morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2008-08-15
From: Dalton, MA

To: North Adams, MA
Miles today: 22.4

Rob Bird slackpacked us southbound today. He drove us to North Adams, MA, and we hiked south back to Dalton. He even had small daypacks available for our use that we were able to carry water and other critical items in, leaving our backpacks at the birdcage. It was a cold. drizzly morning. On the climb up Mt. Greylock we met 2 southbounders, and then surprise, surprise, there was Samson. Haven't seen him in a month or so, and I pretty much figured I wouldn't see him again as he was ahead and a faster hiker in general. That was a great little reunion with a member of "Team Lovely". Continued the climb up Mt. Greylock. Saw Snap, Snack, and Savannah at the peak, where we all had lunch in ski hut. Right after lunch it stopped raining. The hike dowwn to Cheshire, MA was very nice. Had ice cream there which gave fuel to the last 9 miles back to Dalton. Made it there before dark. The birdcage is full tonight. Lots of hikers in town taking advantage of the incredible hospitality.
Date: 2008-08-16
From: North Adams, MA

To: Congdon shelter
Miles today: 15.0
Weather: few clouds

Awoke at the birdcage after very intermittent sleep. Got another very well-priced breakfast sandwich, and then Rob took us back to North Adams to continue the journey north. What a kind and generous man. He provides so much to hikers. First item of the day was to go to the grocery in North Adams and get the re-supply of food for the next 3 dadys. While sorting the food, Snap, Snack, and Savannah showed up to do the same thing. Finally started hiking again at 12:30. The trail was very muddy. Went 4 miles and crossed the state line into Vermont! We've been meeting soutyhbounders who've been talking about the rainy nasty weather and muddy trail in Vermont. So, within seconds of crossing the state line, there was a loud crack of thunder, and instantly it started to rain heavily, and then hail. HAIL!!!!! Okay, I gues this was the official "Welcome to Vermont" for AT hikers. No elves with jugs of maple syrup. Just rain and hail and mud. Oh well. In truth, the rain didn't last that long, but the mud lasted all day. I learned that hiking in mud takes tyhe same amount of concentration and effort that hiking in the rocks of PA did. It also takes the same amopunt of time. I can hike steep inclines faster that muddy trail. Hopefully the trail will get drier in the coming days. Arrived at Congdon shelter fairly late, and set up tents on soggy ground as the shelter was full with northbounders, southbounders, and Long Trail hikers.
Date: 2008-08-17
From: Congdon shelter

To: Kid Gore shelter
Miles today: 18.7
Weather: overcast clouds

Awoke to a cool morning. Can feel the changes associated with going north, and with the changing of the seasons. Starting to see the beginnings of fall color now. A branch here and there showing red/orange/yellow leaves, and some understory plants doing the same (primarily witch hobble). There was some mud in the early part of the hike, but had some climbs over 3000 ft today, so the elevation helped bring drier trail. Ran into Sprite and Freckles slackpacking. Climbed up the peak of Glastenbery Mtn., and then up the fire tower at the peak. What an excellent view! 360 degrees. Peaks on all sides. couldn't quite figure out what they were though, but no doubt I'll be climbing over many of them soon. On the way up the peak there were fresh moose tracks in the mud, and lots of piles of moose scat at the peak. I'm really excited about the prospect of seeing a moose. Kid Gore shelter is one of the nicests ones yet. Situated with a long, lovely view. A family of three with 2 dogs was there when we arrived, as was Hare, whom we've been hopscotching with for the last few days, and 2 hikers doing the Long Trail. Washed up and chatted with Hare who is from Montana, and ate dinner to a red moonrise. It was spectacular. Probably the best moon I've seen in several years. "Obama boy", the son of the family in the shelter came by to spread the word on supporting Barack Obama, and the importance of voting, and absentee ballots, and then shared the "bag of hope". The Bag of Hope w2as a bag of candy that he shares with hikers as he talks to them about why he supports Barack Obama. Pretty impressive for a seven year old boy.
Date: 2008-08-18
From: Kid Gore shelter

