morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2016-07-07
From: Pete's Spring, Sherman Brook Campsite

To: Melville Nauhelm Shelter
Miles today: 18.4

7/7/16It was a peaceful night and I was up and on the trail by 7:30. I had a shelter 18 miles and another one at 26. When I got up I was thinking 26 but the heat, humity and uphill first thing told me that wasn't going to happen. The gnats were back in full force to hovering around your eyes and ears. There was no town food so that wasn't any motivation either. Gentle Ben took off ahead of me. I stopped to put some Off on and that seemed to help the gnat situation a little but after a while I broke down and put my head net on. That really helped...I figured they would be hovering out side of it but they weren't. I was already sweating and didn't have a lot of energy. I got to a stream and found Gentle Ben and was surprised...he was slowed down by the heat also. I filtered my water and pressed on. I stopped at the first shelter 6 miles down the trail and stopped at the entrance trail and threw my sleeping mat out so I could sit down for a break. I really didn't want to hike the .2 miles to get to the shelter. Another hiker was there so we talked before he moved on. A few minutes later Puck came down the trail. He stayed at that shelter. It seems he hung his food bag and a mouse chewed a whole into it didn't like what he found and moved on to another hikers food bag. Puck moved on and I kept snacking. I think I'm okay with a day of heat but the continuous days of heat is wearing on me. I got a few more miles down to the next water source and found Puck getting water. We biked together for the rest of the day...well until I got to my shelter. He was going to put more miles in. It helped having someone to hike with at the same speed made the afternoon/miles go faster. We stopped at another shelter and had a quick lunch. We came to a road crossing and I ran into Ranger. I didn't recognize her but she said I know you. Then I remembered going to Hotdog Johnnies at Delaware Water Gap with her. She had a friend pick her up. Puck and I took a break and started up the next mountain. I was at the shelter by 6:00 and found it crowded with all new faces. I had dinner and good conversation before turning in. Some of the hikers are hiking the Vermont Long Trail. It runs with the AT and turns off after 100 miles. One couple said it was going to take them 6 weeks to hike it. A thunderstorm is rumbling and seems to be heading our direction. Hopefully it will bring some cooler temperatures. Oh yeah...I went over the 1600 mile mark, less than 600 to go and I am now in Vermont. I'm down to my last three states, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine. If you don't push too hard it was a wonderful day to be a hiker
Date: 2016-07-08
From: Melville Nauhelm Shelter

To: Kelly Stand Rd Campsite
Miles today: 21.0
Weather: scattered clouds

7/8/16We got some rain overnight and it seemed to cool things off. There was thunder in the distance but it never made it too close to the campsite. I don't know why, but I seem to sleep well when it is raining. It was done raining by morning and I was determined to start early so I could take it easier during the afternoon heat. I went to get my food bag and noticed Payday wrappers on the ground....something had gotten into my food bag. I pulled it down and sure enough there were holes in the top of it. I took it to the picnic table to examine it and just by chance I put my trash on top of the bag and the only thing they got were empty wrappers. So there is a hole in my bag but it could have been worse. Tonight my trash is in the top of my bag once again. I sure miss the bear boxes they had in Massachusetts. I put my mp3 player on for the first time on the trail so I could listen to some tunes...since yesterday was a little bit of a struggle. I was on the trail by 6:30 and had a gradual uphill the first 8 miles then most of the afternoon would be down hill. After a couple of miles I caught up with a guy I camped with. We chatted for a couple of miles then he had to stop for a breather...I pressed on. The day was much different than yesterday. The humidity and temperature were much lower. My T-shirt wasn't soaked after the first half hour. I stopped for some water and started slipping on a rock. My arm went up and there went my MP3 player flying into the stream. I did listen to three songs on it to this point...lol. It stopped working...I will try it again after it dries out. I was feeling good all day. After the morning climb the afternoon miles went fast. I did get off trail at one point and then got turned around...then started heading the wrong direction. Luckily, Sticks who I had met at the last shelter wasn't too far behind and stopped me before I went far. I got to the shelter just before five and had 21 miles for the day. I had dinner and the campsite wasn't far from a parking lot. A trail angel brought up some ice cream for us. It was a wonderful day for a hike.
Date: 2016-07-10
From: Manchester Center, Green Mountain House Hostel

