morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2015-07-26
From: Limestone Spring Shelter

To: Salisbury, CT Vanessa's House
Miles today: 3.7
Weather: scattered clouds

7/26/2015 Day 115 - Today was a Nero Day. I woke up to the sound of rain hitting my tent, but it was a nice pleasant rain rather than a torrential down pour. I packed everything into my pack except my tent and went up to the shelter to get out of the rain for breakfast. I'm one of those guys who makes hot coffee almost every morning. If not hot, then cold instant. I waited until a little after 8 to see if the rain would stop before breaking down my tent. It slowed down so I figured I would get moving. It was only about 3.7 miles to the trail turnoff on route 44 to town, and then another 0.4 to Vanessa Briton's House. I got there around 11 am or so and was warmly welcomed. Vanessa has a very old home that's been upgraded with modern conveniences. She has several nice rooms she rents out to hikers, and for an additional $5 she'll do your laundry for you. She offered me a couple of beers throughout the day and made some really good onion soup and salad for dinner. Definitely a good $40 spent. I added a couple of days resupply to my food bag so I have enough for the four days to Dalton, MA where I'll have a mail drop from Eric with my shoes and 4 days of food. He's also sending new pole tips and a 2 liter water bag, much needed. Salisbury is a neat little town that was established in 1741 and is kind of ritzy. There's a few celebrities that live in and around here. Meryl Streep live here in Salisbury, while Kevin Bacon and Kyra Sedgwick live in a nearby town. It's very peaceful and, well, kind of high rent. I needed the day to rest my right Achilles' tendon and calf. I must have overdone it a few days ago because it's been pretty painful at times. I'll keep the miles down and try to be careful, but there's a pretty decent climb tomorrow that will test it. Nice rest today.
Date: 2015-07-27
From: Salisbury, CT Vanessa's House

To: Glen Brook Shelter
Miles today: 13.9
Weather: light rain

7/27/2015 Day 116 - I got a breakfast sandwich and a cup of coffee from the grocery store before hitting the trail. Vanessa was also kind enough to give us all some donuts this morning. She's a nice lady. I didn't get on the trail until about 9:30 am because I was enjoying the niceties in town a bit too much. I also thought I would have plenty of time to get to the shelter 14 miles away. I misjudged a bit. There were some pretty challenging mountains today, and with my calf and Achilles acting up, I had to be careful. I climbed up three mountains before reaching the Glen Brook Shelter camping site; Bear Mountain, Mount Race, and Mount Everett. While they weren't that big, they did wear me out a bit. I met a few new hikers who I'm camping with tonight; Neon, Tortoise, Raincheck and Silent. The last two I met at Vanessa's yesterday. I saw some beautiful views, streams and woodland today. I'm pretty lucky to be able to do this.
Date: 2015-07-28
From: Glen Brook Shelter

To: Great Barrington, MA
Miles today: 7.9

7/28/2012 Day 117 - I pushed it too hard yesterday and pulled something in my right lower leg. I can't hike without experiencing some pain in the area between my calf and heel. I hiked a good 7 plus miles before I decided to get off trail for a few days and give it a rest. So I hitched a ride into town and this really nice guy took me to a decent, relatively inexpensive place, the Monument Mountain Motel. I'm going to rest my leg for a few days to see if it improves and then reevaluate. It'll be pretty expensive to zero for several days, but I'm certainly not ready to give up. I figure this is one of those lifetime opportunities that I can't let pass by. I was initially planning on finishing around mid-September, but now maybe late September. Baxter State Park closes on October 15th, so I have a little bit of a buffer. Eric and Jared have advised me to not rush it and start again too soon. Good advice that I need to listen to.
Date: 2015-08-01
From: Great Barrington, MA

To: Mount Wilcox South Shelter
Miles today: 11.7
Weather: clear sky

8/1/2015 Day 121 - After 3 and a half days of resting my leg, I decided to give hiking a try. I got a ride to the trailhead and started hiking around 10 am. After just a few minutes of hiking I realized that I wasn't 100 percent yet. I can hike uphill and downhill without much difficulty, but level ground gives me some discomfort. I changed my pace and found that if I go slow with short strides I don't have any pain. So today was pretty slow and I didn't get many miles in, but I did get some in, which is better than the last few days. There were some beautiful views today, especially Benedict Pond. I stopped and watched the ducks, frogs and even the fish under the water. Very nice. I ended the day at South Mt. Wilcox Shelter and met No Rush and Big Al, they're both south bounders, and Hat, a NoBo. I hiked 11.7 miles today. Not great, but my leg held up, which at this point works for me.
Date: 2015-08-02
From: Mount Wilcox South Shelter

