morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2012-08-05
From: HWY 11 and 30 -Manchester Center

To: Danbury - Landgrove Rd.
Miles today: 17.6

I wrote a whole journal yesterday on the hostel computer but it would not and did not save...SOS tried it and it wouldn't save for him either...I felt better knowing it wasn't just me............We checked out of our room in West Dover after a great breakfast. They alternate having pancakes one day and Fr. Toast the next. It was pancake day...I had blueberries and SOS had cranberries in the pancakes...they were yummy! On to the start for SOS and then ATM and I headed down the road into new territory. I drove to Manchester after calling the hostel there to see if there was space available for us...there was and we were glad! Jeff, the owner, lives in Cleveland, OH except in the summer when he runs his hostel. He has done an outstanding job of providing for hikers. For $20 you get a bed with a real mattress, sheets, pillow and blanket....plus access to the whole house with free laundry, ice cream and breakfast items. He loves to talk to hikers so seems to enjoy running his hostel. It is spotlessly clean and organized and everything looks new! THANKS, JEFF!! ATM and I went downtown and found one church so we were Baptists for the morning. We got there a little while before the start time so talked to the usher who was full of questions. It was very hot in the church but we survived along with the 30 other people in attendance. On to explore the town which turned out to be an outlet town with all kinds of high end store...like Armani, Kate Spade, Ralph Lauren, etc. We drove to the wonderful knit shop which was OPEN. We had a great time talking to the owner and selecting leftover small balls of yarn from the sale basket. Lunch came next at Zoe's. Thank goodness we decided to share a sandwich because even a half was too big for me! We decided to drive to a different section of town and passed many huge beautiful houses. When I went to turn around, here we were in the driveway of Hildene which was the summer home of Robert Todd Lincoln and his family. We went to the main house and watched the short movie and looked around the gift shop. It started to rain so we opted out of the tour of the grounds and house. Back at the hostel, we settled in to read, work on projects and watch the Olympics (sound familiar...??) Soon it was time to go get SOS. When we arrived at the pick up spot, there was Gribley and Daystar! I gave them hugs and food and drinks. We talked and they went on their way shortly after Dreamcatcher and Spartan arrived. They are SOBO's. We traded lots of info about hostels and other places to stay...I gave them a list and they gave me a list. SOS arrived with no face plants today so it was a good day for him...he stayed on his feet except for one "sit down" on a big rock while crossing a stream. It was late so we went to a pizza place and had pizza and salad before going back to the hostel to talk a bit and then off to bed.
Date: 2012-08-06
From: Danbury - Landgrove Rd.

To: VT 103
Miles today: 14.8

We packed up and got ready to take SOS to his start and move on to Rutland, VT. ATM and I checked out a hotel but they wouldn't take our coupon so on we went to the hostel in the center of town. It costs $20 for a bunk with clean sheets, pillow, and a blanket. We checked into the hostel and got a bed in a lower bunk in the women's room. There is also a common lounge area, an outside 2nd story deck with a hammock, a laundry, and the deli downstairs. It is all very comfortable and clean. The people are very helpful and friendly. On to the library...a confusing place...a 7 because no seems too interested in helping us find what we needed and it was difficult to get where you needed to be. We also went to the Dollar Tree to resupply our hiker goodies. We could not believe that they had NO Snicker bars...I guess too many hikers had been there before us! Back to read in the lounge and then go to pick up SOS. We ate at the Deli when we got back to town and then went back upstairs where ATM and I visited with the hikers and SOS went to sleep.
Date: 2012-08-07
From: VT 103

