morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2022-08-08
From: Kay Wood Shelter

To: Cheshire
Miles today: 11.7
Weather: clear sky

I woke at 5.15 and hit the trail just after 6am.   I am keen to get a hustle on as the trail passes through the town of Dalton, Massachusetts in 3 miles and it has a well stocked gas station that opens at 6am. And that means a monster coffee and a big breakfast!The 3 miles are mainly downhill though there are the obligatory little steep climbs along the way. I imagine the AT route planner smiling as they detour the trail through every single lump of rock for 2200 miles. AT hikers generally agree that whenever unsure of where the trail goes at a junction, picking the nastiest rockiest and steepest route will generally be the right way. I sit on the wall of the gas station, happy with breakfast empanadas, a banana and coffee. Other hikers drift past, getting provisions for the days ahead. Gas stations are an oasis for hikers. I¢m on a short day, about 12 miles in total to Cheshire, where I have a shuttle (private taxi) picking me up and taking me to a hotel in North Adams tonight. It¢s not yet 8am and I hike up through thick woods towards the crystal mountain campsite about 4 miles away.   The AT in Massachusetts has forgiving soft terrain even on the climbs. There are roots and rocks but nothing like the rubble and boulder strewn trails in Pennsylvania, NY and NJ. I bounce into the campsite after a couple of hours sweating buckets and have a long break at the picnic bench, eating snacks, hydrating and catching up with family and football scores. The descent into Cheshire - it is always down into town - is shorter and steeper than the ascent,and rocky in places. I pick down it slowly feeling each step. By the time I reach town everything hurts but it feels good to get there. I buy an ice cream milkshake and wait for my ride.  Dave is a local and he drives the long way to North Adams to give me a view of Mount Greylock, the mountain I will summit tomorrow. In north Adams it¢s hotel, shower, and laundry followed by pizza, fries, Caesar salad and beer for dinner.  Stacking the calories!Dave¢s picking me up at 7am tomorrow to take me back to Cheshire so I can walk back here over Mt Greylock with just a small day rucksack and not my usual huge backpack.  (In the US, they call this slack packing.)Tomorrow will be the my full day in Massachusetts, before the AT enters Vermont.
Date: 2022-08-09
From: Cheshire

To: Route 2 Highway
Miles today: 14.6
Weather: clear sky

Dave is waiting outside my hotel at 7 with a daypack for me as promised.  It is raining as we drive back to Cheshire but dry when I start hiking. It¢s just under 15 miles today, 8 miles up to the summit of Mount Greylock, a ridge to a second mountain top, and then a steep downhill section of 3 or 4 miles. It¢s an amazing feeling hiking without my backpack, and I feel like I am almost floating.  It¢s such a nice feeling that I bounce up the highest mountain in Massachusetts like a jack rabbit.  Though I am slightly embarrassed when I meet Unicorn and Book Couch struggling up a steep section with full packs. It¢s cooler today, in the 70s and there are gusts of wind that suggest rain is coming.  I have a quick break at a shelter just over halfway up. And then just keep gamboling up to the summit where views can reach 90 miles on a good day.  Today is not a good day and it is a complete mist out at the top. I go to the lodge where I plan to have lunch and ¢¦.it is closed. Just a piece of paper on the door ¢can¢t be arsed to open because it¢s raining and we don¢t give a damn about hikers¢ or maybe it just said CLOSED, I can¢t remember. I¢ve only got 2 snack bars so it¢s going to be a long afternoon.  To improve matters it starts to chuck it down with rain. There¢s a tiny 4ft square of shelter under an arch and I dive in to find Laygo, a NOBO, already in there.  It¢s a very heavy shower and over the next few minutes two day hikers and Nighthawk (another NOBO) arrive soaked to the skin and huddle together with us. The day hikers have food and start feeding me and it¢s a sociable party for 15 minutes or so. Perhaps a more enjoyable party for the two of us that are dry?The rain suddenly stops and we all dash out to start along the ridge and down the mountain.The ridge walk is cool and I keep my rain jacket on to warm up.After the second summit, the descent is slippery. It¢s not too rocky but I have two near misses and then one comedy sliding fall. Just before town, I meet Nighthawk and we amble the last half mile to the  Route 2 highway where Dave is picking me up. No views but a good day and what turned into 15 easy miles with an actual hiking time of less than 6 hours.  A great day to slack pack. Back to normality tomorrow!
Date: 2022-08-10
From: Route 2 Highway

