morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2018-07-04
From: Glen Brook Shelter 

To: Tom Leonard Shelter 
Miles today: 14.3

Today I was excited to get hiking because I was going to meet my daughter and her fianc© in Great Barrington, MA. But first I had to hike to the highway where she was going to meet me and I was still eight miles away. I left camp in a hurry so I didn¢t put on bug spray. Well that was a big mistake. The trail passed through quite a bit of swappy area. Once in Great Barrington, our first stop was to the South Barrington Civic Center because you can buy a day pass there for $5 and swim or better yet take a shower. It was a holiday so the Center was closed. I asked them to pull into a hotel and went inside and asked if we could pay to take a shower. They gave us a room for $30. We also did laundry. Then off to lunch, resupply at the grocery and then No Filter ran into the local Outfitter which is really more of a furniture store but he was able to buy new shoes. The thermometer at the bank said 95 as we headed back to the trail to add six more miles to our daily total. It was over a thousand foot climb. With the heat it was a hard six - seven miles. When we arrived at camp we had to go .25 miles down a very steep incline to get water. And then we had to climb back up to camp, of course. I had a great time with my daughter and her fianc© so my 4th of July exceeded expectations. She even did some trail magic by driving Pacer into town to his hostel and giving him a Gatorade.
Date: 2018-07-05
From: Tom Leonard Shelter 

To: Upper Goose Pond Shelter 
Miles today: 20.0

When Bill Bryson wrote, "A Walk in the Woods" he must have been thinking of this section of trail. We walked through beautiful woods almost all day. We did cross through some small pastures and a few small swampy areas but most of the day was a nice, but hot walk in the woods. I especially love the pine forest and today we passed through some of the largest ones yet. The only ones to compare were in the Smokies. My hiker hunger was raging wildly when and we still had a mile to go to the designated lunch spot. When we popped out of the woods onto a road and saw a sign advertising refreshments, it was a no brainer. I have seen this particular spot on You Tube and read about it on other Journals. It works totally on the honor system. They offer soft drinks and a good variety of snacks and farm fresh eggs. Eventually we reached Upper Goose Pond Cabin which is the most decadent shelters on the trail. They have a cabin with bunk beds complete with mattresses similar to what you get in most hostels. It features a beautiful pond you can swim in and the volunteer caretakers make you blueberry pancakes for breakfast. The bunks were all taken when Irish and I arrived so we are tenting with Batman and his dog, Robin, in the woods behind the cabin. Naturally that means it¢s going to rain but that¢s ok at least it will cool down. Speaking of the heat, No Filter has been suffering from it the most. His brother came to visit so he will be off the trail for a day or two. I need to post on because I want to summit before a special family event in mid August. I wish No Filter happy trails and hopefully we can reunite in time to climb Mount Katahdin.
Date: 2018-07-06
From: Upper Goose Pond Shelter 

To: Dalton, MA - Tom Levardi's 
Miles today: 20.6

You got 'a be careful what you wish for. We had all been waiting for the hot weather to break and it finally did. We enjoyed the pancake breakfast at Upper Goose Pond Cabin. Well sort of, the caretaker and a hiker had a small squabble so I only got two small pancakes. But back to the weather, we were lucky that the rain waited until we had packed up. So we didn¢t have to carry wet gear all day but before long we were all in a torrential downpour. I chuckled to myself when we passed some section hikers in rain gear. I would have done that several months ago. Not now, I just power on and if I stop and get chilled then I put on my jacket to warm up.  We made good miles despite the rain. The temperatures were much more comfortable. We stopped at a shelter around 11:00 am for a snack. We heard that Spot had friends down at the road hosting trail magic. We asked how far we would have to walk. When we heard that it was only two miles to the road there was no question. We were on our way there. Eureka! We made it! They had sandwich¢s, drinks and lots of snack food. Thanks to Spot's friends for the trail magic. We then made our way into Dalton, Massachusetts. We tried to get a room at the only hotel in town but it was sold out. So we walked over to Tom Lervardi's. Tom is an icon on the trail. He has been letting people camp in his backyard free of charge for 39 years. He only asks that you are quite for the neighbors and respectful. He give shuttles around town too. We walked to the town recreation center for showers. If my friends could only see me now. We went to a local microbrewery for dinner. They had live entertainment. I always enjoy live music. What a great end to the day.
Date: 2018-07-07
From: Dalton, MA - Tom Levardi's 

