morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2005-08-13
From: Firewardens cabin

To: Glencliff
Miles today: 20.0

I had a good night in the cabin and hiked out in search of water. Jacobs brook was flowing strong and i filled up there. Just as i finished treating my water the skys opened. A weather system had rolled in from no where.On the way up mt Cube i stopped into Hexacuba shelter to escape the rain. Darmouth outting club had built this shelter and i guess they assigned the task to the geometry class. The shelter was in the shape of a hexagon and the privy a pentagon. The day started to clear up and so i went up and over the rest of Cube mtn. My indecision today has been painful. I could not decided whether or not to push for Glencliff. My mind was briefly taken off this matter when the bugs got nasty between Cape moonshine road and One hill shelter. I decided to push on into Glencliff and get a hostel room for the night. This way i could do my laudry and dry off before starting the whites.I was happy to see the hostel and walked in there dripping wet, then the warmth of the room steamed up my glasses! I was waiting for whoever was in charge to let me know the rules but nobody came forward. The guy who was in charge was called fat chap, which is not ironic like little john's was. I got some hotdogs and tried to figure out where everything was. I went up to fat chap and asked him where i could do laudry and he replied 'outside under the marque' then i asked if it was available and he rudely snapped 'why dont you go look'. His tone of voice was most disagreeable. I think he was probably bullied in his youth for being overweight, so when a skinny guy like me turns up he see's it as an opportunity to vent his anger. I heard that he jumped down other peoples throats, for example someone asked him if they could help out by cleaning the rugs and fat chap shouted 'look outside' while pointing his stubby finger at the window. 'Its raining outside which means people will walk in with muddy boots - so theres no point in cleaning them!'. Even though he was an asshole to everyone during my stay im sure he means well, just not gifted with great social skills.The highlight of the night was watching 'Lion kings' A.T movie called 'walking with freedom'. Further more he was actually staying here tonight. Very nice guy and his film was really good. It certainly got me excited for the terrain ahead. Time to get back to some real hiking.Dandylion
Date: 2005-08-14
From: Glencliff

To: Beaver Brook shelter
Miles today: 7.9
Weather: light rain

The weather was adverse this morning so i decided to wait till 11am before taking off. I got some extra supplies, made some phonecalls and wondered if it would ever clear up. I rang my friend Karen and had a nice long conversation. I eventually got my stuff together and started my climb up Moosilauke. The climb was long and steady but i was driven by the prospect of being above treeline. The sun seemed to be breaking through and i was hopeful of views on the summit. I came out the short alpine trees and it was awesome. I felt like i was coming up for air after being under water. The view was not completely clear but windows would open for a few minutes at a time, truely beautiful.I had doubts to whether i would rise to the challenge ahead and i know i can. I suddenly wished there was more than 100 miles of this. I realised i had been counting miles too much of late and so today i decided to sit up here for a couple of hours and just hike a few more miles.I hiked to the shelter with mr clean and even he could not help but feel refreshed by moosilauke. We have been in the woods too long and if the whites are as good as this the rest of the way, im in for a good time. I got a tentsite near the shelter which was crowded. I was smiling from cheek to cheek today, i love feeling this good.Dandylion
Date: 2005-08-15
From: Beaver Brook shelter

