morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2017-08-01
From: Dennytown Road

To: Stormville, NY
Miles today: 15.8
Weather: overcast clouds

Today was a hot one and, despite an early start, we were feeling whipped before lunchtime. Luckily, the trail passed right by Clarence Fahenstock State Park, where there was a lake, showers and a concession stand! We didn't think twice about taking a dip in the fantastically cool water, and lounging around the snack stand while our clothes dried. It was exactly what we needed to feel up to hiking the last 10 miles of our day, not to mention the deli/pizza place waiting for us in Stormville, NY where we are now camped for the night. We're starting to settle back into our routine and, after such a long break from regular trail life, the hardest thing to readjust to has surprisingly not been our heavy packs, but the nightly battle against the mosquitoes as we attempt to settle into camp and get some sleep. Needless to say we are looking forward to movingly north and into some cooler weather!
Date: 2017-08-02
From: Stormville, NY

To: Telephone Pioneers Shleter
Miles today: 11.7
Weather: overcast clouds

Another sweltering day today, we struggled to maintain our sanity as we were swarmed with gnats and mosquitos, but still made good time, trying to get as many miles in before the thunderstorm forecast for the afternoon. We got in before the rain and decided a siesta was in order, as the forecast was calling for severe thunderstorms and possible hail. Frustratingly, the storm held off for a few hours, and just as we were planing to head back out, came in full force. We reluctantly decided to hunker down for the night, the only upside is a local woman we met walking her adorable pup, Peaches, who stopped by the shelter to say hi to all the hikers here tonight.
Date: 2017-08-03
From: Telephone Pioneers Shleter

To: Mt. Algo Shelter
Miles today: 21.2
Weather: few clouds

Today was a trial. We started out strong, up and out of the shelter by 7:15, we had 14.1 miles done before lunchtime and felt great! We crossed into Connecticut early (goodbye New York - 9 states down, 5 to go) and stopped into the Bulls Bridge country store for lunch, where they have water, outlets and wifi(!!) for hikers. As it was another hot day we hung out there for a while, cooling off and waiting out some of the worst heat. Even with the long lunch break, we were back on trail and making good time to make it to Kent, CT where we would resupply and then move on to camp for the night. We had a few tough climbs, but still rolled into Mt. Algo Shelter just after 6, just 0.3 miles from the road to Kent. Looking forward to some Chinese food and a resupply we trucked on down to the road and began walking the 0.8 miles into town, hoping against hope someone might offer us a ride (even such a short distance is a lot for us after hiking so many miles a day). Unfortunately, we did not get a ride and discovered upon arriving to town that the only grocery store closed at 7PM! Our first thought was to try to find somewhere to camp or cheap lodging around town. No dice, no camping anywhere around town (without walking back to the trail - so far away!) and the cheapest lodging a $100+ per night B&B. Bleh. So we were faced with the decision to walk back to the trail to camp, back to town in the morning to resupply and back again, or try and pull together a resupply from the local gas station mart. We went with the latter, stocking up on protein bars and chips (only 2 days to the next town), and trudged dejectedly back to the trail, envious of every person we passed, knowing they were going home to cool, dry houses with no mosquito swarms or rain concerns. While we realize not having these things is what we signed up for when we started the trail, some days are harder than others, and today was a tough one. On a positive note we did get Chinese food for dinner, so perhaps the trip into town was worthwhile after all
Date: 2017-08-04
From: Mt. Algo Shelter