To: Wilbur Clearing Shelter
Miles today: 21.6
Weather: clear sky

Tom Levardi joined us for breakfast at the local cafe. Having served as the local trail angel for 39 years, he has a wealth of knowledge about the trail. He has met many of the famous trail icons including Earl Schaeffer himself, the original thru-hiker. Tom has scaled it back a little from his peak but still hosted over 800 hikers last year by letting them camp in his backyard. After breakfast, he gave us a ride to the local store to resupply. Then we were off to hike over three mountains including: North, Saddle Ball, and Mt Greylock. Along the way we hiked through Cheshire. We stopped at the local ice cream store for sandwiches and ice cream. Irish must have liked the ice cream because he had three servings. After lunch we climbed Mt Greylock. It is the biggest climb we have conquered in over 700 miles. The climb started at about 1000 ft. and went to 3500 ft. It was fun. It felt like we were back in Georgia, North Carolina or Tennessee again. At the top there was a large monument and a lodge. I was lucky enough to catch my wife on the phone and show her the view of the valley below on FaceTime. I really enjoyed that. The camp tonight is full of familiar faces including: Batman and Robin, Spoons, Eddie, Steam Wheeler and Dirt Devil.
Date: 2018-07-08
From: Wilbur Clearing Shelter

To: Congdon Shelter 
Miles today: 17.1

We need to hike 17 miles a day to make our target completion date. A big challenge to say the least since we have the toughest terrain still to cover. When we go over 17 miles we can bank the extra miles to apply toward "nearos" (near zero) or zeros. If we fall short we have to find a way to make up the shortfall. So today our shelter options were 17 or 23 miles away and involved two steep climbs of approximately 2000 feet or more. So naturally we chose the 23 mile option but first we needed to stop in a small town 1/2 mile off the trail to top off our food bags. We have been staying as light as possible especially until we become accustomed to the big climbs again. Also I developed an infection on my big toe from walking in wet socks all day a few days ago. I needed to decide if I would seek medical attention while in town or walk another 60 miles to Manchester to the next large town. I elected to self treat the wound and keep moving down the trail. It took much longer in town than expected so the 23 mile option was off the table. This was probably a good thing since my toe was pounding with each step. We soon reached the Vermont state line and stopped with Ironman and another gentleman for pictures. He asked how my hike was going and I mentioned my concern about my toe. He asked a few questions and I quickly realized he had some experience and so I asked him to take a look. Turns out that he was a doctor. He confirmed that I had done the right treatment. It made me feel better that a trained professional examined it in person. We pressed on but I moved slowly to lessen the impact on my toe. We passed the 1600 mile mark, another good milestone. We passed a beaver pond and saw 5-6 beavers swimming around.  This was very cool indeed. The hike took longer than expected but we are safe and warm in our tents now. Also, we were able to enjoy some good food while we were in town. There are only three states to go, but three tough ones.
Date: 2018-07-12
From: Congdon Shelter 

