morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2018-07-31
From: Clarence Fahnestock State Park

To: Hurds Corners AirBnb
Miles today: 10.1

My tent in the morning was soaking wet. The dew in the field had gotten everyone's tent wet. Pappa Bear was safe from the dew since he hammocked under the trees. I set my stuff out to dry then ate breakfast. Stealth was grinding beans and making coffee. He shared a little with me and it was so good. I chilled for a bit then headed out at 9 am. There was a deli I was aiming for in 10 miles.  In about 5 miles I arrived at the RPH shelter. It was a large brick structure and had beautiful gardens out front. Tree Beard found a can of spam and happily ate it as a snack. I hiked onto the deli. I ran into Bear Box and we talked about professions. She had taught in Bariloche, Argentina. I mentioned I had been there when I was living in Chile. She had picked up the Argentinian accent. We arrived at the deli. Pappa Bear and Train were already there eating. I ordered a ruben and hung out back. After I ate it I instantly got tired and laid on the ground to sleep it off. When I awoke, everyone was talking about Double Stack's birthday. He had rented an Airbnb to celebrate. Kamikaze, Rebel Yell, and Growler were already there. With only 10 miles into the day we decided to get an Uber over to the house. I was looking forward to seeing them all again especially Theo. It had been so long since I'd seen them. We ordered 3 Ubers since there was 12 of us. The first car only allowed 4 people. The second car looked at the hikers and said they only had room for 2 people even though he was driving an SUV. They didn't even come to a complete stop and left. I ordered one and didn't have an issue with the driver.When we arrived at the house Kazi was outside. I gave her a hug and was really glad to see her again. It had taken me a month to get within 15 miles of her. She thought that she wouldn't see me again after Harper's Ferry. I was being consistent with my miles and was able to catch up. Theo was playing out back chasing tennis balls as Rebel Yell threw them. There was 17 of us there for Double Stacks birthday. He had a birthday cake yesterday and now a whole party. He had truly double stacked his birthday. We all crammed into the living room to take a photo doing Mouse King's pose. We all layed on our sides with our arms propping up our heads. Pappa Bear ordered pizza and we all destroyed that food. Growler had cooked a set of ribs and they were so good. With our bellies content Tree Beard read another chapter of The Hobbit. I almost fell asleep as I listened. Tonight I'm crammed with 6 other hikers sleeping on the living room floor.
Date: 2018-08-01
From: Hurds Corners AirBnb

To: Hurds Corners AirBnb
Miles today: 15.0

I woke up on the living room floor. It had been a cold night since the thermostat was set low. Double Stack cooked up some bacon seasoned with brown sugar. I also ate some more poptarts.  Kazi, Rebel Yell, and Double Stack were heading out and I said goodbye to everyone. I hope to catch up with them soon on the trail. We were planning on slack packing the 15 miles that we didn't do when we got an Uber from the deli yesterday. I packed my bag with the bear essentials. Food, water filter, first aid, and my poncho. We tried getting an Uber but no one was picking us up. We called a local taxi service and got a ride to the deli.  When I arrived at the deli I saw a familiar face. It was Booger Bear! I hadn't seen him in a couple months. He had caught up with me during my nero week. We were now at the same point. He had been hanging out with a completely separate group of people. Most of them I didn't know. Booger Bear and I caught up from the last two months. He was planning on hiking another 15 miles to Pawling, NY and that was my stop for the Airbnb. I grabbed another sandwich and Booger Bear and I headed out. The trail was relatively flat today. There were a few little climbs but they were not that intense. We came to a water source to grab more water and the sky opened up. It poured for about 15 minutes. I put on my poncho to save myself from being soaked. The rain let up and the sun came out. We arrived at Nuclear lake. In the 50s and 60s it used to have a Nuclear research facility on it. There was a chemical fire and an explosion which dusted the lake and the surrounding area with plutonium. The EPA took over the area as a super fund site and cleaned up the mess. Eventually the lake was deemed safe for public use. Booger Bear and I took a swim in it. It was the perfect temperature. We didn't come out glowing or anything either. I called Theresa and put her on speaker phone. She was going to send a package to Booga with homemade cookies. We talked a little about life in Austin and the people there. Booga and I pushed on to route 22. I invited him to stay at the Airbnb since the more the merrier.  We got to the Airbnb around 8 pm. I introduced Booga to everyone there since he hadn't met this bubble yet. The bathroom was open and I took a quick shower to get off all the grime that had accumulated in the rain. Pappa Bear came back from the grocery bearing food and beer. He was a chef in his non trail life and cooked us a huge dish of spaghetti carbonara. Stealth and Bear box put together a salad to go with it. The food was amazing. It was getting late and it was story time with Tree Beard. We all piled into the bedroom to listen to the next chapter. I was cuddled up on the bed with 4 other people. Tree Beard finished reading and it was time for bed.Tonight I'm laying on the floor between Tree Beard and Pappa Bear.
Date: 2018-08-04
From: Kent, CT

