morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2012-07-13
From: Behind Toymakers Cafe

To: Bearwalker and Buttons House - Great Barrington MA
Miles today: 8.4
Weather: overcast clouds

This morning we were all packed up and ready to go by 7:00am and we had eating breakfast with all the other hikers around a big dinner table. We sort of lost track of time and before we knew it, Hudson was there to take us back north to the trail. We were dropped off at the trail around 9 am and we headed north again down on to Mt Everett. Today the three of us were really feeling the 21 miles we did yesterday and today it was more humid so we were going slower than usual which also made for an unpleasant day. The terrain today was also harder than what we expected and we got to a really steep rocky section that also slowed us down. Once we finally got off the mountain range the trail got flatter, but at the same time it got swampy and very buggy¢¦which also added in making today an unpleasant one!The trail went through some open fields and soon we finally made it to the road crossing that took us into Great Barrington, MA. When we got there, we found a car sitting at the side of the road. By the car we saw a couple who were putting a cooler out for hikers. Their names were Button and Bearwalker, and they have already done their thru hike. They said that they take hikers into their home for free, but we decided to try to get a motel because we were zeroing. So they drove us into town and we tried to get a motel, but all the motels in town were booked or too expensive because apparently this town was voted the nicest town in the country this year. We decided to stay at their place which turned out to be a really awesome place and we were super happy that we decided to stay there. We did the usual shower and laundry then we went out to eat with bearwalker to a pizza place where Buttons was working that night. We headed back to their house and hung out for the rest of the evening. Tomorrow we are planning on getting a motel rather than stay another night at their place. Well it is time for bed, hopefully we can sleep in tomorrow and not wake up early like we usually do....night all.
Date: 2012-07-14
From: Bearwalker and Buttons House - Great Barrington MA

To: Great Barrington, MA
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

Today we decided to stay at Bearwalkers and Buttons house for another night because all the motels are so expensive on the weekends in town. We decided to walk into town at around noon to window shop and then we went to see a movie, the three of us decided to see Brave in 3D. After the movie we did our resupply for the next three days of hiking and headed back to the house. Later that evening two other hikers, Poncho and Great Dane showed up and we made room for them in the hiker room. Then for the rest of the evening until almost 11:00pm we all just sat around on the porch and talked hiker stuff. Tomorrow we are continuing north and we are only planning on doing 12 miles to the second shelter so we dont have to rush out the door in the morning, I am the last one up so I guess I should hit the sack too...night all
Date: 2012-07-15
From: Great Barrington, MA

To: Mt. Wilcox South Shelter
Miles today: 11.7
Weather: moderate rain

First things first I keep forgetting to tell you what Big Sky's Mom new trail name is! It is now officially Sugar Mama or just Sugar for short.**This morning we were all up by 7:00am and we all went to Dunkin Donuts for breakfast before we headed back to the trail. At around 9:00am Bearwalker took Big Sky, Sugar and I back to the trail but both Poncho and Great Dane did not have time to do their laundry last night so they did not leave the same time we did. It is supposed to rain later on in the evening so we are going to try and get to the shelter as fast as we can so we beat the rain. But we may have to go slower because Big Sky caught my cold so she is not feeling well today. The first mile was nice and easy though and it went around some corn fields and followed a creek for a while. It then started up the mountain very steeply at first but then became easier and we were soon at the top. From the top we could see the mountains across the valley that we were hiking on the last few days and we could also see the corn fields we hiked through this morning. The trail went down the other side into the next valley but once we got down to the bottom it started right up the other side. It started to drizzle a little once we were about half way up the mountain so we stopped and put on our pack covers then finished out the rest of the climb. It continued to drizzle and rain lightly for the rest of the time we were hiking but stopped once we got to the shelter of course. We were the only hikers there for a while but a little later in the day two southbounders showed up and also decided to stay at this shelter. It started to rain again so we decided to just stay in I the shelter tonight and hope that the bugs aren¢t bad tonight...I think the last time we stayed in a shelter was our last night in PA so its a little different. Tomorrow we are going to try and get to the second shelter which is an old cabin along a lake and there are caretakers there that cook blueberry pancakes for breakfast! There are also canoes that we can use in the lake. We are going to start as early as we can so we can get there early to relax and canoe before it gets dark so its time for bed...night all.
Date: 2012-07-16
From: Mt. Wilcox South Shelter

