morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2014-07-01
From: Bearded Woods

To: Salisbury,CT
Miles today: 15.9
Weather: scattered clouds

Hot, humid Summer's day 15.9 mile walk from Kent,CT to West Cornwall, CT. The ups and downs are coming back again into the picture the further north I go. It didn't take long this morning before I was soaking wet with sweat. After a really steep descent down what is called Saint Johns Ledges to the Housatonic River there was a five mile flat walk along the River. The rest of the walk was a series of up and down walking. Early in the morning I made arrangements to stay the night at the Bearded Woods which is Hudson and Big Lu's home in West Cornwall,CT. I intended to get to the Bearded Woods by 4pm to watch the US Soccer team on television play in the World Cup Soccer tournament. By 3:30pm I made it to West Cornwall and Hudson picked me up shortly thereafter. My decision to stay at the Bearded Woods turned out to be one of the best decisions I have made in awhile. The Bearded Woods is run by Hudson and Big Lu. What a gem of a place. Hudson is passionate about the Appalachian Trail and taking care of hikers. Hudson is in the midst of completing a thru hike himself this year. He started his thru hike in February, hiked until May and made it to New Hampshire. He returned home in May to host hikers in his home and intends to return to New Hampshire in September to complete his hike. Big Lu's mission at the Bearded Woods is to feed hikers staying at the Bearded Woods until they can't eat anymore. I am here to report that Bug Lu accomplished her mission with me. She kept bringing on the food all afternoon. Also staying at the Bearded Woods with me tonight are Crocs,Dirty Harry, Bug Bear, Chuckles, Giggles, and Iron Chef. We had a great time watching the soccer game,eating, and talking. Tomorrow I will push ahead in the Summer heat.
Date: 2014-07-02
From: Maria McCabe's home, Salisbury,CT

To: Massachusetts
Miles today: 15.9
Weather: few clouds

At 9am, Hudson, owner of the Bearded Woods, West Cornwall, CT, where I stayed last night (I updated yesterday's journal entry with a photo of Hudson and Big Lu. To see photo click on the previous tab above), dropped me back at the trail where I stopped hiking yesterday. Until 3pm it was hot, muggy walking but the trail was good and it was a good walk. At around 3pm a thunderstorm moved in and the next two hours I walked in a downpour, thunder, and lightening. I got drenched. My pack cover didn't work well and I eventually just took it off. The trail became a small stream to walk in. At 5pm I reached my destination for the day, HWY 44 in Salisbury,CT. I called Maria McCabe who lives in Salisbury and boards hikers in her home. Maria came to the trailhead on HWY 44 and picked me up. Maria has been hosting hikers in her home for the past 14 years. I hope Maria doesn't get mad at me for telling her age but she is 85 years old. She thinks hikers are crazy but she loves them. AWOL (David Miller) stayed with Maria during his 2003 thru hike and mentions Maria in his book "AWOL On The Appalachian Trail." Maria is originally from Italy and prior to my arrival she already had two young women from Italy staying in her home visiting. One of the young women was cooking spaghetti when I arrived and she invited me to join them for dinner (see photo left. Maria is on the right in the photo). I guess they learn very early how to cook great spaghetti in Italy. After dinner I went to the laundry in town and dried out my pack and other wet cloths. Tomorrow, weather permitting, I will push on. I am five miles short of going over 1,500 miles walked and I am seven miles from the Connecticut and Massachusetts boarder. If it rains all day tomorrow I may wait out the rain in place? There might be some leftover spaghetti?
Date: 2014-07-03
From: Laurel Ridge Campsite

To: Great Barrington, Massachusetts
Miles today: 9.2
Weather: broken clouds

Milestones for the day: I went over 1,500 miles walked and I entered Massachusetts, my 11th state. The weather conditions the past two days have made walking difficult. The weather has been either extremely humid or there have been periods of intense thunderstorms. As I type this I am riding out a torrential downpour in my tent. Around 5 pm I stopped walking to hurry and get my tent set up prior to the arrival of the storm I could hear headed my way. I spent the morning in Salisbury,CT at Maria McCabe's house cooking my breakfast in Maria's kitchen, drinking coffee, and getting packed to leave town. I walked to the grocery store and went to Sweet William's bakery in Salisbury to get a few things for my food bag. At around 11:30 Maria dropped me back at the trail where I quit walking yesterday. In the afternoon I climbed Bear Mountain. The descent down Bear Mountain was extremely steep and extremely challenging because the rocks were slippery and wet from yesterday's rain. I had to sit and scoot down some of the rocks. Next I walked beside a beautiful stream thru Sages Ravine which was one of the prettiest stretches of trail I have walked so far. The challenge tomorrow will be dealing with all my wet gear. More thunderstorms are forecast for tomorrow so it may be day after tomorrow before I can begin getting my stuff dried out. Oh well, I'm still feeling good and headed north.
Date: 2014-07-04
From: West Cornwall,CT

