morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2015-08-09
From: Happy Hill Shelter

To: Thistle Hill Shelter
Miles today: 8.8
Weather: broken clouds

The NOBOs that I met today told me that there is a trail magic breakfast every day at West Hartford. Four miles¢two hours!I got to West Hartford a little before 11:00 AM. Look for house with AT symbol on garage across road and just past the bridge. It must be the house with all of the backpacks in the front yard! Linda welcomes me, and Randy is cooking breakfast for the NOBOs. I got a cup of coffee and waited as patiently as possible on the front porch for my turn at Sunday brunch! Scrambled eggs, sausage and toast with fresh fruit preserves!Randy and Linda Hart are the trail angels. In 2004 there was a really neat country store just down the street from their house. But it changed owners and now is closed.I ate breakfast and then sat on the front porch with them and the NOBOs and visited. They were interested in the Trail Chaplain program. They fix breakfast for thru-hikers every morning for free! Realizing that nothing in life is free, I left them a generous tip.I sat on their porch and recharged my phone and got caught up on emails and phone calls that I couldn¢t do on the trail. They even hooked me up with their wifi!After four hours, I reluctantly hit the trail and walked up to the Thistle Hill Shelter. There I visited with Fresh and Green¢two ladies from Salt Lake City who I had named this morning. They are section-hiking. Last night was their first night on the trail. When I met them on the trail this morning, they told me that they were fresh and green.I am sharing the shelter tonight with Overdrive, a young lady from Chattanooga who just graduated from high school last spring. I carried water up from the creek, built a fire, and we talked until hiker midnight.
Date: 2015-08-10
From: Thistle Hill Shelter

To: Winturri Shelter
Miles today: 11.6

I hiked today with Hobbes, Fresh and Green¢all section SOBO hikers. We got cold soft drinks for trail magic at Pomfret Road. We stopped at a country store on VT 12 for snacks in the afternoon.Then we had 3.4 miles uphill to hike to the Winturri Shelter. There was a group of young people camping in tents here¢they are out for just one night. Section hikers Maps and Sidekick, with whom I stayed two nights ago at Happy Hill Shelter, are here. Two NOBOs are in the shelter with me¢a woman (Blackfoot) and a man (Low Profile), who is on trailjournals.com as Chet.The young people had a fire going when I got to the shelter, so I carried water from the spring for everyone and collected some more firewood.They are predicting rain for tomorrow.
Date: 2015-08-11
From: Winturri Shelter

To: Stony Brook Shelter
Miles today: 9.9
Weather: heavy intensity rain

Low Profile said that it was supposed to start raining at 9:00 AM. He was right. Fresh and Green decided to get off the trail today, instead of at Killington.I stopped for lunch at the lookout. It was a little early, but it was the only spot that would be dry today. Four young NOBO couples had spent the night there, and they had a fire going. It rained all day until about 3:00 PM.I got to the Stony Brook Shelter at about 4:00 PM. Maps and Sidekick were already there. I got water and got a fire going.Rocket Turtle and Omega came into camp. Rocket Turtle is a section hiker, and Omega is his sister who joined him for this section.Two young NOBO hikers are enjoying the fire. They¢re tenting out tonight.It¢s about six miles to Killington in the morning!
Date: 2015-08-12
From: Stony Brook Shelter

To: KillingtonÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂThe Inn at Long Trail
Miles today: 11.1

Interesting day today. Met Warren Doyle and his twelve slackpacking ¢disciples.¢ I met Warren the first time on Springer Mountain on February 29, 2004. At one time, he held the record for the fastest AT thru-hike. He mentored Jennifer Pharr Davis.I finally got to Killington and went to the post office to pick up my mail drop. I was sitting outside the post office sorting through my stuff when an old guy came out and started talking to me. He was wearing a blue Naval Aviation cap. He grew up in Switzerland and joined the US Navy at age 16. He was stationed in Texas, flew over the Gulf and dropped torpedoes on German submarines. He gave me a ride from the post office to the inn.Then Inn at Long Trail was pretty good. I had never stayed there before, because in 2004, my friend Dharma had a trail angel in the area. The inn had Guinness beer on tap, and the room included a complimentary breakfast. I got a lot of my re-supply out of the hiker box, but I had trouble sleeping in a bed!
Date: 2015-08-13
From: KillingtonÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂThe Inn at Long Trail

