morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2004-07-31
From: Dalton, Ma

To: Cheshire, Ma
Miles today: 9.3

7/31 Since we were only going to hike about 12 miles today, Peggy, Hawk, Cat Dog, Krispy Kritter, and I had a nice breakfast before starting out of Dalton at 7:30. We had an easy day and were met by Peggy in Cheshire at 11:30. She walked with us for a few blocks and surprised us with fresh bread, home gown tomatoes, and cheese for sandwiches and a big blackberry pie for desert. After lunch we dropped off Raven, a hiker from Michigan, back off at the trail and went on to Mt. Greylock to set up in our bunkroom. The summit of Greylock was beautiful and on the very top was a lighthouse originally designed for Boston Harbor and was several stories high. The views were great from the top-we could see into Vermont and the Green Mountains where we were headed for the next 10 days. The large stone tower had many nice words that memorialized the soldiers who made such great sacrifices for our country thru the years. We went back down the mountain to town for dinner before going back to the lodge for the night. All thru the night on the top of the mountain we had loud rain beating against the windows with lightening and thunder shaking the rafters and waking us as they passed through. We were happy to be inside and dry.
Date: 2004-08-01
From: Cheshire, Ma

To: Mt Greylock
Miles today: 7.7

8/1 We got up at 6 AM to a light rain, glad we didn¢t have to pack a wet tent. Krispy Kritter had stayed in Cheshire for the night and we later found out the storm barely hit there, less than 8 miles away. We went back to Cheshire for breakfast and got back on the trail for the 2,500-foot climb to the top of Mt. Greylock. The climb was a gradual but constant incline and was made harder by slippery mud from springs and the recent rains. After 4 hours of hiking, Peggy met us again and had brought more good supplies for lunch that we ate on the mountain while looking out at the pretty scenery. We rested for the afternoon while a light rain came down and talked with other hikers until dinner was served at 6 at the Lodge.
Date: 2004-08-02
From: Mt Greylock

To: Seth Warner Shelter
Miles today: 13.2
Weather: clear sky

8/2 We got to sleep in today because breakfast at the Bascom Lodge wouldn¢t be served until 8 AM. We had our fill at the buffet and we got on the tail at about 9 after saying goodbye to Peggy since she was flying back to Atlanta in the afternoon. Most of the morning was gong down Greylock and most of the early afternoon was spent hiking up some 1600 feet. It was a pretty day but hiking was slow because of all the muddy trails. Vermont has had a lot of rain over the last month and the AT is streams in places and mud holes in others. Both slow you down. Vermont is normally called the green tunnel by hikers because you walk so much in the green forest. This year the hikers are calling it Vermud. We passed several south bounders and tented the night with 3 people who just started hiking the Long Tail. The Long Trail is the oldest long distance hiking trail traveling the length of Vermont into Canada. The AT shares the first 100 miles before gong east into New Hampshire. We treated water from a stream before cooking and then talked with others before turning in for the night
Date: 2004-08-03
From: Seth Warner Shelter

To: Melville Nauheim Shelter
Miles today: 13.1
Weather: clear sky

8/3 We got a 6 AM start from the Seth Warner Shelter and had good hiking all morning, with the mud not quite so bad. We passed 2 lakes where people had seen moose yesterday but they weren¢t home today. We stopped after 7 miles at the Congdon Shelter where a dozen or so hikers were talking about the wet areas ahead. After we left the shelter we came to a small pond that had boards across it to walk on. Unfortunately, the boards were under about 10 inches of water. The good thing was we got the mud washed off the boots on the outside. The bad thing was the inside of the boot was soaked also. An hour later we took 2 hours and hitched the 5miles to Bennington for lunch before climbing the 1000 feet back to the top of the next mountain on the other side of the gap and stopped at the Melville Nauheim Shelter for a 13.1 mile day.
Date: 2004-08-04
From: Melville Nauheim Shelter

