morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2007-07-26
From: Story Spring Shelter

To: Manchester Center
Miles today: 21.1
Weather: clear sky

I hiked out early this morning and made it to yet another fire tower. Since I was alone, I took it slow and was able to hike all the way to the top! Yipppeee! It helped that the stairs were made of wood and not the metal "see through" type. But I did it none-the-less! I am proud of myself! I think I am overcoming my fear of heights. That is one of the things I wanted to do out here on the trail...face my fears. It feels great to be able to challenge myself and accomplish one of my goals.   Today was sunny, cool and breezy again. It was a bit hazy, so the view up top wasn't so great. But that's ok. I have alot of good views coming up in the north.      We are hiking along the Long Trail right now. It joins the AT at the Vermont/ Massachusetts state line for 105.2 miles and shares the same route. At the "Maine Junction", the AT leads toward Maine and the Long Trail continues north another 167.8 miles to the Canadian border. It is the nation's first long distance trail and served as an inspiration for the AT. Maybe someday I will finish this trail...although the northern part is supposed to be very difficult.      We did a 4 mph pace today when we heard from a SOBO (southbounder) that there was trail magic ahead. I couldn't believe the pace! We were laughing and a Long Trail hiker had joined us and told us we "rocked". He couldn't keep up with us! We rarely hike that pace, but every now and agin, I give WingHeart a "bring it on" look and he tries to loose me! HA! In his dreams! Poor Castanets just tries to hang on for dear life!   We met Mud Elephant again by VT 11. He shuttled us into town for resupply, laundry, food etc, the typical chores. He said it is like hearding cats! I think we need to get a little more organized.      Tonight we went to Johnny Seesaws for a shower and rest.
Date: 2007-07-27
From: Manchester Center

To: Bromley Shelter
Miles today: 2.0
Weather: scattered clouds

I got up early, had breakfast and we needed to finish our chores in town. I got my Croc fixed that I broke in Palmerton, PA...so I was happy about that. Castanets had his Camelback replaced free from EMS because he is through hiking! Pretty cool! We did laundry, picked up mail, groceries, grabbed lunch and even stopped to grab a beer! Awesome.      We didn't hit the trail until 4 pm today! Wow! We were going to hike alot further, but we had to cut our hike short substantially. So we only could hike to the first shelter. In hindsight I wish we would have hiked another mile, we could have watched a sunset and sunrise from Bromley Mountain...oh well.       We finally got into the shelter and there were a lot of people there. Sniper, Jew Dog, Trail Blaze, Bushwacker and a few SOBO's. Everybody was relaxed from being refreshed from staying in town. The atmosphere around the shelter was peaceful, and everyone seems to be in good spirits. Life is Good!      I just want to thank Mud Elephant for shuttling us all around Manchester and other places. Without the rides, we couldn't have done all the things we needed to do. Thanks Mud Elephant, you are the best!
Date: 2007-07-28
From: Bromley Shelter

To: Greenwall Shelter
Miles today: 22.6
Weather: moderate rain

I awoke today and man did I have the energy! I climbed Bromley Mountain like it was nothing! I saw the sunrise from the lookout tower...Gorgeous! Then I hiked to Baker Peak and climbed that! I made it to Big Branch shelter, swam in the river, ate and took a nap while I waited for WingHeart and Castanets.      Once they ate and rested and took a swim we headed out together. When we came to Little Rock pond, we were so hot, we jumped in the water again! Our clothes get so salty from the sweat, we are able to rinse them off while swimming. It doesn't matter that they are wet when we begin hiking again, because we are sweating so much, we get drenched anyway. So it feels good to get the trail dirt and sweat off of us. When we get into camp, we wash off and put on clean dry clothes for camp....at least I do anyway. Some hikers don't bother.      I started to get tired by the end of the day, probably because I went out so fast today. You can only do that for so long. WingHeart usually gets a second wind in the afternoon, usually when I am winding down, so it kind of helps me get into camp. I have tried going slower in the morning, but I still wind down in the afternoon. Maybe I need to eat more after lunch.      We made it to White Rocks Cliff and saw lots of rocks stacked up on each other. Really cool looking (photo to come). Hikers come by and stack them. Kind of fun.      We finally made it into the shelter. I ate and went to bed. I was tired (gee, I wonder why?)
Date: 2007-07-29
From: Greenwall Shelter

