morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2015-08-02
From: White Mtns Hostel

To: White Mtns Hostel
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

A day of rest. I wanted to go to the Lutheran church in Berlin. How to get there? Shadow was waiting for a ride to another hostel & said that I could probably ride along at least part of the way. So I was waiting with her, and it kept getting later and later. Finally I decided to go out and start hitching, but at that time Cindi, who was talking with us said, "Well, I'm just driving around. IO can take you." She's visiting her brother on the Trail; so she took me up to Berlin to church and went to church as well. It was good to see Pastor Gail again. She still made references to her grieving [her husband's death] but seems to be doing pretty well. She just came back from a vacation, with all kinds of stuff waiting for her, so I didn't get a chance to talk to her very much. We had a little visit, and I went to Walmart & then got a ride back to loaf away the afternoon {& work on Trail Journals].I sure hope the UPS truck won't come too late in the day tomorrow, so I can get my new shoes & move on.
Date: 2015-08-03
From: White Mtns Hostel

To: White Mtns Hostel
Miles today: 0.0

Life on the Trail can seem so simple, compared to "real" life.All I had to do today was get my new shoes thru UPS, mail the old ones out, & be on my way. Yesterday, sitting around was fun; today, not so much. Assuming I'd be out at a reasonable time, I made plans to get back over to Crawford Notch. It seemed best to sign up for the AMC shuttle from Pinckham Notch or from Gorham, depending on the timing. I figured if I got over to Pinckham Notch tonight I could camp near there & get the bus out first thing in the morning. I asked Cindi from yesterday if she could take me over there. After we talked, she decided she could take me all the way to Crawford Notch on her way to the airport in the morning. Really nice. I was even able to cancel my reservation without penalty. All kinds of busy-work tho. Altho the UPS arrived about 1:30 & I was trying to watch for it all day, somehow it was sliced in & labeled with a name I didn't recognize; so I didn't actually find it till late afternoon, when I barely had time to get to the Post Office to mail the old shoes out. My experiment in hiking cook-less for the past week has probably helped as far as reducing weight, & has been made easier by the availability of meals at huts; however, now I'm going back to carrying my stove & using up more of my dehydrated meals.
Date: 2015-08-05
From: Zealand Falls Hut

To: On Garfield Ridge
Miles today: 11.0
Weather: broken clouds

I decided to leave at 6:30 rather than wait 112 hour for breakfast (after the croo). Everything was wet this morning. Those who camped near the hut felt it a lot; I hadn't even heard it inside. The sky had been quite clear when I went to bed ¢ in fact, some of the guests were looking at stars thru a telescope. There were plenty of blazes on this part of the Trail. By 8:00, I was at the top of the Mtn. In the course of the day, I met Peace Dog, Turbo 1.2 , Cocoa, Magnus, Steam Machine, Mars, a nameless speedster from London, Forest & Flo, Eagle, Map, Next Year, Seneca, Nurse, Cygnus, Burglar, Twister, Valdemort, Burnt-Out, Stretch, Honeybuns, Knock-on-Wood, plus innumerable day-hikers & section hikers. I stopped for soup at Galehead Hut, but only for a few minutes. I managed to do this section pretty fast last time, but everything seemed a bit harder this time. Even the 3 miles that look the most level on the map took me 3 hours. Then I had to climb up a waterfall to get to the entrance to Garlield Ridge Campsite! I met a hiker who said he was planning 25-mile days for the Whites. That's at least 212 times as fast as I'm going! So today I made 11 miles in 12 hours. I stopped at the base of Mt Lafayette ¢ I didn't want to be over tree-line in the dark. A campsite caretaker went by as I was fixing my supper. He said it would take him 212 hours to get to Liberty Spring Campsite. That's with just a daypack! So he'll get there in the dark too. So far, no thunder today. I hope I have nice weather for Franconia Ridge.
Date: 2015-08-06
From: On Garfield Ridge

