morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2012-07-04
From: Johnny SeeSaw Lodge, Peru, VT

To: Griffith Lake, MP 1653.8, VT
Miles today: 10.5
Weather: light rain

Happy 4th of July to everyone! !Minutia and I left Johnny SeeSaw's Lodge after another excellent breakfast and were back on the trail by 10:00 am. We hiked 10.5 miles over Bromley Mountain with it's ski lift at the top, over Styles Peak, and then over Peru Peak to finally camp by Griffith Lake MP 1653.8. Its been another exhausting day. As Bill Bryson said (A Walk In The Woods) "all the waddlesome sloth" that I heaped on my body came posing out of me today. The 3 mile, 1,600 foot climb to the top of Bromley Mountain wasn't too bad. The ski resort removed the observation tower since last year which was disappointing. You used to be able to see 5 states on a clear day. Bromley Ski resort was built by Fred Pabst, founder of Pabst Beer.The climb over Styles Peak was intense. Although only 1,000 feet in elevation, the distance is a mile and a half long. This was the toughest climb of the day and took a lot out of me. There were lots of bog bridges between Styles Peak and Peru Peak. These were slick from rain and moss and you really had to be careful walking on them!When we got to Peru Peak Shelter, we decided to push on to the tent sites at Griffith Lake. This was because the shelter was full and we really do like to tent away from everyone. On the way to the tent sites, we crossed a flooded area where the bog bridges were floating!   This required going very s-l-o-w and hoping you didn't fall in. The beavers must have raised their dam to get more trees for food. The designated tent sites were prepared platforms in a very buggy area. After a little searching we found a great site down by the lake. It had a fire ring and wood benches. Sweet!Signing off for now...getting hit by a thunderstorm. I love thunderstorms!
Date: 2012-07-05
From: Griffith Lake, MP 1653.8, VT

To: Little Rock Pond Shelter, MP 1663.1, VT
Miles today: 9.3
Weather: overcast clouds

Heavy thunderstorms last night. Natures 4th of July fireworks!   Awesome! I fell asleep quickly to the crashing sounds and light display.   We awoke at 6:30am but the camp site by the lake was just too good so we lingered over breakfast and packing.   Only down side was packing a wet tent. Most of the trail was descending today. We had one surprise climb up granite slabs to the top of Baker Peak. I had a good phone signal so I talked to Haunani.We are camping tonight at Little Rock Pond Shelter & Tenting area, MP 1663.1. That's over 9 miles for today. It cost us $5 a head to camp here. What sold us to stay here tonight and not to move on was the picnic table at the site we chose.   Stopping early also allowed us to dry our tents.I'm thinking of adding a paragraph about gear or some other topic to the daily journal from time to time as some readers have asked for details for their plans. So here goes. This one is on packing my pack as it is a very deliberate process.My down sleeping bag and my clothing go into individual dry sacks and then into a compactor trash bag (thicker than a regular trash bag) in the bottom of my pack.   Dry bags have a roll top closure to prevent moisture/water from getting in. The dry bags are made by Sea to Summit and have "event" breathable bottoms. Placing the dry bags in the compactor bags adds a layer of redundancy. I also put my air mattress in the compactor bag although it doesn't need to be kept dry. Next into the pack and on top of the compactor bag goes my food bag and my fleece jacket. The food bag is silnylon and is not waterproof (wp). All my food is in zip lock bags.   The fleece is also in a silnylon dry bag. Silnylon dry bags are lighter, but not totally wp. However, the fleece would be somewhat warm even if it got wet. On top of that goes my cook kit. On the out side back pocket goes my first aid/emergency kit, water/camp shoes, and rain coat. I lash my tent to one side of the pack. The other side holds a water bottle. The hip belt pockets hold snacks, water purification tablets, camera and a small sissors. In my top lid pocket (covers the top of the back) goes bug repellent, headlamp, toilet paper, maps and a few other miscellaeous things. It helps to keep a system so you're organized, can quickly access what you need and not inadvertently leave something behind. This custom MacHale pack has additional larger pockets than my old pack making it much much easier to stay organized with easier access for the most often used items.
Date: 2012-07-06
From: Little Rock Pond Shelter, MP 1663.1, VT