To: Swan Song Shelter
Miles today: 13.2

Climbed Bear Mountain and then headed down Claredon Gorge. A suspension bridge was there. I was able to cross with no problems. It was swaying and although I was aprehensive, I did fine. Climbing those towers is paying off!   I waited for WingHeart and Castanets to see if they wanted to go to the Whistle Stop Restaurant, we were famished. They said I read their minds! It seems we can't carry enough food for our appetites!   My eyes were bigger than my stomach, because when I waited for the guys , I had eaten my lunch and then some snacks. On top of that, I ate some pancakes, when it came time to hike, I was so full, I had trouble snapping my backpack on. Then it was straight uphill. UGH! I will never do that again! We were going to try to make it to Cooper Lodge six miles away, but I was tired. The bigger elevation changes are getting tough, especially on a full stomach!   Today we have hiked 1675 miles and have 500 miles left to go! we were so happy. We found a sign on a tree describing a secret shelter that was closer and on private property, so we went there. It was really really nice. It was 1/2 mile off trail, so that was not so bad. It had a great stream to clean up in and was wonderful. Lots of hikers showed up there.   I slept good and I am looking forward to climbing Killington Peak tomorrow.
Date: 2007-07-30
From: Swan Song Shelter

To: Inn at Sherburne Pass Trail
Miles today: 15.2

I awoke and felt great today. Another sunny cool day. Perfect! We have been so lucky with the weather! I hiked out with the guys but I felt so good they told me to hike on. We went from 1600 to 3900 feet elevation. When I got up to Little Killington, it was wonderful! The peak was off trail with some hand over hand rock climbing...great fun! I could see the ski resort and I took a lot of pictures. So beautiful. The mountains are really getting steeper. We made it to Cooper Lodge, It is a stone lodge with a great view. Wow! I am so glad we didn't climb this yesterday! The hills would have killed me!   The weather is sunny, clear and nice!    It was a short day today. We arrived at Sherburne Pass and went into the Inn. We were able to do our chores and actually relax a little, thanks to Mrs Gorp who ran us into Rutland and helped us out! Thanks Mrs Gorp!   I am glad it was a short day today. Tomorrow we are no longer on the Long Trail and we head east to New Hamshire, 486 miles to go!
Date: 2007-07-31
From: Inn at Sherburne Pass Trail

To: Stony Brooke Shelter
Miles today: 6.8
Weather: clear sky

I had a good talk with the guys about getting organized and getting everyones needs met not only for hiking, but also when we get into a town. It was a good discussion, and I am optimistic about how things will go. We are trying to work together as a team, so it is a good thing.   We hiked out of Gifford Woods State Park and had a root beer. It tasted sooo good. Then we hiked past Thundering Brook and Kent pond. It was beautiful. We stopped in at Mountain Meadows lodge and had lunch. They had a whole petting farm and the animals were so cute. They had a pot bellied pig who is four years old, named Alice. They had ducks, chickens, sheep, goats and a pony. All the animals roamed around freely on 6 acres. Very cute. They also had canoing and kayaking. I was so tempted to launch a boat in the water, but the guys wanted to push on. Oh well, perhaps another time. I keep missing the opportunity to kayak. I hope there will be a chance somewhere up north.   We ran into Mud Elephant again while he was volunteering for the crew of the Green Mountain Club. They are working with a crew from VYCC (Vermont Youth Conservation Corps) as well. They are constructing a boardwalk to Thunderhead Waterfalls, so it can be handicap accessible. Thundering Falls is supposed to be the sixth tallest waterfall in Vermont. It is part of Kent Brook and it flows out of Kent Pond to the north where the AT and the Long Trail split. The boardwalk leads to a working historical mill and it can encourage people to get their first AT experience because of the accessibility. In a couple of weeks, they will open this part of the trail and it will be relocated here. It was fun to meet the crew and thank them for all of their hard work.   Next, we climbed 2,550 feet up to Quimby Mountain and then back down to the shelter. It was a short day mileage wise, but also a good one.
Date: 2007-08-01
From: Stony Brooke Shelter

