morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2017-07-11
From: Mt Greylock

To: Seth Warner Shelter
Miles today: 13.4
Weather: light rain

No reception tonight so this will be posted tomorrow. Today turned out to be a good weather day. The forecast had called for afternoon rain. We were in the clouds when we left Greylock a little after 9. As we descended the clouds lifted. It stayed cloudy most of the day, but no rain. Mid afternoon the clouds got quite dark, but stayed dry for me. Dry meaning no rain. I was drenched in sweat all day. The trail continues to be quiet. At 7pm there were just two of us at the shelter (both of us tenting). While typing this a group arrived. I think they are all thru hikers that I have not met. I am in my tent away from the mosquitoes. Mid afternoon we arrived into Vermont. I was born and raised here, so fun to be hiking through here again.Short post ¢ all is good.
Date: 2017-07-12
From: Seth Warner Shelter

To: Bennington
Miles today: 11.1

I have regular cell reception for the first time in 3 nights. We did have wifi on Greylock. We did not get any rain last night but the dew had everything soaked this morning. I had rinsed my clothes off in a stream last night and they were just as wet this morning. I remember the humidity being high during my thru hike, but it seems to bother me more this go round. The original plan for today was to go about 13 to a shelter, but 11 miles in there is a road to Bennington. I am able to catch up on a few work things, laundry is done and the pizza is ordered. Life is good. By doing these two short days I am hoping a few of my trail friends will be in my neighborhood tomorrow when we all keeping going north. Many of this year¢s class have been asking me about NH and Maine. I love sharing my stories and advice. There are quite a few flippers this year. I saw 3 SOBO thrus today. This is the beginning of when there will be lots crossing paths. I met a woman today who¢s son did a SOBO thru hike in 2014. I did not remember meeting him.  The trail was Vermont muddy today. There has not been much rain the past few days, so not super bad. I just read my journal entry from 2014 and I commented then, that the trail north of here was not nearly as muddy. I am looking forward to that. Of course the forecast is for rain the next two days. The plan is a 19 and a 21 to get to Manchester for Friday night. Being a tourist town there are no rooms available so I have a room booked at Bromely. Makes the food harder to figure out so I stocked up today. Tomorrow I should pass the half way mark of this 280 mile section. I will also pass the 600 mile mark of AT section hikes. At this point I do not see ever finishing a section hike. While thru hiking I was in the mode of going north and very little bothered me. This section hiking is much tougher, getting new trail legs each time and staying motivated. With the rains forecast for tomorrow I am debating staying here. While thru hiking I never really faced that decision, I just kept going, the weather never really mattered. I met a couple women a few days ago who took 17 years to do a NOBO section hike. Now they are doing a SOBO section hike. I am shooting to get to Hanover on Friday or Saturday July 22nd. Elizabeth is looking into flights into Manchester, NH. Once I get past Manchester Center, VT she will book them. My Class of 2014 buddy Slim will hopefully meet us in NH to do a trail magic day hike. That would be a lot of fun. It is 4PM now and pouring outside. The rains were forecast to start in the morning. Hopefully they are early and will be done by morning. You can always hope.
Date: 2017-07-13
From: Bennington

To: Black Brook
Miles today: 21.7
Weather: broken clouds

It rained quite a bit again last night. It was nice being in a dry motel. The plan for today was 19 miles to Story Spring Shelter. The forecast was rain in the morning, no rain during the middle part of the day with the rain returning early evening. We were dropped off at the trailhead a little before 7:30. We were in the clouds, but not raining. The trail continues to be very muddy. I think the local trail maintenance clubs have it that way on purpose. We had several 1,000 foot climbs today, but nothing super steep. The miles went by fairly quickly. The trail continues to be quiet. We did see a few SOBOs. One woman lived in Phoenix for 10 years. She loved it there. It was fun chatting with her. Sir Linear was the only NOBO all day. We are tenting in the same spot as I write this. With the forecast of rain I was hopeful to get a spot in the Story Spring Shelter. Since the trail was so quiet we figured it wouldn¢t be a problem. When we arrived about 5PM there was a group there and they wanted nothing to do with us. I almost said something but decided to move on instead. It will make tomorrow a shorter day. It was an additional 2.7 miles at the end of the day and meant tenting with rain in the forecast. The crew at the shelter had all their stuff spread out. They said they had 7, then another guy said 8. They were sure it would be too crowded for anyone else to jump in. The shelter is designed for 10, so that is 12 or 13 in thru hiker thoughts with a rainy night. Oh well. There were no real good tent spots there so Minnie Mouse and I moved on.
Date: 2017-07-14
From: Black Brook