To: Minerva Hinchey Shelter, MP 1673.0, VT
Miles today: 9.9
Weather: clear sky

Bad surprise last night. My air mattress has a leak. It would stay inflated for maybe 45 minutes to an hour then I would have to blow it back up. Needless to say I didn't get much sleep! In the morning, Minutia and I spent an hour locating the leak. We were lucky our tent site had a picnic table. It made finding the leak much easier. The leak was a small slit, 1/8 of an inch long. We cleaned the area with alcohol and put some Gorilla Tape on it. Won't know until tonight if the repair worked.Because of the mattress repair, we didn't start hiking til 9:45 am. Hard day with lots of ups and downs. The heat and humidity were killers. Brutal! Went up and over Bear Mountain...about a 1,000 foot climb.Tonight, we are camped at Minerva Hinchey Shelter, MP 1673.0. Today's total mileage is 9.9 miles. Shelter didn't look like much so we're camped across a logging road. There is a spring near by with a small piece of PVC pipe to aid filling the water bottles. Such a little thing, but makes life on the trail a little easier.
Date: 2012-07-07
From: Minerva Hinchey Shelter, MP 1673.0, VT

To: Swansong Shelter, near Robinson Bro, MP 1681.8, VT
Miles today: 9.8

Minutia had a hard time sleeping last night.   The repair he did a couple of nights ago to his air mattress failed and he had to pump it up several times. On the other hand, my mattress repair held and I got a pretty good night sleep.   We camped near the shelter in our tents and boy, are we glad we did. Turns out, the night was warm and the mosquitoes were horrendous in the shelter.Our journey today took us over the suspension bridge at the Mill River, just before VT 103. Last year during hurricane Irene, the water had risen to within 6 feet of the bottom of the bridge. That's around a 30 foot rise in water level!!! The climb from VT 103 was very difficult.   It was boulder strewn and steep... STEEP like the climb north of Lehigh Gap!!! The rocks were wet cause it drizzled all morning. I slipped and oooohhhh, my left leg fell into a hole between some rocks.   Luckily, I skinned my shin, but was otherwise unharmed. By the time we got to Clarendon Shelter, we were both soaking wet from sweating. There is nothing more demoralizing then being soaked from sweat. When I say soaked, I mean like just-coming-out-of-a-pool, soaked. We talked to a Ridge Runner at the shelter for awhile. Ridge Runners are paid summer employees who help/teach hikers and take care of the shelters and privies over an assigned section of trail. He told us of an up coming section of trail which has been relocated on to roads.The relocation took us on a road walk from Cold River Rd, MP 1679.6 to Robinson Brook, MP 1681.8. As chance would have it, last year I was picked up at Robinson Brook by "Madhatter" and taken to his home. On the way back to the trail, he had shown me a secret shelter built by former thru-hikers. So I remembered the location and that is where we are spending the night. Because of the relocation and the secret shelter not located on the AT, I can only guess at today's mileage, around 9.8 miles.We rinsed our clothes in a nearby stream. What the heck...they were so saturated with sweat anyway! Hope they dry by morning, otherwise I hike for the 2nd day in wet (but not sweat soaked) clothes!
Date: 2012-07-08
From: Swansong Shelter, near Robinson Bro, MP 1681.8, VT

