morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2017-06-14
From: Telephone Pioneers Shelter

To: Mt Algo Shelter
Miles today: 21.3

We had planned to get up at 5 but I was so tired that I justturned the alarm off and we both made it to a seated position around 5:30. Itwas quite a joy pulling on soaking wet pants. The socks squeaked as we pulledthem over our feet. Our breakfast sounded better than it was. Mashed potatoeswith bacon and cheese. But Wistful had a hard time smashing the lumps of potatoflakes and cheese so every so often you would get a mouth full of powdery stuffinstead of fluffy stuff. We ate as much as we could but there was a trash canso our motivation was low. Instead we walked a few miles on the trail beforereaching Tony's Deli and having breakfast wraps. They were amazing. Wecontinued to the Connecticut New York border which I like because it's soexhilarating to cross state lines. We passed through some cow pastures, aboardwalk over the swamp, and walked over a pretty bridge across some river. But since my shoes are water proof and despite that had gottenwater inside, it means that they will dry extremely slowly. My feet were wetand wrinkly all day. With every step I could feel a wrinkle being squished andcouldn't wait to get to the shelter. We did make it over the slightly lessrocky and more hilly territory before dark. We actually had a nice dinner of BBQspaghetti and are ready for some sleep. It¢s way passed hiker midnight rightnow and everyone is in their tents.
Date: 2017-06-15
From: Mt Algo Shelter

To: Cornwall Bridge CT
Miles today: 11.4
Weather: few clouds

Today was the 7th day without washing our clothes and the 4th day without a shower. I really am trying to embrace being dirty and sweaty and smelly but it's hard. I don't know if I will ever get to that the point where it doesn't bother me.The other thing is my skin gets irritated and itchy from the dirt and the sweat and the bug spray and bug bites. From now on, I am going to take a shower any and every time I pass one. Whether I need it or not. Even when I have to put my dirty clothes back on.We had a relatively easy hike but my body was really tired and my muscles are sore and I am hungry most of the time. Relentless is holding up her pants with duct tape other wise they'd be falling off her butt, mine have a string I can pull them tight with but it is always hit or miss with the button -- sometimes it just won't close. We reached the town at 1pm and the Citgo had very good coffee. I was looking forward to that all day! At the  Hitching Post Motel we met a couple who were traveling on a motorcycle. We had a fun conversation with them about a ghost town in this area.They gave us a wine cooler and a beer since they were about to drive home. We got food and the rest of the day was spent laying in bed ,eating , watching tv and taking 2 showers each. Oh, and we did our laundry; finally clean clothes.
Date: 2017-06-16
From: Cornwall Bridge CT

To: Limestone Spring Shelter
Miles today: 17.6
Weather: scattered clouds

We had great breakfast from the Market and good coffee.Relentless ate her huge breakfast burrito but I decided to save mine for lunchand only eat the Danish she brought. As we started hiking along the highway tothe trail, another hiker in a car, Packrat, stopped and gave us a ride. Thatwas nice. The trail wasn't very challenging or interesting today. It started torain around 3 pm and it doesn't look better for tomorrow's weather either. Itturned out to be a very long day. As at last we got to the shelter sign whichstated that it was another .5 miles to the shelter we decided to do what Froghad done. Just pitched our tent at the trail to the shelter. We did walk downthat trail for a bit but as it became increasingly steep and started to climbover boulders into a ravine, we turned around. I was so tired today I couldn'teven eat anything. I just wanted to lay in my bed. We slept by 7:30pm
Date: 2017-06-17
From: Limestone Spring Shelter

