morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2019-08-12
From: Upper Goose Pond Cabin

To: Kay Wood Shelter 
Miles today: 17.6

The morning started out great. The care takers at the cabin did make coffee and pancakes. There is a blueberry farm north of the cabin so some SOBOs brought blueberries and some of the pancakes were blueberry.We got a late start due to the pancakes. I was way out in front when I came to a stare down with a doe up trail. I stopped and took a picture and it started walking toward me. I switched to video and it walked right up to me. I put out my hand and it sniffed my hand. I continued on. About 100 yards later I walked 100 feet down and across a gravel rd. I saw an old man walking and I said hello. He said I see you found my deer. I was thinking, how did he know I saw a deer? I turned around and the deer was following me. He said, that¢s friendly. She followed me down here. She has a doe back up by the house. He must feed them. I stopped at the next shelter to take a break. I met a guy from Cape Town. He¢s in country for business and had some time so he spent 1 night on the AT. We were looking forward to the Cookie Lady. As we approached the Cookie Lady¢s house the guy from Cape Town stopped us and offered me the gas canister he had used twice. The Cookie Lady owns the blueberry farm and regularly puts out cookies for hikers. We stopped and got to meet her. She was a sweet lady, and gave us cookies. She¢s been doing it for 30 years! We pressed on, it was getting late and we still had miles to do. At about 3 miles out we came across a trail magic, perfect timing, perfect location. The lady providing said her daughter walked the AT two years ago. She had a great selection of goodies. I had a nutterfluff sandwich and some other stuff.We still had 3.5 and our ETA to the shelter was after 700. It was a long day, especially after yesterday¢s 22 miles. We made it and set up. I climbed in my tent full from trail magic. During the day Leah told us a story about a guy that she met who said she looked like an ex-wife of his: Leah¢s new trail name is Sqaw Momma!
Date: 2019-08-13
From: Kay Wood Shelter 

To: Crystal Mountain Campsite 
Miles today: 7.2

We all awoke during the night to un-forecasted rain. I could hear everyone scrambling to make sue everything stayed dry. Then a few hours later we were waken by a coyote killing that seemed to go on forever. The screaming was horrific, worse than any horror movie. It finally quieted down. Then about 10 minutes later one of them started howling for 2-3 minutes. The coyote yelling started again as I was making my coffee. Very busy coyotes ??. On the way to Dalton we saw a porcupine, It ran up a tree. We hiked 3 miles into Dalton and went to the Dalton diner for breakfast. We met an old timer named Bob. We invited him to sit with us and we conversed for 45 mins. He lost his wife 2 months ago and is a retired firefighter, 34 years! We then went across the street and got free showers at the recreation center. I shaved and weighed myself, 178! After showering we went to the post office and liquor store. Next stop laundry and pizza joint. Just as we were wrapping up at the laundry it started raining. We rain geared up and went to the country store for resupply. We had just over 4 miles and about a mile of it was on the residential sidewalk. Once back in the woods it was slight uphill to the shelter. We counted five peaks/bumps. Ten push-ups at each bump, I did 15 each time. On the way we met a day hiker out to met his SOBO friend. His name is Nightmare. He walked and chatted with us, he even did push-ups. We even got another SOBO, Chef to do push-ups. The hike was short today. We made it to camp really early and not exhausted. I started a fire, and the NH girls headed for the stream to soak their feet. While preparing dinner Mr. President arrived, it was good to see him. We all sat around the fire and ate and chatted until it started raining too hard. Wildlife today: Porcupine. My first time seeing a porcupine.
Date: 2019-08-14
From: Crystal Mountain Campsite 

To: Mark Noepel Shelter 
Miles today: 9.5

We had a short day today. We all slept in as it rained almost all night. Everyone left camp before me.I was walking along and got stung on the left achilles again!! I caught up to everyone right as we were walking into Cheshire. We went to a small sandwich shop and ate and chilled. Many hikers came through. I learned Timone and Nightwalker took a zero because Goat had a medical issue, he¢s off for three days. We moved on to the Dunkin, and then the Dollar General. I did not need anything but I bought myself Velveta & Shells with bacon for dinner. We had about 4 miles left. Lauralynn (Disco Pale Foot) was on a mission and took off. I was moving slow so I hung with Squaw Momma. We got to camp early and I gathered firewood. Several other hikers showed up and we all sat around the fire and picnic table enjoying dinner and conversation. My leg is really swollen from the sting. the top of my sock made a ring around my leg. I took a Benadryl before sleeping. The alarm is set for 0300. No wildlife today.
Date: 2019-08-15
From: Mark Noepel Shelter 

