morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2016-07-13
From: Mt. Wilcox North Shelter

To: Upper Goose Pond Cabin 
Miles today: 14.0
Weather: few clouds

Jul 13, 2016 - The three of us wanted to continue putting in big miles, but we also heard great things about the Upper Goose Pond Cabin, which was only 14 easy miles away. It was yet another early start and a quick exit from camp to escape the unrelenting bugs. I caught up with Lucky, Lolly and Cal only to find out that at the lake between the North and South Wilcox shelters, I had missed a moose taking a drink from the pond. Unfortunately, I had already passed that pond yesterday. Great P and I reached the first road crossing where I intended to grab some water before our first and only climb of the day. A chalkboard sign on the side of the road caught my eye and I discovered a little wooden closet filled with sodas, Gatorade, snacks, fresh eggs and a power strip so hikers could charge their phones. Two children kept the closet stocked and asked hikers to pay a small amount for each item using the honor system. It was a pretty cool set up and I gladly left a dollar for a cold Mountain Dew. Scarfoot, Longcloud, Scavenger, Lucky, Lolly and Cal joined us just as we were about to continue hiking. It was actually a very nice day so we had no problem hanging out by the closet and chatting for a while. With help from my Mountain Dew, I crushed the only mountain standing between me and the Upper Goose Pond Cabin. The cabin was a half mile off trail and situated next to Upper Goose Pond. This place was beautiful - it had 17 bunks with mattresses, a living room with a fireplace and kitchen table downstairs, a kitchen, a covered porch, picnic tables everywhere, two privies and campsites out back. The place was taken care of by a couple: Paul and Wendy. After some introductions, I set up my tent (the bunks are still not worth the risk of snorers) and then ran down to the lake to rinse the filth off as best I could. The water was unbelievably refreshing and I treaded water as long as my diminished upper body could. Peach and I then signed out one of their canoes and paddled out to the island in the middle of the lake. He wanted to race back - he would swim and I would row the canoe. Of course, I won and he nearly drowned during the underestimated 300-400 yard swim back to the shore. I made an early dinner and just relaxed for the rest of the afternoon while I read some of the outdoor magazines left on the coffee table inside. Finally, we got a game of Monopoly going on the porch with Peach, Great P, Scarfoot and Scavenger. WhileI successfully negotiated a few blockbuster trades, Great P quietly built houses on the yellow spaces and crushed everyone in less than 90 minutes. It was probably the fastest game of Monopoly I've ever played. At least Scavenger didn't win. 14
Date: 2016-07-14
From: Upper Goose Pond Cabin 

To: Tom Levardi's Backyard / Dalton, MA
Miles today: 20.6
Weather: scattered clouds

Jul 14, 2016 - Paul and Wendy made blueberry pancakes and coffee for the 5 of us in the morning. Paul is a pastry chef so, needless to say, his pancakes were pretty awesome. Breakfast was before 7 so we were still able to start hiking early after our very satisfying stay at the cabin. I've said it before, but it's places like Upper Goose Pond Cabin that make the AT so unique. It was tough to get into hiking this morning. Lately, this has been happening much more frequently. While I'm definitely still enjoying the trail, my enthusiasm has been waning a bit. The heat, humidity, bugs and general wear and tear on my body makes it a lot harder to get excited about hiking 20 miles every morning. I've heard that most hikers just want to finish as they get closer to Maine and I'm starting to understand why. We only had one tough climb during our 20.6 mile hike into Dalton, MA (the trail runs right through the center of town). Otherwise, the walk was quick and easy - we arrived around 3 pm. We knocked on the door of Tom Levardi, whose house was directly on the trail, and asked if we could camp in his backyard. He's been allowing hikers to camp there for 36 years now. Tom went above and beyond by doing our laundry and driving us to the supermarket for a resupply and the Chinese buffet where he joined us for a large meal. We also borrowed his bikes and rode to the Dalton CRA, which offered free showers. After 7 days without one, you can imagine how wonderful it was. Helton, one of the Warrior Hikers (he had to leave the trail due to an aneurism in his abdomen), lives in MA and drove down to meet us. It was great to see this guy again though it's a shame he had to leave the trail. We went to the local pub (Jacob's) and were joined by Rafiki, Zippy, Goat (it's always cool meeting people with similar or the same names), and Colonel Mustard. The latter two were from Montreal and were some of the first hockey fans I've met on trail. It was a relief to finally be able to speak the same language with them. Things escalated quickly at the bar and it was very late before we called it quits and headed back to Tom's for the night.
Date: 2016-07-16
From: Crystal Mountain Campsite

