morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2012-07-21
From: October Mountain Shelter

To: Crystal Mountain Campsite
Miles today: 16.0
Weather: clear sky

Not a very good night's sleep. It actually got down to about 54 last night.  This summer bag I have is rated for 55*.  That apparently is not the comfort rating!!  Got up and was hiking for 715.  Two goals today.  2.5  miles into the hike there is an older couple that runs a small blueberry farm.  They welcome hikers to water and you can by sodas and boiled eggs.  You will also be served fresh cookies.  This is why all thruhikers know to stop by the "cookie lady's" house.  The second goal is to eat lunch in the town of Dalton, MA. The trail goes right through the town for about two miles.      So off we go!  The first stop, the cookie lady's house.  We are welcomed by Roy.  The cookie lady, Marilyn is not home. Roy is as friendly as they get.  After talking about our adventure he glady gets us sodas, a couple of boiled eggs and some of the famous cookies.  The cookies are free. The eggs .25 and the sodas are 1.00.  Roy has a very old dog as a pet.  I don't remember the dogs name but it doesnt matter.  You could call his name all day, he cant hear!!  He comes to you only because he wants the cookies of which the one request from Roy is please dont feed cookies to the dog.  Trust me, no thruhiker is gonna give the dog a cookie!!  We may take the cookie from a dog but we ain't giving it to the dog!!  After visiting a few minutes we hiked to our second goal of the day.  Just off the trail in town is Jacobs Pub.  They have a delicous scallop sandwich.  The beer isn't bad either. They even have Abita Purple Haze on tap.  It's nice to see a local brewery shipping this far north from Abita Springs, LA.  After a couple beers, a sandwich and desert we continued 4 more miles to Crystal Mountain Campsite.  There we met our first female ridge runner.  A young college studant working as a ridge runner during the summer months.  Cool job eah?     Well, getting tired now.  Time for sleep. Tomorrow we hit 3400 ft of elevation.  Mt Greylock, the highest peak in MA.  As one local put it today, " it's all uphill from here".  From now till Katahdin there will be many peaks above 3000 feet.  VT will be a warm up for NH and The Whites.  Then onto Maine.  We're in the home stretch.  Good to be out here on the A.T.   Swamprat
Date: 2012-07-22
From: Crystal Mountain Campsite

To: Wilbur' Clearing Shelter and Tent sites
Miles today: 16.3

Last night the forest floor was crawling with little creatures!!  All night long I had mice and chipmunks running around near the tent.  I had left a peanut butter single container inside a ziplock on the ground just outside the tent.  3 am I hear something digging at the ziplock.  I shine the flaslight and a fat mouse was eating the peanut butter.  He didnt care about the light!! He did care about that size 13 crock that was fixing to come at him though.  As soon as I settled back down he was back at it.  I kept hearing what sounded like a dang kangaroo jumping past the tent.  Whatever it was, it would hop from the same direction and back each time.  This went on forever!  Then at 5, a deer came up to the tent and started to stomp and blow.  He ran off and blew several more times before finally leaving the area.     Being that I was awake, i started my morning routine early.  Everbody was ready to hike by 630.  We had only about 3 miles before the trail hit the streets of Cheshire, MA.  There were American Flags flying on the poles through town. Many were wrapped so F100 and I unwrapped them as we hiked through the town. If you fly the flag fly it with pride!!  There is a small icecream shop that allows hikers to get water from the faucet outside.  We got our water for the first half of the day and moved on.  You thought I was going to say we got icecream didn't you?  Ha!  Only because it was not open.     We started our climb to the summit of Mt Greylock, the highest peak in Massachusetts.  The climb lasted for 6.8 miles to an elevation of 3,491 ft.  We made it to the top by 1:45 pm.  There was a lodge at the top that had a cafe inside.  We hung out there for a couple of hours.  While there we met up with the young man from Scottland. (Lighthouse). This kid is funny.  His pants are totally ripped in the back.  His trekking poles are shambles and his backpack is still not fixed.  I have met someone that apparently, like me, can break an anvil!!!     About430, we all began walking the 3.3 miles to the next shelter.  This is the Wilbur's Clearing Shelter.  It has nice tent platforms.  So that is where I am.  Now it is time for sleep. Tomorrow looks to be an interesting day.  See ya,Swamprat
Date: 2012-07-23
From: Wilbur' Clearing Shelter and Tent sites

