morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2013-07-10
From: NH Route 112 (Kingsman Notch)

To: NH Route 112 (Kingsman Notch)
Miles today: 0.0

Zero day in Lincoln, NHOvercast all day; light rain in morning; heavy rain in late afternoon and early eveningLast evening for dinner I had excellent moussaka at the Greek restaurant (Landmark II) in town. Slept OK at The Carriage Motel in North Woodstock, NH. This establishment is a true throwback to the 1950's, the hayday of motels, but the owners are nice and the price was right.I was up before 6 am and went down the street to Peg's for breakfast. The blueberry pancakes were outstanding. I had some time before the post office opened so posted my entries on trail journals and did email. I was at the post office when they opened at 9:30. The woman who was at the counter was from St. Albans, the town next to where I live. She said that she was waiting to meet the owner of those packages. I had all my new supplies, including tent, etc. packed by 10 am.The night before, I decided that my current hiking shoes were not going to make it, so I needed new ones. So my plan was to get new shoes at Lahout's in the neighboring town of Lincoln then get back on the trail by 11 am. As I'm walking over with my pack on my back, it started to rain yet again.   Given that this was morning and the forecast was for more rain in the afternoon, combined with the thought of another tough climb of a high mountain with no view, I did the wise thing and checked into the Comfort Inn in Lincoln. After checking in I walked up to Lahout's for new shoes. My old ones were Merrill's. They lasted only about 350 miles. Their design flaw was that there was too much fabric covering on the sides and not enough leather. The fabric was easily torn on rocks and such. Lahout's carried Merrill's and I see they now have more leather covering the sides. With some hesitation, I bought another pair of Merrill's, with minimal exposed fabric. We'll see if these do any better.As I write this at about 6 pm, it has been pouring rain for the last two hours. It was the right decision to take a zero today!Tomorrow come hell or high water it is up and over Moosilauke, the last 4,000 ft peak on this trip. Thus, one more steep climb and descent.   In fact, after this there is only one more peak that breaks the 3,000 ft mark.
Date: 2013-07-11
From: NH Route 112 (Kingsman Notch)

To: Webster Slide Mountain
Miles today: 11.8

NH Route 112 to Webster Slide Mountain - 11.8 milesOvercast in morning becoming mostly sunny in afternoon; 1.5 hour downpour in mid-morning; Mount Moosilauke remained in the clouds, comfortable temperaturesUp at 5 am, down for free breakfast at 6:15, shuttle picked me up just before 7 am. I was hiking at 7:15 am. The trail up Beaver Brook was spectacular. The brook was an endless series of cascades and waterfalls that went on for more than a mile and at least 1,500 feet of elevation change. These are the most outstanding falls I've ever seen. At one point the trail came up over a ledge, and I was at eyeball level with the cascade no more than two feet away. If you want an idea how steep the trail was, picture trying to climb up a waterfall. However, the Dartmouth Outing Club, which maintains this section of trail, has done a wonderful job putting in steps and handholds. It took me 1.5 hours to cover the 1.5 miles and 2,000 ft of elevation change to get to Beaver Brook Shelter. About 30 minutes before I got to the shelter it started to rain hard. I decided to wait out the storm at the shelter. In total, the downpour lasted for 1.5 hours. I estimate more than 1 inch of rain. There were a few rumbles of thunder in the distance. As the storm began to clear, I could see the clouds rising off of Kingsman Ridge - an impressive sight.I left the shelter at 10:30 and reached the 4,802 ft north summit of Moosilauke at about noon. The summit was in the clouds so no view. I had lunch in hopes that the clouds would lift during the delay. Unfortunately, there was no change. There was a 20 mph, cool wind on the exposed summit. On the way down, I took a short side trail to the south summit. There were a few glimpses of the surrounding valleys and mountains when the clouds momentarily parted.   The rest of the trip down was uneventful.   The trail started as rocky and steep. Both the grade and rocks decreased as I went down.   The bottom ended in pastures and local roads. I was at Jeffers Brook Shelter at 3:30. There were three young section hikers doing all of NH and one sobo thru at the shelter (RJ). It was too early for me to stop, so I continued on. Oliverian Brook was a ford. A group of 10 boys and two leaders going nobo were at the ford.   Easy walk to Wachipauka Pond. I found a campsite just after the pond and below Webster Slide Mountain. The site is just north of the trail and 50 yards before crossing a small stream. I'm in my tent tonight. Eight nobo thru's passed me today, including "Tin Cup" who lives in Hampden, Maine.
Date: 2013-07-12
From: Webster Slide Mountain

