morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2005-06-07
From: Pine Swamp Brook Lean-to

To: Salisbury, CT
Miles today: 15.7
Weather: clear sky

Trail Day 8 - Long Trail Beer Date 6/07/05Starting Location: Pine Swamp Brook Lean-toDestination: Salisbury, CTdaily miles 15.7 on ATI was on the trail early at 6:15 am because it would be a long day into town and I wanted to arrive soon enough to get things done and see the town. The day was cooler but still humid. The forest I hiked through was young and brushy without any views. At 9:00 I reached US Hwy 7 and detoured 2/10 mile to the Mountain Top Cafe. I ordered the largest breakfast, the lumberjack. Any food tastes good when hiking, but good restaurant food is delicious. I can eat anything I want because I burn more calories than I can eat. That breakfast powered me up Prospect Mt., a 1000 ft. climb. Here the forest was mature and open with little underbrush. I really like the spacious feel of this kind of forest. There were two outstanding views of the mostly forested valley. I got into Salisbury at 3:00 and registered at The White Hart Inn. Salisbury is a small town with New England architecture, but it is now a refuge for the wealthy from New York City. The supermarket is full of health foods and specialty items like fiddleheads. The bulletin boards advertise antiques, yoga and alternative health therapies like Reiki. Everyone I saw was thin as a rail. The bartender complained that she would never be able afford a house there because prices had been driven up by the influx of the wealthy. She did me a great favor by introducing me to Long Trail beer, by far the tastiest dark beer I have ever tried. I will have find a way to acquire it when I return home to Florida.
Date: 2005-06-08
From: Salisbury, CT

To: Hemlocks Lean-to
Miles today: 14.5

Trail Day 9 - MassachusettsDate 6/08/05Starting Location: Salisbury, CTDestination: Hemlocks Lean-to daily miles 14.5 on ATIt was 10 am before I left town: the lateness caused by my using the room phone to make calls. I reached my son who was just driving backto Gainesville from Houston. He was excited about the performance of the band he plays in, saying it was their best ever. They released a new CD and sold t-shirts at the show. He will join me on the trail on 6/15 in North Adams after taking a bus from Boston. Today's hike was the most difficult so far. First I climbed 1600 ft. to the summit of Bear Mt. in CN. It was a switchbacked trail in an open forest that rose gradually over six miles. The air was perfumed with the scent of flame azaleas that bloomed everywhere.Crossing into Massachusetts I came upon Blue Jay hiking south. He is a perennial AT hiker from the Mt. Greylock area. He told me the hostel was still open on that mountain and it would be a good place to hang out if I need to wait for my son's arrival. He said a lot of people laugh off Massachusetts hiking, but he defended it as having a "quiet beauty."I found the next stretch quite difficult as well as beautiful. I rock hopped down Bear Mt. into Sages Ravine, a lovely gorge cleaved by a brook with almost continuous waterfalls rushing and gushing along the trail. There were signs posted warning of bear activity in the area.In the ravine I met Smoky Joe hiking south with a young woman and three dogs.The trail took a left turn up Race Mt. This climb was not switched. It culminated in a long ridge of bare rock above a steep cliff falling straight down to the valley. Three crows flew back and forth observing my progress. I admired how skillfully they glided on the air currents below me. Coming down from Race Mt. I met the ridgerunner for this area, Milo. We recognized each other immediately as fellow hikers in Georgia last year. He stopped thruhiking last season to take the ridgerunner job and was doing it again this year. He carried a hoe that he was using to clean out water bars. He warned me that I would have a straight up climb over Mt. Everett before reaching Hemlocks shelter. He said it would be just like the mountains in Maine. He was right! The 7/10th mile to the top was like going up a ladder. I was exhausted but elated when I summited. A sudden storm blew in and chased me down to the shelter. The fortunate placing of a privy down by Guilder Pond gave me a dry place to put away my camera. I found Hemlocks Shelter unoccupied. Again there were warnings of bears. It was nearly dark so I ate cold and hung my food in a tree and crawled into my bag.
Date: 2005-06-10
From: East Mountain Retreat Center