To: Manchester Center
Miles today: 18.3

It rained most of the night. I stayed relatively dry, though everything is very damp. My tent is soaked. All three of us ¢ me, Minnie Mouse and Sir Linear left at 6:15. At least I have a hotel room tonight to dry everything out. Common theme lately. The Vermont trail continues to be full of mud. No more comments about VT trails. See Thumper quote a few days ago. Today started with a pretty good climb up Stratton Mountain. We were in clouds all day so no views. It did not rain, but was very wet all day. The temps were cool ¢ 50s. I saw my second PF Changs marathon shirt today. Today was a guy who lives in Phoenix who is hiking southbound. The other day was a woman who had raced in the marathon but who lived in the east somewhere. I have been having trouble with my water filter and I left my bear bag hanging rope at the campsite the other night. Manchester was full tonight so I am staying at Bromley on the other side of the hill from Manchester. I called the local gear shop and they had what I needed and an employee lives on this side of the hill so she will drop it off to me on her way home. Great service, Thanks Mountain Goat shop. I am thinking I will get to Hanover next Thursday or Friday. The forecast calls for a 50% chance or better of rain on 6 of the 8 days. Elizabeth is planning to fly to Manchester on next Saturday the 22nd. We will then drive along the trail doing trail magic.
Date: 2017-07-15
From: Manchester Center

To: Big Branch River
Miles today: 17.8
Weather: scattered clouds

Today started in the clouds. There were quite a few people out today. To be expected because it is a Saturday. There were a few sprinkles during the day, but mostly dry. Late afternoon the sun even came out. Been days since we have seen the sun.We are camped at a random site tonight. I like these spots. It is Sir Linear, Minnie Mouse and I. Tomorrow we will all continue north. Hopefully the dry forecast will come true.
Date: 2017-07-16
From: Big Branch River

To: Governor Clement
Miles today: 21.6
Weather: clear sky

Just after posting last night a shower came through and soaked everything.  Fortunately we were all done eating and our tents were set up. I was just looking forward to packing a dry tent on the morning. Sir Linear, Minnie Mouse and I started walking just after 6am. My goal for the day was 21.6 miles to Governor Clement shelter. Minnie Mouse was in, Sir Linear dropped off but soon after we caught Sassafras  he he hiked with us all day. He is another AT thru hiker. He is a few years older than me. Mid day we walked a bit with Bear Bait. She is tenting with us now. She is a Long Trail hiker. Tomorrow she will continue north on the LT and us AT hikers will turn east to Hanover, NH.The terrain was a bit tougher today. Some steep ups and downs. It was actually sunny all afternoon and the sky is clear as I type this at 8pm. The forecast is for rain tomorrow afternoon.
Date: 2017-07-17
From: Governor Clement

To: Inn at Long Trail
Miles today: 9.9
Weather: few clouds

I typed the last couple entries on my phone in my tent, so they have been short. Tonight I am dry and warm at the Inn on the Long Trail. I got my first restaurant food of the trip. I have had McDonalds and take out pizza, but this was a good salad, burger and cold beer.  Last night was dry all night. Been a while. The forecast for today was for afternoon storms. I got to the Inn about noon and sure enough by 2 it was pouring. T is now 4 and appears to be stopping. The next two days look to be dry, so hopefully. This trip has been planned around the towns and weather much more than when I thru hiked. Seems like I do a couple big days so I can have a short day into a town.  Yesterday was a tough 21.6 miles, but sure set me up for today ¢ 9.9 to a hotel with a rainy afternoon forecast. The forecast was accurate from3 days ago since we have not had reception the past 2 nights. I have had reception at different points on the trail, but I just check my work related stuff and move on. I have rehired two employees the past few days. It is nice to have the technology so I can be out here walking in the woods and still able to take care of things at home. Last night was fairly busy at the shelter. Eddie Spaghetti rolled in after I typed my journal for yesterday. He started in Harpers Ferry and intends to flip after getting to Katahdin and hike south to Springer. I am amazed at how many flippers there are out here. My Mother was on top of Mt Greylock in Massachusetts today and met Cauldron. I met him a few days ago. (He is hiking SOBO) She saw his Arizona T shirt and asked him where he was from. (He was the second hiker I saw wearing a PF Changs marathon T shirt.) He remembered meeting me a few days ago. These small world stories are fun.  This morning we had a pretty good climb up Killington. The trail does not go over the summit. Last time I did hike the spur trail to the top, but today I was looking forward to a short day, especially with the forecast. I am 47 miles from being done ¢ so 3 days of hiking. I will have Friday off, then Saturday drive to Manchester to pick up Elizabeth. We still do not have any firm plans. I have quite a few acquaintances out here now, so should be fun if we can track some of them down.
Date: 2017-07-18
From: Inn at Long Trail

