morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2011-08-03
From: Danby, VT

To: Minerva Hinchey Shelter
Miles today: 12.0
Weather: clear sky

Since I stayed up late watching a movie, I just ended up sleeping in a little later than normal. I got up and headed down to the restaurant for breakfast. I got my normal breakfast of eggs, sausage, toast and home fries. After finishing all that off, the owner's wife asked if I wanted anything else. I asked for two more scrambled eggs which she was more than happy to cook for me. I know I needed the calories so I wasn't going to pass up her offer. I headed down to the post office to get my resupply and returned to the room to pack up. I got a shuttle back to the trail head and was on my way. The big breakfast held me through my normal snack time but by lunchtime, I was hungry. I came upon a picturesque pond (see picture). I thought it was a great place for lunch so I stopped to eat. The rest of the hike was quiet and uneventful. When I got to the shelter area, I found a good tent site across an old dirt road from the shelter. I got set up and made dinner. Even though I cooked my food in the tenting area, I still went up to the shelter to socialize with everyone. There folks who were doing all sorts of hikes. Northbound and southbound, on the LT and AT, section hikers and thru-hikers seemed to all be represented. Later on, as I was hanging my food, one of the section hikers seemed to be surprised that I was hanging my food. He asked if I had trouble with bears getting into my food bag. I told him that I hadn't had a bit of trouble. When I told him that, he realized that I didn't have trouble because I did hang my food. Some people seem to be a little too relaxed about how they hang their food. Most of that group don't hang the food properly which will eventually provide an opportunity for a bear. This is a real problem for the bear because they get used to human food and become a problem. A problem bear becomes a dangerous one because they realize that humans mean food. They lose their fear becoming more apt to cause trouble in camps. Eventually, a bear like this must be euthanized. So I am very careful about hanging my food. As hiker midnight approached, I headed for my tent for the evening.
Date: 2011-08-04
From: Minerva Hinchey Shelter

To: Cooper Lodge Shelter
Miles today: 13.8
Weather: light rain

Two miles from the shelter was a road crossing where we could get to a restaurant called the whistlestop. It is an old train station that has been beautifully remodeled into a restaurant. They serve breakfast, lunch and dinner. I got up, had a quick breakfast so I could hike to the restaurant for 2nd breakfast, packed and took off down the trail for the restaurant. I had my usual big breakfast with a couple of blueberry pancakes added in for good measure. When I was almost done eating, "All In" came by to have a meal too. We talked for a while then I decided to get going. It was probably good that I waited because I ate so much food. It's great to be hiking! I can eat anything I want. I just need to be sure to stop eating so much once I'm done hiking. The fun part of the day's hike was the climb up to the shelter near the top of Killington Mountain. It was the longest climb since leaving the big mountains in Virgina. At one of the major road crossings, I met a kind soul who went by the name of "Santas Helper". He was providing trail magic. We talked for a while then I was on my way. Other than that, the hike was pretty mundane. When I got to the shelter, "Persistence" and "Storm", who were hiking the LT, were already at the shelter. I made dinner then headed up to very top of the mountain with them to watch the sunset. When we got there, there was a group of boy scouts that had decided to cowboy camp on the very top of the mountain. They provided the typical 14 year old entertainment that had us chuckling the entire time. I don't think they really paid attention to the beautiful sunset that we watched. We stayed up there long after the sun set to watch the stars come out. There was so little light pollution that dimmest of stars shined brightly. It was truly a special time watching the beauty of the cosmos unfold before us. As we hike, our attention is drawn to the mountains, trees and animals that are here on earth. We forget that there exists other beauty outside of the earth. Tonight we were reminded of this fact. As hiker midnight past we decided to make our way down the mountain back to the shelter area. I discovered how drained my headlamp batteries were. I could not see where I was going unless "Persistence" or "Storm" shined their lamps on the trail in front of me. They had to provide light for me to set up my tent. Once I got all set up, I changed my batteries on my headlamp so I would have a reliable lamp when I needed it. Afterwards, I just went to sleep because it was a long day.
Date: 2011-08-12
From: Moose Mountain Shelter

