morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2014-08-20
From: (Stealth) near Sheffield & Great Barrington, MA

To: (Stealth) past Mt Wilcox S. Shelters
Miles today: 15.7

I had a pretty restful night. Stopped to get water at a small stream. The mosquitoes were terrible; I had to put on my rain jacket to keep them off of me. It was a steep, muddy bank down to the stream and I had a hard time getting back up the bank.I met two fellow north bounders (NoBos) today -- Two Pack and Simple. I had stopped to eat lunch and Two Pack passed by, then Simple. I told each of them I was just taking a lunch break. Simple replied, "Lunch is always good." I met up with Simple a little while later when he was taking a break. We decided to hike together for awhile.Lately, I have been hiking until about 7:00 pm, and then start looking for a camping site. That is what Simple and I did today. We had to keep hiking--low places and too many mosquitoes. We finally found a little higher ground and camped together. I ate some dry Ramen noodles tonight. Simple said he could hear me crunching the noodles from his tent.Tomorrow I have to go into Tyringham, MA post office to pick up a package -- new Black Diamond trekking poles.
Date: 2014-08-21
From: (Stealth) past Mt Wilcox S. Shelters

To: Finerty Pond
Miles today: 17.1
Weather: scattered clouds

Hiked to Jerusalem Road and then .6 miles into Tyringham. It began to rain on us as we hiked to the post office. I asked the assistant Postmaster if I needed to show her my ID in order to pick up my package. She said yes so I got out my Texas driver's license. She asked who the package was from and I told her..."Black Diamond." Oh, she said, "I don't need any ID and I will show you why." She brought out the package--it was addressed to AT Thru Hiker. No name, just AT Thru Hiker. Lucky for me that no one else picked it up!While I was getting my package with new Black Diamond trekking poles, Simple found some instant coffee in the PO hikers' box. The assistant Postmaster, Louisa, gave us two cups and some hot water. After our coffee, we walked across the street to a bed and breakfast and bought their last brownie and two Cokes. We sat out on the porch and ate and drank. Best brownie I have had on the Trail.We hiked quite some time this evening to find a suitable campsite at Finerty Pond.
Date: 2014-08-22
From: Finerty Pond

To: Dalton, MA
Miles today: 16.1
Weather: overcast clouds

About 4 miles into the hike today I met Moto. I was hiking a little ahead of Simple. I came upon a creek and a wooly, bearded, red-haired hiker was getting water from the creek. I spoke to him and then Simple came up. They greeted each other like long-lost buddies. It turns out that they had hiked together earlier on the trail. Then both Simple and Moto, at different times, got off the trail to spend time during the summer with their kids. Both Simple and Moto are divorced and they have summer visitation. After summer visitation, they both got back on the trail and just met up today by chance. I really admire these guys for taking time off the trail to be with their kids. Really shows where their priorities are.Two other things of note happened today: 1) We got to meet the Cookie Lady. I had read about the Cookie Lady before starting my hike and really wanted to meet her. And we did! Met her and her husband. We bought some boiled eggs and soft drinks and she gave us cookies. Several people were at the Cookie Lady's -- picking blueberries. We decided not to pick any; did not want the added weight. We asked the Cookie Lady where we should stay in Dalton and she said "stay at Tom's."2) Staying at Tom Levardi's. Tom allows hikers to tent camp in his yard. We hiked into town and found his house. Tom came out and laid down the rules for us. No water from his hose because a hiker had left the water running, flooded his basement and damaged some antiques. Do not put trash in the trash cans on the neighbor's property. Do not go onto the neighbor's property. Be quiet. If you have to pee, use the Pee Tree. If you have to do anything besides pee, use the restrooms at the restaurants or convenience store. Almost too many rules, but we decided to stay anyway. We hung our food bags on Tom's front porch. Ate at a pizza place with Rizza; Green Giant and Breakfast Club were there too. After supper, Simple and I walked to the Cumberland Farms convenience store and Breakfast Club is there. He tells me he is sick; throwing up. He thinks it might be Lyme disease.We got back to Tom's and skateboarders on the neighbor's property are the only folks making noise.
Date: 2014-08-23
From: Dalton, MA

