morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2019-07-16
From: Lonesome Lake Hut

To: Manchester, VT
Miles today: 2.5

We left Lonesome lake hut after a wonderful breakfast and headed down the trail to the car. The hike out was comfortable as it was early morning. We picked up the car off the trail head and headed to Manchester Vermont 3 hrs south where we shared a hotel room at the Palmer house. We had a relaxing afternoon/evening and strategized about our next adventure on the trails in the mountains of Vermont over drinks and dinner at  the Thai restaurant in town. 4 days of hiking and 4 nights at 3 shelters will do to give Rita a taste of the AT.  We have supplies, food and water. We secured a ride to the trail head for the next morning from Matt, a gentleman working at Mountain Goat supply store. Ready or not, here we come.
Date: 2019-07-17
From: Manchester, VT

To: Stratton Pond Shelter
Miles today: 5.0
Weather: overcast clouds

9AM Matt drops us off at the trail head and we now headed northbound (NoBo). It is a cool rainy 71 degree day, greatly improved over the heat. The trail is lovely with loud bird songs, flowers, ferns that lay like art over rocks, mushroom, a red spotted salamander.  After 20 minutes the rain jacket is off. We walk thru the moist forest over wooden planks thru bogs. We arrive early at the shelter at 11:30AM and Rita and I set up hammocks in the upper level of a two level shelter.  It¢s first come first serve. There are 12 bunks in this beautiful old wooden shelter. We have tea, beef jerky and nuts and work on crossword puzzles and journaling. Prior to retiring we have dinner (tuna). Then the rain returns heavily and 22 hikers come in all bidding for space. They seem a little perturbed that we have hammocks up in the upper loft but
Date: 2019-07-18
From: Stratton Pond Shelter

To: William Douglas Shelter
Miles today: 4.9

Woke up to 23 other hikers in a 16 person shelter. That¢s what happens when it rains. Rita and I in the upper life in our hammocks and 6 others tucked in, around and under us. Most hikers are out by first light especially with the promise of hitting town and blueberry pancakes. We pack our things and eat our breakfast bar (180 cal) and drink cold coffee. At least it is not raining today. The trail is gentle and moist and the forest is young with fern and pine. Bird song is loud and melodic. We pass a slow moving lungless red spotted salamander on the path. Rita slipped on the path, but then which one of us haven¢t. But to show both of us up, she does a beautiful perfect 10/10 face plant in the river, hiking polls and arms at her side and not an inch to spare as she goes face down in between two large boulders!  Body submerged, pack on her back she lay there under water. I grab her pack and she comes up unharmed. Warmed by god¢s grace and cooled by the mountain stream she is guaranteed not to be overheated on this hike. Rita is amazing. Unfettered and a smile on her face, she hiked on. We arrive at the shelter where a maintenance crew is building a new privy. Rita lays her clothes out in the hopes of drying, we light a fire in the fire pit, eat dinner (tuna and ramen noodles), hang a bear bag, drink from the spring and go to bed. 2 other thru hikers are there-Fire Girl and Lightening Rod. Just another perfect day.  I love my sister
Date: 2019-07-19
From: William Douglas Shelter

To: Spruce Peak Shelter
Miles today: 3.0
Weather: overcast clouds

You usually only have a few minutes with a hiker, if they choose to engage, but the moment you have is unlike encounters off the trail.  You never ask ¢What do you do?¢ ¢What line of work are you in?¢  Rather, it goes something like ¢How¢s it going?¢ ¢What¢s your trail name?¢ ¢How¢d you get that name?¢ Why are you on the trail?¢  Similar to asking anyone within the first minute you meet them ¢What¢s the story behind who you are and why are you here?¢ And so it goes, you get to know someone well in a very short time. We hiked from one shelter to the next, wearing the same clothes, slightly damp from our plunge of yesterday. The trail is a gentle gradual incline as we climb the Green Mountains of VT. We are the first at the shelter again. We start a nice fire and there is a wonderful spring that we drink from freely.  As the hikers come into the shelter they are greeted with the fire and respond warmly. I see Monk whom I met in VA. There he said he was on the trail to 'listen intently'. I asked him how¢s it going? He listened well and smiled. There was a father and his daughter who came in too. And, another thru hiker Sped who joined the group after he put on his matching blue cotton stripped pajamas.  Conversations continued around the fire fed by pages of a book that GipCGirl was reading.  With the fire waning, Rita and I were after GipCGirl to read faster.
Date: 2019-07-20
From: Spruce Peak Shelter

