morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2014-06-23
To: Bennington, VT
Miles today: 18.5
Weather: overcast clouds

Left the comfort of our trail angels house around 9 and was on the trail at Rt 2 in North Adams by 9:35. We had an up to do first thing which included a boulder field. When we got to the intersection of the Pine Cobble Trail we took a quick break. From there it was a quick 1.7 miles to the VT border. Eleven states down - three to go (hard to believe). We stopped for lunch and Headbanger had written a thank you in the trail journal for the trail magic on Greylock. There were two section hikers there that told us of the trail magic at Rt 9 (thanks Dennis). After lunch we had another up to Consultation Peak. Ran into Squatch - who had interviewed me in Va - and did a follow-up. Although the weather was nice today - we had limited views. The best view was from Harmon Hill which overlooks Bennington. We finished the day doing a steep downhill to Rt 9 in Woodford and checked the trail magic across the street and it was empty. Happy & I hitched into Bennington and got a ride from two previous AT hikers. They dropped us off at the hotel and took off. Showered, changed and one of Happy's friends arrived and we all went out to dinner downtown. Also, passed the 1600 mark hiked on my hike. Gandalf
Date: 2014-06-24
From: Bennington, VT

To: Story Spring Shelter
Miles today: 19.0
Weather: moderate rain

Off to a late start this morning - just slow moving. Didn't wake up until almost 7. The Catamount Motel was great and the people running it were very accommodating. Steve - a trail angel - was there and at our service to take us wherever we wanted to go - and provided a ride back to the trailhead for free. Thanks Steve - you really are an angel. As we got to the trailhead and getting ready to leave another trail angel arrived to refill the trail magic and I knew him. It was my brother Dennis. So great to see you again. So by the time we said our goodbyes it was 10:45. The trail has a pretty good ascent out of Woodford but we were well rested. We knew we were going to have quite a few ascents in the first ten miles but it wasn't terrible. We stopped at Porcupine Ridge which had a good view and had lunch and then proceeded to the Goddard Shelter to get water - real good water. Met up with Cabo there. He was staying the night there. I continued up to the Glastonbury Fire tower where Happy was waiting. We had good views from there and could see Stratton in the distance. After a quick break we headed what we thought was downhill to the Kid Gore shelter. I think it was more up then down - but that is the way the AT goes. We took another quick break there and spoke to some Boy Scouts from NC that were doing a southbound section hike. We had another 4.9 miles to go to get to the shelter we were staying at. When we arrived The Senator, H2O, Andy, Dr D and Little L and a few more hikers were here. Weather was overcast with sunny breaks and cool. I'm hoping the rain holds off for our hike up Stratton tomorrow. Gandalf
Date: 2014-06-25
From: Story Spring Shelter

To: Manchester Vt
Miles today: 21.1
Weather: scattered clouds

Was on the trail by 7:45 with a quick 3+ mile hike to the Arlington. - Stratton Rd before we had to make the climb up Stratton. It was a little over 3 miles with some good ups in the middle. Once we got to the top fog had set in so there were no views from the tower. I was able to book the Green Mountain Hostel from the summit so at least I knew where we were staying tonight. We headed down 3 miles to Stratton Pond and had lunch - and spent quite a bit of time killing deer flies. After lunch we had 10 miles to go to make it to Rt 11/30 to get a ride into Manchester. Fairly flat terrain with some muddy spots but overall not bad. Stopped at Prospect Rock which has a nice overlook of Manchester for a break - but our break was cut short due to rain showers. It rained the remainder of the afternoon - but nothing real heavy. Made it to Rt 11/30 by 5:15 and started hitching. I think we had a ride in less than a minute from Logan - a resident of Manchester. Logan dropped us off at the market and within seconds the skies opened up and it poured for about 30 minutes. When the rain subsided, Happy and I went over to the House of pizza and got calzones. The hostel came and picked us up and we were able to shower and do laundry here. Here tonight are Uff Da, Trademark, Tree and Happy. This hostel is by far the best I have stayed in on the trail. Well worth the $25. Thanks to Dennis and Dianne for dropping off cookies, brownies and beer (which isn't allowed here). It hit the spot. Gandalf.
Date: 2014-06-26
From: Manchester Vt

