morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2004-08-22
From: Dalton MA

To: GREYLOCK MT.
Miles today: 17.0

We woke up to cool dry weather in a Motel 8 which cost us too much money. We had breakfast at the motel then Bill and Matthew brought us to the trail and walked with us for about a mile. The trail was still wet from the 4 inches of rain. That means muddddddd. It was everywhere. Pokey stopped into the Mark Noeple Lean-to expecting the last entries from Bill and Julie Clark. They appear to have gone one more shelter so he will have to check again tomorrow.Bill and Matt slack packed us all day. When we hiked down into Cheshire they hid behind trees and growled like hungary bears to frighten us. We went to lunch at the Lakeside Restaurant and had nice food for reasonable prices with a great view.We finally met Mister T and Flint. They were slack packing south bound from North Adams 23 miles. Flint was about 45 minutes ahead of Mr. T who was wearing a cast on her right fore arm for the broken wrist she acquired before Kent. She was hiking with Scorch, another woman who started in late April.   We made it to the top of Mt Greylock for fantastic 360 views from the summit. We were later arriving than planned. It was 7 PM and we had almost 4 more miles to the Lean-to we planned to use. Bill and Matt where waiting for us. Bill finished a painting from the summit while we hiked. We stealth camped at the hiker refuge but were discovered by an employee who advised to tell others not to camp there but he didn't chase us out. I used this as an emergency shelter before during an April hike several years ago when we encountered 3 feet of snow. It is a semi emergency this time. Too far to go and too little day left. (and no money in our wallets to pay for Bascomb Lodge.) There is some creature knawing outside / or maybe inside on something. Most likely just a mouse but it is loud.   Just 601.1 more miles to Katahdin!!!Life Is Good!! "Gabby" aka Art Cloutman
Date: 2004-08-23
From: Mt. Greylock

To: Seth Warner shelter
Miles today: 13.2
Weather: few clouds

Mud is the name of the day. We hiked the first 3 miles of Vermont. Most of it was in ankle deep mud. Last night about 10:00 PM a car pulled up to the parking lot above the hiker refuge. The driver walked to the building and asked if we were thru hikers. He informed us that the building was to be used only in emergencies but he was not going to kick us out. We had a great night with incredible views of the lights from North Adams below. I saw a shooting star when I went out to pee.The hike down was sometimes steep and often muddy. We got a couple of nice views before we reached rt. 2 in N. Adams. Pokey needed to use a computer to book a flight to Florida. So we waited for a bus to Williamstown when two young men approached and offered to drive us there. We stopped at the Mountain Goat outfitter to pick up stove fuel and I had the tips on my Leki hiking poles replaced and bought a pair of thinner socks. We walked to Subway for a lunch then headed to the public library for access to a computer. Pokey was able to book round trip flights so we headed across the street to pick up a bus ride back to the trail. Williams College campus is wonderful. Students and staff stopped us as we walked though town doing our chores. I can see why my friend Peter Goddard loved the college.The trail was pretty much up hill all the way to the Vermont border which we reached around 7. That meant we would be hiking until 8:30 or later in the dark. To top it off the trail has been very muddy. Vermont is usually the muddiest. We made it to a full shelter around 8:45 and had to set up our hammocks in the dark. The last time I visited the Seth Warner Shelter was in 2002 with Jan Lightshoe, Clyde and Susan Buchanan. Jan was starting her practice/shakedown hike for the AT2003. Time for some sleep. Yawn!! Life Is Good!! "Gabby" aka Art Cloutman
Date: 2004-08-24
From: Seth Warner shelter

To: Harmon Hill/stealth campsite
Miles today: 9.7

We are not doing well at keeping over 13 miles per day. Pokey is getting worried. I'm hoping some of my family and friends can come to our rescue as we get closer to New Hampshire. We left the campsite around 8:30 AM after talking with a group of college freshmen from Yale on an orientation hike. They are very excited about their upcoming year and seem to be enjoying their hike except for the mud.It is the mud that slowed us down today. I was suppose to get into Bennington before 5 PM for a mail drop but at 2 PM we were 4 miles from rt. 9 and had not eaten. We decided to make it into town early tomorrow morning by camping on top of Harmon Hill. We are watching a spectacular sunset and hope to catch some shooting stars tonight. Clear sky promises another great day tomorrow.Life Is Good!! "Gabby" aka Art Cloutman
Date: 2004-08-25
From: Harmon Hill/stealth campsite

