morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2007-06-04
From: Hemlocks Lean-to

To: MA41 to South Egremont, MA
Miles today: 4.4

The rain never stopped last night, which made for good sleeping. Still raining, took my time eating breakfast and packing, hoping the rain would stop. Left at 9:00 a.m. so I could get to town before noon. The rain makes me hike faster on the good sections of trail but slower on the steep, wet rocks. Slipped a couple of times on the steep rocks but caught myself before falling. Some places it was dangerous descending. Rained all the way to the road, MA 41, tried to thumb a ride 1.3 miles into town but no one would pick up a soaking-wet hiker. Rained all the way to the Post Office. As I was getting ready to go in, I asked a young woman, Kim, if she knew where The Egremont Inn was. She did and offered to give me a ride. She knew I was hiking the trail and I think she felt sorry for me because I looked like a drowned duck. She even waited for me to mail a couple of letters at the Post Office. Yes, trail magic comes along when you need it the most.It was maybe another mile to The Egremont Inn. It is a neat 250-year-old inn. The staff was very hospitable. Not many people here so they let me do my laundry and when Candice, who worked at the front desk, got off work, she took me to the little market up the street so I could buy groceries for the trail, then she brought me back to the inn. They even gave me the number of a pizza place that delivered to the inn. Sat at the bar to eat my Hawaiian-style pizza. The inn has been a wonderful place to get out of the rain, dry out and just relax. They are even going to give me a ride back to the trail after breakfast tomorrow. No Joke spent last night here so he could go to the Post Office and pick up his mail drop this morning.Glad I got to the Inn on a weekday. I heard the owner, Steve, say The Inn is booked up almost every weekend through September.
Date: 2007-06-05
From: MA41 from South Egremont, MA

To: US7, The Corn Crib Shed
Miles today: 3.6

Had breakfast at The Egremont Inn and talked to a couple staying there. They are from Annapolis, MD and one of his relatives owned this inn over 200 years ago.Steve's Mom, also an owner of the inn, gave me a ride back to the trail head at about 9:45 a.m. As soon as I entered the woods, I was attacked by hundreds of mosquitoes. Had to drop my pack and put on insect repellent. They were vicious for the next few miles through a swampy area with a lot of bog bridges. Finally got to a field where there was a breeze and got a break from the bugs.Got to US 7 and walked a short way to the Corn Crib Nursery to see if they sold insect repellent, but they didn't. It was around 11:30 a.m. and they had cold drinks, ice cream and a gazebo I could eat my lunch in. They also have a beautiful Huskie that loves ice cream, so I shared some of mine with her. While eating lunch, I could see storm clouds and hear thunder in the distance. Ruth, the owner, and her daughters, Fawn and June, offered me the shed to stay in if I wanted to. They said the weather report was for severe thunderstorms this afternoon and tonight. I had a little over six miles to go to get to the next shelter on the other side of the mountain. Thanked them, but moved on.About 1/4 mile up the trail, I heard the thunder getting closer. So I turned around and went back to The Corn Crib to take them up on their offer. It wasn't long before the storm hit and I could see the lightening striking all around. Glad I turned around. I could see the storm moving over the mountain I was going to climb. The nursery also sells doll houses, which is Ruth's passion. I offered to do some chores for them. Weeded some of the potted plants, swept out and cleaned up the shed, swept out the main building and emptied the trash cans. June gave me a ride to a grocery store where I bought supper and some insect repellent, mine was about out.Around 3:30 p.m. it cleared up, but I didn't feel good about trying to get to the next shelter, it would be late and another storm might hit. The weather is predicted to be clear tomorrow. I will just have to do more miles for the next couple of days. It is 7:20 p.m. and I can see a storm to the northeast.
Date: 2007-06-06
From: US7, The Corn Crib Shed