To: Congdon Shelter
Miles today: 17.1
Weather: scattered clouds

Well quiet night last night. It began to rain slightly so I had to make a few adjustments.  Other than that I slept fairly well.    We packed early and started hiking at 630.  After only a few miles the trail again traveled through the streets of North Adams, MA. It was 8 am and a breakfast house called Friendly's was .7 to the east.  So F100, Steady, lighthouse and I hiked over and had a great breakfast.  You shoulda seen the waitress' eyes when she asked the young scottish lighthouse if he wanted pancakes or french toast with his hungryman meal and his answer was pancakes but he wanted the french toast also.  There was another young man that ate with us, he had just finished the Long Trail. This trail is 280 miles across Vermont.  It and the A.T. are the same for half of Vermont.  It is actually the oldest trail in the country.   After breakfast we hiked up the mountain.  Today we lost about 2400 ft of elevation before North Adams.  We gained most of it back on our climb to the MA/VT border.  We reached VT for lunch time so we high fived for reaching our 12 th state then had lunch.  While there, a few NOBOs caught up with us.  Jay Bird, Einstein, and ??????  We also saw two guys that were beginning the Long Trail.  Nice to see such youth struggling on the climbs much more than us!!  Yea I know, kinda selfish of me but man look how I started this hike!!     Before the day was over we reached 3000 ft peaks twice.  We also ran out of water and had to filter from a pond.  When we do this we also steripen the water.  It actually tasted good.  Well we made it to the shelter after 17.1 miles.  That's about it.  We go into Bennington tomorrow for a resupply and laundry.  See ya tomorrow.  Swamprat
Date: 2012-07-24
From: Congdon Shelter

To: Bennington, VT
Miles today: 4.3
Weather: light rain

It stormed most of the night last night.  The tent wasnt set up tight enough and I noticed this prior to getting inside.  I thought it would not be a big deal. I didnt expect an all night down pour.  The water ran down the side and into the vent screen.  I'm surprised I didn't start to float on my air mattress.  I am lucky today is a re-supply day and there will only be 4.3 miles to Bennington, VT.  Everything is wet!      We got to the trail head at VT 7 and caught a ride into town. We were dropped off at The Autumn Inn.  The description on the internet said that it was recently renovated, NOT !!  The man and woman managing the place are terrible in the public service dept.  We decided to walk to another place called The Knotty Pine. Very nice roadside motel and the people were friendly and pleasant.  On the way we caught a free ride with Green Mountain Express bus line.  The driver brought us to the terminal where we were given 10 free one way rides in the town.  From the terminal we caught the redline bus to the hotel.   Just one of those days that everything worked out for the good.    The rest of the day was spent at walmart and the laundry, then re-packaging the resupply.   Swamprat
Date: 2012-07-25
From: Bennington, VT

To: Kid Gore Shelter
Miles today: 14.4
Weather: few clouds

Nice start to the day.  Had breakfast at the Northside Diner and walked to the bus stop at walmart.  The bus was right on time.  As it was heading across the parking lot I suddenly realized my trekking poles were left at the bench.  Close call Swamprat, you big dummy!!  The driver stopped and I ran back to the bench and grabbed them.  We got back to the trail and started the hike.    It was an all day steady climb from about 1200 ft to just under 4000 ft.  with small ups and downs along the way.  About 4 miles shy of the shelter there was a fire tower.  It was dated 1927 and we climbed it to take pictures of the surrounding mountains.  The view was fantastic and unobstructed.  The wind blew my hat off and it landed in the top of a spruce.  Fortunately I was able to climb down the tower about half way and reach out and get it.     We made it to Kid Gore Shelter and set up camp.  It's going to get chilly tonight.  Still no winter things yet.  I get them back soon.   Swamprat
Date: 2012-07-26
From: Kid Gore Shelter

