morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2005-08-05
From: Congdon shelter

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

Kid Gore shelter, 18.7 milesChatting with Romer is fun but delays departure this morning. She hikes out ahead of me and that's the last I see of her today.I'm still feeling pretty tired from yesterday and moving even slower than usual. No northbounders pass me though.The climb up to Goddard shelter is really long but it has a great view. I chat with the southbounder who's staying there. I chat with him for quite a while. I know that I still have four miles left to Kid Gore shelter but I'm not worried about time. I'll get there when I get there. The view is nice, the company is good.Finally I move on but not without climbing the observation tower at Glastenbury mtn. It looks really unsturdy and a sign says no more than one person should be on it. The views from it are great. Finally above tree line!!! The last miles aren't difficult. I'm pushing it til dark though and every once in while think about camping. When I get close to the shelter I hear voices. It's the Trolls! We're reunited once again.
Date: 2005-08-07
From: Winhall River

To: Manchester Center
Miles today: 8.6
Weather: broken clouds

From my campsite I see the whole circus go by this morning. The Trolls go by and wake me up. Patch, Skywalker, Chubster, Aenglish Bob and two Long Trail hikers follow. I guess it's time to get up too. It's only a short day into town but might as well get there with enough time left to enjoy it. The Trolls think about staying the night there, I'm thinking I might want to hike in and out. We'll see. I catch up to the Trolls when they take a break at the first shelter side trail. We walk together from there which always makes the miles go by faster. At the second shelter side trail (we're all too lazy to actually walk to the shelters) we meet up with Skywalker, Aenglish Bob, and Chubster again. We're only three miles out of town now but I need to eat something so we take a break too. I head out chatting with Chubster and Oblivious. Chubster soon moves on and we wait for Troll and Anchor. At the road we meet up with Skywalker and Aenglish Bob again. I try to help them out with hitching but then discover that the Mad Chapper is in the parking lot. I haven't seen him since the Audi Murphy monument near Catawba so I decide to chat with him. When I walk back to Skywalker and Bob they have scored a ride and I'm able to jump in with them. Sweet!I meet up with the Trolls in town and we are sharing a room at the Sutton house. Most of our group is staying here, the place is packed.Instead of hiking out of town I went to see a movie about Penguins and now I'm enjoying the luxury of a bed. Oblivious is snoring in the bed next to me, Troll is trying to sleep (he's not feeling to well), and Anchor is also typing on her Pocketmail. Ahhh... the exciting life of a thru hiker. ----------------------------
Date: 2005-08-08
From: Manchester Center

To: Griffith Lake Tenting area
Miles today: 10.6
Weather: scattered clouds

Griffith Lake Tenting Area, 10.6I'm definitely delaying leaving town. Walk here, walk there, chat with Skywalker, eat something, go shopping, hang out with Patch...Well, I did need to get a new town dress for laundry time. I found the thrift store and had a hard time chosing between the stretchy, short, sexy dress or the baggy less body conscious dress. Both were cute and cheap. Even cheaper than usual because there was a 50% off deal. Instead of $3 they were $1.50! I wish I wouldn't have to carry them with me all the time otherwise I would have bought both. Choices, choices... oh well, I'll go with the baggy one. The other one was a little too short after all (but sooo cute!).After that I stopped at the outfitter and splurged on a new rainjacket. My old one is falling apart. I'll send it back to Mountain Hardwear after the hike to see if I can have it replaced. I run in to Skywalker again on his way out of town. He's planning on doing 15 today. We figure out that if I leave not too much later I should still be able to make that too. Of course I dilly dally some more. It's not all useless though. Talking to Patch calms him down which is good.He had left his wallet in someone's car. This someone wasn't a complete stranger but we didn't have a phone number or anything and he had left town this morning. Patch was frustrated and thinking about quitting. I told him I wouldn't allow that and that there surely would be ways to solve his problem. Luckily Patch found his brain again and thought of a solution. He'd have to take a zero day but should be back on the trail tomorrow. That a boy!Finally, finally, I on my way out of town. I hitch out with a Long Trail hiker and at the parking lot I meet Stilts. Haven't seen him since Boiling Springs. He's trying to get to Hanover ahead of everyone else to attend a wedding. He's headed into town now but will probably pass me sometime.There is a good climb up Mt. Bromley but the vistas are worth it. I meet two German ladies who are out for a section. Three Europeans on top of an American mountain, how fun! We chat for a while before I move on. I get water at the water pump at Mad Tom Notch and set off again. I'm not planning on staying at Griffith Lake tentsite since it is a fee area but I pull in to say hi to the Trolls. I take a dinner break and chat and soon it's close to getting dark. I should move on but the caretaker hasn't shown up yet and we don't think he will at this hour. The Trolls offer me a place to sleep in their tent (Oblivious is sleeping in his hammock) and lazyness wins again. Their Tarptent is huge!!!
Date: 2005-08-13
To: Thistle Hill shelter
Miles today: 11.6
Weather: broken clouds

