morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2013-08-27
From: Manchester Center VT

To: Lost Pond Shelter
Miles today: 14.8
Weather: overcast clouds

Day 102 - Lost Pond Shelter We were lazy this morning (go figure, given the beer tasting session we had last night) and, after getting breakfast at a bagel place and resupplying, got a ride from a nice lady named Susan at around 1. We were feeling pretty good, especially after listening to some Killswitch Engage to power us up and over our first climb. As we approached the top of Bromley Mountain, i noticed a familiar figure up the trail - it was Patches! I hadn't seen her since Delaware Water Gap! She ended up hiking with us for the majority of the day, before we parted ways at the Peru Peak Shelter. It was good to hang out with her for the first time in almost 400 miles! The voice and i carried on until we reached our shelter, where we had expected to find rabbit. Turns out he went to the next one, and we were feeling too lazy to night hike so we pitched our tents. There were some other people at the shelter, so we cooked dinner and hung out by the fire for a bit before bed. Today's song: "Eye of the Beholder" - Metallica
Date: 2013-08-28
From: Lost Pond Shelter

To: Campsite Near Clarendon Gorge
Miles today: 17.5
Weather: light rain

Day 103 - Campsite near Clarendon GorgePatches caught up to us before we even left camp, so again the three of us hiked together. We went past the Big Branch Shelter, where Rabbit had left us a note saying he has pushed on and would at least see us in Killington, if not sooner. We carried on until we reached Little Rock Pond, where we took a break because it was lovely. It reminded me of various Colorado lakes up around 7000-8000 feet - there was a jagged, steeply rising mountain on one side, and the water was absolutely tranquil. There was a bunch of little newts and salamanders swimming in the shallow water as well. As we hiked on we came to a pine forest, and in one section of this forest there were hundreds of cairns which people had built. They littered the area surrounding the trail for maybe a 30 yard section, and some were even situated in trees and tree stumps. The voice added his own cairn, which he called "The Seesaw", as we took a breather. We again parted ways with Patches, this time at the Minerva shelter. The voice and I continued for another 2.6 miles or so until we reached the Mill River and a nice swimming hole. We decided to set up shop there, and enjoyed the swimming hole for a half hour or so. Shortly thereafter a thunderstorm rolled in, so we were limited to our tents while the water came down in buckets. I definitely need to re-seam my seals on my tent, because water is beginning to seep in during heavy rains. Hopefully it calms down so I can stay dry!Today's song: "Firetrucks on the Boardwalk" - Devotchka
Date: 2013-08-29
From: Campsite Near Clarendon Gorge

To: The Inn at Long Trail
Miles today: 17.7
Weather: light rain

Day 104 - Long Trail InnThere were a few tough climbs today, and we were incredibly slow. I think probably 65-70% of the trail was uphill, so that didn't help too much. However, Voice and I started this new thing where we listen to heavy metal music on all the big climbs, and it really takes us to the next level of mountain domination. The trail on this stretch seems to be much drier - up until now, it's been quite wet and mossy. Lately, however, it has been more decidious-y and dry. Both of those are good, and I've really enjoyed VT so far. In fact, it may be the best state so far (overall, not for its specific landmarks).   And from what I hear, the best is yet to come!We met up at the Long Trail Inn with Rabbit, Patches, and a handful of other hikers we've been seeing lately. There's an Irish pub onsite, and you can camp for free across the street, so of course we were down for that. We glady enjoyed dinner, second dinner, and some Guiness for the rest of the night. Tomorrow, we will be branching off from the Long Trail (the AT and LT run concurrently for the first 100 or so miles) and heading east towards NH - I can't believe it!Today's song: "The Once and Future Carpenter" - The Avett Brothers
Date: 2013-08-31
From: Camp spot near Mink Brook

To: Cloudland Farm
Miles today: 12.7
Weather: scattered clouds

Day 106 - Cloudland MarketWe got up early with plans of granduer, but that never materialized. After a few short miles, we reached a cabin which had a lookout tower built atop its roof. We were transfixed by the 360 degree view, and spent a good deal of time there while also making the acquaintance of a SOBO.   It was an overcast day, with periods of drizzle, but all told it was good. There was about a 5 mile stretch which was full of sharp ups and downs, and by the time we descended toward Cloudland Road we were ready to call it a day. The fact that the Nebraska football home opener was today may have also played a role . We walked over to the Cloudland Farm and Market to scope it out, not knowing if we had any shot of getting into the town of Woodstock for the game. As it turns out, Cloudland Farm has a super nice onsite restaurant which serves a first class meal three nights a week (by reservation only). We weren't exactly fitting in with the BMWs and Porsches in the parking lot, so we weren't sure what to do. We decided to give it a shot and ask a hostess if there was any way we could get a ride into town. Sure enough, Bill, the owner of the farm gave us a lift into town in search of a hotel. When we couldn't find one that was affordable, Bill was kind enough to take us back to the farm and let us stay in his barn. They had a little room which used to serve as their shop in which they sold their beef and other products, and it was perfect for us! We ended up getting the score updates for the Husker game on my phone and having a couple local IPAs that we had picked up in town. It turned out to be a great night, thanks to the kindness of Bill and the Cloudland Farm!
Date: 2013-09-01
From: Cloudland Farm

