morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2012-07-26
From: Cookie Lady's house

To: The Birdcage (Dalton, MA)
Miles today: 9.5
Weather: clear sky

We woke up to a drizzle this morning and cooked breakfast under our vestibules; first time I've had to do that in quite a while. Rocket told us that there was a severe thunderstorm heading towards us. So we tried to get to Dalton quickly and stay out of the rain.We made it into town about 1 PM and our first stop was the Mill Town Tavern, where we had delicious burgers. Tummies happy, we then set about determining where we would sleep that night. We had heard from Nokey and Sprinkles about the Birdcage, a place they had said was not to be missed. So OD called Rob, the owner of the Birdcage, and he gave us directions to the house. It's actually his own house, which he lets hikers stay in for free. We took showers and he gave us clothes to wear while he did our laundry. Then he drove us to the grocery store and later in the evening to an area with several restaurants. I am just blown away by this man's generosity. He is certainly not rich - he lives in a modest house and is the manager of the Shell station - but he does all this for hikers without asking anything in return. He just really loves hikers and I think we bring a lot of joy into his life. He took our pictures and put them into a photo album with all the other hikers who have stayed this year. He says in the winter, when the house is quiet and he's all alone, he loves to look at the pictures and read the notes that people have written him. He could be like so many other people who live alone and isolate themselves, but instead he chose to reach out and help others.
Date: 2012-07-27
From: The Birdcage (Dalton, MA)

To: Mark Noepel shelter
Miles today: 13.9
Weather: light rain

Today was the first day I can remember walking through 2 towns in one day. We walked all the way through Dalton after we left the Birdcage this morning (after a restful sleep in a real bed), and around 1 PM I walked thru Cheshire, MA. It was a tiny town, but it did have a small restaurant that sold sandwiches and as they didn't take cards, I luckily had just enough cash to buy a turkey sandwich.After my wonderful lunch, I did 4.5 more mi and ended up at Mark Noepel shelter around 4:30 and met up with OD. Not long after, who should show up but the Georgia boys! I haven't seen them since Erwin, TN - more than 1000 miles ago! They decided to move on to the next shelter. Later on, Pace and Hungus showed up and set up their hammocks near our tents. OD got a good fire going, and it was a nice, laid-back evening with plenty of time to get everything done.
Date: 2012-07-28
From: Mark Noepel shelter

To: Seth Warner shelter
Miles today: 16.5
Weather: light rain

We began the day with a climb up Mt. Greylock, the highest peak in Massachusetts. At 3491 feet, also the first time we've been above 3000 feet in quite a long time. There was a cool tower/lighthouse at the top honoring veterans. We climbed all the way to the top, up a spiral staircase, where there would have been a great view on a clear day. Today was kinda cloudy and foggy, so we couldn't really see anything.It started raining as I was making my way down the mtn, and I stopped at Wilbur Clearing shelter for lunch. I walked down into North Adams and saw OD sitting on the front steps of a school, along with a SoBo (southbound thru-hiker) named Huck and his dog, Finn. We resupplied at the Stop 'n Shop grocery store, then got back on the trail.The next 7 mi to the shelter was a struggle for me. My legs and feet hurt, and it was all I could do to put one foot in front of the other. I had a brief moment of joy when, just after dinner, we crossed the border into Vermont! State #12! This also means that we are now on the Long Trail, which follows the AT for the next 100 miles. We stumbled into camp around 8, and I set up my tent, got in, and collapsed.
Date: 2012-07-29
From: Seth Warner shelter

To: Hell Hollow Brook
Miles today: 14.7

Today was a much better introduction to VT. I really love this state so far; the weather is nice and cool, the scenery is beautiful, and there's this amazing smell in the air that I cant even describe. I passed by a couple beautiful ponds today and thought, "Yeah! This is what I imagined Vermont would look like!" Stopped at Congdon shelter for lunch with Pace and Hungus and actually caught OD, which usually doesn't happen during the day.Had a steep, rocky, miserable descent down to VT 9 later in the day, and an immediate climb back up, which was far less miserable. In fact, I practically flew up the hill. May legs are finally starting to feel strong again; I had felt realy weak for a while after I was sick. Got to Melville Nauheim shelter and OD said there were no tent spots, so we went 1.6 farther to Hell Hollow Brook. Found a nice spot for our tents, hung up our rainflys over the bridge railing, and get to listen to the sound of the brook all night. I washed the dirt off my legs in the water (Vermont's nickname of Ver-mud was well-earned today) and actually feel somewhat clean.
Date: 2012-07-30
From: Hell Hollow Brook