To: Goddard Shelter
Miles today: 11.9
Weather: broken clouds

The mud is slowly drying. The walk down the steep north side of Harmon hill onto rt. 9 was fast at 6:30 AM this morning. We made good time into Bennington when a man in a pickup truck gave us a ride to the post office. He had a doctors appointment across the street. I got my two mail drops, one was an accident. Sent one of the two drops home. I tried to mail a map and some socks home and get some cash with my ATM card. The post office clerk claimed he did not have enough cash to help me but if I came back in a few minutes he could help me. So, Pokey and I went to Friendly's for a second breakfast. Pokey is a vegetarian so ordered his breakfast piece meal. The server came with three dishes. She asked who ordered the home fries. Pokey said me. She said who ordered the pancakes. Pokey said me. She said who ordered the french toast. Pokey said me. I ordered a super two fer.   Same as Pokey but it includes bacon and eggs.Back to the post office. The clerk had trouble making his computer accept my ATM card. So I used the credit card but I had no cash. We needed some things from a pharmacy. I tried to use the ATM card again it didn't work. So I called the number on back of the card to find there was no money left in my account.A little old lady picked us up and brought us back to the trail. Mr. T and Flint came by as we were drying the contents of our bags in the sunny parking lot. London was with them. We ran into 7 south bound thru hikers including Dan and Mary, Lunchbox and somebody else, Geddy Up and Commando, and the ChinaMan. It seemed to take for ever getting to the shelter but we are here. London, Mr. T, Flint, Pokey and me I spending a nice night together.Life Is Good!! "Gabby" aka Art Cloutman
Date: 2004-08-26
From: Goddard Shelter

To: Stealth Campsite Stratton-Arlington Rd.
Miles today: 12.5

Mud again today with rocks but not too much vertical. My knees and ankle were sore today so I was hiking slowly. We had hoped to cover 19 miles to Stratton Pond Shelter but didn't have it in us. Mr. T, Flint and London only hiked 9 miles stopping at Story Brook Shelter. We spent an hour there with them hiking on reluctantly. I like the three of them and hope we get to hike with them again soon.We ran into 4 SOBO's today. A young couple was eating at Story Brook Shelter when we arrived. And two other guys we passed on the trail. A mother and son passed us southbound on a short section hike. Pokey is in awe of the woods in Vermont. I am used to hiking here so don't react so much to the beauty I have come to expect. We will have to get up early tomorrow to do 17 miles into Manchester Ctr for our mail drops.Life Is Good!! "Gabby" aka Art Cloutman
Date: 2004-08-27
From: Stealth Campsite Stratton-Arlington Rd.

To: Manchester Ctr. VT
Miles today: 17.5

Fog and a light beeze greeted us at the summit of Stratton Mt. I have never made it here on a clear day. Jean, the fire tower care taker, came out of her little cabin to talk with us for almost 1 hour. She and her husband used to man the tower in the 70's to watch and report forest fires. When the government declared the tower a historic sight they hired back on as care takers. They spend the entire summer here and then some with no electricity, no running water, and an outhouse hidden in the woods so hikers will not use it on them. She told a lot of interesting stories. The first fire warden worked the tower for years and made a special trail so he could haul supplies up to his cabin with a horse. As he got older he would hang onto the horses tail to get some help up to the summit. When the AT was relocated the new route was this horse trail because it used more switch backs and was less likely to be damaged by erosion.  We paid a visit to Stratton Pond Shelter since it is new. It is two stories and will hold 14 on the first floor and at least 8 more in the loft. The trail register was full of derogatory remarks from thru hikers who don't like paying 6 bucks to stay in this area. Green Mountain Club charges fees for some of its high use sites to defray the cost of maintaining the area. There is a caretaker assigned to these sites to collect the fees and to do the maintenance. We did not meet Kara since she was taking a couple of days off. Amongst her chores is to keep the composting privy cooking. She has to keep turning over the waste to promote decomposition. She also does a lot of trail maintenance in the area. Wish we could have met her. And wish we had time to take a swim in Stratton Pond but the going was slow because of mud and ups and downs. We got to Prospect Rock where we took a short break. Manchester was visible from the rocks. We decided to take the old Root Road down to town turning the 10 mile hike/hitch into a two mile walk. We still did not make the post office in time. We found Sutton Place and managed to get a room for $30 each. After a shower we walked to the Laundromat across from Friendly's Restaurant and did a laundry and ate dinner simultaneously. The temperature at the bank as we walked by was 80 degrees. Back to Sutton Place for some sleep. My feet and legs ached to the point that I had to get up and read for awhile and take more Advil. I think they will be very sore until I get finished with the hike and give them a few weeks to heal. We are expecting thundershowers tomorrow. Hope that does not mess up our hiking plans. Life Is Good!! "Gabby" aka Art Cloutman
Date: 2004-08-28
From: Manchester Ctr. VT