To: Hexacuba Shelter
Miles today: 17.7
Weather: overcast clouds

It was the first cool night in quite a while. I was glad that I had my winter gear. I would have been ok in my summer bag but a little uncomfortable. My plans for the day was to only hike about 12 miles but that was messed up by the fact that I didn't get out of Hanover soon enough yesterday. Thus, my plan was to hike at least 18, more if I had the energy and time. There were two major climbs plus the vast array of little ones so my work was cut out for me. I got going after breakfast and packing up. I was pleased that I was able to pack everything quickly and get it to fit. It's one thing to work out a packing scheme in a hotel room when there's time but it's important that it be done quickly once out in the wilderness. I made it up the first climb without any trouble. I was even able to keep a good pace. I got a quick snack to keep me going before hitting the second climb. The second climb really took its toll on me. By the time I got to the ledge about 2/3 of the way up, my legs were burning. This wasn't good at all. I had about 7 miles to go including the rest of the climb. I stopped, had some lunch and drank a gatorade. The view from the ledge was great so it was a great place to stop to have lunch. After resting a while I felt good enough to continue but had to cut back on the pace. I struggled up the mountain but finally made it to the top. Even with the fatigue, I still enjoyed the view from the top. The forest reminded me of the area around Roan Mountain. I spent a little bit of time at the shelter talking to a southbounder, then got water for the rest of the trip down the mountain. The descent off the mountain was much easier because there weren't as many rocks to climb around. To me, stepping up onto and climbing around rocks and boulders wears out the legs faster than just a steady upward climb. In planning how far I want to go for a given day, it's hard to gauge because one doesn't know how much technical climbing there is. Normally, it results in just getting to the shelter area a little later than expected. Sometimes, one has to switch to plan "B". The guidebook showed the water source for the shelter to be unreliable. With that in mind, I decided to get my water at a stream 0.4 miles before the shelter. By the time that was done and I hiked the side trail to the shelter, it was about 7pm. I started boiling water, put two packets of Ramen noodles in my put then knocked it over. Yeah, I was tired. Fortunately, I had more food so it wasn't a catastrophe. I stayed in the shelter because of the lack of tenting spots. "Machete", "Peru", "Coyote" and "Lady Sherpa" were at the shelter also. Despite the fatigue, it was a great evening hanging out with them.
Date: 2011-08-13
From: Hexacuba Shelter

To: Hikers Welcome Hostel
Miles today: 14.7
Weather: overcast clouds

Woke up refreshed even though I had trouble getting to sleep the night before. One of the issues with getting to the shelter late and tired is just being wired. It took a couple of hours before I unwound enough to fall asleep. I got up, did some packing, made breakfast without spoiling a drop, finished packing and took off down the trail. I could tell that my legs hadn't recovered completely so the initial part of the hike was a little labored. The mountain I climbed up also had a lot of rock scrambles so that made the trip even slower. The mountain is called Mt. Cuba. Once there, one could see Smarts Mountain with the firetower on top. It was still early in the morning so the fog was laying in the valleys. It was a beautiful view that I just had to soak in for a while. The descent was nice and easy and my reward was some trail magic left by some ladies who were day hiking. I went a little further and found "Santas Helper" on the side of road handing out more food. I thought it was great to have trail magic twice in one day. We talked for a while then headed down the trail. At the next road crossing, I met up with "Coyote" and his family. They were also doing trail magic! Three times in one day was a great treat. I met up with "Whistler" for the first time. We hiked together all the way to the hostel having just a great time talking. On down the trail, we caught up with "Machete" who had just twisted his ankle. Since he was unsure of his ankle, "Whistler" and I decided to slow down just in case he needed help down the trail. We arrived at the hostel without incident. We caught a shuttle to a restaurant that they had a pizza called the Moosilauke Monster. It is a couple of inches thick in the middle. If two people can eat it in less than a hour and a half, it's free. For the first time in the hike, I didn't feel up to a food challenge. I just ate a normal dinner and watched "Machete" and "Peru" take on the challenge. "Peru" didn't make it. Since she wasn't sure she could do it anyways, there was no surprise. "Machete" almost made it and probably would have if "Peru" would have been able to pull it off. It was fun watching them try. Got back to the hostel and saw "Miss Janet". It was good to see her again. After talking with her, I headed upstairs and called it an evening.
Date: 2011-08-15
From: Hikers Welcome rest day

To: Hikers Welcome rest day 2
Miles today: 0.0

Well the rain came and simply soaked the region. Hikers came into the hostel in large numbers. It was in the 50's at night which, combined with the wetness, makes hiking not only uncomfortable but potentially dangerous because of the possibility of hypothermia. It's manageable if one is reasonably careful. All the bunks were full. Some even tented. The day was filled with just working on the journal, talking with other hikers and watching TV. I really want to hike up Moosilauke when it's clear. It's a lot of work to climb up and back down. A great view to enjoy would make that effort worthwhile. The two possibilities I thought of are to wait until Wednesday or take a chance on hiking out midday tomorrow with the how that it will clear off. I guess I'll make the call in the morning. For now rest and relaxation is in order. Ice cream definitely enhances that experience.
Date: 2011-08-16
From: Hikers Welcome rest day 2