To: US 4
Miles today: 18.4

This will be a condensed version of the day...I am tired...it is late...Up for great breakfast downstairs in the deli...ate with Hillbilly and a big group of hikers. Took SOS to his start spot. ATM and I drove to Proctor to visit the Marble Museum...it was GREAT! Took pictures of the white marble bridge..just gorgeous! Read in the library...an 8...small but seems to be trying hard! Bought some picnic food and drove to pickup spot. SOS very late and very frustrated...couldn't figure out why it was taking him so long...found out the mileage in the book was wrong...getting dark...SOS not here...TM decides to go into woods and find him...goes into woods...lots of roots and things to trip on....getting darker in woods...didn't bring a light...love the woods and the quiet but decide it would be stupid for two of us to be lost so turn around and go back out of woods. SOS comes finally and I amd greatly relieved...so is he! Back to room and to bed shortly there after!
Date: 2012-08-09
From: Yellow Deli - Rutland

To: Mountain Meadows
Miles today: 0.0

After a quiet night at the hostel, SOS and I went downstairs to eat our breakfast. Where there were 14 of us on Monday, today there were 2 of us eating together...SOS and I! It started to rain and was supposed to rain all day so SOS decided to zero. We checked out of the Yellow Deli Hostel and moved on to the Mountain Meadows Lodge which is outside of Killington, VT. We knew that Headnout (Tim) and Tagnalong (Nancy) were there and sure enough they were eating breakfast in the dining room when we got there. We got a room on the top floor and checked in. Nancy needed to go to the postoffice so I drove her there and then back to the lodge. SoS and I took a nap until Nancy knocked on the door like SOS asked her to at noon. They couldn't go to lunch with us because she had an appointment for a massage at 2. Her pulled muscle is still bothering her alot. SOS wanted to drive to Woodstock since as he said..." I never get to visit the small towns with you" I would have preferred to stay at the lodge but of course, I went. We stopped at a country store to look around and then went across the street to a music store that had unusual instruments. (see in photos) On the way, there was Gribley and Daystar hiking down the road so we picked them up and we all went to Woodstock for lunch. Daystar and I went to a deli to get sandwiches while SOS and Gribley saved a picnic table for us all down by the stream in the middle of town. We got the lunch and all enjoyed the peaceful setting while we ate. Lunch over...the kids needed to get back to the trail so I stayed in town to visit the library and SOS drove them back to their start spot. While walking down the street to the library, what should appear but a YARN shop! Yes, I went in and yes, I bought a small skein...:-) The library was a 10! beautiful space which looked like it had been a church in its former life but the pictures on the wall didn't confirm that theory. SOS arrived and we went back to the hostel. Nancy needed to go back to the postoffice so SOS drove her there. While they were gone, Medicine Man texted me, that he was sick, and was hoping I could take him and Father Man to Woodstock. When SOS returned I told him about Medicine and that Father Man had called to ask also.....so off SOS went again...back to where we had just been to take the two where they needed to go. That took a long time so I worked on the computer and on postcards for the grandkids while I waited. Tim, Nancy, Rog and I went to Rutland to a Chinese buffet for dinner....not a place I would actually recommend to anyone but we all survived...including the m-o-u-s-e sighting by Tim near the ice cream machine (where I had just been) which thankfully I did not see! Not a place I will ever return to... On to Verizon to get something SOS needed for his new phone that wasn't available until today and then back to the lodge to watch Olympics which we haven't seen since Sunday.
Date: 2012-08-10
From: Mountain Meadows

