morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2006-07-03
From: Little Rock Pond Shelter

To: Clarendon Shelter
Miles today: 13.0
Weather: clear sky

This has been our biggest day yet - 13.0 miles. The day has been warm and sunny, and Iwent through several litres of water. Fortunately the creeks and streams are full so we filter as we go. Still, I was much too warm, and I resorted to filling my hat with water at several points then emptying it over my head. Over the course of the day we had several meetings with a slimly-built girl called Hillary who is hiking the Long Trail, (several hikers we have met are doing this - in the southern half of Vermont the two trails are the same). The first thing we noted about Hillary is how clean and tidy she looks, something that seems impossible to do in all this mud. Does she glide over it?By about 5.00pm we reached Clarendon Gorge. Overheating, and lathered in sweat and dust, we looked enviously down on several families bathing at a swimming hole in the river/rapids below as we passed over a footbridge to Vt 103. We couldn't see an easy way down (not for hikers with dead legs) and we carried on to do our last mile.What, on our profile maps, looked to be a steady 500-foot climb over a mile turned out to be a murderous 800-foot rock climb over a quarter mile, and then a gradual descent to the shelter. I was exhausted, took many stops, and contemplated death several times. As I sagged time and again with my cheek against the coolness of a huge slab of rock in front of me, it was easy to think "Well, I've had a good innings, done a few things, led a decent life...". Then Thistle's head popped into view, looking down on me, "You alright Dad?" "Yeah, fine, just taking a breather". Somehow we got here to Clarendon Shelter, an excellent place with a large area of flat, grassy ground at front and suitable for tents, and a very full stream raging alongside. It's perfect. A SoBo called Brian is here as well as "Doc PPX" (Hillary) who we met earlier. She is a med student from Oregon who previously spent two years in Senegal with the Peace Corps. Lots of talk about gear ensued, and I had plenty to say about the inaccuracy of the ATC profile maps in this stretch (Hillary's Long Trail maps seem a lot closer to reality). It's been a long day and we have retired by hiker midnight. But hey, no bugs!
Date: 2006-07-04
From: Clarendon Shelter

To: Cooper Lodge
Miles today: 10.2
Weather: broken clouds

National Rebellion Day!We started out very sluggish today, very tired, nothing in our legs, and the initial climb up Beacon Hill didn't do our morale any good. This was nothing to what we would face in the afternoon - a 2,000 foot haul up Killington Mountain to almost 4,000 feet. Thistle was obviously quite depressed, then we came to a creek with a dozen cans of Mountain Dew soda and root beer. This act of trail magic from "The Outdoor Repairman" and "The Hiking Gnome" completely turned our day around. Two miles later another trail angel left coca-cola and snacks near a roadway, wishing us luck for the climb up Killington. Was it really just the sugar rush from two sodas that put energy into our legs, or was it something much less definable that we always seem to take from acts of kindness from strangers we will never meet?I feared the worst after the previous day's experience, but we allowed four hours for Killington and did it in 3 and a quarter! The slope was steady and therefore more manageable. The main hazard was the amount of broken timber. Logs everywhere with stumps sticking out like bayonets. Trip and fall into any of that and you could easily impale yourself! Just before the climb, at a wretched old shelter called the Governor Clement, we met a young lad from Allentown, Pa. wearing a football (soccer) strip and he told us the tragic news - England lost to Portugal in the World Cup, Beckham was injured, Rooney was sent off. Funny how the referee always turns out to be Portugal's star player. No great surprise about Rooney. Since he was sent off, I hope it was for something worthwhile..standing on the neck of that Portuguese goalkeeper (what an actor!)would be good.Anyway, here we are at the Cooper Lodge Shelter at 3,900 feet. There is a cool evening breeze, still with a certain warmth in it, and it smells just wonderful with a distinct whiff of pine and eucalyptus. The view is hazy, and waves of mist are closing in above us. The bad news is that the water source here is dry. We have enough water for cooking and drinking, but no "hiker bath" for us tonight, and we go to bed itchy and sweaty.One of Killington's many ski-slopes is about 100 yards along from our shelter.
Date: 2006-07-05
From: Cooper Lodge