To: Seth Warner Shelter
Miles today: 6.9
Weather: overcast clouds

I wake in the comfort of a hotel bed, take a bath and then head out to buy enough food for up to 4 days out on the trail. At 10, I go to Mass MOCA for a wander around the contemporary art gallery housed in a series of huge warehouses for a couple of hours. It is excellent, particularly the three floors of Sol LeWitt artworks.  It is a relaxing and inspiring way to spend a morning off trail.  Batteries recharging!Dave picks me up at 1 at my hotel and drops me back on the trail.  At first, my pack feels worryingly heavy, partly because it has 4 days food in it. And partly because I hiked without it yesterday. Within an hour, the feeling of over heaviness had gone and I am (almost) bouncing along again. It¢s amazing how quickly the human brain and body react to and accommodate change. The first 4 miles are uphill, all fairly easy because of the forgiving  Massachusetts terrain. For me it¢s been the easiest and one of the most enjoyable states to hike on the AT to date. The are roots and rocks but enough decent footing to hike with your head up sometimes rather than always staring at your stumbling feet.As a sting in the tail, the final summit in Mass has me stumbling and cursing up and over a horrible jumble of leg sapping boulders for about 300 feet.  Part of my cursing is because there are no markings on the rocks so not only is it painful but also hard to figure which way I should be heading.  Straight up is usually right on the AT and that proves true yet again. After the summit, I leave the great Commonwealth of Massachusetts to enter the mere State of Vermont.  Vermont is famous for ¢¦.errr¢¦mud¢¦and despite the lack of rain recently it¢s my first experience of regular mud on the trail. Tonight¢s shelter is only 7 miles from my start point and I reach it after 3 hours or so.  There¢s a lot of hikers at camp tonight, both north and southbounders and it¢s a sociable meet and greet occasion where everyone smells bad.  I am happy to see Gummy Bear and The Mechanic, two great guys walking NOBO that I¢d like to stick around as they are good company. An enjoyable short day and I am in good spirits.  I might even be starting to enjoy myself?!
Date: 2022-08-11
From: Seth Warner Shelter

To: Route 9 , Bennington
Miles today: 11.6
Weather: overcast clouds

Up at 5.15 and out of camp at 6am. My plans for a 13.5 or a 21 mile day are kibooshed by a blocked water filter. I use my filter 3 or 4 times a day to fill water bottles from streams and in the heat it is a vital bit of kit. I need to replace it immediately and that means heading to the next town, which is Bennington, a mere 11.6 miles away.  On the bright side, I¢ll be visiting a town in Vermont for the first time in my life. And I like visiting trail towns¢¦Prince Charming (a nice lad from Nebraska) lends me his water filter so I set off with  1.7litres to last the day.  I make good pace and while I am walking I book myself a cheap $60 motel in town. Though the owner does ask me to ring back ¢at 8 when we open¢ when I first call at 7.15.  Jeez, I¢ve been up 2 hours¢¦I pass Beaver Pond. I see no beavers but it is a beautiful spot that makes me wish I could sit and watch the wildlife for an hour or two. Instead, I put some leg muscle into a long uphill section. I make the 7.2 miles to Congden Shelter just after 9am.  There¢s cell reception so I message with family and friends at home and check the football news. I also chat to Magic Hat and his friend  who are 1600 miles into their hike. I ask for their top tip and they tell me that would section hike the AT and not try and do it in one go.  If I asked them tomorrow or next week they¢d say something else.  Moods swing with the wind on the AT. The 4 mile drop into route 9 starts kind but turns mean. The last mile is a widow maker of jagged tumbling rocks. My thighs hop and my calves are cramping.  But word of trail magic at the car park keeps me focusing on the prize.  And in the car park, that prize is an ice cream sandwich and a Gatorade.A car pulls in and it is the free 5 mile shuttle to Bennington included in the $60 Catamount motel rate. The driver is the motel owner.The afternoon is spent going to Walmart for a new water filter.  In the evening, I got to town for food and beer.  Bennington is buzzing with a classic car ¢cruise in¢.  I love the car body and interior designs of yesteryear but in these times of rapid climate change the exposed engines might seem like a  human middle finger to the other occupants of our planet.  They are certainly a positive example of the human  ingenuity we will need to clean up the mess we¢ve made. And my mind jumps to the memory or the recent ¢e-fair¢ in Eastbourne showing the last electric bikes and cars.  Buffalo wings, pizza and beer are all excellent at the 421 restaurant and brew pub. I walk up the hill to my motel at 8pm filling full and ready for bed.
Date: 2022-08-12
From: Route 9 , Bennington