To: Cheshire,Massachusetts
Miles today: 9.3

Today was without a doubt the most difficult day I have had since the beginning. Difficult weather and difficult trail made more difficult by the difficult weather. I managed to use the word difficult four times in one sentence. Did I mention that it was a difficult day? I tented the night at Laurel Ridge Campsite. At about 7pm last night it began raining and rained really hard all night. For good measure it even hailed at times in between lightening and thunder. Early in the morning the rain did stop long enough for me to pack up my wet gear and get on the trail. Shortly after I began walking it began raining very hard again. The remainder of the day was spent walking in a steady rain, descending dangerously slippery rocky downhills, and walking thru ankle deep water. My goal for the day soon became to make it to Great Barrington, Massachusetts, find a place to stay and dry out. When I began checking on motel rooms in Great Barrington I found out that because today is the 4th of July motel room rates in Great Barrington were anywhere from $250 to $350 per night. So much for that idea. I called Hudson, owner of the Bearded Woods Hostel in West Cornwall, CT and it so happened that he was picking up two hikers on HWY 41 just outside Great Barrington so I arranged to meet him at HWY41 and go back to the Bearded Woods for the evening. Around 3pm I got back to the Bearded Woods and began getting my cloths and gear dried out. I had a wonderful barbecue chicken and corn on the cob 4th of July Supper with 7 other hikers, Hudson, and Big Lu on the Bearded Woods screen porch. So, the rain is suppose to stop this evening and it will be back to HWY41 in the morning to resume moving NOBO (northbound).
Date: 2014-07-05
From: Mt Wilcox North Shelter

To: Upper Goose Pond Cabin
Miles today: 17.1
Weather: clear sky

What a difference a day makes. The weather today was beautiful. There was not a cloud in the sky, temperature was in the mid seventies, and there was a cool breeze blowing all day. The cooler weather and the breeze helped keep some of the Mosquitos down. I didnt see many people today. The parade of thru hikers has obviously thinned out at this point. After walking 17.1 miles I decided to camp at the Mt Wilcox North Shelter. This shelter is near a stream. No one else is at the shelter except me and the Mosquitos. This is one of the few shelters where I have camped and the shelter has been empty. I am tenting because in my tent I am protected from the Mosquitos. In fact, I ate in my tent. I couldn't sit outside long without getting myself eat for Supper. It is going to be a nice cool night for sleeping and I am going to be glad that I am still carrying my summer sleeping bag. Tomorrow I plan to walk to the Upper Goose Pond Cabin which is suppose to be a good site to camp and the Caretaker at the Cabin cooks pancakes for thru hikers for breakfast in the morning. There is suppose to be swimming and canoeing at the Upper Goose Pond Cabin as well. I am averaging about 100 miles per week right now. That average will no doubt drop when I reach New Hampshire and Maine. As I sit here this evening I have 654.7 miles to Katahdin, Maine (the northern terminus). My health is good it all about will and spirit now.
Date: 2014-07-06
From: Upper Goose Pond Cabin

