morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2008-06-19
From: Ore Hill Shelter

To: NH25 to Hikers Welcome Hostel in Glencliff, NH
Miles today: 7.4
Weather: overcast clouds

It rained last night but had stopped by the time it started getting light. We were up early and on the trail by 6:45 am. Hunter left before us. The woods were cool and damp. This was good for hiking and we made good time.   We made it to NH25 by 11:15am and within a half hour we had hiked down the road to the Hiker¢s Welcome Hostel in Glencilff, NH. Hunter was there doing his laundry and after the post office opened he was hiking on.After eating lunch, getting a shower and doing laundry, we went to the post office across the street to pick up our mail drops with our food and the brownies Kelley and Shanna mailed to us. For supper we got a shuttle to Warren, NH to the only restaurant in town, Calamity Jane¢s. We saw our first moose inside, a stuffed moose, not a real one but a toy. The meal was great!On the way to the restaurant, on the side of the road was a rock that looked like the son of the ¢Old Man of the Mountain¢. Warren was an interesting little town with one church, a town hall, one restaurant and of all things, a missile sitting in the middle of town.Staying at the hostel was a young Swiss man hiking a section of the trail. He is in the US for 3 months. Several other hikers were there and everyone watched a movie before going to bed at 10:00 pm.
Date: 2008-06-20
From: NH25 from Glencliff, NH

To: Beaver Brook Shelter
Miles today: 7.9
Weather: broken clouds

The sky was overcast as we started hiking up Mt Moosilauke this morning at 7:15 am. The temperature was in the mid 60¢s. After a little over a mile we stopped at Jeffer¢s Brook Shelter to check it out and saw our first ¢Bear Country¢ warning sign.We had a 3400 ft climb to do in 5 miles. This is going to be our hardest day so far. The closer we got to the top of the mountain we could feel the temperature dropping. Also, near the top we had a family of six pass us. We also ran into Cow Pattie coming down the mountain. She had already climbed to the summit. She was probably the best prepared day hiker I have ever seen on the entire A.T. Just as we got above the tree line, we stopped to put on our rain jacket for warmth. The wind was blowing about 25 mph and with the wind chill factor the temperature was in the upper 30¢s.As we went over the summit of Mt Moosilauke, we saw bad weather coming straight at us. It was 1:30 pm and we were going to stop there for lunch, but with the rain coming decided to move on. It was 2:00 pm when the rain hit us so we just kept on hiking. It rained on us all the way down to Beaver Brook Shelter. Eating lunch at 3:30 pm wasn¢t what we wanted to do but we had no other choice. This is the most worn out the both of us have been. Continued to rain but harder. It feels good to be in a dry shelter with dry clothes on.Shortly after supper, two thru-hikers came thru. They were going to hike down to the road since the rain has stopped. It was 8:30 pm when a group of older Boy Scouts came hiking up from the road. They are on a training hike, getting ready to go to Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico. They are tent camping so First Shadow and I are the only ones in the shelter tonight. It is 9:30 pm, time to climb in the sleeping bag. It is going to be a cold night.
Date: 2008-06-21
From: Beaver Brook Shelter

To: Kinsman Notch, NH112 to Lincoln, NH
Miles today: 1.6
Weather: scattered clouds

Last night was cold, in the 40¢s. Makes for good sleeping but it seemed warmer in the morning. The sunrise was beautiful this morning. Looking out the shelter we could see it come up over Franconia Ridge and Mt Lafayette.Started hiking at 6:40 am down Beaver Brook Notch beside a waterfall. At one point we would drop 1800 feet in just one mile. It was so steep the trail maintainers had installed wooden steps mounted on steel rods. It was a little scary. Sometimes the trail looked steeper than the waterfall. Near the bottom on flat trail, First Shadow slipped and fell on one of his hiking poles.We saw a lot of day hikers going up the trail but they all had their clothes on and so did we. They must not have known that today, June 21st, is the unofficial ¢naked¢ hiking day every year.As soon as we crossed a wooden bridge over Beaver Rock we came to the parking lot at Kinsman Notch. It had taken us three hours to go 1.6 miles. Decided to go into Lincoln, NH to see if an outfitter had a replacement part for First Shadow¢s hiking pole. Started thumbing down NH112 towards Lincoln, NH when a van stopped on the other side of the road. It was Fat Jack from the Hiker¢s Welcome Hostel in Glencilff. He was going to drop off someone and told us to wait there and he would be back. He took us up into Lincoln, NH and dropped us off at the outfitters. Along the way he stopped and showed us a gorge where the river disappears under a huge rock and comes out the other side. The river is called the ¢Lost River¢ and we were told that there are blind trout that live under those rocks. The outfitter didn¢t have the part to First Shadow¢s pole but called another outfitter that did, so we hiked a mile to the other outfitter and got his pole repaired.We called and thought we had a room in North Woodstock, NH. Stopped for lunch while hiking the 2.5 miles toward the motel. It has been biker week up here. There are thousands of motorcycles all around. We stopped to talk to some bikers in North Woodstock and got our picture with a couple of biker chics. It was the biker dudes that suggested the picture.We moved on to the motel but another employee had already rented the room. Went across the street to the Carriage Motel. They were full but the owner called and found us a room at another motel. So we walked another mile out of town on US3 to the White Mountain Motel. Washed our clothes in the sink and hung them on chairs outside to let the sun dry them, then cleaned up some of our gear. We cooked supper on the picnic table by the swimming pool. There are a lot of hikers staying here and some from as far away as Canada. While I was pouring some fuel from my alcohol stove back into my fuel bottle, one of the women by the pool wanted to know if I was building a bomb. I told her I was just cooking supper. The bikers have been quiet.Stayed up late. Did not get to bed until 11:30 pm. Always a lot to do when we get to town.
Date: 2008-06-22
From: Kinsman Notch, NH112 from Lincoln, NH

