morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2019-07-06
From: Hemlocks Shelter, MA

To: South Mt Wilcox Shelter
Miles today: 21.5

I was hiking by 5:30 am. Not far behind were ¢Lucked In¢ and ¢Easy¢. It was a hot day today. It was not uncommon to have sweat dripping from my nose and elbows during the uphill climbs. When entering a forest of hemlocks I was swarmed by clouds of mosquitoes. There were so many that you could hear the swarm flying behind you. The 100% Deet helped, but with all the sweating, it wore off fast. I was glad when I exited that section of woods. There was heat relief later in the afternoon when it started raining about an hour before I reached South Mt Wilcox Shelter. There are actually two shelters at this location. One an older, smaller shelter. The other a newer, larger shelter. The new shelter was full so I moved to the older shelter. It should serve the purpose of keeping me and my gear dry tonight. As I make these journal notes, ¢Lucked In¢ and I are settled in the shelter for the evening. We have not seen or heard from ¢Easy¢ yet. He is an experienced hiker, so we are not too concerned.Good night all.
Date: 2019-07-07
From: South Mt Wilcox Shelter

To: Upper Goose Pond Cabin
Miles today: 14.2
Weather: overcast clouds

"Easy" never showed up last night. We did get word from him that he was not able to make the miles. He does not have his trail legs. He made the decision to turn around and hike back to where we started in Salisbury CT. He plans to hike back in three days versus the two that it took to get where he camped last night. We wish him well on his return trip.After hiking approximately three miles, I saw another bear just off the trail to my left. It left the area before I could get my camera out.There were multiple climbs throughout today¢s hike. The humidity was not as high as it was yesterday. This made a less stressful day when compared to yesterday.At a road crossing, there was a Trail Stand just off trail with soft drinks, fruit and candy bars. All for a small donation cost. Perfect for that time of day.Later in the afternoon I made it to the Upper Goose Pond Cabin. The care taker was kind enough to provide hamburgers, hot dogs and chips to all who were there this evening. This place bunks approximately 15 hikers indoors, and the place is full tonight. Additional tents are also set up in the surrounding area. Another added bonus is the pond. It is big, clear and the water not too cold. Lots of us went for a swim to clean up and cool down a little. With a full house tonight, it will likely be warm in the bunks upstairs.Preparing for the evening now. Good night all.
Date: 2019-07-08
From: Upper Goose Pond Cabin

To: Zero at Upper Goose Pond Cabin
Miles today: 0.0

The caretaker here at the cabin fixed blueberry pancakes, eggs and coffee for all the hikers for breakfast. It tasted great. We rested during the day. A few of us were taken into town for chores and resupply. I was dropped off at a shoe store to get replacements for my worn out trail shoes. There are holes in the sides and the soles are separating from the tops. They are held together by just a few threads and some glue. I found a pair that I will use until "Mama Smurf" can mail me my desired pair of trail shoes.When we returned to the cabin some people began a game of Monopoly. ¢Kona¢ (from Hawaii) and I took one of the canoes out on the pond. It is a beautiful pond with clear water.Later in the afternoon, a neighbor from across the pond drove their boat over with some trail magic. She brought pizzas, watermelon, grapes, bananas and soft drinks. There was plenty and it really hit the spot. This was a very nice gesture! The daughter of the lady that brought the trail magic hiked the trail in 2018. The cabin is full again tonight. We do plan to hike on tomorrow morning after another pancake breakfast.Time to settle in for the evening. It is hiker midnight. Good night all.
Date: 2019-07-09
From: Upper Goose Pond Cabin

To: Kay Wood Shelter
Miles today: 17.6
Weather: clear sky

One of the guys helping the care taker fix breakfast this morning had the trail name ¢Good Sanatorium¢. We learned that he finished his thru hike this year when he summited Katahdin on July 2, 2019. I find this amazing because he started his hike at Springer Mountain the day after I started. He is finished and I have approximately two months of hiking yet to do. That just demonstrates the differences in hiking speeds. He also did not believe in taking zeros. He only took three. It was good to see someone that finished the trail this year.After breakfast, we began our hike north. On our way we stopped in to see the famous ¢Cookie Lady¢. She has been handing out cookies to hikers from her home for 30 years. She sells soft drinks, boiled eggs and you can pick blueberries from her field when they are in season. Blueberries are about three weeks delayed here in Massachusetts this year. The drinks and boiled eggs were good. It was also nice to sit down and talk with ¢The Cookie Lady¢ for a while under the shade tree in her front yard.We hiked on to Kay Wood Shelter for the evening. I set up my tent and went through the usual chores. This camp site appears full this evening. Time to call it an evening. Good night all.
Date: 2019-07-10
From: Kay Wood Shelter

