morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2023-08-05
From: Crystal Mountain Campsite

To: Wilbur Clearing Shelter
Miles today: 15.6

Today was a good day! The weather was absolutely beautiful. We stayed dry from the rain, which is always a relief. As we spend time on trail, our tolerance for rain looks like a bell curve. We started to hike enough in the rain, that we though, ¢This isn¢t bad.¢ But now we are at a point where we are absolutely sick of it, and our tolerance is really low. We try to avoid the rain at all costs. This morning, Toaster, Bandit, Moose Jaw and I hiked to the next town. All they had was a gas station with a Dunkin¢ attached and a dollar general. We hung out at the gas station eating Dunkin¢ for an early lunch and having drinks to quench our thirst. We knew we had quite a climb for the next seven miles. It¢ll be the first time since Virginia that we are at an elevation above 3000 feet. At the gas station we met Haze and Beaker. They are other thru-hikers, and they were very kind. Haze saw me rolling toilet paper into small rolls. I told him, I wasn¢t crazy. It¢s just easier to use in the Privy. He liked the idea so much that he started rolling some himself. He¢s a physicist. After an hour and a half, we packed up our things and headed up the mountain to Mt. Graylock. It was nice to see and smell pine! Plus we got cool air and a wonderful breeze! The mosquitos were gone! The incline wasn¢t all that terrible! We finally made it to the top and went to the memorial tower after getting some food from the Bascom lodge at the top. We ate burgers and had some drinks. We saw so many other hikers, including Bob Ross and stogie, hello, sonic, sunny, marvel, dos Entrados, fire walker, lunch break, and a couple of SOBO hikers. It was nice hanging out with a bunch of other hikers!! Toaster, Bandit, Moose Jaw and I hiked out around 5:15 to go to the shelter. We were laughing the entire time talking mostly about poop. Yes, we have reverted back to being a toddler where we think poop is funny. The Campsite was really nice! Toaster, Bandit, Stogie, Bob Ross, Moose and I all sat together and drank our beers that we packed out. It was the first time we have done that in a while! We reminisced on other parts of trail and when we all first met each other. Fire Walker and Cambio joined us as we sat around the picnic table. It was really nice laughing with everyone! Especially talking about all the bad parts. People following our journey doesn¢t really get to see that. It¢s not like we are taking videos of us walking in the torrential downpour, or of us falling, or of us trucking through mud. It¢s been hard and rewarding. But it¢s been challenging to express how tiresome the miles are and how it wears on your body. After awhile, you just put up with it. So, besides my feet killing me (I have been having shooting pain in all parts of my feet), today was a good day!! ¢o
Date: 2023-08-06
From: Wilbur Clearing Shelter

To: Congdon Shelter
Miles today: 17.1

1600 MILES, BABY!! Katadan is starting to feel real!!This morning we woke up and had only about 3 miles until a small ¢town.¢ It¢s not really a town. More like an area we walked through that had a grocery¢s tore a mile down and a restaurant a quarter of a mile down in the opposite direction. Which¢¦ I guess people would call a town. It just isn¢t identified as a resupply town in our FarOut app (map of the trail). As we got to the cross-section, there was trail magic! A church provided a cooler with sodas! So Moose and I had a soda. Can I, Fire Walker, Bandit, Toaster, Bob Ross, Stogie, and Sheep Dog were already there enjoying some sodas! As Toaster, Bandit, Stogie, and Bob Ross went to the grocery store, Moose and I went to a restaurant down the road for breakfast. It was pretty good! Then we went back to trail to cross into Vermont!!Welcome to Vermont!! I mean VerMUD!! Mud, mud, mud, everywhere!! This is just wild! And we heard from some southbound hikers that it gets worse!! About 5 miles before shelter, the weather was beautiful and we got a great view, so Toaster, Bandit, Moose, Stogie, Fire Walker and I all took a break. Everyone was there before Moose and I arrived, so we joined them! We were ready for a break as well. We ate snacks, soaked up the sun and views, and Toaster and I made baby cairns. It was so nice!! It reminded me a lot of North Carolina when we actually had views to hang out at. It was wonderful!! Reminded me that what we are doing and the things we are seeing are beautiful! ¢o  We made our way to camp, and Moose Jaw and I stayed in the shelter. My sleeping bad had deflated several times through the night. Also, since we knew it would rain early in the morning, we decided it was best to not tear down our tent in the rain. The shelter and tent spaces were full!! I think it¢s from a mix of south bound and north bound hikers!Anyways, today was so nice!
Date: 2023-08-07
From: Congdon Shelter

