morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2004-05-29
To: Bear Rock Stream Campsite
Miles today: 8.6

Today was one of those days hikers daydream about. We woke up and ate a great breakfast at the Inn. The sun was shining big fluffy clouds were in the sky, little humidity, cool, and no bugs. Besides the great conditions the trail went through some of the most beautiful areas we¢ve seen. First we went up to 1,708 feet to Lion¢s Head climbing through pine forest with Lady¢s Slippers and other flowers along the trail. The view from Lions Head was beautiful, impossible to capture with a photo or words. There were twin lakes off to our left in the valley and green green mountains beyond stretching as far as we could see. A local man was there with his 10 year old son, and he told us Native American names for the lakes and told us about other points of interest. Then we hiked up to Bear Mountain and sat on the rocks there looking at the view just as great as the other if not better. There were a lot of day hikers and weekenders out today, so we had some really nice chats with some of them as we hiked. Then there was a steep down Sages Ravine. Sages is really gorgeous! We walked along the brook as it traveled the rocky path through the ravine. It had carried its way through the rock and there were great little waterfalls along the way. Finally we came to our current campsite where we were lucky to find a spot. There are a lot of people here tonight. Some camped up on a hill and then 3 guys, two girls, a dog, and us on the tent platforms. There is also another guy camped back by the bear bags. One of the guys camped here is a 2001 thruhiker, Crankin¢. We enjoyed talking with him and his 2 friends. We are now in Mass.
Date: 2004-05-31
From: Mass 41

To: Mass 23 East Mountain Retreat 
Miles today: 12.0

We were really lucky that we were able to camp in the yard at Rt 41 because the next 5 or 6 miles of trail had thousands of mosquitoes that descended upon us like an army to suck our blood. We did the miles to Rt 7 in record time. Nothing like being chased by hungry blood sucking bugs to increase one¢s hiking speed. Gary said these mosquitoes must have been on steroids and his shoulders prove the point where the little devils bit him through his hiking shirt. I faired a bit better due to my bug net and bug spray with 100 % deet. I hate to use the stuff but in the interest of self-preservation I put it on. When we got to Rt. 7 we went to the corncrib where they sell plants, dolls, and doll houses, fresh produce, and hiker snacks. We feasted on cookies, potato chips, ice tea, fresh tomatoes, snickers bars, and ice cream. It was great. We went through a few more miles of mosquito area then started to go up. The lady at the store said the weather forecast for tonight and tomorrow looked pretty gloomy and the sky was starting to look that way too. We decided to go to the shelter then decide if we wanted to do an extra 2 miles to get to a hostel. The nasty looking sky and the though of showers and laundry helped us push on. I¢m really glad we did because this hostel is super. It is a religious retreat center for people of all different faiths. The lady in charge, Rev. Lois Rose is a minister for the United Church of Christ. They let the hikers use their library in the evenings to cook and there is a shower and washer and dryer to use. The library is great too, full of all kinds of religious books from Christianity to Buddhism as well as other reading material. Gary enjoyed a collection of Far Side comics and I am reading Jane Fowler¢s Stages of Faith. We had read some of the chapters in a class I was taking at church before I left for the hike. This is a place of silence for the people here on retreat. Rev Lois really made us feel at home. We even were able to order a pizza to be delivered for our supper. We found out from the hiker registry here that Voice in the Wind is just a day ahead of us. His boots feel apart and he waited for new ones here. Today is Memorial Day and it only seemed fitting that we should walk through Salisbury Cemetery and past the memorial to Shay¢s Rebellion today. When we went through the cemetery there were flags on the groves of those who had served in our military and in the case of Shay¢s Rebellion many of the farmers who took part were Revolutionary War Vets who felt that the new government was not living up to its ideals. The rebellion was one of the major events that prompted the Constitutional Convention. It saddens me so much to think of war. Such a terrible waste of life for people to bring pain and suffering to each other that way. But I can only respect the men and women who have served our country. I wish I could have as much respect for all the leaders who have sent them into battle. I wish we spent as much money on learning how to prevent wars as we do preparing for them
Date: 2004-06-01
From: Mass 23 East Mountain Retreat 

