morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2016-07-28
From: William B. Douglas Shelter

To: Kid Gore Shelter
Miles today: 19.9
Weather: broken clouds

July 28, 2016Kid gore Shelter mile 564.8    19.9 miles hiked19.9 miles today. Really? It couldn¢t have been 20? But who is bragging about crushing miles, heh-heh. My legs were independent from the rest of my body and decided to move right along. It was a hot, humid day so I drank a ton of water, ate a lot of snacks but felt pretty good all day. I found 2 beautiful springs on either side of Stratton¢s summit. Kind of a hazy view from the tower and the care takers weren't around. Hmmmf, also lots of moose poop all around but yet again I see NO moose. This is my last state that I could stumble onto one of those big critters. The terrain was forgiving and it was nice to keep a good and steady pace. Hardly any people out and about. Kid Gore has a fantastic view, it sits up high and looks out into a valley. Its going to be a nice sunrise. There are limited tenting spots, One just down from the shelter, one past the privy on the side of the valley wall looking back to the shelter. Some other sites are further up the trail and have no view. I am in the shelter tonight because the 2 tent sites are taken. Granite State is tenting, I don¢t catch the other tenter, my shelter mate is Fire Starter from Nashville. It¢s a quiet but nice evening. Firestarter and I awake in the middle of the night to some kind of loud scraping outside the shelter. She got up and took a peek, it was a porcupine going to town EATING the outside of the shelter wall! She snapped a picture of the nocturnal diner and he left after one more big chomp. Some of the shelters have chicken wire around the the lower third and underneath to discourage the porkies. I know they love salt and there are warnings from other hikers in the shelter logs to keep your boots and hiking poles UP. You don't want to wake up with big holes chewed through your foot wear or have your hiking pole handles look like a chewed up corn cob. Granite State had a delicious dinner made with Stove Top Stuffing. I might try that next resupply.Insect SOBO 2016
Date: 2016-07-29
From: Kid Gore Shelter

To: Melville Naugheim shelter
Miles today: 12.8
Weather: light rain

July 29, 2016Melville Naughiem Shelter  mile 577.6    12.8 miles hikedI am staying here because it is as close to Route 9 as I can get. My friend is picking me up tomorrow and taking me off trail for the day and night!! I will be staying in Bennington playing a tourist with my friend. This is very exciting. I have never been to Bennington, it looks like an Artsy place, right up my alley. Another humid day, it finally started raining. Everything is so so green, it¢s really beautiful. I am happy about the rain, it makes me feel cooler and gets rid of the sticky coating on my skin. I don't bother with my rain jacket, its too warm, its kind of like nature¢s shower and laundry service. I took a dip in Hell Hole brook, felt good but the water smelled faintly weird- like a pond. Now I am just standing in the rain to get rid of the Hell Hole smell. Maybe its just me that smells weird? There is a young kid here, an end to ender. I will stay in the shelter tonight, its still raining. The path to the privy is a river. I can sleep in tomorrow!!I love all these visits from family and friends. It means the world to me. Insect SOBO 2016
Date: 2016-07-30
From: Melville Naugheim shelter

To: VT route 9 Bennington
Miles today: 1.6
Weather: clear sky

July 30, 2016VT route 9 mile 579.2  1.6 miles hikedWhat a good nights sleep. The morning was fairly dry but grey clouds lingered in the sky. I have a short 1.6 mile hike to route 9, where my friend will pick me up. I have been away for over 60 days and miss my friend. I think this will be the last visit from home as I will be kind of far away for anyone to travel to meet me. It¢s nice that they come this far. I get to laze around the shelter for a long while. It¢s amazing how sleepy and lazy I get when I know I have time and short miles to do. I had breakfast and went back to snooze. It was a short fast hike to the road. There were 2 hikers trying to hitch and having a hard time, unusual in Vermont. Both eventually picked up rides. My ride came, as I ran to her car I noticed 2 north bound hikers coming out to the road and spotted my friend¢s car. They started running. I said a hurried hello to my friend and quickly explained that in about 10 seconds 2 smelly hikers are going to run over and ask for a ride into town. They think you have just picked up a hiker-hitcher, Me! She has no idea of the position I put her in, picking me up at a trailhead. What was I thinking! My friend is a good sport and the North Bounders climbed in, expressing gratitude, filling the car with hiker perfume. My friend quietly opened all the windows. I hoped I didn¢t still smell like Hell Hole Brook. We stayed at the Paradise Inn, really comfortable and right across from a cafe. Paradise! We are both coffee freaks. After a shower and wearing a clean tee shirt she brought for me, we hit the streets. Coffee at the Brown Cow, Stopped in 2 Russian Girls, Benington Pizza, The Bennington Museum, Grandma Moses and the Myron Avery Monument. I love Benington now, a big fan. We also ate at the Blue, a classic diner clad in shiny silver aluminum, booths and a counter. Nice. Why am I on the trail when I could just be hanging out with friends eating and visiting museums!? No, seriously, I still have all of my passion for the Appalachian Trail. It¢s just nice to totally remove myself from it every so often.. Thank you to my best friend for a wonderful time in Bennington Vermont.Insect SOBO 2016
Date: 2016-07-31
From: VT route 9 Bennington