To: William Douglas shelter
Miles today: 19.9
Weather: few clouds

Awoke at 1AM to the sounds of a porcupine grunting outside the shelter. The dogs were also awakewned by the sound and were whining to go out and check it out. I did fall back asleep and then awoke again to a beautiful sunrise sky of red and pink. Had a nice easy morning, chatrting with Hare and the family. Saw 2 falcons soaring overhead in an open gap on the trail. Stopped for lunch at Story Spring shelter. Mas and I have both noticed that our bodies have started screaming for more calories. This is the third increase in calorie demand I've had. It's very noticable, my body communicates it very clearly with increasing hunger both between and during meals. It may be due to the hiking, but also I think is due to the cooler temps. Passed 2 beaver-dammed ponds today and at the second one, I saw pitcher plants in bloom. This took me by surprise. Now I've seen 2 things that I strongly associate with N FL in VT. First was coming across a USFS road in the middle of the Green Mtns National Forest and seeing 2 pickup trucks go by "muddin'", swerving all over the road to hit every puddle and ditch. The second was these pitcher plants. Carnivorous plants are so cool. People tearing up roads on public lands are not so cool. Climbed over Stratton Mtn today (3936 ft). Firast lobng climg we've had in several states. The climb was beautiful, and at the top of the mtn was a patch of boreal forest, habitat to the endangered Bicknell's thrush (which I did not get to see or hear). Also, a fire tower which had a great 360 view, and a caretaker who lives in a small cabin at the top to do interpretive work. Very nice. Saw a new warbler today as well, blue/grey upper body and wings, black face and moustache, white under belly. Will lok it up when I get a chance. Just beat the rain to the shelter. I love it when that happens!
Date: 2008-08-19
From: William Douglas shelter

To: Manchester Center, Vt
Miles today: 5.9
Weather: overcast clouds

Awoke to rain pounding on the roof of the shelter throughout the night. It was a tin roof, and just magnified the sound of rain so it was like we were in a metal box. Very glad to be in the shelter though! It's so nice to have dry gear. Actually got up at 7:30. Slow start as always happens during a rain storm. Hare, Mas and I made a plan to hike for a Mexican food lunch in Manchester, so we set out in the remaining drizzle. Mexican food is a big motivator for me. The rain did stop pretty quickly, so it was nice , damp hiking. Made good time to VT 11 and 30, the intersection for Manchester Center. Got a hitch pretty quickly into town. Manchester Center is a factory outlet store town, so there was a lot of traffic going in. We did have ourr mexican lunch, but it was actually a sort of fancy place. Very tasty, but also a bit pricey. Not the "I'd like plato numero 28 with 3 enchiladas and a burrito please, for only $7.50." sort of place. But still satisfied my craving for the short term. After lunch, picked up my mail drop from Dad at the outfitters. Now have my winter sleeping bag back, and a long sleeve shirt, and winter hat. I'll get the rest of my winter gear in Hanover, NH. Should be there in about 5-6 days. Did the grocery shopping, and then called Jeff, the owner of the Green Mtn House. This is an incredibly lovely hostel just outside Manchester, VT. A real house, super claen, rooms with about three beds in each one. Real mattresses, linens, laundry, showers, a kitchen to cook in, etc. WOW! Jeff and his wife actually live inthe converted barn next door and have turned this over to the hikers. So generous and did I mention CLEAN! Will spend the night here and then head out tomorrow. 538 miles to go. It's getting close and tangible.
Date: 2008-08-23
From: Inn at Long Trail

To: Mountain Meadows Lodge, Killington VT
Miles today: 4.0

Awoke in the tent in the parking lot of the Inn at Long Trail. Had a great night last night in McGraths Irish pub with the band playing ggood Irirsh music and the Guiness at the perfect temperature. Also, the Long TRail Ale was very nice too. Hare, Mas, and I headed over to the Inn for breakfast, and had the delightful surprise of having BearChaser (AT '06, now hiking the Long TRail) buy us all breakfast! Very Nice! Packed up after that very filling and delicious meal (which was capped off by me asking the people at the next table if I could have their un-drunken orange juice), and hiked the 0.5 miles back to the AT. Our next stop was a convenience store in Killington to get food for the next 2-3 days to Hanover, NH. Made it there, and as I was packing up my food, preparing to walk back to the trail, a guy pulled up in a car and asks if I was a thru-hiker. I said "yes" and he offered to drive us wherever we needed to go. Tunrs out he had just finished a northbound thru-hike on August 3. He started on March 1. He took us back to the trail, and also gave us some beer. Rather than carrying the beer, we sat by Kent pond and drank it. THis changed the dynamic of the afternoon. The lunch-beer thing really dampened our hiking motivation. Hiked on a couple more miles and then walked right through the back yard of the Mountain Meadows Lodge. THis is a lovely place with Hiker discounts for rooms and meals. The price was right (esp. with splitting room costs), and a few other hikers were there, so after some debate about whether or not a short day mattered that much, we decided to stop and stay. Definitely the right choice! THis lodge is like one you would picture from the more close-family-based vacations of the 50's and 60's. Rooms like hotel rooms, but big common rooms, reading rooms, a game room, a full kitchen and dining room, meals prepared, sheep and goats and mini-horeses frolicking in the yard, etc. Very homey, very comfy, very nice. Also got to watch the last bit of the Olympics. Back to real hiking tomorrow.
Date: 2008-08-26
From: Cloudland Shelter

