morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2014-07-28
From: Dalton MA, Mile 1565.2

To: Bascom Lodge, Mt Greylock, Mile 1582.4
Miles today: 17.2

It was scheduled to rain off and on all day, so I slept a little later, waiting for the first thunder storm to pass through. I ate breakfast out of my food supply, supplemented by a bagel and juice at the hotel breakfast bar. Then I took the bus back to the AT and started hiking north.Due to the forecast I suppose, I didn't meet many hikers on the trail today. Another thunderstorm came through later that morning, but it cooled me off and I was dry by the time I got to Cheshire. (In the summer, I don't carry rain gear - I just get wet. Wearing rain gear in the summer usually just makes you sweat so much you get just as wet plus you're hot.) I stopped in at Diane's Twist, a small little ice cream place that also serves sandwiches. I got both a sandwich and a big ice cream cone! Diane was a very nice older woman who apparently runs it by herself. I also met Sky Chickens there, a very cheerful Sobo woman.Another thunderstorm came through early afternoon, which was also refreshing. However, the one that came through late afternoon, when I was at higher altitude going up Mt Greylock, left me quite chilly when the wind started blowing on my soaking wet body. When I get to Manchester Center, I'm going to look into getting some sort of windbreaker. I hadn't planned to add that gear to my pack until after my break from the trail in mid-August.After the last thunderstorm passed, I let my mind wander a bit and stopoed focusing as much as I should have on my footing. I repeated my mistake from near the beginning of my hike and stepped on a wet log sloping down to the right. Down I went on my left side, but this time my left thigh hit hard against the end of a large log. Ouch! It really hurt initially but as I started walking the pain subsided. Only then did I notice that my left rib cage also hurt when I took a deep breath. I think I'll be OK with my leg, but the ribs will take a few days to heal.When I got to the lodge at the top of Mt Greylock, there was a local group of artists giving a presentation on the art facilities in North Adams. By the time I showered (a very welcome HOT shower!) and cleaned up, the presentation was over and it was time for dinner. It turned out that I was the only thru hiker and had the bunk room to myself. I ate with the four other people who were spending the night: Glenn and Pam who were out hiking in the area, and Khristi and Clair, a mother daughter pair out on a road trip before Clair heads off to college. The rest of the folks at dinner were locals just up for the presentation.I had a great time chatting with my four compatriots at dinner until nearly 9:00, then went off to bed for a good nights sleep.
Date: 2014-07-31
From: Goddard Shelter, Mile 1617.2

To: William B Douglas Shelter, Mile 1641.4
Miles today: 24.2

I got an early start at about 6:15, but started out pretty slow. After a while Kansas Express caught up and about the same time we passed some young Sobos who were enjoying their hikes, including Prancer. Although going the opposite direction, they got me energized and I picked up my pace. Kansas Express headed on, but said he'd probably meet me at the top of Stratton Mountain where he planned to take a break.As I hiked up Stratton Mountain, I could hear a thunderstorm growing to the west. I hustled on up, hoping to get over the top before it hit me. When I got to the top, Kansas X was there along with Tobasco, and older thru hiker I met for the first time. I headed on down the other side of the mountain and the hail started about 10 minutes later. Since the trees slow down the hail and hard rain, it was kinda fun watching it bounce around as it hit me and the ground. As the storm passed through Kansas X caught up and we hiked together down the wet muddy trail to Stratton Pond. He was in the lead and I could keep up with him on the downhill/level wet trail. Kansas Express at Stratton PondAs we were going around the trail, we started walking on bog boards that were under more than one foot of water. We thought it might be due to the recent rain. In a little while, however, it got ridiculous. I remembered seeing a map of the area posted on a tree next to the turnoff for the shelter, and it showed the old trail around the north side of the lake was closed. Then Kansas X saw a blue blaze - not a good sign! Sure enough we had missed the spot where the AT turns away from the lake and we were hiking on the closed trail. We found out later that beavers had raised the level of the lake a couple of feet, and that's why that section of trail was closed. Since we were soaked from the thunderstorm anyway, it was actually fun! On the way out on the closed trail, Kansas X stepped one foot between the ends of the bog boards and sank down, but got himself back up. After we turned around to get back to the AT, I did the same, with my right leg going down underwater several more feet until my rear end was resting on my left heel. I couldn't get up! Kansas came behind me and pulled me up by my backpack!After getting back on the AT, we continued on to the side trail to the William B Douglas Shelter. Kansas X pressed on to get to the next shelter. Since I already had a short day planned for tomorrow, I called it a day and hiked the half mile down to that shelter. I really enjoyed my time talking with Kansas Express! There were two guys staying in the shelter, already in their sleeping bags - one reading and one sleeping. The mouse running around in the daylight while I was trying to eat some dinner there really convinced me to pitch my tent. Nubbins, an older woman hiker that I had briefly met earlier showed up and pitched her tent, too. Cute, but I Think I'll Sleep in My Tent!Looking forward to getting into town tomorrow and drying out!
Date: 2014-08-01
From: William B Douglas Shelter, Mile 1641.4