To: Big Branch Shelter
Miles today: 16.5
Weather: scattered clouds

I had a good night in the doghouse and we got quite a bit of rain overnight. I had good miles yesterday so I was in no hurry to get back to the trial and elected to take the late 9:00 shuttle. This hostile has a full kitchen and you can make your own breakfast. I made some pancakes and shared with Puck, seeing I had made too many. Puck, Gentle Ben, Demaonti, and I got to the trail about 9:30. It was a cold rain but I decided to go without the raincoat. We were heading uphill and you warm up in the hills anyway. The climb was about 1500 ft in four miles. It was a good climb and we made good time. At the top of Bromley Mt there was a ski resort. Also there was a warming shelter they left open so I stopped there ready for a break. I was joined by my other shuttle mates and Comet, another hiker I had been seeing the last few days. The good thing about my clothes is the way they use the wicking material. I was not all that wet and the building we were in was quite stuffy so I opened the window. Later another hiker came in, in his rain gear and I don't know if it was raining harder but it was hard to believe how wet he was. I hiked with Puck most of the day and it rained off and on all day. We went another 5 miles and stopped at the shelter for lunch. I wanted to get my shoes off and air my feet out. I got a couple of bites or something on my toes and the constant moisture is not letting them heal. We stayed about an hour then pressed on. For some reason there were three more shelters coming up in the next two miles...we were heading for the last. The trail was muddy all day and you try to keep your feet out of the mud but after so much time it doesn't matter and you just walk straight through the middle of the trail. At some places the water buildup was pretty deep and one particular step it came up to the top of my sock. A lot of places you have a choice of mud slick rocks or slick roots. You choose what looks safest and go with it. We get to the next Mountain peak and it is boulders...the kind that sit at an angle and have small crevices. Being wet it is very dangerous and slow going. This would be a challenge on a dry day but a wet day it is zoo much more challenging. About half way up I say to Puck, I'm surprised they didn't have an alternate route for bad weather. So we make it up and fortunately the down side is just a dirt trail. I couldn't imagine going down those wet boulders. We go a little ways and see a trail off to the side that is the alternate trail for bad weather...guess we missed it on the other side of the peak...not that I would have taken it anyway. We had several over looks today but all we seen were clouds. We pressed on and got to camp about 5:30. It was a cool day with no bugs just wet feet, and a sensational day for a hike.
Date: 2016-07-11
From: Big Branch Shelter

To: Governor Clement Shelter
Miles today: 23.0
Weather: overcast clouds

I had a great nights sleep...didn't want to get up and put my wet clothes on. It was cool and I had my sleeping bag wrapped around me most of the night. While I was packing my tent, Subman and Suds stopped by. They were two campsites back and said it was crowded and tents were pitched too close together. The addition of Long Trail hikers has really crowded the shelters and campsites. I went to get my food bag and it seemed the critters had struck again. This time they got some potato chips. I talked to Puck and it seems he was hit too. He has been hit the last three nights he has been at a shelter. I think it's chipmunks. I made it out of camp by 8:00. The rain had stop and the sun was out. The trail was still sloppy and there were areas that seemed you were walking down a stream. We have got a lot of rain in the last 48 hours and it will take a while for the trail to dry out. I made it to the first shelter pretty quick but it was .2 off trail so I pressed on to find somewhere on the trail to have lunch. I was hoping to find some sunshine to dry some things out but no luck so I stopped at a shady campsite...threw out my sleeping mat and sat down for a nice break. I started hiking again and not more than a quarter mile was an parking lot with lots of sunshine. Oh well...you win some and lose some. The trail is pretty nice trip to hike...just some mud makes it a little less desirable. During a the afternoon I came to an overlook. It was a good view below of a small airport. What made it even better was a white plastic chair was sitting there. I couldn't pass that up so I sat down and watched a couple of planes take-off and land. I hiked on...the next road was a restaurant. I got to the restaurant at 3:15 and it seemed they closed at 3:00. The owner made me a burger and fries anyway...I even got some ice cream. She was leaving but told me to sit outside as long as I wanted. I was there a little over an hour and dried some socks and shoes and charged my phone. I was back on the trail by 5:00 and got another six miles in. I passed a guy hiking the long trail. He sped up and we hiked together and had good conversation. I made it to camp just before 8:00. Just enough time to set up my tent, brush my teeth and get my food bag hung. Tonight I put a bottom of a Gatorade bottle on the rope above my bag to hopefully spoil anymore attempts to get my food. I got 23 miles in today...I really enjoyed the hike.
Date: 2016-07-12
From: Governor Clement Shelter