To: Upper Goose Pond Cabin
Miles today: 15.8
Weather: few clouds

8/2/2015 Day 122 - I slept great in the shelter last night. I must have gotten around 9 hours sleep or so. I ate breakfast which consisted of instant coffee, strawberry pop tarts, and a peanut butter chewy bar. I could definitely eat more, but then I would have to carry it. I hit the trail at around 7:30 am and felt pretty good. I'm still nursing my Achilles' tendon/lower calf injury and I'm reluctant to go full stride and step it out. There were a couple of mountains that were a bit tiring, but all in all, a nice day. My adjusted stride tires me out a bit quicker, but I made it to the Upper Goose Pond Cabin in about 10 hours. I took a few half hour breaks, so not too bad. The cabin is much more than I anticipated with 2 levels, a nice porch with rockers, and a caretaker that's gonna make pancakes for us in the morning. There are canoes that you can take out on the pond and you can swim in it as well. Nice place, and it's free.I'm pretty tired, but I think the leg is going to be ok to keep hiking. There are a lot of people here. Some new faces, and a few old. They're all thru hikers and good company. I hiked a total of 15.8 miles today.
Date: 2015-08-03
From: Upper Goose Pond Cabin

To: Kay Wood Shelter
Miles today: 17.6
Weather: clear sky

8/3/2015 Day 123 - Pancakes and coffee this morning! The caretaker made coffee and pancakes for everyone, which was quite the great. I packed up and was on the trail by 7:30. It was a beautiful day and the trail were really nice to hike. There are more pine trees up here in Massachusetts and the change is welcome. It smells like Christmas and the pine needles make the ground nice and soft to walk on. The underbrush is quite a bit thinner as well. I stopped at October Mountain shelter for lunch, but was delayed a bit as 2 ridge runners were cutting down a dead tree right behind the shelter. Saw Dog was the one doing all the cutting and he's a true artist with a chainsaw. Along with a few wedges and a hammer, he fell that tree exactly where he wanted it. I met both Saw Dog and Jim after they were done and we talked a bit while I was eating my lunch. Ridge Runners are usually pretty cool, as were these guys. Their job is to maintain the shelters and campsites along the trail in Massachusetts, and educate and inform hikers of the area. I hiked the remaining 8.8 miles to the Kay Wood Shelter for a total of 17.6 miles for the day. I was expecting the shelter to be full, but the only person in it was Saw Dog. They spend the night in shelters and campsites for 5 days a week, then get 2 days off. Another hiker showed up a little later making for only 3 people in a 10 person shelter for the night. Nice and roomy. Saw Dog was good company and we talked about climbing, camping, hiking and Massachusetts outdoor stuff, among other things. A good day today.
Date: 2015-08-04
From: Kay Wood Shelter

To: Dalton, MA
Miles today: 3.0

8/4/2015 Day 124 - I took my time eating breakfast and packing up. I called the Shamrock Village Inn last night and reserved a room. I was told check in was at 12, but they would work with me. Dalton, MA is only 3 miles from the shelter, so it would only take an hour and a half to get there. I left around 8:30 and got in around 10 am. I checked right in with no delay. Nice little place. The walk into town reminded me a little of when Jingle Butt and I walked in to Hot Springs many months ago.I got my mail drop from the post office. New shoes and food. Thanks Eric and Jared. I'll be tackling Mount Graylock tomorrow and will either stay at Mark Noepel Shelter just before the summit, or at Bascom Lodge on the summit.
Date: 2015-08-05
From: Dalton, MA

