morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2012-05-27
From: Salisbury, CT (Rt 44)

To: Canton, CT (Zero #1)
Miles today: 0.0

Today was a nice relaxing zero. I had a cup of coffee while taking an Epsom salt foot bath and watching cable, and planning the next leg of my trip. After that Mom and I went out for coffee with Bob and Lee, two close family friends. As we drove down to Panera I was chagrined to see yet another "high end" shopping center (they call the stores "Shoppes") being planned in my town. Seems all the woodland and meadow of my youth is being repurposed to service the insatiably consumptive suburbanite. God knows we need a Cold Stone Creamery close by. In the afternoon, Mom and I went to a birthday cookout in Southington for Victoria, newly 8, the daughter of Tom and Connie, very close friends. Delicious food and great company. Tomorrow, we are going up to my friend Kurt's house for a BBQ. He's a chef so I'm sure it will be awesome. It's always great to link up with Kurt when I come back here. We've been friends since the early 70's. Tomorrow I'll also do some final shopping and get ready for stepping off again on Tuesday. I should hit VT on 6/2.
Date: 2012-05-28
From: Canton, CT (Zero #1)

To: Canton, CT (Zero #2)
Miles today: 0.0

Another delightful day spent doing nothing but laying around in the morning, resupplying for my next leg, and enjoying great company and a memorable Memorial Day cookout with Kurt, Celine, Marcus and my Mom. I have certainly enjoyed some tremendous food during this visit. Worried about my friends Drop and Gold Bond. Drop had a miserable and stultifyingly dark day today; and GB, I have learned, got Lyme's disease. Ticks are a real problem this year. Little bastards. Tomorrow I'll link back up with Pa Bert and continue the trek northward. I plan on hitting VT on 6/2. And that is about that ...
Date: 2012-05-29
From: Canton, CT (Zero #2)

To: Glen Brook Shelter
Miles today: 14.2
Weather: broken clouds

Made it to Massachussets and broke 1500 miles today! Huzzah. Short mileage after a couple of stellar Zeros in my hometown. The heat and humidity were brutal today. But water was plentiful and I took several opportunities to camel up. Noseeums and mosquitos made it necessary to deploy my bug net. It worked well. The views were huge and magnificent, especially those from Bear Mt in CT, and Race Mt in MA. The steep slog up Mt Everett was less than good. The humidity had me moving like a sloth up that thing. Cool breezes blowing through the shelter, though. I hope to link up with Pa Bert tonight. My two days off were sweet. Thanks to my wonderful Mom for picking me up, feeding me, and supporting me in every way possible. It has been like this my whole life. I am truly blessed. Thanks to Connie and Tom Scavone for inviting me to their home for Victoria's birthday bash. Great food and great fun. Thanks to Dianne for the support and the vibrating foot bath. Wow. Thanks to Steve and Sherry for keeping an eye out on Mom. She simply couldn't have better neighbors. Thank you, Kurt, for inviting us over for a cookout. It was great to see you, Celine and Marcus and to drink your fine beers. I wish you the best in what will undoubtedly be an exciting future. Okay, time to cook, I suppose.
Date: 2012-05-30
From: Glen Brook Shelter

To: Mt Wilcox- North Shelter
Miles today: 21.4
Weather: overcast clouds

On this the first full day in MA, I am thankful that it did not rain. We did however, have a major thunderstorm which splashed down 3 inches of rain. Consequently our feet were soaked within 30 minutes of walking through brush and grass. Temps were lower. Humidity too, thankfully. Fairly modest terrain today. A few stiff climbs peppered the day but overall journeyman's work. Delightful vistas of fog-shrouded eastern foothills early in the morning. The plan is to continue on smartly and get to VT on 6/2 and Hanover, NH on the afternoon of 6/9.  Trucking along. All is well.
Date: 2012-05-31
From: Mt Wilcox- North Shelter

To: October Mt. Shelter
Miles today: 22.8

Overall flat terrain made for little drainage and muddy soggy conditions due to intense rainfall last night.   It was strange to cross over the Mass Pike. I remember traveling on that thing all the time when I was a kid. Overall, the Berkshires are lovely. One more full day in them and then the push into Vermont. Tomorrow looks good weather-wise. We will be stopping in Dalton for lunch and laundry and then pushing on to Cheshire for resupply and a night at a church hostel. After that the weather for the next week looks very wet. This does not excite me.
Date: 2012-06-01
From: October Mt. Shelter

