morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2016-07-11
From: Tent by Goddard Shelter

To: Tent by Story Spring Shelter
Miles today: 9.7

My leg continued to feel better today... Yay!I listen to a variety of audio while hiking. I get the New York Times audio digest on weekdays, listen to a number of podcasts, a few audiobooks, and occasionally listen to music using the Spotify app. One of my favorite podcasts is Tim Ferriss, the author of "The Four Hour Work Week." One of the interesting things that he says is that the title is a bit of a come on. He admits that most people, himself included, work more than four hours a week. Despite this deception I think he's interesting and is able to find, interview, and draw out information from his many guests that make the show well worth listening to. He talked today about making daily goals easily attainable. His first example was for authors. "Don't try to write 2,000 words a day, just write two crappy pages and if it's going well then you can keep going and create more." He thought it was important to have a goal you can feel good about reaching everyday. For example he said if you want to start exercising then set a goal to do just five minutes on the treadmill, do that each day and then see what happens. Another thing he mentioned was "How can I make this easy?" He was talking about writing a book but I'm thinking.. "How can I make completing the AT easy?" These two ideas together have me committed at this point to hike 8 miles a day. If I'm feeling good, I can go a little further - perhaps 10, but not more than about 12 miles in a day. I know that I can do this. I'm pretty sure that my leg can handle this. The downside is that I miss my wife a bunch. If I don't hike as far then I'll be on the trail for some extra days. This seems to be the dicotamy that most hikers face. They want to get miles in so that they can finish sooner. My goal is to enjoy each day while finding a way to complete the AT while keeping my body and spirit whole. And I want to see and hold my wife as soon as I can. I want the best of everything : ) Oh yes, I climbed the Glastonbury Mt fire tower this morning and was scared stiff.
Date: 2016-07-12
From: Tent by Story Spring Shelter

To: Stratton Pond Shelter
Miles today: 10.4
Weather: scattered clouds

Today started off with an easy 4 or 5 miles to a road crossing just before the climb up Stratton Mountain. I stopped in the parking lot to hang my shirt in the sun to dry off the morning's accumulated sweat. 30 minutes later I was heading up the hill when I noticed Hestia resting by the side of the trail. I first met her over 1300 miles South of here. I said hello and then hiked onward and upward. The climb up Mt Stratton wasn't too steep but it seemed to go on for quite a while in the afternoon heat. I was happy to finally make it to the top where I found another fire tower! I took a deep breath and climbed up as I tried to control my fear of heights. I was happy to see that the windows had glass in them which made hanging out in the top of the tower easier for me than the scarier open windows in yesterday's fire tower. The views at the top were spectacular. I took a few photos through the windows and then climbed down one flight to get some more shots without the reflection from the windows. I was concerned about being up so high and worried that the wind might cause me to drop my iPhone. The trail on the way down was an improvement over the ascent and before long I was at the Stratton Pond Shelter. I have no idea why but someone had left a food bag hanging inside the shelter and some squirrels had managed to tear it apart and eat some of the food. The remaining food was divided up among the evening's hikers, myself included. I had some peanut butter along with part of an (unopened) bag of banana granola that was delicious. The remaining squirrel damaged food and trash was split up by various hikers who volunteered to hike the remains out. This was a "no tenting" shelter so I set up my pad and sleeping pad on one of the wooden bunks. Hestia set up her tent inside the shelter on a double bunk while announcing what she was doing, most likely to give any other hikers a chance to object if they wanted to since tents in the shelter is actually against the rules. The reason for doing this is simple. It keeps the mosquitoes away. I was tired and started to doze off at about 7:30 pm. I heard some of the hikers talking about hiking 3/10 of a mile down to the pond to see the sunset. I thought, "I would like to see the sunset but I'm not hiking extra miles, besides, that's over an hour from now and I'll probably be asleep by then."An hour or so later I was still awake and heard Hestia getting into her tent. "What's that Hestia?" I said, creating an imaginary conversation. "How's the mosquitoes? Just fine thank you."Well, the bugs have been biting a bit. I'm about ready to get up and try to set up my tent on the single platform I'm sleeping on. But I'm tired and can't make a decision on what to do.
Date: 2016-07-13
From: Stratton Pond Shelter

