morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2013-07-04
From: Mt Algo Shelter, CT 

To: Pine Swamp Brook Shelter, CT
Miles today: 17.3
Weather: light rain

Today broke camp at 6:00 am and arrived at new shelter at 6:30 pm. But that's with a couple hours off for a trip for dinner at Kent, Ct. Today was the highest humidity I have ever felt.   But the walk was beautiful as I walked alongside the Housatonic River. There was a slight wind blowing so the usual mosquitos were missing. Even though the walk was pleasant, after 7 miles I stopped at a stream and refilled my camelback. Then the trail turned away from the river and started climbing. After crossing a road the trail went down and I had to make a difficult log and rock fording of a brook. Then I continued upward and took a break at the top. As I was saddling up to go, a woman came up the trail and said ¢Hi Pilgrim¢. It was Miles From Nowhere, (Trail Magic lady from yesterday) doing a practice slack pack hike. She was only going 4 miles to the next street crossing. We decided to hike it together. Let me tell you, she was fast. But when she said that her and her husband would take me out for a burger, my feet grew wings. It helped that she gave me some Gatorade, but I think that was the fastest 4 miles I ever hiked. We met her husband and then set out for Kent, Ct. There they treated me to chocolate milk, burger and fries, with BBQ wings for appetizer. Then since Side Tracked liked ice cream, we went over to the ice cream shop and I had a chocolate malt which they paid for too. It was a nice evening and I appreciated the trail magic and they were very happy to treat me. Afterwards they brought me back to the trail where I only had a mile to go to reach the shelter. I'd say that's a pretty good Fourth of July! Once I arrived, I didn't have to eat, I just refilled my water, set up my tent and crawled in for the night. One other through hiker was at the tent site, but I had never met him before.
Date: 2013-07-05
From: Pine Swamp Brook Shelter, CT

To: Salisbury, CT 
Miles today: 16.1
Weather: overcast clouds

Broke camp at 6:00 arrived Salisbury at 2:00. Around 8:00 Mountain Goat and TK passed me on the trail. Then Backstreet and then Gator. Caught up with all of them at the Hydro Plant which had an outdoor shower on the side of a building and a nice grassy area to lay around. I also met Spirit there too. I skipped the shower, talked awhile with everyone, then headed out hoping to get into Salisbury early. When I walked out on the highway near Salisbury, I looked at my trail guide and dialed the 2 numbers for people letting hikers stay in their homes. As it turned out, only 1 answered, but she didn't have room. But she came and got me anyway. Just as she was picking me up the other lady using caller ID returned my call. The lady in the car drove me over to Marie's house and I was greeted with a large glass of orange juice and then a Pepsi. Then after I took a shower she gave me slices of chicken and I made 2 chicken sandwiches. Another boarder (John) drove me to the Post Office and grocery store. Laying in the grass between stores were Mountain Goat and the gang along with Spirit. I told them I was losing too much weight and had decided to take a zero day tomorrow. Tonight John and I will go out to eat and maybe I can buy some treats to munch on tomorrow.
Date: 2013-07-06
From: Salisbury, CT 

To: Salisbury, CT
Miles today: 0.0

Took a zero day. Laid around in bed almost all day. Maria provided 3 eggs and I cooked my own breakfast. Orange juice, toast and a banana went good with the eggs. Got up from bed every hour to eat my left over pizza from last night. Maria also gave me slices of chicken and I made a chicken sandwich. In the afternoon Don's Brother came in. We ended up walking into town that night for dinner at a cafe. Because of my loss of weight etc Don's Brother and I decided if we are near each other when we enter the Whites that we would slack pack it together. Even if he isn't near, I will still slack it because climbing with hand holds and a heavy pack sounds dangerous if I am not up to full strength when I get there.
Date: 2013-07-07
From: Salisbury, CT

