morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2010-07-24
From: Pine Swamp Branch Lean-to

To: Rigs Lean-to
Miles today: 19.8

Wow!! What a thunderstorm last night!! I started out in the shelter, but the mosquitoes were so bad that I set up my tent and crawled in before the storm started. At about 11:30pm, lightning started cracking around us and the thunder was booming just overhead. Talk about shock and awe! I stayed dry through it all, but I was worried that a tree or branch was going to come down on my tent. Fortunately, that never happened. The torrent lasted half an hour and then started up again at about 1:30am. Lots of rain, which we need. I got up at about 6:30am, and hiked out at 7:20am with a wet, heavy tent in my backpack. The hike today was the usual; up one side of a mountain, and down the other side; one after another. The tread way improved over the last several days, so I was able to move faster.My intention was to go about 15 miles to Salisbury, CT, for a shower, laundry, food resupply, and a good meal but I got to the turnoff for it at 3:30pm, and decided to move on. Who needs a shower, anyway? Ha!
Date: 2010-07-26
From: U.S. Hwy 7

To: Mt Willow North Lean-to
Miles today: 13.5

I slept well last night in my motel room and woke up ready to go. After breakfast, I packed up and headed the half mile to the Laundromat. While my clothes were in the washing machine, I stepped next door into the grocery to pick up a few items to get me through the next few days. After my laundry was done, I headed back to the trail which meant a road walk of about 2.5 miles. I decided to walk back instead of hitch hike because it was such a beautiful day; sunny skies, moderate temperature, and low humidity. I had hardly gone 1/4 mile when a car pulled over and the driver asked me if I wanted a ride to the trailhead. "Heck yeah!" I responded. I hopped in his car and was back on the trail in 10 minutes. Not only did it save me an hour road walk, it put me in an even better mood to think that a complete stranger would offer an unsolicited ride! Thanks!Today was more of the same: up one side of a mountain and down the other - all day. The weather was gorgeous and there was a nice breeze through the woods all day. A perfect day for hiking! I walked a couple miles farther than I intended based on a south bounders comment in a shelter register that the water here was great. Umm, not so. In fact, I wouldn't even consider it good water. Dang south bounders!I think it¢s going to be great sleeping weather, though. For the first time in quite awhile, I'm going to start off the night partially in my sleeping bag.
Date: 2010-07-27
From: Mt Willow North Lean-to

To: Upper Goose Pond Cabin
Miles today: 14.0
Weather: clear sky

I woke up early this morning but stayed in my sleeping bag until 7am. When I finally got up I found out that Erik the Red and Lorod had already left the shelter. I had a quick breakfast and headed out. The weather was nice but a bit more humid than yesterday. My first stop was for water from a nice piped spring. I consumed a liter of water and filled my bottles with another 3 liters. When I got to the top of one mountain, I ran into an area full of wild blueberries. I spent about an hour picking and eating them. They were some of the sweetest blueberries I've picked this year. I'm starting to run into south bounders the last several days. I must have run into 7 or 8 today. I'm staying at Upper Goose Pond Cabin tonight - a must-stay on the AT. It's a two story cabin made of chestnut on Upper Goose Pond. It belongs to the Appalachian Trail Club and a caretaker stays here. The upstairs is a bunkroom with 15 beds with mattresses. The downstairs has a small common room and kitchen. The kitchen stove runs on propane and the caretaker provides spring water.I went for a nice swim in the pond after I got here. There were fish everywhere, trying to nibble on me! Very funny!Debra, today¢s caretaker, cooked fresh corn on the cob and green beans for everyone tonight. Tomorrow morning, she plans to make blueberry pancakes for us. I'm looking forward to it! And, they only accept donations. I can't wait for breakfast tomorrow!
Date: 2010-07-28
From: Upper Goose Pond Cabin

