morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2014-06-17
From: The Hemlocks Shelter

To: Tom Leonard Shelter
Miles today: 14.4
Weather: scattered clouds

Started walking early this morning, any before 7am I passed by 1900 total mile mark of the AT. I made my standard numeric depiction on the trail, this time with fern leaves. This was a flower morning, took about five great pictures of flowers before noon. Walked over some swamp area that had a long boardwalk that if you slipped off of you would be a mess. Just as I was coming off this and approaching a hiker parking area a lady walked up to me and ask if I was a long distance hiker, I said yes and she gave me trail magic in homemade baked goods...awesome. I then crossed the road and took a picture of the monument to Shay's Rebellion that was here on Feb. 27, 1787. I was in need of resupply and was planning on going into Great Barrington to get groceries. It is a 3 mile hitch hike or walk on the highway from where the trail crosses. Just before then I met a lady named Penny who walking 'her section' of the trail. I asked was she a maintainer, she said no it was just the trail passed just behind her house a mile ahead. She knew I was going into town and offered to meet me at the road crossing and give me a ride to the grocery. Sure enough she was there when I got there and gave me ice cold lemonade and a ride to the grocery, where she did her shopping and I mine, then took me to a deli so I could get a good lunch and back to the trail. Fantastic trail magic, thank you Penny so much. I ate my lunch setting on the steps of the foot bridge crossing the first stream after Great Barrington and continued on. There was one spot on the the trail that it was completely overgrown to the extent you had to push the undergrowth aside to follow the trail, only about 50 yards. Ended the day at Tom Leonard Shelter. At the shelter were Gandolf and Raven both thru-hikers.Raven pitched her tent and Gandolf took one side of the shelter and myself the other. The insects, mosquitos, biting flys, nats, etc., were terrible. So much so that at 9:30 in the pitch dark Gandolf got up to pitch his tent to get out of the torture. I went into the loft and pitched mine since no one was up there. At about 1:30am the heavens opened up with heavy rain and much thunder and nearby lightning. I was nice and cozy, both Gandolf and Raven came back into the shelter to get out of the weather. Great night for sleeping once the rain started, (at least for me).
Date: 2014-06-18
From: Tom Leonard Shelter

To: Shaker Campsite
Miles today: 11.2
Weather: moderate rain

I was the last one out of the shelter this morning. Kind of a rolling day, a few short steep ups and downs, nothing of any length though. When I pulled into the campsite, Raven was already set up. I asked about the water source since the guide said it was north of the shelter on the AT, I figured she had already gone to get hers. She said she walked about a tenth mile and didn' find any. Desperation time, water is a must so off I went. She had just stopped too short, I found a crystal clear creek with delicious water. I set my tent up on a platform and as I was finishing in walks Moxie, the guy that played the guitar and sang that I had never met. Sure enough he had his small guitar on the back of his pack and played and sang for us when we had gone to bed, very good at both.
Date: 2014-06-19
From: Shaker Campsite

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

Was walking again before 7am. Destination today is one of the iconic locations of the AT. Upper Goose Pond Cabin. Early on I had a road crossing near Tyringham, Ma that took me over a stile covering a bobwire fence that had a bunch of cattle in the field. The big light brown bovines had the trail covered and I had to do one of those loops around to get to the other side since they just stared at me with no intention of getting out of the way. So I took their picture and moved along. Another animal picture was of the orange salamander, tiny little critters that are bright orange. When I stopped for lunch on a convenient trailside rock along comes another thru hiker I had not met yet. Napolean, the bugs were so bad he set his tent up to get away from them so he could eat. I had my head net on. Before we finished Moxied caught up and joined us for lunch. He had gone into Tyringham to pick up a maildrop and still caught up. Sure wish I had the legs of these young guys. Just before I got to UGP I came upon a porcupine on the side of the trail and got his picture, from a distance. He appeared to be part ostrich as his method of hiding was lowering his eyes below a limb. I guess he figured if he couldn't see me I couldn't see him.When I got to the cabin there were canoes available and I took one out and paddled to an island that had the proverbial rock cairns stacked in low water near the island. Naturally ran aground in low water and had to push and push to get off the rocks. As I headed back to the dock from a few hundred yards away winds and surface current turned me in the wrong direction, I paddled like crazy to get close to the shore and returned that way. Didn't expect my little water excursion to be such a work out. There were 16 bunk spaces and I was the 4th one there. It ended with 13 of them filled. Lot of fun young people. Slept well.
Date: 2014-06-20
From: Upper Goose Pond Cabin

