morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2010-07-27
From: The Mayor's house

To: Wawayanda Shelter
Miles today: 16.8
Weather: clear sky

This morning after breakfast at the mayor's house, we walk to the general store for our second breakfast. There's fresh coffee, sandwiches and a nice front porch with rocking chairs, so there really wasn't a choice. Soon after getting on the trail we see Cliff and another hiker at a trail magic box full of fresh fruit. The day is starting good! At the first shelter there's a working crew who tells us they just brought a new bear box and wood for the privy in with a helicopter. I had wondered how they got all those materials way up in the woods.There's a nice farmer's market near the trail around lunch time, so there's another stop. My friend Chris Driggs is driving up from Charlotte to come see me (about 650 miles!). He left yesterday, and should arrive this evening. I get to the shelter around 6, and five minutes later he calls. He's nearby in the state park. He's going to sleep at the shelter tonight. But first, since he's got a car, we're driving to a nearby tavern for some food and beer. We're joined by Cricket and Slow Go, the harmonica-playing bear chaser I wrote about a few days ago. It's a really nice evening, thanks to our newest trail-angel Chris.
Date: 2010-07-28
From: Wawayanda Shelter

To: Somewhere in the woods
Miles today: 22.4

I arrange to meet Chris at 7PM about 22 miles further. I'd figured some break time and thought I allowed enough time. I hadn't counted on the terrain. We cross in NY today and it is kicking my butt! It seems like the worst of Virginia, Pennsylvania and New Jersey combined. There's not much water to be found, and the recommended source about halfway is a faucet on the side of a creamery. So since I'm already there anyway, I go in and get two scoops of icecream. And then I get two more. I think it's the best icecream I've ever had, this is straight from the farm, real fruit, etc... I don't take any other breaks and arrive 40 minutes late, exhausted. There's Chris, reading a book, waiting for me with a great sandwich and a couple of beers! My spirits quickly recover. We pick a camping spot in the woods, set up our tents, and head into town for dinner and a few more beers. Sometimes you need to suffer a little to really appreciate the good things in life.
Date: 2010-07-29
From: Somewhere in the woods

To: Graymoor
Miles today: 24.6
Weather: clear sky

Just when I pack up my tent it starts raining a little. Chris decides to walk up the trail with me for a couple of miles up to a little lake. When we get there he does wat he usually does. He jumps in and swims. He must have a little Lab in his blood. I can't just let him swim alone, so I get in too for a refreshing morning swim which doubles as laundry. My shirt and pants are clean again, at least for an hour or so. Chris heads back home, and I head into the woods for another punishing day through some very tough but really beautiful scenery. I eat my breakfast at the first shelter, where a chipmunk all but jumps in my lap trying to get to my food. I constantly have to chase him away and he keeps on coming. Not a calm and relaxing breakfast. They may be cute, but I'm ready to smash him.I hear voices as I leave, and there's Hobo and Ghippy, having a snack. I hike with them for about 12 miles. They wear me out, but I'm getting somewhere, and the conversation makes time pass quicker. Ghippy is from this area, and he really enjoys hiking here and pointing out all the beautiful spots in the Hudson Valley. They are getting off the trail to go to a wedding, so I finish my day a little slower, and finally arrive at my destination at dusk, tired but content.This shelter is a pavilion on a ballfield at a Franciscan monastery. They hosted the first hiker in '72 and have allowed hikers to stay there ever since.There's an outdoor shower, a sink, running water, a pavilion with lights and receptacles all in a quiet, wooded setting. It's a Hilton among shelters!Everyone sleeps on the grass, most of us just on a tarp under the stars. It's a cloudless, starry night, and just as I lay down and get in my sleeping bag the moon rises over the horizon.
Date: 2010-07-30
From: Graymoor

