morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2003-08-11
From: October Mtn lean-to

To: Dalton MA
Miles today: 12.3
Weather: light rain

Woke up to a dry morning! I left without breakfast around 8. It¢s hard to get a rhythm going today ¢ the trails are both muddy and root-y. This morning I covered the area south of Warner Hill, which I day hiked early in the spring a few years ago. I had lunch at Kay Wood shelter and met a couple of SB thru hikers. I walked into Dalton around 2:30, bought an iced tea, and yogi¢d a ride to the laundromat from a local guy who was thinking about hiking to Greylock. While I was packing up the clean laundry heavy rain began with a lot of thunder. I went next door to the sub shop and sat on the porch watching it rain. I decided to punt on the last five miles I¢d planned for the day and stay at a motel. I just couldn¢t face the idea of getting all those nice dry clothes wet again, so I yogi¢d a ride to the Shamrock Motor Inn. Days of hiking in wet boots and socks is taking its toll: I¢ve got raw red patches on top of my toes on both feet and underneath a couple of them. I saw Trench, Alpha & Cadbury in camp this morning, then on the trail, and finally at the laundry in Dalton. They¢re looking for a dry place that will allow Cadbury to stay with them.
Date: 2003-08-12
From: Dalton MA

To: Bascom Lodge
Miles today: 17.0

I got up at 5:30, showered, and started walking at 6:30. Keeping the faith, I backtracked from the motel to the last blaze I¢d passed on the way into town, then down Dalton¢s High Street and onto the trail. It was a good section of trail, attractive and an easy climb past Crystal Mtn campsite, which was my original objective for yesterday. There were some wet areas on top of the hill, but I kept my feet fairly dry. I walked down into Cheshire, past a brand new rail-trail to the post office, where I claimed my mail drop from a very nice clerk. I went up Main Street looking for a food store, which I found at the Shell station on Rte 8. I drank a Sobe green tea and backtracked the AT from its Rte 8 crossing back to the Cheese Monument opposite the post office. This is one of the better public monuments I¢ve ever seen; it is actually dedicated to a local clergyman who worked with Jefferson to get Massachusetts to vote for the Bill of Rights. The town sent a huge cheddar cheese to Jefferson on his inauguration, and the monument represents a giant cheese press. I guess that¢s where the expression ¢he¢s a big cheese¢ comes from.I hiked back up the AT to Rte 8 and up a trail I¢ve day-hiked before, across a meadow and onto the foot of Mt Greylock. While climbing over the style at the edge of a fenced-in field, I remembered looking at that style a few years ago and imagining what it would be like to cross it on a thru-hike. The trail up Greylock was a very nice, at one point passing through a huge grove of towering hemlocks on a steep hillside. However, after getting atop Saddleball Ridge there was a long series of unavoidable mudholes, bogs, and deep puddles, as well as water flowing copiously down the trail, so my earlier efforts to keep my feet dry were in vain. There were few hikers on the trail today; I met a short-term hiker, 2 SoBos and some day trippers near the summit. I had the usual worries about lost reservations etc., but when I got to Bascom Lodge, they had my reservation and were friendly and helpful. They even provided a towel and shampoo, and I enjoyed the novel experience of having a hot shower two days in a row. I wrote part of this entry sitting alone in the bunkroom enjoying the view of shifting clouds below as the sun shone in. Mountain Jack arrived around 5PM. I went outside and watched the clouds roll over the summit; the top of the monument seemed to dissolve and rematerialize as the clouds rolled through.We had an excellent dinner last night thanks to the cooking staff, two women who hail from Venezuela and Zambia, respectively. Jack and I shared a dinner table with a friendly couple from Barcelona and some other nice folks.
Date: 2003-08-13
From: Bascom Lodge

