morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2006-07-16
From: Main Road - Tyringham, MA

To: Gulf Road - Dalton, MA
Miles today: 28.6
Weather: scattered clouds

Like most of my big days, I don¢t begin the day with the intention of doing them. They just happen.The nice people at The Southern Comfort motel drove me back to Tyringham (after a detour through The Duncan Doughnuts drive-thru). I had 8.6 northbound miles before I¢d most likely run into Dr. Steve, aka Grateful Granddad. Grateful Granddad and his lovely fiance took me to dinner to say thanks for giving up my spot at The Inn. Five years earlier he had his sights on a thru-hike until life interrupted those plans. Today he¢d reintroduce himself to hiking The AT ¢ much to the fret of his loved ones. We figured we¢d run into each other, since he was southbound. Sure enough, my early start and his late had us meet right as he was beginning. We wished each other happiness and continued on our own journeys of adventure and discovery. (May your footing be solid and the smiles many Grateful Granddad.)At noon I reached County Road, a gravel-dirt road in the woods at 14 miles. I laid down on my Tyvek at 12:15 p.m. and drifted off instantly into a Rumblestiskin slumber. At 12:35 I woke to the sound of spray-airsole or rattlesnake rattle, jumping up alarmed, not a soul, snake or sound was anywhere. Revitalized by the nap, my legs were making quick miles¢¦ that¢s when I decided to push on. Besides, I woke with the most amazing craving for a Dr. Pepper.Today also had me encounter my first South bounder heading to Georgia. He, Sage juice, mentioned that Marley and Mystic had left Dalton only yesterday morning. That only puts them two days ahead now, instead of five. Pushing on was apparently a good decision ¢ I should catch them in another two weeks most likely.Mr. Humidity was with me all day, the water was pouring out of me, again. I met Lunchbox at a road crossing; we first met in Boiling Springs. So the last eight miles we hiked together, he has a great knowledge of the forest botanicals. It was wonderfully educational and he¢s a nice guy. Down into a small hollow, we heard quite a commotion up on the rocks to our left ¢ a black bear! Wow, that¢s No. 9 for me now. And¢¦ we saw our first moose hoof prints in the trail. So cool, maybe this hike I get that elusive moose sighting while being on The AT?Dead tired by mile 25, I let Lunchbox keep the lead, dragging my tired ass in his wake.By 5:30 p.m., 28.6 miles were done and I was taking a long, long swig from a Dr. Pepper in my motel room. Bliss beyond description!After a shower I hoppled over to the tavern for dinner, to write and draw. That¢s when I heard the voice of someone I knew; only the look of the individual didn¢t match up. I saw the ring in his left ear, heard the voice again, and yelled out ¢Marley?¢ ¢Holly ____¢ he said. It was Marley. He and Mystic hitched back to Dalton when equipment issues with Marley¢s backpack was making it painful to continue. So there it is. By pushing we had a reunion, all three of us. They¢re still 25 miles ahead, but now we all know where the other is. The Trail never fails to surprise!
Date: 2006-07-18
From: Gulf Road - Dalton, MA

To: Mt. Greylock
Miles today: 16.0

One very nice aspect of another thru-hike is getting to have a do-over on sections where the weather was so miserably bad you couldn¢t see bubkiss. Many times I¢ve been able to see the beauty and grandeur that was shrouded in fog. Today however, was a twin of the forecast two years earlier ¢ Severe Thunderstorms with hail and lightening by 3 p.m.Unfortunately, the weather doesn¢t seem to be growing angry as they predicted. It appears that no light show, courtesy of Mother Nature is immanent. Drats.Here at the top of Mt. Greylock, only five of us participated in their dinner (Brisket with mash-potatoes). On the way up this morning, I came upon Slim, a thru-hiker out of New York. We arrived early (no lollygaggin¢) since the severe weather was forecasted. After a shower, I crashed on my lodge bed for a 90-minute nap. Oh, I should mention that Mt. Greylock¢s summit has two architectural features. Bascom Lodge and The War Memorial, the people of Massachusetts erected to veterans. It¢s a very busy destination most days, but today being Tuesday it¢s quite sleepy really. The lodge can sleep around 60 individuals but with so few here, its strangely quiet. Throughout the day we climbed but oddly, swampy, muddy trail still exists up on the summits. And so does their state bird ¢ The Mosquito! We are slowly but surely getting higher and higher, maybe they¢ll go away? One can hope can¢t one? Without a cold snap I¢m sure my days with these annoying winged pests will continue. Even with 100% Deet, they love to sing their buzzy little song near your eardrums. My ¢M M M M M¢ strategy (minimize Massachusetts monster mosquito masses) has worked beautifully, because tomorrow I walk out of this haven for mosquitoes and across the Stateline of Vermont. Now if only Vermont had a giant bubble over itself, all would be good. Alas, it is not so. The Massachusetts State Bird has clearly infiltrated the neutral territory of Vermont !#?*! We need more Bats, millions more Bats to deal with this issue!
Date: 2006-07-19
From: Mt. Greylock