To: Bromley Mt ski Patrol Hut
Miles today: 3.0

The plan to leave town by 11:00 AM fell through. We had a great breakfast at Up for Breakfast but it was expensive.   The outfitter where my mail drop was located did not open until 10:00 AM. Pokey had a drop at the Manchester Center Post Office. He got on a bus to bring him to the post office but it turned out to be the wrong post office. He was not able to make it back to Sutton Place until noon. We then needed to sort through our stuff and reorganize. By that time we were hungry again so we stopped at a Chinese Restaurant for some lunch. I went next door to a grocery store and bought a pint of Ben&Jerry's Ice Cream with a coupon sent to me by my mail angel friend Linda Patton. We used two spoons to polish off the ice cream in the Chinese Restaurant then put on our packs and headed for the road. It took about 20 minutes before a nice lady stopped to give us a hitch back to the trail. She said it is part of her daily routine to drive hikers to and from town.We were stopped in the parking lot by a man who claims to have hiked in 1996. He says he hiked for a while with Fancy Free. He was there to throw a party for three south bounders at Spruce Peak. He offered me a beer before we started up the trail. A car pulled up with Sarge a section hiker we have met several times this hike. We had to talk with him for awhile. We made it to the Bromley Shelter around 5:30 PM and after a break hiked on to the summit and the Ski Patrol Warmup Shack nearby. We are alone on top with a thunderstorm coming and an almost full moon. After dinner Pokey was able to use the phone with his calling card to make a few calls.   Life Is Good!! "Gabby" aka Art Cloutman
Date: 2004-08-29
From: Bromley Mt ski Patrol Hut

To: Big Branch Shelter
Miles today: 13.5
Weather: light rain

Foggy when we got up this morning but it eventually cleared to a sunny but muggy day.   We stopped at a viewpoint this morning for a snack but the fog below made the show poor. At Peru Peak Shelter we met Walmart, a south bounder, who got his name because he tried to sell more then half of the 70 pounds of gear he started with. We met Bean another south bounder, who walked from Katahin and decided to follow the Long Trail north to Canada. Then he hitched back to Killington where he left the AT and continued south. Another south bounder passed us today but I forgot his name. He is trying to catch Walmart, who he only knows because of trail register entries.We walked another .5 miles to Griffith Lake where we went for a nice swim and had another food break.   Nobody told us about the incredible views from Baker Peak. They didn¢t warn us about the rocks and granite face either. It was an awesome climb to the summit where we took another snack break. I tried to make some cell phone calls with limited success. We stopped at Lost Pond Shelter to talk with some hikers then pushed on to Big Branch Shelter where we are spending the night. The shelter overlooks a strong river. We are the only two hikers here but, Katie and Amanda have left register entries that imply they are at least 2 days ahead of us. We are not likely to see them again.Life Is Good!! "Gabby" aka Art Cloutman
Date: 2004-08-30
From: Big Branch Shelter

To: Minerva Hinchely Shelter
Miles today: 13.2
Weather: clear sky

White Rocks Mountain is just what it sounds like. An awesome view from beyond the summit was a great place for Pokey and me to have lunch. I went swimming at Little Rock Pond but Pokey just watched, doesn't swim in the morning or some crazy rule like that. We met several south bounders during the day and a college group from Princeton out for 6 days. They are one of 60 groups of freshmen and leaders doing an outdoor orientation. I wish they were northbound so I could play with them. Flint caught up with us talking with the college group. He had to do a rescue mission for Scortch who cut open her shin in a bad fall. She was in beginning shock when he found her. He cleaned her wound and helped her to Danby-Landgrebe Road. Then he ran down the road to find help from a man in a tractor. An ambulance was called and Chicago Rob went with her to town. We don't know how everything turned out. We reached the shelter just before a thunderstorm hit. Welches, an Long Trail Thru hiker and John, an AT section hiker were all set up for the night. Flint was setting up his tent for Mr. T and himself. Mr. T and Flint showed up a bit wet. Once we finished dinner a group from Bronx, NYC showed up on a week long leadership training program for their high school. They looked so young to me now. We made room in the shelter for them to cook and for a couple of people to sleep. They set up tarps and tents for the rest of the group. One of their camper/students fell and had to go to the hospital with two of their leaders. The leaders may hike in during the night. Life Is Good!! "Gabby" aka Art Cloutman
Date: 2004-08-31
From: Minerva Hinchely Shelter

