morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2008-07-22
From: North Adams, MA

To: Bennington, VT
Miles today: 18.4
Weather: overcast clouds

Crossed into Vermont today. 11 states down, only 3 to go.Left North Adams and climbed 4 miles up to the MA/VT state line. I noticed a lot of birch trees on my climb up. The trail in VT is definitely more wet and muddy than the trail in MA, but surprisingly there were no mosquitoes out today. Not sure why, maybe because it was cooler out or maybe because I am further north and higher up. I'll gladly trade wet and mud for no mosquitoes though.Once I reached the state line I also reached the southern terminus of the Long Trail which is co-extensive with the AT through about half of Vermont. The Long Trail is one of the oldest long distance hiking trails and runs from the MA/VT line north through VT to the Canadian border. I think I'd like to hike the northern half of it someday after finishing the AT.I also heard a bear today. Bearbait and Bearpack both saw it, but I only heard it crashing away through the trees. According to a SOBO hiker it was foraging for berries along the trail. Although there were not many views, I can see why Vermont is called the Green Mountain state. The woods seemed to be glowing green along the trail today. I am pretty excited to be in Vermont, it feels like the beginning of the end.The weather was also threatening rain all day and the weather reports we heard were calling for a stalled front to be hovering over this area and dumping lots of rain here for the next few days. When we made the steep descent down to Route 9 in the late afternoon it was clear that a storm was finally and rapidly approaching. There was still a steep mile and a half climb out of the gap to the closest shelter, so we and Dust in the Wind who was with us all day decided to get a ride into Bennington for the night just as the downpour began.
Date: 2008-07-24
From: Bennington, VT

To: Bennington, VT
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: moderate rain

Zero Day again. Another day of 100% downpours, flash floods, and thunderstorms. It appears this stalled front will finally move out tonight. If I take one day off to avoid the rain, why go out into the rain today. I am going to be so ready to get out of this town tomorrow. My schedule has probably now been pushed back to my original schedule, I've spent more money than I care to think about here, and I am going to have problems getting my mail drop in Manchester Center since I won't be able to get there before the PO closes on Sat. I certainly have a way of making things difficult for myself some times.
Date: 2008-07-25
From: Bennington, VT

To: Story Spring Shelter, VT
Miles today: 19.0
Weather: few clouds

Crossed the 1,600 mile mark today. Finally got out of Bennington and onto the trail a little after 7AM. Had great weather all day. If the trail was wet and muddy before, two days of rain turned it into a river today. All the creeks and ponds were swollen and overflowing and there was run off coming from what seemed like every direction. When it has rained this much the trail acts as a natural drainage system. I did not mind having wet and muddy feet all day because the weather was so nice and the mosquitoes were still MIA. I was just happy to be back on the trail again. Went over Glastenbury Mt. which is the highest peak since VA. At the top is an old fire tower. I climbed to the top of it and had great 360 degree views of the Green Mts. I also saw a lot of what I can only surmise was moose scat today. It did not look like any other scat I've seen so far. It finally feels like I am back in 'real' mountains again.
Date: 2008-07-26
From: Story Spring Shelter, VT

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

Was on the trail by 7AM. Just before ascending Stratton Mt. I came across Sweaty Pig and Dolt (AT '04). They gave me a beer and a breakfast sandwich. Not a bad second breakfast. It certainly helped propel me to the top of Stratton Mt. which is higher than Glastenbury at just under 4,000 ft. On the way up Stratton I noticed lots of birch trees which gave way to pine trees as I neared the summit. There was another old fire tower at the top of Stratton with more excellent 360 degree views of the Green Mts. I could see back to Greylock Mt. and ahead to Killington Mt. From Stratton it was largely downhill and level to the road crossing to Manchester Center. The trail was still pretty wet and muddy today. Two days of wet feet has resulted in three hot spots on my feet from where the skin has been rubbed raw. I came into Manchester Center to resupply and stay at a free hostel (one of the nicest of the entire hike). It was a good idea to stay here too as a huge thunderstorm is going on right now. I decided to just resupply here rather than wait until Monday morning to get my mail drop at the post office. I'm going to try to have the post office here forward my mail drop to Glencliff, NH.
Date: 2008-07-27
From: Manchester Center, VT