To: Williamstown-Williamstown Motel
Miles today: 9.6

We woke up at 0300, and were on the trail by 0330. Five of us hiking in a train through the woods in the dark. Disco White Foot led the way with disco lights on her pack. We made it to Greylock Mountain for sunrise, It was a good call, sunrise was great. We met Mr. President there and then sat around and waited for breakfast. Breakfast was great. We climbed the memorial monument and then set off for Williamstown. My leg was more swollen from the bee/wasp sting. On the downhill my leg started getting sore. I decided, instead of going 16 I would stop in Williamstown and get a room to rest, elevate, and ice my leg. We made it to town, cleaned up, and headed for some adult beverages and dinner. Loralynn¢s husband arrived and picked up the NH girls. They are headed home after hiking Massachusetts. They made the last week fun, and they will be missed. I will hopefully see them in the Whites! I went back to my room and iced the leg again. I¢m thinking zero tomorrow ?. No wildlife.
Date: 2019-08-16
From: Williamstown-Williamstown Motel

To: Bennington VT-Hampton Inn
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Took a zero today, no miles. Taking zeros is hard for me. I only took one zero the first half.I spent the night in a motel in Williamstown. The room was comfortable. I hung out in the room until about 1000 then went to check out.  I questioned the owner as to why the rate was so high for a Thursday night and he took offense. It turned into a sort of argument. I then told him I was not going to pay extra for him letting my friends shower in the room. It ended with me telling him I did not have $20, and he could charge my credit card for the balance. I paid him the $20 about an hour later, and before I left he gave me the $20 back, saying he wanted me to leave happy. I was never unhappy. I just wanted to know why the rate was so high. I sat in the lobby for an hour trying to get a ride to Bennington through Uber or Lyft. I finally got a Lyft ride. That Lyft guy was a real winner, Not. He shows up at the motel and parks way in the back where I can¢t see him. He has plugs in all of the seat belts so he doesn¢t have to wear seat belts and the alarm doesn¢t sound. I put my seat belt on. We were chatting, as it was a 40 minute ride. It came out I just retired from Law Enforcement. He starts asking me legal advice but, has no clue what he is talking about.  Long story short ¢someone¢ was driving his vehicle and hit a pedestrian. There is video. He doesn¢t know who was driving. His son¢s license was taken away by the police 2 years later. He wanted my advice on the matter, and was going through text showing me the video while driving mountain roads. I couldn¢t get out of that car fast enough. I was able to check into the hotel early, and I unpacked and started washing my backpack. I went to the pool to check it out. My room would then not open.  Maintenance had to remove the whole locking mechanism, which took hours.  In the mean time I was given another room.  All of my belongings were locked in the broken room, including my wallet. Good news is, Seaneen was arriving in 30 minutes. I have not seen her since July 21, and was looking forward to her visit. When Seaneen arrived we went to a late lunch and then headed back to the hotel to relax. I was tired and my leg is still a little swollen. We ordered pizza and watched a movie in the room.
Date: 2019-08-17
From: Bennington VT-Hampton Inn

To: Bennington VT-Hampton Inn
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

I took another zero today-no hiking.We both slept well in the air-conditioned room. We wanted to do some trail magic today so we went to the grocery store and bought 2 gallons of water, a 12 pack of Coke, and a 12 pack of Mountain Dew. We then bought a cooler at Home Depot and headed to the trail head to place the cooler along the trail. We went to a nearby breakfast joint, Papa Pete's. On a side note, this breakfast/lunch place was oozing with warmth and friendliness, the food was awesome, definitely worth the stop.  After breakfast I needed to get some hiking supplies so we headed to the nearest outfitters. I bought a new pair of hiking shoes and new socks. I also bought a bug net to wear on my head. Now I won¢t have to wear nylons on my head-Rhonda! I then took Seaneen up to Mt. Greylock via vehicle, no hiking. On the way up and back we offered rides to a few hikers but all of them did not need one. Back at the hotel I had to do my laundry, wash my sleeping pad, cut my hair, and shave. Seaneen said my sleeping pad smelled like "rotten cheese". We made a trip to Walmart to do a small resupply. We drove back to the trail head to retrieve the cooler. The cooler and all of its contents were gone, someone stole the cooler. I hope some hikers were able to take advantage of the trail magic prior to the thievery. We had Italian for dinner and went back to the hotel to prepare for my hiking on Sunday and Seaneen flying home.
Date: 2019-08-18
From: Williamstown - MA2