To: Dalton, MA
Miles today: 3.0

We were in no rush to leave camp this morning. We had a very short hike into town. Because we got to town (Dalton, MA) so early, we could not check into a room. The Shamrock Village Motel personnel allowed us to leave our packs in the Hiker lounge area. We went to a nearby restaurant and had a great breakfast. We got a shuttle to the Walmart and did our resupply for the next couple of days. The shuttle driver knows the trail in this area very well. ¢Lucked In¢ and I talked with him about slack packing us tomorrow.We got checked into the room, got a shower and did laundry. We lounged around most of the afternoon talking with other hikers. In the area are ¢Goat¢, ¢Early¢, ¢Pterodactyl¢, ¢Nagel¢ and ¢Lucked In¢.Later we ate at a nearby sub restaurant.Looking forward to having a lightweight pack weight tomorrow. We have a long uphill climb up and over Mt Greylock. This is the highest climb since being in Virginia.Time to take advantage of the rest this day. Good night all.
Date: 2019-07-11
From: Dalton, MA

To: Wilbur Clearing Shelter
Miles today: 20.3
Weather: clear sky

"Lucked In" and I planned a slack pack today. Carrying only the bare essentials (water, snacks, a light lunch and water filter). We first checked out of the motel and walked to a nearby coffee shop. While we waited for our order we called Tom to come and pick up our excess gear. We planned to call him one hour before we reached the summit of Mt Greylock. That would give him time to drive to the summit and deliver our gear. We were light on our feet the 17 miles to Mt Greylock. It was nice to have a light pack as we did the long uphill climb. I called Tom and he was ready when we summited Mt Greylock. With full packs now, we hiked another three miles to Wilbur Clearing Shelter.After setting up my tent I went through my camp ritual. ¢Nagel¢ is the only other thru hiker at this shelter tonight. The camp sites are however filled with over a dozen trail volunteers out for a few days working on this section of the trail. Thanks to these folks for all their hard work maintaining the trail.Time to call it an evening. Good night all.
Date: 2019-07-12
From: Wilbur Clearing Shelter

To: Congdon Shelter, VT
Miles today: 17.1

After eating breakfast we left camp with a planned stop at a nearby grocery store for resupply. The store was 0.4 miles off trail. After picking up resupply items and other items to eat immediately we began our hill climb out of town. At approximately noon, I crossed the state line into Vermont. Massachusetts is now COMPLETE. Only three states remain to hike. For some reason, the hike today was more difficult than expected. The humidity was high and it took the energy out of me. We took a rest break in a power line clearing by mid afternoon. We arrived at the Congdon Shelter later than usual. The shelter itself was full of loud teenagers. They talked loudly and constantly into the night. I might enjoy making lots of noise as I leave early tomorrow morning. A little pay back is due.I am waiting for the constant talking to die down so that I can get to sleep. Good night all.
Date: 2019-07-13
From: Congdon Shelter, VT

To: Kid Gore Shelter
Miles today: 18.7
Weather: few clouds

I got off to my usual early start around 5:35 am. With the early start and the reduction in humidity I was expecting a good hiking day. For the most part, that was true. However, about four miles before reaching my final destination, I began to feel exhausted. By the time I reached Kid Gore Shelter, I felt totally spent. No energy left. The mileage planned for tomorrow is less than the last couple of hiking days. Let¢s see how things feel at the end of the day tomorrow.The highlight of the day was reaching Glastenbury Mountain lookout tower. The skies were relatively clear and views from the top of the tower were good.Happy Birthday to my son, Carl.I will try and get a good nights sleep tonight and see how I feel tomorrow. Good night all.
Date: 2019-07-14
From: Kid Gore Shelter