To: Killington, Vt
Miles today: 6.3

I was up before 7.00 this morning after listening to a bird produce the same five-note sequence for a full hour. There was nothing cheery about it; more a lament, a call to no-one by the last of his kind. The target today has been food, showers, beer, a bed, laundry, all summarised as "Killington". You know it's "town day" because Thistle becomes jet-propelled, and it wasn't long before we were packed and away. We are both suffering from a lot of bites we picked up through the night, which we attribute to being unable to wash. The annoying thing is that, within ten minutes of setting off, we passed three small streams that would have been perfectly acceptable water sources - a pity a SoBo hadn't stayed in our shelter last night! The terrain today has been alright, and mostly downhill, and we emerged on US4, connecting Rutland and Killington. We turned right up the hill, as we made for the Inn on the Long Trail, with its integrated Irish pub. It's a very busy road, climbing steeply up to the Inn on the crest of a hill and then down again to Killington a couple of miles east. We walked a long a shingle fringe to the road, but it was still surprising how intimidating traffic can be even after only five days in the hills. Now we are checked in at the Inn and this place is great!! The Inn is very stylishly rustic, the food is great, and we've spent the rest of the day cleaning ourselves and our clothes, in between drinking beer/Guiness in the Irish pub, and watching France beat Portugal on a huge screen. Great result, and the Portuguese goalkeeper didn't get the chance to do his Hamlet routine even once. We played darts, or at least I did. Verity with darts in her hand is reminiscent of the young guy who empties his gun at point-blank range at Samuel L Jackson and John Travolta in "Pulp Fiction".The lounge here is both very rustic and yet extremely comfortable and inviting at the same time. I only mention it because I usually hate hotel lounges - this is one of the very few that I wanted to spend time in. The other reason for mentioning it is that Verity was soon chuckling over a copy of "Trail Magic" by Scott Hills. So he did make it into print, and Verity found his descriptions of trail life very amusing. We met him - other hikers might know him better as 'Flying Bear'- during our travels both in 2003 and 2004. We will catch the bus into Rutland in the morning in order to re-supply.
Date: 2006-07-06
From: Killington

To: Stony Brook Shelter
Miles today: 10.0
Weather: scattered clouds

We were back in Rutland this morning after a great "hiker" breakfast at the Inn (blueberry pancakes). The bus driver who picked us up was the same one who had driven us down to Manchester, and he was keen to hear how we were getting on.Rutland is a very fine little town, very attractive, red brick buildings in the downtown area. It makes you think of the town in "Back to the Future" perhaps. Population is 15,000 I believe which makes it the second largest in Vermont. "Downtown" is literally that, at the bottom end of the descent from the mountain. West Street, Centre Street and two others converge, like the spines of an open fan, on the Farmers' Market at the foot. We stopped in at the "Back Home Again" Cafe to thank them for their hospitality when we first arrived here. Then on with business. We were back on the Trail about 2.00pm via the Sherburne pass Trail.An immediate setback was that I dropped my hat along the way which I'll need to replace in Hanover. I was quite upset about it, my first line of defence against the sun and bugs, and it's been with me since New Jersey. The afternoon was a forced march to reach our shelter, and took us through Gifford State Park and Kent Pond (i.e. Lake), very attractive areas to visit in future I would say, excellent for families. The day's main challenge was a 1,200 foot climb up to Quimby Mountain. Because of "Tom and Jerry", I've always liked the name Quimby - until now..But after a six-hour haul we made it into Stony Brook Shelter, occupied only by a woman called "Summer" and her dog "Tracks". I put up my tent for the first time on this trip, there were excellent tent sites. Also nearby was a very fine stream, a small waterfall tumbling into a rock pond of the clearest water you will ever see. Maidens should have been sitting by it to the music of Mantovani. The woodpeckers are really going at it now - four in different parts of the forest, almost a rhythm band.
Date: 2006-07-07
From: Stony Brook Shelter

To: Winnturi Shelter
Miles today: 9.9

Not too eventful a day except it was dry, and the bugs are becoming a real problem. The morning was a solid climb, the afternoon more "PUD-ish". Our last significant climb was up to Lookout Mountain where a private owner has built a cabin that he makes available to hikers, and above it a tower reached by ladder. It gave one of the few views available of the Green Mountains in this region. We lunched there.Later we came into Winnturi Shelter and immediately decided to use our tents to fend off the bugs. A guy called Bob is here with his son and a friend to prepare them for their Scouts 50-mile hike. They prepared the most enormous supper and ate the lot - if you don't eat it you pack it! Later, after we had retired, a group of six students came in for a hiking weekend.
Date: 2006-07-08
From: Winnturi Shelter

