morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2016-06-30
From: Greymoor Friary

To: RPH Shelter
Miles today: 18.8
Weather: clear sky

K-55RPH Shelter18.8/1428.4TentThe stars were vivid last night in the clear sky over the Greymoor ballpark . Scorpio was full in the sky at 2:00 AM. One of my favorite constellations. Not because of the zodiac reference, but because it is a beautiful constellation. Even the Little Dipper was visible. Remarkable in that we are in a dense light pollution region.The hike today was somewhat easier than the last few days. The trail bed was better and the ups and downs not so abrupt. I should also note that the clear sky meant dry rocks, which are much easier to negotiate. There were a couple of nice views, but not the kind that make great pictures. Broad expanses of forest as far as one can see. The views typically popped up above the trees briefly, before sinking back into the green tunnel. Absolutely gorgeous, but you had to be there breathing on the fresh air and looking around to really take it in.Got to RPH shelter and ordered pizza. Goes down well after a nineteen mile day. Caught up with Elle and Shoe! Haven't seen them since Virginia. Always nice to catch up with folks. Have known these two since the Smokies, which seems like a long time ago.
Date: 2016-07-01
From: RPH Shelter

To: Telephone Pioneers Shelter
Miles today: 16.8
Weather: few clouds

K-54Telephone Pioneers Shelter16.8/1445.2TentI have been to the Mountain Top!They had great deli sandwiches plenty of GatorAid and a phone charge station.The trail was nice today. Mostly dirt, which is kinda rare on the AT. At least from VA to VT. It was supposed to rain today. About five miles from our destination the thunder started. The first big cell skirted west of us. Very loud ominous thunder, but the cell missed. Shoe, Elle, Nike, Quirks, SimpleMan and myself were spaced out over a mile of trail each of us pushing hard to make it before the storm. I had warned Quirks and Simple that the one we could hear was going to miss, but the one behind it had us bracketed. We pushed harder.I have several modes of walking. My two faster modes are town mode and storm mode. I think town mode is a little faster, but maybe not today. We all made it to camp. Shelter was full. Set up our tents in the light rain at the edge of the storm front. Sitting here in my tent with a 10 degree list. Best I could do with no time to spare. Maybe I can find flatter ground after the storm, but it might be messy. It'll be hard to sleep like this.I'm thirsty, damp, hungry for noodles   and ridin the storm out in my tent. Havin a great time y'all. Feet hurt a little because storm mode hiking is serious business. It'll pass.
Date: 2016-07-02
From: Telephone Pioneers Shelter

To: Ten Mile River CT
Miles today: 12.8
Weather: clear sky

K-53Ten Mile River Shelter12.8/1458.0TentThe storms rolled twice last night. All of the tenters were on unleveled sites. Difficult to maintain dryness and a lot of stuff got wet. I slept in my merino wool base layer shirt; saving my down sleeping bag for a dryer night. Besides, it was warm all night. Still, I had to pull back up from the back left corner of my tent twice in the night. Not a comfortable night. I doubt anyone got rested. The short day I had planned for today worked out to great advantage. I was able to dry everything out plus find a nice level spot for tonight.Now, trail magic is always nice. Trail magic after a night just described most welcome! Breakfast (coffee ) trail magic is golden. The icing on the cake? Trail magic by parents of a trail friend who also happen to read trailjournals... Yep Priceless!Flamingo and Water Buffalo, Elle's parents, laid out an amazing table of home made muffins and treats, fruits, drinks and fresh coffee! They were set up at the AT train station, hence so many Thru hikers in the photo. Well, I'm in Connecticut. You can see my CT pic in the photo section. Some good ones today. Nine states behind, five ahead. Making progress.
Date: 2016-07-03
From: Ten Mile River CT

To: Stewart Hollow Shelter CT
Miles today: 15.7
Weather: light rain

K-52Stewart Hollow CT15.7/1473.7TentYesterday, I entered my tent at 4PM and with the exception of one midnight excursion to let all the foxes and other critters know who's camp it was, I did not come out until 8 AM A great respite for my feet. Simply giving them sixteen hours off.The hike today was fun. Back into some mountains with climbing involved, but not too much. Some road walking. Twice actually, but the highlight of the day was seeing a beaver along one of the road walks. Sorry the picture isn't all that good, but it is a beaver.Took a .8 (both way) side trip into Kent for a veggie pizza and a beer. Visited the outfitter and replaced my lost spoon. Pretty good day all in all. My spirits have lifted a little since getting to New England.
Date: 2016-07-04
From: Stewart Hollow Shelter CT