To: Sherman Brook Campsite
Miles today: 20.9
Weather: overcast clouds

Jul 16, 2016 - When I woke up, I immediately remembered the disaster that was last night. I shakily stepped out of my tent to survey the extent of the damage. I noticed that the small pond that had been my tent site had receded into the ground and I saw my fourth tent stake sticking out of the ground. With a little digging, I also uncovered my knife, which I totally forgot about last night. The only items in my pack that miraculously stayed dry were my dirty pair of socks, my electronics, my toilet paper and my book. So, basically, nothing was damaged beyond repair, which I was grateful for. I packed everything up and hung what I could off the side of my pack to dry as I walked. Today, we would be hiking over Mt. Greylock - the highest point in MA at 3491 feet tall. However, the first thing we did was descend 4 miles into the town of Cheshire, MA to grab a coffee at the Dunkin Donuts there. We relaxed for a bit, used the facilities and charged up our phones before starting the 8 mile ascent to the summit of Greylock. A strong breeze made the ascent extremely enjoyable and even drove away the constant. deer flies. At the top, I sat down outside the Bascom Lodge they have up there and caught my breath. Legs and Verge met me there along with Great P and Princess Peach, who would be having lunch with his friend Albert. Great P said the ranger directing traffic said something about Trail Magic at the end of the parking lot. Naturally, we investigated and met Susan and Mike from Boston. Their son had hiked the PCT last year and he had guilted them into doing some Trail Magic. With McDoubles, chips, clementines, soda and iced tea, they asked us if they were doing it right. Regardless of the fact that they drove 2 freaking hours from Boston on a Saturday simply to give food and drink to complete strangers, we assured them they were killing it. On the way back to the lodge, Legs and Verge invited us over to yet another car where their friend from school, Nate, met them to provide more Trail Magic. This guy had a delicious homemade pasta salad, fruit salad and homemade cookies. These cookies were huge, yet he managed to cook the moist center all the way through without even slightly burning or overlooking the edges. I was impressed. Finally, we resumed hiking and descended into North Adams, MA, which the trail passed directly through. We made camp just 2 miles north of town at the Sherman Brook Campsite to complete a 20.9 mile day. Despite wet wood, a fire was necessary to drive away the pesky deer flies. I ran down to the sizable stream to do a full body rinse and before you know it, it was time for bed. Most of my stuff managed to dry off while I prepared dinner and the temperature dropped ensuring a comfortable night in my tent.
Date: 2016-07-17
From: Sherman Brook Campsite