To: Rt 11 Manchester Center
Miles today: 10.2
Weather: scattered clouds

I didn't sleep well last night because the mosquitoes were bugging me most of the night. I should have rigged my tent somehow or at least brought along my head net which is safely stored in my car right now. On top of this I wish I had hiked down to the pond to see the sunset. I didn't want to hike any extra miles. When I first started hiking the AT I would always go out of my way to see a sunrise or a sunset. Now it seems like I'm too concerned about getting to Katahdin and I should lighten up and enjoy the journey. Coming down from the shelter spur trail I looked at the sign several times but was confused because the trail was blue blazed rather than white blazed. I hiked down it about 100 feet and then checked the Guthook app to verify that I was on the AT, which it appeared I was. After hiking another ten minutes without reaching the pond I checked again. Darn it! I'm on the trail that goes around the pond rather than on the AT. I doubled back and in the process covered more extra ground than I would have last night if I had gotten up to go see the sunset with the other hikers. Oh well...The pond is beautiful as you can see. I stopped at Prospect Rock and met Mudup and Tim, who are hiking the Long Trail. They were nice enough to hike with me for the rest of the day. The miles slid by as the three of us talked while walking along. I met Fugitive and Spider at the trail head and offered to give them a ride into town. We went to the outfitters where I discovered that Fugitive was going to buy a set of Leki hiking poles just like my old pair in the car. I offered to sell him my used pair instead for $40 and we were both happy. I had time to find the town's pool and get some therapy for my foot by walking in the water for 45 minutes before heading to the Green Mountain Hostel where I am tonight. This place is super clean and the owner Jeff is quite friendly. He gives everyone that stays a pint of Ben and Jerry's ice cream. Yum! Chunky Monkey!
Date: 2016-07-14
From: Rt 11 Manchester Center

To: Rt 11 Manchester Center
Miles today: 0.0

I decided that the Green Mountain Hostel was so nice that I should zero here. I shuttled my car north to Rutland, went walking in the pool again for an hour, played the piano and sent a card to my wife to let her know how special she is to me. I was in the kitchen when I heard a familiar voice. "Could that be my old friend Nate from North Carolina?" Wow.. It was him! I've known him for about 12 years or so and even owned an apartment complex with him at one point in time. We went out to dinner and had a nice time catching up. He's section hiking the AT and plans to finish the entire trail later this year. Right now it's almost 11 pm and I'm going to bed. Nate has offered to give me a ride to the trail at 6:15 in the morning. Thank you so much for following along on my journey. I appreciate your sticking with me through some of the tough parts. I'm feeling much better now : )
Date: 2016-07-15
From: Rt 11 Manchester Center

To: Baker Peak
Miles today: 12.8

I was up early this morning making pancakes and guzzling down a couple of cups of coffee before catching a ride with Jeff, the owner of the Greenmountain Hostel to the trailhead near Manchester Center. I told Jeff that I loved his Hostel, I appreciated the fact that it was superclean, and enjoyed his extra friendly demeanor. I hiked about two thirds of the way up Bromley Mountain and stopped to sit on a nicely shaped rock in the shade. There were no bugs and there was a nice breeze so I spent almost 2 hours making some phone calls and searching on the web to find out more information about hiking the Appalachian Trail through the White Mountains in New Hampshire.I'm trying to figure out what days I'm going to be where, which huts to stay at, where I can camp in my tent, or stay at a nearby hostel. I'm trying to figure all this out while guessing how far I'll be able to go each day. I normally go 10 or 12 miles at the most but people have told me that in the white mountains most hikers don't hike as far as they normally do. After futzing around with this matter for too long I climbed the rest the way up Bromley Mountain and checked out the ski warming hut that hikers use as a shelter. Then I hiked the rest the way to Peru Peak shelter where I had planned on spending the night tonight. The only person there was a weird guy who had passed me a couple of times during the day that I didn't really want to hang out with. I looked at the guidebook and saw that there were tent sites a half a mile further down by the lake. So I told weird guy that I was going to go check out the lake and I hiked off. When I got close to the lake I could hear a noisy group of kids who are camping. I don't mind that they are camping - I actually think it's great that they're out in the wild. But I don't want to spend the night being woken up by kids hooting and hollering. So I continued Northward to look for another tenting spot. I ended up finding a decent stealth camping spot on the top of Baker Peak where I put up my tent just as it was starting to sprinkle. I'm in my tent now listening to the evening birds sing thinking about how lucky I am to be married to my wife who's nice enough to let me go out on this long journey. I'm also very thankful for the hat flaps that Dr fix it made for me. The deer flies were really thick later in the day today. They buzz round and round but can't get to my head because of the flaps.
Date: 2016-07-16
From: Baker Peak