To: Bennington, VT
Miles today: 4.3

We left camp early!! We were walking out of camp by 7 in the morning!! I didn¢t sleep well, because my sleeping pad kept deflating and everyone was pretty noisy in the shelter. I was happy to make it town. It has also been five days since our last shower and laundry. We really needed to clean ourselves and our clothes. We constantly wear wet clothes either from sweat or rain! And of course it was raining as we walked to town. But that¢s okay! Moose and I had a great time together. Chatting as we went along! As we were waiting on our ride, Toaster was dancing in the rain. She had us all in tears laughing because her Danny pack was flopping everywhere. It was great!The owner of the Inn picked Bandit, Toaster, Moose and I up from trail. We dropped our bags off outside the Inn since our rooms weren¢t ready. The owner was going to drive back to the trailhead to pick up more hikers, so he dropped the four of us off at the Angry Egg. Breakfast was DELICIOUS!! We all scarfed down our food. I woke up too early to eat before we left for town!We hung out at the breakfast joint for so long that we decided to walk down the street to get milkshakes! Everyone loves a good milkshake. And that¢s all the four boys can ever talk about on trail! While Bandit and Moose Jaw were hanging out at the milkshake shop, Toaster and I went to get manicures. It made me feel BEAUTIFUL AND CLEAN!! I was so happy I decided to walk to the nail salon. Toaster and I had a great time! When we walked back to the Inn, our rooms were ready. So we all got our laundry around and took showers. For $5, the owner would do our laundry for us. This is really nice for hikers, because it gives us our time back! It was really funny that the entire motel had zero vacancies, but zero vehicles in the lot. The Inn was full of thru-hikers! We all hung outside our rooms together on the benches. Magic feather, a thru-hiker that did a large section of trail with Bob Ross and Stogie (Moose and I met her back at the NOC / before mile marker 200) shuttled us to the store to resupply, to get milkshakes (again), to meet her son and daughter-in-law (they offered to slackpack us on Wednesday, and to dinner. We all had a wonderful time together! It was great seeing her! He son lives about 15 minutes away and she lives further up north! We hope to see her again on trail in about a week or so!After dinner, we all went back to the Inn and went to bed. It was a long and eventful day! We had a great time together!!Sayings of the day:(1) ¢Don¢t trifle with the chili!¢(2) ¢Don¢t moose with me!¢
Date: 2023-08-08
From: Bennington, VT

To: Bennington, VT
Miles today: 0.0

Mood: °Today we slept in and it was wonderful! When we decided to get up, we started our chores. I packed our resupply (food) while Moose Jaw went through his pack. I also re-patched my sleeping pad. Hopefully, the patch works this time. We also got a bunch of things around to mail home that we no longer need. Especially since we got a box with a couple of our winter items and my new shoes!!After we were ready, we walked to the post office to mail some items to my mom¢s house. After that we decided it was time for food. We walked to a coffee shop for something to drink (mocha for Moose and Chai Tea for me). There was a bookstore right next to the coffee shop. I wanted to go in so badly, but for what!? I couldn¢t purchase anything, so I just started longingly through the window like a complete creep before we continued our walk to get Chinese takeout. After we got our Chinese food and we¢re walking back to the inn, we stopped to get Moose a milkshake. The lady making his milkshake was the same one from yesterday. She asked my how my manicure went, and I told her it was great! My nails look so cute now! I feel like a lady. On trail, I definitely feel more like a forest gremlin. When we made it back to the Inn, we hung outside on the benches with Toaster, Bandit, and Stogie while we ate our food. It was fun!! It was also crazy that the entire inn was full, but there weren¢t any cars in the parking lot. It was filled with hikers! That was funny! Especially since most of the hikers were hanging outside of their rooms socializing with other hikers. Funny Story: I asked Bandit how the wipes have been treating him. He said he didn¢t like them, because they burned. I was confused. I brought him a package of wet wipes I had been using to give him, so I asked what he had been using¢¦ he showed me a package of antibacterial wipes meant for counters!! I was crying from laughing so hard. I can completely understand how he grabbed the wrong ones, but I couldn¢t contain my laughter! Poor Bandit!!After going back to our room, we packed our bags and got items around to slackpack. Erin dropped off some day bags for us to use, so we packed those up with food and water. Then I spent the rest of the day eating pizza and watching impractical jokers. It was a blast! Today was a good day to zero!
Date: 2023-08-09
From: Bennington, VT