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

Got up and walked to a little coffee shop for breakfast. Walked back to Tom's and got my picture taken with him. Breakfast Club is going to the doctor today.I hiked through Cheshire, MA today. Got a sub sandwich and some ice cream at Diane's. Saw Poppy and Crinkle Root there. There are a lot of people riding bicycles in Cheshire. I re-supplied at the Shell convenience store. I saw Blackbeard and Classy walking back to the trail after their re-supply at the Shell.
Date: 2014-08-24
From: Mark Noepel Shelter

To: MA-VT Border-Stealth Camp
Miles today: 13.9
Weather: light rain

Interesting day. We hiked up Mt. Greylock, the highest peak in Massachusetts, and had a burger at the lodge on top of Greylock. We had been teasing Moto about getting a hug from a "town girl." When we walked outside to check on our packs and some clothes drying on a picnic table, a lady about my age comes up and starts a conversation. I told her, "You smell good! Can I give you a hug?" She says "yes" and I hug her. I tell her she smells so good, I'm going to give her another hug. All the while, I am thinking this is where Moto gets his hug. I tell Moto, "Give the lady a hug." He finally catches on and hugs her. I take their picture. Her name is Jade Mortimer. Jade really engages Simple; they exchange contact information and we learn that Jade is involved in window restoration.Mt. Greylock was built by the CCC. I would like to go back and visit the lodge with Linda. There is a war memorial tower on Mt. Greylock, but it was closed for repairs. It is a very impressive monument. After we left Mt. Greylock, we met three women--section hikers. Moto and Simple introduced themselves as my personal urologist and financial adviser (respectively). The oldest woman in the group asked if I needed a personal nutritionist..... I had to confess that my hiking buddies were pulling their legs. The ladies explained that they had been in the White Mountains the previous week. They showed us a video of themselves all bundled up and fighting a fierce wind on top of the Whites. As we approached a built-up area of houses, we heard and saw an ice cream truck. My buddies tell me that I ran to catch the truck, and I probably did! In any event, the truck stopped and I treated all of us to some ice cream and a raspa.Hiking out of town, we had a 1,200 ft. ascent up rocky paths. One of those paths is so rocky and steep it has a bad weather bypass. Climbing up the path, Moto spotted a big, old porcupine sitting on a tree branch. The branch was about 15 feet off the ground. I had walked right under it and had not seen it. Moto said that if it could talk, it would have said, "Wassup?"We made it to the Massachusetts-Vermont border about sunset. We hiked a little further and Moto found a camping site in a little moss-filled depression.In my tent....it has been a long day!
Date: 2014-08-25
From: MA-VT Border-Stealth Camp

To: Bennington, VT
Miles today: 14.1
Weather: light rain

I got a pretty good night's sleep. As we were getting ready to break camp this morning, Poppy and Crinkle Root passed above us on the trail. They never saw us. We caught up with them later in the day, then they passed us as we were eating lunch. We caught them again on their break and I took their picture. Poppy is about 68 and Crinkle is 52. A little further up the trail, Gadget came blasting past us.It was a steep downhill to VT 9; rough on my knees. We arrived at the parking lot at VT 9 and met a guy named Steve. Sunshine and Sherlock were waiting in the parking lot to get a ride from Steve to catch a bus at the station...to Manchester Center. After Steve took Sunshine and Sherlock to the bus station, he came back for us and took us to the Catamount Hotel in Bennington. The couple who manage the Catamount are Allan and Anne. Very nice couple. They let us wash our clothes in the hotel's washer.While we were waiting for Steve to come back and pick us up, a southbound hiker came across the street and offered to sell us some marijuana. He needed money, but we didn't need the grass. We graciously declined. Steve came back and gave us a lift to Ramunto, a pizza place. They had run out of propane and could not cook more pizza. We offered the counter guy $10.00 for what was left of a pineapple and Canadian bacon pizza, and a couple of slices of a square pizza. He accepted the offer and we paid him quickly. While we were eating the pizza, we saw the counter guy talking with the young lady manager, who was not happy he had made the deal with us. Counter guy was suffering seller's remorse. It was a good deal for us, but it was not enough pizza. At the suggestion of some local college guys, we went across the street to Benner's. Got some great pizza. We had a conversation with a local couple and another young man. Our waitress was tall, and Simple asked her if she was a volleyball player. It turns out she was an equestrian.We called Steve; he picked us up and took us to Walmart to re-supply. We got back to the hotel and found out that Poppy and Crinkle had made it in. I strongly recommend the Catamount. Simple and I got the beds; Moto is on the floor.
Date: 2014-08-26
From: Bennington, VT