To: Melville Nauheim Shelter
Miles today: 18.4
Weather: overcast clouds

Jul 17, 2016 - It rained again last night, but, needless to say, my tent was pitched in a much safer spot. Still, after my disaster 2 nights ago, the rain made me a little paranoid and I kept expecting something to go wrong. As I crossed into Vermont, the sign for the beginning of the Long Trail appeared. The Long Trail is the oldest long distance hiking trail in the United States. It starts at the border of MA and VT and makes its way north to the US - Canada border. The AT shares the Long Trail for 105 miles until both trails go their separate ways near Killington. I had a pretty standard 17 miles to the road crossing for Bennigton, VT. Standard, except for the fact I took the wrong trail for about a mile before Slim Rims realized our mistake (The Count of Monte Cristo is heating up big time and the drama has distracted me recently), and Great P fell off a boardwalk to soak his entire boot in a marsh. We took a long lunch by a stream so it could dry out a bit. Oh AND I crossed 1600 miles AND I crossed into Vermont, my twelfth state on the AT! My song when I bounded past the border was, of course, Mother, We Just Can't Get Enough, which I just can't get enough of after 1600 miles. So, actually, it was an extraordinary hike rather than standard. At the road crossing, Steve called me over to his car and offered me soda, Gatorade and fruit. By talking to him, it sounds like he has a lot of free time and does Trail Magic around 4-5 times per week. He knew all the hikers names ahead of us and told us of his aspirations to hike the trail himself when he retires in 2 years at the age of 60. Steve offered us a ride into town to do a small resupply (I probably had enough food to last me until Wallingford, VT, 66 miles away, but I hate having to ration my food).. Great P and I also got some pizza to put my count at 144 slices. Peach hitched into town separately and did infinitely better than us - he found a brewery I missed, Madison Brewery and Pub. I was peeved that I missed a brewery so close to trail as I continue to Brew Blaze. Peach did forget to ask for a sticker though. Once back at the road crossing, a steep 1.4 miles brought us to the Melville Nauheim Shelter where we called it a day. I only got bit by 2 mosquitos that night making VT immediately better than MA.
Date: 2016-07-18
From: Melville Nauheim Shelter

To: Story Spring Shelter
Miles today: 17.4
Weather: broken clouds

Jul 18, 2016 - Standing in our way today was Glastenbury Mountain, which stands at 3748 feet. A gradual uphill spread out over several miles brought us to the top, which was densely covered in conifers. The summit did have a tall fire tower, though, that was unlocked at the top. I dropped my bag, ran up the stairs and watched as I crested the tree line to a panoramic view of the surrounding mountains. To the north, I could see Stratton Mountain and Bromley Mountain beyond, both distinguished by their ski slopes. I ate a quick lunch at the top of the tower and then continued hiking. Our goal for the day was a river 20 miles away from where we started, but thunderstorms soon changed that. The rain started coming down and I was soon pretty soaked, but that didn't stop me from stopping at every pond to check for signs of moose. I've been seeing their tracks in the mud recently, but so far, they have only served as a tease. I met Peach at the Story Spring Shelter 17.4 miles in and we decided to call it a day on account of the rain. Of course, immediately after we made our decision at 2 in the afternoon it stopped raining and the sun came out. However, shoes and socks had been taken off so there was no going back. Great P and I set about making a fire with the wet wood. I made a layered teepee and stuffed a large pile of dry birch bark in the center. Even with the wet wood, the birch bark burned so furiously that we had a fire in practically no time at all. The smoky fire drove away all the deer flies and made the afternoon very enjoyable. Jellydog stopped in for lunch, who we hadn't seen since Tennessee, and we had a chance to catch up with him. Shortly after he left, Legs and Verge showed up and decided to stay basically ensuring we would have a good time - it's literally impossible not to with these two. We also had an older gentleman hiking the Long Trail decide to stay - his name was Cardinal65. I speak for everyone when I say the first thing that entered everyone's mind was that 'Cardinal65' was an AOL screen name. He was nice enough, but literally took notes of everything we said for his "book". There were also 3 other Long Trail hikers there - Ben, Piper, and Sara - that we kept running into, though they never seemed to want to hang out around the fire.
Date: 2016-07-19
From: Story Spring Shelter