To: Shaker Campsite
Miles today: 10.0
Weather: overcast clouds

It looked like rain when we got up, but it wasn¢t raining even though it had rained all night long. We were so very lucky to be in the warm comfy hostel and not have a wet tent to pack up. I cooked us some cream of wheat and we had coffee and an orange. Then we left for the trail, a 1 mile road walk which really wasn¢t bad, mostly downhill. We only met one other person on the trail today, a Canadian Guy doing a section hike. A lot of the hike today was through beautiful pine forests where the needles cushioned the trail for our feet. There were a lot of ferns growing among the pine and they almost glowed with color because of the deep dark green of the pine forest and the dampness. We made our 10 miles to this campsite with lots of time to cook and make camp. There are tent platforms here, so even if it rains, and I have no doubt it will, the tent won¢t get muddy. It is chilly tonight so we are early in the sack, only 6:00 PM. Gary is already asleep. &:00PM- The rain is here complete with thunder and lightening.
Date: 2004-06-02
From: Shaker Campsite

To: Upper Goose Pond
Miles today: 9.9
Weather: clear sky

It quit raining by morning and the sun came out. The mosquitoes did too. The hike wasn¢t easy today, a lot of up, but it was pretty through the pine forest. We met Fantasy Feet coming down from the mountain as we were going up. He recognized my trail name from last year and when he told me his, I remembered where we had seen him. He was going down Peter¢s Mountain in VA as were going up. He has done 5,000 miles of trail but not every part of it. As we got to the 6 mile mark, we began to hear the rumble and grumble of the thunder in the distance. It also got darker. Then the sun came out again but still the thunder rumbled, but not too closes. We hiked pretty fast to avoid the mosquitoes and the rain we feared was coming. We are at Goose Pond Cabin run by AMC. There are six of us here. Motion, Preacher, TN Sam and 10 times are section hikers. I made a fire in the fire place and the caretaker here has marshmallows for us roast. We are tenting on the porch, the others are staying in bunk beds upstairs for the night. I like the fresh air of the outside, but the roof is over us so the tent doesn¢t get wet. This is a really cozy place with the fire going and lots of good company. The caretaker is going to make us all pancakes in the morning at 7:15- I¢ll be up! She does this as a volunteer for one week. Her name is Mary Pat. She has her dog here too, a sweet retriever named Maizie. It did rain already and it looks like there is more to come even though it stopped for now.
Date: 2004-06-03
From: Upper Goose Pond

To: Washington Mt. Rd
Miles today: 11.0

The day started with pancakes and coffee and good company around the breakfast at Goose Pond Cabin. Mary Pat made us the breakfast and w certainly enjoyed it!Motion and 10 times were taking a 0 at the cabin but we hiked to the ¢ Cookie lady¢s¢ house where we are tenting in their yard. We saw TN Sam and Preacher off and on all day, eating lunch with them and finally coming here with them, but they just filled up with water and went on a few more miles. Tomorrow is TN Sam¢s birthday. He will be 58. Preacher is 62. It was nice being with some other hikers close to our age. Probably the most senior hiker out here this year is Easy One I mentioned meeting him earlier. I found out from the registry that he is 82 years old and this is his 5th hike of the AT and third thru hike all in one year... He started in Jan, we will probably see him again because he is going south now, but will come north to do some parts he hasn¢t done yet this year.The ¢Cookie lady¢ and her husband Marilyn and Ray Wiley are really neat. They raise blueberries, have a big garden and he flies a plane and restores old cars. It was fun to visit with them this evening and very nice of them to let us tent in their yard and to give us cookies. For a bit, it looked like rain, but now it seems to have cleared up. It rained all night last night, but we were on the porch at the cabin. It would be nice not to have rain tonight so we don¢t¢ have to pack up a wet tent.
Date: 2004-06-04
From: Washington Mt. Rd