To: Cobbleview B&B, Tyringham
Miles today: 12.1

Trail Day 11 - Injured!Date 6/10/05Starting Location: East Mountain Retreat CenterDestination: Cobbleview B&B, Tyringham daily miles 12.1 on ATI hitched a mile up the highway to the trail. As usual, the trail climbed from the road, about 900 ft. higher. It was so humid my glasses fogged over and I frequently removed them to mop off sweat that poured from my face and head. I took the side trail to Benedict Pond hoping to use a pay phone. The pond was pretty and had a sandy beach, but the phone was out of order. It was too early for a swim and there was nobody around. I hiked on and stopped for lunch at the next Lean-to but skipped seeing the one after that.After crossing a motorcycle trail that appeared unused, the trail opened up again into a pleasant walk through hemlocks and birch. There were fragments of chewed up leaves littering the trail, evidence of an infestation of the Eastern Forest caterpillar. I spotted some of them on the trail. The sound of their feces falling to the ground was similar to the sound of a light rain. Just before reaching Shaker Campsite, I spied two men sitting beside the trail. They were the first souls I had seen all day. They both had bodies like Santa Claus and one even had a long white beard. They were section hikers from Pennsylvania. They intended to camp at Shakers, but I encouraged them to go a few more miles to the B&B as I planned to do. It was a hot day so a shower would feel great.The second car that passed at the road picked me up. There is not much in Tyringham for hikers, just the B&B. I cleaned up and napped while the owners, Al and Lynn, were off on an errand. When they returned Lynn interviewed the two hikers who had taken my advice, and Al asked me to help him do something. He had just brought a new gas grill from town and needed help lifting it from the bed of his truck up the stairs to his porch. It was heavy and I caught it as it tilted on the stairs. Unfortunately the frame's sharp aluminum edge sliced into my right thumb and blood spurted out. I grabbed my hand to put pressure on the wound and Al grabbed his first aid kit from the truck. He is a volunteer fireman and he quickly applied gauze and bandage to wrap it. He drove me to the hospital in Pittsfield and waited while I was treated. There were two deep cuts with one nicking the tendon. After 12 stitches, a tetanus shot, and four hours I was released with instructions for care, an antibiotic prescription and a supply of bandages. Not exactly what I had planned for the evening. Al was very helpful and attentive. They offered me another day at the Inn on them, but I decided that I could care for it and safely hike short distances until it healed, so I declined the offer. The doctor was a hiker. He told me about a book about Guy Waterman, called "Good Morning, Midnight" that sounds like a really good read, so I count that as a positive from the experience.
Date: 2005-06-11
From: Cobbleview B&B, Tyringham

To: Upper Goose Pond Cabin
Miles today: 7.0
Weather: light rain

Trail Day 12 - Upper Goose Pond CabinDate 6/11/05Starting Location: Cobbleview B&B, Tyringham Destination: Upper Goose Pond Cabindaily miles 7.0 on ATLate start because I had to pick up an antibiotic at a pharmacy. Another hot, sweaty climb of 900 ft. from the road. I kept my right hand elevated so that it would not throb by hooking a finger into the sternum strap. It hurts but not badly. I hiked just 7 miles to Upper Goose Pond Cabin, a shelter with a caretaker in residence who cooks a pancake breakfast for hikers. There are bunkbeds with mattresses on the second floor. I could go slow because I had four days to make it to Dalton, only 24.6 miles away, where I would meet my son on the 15th. Slow hiking would be better for healing my hand as well.The forest began to look more like Maine with beaver dam ponds and buggy wetlands. I met Chessmaster Jay going south. He had just started hiking from Dalton and was going to Georgia. He took the gnome off his backpack and took a photo of me with it. He said he had two matching gnomes at home. He was out on the trail to have fun and didn't care if he made it to Georgia. He has long brown hair dyed red. He said he could not hitch a ride from Pittsfield to Lee and had to roadwalk all the way. He had played guitar with a band from Orlando called "Hippie Gone Wrong" for awhile and had performed in Gainesville. He was originally from St. Cloud.The side trail to the cabin seemed longer than 1/2 mile. There were two motorboats on the pond, which is more like a lake. The porch was lively with several hikers and Mike holding forth. Mike looks like Jerry Garcia; he and his wife, Penny, are the caretakers this week. Penny brought out hiker treats all afternoon. Initially, there were cantalope slices. Later she served tostidos and a rutabaga-potato mix. Mike loved to talk and was knowledgeable in a wide range of topics. He especially liked talking about hiking in the Whites of New Hampshire. The other hikers were a Scot who was a Munroe bagger (he had climbed 74 peaks), a young woman named Food Lion from Ohio, and Alabama Phil from Huntsville. They were all section hikers. Food Lion had just got off the bus from Ohio that morning and had hiked 19 miles. She had only one week off from work at Ohio State University. A weekend hiker from the Kent, CN area came in after teaching a chainsaw course for trail clearing. The caretakers had a sheepdog named Nodabe who herded newcomers into the hut, barking and wagging his tail. He was a very excitable dog although 10 years old.The evening passed very quickly with all the barking, conversation and food.
Date: 2005-06-12
From: Upper Goose Pond Cabin