To: Pine Swamp Brook Shelter
Miles today: 17.3
Weather: few clouds

We woke up a little late but in better spirits this morning, feeling rested enough despite the onslaught of mosquitoes last night. We heard the forecast for today called for some early afternoon thunderstorms, and we hoped to at least make it the 7 miles to the next shelter for lunch before they began. We almost made it, with only about a mile to go when the rain started, and while we've actually been hoping for some rain to break the humidity, the lightning we could do without. Fortunately, we made it to the shelter relatively quickly, soaked but safe, and settled in for a little siesta to wait out the storm. While waiting we enjoyed a blissfully bug-free (compared to the nighttime swarms) nap and met thru-hiker Radio, who informed us that the "Package Store" (aka liquor store) in the next town gave a free refreshment to every hiker that came in to sign their log book. Sweet! Once the thunder and lightning stopped, and we felt our sock were as dry as they would get, we made a beeline for Cornwall Bridge, CT where we did indeed each receive a wonderful refreshment of our choice after signing the log book. After all this we still had 6 miles to finish up our day, and as it was already after 6 we knew we would be doing some hiking in the dark, especially because Kevin's knee has been hurting him today so we are moving a little slower than usual. Still, we made good time and only had to hike the last few miles with our headlamps. An inconsiderate hiker has set their tent up in the shelter however, so we set up our tarps and are now finally ready for some much needed rest
Date: 2017-08-05
From: Pine Swamp Brook Shelter

To: Toymakers Cafe
Miles today: 8.0
Weather: overcast clouds

We woke up to rain today, getting the day off to a slow start as we were reluctant to venture out into it. Things started to clear up around 9am, and though most of our stuff was still wet from yesterday we packed up headed out, counting on some afternoon sun to dry us out later on. Unfortunately, only a few miles into our day it became apparent that Kevin's knee pain was more than the usual soreness, as it was getting progressively worse. We had a bit of a dilemma, because the ideal solution would be to just stop hiking and rest it for the day where we were, but since we had been planning to resupply tomorrow we were both too low on food to be comfortable stopping so far from a town. The nearest town was Falls Village, 8 miles from the shelter, and it only had a cafe and inn, but we figured that was better than nothing, so Kevin toughed it out and we took our time making our way in. We were able to get some food, spend the afternoon resting up, and are now camped at the cafe, which allows hikers to spent the night on their lawn for free. We are hoping with the short day today and extended rest Kevin will be feeling better tomorrow!
Date: 2017-08-07
From: Toymakers Cafe

To: Falls Village, CT
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

Unfortunately Kevin was still experiencing some pretty intense pain in his knee Sunday morning, prompting us to make the decision to take a day off trail to rest. We were in a bit of a pickle because the town we stopped in had nowhere for us to resupply and we were running very low on food, so we were going to try and push on to the next town which was about 8 miles away even with the knee pain. Fortunately a local we had met the day before ran into us just as we're we're heading out and we started to talk again. After explaining the difficulties Kevin was having, the man, Joe, invited us to stay with him and rest for the next two days. Joe is a retired business owner who is one of the most kind hearted human we have met on the trail, he took us out to dinner and ice cream the first night and really made us feel like we were at home. The next day he cooked breakfast and dinner for us and we were able to spend the day discussing life and trail experiences with him while Kevin was able to rest the bum knee for another full day. We hope to be back at it Tuesday, and are so grateful for the kindness of people like Joe we've met along the trail that have helped keep us going, even when things get tough.
Date: 2017-08-08
From: Falls Village, CT

To: Salisbury, CT
Miles today: 7.7
Weather: light rain

We got back on trail today after Joe took us out to a wonderful breakfast to start us off strong. Unfortunately, only a few miles in, Kevin's knee began to act up again and we decided there might be need for more than just a few days off. Fortunately where we are in CT is still only a few hours from Brittany's parents house and we were able to call them in for a rescue. We're going to spend a few more days off with them in NJ and possibly get to a doctor to see if we can get a more definitive prognosis on the knee in question. On a lighter note, the road we stopped at to be picked up marks 1500 miles walked!
Date: 2017-08-13
From: Salisbury, CT

To: Brassie Brook Shelter
Miles today: 4.2
Weather: light rain

After a restful 4 days off at Brittany's parents home, we are back on trail today! While we were off, Kevin saw a doctor who confirmed our guess that the pain was stemming from an inflamed IT band (Iliotibial band - a common injury among thru hikers and many serious athletes). He was given a hefty knee brace and a round of strong anti-inflammatory drugs to help manage the pain, and assured that while the injury may continue to be painful, continuing to hike will not cause any lasting damage. While this we good to hear, even after four days of rest, the pain came back today only a few miles into our hike and Kevin is now faced with the decision to try and push through the pain or take a significantly longer break to heal and potentially have to finish the trail next year. For now he is set on pushing through this and we are hopeful the pain may diminish, or at least not worsen, but we will be taking it slow and feeling things out day to day until further notice.
Date: 2017-08-14
From: Brassie Brook Shelter