To: Winturri Shelter
Miles today: 18.5
Weather: broken clouds

Winturri ShelterThe Inn at Long Trail was a great stop. With the room came a great breakfast. Hunter, Bunyan and an LT hiker joined me. Bunyan has been around the past several days. He thru hiked in 2009 and this year is going NJ to Katahdin. He is a couple years older than me and is semi retired. I saw a group of thru hikers getting water at Gifford Woods State park. They were off on a detour to the local outfitter but are camped nearby. This shelter is quite busy. Met a thru hiker couple as well. Seems like there lots of people around. When I did this section 3 years ago it was pretty quiet.With the late start - 8:30 because of breakfast,  18.5 miles was an agreessive goal for me. I rolled in at 6pm tired and ready to be done. Today was sunny and dry, but also quite warm. It had rained hard for much of the night so the humidity was high in the forest.
Date: 2017-07-19
From: Winturri Shelter

To: VT 14, West Hartford
Miles today: 17.3

Last night turned out to be busy at the shelter. Typical in that the section hikers tend to stay in the shelter and the Thrus tend to tent. It was a nice night, so I tented. All told there were probably about 15 of us at the shelter. Minnie Mouse was there and said how she had a friend picking her up in West Hartford and they were headed to Quechee. She offered for me to tag along. I am in the same hotel as them now. I am a day ahead of schedule, so will zero tomorrow and do the last 10 miles to Hanover on Friday. I twisted my ankle early on this journey and have been fighting it ever since. It will be good to stay off it for a day, then have an easy day to Hanover on Friday. I pick Elizabeth up at 4:18 on Saturday afternoon in Manchester, just over an hour from Hanover. I will probably pick up supplies on Friday afternoon and do trail magic on Saturday morning before heading to Manchester. Today¢s hike had pretty good treadway all day. Lots of little climbs and descents, but nothing too steep. Lots (10 or so) of SOBOs today. A few NOBOs. A couple guys passed me during the day. They were at the bridge in West Hartford getting ready to swim in the White River. Brrr. I have been meeting quite a few hikers so it will be fun to do trail magic with Elizabeth. Yukon Al is ahead of me now, most of the others are a bit behind. It will be hit or miss if we can be in the right place at the right time. Should be fun either way. Taking a zero tomorrow will give me a chance to figure out and plan a basic itinerary us. She bought a one way plane ticket, so we have no return date at this time. Since this journal is really to keep my family informed of where I am, I will probably do an entry for Friday and that may be it.
Date: 2017-07-23
From: VT 14, West Hartford