To: Congdon Shelter
Miles today: 4.6
Weather: light rain

July 31, 2016Congdon Shelter mile 583.5    4.3 miles hikedUgh, a rainy hike to the shelter. I stayed in the shelter because¢¦.of the rain. I got a nice spot by the wall and curled up in my sleeping bag, I am full of food and good memories from my towncation. No big climbs today except a short bit up and over Harmon Hill. Everything is very green and shiny. I don't mind the change of scenery from dry to wet after I acclimatize myself to the rain. Your eye pics up on different things, usually small things closer to you. A rock, leaf, neon orange fungi, the teeny tiny toad that moves in front of your shoe. I find rain puts me in a small bubble and I notice different things than on a sunny day. It¢s crowded with sections and a couple of North Bounders. We all sit around and enjoy the rain. Nothing else to doTomorrow, a new month and a new state quite possiblyInsect SOBO 2016
Date: 2016-08-01
From: Congdon Shelter

To: Wilbur Clearing Shelter
Miles today: 17.1
Weather: light rain

August 1, 2016Wilbur Clearing  mile 600.6   17.1 miles hiked      14 days in VermontI am in Massachusetts!!! The 4th state! I have hiked 600 fabulous freaking miles!! I left quite late this morning, not on the trail until 8:00. The trail was kind of flat and marshy with a half dozen or so half hearted climbs. The marshy areas were spectacular, I stayed at one, watching, watching for a long while. I think this might be my last opportunity to see a moose. It¢s upsetting to me that I STILL have never seen a moose. Other hikers pity me, I can tell. Nice fast pace on rolling terrain. I took the time to check out Sherman Brook Campsites, they were a distance from the trail and buggy. Something creeped me out so I huffed it back to the trail. It wasn't long until I was at this shelter setting up my tent. Its a big tenting area so I had a lot of space to myself even though there were a lot of people here. After I went in my tent for the night, I could hear Troubadour playing folk and then some jazz on his guitar. Nice. I truly enjoyed my State Line Celebration Snickers Bar.Insect SOBO 2016
Date: 2016-08-02
From: Wilbur Clearing Shelter

To: Cheshire Mass. St. Mary's
Miles today: 11.7
Weather: scattered clouds

August 2, 2016St. Mary¢s Church Basement Cheshire Mass. mile 612.3    11.7 miles hikedI woke early up to light rain, went pee real quick (do I really need to say that?) and right back to my sleeping bag. So unmotivated to pack up in the rain. Ick. The rain lessened to a drizzle around 10:00 and I reluctantly pack up, yucky wet tent, yucky wet food bag. I¢ve decided to go to Cheshire and stay in the basement of St. Mary¢s Church. Thank you to this generous church that lets thru hikers stay. Thanks to the Dunkin Donuts that is not too far away from St. Mary¢s. The sun finally comes out and stays out at 4:00. Today¢s hike went up 2 ridges and then up Mt. Greylock. There are lots of people up top because you can drive up there. It has an incredible view of the valley and North Adams Mass. Today, though, no view except for the clouds. I had a coffee and snack at the Bascomb Lodge on the summit, I sat in a uber comfortable leather chair and talked to some day hikers. Just hung out for an hour. The sun was coming out on my way down and out to stay by the time I reached the road. I stopped at the convenience store/ Dunkin Donuts and bought snacks and a sub for dinner. The trail goes right through a corn field on the way to town, a fun diversion. I set up my sleeping area at St. Mary¢s and figured out how to use the outside shower, that was nice. I also spread my tent and everything that was damp out in the sun. Even rinsed out my socks. I noticed that one of my Darn Tough socks is getting a hole in the heel! That never has happened! I will see if the lifetime warranty is a real thing or not. Some other hikers came in later after I was in bed.Massachusetts is very accommodating so far.Insect SOBO 2016
Date: 2016-08-03
From: Cheshire Mass. St. Mary's