To: Manchester Center, Vermont
Miles today: 96.0

Over the last three days we have navigated our way through the beautiful Green Mountains of Vermont. They are comprised of beautiful hardwoods which mingle intermittently with beautiful pine groves. We climbed over several large climbs over Glasstonberry, Stratton and Bromly mountains. Naturally, Stratton and Bromley are ski resorts so that made them a little bit unique and indistinguishable from each other. We saw a number of beaver ponds and their dams. It never ceases to amaze me how such small animals can design, engineer and build such amazing structures. Upon our arrival in Manchester my first call of duty was to go to the urgent care to seek some treatment for my toe which has become infected. They gave me excellent service and I walked out with antibiotics which should do the job. Irish and I have a greed to wait until tomorrow morning to depart from town. Hopefully, a day will give the medicine enough time to kick in. We need to get pushing north again in order to meet our timeline. While in Manchester we managed to get to the outfitter, grocery store, laundry, and to enjoy a nice dinner. I also was able to get a haircut. Sorry Mary, hopefully she left you enough to work with when I get back in town.
Date: 2018-07-13
From: Inn At Long Trail 

To: Winturri Shelter
Miles today: 18.0

The inn at Long Trail has an Irish Bar and Grill. I am traveling with a guy from Ireland and his trail name is Irish. Guess where we spent the evening. We had a great time chatting with the owners and locals and a few Long Trail hikers. We each had two dinners and a couple of pints of Gueniess and played some darts. We had a really good time and a good diversion from the trail. The lodge was old and had a lot of cool artifacts. Many of the features were built by hand from the woods around the area. To top it off, they provided a fantastic breakfast. That of course got us off to a late start, we arrived at camp around 7 pm which was a little later than I prefer. The day was ideal for hiking. It was warm and sunny but not overly hot. Today was the first day we have seen numerous SOBO¢s(south bounds). We met Squatch, Rebound, Chezzy, Scout and a few others. They all took about six weeks to get here from Katahdin. We only have four weeks to get there so we have our work cut out for us but at least we have our trail legs and they are just getting theirs. We went around Kent pond. It was gorgeous. The rest of the day we attacked a series of climbs. They were steeper and longer than we have had in a while so I moderated my pace. The last one seemed the hardest and it was only about 400 feet or 40 stories. I think I was running out of gas. Could it have anything to do with going to an Irish Pub with an Irishman? Hmmmmm. I don¢t know but the forest was beautiful today so it was a rewarding day in any event.
Date: 2018-07-14
From: Winturri Shelter

To: Happy Hill Shelter 
Miles today: 22.0

We are starting to meet more SOBO¢s. Based on their description of the White Mountains and the southern portion of Maine, we really have our work cut out for us if we want to reach Kathadin by August 12. So we were determined to hike at least 20 miles today. The hiking was more of deju vu all over again. We saw beautiful woods changing to pine groves and then meadows over and over. And let¢s not forget the three to four hard climbs. We made our goal covering over 22 miles. We stopped for first lunch at Loon and Firefly's back porch. They are 2016 thru hikers that are renovating a 1881 vintage farm house just off the AT. They have a refrigerator on the back porch full of goodies you can buy. We had a nice chat with them. We stopped at a shelter for second lunch and then at a trail angel's house in West Hartford. West Hartford was devastated by hurricane Irene. After that we had a final three mile climb to camp. We were informed that was no water there. The water source is dry. So we had to pack six to eight pounds of water the last three miles. Did I mention it rained off and on all day? Just when my infected toe was getting better. Wet socks all day. My toe is throbbing again as I lay here typing on my phone. Well at least I made it over 20 miles in tough conditions to camp. Tomorrow we will reach Hanover, New Hampshire which is the home of Dartmouth College. I have never been to New Hampshire. I am looking forward to seeing the Dartmouth.
Date: 2018-07-15
From: Happy Hill Shelter 

