morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2016-07-26
From: Lebanon, NH

To: Stealth Camping Site north of Dartmouth 
Miles today: 21.7

Jul 26, 2016 - After another gourmet continental breakfast at the hotel, my Mom drove us back to the trail head in South Pomfret. To make up for our zero, we were looking at 21.7 miles into Hanover, NH - that's right, today we would be entering our 13th state on the AT! The hiking itself was pretty mild with a few unremarkable ups and downs. As always after a zero, it's just tough getting back into things. A warm, slightly humid day didn't make matters any better, but as walking is literally my job right now, sometimes I'm obliged to hike even when I don't want to. The Count of Monte Cristo and his twisted revenge plots kept me more than entertained. Ten miles into the hike brought me to West Hartford, VT. A Sobo hiker had remarked to me, "Make sure you jump off the bridge", but I literally had no idea what he was talking about. As I crossed said bridge into town. I looked down a realized exactly what he was talking about. On the other side of the bridge, another Nobo hiker, Captain Red, hailed me and told me a lady named Linda was doing Trail Magic on her front porch. She was serving soda, coffee, muffins, chips, meat sticks and crackers. It seemed like nearly every hiker on the trail stopped in at her place. Linda even left the house and told us we could stay and hang out. Anyway, after indulging in some refreshment, I waited for Peach so we could jump off the bridge. Great P had sent a message ahead that he was taking it slow and would meet us in Hanover. The bridge jump wasn't quite as good as the James River, but still very enjoyable and refreshing. Another 10 miles brought me to a stream where I stopped to fill up some more water. All of a sudden, I heard an ear splitting crack and a massive oak tree fell in the woods about 100 yards in front of me. I guess it was a good thing I stopped for water. Clambering over fallen trees had become a theme all day - that storm two nights ago really did some damage. Another mile along the trail had me crossing the Connecticut River into New Hampshire! Dartmouth students sunbathing on the beach or practicing crew looked up as I let out a yell. Only two states left! Finally, I walked into the town of Hanover and right into the middle of the Dartmouth campus. I sat on a bench on the green while I waited for Peach and thought how odd it felt to be sitting around all these college kids with my hiking gear. When Peach arrived, we walked along the trail to a pizza place called EBA - Everything But Anchovies. No, I actually did not get pizza because they had a chicken sandwich special that I couldn't pass up. While eating, I perused a list of Hanover Trail Angels I picked up at Linda's. These Trail Angels offered to put up a certain number of hikers for the night in their own homes. That's hospitality. I called all 10 numbers on the list - three were either out of town or already full, but I never heard back from the others. Our only option was to hike to the other side of town and stealth camp right behind the baseball field.21.7 Stealth Camping Site North of Dartmouth / Hanover, NH
Date: 2016-07-28
From: Lyme Center, NH / Mr. and Mrs. Cotter's

To: Stealth Camping Site near North Jacobs Creek 
Miles today: 10.7

Jul 28, 2016 - I had Reese's Puffs for breakfast this morning! It must have been the first time I've had cereal for breakfast in several years, but it was delicious. Mr. Cotter even offered to let me pack out the rest of the Puffs with me. All in all, my stay at the Cotter's was extremely nice. I'm grateful to have been invited and to have met people like Legs and Verge on the trail. Unfortunately, even though they're slack packing a few days while at their grandparents, they're not leaving until Sunday, which means we may not see them for awhile. I really hope they catch up because it's a real pleasure hiking with them. Peach and I were dropped back off at the road crossing about 10:30 am. Mr. Cotter seemed genuinely impressed by the amount of beer we consumed yesterday. I did not feel well - I didn't get a lot of sleep, my cold was way worse, and I had to make 3 excursions off trail because I had diarrhea. Smarts Mountain at around 3500 feet in elevation slapped me around for nearly 2 hours before I reached the top. The view from the fire tower was worth it, but barely, as I was struggling pretty hard. I descended to South Jacobs Creek where I tried to rehydrate. Peach walked up and saw that I did not look well so he suggested we call it a day at North Jacobs Creek just up the hill. I gratefully accepted and we set up in a stealth spot halfway up Mt. Cube. I made a small fire to cook dinner and was literally asleep by 6 pm. 10.7 Stealth Camping Spot near North Jacobs Creek
Date: 2016-07-30
From: Beaver Brook Shelter

