morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2013-08-10
From: Hwy 25, Glencliff, NH

To: "Welcome Hiker's" Hostel
Miles today: 0.0

"...six days you should do all your hiking, but on the 7th you should rest..."That's exactly what Trevor has been doing. The body has taken a terrific beating, particularly the feet and legs. Over a month of hiking has brought Trevor through 2 states, the two with the toughest trails. This has been very physical, but the tougher part is the mental aspect. You're tired, hurting, hungry. You're dealing with rain, bugs, hot sun. Day after day you've got to get up and repeat what you did the day before. It's so easy to sit here at home and see this as an exciting and wonderful adventure (and it is), particularly when we see all the beautiful photos. Very few realize the amount of energy it takes to do this, only those who have done it really understand. Trevor, you're doing great, hang in there buddy. Thanks for all the amazing pictures and your descriptions of what trail life is like. We can enjoy this adventure through your words and your pictures, and we don't have to expend much effort in doing so. We are blessed.Here is Trevor's short post for the day...."Today was a great zero day. The weather was great! I got to dry all my stuff out." He texted me (no phone signals, but there was WIFI) and I learned he did a lot of eating today and rested sore muscles.Tomorrow and Monday will finish New Hampshire. Coming up this week...a walk through Hanover on Tuesday, followed by some pleasant walking in the first part of Vermont.
Date: 2013-08-11
From: Glencliff

To: Hexacuba Shelter
Miles today: 14.8

Trevor is back on the trail today after a zero in Glencliff. I got a call from him around 3:00 from the top of Mt. Cube. The Hexacuba Shelter was only a mile and half away and he had thoughts of staying there for the night.He will be doing a bigger day tomorrow so that he will be close to Hanover on Tuesday.More later....Here's his FB post:"I had an amazing day today. It was hard leaving the hostel because it was such a nice place but it was definitely time to continue south. Me and Google were hiking by 8:00 and he pulled ahead of me right away. The day started out climbing Mt. Mist. It wasn't really a mountain compared to what I've been doing. It was a very easy climb and descent. I didn't stop much until Ore Hill Campsite. I went to check out the privy because I had heard it was built 2 days ago. It was the nicest, fanciest, and cleanest privy I had ever seen in my life!Shortly after leaving the campsite I met Boo Boo, who is a NOBO hiker that me and my dad have been following on trail journals for quite a while.Then about 1 mile after meeting him I met Buddy Backpacker, which is a 5 year old boy hiking the whole trail with his dad. He will be the youngest to ever hike the trail once he finishes it. I continued to push on until the base of Mt. Cube, where I stopped for lunch. I had gone 12 miles before lunch. It feels great to cover that much ground in so little time! After lunch I started the climb up Mt. Cube and didn't stop until I reached the summit. I rested on top for a long time because it was only 3:00 and I had only 1.5 miles left. I reached the shelter around 5:00 and cooked up some rice for supper. As I was eating Wolfbird, Cool Blue, Sherpa, and Shuffle all showed up. This is the most SOBO hikers I have stayed with at a shelter so far on this trip. This shelter is very cool because it is actually in the shape of a hexagon! I'm exhausted so I am going to sleep."
Date: 2013-08-12
From: Hexacuba Shelter

To: Moose Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 17.7

Here's Crunchmaster's FB post:"I was the last one to leave the shelter this morning and it was 7:30. I hiked strong and passed Shuffle before I got to the top of Smarts Mountain. At the top, I climbed to the top of the fire tower and had some great views.I then pushed on another 6 miles to Bill Ackerly's house for lunch. His home is right on the AT and he invite hikers to come and visit his place. He has free ice cream for hikers and you can even play croquet if you want! After his house I climbed Holts Ledge, which is a very steep cliff with great views. A couple miles down the mountain I crossed a small road. There was a cooler on the trail by the road that said "trail magic" and I quickly got really excited. However, I opened it and everything was already gone. I continued on and started the climb up Moose Mountain. It was a long climb up to the shelter and it went by so slow. But I finally reached the shelter at 5:00. Google was already here and Wolfbird, Sherpa, Cool Blue, and Shuffle showed up a little later. I quickly set up my tent, cooked supper, and hung my food. Then straight in my tent I went and it's only 7:30! I'll be resupplying in Hanover tomorrow so I want to get an early start so I can get to town early enough to hang around a while. This is my last night in New Hampshire too! I'm ready to take on Vermont!"
Date: 2013-08-13
From: Moose Mountain Shelter