To: Vermont 12 - Dan Quinn
Miles today: 13.7

I hiked strong today - I left and saw Lakota Lake from the scenic viewpoint at 2640 feet elevation. Then onto Wintori shelter for another great view. The blueberries and rasberries are at their prime, so when we find a patch, we put a good dent in it!    We hiked into Vermont 12 and met Dan Quinn. He used to put up hikers many years ago, but since then he had stopped doing it because he is raising a family now. But he said we could stay in the barn, so we thanked him for his generosity. He was working on putting up a temporary fence to keep the foxes away from his chickens. We helped him put up a fence around his chicken coop as work for stay. It took us (WingHeart, Castanets, Myself, Aussie and Bicycle Barb) about three hours, but soon it was done. He was really happy and so were we.    We showered and ordered a pizza. MMMM good. Slept like a rock.
Date: 2007-08-02
From: Vermont 12 - Dan Quinn

To: Happy Hill Shelter
Miles today: 16.6
Weather: clear sky

Man today was hot and muggy before we even got started. The temps were in the high nineties. These kind of days are so draining. I went out slow and took my time. I climbed Cloudland and Thistle hill up to 1480 elevation. I noticed I was cranky because of the heat, so I lagged behind and hiked solo. Meanwhile, Castanets went out ahead and Bicycle Barb was back with me. Aussie was a little ahead of us and WingHeart was lagging behind as well. He doesn't like anyone hiking behind him. I guess it is the Ranger training he has had.   We hiked into West Hartfield and found a little store that sold ice cold sodas and ice cream. Just what we needed on such a hot day. After our short break, we hiked into Happy Hill shelter. There was no water and it was buggy there as the stream had dried up. We were trying to see if we could hike on further, but there wasn't much daylight left. We each had enough water to make it through the night and we could get some the next morning, so we stayed put.   All in all, it wasn't a bad day. Castanets said he was happy hiking alone, and finally understood why I liked to go out early in the morning and hike solo. He said he felt a lot of joy hiking that way. I am happy he was able to experience a hike like that. We are going to try to let each of us hike our own hike, with out being bunched in a group all the time. I hope this works out.
Date: 2007-08-03
From: Happy Hill Shelter

To: Hanover, NH
Miles today: 5.8
Weather: clear sky

We hiked into New Hampshire today! YAHOOO!!! Another state completed, and we are into the 13th state! Wow, I cannot believe I have walked through 12 states. I have hiked over 1732 miles. Unbelievable. Before we crossed the border though, we were coming down the road and we found wonderful trail magic. The Brain lived there and he finished his thru hike in July, so he had left us some watermelon and chocolate chip bread. It was wonderful. Thanks Brain!   After we crossed the Connecticut River into NH, we were in Hanover on the Dartmouth campus. There was a bronze plaque in the sidewalk near the greens. We took a picture and then proceeded to Lou's for their infamous breakfast. Bicycle Barb and I were the only ones who could finish!   We met WingHeart's kids - Jes and Jon, they are going to hike with us for the next couple of days. Since they had a car, they ran us around and helped us get our chores done. I re-loaded Castanets backpack as he has a new one now. I helped him get his his pack weight down to 35 pounds. Hopefully it will help his hike and he will be happier for it. WingHeart sent items home as well, they are going to share their gear. I have opted to keep mine, as my pack is fairly light (even though I don't have my winter bag or clothes yet). My stove it light and I only have a bivy sack so I don't feel like sending that stuff home at this point.   Later we went out to eat and celebrated WingHeart's birthday as it will be in a couple of days (on the 8th) and we may be in the woods and his children won't be there then. It was nice and the cake was really good!   We headed out to the soccor field where we are aloud to camp and went to bed early so we would be fresh and ready to hike in the morning.
Date: 2007-08-04
From: Hanover, NH

To: Trapper John Shelter
Miles today: 16.7
Weather: clear sky

So now there are six in our group. WingHeart, Castanets, me, Jon, Jes, and Aussie. Bicycle Barb has gotten off the trail. I hope she decides to come back some day and finish the last two states, but that is her decision.   We hiked along and Jon carried extra water for us. The next section is dry and we want to make sure we have enough. We left Hanover, home of Dartmouth College. The AT passes right through the center of Hanover, so it was convenient to get most services from the trail. We are heading to Trapper John Shelter. This shelter does have a good water source, so we will make it there alright.   At Three mile Road we saw a bear. He was a smaller one, and as soon as he saw us he ran off. I still don't have a good picture of one. Hopefully I will get one. I also want to get a good shot of a moose. There is still time.   We hiked uphill four miles to Moose Mountain and took picture. The elevation is a 2222. We hiked into Trapper John shelter. I was laughing at WingHeart and Castanets as they were bumping around and reminded me of Oscar and Felix in the Odd Couple. We all started whistling the tune to the sitcom. It was kind of funny.
Date: 2007-08-05
From: Trapper John Shelter