To: US Rt. 4, MP 1693.1, VT
Miles today: 11.3

PAGE 1 of 2What a great spot this secret shelter is! (See picture, 7-07). There is a picnic table (always a luxury) and a round shaped privy. Whoever built the structures had craftsman skills and artist flare. They used natural logs and mortise and tenon joints with wood pegs to tie it all together as well as other elements.   So peaceful! Minutia and I both got a great night's sleep. Minutia's pad is still leaking and in spite of that, he slept well and is rested. We walked about a tenth of a mile to complete the relocation. This was at Robinson Brook, MP 1681.8. We then hiked on a little ways to Governor Clement Shelter, MP 1686.8 for water. This was supposed to be our scheduled stop, but the secret shelter was 100 times better!!!Next, was the long hard climb up Killington Mountain...four miles and 2,000+ feet in elevation. Thank God it was such a beautiful, sunny, breezy and low humidity day.Just like last year, when I reached the Cooper Lodge Shelter near the top of Killington, I was too tired to climb the 0.2 mile to the summit. Instead we ate lunch and headed down the mountain. We formulated an alternate plan to hike to VT 4 to get a ride to the Mountain Meadows Lodge a day early, rather then spend a night in a shelter. Bill, from the Mountain Meadows Lodge picked us up at 6:30 pm on his way back from Rutland. The lodge had hosted a wedding over the weekend and we were fed the leftovers:   salad, roast beef, chicken, potato salad, ravioli, and...well you get the picture. Oh, and yeah, they had c-o-l-d beer! Called Haunani before I crashed for the evening. Just so exhausted...didn't even take a shower before going to bed. Tomorrow I need to catch-up on journals.
Date: 2012-07-09
From: US Rt 4, MP 1693.1

To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Page 1 of 2Zero day so no miles today. Yesterday, we hiked 11.3 miles to US route 4, MP 1693.1. Only 487 Miles to Katahdin!!!Slept in til 7:30 am, took a long hot shower, and had a wonderful continental breakfast. The owner, Bill, will be gone today visiting his mother in Massachusetts and his wife, Ann, has to take their daughter to soccer practice so we pretty much have the place to ourselves. After breakfast, we explored this remarkable place. They have many farm animals such as goats, sheep, and a pony. There is also a pot belly pig named Alice.   The AT crosses the back end of the property by Kent Pond. There are picnic tables, Adirondack chairs and hammocks scattered over the immaculate six acres.   It is so peaceful and restful. We talk to love ones, do laundry, and plan our next section hike.Ann takes us along to the Post Office and then to the deli for lunch. Since we got our maildrops yesterday, Minutia got his other sleeping mattress and is mailing the leaking one directly to the manufacture for repair. The rest of the afternoon is spent relaxing. Since Bill and Ann are away this evening, Minutia and I prepare the last of our trail food for dinner. We use the microwave oven to heat the water (instead of the alcohol stove) to hydrate our food. I pour my Mountain House meal into a bowl instead of eating it out of the bag. Real luxury!
Date: 2012-07-10
From: US Rt. 4, MP 1693.1, VT

To: Kent Pond, MP 1697.1, VT
Miles today: 4.0

Had a great breakfast of fried eggs, pancakes with real Vermont maple syrup, coffee, OJ and milk. Ann, from Mountain Meadows Lodge, drops us off at US Route 4, MP 1693.1 where her husband originally picked us up. We "slack packed" 4 miles as the AT runs through the back end of their property at Kent Pond, MP 1697.1. Slack packing means we are not hiking with all our gear. Today, we only carried our rain coat, snacks, cellphone, 2 liters of water, AT guide, camera, and first aid kit/emergency equipment.In this section, we passed the location where the Long Trail and the AT separate, MP 1694.1. The Long Trail continues north to the Canadian border and the AT heads east towards NH.We also passed through Gifford Woods State Park. In 2011, "Steady" and I spent a cold and wet night in a shelter. This is the point where I believe my will to continue, started to falter. This time, I'm in good spirits and keeping my eye on the prize, Katahdin, ME. Intellectually, it's hard when you read or hear about how much further ahead other hikers are that you sheltered or tented with. Haunani keeps reminding me that we're still getting our trail legs on. Thru-hikers have been hiking for 4-5 months and we've barely been out for 2 weeks. Minutia and I are on track so far with our planned schedule. Unlike 2011, we have plenty of time to get to Katahdin and if need be, we'll adjust the plan as the situation dictates. Our bodies frequently remind us that we're not spring chickens. No "sprinting out the gate" for us! We must pace ourselves as these ole' bones are in it to finish! Back at Kent Pond, we walked up to the Back Country Outfitters. Minutia bought a new raincoat and I bought some 89% DEET insect repellent. The owner was very friendly and knowledgeable. He had hiked and fished out west in the same places Minutia had. He told us from his experience, the next two days would be a grind with tough climbs, but after that, it would be better as we get closer to Hanover, NH. After a great deli sandwich we caught the bus ($2/person) to Killington Ski Lodge and took the gondolas (free for thru-hikers, $10@ otherwise) to the top of the mountain. The view was awesome...just incredibly awesome!!!
Date: 2012-07-11
From: Kent Pond, MP 1697.1, VT