To: Kelley Stand Road
Miles today: 22.6

Today was AWESOME!!!!We woke up early (too early) to get picked up by Erin so we could slackpack 22.6 miles. Today was the best I felt hiking in a long time!VerMUD lived up to its name. Mud everywhere! By the time we were done hiking for the day, it looked like we had went to battle. My brand new shoes no longer look new. It was a slippery walk as well today. Every time someone would slip and squeak ¢woop!¢ Or ¢ahhh¢ or any other high pitched noise, we would follow it up by ¢hee heee¢ because we all sounded like Michael Jackson out there. We sang a lot today. Meaning, I sang a lot today. I was so happy! The weather was gorgeous! It was just a great day to be hiking. It also felt good to not have weight on my back. The pine was also beautiful! When we finished our hike for the day, and we were walking to Erin¢s vehicle, we saw Miss Janet! We haven¢t seen her since Erwin. We chatted for a little bit. We also saw spreadsheet! He¢s doing well, too!Erin was so kind! She had a bag for all of us to put our muddy socks into, so we could put our camp shoes on and so she could wash our socks for us! She even washed some of our clothes when we got back! Toaster and I took a shower in the house, while Moose Jaw, Bandit, and Bob Ross went to their neighbors house to clean off in the outdoor shower. Moose loved it! Then they got a ride back in the ¢awesome-mobile!¢Scott and Erin made us all fajitas for dinner and they were delicious!! We all hung out at the picnic table outside of their house and ate food, laughed a lot, and swapped stories. Their neighbor Nancy joined us with one of her three daughters. Eli (Scott and Erin¢s son) also joined us!For dessert we had vanilla ice cream with their homemade maple syrup (they even tap their own maple trees). And I have to say, even though I felt like Elf, IT WAS DELICIOUS!!! I will have to have that for dessert more often!! We will be sure to send my parents some. There were four cots and two air mattresses set up in the barn (a very large and nice barn!). Before we knew it, it was time for bed. Erin and Scott are AWESOME! I hope that moose jaw and I are gracious, hospitable, and fun like they are! We felt right at home and enjoyed ourselves tremendously!! We have definitely made more lifelong friends!
Date: 2023-08-10
From: Kelley Stand Road

To: Spruce Peak Shelter
Miles today: 14.7

This morning was amazing: waking up in the barn was surprisingly peaceful! The sun rose and shined directly into the barn doors that were open through the night. Scott made eggs and sausage sandwiches and Erin made French press coffee. Around 9 we saddled up and packed everything into the minivan for the 45 min. Drive back to the trailhead. We tried to offer Scott and Erin money in various forms. They were having none of it. After moose was denied the third attempt to get them to let us fill up their gas tank, we instead prioritized purchasing some homemade maple syrup from them (which was delicious!!). Getting back to trail we all had the familiar feelings of dread: even when the weather is good it¢s difficult to return some days. The first 4 miles we all uphill climb to get to the Stratton Mountain fire tower and Ski lift. The views were beautiful, the pine trees smelled so good, and the fire tower had excellent panoramic views of the surrounding mountains as well. Surprisingly the muddy parts of trail were scarce at first, which did not last for very long after the descent from the peak. Towards the end of the day, before the last two miles, the trail took us to one of the best views we had seen in a long time. It was called prospect view. It was gorgeous! From there we hiked to the shelter. At the shelter we saw legs and scissor hands again. We haven¢t seen them since Warwick. We also saw and met a bunch of other NOBO hikers today. We started to make dinner at the picnic table, but then it started to rain. After eating and making dinner in the shelter, we headed to our tent. It started to rain much harder. Unfortunately, it was raining so hard that the rain was splattering up under the tarp to the inside of our tent. We had puddles of water inside the tub. We took a small pack cloth to wipe up as much water as we could. It helped some, but the inside of our tent is still soaked. We hate that. But it is what it is! That¢s what happens when it rains hard. Hopefully we can dry out our tent tomorrow. All in all, today was a really good day!! We very much enjoyed ourselves today!
Date: 2023-08-11
From: Spruce Peak Shelter

