morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2003-07-10
From: Lower Cobble Rd/Salisbury, CT

To: Glen Brook Lean-To
Miles today: 14.2

Today I completed Connecticut and entered Massachusetts. Up at 6:00, packed up everything that was drying, went to the Inn¢s restaurant for breakfast at 7:00 am when they opened. Had a 3-egg omelet with ham, cheddar cheese, and sun-dried tomatoes, plus toast, hash browns, and coffee. It was very good but very expensive. I finished final packing, checked out of the Inn, walked out of town the 0.5 miles to the AT, and started hiking at 8:20. The sky was sunny, the air was dry, and the temperature was in the 60s all day. Some of the trial was easy but we saw 4 major climbs -- the rock scrambling type (Lion¢s Head, Bear Mountain, Rose Mountain, and Mt. Everett) and 4 significant descents, one of which was a 300 ft almost straight down on rock steps and rocks. I again thank the great weatherman in the sky for providing dry rocks today. During the morning I saw 2 deer cross the trail in front of me (after they saw/heard me first) and ¢Rocky¢ shared some cupcakes with me at the Sages Ravine Brook Campsite. The views from the ledge walk on Rose Mountain were spectacular, giving a taste of what to expect in the Whites. In the higher elevations, the mountain laurel was in full bloom and very pretty. I arrived at the Glen Brook Lean-To and Campsite at 6:00, and decided to tent because of the bugs, although there are not many now because it has cooled off and there is a breeze. Tenting here are Two Paw and Foot Slogger. Fish is in the shelter. Another hiker just came in (it is 9:00) and is setting up on the tent platform next to me. (That was my dining room table for dinner tonight. He just introduced himself as ¢Night Walker¢.) Rain is predicted for tomorrow but I am going to try to get up at 5:00 anyway. Hopefully the rain will not start until I have the tent packed away.
Date: 2003-07-11
From: Glen Brook Lean-To

To: Mt. Wilcox South Lean-To
Miles today: 19.6

Today I passed the 1500-mile mark on the AT. It rained at around 4:30 am. I only got up to tell the hiker next to me so he could put a tarp over his tent and then went back to sleep until 5:30 when I got up. I ate breakfast in the tent and by that time the rain had let up, so I packed outside, lining the backpack with a black plastic bag to keep things dry. I then took down the tent that was very wet, packed it in the tent bag, put the tent bag in a black plastic bag, and put it on top of the backpack. I was hiking at 6:50 in the mist and fog with a temperature of 62 oF. The trail was ridge rock walking on slippery rocks that required great care. Eventually the ridge came to Jug End, which is an almost vertical descent on big rocks and rock steps. And today they were wet and slippery. In spite of my great care, I still had my feet go out from under me 3 times ¢ 2 times due to disguised rocks and 1 time due to disguised roots. Fortunately no damage was done. I had my last ham & cheese sandwich at 11:00 and then at noon headed off the trail 0.1 mile to a fruit stand and had a snack of a peach, a pint of chocolate ice cream, and a bottle of fruit punch Snapple. They did not have any Pepsi or Coke. Next I hiked up June Mountain and East Mountain to the Tom Leonard Lean-To, arriving at 4:30. On the way there were a number of quite challenging rock scrambling climbs, made even more difficult by the slippery rock conditions. At the Tom Leonard Lean-To, I decided that my original goal for the day (to reach the Wilcox Mountain Shelter) was achievable so I immediately set out for the next shelter, arriving there at 7:30. Fortunately the trails were good and no rock scrambling was required, otherwise it would have taken longer. Arriving at about the same time were: Mighty Mouse, Bishop, & Paparazzi. Already at the shelter were Truckin¢ and Mountain Goat (the ridge runner). I am in my tent because of the mosquitoes and it is raining lightly now. Hope tomorrow is a nice day so the rocks dry out.
Date: 2003-07-12
From: Mt. Wilcox South Lean-To

To: Upper Goose Pond Cabin
Miles today: 15.8
Weather: few clouds

It rained last night but had cleared by the morning. I was up at 5:30 & hiking at 6:50 in comfortable temperatures and clear skies. I need to get to Upper Goose Pond Cabin tonight (15.8 miles) so I can meet Highlander II and Transcriber on US20 just north of the Mass Pike on 9:00 Sunday morning. The trails were made for good hiking but the miles were long. There were a few stretches of rocks, a few stretches of bog bridges, and some long ups and downs. My new boots were still giving me some problems, especially the right boot. I decided I had better put some moleskin on my right heel because it was getting hot. I took off the boot and stockings and put moleskin on. Then I looked in my right boot and found that the Spenco insert was missing. This is what was causing the right boot problem. When I stayed in Salisbury last Wednesday, I had taken out the insert and laid it on top of the boot. It must have slipped off and under the bed. I just did not notice it and attributed the foot pain to the new boots. Hopefully Highlander II can bring me a replacement when he comes tomorrow. Anyway, I made it to Upper Goose Pond Cabin at 4:15. It is a really nice place with a screened cabin that sets on the pond. I did go swimming again. It is a zoo here now. There must be 16 or more hikers here. It will be a buggy night in spite of the screens.
Date: 2003-07-14
From: October Mountain Lean-To