To: Mark Noepel Shelter
Miles today: 13.9
Weather: broken clouds

8/5/2015 Day 125 - It's my birthday! There's another NoBo named Regular Goat at the shelter with us tonight, and it's his birthday too. He turned 30 today, I hit 51. I stopped by the Juice n' Java on my way out of Dalton and had a really good breakfast burrito and some coffee before hitting the trail. My leg was a little stiff starting but I felt pretty good a couple miles in and picked up the pace. I kinda regret doing that, because my leg was hurting when I walked into Cheshire, MA. I stopped at Diane's Twist for lunch and got 2 hotdogs, chips, some really good pasta salad, then finished it up with a hot fudge sunday and a large chocolate ice cream cone. Haulin' Oats sat down and joined me right before I finished. She's a NoBo from Massachusetts. I also met Maxipede, a German hiker going NoBo. I hiked 5 more miles to the Mark Noepel Shelter. It's unusually cold this evening so I built a fire. Haulin' Oats is here as well as Regular Goat, the second OSHA I've met, Dos Xes, and Prayer. My ankle felt a little bit better this afternoon as I was climbing Mount Graylock, but I decided to stop short of the summit at this shelter and take it easy. I hiked 13.9 miles today.
Date: 2015-08-06
From: Mark Noepel Shelter

To: Seth Warner Shelter
Miles today: 16.5
Weather: broken clouds

8/6/2015 Day 126 - I got up and hit the trail a little after 7 am. I wanted to make it to the summit of Mount Greylock to get breakfast at Bascom Lodge. The lodge is right on top of the mountain alongside a very striking veteran's monument that looks like a fancy light house tower. I made it to the lodge at 9 am. Haulin' Oats and Regular Goat showed up right as I was ordering. We all sat down and had breakfast together, not getting out of the restaurant until after 10 am. I hiked with only a couple of short breaks by the trail to eat and still didn't make it to Seth Warner Shelter until after 6 pm. There's quite a few people here tonight, maybe a dozen, including some section hikers. Haulin' Oats and Prayer among them. It's already fairly cool as I write this and may get pretty chilly tonight. I have my 40 degree quilt and puffy jacket, so I'll be fine. Some people just have a thin fleece blanket and no other warm gear thinking August would be hot, even at night. I know of one person who is in that boat but I don't want to mention any names. I offered to let her wear my puffy since my quilt keeps me plenty warm, but she declined. I tried.I hiked 16.5 miles today.
Date: 2015-08-07
From: Seth Warner Shelter

To: Melville Nauheim Shelter
Miles today: 13.1
Weather: clear sky

8/7/2015 day 127 - What a nice day. I left at my normal 7:30ish time and felt pretty good as I started walking down the trail. I carefully stepped it out a little bit, slowing down if I felt any discomfort. I made it to Congdon shelter by noon and ate a nice relaxing lunch and talked with Prayer and Joel, a section hiker. Dexter and Lost Boy joined us a little later, and 2 young ladies going southbound stopped in right as I was packing up. We compared notes on places to eat in towns that were coming up since we're going in opposite directions. I saw several southbounders on the trail today and wondered how many SoBos are on the trail this year. Usually it's only a couple of hundred. Someone mentioned that many might be hiking the long trail, which makes sense, this is the section where both trails share 105 miles. There was a pretty steep and rocky downhill where I slipped a little and I felt a twinge in my right Achilles, but I think it'll be alright. I slowed down and was careful the last 2 miles to Melville Nauheim shelter. I met a couple of weekend hikers, a couple of ladies from Maine, and a young lady who just started the long trail yesterday. One of the ladies from Maine, Trial Mama, gave the young lady her trail name, Bullets. She told us that she took the wrong path yesterday and ended up in someone's backyard. The man was target shooting so Bullets blew her whistle. He finally noticed here and said, "are you trespassing?" Bullets said no and started crying. I would have been scared at that point myself. It turns out the man was a police officer at the local town. He ended up giving Bullets a ride back to the trail. It going to be a nice cool evening and I'm hoping to get a good night's sleep. I hiked 13.1 miles today.
Date: 2015-08-08
From: Melville Nauheim Shelter