To: Stealth Camping Spot near Franconia Notch
Miles today: 18.5

Jul 30, 2016 - People said the Whites were hard, but I didn't appreciate it until today. I mean, holy shit! The elevation profile for the Whites in our guide book looks like AWOL (the author) left the room and a child just scribbled mischievously all over the page. People also said the Whites were the most beautiful part of the AT and today I also came to appreciate their sentiment. Even though the hiking is hard, the terrain and the views are humbling to say the least. This morning began with a steep downhill on the north side of Moosilauke. For almost 2 miles we descended the mountain with a cascading waterfall on our left. As soon as we hit the bottom, the uphill began again. Mt. Wolf wasn't anything special, but this mountain set up the South and North Kinsman mountains at 4,358 and 4,293 feet, respectively. The ascent up South Kinsman was yet again parallel to a waterfall. I passed 2 swimming holes, but passing a third was out of the question. I rinsed off in the cold pool at the base of the falls and restarted my ascent. The last mile to the summit was easily the hardest and most fun hiking I've done on trail so far. The trail was so vertical that I had to stow my trekking poles in my pack and use both arms and legs to get myself up the rock faces. It took forever, but, again, I was rewarded with surreal views at the top including a glimpse of the Franconia Ridge (see picture), which looked insane! The ridge would have to wait until tomorrow. Thankfully, the Kinsman mountains were the last uphill portions for the day. Peach and I descended to the Franconia Notch and stealth camped. We hitched into nearby Lincoln, NH to resupply and to indulge at a burger place called McDonald's. Between the 2 of us, we crushed 8 McDoubles, 40 chicken nuggets and a large fries. We also picked up a six pack to help us unwind back at the tent site. Laying in my tent was the most wonderful feeling in the world. My entire body was sore from the day's exertion. My plantar fasciitis continues to get worse, but it's easy to ignore while hiking these crazy beautiful mountains. 18.5 Stealth Camping Spot near Franconia Notch
Date: 2016-07-31
From: Stealth Camping Spot near Franconia Notch

To: Galehead Hut
Miles today: 13.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Jul 31, 2016 - I thought the last 2 days have been beautiful, but I was wholly unprepared for the show today. The hike began with a 3 mile hike straight uphill struggle to get up onto the Franconia Ridge. Then, I created the tree line to behold Mt. Lincoln in front of me. It literally felt like I was walking on top of the world. The ridge fell away sharply on either side of me and, without trees to obstruct my view, I could see at least 5 miles ahead of me. The picturesque trail wound its way through rock piles marked with cairns up over Mt. Lincoln (5,089 feet), Mt. Lafayette (5,263 feet) and eventually, Mt. Garfield (4,458 feet). And of course, the continuous panoramic view was nothing short of breathtaking. Peach and I shared a beer at the top of Mt. Lafayette and tried to control our excitement and enthusiasm. We couldn't believe where we were. Eventually, we had to keep moving (again, the decreased temperature and the increased wind made for a really cold environment). After only 13 miles in 8 hours (just for comparison, anywhere else on trail, we could easily pump out 24 miles in 8 hours - we were rudely being adjusted to a much slower hiking pace) we stumbled, exhausted into the Galehead Hut. In the Whites, there are several huts that tourists or thru hikers can stay in for a hefty fee of $125 per person. These huts have no showers or electricity and must be hiked to, but they do offer homemade dinner and breakfast. It's common for these huts to offer 'work for stay' to between 2 and 3 thru hikers each day. Today, Peach and I were lucky enough to be those thru hikers at the Galehead Hut. We sat around, relaxed, and read from 4 to 8 pm until dinner had been served to the paying guests. We got the leftover pasta shells, peas, bread and curry soup. It was actually delicious despite the fact that it was a bit cold. Our sleeping quarters on the floor of the main dining room was clogged with guests until after 9 pm. I was freaking exhausted and didn't want to wait so I cowboy camped on the front porch and allowed the cool breeze to lull me to sleep. Mola, Diatom and Helter Skelter showed up late and were granted floor space for sleeping.
Date: 2016-08-03
From: Stealth Camping Spot near Sphinx Trail