To: VT 9 (Bennington, Vermont)
Miles today: 24.7

Since entering Massachusetts, the forest has grown thicker, denser. There seems to be more moss and the summits are dominated by spruce, balsam fir and other evergreens. Mixed in are trees I¢ve never known ¢ the black cherry. They have bark that resembles dark gray Kellogg¢s cornflakes¢¦ that¢s what makes them easy to spot.Even up high on the summit ridgelines, mud bogs exist. The soil must sit on rock shelves where drainage is impossible.While the start of this hike was blessed with good weather, the east was taking a pounding with rain. That must explain the winged pests that are maddening. Just when you thought leaving Massachusetts and their mosquitoes behind would be glorious, I cross into the state of Vermont today only to face an even worse adversary ¢ black fly!Black fly does not look like flies, but rather look like large black gnats. Slow flying, they¢re easy to smack. To combat this in evolutionary terms, there are vast numbers of them.After a small rest at a shelter just over The Vermont Stateline, we had a small thousand-foot climb where upon reaching a vista at the summit, I dropped my pack to wring out the shirt and eat a victory snack. There wasn¢t anything in sight, but in one minute, there must have been 50 black fly on my pack and a 150 flying around my face ¢ and yes, I had on 100% Deet. Well, this obviously won¢t do for a restful location. Another mile on was a power line clearing and some nice rocks to sit on. Good, nothing flying in the air. Off came the pack and as I started to open the food bag for that delayed snack, I was descended on again.I thought black fly season was supposed to end in June? Or at least in Maine. However, this wet season here in the north has obviously lengthened that window. Frankly, I don¢t see how it¢s going to improve since cold weather is a ways off. The days of hiking comfortably to beautiful vistas, lingering there to soak up the beauty may disappear since stopping invites the little biting demons to pounce. You¢re only safe in small voids in between the swarms or while walking. But you can¢t keep moving twenty-four hours a day.It would actually be good if it rained, that seems to knock¢em down. Of course your Frito¢s are bound to get a tad soggy during lunch.There¢s never a good arctic clipper when you need one.
Date: 2006-07-20
From: VT 9 (Bennington, Vermont)

To: East Branch of Deerfield River (Tenting)
Miles today: 22.7

There was good news and good news today. First the good news. The morning was a brisk 59 degrees; so hiking was fall-like, almost chilly. But that¢s really not the good news; it was the breeze that came with it. At a steady 10 to 15 mph, all the black fly was blown over into New York or back to Massachusetts. Whenever you wanted to rest, you simply did so where the breeze was at it¢s hardest. Then you could eat without being eaten ¢ always good in my book.The other good news, which is really GOOD news, I¢m no longer a moose virgin. Yep, I finally saw one on the AT! It only took 3800 miles, but so what, I got to see a huge female walk right across the trail, no more than sixty feet ahead of me. Boy are they big too! It looks like they simply step over everything on the forest floor with their extremely high legs. It all happened after a late afternoon break at a shelter to get water and cook dinner, I decided to hike till 6:30, adding more miles to today¢s tally and reducing those needed to get me into Manchester tomorrow. So glad I pushed on to tent, that¢s how I saw the moose. I¢m now whole; I¢ve achieved thru-hiker completeness. I am no longer a moose virgin! Thank you Ms. Moose of The Vermont woods. Now, can I see your cousins?Even if the moose hadn¢t happened or if the breeze was absent, the ridge walk over the summits in today¢s hike held much to smile about. Mainly because of the spruce, fir, pine and hemlock.Every summit was an aroma jubilee with that evergreen, spicy scent. Oh how I love it. Christmasland is what I call it and it never fails to touch me.Tonight I¢m tenting with two Canadians (Brian & Cameron) who are out for a month. With campsites minimal around here, we¢ve pitched at a trailhead parking area. This is usually not ideal, but the bugs were getting blown back into the woods, since there¢s a breeze here.So, that¢s the news that is the news. Happy Moose-day everyone¢¦ and goodnight from Vermont
Date: 2006-07-21
From: East Branch of Deerfield River (Tenting)

