morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2013-07-20
From: Dalton, MA

To: Bascom Lodge, Mt Greylock summit 
Miles today: 0.0

Saturday, July 20 Dalton MA to Mt Greylock Summit17 miles.   Weather: warm and overcast. Cooling throughout the day. Today was one of the most awesome days yet on the trail. Newton and I got going a little after 7:00 and left Dalton right away. We climbed out of town and soon reached the height of land for be morning portion of our hike. The climb felt good and there was a slight breeze developing. The weather is definitely changing for the better. The temperature is going to drop nearly 20 degrees into the upper 70's for the next week or so. Glorious!We went down to the town of Cheshire and had lunch in a tiny place called Diane's Twist. It was a real throwback with everything homemade and good for very little money. We left right about noon and quickly started the biggest climb since Virginia, Mt Geeylock. It was a 2,600 foot climb over 3 miles. The climb went great and we arrived at the summit Lodge before 4:00. It was so great to get in a real climb up areal mountain. We discovered that you could order beer from a local micro brewery which we did and then we ran into Gypsy and Hancock. It was great talking to them and getting to know them a bit more. I love the trail name Hancock which he got from allowing every thru hiker he meets sign his backpack. Gypsy got her name from the fact that she has moved so much. They are great young people and we had fun talking trail over a beer. Well tomorrow we have an easy 14 mile day then I will see Yolanda on Monday in Bennington VT for our 35th wedding anniversary! I'm not sure which amazes me more. Married for 35 years or the fact that I'm about to hike into Vermont!
Date: 2013-07-21
From: Bascom Lodge, Mt Greylock summit 

To: Seth Warner Shelter
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

Sunday , July 21   Mt. Greylock Summit to Seth Warner Shelter.   14 milesWeather: Sunny and pleasant. Hi 81 Lo 64 Today started with a nice big breakfast at the Bascom Lodge on top of Mt. Greylock. It was cool to stay in a nice lodge on top of a major mountain. The food was excellent and the beer was outstanding, courtesy of Berkshire Brewing Company. I saw and spoke to a number of cyclists who made the 9 mile, 2,700 foot climb up to the top of Greylock. Boy, I miss my bike!With a short 14 mile hike today, we didn't leave until around 9:30. We quickly hiked the 7 miles to the town of Greylock and had lunch under the shade of a big maple tree. The afternoon hike featured a moderate 1,200 foot climb and then around 3:00 we entered Vermont. Newton and I have been dreaming about getting to Vermont for about a month now. It has been our goal since we entered New Jersey. It has helped keep us going. "If we can just make Vermont the heat will subside, the bugs will get better and we'll have real mountains to climb." Well we are here and you know what? The heat has subsided, the bugs have decreased and we are about to start climbing mountains again! Just like we dreamed about. Tomorrow we have a short 11 miles to Bennington, VT where I will meet Yolanda who is driving there. We will celebrate our 35th wedding anniversary and I will get back on the trail the next day. It's way too short but it will still be so wonderful to see her. I know I'm not going to sleep tonight. I will, however, be seeing her again very soon. Newton, my hiking buddy, will be getting off the trail beginning July 31 for 10 days to attend a family get together in Canada. There is no way I will hike on without Newton. He's not just a great hiking partner but he has also become a real friend. I can't see summiting Kathadin without him. So I will spend those days at home with Yolanda which will be wonderful. I will get some rest, heal up, and be ready for my final 450 miles or so. We will have made Hanover NH by July 31st so we will have all of NH and Maine left which are Newton and my home states. Plus this will push our finish date out to somewhere around he 15th to 20th of September. Both he and I wanted to finish around there to enjoy some Autumn weather at the end of our hike. So once again, all things work out for the best. Carry on my wayward son!
Date: 2013-07-22
From: Seth Warner Shelter