To: Glen Brook Shelter, Mas
Miles today: 13.8
Weather: broken clouds

Last night Maria called me down before going to bed, and gave me a hug. Then she asked when I was leaving. I told her at 5:00 in the morning and I would just eat the left over pizza. She wouldn't hear of it and told me that's how I got in the condition I am now in. She said I better cook the breakfast. Today I got up at 5:00, went down to Maria's kitchen and cooked 3 eggs, and had toast, orange juice and a banana with them. I walked down the street to the trail and was hiking by 5:45. At first it was very uncomfortable with the pack being so heavy after a resupply. But after a while I found the right adjustment to the pack and I finally forgot about it's weight. I climbed 3 mountains and was out in the sun a lot on the tops of these mountains. When I saw a day hiker taking a food break I stopped for a much needed rest and chatted for about 30 minutes with him. Then we heard distant thunder and we both got under way. The thunder was getting more and more intense as I neared a shelter up ahead. But first I ran out of water from drinking because of the humidity. Then I saw a trail magic picnic table filled with water. It was then that the sky opened up and a deluge of rain started pelting me. I had already put my phone away and covered the pack during the thundering, so all I did was put on my rain jacket. I also quickly poured drinking water from the picnic bench into my bicycle bottle and hurried down the trail for another half mile to reach the shelter. There I and another through hiker lay on our mats waiting out the storm. It was 5:00 before the storm ended and the other, who was trying to catch up with his girlfriend took off for the next shelter which was 14 miles away. I went down to the stream and refilled my water, ate dinner, then went over to the the adjoining shelter to get a tent site. As you can guess, the rain brought out the mosquitoes and I like my tent netting to keep them at bay. Well I found out you must only use designated camping sites in Mass. so I am going to have a 19 mile day tomorrow to make up for the short miles today. I feel good about today because I had a heavy pack and had to negotiate 3 mountains. Tomorrow will be flatter, hopefully it'll be an easy 19 miles
Date: 2013-07-08
From: Glen Brook Shelter, Mas

To: East Mountain Retreat Center, MA
Miles today: 16.3
Weather: broken clouds

July 8 Day 124 - 16.3 miles / 1526.1 total / 659.8 leftGlen Brook Shelter, MA to MA 23 East Mountain Retreat Center, MAWoke up this morning to find my tent floor all puddled with water. My pack with the camelback was situated so that the weight of the pack pressured out all 2 liters of its water. Luckily the curve of the ground kept the water in the middle of the tent. All my stuff sacks were on the high end of the tent and my air mat kept me up out of it too. My REI cloth soaked up and squeezed out the water quickly. I was on the trail by 6:30. There was a lot of pure walking through fields but there was an equal amount of technical hiking over and down ridges. And as usual it rained in the afternoon. Today I slipped and fell 2 times on the slick roots and rocks. Luckily I was near the bottom of the descent each time. Two guys, Misery and Johnny Walker, slept at my same campground the night before passed me and I would sometimes catch up to them when they took breaks. Misery suggested I do only 16 miles today and stay at the hostel. Since it was raining I thought that was a good idea. I was real lucky when reached MA 23. I ran across the road in front of this guy and stuck out my thumb. The guy picked me up. His name is Scott and he was driving a 1953 military jeep. He drove me up to the hostel. After our showers the 3 of us ordered from a pizza place. I got a turkey sub, chicken fingers, and chocolate milk.
Date: 2013-07-09
From: East Mountain Retreat Center, MA

To: East Moutnain Retreat Center, MA
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Today I woke up feeling weak again. I decided that I should contact Don's Brother and see if I could slack pack with him. He answered right back and wanted me to join him. So I hitched a ride into Great Barrington and spent the day at a Travel Lodge. About 3:00 DB arrived and we started to plan our next few days. I am committing to slack packing the rest of the way. So I divided my gear into what I will continue to carry and what I will send back home. I decided to send back my tent, all the cooking gear, my rain pants (I'm keeping the rain jacket), and 1 shirt I never wear. Today I also went and bought a pair of light weight tennis shoes for in town and I'm sending home my camp water shoes. Tomorrow we are only going 12 miles. So we are going to sleep in, call a cab, take my stuff that I'm sending home to the Post Office, then ride the cab to the trailhead. Plan C is now in effect. Hopefully it gets me to Katahdin.
Date: 2013-07-10
From: East Moutnain Retreat Center, MA

To: Main Road, Tyringham, Ma
Miles today: 12.0
Weather: light rain

MA 23 to Main Rd Tyringham, MA 1538.3 Today was only 12 miles with a slack pack. DB and I were joined by Banzai a 31 year old that was tired of the grunginess of the trail and wanted to stay in a town every night. Banzai was the fastest of us and led the way. DB followed and I always brought up the rear. Banzai and DB kept up a lively conversation most of the way and the miles seemed to fly by.  We are back in our motel room by 2:00, just as the rains started. Tomorrow will be a 18 mile day with a slack pack with rain in the forecast.
Date: 2013-07-11
From: Main Road, Tyringham, Ma