To: MA 8 & 9 Dalton. MA
Miles today: 20.6
Weather: clear sky

Apparently I was rolling around on my bunk last night, because I woke up just as I was about to roll right off onto the floor - from the top bunk! Yikes! After that, I didn't sleep as well. Note to self - bottom bunks only! What a way to end your hike, huh? I can hear it now, "I went home because I fell off the top bunk at a hostel."I got up after I heard the caretaker, Debra, rattling around in the kitchen downstairs. I went down and set the table while she made blueberry pancakes. I had five small ones. Yum! Shortly after breakfast, I headed out on a long day. I stopped at the October Mountain Lean-to for lunch, and then stopped again at the Cookie Lady's house just off the trail for water and cookies. She also has a u-pick blueberry business, but I had been picking wild blueberries and raspberries all morning. Just picked them off the bushes and popped them right into my mouth. Fresh and tasty!Progress in the afternoon seemed slow but I finally made it to Tom Levardi's house in Dalton, MA, my destination for the night. Tom has been hosting hikers for years, apparently, and takes no money. There are about ten other hikers here tonight, so I decided to tent in his back yard instead of staying in the house with the others. After a shower, I headed down to the Mill Town Tavern for dinner and a couple beers. Tom offers a 23 mile slack pack, which I think may be too much for me tomorrow. Instead, I think I'll take a couple shorter days.
Date: 2010-07-29
From: MA 8 & 9 Dalton. MA

To: Church St and School, Cheshire, MA
Miles today: 8.9

It rained lightly while I tented last night. I woke up long enough to zip up my tent vestibule and hope this was the rain forecast for today. Options for my hike today were a 23 mile slackpack back to Dalton, a 23 mile northbound hike to Williamstown, MA, or an 8.9 hike to Cheshire. The 23 mile hikes went over Mt. Greylock, the highest peak in Massachusetts. On any given day, 23 miles is stretching it but throw in a climb to almost 3500 feet, I wasn't going to attempt it. I spoke to others, younger and faster, who had done the slackpack and they said it was tough. So, since I've been pushing it lately, I decided to turn the 23 mile hike into a two-day hike. With a short, easy hike today, I went out to breakfast with Eric the Red in Cheshire. Then, I walked over to the convenience store, bought coffee, and made some telephone calls. I finally walked out of Cheshire about 10am on a beautiful day, with a nice breeze blowing in the woods. I enjoyed the easy walk and took my time. Tomorrow, I will climb Mt. Greylock. I ended up walking into Cheshire with Eric the Red, who had decided to do the same mileage today as mine. We stopped at the small, stand alone ice cream parlor and each had a cup of black raspberry. It actually was very good! That added to the wild black raspberries I had picked and eaten during my hike today. Once we got into town proper, we went directly to the catholic church and met Father Raymond, who let up spend the night in their hiker hostel. They have two hiker rooms off their main activities room, so we each had our own room! We dropped our packs and then, because it was so early, we took the bus to Adams, where we visited the library for a couple hours and hit the local grocery store for resupply. After we arrived back in Cheshire, we stowed our food in our packs and headed for the local pizza shop in town - it's actually the only dining place we saw. After that, it was back to the church hostel and in for the night. Tomorrow is supposed to be another beautiful day, and I'm looking forward to summiting Mt. Greylock. This will be the first time since southern Virginia, I think, that the trail goes above about 2000 feet elevation. I can see by the profile maps that we are getting into more frequent elevation changes in the days ahead.
Date: 2010-07-30
From: Church St and School, Cheshire, MA

