morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2018-08-17
From: Bromley mountain

To: Little Rock Pond Shelter
Miles today: 16.8
Weather: clear sky

Last night the moon went down and the milky way shown even brighter. Then clouds rolled in and the sky couldn't be seen anymore. I woke up to everyone eating breakfast on the ski lift. I packed up my stuff and joined them. The view of the valley was pretty clear this morning. I made some coffee and ate a salami and cheese sandwich.  Scissors and I got pictures in the ski lift chair. We headed out for a 17 mile day.The descent off the mountain was wet but the trail was gradual. We were going to the little rock pond shelter and it was mostly down hill. I got to the Peru peak shelter and everyone was eating lunch there. Cosmic and I talked about government jobs and how people seemed to never leave one since it had such good benefits. It felt like people were trapped in those jobs because of the fear of leaving and not getting that job again. As I was eating Booger Bear and Giggles showed up.  They got out of the rain and ate lunch. Booger Bear was pushing for Rutland, VT to have WiFi for his fantasy football league. I took off for the remaining 9.7 miles to the shelter. I didn't see anyone except Kazi for the remaining of the hike until the shelter. Everyone took a break earlier and I passed them all. I had been listening to The Alchemist and had thought about my own personal legend. I'm not sure if I've attained it yet but I'm on the right track.  When Kazi and I arrived at the little rock pond shelter we met the caretaker there. There was an overnight fee of $5 for each of us. It was the first time I had to pay for a shelter. The caretaker told us the fees were used for the caretaker program. He also mentioned that he had to stir the privy. It didn't sound like the best job in the world.  He kept talking as the rain started pouring on us.  I just wished he stopped talking sooner so we could get out of the rain. We walked up to the shelter and Cosmic and Santa were already there. I claimed a spot on the bunk. Scatter and Scissors rolled in. Soon the shelter was pretty full. I made a ramen bomb for dinner and it took awhile for me to eat it. It got late then Booger Bear and Giggles showed up. There was only floor room in the shelter. With the rain coming down so hard it was better than setting up a tent. I shared my water with Booga since he didn't want to go out in the rain to get more. They ate dinner and setup their pads on the floor. Booga ended up sleeping under the picnic table.  Tonight I'm sleeping cozy next to Scissors and Yoni.
Date: 2018-08-18
From: Little Rock Pond Shelter

To: Middlebury, VT
Miles today: 12.6

Last night the rain came down hard. A few people camped in the woods and one person's stuff got wet. It was the kind of rain that would soak anyone's stuff if you didn't setup your tent right. I woke up with my stuff dry. Some people were getting ready at 6:30 am. I decided to sleep in until 8 because it was still raining. I never want to leave the shelter when it's still raining. I eventually got up and packed my stuff. I ate grits for breakfast but they were getting harder to put down. Yoni had opened a can of tuna, put a piece of toilet paper on top of it, and lit it on fire. The tuna oil burned causing the tuna to warm up. I've never seen a can of tuna warmed up this way before. I was the last one to leave and said goodbye to Yoni. He would be studying in Vermont for the next 4 years. He talked about hiking the long trail. I said he needed a lighter pack than 60 pounds.  The trail was a river. The large rain from last night caused streams to flow over the trail. It could have supported salmon swimming up stream with this much water. I tried to keep my shoes dry but it was no use. I was skipping on rocks but eventually I took the freedom step right into the water.  After that I was sloshing through puddles and mud. My feet were soaked but I was moving faster. I got a text from Scissors about meeting her Grandpa today and I was on board. We were going to meet him at route 103. Scissors originally said we would be there at 3:30 pm but that didn't seem doable with the amount of miles and terrain. Scissors had gone .3 down the wrong trail. It allowed me to catch up with her though. We hiked through a really deep river that came up to my thighs. I'm glad I didn't fall down. We met up with Kazi and hiked together. We had another 6 miles to go. There were wet roots and steep slick rocks that I had to watch out for. It was pretty easy to slip. Right before route 103 we met some trail angels giving out food. They gave me a hard boiled egg from their chickens and it tasted amazing.  At the parking lot I met Scissors' grandpa. He was in his 80s and still drove around. He told us about the wet weather they had been having in Vermont. I wished it would stop. He drove us to Middlebury where he lived. We went to the Thai restaurant in town. I ordered Tom Kha and Kai Soi. It all tasted amazing after our cold wet day. After dinner we toured the town a little bit then Scissors' grandpa took us to the grocery store to resupply. I was going to make some omelettes for breakfast since it had been already awhile since I cooked. Grandpa picked us all up and took us to his house.  We laid our packs outside to keep the stench out. I hung out on the lazy boy. Grandpa talked about his time in the Korean war. He didn't want more war and wanted peace. Most veterans want that since they've seen war. I washed our clothes before hitting the hay.  Tonight I'm in a comfy one person bed.
Date: 2018-08-19
From: Middlebury, VT