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

Got back on the trail at 8:45AM with Bearpack, Bearbait, and Dust in the Wind. Shelter Monkey and Snake Whisperer were at the free hostel last night as well and we caught up to them at the top of Bromley Mt. They were with Creek Diver who they met up with in town before getting back on the trail this morning. I had not seen Creek Diver since just before Port Clinton. She is a teacher from London. A little international flavor on the trail. The summit of Bromley was socked in with fog and clouds so there was nothing to see other than the ski lift equipment at the peak. I think the last little part of the climb to the summit was actually up a ski slope. Unfortunately the ski lift was not running so I had to hike down the other side of the mountain. In clear weather I should have been able to see 5 states from this summit. Last night's thunderstorms negated any drying out of the trail over the past two days. So I spent another day in wet shoes and socks which led to more skin being rubbed off my feet. Ouch. It does not help that my shoes already have holes rubbed through the padding on the inside. They started breaking down after only 400 miles. I may have to get new shoes in Hanover, NH. Hiking in Vermont so far must be what aquablazing is like. The rest of the day I went over Styles Peak, Peru Peak, and Baker Peak. Baker Peak had the best views of the day, in part because the fog/mist/clouds had cleared up to a mere haze by the afternoon. I also hiked past a shelter that had burned down and another one that was a mile off the trail. Who puts a shelter a mile away from the trail anyways?? I cannot imagine any thru-hikers going that far out of their way for a shelter. Tonight I am tenting at the Big Branch Shelter and listening the roaring, rain swollen Big Branch River just downslope. Here's to hoping for no rain tonight and a drier trail tomorow.
Date: 2008-07-28
From: Big Branch Shelter, VT

To: Clarendon Shelter, VT
Miles today: 16.9
Weather: scattered clouds

The rain held off last night but the ground was already so wet that my tent foot print and tent bottom got wet anyways. Actually everything just had a damp feeling to it this morning. I climbed White Rocks Mt. in the morning and there was a neat pine forest at the top. Also at the top were some boulders covered in smaller rock formations placed there by hikers over the years. I suppose you could call it 'trail art'. From the top of the mountain I was also able to contact the Manchester Center post office and arrange for them to forward my mail drop from there to Glencliff, NH.In the afternoon I went over yet another Bear Mt. This one was a pretty steep climb. Coming down the other side I ducked into the Minerva Hinchey Shelter to avoid an oncoming rain shower. That lasted for about an hour, after which I was on my way again.I fell down twice today because the trail was wet and slick. The first time I broke my fall with my right elbow against a rock. It felt great. The second time my left foot slipped out from under me on a wet tree root and somehow sent me flying sideways off the trail, through a pine tree, to land on some moss. If anyone was behind me they woudl have only seen my feet sticking out from the bottom of the tree.Towards the end of the day I descended into Clarendon Gorge where there was a rickety suspension bridge over the Mill River. There was a sign warning that only one person at a time should cross the bridge. It reminded me of the suspension bridge at the end of Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. Just past this bridge Bearpack, Shelter Monkey, Creek Diver, and I hitched a ride a mile down VT 103 to a general store. One pint of Ben & Jerry's ice cream and an hour later we hitched back to the trail (in a black pick up truck). From there I had a steep one mile climb up to Clarendon Shelter. I felt like I was sweating out ice cream on my way up.This is probably the nicest shelter area I've seen in Vermont so far. But when I got here I checked my cell phone and saw that I had some bad news from friends. A good friend's mother had passed away. She was a funny and inspiriing woman who I had known since I was a kid. Very sad news.
Date: 2008-07-29
From: Clarendon Shelter, VT

