morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2023-06-25
To: River Road, CT
Miles today: 17.0

All done with New York, another state finished. Connecticut will be next, it is only about 50 miles of trail and we did a third of that today.Tracy and Melissa dropped Bob and me off at 9:00 a.m., a bit of a late start. We had to start right off with the St John Ledges which was a bit of a climb, but not too bad. If the climb above Palmerton was a solid 8.5, this one was more like a 6.The trail was tougher than it has been the past two days and Bob's feet are still hurting him, so we only made 5 miles in the first 3 hours. We decided to have lunch and fill up with water at the Mt Algo shelter. We met several hikers there including another Belgian, the third I met on the trip. I asked him if he knew any Claeys, he said he thought maybe he did.Bob and I started putting on the miles after lunch. It was pretty warm and extremely humid. We had to do three pretty solid uphill hikes that left us soaked with sweat.We met up with Slipper and AOG about 230 pm and got the car keys. They were far ahead of our pace, but as it turned out that's because their end of the trail was much easier than the side we started on. In the end, all four of us finished are the almost exactly the same time.Rain was forecast today but it was mostly sunny until late afternoon when some dark clouds and thunder rolled in. We could actually see and hear it raining in the woods right next to us but we never got wet. Slipper and AOG were a little distressed to find out we came through dry because they got absolutely hammered by two downpours that soaked everything they had with them.We went out for a bite, then back to the house for dessert and showers. Very likely it's going to rain tomorrow, so if we wake up and the weather is bad, we'll do some shopping, then maybe do a short hike in the afternoon if it clears. Tuesday looks even worse, unfortunately.Wildlife: nothing really, but we saw a possum and two deer while driving back after the hike.
Date: 2023-06-26
To: CT 4
Miles today: 6.0

The weather's been pretty uncertain, forecast tells us anywhere from 50-90% chance of rain but we've often seen several hours of clear weather. The weather looked good enough this morning to go out, so we set up a quick 6 mile hike along what the map told us would be very easy trail. And it pretty much was, a nice level walk along the Housatonic River for almost the entirety. We finished quickly and had some thoughts of extending the hike five more miles, but some light rain moving in at the end pushed us to quit while we were ahead.Good thing too, because by the time we finished lunch it started raining hard. The heavy rain continued into the evening and we even got some hail. We use the off time to do laundry, pick up groceries and grill cheeseburgers for dinner.The forecast looks bad again for tomorrow, we'll just have to get up and see. With good weather we could be in Massachusetts in 2 days.Wildlife: two wild turkeys in the yard.
Date: 2023-06-27
To: Falls Village, CT
Miles today: 14.0

Thunder, lightning and rain all night. Or so i was told, I slept right through it.We decided the weather looked ok enough to try for a full day. The woods were soaked from last night's storms, but it wasn't unpleasant at all, in fact it was rather lovely with water clinging to all the leaves and the streams running high. Mid-morning, i coukd hear the race cars running on the famed Lime Rock race track. Tracy told me the track was close but I didn't think it would be in use on a Tuesday morning. I watched the cars circle for a bit while i talked to Pinky, the girl I first met in Duncannon that I thought looked like Luann, the girl next door.The trail continues to be pretty easy, few rocks, soft pine needles to walk on, not too many steep climbs. Given we are slack packing we really should be able to do 18 or 19 miles a day, yet it took us 9 hours to hike just 14 today, probably because all took a long lunch together at the Pine Swamp Brook shelter (nicer than it sounds). We had light rain off and on through the morning but the afternoon was clear and not too warm.When we got back to the house I had my packages waiting for me. Got the hat that Andrew and Alex gave me, and my new hiking shoes, finally. Travel day tomorrow as we relocate to Massachusetts. Wildlife: Melissa got a nice photo of a buck in velvet. I saw nine red spotted newts. I guess all the rain brought them out.
Date: 2023-06-28
To: North Adams, MA
Miles today: 0.0