To: Lonesome lake hut
Miles today: 15.0

I was the first one out of the butlins camp this morning. The climb down from Moosilauke was painfully slow. The wooden steps inserted into the rock faces were very slick. It took me 1 hour 20mins to cover the first 1.6 miles! I think i was over cautious but it would be a crime to get hurt at this stage. The terrain to Eliza brook shelter was bumpy but nothing too hard. I didnt take a long break for lunch because i knew that if i did i may not get work for stay at the hut. After lunch i started my climb up Kinsman. I didnt expect a scramble but enjoyed it immensley. There is a certain beauty in scaling up the rocks in a kilt, something very right about it, something very strong and manly.From the top of Kinsman i could see Franconia ridge. I was excited about the prospect of being up there in beautiful weather, especially when its claimed to be the most scenic part of the trail. I met a day hiker on South Kinsman's vista and she gave me some awesome trailmix.Coming down to the hut i passed alot of dayhikers which will be the norm for the coming week.I was the first to arrive at the hut and secured my first work for stay. In the whites the AMC (Appalachian mountain club) have set up a network of huts to cater for shall we say, 'pretend hikers'. Whats even more shocking is that these people pay $75 a night to stay, they even have to pack out their own trash and put up with being patronised by these college kids who run the huts. I had to see what sort of people do that.Mr clean and bear both got work for stay with me but kaboos and shags came along too late. I felt bad for the guys who had to move on.They didnt work us too hard but we didnt get too many leftovers between us. The best thing about staying here tonight in the dry was it rained for much of the night.Dandylion
Date: 2005-08-16
From: Lonesome lake hut

To: Franconia Notch
Miles today: 2.9
Weather: light rain

We decided to wait for breakfast which consisted of pancakes. I had hoped for more food but this was better than nothing. They told us to go easy on the syrup because they were low on it so Bear made a point of using alot, he turned to me and said 'you need alot of syrup with pancakes'.It was a perfect day but i had the burden of resupplying in North Woodstock hanging over me. I so very much just wanted to hike on and start the climb up onto Franconia ridge.Me and Mr clean walked a side trail to the flume visitor centre so we could use the phone to call for a shuttle to town. We had to wait an hour for the ride so in the meantime i decided to phone Jim and Pam whom i had hiked with back in those early days in Georgia. When i mentioned where i was to Jim he made me an offer i couldnt refuse, let him pick me up. I was only reluctant to take a day off because it was such a clear day. I went to lunch with Clean,bug and ms pris. Soon after Jim and Pam arrived and off we went. They took me to a viewing point where i could see where the old man in the rock use to be. The old man in the rock was a natural rock outcrop which from a certain angle looks like a mans face. It features on coins, road signs and license plates in this state but in 2003 tradegy struck. On a foggy day reports came in of a terrible loud crashing noise in the area. When the fog cleared the old man was gone, they thought about rebuilding him but eventually the local government accepted the old mans fate. Jim and Pams home was very charming in a nice New England neighbourhood. Jim made me spaghetti and meatballs and i must of had 3 portions followed down with some ice cream. I spent some time updating my journal and then Pam showed me my room for the night. My bed had one of those lovely Cotton flease blankets, so soft. We had a good time catching up and i think i may stay tomorrow aswell.Dandylion
Date: 2005-08-17
From: Franconia Notch

To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

I could not lay in despite my comfortable predictament. You can take the boy out of the woods but not the woods out of the boy.Jim was happy i had decided to stay and will get me back on the trail tomorrow. It was great to relax and eat all day. Later on after me and Jim had some extensive political debate we went Grocery shopping. They wouldnt let me buy anything, i really have lucked out with the people i've met on the trail!I also had my first Dunkin Donuts experience. The coffee was killer and the donuts possibly the reason 60% of this nation is overweight!Jim pointed out to me the fact that in this small town there were 2 dunkin donuts on the same road. This nation is a slave to Caffine. I hear that its not uncommon for people to drink 10 cups a day. The nations economy is not driven by oil but by coffee, thats why Americans are so productive.We had a marvellous grilled diner and they suprised me with a ice cream birthday cake. Yes tomorrow is my birth day, im slowly becoming a man. Soon I'll be able to grow a beard as opposed to the fuzz i have now. I'm just taking it one year at a time.Dandylion
Date: 2005-08-18
From: Franconia Notch