To: Greenwall Shelter
Miles today: 11.8
Weather: mist

Today was a nice day for hiking. My leg is feeling so much better than it did a week ago. I also figured out that the reason my toes were hurting so much on my right foot (my good side) was because I had developed the habit of scrunching them down with each step. If you can imagine trying to hold on to the trail by pushing your toes down into the ground with each step... that's what I was doing.So once I mentally thought "Stop it!" my toes and foot began feeling better right away. This worked so good that I'm also now trying to relax my injured foot as well. It seems to be helping. It's interesting to me how a problem like this can be created and then fixed with various mental gymnastics. I stopped for a snack at the first shelter today and along comes weird hiker guy from yesterday. I'm not sure what it is about him that bothers me. It doesn't help when he sits right next to me and lights up a cigarette. I headed back out with a determination to stay well ahead of him. So this afternoon when I came by Lost Pond I was surprised to hear weird hiker guy talking with a few other people in the nearby shelter. I could also smell the cigarette that he was enjoying. I say quietly by the pond soaking up the majesty of the scene for about ten minutes then I quietly slunk up the trail without weird guy seeing me. I thought about it as I walked along and I do appreciate anyone who has the get up and go to be out here hiking. I shouldn't be so quick to judge someone that I know little about. Late this afternoon I came up a hill and was engulfed with an exquisite pine tree aroma. I enjoyed this for the next mile or so including my time while walking through two rock gardens. These are areas where hikers have piled up rocks into stacks, often called cairns. The effect of seeing 40 or 50 of these all in one area is interesting. I wasn't sure how to respond so I added one more cairn to each of the rock gardens that I passed through. The shelter at the end of the day was 3/10 of a mile off the trail. I hesitated before walking up the side trail. With both out and back distances this adds another 6/10 of a mile - actually bonus miles. This means any mileage that's not part of the AT itself. I could continue walking and most likely find a small place to camp along the trail. I ended up going to the shelter. Now that I'm hiking alone again it's important to have a conversation or connection with other people to help keep me sane. Turns out that I met a dad who was out for the week with his 12 year old son. My father took me into the Canadian boundary waters on a canoe trip when I was ten. That's an experience that I've never forgotten.
Date: 2016-07-17
From: Greenwall Shelter

To: Clarendon Shelter
Miles today: 8.8
Weather: scattered clouds

Last night it rained harder than any other time I can remember on the trail, at least compared to the other times I've been in my tent. I can't compare daytime rain to the sound of rain hitting the tent at night. I later heard from some other hikers that they experienced lightning but all I heard was some thunder and the pounding of the rain on my tent. I came to a road crossing where there was food... just 1/2 a mile down the road. I was eager to eat some real food so I hiked down the road while also trying to hitch a ride. Before long I arrived, still on foot. I changed my shirt and put my shirt out on the grass in the sun to dry. I remembered that my tent was wet from last nights rain and pulled it out spreading it out to dry as well. I had a nice meal, steak and mashed potatoes, a chocolate shake, and a several refills of diet coke. The waitress was nice enough to give me a ride back to the trail. When I arrived there I met a group of 4 hikers who were waiting on a taxi to take them into a hostel in town. I was surprised that I didn't want to join them. That's what I would have likely done a few months ago. I used to jump at any chance to take a break from the trail, even if it's just overnight. I think that I've finally gotten my pack weight down low enough, built up the strength in my legs, and finally turned the corner on the mental malaise that I'd been dealing with so that I'm actually enjoying my time on the trail again. This is very good news. At the shelter tonight we had a nice fire with an interesting group of hikers to talk to. There was a combination of NOBO and SOBO AT hikers along with both South and Northbound Long Trail hikers. It was nice to sit by the fire in the company of other hikers.
Date: 2016-07-18
From: Clarendon Shelter