To: Hanover, NH
Miles today: 16.4
Weather: clear sky

Awoke to a chilly morning in the Cloudland shelter. Made me very glad I hgave my down sleeping bag (thanks again to Dad for the support in mailing me these items throughout this trip). Butterfly Moon, Luna, and Firesocks never did make it to the shelter last night. The downed tree must have obscured the trail for them too. The plan for the day is to hike to Hanover, NH, the home of Dartmouth College (you have to read Dartmouth as "Dahhhtmuuuth" to be properly "new Englandized"). The day was just too beautiful for words. Crisp, clear sky, wind blowing the tops of the trees, the beginning of fall color. A fantastic "au revoir" to Vermont. How fortunate my Vermont timing has been. Lyme disease and zero days in Great Barrington, led to missing almost all f the awful rain in Vermont that has plagued the southbounders and those northbounders that are just 1 week ahead. Except the first day's wlecome hail, every other day in this state has been almost spectacular in it's weather and beauty. AT White River, VT there was a deli right on the trail, so I had a sanwich and potato salad for lunch. Much more filling and sustaining than the normal lunch of cliff bar smeared with peanut butter, with a side of pop tarts and trail mix (along with the ocassional kiwi fruit). This really powered a strong afternoon. Finished the last 11 miles at about 3.5 miles per hour. Upon reaching the last 2 miles(which were road and sidewalk walking through Norwich, VT and into Hanover, NH), there was a sublime bit of trail magic. Under a mailbox by a house was a cooler with the most delicious watermelon I've had in a long while, and homemade zucchini nut bread. The Trail Magic was from "The Brain" AT '04. Mmmmmmmmm. Thanks Brain! Walked into Hanover with plenty of afternoon left. Unfortunately, the two hostel options in town were both closed, oh well. Got mail, and a free slice of pizza (along with a Long Trail Ale - my new favorite beer I think) from a local pizza shop. Managed to get a shower at the Dartmouth gym. I also washed my clothes in the shower as there is no laundromat in Dartmouth. (Where to the poor students do their laundry? Oh right, there are no poor students at this Ivy League college). Then visited the outfitters in town and went to another pizza shop for dinner. Tuesday is pizza buffet night at "Everything but Anchovies" Yay! Lots of delicious choices, and All You Can Eat (which for me was 8 slices.) While standing at the pizza line, I looked to my left and saw a slightly scruffy looking guy. We sized each other up and then greeted each other with "North?" "Yeah". "South?" "Yeah". We can so easily recognize other thru-hikers by clothing and general appearance. Finished the night by setting up tents at the far side of the soccer field in town.
Date: 2008-08-29
From: Trapper John shelter

To: Ore Hill shelter
Miles today: 19.3

Awoke to the sounds of Freebird dumping his foodbag out onthe shelter floor right next to me, and thenhis rolling and lighting a cigarrette and smoking it essentially in the shelter. Pretty much everyone got up after that. Freebird continued his non-stop talk-a-thon of the night before. A combination of southbounder loneliness and his personality I think. Dang though dude! Started hiking at 9:30. Had a couple big climbs today. A 2,400 ft climb up Smarts Mtn to the firetower. This one made me bring out my mp3 player again. Haven't used it since Tennessee, but the power of music pushed me up the hill. After Smarts, there was a 1,200 foot climb up another peak. Coming back down the other side I entered into the worst mosquito section yet. AWFUL, to the point of inducing a panicked frenzy. I started running just to try to keep them off of me. AIEEEEEEE! Made it to Ore Hill shelter by 7:00. Pretty good time considering the climbs. I was tired though. Didn't have the motivatiion to take the bucket bath, so Handi-wipes it was.
Date: 2008-08-30
From: Ore Hill shelter

