morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2006-08-09
From: Sherman Brook Campsite, MA

To: Congdon Shelter, VT
Miles today: 12.5
Weather: clear sky

   We are in Vermont! The AT and the Long Trail follow the same path for the next 97 miles from the MA/VT border to the Maine Junction. The Green Mountains are beautiful. There are some muddy spots, but soon after the border we were walking on a boardwalk right beside a 40 ft. long beaver dam! Today we saw moose poop, moose tracks, but no moose.   We hiked with Linc & Jeanne and then the Garland 5. Who would've guessed that we would run into the Garland 5! We stayed with them at the shelter and had a great time. Gear and Zing tossed football, built a fire on which we toasted Starbursts, and built a little waterfall in the stream. Sweet Potato and Wolfsong taught us how to play Screaming Toes, Pokey, and other such fun games. Photo and Clothesline told Dad all about the White Mountains and the best places to see. Wolfsong can play the tin whistle like I didn't know it could be played. I'm so glad that we decided to stop at this shelter.
Date: 2006-08-12
From: Spruce Peak Shelter

To: Manchester Center, VT
Miles today: 4.8
Weather: broken clouds

   The Spruce Peak Shelter was nice and cozy with the woodstove lit and the sliding door closed. Quite the luxury. Last night there was a frost warning for the Adirondacks which is nearby. We're all glad that we got some of our winter gear back when Mom and Ally visited us in New York. Just a few days ago we were sweating buckets, now we are bundling up and questioning if it is warm enough to jump in the pond. Anyway, this is fine hiking weather.   After hanging around the shelter until 9, talking to Linc & Jeanne as they baked their famous sourdough bread, we hiked the easy 2.8 miles to road where we were picked up in under 10 minutes. It always seems longer when we are hitching and the cars keep zipping by us, but it actually wasn't that long to wait for a ride. We found that the majority of our rides come from folks who drive Toyota trucks.    Now we're in Manchester, resupplying, stuffing our bellies with delicious food, talking to great people, and updating this journal. Who said that this AT thing was hard?
Date: 2006-08-16
From: Rutland, VT

To: Rutland, VT
Miles today: 0.0

   Zero day! We are staying at the Back Home Again Hostel which is right in the center of town. It's run by a Twelve Tribes community. The people are all very nice and their cafe is beautiful. Wood pieces are everywhere, from birch trees for table legs to halves of wooden barrels for chair backs. They gave all of the hikers breakfast this morning and everyone ate at a table made from a gigantic tanning barrel.    We resupplied and also bought enough food for our resupply in Glencliff, NH. This is the first time that we are going to have a maildrop to pick up, but there is supposed to be limited food supplies in the area. We are also going to be getting our winter things in Glencliff because we'll be venturing into the White Mountains soon after that.
Date: 2006-08-23
From: Glencliff, NH

To: Beaver Brook Shelter
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

   Today we will venture into the White Mountains. Yesterday we took a zero here at the Hiker's Welcome hostel and learned all sorts of things about the Whites. They sound a little scary and very exciting. Today we'll climb Mooselauke. They say that the climb down is actually harder then the climb up it. We picked up our food drop and our box of winter things yersterday. I forgot how big our zero degree sleeping bags are. We are going to have stuffed backpacks when we leave!
Date: 2006-08-29
From: Lakes of the Clouds Hut

To: Madison Spring Hut
Miles today: 7.0
Weather: mist

   From Lakes of the Clouds Hut to the summit of Mt. Washington was a mild hike. Cresting the ridge and seeing the cars was a shock. The many buildings, cars, and smoking, belching, whistling cog train ruined the experiance of being on top of the highest peak in New England. What spoiled it for us, though, allowed others to experiance what they couldn't have otherwise.   The highest wind speeds ever recorded in the world were clocked at 231 mph on the summit.   Mt. Washington is also said to have the worst weather in the world. We just had a little fog and a gentle breeze. We explored the visitor center and ate lunch.    We were surprised to see Banjoman and Indiana on our way down off of Mt. Washington. Banjoman had fallen and gotten some bruises and a cut on his face. Indiana had fixed him up and Banjoman decided to continue on to Madison Hut. We hiked with them the rest of the day. We took it easy over the many rocks long the Presidential range. The fog lifted now and again to reveal the steep sides of the mountains. We expected to see mountain goats standing on the rocks scattered on the slopes, but all we saw were wild cranberries, moss, and lichen.   We arrived at the hut too late to get work for stay, but they did give us some dessert. The croo at the hut were very nice. They put on a naturalist program and let us sleep inside. They were going to have Banjoman and Indiana hike down a shorter route to a parking lot where a croo member was going to drive them to a hospital.
Date: 2006-09-01
From: Wildcat Mtn.