To: Bromley Shelter
Miles today: 23.1
Weather: clear sky

Jul 19, 2016 - Today, I was pretty excited to hike up and over Stratton Mountain at 3936 feet - it just feels cool to be hiking up a ski mountain before ever having skied there. The weather was freaking unbelievable with temperatures in the 70s and a consistent breeze. I practically ran up the mountain as the weather had me so jacked up with adrenaline. There was another fire tower atop Stratton where I realized that while we were on Stratton Mountain, the ski slopes were actually on North Stratton Mountain, which was the peak just north of where I was. There was also a plaque at the summit explaining how the view from Stratton was what gave Benton McKaye the idea for the Appalachian Trail back in the 1920s. The view, the excellent weather and the terrain I was hiking through really impressed upon me how beautiful Vermont actually is. My favorite place in the world is easily upstate NY near Schroon Lake and Lake Placid. Well, Vermont was nearly identical and I just couldn't get enough of it. The bugs had decreased, the weather had cooled down significantly, the ponds and lakes are crystal clear, clean and refreshing, the woods are filled with beautiful birches and sweet smelling pine trees, and the towns are small and welcoming. Three days in and Vermont is easily my favorite state on the trail so far.After Stratton, I hiked past Stratton pond and couldn't resist taking my clothes off and swimming. The air was cold and Peach insisted on staying dry, but as soon as Great P and I dove in, we were joined by Lucky, Lolly, Cal, Piper, Peach, and Slim Rims. Eventually, I got moving again and several hours later, I arrived at Route 11 where I hoped to catch a ride into Manchester Center, VT with Great P and Peach to do some laundry. The laundromat was right next to the Mountain Goat Outfitter (I showed my battered Darn Tough socks to them and received another pair free, but unfortunately, did not receive any other discounts for sharing my name with them), a beer store, a supermarket and a pizza joint. Does it get any better than that? I split some beers with Peach, which we packed out, and crushed 6 slices of pizza. I also packed out 4 more. Three hours later, we were back on trail. We hiked 3 more miles uphill to Bromley Shelter completing a 23.1 mile day. While we had an excellent time around the campfire with Mouse, Slim Rims, Old Toe, Legs, Verge, Little Whip, our beers and leftover pizza (154 slices, Tim) I realized too late that we screwed up. It was a beautifully clear night AND it was a full moon. If we had hiked just one more mile to the summit of Bromley Mountain, we could have sat on the ski lift while we watched the sun set and the moon rise at the SAME time. I was so upset once I realized this and it will remain one of the only things I regret on this whole trip.
Date: 2016-07-20
From: Bromley Shelter

To: Little Rock Pond Shelter and Tenting Area
Miles today: 17.8

Jul 20, 2016 - On the heels of our big day yesterday, our Tenacious Tripod resolved to hike a shorter day today - 17.8 miles to the Little Rock Pond Shelter and Tenting Area. Even though the day was shorter, it was by no means easy as we summited 4 mountains: Bromley Mountain, Styles Peak, Peru Peak, Baker Peak. I arrived at the top of Bromley Mountain with Legs and we took some pictures on the ski lift while we lamented the fact that we missed out on the glorious cowboy camping opportunity. I continued on to Styles Peak where I shared my last beers with Peach and Legs at a gorgeous overlook. For most of this trip (and most of my life, I guess), Peach and I have been reliving the punk rock music that got us through middle school and high school. On the descent from Styles Peak, we both put on the Say It Like You Mean It album by the Starting Line. Between the music and the outstanding weather, we literally ran down the mountain past Old Toe, Little Whip, Ben, Sara, and Piper. These 5 Long Trail hikers were honestly in awe of the Tenacious Tripod - between our stories, the beer, pizza and our speed, it was very obvious they were impressed. Don't get me wrong, I'm not bragging, but two nights later, we distinctly overheard both Old Toe and Little Whip tell someone on the phone about the "3 hikers that packed out 7 beers each and ran up and down mountains". Go big or go home. I continued hiking along the insanely beautiful Vermont section of trail until I arrived at Little Rock Pond. I sat with Legs and Longcloud for a while staring out at this lake that reminded me so much of my favorite Paradox Lake. We watched as a lone loon splashed around and made its characteristic calls that echoed off the mountains around us. Just then, I turned around to see someone hiking southbound and mechanically said hello. I turned back to the pond and then did a double take. A man of about 40 was hiking completely naked. Today is July 20, exactly one month after the summer solstice, so we were thinking he just got the date wrong. However, why didn't he realize no one else was naked? Furthermore, we all realized he had no tan lines, which suggested he hiked naked pretty often. Anyway, Legs, Verge, Great P, Peach and myself swam to the other side of the lake to examine a large rock that looked to be a promising cliff jumping spot. Only the smaller rock proved to be safe - while jumping was fun, swimming back and forth across the large pond after an 18 mile day was not. I was physically exhausted and nearly ate everything in my food bag later that night. We made another huge fire to drive the few bugs away and enjoyed yet another perfect night by the campfire. Everyone there was just high on everything Vermont had to offer, especially after all the demoralizing aspects of PA through MA.
Date: 2016-07-23
From: Campsite at the Inn at Long Trail