Spent the day shuttling back and forth, exchanging rental cars and moving up to a rental in MA. And I finally got my box from the post office!The house is really great, a nice looking vacation home with plenty of space and a huge wrap around porch. We'll be here 6 days. so we can cook for ourselves without relying too much on hiker food or eating out.It's going to be a 90-minute drive to the trailhead tomorrow but we will get to start closer each day as we move north. One day left to complete Connecticut but we have to climb Bear Mountain which is pretty steep. Have to hope for no rain. My new shoes are great. The soles and tread on the other pair were in bad shape. I didn't realize how bad until I got the new ones.
Date: 2023-06-29
To: Bear Mountain
Miles today: 14.0

Weird day. We dropped off Tracy and Melissa at the north end of the day's trail, then Bob and I had to drive back to Barby's because he'd overpaid her a considerable sum. She only deals in cash, so we went back and got it. It's already a 90-minute drive from the house to the starting point so by the time we did all that, Bob and I didn't get started till after 10:30.My new shoes, however, are a dream. I raced down the trail doing the first 4.4 miles in less than 2 hours. Bob kept calling me a slave driver, but we quickly overcame our late start and ended up doing 14 miles in only about 8 hours. Easy trail mostly.Lots of trail magic today. Starting out, we met a guy who thruhiked in 2021. He gave us some snacks, but the most interesting thing about him is he kept it daily journal of his hike then, when it was over, he downloaded the journal into Word and had it published as a glossy paperback with all his photos. Pretty cool. We picked up some Powerade in a cooler by the road shortly after, then ran into a guy who was cooking hot dogs for hikers with beer, watermelon and other snacks. Bob and Tracy hit their 1500 mile mark today. Bob wants to average 100 miles a week to the finish, faster than what we've been doing but a very reasonable pace. That will put us at Katahdin around August 15th, or about a week later than my originally projected date.Had a pleasant dinner with Tracey's brother and friend at the end of the day. Long drive back, so we all went to bed late, but not before I showered and got to shave for the first time in about 2 weeks.Wildlife: saw three deer and a groundhog while driving and a garter snake on the trail.
Date: 2023-06-30
To:  Boardman St, Sheffield, MA
Miles today: 17.0

With all the recent rain, the brooks, streams and springs are all running high, often across or even down the trail. It can be like hiking up a running stream. There are lots of muddy stretches, often with standing water. All you can do is try to go around. The wet also makes the rocks slick. i'm glad I have new tread.We went up Mt Race first today. Not a bad climb, the trail skirts the eastern edge of the mountain with a steep 2000 ft drop. The view is magnificent, but the Canadian fires gave us mostly haze today.I ran into Julie/Chicken Wing here. I hadn't seen her since Wind Gap in Pennsylvania. She was with Marikka, the rumored third Belgian hiker. Marikka told me Claeys in Belgium is pronounced clahs.We had to hike to the top of Mount Everett (2600 ft), then down the back along a very steep ridge called Jug End. That was really rough on my feet and knees. Then a five mile dash through a boggy area infested with clouds of mosquitoes. Fortunately, Melissa had warned me about it and I stopped to put on bug repellent before we got down there.i was amazed to realize with my pack 20 pounds lighter and my having lost at least 20 pounds, my legs are carrying 40 pounds less weight than they were a month ago.Wildlife: three deer, three turkeys and a good sized garter snake. Just as we were walking out, Bob saw a copperhead in the grass. I was walking right behind him, but it slithered off before I saw it.
Date: 2023-07-01
To: Jerusalem Rd
Miles today: 16.0

Lovely hiking weather, sunny and low 70s. Trail wasn't particularly difficult aside from the muddy stretches.Met Pinky again. I was surprised to find out she is from Texas. Lives in Waco, went to school at A&M. She's the first Texan I've met, all the other hikers are east coasters with the exception of one guy from California. Traded partners today, i went with Tracey. He's much faster than me, so it was like hiking alone most of the day. That was a nice change really.We finished almost an hour before Bob and Melissa and had to wait 90 minutes for them to pick us up. The mosquitoes were so bad we had to put on our rain jackets and zip them up tight.Some hikers skip portions of trail that are uninteresting, too rugged or because of bad weather. They often say they'll "do it later" but mostly they don't. That's yellow blazing because you drive past. This bit in Mass is widely considered the ugliest stretch on the AT and a prime candidate for a yellow blaze.Its been hard to maintain interest the last couple of days. It is just trail and miles with little other reason to be out here. Hikers warn that the monotony can get to you and that's what I'm feeling right now.Rain headed our way next couple of days.No wildlife.
Date: 2023-07-02
To: Goose Pond Rd
Miles today: 8.0