To: Stratton Pond Shelter
Miles today: 14.4
Weather: light rain

Well it rained a little last night, not much.  There were mice scurrying around outside the tent last night.  Little suckers chewed a hole in the bottom of my screen.  Little *astard!!  Had to hurry and pack this morning due to the oncoming rain.  Made it just in time.  It rained most of the morning though.  Today's hike would bring us first to Stratton Mountain and then down to Stratton Pond.     We made it to Stratton Mountain by 130 or so.  No sense climbing the tower for the view. It was to foggy and there were no views.  Another 3.3 to Stratton Pond and hurry up with setting up the tent.  More rain a com'n!!     Made it to the shelter early.  We got some good information from a SOBO about the White Mountains.  We're taming them before we even get there.   Well that's about it.  It is raining very heavily. Hope it stops soon.  I don't feel like sleeping wet again!!  LaterSwamprat
Date: 2012-07-27
From: Stratton Pond Shelter

To: Green Mountain Hostel
Miles today: 10.7
Weather: overcast clouds

July 27. 12.  FridayToday I will be trying a hostel, The Green Mountain Hostel.  We have met several SOBOs that said the place was fantastic.  It is run by Jeff.  I called two days ago and reserved space for the 3 of us.  F100 and Steady will have a private room. All beds are 20 bucks. This includes a shower, internet, use of his computer, pretty much the house is open.  He even keeps some food on hand such as eggs and cereals.  Oh, I hear you get a pint if Ben and Jerry's ice cream.  When I called, Jeff said to finish any shopping in town then call him and he would pick us up and bring us to the house.     After a short 10.7 miles we made it to Manchester Center.  Ate at McDonalds and did our resupply shopping.  We gave Jeff a call and were picked up shortly after. The house was unbelievably clean.  He ran a tight ship, asked that you shower as soon as you get there.  Gosh!  Wonder why?  I wouldn't want dirty hikers on my furniture either.  We met a couple of SOBOs and two were doing VT's Long Trail.  There was also a lady that had done a week long section and was staying at Jeff's place before going back to work this week.  We talked for a while with everyone the time for the bed!  It was a good day and a very good decision to stay at The Green Mountain!!  Thanks Jeff!  Swamprat
Date: 2012-07-28
From: Green Mountain Hostel

To: Griffith Pond Tenting Area
Miles today: 10.6

Got up this morning and was shuttled back to the trail by Jeff. We were hiking up the mountain by 9.  We hiked up Bromley Mtn and when we reached the top we realized it was a ski resort area.  An attendant at the top let us on the lift, no cost.  All of us took the 26 minute round trip.  Ok!  I'm just a big kid at heart.  It was too boring for me though,  to tame, long 26 minutes!!  Once off, we hiked up Peru Peak. This is where the rain started.  We actually pitched tents and rode out the rain.  Here is where I realized my Tarptent Rainbow tent has some serious issues.  We have had very little rain to speak of the last 4 months.  The tent has done fine however, since all the rain the last couple days I noticed the floor is allowing water to seep through.  The nylon fabric is beginning to sag badly.  I am having trouble keeping dry.  I will call the maker, Henry Shires and see what he suggest.  There is a faulty seam also that continues to leak.  We shall see. I must take care of this problem before the highest peaks of NH and ME.     After the rain we hiked toward Griffith Pond tenting area.  I set up my tent on a tent platform.  Maybe if it rains it will not absorb the water so badly.  So, here I am,  hopefully I will sleep dryer tonight.  Swamprat
Date: 2012-07-29
From: Griffith Pond Tenting Area