To: Belters Campsite
Miles today: 15.3

K-51Belter's Campsite15.3/1489.0TentA Great Horned owl serenaded us last night. I think that make four for the entire trip so far. Haven't heard owls for quite a while. The Housatonic River was flowing next to us providing some gentle white noise. Still, I had trouble going to sleep because the humidity made everything feel damp. So I slept in this morning. Besides, it was a holiday . Happy 4th everyone.During my midnight excursion there were hundreds of fireflys lighting up the woods. There is always something. That's why I like to get out of my tent at night.Ok, the trail was pretty good today. Plenty of hills to climb and descend, but that's the AT. Click on the link below for a fun piece of the trail today.CT Lemon Squeezer
Date: 2016-07-05
From: Belters Campsite

To: Salisbury CT
Miles today: 9.1
Weather: light rain

K-50Salisbury CT9.1/1498.8HouseI was considering leaving my rain fly off last night because it was so hot. Good thing I didn't. The rain started about 3:00 AM and continued until about 11:00. Yep, tear down in the rain, hike into town soakin wet.I'm clean for the first time since Vernon NJ. Clean clothes and everything won't last long, but I am enjoying it while I can. I'm staying at Vanessa Breton's boarding house in the quaint little town of Salisbury. Quaint isn't a word I use often, but Salisbury fits the bill. Of course, as the AT often does, we dropped down off the mountain slickety spit. It was raining after all. Only about a 500 foot descent, but very steep in places.A short day into town. Actually more than recorded, but I wanted to make a correction on the mileage. The rain stopped, I'm clean and dry and I will sleep in a comfortable bed tonight. Tomorrow I will cross into Massachusetts!
Date: 2016-07-06
From: Salisbury CT

To: Glen Brook Campsite
Miles today: 13.9
Weather: light rain

K-49Glen Brook Camping Area MA13.9/1512.7TentLast evening I got a pleasant surprise when Sputnik and Fair Enough showed up with goodies. Strawberry shortcake and brownies, yum! The pair are from CT and were a big part of my first hiking family in 2015. Met them at Hawk Mountain. We had a nice time catching up and sharing news from last year. I was pleased to hear about so many of our friends who made it all the way to Big K.They also provided some great info for New Hampshire and Maine. Resupply, camping, places to stay and a bear to avoid. Really great to see friends like them along the trail.Well, I'm in Massachusetts! The trail today was spectacular, with bigger mountains and magnificent views. A little humid, but otherwise sunny and nice. Half a mile of cliff walk view. Sorry I couldn't video... My knees were shaking too much Didn't see another NoBo all day. Still none here tonight. I'm alone in a large campsite. No line for the privy
Date: 2016-07-07
From: Glen Brook Campsite

To: Mt Wilcox S Shelter
Miles today: 19.6
Weather: light rain

K-48Mt Wilcox South Shelter19.6/1532.3ShelterA very difficult day. Lots of variety from mountains to farms, rivers and swamps. All would be more interesting if it wasn't 89 and humid. Even the rocks were sweating.Just myself and one other NoBo here tonight. Pinky is in his tent. I am in the shelter with my tent set up in bug screen mode. The mosquitos are pretty bad here. It's supposed to storm, but the weather seems fickle and the forecast changes by the hour. My guess is that we will have rain the next two days.Along with the heat we have dry water sources. At least the spring here has water. It's hard to get at, but it's good ole spring water and not a creek. I filled up my bottles at a road crossing, where a trail angel had left some jugs. Still, it doesn't last long and dehydration is an issue. My shirt and shorts are hanging on my temporary clothes line. Hoping they will be dry by morning.Hey, ya know. Some days are going to be like this. Just have to push through it.
Date: 2016-07-08
From: Mt Wilcox S Shelter

To: Upper Goose Pond Cabin
Miles today: 15.8
Weather: few clouds

K-47Upper Goose Pond Cabin15.8/1548.1HouseA better day to be sure. Slightly less humid. My shirt was still soaked with sweat most of the day. Water was available, which made a huge difference. Half way through the day at a road crossing there was a spring just down the road. Across from the spring was a roadside honor system soda stand with a small refrigerator and plenty of variety. I paid for the root beer and sat down on the park bench provided to enjoy it. They also sold chicken and duck eggs, but I didn't buy any. I should have.As I arrived at the side trail leading here to the cabin, the rain began. I was already soaking wet with sweat, but I got a lot wetter on the half mile side trail. Lots of people here. I got the last bunk. Caught up with a bunch of people I've been one day behind since PA.Pancakes and coffee in the morning! Lookin forward to that.
Date: 2016-07-09
From: Upper Goose Pond Cabin

