on hiking so I would get to the shelter.I made it to the Pico Shelter and am staying inside. It¢s supposed to storm so I¢ll be dry and warm in the shelter. As a matter of fact, as I write this (I write in my journal at night and then take much of the content and transpose it to Trailjournals) it¢s storming right now. The rain started just about 9:00pm. There are only two other hikers in this shelter. It¢s quiet, except for the rain.Tomorrow morning will be an easy 3.8 miles to Route 4 where mom and dad will bring be home to relax and refocus for a couple days. I¢m looking forward to seeing them, seeing Nikki and then coming back to conquer this thing! Less than 500 miles to go!
Date: 2015-06-22
From: Pico Camp Shelter

To: Southington, CT
Miles today: 3.8
Weather: overcast clouds

I got up after 6:00am and didn't leave until 7:00am. I didn't have to rush because it was a short 3.8 miles to the parking lot where I was to picked up. When I left the shelter it wasn't raining but the water from the storm overnight really flooded the trail. There was no avoiding it. The hike was quick and I was down at the parking lot in no time. I changed into clean clothes and cleaned myself up for the ride home. My parents arrived and it was good to see them again. I threw my pack in the trunk and we took the 3 hour drive back. Along the way we stopped for Burger King and I increased my caloric intake for the day. It was excellent!We arrived back in Southington and I threw in laundry and hopped in the shower. Nikki arrived a bit later and we were able to catch up a bit. A couple hours later we went to my parent¢s house and had some dinner. It was nice to have some normalcy again. A little while later we took a drive to Friendly¢s for ice cream. We got back to the house and just relaxed. When I was home for the three days a couple weeks back, Nikki and I had no time together. We had a birthday party, two trips to REI, seeing friends, family, coworkers, resupply, etc. We really didn¢t have any time together. Those three days off weren¢t actually days off. This time was different. We were able to actually talk, enjoy each others company, and relax again. It was like I never left. It¢s nice to be home, even it¢s for a short time. It will be good to relax, refresh, and refocus for the last 500 miles.
Date: 2015-06-23
From: Southington, CT

To: Southington, CT
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

It was great to sleep in my bed last night. It was a good change from a tent, shelter, hostel, or motel. I was really comfortable and slept in a bit. Nikki and I spent the entire day together. I had errands to run and it was great to have the company! We ran to Walmart for my resupply, EMS for a new Platypus bag, and Best Buy for a new iPhone charging cord. We completed the errands and headed home. I made salsa chicken for dinner; finally, Nikki didn't have to cook. We just enjoyed each others company and were able to just talk and relax together. It was nice to not have to text or search for service to make a call. What a change!The day was relaxing and I enjoyed every bit. It was really nice.
Date: 2015-06-24
From: Southington, CT

To: Southington, CT
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Life is good. We slept in today. It was nice. But we had to get up because we were going to take a ride down to the shore. So we had a little breakfast, threw on our beach clothes and hopped in the car. We drove down to her cottage in Madison, CT to grab a couple beach chairs and umbrella. Nikki had already packed a bag of snacks and drinks. We then headed to a private beach and just relaxed. We sat on the beach, shaded by the umbrella, and let the stresses roll off our backs. We both needed this. Before we left to head home a couple hours later, we stopped at her grandmothers cottage and saw her and her aunt. It was great to see them and spend some time with them too. As much as we would have liked to, we couldn't stay too long. Heg was coming over for dinner and we needed to get back. The time home has been great. It was much needed and I think it's just the thing to get me refreshed and ready for the final 500 miles.On to Maine!
Date: 2015-06-25
From: Southington, CT

To: Stony Brook Shelter
Miles today: 10.0
Weather: overcast clouds

I said goodbye to my parents, Rick, and Nikki this morning. I'll be back soon enough. Heg and I left about 9:30am. We didn't talk too much about the trip. I guess there wasn't much to say about it...I'm going to walk to MaineI pulled into the parking lot on Route 4, got on my gear and was hiking by 1:15pm. I hiked and reminded myself to "stay healthy, stay positive" like I said for the first 1,000 miles of the trip. I think that I lost sight of that saying. I'll remind myself of that daily again. I feel better and there's no stopping until Katahdin!
Date: 2015-06-26
From: Stony Brook Shelter

