morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2018-07-15
From: Manchester Center (mile 1651.8)

To: Peru Peak shelter (mile 1661.9)
Miles today: 10.1
Weather: overcast clouds

We got a shuttle back to the trail from Duffie of the Green Mountain hostel, joined by Stone Age, who's headed Southbound. We cameled up at Bromley shelter, where we met some Australians and some Germans, before starting on an 8 mile dry section. After a lot of climbing we reached the wide open top of Bromley, which is a ski resort in winter. We're definitely in the heart of ski territory in Vermont - I started to see resorts on other mountains starting at Glastenbury, and we hiked up a ski run to the top of Bromley today. We dropped to another road then ascended to Styles Peak, which was very buggy. A cloud of dragonflies floated above us as we rested in the shade and enjoyed the view. We followed along the ridge through some really thick pine forest to Peru Peak before a long drop to tonight's shelter.The shelter tonight has a strong stream flowing and providing constant background noise.Sarah showed up again at the shelter. The only other people staying tonight are a young couple that's only been out for a few days.Yesterday I suggested the name Dirty Dan (a SpongeBob reference) for Sarah. It appears to have stuck, which was cool hiker moment because I've never given someone a trail name before.Before dinner we went swimming in nearby Griffith Lake. It was a great swimming spot, and small enough to swim to a boulder (rock?) on the other side and enjoy the peace for a few moments.
Date: 2018-07-16
From: Peru Peak shelter (mile 1661.9)

To: Big Branch shelter (mile 1668.3)
Miles today: 6.4
Weather: overcast clouds

We had a very short day today to the shelter just before our pickup point. I arrived early since I joined Dirty Dan on the way there, who wanted to get 19 miles in.The climb up Baker Peak was difficult (and the slanted rocks remind me of New York a lot), but open ledges proved to come with great views again. We then descended to a large suspension bridge over Big Branch, which proved to be a great spot to eat lunch, soak our feet, and skip rocks. I was a bit bored the rest of the day with 10 free hours, but I was able to keep somewhat busy by reading the entire trail log, catching up on journaling, and speaking with others who passed by or are staying for the night. We met Pamby and Mad Tom, who are Long Trail section hikers, Zuzu, who is a thru, and Jeff and Laura, who have been doing short hikes and spreading some trail magic, which came tonight in the form of extra dessert!It's supposed to start pouring tonight into tomorrow. I realized that I haven't been through any big storms yet. As difficult as they can be to continue through, storms are often my favorite camping moments because they're so memorable.I really liked a quote found in the log book today:"May your choices reflect your hopes, not your fears."- Nelson Mandela
Date: 2018-07-17
From: Big Branch shelter (mile 1668.3)

To: Minerva Hinchey shelter (mile 1681.5)
Miles today: 13.2
Weather: light rain

This morning Bear Bait and I walked the last mile to our pickup location. It began to storm and got incredibly dark under the trees, but soon enough I was restocking food in the protection of a car. Bear Bait completed just short of 150 miles on the trail, which is worthy of a round of applause as it is far and above his original goal of 100 miles. Whoop whoop! Joining me are Andrew, a friend from cross country, and his dad.The rain stopped soon before we began hiking. We passed Little Rock pond, which looked beautiful and clear to swim in. The first rock garden we saw had been mostly knocked down so we decided to help rebuild it a little. The next one was the biggest I've seen on the trail, just before a side trail leading to the beautiful views of White Rocks. The forest looked amazing today in the fog.It seems that every state has a Bear Mountain, because we climbed my third one for the trip today. It began to pour as we reached the summit, but I realized that I really only have a couple items which can't get wet, and embraced the rain.We had a bit of excitement tonight at camp. We heard screams coming from the forest and went as a group to go check them out. We often joke that everyone out here is a little crazy to willingly hike the trail, but the noises were unfortunately originating from a man walking down the nearby dirt road who was either tripping or mentally troubled. We heard him lingering around the area for a while, but thankfully he seemed to have moved on by the time we went to sleep.We gave up on bearbagging after my rope got stuck and Mr Cameron's food bag attachment point broke. Maybe I'll climb up and get the rock bag in the morning...
Date: 2018-07-18
From: Minerva Hinchey shelter (mile 1681.5)