To: Manchester Center VT, Mile 1647.2
Miles today: 5.8
Weather: overcast clouds

I had less than 6 miles to hike today, so I wasn't in any rush to get up early or to hike fast. I started hiking about 7:20 and got to Rt 11/30 a little before 10:00. About a mile from the road I stopped at a large stream to rinse the mud off my legs, shoes and gaiters, and tried to avoid the mud the rest of the way so I wouldn't trash whatever car picked me up.I quickly got a hitch into Manchester Center from two guys who have done some section hiking of the AT. They took me right to the grocery store next to Eastern Mountain Sports. There's a picnic table between the two where several hikers were gathered, having bought food at Price Chopper and waiting for EMS to open. First I went across the street to The Works bakery for a breakfast wrap and a bagel with cream cheese. Then back to EMS to buy a light windbreaker and a new shirt - my main shirt has served me well, but it's time for it to retire. Sad... I hadn't planned on needing a windbreaker until I came back from our family get together in a few weeks, but I'm finding that I get chilly after late afternoon thunder showers. And the Whites may be colder. Then to Price Chopper for resupply food and fresh food to eat now! I sat at the picnic table to repack and eat while talking with Owl, a Sobo from CT who's getting off trail for a couple of weeks. His mom Wendy drove up and sat with us for a while. Sobos ? And ? then joined us and went grocery shopping. They're also staying at the Green Mountain Hostel tonight and had called the owner Jeff for a pickup. Jeff arrived and Wendy took a picture of all of us, then we all headed off.Green Mountain Hostel is awesome! Jeff is a former thru hiker and knows how to do a hostel well. It's a house with an outbuilding, but the hikers stay in the house and Jeff lives in the outbuilding - a least during hiker season. $25 includes shower, laundry, bed, pint of Ben&Jerrys, and breakfast foods to fix your own. TV and computer in the living area. He'll also drive us back to the trail in the morning.There were three other Sobos here when we arrived. Later, Nobos Not Worthy and T-Bird arrived. They were the two guys in the shelter last night who I didn't meet because T-Bird was sleeping. I told Not Worthy he must not be my mom since she was Worthy. He also must not be our granddaughter since she's Worthy. :-)I got a hot shower and did all my laundry. Another nice thing Jeff does is have spare shirts and shorts for hikers to wear while we're cleaning our own clothes. I used the computer for a while to catch up some on my journal, then hit the sack - clean, dry and well fed! Aaahhhhh! Zzzzzzzz...
Date: 2014-08-03
From: Little Rock Pond Shelter, Mile 1667.0

