morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2017-07-16
From: Thistle Hill Shelter

To: Trail Angel home in Hanover
Miles today: 15.3
Weather: scattered clouds

Late risings. We've been working our bodies pretty hard with these new inserts. May not seem like much but I found out today that you're supposed to wear these for a half hour a day to begin with. We wore ours for 17 miles the first day. In any event, we're working our feet and our legs in ways they haven't quite been worked before. So a little sore and a little tired. Nothing wrong with some R&R then. Chill breakfast at camp. Yessiree and Famous swing through. They camped at the shelter previous to where we were. Yes takes off but I hear Famous so I yell at him from the tent. So he's around while we're having breakfast. Really like this dude. Nice guy and just fun to hang with. Eventually we set off. Make it about 5 miles and get to the barn in West Hartford. It's known for trail magic so we stop by and they offer us a soda, coffee, watermelon and eventually a twisted tea. We probably hang there for like two and a half hours. Part way through, Famous, Izzy and Randy (one of the guys who lives there) all jump off a bridge while I film. I'm too chicken for that still. Really great time. You never know what's around the corner on the AT. We set off and push through the 10 miles to town meeting SOBO's (southbounders) all along the way. It's wild meeting our future friends as we will be finishing our hike with some of these folk. Get to our trail angels house and get settled for the night. There are a handful of people that put up hikers in Hanover. The trail love is amazing.
Date: 2017-07-17
From: Trail Angel home in Hanover

To: Moose Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 10.3
Weather: clear sky

Get up and get out of this trail angel home. Say goodbye. Half mile back into town for breakfast and who shows up but High Life. We go to Lou's together and talk about the Whites. It's all different from here north. Time to learn things all over again. More elevation, tougher climbs, less resupply options. Starting to make a game plan though. First things first though, resupply. Head down to the local Co-op and start shopping. An hour later and we're packing our bags. Too much food! Oh well. Packs will be heavy a day or two. But we start our trek onward. Moving slow. So heavy! Eventually we pick up pace as our bodies get used to the weight. Looking forward to new gear and less in our packs. Nice hike with a great view from the top of Moose Mountain. Thunder all around us but the storm never really hits. Good meal and then bed.
Date: 2017-07-18
From: Moose Mountain Shelter

To: Stealth site near Jacob's Brook
Miles today: 16.2
Weather: few clouds

So much sleep last night. Still lay in the tent till 7 or 8 am. Just didn't want to get up. This walking mile after mile and day after day thing is completely exhausting. Sometimes you just have to stock up on sleep. So eventually we get up. Have a leisurely breakfast and hang with our new friend Lee. He also stayed at the shelter. He's a 69 year old man still out hauling a backpack around mountains. After talking for a while, we realize we have quite a bit in common, including our love for nature. Looking over the plan for the day, we realize that we need to do like 18 miles or so. It's now 10 am. Not that that worries us but we realize it's time to get on. So we do. We start huffing down the trail. Today, it's down one mountain, up the next, down again and then up a really big one. Three thousand footer anyway. We're still making about 2 miles an hour. Stop for lunch on top of the second peak and enjoy a wonderful view. A section is actually fenced off due to nesting grounds for an endangered species of hawk. We are even lucky enough to see one and hear it too! A beautiful bird. As we approach Smart Mountain, it is clear that we are in NH. The climb is rigorous and tough. This is starting to feel like the real deal and it's making me more and more excited for what's to come. On top of Smart mountain, we climb the fire tower and it's a breathtaking view. 360 all around. Back down and snack for a second. 5 more miles to go and it's 7 o'clock. We rush down the mountain. We actually take out 4 miles in close to an hour. We are finally hiking at thru hiking speeds. We are in shape and we know it. We make it to the brook and find a cool place to camp for the night. Dinner as the sunsets and wash off in the river make for a nice relaxing evening. Let's see what tomorrow brings our way. And...saw another bear. Was climbing smarts and saw one scuffling off as we approached it. Just saw it's big old butt as it hurried away.
Date: 2017-07-19
From: Stealth site near Jacob's Brook