To: Mt. Moriah
Miles today: 12.5

   We had some beautiful views this morning. We got out eary to see the sunrise and Brandon came out bundled in his sleeping bag. He wanted to sleep some more so Dad and I talked.    We packed and walked up the next Wildcat summit to the observation deck to eat breakfast. We had an awesome, cloudless view of Mt. Washington and Tuckerman's Ravine. We stopped at the final hut, Carter Notch hut, for lunch. No croo, only a caretaker and he was gone for the day. We had hot cocoa and cooked our lunch of ramen noodles.    We met a couple who were out for a day hike. They had two dogs; a black German shepherd who coud catch a stone in midair, loved to play fetch allday long, could find a ball no matter where it had bounced, and a short-haired colie who lived to annoy the shepherd. He especially liked to bug the black one while he had the ball in his mouth. Gear had a tennis ball that he had found along the trail in VT and he threw it for the dogs.   We decided to push past the Imp campsite to camp elsewhere. We ended up camping on top of Moriah mountain. We were on the rock, surrounded only by the sparse, random cover of shrub spruce and fir trees.    We saw two friendly, surprisingly large birds today. They didn't fly off when we approached.
Date: 2006-09-02
From: Moriah Mtn.

To: Glencliff
Miles today: 5.9

We're almost through the whites. They've been tough, South Kinsman has got to be the toughest climb on the AT yet, but they've also been beautiful. Above treeline is amazing. The tundra and the fog combined to give us the feeling that we were somewhere in Ireland. Mt. Washington was gentle for being home of the highest recorded wind speed (231 mph!). We experienced a 'tame' 28 mph. We had great company through the Whites, camping and hiking with Banjoman and Indiana for a lot of it. At the Beaver Brook Shelter, Banjoman gave a concert and everyone sang along. There was even some dancing.Last night we slept on top of Moriah Mtn. We awoke early in the morning to find the wind whipping at our tent. We were worried that a pole would break so we packed up and set off down the trail around 4:30 am. It was fun hiking down the mountain as the sky gradually brightened.    We reached the road that led into Glencliff around 7 am, got a hitch into town, and got something for breakfast.    We're going to visit our friends,the Garland 5, for a few days. Since it's a drive of over two hours to get to their house, we're going to hitch and meet them halfway. We're really excited. Some fun times are ahead.
Date: 2006-09-04
From: The Garland's house

To: The Garland's house
Miles today: 0.0

   We're having a great time with the Garland 5. Tonight the kids, Zing, Gear, Sweet Potato, Wolfsong, and I are going to sleep out on the trampoline. Zing and Gear have been threatening to wake everyone up by jumping on it.
Date: 2006-09-05
From: Glencliff, NH

To: Trident Col Tentsite
Miles today: 6.9

   We awoke to the sounds of loons calling and thankfully not Gear and Zing jumping on the trampoline. We really had a great time at the Garland¢s. It¢s sad to have to go, but 300 AT miles call. Photo drove us out to the highway where 5 hitches later we were on the trail again.    It was overcast today and we took it easy today to get back into the groove. Whenever we¢re off the trail for a day or two, it takes a couple miles to get back into the swing of things. I think it¢s all the extra food that needs to get sweated out.   There wasn¢t a shelter at the campsite, but there was a privy and a bearbox. What luxuries!
Date: 2006-09-06
From: Trident Col Tentsite

