morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2005-07-20
From: Somewhere, MA

To: Somewhere, VT
Miles today: 19.5

So, Porter, how do you know the precise distance between somewhere and somewhere? Well, let me tell you. Somewhere just so happens to be a place that's not listed in my AT Data Book. It's usually just a spot near the trail where I chose to pitch a tent. Some might call it stealth camping, but I don't think it's that stealthy. I mean, come on, a big dude stomping around pitching a large grey tent doesn't lend itself to any kind of secrecy in the least, but I digress. I take my best guess at the mileage based on other landmarks and step it down. So now you know. Finally crept into Vermont. I'd never been to VT before. Hooray. VT is apparently the land of muddy trail. Mud pits everywhere. Black, thick, shoe-stealing mud. No getting around some of it either. Here and there you get some stepping stones, or sticks that have been thrown in. Here and there you also get things that "look" like stones or sticks, but are really just mirages in the mud. Step here and sink in to your ankles before you know it. After the climb up to Vermont, the trail wasn't too exciting. Few little bumps to go over, but not much in the way of scenery. I did start passing some southbound thru-hikers (SOBOS). Actually, I passed a ton. They were all coming from the party in Bennington, which I ended up missing anyway. Must've been at least a dozen. Weird seeing a mob of folks heading in the other direction. I'm used to the unwashed horde go strictly northward. At the very end of the day, I had a steep drop and a steep climb. It got dark on me just as I got to the top of the climb. Found a nice flat spot and threw up my tent. Laid down and watched the colors from the sunset fade out.
Date: 2005-07-21
From: Somewhere, VT

To: Story Spring Shelter, VT
Miles today: 17.9
Weather: scattered clouds

When I was hiking this morning, I heard something running through the woods off to my left. I was getting closer so I stopped and looked for it. It was a fawn running through and crossed the trail 20 yds. in front of me. How cute, a little deer. Then I hear something else running through the woods coming my way from the left. Momma? Oh no, it was a coyote in hot pursuit of the deer. He went cruising right by and paid me no mind. Neat little "wild America" moment. Then it was back to just me and the trees. I found myself taking a lot of breaks today. These ups and downs have me pretty fatigued. Dragged up the slow steady climb to Glastenbury Mountain. There was a shelter there just shy of the top with a nice breeze and a little bit of a view. It was about 3:30 and I was whipped. I cooked up a dinner in the hopes that it would give me super strength, but it ended up giving me an urge to take a super nap. So I laid there until 5 or so then headed out for another eight miles. Clumbed up the tower on top of Glastenbury. Awesome view. I be back in them thar hills. Ran out of daylight before I got where I wanted to be. Night hike. I usually try and avoid it, but not this time. Put the headlamp on and kept cruising. Night hiking is a little spooky at first. You have tunnel vision, just as wide as the light beam. Every rock, stump, or log in the nearby shadows look like bears at first. You're more aware of the noises around you. Every little rustle off in the woods gets your attention. But I got over all of that eventually and just kept chugging along. It still pretty much irritated me, though, since I couldn't see the trail as well under the headlamp. I stumble much more. There was a highlight however. I came to a pond with an open view. The stars were coming out and reflecting off the water. Frogs were sounding off all around me. I turned off my headlamp and sat there for a few minutes. Heard a big creature swimming around, huffing and snorting through the water. Tried to get a peek at the creature, but the lamp wouldn't shine that far out. I suspect it was a moose, since I'm in moose country now, and they're more aquatic than the deer. But no matter, that little stop made the night hike worth it. When I got to the shelter, there wasn't a tent spot to be had. I was tired, but didn't want to be feasted on by the skeeters. Set up right behind the shelter on a piece of well-fertilized ground. Not the best spot, but it'll do.
Date: 2005-07-22
From: Story Spring Shelter, VT