To: VT 12
Miles today: 16.9

WE HAVE BEEN ON THIS ADVENTURE FOR 5 MONTHS NOW. ONLY ONE MONTH + TO GO! We WILL make it to the finish line in MAINE!! Up for breakfast with Pants, Tator Tot, Headnout and Tagnalong. We all talked a while and then Tim and Nancy, Rog and I went out to the barn to feed the animals. Alice, the pot bellied pig, has lived here for 10 years...the life expectancy for these pigs is 10 to 40 years. After feeding the animals, SOS and I said our goodbyes to Tim and Nancy and left for the trail head. Then I headed into new territory to find a home in this very expensive state. We knew that Woodstock was pricey so we had decided to try Hanover, NH. I drove into town and headed for the library because Tator Tot told me that they have a list there of people who let you stay in their homes. The library was absolutely the nicest one I have been in .... in fact I would give it a 12 on my scale of 10!! Very well designed, more comfy chairs with outlets and tables than I have ever seen in any library, a huge bulletin board dedicated to AT hikers, a cafe with coffee, tea, muffins and snacks to buy, a teen room, a children's room, quiet rooms for study and much more! While sitting there it started to pour down rain. I had called one of the names on the list and Karen told me she had a space for us. When the rain finally let up enough for me to get to the car without drowning, I drove to Karen's house. The space has a king size bed and two twins in a small room in the basement. It has a bathroom and a kitchen area. Two SOBO's were already there in the twin beds and had their resupply spread all over the large bed so I went back outside to my car while they moved the stuff off our bed for the night. Karen not only does not charge for her space, she provides food for meals. What a service she and her family are providing for hikers! THANKS KAREN! I drove back south about 25 miles to pick up SOS. When I arrived 45 minutes early, I settled in to knit on my triangle scarf. Lobster and Chickadee hiked in...I gave them treats and offered them a ride into Woodstock so they could make a call. There was no signal at the pick up spot. When SOS came, we drove the kids into town, dropped them off, and drove back to our room. The Kid and Abandoner, our roommates for the night, had fixed spaghetti so we ate some and offered them some of our strawberry/rhubarb pie. We all watched some of the Olympics and went to bed. Road Name of the Day: COSTELLO ROAD The obvious question is...where is Abbott??? (If this doesn't ring any bells, ask your grandma!) A Nice Memory Today: I was in a shop when I heard hysterical laughing that went on and on. When I found the source, it was 3 people reading greeting cards to each other and they couldn't stop laughing...everyone in the store could hear them. It immediately made me think of my sisters and cousin Sharyl. For years...20+...we had a "cousins" reunion each summer. We would stay at my sister's lake cottage and then go to other towns from there. One of our sources of "entertainment" was to go to card stores and read funny cards to each other...and I am sure we got loud also!
Date: 2012-08-11
From: Podunk Road

To: VT 12
Miles today: 14.6

SOS and I went to McDonald's for oatmeal for breakfast and then on to Podunk Road to the start. I saw Upper Podunk Road the other day and here was Podunk Road! Back to the room where I did a load of laundry and hung things up to dry since the dryer was broken. I went to the library next to work on my leather journal which was way behind. When I go places that have a business card, I save on for my book and then attach them to the pages. I worked for about 2 hours and when leaving, ran into Gribley and Daystar again. Back at the room, I met the new roommates for the night. One is an underwater mechanic for the oil rigs in Louisiana and the other has an Etsy shop and sells antique linens..very interesting as are most hikers we meet. They wanted to go downtown so I dropped them off there on my way to pick up SOS. It was pouring down rain again which made SOS much later than he thought. I waited in the parking lot which is terrible to get into..down a steep, deeply rutted path where I scraped the bottom of the car, with little room to turn the car around. I sat steaming up in the car because of the rain. Finally I could stand it no longer so I drove out of the depths of this parking spot and drove slowly down the road to see if I could see SOS. There was a meadow to cross so thought maybe I could see him...I couldn't but he soon came walking down the road...very muddy and soaked through and through. Driving back I said to SOS, "Did I ever mention that I hate to drive in the rain?" Of course, there is really no place that I like to drive...so it doesn't matter and I didn't want him to have to drive after the day that he had. Back at the room, he took a shower...a long one. The home owner came downstairs and invited us upstairs to dinner with them and their guests and son/girlfriend. It was a very good meal of vegetarian dishes. We enjoyed the food and the conversation. Back downstairs we watched some Olympics and went to bed...our roommates didn't get home until much later. Road Name of the Day: RABBIT HILL WAY Just liked the sound of this road...didn't see any rabbits...just a hill...
Date: 2012-08-14
From: Dorchester Road