To: Story Spring Shelter
Miles today: 19.0
Weather: few clouds

I get a lift to the trail at 8.15 with nighthawk (a NOBO and dry stone waller by trade) and a Canadian hiker. The driver asks if we need any weed which is legal in Vermont.  We all politely decline. I am now around a bubble of hikers every day, some north and some southbound.  I don¢t see many people whilst hiking but I am aware of who is up front and who is behind me.  As I set off at the trailhead, another shuttle turns up with  Magic Hat and Racoon man. I want to push myself to do a few more miles today. So I work heard to keep pace with Nighthawk up the first climb.  And I keep working hard without a break for four hours and 8.9 miles to Goddard Shelter, just below the summit of Glastenbury Mountain, at 3750 feet. I have a good lunch for 45 minutes. in the shelter, bang on the trail with flowing water a few feet away. I miss the highlight of day, the great views from the fire tower because I am chased by a dog, which first appeared friendly and then not so much!  By the time I had escaped I was 0.2 mile past the tower, and I wasn¢t about to turn back  I crack on for another two hours of mainly downhill hiking through roots and rocks, with the occasional steep small up for variety. After two hours I stop at the Kid Gore shelter which boosts a great view, and catch up with Unicorn and Reading Couch.  A snickers and some water and I am off again. The last 5 miles of my day are a slog, though I have the sense of positive achievement of walking 19 miles today. A good effort over a sizeable mountain. The Fulhamish podcast keeps me going for the last hour. At the Story Spring shelter there are a bunch of Brits I have not met before. - Emma, Baby Goat, Snooze, and Summertime from the US. They are all nobos who¢ve been ill or injured and had to jump 500 miles or so up trail to ensure they finish the northern section before the ending of the trail closes in mid October. Magic Hat and Racoon Man arrive at the shelter about 90 minutes after me. They eat and push on in the dark to find a camping spot further up the trail. Christian - an older NOBO - comes in when it is pitch dark and sets up his tent expertly. He¢s from Boston, a very slow but also supremely  tenacious hiker.  It is due to be colder tonight, about 50F, so I have pitched my tent rather than sleeping in the shelter as I only have my summer quilt and a sleeping bag liner.
Date: 2022-08-13
From: Story Spring Shelter

To: Manchester
Miles today: 16.0
Weather: overcast clouds

I didn¢t sleep well as I¢d pitched my tent on a slope. The best spot available at the site when I got in. But not a good one!  It takes me 90 minutes to get going, and I leave at 7am. I am low on energy today. The first rocky scramble is a struggle, and despite the terrain being ok for the day ahead I am not feeling good. A sore back and knee and a lack of sleep make me grumpy.  A mile in I take a blue blaze shortcut to miss the main mountain of the day and lol at the quickest way to get into town.No cell reception means I can¢t ring for a hostel bed or listen to Fulham on the radio. When I do get through ti the only hostel in town it is fully booked.I trudge along over 11 miles (should have been 16)  of trail and then walk for 3-4 miles into Manchester, Vermont.  I am happy to see a few tents already pitched  at the Veterans from War (VFW) clubhouse.  They offer free camping, a portaloo and access to power and water. There¢s also a cheap bar to drink away my sorrows with three other through hikers.  After a few hours, I cheer up and plan to spend the morning in town  tomorrow, to sort my pack out, resupply and recharge my mood and energy level
Date: 2022-08-14
From: Manchester