To: Hikers Welcome hostel then Beaver Brook
Miles today: 7.4
Weather: light rain

Awoke early and started hiking by 8AM. Made great time on the 7.4 miles to Glencliff, where the Hikers Welcome Hostel is. Stopped in for microwave pizza and to raid the hikers box. Considred the need tfor a shower and laundry, as I truly stink at this point. The clothes have a life of their own now. But, must press on over Mt Moosilaki. The first main climb of the White Mtns, over 4,000 ft.   SOrt of dreading it. Sort of looking forward to it. About to tackle it. I'll let you all know how it goes.
Date: 2008-09-01
From: Chet's Place hostel in Lincoln, NH

To: Chet's Place hostel in Lincoln, NH
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: few clouds

Took a zero day at Chet's Place today. Ate a bunch (big breakfast, grilled mango made by Cookie Monster that was sooooo delicious and easy to make, Mexican dinner), did laundry, walked around Lincoln, and re-supplied food at the dollar store and grocery store. Could really feel the effect of the big miles yesterday. Also at the hostel were Cookie Monster, Spidey, NoAmp, Chipmunk, Poker, Zen, Keychain, Hop-a-long, Bear, Razor, Nona, Castaway, Kick-it, Captain Leo, Hiker Dave, and others. Everyone's heard of Chet's place, and the calm relaxed atmoshphere that Chet create's through his personality and approach to offering this hostel space carries over to everyone here. He is a very special guy. Tomorrow the real chunk of the White Mtns. begins. Also, tomorrow begins the land of the AMC huts (huts with bunkhouses and a croo of folk that cook breakfast and dinner, $60-$90 per night for paying guests with 2 thru hikers allowed to sleep on the floor of the dining hall and get leftover food in exchange for an hour or two of work....known as work-for-stay). The hut factor has made it a little harder to predict the amount of food to take. Not knowing how the terrain will be, and not knowing for sure who will get the work for stay at each hut. I'm sure it will work out though.
Date: 2008-09-02
From: Chet's Place hostel in Lincoln, NH

To: Stealth Camp past Garfield campsite
Miles today: 10.0

Left Chet's place on the 9 am shuttle back to Franconia Notch. Akso on the shuttle were RockLocks, LeftField, Wheel Dog, Tailgate, Hiker Dave, Johnny Thunder. Spent a few minutes at the Visitor Center, and then got hiking at 10:30. Had to backtrack back to the trail about a mile. The first big climb was up Mt Lafayette. Long, slow, and amazing. It's true that the topography is more extreme and challenging here in the White Mtns., but it is also true that the rewards of hiking into alpine habitats, above treeline, with spectacular views and an entirely different suite of species, well more than makes up for the challenge of the climb. Mt. Lafayette delivered on every front. WOW! WOW! WOW! Pure exhiliration! Had lunch atop Mt Lafayette and had to hunker down on the leeward side of some rocks due to the whipping wind. No trees to block it off. That makes a big difference. The climb down the other side of Mt Lafayette was pretty hard on the knees. I also ran out of water due to some poor planning on my part. This sort of dragged my happiness down a little bit, and made for slow going to Mt. Garfield. As a result, Left Field and Wheel Dog camped atop Mt Garfield, Mas and I set up our tents below Mt Garfield where there was water and RockLocks was the only one to push on to the hut for work-for-stay. I saw a boreal chickadee and a hairy woodpecker today.
Date: 2008-09-03
From: Stealth Camp past Garfield campsite

To: Stealth Camp before Ethan Pond
Miles today: 12.0
Weather: few clouds

Awoke a little late today probably due to extended effects of yesterdays entry into the 5000+ foot elevations, and dehydration. Got hiking by 9:30. Madee it to Galehead hut at about 10:45 and stopped to take advantage of the mid-day offerings. The huts all offer hikers all-you-can-eat soup for $3 every day, and all-you-can-eat baked goods (whatever they made for dinner and dessert last night) for $1 or $2 each day. I had gingerbread and foccaccia. Ate ALOT of both. Also you can get potable water at the huts, so we did that as well.Unfortunately I ate so much bread that I practically belched my way up Twin Mtn. Oops. The rest of the days hike was lovely again. Ran into Hiker Dave who was at a point of extreme frustration. He had been backtracking uphill because he hadn't seen a white blaze in a long time, and wasn't at all sure he was still on the AT. Another aspect of this section of the AT is that all the sections of the trail have these local names, rather than being labeled as the AT, they may be labeled at the Lafayette trail, or the Osgood trail. This is a practice of the Appalachian Mtn. Club, the local hiking club, and it does make things a bit confusing sometimes. Many hikers find it very disturbing. Anyway, assured Hiker Dave that he was on the right trail, and hiked with him to the Zealand Falls hut where he stayed to do work for stay, and Mas and I pushed on to get closer to Mizpah Hut for a plan to do work for stay tomorrow. Found enough space to set up our two tents right along the AT just before Ethan Pond.
Date: 2008-09-04
From: Stealth Camp before Ethan Pond