To: RPH Shelter
Miles today: 18.8
Weather: scattered clouds

I get an email from my brother today to let me know my mother broke her leg yesterday. When the train she was on stopped, the jolt must have thrown her off balance. She needs surgery but about six weeks from now she should be back to normal. She's a very active person, so it'll be hard to be still for that long. Maybe reading this journal will provide some diversion. Another hot day. I meet and hike with Monkeyback. He tells me Pale Blue Dot is back on the trail, hiking with his arm in a plaster cast. I'm glad to hear it, I had half expected him to continue, he's a tough and determined guy. Hopefully we'll hear from him. We run into Jurassic, one of the Aussies. I thought he was a day behind, but he's been doing high mileage days. He says Metric, the New Zealander, is off the trail, had to get back to work.The day ends nicely. We get to the shelter, which is close to a road. We can call an Italian restaurant for food delivery and a nice day-hiker and his daughter who are staying at the shelter, offer to go for a beer run. Red Stick, Joe, Monkeyback and I enthousiastically accept the offer. We have a good meal with a few beers in good company.
Date: 2010-07-31
From: RPH Shelter

To: Somewhere in the woods
Miles today: 24.5

Tomorrow I'm heading into the town of Kent, to pick up a maildrop (food sent by Lee). Since I like to get into town early, so I can relax a little, I'll do as many miles as possible today. The weather is perfect, one of the most beautiful days we've had on the trail. A blue sky, no humidity, it feels like a warm day in fall. I stop for breakfast at a deli just off the trail, and later, around midday go for a swim in Nuclear Lake. Have supper around sunset time in a meadow looking at the mountains and a far away farmhouse. Then of course it turns dark, and I can't find a flat spot to camp. Finally around 11, when my feet feel like they're about to fall apart, I find a place, lay out my tarp and sleeping pad, get in my sleeping bag and lay down under the stars. Except I can't see them because my eyes are already closed.
Date: 2010-08-01
From: Somewhere in the woods

To: Kent
Miles today: 13.7

As so often happens, the terrain was a lot harder than expected, and I don't get into town until 2:30. Instead of a cute and quiet little town there are hordes of people, cars and motorcycles. This is the last day of their three day summer festival. I still find some coffee and croissants, and share a table with a friendly retired NY couple.
Date: 2010-08-02
From: Kent

To: Somewhere in the woods
Miles today: 15.3

Late departure from Kent after getting a final croissant fix at the local deli/bakery where I finished updating this journal. Put my computer in my back pocket and walked around town enjoying the morning. There are benches along the street, so I sat down to call my mother on Skype, then walked on. A little while later I checked my back pocket, no computer. Checked the bench, nothing. Went to the deli, nothing. Then stopped at another coffee place and a few guys overheard me asking the girl behind the counter. They remembered a girl coming in with a computer she found on a bench. So I got lucky, there are still plenty of honest people around.Then finally back on the trail. My niece Jessie had been insistently recommending a deli 10 miles down the trail, and then 1 mile on a road to Cornwall Bridge. Since I really didn't want to disappoint her (and since I like food) I decided to walk the long mile down there. After about 2 minutes a pickup truck stopped and offered me a ride. The driver had hiked all but 300 miles of the trail, and was fixing to go up to Maine to hike another section later this summer. Found the deli and had a great dinner on their front porch. Next door there's a package store that will give you a free beer if you sign their register. I had been wondering why a place that does something with packages would try to cater to hikers. I signed the register and learned something new, a package store in Connecticut is an alcohol store. They sell beer, wine and liquor. I don't think other stores are allowed to sell alcohol. They let me pick any of their beers, not just the cheap stuff. So I got an Oregon microbrew (Rogue Dead Guy Ale) that I'd enjoyed before, and then bought a nostalgic Belgian Leffe. I had already bought a Bass at the deli, so in the end I trudged back up the trail with 2 bottles of beer in my pack. A customer at the deli had offered me a ride back up.I ran into Ghetto Sheep, a hiker I knew from before who was camping in the woods, and lightened my load by splitting my beers with her over some evening conversation. Moved on a few miles further and found a flat spot to camp.
Date: 2010-08-03
From: Somewhere in the woods

To: Riga Lean-to
Miles today: 21.5

Even hikers get detours. Somewhere along the way on this long hot day there was construction on a bridge across the Housatonic River. The detour was on a pretty road, but several extra miles on a day that already had 21.5 trail miles. There was a little lunch place (Toymakers) at the end of the detour that motivated me. When I got there I saw it was their closing day. A lady was walking her dog. She told me there wasn't anything else in the little town, but told me she'd make me a sandwich. She was the owner of the lunch place. So she opened up and made me a really good sandwich that gave me enough energy to hike the last 12 miles of the day to the shelter. The mosquitos were obnoxious that night, and I resolved to use my tent more often.
Date: 2010-08-04
From: Riga Lean-to

