morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2023-07-02
From: MM 1685

To: MM 1695
Miles today: 10.0

Day 113 10 mi MM 1695Aaaarrrrgggh DayFirst, let's talk about last night. At 2:20 I woke up to the sound of an animal inside the shelter. I listened for a few seconds and decided it wasn't mice and it probably wasn't a bear. So I sat up and it was my arch nemesis Rocky Raccoon. I told him to leave a couple of times in increasing volume and anger. He totally ignored me. I got up and he moved to the steps but didn't leave. I went back and got my hiking pole. Hit him twice and he remained unconvinced. Finally, I poked him with the sharp end and he decided to leave. He hadn't done any damage yet just made a mess. Forget bears - the dang raccoons are the problem. Everybody back to bed and to sleep. Rain began at 3:30 and continued on until about 2:00 pm. Not real heavy but very steady.So the trail was pretty slick again in the morning. And you know what I did - that's right. Fall #14.  And before you say it out loud - I am careful!  I was coming down a pretty steep hill into Clarendon Gorge (which was beautiful) and I came to a place where I had to cross a big, sloping rock maybe 15 by 20 feet. No way around it except to jump over the cliff. I came to a complete stop and actually said out loud "this is a bad one." Yes, I talk to myself occasionally especially about problems. There was a diagonal crack running through it that I thought I could use. Made it about half way before there wasn't enough grip and out goes my foot and down goes me. Fell mostly on my butt but gave the back a little jerk so it's talking to me a bit tonight. It hurt for awhile but I don't think any damage was done. Hike on!The hike today also involved two water crossings of about 40 feet each. The "rock hopping" patches were underwater so the best thing to do was just walk right in. Water was only a foot deep or so but really cold. Felt good. But you spend all day trying to keep your feet dry and then have to walk through a river. Go figure!The attached photo shows what the day looked like.So why the short day?  Well the rain and the fall were factors. But the real reason was the next shelter that I was originally aiming for at 15 miles had a leaky roof. I don't want to hike in the rain all day just to get to a shelter that leaks all night. So I stopped short one shelter. Should still easily make Killington tomorrow and the Inn. Food, shower, laundry = heaven.
Date: 2023-07-03
From: MM 1695

To: MM 1707 - The Inn at Long Trail
Miles today: 12.0

Day 114 12 mi MM 1707No Rain, No FallsCan there be a connection? Maybe. I thought about this a lot last night after getting to my destination - Inn at Long Trail. Not all of my 14 falls have come while it was raining, most of the last six have. I don¢t think there is a real physical reason for this because after a good rain, the Trail remains wet and muddy for days. So that makes it mental. I do think the rain is incredibly distracting. Even after you are soaked, you still don¢t want to get wetter - crazy as that sounds. Of course, this is me that¢s talking. It might not apply to everyone else. For instance, I keep my hiking poles just a little longer than is ¢correct¢ because I rely on them more going downhill. That makes my forearm slope backward towards my elbow. The rain slowly seeps past my wrist and pools at the elbow. Then comes the time I reach up and suddenly a quarter cup or so of cold water runs down my arm and my back. It¢s always a shock. It¢s often a little misty while it¢s raining too. With my tired old eyes I think I miss the details on a rock at times. If you have a good rough surface, the rocks are the best wet surface to use. But if it has been polished by thousand and thousands of feet over the years and you hit it wrong - Fall!It had been calculated that it takes 2.2 million steps to complete the AT. And only one bad one to end it. That happened to me last year and I¢m trying hard not to do it again. Last night at the bar(the Inn has an Irish pub) o was talking to another hiker who had zeroed to do some planning. I see why. I have had ¢my head down¢ for a week trying to survive Vermont and didn¢t realize how close I was to finishing it. At this point, I am less than 100 miles from hitting the White Mountains in NH. This is, by far, the toughest part of the AT. it is physically difficult but it is the remoteness that is worrisome. I¢ve said before that the logistics of a thru hike are maybe the hardest part. The Whites have few hostels and towns close to the Trail, making resupplies difficult. Just at the point where I would love to lighten my pack for the climbs, I¢m going to have to make it heavier. I¢ll likely need to carry more days of food and I¢ll have to add some cold weather gear back.  Can I carry the weight?  Absolutely!  But it¢s in my head and 80% of doing a thru hike is in your head. So today I¢m taking that same zero day to try to get some planning done. Also, great public bus line runs into Rutland so I¢ll go in and kick around some in the afternoon. Oh, I almost forgot. Passed 1700 today. 17 down and 5 to go. Hike On!
Date: 2023-07-04
From: MM 1707 - The Inn at Long Trail