To: Hanover
Miles today: 17.7
Weather: broken clouds

Day 107 - Hanover The Voice and I made short work of the easy terrain leading to Hanover - we got into town by 4:30ish, even with a long break at the deli in West Hartford, VT. It was a great feeling crossing the river and into New Hampshire - Hanover had always seemed like it was so far away - almost unreachable - but here we are! There exists a list of trail angels at whose houses you can stay for free - the fact that this true is totally awesome, and the people in the north seem to be getting nicer and nicer. We got into contact with a trail angel named Fran, and arranged to stay at her house for the night. She picked us up as we walked through town, and brought us to her condo where we each had our own bedroom. Can you believe it? We got to know Fran a bit, showered, did laundry and then walked back into town in search of, of course, food. We went to Molly's and had some pizza with sausage and local maple syrup on it, and it was amazing. Afterwards, we went to the local movie theater to watch "The World's End", which was fairly entertaining. We then went back to Molly's and later to another local bar for a nightcap. While there, we talked with some other hikers, a few of which I hadn't yet met. We decided around midnight to get a cab back to Fran's, where I slept like a baby while one of her cats tried to cuddle up with me all night.
Date: 2013-09-02
From: Hanover

To: Hanover
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

Day 108 - Hanover Both of us felt like we hadn't spent enough time exploring Hanover (never mind the late night last night), so after some deliberation we decide to zero. We packed up our stuff with the intention of heading into town to find a place to stay, but when we told Fran our plans, she told us we could stay with her again! We couldn't believe she offered to let us stay again - so nice! So, we took our stuff back upstairs before hitching a ride back into town. This time, we were picked up by the first passerby - a middle aged guy jamming to some Nelly-ish type rap music. We immediately went to Lou's Diner. It was clearly the place to be, as the line was out the door. While we were waiting, we were given a complimentary doughnut (a thru-hiker special), which was awesome. The wait in line was definitely worth it, because the food was phenomenal. I had some french toast stuffed with ham, cheese, spinach, and drizzled in maple syrup. Wow. Lou's uses mostly local products, which is quite a bonus too. After breakfast, we walked around Dartmouth's campus a bit, then played catch with my tennis ball on "The Green", which is a big open space on campus. We then got some coffee at The Dirt Cowboy Cafe, and then went our separate ways for the next few hours. I really wanted to check out Dartmouth's campus some more - particularly the Tuck School of Business since it houses one of the best business schools in the country (and I am a nerd about that sort of thing). I toured around a bunch, and then lounged in an adirondack chair outside of Tuck, just taking it all in on a relaxing day in town. Eventually, I caught up with The Voice and Bud (who I hadn't seen since the Allenberry in Boiling Springs, PA) at Starbucks, and we soon went to a local pizza place for a free slice of pizza (another thru-hiker special).   After hanging there for a bit, we went to CVS to resupply before calling a cab to take us back to Fran's. While we waited for the cab, we stopped into a local pub and talked to a couple of super cool locals who ended up buying our drinks for us - trail magic abounds in this town! I'd have to say that, in my opinion, Hanover has definitely been the best trail town so far. They cater to thru hikers a lot (free pizza and doughnuts, among other free things that we didn't even get a chance to get), there are trail angels everywhere (and you can stay for free on campus at Robinson Hall), and people were super friendly. I had an awesome experience in Hanover, so thanks to all the kind people there!
Date: 2013-09-03
From: Hanover

To: Bill Ackerly's House
Miles today: 16.8
Weather: light rain

Day 109 - Bill Ackerly's House We hit the trail after 9, but luckily it was super easy and the weather was good. We got to Bill Ackerly's (aka "the ice cream man") house around 5, not knowing what to expect. We heard he gives away free ice cream and that he sometimes lets people stay the night on his porch.   We found that Patches and one of her friends were there already and were going to stay the night. Bill offered to let us stay as well. Bill is a gentleman who I'd guess is in his 70s, and he is a riot. We played croquet with him in his back yard, ate some ice cream and hung out in his porch watching movies on Netflix courtesy of the free wifi. We had and excellent night - Bill's a great guy!
Date: 2013-09-05
From: Trail Angels' House