Thistle Hill shelter, 11.6 milesWritings in the register inform us about pie at VT12. That should give us incentive to start hiking today. It does but we still lazy around and leave the shelter rather late. We're thinking about doing a short day today so fortunately it doesn't really matter. Looking at the map profile it seems to be all down hill the next 4 miles to the road. How deceiving such a profile can be... Of course there are some climbs. It wouldn't be the AT if there weren't any climbs. Right before the the road it gets to be a bit more open though and we have some good views.The pie tastes great. I choose the bumbleberry which has all kinds of different fruits in it. Yum! Add some icecream and it's even better. Yum! Yum! The Trolls leave too soon to my liking. I'm enjoying the bench and the shade and hang around some more.There is a big red barn between the pie shop and the trail where hikers are welcome to stay. I decide to check it out because I'm interested in the rumored shower. Unfortunately I never find the shower but the barn is quite cool. All kinds of tools are laying around and there are some matresses for the hikers. Still stinky it is time to move on again.After the road it goes up and right when I'm cursing loudly (it's the bugs and the pointless ups again) Buttah catches up to me. The poor guy has to undergo some excellent venting but after that we have a nice chat. The obstacle course today contains an extra challenge. The mud pit. Try to go around or just march through it that is the question. Since I'm still wearing my Keen sandals I'd rather go around. This is not easy though. As a precaution I take of my socks. It takes a while but then I figure out that going the high route to the left would probably work best. And it does. No major damage is done, the sandals aren't smothered in mud. Yay!I meet up with the Trolls again when they are having their second lunch break. Gordon and Sue are there too and they offer me a Gatorade. Nice! Buttah only stays for a little while and then moves on. The Trolls leave too but I want to wash my feet in the stream. Ahh... nice cool water!There are about 4 miles left to the shelter and there are lots of small ups and downs again. The first part has a nice dirt road and some nice views on top of a hill but later on I get tired and annoyed again. Why can't this trail ever be easy?!?At the shelter I meet up with Troll, Buttah, Eanglish Bob and a southbounder. Oblivious is getting water but there is no sign of Anchor. I assume she is in the Tarptent I saw right before the shelter but when Troll asks me how long ago I passed Anchor I realize she isn't here. She must have missed the turn-off for the shelter. That's bad news. Troll attempts to catch her by running down the trail a ways but he doesn't find her. He's no happy camper when he puts his pack back on to go chase after her. This will be a Troll-less night for me. I like them but I'm not in the mood to hike more today. I hope Troll finds the Anchor soon.
Date: 2005-08-14
From: Thistle Hill shelter

To: Hanover
Miles today: 14.6
Weather: light rain

Last night was quite eventful. Lots of weird noises. I woke up to animal sounds not really knowing what they were. It didn't sound like bear but I was still a little worried about having my food in my tent. Not worried enough to get up and hang it in the shelter though. I did hear Buttah getting out to hang his food. Turns out we'd had a visit of coyotes. Buttah had seen one right in front of his tent, very unusual.Then there was also some rain. Enough to wake me but not enough to drench the tent. Waking up in a dry tent is always good. Anyway, after visiting the interesting privy (the top half is mesh) I'm ready to start hiking. Buttah is too and we hike together to West Hartford. He's good company. Good PMA (positive mental attitude) is important he says. I agree.A little sprinkle comes down as we enter open fields. We don't get too wet though and still have some nice views.We take a break when we get to the first road in West Hartford. Gordon and Sue offer us a Gatorade and we take the opportunity to have a snack with that. As we continue we cross the White River. There are some nice swimming holes here but the weather is a bit unpredictable right now so we decide to pass. As we walk by some houses a man starts to chat with us. He's offering us water which we don't need but we do appreciate the offer. He then offers us apples. Now, that's nice! We sit down, enjoy our apple and chat some more. Friendly people here.After passing under I89 Buttah goes ahead. He wants to take a nap at the next shelter. The Trolls, who we had passed earlier in the morning happily reunited and all, catch up to me right before that shelter. Troll leaves Oblivious at the sign indicating the trail to the shelter so that Anchor won't miss it this time. She maintains that bright orange blends in really well with green. Don't ever take her out hunting!We find Buttah hiding out in his fleece blanky trying to avoid hiking in the rain. I'm having a big lunch and everyone leaves ahead of me. Less than six miles left to Hanover, yippee!After exiting the woods there is a roadwalk through Norwich and then I pass over the Connecticut River and arrive in New Hampshire!!! Another state done!I have dinner with Skywalker and Eanglish Bob and then hook up with the Trolls to share a room at the Sunset motel. I made it to New Hampshire!!! Only two more states left!!!
Date: 2005-08-16
From: Hanover NH