To: The Inn at Long Trail
Miles today: 0.0

Day 115. 0 mi MM1706Independence Day I'm staying at the Inn at Long Trail taking a zero. There's a free bus line that runs between Killington and Rutland so I decide to go into Rutland and see the sights; get a little food; you know be a tourist. As I'm getting off the bus, I ask the driver what he recommends for lunch. He looks at me funny and says, "nothing is likely to be open today."  Why, I ask. Because it's the Fourth of July!  Oh. He was right. I went to the grocery store and Walmart and got on the next bus back to the inn. Too bad, it was a nice looking town. My day then consisted of talking to several other hikers and beginning to look at what logistics will be for the White Mountains. Challenging is the answer. But if there's a will, then there's a way. Oh, and a huge thunderstorm came through around 3 PM. I was very glad to be inside!Tomorrow back on Trail. AT only as the Long Trail has now split off headed north to Canada and I'm headed due east to NH. It will be interesting to see if there's a noticeable difference. Forecast for the next four days is the driest I've had since entering Vermont. Fingers crossed. Doing some planning for NH & the White Mountains¢¦ check out this article, it will give you a feel for what is ahead: https://thetrek.co/appalachian-trail/navigate-the-whites-during-your-thru-hike/
Date: 2023-07-05
From: MM 1707 - The Inn at Long Trail

To: MM 1717
Miles today: 10.0

Day 116 10 mi. MM 1717This next section seems to have shelters spaced at 10 mile intervals. That's a bummer because your choice is 10 or 20 mile days. I was here at 2:00 and already there were two other hikers here. Now we total five. Each 10 mile segment seems to have between 2600 and 3000 feet of vertical. So the sections are pretty tough. It was supposed to be dry today and for the next four days but we got two short showers. Not hard enough to cause problems and actually it may have cooled off a bit. It was very warm and humid and the day started with a 1300' climb right out of the Inn. I was soaked within an hour. So much for being clean. Saw a few SOBO hikers today but no one was in the mood to chat. The heat was a bummer. The Trail was pretty dry today and was in fairly good shape. I have to give a little love back to Vermont. The first two days were bad - initial impressions, you know - but it's getting better. Hopefully, the trend will continue. NH is less than 40 miles away and the Whites 100.  I think I can hear them calling my name....
Date: 2023-07-06
From: MM 1717

To: MM 1730
Miles today: 13.0

Day 117 13 mi MM 1730Today¢s highlight was lunch at Lookout Cabin. It¢s a private cabin just off the AT that the owner lets hikers use as a shelter. Would have been a great place to spend the night but I hit it midday. They have a platform on top of the cabin and a ladder to access it. Spectacular views all around. It¢s a very strategic location. Would be a great place to bring a telescope. Except that it is miles from everything. I suspect there must be an ATV/snowmobile road close. I¢m staying at another ¢secret hostel¢ tonight - my third one. These are places that are not advertised and are kind of invitation only. Someone who knows about it deems you worthy and passes on the information. I have my tent set up about 10¢ from a great creek - my favorite place to sleep. It has tenting space, water and a shower all for free. This guy has been doing this for 30 years and guesses perhaps 15,000 hikers have come through. Simply amazing generosity!No rain at all while hiking today. So the Trail is getting a little drier making hiking conditions pretty nice. Had 2600¢ or so of gain in 13 miles for an average of about 400¢ per mile. That number isn¢t steep but of course the uphills were much steeper. Still, that number continues to rise as we head east towards NH. I¢m pretty comfortable with how I¢m performing right now. A few niggles here and there but no major issues. That¢s how I¢d like to hit the Whites, healthy and rested. So I¢m in a bit of a cruise mode trying not to over do anything and not worry about speed or daily miles. Not easy for me to do, but I¢m improving. I did hear from my hiker buddy in Maine and she is okay. I was getting a little worried about her. But she is moving forward slowly and I hope safely. I continue to pray for all those hikers to make good decisions - not always an easy thing. Only a couple of days left on Vermont. It¢s been interesting for sure.
Date: 2023-07-07
From: MM 1730