To: Kay Woods Shelter
Miles today: 11.8
Weather: scattered clouds

August 3, 2016Kay Woods Shelter  mile 624.1  11.8 miles hikedSuch a great night¢s sleep at St. Mary¢s. It was a cool morning and I enjoyed it fully, hiking by 5:00 a.m. I was in the next trail town, Dalton, by 9:30. I got up early on purpose so I could spend some time in Dalton. I had a great breakfast at Juice and Java. I even read the newspaper and that made me feel very cosmopolitan. I had to skim the politics section because I find it truly horrific. I can¢t even write about it. The gas station resupply- slim pickings, but I managed to find jerky and bagels, peanut butter, nothing too exciting. My guidebook indicated that I could take a shower at the Community Center and yup, it¢s true. Very nice people there, they gave me a towel, washcloth, soap and shampoo. AWESOME! Hung out in the library for 3 hours enjoying the cool air. I read, uploaded photos and relaxed. I dragged myself out of town and hiked on to the Kay Woods shelter and set up my tent. It¢s been nice to go through a town 2 days in a row. The hiking in Massachusetts is not bad at all, rolling hills some with views and some without. I am liking Massachusetts. Highly recommend the Juice and Java Cafe for a cosmopolitan experience.Insect SOBO 2016
Date: 2016-08-04
From: Kay Woods Shelter

To: Upper Goose Pond Cabin
Miles today: 17.3
Weather: clear sky

August 4, 2016Upper Goose Pond Shelter  mile 641.7    17.6 miles hikedWhat a find! I had no idea about Upper Goose Pond! I kind of don¢t want to say too much because I don¢t want to ruin the surprise for anyone on the trail. All I will say is, take the half mile spur trail, its worth it. You will get PANCAKES! Excellent day to be on the trail, sun and a breeze, let¢s get going! The trail remains fairly easy with some climbs, rolling hills (mountains?). The trail also passed by 2 wetland areas and a rural airstrip. I rested at October Mountain shelter which is a big fancy place with a loft. Finnerty pond was also a great spot to hang out in the shade, enjoy the water and breeze. I got to go over Interstate 90, which for me was amazing because I have driven under the overpass a gazillion times and always thought, ¢One day, that will be me on the Appalachian Trail overpass.¢ Today was the day! Upper Goose Pond is a half mile spur, I knew as soon as I saw the cabin that I would zero here tomorrow. It has everything, a clear pond with a dock, huge bunk room, outdoor tenting, the cabin is rustic-great stone fireplace. The caretaker is a volunteer, and went above and beyond to make everyone¢s stay special. I picked out my bunk and went directly to the dock for a swim. There were many northbound hikers and 1 southbound hiker that I had met previously, Walking Tree. Walking Tree was from Germany and never took any kind of transportation other than his feet. If he couldn't walk somewhere, he didn't go. That is dedication to the idea of living on a footpath. I enjoyed his company and was glad to see him.UGP, check it out!Insect SOBO 2016
Date: 2016-08-05
From: Upper Goose Pond Cabin

To: nowhere
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

August 5, 2016Upper Goose Pond  641.7    0 miles hikedWhat a perfect zero day. The caretaker made blueberry pancakes and coffee for everyone. I can't tell you how much real coffee in the morning excites me. I usually drink tea because I just can¢t deal with the coffee grounds and I haven't found an instant that I really like. The blueberries were compliments of a hiker who had picked a bunch the day before and left them with the caretaker. Thank you anonymous hiker! After breakfast, I went down to the pond for a very cold swim and then back to my bunk for a morning nap. Lounging and lunch later, then just sitting the porch in a comfortable chair. A trail angel came in the early evening and made a huge spaghetti dinner with salad for anyone at the cabin. That makes 2 home made meals in one day. Incredible. A perfect day, not much more to say.Insect SOBO 2016
Date: 2016-08-06
From: Upper Goose Pond Cabin