To: Story Spring shelter
Miles today: 15.8
Weather: light rain

What a gorgeous day in VT! The sun was shining, the sky was blue, and the temperature was perfect. Today I really feel like I'm actually going to finish this thing, and I'm going to enjoy it. Nothing monumental happened today, other than the fact that I was in a great mood, and there is nothing I would rather be doing right now than hiking the AT. I felt like the trail and I were enemies for a while, but now we are back to being friends.
Date: 2012-07-31
From: Story Spring shelter

To: Spruce Peak shelter
Miles today: 18.3
Weather: scattered clouds

I'm laying here in my tent without the rainfly, watching the last golden rays of sun light up the leaves of the trees above me. How often did I do this in my real life? There have been so many amazing moments out here, and so many more to come. I don't want to get caught up in counting down the miles and take any of this for granted.Climbed Stratton Mtn this morning - couldn't see anything until I went up the fire tower, where there was an amazing view of evergreens, mtns, ponds and ski slopes as far as the eye could see. A few miles farther north was Stratton Pond, also really beautiful. I love VT! The 18 mi today went by pretty fast; I practically ran the last 2 mi in 43 min b/c I was hungry and missing OD. Manchester Center is less than 3 miles away - tomorrow's going to be awesome!
Date: 2012-08-01
From: Spruce Peak shelter

To: Green Mountain House hostel
Miles today: 2.8
Weather: overcast clouds

We did the 2.8 mi to the road in no time at all this morning, but it took us a while to get a hitch into town. We were with Owf and her dog Sable, so I thought the dog would hurt our chances of getting a hitch, but it actually helped. We walked down the road about a half mile with our thumbs out and a woman in a small car pulled over, and we somehow fit 3 humans and a big dog inside. The woman said she decided to pull over when she saw the dog with us!She took us all the way into town, where we went to the outfitter, had pizza for lunch, went to an awesome bookstore and the grocery store. Then we called Jeff, the hostel owner, to come pick us up.The Green Mtn hostel was awesome; one of my absolute favorites so far. $20 got us a comfy bed, shower, laundry, use of the computer, living room and kitchen, and a pint of Ben and Jerry's! It was very homey. OD bought stuff to make spaghetti, so we had a ton of that for dinner. Owf made guacamole and a Long Trail hiker named Bluebird made a delicious pasta salad. Then we got to watch the Olympics! Yay! What a great day.
Date: 2012-08-02
From: Green Mountain House hostel

To: Big Branch shelter
Miles today: 16.5
Weather: few clouds

Today was one of my favorite days on the trail, even though it turned out to be a super long one! We made sausage and eggs for breakfast at the hostel and Jeff drove us back to the trailhead at 9:30. After 2 mi, I stopped at Bromley shelter to read the register and also decided to read a magazine that was sitting there (US Weekly, I'm ashamed to admit) b/c I didn't want to carry it! 45 min later, I was on my way. The next stop was Bromley Mtn, which had a ski lift, a cabin and ski runs going down the side of the mtn. Crazy to think that in just a few months, there will be enough snow for people to ski here. There was a beautiful view, so I took a leisurely lunch there.I went down to Mad Tom Notch, then back up to Styles Peak, which also had a great view. I took a half hour nap on some rocks in the sun. Stopped at Peru Peak shelter for a few min. OD wrote in the register that he had been there at 1:30. It was now 5 PM, and I had 6.4 mi to go. I thought, "It's going to be a late night."I hit Baker Peak around 6:30 and thought, "This would be a nice place for dinner." I had great cell phone reception for the first time in several days, so I made some calls while eating dinner. As I was finishing the call to my roommates, I realized it was past 8 and the sun was setting! I took some pictures, texted OD and set off. I had to turn my headlamp on almost immediately b/c the trees were so dense. I passed 2 shelters and thought about stopping, but knew OD would be worried. Finally got to Big Branch around 10 and OD was super relieved to see me. He never got my text b/c he didn't have cell service, so he thought I had fallen off a cliff. He helped me set up my tent and we went to bed.
Date: 2012-08-03
From: Big Branch shelter

