morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2015-06-14
From: The Cookie Lady's House

To: Dalton
Miles today: 9.5
Weather: scattered clouds

Woke up about 5.30 to the sounds of birds, but surprisingly no screeching roosters. I had tortillas with chocolate spread for breakfast, and tea to go. I missed my usual oats. It was less than 10 miles to Dalton, and a fairly nice walk really. There were quite a few plank walks and a lot of hopping over mud puddles. The sun was out, but I got into town before it got too hot. There was only one small climb before reaching Dalton, but aside from that it was practically flat compared to the mountains and hills of the past few days. The next few days also look to have a few climbs and drops. The mountains are finally going over 2,000 ft so that means I have to climb up even further. The valleys also seem to be lower too. I got into town about 10am. I was almost immediately greeted by a random man who welcomed me to Dalton. I made my way through Dalton, straight to the Shamrock Inn. Dalton is a town of three petrol stations on the same street, but no actual food stores. I checked in to the motel, and had to wait for nearly two hours for my room to be ready. Apparently there was a party in my room last night, and I wasn't sure I wanted it after the mess they had allegedly made. After having a desperately needed shower, I managed to get a ride to the nearby Berkshire Mall. It felt a little strange to hitchhike again after not doing so for a few states. But it was boiling hot outside, so I was glad I didn't have to walk along the roadside. I resupplied at the Target and managed to get some gas at the EMS. It took longer to get a ride back to Dalton, but managed to get one after about 15 minutes of roadside walking. When I got back, I finally did laundry. The last time I did it was 3 state lines ago! But that was just last week. However, this hot and humid weather is making my clothes disgusting faster than ever. Since then I've been watching a Lord of the Rings marathon and eating cereal. The American commercials will never stop being amusing. There are a lot of second hand car sales adverts that seem to be home made and are very tacky. Being on the trail really makes me appreciate how much I love being off the trail and being very, very lazy.
Date: 2015-06-15
From: Dalton

To: Cheshire
Miles today: 9.3

When I woke up this morning, it was pouring with rain. It rained all morning, flooding the motel car park. I watched it out my window, knowing that I had to leave by 11 and decide on my next move.I checked out at 10.55, savouring every moment of my dry, warm room. When I left, I went to Tom's house. He allows hikers to use his porch and garden. When I got there, the rain had slowed to a drizzle. I stayed there a little while and met Tom himself. I decided that I would get lunch before making a decision for the day. I got a Reuben hot sub and moved next door to the coffee shop, where I met Brother Louis (who actually spells it Luie) and Giuseppe. They are staying in town for a zero day. After over an hour in the coffee shop, I left town. I knew the trail would be muddy and water logged and I was 100% right. Despite the chilly air and overcast skies, I still felt extremely hot doing short climbs. My pack felt very heavy from so much food.The 7 miles to Cheshire seemed to take forever. Unlike yesterday, when it felt like I was just flying over the trail into town, today I had to carefully manoeuvre around the mud puddles. I had no desire to get my freshly laundered clothes and socks dirty. I failed in this attempt. At one point I stepped directly into a stream that had swelled from the rain. All of the streams I had to cross were much larger than I normally encounter and took some seriously gymnastic efforts to avoid falling in. Which I did anyway. The mud puddles were also a big problem, not just because they would get my feet wet, dirty, and smelly, but because they all had the potential to make me slip. Which I also did. I was extremely lucky though, and landed in such an awkward position that I didn't get mud on my clean clothes. The mosquitoes were also out in force. I had hoped that the poor weather had somehow washed them away, but no. A mosquito actually flew onto my leg as I was applying the bug spray. Way back when I had bad blisters, I was spending a small fortune on blister plasters. I think now I'll be spending even more on bug spray. Eventually I got into Cheshire. It's another small town, even smaller than Dalton. I didn't find even one petrol station! I made my way directly to St Mary's of the Assumption church. They have a couple of little rooms off their parish hall where hikers can sleep. That's pretty much it though- no showers, no laundry, no cooking. There's no beds or bunks or air mattresses. But it's dry, has electricity, and the pastor gave me the wifi code so I'm fairly happy. I was especially happy that I didn't have to walk in the mud for a while. I have to go back into the woods tomorrow, and the weather is predicted to be thunderstorms and more storms on Thursday. I am not excited about that at all. In Cheshire, I went to the Bass Water Grill. Actually, I went to the pizza place first but it was closed. So for the first time in many months, I had fish and chips. And it wasn't terrible. It came with a cold strawberry soup to start with. America is full of surprises.
Date: 2015-06-19
From: Unnamed Campsite