To: Manchester, VT
Miles today: 3.0

Hot, humid 89 degreesWe left the shelter and headed out of the mountains after 3 nights on the trail with 1/2 liters of water expecting a short hike to the road where we hope to get a ride into town. The trail is a slow gentle incline to the ridge where we walk under canopy. Still it is hot. There is bird song and a strong smell of a horse? Shortly after Rita and I talk about horses, a woman and her son pass us and ask if we saw the bear?  There was a bear lying down just 100 yards from the trail where Rita and I smelled what we thought was a horse. Of course!  Again shirts come off as we get overheated. Just no air. No pride either. We get to the trailhead on Route 11 & 30 hoping to get a ride into town. GipCGirl has to tell Arita to get her shirt on. Our efforts at hitchhiking are no match for the gas moving traffic, and so that is what I¢d like to think. I decide to walk into town without my pack, leaving Rita and GipCGirl. Rita¢s car is in town at the hotel. Maybe they will get a ride and pick me up. Maybe I will get a ride and get back to them quickly though that is less likely given that, with my hair cut, I look like I am on chemotherapy and in need of more than a ride. Thrush be known, we are a mess. Turns out Rita and GipCGirl got and ride first and they stopped to pick me up. Back to the hotel for a shower, water, rest, food and a resupply for tomorrow¢s hike. Nope, no laundry as our clothes dried in the heat. Yep, we are hikers.
Date: 2019-07-21
From: Manchester, VT

To: Upper Goose Pond
Miles today: 2.0

Most hikers start out to commune with nature, to be at one with the trail. After a certain amount of time, it¢s the goddamn blueberry pancakes and pull you down the trail. And we only had to walk 2 miles. GipCGirl has designed this part of the hike on highlights that she wanted to share with Rita and I. The Upper Goose Pond is one such highlight. We drove from Manchester VT to Lee MA and parked at the trail-head.The Upper Goose Pond cabin was built 125 years ago and is constructed of wood and stone. It is a two-story home with a caretaker that remains on site May through October. There is a kitchen that the caretaker uses to make blueberry pancakes every morning for the hikers, and  every hiker knows that. There is a covered porch with rockers, a lovely dining room with a huge fireplace, and upstairs is a bunk room that holds around 20 bunks. It has such an old and homey feeling up to it. Outside there is a privy and a makeshift kitchen for the hikers. Down from the cabin is a large goose pond that is perfect for swimming on a hot day which is exactly what Rita, GipCGirl and I did. Right down to our skivvies without a second thought. It was hot, close to 90 and humid. We took our time walking the one and a half miles to the cabin keeping hydrated and taking breaks. Still we had to take our shirts off.  I¢m kind of wondering if this residual behavior will continue when I¢m off the trail, I.e., walking a half mile to the store and wanting to spit, squat and take my shirt off.  We¢ll just have to see. We ate our usual dinner of tuna with a portion of mac & cheese from the carton. Early to bed with more night time stories from GipCGirl¢s book ¢Liar Liar¢ and dreams of blueberry pancakes in the morning. We are now in Massachusetts.
Date: 2019-07-24
From: Silver Hill Campsite