To: NH Route 25A
Miles today: 6.5

Had all the intentions to have a big day and it just fell short. Climbed Mt. Cube today. Unreal mountain and rigorous climb but our heads just weren't in the game. Couldn't get in line. Grey Wolf thankfully showed up and helped us come up with the idea of just getting off trail and getting to a hostel. We hitched a ride with him over, skipping the 10 miles we still had to do to get there. We'll get a ride back and walk these miles tomorrow. New gear coming in. Mom is driving up with Cat. Tomorrow will be a better day. No matter how bad today is, tomorrow just has to be better.
Date: 2017-07-20
From: NH Route 25A

To: Hiker Welcome Hostel
Miles today: 9.8
Weather: overcast clouds

Mom and Cat show up. Excitedly grab our new gear. Bust out the new tent and set it up. A little tricky to figure it out but it's so cool! Sets up with our trekking rods so we don't have to carry extra poles for the tent. After an initial setup, it seems pretty easy to actually get up. We put together some snacks for the day and I throw on my daypack. So slackpacking is when you carry only what you need for a day. You still hike the miles you should, you just don't carry your full setup because you won't need everything because you'll be staying at a hostel. Was having a hard time deciding whether or not to do this or whether or not to take a certain peak in the southern direction when I realized we're flip-flopping and doing half the trail in the southern direction. A huge sigh of relief came to me and we made the decision to slack for the first time. So that was our day. Mom and Cat brought us to the trailhead. We set off and hiked the 10 miles in about 4 hours or so. Actually kinda sprained one of my ankles today. But probably the coolest thing that happened was we were walking down the trail and came across a tapped "checkpoint".  Ended up not being a checkpoint but the Omelette Guy! A full service breakfast joint right on the trail. He asked if we wanted eggs and how many. 4? 8? 12? 23? We couldn't believe it. We ordered a 4 egg omelette to share. It was amazing.Today was a better day.
Date: 2017-07-21
From: Hiker Welcome Hostel

To: Kinsman's Notch Parking
Miles today: 9.3
Weather: scattered clouds

Slack pack round 2. Decided to take this one from the north and head south. Epic waterfall climb to start off with. Spent a long time filming and just taking it in. This is definitely the reason I am on this hike. The trail is no joke though. Not incredibly hard but you do not want to fall. A wooden staircase went up a rock face for probably 25 or 30 feet. One step at a time. Take your time. As we push onward, the summit is the most spectacular thing we'd seen thus far. And in the distance are the rest of the whites. This will be a special time. Not going to rush. Just going to enjoy exploring this fantastic forest. Back down and back to camp for another night of beers and subs. Hanging with other hikers is so much fun. So cool to be accepted into this crew of people.
Date: 2017-07-22
From: Kinsman's Notch Parking

To: Eliza Brook Shelter
Miles today: 7.5
Weather: broken clouds

Time to move on from the Hiker Welcome Hostel. It was a wonderful three days. Great times all around. Destroy our last breakfast among eggs, pancakes and bacon and get in the shuttle. Today is also a special day because our boy Mike is meeting up with us. We have a very loose schedule. Planning to meet up around 3 near the shelter. Izzy and I plow through the early miles. The Whites certainly follow in line with their reputation. Every few feet there's a new obstacle or some crazy rocks to climb over or down. The miles go slower but we're in this special place. These mountains really have their own charisma. Being in them puts a spell on you. Almost time to meet Mike. Where is he? Get to the first spot we would possibly meet and wait a few. Eat some snacks. No word from him by phone. Decide to push on and see if he went ahead to the shelter. As we barrel along, there he is! So stoked. The three of us eagerly head toward camp. We set up and just enjoy each other's company out in the woods. Homies hanging. Good times. The best of times.
Date: 2017-07-23
From: Eliza Brook Shelter