To: Cooper Lodge Shelter, Mile 1690.7
Miles today: 23.7
Weather: few clouds

Everyone in the shelter got up early, so I didn't have to worry too much about making noise as I packed up. I started hiking about 6:30. The trail continued around Little Rock Pond to the north end before heading up into the forest, where I took a picture looking back to where I had canoed yesterday. I felt good all day today. About four miles into the day I came to an area called White Rocks and discovered two separate areas on the trail with dozens of cairns, some even built up in the forks of trees. Very cool! Cairns, Cairns, Cairns!Just before getting to VT-103 I went over the Clarendon Gorge suspension foot bridge. Sarah and I had stopped here several years ago on our way back from Franconia Notch just to hike across the bridge. Now the only parts left of the AT that I've hiked before are the two day hikes Sarah and I did out of Franconia Notch on that trip. Suspension Foot Bridge Sarah and I Crossed Several Years AgoAt VT-103 I turned left and hiked the half mile down the road to the Whistle Stop. It's a little diner with a caboose next to it from which they serve ice cream. I asked the waitress what she recommended for a hungry hiker and she pointed to the menu item entitled "Hungry Hiker." I don't remember the details, but it was a huge breakfast! Then I had them make a turkey sandwich to take with me. After that I went next door to the caboose and got a huge chocolate ice cream cone. Of course the best part was having phone service and getting to talk with my sweetie during lunch! :-)For a change of pace, I decided to walk along the train tracks for the half mile back up the hill to the trail. Easier on my feet than the road surface and less stressful without all the cars. I guess it would have been more stressful if a train had come down the tracks...I did get more road walking in for a two mile detour around a section of the trail where they were apparently rebuilding a bridge that had washed out. Shortly after that I met ridge runner Lunch Box at the Gov Clement shelter. I didn't stay long because I wanted to get to the next shelter before dark. Tic introduced me via email to some friends of his in Norwich who have invited me to stay at their house when I pass through, and I told them I'd be there Tuesday evening. So, I need to do 20+ miles each day 'til then.There was no one at the Cooper Lodge Shelter when I arrived a little after 8:00. I had just enough time to set up my tent, use the privy and eat some supper before it got dark. The tent site uses wooden platforms, so this was my first chance to test setting up my tent using some screw hooks I brought for this purpose. Worked great! The bright spots you see in the picture are reflections of the camera flash on the reflective cord and tie downs of my tent. Tent Set Up on Wooden Platform
Date: 2014-08-07
From: Trapper John Shelter, Mile 1759.8

To: Ore Hill Brook, Mile 1782.0
Miles today: 22.2

I got a 6:40 start, hoping for a 27 mile day, but the forecast rain made it doubtful. As the day progressed, the rocky trail combined with the rain made it impossible!I started out on some fairly easy trail before heading up a steep rocky trail to Smarts Mountain. Half way up it levels off for a while at Lamberts Ridge where I took the photo of Smarts Mountain with the top covered by a cloud. There's an old fire tower on the top and when I got there the clouds had cleared for a bit and I got some great views. Four Nobo thru hikers were there who had spent the night, two of them in the fire tower! We chatted some, but I forgot their names - an unfortunately common occurrence for me. I need to remember to record names on my phone's voice recorder right after I meet folks. From the Fire Tower on Smarts Mountain Coming Down the Fire TowerLight rain began to fall off and on. When I started going up Mt Cube, a thunderstorm rolled through. The steep rocky climb was tough enough, but the rain made it really slow going. Fortunately, the rain had cleared when I got near the top and I had some great views approaching the summit. But it took some careful climbing over the wet rocks, and my feet were not particularly happy despite the views! :-)After 22 miles I crossed Lake Tarleton Rd at about 6:45 and was trying to decide how much further to go. My feet had had it with being wet and climbing rocks all day. As I entered the woods I saw a beautiful spot for a tent on soft pine needle covered ground under the pine trees next to a stream. This is it!Unfortunately, I didn't have cell coverage so I couldn't let Swede know that I'd be a little late for our rendezvous tomorrow. I'll text him as soon as I get coverage tomorrow. For now, it's time to dry off and rest my weary feet with a good night's sleep for a big day tomorrow! The weather's supposed to be great for the next several days!
Date: 2014-08-22
From: Franconia Notch, Mile 1812.2

To: California
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Enjoying my time with family, and considering it pure joy!Being a bit of a spreadsheet geek, I couldn't resist making a spreadsheet of my daily mileage. The below chart shows my daily miles so far and the 7-day average mileage for each day including the previous 6 days. I didn't realize it until now, but 13 of the days I walked at least a marathon! AT Mileage
Date: 2014-08-25
From: California