To: Great Barrington, MA
Miles today: 16.4
Weather: clear sky

We had a rough day today. Despite our hopes, Kevin's knee pain is only getting worse and we are thinking it may be time for some more drastic measures. We made it to the town of Great Barrington, where we are deciding whether Kevin should attempt to seek further medical advice here, or whether he should return home, to make it easier to see a doctor he is familiar with and get things figured out. Unfortunately, with the amount of time we have taken off recently, and the looming threat of winter conditions as we move north and into cooler months, there isn't much time left to be off trail without jeopardizing the completion of our hike this year. Brittany is hopeful that she will be able to continue on, and be rejoined by Kevin once he is fully healed, though we had hoped to never have to make this painful decision.
Date: 2017-08-15
To: View Entry
Miles today: 8.0
Weather: light rain

This morning, after laying out our options, and considering what we felt was every possible solution, Kevin chose to end his hike, for now, to prevent the possibility of doing irreparable damage to his knee. Brittany's initial decision, was to continue on and attempt to summit Katahdin for both of us, and to complete this journey as was always intended. After discussing this decision with her family, however, it became clear that hiking on alone would bring an undue amount of stress and fear into their lives, along with some lack of the satisfaction that would otherwise be had by finishing the trail, as it was started, together. Therefore, though we have 'ended' our hike for this year, we are not done with the Appalachian Trail by a long shot. As soon as Kevin's knee is fit to undertake the extreme stress that is thru-hiking, and the weather permits, of course, we'll be back at it, making our way to Katahdin one step at a time. Note:For the entire 4 months and 5 days I walked the Appalachian Trail, I felt it had to be the hardest thing I would ever do. (And as I haven't finished it yet, the jury's still out on whether it will be!). But I was shocked to find, that what was even harder than hiking the AT, was leaving it. Having my entire life, every day, revolve around dragging myself up, to hike umpteen miles towards this shining prize that is the final summit of Mt. Katahdin; to say it changed my perspective on things would be a gross understatement. I grew accustomed to life at 3 mph, and with that all of the joys and woes and pressures of being a 'thru-hiker'. And while I did my best to appreciate the hiking as much as I knew I would the hike itself, I can't say I didn't let the goal get in the way of the journey on some days. That, if nothing else, helped me decided that finishing the AT with the person I began it with, and the sanity of my worried family were not worth sacrificing for my fixation on being a "True Thru-Hiker" and that, when I am able to reach Katahdin, by way of every AT mile I have yet to walk, I will be able to appreciate this odyssey for every bit of heartbreak it has brought me alongside every triumph. -Brittany
Date: 2018-06-09
From: Great Barrington, MA

To: Shaker Campsite
Miles today: 9.2
Weather: few clouds

Back on the trail! Though Timber is still unable to complete his hike in the foreseeable future I, Library, have decided to resume and (hopefully) complete my hike while I have the opportunity. I am hiking with a new partner who bravely volunteered to accompany me on the remainder of my journey to Mt. Katahdin and hopes to complete the rest of the trail in the near future himself. We are starting out relatively small as I am well aware of the slow process gaining our trail legs will be and hope to avoid any early injuries this year. We started today with my sister Tory and her boyfriend Caleb who were kind enough to drive us from their home in Boston to the trailhead outside Great Barrington, MA and hike the first few miles with us! After branching off we settled into the familiar grind and (despite starting after noon) reached our campsite before dinner time. A good start!
Date: 2018-06-10
From: Shaker Campsite