Rain started last night and it was really pouring by the time we finished breakfast. Melissa decided today was a good day to zero. I took one look and opted not to voluntarily march in the rain.The precipitation slacked off after a couple of hours and figuring we didn't all buy rain gear for nothing, Mule, AOG and I headed out. The rain came down in buckets during the ride to the trailhead, but had stopped by the time we got out of the car.We only hiked 8 miles. The woods were wet and foggy and the trail was pretty muddy in spots, but there weren't any sections where we had to wade through six inches of water like I thought there might be. We were done by 330 pm, picked up some groceries and back to the bat cave for dinner and a movie. Movie failed though, the internet here is terrible.So pretty good to get a half day in without getting rained on. 50 miles to Vermont, maybe we can make it by Wednesday. More rain tomorrow though.One red eft today. I didn't see him at first and almost stepped on him but it all turned out well.
Date: 2023-07-03
To: Blotz Rd
Miles today: 17.0

it rained hard all night. We didn't realize how hard until we reached the trail. It was completely saturated with long stretches of deep sucking mud and flooded sections with several inches of standing water. In many areas, the trail was an actual river, with water running down the trail like a brook.You do what you can to keep your feet dry, but that only lasts so long. Eventually, they get soaked, then it doesn't matter. You just walk right through the mud and puddles. All the streams were running high, we had to ford several of those through knee deep water. Not many other hikers on the trail. I suspect most headed to the nearest hostel or hotel to dry out. We did meet one couple drying out their stuff at a shelter. They looked miserable.Bugs were terrible but at least it didn't rain.Saw four red efts and two wild turkeys.
Date: 2023-07-04
To: Cheshire, MA
Miles today: 15.0

More slogging down wet, flooded trail. Maybe a little better than yesterday, but still pretty wet and we had to ford several streams.Drizzle most of the morning. I threw on my poncho just as it started to come down hard It does a really good job as long as it isn't cold.The trail runs right through Dalton, MA which I reached at midday, just as the rain stopped. Bob was waiting for me with a big smile on his face. He'd asked me several questions about my poncho and finally decided to order one of his own. It arrived a couple of days ago and he got to use it today. He was so happy at how great it worked for him that he kissed me on top of my head.Unfortunately, because it was the 4th of July, virtually nothing in the town was open other than the convenience store. We bought some snacks and drinks and waited out another hard rain shower that blew by.The rest of the day was sunny with pretty easy trail and we were done by 6 pm. There was an ice cream shop right by the trailhead and I ended my day with a delicious strawberry shake.We have to climb Mount Greylock tomorrow, the highest peak in Massachusetts at 3600 ft. But once we do that we'll be headed into Vermont. As of today, I'm about halfway to Katahdin in Maine.Saw one garter snake, a deer and one red eft today.
Date: 2023-07-05
To: North Adams, MA
Miles today: 15.0

I thought the hike up and over the 3600 ft Mt Greylock would be difficult, but it wasn't too bad. It was more of a long gradual climb, and the steep descent was made easier by a long series of switchbacks. We reached the summit just after noon. There is a cafe at the top where we hsd soup and a sandwich. We saw Pinky on the trail and she joined us for lunch.The weather was nice and sunny and the trail had dried up quite a but although not completely. The bugs were even manageable.We have only four miles left in Massachusetts. Vermont is next. Hikers call it "Vermud". Uh oh. Actually most hikers really like Vermont. Although it has higher peaks, the trails are generally covered with pine needles and rock-free and the woods are said to be very pretty.Travel day tomorrow.No wildlife today .
Date: 2023-07-06
To: Quechee, VT
Miles today: 0.0