To: Crystal Mountain Lean-To
Miles today: 16.5

Today I am trying a new get-up strategy. That is what Two Paws, Foot Slogger, and Fish have been following. So I was up at 5:00, and hiking at 5:40. (We were all in our sleeping bags by 8:00 last night with lights out. I had some trouble getting to sleep because of the mosquitoes, even with the bug shirt, but it eventually turned cold and they went away.) The sky was clear and the temp was a cool 55 oF. I made reasonable time considering the conditions of MA roots and rocks in the Trail, arriving at the Kay Wood Lean-to (8.9 mi) at 10:15 where I got water and had a couple of ham & cheese sandwiches left from my Sunday visitors. On the way to the lean-to, I came upon four Trail Maintainers who were ¢smoothing¢ a particularly rocky section. One of them was the ridge runner for the section, Mountain Goat, who had stayed with us last Friday and Saturday nights. At the lean-to in the register there was a 4-panel cartoon strip depicting the Trail Magic they had received from the ¢Trog-in¢s Family¢ on Sunday and expressing their thanks. It was really neat. I then hiked to Dalton, arriving at 12:15, had a Duff Cheeseburger (1/2 lb meat) with French fries and 2 20-oz Cokes, wrote a few postcards, mailed them, had another 20 oz Coke ¢for the road,¢ and hiked out of Dalton. It was a gradual 1000 ft climb to Crystal Mountain Campsite where I am now camped along with 50 and Do It. The skies are clear and my tent temperature is 68 oF. I set up my tent without the fly to have a cooler tent and to eliminate the wetness on the fly due to condensation. I don¢t expect rain, but if it does rain, I just have to notice it before everything gets wet so I can put the fly on.
Date: 2003-07-15
From: Crystal Mountain Lean-To

To: Wilbur Clearing Lean-To
Miles today: 15.6

Today I reduced the miles remaining to less than 600 miles (now only 599.0 miles left). Up at 5:00 (almost), AT hiking at 6:10 in clear skies with a temperature of 62 degrees. I took a few pictures of the sun coming through the trees and of a beaver pond partially in sun and partially in shadow when the sun was up just a little. The AT goes through Cheshire right by the post office so I dropped off the latest journal notes. I also stopped at ¢Tina¢s Treats¢ which came highly recommended by Highlander II. There I had a 20 oz Coke, a sloppy Joe, an ©clair, and a strawberry smoothie. It was all very good. I hiked out with Truckin¢ who was also at Tina¢s, but he was soon far ahead of me since he planned on doing 25 miles today. I hiked on, stopping at the Mark Noepul Lean-to at 12:00 for a quick lunch and to resupply water. They had no water so the lunch was quick and I hiked on to Mt. Greylock, reaching the War Memorial Tower at the summit at 2:05. On the way I passed this neat frog pond with an old wooden building on the other side, reflecting in the water, and a single big bullfrog croaking. I had to take a picture. It was also weird that it felt like I had seen the frog pond, the 0.5 mile trail to the summit, the War Memorial tower, and the lodge, but I don¢t remember ever being there before. It was a very strange feeling. The only thing I can figure is when I was very young my parents took a day trip there, but I was too young to remember the name of it. Back to reality¢¦ I went to the lodge and got a cheeseburger, French fries, a Snapple, and two lemonades (they did not have Coke). The drinks were good and the rest was filling. I dumped my trash, filled up my water bottles, and hiked on to the Wilbur Clearing Lean-to, crossing over Mt. Williams and Mt. Fitch in the process, arriving at 5:30. Two Southbounders were already there ¢ Cephus and Smokey. Since then, Cuss, Snack Attack, Llama (??), and Paparazzi have arrived.
Date: 2003-07-16
From: Wilbur Clearing Lean-To