To: Cooper Lodge Shelter
Miles today: 11.4
Weather: overcast clouds

I woke up this morning well rested because I slept in a real bed. I updated my online journal entries until 9 am. Scissors and Kazi got up late too. We were all comfortable at Grandpa's house. I went into the kitchen and started making breakfast. I roasted red potatoes with spices and made red pepper, spinach, and goat cheese omelettes. It was a real breakfast. We all sat at the dining room table. Grandpa told us about the time when he owned a farm with animals. He had a female cow that chased him through the field because she was in heat. He had to run for his life. Scissors talked about the time she was volunteering as a surgical tech in Nepal. They would go to rural areas and preform routine check-ups on the people there. After breakfast we packed all our stuff up. Scissors' brother Allen came to take us back to the trail. We hung out until 1 pm then said our goodbyes to grandpa.  On the way back to the trail we stopped at the A&W to grab another bite to eat. I slammed a hamburger and french fries. My stomach wasn't feeling a root beer float though. We headed back to the trail head. Scissors and Kazi wanted to only hike 7 miles today so they decided jump ahead a little. I still wanted to do the 4 mile section and got dropped off where grandpa picked us up. At the parking lot, a family was interested in how far I had hiked. They were surprised to hear that I had hiked from Georgia. I put on my wet shoes from yesterday and got back on the trail. Today I would be climbing Mt. Killington.The first part of the trail hit me with a boulder climb. I had a full resupply and hoofed up it. A few miles down the trail I ran into Pappa Bear. He was slack packing from Rutland.  I then ran into Rebel Yell, Scooter, Tree Beard, Mouse King, Sonny, and Bullet. They were all slack packing South. All of them were staying at the Yellow Deli in town. Everytime I saw someone I stopped for a few minutes. By the end I had used up 30 minutes talking to everyone. I was trying to get to the summit of Killington before nightfall but it didn't seem like it was going to happen. I started the 5 mile climb up Killington. The bottom wasn't that bad but halfway up the trail became narrow with roots and rocks. It was already dark and I was worried I was going to fall and stab myself on a root. I made it up the climb and the trail evened out. I called my sister on the top. We had been playing phone tag for the last few days. My cell phone service had been getting worse since going further north. I made it to the shelter around 9:30 pm. It was completely empty and dilapidated. The sleeping surfaces were slanted and there was broken glass on the floor. It seemed that people used it to party. It was .2 from Killington lodge so that made sense. The shelter felt haunted with wind creaking through the walls. I ate my packed out salad and made some tea. It's cold tonight on a 3900 foot mountain.Tonight I'm trying to keep the spirits at bay.
Date: 2018-08-22
From: Yellow Deli Hostel