To: Thistle Hill Shelter
Miles today: 11.6
Weather: scattered clouds

Today could have been a good day, and the first half certainly was. Four downhill (mostly) miles and a 0.2 mile detour to the On The Edge Farm shop where we enjoyed a lemonade, chocolate ice-cream and cookies. Bliss!The afternoon was a nightmare. It's been a hot, humid day, and five climbs each between three and nine hundred feet were draining. Another short detour to another nearby farm at Cloudland Road would set us up for the last big climb - more sodas, ice-cream etc. Instead it was closed! A huge let-down, and we were both whacked, but especially me, when we arrived at Thistle Hill. The bugs have been feasting on us all day and our legs are a mess. It's a fine shelter though, and, as we're too tired to bother with our tents, we'll use the shelter. We saw a skunk today, and Verity saw a deer.
Date: 2006-07-09
From: Thistle Hill Shelter

To: Happy Hill Shelter
Miles today: 8.8
Weather: scattered clouds

The pattern of today wasn't very different from yesterday, mostly downhill in the morning, a three-mile 1,000 foot uphill in the heat of the afternoon. Since we turned east round about Killington the hills have been different. Easier walking though the ups and downs have been more pronounced. The hillsides are forested bottom and top, but, usually, two thirds of the way up there has been a strip of wild meadowland laden with summer wild flowers (red clover, black-eyed susans, goldenrod, flax and some sort of knapweed, many others I don't know). These areas give better views of the countryside too. Outstanding at the moment is the common milkweed - about four feet tall, stout stems, broad, pale oblong leaves and, at the top, large clusters and globes of tiny cream flowers with mauve backs. The most striking thing about them is the scent - a heavy, honey smell on a warm day. These plants line the trail, sometimes we fight our way through them. Not all trail experiences are quite so nice.Today has really been about the bugs once again. Gnats go for our eyes, flies for our ears, and the mosquitoes for anywhere that's unguarded. Gnats and flies leave you alone if you stop moving, mosquitoes leave you alone if you keep moving. Take your choice. By the time we reached our shelter for tonight we decided to dispense with cooking, but put our tents up and eat a cold supper in there. We had the shelter to ourselves last night and it was looking that way tonight, but we were just disappearing into our tents when a trio of young northbounders arrived. Over the evening others arrived, almost everyone resorting to the tent option. I woke around midnight, it had cooled down at last, and it was raining. Yet another hiker had just arrived and was feverishly putting up his/her tent as the rain pelted down. Ah, what a life!
Date: 2006-07-10
From: Happy Hill Shelter

To: Hanover NH
Miles today: 5.8
Weather: clear sky

A great clatter and hubbub in the shelter yesterday evening was explained this morning when it transpired that some old duffer (my age) had spilled the alcohol for his stove over the deck, and it was all hands putting out the fire. A fine morning, still humid and buggy, the prospect of town put life in our legs and we zipped the 3.5 miles down to the small community of Norwich, Vt. Then almost two miles of tarmac (this still being the AT!) from there, across the Connecticut River which marks the state line, into Hanover. We are in New Hampshire!After dumping our stuff at the DOC building, part of Dartmouth College, and sprucing up a bit, we explored Main Street - fruit drinks, sodas, sandwiches, and we dropped by Ben and Jerry's too. It's an odd experience, walking about street pavements with other people, and, without my pack, I continually lost my balance. From our lodging at the Sunset Motor Inn, we called one of our 2003 hiking buddies Denise Cooper ("Dimple Rock"), who now lives in Montpelier Vt, and she arranged to drive down after work and join us for dinner. It was great to see her, so much to talk about, she looks so well too. She works now for an outdoor excursions business for American Walkers, recently acquired by the UK group First Choice. She dropped us back off at our motel and we have made an arrangement to climb Mt Washington together, although the logistics may prove impossible (or my legs give out before then).
Date: 2006-07-11
From: Hanover NH