To: Eliza Brook Shelter
Miles today: 7.5
Weather: overcast clouds

The bikers were getting ready to leave when the motel owner, Tom, and his wife gave First Shadow and me a shuttle ride back to the trail head. The sky was very overcast as we started up the mountain at 7:20 am. We could hear thunder in the distance and at about 500 feet (elevation) from the top the thunder was all around us. Moving faster to get over the summit of the East Peak of Mt Walk at 10:30 am, but within a half hour the rain came. It had taken us 3 hours to climb 1615 feet. The terrain up here is rugged. It continued to rain until we reached Eliza Brook Shelter. It had been a cold, damp then wet hike, not much fun.Didn¢t see many people on the trail except another Boy Scout group on a shakedown hike before going to Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico. They told us that Hunter was at Eliza Brook Shelter. He was taking a zero day there because his knee was hurting really bad. When First Shadow and I got to the shelter at about 3:30 pm he was sitting in his sleeping bag.While we were getting water, a group of eight (six teenagers and two young me) hiked in but they were tent camping. About 20 minutes later Tennessee Walker came in. He said he had been trying to catch the group of eight and pass them but ran out of energy, he is 50. No one else showed up so Hunter, Tennessee Walker, First Shadow and I are the only ones in the shelter. It is an old and small shelter. I couldn¢t take too many pictures because it was so wet. The young guys got a fire going. First Shadow and I ate a lunch for supper because we were too tired to cook.Young guys were by the fire and Hunter, Tennessee Walker and First Shadow were talking when I fell asleep at 7:30 pm. The brook runs right by the shelter so the sound would put tired hikers to sleep in an instant.Oh! The bear box had a lock on it so we hung our food in the shelter. I made a hanger using rope, a stick and the top to my pot cozy. It would keep the mice out but wouldn¢t do much for the bears.
Date: 2008-06-23
From: Eliza Brook Shelter

To: Lonesome Lake Hut
Miles today: 5.9

I slept really good last night. First Shadow and I were up at daybreak. We had given Hunter some Bio Freeze to put on his knee last night and this morning he said it was feeling much better and he was going to try to hike to Lonesome Lake Hut today. He and Tennessee Walker had already left the shelter when First Shadow and I started out at 7:20 am. Again the sky was overcast. We had to climb 2000 feet over Kinsman Mountain.I remembered from last year that this section of the trail was very rocky and difficult going up and down. It rained some going up the mountain and the sun tried to come out near the top but it got cloudy again and stayed that way for the rest of the day. We only stopped to eat an energy bar because we wanted to get to the hut before the afternoon rain. At 3:00 pm we walked up to Lonesome Lake Hut right on the trail. We were greeted by Thad with a bowl of turkey soup, carrot cake and lemonade for lunch. Thad is one of the ¢croo¢ that works at the hut and was cooking that day. His mom, dad, brother, and neighbors (husband, wife and 2 sons) drove from Vermont to give him a surprise visit. We sat at the same table with them for supper. The neighbor husband had a British accent and First Shadow recognized him as an actor that played the lead role as a tennis player in the movie ¢Wimbledon¢. Thad¢s family, the Emerson¢s, had made their reservation at the hut under a made up name so Thad would not know they were coming. After supper, I entertained the kids & adjust with y Gee-Haw Whimsey Diddle Stick, then I let them play with it.Before we started our hike, First Shadow and I made reservations at the huts going thru the White Mountains in New Hampshire. Reservations at the huts include supper, breakfast and bed in the bunkhouse. It doesn¢t sound like much but it is like the Hilton when you have been cooking and sleeping in the three sided shelters. This hut was not crowded; only 22 people were staying for tonight.
Date: 2008-06-24
From: Lonesome Lake Hut