To: Cheshire, Massachusetts
Miles today: 14.0

Day 114 was another beautiful weather day in Massachusetts: clear skies, not too hot, not too humid, and a cool breeze blowing. I had some nice views of the Massachusetts countryside from the hills I climbed along the way today. During my walk this Spring and Summer I have come to a new awareness and new appreciation for just how much beautiful countryside still exists in this country. At around 3:30 pm I arrived at my destination for the day: the Upper Goose Pond Cabin (see photo left). The cabin is a two story cabin with a large bunk room upstairs. The cabin overlooks the Upper Goose Pond lake and it is a pretty and peaceful setting. The Upper Goose Pond Cabin is managed by the Appalachian Mountain Club (AMC) and from Memorial Day until sometime in September there is a volunteer Caretaker who stays at the Cabin. The Caretaker this week is a former hiker named Gramps who finished hiking the Appalachian Trail in 2001 when he was 67 years old. When I arrived at the cabin I was the only hiker at the cabin and Gramps offered me a cup of coffee. I spent most of the afternoon sitting on the front porch of the cabin drinking coffee and talking with Gramps and Gramps' hiking friend Texas Jack. Along about 6 pm I got my bath when I went for a little swim in the Upper Goose Pond lake. By 8pm nine other thru hikers showed up to spend the night at the cabin. After not seeing anyone all day yesterday it was fun seeing a bunch of people. The talk now is about getting into Vermont then finally getting to the big bad White Mountains of New Hampshire. Staying at the cabin tonight are Dirty Harry, Bug Bear, Mombo, Pippin, 50/50, JoHawk, Murphy, Martial Arts, and Hoss. I am sleeping in my tent on a tent platform nearby the cabin because I sleep better in my tent than I sleep with a bunch of people in bunkhouses and shelters. Tomorrow morning at about 6:30am, Gramps is going to cook pancakes and have coffee for we hikers. I can't wait for breakfast. After breakfast I plan to push on toward Dalton, Massachusetts. I am 48.6 miles from the Vermont border and should be in Vermont by the middle of the week. It was a good Summers Sunday afternoon at the Upper Goose Pond Cabin.
Date: 2014-07-07
From: Dalton, Massachusetts

To: Cheshire, Massachusetts
Miles today: 20.6
Weather: scattered clouds

And then an Emu appeared on the Appalachian Trail. More about the Emu later. What a day. It amazes me the adventures, the magic, the experiences that spin off a simple dirt, muddy, rocky, rooty, up hilly, down hilly, walking path that winds from Georgia to Maine. All you have to do is be willing to start walking and get on board for the ride. Today began with a couple of pancakes and a cup of coffee at the Upper Goose Pond Cabin. Then it was off to walking. At around 1pm I made one of the best stops of my entire trip when I pulled into the yard of The Cookie Lady's house located 100 yards off the trail on Washington Mountain Road. The Cookie Lady offers hikers hard boiled eggs, soda, ice cream bars, and of course cookies. Her name is Marilyn Wiley and her husband's name is Roy. The Cookie Lady has been welcoming hikers to her yard for the past 30 years. She said that 30 years ago she would see about 50 hikers during the summer and that now she sees over 500 hikers each year. One other hiker named Hoss was already sitting out in The Cookie Lady's yard when I arrived. I ate 6 hard boiled eggs, drank 2 cokes, 3 Klondike ice cream bars, and of course some cookies (see photo left). Marilyn and Roy live on 20 acres. When they bought the property a previous owner had already planted blueberry orchards on the property and during blueberry season Marilyn and Roy offer pick your own blueberries. They have 25 or 30 Hens ( I am not sure they know how many chickens they have) which produce the eggs the hikers consume. Hoss ate 8 eggs and 4 ice cream bars. I guess that's why they call him Hoss. After my sixth hard boiled egg and third ice cream bar Roy said I must be hungry. Roy has a 1949 airplane he keeps in hanger on his property and he takes off and lands on a grass air strip behind his house. After a lite lunch at The Cookie Lady's house it was back to the trail with a destination of Dalton, Massachusett for the evening to beat the incoming rain storms. About 4 miles south of Dalton, while walking along, I saw an Emu standing on the side of the trail. I posted a photo of the Emu in my Photos page (click on the Photos tab over on the left to see the Emu). Don't ask me where the Emu came from. After the Emu saw me, for some reason he jumped on the trail and started walking in front of me. Finally I found a hiking partner with a walking pace as slow as my pace. After walking in front of me for about 10 minutes the Emu stepped to the side of the trail as if it thought it might be slowing me down and I passed around the Emu far,far to the left side of the trail. Now that is what I was referring to earlier about the magic one finds spinning off this simple walking trail. After losing my hiking partner I hustled on into Dalton to the Shamrock Motel on Main Street and managed to check into my room as it began to rain very hard. What a day. The Cookie Lady and an Emu.
Date: 2014-07-08
From: Cheshire, Massachusetts