To: Hexacuba Shelter
Miles today: 12.0
Weather: broken clouds

I hiked out today and it was sunny, cool and clear. We went at a nice easy pace, as we didn't want to go out too strong, because of WingHearts kids. They haven't been hiking as long as we have, so we took it down a few notches. It was cool. When we arrived at Dorchester Road, there was an ice cream stand, but it was 7 am and it wasn't opened yet. Darn it!   We climbed up Smarts Mountain from 850 to 3200 elevation. I climbed up another firetower today...no problem. I could see Killington from the tower...very cool. We had lunch up there and that was relaxing. Then we hiked into the shelter. It was a hexagon shaped shelter. It slept 15 people, but soon there was 23 with all the Nobo's and Sobo's, so the other people tented. They are calling for rain, but we shall see. The weather is very hard to predict around here. The mountains seem to make their own weather at times, hard to predict, so you have to roll with it.   We are getting closer to the Whites...I am looking forward to hiking them as it is supposed to be one of the most impressive sections of the AT, offering magnificant views with miles of above tree-line travel. So exciting!
Date: 2007-08-06
From: Hexacuba Shelter

To: Hiker Welcome hostel
Miles today: 4.9
Weather: moderate rain

We all awoke this morning and we are planning on climbing Mount Cube. Elevation is 2911. It was fun going up,and the view is amazing. But on the horizon, we could see the weather beginning to form cumulous clouds. A storm was brewing, so we decided to hike on. We were going a bit slow as Jes was sore, so we took it easy. But then it began to rain. Jon and Aussie hiked to the car and the rest of us took it slow and got to where they parked the car on 25A. We still had another 10 miles to get to the hostel. A decision was made to get some food and then get driven to the hostel so we could dry out. In hindsight...I think it probably would have been better just to hike the 10 miles and then dry out...but, hindsight is 20/20 right?The thunderstorms started and we were warm and dry...and full. Tomorrow we plan to get shuttled back to 25A and hike the 10 miles we missed today. I am looking forward to it, and the terrain looks easy going, so I may push it a little.
Date: 2007-08-07
From: NH 25A

To: Hiker Welcome hostel
Miles today: 9.8
Weather: light rain

So today I decided to hike solo. I just need some time to think and sort things out. It's hard to get lost in my thoughts when others are always around. I had time to think, pray and I felt so good and the terrain was easy so at times I ran. I felt so free. It was beautiful. I felt such joy. It was soo much fun! I think I am going to hike alone again. I have forgotten how to hike my hike. I have forgotten how to get lost in my hike. I have not been able to "recharge my battery" lately. Instead I have been feeling drained. I thought I was supposed to "give" in order to be a part of a team...but I believe I have crossed the line. I need my space. Fly high Free Bird!   When I arrived at the hostel, I showered and was able to relax. Lots of people were coming in that I had not seen in a while - Kiwi, Sublime, Tom B, etc. WingHeart, Castanets and Aussie had discussed going ahead to Lincoln to use the internet. I was going to go, but something felt wrong. I didn't want to keep jumping around the trail. It made sense to use the net while it was raining and there is down time, but I want to just hike north, and stop hopping around. So I didn't go with them. I am sure I will run into them at a shelter sometime soon.   So, I stayed at the hostel, and got to visit all the hikers I have not seen for so long. It was fun talking with them again. We had hot dogs and soda for dinner compliments of Phat Chap. Thanks Phat Chap...it was goood.
Date: 2007-08-08
From: Hiker Welcome hostel

To: Jeffers Brook
Miles today: 1.1
Weather: light rain

Raining today. All the hikers are stir crazy because they want to hike. But we are about to climb Mount Mooselake and it is steep going down and there are rebars and steps in the rocks. Some of them are missing. In the rain it is really slick, so we are sitting it out. We are waiting for it to clear, if not, we zero.      So a bunch of us chipped in for some food and we made a grocery store run. We are going to grill cheeseburgers and have salad and french fries for dinner. The problem is, most of us are hungry now. So, some of us have decided to eat now and if it clears up, we are going to hike out to the next shelter.   I ended up hiking out and Sublime was behind me. It was only a mile to the shelter. It was nice and quiet. I got a good night's sleep.
Date: 2007-08-09
From: Jeffers Brook