To: Semi crappy campsite
Miles today: 2.5

The frat people were rather noisy last night. Especially around 4am. They were so loud that I assumed it must be morning. After I'd gone to the bathroom however I discovered that it was still dark outside. When I checked the time it was only 4 am!!! Despite the rucous I did fall asleep again.When I awoke Buttah was gone. Typical male behavior ; ). I was really hungry so had the rest of my summer sausage for breakfast (not my preferred breakfast but I had nothing else). I wanted to sort my stuff before packing up so the good breakfast had to wait. I made a pile of junk and a pile of stuff to send 'home'. I wanted to get rid of some stuff since I'm going to pick up winter gear in Glencliff. After all the sorting I set off to Robinson Hall again and did some computerstuff. Then I had great waffles at 'Lou's' and the rest of the day was spent journaling and hanging out with hikers. UG, Crazy Legs, LowBridge, Prof. Nutbag and Patch all came in to town. It was good to see them again.Finally it was time to pick up Prune Pirate. It was a happy reunion. We took it easy and after a visit to the P.O. we went for Indian food. Then it was time to resupply and head out in the woods. The first shelter was only a mile out of town so we decided to hike a little bit further. The real reason for hiking on however was that Prune Pirate thought it was Wednesday today and that we needed to make more miles. I believed him at that point (although it was actually Tuesday so we had plenty of time to make the P.O. in Glencliff) so agreed to hike on. Finding a flat spot to camp wasn't easy however and we ended up hiking in the dark for a bit. Some dayhikers asked us if we were going to end up somewhere before dark and although we knew she meant if we were going to find a spot to camp before dark it still sounded funny. I was sure we would end somewhere before dark ; ).Prune Pirate showed off his skills setting up his tarp, I was very impressed (he, he).I'm very happy to have him out here with me eventhough he told me that he doesn't like this trail already and he thinks he doesn't really like trees that much. We're a great match ; ).
Date: 2005-08-17
From: Semi crappy campsite

To: Rocky ridge near Smart Mountain
Miles today: 18.5
Weather: scattered clouds

Sleeping out on rocky ridge with views of Smart mtn., 18.5 We get started around 7:30am. Prune Pirate is such a good influence on me ; ). We soon walk through a swampy area. Luckily there is a boardwalk again. It's really foggy which gives the whole scene a mystical ambiance.Climbing up to Moose mtn wasn't too hard. The shelter is brand new and in the register there are some notes for my new hiking partner. He wonders what he has gotten himself into.Later we run into Crazy Legs, Prof. Nutbag, Low Bridge, and UG. They are slackpacking south and tell us that the peregine falcon rookery (Holts Ledge) is really cool. And it is. On the way up we practice our Spanish and on top we enjoy the views. We don't see any falcons but the Ledge is a great lunch spot. Near the road there is a sign saying 'Free Water'. We walk up to the house offering the water and meet up with the owner. He gives us icecream and we chat a while. It's a nice stop.Then it's on to our third climb of the day. Smart mtn. We climb up about a 1000ft and still have another 1000 to go tomorrow. We decide to be smart and not hike in the dark tonight. The only problem is a lack of campsites. The rocks on this ridge are flat and big enough for us to sleep on though. We enjoy a nice sunset and hope there won't be rain. I'm looking forward to the sunrise tomorrow.
Date: 2005-08-20
From: Beaver Brook shelter

To: Eliza Brook shelter
Miles today: 9.1
Weather: light rain

The descent to Kinsman Notch is horribly steep and rocky all the way to the road. The rain last night doesn't make it any easier. There are some beautiful cascades to enjoy along the way but easier trail would be much appreciated. The weather is still nasty so we don't have a lot of motivation to go on. The Muppets are going into town for resupply. I don't want to go all the way to town because I'm afraid I wouldn't want to leave. I do want a nice break from the rain though and food sounds good too. The guidebook mentions a snackbar only .5 of the trail. Perfect! The snackbar is in the Lost River reservation, a touristy place where people can tour a gorge and some caves. We're only there for the food however. Good Chili is what we have and some other goodies too. Not wanting to spend more money we decide to heat some water in the microwave and make some oatmeal. I eat so much of it that I'm not sure I want to eat oatmeal ever again.The gift shop sells great ponchos to keep the tourists dry. Not every tourist thinks their great however because Pirate spots one in the trash can. Guess what his new pack cover looks like... We also spotted these awesome sturdy garbage bags lining their trash bins and since mine isn't so sturdy I decide to ask if I can have one of theirs. They are happy to help me out and after a several hours long break we finally head out again.The decision has been made to only do 9 miles today. The weather is still nasty and beyond the 9 miles is another gnarly climb. We'd rather do that when it's not raining.The long climb back up to the shelter isn't too gnarly but it seems to take forever. It's very muddy and both of us slip and fall. I end up in a rough embrace with a tree. I'm surprised my jacket didn't rip. We're hoping for a spot in the shelter so that we don't have to deal with a wet tent again but other hikers tell us there are quite a few people ahead of us. Soaking wet we arrive at the shelter and indeed it seems full. There are three thru hikers here and a group of college kids. The group decides to only leave two people in the shelter however and they start setting up their big tents. We are very very grateful.The shelter is packed and wet gear is hanging everywhere. If weather stays like this I'm headed for a motel tomorrow!
Date: 2005-08-21
From: Eliza Brook shelter