To: Story Spring Shelter
Miles today: 17.4
Weather: broken clouds

8/4 Melville Nauheim Shelter to Story Spring Shelter, it was a 17.4-mile day. The day started a little badly when the main buckle to my backpack broke. I was lucky that it could be tied good enough to make it to the next town even though it wasn¢t as tight as it should be. Most of the day was good hiking but we were all tired from all the mountains and from stepping around the mud all the time. Hawk had stayed in town last night but had caught up with us by the end of the day. We saw huge moose tracks on the trail and while I want to see one I hope it isn¢t face to face on the trail. We went past some nice ponds with beaver dams but had no luck in seeing beaver or moose. Some of the hikers at the shelter were talking about a 60ish northbound hiker named Allegheny who was bitten last week by a rattlesnake he didn¢t see and was knocked over by the bite. He used his whistle to get help and luckily some trail workers were about a mile away to help him get out of the woods. They then took him by helicopter to the hospital where he spent a couple of days. They said he was lucky and didn¢t need antivenin [at a cost of $20,000] and didn¢t loose any tissue. He was hiking slowly just a few days later.
Date: 2004-08-05
From: Story Spring Shelter

To: Spruce Peak Shelter
Miles today: 18.1
Weather: broken clouds

8/5 We left Story Spring Shelter at 6 and started the 1600-foot climb up Stratton Mountain. The climb was gradual and when we got to the top we climbed the fire tower where we had a 360-degree view and could see Mt. Greylock in the distance where we had just be 3 days before. In the other direction we could see the rest of the Green Mountains and could barely see the White Mountains of New Hampshire where we would soon be headed. Stratton Mountain is also thought to be the place where the AT was first conceived by Benton Mac Kaye when he said of the experience, ¢I felt as if atop the world, with a sort of planetary feeling.¢ We were reluctant to leave the mountain but it was chilly and we still had several miles to cover. We went 3 more miles to Stratton Pong where had lunch and filled our water bottles at a nearby spring. Just as we finished lunch we hear the soulful mourning of a loon. We finally potted our first loon, a big black and white diving bird that was a couple of hundred yards in the middle of the pond. We hoped to hear many more. A little later we passed the 34 way on the AT with 543 more miles to go to reach Katahdin. We finished the hiking day by going into Manchester Center to stay 2 night to rest and resupply. Cat Dog, Krispy Kritter, Hawk, and I stayed at the Sutton House since it was the only place in town and we were lucky we had made reservations for that. We went to dinner after cleaning up and then watched a little TV before turning in for the night.
Date: 2004-08-06
From: Spruce Peak Shelter

To: Manchester Center, Vermont
Miles today: 2.8
Weather: broken clouds

8/6 This was our 0 day in town and we took our dirty clothes to the laundromat to was across the street from Friendly¢s where we had a nice breakfast. When we got back to the Sutton house, the owner told us he would give us a ride to the post office if needed since it was about a mile away. Cat Dog and I had mail drops there and eagerly accepted the ride. I wish I had my camera there because I charged 8 batteries on the charger that I had sent ahead in my bounce box. Since it was so far from town I also took my clippers and trimmed my beard in the post office with a mirror in my other hand and Cat Dog held a newspaper below my chin to catch the hair. What a site I must have been but you get inventive when you have to. We hiked back to town to the outfitter where I got a warmer jacket and new pack buckle, hiker shorts, and alcohol for my stove before going to lunch. I was also able to answer a little e-mail before going back to the room. The best e-mail was from Mike Brooks who sent a note saying that Lance Armstrong was loosing his 6th Tour de France Medal because the French had found some banned substances in his room. They found soap, deodorant, and toothpaste. In addition, they found 2 items they weren¢t able to identify-testicles and a backbone. Great stuff! We finished the evening by going to a movie (my first on the trail) and then having pizza before walking the 14 mile back to the room for the night.
Date: 2004-08-07
From: Manchester Center, Vermont