To: Cooper Lodge, Killington Mtn
Miles today: 13.9

Mrs. Gorp does a great job in taking care of the Mierva Hinchey Shelter. Wish I had time to visit with her but we have miles to hike.The Bronx kids got up quickly at 6:45 AM. They were very organized in preparing their breakfast and doing camp chores. It was foggy and the trees were dripping from the all night rain and t-storms. I was so hot during the night I slept on top of my sleeping bag wearing only my shorts. The bugs were ferocious until midnight but the thunder and rain were strong all night long.Pokey and I headed out at 8:00AM. We made good time heading toward Rt. 103 with the promise of breakfast at the Whistle Stop about 1/2 mile from the trailhead. About 1/4 mile from the trailhead I heard a voice then noticed John Salcius approaching along the trail. He drove us to The Whistle Stop and paid for our breakfasts. Then John drove us to Rutland VT where I picked up my mail drop and a great postcard from my good friend Regan Wendell, AT2003. Thanks for the encouraging words Regan. You know how tough the trail gets in northern New England.John brought us back to the trailhead and took our packs. We started into the Killington Wilderness area while John drove over to Killington Ski area and brought our packs up the gondola to the top of Killington Peak then carried them down to Cooper Lodge. He then headed south on the AT until he found us. We walked to the shelter then John had to hike down the mountain to the ski area because the gondola stopped operation at 5:00 PM. We didn't reach the shelter until 6:45 PM and we were hiking as fast as we could all afternoon. John is amazing and a true friend. He plans to return on Saturday 9/4/04 to slack us more.Pokey and I found the hike in the Killington area truly beautiful. I never realized how nice the trail would be in this area even having skied here hundreds of times. Mr. T, Flint and London are somewhere behind me. Welches is staying with us in the Cooper Lodge. Hutch is camped half way up Killington.   It is cold tonight. Temperature around 50 degrees. I should sleep well tonight.   Life Is Good!! "Gabby" aka Art Cloutman
Date: 2004-09-01
From: Cooper Lodge, Killington Mtn

To: Stoney Brook Shelter
Miles today: 16.2
Weather: light rain

I must make a correction to a journal entry back in Mass. I said that Burnie had slack packed southbound. Well, I was misinformed. I¢m proud to say that Burnie has stuck to her principles and did not hike south with Flavo Flav from Greylock Mountain. Burnie left me a threatening note in the Stoney Brook Shelter. She claimed some harm might befall me if I did not correct the rumor of her transgression. I'm really glad to be corrected on this point. And I am very impressed that my friend Burnie could withstand the incredible pressure that was undoubtedly put on her to slack southbound. Atta hiker Burnie. We miss you. Wish you weren't so darn fast. I won't ever catch up to you.The fog at Killington summit made the hike to rt. 4 less than spectacular. The temperature when we left the Cooper Lodge was 49 degrees inside the shelter. (It is suppose to go down into the 30's tonight.) We crossed Pico Peak and stopped at the Inn at The Long Trail for a goodbye lunch with Welches and Hutch. Welches is heading north on the LT toward Canada. Hutch is jumping up to Grafton Notch in Maine to finish another section of the AT he has yet to complete. We have enjoyed hiking with these guys and wish the the best hike possible.In the process of getting back onto the AT from rt. 4 we ran into numerous day hikers who had a hundred questions. I love to talk, especially about hiking the AT and Pokey has caught my malady. We spent too much time talking and not enough hiking. It was well after sunset when we reached the shelter. We still needed to unpack and cook dinner. The Reverend Yukon Jack was camping in the shelter and had a nice fire burning in the fire ring. It is now 10:40 PM. I am the only person still awake. but faaaaaaaaadddddiiing fasttttttttttt.Life Is Good!! "Gabby" aka Art Cloutman
Date: 2004-09-02
From: Stoney Brook Shelter