To: The Inn at the Long Trail, VT
Miles today: 16.4

Less than 500 miles to go as of today.Fortunately, there was no rain last night. I slept ok but my body still felt exhausted this morning at 6AM. It was cool but humid this morning too. A few miles in on the trail there was a cooler filled with Cokes. Jackpot. Coke could be a currency out here. Shortly after the Cokes I passed a shelter which was pretty trashed due to its proximity to a road and weekend partiers. After this I began the 4 mile climb up Mt. Killington, the highest peak the AT goes over in Vermont. It is also the first 4,000 ft. plus peak since Virginia. The upper part of Killington was covered in pine forest. The mountain is also a major ski resort area in the winter. The weather at the top of the mountain was sunny, cool, and clear with a nice brisk breeze. I had lunch and then climbed a steep and rocky .2 side trail to the summit. The views from the summit were as Bearpack said 'in the top 5' of the hike so far. I could see the Green Mts. all around (with evidence of various ski slopes) and off in the northeast I could see some jagged peaks of what I can only imagine were the White Mts. in New Hampshire. Basically today's hike was one long climb up and over Killington and then down into Sherburne Pass. Much more like hiking in the South rather than a lot of the smaller ups and downs I've been doing lately. On the hike down I took a blue blazed side trail that deposited me literally on the front door of the Inn at the Long Trail. The blue blaze used to be part of the original AT before various re-routes, so technically I was retro-blazing. This Inn is where the AT and the Long Trail (LT) split. The AT heads east to New Hampshire and the LT heads north to the Canadian border. The Inn dates from the 1930's and was originally an early ski lodge in the area. It also has a built in Irish pub. A perfect place to relax and dry out my feet. New shoes will defintiely be required once I get to Hanover.
Date: 2008-07-30
From: The Inn at the Long Trail, VT

To: Stony Brook Shelter, VT
Miles today: 10.0
Weather: broken clouds

Got up and had a french toast breakfast at the Inn, which was included with the stay. I really liked the Inn which reminded me of the Bear's Den Hostel in VA and of an alpine lodge. I hung around the Inn and had lunch before getting back on the trail. I knew it would be a shorter day so I did not mind the late start. The problem was that because I knew it was a short day I kept expecting that I should have been where I was going a lot faster than it actually took me. There were two steep climbs today. One out of Sherburne Pass and the other up Quimby Mt. Otherwise it was a pretty uneventful hike. Went past some camping areas around Kent Pond and saw some trail maintainers building a boardwalk over a marshy area. The water source at this shelter, the Stony Brook, is probably the clearest water source I've seen in Vermont so far. The trail was drier today since it did not rain last night, but it turns out that this has been the wettest July on record for Vermont. Excessively wet and muddy trail explained. There is a chance of rain tonight but I am tenting anyways. Also helped build a fire in front of the shelter earlier which helped keep the bugs away.
Date: 2008-07-31
From: Stony Brook Shelter, VT

To: Cloudland Road, VT
Miles today: 19.2

Crossed the 1,700 mile mark today. That puts me 1,000 miles north of McAfee's Knob in Virginia. Wow.It rained last night. The morning was wet and humid. By lunch time the weather had cleared up, but it started raining again by 3:30PM. So all in all I was really only dry for a few hours today. However, the rain did stop right when I got where I was going at the end of the day. The rain also made the temperature feel like it dropped 15-20 degrees in a few hours this afternoon. There were a lot of PUDs today and I was reminded of the Roller Coaster. Only less rocky. At lunch time I came to a road crossing with a small store and I bought some soda and ice cream there. At the end of the day I got to Cloudland Road which has a farm that also sells ice cream and allowed some of us to tent for free next to the barn on their property. The farm featured mooing cows, a friendly famr dog, and a terrorized chicken that attemped to take refuge with us while we made our dinners to avoid being chased by the dog.It is clear out now but there is rain in the forecast for tonight.
Date: 2008-08-01
From: Cloudland Road, VT