To: Congdon shelter
Miles today: 17.2
Weather: light rain

I went out at 4AM just to take a look around, and watched the moon come and go through the warm fog. The same group of folks was present again at breakfast, which was large and sumptuous. I left the lodge and started hiking at 9AM. It was the usual overcast foggy morning. After passing Mt Williams, the trail descended steeply. The sun was out before I reached the base of the mountain and I walked on roads through North Adams, across Route 2, and back on the trail running alongside Sherman Brook up the ridge on the opposite side. There was a very rocky steep section leading up to the junction with Pine Cobble trail. I met a pediatrician from San Diego on the way up and a large group from Ft Wayne IN at Eph¢s Lookout. I crossed the VT state line with a cheer.The trail became muddier on top of the ridge. I crossed County Road and began the section of the AT/LT that I¢d hiked with my son¢s Boy Scout troop 8 or 9 years ago. Thunder rumbled, but the clouds were moving from the northwest, which was a good sign since it meant a new air mass was finally taking over the weather. There was a brief sprinkle but the sun soon returned. I climbed over the hill and down to Roaring Branch, which did in fact roar as it flowed out of a beaver pond. I hiked on, over Consultation Peak and through lots of ankle¢deep puddles and bogs. I saw T-Bird and another hiker at a campsite across the brook and we waved hello over the din of the fast-moving water. I made it to Congdon Shelter around 7PM. There were a couple and a lone hiker there, all hiking short-term. One of them was in his sleeping bag and never came out. The ground in front of the shelter is a muddy mess, and we¢re rock hopping on stepping stones between the shelter and the picnic table to keep the mud off our feet. I¢m writing this by headlamp at the table.
Date: 2003-08-14
From: Congdon shelter

To: Kid Gore shelter
Miles today: 18.7
Weather: clear sky

The mystery man awoke five minutes before I left, but said nothing. The folks from Maine were fun to chat with. As I got going at 8, the sun was penetrating the morning haze. I stopped to take in the view from Harmony Hill down to the town of Bennington through the broken clouds passing below me. I met a young guy named Working on It (or maybe he was working on a trail name) who stopped there to meditate. I met Hot Rod again at the bottom of the steep trail down to Rte 9, and we talked for a while by the bridge over the river. I continued up the trail and stopped for lunch at Little Pond Outlook, watching the big windmills turn on the distant ridge. The bugs were not bad, and the mudholes were beginning to firm up, but there¢s still plenty of water on the trail. I mis-estimated my position on the trail (there¢s two lookouts) and I began feeling impossibly weary on the way to Glastenbury Lookout. However, the sight of the mountain across the shallow valley perked me up. I made it up there by 4:30, not stopping at Goddard Shelter. After climbing up the old fire tower for a hazy view, I hiked another 1:45 down to Kid Gore shelter, which has a great view to the east. On the way I saw fresh moose tracks, and suddenly a cow moose got up from where she was having a nap on the ferns, scarcely 20 feet from the trail. Loser was at the shelter and Chemo soon arrived; I¢d been reading his journal entries for weeks and finally met him. Loser and Chemo developed a table of mileages needed to reach Katahdin with various combinations of finishing dates and zero days taken. It¢s possible to do it by October 15 averaging a little less than 10 miles per day. Chemo stuck it in the shelter register.
Date: 2003-08-15
From: Kid Gore shelter

To: Stratton Pond shelter
Miles today: 15.2
Weather: few clouds

We awoke to a spectacular pink sunrise through the wide-screen opening of the shelter. I got up before 6 and started hiking around 7, up and over the next hill and around to Story Spring shelter for a break. I pushed on to the road, crossing Black Brook on the way. I met a section hiker named Sky-T at the parking area. The weather was beautiful and clear, and there was Pepsi trail magic next to the road. The hike up Stratton Mtn was great, both pretty and easy to climb. I had lunch on top with Loser and chatted with the GMC caretaker, who told us about the big power blackout blanketing the northeast U.S. There¢s something wonderful about being totally oblivious to an event like this, which has affected a huge part of the eastern U.S. I walked down the mountain past a stealth campsite I had once used, and onto the side trail skirting the north shore of Stratton Pond. The campsite was fully occupied by one large group of body builders, so I set up my tarp in the woods near the pond. I was politely evicted by Bill the caretaker an hour later, so I walked back to the Stratton Pond shelter feeling a bit ruffled. Sky T and Chemo were at the shelter, which is new and beautiful, so the day ended well.
Date: 2003-08-16
From: Stratton Pond shelter