To: Hanover NH
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

Our first zero day, in Hanover, to catch up with the usual chores - collecting/sending packages at the PO, do laundry, etc. Especially welcome was a supply of Skin So Soft from Hazel in Australia because the bugs have been murderous the last couple of days and the Deet product we have been carrying hasn't served well, either because of its age or lack of concentration. Most of the morning though we spent in the Dartmouth Bookshop, browsing, drinking tea, listening to the local people meeting up for coffee and gossip. One bunch of old guys were talking about the Watergate Scandal when I sat down, then turned to WW2. One old fellow talked about his time as a GI in NW Africa, Sicily, Italy (to Anzio) then France - almost exactly the same as my father's war record. Finally I introduced myself and we had a fine old chat.WE've been trying to deal with one or two equipment issues while we are here, but the main outfitters, EMS and LL Bean, are in the next town West Lebanon. We took the bus there in the afternoonafter lunching at Everything But Anchovies. We're getting to know the public transport system round here quite well (which for the time being is free of charge). Hell, they're getting to know us! Up to now I've been feeling quite pessimistic about how we would cope this trip and whether in particular I will be able to cope with the White Mountains. Today, with some rest and in cooler weather, I've been feeling more confident, but they are less than a week away. It's easy to be discouraged by the mileages being racked up by the Norhtbounders and SOBOs we meet, but we are talking about the fastest people in both sets, and I suppose we knew it was going to be like this around this time and place. Still, we've been averaging about 10 miles a day which I'm reasonably happy with. We'll be trying to up that a little bit in the next stretch to Glencliff.
Date: 2006-07-12
From: Hanover NH

To: Moose Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 10.8
Weather: broken clouds

We resupplied this morning at the excellent Hanover Coop on our way out of town and then it was back into the hills. The most obvious change was in the weather. By early afternoon it was raining lightly, refreshing at first, but it became steadily heavier and was pelting down for our last two hours before we came slopping into Moose Mt Shelter. The Trail had become a running stream by this time but we were able to spread out in the shelter which for the moment we had to ourselves. We got into dry clothes, used our Monkey Man fleeces for the first time as our body temperatures suddenly dropped, cooked dinner on the shelter platform, and looked cosily out at the cascade. Over the course of the evening, a number of NOBOs have come wading in, three girls (Low Key was one)and a guy (C-Ram), all packing incredibly light by our standards. That's been a recurring theme. We seem to be preparing for winter weather in the Whites (as recommended by the Guides), I don't get the feeling anybody else is.Now is as good a time as any to mention an outstanding feature of this year's hike - the birdlife. Compared with out last ventures here when the forest seemed very quiet, the woods this years have been alive with bird sound. Many of them have been sounds and calls not familiar to me at all, apart from the obvious drumming of woodpeckers and the the distant petrol-engine rhythms of grouse, but as soon as day breaks it's been a daily pleasure to lie in my sleeping bag and listen to the chorus.
Date: 2006-07-13
From: Moose Mountain Shelter

To: Firewarden's Cabin
Miles today: 12.6
Weather: moderate rain

We've been trying to up our mileage this week, and today was hard. Conditions underfoot were deplorable, not surprising since the rain never stopped all night, clattering off the tin roof, and that's how it was when we set off this morning. In the interests of keeping dry clothing in our packs, we wore yesterday's stuff again, everything wet of course, including our boots. But walk for twenty minutes and it doesn't feel any different anyway. Rain or shine, dry clothes or not, you walk in a state of perpetual wetness. The morning was mostly downhill but then we hit a 1400 ft pyramid and the climb up to Holts Ledge took the legs from us. By late afternoon we had toiled up another 1500 ft to Lambert's Ridge. It was hot now, and much of the climbing was over quartz-seamed stone that offered good views at various points. One of the views wasn't so pleasing. We were tired but there we were staring at a further steep 1,000 ft ascent up to Smarts Mountain and to our destination, the Firetower, clearly visible near the top. It was 5.00pm already and it was hard to imagine getting up there before dark. In fact we did it in pretty good time, about another hour and a half, and we found the cabin nearby, occupied by a girl we've met before, Granite, and a SOBO gent nursing a bad ankle. As a result he says he ONLY manages 8 miles a day. That seems like 8 miles more than I'd be managing. Our SOBO companion has set up the fly sheet of his free standing tent on the floor inside the cabin, to give him full bug protection. But it doesn't seem bad in here. With all our efforts on cooking etc before dark, we'll take in the view from the firetower in the morning.  We're at the edge of our abilities right now, about 4,500 ft of climbing today on top of a very decent mileage.
Date: 2006-07-17
From: Glencliff, NH