To: Kid Gore Shelter
Miles today: 14.4
Weather: overcast clouds

Got a late start this morning. I thought I had lost a sock in the wash yesterday; after a search of the laundry room and our room, I found the sock. Turns out I never put it in the dirty clothes bag. Just happy to find it.Poppy and Crinkle are taking a Zero. Steve had to to back to work this morning, so Allan drove us to Blue Benn Diner for breakfast. Great breakfast! Allan came back in about an hour, so we got our gear together and he drove us to the trailhead. Allan and Anne are very nice folks. Allan is a retired lumberjack; his knees are shot, and he had to retire. They hit it off with Simple. Simple can talk with anyone. Allan and Anne have a place in the Florida Keys, and they invited us all down to visit this winter. Allan had a case concerning the domicile of a person; the case went up to the Supreme Court of Vermont. I will try to find that case.It was a good climb out of VT 9. Not as bad as the descent yesterday. We climbed up the fire tower on Glastenbury Mountain. Great view. I got a photo of the tower shadow with Moto's arms sticking out of the tower. It was a nice camping area around the tower, but we pushed on to Kid Gore Shelter. We are camping away from the shelter in a tenting area. There is just enough room for our 3 tents; one of my stakes had to be placed in a small drainage ditch that someone has dug. As we settled in, someone starts hollering at some animal to "go away!" We don't think it is a bear.Moto takes very little time to break camp each morning, so he has told me to wake him up when I start taking off my tent rain fly. Man, I'm slow!
Date: 2014-08-27
From: Kid Gore Shelter

To: Stratton Pond Shelter
Miles today: 15.0
Weather: broken clouds

 Crazy night. A couple of section hikers kept yelling at imaginary animals. Black Beard and Classy were staying at the shelter. They said they didn't see anything but a couple of chipmunks! Guess the section hikers were a little jumpy.In the Story Spring Shelter book, I read that my buddy, On Purpose, was getting off the trail. His knee was just bothering him too much.It was a good 1,800 ft. climb up and down Stratton Mountain today. Stratton Mountain is where Benton MacKaye was inspired to propose the creation of the AT. Very misty on the mountain today. There is a fire tower on the mountain--I walked up two levels and was enveloped in the mist; disappointed that I didn't get a good view from the tower.There was a young couple at Stratton Pond Shelter when we arrived. They were already bedded down. We should have gotten water from a stream that we crossed on the way, as there is no water close to the shelter. The young lady got up and shared some of her water with us. Black Beard and Classy showed up; Black Beard had to go back to the stream for water. He was not happy. The privy here is in bad shape...cannot sit too deep on the seat or you will be on top of "the pile". It really needs to be cleaned out!We are on the second level of the shelter. Simple has set up his tent; Moto and I are on our ground pads in our sleeping bags. We wanted to tent, but could not find a spot for all three tents. Will see Linda tomorrow at Manchester Center, VT. Can't wait!
Date: 2014-08-28
From: Stratton Pond Shelter

To: VT 11 & 30; Manchester Center
Miles today: 10.7
Weather: clear sky

The young couple got up pretty early today. They are hiking up Stratton Mountain today; left most of their gear in the shelter and will come back and pick it up.We ate breakfast and Moto climbed back up into the loft and caught a few more "Z's" while I got ready. There was supposed to be a caretaker at the shelter to collect a camping fee. No caretaker, no fee. Shortly into our hike today, on the shore of Stratton Pond, we met a caretaker, Kim. She was probably in her mid-40s; school teacher by profession. We talked with her for awhile. She told us, "You guys are a hoot!" I haven't heard that term in quite some time.There were a lot of blackberries along the trail today. We were like the three little bears eating those berries. We got to Prospect Rock and ate lunch. From the rock, we could see Manchester Center down in the valley. I called Linda; she was walking around downtown Manchester Center.Linda met us at VT 11 & 30. First time that Moto and Simple met Linda. Linda has a room (for me and her) at the Four Winds Motel. Moto, Simple, and Casper take turns showering, in that order. The motel is a little way out of town. We went by an outfitter when we got into town; I bought maps for the remainder of the AT through Vermont and New Hampshire. We ate at a pizza place--Christo's. There are a lot of eastern European workers at the pizza place.We left Moto and Simple in the middle of town tonight. They are looking at stealth camping on the high school soccer field. We had seen some girls playing field hockey on the field earlier. Linda and I will meet Moto and Simple in front of the Rite Aid pharmacy in the morning. Going to do some "Freedom Hiking!"
Date: 2014-08-29
From: VT 11 & 30

