morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2023-05-24
From: Telephone Pioneers Shelter 

To: Schaghticoke Mtn Campsite 
Miles today: 18.7

We left out this morning from Telephone Pioneers Shelter at about 6:20 AM. We had good weather almost all day today. It was an especially good morning. I had something surprising happen to me this morning though. As I was walking along, I could see a hiker approaching me from the opposite direction. As she drew closer, she asked me if I do a trail journal. I answered yes, and she asked me ¢are you Surefoot?¢ I told her I was, and she said she recognized me from my entries. That was surprising to me because I really wasn¢t sure how many people even pay attention to my entries. She introduced herself as Christine and I asked her if she was Christine the shuttle driver. She said she was. So, although we have never met each other before, we were already aware of each other. She is a very nice lady and I enjoyed meeting her.Later, in the morning, we stopped at Wiley Shelter to have lunch. As we were getting ready to leave, Emily from Australia came in and we spoke briefly to her and a gentleman that was hiking with her before getting going. We had planned to only hike to the next shelter, which was Ten Mile River Shelter. But when we got to the shelter, it was still fairly early and there wasn¢t a safe water supply nearby. Also, about a mile and a half further up the trail, there was a country store called Bulls Bridge Country Store. We decided to hike on to that store and get some ice cream and a soft drink. After resting and doing a little recharge to our electronics, we decided to hike on to Schaghticoke Mtn Campsite which is a place for hikers to tent camp. It is convenient because it has ready-made tent sites, a bear box, and a privy. This made for an 18.7 mile day. There was rain in the forecast for this afternoon, which is why we had thought about stopping short at the Ten Mile River Shelter. We had managed to enjoy some really nice weather all day today which caused us to push our luck. But it finally caught up with us about 3 miles out from our campsite. We got rained on. But at least the rain had let up by the time we reached the campsite. Tomorrow, we only have a 3.2 mile hike into Kent, Connecticut where we plan to resupply, get showers, do laundry, and then hike back out about 7 miles.
Date: 2023-05-25
From: Schaghticoke Mtn Campsite 

To: Stewart Hollow Brook Shelter
Miles today: 10.2

We got on our way from Schaghticoke Mtn Campsite by around 6:15 AM this morning. It was a surprisingly strenuous hike, although it was only about 3.2 miles into Kent. There were some fairly steep ups and downs along the way. I had communicated with shuttle driver, Christine the previous evening about her recommendations for where we could have breakfast. She let me know that she was going to be in Kent around 7:30 this morning and I told her we would probably be getting to Kent around 8 AM. When we were less than .25 from Kent, we were met by Christine. She very generously offered to drive us into town. Once we got to town, she actually drove us around a little bit and showed us where things were. In my journeys on the Appalachian Trail, I have seen some shuttle drivers who do it for the money and I have seen others who are genuinely interested in the hikers and serving them and wanting their success. Christine is definitely in the latter group. Once we got into Kent, the first order of business was going to a diner and having a hardy breakfast. Next, we went over to the Kent, welcome center. It is basically just a public restroom but on the backside of the building, there is a coin operated shower. So for two dollars you got a four minute hot shower, which was plenty of time to get cleaned up. Next, we walked a short distance over to the laundromat and did our laundry. At all three places, while we were there, we had our electronics plugged up to recharge. The post office was nearby to the laundromat and we were able to pick up some packages which had been mailed to us. I was able to get three days worth of resupply in my mail drop and I also was able to get my new trekking poles. At one point today, Blue Bear visited the local IGA grocery store for some resupply items and Splash visited a bakery for some pastries. I we got going from Kent around 1:15 PM and probably got back to the trail around 1:45 PM. We hiked an additional 7 miles on the Appalachian Trail to Stewart Hollow Brook Shelter. So all total, we hiked 10.2 miles. Along the way today, we saw Emily from Australia again.
Date: 2023-05-26
From: Stewart Hollow Brook Shelter