To: Peru Peak shelter
Miles today: 20.3
Weather: scattered clouds

I slept well, got up at 5:45 and was out by 6:50. The trail north of Stratton Pond was wet as expected, but it showed some signs of drying. It passed through some nice stands of beech trees. I walked right past Prospect Rock, which is on the far side of the junction with a gravel road the trail follows for a mile or so. I reached Routes 11/30 at 11:30 and got a ride into Manchester from a former section hiker. This was the first time on the hike I had been picked up by someone in an SUV, which usually roar past hikers. My Platypus bag had developed a leak, but neither outfitter in town had any in stock, so I just bought another pair of socks and some bug dope. I also bought cheese, tortillas, and cookies at a local store and had a sumptuous cheeseburger lunch at an overpriced restaurant. I hitched back to the trail in the afternoon sun ¢ it was hot now. Halfway up Bromley Mtn it rained and the temperature dropped perhaps 10-15 degrees. I was soon wet not so much from the rain (thanks to my umbrella) but from brushing against the wet foliage growing out onto the trail. There were no views from the socked-in summit. I reached Mad Tom Notch at 5PM and decided to push on to Peru Peak shelter, arriving there at 7:10. There were 5 short-term hikers at the shelter, including former section hikers Trashman and Einstein. We had a pleasant chat while cooking and eating dinner at the picnic table. Abby the caretaker came by with her dog to collect fees and chat. There was a nice pink sunset and it was dark at 8:20 PM.
Date: 2003-08-17
From: Peru Peak shelter

To: Greenwall shelter
Miles today: 14.7
Weather: scattered clouds

I had another agreeable start to the day chatting with shelter mates. I ate cold granola and got back on the trail at 7:50. At Griffith Lake I stopped for a snack but it was too cold and windy to swim. From there I climbed up to my old friend Baker Peak in about an hour. There were clouds hovering in the valley below. I walked down the long decline to Big Branch and its suspension bridge and shelter. The register extolled the joys of skinny dipping in Big Branch¢s swimming holes, but though sunny it was too early and still too cold to swim. I started up the trail and soon reached Little Rock Pond, which was large and beautiful, with a backdrop of fir/spruce-covered hills. Still too cold to swim, I just had lunch there. I climbed up to White Rock Mtn, meeting SoBo Goggles and NoBo Mtn Butterfly, whom I had briefly met in Duncannon and Port Clinton. The real attraction was not the white rocks, a small grouping of boulders, but the beautiful spruce/fir forest through which the trail runs for over a mile. There was also a sort of environmental artwork of many and varied cairns made from pieces of the quartzite that were lying all around; it reminded me of a similar impromptu artwork at Sunfish Pond. I finally came to the Greenwell shelter side trail. At the shelter I met Martha Graham, whom I had last seen at Front Royal and had an early dinner with her. I¢m writing this in my net bivy, hiding from the mosquitoes.
Date: 2003-08-18
From: Greenwall shelter

To: Gov. Clement shelter
Miles today: 14.8
Weather: light rain

Up at 6:30. I headed out shortly after 7 behind Martha Graham; we got to Rte 140 around 8. There was little traffic, but a nice hiker guy in a jeep picked us up. I rode in back, MG in front with him and his dog. The postal clerk in South Wallingford quizzed us, mock serous, about our ID¢s, saying ¢This doesn¢t look like you at all.¢ All in good fun. MG and I went to Mom¢s Restaurant for breakfast; I had the ¢Garbage Omelet¢, which was excellent. MG stuck around talking to some other hikers who showed up at the post office, and I headed out alone, getting a ride from a woman in a Volvo who was also a hiker. I started hiking again around 10. I walked up and over Bear Mtn, past Minerva Hinchey shelter. Took a break at a meadow above Spring Lake sitting on a soft. moss-covered hump. Goldenrod, tiny daisies, and other late summer flowers surrounded me, and fair weather clouds built up in the moist air. I followed the trail through groves of fir and spruce and stopped at a lookout with a view down to a wide valley with an airport. The trail plunged deep into Clarendon Gorge, where a few swimmers tried to find safe eddies among the rapids. I looked on for a while from the suspension bridge and then pushed on. I¢ve been thinking about getting home on Friday. The climb up from Rte 103 was steep and rocky. My legs seem to be holding up well. I ate lunch at Clarendon lookout and gave my feet a chance to breathe, then walked further up and over the hill past Clarendon shelter. This part was tiring, but I eventually made it to the Cold River and Cold River Road. The final stretch of trail for the day followed Gould Brook and finally reached Gov. Clement shelter. Soon arriving were Jenn and Martha Graham and two Israeli short-term hikers. There was a Vermont couple camped semi-permanently next to the brook. I talked for a while with the woman who lived at the camp, exchanging tales about the joys of having teenage children. It was her birthday and she wasn¢t having a good day, having wrecked their truck the night before. It looked hopelessly stuck in a ditch, but she declined our offer to help push it out, and I¢m not sure that all of us could have. She went back to her camp after thanking us for listening. Jenn, the Israelis, and I talked for a while and we had a birthday party for the Israeli woman, celebrating with pieces of blueberry pie and party hats her boyfriend had carried up to the shelter. As I write this stars are emerging and I¢m listening to the sound of the brook. Nice night.
Date: 2003-08-19
From: Gov. Clement shelter