To: Near Galehead hut
Miles today: 13.1
Weather: broken clouds

We got on the road early and i was treated to a hardy birthday breakfast. On the way back to the trail I accepted Jims kind offer to pick me up from Katahdin. I said my goodbyes till next time and started my climb up liberty mtn. When i got up onto the ridge I could see for miles around, perfect day. I took many pictures just hoping one will do this day justice. The ridge itself was eye catching, dramatic rock outcrops along the ridge. I took breaks on every peak along the ridge and could see Mt Washington in the distance. The black smoke coming from the train that runs up there highlighted which one it was. I was given a few snacks by a couple of curious day hikers on top of Lafayette. After all the excitement on the ridge i came down to Galehead hut and ran into Livestrong once again. Every couple of weeks we always run into eachother. He was hiking with Whitewater and Nurse rauchet, both had the thickest southern accents on the trail. They said there was no more work for stay but i got wind of a good stealth spot nearby. At the stealth spot i found 'Just Bob' who has also hiked the PCT. He says that he was glad he did the PCT before this one or he may of never of hiked again. The town food ive been eating played havoc with my inners after i set up my tent. Happy Birthday to me. Dandylion
Date: 2005-08-19
From: Near Galehead hut

To: Ethan Pond campsite
Miles today: 11.7
Weather: broken clouds

I was so tired this morning i decided just to forget time and sleep. Just Bob was long gone before i got up. I was lucky enough to get my tent packed up before it started raining.As i came down Guyot mtn and out of the fog i started to wonder if i had taken the wrong trail. I was being followed by a section hiker called 'stop for berries'. He was not sure if we were on the same path. He was from NY and used the word friggin extensively in his sentences. It turned out we were on the trail and we took refuge in Zealand Falls hut. Its the smallest service Hut provided by the AMC. I bought some hot soup and a coffee to warm up my insides. Gozar among others was there. Me and Gozar spend most of our interactions exchanging suggestive comments to freak everyone around us out. Its our little joke we have whereby we have to out flatter eachother. I then got a big suprise when Jude walked in. I last saw him in north carolina. The reason he got behind me was he went to this wedding and then hiked some sections out of order since he was there.He had a shaven head so i didnt recognize him at first.I built up the courage to move on eventually in the cold to Ethan pond shelter. as i came in, this fat guy told me not to make a mess in the shelter since he had just cleaned it up!!! I couldnt believe some loser hiker out for a week is telling me to be tidy! I was not happy about it but later on he was really nice to me. Gave me some good snacks he didnt need. I cooked my meal under a canopy set up away from the shelter with a big group. One group cooked a huge pot of macaroni cheese for themselves, as if they were working a homeless shelter. Later on a fellow countryman came along. His name was Mike and he really won our hearts over when he gave me and Gozar a frisbee sized Cookie. Generosity is a great attribute of a man, especially when he has cookies. I managed to avoid paying for my stay in the 3 sided shelter as the caretaker was not there. The AMC is directly linked to the devil himself, so i try to avoid paying any money to them. They want to protect the Alpine zone by building great big huts that attract people to the mountains that otherwise would not dare venture out here without their luxuries. I still take advantage of the huts if i can, so im not a true partisan.Dandylion
Date: 2005-08-20
From: Ethan Pond campsite

To: Mizpah hut
Miles today: 9.3
Weather: fog

The rain was coming down all night and still had not seized by the morning. Gozar decided to take a zero day here and i was so very tempted to join him but i thought i may aswell make a few miles. Watching Gozar yogi food off the weekend hikers was amusing. In urban areas it would be called begging! Yogi-ing is the art of letting food be offered to you, however Gozar was going around saying 'im collecting food so you have to carry it'. He almost made it sound like he was doing them a favour! He did score some good food.I moved on down to Crawford Notch and the sun actually broke out. The weather is crazy around here, hard to predict whats going to happen. When i got to the road the 3 guys (bear and co) were getting ready to hit the trail after getting off for a day to hang out in Hanover with friends. Tough climb up to Webster cliffs but once up there it was fun moving from peak to peak. There was a good scramble up mt Jackson where i passed two old folks with huge packs. I later heard from Kaboos that when he passed them going up the scramble they had set up a pulley system to pull up the bags, It sounded too crazy to be true!!The weather began to sock in again so when i got to Mizpah i decided to get a work for stay. When i walked outside to do some writing it cleared up! I could of still gone on but i didnt want to have to rush the presidentials to get to lakes in the clouds hut.Dandylion
Date: 2005-08-21
From: Mizpah hut