To: Spruce Peak Shelter
Miles today: 14.7
Weather: broken clouds

The rain started about 3am and carried on and off all morning. It finally stopped about 7am, when I was still in my tent, waiting for the rain to ease up. I finally left about 8am. The first climb was up to Stratton Mountain. It was four miles up to nearly 4,000 feet. Apparently it's the mountain where the idea for the AT was conceived. I'm sure there is a beautiful view from the tower at the top. I didn't see it, because the entire mountain was blanketed in fog. Of course, by the time I had gotten down the other side, the skies had cleared and I had a beautiful view of the pond. The trail around the pond is actually underwater, but I didn't realise this until it was too late. There were a few moments that required very careful steps and clinging to the trees around the pond. At the end, there was a sign saying that the trail was closed and there was an alternate dry trail beside it. The trail was gentle from then on, but the mud was pretty bad. All of the steps people had taken in the mud yesterday had been filled by the rain overnight, making everything even more slippy. I finally fell over fully in the mud. I've been waiting for this since the mud started, it was just a matter of time. Luckily, I landed on my knee and arm, rather than on my face or my clothes. Still, the mud slowed me down, soaked my feet, and made every root and rock hazardous. When my shoes are covered in mud, they have absolutely no grip, so every step has the risk of turning into a slide. About lunchtime I reached Prospect Rock. I looked down on Manchester and wondered why the trail diverged so far away from it instead of getting closer. Tomorrow I will have to try to get a 5 mile hitch into town. Then I only had a couple more miles to go, and got the shelter about 2pm. The shelter was a four sided one, with a wood stove inside and windows. It actually looks like a little house. But obviously a bit rickety and old. To my surprise, there was another hiker already there. Usually shelters are empty this time of day. I took off my soaked shoes and socks and hung them up to dry. They will not be dry for tomorrow. The other hiker and I sat about and enjoyed the sun for more than an hour before anyone else showed up. Now it's about 6pm. The sun has been out all afternoon. I've been gradually moving my second pair of socks to stay in the sunlight. I think they might just be dry enough to wear into town tomorrow.Big Ben showed up before dinner and loaned me his phone so I could call the Green Mountain House hostel. I was able to get a reservation for tomorrow, so that's great news. The only problem is that I need to do laundry and take a shower, and then go into town to get shoes. But the hostel won't be able to pick me up until the afternoon, and I will probably be in town very early. It's only 3 miles from this shelter. I'm sure it'll all work out though.
Date: 2015-06-22
From: Little Rock Pond Shelter 