To: Washington Mt Rd, Becket MA 
Miles today: 18.0
Weather: scattered clouds

It was supposed to rain all day, but we only got a few sprinkles in the first hour of our hike. Today we met 3 thru hikers, but mostly it was just the 3 of us. The mosquitoes were at a minimum so the day was excellent. The path was filled with rocks, root runners, and mud. Around noon we came to a road next a lodge, so we went over to it hoping it would have a soda vending machine. It did, plus it had picnic tables down by a lake. DB and I both had brought 2 McDonalds each, and we were able to use the lodge's lobby microwave to warm them up. That, along with an apple I brought, gave me a good lunch and solid basis for the afternoon hike. I ended the 18 mile hike feeling pretty good. By 7:00 we were shuttled to a motel for the night. Tonight I helped out by finding the best rate for a motel in Williamstown, MA. So our team is feeling good and we all have high expectations of reaching Maine.
Date: 2013-07-12
From: Washington Mt Rd, Becket MA 

To: Cheshire, MA
Miles today: 18.3
Weather: light rain

July 12 Day 128 18.3 miles / 1574.6 total / 611.3 left Washington Mtn Rd to Cheshire, MA mile 1574.6Today was cool and the mosquitoes were not to bad. It worked out that we walked into Dalton around noon. The AT went into town and we first came up on a hostel. There we met Misery who had to have a root canal that morning. Also there was Nomad. He gave us each a soda. This is the first time I've received trail magic from him. He said Fresh Ground was off the trail. I picked up my mail drop at the post office, gave Misery the dinners, and then had lunch at the Dalton Cafe. It was kind of hard to get moving again, but we managed to do a climb and finish at Cheshire, MA. Then we were picked up by a shuttler and we spent the night in Williamstown. Tomorrow we only go 14.7 over Mt Greylock.
Date: 2013-07-13
From: Cheshire, MA

To: Williamstown, MA 
Miles today: 14.7
Weather: broken clouds

So now that this is my 4th day of the slack pack method, here is how it works:First of all you hike from one road to another road. To do that you need a shuttler. Generally these are found at the AT site. Some are also found in the AWOL guide book. Now sometimes you may be ahead of your gear and sometimes behind it. Here's how we did it starting at Great Barrington when DB, Banzai, and I started together with all our gear in the same place we were at. We called a shuttler who lived right on the trail 10 miles ahead of us in Tyringham. He came and picked up our gear and us and drove us to the trail head on MA 23. Then he kept our gear in his car while we slack packed to his house. When we hiked up to his house he drove us to Pittsfield which is about 20 miles north from Tyringham. Then the next morning he came back and drove us to his house to start hiking from there. We walked 18 miles to Becket. He picked us up and then drove us and our gear to Williamstown, which is where we are at now. It's pretty complicated and requires a lot of planning. DB has been doing this since the Smokies, so he's pretty good at it. Now people are calling him saying they have read his journal (and mine) and are asking how they can help for just the cost of gas. Today we received trail magic in the morning and after our hike. Tom, the owner of the hostel in Dalton, came up to Williamstown and drove us for free to Cheshire , where we started our hike over Mt Greylock. Then during the day we called a shuttler and arranged for her to pick us up when we hiked into Williamstown and take us to our motel. She had thru hiked the AT in 2000 as Bagel, and she met us with a huge cookie and a large lemonade. Then she drove us for free to our motel. Then later, that night, DB talked to a trail angel in Bennington who offered his services for free. He's going to drive down to us in Williamstown, pick up our gear, then drop us off at the trailhead. We are going to hike 18 miles up to Bennington tomorrow and he will pick us up at that trail head, drive us to a motel and drop us off. Unfortunately he works on Monday, so we need another shuttler to pick us up and drive us back to Bennington after we hike 20 miles out of Bennington.
Date: 2013-07-14
From: Williamstown, MA 