To: Glen Brook Shelter
Miles today: 17.1
Weather: overcast clouds

For breakfast we ate tortillas with peanut butter and Nutella.Wistful claimed the tortillas tasted bitter. Whatever. Anyway, we hiked downthe mountain and the extra half mile into Salisbury because we wanted to tryone of their three bakeries. We got there at 9am and stayed for an hour eatingpastries and drinking coffee before continuing our hike. It was pretty easywith a lot of weekenders out. The difficult part came when we started climbingdown Bear Mountain. In the guide book, it looked a little steep but nothinginsane. Turns out it was slippery boulders all the way down and very steep thewhole time. As I was getting down from one boulder, I slipped on the wet leavesand twisted my ankle pretty badly. Now it's swollen and hurts but hopefully it¢ll get better. After we finished BearMountain we crossed into Massachusetts!!! Mount Race was our next obstacle.With my ankle I didn't have a problem going up but going down was ratherpainful especially with the rocky stretches continuing. Another unexpectedlydifficult climb was Mount Everett. It was .7 miles to the top but whenever wethought we were nearly there, another rock slab would appear. Some of them evenhad wooden steps attached because there was no other way to get up. The waydown was much easier with fewer slippery patches and the thought of our tentand dinner kept us going. Navy bean soup has never tasted this good.
Date: 2017-06-18
From: Glen Brook Shelter

To: Mt.Wilcox Shelter south
Miles today: 19.6

Back to oatmeal breakfast. After trying different things it seemswe do like oatmeal for the time being. The Boy Scouts that had been camping bythe same shelter were so loud this morning that after they finally left itseemed almost eerily quiet. The trail led us up and down Bushnell Mt and laterthrough some meadows and of course woods. The hike was much easier thanyesterday even though there were some challenging rocks and boulders. We founda garden center close to the trail where hikers are welcome to sit on theporch, refill water bottles, cook food etc. Amy who works there was so nice andhelpful. She gave Relentless some ice for her foot and Arnica pills. Rockspidermade some really good coffee for everyone. We ate the Mountain house meal wehad gotten from a section hiker. It was good but not very much food. Now at theend of the day we a camped again with Frog at the shelter. As we were finishingup our dinner, a porcupine walked over to the shelter. When it saw us, itfroze, then scurried back into the woods. Apparently they like gnawing at theshelter boards.
Date: 2017-06-19
From: Mt.Wilcox Shelter south

To: Upper Goose Cabin
Miles today: 15.8

The rain started this morning so we packed up half an hour laterto let it pass. It was foggy and gloomy for a few hours and when the sun cameout it got incredibly humid. Sugar passed us and warned us that a storm wasrolling in at 2pm and he would try to make it to the Upper Goose Pond beforethat. We knew we couldn't hike that fast and just hoped for the best. There wasa ¢Trailstand¢ at a road crossing which was a very nice idea. Somebody hadbuilt this cabinet and filled it with goodies for hikers like sodas and food,even boiled eggs. So we spent some time there and took a break on the picnictable there. At 1:45 the storm did come with thunder and lightning and lots ofrain. Within minutes we were soaked. At 3 pm we got to the shelter but thecaretaker had to run some errands so the cabin was closed until she came back at4. Sugar was also there but since the rain had come 15 min early he got wettoo. Not that it would have made a difference though because the people who hadmade it in before the rain still got soaked due to the strong winds blowing thewater across the porch.After the caretaker opened the cabin everybody scrambled to secure bunk. We changed into dry clothes, cooked our dinner andplayed board games with the other hikers for the rest of the afternoon. Theyhave a very nice bunk room and if the weather would be better we could havegone canoeing on the pond. There will be pancake breakfast with real coffeetomorrow!!As I unpacked I found that my sleeping bag had gotten wet. Apparentlythe trash bag I use to keep everything dry in my pack has a hole. Finishing this day in front of the fireplace in good company.
Date: 2017-06-20
From: Upper Goose Cabin

To: Dalton, MA
Miles today: 11.1

The caretaker made blueberry and chocolate chip pancakes and coffee for a later breakfast at 6:30. It was delicious with the butter and syrup and we didn¢t manage to leave until 9am. We planned for only a short day so we would have enough time to do laundry in town. So we hiked to the Cookie Lady, picked up our mail drop and had her drive us to Dalton. She and her husband are pretty old but very nice and helpful. We got to town at 3 and were able to get everything done that we needed and enjoyed a good meal with garlic breadsticks at Paddy¢s. We also arranged to slackpack from Dalton to Williamstown the next day and then get shuttled to Bennington. In 2015 we already hiked the section between Bennington and Williamstown and decided not to hike those 21 miles again. I told myself that once we are 500 miles from Katahdin, I¢ll buy new shoes. Mine are waterproof which means they take longer to get wet and take at least 3 days to dry out so my feet stay wet and wrinkly for an extended period of time. They also have holes in them so it¢s definitely time. Just have to wait about one more week!!
Date: 2017-06-21
From: Dalton, MA