To: Cookie Lady
Miles today: 11.1

UGP is famous for their free pancake breakfast. When you are on the trail and get this kind of food it is a real treat and these were a good way to start the day. Said goodbye to those still there knowing they would be blowing by me before very late in the morning. They did. I passed by a pond with a beaver chewed tree that was well over 12" in diameter. It was very close to ready to fall but still standing. I am sure he was just on a lunch break and would be back to finish soon. In the early after noon I came to the "Cookie Lady" house and she was noted for giving hikers cookies when they come to her house. It is on a country road about a tenth off the trail. I went in and she gave me cookies. I asked her if there was anything I could help her with. She was moving plants from her house to hang from tree limbs. Forty five minutes later we had them all moved. I camped in her yard. Great experience.
Date: 2014-06-21
From: Cookie Lady

To: Dalton..Tom Lavardi's
Miles today: 9.0

Early on this morning I came to a screeching halt on the trail. Right in front of me dead center of the trail was a just out of the nest bird staring up at me with a 'please don't step on me look', so I had to get his picture. Today was a nice rolling hills day with very nice view spots. I took a really good panorama shot. I was in Dalton before 2:30 and arrived at Mr. Lavardi's home and asked if I could tent. He explained all the rules and said yes. There were no tents up when I arrived but two packs on the porch. He gave me directions to all the hiker hot spots in town, starting with the free shower at the community rec center. He even had bicycles for our use. First things first, set up the tent in the best spot in the yard and then off to the shower. I showered and then washed my clothes in the shower, rang them out and air dryed on the bike ride back to his house. As I was leaving the rec center another hiker was pedaling in, his name Figgy and he is from NC. Back at the house there were four more tents set up when I got there. It later filled up with a couple more. Tom shuttled us for resupply and dropped us off at a buffet where we all would have placed highly in any eating contest. Later that evening there was much beer consumed by the younger crowd, but in a quiet and controlled manner. I had Cabernet, I was in heaven. Just a great place, and fantastic host. He started sharing his home with hikers in 1979 and has been doing ever since, he is in his early 70's.
Date: 2014-06-23
From: Dalton..Tom Lavardi's

To: Mark Noepel Shelter
Miles today: 14.4
Weather: light rain

Left Tom's before 7 this morning and since the trail went very near to the Java House I stopped there for a mocha and muffin. There was a mile of sidewalk walking following blazes on the telephone poles till I reentered the woods. Figgy caught up with me and passed me before noon. As I was coming down a hill he was stopped looking at a rattlesnake in the ferns, well hidden. He said the rattle alerted him. I took a picture of it and we moved on. When the trail entered Chesire we came to Diane's Twist where I stopped to have a large coke float in the shade at a picnic table. Figgy left his pack with me and walked on into town to an ATM. When he came back he had a float, so I had another just to be sociable. Leaving Cheshire was about a 1700' climb so Figgy quickly outdistanced me. When I got to the shelter he had been there 20 minutes and cooked his supper and headed on to make a few more miles with the intent of stealth camping somewhere up the trail. We said our goodbyes. I pitched my tent on a platform behind the shelter. Later the shelter filled up with more than a half dozen young thru-hikers.
Date: 2014-06-24
From: Mark Noepel Shelter

To: Pete's Spring, Sherman Brook Campsite
Miles today: 11.2

The highlight of today was Mt. Greylock, the highest peak in Mass. It was a tough climb, but less than a 1000' since we were already at altitude. When I got to the summit and the monument to veterans it was an impressive structure and views. There is a Bascom Lodge built in the 1900 and 1905 original building and then added onto. They served lunch at 11:00 and since I got there at around 10:30 I waited and charged my phone. Had a burger and chocolate milk and watched it drizzle for a few minutes. When I started back out it had quit raining. The climb up had been OK, but going down was a monster because it was a relatively steep 2000' with many false bottoms and mini summits in between. I was glad I was not walking south. Near the bottom coming up the trail was Squatch, the guy doing documentaries with his video camera that I had met back at Bearded Woods Hostel in Connecticut. He interviewed me for a few minutes on camera and then headed up the mountain to Greylock, I told him he had a helluva climb ahead of him. After crossing the Hoosic River the trail started back up and after another 600' I reached the Spring and campsite. The water just literally bubbled up out of the ground was almost too cold to drink and crystal clear. No treating the water here even though it had the standard 'this water has not been tested..treat', I drank my fill. So much better than bottled or tap water. Again I was the only one at the campsite, pitched the tent on a platform and off to bed.
Date: 2014-06-25
From: Pete's Spring, Sherman Brook Campsite