To: Mink Brook 
Miles today: 17.0

The trail out of camp was fairly forgiving but I felt tired and a bit sore from the first mile today. We had a short six mile walk into Hanover, New Hampshire, the home of Dartmouth College. As we entered town we realized that it was a hiker friendly town. All along the street leading to town were coolers with trail magic. One very large home even had a sign out saying thru-hikers were welcome to use their pool. In town businesses offered everything from a free donut to a slice of pizza. I really wanted a shower and laundry but all the usual facilities were closed because it was Sunday. I was sitting outside the grocery co-op and a lady leaving the store said we looked cleaner than most thru-hikers and when I laughed and explained that the showers and laundry were closed she said we could come over to her house to clean up. Hanover is known to have a long list of trail angels offering such things so after some debate we made the ten minute walk over to her house. It was a placial house with a six car garage and a large pool house out back. Suddenly I felt very self conscience so Irish and I left and went back to the trail. I think most hikers would have taken advantage of the offer. Back to the trail for me. It was very hot and despite a good meal from town I was still struggling. We cut the hike sort by two miles so we wouldn¢t have a two mile up hill walk carrying water because the water source at the camp was known to be dry. It was good to get to camp earlier today and get settled in. It¢s 7:00 pm, time for bed, so hopefully I will have more energy tomorrow. Oh and my toe is between it being very sore and healing so I am a bit concerned because we are very close to the White Mountains which is the most rigorous part of the AT.
Date: 2018-07-16
From: Mink Brook 

To: Jacobs Brook 
Miles today: 21.4

Welcome to New Hampshire. Every state seems to start and end with some of its toughest terrain. As if they are trying to make a lasting impression. Yesterday as we left Hanover it was a short but very steep climb. In that it¢s the first time we have encountered a rope to assist us. The fun continued this morning as we made our way over the north and south peaks of Moose Mountain. After summiting Moose Mountain we experienced more of the heavily wooded forest. While it is nice you really don¢t get any exceptional views. It was very hot again and it has been dry for a long time. Many of the smaller brooms are dried up now. That means water sources are few and far between. Hikers are spreading the word around on where you can find water. Today we had two water arrows of eight miles each. At two pounds per liter that makes the hike much tougher. At the first water stop we had lunch with some SOBO¢s. We see about ten a day now. We ask a lot of questions about the White Mountains. Interesting enough they don¢t ask us nearly as many questions. After lunch we took on our toughest challenge in some time. We climbed Smart Mountain. The climb started at around 900 feet and went to over 3200 feet and stretched for four miles. The last mile was the steepest climb in over 1700 Miles. We were aided by rebar steps at one point. We stealth camped along another Brook and several of the younger hikers were swimming while we had dinner. Tomorrow is another long climb and it is supposed to rain all day. A couple people went four extra miles to avoid going over the rock ledges in the rain. I would have if I thought I could. The heat combined with the long climbs were enough for one day.
Date: 2018-07-17
From: Jacobs Brook 

To: Hikers Welcome Hostel
Miles today: 16.2

Everyone was up early and hoping to get over Mt Cube before the rain. Somehow we were the last ones out of camp. I felt good and wanted to hustle but you can¢t out run the rain. It started pouring as we went over the rock ledges. They were beautiful but very slick. Fortunately, I didn't fall this time. As we made our way down the backside of the mountain it started to thunder. We passed where the omelette man has his stand. He makes omelettes to order along the trail. It was pouring rain but we heard that he had an awning up. Oh no! We learned that after several years of him being there the forest service shut him down the day before we came through. That was a big disappointment. We hiked on to ultimately get to the hostel. There were not very good reviews online for what you get but we were glad to have clean clothes and a place to dry out. On we go to the White Mountains.
Date: 2018-07-18
From: Hikers Welcome Hostel

To: Kinsman Kotch
Miles today: 10.0

Rumors on the trail indicated that Mt Moosilauke would be quite difficult. So we decided we would take advantage of the slack pack offer from the hostel. We got impatient waiting for them to get started so we loaded our full packs and headed up the mountain. We immediately had to ford one of the most challenging water crossings yet. It was a long slow climb. Much of it required hand over hand climbing rendering our hiking poles useless. Cow joined Irish and myself along the way. As we approached the summit SOBOs were wearing jackets and telling us about 40 mph winds and cold temperatures at the top. As we emerged above the tree line for the first time in the White Mountains the views were spectacular. The sky was clear blue and I was suddenly happy that I was on this journey again. This is what I had envisioned. We took pictures at the summit and ducked behind a rock wall for a wind break to enjoy lunch. The views of the wind blowing the tall grass as other hikers proceeded up the mountain were awesome. We soon realized we still needed to make it back to the bottom so we proceeded down a very steep decent. Fox was going to the Notch Hostel and we decided to join him. They were full so we had to camp in the back yard. It was still a great place and we enjoyed town food and a nice warm shower.
Date: 2018-07-20
From: Liberty Springs Trailhead

