morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2012-05-21
From: Palisades Parkway

To: Dennytown road - camp site
Miles today: 22.5

What a day! At 0600 the reality quickly hit me that I had to get out of the nice warm bed. AMS and I packed up and went downstairs where my aunt was preparing an incredible breakfast. We enjoyed another tasty hot meal and then got in the car to head back to our trail. Back to hiking. We started off with a steep climb to a nice view. Upon our arrival on top it started to rain.. this would be the theme for today. The trail became easier than the past days but now we were fighting with heavy rain. Nobody was at bear mtn or the tower. We then went to the Zoo which is part of the trail. Also empty of people. But the critters were neat and the bears said hi. The bear cage marks the lowest point on the AT for us. After slowly going through the Zoo we crossed the bear mtn bridge, co place to see. A few miles later there was a food spot just off the trail, we got a early dinner and dried off for a few. Not long after we were back in the pouring rain, aka Sun in the liquid form. On we went. We stopped here due to a good water spigot and it was already 2030. Hopefully tomorrow we will clock some miles to. Today at least was over 20. Night time.
Date: 2012-05-22
From: Dennytown road - camp site

To: Telephone pioneers shelter
Miles today: 27.5
Weather: light rain

Ah time to finally get dry after two wet days of hiking. My feet are also very pleased to get dry. Battery is low so I will post more after a charge. Good day though. Enjoying a shelter tonight.So today was a great day. I was happy to make some real miles for once. I split off with AMS at the rph shelter. I was getting cold while he dried his feet. The hike was wet and slippery. Otherwise there is not much to report, did not see anything exciting today. At the shelter it was just me and one day hiker. I hung everything up to dry, it was comical to see.
Date: 2012-05-23
From: Telephone pioneers shelter

To: Mt Algo shelter
Miles today: 21.2
Weather: light rain

Well I did not quite make my goal today but that is ok. I did sleep in and take some time at the native garden center this morning. I hiked alone today, it was quiet and relaxing. The owner of the native garden store likes hikers and lets us have a free shower and get water. I also got a ride down to the deli and got a hot sub and more snacks as I was running low. Just before my stop I ran into Seeks It again. He is a cool guy who is day hiking the entire AT. So he will do double the miles than us. Otherwise the trail was nice today, a few long board walks which got slippery but kept us out of the swamp. Water is also much easier to find, the benefit of rain. The highlight of the day was seeing a huge owl fly through the woods and land nearby. Someone said its a hoot owl... I think it was a barred owl or great horned owl. I have pictures on my camera.I made the shelter and was beat. With fun New company here I gave in and made camp. My friend Jeff is coming to visit this weekend, I am extremely excited for it.
Date: 2012-05-24
From: Mt Algo shelter

To: Falls village - toymakers cafe
Miles today: 25.4

A day with no rain what so ever!! It's going to be a great day. I got up and going at 0600 and on the trail soon after. I hiked alone today and only saw a few hikers. My pace stayed strong, I am looking forward to my resupply tomorrow and my visit from my friends this weekend. I did not see any crazy views or anything today but i did see a vulture up close near some rocks I had to climb. The only hikers I ran into was Martha and her husband Dave. They were very friendly and fun to chat with for a moment. Otherwise my day was uneventful. The trail was full of PUDS all day. I got down to falls village where a cafe allows me to camp for free. As long as the black sky does not open up on me it will be a great stay! However, with my luck it will pour. I have been invited for a beer at the local bar from the volunteer fire department. So now I shall enjoy a drink and hope it does not pour!
Date: 2012-05-26
From: Hemlock shelter