To: Minerva Hinchey shelter
Miles today: 13.2
Weather: light rain

The first shelter I passed this morning was Little Rock Pond, which was a beautiful spot by a pond. I saw some digging going on and saw some workers by the shelter but thought they were building a new tent platform or something. Then I read something in the register about an archaeological dig and decided to check it out. There was a guy giving a speech to a mom and her 2 kids about some stone tools that had been discovered there. It was pretty cool, but I had to keep hiking.Climbed up Bear Mtn (the 3rd one on the AT - there were Bear Mtns in NY and CT also) and it was really beautiful at the top - all evergreen trees and soft pine needles underfoot.I got to the shelter pretty early and had time to take an hour-long nap before dinner. A couple section hikers, Chris and Wayne, who OD had made friends with the day before, showed up and we talked with them for a while. Wayne's son and his girlfriend came out to join them for the weekend, and showed up at the campsite around 10 PM.
Date: 2012-08-04
From: Minerva Hinchey shelter

To: Cooper Lodge shelter
Miles today: 13.8
Weather: clear sky

Experienced my first trail detour today. There was a 3.5 mi section where the trail was "closed" because of damage from Hurricane Irene next summer. The detour was almost a mile longer, and was all roadwalking, so I decided to venture into the closed section. It wasn't bad at all; actually, it was kind of fun. There were a lot of trees down, a few bridges out, but it was obvious that a lot of people had been going through that section b/c there were rock cairns to mark the way. Midway through, it started pouring rain, and just before I got to Governor Clement shelter, I had to ford a stream that was just over my ankles. After that, my feet were definitely wet. (OD, who was a couple hrs ahead of me, didn't have to ford it at all. It hadn't started raining yet and the water level was low enough that he could just walk across the rocks. Later that evening I talked to Sonshine, who was a couple hrs behind me, and the stream had turned into a raging river by that point. He and a couple other people had to put some logs across to a rocky island to use as handholds so they wouldn't get swept downstream.)Climbed up Mt. Killington to the shelter which was beautiful. It's an old stone cabin, and the windows face west, so we get an amazing sunset view. OD and I decided to sleep in the shelter, since everything was so wet outside. I can't even remember the last time I slept in a shelter, but it was a pretty good night's sleep - just us and a ridgerunner.
Date: 2012-08-05
From: Cooper Lodge shelter

To: Inn at the Long Trail
Miles today: 7.3

Did a few quick miles this morning to the Inn at the Long Trail. We were going to tent by the building, but the weather report called for rain, so we decided to stay inside. We had lunch downstairs at the Irish pub, which was delicious. Then we caught the bus into Rutland to resupply at Walmart (one of only 2 Walmarts in the whole state, apparently).We had time to take a nap in the afternoon, do laundry, and then went back to the pub for dinner and watched the Olympics. It poured rain all night, so I was glad to be inside in a cozy room.
Date: 2012-08-06
From: Inn at the Long Trail

To: Locust Creek
Miles today: 13.9

We had an amazing breakfast this morning, which was included in the cost of the room. I had blueberry pancakes, sausage, OJ and hot chocolate. OD stayed behind for a few minutes to finish charging his phone, and I started the 0.8 mi roadwalk back to the trail. Not long after, a pickup with a license plate that said "CREEPER" pulled over and a guy offered me a ride. He had a car seat in the back seat of the truck, so I hopped in. Turns out he thru-hiked in '99 and his trail name was Creeper. He was actually a very nice guy. It was only a short distance, but I appreciated not having to walk.A mile in, I passed the Maine Junction, which is where the Long Trail goes north to Canada and the AT heads east. Can't believe we've done 100 miles of Vermont already!Got to another detour at Thundering Brook Road, where there was a sign that said "trail impassable; broken boardwalk". It was only 0.6, so I decided to take the detour, and had a nice walk on some gravel roads.When I arrived at Locust Creek, OD had found a nice campsite just uphill from the creek. And he had a surprise for me - a Subway sandwich! He had seen OG and Farnsworth, who are off the trail now but are slackpacking some other hikers. They had an extra sandwich b/c one of the guys didn't show up, so they gave it to OD. OD and I split it, and I had to laugh because it was tuna. (Which we eat all the time on the trail.) It was delicious though - much better than Starkist tuna packets.
Date: 2012-08-07
From: Locust Creek