To: US3 to North Woodstock, NH
Miles today: 2.9

We were up at dawn, packed and ready to go before breakfast at 7:00 am. Breakfast was oatmeal, apple slices, pancakes and bacon. During breakfast, the ¢Croo¢ put on a skit showing us how to fold our blankets, don¢t litter and leave a tip. It was a cute skit. Today was Thad¢s Dad¢s birthday, so after breakfast everyone sang Happy Birthday to him. Thad has a really neat family. We also found out that the British actor, Paul Bettany, was also in the movie ¢The Da Vinci Code¢. He played the monk. His wife, Jennifer Connelly, is an actress. As we were hiking out, we ran into them again down by the lake, said our goodbyes and hiked past the beaver dam on the edge of the lake.The trail ran beside a fast running brook for over a mile and at one point we had a difficult stream crossing, rapid water with not may good rocks to step on. We reached the Franconia Notch Bike Path bridge at 10:00 am and left the A.T., hiking on the bike path for 0.9 mile to the Flume Gorge Visitor Center. We got a large hot dog for lunch at the cafeteria. Walked up to the road, US3, and started to thumb at the entrance/exit to the Flume Gorge. The very first car, with two young girls, stopped and picked us up and gave us a ride to the Carriage Motel in North Woodstock.After taking showers, we went across the road to wash and dry out laundry. By the time we had laid out our gear to dry and called home, it was about 6:00 pm. We walked down to Truant¢s Tavern for supper but I could not get the prime rib because it was not a weekend. Cleaned some gear and by 9:30 pm we were ready to hit the sack.
Date: 2008-06-25
From: North Woodstock, NH

To: North Woodstock, NH
Miles today: 0.0

This zero day was supposed to be a rest day but we had a lot to do today ¢ finished cleaning most of our gear, then started walking to Lincoln, NC about two miles away. Stopped at Peg¢s Place for lunch then moved on to Lincoln to the outfitters to pick up a list of items we needed for repairing our gear. On the way back, we stopped by the drug store to pick up another list of items such as shoe inserts, etc. Got back to the room in time to pack up items we are mailing ahead to Gorham, NH since we are staying in the huts through the White Mountains. Some of the things we mailed ahead were the tent, our stoves, cook kits, mosquito nets, etc. Then it was a quick run over to the Post Office to mail our packages before they closed. It was 4:30 p.m. when we went back to the laundry-mat to wash another load of clothes.On the way at the convenience store, we ran into a section-hiker, Tom, about our age who looked like he had been in a fight with a bear and lost. His clothes were all bloody and legs were all scratched up. He had fallen on Kinsman Mountain, breaking his head lamp, then came down the mountain in the dark. It sounded dangerous. He came over to our room later and I gave him some ointment and bandaids.After doing laundry we waterproofed our boots, then went down to Truant¢s Tavern at 8:00 pm for supper. ¢Blister Sister¢ was working at the bar and I found out from her that ¢Stick¢ (someone I hiked with last year) stayed with her for a week to let his ankles heal then went to Maine to hike with his brother.Got back to our room at 9:30 pm and worked on our gear some more and packed our packs. It was almost 12:00 am and we still hadn¢t had a chance to make repairs to some of our gear. It will have to wait until we get to another town.
Date: 2008-06-26
From: US3 from North Woodstock, NH

To: Greenleaf Hut
Miles today: 6.4

The weather forecast is for thunderstorms in the afternoon and we will be above treeline on Mt. Haystack, Mt. Lincoln and Mt. Lafayette. We have over a 3800 foot climb today. We were up early and got a shuttle ride to the bike path. It was almost a mile walk down the bike path to the A.T. It was 7:20 a.m. when we started our climb and it was sunny but by 10:30 a.m. the clouds had started to gather and we had reached the Franconia Ridge Trail. Along the way, First Shadow spotted a grouse in the middle of the trail. Did not stop for lunch because of the weather. When we reached the top at Mt. Haystack, the wind was blowing about 30 mph and the rain had started. We were hiking above treeline and could see Mt. Lincoln in the distance.As we went over Mt. Lincoln, we were hiking in a cloud and it was raining vertically. It is not much fun now. We were still in the clouds when we reached the summit of Mt Lafayette at 1:40 pm. Both of us are really tired and moving slow, but we have to drop 1000 feet in 1.1 miles to get to Greenleaf Hut. The rain stopped on the way down but it was still foggy. Met Hillary, the Hut Master, on the trail to the hut. I had seen her last year working at another hut.It was a little after 3:00 pm when we reached the hut. The first thing we did was get a bunk assignment then a bowl of hot potato soup. Before supper I showed the Gee Haw Whimsey Diddle Stick to Hillary and other guests at the hut. While we were playing with the Whimsey Diddle Stick, Hillary spotted a Snowshoe Hare thru the window. It has some really big paws for running on the snow. During the summer its coat turns to a light brown.Supper was great. Then I worked on my journal until 9:30 pm, which is lights out in the huts. First Shadow went to bed at 8:30 pm. He was really beat. His heel has been bothering him almost all day. Hope it is doing better tomorrow.
Date: 2008-06-27
From: Greenleaf Hut