To: NH 25a
Miles today: 14.0

Moving day today and lots of driving! After breakfast at the hotel, we took SOS to his start and then I drove back to Hanover to pick up Nancy. We drove to White River Junction to the train station. We got there early so went to the bagel shop and then the knitting store. The train was close to on time and away she went ... heading back to Grand Rapids, MI. Her pulled muscle would not heal with the continual hiking so she reluctantly decided to go home.We will miss her. I decided not to drive to our next home in Lincoln because it is far away. So I just looked around town, went in several shops, and then stopped at the King Arthur Flour center for lunch. They had creamy roasted asparagus soup with artisan bread...it was yummy. On down the road with stops in Orford at the Town Hall antique shop and the little library (see pictures in photos). The GPS setting was off again by almost 2 miles but I saw a hiker and stopped close to where he was. According to the coordinates, it was the right spot. Soon along came Melt Down and Banjo, our roommates in Hanover. Then here came Sipsy (see photos). I hadn't seen him since May and thought he had gone home. He saw me and exclaimed.."Miss Judy!". Sipsy is a southern gentleman who owns a BBQ restaurant in Haleyville, Alabama. He is now assisting other hikers after hiking Katahdin on his 40th anniversary. Next came Chameleon and J-Dub who assured me that SOS (who was very late) was fine but that the going was tough. I hiked into the woods until I got to a stream that I was hesitant to cross so waited there and waited until the mosquitos had feasted enough and decided to go back to the car. Of course, about 5 minutes after I got back to the car, I heard his call so went back into the woods and met up with him...another day..another successful recovery of SOS from the woods!!! We drove to Lincoln and found our home, the Parker Motel, SOS showered, and we went to find food. We found a family resort complex that had a restaurant so stopped there. While we were waiting to be served, SOS said, "I expect Patrick Swayzee to come walking out any moment."....a reference to the movie Dirty Dancing which takes place in a family resort and indeed there were families everywhere! Back to the room and sleep. Road Name of the Day: EVANSVILLE ROAD A reminder of Indiana...far, far away... more from SOS later today...(I started this last night and am finishing this on Wed. morning...)
Date: 2012-08-15
From: NH 25

To: NH 25A
Miles today: 9.9

Took SOS to his start for a short (for him) hiking day. The road to this spot has a stretch about 20 miles long where there are no cross roads. Parts of this road need a new rating because although it is paved and has a double yellow line...it is mostly patches with a little bit of regular road in between. However, it is not heavily travelled...wonder why?? Anyway, on the way back I tried to go to a little libray which was housed in a building with all the town offices. It is only open on Monday, Thusday, Friday and Saturday so didn't get to go inside. Outside the door was the usual book sale but these were free so got two more books for my traveling library! I had some reception here so decided to check in with my friend Margo who is coming here on Monday. I advised her to bring a sleeping bag as I see camping in our future. All of a sudden there are campgrounds in the countryside whereas the little towns seem to have no where to stay. We will see how that goes... I stopped in North Woodstock...this is the 3rd state to have a Woodstock. The general store was a combination store and museum and is being run by the 5th generation of the same family. Out back they make maple syrup and have won many 1st place awards in the nation. The lady told me that they ship their syrup all over the world! I bought a small bottle to try. Something else we had been looking for turned up in a gift shop...a topographical map of New Hampshire. We have had these maps for several other states and they are priceless in determining where the start and pick up spots are. SOS had told me to be at the pick up spot at 4 but called to say he would be there at 2:30 so I hurriedly left the room and headed the 50 minutes to get him. On the way, I got behind a car driving 20 miles an hour. With a double yellow there is nothing to do but just follow along. A moment later a little girl's head popped out of the top of the car's sun roof and then the whole top half of her. She just looked all around and then went back in the car and a little boy popped out the top. It was a strange sight and worried me a little. Dad did pull over soon after that so I passed them and went on. Just as I drove up, he came out of the woods!! (this is so preferable to worrying about him when he is late!!) E-ticket was resting by the road so I gave him some Gatorade and treats. I was excited to actually have some time to spend with SOS during the day. We needed an oil change and the closest place seemed to be WalMart in Plymouth so after his shower off we went. While waiting in the store, we ran into Sipsy, Father Man and RainMan(who wants me to talk to his wife about how to slack pack her man). We picked a restaurant from the list on the GPS and hit a winner. It was called the Farmhouse Italian restaurant...it was in a farmhouse and the food was delicious (and tomorrows lunch will be just as good with my leftovers). Back for planning and sleep. No road name today
Date: 2012-08-16
From: Kinsman Notch