To: Story Spring Shelter
Miles today: 17.4
Weather: overcast clouds

8/8/2015 Day 128 - I woke up early this morning, around 2 am or so, to loud talking down near the shelter. I found out at breakfast that it was a couple that were camped nearby, and they got into a pretty heated argument, at 2 in the morning. I had my tent pitched about 100 feet uphill from the shelter and missed most of it from what I gathered. There are so few people arguing on the trail that it seems really odd when it happens. Anyway, I still got around 8 hours sleep, more than I do back home. These last few days have been really nice for hiking. The weather is just cool enough to keep you from overheating, and it keeps the mosquitoes away too. There was a lot of up and down today, but nothing difficult. I made it to Goddard Shelter by noon and had my typical 2 peanut butter and honey burrito wraps and some chips. I chilled for and hour enjoying the view from the shelter. After lunch I hit the trail and came across a fire tower just a half hour later. I climbed to the top and the view above the trees went on forever. I could see the Stratton Mountain, which I'll be climbing tomorrow and ranges of mountains off into the horizon. It was breathtaking. I move on and stopped at Kid Gore Shelter where I ran into 3 young ladies, one of which was Dr. Bullets, the medical student that was at the shelter last night. We talked for a little and I wished them well and moved on. I made it to the Story Spring Shelter at around 6:30 or so and there were quite a few people there. A mix of AT and Long Trail hikers going NoBo and SoBo. Lost Boy and Dexter built a fire. Later on Dexter pulled out his ukulele and Prayer his harmonica. They played some easy blues music. A nice night to end a nice day.
Date: 2015-08-09
From: Story Spring Shelter

To: William B. Douglas Shelter
Miles today: 15.3
Weather: overcast clouds

8/9/2015 Day 129 - I set off at around 7:30 am and it felt good to hike in the cool morning weather. About an hour later I came across Boots and Wanabe as they were breaking down their stealth campsite. I hadn't seen them in at least a month. It's always a pleasant surprise to see people you never thought you would see again on the trail. I hiked on and soon reached the base of Stratton Mountain. I was expecting a tough climb, but it turned out to be pretty nice. I reached the top at around 11:30 am. There were quite a few people on top, mostly day hikers who I think came up on the gondola a mile away, and everyone wanted to go to the top of the fire tower. I sat down on a comfortable looking rock and ate some lunch. There's a caretaker couple who where staying in a hut nearby and one of them, I forget her name, gave all the thru hikers a slice of watermelon. She was very nice. I wanted to go to the top of the tower, but skipped it because there were a lot of people waiting to go to the top. It's kind of old and there's a maximum of 4 people who can be up there at one time. The pine trees, moss and ferns near the summit are favorites of mine. There was a rich pine smell that smells like Christmas. Gotta love it. I hiked a few more miles to Stratton Pond and soaked up the beauty of it all. A reminder of how fortunate I am to be able to hike the trail. I decided to just go 15.3 miles today and go to to William B. Douglas shelter. It's 0.5 off of the trail, which I would usually avoid, but there are a lot of hikers around and I thought it would less crowded. I figured most people would go to Spruce Peak shelter, 3 miles further on down the trail. I showed up to Douglas shelter and there was only 1 person there, Old Man River. He's not a thru hiker, but someone who is pretty much living on the trails around Vermont this summer. He told me his social security isn't really enough to have an apartment. He's obviously an intelligent guy, well educated, and interesting company. Lost Boy showed up a little later. Old Man River built a fire and we sat around talking for a couple of hours before Lunar Worm and his girlfriend (forgot her name) showed up. I hit the sack around 9 pm. Another great day on the trail.
Date: 2015-08-10
From: William B. Douglas Shelter

To: Manchester Center
Miles today: 5.8

8/10/2015 Day 130 - Heading into Manchester Center for a resupply today and it's only 5.8 miles of AT trail to get to the trailhead at the road, then about 5 more miles to town. I felt really strong, so I stepped it out a bit hoping to flag down the morning bus as it passes by around 9:30 am. The Vegans; Steven, Colton, and Cheyenne, passed me as we approached the road. When I got there they already had their thumbs out. I stopped on the roadside to check the bus times when a gentleman in a pickup stopped for Cheyenne and Colton. They always stop for the pretty girls. Anyway, he had enough room for all 4 of us and he took us to the grocery store in town. We all went to a local bagel shop and had second breakfast. The Vegans are really nice young people, and I enjoyed their company. I hiked on up to Sutton's Place and talked to the owner, Frank. It turns out that I called a different place and he wasn't expecting me, which was a bit embarrassing on my part. Frank was cool about it and had a vacant room so it worked out. He has a nice old home that he's made into a guest house. I met a Long Trail hiker named Matthew, aka Tank, who has been hiking for 4 days and seems to have a touch of Achilles tendonitis. Tank hasn't done a lot of hiking but has ridden a bicycle across the U.S. A few times, taking a year and a half to go 18000 miles. Very impressive. He has a web page, vet ride for life, that outlines his journey.Frank told me there was a storm coming through tomorrow and that it was going to rain fairly heavy all day. I'm considering taking a zero to chill and plan the next leg of my hike.
Date: 2015-08-11
From: Manchester Center