To: Congdon Shelter
Miles today: 17.1
Weather: light rain

Today I completed Massachusetts and entered Vermont. Eleven states are now done. The wind howled last night. My alarm went off at 5:00. I got up shortly after and was taking my time packing when I felt a few drops of rain. That spurred me into action and I quickly packed with things getting only a little wet. I ate my breakfast at the shelter as it had started a steady rain. I was back on the AT hiking at 6:25 in the rain. I made it to Rt 2 in North Adams at 8:00, walked off the trail for 0.5 miles to Friendly¢s, and had my second breakfast of a 3-egg western omelet with hash browns, toast, and coffee. Then I walked across the plaza to Price Chopper and got the supplies to take me to Manchester Center, VT. By the time I finished, it was really pouring. I managed to get a ride back to the trailhead from Kathy who was driving the senior citizen van. She had come by to pick up an elderly lady who had just finished her grocery shopping. Next I climbed East Mountain. On the way up, I met a weekend backpacker coming down who told me about the adverse weather trail up ahead that I could use to avoid some slippery rocks on the AT. He suggested I take it. I did not take his advice, and climbed the regular AT. It was a steep, very rocky climb but even with the wet rocks was manageable. I don¢t know any other thru-hiker that would have done otherwise. I hiked on and reached the MA/VT border around 1:00. I took a picture and stopped to have lunch, then Cuss and Ultreya also stopped by and we had our photo-op. I then hiked on, reaching the Congdon Shelter at 7:45, 30 min after Ultreya. He has become a much stronger hiker since I last saw him at the Partnership Shelter after Damascus. It is 10:40 and I must turn in. I will set my alarm for 5:30 instead of 5:00 for tomorrow.
Date: 2003-07-17
From: Congdon Shelter

To: Kid Gore Shelter
Miles today: 18.7
Weather: broken clouds

Today I passed the 1600 AT mile mark. It felt good to know that I have hiked more than 1600 miles on the AT so far. My alarm went off at 5:30, but I laid in my sleeping bag for a bit. I was on the AT by 6:50 in 59 o temperatures and under clear skies. There was a lot of squishy mud to slog through that resulted from the rain yesterday and the rocks and roots were still wet and slippery. The morning hiking featured a smooth ridge walk followed by a descent of more than 1000 ft into Bennington Gap, followed by an ascent of several thousand feet on the other side. I hiked with Ultreya a good part of the day. We stopped at the Melville Vanhelm Shelter in the morning and the Goddard Shelter in the afternoon, both times for water. On the Trail I met several Southbounders including Morning Moose (she saw a moose in the morning) and Catatonic (she freezes in the middle of fording a stream). I also saw my first moose on the AT. It did not stay long enough to get a picture. I arrived at the Kid Gore Shelter at 6:15 and am tenting because of the bugs. With me here are Ultreya, 50, Do It, Bamboo Bob (he is Tom Sartini¢s brother ¢ small world ¢ and had done the AT twice and is now almost done with the Long Trail), Sumac, and Undetermined. I will set my alarm for 5:30 and try to get as close as possible to Manchester tomorrow.
Date: 2003-07-18
From: Kid Gore Shelter

To: Spruce Peak Shelter
Miles today: 22.9
Weather: overcast clouds

Today I completed more than three quarters of the AT (1629.45 mi) and now stand at 1632.3 miles. Up at 5:15, hiking at 6:15 in cloudy skies and 63 o temperatures. Shortly after, it started to sprinkle and then turned into a full-fledged thunderstorm. By the time I reached the Story Spring Shelter at 8:50, the rain had stopped. There I met Tribe who had just started hiking the Long Trail. This is his 4th day. I got water, had a snack, and hiked on. At 1:00 we had a second wave of heavy thunderstorms that dumped a bunch more rain. By the time I reached the summit of Stratton Mountain, the rain had stopped. I hiked on to the Stratton Pond Shelter. On the way in, I heard a voice call out, ¢Trog, is that you?¢ As it turns out,the girlfriend of a shelter caretaker (Walking Will), had been following my journal on trailjournals.com and noted I was at Upper Goose Pond Cabin last week. She asked her boyfriend to watch for me. Small world again! I had my lunch there and hiked on (it was 3:20) to the next shelter, the William Douglas Shelter, arriving there at 5:40 with Ultreya. He decided to stay there, but I hiked on to the Spruce Peak Shelter, arriving at 7:00. Here with me are 50 and Do It and two section-hikers from CT, Rick and Roy. It is 10:30 and 64 oF in the tent ¢ and way past my bedtime.
Date: 2003-07-19
From: Spruce Peak Shelter