To: Stratton Pond Shelter
Miles today: 15.0
Weather: clear sky

The trail took a long uphill to the top of Stratton Mountain. There was a care taker cabin and a tower at the top of this mountain. The skies were overcast, but the views from the top of the tower were not too bad. The trail for the rest of the afternoon was downhill to the Stratton Pond Shelter. It was a nice afternoon with several people out on both the Appalachian Trail as well as the Long Trail. Both trails share the same path along this section of Vermont.With this being a relatively short hike today, I felt pretty good all day.Time to settle in for the evening. Good night all.
Date: 2019-07-15
From: Stratton Pond Shelter

To: VT Route 11/30
Miles today: 10.7

It was approximately a 10 mile hike to get to the VT Route 11/30 road crossing. We needed to hitchhike to get into town. This was my first hitch. It took only a few minutes and someone pulled off and took "Lucked In" and myself into Manchester Center, VT. We couldn¢t get into the hostel before 1:00 pm, so we went to the the grocery store and picked up our resupply for the next few days of hiking. Afterwards, we walked to McDonalds and got something to eat. While waiting for the shuttle pick up, I needed to go to the nearby outfitter to see if I could get better hiking shoes. The shoes that I was currently wearing were causing blisters on my heels and I was getting trench foot on my toes and the balls of my feet. These shoes did not wick away moisture. The sweat from my feet was pooling in the tie box resulting in constant moisture on my toes. It was so bad that my toes were bleeding and it was painful to pull off my socks. I had to replace these shoes immediately. The outfitter did not have a huge selection in my size. I wound up getting a brand that I was not familiar with. However, this brand was more comfortable than what I had been wearing. My next challenge was to mail the other shoes home. I spoke with a police officer in town and he recommended a small business near the outfitter that could help me coordinate the shipment to my home address. After that was complete, we called for the shuttle pickup to Green Mountain House Hostel. There were five of us waiting for the pick up. It was a very clean and well managed hostel. The owner was out of town, but it was being well taken care of. It was a great opportunity to get myself and my clothes cleaned up. Some in the group got their hair cut by fellow hikers.Looking forward to the breakfast in the morning. Time to rest for the evening. Good night all.
Date: 2019-07-16
From: VT Route 11/30

To: Big Branch Shelter
Miles today: 16.5
Weather: clear sky

We woke up, ate breakfast and caught the shuttle at 8:00 am, heading for the trail head. It was a relatively easy hike today. The new shoes were feeling much better and making a huge comfort difference. I could almost walk like a normal human being again. We hiked up to the top of a local ski lift. Decent views from the top. Again, it was a nice hike to get to the Big Branch Shelter. Four in the shelter and two tents set up outside. The Big Branch water source was directly in front of the shelter. It was a welcoming sound of water over rocks for the evening.As usual, it is time for the daily camp chores before getting into the tent for the evening.Good night all.
Date: 2019-07-17
From: Big Branch Shelter

To: Clarendon Shelter
Miles today: 16.9
Weather: clear sky

As soon as I started to take down my tent, it started raining. It rained most of the day. We hiked past two different locations where people over the years have stacked pillars of rocks called "Cairn". Some of the rocks were stacked in the trees.There were two decent sized uphill climbs. One of those climbs was over another Bear Mountain. Again, another state with another mountain named Bear Mountain. The humidity was high resulting in lots of sweat. We also crossed a deep gorge crossed on a suspension bridge. The bridge was very shaky, especially when two people were on it at the same time. We made it to Clarendon Shelter by early afternoon. It is full because of the rain. Several hikers came by and hiked on because the shelter was full.Settling in for the evening. Good night all.
Date: 2019-07-18
From: Clarendon Shelter

To: Churchill Scott Shelter
Miles today: 14.8
Weather: mist

We met two significant milestones today. The first was reaching the 500 mile point. It is now less than 500 miles to Katahdin! The second milestone was reaching the 1,700 mile point. Again, less than 500 miles remain.As the hike began this morning, I spooked over a dozen wild turkey as I approached the edge of a farmers field. Mixed in with the turkey were at least a dozen grouse. They let me get close before they were spooked and flew off.Most of the hiking today was consumed with climbing Mt. Killington. I summited Mt. Killington around lunchtime and ate my lunch atop the mountain. The remainder of the day was hiking down to the Churchill Scott Shelter. I am not expecting many at the shelter tonight because we are so close to town. That is my destination first thing tomorrow morning.I am doing doing camp chores and will be getting ready to climb inside my tent. The mosquitoes have been bad for the past week or so. Especially around sunset.Good night all.
Date: 2019-07-19
From: Churchill Scott Shelter