To: Thistle Hill shelter
Miles today: 16.6
Weather: clear sky

We heard a moose last night! I heard it making chomping sounds like it was eating, and crashing through the underbrush. There was no way it was a deer; it was way too loud. Pace and Hungus were in their hammocks not far from us, and Hungus shone his headlamp on it and confirmed that it was indeed a moose. I wish i had gotten out of my tent to see it, but it woke me up from a dead sleep and I was too disoriented to find my headlamp and glasses.Around lunchtime, I caught up with OD at a place off VT 12 called On the Edge Farm. I got a soda and some Vermont cheddar cheese to go with my lunch, then for dessert we split a small homemade blueberry peach pie. It was heavenly! Then I helped out Hungus and Pace with their huge strawberry rhubarb pie.I was there for a couple hrs, eating and trying to fight my way out of a food coma so I could get back on the trail. There were 6 uphills between me and the shelter, so I counted down as I went. There were lots of delicious blackberries to eat along the way, which slowed me down some. And there was a box of trial magic with yellow squash from someone's garden. OD thought it was gross, but I added it t my broccoli alfredo pasta side and it tasted amazing.
Date: 2012-08-08
From: Thistle Hill shelter

To: Thayer house (Norwich, VT)
Miles today: 14.7

Today had the distinction of being the first day I've walked through 3 towns. The first town was West Hartford, VT. There was a deli right on the trail, and OD got a huge sandwich (that he was cradling like a baby as he walked around the store) but I exercised self-control and only got a soda and chips, which I saved for my lunch an hour later.In the afternoon, I got to the outskirts of Norwich and walked along a residential street for a mile, on which there were 3 houses that had trail magic! Then I turned east and walked 1.4 mi along the road through the main part of Norwich, along the highway, over the Connecticut River and into Hanover, New Hampshire! Yay! State #13! I walked right into Hanover and through part of the Dartmouth campus. I found OD in the basement of the Dartmouth Outing Club building, along with Man-Boy and Voice of Reason. (Mr. Fab and Shanti had left just a few hours before.) We all went to a pizza place that gives a free slice to thru-hikers. We all ate way more than one slice, of course.At the DOC, they had a list of local people who let hikers stay at their house. Man-Boy and Voice had recommended Warren Thayer, so we called and he came and picked us up. He has a beautiful house and is so generous to let hikers stay there for free. We took showers and sat on the back porch with Warren and the other hikers who were staying there. There was a beautiful view from the upstairs balcony overlooking the mtns. We were going to sleep out there, but there were too many bugs, so we slept in the basement rec room.
Date: 2012-08-09
From: Thayer house (Norwich, VT)

To: Thayer house (Norwich, VT)
Miles today: 0.0

We did laundry this morning, then walked to the bus stop where we caught the (free) bus to Hanover. Had lunch at Boloco Burrito (almost like Chipotle, which I've been craving the whole time I've been on the trail). We got some groceries at CVS and walked around town a bit. Then we took the bus back to Norwich, and got a few things at Dan and Whit's , a general store there. Then came a miserable one mile uphill walk carrying bags of heavy groceries. The problem wasn't my legs but my arms; they're so weak now!Didn't do much for the rest of the day, just enjoyed the view from Warren's porch and talked to the other hikers.
Date: 2012-08-10
From: Thayer house (Norwich, VT)

To: Moose Mtn shelter
Miles today: 10.9
Weather: light rain

OD and I ate an entire box of breakfast cereal this morning - be impressed. It was Kellogg's Krave, in case you're wondering, and it was delicious. My appetite has been ridiculous lately; I'm going to have to start carrying a lot more food!Warren gave us a ride into Hanover, so we walked the rest of the trail through town, past the Dartmouth athletic fields and into the woods. Stopped for lunch around noon and just as I was finishing my 2nd tortilla wrap, it started raining. I threw everything back in my pack and started walking. It rained pretty hard for about 3 hrs, and although it had let up by the time I got to the shelter, I decided not to tent because everything was so wet. There were 2 SoBos (southbound hikers, going from Maine to Georgia) and 1 other NoBo (northbound hiker) when I arrived, but more wet, bedraggled people soon arrived and the shelter ended up being packed. Just before dark, 2 girls and a huge dog walked up and I was praying they wouldn't try and squeeze in, but they decided to tent.
Date: 2012-08-11
From: Moose Mtn shelter

