morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2015-08-13
From: Pine Knob Shelter

To: Wiley Shelter
Miles today: 5.7
Weather: scattered clouds

Got on a bus in Marion 2 12 hours late. Missed my connection in Richmond and the next one had mechanical problems so were later leaving there also. Only got 2 hours of sleep before hitting New York this morning. Had a little walk down 42nd Ave to get to Grand Central Station to catch my bus to Pauling, NY. As I left the bus station I had a 2 12 mile hike to the AT but about 12 a mile in a guy picked me up and took me to the trail head. Felt great to be hiking again. Glad to be here at the shelter. I am beat so I am off to bed.
Date: 2015-08-14
From: Wiley Shelter

To: Thayer Brook Campsite
Miles today: 11.4
Weather: scattered clouds

Slept for 14 hours. Boy did I need that. Need to make something clear here. When I got back on yesterday I started 15 miles north of where I got off 6 weeks ago so I will have to make that up someday. It¢s like starting all over again. These small climbs are hard. My trail legs are gone. Met more NOBO¢s than I expected but then again it¢s still 2 months before they close Katahdin for the winter. Met some early SOBO¢s also. I also met the sister of Float who I hiked with some in 2012. Water sources are dried up so I hiked a couple more miles than I planned. Going to have to carry a third liter of water with me so I don¢t run out. Hiker hunger left also but I am sure it will be back in day or two.
Date: 2015-08-15
From: Thayer Brook Campsite

To: Stony Brook Campsite
Miles today: 8.9

Started at 8:45. Slept so-so for some reason. Had better water sources today which was good because with the heat I sure drink a lot. Been leap frogging with a few NOBO¢s the last couple of days. So far I can only remember the names of 2 of them. Michelobe and Ryder. Most of the SOBO¢s I have encountered started early to mid-June so will see plenty more as I head North. Should be in Dalton, MA in about 9 days. Looking forward to staying at Tom Levardi¢s again, but this time in a tent instead of a rental car. Got a couple of nice views today. It was hot and is supposed to get hotter over the next few days. In the 90¢s. Got here at 2:30, had lunch and set up my tent then went swimming in the Housatonic River. I also rinsed out my clothes while I was at it. It is actually raining right now which is badly needed here. Hope it rains all night to help with some of our water sources which have been pretty dry. Looking to do 9 12 to 11 12 miles tomorrow.
Date: 2015-08-16
From: Stony Brook Campsite

To: Pine Swamp Brook Shelter
Miles today: 9.4
Weather: scattered clouds

Two words to describe today, hot and buggy! Woke up to wet conditions but there wasn¢t enough rain to help with the water sources. Wasn¢t much of a problem today though. I feel like I am back in Georgia. Getting real tired on the climbs as I have lost my trail legs. Hope they come back quick. Steady flow of SOBO¢s who keep asking about the water sources coming up as I inform them of what is ahead of them. I am here at the shelter as I am told there is no water at the source there. The bugs are so bad here that I am hiding out in my ten 3 hours before it will get dark. Hope it cools off tonight, Got some trail magic from a NOBO thru hiker who has already finished. He was out hiking with a friend of his. There are a lot of chipmunks around here. I hope they don¢t get to my food bag. Will hit 4,000 combined AT miles tomorrow. I can¢t believe I have logged that many miles on the trail. Will have to treat myself in Salisbury in a couple of days.
Date: 2015-08-17
From: Pine Swamp Brook Shelter

To: Billy's View
Miles today: 12.2

Bugs were so bad I didn¢t bother with breakfast. Terrain was pretty good today. Would have stopped in Falls Village, but with the Iron Mt. Bridge being rebuilt, the reroute took me too far away. I spent some time at the Trinity Episcopal Church charging my phone and getting water. It is so nice of them to help out seeing we can¢t get to the shower near the electrical plant. The detour was a 3 mile road walk. Fortunately not a lot of traffic. As soon as I got back on the trail we hit the waterfalls. I got to spend some time there as I couldn¢t in 2012. Left there at 4:45 and caught up to Walkman and hiked to this spot with him. We will go into Salisbury tomorrow.
Date: 2015-08-18
From: Billy's View