To: Kay Wood Shelter
Miles today: 17.6
Weather: light rain

K-46Kay Wood Shelter MA17.6/1565.7ShelterIt occurred to me this morning that I always write these entries at night after a day of hiking. That led me to consider the notion that my weariness from the day's effort may show through in a negative light. Now, I can hardly start writing journal entries in the mornings, so I'll just try to let the morning come out in this entry.Upper Goose Pond cabin had pancakes and percolated coffee for breakfast. They accept donations, but otherwise it's a free hostel like environment. An iconic AT shelter to be sure.When I began this morning I noticed as I often do that the night's rest put me back in working order and ready to hike. I generally feel pretty good in the mornings. Of course, pancakes and coffee was part of this morning, but even on a normal day the hike starts well. Since there were so many people at Goose Pond and it was a rainy day there are a lot of people here at the shelter tonight. I hiked with people today. It was cool and rainy and hiking with people making conversation was a completely different experience than the last few days. Of course the views were obscured because of the weather, but it wasn't bad hiking with the cooler weather. We crossed over I-90 today. The last interstate. Pushing forward through MA. Should be in VT by Monday evening.
Date: 2016-07-10
From: Kay Wood Shelter

To: Cheshire MA
Miles today: 11.8
Weather: overcast clouds

K-45Cheshire MA11.8/1577.5HostelUp early for a change. Everyone was waking up and starting their morning chores in the shelter and I finally gave in, since I couldn't sleep anyway. Actually I wake up every morning about 5:30 and just snooze until 7:00. Today I didn't snooze and hit the trail an hour and a half earlier than normal. Of course it rained.We dropped into Dalton MA and hit the local coffee shop for breakfast. Resupply was slim pickings, but in fairness, we didn't go off trail to the general store.I lingered in town falling behind the others until moving on the eight miles further up the trail to Cheshire, where I caught up with the group at the ice cream shop. I had a banana split, wolfing it down in just a few minutes.Well, we lingered. It was just that kind of day. Watching the radar, we saw the storms rolling in. The Catholic Church here in town allows hikers to stay in the rectory for free. One thing led to another and the gang decided to stay here and get a real dinner at the local grill. Tomorrow we will hike up and over Mt Greylock with another early start. Guess I'm in a bubble, but they are good people, who I have hiked with before. HighLife, CheapNEasy, Nike, MorningLori, Pinky and Stone.Tomorrow, a hotel and a hot shower or two
Date: 2016-07-11
From: Cheshire MA

To: Williamstown MA
Miles today: 14.7
Weather: overcast clouds

K-44Williamstown MA14.7/1592.2HotelFolks my humble apologies for this next paragraph. I must address a troll. Dear 73.52.249.209. How I gage people is far beyond your limited reasoning ability.A 0530 wake up got me on the trail at 0630. One thing about hiking with this bunch... They all wake up early. Unfortunately my travels with them will be short lived, since I opted for a hotel stay tonight. They moved on. We are somewhat out of sync with our weekly shower schedules, or sumthin like that.I hiked steady today to get up and over Mt Greylock, MA's highest mountain. Thirteen miles away, on the other side of the mountain, my good friend and 2015 Thru Hiker Neon and her husband Don were setting up an epic! trail magic event.I had given them an ETA between 12 and 1, arriving at 12:55 Neon greeted me with open arms and we enjoyed the next few hours catching up and talking with the hikers who came by. Don kept busy making grilled ham and cheese sandwiches, while Neon did everything in her power to treat the hikers well. Now, for those of you who are not lucky enough to know Neon, let me just say she exudes the energy of a group of preschoolers on a zoo outing. Pretty sure she doesn't need a flashlight, ever I lingered at the trail magic tents for about three hours sampling at least one of everything, I think. Neon brought me a special request; orange juice. My body craves it. Lots of good potassium. Finally I had to depart so I could get my hotel ride.The hotel is a couple miles off the trail, but they provide transportation. So a shower, dinner alone and a quick resupply later I'm enjoying a 99% tick free environment for the evening. Vermont can wait until tomorrow.
Date: 2016-07-12
From: Williamstown MA