To: Happy Hill Shelter
Miles today: 16.8
Weather: moderate rain

I'm placing an early post to voice a little irritation regarding hikers (come on guys) who elect to put their tents up in the shelter. When Trevor arrived at the Moose Mountain Shelter he had plans to find a place in the shelter due to the fact that rain is on its way in. He elects to stay in a shelter whenever it rains just to avoid putting up or taking down the tent in the rain. He found two hikers who had put up their tents inside the shelter, leaving very little room for others. I hate to place judgement on anyone and maybe there was a good reason to do this, but it escapes me. I've always tried to teach my boys to be sensitive to the needs of others and we've always tried to take up no more room than necessary when staying in a shelter.Trevor will likely be hiking in the rain all day today. A relative easy 11.5 miles into Hanover, where he will resupply for the next few days.Here's Trevor's FB post:"I was up and hiking by 7:00 this morning. I was hoping to get 11 miles, to Hanover, before it started raining. However, that didn't happen. I got about 5 miles and the rain started to fall. So I stopped and put on my rain jacket and pack cover and continued moving. I was hiking with Google most of morning and we ended up getting to Hanover around 10:45. So we did 10.9 miles in under 4 hours! We stopped at the pizza place in town and got a free slice of pizza for hikers. It was so good we ended up buying 3 more. After eating and charging all our electronics we made our way to the Dartmouth Outing Club to drop our packs off so we didn't have to carry them around town. We went to the Co-Op store to resupply food and get some chocolate milk that we had been craving. We then headed back to the DOC to re-pack our packs. The rain had let up pretty much the whole time we were in town and just as we were about to walk out the door it started pouring again. We still decided to move on so we made our way down the road toward the Connecticut River. As we crossed the river we enter our third state, Vermont! After crossing the line we hiked about another 2 miles on the road before we re-entered the woods. We also learned today that this was the longest road walk of the entire trail. We walked a total of about 3.5 miles on roads today which really hurt my feet. The rain continued the rest of the way to the shelter and I was soaked by the time I got there. I am very pleased by the mileage we did toady. We did 16.8 miles, and thats with staying in town for 6 hours! Overall, today was a great day and hopefully tomorrow is the same."A few scenes from the day:
Date: 2013-08-14
From: Happy Hill Shelter

To: Winturri Shelter
Miles today: 20.4

Trevor texted mid-morning, when he arrived in West Hartford, 4 miles into his day. We did not connect by phone or by text after that so I'm guessing where he may have ended up tonight.No rain forecast for the next 10 days with highs in the low 80's and low in the high 50's. Maybe shoes and feet will dry out.Here's a little trivia:As of Hanover, NH, Trevor had hiked 442.2 in 41 days, 33 of those days were hiking days, 8 days were zero days. He walked/climbed/scrambled/sweated uphill 122,133.2 feet and walked/slid/fell/scooted downhill 122,733.8 feet. Thanks Harpo & Groucho for providing this elevation data. That's the equivalent of a little more than 23 miles of vertical feet climbed and another 23 miles descended. His highest mileage day was 21.4 miles.Here's Trevor's FB post:"Today was by far the most painful day that I have experienced on the trail so far! The day started great though. I started at 9:00 with Google and we made great time the first 4 miles to West Hartford. We stopped at the Village Store there and I got a burger for lunch. We quickly ate and then continued on. We kept a steady pace until we reached Thistle Hill Shelter, where we stopped for a quick break. It was another 12 miles to our planned destination and my feet were already starting to hurt pretty bad. Google was a lot quicker so he took off and was gone just like that so I trekked off on my own. The farther I kept going the worse my feet were starting to feel. Finally, I had enough and stopped at a road crossing to take my shoes off. I had about 7 blisters covering my feet. So I got out the moleskin and blister band-aids and covered up each blister. I looked at the map and saw that I still had 8 miles left and it was already 4:00! So I quickly took off and my feet were still extremely sore. I caught up to Google at the next road because he had stopped to filter water. I waited for him to finish and then we continued on. About 2 minutes later we ran into the best trail magic I have ever seen no doubt! There was bananas, cheese sticks, cookies, crackers, candy, gatorade, water, and a lot more! So we stopped again and grabbed some stuff before we headed on. It was after the trail magic when my feet got really bad. Every step felt like knives were being jabbed into my toes. I was so close to just taking my shoes off and hiking barefoot! I still had about 4 miles to go when I got to route 12. It was 6:00 and I knew it was going to be dark when I got to camp. I walked as fast as I could that 4 miles and made it to camp around 8:00. My feet were so bad that when I took my shoes off I had blood on all my toes. It hurt just moving around. I quickly set out my sleeping bag and ate a couple granola bars and I was done. I didn't even bother to cook. It's time to get some much needed rest!"Some scenes from the day:
Date: 2013-08-15
From: Winturri Shelter