To: Mt Wilcox Sorth Lean-to
Miles today: 11.7

Had to get up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom and there were no clouds in the sky and the stars were extremely bright. The Big Dipper was right over my head. By the time I got up, clouds had moved in and temperatures had dropped to the 40's. The shed even had a table and chair inside, it had been a good shelter for the night, four walls and I used my hiking poles to lock the door.I had breakfast, packed and was moving up the trail by 7:00 a.m. Hiked with the Housatonic River on one side and corn fields on the other. The corn was just starting to come up. It was real windy which made it colder but the good news is that mosquitoes can't fly in this wind.Got to Hemlocks Lean-To a little before 11:00 a.m. and decided to eat my lunch there. I heard voices and a group of about 20 men, mostly in the 60's and 70's, walked up. They were out for a day hike. They were also the only people I saw all day. By noon, the sun started to come out but the wind continued to blow, making it feel like the temperature was in the 50's. Because it was cold, I could hike a little faster and made good time getting to Mt. Wilcox South Lean-To. Saw some nice little ponds beside the trail as I was climbing the last mountain.Arrived at the shelter by 3:45 p.m. Then it was the regular routine of finding and getting water, finding the privy, changing clothes and hanging the wet ones up to dry, cooking supper, eating, cleaning up. It was 6:30 p.m. by the time I got all my chores done. Now I can sit back and relax for a couple of hours, before going to bed. Oh, when I went to find the privy I stepped on a garter snake, when it moved I jumped about five feet, didn't know what kind of snake it was at first.The sun is dropping and it is getting cooler, going to get in my sleeping bag early and see if I can get the weather report for tomorrow on my small radio and listen to some music for entertainment. Hey, it didn't rain on me today!
Date: 2007-06-07
From: Mt Wilcox Sorth Lean-to

To: Upper Goose Pond Cabin
Miles today: 15.8
Weather: clear sky

No one else came in last night. It was a small shelter. Heard they are getting ready to build a new one here. Up early and hiking by 6:30 a.m. It was cool and windy, good hiking weather. Hiked through some thick pine forests and some fields.Coming down one of the mountains, I lost my bandana off my sternum strap. Looked back but decided to keep going forward, it could have been a couple of miles back. Maybe trail magic will bring it to me.Went across a marshy area on a long wooden platform and saw something that looked like wild orchids. Also saw some ponds with beaver lodges and one with a beaver dam. Long day but got to Upper Goose Pond Cabin about 4:15 p.m. Was greeted by Jim the caretaker of the cabin for this week. Leon and Merrie from Nebraska were already there. They had done a section hike and are going home tomorrow. Few minutes later, Bob Cat and Sunshine came running up with some trail magic - food. They are engaged to get married sometime after he finishes thru-hiking the trail. They live up here and he is taking a couple weeks off. In hikes Tuna Mac and Turbo. Small world out here, they know Bob Cat and Sunshine. I got lucky, Tuna Mac and Turbo found my bandana. Did not expect to get it back that soon.Bob Cat and Sunshine went for a swim in the pond then left and a little later Tuna Mac and Turbo took the canoe out for a paddle. The pond was slick as glass. Jim said that they used the canoe to paddle to the other side of the pond to fill up gallon bottles with spring water. There were a lot of bottles on the pier and everyone took two up to the cabin. Jim also said they used the canoe to bring in supplies from a boat ramp further around the pond.The cabin was built in the early 1900's and is in great shape. It has a large covered porch, room with a dining table and a kitchen downstairs. Upstairs is where the bunk room is with new firm mattresses on all the bunks. There will be some good sleeping tonight. When I asked if anyone had seen a Gee Haw Whimsey Diddle Stick, Turbo said he had. So I gave it to him and he started talking to the stick and made the propeller stop and go in the other direction on his Gees and Haws. That boy is good, he can drive them mules. He is the only person I have seen since I left Georgia that has the touch to make the stick do what you tell it to do. He really impressed me. He has one back home in NC, but told me that I have a really good balanced stick. We let Tuna Mac play with it for over a half hour before I showed him how it works.Had a good time tonight. Tuna Mac and Turbo are in their early twenties and were a lot of fun to have around. Leon and Merrie have been and still are involved in Boy Scouts so we had a lot to talk about. And Jim the caretaker is just a great guy and is going to cook all of us a pancake breakfast in the morning.
Date: 2007-06-08
From: Upper Goose Pond Cabin

