morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2018-07-15
From: JessTreat's - Sheffield 

To: Mr Wilcox North Shelter
Miles today: 13.5

Jess had told us breakfast would be ready at 7, so we were up and packed by 6:30. We had a really nice breakfast of yogurt, granola, fruit, eggs and toast. Jess had already dropped Monk off as he is slack packing 29 miles today. We loaded in the car with Songbird, he was going back about a mile further than we were as he got off at the Jug End Road. It did rain last night, so everything was wet and it was very foggy this morning. It was extremely humid and the mosquitoes were out in full force this morning. We quickly stopped and put on as much bug spray as we could.We went through a wet and swampy area, so we had to just keep moving as the bugs still  found their way through. We fought the bugs most of the morning, finally stopping at the Tom Leonard shelter for lunch. At the shelter we met a group of young kids packing up after an overnight and chatted  with them for a while. Just as we were finishing lunch a hiker, Curb, came in. This is the first time we've met him. In trail registers we¢ve read where several people have gone swimming in  Benedict Pond which was coming up and we thought we might try to go for a swim there.It was a tough climb up to the pond, so we were ready for a swim. We were just going to swim at the rocks near the trail, but when we got there to that spot there was a couple there with a couple dogs and we didn't feel very comfortable swimming there. Shortly thereafter we met a southbounder, she was looking to swim also. So we decided we walk down to the beach 6 tenths away to go swimming with her. The swim was great, but by the time we got done and then hiked the four miles to North Wilcox Shelter you wouldn't have known we got cooled off. It was very buggy, so we quickly set up then put our long pants and long-sleeve shirts on to cook and eat.We also met Scoot for the first time, he's hammocking here at the shelter.  Fresh Sneakers and Clydesdale came in. Later Ashley came in to tent beside us, we'd met her down at the State Park while swimming. It's supposed to be another hot day tomorrow, so we're going to try to make it to Upper Goose Pond Cabin. We plan to tent there as we can definitely go swimming and be cooled off right before bed.
Date: 2018-07-16
From: Mr Wilcox North Shelter

To: Upper Goose Pond
Miles today: 14.0

Up pretty early this morning as we wanted to get going and get to Upper Goose Pond as early as we could so we would have plenty of time to swim. There was another shelter just prior to where we stayed, (1.8 miles) so today it seem like there are a lot of hikers on the trail that we played leapfrog with all day. Most of the day we played leapfrog with Ashley, Songbird, Baygull and Tiny Bytes. Fresh Sneakers and Clydesdale were planning to do the 34 into Dalton, but we did manage to see Fresh Sneakers at the AT Snack Shed. Today a southbounder had mentioned to us that there was a snack shed at one of the road crossings and we definitely should go. Sure enough, at one of the crossings there was a sign that said AT Snack Shed. Several hikers were already there when we arrived. The shed is run by Running Springs farm, they sell eggs from the shed, but they also have a refrigerator inside with cold sodas and  lots of snacks hikers like. We had a soda, a bag of chips and a package of Oreos. Everything is done on the honor system, you just pay for what you take. As we sat at the picnic table enjoying our snacks  several more hikers came to the road crossing, saw the sign, and came over to sit at the picnic table to enjoy some snacks. It was nice sitting in the shade at the picnic table talking to everyone, but we decided we better get going if we we're going to make Upper Goose Pond.A lot of little ups and downs and it got harder as the day went on, plus the mosquitoes were still heavy. Even though it was only a 14 mile day it seemed longer and when we got there we were pretty spent. The swim felt extra nice, the water was just right. It was pretty warm on top, but there were lots of cold spots.  It felt really good on a hot day. As we were lounging in the pond we couldn't believe it when we saw Sourpatch and Knotty Boy come in. We  figured they were at least three or four days ahead of us. Turns out they went to New York City and spent time there, so once again were caught up to them.The swim was just what we were looking for and needed today. After the swim we were able to relax a little bit and talk with the other hikers. We  had plenty of time to make dinner and just sit around and enjoy ourselves. We tried going down to the dock to watch the sunset, but as dusk came so came the mosquitoes with a vengeance! So we headed to our tent. Tomorrow there will be pancakes for breakfast, and we've made a reservation in Dalton for a motel, but it's 20 miles away so we have a big day planned.
Date: 2018-07-18
From: Dalton, MA