To: Congdon Shelter VT
Miles today: 14.1
Weather: broken clouds

K-43Congdon Shelter VT14.1/1606.3TentVermont. Eleven states behind us; three states to go. Each of them presenting their own landscapes and challenges. We are back into mountains again. Back into the green tunnel, Vermont style.We passed 1600 miles today. No marker, just knowing by the waypoints in the guide. Four months on the trail has worn us down. Not the same people who stood on Springer mountain on a chilly winter day with over two thousand miles ahead of us. We are tougher, thinner, more weathered. Camped here tonight with the group from Cheshire two nights ago, where we slept in the church rectory.We had a nice day for hiking. Should be a good night. We'll just keep going. The night alone last night revitalized me. Maybe it was the coffee this morning, or the moderately short day. At any rate, I'm happy to be in VT.
Date: 2016-07-13
From: Congdon Shelter VT

To: Goddard Shelter VT
Miles today: 14.4
Weather: overcast clouds

K-42Goddard Shelter VT14.4/1620.7TentThe spring at this shelter is close by, piped, clear and cold. I'm going to drink a liter of it before I sleep. There was supposed to be another spring early into the hike today, but I didn't find it. Ended up getting water from a stream. Although I filtered it there remained a green tint in my smart-water bottles. I drank it anyway. It was a hot day. All the thru hikers use smart-water bottles because they hold a liter and they are very light. They fit into the side mesh pockets on my pack too. Easy access. Still don't like green water tho The gang moved ahead of me today; opting to do the long day today instead of tomorrow. I'll do my long day tomorrow, linking back up with them for a day. I just didn't want to push another four miles today. Found a flat campsite and parked it.Plenty of people here though. We share the first hundred miles in VT with the Long Trail. A three hundred mile trail walking up through Vermont. The long trail hikers treat us with a lot of respect. They know what hiking long distances is like and they know we have come over 1600 miles. One fellow at the spring was telling me that his regret was that we all zoom by so fast he rarely gets to know any of us. Well, I suppose it's true. We have miles to put behind us.
Date: 2016-07-14
From: Goddard Shelter VT

To: Stratton Pond
Miles today: 19.3
Weather: scattered clouds

K-41Stratton Pond VT19.3/1640.0ShelterAs I lay here in the shelter at 6:00PM listening to the heavy rain, I think how happy I am to be here. Glad I set my alarm and hit the trail early. I've been here about an hour, missing the rain by thirty minutes. I was hiking this morning by 0630, which is very early for me. I had the long day planned and it was supposed to rain all day. Actually, except for the humidity it was a good day.At fifteen miles in, the climb up Stratton mountain kicked in. It was a long climb that was steep in places and at times hideously rocky, as only the AT can be. Still, I felt pretty good throughout the long day. Although I really hate em... I ate a PowerBar before starting the climb up Stratton. I don't know why or how, but that works for me. Another town visit tomorrow. Another shower; two in one week woohoo! Another cheeseburger and the first chance to do laundry since Salisbury. Ok, I could have done laundry last Monday, but I didn't. So into Manchester Center Vermont tomorrow.
Date: 2016-07-15
From: Stratton Pond

To: Green Mountain House
Miles today: 10.7
Weather: scattered clouds

K-40Green Mountain House10.7/1650.7HostelI was on the trail by 06:30 this morning for an easy hike to the highway. Had to hitch a ride in, but Jeff the hostel owner then picks you up at the Price Chopper grocery.Very nice hostel with a fast WIFI and a complete kitchen with all the necessary utensils. I bought a dozen eggs, peppers and avocado to make myself a scramble for dinner. Better than a pizza at this point.I was able to do a full laundry plus dry out everything. Even my sleeping bag. I'll start out on the trail again tomorrow with everything dry. Pushing forward; ever forward towards the big mountains. Only 40 hiking days to go. Better make the most of them. Would really like to identify some of the birds I've been hearing. The songs are changing. Maybe I'll record some and identify them later. Every morning and evening it's nice to just listen to them for a time.
Date: 2016-07-16
From: Green Mountain House