To: Falls Village, CT
Miles today: 18.3

We left from Stewart Hollow Shelter at about 6:10 AM. The first couple of miles were level and very easy. But then the trail got rough and we had a lot of ups and downs with rugged terrain for most of the day. It slowed us down quite a bit and we weren¢t able to make our usual miles per hour. We had planned to hike to Limestone Spring Shelter today but we got so worn out and the hike was going to be a 22.7 mile hike if we had done that. So instead we decided to stop at Falls Village. We had heard about someone who allows hikers to camp in his backyard so we stopped at the Falls Village Caf© and got a burger and then contacted the guy. He was very willing to help us out so we are now camped in our tents in his backyard. So our hike today turned out to be an 18.3 mile hike.Along the way today, we stopped in at Pine Swamp Shelter for lunch. For a lot of the afternoon, we kept hearing what sounded like a race track with big cars racing. It was so loud and distinct that I decided to look it up on Google as I was walking. I determined that there was indeed a track nearby known as the Lime Rock Drivers Club. It was a really nice race track that was designed for road racing, not oval track racing. When we got a little further up the trail, I was able to see pretty clearly a portion of the track.
Date: 2023-05-27
From: Falls Village, CT

To: Laurel Ridge Campsite, MA
Miles today: 16.7

Today we hiked from Falls Village, Connecticut to Laurel Ridge Campsite in Massachusetts. It was a 16.7 mile hike. Pretty soon after leaving Falls Village, we crossed the 1500 mile point of the trail. We also passed a really pretty waterfall which I would presume is the reason the town got its name. Along the way we dropped in to Salisbury Connecticut and visited a grocery store's deli and got a hot breakfast sandwich and a couple of other things to eat for a mid-morning breakfast. As we were walking back to the trail, we saw an adolescent bear in a residential neighborhood. The bear was trying to cross the road and get back up into the woods, but there was a lot of traffic and our presence added to his confusion. I felt sorry for the bear because he looked a little scruffy and he was carrying his left front paw and was not putting any weight on it. He was clearly injured. This was the first bear I have seen since I was hiking the trail last fall. We stopped in at Brassie Brook Shelter to have lunch and found a large crew of trail maintainers rebuilding the shelter. They were a friendly bunch of men and were doing an excellent job. We went across Bear Mountain Connecticut, which is the highest point in Connecticut. Shortly after crossing over the mountain we crossed into Massachusetts, leaving Connecticut behind. When we reached the campsite, there were already several hikers around and others showed up as well. It is always interesting meeting other hikers and you can always learn something. There was also a ridge runner at the site named Mary. We visited with her quite a bit. She was very nice.
Date: 2023-05-28
From: Laurel Ridge Campsite, MA

To: Great Barrington MA
Miles today: 12.6

We hiked from Laurel Ridge Campsite to Route 7 just south of Great Barrington, 12.6 miles. There were some absolutely beautiful views along the way. It was an enjoyable hike even though it involved quite a bit of climbing. We arranged for shuttle driver Joe to pick us up and take us to the Travelodge. Once we got checked in, we showered and went next door to the brewery for a beer and a burger. Then we came back to the motel to do our laundry and rest some. Later, some of our tramily went to the grocery store and afterwards we went to a Greek restaurant for dinner.
Date: 2023-05-29
From: Great Barrington MA

To: Shaker Campsite MA
Miles today: 17.7

When Joe dropped us off yesterday at the Travelodge, we had arranged for him to pick us back up at 7 o¢clock today at the McDonald¢s near the motel. So this morning, we got up at our usual time at 5 AM and packed up and walked over to McDonald¢s around 6 AM. We had breakfast at McDonald¢s and Joe showed up around 6:55 AM. Joe is a very nice shuttle driver. He dropped us back off on the trail where he had picked us up the previous day. He took our picture for us. That of course, is me on the far left, then Splash, then Train Wreck and to the far right is Blue Bear. We were on the trail and hiking by 7:10 AM. We had a pretty nice day of hiking. The weather was fantastic and the trail wasn¢t too difficult on us. The mosquitoes were horrible though. We hiked a total of 17.7 miles today. We arrived at Shaker Campsite at about 4:45 PM. This is a pretty nice campsite. There are a couple of wooden platforms to set your tent up on. There is also a bear box and a privy. The campsite also has a picnic table in it, which is a really nice feature that not all campsites have. Most shelters have picnic tables.
Date: 2023-05-30
From: Shaker Campsite MA