To: Hanover
Miles today: 8.9
Weather: moderate rain

Here is a recap of the past few days.Friday I had just under 10 miles to get to Hanover and complete this section of the AT. In 2012 I hiked from Hanover to Rangeley, Maine. The walk was pretty uneventful. I had a nice lunch and headed over to Enterprise Rent a car. They offer a great discount for hikers which worked out well. I then headed out and bought a cooler, pan, etc. and a bunch of food to do some trail magic in the morning. Saturday morning headed to the trail ready to greet and feed some hikers. After about an hour the first two people showed up. Shortly after that a couple hiking SOBO showed. It was fun sharing stories. I cooked eggs for everyone. I had bought a package of cookies and they were basically gone. Over the next couple hours 4 more hikers showed up. I honestly was surprised there were not more. After noon I packed up and headed to Manchester (about 90 minute drive) to pick up Elizabeth. I had time, so off to do more shopping. Elizabeth was right on time (4:18PM) so after getting her luggage we went out to dinner in Manchester. We decided to stay the night in town there. We did go out to get a couple chairs to sit on. This morning (Sunday) we drove almost 2 hours north to the middle of the woods. I had downloaded coordinates from my AT guide into the gps for a road crossing, but when we arrived at the listed coordinates they were not correct. Fortunately we saw the name of a dirt road and it matched the AT listing, so we just followed the road north 2 miles till the trail crossed. Within minutes of parking we had 8 hikers there. It stayed busy for the next 4 hours. There was never a time we were alone. Elizabeth loved it. I cooked 2 dozen eggs before running out. The chairs we bought and the home made 7 layer bars Elizabeth and her friend Sherry made before coming east were a big hit, unfortunately a couple NOBOs were telling some SOBOs about the eggs, but we ran out before they arrived. We still had drinks store bought cookies, bagels with butter and fruit, so still a good stop for them. At the first real break we packed up to go for a walk ourselves. We had minimal supplies left at this point. We walked south on the AT and ran into 6 hikers heading north. Overall an awesome day. All the hikers are so appreciative. I had met 5 or 6 of the hikers during my section hike so it was fun seeing a few familiar faces.
Date: 2017-07-27
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

Elizabeth here:Yesterday we were at Crawford Notch in NH doing trail magic. We met 'British Detective', he's from the UK and is a detective! He's 73 and had never backpacked before starting the AT. Over 2,000 miles is an ambitious 1st long distance hike! He started out with a 50lb pack, was convinced by other thru hikers to drop some serious pack weight and has gradually gotten it down to 30lbs but has lost 40 lbs of body weight too! Keeping enough calories on, especially for older men, seems to be a reoccurring theme we have heard.Today we drove to Grafton Notch trailhead in Maine. We soon found out it is a very popular start and end place for groups of short distance hikers. At least three groups of 8-10 young adult chaperoned groups were in the parking lot while we were there (8am-11am). We catered only to the thru hiking crowd. We had over 25 hikers in the 3 hours. The big hits were scrambled eggs, chocolate milk, Cokes and Dunkin Donuts. They were so grateful for hiker supplies like Duct Tape and safety pins! Loads of thankful fist bumps and hugs good bye from yet again, these fabulous, interesting and ambitious hikers. Just as we ran out of food, 4 people that had just finished their thru hikes come up in a pickup truck and unload the beginning of another round of great Trail Magic for the remaining thru hikers today.Re: the hiker box/supplies we had to give out...the rewards for us are how excited and appreciative simple items can be to thru hikers! One young man took some toilet paper we had offered him. He replied "thank you so much!" and after looking more carefully said with a big smile "And this is the good stuff!". Another hiker took a single rubber band and made a point to tell me he was so grateful! Today's hikers benefited by receiving homemade, dried, individually packaged food. I drove a guy, yesterday, to get a box he forwarded to himself. But, since he packed it back home 5 months ago, he realized he over estimated what he wanted to carry over the Whites. He gave me a good amount of nice, organic, high protein food to pay it forward.One last day tomorrow of being Trail Angels here in Rangeley, ME : ) Gary (AZ) will be hiking with Slim tomorrow, a buddy driving up from Boston. They met while both guys were thru hiking in 2014.
Date: 2017-07-30
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