To: Bennington,VT
Miles today: 29.3
Weather: few clouds

Dalton MA to Williamstown MA23.9 miles plus 5.4 miles = 29.3As planned we met Todd in the morning and he looked our packs in the lounge so the Cookielady could pick them up later. After getting coffee at the filling station and breakfast burritos at the coffee shop we were on our way. Glad to have such an early start and not having to carry a pack for the next 24 miles we walked pretty fast. As we came to road crossing we decided to check our progress and looking at the sign on the tree and checking our book we were first couldn¢t believe it but eventually had to concede that we were heading the wrong way. WE WERE GOING SOUTH!!! Since we had a shuttle into town the day before we got confused which was the right path out of town. So our early start was now late since we had to retrace our steps and go back into town to find the AT North. It was 9am when we were back on track and had hiked the extra 5.4 miles. Unbelievable!!So now we had to hurry along as not to be at the pick up location in Williamstown too late. The trail itself wasn¢t challenging today it was just the long distance we had to cover in now a much shorter time. Mt. Greylock was really nice and the weather was gorgeous with great views into the distance. But the first thing we did at the summit was to head into the gift shop for cold drinks and snacks. We didn¢t stay long not only because of the time crunch but also it was cold and windy up there wend we hadn¢t brought our jackets not wanting to carry them. Soon we made our way down the remaining 6 miles. There were some very steep stretches and after all those extra miles I could feel shin splints coming on in my right leg. We made good time going down and were at the ¢Stop and Shop¢ an hour before our ride which gave us enough time to stop and shop for groceries for the next day to avoid eating out when we would stay in Bennington VT. The Cookie Lady and her husband arrived at 7pm sharp. Unfortunately they had forgotten to get out packs at the Shamrock Inn. So they drove us all the way back to Dalton to retrieve the packs and then to Bennington, finally. They both are interesting smart people and well worth spending 1 1/2h in the car with. Still we were very glad to get to the motel , it was an incredibly long day.
Date: 2017-06-22
From: Bennington,VT

To: Bennington,VT
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Our first zero!!! We slept till 730 then had an odd breakfast of cookies and kefir. Quite relaxing. Later we went down to the coffee shop and the post office. Now we just need to post our blog entries, charge the electronics and ice our legs. Back on the trail tomorrow. Great to be in Vermont again.
Date: 2017-06-23
From: Bennington,VT

To: Bennington,VT
Miles today: 0.0

We decided to give my leg another day to heal and took, unbelievably, another zero. More of the same. Breakfast at the coffee shop, then , after some confused walking around town , we found the bus stop and took the red line to the shoe store. I bought a new pair of hiking shoes. Merrels again, the same ones I started the trail with. I hope they last to Kathadin. On our way back to the Motel we picked up a pizza and some more pastries from the coffee shop. After that is was more sitting around, eating and icing my leg.
Date: 2017-06-24
From: Bennington,VT

To: Kid Gore Shelter 
Miles today: 15.6

We had breakfast at the coffee shop as usual. As we were enjoying our last meal in town it started to pour outside. But by the time we walked back to the Motel to grab our stuff it had diminished to a drizzle. Pete, the owner of the Catamount Motel drove us to the trail. It turned out to be a very boring 15 mile hike today . No views, no landmarks just sloshing through Vermont¢s famous mud all day. As we arrived at the shelter four people were already there. A young French-Canadian couple hiking the Long Trail and an older couple doing a section hike. We looked for a space to set up our tent, but no such luck. Instead we claimed a bunk in the shelter for the first time this hike. It wasn't too bad and we didn't see any mice. Reportedly, there was a bear who frequented this shelter so we all hung our food. After a day of no views, it was surprising that the shelter had such a good one. We could see plenty of mountains and a lake from our bunk. For some reason the night was very bright. We couldn't see the moon but maybe it was full. There was one big star shining all night but no others. Thankfully, the bear decided not to visit the shelter that night.
Date: 2017-06-25
From: Kid Gore Shelter 