To: Bennington, Vt
Miles today: 18.2
Weather: light rain

Today I want to wish my oldest son, Mark, a very happy birthday. Happy birthday son, can't wait to get back home to see you again. Today I am feeling a lot better than I did 4 days ago when I first joined up with DB and Banzai. I was tired at the end of today's 18 miles, but not ready to drop. So my recovery is moving in the right direction. Tomorrow we are going to take a zero day, and that should bring me even more back to full strength. We had some long climbs today and one sharp descent. No rain, but it was pretty hot out. I brought a ham and cheese sandwich from this morning¢s restaurant and had that along with an apple for a great lunch. We saw 2 south bounders today so we know we are getting close to Maine.
Date: 2013-07-15
From: Bennington, Vt

To: Bennington, VT
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Took a zero day. Today was over 90 and it'll be that way till Sunday. I feel like we are doing our bodies a good turn by taking this break. We are at the Catamount motel and it is a nice clean roomy place to stay with a very reasonable cost of 54.00 a night. The managers are very hiker-friendly. They shuttle us to eat and resupply at no cost and really are into trail magic. To sum it up, this was the perfect place to take a zero day. Spirit texted us about dinner tonight, so we all will enjoy a night out tonight. I¢m thinking about getting a book to read:   it¢s been that relaxing. Steve has offered to drive our gear up to Manchester Center on Wednesday, which we accepted
Date: 2013-07-16
From: Bennington, VT

To: USFS 71, Vt
Miles today: 20.6
Weather: few clouds

Alan, the manager of the Catamount Inn, volunteered and drove us to the trail. We were walking by 7:30. Today's hike was mostly over rocks, roots, and through mud. Hardly any step was easy but we somehow maintained a 2 mile pace. Again very few hikers were met. The day dragged as we went into the late afternoon. Both DB and myself were almost asleep while walking. For the last 1.6 miles, DB got out some jelly beans and shared them. That, and the fact that the trail had less impediments, made us go faster and finish with a burst of speed. We got to the gravel road FS 71 around 7:30pm. Just as promised, Steve picked us up at 8:00. On the way down the road Steve pointed out a pond with a momma moose and its calf. It was beautiful how they walked through the water and the tall grass. On the way back we stopped at McDonalds for dinner and were in our rooms by 9:45pm.
Date: 2013-07-17
From: USFS 71, Vt

To: Manchester Center, VT
Miles today: 19.5
Weather: light rain

Today like most of Vermont was doable. The only problem of the day was just that: doing it. The miles never come easy, you have to put in 1 hour of dodging rocks and roots to get in 2 miles. And since we needed to do over 19 miles to reach our destination, as usual we couldn't stop to enjoy any of the sights. Section hikers stop along the way to swim in a pond or sit on a ledge with a view. Most of the time, we just passed those spots and trudged on. I guess if we didn't have to go all the way to the next highway by dark we could stop, but I've made the choice to eat restaurant food as much as possible so I can finish the trail. So I live with my choices and really I think finishing this hike is worth the small sacrifices I make along the way. It's just I think through hiking is kind of ¢anti hiking¢ as far as enjoyment, but if you want to test yourself against an inanimate AT trail that does nothing and just sits there and still beats 75 percent of its opponents then the AT is for you.
Date: 2013-07-18
From: Manchester Center, VT

To: Danby, Vt
Miles today: 17.6
Weather: scattered clouds

Today we started at 7:00 and finished at 4:00. We started by climbing Bromely mountain. During the last portion of the climb we actually walked up a ski slope to where the chair lifts were. We took a break, but were eventually chased out by the Mosquitos and flies. Then we climbed Styles Peak, Peru Peak, and Baker Peak. On Baker Peak we scaled some slanted rock for a good while. It was pretty dicey and would have been impossible if the rocks were wet. We saw some south bounders and only 1 north bounder. At the end of the trail there was a cooler of soda. I picked up a cherry cola that really felt good as we rode back to the Green Mountain hostel. Tonight DB made spaghetti for Banzai and me. So we did the dishes and the laundry. What a team. Tomorrow we are carrying our full packs on a 14.7 hike. It'll be hard with the humidity but at least it's a short hike.
Date: 2013-07-19
From: Danby, Vt

