morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2010-07-28
From: Melville Nauheim Shelter

To: Kid Gore Shelter
Miles today: 12.8
Weather: overcast clouds

Slept well, snug and warm using my sleeping bag unzipped as a blanket. I was mightily hungry this morning so had Chili Mac with corn for breakfast and a coconut walnut Bischotti with my coffee. I packed up and was on the trail by 8:00 AM.Finished the climb up Porcupine Mountain of 500 feet and had a light first lunch at a lookout on the summit with the Green Mountains strung out in front of me. A weekend hiker, Corey came by and we spoke for a few minutes before he headed on north. As I was packing up, I noticed something sticking out of the ground about 10 feet from me. It was a trekking pole tip and I suspected it was Corey¢s as he had been standing right there. So I put it in my pocket in case I caught up to him.Climbed Little Pond Mountain and then Glastenbury Mountain. There were fewer muddy areas but still lots of rocks so the going was a bit slower than I would have liked.Stopped at Goddard Shelter and made a hot lunch for myself. The shelter was very nice with a covered cooking area and bench, and a wonderful piped spring. J-Bird came in for lunch. I last saw her at the Bear Den Hostel in Virginia.Finished climbing Glastenbury and then had a long, slow but rocky downhill to the Kid Gore Shelter, arriving about 6:30 PM. J-Bird and Corey were here for the night. Corey was delighted I found his pole tip. They¢re sleeping in the shelter, but I¢m tenting because the mosquitoes are out in force.There¢s a beautiful view of the mountains and a lake in the distance.Just as I was putting away my cooking gear and hanging my food, it started to rain. My hiking clothes are out on the clothesline getting rinsed. I scooted to the dry haven in my tent. I leisurely enjoyed my after-dinner cup of tea and a scone as the skies really opened up. I rarely eat or have food in my tent so was careful to not drop any crumbs--don't want any uninvited 4-legged visitors tonight. With the sound of the rain and a very full belly, I¢m sure I will be asleep in minutes.
Date: 2010-07-29
From: Kid Gore Shelter

To: Stratton Pond Shelter
Miles today: 15.0
Weather: scattered clouds

The rain stopped by morning but in case it started again, I packed up everything before making breakfast. Corey and J-Bird were up early too, packed up, ate an energy bar and were out on the trail as I was starting breakfast. I¢ve tried doing that but I so enjoy my morning coffee and hot meal that I forego the really early starts. However, I have a big mileage day planned for today so wanted to get hiking fairly soon.Last night, the enjoyment of my cup of hot tea was cut short by the rain so brought it to my tent to finish, leaving the empty cup in the grass outside overnight. This morning, I started sipping my hot coffee when something solid bumped against my lip. There, floating in my cup were two slugs. It was my first total gross-out on this trip. Yuck! But like a true backpacker, I fished the slimers out with my spoon and finished drinking my coffee.Trail Truth #9: Do not leave your cup out at night unless you need more protein in your diet.I was on the trail at 7:30 AM with the first 5 miles going by fast. Stopped for first lunch where I met a couple south-bounders who gave me:Trail Truth #10: Look to where you want to go; not to what you want to avoid.The linear thought process to this Trail Truth is if you're looking at the rock you don't want to trip over, for sure you'll stumble; instead look at the place you want to put your foot. The more esoteric interpretation, I suppose, is to focus on your goals rather than the adversities you encounter.The afternoon was a long but not too hard climb up Stratton Mountain, the tallest southern Vermont mountain. It was a 1,700 foot climb over several miles. At the top was an old fire tower built in 1934 which I took a few minutes to climb, snap a few pictures and scramble back down before I got too cold from the wind and chilly temperature at altitude. The cool is wonderful for hiking but once I stop it requires more clothes to stay comfortable. The descent wasn¢t as difficult as the climb and I made it to the shelter in good time even though my feet were starting to complain about the long miles.Strider (from Alaska) was at the shelter. Since it was going to be a cold night, the bugs stayed away so slept in the shelter.
Date: 2010-07-30
From: Stratton Pond Shelter