To: Cheshire, MA (St Mary of the Assumption hostel)
Miles today: 20.6

This has been a day full of excitement. After a fast morning jaunt over even terrain, we arrived in Dalton. I resupplied there at the general store, had a massive cheeseburger and salad at the Mill Town Tavern, and then began my 8 mile walk here, Cheshire, which was my destination. As I was walking out of town, enjoying the quaintness of High Street, I looked to my right and saw a "Sears" sign hanging on the lamppost. I stopped, went around to the side of the house where I had seen the owner mowing the lawn. He smiled, said hello, and we shook hands. I asked him if he was a Sears, and he told me he is, Fred. We chatted a bit more and discovered that we were both into our Sears genealogy. Very excited, he invited me in to his house because he wanted to show me something. Turns out that he has a beautiful graphic representation of our family tree. We spent a few minutes pointing out where we fit in. Great fun. We exchanged info and Fred is going to send me a copy of the graphic. I can't wait to show my boys. Then I got to Cheshire and came to this church hostel. The Father is an awesome guy. Very friendly and interested in what we are doing.   This is a truly peaceful place. The hall we are staying in will be hosting an ordination tomorrow. The town is buzzing about it. I asked Father to pray for sun.
Date: 2012-06-02
From: Cheshire, MA (St Mary of the Assumption hostel)

To: North Adams, MA
Miles today: 14.9

Day 1 of this miserable weather phase ends well. Our mileage was low but we ended up in a good place. We are currently at the Holiday Inn in N. Adams. I had a shower, a hot tub soak, our clothes are drying, and I am having a beer. Chinese AYCE tonight. We left Cheshire this morning and climbed up Mt. Greylock in major rain, 20 knot winds and temps in the mid-40's. Not pleasant, Pa Bert and I agreed. So we came down the mountain and decided to stay in town to dry off relax, and pray for better weather tomorrow. We will be in Bennington tomorrow if all goes well.  Great news on the personal front. My oldest son, Alexander, interviewed for and was hired as an assistant instructor at Camp Hemlock, in Northern Virginia. He did it all on his own. I'm very proud of him and wish him all the best in his new position.
Date: 2012-06-03
From: North Adams, MA

To: Bennington, VT
Miles today: 18.4
Weather: clear sky

Today gave us a nice sunny break in the weather.  It's amusing to me that the triad of hiker issues (food, weather,  foot health) so dominates my life.  There is little outside of the triad on the trail. It was a thrill to enter Vermont this morning, I must say. I'm home. I'll get to see the family soon- the 8th, I think. Normalcy awaits and is always so tough to leave. Tomorrow promises to be a wet one. Okay, God. If you must.  But, damn.
Date: 2012-06-04
From: Bennington, VT

To: Story Spring Shelter
Miles today: 19.0
Weather: light rain

The weather sort of cooperated today.  At the very least it didn't pour down on us.  Rather, it spat upon our heads a few times and made us damp. I was surprised as the weathercock told us to expect much more than we received. I met some interesting people today. There was a guy reading a book about DMT. He was a former active duty Marine, a local guy, and he just gave me his wool gloves. He insisted. I took.  They were warm.  Cool guy. Then, on my way to the shelter, I ran into a young couple who is doing the Long Trail. In Vibram barefoot shoes. I can't see doing it, but what a trick. Tomorrow we'll go up and over Stratton and then ease our way into Manchester Center where Pa Bert has mail drop waiting for him.
Date: 2012-06-05
From: Story Spring Shelter

To: Manchester Center, VT
Miles today: 21.1
Weather: overcast clouds

After a cold wet start and dealing with getting ready in an overly full shelter, we started the morning with a mondo climb up Stratton Mt. It was nearly 2000 feet of ascent so the chilly temps (high 40s) got even chillier as we summited. I was surprised  I didn't see snow. Once we descended and the hour grew later, we started to warm up. It was an easy walk and an easy hitch into town. We did laundry, gave EMS some money, ate pizza and then went to have a beverage at an old 1790 inn.  The highlight of the evening was watching Pa Bert redden with frustration as we failed time and time again to answer all 6 Trivial Pursuit questions on the cards sitting on the bar. Tomorrow I reckon we'll walk in a northerly direction.
Date: 2012-06-06
From: Manchester Center, VT

To: Little Rock Pond Shelter
Miles today: 19.8
Weather: light rain

Today began with a nice breakfast of coffee, donuts, and egg & sausage muffins, an easy hitch to the trailhead (I swear to God, Pa Bert has the magic thumb!), and up Bromley we went. I had a new speed record doing 3 miles and 1400' of ascent in 60 min flat. The day started sunny and bright and stayed that way until noon. Then between noon and 3:00 it poured down severely, if sporadically. But the destination was worth it. Little Rock Pond is the most clear beautiful mountain tarn I've seen on the trail. And the shelter is just 20 yards from it's shore. Gorgeous. Sun shining on it, newts swimming along the shore, fish rising, and a couple of what look like ducks doing their thing on the far side. Tomorrow we'll head out from here and end on the southern slope of Killington. Hopefully the weather will cooperate.
Date: 2012-06-07
From: Little Rock Pond Shelter

