morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2014-08-24
From: Franconia Notch, Lincoln, NH mile 373.1

To: Kinsman Notch, Lost River Rd., NH 112, mile 389.4
Miles today: 16.4
Weather: light rain

May Louise volunteered to stay for a couple of days so I can slack pack over Mount Kinsman and Mount Moosilauke, the last two big peaks of the White Mountain range. Other hikers had advised that the trail over them is demanding and had recommended that I slack pack if possible. My biggest concern was Kinsman. When the distance from the parking lot to the trail is added, it was over 17 miles from the start point to pickup point. Our friend Judy Matheny advised that the route as too long and hard for me to complete in a day. Other hikers, including Peaches and Cream whom I had called to invite to slack pack with me and who had decided not to take a zero day and were over Kinsman were more encouraging. I made it, but just barely. I got on the trail at daybreak and hiked all day with almost no rest stops. I got down to the road where May Louise was anxiously waiting just before it got too dark to see the trail. Three miles in I passed Lost Lake Hut, the only White Mountain hut on the Appalachian Trail that I did not stay out. It was an attractive structure in a beautiful setting. The most attractive of all the huts.The climb up Kinsman was long and hard, but not unreasonable. The descent was a shorter distance because the trail was almost vertical. I was extremely happy that I was not trying to get down it safely with my pack. There were numerous places where I would have needed to lower my pack with a rope and then climb down to it.I continue to pass lots of North Bound hikers finishing the last 375 miles of their through hike. I collected a new trail name story. A young hiker at a rest stop met a girl who offered him some dates out of her snack bag. He got to talking while he ate and not paying attention ate all of her dates. His buddies punished him for his thoughtlessness by christening him with the trail name ¢Date Rape¢ which caused him lots of subsequent embarrassment and which was hard to explain at trail magic stops operated by church groups.
Date: 2014-08-26
From: NH 25, Oliverian Brook, mile 398.7

To: Ore Hill Campsite mile 406.0
Miles today: 7.3
Weather: scattered clouds

With May Louise's help I got every important Item on my to do list accomplished during the three days she was helping me, an unusual accomplishment. Finishing the to dos, I did not get back on the trail until noon. The trail was easier, but not easy. I hiked six hours and only covered 7.3 miles, far short of the two miles per hour I had hoped to achieve after I got out of the White Mountains. I did not dawdle, but I did meet a half dozen north bound hikers who recognized me from down South and I may have spent more time than I realize greeting each of them. I regret I do not have a way to record the names of the folks I am meeting for the second time so that they would not be immediately lost again in my short term memory. They include Hobbs & Chickadee, an older couple who advised me that I will be missing one of the greatest pleasures of the trail if I do not stop and visit with Bill Ackerly whose home I should pass tomorrow morning. May Louise made me a reservation for Thursday night and left me a food drop at the Sunset Motor Inn in West Lebanon, NH which is somewhere near Hanover and Dartmouth, but to reach it I will have to cover 18 miles each of the next two days. While getting water I learned from a Northbound hiker the best way to spend the night in Hanover. In the Dartmouth Library there is a list of local angels who invite hikers to stay in their homes. The trail guide said that the spring at the Ore Hill campsite is not reliable, so I filled all five liters of my containers and carried the extra weight the last 2 1/2 miles of the day. We got a,surprise call from our Friend Martha White before we left this morning. One of my more rational bucket list projects is to write an article for PM, the ICMA's magazine about novels that feature a City Manager as the primary character. As far as I know there are only 3 12. The half is John Hershey's A Bell for Adano which is about a WW II Civil Affairs Officer serving as manager of a little Italian town during the Allies' invasion of Italy.   I do not want to complete the article and then discover that there are five other City Manager novels I did not know about. Martha offered to use her librarian skills and research tools to see if she could find any others. Tonight's campsite is some tent spaces by the side of a shelter that burned down a few years ago. I am the only one there, so there will not be any witnesses as I try my first night sleeping in a hammock. If I make the needed 18 miles I will be at Ackerly's home tonight.
Date: 2014-08-27
From: Ore Hill Campsite mile 406.0

To: Hexacuba Shelter mile 413.5
Miles today: 7.5
Weather: broken clouds

After some floundering including getting it half way turned over I figured out how to sleep in the hammock and got 9 hours of solid rest. With some practice the hammock will work fine, at least in warm, dry weather. The trail is easier than the White Mountains, but not nearly as easy as I had hoped. The lower elevations are warmer and the heat zaps my energy. There have not been many sections where I could move at a steady walking pace. It took me 7 hours to go 7 12 miles with only one significant break to rest and catch my breath after reaching the summit of Cube Mountain.I gave up on my 18 mile goal and quit when I got to the Hexacuba Shelter. I'm glad I did, about an hour and a half after I got here a heavy shower hit that would have drenched me. A Dartmouth Orientation group that I met on top of Mt. Cube is sharing the shelter with me. I have met a half dozen or so groups,of freshmen from different colleges hiking as part of their orientation. It sure makes for a more valuable experience than the beanie and kowtowing to Seniors that constituted orientation when I started college.
Date: 2014-08-28
From: Hexacuba Shelter mile 413.5