To: Hwy 100
Miles today: 16.6

Wet feet, road walking, and wet shoes have combined to cause some blisters and sore feet. Trevor is taking a zero, maybe more, to deal with his feet. ".com's" suggestion of body glide, the drying out of the feet, application of various medications, and a trip to the outfitters to switch back to trail runners, all will be employed to get the feet ready for the Green Mountains.Trevor is staying at the Yellow Deli Hostel in Rutland, VT. We have a Yellow Deli in Chattanooga...wonder if it is part of the same group, or maybe a franchise.No journal today from the Crunchmaster.There are several photos however...
Date: 2013-08-16
From: Hwy 100

To: Yellow Deli Hostel
Miles today: 0.0

From the Crunchmaster..."I didn't journal yesterday due to my feet being so sore. I didn't feel like doing anything except laying down. I'm definitely starting to feel better so hopefully I'll be on the trail again Sunday. I'm currently staying at the Hikers Hostel at the Yellow Deli here in Rutland, VT. The people here are amazing! There are currently like 40 other thru-hikers here including: Google, Ninja, Bartender, Sleep Walker, Kitchen Sink, Shuffle, Sherpa, and many more! These pictures are from my hike yesterday and of my messed up feet. I've done 485 miles exactly so far, and I have 1,700 left to go!"
Date: 2013-08-17
From: Yellow Deli Hostel

To: Yellow Deli Hostel
Miles today: 0.0

Crunchmaster's FB Post:"Today has been another great zero day! My feet feel a lot better and I also bought new shoes today. Hopefully these won't give me blisters! I found a Taco Bell today finally! I haven't eaten at one in over a month and I was pretty excited about eating lunch there. I will be heading out on the trail again tomorrow and I should be in North Adams, MA next weekend!"
Date: 2013-08-18
From: Hwy 100

To: Governor Clement Shelter
Miles today: 13.9
Weather: clear sky

Trevor's feet were feeling much better and he has some new lightweight shoes that hopefully his feet will like. If all goes well today and his feet don't complain too much he'll reach the Clarendon shelter just a little under 20 miles away. This week will take him through the beautiful Green Mountains of Vermont. I'm looking forward to a lot of photos that will bring back great memories.And here's Trevor's FB post:"I woke up around 7:00 this morning and had breakfast at 7:30. I tried packing up quickly to catch the 8:15 bus to the trail but I was too slow. So I waited around until the 9:15 bus showed up. I didn't start hiking until about 10:00. My feet felt great at first. I couldn't even feel any blisters. After a few miles I joined the Long Trail. The AT and LT are together for the next 105 miles. I stopped for lunch at the next shelter and rested for about 45 minutes. I then continued the climb up Killington Peak. I finally reached the top and stopped at Cooper Lodge Shelter. There were several people there already. I met a NOBO hiker, Guru, who is actually from Chattanooga! He works at Rock Creek at Hamilton Place. I had 4 miles to go until the next shelter so I decided to move on. The last 4 miles were all downhill so it didn't really take long. I got to the shelter around 6:15 and there was just one other hiker here. We made a fire and cooked supper and now it's time for bed. Hoping to do a big day tomorrow!"Several pictures for the day:
Date: 2013-08-19
From: Governor Clement Shelter