To: Pine Swamp Shelter
Miles today: 17.0

It rained all night. Luckily I was under the pavilion where my tent stayed dry. No one showed up to bother us either. I woke up around 6 am and didn't really want to get up. It was still raining and wasn't supposed to stop until 9 am. Easy Win got up early to tear down his tent. It got soaked last night. I made a bagel with ham and cheese for breakfast. Easy Win talked about all the Greatful Dead concerts he went to back in the day. I tried to finish writing in my journal but I was distracted by Easy Win constant need to talk. The rain eventually turned to a sprinkle and I headed out towards the trail. On the way out of town I stopped by Annie Bananie for coffee and a blueberry muffin. I updated my journal online then walked back to the trail about .8 down the road. No one wanted to give me a lift back. :(The trail today was going to be a whole bunch of ups and downs followed by a 5 mile river walk then more steep ups and downs. I walked about 4 miles and ran into Charlie, Rolly, HAM, and F word playing hackie sack near their campsite. It was noon and they were also having a late day. I kicked the sack with them for a bit then headed back up mountain. In one area was a steep descent with slick boulders. It was hard to keep on my feet. It felt like I was going to fall forward and smash my face in. Fortunately I didn't have any bad falls. We ran into 3 socks who was chilling at a view. She said someone yesterday broke their arm on the same rocks yesterday. I wish they would add more switchbacks in Connecticut. The land flattened out into a 5 mile river walk. I hiked next to French Toast. We talked about our careers and what we would be doing after the trail. French Toast was thinking about teaching English abroad and I told her about my teaching experience in Chile. She wasn't sure if she was going to pull the trigger on it though. At the end of the river walk was another 8 miles to the Pine Swamp Shelter. I was planning on pushing there so I would have an easier hike to Salisbury, CT tomorrow. I pushed past everyone onto the shelter.The climbs today got me sweating pretty hard. It seemed that they went straight up the mountain. I would be dripping sweat at the top. There was a river walk where you couldn't keep your shoes dry. I changed into my camp shoes and waded through the rapids. I made sure to put my phone and camera in a ziplock bag in case I fell. I made it to the other side with my camp shoes only getting wet. I pushed onto the shelter. The terrain got softer with all the pine tree forests. There were still boulders to climb though. When I arrived at the shelter Butters and Too Sweet were already there. They were finishing up eating. I setup my tent, got water, and ate more bagels with ham and cheese. After one and a half sandwiches it was time to call it a night.Tonight I'm listening to the frogs in the swamp.
Date: 2018-08-07
From: Great Barrington, MA