To: MM 1742
Miles today: 12.0

Day 118 12 mi MM 1742I have probably told you what this means but a little refresher from time to time is a good thing. And nothing really sums the day up better.Pointless Ups & Downs or PUDs is what we call what the AT designers did to us when we summit hill after hill for no apparent reason. First you go up to a summit only to find no view or anything noteworthy at all. Then you immediately go down the hill only so you can go up another one. Some days are worse than others and today was one of the worst ones. The mileage was only 12 miles but with over 3600 feet of vertical and only one view. The last three miles was basically a long down to get back to river level. So we dropped almost 2000'.  At the same time there was 652' of climbing. Which of course we had to go back down. See the pattern?The AT has a lot of vertical - all the hikers know and accept that. It's a tough trail. But some days the ups make sense and some days - PUDs. Staying at another Trail Angel house that lets us tent in the yard. These are really nice because the give us a place to stay that's more like home than the shelters. A front porch, a portapotty, fridg with soft drinks and friendly talk.No rain in the forecast today and I got off to a late start so the sun would thoroughly dry my tent. Back on the trail about 8:00 am. It was hot today; no idea what the temperature was but had to be mid 80s. Took a longish lunch break from 1;00 -2:00 to cool off a bit. At about 2:30 the thunder started. At 3:30 the showers started. At 4:30 the heavy rain started. I am really getting tired of being wet. My socks smell so bad I'm not sure I can sleep with them in the tent! Hopefully, my hands and feet will "de-prune" tonight.Fortunately, there's no rain in the forecast for tomorrow. Yeah, right!
Date: 2023-07-08
From: MM 1742

To: MM 1754
Miles today: 12.0

Day 119 12 mi. MM 1754As I sit here this evening in NH, I can hear thunder off to the west - yes, towards VT. We may still get something tonight but it's 7:30 and I'm safely in my tent for the night. There's a fair amount of wind so who knows?Vermont was not a fun state but it was mostly because of the rain. When I could look around, there were some pretty parts. The people were really friendly and helpful. I met some really cool hikers. As grumpy as I was those first days, upon reflection, Vermont was okay. I wish I could have seen it in better conditions. I entered NH by crossing the Connecticut River (on a bridge) onto Hanover the home of Dartmouth College. The town seemed pretty small outside of the college but I was able to find a restaurant and get a salad and bang bang shrimp. One of my favorites. I spent a good chunk of the afternoon just people watching and letting it cool down a bit. Of course, the first time the sun comes out in a week and I have a five mile road walk on asphalt and concrete. It was really hot!  Fortunately there were a lot of low stone walls and I took advantage of them when they were in the shade. I managed to dry my tent and a few other things in a parking lot. A blazing hot sun and asphalt make a really good drying system. My knee did not like the road walk - it never does. So I took lots of breaks in hopes that it wouldn't get worse. I think it worked because it feels fine tonight. The climbs are getting steeper and longer. I think my miles are going to go back down in the 10-13 mile range as I move forward. Depends on spacing of camping spots, as usual. But I plan to slow down and try not to hurt anything. I've made it this far - knock on wood!The thunder seems to be getting closer. Sigh....
Date: 2023-07-09
From: MM 1754

To: See Day 120 - Part 2
Miles today: 0.0

Day 120 part 1I'm writing this at 10:00 am. This morning is the closest I've come to hanging up my poles and quitting. My legs are completely dead. No idea why. I've done a half mile up rocks and a half mile down rocked followed by two miles of mud and marsh. It's sprinkling already so that doesn't bode well. It's been really hot for a few days. I'm sitting beside a road that has a fair amount of traffic so it would be easy to stick my thumb out and head to a town. It's 6.5 miles to the next shelter. Normally a hop skip and jump. But right now it feels Insurmountable. My wife is coming tomorrow to change out some gear for the finish. If she were to pull up right now, I think I'd jump in and go home. Maybe it's good it's tomorrow. Well, I'm going to put my pack on and start walking north again and again and again. I'm really tired...
Date: 2023-07-09
From: MM 1754