To: Upper Goose Pond Cabin
Miles today: 35.5
Weather: overcast clouds

Ha I showed that trail today! Teaches it right after tripping me yesterday and causing me to fall and mess up my pot! Will post more tomorrow.Update: Alright now that my phone is refueled and I have slept I can update this thing. Yesterday was a fun challenge day. I felt great in the morning and decided to go big. Jeff and Joe were coming in the morning so I wanted to make it to a town easy to get to. Upper Goose Pond Cabin is a free cabin ran by the AMC that has mattresses and the caretaker is known for making blueberry pancakes in the morning. Without hesitation I knew where I was headed! I had a tasty cinnamon bun for breakfast and was off! The hike was not to difficult today. It had two or three decent climbs it and a few flat fields. I have been trying a new practice of carrying less water. I now 'camel up' when I get good water. I down a liter each time which gets me plenty hydrated. The weight of a liter is 2.6lbs so i can definitely feel it. I down a liter every six or seven miles. Worked great today. I made the camp at 1930 after a solid brute of a climb up to the ridge. The cabin is great! Comfy, dry, and fresh water. Jeff and Joe are coming to visit tomorrow, which is really exciting. Also I can hear I90 in the distance. That is a big thing for me because it is the closest I will come to home.
Date: 2012-05-27
From: Upper Goose Pond Cabin

To: Lee, MA
Miles today: 1.6

Time to catch up now that I have some internet! *Yawn* "Ten more minutes... I'll get up then..."That is about the start of my morning, lazy. Howver, I came flying out of bed when I heard the pancakes were ready... they came with fresh blueberries! I quickly made my way downstairs to where the fresh smell came from. What a great treat for us, not only did we get a comfortable bed, but we also get yummy food! After a tasty breakfast I packed up and slowly got going. I was allowed to be lazy because Jeff and Joe would not be here until around 0940 and it was only 0730. I was about 40 minutes from the road. Today would be very exciting, I have not seen them for months!As I got going on the trail, I had to hike .5 miles back to the main trail, darn side trails... but well worth it! Before I knew it I was standing on the I-90 over pass!!! This marks the closest point to home that I will come! My house is right near the thruway. I called home and said hi and told them where I was. As I was talking to my mom I told her I should go and call Jeff and Joe and see where they were. As I looked up they were walking down the trail towards me, guess I do not need to call! After we exchanged hello's and they commented on how skinny I was, we headed to town. We made some calls and found a hotel that we could get a room as so I could get cleaned up, apparently I stink (I have not showered in nearly a week). We checked in at the Pilgrim Inn which is located in Lee, MA. It is a comfortable place, I was very pleased. I did my laundry and got a nice shower. They brought me clothes from home, so I was very happy to be in jeans and a t-shirt again for a change. We ate lunch at a pub in town and then came back and took a nap, they had left at 0500 to drive to see me. After our nap we hung out and just caught up on things and enjoyed hanging out and having a few drinks. AMS sent me a text from the Upper Goose Pond Cabin telling me where he was for the night. It was now around 2115 at night and plenty dark. I jokingly told him to hike another 1.6 mi and come get a shower and power... He instantly called and asked me if I was serious! "Sure, why not! We will even come pick you up at the road." I told him. He packed up camp and came running, literally. Around 2200 we picked him up and he joined us in the room. Getting cleaned up is such a great feeling. Shortly later, we were fast asleep as we are always tired these days.
Date: 2012-05-28
From: Lee, MA

To: Dalton, MA
Miles today: 19.0
Weather: few clouds

Ahh nothing like being behind on these... Let's see... Wake up occured around 0730 ish... aka we were lazy. As we got packed up we decided to go across the street for breakfast before hitting the trail. We ate at Rosy's which was one of the best omlettes I have ever had! Everyone was pleased with their food, and plenty full. Jeff and Joe drove us back to the trail, time for them to drive home.. and me to keep on walking! Joe gave me his OR hat which I really wanted, I needed a hat to help with the hot sun. AMS and I headed off onto the trail, and quickly caught up to 'Bread and Butter' and 'Boulder'. They are 18 and 19 years old and both hiking the trail solo. We all would hike together for the day. The hike was boring and had lots of small up's and down's. We often hike at our own pace and pass eachother back and forth as the day goes on. We would all end at the same point though. Today we ended at Tom's house in Dalton, MA. What a Oasis on the trail! He let us stay inside for the night and gave us a bed to sleep on. Not only that but he also gave us a shower, laundry, and a memorial day dinner! We sat down together and had a picnic outside at the picnic table. 'Miller Time' was also present at the house, he was a cool guy who had ironically also hiked Aconcagua! We shared many stories, I hope to climb with him one day. After dinner we sat down and watched tv and shared some laughs with eachother. This is often a favorite thing for thru hkers - getting to know eachother and just laughing. The trail is extremely social and welcoming, it makes you feel right at home as if you have known eachother for years. Tomorrow we are going to slack pack from North Adams back to here. That allows us to go over Greylock Mtn which is the highest point in MA and a very steep climb. Time to rest up!
Date: 2012-05-29
From: Dalton, MA