To: Big Branch Shelter
Miles today: 16.5
Weather: broken clouds

8/7 We went to Friendly¢s again for their good breakfast where Krispy Kritter told us there where 6 people were found dead in 1 house in a town near his town. Hawk (the retired policeman) asked him if it was a homicide and I said, ¢No, they all 6 happened to die in the same house in 1 night of natural causes. No wonder they retired you from the police force.¢ We all had a good laugh at Hawk¢s expense but of course they could have died of other causes-it was very funny at the time. After breakfast, I waited while Cat Dog made reservations and Krispy Kritter and Hawk went across the street to hitch back to the trail. They started thumbing right after an exit to a doughnut shop, thinking someone would give them a ride after picking up breakfast. When Cat Dog and I went across the street we went right before the entrance to the doughnut shop 100 feet or so in front of Krispy and Hawk- laughing all the time at what we were doing. We knew they would be mad because we were now in from of them and so had the best chance for the first ride. If it was important we wouldn¢t have done it but it was such a good joke we couldn¢t pass it up. 3 cars later a guy named Mark stopped for us and we threw our pack in the back of his SUV. I asked him if he had room for Krispy and Hawk and he said we could try. We all made it in and they wanted to know what the deal was getting in front of them. We explained they were in a bad place and the way they looked we didn¢t think they¢d ever get a ride. Krispy said he was reporting it as an infraction to the hiking etiquette police. We do try to have fun while we¢re out here. They never did thank us for getting them a ride. When we got to Big Branch Shelter at 16.5 miles there were no tent sites so we tented in some flat areas next to a nice stream.
Date: 2004-08-08
From: Big Branch Shelter

To: Clarendon Shelter
Miles today: 16.9
Weather: broken clouds

8/8 We got a 6 AM start on a pretty day even though it had rained during the night and our tents were wet. The hiking was good all day with the normal climbs until we crossed a suspension bridge across a beautiful gorge. The sound from the rapid flowing water made talking impossible but maybe it was best since the view wasn¢t interrupted by talk. We came to the next road at about 2:30 and walked .5 miles to a restaurant for a nice big meal and ice cream. Afterwards we had to hike the .5 miles back to the trail since no one picked us up hitch hiking. I don¢t know when Krispy Kritter found out that he should have used the john at the restaurant, but by the time we had walked the 12-mile to the trail he said ¢I have something very wrong with my system.¢ Unfortunately, he still had 100 yards of open field to cross before he would get into the woods and out of site of the traffic. I didn¢t know a 50 year-old man could do the 100-yard dash so quickly. I personally think he could have gone a lot faster if he hadn¢t kept his legs together all the time. To his credit, he almost made it to the woods. When we walked into the woods, we noticed Krispy¢s pack flung off the trail and Krispy was nowhere in site. We immediately had a steep 700 foot climb after the field and I told Krispy that I was reporting him to the Trail Ethics Committee for unfairly dropping 3 pounds of weight just to have an advantage on going over the mountain. I decided against it because of how stylish he was since he changed shorts before going up the mountain. We camped at the Claredon Shelter where someone with a pistol on his hip named Piper was making a stew for anyone who wanted it. We were all stuffed and went to bed after setting up our tents.
Date: 2004-08-09
From: Clarendon Shelter

To: Churchill Scott Shelter
Miles today: 14.5
Weather: clear sky

8/9 Today was exciting because we would have less than 500 miles to go at the end of the 14.5-day. We were also happy to find cokes at about 9 AM to help us climb Mt Killington, which was a long hard 2000¢ climb. On the way up we passed a couple who were each at least 70# overweight carrying heavy packs and were pretty sure they wouldn¢t be able to get to the top. At 1 narrow place, there was on a 2¢ toe space to get you over a 5 foot rock wall and that a lone was tough for all of us to navigate. We finished the day at the Churchill Scott Shelter that was new and had only 1 tent platform with one other sort of flat spot for a tent. It was even more impractical because the government made them build it handicap accessible. I don¢t know how the handicapped person was supposed to get over all the rough terrain to the shelter in the first place. What are they thinking or are they?
Date: 2004-08-10
From: Churchill Scott Shelter

To: Sherburne Pass Trail
Miles today: 3.8

8/10 We headed out at 6 AM so we could hike 3.8 miles to the Long Trail Inn for breakfast and a nero day. We showered and caught a local bus into Rutland, Vt. where we went to an outfitter to brose and then to Kmart to resupply in the Mall. After lunch we caught the bus back to the Inn and organized our day to hike out again in the morning.
Date: 2004-08-11
From: Sherburne Pass Trail

