morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2015-08-27
From: U. S. 4 [Inn at Long Trail]

To: Gov. Clement Shelter
Miles today: 10.6

I had a good breakfast at the Inn with 3 other hikers, going in various directions: 2-braids, Che (whom I had met in Maine), & Rambles. Then I packed up, took the bus to the Post Office [package had arrived], got a new charging cord for my phone [without much opportunity for doing any charging], & hitched a ride down to the trailhead. It seemed to take a long time to get up the Mtn. No rain in the forecast; however, some came in the early afternoon but quit soon after I put on my ponchoHikers I met included a group of 10 from Yale, & SOBOs Kestrel, Whoopy Cat, BC, Delilah (dog: Sampson), Caesar, Bluebeard, Indy, Shepherd, Kamikazi, Four-Eyes, Fizzy, Shine On, Peacock, Cloud, Patches, & Clark Kent. Everyone seemed to be hurrying for town. By 2:15, I had reached Sherburme Pass trail; by 4:00, Cooper Lodge, which is near the top. There's a side trail: 0.2 off the AT with a view & a restaurant. I was told the restaurant was closing in a half hour, which was just about when I got there ¢ I figured it was too cloudy for a view, so I didn't go. Around the back of the Mt., there's a difficult section, where the Trail is very rough on the side of the Mtn. I did it in the dark last time & almost fell off the mountain because I tried to grab a tree at the 4-foot level that was only 3 feet high. Now in daylight I saw the tree I missed [but I didn't think to take a picture of it ¢ Missed again!]. I had wanted to stop for supper at Governor Clement Shelter, then go on a few more miles. I didn't get there till 6:30. No one else there. I decided to stay. It's an old stone shelter with a fireplace [only slightly younger than Fingerboard & Wm Brian shelters in NY. but cleaned up a little from 2 years ago]. So I made a fire, something I don't usually do. Freestyle & Twigs arrived later at the shelter, when I was trying to get to sleep.
Date: 2015-08-28
From: Gov. Clement Shelter

To: Little Rock Pond Shelter
Miles today: 19.4
Weather: overcast clouds

I remember why I don't like fires at campsites & shelters. Even the non-smoky fire I built last night irritated my eyes & sinuses. I got an earlier start than usual: out by 5:40; full light soon after 6:00. In the first hour, I passed a 500-mile marker.I stopped briefly at Clarendon Shelter, then continued to the road & railroad crossing just before Clarendon Gorge. I crossed just before a long train, so I got to talk to some NOBOs waiting on the other side. The gorge is a pretty place with a nice suspension bridge, but not as spectacular was advertised. I stopped at the top of the Mtn for a snack & had a good conversation with a semi-retired doctor from Northern VT. A few miles later, I climbed the first of 3 "Bear Mtns" that I cross in a few weeks. This was also the day for passing the 2 places where people have exercised their ingenuity in building "rock art" sculptures [or are they just cairns?]. It was already too dark to get a good picture, but I wanted to go on another 5 miles to the next shelter. NOBOs I met today: Fruit Snacks, Melons, Cookie, Yahtzee, Butcher Dave, Mouse, Wolf Man, Honey, Turtle, Haz-Matt, (no name), a couple from Mass, & Waysh & Mountain Mama. Today had slightly more rocks & altitude change. I stopped for supper at Greenwall Sgelter, even tho it's 3/4 mile off the Trail, but I really wanted to push on to Little Rock Pond. That's a shelter I couldn't even find last time thru here. It was quite dark by the time I got near it, & I slipped & fell on some rough trail along the pond, but eventually I found a sign, with the shelter just off the AT [in plain sight in daylight]. There were a father & young daughter already in bed, so I tried to be as quiet as possible. It's a pretty large shelter with a picnic table under the roof. I was the only other one there. It was one of my longest days, but done by starting & ending in the dark. I can't help feeling slow. On my test track back home, 2 mph seems relatively slow. Here it seems unattainable.
Date: 2015-08-29
From: Litle Rock Pond Shelter