To: Governor Clement Shelter
Miles today: 19.4
Weather: broken clouds

'Twas a gorgeous, dry, clear and verdant day on the AT in Vermont.  The miles went by easily, though the day was punctuated by a few stiff climbs. They were rather fun and continued to prepare us for NH, which we should enter on Sunday. The only downside to the day was a pretty significant detour around a washed out bridge caused by tropical storm Irene. Not too bad though and took us by  some really nice country properties. Carol and the kids will be picking us up tomorrow and then will give us some slack pack support on Sat and Sun. I haven't slack packed yet on this trip and don't really know how I feel about, but I do reckon I'll give it a shot.
Date: 2012-06-08
From: Governor Clement Shelter

To: Gifford State Park
Miles today: 14.9

Up and over Killington we went, early in the day as the rising Sun warmed the big mountain's eastern flank. The day was green, and beautiful, made even more lovely at the sight of Carol when she picked Pa Bert and I up and took us home. And that is where I am right now. Cooking.
Date: 2012-06-09
From: Gifford State Park

To: VT Rt 12 Intersection (Slackpack Day 1)
Miles today: 19.0

Well, today was the first day I've slackpacked during this journey. I wasn't overly impressed. The load was light, no doubt, but it didn't seem to influence my pace all that much. Ascents were more comfortable; but overall, no great thing. I'll try again tomorrow and see how it goes.It is great to be able to sleep in my own bed and spend time with my family again. I'll be able to do that tonight through Monday night, and then will get back to hitting the trodden path on Tuesday with Pa. Really looking forward to the Whites. I used to camper camp there as a boy, but never hiked them.The forests in this section of Vermont are wide open and spacious. Beautiful and, of course, very green and lush. The trails are well-maintained for the most part, and the grades are smooth and reasonable. Tomorrow, we'll make our way into Hanover, NH, if all goes to plan.Until then...
Date: 2012-06-10
From: VT Rt 12 Intersection (Slackpack Day 1)

To: Hanover, NH (Slackpack Day 2)
Miles today: 22.9
Weather: clear sky

Now I get the whole slackpacking thing. Though I won't be doing any more of it through the trip, I understand the liberation of the slack. We did nearly 23 miles today and I ran 5 or so of them at a modest clip. I enjoy trail running; I did a lot of that to train for this trip. My pace today was rather slow and deliberate, but very enjoyable. I wouldn't have been able to do what I did today with a heavier pack.Another beautiful, if hot, day in Vermont. Temps went into the mid-80's which made hydration an issue, but I found plenty of opportunities to camel up throughout the day. I hit some trail magic in Norwich, VT. Fresh carrot cake, provided by "The Brain," a 2007 through hiker from the town. Delicious. Then, after an appalling roadwalk aside a 4-lane highway, I crossed the bridge over the CT River, and entered Hanover, NH. Good bye, Vermont. You have been wonderful. 12 of 14 states down. Only 442.1 miles to stroll. I expect to hit Glencliff on Wednesday night and then the heartbreak of Moosilauke, a sustained 4000' ascent on Thursday AM. Huzzah.My body is fit, my spirits are high, and my determination is peaking. Bring it.
Date: 2012-06-11
From: Hanover, NH (Slackpack Day 2)

To: At Home in Vermont (a zero day)
Miles today: 0.0

The theme of the day was absolute, unmitigated, normalcy. I got up, made coffee for Carol and I, took the kids to school, came home, patrolled the grounds and discussed projects that need to be done, took a nap, went to a doc's appointment for Ben, cooked dinner, and will be going to bed shortly. Logging miles was not part of the plan.Back to it tomorrow. I'll take off from Hanover in the morning and link up with Pa Bert later on in the day and see where we go from there. Whites by the end of the week, it seems. Cheers.
Date: 2012-06-12
From: At Home in Vermont (a zero day)

To: Smart's Mt Shelter
Miles today: 23.3

After a great zero at home, and a taste of domestic delights awaiting me when I return, I've decided that I'm okay with entering the AT "end game." I look forward to the finish.Great G-chat with my friend Raincheck, a successful 2007 NOBO. His sage advice over the years as I prepared myself physically and mentally, has been priceless. Today was a remarkably tough day. Toughest hiking since mid-VA. I believe we did about 5000' of ascent over 23 miles, much of it very steep. It has been a nice welcome to NH, state #13 of 14.  Whites- we'll see you soon. Boom.
Date: 2012-06-13
From: Smart's Mt Shelter