To: Stratton Pond Shelter 
Miles today: 15.0

We could see the sky change colors from our spot in the shelter as the sun came up. Breakfast was oatmeal and Carnation Drink to get us ready for more miles through Vermonts mud. We stopped at a shelter to eat lunch and Nutter joined us. He talks on end but I have to say, he grows on you. He can be nice company because he does all the talking and you just have to nod and often get good information and trail gossip from him.Again, today wasn't very interesting until we reached Stratton Mt. It was just a few miles going up but they seemed the never ending kind. There is a fire tower on top and we got 360 views way above the trees. Was rather stunning. We ended our hike at Stratton Pond Shelter which is a shelter with a $5 fee pp. No idea what we would be paying for if we had paid. Nobody was there to ask for money and it is just a regular shelter and the privy was full to the brim, so we went in the woods.It did get cold and rainy, so we went to bed very early and had actually a good night sleeping in the shelter. There were only 4 other people there.The night was incredibly dark, one could have walked around with eyes closed or open and it wouldn't have made a difference.
Date: 2017-06-26
From: Stratton Pond Shelter 

To: Cynthia's House Middlebury VT
Miles today: 10.0

Last night we had made arrangements with my friend Cynthia who is in Vermont right now, to pick up from the trail since my shin splints are worse again. It had rained during the night and the temperature had dropped into the upper 40¢s. We still got up early, had Muesli and coffee to be the first out of the shelter. We only had 10 miles to cover to get to the trail head were Cynthia was to pick us up. We made it there at 10:30am and were getting ready to wait for her when a text arrived telling us she is at the trail head. Well, apparently we were at different places and the phone service was spotty. Eventually we connected and thanks to Cathrine they figured out where we were. We drove to Middlebury where Cynthia¢s family lives and stopped several times on the way there to get coffee and cake and then some more cake. It was a nice drive though several cute little towns. At the house we got a shower and washed our clothes and I started putting ice on my shin splints. And then we ate. A lot. There was really good food. And Cynthia¢s family is so nice and welcoming.
Date: 2017-06-27
From: Cynthia's

To: Cynthia 's
Miles today: 0.0

I slept so good in this bed. Didn't wake up once during the night. That hasn't happened in weeks. Today Robert took us on a tour and lunch to Middlebury. Cynthia and Cathrine were shoveling MooDoo, really great stuff. I wood have liked to do that too, but my leg didn't need that kind of activity. They live in this really cool house that was built sometime in the 1840s. They have a beautiful backyard with lots of bird feeders which Catherine has quite a job to keep filled. She actually gets 4 or 5 different kinds of woodpeckers to visit. Behind all this there is what they call the brook but it is a river with a small swimming hole and very cold. Later we played scrabble with lots of snacks handy.
Date: 2017-06-28
From: Cynthia 's

To: Peru Peak Shelter 
Miles today: 10.0

June 28First day back on the trail!!! We only planned on ten miles so we had a slow morning with coffee, toast and showers. Then Robert and Catherine drove us the hour and a half to the trail head. But we made a few stops along the way. The bakery was the first order of business. Ham and cheese croissants, cannolis, blueberry danish, and a peanut butter chocolate chip muffin. It was delicious. They have such good bakeries up here. Next we went into Manchester center to get wistful a new tip for her Trekking pole at the mountain goat outfitter. I was wonder around the store and happened across sole Salomons in the shoe section ( I always get Salomons but they rarely have them in stores). I had want d to wait to get new shoes until we had under 500 miles left or until we reached New Hampshire. But mile 539 was apparently close enough and I bought them. After that we finally made back to the trail a little after noon. The trail was pretty easy with a few ski slopes to hike up and we were even blessed with a view today of more mountains on Styles peak. 529 miles to katahdin.
Date: 2017-06-29
From: Peru Peak Shelter 

To: Rutland VT
Miles today: 17.0
Weather: overcast clouds

We got up at 530 as usual and had an oatmeal breakfast and coffee before heading across the brook to start our day. About a mile later we saw a beautiful camp site with a privy and lots of space that was not mentioned in our guide. The trail was muddy as usual but some of it was actually covered with boards to make it a little better. Part of the trail went through piney forests even which was nice and soft. On top of one of the mountains that was more easily accessible to day hikers, we saw probably over 100 cairns all in one area. It was very weird and amazing. We stopped here to eat a few spoonfuls of Nutella. Then we hiked down to the road and decided to get a ride to the yellow deli hostel to let wistful¢s shin splint heal a little. Everyone was very nice at the hostel and the first thing they do is to make you sit and have some Mate tea.we were the only women there. So we had the whole bunk room to ourselves since they have separate women's and men's bunk rooms.The deli is downstairs and after cleaning up we headed down there for a delicious meal.
Date: 2017-06-30
From: Rutland VT