To: Thistle Hill Shelter
Miles today: 21.5
Weather: broken clouds

The weather was beautiful today. It was sunny and there was a light breeze blowing. The tree cover gave me some shade throughout the day. I left at about 7:00am, so a bit later than expected. But about 6 miles into the day I ran into Sputnik! I hadn't seen him since Virginia. We hiked together for about an hour or so today. We talked about the trek so far, the trek coming up and the hikers along the way. It was pretty cool to see someone you know from 1,000 miles ago. We stopped at a very cool cabin with an observation deck on the roof. I grabbed a picture of a spectacular view of the mountains. From there I could also look down a few miles and see a nice little cabin sitting on a lake. After the very cool cabin, I continued hiking while Sputnik stayed back. The terrain from there on was challenging at points. There was quite a bit of elevation change and a few larger climbs. It was challenging and my pace slowed on the uphold. I guess it's expected though. I felt great today. I really think that break helped. I'm looking forward to seeing what this final leg brings!
Date: 2015-06-28
From: Velvet Rock Shelter

To: Trapper John Shelter
Miles today: 15.2
Weather: clear sky

It was a dreary day. It rained last night and continued into the day today. When I left the shelter it looked like it was dusk out. There wasn't much light hitting the trail. The combination of the thick canopy of leaves and the rain falling through the gaps made it dark.It rained pretty hard until 11:00am or so. It was supposed to rain all day actually. It was nice to take my rain jacket off for a bit. Unfortunately the wind was whipping. The forecast said 25mph winds, but that was in town. Up here it was so windy that at points I could not hear myself speak. The trees were being blown all over the place. There were small branches littering the trail. A few times I heard or saw dead trees hit the ground even.I didn't want anything falling on me, so the last mile on the ridge I hustled to the shelter. I got there early but wanted to get dry with the cold night ahead of me.Tomorrow should be a better weather day...I hope!
Date: 2015-06-29
From: Trapper John Shelter

To: Ore Hill Campsite
Miles today: 19.5
Weather: light rain

I got a late start today. I didn't actually start hiking until 8:30am. That doesn't happen that often and I hope it's not a trend. The terrain for the first couple miles was pretty mild. It changed shortly after though. I had a large climb up to the summit of Smarts Mountain. The trail was very steep and the climb was slow. The mountain was of slick granite and was steep enough that the rock was drilled and metal rebar was hammered into the rock to act as steps or handholds. On top of that, the rain from the day before was still streaming down the mountain. The trail was either slick rock or mud and roots. It made for a slower day than I anticipated. Also, because of the storms that blew through yesterday, numerous trees had fallen across the trail. If there weren't trees across across the trail there were surely branches littering it. About 2:30pm or so...it started to rain. The already slick rocks were even more treacherous. The mud had a new layer of slick and became deeper. I had slipped a couple times, even landing on my butt. Along the way I met my first southbound hiker, Sweeper. He started June 4th from Katahdin. I also met a hiker who has gone this far and is most likely going home. He isn't eating enough and has no energy anymore. His hike may be over after walking nearly 1,800 miles. It just goes to show the trail has no mercy and at any point can take you out. I arrived to the campsite after 7:00pm. It was a slow progress day with a couple tough climbs. I'm tired. At least tomorrow will be short!
Date: 2015-06-30
From: Ore Hill Campsite

To: Hikers Welcome Hostel
Miles today: 7.3
Weather: light rain

Despite being really tired from the day before, I stayed up late last night. I knew today was going to be short. It rained a bit last night. It made the rocks slick...again. The mud was greasy I slipped and fell in my knee this time. I was lucky okay though. I didn't land on a rock or anything. It's always scary because one wrong step can end my trip, regardless how far I make it. But a short time later I smashed my left big toe. I was seeing stars! There was a root hidden under the leaves and I hit it dead on. It was one of the hardest smashes I've had in a very long time. I had to stop for a few minutes and gather myself. After a couple minutes of sitting, I put on my shoe and continued on hiking. After all, what was I going to do? So I hiked a couple more miles until I reached Route 25 in Glencliff, NH. All that was left was to walk .3 miles east to arrive at the hostel. I walked down to the hostel, grabbed a bunk, did laundry and took a shower. The hostel is "rustic" you could say. It has what I need and is only $20. I guess that's a win. The weather forecast does NOT look good for tomorrow. I spoke to the hostel caretaker and he said if it's raining, don't hike tomorrow. I'd be going over Mount Moosilauke and the weather would be dangerous up there. The mountain is exposed and has a waterfall making the slick granite treacherous. If I have to zero, at least my body will have a rest before I enter the White Mountains. I'll have to see what the morning brings.
Date: 2015-07-01
From: Hikers Welcome Hostel