To: Stealth Site
Miles today: 19.1

I saw a bear today!! Moose Jaw and I were hiking along this morning and I heard some rustling. Next thing I knew, a bear cub shot across the trail running ridiculously fast! If I would have blinked, I would have missed it! I was so happy to see one!! Thankfully, it¢s mama wasn¢t nearby. At least, not that we could tell!When Moose and I woke up this morning, we did want to do anything. Everything was wet! Including our sleeping pads. The rain really did a number on our tent and things inside the tent last night. It made it hard to want to do anything. About 6 miles into our hike, we made it to the top of Bromley. At the top was a ski lift and a warming lodge. Apparently they keep it open for hikers. At the top, we set out our tent, tarp, and sleeping pad to dry. It was so windy that it everything dried rather quickly! Inside the warming hut, there was a dryer. The gentleman doing repairs said we could use it to dry our things. I dried my tank top. As we were packing up our things, the handle to the door broke. A bunch of hikers were stuck inside, including me. Bandit got the handle off and the door open. The gentleman repairing the handle made me laugh, because he made a Shrek quote about onions having layers. I added, ¢What about parfaits? Everyone loves parfaits!¢ He laughed and asked me how old I am. Apparently I¢m the same age as his daughter. We laughed about the movie Shrek. The rest of the day seemed to drag. It was muddy, rocky, and there were roots galore. It makes walking at a good pace quite challenging. We were so happy when we made it to camp. It¢s been getting darker sooner, so we were practically eating dinner in the dark. We already miss the longer days. All in all, today was a good day. Not as good as hanging out with Erin and Scott, but a good day nonetheless!
Date: 2023-08-12
From: Stealth Site

To: VT Route 103
Miles today: 16.0

Mood: °Moose Jaw and I got out of camp early today!! I was proud of ourselves! Except, we slowed up a little bit when we stopped at the next shelter to use the privy and filter some water from a nearby stream. Today was a really nice hiking day! We finally got up into the pines and it was gorgeous! We went through a ¢rock garden¢ that was an area with a bunch of rocks. But like cool looking rocks. And then we walked to an area called white rocks, where there were nothing but a bunch of cairns everywhere! It was cool! We (including Toaster and Bandit) each added a rock to a cairn. We hit some trail magic from a former thru-hiked named patio for lunch! We got some delicious hot dogs, sweet tea, and bagels!! It was nice that we didn¢t have to cook our own food for lunch. After lunch, we tackled a large incline up a mountain and made it to a bridge over a gorge. It was awesome!! The water was gushing, and apparently this time of the year it¢s nearly dry!! Magic Feather and her husband met us at the parking lot right after the bridge. She took us to get some ice cream down the road. Moose Jaw got a milkshake and I got a waffle cone with coffee health bar ice cream! It was delicious!!! From there Magic Feather took us to a grocery store to resupply. She also gave us some reusable bags, since Vermont does not have plastic bags. From there, we went back to her house. I can say, VERMONT IS GORGEOUS!! I absolutely love Vermont. All parts except for the muddy trail and the rain. For dinner, they made us sweet corn, steak, and a bean salad. The food was incredible!! When I was helping shuck the sweet corn, one of the cons had a baby corn attached!! It was crazy! I had never seen that before!Magic Feather and her husband have been so generous to all of us, and we are so grateful! They spoiled us, and we enjoyed their company immensely!! We hope to visit Vermont again sometime after trail! We took showers at Magic Feather¢s house and then we slept in her barn on our sleeping pads. Toaster and I were attacked by giant moths when the lights were on! It was much better once they were turned off!!Today was a wonderful day!! I¢m so thankful for all of the blessings Moose Jaw and I have received on trail!
Date: 2023-08-13
From: VT Route 103