To: Stony Brook Shelter
Miles today: 20.6
Weather: broken clouds

I went to bed and heard some loud sound...I didn't know if it was an animal or a fellow camper making the noise. I asked Gentle Ben the next morning and he thought it was an owl above his tent. The rest of the night was peaceful. I tossed and turned it seemed most of the night... I even slept at the opposite side of the tent so my feet would be lower than my head. I was up and on the trail by 8:00. Not long into the hike I came across some youth maintenance crew. They were working on some rocks that were made into steps. Looked like some pretty intense work. Then it was a 2000 ft climb up....it wasn't too steep, just took a little while to get up. At the top there was a blue trail that went to the peak that overlooked Killington VT, it went straight up and a little challenging. I met a guy and his daughter and he was giving me the highlights of what was around. With all of the uphill we now got to go down into Killington. If it was early enough there would be time to stop at a deli. I went about halfway down and had lunch with Gentle Ben. He is from Idaho and a very talented guitar player as I heard the other night at the hostel. We passed where the Long Trail split off so we wouldn't be seeing anymore Long Trail hikers after this. I was surprised at the amount of them. We hiked down the rest of the way and came to a State Park. I stopped for a root beer and Ben kept going. I wish I would have kept going to the deli because time was running short and I had 7 miles left to go. I passed a lodge and stopped to fill up my water bottles and then it was time to head back up a mountain. It was about 900 ft up but it was pretty straight up...it just seemed to keep going and going. About two thirds up I stopped for a break and have a snack... I needed energy. I made it to the top and it leveled off before it dipped down and went back up two more times. Then it was back down to camp. I made it before 7:00 and was ready to be done. Tomorrow the heat returns and the rain chances are back the day after. Yesterday I passed the 1700 mile mark and have less the 500 miles to go. Tell most people they have 500 miles to hike they would say you are crazy. To us thru hikers...we are getting about done. It was a very nice day today...I think I'll go for a hike tomorrow
Date: 2016-07-13
From: Stony Brook Shelter

To: Thistle Hill Shelter
Miles today: 21.5
Weather: clear sky

I had a good nights sleep and the critters left my food bag alone. I was with some early birds as I was the second to last one out of camp. I had a long day planned and the temperature was suppose to be warming up again. There wasn't much for flat but pretty much up and down all day. I met a couple of teachers from the west coast...Oregon or Washington. They didn't have trail names even though they have been coming out a month for the last six years. So they use their real names, Jeff and Jen. I laughed and said thats funny because I have twin cousins with the same names. I didn't push too hard this morning because I knew it was going to be a long day and I didn't want to use all my energy up. I did make decent time though. I got to a place called the overlook. It was a cabin a quarter mile off trail and had a deck built onto the top of it. I went up and had a magnificent view. It was open and you could actually stay inside the enclosed cabin. I left there and made if to the 13 mile mark before I stopped for lunch. I found a breezy place on top of a mountain and enjoyed a half hour break. Up and down mountains were the afternoon agenda. I made it to one road and someone yelled " Stiripe is that you?". It was Secret Agent and Garfield. They have slowed their pace and were waiting for Stitch to catch up. She had been off trail a week for a wedding. I hiked with them a couple of miles and moved on after getting water at a stream. I passed another hiker and he told me a market listed in our guidebook closed at 5:00. It was going to be close so I pushed harder so I would make it on time. We had the steepest climb ahead of is. I was walking on a board walk and a creature was standing on the last one and hissed at me. It startled me and I jumped back. He was sitting and at first in thought it was a beaver but turned out to be a ground hog. I took a couple of pictures then tapped my sticks together and hit them on the boards and he wasn't moving. I was going to go around until another hiker showed up. He took some pictures and I guess the two of us intimated him because he soon scurried off into the woods. I pushed hard to get to the marked and even passed up trail magic so I wouldn't be late. I got there and they were closed. It was a small place and it was a restaurant but you had to have advanced reservations. I filled my water bottle at the spigot and sat in the shade as I was soaking wet from sweat. The other hiker soon joined me for a break in the shade. As we were sitting there a car pulled up. It was the owner and she offered to open for us. I got a locally made rootbeer with no artificial ingredients and a quart of ice cream. On the opposite side of the building we found some rocking chairs in the shade. There was also a nice breeze to cool us off. We were expecting more of a convenience store but this worked out. We went back to the trail magic and got a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and a banana before continuing on. We did the two miles and made it to camp by 6:30. It was an awesome day for a hike when you weren't rushing
Date: 2016-07-15
From: Velvet Rocks Shelter