To: Hikers Welcome Hostel
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

It was raining all morning and a bit here and there during the day. Everyone at the hostel took a zero today. The weather was going make summitting Moosilauke dangerous bZeroing at this hostel kind of sucked. There was no place to walk to or anything. It was mostly just hang out...with wifi that was nonexistent most of the time. We were given a trip to a convenience store but then it was get back and type up my trailjournal. The day was not exciting but it did give me the chance to hang out and chat with other hikers. I texted with Stretch and Adam today. Stretch will be at the trailhead at 7:00am tomorrow. Looking forward to hiking with him again. Adam, Nikki's cousin, is going to try and meet and hike starting either Saturday or Sunday. It will depend on where I will be. I'll text him when I can so we can coordinate details. That will be good to hike with him again too. I'm hoping that by the end of the month I can summit Katahdin. I have less than 400 miles left but the terrain could make for shorter mileage days. The biggest thing through New Hampshire is the weather cooperating through the Whites Mountains. It looks like the next few days are going to be nice. Let's see what the Whites bring!
Date: 2015-07-02
From: Hikers Welcome Hostel

To: Eliza Brook Shelter
Miles today: 16.8
Weather: light rain

So last night I'm in bed and around 9pm I hear some people yelling. A few hikers from outside were yelling "NOT YET!" So I throw on my flip flops and head outside to see what they wanted. All of a sudden, Stretch was there! What a great surprise! He was supposed to meet at the trail at 7am but drove down from Quebec last night instead. We chatted for a little while and then figured we'd do our catching up on the walk today. We met at 7:00am but didn't get rolling until 7:30. I had to replace the tips on my trekking poles before we left. I put new ones on 1,000 miles ago but they finally need to be replaced. So once I replaced the tips we made it to the trailhead and started our walk. However it couldn't have been more than 50 yards down the trail and off came the socks...we had to ford a stream. What a great way to start the day!The first part of the day we had a large climb up and over Mount Moosilauke. It wasn't bad going up to the summit, actually. Despite the very imposing elevation profile, the climb went by quickly. I'm sure it was because Stretch was there and we were catching up. We made it to the summit but it was mostly clouded in. Occasionally the clouds would part, giving us brief views of the surrounding mountain. It was extremely windy at the summit but we took a couple pictures and continued on. We had to then descend over 3 miles to get down from the summit. It was extremely slow and challenging. Although the wind on the side of the mountain was now gone, the rock was extremely wet and slick from the recent rains. The spots I had to walk on that weren't rock were slick roots and mud. The mud on the soles of my shoes made the rocks even more slippery. Much of the descent was planning each spot where my feet would be. The mountain was so steep that metal bars and wooden wooden steps were literally bolted into the granite rock faces. It would have been difficult if the mountain was dry but the moisture added a new level of dangerous. On the way down the mountain we knew at some point we'd be passed by Scott Jurek. Scott is attempting to break the AT speed record. He's averaging 50 mile days and has a full support crew, film crew (with a drone), etc. When we knew he was just minutes behind we stopped and grabbed our phones to document the moment. He ended upcoming down the mountain pretty quickly but was not a speed demon. There was absolutely no way he could speed in this section. It's really impressive what he is attempting though. Stretch and I put our phones back and continued hiking to get to the Eliza Brook Shelter. It was really long getting there. We both felt like we were walking and walking but not making any progress. EVENTUALLY we hit the shelter at about 7:30pm. We were so glad to be there. We filtered water, set up our tents and ate dinner ASAP. It was time for bed shortly after it. The was one of the longest days in a long time. It wasn't the longest mileage wise, just difficulty with terrain. I hope the terrain coming up is not nearly as slick. Let's see what tomorrow brings!