morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2014-05-13
From: Pine Swamp Brook Shelter

To: Limestone Spring Shelter
Miles today: 11.4
Weather: clear sky

Start 8:23End 4:18Temp High 60'sBest part - short hike with SideshowBiggest complaint - Not really in shapeMy foldable Bluetooth keyboard stopped working so these entries will be shorter.My brief hike with Sideshow made me realize I could be hiking faster on the easy sections of trail. Just stretch my legs a little and make up the time I'm losing when I'm going slow uphill. When I get in better shape I won't have to take breaks on the steep uphill. Right now they're a bear.Sideshow is quite a character. He used to teach technology and science classes to under privileged kids but I didn't quite get the venue or why that ended. Last fall he was considering hiking the southern half of the A.T. He went for a practice hike and ended up in Georgia. Now he's hiking north till mid June when he has a job leading a group of mostly underprivileged kids doing maintenance in one of the Maryland state parks.He got his trail name at one of the shelters. He was pointing out that there was another group doing their thing over there and his group was like a sideshow. His friend said, "No, you're the sideshow". So that's how he got his trail name. Quite a friendly talkative interesting guy.Hey PP he reminds me a lot of you.PP if your reading this sign my guest book.
Date: 2014-05-14
From: Limestone Spring Shelter

To: Brassie Brook Shelter
Miles today: 8.7
Weather: broken clouds

Start 8:24End 3:45Temp - 80Best part - LunchBiggest complaint - No more keyboardI hiked into Salisbury Connecticut. I picked up a mail drop at the post office. I picked up three days of food and mailed three days of food ahead to Jess Treat's house where I will be staying there Friday night. She provides pick up and return to trail, shower, and breakfast for $35. Laundry $5.The guy at the post office said the restaurants were expensive. He recommended a gyro at the super market. I had a half gyro. I also had a pint of loaded potato soup, a pint of chocolate ice, a bottle of pop, and two apples. I waddled out of town.I've included a picture describing a road walk. Road walks don't happen very often. Since they're not very often I don't mind them much. It's a nice change from rock happy crappy trails that we get all too often. The sign showed I only had to hike 0.4 miles from the A.T. to get to town. Gotta go. I've got another half of a gyro to eat for tonight's supper. I wish I had ice cream to go with it.
Date: 2014-05-15
From: Brassie Brook Shelter

To: Jess Treat's House.
Miles today: 13.2
Weather: broken clouds

Start 7:47End 6:00Temp 60Best part - Hiking to a real bed and a zero dayBiggest complaint - Tough down hillMy plan was to hike to Glen Brook shelter which was only 8.9 miles. When I found out that the chance of rain for Friday was 100% I modified my plan. The plan for Friday was to hike to where the A.T. crosses US 7. I was going to stay at Jess Treat's house. Although her's is a private home and not a hostel there are numerous trail towns where you can stay cheap, get a shower and get your laundry done. Also many will pick you up and drop you off at the trail. I checked my A.T. guide and figured out that I could hike 13.2 miles and reach where the trail crosses MA 41. If Jess Treat could pick me up there then I could spend two nights there and sit out the rain. There's also the fact that your body gets a much needed rest. Additionally I've heard that there are two guys from Illinois one day behind me that are more my age. All I really know is one guy is 72 and the other guy is younger. If I spend a zero day (zero miles) then we may end up staying at the same shelters. At the top of Bear Mountain I found a structure and a hand chiseled plaque. On the plaque, although it was hard to read, it said BEAR MONUMENT MARKS THE HIGHEST LAND IN CONNECTICUT 2364 FEET ABOVE SEA LEVEL BUILT AD 1885 OWEN TRAVIS MASONThere's also a Bear Mountain in New York. I met one hiker who was hiking from Bear Mountain to Bear Mountain. This afternoon's downhill was wet, steep and a million and one opportunities to fall and hurt yourself. I slow down in these situations. So far I'm unscathed but it really slows you down. I have one rule of thumb. When in doubt, but slide. I guess it could be called a rule of bum.
Date: 2014-05-16
From: Jess Treat's House.