To: Madison spring hut
Miles today: 11.8
Weather: fog

Good breakfast and managed to have my work done by 9:30 am. It was an awesome ridge walk in the presidential rang along the Crawford path. I wondered why the trail took a route that took you around many of the peaks. The trail has been determined at times to take us up mountains with no views and now we have these above treeline peaks and we dont go over them. Rolled into Lakes of the clouds hut and a big group of hikers took over one corner of the dining room. We had a view of Mt Washington and when it cleared i decided to go for it. Snowbunny and hairball who are from New Hampshire were telling me about all the gimics attached to the mountain. You can take your car up there and they sell bumper stickers saying 'my car climb mt washington!'. The 6288 ft giant also claims to have the worse weather in the world which is something i intend to investigate. One would think Everest or kilamanjarro would be worse. The climb up was really easy however if you cam up from the valley im sure it would be different. I got a view from the top but the weather can change quickly up here, and it did. When i did get up there i was impressed with all the activity up here. There was a cafeteria,carpark, musuem and weather obeservatory. I grabbed a expensive hotdog and sat down with Gozar and Just bob. Just bob was a broken man as he had built up his hopes that they may sell cigarettes up here. I rang home and realised this was the highest payphone i had ever used. On the way out i asked Bear to take my summit picture but found myself in a queue(line).6288 ft and hyperthermic conditions and i was waiting in line to get a picture. The first group were a large indian family in all their long colourful dresses. The second group were French canadians so i wasnt suprised at their ignorance as they took their sweet time, in their genes. I felt so angry that i had climb up here and had to wait for people who took the train up. I've never had to queue for a summit before, never. The hike down to Madison was slow and rocky. Fortunately i got the last space for work for stay. The temperatures were really low and we were stil high up and exposed.As usual we spent the evening trying to keep out of the guests way feeling like inferior second class citizens. I enjoy the food from the huts but i certainly wont miss.I went outside after dinner to watch mother nature put on a superb display of colours in the sky. I could only observe for a little while as it really was freezing.Dandylion
Date: 2005-08-22
From: Madison spring hut

To: Carter Notch
Miles today: 13.7
Weather: fog

I woke up very confused this morning as to why there seemed to be so many more sleeping bags in the dining room since last night. It appeared that these two old men simply walked in last night when everyone was asleep and went to bed. This annoyed me for two reasons. Firstly because thru hikers had been turned away to stay last night and secondly and most importantly, one of them snored up a storm. It was the most unheavenly sound. The Hut master was confused aswell when she saw these guys. They went outside and just waited for all the guest to leave i presume. They of been out there nearly two hours in the cold, very odd. The first 3 miles today were really slow. At the hut last night i met a thru hiker who hiked in 98. I asked her if she knew Terry and she did. I also met Chef today. I met him briefly back in Virginia and he is doing mutiple flip flops to complete his hike. Nearby mt Washington Auto road i scored some good snacks including 2 apples. I finally arrived at Pinkham notch to find yet another visitor centre, oh how commercial the whites are.Just bob was sitting there considering hitching into town simply to buy some cigarettes, i am glad im not a slave to tobacco.Me,Bear and Jude pushed on up Wildcatas the last act of the day. It really kicked my ass and i was tempted just to set up my tent when i got to the top. On my decent down i passed two old ladies strugglin down with 50 lbs packs. I wish they wouldnt do it to themselves and just hang up their boots. It was painful to watch them climb down the rocks. I came upon Kaboos and shags looking very at ease as they had taken a blue blaze and missed out wildcat. They did go down to the hut nearby to see if they could stay and the hut master was crazy and told them she didnt want them there. There were some good spots near the trail for a tent. This hut is the last of the huts on the trail, the whites are the most beautiful part of the trail but like the lake district back at home are becoming commercialized and heavily used.Dandylion
Date: 2005-08-23
From: Carter Notch