To: Upper Goose Pond Cabin
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: haze

Trail Day 13 - Rest day at Goose PondDate 6/12/05Starting Location: Upper Goose Pond CabinDestination: Upper Goose Pond Cabindaily miles 0.0 on ATWe all had our fill of blackberry pancakes cooked by Penny between 6and 7 am. The hikers were soon on their way and I stayed behind. Idecided this would be the best place to take a rest day: it was cheapand there would be good company.Today Penny and Mike would leave and another caretaker would take over.The caretakers are volunteers from the Appalachian Mountain Club whichoperates the cabin. Mike swept the cabin and porch and packed hisbackpack. Penny cleaned the kitchen and front room. They were ready togo by noon, but their replacement did not appear. We chatted whilePenny grew more impatient: she had already started thinking about thechores awaiting her at home. Mike was relaxed but aware of Penny'sfrustration.I mentioned Ed Abbey and Mike launched into a discourse about Abbey'slife and books. He said that the movie rights to "The Monkey WrenchGang" were purchased but it was too controversial to be made. I havenot read the book, but it sounds like it would be an entertainingmovie. "Lonely are the Brave," a story about a displaced cowboy, wasthe only film made from Abbey's work. Mike said Abbey was a writerworth studying because he kept a journal that threw light on his books.Mike thought that Abbey would have died the same way that Guy Watermandid if he had not been intent on finishing his last book. He died athome when the hard drinking of his youth caught up with him. He isburied in an isolated spot in the desert he loved.I told Mike and Penny they could lock up the cabin and go; I would waiton the porch for the next caretaker. They were preparing to do so whenMary Pat and her grandson, Tyler, walked in. She apologized for beinglate. They had driven a long way from the Cape Cod area where theylive.Once they were settled, Mary Pat and Tyler played Go Fish. Anotherhiker, Pilot, walked in and we all played Blackjack. The kid knew hiscard games although he was only a 4th grader. Then Paladin came in.Pilot and Paladin are thruhikers and they had much to talk about.Paladin told about his frightful experience caught in a snowstorm inTennessee, when he crawled through deep rhododendron-covered snowdriftsto reach a shelter, only to find the shelter full of snow. His clothingand sleeping bag were wet so he shivered through the night. He andanother hiker called to each other hourly to check on each other.Paladin made it to Kincora Hostel the next day. The day after thistrial, he slackpacked through Laurel Falls Gorge on a beautiful warmday and remembered why he was hiking. The AT is a fickle mistress: oneday she will slap you around, and the next day love you all over.
Date: 2005-06-13
From: Upper Goose Pond Cabin