To: Tom Leonard Lean-to
Miles today: 24.4

Today I'm crossing from Connecticut into Massachussets. It always feels good to mark off another state. A lot of miles today, but beautiful terrain, as usual. When I finally make it to the shelter it's almost dark. I hurry to the spring to get water, bring my water containers and filter, but forget my flashlight. When I get ready to climb the long way out of the ravine back up to the shelter it's pitch dark. The only way I make it back is because I know from previous night hikes that the trail is slightly lighter colored than the surrounding area, and the leaves are trampled. When you hear rustling leaves under your feet, you know you're off the trail. I set up my tent (no mosquitos for me tonight) next to the shelter, cook my dinner at the picnic table, even have a cheesecake from my freeze dried packages, and have a good night's sleep.
Date: 2010-08-05
From: Tom Leonard Lean-to

To: Upper Goose Pond Cabin
Miles today: 21.1
Weather: clear sky

It's a rainy morning, so I get up a little later and get to meet the other hikers I didn't see last night in the dark. Relaxed breakfast, put up my wet tent, and get back on the trail. I'm looking forward to tonight's cabin which has a dock on a large pond in the woods. There's a caretaker on-site, and if you get lucky you get pancakes in the morning. On the way I run into some new friends I've seen every day since the Riga lean-to. Tin-Cup, Floater and Mike are three friends in their late fifties who met on the trail years ago, and ever since have met most years to hike or bike together. They've done the PCT, the CDT, the AT and have biked across the country. They are out together for a summer section hike. They take a little short cut, and are enjoying the porch of the cabin when I get there. First thing I do is take off my pack and go jump in the pond for a very refreshing swim in the cool water. What a luxury to be the only person floating in this beautiful lake surrounded by forests and mountains. It's a very pleasant evening talking to my new friends, the southbounder A-bear who brought a bunch of blueberries he picked at the cookie-lady's, Northbounder Moped, the Minnesotan caretaker with her mother and little girl, and a few others.
Date: 2010-08-06
From: Upper Goose Pond Cabin

To: Dalton 
Miles today: 20.6
Weather: broken clouds

The trail runs through the town of Dalton. It's always nice to hit a town and recover our lost calories. There's a guy named Tom in the middle of a suburban neighborhood along the trail who lets hikers stay in his house and camp in his yard, free of charge. He's a really friendly, calm guy who just asks that we be very quiet, so we don't disturb the neighbors. This is a busy night, there are about 15 tents in the yard, and several hikers in the house and on the porch. I head to the tavern down the street with Tin Cup, Floater and Mike for a few beers and dinner, and get back after dark for a good night on the lawn. Mike, a very tired, but tough and non-complaining guy who hasn't hiked in a while, just plops down and gets in his sleeping bag on a tarp. Who needs a tent anyway!
Date: 2010-08-07
From: Dalton 

To: Cheshire/Woodford state park
Miles today: 9.3

After a good breakfast with my friends, I start a short day. We're dispersing today. Floater's going home, back to his horse-dentistry, Tin-Cup and Mike are heading the same place as I am today, and will then skip a section.Lee is driving up, and our friends Tom and Sarah are coming down from Maine for a visit. We'll be staying at a nearby State Park. It's one of those beautiful, cool, sunny days today. Yesterdays wet boots are forgotten. I only have 10 miles to go today, so I walk slower and enjoy the colors in the filtered light under the tree canopy, with glimpses of a perfectly blue sky. It's hard to think of a more perfect walk, except maybe without a backpack..
Date: 2010-08-08
From: Cheshire/Woodford state park

To: North Adams, Ma
Miles today: 14.0

Last night we set up camp for the next few days at Woodford State park, Vermont. As usual, Tom and Sarah made a great dinner. Sarah's one of the best cooks we know, even on a camping stove. And Tom is definitely the best dishwasher we ever met. The bottle of excellent wine our friend Michelle sent with Lee paired with our goat cheese appetizer made this a five star camping experience.This morning we drive back to Cheshire to drop me of and hike today's relatively short hike. Lee, Tom and Sarah will check out the bike trail in Cheshire, and the town of North Adams.At the end of my hike Lee and Sarah meet me on the trail and we finish the day together. Tom and I have a refreshing swim in the cool water of the lake at the campground, it's good to wash the sweat and dirt off and feel clean again.Tonight we go out for dinner in Bennington at a pub that brews its own beer. Pretty good!
Date: 2010-08-09
From: North Adams, Ma