To: Liberty Springs Trailhead
Miles today: 8.6
Weather: moderate rain

Wake up and have a nice relaxing breakfast with Mike. Some oatmeal and whatever else is in the food bag. Scrumptious. And off we go. Within the first hour we come across one of the most beautiful waterfalls I've ever seen. It was just perfect. Stood there in awe for a few minutes. And then we moved on. The climbs today are kinda unreal. Some serious scrambling. Would almost just call it rock climbing. We push along at a solid pace. Plan is to hit the Kinsmans and then meet glen somewhere along the trail. Probably Lonesome lake hut. The kinsmans are real mountains. The first peak is reached after this stellar approach. Then a little ridge walk, dump down and up the other side and onto the second kinsman. From there we can see Kinsman pond. We scoot down this side and take a break at the pond. There's a shelter and campsite here. We stayed here last year. Always wild to return to some place we've been before but now we've arrived there because we walked all the way. So we're heading down this trail towards lonesome lake hut and a I hear a scuffle off to the side. I think it's an animal. Out of nowhere appears Glen! Now we're a party of 4. We swing by the hut to hang, eat and take some pictures. So much fun to have friends out here sharing this experience with us. Really rounds out the whole thing. So the four of us make our way down this mountain and to the parking lot. Got a number for a trail angel and called him up. He comes through in about 10 minutes and brings Glen to his car. Glen comes back and picks us up. Drive north to get Mike to his vehicle and then Glen and the two of us head towards Woodstock to find food and a place to stay. End up at the Woodstock Inn for a meal and shelter. Great time. Have Franconian Ridge in our sights for tomorrow. Let's see what the day brings.
Date: 2017-07-24
From: Liberty Springs Trailhead

To: Liberty Springs Campsite
Miles today: 2.8
Weather: light rain

Free breakfast included in the stay so we were down there almost immediately after waking up. It was delicious. I got the eggs Benedict and quite a version it was. However, the forecast for the day was looking pretty grim. We talked about what to do. Glen was into giving it a whirl. He only had a window for today and we were into giving it a shot. Finish breakfast. Car. Grocery store to resupply food. Before that we hit the outfitter. My trekking pole was broke and had been working via leukotape for a few days. I was interested in a lighter puffy. At a pound and a half, mine was heavy. Got to the outfitter and they fixed my poles. Found a great deal on a puffy and bought new socks. I guess it's good to note the sock issue. Before starting the trail, while on tour in Colorado, I got some advice from a floor rep at REI. She had told me to get socks a size larger because they'd shrink. Well, after months of blisters and changing out everything else, I realized my socks were just too big. So bought new socks. That made me very happy today. Get back to the hotel. Get Izzy. To the trail. It's not cold but it's not warm either. There's some wet in the air and it's raining slightly. We've hiked in the rain before so this shouldn't be a big deal. After two hours of hiking and making it just south of the ridge, we were exhausted, tired and very cold. The temperature had dropped and the rain was chilling us to the bone. We stopped at Liberty Springs Campsite to think about a plan. After hearing there were 20-30 degree temps on the ridge and winds to boot, we decided we would call it an early day. Glen went ahead and summited Mt. Liberty. We set up camp and raced into our sleeping bags. That night was kind of wild. We shared our tent platform with another tent. Latecomers were strolling in looking for refuge. No one had expected the temps to drop like this. It was July after all. We were quite happy to be warm now and dry in our tent. I slept a while. Ate some GORP and then slept some more. Tackle the ridge tomorrow. Want to enjoy it.
Date: 2017-07-25
From: Liberty Springs Campsite

To: Stealth spot past Galehead Hut
Miles today: 10.4
Weather: scattered clouds

Rise early enough. Wait for the rain to cool off. In the puffy while eating breakfast commiserating with the other hikers in camp. Place was definitely busy. Quite a few people had come here unprepared for the cold. Made me realize and respect the Whites anew. The weather here can flip on a dime. We got our things together. Ate a warm breakfast. Talked to other hikers about our travels. Time to go. We've only had a couple days of truly cold weather so today feels like a test. How much should we wear? How cold will it actually be on the ridge? Will we be warm enough? We both start out with extra layers. Our feet and hands cold from the wind and wet shoes. Up .3 to the first trail split. We need to take a blue blaze to Liberty's summit. So the summit itself is not on the AT. A blue blaze trail is any trail that intersects the AT. We ditched our bags and headed off. Just from even hiking for a few minutes and from the temp rising slightly, we feel warmer. At the summit of Liberty we stood in awe. The Whites are so gorgeous. You work so hard for these views but they really pay off. I'm not even sure if I can accurately describe the rest of the day. We pushed back to our bags and moved on. Once we reached the ridge line we could see on all sides for over an hour. It is one of the most magical hikes you will ever do. Lafayette was our 800 mile marker and quite a spot to be. So we tackle the ridge and keep going, our hearts full. At some point along the next couple of miles, we run into Neo again. We had met briefly at a hostel in Vermont. By the end of the night, thru hikers were collecting outside the Galehead Hut. We made dinner while the thru hikers have to sit outside. We can't be in there while the norms are eating. Like dogs, one of the hikers commented. Left outside like dogs. So I'm sitting there making dinner waiting for dinner. Eat dinner. Head inside and they have massive amounts of leftovers for us. We feast. Then one of the girls working there points out a stealth spot just north down the trail. We set out together, us and Neo, and quickly find the spot. We set up camp together. Hang the bear bags. The whole time just chilling and talking. He's a real cool guy and we immediately get along. Now rest. These Whites are beating us up.
Date: 2017-07-26
From: Stealth spot past Galehead Hut