To: Bromley Shelter
Miles today: 17.8
Weather: overcast clouds

Trying not to disturb anyone, I was out of the shelter at 6:40. I was amazed to discover [by daylight] that the caretaker's tent was right there, between the shelter & the Trail. I didn't see it at all last night! No one was stirring there, so I left the $5.00 fee under the caretaker's hat on the platform.The Trail immediately turned up the hill to bypass beaver activity, yet came back down to an area that had been flooded. That new part is pretty rough. Nice creek to walk along, tho. After crossing a highway [where there is a nice privy], I entered the Big Branch Wilderness. The rest of the morning was fairly easy walking, with brief stops at a couple of shelters along the way. I also stopped for a while on Baker Peak to enjoy the view [not that I really knew which Mtns. I was seeing], but I don't enjoy sitting for long in hot sun on rocks. After a long walk on boardwalk along Griffith Pond, I stopped to cook lunch at Peru Peak Shelter. 2 Thru-hikers were there, & a family of day-hikers came along, wanting to learn all about hiking the AT. Next I had to go over some higher Mtns. ¢ Peru Peak & Styles Peak ¢ not difficult, & the latter had a view point, where I met a couples of NOBOs, one of whom had just figured out he'd been going the wrong way for the second time today. I haven't done that for a few weeks, anyway, since Crawford Notch.I was meeting hikers on both AT & LT, including Big Sky, Freshman (LT), several section hikers, Poseidon, Tin-Tin, Disconnect, Spiderman, Gourmet Greg, Waldo, Hawk, Bison, Bookworm, Redllocks, Rocky, Square-Peg, Boogy-Pilgrim, Dixie, Rebel Yell, Flounder, Sublime, Lolly, & Snack Time [from Wausau, WI, only an hour from my home].Then it was down to Mad Tom Notch [Who was Mad Tom?] & up again gradually to Bromley Mtn. It was getting a little too cloudy to see the sunset. I checked out the cabin at the top of the ski lift where it is OK to stay at night, but I wanted to get a little closer to town; so I continued another mile down the ski slope & thru the woods to Bromley Shelter. I was really impressed with the design of the shelter 2 years ago, but it was too early to stop then. It's a design that is getting more common as they build new shelters in New England. There are two levels for sleeping, & the roof overhangs the picnic table {so much nicer than shelters [like even the very nice Partnership Shelter in VA] where the drip line falls right in the middle of the table!}. At the shelter was a young woman named Kelly. I saw no one else there or on the top of the Mtn either. She was new to long-distance back-packing, hoping to do the Long Trail or at least to Killington, & happy to have company in the shelter. She'd been going for several days & had a very positive attitude.
Date: 2015-08-30
From: Bromley Shelter

To: Manchester Center [Green Mtn House]
Miles today: 2.0
Weather: overcast clouds

I got up early & tried not to waken Kelly. She was getting up while I was about to leave. The 2 miles down the hill was easy; hitch-hiking, not so much. Eventually, a woman out for a run stopped on her way back to town & took me right to the church.Last time here, I had noticed Zion Episcopal Church & thought that's an unusual name for an Episcopal church. I had time before the service to get breakfast at the upstairs breakfast place down the street. I still think it is expensive, tho it was quite crowded & the food was good enough.I thought the priest was too casual about how he did the liturgy & the sermon, but the singing was good & the people were friendly. My next stop was to the outfitter to look around & to pick up my mail drop. They didn't have Smartwool sock liners, so I left my stuff there & walked down to Eastern Mtn. Sports. The woman who helped me find the liners sent me to the man at the register to pay. He was obviously on the phone, in a conversation that went on & on, while she made no effort to help me at the other register. I finally left my stuff there & walked next door to the grocery store. On the way, I met some hikers whom I would see later at the hostel. I wouldn't have bought so much if I had known how much food & drink the hostel provides. I also went to the nearby convenience store to get some hard cider & pretzels. Then I went back to EMS & got the woman to let me pay. After packing up all my stuff, I went up the street to get a sandwich for supper & lunch at the Thai restaurant. I got to use a little of the Thai I remembered from 47 years ago, especially how to say, "I don't want any cucumbers." Then I called Green Mtn. House for a pickup. I recognized the phone Nr. as an Ohio Nr., so I began to look for a truck with Ohio plates. It wasn't even that complicated, since it said "HIKER 1" anyway. Also staying at the hostel were Peaceful, Fire Marshal Bill, Green Man & Mama D, another hiker from SC, & a mother-daughter combo [who were disappointed that I was a little older than the mother].The rest of the day was spent loafing, working on Trail Journals, & doing laundry. Green Mtn. House is a nice place to do all that.
Date: 2015-08-31
From: Manchester Center [Green Mtn House]