To: Bennington, VT
Miles today: 18.4
Weather: clear sky

We start the day in the same coffee shop in North Adams as we did yesterday. 'Brewhaha' has it all, charm, home baked goods, a variation of cooked breakfasts, and good service.The weather gods smile upon me again and provide a beautiful, cool day. Yesterday and today I hiked in my Keens (sandals with a closed toebox), they are pretty comfortable, and will be very useful to ford streams further north, and to provide some relief when my toes start hurting in my boots. I hadn't taken them before because they're a little heavier than my flip-flops, but they'll come in handy for the last part of the trailTom and Sarah hike about three miles up to meet me at the end of the day, and we finish together. Their company speeds up my last hour of hiking, usually the hardest.I get my daily sandwich and beer when we get to the car. It's such a good and satisfying feeling to get to sit down with some food and a drink after a hard day!Of course we have another of Sarah's great dinners and finish right before a rainstorm. It's all about good timing.
Date: 2010-08-10
From: Bennington, VT

To: Kelley Stand Rd
Miles today: 22.6

Tom and Sarah are going back to Maine today. After breakfast in Bennington they drop me off, and they go pack up their stuff at the state park and start their six hour ride back home. The next place the trail intersects with a road is 22.6 miles hiking, so it'll be a long day. I'm kind of dreading the long hike, would rather hang out with Lee and my friends. But as soon as I'm climbing the trail in the cool, misty Vermont woods I'm enjoying myself again. This is my favorite type of trail. Plenty of rocks and roots, but enough flat places to put your feet. The uphills are not too steep, so you can still walk pretty fast. I get to the rendez-vous point around the estimated time, and Lee's there waiting for me. We get dinner outside on a porch in a little town, Wilmington VT, on the way back to the campground.
Date: 2010-08-11
From: Kelley Stand Rd

To: Bennington
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: few clouds

This morning we pack up at the campground. As I move north I'll be getting further away from this spot. Yesterday's ride to the rendez-vous point was about an hour.During breakfast I decide to take a day off, hang out with Lee and catch up with this journal. We find a nice bed and breakfast in the old part of Bennington. A little luxury is never wasted on a stinky hiker in need of shower and rest.
Date: 2010-08-12
From: Kelley Stand Rd

To: Manchester Center, Vt
Miles today: 17.5
Weather: light rain

Today's hike is a moderate 17.5 miles. The drive to the starting and ending points are mostly highway, so this is a good starting location. We decide to stay another night, and make reservations for tomorrow night at the 'Green Mountain House', a hostel that everyone's been raving about. It's a perfect morning hike. After climbing and descending Stratton Mountain, I end up at the beautiful Stratton pond around lunch time, and contemplate going for a swim. But it starts to rain. It pours pretty hard for over an hour. I don't put my rainjacket on, too sweaty, and walk hard to stay warm. This is a good way to make some time, it's the fastest I've walked in a while. My boots and socks get all wet of course, even wearing gaiters. The gore-tex seems to work for maybe an hour, and then the water comes pouring in, and stays in. I think gore-tex works better at keeping water in the boots than keeping it out. I don't like hiking with wet feet, so I'm glad when I get to the road and see Lee's car. This is luxury hiking. A pick-up at the end of the day, refreshments, and a ride back to the hotel. I'd better enjoy it while it lasts!
Date: 2010-08-13
From: Manchester Center, Vt

To: Danby,VT
Miles today: 17.8

A good breakfast, perfect hiking day, nice Vermont trails, and I get picked up at the end of the day. Life can't get much better.There's a three mile detour where a walking bridge over Big Branch Creek is being rebuilt. But we hear the water is low and it's an easy crossing. That saves three extra miles nobody wants to do at the end of the day.Green Mountain House is as nice a hostel as you'll find anywhere, a nice clean house with kitchen, living room and bedrooms. And a pint of Ben and Jerry's ice cream in the freezer for every guest. Lee's getting spoiled with her first luxury hostel stay of the trip.
Date: 2010-08-14
From: Danby,VT