To: North Adams, MA - Dalton, MA
Miles today: 23.0
Weather: clear sky

Finally! I think I am caught up yet again... until next time.0510 - Wake up... ugh so comfyI rolled out from under the sheets and got moving slowly. We were all ready to go by 0530! Talk about hasty thru hkers. We had our small funny colored day packs that Tom provided for us. We piled into the car and he drove us the 30 minutes north, where he would ditch us for the day. He dropped 'Boulder' and 'Bread and Butter' off at the post office where they would wait for it to open to get a package waiting for them. AMS and I were then dropped off at the trail head. Tom waved goodbye and told us he would see us later! Time to walk back to his house! The hill came quick, a 3000ft climb in only a few miles. I was very happy to have only a near weightless pack as the hill kicked our butts. It did not help that it was 86 degrees out and very humid. At around 1000 we hit the summit! The high point of MA. AMS and I took some pics and climbed the tower, time to move on. The rest of the day was easy, but time consuming. We both thought slack packing would be really easy, yet it still challenged us all day with the hot weather and tough trail. I made it down around 1600 and back to Tom's. It is strange to have just left here this morning, hike all darn day... and end up in the same place! But really I am in North Adams.. kinda. AMS came in about 20 minutes behind me, the other two would show up around 2000. We showered and got some subs for dinner as a storm blew in. It was a really nasty wind and rain storm out, I am very grateful to be inside again tonight. I cannot thank Tom enough for his very kind hospitality. He loves thru hikers and is willing to help them any way he can. I really admire the guy. Thank you!Now I am planning to get a good night sleep and go to bed early.
Date: 2012-05-30
From: North Adams, MA - Dalton, MA

To: Bennington,VT
Miles today: 18.7
Weather: clear sky

Hmmm how the heck do I explain today... well lets see. It all started early around 0630 when we got up at Tom's. We got ready quickly and ate a tasty donut. Tom drove us back to North Adams where we left off. He dropped us at the super market to grab a supply before hitting the trail. I had just recieved another trail magic box this morning so I was set for the next few days. Thank you bucketlist!!!!! Lots of good stuff. So on we went. The trail had a few ups that were tuff but overall not bad. Soon enough we crossed a major point. We crossed into Vermont!! Major accomplishment for us. AMS and I took pictures and celebrated. The VT trail is very muddy and green. It started to rain later in the day which was a pain but my new poncho worked great!!! AMS got his feet wet so when we crossed a flooded path he just ran through. It was well over knee deep in spots. It made for fun video though. We pushed on in the rain and made it to Bennington this is where it got interesting. I did not want to pay for a hotel since they are pricey up here. So we hitched to town with my 'hiker to town's sign. Then we wandered and checked the churches to try and find a place to sleep. Fail. AMS had accepted defeat, I did not. I called the local volunteer fire department. Being a firefighter/emt I figured I would pay them a visit. They offered a place in the pavilion!!! Before we knew it they gave us a place ti stay in a garage and a shower. It kept coming though! A cot! Blankets! Water! Meals ready to eat (the good ones)!!! Power!!! My jaw dropped and AMS was shocked. So generous of them. We enjoyed a great evening laughing about today's events. Time for sleep.
Date: 2012-05-31
From: Bennington,VT