To: Gifford Woods State Park
Miles today: 13.9

I woke up dry! I¢m still getting used to it. Got up at 6:30, ate breakfast, and started hiking at 8:20. It was a steady steep climb up Little Killington (the trail bypasses the wooded summit) but I soon reached big Killington, where I climbed the steep side trail to the summit. It was sunny and dry but cool, and I used my rain jacket against the wind. The morning haze limited the views to perhaps 30 miles, but they were very nice nonetheless. Martha Graham arrived soon after me, and we walked over to the summit lodge for a cold drink (which was expensive!). We returned to Cooper Lodge, where I got water from the spring. I walked on to Sherburne Pass, a long stretch of trail that never seemed to end, stopping for lunch on a mossy patch next to the trail. I talked for a while with a trail maintainer, a 75-year-old tri-athlete. I played leap-frog with MG and Mtn Butterfly. Blaze blazed on by. I finally crossed Rte 4, went up a path bordered by stinging nettle, and went behind Deer Leap to Maine Junction (!) another of the big milestones on the trail. From there it was two more miles to Gifford Woods State Park, where I registered with a very nice ranger. I had a hot shower and was writing this at the picnic table on the site when Gazelle, Sketch, and Martha Graham happened by. They decided to push on a little farther after using the facilities. A pleasant end to the day and it¢s still sunny!
Date: 2003-08-20
From: Gifford Woods State Park

To: Wintturi shelter
Miles today: 16.6

Another dry, clear morning. It was actually a little cold last night sleeping on raked gravel. It drains well and is easy to keep clean, so I understand why the park people like it, but it is uncomfortable, hard on the ground sheet, and the sand in it gets all over your gear. I had a pleasant time organizing my stuff and eating breakfast at the picnic table. I hit the trail at 7:45, dropping off a bag of trail trash on my way out. Met Sketch and Gazelle near Kent Pond, where they had camped. They had just made friends with a pot-bellied pig, which probably lived on the adjacent farm. There was lots of climbing today - up Quimby Mtn from Ottoqueechee Gorge, then down to Stony Brook shelter for a break, where I talked to a couple of section hikers. This was followed by another 1000-foot climb, then down again and back up to Lakota Lake Lookout, where I had lunch in the warm sun. I took a side trail up to ¢The Lookout¢, a platform atop a semi-abandoned cabin, where I met my old trail companion Leaf. It was a nice view, too. There was no water on this stretch of trail and I was feeling hot, tired , and worried about running dry as I pushed on. I made the final climb of the day up the Pinnacle (which must be the third or fourth thing called that on the AT) and then down to Winturi shelter, where I set up my tarp and am writing this around 4:40. It¢s somehow nice to be heading in a more easterly direction, with the promise of the White Mountains ahead.
Date: 2003-08-21
From: Wintturi shelter