To: The Lookout
Miles today: 15.6

8/11 We had steep climbs today made worse by rain that started about 2 PM. We also had to carry extra water for the night since we hoped to stay a t a private cabin call the Lookout. The cabin was open and had a sign that welcomed hikers to Cat Dog, Crispy Critter, Hawk and I spread our sleeping bangs on the dry places on the floor and cooked dinner. The cabin was better than nothing but leaks in the roof made it just a little better than sleeping outdoors. The 2 hobit sisters came in later and set up their sleeping bags up in the loft above. The cabin was in a great spot on top of the mountain and probably had great views when a fog didn¢t blanket everything as it now did. We were all trying to sleep and after an hour Cat Dog, Hawk, and me were still awake because Crispy Critter was snoring so loudly. He had his hands folded under his head and Hawk shook his elbow so he stopped snoring long enough to let some of us get to sleep. In spite of that, the 3 of us had only intermittent sleep because of Krispy¢s snoring. When we woke at 5 AM the 3 of us talked about how little sleep we got due to the extra noise as Crispy kept on rattling the rafters. When Crispy woke a little later, I asked him ¢How did you sleep last night, Crispy?¢ He said, ¢I didn¢t sleep very well at all.¢ We all had a good laugh over that and we had to explain to Crispy what was so funny.
Date: 2004-08-12
From: The Lookout

To: Thistle Hill Shelter
Miles today: 14.0
Weather: light rain

8/12 Today was to be little easier climbing but the high humidity made it about as hard as yesterday as we did our 14 miles for the day. At 10:30 we hiked a mile down a road to South Pomfret so we could have a fresh sandwich, chips, and cokes, a real treat. We were lucky to get a ride back to the trail by Cy who did landscape work in the summer and cut timber in the winter. We got to Thistle Hill Shelter at about 3:30 PM and after setting up our tents we cooked our dinners as the rain set in at 5. The privy for the shelter was unique because it was a small, 6 sided building and had screening on the upper 12 looking like a little gazebo. Most gazebos don¢t have seats with holes in them though.
Date: 2004-08-13
From: Thistle Hill Shelter

To: Hanover
Miles today: 14.6
Weather: light rain

8/13 to 8/15 We got a 6 o¢clock start on the day so we could get to West Hartford for breakfast 5 miles into the days hike. The AT went right thru town and after a nice breakfast Hawk went to the Post office for a package. Our next town to go thru 8 miles later was Norwich Vermont and we were surprised that we followed the road another 1 12 mile when we walked into Hanover, New Hampshire. We were in our second to last state with only the Maine border remaining to be crossed. After a late lunch, we got a taxi for the 4-mile ride out of town to our hotel. Cat Dog¢s husband Gary came in a little later for a 3-day visit and we again had the luxury of being able to ride in a car. On Saturday we went to town for breakfast and then put our clothes in to wash in a Laundromat down the street from a small shopping center where we went to and EMS Outfitter. My shoes were coming apart after 600 miles of climbing over rocks, so I got some new ones. It¢s a little risky to break in new shoes just before going over the White Mountains but I felt I had no choice. When the clothes were clean we got resupplied for food for the trail and went back to Hanover. They dropped me off at the library I stayed for a couple of hours to try to catch up on my journals. All the meals in Hanover were very nice but Hanover is a college town and the food and rooms were both expensive. On Sunday, we did some more shopping and saw a movie in the afternoon, the second in 4months.
Date: 2004-08-16
From: Hanover

To: Moose Mtn Shelter
Miles today: 11.1
Weather: light rain

8/16 We only had plans to hike 11 miles today since we went to breakfast with Cat Dog¢s husband, Gary, before he went back to Albany for business. It was raining pretty hard all thru breakfast but quit by 9:30 in time for us to keep pretty dry all day. We had steady climbs all day but they are minor considering what we have coming up in the Whit Mountains. We notice the air is getting colder as we go up in elevation and as we get farther north. I¢m glad I now have my 20-degree rated sleeping bag, even though it¢s a lot more weight than ai want to carry. I had my tent set and got water from a spring .2 of a mile away by 4 PM when I cooked my dinner of red beans and potatoes as the air was getting colder. Hawk had started a nice fire, the first we¢d had for most of the summer. By 5, the cold rain was coming down and I was glad to crawl in my warm sleeping bag to read for a while before drifting off to sleep.
Date: 2004-08-17
From: Moose Mtn Shelter