To: Salisbury, CT
Miles today: 3.1

Nice easy morning. The campsite up top was perfect. Made the short hike to Maria McCabes Hostel where I spent a night before returning the rental car. She told me to stop in when I came back but she wasn¢t expecting me this year. She was pleasantly surprised. I walked into town to resupply and get lunch. I ate a whole rotisserie chix then went back to the hostel. A couple of hours later I went back for dessert which was a quart and a half of Cherry Vanilla Ice Cream. While there I met several SOBO¢s along with 2 Ridge Runners, Stumbles and Hash Brown. Hashbrown thru hiked in 2012 and we are not sure if we met but seeing we both knew the other people we were hiking with we figured we did cross paths. Brodie and Clark Kent, two section hikers are staying here tonight also. I met both of them on my first day back on the trail. I got the best bed which is in the living room. It is cooler downstairs, so I made out and should sleep well. Looks like we will finally get highs in the low 80¢s again instead of the 90¢s. Hopefully after the rains the air will dry out.
Date: 2015-08-19
From: Salisbury, CT

To: Sagas Ravine Campsite
Miles today: 7.0
Weather: moderate rain

I cooked breakfast for the 3 of us as Maria doesn¢t like to cook. We each had 4 eggs, a banana, orange juice, coffee and English muffins. We didn¢t have to do the dishes as Maria is very adamant that she will do them. She gets mad if hikers do them. After breakfast we chatted and Clark Kent and I packed up our gear to get back on the trail. Brodie is staying another day or two as he has foot problems. It was well after 10:00 am when we started to hike again. Clark Kent was going home today so he hiked with me until we got here. We finally got some great views in Connecticut on top of Lion¢s Head and the highest point in Connecticut, Bear Mountain. We sat at both places taking in the view and talking to day hikers. Even ran into a guy wearing a Publix T-shirt. No Publix up here though. We then hiked down tot eh Sages River and jumped in. Well, he jumped in I walked in. It was pretty chilly but my feet and knees loved it after our steep descent. Clark Kent headed out to catch a ride at the next road and I am set up here at the campsite. I hit the 1,500 mile mark and finished Connecticut. Now hopefully to finish Massachusetts.
Date: 2015-08-20
From: Sagas Ravine Campsite

To: North of Shay's Rebellion
Miles today: 13.6

What a great day. Started off by walking along Sages Ravine for a bit and then started by climb up Mt. Race. The views were great. I walked along the top of Mt. Race and had views for over half a mile. It was fun just hiking along the ridgeline and not just being enclosed by the forest. I could see my next climb down 450 ft and some of it was steep. I then had a very steep climb up Mt, Everett. Another great view at the top. I also have been able to pick a few blueberries at these higher elevations. When I got down to Guilder Pond Picnic Area there were gallon jugs of water along with 2 igloos filled with ice water. I had lunch and moved on. When I got to Jug End I met a day hiker and hiked with her down to the road. This was the steepest descent today. I was going to stop there but decided to push on. Glad I did. I walked through a corn field and had an ear of corn. It was pretty good. Doesn¢t get any fresher than that. I am sitting on top of a ridge in my tent. Looks like I will be in here most of the day tomorrow as we are expecting heavy rains until 2:00 PM. This should help our water sources as some of the streams I passed today were going dry. Need to go into Great Barrington to resupply tomorrow.
Date: 2015-08-21
From: North of Shay's Rebellion

To: Tom Leonard's Shelter
Miles today: 7.4

The rains didn¢t start until after 2 AM and they stopped by 9 AM. I packed up and hiked the 1 mile to US 7. Before I even got to the highway a car had stopped and wanted to take me into Great Barrington, MA to get my resupply. While I was in the grocery store I ran into the woman I hiked with yesterday. She said she would give me a ride but I had to turn it down as I had just started my shopping and wanted to hang out for a little bit. I also ran into Tiny Elf who I hadn¢t seen since Hot Springs. You never know who you will run into out here. I sat and talked with some other hikers while I drank a 12 gallon of chocolate milk. I had only walked on the highway for 30 ft when a guy across the road said he would give me a ride back to the trail. In and back without even putting my thumb out. Met a couple who thru hiked in 1977. They were doing a 3 day trip with their young grandchildren 8 and 10. Even though we got an inch and a half of rain it didn¢t help the water sources much. The water here is tea colored but tastes fine. Have my tent set up on a tent pad looking at the mountains across the valley from me. I am listening to a raven which is over by the shelter. Looks like clear skies tonight.
Date: 2015-08-22
From: Tom Leonard's Shelter