To: .3 miles north of VT 12
Miles today: 14.0

The best views from anywhere in New England so far were today on top of The Lookout. It is a privately owned cabin with a platform built on the roof to get some of the most amazing views on the clearest day so far on my entire hike. I was able to identify Killington, Okemo, Stratton, and Ascutney ski areas. The Franconia Ridge to the east along with Mooselauke could easily be seen. Mount Mansfield and Camel's Hump we identifiable to the northwest. We spent over 45 minutes taking it in. Later Pokey and I stopped at Wintturi Shelter. There was a note from Burnie in the register directed at us. She wants us to catch up so she can kick our butts. I'm not sure what weve done to anoy her but we are not likely to move fast enough to make up the 3 day lead she has on us. We chose to stealth camp this evening so we could be a little closer to West Hartford tomorrow where i have another mail drop. Pokey needs to be in Hanover Saturday, in two days, for his maildrop. Guess it will all work out.We have been seeing signs of fall the last few days. Some trees are changing colors and some are loosing leaves. Some places on the trail have had moose foot prints in the mud and today we saw scat from moose for the first time. Despite being physically drained at the end of the day, this has been a great day.Life Is Good!! "Gabby" aka Art Cloutman
Date: 2004-09-03
From: Stealth Campsite 

To: West Hartford, VT
Miles today: 12.3

Another fine day hiking, but we had to crank to make it before the post office closed. By chance I called Fancy Free on my cell phone. She said she would meet us at 4:30 PM in West Hartford to offer us a place to stay for the night and a free meal. So we are spending the night in Grafton NH and will slack tomorrow from West Hartford into Hanover and maybe beyond. It's good to have hiker friends.We only encountered one other hiker on the trail today. We did run into Flint at the grocery store in West Hartford. Four deer during the day is a high count since we reached New England. I think it is because deer are hunted here. We had some great vantage points along our route. At one point we could see Killington, Suicide Six, Ascutney and Carigain mountains. Vermont has been beautiful despite the mud. But it has been tougher than expected with so many little ups and downs. I am worn out and could use some time off the trail.Katie, aka Flavo Flave, left a threatening note at the Thistle Hill Shelter. She said if we did not stop making bad rumors against Burnie she was going to challenge us to a Break Dancing contest. Those are tough words. Life Is Good!! "Gabby" aka Art Cloutman
Date: 2004-09-04
From: West Hartford, VT

To: Hanover, NH
Miles today: 9.8
Weather: scattered clouds

Did you notice. We crossed another state line today. Twelve states down and only two more to go. I know they are the toughest two states on the entire trail but I have done most of this section of trail before. I've hiked all of NH, The Hundred Mile Wilderness, and The Mahoosucs more than once. And I know they are all tough.Fancy Free loaned us her car today. We drove back to West Hartford and started hiking around 9:30AM. We met several hikers along the way that asked "are you Pokey and Gabby, because a guy named Hoover is looking for you near Hanover." We walked as fast as we were able without our packs making it into Hanover around 12:30 PM. Ten miles in three hours a record pace for me. But I was very tired afterward.   We did not see John. We sat down outside the post office to wait. Eventually he showed up. He checked in the post office to see if I had picked up a mail drop. Well, it was Pokey who had the mail drop not me. Since there was no mail for me, John assumed we must have already passed through town and was about to stake out another trail north of here in hopes of finding us. Fortunately he had to pass near the post office on his way.We had a pizza at All You Can Eat but Anchovies then drove to West Hartford to pick up Fancie¢s car. We returned to Hanover and found Mr. T, Flint, London and Chicago Rob slacking through town on their way 6 more miles to meet us in 30 minutes. They were frazzled thinking they would miss us and their packs were back in West Hartford. While Pokey and Mr. T did some shopping for dinner, Flint, London and I drove back to West Hartford to pick up their four backpacks then headed to Fancy Free's for a home made dinner and some nice socializing. Scorch was there, having been picked up from the hospital by Fancy. Her cut shin has become infected. She has medication to kill the pain and the infection and is on crutches. She is bummed but pleased to be with hikers for awhile. Life Is Good!! "Gabby" aka Art Cloutman