To: Greenwall Shelter
Miles today: 14.0
Weather: moderate rain

Last night was fairly quiet except for the animal that walked across the strings I had used to tie the corners of my tent to the platform.  It shook the tent. The strings were pretty tight so it also made that "boing" like noise.  It nust have been bigger than a rat but smaller than a dog, oppossum maybe, I DONT KNOW!! It rained very light this morning. The tent was wet but not as wet as it was when I put it up last night.  I was slow packing this morning mainly because I was trying carefully not to get things wet.     While getting ready to take the tent down I saw some movement near my M&Ms.  A Chipmunk was trying to steal my M&Ms!!  He was funny.  He'd run to the edge of the platform and stop long enough to see if the coast was clear.  He would then dart to the M&Ms.  I would poke my head thru the tent where he would see me and he would run off. As soon as I stood back up he'd repeat his attempt and I would peak across the tent again and off he'd go but not far.  I think we did this same cat and mouse thing at least 6 or 7 times before he got tired.  I wish I had gotten video of Swamprat vs Chipmunk!!  It would have been hilarious.     I finished packing and started to hike.  F100 and Steady had left camp earlier, i would catch them at the first break.   While hiking, a SOBO was approaching me.  He must have been in deep thought. As he got close I said Good Morning.  I swear, the kid almost fell down!  He looked at me and said, " you scared the sh*%+  out of me" and we each had a good laugh.    I climbed Bakers Peak around 930 and the views were incredible.  The best in quite some time.     We had lunch at a road crossing where we met a forest ranger. He asked if we had seen a young hiker named Mouse Trap.  Mouse Trap's dad hadnt heard from him in a few days and was getting worried.  We had not seen him nor remember his name in the shelters.  We talked a while with the Ranger and moved on toward Greenwall Shelter where we made camp.  Just in time I might add because, you guessed it.  It started raining again!!  Hopefully it stops soon and my things will dry overnight. The humidity is going to fall tonight.  Temps will be around 55.     Tomorrow, another milestone,  under 500 miles to go.  I am beginning to realize this journey is nearly over.  It has been incredible.  See you tomorrow.     Swamprat
Date: 2012-07-30
From: Greenwall Shelter

To: Governor Clement Shelter
Miles today: 14.6
Weather: light rain

Got up this morning at 530 as usual.  Tent was still wet from a little rain last night.  The floor was still damp.  I packed up and talked a minute with F100.  Steady was hiking ahead.  I left about 20 minutes later. F100 was still eating, he said he would catch up.  I hiked to Clarendon Shelter which had a grassy lawn and even flower boxes, get this!!  Even flowers.  There I met two SOBOs, man and woman in their 20s, trailnames slow and Q.  They were drying their stuff same as I was fixing to do. It was 12 noon and the sun was out!  All my stuff, tent, mattress, lets just say everything was laid out in the sun.  After 2 hours, I was going to leave but first I signed the register in case F100 and Steady came by the shelter.  After packing DRY things I started to leave when here come both of them.  They had stopped and had lunch by a swimming hole that I had passed earlier.  After they had a quick break, the 3 of us continued north.  We had a 3 mile gradual climb after a two mile fairly easy hike.  Just before starting the climb, we came to a trail closed/detour due to damages from last year's devastating floods in Vermont.  We had spoken with SOBOs that did not take the detour so we decided to stay on the trail.  It was a good decision.  The trail wasn't bad and we saw first hand how much erosion had been caused by the flooding. It was hard to believe such a small stream could swell to such magnatude to cause such wash outs. One of the foot bridges had been washed away but it didnt cause much of a problem.  Here we met 3 day hikers which looked as though they were going to camp somewhere.  Their packs looked giant and loaded.  The man reached into his short pockets and pulled a can of beer from each pocket. He gave them to us.  They were still ice cold.  Great unexpected treat!!  We thanked them and continued to Governor Clement Shelter where we set up camp.  We met another NOBO, trail name Rebound.  He rebounded from a bad knee injury and was continuing his hike.  He said the group he started with were already beginning to summit Katahdin.    We achieved another milestone today, we now have fewer than 500  miles to Katahdin.  What a journey.  That is all for today. I am tented next to a strong running stream, sounds great.  See ya tomorrow.  11.9 miles to Rutland, VT for resupply.  Oh!! I talked with Henry Shires (founder of Tarptent) today. He is sending me a replacement Rainbow 2 tent body.  Now that's customer service!  Again Pentax camera has been the only poor choice of equipment that I have made.  I wouldn't purchase Oboz shoes again but there service was great and they stood by their shoes.  At the end of this hike, I am going to review all the equipment that I have used.  I will tell you how each piece worked for me and rate their service if it were needed.  I can tell you now, it will be very informative for anyone planning a long distance hike.  Ok, thats all, going to sleep now.  Swamprat
Date: 2012-07-31
From: Governor Clement Shelter