To: Rutland, VT
Miles today: 1.9

It was a short hike to US Route 4 this morning. "Nagel" and I got a quick hitch into the town of Rutland. We are staying at the Yellow Deli Hostel. We got there early enough to enjoy a free breakfast. I had an excellent lunch at the deli, later in the day.They blocked off the street in front of the deli for an outdoor concert this evening. Performing tonight are "O-Town" and "Aaron Carter". A group of us walked the street event until 10:00 pm, which is the time the hostel locks their doors.We are currently planning a zero tomorrow with plans to return to the trail on Sunday.
Date: 2019-07-20
From: Rutland, VT

To: Rutland, VT
Miles today: 0.0

We were called to breakfast at 7:30 this morning. By the way, the Yellow Deli has had great food.We had tentative plans to do a short 5-6 mile hike this morning. Those plans were canceled when the logistics of getting transportation to and from the different points on the trail were questionable. We will zero here today and rest.
Date: 2019-07-21
From: Rutland, VT

To: Barnard Gulf Rd
Miles today: 23.7

We planned for a long day with big miles. We had arranged to slack pack today. We could do bigger mileage with lighter packs and plenty of rest.We ate breakfast at the Yellow Deli. After breakfast, Tom came at 8:30 to pick up our gear and take us to the trail head. After dropping us off, Tom took our excess gear to our final destination for the day. It is a barn, next to the trail at VT 12. This makes for a 20+ mile day. We all felt up to it. Slack packing today are "Lucked In", "Detour", "Fire Plug" and myself.The hike had many ups and downs throughout the day. The temperature was hot, yet not as hot as the day before. We hiked past a couple of water falls and a large pond today. All were beautiful sights. There was one point on the trail where an actual ladder is installed to aid hikers going up or down the long rock face.By the end of the day, we came out to VT 12. About 0.1 miles west was an old barn that the owner Dan allows hikers to use as shelter. He also had an outdoor shower. Most of us set up our tents in the field. A few stayed in the barn loft.We ate supper and had our tents up just before dark. Settling in for the evening. Good night all.
Date: 2019-07-22
From: Barnard Gulf Rd

To: Happy Hill Shelter
Miles today: 17.3
Weather: clear sky

Some of the group began piling out of the barn loft this morning while the rest of us began breaking down our tents. "Lucked In" and I left camp around 6:30, which is later than normal. However, "Lucked In" is out of water treatment drops so we are both using my filter until he can get more drops.We had an immediate climb coming out of camp. Now that will get your heart pumping first thing in the morning! All the climbs today were straight up or straight down. No switchbacks. It is like the state of Vermont is getting us ready for what is coming in the states of NH and ME.It started raining at approximately 10:00 and did not stop for the remainder of the day. By mid afternoon we had made it to Happy Hill Shelter. Because of the rain, everyone wanted to be under the shelter tonight. It has an upper loft. The bottom was full, so three of us stayed in the loft. It has a low roofline and is a tight fit for three adults, but we'll make it work.Time to settle in for the evening, good night all.
Date: 2019-07-23
From: Happy Hill Shelter

To: Etna-Hanover Center Rd, Etna, NH
Miles today: 11.7

It rained all through the night. No one wanted to get out of the shelter and start hiking due to the rain. We eventually got a 6:30 start.The hike came out of the woods and became a long road walk. We hiked through Norwich VT and came to the Connecticut River. The Vermont/New Hampshire state line was marked in the pillars of the bridge over the River. Vermont is complete, and only two more states remain. We continued our trail road walk into the town of Hanover, New Hampshire. There we took a city bus into the town of West Lebanon. There "Lucked In" and I got the tips of our broken trekking poles fixed at an outfitter. We ate lunch and went to Walmart for our resupply. "Lucked In" was able pick up a water filter there as well. We took the bus back to Hanover where we got back on the trail walk. By late afternoon we came to Etna-Hanover Center Rd. We hiked 0.8 miles west to a general store where we were able phone a nearby hostel (Tigger's). We got cleaned up and were set up to stay in a camper located beside the house. The couple that runs the hostel provide old campers as sleeping quarters for the hikers.We ate, cleaned up and settled in for the evening. Good night all.
Date: 2019-07-24
From: Etna-Hanover Center Rd, Etna, NH