To: Mt Algo Shelter
Miles today: 11.3

We wake up in the shelter and put on the still damp and ¢slightly¢ used clothes that we have been wearing for the last four days.  Carrying clean clothes means carrying extra clothes and that all adds up to weight. Besides, nobody stinks in the forest. It¢s only when we come out of the woods and are close to other people but you¢re suddenly aware of a drafting odor.  The terrain is very diverse today. There is a 1,000 steep vertical climb down a rocky ledge, St John¢s ledge, then a long hike down a dirt road with an oat field on one side and the Housatonic river on the other side.  There is a rail road and a train on the other side of the river. The river is wide and beautiful. There are more Pennsylvania products and GipCGirl¢s knee is hurting her and my foot is hurting me. We stopped and got ibuprofen from our medical bag. On the path we cross Circuit Rider going NoBo and stop to chat. I ran into Circuit Rider in PA and ran into a mutual hiker in New Hampshire and we talked about him and his trail ministry. Circuit Rider said he was a little tired but happy to see me. He has his 60th birthday coming up next month. ¢Happy trails¢ and off we went our separate ways. There are more worms, centipedes, and salamanders on the trail and lots of mosquitoes and flies. We get water right out of the stream and drink plenty, unfiltered. At the shelter is a section hiker dad with his 15-year-old son and 18-year-old daughter Josie. I miss my granddaughter Josie. I¢m hiking the AT she¢s not yet walking. She¢s learning to crawl and I¢m learning to fall. I set up my hammock and GipCGirl sets up her tent. Other hikers come in. The family settles in the shelter and the other hikers respectfully settle outside.  Then comes this beautifully strange looking woman. Her pant are tucked into her sock according to tic protocol and sag off her slender body. She has a long sleeve shirt on and floppy hat secured to her head with a tie around her neck.  Around her neck is a name badge that reads ¢Julia, Volunteer¢. I have seen ridge runners and staffers up in the White mountains of New Hampshire and no one had a name badge on.  She comes into camp only after checking the bear box for trash.  Julia Is a delightful 70-year-old retired mechanical engineer who lives in Florida and comes up to Connecticut five months of the year to walk the trails. She picks up trash, cuts away brush and logs that have fallen on the path. She names every rock and tree along the trail and greets them every day by name. She is strangely beautiful. As she said, ¢when you stop working you lose your identity.  I wanted to re-define myself.¢  Oh Julia.
Date: 2019-07-25
From: Mt Algo Shelter

To: New Milford
Miles today: 8.0

8 miles is a respectable amount of miles to put in for a Nero. We start at 6:30 and it ends at 10:30 in the morning. We are in need of re-supply and rest, showers and laundry. We walk to Bull¢s Bridge Inn General store which is just off the AT trail and have lunch. I get a tuna sandwich, go figure. I¢ve been eating tuna every night. We get a ride into town after some yogiing and get a room at Rocky River Inn. We plan a zero tomorrow.
Date: 2019-07-26
From: New Milford

To: New Milford
Miles today: 2.0

This is an off day, a zero, for us in New Milford and the time of their annual fair which brings many vendors and a cross-section of the community to town. We have lunch, go to the local laundry mat and do laundry, I go to the library to do 60 minutes of journaling on their computer and then we go vendor to vendor and celebrate this community. According to GipCGirls¢s wrist mile tracker, we walked 2 miles. We call Uber to take us back to the hotel. This is the first time using Uber. "Hello Victor". "Hello Ms. Debbie". Feels like family. Learning  how to have fun.
Date: 2019-07-27
From: New Milford

To: Wiley Shelter
Miles today: 8.0
Weather: few clouds

With an 8 mile day planned we know we¢ve got a leisure day on the trail so we start with an Uber from the hotel back to the town of New Milford and eat breakfast. I get another hour in the library to do some journaling. We get an Uber back to Bull Bridge general country store where we head back on the trail going southbound. It is a lovely hike thru dense woodland, but there are annoying flys, gnats and mosquitoes that challenge your peace. We are carrying 4 days of food and water for the day. There are narrow paths with tall grass that is ripe for encounters with ticks.  And, on the path before a stream there is a note. GipCGirl, in the lead, stops to read the note and we both get stung on the leg by wasps.  The notes reads ¢wasps¢.  Really! We soak our leg in the cool stream and keep going.  Shortly before the shelter and deep in the woods a woman comes up behind us ¢going slow for SoBos¢ she joking says.  It is Julia.  She didn¢t know we would be taking a zero yesterday and arrange for some trail magic at the road crossing¢egg, toast, bacon and cheese! Oh Julia! Now that quieted the sting. The Wiley Shelter was built in 1940 and sits on BSA Camp Siwanoy property. We set up our camp outside the shelter.  There is a privy of unknown type. On the AT, privies are either a composting or moldering type. A moldering privy is one you can pee in.  In the privy at this shelter, down in the ¢pit¢ is a symphony of wasps, so my guess, it is a ¢composing¢ privy.  You get stung here, you¢re sure to belt out a few notes.
Date: 2019-07-28
From: Wiley Shelter