To: Shaker Campsite
Miles today: 11.2

Woke to chilly temps. Must have been around 50 degrees. Left the shelter at 8:15 am and started my descent. Easy going most of the day. It did warm up but nowhere near as it was last week. Decided to send for my jacket and a couple of other small items to get me through Vermont. Had some really interesting inner forest views of some ravines today. I stopped at the Mt. Wilcox South Shelter for lunch. I ate at the newer one and signed the log book at the older one. Met a couple more NOBO¢s Crusty Goat and Spyderman today. Also ran across a few more SOBO¢s. Here at the shelter campsite with 6 section hikers. Mosquitos are a little bothersome but will probably be gone by morning. Looking forward to staying at Upper Goose Pond Cabin tomorrow.
Date: 2015-08-23
From: Shaker Campsite

To: Upper Goose Pond Cabin
Miles today: 9.9
Weather: light rain

My earliest start since being back. Hit the trail at 7:15 am. I was hoping for a better view from Cobble Hill but the fog rolled in just as I got up there. The sun was in and out all morning and even though it wasn¢t very hot I was sweating up a storm. After my climb up Baldy Mt. it was an easy hike with little ups and downs. I ran into Slapshot who I met down south a while back. He is hiking with a hockey stick. He is doing a flip flop thru hike. I walked steady and ended up here at 12:15. As soon as I had lunch I went for a quick dip in the pond to wash my hiking clothes and myself. The water was perfect. I thought it would be colder. The caretaker showed up just after that and unlocked the cabin. What a nice place. I set up in the bunk room but then decided to tent as I sleep better in it. Maaret, the caretaker, will be cooking pancakes for us in the morning. Unless someone else showed up in the last hour there are 8 of us staying here. I might take a zero tomorrow to help out with some of the chores. I could live here with no problems. The caretaker position, which is an unpaid volunteer position is so popular that they can¢t stay more than one week each year. Will make my zero decision in the morning.
Date: 2015-08-24
From: Upper Goose Pond Cabin

To: Upper Goose Pond Cabin
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

Woke up this morning and decided to stay. Wish I could have taken some pics but both my batteries are dead. The cabin is about 95 years old. They are putting a new roof on it. We all had pancakes this morning along with either coffee or tea. I was a little late getting there but there was still plenty. Rocket, from NYC, and Timber from the Dominican Republic were the first to leave at 10:00 am. The 4 section hikers didn¢t leave until 12:30. Crusty Goat and I took out a canoe for an hour and paddled out to the island. When we got back the caretaker Maaret and I took off in the canoe to paddle to the other side of the lake to fill up the drinking water jugs from the spring there. When we got back there were 3 other hikers there that carried the water up for us. Tonight there are a total of 27 of us. There will be tons of pancakes to be cooked tomorrow. Expecting rain later tonight.
Date: 2015-08-25
From: Upper Goose Pond Cabin

To: The Cookie Lady
Miles today: 11.1

Man did it start raining at 2:30 AM. It came down in buckets. It was still raining when I went to the cabin for breakfast at 6:45. I had a couple of cups of coffee along with 7 pancakes. There was a lull in the rain so I started to pack up. I got nearly done with the inside of the tent when it started to pour again so I went back to the cabin where I ran into Bodie who I last saw in Salisbury. It finally stopped raining again so I got the rest of the inside packed up and then packed my wet tent. I finally left at 10:15 am. The trail was pretty well flat all day but with last night¢s rain it was wet and muddy. Had 3 tricky stream crossings along with many puddles. My feet were wet all day. Luckily no bugs to deal with though. The sun started to come out at about 11:30. I got here at 3:45 pm and Roy brought me out my cookies along with the 5 eggs and 2 sodas I bought. The cookies are free. Thought I was going to be the only one staying here but Bodie showed up right at dark. We are going to hike into Dalton together tomorrow. There are clouds building up and lightening in the distance. We might get some more rain tonight.
Date: 2015-08-26
From: The Cookie Lady

To: Tom Levardi's (Dalton, MA)
Miles today: 9.5
Weather: scattered clouds

No rain but a lot of moisture in the air. Packed up and started out hiking with Bodie. The trail was muddy in areas but not too bad. We crossed Blotz Road where I had done trail magic. I remember sitting there thinking it would be years before I could walk through there but here I am. We moved steady until we reached the Kay Wood Shelter for lunch. We then got to Tom Levardi¢s at 2:45. Talked with him for a while and then set up our tents. We then went to Angelina¢s Subs where I had their Rueben Grinder which was excellent. I then had a quart of ice cream for dessert. Crusty Goat is here tonight also. The weather has been great to hike in. One to Chesire tomorrow and a few days with my cousin Sheila.
Date: 2015-08-27
From: Tom Levardi's (Dalton, MA)