To: Garfield Ridge campsite
Miles today: 11.0

Mount Liberty, Little Haystack Mountain, Mount Lafayette, Mount Lincoln and Mount Garfield all had something to say about my high expectations for big miles in the White Mountain range. These mountains all had steep rocky climbs that went on for significant distances. The downhills were no picnic either. But when we got above the tree line the views we fabulous. The sky was bright blue and we could see for miles. I felt the need to share this with my wife because she has made tremendous sacrifices for me to be on this trip. I felt it only fair to share with her what I have walked so far to see. I called her on FaceTime and showed her the panoramic views. I felt fortunate that I had good cell coverage from the top.  It was hot again and there were no water sources until we reached the first shelter. It was already almost 5 so we stopped for the day. We had to set up on tent platforms and my tent is not designed for that so I hope it will hold up in the high winds tonight. There are about a half dozen thru-hikers in camp tonight and I think they all are a little beaten up and had higher expectations for mileage. So all in all, I feel good about the day.
Date: 2018-07-21
From: Garfield Ridge campsite

To: Crawford Notch
Miles today: 18.0

It was only three miles to the Galehead Hut and the caretaker at camp said there would be leftover food available to thru-hikers from the breakfast they serve to guests. So off we went, but first we had to navigate down Mt Garfield which is the steepest downhill on the trail. We were rewarded with leftover cookies and pancakes. The cookies were a bit overdone but we didn¢t care. They disappeared quickly.  We hiked off and on with Bluejay, Pace car, Pay it Forward and Fritz. We all had heard that the next two days would have bad weather so we were determined to make it to the highway, 17 miles away to position ourselves to get up Mt Washington the next day, if possible. Mt Washington is well known for being dangerous in bad weather. Irish and I needed to go to town to resupply. The first car we saw stopped to pick us up. He took us most of the way to town and dropped us off at a gas station. Irish found us another ride while I called around looking for a hotel. Luckily, Irish found some day hikers that dove us around until we found a suitable hotel. There was a restaurant a short walk down the highway but it was close to closing time. So we hurriedly walked down with two nice couples. They let us sit with them despite the fact we didn¢t have time to shower. Some of the other guests shot us some looks. We felt self consciousness but our hunger won the battle and we stayed. The couples ended up buying our dinner! It was totally unexpected. I will make sure I get the their names right and properly thank our new trail angels tomorrow.
Date: 2018-07-22
From: Bartlett, New Hampshire near Crawford Notch

To: Mt Washington, New Hampshire
Miles today: 0.0

One of the iconic spots on the AT is Mt Washington. It is widely known for having some of the most severe weather in the world. The highest wind speed ever recorded was 231 mph on top of the mountain. We looked up at the mountain, the weather forecast was for winds over 65 mph, rain and thunderstorms. Winds over 50 can certainly blow you around and you are hiking on wet rocks but the possibility of lightning in the exposed area above the tree line resulted is us taking a day off for safety. Our trail angels from the night before Tara, Janine, Ken and Doug took us 10 miles up the road for groceries. It was awesome to get some fruit and fresh food. On the way back, Irish wanted to stop for Dunkin' Donuts because he had never had them before. They were nice enough to accommodate. Thanks again to our new friends. The great people you meet along the trail certainly restore your faith in humanity. We hope the forecast is better tomorrow but we will probably go up Mt Washington either way.