To: Lonesome Lake Hut
Miles today: 11.8
Weather: light rain

Well, I wasn't quite at the base of Mt Lafayette. I found an extra hill between me & the Mtn., with multiple campsites I could have used if I'd gone a half hour farther. Everything was wet from cloud; not much prospect for views. It just got worse as I went up because of the wind. I kept adding layers to stay warm enough, but I didn't have anything for my hands. After 20 day-hikers [out of a total exceeding 80!], I finally met my first thru-hikers: Big Spoon & Obiewan. At first it appeared that the rest were too chicken to brave the mtn today. I had no visibility ¢ usually couldn't see past the next cairn ¢ till I was almost at the end of the ridge, when I began to see a few things in the valley. That's also when I began seeing a large number of thru-hikers.In the course of the day, I met SOBO Bee-Sting & NOBOs Backtrack, Towanda, Varsity, Star-Crunch, Iron Maiden, Wye Knot, Mr. Peanut Butter, Black Bear, Cheswick, Guru, Jesus, Just Mike, Flask. Flapjack, Tunes, Antsy, No-One, Duster, Flip, Lucky Strike, Doc, Ambassador, Spirit, Rocky Mtn High, Columbo, Ice Cream, Meat-Stick, Snack-Time, Toad & Frog. That's a record total of 32 NOBOs in one day!Trail work: 20 Min I went to the Flume Visitors Center, 0.9 mile off the Trail, to get a hamburger, charge up my phone, & get my mail drop stuff forwarded home. I just don't need any more weight to carry. Got to talk to Susan. To get there, I was on a bike path & did almost 3 mph. That really felt good after all the rock-hopping down the Mtn! It was 3 more miles to lonesome Lake Hut. My legs felt "unlocked" by the bike path ¢ this part seemed like at least 2 mph, as in Va, or even 2.5 like I do back home. Some was very nice soft trail, then a bit more rocky. All uphill. For all my exertion: I made an actual 1.5 mph!!!I decided to try for work-for-stay at Lonesome Pond, the Southernmost hut. I was the only one. Got to wash dishes & pots & pans tonight; so I'll be able to leave early in the morning.
Date: 2015-08-07
From: Lonesome Lake Hut

To: Dilly Hill
Miles today: 12.6
Weather: light rain

I got out at 5:50, but actually it was 6:15 because I went back to sign the register. It seemed worth it because this was likely my last time in a hut.   Also, I haven't signed any register for a while ¢ since Hall Mtn Lean-to, 30 miles into Maine]. When I got to the top of North Kinsman, there was NO visibility off the Mtn, but also no wind like yesterday. I should have been able to see Cannon Mtn (Home of the "Old Man") & the bumps they call the "Cannonballs". Today I was coming up the rocks that were so rough on my legs last time, as I came down. I like up better, especially early in the day. Of course, I still have to go DOWN South Kinsman. The plan is Kinsman Notch by tonight; Mt. Mousilauke tomorrow.As I stopped to eat on top of South Kinsman, I was passed by a girl who was backpacking barefoot! I didn't get to ask about that.After making it down so many steep & complicated rocks on the South face of South Kinsman, I was embarrassed to fall on the last one. I got wet, but not hurt. I stopped to cook lunch at Eliza Brook Shelter [After all the "Lean-tos" in AMC territory, why is this one "Shelter"?] & then proceeded over Wolf Mtn. It's not particularly difficult, just tedious late in the day. Lots of mud too!In the day, I met Craynip. Nettle [barefoot] & Briar (sisters from Ohio), Rabbit & (mother) Gravity, Smiles, PackMan, Stink Jacket, among others.Seeing I wasn't going to make it to the next shelter [Beaver Brook], & with no camping allowed near the road, I stopped to camp a mile before Kinsman Notch. It was a nice place, shortly before the Intersection with Dilly Trail, which is labelled "extremely difficult" ¢ I had to wonder what that means in this context, but I didn't test it.
Date: 2015-08-08
From: Dilly Hill