To: Stealth Camping Spot near Pinkham Notch
Miles today: 11.5

Aug 3, 2016 - After our memorable day yesterday, all we had to do today was finish up the Presidential Range and hike into Pinkham Notch. That was only 11.5 miles and mostly downhill except for the only significant summit of the day: Mt. Madison (5,366 feet). I woke up to a frigid morning above tree line and above 5,000 feet - there was so much condensation on my tent that it was completely saturated. Luckily, a brilliant sun was rising in the northeast to dry it off while I sipped coffee to warm myself.I quickly hiked the 5 miles to Madison Hut in the hopes of finding some leftover breakfast. I was not disappointed as a huge bowl of oatmeal was placed on the table. I also did pay for a piece of marble cake, which was definitely worth it. At the hit, I ran into Jellydog again who had finally caught his friends Panda, Mumbles, and Whiplash. We all watched Peach literally run down the mountain singing at the top of his lungs and had a good laugh. Although I showered 2 days ago, my shirt smelled like a rotting animal carcass. Whenever I hiked uphill and tucked my nose forward, I would actually stop and look around to see if I could find the source of the horrible smell until I realized it was me. Although I did not need a resupply, I insisted to Peach that we hitch into Gorham, NH to do some laundry. He smelled just as bad so he agreed. As I descended from the summit of Madison, I took one last look around at the unique landscape that exists in the rocky world above tree line before plunging into the boreal world of the conifers. We arrived at Pinkham Notch early - around 1 pm - and secured a ride to town without even sticking out our thumb. Three young ladies from Michigan were finishing up a section hike and offered to give us a ride. Laundry was a success if you consider that all my clothes still causing me to recoil in disgust a success. At the very least, I removed the crusty stuff from my socks so they don't create hot spots. Peach and I walked across the street to Mr. Pizza and had ourselves some calzones and $8 pitchers of PBR. We each grabbed a 6 pack for the evening and finally got a hitch back to the notch where we would be steal camping. We found an awesome spot right next to a creek where I could clean off. I set up my tent on a bed of soft, decomposing pine needles and got a fire going. We were soon joined by Cookie, Jellydog, Whiplash, Panda and Mumbles to make for a pretty excellent night. 11.5 Stealth Camping Spot near Pinkham Notch
Date: 2016-08-04
From: Stealth Camping Spot near Pinkham Notch

To: Stealth Camping Spot south of Rattle River Shelter
Miles today: 19.0

Aug 4, 2016 - Ok, so I tackled Moosilauke, soared over the Franconia Ridge, and survived the Presidential Range. The only section left in the White Mountains was the Wildcat Range - 19 miles over 9 peaks. That was the ambitious agenda for today. The hike began with yet another grueling climb up Wildcat Mountain (Peak E - 4,066 feet), which proved to be a lot of fun since it was at the beginning of the day and it was full of those vertical rock scrambles that involve the use of your whole body. It's pretty freaky when you pause on an up step and realize your pack is literally pulling you backwards off the rock face. You either recover or you fall for a long time. The summit of Wildcat was extremely picturesque with the gondola (it's a ski mountain) set before the Presidential Range with Washington looming in the background. The next 4 miles consisted of brutal ups and downs over Peaks D, C and A (3,990, 4,278 and 4,422 feet, respectively). Four peaks in the first 6 miles! We made an insanely steep descent into Carter Notch where we stopped in the Carter Notch Hut for some lunch. This would be the last hut I would see in the White Mountains. Whenever I hear the word 'notch', I've come to expect an extreme of some sort. Carter Notch was no different. Following the insanely steep descent into the notch was an equally vertical ascent, but to an even higher elevation. Just when I thought I hit the summit of Carter Dome, I realized I only reached the edge of the dome. The last quarter mile of the ascent was awkwardly pitched on the rock face so that my calves were the only thing preventing me from sliding down. My calves were on fire by the time I reached the summit.The dome provided one last look at the Presidential Range before we plunged back into the tree line. The day was still young and I had 4 more mountains to climb before I could lay down to sleep, which I couldn't wait for, by the way. Over the next 8 miles,I summited Mt. Hight (4,653 feet), Middle and North Carter Mountains (4,610 and 4,539 feet, respectively) and, finally, Mt. Moriah (3,976 feet). I then descended about 4 miles to the Rattle River Shelter. After all that, exhaustion isn't even the right word anymore. It did feel good, though, knowing that we knocked out the entire Wildcat Range in one day. Peach and I found a stealth spot across the Rattle River next to one of the better swimming holes we've seen on trail. You could actually jump off a rock and do a can-opener without fear of hitting the bottom. We made a small fire, sat back and reflected on the day's work. Peach looked at me and said, "Well, we did it again, Goat". Go big or go home.We worked our asses off the past few days and when we crunched the numbers, realized we average 16.1 miles through the White Mountains. That's crazy.19 Stealth Camping Spot south of Rattle River Shelter
Date: 2016-08-06
From: Stealth Camping Spot near Page Pond