Got to sleep in a bit, then we packed up the car and drove to Lebanon, NH where we met Bob's wife and son who had brought his pickup. We returned the rental car, ate some sushi and drove across the river to our new rental in Quechee, VT.Nice place, 70s era ski retreat we got cheap because it is off season. Melissa's husband LeRoy joined us, he's currently on a motorcycle tour of the northeast. Internet works here!Looking ahead, we'll probably hike Vermont north to south, keeping our commute time short, at least in the early going. Well probably spend at least one night on the trail.Vermont is about 150 miles. I expect it to take 12 days, accounting for weather and a zero day..
Date: 2023-07-07
To: Cloudland Rd
Miles today: 16.0

Melissa decided to join her husband today on his motorcycle tour, so it was just me, Tracy and Bob.Vermont trail so far is as advertised, smooth, no rocks, lots of pine needles. Bob and I covered 16 miles in just under 9 hours. Several hikers told us though that the south and central portions of the state are really muddy, so we have that to look forward to.Ran into Jukebox who I've not seen since Pennsylvania. She hikes 20 plus miles a day so I may not see her again. Midday, Bob and I came across some nice trail magic, a cooler full of Gatorades and four chairs by the side of the road. We sat down, had lunch and got hydrated.Raspberries are starting to ripen. I had a few. Delicious.Thunderstorm rolled in late afternoon. We can probably expect that everyday from now on. It rained pretty steadily the rest of the day. We just put our ponchos on, no big deal. Forecast is more rain for the next few days.Vermont is easily the prettiest state since Connecticut.Saw one deer.
Date: 2023-07-08
To: VT 12
Miles today: 6.0

We dropped off Tracy and Slipper on Cloudland Rd, then headed south for our start point. This part of Vermont is somewhat remote with few road crossings and the only one available for 10 miles in either direction turned out to be impassable. We got within 1.5 miles of the trail and probably should have just parked the truck and walked in, but Bob didn't want to park on the narrow road. Instead, we spent two hours driving up various dirt roads, trying to find a route in. Finally a local told us what we already knew, there just isn't any good way to get up there. The best we could manage was a road crossing that was only six miles from our start.It got worse from there. We also found out that central Vermont got four inches of rain last night, causing flooding and washing out the roads. A large mudslide forced the closure of Vermont 4, the main road between us and the southern part of the state.We had a beautiful sunny day, but getting only six miles in left me pretty morose. The irony is if we had just hiked the trail, we'd probably be okay other than maybe some high water stream crossings. But committed to driving back and forth to the trailheads has us stymied. We can probably still do it but it would require a longish detour each of the next 2-3 days.The other hikers are talking about just punting on Vermont and heading east into New Hampshire. That pretty much defeats the purpose of the rental house since Bob only lives an hour from here.Time is becoming a factor. It is probably 30 days minimum from here to Katahdin, meaning I'd get there no sooner than August 8th, not accounting for off days and bad weather. Finishing Vermont will take another 8 days. The kids will be gone by the 10th. I can probably manage to get the house and dogs looked after for a week, maybe two at the outside but no more than that. I've known for some time I simply would not have time to finish the southern leg this year. I was, however, kicking around the idea of hiking south until October 1 which would probably be enough for me to finish Virginia, or roughly half the southern AT. But if I can't finish the northern trail until late August, that's probably not doable either.I'll just have to do what it takes to reach the northern terminus at Mount Katahdin, and then figure out the rest after that. Bob's wife and son brought us dinner. Farm-raised pork chops, green beans and bacon, macaroni and cheese, brownies and ice cream.Thunder and lightning right now. Flash flood warnings next 2 days. We might not be going anywhere.No wildlife today.
Date: 2023-07-09
To: Goose Pond Rd
Miles today: 15.0

Bad weather and flash flood warnings meant there was really only one decision, to just move on to New Hampshire and leave Vermont behind. I didn't like it, but there wasn't much else we could do.We hiked from Vermont across the river to Hanover, NH, home of Dartmouth College. The trail goes right through the town and campus. Uneventful hike, somtimes rocky, often muddy and thick with mosquitos.Late in the day, we find out our house has no running water. Either the pump or well failed. The management company found us another rental but it is smaller. Plus, Bob invited Chance, a hiker we'd met a few times and last seen in Kent, to stay with us, so it is a bit crowded.No serious rain today but heavy rain is forecast for tomorrow. We will probably take a day off, but it actually works well for us if we could get a quick 6 mile hike in. A really dry start has been followed by four weeks of near constant rain. I've been hearing parts of Maine have been declared impassable due to flooding. That didn't worry me when I was two months away. Now it does.Saw four red efts today.
Date: 2023-07-10
To: Lyme Rd
Miles today: 1.0