To: Peru Peak Shelter
Miles today: 14.9
Weather: clear sky

I enjoy the early morning in Manchester. There¢s a great coffee shop where I get a 4 shot cappuccino and use their Wi-Fi for a video call with Fi and Jack. It¢s uplifting to see them and catch up on family news. I shop for supplies for four days, three nights and 55 miles in the Vermont wilderness at Price Chopper. It¢s expensive but it does have my main go to food items: wraps; salami, cheese, rocket, red pepper, packs of tuna and Idahoan mashed potatoes; and wide variety of energy bars. I get a shuttle to the trail from the folks at Green Mountain hostel for $7, and a few other hikers from the free camping at VFW also jump in. The big event today is a climb up and over Bromley mountain. Near the peak it opens to green pasture and there are great views all around. Some visitors have come up the ski lift for the view.  They are friendly and despite my smell they chat to me about my hike and take a photo for me at the summit. The next two lower summits of Styles Peak and Peru Peak have trees so no views. The rest of the afternoon is downhill to the spiffy Peru Peak Shelter.  I have an enjoyable dinner and breakfast with Shadow (a NOBO) and Ali, a teacher from Vermont who is hiking 50 miles of the Long Traill that follows the AT for  about 100 miles before heading up to Canada.
Date: 2022-08-15
From: Peru Peak Shelter

To: Greenwall Shelter 
Miles today: 15.2
Weather: light rain

I wake up early but turn over and go back to sleep. No rush today. My summer duvet is just about warm enough for nights around 50F. But I¢ll need my 20F quilt in a week or so. I eat breakfast with Ali and Shadow and hit the trail at 7.45.  Early enough for a 15 mile day with no major climbs. The first 6 miles passes Griffith Lake and offers lots of photo opportunities. There¢s a mile or so of duck boards which make for enjoyably springy walking. I filter water from Branch Brook and fill up my two water bottles. The next 3 or so miles to Lost Pond Shelter are slower as the hiking is technical with lots of roots and rocks and there is the chunk of rock of Baker Peak (2771ft) to scramble over.  This is tough enough to have a bad weather alternative but today with the rock dry I find my inner goat and get up and over it. I eat lunch at the Lost Pond shelter. The usual wrap of salami, cheese, red pepper and rocket. During lunch I write yesterday¢s journal. I walk along the lake for just over a mile and then fill up my water bottles before heading up the last 3.7 miles to tonight¢s shelter. The Greenwall shelter has no reliable  water source so I collect 2.5 litres for my pack. I go straight up a rocky climb which is harder with an extra 2.5kilos and my shoulders feel the weight.  It¢s a struggle. As are all of the next 3 or so miles of rocky undulating terrain.  I¢m shattered when I get to the shelter but glad to be here.  The AT in Vermont is great hiking with fine views.  The lack of almost any mobile signal makes it a true wilderness experience! Ali and Shadow make it too so another evening of good company Two more days and 26 more wilderness miles and I get to sleep in a bed!!
Date: 2022-08-16
From: Greenwall Shelter 

To: Governor Clement Shelter 
Miles today: 14.9
Weather: overcast clouds

I leave Greenwall shelter ahead of Ali and Shadow and almost immediately take a wrong turn, walking down 0.4 miles of steep hill to a car park.  As soon as I realise my mistake, I turn around and walk back up the rocky path. I stop for water at Bully Brook, having walked 1.6 miles rather than 0.8 miles to get there.  Despite my error, I remain in a good mood as it¢s my son¢s birthday and I¢m thinking happy thoughts. I pass Ali half way up the first hill of the day and catch Shadow just before Domed Ledge.  I¢m feeling good this morning and hike 9.1 miles to the shelter where I plan lunch.  Shadow arrives soon after me and we chat about his hunting in Michigan whist eating and resting up.  A family of Dutch tourists,  who are day hiking also make a surprise appearance. After lunch there¢s a wickedly steep but thankfully fairly short climb up to Beacon Hill.  The rest of the afternoon is mildly uphill as we edge towards Mt Killington.  It rains for an hour to liven things up. Like others, I hike faster, as I always seem to do when it rains.  Probably to get out of it!At just under 15 miles for the day, Governor Clement Shelter is a welcome sight. Though it¢s dilapidated, with no bear box and no picnic bench. For the second night in a row, I set up my bear line over a tree branch before making dinner. After dinner, I hoist my food, cooking pot and toiletries high enough to be out of a bear¢s reach. Shadow is here again and camps next to the shelter. I sleep on the floor of the shelter, alongside another Brit, Cadillac and his trail mate, Wizard.
Date: 2022-08-17
From: Governor Clement Shelter 