To: Lost Pond Shelter
Miles today: 14.8
Weather: broken clouds

.We decided to Nero out of Manchester meaning we were in no rush to get going. It gave me a chance to charge all my electronics, make a few phone calls and eat my leftover calzone. When we finally got going it was after 11. The hostel dropped Happy & I off at Price Chopper so we could resupply. Ran into Twizzler when we came out if the market. I haven't seen Twizzler since the 1/2 gallon ice cream challenge. He was going to stay at the hostel tonight. We had run into a man yesterday that gave us his business card and said if we needed a ride to call - we did and he came and shuttled us back to the trailhead. When he left us off Mac (who we had been hiking with the past 2 days) was hitching into town - so he gave her a ride back. When we hit the trail it was 12:30 and our first up was to Bromley Peak. By the time we got to the top it was all fogged in and there were no views. We hiked a bit further to Mad Tom Rd and stopped to have lunch before our next ascent - Styles Peak. From the summit of Styles there was a view east of another ski area. Then it was down Styles and up Peru Peak. We took a break at the Peru Peak shelter with Tree, Trademark and Happy and then pressed on another 2 miles to Baker Peak where we had a nice view looking west - and the sun was out. We left there about 7:00 for the last two miles to the shelter. The weather was overcast with fog in some areas in the early afternoon and then the sun came out later. The terrain was muddy and the bog bridges slick so we needed to really slow down in certain areas. Here tonight with Happy, Tree, Trademark and three section hikers. Gandalf
Date: 2014-06-27
From: Lost Pond Shelter

To: Rt 103 Wallingford Vt
Miles today: 17.6

Was up by 6:30 and out by 8:00. A relatively easy day was the plan for today.We had a small up to Little Rock Pond passing by Big Branch Shelter on the way. We met up Andi and his family and Wind Screen at Big Branch and then stopped at Little Pond for a break. Little Pond was just as nice as I remembered and the day was was very nice weather wise making for some nice pictures. After Little Pond we hiked up to White Rocks and took the side trail to the vista for lunch. While there Happy came up with the thought of slack packing so we called TJ to pick us up at Rt 103. In order to meet TJ it meant we had to hike 8.9 miles in 2 1/2 hours - no problem - we were 15 min early. The trek included gong up and down Bear Mtn and a slight up after the Minerva Hinchley Shelter. TJ picked us up and had subs, soda and beer for us. We dropped Happy and Tree off at the Yellow Deli and I came to the Moran Hostel for the night   I met Happy and Tree for a couple of drinks at Mucks and then headed back to my personal hostel. Perfect day to hike although a bit more mud to plow through. Still can't believe I'm in Rutland. Gandalf
Date: 2014-06-28
From: Rt 103 Wallingford Vt

To: Rt 4 Killington Vt
Miles today: 17.4
Weather: overcast clouds

We picked up Happy and Tree at 8 and headed to Gil's to get subs for lunch and then to Dunkn Donuts for some breakfast. TJ left us off at the trailhead at Rt 103 and we started hiking before 9. The first mile was some of the tougher terrain that we have seen in quite awhile. I worked up a sweat - and that was with a light pack. I could only imagine how it would have been with a heavy pack. We stopped at the Clarendon Shelter for a quick break and then we had some more up after that. We got to one section where the trail is rerouted due to damage from Hurricane Irene (3 years ago). We ignored the reroute - which was road walking - and continued on the trail. Within 100 yards we came across the sign "Katahdin 500 miles". There was also a note in the log/register that stated if we were caught on that section we would be forced to retrace our steps. We didn't see anyone. After the reroute we came to the Gov Clement Shelter where we stopped for lunch. We spoke with some section hikers - Moose Spotter and Toad Spotter - who we had met in the 100 mile Wilderness last summer. Uff Da was also at the shelter and we all left together to head up Shrewsbury Peak. It was a steady up to the summit and then a nice hike over to the Cooper Lodge. To get to the top of Killington was a .3 rock scramble - but the views made it worth it. We still had 6 miles to go to get over Pico and get down to Rt 4. When we made it to the trailhead someone had left 4 bottles of cold Long Trail beer. We grabbed those and headed to the parking lot as I knew that both Joe & Ellen were in the area and that Darren had hiked Pico - so I was hoping to catch up with them. As we arrived in the parking lot - Joe & Ellen drove in - about 10 minutes later Darren pulled in. Darren had just given Uff Da a ride to Rutland. It was so good to see everyone. Darren headed out, but we all went to the Inn at The Long Trail for a couple cold ones and a bite to eat. We dropped Happy and Tree back at the Yellow Deli and TJ & I came back to the Moran Hostel for my second dinner. Gandalf
Date: 2014-06-29
From: Rt 4 Killington Vt

