morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2009-07-30
From: Caleb Peak (via Kent, CT)

To: Sharon Mountain Campsite
Miles today: 15.9
Weather: few clouds

90% of today was awesome. The Trail today could not have been better. Camping at Caleb Peak was the right move last night ... not many bugs. And a beautiful spot to start the day. 1st trail section of note was St. John's Ledges; some good views. Then it drops down 400 feet down some rock steps. Wicked stuff (especially if wet). I turtled (fell on my back) on a big rock and slid down the entire length of the rock on my pack! Glad there were other rocks and trees to stop me! No damage. A-OK. I took a picture of the rock.The middle half of the day was highlighted by hiking along many different water features. First a big river with train tracks on the other side. Then some cascading streams. I had to take my shoes off and put on my Crocs to wade across Guinea Brook. It was moving pretty good too! My feet liked the water, that's for sure. Sat on the other side and took a break with Grits, Jonathan, and some girl (didn't get her name). I had met Grits before at the laundry in Kent.Today was a tough 16 miles. There were several good climbs today. Again, I'm glad because I need the training.Quick note on A.T. guidebooks: If you want terrain elevation gain/loss depictions, either buy the maps or the Appalachian Pages. The graphs on the Thru-Hiker's Handbook pages can sometimes misrepresent what the terrain is actually like .... and today .... off by quite a bit. The data in the Thru-Hiker's Handbook is very complete, awesome, and it will get me to Katahdin. I'll use the Appalachian Pages on the next trip up this Trail! Really enjoyed the hike today. Oh yeah, I mentioned before how I'm amazed at how fast the scenery/environment can change .... it did it again today. I was walking in a deciduous forest (leafy trees, no pines) and in 2 steps I was in a total pine forest (no leafy trees at all)!! Incredible. And again, when it does this, it slaps you in the face. No way to miss it!OK. Scott wants to hear the bad stuff. Here it is. The bugs are driving me crazy sometimes. They can be relentless! If anything other than health/injury issues could drive me off the Trail, it would be that I had had enough of the freakin bugs!!
Date: 2009-08-01
From: Lower Cobble Road (Salisbury, CT)

To: Lower Cobble Road (Salisbury, CT)
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Got up around 6 am as Old Hobo prepared to hike out of town. I got up, showered, and did a load of laundry.Now I'm just running some errands and looking around town. My plan is to check out the library when they open at 10 am. If it has good Internet access, and computer availability, I plan on catching up on my journal and other e-mail stuff. Then I'll enjoy the bright sunny day doing nothing around town. Plus this will give my gear a chance to dry out completely. After several days of rain, everything is "moist", if not just plain wet!!If the library is not helpful, I'll hike out of town around noon, and still be able to get a good 10-14 miles in today. Well, time to go check out the library.The library was awesome and I decided to zero here in Salisbury. I got about 2 hours of computer time in when the library lady comes up and tells me she needs the computer for someone else. But then follows up by offering the use of a laptop and their Wifi network. Oh, I get it .... someone else just needed the use of the computer tied to the printer. (I know, remote printing, we'll leave that alone). So here I am typing away. I hope to also download photos .... right now.I'll hike out of Salisbury tomorrow morning.By the way, here is a recap so far (thought I should record these some time):Favorites:Section of trail: Up and down Dragon's ToothDay on the trail: Snowy day starting at Standing Bear hostel up over Max PatchRegion of trail: The Smokey'sState: VirginiaTown: Waynesboro, VAHostel: Bear's DenCamping spot: 3-way tie; Beauty Spot, Rice Field, and Caleb PeakShelters: Partnership Shelter (for fun); Overmountain Shelter (just cool); and Cove Mountain Shelter (design)If I could design a hiking day: Slightly uphill, curving, through a forest of pine, along a cascading creek, with clear blue skies, 60 degrees, and a light breeze, and no bugs!
Date: 2009-08-02
From: Lower Cobble Road (Salisbury, CT)