To: Cooper Lodge
Miles today: 23.7
Weather: broken clouds

Woke up extra early because of all the older women around me getting up about 5.30. So I left camp about 6.30, which is probably a record for me. It was an extremely long day. Started with mud puddles and slippery planks. I nearly slipped dozens of times.About 8am the trail went through a pine forest and started getting wetter and wetter, the puddles got bigger until it was literally just a big stream for the length of the trail. I sucked it up and plunged in, drenching my feet in the cold water. That was the first time that I soaked my feet for the day. Later, I reached a river that seemed impassable. The water was deep and rushing quickly past. I tested the water with my poles and the current tried to drag them away. I had no interest in going in that river at all. Rolling Thunder (Brightside2s husband) walked up and crossed on a slim log. He made it look so easy. I had no chance, I was sure I would fall in. I had to drag myself across the log with my arms while clinging on with my legs. My thighs were chafed but I didn't fall in. Then, before lunch there was a steep downhill where I fell twice. Thankfully, I landed on my roll mat so I didn't get too hurt. Then there was an extremely steep climb up a rocky scramble. I had to use my poles as leverage and drag myself up. From lunch to the next shelter, it wasn't too bad. However, I had to walk through 2 rivers and briefly got attacked by bugs. They bit a whole bunch of times around my ears and scalp. I also passed the 500 miles to Katahdin sign. Almost unbelievable. It feels like years ago since I did my first 500 miles.The last 4 miles were quite difficult. It was all up, with a lot of big rocks, roots, and trees to climb over. It took me a long time. I caught my knee on a tree and reopened the scab there, so I bled for the last mile. I finally got to the shelter at 5.30. It was a mess.Cooper Lodge was covered in graffiti, had loads of beer cans, flies, and a bin bag of rubbish. I discovered in the morning that it has a lot of leaks too. The privy there is decent though, and actually leaks less. Tomorrow is a shorter day into Rutland. I hope the climb down is better than the climb up.
Date: 2015-06-23
From: Cooper Lodge

To: Rutland
Miles today: 6.3
Weather: light rain

It rained from about 5 until 9. There were a couple thunderstorms in between, which were terrifying being at nearly 4,000 ft. I woke early but waited to see if the rain would stop. Everyone else had the same idea. It did not stop. I was nearly the last one to leave at 7.30. The mountain was cold and windy, as well as pouring with rain. the trail was often non existent but simply a dark muddy stream that went higher than my socks. I quickly gave up on keeping my feet dry. They were soaked for almost the entire journey down. I got a hitch about 10. It was then that I discovered that my iPod wasn't responding properly, but I thought it was because my fingers were still wrinkly. I was wrong. When I got into town, I checked into the Yellow Deli hostel. It's run by a spiritual community, which sounded sketchy but it was very nice, clean, and everyone was friendly. Definitely better than many other hostels. After I had showered, I enjoyed a waffle at the deli. My iPod was working less and less. It stopped working altogether, so I took it to the Apple dealer who I noticed on the ride into town. No luck. My iPod was dead, and the only thing I could do was an expensive and empty replacement. I decided against that, as I couldn't afford it and it wouldn't have any music anyway. I spent the next few hours trying to sort my often forgotten UK phone to act as a replacement. It doesn't have much music, but it can play podcasts and do most things. But it will be extremely difficult for me to hike without my music. I wonder what it will be like without it over the next few days. After, I resupplied at Wal-Mart but didn't need much. Then I returned and ate a lot of lucky charms cereal with chocolate milk. It was cheaper to buy chocolate than regular milk. In the evening, I went with Big Ben to see Jurassic World. It's hard to tell if the movie itself was really good and had great effects, or if I just haven't seen a good movie for so long. It's going to be a little spooky walking through the woods tomorrow, I hope there are no dinosaurs!I am planning to be in Hanover on Friday. I really hope that the weather can hold out. I absolutely do not like this rain at all.
Date: 2015-06-24
From: Rutland