To: Mark Noepel Shelter
Miles today: 13.9
Weather: clear sky

After such a big day yesterday we slept in today. We knew we weren't going to get out early because we still had quite a few chores to do before leaving.Just up the street from the motel is the Java House, where we grabbed a bagel sandwich and a cup of tea. There were several hikers in there, and when we got back we realized there were also several hikers at the motel that we hadn't seen because we got in so late. We quickly gathered up our laundry and started that as soon as the laundry room opened. While we were waiting we saw Ed and Elaine, they also stayed last night and were getting ready to head out. Shortly after we saw Baygull and Tiny Bytes who commented that they were going to zero, so before we left we gave them a couple beers we had since we decided we wouldn't pack them out.We didn't resupply too heavily because we knew would be going through Cheshire today and right by a Dollar General, so we will pick up some more supplies then.As we headed out of town we climbed right up over Crystal Mountain before coming down into Cheshire. By the time we made the climb and arrived into town we were pretty hot, so we decided to treat ourselves to an ice cream. As we were relaxing and eating our ice cream in the shade, Knotty Boy and Sourpatch arrived. They decided they deserved an ice cream as well and sat down and joined us. When we finished we headed down to Dollar General to do a quick resupply. Again we didn't need too much as tomorrow we will be going through Williamstown which has a larger store. The day finished with a long uphill climb on to the shoulder of Mount Greylock and ended at the Mark Noepel Shelter. When we arrived the shelter was nearly full and it was getting dark. No tents sites were available, so the only thing we could do was tent in one of the areas nearby that they are trying to restore. We didn't like doing that, but they require you to stay at a designated campsite and the next one was too far for us to travel. We got water, put our food in the bear box, and headed off to bed. Tomorrow is going to be a big day, hopefully we'll get out of Massachusetts and enter into Vermont.
Date: 2018-07-19
From: Mark Noepel Shelter

To: Seth Warner Shelter 
Miles today: 16.5

We were up very early this morning. First, because we didn't want to be in an illegal campsite if a Ridge Runner came along, and we wanted to get a jump on getting up Mount Greylock. We were the first ones out of camp and to the summit of Mount Greylock. When we arrived on top Bascom Lodge was open so we decide to go in for a cup of tea and a muffin. When we finished eating we decided to go up and have a look around the tower. When we arrived we realized we were about 20 minutes too early so we decided we would wait. The tower was supposed to open at 9:30, and around 9:30 a crowd began to gather, but no one showed up to unlock the door. After 15 minutes or so a lot of the people decided to leave and then someone decided to go check at the lodge to see if they had a key. They came back and said the lodge had nothing to do with the tower, it was the park service. After another 20 minutes went by someone finally said she had called the park service and they said someone was on their way, claiming they were short staffed. Ten minutes later a young gentleman showed up, slowly walked up to unlock the door saying nothing and then headed on his way. I found it strange that at a War Memorial where you are asked  to be quiet and respectful a guy can show up an hour late, unlock the door and say nothing whatsoever. Once the tower was open we made the climb up, and our patience was  rewarded with an amazing view on a beautiful, crystal clear day. Even though we had a real early start all the delays put us kind of behind, so we started to make our way down to Williamstown as quickly as we could. The descent is pretty steep in places and our knees took a pounding. One of the town councilmen lives near the road crossing, and he provides bicycles for hiker to use to pedal into town to get supplies. We had hoped to use these, but when we arrived all the bikes were gone. We ended up walking the 9 tenths into town to the store.Once again we didn't plan real well, we probably just should have gotten everything at the Dollar General as this added a hot road walk of nearly two miles to our hike for the day. After we got our resupply done at the store, we ate dinner at a picnic table outside. We then loaded more food into our already heavy packs. This meant for a long, hot road walk back to the trail, and I complained the whole time about how heavy my pack was. We got back to the trail and immediately headed up a steep hill. It was getting late,  but we really wanted to make the Vermont border tonight so we kept pushing on later than we would have liked. We made the border around 7:00, took some pictures and then hurried down trail to the next shelter. By the time we arrived we could barely see. We quickly found a site by headlamp and set up and got ready for bed. It's loud at the campsite tonight, we can hear four-wheelers, chainsaws, and even what seems like a baby crying nearby.
Date: 2018-07-20
From: Seth Warner Shelter 