Steady rain all night, but we still thought we might do that 6 mile leg, so out we went. We only went a mile before reaching a raging stream.It looked bad, but we met three young hikers who had just forded it. I'd have done it but Bob is cautious to a fault and worried the water might rise even higher by the time our companions would reach it a couple hours later. We headed back to the truck and texted the other hikers telling them to head back to the pickup point.Back home to dry out, have some lunch and watch a movie. This area has received 7-8" of rain the last couple days. The local river is almost over its banks. The AT Conservancy is recommending hikers get off the trail due to flash floods and high water.Probably stuck here tomorrow, too. With flooding from New York to Maine, this weather could end the hiking season for everybody.Saw two deer today, one was a buck.
Date: 2023-07-11
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Although the day was warm and sunny, we didn't even try to hit the trail. We knew the brooks and streams were still going to be running too high. We did some laundry and dried out our shoes. Watched a couple of movies, had a nice dinner and tomorrow, we will give it a shot and hope the water has gone down.Our group was very lucky. The slackpacking hasn't worked entirely as expected, but if we hadn't moved to northern Vermont when we did, we would have been trapped by the flood waters like so many others were. One day made all the difference.
Date: 2023-07-13
To: NH 25
Miles today: 10.0

Busy morning, had to pack everything up, then drop Slipper off at the bus station and say our goodbyes. Bob was going to drop Tracy and me off so we could hike the 10-mile run up to the base of Mt Moosilauke, then take all our gear and supplies to his house. Unfortunately, we took Slipper to the wrong station and we had to go back and try sgain. With all the back and forth, we forgot to go to the post office and pick up John's package. Sorry John, will try again tomorrow.By the time we got to the trail, it was 11 am. The first 2 miles was a complete mudhole, but it got better after that and the miles went pretty fast. The trail still had its muddy sections and we had to cross Mt Mist (2300'), but it wasn't too bad and we were done by 4:00 pm.Supposed to go over Mt Moosilauke tomorrow, but there's a nasty storm blowing right now. We could see Moosilauke from the trail this afternoon and it looks monstrous at 4800 feet.At Bob's house tonight. Five people, four dogs, two bedrooms.Saw one red eft and a deer today.
Date: 2023-07-14
To: NH 112
Miles today: 11.0

With Bob's wife Diane able to drop us off, the three of us can now hike in the same direction. Multiple hikers, including Bob, recommended hiking Moosilauke southbound as the north face of the mountain is very steep and much easier to hike going up rather than down.The ascent was nearly vertical in parts, very rocky and very slick. It rained last night and everything was wet, but I doubt this path is ever dry. The trail is slippery, the rocks are slippery, the roots are slippery, even the trees are slippery. All you can do is be very careful, take your time, and not take chances. Bob works search and rescue in this area and as we were going up he told us about the injured and dead hikers they've had to pull out of here. Charming.After a couple hours of climbing with hands and feet, the trail leveled out a bit. It took about 4 hours to reach the summit which is above tree line. Rock cairns are built to show the trail as there are no trees to put blazes on. There were plenty of other hikers up there, apparently there is a road that leads to a trail that is only 40 min from the top. The view was amazing; we were able to see Mt Washington in the distance. The summit was windy, cold and at times foggy. It was a warning to be prepared for the climbs over the next week. I'm glad to have the box Paige sent me with my winter clothing.The descent wasn't nearly as steep, but it was wet and tricky enough, at least for the first hour or so. I had a couple of close calls but eventually the trail leveled out a bit and became just a long slow walk down. We are now officially in the White Mountains. I was a little worried about my right knee, but I seemed to do okay today. Many of the remaining mountains are higher than Moosilauke, but i don't know if any are steeper.Saw five wild turkeys today.