To: Trapper John Shelter mile 425.5
Miles today: 12.5
Weather: broken clouds

I did not fully appreciate the geometric theme of last night's shelter until I visited the privy this morning. The shelter is on Mt. Cube. The shelter has six sides, thus the Hexacuba Shelter, the privy has five sides making it the Penta-privy. The trail was a bit easier today so I made 12 miles. To get to Hanover tomorrow I will have to cover 16.6 miles. Unless the trail gets a lot easier It will take me a day and a half to get there. I am in a shelter with another group of Dartmouth Freshmen on an orientation hike. They gave me some of their surplus food for supper tonight, so I have food for the extra day if I need it. After climbing four miles this morning I took a break at the Fire Warden's Cabin and met Dragon Fly and Freckles. Dragon Fly is a 73 year old lady who has section hiked the whole trail and who now is completing a through hike. If I finish I will not be the oldest person to do so this year. Freckles lives across the road from the PA State Park that is the midpoint of the trail. She gave me her name and phone number and invited me to spend the night with them when I get there. I met Chiva from North Carolina and the young couple he is hiking with. He had told them my pole climbing bears story and updated me on the bears.   A subsequent hiker had kept food in his tent. When he reported that the bears had shredded his tent, the rangers closed the shelters and tent sites along Watauga Lake and removed the bears. I stopped at Bill Ackerly's. He is a retired Cambridge, Mass physician whose home is right beside the trail and who is known as a full time trail magic angel who provides conversation and an ice cream bar to every hiker who passes. I would have liked to visit with him longer, but storm clouds were rolling in; so I rushed to cover the final mile to the next shelter before I got caught in a rainstorm. It turned out we just had clouds, no rain. At Ackerley's I met Route Step, the military retiree who is slack packing almost the whole trail by shuttering two vehicles and hiking north by walking south. Phelps explained that one of the vehicles is a recreation vehicle and that he spends most of his nights in it. He said his biggest problem with the system has been finding places to park the RV. His system may be a way for me to finish the trail if I run out of decent camping weather before I run out of miles. Had some minor ailment problems today. My fingers stayed numb and cold until afternoon and an annoying callus on the bottom of a middle toe turned into a blister. Now that I am back at lower elevations the bugs are back. I had to break out the bug spray for the first time in weeks after mosquitoes started feasting on me. An item I forgot to record for a few days ago. As I was rushing down a Mountain late in the day trying to get to either a hut or a rendezvous with May Louise before it got too dark to see the trail I heard a strange bird call. It sounded like the "Hee Haw" of a donkey. I've never heard one before and have no idea what it was.
Date: 2014-08-29
From: Trapper John Shelter mile 425.5

To: Velvet Rocks Shelter mile 440.7
Miles today: 15.2
Weather: overcast clouds

I enjoyed my time with the Dartmouth orientation groups. Hearing bits of their conversations as they got to know each other and shared their excitement about the new phase of their lives that they are entering was was a fun reminder of that time in my life.The solitude of the trail may be making me uncontrollably emotional. When I parted from each of the three Dartmouth freshman groups I tried to leave them with the Irish blessing for hikers. Each time I recited it I became emotional and my voice cracked before I could finish. I don't know whether the kids considered the weepy old man touching or pitiful. There was only limited solitude on the trail today. A bubble of some two dozen north bound through hikers passed me including several who recognized me from down south. One was the fellow whose pack I recovered when his knee locked up on him. At a rest stop at noon a northbound hiker gave me a copy of the names and phone numbers of Hanover residents who put hikers up in their homes. I thought that lucky break assured me a comfortable berth in town. When AT&T finally gave me a signal. I called each of them. Unfortunately all I got were answering machines and the only responses I got were from a couple of trail angels who could not accommodate me. I suspect the bubble of northbound hikers has overwhelmed them and they are tired of putting up smelly guests. I was able to complete the 17 mile hike to town because most of today's trail was easy, but instead of risking arriving at dusk with no place to go I reluctantly detoured to a shelter two miles out of town and will go in tomorrow morning. There is nothing "velvet" about the rocks here, particularly the rock on the side trail up to the shelter. Shelter has a clear plexiglass roof so you can see the sky from inside.
Date: 2014-08-30
From: Velvet Rocks Shelter mile 440.7