To: Hexacuba Shelter
Miles today: 12.3

Webster Slide Mountain to Hexacuba Shelter - 12.3 milesMostly sunny all day! Comfortable temperatures; best weather day yet. Up at 5:15 on the trail at 6:45. Easy hiking this morning; only minor ups and downs.   The only thing that slowed me down was the mud. Some stretches of trail were a quagmire due to all the recent rain. The woods were wonderful - mixed hardwood, some white pine and spruce.I started up Mount Cube at 11:30 am and was on the top at 1:45 pm.   I took the side trail to the north summit in hopes of seeing Indian Pond. The Boy Scout camp that I worked at for five summers is on the lake. I spent more than an hour looking but only got a few limited views of the lake. However, the views elsewhere were stupendous.   I could see all the Whites, down to Upper Baker Lake, and the entire chain of the Green Mountains from Jay Peak in the north to Killington and more to the south. This was an amazingly clear day. I left the summit at 3 pm. The rock in some areas look like a low grade of marble, different than in the Whites. Maybe this is geologically related to the Green Mountains?I'm at the Hexacuba Shelter tonight. I arrived at 4:30 pm. There are four nobo thru's, three nobo section hikers, one sobo thru (RJ who just go his MS in civil engineering from University of Tennessee), and me.   Not counting the NOBOS in the shelter tonight, eight passed me today. Tomorrow, I'm hoping to do 17.7 miles. This may be a little too ambitious - we'll see.
Date: 2013-07-13
From: Hexacuba Shelter

To: Moose Mountian Shelter
Miles today: 17.7

Hexacuba Shelter to Moose Mountain Shelter - 17.7 milesSunny in early morning; becoming overcast during the middle of the day; returning to mostly sunny by late in the day; comfortable temperatures if there was a breeze otherwise hot; no rain!Up at 5 am on the trail at 6:10 am. The major climbs today: Smarts Mountain (2230 ft of ascent); Holts Ledge (1050 ft); and Moose Mountain (1348 ft).   When combined with lesser ups, this was over 5,000 ft of climbing. Given that this was also a high mileage day, this was quite a workout. The views from the fire tower on Smarts Mountain were excellent - 360 degree. A little more haze than yesterday, but could see back to the Whites and over to the Green Mountains. I could even see a short stretch of the Connecticut River. There were also more limited views from the tops of the other climbs. There were ripe blueberries on some of the ledges - yum!About 8 NOBO thru's passed me today. One started just three months ago. Another started in early February - quite a contrast in speed. There were also several section hikers and given that this is Saturday there were day hikers too. I arrived at the Moose Mountain Shelter at 6:10 pm - 12 hours on the trail today. My average speed including breaks was 1.48 mph. A family has filled the shelter so I'm tenting on a very nice site. Two nobo thru's are also tenting nearby. Tomorrow it is just 11.1 easy miles into town.
Date: 2013-07-14
From: Moose Mountian Shelter

To: Hanover, NH
Miles today: 11.1

Moose Mountain Shelter to Hanover, NH - 11.1 milesTrip miles so far: 143.9Partly cloudy to mostly sunny; hotUp at 5 am; on the trail at 6:25 amI did not sleep all that well last night. Just as I was falling asleep a group of four hikers pulled into the campsite next to mine and started to make a racket, talking, banging tent poles, and ramming around the woods with their headlamps on looking for firewood. This went on until after 11 pm - way after hiker midnight. After this it was hot, so I was tossing and turning for the rest of the night.The trail today was uneventful, just beautiful NH woods. There was less mud than normal, so that was a welcome change. The trail had just a few modest ups and downs with more of the latter. Velvet Rocks was neat with green moss covering everything. I made it to NH 120 at 11:30. The trail enters town along the edge of Dartmouth's athletic fields. It felt strange walking right into a town so big. Then it was 0.7 miles on city streets to reach the center of town. Here I was, a mud covered hiker walking past well cared for homes and businesses. People did look at me a little odd. Right at the center of town was a Subway, so I stopped for lunch and got an extra sandwich for dinner.   After buying a few things at Rite-Aid, I called the owners of the Sunset Inn and they came to pick me up.I'm now safely ensconced at the Sunset Inn for the night. Also here are a group of three nobos (Blue Eyes, Chaser, and Prometheus). The latter is from Sebago Lakes region of Maine. Next door is an older thru-hiker who is being supported by his wife. Based on the wet, muddy shoes left in front of the motel room doors to dry in the sun, there are at least a couple of other hikers here. I was hiking for just 5.5 hours today. My speed was 2 mph. That's about the maximum for me on a trail with a full pack.
Date: 2013-07-15
From: Hanover, NH