To: Chesire, MA
Miles today: 9.3
Weather: broken clouds

Had a great nights sleep but woke to a wet tent again with all the moisture in the air. Left Tom¢s at 9:30. Stopped at Cumberlain Farms for breakfast and hit the trail. Took my time as I had plenty of it before I would meet my cousin. I got to the Cobbles viewpoint and took an extended break. I left at 2:10 pm and headed down into Chesire. As I was walking through Chesire I ran into Float who was heading SOBO, I met him in 2012 and Passionflower told me I would run into him. Thought I might miss him but was happy I didn¢t. I actually met his sister, who is NOBO this year and a couple of weeks ago. When I got to the Shell station Sheila was already there. I have had a shower and we had Subway so off to a soft comfy bed.
Date: 2015-08-28
From: Chesire, MA

To: Chesire, MA
Miles today: 0.0

What a relaxing day. Did my laundry, dried out my tent and gave my air mattress a good cleaning. I then took Bella for a weak and watched TV for the rest of the day. After dinner went to the mall for a while and picked up a couple of things at EMS. Came home and just watched a little TV. I am off to bed.
Date: 2015-08-30
From: Chesire, MA

To: Mark Noepel Shelter
Miles today: 11.2
Weather: overcast clouds

Sheila dropped me off at 11:15 and I started my climb. It was a very nice day. Gained 1,850 ft. today. I still have 700 more ft to get to the top of Mt, Greylock. I did get here to the shelter by 2:00 pm. I ate lunch and did my chores. The water here is great. The shelter is nice also. I haven¢t seen any thru hikers at all today. Wondering if I will be here all by myself tonight. Decided to hang my food bag instead of using the bear box because the box is so far away. Going to stop in North Adams to pick up some more food tomorrow. Hope to get an early start.
Date: 2015-08-31
From: Mark Noepel Shelter

To: Sherman Brook Campsite
Miles today: 12.5

Well, I wasn¢t the only one at the shelter last night. A SOBO showed up at about 7:00 PM and I talked with her for about an hour. Didn¢t get up until 7:15 am. Ate breakfast, packed up and started the rest of my climb up Mt. Greylock. Passed the last place I did trail magic and then got to the top of Mt. Greylock to find the tower was closed until 2017. Wouldn¢t have seen much up there anyhow as it was cloudy. Thought it was going to be hotter but with the clouds and the wind it was nice. I got into North Adams at 2:15 and got my resupply. I was back on the trail by 3:30. Followed the brook up to this campsite. There is a nice spring here and just 1 other camper. Not sure if it is a thru hiker or not. Built a fire, ate dinner and did some reading. Will enter Vermont tomorrow and hit the 1.600 mile mark.
Date: 2015-09-01
From: Sherman Brook Campsite

To: Congdon Shlter
Miles today: 12.5

1,600 miles done! Massachusetts done! Woke up and had cold milk with my frosted flakes. I love being near a spring. Not a whole lot in the way of elevation gain or loss today. When I reached the state line I checked for Passionflower¢s entry from when she started the Long Trail a couple weeks earlier and she left me a little note. It¢s so cool to be in the same state. The Long Trail runs with the AT for 105 miles. It is actually the precursor to the AT. I stopped at the Seth Warner Shelter for lunch and to get water. It was an east walk the rest of the way. I am tenting here as the shelter is full. Seeing more people as the Long Trail thru hikers are here. Looking like a long day tomorrow as I hope to do 14.4 miles which will be my longest day since I have gotten back on the trail.
Date: 2015-09-02
From: Congdon Shlter

To: Goddard Shelter
Miles today: 14.4
Weather: broken clouds

Starting to wake up a little earlier every day but still unable to leave before 8:00 am. It¢s humid but the temps don¢t seem to be too bad in the trees. Several streams are dry so checking with SOBO¢s helps to determine what water sources are good. Have enough food to get me to Manchester Center so I bypassed Bennington. Had lunch at the trail junction to the Melville Nauheim Shelter with 2 SOBO¢s. When I got to the power line after that I was able to pick quite a few blackberries. I got to Hell Hollow Brook and the bridge was out but it was an easy rock hop across it. I got water there as it would be 7 more miles to the next water source at Goddard Shelter. Plenty of nice campsites on the way up there but would need to carry plenty of water to stay at them,. There is a really nice spring here and a view from the shelter which has a front porch. 4 of us in the shelter and 3 others tenting. Hope to get a view from the fire tower on top of Glastonbury Mountain.
Date: 2015-09-03
From: Goddard Shelter