To: Fire Warden's Cabin
Miles today: 12.4
Weather: scattered clouds

8/17 It rained hard last night until midnight. This morning our tents were still wet and very dirty from the mud splashing up from all the rain. After we climbed a steep mountain in the morning, Cat Dog, Hawk, Crispy Critter, and I hiked into Lyme, N.H. and had sandwiches and cokes with ice cream for desert. We were lucky to get an easy hitch back to the trail by 12, ready to climb Smarts Mountain. Since the climb was over 2000 feet over the 5 miles, it took most of the afternoon and we got to Fire Warden¢s Cabin at about 3:30. We had plenty of time to dry out our gear while we climbed a fire tower
Date: 2004-08-18
From: Fire Warden's Cabin

To: Ore Hill Shelter
Miles today: 12.6

We started hiking from the top of Smarts Mountain and got to Eastman¢s Ledges 5 miles later by about 9 AM. When we looked off to our left, far off in the distance we could see the fire tower on Smarts Mountain where we had been 2 1/2 hours ago. It¢s always amazing how far you seem to go each day and how long it takes to get to Katahdin. We are now counting the days to make tentative plans for the summit of Katahdin, probably during the week of 9/20 to 9/25. We¢ve tried to allow plenty of time to get thru the rigorous climbs of the White Mountains over the next 9 or 10 days. After a hard climb over Mt. Cube we hitched to the small town of Wentworth for lunch before hiking another hour to spend the night at Ore Hill Shelter.
Date: 2004-08-19
From: Glencliff

To: Glencliff
Miles today: 0.0

This piece of advise was sent to me by my friend Mike. I thought it applied to all of us but especially after finishing the AT. Life Lesson"Life's journey is not to arrive at the grave safelyin a well preserved body, but ratherto skid-in-sideways, totally worn out, shouting."HOLY SHIT - WHAT A RIDE!!"All is well here. Quest
Date: 2004-08-19
From: Mt. Katahdin

To: Glencliff, NH
Miles today: 15.0

Our morning was routine hiking and climbing and we were glad to get to Glencliff. We walked .5 miles to the Hikers Welcome Hostel. The building was old and without siding but well set up for hikers and hosts that made everyone feel very welcome. There was a large room downstairs that was setup for TV, internet, and a refrigerator with several mattresses laying on the upstairs floor for sleeping. The overflow of hikers could tent outside or sleep in a Quonset hut. Outside there was a temporary/permanent setup for a shower, toilet, and laundry. You¢d definitely learn to use the bathroom and shower quickly if it was winter. We got a shuttle to town for lunch and resupply and later for dinner. Later in the evening, a group of Quakers came by bus to visit one of their own who was there for a stop while he was hiking the AT. We had a nice chat with several of them. I had a sense that talk and behavior was on a higher plane while they were there. All in all, the Hikers Welcome Hostel was a very nice place for a quick break.
Date: 2004-08-20
From: Glencliff, NH

To: Gordon Pond
Miles today: 12.8

We waited an extra 15 minutes for the rain to slow before we headed down the road to tackle the first of the White Mountains, Mt. Moosilauke, a 3900 foot climb. We¢ve been anxious about the long climb and greatly looking forward to the panoramic views - we weren¢t disappointed by either. We had over 3 hours of steady climbing before finally getting to the top of the mountain at just over 4800 feet. We are above tree line at that point for the first time on our hike as the weather is too severe for trees to grow. As you get nearer the tree line, the trees get smaller and shorter and are more like shrubs than trees. The small trees are called krummholz and look like bonsai plants. I put up the possibility that they just hired a bunch of Japanese gardeners who came out at night and trimmed the trees when no one was around.As we were walked out into the clearing near the top of the mountain, our breath was taken away. First by the magnificent views of all the surrounding mountains, valleys, clouds, and sky but also by the biting cold wind that immediately chilled you to the bone as your sweat evaporated. I had to put the chin strap from my hat on to keep it from blowing away in the 30 MPH winds as well a putting on my jacket to stop the shivering.We stayed on top just long enough to marvel at the sites and get some pictures to capture the moment before heading down the North side of the mountain. The decent was much steeper and required careful climbing down the slippery rocks but beautiful waterfalls along most of the trail rewarded the trip down. We stopped and set up our tents near Gordon Pond where we watched some loons swim in the distance. We just finished dinner when it started raining for the night.