To: MA 2, Williamstown, MA
Miles today: 14.4

I heard Eric the Red get up and head out early this morning. I know he needed to get to the post office in North Adams, and he wanted to spend the night in Williamstown. So, he had a busy day planned for after he finished his hike. In spite of the fact that I had a big climb today, it was only going to be just over 14 miles to the road crossing leading to Williamstown, so I decided to take my time getting out of Cheshire. I made coffee and hot chocolate to go with my oatmeal bars for breakfast.I finally headed out and made the long and sometimes steep climb to Mt. Greylock. I finally made it to the summit and the War Memorial Tower with a beacon light atop it. They say you can see five states from the summit; Massachusetts, New York, Connecticut, Vermont and New Hampshire. I'll take their word for it. My day wasn't over, though. I still had several more descents and climbs on my way to MA 2, but I finally made it.I was headed for the Howard Johnson hotel in Williamstown 2 miles away so I flagged down the first bus headed in that direction. When I checked on room availability and rates, I was quoted a price of $169 for the night. Huh? I must have misunderstood! As I walked out, they lowered the price to $149. I kept walking. I had read in my trail guide that the local outfitter permits tenting on the lawn behind the store. I stopped in and they were very accommodating. I had my tent up in no time and then turned my attention to a shower. Room rates at the Williamstown Inn, the nicest hotel in town, start at $180 and go up from there. However, they offer hikers a shower, use of the pool, sauna, and whirlpool for $6. Can't beat that, and they threw in soap, shampoo, and a towel, Thanks! I took a shower, spent about a half hour in the whirlpool, followed by another shower. I felt great again. Then, it was time to eat. There was an Indian restaurant in town that I wanted to try but Andrew at the Mountain Goat outfitter recommended the Thai place right next door to the Indian restaurant. It was excellent. I topped it off with a pint of ice cream back at my tent. Tomorrow I will cross Massachusetts off my list as I walk into Vermont. That will put 11 states behind me and three to go. On a somber note, about three weeks ago, Jeff, a friend of mine, suffered serious burns as a result of a home accident back in Virginia. He has been at the burn unit at the Washington Hospital Center where the medical staff is doing their best with him. We enjoyed several bluegrass performances together and have had more than a few laughs together. I'd like to have the chance to do that again. I'd ask that you keep him and his family in your thoughts and prayers.
Date: 2010-07-31
From: MA 2, Williamstown, MA

To: Congdon shelter
Miles today: 14.1
Weather: clear sky

It got quite cool last night so I zipped my sleeping bag all the way up and was quite comfortable. I slept well, too. I got up early and headed over to the coffee shop near Williams College. I needed to catch the first bus back to the trail at 7:50am, so I just had a cup of coffee and a scone at the shop and got a toasted bagel to go. I felt good and climbed easily from about 900 feet elevation to over 2100 feet. On the way up, I took the side trail to check out the last campsite in Massachusetts. While I was there, I ran into Dennis, a ridge runner employed by Massachusetts. He said there are only two of them and the job only lasts for 10 weeks. He seemed to really enjoy what he does, though. Then I made another climb and I was in Vermont! Or Vermud, as the hikers call it. And it lived up to its name, too. Very muddy trail but it was easy to walk around it. It might be different when it rains, though, which it is forecast to do for the few days. Ugh. Anyway, only three more states to go. Also, we are on a shared section of trail with the Long Trail, which goes from the southern border of Vermont to the northern border at the border with Canada. I got to this shelter fairly early, but the next one is 7 miles away, which would have put my miles for the day over 20. I don't really want to do that many miles in this terrain if I can avoid it. There are two other hikers here tonight, both doing the Long Trail. Let's hope the rain holds off, because I'm going to be in the woods for the next few days.
Date: 2010-08-02
From: Kid Gore shelter