To: Gov. Clement shelter
Miles today: 12.3
Weather: overcast clouds

It was a different sort of day today, with the first three shelters spaced two miles apart.I got to Cooper Lodge shelter near the top of Mt. Killington at about 4:00 PM. There were dark clouds, and I could hear thunder. It was four miles down to Gov. Clement shelter...stay or go? I decided to go! It turned out that I made the right decision this time. I was only in rain for about five minutes.Gov. Clement shelter is similar to the shelters n the Smokies, but smaller: stone walls, fireplace on one side wall, and a single wooden sleeping platform. We built a fire since we had a fireplace and didn¢t want to waste it!Burp, Gumby, and Slim tented outside. I hadn¢t seen them since Monson. Hobbes showed up again, and there were several NOBOs. We were joined by Kinder. She is about my age and is section hiking the AT solo. She had a stroke seven years ago and is using backpacking as physical therapy to regain strength and coordination. She hikes slowly¢about 1 MPH¢but she is hiking! She and I had a good visit.
Date: 2015-08-14
From: Gov. Clement shelter

To: Minerva Hinkley shelter
Miles today: 9.5
Weather: broken clouds

Well, I was supposed to meet up tonight with Scout and Tumbles, but they sent me a text today saying that they couldn¢t make it.Gumby, Burp, Slim and Hobbes are here with me. Decimal, and Yeti & Rigga are NOBOs who showed up. Yeti is from Knoxville; Rigga/Kelly Skrabaez worked at Wesley Woods camp in 2014. She came to LRTC, the store where I worked, and knows Anna Gaultney, Bob Hayes, and David Smith.Scout and Tumbles are brother and sister, 18 and 16, from Jasper, TN. They bought their ULA backpacks from me at Little River Trading Company. I¢ll probably see them tomorrow.Hobbes and I went to the Whistle Stop for a cheeseburger and milkshake. It¢s one-half mile off the trail on VT 103. I had actually ordered club sandwiches to go for Scout and Tumbles just before I got their text. Had to cancel the order!We have a big fire tonight. All of the guys pitched in to help collect firewood.
Date: 2015-08-15
From: Minerva Hinkley shelter

To: Greenwall Shelter
Miles today: 5.1
Weather: scattered clouds

I was the last person to leave the shelter (9:00 AM) because I stayed to visit and take pictures with Rigga and Yeti.I¢m hoping to meet Scout and Tumbles today on the trail. I hiked over Bear Mountain and down to VT 140. I met a lot of NOBOs who knew Tumbles and Scout.I hiked up to the blue-blazed trail to Greenwall Shelter. It was 1:00 PM. I felt that I should go down to the shelter to see if they were there eating lunch; but if I did that, they might walk by on the AT, and we would miss each other. So I put my pack in the middle of the trail with a ¢Meet Wildcat¢ brochure fastened to the outside and hurried down to the shelter. No one there! I was about halfway back up to my pack when I met Tumbles and Scout coming down the trail, calling my name.Tumbles said they were ¢kidnapping¢ me, and that we should all spend the night at Greenwall. I went back to get my pack, and Scout had a fire going by the time I got to the shelter with my pack. Impressive!I gave them candy bars, dried fruit, and Fig Newtons for trail magic.So far on this trip, Scout has lost fifty pounds; Tumbles lost her cell phone. Both look very fit and seem to be in good spirits.Also here tonight are Waldo (a NOBO AT thru-hiker who is part of the kids¢ ¢trail family"), Hobbes (a SOBO who joined me at Hanover), and some NOBO Long Trail hikers¢Dustin, Dirt Kicker, Waterboy, and Footsies.It started raining at about 5:30 PM, but Scout and I have kept the fire going in spite of the rain, since we first arrived at the shelter.A father and son who are hiking the Long Trail NOBO stopped by the shelter for lunch. They are from Russia. Their names are Lost/Grisha (the eleven-year-old son) and Found/Alex (the father).I only ended up hiking five miles today; but I was finally successful in meeting up with Tumbles and Scout, so it was a good day!I¢ll have to do fifteen miles tomorrow, but my pack will be lighter since I was able to unload all of the trail magic this afternoon. All of the NOBOs are planning to go to the Whistle Stop tomorrow!
Date: 2015-08-16
From: Greenwall Shelter