To: Upper Goose Pond Cabin
Miles today: 15.8
Weather: haze

Last evening and thru night, it rained off and on. Around 9:00pm Poncho and Great Dane showed up in the rain but they stayed at the old shelter up the hill. This morning it was not raining but it was still foggy out so there we still had tree rain. We left the shelter at around 7:00am and the sun was out by 8:00am. Today the trail had a lot of little ups and downs so it was a slow and monotonous day. Not much happened today; we did not even see any other hikers until we got to the side trail on the way to the shelter.So because nothing much happened today, I am going to just skip to when we got to the cabin. We got to the side trail on the way to the cabin at around 3:45pm. The side trail was half a mile long and usually we would never even think about going that far off of the trail but this cabin is awesome. For starters it is run by one of the trail maintaining clubs and there are volunteer care takers who stay there and keep care of it. It¢s a four sided cabin with windows, a porch, an upstairs bunk room with mattresses, a kitchen and dining area, a couch, plus has a lake out front so it also had a swimming area and canoes we could use. First we clamed our bunks then Big Sky and I went out on the lake and paddled around for a while...well at least I paddled. After we got back to the cabin, I went for a quick swim and then sat on the front porch to dry. While I was drying off, a bunch of hikers showed up. Here is a list of all the hikers...Machine, Seper Fadelus, Poncho, Great Dane, Mouse Trap, One Speed, two brothers but I forget their names and one southbounder Dan. All day long I had a bit of a headache and as the day went on it got worse. I decided to just eat supper, take some meds and go to bed but by then it was a full on pounding migraine. I went up to the bunk room at around 8:00pm and tried to sleep but it was hard trying to sleep in the bunk room will all the hikers going in and out...but they all knew I had a headache and were trying their best to keep quiet...thanks everyone. I finally did fall asleep at some point and the next thing I knew it was morning and the headache was gone. Night all.
Date: 2012-07-17
From: Upper Goose Pond Cabin

To: Tom Levardi's Hostel
Miles today: 20.6

This morning I woke up and my headache was gone. First thing I noticed was the smell of pancakes and coffee. Every morning the cabin caretakers make blueberry pancakes and coffee for the hikers. We packed up our gear then headed down to eat breakfast with the rest of the hikers. Once we had our fill, we headed back to the trail at around 7:30am.Today we only had two big climbs, one in the morning then one at the end of the day and the rest is mostly flat. The trail passed over I 90 down in a valley then went up to the top of Becket Mountain which was the biggest climb of the day. From the top of the mountain, the trail stayed up on the ridge line for the rest of the day. We were soon passed by Machine and the two brothers that stayed at the cabin last night; they all said that they were also going to Tom Levadri's place so we would see them there. We went five miles and got to a stream and decided to fill our water bottles because the next water source is an intermittent spring and if it is dried up the next water source would be 9 miles from the stream.Once we were all filled up, we continued on to the next shelter and took a break there for a while then moved on. The rest of the day the trail was easy but it did not have many interesting parts and it seemed to take forever but we finally got to the next shelter. We took a break at the next shelter we came to then continued up the trail and up the second and last climb of the day. We got to the top of the mountain then went down the other side into town. The trail went right through town and right past Tom Levardi's house so we did not have to go far off the trail which was awesome.Tom Levardi allows hikers to stay at his house. He does laundry for all the hikers and does free slack packing. When we got there the house all but full and the three of us took the last room. We then showered and had our clothes washed.   We went into town to eat supper and to resupply. When we got back to Tom's house we saw that Pancake and Frodo had come back from slackpacking and Poncho, Great Dane and Mousetrap finally showed up too. Tomorrow we are going to hiker to the first shelter out of town which is near the top of Mt. Greylock which is the highest peak in MA¢¦so it¢s time for bed...night all.
Date: 2012-07-18
From: Tom Levardi's Hostel

To: Mark Noepel Shelter
Miles today: 13.9
Weather: moderate rain

This morning we were up and on the trail by 8:00am. The first mile of the trail today was actually the sidewalks in Dalton and then went back into the woods on the other side of town. The trail went up and over a mountain which I think was called Crystal Mountain, but I¢m not sure. Last night it must have rained north of town because all the rocks and roots were wet and slippery so it took us a while but we soon started down into the town of Cheshire MA. We got to town at around noon and once again the trail went through town and passed right by Diane's Twist, an ice cream store. We stopped there for lunch and of course all got ice cream. For lunch I had a hot dog with chili and I also go a turkey sandwich that I put in my pack for supper. After an hour break, we headed to the outfitters in town which turned out to be no more than a small shack behind someone¢s house and there was no one there so we moved on. There was a hiker hostel at a church in town so we stopped in to use the bathroom and to fill up our water bottles before we started up Mt. Greylock. We stayed there a little longer than we planned but the AC felt so good that we did not want to leave. We finally decided to leave the AC and the trail continued through town then through a corn field which led up the mountain.From town we had to climb up over 1800 feet in five miles and we started up during the hottest part of the day; we went really slow and took our time. On the way up, Great Dane and Poncho passed us and said that they would see us at the shelter. We finally got to the shelter at around 3:00pm and sure enough Great Dane and Poncho were there taking a break. They stayed and talked with us until around 5:00pm then they decided to hike up and over the top of Mt. Greylock 6.6 miles to the next shelter. Not long after they left, Dog Whisperer and her two dogs showed up. She was staying the night but decided to tent behind the shelter. We were the only ones in the shelter tonight. I think a lot of the other hikers took a zero back at Tom's place. Tomorrow we will finish hiking up to the top of Mt. Greylock and then head down into Williamstown MA to do a resupply and stay the night...night all.
Date: 2012-07-19
From: Mark Noepel Shelter

