morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2018-09-08
From: Lakes of the Clouds Hut 

To: Crawford Notch
Miles today: 11.0

Despite a snoring impacted, restless night of sleep, we were up at 6:30 for coffee and breakfast in the hut. Not that we had any choice in the matter - the crew awakens everyone at that time. Breakfast was filling - though not hot. The temperature outside at sunrise was in the 30s, so perhaps it was difficult for the cooking crew to keep the bottles hot in the unheated hut. I¢m not complaining - just painting a picture of life in the huts. It¢s a luxury anytime breakfast is made for you on the trail.We got started on our hike shortly after breakfast, but first bought a pair of warm gloves for Butterfly and an AMC fleece hat for me at the hut. It was in the low forties and pretty windy when we started hiking today, and we needed the extra warmth. We were again above the tree line for the morning and off and on in the afternoon. We side-straddled Mounts Monroe and Eisenhower, and we summited Pierce, Jackson and Webster on the 3800 foot descent from Lakes of the Clouds Hut to Crawford Notch. The total elevation loss today was 5200 feet - tough on 58 year old knees, though getting somewhat easier. We stopped at Mizpah Hut for lunch - mushroom barley and vegetable soup from the hut with triscuits, pepperoni and other snacks from our food bag.  Today was ¢Flags on 48 Day¢ here in New Hampshire. It¢s a 9/11 commemoration tradition occurring on the Saturday before 9/11 each year in which service members, veterans, firemen and citizens raise the flag on all 48 of New Hampshire¢s mountains of elevation greater than 4000 feet. As a result, there were a lot of people on the trail today. The excellent weather brought out people as well. We got a picture with the flag and the fireman¢s flag on Mt Jackson.We got to US Route 302 at Crawford Notch after descending 2700 feet from Mt Webster in 3.4 miles. The d scent was not as frustrating as many of the descents we encountered in Maine. It¢s obvious that there¢s more trail maintenance on the well travelled trails in the White Mountains. We got to the trailhead at about 5:30 and hitch hiked to the AMC Highland Center approximately 5 miles up the Notch. Arriving just before dinner, we quickly showered and had a wonderful dinner of baked haddock, gnocchi in a cream sauce, macaroni and cheese, salad, blueberry pie and a very nice Pinot.Tonight I am thankful for beautiful fall weather, for our country, for the Highland Center and for a great phone conversation with our daughter a Kathryn and son in law Scotty after dinner.
Date: 2018-09-09
From: Crawford Notch

To: Zealand Falls Hut 
Miles today: 7.7

I got up at 6:15, looked out the window and saw a hard frost. Went downstairs to the lobby for coffee and went outside for a short walk around the AMC Highland Center. Uploaded journal entries and photos. Butterfly slept in. Had breakfast at 8:30 and slowly got ready to go. Left hotel at ~10:30 and hitch hiked back to trail head. Second car that passed stopped and gave us a ride. Yay! Trail conditions were great today. Started hiking at 10:50 and got to Hut at 3:10. Lunch was next to a mountain stream.The volunteer naturalist at Zealand Hut, Joanne, gave an interesting talk on history of Zealand valley and Crawford Notch. Turns out the reason the trail was so nice this afternoon is that it¢s a railroad bed from the late 19th century when a lumber company clear cut this valley.  Had dinner with 3 guys from GA who have been section hiking the AT for several years: Last Mile, Bull, Jammer. After JoAnne¢s talk, they shared a nip of bourbon with us.
Date: 2018-09-10
From: Zealand Falls Hut 

To: Galehead Hut
Miles today: 7.0

Yesterday¢s forecast for today called for a cloudy morning with an increasing chance of rain showers after 11 AM. With only 7 miles to hike to Galehead Hut, we left Zealand Falls right after breakfast to try to beat the rain. Today¢s hike, while short from a mileage perspective, was slow because much of the trail was rocky. The rocks varied in size from that of a football to that of a car and required thought with every footstep. We began with a long uphill (1000 feet in a mile) up to a gradual uphill ridge over Zealand, Guyot and South Twin Peaks, and we ended with a steep descent (1200 feet in 0.8 miles) to Galehead Hut. The wind on the top of the exposed South Twin peak were very strong. Fortunately, the walk across the peak was short, and we were soon back below the tree line.  After arriving at the Hut around 1:15, we had our lunch of pita pockets with tuna and cheese. The wind howled all afternoon - sustained wind of 20 to 30 mph with gusts to 50. Still chilled from our hike, we got in my bunk using my sleeping bag as a quilt and listened to Huckleberry Finn on Laura¢s iPhone.  It didn¢t take long for us to fall asleep. We napped until 4:30 and watched the rain begin through the window of our bunkhouse.After our nap, the naturalist lead a very nice poetry session attended by ourselves, two other couples and the naturalist from the Carter Notch Hut who was visiting for the afternoon. At the end we composed a poem by playing the poetry fame - each person adding a line but only seeing the one line written by the person before them.  Dinner was a very yummy brazed beef stew on rice with veggies, pumpkin soup and salad. Very satisfying and warming. All told, there are only nine guests plus three work-for-stay through hikers here tonight. We¢re glad we¢re inside as the winds continue to be strong and the temperature is in the upper 40s outside.  Tonight we are thankful to be under a roof, for a cozy afternoon nap and for the good dinner.
Date: 2018-09-11
From: Galehead Hut