To: On Stratton Mtn. 
Miles today: 15.8
Weather: light rain

Day 52, with 6 Zeros & 10 days off the Trail. Green Mtn. House provides hikers with a lot of material for making their own breakfast. One of our group tried to make pancakes for everyone, then was disappointed when many were left over. I preferred to cook eggs for myself, so I only had one pancake. Then we had to get our pictures taken by our host, & some were taken to the post office before the rest of us were delivered to the trailhead. So it wasn't an early start. My mail drop plus shopping meant that I left the hostel with my pack overloaded.Nice easy Trail today. Except for a brief uphill at the beginning & Stratton Mtn toward the end, it was pretty level, with almost a mile of old gravel road & some boardwalks. A little detour along Stratton pond didn't cause any problems. Some of the hikers I met today included Grasshopper & Mighty Mouse, Lucky 70 (age 73), Nuke, Tits, & Ambush. I stopped at Stratton Pond Shelter to have supper. First time I've been there while both arriving & leaving in daylight. The trails around the shelter certainly seemed much less confusing when I could see.I had some Good-To-Go Thai curry that I bought (highly recommended) at the outfitter. Basically vegetarian but called "pescatarian" because of the fish sauce. Better than most dehydrated meals ... & also better than what I had in the Thai restaurant yesterday. Nice walk. It took a while to get up Stratton Mtn. I met a couple of section hikers coming down, who said it had taken them 45 minutes to get there from the top, so it would probably take me 90 minutes going up. I was at the top in about 45 minutes from then. I went up the fire tower to take some pictures. It wasn't quite sunset, but I needed to get down the Mtn far enough to find a campsite. That took longer than I expected because of steep slopes. I remembered the Trail here being very rocky; not so much so, after the TraIl I've been on last 2 months. At least here there is dirt between the rocks!Is it really two months already?
Date: 2015-09-01
From: On Stratton Mtn. 

To: Goddard Shelter
Miles today: 14.2
Weather: scattered clouds

Some hiker came by after 10:30 last night. I was up at 5:30; on the Trail at 6:50! I've got to improve. 1 September! Not much Fall color yet. Many viburnums [viburna?] are turning purple (some just a half leaf) & a few quite red. Isolated maple leaves have turned red & fallen. The Trail did get a bit rockier just below where I camped. Then it improved. Less than 15 minutes brought me to one of the nicer campsites I had remembered. Oh well. Lots of flies buzzing around today but nothing that bites. Hot & humid day with a heavy pack. Got to keep eating away at that weight. 1/4 hour trail work yesterday & today. Large blowdown midway between Kid Gore & Story Spring. I stopped to eat at each of those shelters. I wonder who "Kid Gore" was. This is one of the few points along here that you get a view to the East rather than to the West. The nearby Caughnawaga Shelter ruin is now totally gone.I met nine NOBOs at Black Branch, still in camp at 8:45, tho a couple looked ready to go. The Back-of-the-Bubble group. But not really. Later, in addition to some LT hikers, I met Mama Long Legs, Jarhead, Sheldon, Odin, Salute, Bengal John(from Cincy), Fire-Mouth, Squirrel-Tooth, Scribbles, Octopus, Spooner, Shakira, Luna, Lucky, Bronco, Summit Frog, Jimangy, Pone Cone, Scavenger, Little One & Walden, & Happy. SOBO Section hiker Sneaky Grandma was at the shelter with a couple of LT hikers. Saca I & Taco arrived soon after.I had to go 0.3 back to the tower to call Susan. Very dark by then. Didn't get to talk much with anyone.
Date: 2015-09-02
From: Goddard Shelter