To: Somewhere, VT
Miles today: 16.3

Started the day off with ambition, though I didn't leave until late. Then I was tired, so I stopped for a second breakfast. For an hour. Then I hiked some. Took all my powers to get up to the top of Stratton Mountain. When I got there, I sat up top for at least an hour. Another fire tower up there with another great view. Or, as they say up here, a wicked great view. The trail down went to Stratton Pond. Beautiful spot, right on the lake with some nice grass where the trail went by. Put my rear in park. Took off my socks and shoes and jumped in for a swim. That felt good. Swims are about as good as showers out here, especially when you haven't had one in days. I splashed around a bit and then crawled out into the sun to bask like a lizard. The caretaker for the shelter/campsites showed up and hung out for a little while. As the day got late, we spotted a moose swimming across the pond. It was a young bull. He had some antlers, but they weren't real huge. I could hear the beast snorting and huffing all the way from where I was. Reminded me of the noises from the pond last night...When I left the pond it was evening time. I had visions of doing some more night hiking to make my planned destination. I was feeling pretty good, energy wise, in fact it was the best I'd felt all day. I made it a good ways down the trail before those clouds that had been forming overhead all afternoon cut loose a deluge. It poured. On a side note: When I went to put my pack cover on, I noticed that one of my crocs (rubber hiker sandals) was missing. Dammit. It fell off it's leash somewhere back there, but I wasn't about to backtrack. But anyway, I hiked for a little while in the rain. It was getting dark, I was getting cold. Not a good combo, so I pitched my tent at the first clear spot I came to. Got into the tent and out of the wet things. Listened to the rain the rest of the night.
Date: 2005-07-23
From: Somewhere, VT

To: Manchester Center, VT
Miles today: 6.8
Weather: clear sky

Got up early this morning. I wasn't quite sure where exactly I was and needed to get down into Manchester before noon to get to the post office before it closed for the weekend. Found a landmark relatively quickly, so I at least knew what I had to do to get in. The walking was fairly easy, so I made it to the road with a couple hours to spare. Stuck my thumb out and the third car stopped. Got to the post office with plenty of time to spare, then walked into town. Coffee and doughnuts were first to get checked off the list. Then it was over to the EMS store. Bought another pair of crocs, as I had decided there was little hope of seeing my lost croc again. Figured I might as well get it taken care of while I was in an outfitter to do it. Then it was on to the business of trying to track down Sean, Bams, and Caroline. They'd left a note saying they would be in town all day and staying in a motel. But it was a good sized town. Many motels. Just as I was asking one of the EMS guys (a former Philmont staffer) how to go about tracking someone down, Sean and Bams appeared from thin air. Problem solved. Rolled on back to the motel, which was a good walk away, laid all my wet things out to dry in the sun, had a beer, and took a shower. Bummed around the rest of the afternoon. It was good. Glad to be back up with my pals after being solo for the week.
Date: 2005-07-24
From: Manchester Center, VT

To: Bromley Mountain, VT
Miles today: 3.0

Slept in a bit, then walked into town for an enormous breakfast. Packed up back at the motel, then sat in the yard while we finished cleaning out the fridge. That done, we went over to the bookstore for some internet access. I hadn't looked at the email in three weeks, amazing how much spam piles up. Resupplied, did some laundry, and headed back to the mountain. The hitch out of town was a little harder than the one in, but after 20 minutes, I got a ride. This hitch was pretty similar to just about all my others as of late, it was a 20-ish year old girl that picked me up. Of all the demographics that aren't giving my sketchy-looking arse a ride, one might expect the young ladies to be a part of the not-picking-me-up group. Not the case, though. Maybe it's my skirt, er.. kilt. Couldn't possibly be my boyish good looks, either. But anyway, when I pulled up to the trailhead, I found my long lost croc sitting by the sign post. Dammit. I had ditched the other one not two hours before back in town. Thought briefly about going back into Manchester to retrieve it, but it was Sunday, getting late, would have had to carry two pairs for the week, etc. Oh well, it's only money. All this to the amusement of the dayhiker I was standing there talking to as I made the discovery. I gave him the croc and told him where I ditched the other one. Like buried treasure. I offered him finders keepers, but when I saw him again at the top of Bromley, he offered to mail them to me if he found the other one. Awful kind of him.Getting up to the top of the mountain wasn't no thang. At the top (it's a ski hill in the winter) was a ski patrol hut and an observation tower. I sat on top and chatted with Dote (is that right?) and his wife for awhile before the black flies drove me insane. I sought refuge inside the hut. It was late in the day and Caroline was nursing a dislocated toe so the group called it quits for the day. Great spot to do it. We cooked dinner inside the hut and went up the tower to watch sunset. Everything turned red as the sun dipped behind the mountains. Sweet spot, glad I stopped there. I was reminded once again that this isn't a race. Short days aren't a crime and if the roses are there, stop and smell them. Sounds simple enough, but it's easily forgotten. It's too easy to get caught up in the numbers, the days, and the race to the finish. Every now and then I'll tell myself, "I will get there when I get there". And I will. When it's time.
Date: 2005-07-25
From: Bromley Mountain, VT