To: Greenleaf Hut
Miles today: 6.6

The wind blew hard all night, and it looked cold and wet outside this morning, so we bundled up and put on rain gear. When we stepped out onto the front porch of Galehead Hut, however, we found it was warmer than inside so we immediately took off our hats and gloves. A quarter of a mile down the trail, we took off our raincoats and I took off my long sleeve wool shirt. The air was very still - no wind at all - and we were in the clouds. The temperature was about 60. This is pretty much how it was all day until we got to the summit of Mt Lafayette (5260 ft). At that point, the wind picked up a bit, the sun broke through and the fog/clouds lifted. The hike down to Greenleaf Hut was 1000 feet in 1.1 miles. It¢s pretty well maintained trail, but still took us about an hour to do.There are only two other guests here tonight- a couple our age from Montreal - and one work-for-stay hiker (Shocktop). Consequently, Butterfly and I have a 24 bed bunkroom to ourselves. Shouldn¢t be any snoring issues tonight.In the summer of 1976 my mom and dad brought me, my sister Kristin and younger brother Brendan to the White Mountains for several nights. We spent a night in Lonesome Lake Hut, hiked to Greenleaf Hut and spent two nights and then hiked back to Lonesome Lake by an alternative route for the fourth night. It was a great trip. On that trip, the views from Franconia Ridge were fantastic, and I remember that the sunset viewed from Greenleaf was also spectacular. Now, the huts have log books with guest entries dating back to the 1950s. After dinner tonight, I got the 1976 log book off the shelf and searched page by page beginning in July to see if any of us had made an entry. I found one on August 17, made by my sister. I took a photo of it and sent it to her for her birthday, but won¢t include the photo in my journal so as not to embarrass her.We are thankful that today¢s hike was rain free, for another good dinner in an AMC hut and that we will have a quiet bunk room tonight.
Date: 2018-09-12
From: Greenleaf Hut

To: Kinsman Pond Shelter
Miles today: 11.2

We left Greenleaf Hut at 8:20 and began today¢s hike with a 1.1 mile, thousand foot climb back to top of Lafayette. (Since the climb back was not on the AT, it¢s not included in today¢s mileage tally.). With Butterfly in the lead, this took us 50 minutes (she¢s faster going up than down). We then turned south and walked along Franconia ridge from Mount Lafayette to Lincoln to Little Haystack to Liberty. Franconia Ridge is above the tree line, and the views from it are wonderful - when it¢s clear. We were in the clouds for much of our walk, though they parted from time to time allowing views to the west. From the shoulder of Mt Liberty (the AT doesn¢t go quite to the summit) the trail descends 2800 feet in 2.8 miles to Franconia Notch. The descent was slow going - especially the first 2200 feet in 1.7 miles - and we stopped for lunch on the way down. After passing under I-93 at the bottom, we began a gradual ascent to Lonesome Lake Hut on the other side of the Notch. The trail was really nice (see picture) most of the way up, and we made good time. We would have liked to stay at Lonesome Lake, but it was sold out to a group of school children and chaperones. We did stop in for water and a snack, and I checked the 1976 log book as well. There were entries authored by me and my sister for both nights we stayed there. Today¢s pic is the entry from our first night, August 16, 1976.We left the hut at about 5 for a 2 mile uphill to Kinsman Pond Shelter. The second mile was a steep scramble that frustrated both of us, though the AMC has put a lot of work into making it easier (eg; blocks of wood secured to the rock faces for steps). We arrived at the shelter at 6:30 and met a nice couple our age out for a few nights. This will be only our second night in a trail shelter.
Date: 2018-09-14
From: Kinsman Notch