To: Sherman Brook Campsite
Miles today: 8.8
Weather: overcast clouds

I had breakfast at the Dalton Restaurant on Main Street, got a cup of coffee at Juice and Java, did laundry, bought some food at a gas station and finally started walking out of Dalton, Massachusetts at around 11:30am. I walked 8.8 miles to Cheshire, Massachusetts where I am sleeping on the floor in what I would call the Fellowship Hall of Saint Mary of the Assumption Catholic Church on Main Street in Cheshire. There are five other hikers sleeping at the church. A lot of churches nearby the Appalachian Trail offer a place to stay for the night to hikers. Tomorrow morning I will climb Mt Greylock which is the highest peak in Massachusetts. This will be a pretty good morning uphill but I look forward to the views I will get and I plan on having lunch at the lodge on top of the mountain.
Date: 2014-07-09
From: Sherman Brook Campsite

To: Bennington,Vermont
Miles today: 16.3
Weather: scattered clouds

As I slept on the floor on the stage in the fellowship hall of the St Mary of the Assumption Catholic Church in Cheshire, Massachusetts last night I could hear it raining very hard during the night and I was glad to be inside. We are in a weather pattern of late afternoon and evening summer thunderstorms. The challenge is to try be undercover when the thunderstorms arrive. When morning came the skies had cleared and it was sunny and a little bit cooler. By 11am I reached the summit of Mt Greylock and had lunch at the Bascom Lodge. After lunch I made the long descent from Mt Greylock into the town of North Adams, Massachusetts and walked a half mile on HWY 2 to the Stop and Shop grocery store where I bought a half gallon of chocolate milk and four honey buns from the store bakery. I went outside the store and sat on a bench and drank the entire half gallon of chocolate milk and ate 3 of the honey buns. During my break at the Stop and Shop a thunderstorm rolled thru town and I waited until the storm passed. After the storm passed, I walked back to the trail and walked 1.8 miles to the Sherman Brook Campsite where I set my tent up on a wooden tent platform. Just as I got my tent set up on the platform another thunderstorm hit. It is raining as I lay in my tent and type this journal entry. That simply put, was day 117. I am 2.5 miles from the Vermont Border, 9.7 miles from going over 1,600 miles, and 595 miles from the end of this walk. Tomorrow's destination is Bennington, Vermont where I will go into town once again to dry out my gear, take a shower, do laundry, and eat.
Date: 2014-07-10
From: Bennington,Vermont

To: Kid Gore Shelter
Miles today: 16.8
Weather: broken clouds

Hello from Vermont.   Another milestone is that today I went over 1600 miles walked since I began walking north from Springer Mountain, Georgia. The early part of the day didn't start out so great. Within the first 30 minutes I got stung in the ankle by a bee of some kind and I lost the rubber tip on my hiking pole. Around 8:30am this morning I entered Vermont. I spent most of the day attempting unsuccessfully to hop around mud puddles and avoid walking thru running water. So far the trail in Vermont is a muddy mess. I enjoy walking but what I did today was neither walking nor enjoyable. It was impossible to keep my boots and my feet dry today. With all the recent rain the trail in Vermont is mostly standing water or water running like a small creek down the trail. However, as far as I know the trail in Vermont may be always like this. I sure hope the trail conditions improve as I go north in Vermont. I will be walking for about 105 miles approximately up the center of Vermont then will hook a right hand turn heading for New Hampshire and the White Mountains. For the first 105 miles in Vermont the Appalachian Trail and The Long Trail are the same trail. When I make my right hand turn toward New Hampshire the Long Trail continues straight northward to Canada. At around 4pm I quit walking at Vermont HWY 9. Around 5pm,after trying unsuccessfully for an hour to hitchhike into Bennington,Vermont, two kind gentlemen who were in the parking lot where the Appalachian Trail crosses HWY 9 gave me a ride to the Autumn Inn Motel in Bennington. I put my boots and tent out in the sun to dry, showered, did laundry, went to Henry's Market for some food for my food bag, bought a large pizza at a Domino's pizza restaurant, and went back to my room and ate the entire large pizza. I will try to catch the city bus back to the trail tomorrow morning and continue to inch ever northward. I can't say that I look forward to wading in mud again tomorrow.
Date: 2014-07-11
From: Kid Gore Shelter

To: Stratton Pond
Miles today: 14.4

I got a late start. At 9:15am I caught the Green Mountain Express Bus across the road from the Autumn Inn Motel in Bennington, Vermont, where I stayed last might, back to the trailhead on HWY 9 where I stopped hiking yesterday. The trail today was much better than yesterday and seems to be drying out. It is not suppose to rain for a few days so trail conditions should continue to improve. Not a long mileage day but enough for me. I am tenting alone near the Kid Gore Shelter. Staying healthy and motivated. One day at a time.
Date: 2014-07-12
From: William B. Douglas Shelter