To: Beaver Brook Shelter
Miles today: 17.6

Day 111 - Beaver Brook ShelterToday, after getting a tour of the enchanted woods behind the house from Leah and Zoe, we hit the trail with the aim of conquering Mt. Moosilauke. We had an easy 10-11 miles to go before starting the 3800 foot climb, and we felt good as we started the ascent. I think the key to any part of the trail is to be mentally prepared for the worst. If, in your mind, you expect the toughest conditions, then what you encounter is almost always easier. Then you feel like a boss when you crush the task at hand.   Moosilauke was no exception. I expected it to be brutal, and in the end it really wasn't too bad. It was long and steep, but manageable. As I got higher, the trees got shorter shorter until I was finally above them all. Before the final ascent there is a flat ridge, and the sun was on the verge of setting, so their was a brilliant gold light illuminating the summit. It was one of the most beautiful scenes I've seen on the trail. The temperature dropped dramatically, due to the howling wind, the elevation change and the setting sun, and by the time I hit the ridge I had all my layers on including gloves and hat. When I got to the top, the view was unbelievable. The same brilliant gold light was shining on the White Mountains to the north/northeast, while shadows were cast on the valleys in between them. This moment was the second time on the trail that I was really in awe of what I saw (the first being when I was on The Priest in VA).   We didn't hang out for too long, as we only had a few minutes of good light left.   We hurried the last couple miles in the dark down to the Beaver Brook Shelter, where we endured nighttime temperatures in the mid 20s. I need to get my winter sleeping bag back!
Date: 2013-09-18
From: Camp Spot on Mt Success

To: Camp Spot near Old Speck Mtn
Miles today: 13.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Day 122 - Campsite near the top of Old Speck MountainToday southern Maine showed us how tough it actually is. We undershot our intended mileage by 2, and contended with constant rocky ups and downs and the infamous Mahoosuc Notch. When there were flat spots they were super boggy, and at one point Voice slipped off a boardwalk and sunk his right leg about waistdeep in the muck. It's rumored that people have died fromdrowning in these bogs, which is eerily akin to the whole Atreyu/Artex deal in The Neverending Story. Luckily, the Voice is a jolly fellow and he did not succumb to the Swamp of Sadness. Anyway, by the time we had reached Mahoosuc Notch we were already toasted. This 1.2 miles is said to be the most difficult part of the whole trail, as you basically climb your way over and around car and house size boulders. It wasn't that difficult, I would say, but it was exhausting. We strapped our hiking poles to our packs, since all moves require hands and feet, and bounded our way through after a little over an hour. Bud had fallen behind a while earlier, and after waiting for a while after the notch we decided to move on. He's not under the same time constraint as we are, so we needed to do some miles. The problem was that we were so exhausted that we decided to cave in and camp short of our intended destination. We definitely deserved to call it a day - let's hope Maine eases up on us a bit!
Date: 2013-09-20
From: Random Stealth Camp Spot

To: Andover ME
Miles today: 8.9
Weather: broken clouds

Day 124 - AndoverToday we (Voice, Rabbit and I) arranged a shuttle into Andover at around noon - a trail Angel named Uncle Buck picked us up around noon. It's a good thing we arranged it too because we saw maybe 3 cars in the hour that we waited at South Arm Road. It's pretty much the worst place to hitch in the world. In Andover we had only planned to resupply, get lunch and head back out. The problem is that we are now facing the AT version of senioritus. Remember when you were at the end of your senior year in high school and your motivation to study for your finals went out the window, because you KNEW you would graduate even if you bombed the tests? That's what we're dealing with here. We know the end is near, and we know what we HAVE to do to "graduate", so we're ok with a little slacking. That said, after a huge lunch, we barely even debated whether we would stay. We headed to the hostel, and found that they had a cabin for rent that was a few miles outside of town. So, for the same price as three bunks we got a cabin with a nice front porch to ourselves. There was even a river and a covered bridge right there. We were even able to shoot some footage for the terrible metal music video that we came up with in VT. We had an awesome night!
Date: 2013-09-23
From: Rangeley 

To: Camp Spot near Perham Stream
Miles today: 15.3
Weather: few clouds

Day 127 - Campsite near Perham StreamWe woke up around 7:30 and got some breakfast and tons of coffee at a local restaurant before hitching back to the trail. It was a tough hitch, and it was 10:30 before we were picked up by an SUV full of armed border control officers. They were super cool guys, even though they performed their duty of asking The Voice for his passport and visa. We went through the Saddleback Mountain range today, and it was pretty crazy. A few miles were above tree line, and once up there it got much colder and super windy. The wind howled at gusts which had to be upwards of 60mph - enough to nearly blow us off the trail - and ice clung to the plants due to the moisture in the air. It was an intense experience for sure, and luckily we all made it through unscathed!Near dark (which is now 7pm), we reached our destination - an old logging road with a stream nearby. A bridge on the road was in disrepair and, since we didn't imagine that too much traffic would be coming through, we pitched our tents right on the gravel road. We had a little fire for the first time in a long while, and cooked before getting into bed around 8.
Date: 2013-09-24
From: Camp Spot near Perham Stream