To: Hikers Welcome Hostel
Miles today: 0.0

We spent last night in the Holiday Inn Express in Lincoln, NH.  Butterfly did laundry after we arrived, but did another small load this morning.  We had a nice breakfast at the hotel, ate lunch at a bagel place, resupplied, and I got a new pair of hiking boots (Saloman Ultra X).  Brooklyn of the Hikers Welcome Hostel picked us up in Lincoln at 3 and took us to the hostel.  Tomorrow I will slackpack Moosilauke and we¢ll press on for a few miles after I return.
Date: 2018-09-16
From: Lake Tarleton Road

To: South Branch of Jacobs Brook at Mile 415
Miles today: 11.2

Got a late start from the Greenhouse.  Hiked 5.2 miles in two hours!Long lunch next to a stream.Weather warm and humid. Leap frog with PR and Tropical Thunder who we got to know at The Greenhouse last night. We had a close game of pool with them but lost. After lunch, we went up Mt Cube. Nice views south and west from the summit. Sun was hot. We stayed a while and I dried off a bit. Then hiked down to Jacobs Brook - arriving at 6. (The downhill was slow from Mt Cube, but still faster than most descents we had in Maine and the White Mountains. Both of us bathed in the brook - very refreshing. Dinner was fettuccini Alfredo with chicken and risotto and mushrooms.
Date: 2018-09-17
From: South Branch of Jacobs Brook at mile 415

To: Hewes Brook at mile 428.4
Miles today: 13.4

Not much to write about today. We left our campsite by Jacobs Brook at 8:40 and climbed 1800 feet in 3.8 miles to the top of Smarts Mountain. The trail conditions and grade on this climb were nice, and the reward at the top of Smarts was the big even of the day - a late morning break in the fire tower. The views from the fire tower were great. Looking north and east, we could see where we¢d been the last couple days including Mt Moosilauke and Lake Tarleton.  The descent from Smarts was of the typical New Hampshire annoying variety, so we took it slow. We climbed up to Holt¢s Ledge after lunch. The views were OK but partially obscured by growing cloud cover. Interestingly, the forecast this morning had a chance of rain for early tomorrow morning, but when I checked the forecast on Holt¢s Ledge, it indicated now chance of rain tonight or tomorrow. After a slow descent from Holt¢s Ledge, we found a good stealth site right next to Hewes Brook and set up around 6. We had time to bathe before dinner and got into the tent at dusk (which is getting earlier and earlier). We can see the half moon through the trees.Tomorrow¢s hike should get us to Hanover which means . . . we¢ll be finished with New Hampshire!  We are both thankful for that. The hiking has been easier since leaving the White Mountains, but the word on the trail is that it¢s even easier in Vermont.
Date: 2018-09-24
From: Gould Brook

To: Little Rock Pond Shelter
Miles today: 17.5
Weather: clear sky

Awoke at 6:20 and had egg-drop soup and a bagel with peanut butter for breakfast. Got going at 8:30 with an air temp of 48 degrees, sunny and no wind. Perfect hiking weather. Lots of little ups and downs: total ascent of ~4500 and descent of ~4300 over Beacon Hill, Bear Mountain and White Rocks Mountain. Very interesting and fun rock gardens on White Rocks. Clouds moved in mid morning and the wind picked up. No rain, but the wind and lack of sun made it uncomfortable to stop hiking.We got to Little Rock Pond and the shelter of the same name after 6 and had hot cocoa down by the shore. The shelter is one of the best we¢ve seen on the trail (see photo) - double decker with a covered picnic table, benches and room for 12. We are staying in it tonight as rain is expected tomorrow morning and there¢s only one other person here (Dragonfly). Dinner was lasagna and chicken with mashed potatoes. Yum. Both of us were hungry - we need the calories to stay warm. It¢s cold, the wind continues to blow and we are snuggled in our Feathered Friends down sleeping bags - for which we are very thankful.
Date: 2018-10-04
From: Main Road, Tyringham, MA

To: Massachusetts RT 23
Miles today: 12.0

Today was our last hike together.  44 slack packed Butterfly and me.  The rain last night provided a slight trail much of the way, and the first mile was especially interesting as we crossed a marshy area just south of Main road near Tyringham, MA.  Hop Brook, which flows through the valley there, was flowing well outside of its banks and we had to get our feet wet walking on trail boards that were a good inch or so below water level.
Date: 2018-10-07
From: Limestone Spring Shelter 