To: Consultation Peak
Miles today: 17.5

Up at 5:15; out by 5:55! That's probably a record for me, tho it didn't involve eating anything. In the first mile or so South of the shelter, there were 5-6 blow-downs that require a heavier saw. I did 34 hour for the day. Trimming is needed thru-out, especially on Harmon Hill. From there down to Congdon shelter, 3 or 4 blow-downs require heavy saw. After that shelter, the trail along the creek requires some attention, as does boardwalk thru-out the section, especially at the first pond. After about 2 miles, there is a place on my map labeled "Glastonbury Lookout." I couldn't see anything resembling a lookout at the point. Probably too misty to see anything anyway. A mile or so later, there was "Little Pond Lookout", which did have SOME view.Despite the heavy rain a week ago, the signature Vermont mud has been remarkably dry. That's my remark on that. Blackberries are drying [tho there were some good ones still on Harmon Hill], & the button bush at Rt 9 were not good either. After crossing the highway, it took just about an hour to get up the hill! Then it was fairly level for several miles. There was a shortage of water at Congdon [as well as the previous shelter]. I had supper & went on. I only met a few hikers today: Voltron + 1, Chicago, Bagel, Voldemort, MOBO Matt, & a guy from Alexandria. Consultation Peak sounded like an interesting name; I was happy to find a nice campsite at the top & to get all set up before dark.
Date: 2015-09-05
From: Cheshire/ US 9 -- Graymoor area 

To: On West Mtn. 
Miles today: 12.6
Weather: overcast clouds

2d night in a row with less than 6 hours sleep ¢ that's reflected in my progress.Now I'm suddenly in New York. Different kind of woods: More open, no Viburnum, some honeysuckle. Also blueberry & Mountain Laurel, Poison ivy, American hornbeam ("muscle tree"), more oaks & acorns. Heavy dew some places. Lots of boulders & rock out-croppings. And grass [with ticks!?] -- along the Trail, reminder of how recently this was pasture. I didn't expect to see many NOBOs down here; up on West Mtn I did meet Unicorn (soon jumping ahead to the Whites). I also met SOBO Rockfish, who camped near me. I took my time getting thru the park. The zoo isn't very exciting, but the museum turned out to have more than local cultural history & the Revolutionary War battle fought here. There was a whole room on Daniel Carter Beard, one of my favorite authors as a boy. He was an illustrator, a writer of nature & woods-craft books, & one of the founders of the Boy Scouts of America.At the Bear Mt. Lodge, I rested, got water, charged my phone, & got a large, cheap, ice cream cone. Volunteers were hard at work doing rock work at the bottom of the trail near the playground. They obviously have lots of expert advice & don't depend on just finding rocks in the woods nearby. I counted 725 steps going up (of which 7 actually went down) & 430 steps going down the other side (of which something like 52 actually went up)! That's a lot of work since my hike in 2001 when the Trail up was a total mess.It's still hard coming down that many hard steps, but going up is really nice. Unlike so many trail-builders, they made all the steps nearly horizontal, with the width & rise quite uniform as well. Very easy on the legs!After being lost a little bit, I got up West Mtn & ate at a viewpoint. Then it got dark fast, so I camped about a half mile along the ridge. It's been so dry lately ¢ I didn't put the fly on ¢ we'll see if that brings rain!
Date: 2015-09-06
From: On West Mtn. 