To: Hikers Welcome rest 3
Miles today: 0.0

The rain continued from the day before. There was no sign of it letting up until later in the afternoon. I decided to wait another day before hiking again. Most of the folks from the previous night decided to at least head to the shelter just before Moosilauke and wait out the storm there. Some of the folks were getting off the trail at Glencliff so they got rides to bus stations and such. Miss Janet was the main shuttle provider for them. "Moss" decided that she would slack pack southward to avoid the slippery descent on the north part of the trail. She would not get the wonderful views from the top of the mountain but she would at least be able to hike. For me, the day was spent working on the trail journal. After Miss Janet got back from shuttling folks, we decided to go to a nearby city for dinner. She ended up getting a flat tire before getting too far from the hostel. We changed our plans to just getting sandwiches at the local store and eating them at the hostel. By dinner time, the rain had stopped. That have us encouragement that tomorrow would be a good day to hike. I watched part of a movie then decided it was time to go to bed.
Date: 2011-08-18
From: Kinsman Notch

To: Eliza Brook Shelter
Miles today: 7.6
Weather: broken clouds

Got up a little later than normal because I needed the extra sleep. Sleeping in shelters, houses and hostels has always been difficult for me. I sleep very lightly these days. Any noise wakes me up. I headed for a nearby cafe to get breakfast and plan the day's hike. The Whites have some very rugged terrain. I simply can't go 15 miles like I used to. I basically have planed about 10 miles per day, less if I'm leaving or going into town. I decided that I could make a hut just before Ftanconia gap which was a little aggressive but doable of I didn't waste a lot of time. There were 2 shelters before the but that would be a good bailout if I got behind on my hiking. I also had to deal with a sore forearm which kept from being aggressive especially on rock scrambles. There were other considerations that made want to do shorter miles than the 10 per day that I wanted to do. A friend of Chet pick us from the hostel and took us to the trail head. I got going on the trail after taking care of last minute business. There wasn't a lot of views so the hiking was confined to a green tunnel. The neat thing about New Hampshire is that the vegetation is very diverse. I'm not knowledgeable about plants so I couldn't identify much of what I saw. Even with that lack of knowledge, it was still interesting to see all different plant life. After hiking for a while, I stopped to get water. I noticed that my filter was starting to act up. It still was pumping ok but I could tell that it wasn't working as well as it had been. I do carry bleach as backup treatment but I don't like to use it because of the poor taste. It was clear that I needed to go back into town to get another filter. That would have a big effect on my hiking plans. No longer was it necessary to hike long miles today. The distance between road crossings is about 18 miles. If I hiked a long distance, say about 11 miles, all that would do is make the next day shorter at the expense of making today harder. That didn't make a lot of sense to me. Thus I decided to stop where I did. The great thing was that I met up with "Jelly Pants" who I hadn't seen for about a week. "Grin", who I met got the first time, and "Chop Sticks" were also there. Another hiker showed up very late so I didn't get a chance to meet him. "Jelly Pants" and I decided to head into town together so we agreed to get up early in the morning and get going. After dinner, it was off to bed.
Date: 2011-08-19
From: Eliza Brook Shelter

To: Franconia Notch
Miles today: 9.0
Weather: few clouds

Franconia Notch. 8/19.Total distance 9.0 miles. [great weather and views. Had soup at lonesome lake hut. Came into town to get water filter.] "Jelly Pants" and I got up early and got going. We wanted to get to town early while stopping and enjoying things along the way. We were immediately faced with a long climb to the top of Kinsman. The climb was worth out though. After staying up there a while we continued on towards the next shelter for water. At that point, my water filter completely failed. I had to switch to bleach for water treatment. It works but there is a little bit of a funny taste. The shelter is located next to a pond. There are mountains all around. It was a beautiful setting. We headed to the first hut on the trail while in the Whites. These huts can accommodate 30-60 people with meals. There are several people there who cook and help out with the facility. Thru-hikers can stay for free by doing work for stay if there are slots available. We went there to get a bowl of soup for lunch. "All In" and "Quest Seeker" were there having lunch when we arrived. They headed out before we did but said that we would meet us at the road crossing for town. The rest of the hike was on some of the easiest terrain since entering the Whites. We all got to the Flume visitor center where we arranged for a shuttle to take us to town. I started in North Woodstock while everyone else stayed in the hostel. I really needed to get some sleep so the hostel just wasn't going to work for me. (I'm too light of a sleeper to stay in a bunkhouse or hostel) After getting settled in, I headed for the outfitters to get a replacement water filter. The only complete filter they had to offer that was light and compact was a model that I had seen fail on the trail twice. Definitely wasn't going to get that one. They offered all the replacement parts for mine except for the part that broke. I decided to try my best to repair the one I had.
Date: 2011-08-20
From: Franconia Notch