To: North Woodstock
Miles today: 8.9

Lots of rain came down during the night. I'm so thankful that we didn't have to sleep in our tents. Nobody seems to be motivated to head out today. It's still raining and I'm not looking forward to a slippery rocky climb. The book even mentions it as a rock scramble. Something to look forward to really.It finally seems to let up and Pirate and I are the first ones to leave. A 9:20 start, that's promising... The first part of the climb is gradual and along a rushing creek. Pretty cool.We leave the creek and go across some boggy areas. There are nice boards to keep our feet dry. The problem is that the boards are flooded too so we still get wet shoes. I'm enjoying my sandals very much. Most of the water that goes in comes right back out.This is especially nice in the segment of the trail where we can't really tell if it's creek or trail. There is no other trail though so this must be it. It sounds pretty miserable but since it stopped raining and the temperature is quite warm we don't really mind. It's actually fun! With my sandals I just walk right through the water and we're both having a blast. At least it's a change from the ordinary.The rock scramble up takes quite a while and a lot of effort but it's also exciting and challenging. There are parts that I don't like too much, for example when I hoist myself on my knee and have to sort of turn around to somehow get up a ledge and not fall off, but overall it's a fun experience.The top of the mountain is still covered in mist so unfortunately no views for us. It's still quite impressive though to be above tree line in an alpine environment.A big cairn of rocks is stacked on top. We're expecting a sign like on Mooselauke so walk on a little further. Some dayhikers are sitting next to a smaller cairn and say that according to the topo that is the top. It doesn't really matter anyways. What does matter is that they offer us donuts and brownies. Yum! We like these people! After chatting for a while we have to move on however. They tell us that it might clear up this afternoon. I sure hope so.It's very busy on this mountain today, lots and lots of day hikers. The descent is also steep and slippery. I especially dislike the big steep slanted rock faces. I'm afraid that I'll slip. I never do but the fear is annoying me. The weather seems to really clear up. We discover some blue in the sky. Hurray! At the Lonesome Lake Hut we take a break for lunch and a swim. The sun is really coming through now.Only three miles to go to town. I'm pretty tired when I finally get to the road. I'm a little confused on where to hitch from and we end up going to a trailhead to yogi a ride.We're now in nice motel room, had a good dinner and even a visit to a hot tub. I'm hoping the weather tomorrow will be a good as this afternoon was. It makes the hiking so much more enjoyable. And I'd love to see some of those famous vistas.
Date: 2005-08-22
From: North Woodstock

To: Mt. Garfield
Miles today: 9.8

We have a late start this morning. There is this thing about beds... they are way too comfy. We get a ride out of town from a drunk guy. The drunkeness wasn't very apparent at first but his rant about Southerners and the fact that the drink in his hand wasn't a soda gave him away. He was very generous and tried offering us beer several times. We politely refused and were relieved to make it to the trail in one piece.Yesterday's confusion continues when the trails at the parking lot aren't the AT. We decide to follow a blue blaze which should intersect with the AT. This adds almost a mile to our day and we've only started hiking around noon. So much for a full hiking day... Oh well, at least we are well rested.We have a looong climb up to Franconia ridge and for a moment there it seems like we've wasted just enough time for it to start raining. I help a section hiker put her poncho over her backpack. It doesn't cover her sleeping bag which seems to concern me more than her. Thankfully the rain doesn't last long. The climb is long but not difficult and once up on Franconia ridge the views are awesome. The weather cleared and we have a good overview of the Whites. When I meet up with Pirate we are both excited about the trail and agree that this is why we hike.Unfortunately we have to drop down from the ridge again and lose the views. Not for long though because after we pass Garfield pond we have to go all the way back up to Mt. Garfield. We are just in time to enjoy the beautiful sunset. We hide behind the remnants of the old firetower to watch it because the wind is making it quite chilly. It's SO pretty!We find a spot to camp nearby and hope the wind won't blow the tent away.