To: On Arden Mtn. 
Miles today: 14.2
Weather: scattered clouds

There was road noise all night from the highway in the valley. Then a hiker (Rockfish) came by in the dark around 5:45. I stopped at Wm Brian shelter for mid-morning snack.   It was good to see they've done a lot of nice fix-up work on it. It's one of the oldest shelters, dating back to the 1920s. Rockfish stopped there too. Others were camped around the area. Lots of complaints about lack of water. But it's there in sufficient quantities IF you are looking. I know some people sweat a lot more than I do, even on these 90+ degree days. These state parks are so big, with so few road crossings, I quickly gave up on the idea of hitch-hiking out to go to church. Some of the hills seem easier southbound. After struggling up a steep North slope, being able to speed down a more gradual South slope may be worth it. Why so much talk about the rocks of PA ¢ isn't this part of NY rockier ??   Many ups & downs too. The "Lemon squeezer" was very tricky, & the rock climb just before it even moreso. I didn't have the finger strength to do that right, but I still managed to drop & land safely. One thing is constant here: you're never quite away from traffic noise [even when you are not actively crossing a multi-lane highway]. On this Holiday week-end, there may be fewer trucks, but definitely more motorcycles. Lots of day-hikers & week-enders too; no other thrus. One of my favorite old shelters is Fingerboard Shelter. I had said I'd build a fire in one of the fireplaces, but it was just too hot for that. I did get to visit for lunch. Some weekend hikers were camping nearby ¢ they were afraid to stay in the shelter because the stone walls have so many cracks & crevices for critters to hide in. Before that, I had stopped for an hour at Tiorati Circle to get water & recharge my phone. Totally surprised, on Labor Day weekend, to find: No swimming!! But there were still lots of picnickers. With an hour at Tiorati, an hour trail work, & 12-hour break at Island Pond, I only got to the same place on Arden Mtn. where I "cowboy camped" last time. Try again ! One hour Trail work on big oak blowdown up hill to South of Rt 17. More cutting needed. 1/4 hour yesterday near Rt 9.
Date: 2015-09-07
From: On Arden Mtn. 

To:  Prospect Point 
Miles today: 16.4
Weather: scattered clouds

ANOTHER very HOT day in the woods! Still a lot of big rocks too, plus crossing a superhighway at grade. Rock-Fish & I got started before daylight, which helps with the heat for a while. At West Mombasha Road, the trail finally got flatter. Cool breeze in a boardwalk area with poison ivy alongside. Water was scarce in streams, but not non-existent. Also, at 3 road-crossings, people had put out jugs of water (& in one case, fruit) for hikers ¢ at the last one they were all empty. Lots fewer people on the Trail in this area. Just after Fitzgerald Falls (which had barely enough water to dampen the rocks) we came across 3 people camping in the woods, with a hot fire going. They probably thought we were crazy to be hiking in such heat (90s & very humid), & we thought they were crazy to be sitting around a fire in such heat; however, they were nice enough to take some of the trash we had picked up in the woods. Other than road noise & sometimes hikers, the main noise in the NY woods at this time is that of falling acorns, which can sometimes sound like hiker poles.We stopped briefly at Wildcat Shelter, which has a new entrance trail ¢ no wonder I missed it last time thru! Then it was on to the Cat Rocks, some brief outcroppings, & then a couple of miles of fast trail to Rt. 17A. That's where the ice cream place is just 0.3 off the AT. I had hoped to get a sandwich, but all they do is dairy-related. There were 20 people in line OUTSIDE the building when I arrived -- probably 40 when I left. I sat on the sidewalk in the shade (tables were all in the sun), thinking I was at least charging my phone at the outside outlet. Turned out it wasn't live! Well, I got some water anyway & signed their hiker book. On the way back to the AT, I met Rock-Fish, who decided it wasn't worth it.Very few breezes in the woods this afternoon. The next few miles above Greenwood Lake were a tedious bunch of little ups & downs, mostly over rocks. As I sat on a rock eating tuna fish, a bear went by me in the woods. Even if I could have got my camera ready in time, it would have been hard to get a photo thru the trees. I finally came to the big rock face near the state line that had given me trouble in 2011. Then it had no ladder; in 2013 it had a ladder; now they've built a permanent ladder with re-bar set in the rock. I think they should have used heavier bars & not had them stick out so far from the rock, but so far they're not getting bent. Another memory in this area was doing a face plant 4 years ago ¢ now the stream-bed was totally dry: no slippery rocks at all. We both camped up on top of Success Mtn. Even tho the situation & the heat seemed similar last night, tonight I felt more safe in a tent on account of the bear sighting. Probably makes little real sense!