To: Killington Peak (mile 1695.6)
Miles today: 14.1
Weather: clear sky

This morning with a little bit of tree climbing, long branches, and stubbornness, Andrew and I managed to get down my rock bag. Soon after leaving we found a nice view over the Rutland Airport. Rutland is most known on the trail for a place known as the Yellow Deli, one of the most popular hostels on the trail. The spiritual group that runs the place is particularly friendly to hikers, will let you work for stay, offers slackpacking, and serves great Yerba Mate! In fact, we met up with Bear Bait this morning to adjust some of the Camerons' gear, and he stayed there last night! (and said it was best described as "groovy". We've met many people using their slackpacking services throughout the day.The first big point of interest today was Clarendon Gorge. All three of us slipped on the short but damp and rocky descent! But the bridge over the river ended up being beautiful. The climb out was intense too, with lots of rock scrambling. Within a few miles we took a lunch break at Clarendon shelter, which was in a nice grassy clearing and had a cold stream for a quick soak.In the afternoon we passed some roads and meadows which all gave views of Killington towering above us. We reached some tall pines forests on cliffs above rivers at the base of the mountain. One small landslide had brought trees down that used to be right next to the trail. We took a break at Governor Clement shelter, the second oldest on the AT. The logbook had a picture of the shelter in a meadow when it was built, which was interesting since the landscape around it has changed significantly. Checking out the log book it seems that everyone headed up Killington today - there were nearly 20 logbook entries, many more than usual.Afterwards we began the long climb up Little Killington and Killington. At little Killington I passed my 400 mile mark. Killington is exciting because it's the first mountain on my section that's above 4000 feet!I ran hard the last mile and a half to the shelter then summit in just enough time to catch the sunset. The rock scramble up to the top was incredibly steep! (think double Philmont's Tooth of Time) but worth it.We found Dirty Dan again camped at the very summit of Killington since the shelter is in bad shape due to vandals during the ski season. I'm sharing a tarp with Andrew as a windblock. It's extremely windy up here! Before heading to bed we explored some of the ski gondolas and towers near the summit.
Date: 2018-07-19
From: Killington Peak (mile 1695.6)

To: Stony Brook shelter (mile 1711.9)
Miles today: 16.3
Weather: broken clouds

We enjoyed an absolutely beautiful sunrise while wrapped up in our quilts for warmth. One of the other people watching with us got up at 3am to hike up Killington in time!Dirty Dan hikes in a Hawaiian shirt, which I think is fun and reminds me of Tights Ties and Tiedye Tuesday and other cross country spirit week shenanigans. While talking about it she mentioned that she has a few extras and was meeting up with her mom to go into town today and that I could get a free one then! As I wrote in a logbook later, it's hard to be an unhappy hiker in a Hawaiian shirt and short shorts. Andrew and his Dad went ahead, while I took an easy morning with Dirty Dan. There was plenty of downhill to start the day since we started out so high up. Soon we reached where the AT/LT splits from Sherbourne Pass trail, which used to be the AT/LT until the new path was built, which ironically means that The Inn at Long Trail is now several miles off the Long Trail. The split also marked Dirty Dan's 100 mile mark, whoop whoop!At Route 4 I got my awesome hiking shirt and we said our goodbyes. I hiked to Maine junction for lunch, where the AT and LT actually separate. Many people recommend the northern half of the Long Trail so I definitely want to do it at some point in the future. I ended up taking another break in the afternoon at Gifford Woods state park since they had $1 orange cream bars, charging stations, and wifi to catch up on posting trail journals. I'll let you guess which one of those was the greatest motivation for staying as long as I did.I passed many standalone boulders today. Kent Pond was clear and sunny, which I'm sure the kayakers I saw enjoyed. Thundering Falls was mesmerizing to watch as the water cascaded down the sharp rocks. There was another long boardwalk section afterwards too, which I always like. I finally caught up to Andrew and his dad after I booked it up a long uphill climb. I was so tired that I took long enough of a break at the top though that I had to catch them again! I'm sure my body was a bit confused at my extremely inconsistent hiking speed today - I stayed in camp this morning for about 4 hours waiting, took 4 hour long breaks, and hiked a brisk 3mph when I was moving!As I write this we're listening to the sounds of (hopefully) Chipmunks run around in the woods in front of the shelter, which has had bear problems in the past.
Date: 2018-07-20
From: Stony Brook shelter (mile 1711.9)