To: Glen Brook Lean-to
Miles today: 14.2

If you are looking to spend the night in Salisbury, I highly recommend Vanessa Breton's place. Very comfortable place .... real beds, laundry on site, literally no more than a block from everything.Relaxing start today and on the trail at 8:30. Today was a day of climbs. First was Lion's Head, then Bear Mountain, Race Mountain, and finally Mount Everest .... woops .... I mean Everett Mountain. I thought it seemed a little easy! With the zero day, I am back on my original schedule and am actually staying at the exact location tonight that I had planned on back in January. Crazy!I guess, after the last rain episode, I have figured out that there are different levels of "wet". A couple of days ago I said "let's get wet" and then went running for town!! That was "Level 4" soaked!Level 4: Soaked to the bone! Hands pruny .... feet pruny (swamp feet) ..... and ground and air soaked also. And no end in sight.Today was only level 3!Level 3: I was soaked, and the ground was soaked, hence the feet were wet also. But this is do-able. The hands were OK, just barely starting to "prune".Level 2: When I'm wet but the ground is dry. Feet will stay relatively dry.Level 1: This is when your body is drying your clothing as fast as the rain is getting it wet. These are rare, but very comfortable days of rain .... light drizzle.OK. Enough of that. As I was walking up Race Mountain, I ended up walking on a rock ledge. But since I was basically walking in a cloud, I couldn't see anything passed the ledge. It was like God had not completed the rest of the world yet. Trees and rock ledge .... then nothing but white canvas .... painting not complete. I would normally prefer the views, but this was pretty neat.The trail went thru an area called Sages Ravine .... cool pine forest between Bear and Race Mountain. The trail went right along Sages Ravine Brook for a while. A pretty good volume of water, moving fast through the ravine .... very cool!I entered Massachusetts today! I also went over 1500 Miles! Fun hike today - minus the whole wet thing!
Date: 2009-08-04
From: Mt Wilcox South Lean-to

To: Upper Goose Pond Cabin
Miles today: 15.8
Weather: clear sky

OK. Panic is over. What a difference a day makes. But I'm confused .... how can there be a gazillion mosquitos one day, and a normal amount the next? Where did they all go?Today was an awesome day on the Appalachian Trail. Sunny skies, 80 degrees, and the normal amount of bugs. I started the day hiking in my rain anorak, expecting swarms of mosquitos again. I took it off 20 minutes into the hike and wore just my normal short-sleeved shirt.I'm reminded this morning again of those words of wisdom .... "don't quit on a bad day" .... referring to yesterday .... genious!I took my time hiking today .... slow pace, looking around, breaks whenever I wanted, photos, etc. This is the type of day on the A.T. I signed up for!! Yep, my friends, this guy is a fair-weather hiker. I'll hike in crappy conditions .... but I'm not going to pretend to be happy about it. I don't complain out here out loud though. I remember in one of the A.T. books I read, the author said to keep the bad things to yourself and not ruin anyone else's day .... who may be having a good one! Good advice.I had an awesome lunch break today at a preserve called Tyringham Cobble. Beautiful open field, wild flowers everywhere, great view, bright sunshine, and no bugs. Nice spot.Good climb today up some unknown mountain for training.Spending the night at a "shelter" called Upper Goose Pond Cabin, which is actually that, a cabin. It is fully enclosed, so I won't be tenting. I'll stay in one of the bunks.Took a swim in Goose Pond .... wow, so refreshing! Now, I'm just going to wait for the moon-rise .... full moon right over the lake .... we'll see!A friend of mine asked if I had heard anything from the group I had been hiking with before the break. Yes. The Group (Goof, Sunnuke, Mr Buffalo Man, Scarlett, Newt, Squeegie, Sunbeam, Half-Moon, and Mississippi) are about 2 weeks (200+ miles) ahead of me. Top Shelf and Gezza, and Ian and Kendra (Mudslide and Pudgie Pie) are 5 and 7 days ahead of me respectively. No plans to try to catch up. Just gonna relax and hike my own hike. Here's a list of people I've been hiking with since I got on the Trail after the break. I'll try to get some photos posted so you can put faces with names. A couple, Bark and Berry; Old Hobo, and we shared a room in Salisbury; two sisters, Mockingbird and Hummingbird, and their friend Tufted Titmouse. They call themselves "The Birds". Hiking with The Birds is Dustin and In-Deep, although I've lost track of him. One-Step, Otter and Stewball are also on my pace.All good people, but I'm not looking to form any "partnerships" just yet. Just cruising along!
Date: 2009-08-05
From: Upper Goose Pond Cabin