To: Birdcage
Miles today: 10.0

We got an early start, 6:00AM, our earliest so far. The thought of town food provides amazing motivation for packing up in the cold. It didn¢t take long to warm up though. About half way to town we passed Sam and Preacher and later stopped for a brief break with them and wished TN Sam a Happy Birthday. They weren¢t planning to stay in town, but we will probably see them again. When we got to Dalton we stopped at the Shamrock Pub where we feasted on fish n chips. Then we went to see Rob Bird at the gas station because we had been told he lets hikers stay at his house. The hikers have Nick named his place, the birdcage. Rob took us to his place where we got showers and clean clothes. There was another hiker there, Crumb Snatcher and his dog, Bear. Rob has a dog too named Tinker. Later Motion and 10 times came in, so that made 5 of us for the night. Rob takes in over 200 hikers each season free of charge! His place is really neat, a wonderful place to stay because he makes us feel at home. After we all got cleaned up, Motion, 10 times, and the two of us went with him to eat at an Italian Restaurant in Pittsfield. They gave us big helpings and we all left totally stuffed. Meeting people is one of the best parts of hiking the AT and this stop was really fun because of the great company.
Date: 2004-06-05
From: Birdcage

To: Mark Noepel Lean-To Tent site
Miles today: 13.7

We said goodbye to Rob and the other hikers then went for a breakfast sandwich at the local deli and started hiking. It was a long day with quite a bit of up, but I guess we are getting stronger because it really wasn¢t that bad. We were lucky to get another town meal about 4 miles from the campsite in the town of Cheshire. The trail goes right on the edge of town and there is a little ice cream shop there that also serves hot dogs, chips, and sodas which we had for supper topped off by ice cream with lots of toppings for me and a banana split for Gary. We met some nice people there who once lived in Mentor, OH. On the way to the ice cream store we saw Motion Slack packing south. He was making good time on his way back to Rob¢s. The climb up toward Grey Lock was long but not real steep. We got here about 7:30, put up the tent and crawled in. There are 4 girls camped above us on another tent platform and 3 guys in the shelter. It will probably rain again tonight. I¢m glad we are on a platform instead of the ground.
Date: 2004-06-06
From: Mark Noepel Lean-To Tent site

To: Bascorn Lodge- Mt. Greylock 
Miles today: 3.1

It was chilly and looked like rain so we packed up quickly and headed for the lodge and breakfast. We made good time and it cleared enough to give us a view from among the top of the War Memorial. On a good day you can see 5 states from it. But this wasn¢t a particularly good day. Even so we could see the towns below and the Green Mountains of VT in the distance. Mt. Greylock is the highest point in MA.Soon after we arrived, the clouds came in and we decided to stay the night. Good choice! Rain and cold came next so here I sit in front of a nice fire waiting for our family style dinner at 6PM. Outside are the clouds which sometimes expose a bit of the view as they drift around. There are only about 6 guests here for the night. I think we are the only AT hikers. We saw Ten Times earlier. His parents picked him up because he has pulled a muscle. We also saw Gideon who is going home because of his bad knee. We just had dinner with the park superintendent. It was, just the three of us for a great dinner of roast chicken, fresh green beans, friend new potatoes, and dessert. I had cheese cake and Gary had cherry pie. Now we are back in front of the fire with our coffee. AH! This is the life! We just met Hog Walker¢s brother-in ¢law, Tanglefoot. He just started the trail today and joined us by the fire. He did 18 miles today from Cheshire.
Date: 2004-06-07
From: Bascorn Lodge- Mt. Greylock 

To: Sherman Brook Campsite
Miles today: 8.1
Weather: clear sky

We had a great breakfast at the lodge, 3 different types of omelets, fried potatoes, OJ, sausage, and melon. We met Greylock, another hiker from trailjounrals.com. He and his wife, Scamp, are about our age, and were on the trail last year and again this year. Both times they had some problems that brought them back home. Greylock works at the lodge. We also met Puffy and Stumbles another couple who hiked last year and are trying to finish it this year. The hike was pretty easy today, but we got a late start and stopped to eat and re-supply at Mass.2. Puffy and Stumbles came to the store while we were eating our dinner and we visited a bit with them. They will be going into Williamstown tonight for showers and laundry. People were really friendly at the store and several saw our backpacks and came over to talk about the trail with us. We hiked another 1.8 miles to this campsite after eating. The day was warm and sunny and tomorrow is supposed to be also. We are early to bed in hopes of an early start in the morning.
Date: 2004-06-08
From: Sherman Brook Campsite