To: Wintturi Shelter
Miles today: 19.9
Weather: light rain

I woke up a little late this morning but they were serving breakfast at 7:30 am. I went downstairs to the deli to grab free grub. It was an egg, potato, and cheese frittata with rice. I ate most of it. We were still talking about our weird experience at the farm. Scatter and I wanted to catch the 9:15 am bus back to the trail. We went upstairs and packed everything up. I didn't see Kazi nor Scissors before I left but figured I'd see them on the trail. The bus station was behind the deli. Scatter and I hopped on the bus and headed back to the trail.The trail was just as we left it except it was raining today. Past Rutland the mud had seemed to stop. There was still muddy areas but less mud now. I pushed 10 miles into the next shelter for lunch. Gigs, Scooter, Scatter, Forgiven, and Sunshine were there. I made a bagel sandwich with ham and cheese and headed back out another 10 miles to the next shelter. At a water source a chipmunk had gotten really friendly with people. He would run really close to me looking for food. I would make a noise and he would run away but not too far. Over the past week we have all been feeling the trail has become monotonous. We just want to hang out, camp, and not hike. It's coming down to the mental game of finishing now. I compared the trail to being in a relationship. In the first part you're in the honeymoon phase. Everything is new and exciting. You're happy to just hike on the trail. Around a 1000 miles it feels like everything has settled and you've worked out the kinks in the relationship. Somewhere past 1500 miles you feel that this relationship should had only lasted 1500 miles but you grit your teeth and keep in it. Towards 1800 miles you get into fights and she throws the white mountains, mahoosuc notch, and a 100 mile wilderness at you. By the the time you climb Mt Katahdin you and the trail have a mutual breakup. You have learned a lot of lessons along the way but it's time to end it.  I hiked to the lookout about 3 miles away. Scatter, Scooter, and Giggles were there. It was a cabin with a tower built on top of it. From the tower you could see for miles. I talked with Giggles for a bit. We talked about our lives as expats. She was considering going abroad again but didn't want to teach English. She was going to stay at the cabin tonight since it was getting late. I pushed onto the shelter. It got dark and I had to use my headlamp for the last mile. I arrived at the shelter to find Scooter and Scatter camping and eating dinner. Someone had built a fire near their tent site. I had missed the smell of fire for some time. It seems no one wants to build fires anymore. When we get into camp we're too tired to do anything but setup camp and eat. I ate some couscous for dinner then called it a night.Tonight the temperature is dropping.
Date: 2018-08-23
From: Wintturi Shelter

To: Woods Road Campsite
Miles today: 19.4

Last night the weather was in the 50s. It was really cold with only my summer gear. I'll be getting my cold weather gear back in Hanover, NH. I'll be glad when I can be warm again. I got up and made steel cut oats for breakfast. Scatter slept in but eventually got up and ate honey buns for breakfast. I tried them but they were too sweet for me. A chipmunk came by and tried to steal some food. It must have tasted human food before. I packed up and headed out the shelter.  My ankle was acting up today and I had to put it in a brace. It was slow going after that. I got to a gap and noticed a sign for on the edge farm. It had food and drinks. That's all I needed to read. I bought some Starbucks moca, a breakfast sandwich, pastry, pickle, and cherry tomatoes. I met a hiker named Striker who had slowed down due to an injury and got behind her tramily. She said she could only average 15 mile days. I headed out from there to the next gap about 4 miles away. There was a sign about a place to buy food about 100 yards down the road. The couple who owned the place southbound hiked the AT a few years ago. They had bought a farm next to the AT and started a family. When I went to their back porch there was an 8 month old baby furrowing his brow at me. Loon the house owner welcomed me in. I bought a homemade ice cream sandwich and hung out. A bunch of SOBO hikers showed up and took over the porch. They didn't even know they were in a SOBO bubble since they really didn't see anyone. I got some tips on hiking the whites from them. I got off the porch and headed out.I still had another 12 miles to do and it was already 3 o'clock. I wasn't going to make it to the shelter. I climbed out of the gap and hiked as far as I could without having to setup late in the dark. I made it about 10 miles with a stream and a few flat tent pads. I setup my tent and ate a bagel with ham, cheese, tomatoes, and hot sauce. It really hit the spot after another long mile day. The air got cooler and I was glad I would be getting my cold gear weather tomorrow.Tonight I hope I don't freeze!
Date: 2018-08-25
From: Mink Brook Campsite