To: Rt 4 Killington Vt
Miles today: 0.0

Today was a zero day. Not too much happening - I resupplied and rested. In the afternoon TJ, Tree and I went to the Long Trail Brewery and did the self guided tour. It was relaxing sitting by the river with a cold beer and good friends. Gandalf
Date: 2014-06-30
From: Rt 4 Killington Vt

To: Stony Brook Shelter
Miles today: 10.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Busy morning trying to get my credit card unlocked, packing up my gear and getting to the Post Office (thanks Kelly and MMRF for the sweets - they was great). It was time to leave Rutland. TJ offered to slack pack us 5 miles and hike with us those miles. He had some errands to do so we didn't leave until 11. We picked up Happy and Tree at the Yellow Deli and went to the deli at Killington to get sandwiches for the hike. We headed up the AT while TJ dropped the car and got a ride back to the Inn at Long Trail. We all met up at Deer Leap - a rock formation with great views above the Inn. The hike from there was pretty much downhill past Griffith Park, Kent Pond and Thundering Falls - where the car was parked. We switched to our full packs and said goodbye to TJ and started our mile ascent up Quimby mountain. It kicked our butts! We hiked another 5 miles to Stony Brook Shelter and took a break. It was another seven miles to the campsite where we intended to stay but we decided to stay here and get up early tomorrow to hike the additional miles. The weather today was warm and sunny with a nice breeze atop Quimby. Here tonight are Happy, Tree, H2O, Cornelius (formerly The Senator) and two section hikers (Jenny & Emily)that we met at Lost Pond Shelter last week. I need to thank TJ (and Nicole) for letting me stay at their house while in Rutland and for shuttling us around between slack packing and our zero day. You guys rock. Also, as you probably know, I have dedicated this hike to Paula Guerin and to raise money for the MMRF. Rutland was Paula's home town and I was happy to see her sister and some family while here. Thanks to all that have contributed to this charity. If you wish to contribute - go to this link (http:\\www.tinyurl.com\MMRFsaint). Gandalf
Date: 2014-07-01
From: Stony Brook Shelter

To: Cloudland Farm
Miles today: 19.0
Weather: scattered clouds

We were on the trail before 6:30 as we were trying to do a big day. By 7:30 we could already feel the heat and humidity. It turned out to be one of the hottest days on the trail. We stopped at The Lookout - a building that has a staircase that goes up to a platform on the roof. The view was pretty good although there was some haze. We ended up staying there for 1 1/2 hours. Out next stop was Winturi Shelter where we met Cornelius, H2O and Tinder. We stayed there for about an hour and snacked. I was packing my pack when everyone left and they flew down to Rt 12. I never caught up with them so when I got to Rt 12 - I crossed the street and headed up the hill. Apparently they all went to a store and got ice cream and soda. I continued all the way to Cloudland Rd. There were quite a few ups and downs (VT version of the Roller Coater?). I met Ian and Dean and their dog. The last time I saw them was in Front Royal. Also met Puma who is doing a section hike from Bennington to Katahdin. When I got to the road I walked .2'miles up the hill to the restaurant - only to find it closed. I decided to take a break and dry things out when the owner stopped by. He had his daughter come down and open the store so I could get ice cream, cheese and a soda. Ian and Dean showed up as well as Happy, Tree, Cornelius and Puma. The owner told us we could camp on his farm so Happy, Tree, Puma and I are here for tonight.   Gandalf
Date: 2014-07-02
From: Cloudland Farm