To: Full Goose Shelter and Campsite
Miles today: 13.5
Weather: scattered clouds

Aug 6, 2016 - If I thought Maine would be any easier than the Whites, I was very wrong. Maybe I was just still exhausted and didn't have enough time to fully recover physically, but I was dead from the get go this morning. Peach and I were trying to maintain a 15 mile per day pace, but I wasn't sure it was sustainable in this terrain.Our first mountain of the day was Mt. Success, which is ironic because as soon as you get to the top, your success is rewarded by a view of the next peak sticking up like a giant, majestic middle finger. It's been this way for almost 2 weeks now. In this particular case, it was the three peaks of Goose Eye Mountain. It's funny, though, because as I peered at Goose Eye, I couldn't determine where the trail actually went up the mountain. I immediately dismissed the bare rock face directly in front of me because there's no way a hiker could climb it. Before I could tackle Goose Eye, I crossed the border between New Hampshire and Maine. I also passed the 1900 mile mark. I was officially into my 14th and final state! As I contemplated this, I realized I had been just standing in the middle of the trail staring at the sign for almost 10 minutes. I have never doubted for a second that I would finish this thing, but I guess the reality of my thru hike really hit home at this moment. I was going to summit Katahdin. A section hiker named Sasha broke my reverie and we took each other's picture. As it turns out, the bare rock face on Goose Eye was indeed the trail. Sections of rebar had been installed in the rock face so that I literally climbed a ladder to the top. As ridiculous as this is, the views at the tops of these peaks were stunning with the wind whipping from west to east. I continued on to Full Goose Campsite and Shelter where Peach and I decided to call it a day. Since it had rained a bit, we would save the Mahoosuc Notch for first thing tomorrow morning. This way, it would be safer and we would be less drained. Peach made a cribbage board out of a piece of wood and we played a few games while we ate dinner. We were eventually joined by Sherpa and Scavenger.
Date: 2016-08-08
From: Frye Notch Lean-to