To: Rt. 25, Glencliff
Miles today: 10.0
Weather: overcast clouds

On the Trail by 6:30; down to the parking lot by 7:05; starting up the hill at 7:15, after using the toilet. I had lunch at the shelter 9:20-10:00. Going up Mt Mousilauke from the North is reputed to be difficult. Not particularly, after what I've been doing in the Whites. There are lots of wooden & rock steps to help on the steep rock faces. I even skipped some steps, to prove that I could go up those rocks without them. Beyond Beaver Brook Shelter, where I stopped for lunch, it got easier, even tho from the past I had remembered some difficult parts there & on the way down the other side. I did waste a little time after the top, starting down the wrong trail ¢ there's no sign at the top, & I was focused on getting phone service [difficult even up there]. In addition to many day-hikers (This was a Saturday on a popular Mtn), NOBOs included Tackle Box, PR Barbie, Nate, Chooie, Papa Al!, Hootie, Philco, Tapa1; Iceman(78), 3D, Happy, Walnut, Walkin Home, McY, Jukebox, Encyclo, Piper, Can-I-have-some-food?, & Hercules. A couple of the first ones were part of the Warrior Project. Iceman is older than I, but has had his wife providing support along the whole Trail. Papa Al is a "neighbor" from 2 counties away in Northern Wisconsin ¢ I've been hoping to meet him. Most of the thru-hikers today were slack-packing, some in one direction some in the other. On the way up I met a student doing research on alpine plants, especially effects of global warming.Coming down was mostly simple rocks (no climbing) & then some very nice smooth trail. It took me about 5 hours going up (including lunch & getting water) & 2 hours coming down. That's around 2 mph, a speed I had not yet attained on this trip. I could let my legs go without constant fear of falling. I think they were saying, "This is what we signed on for, not all those climbing rocks." [Besides, I can't resist competing with slack-packers when I get a chance!]My next step was to hitch-hike to North Woodstock, so I could go to church tomorrow. That's not so easy. I got to the road a little after 4:00 & got a ride down to Warren almost right away. Then it took well over 112 hours to get from there to Lincoln. I had wanted to go to the new Notch Hostel, near N. Woodstock, but I got a busy signal the only time I had cell service [It turned out they were full]. The rest of the time, I had NO service. After getting one short ride, thinking there might be people leaving a campground for N. Woodstock on a Saturday night, a man named Jim, taking his daughter camping, gave me a ride all the way to Chet's place in the adjacent next town of Lincoln. Chet has been having a hostel in his house for years & really packs them in: in bunks, on the floors, in the back yard. I got to wash some clothes & then go out to a nice restaurant for supper ¢ then got to talk with Susan for a while. She's wishing I were home to deal with a "bee" infestation.
Date: 2015-08-09
From: Rt. 25, Glencliff

To: Before Brackett Brook
Miles today: 11.1
Weather: broken clouds

1/2 hour trail work yesterday; 1-1/4 today ¢ I still left some big stuff to be cut in the first mile or so from Rt 25 in each direction. I left Chet's hostel before 7:00 to walk to North Woodstock & have a nice breakfast at the Woodstock Inn. Then I went to the Episcopal Church right behind the inn. The Vicar was gone on vacation, just like 2 years ago, so we had Morning Prayer. Nice service. Good singing by the few people there. Afterwards, a man named Jerry volunteered to take me back to the Trail. Much appreciated [I really didn't want to spend a lot of time hitch-hiking again].By 10:50 I was on trail. Lower elevation means more bugs than I've been seeing in the mtns.The intersection with Webster Slide Trail is still poorly marked in both directions. The road intersections where the Trail jogs [25C & 25 A] have not improved either. NOBOs were not in such big bunches as yesterday. Some I met were Teddy, Medic, VHS, Ripped, Nazi-Surfer-Snow-Zombie, Zeus, plus a few other names that my phone deleted.It's not hard terrain, but I felt slow. I could see I wasn't going to make it to Hexacuba Shelter [I'd have to get over the Mtn first!], so I found a nice spot on a hill just before Mt Cube. Stomach a little upset this afternoon. Thought I'd get to bed early, but it's 9:00.
Date: 2015-08-11
From: Bill Ackerly's Place