To: Norwich VT
Miles today: 14.7

It rained a little during the night but cleared by morning. We were on the trail by 8:30 and knew that it was going to be another hot and humid day. It was a pretty good up to Thistle Hill shelter and we took a break there. Met up with Cornelius and H2O and a couple other hikers. We left there and headed to West Hartford. The White River runs through West Hartford and did some serious damage during Irene in 2011. Some hikers jumped off the bridge into the river - some just went for a swim. I sat in the shade at a trail angels house across the street from the river. She made us scrambled eggs, toast, left over chicken and fruit to go with free sodas. It was amazing. We met up with Boomerang who is a thru hiker who is already up in Lincoln but has taken a few days off and is shuttling hikers. He offered to slack pack us to Norwich - that made our day. We left West Hartford and headed up Happy Hill. It was so hot - not sure how I would have been able to hike with a full pack. As we were getting close to the road we could here thunder in the distance. As soon as we got to the road the skies opened up and we got soaked. We had about a .2 mile hike to the house that we are staying at. Our host Warren Taylor showed us around the house and then we started showers and laundry. Warren drove us into Norwich so that we could get some beer and a pie for Happy's birthday. Tree had pizzas delivered so we ate that for dinner and all of us were too full to eat the pie - guess what we're having for breakfast. Besides Happy, Tree and me there are two SOBO hikers here along with Dorothy and Rocket girl. Gandalf
Date: 2014-07-03
From: Norwich VT

To: Hanover NH
Miles today: 3.2
Weather: scattered clouds

Decided to zero/Nero in Norwich today due to the impending storms. We lounged around Warren's house and had apple pie with ice cream for breakfast (Happy's birthday pie) and had coffee with ice cream in it. We left shortly after noon to walk into Hanover and to cross another state line. Twelve states down and only two left to go. We hiked with Santa, Texaco and Legs and met up with Two Forks, Bangarang, Dorothy and Rocket Girl at the border for a group photo. We continued into Hanover and ran into Finn who I haven't seen since Damascus - plus a few other hikers. We stopped by a gelato shop and each of us got a large gelato to go and then walked over to Animal House on the Dartmouth College campus. While Tree and Happy went to get haircuts I went to CVS to purchase a new phone charger (as mine got wet in the rain yesterday) and stopped by the North Face store and purchased a SMALL pair of shorts for hiking. We stopped by a local tavern - Molly's - for lunch and a couple of Switchbacks and then headed to the Co-op to resupply. Sarah (Warren's daughter) picked us up and brought us back to Norwich. The evening consisted of watching an intense storm with heavy rain blow through while we were sitting on the porch - dry!Back to the trail tomorrow - it's been a great Nero day. Gandalf
Date: 2014-07-04
From: Hanover NH

To: Goose Pond Rd, Lyme NH
Miles today: 13.2
Weather: scattered clouds

We were up and ready to go by 8:30. Sarah was giving us a ride to the trailhead in Hanover. I need to say thanks to the Warren Thayer family who put us up for two days and shuttled us around to do our various errands. You were great hosts and made us so comfortable while staying with you. We are indebted to you. We left under overcast skies (after realizing that we had left our pepperoni and cheese in the fridge back at the Thayer's). We stopped for a quick lunch at one of the road crossings and then headed up Moose Mt. By the time we arrived at the shelter the rain was coming down pretty steady. We waited there for about 30 minutes while talking with Tractor and Fat Man Walking (two section hikers) and then we headed out under heavy rain. We were about a half mile from Goose Pond Rd when I took a bad fall. I hit my right thigh pretty hard on a rock. It took a few seconds for me to get my pack off and get to my feet. Well that didn't last long - apparently I blacked out and hit my head on a rock when I hit the ground. Thankfully both Tree and Happy were there to assist. They held pressure on the wound and when the bleeding stopped Tree crazy glued it. Happy took my pack and his pack down to the road. Tree and I started down the trail after a few minutes - but didn't make it far as I started to get dizzy again. After about 15 minutes I was feeling much better and Tree & I continued down the trail. On the way we met up with what we thought was a section hiker that we stopped and asked about Happy. That was when we found out he was one of the first responders looking for me. When we gout of the woods we were greeted by quite a few people. They evaluated me in the ambulance and gave us a ride back to Hanover. Thanks to all who showed up to help me today - you guys were great. We are in a hotel in White River Jct recuperating. The head is fine but has a good size bump and the thigh is sore and will most likely hurt more tomorrow. All is wellGandalf
Date: 2014-07-05
From: Goose Pond Rd, Lyme NH