To: Hanover, NH
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

We've spent two relaxing days in Hanover, marking time till our flight home on Wednesday. The heat and humidity have been absolutely broiling which hasn't made us sorry not to be hiking. I know the regrets, the 'what ifs' and 'maybes' will kick in at some point but haven't yet. Right now I know we made the right decision.Hanover is small and neat, an Ivy League town since this is the home of Dartmouth College. Most of the college's red brick buildings surround the common at the top end of Main Street. There are plenty of good places to eat but our favourite spots have been the Howe Public Library and the Dartmouth Bookstore, both great for browing and reading in a comfortable setting, drinking tea/coffee if we want. The town has a small cinema and we took in a late afternoon showing of "An Inconvenient Truth", the documentary based on Al Gore's campaign to alert the world, but especially Americans, to the realities of global warming and his call to action to deal with it. For an afternoon show, the attendance was impressive, though when the lights came on at the end, it was then apparent that nearly everyone there was a senior citizen. While none of them seemed likely to be going out to win converts to the environmental cause, each of them is a vote - I hope they all make it to 2008 to use it! Funny to think that, since 2000, Al Gore has probably done much more for the public good than George W. - you can't help but wonder, but for a butterfly ballot paper and a few dimpled CHADS, how different the world might look today! Interesting to see if Gore's work finds its way - in a serious way - into the campaign of any of the 2008 presidential candidates whoever they turn out to be. If so, will it be a vote winner or loser?Thought provoking though the film was, the highlight of our day came at the end. After tea, as we sat on Main Street, coming to the conclusion that our taxi to our motel out of town wasn't going to turn up, I saw someone crossing the street towards us."Carnethy? Is that you, Carnethy?"It was Rebecca "Wrong Way Brown". Having failed to reach us at our motel, she had come down with her partner Marnie from Burlington, and, since Hanover is quite small, they had just come into town to look for us."Wrong Way" is another of the AT class of 2003 (and of 2004, when she and "Dimple Rock" had hiked another 700-800 miles before Wrong Way went down with Lyme Disease). I was amazed, and it was brilliant to see her and to meet Marnie too. We have had a great chin wag back here at our motel. 'Wrong Way' seems fitter and even more full of beans than I remember her, and she recently ran a marathon just to prove it. One of the pleasing things for us this trip has been to see both 'Dimple Rock' and 'Wrong Way' settle so well in Vermont. From our all too brief visit here, it's easy to see why.
Date: 2005-09-21
To: Its Official
Miles today: 0.0

So I guess this makes it official. I've been preparing for this hike since March 2005, but have put off signing up for an account on Trailjournals until I knew for sure that I'm heading out.After planning the logistics of my hike, which didnt take so long since I was putting in 4 hours a day, I concentrated on my gear list. All of my gear needed a major facelift. Most was purchased over 10 years ago with no intentions of a thruhike. I have purchased 75% of what I'll need already, only needing to make some clothings and personal item purchases this fall. I'm very excited to have cut out so much weight with this new gear. I remember weighing my pack 10 years ago for my first trip to Shenandoah National Park. Fully loaded for 4 days, I was well over 50lbs. To think that I'll be carrying 1/2 that for a majority of the trip has me feeling confident. Confident enough to give myself a 50/50 chance.My biggest worries: Leaving Chloe, my 11yr old Chocolate Lab behind...Sore feet, knees and back....Lyme Disease.....in that order!!Supporting me from home will be my girlfriend Linda. She will be in charge of the maildrops, and taking care of Chloe. Couldnt do it without her!I have not done any physical training as of yet, and im not sure im going to. In fact, I have only made it out hiking once this year. I am trying to plan a nice 4 day trip this Fall while the leaves are changing. That will be the first major shakedown before I leave in March to test out all the new gear. I'll post the results.