To:  0.2 miles south of Bartlett Brook Road
Miles today: 19.6

Hanover, NH to 0.2 miles south of Bartlett Brook Road - 19.6 milesSunny and hot; breeze at timesUp at 5 am. Breakfast of a 6-inch Subway BMT and two granola bars. I caught the 6:25 bus from Sunset Inn to downtown Hanover. I was hiking at 6:30. The first order of business was to cross the Connecticut River into Vermont. I now have all of New Hampshire done!   The river looked stagnant with some floating trash. Not very impressive.   I stopped at Dan & Whit's General Store in Norwich, VT for juice and a piece of banana bread. A mile out of town, I was done roadwalking and started the real hiking for the day. The high point today was Dupuis Hill at elevation 1730. When the high point is called a hill rather than a mountain, this gives a good idea that the hiking was relatively easy. The trail was quite dry (amazing). Both the insides and outsides of my hiking shoes remained dry all day.   The trail crossed several old fields from the region's farming days. There were great views from some. Very little haze today. I think I picked out Killington with the lower peak of Pico just to its north also Moosilauke back to the northeast. In one place the trail followed an old road between two rock walls. It reminded me of a country lane. Some of the old fields were bordered with barbed wire and metal fence posts. Thus, they must of been in use sometime in the 1930's or later. The trail crossed a recently hayed field. I had to do some looking around to figure out where the trail left the field. Only had about six nobos pass me today and only two of these in the afternoon (Patriot and Crazy Frog). Four section hikers also passed me in the morning. None in the afternoonI'm tenting tonight about 0.2 miles south of Bartlett Brook Road. I hiked for 13 hours today with an average speed of 1.51 mph.
Date: 2013-07-16
From:  0.2 miles south of Bartlett Brook Road

To: Stony Brook Shelter
Miles today: 16.2

0.2 miles south of Bartlett Brook Road to Stony Brook Shelter - 16.2 milesSunny, hot, breeze on the ridgesUp at 4:30 on the trail at 5:55 amToday was lots of ups and downs. The first climb of the day was Dana Hill. This Dana must have been an important person because another hill not too far away is also called Dana Hill.   However, he couldn't have been too important because there are no mountains named after him. I stopped at "The Lookout" for lunch.   Great views of the surrounding mountains. A few other limited views from elsewhere. On one ridge I found some delicious blackberries - yum! Overall an uneventful day. About 16 nobo thru-hikers passed me today. Plus there are another five at the shelter tonight.   This is the most nobos I've seen in one day. The crew at the shelter includes three Brits, one German, and two Americans (including me).I hiked for 12 hours today. I'm glad I got in some extra miles yesterday, this made reaching the Stony Brook Shelter feasible. Overall, I felt like I was dragging all day.   My speed was 1.35 mph.   Just 9 miles to Maine Junction for tomorrow and the end of this year's hike.
Date: 2013-07-17
From: Stony Brook Shelter