To: Shamrock Village Inn, Dalton, MA
Miles today: 20.6
Weather: clear sky

Trail Day 14 - 20+ Mile DayDate 6/13/05Starting Location: Upper Goose Pond CabinDestination: Shamrock Village Inn, Dalton, MAdaily miles 20.6 on ATMary Pat served pancakes an hour later than Penny and Mike did. I didnot leave the cabin until 9 am. In spite of this, I wanted to attempt a20 mile day into Dalton. I had seen a profile map of that section andit was mostly level. The two hills with significant ascents would bedone in the morning when I am still fresh. After hearing thruhikerstalk about doing 20 mile days, I wanted to find out if I could still doone.Paladin said he would hike into Dalton even though he had to pick up amail drop first. Mary Pat would give him a ride into town to do that. Iexpected Pilot to catch up and blow right by me. As it turned out, Idid not see either one. I don't know what happened to them. I suspectthey chose the free lodging offered by a trail angel in Dalton ratherthan go to the motel. Although I am sociable, I value my privacy anddon't like the idea of staying in someone's home.The hiking today was not my favorite kind: it was through low, damp,buggy areas. I did not think I would miss anything by going through itquickly. Anyway the mosquitoes and gnats did not give me any choice.While pausing at the first shelter for lunch I was eaten up. I do notlike using DEET, but I was so exasperated by continuously swattingmosquitoes that I practically bathed in it before moving on.I made good time and got into Dalton at 5:30. The day had been hot andhumid so I was dehydrated and famished. After checking into a room andshowering, I headed to a sports bar and watched a Red Sox game whilequaffing a couple of Newcastle pints and eating some wings. I neverwatch baseball, but in Massachusetts the Red Sox are worshiped as gods,so when in Rome I do as the Romans do.Dalton would be a convenient place to wait for my son to join me. It isclose to Pittsfield and it is a compact town good for resupply. I wouldneed to equip him with food, fuel, etc. for the days ahead. I calledhim in Boston to get his bus schedule. He was excited about hiking inVermont. I told him our first day would require climbing 3500 ft. andhiking 17 miles. He was ready.
Date: 2005-06-14
From: Shamrock Village Inn, Dalton, MA

To: Shamrock Village Inn, Dalton, MA
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

Trail Days 15 & 16 - Waiting...Date 6/14-15/05Starting Location: Shamrock Village Inn, Dalton, MADestination: Shamrock Village Inn, Dalton, MAdaily miles 0.0 on ATStayed in Dalton for two days waiting for my son to arrive from Boston.I could not hike on because it might be harder to coordinatetransportation and lodging further on. So I read a book of stories byFlannery O'Connor, a post WWII Southern writer who reminds me ofDostoevsky and Faulkner. She writes about twisted, uprooted Southernpoor folks with grandiose ideas. I lazed around the motel, ate plentyof good food in local restaurants and drank a few more brews at thesports bar.Can't wait to get back on the trail. I figured daily mileages andshelters to Killington. We should be able to make it to the Inn at LongTrail on US4 at Sherburne Pass (couldn't ask for a better end point) ineight hiking days. I expect we will arrive there on the 23rd. I willhopefully see my cousin on the 24th, and rent a car in Rutland on the25th to get to Logan Airport in Boston. Now that it's all planned, wejust have to walk it. No thinking allowed.
Date: 2005-06-16
From: Shamrock Village Inn, Dalton, MA

To: Mt. Greylock Hostel
Miles today: 17.0

Trail Day 17 - Mt. GreylockDate 6/16Starting Location: Shamrock Village Inn, Dalton, MADestination: Mt. Greylock Hosteldaily miles 17.0 on ATAfter breakfast at the Juice N Java Coffeehouse, Michael and I set outto cross Crystal Mountain. The forest was cool, wet and green. Weclimbed 1000 ft. and descended 1200 ft. in the morning with ease,entering the town of Cheshire. There was nothing to keep us there so westarted the long green ascent to the summit of Mt. Greylock. We werelooking forward to a relaxing evening at the lodge. The rise inelevation was 2500 ft., but it was over a distance of 7.5 miles so itwas not steep. The slopes were covered with ferns and clover beneath acanopy of hemlocks. It became chilly and foggy as we neared the top.The trail reminded me of the one approaching Roan Mt. in Tennessee.We met only one hiker going south. She was accompanied by four bigdogs. Two of them were hers and they stayed with her. The other twobelonged to her boyfriend who was not with her because he wasrecovering from a sprained ankle; they were not good dogs as theyconstantly bounded off into the woods.The lodge was a disappointment. We arrived just in time to get a burgerfrom the snack bar. They were closing up early due to slow business.That was understandable because the mountaintop was socked in withclouds and there were no views. On a clear day the views are said to beoutstanding. There was nobody there except a lone attendant. It wascold and poorly furnished. It had been built by the CCC and was olderthan rustic.A few hikers came in and registered for the hostel. The "hostel" was astorage room in a garage down the driveway from the lodge. It was tiny,claustrophobic, damp and moldy. My son, who has allergies, could notsleep in the that garage room without coughing, so he got up atmidnight and moved to a bunkroom in the lodge. The lodge bunk cost $26compared to $10 for a bunk in the hostel. A dog should not have to stayin that garage room.We met Iceman, Roamin' Gnome and Zoot. Iceman got his name when hehiked out of a shelter during a snowstorm in Georgia at 2 am because hewas shivering so much he had to get moving to warm up. He hiked eighthours through the snow at night to a road where he caught a ride toHiawassee. He avoided frostbite only because he wore a ski mask andgloves.
Date: 2005-06-17
From: Mt. Greylock Hostel