To: Wintturi shelter
Miles today: 19.9
Weather: broken clouds

I woke up at 6a.m. and got dressed around 6.30. I slept very well at the hostel. Breakfast was at 7, and included rice with scrambled eggs and 3 kinds of homemade bread. And matte. The Yellow Deli seems to really love matte. I quite enjoyed my stay there, and would definitely recommend it to other hikers. It is very cheap- $20 suggested donation which covers breakfast and laundry too. The girls room was very nice and the welcome baskets were such a lovely gesture (plus, free juice). I've been told that the boys room isn't as nice, so I'm glad that we were separated. And the girls room had no snoring at all. I had my breakfast and then got the bus back to the trail. I was hiking by 8.45. The weather was clear and sunny, but thankfully not too hot. The trail was still quite muddy and my feet got soaked repeatedly despite my best efforts. The trail was very quiet for such a nice day. For hours at a time I was completely alone. It was a little spooky, but only because I was listening to the Serial podcast (which was trying to solve a murder). The podcast kept me occupied for most of the day and so it didn't seem to exhausting today. There were a couple times when the trail just seemed to be going endlessly up though. Despite all the climbing, there were no views except on side trails (which I didn't go down).In the morning, I saw moose tracks on the trail for a while. It made me wonder how much animals use the trail. I don't know how a moose could even fit on the trail.I got to the shelter a little after 5. It was annoying because the trail down said 0.2 but felt like forever. Especially since I really needed to use the privy. When I got there, another hiker was at the shelter. I was glad because it was so deep into the woods that I was sure there would be wildlife. I was right, there was a brave hare and some chipmunks. It seems like I'm having a daily battle with the bugs in the afternoons now. I killed two within seconds of each other, in the same spot behind my ears. They really love that particular spot. Tonight I'm in the shelter, but I've sprayed my face with DEET. I also noticed that my sleeping bag looks very flat. I can actually see through it in sections, where the down stuffing has completely died. This is definitely not a 10 degree bag anymore. Which is probably good, because then I would be far too warm every night, but I would still prefer that to being cold. I've just taken my iPod from my bag and turned it on. It's responding perfectly, like nothing was wrong with it. I don't know how, but I'm not sure I can trust it will stay fixed. At least maybe tomorrow I will have music. The trail tomorrow looks to be quite difficult. It's reminiscent of the rollercoaster section in Virginia. There is a market about lunchtime that I'm going to stop at though, so that will give me something to hike towards. And then the next day is Hanover! I'm very excited for it.
Date: 2015-06-25
From: Wintturi shelter

To: Happy Hill Shelter
Miles today: 20.4
Weather: broken clouds

I woke up late, having not heard my alarm. I left at about 7.30 after 4 whole packets of oats. I've noticed a couple of people eating their oats straight from the packet and cold. I don't think I want to go that far. This morning was quite boring. The sun was out, but I rarely saw it except during the road crossings and small open field sections. The most notable thing was that the trail was a bit tiring, lots of climbs and drops. However, there was substantially less mud. There was one river crossing that was a bit challenging, and I still managed to get the ends of my feet wet despite my best efforts. I also didn't see any other hikers for the entire morning, which was a bit strange.The best part about the morning was being able to listen to my music on my currently resurrected iPod. Just before 12, I walked 0.2 up a hill to Cloudland Market. I was a little disappointed, as I had expected something more like a resupply. But they mostly sold beef, which was not useful. They did have ice cream and drinks though, so my lunch was a pint of vanilla ice cream with a raspberry and rhubarb drink. I felt very full after, as would be expected, and slowed down a bit. I finally saw some other hikers though. I also saw my first porcupine! But it was very, very dead. About 3pm, I was walking along the road into West Hartford. It's a small town that pretty much only has a library, where I used the WiFi quickly. As I was using it, a man at the house nearby called me over. He was Randy (I think) Hart, and he is something of a trail Angel. He flags down hikers that pass by and offers them fizzy drinks and homemade cupcakes. He also offered a bed in his garage if I needed it, which was very kind. I stayed there for about 3 minutes before hiking on. I still had 4 more miles to go. It was slow progress though, I think I had reached my calorie quota and just wanted to nap. I passed some section hikers washing in a creek. It was a little embarrassing because one of them was completely naked. I managed to cross by leaping from rock to rock and somehow not falling in. From then on, the bugs started getting bad. They got extremely bad when I reached the shelter. It's a cute shelter with a giant privy, but I quickly put up my tent. I was being attacked by mosquitoes. I had to put on bug spray and my head net just to set up my tent, and even then they still managed to bite me all over. For the first time, I've actually got my pack inside my tent to minimise the risk of a mosquito invasion. Tomorrow it's less than 6 miles to Hanover! I can't wait to finally be in New Hampshire.
Date: 2015-06-27
From: Hanover