To: Stratton pond shelter
Miles today: 29.7
Weather: broken clouds

Caught up once again! Big day today. The trail was tuff but we wanted to push ourselves. We did not get on the trail until nearly 0830. As the day went on we caught up to butters and boulder. They called it a day a few shelters before us, so we are now ahead again. It is very obvious the amount that the trail has taken on us. We have lost all the fat on our bodies and even some muscle. We cant eat enough to help it. After twenty miles now I am whooped and tired. Today I had to dig really deep to get up and keep pushing. The last ten miles was hard as we had a 1700ft climb to go over in four miles. The top had a great view though which was inspiring. It was also where Benton mckaye thought up the AT. Cool history. Once we made it to the shelter we ate and passed out. The shelter was nice, a good reward for a hard day.
Date: 2012-06-01
From: Stratton pond shelter

To: Big Branch Shelter
Miles today: 27.2
Weather: clear sky

Miles, miles, and more miles. Ha. We did not see much today as it was pretty cloudy. The long days are really kicking my butt. Overall though I feel amazing still and very optimistic! Time to rest. We stopped a few miles short of our goal as a storm was threatening to hit anytime. We spent the night with some long trail hikers who were cool and down to earth. One of them was a "croo" in the huts at lake of the clouds. He gave us some good advice and beta. Now time for bed.
Date: 2012-06-02
From: Big Branch Shelter

To: Governor Clement Shelter
Miles today: 22.7
Weather: light rain

Sorry for getting behind again, service stinks. As our eyes slowly opened this morning we heard the unfortunate all to familiar sound. Rain. It would last all day. It was also very windy out adding to the fun. We were slow to get going. But made it out around 0830. The trail was not very hard, just a lot of puds. My poncho was getting blown all over causing it to get in the way. I took my bear bag rope and tied it around me, making a makeshift belt. This helped a lot, and I was still dry for the most part. I am sold on the poncho idea instead of a rain coat and pack cover. As the day went on I came to a road crossing. A sign was there saying that the trail was closed due to damage from hurricane Irene. We took the two mile detour and found the trail again. The bridges had been washed away and road damaged from slides. We forded a brook and came to the shelter. There was a fireplace in the shelter, I immediately got to work. Soon we had a nice hot fire and a roof over our heads. We used a TARP and our ponchos to make a makeshift wall to keep the wind out and heat in. Kinda helped. We went to bed a bot dryer and looking forward to tomorrow's stay at the inn.
Date: 2012-06-03
From: Governor Clement Shelter

To: Inn at the Long Trail
Miles today: 12.6

time to catch up! We kinda over slept this morning. We said we were going to get up at 0600. I woke up at 0630 and said oops and we quickly decided it best to just sleep until 0700. At 0700 we were up and quickly packing up. The storm had cleared for now, the view from Killington was going to be great. Not long after we were packed up and off.The first two hours were simply up. It was a gradual hill that was not all that bad. The guide book was a mile off I think because I made it to the top of killington way before I expected. We have noticed some inconsistencies recently. The .2 mile climb to the top was steep and wet. When I crested the top the view was perfect. Puffy clouds below me with a open view for miles! Breath taking. We enjoyed it for a bit and headed down to the road. There were multiple more inconsistencies on the way down which is worrysome. I got a ride at the road to the inn. We are very excited for our stay. Thanks Mom!!!! Tonight we will relax, get cleaned up, enjoy some good food and drinks, and sleep! To see AMS's blog go to dekompress.tumblr.com ONLY 485 MILES LEFT TO GO!!!!Update. Mom, this place is great! Thank you for the gift. Nothing like getting a nights stay at a Irish pub with great food and out of the nasty rain! We ran into Miller Time today who is staying here. We met him back a few days ago, we never expected to See him here. Miller time is a really great guy. He introduced us to a great couple who are absolute trail angels. We enjoyed a few drinks together and then had a great dinner. It is times like this that mean the most on the trail. Another update: Eh what can I say things keep happening. After our dinner Ron drove us to town to get a food supply, we stopped for Ben and Jerry's on the way back. We spent the rest of the evening relaxing. AMS and I went down to the pub downstairs and got a few good irish drinks. All was well until later that evening. I suddenly did not feel well.. uh oh. Sure enough, a short time later I was visiting my best friend Porcelain Ring. Bad Food.. However AMS was highly amused at my skill of predicting when the projectile vomit would come. What a night. I got to bed around midnight or so, and had to get up at 0700. Blah, however on the bright side I am feeling slightly better after my visit...
Date: 2012-06-04
From: Inn at the Long Trail