To: Cornwall Bridge
Miles today: 17.2

Day was warm and wet. Got up before 6 and had a protein bar to get me going. Left camp at 7:25 and climbed back up to the AT. There are a lot of negative comments about Limestone Spring Shelter because it¢s a half mile from the AT and about 300 feet down the mountain from the AT, but the location is beautiful and the water gushes up from a spring below a very large bolder of, I presume, limestone.I hiked 3 miles to the turn off to Falls Village and walked a few tenths of a mile to the Toymaker¢s Cafe for a breakfast of eggs Benedict. Got back on trail at 9:45. Walked along the Housatonic for a few miles, then up into the hills. Though not a rainy day, the sky was overcast and there were few decent views until the end of the day.  The creeks and rivers were flowing well over normal levels, and I was not in the mood to Ford the final stream crossing - Guinea Brook, usually a simple rock hop - so walked downturns high water bypass Old Sharon Rd #2 to get into Cornwall Bridge. Stayed at the Hitching Post Motel. Ordered pizza, wings and a salad for dinner.
Date: 2018-10-08
From: Cornwall Bridge

To: Ten Mile River Shelter
Miles today: 19.8
Weather: scattered clouds

Left the hotel at about 8:15 and then stopped at the general store. Bought a few food items for the next couple days and had breakfast on the front porch. Tried hitch hiking back to the trail, but ended up walking the 1.2 miles up hill, arriving at 9:15. Into the wet woods I went. Up and over a 600 foot hill and then enjoyed a wonderful five mile walk along the Housatonic River. After turning into the woods, the trail went up a very vertical 600 foot rock scramble that was kind of fun. Again, Connecticut trying to be Maine.Caught up to Templeton hiking with his step father and then caught up to Steve - a section hiker from NYC - late in the day. Steve and I walked from the trail to the Bull Bridge Tavern and had dinner there. I changed into drier clothes and cleaned up in the men¢s room beforehand, as I was s mess. Afterwards, we nighthiked the 1.2 miles to Ten River Shelter.
Date: 2018-10-09
From: Ten Mile River Shelter

To: Morgan Stewart Shelter
Miles today: 20.6

Another wet morning and lots of squishy trail.  Though I had gone into and back out of New York yesterday, today I left Connecticut for good and will be in NY for several days.  I hiked through a number of fields. When I arrived at NY RT 22, a guy in a pickup truck pulled over and asked if I needed a ride to Pawling. I jumped at the opportunity as I needed to get contact lense solution and thought I¢d get lunch in town. Had a great lunch from Vinny¢s deli. Very friendly and awesome food. But, getting back to the trail was not easy and I ended up walking the 2.6 miles back to the trail, arriving at the trailhead at 3 PM with 11 miles to go to Morgan Stewart Shelter. I hiked fast, but ended up having to night hike the last two miles. I had a hard time finding the shelter in the dark, but got there thanks to Guthook¢s and GPS.  I had the shelter to myself.  I got water from the hand pump and talked to Butterfly by phone while making dinner.
Date: 2018-10-10
From: Morgan Stewart Shelter

To: Canopus Lake - Clarence Fahnestock State Park
Miles today: 14.0

I awoke at 6:20 and it was still dark. Very nice sunrise through the trees. It was good to see the sun. Started hiking at 8:20 and made pretty good progress - teaching the Taconic State Parkway by noon. I¢d been told to look out for something special at the underpass. It took a while to find, but what a find! Gatorades, Cliff bars and trail mix in a bag marked ¢Huckleberry¢ provided by a cousin of Gemma Fasani¢s. Thanks so much, Claudine! If you¢re enjoying some of the magic packing the rest, I moved on. Shortly there after I stopped to talk to a NoBo section hiker getting water at a stream. Turns out it was a fraternity brother from The College of William and Mary named Ken Holder who graduated the same year Butterfly and I did. Small world.  I had a choice of doing 14 miles to Canopus Lake or 28 miles to Graymoor Spiritual Life Center. Easy choice. There¢s nobody at Canopus Lake. The facilities (bathrooms - including cold showers, access to water) are open, though everything else is closed for the season. Hikers are supposed to camp in a field about a half mile from the facilities and the beach. I made dinner on picnic tables right outside the facilities and concession stand, and I¢m camped on the beach. It¢s quite warm - 74 at bed time - and as the sun set, clouds moved in and the humidity increased. It¢s supposed to rain most of the day tomorrow, starting mid-morning. I am going to stay at the Bear Mountain Inn which is 21 trail miles from here. I¢ve set my alarm for 6. Lets see how quickly I can get out of camp.
Date: 2018-10-11
From: Canopus Lake - Clarence Fahnestock State Park