To: Andover, ME / Little Red Hen
Miles today: 14.5
Weather: scattered clouds

Aug 8, 2016 - Today was our first relatively easy day since before Moosilauke. During our 14.5 mile trek to the road crossing for Andover, ME, we only had one significant climb out of Sawyer Notch - there's that damn word 'Notch' again and yes it did live up to its connotation related to extreme difficulty. This morning, before I left camp, I noticed the mouthpiece for my water bladder had been compressed on the ground causing most of the water to spill out and get soaked up by the bottom of my pack. I refilled the bladder and left camp. Immediately, I noticed droplets of water landing on my calves and the back of my shorts were soon saturated with water. I assumed it was just the water my pack had soaked up, but as I went to take a sip of water, I noticed my bladder was empty. When I refilled, I failed to screw the cap of the bladder on completely. Two liters of water had slowly seeped through my entire pack and down my shorts. Ugh. I couldn't do anything about it except wait until I reached town to dry everything so I just continued walking while water continued to drip onto my legs. When I reached South Arm Road where Peach and I hoped to hitch into Andover, I tried to clean myself off in the river a bit. Eight days without a shower and 6 without laundry was messing with my mind again. I constantly smelled myself and I could actually feel the slimy layer of built up sweat on all my clothes. To put this in perspective, when I woke up this morning, my socks, which had been left out by the fire to dry, were stiff like a new sponge or a washcloth that is left unused for a week. I could actually snap them and watch the salty crust break off and fall to the ground. I needed a hitch into town because I was completely out of food, but it took nearly an hour to catch a ride - there was so little traffic in that hour that the 4th car to pass us picked us up. We were dropped off at the Andover General Store where Peach and I ordered food and watched the Olympics for once (it's actually painful having to miss the Olympics especially since we usually can't even see results due to lack of cell service). I ate 2 hot dogs and 4 slices of pizza. I also ordered another pie to pack out tomorrow (168 slices, Tim). We set up our tents in the backyard of the Little Red Hen Diner and Bakery. They were closed, but we had heard from Sobos that it was cool to stay there. I left a note on their front porch anyway explaining our situation and guaranteeing them that we would buy breakfast in the morning. The rest of the evening was spent reading and drinking some beer while the sun set. The picture shows a snapshot of part of the Mahoosuc Notch even though I hiked it yesterday.
Date: 2016-08-09
From: Andover, ME / Little Red Hen

To: Stealth Camping Spot near beach of Sabbath Day 
Miles today: 16.7

Aug 9, 2016 - As promised, Peach and I walked into the Little Red Hen promptly at 6:30 am for some much needed breakfast. I love breakfast food, but I was really craving their Mountain burger consisting of a huge homemade beef patty, bacon, cheese, and saut©ed steak. The waitress at the breakfast bar liked our note and obliged us both by making the burger for us. Both of them were gone before 7 am and we were both extremely satisfied. I was about ready to go when the chef pulled a pan of fresh blueberry crumb muffins out of the oven. I caved and devoured the warm goodness saving the muffin top for last of course. Again, I opened my mouth to ask the waitress for the check when the chef pulled out another pan of fresh orange cranberry crumb muffins out of the oven. The aroma stopped me in my tracks and I couldn't help but to have one of them, too. Amazing. By this time, the Olympic news had us glued to the television. Peach and I looked at each other and abruptly decided to zero right then and there (after ensuring the Little Red Hen did, in fact, serve beer). Ten minutes later, we came to our senses and were packing up our stuff. Then, we proceeded to hitch a ride back to trail. A lady named Sarah offered us a ride. I had a pretty steep incline up Old Blue Mountain (You're my boy, Blue!) immediately after the South Arm road crossing, but the rest of the 16.7 mile day wasn't too strenuous. I also summited Bemis Mountain and started a long downhill toward Moxy Pond where I hoped to find a stealth spot and make an attempt at fishing. Moxy Pond showed no signs of even a bad campsite so I pushed another 2 miles to Sabbath Day Pond. I found an absurd beach with stealth spots directly across the trail where I set up. I immediately ran into the shallow, warm water and bathed fully and completely. You don't fully appreciate showers until you haven't had one in 8 days. Next up was my first attempt at fishing on trail. Despite having a complete backpacking set up, I had no idea what I was doing. I had never strung a pole before, but I thought I could figure it out. Plus, Longcloud came by a little later and was able to point out to me where I had gone wrong. I waded out about 80 yards into the lake and cast out. The water was extremely shallow so I didn't have much hope of catching anything, but man it was fun standing there in the refreshing water with the sun setting before me. I gave it a half hour and then had to get loving so I could actually make dinner before dark. We even had a small campfire on the beach - it was perfect. The lake did have leeches, though, and I'm talking like 6 inch long leeches. I've seen Stand By Me and that's all the leech experience I'll ever need. 16.7 Stealth Camping Spot near beach of Sabbath Day Pond Lean-to