To: October Mountain Lean-to
Miles today: 8.8
Weather: clear sky

Jim kept his promise, he cooked and cooked and cooked pancakes until everyone was full. Turbo and Tuna Mac left headed for Dalton 20 miles away and Leon and Merrie were hiking out to get a ride to their car so they could drive back to Nebraska. I sat on the porch and talked to Jim, he taught me a lot about beavers up here. We saw some hummingbirds and then saw some people from Canyon Ranch Resort paddling canoes across to the other side of the pond. I left about 10:45 a.m. and ran into some people from Canyon Ranch, they were hiking the trail then another trail back to the resort. Today was really hot with almost no breeze blowing. I crossed over the A.T. bridge that goes over Interstate 90 and saw a sign welcoming people to the "Berkshires." In the afternoon I saw more beaver ponds and even a good size tree the beavers had cut down. Slow moving today because of the heat.When I got to October Mountain Lean-To at 4:45 p.m., Ridge-runner Dave was there. He had purified a lot of water and shared it with me. I was really thankful for that because I was tired and not looking forward to going down to the stream to get water. It was good to have his company at the shelter. He and his wife live only 6 1/2 miles from the trail, lucky guy. He had his wife had hiked a lot of the A.T. in the south so we had a lot to talk about. Mosquitoes are a little pesky today.
Date: 2007-06-09
From: October Mountain Lean-to

To: Dalton, MA
Miles today: 11.8
Weather: light rain

Ridge-runner Dave listened to the weather report on his radio last night and rain is predicted for most of the day. Put rain covers on our packs and left at 6:30 a.m. hiking together. When we got to Pittsfield Road at 7:30 a.m., Dave took me up to see the "Cookie Lady's" house. Her husband, Roy, was in the yard and he went in to get her. Sure enough she came out with some fresh baked cookies. She has been doing this for hikers for over 20 years. They have a beautiful and friendly dog named Rufus. After eating our cookies, we hiked on. Got to Dave's truck and he gave me an apple and some green tea. We had hiked together for 5.5 miles and time had gone by fast. Dave is a good guy. He had to go home to get something to take to Kay Wood Lean-To tonight. Warner Mountain was covered in ferns and the rest of the mountain had a lot of fern for several miles. About a half mile before Kay Wood Lean-To, a great horned owl flew down in front of me. That was one big bird and I never heard his wings flap. As I was going down the mountain towards Dalton, and was a mile away from town, I could hear dogs barking, cars and lawnmowers. Picked up my pace, want to get to town. Near the bottom of the mountain, I could see a train going by through the woods, knew I was real close then. Crossed the railroad tracks and was in town. Walked at least another half mile or more to get to the Shamrock Village Inn and got a room.After a hot shower, got something to eat, then off to the laundromat another half mile away. Got there at 3:40 p.m. and they closed at 4:00 p.m. on Saturday. The manager knew I was a hiker by the way I looked so he stayed open until 4:30 p.m. so I could get my clothes clean. Had a salad and prime rib for supper, tasted great. Bought new supplies and cleaned some of my gear. Always something to do. Sleeping in a firm bed with a pillow tonight.
Date: 2007-06-10
From: Dalton, MA

To: Cheshire, MA
Miles today: 9.3

It was raining when I went to get breakfast this morning. Thought I was going to have to walk in the rain all day. Made some phones calls to my wife Nadine, our daughter and granddaughter, Kelley and Shanna. Kelley even got our son Jeff on the line from Japan. Family is what I miss the most being out here.Took my time packing. It was 9:40 a.m. when I left and the rain had stopped. Had a 1,000 ft. elevation mountain to climb today but the trail was fairly easy and I made good time. The woods were damp and cool which made for good hiking.As I approached Gore Pond near the top of the mountain, I thought I heard something like a chain saw, but wasn't sure, when I got to Gore Pond it was just a large number of frogs croaking together.Came down the mountain really fast for me, 3 1/2 miles in 1 1/2 hours. When I crossed the Hoosie River bridge and walked into town I saw two boys coming out of a little store, Diane's Twist, with ice cream. Stopped and got me some chocolate and vanilla then went back and got some strawberry. Sat outside on their picnic table, ate my ice cream and relaxed. They should have a store like this for every mountain we climb down.Only saw one hiker today, he was wearing a kilt and goes to Virginia Tech University. He had taken some time off from college to come hike the A.T. As I was hiking up to the Catholic Church that provides a hostel, I saw the VA Tech hiker leaving town. Got to the hostel about 3:30 p.m..Leaving Dalton and coming into Cheshire, the trail goes a long way through residential sections. Went back to Diane's Twist for supper. It was the only place that I could find that was open on Sunday. Looks like I will be the only one at the church hostel tonight.
Date: 2007-06-11
From: Cheshire, MA