To: Peru Peak Shelter
Miles today: 14.5
Weather: broken clouds

I said goodbye to Scout & Tumbles and Hobbes and headed out at about 8:00 AM. I have to do 14.5 miles today to make up for the short day yesterday.I only had one small mountain today: Baker Peak.I met a lot of day hikers today. I met one lady from Quebec City who is section hiking the AT. Her name is Cold Feet. I also met Plus One (+1) who is from Asheville, NC. He looked like an ultra-light backpacker.I arrived at the Peru Peak shelter just before sunset and claimed the last spot in the shelter.One of the guys in the shelter was Dennis Stedman, from Ortonville, Michigan. He is a Methodist and was very interested in the Trail Chaplain program. He once met Eric Ryback, who was probably the first person to thru-hike the PCT and CDT. He has read Ryback¢s books: The High Adventure and The Ultimate Journey.Manchester Center tomorrow!
Date: 2015-08-17
From: Peru Peak Shelter

To: Green Mountain House, Manchester Center, VT
Miles today: 10.1

Today I climbed Peru Peak, Styles Peak, and Bromley Mountain. I got down to the highway at about 2:00 PM and hitched a ride into Manchester Center.I re-supplied at the grocery store and caught a ride to the Green Mountain House hostel with two other hikers who are staying there.Green Mountain House is a very nice hostel¢probably the cleanest hostel where I have ever stayed. It is by reservation only and is limited to eight hikers per night. The hostel has great showers!The hostel has a full kitchen, and guests prepare their own dinners and breakfasts. Breakfast is provided if you want pancakes, eggs, sausage, and coffee. For dinner I fixed a ribeye steak on the grill and had a loaded baked potato, plus a huge salad with blue cheese dressing and blue cheese crumbles.So today was a nero¢back on the trail in the morning.
Date: 2015-08-18
From: Green Mountain House, Manchester Center, VT

To: Stratton Pond Shelter
Miles today: 10.7
Weather: light rain

We fixed breakfast at the hostel. Half of the hikers who stayed last night are taking zeros. The rest of us were shuttled back to the trailhead at 8:30 AM.I was putting on my bandana and gaiters in the parking area when Hobbes walked up. So we hiked together again today. We had a fairly easy ten miles to Stratton Pond shelter. It is a really nice shelter with twelve individual bunks inside and an upstairs sleeping loft over the front porch. The front porch has seats on both sides and a picnic table in the center.We started with just Hobbes and me, plus Honeybee¢a young lady who is hiking the Long Trail, and Jerry, who is NOBO on the AT. Then a bunch of other hikers showed up. A group of teenagers in the upstairs loft, a group of eight AT NOBOs who are tenting out, and several other LT hikers in the shelter.Stratton Mountain tomorrow. I plan to be in North Adams, MA on Saturday.
Date: 2015-08-19
From: Stratton Pond Shelter

To: Story Spring Shelter
Miles today: 10.4
Weather: scattered clouds

I was surprised this morning. Nearly every one of the NOBO AT and LT hikers thanked me for the fire that we had at the shelter last night and for the water that I carried up from the spring.Today turned out to be a long average day. I was planning to hike fifteen miles today; but as I left the shelter, I took the wrong trail. I went about two miles (one hour) before I realized my mistake, so I had to hike two miles back to the shelter. Actually, I realized my mistake earlier, but it took a while to convince myself that I was wrong!I was supposed to climb Stratton Mountain after leaving the shelter. When the trail started to go down instead of up, I knew that I was wrong. So I finally got to the top of Stratton for lunch.When I finally arrived at Story Spring shelter at 5:00 PM, I had walked ten trail miles plus four ¢bonus¢ miles that didn¢t count and was too tired to do another five miles to the next shelter. Maybe I¢ll do fifteen tomorrow?Smiles Davis is here with me tonight. He¢s a really nice SOBO that I¢ve met several times earlier in the hike.I built another fire tonight.
Date: 2015-08-20
From: Story Spring Shelter

To: Goddard Shelter
Miles today: 8.9
Weather: light rain

I planned to do seventeen miles today, but the weather changed my mind. I stopped for lunch at the Kid Gore Shelter and met Trail and Error¢a husband and wife hiking the AT NOBO. They had a lot of questions about New Hampshire and Maine.I got to Goddard Shelter at about 4:00 PM. From the front deck, I could watch the clouds and rain advance across the valley. When the rain hit the shelter, I decided to stay here. Either way, I¢ll get to Bennington tomorrow.I think that I¢m meeting a second Southbound Wave today.
Date: 2015-08-21
From: Goddard Shelter