To: Melville Nauheim Shelter
Miles today: 13.1
Weather: clear sky

We didn't sleep too well last night as what we thought was a flat campsite turned out to bet quite a hole. So consequently we ended up rolling into each other all night. Also, it was a very hot and sticky night.Since we were so tired we didn't get out of camp until fairly late, and it seemed we were tired most of the day today. We found out there was a baby in camp last night because not too soon after we left we were passed by "Dr. Ice" and "Evergreen", their baby, and their dog Fuzzy. Dr. Ice had the baby in a front carrier and Evergreen was carrying a homemade crib. They are hiking the Long Trail, and seem like a wonderful family.We stopped at Roaring Branch Pond for a cup of tea and a stretch break. Normally stopping at an area like this would not be possible due to the mosquitos. We were pleasantly surprised that we were able to stretch, sit down and enjoy a cup of tea and enjoy the beauty of the pond without being bothered by any bugs.So far Vermont has been nicer as far as bugs go, and the spruce forest feels more like home. As hot as it has been the last couple days we couldn't resist soaking our feet and getting a layer of filth off in a stream. Stopped at Congdon Shelter for lunch, and then proceeded up Harmon Hill. We stopped for the view, and enjoyed some raspberries that were growing nearby. While we were enjoying the view we put in a call to the Green Mountain Hostel so we would have a bunk available once we reached Manchester Center.Many hikers were going into Bennington for pizza, however, we had all we needed for supplies and continued the steep climb to Melville Nauheim Shelter. There were three other hikers already set up. One is section hiking the Long Trail, one is close to finishing a thru hike of the Long Trail SOBO, and the other is NOBO on the Long Trail and actually started his hike in New York.Not many great looking tent sites, but we found one that fit our tent ok. After enjoying socializing with the other hikers, we headed to our tent for what we hope will be a better nights sleep than last night.
Date: 2018-07-21
From: Melville Nauheim Shelter

To: Story Spring Shelter
Miles today: 17.4
Weather: clear sky

Surprisingly we had a really good night's sleep in our marginal campsite. With the lack of bugs we were able to enjoy a cup of tea and breakfast at the picnic table after packing up and getting ready for the day.After only a short time on the trail Mary's feet were sore so we stopped at Hell Hollow Brook so she could soak her feet. Dr. Ice and Evergreen had camped here last night and were still getting ready for the day. After eating lunch along the trail, we made a quick stop at the Goddard Shelter and got water and then made our way to the Glastenbury Mountain Lookout Tower. We climbed up the tower and enjoyed an amazing view. Knots was already up on the tower and was sharing the view with her mom using her phone.We arrived at the shelter and Sourpatch and Knotty Boy were set up in the shelter along with a Long Trail hiker who is almost done his SOBO hike. It is supposed to rain tonight. There were several other tents set up, but lots of good tent sites at this shelter. We found a good soft spot in the back away from the shelter. It turns out to Dr. Ice, Evergreen, baby, and dog are camped right below us tonight.Cooked a quick dinner, talked to the Long Trail Hiker, gathered water and headed to bed.
Date: 2018-07-27
From: Vermont Rt 4

To: Home for Reunion
Miles today: 0.0

Got a bus ride to Rutland to pick up a bus to Lebanon, NH. Realized we could have picked up the bus right at the Inn. However, we got a chance to see Elaine & Ed at the bus station in Rutland which was nice. My parents picked us up in Lebanon and drove us home. We then proceeded to make the drive to Maine for the reunion.
Date: 2018-07-30
From: Vermont Rt 4

To: Stealth Campsite at mile 1708.7
Miles today: 6.8

After coming back from the family reunion most of our day today was spent in a vehicle. We drove to Hanover where we dropped our car, then we took a bus back to Killington where we needed to get back on the trail. The bus driver was kind enough to drop us right at the trailhead, but we didn't actually arrive until nearly 4:15.After 3 days off and sitting for so many hours our legs didn't really want to go, so we struggled to make it up the first hills. The trail here goes through a really pretty area, including Kent pond and Thunder Falls. We wanted to get as many miles in as we could as we only planned on taking 3 days to Hanover, but with such a late start it is looking more like three and a half days.Once we got past Thunder Falls boardwalk we figured if we could make most of the next climb we would be happy. It was getting nearly dark and we were tired when we were about three quarters of the way up. We found a flat spot and decided to take it. We quickly set up, hung our bear bag and climbed into bed. Turns out we did nearly 7 miles, so not that bad for getting such a late start. Hopefully tomorrow we will have more energy.
Date: 2018-07-31
From: Stealth Campsite at mile1708.7

To: Winturri Shelter
Miles today: 13.1

DAY 147We woke early enough, but had trouble getting out of bed. The site we had chosen had nice soft leaves and finally with my Neo-Air patched I didn't have to blow it up at all last night, so both of us slept really well. Once we finally got moving we got up and had oatmeal. This is a dry site, so we didn't have enough water to make tea. We decided to hike the three miles to Stony Brook Shelter where there is water and have tea there. Maybe it's the days off or maybe the cumulative effect of the hike, but we seemed to move very slowly today and both of us quite tired.When we got to the short trail to the Lookout we decided to make the trek up. There was no one else there when we arrived and Mary stretched on the porch and I went up on the "lookout". This is a private cabin that the owners allow hikers to use, and what is unique is they have an outside stairway that goes up to the pitch of the roof where there is a lookout platform. The view from the platform was really nice even though it started to sprinkle and clouds were moving in. Another hiker arrived as we were having a snack, K-Tom. We chatted with him for a bit, and Mary went up to the lookout to check out the view and I decided to go up again as well.From the Lookout we continued on trail and made it to Winturri Shelter. We considered staying in the shelter as it was sprinkling when we arrived. After chatting with K-Tom and later Calves and having our dinner we decided we would set up our tent as we were concerned about the possibility of mosquitoes.Probably won't make it to Hanover tomorrow, but we are excited about getting to our home state of New Hampshire.
Date: 2018-08-02
From: Tent site at Podunk Brook