To: Jess Treat's House.
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

ZERO DAYBest part - Seeing Sideshow walking on the roadBiggest complaint - Glasses could not be fixedTemp - Didn't really check, OKI should explain that I did run into Sideshow at Brassie Brook shelter. When I got there he was sleeping in his hammock. It turns out that when he was in Salisbury he drank a pint of milk and had some crumb cake. It didn't agree with him. He thinks it was the milk which is something he has not had for a long time. The next morning he still felt bad. I left early for my 13 mile day and he was still in his hammock. We figured we would both be at Jess Treat's house that evening. He didn't make it. He texted Jess that he would be there the following night.Jess is a really nice lady who speaks French. She had been an au pair in France when she was younger. After picking me up from the trail she took me to a nearby convenience store where I bought some snacks and then she dropped me off at the Village on the Green (pizza shop). I ordered a sandwich and then ordered a medium pizza to go. I walked to Jess Treat's house, she could point to her street from the pizza place. I had a nice room with a comfy bed and although it didn't really rain as much as predicted it was a thoroughly enjoyable stay. The next day she took me to nearby Great Barrington, winner of the best small town in 2012 according to Smithsonian magazine. We went to an optometrist to see if they could get the lenses of my old pair of glasses to stay in. My normal pair had been stolen in France. One lens was falling out so much I taped it in with duct tape. The frames were too old and he said he couldn't do it, they'd probably break. On the way back we saw a hiker on the road. It was Sideshow. His phone had run out of juice so he hadn't been able to call. We picked him up and went back to Jess's place. He still wasn't feeling good. We ended up going to the Village on the Green. He ordered a sandwich but only had one bite. He threw up on the walk back to Jess's house. He'll be taking a zero day tomorrow. Hopefully he'll start feeling better but I think he has a stomach virus or perhaps he got something out of the water he filtered. I refigured my plan (Hike Plan D). I laid out all my food on my bed and determined I would need one more lunch. Two pieces of pizza were so designated. Jess even gave me a throw away plate with a lid to put them in. Since I had Wifi I up loaded several more pictures to my trail journal if you want to check them out. By the way , my foldable blue tooth keyboard is working again. I guess it needed a zero day too.Staying at Jess Treat's was a good time. It seemed fitting that her friendly service ended with a hug.
Date: 2014-05-17
From: Jess Treat's House.

To: Tom Leonard Shelter
Miles today: 10.0
Weather: broken clouds

Start 9:05End 3:07Temp 70Best part - Beautiful day for a hikeBiggest complaint - Leaving Sideshow behindMy change in plans meant I'm now carrying five days of food instead of four. It was a beautiful day for a hike. I did not see anyone on the trail today. There was also no one at the shelter. After being with people every other night being alone felt lonely. I'll text Sideshow tomorrow and see if he's going to be able to continue.I'm on my third hiking stick. The first broke when I tossed it down about eight feet. I was climbing down a steep rock climb and I wanted to have both hands free. My second stick lasted several days and it broke when it broke my forward momentum after tripping on a branch. It kept me upright so it did it's job. While using my third stick I ran into a dog owner who said his dog liked my stick. He's been known to steal a person's stick. I tightened my grip on my stick. His dog didn't get mine.
Date: 2014-05-18
From: Tom Leonard Shelter

To: Mt. Wilcox North Shelter
Miles today: 7.1
Weather: few clouds

Start 9:30End 3:56Temp 60/70 low last night 39Best part - Short dayBiggest complaint - poor internet, could not post journal entryMy plan had been to hike 11.2 miles to Shaker campsite. When I heard from sideshow that he was hiking again I changed my plan to only hike 7.1 to Mt. Wilcox north shelter. That would give Sideshow a chance to catch up. That would also mean I'd have to hike 14 miles tomorrow. Around 6:00 P.M. Cannon ball showed up. He's a thru hiker from up state New York. He competes in a canoeing event with 80 miles of paddling and 10 miles of portaging. It's in the adirondacks and it's called the canon ball.A little while after Cannon Ball showed up Sideshow arrived. He was feeling OK again. Since I Knew Sideshow had wanted a fire I had gathered firewood. We had a fire and we all planned to go to Upper Goose Pond Cabin the next day. A cabin with bunks, mattresses and a fireplace.
Date: 2014-05-19
From: Mt. Wilcox North Shelter