To: Beartown State Forest
Miles today: 10.3

I woke up pretty well rested even though like the guy was making a little bit of noise all night long. I was thinking about paying another $7 to use the pool and shower. I packed up my things and headed back to McDonald's. At the joint there were about 10 hikers there Too Sweet, Butters, Rebel Yell, Growler, Mouse King, Silver Bullet, and Tree Beard were there. It was already hot by 10 am. I didn't want to go out and hike even though pretzel told us that she would be giving out trail magic with her friend Day Walker at Bear Town Campground. It was 10 miles away and I still needed to resupply.I went over to the Price Chopper to resupply. I felt like I end up buying too much food for 50 miles into Dalton. We walked across the street from McDonald's stuck out or thumbs. A woman driving a large Nissan SUV picked us up. She was planning on going to work out at the community center with her husband but decided to take us to the trailhead. When we got dropped off I saw Silver Bullet and Tree Beard. They had gotten off a bit earlier and finally hiked up to the same spot that we were. We all headed out together. The climbs were a little bit steep and I was kind of out of breath. I didn't have much energy since it was so hot. I was trying to make it to the shelter about 3 miles away because a thunderstorm was heading in. I saw Bob hiking behind me and we're all racing to try to get to the shelter at 5:30 pm. We could hardly see since the clouds were so dark. All of a sudden I heard a rumble in a distance and knew it was rain. The rain instantly dumped down on us. Everything that I had dry basically got soaked. I had about one more mile before the shelter. When I got there Growler, Double, Stack, Booger Bear, and Giggles were there. Booger Bear decide to stay to keep his feet dry because he didn't want to get any more blisters from wet feet. Lupine, Zack, and I push on another four miles to Bear Town Campground. We heard yelling in the distance as we walked up to the campsite. We got to the lake and everyone was swimming. There is a pile of beer cans right next to the lake. I jumped into the lake and I instantly felt good because it got me away from all the mosquitoes. Sunny pretended to be a shark and was attacking people underneath the water. I eventually got out and it was a bit freezing. I put my t-shirt back on and felt a little bit warmer.  I slammed down two sandwiches that Day Walker and Pretzel provided and then headed to the campsite to set up. When I got there Lupin and Zack and birthday boy we're already cooking dinner. They were making couscous with vegetables. It was way healthier than any meal I had in awhile. I set up my tent in the grass and headed over the fire that Day Walker made. Pappa Bear, Pretzel, Sunny, and Mouse King were already hanging out there. We reminisced about times on the trail. The hour passed and I decided to go to bed.Tonight I hope it doesn't rain.
Date: 2018-08-10
From: Warner Hill Stealth Site

To: Cheshire, MA
Miles today: 15.0

I woke up in a field of ferns this morning. It got a little cold during the night. We ate breakfast on Warner Hill. Scatter had a whole dozen of hard-boiled eggs to eat. He shared some with Scissors and I. He ate 6 himself. We got moving around 9 am and hiked 6 miles into Dalton.  We got into Dalton and ran by Tom's house. He's a local in town who hosts hikers in his backyard. Sonny was there. He had injured his eye with his tent pole. His eye was all bloodshot but he didn't want to go to the doctor. Scissors and I went to the Cumberland Farms gas station. It had 99 cent hot dogs with a load of fixings. Scissors got 3 and devoured them. I saw Snags there. He was also getting hot dogs. We ran into Rebel Yell and he said he tried going to the laundromat 3 times but it wasn't open. The owner opened it whenever he felt like it. I really wanted to wash my socks though. Scissors bought some dawn soap and we decided to wash our stuff at the community center. We first went to Juice and Java to get coffee. Kamikaze came in and said she was going to a bar named Paddy's for a drink. Scissors and I went to the community center and took showers. I washed my socks in the shower. There was a sauna and I tried drying them out in there but it was no use. I met a Sobo in the locker room and asked him about the upcoming terrain. He said Vermont was mud and New Hampshire and southern Maine had really difficult terrain. In the whites you have to pay for camping at most of the campsites. That area is part of the Appalachian Money Collectors (AMC). Scissors and I packed up our things and headed back on the trail.Theresa was at the Richmond airport waiting for her flight. I called her and put her on speaker phone with Scissors and I. Scissors thanked her for the resupply package she had sent. We told Theresa about our reunion at upper goose pond. Scissors ran into a Sobo who she knew through co-workers when she lived in Steamboat Springs. They caught up for a bit while the mosquitos attacked us. We pushed onto Cheshire. Our motivation was a Dunkin Donuts in town. We hiked on into the night. Right before town we saw a grouping of sticks in an odd formation. It wasn't natural and reminded me of the Blair Witch Project. With our senses on full alert we rolled into Cheshire. A few of the houses we walked past had fires burning in the backyard. We wished someone would invite us in but it didn't happen. We walked to the church that allowed you to camp in their yard. We setup camp and planned on hitting up Dunkin about .6 away. Onyx and Butcher showed up. They had just come from the bar. Scissors and I went to Dunkin and ordered enough food for dinner and breakfast the next day. We ate our sandwiches and headed back to the church to pass out.  Tonight I'm on comfy grass and hoping it doesn't rain.
Date: 2018-08-13
From: Seth Warner Shelter