To: Tom Leonard Shelter
Miles today: 21.1
Weather: few clouds

August 6, 2016Tom Leonard Shelter  mile 662.8     21.1 miles hikedSunny day (yay!) with humidity (yuck!) overall a sweet day for foot travel. The blueberry pancakes gave me fuel to walk a big mile day. Massachusetts is full of medium ups and downs. Half of the ¢tops¢ have views of more rolling hills, farms, fields, woods, It¢s really pretty. There are many more road crossings, however, they are back roads, not wide noisy interstates. Its kind of fun to step out of the woods briefly look up and down an empty road, so quiet, and continue on. I like to look up the road on the map to see my progress and calculate how long it will take to get to the next crossing. Going up the ups, there is a familiar progression. First, from the road is usually a field with a wooden fence, then hard wood woods with stone fences, then a brief rocky field with berries or brambles, a section of short fir trees up to a rocky top, sometimes with a view, sometimes forested with softwood (birch, fir). I had many ups and downs today, so I noted this progression and appreciated it. Although I don¢t like humidity (who does?), I am tolerating it. I am a little worried as to how I will get along if there is a heat wave. In my normal life, heat (over 75 degrees! starts to make me crabby) (humididty, ugh, ick, and HELP!) I can¢t help it, I love the winter and am used to a short 1 to 2 weeks during the summer of being uncomfortably hot and sticky sweaty. The Tom Leonard shelter is around the head of a ravine and I almost miss the spur trail. There are people tenting and the really good spaces are taken. It seems to be a popular day hike and weekend destination. I find a nice level spot right behind the shelter. The water was a trek downhill but flowing nicely. I took a wrong path back to the shelter and got turned around and found myself back at the water source! That¢s ridiculous! I try again and see my mistake, the mistake of course is not paying attention in the first place. No biggie. As I was making dinner, two familiar faces appeared, Pringles and Mojo! so nice to see them, it has been a while. They have been traveling together for while, and having lots of cool adventures. Mojo has a knack for finding trail magic and trail angels that take them in to their houses, feed them, let them sleep in a nice comfy bedroom and basically pamper them and put them back on the trail all full and sweet smelling. I guess that happens when your trail name is ¢MOJO¢Good reunion with a couple crazy South Bounders.Insect SOBO 2016
Date: 2016-08-07
From: Mass. route 7 Great Barrington

To: Glen Brook Tenting Area
Miles today: 7.9
Weather: moderate rain

August 8, 2016Glen Brook Shelter mile 677.1    7.9 miles hikedWet tent! What? I tented out in the open on a grassy field by the GB Community Center and woke up to condensation on the outside of my tent. Dang! The upside was that, if I waited for the sun to hit my tent, it would dry in a few minutes. Yup. I need to wait an hour or so. Breakfast! I bought a huge breakfast, coffee of course and ate it in the nice air conditioned Community Center. Maybe that was a mistake because my tent was long dry by the time I went to pack up. I noticed Speedo and Nemo were already gone. I packed and started my walk, passed by a McDonalds and decided to get another breakfast. Speedo and Nemo also had that idea and were chowing down some more super nutritious fast food. I chatted a bit with them and was on my way. I caught an easy ride to the trail head from a lady who had an interest in backpacking. I was the first thru hiker she gave a ride to. I hope I represented thru hikers well and that she will continue to be help foot weary travelers. What a beautiful hike today, hot, but ok. I had a long flat section and 1 climb to a ridge where I walked in sight of a beautiful valley for good while. There is an AT Head Quarters on this section, I don't remember the road but I decided to check it out. One of the employees gave me home made 3 bean salad and said I could hang out and eat at the outdoor patio. It¢s a beautiful property, has water, shade and outlets to charge up the tech. It¢s worth a stop. There was 1 climb of 1200 feet or so up Mount Bushnell, not to bad. The Glen Brook tenting area is beautiful. Right in a mature pine forest with little understory. the brook was running low, I had to follow it quite a while to find running water. To my surprise, this was an all women evening. The first time this whole trip, there were more than 1 or 2 other women! 2 sectioners- Mama Bear and Cub from NYC. They were hiking a section before Cub went off to college. Also met Faye from Atlanta, she sections every time she can. There was also a girls group camped a bit away from us. Another beautiful day on the AT in Massachusetts.Insect SOBO 2016
Date: 2016-08-08
From: Tom Leonard Shelter