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

Start 9:30End 6:20Temp high 60'sBest Part - Nice section of trailBiggest complaint - Long daySince I got a late start and I had 14 miles to do it was really good that the trail got nice for a change. The majority of the trail was just a trail. Not piles of rocks to climb over. Not steep uphill climbs. Not steep downhill rock climbs. Not rocks and roots all over the place. Those things can really slow you down.The Upper Goose Pond Cabin was really something. Upstairs were bunks for sixteen including mattresses. Downstairs was a kitchen, living room with fireplace and a front porch. They also have a beach for swimming and canoes you could take out. They have a caretaker who supplies water and makes breakfast and coffee.The caretakers are different people who do one week at a time. Some are former guests who've come back from out of state to donate a week. I had more pancakes and cups of coffee that I took time to count. Sitting by the fireplace and talking was a great way to spend an evening.Pete was this weeks caretaker, first of the season. Cannon Ball was there but Sideshow told me when he passed me the last time that if the trail continued to be nice he would hike past the cabin to get in some extra miles. He wants to make up for losing time while sick. He wants to get to Maine by mid June.In our evening discussion around the fire it was pointed out that most people on the trail don't get sick. You get sick from other people and on the trail you're not around a lot of people.
Date: 2014-05-20
From: Upper Goose Pond Cabin

To: October Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 8.8
Weather: light rain

Start 8:23End 1:38Temp 70'sBest Part - Good internet, reservations madeBiggest complaint - NoneAnother day when I did not see any other hikers. I did see another person when Jason showed up at the shelter. He's hiking southbound from just across the Mass. border starting in Vermont. He did hike from Springer mountain in Georgia to the North Carolina border last year but the amount of duct tape on his feet showed he was still learning. For that mater so am I. I've learned I don't have to carry as much water as I use to. Now I check where water will be available along the trail and plan on resupplying during the day. I brought my camel back water reservoir but haven't used it. I have a one quart Nalgene bottle and another that holds 20 ounces and that's all I need.Jason had been in the military for 6 years and had done two tours in Iraq. Now he's going to college. I will say he had enough experience that he'd obviously be able to accomplish his hiking goals. He grew up in Rochester, NY but now was living in Michigan. He's also learning how to be a true Michiganian. When I asked him where Lansing was instead of holding up his right hand palm forward and pointing at his right hand with his left to show where Lansing was located he held up his left hand and turned the back of his hand forward. That's just not how it's done.I made my motel reservation for the Shamrock Inn in Dalton, MA. At one point of the phone conversation I asked the girl making my reservation to hold on for a second while hiked forward to get away from some gnats. Jason had stayed at the Shamrock Inn the night before so he could tell me all about it. After I got to the shelter I tried to get ahold of Tish to see if she could make my Greyhound bus reservation for me. I wasn't able to get ahold of her but I had good internet connection and booked my greyhound ticket myself. I still have to print it out. No printers at the shelters.
Date: 2014-05-21
From: October Mountain Shelter