To: RPH
Miles today: 8.5

78 degrees, clear skies. We pulled up camp and started walking at 6:30AM. By 8:30AM we had walked 4 miles.  I love the soft morning light that finds its way through the forest. The trail is largely flat.  There are so many gnats, flies and mosquitoes. GipCGirl has taken her mesh shirt off and turned it into a mosquito net hat!  I was thinking of doing the same with my underwear, but...We walk through fields and over fences. At the road is trail magic. A bin of gallon sized spring water bottles and a purple marker. Thirsty, I first color GipCGirl¢s braids as she pours water into her bottles. As luck would have it, the trail angel appears. Poof. ¢I¢m Carolyn¢. She was happy to see that we used the purple marker. It turns out that she and GipCGirl share similar heritage, she offers to drive us up the road to get coffee and then on to another trail-head closer to the another shelter. We happily oblige her. We were not so keen on the next shelter as it had bad reviews. This allowed us to move ahead.The RPH Shelter is next to the road. It is a cinder-block building with one wall removed. It has 6 bunks, none of which are worth sleeping in. We set up camp next to the shelter. At the shelter is a woman who appears ¢down and out¢, homeless on the trail like so many others. She doesn¢t talk to us or look up. Soon she is off to the woods. I clean up the shelter and throw away open containers of food. Jerry comes by. He is a volunteer caretaker and has planted many trees and flowers on the property.  We eat our tuna and settle in for the night. Rain sets in. We are all where we are.
Date: 2019-07-29
From: RPH

To: Fahnestock State Park
Miles today: 8.5

We pull up camp and are on the trail by 6:30 AM. It is hot. The woods are open with dry stack stone walls, remnant of the civilian conservation camp. There are similar plants, trees and bird-calls as home.  There are two boys sleeping in the woods. It is so great to see this.  Up on the ridge I am reminded of the White Mountains with the sweet sweet smell of home. Sure enough we come to the Shenandoah Mountain. It is painted with an American flag. Pretty, but still it¢s graffiti. We passed some NoBos who remember GipCGirl in PA. We come off the ridge to Canopus Lake in Fahnestock State Park.  The state park allows AT hikers to camp free for one night in the ball field. It is stifling hot with no shade and no trees for my hammock. The for pay campground is half a mile away. I have to walk 1 mile on the road to the park office to get a campsite and a mile back. This is as close as I am to heat stroke. We get to our campsite, set up, hydrate more and get to bed. Tomorrow is another day.
Date: 2019-07-30
From: Fahnestock State Park

To: Fahnestock State Park
Miles today: 8.0

This is a zero day. We spend it at Canopus Lake beach and wade in the lake. We eat at the concession stand and shower in the bathhouse. There are plenty of AT family around. One hiker, Highway Man, is addressing 15 postcards to home for friends, family and grandchildren. I offload a few stamps I have been carrying around. That accounts for .001 ounce. It all counts. Tomorrow we plan another zero day at the campground.
Date: 2019-07-31
From: Fahnestock State Park

To: Fahnestock State Park
Miles today: 4.0

We spend another relaxing day at Canopus Lake. We go to the lake and chat with other AT family. There we see Max our divinity hiker who is on a pilgrimage from Boston to Harpers Ferry and then out to California to raise money for children in Africa. He still has no sleeping bag and no tarp. He sleeps in a liner and uses a hypothermic space blanket as needed. He is so precious.It starts to rain so we go back to our campsite. Soon the rain has let up but everything is wet. I pull the shower curtain from the bathhouse and 'reupholster' our picnic table with the intent of returning the curtain before we leave. It works well. Tomorrow we plan to go to Graymoor spiritual life Center where we will end our hike.
Date: 2019-08-01
From: Fahnestock State Park