To: Rutland 
Miles today: 10.6
Weather: overcast clouds

I wake at 5.15 and it is dark. I use my head torch to potter over to the privy. On my way back I retrieve my food and wash bag from my bear line. No time for coffee this morning, so I eat a honey bun for breakfast and put some electrolytes in my water bottle and set out. It¢s a long two and a half hour climb to make the 2000ft up to the shelter near the summit of Mount Killington. I have a bite of a cliff bar and some water before I set off up to the summit without my pack, which I leave by a tent platform. It¢s a difficult, rock strewn  climb but worth it to be up at 4000ft for the first time. It¢s cloudy but the clouds are mostly below me. And despite the clouds there are spectacular views.  The descent is harder but I feel elated from the achievement. When I get down the remainder of my cliff bar has gone.  A chipmunk has had it and it keeps coming back whilst I make coffee to see if it will get more food. The Vermont chipmunks are more assertive than those elsewhere! I work hard for the 6 mile descent to catch a bus at 12.20 to Rutland.  I would have just caught the bus but I am lucky to get a ride with Shazam a finished thru hiker who has come back to see some friends. He drives me direct to my hotel and will not take money for gas. A hotel stay and a first shower for 7 days. Bliss!!
Date: 2022-08-18
From: Rutland 

To: Stoney Brook Shelter
Miles today: 10.0
Weather: broken clouds

I wake up in a hotel bed at 7am.  I take a shower and go down for the all you can eat buffet breakfast. It¢s not great quality but the quantity is good! I laze about in my room with ice on my knees until just before checkout time at 11.  I hop downtown to price chopper to buy supplies and to subway for a sandwich to pack for my  dinner. I catch a free bus to the trailhead.  It¢s 12.50 and I have 10 miles to walk to Stoney Brook Shelter.  After a couple of miles I meet Shadow and we compare notes on our town stays.  At 5 miles, I reach the highest waterfall in Vermont, and for half a mile there are lots of tourists. Amongst them a little girl gets stung by a bee and I stop to get my sting relief cream out of my pack for her. I plod very slowly up 1300ft of hill. I get a good rhythm going, changing the length of my step as the hill gets steeper but keeping the same cadence. The climb has several false peaks and seems to last for ever. But I make it without stopping. At the top, I throw down my pack, have a snack and some water. I listen to the Fulhamish podcast to get me through the last miles to the shelter. Shadow arrives not long after me and we have dinner together. I enjoy my 12inch all American club sandwich. Not usually a fan of subway, but up here it tastes good.  690 miles under my belt and I should pass 700 tomorrow.
Date: 2022-08-19
From: Stoney Brook Shelter

To: Stealth camp - A Hill in Vermont
Miles today: 14.5
Weather: scattered clouds

Up at 6am for a proposed 7am start but end up taking my time, writing yesterday¢s journal so that I can eat breakfast with Shadow, who slept late. I¢m on trail at 8, stopping to filter water after just 0.6 mile at a brook which is not flowing but has a deep clear pool.  There¢s no big mountain to climb today I have 4000ft of ascent to do in 14.5 miles. I change up my routine and listen to music this morning. Mostly 70¢s folk stuff like the Age of Aquarius which is oddly calming. I get up the first two long hot climbs and take a water break. Take my pack off and check in with home as I have 1 bar of mobile signal for the first time today. After another few sweaty miles of what seems like endless uphill, I stop at Outlook Shelter at 7.7 miles , climbing steps up on to the roof to a viewing platform. Great views but too hot to loiter, so I sit down in the shade, eat a twix and drink some water with electrolytes. The next few miles are a bit easier going. I stop for lunch at another shelter at 9.9 miles, taking a good 45 minutes rest  I eat my usual wrap for lunch. For dessert, I go with a peanut butter and dried blueberry wrap. Surprisingly good!  I manage to collect some water from a very slow running spring which is a relief as I was almost out. After lunch, I hike 4 miles through the usual green tunnel but also some beautiful open pasture with wildflowers and butterflies.  After a couple of hours I get to a road, and walk north for a few hundred yard to a farm shop. I gorge myself on ice cream, a fresh cranberry and orange muffin, a coke and a packet of crisps/chips.The last 0.7 mile of the day is up a steep hill to a flat camping spot in the woods. It¢s a nice place to be on a warm dry evening, with a gentle cool breeze as the sun goes down.  The lack of moisture in the air offers some respite from mosquitos and means my hiking clothes stay dry when hung out overnight. Shadow is with me and we¢ve now been hiking together for over a week.  Other hikers pitch up near us in the dark about 10.30pm.