To: Gentian Pond Shelter
Miles today: 4.9
Weather: light rain

      We hung out in our tent for a long time this morning because it was drizzling a bit. We were the last ones to leave when we pulled out around 11 am. I tried hiking and playing the penny whistle; maybe I could do it in Virginia, it¢s too rough here.      Today¢s hike was surprisingly hard. Rocks, roots, rugged, wet trail. We walked over a long beaver dam at Page Pond. We stopped for a brief gorp break at Wocket Ledge. Today was overcast so the view was hemmed in at the top by gray clouds. We hiked past a couple ponds today and there¢s even one right at the shelter. We made it to the shelter earlier then we usually stop, but with not quite enough time to push on.       We ate a lot of our food since we stopped early. We just keep nibbling and nibbling. It seems like when we¢re not hiking, we¢re eating. Have to keep our engines fueled.      Iron Wolf, Sleep Ninja, Bumblebee, Cheeto, and Puffy are all at the shelter tonight. There¢s a beautiful view out the front of the shelter. It¢s made even better by the fact that it¢s raining out there and we¢re nice and dry in here.
Date: 2006-09-07
From: Gentian Pond Shelter

To: Full Goose Shelter and Campsite
Miles today: 9.6
Weather: broken clouds

      We¢re in Maine! We crossed into the 14th and final state today. We can hardly believe that we¢ve made it this far. Who would¢ve thought?      Another tough section of trail today: steep ups and downs, rugged trail. You know when you are getting close to the top of a mountain because you begin to walk on long slabs of rock. The tops of the mountains are covered in cranberry bogs. For some reason I had thought that cranberry bogs would¢ve been at the bottoms of mountains.      Before we reached the shelter, we stopped on a rock and just sat there talking about all the things we¢d like to do when we get home. Hiking the AT, doing that one thing that we thought was hugely difficult, makes us begin to think differently about other things. I don¢t think that I said that right. Doing one big thing makes other big things seem within our reach.       A hiker wrote in the register that the trail is like living the game Chutes and Ladders; climb up the hill, slide down the rocks on the other side. We even had to climb a ladder to get up to the height of the land that the shelter was perched on. Never did that before. It really did feel like Chutes and Ladders.
Date: 2006-09-08
From: Full Goose Shelter and Campsite

To: Speck Pond Campsite
Miles today: 5.1
Weather: clear sky

   Today we did the toughest mile on the AT, or so they say. Mahoosuc Notch; a huge playground of boulders. The house-sized boulders filled the notch between two high cliffs. Over, around, and under the boulders we went. There were so many white blazes that we concluded that you could go wherever you wanted and still be on the trail. White arrows, white X¢s; someone went haywire with the white paint.       We stopped to take lots of pictures and video so it took us around 312 hours to clamber through it. We took off our backpacks so that we could fit through at a couple places. We had a lot of fun going through Mahoosuc Notch. The climb up Mahoosuc Arm was full of steep, smooth rock faces and we had to somehow get to the top of them. Anything along the edges, rocks, roots, stumps, that we could grab a hold of was used. We felt a lot like rock climbers today.       We had wanted to hike a lot further, but it was a tough day. After hiking mile after mile after mile, you get good at judging how fast you can hike and cover ground. The ruggedness of the trail has thrown us for a loop. We can¢t tell how far we¢ll be able to get on a given day. It¢s really unnerving.      The campsite was beautiful, being right beside a lake. At first he wouldn¢t because he couldn¢t think of anything for us to do, but eventually the caretaker for Speck Pond gave us work for stay. We had to move branches and brush to surround a tent platform so that people wouldn¢t keep wondering off into the woods and trampling and fragile eco-system.       Old Drum came up to our tent platform to take our picture and stayed to tell us stories. He told us some great stories about his hike. A natural storyteller, he even had names for his different stories.
Date: 2006-09-09
From: Speck Pond Campsite