To: Hikers Welcome Hostel (Glencliff, NH)
Miles today: 20.1
Weather: light rain

Oh, God did it ever pour last night. Non-stop from 6 pm into the morning. It was depressing to wake up to the knowledge that we had 20 miles to do in that mess. And mess it was. A drippy, sopping, drenching mess. The aforementioned rain did not stop until about 1pm. The trail was more like a flowing stream on the ups and downs. And on the flats it was like bog walking. Really miserable. But, I knew we were going to have to do it, being the tough guys we are. The next few days look pretty nice. Tommorow we deal with the mighty Moosilauke, our first mountain over tree line.Cool hostel here. It is run by Fat Chap and Uncle Walt, two cool and eccentric dudes. Give them your tarrif if you are coming through.
Date: 2012-06-14
From: Hikers Welcome Hostel (Glencliff, NH)

To: Eliza Brook Shelter
Miles today: 16.8
Weather: few clouds

Our first day in the Whites was a triumph, overall. The weather was perfect, we had some God views from the top of Moosilauke, we saw the epic Cascades heading down to Kinsman's Notch, and this shelter area we are in is situated beautifully and really well-maintained. The day began with a very surprising stream ford. Water was high, fast, cold, and dark. So we put on our Crocs and waded across. No drama. From there it was more bog-hopping, heart-exploding climbs, and knee-shredding descents. The Whites are rugged country. There is no fast ground here. Calculate  your normal  MPH or MPD and take 1/3 off of it. You will be slower.  It's okay though. Go with it. Tomorrow it'll be Mt Lafayette, and, we hope, beauty,and a work for stay opportunity at Greenleaf Hut. We'll see.
Date: 2012-06-15
From: Eliza Brook Shelter

To: Greenleaf Hut
Miles today: 15.1

What a day this has been!  All the locals are talking about the perfection of the weather. Temps are in the 60's up at altitude. Views are immense (I could see Killington), and we had about 2 miles up over treeline on Franconia Ridge. Simply stunning. We summited Kinsman North and South, Mt Lincoln, Mt Lafayette, and several lesser hills. Then we got work for stay at AMC Greenleaf Hut. Hopefully it will be good because we are shooting for another at Zealand Hut, tomorrow. These past two days have have been the most preposterously dramatic terrain of the trip and without question my favorite section of the AT. I can think of no landscape to the south which can even come close.   There is great beauty and Truth here. Almost incomprehensible. It is a sacred place.
Date: 2012-06-16
From: Greenleaf Hut

To: Zealand Falls Hut
Miles today: 13.5

Jun 16After a very pleasant work-for-stay experience at Greenleaf last night, Pa Bert and I decided to go for a repeat performance at Zealand. We got it;  they took us! Full turkey dinner tonight. Huzzah. The good people at Greenleaf served us fresh bread, honey-Dijon chicken, peas, mashed potatoes, and cake for dessert. Eric was the chef. Excellent job. Sarah fixed us up with some delicious comestibles for the trail today. Kickass.  Our thanks to the entire Croo. Two interesting things happened to me today. First, I was recognized by a reader of this journal. While we were visiting Galehead Hut to grab a bowl of soup for lunch (chick pea vegetable curry), a very nice gentleman and his wife, from Nashua, NH came up to  us to chat. They heard us talking about thru-hiking, and recognized me.  When I told them  I am Nor'easter, they became very excited and told me they are readers of the journal.  They said some very kind things about it. Then they gave Pa and me some mandarin oranges. Awesome!  Then, half an hour later, at the summit of South Twin, I was talking with a lady. I told her I am thru-hiking.  She asked me my trail name, and when I told her, she excitedly told me she is a reader of the thing as well. It was great to meet all of you. To all of the readers of my notes here on TJ, I thank you. Of all the page hits it gets, I thought 99% of them are from my mother. I'm really glad you are out there taking a look at it once in a while. I am humbled that there are so many people rooting for me.  I hope it is worth the time spent. It's fun for me, for sure....even though I have to write it on a damned iPhone!The second interesting thing that happened today is that we experienced about 1/2 mile of relatively even terrain.See ya.
Date: 2012-06-17
From: Zealand Falls Hut