To: Congdon Shelter
Miles today: 12.5
Weather: few clouds

I was on the trail by 7 again this morning and early on I came into some very pretty flowering Mountain Laurel, both the white version but also the more rare pink version. The trail became steep and even had a 'bad weather bypass' which surprised me when I saw the sign. Well, five minutes later as it became straight up over boulders I was no longer surprised about the bypass because this would have been very tough in the pouring rain. When I crested the top and dropped down about 20 yards I stopped to sit in the rocks and drink some water and have a snack. I have started hiking without breakfast and stopping an hour or so in to eat. Anyway, as I start to get up I look behind me and to the left and see two snakes intertwined on a rock about five yards away just sunning themselves. I zoomed a picture of them, non-poisonous types. Before 9:30 I left Mass. and entered Vermont, or as it is not so affectionated called by long distance hikers, Vermud. As you enter the state the famous 'Long Trail' and the AT run concurrent for 105.2 miles. I took a photo and rest break here for a few minutes, just after I left I looked back and saw another hiker taking off his pack to take pictures of the sign as well. He passed me later on, his trail name is Harley (not for the motorcycle) and he is from Washington state. He told me that the 'green tunnel' was cool and novel for a while but now he is ready for a little sky ever now and then. I told him when he got to the Whites in NH he would be above tree line for hours on end and he said he really looked forward to it. Me I am looking forward to NH because that is where I finish. Within an hour I came upon the mud the state is famous for, with foot prints 4 to 6 inches in the mud I skirted the sides with some success. Had a good bit of steady up today but nothing really tough after the early one this morning. It had been threatening rain most of the late afternoon and just as I was within 75 yards of the shelter it started raining, glad I was so close to the shelter. There were three people there when I got there, all had already set up tents near the shelter and none were staying inside. Soon it was raining hard and these three cooked in the shelter and told me they had been told that a lady was headed this way that was hiking with a dog. It was two ladies and a relatively big frisky 9 month old mix of large poodle and large lab. Very pretty dog (but wet). The hikers were Sarah and Brett, two lady hikers that were high school math teachers out to hike the Long Trail, 250+ miles to Canadian border. They controlled Kota the dog very well and we soon became friends.I hung my bear bag with the other older gentlemans when he offered. Off to sleep in the shelter with the rain still coming down.
Date: 2014-06-26
From: Congdon Shelter

To: Bennington Vt. 
Miles today: 4.3

Interesting day. I left this morning with the two ladies and Kota. I knew I was short about a day and halves food to reach my original next town stop and that would not do so I made plans to go into Bennington from the next road crossing. As it turned out Sarah was meeting her parents there and her dad was going to join them for a few days hiking the Long Trail. She offered that her mother would be happy to give me a ride into town to resupply. Yay! Well by the time we got to the road crossing parking lot I had decided to stay in Bennington for the night and R&R. When we stopped at the first hotel they waited for me to get checked in, I checked the rooms first and declined this motel. They took me on into town and I walked into the Catamount and found Figgy in the lobby. I thanked Sarah's mom and unloaded to stay there. It was a good decision since Figgy decided to spend another night we shared a room. All the things the guide said the other hotel had and did not this one did have even though it was not in the guide. Plus, Alan who managed the place offered and took us to resupply groceries and to the local eateries, and library. I caught up a few days of the journal in the library. Figgy and I ate at a local Italian restuarant. The plate of spaghetti was hugh, I almost finished it though. Walked back to the room and off to bed. Figgy stayed for a little more libation and relaxation.
Date: 2014-06-27
From: Bennington Vt. 

To: Goddard Shelter
Miles today: 10.1
Weather: light rain

Well, as is often the case when you leave town the trail head is straight up and it was this time as well. About a 1250' over the next couple of miles with the typical up and down along the way to the top. Figgy was a little handicapped in that he had left his trekking poles in someone's van and was now without. He was soon ahead of me and probably won't catch him this time. When I came to Hell Brook Hollow footbridge there was a big orange road sign laying at the foot of the steps to the bridge that said 'bridge out', I looked down at the alternative descent and boulder hopping across the creek and said no way. The red plastic warning tape had already been torn down so across I went, totally uneventful. Those coming from the other side had not sign anyway. Just before 11 A.M. I completed my 2000th mile of the AT. I made the appropriate sign on the trail and photoed it with both my phone and camera. Texted it to my wife, oops no signal, oh well I'll try tomorrow. Stopped early today as almost all of the 10 miles was uphill, at the shelter just at 4. There was a young guy there just out hiking for the day, a local. He had his dog with him and the bugs were driving the dog craze, he was pawing his eyes and snapping at them to no avail. Deloid, the hiker put him in the tent to get some rest but he soon wanted out. Then he put his head net over the dog (I had mine on the whole time) but it was having none of that. After cooking and eating I went up to my tent behind the shelter. This would have been a terrible place to try and sleep in the shelter with all the bugs today had. I had a little wine in my powerade bottle to put me to sleep, ah the joys of a town stop the day before.
Date: 2014-06-28
From: Goddard Shelter