To: Hanover, NH
Miles today: 16.9
Weather: light rain

New Hampshire today! 12 states down, only 2 to go. And out of wet and muddy Vermont. Actually I'm sure the wet and mud will not stop at the state line. Despite the mud and rain I liked Vermont a lot. But I am also excited to get above the tree line in a few days here in White Mts. The predicted big thunderstorms never materialized last night but there was a heavy dew to ensure I did not go into shock from a total lack of wetness. I hiked about 7 miles to where the trail went through the small village of West Hartford. I stopped at the general store there for an early lunch and then push on, getting to the Connecticut River a little before 3PM. The river is the border between Vermont and New Hampshire. Immediately across the river the trail went uphill (of course) and took an ivy league turn into Hanover, NH, the home of Dartmouth College. There is some sort of college visitation weekend going on here as well as a big high school all star football game and a parade tomorrow, so this town is packed. I got a lot of weird looks from the parents of incoming students as I walked down the street with my pack. I went to the post office and picked up my mail drop which contains most of my winter gear which may be necesary for the White Mts. and Maine. I have a lot of things to do here tomorrow, not the least of which is getting new shoes, so it wil probably be a nearo day out of town.
Date: 2008-08-02
From: Hanover, NH

To: Velvet Rocks Shelter, NH
Miles today: 1.5
Weather: scattered clouds

Nearo out of town today. Staying in the shelter tonight. First time since Virginia that I am staying in a shelter. There is pretty much a 100% chance of storms and rain all night. Guess the rain, wet and mud won't stop at the border after all. Saw a shriner's parade on my way out of town after I got new shoes. They are a little more durable and water resistant than the trail runners I just got rid of. I only need them to last 440 miles. They are somewhere between my boots and trail runners.
Date: 2008-08-03
From: Velvet Rocks Shelter, NH

To: Trapper John Shelter, NH
Miles today: 15.2
Weather: light rain

I pretty much hated today. It rained and stormed all night. I stayed dry in the shelter but did not sleep well thanks to some bugs which forced me to cover up as much as possible and because some drunk hikers showed up to the shelter from Hanover. Everything was wet and muddy this morning and it rained again early in the afternoon. Fortunately I was having lunch in the Moose Mt. shelter when the rain storm came through. My feet stayed dry until late in the day when they were finally overwhelmed by the watery trail. At some points I would have mistaken the trail for a creek if not for the white blazes on the trees. I went over Moose Mt. and some other mountain, whose name I did not even bother to learn because there was nothing to see and the trail was a river. The constant rain has got to stop. I forget what it is like to walk on dry, solid trail. I'm tenting tonight. The ground is wet but it doesn't matter since the shelter floor also seemed wet and has the added bonus of mosquitoes.
Date: 2008-08-04
From: Trapper John Shelter, NH

To: Ore Hill Shelter, NH
Miles today: 19.3

I started out hating today. It did not rain last night, or at least it was hard to tell if it did since everything was still wet and there was still a lot of moisture dripping off the trees. It was also foggy out this morning. For the first time in a long time I thought the trail was dangerous this morning as I climbed up Smarts Mt. It was wet, slick, rocky, and windy as I climbed through a cloud. For the first time I could see how it was possible to get hypothermia in these mountains in August. I was soaked with sweat, but would get chilly every time I stopped. It also did not help that I was hiking alone and was probably letting my mind overreact a little. At least at the top of Smarts Mt. there was an enclosed shelter in which I was able to get out of the wind. I also got water up there, but like all other water sources recently it was difficult to tell whether I was getting the water from the source or out of the rain runoff. Either way the water sources have had lots of floaties from the rain stirring everything up. By the time I descended Smarts Mt. the sun and blue sky were starting to poke through and my spirits began to lift a little. Also about this time I had to remove my shoes and socks for the first time to ford the rain swollen Jacob's Brook. The water was ice cold and up to my knees but felt great on my feet. Even though I was only in the water for about two minutes my feet felt numb and then as if a thousand needles were stabbing them when I got out of the water (I actually know what this feels like as I once stepped barefoot on a box of needles). Anyways for some reason this also put me in a better mood and I climbed up to Hexacuba Shelter (not sure what shape a hexacube is supposed to really be). I had my dinner for lunch here and then climbed to the summit of Cube Mt. I had good views from up here and my mood continued to improve. It was dampened somewhat on the climb down due to inaccurate mileage signs and because of an increase in mud, water, and mosquitoes. Due to the lack of camping spots here I've decided to set up my tent inside the shelter, another first for me, to keep out the bugs. Short day tomorrow where I will pick up my forwarded mail drop and hopefully dry out.
Date: 2008-08-05
From: Ore Hill Shelter, NH