To: Fire Wardens Cabin
Miles today: 21.9
Weather: broken clouds

Well the rain quit late yesterday afternoon and we didn't get any more during the night. It is nice packing up a dry tent. I was on the trail around 8:15. It was a warm day but the humidity had dropped. The first climb started out rougher, as in more rocks to climb up and not the smooth trail. Welcomed to New Hampshire. Coming down the mountain was the same...with the wet rocks I went down once. I was down before I could even think about it. The trail smoothed out from there. Water was a little more sporadic so I planned accordingly. Don't like carrying too much up the mountains but want to have enough also on these warm days. The morning ended with a nice 1200 ft climb up Moose Mt. I made it a little over nine miles by noon and stopped at a lookout for lunch. I took my shoes off to let my feet air out. Last Sunday my feet were looking kind of rough(trench foot?), but I've been putting powder on them and airing them out at lunch and as soon as I get to camp, they are recovering nicely. While I was sitting there, a few hikers from my past ventured up and joined me. Swiss couple Criss Cross and Sun Ray, and Ish, who is from Israel. I hadn't seen them since Virginia. So we talked about the locations of other hikers we both knew. I got moving I had 11 miles left to go. The first half if the afternoon was downhill. I made it about 5 miles and came to Bill Ackerlys house. He has always had signs pointing hikers to his house a tenth of a mile off trail for ice cream, water, a chair in the shade and a game of crocket. Bill passed away at the age of 89 this spring and his family agreed to keep this going the rest of the year for the hikers. They said he loved visiting with the hikers and seldom lost a game of crocket. I stayed a little longer than expected and charged up my phone. I was on the trail by 5:00 but still had six miles to go uphill. A 2400 ft climb up to Fire Wardens cabin. I made it by 7:30 and had dinner. You can stay in the cabin but I elected to tent camp even though they say there has been bear activity. I keep food out of my tent and have never had any issues. I caught one lady on the way up and two other hikers joined us. They all slept in the cabin. It is cooler up here a d should be good sleeping weather. It was a lot of up but a beautiful day for a hike.
Date: 2016-07-17
From: Glencliff NH (Hiker Welcome Hoste

To: Kinsman Notch campsite
Miles today: 9.3
Weather: scattered clouds

I had a good nights sleep at the Hikers Welcome Hostel. There was a low percentage of rain overnight and it rained all night. I was up and started laundry before breakfast at 7:00. I was going to zero here today but they didn't have a very good resupply and I may end up spending a night in Lincoln...I need to get to an outfitter for new shoes badly. So I wasn't worried about big miles today and left the hostel at 10:30. Today's hike was up Mt Moosilauke...a step grade up over 3700 ft, and a steeper downhill on the other side. Spirit 76 left before me but came back after she encountered a pitbull type dog on the trail that didn't seem too friendly. The dog later appeared at the hostel. So we left together for the trail and went up at a steady pace and took a couple of breaks on the 4 mile up hill climb. This was the beginning of us going above treeline...which we will continue to do the next 100 miles. Some clouds moved in as we climbed and we also noticed the temperatures were cooling as we could start to see our breath. We made it above treeline and the views were amazing...well what we could see as the clouds moved through. Looking up we could see there were a lot of day hikes on the peak. We got to the top and found Shutterbug (a hiker from from the hostel) sitting taking a break. I took a few pictures and we sat and joined him. He had been hiking with five other hikers and they have all since left the trail for various reasons. Comet I had seen at the ski warming hut had turned around right after I had seen her and went home...I was sad to hear that I was there when she decided to quit and she never said a word. We talked to a group of four kids that were very interested in our journey. After about a hour we started heading down the other side...it wasn't steep at first but that soon changed. Fortunately it hadn't rained since early this morning so the rocks were just damp and not super wet. This was some of the steepest and slowest areas we have hiked...and it continued all the way down. Some places had 8x8 pieces of lumber attached to the rocks for steps. The water was flowing beside up turned into a waterfall as we continued down. At one point Shutterbug took a pretty hard fall head first and bumped his head on a large rock before rolling onto his back and ending in an awkward position beside the rock. He was able to catch himself enough that he had no serious injuries but a small cut on his ear. I helped him up and he brushed himself off and we continued. Some of the rocks had rebar drilled into it for handholds. We finally made it down by 5:00 and found a place to stealth camp( not a designated camp area). It had a fire ring so we started a fire and enjoyed the evening visiting. We even stayed up until a late 9 pm. It was great hiking with these two. It was a slow hike but the amazing 360 degree views and seeing the White Mountain Range ahead of us was awesome. Yes, it was a beautiful day for a hike.