To: Big Branch Shelter, VT
Miles today: 13.5
Weather: light rain

Sleeping was easy in the ski patrol hut. Short day planned, so no motivation present to get out early. Sky was overcast and the wind was howling over the mountain. Finally left the place to go hike. Might have been ten o'clock. It was chilly too, I started out in my rain jacket. Finally, I've used my rain gear again. Been lugging it around, and haven't used it in ages. Possibly VA was the last time. Shenandoah. It's not that it hasn't rained since then, it's just that I haven't bothered to use rain gear in it. It's not so much waterproof, but it is warm. Went down off Bromley and up over a couple other peaks. Hiked in a cloud most the time. Traveled through a mix of birch and coniferous forest. No views from the vistas. The crud cleared out by lunch time though. Met back up with Bams, Sean and Caroline at the next shelter. Sat there for awhile, and attempted a nap. Not too successful on the nap, though. Figured out how to get into the Long Trail Inn's pub by Wed. night, though, and meet Sunset Screamer on Thurs. With the itinerary set for the next few days, we took off up the trail to Griffith Lake for a quick swim. Water cold. Finished out the day's hiking along a river. Set up a tent by the river near the shelter. Cooked dinner by the water, then sleepy time. I've decided that I like Vermont. It's been one of the better states thus far.
Date: 2005-07-26
From: Big Branch Shelter, VT

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

In honor of having to hike some miles, I got up early and got on the trail. The morning hike went by painlessly. Easy grade, following a stream, then past Little Rock Pond. If it were later in the day, or even after noon, I'd have stopped for a swim. The place was gorgeous and the water was crystal clear. Instead, I hiked on. Climbed up on top of a ridge with lots of spruce forest. It was a pretty walk, nice and breezy, but there wasn't much water around. Like a frickin' amateur I managed to allow myself to run out of water and get dehydrated. Actually, that happened in reverse order, so I felt like crap. First source I came to was a shelter that was .3 off the trail. Dropped my pack and walked down there only to find that the spring was another .1 away. Bummer. When I got back out to the trail, I treated the water and waited. Easily drank 3/4 of a liter when it was done. Walked another mile down the trail to a stream. More water. Sat there for about 45 minutes. Drank and rested. Felt like a million bucks after that and took off. Blasted over Bear Mountain and on to the next road crossing. The four of us walked down to the Whistlestop Diner 1/2 mile off the trail. Sat on the porch and gorged on some shepherd's pie. They're used to feeding hikers. Laid around the place for an hour and headed back to the trail. Got a ride without sticking a thumb out. Had another mile to go before the shelter. It was a bit of a climb made miserable by the full stomach. Found some humor in all the bitching and moaning on the way up. Misery loves company. The laughing killed the pain a bit. Pulled into the shelter as darkness set in. Pitched in the yard and waited for the rains to come through. And they did.
Date: 2005-07-27
From: Clarendon Shelter, VT

To: Killington, VT
Miles today: 16.4

The thunderstorms from the previous night were done by morning. Had a steep climb right out of the gate. Good Morning to you too, trail. Had lots of road crossings today and two spots with trail magic. One, a stream with sodas in it, the other a cooler. The sugar/caffeine breaks helped get me going. The trail followed water for the rest of the morning. Pretty much followed a stream until we broke off to head up and over Killington Peak. Good ol' 2000 ft. climb. The sun was out when I started up the hill. I was on Wheaties. I went flying by Bams and then Caroline. Slowed down though when the trail narrowed out and got rocky. Lots of roots from the conifers too. The trail was definitely just hanging on to the side of the mountain in spots. By the time I got to the top, clouds had set in, and the weather turned cool and drizzly. Didn't bother with the side trail that went to the very top. No view. About 30 minutes after I set out down the other side, the rain set in. My pace quickens a lot when I'm drenched and cold. Went flying down the mountain, doing my best to stay on my feet. Did manage to take a good spill though. In the mud. Covered in crap from the waist down. The kilt didn't help much either. I slowed down a little bit and the rain tapered off. As soon as I got down to the road, I swung a right and headed the mile uphill to the Inn of the Long Trail. They had an Irish pub and a good hiker rate. The 4 of us got a room and hit the pub for dinner and guiness. Even better to be getting out of the wet and nasty and into the nice warm pub with a room upstairs. Good stop.
Date: 2005-07-28
From: Killington, VT