To: Glencliff, NH
Miles today: 7.4

Less than 400 miles to go as of today.Got up and hiked up and over Mist Mt. and down into Glencliff, NH. There is a hostel here, the Hikers Welcome, where I am tenting at tonight. This place reminds me of Standing Bear hostel down South. I got my forwarded mail drop at the post office across the street too. It cleared up enough in the afternoon that I was able to dry my tent and other things out. I also took and outdoor shower and did laundry, which was also outdoors. Spent the rest of the day just hanging out in the hiker common room and then later out by a campfire.
Date: 2008-08-06
From: Glencliff, NH

To: North Woodstock, NH
Miles today: 0.0

To say I am disappointed by today is an understatement. It rained all last night and was a downpour this morning. The high down in the notch (valley) was only supposed to get up to about 61 degrees. I did not fancy going over Mt. Moosilauke in these conditions, especially since it would be my first true above treeline hike. It would also include fording a brook which the guidebook warned was tricky when it has been raining and a steep, rocky and slick climb down the north side of the mountain. Instead I decided to get a shuttle north with Snake Whisperer to a hotel in North Woodstock. Our plan is to slackpack south over Moosilauke tomorrow back to the Hikers Welcome and then get another shuttle back north to here.. This way we will be going up the steeper side of the mountain which should actually be safer than coming down it in the rain. Also it might actually stop raining tomorrow (but probably not).It's hard not to let this constant rain get me down, especially when this is the part of the hike I've been looking forward to the most. I really did not want to take another zero day today, nor did I fancy spending more money in towns. I really want to get out there and hike these parts so I hope the conditions improve eventually. But as Phat Chap at the hostel told me, 'you do not control your hike, mother nature controls your hike.' Well mother nature has certainly made this clear to me over the past two weeks.
Date: 2008-08-07
From: Kinsman Notch, NH

To: Glencliff, NH
Miles today: 9.5

Well as frustrating as it was to just sit around yesterday the payoff came today with good weather and views as I slackpacked southbound over Mt. Moosilauke. Snake Whisperer and I took a shuttle to Kinsman Notch at 9AM this morning. The climb out of Kinsman going south up Moosilauke is a ridiculously steep, rocky and, due to a waterfall/creek next to the trail, a slick climb. There is about a 2,000 ft. ascent in the first mile and a half with the creek/waterfall spraying mist over the trail for a good portion of that climb. This part is so steep that rebar handholds and wooden block steps have been installed over particularly steep and slick rock sections. I have to admit that I was glad to be climbing up this part rather than coming down it with a full pack load. Although it made me a bit anxious at parts it was a rewarding climb. At the top of this section is a shelter where we stopped for a snack and as we sat there the sun and some blue sky began to peek out. This was unexpected. I was merely anticipating a rain free day, but having the sun come out was an added bonus. The weather remained pretty nice for the rest of the hike. Leaving the shelter I continued to climb, but not nearly as steep, up to the summit of Moosilauke. In reaching the summit I went above tree line for the first time. The summit is at 4,802 ft and reminded me of a more rocky Southern bald. I found it impressive. One side of the mountain was covered in fog, but on the other side I had relatively good views. As I descended the other side (not nearly as steep as the other direction) it remained sunny, but I could hear thunder off in the distance most of the time. Fortunately I beat the storms to the bottom and got a ride back to North Woodstock. It has been raining here ever since. Will try to head north tomorrow.
Date: 2008-08-09
From: North Woodstock, NH

To: North Woodstock, NH
Miles today: 0.0

Zero Day. In addition to feeling like my body had been beaten from head to toe, I woke up under the weather feeling stuffy and with a sore throat this morning. Kind of surprising that this is the first time I think I've gotten sick on the trail so far. Liquids and cold medicine in order. So long as I do not feel any worse tomorrow I am planning on heading out on the trail. I'll hike this cold off.