To: Manchester, Vermont
Miles today: 17.4

Well the rain that was forecast for the evening never showed. Yea, that meant no wet pack up this morning.We all were up at 5:15 a.m. and heading up Stratton Mountain by 6. Once again the wonderful scent of evergreen filled my senses as we reached the summit. Chritmasland always makes the climb worth it. Whether wet or dry, the spruce and fir always please by the aroma they release.We pushed throughout the morning to limit the time in the grey skies ¢ however, the rain did catch us several times, but never for more than five minutes.By 1:30 p.m. we were picked up at the trailhead and went directly to Friendly¢s for burgers and soda. Then a quick stop for laundry and eventually up to Sutton¢s Place for the evening.
Date: 2006-07-23
From: Manchester, Vermont

To: Little Rock Pond Shelter
Miles today: 20.2
Weather: overcast clouds

It was so nice to zero in Manchester on a very rainy, foggy day. Brian and Cameron and I left Sutton¢s Place early to head over to Up For Breakfast (it¢s on the second floor), and then Slim walked in to join. Man is their food good ¢ and real Vermont Maple Syrup! I had Belgian Waffles AND Eggs Benedict with the largest OJ you¢ve ever seen.Then it was back to the Laundromat to wash my backpack. All that drenching humidity has not only soaked me, it also soaks into every strap and piece of fabric.The grocery store was on the rounds too. Red Wine for town and other goodies for the trail. Then over to the outfitter for a new, controversial piece of gear ¢ shoes! Controversial since when you have shoes that don¢t blister you, give no foot ache and are so comfortable you don¢t even put on camp shoes at the end of the day, they¢re worth their weight in golden fried chicken. The only issue has been the tread or material its made of ¢ I find them slippery with nine falls thus far (3 times that of my ¢04 hike to this point) nearly all were because my feet went out from under me.So the owner of The Mountain Goat Outfitter and I had a little conference in his shoe area. Amazingly, Montrail has changed their shoes so much that they actually feel good. That wasn¢t the case in 2002 when my leather Montrail¢s turned my heels into hamburger.So in a risky move, I made a decision to switch to Montrail¢s that have a very aggressive tread pattern. This morning when we headed out, there was definitely some apprehension as to if the risk would prove beneficial. And now, after 20.2 miles of wet rocks, roots and mud bogs, the shoes are a kick-ass success. And despite the rain and soaking foliage, my shoes (and rain pants) kept my feet dry!Tonight, we four (Slim, Brian, Cameron and I) have a nice fire going, the rain ended two hours before camp and the sun changed the days whole mood.(Oh, the bleeding backpack? It seems the red wine from the grocery store worked its way to the bottom of the pack and when I sat it down to get new shoes, it and the pavement had a disagreement. The pavement won and my freshly laundered backpack bled red wine in defeat. Glad it wasn¢t me.)
Date: 2006-07-24
From: Little Rock Pond Shelter