To: Upper Goose Pond Cabin
Miles today: 9.9
Weather: broken clouds

We took our time today, trying to take it all in as we only had ~10 miles to hike and all day to hike them. We tried identifying the wildflowers we saw and took pictures of those we couldn't for future identification. We were most excited to reach our destination, Upper Goose Pond Cabin, where we heard there were canoes for hiker use and swimming in the "pond". We arrived just after 2, with plenty of time, for canoeing (we passed on swimming as it was pretty brisk around the pond) and put our feet up while we had the opportunity. Not too long after thru hikers Cave Man and Bear Chaser rolled in inquiring about a pancake breakfast! (We had heard rumors but were unwilling to get our hopes too high. But no need, there was one!) Other hikers tricked in throughout the afternoon and we met another thru hiker named HoneyBear and a section hiker calling himself a LASH-er (Long A** Section Hiker) as he hikes a few hundred miles each year to piece together his 2000 miles. To top it off, the cabin caretaker helped us identify all of the wildflowers we had seen!
Date: 2018-06-11
From: Upper Goose Pond Cabin

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

Another exciting day today, we passed the infamous "Cookie Lady" who always has fresh cookies available for hikers passing through! She runs a blueberry farm and also offers camping to hikers if there is space, which we were considering as it was about 11 miles into our day. We arrived around 2PM again, however, and were feeling good so we decided to push the extra 6.5 miles to the next shelter, putting us just outside Dalton for tomorrow. Can you say hot breakfast!? Most exciting, my hiking partner, Fordyce, has received a trail name! After meeting us yesterday, Bear Chaser and Cave Man had discussed it and come up with "Overdue", and shared it with us when we reached the shelter. We felt it fit for various reasons and Fordyce approved and will henceforth be Overdue!
Date: 2018-06-12
From: Kay Wood Shelter

To: Cheshire, MA
Miles today: 12.0
Weather: clear sky

Feeling good this morning, despite our long day yesterday, we trucked the 3 miles into Dalton for a shower at the town CRA and breakfast at a local favorite, Juice and Java! We hung around town for a while, enjoying the beautiful weather, charging up our electronics and relishing our full bellies. Finally mustering up the energy to move on around noon, we pushed to Crystal Mountain campsite, our planned stop for the night, a nice short 8 mile day. Despite spending most of he morning lounging around Dalton, we reached crystal mountain around 2:30 and, after a rest and a snack, decided we were not quite ready to quit, and that we would push on to Cheshire, MA where a local church allows hikers to camp on their lawn. We knew we had made the right decision when we walked into town and immediately passed a tiny roadside place advertising floats and milkshakes...drool. Having slugged down our floats and located the camping spot, we are now settled in for the night, ready to pick up our first mail drop tomorrow at the Cheshire PO and head on to Greylock!
Date: 2018-06-13
From: Cheshire, MA

To: Mark Noepel Shelter
Miles today: 5.1
Weather: mist

A nice morning out of town today, picking up our goat mail Drop from the Cheshire PO and a half dozen donuts (still working up our hiker hunger) for breakfast, leaving town full, rested and happy. As we headed out, a few locals informed us that there was some serious rain in the forecast for the afternoon, and more intense storms overnight. So, while we had hoped to hike over Mt. Greylock today, we decided we'd hike to the next shelter, about half way to the summit, break for lunch and play it by ear. By lunchtime things were not looking good so we stayed put, a little antsy after only hiking 5.1 miles but hesitant to climb any further with the storm rolling in. By mid afternoon we were glad we'd stayed put, as more hikers scurried in, desperate to escape the deluge. Our final count was 18 hikers (listed below) packed into a shelter made for 10!Cave Man (Buddy)Mountain MamaEmpty Bottle CandymanTravelerHoney&Moon Furnace HoagieSnifflesHansel&Gretel+4 unnamed thru-hikers that came in after dark (and myself and Overdue)
Date: 2018-06-14
From: Mark Noepel Shelter