To: Bennington VT 9 - Best Western
Miles today: 18.4
Weather: scattered clouds

We woke up both well rested in the air conditioned room. It was our last morning together and we had a 30 minute drive to the trail head.  Seaneen had picked a place in Williamstown for breakfast so I had breakfast before getting back on the trail. After breakfast Seaneen dropped me off at the trail head. The trail head was in town so I didn¢t disappear into the woods. The trip out of town is almost always uphill, and today did not disappoint. About an hour into my trip Seaneen notified me her flight was delayed by 2 hours. I kept climbing. Thirty minutes later I received bad news - Seaneen¢s flight was cancelled. I immediately turned that bad news into good news. A bonus day with Seaneen! This meant I had to add 4 miles to my trip. I met a couple of nice hikers on the trail today and had long conversations.  One guy is hiking the AT as a through hiker the other is doing the Long Trail.The Long Trail overlaps the AT for 105 miles. I hit two milestones today. I hit the 1600 mile mark and I cross the border into Vermont. Another state down, and three to go!I made it to the shelter I was supposed to stay at, and there were two men there. One of the men is French and spoke very little English. He also had little modesty and was cleaning up after his hike, completely naked. I got some water and headed out to hike the last four miles to Bennington and my bonus night with Seaneen. The last mile was a steep downhill and the rocks were a little slippery from the rain the night before. I made it down with no issues. I checked the area on both sides of the street and the parking lot for signs of the cooler we had left the day before and there was not a sign of the cooler or its contents. Seaneen and I went to dinner. While at dinner a storm front moved in and it rained Hard! I was happy to not be sleeping in a tent. I was tired and I fell asleep early.  Wildlife update: one snake.
Date: 2019-08-19
From: Bennington VT 9 - Best Western

To: Glastenbury Mtn Lookout Tower 1623.2
Miles today: 10.4
Weather: clear sky

I enjoyed my bonus night with Seaneen. We both slept great and woke up without an alarm. I was already packed so getting ready was easy. We headed out for breakfast near the trail head. Breakfast was great and we headed for the trail. As Seaneen was dropping me off Rain Dog arrived and I introduced him. We chatted for a few minutes and he was headed into town. I knew climbing out of Bennington was going to be tough, and it was. It was hot and humid. I did not start until 1040. I realized but, it didn¢t register. This whole day was uphill. There was a stream crossing today I made it across with minimal wetness. The trail was muddy today from all of the rain. There were no big puddles so my shoes got a little muddy but, my feet stayed dry. I am nursing a small blister on my right heel. The same heel I had the infected blister on when I went home in July. I had a guy pass me late in the day, he said he was slowing down. He was already at about 20 miles for the day. I caught him later. He continued on and is hitting 26 for his day. I also met a hiker from Montreal named, Fast Ball. He said he was staying at the top of the mountain, I checked Guthooks and decided I¢d stay there too. There is a fire tower you can climb. Hopefully I will catch a sunset or sunrise or both.I made the sunset and it did not disappoint. Wildlife: Orange salamander.
Date: 2019-08-20
From: Glastenbury Mtn Lookout Tower 1623.2