To: Little Rock Pond Shelter
Miles today: 19.4
Weather: clear sky

Trevor is now walking on two trails, the southern 105 miles of the Long Trail is also the Appalachian Trail. Trevor called around 5:15 and informed me that he was just a mile or so from Little Rock Pond Shelter. His feet are sore, but just the normal soreness from walking long miles. His blisters are healing and don't seem to be giving any problem. The 10 day forecast is not calling for rain until next Wednesday. This is good news for the Crunchmaster's feet.Missing the photos, which I've come to expect every day. I believe we'll have a bunch from his hike today. There are certain parts of the trail that are 'duller' or 'non-descript' as compared with other parts. As he gets into the Green Mountains proper I expect we'll see more.Josh and Matt were in Hanover yesterday so are about 45 miles behind. I believe Trevor is missing them a little. We're also keeping in touch with Scott Davis (through his mother Suzy) and are anticipating they will connect at the end of this week or the first of next. Scott is an NOBO hiker from our hometown that we talked to when he came home for the weekend to see his sister graduate.Trevor's FB post: "Once again, I got a later start than I would like to. I think I'll set my alarm tonight so I can actually start early. I left camp around 8:00 this morning. After just a couple miles I came to a sign saying the trail was closed due to Hurricane Irene damage. It was telling me to walk a bunch of roads to get around the area. There was no way I was walking roads for over a mile. So I continued on the AT. I really don't know why they still had it closed because I got through it with no problem. I passed the 500 mile sign in the closed part so I stopped and took a short break there. I then walked until 1:00 before I took another break. I stopped at a shelter for lunch and there was two section hikers there as well. One of the section hikers has thru-hiked the AT 8 times in 8 years! We ate lunch and talked for an hour and I was back on the trail at 2:00. I walked a very steady pace the rest of the afternoon so I could make it to the shelter I wanted. A couple miles before the shelter I ran into a sign for White Rocks Overlook. At the trail junction there was at least 200 cairns all over the trail. I guess everyone that comes through there builds one to add to the collection so I built a small one and continued on. last couple miles were pretty easy and I got to camp around 6:30. There are two families here with little kids staying in the shelter so I decided to stay in my tent. My feet felt pretty good today other than one new blister on my heel. It is not as had as the previous ones I had so I'm not too worried. I ate a quick supper and jumped straight into bed. Got to rest for tomorrow!
Date: 2013-08-20
From: Little Rock Pond Shelter

To: Bromley Shelter
Miles today: 17.8
Weather: clear sky

Trevor's FB post:"I got a little earlier start today like I wanted. I was on the trail by 7:00. I moved at a quick pace most of the morning and had 10 miles done by 11:30. I wanted to do 23 miles today but my 2 hour lunch break made that plan go down the drain. I took a lot more breaks as I hiked through the afternoon because my feet were starting to hurt really bad. I rolled into the shelter around 6:30. I don't have much to say today because not much happened. I do have another blister on my heel. Hopefully that heals soon. Time for bed now."
Date: 2013-08-21
From: Bromley Shelter

To: Story Spring Shelter
Miles today: 23.1
Weather: clear sky

Trevor called from Stratton Pond at 12.7 miles into the day, where he ate lunch. He had a good morning but knew the rest of the day would be tough. If he makes it to his goal, to Story Spring Shelter he will have hiked his longest day at 23.1 miles.I'd like to invite anyone following the Crunchmaster's journey on Trail Journals to write a short note in the guest book. We're getting a lot of hits and are curious on who all has been following. Even if you leave only your name and where you live, it will be interesting to know. We appreciate all who have signed the guestbook and especially appreciate all the encouraging words.More later when Trevor posts....Here it is:"One word to sum up today...HORRIBLE! I got another early start at 6:45. I felt great all morning and didn't stop much until lunch. I did 12.7 miles by lunch time and I ate at Stratton Pond. The Bartender caught up to me while I was eating. After lunch I had a 3 mile climb to the top of Stratton Mountain. I felt great the whole way up and didn't stop until the top. I dropped my pack and climbed the lookout tower which had some awesome views. I left the top around 4:00 with 7 miles still to go. I started feeling another blister on my other foot as I was coming down but I didn't want to stop to check it. I kept going a steady pace until about a mile before the shelter. I slowed way down because both my feet were killing me! I finally reached the shelter at 7:30 and it was full. So I went to the tent sites and they were all full to. I ended up finding a somewhat flat spot nearby. Right after I got my tent up it fell over on its side for some reason. I couldn't believe it! By the time I got it back up it was pretty much dark. So I ended up cooking and eating in the dark. I went to hang my food bag after supper and my rope got all tangled up so badly that I couldn't untangle it. I finally got it hung up somewhat. This day has been absolutely horrible! I want it to end and hope that tomorrow is better. It probably won't be though because knowing my luck...there are more blisters on the way. I'm not enjoying Vermont much!"Some scenes from the day:"
Date: 2013-08-22
From: Story Spring Shelter