To: Smarts Mountain
Miles today: 12.4
Weather: overcast clouds

Per usual in shelter life, 2 people snored loudly all night, and then half the people got up at 5 AM so they could make it to the post office in Hanover before it closed at noon. Not a very restful night. OD and I did manage to sleep in for another hour and awoke to the sun shining and a beautiful day. The main attraction this morning was visiting Bill Ackerly's house. He's listed in the guidebook and lives right next to the trail. He loves to give ice cream and sodas to hikers. Unfortunately, there was a note on the cooler saying he was on vacation, but i helped myself to a soda, had my lunch on the porch and read some magazines that were sitting out.In the afternoon, I climbed up Smarts Mtn, which was a long, steep uphill. There were several slanted, wet rock slabs to walk up, which are always fun. I survived and made it to the summit, where there was an old cabin and fire tower. We met Cindy, a section hiker, and Marathon, another NoBo. They both stayed in the cabin but OD and I set up our tents outside. It was very foggy, which gave a creepy vibe to the old cabin at the top of the mtn, under the evergreen trees.
Date: 2012-08-12
From: Smarts Mountain

To: Ore Hill campsite
Miles today: 12.8
Weather: light rain

Last night Cindy gave me a Backpackers Pantry (freeze-dried) meal, and I attempted to make it this AM for breakfast. Keep reading if you want insights into trail cooking. The meal was "spicy omelette", and the directions said to add water to the dehydrated egg mix and then cook in a greased pan. Since i had no actual butter, I tried to use a packet of maple almond butter which I had on hand. It burned in no time, but managed to grease the bottom of my cooking pot a little. Then I poured the egg mixture in, put the heat on low, and stirred for a while. It was my first taste of powdered eggs, and probably my last. At least they provided some variety and extra calories.Had a long climb down Smarts Mtn, and when I got to the bottom I felt pretty sleep and had to resort to my favorite performance-enhancing substance: 5 Hour Energy. I had never used it before the trail and normally don't believe in using energy drinks, but man this stuff works. I flew up the next mtn (Mt. Cube), stopping to visit Hexacuba Shelter on the way up because it's in the shape of a hexagon. Someone had left "The Scarlet Pimpernel" there, which I picked up for OD because he had finished "Watership Down". Mt. Cube had a lot of false summits, but some beautiful views on the rocky outcroppings. I caught up to OD at the top and had lunch with a section hiker (Tricksy) and her two dogs, who kept trying to eat my food (the dogs, not Tricksy). The view was amazing, and got me excited for the Whites.We're staying tonight at Ore Hill campsite. There used to be shelter here, but it mysteriously burned down last fall. Maybe it's haunted now?
Date: 2012-08-13
From: Ore Hill campsite

To: Hikers Welcome Hostel (Glencliff, NH)
Miles today: 8.2
Weather: broken clouds

The morning west fast, as it always does on a nero into town because we're so eager to get there! We went up Ore Hill and Mt. Mist (which was not misty), then had a 1/2 mi roadwalk to the hostel. I saw Pace and Hungus out in front trying to hitch a ride; they had slackpacked over Mt. Moosilauke the day before and were trying to get a ride back to where they left off. They eventually gave up and decided to wait for the hostel shuttle van to return later in the aftenroon.We got our tents set up in the side yard and chatted with some of the other hikers. Baltimore Jack (a trail legend who has done the AT a bunch of times) was there, and he gave us some info on the trail up ahead as we planned out the next few days. When the shuttle van arrived, it took us to the gas station/market in Warren, where we resupplied and got dinner.Rocket and Skrambo came in that afternoon, and it was great to see Rocket esprecially, b/c the last I saw her, she was getting off the trail for a bit b/c her feet were destroyed. But now she was recovered and is happy to be back.