To: Stratton Pond Shelter
Miles today: 17.9
Weather: clear sky

I set my alarm and I made it to the top of the fire tower just as the sun was coming up over the mountains. There was a 360 degree view. The wind was blowing strong and the sunrise was beautiful. I believe I¢ve conquered my fear of heights. The fire tower stairs are grated, see through and the observation platform is open from the waist up. I was on trail in good time. Last night I was looking for a place to set up. I had found a good flat spot but there were about 50 huge house flies buzzing around. I found another spot and less flies but there were about 30 between my tent and the rain fly. All day today there were flies everywhere. They did not bother me I could just hear them buzzing all day. I knew there was a good climb near the end of the day so I was trying to take the day slow. There were several beautiful beaver dams/ponds today. I took a couple long breaks. The climb started about 200 and lasted about 2 hours. It wasn¢t a steep climb but it was long. I got tired and my legs got tired. I tripped near the top and fell. I caught the brunt of it with the heel of my left hand and my left thigh. My left thigh landed on a rock. I¢ll be interested to see if it bruises. My left wrist is a little sore. I also turtled myself. I had to unbuckle myself from my pack in order to stand up, which I did slowly. I made it to the top. There was a fire tower so I climbed it. You can see three ski areas from there. I was talking to Stretch who had arrived. I told him I was going to Stratton Pond Shelter. He said there was a $5 fee. I looked for stealth spots but I ended up at the shelter. There was not a caretaker so I did not have to pay the fee. There were two other hikers there. I prepared dinner, ate, and went to bed. The bad thing about staying in a shelter is no bug screening. I had to fight off mosquitoes. Several hikers came in late last night. I think they tried to be quiet but they weren¢t. Their lights were shining all over and they were cooking and eating. A couple of them slept on the porch right by the picnic tables. There were plenty of bunks. Wildlife update: Bunny
Date: 2019-08-21
From: Stratton Pond Shelter

To: End Bromley Ski Resort Summit-Ski Patrol Warming Hut
Miles today: 13.7
Weather: broken clouds

I slept alright in spite of the occasional mosquito trying to dine on me. I was all bundled up in my bag, t-shirt wrapped around my head with a small opening to breath. It was hot in the shelter, especially in my bag. That¢s why I like my tent. I didn¢t stay in my tent because you are supposed to stay in the shelter and I didn¢t want to have to move if the caretaker arrived. I woke this morning to the rumbling of thunder. I used the privy and got my food bag quickly. I made it back to the shelter before the rain. I checked the radar and oh boy! I decided to wait out the bulk of the storm. A couple hikers left but many more arrived. I think they are hikers from the tenting area. I stayed at the shelter until after 920. It was lightly raining when I left. The first shelter was only 5 miles. The trail was wet and muddy. I did my best to keep my feet relatively dry. It started pouring really hard. I saw the sign for the shelter, .5 off trail. I think it¢s the fastest .5 I¢ve ever done. There was a crew of trail maintainers working on the board walks, I thanked all of them. I made some Ramen at the shelter and the maintainers came in to break also. I actually fell asleep. When the rain stopped I walked 4 more miles to the road. I needed a few things from town and maybe a meal. I got to the side of the road and threw my thumb up. This is the first time I¢ve hitchhiked, ever. I got a ride in 5 minutes from a guy named James Jones. He did not offer me Kool Aid : ) . I was in the grocery store when the rain let loose. I was freezing in the grocery store, I had to put my puffy coat on. After shopping I walked to a pizza joint. I tried to get an Uber or Lyft back as Manchester seemed very Yuppie. I had no luck. I put my pack on and was walking back to the main street to try and hitch. A van pulled over a block from the pizza joint. An older hippie couple in a van converted to a camper pulled along side and offered me a ride back to the trail. There was a bed and a guitar in the van and it had a hippie ¢smell¢ to it. They were so nice. Back on trail I had 2 miles to Bromley Shelter or 3 miles to Bromley summit where you cam stay in the Ski Patrol warming hut. I made it to the hut and there were about 10 college kids having an encounter trip. They are all freshmen from Yale.Some notes from the trail today. The streams and springs are flowing again. It¢s nice to be at elevation and to have had some rain. Mountain water is so tasty. Also I kicked a jagged stump today with the top of my left foot. It still hurts. I am beating up my left side lately. (the wasp stings, yesterday¢s fall, and today¢s kicking). I made it to the 3/4 way marker!!!
Date: 2019-08-22
From: Bromley Ski Resort Summit-Ski Patrol Warming Hut