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

Today was detour day! We were up early to try and catch some morning sun on Greylock's summit (highest point in MA) without the crowds, and succeeded, reaching the peak by 7AM! Despite a biting wind, we were glad to have waited for morning to climb up as we were rewarded with clear skies and a 360 view of the surrounding countryside. From there we descended to the Money Brook falls trail, a spur trail off the AT (off trail miles...shudder) where Overdue had blazed some trail with his SCA crew and wanted to see how it had held up. The sidetrack proved worth it as the trail had held up well and ended in some sweet falls to boot! Once back on the AT we descended into the Hoosic River gap, between the towns of North Adams and Williamstown, to find that a local family, the Morans, had a set of bicycles readily available for hiker use to explore the area! Despite our first detour, we were ahead of schedule and couldn't pass up the chance to ride into town and grab some hot food and ice cream! North Adams was just what we needed, stopping first for BLT's and popcorn at Empire Cafe and then picking up a pint of Ben & Jerry's to top us off. When we finally rolled out of town, detours done for the day, we still had enough time to hike past our planned campsite and into VT for the night! 3 states to go!!!
Date: 2018-06-15
From: Seth Warner Shelter

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

We woke up to rain today, making it hard to leave the tent and get going for the day. When we finally made it out of camp it was after 9, our latest start yet! We took it slow, not wanting to push it in the wet conditions and were greeted with drying skies and some sun by lunchtime. We laid out gear out to dry and prepared to make the descent into, and subsequent climb out of the gap leading to Bennington, VT. As we don't need to resupply yet, or take a day off, we skip Bennington hoping to push to Manchester, VT for our next town stop. However, as we descend into the gap we come across Overdue's first trail magic! A box of snacks and a place to leave our trash! While my resupply still felt fresh (and heavy) in my pack so I didn't partake, Overdue wolfed down an entire can of Chef Boyardee Ravioli right then and there! This excitement gave us the energy to climb out and finish our day strong.
Date: 2018-06-16
From: Melville Nauheim Shelter

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

We climbed Glastonbury Mountain today, getting up in our first fire tower, which had an amazing view of the ridge line we've been following and our big climb tomorrow, Stratton Mountain! It's been buggy the last few days and today was no exception, being up in the tower provided some brief relief from biting gnats and flies, but back on the ground we've been moving fast to keep them at bay. At least we can say it's paid off, as we've now hiked over 100 miles in our first 8 days!
Date: 2018-06-17
From: Story Spring Shelter 

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

We were up early today to climb Stratton before the heat of the day set in and made great time, getting up to the summit before 10am and saw our first bear along the way! We got up in our second fire tower and got an amazing view of the ski resort below as well as Stratton Pond, Bromley Mountian and Killington, all of which we're soon to encounter! After descending from the summit, we began hiking around Stratton Pond and found the perfect spot for lunch and a swim! Feeling refreshed we pushed to the shelter, getting ourselves just outside Manchester, VT; our next town stop!
Date: 2018-06-18
From: William B Douglas Shelter

To: Manchester, VT
Miles today: 5.8
Weather: overcast clouds

Only 6 miles into Manchester this morning! We were at the road waiting for a ride by 9:30 and having breakfast at a local favorite, "Up for Breakfast" by 10. We are staying at the Green Mountain House Hiker Hostel tonight but had some extra time in town before our scheduled pick up so, after breakfast and resupplying we decided to catch a matinee movie at the local theater. (We saw the Incredibles 2 and luckily it wasn't crowded so no one had to sit too close to us!) after be big picked up by Hostel owner (and former thru-Hiker) Jeff, we were able to shower, get our laundry done and air out our gear whilst relaxing and eating our fill of the $1 Ben and Jerry's pints of ice cream offered to hikers staying over! Heaven.
Date: 2018-06-19
From: Manchester, VT

To: Griffith Lake Campsite 
Miles today: 10.6
Weather: broken clouds

A wonderful start to our day at the Hostel this morning, all you can eat pancakes! Thanks, again, to Jeff (Hostel owner & Hiker shuttler) we were stuffed and waddling up the trail by 9am. Being full to bursting with syrupy pancakes doesn't make for very fast hiking, so we had a nice relaxing morning trucking up Bromley mountain (those green circles sure seem steep when you're climbing up them). We made it up and over Bromley, down into Mad Tom Notch and back up to Styles Peak for lunch with a view, sweet! After that we decided to take it easy and only hike a few more miles and end our day at Griffith Lake where we were able to sit by the water, soak our feet and enjoy a lazy afternoon in the sun.