To: Andover, ME 
Miles today: 14.9
Weather: scattered clouds

   We got out early today because we wanted to get to Andover to re-supply. We did have enough food to get to Rangeley, but the section from Gorham, NH to Grafton Notch, ME was way harder then we had realized.    As soon as we climbed over Old Speck Mtn the trail began to get easier. (It wasn¢t easy, just easier.) The trail for the climb up Speck was smooth rock. The rock trail was so steep that I felt like Spiderman. It didn¢t seem possible that my boots could actually grip the rock and support my weight. We were taller then the trees along that rock-face of a trail (not higher: taller/bigger). I had read in an AMC hut that those short, stubby evergreens were 40 years old.      We stopped at the Eyebrow cliffs for second breakfast. 800ft. drop off the edge; we didn¢t walk within 8ft. of that treacherous plunge. We did have a good view of Grafton Notch, though. As soon as we left the notch, the trail became easier to follow. Well-marked and taken care of, it was a nice change from the White Mountains.      We stopped, out of the wind, on top of East Baldpate for lunch. A rock dome is what it looked like coming down West Baldpate. With nothing but huge surfaces of rock for the trail, I looked up. Are we supposed to go up there? Our shoes gripped the rock perfectly.       There was hardly any traffic on East B Hill Rd., the road into Andover, and a storm was fast approaching, so we decided to take up the offer of a ride into town by a guy who worked for a local hostel. Andover was mostly two tiny stores and a handful of other businesses. Neither of the stores had much in terms of re-supply. The sky let loose torrents of rain. We were glad to be dry inside the general store. Catskill Eagle walked up and asked where we were planning on staying for the night. One thing led to another when we told him that we might try to find a place in town to tent, and soon we were allowed to stay in an old camper at The Cabin, for free. Catskill Eagle, his friend, McGruff, Pedro, Sleepy the Arab, and a southbounder were at The Cabin. The owners, Honey and Bear, invited us in for dinner. Everything was delicious.
Date: 2006-09-10
From: Andover, ME 

To: Campsite near South Arm Road
Miles today: 10.1

   We were invited in for breakfast this morning. Dad tried some of their northern grits expecting something along the lines of southern grits. They were just mashed potatoes with cheese and butter.    We re-supplied in town and were glad when we finally stepped onto the trail again. More and more we are finding that we prefer to on the trail then in town.   The trail was rather easy hiking except for the climb up Moody Mtn. There were metal ladders, re-bar rungs stuck into the rock, wooden steps, all to help you up the steep accent.    We had been planning on camping on top of Old Blue Mtn, but we found some lovely camping spots at the base of the hill. The perfect campsite indeed: a firepit with wood already there, sandy ground to set our tent on, a river a stones throw away, tap water in gallon jugs near the road, and a trash can. Making things even better, Sleep Ninja showed up and camped there too.   Chunk and 48 Leaves camped nearby and we started a campfire. Everyone sat around the flames, talking until the stars came out. The squirrels chattered at us all evening. They insisted that we move elsewhere, but the only place that we were going was in our tents. It¢s cold out and the fire didn¢t warm us up enough to stay sitting out for long. Good thing we have our 0* bags.
Date: 2006-09-11
From: South Arm Road

To: Sabbath Day Pond Lean-to
Miles today: 17.0
Weather: few clouds

   What a beautiful day to hike. This morning we got going right away because it was really cold. We stopped part way up the mountain, after we had warmed up, to eat breakfast. At the top of the mountain, we stopped for second breakfast.    For awhile I felt like Pac-man following the white blazes, zigzagging every which way up and down and around rocks. At ME Rt. 17 we stopped for a break on some rocks overlooking a huge lake and the way that we had just come.    We passed a lot of lakes and ponds on the way to the shelter. There was even a pond right at the shelter.    It's beginning to feel a lot like fall; the leaves are turning, bright red maples, crisp, cool air.At the shelter tonight were Sleep Ninja, Old School, B-Rad, Chunk, and 48 Leaves. Gear got a fire started in the fire pit and it was another one of those cold evenings where eating supper in the tent is the thing to do. The pot of hot rice warmed up the tent nicely.
Date: 2006-09-13
From: Rangeley

To: Eddy Pond
Miles today: 3.9
Weather: broken clouds

   Wow, talk about the unexpected. We were enjoying the view of the lake from the shore-side park in Rangeley with Sleep Ninja and loved the place so much that we began to wonder if we could camp somewhere. We asked the owner of a condo right at the park and he let us set up our tents in his yard. Not only did he let us tent in the yard, but he ran us to the grocery store, let us use his grill to cook up our hamburgers and steaks, let us eat inside, gave us ice cream for dessert, and this morning he even served us breakfast. Great conversation. Wow. We only asked to tent in the yard overnight. What amazing hospitality. Trail Magic at its best.
Date: 2006-09-14
From: Eddy Pond