To: Bennington, VT
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

Monday, July 22 Seth Warner Shelter to Bennington VT. 11 miles. Weather: Partly cloudy Hi 83 Lo 65Newton and I got out of camp at 6:45 and we were on a mission to go our 11 miles and get to Bennington by 12:00 to meet Yolanda. We had only 1 good climb and it came at the beginning of the day which felt good. The rest of be day was a lot of little up and downs. The trail in this part of Vermont is quite wet and somewhat boggy, but the trail is in relatively good shape with lots of bog boards and flat rocks placed in the wetter sections. There were no views to speak of the entire hike. The good news is we are back on real mountains again. The descent into Bennington was really something. A mile straight down on set boulders and rocks that are slick and dangerous. I took one good spill and actually fell off the trail and about 8 feet down the hillside. Fortunately it wasn't terribly rocky where I felt and escaped without injury. At the bottom of the climb was Yolanda waiting for me. We both burst into tears upon seeing each other. It's been 2 months and almost a thousand miles since I last saw her so it was very emotional for both of us. We did our usual town routine of shower, laundry and resupply. Then Yolanda and I just enjoyed being together for a little time then went out and had a great dinner in town to celebrate our 35th anniversary. I will have to say good bye tomorrow and get back on the trail. It will not be easy but I will see her again in 8 days. It's great to be near home!
Date: 2013-07-23
From: Bennington, VT

To: Story Brook Shelter 
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Tuesday, July 23 Bennington VT to Story Brook Shelter. 19 miles.   Weather: Heavy rain in the morning and rain showers the rest of the day. Hi 74 Lo 61After a great day and dinner with Yolanda, we woke up to a heavy, steady rain. It had rained hard all night and over 2 inches of rain had fallen with another inch on the way. Yolanda, Newton and I went and had a good breakfast and waited for the rain to subside some. Finally, about 8:50 we got back on the trail during a slight lull. It helped some as we completed the initial steep ascent out of town in a lighter rain. As we went on though, the heavy rain soon returned. The trail was a complete quagmire. It was muddy before the rain but now it was unreal. In places runoff completely overran the trail and it was more a streambed than a trail. Small steams and brooks were a raging torrent several of which required calf deep crossings. We took off our shoes and put on our Crocks for the first crossing but then just gave up. We then stopped trying to dodge the mud as well. We were completely saturated and it made no sense to try and avoid water and mud. These kind of days we just do our jobs as "professional" hikers. We just put our head down and grind out the miles while shutting out the unpleasantness. In fact these are good days to make big miles because you don't really feel like stopping and there's nothing to see. Might as well hike on. I covered the 19 miles in about 8 hours. We got to the shelter and for the second time in Vermont some nit wit had pitched there tent in the shelter. Fortunately, by then the rain had stopped and Newton and I both pitched our tents. Much better than the shelter anyway. The night looks like it will be nice and clear although I wouldn't rule out a shower later. Tomorrow is going to be another big day of over 21 miles plus a hitch into Manchester Center. It should be a great day.
Date: 2013-07-24
From: Story Brook Shelter 

To: Manchester Center, VT
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Wednesday, July 24 Story Brook Shelter to Manchester Center VT   21 milesWeather: early fog with slow afternoon clearing. Hi 71 Lo 45Well the weather has certainly changed. The stifling heat and humidity of a week ago has finally given way to clear dryer air. In fact the temperature in the Green Mountains tonight is supposed to be in the upper 30's!Our hike today started with a good climb up Mt. Stratton. We were disappointed however that the summit was socked in with 50 mph winds. We climbed the fire tower anyway which had an enclosed cabin on top with windows all around it so it was protected from the wind. We waited for it to clear out and just when were about to climb down it cleared enough for us to get a brief view. It was quite a fine view but it didn't last as once again the fog and mist blew in. We then dropped down to the shelter for lunch and soon after came to Stratton Pond. It was a beautiful pond and perfect for swimming except it was now too cold and windy, around 62 degrees with clouds blowing in and out. Too bad. We then had 10 more miles to go in the days hike of 21 miles and it was getting hard to walk through the mud. Today I would guess that we had to avoid or walk through at least 7 miles of ankle deep mud and it was tiring as you couldn't get into a stride. It took us 10 and a half hours to complete the hike. We finally arrived in Manchester Center a little after 6:00, showered and had dinner in town. We will have to do our laundry and resupply in the morning and get a late start on our hike. Off to bed!
Date: 2013-07-25
From: Manchester Center, VT