To: Little Rock Pond Shelter 
Miles today: 16.8

I did not sleep well last night. The sleeping bunk was 2 inches more narrow than my sleeping mat, and it was hot in the Ski Patrol warming hut. I woke at 540 and it looked like it was going to be a great sunrise. Everyone went out. I had some time so I made some coffee. Bromley is a ski resort so we were on top where the chairlifts summit. The sun was set to rise at 604 and it was getting light out. You could see clouds in the valleys. At 555 clouds started moving in from the west and engulfed the whole sky 10 minutes before sunrise. I walked in the clouds until 1100. I stopped at the 1st shelter and put my shoes and liners in the sun. I changed my socks. The trail was quiet, as I did not see another NOBO through hiker all day. There were two summits. One view was in the clouds and the other was beautiful. I stopped at shelter 3 of 4 and chatted with a Long Trail hiker who was hiking with a small Terrier dog. I made it to camp around 400. I set up, got water and was going to swim in the pond. The pond was too cold so i waded and cleaned my legs and socks. I do not see any familiar faces at camp tonight. Wildlife update: 1 Salamander and 2 snakes.
Date: 2019-08-23
From: Little Rock Pond Shelter 

To: Governor Clement Shelter 
Miles today: 19.7
Weather: scattered clouds

There was a group of college kids in camp that stayed up pretty late. One of them had a very loud voice. I guess they packed and left at 400am. I did not hear that. My plan was to do almost 20 today. I was going to walk to the shelter at the start of the climb up to Killington or 7pm. I made it to the shelter just after 7. The trail was pretty today . I walked through pine forest. There were two areas where people made rock stacking formations. Not just stacking rocks on top of rocks but, some stacks actually looked like things ie. an airplane. There seems to be a desert of NOBO through hikers. I have not seen a NOBO through hiker since Tuesday morning. The last two shelters I stayed at did not have any through hikers either. There are plenty of hikers on trail, just not NOBO through hikers. I came across a guy and his daughter this afternoon. He said, hey Viking. I had met him back in Virginia and we chatted for quite a while. He is going SOBO now. I saw Stretch late afternoon he was slack packing SOBO but, will be back to NOBO tomorrow.  Just before camp, about a half mile. I came across a sign that said 500 miles to Katahdin. That actually stirred some emotions. By the time I made it to camp I was tired, total miles 19.7. I set up made a Mountain House meal and a Ramen. I saw quite a bit of wildlife today: Deer, Salamander, Toad, and 20-30 Turkeys.
Date: 2019-08-24
From: Governor Clement Shelter 

To: US 4-The Inn at Long Trail
Miles today: 10.6

It was a little chilly last night. I was not cold but I found out too late my tent was not level. My head was lower than my feet unless I raised the pillow uncomfortably high and the tent was leaning toward the door. I slept alright and was on trail by 815. I didn¢t want to head out too early because I want the restaurant at the top of Killington to be open. I hiked up and thought I was close. There was a view, and I saw the resort still another mile away. At the turn off for the summit trail there is a shelter. Some people leave their packs at the shelter to summit. I summited with my pack. The trail was steep and rocky the whole .2. The views were nice. Apparently if you go over the summit another .2 that¢s where the summit restaurant is. I totally blew that one. I booked a room for the night while on summit. I met a trail maintainer who was working alone with his 13 year old terrier. He was pretty much knee deep in mud and was swapping out boardwalks for rocks. He had a hand held pulley system to move huge rocks. Later I met 4 NOBO through hikers who were slack packing. They said there are no hikers on trail because there were 57 hikers at the Yellow Deli Hostel last night. The last 2.5 miles of my hike seemed to take a long time. I made it to the 1700 mile marker. I made it to the roadway. It was .9 to the Inn. I didn¢t know the bus times so I started walking and threw up my thumb. I had no hitchhiking luck. The Inn is really cute and has an Irish Pub attached to it. I put my pack in the room and went out to catch the bus.  I took the $2 ride to Rutland VT. It was a quick walk to the Wal-Mart. I made the next bus back to the Inn. On the way back we picked up Fastball. I went and showered and went down to the pub to eat some dinner and have a few Guinness. About 8-10 hikers were around the table eating, drinking and listening to music. It was a great night. There were two guys playing guitar and singing Irish Folk Music. No wildlife today.