To: Happy Hill shelter
Miles today: 20.4
Weather: overcast clouds

Up at 6:15, on the trail at 7. Ate a food bar for breakfast while walking. My shirt mostly dried last night after being washed last evening. The day¢s hike began with a long downhill trek through hemlocks. I emerged into a meadow above VT Rte 12, where a huge white cloud, brilliantly lit by the morning sun, filled the valley up to the level of the next ridge. The meadow had clumps of flowers ¢ goldenrod, Queen Anne¢s lace, and some pink flower with large heads, as well as milkweed plants with large pods ¢ the effect in the morning sun was almost psychedelic. I now began the roller coaster for the day ¢ nice trails through hemlock, spruce/fir, beech, or red pine for the most part, with several high pastures and farmhouses at the roads. There were some nice views from the high fields to Mt Ascutney, Killington, Bromley, and Stratton. I stopped at Thistle Hill shelter for lunch; Leaf, Buttercup, Oreo, Morph, and Moonshadow were all there. (The shelter also has a unique hexagonal privy with window screens all around that resembles a garden gazebo.) I double-timed the descending trail to West Hartford and got there around 3:30. It was still warm and sunny, and I swam in the White River while lots of hikers and locals sat in the sun on the rocky ledge along the shore. This was the best swim (and one of the few) since Sunfish Pond; I swam up the big eddy and out into the rapid and then back into the eddy to the point where I started. After swimming, I walked to the country store for a strawberry milkshake and a bottle of Sobe green tea. I left this oasis at 4:30 to walk under I-89 and up Griggs Hill. I had quite a bit of energy left after being refreshed and fed. The mosquitoes were bad, and I soon sweated off the DEET I had applied. They were worse at Happy Hill shelter, where I camped for the night. ¢Happy Hill¢ is the best piece of P.R. since Leif Erickson came up with the name ¢Greenland¢ in the hope it would attract settlers. I got into my net bivy as fast as I could and ate a cold supper so I didn¢t have to come out. These are the most energetic and aggressive mosquitoes I¢ve seen - they probably escaped from some diabolical experiment in a Dartmouth biology lab. I spoke briefly to Sheila on the cell phone¢we¢re both looking forward to this weekend. I hope to catch the 10:30 bus from Hanover tomorrow.
Date: 2003-08-22
From: Happy Hill shelter

To: Hanover NH and Newton MA
Miles today: 5.8

I woke up at 5 after a not very good night¢s sleep with roots sticking up into my back and mosquitoes buzzing and trying to reach me with their long probosces. I made quick work of packing and getting out of there, and started hiking toward Hanover at 6. The mosquitoes were still fierce on the trail, biting under my glasses, in my ear, anywhere they could reach, and the DEET seemed to wear off in minutes. I high-tailed it through sparse woods, afraid to slow down. Finally, I emerged onto a road in Norwich and ¢ finally free of mosquitoes- walked past many nice houses and the town green, across I-91, and over the Connecticut River bridge into Hanover. I found the Vermont Transit stop in front of the Hanover Inn and went around the corner to the Dirt Cowboy Caf© for an excellent breakfast ¢ a large cup of custom-brewed Guatemala Antigua, a huge fresh-squeezed orange juice, and a ham-and-cheese croissant. Mountain Jack came in and told me he is going to flip to Katahdin and finish his thru-hike southbound back to Hanover. I wished him good luck and safe hiking, and then took a stroll around town and settled down to wait for the bus. Nice morning.
Date: 2003-08-23
From: Newton MA

To: Brooklyn NY
Miles today: 0.0

Sheila and my older son Matt took the bus to NYC yesterday. He starts orientation week at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn tomorrow. He's an art student and talented photographer. I drove up with my younger son Greg with a carload of stuff including a salt water aquarium with live coral. We met Matt at his dorm at Pratt, where Sheila was also waiting. We got him moved in, had lunch together, and said so long. Sheila, Greg and I did some sightseeing, including a walk through South Street Seaport and a boatride around lower Manhattan. It's a beautiful day in NYC.
Date: 2003-08-26
From: Hanover NH and Newton MA

To: Velvet Rocks shelter
Miles today: 1.5
Weather: clear sky

I returned to the trail in Hanover after a wonderful weekend in NYC taking my son Matt to school at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn and seeing the sights with Sheila and Greg: Brooklyn Bridge, dinner in Brooklyn Heights, South Street Seaport, a cruise to Ellis Island & the Statue of Liberty, and free jazz concert and street festival in the East Village. I also had a nice solo walk on Saturday down through Dumbo and onto the Manhattan Bridge. Sheila was very cool to me on parting ¢ these transitions are hard for her.I got to Hanover at 4:30 PM. I had dinner at Molly¢s and an espresso at Dirt Cowboy caf©, then got onto the trail at 6:30 and reached Velvet Rocks shelter by 7. Mosquitoes were present but not too bad. There were a few brief sprinkles on the way. There was a drawing of the World Trade Center towers at the shelter, which reminded me of how their absence is a sad undercurrent in the places in NYC where they used to be so visible.