To: Lost Pond Shelter
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Thursday, July 25 Manchester Center, VT to Lost Pond Shelter 15 miles. Weather: mostly sunny, cool. Hi 72 Lo 47Newton and I awoke in Manchester Center to a picture perfect day. Brilliant sunshine, and low 50's. We were dying to get back on the trail but we still had to resupply and do our laundry. But first, of course, came breakfast, and oh what a breakfast it was. We ate at a place called Up For Breakfast. It was so named because you climb a flight of stairs to get to it. Newton and I both ordered the Hiker Special. It consisted of 2 eggs, 2 strips of bacon, 2 sausages, 2 pancakes, 2 pieces of toast and home fries. This was the best breakfast I have had so far on my hike. I never thought I'd have a better one than the Mountain Harbor Hostel in Roan Mountain TN, but this one topped it. Every aspect of it was perfect. The eggs were cooked on a low temp grill. The bacon was thick, smoked, with little fat, the home fries were real potatoes cut up and pan fried, but best of all were the pancakes. They were huge, the size of pot holders but more important, they were delicious. Loaded with fresh blueberries, topped with gobs of butter and a big pitcher of real Vermont maple syrup. Also, the menu had at least 10 things I'd love to order. This place is worth a special trip. While Newton got the laundry going, I did the grocery shopping. I rejoined him while the laundry dried and believe it or not while waiting we went next door and had a coffee and a donut. We then hitched a ride back to the trail and finally started hiking around 11:00. Despite the late start we finished our 15 miles around 5:45. It was a fabulous day to hike and the miles flew by. Sunny, cool and several nice mountains to climb, including Mt. Bromley. It's so great to be climbing mountains with views from the top and drinking from clear, cold mountain streams, and sleeping in cool mountain air. Right now my tent is pitched right above a stream and I will sleep to the sound of it cuddled up in my down quilt. I'm tired from a good days hike and I will sleep like a baby tonight. This is what I have been waiting for the entire trip. I'm in Northern New England, my home, and the best is yet to come. I couldn't be happier and wouldn't want to be anyplace other than right here, right now. I'm in my element and feel like I was born to do this and have just been training for this my whole life. God, I'm so happy!
Date: 2013-07-26
From: Lost Pond Shelter

To: Clarendon Shelter
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

Friday, July 26 Lost Pond Shelter to Clarendon Shelter19 miles.   Weather: overcast and cool. Hi 68 Lo 51. Today's hike was a challenge. The terrain was somewhat rocky and there were many ups and downs. Some features were worthy of note. Little Rock Pond was a beautiful area with superb swimming. Once again we didn't go in because we would have froze! The temperature at the time was in the mid 50's and no sunshine. Great for hiking but not for swimming. Another interesting feature was the many piled small stones in two areas of the trail. They were like mini cairns but hundreds of them in a small area. It's like someone cleared the trail of all small stones for a couple of miles then piled them up into little statues. I'll post a photo. We then passed over Clarendon Gorge on a foot bridge and it was quite impressive. Our guidebook talks about swimming holes there but that's a stretch. It would be pretty dangerous as you could be easily swept away. We then had a good rock scramble climb of about 600 feet in less than half a mile. It was pretty tough especially because we were in mile 18 on the day. We arrived at the shelter about 5:00 and it was pretty full with quite an array of characters including thru hikers, section hikers, weekenders, and Long Trail hikers. There was a pretty good fire going and lots more wood piled up for it. Then things got a little weird. Suddenly two all terrain vehicles showed up each with an enormous man on it. They were actually bringing more firewood and had a chainsaw. They proceeded to cut up some of the larger logs and in the process got sawdust all over Newtons cookset and stove. Now you really have to appreciate how completely bizarre this scene was. This is a shelter on the AT in a National Forrest and these guys show up on motorized ATV's with a chainsaw. We weren't through with the bizarre though. Three Long Trail hikers came into camp late and they looked like they just walked off the set of Survivor complete with long staffs with what looked like skulls on them. I had had enough and decided to retire to my tent before things got any stranger. By now the fire is probably visible from space and the shelter party will go late. Sometimes I like being hard of hearing!
Date: 2013-07-27
From: Clarendon Shelter