To: MA2 to Williamstown, MA
Miles today: 14.0

Up early - got a long hard day ahead. When I left the church at 6:00 a.m., it was cloudy and cool. Already had my rain cover on my pack, it looked like another rainy. Did not see a single person the whole time I was at the church. Walked through a residential area to leave town.In about eight miles I had to climb 2500 feet to the summit of Mt. Greylock. It was a hard climb but with the cool weather, I made good time. About 2.5 miles from the summit with the smell of the small spruce trees, I thought of Christmas, the smell was powerful. This area reminds me of the Smoky Mountains in NC/TN near Clingmans Dome. It is beautiful. Several hundred feet before the summit, I saw a small pond with a small cabin on it, neat looking.Got to the summit of Mt. Greylock, the highest point in Massachusetts, about 11:15 a.m. and saw the War Memorial and Bascom Lodge. Both are closed for the next two years for repairs. Bum luck. They normally have meals, snack bar, lodging and a pay phone where I could have called home. Neat lodge and impressive war memorial. I was eating lunch at the War Memorial when Bobcat came running out of the woods. He was doing a 15 mile walk/run. Said it would be 11 more days before he and Sunshine start hiking north. They are young and in great shape, it won't take long before they catch me. Took my boots and socks off during lunch to dry them out. There was a crew working on the communication towers and other than them, only saw three people as I was coming up the mountain, three on top and two going down.About out of water, stopped at a small stream with only a mile to go. A storm was behind me as I came into town, but I made it to the Redwood Motel before the heavy rain started. When the rain let up, I walked across the street to the grocery store to re-supply for the next four days and get supper. I am getting ready to go to bed and it is raining really hard outside, wonder what tomorrow will be like.
Date: 2007-06-12
From: MA2 from Williamstown, MA

To: Seth Warner Shelter
Miles today: 6.9
Weather: light rain

I was too tired last night to re-package my food I bought at the grocery store so I did it this morning. No hurry to get out since I have a short mileage day planned. Walked 0.3 miles up MA 2 to the trail and turned north and took the foot bridge over the Hoosie River and railroad tracks, then crossed Mass. Ave. and within 150 feet I was in the woods hiking beside a beautiful stream for about 1 1/2 miles. Of course this meant I was climbing, always am when leaving town. The sun was out for a change.Got to the Massachusetts - Vermont border about 12:25 p.m. and stopped for lunch. A cool breeze blew through and it felt like rain so I cut my lunch break short. It wasn't long before I heard the thunder, racing another storm to the shelter. Got to the shelter at 2:30 p.m. and got water before the storm blew by, not much rain. It was about 4:00 p.m. when Mud Elephant came hiking in. He was out hiking for a few days. He did a thru-hike in 1996. The temperature started getting cooler after supper. Sky looks like it is trying to clear up. Today I hiked out of another state - Massachusetts - with only three more states to go. Enjoyed my time in Massachusetts hiking past the ponds and seeing the beaver huts and dams. Lots of small towns near or on the trail that meant less nights in the woods. Neat staying in a 250-year-old inn and really wish I could have spent more time at Upper Goose Pond Cabin, what a beautiful location. The War Memorial Tower on the top of Mt. Greylock was impressive as was the mountain itself, and the view of the valley was breathtaking.
Date: 2007-06-13
From: Seth Warner Shelter