To: October Mtn Shelter
Miles today: 18.8

We hiked from Shaker Campsite to October Mountain Shelter. Today¢s hike was 18.8 miles. Blue Bear has been dealing with asthma and she told us to go ahead and hike on a head of her. So Splash and I got going this morning about 6:10 AM. We arrived at the shelter this afternoon at about 3:45 PM. Last night was the first opportunity I had to set my tent up on a wooden platform. I really liked it that way. But I have never pulled so many ticks off of me as I did at the campsite last night. Right now, ticks and mosquitoes are a real menace for us. The hike today was fairly unremarkable. We did get to enjoy a few nice views, but there was really nothing spectacular. When Blue Bear arrived to the shelter at around 5 PM, she claimed to have seen a bear. I asked her if she got a picture of it and she said no. So I told her if she didn¢t get a picture, it didn¢t really happen.
Date: 2023-05-31
From: October Mtn Shelter

To: Dalton MA
Miles today: 11.9

We hiked from October Mountain Shelter to Dalton MA. This was only an 11.9 mile hike. We got on the trail about 6:10 AM and arrived in Dalton around 11 AM. It was relatively easy hiking today and we made really good time. There wasn¢t really anything remarkable about today¢s hike other than the fact that just a few minutes after we got on the trail we saw some moose droppings on the trail. So that means there has been moose nearby recently. The main reason the miles are short today was because we needed to get into town and get cleaned up, do laundry, and re-supply. We are staying at the Econolodge. When I say we; I am referring to myself, Splash, Blue Bear, and Train Wreck.
Date: 2023-06-01
From: Dalton MA

To: Mt Greylock
Miles today: 17.0

Our shuttle driver, Debbie, picked us up at the McDonald¢s across the street from our motel at 7:00 AM. We were back on the trail by 7:15 AM. We had reached Cheshire MA by around 11:30 AM. As we were walking into town, there was an ice cream shop right beside the trail. So of course we had to stop and get some ice cream. While we were enjoying our ice cream, a lady stopped in and asked us if we were going to be visiting the hiker park. We told her we hadn¢t heard of it and she told us where it was, which was practically right across the street from the ice cream shop. We went over to the hiker park and sat around and had lunch before getting back on the trail. The park was really nice. It even had charging stations so that hikers can recharge their electronics. We got back on the trail shortly after noon and continued our hike to Mount Greylock. We had excellent weather today although it did get fairly warm. Mount Greylock is the highest point in Massachusetts and has some really beautiful views. We are staying tonight at Bascom Lodge which is at the summit of Mount Greylock. Our hike today was exactly 17 miles.
Date: 2023-06-02
From: Mt Greylock

To: New Seth Warner Shelter VT
Miles today: 15.9

We hiked from Bascom Lodge to the new Seth Warner Shelter, 15.9 miles. There was a fair amount of up and down. We crossed the 1,600 mile point this morning. The trail goes right through North Adams and we made a small detour over to the Stop and Shop grocery store for a sandwich and a bowl of fruit. Then back to the trail. This afternoon, we crossed into Vermont. We were rained on in a thunderstorm. We made it to the shelter a little after 4:00 PM.
Date: 2023-06-03
From: New Seth Warner Shelter VT

To: Melville Nauheim Shelter VT
Miles today: 11.0

We hiked from the new Seth Warner Shelter to the Melville Nauheim Shelter, 11.0 miles. Ordinarily that would be a low mileage day but about nine miles in this morning, we arrived at a trailhead about 3.5 miles from Bennington VT and we contacted shuttle driver Marie to come pick us up and drive us to town. First, we visited the post office so I could pick up a resupply package my wife had sent to me. Next, we went to the rec center to get a shower for $2.00. Then we went to the laundromat to wash our clothes. After that, Splash and Blue Bear went to a convenience store to purchase resupply items while I walked towards a restaurant we had agreed upon. But as I was walking in that direction, I was recognized as a hiker by another hiker¢s husband who was up giving support to her. He is from North Carolina. His wife, Lucky Penny, and their daughter, Prickleberry, are hiking the AT. His name is Thomas "Mr. Facts" Gigliotti. He is a great guy. He drove me to the restaurant where I was headed only to find out it was closed. So he drove me back down the street where we met Splash and Blue Bear walking. They got in the truck and he drove us to Madison Brewery for a midafternoon meal. (You have to pack all the calories in that you can when you¢re burning 5,000 to 6,000 calories a day.) I¢ve lost close to 30 lbs so far. After we finished our meal, Marie took us back to the trailhead and we hiked the mostly uphill two miles to the shelter. When we got to the shelter, there was a group of five high school boys already at the shelter. The boys were extremely polite and made room for us. I was so impressed at how pleasant these young men were. They truly were ¢men¢. Today was a good day.
Date: 2023-06-03
From: New Seth Warner Shelter VT