To: After Trescott Road
Miles today: 13.1
Weather: moderate rain

It rained during the night but had stopped by the time I got up. As I was taking my tent down, the rain started again; so I moved everything to the porch, where Ashley was offering me orange juice. Then she & Bill wanted to talk about hikers who had been thru about the same time I had 2 years ago. Then we talked about Trail maintenance. Then I helped Ashley learn to change a flat tire on her car. With all that, I got started well after 8:30. As I went up the first hill, I met Demolition Row & Baby Blue handing out donuts. Trail Magic in the rain! This is a father/daughter pair of hikers I'd met a few weeks ago in Maine. They were taking a week off before heading South on a flip-flop. The rain continued till after 3:00, sometimes rather hard. Near the cliffs on Moose Mtn it was windy too, making me consider putting on my rain pants. I only saw about 8 NOBOs today. The rest seemed to be staying out of the rain in shelters or in Hanover. I didn't visit Trapper John Shelter, but one hiker told me he was headed there to spend the rest of the day. I had lunch at Moose Mtn. Shelter, where Cruise Control & a section hiker were waiting out the rain. Later I met Blue Suit & a couple of fast-moving hikers. The reason I don't have more names is that my notes app was deleting them or changing them about as fast as I could put them in. [Some names that got preserved from somewhere are Duijee, Swim, Tortoise, Catman, Wheelie-Wobble]Nice Trail, generally downhill, all afternoon. After getting turned around a bit near Three Mile Road, I recognized I wasn't going to get to the next shelter without walking in the dark (with a very dim headlamp) over "Velvet Rocks"; so I tried calling Tigger's Tree-House Hostel, but they were full. I had already heard that all of the volunteer housing in Hanover was filled with hikers waiting out the rain. By this time, I was walking thru some pine plantations with lots of clear, level spots conducive to tenting. I finally camped in a place with sign: "No camping within 200 feet of Trail." I paced off 200 feet & then a little more before setting up my tent. I also did a half hour or more of trail work during the afternoon.
Date: 2015-08-13
From: Vt Border

To: Rhinelander
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

With a 10-15 minute walk to the bus stop, I thought getting up at 5:30 would give me plenty of time. Actually, I ended up with less than 10 minutes to spare. First I took way too much time analyzing my packing: what will be checked in my pack & what can go as carry-on. Once I got walking, I Stopped at Lou's for a muffin & scone to eat on the bus, then to the DOC to wash up & shave. Only a half dozen passengers got on in Hanover, but after 2 more stops in Northern NH, the bus was full. I sat next to a guy who commutes to Boston this way -- 5-1/2 hours at his workplace + 4 hours working on the bus. Uneventful flight ¢ nice to get home to Susan.
Date: 2015-08-22
From: Rhinelander

To: Hanover
Miles today: 0.0

This is my 10th day off the trail ¢ ready to start again tomorrow.I've spent most of the time traveling. Hanover to Boston by bus; Plane to Rhinelander, Wisconsin. Car to Chicago to pick up daughter Katy in Chicago & go to family reunion in Central Illinois. Then to Springfield, Ohio, for a night, visiting grandchildren, then off to Southeastern Ohio for a night of camping with Katy (She's been wanting to do this for years ¢ like we used to), then back to Springfield & on to Rhinelander by way of a night in Madison. I had some good time with lots of relatives, with Katy, & especially with Susan. We planned details of her meeting me in Cheshire & hiking with me for a couple of weeks. It's really great that she is willing to try backpacking again, & I'm looking forward to it, but it will slow me down considerably. Not getting halfway this Summer means doing more in the Spring, which may be difficult, depending on how a number of things work out in my life. Today I'm back in Hanover, staying with Trail Angels Christie & Jim, planning to go to church in the morning & then get going on Vermont. In town, I met Biscuit, whom I had last seen in Monson (& whose dog actually survived the Whites)! I have to adjust to seeing a different group of SOBOs & fewer NOBOs because of my time off. But the truth remains: you never know when you are going to see people again on the Trail.
Date: 2015-08-24
From: Hill beyond West Hartford

To: Vt 12 (Red Barn) 
Miles today: 11.3
Weather: scattered clouds

It was a warm night. Rain started after 2 am. Susan reports several days of rain in Wisconsin; I should expect that here soon. People I met on the Trail today included Squirrel, Binjolly, Kat, Lone Ranger, Cooter. Crow Daddy, Clown, Car, Freedom Fry, Nomo & Momo, Shades, Wave, Hoot, Yahoo, Ghecko, Squirt, & 6 slack-packers. Emersion (only SOBO I've seen on the Trail in weeks) caught up early in the day ¢ He was at the shelter too. I don't know whether to call the "Red Barn" a shelter or a hostel. Usually a hostel has a "host" that you get to meet. Many offer a meal, or at least a place to prepare one. At shelters, you can expect only a place to sleep, a toilet, & a water source. Some lack one of the latter. This barn has an upstairs with a lot of dust, for sleeping, a water supply, once you find the right outdoor faucet, & no visible toilet facilities; but it does have Wi-Fi. Obviously, I never met the host, tho I knocked on the door a couple of times. I'm inclined to classify it as more of a shelter than even a low-end hostel. It does ask for a donation tho ¢ I left $5.00. He IS providing a useful service.In my 13 August 2013 journal, I described an "Elegant Avenue". As I went thru the same area this time, it didn't appear quite so elegant, especially after I observed how small the foundation hole from the house was (tho I could fantasize it to be the gatehouse for a larger place back up the lane). Also, I reflected on the fact that farming was so poor in New England that most farmers didn't prosper ¢ just picked up & moved West as soon as new land was available. In their honor, tho, I had my luncheon on Grand Ave. They sure did build nice stone fences!This part of the Trail has no mtns, but still a lot of ups & downs, including coming down for each road crossing. I began to see bits of rock ledge too. And the blackberries were NOT all gone; so I had plenty of those too, even tho it does slow me down. Mostly I was going slow because I haven't got my trail legs back after days of sitting: in planes, buses, & cars. Also, I did an hour of trail work.One interesting diversion, which I wished I had been quick enough to get a photo of, was 2 foxes chasing each other across the Trail & thru the woods on each side. Altho I don't see them, I'm getting into territory where the squirrels are dropping acorns from the trees [& occasionally warning me to stay away from their stash] ¢ makes for a lot of noise in the woods!
Date: 2015-08-25
From: Vt 12 ( Red Barn Hostel)