To: Smarts Mountain Cabin
Miles today: 14.8

I slept in this morning because of my late arrival last night. The toad didn't visit me anymore during the night. I did however find mouse poop in my drinking cup and washed it with Dr. Bronners. A guy in camp asked me if I was going north. He was flip flopping. He mentioned that Dartmouth had a student orientation were they hiked in the woods for 3 days. Apparently they would take over shelters and be really noisy into the night. As we were talking a group of them passed us. I hope the shelter were I'm going isn't filled with them. I ate oatmeal and a via instant moca for breakfast. I called Theresa to catch up over the last week then headed out.The 15 mile section included 3 large climbs today. The first climb was right from the campsite up moose mountain. It was pretty easy compared to other climbs. The moose mountain shelter had a privy without walls. Anyone could walk up on you sitting on the throne. I hiked to the next mountain that had holts ledge. It was more tough as the climb was steeper. I ate lunch up there and caught up on my journal. A group of Dartmouth teens were looking for the ledges and I pointed them in the right direction. I climbed down off mountain then got ready for smarts mountain. It was the largest climb of the day. On the way up I met a woman who was picking trumpet mushrooms. I told her I had seen several different types of mushrooms while hiking the AT. She offered to take my trash which I gladly accepted. I pushed on to the top of smarts mountain. It was easy at first. Then came the ridgeline with solid granite. It was hard on my feet. The final climb up the mountain was steep and slippery. It was smooth slanted rock. I pushed up the mountain to make it to the sunset. I arrived at the fire tower all sweaty and out of breath. The sun was still in the sky and I watched from the fire tower as the sun turned the sky a bright orange. It disappeared behind a cloud. It was really windy on the fire tower and I was cold from my sweat filled shirt. Maga had built a fire at the shelter which was more like a cabin. It had 4 walls with screens in the windows to keep the bugs out. I went outside and made beef enchiladas for dinner. I quickly ate it since I was so hungry. I setup my sleeping bag in the cabin then called it.Tonight I'm cozy in a cabin.
Date: 2018-08-26
From: Smarts Mountain Cabin

To: Hikers Welcome Hostel
Miles today: 20.1
Weather: clear sky

I woke up early in the cabin but slept in until 7 am. A 20 mile day was in my future. Maga and 50 cent slept in the fire tower. They were awoken by the sun hitting the tower at 5:30 am. I packed up my stuff and made hot water for coffee. I didn't really have any breakfast food and ate a couple Cliff bars. I hiked out with 50 cent and Maga on a downward path off smarts mountain.  Maga and I struck up a conversation about living abroad. He had studied Chinese in China and had lived there for 3 years. He had spent a good amount of time in Vietnam. We talked about all the wonderful food there. Maga worked as an accountant and only worked 4 months out of the year. He made enough during the tax season to travel and live off what he earned. We split up near the shelter and I hiked on to the of Mt Cube.  The climb was almost as long as Smarts mountain. At the top I could see the mountain where I slept. I ate lunch then hiked on. The descent was much easier as the ground laid way to a decent grade where I could hike around 3 miles per hour.  At the bottom I grabbed more water then hiked on. There were a few more climbs but not as big as Mt Cube. I arrived in Glencliff around 7:30 pm.  At the hikers welcome hostel Double Stack and Mbtap were there. I got a bunk and did laundry. Ben Tillman sent me a package from Austin. It was filled with candy, snacks, and Jameson!  I was happy to have enough food to get me over Mt Moosilauke tomorrow.  I hung out in the common area watching movies until 10 pm.  Tonight I'm thinking of The Whites.
Date: 2018-08-31
From: Greenleaf Hut