To: Congdon Shelter
Miles today: 12.3
Weather: clear sky

It wasn¢t a fun day, warm, muggy, steep ups, bugs, and mud. Both of us fell once in the mud but didn¢t get hurt just a bit dirty. We saw Hog Walker at the road crossing. He was looking for Tangelfoot. We thought Tanglefoot was ahead of us but he actually came by later where we are tenting in the shelter. Puffy and Stumbles are here now too. They are tenting across the creek. They did a few more miles than we did because they came from town. It wasn¢t a good day for them either. We all hope VT gets better.
Date: 2004-06-09
From: Congdon Shelter

To: Campsite before Goddard Shelter 
Miles today: 12.0
Weather: haze

We got a really early start, 6:30 AM, but it was another tough day. Lots of ups, hot bugs, and early on, mud. After we ate our lunch we ran into Tanglefoot going south, but thinking he was going north. We finally convinced him he was headed the wrong way by showing him my compass, I guess he ate lunch and went the wrong direction. He will have a really hard time keeping up with Hog Walker, but I guess they finally saw each other at the shelter this morning. Relentless and I are both having trouble staying motivated. We are homesick. We stopped before the 14 we planned to do to the shelter because we found a decent campsite and we were tired. Puffy and Stumbles came by but went on to the shelter along with the other hiker that was camped where we were last night.
Date: 2004-06-10
From: Campsite before Goddard Shelter 

To: Black Creek Campsite
Miles today: 13.0

We had a t-storm last night, but it was over by morning. The day was a lot cooler and by 2:00 the sun even came out. We passed a couple of ponds where beaver built dams. We looked for them and for moose but haven¢t seen any yet. There is a lot of moose scat on the trail, and I even saw a hoof print. There were a couple of good views today and the hiking was easier though we still had some big ups. The bugs weren¢t even bad until later in the day about the same time we got to the shelter at Story Spring. We cooked supper there but decided not to stay. We are camped by a creek and the mosquitoes are really bad here too. There is a father and his two young children camped across the stream from us. The kids are really great hikers. They aren¢t even complaining about the bugs.
Date: 2004-06-11
From: Black Creek Campsite

To: Spruce Peak Shelter 
Miles today: 16.4
Weather: broken clouds

We got up early and started to hike at 6:20 even though it was a bit chilly getting up. We stopped about half way up Stratton Mountain to get water from a stream and eat breakfast. When we got to the top of the mountain, we met the care taker who told us it was a great day for climbing the fire tower. When we got up there we could see Mt. Greylock back in Mass. And MT Washington in NH. It was fantastic 360 degree view that can¢t be shown in photographs or be described in words. We were so lucky to be there on a sunny day. The day was perfect for hiking, cool, not humid and few bugs until evening.        We stopped to eat lunch at Stratton Pond and met two very nice ladies and their little sons. They had some really yummy Vermont Cheese that they shared with us. Cheese NEVER tasted so good! They also had a nice Black Lab named Beethoven. It was a nice break to sit by this peaceful pond with them.         The rest of the day was pretty easy trail, so we took advantage of the weather to get in some miles. We got to the cabin about 5:30 and were soon joined by Nathan and his dog Max, another lab. They had hiked 18.4 today from the shelter. The cabin is really nice. It has windows and a wood burning stove. We ate our supper and chatted with Nathan then went down to the tent platform to put up our tent. We went back later to enjoy the fire in the stove and Nathan¢s company. He is a Vermonter who just graduated last year with a major in environmental science. Quite an interesting young man. After we went back to our tent, some other hikers came into camp. We can hear them talking, but its getting late, and we want an early start in the morning. Only 2.8 miles to town! Food, clean clothes, shower, phone calls. :-)
Date: 2004-06-12
From: Spruce Peak Shelter 