To: Gorham
Miles today: 15.2
Weather: clear sky

Me and Bear set off this morning to tackle South, middle and north carter mtn. Bear hated all the different peaks we had to go over. Poor old bear is ready to leave this life in the woods so he can once again drink beer as he watches his american sports. Bear recently swapped out his pack for what i can only describe as a school bag. This bag is tiny but he managed to fit everything inside however the straps are breaking under the weight. Everytime i see that pack i cant help but chuckle. I mention my legs felt liek they were going to explode to him and he replied 'You know this trail has put 20 years on your knees'. Today was a tough day but we made it in time to Gorham so Bear could get his maildrop. We went to Pizza hut and then BK before going to the Barn hostel. The barn is a hiker hostel run by Doc. At the barn i picked up a book to read, it was by willy and called 'As you like it'. Now i have a headlamp i should be able to read at night on the trail. I met sam-i-am and origami here. They were having a tough time and decided to take some days off to rest up. I slepted on the floor because of a lack of bunks. I still had to pay the same because as doc put it 'you dont pay the furniture, you pay me'. I wonder if i throw some furniture at him he would still have that attitude?. Some people say such dumb things. I would prefer he just said 'im ripping you off, because i can' Dandylion
Date: 2005-08-24
From: Gorham

To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Me and the boys went for breakfast at the moonbeam cafe. It was a classy place and the breakfast was very good if not a little pricey. I had hoped to use the internet in town but the computers at the community centre and libary could not access hotmail due to a server problem. I met a trail angel called rollergirl and she was happy to run me to the grocery store. Roller girl was hiking the trail but hurt her ankle in the smokies, however she got a job offer in Switzerland to teach some priviledge kids how to climb. It sounded alot of fun and she hinted i could do it if i made enquries.Bear spent the day pacing up and down waiting for his mailbox to come. He had ordered a sleeping bag from campmor and UPS were still to deliver it. Campmor were not very helpful to him. I rang up Merrel to see what they could do for me as my boots are falling apart and they are sending me a new pair to monson. I would prefer them sooner but it will take them 9 days to ship them.I had intended to leave today but as the day progressed it became less likely. The other guys decided to stay so that bear could get his box tomorrow, so i joined them. We went to the motel down the road as it worked out cheaper than the barn. Kaboos and Shags got the room and the rest of us sneaked in. It was ridiclously nerve racking especially with the owner sitting on the porch. Kaboos went over and diverted her attention with conversation while me,bear and jude ran in. Its been a long time since ive crammed into a hotel room. Dandylion
Date: 2005-08-25
From: Gorham

To: Carlo Col shelter
Miles today: 17.0
Weather: scattered clouds

I was late out and took a while to get my hitch out. I was hoping to make it into Maine today, the last state. I was coming down to Dream lake and i had my first Moose sighting. He was a big bugger and took flight in a clumbsey,noisey fashion. I was keeping up a good pace and was suprised to hear people behind me. Lighting rod and Jude came flying by, almost running. We all stopped at Gentian pond shelter. We were all tired but none of us could resist pushing for the maine border. I push hard over Success mountain to get the climb done before dark. It was very nice up there but soon dark fell. Now i have a headlamp i can hike in the dark but i still dont like it. I seem to get a headache from it. I came to the Maine border and took some pictures of the sign which said 'Maine, the way life should be'. Around 100ft before the next shelter the trail seemed to disappear into the dark. I was really confused and backtracked at first. I then walked back and found myself in the same place. I looked down to the side and saw the only possible direction i could go - straight down! Maybe i would of fared better climbing down in the daylight but i still think it would of been a challenge. I came to the Carlo col shelter and was glad to see everyone awake, so i dont have to sneak around. So i cooked my meal and threw out my stuff. There was a section hiker and boi could he talk. He was clearly annoying Livestrong and Whitewater who must had to of endured him all evening. He had a really croaky voice and smoked like a new jersey power plant. He seemed more fitted to drug dealing than hiking but my concern was that he may snore. Most smokers over the age of 40 generally snore, and if they are overweight then you better find some earplugs. thankfully we were spared and i got a good nights sleep.Dandylion