To: Williamstown, MA
Miles today: 9.6

Last night it rained a little and throughout the night some animal kept walking around outside the shelter and kept waking us up. Every time I would shine my head lamp in the direction of the sound all I could see were eyes in the brush...I think it was an opossum, but not sure. We got up at around 6:00am and found that Dog Whisperer was ready gone. We were on the trail heading north at 7:30am. The trail went up for a while then leveled off before the last climb up to the peak of Mt. Greylock and we were soon at the top at around 8:30am.We were the only ones at the top of the mountain. I was expecting there to be a lot of people up at the top because on the mountain there is a state park with a road that goes up to the top. There is also a Veterans War Memorial Tower that you can climb up and a lodge with an Inn and a restaurant. We climbed the tower and walked around the top for a little while then headed down the other side towards town. The trail went down the mountain the same way it came up; it went down steeply for a little then leveled off before it went down to town.We got to the next shelter but decided to just pass by and go right into town. The trail got really steep for the last mile and a half into town and we had to really take our time so we did not fall. We made it down off of the mountain and then had to road walk for another mile before we got to Water Street where we had to go off trail down the road to the motel. We planned on going to the grocery store before we went to the motel so we just walked half a mile down the road to the store. When we got there, we ran into Great Dane and Poncho sitting on a bench in front of the store. Apparently they were there for a few hours and decided to challenge each other to a calorie eating contest. They each went into the store and came out with the highest calorie food they could find and each ate as much as they could until one of them could eat no more. Poncho ended up eating two whole boxes of cereal and a whole gallon of milk but Great Dane ended up eating more calories at around 4000 calories!! And that was just breakfast. They were still planning on going to the all you can eat Chinese buffet before they continued up the next mountain.We did our resupply and called to see if the owner of the motel could pick us up and he said he would be there in about ten minutes. The motel was pretty nice and it even had a pool which I was very happy about. We all showered then went into town to wash our clothes and to eat supper. When we got back, we headed to the pool and swam for a while then went back to the room and called it a night. Tomorrow we have to climb back up 2220 feet to the top of the next mountain and we also finish out MA and head into VT so it¢s time for bed...night all.
Date: 2012-07-20
From: Williamstown, MA

To: Congdon Shelter
Miles today: 14.1
Weather: overcast clouds

This morning we were up at 6:30am. Big Sky and Sugar went to eat breakfast at the diner down the street but I decided to just eat out of my food bag because I have more food than I need to get me to the next town. I also wanted to make it lighter by eating out of it. We told the front desk that we would be ready by 9:00am for them to take us back to the trail. They were a little busy so they did not get us back to the trail till 9:30am.Today is going to be a perfect day for hiking! It is only to be in the low 70s and the low 50s tonight. The hottest it got all day up on the mountain was 66 degrees. The trail followed some more roads for a little while then it started back up the other side of the valley. We had a 1400 foot climb first thing in the morning then the trail leveled off for a few miles until we got to the next shelter. Today we crossed over the MA/VT line so we only have three states to go! We got to the next shelter and took a little break then continued on up the rest of the mountain. From the shelter we had another 700 feet to climb before we got to the top of the mountain.Once we got to the top, we started down the other side for a little then went up another 400 feet before we went down the last downhill part before the shelter. Once down, the trail passed some beaver ponds, streams and then got to a creek that we followed for a mile to the shelter. The shelter was built in the 1960s and I could tell that it was a cabin before it was a shelter because it had windows, an old chimney and an old cast iron stove that was sitting in pieces outside of the shelter.When there, we found two ladies setting up their tents behind the shelter, then about five minutes after we got there three more ladies going southbound showed up and they tented on the other side of the creek. We found our own flat spots and set up our tents below the shelter and as we were setting up our tents another southbounder Book Worm showed up then a northbounder One Speed. So it¢s a full house tonight. We all ate our supper then decided to make a fire before we went to bed because it was already down to 52 degrees at 8:30pm. We all stayed around the fire until we ran out of wood at around 9:50pm. Then we all called it a night...night all!
Date: 2012-07-21
From: Congdon Shelter