To: Rutland, VT - resupply
Miles today: 11.6

11.6Great night of sleep last night. The sound of the stream was very relaxing.  I woke up this morning aroun 530, ate breakfast and we started hiking at 645.  Things were a little damp but thats to be expected tenting next to a stream.   We had 11.6 to hike into Rutland, VT. for resupply.  After the two days of slipping and sliding I think the plan is to take the day off tomorrow.  The forecast is for 60% chance of rain tomorrow so good plan.  Speaking of slip sliding, I had to record fall #10 today.  It was a good one. Head and right shoulder hit the ground first.  I tripped on slippery roots of all things.  Nothing broken, got up and hiked on. I got a feeling it was one of those " this is going to hurt tomorrow" kinda falls.     We took a break at Churchill Scott Shelter.  The shelter was very old and damp, made of stone walls and stones for the floor.  There was a mouse nest in one corner.  The little rascal was peeking out looking right at us.  I guess he was use to robbing food when he heard hikers inside.  No telling how long he has been nested there.  We met two sisters that were hiking. One of them was section hiking the A.T. headed south. Both were from Jamaica.      After lunch we continued to the trailhead at US 4.  A young man in a p/up pulled to the shoulder to give us a ride into Rutland.  When he got out his truck I noticed him adjusting his waistbelt.  The instincts kicked in.  I knew he was carrying a handgun in his front waistband.  As I got in the front I noticed a plastic SigSauer box.  As he got in I said to F100 that the guy had a "Gat" dumbass me!  F100 didnt know what a Gat was.  Anyway, I said to the guy, you carrying a sig and he reached to his waistband and started to take it out. My first instinct was to reach and snatch it but instead I made it look like I wanted to see it.  I was curious what his next move would be.  Fortunately for all, he dropped the magazine and handed me the empty weapon.  As I looked at it he mentioned that VT was very gun friendly and many people carried.  He said Walmart still sells AR 15 rifles in their stores. That amazed me because in most Walmarts in my area they dont even sell shotguns any longer.    Well, he dropped us off at Burger King.  After a real lunch we caught the bus to Ramada Limited.  After a shower, it was resupply time.  That's about it for the day.  Time to start repackaging the supplies.  See yaSwamprat
Date: 2012-08-02
From: Rutland, VT - resupply

To: Winturri Shelter
Miles today: 15.3

Technically speaking, yesterday wasn't really a zero. We hiked 3.4 miles yesterday morning.  No packs were needed.  So technically, it was a nero!!    This morning we caught the 815 bus back to the trailhead and was hiking at 9.  We came to a trail detour at the first gravel road.  Another detour caused from damages to a boardwalk that crossed about .2 mile of bog.  Another detour we did not take.  The trail brought us to a great waterfall call Thundering Falls.  After the falls, some of the boardwalk was washed away but the bog was dry.  No problem.  The rest of the day was climb after climb.  The trail kept us around 1500 ft but had several drops along the way. Also, the mileages cant be correct in the book. Today had to be more like 18.5 miles.  Anyway, made it to Winturri Shelter by 7 pm.  Just a couple of days left in VT and we will be in NH.  Time for sleep.  See ya tomorrow. Swamprat
Date: 2012-08-03
From: Winturri Shelter

To: Capt Stash's West Harford VT
Miles today: 16.4

Left Winturri and headed for West Hartford, Vt. Along the way we wanted to stop at the Cloudland Market. Strange place for a market/restaurant. It was a gravel road seemingly in the middle of nowhere. We got there and met another NOBOer sitting on the porch. Apparently, no grill today. The owners were on vacation but we were able to buy some sodas and icecream. After eating lunch on the porch we pushed on to West Hartford. We hoped to get there and have dinner at the Full Belly Deli. Sounds like my kinda place. It seems the mileage in the book is off. The guide says we hiked 16.4 miles. The time hiking seems like at least 18. Anyway, we did make it to The Full Belly Deli and met Cathy. She and Mr Stash own the West Hartford Sign Company. They welcome hikers to tent in their backyard. Fantastic place to tent. They have the yard set up with large firepit and wooden chairs. There is also a small swimming hole they have made utilizing the stream that passes through. That evening both visited with us at the fire and explained how they began helping out the hikers. Great friendly folks, thanks Cathy and Stash!!Swamprat