To: Maine Junction
Miles today: 9.0

Stony Brook Shelter to Maine Junction (Willard Gap) ¢ 9.0 milesTotal trip miles on AT for this year = 189.0Sunny, warm with a breeze at timesUp at 4:30 AM, on the trail at 5:50 AMIt was a quick walk up and over Quimby Mountain. The trail was mostly dry. On the way, I passed a nobo son and father who was accompanying him for a few days. The father had been stationed at Dow Air Force Base in Bangor and the son was born there. The father thru-hiked the AT several years back and now the son is following in his footsteps. The son has already told his daughter that she needs to thru-hike also and that she must bear at least one child who will thru-hike.I was at Thundering Falls before I knew it. These are another impressive series of falls. This has been a great trip for waterfalls.   After this it was one more climb up the shoulder of Deer Leap Mountain and another mile or so to Maine Junction. I was there at 11:10 AM making for a 1.71 mph morning. The junction itself is unremarkable. It is just a spot in the woods where the AT meets the Long Trail. I celebrated with a peanut butter granola bar. While I was there a section hiker came through and snapped my picture. I then had to back track to the Sherburne Pass trail for the descent down to the pass and the Inn at Long Trail. I enjoyed a salad, ruben sandwich and Long Trail Ale for lunch. I picked up a rental car in Rutland for the drive back home, which was uneventful.When this trip is combined with my prior two years on the AT and my hike of the Long Trail, I¢ve now done 594 miles of the AT. I¢m more than 1/4 done! This year was some very strenuous hiking. I averaged 12.6 miles per hiking day. Not bad for going through the Whites. The weather in the Whites was a little disappointing, but it could have been worst, maybe half the days I had views. I had great weather from a mile or two past Moosilauke through to the end of my hike ¢ not a drop of rain. It was hot most of the days, but it was bearable.   More blackflies and mosquitoes than I¢ve had on any of my backpacking trips in New England. Maybe this was due to the wet weather.There were no other sobos traveling the same schedule as I was, so no traveling companions like I had last year. The AMC Huts were nice and it sure was a treat not to have to carry a tent and food. The amount of food that I ate at the huts was ¢huge¢ compared to what I was eating when on my own. The other guests at the huts were not part of the long-distance hiker crowd so no lasting friendships there.My knees did great this year. Also, my feet were in better shape than they¢ve ever been on a hike. At the end I had no tape or bandaids covering up sore spots.Next year I am looking at two options for a long distance hike. One is the VT/MA border to the Hudson River on the AT and the other is hiking the second half of the Colorado Trail. For now I¢ll keep my options open.
Date: 2014-06-30
From: Home

To: Home
Miles today: 0.0

So far between my end-to-end of the Long Trail and my three prior section hikes on the AT, I've completed from Katahdin to just south of the MA/VT boarder. The plan for this year is to hike SOBO on the AT from the junction of the Pine Cobble Trail and the AT (near the MA/VT boarder) to Delaware Watergap. This is just over 300 miles. The terain looks easer than southern Maine and the Whites, so I've planned several days that are over 20 miles. We'll see how it goes. I was a little rushed getting ready since, from Friday through Sunday, I was helping to build a new handicap-accessible, moldering privy at Wadleigh Steam Lean-to in the 100-mile wilderness. This required 3,000 lb of wood, so this should give some sense of the scope. Tomorrow I drive to North Adams, MA to start the hike.,
Date: 2014-07-01
From: Junction of Pine Cobble Trail and AT

To: MA Rt 2
Miles today: 2.8

Junction of Pine Cobble Trail and AT to MA Rt 2 ~ 2.8 milesMostly sunny, temperature in mid-80'sMost of the day was getting from Maine to North Adams, MA. I didn't leave the house until 9:30 am due to the need to wrap up some work related items.   I arrived in North Adams a little after 3:30. Today I needed to complete the section of the trail between the junction of the Pine Cobble Trail and the AT to MA Rt 2. Five years ago when I hiked the southern 2/3 of the Long Trail I came up the Pine Cobble Trail, so I missed this 2.8 mile section of the AT. I did this with a day pack.   I was hiking at 3:50. The trail was mostly an easy walk through mixed hardwood forest. The lower part of the trail followed a small rushing stream.   There was one steep rocky section not long before the junction.   There were some very limited views of North Adams from the top of the rocky stretch. In a few areas there were shrubs with white blossoms. I took a picture of one cluster with the late afternoon sun shining on it.   I was back at the car at 6:30.   I did the 5.6 mile round trip in 2:40 or about 2 mph, just about my top speed. I saw four NOBO through hikers and one women just starting an end-to-end of the LT.   A couple of the NOBO's had lots of questions about the conditions further north.Tonight and tomorrow night I'm at the Harbor House Inn in Cheshire.
Date: 2014-07-02
From: MA Rt 2