To: Danby-Landgrove Road
Miles today: 17.6
Weather: clear sky

Linda and I went to "Up for Breakfast" in Manchester Center for (surprise!) breakfast. We met Moto and Simple in the Rite Aid parking lot nearby; they had found a place to camp--in the back yard of the VFW Post--said the people were very nice.Linda drove us back to VT 11 & 30 and we hiked up Bromley Mountain today. Simple told us that Jade had contacted him; she has booked a room for us at Joe Dodge Lodge in the White Mountains. Pretty amazing! Now all we have to do is get there, and we have a bunch of hiking ahead of us to do that!Good hike today. Linda and I are staying at the Four Winds Motel just outside of Manchester Center. We wanted to eat at Mother Myrick's because I heard they had good pies. We got there too late; they were closed, so went back to Christo's. Moto and Simple were on their own for supper.
Date: 2014-08-30
From: Danby-Landgrove Road

To: Cold River Road / Lower Road
Miles today: 18.7
Weather: scattered clouds

Linda and I went back to Up for Breakfast this morning. Good place. We picked up Moto and Simple at the VFW and then grabbed some sandwiches from the Subway across the street. Then Linda took us to the trailhead. Today is the day we saw Kim, the caretaker of the Little Rock Pond Shelter. She was probably in her mid-40s; school teacher by profession. We talked with her for awhile. She told us, "You guys are a hoot!" I haven't heard that term in quite some time.We passed through an area of the trail where someone, at one time, had a little mill on a stream. Remaining metal pieces from the mill were lying around. Another interesting area today was in a pine forest where people had built little stone cairns. There were some large boulders and people had stuck flat rocks in horizontal cracks in the boulders. Then they had built cairns on top of the flat rocks. Some people are very talented and artistic.We took a short break at a viewpoint overlooking the Rutland airport. Someone had placed two plastic chairs up there. We ate our sandwiches; then autographed the chairs with a Sharpee marker Simple had with him.A nice view down Clarendon Gorge. There is a memorial at the bridge over the gorge. The bridge is dedicated to Bob Brugmann, a young man who drowned there on July 4, 1973. That was the summer between my junior and senior year in high school; made me think how lucky I have been.It was a strenuous climb after we crossed VT 103. We got to the Upper Cold River Road and Linda was there to meet us. We all ate supper tonight at Ye Olde Tavern in Manchester Center. The tavern is over 200 years old. A little pricey, but a nice break from pizza and hamburger joints. We will be moving on tomorrow. Will try to set up operations at Rutland, VT.
Date: 2014-08-31
From: Cold River Road / Lower Road

To: VT 100, Killington
Miles today: 16.8
Weather: scattered clouds

At the beginning of our hike today, we had to detour around a bridge that had washed out last year. The detour took us by some cows; Moto and Simple could not help but "moo" at the cows. We hiked up Killington Peak today; it is very misty. In the winter, this is a ski slope. We had to hike a very steep quarter-mile to the top of the mountain to get to the cafeteria. We ate lunch with Ajax at the cafe; Ajax was originally "Action Jackson" at the start of his hike.There are several mountain bikers at the top. The wind was blowing like crazy, and because of the mist, we couldn't see anything. Coming down the trail north of Killington Peak, I took a nasty fall. It was nasty in the sense that my left foot slipped out from under me and was bent behind me on the fall. Not a bad stretch of trail, just wet and gritty. I felt something pop in my left knee. A little pain, but it subsided. There was no swelling.Coming to the pick-up point today, we came through and out of Gifford Woods State Park and met Linda at VT 100. Another lady was waiting to pick up her husband, David, who had gotten turned around on the trail and had gone the wrong way. He had gotten straightened out, had called his wife to let her know he would be "late." In the meantime, at the pick-up point, she had locked herself out of her car. We decided to wait with her until her husband got down or the locksmith showed up. We talked about our families; she asked us if Moto and Simple were also our sons..... Man, I didn't know I looked so old. Nor did Linda!We dropped off Moto and Simple at the Yellow Deli hostel in Rutland, VT. The Vermont State Fair is going on in Rutland; Linda had a hard time finding a hotel room. We are at a Best Western heading out of Rutland.
Date: 2014-09-01
From: VT 100, Killington