To: Bennington/Williamstown
Miles today: 10.1
Weather: overcast clouds

The last two days I lost mileage that I needed to get to the North Adams post office, because of mistakes and weather. Plan B: hitch in to Bennington, take local area transit bus to Williamstown for $1.00. Take taxi to North Adams post office. Everything went well until taxi got behind big luxury motor home towing full-sized Chevrolet Silverado pickup and driving S-L-O-W-L-Y through town. We got to the post office two minutes after closing time! Cost for taxi: $25.00 plus tip. The post office is open 10:00 AM until noon on Saturday.I¢m supposed to stay with the local Methodist pastor, Dan Randall, this weekend; but he is out of town because of his wife¢s grandmother¢s memorial service in Ohio. So I check into the least expensive motel in the area, according to my guidebook. Thru-hiker rate $58.00/night. But because of the Williamstown Theatre Festival this weekend, I have to pay $129.00/night. An Indian family owns all of the motels in town, and all other rooms are taken. Darn!! But at least I had a good steak dinner at a local restaurant. And I¢m in Williamstown one day ahead of schedule.
Date: 2015-08-22
From: Bennington/Williamstown

To: Williamstown, MA
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

I woke up to the sound of dripping water! My room is being flooded by a water leak in the room upstairs. So I got the manager and showed him the problem. No refunds or discounts, as I had hoped; but he did give me a ride to the North Adams post office, so I did get my package.I spent the rest of the morning running errands and resupplying. I planned to go to the library and use the computer in the afternoon, but the library was closed on Saturday. Dan Randall was still out of town, so I got another overpriced motel room at Howard Johnson¢s for the night.The good news was that my hiking buddy Hobbs was staying at the same motel, so we went out and had Ben and Jerry¢s ice cream together that night.
Date: 2015-08-23
From: Williamstown, MA

To: Williamstown, MA, Dan RandallÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs house
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

Dan Randall got home last night, so he picked me up at 9:30 AM and took me to his church for Sunday morning services. He asked me to speak to the congregation, so I told them about being commissioned at Lake Junaluska in June. I told them about being commissioned by a blind man/angel sent be God (?) in the morning and a bishop in the afternoon.I spent the rest of the day with Dan and his family and stayed with them that night. We had a great fish dinner.
Date: 2015-08-24
From: Williamstown, MA, Dan RandallÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs house

To: Seth Warner Shelter
Miles today: 11.1
Weather: few clouds

The Randalls are leaving for vacation today, so one of the members of the New Hope Methodist Church drove me to the trailhead outside Bennington in the morning.We had waffles, eggs, and bacon with orange juice and coffee for breakfast.After a steep climb up from VT 9, it was a fairly easy day to the Seth Warner Shelter. I met Puffin. He is a doctor from St. Louis, MO. We had a lot in common and had a good visit. He is taking a sabbatical form his work and is a SOBO AT section hiker.A group of college freshmen on a one-week orientation hike had taken over the shelter, so all of the AT and Long Trail hikers camped outI built a fire at the request of the other thru-hikers. Some of the students expressed concern that, if we built a fire, the hikers would party all night and keep them awake. I assured them that ¢hiker midnight¢ was about 8:30 PM. After the fire was going well, I went back to my tent to write my journals. After I left, three NOBOs came in; one had a guitar. Soon all of the students and hikers were sitting around the fire together singing songs.It rained during the night.
Date: 2015-08-25
From: Seth Warner Shelter

To: Wilbur Clearing Shelter
Miles today: 10.0
Weather: clear sky

It was still raining when we woke up in the morning, so most of us took our time getting started. No one really likes to hike in the rain! I fixed coffee and breakfast under my tarp, and eventually the rain let up.I crossed the Vermont/Massachusetts border about lunchtime. Three states and 592 miles completed!I hiked down into Williamstown and North Adams. On my way to a nearby store, a car stopped to offer a ride. I wasn¢t even trying to hitch a ride! The driver said that his name was Mini-Mart.Small world! Mini-Mart and I were together at the beginning of the Pacific Crest Trail in 2005. It was good to see him again. He lives in Williamstown.After a quick re-supply, I started up Mt. Greylock, which is 3,491 feet elevation and is the highest peak in Massachusetts. I stopped for the night at Wilbur Clearing Shelter, about halfway up the mountain.Again, a college group from Yale was in the shelter, so I set up my tarp. I set the tarp up on a wooden tent platform, which is sort of an interesting arrangement.Mt. Greylock in the morning!
Date: 2015-08-27
From: Mark Noepel Shelter