To: Cheshire Rt 8
Miles today: 14.2

Cheshire Rt 8 to MA Rt 2 - NOBO - 14.2 miles plus 1.6 mile road walk to/from trail headsMostly cloudy, very humid, hot; thunderstorms after 2 pm but by that time I was back in town. Slept very well at the Harbor House Inn. I got up at 4:20. The breakfast provided by Eva the innkeeper was granola, strawberries, yogurt, and toast - just like I eat at home. Today was a nobo slack~pack over Mt. Greylock. I left the inn at 5:20 and and did a 15 min. road walk to the trailhead. The initial portion of the trail went through open fields. There would have been some good views of the sunrise, but the thick haze obscured nearly everything. The trail then climbed steadily through a mixed hardwood forest. There were a couple of overlooks partway up but by this time the haze could more properly be called a cloud. This means that the humidity was 100%   Combined with the heat, my shirt and shorts were soaked with sweat. I reached summit at about 9:05. I didn't see a single hiker on the way up.   The tower on the summit was closed for repairs. Very limited views because of the haze. Even the tower was indistinct because of the flat light.   I hung around the summit for about 45 min. The hike down was easy. There were two more overlooks however these were in the direct sun and the heat was oppresive.   Two single hikers and one father/daughter pair passed me on their way up. For a while I hiked and talked with a nobo thru-hiker.   He wants to get to Kahtadin by August 7.   I said that this sounded a little fast to me.I was at Rt 2 at 12:45 then 15 min. up the street to Friendly Ice Cream for lunch.   In total this was 15.8 miles in 7:40. This works out to 2.1 mph.   Eva picked me up and brought me back to the inn at 2:30.This evening I dropped my car off at a friend's house in Pittsfield. They fed me a steak dinner with strawberry Sunday and chocolate cookies for desert.   Just what a hungry hiker needs. I greatly appreciate these trail angels. Tomorrow the backpacking begins.   Yahoooo!
Date: 2014-07-03
From: Cheshire Rt 8

To: October Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 21.1

Cheshire Rt 8 to October Mountain Shelter - 21.1 miles plus 0.8 mile road walk to trailheadMostly cloudy, hot humid, rain and thunder after 7 pm, but I was already at the shelter. Slept well at Harbor House Inn. Up just after 4 am. Left the inn with my full pack at 5:25 am. At the trailhead at 5:40. Four nobos were leaving town just about the same time as I. The first order of business was to climb Cheshire Cobbles. There would have been good views but for the haze ...   Overall it was easy hiking today through Massachusetts woods. It was very relaxing. I was in Dalton in time for an early lunch which I purchased at the Cumberland Farms shown in awol's guide. I sat on a bench at the center of town. There was a slight breeze and was very pleasant. After a 45 minute break, it was back on the trail for more easy hiking. The only place with a view was Warner Hill, which had views to the NW, N, and NE. I could just make out Greylock through the haze.   The top of Warner Hill had many high bush blueberries but alas, they were not yet ripe. The hill itself sat in a large field of ferns. Trail magic just before Pittsfield Road. I had a Gatoraid. I arrived at the shelter at 5:40 pm. Counting the road walk this was 21.9 miles in 12:15 hours. This is 1.8 mph. This is not bad considering I had a full pack and this included breaks.   This was my first time ever with over 20 miles in a day. In total about 19 nobos passed me today and there are three more at the shelter (Grass Hopper - from Portland ME, Runaway, z?? ). There was also a group of four doing a sobo section hike. As I write this entry in my tent, it is raining. Hopefully it will clear up by tomorrow as I have planned another high mileage day.
Date: 2014-07-04
From: October Mountain Shelter

To: Mt Wilcox North Shelter
Miles today: 22.8

October Mountain Shelter to Mt Wilcox North Shelter - 22.8 miles; 12:50 on trail today; 1.8 mphCloudy, rain (at least 2 in), comfortable temperaturesSlept very well in my tent last night. Up at 4:30 and on the trail at 6:10. The highlight of today was crossing the bridge over the Massachusetts Turnpike. This has special significance for me because when I was a kid and the family was driving to visit friends in western Mass, my dad pointed out that bridge and told me about the AT.   This was the first I'd heard of it and this planted the seed to hike the AT. It took a while for the seed to germinate, but my dad planted that seed. At that point we were already doing day hikes together and later he took me on my first backpacking trip. I paused for a moment before stepping on the bridge. Crossing the bridge reminded me of all that my dad taught me and of how much I miss him. It was an emotional experience. It was a wet slog today. Some on the bog bridges were under water. The good news was that the rain kept the mosquitoes at bay. Reached Mt Wilcox North Shelter at 7 pm. About 14 nobos passed me today. Only on father and son are at shelter tonight. Thank goodness there was room for me inside.