To: Mink Brook, MP 1707.6, VT
Miles today: 10.5

I was up early at 6:15 am. Took a last shower and shaved. Then headed down stairs to check emails and journals on the Lodge's computer. Although we are planning to do only 6 miles today, I am eager to get underway. Minutia on the other hand is sleeping in. He seems content to linger in bed this morning knowing we have a short mileage day.Nice breakfast: bagels, waffles with real Vermont maple syrup, fruit, black coffee and OJ.   I know it seems like I fixate on food when on the trail, but when you spend 5 days eating trail food, you really appreciate the real deal. We left Mountain Meadows at 10 am and climbed Quimby Mountain by noon. As we started the climb, we came upon our first trail magic. A cooler filled with bananas, oranges, apples, and Snicker candy bars. Many former AT hikers and friends of the AT leave food and drinks for thru-hikers. This is called "Trail Magic" and is greatly appreciated by long distant hikers. Since the number of hikers that start in the south in Georgia thin out significantly by this point, there's also less trail magic in the North. Minutia took an orange and a Snickers bar. I ate a banana (needed the potassium) and took an apple for later. We reached Stony Brook Shelter, MP 1703.1 at 2 pm. This was our objective for the day, but we felt so good we decided to push on.Passed two areas I recognized from last year. One, not far from the shelter where we had to climb down a 6' ladder (sorry no phone pix) and the second, was a small stream were I think I lost my cellphone.We are stealth camped at Mink Brook MP 1707.6. This is 10.5 miles for the day. "Stealth Camping" means we are not at a designated camping area. You try to find a flat spot near water and set up your tent with minimum impact to the environment.
Date: 2012-07-12
From: Mink Brook, MP 1707.6, VT

To: Winturri Shelter, MP 1713.0, VT
Miles today: 5.4

Woke at 6:00 am, but didn't get underway until 8:30 am. Stealth camped last night. Got a decent night's sleep with all the forest night noises and babbling brook. Pretty cool.We reached the Winturri Shelter, MP 1713.0 at noon. The shelter is 0.2 mile west of the AT. We needed to replenish our water, ate lunch and rested a bit. This morning's hiking seemed a little harder than yesterday. Minutia's leg was also bothering him. We figure we could do another 3 to 4 miles. However, this puts us at VT 12 and the guide book expressly states no camping. There doesn't seem to be a good place to camp with water for a couple miles beyond VT 12. So we have decided to stop here and tent near the shelter, 5.4 miles for the day. Spent the rest of the day resting, napping, and talking.Every shelter has a log for us to log or journal in. It's kinda cool to see who's been there before and a great way to keep track of who's ahead of you. I was surprised to see my journal entry from 2011 (see picture). I didn't realize I actually wrote I thought of quitting. I got off the trail the next day. Really shows how thru hiking is so much more mental than physical stamina. That was last year. I'm only 25.6 miles from the NH border! Whoo Hoo!Equipment: So far, Minutia's patch on my NeoAir mattress is holding. I'm liking my home made (made by Minutia) alcohol stove and 9 oz seems to be enough for 5 days of cooking. Still in love with my MacHale pack!   It carries so much more comfortably then my other packs.Food: Breakfast is either cold granola or hot oatmeal, both with fortified dry whole milk & protein powder. I'm having a hard time eating all of my breakfast.   Not sure why...loved it last year? Haunani reminds me that on the trail, food is fuel and nutrition. At the end of the day, the caloric output is 2 to 3 times greater than the input so I need to just suck it up.
Date: 2012-07-13
From: Winturri Shelter, MP 1713.0