To: Trapper John Shelter
Miles today: 10.8

We were shuttled back to the trail head around 8:00 am. The hike had two decent uphills and there were no switchbacks. They were basically straight up. The views from these elevations appear more majestic in this area. The mountains appear higher and the valleys appear deeper.By early afternoon we made it to Trapper John Shelter. We might have a few people here with us at the shelter tonight. I have set up my tent for the evening. Before it got too late I heard another hiker mention a hiker named ¢Timber¢. It turns out that he was here at Trapper John Shelter as well. He stopped by and I did not recognize him. I have not seen him since Neels Gap. We both lost weight and we both have more facial hair. We briefly caught up. It is good to see him again. I have been trying to cross paths with him since Duncannon, PA. I passed him on the ridges out of Duncannon and found out from other hikers that I passed his tent that morning. Again, it sure was good to see him again.
Date: 2019-07-25
From: Trapper John Shelter

To: Hexacuba Shelter
Miles today: 12.0

The trail today had two relatively nice uphill climbs. The first climb was over Smarts Mountain. At the top of Smarts Mountain is a fire lookout tower and a fire warden cabin. Nice views from the tower. The second climb was Mt Cube.  By the end of the hike we came to Hexacuba Shelter, a large hexagon-shaped shelter. There were very few tenting sites, but I did get there early enough to claim one of them.
Date: 2019-07-26
From: Hexacuba Shelter

To: NH Route 25
Miles today: 14.8

We were up and climbing first thing. The climb took us to the summit of Mt Cube. The wind was calm, which allowed the low-lying clouds to settle into the valleys. It looked like an ocean of clouds from the summit. It was a nice clear morning. We hiked a approximately six miles to NH Route 25A. At 9:30 a man with the trail name "Bag of Tricks" brought "Lucked In", "Waldo" and I some soft drinks, fresh water and picked up our excess gear so that we could slack pack the remaining 10 miles to NH Route 25. At that crossing we hiked east to the Hikers Welcome Hostel. There are 20+ hikers here at the hostel. We cleaned up, ate and made plans for a slack pack for tomorrow."Bag of Tricks" drove us to a nearby restaurant and we enjoyed burgers and pizza.We are trying to rest now. We have a huge climb scheduled for tomorrow. Good night all
Date: 2019-07-27
From: NH Route 25

To: Mt Moosilauke
Miles today: 9.3

There were over 30 people at the hostel last night. I was up at 4:30 am and walked to the trail head for a 5:30 am start. Today is a big uphill and a steep down hike up and over Mt Moosilauke. We were being slack packed today. It made the hike more manageable. I was able to summit Mt Moosilauke at 8:00 am. I stayed at the summit and enjoyed the views and a breakfast. The downhill was very steep heading north. There was a section that was next to a waterfall. There were better views of the falls than expected.By the time we made it to the Kinsman Notch Parking Lot, we hitched a ride back to the hostel. When I was back in Duncannon, PA I talked about eating breakfast with one of the locals. That same local is working here are the Hikers Welcome Hostel. He remembered our prior meeting. He is not currently thru hiking, but did so many years ago. His trail name is "Bag of Tricks". He has been entertaining everyone with his stories. He has helped us tremendously with our slack packing efforts as well. Good people and good discussions.
Date: 2019-07-28
From: Kinsman Notch

To: Over Mt Kinsman
Miles today: 16.1

The shuttle left the hostel at 7:30 am. We were at the trail head by 8:00 am. Today we were hiking up and over Kinsman Mountain. The trail was a mixture of mud, rocks of all sizes and plenty of tree roots. It was a long climb to the summit of South Kinsman Mountain and a little further to North Kinsman Mountain summit. I stopped at the north summit and enjoyed lunch with a view. It was a bit hazy, but the views were still decent.It was a long downhill with plenty of rocks, roots and mud again. The end of the day was at US 3, I-93. We walked on a bike trail to the Flume Visitors Center where we called the Inn 32 Hotel to pick us up. Our excess pack items had already been delivered to the hotel earlier in the day by the previous hostel drivers.We cleaned up and had supper. "Lucked In" and I both agreed that the Kinsman Mountain section hiked today was more difficult than the prior day over Moosilauke.We will resupply and return to the trail tomorrow. Good night all.