To: Goose Pond Rd, Lyme NH
Miles today: 0.0

All is OK. I had expected to have a headache and issues/stiffness walking this morning, but all seems OK. There is some soreness on my right thigh but it will figure itself out tomorrow. We had breakfast at the hotel and then headed to West Lebanon NH to resupply and to grab some lunch at Chili's. The rest of the afternoon was spent either napping or sitting by the (filled in) pool. Weather was sunny and windy - a perfect day to hike, but we didn't. Relaxing, watching TV and eating ice cream - I'm getting comfortable with these zero days. Back to the trail tomorrow. Gandalf
Date: 2014-07-06
From: Goose Pond Rd, Lyme NH

To: Hexacuba Shelter
Miles today: 14.7
Weather: broken clouds

Had breakfast at the hotel and the taxi picked us up and brought us back to Goose Pond Rd. We were on the trail before 9 and my plan was to take it slow. It turned out that I felt ok on uphills and needed to take my time on downhills. We climbed up to Holts Ledge and had some nice views. We took a break there and enjoyed them before we headed down. We arrived at Bill Ackerley's house around 10. He gives free ice cream to thru hikers and we ended up playing a game of croquet with him. He obviously plays more than we do as he kicked our butts. We left Bob's house and started our ascent to Smarts. Mountain. It was steep but fairly brief ups. When we got to the top we climbed the fire tower and had views of where we had just hiked and where we will be in a few days. After an hour break on Smarts it was time to head to the shelter. On the way we past Eastman Ledges where we had a good view back to Smarts Mtn. We took a quick break and then headed the last .8 mile to Hexacuba Shelter. The day was sunny, cool and breezy all day making for a nice hiking day. The trails had dried out considerably although there was still some muddy areas. Here tonight with Happy, Tree, Coco, Seymour and Dakota. Gandalf.
Date: 2014-07-07
From: Hexacuba Shelter

To: Hiker Welcome Hostel, Glencliff NH
Miles today: 15.7
Weather: overcast clouds

We were out by 8ish this morning. The weather forecast had called for rain but it was nice in the morning. We headed up to Mt Cube which was only a mile or so away. We took a break at a vista that we thought was the top. We soon found out that the top was another .5 up the trail. We continued down to the road and stopped for lunch. We met a SOBO (Sandals) who had started on 6/1. After lunch we headed up Ore Hill which was quite buggy and then down to the road. We took another break and that was when the skies opened. We hit the trail to duck out of the rain. Parts of the trail were just mud swamps. There was no way our shoes were going to stay dry. We hiked up and down Mt Mist and made it to Rt 25 by 5. The hostel is .4 south on Rt 25 and when we got here UffDa, Tractor and Fat Man Walking were here. We changed into dry clothes and headed into Warren to resupply and eat. When we got back more hikers were here including Moose, Kamikaze, Trail Wife, Prom Queen and Dakota. Some of those hikers headed off to a nearby shelter and the rest are staying. Starting the Whites tomorrow with Mt Moosilauke. Gandalf
Date: 2014-07-08
From: Hiker Welcome Hostel, Glencliff NH

To: No Woodstock, NH
Miles today: 8.4
Weather: broken clouds

I ended up moving outside and tenting last night as the snoring and mosquitoes finally got to me. Ended up having a nice nights sleep. We all got up around 5:30 and ate breakfast. There is this tradition that thru hikers hike Mt Moosilauke in dresses. Not one to buck a tradition I went along with the idea. Tree's mother picked out three dresses from Goodwill and sent them to the hostel. It was fairly easy to figure out whose dress was whose as Tree needed the longest dress and I needed the smallest. We had a photo taken before we left the hostel and then we hit the trail by 7:30. It was a tough hike up Moosilauke under overcast skies and fog. When we got to the summit the weather was the same. We hung around the summit for awhile and then headed down. The down was very steep (I think it is the steepest descent on the AT). We stopped several times to take pictures of the waterfalls. When we got to the trailhead a shuttle took us to the Heger condo at the Village at Loon. Shortly after arriving I heard from Chett who just happened to be backpacking in the Lincoln area. He stopped by with the kids (and ended up staying the night). Chett brought us in town to get food and a small resupply. He will also bring us to the trailhead tomorrow morning. Gandalf