To: MM 1763
Miles today: 9.0

Day 120 Part 2 - 9 miles MM 1763Still on the Trail. After the morning fiasco, the afternoon got better. The immediate next 2 miles was all nice, dry trail through pine forests. My favorite. I ate and drank a bunch and my legs began to come back some. Long story short, I made it to the shelter at 3:00 before anything more than a little shower. So I was dry on arrival - a big plus.  The forecast is for 2.5 inches of rain in the next 24 hours. Mud slides and flash flooding has been closing some roads in Vermont. But that won¢t stop thru hikers! Adapt and overcome. As hikers came in through the evening, I heard more stories about ¢Worst Day Yet¢ Maybe something was in the air. Who knows.  It felt really good to have a group that was feeling the same way I was. The consensus is we have come way too far to quit now. I agree. I¢ll continue on. I¢m lucky because in three miles my wife will pick me up and I get a couple of days of R&R to regroup and prep for the next big push - the White Mountains. Some say that we have completed 80% of the miles but only 50% of the effort. They are really that difficult. I know that¢s a little exaggeration. Only a couple of weeks will tell and I intend to find out.  Thanks for ALL the support and I¢m sorry for the morning scare. But I think it¢s important for people to see some of the lows that come out here too. I¢ve said before that getting through the AT is 80% in your head. I need to get my head back in the game. Keep praying that I do. We¢ll talk more later.
Date: 2023-07-10
From: MM 1763

To: MM 1765
Miles today: 2.0

Day 121 2 mi MM 1765Meeting the wifeToday was only a two mile hike down to a road crossing where my wonderful wife was waiting to pick me up. We ran around doing errands and getting stuff I needed. A lot of my gear was wearing out and in need of replacement. I had ordered stuff and had it sent back home. She brought all that.  Both of my hiking pole tips were broken. They can be replaced but i didn't have the ability to do that on the trail. So we bought new ones and I'll fix the others after the hike. We were not able to find any of the other things I wanted to switch out so I'll just keep using what I have. I added some cold weather items back into my kit. It can get very cold very quickly in the Whites. For safety, I wanted my warmer base layers back just in case. Still have to work on a plan for getting through the Whites and a resupply plan as well. Tomorrow...
Date: 2023-07-12
From: MM 1765

To: MM 1775
Miles today: 10.0

Day 123 10mi MM 17753981' up 1931' downSmarts MountainNot sure why it's called this - didn't seem any smarter than the other mountains. Back on the Trail today. Wife dropped me off about 9:30 where she picked me up. A late but not terrible start. First mile or so was a beaver pond/ bog. They often go hand in hand. Everything was above water so I was able to stay dry crossing it (in my new shoes) which I'm pretty sure would not have been possible two days ago. Then up a 1000' climb and, of course, right back down because this is the AT and it's what we do. A couple of miles of fairly flat but muddy terrain and then Smarts Mountain. A very long climb of about 4 miles and just over 2000'.  That doesn't sound too bad but it has a trick up its sleeve.  After about 2.5 miles you hit a false summit and the unwary May think they've made the top but not so. I had looked ahead and was prepared. In fact, I was hoping there would be water on this plateau because there was none at the top. I had decided not to haul 3 liters of water up the 4 mile climb - a definite gamble. If I was wrong, then I would have to go another three miles down the mountain to get water. That would mean hiking until 7:00 or later which I do not like to do. So here I go. The plateau is definitely wet and muddy - a good sign. But no water, no water, no water. I was coming to the end and had a steep last mile to do. Bad news was no water but good news was I'd be light going up. Then I came on a tiny little stream but it was water!  So I filled everything and started the climb. My gamble had paid off.  This water would not have been there in drier days so from the bad comes good. And just to make the point, after about 15 minutes, the rain started again. I went about 10 minutes because the cool rain actually felt good and then it got harder. I decided to drop my pack and get my rain gear on. That takes a couple of minutes. Back up I go. As is so often the case, it then decides to stop raining. Ok - I'm wet from waiting and im going to be warm with the rain coat on. I figure I only have 30-40 minutes to go so I laugh and tough it out. The AT does not seem to like for its hikers to be comfortable. Part of the challenge you sign up for on a thru hike. Smart Mountain then throws its last pitch at me. The final 0.2 mile has 380 feet of vertical. If you do the arithmetic and I did, that's 1900' per mile - super steep!  In some places there was rebar set into the rock so you had something to grip with your feet. At least it was short. I'm on top and take the first tent site I come to. I was tired, hungry, thirsty and unsure about more rain. But all in all, I was pleased. The Whites are coming and this was a tough prep day.
Date: 2023-07-13
From: MM 1775