To: VT 11/30
Miles today: 10.7

Leisurely walk to the road leading into Manchester Center where I had a mail drop. It was a 5.5 mile hitch into town which I got in 5 minutes. Stopped at a store once I was dropped off and asked how far it was to the post office. It was a 6 minute walk and she offered to let me leave me pack in the store room so I wouldn¢t have to carry it down there. Nice lady.Hiked to the post office and picked up my mail drops. I asked the clerk how far it was to the grocery store and a lady in line said she¢d drive me over. We stopped and picked up my pack and then she drove me the 2 miles to the grocery store.After buying some trail snacks and food to cook for dinner tonight and breakfast tomorrow, I called the Green Mountain Hostel and they came and picked me up.What a clean, beautiful hostel! Nicest one I¢ve been to on the trail. Cooked up a huge dinner, washed my clothes and took a shower. Then checked my e-mail and watched some TV. And I hiked almost 11 miles! Good day.
Date: 2010-07-31
From: VT 11/30

To: VT 11/30
Miles today: 0.0

Couldn't help myself. The place was so nice I decided to take a zero, tool around town a bit, and watch some DVD movies. Perfect day off.Bought a nice lightweight North Face pullover jacket at the outfitter which compresses down to almost nothing. Was going to have my fleece jacket sent to me but it's bulky and with my 62 lb. weight loss probably won't fit anymore.Also at the hostel were Wild Poodle, Cahoda, Boomer, Rabid, Safari, Yahtze, Tenzig, Beary and many others.
Date: 2010-08-01
From: VT 11/30

To: Lost Pond Shelter
Miles today: 14.8
Weather: broken clouds

Took the 8:30 AM shuttle from the hostel back to the trailhead with a very heavy backpack. Besides the addition of my sleeping bag. I'm also carrying a 6-day food supply which weighs 10 lbs. I didn't weigh my pack before I left. I didn't want to know.Immediately started a 1500 foot climb. It wasn't as hard as I expected but I am all energized after my zero day yesterday.Bromley Mountain had great views. The mountains to the north are getting a little closer and look bigger than before. But as I've learned, no matter how big, one step at a time gets you to the top.There was Baker Peak at the end of the day had an interesting climb at the summit as it was all solid rock. My boots have a good grip so it was no problem. Wouldn't have wanted to do this if it was wet and slippery. Made it to the shelter at 7:00. Rabid and Tenzig were there and 3 people doing the Long Trail which at this point is still sharing treadway with the AT.Set up my tent, got water, ate dinner, read for about 10 minutes and fell sound asleep as I heard a train whistle in the distance.One other item of note is that I've been seeing moose scat, but haven't seen a moose yet.
Date: 2010-08-02
From: Lost Pond Shelter

To: Greenwall Shelter
Miles today: 9.8
Weather: scattered clouds

Woke up at 5:00 AM to the sound of light rain so closed up the fly on my tent, rolled over and went back to sleep. The call of the privy finally got me up at 6:30 AM. The rain had stopped but the tent fly was wet so grabbed my food bag, went back to my tent and cooked breakfast in the vestibule hoping the light breeze would dry things out before I had to break camp.Spoke to one of my brothers when I was in Great Barrington and told him about my heel pain. He recommended I try Cobroxin. A homeopathic topical made from cobra venom. Leave it to a brother to sell me snake oil but I've noticed some improvement in the heel pain. So either the Cobroxin, which is over-the-counter by the way, or the fact I massage it into my foot twice a day does seem to be helping. Finally got my butt in gear and on the trail at 9:30 AM - late even for me. Gorgeous cool sunny day but I just didn't have the oomph for hiking so took lots of long breaks, dawdled at every scenic place I ran across and had only done 5 miles by 3:00 PM.A hiker suspension bridge over the Big Black Branch River was being replaced and signs from the Forestry Service said we should take a 3-mile detour rather than chancing a ford across the river which is fast moving and can be high after periods of rain. However, from talking to southbounders over the last couple of days, they all said the ford was easy. I figured the light rain this morning shouldn't have made much difference so I didn't take the detour and forded my first river. It was moving very fast but turned out to be a not too hard boulder hop and I didn't even get my feet wet.There were lots of trail maintainers in the area building the bridge, putting in new puncheons, and constructing a replacement shelter for the Little Rock Pond Shelter. The old shelter is going to be torn down tomorrow so I stopped there and became the last entry in the shelter log.Finally got going again with 4.4 miles to my destination and one mountain to climb. White Rocks Mountain was a delight. The steep parts had stone steps and once on top I walked through very old, very big pine trees with a soft path of pine needles. There were two areas with huge, intricate stone cairns that were fascinating, a phenomenal view off the summit side trail and a nice long ridge walk.Made it to the shelter at 6:30 PM where there was one other person already in his sleeping bag, so set up my tent, ate a huge turkey dinner, and for such a short mile day, fell asleep by 9:00 PM.
Date: 2010-08-03
From: Greenwall Shelter