To: Stealth Campsite after Chateauguay Road
Miles today: 16.2

Jul 23, 2016 - Mama Mountain Goat had another visit planned - she would meet us in South Pomfret, VT, on Sunday to spend a day and a half up here. That meant an easy 2 days since South Pomfret was only about 25 miles away. Today, our goal was a Lookout 18 miles from our starting point. After packing up, we walked back across the street to the Inn and ordered some breakfast. Old Toe joined us at the table and we chatted about both the Long Trail and the Appalachian Trail. The breakfast was excellent just like everything else at the Inn. The day was pretty humid so it felt like we swam the first 10 miles. I stopped in at the shelter to grab some lunch after a fairly steep incline. Princess Peach and Great P joined me shortly and we discussed the thunderstorms that were supposed to be coming in the afternoon. Great P was beat so he decided to just stay at the shelter that night. However, I pushed on another 6 miles to the top of the next hill and pitched camp quickly in a leafy stealth spot - I wanted to get set up before the rain began. The increased winds, falling temperature and loud claps of thunder signaled the storm was just about to explode. Sure enough, about 5 minutes later, just after Peach made us some coffee, the skies opened up and we were caught in a wildly intense storm for about 15 minutes. I quietly sipped my coffee and had some dinner in my tent while the weather raged all around me. I was thankful that the hail that was forecast did not appear. I know I've been in a lot of thunderstorms at this point, but it's always a nerve racking experience. Sitting in my tent is just about all I can do in the woods where I am at the mercy of falling trees. I had trouble falling asleep after the storm because I felt so gross (today is 9 days without a shower). Tomorrow could not come soon enough.
Date: 2016-07-24
From: Stealth Campsite after Chateauguay Road

To: South Pomfret, VT / Lebanon, NH
Miles today: 9.0

Jul 24, 2016 - When I stepped out of my tent this morning, it appeared the storm also left the woods immediately around me unscathed. Knowing we only had 9 miles to get to South Pomfret, we took our time eating breakfast. Great P actually caught up before we were done eating. At the top of the first hill, we came to the Lookout. The Lookout is simply a cabin that sits on private property with a beautiful view of the surrounding land. The owners allow hikers to sleep in the cabin and enjoy the view. The platform on top of the structure gave us a panoramic view of the north and our first glimpse of the mighty White Mountains of New Hampshire that we've heard so much about. The rest of the walk to South Pomfret was uneventful save for a man named Bob thrusting some of his home grown zucchinis on us as we walked into town. We soon arrived at Teago's General Store and bought some sandwiches to eat while we waited for my Mom to arrive. Mom arrived around 1:30 and drove us to the Fairfield Inn and Suites in Lebanon, NH where we would be staying for the next two nights. After 10 days without a proper shower (I only rinsed off in three ponds), the massaging shower head was pretty amazing. Laundry was just as satisfying except all of our clothes still smell after one wash cycle. It's all relative though. Mom also brought me some supplies as usual including my fourth pair of trail shoes, my fishing pole and reel (Thanks, Nick) - I definitely want to fish in the backwoods of Maine for some dinner. Once we got into town, we realized just how bad the thunderstorm last night was - power was out in half the city and trees were down everywhere. We also heard that Legs and Verge, who were hiking just ahead of us yesterday, did indeed get hit with hail. Then, 4 incredibly clean people left the hotel in search of some dinner. We selected an Italian place named Lui Lui next to the EMS and LL Bean outfitters. I needed a new pair of Superfeet insoles as the ones currently in my shoes had 1200 miles on them - I realized they were cracked and worn all the way to the plastic. I was hoping this was the reason I was developing plantar fasciitis in my right foot and new insoles would remedy it before my feet became too painful. Dinner was delicious and plentiful - with full stomachs, we actually drove to the movie theatre where the four of us saw The Secret Life of Pets. It was just as hysterical as the previews made it out to be. Even Peach, who had been giving me crap about wanting to see it for a month now, admitted he enjoyed it.