To: Story Spring Shelter
Miles today: 8.9
Weather: overcast clouds

Woke a little bit earlier today at 6:45 am but still 8 am before I left. 10 minutes into my hike I came to the lookout tower and climbed up to a somewhat misty view. Took a video while I was up there and will upload it to Facebook when I got to town. Seeing it was a short day I just hiked straight through. I met a SOBO from Naples today and he said he would call me when he gets home. Got here at 1:00 OM and had lunch then. 8 other hikers here now. So far just 2 of us in the shelter. Looking forward to going over Stratton Mountain where Benton McKaye came up with the idea of the AT. Hope the view from the tower is nice.
Date: 2015-09-04
From: Story Spring Shelter

To: Source Peak Shlter
Miles today: 18.3
Weather: clear sky

I just don¢t sleep as well in a shelter as I do in a tent. There was 4 of us in the shelter and it was quiet. There are plenty of campsites just after the shelter which I will keep in mind when I come through next time. Just had 1 climb today of 1,700 feet to the top of Stratton Mountain.   The same caretaker was there that I met in 2012. This year I got a great view. I could see Bromley Mt., where I will be in two days and Mt Greylock that I went over 4 days ago. After I got to the bottom I just started moving. Looks like I got my trail legs back. I will not be doing any more big days though. When I got to Stratton Pond I was disappointed to see that most of the trail next to it was closed because it was washed away. So instead of stopping for lunch I pushed on another 4.7 miles to the William B. Douglas Shelter and figured I would be going a half mile off trail to get there I might as well do the three more miles to this shelter. I did stop at Prospect Rock to check out the view and to call the Green Mountain House Hostel. I will be staying there tomorrow night. When I looked into the shelter log I seen that Passionflower had left me a message. We set our tents up on the porch in 2012 and I have a pic of Spiceman, Rhino and myself sitting on the steps from that day. Not much tenting here but I did find a spot. It¢s late so off to bed.
Date: 2015-09-05
From: Source Peak Shlter

To: Green Mt. House Hostel
Miles today: 2.8

Nice short day. Got to the highway at 9:00 am and it took a whole 3 minutes to get a hitch into town. The guy that gave me a ride also gave me a gift card to Ben & Jerry¢s ice cream. He dropped me off at the Up For Breakfast restaurant. Ate there in 2012. Small place and with it being Saturday it was busy. After a 35 minute wait I finally got a seat. Had a big breakfast. The Happy Hiker which consisted of 2 large pancakes, 2 eggs, bacon, sausage, home fries and coffee. I then went to EMS and bought a couple of meals. They let us leave our packs there while we check out the town. I went and got some ice cream then got my resupply. I called Jeff at the Green Mt. House Hostel and he picked me up. I got a shower, cooked up a couple of hamburgers and had my pint of Ben & Jerry¢s ice cream that comes with the stay here. I then decided to zero here tomorrow. I have this room to myself tonight. Wonder if it will be busier tomorrow.
Date: 2015-09-06
From: Green Mt. House Hostel

To: Green Mt. House Hostel
Miles today: 0.0

Slept great. Stayed in bed until 8:00 am then cooked breakfast which the ostel supplies, eggs, pancake and cereal. Had the house to myself most of the day. Rested, watched TV and went through my pack. Sapphire, who is doing the Long Trail took a zero also but she went into town. Other hikers left enough food here to where I ate all day. Got a roommate tonight, Burning Moose, who is SOBO. We watched movies until 9:30 pm and then went to sleep. Back on the trail tomorrow but only for 3 miles.
Date: 2015-09-07
From: Green Mt. House Hostel

To: Bromley Mt. Warming Hut
Miles today: 3.0

Happy Labor Day! The Green Mt, House Hostel is the best place on the trail. Jeff is awesome and the place is beautiful! Just can¢t go wrong here. Had breakfast and then Jeff took Sapphire, Burning Moose and myself back to the trail. Said goodbye to Burning Moose and hiked with Sapphire the 2 miles to the shelter. She kept going and I sat there for 5 12 hours. I had lunch got water and then headed up to here. They keep the warming hut open for us hikers during spring and summer. It is windy up here but have good views. Walked around for a while then cooked dinner. As I was watching the sunset Hobbs, Mikes dog, saw a porcupine but luckily we were able to call him back before it was too late. Going to try to catch the sunrise in the morning. Hope it is clear enough.