To: VT Route 12 (mile 1725.6)
Miles today: 13.7

I felt sluggish and was a bit slow to get moving this morning. Soon after leaving camp we had a ladder downclimb over some boulders, which I've been told to expect a lot of in the Whites. Feeling a little dehydrated at the first water source, Andrew and I channeled our cross country roots and raced to chug a liter in order to "camel up" on water. We passed The Lookout today, which is a private cabin but hikers are allowed to use it. It came with a steep ladder to an amazing view on the roof. We could see where we were (Killington), where the Long Trail goes, and the White Mountains where we're headed.We met a guy named Hook today while hiking who told us some funny stories about the truth shelter, where people go to reveal secrets in the logbook. We also ran into Oolong, a SOBO highschool graduate.We passed many beautiful hilltop fields on the way down to Route 12. There we got some fresh fruit and soda from Bear Bait and decided we wanted to head to a nearby restaurant. The burgers and ice cream definitely hit the spot.Tonight we're sleeping in a "secret hostel" - Dan, a kind man who owns a barn near the trail, lets hikers sleep in the top level. It feels like a secret club house and I enjoyed falling asleep under the rainbow lights strung across the ceiling.Crockett, another hiker we've been running into a lot, suggested the name Recliner for Mr. Cameron since he carries a comfy camp chair with him, which many hikers forego for weight reasons. Recliner decided that he will be taking a rest day tomorrow to get ready for the drive home, so Andrew and I have set our sights on a 30 mile day.Quote of the day:"I could eat glass right now" - Andrew, when asked if he was ready for dinner after many miles
Date: 2018-07-22
From: Hanover, New Hampshire

To: Hanover, New Hampshire
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

I slept way in, which was definitely needed after yesterday, especially for my legs and feet. In the morning we said goodbye to the Camerons, who started the long drive back home early. They were kind enough to leave me with earbuds, since I'll be hiking alone now and might want to listen to some music, and their filter, which is much faster than mine, which has developed some issues! Thanks so much to them for joining me and sharing the journey for a little while. Afterwards Bear Bait and I got a (very) late lunch at Lou's, which had an amazing breakfast, in addition to free muffins for hikers!With some free time we checkes out the Dartmouth campus, did some laundry, and restocked. I forgot to charge my phone up last night with how tired I was, meaning that I had to plan out my schedule for starting the Whites before buying food with only a few minutes of battery life.After getting back to the hotel room we called home and I continued pearing down my gear even more since I'll now be alone!We had dinner at a great Chinese restaurant. Checking the weather, it looks like we have storms moving in for the next week, and lots of them. I caught up on downloading some music and backing up all the photos I've taken before going to bed, though I didn't have time to do much journaling - sorry!!
Date: 2018-07-23
From: Three Mile Road (mile 1757.1)