To: Hanover
Miles today: 0.0

I woke up about 6.30, listening to the faint sounds of birds chirping outside. Sally was awake too, and waved down from the upper level. She made me a nice breakfast- two fried eggs, with toast and bacon. I even had Yorkshire Gold tea. She dropped me back into Hanover after 9. Almost immediately I ran into other hikers just arriving in town. First, Brightside2 and then Big Ben. I had coffee with Big Ben and we met Brother Luie. Brother Luie had to take a few days off trail because he was bitten by a dog and then got an infected spider bite. When I saw him, half of his wild hair was being braided into cornrows and it looked hilarious. Big Ben and I found our way back to the green and met Brightside1's mum, Jean. I last met her in Hot Springs. She had promised to treat me once I reached New Hampshire and she definitely did. Today I felt positively spoiled. Along with Jean's friend, Diane, and Big Ben, we drove all the way to the Ben and Jerry's factory in Vermont. It was pretty cool to see the factory, though they were cleaning everything when we did the tour. Still, we got to hear a million terrible puns and joke relating to ice cream and cows. At the end we also got to sample some ice cream. I learnt that the Ben and Jerry's employees can take home three pints of ice cream every day, which is crazy. At the factory, we were joined by Diane's brother, Tom, who was the 36th person to hike the AT. He treated us all to ice cream. I was actually a little overwhelmed by the sheer range of ice cream choices available. (I ended up with a large The Tonight Dough). After we visited the flavour graveyard and had taken some pictures, we went to Montpelier and had a lovely lunch at an Italian place. Eventually, Jean and Diane dropped Big Ben and I back in Hanover. Jean gave me a whole bunch of snacks and goodies that I was more than happy to accept. I still have to do a short resupply tomorrow, but it definitely won't include any snacks. About 7.15, Sally met me again in Hanover and took me back to her apartment. We had lasagne for dinner, I ate about half a tray. The temperature outside had dropped and dark clouds were starting to roll in. The weather is predicted to be rain for all day tomorrow.
Date: 2015-07-01
From: Glencliff

To: Glencliff
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

I zeroed today. I really didn't want to. I was eager to get into the Whites and try to stick to my schedule. I had no desire to spend any more time with spider nests and a million spider babies above me. I didn't want to spend another night flicking the fully grown spiders off my pillow. I'm not kidding, this place has a real spider problem. It actually has more spiders than any shelter I have stayed in, ever. So I woke up and finished my Lucky charms and chocomilk for breakfast. The others enjoyed the pancakes, bacon and eggs. Seeker said it was one of his best breakfasts yet. I don't think he's been to nearly enough diners to judge that. The first part of the morning I spent lazing around. About 10, I started sweeping and cleaning with Brother Luie. The floors upstairs and downstairs have obviously not been cleaned for a long time. It should not really be possible to sweep a carpet, but these carpets were covered in such a thick layer of dirt that we could. A section hiker, Buttertrain, pulled out the library and resorted it all. This happened whilst the rain was pouring heavily, and it was clear that making the decision to stay had been a smart one. About 11.30, almost everyone (and there were a lot of us) went to the resupply shop. Most people just bought snacks and beer to get through the day. I got some dry pizza and root beer. When I came back, I lounged around some more. I spent a lot of time feeling frustrated about my lack of progress. I wanted to be out and hiking and just moving along in the guidebook! Not stuck here, on an unplanned zero. I would have rather spent the zero in a nicer place, like Hanover. The rain dried up and the sun came out. Then later the rain came heavily again. Then the sun. We still have the sun right now, have had it for a couple hours. I'm staying here tonight and will be eagerly leaving in the morning.For dinner there was a bit of a treat. Brother Luie again cooked (as he did yesterday), and he made chicken soup. There was also pasta and spaghetti. At the moment, the hostel is over brimming with hikers, and a couple have had to leave because there is no more space. The bunkhouses inside and out are full, and there are several tents set up in the garden. Tonight the hiker who is trying to beat the current record will be passing us by. He is doing about 50 miles a day, which is absolutely unbelievable to me. Tomorrow I'm only planning to do less than 10.