To: Zealand Pond Campsite
Miles today: 11.8

The croo at the hut woke us up around 6 am. I usually don't get up that early but they were going to serve breakfast at 7 am. I packed my things and watched as the croo served breakfast. It was pancakes, oatmeal, sausage, and eggs. I was starving as I watched everyone eat. All the guests eventually left and it was our turn to eat. We had a couple plates each. Kyle had made breakfast burritos for the croo. He couldn't finish his and shared it with Maga. Our duty this time was to sweep the hut. We went above and beyond their expectations. I even swept out the restroom which hikers usually don't do. We finished sweeping and packed up our stuff. We said goodbye to the croo and set out to climb back up Mt Lafayette. The clouds were parting and we see the valley below. It stretched out in the distance for several miles. The boulder path from yesterday was really clear. We could see the other mountains that we were hiking to. I got a few pictures of the terrain. It didn't seem real. We hiked down to the saddle that connected Franconia with Mt Garfield. Climbing up Mt Garfield was tricky with boulder climbs and roots. At the top I stopped to eat lunch. I made a ham and cheese sandwich. Maga ate some poptarts and headed out. The hike down the south side of Mt Garfield was more difficult than the climb up. A stream flowed down the path and it turned into a steep rock face. I was just trying to keep my feet from slipping down the rock face. The trail leveled out once I got to the bottom of the mountain. I hiked on to the Galehead hut. I bought a bowl of tomato soup with corn and rice. The climb out of Galehead hut to South Twin mountain was 1100 feet over .8 miles. It was really steep and I huffed my stuff to the top of the mountain. There I was greeted with a view of Mt Washington in the distance. The top of the mountain was clear which rarely happens. I could see the route that I would be hiking over the next few days. I pushed on and planned on camping at the Guyot shelter but learned it was .6 off trail. I pushed on to Zealand pond another 2 miles away. This section of trail reminded me of the old days where I could hike at least 2 miles an hour. It felt good to go faster. At the pond Maga, Valc, and Tom Brady were there. They had decided on the same thing. Grabbing water at the pond was a little tricky since most of the shore was mud. I hiked over some rocks to get the water. It was a yellow color and I made sure to chemically treat it too. I ate another bagel with ham and cheese. I didn't feel like cooking again. When I went to hang my bear bag I noticed a bunch of small owls in the trees staring down at me. They didn't make a sound and when they flew. It got dark and the temperature dropped. It was time for bed.Tonight there isn't a sound in the forest except for the wind blowing between the trees.
Date: 2018-09-01
From: Zealand Pond Campsite

To: Webster Cliffs Campsite
Miles today: 11.9

This morning I was planning on going to the hut to grab breakfast but I slept in late. It seemed that no one wanted to get up early. I got up and packed my tent. I ate peanut butter and raisin bran for breakfast. We headed out together and soon came to Zealand cliffs. You could see into the valley. Luckily the clouds didn't block our view. There was phone service there and I took my time to update my journal. Maga pushed on while I was busy updating my site.  From the cliffs was a mile downhill to Zealand hut. I got coffee, chicken ginger soup, and a lemon poppy seed muffin. It was all really good. I'll miss the huts when I'm out of the whites. From Zealand falls it was really flat for 5 miles. I zoomed down the trail since there was not any obstacles. The trail dropped into Crawford Gap. The hut was .5 off trail and I decided to skip it. I started climbing the presidential range. It was a tough climb with all the normal trail obstacles. I grabbed 3 liters of water on my way up to make sure I had enough for a stealth spot. Carrying 3 liters is tough. Especially up a steep hill that doesn't get easier. Close to Mt Webster I found a stealth spot. It was a small patch of pine needles with flat ground. I didn't want to keep climbing until it got dark. I setup my tent and cooked a pasta side for dinner.Tonight I'm falling asleep fast.