To: Yellow Deli 
Miles today: 0.0

The people here at the yellow Deli said we could stay as long as we needed to heal our legs. No charge. It's donations of either work or money. I have been icing my leg and resting in between trips to the deli or the brewery down the street with great pizza or the ¢price chopper¢ for snacks. They have free breakfast for the hikers every morning. On Friday the deli closes early to celebrate their Sabbath and it stays closed until Sunday at noon. Everyone is invited to join the celebration/worship where there is singing and dancing and a feast. We went there on Friday night and had nice conversations with the members of the tribe. There are several Germans among them. On Saturday night we weren't up for the singing and dancing and we opted for the brewery instead. I feel very lucky that we came here. Since we have to stay somewhere for a week this is the best place I could imagine. On Monday we went on a trip to the tribes farm in Cambridge NY and worked there. So I finally got my farm fix! It's beautiful out there and they have a big 1800s house where they live. Lots of children around. Again, we were welcomed with food and friendly conversation. More Germans here too. And goats, chicken, sheep, work horses and a donkey. After working in the field we joined the evening gathering and dinner. Returned to Rutland at 9pm. Today we a gathering our stuff, doing some resupply and more ice on my leg but it feels pretty good right now, so we can head out tomorrow. Getting really antsy.
Date: 2017-07-05
From: Inn at the Long Trail

To: Stony Brook Shelter 
Miles today: 8.8
Weather: overcast clouds

After a last meal at the deli we went down to the station to take the bus to Griffith State Park. The weather was exceptional and we were looking forward to a great hike. It was also Relentless¢ birthday today. But besides losing her health insurance no other presents. Oh, except the fact that we are on the trail again. That made her happy. The hike was short. Griffith Lake State Park does have a nice lake where we sat for a while. We did have a very good dinner. It was one of the recipes that Andrew Skurka uses for his backpacking trips. He has done a lot of long solo hikes on all continents and educates people on ultra light backpacking. Anyway the dinner was some bean and rice dish to which we added cheese and fritos. Hot chocolate for dessert.
Date: 2017-07-07
From: Thistle Hill Shelter 

To: Hanover NH
Miles today: 14.7

We had an early start, we left camp at 6:30am. It was a pleasant hike, some of it through meadows still damp with morning dew. We also had a few last views in Vermont. Frog passed us again at about 10 miles before Hanover. We were excited to go into town especially since it would be in New Hampshire. Two more states to cross. There was some Trailmagic today too.Cold beer and sodas, that was a nice welcome intolerant NH. In Hanover the first thing we did was to go to Starbucks. Then we caught the bus to our Motel to shower and do laundry. Later a trail angel gave us a ride to get pizza etc.
Date: 2017-07-08
From: Hanover NH

To: Moose Mt Shelter 
Miles today: 10.9
Weather: light rain

Hanover to Moose Mt Shelter Breakfast at the Motel was surprisingly good. Unfortunately it didn't start until 8 which was rather late. But we didn't know yet how to get back to Hanover anyway since there is no bus service on weekends. Turned out the German guy we met at the shelter the other night was here too and he and his friends had a car. He drove us back at 9 am and then we hung out some more in town, got some fuel for the stove and went to the coop to get some more food for the trail. As we sat outside to distribute everything into our packs the weather changed and we decided to stay longer and eat lunch until the storm passed. After that we made another trip to the CVS and finally left town at 1:30pmIt was a relatively easy hike to the shelter. But about 4 miles out another round of rai came through. We had no intentions to get soaked now so we stood under the trees and held Relentless ¢ sleeping pad over our heads and packs. That worked so well. We were so happy to have been able to escape getting drenched twice today. Moose Mt had a nice view, we got there just after the rain. It was kind of late as we arrived at the shelter and only two people were in it, so we just set up to sleep in there instead of setting up the tent.