To: Gifford Woods State Park, VT
Miles today: 0.0

Stayed up late running up a tab at the pub. Had a good time, though. Stumbled downstairs to get breakfast which was some stellar blueberry pancakes. And coffee. Lots of coffee. Returned to the world of the living, did some laundry, and hit the trail by noon. We were going to go meet Sunsett at the park so a short day was already in the plan. Passed the Maine Junction, where the Long Trail and AT split. So long, suckers. Made it down to the park and found out we wouldn't be seeing Sunsett. Bummer. We all needed a resupply, so we took off on foot to Killington. Decided the corner store there had enough stuff to get us through the next stretch. Didn't want to bother with trying to get 8 miles into Rutland either. Got punished at the register, as everything was a bit pricey. Got a campsite back at the park and grilled meat over the fire. Did an awful lot of walking for only 3 miles. But a short day was just fine.
Date: 2005-07-29
From: Gifford Woods State Park, VT

To: The Lookout, VT
Miles today: 14.2

Cold nights are setting in again. It's nice not to melt at night for a change, and the winter bag I've been carrying is now worth the weight again. Ended up sleeping in this morning and not getting out til mid-morning. Hiked with Bams for a bit. Passed by Kent Pond and had a road walk that featured a feisty Irish setter. I had a monster climb up Mt. Quimby that wasn't all fun, but at least I had some good tunes on the radio for it. The rest of the hike was all ups and downs. I finally broke down and looked at the map. Hadn't done that for over a week, trying to see if it added to the excitement of my day. But I had to know how much more pain I was gonna get. That made me feel better. Hiked through a stand of birches on the last uphill of the day. Thought that was pretty nice. Got to the top of the mountain and went over to the Lookout. It's a private cabin on top of a hill with a great view. Watched the sunset from up top. Obscured a little by trees and clouds, but the sight of all the mountains around was pretty darn cool.
Date: 2005-07-30
From: The Lookout, VT

To: Thistle Hill Shelter, VT
Miles today: 14.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Had a good sleep on the floor of the cabin. I thought about getting up for sunrise, again, but forgot to set my watch alarm. Oops. The morning hike was pretty uneventful. At one of the road crossings, I saw a sign for "the barn". Decided to walk over and check it out. Found Sean, Caroline and a few other hikers hanging out there. There were some chairs on the porch and inside. The place had some couches and a radio too. Wouldn't have been a bad place to stay. I was only six miles into the hike, but it was time to stop for lunch. I walked down to a country store just down the road for a quart of OJ and a homemade blueberry pie. Ate the entire pie. It was good. The guys that opened up their barn for the hikers also set up an outdoor shower, so I took one. Found a guitar laying around, so I played for a bit before I broke down and actually hiked out. I wasn't too happy to have left though, as the trail turned a little nasty. Steep ups, steep down. Rinse and repeat. It got pretty tiring there and I dragged for most of it. I did some erroneous map reading at one point and decided I was further along than I really was by a few miles. Really stunk when I discovered my error later. Ended up pulling into the shelter after dark. It's been cold at night and the bugs didn't seem bad, so I slept in the shelter for the first time in many states.
Date: 2005-07-31
From: Thistle Hill Shelter, VT

To: Hanover, NH
Miles today: 14.6
Weather: light rain

Woke up to mosquitos buzzing around my ear. Pulled my sleeping bag up over my head and tried to go back to sleep. Nope. Not happening. Broke down and got up. Swatted some mosquitos before I left, though. Today was a continuation of yesterday's hiking. Up and over little ridges. Only one thousand foot climb, and that turned out to be not that bad. Lost the trail when I went through West Hartford. Poorly marked all through "town". Ended up taking a 30 minute detour. Dammit. Got out of the woods mid-afternoon and did a long road walk through Norwich into New Hampshire. See ya, Vermont. Sat on the quad in front of Dartmouth for a little, then went to eat Indian food with Bams, Sean, Caroline and Morrell. Picked up ice cream and beer before heading to camp in the woods near town. Sharing the area with some sketchy crazies that seem to live here. There won't be any trouble, though. Tomorrow is Monday morning, so I'll hit the P.O., resupply, and head out.
Date: 2005-08-01
From: Hanover, NH