To: Smarts Mountain shelter (mile 1772.1)
Miles today: 15.0

I was a bit slow packing things away in the hotel room this morning and got a later start than I wanted. It was extremely humid, but at least it made me feel at home with my tropical shirt. My body is DEFINITELY still recovering from the 30 day even after a 0. All the views today were obscured by fog that brought rain. I met Wolverine, who also just graduated highchool, and Bear Hunter, one of his friends from cross country (sound familiar?) The trail is full of eagle scouts and cross country runners, two other disciplines that must match skills really well with backpacking. I hiked with them for a while and got to know them before I stopped for my late lunch to refuel before a big climb. I was rewarded at the top with Holt's Ledges, a really steep cliff that was cool to watch the clouds off of. Some people really hate shrouded foggy views, but I think it can be fun to wonder about the unknown world before me. There was even a fenced off section of the cliffs because there is a peregrine falcon nesting site there!I took an afternoon break at Trapper John shelter, which had a deluxe privy and a hilarious multipart multiauthor story about the trap life. The heavy rain has my feet soaked even with waterproof boots on. Today was first day that I feel my speed on the trail was really limited by safety since it was so wet. I reached the first rebar ladder in a while today too. I was planning on hiking further today, but with my late start when I reached the enclosed cabin on top of Smarts Mountain the sun was setting, I had been moving slow, and my feet and everything else was wet, so there was no way I was going to continue. My feet have started to blister in my boots. I am 100% moving to trailrunners without waterproofing in the future, cause my feet are dying in the wet boots that now will never dry out. I stayed the night with Wolverine, Bear Hunter, Makin' It, and Rex. Before heading to sleep I checked out the lookout tower, which was in the middle of a cloud. It was incredibly windy and the whole tower shook with big gusts, but it was fun to run up and down through the elements.
Date: 2018-07-24
From: Smarts Mountain shelter (mile 1772.1)

To: Jeffers Brook shelter (mile 1793.1)
Miles today: 21.0
Weather: moderate rain

I caught up on some much needed sleep last night, but am definitely still recovering from the 30. I put plenty of tape on my feet to try to avoid blisters before putting on my wet socks and boots. I checked out the windy firetower again to see it in the daytime before heading up Mt. Cube with Wolverine and Bear Hunter. While doing so, a large tree branch fell on the trail only a few seconds after we had passed that point. The rock slabs continue to be wet and slick, slowing down progress. I also smacked one of my shins AGAIN, marking about the fifth time that I've scraped off skin on both of them.Lunch came with a bit of a reprieve from the rain, including a chance to tape my feet up again as well as meet Bear Bait to hand out trail magic. I also got a santa hat from him to prepare for Christmas in July tomorrow!We crossed three different NH Route 25s in the afternoon which were all differentiated by another letter, but was still confusing. The most exciting thing about climbing Mt. Mist is that I could see Moosilauke, the first big climb of the Whites! I had heard that there was ice cream not too far off trail at the Hikers Welcome Hostel. While there I found three gentleman who Bear Bait had given trail magic to during lunch, so they offered to put my ice cream on their tab! I saw a bunch of other people I know too including Wolverine, Bear Hunter, Makin It, Rex, Pulitzer, Snowshoe, and Sailor, so I stayed to cook dinner... then stayed a while longer as we enjoyed some trailtalk around the fire. I met a trail angel named Pterodactyl who talked about how we also kept a trailjournals when he thruhiked in 2016. His advice was to post each day... woops! He also had a cooler with some awesome chicken salad sandwiches. I finally hiked out at around 11, when I made the mile hike to the shelter, including my first brook fording (which was low enough that it really wasn't a problem).Thankfully I was able to catch up on the miles today since it didn't rain as much. I've been hearing about the White Mountains for hundreds of miles now so I'm psyched to face them tomorrow
Date: 2018-07-25
From: Jeffers Brook shelter (mile 1793.1)