To: Dalton, MA.
Miles today: 11.8
Weather: overcast clouds

Start 7:23End 2:23Temp Mid 70'sBest Part - Hiking to a motel and a bus ride home.Biggest Complaint - Couldn't come up with sage advice quickly.Soon after I started hiking I came to a beaver dam. I immediately took several pictures. I did see that if I hiked a little off the trail I could get a better angle. I decided it wasn't worth it. As I hiked on I decided not to fret about a picture not taken and I was determined not to revisit this beaver dam.Right before I started hiking I saw a big bird flying over the shelter. When I saw a white head and neck I at first thought it might be an eagle. When I realized how long the bird was I decided it was probably some kind of heron. At one point on the trail I saw some prints in some mud that may have been from a bear cub.On my last day of hiking I did have a real fall. I tripped on a rock. I just didn't raise my foot high enough and caught my toe on the rock and hurled myself forward landing on my left shoulder (not my bad shoulder) . I landed on dirt and got a little dirty but I only hurt my pride. I did have three other falls on this years hike but the first two I don't really count. While going down steep downhill rock climbs I fell backwards a short distance and landed on my but. On another occasion I stepped where I thought I was stepping on leaves on the ground. I was actually stepping where leaves covered a hole. I fell on my but and then fell to my side. I wasn't hurt and the next hiker through will see that it's a hole.I saw no other hikers till the end of the day when I came upon two young south bounders. When I found out they were from the Youngstown area (Warren) I asked what their favorite hot dog place was. Theirs was The Hot Dog Shop. This question works with anyone from the Youngstown area. They asked if I had any sage advice. All I came up with was if you fall, land on dirt, not rocks. As I hiked on I felt bad about the good advice I should have told them like don't start with a twenty mile day which they were considering for their first day. I should have told them to lean your hiking sticks in the direction your hiking whenever you stop to avoid rehiking portions of the trail. I should have told them whenever you come to the side trail to a shelter note which way you'll need to turn the next morning. I could have told them to stop and treat hot spots right away and avoid getting blisters. And of course the rule of bum, when in doubt, but slide.Anyone reading these journal entries I hope you've enjoyed them. I'd appreciate if you'd take the time to sign my guest book.
Date: 2014-07-06
From: Dalton, MA.

To: Cheshire, MA.
Miles today: 8.8
Weather: clear sky

Start 6:45End 1:30Temp - 70'sBest Part - FernsBiggest Complaint - NAI took the Amtrak from Cleveland to Pittsfield, MA and got there 2 1/2 hours late at 7:05 P.M. I hiked the 5 1/2 miles from Pittsfield to Dalton and got to Tom Levardi's house at about 8:45 and it was starting to get dark. Tom Levardi lets hikers pitch their tents in his backyard. I got a sub from Angelina's sub shop and hiked back to my tent in the dark. I eventually managed to get to sleep after midnight but slept well after that.I got up at 5:55 and was packed up and heading toward the Dalton restaurant at 6:45. After a big sit down breakfast I started hiking at 7:59. There were several areas on the trail with ferns, something I hadn't seen for awhile. Ferns mean lots of shade and cool temps which is always good when your hiking.Most of the hikers I met were doing twice as many miles as I was doing. I came to a tri-level beaver dam and took a picture. I made sure I got a good picture so I wouldn't feel the need to hike back to take a better picture. I got to Cheshire, MA at 1:30 P.M. This was my planned destination but I got there a lot earlier than I thought I would. I thought about hiking another 4 miles but it would have been steep uphill and that would violate my rule of not starting with a long/tough day.I'm staying at the St. Mary of the Assumption church. No showers but there are two rooms to sleep in with tables and chairs. No showers and you sleep on the floor but it's a pretty good deal. No set fee, they ask for donations.There is another northbound hiker staying here and it sounds like he's hiking at about the same speed as me. I may have a hiking buddy.So far things are going well.
Date: 2014-07-07
From: Cheshire, MA.

To: Wilbur Clearing Shelter
Miles today: 11.2
Weather: broken clouds

End 4:50Temp 70-80Best Part - Verifying rain kilt worksBiggest complaint - Looks like I won't be have a hiking buddyTaz and I talked quite a bit, had dinner together. We hike the same rate, we both do mail drops and stay at the occasional motel. Unfortunately two nights previous he slipped on a set of shelter steps and fell on a rock. He hurt his ribs. He thinks he only bruised them but from the way he's getting worse instead of better he may have cracked them. I was going to do a zero day with him hoping he'd heal up enough to continue. He couldn't get to sleep until 4:00 A.M. When I heard that I started to realize that I wouldn't be having a hiking buddy.I hiked up Mount Greylock and came to the monument. Mount Greylock is the highest point in Massachusetts, 3,491 feet. The monument is the Veterans War Memorial Tower. Bascom lodge is on the summit also. I could have stayed at the lodge in the bunkhouse for $35 which includes a shower and coffee and muffins in the morning. I chose to move on even though is was about to rain. I wanted to try out my new rain kilt. When you hike with a pack in the rain it's a waste of time to put a jacket on unless it's cold. You sweat so much in a jacket you'd be soaked anyways. If you wear rain pants you get soaked with sweat also. A hiker I met in May told me about his rain kilt so I ordered one. It only weighs 2.8 ounces. You velcro it on and it keeps your shorts dry but gives you plenty of ventilation.It worked great but it was still a tad to warm.The afternoon shower ended before I reached the shelter which was full of teenagers getting drunk. As I was finishing supper and setting up my tent it started raining again. I crawled in and made an early night of it.
Date: 2014-07-08
From: Wilbur Clearing Shelter