To: Spruce Peak shelter
Miles today: 22.9
Weather: scattered clouds

I got up this morning with the intention of doing 15 miles to the Stratton Pond Shelter, with a climb up Stratton Mountain between the two. I got an early start, and the trail up Stratton was well graded. When I got there, I had lunch atop the Stratton Mountain Fire Tower. From there, it was almost all downhill or level terrain. I got to the Stratton Pond Shelter at 2:30pm, and there was nobody else there. It was too early to stop for the day inspite of the 15 miles, so I just kept going. The next shelter, the William B. Douglas Shelter, was only 4.9 miles away although it was .5 miles off the trail. I had no intention of doing an extra half mile just to go to a shelter, and I figured if I got past it and got tired, I'd just find a place to set up my tent for the night. Otherwise, I would go another 3 miles to the Spruce Peak Shelter. That's exactly what I did. I made it to Spruce Peak Shelter at 6:30pm.I walked in to the shelter just behind Lorod. Eric the Red was already there. There was a nice piped spring off to the side of the shelter and the shelter had a sliding door and a wood stove inside. After dinner, I started a fire in the stove and we closed the shelter door to hold in the warmth. Nice. Too bad I wasn't at this shelter two nights ago when it was so cold!The result of my long (actually, longest day) day is that I have just under 3 miles to do tomorrow to get to the road into Manchester Center, VT, where I plan to stay at the Green Mountain House Hostel. After, that is, a stop at the donut shop followed by a big breakfast in town!
Date: 2010-08-03
From: Spruce Peak shelter

To: VT 11 & 30
Miles today: 2.8

I had a mouse in the shelter last night trying to get into my bag of almonds, which I had forgotten to place in my food bag. I finally had to get up and put it in my food bag which was hung on a string from one of the shelter rafters to keep the mice at bay. Eric the Red, Lorod and I all got up earlier than usual this morning - because we were GOING INTO TOWN!! Town has a way of motivating a thru hiker.Eric and I got to the road in about an hour. It took about 10 minutes to catch a ride into town. Thanks, Mara! She dropped us off at Mrs. Murphy's Donuts, and we each had our fill. Then, it was on to Up for Breakfast, where I ordered melon, french toast, and home fries. I couldn't even finish it all.Next came town chores: grocery resupply, outfitters, and lunch. I managed to get my Thermarest Neo Air mattress replaced at Eastern Mountain Sports. I purchased from them on their website, and I still had the shipping confirmation email on my cell phone. I had a slow leak at the valve, so now I've got a brand new one! The staff there was very friendly.After lunch, we called Jeff at Green Mountain House Hostel to pick us up in town.
Date: 2010-08-04
From: VT 11 & 30

To: Stealth tent site at AT MM 1659.7
Miles today: 18.3

It rained last night although I didn't hear it. I must have slept right through it. When I did wake up, the skies were dark and cloudy. I decided that the Green Mountain House was so nice that I would take a zero day here if the forecast was for rain. I turned on the Weather Channel, which called for cloudy skies but no rain. Darn! Back to the trail!I must say that Jeff, the owner of the Green Mountain House, was a great host and has a fantastic place. I had a great time!The day started out with a climb up to Stratton Mountain. The climb wasn't bad, but the skies were so dark I could have used my headlamp. I met several section hikers and Long Trail hikers today, and three nuns from Illinois who did a pretty long and not easy hike. They were doing so well that I started calling them the Flying Nuns. They liked that.Because of all the rain last night, the trail was wet and muddy, including all the roots and rocks. I slipped several times and actually slipped and fell on boards placed over the muddiest sections. Landed right on my keister! The only thing bruised was my ego. On another occasion, I met a southbound hiker on a series of those boards laid across a swampy area. I tried to step aside to let him pass me and my left foot slipped into several inches of black oozing Vermont mud and slime! Nice!Towards the end of the day, I came to a 3 mile trail detour around a bridge under construction which crosses a stream. Three miles? Extra? Heck, no! I unclipped my hip belt and sternum strap in case I accidently fell into the steam so I could jettison my pack more easily. I hopped across the strong flowing stream from boulder to boulder. There really was only one spot I was challenged, but I made it safely across. Once I got to my planned destination for the day, there were already four hikers and one dog in a shelter built for six, so I moved on. A couple miles past that, I found a suitable tent site, so I'll be here alone tonight.
Date: 2010-08-05
From: Stealth tent site at AT MM 1659.7