To: Melville Nauheim Shelter VT
Miles today: 11.0

We hiked from the new Seth Warner Shelter to the Melville Nauheim Shelter, 11.0 miles. Ordinarily that would be a low mileage day but about nine miles in this morning, we arrived at a trailhead about 3.5 miles from Bennington VT and we contacted shuttle driver Marie to come pick us up and drive us to town. First, we visited the post office so I could pick up a resupply package my wife had sent to me. Next, we went to the rec center to get a shower for $2.00. Then we went to the laundromat to wash our clothes. After that, Splash and Blue Bear went to a convenience store to purchase resupply items while I walked towards a restaurant we had agreed upon. But as I was walking in that direction, I was recognized as a hiker by another hiker¢s husband who was up giving support to her. He is from North Carolina. His wife, Lucky Penny, and their daughter, Prickleberry, are hiking the AT. His name is Thomas "Mr. Facts" Gigliotti. He is a great guy. He drove me to the restaurant where I was headed, only to find out it was closed. So he drove me back down the street where we met Splash and Blue Bear walking. They got in the truck and he drove us to Madison Brewery for a midafternoon meal. (You have to pack all the calories in that you can when you¢re burning 5,000 to 6,000 calories a day.) I¢ve lost close to 30 lbs so far. After we finished our meal, Marie took us back to the trailhead and we hiked the mostly uphill two miles to the shelter. When we got to the shelter, there was a group of five high school boys already at the shelter. The boys were extremely polite and made room for us. I was so impressed at how pleasant these young men were. They truly were ¢men¢. Today was a good day.
Date: 2023-06-04
From: Melville Nauheim Shelter VT

To: Story Spring Shelter
Miles today: 17.4

We hiked from Melville Nauheim Shelter to Story Spring Shelter, 17.4 miles. We got going this morning at 6 AM. The first half the day went pretty quickly, but the terrain got rough and it slowed us down towards the end of the day. But even so we made it to the shelter by 3:15 PM. I always like to make it to the shelter before 4 o¢clock if I can. It gives me time to lay down and rest a little bit before I get up and fix my dinner. Today was a chilly day for June 4. I think the high today was around 47°. Plus the wind was blowing. I guess that¢s what you can expect when you¢re hiking in Vermont. We stopped at Goddard Shelter around 10 o¢clock for a snack and a pack off break. We stopped at Kid Gore Shelter a little after noon for our lunch break.
Date: 2023-06-05
From: Story Spring Shelter VT

To: Pinnacle Lodge in Manchester Center VT
Miles today: 21.1

We hiked from Story Spring Shelter to the point on the trail where it crosses VT 11/30, 21.1 miles. We are staying at the Pinnacle Lodge just up the road from that intersection. We are going to zero here tomorrow. It is supposed to storm and we need the break. Earlier today we crossed Stratton Mtn. Also, although there wasn¢t a sign that I saw, we crossed the 34 point of the AT today. Just 14 remains. The picture of me on the bridge was taken closest to the 1,650 mile point which is the 34 point for all practical purposes. We made good time today. We left the shelter this morning at 4:50 AM and by 9:30 AM we had already completed 10 miles. We arrived at the Lodge by about 3:20. We made a couple of break stops and a 30 minute lunch break. The walk to the lodge required about an extra 12 mile of walking. Once we got to the Lodge, Splash and I showered and hitched a ride into town to get some restaurant food. Then we hitched back to the Lodge.
Date: 2023-06-07
From: Pinnacle Lodge in Manchester Center VT