To: Eliza Brook shelter (mile 1809.0)
Miles today: 15.9
Weather: clear sky

I slept in a bit considering how late I got to camp - or at least tried to since the group in the shelter next to my tent was pretty loud in the morning. I packed up pretty quickly and started hiking with my Christmas in July music ane santa hat before the rain hit. Additionally, I was thinking ahead last night at the hostel and got pterodactyl the trail angel to buy some small trail magic for me to hand out on my way up Moosilauke, so I really felt like trail Santa for the day and enjoyed telling everyone I passed Mele Kalikimaka in the spirit of my Hawaiian shirt. I found Wolverine and Bear Hunter slackpacking SOBO over Moosilauke from the hostel, which sounded tempting but I've never done. I also passed the 500 mile mark for my trip on the way up! That was my goal for total running miles last summer for cross country conditioning, so it feels great to go above and beyond that mark this summer. It felt amazing to reach my first "real" white mountain summit, even though it was incredibly windy and foggy at the top.I stopped into a shelter for lunch on the far side of Moosilauke, and found a SOBO hiker that I've been trying to find for a while. While hiking with Dirty Dan on the Long Trail, we introduced ourselves to a SOBO who remarked that they knew another person when the same name about two weeks behind them! Well, today I found sobo Dirty Dan and enjoyed telling him of my search while out of the rain in the shelter. I've had some awesome coincidences on the trail, and this was no exception considering there are many hikers headed in opposite directions who don't meet each other due to breaks and town days.The descent past the shelter was right next to a raging waterfall from all the rain. It was super technical and slow going, which wasn't what I needed considering I had already gotten a late start and had taken my time on Moosilauke and Christmas in July trail magic. I talked with another hiker named Chugs at a parking lot in Kinsman Notch. By the time I continued on it was nearly 6pm. I soon passed the 1800 mile marker, which was a creative one considering this one was crafted out of moose poop. The trail got more and more treacherous in the ongoing rain and the hiking got slower as nightfall came and my feet began to blister. By nighttime, the rain made sure the trail consisted of only three parts - slick rock slabs, streams following the trail down the mountains, and puddles of unknown depth, the deepest of which I found out was up to my knee. In all the last 6.5 miles into camp took 4 hours of trudging without seeing another soul. I kept the Christmas in July playlist going the whole time since I couldn't use my phone screen with my wet hands, so I about have that memorized by now. Time seemed to crawl by during the hike as it was just me and my thoughts. I couldn't even check mileage since the map was on my phone.I set up camp as quickly as possible before falling into a deep slumber. I didn't even take the time to cook dinner -just poured some water into my pasta bag and started eating.
Date: 2018-07-26
From: Eliza Brook shelter (mile 1809.0)

To: Lincoln NH (mile 1817.8)
Miles today: 8.8
Weather: scattered clouds

I got moving early this morning but immediately reached my first obstacle of the day on the edge of camp. We had to cross Eliza Brook, which was RAGING from all the rain yesterday evening and overnight. The SOBOs who made it to camp yesterday said it wasn't like this when they crossed it, and they wouldn't have tried to cross it in its current state. Some people even turned around to hike back out the way I came. I ended up bushwhacking 15 minutes upstream before shimmying across a fallen tree with the help of Pirate since the trail followed the brook on the other side, but another large nobo group ended up crossing on an improvised log bridge.I passed some cool alpine ponds today but the bog bridges were useless since the waterline was still above my boots while standing on them. Kinsman mountain was unremarkable with wet rocks and the same foggy view. I noticed my knees hurting a bit on the descent, which I've never had before. The miles crawled by, and my constant wet feet and some chafing were NOT helping. I stopped by my first AMC hut, Lonesome Lake, and grabbed a coffee cake for a snack since I was already late meeting up with Bear Bait to get my lunch.I ran into the same nobo group (consisting of Sameyes, Dirtbag Dave, Pegasus, Vermont, and Playboy) trying to cross the next raging brook, but even their log bridge building skills were no match for this torrent. After trying to get creative for a little while we ended up heading back to near Lonesome Lake and taking a side trail down to a state park campsite further down highway from where the AT crosses. I technically skipped about a mile and a half of trail so maybe I'll come back and do it at some point in the future if I have time to come up to the Whites. While waiting for Bear Bait to show up, Vermont's dad, who lives nearby, showed up with pizza and police shirts since he used to be the local police chief! That pizza really hit the spot.When Bear Bait showed up we headed to a hotel in town, which was awesome because it was definitely the biggest room I've stayed in so far. I spent the rest of the day figuring out how to get my body back into hiking shape and not let my feet deteriorate further. For dinner we went to Black Mountain Burger Co, which someone recommended to me 200 miles ago down the trail! I decided to treat myself during the restock and bought and ate an entire three pint ice cream container while back at the hotel making plans for Mount Washington and the Presidentials.