To: Manchester Center,Vermont
Miles today: 19.9
Weather: broken clouds

So today was Day 120 since I slung my backpack on at Springer Mountain Geprgiaand began walking northward. Unless I have taken a day off from walking (zero day) I have begun each day by slinging that same backpack on that I started with and walking north. Today is my 120th journal entry and I have not missed writing a little something about each day. To write something each day has taken some effort. I write my journal entries on my mobile telephone and I usually write my journal entries at the end of each day. I put my location at the end of each day as my "Starting Location" (listed above ) and put some destination ahead as my "Destination" (listed above). Some days I am so tired from my walking that it is all I can do to stay awake long enough to type a journal entry. It doesn't help my staying awake that I usually type my journal entry one word at a time on my telephone keyboard with my index finger while lying flat on my back in my tent. Today is one of those days that I am having trouble staying awake long enough to type a journal entry. Today I walked 19.9 miles in Vermont. Today's walk took me on a pretty good uphill climb up Stratton Mountain. According to the plaque at the top of Stratton Mountain it was at the top of Stratton Mountain that Benton MacKaye was inspired to propose creation of the Appalachian Trail. Thanks Benton. For the past couple of days I hadn't seen anyone I knew. WhIle on the top of Stratton Mountain I saw six other thru hikers I have met over the past few months: Tandem, Zachsquatch, Speedy G, Impact, Pippin, and Half Loon. While on top of the mountain a kind Day Hiker gave me half of a tuna fish sandwich and a pack of cupcakes. I didn't ask him for the food. I guess I must look pretty hungry? The kindness of strangers. I am tenting alone next to a stream. The relaxing sound of the water flowing in the stream doesn't help any in the staying awake effort. The two packages of ramen noodles with four cheese instant potatoes mixed in that I ate for Supper doesn't help either in my staying awake. There is a "super" full moon out tonight (the moon is unusually close to the earth tonight). Tomorrow morning I will go into Manchester Center, Vermont to replenish my food bag and to spend the night. Tomorrow morning I will once again sling my backpack on and continue walking north.
Date: 2014-07-13
From: Manchester Center, Vermont

To: Vermont Route 103
Miles today: 5.8
Weather: light rain

On the trail at 6:15am in a rush to get to town. At around 9am I got to Vermont HWYs 11&30. Another thru hiker, Pippin, was already at the highway. Upon arriving at the highway I crossed the road and stuck my thumb out. The second car that came by stopped and the Lady in the car took Pippin and I to the grocery store in Manchester Center, Vermont. Pippin and I went across the street to Mrs Murphy's Doughnut Shop for breakfast. After breakfast I went to an Eastern Mountain Sports (EMS) store, located next to the grocery store, where I bought some new hiking poles and a new hat (I have lost 2 hats since starting). After I came out of EMS other hikers began to arrive in town: Zachsquatch, Pyro, Solo, Dirty Harry,and Bug Bear. Everyone went into the grocery store to resupply. Dirty Harry and Bug Bear bought food to prepare for everyone at the Green Mountain House Hostel where we all had planned to spend the night. When we got to the Green Mountain House, Dirty Harry and Pippin prepared a feast to eat. Everyone watched the final game of the World Cup soccer tournament in the living room at the Green Mountain House. Hard for a hiker to say this but there was more food than we could eat. There was baked chicken, fried chicken, pasta salads, potato salad, chips, salsa, deserts, etc. etc. The stay at the hostel comes with a free pint of Vermont's own Ben & Jerry's icecream. The Green Mountain House hostel is a large, clean, well maintained two story house with a full kitchen, dining area, living room, two full baths, and a laundry room. The owner of the hostel, Jeff, stays in a separate house next door and leaves the entire large house to hikers. The hostel is set up, laid out, and decorated specifically for hikers The Green Mountain House is absolutely great. I didn't even know places like this existed for hikers until I started on this walk. There are 10 other thru hikers staying at the Green Mountain House tonight. At 8:30am tomorrow Jeff will take a load of us back to HWY 11&30. I need to walk approximately 32 miles by Tuesday to where the Appalachian Trail crosses Route 103 in Vermont to meet my wife who is coming to see me for my 63rd Birthday on Wednesday. I will take a couple of days off from walking this week to enjoy spending time with my wife. This is going to be a great week. I've got to get moving tomorrow morning toward Route 103.