To: Governor Clement Shelter (Tenting)
Miles today: 19.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Brrr. It was in the mid-fifties last night; the morning wake-up went a bit slower as a result. But beautiful blue up above made all warm.Nothing big and dramatic today, however at White Rocks Mountain, we all did drop our packs and built new Cairns with the thousands of angular rock chunks.At VT103, a short side jaunt (1/2 mile) had us ordering real food from the Whistle Stop Restaurant.Brian and Cameron hitched into the town before to pick up a mail drop and find their own place for food. They rejoined us before we made it here. Usually not a recommended shelter, due to Towner¢s coming up the forest road to have beer-busts with bonfires. Since it¢s Monday, I¢m sure it will be quiet.The most wonderful event was that of coming to a stream where a hiker ¢ ¢Outhouse Repairman¢ has been putting out soda in a small corral in the stream. The spring fed water keeps them all blissfully chilled. The Cola Corral, which I¢ve named it, has given hikers a treat at the rate of over a thousand a season since the year 2000. That¢s six years of soda on his tab. Very generous indeed!A little bit about Brian and Cameron (no trail names yet). They are brothers and work a ranch of beef cattle and also are farmers. They live in Ontario and seem to be entrepreneurial at making money from oats for Quaker, to selling eggs from the farms chickens. It was Brian¢s idea to hike Vermont to Maine, and after his buddy backed out at the last moment, Cameron, his brother filled the slot. The reason they can¢t go farther is awesome ¢ they¢re needed for the second cutting of the hay.Their hike is going well and seem to be discovering how to enjoy The AT.Tomorrow it¢s up and over one big mountain ¢ Killington. Then at the base, we head over to that wonderful Lodge and Irish pub of The Inn at Long Trail. Should be there by lunch.
Date: 2006-07-25
From: Governor Clement Shelter (Tenting)

To: The Inn at Long Trail
Miles today: 10.6

If it were January, today¢s hike would have been on snowshoes. Mt. Killington is a winter wonderland for skiers and the mountain and lodges are packed with city folk. But with this being July, it¢s mainly a group of smelly hikers. Some doing the Long Trail, for which The Inn is named after, and we Appalachian Trail followers. The main draw isn¢t the linens ¢ I don¢t need linens anymore, just a small pad and my mummy. No, the main draw is McGrath¢s Irish Pub and their menu. Their specialty is perfectly set up draughts of Guinness Stout ¢ The King of black ales. Guinness Stout has a velvet hat of foam smoother than an angels downey feathers. It¢s nectar of the brew-gods. Black as night and it¢s micro foam as hypnotic as the ocean surf.The strategy today was simple ¢ hike in early and then eat myself silly until bedtime. Mission accomplished. Of course if I remember right, I did hike over one of Vermont¢s biggest mountains? Yea, that¢s right, Mt. Killington. It truly is a summit of Christmas trees. This morning, the sun was bright, the clouds minimal and a breeze that had me hiking in my fleece cap. This is all part of preparing us for The White¢s of New Hampshire ¢ where snow is possible in any month.Throughout the climb, I¢ve noticed how the new shoes, or more specifically their lighter weight, are improving my leg stamina. It¢s always been good for someone my age, but it¢s gone up another notch. The timing couldn¢t be better since between here and entering The Whites (four days away) much of what lays ahead is ramping up in difficulty. The improved traction of a softer sole does have me feel a few more rocks, but I rather like not falling on my face from shoes that slip out from under you
Date: 2006-07-26
From:  US 4, The Inn at Long Trail

To: Wintturi Shelter (Tenting)
Miles today: 19.9

Some days you have your go-go. And then some days you have your slow-slow. That was today. I had some theories as to the culprit ¢ The Guinness Stout, I kept enjoying yesterday. By 3 p.m. I not only hit the wall, it fell on top of me. I realized I hadn¢t had my protein shake for breakfast, so at the next stream I corrected that and sure enough, my energy started to climb.When you spend time in the woods and mountains, you see stuff. Some of it is full of grandeur like a breathtaking vista or a sky so pure with blue. And then some sights are a bit baser. During one trek through a small valley, moose poop was deposited a dozen times. No prints, just poop.Moose droppings are perfectly shaped easter eggs ¢ slightly larger than Milk Duds. They sort of remind me of them, but I¢m quite confident they¢re not as tasty as Milk Duds.One particular deposit was that of a calf. It was proof that they were around, maybe even watching. The area was named Moose Poop Boulevard (unofficially).
Date: 2006-07-27
From: Wintturi Shelter (Tenting)

To: Hanover, New Hampshire
Miles today: 26.2

Heat. Humidity. Up. Down. Up. Down. Sweat. Sweat. Sweat. Hitchhike. Hotel. Laundry. TV. Drink. Drink. Drink. Dinner. Drink. Drink. Second Dinner. Drink. Drink. Sleep. Welcome to New Hampshire
Date: 2006-07-28
From: Hanover, New Hampshire

To: Moose Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 11.0
Weather: haze