To: Bennington, VT
Miles today: 11.5

Luckily it didn't rain last night. I was tired of putting away a wet tent away. We all got up and started to pack things up. We all sat down on the wet leaves and ate breakfast. Kamikaze was at the shelter and joined us. Mouse King was talking about how he bought expired condoms and needed new ones. Scissors never had the experience of buying ones and said she would do it for him in the next town we stop at. We packed up our stuff and headed out. The trail continued to be a mud mess today. I talked to some SOBOs and they said the mud lasts 80 miles. I hope it does stop after that. My shoes were slowly getting caked in more and more mud. They started to weigh 3 pounds each with all the extra mud. Scissors and I had plans to go into Bennington, VT to do laundry and resupply. We slowly got the rest of the crew to go into town too. We told everyone there was a Taco Bell in town and that was enough to convince everyone to go. Tree Beard wanted to push for extra miles today but it didn't seem like that was happening. The descent to the road was really steep and the rocks were wet. We saw a shuttle pull into the parking lot and tried to run down faster. Luckily Scatter was ahead of us and was able to talk to them. Unfortunately, they were going the wrong way.  A guy on the trail gave us rides to Taco Bell. I got to Taco Bell and ordered a whole bunch of food. We all sat around a round table and hung out for awhile. It started raining outside and we decide on getting a motel. I booked two rooms at the Knotty Pine Motel and we all walked over there. We dropped off our packs then headed to Walmart to resupply. I ended up buying way too much food but figured it might get me to Rutland, VT. I brought all the food to the motel and broke it down. We also did laundry at the motel which felt amazing after having muddy socks. I took a shower and washed off days of mud. I'm surprised we didn't clog the drain with all our messy bodies. We chilled in the room and watched Golden Girls into the night.  Tonight I'm sharing a bed with Scatter.
Date: 2018-08-14
From: Bennington, VT

To: Goddard Shelter
Miles today: 10.1
Weather: moderate rain

I woke up well rested in a bed with Scatter. We all slept in until 8:30 am to make sure to milk the hotel. We eventually got up to eat free breakfast at the motel. Everyone sat outside the motel room on the lawn chairs. It looked like we were old neighbors. Scatter was really excited about a dog named Luna that let him pet her on the stomach. We finished breakfast then headed to the road to catch a hitch back to the trail. We first got a ride from a guy who took us in the wrong direction. He dropped us off by a highway ramp where not many cars were passing. We then got a hitch from another guy who took us to downtown Bennington. At least from there it was a straight shot back to the trail. We then got a third hitch from a woman who's brother had hiked across The United States in the 80s. We finally got back to the trail around noon.At the trailhead Butters and Too Sweet were taking a break. I decided it was a good place to eat my salad and avocado before doing a large climb. I ate my food then headed up the mountain. Tree Beard, Bullet, Sonny, and Mouse King talked to a woman who just hiked down from the other side. Apparently at the last shelter a tree had fallen on three people who were hammocking. The tree was alive but the ground was so saturated with rain that it couldn't hold itself up. One woman was taken to the hospital for a fractured vertebrae in her neck. I hope it does stop raining. Out of the gap the climb was steep and with a full resupply it wasn't fun. I kept hiking on though. I didn't see Scissors or Kamikaze since they left a little earlier than me. I ran into Tree Beard, Mouse King, and Silver Bullet at a water source hanging out. They were taking an extended break. I rolled out and had to fight the mud. It seemed to go on forever. It was hard not to get your shoes wet. There was another climb to the Goddard shelter but I finally got there.At the shelter Kamikaze, Scissors, and Scatter were already there making dinner. I got water and washed off my legs. I made a ramen bomb for dinner. It was so much food and took awhile for me to eat it. There was another guy from the Netherlands there named Yoni. He had a super heavy pack but was only doing 8 mile days. We all packed in the shelter to watch Jurrasic Park 3. It was around 8 pm but another guy told us that he couldn't sleep with it playing. We turned it off then headed to bed.  Tonight I'm crammed in the shelter with all my friends.
Date: 2018-08-15
From: Goddard Shelter