To: Melville Nauheim Shelter
Miles today: 13.1
Weather: light rain

Mud Elephant was still asleep when I left the shelter at 5:40 a.m. In less than one mile, I saw a moose track in the mud, it was big. It was real cool and cloudy, put my rain cover on my pack in case it started raining.Later this morning I had an awesome experience. The trail went just below a beaver dam, the dam was about 3 1/2 feet high and the trail was less than ten feet from it. Could see the beaver lodge further in the pond.Just before getting to Congdon Shelter at 10:00 a.m., the trail followed a beautiful mountain stream. I stopped at the shelter for a real early lunch, needed the energy boost. The trail down to VT 9 and back up was really, really steep. From a profile it looked like Paul Bunyan had taken his axe and made a big notch in the mountain.When I got to Melville Nauheim Stelter, Clint, Chuck and The Silent Nomad were already there. Clint and Chuck are Boy Scout Leaders out hiking a section of the Long Trail. The Long Trail and the A.T. share the same trail for 97 miles. Clint and Chuck went to Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico last year so we shared a lot of stories. Silent Nomad is hiking north on the A.T. and started in Tennessee. Three young guys came in for a short time, they are hiking the whole Long Trail and are going south and will finish tomorrow. They started at the Canada/US border. A little later Nate came in, he is hiking the Long Trail going north. And even later Doc the Creepy Dwarf showed up. He is from California and has come back to finish hiking the A.T. He ended his hike in 2004 down at VT 9. This is the most people I have seen in a shelter in a long time. Probably because the A.T. is shared with the Long Trail.It is getting cold, you can see your breath when you breath. Oh, Silent Nomad gets his name from the fact that he is hearing impaired and we write to communicate with him.
Date: 2007-06-14
From: Melville Nauheim Shelter

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

It was cloudy and cooler than yesterday when I started hiking at 6:00 a.m. Just some small ups and downs. I was about four miles from Goddard Shelter when Doc the Creepy Dwarf caught up to me. We hiked together to the Goddard Shelter and took a good hour for lunch and some rest, already hiked 8.5 miles by 10:30 a.m.About another 0.3 mile up the mountain we came to the Glastenbury fire tower. From the top we could see Mt. Greylock to the south and Stratton Mountain to the north. Doc hiked on and I met him at Kid Gore Shelter for a half-hour break. Doc decided to hike on with me to Story Spring Shelter. Finally got a good picture of a chipmunk at Kid Gore Shelter.We were within a mile of the shelter when we saw another beaver dam and lodge up close. Nate was already at the shelter. After supper we built a nice fire to help drive away the mosquitoes. Looks like it will be another cool night.
Date: 2007-06-15
From: Story Spring Shelter

To: William B Douglas Shelter
Miles today: 15.3
Weather: few clouds

It was cool last night and after being so tired from yesterday I slept a little later. Left the shelter at 7:00 a.m. right behind Nate and Doc. Doc the Creepy Dwarf is really a doctor and he is not creepy, he is a nice guy.The trail to the base of Stratton Mountain was fairly easy except for the muddy sections of the trail. Seen a lot of that since getting to Vermont. Hear they have two seasons up here, winter and mud.It was an 1800 ft. elevation climb to the top of Stratton Mountain. Doc was waiting for me there. Met the Green Mountain Club caretakers for the fire tower, Jean and Hue. They live in the caretakers cabin from May to October. Doc and I went up in the fire tower, it was a clear day and what a view. We could see Mount Snow and Bromley Mountain with the ski slopes, Stratton Pond below and Killington Mountain way off in the distance. While eating lunch near the cabin, Sarge, a thru-hiker showed up. He was glad to meet me, he had been reading my entries in the shelter journals.Doc and I hiked together down to Stratton Pond Shelter and took a half-hour break there. It is one of the nicest shelters I have seen on the trail. Would have been nice to stay there but it was still early and Doc and I were feeling good so we decided to go for the next shelter almost five miles away. Doc went on ahead.It is a small world out here. When I had stopped to get water from a stream, a hiker came by. His name was Sleeping Bear and I had met him last October in the shelter just before Delaware Water Gap, PA. He is from Alabama but raised in South Africa and speaks with a British accent.When Doc and I got to William B. Douglas Shelter, Kevin and Mary from Texas were already there and had a nice fire going. After supper Doc and I dried our socks out by the fire. Kevin and Mary are just out backpacking for a couple of days.I am getting excited because tomorrow I go to town, Manchester Center, VT and the day after will take my first zero day in 25 days.