To: VT 12
Miles today: 20.0
Weather: broken clouds

 Had breakfast at the hotel this morning. I have never eaten so much biscuits and gravy as I have on this hike! We picked up Moto and Simple from the Yellow Deli hostel. They said they had a pretty good night.Not too hard of a hike today; early on, we met David's wife and Rizza's mother at a road crossing and they gave us a few pieces of hard candy. Rizza had started hiking the AT a few years back, but came down with a tick-borne disease that forced him off the trail and took a year or more in recovery. He got back on the trail, right where he had left off, and is completing his thru-hike this year!Shortly before we reached the pick-up point, we met Ishmael hiking southbound. He has flip-flopped. Also appears to have lost a lot of weight. He congratulated us on our progress and that we are almost finished. I regret I did not take a photo with him. When we got to where Linda was waiting, she told us she had met Ishmael and introduced herself.Moto has a new name for Rutland, VT: Festering Boil Rutland. It's just not a very pretty town, compared to other towns we have seen. We took Moto and Simple back to the Yellow Deli. I am getting excited about meeting my son, Daniel, up here; should be just a few more days.
Date: 2014-09-02
From: VT 12

To: I89 Underpass @ Podunk Road
Miles today: 13.7
Weather: broken clouds

 We are moving our base of operations today.A somewhat easy hike today; a bunch of small ups and downs. We got to see where someone had tapped into maple trees and was gathering the sap using plastic tubing -- to make maple syrup. It is the wrong time of year for the say to be flowing, but the taps and lines were in place.We planned to make Podunk Road, but we got distracted. We met Randy and his family at VT 14 and the White River. As we crossed the White River bridge, someone started ringing a bell and was hollering at us. Turns out it is Randy -- shirtless and wearing gym shorts. He and his daughter were cutting plywood with a circular saw to remodel their house. Randy offered us sodas and beer. Simple and I are non-drinkers, so we took a soda. Moto accepted the beer.While we are sitting in lawn chairs at Randy's, Linda drives up. We tell her we are going to complete our intended mileage, so she leaves and says she'll be back for us (at Podunk Road). We hiked another .7 miles to the I-89 underpass at Podunk Road, not realizing it was another .7 to the Podunk Road crossing where Linda was to pick us up. So, we had a little wait. No worry.Linda had moved us to the Fairfield Inn at White River Junction, VT. We are all staying in the same room. Order of showers: Moto, Simple, then me. Moto is fastest; I am the slowest.
Date: 2014-09-03
From: I89 Underpass @ Podunk Road

To: Etna-Hanover Center Road
Miles today: 15.0

Complimentary breakfast provided at the hotel is not bad. Interesting day today; we crossed into New Hampshire. Only two states remaining.We helped a lady stack wood at her house in exchange for trail magic. Then we got more trail magic in Norwich, VT. Someone left an ice chest out by the road with a note: "Trail Magic for Thru Hikers." We had not received much trail magic through Vermont, and now here it was all coming at the end of the AT in Vermont. When we crossed over the Connecticut River from Vermont into New Hampshire, I looked down at one of the bridge columns. On the upriver side of the column, there was a big concrete wedge. Simple explained it was to break the ice coming downriver before it rammed the column.We have been seeing a lot of young people hiking in this area. It turns out they are students from area colleges. Today we hiked through Hanover, NH, home of Dartmouth College. We hung out on the Green at Dartmouth, waiting for Linda. She was meeting us in Hanover for lunch. Moto and Simple struck up a conversation with a group of young students who were handing out "Dartmouth Outing Club" tee shirts for freshmen orientation. Moto and Simple got shirts, so I went over and requested shirts for me and Linda. They were nice kids, and gave me a couple of shirts. We ate lunch at the Dirt Cowboy; not exceptional food, but okay. Then we hiked on to the cemetery at Etna-Hanover Center Road.