To: Clarendon Shelter
Miles today: 8.8
Weather: moderate rain

Woke up at 5:00 AM, but rolled over and fell back asleep until 7:30 AM. On the trail at 9:00 AM. First climb was Bear Mountain which was a delight as it had generous switchbacks. Would have had some nice views except it started to rain and I climbed into a cloud.Stopped at the next shelter for lunch and met Crispy Critter, a northbound retired fireman who is moving fast.I fell coming down a steep slope covered in pine needles and I'm sure I'll have a purple rock kiss on my left buttock in the morning.Crossed the Clarendon Gorge hiker suspension bridge over a beautiful wild whitewater river. At the road crossing, Mala and Crispy Critter gave me a cold beer. Mmmm good.I walked down the road .5 miles to the Whistle Stop Restaurant with visions of cheeseburgers dancing in my head but it was not to be. They close early on Tuesdays.So I hiked the half mile back and was then confronted with an almost 400 foot vertical climb over stone steps and boulders. Finally made it to the shelter which was almost full and set up my tent along with a half dozen others. Squash, who I last saw south of Pearisburg, hiked in. He was off the trail for a month with Lyme Disease but is all better now and back hiking.
Date: 2010-08-04
From: Clarendon Shelter

To: Cooper Lodge
Miles today: 10.1
Weather: few clouds

I think I was in self sabotage mode this morning. I had a 14 mile day planned which is a reasonable distance. But I also knew I had this really big mountain to climb, a 2,000 foot climb over 3 miles. So I took my time getting packed up and didn't get on the trail until almost 10:00 AM. One does not do 14 miles easily if one starts that late in the day. Then I started taking long breaks. By 2:00 PM I had only done 5.8 miles so figured I had successfully procrastinated climbing that mountain.A few minutes later Wizard and Tagalong came up the trial and took a break with me. They talked me into climbing the 4.3 miles to the top so we set out to Kill a Mountain, which is aptly named Killington Peak. Took only one break about 2/3 of the way up which had taken us into subalpine forest. This is part of the Green Mountains of Vermont and there's exotic moss and ferns everywhere. So up and up we went, finally hitting the "bones" of the mountain which are the rock slabs and boulders one finds near the top. Then a 1.3 mile ridge walk to the Cooper Lodge Shelter just under the summit where I set up my tent.Cooked dinner and watched a beautiful sunset before turning in, feeling very satisfied having the mountain behind me. Thank you Wizard for the kindly nudge.
Date: 2010-08-05
From: Cooper Lodge

To: US4
Miles today: 6.3

Woo-hoo! Town day. Up at 5:00 AM and out on the trail at 7:00 AM. Did the 6.3 miles in 3.5 hours mostly through fog and got a hitch the 9 miles into Rutland.Staying at the Twelve Tribes Hostel in downtown Rutland with easy access to the library (internet), bus service back to the trail, lots of restaurants, Wal-Mart and grocery stores. The Twelve Tribes is a Christian share-the-wealth community and the $20 hostel fee includes breakfast and dinner, shower, laundry and a bunk.Have a few errands to run in the morning and then back on the trail for the 3-day hike to my next mail drop in West Hartford."Only" 488 miles to Katahdin!
Date: 2010-08-06
From: US4

To: US4
Miles today: 0.0

Didn't sleep well last night. The room at the hostel seemed hot and stuffy. I guess I'm getting used to all the fresh air sleeping in the woods. Decided to stay another day, this time free as I did a "work for stay." That's fairly common at most hostels but this is the first time I did it. So I swept the floor in the restaurant and washed all the hostel sheets and towels. It was about 3 hours of work.Rest of the day was spent at the library, browsing the art galleries, went to a movie with Likely, and spent the evening at a street fair right outside the hostel.
Date: 2010-08-07
From: US4