To: Moose Mtn Shelter
Miles today: 10.5
Weather: clear sky

Spent and hour this morning finishing up some journaling, then packed up andheaded back into Hanover. Got my fleece back at the post office, and mailedback a few things I¢ve been carrying but not always using. Maybe I¢ll get itfigured out by Katahdin. Although, it didn¢t really amount to much weight,so it wasn¢t much of a victory for me. It didn¢t make up for the additionof the fleece jacket. Bummer. Heavier and bulkier my pack now is. Went overto the Dartmouth Outing Club building on campus and did some interneting. Paid bills, read email. Checked the GT football schedule. Pretty sure I¢llbe missing some games this season. Went back out to the quad and met somesouthbounders there. Got some low-down on what was ahead, then went off todo my resupply, then got out of town. Three oclock. Partly cloudy, warm,humid. Climbed out of town, then meandered through the hills. Pack seemedheavy. Probably bought too much food. Easy to do in the full grocery storesas opposed to the general stores/gas stations. A bit later in the day,storm clouds started building up, and I could hear lightning off in thedistance. Hike faster. Shot up Moose Mtn and by the time I got up to theshelter, it was drizzling and starting to get dark out. Found that theshelter area wasn¢t very tent friendly. The place was packed to the gills,not a tent site to be found. Screwed. Ran up the trail rfor about 10 minhoping to find a spot to pitch, but spotted nothing. More rain, darknessfalling, and a stream of cussin¢ from yours truly. Turned back toward theshelter and determined to insert myself in there somehow. When I got there,I spotted some flat ground about 20ft behind the shelter. I pitched there,even though the ground was probably well fertilized. Wandered over to theshelter and sat under the awning there for a bit with boots and bluelight. Ate some pound cake, watched the storm come in.
Date: 2005-08-02
From: Moose Mtn Shelter

To: South Jacobs Brook, NH
Miles today: 17.3

No moose sightings to report in or around moose mountain. I got an 830start this morning even though I was up with the sun. Seemed to move inslow motion¢¦and that pretty much sums up the day. The sun was out, so allthat rain from last night cranked the humidity to ¢high¢. It got hot andnasty pretty quick, which spelled doom for me. Came up with some blisterson my heels and chafing in new and exciting places. Took a lot of breaks totry and dry out a bit in the sun. After coming down moose mtn, went rightback up to Hoffs Ledge, a 1200 ft climb or so. It whipped me, I¢m ashamedto say, but that was only a preview of things to come. The big climb o¢ theday was up to Smarts mtn, a good 2K and change. I sat at the parking areabelow for a good while tryin to dry out my tent and socks. It was gettingto be late in the day, and I hadn¢t yet gotten my things dry, and I didn¢twant to miss my opportunity in case rains popped up later. Once I got goingagain, it took me awhile to climb up Smarts. About halfway, which seemedlike it should be all the way at the time, I caught a glimpse of of thefiretower up top. It looked tiny. And high up. The climb took some time,but I made it. Sat atop the tower and soaked it in. I could see some bigmountains up ahead. Oh boy. The sun was on its way down, so I headed downthe mountain with some spring in my step. Four miles left, and maybe anhour and a half of light left. Got down to the brook just as it was gettingdark. Found Sean and pitched my tent next to a logging road for the night. Hoping for no traffic¢¦
Date: 2005-08-03
From: South Jacobs Brook, NH

To: Glencliff NH
Miles today: 16.1

Two words: Death March. We¢ll go ahead and shelf this with thepain-and-suffering days. It was hot, high 80s, humid, and I got chewed upby everything I was wearing. Just plain misery. And clouds of mosquitos. The lone bright spot was pulling into the Hikers Welcome Hostel thatevening. Showered, pitched my tent in the backyard, and crashed out.