To: The Inn at Long Trail
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Saturday, July 27 Clarendon Shelter to The Inn at Long Trail 18.5 miles.   Sunny and warm. Hi 80 Lo 58Today's hike was a challenging but rewarding one. 5 miles into the hike we began the ascent of Kilington which was 2,600 feet over 3 miles. The majority of the elevation was gained over one long switch back that was very rocky and rooty and tough, slow going. To summit, we had to blue blaze .2 miles up what amounted to a cliff face. The view, however, was worth it. We were able to get our first look at the high peaks of the Whites including the Northern Presidentials and Lafayette.   The descent was long but not difficult and we had one more climb then a .5 side trail that brought us to The Inn at Long Trail. This place is a gem. It is straight out of the 40's and 50's but in a good way. Lots of old wood and stone and ski memorabilia from Pico Peak when it was the only ski area around here. Newton and I showered, did our laundry, and went down to the pub for dinner and beers. The place had live entertainment which was a guy performing solo. Mostly Irish music and later on, old favorites. He was fantastic. Tobie and Holler joined us and actually wound up on the stage a couple of times. The pub was filled including a large group of south bounders. The place was a blast and it was the most fun I've had on the trail yet. I might pay the price today after a half dozen beers and staying up until midnight. Oh well, if you can't work, then you can't play. Oh, today we went under 500 miles remaining. As the Irish song goes: "We'll I will walk 500 miles and I will walk 500 more..."
Date: 2013-07-28
From: The Inn at Long Trail

To: The Lookout Cabin
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

Sunday, July 28. The Inn at Long Trail to The Lookout Cabin. 15 miles. Weather: Overcast with a few light sprinkles. Hi 78 Lo 48We left the hotel after a hearty breakfast around 9:00 since we were only planning 15 miles today. The sky was threatening and we assumed we were going to get wet. As the day went on, the showers became more and more scattered and we never did get rained on heavily. Today was another day of big ups and downs. We had a 1,600 foot climb, a 1,200 footer and 4 other climbs over 600 feet. The cooler temperatures made it better but we both had enough by the end of the day. The day was sort of featureless in that there were no views or points of interest to speak of. That is until we reached our destination. The lookout tower and cabin get a small mention in AWOL's guidebook which is the thru hikers bible for the trail. There is no symbol for camping there so it is easily overlooked. There is only a brief blip that says hikers were allowed to stay in the cabin in 2012. So we weren't sure we were going to be able to stay there. As the day went on we ran into southbounders saying they stayed there and the place was amazing. So Newton and I were getting excited to actually get to the place and check it out. We arrived around 4:40 and were the first two people there. The place is amazing! It's a large cabin with a loft that together could easily sleep 25 people. The tower is actually above the cabin and accessed up a long wooden stairway. The view from the tower is an incredible 360 degree gem with nothing but mountains as far as the eye can see. We are staying here with friends OB, Danno, and several other people we recently met. Newton and I have been logging solid miles every day and have caught up with many people that we never met before plus staying in camp with many southbounders. It's almost like we have started the hike just recently. It's fantastic! I'm enjoying this much more. I'm sitting in the tower by myself right now looking out over hundreds of miles of mountains. It's breathtaking and once again I'm reminded of how incredibly fortunate I am to be on this amazing journey. I'm blessed!We now have only 471 miles remaining, which although still a lot, its starting to feel like the home stretch especially since we are in our home turf now, Northern New England. On to Maine!
Date: 2013-07-29
From: The Lookout Cabin