To: Little Rock Pond
Miles today: 19.8
Weather: scattered clouds

K-39Little Rock Pond Shelter19.8/1670.5TentWell, if there was a Green Mountain House type hostel once a week this journey would be a lot easier. I fixed the other half dozen eggs I had bought in a scramble and enjoyed them with coffee this morning. Another 5 Star hostel at a very reasonable $35. Worth twice that.Hit the trail today at about 0900 after the shuttle back to the trailhead intending to do 14.8 miles. There were some climbs to do today, but nothing seemed all that bad. I was chugging along, just enjoying the day. A 15 miler makes a good day. Plenty of miles, not a high time consumer. Well, I was sitting on a rock. I do that sometimes. Then I saw a hiker coming up the trail. It was Squid! And a few minutes behind him came Tumbleweed! I haven't seen these guys since Southern Virginia. Apparently they had been just a few days behind for a month. It was good to see them again. We chatted for a few minutes, one thing led to another and I decided to push on with them an extra five miles. We enjoyed a little reunion dinner and they passed news along about several people, like them that I had been wondering about. Good to hear that a lot of people I knew were still on the trail. We have lost several though.Squid a Tumbleweed are pushing some big miles, so I will say goodbye to them tomorrow, but it was nice to enjoy one more dinner with them.
Date: 2016-07-17
From: Little Rock Pond

To: Clarendon Shelter
Miles today: 13.6
Weather: overcast clouds

K-38Clarendon Shelter13.6/1684.1TentThunderstorms visited during the night and the rain continued into the morning. Of course it stopped as soon as we finished packing up.Squid and Tumbleweed headed for the Whistle Stop, a restaurant about twelve miles up the trail. As I arrived at one of the interim shelters, I realized that I would not be able to make it to the restaurant until a few minutes before they closed, so I took a three hour break at the shelter and dried out my wet gear. The Minerva shelter was on my original plan, but the extra five miles yesterday made me recalculate. I could stick with my plan and take a short day, or use the miles I gained to keep ahead. I packed my gear back up and moved forward to here.When I got to the Clarendon Gorge suspension bridge a couple were doing some trail magic (Coke and Cherries) and Shoe was there. He and I finished the last mile, a rock scramble included, together.As we arrived there was a fellow sitting in the shelter talking to a SoBo LongTrail girl. He looked at me for a while and finally asked if I was Conductor. It was Flash52, also on Trailjournals, who Papa Al and I had met on the trail last year. He is continuing his hike this year and started at Erwin TN, where he left off. After he told me his name I remembered him, but I was really surprised he remembered me. It's a continual cycle of meeting people, losing track of them and meeting them again. Even from year to year.
Date: 2016-07-18
From: Clarendon Shelter

To: Inn at the long trail
Miles today: 18.6
Weather: broken clouds

K-37Inn at the Long Trail18.6/1702.7HotelAnother day of running from thunderstorms that never happened. We made the four mile long climb up Killington peak as dark clouds rolled in. For some reason it seemed steeper than the guide profile suggested. Two thousand feet over four miles shouldn't be all that bad. Our plan was to grab a burger at the ski lodge on top.When we got to the shelter the weather was going south fast. Shoe and I decided to push on instead of taking the .2 mile side trail to the ski lodge. The clouds were foretelling a major storm. We put it in high gear and left the mountain behind. At one point it got so dark I thought I might need to get my headlamp out. It was 2:00 PM.However, we never felt more than a couple drops of rain. Thundered in the distance a couple times, but eventually the sky cleared and we made it here to the Inn with dry clothing. Tomorrow is another day. Looks like it might be a hard one, but I'll start it off with a good breakfast We passed a small sign on the trail today that read 500 miles to Katahdin. To anyone but a NoBo that might seem like a long way. To me, only five weeks. Piece o cake
Date: 2016-07-19
From: Inn at the long trail

To: Winturi Shelter VT
Miles today: 18.0
Weather: clear sky

K-36Winturi Shelter VT18.0/1720.7TentBreakfast at the Inn was included with the room and it was a full breakfast of either omelet or blueberry pancakes with all the trimmings. I couldn't decide, so I just got both and paid for the omelet. Now THAT was a breakfast.The day was absolutely beautiful. Cool with a slight breeze and low humidity. First day in a long time my shirt stayed dry all day. That was nice because it was a difficult hike. Lots of up, lots of down. Squid, Tumbleweed, Shoe and myself threw our laundry in at 7:30, so I didn't start hiking until 9:00. Maybe a little after. I didn't push the day along, so it took me ten hours to do the eighteen miles. All the others made it in within 30 minutes of me, but they hike faster. If I see an interesting mushroom I'll stop and take a picture.Once again, I want to thank everyone for all the guest book entries. Really nice to read them during a break, when I can get a phone signal on the top of some mountain. Can't always get adequate data signal at the shelters. They tend to be down in hollows.