To: California
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Linda and I went with our daughter's family to their church here in CA Sat evening. After the service, I was talking with the pastor who gave the sermon (excellent, by the way), and she asked me about my hike. She's a hiker, too. She asked me what was the most beautiful thing I'd seen on my hike, and I had to respond "people." She understood.So I went through my journal posts and copied the names of all the people I was with on the trail whose names I included in my posts.241 people!241 good folks!And I'm sure there are more than that many whom I met but whose names I didn't get or I forgot.Linda, Sarah, Val, Wired, Harley, Chloe, David, Greg, Billy Goat, Bart, John, Chosen One, Andy, Dan, Ben, Dandelion, Alex, Mason, Eric/Ajax, Celeste/Acorn, Little Foot, Fiful, Mad Max, Sage, Ranger, Jake, Poppy, Learnin¢, Grant/Lucky B, Momma Bear, Bible Packer, Mother Goose, Mother Theresa, My Time, Mrs. My Time, Honey Bear, Virgil, Normally Hob, B Team, Chuck Norris, Baltimore Jack, Tim, Jim, Casper, Ace, Scotty, Flint, Gunpowder, Jimmy Carter, Sixty, Ready, Paul, Lee, Scout, Chinook, Bud, Moka Pot, Pockets, Hansel, Gretel, Flynn, Gloria, AZ Cruiser, Bear Man, Skins, Three Way, Stevie Wander, The Pope, Nora V, Lop Sang, Dan, Paul, Bear Juice, Dan, Nahni, Scout, Terry, Jay, Mother Earth, Oma, Twist, Canon, I Believe, Faith, Laurel, Crusoe, Britta, Flower Child, L Dog, Rod&Reel, Bandana Bill, Sherlock, Hemlock, Uncle Buck, Gloria, Tom, Flash, Glitter Feet, Gary, Tinder, Blackbeard, Six Slash, Sassafras, Lisa, Rene, Damien, Celine, Laurent, Brienne, Mike, Natalie, Rowdy, Carol, Chris, Dos Lekis, Ghost, Baloo, Survivor, Tim, James, Guppy, Mountain Mamma, Sarah, Roger, Kathy, MacGyver, Ken, Landon, Evan, Kolton/Koltrain, Jeff, Happy Hiker, Webclearer, Linda, Marathon, Sloth, Magic Hat, Hobo Nobo, Caddy Shack, Why Wait, Rob Stable, Sarah (one of 5 Cru crew), Cat, Frankenstein, Medic, Grasshopper, Mitch, Paula, Fire, Moses, Slayer, Bobcat, Not Yet, Simple, Bill, Dorothy, Preacher Man, Naptime, Achilles, Muffin Man, True Story, Stan, Chop Sticks, Toes, Weatherman, Old Man, Conner, Judy, Bailey, Wiki, Blue, Longhorn, Daytripper, Rocksloth, Grizzly Grouse, Long Bow, Little Spoon, Squanto, Shellback, AB, Opus, Fuji, Cozy, Spike, Rare Breed, Cookie Lady, Hungarian Revolution, Salty Hat, No Name, Flinch, Carl, Diane, Sky Chickens, Glenn, Pam, Kristi, Claire, Soggy, Princess North Star, Kansas Express, Ben, Calves, Prancer, Tobasco, Nubbins, Owl, Wendy, Jeff, Not Worthy, T-Bird, Flash, Onisimus, Leslie, Jennifer, Turtle/James, Julie, Lunch Box, Uphill, Roots, Miss Janet, Late Start, Snickers, Goat, Jet Lag, Spencer, Martha, Smiles, Short ¢n Sweet, Greybeard, Goosechase, Apple Pie, Packrat, Mox, Will, Big Foot, Sparrow, Fis, This Is It, Joe, Spoonfoot, SwedeLooking forward to meeting some more good folks in September!
Date: 2014-09-05
From: Franconia Notch, Mile 1812.2