To: Dalton, MA
Miles today: 20.6
Weather: few clouds

Future thru-hikers take note: Put the Upper Goose Pond Cabin as a "must stay at" location! It is what the A.T. is all about. Beautiful setting on a clear, huge pond in the middle of gorgeous country. Totally enclosed, so perfect for all weather conditions, comfortable bunks, living area, porch, kitchen, 3 privys, pond-side dock, and canoes you can take out on the lake. Perfect place for an on-trail zero day. Oh yeah, pancakes for breakfast every day! Today is training day! I've been out here for a few days and body is doing good. I can still do the long miles, but I need to work on increasing the pace. There were a couple of good climbs early in the day and I pushed up the hills hard. Later on, One-Step came by me and I picked up the pace with him for a bit.We both stopped for a long break at a place simply called the "Cookie Lady" on Pittsfield Road. The Wileys have a blueberry farm and welcome hikers to their place to get water, have some cookies, and rest. Roy Wiley is a private pilot and flies his own plane right out of his own back yard! Neat! He was very interesting and I enjoyed the chat.One-Step lead the way out of the break going over 3 mph for the next hour. Whew! I had to let him go at the one-hour point. I had to slow down a bit.I caught him taking a blueberry break on Warner Mountain. We saw some snakes coiled in the rocks there .... got a picture .... no idea what kind.I hadn't planned on getting into Dalton until tomorrow, but we were moving so quick, no reason to stop short.I left the break spot ahead of One-Step and actually got 3 miles before he caught me. He led the last 3 miles into Dalton and I was giving it all I had to keep up. Great workout. Good to be running down the trail again. Thanks One-Step, I needed that!! It was a perfect day for hiking today, and all the hiker's moods have improved dramatically over the last couple of days .... rebounding from thunderstorm and mosquito hell!Had dinner tonight with One-Step, Grits, Tom (local hostel owner), Ucock, Jaybird, and two other hikers (far end of table...didn't get to meet them really).The plan tonight is to simply rest the feet, watch TV, and relax. Chores tomorrow!Awesome day on the A.T.!!
Date: 2009-08-07
From: Dalton, MA

To: Mark Noepel Lean-To
Miles today: 13.7

Lazily got out of bed this morning. Knew it was a short relaxing hike today so no hurry. Back on the A.T. at 9:45. The first part of the hike today was through a residential section of Dalton. Two enterprising little girls had a lemonade stand set up, so I had to have a glass! Then it was a nice, relaxed, ups and downs hike to Chesire, MA, about 9 miles away. Leap frogged all the way there with Crazy Lady, Patches and Mad Gardener (formerlly known as Lean-To). Crazy Lady and Patches were at the Breton Hostel with me in Salisbury.There is a little ice cream shop/deli right on the A.T. in Chesire called Diane's Twist. Stopped there for a delicious ham and cheese sandwich plus an ice cream cone. Chatted there a bit with a local nurse who had biked across America a few years back. Neat! Then it was a quick afternoon hike to the shelter area for the night. There has been plenty of room in the shelters lately.....most of the remaining hikers are spread out enough. But I still tent. The tent provides protection from the bugs. The ground is softer than the wooden platforms in the shelter. And I can sleep in if I want to, if I can.Perfect day on the A.T.... sunny, breezy, cool, dry, no bugs. The Trail is starting to dry up and 80% of it is in good condition. Supposed to be nice for one more day. That's nice....get to the top of Mt Greylock tomorrow morning and it would be nice to be there in nice weather!This hiking thing is so much easier, and more fun, when it's nice out!
Date: 2009-08-08
From: Mark Noepel Lean-To

To: Seth Warner Shelter
Miles today: 16.5
Weather: clear sky

Great day on the A.T. It did get chilly last night and I'm going to have my winter gear sent out now to meet me in Hanover, NH. I'm not going to wait until I "get cold!" I think this is common practice to get the winter stuff around the Hanover area, before entering the White Mountains of New Hampshire.Today was another gorgeous day .... sunny, warm, dry, and no bugs. First order of business today was to climb Mt Greylock. It peaks out at 3491' and this is the first real peak (altitude-wise) since back in the Shenandoahs of Virginia. Yeah!There's an observation tower (war memorial) and a snack bar on top. I took a long break there talking to a ridge runner (Greylock) and a local Park Ranger. Nice views, relaxing spot to hang out at.There were a couple lessor mountains along the way today before a steep descent to MA 2. The ridge runner told me of a Friendly's Restaurant down the road a bit. So I stopped in there for a late lunch. Cheesburger Club Sandwich and fries, two scoops of ice cream with M&M's .... yummy! Good 1600' climb out of MA 2 up the mountain where the Seth Warner Shelter sits. Just prior to reaching the shelter, I passed into Vermont!! Near this shelter, the Appalachian Trail and the Long Trail begin to share Trail for about 100 miles. The Long Trail starts at the southern border of Vermont and extends northward to the northern border of Vermont .... some 270 miles. The Long Trail was the first original "long distance hiking trail" and it is believed that McKaye (AT originator) got the idea for the A.T. after seeing the Long Trail.I met two Long Trail hikers at the shelter tonight, on their first day. Anna, from New York City, and Keith (Groom) from Boulder, Colorado. Keith is hiking to his wedding! He gets married here in Vermont 3 days after completing his Long Trail hike. Most people take about 3 weeks to do the Long Trail.I forgot to mention this when I entered Connecticut, but one of the side-benefits for me doing this hike is that I get to visit the New England states. I have been stationed all over the U.S., and have visited most all of the states, but the only New England state I have been to is Massachusetts (Boston twice for a week each time for a military communications conference). So I'm looking forward to visiting these states.
Date: 2009-08-09
From: Seth Warner Shelter