To: VT 103, near Rutland VT
Miles today: 14.8
Weather: broken clouds

Today was supposed to be easy at only 14 miles. But the path was full of obstacles and the humidity had the sweat rolling off my body. Again the only north bounder on the trail was Spoons. It was very picturesque with ponds and streams everywhere. We found 2 spots on the trail where hikers had piled rocks in interesting ways. It was kind of like an array of cairns. DB found a note in a shelter about a trail angel that gave rides to town so we were greeted at the end of the day by a soda and ride to town when we finished. I got a little banged up on the last descent when I slipped on a large slab of rock and landed hard on my hip. DB got some ice for me at the motel and I hope icing it helps. Now for the big news! Banzai called his brother who was at James Madison University in Virginia to start teaching History this fall. Mike agreed to come up and shuttle us for 2 weeks before he has to be back at school. This should get us half way through the Whites.
Date: 2013-07-20
From: VT 103, near Rutland VT

To: US 4, Rutland, Vt
Miles today: 17.4
Weather: light rain

Today was one big climb and one big descent. Both were over 2000 ft. We all started off the day with a good breakfast at a local restaurant where DB and I also got ham and cheese sandwiches to go. We were on the trail by 8:00. At first it was hot and muggy but then a storm front rolled thru with a bit of rain and cooler temperatures. We stopped around 2:00 in a shelter for lunch. There we met 2 girls on a day hike. One of the girls had thru hiked the AT last year. Then Fatty came in. I had hiked with her after Harpers Ferry and both DB and Banzai knew her too. She hiked down the mountain with us. At the trail head a women named Jan was there with trail magic. I had 2 Klondike bars, some cheese, some cherries, and some crackers. DB, Banzai, and Fatty all were there longer and ate more than me. Fatty bummed a ride in town from Mike and will sleep on their motel room floor tonight. At 7:30 we are going to meet Steady and Spirit for dinner. Tomorrow we hike over 20 miles and Mike is going to carry our gear up to Hanover, NH.
Date: 2013-07-21
From: US 4, Rutland, Vt

To: VT 12, Woodstock, VT
Miles today: 23.3
Weather: light rain

Day 137 ¢ (only) 465.0 miles left Today, as usual, we got a late start and hit the trail after breakfast at 8:00. We finished 23.3 miles later.   We finished at 8:00 at night. It was a trail of beautiful sights. We passed many streams that were clear and running over rocks. There was a lake and there were wet lands. We went over 3 mountains. The first was an over 1200 ft climb that was mostly without switchbacks. The other 2 mountains were pretty difficult too. I had an apple and a ham and fried egg sandwich for lunch. Then Cliff bars for the rest of the day. DB had a peach for afternoon sack and I was jealous. Tomorrow I'm going to get a peach or nectarine for afternoon snack. We've decided to do a 13 and 9 mile day for the next 2 days to give ourselves a break. We pretty much have finished Vermont, now we go after the 2 hardest states.
Date: 2013-07-22
From: VT 12, Woodstock, VT

To: VT 14, West Hartford, VT 
Miles today: 13.0
Weather: light rain

We were exhausted from yesterday's hike so all decided to sleep in till 7:15. We stopped at a nice deli for breakfast and also ordered ham and cheese sandwiches for lunch. We were on the trail by 9:30. It was again a picturesque hike with streams and views coupled with a nice pine straw trail all day. There were some climbs but they were made easier by the niceness of the trail. We met some north bounders Crazy Legs and Shadow Wolf who had started at Springer in January. We saw 5 south bounders, all were young and fit. Haven't seen any old guys come down the trail yet. When I do, I'll ask them how they fared through the Whites. Finished at 4:30. Tomorrow we cross over into New Hampshire on a short day of 10 miles.
Date: 2013-07-27
From: Glencliff, NH

To: Kinsman Notch, NH 
Miles today: 9.3
Weather: clear sky

Today was a day of awesome views but strenuous hiking. It was only a 9 mile hike but it took 8 hours to do it. It was a climb till noon, but it wasn't too bad. Since it was Saturday there were day hikers everywhere. When we started our hike a lady named Step Lightly joined us and kept up all the way to the summit. The summit was sunny with lots of people. The people were all friendly and it was a nice picnic atmosphere. Then we headed down the north side of Mt Moosilauke. It was a very steep, rock-strewn path and we were all very cautious with each step. It was during this descent that I was slipping on the rock too much and decided to get a new pair of boots when I got back in town. The new pair is made by Keen and have soft rubber soles instead of worn down hard rubber soles of my old Vasgue boots. The new ones should grip the rock way better.