To: Stealth Camp on Quimby Mountain
Miles today: 9.0

Went out to breakfast this morning after a good night's sleep and then up to the library to post all my remaining mail drops. Then browsed the farmer's market before catching a bus that dropped me at the trailhead 9 miles away.Started hiking at 1:00 PM with perfect weather, clear and 70 degrees. Walked by Kent Pond, a postcard perfect lake with a lodge and awhile later Thundering Falls which I heard long before I saw it. Then the uphill began of 1,000 feet climbing Quimby Mountain. It had nice switchbacks but I'm still fairly slow on the uphills so stopped near the top when I found a good level campsite and stealth-camped in the woods as I was losing daylight.Went over the 1,700 mile mark today. Made dinner, hung my food and watched the sunset while sipping some hot chocolate. It will be chilly tonight but I'm toasty warm in my sleeping bag as I write this.
Date: 2010-08-08
From: Stealth Camp on Quimby Mountain

To: Wintturi Shelter
Miles today: 10.9

Was awakened about midnight to the sound of hooves right my my tent. I grabbed my headlamp and shined it toward the sound and saw my first moose! Scared the crap out of him and he took off like a shot. Croft, the moose slayer, rolled over and went back to sleep. From ground level, that moose looked huge.Chilly morning so stayed in my bag and finished reading the last 30 pages of a paperback thriller, The 13th Hour, which was very good and still managed to get on the trail at 8:00 AM.Hiked the 1 mile to the next shelter where I got water and cooked breakfast. Had four sharp uphills through the day but kept a comfortable pace and the ups weren't too long so took them in stride. Perfect hiking weather, about 70 degrees, light breeze and mostly sunny. I still sweat on the uphills though.Stopped at a stream with a little waterfall for 1st lunch and at the Lakota Lake Lookout, an overview, for 2nd lunch. I could see the White Mountains of New Hampshire in the distance and the monster Moosilaukee which will be a 3,600 foot climb not too far away. Took a side trail to a private cabin that has a lookout platform on the roof and had a 360 degree view. Very impressive.Also encountered my first aluminum ladder. It's part of the AT and I had to climb down about 15 feet because the cliff was sheer.Made it to the shelter at 6:15 PM. N.P., Cal, Wild Poodle, Cahoda, Birdie from Chicago, and Snow Fox were here. Set up my tent, got water, made dinner and to bed at 9:00 PM. Good day, no stress, and I believe my foot is finally starting to heal. It hasn't bothered me hardly at all for the past 4 days.
Date: 2010-08-09
From: Wintturi Shelter

To: Thistle Hill Shelter
Miles today: 11.6
Weather: few clouds

Woke up early, as usual, and was the last one out of camp, as usual, because of my hot breakfast and hot coffee. With only a one-day supply of food left, the backpack was wonderfully light.Hiked a fast 4 miles where I caught up with Wild Poodle and Cahoda and we got trail magic in the form of garden fresh tomatoes and cucumbers. It was a hoot seeing three senior ladies each with a cucumber in their pack pockets.We went .2 off-trail to a store that sold sodas, fresh pies and ice cream. The three of us split a delicious blueberry peach pie and a pint of ice cream. Washed down with a Coke, we all had a good sugar high and mountains to climb.We hiked together the rest of the day. The afternoon brought thunderstorms. We kept below the ridgelines during the lightning but we did get wet. Many times we walked trough open fields, some of which were high up and could see all the mountains we've climbed over the past few days with wisps of fog wafting up from the valleys as the cold rain hit the warm ground.Stopped raining for a bit but started again in earnest about a mile from the shelter. We squeezed 7 people into a 6-man shelter. I was thankful to be under roof because the rain became a heavy downpour once we got here.N.P. and Cal are here and three southbounders: Just Jill, Slumber Jack and one other.Good day, not too hard miles, great pie and a roof over my head as yet another wave of rain hits us.
Date: 2010-08-10
From: Thistle Hill Shelter