To: Melville Nauheim Shelter
Miles today: 13.1
Weather: light rain

Slept in late today knowing it was going to be a short hiking day. Didn't get on the Trail until 9:30.The highlight of the morning hike was passing by 2 huge beaver dams. These things were monstrous. (See photos) We're talking 100-150 feet long each. Very impressive. I would love to see a film of them building these things. And they just did it! No planning commissions, no blue prints, no permits, no zoning plans....just build a dam. Pretty cool stuff!It was overcast and cool today with only periods of very light rain.Pretty uneventful day of hiking. The descent to Hwy 9 from Harmon Hill was a "knee killer". A steep descent with a whole bunch of rock steps. Again, I'll take steep up over steep down anytime!Since I didn't have far to go today, I was going to go into Bennington and hit another Friendly's, but it was 5 miles into town and I had no cell reception at the A.T./Hwy 9 intersection, so I couldn't call a shuttle. Oh well, I guess I'll have to wait a couple of days until I get into Manchester Center, my next Mail Drop pickup.I talked to Top Shelf today. Her and Gezza are only 3 days ahead of me right now. I guess there is a chance that I could catch them. That would be cool! We'll see. It all depends on how hard they are hiking.I'm meeting all kinds of hikers right now. Here at the shelter area tonight are A.T. North- and Southbounders as well as Long Trail North- and Southbounders. This is the Long Trail Southbounders last night on the Trail. Cool!By the way, over 1600 miles today!Long day tomorrow. Gonna try to get to bed early tonight and get on the Trail early tomorrow. Will be climbing mostly for the 1st 4 hours tomorrow!
Date: 2009-08-10
From: Melville Nauheim Shelter

To: Story Spring Shelter
Miles today: 17.4
Weather: light rain

Rained really hard last night! And I got really lucky! The place where I wanted to put up my tent (level) was filled with roots. So I set up in a different spot. When I got up at 4 am to pee, that rooty spot was a lake! Thanks roots!I actually had some moisture on my tent floor under my air mattress. The ground is just super saturated with all the rain over the past month, so I think the weight of my body pressing the floor into the ground brought some moisture up through the floor. Nothing else inside the tent got wet though.This morning, 8 am until noon, was basically climbing, culminating in the summit of Glastenbury Mountain, 3448'. There was a fire tower on top but no views due to weather. Hoping for better weather tomorrow on Stratton Mountain (just shy of 4000'). The mountains are getting bigger every day!! The trail was a little slick from the rain last night, and muddy; but I enjoyed today's hike. It didn't rain. It was overcast which kept it cool for the climbs .... minimal bug activity.Made good time today which allowed me to hang up my ground cloth and tent to dry while I had dinner. Now all set up and comfy writing in my journal!Hiked a lot with Groom today (half the day). He's hiking the Long Trail in 17 days and getting married 3 days after he finishes.I hike past Floater today!! Remember him (Bruce from New Orleans) from the very begiining of my hike. Spokes (Marc Deluca), Floater and I started from Springer Mountain, Georgia together. Spokes summited Katahdin (finished) on 31 July. He has a journal here on Trail Journals. Floater hikes pretty slow and estimated that he wouldn't be able to finish before Baxter State Park (Katahdin) closed for the season (Oct 15). So he flew ahead to Vermont, will hike to Katahdin, and then go back south and finish up the section that he skipped. This is a common practice if you know you won't reach Katahdin in time. I'm really glad Floater is still out here cruising along.Nice night .... cool, good breeze .... hoping to sleep well and get an early start on Stratton Mountain!! Good day on the A.T.
Date: 2009-08-11
From: Story Spring Shelter