To: Bear Mountain Inn
Miles today: 21.1

Alarm went off at 6:00. Left camp at 7:25 and got back to the trail at 7:35. It was already 70 degrees and very humid, and I was soon soaked in sweat. It started to rain around 10 AM - intermittent showers at first but by 11 AM it was pouring rain. It was also very windy and warm, and the rain felt refreshing compared to sweat.It rained continuously all afternoon, and I didn¢t stop for lunch until reaching the Appalachian Deli just past the Graymoor Spiritual Life Center. Met Dirty Shot and Long Squat at the deli trying to wait out the rain.  Hiked in the rain to the Bear Mountain Bridge. Crossed at 5:30 and then checked into the Bear Mountain Inn. I think I¢ll take s couple zeroes here to plan out the rest of the trip and try to catch up on my journaling.
Date: 2018-10-12
From: Bear Mountain Inn

To: Bear Mountain Inn
Miles today: 0.0

Dirty Shot and Long Squat spent the night in the lodge, and left around 10:30ish. I rented a car from Enterprise for two days. They left there backpacks in my room as I will pick them up on the west side of Harriman State Park at I-87. After getting the rental car, I drove around Harriman State Park and returned to the lodge. I had ambitious plans to update my journal, but never got around to it. Instead, I put together a plan for getting to Harpers Ferry which, without any zeroes or bad whether impact, would have me there on November 2nd. I also napped, did laundry  and bought a replacement iPhone charger cord to replace the one that someone took from the lodge community room this AM. I also drove over to Highland Falls to check out the neighborhood Butterfly lived in back in the 60s when her dad was in Vietnam.
Date: 2018-10-19
From: Delaware Water Gap

To: Wind Gap
Miles today: 15.5

Had breakfast at the pie place with Tommyhawk. Got on the trail at 10 AM with a goal of getting to Wind Gap, 15 and a half miles down the ridge. Guru and Mega had headed out while Tommyhawk and I had breakfast. Tommyhawk needed to go to the outfitter which was closed on weekdays but the owner had agreed to open up for Tommyhawk. Anyway, Tommyhawk and Red Eye left after I did, so the five of us were strung out over several miles across the ridge.This section begins with a roughly 1000 foot climb up from the Deleware River. An hour and a half into today¢s hike, I checked my mileage on Guthook¢s and saw that I was 0.2 miles passed the 900 mile point. I stopped and made a ¢900¢ in the middle of the trail and documented the accomplishment.  I stopped for lunch at Kirkridge Shelter at 12:20. Lunch was a couple of peanut butter and trail mix wraps (see photo) and some Triscuits with cheese.  Trail lore has it that the trail in north eastern Pennsylvania is really rocky. I¢ve been dreading this for some time but not really sure what is meant by ¢really rocky¢ having not yet experienced it yet. The going was fast for the first few miles after lunch as the trail was predominantly smooth with a few rocky parts. Once I got to a point a few tenths from Wolf Rocks, however, it became the opposite: mostly rocky trail with a few smooth patches. For six miles the trail was flat but very rocky, not really large boulder that you walk up and over, but smallish rocks that either moved when you stepped on them or were pointy and fixed in the ground and hurt to step on. The rocks put me in a pretty sour mood. At one point, I tripped on one of the sharp pointy rocks and reopened the wound on my left hand from Monday¢s fall in NY. To get revenge, I took a large belly sized rock and smashed it down on the point of the offending, pointy rock. To my satisfaction, it broke.After the six mile rocky section, I descended into Wind Gap. I caught up to Mega at 4:20 just before the trailhead at PA RT 33, and then Guru at the trailhead. I told them I had a room at the Gateway Motel a couple tenths north on PA 33, and offered to share it with them if they didn¢t mind sleeping on the floor and letting me have the room from 5 to about 6:30 for a teleconference I needed to attend. The two of them weren¢t sure at that point what their plans for the night were, but they left their packs in the room and took an Uber into the town of Wind Gap for dinner. I joined them after my teleconference at the Beer Stein. I also did laundry at the laundromat and did a minor resupply at the convenience store across from the Beer Stein. We took a Lyft back to the motel at about 9:30, and by that point, Guru and Mega had decided to sleep on the floor of the room. The guy in the room next to us was had his tunes turned up a bit loud, so I turned the AC unit¢s fan on.Tonight I am thankful that I¢ve completed 6 miles of Pennsylvania¢s rocky trail, I¢m thankful for a roof over my head and for companionship. I pray that the trail ahead isn¢t mile after mile of what I experienced late afternoon today.