To: Stealth site before Garland
Miles today: 8.3

I decided to give the outfitters another visit. While working with my filter last night, I figured out that the filter was just so clogged that the pump had the appearance of being broken. I took my pump down there and tried a new filter cartridge. It worked. I bought it confident that I had found the problem. I met everyone at the hostel and arranged a shuttle back to the trail head. "Jelly Pants" and I decided to go as far as we could given the time we had remaining in the day. One idea was to head up to a camping area near the first peak which is called Liberty. We could then hike the ridge that connects several peaks together the next day. The climb was long and steep enough that we thought that given the time remaining in the day, that's all we would be able to do. When we got there, the caretaker said that all the spots had been reserved by a couple of groups. We also got up there much quicker than we thought we would so it was clear, we would go on. We got water at which time I discovered that my filter was still not working. Fortunately, it was a spring so I didn't have to treat it. We finished the climb up to the ridge. The next mile or so was in the trees so there wasn't much to see. But when we finally got above the treeline, we were treated to some of the most awesome views I've seen on the trail. It was better than Moosilauke. I write this to encourage all who read it to make the trip to this wonderful region of the country and see this for yourselves. I did a couple of videos and took lots of pictures but realize that it isn't enough. Words cannot describe, pictures cannot capture the majesty and beauty that we witnessed up on this ridge. It must be experienced. We hiked to the next peak and went wow again. When we got to the last peak, we could look back at ridge that we just hiked. It was an incredible day of hiking. This was true even with my arm getting reinjured. I had to climb up a rock on the way to Mt Lincoln. Not even thinking about my left arm, I tried to pull myself up. The pain just shot through my body. I let go of the rock and fell back into the brush. I was once again in constant pain and unable to get up the rock with my pack on. I handed my pack to "Jelly Pants" and tried again. Without the pack, I was able to make it up. The rest of the day, my arm ached. It was clear that it was more serious than I originally thought. It was getting late enough that making it to the next camping area was not possible. We had both gotten enough water where we could just camp off the trail in an area that met the requirements for camping. (distance from trail and water sources). We found a great spot, set up camp, ate and hit the sack. All we could talk about is how great the hike was. We enjoyed fantastic views in some of the best weather one could ask for.
Date: 2011-08-23
From: Crawford Notch, parking area

To: North Conway, rest day
Miles today: 0.0

I slept in then got up and ran downstairs for the continental breakfast. I not really fond of these while I'm hiking because it just doesn't hold me until lunch. Given that breakfast was light, I decided to go to the other side of town and get 2nd breakfast at a McDonalds there. By the time I got back, I was exhausted. The cold I was fighting really started to drag me down physically. I got back to the room and took an hour long nap. I got up, headed for the hospital, ate a late lunch there then headed to the doctor's office for my appointment. As I sat in the "cast" room, waiting for the doctor, I couldn't help but chuckle about how the room looked like a strange mixture of a medical facility and a craft room. Along with the sophisticated equipment, there was all the materials related to making casts such as plaster, cloth, mixing bowls, etc. The artistic side of me wanted to do a sculpture using all of these materials. I'm sure the hospital staff wouldn't approve but the temptation was there. The doctor's arrival squelched whatever temptation there was to do a sculpture with the cast materials. She confirmed the diagnosis and decided that because I was hiking, a elbow to wrist cast wasn't going to be practical. I ended up in a brace that I could take off when I need to. After the appointment, I went to dinner then headed for the hotel to watch some TV and relax.
Date: 2011-08-24
From: North Conway, rest day

To: North Conway rest day 2
Miles today: 0.0

Decided to let my arm rest at least one more day. After talking to a several in the hiking community, I had a tough decision to make about how much rest I needed to take. Webster Cliffs which would be the section I would do once I got back on the trail is loaded with hand over hand climbing. This will be a challenge with my left arm out of commission. I know my rock climbing experience will help out a lot but the question is: Is it doable? I have all day to think this through. I got up and had the continental breakfast at the hotel. Later, I headed to the downtown area for second breakfast at a cafe that had outside seating off of the second story that overlooked the town. It was a cool setting for breakfast. Afterwards, I walked to the other side of town to a grocery store for resupply, then to an outfitter to look for a replacement pump for my water filter and a shoe store for a new pair of Crocs. I basically just wandered around town taking care of resupply and gear issues. I went back to the hotel room and took nap. The cold was still dragging me down a little but not as bad as the day before. I grabbed dinner at an Irish restaurant then headed for bed. By the time I was done with dinner, I decided to continue hiking in the morning. Staying in town is expensive but the main reason for continuing the hike if that I believe that I could handle the rock scrambles that I would encounter. My plan was to do low miles to give myself time to tackle each one of the rock scrambles carefully.