To: Seth Warner Shelter
Miles today: 13.2
Weather: light rain

Trail Day 18 - Vermont: Mud! Mud! Mud!Date 6/17Starting Location: Mt. Greylock HostelDestination: Seth Warner Shelterdaily miles 13.2 on ATBreakfast at Mt. Greylock Lodge was served at 8 am. For $6 we wereserved all you can eat pancakes, hash browns, sausage, and freshpineapple wedges. Fortified, we headed down the mountain in a fog. Thetrail on the north side was much steeper than the one on the southside. It was also eroded and less scenic. I pity the southbounders whoclimb that slippery slope.We emerged from the woods onto a residential street in North Adams. Itwas a short walk from there to a Friendly's where we gorged onchocolate milkshakes and burgers. I picked up a bottle of methylalcohol for my stove and we started out for the next shelter.We followed a pretty brook for awhile and climbed about 1400 ft. to aridge where we crossed over the border between Massachusetts andVermont. It felt good to be in Vermont. One more state down and closerto Maine.Long rolls of thunder chased us up a rockpile but we made it to the topbefore the rain came. It was a cool day so I did not think it would bea violent storm. The rain came down gently and the ridge walk remindedme of our hike in Maine. The trail became sloppy and muddy so we hoppedfrom rock to rock to avoid sinking in it. At one point the mud actuallysucked my shoe completely off.We passed Iceman laying down on a log. He said he was really exhausted,but he passed us later on. The shelter housed some section hikers:Christina, Trench Man, and Zoot. Iceman was the only thruhiker there.There was just enough room for us to squeeze in. Christina had beenthere all day drying her things after tenting in the rain the previousnight. She was hiking the Long Trail south and was almost finished. Sherecommended that we stay at the Autumn Inn in Bennington as she wastreated well there.The caretaker, Moses with a grey beard, appeared with a can of Buschbeer, which Christina and I shared. Michael coughed all night long. Iknew we would have to go into Bennington tomorrow to get something forhis cough.
Date: 2005-06-18
From: Seth Warner Shelter

To: Bennington, VT
Miles today: 11.5
Weather: light rain

Trail Days 19 - Another town, another E.R.Date 6/18Starting Location: Seth Warner ShelterDestination: Bennington, VTdaily miles 11.5 on ATEveryone but Iceman packed up in the morning. He was going to stay inthe shelter to rest another day. His father would then pick him up inBennington to take him home to Richmond, VA for a week.Michael and I looked forward to showers, clean clothes and meals intown. We had no trouble hitching on the highway. A young couple in anold Volvo wagon picked us up. They were college students going home forthe summer.The Autumn Inn was on the outskirts of Bennington. The center of townwas a walk of about one mile downhill. The manager of the outfitterrecognized me immediately as hitrailer of trailjournals. He told methat Bennington would have a HikerFest on July 19 offering an outdoormovie and 10 cent beer to hikers. He let us use two yellow bicyclesthat are available for transportation around town. We would drop themoff at the Rattlesnake Cafe, a Mexican food restaurant where we plannedto eat.Michael's cough did not improve, so after dinner I called a cab to takeus to the hospital emergency room. It was the only way to see a doctoron a weekend in this town. The E.R. staff was very quick and we wereout of there in two hours. The doctor told us he was not showing signsof asthma or infection. He gave us prescriptions for an albuterolpuffer and Tylenol #3 to calm his night cough so he could sleep. Wewould have to fill the prescriptions at a pharmacy in the morning sincehospitals are not allowed to do so for some strange reason.