To: Lake in the Clouds hut
Miles today: 16.3
Weather: scattered clouds

MOOSE! MOOSE! MOOSE! MOOSE!That pretty much sums up the way this day began. At 5AM I awoke to the sound of twigs being broken and crunched under the feet of a heavy animal. Once my brain kicked in I realized that I may have found my chance to see a moose. It didn't sound like a bear, and the other likely option was a human skulking around the tent. I got out of the tent, and crept around toward the sounds, and there through the thicket of woods, right beside my tent, I saw it. A moose! Yay! I was very excited (and in truth am still very excited about this). I watched it for about 5 minutes, then went and got Mas up so he could see it too. We then determined that it was actually a moose cow and calf. Got to observe them walking and feeding on leaves for about an hour before they left the immediate vicinity of the tents. YES! I was wondering if I'd see one, and I have. I feel very lucky. They came withing 20 feet of us multiple times, but I wasn't able to get a very good photo due to the low light, and the fact that my digital camera doesn't work too well in low light settings. Either way, I captured the image with my eyes and mind. This moose-encounter also got us hiking by 8am, and shortly after we started, Mas flushed a spruce grouse. It landed in a low branch of a tree right over the trail, and just sat there while we looked at it and took photos. Another new species for me. How utterly fantastic. From there the day held a lot of ups and downs. Descended into Crawford Notch, then climbed up Mt. Webster. I'm taking these climbs very slowly now. It seems easier this way. Got to Mizpah hut at 3pm, earlier than expected, and RockLocks, Tailgate, T-bone, LeftField, and WheelDog were just leaving to go to Lake inthe Clouds Hut for Work for Stay. Thay convinced us to come along, so we did, making a 16.3 mile day. Right out of Mizpah, we climbed up above treeline again, and it was foggy and windy. Stayed this way all the way to Lake in the Clouds. All our hair was wet because we were essentially hiking through the clouds. I got there first, and asked for work for stay for the seven of us. The croo was very cool, because they already had 3 hikers doing work for stay, and they took the other seven of us too. A total of 10 when they only have to take 2. RockLocks, PackMule, and I bleached and cleaned one of the empty bunkrooms to prep it for winter. Everyone else had to wait until tomorrow to do their work. The croo made a beefy-cheesy noodle dish for us to eat along with bread, salad, soup, and rich, delicious peanut butter bars for dessert. Lights-out was at 9:30, after which we all claimed benches and tables to sleep on. An excellent work for stay experience, and now since we all got to Lake inthe Clouds, It's only 1.5 miles to the top of Mt. Washington tomorrow.
Date: 2008-09-05
From: Lake in the Clouds hut

To: Madison hut
Miles today: 7.0

It was nice and warm in the hut dining hall all night. At 6AM when the croo awakened us to clear out of the dining hall, the clouds had cleared outside the windows too, boding well for a clear day atop Mt. Washington. After the paying guests ate, all the thru hikers got fed, oatmeal, lots of bacon, delicious coffee cake, coffee, stewed apples. All delicious. We hung out and sang with the croo while they played music, they those who hadn't done their work yet got to those tasks, and the others of us headed up Mt. Washington. It was a beautiful clear climb to the 6288 ft peak. 55 percent of the time the peak is clouded in, but it was sunny with 6 mile visibility today. I walked around, checked out the old hotel/museum on the top, where in 1853 they charged $1 to stay in a very rustic bunk-hotel at the summit. Bought some postcards and mialed them from the little postal office at the summit, and ate some snacks at the snackbar. The climb down Mt. Washington was very rocky and rocky and rocky. It was what's called felsenmeer, a work which literally translates to a sea of jagged rocks. That's exactly what it was too. Very slow and challenging. Also very windy to the point of being blown into rocks by the gusts. Finally made it to Madison Hut, and decided to do work-for-stay. They let 4 of us do it this time: me, RockLocks, LeftField, and Mas. The hikers that got there later were able to pay $8 to sleep in the dining hall, no work, and no food for them. Went on a Gree Technology tour to see how the huts operate. 2Kwh per day, primarily wind and solar powered, clivis mulchum toilets, etc.