To: Manchester Center
Miles today: 2.8
Weather: broken clouds

Today was a ¢rest day." Up at 6:00 (I did not hear the alarm go off at 5:30), hiking at 7:10, arrived at VT30 (road to Manchester Center) at 8:25. It took 5 minutes to get a hitch from Chuck, a stonemason (ex-school teacher). He took me directly to Sutton¢s Place where I had hoped to stay, but there was no vacancy so I had breakfast at MacD¢s (believe it or not, the first time while on the AT) where I met Truckin¢ and Bob (with his two sons). I then went to the Chamber of Commerce office. It was 10:10 and they were still locked, so I hiked out to Memorial Park and the Green Mountain Hiker Summit that was scheduled to open at 11:00. When there, I asked if anyone had ideas of where I could get a room for the night and Brendon at the entrance table forwarded me to Marge at the Green Mountain Club (GMC) Tent. I went over and spoke with her and she invited me to stay at her and her husband¢s (Bob) place AND shower, do laundry, use the phone, and use the Internet. Thank you, Marge and Bob. While at the Hiker Summit, I met Mud Elephant who hiked the AT in¢98 and we talked about some of his experiences. Then the world became small again when someone came up and asked me, ¢Are you Trog?¢ It was Blue Jay who had hiked the trail earlier. He said my journal on the trailjournals.com is one of the journals he reads all the time and it is helping him get through the summer when he can¢t get to the AT to hike due to work commitments. He said it is very well written ¢ I believe due in large part to the transcriber and her excellent editor. It was nice talking with someone who had been reading the journal and to hear his perspective on hiking the Trail. Blue Jay then gave me a ride back to town where I got lunch, got my grocery resupply, and went to the laundromat to get a head start on my laundry. At the laundromat, I met Detective Friday for the first time ¢ I had followed his log in trailjournals.com before I started hiking and to whom I had slowly been catching up. It was nice meeting him in person. At the laundromat I also met some folks that had been ahead: Hiking Viking, Damp Dan, Clover, and Snort. Blue Jay also stopped. It was like a reunion and great fun. The laundromat was marginal: $1.75 to wash and 60 min at $0.25/10 min still did not dry my socks. At 4:30 I left with damp socks and hiked back to the park to meet Marge at 5:00 for the ride to her place. As it turned out, her daughter (who was in the privy composting crew at the Stratton Pond Shelter yesterday) gave me a ride. Marge and Bob went to a hiking lecture and did not get home until 9:00. It is time to quit writing. Just Trog-in along.
Date: 2003-07-20
From: Manchester Center

To: Little Rock Pond Campsite
Miles today: 19.6
Weather: clear sky

Up at 5:30, left Marge and Bill¢s at 6:30, walked 0.25 miles to VT30, hitched back to the trailhead (it took 7 minutes to get a ride), and started hiking at 7:02. I hiked up and over Bromley Mountain. At the summit of Bromley, there was an observation deck that took you off the ground another 40 ft. From there, I could see mountains from 5 states. It was clear today and afforded a spectacular view. Next, I climbed up and over Baker Peak. The final climb to the peak was up steep rock faces and required some scrambling. Once at the top, there was a nice view from the southwest to the northwest. I met Smoking Joe there; he was also enjoying the view. I hiked on, stopping for lunch at Peru Peak Shelter where I met Little Moose (a Southbounder), Tribe ¢ again, Spec, and Slick Rock (2 Northbounders who started on March 1st). Continuing on, I ended up at the Little Rock Pond Shelter, but elected to tent because of the mosquitoes. It was a good decision because I can now hear them buzzing around the tent. I have already killed 2 mosquitoes that got in the tent. The caretaker here is Walking Will whom I met two days ago. He is here with his dog, a nice black Lab, Obe. It is almost 10:30 and time for bed.
Date: 2003-07-21
From: Little Rock Pond Campsite

To: Governor Clement Shelter
Miles today: 19.3
Weather: overcast clouds

Today I reduced the AT miles remaining to under 500 (498.6 miles). Up at 5:30, hiking at 6:40 in overcast sky, and 64 o temperatures. It had not rained overnight or before I had packed up, for which I was thankful. I hiked up and over White Rocks Mountain, stopped at Minerva Hinchey Shelter for lunch (2 big bologna and cheese sandwiches), then hiked on to VT103. At that point, I continued 0.5 miles off the Trail to the Whistle Stop Restaurant and had a beef BBQ sandwich, a large order of onion rings, and numerous glasses of Pepsi. This meal also served as most of my dinner. I got back on the Trail at 3:10 and started hiking to the Governor Clement Shelter, 6.8 miles away. It had not rained up until this point, but at 4:30 pm the first of a series of thunderstorms came and lasted until 6:30. I arrived at the shelter at 7:30. Rocky (AT) and Knight (LT) were both there. There were also two other LT hikers, ¢Hard Money¢ and ¢DJFing Crazy Pants"). Also, Rick and Ray, 2 section hikers I had met earlier, were here. Now Hard Money is tending the fire in the shelter fireplace that is keeping us warm and keeping the bugs away. It is still raining. It is 10:20 pm and time for bed.
Date: 2003-07-23
From: US4/Rutland, VT