To: Tom LevardiÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs house, Dalton, MA
Miles today: 13.9
Weather: scattered clouds

I hiked to Cheshire this morning and had coffee and a sausage, egg, and cheese bagel sandwich at Dunkin¢ Doughnuts. It was a relatively easy hike to Dalton, MA.Today¢s goal was to stay at Tom Levardi¢s house tonight. Tom is sort of a trail icon¢he¢s been letting hikers pitch tents in his yard, or sleep on the porch, for 36 years. Trail rumor is that this is his last year.A young SOBO passed me today and told me that Puffin told him to tell me that he would be in Dalton tonight. Tom took the young hikers to an AYCE buffet place for dinner. I stayed at the house and waited for Puffin. When he arrived, he and I walked down to a nearby restaurant and had dinner together.Everyone else tented out. I slept on the porch. Too much condensation when you pitch a tent on green grass!
Date: 2015-08-28
From: Tom LevardiÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs house, Dalton, MA

To: October Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 11.8
Weather: scattered clouds

It was a nice easy hike today. Puffin and I are at October Mountain Shelter tonight, so that we only have about nine miles tomorrow to get to Upper Goose Pond tomorrow night.Puffin and I are the only ones at the shelter¢no NOBOs, no college students. We had a good fire, but no one else to enjoy it with us.
Date: 2015-08-29
From: October Mountain Shelter

To: Upper Goose Pond Shelter
Miles today: 8.8
Weather: overcast clouds

The primary goal for today is Upper Goose Pond Shelter. All of the backpackers that we meet rave about how great it is, so we almost have to stay there. I stayed there in ¢04 and still remember the pancake breakfast!It was an easy 8.8 miles today, with the most memorable feature being crossing the Massachusetts Turnpike (I-90) on the pedestrian bridges. Then one more mile to the shelter.Puffin and I were the first hikers to arrive, so we got our choice of beds in the upstairs bunkroom. We met Debbie, the caretaker, and she showed us around.The shelter is actually a house that is over 100 years old. It was a summer home for the family that deeded it to the ATC. It has no electricity and/or running water.Puffin and I went down to the dock for a swim in the lake. That counts as a bath and laundry!Then I went with Debbie (the caretaker) by canoe to the ¢secret¢ spring across the lake to fill gallon plastic jugs with water for the shelter. It is a beautiful water source with cold, clear water straight out of the ground!After fetching water for the shelter, Puffin and I took the canoe around the lake before dinner. No wind; the water was like a mirror, reflecting the setting sun¢absolutely beautiful!Several other hikers showed up at the shelter while we were out in the canoe. Phlatlander/Camille came in while we were eating dinner. She¢s from Kansas and summitted Katahdin with me on June 20th.
Date: 2015-08-30
From: Upper Goose Pond Shelter

To: Shaker Campsite
Miles today: 9.9
Weather: overcast clouds

Pancake breakfast at Upper Goose Pond Shelter this morning. Debbie informed us that it was not AYCE and limited us to five pancakes each, but it was very good! The coffee was ¢all you can drink¢ and was very good.Puffin and I were on the trail by about 9:00 AM. The trail circled Upper Goose Pond. The morning was cloudy and humid and looked like rain in the afternoon.I may have met my new ¢trail family¢ at the shelter last night and this morning: Tao, Striker, Georgia and Phlatlander. Puffin will complete his 500-mile section hike today and leave the trail at MA 25/Great Barrington tomorrow.We arrived at the road to Tyringham at about 2:00 PM and celebrated the completion of Puffin¢s 500 miles with his bottle of Captain Morgan Spiked Rum. Then we had lunch.Three miles to the Shaker Campsite going up and over Cobble Hill. Earlier in the day when it looked like rain, I had considered the MT. Wilcox North Shelter; but it was four miles farther with a 500-ft. climb. At 4:00 PM Puffin and Phlatlander voted for the Shaker campsite. The skies were clearing, and I decided to join them. The others hiked on to the shelter.I pitched my tarp. Phlatlander and Puffin set up their hammocks. I got water from a nearby stream and started a good campfire. Then we fixed dinner. As we were finishing dinner, it started to rain, so we all went to the shelter of our tarp/hammocks. The rain only lasted about thirty minutes. Then we went back out to the fire and watched cowboy (hiker) TV until hiker midnight (8:30 PM). I wanted a memorable fire for Puffin¢s last night on the trail, so it should last all night!