To: NH 25
Miles today: 9.2

SOS is officially in the White Mountains. Today he climbed up and over and down Moosilauke Mountain. There was no view at the top because of the fog. I stopped at a diner for breakfast on my way back to the room. Back at the room, I did some laundry, finished another hat and read a new book written by a through hiker. When I went to get SOS, I drove on the same road as yesterday part of the time. As I said, it was rough and bumpy with all the patches. The funny thing was that when I was approaching the smooth part, there was a sign saying BUMP! If they wanted to put a sign by every bump, they would have need 500+! I couldn't figure out what made this bump so special that it got a sign.Two hikers needed a ride when I picked up SOS so we delivered them to their evening spot. We then "rescued" a lost hiker named Y's Guy (because he was a YMCA exec on the East coast) and took him to a hostel in Glencliff. On the corner by the hostel, was a beautiful large house painted with many bright colors. The flowers were colorful also. (see in photos) Back at the room, SOS did a load of his smelly laundry (which is why we don't do ours together...) and then we headed to the grocery to get more laundry detergent but ended up buying chicken and salad for dinner. While there we ran into Evan. We had met him at Woods Hole Hostel back in May. He was doing an internship there for several months. Now he is done and hiking some of the trail. It was so good to see him again! (see photo) We ate our food in the room and while eating heard booming sounds outside. The resort where we ate two nights ago, was putting on a fireworks show which we could see from our balcony. SOS did some planning for later and then off to bed. Road Name of the Day: LIBBEY LANE This road reminded me of my friend Libby. I met her when I was teaching special education in Fort Wayne. She was known as "Super Sub" and we all wanted her to sub when we couldn't be there. She went on to have her own classroom and was an outstanding teacher! (Can't wait to see your new lake cabin, Libby!)
Date: 2012-08-18
From: Lincoln, NH

To: Bartlett, NH
Miles today: 0.0

Well, nothing went as planned today! We drove to the Mt. Washington area so that we could drive up the mountain and SOS could hike down one side. Imagine our dismay when we discovered that we couldn't drive up the mountain because there were 400-500 bicycles going up the mountain instead of cars today. So we had to zero in the area. Next problem...finding a home for two days. Most places had a NO vacancy sign. We tried a campground...also no vacancy. Finally with a lot of talking and persistence, we got a room. Workers were still painting it so we had to wait until afternoon to check in. The manager was very helpful and went out of his way to find us a room. There are tourists EVERYWHERE! Flocks of them......hordes of them.......scads of them.......so the manager told us about a side road to get to the biggest town nearby. We headed there to kill a little time until we could get in our room. We visited the historic train station and saw a wonderful train display by the local train club. There was a yarn shop that we visited. The lady there showed me the latest in knitting needles...they are square! I knitted a little with them...they didn't seem much different. Back at the room, we both slept for a while. This complex has a indoor pool and hot tub so we headed there to relax. It felt good until it got crowded and we came back to eat left overs from our Thai lunch and plan for tomorrow. Road Name of the Day: WHIPPLE ROAD   This remided me of the commercial for Charmin'...Don't Squeeze the Charmin...Mr. Whipple was always watching...