Slim (a 2014 AT thru hiking buddy) drove up from the Boston area on Thursday afternoon to meet Elizabeth and me for dinner. We all stayed at the Town and Lake Motel. There were five 2017 thru hikers staying at the motel so we had fun sitting on the patio, looking out at Rangeley Lake and comparing AT stories. Friday morning Slim and I had a great hike up Saddleback. It is always fun reconnecting with fellow members of our 2014 class of thru hikers. The hike up was 5.7 miles and gained about 2,600¢. We were in the clouds when we first arrived on the summit but it soon cleared and we could see all the way back to Mt Washington. The peaks north of us remained stuck in the clouds. The day brought back so many great memories of Maine and the completion of our journeys. Elizabeth spent the morning in the trailhead parking lot socializing with other hikers and handing out drinks, fruit and cookies. We met several NOBOs who had chatted with Elizabeth as we were on our way down. Part way down was a typical beautiful Maine lake. We took the short side trail to sit on the shore. Train Wreck was there hoping to find a moose. No luck today. Train Wreck has 215 miles left to spot a moose. In 2014 I did not see a single moose on the trail. I did see several travelling from towns in the morning heading back to the trail. Slim had seen 3 moose during his hike. It was a glorious day to be in the mountains.Friday evening we had a great dinner while sitting on a patio overlooking the lake. Four of our new NOBO friends were also there. Slim agreed to bring them back to the trail at 6:30 the next morning.Saturday morning we packed up once again. We headed to Height of Land overlooking Mooselookmeguntic Lake. A beautiful spot to hang out for a bit. Only 2 hikers came through while we were there. Mid morning we decided to head to Andover for a late breakfast. We ended up on a logging road, which made things interesting. We were headed the correct direction and did in fact end up in the right spot. After a wonderful meal at the Little Red Hen ¢ I had been there in 2012 and 2014, we walked the town. As we are passing a house a gentleman called out to us. We were confused at first, but it turned out we had met him a couple days before at Grafton Notch. He had been dropping off 3 hikers while we were doing trail magic there. It was then back in the car and off to Freeport to visit my brother form a few days before flying back to Arizona. It has been a fabulous month being on and around the AT again.
Date: 2016-10-17
To: Mount Katahdin
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

So, I've been thinking for some time about setting up my trail journal, but kept thinking it was too soon. Well, "too soon" is quickly passing by. There's never a day that goes by that I don't think about my hike, my dream, my privilege. I'm so blessed to have good health and strong support from Ann Marie whose encouragement drives me toward my ultimate goal...Mt. Katahdin.Whistler
Date: 2016-11-26
To: Mount Katahdin
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

I wake each morning and my first thoughts are all about "my hike". I think about the solitude, the adventure, sites, people I'll meet and of course, the loneliness. The time leading up to this grand adventure has also kept me busy with my physical preparation. An exercise regiment (primarily upper body) and diet (12 lbs down) is all about preparing for this hike. Placing check marks in the positive column so as to hopefully and proactively avoid those hike ending situations. Equipment is obviously front and center with regards to planning and preparation. I feel pretty confident in my selection and choices. Those who know me, know that I make it a habit to research my purchase decisions to death. My old equipment was just that...old; old, outdated, and heavy (yet still very functional). Having hiked with my sons, it was all geared toward multiple persons, not a sole hiker. New one person tent (REI quarter dome 1) check, new backpack (Osprey 58) check...and so on. All newer, modern and most importantly...lighter.
Date: 2017-01-16
To: Mount Katahdin
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light snow

Living in Nova Scotia,Canada and planning an AT thru hike has presented me with a couple of logistical "opportunities". Communications being a major concern and bringing with it a high level of frustration. My Canadian cell phone provider (Bell Aliant) believes it is their right to require you to offer your first born for the privilege of their services. Being that my first born is now 34 years old, I realized I had to come up with another solution. Enter my dear sister and brother-in-law with a brilliant idea to put me on their plan. I'll be packing a new phone with a North American plan which will allow communications (including Face time capability). Thank you Susan and Top!!!
Date: 2017-01-17
To: Mount Katahdin
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Another "step" toward the final stages of hiking preparation for my "Grand Adventure" was the booking of my flight South. Done! One of my sons and his wife agreed to take me to Springer mountain for my planned start date of March 5th. My sweet daughter-in-law has booked a chalet for her, my son, myself and two beautiful granddaughters. We will make a weekend holiday of it prior to them dropping me off. Six weeks left with so much to do...
Date: 2017-01-18
To: Mount Katahdin
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

So, I received a guest book entry from "Gimp" of the greyhounds with an invitation to reach out to him if I was looking for advice. "Gimp" thru-hiked in '03 and obviously carries the load even today. We spoke yesterday for about 30 minutes with intentions of getting together prior to my heading South for my start date in March. "Gimp" lives in Fall River, Nova Scotia which is just over two hours away. I have so many questions that I know I should start writing them all down. Here's to "Gimp" and all those that have blazed the trail before us wannabes.