To: Stealth Camping at mile 1695
Miles today: 10.9

Today's forecast was for a thunder storm to come through mid day. I was having fun making my way up Mt Killington over and around the many roots and rocks that were on the trail when it started to get dark out and the wind was picking up. I found a place to pitch my tent along the trail and climbed in to wait out the storm. It turns out that the storm went South of me. I heard a bit of thunder and saw a few rain drops here and there but nothing that was worth sitting out in my tent.No matter, I had cell coverage and made good use of the time to finish planning out my hike through the White Mountains in New Hampshire. I called and made reservations at three of the mountain huts run the the Appalachian Mountain Club. I made my best guess as to how far I'll be able to hike each day in order to determine where and when I might be staying. I've been asking the Southbounders that I see about the Whites and they have all told me that it's very windy but gorgeous. I'm looking forward to it. Once the non-storm was over I packed up my tent and hiked the rest of the way to the Cooper Mt shelter which is near the top of Mt Killington. I had planned on taking the 2/10 of a mile side trail up to the top so that I could eat some real food at the lodge. The guidebook said it was open until 5 pm so when I arrived at the side trail at 4 pm I headed up. Seriously up. The book said the trail was rather steep and it was quite correct. It was took both hands and feet to make it up the last stretch of trail. The wind was blowing hard enough at the top that I had a hard time walking. I made my way up over the summit and then down to the lodge, which had closed at 4 pm. Darn it! Turns out they had some nice snacks even though the kitchen was closed. I had a glass of Prosecco, a yogurt parfait, a small bag of BBQ potato chips, a brownie, a cookie, an ice cream sandwich made with 2 other cookies (500 calories), 2 peaches, and a gatoraid. Then I went into the bathroom and used the automated hand dryer to dry out my shirt along with my compression tights. It turns out that my water bladder in my pack has been leaking for the last few days. I thought it was strange that my back was sweating enough to wet down my butt and the back of my legs each day!I thought briefly about tenting up on top of Mt Killington but the strong wind convinced me that this would be a bad idea. I clambored back down the very steep trail and checked out the shelter. It was a dump with beer cans and water on the floor from a leaky roof. I hiked about a mile further along and found a nice stealth camping spot. Dr Fixit showed me how to pick a good spot by looking for contour lines on the map that are wider apart indicating a flatter area. He also taught me to look for a high enough elevation so that the bugs won't be as bad as at lower elevations. I'm camped out now about 100 feet East of the trail. I miss having other hikers to talk with but it is rather nice and quiet here.
Date: 2016-07-19
From: Stealth Camping at mile 1695

To: Rt 4 Near Rutland/Killington VT
Miles today: 5.8
Weather: overcast clouds

This morning's hike was quick and easy. It was even mostly downhill. It felt nice to get back to my car where I promptly changed out of my stinky sweaty hiker clothes.I found a pool to go walking in for an hour as therapy for my injured leg. It's pretty boring compared to hiking the AT but I still enjoyed it and it does wonders for my foot and leg. Somehow it helps me to experience less pain for several days after going for a pool walk. I resupplied at the grocery store and sorted out my food on the top of my car which is parked in front of the Yellow Deli Hiker Hostel. I really like this place. The deli is uniquely furnished with curved tree branches or trunks that mold right into the restaurant seats. The people are friendly and they have awesome root beer on tap. Delicious!In the morning I'm going to shuttle my car North and then continue my adventure from the point I left the trail at 11 am this morning.
Date: 2016-07-20
From: Rt 4 Near Rutland/Killington VT

To: Camp along trail at mile 1709
Miles today: 8.4
Weather: few clouds

I enjoyed a delicious free breakfast today at the yellow deli Hikers Hostel before moving my car up to Hanover New Hampshire and shuttling back down to get on the trail today.I had originally called one shuttle service that was going to charge me $100 but then I called a number for Tom who was listed at the yellow deli hostile and he was willing to do it for basically gas money which was $20. I really appreciated this and it's great to have people like Tom helping out Hikers along the trail.Today was a beautiful day in the mid 60s with a light breeze blowing all day... And the humidity was very low. I walked past a beautiful pond and stopped by Gifford Woods state park where I enjoyed an ice cream and a soda. I walked past the turn off you can see in the photo where the long trail continues north up to the top of Vermont eventually reaching the Canadian border. The long trail was developed before the Appalachian Trail and uses the exact same white blazes for markings. I can see how it would be easy for someone hiking the AT to get confused and follow the long trail instead of the Appalachian Trail.I had planned on getting to the next shelter however with about an hour before dark I realized if I made it all the way to the shelter it would be right around nightfall when any other hikers would have already gone to bed. I've heard good things about a place called the lookout. It's not an official AT shelter but it's privately owned instead. It's up on top of a mountain and has a rooftop deck where you can hang out and look up at the stars. I'm planning on staying there tomorrow night and it's only about another 9 miles from where I was so I decided to camp along the trail rather than pushing ahead and reaching the shelter at nightfall.So that's where I am now in my tent, camping out alone in the woods. It feels quite isolated but that's where I ended up tonight. I feel good about getting eight miles in on a day when I also spent three hours moving the car up the trail.Thanks for reading my journal and joining me on my adventure.
Date: 2016-07-21
From: Camp along trail at mile 1709

To: The Lookout
Miles today: 8.8

Today was a series of climbs and descents made enjoyable by a smooth trail, a bit cooler weather, and a decent breeze. At 4 pm I reached The Lookout, a private cabin which the owners allow hikers to stay in. I dried my clothes in the sun,climbed up to the deck to take in the 360 degree view and then enjoyed a nap. I was so tired I fell asleep right on the wooden floor without taking a moment to blow up my air pad. It was about 7 pm when 4 or 5 other guys, all young and strong looking, arrived to join me for the night. Several Southbounders were raving about how beautiful (and hard) the trail was in New Hamshire and Maine. It's nice to hear all of them chatting and laughing as I settle down to bed for the night.