To: Thistle Hill Shelter, MP 1724.6, VT
Miles today: 11.6
Weather: clear sky

Page 1 of 3What a long day! Lots of sharp ups and downs.We hit the trail at 7:30 am and after 4 miles, we came to VT 12. It was almost 10 am so we decided to walk the short distance to On The Edge Farm store. What a delightful place! I bought a quart of whole milk and Minutia bought two Gatorades. We then split the cost of a small sour cherry and blueberry pie. They get the sour cherries from Michigan and the prices have gone up by $50/??? so adding blueberries made it cost effective. It made it heaven for us!   Minutia said it was one of the best he's ever eaten!We ate lunch along Pomfret Brook. I took the time to soak my feet in the cool water. It is such a treat to cool these tired ole feet.Our next climb is Dana Hill. This is where I sat on the top last year and decided to pull the plug to get off the trail. I was physically and mentally exhausted and couldn't even think about whether or not I would return. Crossing over it sure brought back memories. At the bottom of Dana Hill is Woodstock Stage Road. This was my most northerly advance in Vermont in 2011. It feels like an accomplishment to hike back here today and smile knowing I'm moving forward.Our hike took us past maple tree harvesting. This is an awesome sight with tubing running every which way! We also hiked about a half mile of the most beautiful trail I've seen in VT. Old forest road with old rock walls on each side and open forest beyond. So pleasant!By the time we reached the last climb up Thistle Hill to the shelter, I was exhausted and Minutia's leg was still bothering him. We took our time today with many rest and water breaks. We arrived at the Thistle Hill Shelter, MP 1724.6 at 5:15 pm, an 11.6 mile day in this hot humid weather. A pleasant surprise! Two gentleman I met last year in Virginia, "Hard Charger" and "Johnny B," are at the shelter and have been hiking to Hanover from Massachusetts to cover what they skipped last year. It was sure great seeing and talking to them again.
Date: 2012-07-15
From: West Hartford, VT MP 1729.6

To: Hanover, MP 1739.2, NH
Miles today: 9.6

Page 1 of 2Last evening, we offered Sarah, from Old Goat Outfitters, twenty dollars to deliver our maildrop boxes to the Sunset Motor Inn. When she arrived, she brought us 2 snicker bars and didn't want to accept any money. I forced a ten spot on her and we picked her brain for what lay ahead. The alarm was set for 6 am, but we were both ready to get up. We were planning to have breakfast at the Village Store where we got off the trail. However, the motel had a good continental breakfast and we were anxious to get started. We rigged our packs for the slack pack hike ahead and waited for the taxi.We talked to Hard Charger, Johnny B and Medic Mike. Not sure I talked about Medic Mike in yesterday's journal?   He had weighed over 400 lbs at one time, had gastric by pass surgery, lost weight and now weighs 220 lbs. To maintain his weight when off the trail, he walks 6 miles daily carrying a 40 lb pack over variable terrain. Needless to say, he has been having no problems with the hills in VT.The taxi arrived promptly at 8:30 am. Seamstress, Minutia, and I said goodbye to Hard charger & company and headed back to West Hartford to where we got off the trail.   The taxi driver was the same 81-year-old-cell-phone-talking lady-in-a-beat-up-clunker we had yesterday. Once again, it was quite the ride. The 1,000 foot climb went quickly with the light packs and we reached Happy Hill Shelter by 11 am. We covered 3.8 miles in roughly 2 hours. This shelter is the oldest location on the AT. The descent was easy, but long. Seamstress passed us when we paused to get water. She said she was going to stop in Norwich, get a bite to eat and would meet us at the CVS in Hanover.The AT turns into a 2.3 mile road walk through the town of Norwich, VT, over the Connecticut River (state line), and into Hanover, NH. I hate road walks! Nothing worse then walking on pitch black macadam on a hot humid day. Hanover is a pretty college town, home to Dartmouth College. The AT goes right through the business district. For lunch, Minutia and I stopped at Lou's which I had read about. I had a spicy bodacious "dragon" burger with hand cut fries and Minutia had a Ruben with baked beans. As we finished, Seamstress joined us and we all walked to the CVS together with one stop so Minutia could buy a twelve pack of PBR's. After a short wait, the motel owner picked us up and soon we were back at the motel for showers, laundry, and phone calls to home. As we finished our laundry, it started to rain and is cooling everything off nicely.We covered from MP 1729.6 to MP 1739.2 or 9.6 miles today.Tomorrow is a zero day. We plan to go into Hanover and wander around.