To: US Route 302
Miles today: 14.6
Weather: light rain

Awake to a cool morning. Puffy on to stay warm. A steep climb for breakfast. Super steep. In the afternoon, we find a spot called Zeacliff. It is one of the most shockingly beautiful views we've ever seen. Would have been great to camp there but we have decided to head to Ishmael's uncle's place. We could stay there a few days and her dad was coming up as well. But man, I will go back there and camp some day. These climbs through the Whites truly put you to your test. 1150ish feet of elevation in about a half mile. That's steep. Thanks god for the 5 miles of relatively flat trail and then that lovely downhill to the road. Felt like I was doing a good job keeping up with Neo till we got to that downhill. He crushed it. Dude's fast. NOBO's got 1,000 miles on us and it still shows.
Date: 2017-07-27
From: Cliff's House

To: Cliff's House
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

Thank god for a day to rest the knees and the feet. It all hurts. Make sure we aren't crushing ourselves too badly. You gotta take time off. Unless you're super human. Or crazy. Or super tough. Or like pain. Ishmael's dad is here at Cliff's and we spend the day telling stories and getting to know Neo. The trail is such a great place to meet people. New friend. Rest. And prepare. The Presidentials are ahead.
Date: 2017-07-28
From: US Route 302

To: Stealth down Jewel Trail
Miles today: 13.9
Weather: light rain

Head to the trail. Cliff and Dan drop us off. After a bomb breakfast of course. Bellies full, we start the climb. After hugs and goodbyes of course. Was super special to spend time with the two of them. Always good to see my wife's dad, no matter where we are. And Cliff, we spent the night at his place before our first hike. Before we climbed Madison even. And now, we leave again for the same section of trail. This time really hikers. We feel inspired. And ready to climb. Good thing because it's a long way up this trail. 5038 feet. You hit three peaks on the way up to Washington and it's 12 miles from the roads. We climb all day. Beautiful view after beautiful view. Every time you stop, it's just another wonderful place to take in what's around you. Our mood is high. We hit tree line and get to Lake of the Clouds hut. This is the place apparently. There must be 70 people up here and the dining room is abuzz. Thru hikers are sitting about waiting for the remains of dinner and the shot at a place to stay. We want nothing of this. It's getting late but we decide to go further anyway. Seems we could have the mountain to ourselves. And we do. We summit around 7:30 pm and the top is in a cloud. It's freezing. We huddle next to one of the buildings up there and find some cover from the wind. Dinner time. After dinner it's time to move on. Further down the ridge we go. It's dark now and the clouds lift just enough for us to see around us. We through our headlamps on. We heard there were some stealth sites along the jewel trail so when we reach it, we descend. This trail is rough. Jumping from rock to rock down the side of the mountain. We must enter tree line 4 times as each time we do, the trees recede again and we just see more rock. Finally we're back in a forest and a little further we find somewhere to call home for the night. Dinner that night below the stars will be something to remember forever.
Date: 2017-07-29
From: Stealth down Jewel Trail