To: Hanover, NH
Miles today: 8.2

DAY 149We had expected more rain last night but really didn't get it, so when we woke up this morning things were actually pretty dry.After being disappointed last night we were excited to be heading into town and getting to our home state today. We quickly broke down camp  and ate our hard boiled eggs and hit the Trail. We still had over six and a half miles to do before we got to town, and as always several ups and downs stood in the way. Almost immediately after we exited the woods in Norwich we came to a driveway that had a cooler and a couple lawn chairs that said trail magic. Even though we were pretty close to our car we couldn't pass up a couple of ice cold cokes and chairs to rest in, so we sat down and enjoyed them.  As we were enjoying them the owner came home and up his driveway. We gave a wave and a big thank you. As we arrived in town we stopped to read the sign about Norwich. A guy came by with a timber frame shirt on and Alan ask him about his shirt. We chatted with him for a while and he told us about the area homes that were timber frame and which ones have been added onto.We did the two mile road walk through Norwich over the Connecticut River and into Hanover. Of course we stopped on the bridge at the Vermont New Hampshire border and took several pictures. It is hard to believe, but we¢ve walked from Georgia all the way back to our home state of New Hampshire. We are extremely excited to be back home. Once we got in Hanover the first thing we did was go down to the pizza shop that offered thru-hikers a free slice of pizza. Of course once in there we had to order another slice of pizza and a beer to go with our free slice. Once we finished it was up to Joe's bakery where they offer for you a free pastry. We couldn't resist the crullers. Mary had a maple and mine was chocolate. With our appetite mildly curbed, we decided we better get the car and head for home as we have a lot of chores to do.Once we got home we cleaned and dried  our gear and tried to get things organized for the next couple days of slackpacking. If all goes well we should be able to slackpack a good portion of New Hampshire with the help of family and friends.
Date: 2018-08-03
From: Hanover, NH

To: Lyme Dorchester Road
Miles today: 19.5

It was good to sleep in our own bed last night, but we were up early hoping to make some good miles with a slackpack. We put one vehicle at the Lyme Dorchester Road, then headed over to Hanover  to start where we left off. I dropped Mary off at the trailhead then headed over to park the car. It was about a 15 to 20-minute walk back to the trail, so Mary had a good head start. The trail was pretty mellow this morning, but we did have a few climbs up over Velvet Rocks and then Moose Mountain. It took me quite a while to catch Mary, and when I finally caught her I gave her the bad news. We planned to hike 17 miles  today, but when I actually looked at the app I realized I had miscalculated and it was going to be over 19. We hustled along most of the day as we knew when we got done we still had to reposition the cars. It was a struggle the last few miles and we wished we had parked the car at one of the earlier road crossings, but we did get it done and managed to get out before dark. When we finished we drove back over to Hanover picked up the car then shuttled our other vehicle back to tomorrow's pickup spot. It made for a long day but we did get 19 miles done and in the end had a shower and got to sleep in our own bed again. We will try to get going early tomorrow and get some more miles.
Date: 2018-08-04
From: Lyme Dorchester Road

To: RT 25A
Miles today: 14.1

We didn't want to get out of bed this morning after the long day yesterday, but we had to get going early as we still had to drive over to the trailhead. We didn't get too ambitious today as we had to get over Cube mountain and Smarts Mountain. We  parked the car at 25A and headed back to where we ended yesterday. It was a little rainy and misty in the morning so it made the climbs a little difficult, but it was supposed to get better as the day went on. We made it up Smarts Mountain which was fairly difficult, but there was no view so we didn't bother going up the fire tower. We had lunch on the cabin steps before starting up the trail for Cube. Cube is another pretty good climb and had some open ledgy areas that are Mary¢s ¢favorite¢, but we managed to get to the top and have some pretty good views. By the time we got down it was pretty late again and we still had to go grab the other vehicle.We grabbed a quick bite to eat at the Lyme General store then brought both vehicles home as we pretty much had to drive right by our house to reposition. Not sure what we'll do tomorrow as it would be too long a day to start from where we left off and get up over Moosilauke, but too short if we stop before, so we'll decide that tonight.