To: AMC Highland Center
Miles today: 7.9

Today has been a great nero. The trip down to Crawford Notch from Zealand Falls was very quick. We caught a quick hitch down the road and got a bed at the bunkhouse. A day of rest. BTW, our stay at the hut last night was a good one. We ate turkey, cranberry sauce, peas, potato, salad, soup, and bread. Delicious. I slept great, including my map on the granite near the falls whilst waiting for dinner. Thanks to Justin and Liz for making it a cool stay.Tonight Pa Bert and I had dinner and nice conversation with a lovely couple and their kids, from NJ. Thanks for your company, Andy, Betsy, Katy(or Katie), and Pete. I hope the kids know how fortunate they are to have parents who have exposed them to such a wide breadth of outdoor activities and places. Tomorrow we go up George. Maybe we will try for Madison Springs Hut. We'll stop at Lake of the Clouds and see how we are holding up. Weather looks great. That's good news. Hopefully we will be in Maine by Friday. The bad and sad news I received today is that a through-hiker died in Maine, I believe, on Friday. He drowned while swimming in Pierce Pond after a long days hike. Details are not yet released pending notifications. It is a sad time on the AT, for all of us whether in Georgia, Maine, or in between. Ta.
Date: 2012-06-18
From: AMC Highland Center

To: Madison Springs Hut
Miles today: 18.2
Weather: few clouds

We had an absolutely fantastic day on the Presidential Range of the White Mountains, today.  Views were enormous and beyond.  Weather was ideal.  Never had to wear any layer beyond my shirt. Temp was 57 atop Mt. Washington. Sweltering. Pa Bert and I had our pictures taken at the summit sign but we had to wait for a jeans-wearing European tourist to do a set of glamour shots, which took five minutes. I swear to God I thought his wife/photographer uttered the Slovenian equivalent of "Pout, baby. Pout."It was a pretty big day for us. Terrain was tough and ascents were steep and plentiful. Turns out we knocked out most of the Pres Range in one day. Up Madison in the morning and then down to Pinkham Notch and we're done.  The ridge walk we did today reminded me of the myriad ridges I used to do in Snowdonia, Wales. I miss those hills. Short day tomorrow.  We plan on hitching into Gorham and hosteling for the night. Also eating a Chinese buffet. And beer. Wednesday will see us take on the Wildcats. They are notoriously fierce little felines.  Still hoping to get to Maine on Friday morning.
Date: 2012-06-19
From: Madison Springs Hut

To: Gorham, NH
Miles today: 7.8
Weather: broken clouds

Good stay Madison Springs last night. I slept like a babe. They fed us pasta with pesto and stuffed shells. Delicious after such a day as we had. The descent was knee pounding. I sort of look forward to the Wildcat climbs tomorrow. Chinese food was good and I am all resupplied for our coming phase. Next resupply will be in Andover, ME, if all goes well. Tomorrow, The Imp shelter. Goodbye Presidentials. You were breathtaking.
Date: 2012-06-20
From: Gorham, NH

To: The Imp Shelter
Miles today: 13.1

The Wildcats have been defanged, declawed, tamed and spayed. They are now fat and docile tabbies. Actually, for such a low mile day, I feel like I've been tossed across the room by a silverback. About 5000' of climb and 2500' of very steep downs. My knees are not pleased. Lots of very nice vistas today. Really tired. Desparate need for sleep, but it's only 4:30.
Date: 2012-06-21
From: The Imp Shelter

To: Gentian Pond Shelter
Miles today: 19.8
Weather: broken clouds

The sun was blazing, we went long with about 4500' of climbing, I  took my worst fall yet (thought I broke my arm, but didn't), and water was hard to come by. It made for a challenging day. All that said though, we are now 4.7 miles away from Maine. We'll get there tomorrow. Very exciting indeed. I'll miss NH. What a superb section of trail. My favorite, hands down. I met my first SOBO today. "Fairchild." Good kid. Fast pace. We talked a bit about the drowning.  It's big news on the trail, of course. Once again, I am tired beyond imagination, so I will bid you a fond "adieu."
Date: 2012-06-22
From: Gentian Pond Shelter

To: Full Goose Shelter
Miles today: 9.6
Weather: broken clouds

Last state!  Well, we made it to Maine this morning after some tough ascents in the super-humid morning heat. The sequence of Mt Success to the Gooses was aesthetically beautiful and had some fun and challenging scrambles. We had intended to do Mahoosuc Notch today as well as climb the gnarly Mt Speck. But around noon Pa Bert felt the beginning of cramps and was becoming increasingly fatigued. We think it is mild dehydration which began yesterday and so we shortened this day to get him horizontal and full of water. If things look better for him tomorrow we will push on through the Notch and make our way toward Andover, which we will likely hit on Sunday. It feels good to have made it to this great state and know we have just 277 miles to walk. Easy day.