To: Medical Leave
Miles today: 0.0

Up at 6:30 when my alarm went off, packed up, had breakfast at the Bagel Caf© down the street and was back in the room by 8:00 due to an eye problem I had noticed a day earlier. After medical consultation by phone, I rented a car and drove to Massachusetts. I surprised my wife, my transcriber, and my mentor, Highlander II.
Date: 2003-07-29
From: Medical Leave

To: US4/Rutland, VT
Miles today: 0.0

7/23-7/29 Medical Leave. Today (7/29) I left home and took a bus from Nashua, NH to Rutland, VT. The bus driver was kind enough to drop me off right at the AT on US4, 7 miles before Rutland. Thank you Mr. Bus Driver.
Date: 2003-07-29
From: US4/Rutland, VT

To: Kent Pond - Stealth Camp
Miles today: 3.7

After being dropped off by the bus at the junction of the AT and US4, I started hiking at 6:00 pm in partly cloudy skies and 70 oF temperatures. You cannot believe how good it felt to be hiking on the AT again. I passed up the Tucker Johnson Shelter at 1 mile. I also passed up the Clifford Woods State Park campsite because they wanted $14 for a tent site. I hiked on past VT101 and am stealth camping in a pine tree grove on the shore of Kent Pond. My tent is pitched on a thick cushion of pine needles. It is 9:34, 68 oF, and I can hear no mosquitoes outside my tent. It is nice to be back on the Trail camping in the woods. My alarm is set for 5:30 and it is time for lights out.
Date: 2003-07-30
From: Kent Pond - Stealth Camp

To: Wintturi Shelter
Miles today: 16.2

Today I passed the 1700 mile mark. Up at 5:30, hiking at 6:40 in 61 degree temperatures, clear skies, and no wind. I stopped at the Kent Pond Lodge after 0.5 miles and filled up my two empty liter water bottles. I am now carrying three full liters when there is a large distance between water sources. I hiked all day except for (1) stopping at 10:30 at the Stony Brook Shelter for a snack and break and (2) stopping on the trail at 1:00 for lunch. The total break time was approximately 1 hour. The trail was good all day but had a number of climbs and descents, ranging from 100 ft to 500 ft to 1500 ft. I saw three turkeys today by the trail a mile before the shelter. It seems that I have developed a sore back, so the going was slow. I hope a night of rest will make it better for tomorrow. I arrived at the Wintturi Shelter at 4:45, got water, set up my tent (as soon as I saw the first two mosquitoes), and had dinner. Here also are ¢T-Hip-Chick¢ (a section hiker from Michigan who completes her 3 weeks in Hanover, NH this Friday), "Papa Bear" (a section hiker who started at Springer in 1999 and this year will do from Dalton, MA to Mt. Katahdin to complete his AT hike), and his friend ¢Hambone.¢ They will tempt the mosquitoes in the shelter. They already have bug repellent on so they should be fine. It is 7:30, clear, calm, and no mosquitoes. My back hurts when I lie down.
Date: 2003-07-31
From: Wintturi Shelter

To: VT12/Woodstock, VT
Miles today: 3.8

Today I am stuck in VT again.Up at 5:30, my back felt better but still very sore, took some ibuprofen (commonly called Vitamin I by thru-hikers), and was hiking at 6:45 in 61 degree temperatures, clear skies, and no wind. The trails were really nice and I was again reminded of how great it was to be hiking the AT, but my back hurt some while hiking. At 8:00 I took some more Vitamin I and reached VT12 at 8:45. By then my back was feeling no pain and I was tempted to hike on but, in deference to my trail name, conservative reason prevailed and I decided it best to get some rest. So I stopped at VT12 and hitched into Woodstock, VT (it took 10 minutes to get a hitch ¢ this time from a man who hiked the AT from Springer Mtn to Hot Springs in 1978). I then got info and help to find a ride home from Jay, the Town Clerk and Leo, the Info Center person. Both were very helpful. Leo got me a taxi ride to the bus terminal in White River Junction, VT, where I got a bus ride to Nashua, NH. So now I am home again, this time on medical leave #2. My doctor says that when the back pain goes away, I can try again. It is up to me to decide. There is still time to complete the hike but that, too, is eroding. The key is to not go back too soon. My goal is to choose the right time to restart my adventure.