To: Stony Brook Shelter
Miles today: 13.3
Weather: light rain

In the wildlife category, I heard a barn owl last night & this morning. It had the same basic call [hoot] as those back home, but with a couple of extra notes or flourishes.It was very dark in the woods when I started out this morning. At 8:30 am it was almost as dark as 8:30 pm! Then it started raining ¢ quite hard for a while. It looked like all day as Susan had predicted. I didn't mind getting out of the rain when I had a chance. At Wintturi shelter, while I was eating, NOBO Jerry came in. He'd already come nearly 10 miles to my 3.5! And he was planning to go another 11.6 to the next shelter. I felt very slow, altho my legs did start feeling better today. Of course, I had paused for a half hour in the rain to cut out some dead falls. Time-consuming hobby! Then in Late afternoon, another quarter hour work. I didn't meet as many hikers today (still no SOBOs): John-Wayne, Funs, Buckle, Hi, Hobbit, & a couple of others that my phone erased [worse on wet days].I stopped at the Look-out, a private cabin just off the trail with an observation platform on top. The rain had stopped, & I'd had a few minutes of sunshine. The views weren't impressive. Met some section-hikers from Quebec there, plus 3 young people from Connecticut looking for a thru-hiking friend. They were just hoping to meet her on this random section of the AT. I felt that my pace picked up this afternoon, yet it seemed a long ways up the hill [in rain] from the brook to the shelter. I even skipped a possible trail-work opportunity because I just wanted to get there. This is one of the few places I've stayed on all 3 thru-hikes.
Date: 2015-08-26
From: Stony Brook Shelter

To: U. S. 4 [Inn at Long Trail]
Miles today: 10.0
Weather: overcast clouds

I shared the shelter with 3 nice NOBOs, Patches, Smoke, & Steady, & took off first again in the morning. They said I was snoring, which I don't usually do, but I had had trouble finding a comfortable position & ended up on my back, which I think facilitates snoring. Fairly easy hiking today, & my legs felt good. I didn't meet very many NOBOs, & lost the names of most, except for Boot-Scoot & Jade. I think many were stuck in Rutland late enough that I missed them. I wanted to stay at the Inn at Long Trail, & they don't take reservations for the hiker rate, so I tried to get there as early as possible. That meant getting off the Trail on a 0.4 side trail to the ski outfitter's, which is a bit down the road from the post office. My package was supposed to be there by Tuesday or Wednesday ¢ it wasn't. So I hitched a ride down to the Inn, got a room, & went out to hitch back to do the rest of the Trail to US 4. The bus came along, the driver asked for $2.00, but I found I only had one. He said that was good for the Senior rate, but then decided not to take it, since I was going such a short distance. When I'd left the trail, there was a group of thru-hikers at the Mountain Meadows Lodge on Kent Pond. Nice setting. They were going to camp there. I lost their names. There's a side trail just North of Maine Junction [where AT meets the Long Trail, running the length of VT] that promises a view of Sherburne Pass. It does end up on a rock overlooking the Inn ¢ with a nice view of Pico & Killington Mts. ¢ but it's 34 mile up a pretty rough trail. I don't recommend it.After walking the easy trail down to the highway, I hiked up the highway (34 mile) to the inn, sorted my stuff, & got my shower before getting a good supper at the inn. I also met another hiker staying there [Rambles].