To: The Bluff 
Miles today: 8.0
Weather: light rain

Back up to the trail we went. Seemed like a mile and plenty of elevation. Then we made our way to Jefferson. Neo agreed to take the blue blaze with us. At first, we asked to blue blaze straight through, which means skip a small portion of the AT by using a blue blaze (like a bypass). I would never do that to just skip a section of trail, only to see something really great as long as I traveled as far as the actual AT. Neo was not about the bypass. So we agreed to blue blaze up and back. So off we went. Up at the top was a mass of people. Seemed like 50 or more hikers. Even a crew of peak baggers, like 20 of them. We had to sit in line for our pic at the summit while everyone made comments and stared at you. Not as much fun as having the place to yourself. Still, I had to hit that peak. We had tried to tackle it for my bachelor party a year prior and hadn't made it all the way. So today, it was a triumph. We headed back to the AT and onward. Navigating the presidential ridge is a challenge. Most of it is bouldering, nothing really dangerous but it was great weather. So visibility was fine. It was awesome. My body was destroyed though. But you keep on going. We finally made our way to Madison and Ishmael and I felt a full circle. Even more so as we lunged down the trail. That trail is a beast. Rock scramble where there is no actual right way. You just sort of pick a path and hope you're on the right one. One bit, a downhill section, is like 500 ft almost vertically down. When heading downhill, it just feels like you're leapfrogging down a cliff of hard, unforgiving rock. It's both awesome and so brutally mashing. We arrived at Osgood tentsite and felt like pressing on. I knew about the Bluff. We had stayed there on our first journey and it was maybe .5 further. We decided to hit it and got there in a flash along the flat, easy trail. It was just as I remembered it but with toilet paper. Someone recently had camped there and just left paper on the ground everywhere. Please, don't do this. I've seen it all too often. Bury it or bring it out with you. Don't leave it on the ground. Besides that, it was such a sweet spot. And really brought us back. We slept well that night. Wildcats tomorrow.
Date: 2017-07-30
From: The Bluff 

To: Stealth past Carter Notch Hut 
Miles today: 10.4
Weather: few clouds

Seems like no matter how hard we push and how far we go, we can only squeak out like 10 miles in the Whites. The climbs today were the most like actual rock climbing so far. At this point, it really is so much fun. And I feel so confinement moving on the rocks now. I feel confident in each foot I place in front of the next. I feel solid and like the ground and I are connected. Filmed today but there was a smudge in some of the vids. Wish I had just remembered to wipe the camera. Always do that. Capturing our journey is a real treat. Still trying to find the best place to put the GoPro while filming but it's good to get a few different angles. So curious to see if I can make anything of this when I get a chance to edit. Trying to get action shots but also capture little moments. A lot of it will be to just be able to go back and relive some of this. It seems like it's taking forever but I know it will end someday.
Date: 2017-07-31
From: Stealth past Carter Notch Hut 

To: US Route 2
Miles today: 14.8
Weather: broken clouds

The descent after Mount Hight today. That will be one to remember. It was over a thousand feet down in less than a half mile. Felt like a literal cliff. Not too scary or anything but definitely a cool trail. Will bring someone there someday. Just for fun. At the top of Mount Moriah we met a southbounder. Well, met is maybe the wrong term. He just kind of sat near us at the summit. Right before he took off, as we were also leaving, he turns to us and says in this like grim reaper voice, "Have fun getting to Katahdin. It's nothing but up and down rock." Then he grunted away. Well, I thought, have fun pushing through the Whites. That's one thing. All the SOBO's have gone through some tough trail but we've been through most of the Whites now. Finishing them today. So starting to feel good about this tough stuff. The next section is supposed to be the real deal though. Southern Maine. We scooted down off the mountain with a thunder storm trailing us. Head into town. Time for a motel and some food. Still rolling with Neo. We share a room and the cost.
Date: 2017-08-02
From: US Route 2

To: Wocket Ledge
Miles today: 8.5
Weather: overcast clouds

We had great plans to hike and make killer miles today. With full packs again and a late-ish start, we didn't cover much ground. Felt like I was huffing and puffing all day. At 1900 miles and a great place to camp, Neo called it a day after conferring with us. I mean, it was 1900 miles for him and the spot was absolutely beautiful. We ate dinner and chilled just taking it in. We were all anxious for the next state. You could feel it. Tomorrow, Mount Success and the gateway to Maine.