To: Stealth camp at Health Hollow Brook
Miles today: 15.8

Heat, blisters, and just general weariness from long days is taking its toll and is making the trail a bit tougher for the Crunchmaster. Thanks to the following who signed the guest book and provided words of encouragement: Jennifer from ME, Kim from IN, Olive Oyl¢s Mom from PA, Dave & Robin from GA, Jim from MD, Randy from NC, Vicki from NH, Kathleen from NC, Lisa from OH, Frogger, Deb, SRocket¢s aunt from NH, Dan from OH, Sharon ¢ Trevor¢s Grandma, Apples, Kim from GA, Step Lightly from NH, Jeff & Roxanne from FL, Kathy from FL, Jeff from PA, and Loretta from RI.Trevor will be getting off the trail and heading in to Bennington tomorrow for some much needed rest and recuperation. The feet still need some attention and general rest will be just what the body needs. We¢ll get caught up on posting his journals and his photos for the last couple of days.There has been a cell signal which has allowed phone calls and texts but no internet signals in the evenings to allow for FB posts. Not sure exactly how far Trevor got this evening and believe he ended up ¢stealth¢ camping, which for those who are unfamiliar with trail lingo means he has set up camp somewhere other than a shelter or designated campsite. This typically is done away from the trail by a couple hundred feet or more, out of sight from passers by.Here's Trevor's FB post:"Today was another rough day. My feet were already sore right when I started so I knew it was going to be a long day. I hiked without stopping until Kid Gore Shelter, which was about 4.7 miles from the start. I didn't stay long so that I could get to the top of Glastenbury Mountain for lunch. I reached the summit at 12:30. I climbed up the lookout tower before I ate and there were great views from the top. I left the top around 2:00 and I only made it like 4 miles before I had to stop and take a break. I sat for about 30 minutes and made some phone calls. My feet were absolutely killing me! I wanted to quit so bad. I had so many thoughts running through my mind. Hiking the trail in this much pain wasn't worth it to me. But I had no choice but to walk, so that's what I did. I hobbled along the last 2 miles to the brook and I had to stop. There was no way I could make it to the shelter, another 2 miles all uphill. So I set up my tent right along the trail. I'm not alone however. Bartender, Goatman, Jubilee, Skunk, Phoenix, Ninja, and Treegasm are all stealth camping here too. I think I'm in a huge SOBO bubble right now. I'm laying here in my tent now and it just started raining. Things always get worse on bad days!"
Date: 2013-08-23
From: Stealth camp at Health Hollow Brook

To: Hwy 9 to Bennington
Miles today: 3.2

Trevor took a nero (near zero day) today and went into the town of Bennington. He's looking to make another shoe purchase. The old shoes will be sent home and may be given to a brother, they certainly won't go to waste. Several rest days are in order and then Massachusetts (border is just 14.2 trail miles away) will be knocked out within a week.Trevor is camping at Green Mountain camp just off the trail and is right next to a pond. Tomorrow he'll hitch a ride into Williamstown, MA, where I reserved a motel for him earlier in the week. He will be attending, by phone, my father's memorial service, which will be at 3:00. He is just about 20 miles short of where he started hiking the trail with my dad about 10 years ago. Much of the next 300 miles will be somewhat familiar.I¢m ¢Happy¢ and am posting for Crunchmaster. Thanks for following.
Date: 2013-08-24
From: Hwy 9 to Bennington

To: Williamstown, MA
Miles today: 0.0

The Crunchmaster is wondering where his hiking buddies, Matt and Josh (aka Milkrun) are. He is looking into the possibility of hooking back up with them. These 3 comrades hiked together (ended up at the same camp each night) from Monson, ME, to Bemis Mtn, ME.I'm curious how effective making an appeal on Trail Journals will be. If you or someone you're following is or has recently been on the trail anywhere in Vermont and can share the location and date these two SOBO hikers are or were, it would be helpful in orchestrating a reunion and a possible hiking triumvirate. Guestbook entries will get our immediate attention. Thanks!Today Trevor will be attending, by phone, from his motel room, my father's, his grandfather's memorial service, which will be a 'celebration of life'. Here are several photos that demonstrate the close connection Trevor had with his grandpa, his hiking partner for over 300 miles of the MA, CT, NY, NJ, & PA trail.