To: Thistle Hill Shelter
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

Monday, July 29 The Lookout Cabin to Thistle Hill Shelter 15 miles. Weather: mostly sunny and comfortable. Hi 78 Lo 52I awoke at 6:00 to a clear blue sky, much to my surprise. I immediately thought of seeing the sunrise from the tower above the cabin. I got dressed quickly and climbed the stairs to the tower and beheld a sight that I will remember always. Below me was a thick layer of clouds with mountain peeks rising above and the sun just rising above it all. It took my breath away. All around the view was equally stunning with the early morning light and the suns first rays striking various peaks and tree lines. We set out about 7:30 with our first stop 6.5 miles away. It was a small farmstand that had still warm fruit pies and ice cream which was my breakfast. Yum! We then proceeded to go up and down a series of short steep hills for the next 8 miles. The hiking was tough but the views were great. Much of the hike was quintessential Vermont scenery of rolling hills, patch quilt farm land, and green pastures. If was truly beautiful all day. We got into camp early, around 4:30, and spent time talking with OB, Chupa Cabra, Long Skirt, and a couple of section hikers. It's really great meeting new people every day and hearing their stories and sharing mine. I have mixed feelings right now because tonight is the last night on the trail for 11 days since I will be getting off until August 11. I will miss it greatly. On the other hand I'll be home with Yolanda and that will be great. I will keep posting to my journal even on my off days and I will keep doing some hiking although I plan on resting up too. This will be fine and I'll be back on the trail before I know it. We will step into New Hampshire tomorrow and will be picked up by our wives in Hanover. So we will have New Hampshire and Maine left to finish. The best parts still lay ahead. I can't wait!
Date: 2013-07-30
From: Thistle Hill Shelter

To: Hanover,New Hampshire
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Tuesday, July 30 Thistle Hill Shelter to Hanover, NH 15 miles.   Weather: Sunny and warm. Hi 78 Lo 52What a beautiful, wonderful day today was. Newton and I had our breakfast and set out a out 7:00. We were greeted with a great surprise as we left the shelter side trail to see Oreo and Quahog waiting for us. We have been pursuing them for several weeks and we finally caught up to them. They came into our shelter late last night after Newton and I were asleep in our tents and left before we awoke. They waited for us at the trail junction and hiked with us the 15 miles into Hanover, NH. It was a perfect day to hike. Sunny and comfortable with low humidity and temps in the low 70's. We also hiked with OB and Chupa Cabra. The miles flew by quickly and despite several stops for food including a deli and trail magic, we arrived in Hanover 30 minutes earlier than we had planned. Just as we were about to finish today's hike we crossed into New Hampshire. I can't believe I've hiked to my home state from Georgia. In Hanover we were joined by my wife, Newton's wife, and Oreo's Dad. We had a great lunch and then Newton and I said our good bye's because even though we hope otherwise, we know we may not see these people again on the trail. 10 days off the trail is almost impossible to make up with only 450 miles remaining. I am thrilled to be spending these days at home with Yolanda but I'm also kind of sad knowing that just about everyone I know on the trail will pass me for good during my time off. Despite that, it's still worth it to me to get the body rest and to keep hiking with Newton. We'll meet new people and enjoy each day just as we do now. It sure felt strange walking into my house for the first time in 4 months. I can scarcely believe I'm going to be with Yolanda and really resting. Even though I am not hiking again until August 11, I will keep journaling with reflections of hiking the AT up until this point.