To: Little Rock Pond Shelter VT
Miles today: 19.8

We got back on the trail this morning after taking a zero yesterday. We had a good day yesterday and got some planning done. In fact, we have our projected plans all the way through to Katahdin. Of course, we know they could change and are subject to things like the weather. On Monday evening when Splash and I got to the lodge, we hitched to ride into Manchester Center. I had noted that in my previous journal entry. When we got ready to go back to the lodge, we were picked up by a gentleman named Al. Al is sort of a trail angel. He offered that evening to bring us back to the lodge on Tuesday evening if we needed the ride. But later Monday evening, Al texted Splash and offered to give us a ride into town Tuesday morning. We eagerly accepted his offer so on Tuesday morning around 9:30 AM, Al picked us up at the lodge and drove us into town. We spent most of the day in town and were able to eat breakfast and a late lunch.Today we hiked 19.8 miles to Little Rock Pond Shelter. Although we didn¢t get rained on today, it was overcast most of the day and we weren¢t able to enjoy any views. We crossed at least three peaks today and one of them was Bromley Peak which is the top of a ski resort. We stopped at Peru Peak shelter this morning for lunch around 11 o¢clock. While we were there, a number of northbound hikers came in for lunch as well. I had thought we would be able to stay ahead of the bubble, but apparently parts of the bubble have caught up to us. The trail is becoming slightly congested now. There are probably 20 hikers or more in and around the shelter tonight. At one point today we ran into Lucky Penny and her daughter Prickleberry.
Date: 2023-06-08
From: Little Rock Pond Shelter VT

To: VT Hwy 103
Miles today: 12.5

Because it was so crowded at the shelter last night, we decided to pitch our tents on one of the tent platforms near the shelter. It rained most of the night and it was still raining this morning. So we had to pack up our tents while they were still wet. That is never fun. Our original plan was to hike today to Clarendon shelter. But we had already modified that plan and were planning to hike to Governor Clement shelter instead. However, as we were hiking today, it occurred to us that we could also get off the trail early and catch a shuttle into Rutland. That allowed us to stay at the Yellow Deli Hostel tonight and tomorrow we will slack pack the 17 miles between Highway 103 near Rutland to Highway 4 near Rutland. So tomorrow night, we will spend a second night at the Yellow Deli Hostel. With all the wet weather we have been experiencing the last couple of days, that is going to work out well for us.
Date: 2023-06-09
From: US Route 4

To: VT Route 103
Miles today: 17.9

Today we took the public transportation bus up to the point where the trail crosses US Route 4 near Killington, Vermont. The bus left Rutland about 7:15 and we got to the trailhead about 7:40. The whole trek was 17.9 miles. We hiked up and over Mount Killington. The weather was pretty socked in so we didn¢t get to enjoy any views at the top of the mountain. We met a number of fellow northbound Appalachian Trail hikers today we had previously met because we were hiking southbound today. We crossed the 1700 mile point today. So now we have less than 500 miles to complete the trail. We got rained on several times today but by the end of the day the weather did finally clear a little bit and we were able to get dried out. I notice the journal trip miles is giving me about 30 miles more than I have actually done. I must have made an error in one of my previous entries that I will try to get to and correct.
Date: 2023-06-10
From: US Route 4

To: The Lookout Shelter VT
Miles today: 17.4

I would like to wish my sister, Elaine, a Happy Birthday. This morning I received a distressing text from Prepper. He was letting me know about a mishap that has happened to one our mutual friends whom we met on the AT. The friend is Speedy. Speedy was about 100 miles ahead of me on the trail. She tripped on a root and fell and broke her leg thus ending her hike less than 400 miles before reaching Katahdin. The ugly truth is anyone hiking the AT could have this happen to them at any moment. Today we took the public transportation bus from Rutland back up to US Route 4 and hiked north to the Lookout Shelter, 17.4 miles. The shelter is privately owned and is very nice. It is completely enclosed and has plenty of space for several hikers. The only down sides are there isn¢t a water source close by and there isn¢t a privy. But it offers a spectacular view from the rooftop observation deck.
Date: 2023-06-11
From: The Lookout Shelter VT

To: Thistle Hill Shelter VT
Miles today: 14.9

We hiked from the Lookout Shelter to Thistle Hill Shelter, 14.9 miles. Tonight will be the last night we will be spending in a shelter in Vermont. The next shelter we stay in will be in New Hampshire. After we had been hiking about 6 miles this morning, we made a small detour at a road crossing and walked down to a farm market. It was called On The Edge Farm. They had a lot of fresh baked goods as well as other goodies that hikers might want. Splash bought a whole blueberry/peach pie. We divided it three ways. It was delicious. We bought a few other things and sat down at the picnic tables provided and enjoyed an early lunch. Today's hike, like yesterdays, had a lot of ups and downs in it, and was pretty tiring. We are looking forward to making it into Hanover, New Hampshire tomorrow because it will be a new state. In fact, it will be the second to last state we cross into. We are also looking forward to it because we will be staying in a hostel again.