To: Seth Warner shelter
Miles today: 9.9
Weather: light rain

Start 9:48End 6:50Temp 85Best Part - Chat with Papa John's managerBiggest Complaint - Fell twiceThe rain during the night meant the downhills were slippery in the morning. I slipped once on a wet rock and fell and mushed my glasses. My glasses turned out to be unscathed. Later on I slipped a little on some leaves which caused me to step forward way to quickly. Before I could slow down I tripped on what was probably a root. Since I was going too fast I couldn't compensate and fell forward. I found out that my right forearm was bleeding. I had a superficial cut about 8 inches long. It wasn't even bleeding. I also had a 2 1/2 inch cut that wasn't deep enough for stitches but definitely needed a bandaid. Fortunately I had a few of larger bandaids and even had started keeping my bandaids in my pack's top pocket so they were easy to get to. I patched myself up and moved on.I had planned on hiking in to North Adams and resupplying at the Price Chopper and and having lunch at Friendlys. As I reached the edge of town I saw a sign; 'Bikes for Hikes'. Joshua Moran who lives a stones throw from the A.T. let's you borrow one of his bikes so you can ride into town to eat at a restaurant or resupply or whatever. I went to his house but he wasn't home. I saw two bikes by a canoe and went over to check it out. A sign on the canoe said that you could borrow a bike for free and you could put your pack under the canoe. I left my pack and borrowed a bike and tried to find my way to town. I didn't find the Price Chopper but I did find a grocery store called Stop-and Shop next to a Papa John's. It turns out the power was out all over town but I was still able to resupply. They couldn't do debit cards but they could do cash or credit cards. I then went to Papa John's to see if they were giving away half done pizzas. No food but I asked if I could get a bottle of pop. The manager suggested I get two since the second was only 29 cents. I bought two pops and asked if I could drink them on the bench in their store. He said OK so I also ate some bagels I had just purchased. Since the manager didn't have anything to do we talked. We had a nice talk about his family and himself. We had both quit drinking and I explained I got into backpacking to have something to focus on instead of drinking. Quite often I meet someone on the trail that I wish I could have gotten to know better.
Date: 2014-07-09
From: Seth Warner shelter

To: Congdon shelter
Miles today: 7.2
Weather: broken clouds

Start 9:19End 2:55Temp 70'sBest Part - Short dayBiggest complaint - Found cut on the ball of my footI made it to Vermont. After doing 10 and 11 mile days I was glad to only be doing 7.2 miles. I got to the shelter in the middle of the afternoon. Several hikers who had just passed me up were there. Three were thru hikers and one was doing the Long Trail. The Long Trail starts at the southern border of Vermont and goes north to the Canadian border. It's 272 miles long. The A.T. and the Long Trail coincide for about 105 miles. Two other hikers that had stayed at the same shelter I had last night were tenting at this shelter and are also doing the Long Trail.The previous shelter had sheet metal that came up from the ground and partially overlapped the shelter floor. While I was in my bare feet I bumped the sheet metal. It hurt a little but I thought nothing of it. This morning after I put my boots on and stated to walk I felt like I had something in my boot. When I took my boot and sock off I found a gash about the size of a dime on the ball of my foot. I put neosporin and a bandaid on it but its location may turn out to be a problem. It felt OK hiking but after a few hours I started noticing it. I hope it does not turn out to be a problem. One of the hikers I talked to today said that they had seen Taz and that he was still hurting but was going to try to hike. I'll give him a call tomorrow and see how he's doing.