To: VT 11 / 30 (Manchester Center)
Miles today: 21.1
Weather: broken clouds

Ladies and gentlemen .... today was the perfect day on the Appalachian Trail!!Got a great night's sleep and woke up in a perfectly dry tent, with the sun starting to come out. Up and on the Trail at 7:30 am.The first challenge of the day was Stratton Mountain, 3936'. The bonus to this climb is that it was the perfect grade upward. The perfect grade for me is where you can stride out, upwards with good footing, and the breathing can keep up. It becomes the ultimate, spectacular cardiovascular workout! If the mountain is too steep, either the legs or the lungs can't keep up with the other, and you have to stop and take breaks. Today's climb was perfect.I was met at the top with great views and sunny skies.....complete with a fire tower we are allowed to climb! I could see local downhill ski locations like Bromley Mountain. I can't tell you how nice it is to be in the mountains at elevation and out of the swamps!Jeanee, the Stratton Mountain Caretaker, talked to us and gave us great info on local forests/mountains and about Manchester Center. I took an extra-long break on the mountain with Groom and Doofer. Groom came up with the idea that we should try to make it into Manchester Center tonight .... Jeanne recommended the Sirloin Saloon for dinner. It was gonna be a workout, but I was in!So the race down the mountain to town began. I stopped at the great viewpoints along the way, like Stratton Pond. I stopped there and got in the lake for a little "bath". Felt great, especially on the feet. Helped me make it the rest of the day!But today became about running down the mountain. Great workout!! I wanted to be in town by 7 pm, which meant doing the last 6 miles in about 2 hours .... made it! Awesome, fun day on the A.T.Staying at Sutton's place tonight and tomorrow (more on Sutton's Place and the town in tomorrow's entry). Got a nice hot shower! Great recommendation Jeanne! The Sirloin Saloon was perfect for me tonight. The salad bar was great .... not huge ....but fresh and it had all the ingredients that I like! Combination chicken/steak platter with baked potato and fresh bread ....awesome! And cheesecake to top it off.Like I said, perfect day on the Appalachian trail!!!
Date: 2009-08-12
From: VT 11 / 30 (Manchester Center)

To: VT 11 / 30 (Manchester Center)
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

I'm zero-ing today here in Manchester Center, VT staying at Sutton's Place. Sutton's Place is just like a Bed and Breakfast, minus the breakfast. Very comfortable room with shared bathroom. I was there alone last night so that wasn't a problem! Old Hobo and Groom made it into town this morning and will stay here tonight. There's a nice little TV/living room for guests....nice place to relax. I watched Star Wars last night. Sutton's Place is within walking distance of most things in town .... laundry, eating, groceries, etc. The Post Office is about a mile away, so I went there while I was at the laundromat (halfway).I didn't make it to the library today, so no journal update. The one place in town that "sold" internet service charged $20/hour .... freakin crazy!My sisters and my "support" niece, Jessica, would totally love this town. It is a factory outlet town, but set up in very cool fashion. Most of the outlet stores are in their own "Vermont/New England Style" buildings. And intermixed with these are the local boutiques ... antiques, outfitters, bakery's, eateries, bookstores, etc.I'm sitting here writing in the Spiral Press Cafe and Bookstore. This is a very cool place with bookstore, cafe, internet Wifi area (bring your own computer ). A favorite hangout for A.T. hikers. Huge place. Very cool!By the way, yes Jessica, there is a Kate Spade store. If you like to shop and have a couple of treats along the way, Manchester Center is the place for you. Extreme Adventures of Vermont is right down the road, so guys, come get your adventure on while the girls shop. If you have an adventure girl, then check out Extreme Adventures....everything, rock climbing, kayaking, "gorgeneering" (rappeling into a river in a gorge), rafting, caving, mtn biking, etc. They also have 6-day Adventure Camps for 11-17 year-olds.Everyone I've met here has been very friendly. Nive, very relaxed atmosphere in this town. Too bad it gets cold here!! Old Hobo, Anna, Groom and I went to Christo's Pizza for dinner. Good stuff .... and I'm stuffed!!Looking forward to a relaxed evening tonight. Good to be inside while it is raining!! But looking forward to being on the Trail tomorrow.