To: Galehead Hut, Mile 1825.2
Miles today: 13.0

Linda dropped me off at Reagan National and Swede picked me up at Hartford Airport yesterday evening and I enjoyed a Venison Pie dinner with Nancy, him and their son Owen in their home. Yum! Swede and I left their house at 1:30 this morning to drive up to North Woodstock for breakfast at Peg's when they opened at 5:30. We then headed up to the parking lot south of Franconia Notch and started hiking about 6:20. We hiked the 0.8 mile trail from the parking lot to the AT where we got off the trail nearly four weeks ago.'Twas good to get back on the AT! I started out pretty strong despite my hiatus. The trail climbing up to Franconia Ridge soon turned rocky, and I discovered my ability to climb up rocks had definitely taken a set back! I had done some hiking while in CA, including some steep trails, but no bouldering. My knees began to complain and I had to slow down - for both my knees and my cardiovascular system! Most folks plan for fewer miles per day going thru the Whites, and I now agree! I'm glad Swede suggested the schedule we're on instead of a more aggressive one that I might have designed. :-)When we got up on the open ridge, the view was awesome! The stretch from Little Haystack Mt. to Mt. Lafayette is what Sarah and I hiked together several years ago, and is the last part of the AT going northbound that I have hiked before. I've now connected all the dots! All new trail for me from here to Katahdin. Mt. Lafayette behind Swede and Me Hiking up the Rocks Swede getting ready to Fly!The trail was a lot of rock hopping and by the time we got to Galehead Hut, I was pretty tired. At one point during the day I was going down a wet slopping slab of rock when my feet slipped out ahead of me causing me to sit down abruptly on the rock as I slid down it. This has happened before and is usually no big deal. However, this time my right pole somehow got tangled with my legs such that I sat on it, snapping the middle section in half. Down to one hiking pole for the Whites!The weather was great and there were a lot of other hikers out on the trail. The only other thru hikers we chatted with were Five Hour and Fifty, two young men who blew past us hiking up the mountain. We saw them again later at our lunch break on the top of Lafayette. We also passed a couple of groups of Dartmouth students doing section hikes as part of freshman orientation. Dartmouth Freshmen Orientation GroupWe got to Galehead Hut in plenty of time for dinner at 6:00. We were welcomed by the Hut Crew of Jess, Will And Ace. There were only 8 other guests there, so Swede and I had one of the four bunk rooms to ourselves. Over a great dinner, we had good conversation with several of the other guests. I got the names of only Kevin and Kathy, a young married couple, and Chirstine, a young woman who used to live in Arlington, VA near where Linda and I once lived. I was the only thru hiker there, the others being out for just a few days. Sunset from Galehead HutIt was a beautiful, enjoyable, tiring day on the AT!
Date: 2014-09-07
From: Ethan Pond Campsite, Mile 1837.0

To: Lakes of the Clouds Hut, Mile 1851.1
Miles today: 14.1
Weather: overcast clouds

It didn't rain any during the night and Swede and I slept well despite the tight quarters. We got an early start and headed on down to Crawford Notch. I was feeling well and we made good time - which was good since the climb out was steep and rocky. I still felt good, but the climb, although fun, slowed me down quite a bit in places.On the way up we leapfrogged some with thru hiker Lately and her dog Early. She has a fear of heights, so this stretch really tested her! We also met thru hiker Rodent and lots of weekend section hikers. The rain had really cleared out the air and the views were spectacular.We got to Mizpah Spring Hut about lunch time and stopped in for a bit, but didn't eat lunch there. Swede knew there was a great spot just a little further down the trail and he was right. We had a great view of Mount Washington and the trail ahead of us!We got to Lakes of the Clouds Hut about 3:30 and I was tired. I think it's the largest hut, able to house 90 guests. There were about 40 guests spending the night plus sever "work for stay" thru hikers. Although it was less than half full, it still seemed like a lot of people to me!Dinner was great, including an awesome sunset. Swede and I sat with a nice group of folks who were just up for a couple of days, but I didn't get their names. There are several three-high bunks in our room tonight, so Swede and I are sharing the room with several other hiker guests. I'm sure I'll sleep soundly after a great, tiring day!
Date: 2014-09-11
From: White Mountain Hostel, RT 2, Mile 1887.1

To: White Mountain Hostel, RT 2, Mile 1887.1
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

After a great breakfast Marni prepared for us, I spent the day catching up on my journal and just hanging out with other hikers. Early in the morning, Ronin came in. He's the former Air Force guy from Michigan that I leapfrogged some with early on in my hike. He was not having fun then, and I suspected that he wouldn't make it. He said he had a change of heart shortly after I last saw him, which allowed him to continue. He, Hog Driver and I had fun spinning Air Force yarns this morning! A little later in the morning, Sun Driver showed up, also a retired Air Force guy, and joined in the yarn spinning.A number of folks took a zero here today due to the rain, and more folks came in, so we're full tonight with about 20 hikers. I was delighted to see Ajax arrive after dinner! He had taken six weeks off in PA to work as a counselor at a camp in WY, and got back on the trail last month. He said that Acorn had summitted Katahdin before the end of August and had day hiked with him a couple of times when he was going thru her home state of Vermont. Lucky B had also summitted the end of August after getting off for a short while in Maine due to some injury.Rabbit said that Normally Hob and his wife came through about three days ago, so I may catch up with them in a week or so. I know that reception in Maine will be terrible, so I don't know how well I'll be able to make posts to this journal. I will be stopping in hostels a few times and should be able to use wifi every few days. We'll see!Looking forward to getting back on the trail tomorrow - rested, well fed, and with two hiking poles! :-)