Officially I walked into Hanover, New Hampshire this morning. To do so, I first had to taxi it back over from White River Junction ¢ the only place with hotel rooms, since Dartmouth College is having yet another parents week-end. Two years ago I ran into another parents weekend and hard to get rooms for the night. Once in town all the essentials swing into action. At the Post Office I switched out sleeping bags and got my fleece my folks sent out to me. It must sound a bit odd to get a fleece and warmer mummy when only the day before I was melting into a puddle of DNA. But it all has to do with The Whites. This mountain range gets snow every month, hurricane force winds are commonplace and getting caught above tree line in a driving rain with wind chill can turn you into a popsicle. So anyway, the switch was made.Somehow I left my tyvek resting yesterday, or should I say melting, at a defunked grocery store. I was so looking forward to a soda and ice cream only to be totally divested when the store was empty after mile 16. That¢s when I decided to hitch-to-hotel in another few miles.For the last couple months I¢ve been craving Indian food and Hanover has two. The Jewel of India finally ended that 1000-mile craving at lunchtime; it was my gift to myself before heading out again. Yep, no zero here since Hanover has no convenient place to crash.The sky was not welcoming today, neither was the forecast, it wouldn¢t take long before all the doom-and-gloom would come raining down. For some reason this hike, the hardest rain with thunder and lightening overhead hasn¢t driven me nuts. During the gully washer and raging thunder, I had to cross a huge field, which transformed me into one of the tallest objects under this beast. Not ideal! But as I mentioned, I just go now.I¢m noticing how I¢m thinking about the countdown. The journey has plenty of miles to go, but being under 500 pleases me. Should be nice tomorrow, most likely humid again ¢ but no gully washer.
Date: 2006-07-29
From: Moose Mountain Shelter

To: Hexacuba Shelter
Miles today: 17.7
Weather: light rain

With the deluge of yesterday afternoon, fog through the night, the promise of a very wet morning hike was a for certain. Every leaf held its maximum amount of moisture just waiting for someone (me) to upset the delicate balance. Then it¢s enough falling water to take a shower in. Of course that happens with every step. Always lovely. And so soggy and nice at giving you squishy socks and sloshey shoes.Half way up Smart Mountain, soaked to the bone despite a sunny day, I¢d had enough. On a rocky, sun drenched out cropping, the pack came off as well as my clothes. Sitting in underwear, surrounded by my wet clothes, it was lunchtime.Sometimes you just get tired of being wet, unfortunately the rest of the hike continued to soak due to the poor trail maintenance of The Dartmouth Outing Club. In fact, I¢m fairly sure by the condition of the AT in their domain that they are no longer an entity. Defunked. When I walked through here two years ago it was up to par. That might have been the last time anyone lifted a finger towards doing their part on this national scenic footpath. I think they¢re all playing hooky? Despite them, you plod along in mud and bogs and bushwhack, hoping to see a white blaze that hasn¢t been covered over with lichens. I give the Dartmouth Outing Club two thumbs down.
Date: 2006-07-30
From: Hexacuba Shelter

To: GlenClif, New Hampshire
Miles today: 14.7

When you get up and going early, good things happen. Since Hexacuba Shelter was already halfway up Mt. Cube, we only had a small climb to the summit. It¢s covered in big smooth rocks ¢ a theme that will continue now north to Mt. Katahdin. The sun and crisp morning chill made the moment breathtaking. We took photos and threw on wind shirts to dull the 50-degree temps. It felt positively fall like.Upon reaching the first road, Cameron who is now Magic Shoes, and Brian who is now Chemist and I sat down to have a snack at 8:30 a.m. That¢s when two runners came by to chat ¢ They asked if we had breakfast yet. Yep, we were off to their place for the works. (Isn¢t trail magic amazing!)The rest of our planned day was short and sweet with us finishing at two. It felt like a half day-off or what we call a ¢nero¢, meaning near zero.The hostel for hikers here in GlenClif is one of two buildings (The Post Office being the other). It has lots of texture, such as the outdoor toilet under the tarp. Or bunks outside under a tarp tent and a barn like room to hang in ¢ Above which are more bunks for six (that¢s where we are). Oh yes, of course there are others sharing this loft bunkhouse too. Only they¢re a bit smaller and like to hang upside down. Yes, hiking the AT is a full color adventure!