To: Kid Gore Shelter
Miles today: 18.7
Weather: scattered clouds

Well last I had my first problem with mice so far on this trip. Last night I tried to hang our food in a tree but I could not find any good branches. I did find one but it came crashing down under the weight of our three food bags. So we decided to just hang our food bags in the shelter like we usually do and we put Book Worm in charge of keeping the mice away. Well when we got up in the morning, we found that a mouse had chewed holes into Sugar's and my food bags. They did not get all the way into hers but they got all the way into mine. They decided to sample my tortilla raps, my peppermints and my trash bag. I threw out the mints they nibbled on and just tore off the parts of the wraps that they chewed on, oh and they left me a few turds in return...thanks.Once all my food was situated, I packed up and headed up the trail at around 8:30am. Big Sky and Sugar left before me at around 8:00am so I had to play catch up for a while. The trail followed the ridgeline for a while then it went down very steep to a road; there were steps all the way down then we had to go right back up the other side. At the bottom there was a parking lot and it was packed, I then remembered that today was Saturday and they were all day hikers so I expected to be stopped multiple times and asked about my hike. Sure enough while going up the mountain I was stopped six times and answered all the usual questions. I finally got to the top and that¢s when I caught up to Big Sky and Sugar taking a break at the top. From the top of that climb we still had more uphill to go but it was not as steep as the last climb and unfortunately the next six miles we have no land marks to see our progress as we go so it is going feel like it is taking forever. I just popped in my head phones and I got in my zone and before I knew it we were at the next shelter. I dont remember anything from those six miles but it sounds like I didnt miss much. From that shelter we only had 4.3 miles left until we got to our shelter for the night. We took a short break there and then continued on up the rest of the mountain. At the top of the mountain, there was a fire tower and for once the top was unlocked and open so I climbed up and from the top I could see for miles in all directions. Big Sky and Sugar decided to keep going so I had to catch up to them again but it did not take long. We got to the shelter at around 6:00pm and found three section hikers and that the bugs were very bad so we decided to tent. We found a few good tenting spots, set up our tents, ate supper and this time I hung our food in a tree...no mice this time. Later on in the evening, One Speed also showed up but he stayed in the shelter because it was too dark to set up a tent. We were all very tired so we all went to bed at around 8:30pm, tomorrow we have a shorter day but a big climb at the end of the day so we are going to leave as early as we can...its time for bed now night all.
Date: 2012-07-22
From: Kid Gore Shelter

To: Stratton Pond Shelter
Miles today: 15.0
Weather: few clouds

This morning we were up and on the trail by 7:30am. We hiked to the next shelter and took a short break there; I then went out ahead of Big Sky and Sugar because I needed to start filtering our water. The filter on our gravity filter is getting clogged and it sometimes takes an hour to filter a gallon of water. From the shelter the next water source was 2.7 miles and I got there in about 40 minutes and I started filtering the water. Big Sky and Sugar caught up to me a half hour later and the water was done after another half hour after that.Once we filled our water bottles, we started up Stratton Mountain which is a 1700 foot climb up to the top. Stratton Mountain is an important mountain because it is where Benton MacKaye first thought up the idea of making the AT. I once again got out ahead of Big Sky and Sugar because I wanted to get to the top and stay there for a while and enjoy the views. The climb up started out easy then got steeper as it went up and the trail got rockier the further up I went. Soon I was out of the hardwood forest in into the sub alpine pine forest so I knew I was near the top. I finally got to the top which is just shy of 4000 feet elevation and there were a lot of people up there. It surprised me to find that many day hikers up there but I later found out that that mountain is a ski resort and people can ride the ski lift up to the top...cheaters.There was a caretaker that lived up on top of the mountain in the old ranger hut next to the fire tower. They stay up there during the busy season to keep an eye on the day hikers and to help them out if they need it. I went up the fire tower and the caretaker pointed out all the mountains that we had climbed and a few of the ones yet to come. Today was a really clear day so we could even see Mt. Washington in the White Mountains which is the second tallest mountain on the AT! About 45 minutes after I made it to the top Big Sky and Sugar made it up as well. They took a short break then we headed down the other side another 3 miles to the next shelter. We got to the shelter in no time. We were the first ones there so we picked the best bunks. This shelter gets a lot of use from weekend hikers so there is a caretaker here as well. It is a very big shelter and because it takes a lot of time keeping up with it there is a $5.00 charge for each person if they stay the night. I am not very fond of that but it is what it is. Big Sky and I went down to Stratton Pond to get water from the spring beside the pond, while we were down there I went for a quick swim and dried off in the sun then we headed back up to the shelter.Later on in the evening Smiles, a nobo section hiker, showed up then later two other weekend hikers stayed at the shelter. The weekend hikers tented so it is only four of us in this big shelter for tonight. There is a 30% chance of rain for tonight and the last I looked the clouds looked like rain and there was a cool blast of wind from the west just before we went to bed so I think it is going to rain but we will see...night all.