To: Stratton
Miles today: 16.9
Weather: scattered clouds

Day 128 - StrattonToday was the second of three days in a row on which we have a mountain range to traverse. Today's was I believe the Sugarloafs. Or, at least it was a series of peaks which included Sugarloaf Mountain. It was quite a tough day with a number of very steep climbs and descents. It was full of climbs to which I thought there would never be an end. Thankfully, eventually they did end, and there were a couple great views to be had. The fall colors are really starting to pop, especially in some specific areas. For example, we descended steeply from Sugarloaf Mountain into a super narrow valley. In the valley the hills were a bright yellow-gold color, and this valley was significantly different than the areas preceding it in terms of its progression. It was a beautiful sight!After another long hard day, we went into Stratton where we got a cheap motel room. We also resupplied for a four day push into Monson, and hit the local bar and grill for a deliciously amazing bacon cheeseburger. Rabbit and I were super tired, and we crashed around 9 while The Voice hung out with some buddies that he had finally caught up to.
Date: 2013-10-03
From: Whitehouse Landing Hostel

To: Rainbow Spring Campsite
Miles today: 19.4
Weather: clear sky

Day 137 - Rainbow Spring CampsiteWe had AYCE pancakes and coffee in the morning, and got back to the trail around 9:30. I'm still feeling content with doing the mileage, and the terrain remained easy. It was another pretty day full of lakes and foliage, and we ended up at a campsite near rainbow lake where we ran into some fellow NOBOs who are also excited for the upcoming finale. Tomorrow we'll be at the base of Mt. Katahdin, and in two days this trip will conclude. Crazy!
Date: 2013-10-04
From: Rainbow Spring Campsite

To: Katahdin Stream Campground
Miles today: 21.2
Weather: scattered clouds

Day 138 - KSCToday we left the Hundo Wildy, and inso doing reached the Abol Bridge Campground and general store/restaurant. We smashed some lunch and bought some snacks before doing the last stretch before Katahdin. We were all in high spirits and the miles flew by. We had our "toughest" ford of the trail, with rushing thigh-deep water, but aside from that it was pretty chill. A weird feeling overcame me as I got closer to the KSC campground. I had been anxiously awaiting this moment for months, but now that it was imminent it was as if my body was hesitant to actually arrive. I guess it's like any time that change is certain - the time when you HAVE to accept that it's real regardless of whether you're looking forward to it.   The time when you realize that things will no longer be the same, and that something new awaits. In the end I have to say that I've had, in my opinion, a near perfect trail experience. I have no regrets about missing anything (towns, points of interest, etc.) or about any of the choices I made along the way. I'm also teetering on the line between too little and too much time spent out here, and that's a good place to be. Any less time and I wouldn't be ready, any more and I'd be anxious. The last chapter - which for me was NH and Maine - have been great. The weather has been amazing and the trail has been both challenging and beautiful. It's the perfect time to be finished. We had reserved a site at the KSC campground and, since the max occupancy is 6, I invited a couple other hikers to stay with us to cut costs. We also registered as thru hikers with the Baxter State Park ranger and got our 2000 miler applications. Haley flew in from Kansas City today and is going to summit with me tomorrow, and I'm super glad she was able to come. It wouldn't seem right to finish it without her. It was great to see her again, and I'm really looking forward to settling down in our new town and not having to say goodbye anymore. We all hung out by fire and had some beers and story time before getting in our tents for the last time.
Date: 2013-10-05
From: Katahdin Stream Campground

To: Day 139 - Mt. Katahdin (and beyond!)
Miles today: 5.1

Day 139 - Mt. Katahdin (and beyond!)We awoke to a pink sunrise and almost perfectly clear skies. Yet another great weather day, and a perfect day to summit!   We had plenty of pep in our step as Voice, Rabbit, Haley and I began the climb. We were nearly giddy with excitement as we bounded up the mountain alongside droves of weekend warriors. The first mile or two was really easy going, but soon after the use of hands was required, and it remained that way until we reached "the tablelands" and an easy final mile and a half.   Shorty before the summit, the Katahdin sign became visible and we all became quiet. For me, it was an interesting feeling of both accomplishment and reluctance, and the far off image of the sign will be forever burned into my memory. After all this time, after all the sweat, pain, heat, cold and rain, after a seemingly endless amount of steps and the adaption to a life full of simplicity, it's all over. What an awesome experience. I intend to write a follow-up entry in the coming days where I recap my feelings about the trail as a whole, and provide some answers to some questions that I've been asked along the way.