To: Manchester Center, VT
Miles today: 0.0

8/11/2015 Day 131 - I decided to take a Zero at Sutton's Place to rest and stay out of the rain. It rained much of the day with a couple of downpours. Had nice conversations with Bon Bon, Tank, and the nice couple from Florida. I also ate quite a bit of food. I'm down to 185, which is pretty light for me.
Date: 2015-08-12
From: Manchester Center, VT

To: Lost Pond Shelter
Miles today: 14.8
Weather: light rain

8/12/2015 Day 132 - I had every intention of getting out the door by 7:30 am, but that didn't quite work out. I got a cup of coffee, sat in the overstuffed chair in the living room and before you know it everyone is up and we're talking away. I enjoyed it quite a bit, but I didn't get out of there until after 8 am. Tank walked with me down to Mrs. Murphy's donut shop and we ate breakfast. After wolfing down a Canadian bacon, cheese and egg breakfast sandwich, we hit the road. It was over 5 miles to the trailhead so we stuck out our thumbs and soon got a ride. There was a little confusion at first and we were going the wrong way, but the nice couple went out of their way to get us where we were going. On the way the driver of the pickup did a u-turn to pick up another hiker, and to my surprise, it was 4B. I hadn't seen him in a couple of months. We got the the trail and I soon passed both Tank and 4B. It was all uphill for a couple of miles before I reached the peak of Bromley Mountain. There's a ski lift and a ski patrol warming shack up there, now empty and sitting quietly among the low lying clouds. I hiked on and stopped at Peru Peak Shelter for a late lunch at 2:30 pm. Afterward, I hiked another 4.7 to Lost Pond Shelter where I set up for the night. Toes and Brewery were there as well as a couple of section hikers. We were soon joined by a young couple from Georgia who are thru hiking and 4B made it there as well. Toes made a fire, but just when he got it going it began to rain and after a while, it went out. We all sat in the shelter and talked about the different places we've been on the trail as we waited out the rain. It's still raining as I write this. I hike 14.8 miles today.
Date: 2015-08-13
From: Lost Pond Shelter

To: Que's Whistle Stop Restaurant
Miles today: 17.6

8/13/2015 Day 133 - I planned on hiking 18+ miles today to get to Clarendon Shelter but Toes passed me on the trail this morning and said there was a restaurant 0.5 miles off the trail when you reach VT 13. He said they serve burgers and let you tent on the lawn in back of the restaurant. I looked at my guide, and sure enough, Que's Whistle Stop Restaurant is right where he said. I changed my plans right then and there, because they serve breakfast at 7 am too. I'm still hiking slow so as not to re-injure my Achilles and calf. The trail today took me over a couple of mountains that made me breath a little hard, but nothing too difficult.I decided to eat lunch at Greenwall Shelter 0.2 miles off trail. I do this every so often, even if it take a little more time, but today probably wasn't a good day to do it since I wanted to get to the restaurant before it closed. I also got distracted by the stacked rock sculptures that hikers build as they go through this certain pine wooded area. There are so many. You have to wonder how long some of them have been there. It was getting a little late, so after a quick break at the Minerva Hinchey Shelter I stepped up my pace and made it to the restaurant at 6:25 pm. As I approached the restaurant, this big black lab started barking and was coming at me with an aggressive demeanor so I slowly backed away and tried to calm him down. The cook came out of the restaurant and said that it was ok, he won't bite. That's all well and good, but how am I suppose to know that? Anyway, we got formally introduced and the lab ignored me from then on out. I went inside and had great service, a delicious burger, fries and chocolate shake. The owner also gave me a really good homemade brownie, on the house. I set up my tent out back and will be getting a big breakfast in the morning. Toes and Brewery said the traffic was too loud, so they're going to the next shelter 1.5 miles up the trail.I've lost 30 pounds so far and don't want to lose any more if I can help it, so I'm staying for the night. I feel pretty good after the 17.6 mile day.