To: Spaulding Mtn. Lean-to 
Miles today: 14.8
Weather: overcast clouds

Nov. 2      We would like to apologize for not updating our journal since we got back home. We¢ve been busy taking care of things including Brandon¢s arm, which I¢ll explain later. Now that we have more time we¢ll finish updating the journal, adding entries and photos.Sept. 14      No views of Katahdin yet. We were completely fogged in. Dad videoed on our way up Saddleback Mtn. We always video when the conditions are nice so Dad wanted to get some of the rougher weather as well. When things are tough you don¢t think about taking video or pictures of it.        We¢ve decided that bugs and rain are the two hardest things to cope with on the AT. Heat isn¢t that bad, you can usually find a pond or a stream to jump in. Coldness is okay as long as you carry enough warm clothing and a warm enough sleeping bag. When it¢s cold out we actually look forward to hiking up a mountain because it warms us up.        We sat around talking to Sleep Ninja, Linc, and Jeanne as we all cooked supper in the shelter. As we were finishing cleaning up and climbing into our tent for the night, what sounded like a flock of owls woke up in the trees surrounding the campsite. I saw a light-colored one fly from a nearby branch before I went in. The owls tooted and shrieked, sounding like they were right above us, as we read by the light of our headlamps.
Date: 2006-09-15
From: Spaulding Mtn. Lean-to 

To: Stratton, ME
Miles today: 13.5
Weather: light rain

   Brandon broke his arm. He usually bounces right back up when he falls, but this time he didn¢t.    We had just passed the summit trail on Sugarloaf Mtn. (no views, all fog), and everything was wet from the drizzle. We were hiking on a flat, muddy, rooty section of trail when Brandon slipped on a root and fell on a solid stump. At first we thought that his upper arm was just bruised, but as he sat there waiting for the light-headedness to subside he realized that it was his forearm, near his wrist that was really hurt. Dad knew that Brandon had broken his arm just by the way that he acted: he wouldn¢t be sitting yet if it wasn¢t serious.      Dad fashioned a sling out of two bandanas and we both took some gear out of Brandon¢s pack. Brandon wouldn¢t let Dad carry his whole pack. He insisted that he wanted to carry it all the way to Katahdin. He used one of his poles to steady himself for the rest of the hike. Coming down the steep, rocky decent of Sugarloaf, Dad helped him over the many dangerous spots, being a hand rail, step, or even conveyor belt as needed. It was a slow hike to the bottom and a road that was mentioned in our thru-hiking handbook.   Sleep Ninja was with us when Brandon fell and stayed with us for the rest of the day. He¢d hike ahead sometimes, but would wait for us. He was waiting by the river at the bottom of Sugarloaf. After carefully crossing the bridge that spanned the water, we were soon at the road.    The road was not much more then a dirt trail. We faced a decision; do we follow the AT nine more miles to Stratton, or do we follow the road in the hopes that it¢s a shorter way to civilization? There wasn't any traffic on the dirt road for the entire time that we sat there taking a break, and we didn¢t know how far we¢d have to walk on it to reach anything. After consulting our guidebook and AT map we decided to stay on the AT. We¢re all glad that we did.   The trail wasn¢t too hard into the road leading to Stratton. After a long uphill, there was a little up and down and then a gradual decent to the road. We stopped for lots of breaks and ate plenty of food along the way. Brandon said that his arm felt better when we were walking then when we stopped, so we made steady progress.   It was a hard hitch into town, but the guy who picked us up knew right where Linc & Jeanne¢s place was. They¢re renting out their house, but they let us camp in a corner of the yard. Linc and Jeanne took us over to talk to two of their neighbors to find the closest place to get a broken arm taken care of. We need to go to Farmington, 48 miles away. Their neighbor, a nurse, gave us the keys to her car, so we can drive to Farmington tomorrow morning. Moose crossings make it too dangerous to drive there tonight.    Brandon¢s an incredible guy. He hiked ten miles today with a broken arm, insisting that he carry his backpack. He didn¢t shed a tear when he broke it; he just sat there until he felt good enough to hike. He hiked all that way with a broken arm and I still had a hard time keeping up with him. Nothing fazes that incredible Gear.