To: Hanover, NH mile 442.1
Miles today: 1.4
Weather: scattered clouds

Morning walk into town from shelter was short, quick, and easy. Since I had not heard back from any of the trail angels I had called yesterday about housing and since the community center that provides hiker shower and clothes washing service is closed on the weekends, I decided to play Gone with the Wind and worry about that tomorrow. I went to a downtown breakfast restaurant and stuffed myself. Afterwards on the sidewalk in front of City Hall a local couple, Don and Karen Watson offered their assistance. They took me to their home across the River in Vermont, offered me use of their shower and washing machine, fed me lunch, and provided transportation to the motel where May Louise had left my food drop. By the time I got my flight booked from Albany, NY to Charlotte, NC for the ICMA Conference it was mid-afternoon; so I booked a room. At the Sunset Inn for the night and settled for what the hikers call a nero = near zero day, I had to walk two miles into town for supper, but got lucky and caught an after dark ride back to the motel. I am ready to return to the trail tomorrow but am not looking forward to the predicted rain. Hanover is a charming looking college town. I regret I did not have more time to explore it. All I knew about Dartmouth was that it was considered an Ivy League school. Its niche seems to be outdoors activities. It owns large tracts of mountain land and even has its own ski lift. If the trail stays easy and if I make good mileage every day, I may get through Vermont and be in Massachusetts before I leave for ICMA Conference in Charlotte.
Date: 2014-09-01
From: Cloudland Shelter mile 458.6

To: 1.5 miles Short of Winturri Shelter mile 467.0
Miles today: 8.4

After yesterday's long walk I had hoped I could start doing 15 miles per day routinely, but today I found my stamina and energy way down. Short uphill stretches wore me out. I assume the problem is a combination of the day being warm and needing recovery time from yesterday's effort. Met Mailman, the hiker whose pack I had carried to a shelter after his knee locked up. He explained that he was exhausted and hurting in multiple places and had decided to leave the trail before the Whites made him more miserable. He was disappointed but comfortable with his decision and was figuring out how to get back to Ohio. Also met Casper, the fellow I hiked with after the bears got our food, and his wife. She was waiting for him at a trail head and will be spending some time supporting him with sag van services. He was coming down the trail to meet her after having done 20 miles today. He is plowing on to finish the trail hiking with a couple of younger fellows. He warned me that the shelters in southern Vermont have serious mice infestations and should be avoided. They climbed bear lines to get his food and chewed their way into his tent and gear. Day was nice after yesterday's rain. I started out in rain pants anticipating walking through wet plants along the trail, but stopped at a road crossing at noon to dry some gear in the sun and to change into my hiking pants.Trail was varied and beautiful with long sections of stone fences, pine needled covered forest floor with little undergrowth, open areas with tall weeds and flowers, and bright green mown fields surrounded by forest.   Stopped at On the Edge Farm for a snack that became my supper. Unfortunately they were out of the home made pies that hikers I met had been raving about.I had hoped to get to Winturri Shelter and put in at least close to 10 miles today, but instead of risking having to set up camp in the dark I stopped at 6;00 and strung up Nathan's hammock in the woods.
Date: 2014-09-02
From: 1.5 miles Short of Winturri Shelter mile 467.0

To: 3 miles short of Stony Brook Shelter mile 475.3
Miles today: 8.3
Weather: broken clouds

I packed up quickly then stopped at Winturri Shelter for breakfast. I had purchased two hard boiled eggs at the farm market yesterday and they were delicious. Along the trail I met four Vermonters on a day hike. They offered me their spare food, a bounty of two oranges, an apple, a banana, and a wonderful sandwich. I took a .2 mile side trail to a cabin with a lookout platform on top of the roof for a break and a marvelous lunch. Made reference call for Maggie and learned that she had been offered the Vienna HR job. Manassas Park and some of its staff members need her, but she will be in a much more pleasant environment. My energy is still low on up hills. Instead of risking running out of daylight I stopped 2-3 miles short of the shelter I was heading for. After last night I thought I was getting the hang of camping in a hammock, but tonight I found that I still have things to learn. After I went to bed a heavy rain storm hit. I did not have the rain fly set low enough. Water got in and my sleeping bag got wet. It is now two am. I think I have the tarp set so the situation will not get worse. My bag is wet, not soaked, I should be uncomfortable but not miserable until morning. I had called for a room at a lodge just nine miles away. They did not call back, but If I can get in there I will be able to wash my clammy body and clean and dry my gear.
Date: 2014-09-03
From: 3 miles short of Stony Brook Shelter mile 475.3