To: Did not go anywhere.. lol
Miles today: 0.0

And some days we just need to sit and relax. I had a ruff night and did not sleep much so we used that as a excuse to take a zero. The weather was very cruddy. AMS and I enjoyed a great breakfast and then just took it easy. Bread and Butter showed up and told us Boulder was on her way. We were happy to see those two again. We enjoyed a great lunch with Ron and Cynthia before they left. They are such a great couple and truly know the meaning of pay it forward. I cannot wait to start giving back to the community that has helped me so much. After lunch we took a long two hour nap. We played a few games and then went to town to grab some dinner and snacks. AMS and i went to the Chinese buffet, a important stop for us! We grabbed monopoly at Wal-Mart and got back to the inn. This evening we all played a great game of monopoly and shared laughs and snacks. We each had our own full sized bag of chips. 1700 calories per bag! Perfect. Tomorrow we will eat a great breakfast and hit the trail We will be in NH in two days. Goodnight for now.
Date: 2012-06-05
From: Did not go anywhere.. lol

To: Winturri shelter
Miles today: 18.7

It paid off to take the day off yesterday. The weather today was much nicer and not raining... as much. A few sprinkles. The trail was muddy and still beaten by last years hurricane Irene. More detours as always. We got going late simply because we could. 18 miles is a short day. After our amazing breakfast we enjoyed a nap then left. We got to camp around six and then ate a nice dinner and made camp for the night. The four of us got the shelter to ourselves. Tomorrow we will be in NH!!
Date: 2012-06-06
From: Winturri shelter

To: Hanover NH
Miles today: 26.5
Weather: light rain

Goodbye Vermont!!! Today I was the first out of the shelter. I wanted to get to town early. The trail had lots of meaningless ups and downs as always. It also had my favorite game. Mud hopping! Nothing like trying really hard to keep dry shoes. After all that effort I had to walk through fields of tall grass, which are always wet. This resulted in wet shoes. Blah. I crossed into West Hartford and stopped at the village store, which is on the trail. What a great place and so welcoming. They were wiped out by the hurricanes and just reopened a few months ago. They love hikers and were very nice. I enjoyed a tasty sub and cookie and was on my way. I got into Norwich at 1630 and stopped at Short N' Sweet's trail magic box. What a great family who wants to simply help hikers. They hooked me up with a place to stay. I carried on and got to the border. Hello New Hampshire!!! Into Hanover I went. I stopped at the pizza shop and outfitters for my trail magic food box. Bucketlist you are incredible! Greg, a trail Angel picked me up and took me to his house along with AMS. He was amazing and made us feel like family. I enjoyed a great night of sleep and rest. Back to the trail in the morning.
Date: 2012-06-07
From: Hanover NH

To: Fire Warden Cabin
Miles today: 23.3
Weather: light rain

Today was a long day. We got started late due to having to mail stuff. We had three very respectable climbs to complete, and our energy is just not what it used to be. The views however were amazing, we were able to see for many miles and had great weather. The end of the day was our climb up Smart's Mountain. It has a fire tower on top and a old fire cabin that we are allowed to sleep in. It is nothing more than a floor and four walls.. but it is better than the three walls we are used to.The hike up was hellish. We were really tired and it was getting dark fast, it mandated that we dig deep inside ourselves to push the rest of the way. Finally the shelter came. We were very hungry, dinner was quickly made, and then a second to help with the hunger. Soon we were fast asleep.