To: Clarendon shelter
Miles today: 15.1
Weather: light rain

For some reason, I didn't feel like getting out of my sleeping bag this morning. I finally dragged myself out and broke my little stealth campsite. Once I started hiking, I realized I hadn't eaten breakfast, so when I caught up to Lorod, I stopped to eat. The skies were overcast and it was threatening to rain. I didn't really like my water from last night¢s water source, so I stopped at Little Rock Pond for some lake water. Not my favorite source either, but it would have to do until I found something better. Around Noon it started raining lightly. I stopped for lunch, after which it started raining in earnest. I ducked into Minerva Hinchey Shelter, joining two south bounders also waiting out the rain. Lorod and four other northbound Long Trail hikers upon joined us and we all compared notes on places to stay and trail conditions ahead. As the rain started to soften, Lorod and I headed out again. Soon, the rain stopped completely and the sun came out. We had a steep descent to Clarendon Gorge and VT 103. Even though the sun was shining, the ground, shrubs, and trees were still wet. I slipped on rocks; I slipped on roots; and I slipped on the dirt down the mountain. Every time I slipped, I waited for the fall. Fortunately, it never happened but it was unnerving none the less. Once we got to VT 103, Lorod and I parted company. He crossed the road back into the woods. I walked about 1/2 mile down the road to the Whistle Stop Restaurant where I settled my nerves with a cheeseburger with all the fixins and three scoops of Maine blueberry ice cream. I immediately felt better. Ha! Works every time!Then it was back up the road and into the woods. I'm at this shelter alone for now but expect 3 more north bounders here later. They were headed for the restaurant just as I was leaving. Tomorrow I will climb Killington Peak. Should be quite a climb. I hope to make it to The Inn at Long Trail tomorrow and then head into Rutland the next day for the Long Trail festival. Maine Blueberry ice cream
Date: 2010-08-06
From: Clarendon shelter

To: Sherburne Pass Trail
Miles today: 18.3

I knew it was going to be a lonely hike in the woods today. Early this morning I learned that Jeff, my friend from back home in Virginia, lost his struggle against the insurmountable odds of surviving serious burns. He fought for over 30 days, past 11 surgeries. No more pain: no more suffering. The last time I saw him was at my send-off party just before I started this hike. One of the things we did together most often was attend bluegrass performances with our wives. So, I decided to listen to bluegrass during my hike today and remember Jeff. His easy smile, his laugh. I think one of the reasons we enjoyed each other is because we shared the same silly sense of humor. It turned out that I really wasn't lonely today: I walked with my memories of Jeff.
Date: 2010-08-07
From: Rutland

To: Rutland
Miles today: 0.0

Well, I stayed at The Inn at the Long Trail last night and ate (and had a few Guinness') in their Irish pub with live music. I enjoyed it so much, I decided to do it again. I also wanted to attend the Long Trail Festival in nearby Rutland. So, after a great breakfast at the Inn, I hopped the bus into town. Everyone has been talking up the festival. "Are you going to the festival?" everybody's been asking for days. Well, sure, I'll go.....especially since I missed Trail Days earlier this summer in Damascus, VA. IT WAS A BUST! That's right, a waste of time. Well, I needed to go into town anyway to resupply food for my next leg, so it wasn't a complete loss - but close. So tomorrow I'm back into the woods for a three day hike to Norwich, VT.
Date: 2010-08-08
From: Sherburne Pass Trail

To: Winturri shelter
Miles today: 18.0

After another good night¢s sleep and great breakfast this morning at the Inn at the Long Trail, I got a late start on a moderately difficult day. The weather was cooperating and it was a beautiful day for a hike. The trail took me along Kent Pond, a classic Vermont pond, and then to the base of Thundering Falls. They weren't exactly thundering, but they were nice none the less. And, I picked some black raspberries at the base of the falls. I took my first break for the day at Stony Brook Shelter and made myself a couple sandwiches. I filled my water bottle from a stream and decided to treat myself to it when I got to a lookout listed in my guide. I got to the overlook which had a 360 degree view of rolling, green mountains. Unfortunately, my water bottle had a big funky leaf inside. So, I walked the last 2.6 miles without water. But, the water source at the shelter seemed to be good and I drank down a liter without treating it. I toasted to giardia!