To: Mass. route 7 Great Barrington
Miles today: 6.4
Weather: light rain

Aug. 7, 2016Mass. route 7 Great Barrington   mile 669.2    6.4 miles hikedGreat Barrington, well it is a great town. I got to route 7 after a very pleasant hike, not strenuous but of course, HOT. A generous person picked me up and drove me right to the Community Center. This is another example of how awesome people and towns can be. The Community Center is air-conditioned and has a lounge area, free coffee and outlets. You can just stay there all day if you want. Also, showers for a little fee, a huge tenting area and its right near a large grocery store. Perfect. So, shower, set up my tent, looked for new socks that was a bust, resupply, not a bust, ate right at the super market and back to lounge in the community center. 2 Southbounders were in town, Speedo and Nemo. I don¢t believe I had met them before. They said they were too stuffed to move. They had been to the super market and bought a roasted chicken. I mean chickens. They each ate an entire roasted chicken! and fixings! Speedo called me Ma¢am. He said this several times, each time he spoke to me actually. I asked him if he noticed he was calling me Ma¢am. Speedo- ¢Oh Insect Ma¢am, you don¢t understand. We are from Kentucky. If my Grammaw heard me speak to you without proper respect, well Ma¢am, she would come slap me up side my head. From experience, it really hurts!¢. Nemo- ¢Yes Ma¢am, a slap or she would pull his ear off. My Grammaw too.¢ OK then, I don¢t mind being Insect Ma¢am. Nice evening in Great Barrington.Nice meeting the Kentucky boys, Speedo and Nemo. Sincere and humorous guys.Insect SOBO 2016
Date: 2016-08-09
From: Glen Brook Tenting Area

To: Limestone Shelter
Miles today: 17.1
Weather: light rain

August 9, 2016Limestone Shelter mile 694.2    17.1 miles hikedGoodbye Massachusetts =  8 daysWelcome to Connecticut! State #5!!Happy Birthday to my brother Ron! Today, I am planning to say goodbye to Massachusetts and hello to Connecticut. This is State number 5! This is exciting. I am feeling very charged today after a really good nights sleep. Another beautiful hike, what can I say? Of course it was HOT, not as humid though. The water situation is becoming a pain in the butt. Since the water sources have been drying up, I take time each day to read the fine print in my guide and Guthook (map app) comments about the water coming up. It¢s also the first question asked when south bounders meet north bounders and vice versa. ¢How is the water coming up?¢ Trail Angels are leaving water caches at road crossings, sometimes there is a note in the shelter register or pinned to a tree about a cache up ahead. Anyway, I fill up and drink up at water sources when I come across them. So, I am carrying an extra-extra liter. Water is heavy. Massachusetts had the most vibrant and varied fern population. I was always coming around a corner to see a huge patch of ferns waving and swaying, like they were at a rock concert. Sometimes all of the ferns were still and there was one crazy fern whooping it up on its own. I liked that. I noticed as I am leaving Massachusetts the last 2 days my ferns patches are smaller and less frequent. Im going to miss the little guys. I climbed Mount Everett and Mount Race up to Laurel Ridge (long with los of views!) and over Bear Mountain. I took a break at Riga shelter where there was a wonderful view of Twin Lakes Valley. Seems like I just had a State Line Celebration Snickers Bar and yet here I was devouring another one. Felt Great!! I had a very quiet night at the Limestone shelter area which was enormous, a shelter and a large flat area with wooden tent pads. There was a group of 3 and a ridge runner. People were pretty subdued and kept to themselves. The campers had hammocks and they arranged them in a stack of 3 with one tarp. A stack of hammocks! I would not sleep in that bottom hammock. I had dinner, had the pleasure of rinsing in the tiny but flowing stream and off to bed. Nice day.Good bye to the ferns of Massachusetts.Insect SOBO 2016