To: The Inn at Long Trail
Miles today: 19.8

Mood: °Today was interesting! HA! We woke up early and had a delicious breakfast at Magic Feather¢s. She made a yummy egg casserole dish that I practically inhaled!! As I was rolling up my sleeping pad, I did see a squished dead moth¢¦ so not all of them escaped my frantic swatting last night!!When Magic Feather dropped us off at the trailhead, we met up with Bob Ross and his wife (she¢s visiting before she starts her new job). She grabbed our packs so we could slackpack today!! Which was flipping awesome!!!! Of course as we arrived it started raining. Bob Ross: ¢Well, I¢m giving up early today.¢Everyone Else: *agrees*We hiked up Killington Peak today. Second tallest peak in Vermont. At the top, we did not have a view because we were in the clouds! So, Toaster, Bob Ross, Stogie, Moose Jaw, and I walked around the other side of the peak to the gondola. We got a free round trip ride! It was so much fun!! Plus, once we got under the clouds, we had a wonderful view of the mountains!! Vermont is so beautiful!!After that, it was a race to the Inn!! And let me tell you, the Inn is an awesome place!! Irish everything!! As we were about to cross the street, we ran into Haze and Witch Doctor. Haze was on crutches. He apparently got a tent stake through his foot! He showed us the x-Ray, and it was WILD!!! He should be healed enough to walk in another week!The Inn is great! We received loaner clothes to wear while doing our laundry, and we hung out at the tavern to eat supper with the others in our group. We all decided to take a zero tomorrow. Bob Ross planned on taking one anyways with his wife. Bandit rolled his ankle, and it needs rest. And Moose Jaw had been wanting to zero here for over a week now. So, we are going to make it happen!While eating, we also saw squirt, fog hat, and witch doctor. There were also a bunch of other hikers from the Long Trail. This trail goes from north to south in Vermont and is 270 miles long! After eating, I went to bed early after showering. Moose Jaw hung out with a bunch of people much longer. Today was a good day! I¢m happy to be here, and I enjoyed Killington Peak!
Date: 2023-08-14
From: The Inn at Long Trail

To: The Inn at Long Trail
Miles today: 0.0

Mood: °Today was flipping awesome! Moose Jaw and I slept in, and then moseyed to breakfast around 9. After a delicious breakfast with an insane hot chocolate that had chocolate drizzle, a mound of whipped cream, and star sprinkles, we headed back upstairs,¢¦ for a nap! We slept so hard. I guess we were just exhausted from the 1700 miles we have hiked.After our nap, we did laundry. The loaner clothes the office let us borrow were comfortable. After our laundry was done we walked downstairs to the Tavern for lunch. Brogan served us and he was very kind. He told us about the Yellow Deli cult in Rutland, VT. It was quite the conversation. And bunch of hikers go there to sleep in their hostel. After hanging out at the tavern for like three hours, we walked back upstairs. I could have taken another nap, but I chose to call in my prescription and to upload the journal entries and photos. Then¢¦ we went back downstairs for dinner. ° What can we say, we didn¢t want to have to take the local bus to go anywhere. It was much easier to stay in the Inn all day long. Which is what we did! And let me tell you, it was AWESOME!! I felt really rested. I love zeroes. I want to get to katadan. But I just want to rest. It¢s a love hate relationship. We ate dinner with Toaster, Bob Ross and his wife Jaime, Stogie, and Bandit. It was fun! I got a delicious chicken pot pie that I slammed!! Plus we purchased root beer floats that were also delicious!!Before we knew it, it was time for bed. We gladly walked upstairs and crawled in. Today was a spectacular day!!