To: Kent Pond side trail to Killington, VT mile 484.4
Miles today: 9.1

Night was bad but not awful. I adjusted tarp and stopped most of the water getting into the hammock and into the sleeping bag. I used the extra construction bag May Louise brought me to protect my boots and pack.   I had been using the other for a ground cloth under the hammock, but it was so slippery that it created as many problems as it solved. I tried cutting it open to form a single sheet, but it remains too slippery for convenient use. Although I was clammy and my gear was damp, the day was not bad. The weather was good. I put on rain gear to protect from wet foilage and hiked to Stony Brook Shelter where I ate breakfast, dried out a little, and shed the rain gear. The distance to the shelter was longer and harder than I could have made before dark last night.Although I did not make 10 miles, my energy was better today. The lodge on the trail I had been calling for a reservation turned out to be closed; so I hiked in to Greenbriar Inn on Hwy 4. Inn was fine, but restaurants and washateria were all a couple of miles away. I caught a ride to the Rub-a-Dub Pub or Jax's, an interesting combination washateria and pub to wash my clothes and have supper, but it was after dark when I finished. After trying for an hour to get a ride I walked back to the motel. In the future unless May Louise objects strenuously I will be much more conscientious about picking up every hitchhiker I see. As always being clean and well fed felt great.
Date: 2014-09-04
From: Kent Pond side trail to Killington, VT mile 484.4

To: Sherburne Pass Trail to The Inn at Long Trail mile
Miles today: 2.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Drying and re packing everything and finding a place to replace the bear bag line I lost took much more time than I had hoped and I did not get started back hiking until after noon. I had hoped to find support for a couple of days of slack packing to put on some additional miles, but was unsuccessful. Given the late start, instead of pushing further up Killington Peak I took a steep half mile side trail to the Inn at Long Trail where I was able to arrange a slackpack shuttle over Killington tomorrow. I did get a ride to a hardware store to replace my bear bag line. Now if I could just throw well enough to hang an effective bear bag.I need the extra miles. Patrick, one of Nathan's students, calculated for me that I will need to average 12 miles per day to be finished by the end of November. I would like to complete the through hike, but I don't want the exercise to go on that long. May Louise told me today that she may be able to spend some time supporting me for some slack packing before we go to TN for Story Telling, but she will be tidied up with other obligations after Story Tellling. Had supper with Dave and Jessie, a section hiking couple,from Texas who will join me on the slackpack run tomorrow. Jessie told me about her work as a quality assurance technician for Lab Corps and about the impact Gov. Perry and the Texas Legislature's efforts to close Planned Parenthood's clinics in the state was having on the health of low income women. I found a scale at the Inn and weighed myself. I registered 160. If the scale is accurate I have finally stopped losing weight. The Inn is a picturesque old structure with an Irish Pub on the premises. If I get back in time tomorrow I will have live music with supper..
Date: 2014-09-05
From: US 4, Rutland, VT mile 488.3

To: VT 103, Mile 505.7
Miles today: 17.4
Weather: few clouds

Tom "Plans Too Much", a local fellow who volunteers to provide transportation for hikers took us from the Inn at Long Trail to a highway 17 miles south and we slack packed north back to the Inn.   Dave Della-Rovere & Jessie Allen from San Antonio, the section hiking couple I had supper with last night went with me.I am tired from the long day and long miles, it not unreasonably exhausted.I had hoped to hike all the way back to the intersection with Sherburne Pass Trail to The Inn at Long Trail at mile 486.4, but ran out of daylight. I plan to get up early in the morning and hike before breakfast a three mile loop that Includes the missing 2 miles of trail plus a half mile climb from the inn to the trail and the half mile road walk back to the Inn that we walked from the trail tonight. Sections of today's hike were very steep and rocky; so I was delighted I was slack packing it. I am not sure I could have done more than half the distance with a full pack. I wish I could find someone to hire to support slack packing through the rest do the trip. I think it would cut my remaining time on the project in half. We came to an ominous warning from a local veterinarian as we started up the last mountain of the day. After removing lots of quills from lots of dogs he explained that the mountain has a large population of porcupines. You should keep your dog on a leash unless you are sure he knows to leave a porcupine alone. In encounters between dogs and porcupines, the dog always loses. Throughout the afternoon I repeatedly stirred up grouse along the trail. The large multi-shade brown birds take off with a loud distinctive flutter, fly a few yards low to the ground, and then disappear into the undergrowth again. At Tom "Plans Too Much" suggestion I have made a reservation for two days at Green Mountain House hostel in Manchester Center, VT. Access to Manchester Center is from VT 11 & 30 at mile 538 which is 33 miles from where we started today. My volunteer driver will control what I can do, but I think he will want me tipo skip a section, let me off within walking distance of the Manchester Center trailhead, and then perhaps help me fill in the gap the following day. I don't like not being able to control the sequence of my hike, but beggars cannot be chooses, particularly with thunderstorms predicted for tomorrow. Came through a section of trail late this afternoon where a series of huge trees along the trail had recently been blown down across the trail. It looked like a small tornado had swept along the trail for a couple of hundred yards. Climbing over the big trunks and finding the tail hidden in the foliage of the tree tops late in the day was a challenge.