To: Graymoor Spiritual Life Center
Miles today: 4.0

We pull up camp early anxious to go to our last destination. ¢Are you hikers? I have been looking for hikers.¢  Joe is a delightful well intended gentleman. He wants to cook us breakfast. We settle for coffee and conversation. On our walk back to Canopus lake, approximately 1 1/2 miles from the trail, we run into North?, a section hiker that started a day ago. ¢ Thank goodness, other hikers.  Where is the trail?¢  It is 9 o¢clock in the morning. She is hot and sweating and layered in dark clothes, one and a half miles going nowhere. She is carrying way too much weight.  In conversation, she got off the train and headed this way the other day and intends to be on the trail for one month.  Poor darling is confused.  I have done much to prepare for this journey. I have read several books, looked at several maps, had three paper maps and one online map to guide me. I talked to thru hikers and owners of supply stores. Then, I had Steve walk with me for 10 days to help me feel comfortable and safe on the trail. Still, for me, it would have been a whole different experience, and not a favorable one, if GipCGirl was not on the trail to guide me. I would have been as lost and confused As South?. GipCGirl walks down the road with her to guide her. ¢When you come to the white blaze, turn left. Turn left.¢ she says. We can only hope.We get a ride to Graymoor Spiritual Life Center where I had hoped for a relaxing end of this trail. We start at the gift store and look at items. I think of my mother. I bought a small book and asked the sister behind the counter if she would bless it. She said she was not able to bless it but the priest at the chapel could. Then as we leave she says ¢God bless you¢. I reminded her that she just blessed me and I thanked her. Graymoor is a huge complex.  The AT trail goes through the property. Hikers are allowed to camp at the ball-field for free. There is a pavilion, a shower and privy. We set up camp and relax.We decide to order dinner and it is delivered to us along with the two beers we asked for. The delivery man reminds us that this is an alcohol-free spiritual center and he knows because he lives at the sober house.  It was so refreshing. Forgive us all.
Date: 2019-08-02
From: Graymoor Spiritual Life Center

To: Graymoor Spiritual Life Center
Miles today: 2.0

And at times I thought I was alone. Just when I was feeling tired, look who slack packed me today. Bless you Mary and ChildWord definition:  Slack Packer-someone who takes the load off you so that you can hike unencumbered.  As I was walking through the Graymoor Center looking for Mary to slack pack me I ran across South? sitting on the ground with her pack beside her looking forlorn and exhausted. ¢It¢s you again¢ she said. ¢I see you made it this far. Good work.¢ I say. ¢Do you know where to camp?¢ I ask. I could not tell her that tomorrow will be our last day.  I¢ll just have to ask Mary and NoBo to keep an eye on her.
Date: 2019-08-03
From: Graymoor Spiritual Life Center

To: Bear Mountain
Miles today: 0.0

Today marks the semi-official end of this journey.  GipCGirl and I will take a few days off in the town of Peekskill, NY and await Steve's arrival. Steve and I will hike 3 days, sometime in September, to finish out my 65 days journey. He started me off on this hike, he might as well walk with me to the end. I look forward to that.
Date: 2019-08-04
To: Back to the Universe
Miles today: 0.0

This is what I learned from 65 days on the trail:Great things happen in small steps.I like the contemplative life, but I love meaningful interactions with people.Happiness is a decision as is suffering.  I choose the former.Fear is a useful tool which can serve to motivate one to greater understanding and preparedness. But, if brought into the moment, it is immobilizing and often destructiveIf you are not satisfied with an aspect of your life, change it. If you cannot change an aspect of your life, change the way you think about it.I love my children furiously.I prefer every action with intent and purpose.I am funny, kind, generous and loving.I can set boundaries and accept limitations.If you sense a hotspot, i.e., issue, address it now before it festers.When I step out of the forest after four days without a shower, it is only when I encounter another person that I stink.I am not shy or timid. I am, however, quiet. There are just some people with whom I choose not to engage. If I have nothing but the wet clothes on my back, I am still loving and funny.If I have nothing but the wet clothes on my back and I am tired, hungry, and thirsty, I am grumpy. Leave no trace, but leave story. Promote peace. Support justice. Encourage health. Bring laughter.If your load is too heavy, let go of things. Don¢t sidestep obstacles. They are part of the journey. They are your brothers. Make peace with them.