To: Eliza Brooke Shelter
Miles today: 15.9
Weather: overcast clouds

So I am entering the White Mountains. Extra caution is taken here because thw weather changes rapidly above tree-line and you have to be prepared. I have my cold weather gear back, so my pack weight is heavier. I guess snow and ice is possible on the ridgelines, even all year round. So today I climbed up Mount Moosilake (elevation 4802). The north side of Mount Moosilake is noted to be slick, particularly in rainy or icy conditions. It is not raining, but it hasn't dried out completely from yesterday's rain. Some sections had rebar, rock steps and wooden blocks for footing. When I arrived at the top it was Fantastic! The meadow at the base of the southern side is the first pastureland I have encountered on the AT in this section. From the summit I could see Franconia ridge (which I will be climbing in a few days) as well as the rest of the Whites in the northeast. In the west I could see the Green Mountains that I have just crossed. It was spectacular!   On the steep decent the trail ran along cascade falls. Very beautiful and the sound as I was hiking was peaceful. I had slipped several times, but never fell. I found out later that every one had fallen at least several times that day. I guess I was lucky. (And my new shoes have good traction!) I hiked slow and steady and at times there was ropes to help with the decent. Thank God!   I was tired when I arrived at the shelter. As I was hiking in, I ran into Silver. She is hiking the Whites in sections and spending the night at her parents, so she is using a car. She was helpful in giving me information about the Whites. She said goodbye and hiked to her car. Then the hikers poured in, there was at least 17 hikers at the shelter. We heard it was supposed to rain this weekend, so everyone is heading for the hostel in Lincoln. Sounds like it will be crowded.
Date: 2007-08-10
From: Eliza Brooke Shelter

To: Chesters Rest
Miles today: 8.8

So I got to sleep in today and it was fabulous. I actually had some time to drink and enjoy a cup of coffee. Nice. I hiked out and took a slow casual pace. The sky was cloudy and I wanted to get up South Kinsman Mountain. It was hand over hand scramble in some places. The elevation is 4,358 for South Kinsman and 4,293 for North Kinsman. It was invegorating. The wind was blowing and the weather was cool. I felt wonderful. I really enjoyed hiking like this. The rock steps were steep with a 4 to 6 inch foothold and a 18 to 24 inch rise. Glad i have long legs. Other places were slanted granite with foothold chiseled out...just enough to get a step and then push up with your quads. Quite a workout! My legs were burning!   I got the the Lonesome Lake Hut and was able to get all you can eat muffins and coffee. Silver was there and offered to give me a ride to the free hostel. So we hiked three miles to her car, and she dropped me off. I was glad, as I didn't want to hitch a ride in alone. Thanks Silver.   I am staying at a great place. Chester was injured when a hikers stove blew up. He is leagally blind and in a wheelchair. But he offers his home to hikers and gives them showers, beds, and laundry in exchange, he asks that you clean for him. Everyone is more than happy to pitch in. It is wonderful trail magic.   I was going to just get cleaned up and then head back out to the trail, as the sun came out and now it is supposed to be a great weekend. But, I have decided to rest my legs and load up on some protien, so I am ready for the Whites. It is like all the hills in Georgia is combined with all the rocks in Pennslyvania and at a much steeper level. I love the challenge. I love the hand over hand climbing...but I cannot believe how difficult the trail is. These trails are at times marked as moderate to difficult. Wow - belive it! I have traveled over 1800 miles! 375 to go! Yahooooo - man it doesn't seem real.   So, I am not sure when I will have access to internet again, I have heard Gorham, which is close to Maine. Oh yea, speaking of which, the sobo's said a moose fell into a crevice in the Mahoosic Notch. It broke its leg and was there for days. It is so deep that they cannot get it out. I guess it has since died, but the carcass is there. They are waiting for buzzards to pick it clean. The nobo's are concerned when we pass that part of the trail that it will reak. They said there is ice there, and it doesn't smell....yet.