To: MM 1785
Miles today: 10.0

Day 124 10mi MM 17851822' up 4064' downDown day!If you look at yesterday, you'll see an up day and today I gave it all back in a mostly down day. It's interesting to note that today only had one major climb and it was 972'. Almost half of the up today was in the "little stuff", 50-150 feet at a time that at this point I do t even think about. But they add up, obviously. Starting to run into several SOBO (south bounders) a day that have started at Katahdin and made it this far. They all talk about the rain and the high water. Same thing we NOBOs are worried about. Most don't want to talk very long. Feels like they are in a hurry to get south as fast as possible. I wonder if we would have been that way in the first 500 miles? Maybe so. It takes a while to "relax into" the trail.As I think back, I remember thinking the AT was something to attack and conquer. Ha! What foolishness!!! The AT is more like a partner you have to learn to live with.  It's symbiotic.  It gives; you take. It takes; you give. Speaking of which, fall #15 today. The wood got me again and I skidded off a log. Now the right knee matches the left. Not as bad as the PA fall but still gonna take some care.  No serious damage just another scar to take with me. I stopped at 10 miles today because the next reliable place to stop is another 10 and that's too far. There is a "retired" shelter in four miles that supposedly has tent spots.  But I've tried that twice before and it didn't work out well. So I found a stealth spot beside a creek and settled in.  I needed time for my knee and I wanted to do some things to my pack. One of the pieces of gear that was worn out was my beloved pack from Zpacks. It was a trooper lasting over 2000 miles since I got it. But I needed to carry some warmer gear for the Whites and more food as well for emergencies. A bigger pack was needed. Enter my second Granite Gear Crown 60. It's about 30% larger and only weighs about 2.2 lbs and it much more comfortable at and above 30 pound loads. Expecting rain to start tonight and go most of the day tomorrow. I don't have cell service right now and my forecast is 48 hours old. So it's mostly a guess. Maybe I'll get lucky and it will stay dry. I doubt it but a guy can hope, can't he???
Date: 2023-07-14
From: MM 1785

To: MM 1795
Miles today: 10.0

Day 125 10mi MM17952330¢ up. 2648¢ down. Balanced dayToday was a fairly easy day into the Hikers Welcome Hostel in Warren.  No rain today but remember last night?  Huge thunderstorm hit at 8:00 pm. And for the first time on this hike there was no discernible time between flash and thunder. That means a couple of the strikes were very close - probably on the ridge lines above me. I was pretty low down by a creek. Anyway, no harm or damage. It rained for a couple of hours and was done fore the night. Oh, and remember the shelter/tent site issue. When I went by, I walked in to look around. There were tent sites there. So I could have gone further yesterday. That makes three for three wrong decisions on this issue. Sigh¢¦Hostel is full tonight with impending rain. I¢ll probably slack pack Mt Moosilauke tomorrow. Forecast is good and solid rain on Sunday. When does it end???Reference: https://hikerswelcome.com/
Date: 2023-07-15
From: MM 1795

To: MM 1805
Miles today: 10.0

Day 126 10mi MM18054092¢ up. 3129¢ down. Mt. Moosilauke Today was a slack pack (meaning I didn¢t carry all my gear) of the first 4k mountain. It¢s actually 4795¢ at the summit.  But I think there is something like 48 mountains in New England above 4000 feet and it¢s a ¢thing¢ to hike them all. I believe we hit nine peaks on the AT. That¢s a number I should know. Very, very steep climb up along a beautiful waterfall that seemed to go on forever. That was really cool. I took six pictures along the way to try to capture it. The summit was in alpine territory. There were no trees, only rocks and small plants that are very fragile. Stepping off trail is forbidden!!! The summit was actually crowded. I was shocked. But there are lots of trails in the Whites and they get used by day hikers.  I was glad to be up and over before noon and any thunderstorms. Rain is supposed to start at 5:00 am and go all day. There are more than 20 of us who are going to zero tomorrow and stay dry.