To: VT 11 and 30 Bromley Sun Lodge 
Miles today: 12.0

Ah, town! We had no problem getting up today. Manchester Center was calling our names with hot coffee, eggs, and bagels. The hike down from the shelter seemed to take forever because we wanted to get to town. We got a quick hitch with a hiker who had done all of Maine and wants to do the AT. He dropped us at a good bagel restaurant. We had some problem finding a place to stay since there was a car show wedding, and a motorcycle gathering in Manchester. We finally decided to call the Bromley Sun Lodge and it turned out to be a really good place to stay. We did our laundry in town while trying to decide where to stay, but we wouldn¢t have had to because the lodge has a coin laundry. The owner picked us up in Manchester Center outside the grocery. We had a good supper here and even got to use the internet. SO, any of you NOBOS coming through Manchester Center, keep Bromley Sun Lodge in mind. The number is 802-824-6941. Suffon¢s in Manchester is also a good place. He was going to give us space on his couch if we couldn¢t find any place else. Because of the car show he was filled for the night. It was good to be able to call our kids. We are really getting ready to come home. We love the trail, but we miss being back in Medina. The 3 weeks for Kristen and Jay¢s wedding is just what we need right now.
Date: 2004-06-13
From: VT 11 and 30 Bromley Sun Lodge 

To: Peru Peak Shelter
Miles today: 9.7
Weather: overcast clouds

We enjoyed sleeping in a bit and eating the continental breakfast provided by the lodge. It was hard to pack up and leave the comfort zone, but we checked out and got shuttled back to the trail about 11 AM. The hike to the top of Bromley Mt. wasn't as hard as I expected considering our heavy supply of food. The day was cool and sunny, just perfect. The view from the top was really grand! There was a small tower there and it gave an almost 360 degree view of the valley and mountains all around. I think I am in love with the green mountains of VT. We had lunch inside the ski patrol hut where there was a table and places to sit and to be in out of the wind. After lunch and some more enjoyment of the incredible view we started down. That down didn't last long before we had to climb Peru Peak. We could tell we were getting stronger because all the big ups today really didn't bother us. Gary's one knee is giving him a little ache on the downhill because he banged it on a bog walk, but we have really toughened up since we started back this year.The shelter at Peru Peak is nice and has a tent platform. We are the only ones here tonight. It's acting like it might rain, so it is good to be at a shelter for eating and packing up in the morning. We saw a huge rabbit by the shelter. It's been a really nice day!
Date: 2004-06-14
From: Peru Peak Shelter

To: Lula Tye Shelter
Miles today: 9.4

All day it looked like rain. There were black clouds when we climbed the rocks up to Baker Peak, and they made a dramatic backdrop for the view of the valley below and the dark mountains beyond. We ate lunch at Lost Pond Shelter then followed the stream for a bit and finally came to this shelter. Still, the sky was dark and gloomy. We decided to quit here so that we could pitch the tent in the shelter to avoid a wet tent in the morning. It was only 3:30, but I made a fire to fend off the bugs while Gary put up the tent. Then all of a sudden the sun came out and the dark clouds floated away leaving a bright blue sky with fluffy white ones. The weather in the mountains is totally unpredictable. We ate a little cheese and crackers and had some herb tea. Then we were lucky enough to get some pleasant company to help us pass the rest of the evening.A young thru hiker, Night Light (Lance Le), came by to chat. He is doing a flip flop starting in Harpers Ferry and going to ME then back to Harpers Ferry and South to GA. He has walked all around the main island of Japan and had some interesting stories to tell. It was great to have his company tonight. One of the reasons we love hiking is the people we meet.
Date: 2004-06-15
From: Lula Tye Shelter

To: Minerva Hinchey Shelter
Miles today: 10.0
Weather: few clouds

This was an enjoyable day. We got water then ate breakfast at the Little Rock Pond Shelter while chatting again with Night Light who had camped here last night. Then we passed a nice father and son who were out for a week. They are from CT and gave us some tips about places to visit.The trail was fairly easy today and very pretty. We took a side trail to White Rock Cliffs. While eating lunch, we got to enjoy a great view. Then we went through some peaceful pine forests. We met a mother and son from Oberlin, OH and chatted with them at the road where they were heading for Wallingford for a break and possibly leaving the trail. The last three miles were a climb but well worth it to reach this comfy shelter for the night. We discovered that Mrs. Gorp, a friend we met at the PA Ruck in 2003, takes care of it. The privy has a toilet seat with poodles on the lid, and she has lawn chairs for weary hikers. We had a good supper at the table in the shelter and enjoyed relaxing in the lawn chairs by the fire tonight. There is also a good water source here, a clear little spring. It is easy to tell that this shelter has gotten a lot of TLC. Mrs. Gorp was even here earlier today according to the registry. I wish we had gotten here earlier so that we could have talked with her.