To: Black Brook footbridge..stealth camp
Miles today: 11.6

Started the morning with a short steep climb to the summit of Glastenbury Mountain where there was a lookout tower. I skipped the climb up the tower wanted to save my energy for the trail (wimp). In the early afternoon the trail skirted a pond that had a beaver lodge just 20-30yds from the shore of the pond. Got a great picture of it. I passed a couple of hikers when I stopped for a break at the Story Spring Shelter and they were coming from the direction I was heading and I asked them if there were any good flat spots for stealth camping and they told me of one right by a stream a few miles further on. Since I did not want to stop so early even though my plans had called for this shelter I headed on. They were right it was as advertised, a great spot in the trees right by the water. I set up my tent and took my stove to the footbridge and cooked on the steps of the bridge. Another night of no other campers in the site. Good quiet nights sleep.
Date: 2014-06-29
From: Black Brook footbridge..stealth camp

To: William B. Douglas Shelter
Miles today: 12.6
Weather: scattered clouds

Today started off with a 1700' climb over Stratton Mountain. When I got to the top there was a caretaker cabin and the caretakers, man and wife came out anc chatted with me for a while. I was having my lunch and she offered me tea, I said yeah, great. Well she came back out with a cup of hot tea, ok. I drank about half and put the rest into my empty powerade/wine container. It was very good later on. Descended the other side of Stratton and reached Stratton Pond. The trail hugged the shore for a while and even went underwater a couple of times causing a diversion into the trees to avoid wading. I had tried to call my wife from the summit thinking I would have cell service from the top, nope. Near the bottom I tried again and got her and wished her a happy birthday as it is today. She reminded me that last year we were in Gettysburg at the battlefield for the 150th anniversary of the battle. We lived there in the early 90's and our boys went to elementary school there.She had flown from Boise to Harpers Ferry to join me for a few days mid way through my hike.The next shelter I had decided on was .5 off the trail so I was reluctant but the caretaker up top had told me I would not even notice it. He was right it was some of the easiest hiking since I have been back on trail. Although it must have discouraged others because it was another night of having a shelter all to myself. This one also had a great spring for the water, delicious. There was a large fire ring in front of the shelter and since I was there kind of early I built a relatively big campfire. I woke during the night and it was pitch black except for the glowing coals of the fire.
Date: 2014-06-30
From: William B. Douglas Shelter

To: Green Mountain House, Manchester Center Vt.
Miles today: 5.8
Weather: scattered clouds

When I got up this morning and did the half mile hike back out to the AT, just as I got to the junction I passed a tent pitched right on the side of the trail. Guess he didn't want to do the extra half mile. There was about a half mile of woods road walk that brought you to an overlook off the trail about fifty yards. There was a tree that had a sign about eye level that said 'look up', then on the same tree about 20' up another sign that had an arrow and pointed to Prospect Rock. Great view down into Manchester Center which is my destination for the day. I had called the day before and made reservations for 2 nights at the Green Mountain House hostel. Jeff had told me that when I got to the trailhead at the road to hitch hike into town and do my resupplying and then call him and he would come and pick me up to bring me to the hostel. I asked about the hitch hike he said between 10 and 15 minutes to get a ride. I stood there with my thumb out and timed it. I must have watched over a hundred cars go by, getting kind of discouraged, but 13 minutes in a guy gave me a ride to within 1/4 mile of the grocery store where I had planned on resupply. After getting my food and refilling my pack I found it almost too heavy to pick up. Not looking forward to the first few days carrying it out of town. I went to McDonald's and had lunch then called Jeff and told him I would be at the book store when he came to pick me up. I am about to finish my book and there is a second in the series but they did not have it and offered to order it for me, told them I was a hiker (as if they couldn't smell me) and that that would not work. Jeff picked me up a few minutes later and took me to the hostel. Fantastic place, one of the best on the entire trail.
Date: 2014-07-01
From: Green Mountain House, Manchester Center Vt.

To: Green Mountain House
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

Well, it is 9:30 AM and I have already had breakfast of cereal and two cups of coffee and will probably make some eggs in a little bit. I am the only hiker left as the others are back on the trail. Two of the young guys from last night are hiking the Long Trail and had asked to zero here today but Jeff had to turn them down as it is booked with reservations for tonight. Glad I had made them from on the trail. FYI, I have probably been on this computer for at least two hours this morning and was at least an hour last night catching up the journal. Here last night were thru-hikers XC-Crow, and section hiker War Cry. XC is a young guy from Missouri in his late 20's to early 30's (I am not real good at ages), I ask often of the long distance hikers how much weight they have lost, he said 50lbs, from 200 down to 150. War Cry has a similar experience as me last year, she hiked to Pawling NY and had to come off trail due to lymes disease, she is back to finish now. Well that catches me up to the minute so I may edit more in tonight.