To: Happy Hill Shelter
Miles today: 8.8
Weather: few clouds

Had a fitful night's sleep. Between the rain hitting the tin roof and just sleeping in close proximity to 6 other people, I woke up several times during the night. Finally gave up the ghost at 5:00 AM. It had stopped raining so I took my food bag out of the shelter and made a cup of coffee without waking anyone else.Watched the sun rise and as people started to get up, I packed up and got on the trail about 7:30 AM.Walked the 5 miles into West Hartford arriving about 10:30 AM to the deli and ordered a roast beef sandwich and onion rings. NP and Cal came in about a half hour later and I had them watch my backpack so I could hike the half mile to the post office to pick up my mail drop. Crispy Critter, Red, Wild Poodle and Cahoda arrived as I was walking back.We lounged around for about 1.5 hours drinking sodas, eating ice cream and drying out our socks and shoes that were still soggy from yesterday's walk in the rain.Cahoda, Wild Poodle and I climbed Griggs Mountain which was a 1,200 foot climb over 3 miles. We stopped at Podunk Brook and splashed the cold water on our faces and wet our shirts to cool down as it was a warm day and the climbing really heats you up. It was amazingly refreshing. As we neared the top of the mountain, we heard a loud braying-like sound. We're fairly sure it was a moose, but we never saw it. It was an easy 1.5 miles to the shelter from the top of the mountain.The stream that was supposed to be by the shelter appeared to be dry but I found a cool deep pool by following the dry bed upstream a bit. We arrived at the shelter a little after 4:00 PM and it was very pleasant to leisurely set up my tent and cook dinner. After cleaning up, I went to my tent site to the sound of thunder in the distance. I know not to set up my tent around dead trees or branches so I wouldn't have a rude awakening should the wind pick up overnight. But as I walked into my site, I noticed it was at the base of a hill. My tent wasn't set up in a depression but if water washed down the hill, it would go right into my tent. There was no other place on the site to move the tent so I gathered some large downed branches and placed them in a "V" design on the uphill side of my tent in the hopes any water would be diverted around my tent. Within ten minutes it started to rain and my "V" barrier worked like a charm. I'm warm and dry and I love listening to the storm.Tomorrow we cross into New Hampshire and the town of Hanover.
Date: 2010-08-11
From: Happy Hill Shelter

To: Hanover, NH
Miles today: 5.8
Weather: clear sky

It rained most of the night but stopped by morning when I got up at 5:30 AM. We all had breakfast, packed up and were hiking my 7:30 AM or so.Easy hiking, mostly gentle downhills but all stopped often for what we called "fungal photo ops", brightly colored and/or interesting specimens of mushrooms. Hit Norwich, Vermont and found two instances of trail magic in front of homes on this part of the AT which is almost a 2 mile roadwalk. Watermelon and homemade walnut raisin bread - yummy.We crossed the bridge over the Connecticut River, the middle of which put us into New Hampshire! Walked into Hanover, home of Dartmouth College.The Phi Tau Fraternity put us up for the night and one of the campus dorms let us do our laundry. We got our free slice of pizza at Ramunto's, stopped at Ben & Jerry's and the post office.Wild Poodle is taking a bus to the next town tomorrow morning to EMS, an outfitter, as she's having problems with her new boots that she bought from them. When she gets back, we'll hike out.
Date: 2010-08-12
From: Hanover, NH

To: Velvet Rocks Shelter
Miles today: 1.5
Weather: light rain

You might be a hiker if you order (and eat) two full meals at every restaurant you stop at. The appetite just doesn't stop. It seems like I'm burning 500 calories an hour hiking so I'm eating 4-5 full meals plus snacks every day and still manage to lose about a pound a week. Never thought I'd have to worry about keeping the weight on! I'm down to a size 8 now, from a size 18 when I started. Amazing what a "little" exercise will do.Phi Tau turned out to be a mixed blessing. The price was nice (free), shower was wonderful, but the room where we slept had people coming in and out all the way to 3:00 AM. I only slept about 4.5 hours the whole night.We all got up, packed and out by 8:00 AM, and went to breakfast after dropping our packs at the Dartmouth Outing Club, the trail maintaining group for this area of the AT. Went to CVS and downloaded all my pictures onto discs as backup and mailed them home.Wild Poodle and Cahoda took a bus to the EMS store in the next town as Wild Poodle is having trouble with the boots she bought from them. I went back to the DOC to use their computer. Needed to get health insurance as my COBRA benefits expire at the end of the month. Spent a frustrating, stressful 3 hours getting my on-line application completed but finally was successful. Real life can be so dang intrusive sometimes!So when the ladies got back with Poodle freshly shod, we finally broke free of the vortex of town and hit the trail at 4:00 PM. We just went to the first shelter 1.5 miles up the mountain. Spent an hour looking for the water source but never did find it so no breakfast in the morning until we find water.With the lack of sleep from last night, we were all in bed by 8:00 PM; Able, Wild Poodle and me in our tents, and Cahoda and Creamsickle in the shelter.