To: North Clarendon, VT
Miles today: 14.6

Other hikers had recommended a great breakfast place in Manchester Center, 'Up for Breakfast'. We have the best pancakes there we think we ever had, with local maple syrup of course.Lee takes me back to yesterday's end-point, and off I go, into the woods. After a few miles I see Radar and Cricket taking a break. They both, independently, went a mile off the trail this morning, mistakenly following the detour blazes where they joined the real trail back south. Later in the day, I suddenly end up at a picnic area that's not supposed to be there. I went a half mile down a steep slope on a side trail. I turn around to go back up the hill and find the white blazes, and there's Cricket, on her second detour of the day. We start bitching about bad signs, but when we get to the trail there's a perfectly good signpost. We must have been looking at our feet during the rocky descent. A little further Radar, Moped and two other hikers are waiting for us by a creek taking their lunch break. They had figured out what happened when neither one of us showed up.The day ends for me at the Whistle Stop, a old little trainstation converted to a diner/ice cream shop a half mile off the trail. As I arrive, I see Hattrick leave, the last time I saw him was in Damascus, 1200 miles ago. We all have a sandwich, the others will get back on the trail to the next shelter while Lee and I drive to New Hampshire to visit our friends Gilliam and Cathy. They serve us a wonderful dinner on the back porch of their off-the-grid house in the middle of the woods.
Date: 2010-08-15
From: North Clarendon, VT

To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Today I'm getting some culture after breakfast. Our friend Jeff Gwaltney is in Lebanon, NH, singing the lead role (Rodolfo) in 'La Boheme'. So I get to go to my first opera, together with Lee, Gilliam and Cathy. Jeff's working as a 'young artist' for the summer. There's a main cast of established professionals, doing the majority of performances, and a cast of young performers in today's show. On opening night of the main show earlier this week, the lead singer had voice problems, and Jeff got to sing in his place. The next day the reviews in the local papers were raving about his performance. Now he's singing the lead in all remaining shows.I've eaten and had beer with Jeff before, but never heard him sing. So I was really looking forward to the show. It was a great experience, the whole cast and orchestra were excellent, and I loved Jeff's performance. If I wasn't such I prototype of masculinity, I wouldn't have been able to contain my tears.I think I'm sold on opera now. I'll go back for more.
Date: 2010-08-16
From: North Clarendon, VT

To: Inn at Long Trail
Miles today: 17.4

After my brief moment of cultural improvement, back to the more pedestrian tasks of hiking and sweating. It's 10:30 before we get back to my starting point. The end of the hike is the famous Inn at the Long Trail, near the place where the Long Trail and Appalachian Trail separate. For the last 105 miles they both followed the same route, now the Long Trail goes north for another 170 miles to the Canadian border.It's raining when I get started, so I wear my Keens (closed toed sandals). Two thunderstorms, and a lot of hills later I arrive at the Inn around 7:30, just in time for a shower and dinner with a perfectly poured Guinness. Lee's already given 4 of my hiker friends a lift to the hotel (about 1 mile along a busy road) when she picks me up.
Date: 2010-08-17
From: Inn at Long Trail

To: Somewhere in the woods
Miles today: 20.8

Lee's driving back to Charlotte today, Next time I'll see her is when I've finished the trail, in about 4 or 5 weeks.It's a beautiful day on a great trail, but it's slow going. I don't know if it's me or if the trail's harder. About halfway the trail goes through the property of an Inn. A sign says 'hikers welcome' so I walk up to see what they've got. A friendly guy meets me and offers to bring me lunch, but would I mind eating outside, 'because I smell'. It's true, after a while in the woods, sweating, wearing the same clothes, we don't smell like roses. It's a beautiful spot, facing a lake with mountains in the background, and a comfortable chair on the lawn. He brings me a huge, very tasty lunch.I hike until after dark and it takes a while to find a flat spot to put up my tent. The terrain is hilly, the woods full of rocks. When I finally find a spot I'm tired, and ready to sleep.
Date: 2010-08-18
From: Somewhere in the woods

To: Somewhere else in the woods
Miles today: 20.5

I'm approaching Hanover again, this time on foot. Tried to make it into town today, but didn't quite make it. Found a good spot in the woods at just the right distance from town to make it to a bakery Lee and I went to on Monday, at 7:30 when they open.