To: Stratton Pond Shelter
Miles today: 19.3
Weather: overcast clouds

I woke up with everyone else around 8 am. GG couldn't believe we slept in until then since he usually hikes out around 6:45 am. I made grits with fruit for breakfast. It took a really long time to eat since it was a lot of food. We all got up and headed out to the fire tower on top of the mountain. When we arrived it Tree Beard, Silver Bullet, Sonny, and Mouse King were there. They had seen the sunset from the tower but the sunrise was obscured by clouds. We pushed on from there.  The terrain wasn't that bad with elevation until the end of the day. I hiked for awhile with Scissors and Kamikaze. We hadn't hiked together in awhile. They talked about me being a gallentine and not a bro. We hiked onto the shelter about 9 miles away for lunch. I made a sandwich with salami and cheese. Everyone hung out there for awhile just trying to dry their feet out from all the mud. Scissors and I were still planning on hiking another 11 miles to Stratton Pond Shelter. Kamikaze and GG were planning on taking a blue blaze around Stratton mountain to the shelter. Kazi was in survival mode.  I pushed on then came to the 3.5 mile climb up Stratton. It was pretty gradual and the climb wasn't that bad. Luckily there was less mud on the climb. When I got to the top Butters and Too Sweet were already there. There was a fire tower that overlooked the valley below. Luckily there was a break in the clouds so we could actually see. Scissors hiked up to the top and I went back up the tower with her to get some pictures. She ate her dinner up there and we headed down the mountain to Stratton Pond Shelter. On my way down I decided to pass Scissors and my shoelace got caught on a root. I flew forward and turtled myself on the trail. Scissors was on the phone with her Grandpa at the time. She said "I have to go. Uncle Ya just fell" and hung up. My shoelace had ripped as well. We did a short surgery to fix up the remaining lace to be usable and moved on. Scissors was getting tired and just wanted to be at the shelter. We were also night hiking at the time which didn't help. We came to the sign for the shelter and made our way to it. The shelter was pretty full but we managed to find spots. I ate another sandwich for dinner and called it a night.Tonight I'm sleeping near the roof listening for rain.
Date: 2018-08-16
From: Stratton Pond Shelter

To: Bromley mountain
Miles today: 13.7

I was awoken by people in the shelter getting up early. The were complaining about Kazi and GG watching a movie. It was creating too much light for them to sleep. If people in the shelter were going to bother them so much then they should have slept in a tent. I slept in a bit until 7 am then got up. I ate grits again for breakfast. It didn't seem that it would go down easily. We planned on doing a 10 mile hike into town.The trail was mostly down hill all the way to town. There wasn't much climbing. Scissors' dad was coming into town to pick us up from the gap. I wanted to make sure I stayed with her. I didn't see Scissors or Scatter for the whole hike. When I got to the gap Scatter was getting into a hitch when he saw me. He told the woman that he didn't need a ride after all. As we waited for Scissors, a couple cars rolled in with our friends. It was Santa, Cosmic, Scooter, and Charlie. We hung out talking going back to the real life. Scissors showed and her dad Dwight rolled in. They took Scatter, Scissors, and I to the local pizza place in town. We got two large supreme pizzas and Scissors' dad paid for them! It was amazing trail magic. He asked us mostly about the tail and our experience on it. Kazi showed up and got some free pizza as well. We all headed to Starbucks to negate the affects of the pizza. Scissors had to do laundry and I threw my socks in with her wash. After coffee, Scatter and I went to the local outfitter. They fixed the tip of my trekking pole for free! It saved me about $20 if I had to buy new ones. Dwight came and picked us up to take us back to the trail.At the trail head Dwight had a whole bunch of dehydrated food that he shared with us. I made my own veggie mix to add to my meals. Dwight headed out and we hoofed it up the mountain. It was a 3 mile climb to Bromley mountain. I stopped at the shelter to grab 3 liters of water since there was none at the top of Bromley. About .3 from the summit the trail opened up into a ski slope. As I got to the top I noticed all my friends perched on a rock. They were watching the sunset. As I walked up the hill everyone applauded. I took a bow. I opened the large Busche Ice that Scatter gave me as the bottom. The sky became dark and we could see the stars and milky way. It's usually hard to see that when there's so much artificial light. Everyone was staying in the warming hut. I decided to pitch my tent since the warning hut sounded too warm.  Tonight I'm sleeping under the milky way.