To: Galehead Hut
Miles today: 6.6
Weather: light rain

The weather forecast from the ¢Croo¢ at breakfast was cloudy with a chance of afternoon thunderstorms. I think that is the forecast everyday up here. First Shadow and I left the hut at 8:00 am. It was cold and we were hiking in a cloud. We could only see about 30 feet all around us. Again it was a 1000 foot climb in 1.1 miles to get back to the A.T. on top of Mt Lafayette and it was even colder on top of the mountain. It was a very rocky 1600 foot climb down the mountain and the trail stayed rocky all the way to the top of Mt Garfield. On the way up Mt Garfield, First Shadow started getting a hot spot on one of his big toes so we stopped so he could tend to it.At 10:30 am the sun came out and it started getting warm, about a 20 degree temperature change from when we got on the A.T. today. There have been a lot of hikers on the trail today. We were even passed by several thru hikers.We stopped to eat lunch at 12:00 pm on top of Mt Garfield since the sun was out and it was partly cloudy. From here we could look back and see Franconia Ridge, Mt Lincoln and Mt Lafayette. What a great view! The other side of Mt Garfield was just as rocky as the side we came up. On the way down we met another Boy Scout training to go to Philmont Scout Ranch. The trail continued to be very rocky, big rocks and getting tired and moving slow.It was about 4:30 pm and we were only about a half mile away from the hut when the sky got dark and we could hear thunder. The closer we got to the hut, the louder the thunder got. Just before we got to the hut, we caught up with one of the women we had been seeing all day. She had run out of water so I gave her the rest of my water since I knew we were so close to the hut. Got to the hut at 5:00 pm and were cleaning up when the thunderstorm hit. Supper was really good, especially since the ¢Croo¢ cooked bread. At about 8:30 pm, just before the sun went down, a red fox came out of the woods and stayed around the hut for about 15 minutes. Everyone was at the window watching. It was neat to watch the fox trying to catch something to eat.
Date: 2008-06-28
From: Galehead Hut

To: Zealand Falls Hut
Miles today: 7.0

The croo woke everyone up at 6:30 am by singing a song. We were packed up before breakfast and hiking at 7:35 am. Again we left a hut hiking in a cloud and it would stay that way until about 1:00 pm but the sun never came out. Looked like rain all day.We had a 1200 foot climb up to the top of South Twin Mountain and hiked on Twinway Trail, also the A.T., all day. On top of South Twin Mountain two dads and their sons caught up to us. The three young boys Brendan, Ben and Zack are having a great time and are really fast hikers. We have seen them and their dads at the last two huts and they are hiking to Zealand Hut today. Ran into our first southbound hiker today. He said he does not have a trail name yet.There were a couple of miles of really good trail but it turned rocky again. At one point on the trail it was so steep there was a big log ladder. We also crossed some wooden bog bridges and saw some flowers we have never seen before. They looked like white cottonballs.We made good time today, getting to the hut at 1:50 pm. Again we were trying to beat the afternoon rain. It stayed cool all day. We ate our lunch as soon as we got to the hut, then washed up some and put on long clean clothes. Because it is a weekend, a lot of hikers are coming in with young children. The kids are going swimming and playing in the stream to the waterfall. The temperature is dropping and I am getting cold just watching them. Looks like this might be the coldest night we have spent at the huts.
Date: 2008-06-29
From: Zealand Falls Hut

To: US302 to Crawford Notch Campground
Miles today: 7.7
Weather: fog

During breakfast the ¢croo¢ gave the weather forecast, it wasn¢t good. Chance of thunderstorms all day with a warning of flash flooding. As we started hiking at 7:35 a.m., it started to rain lightly but within a half hour a thunderstorm was right over top of us and it continued to rain like cats and dogs for almost two hours. The only good thing was that the trail was flat and in good condition for almost two miles then we started hiking across about two miles of bog bridges. Along the way we ran into a southbounder from South Korea. He had learned about the A.T. on the internet.At 4.5 miles from the hut, we stopped at Ethan Pond Shelter to eat a snack and dry out a little. The sun came out but we weren¢t sure for how long. Saw another Boy Scout group today. The sun stayed out and it continued to get warmer as we dropped over 1600 feet in elevation.As soon as we got to Crawford Notch, US 302, at 1:00 p.m. we started thumbing and several cars passed by, but within 15 minutes we saw an old 1976 VW van pass by, turn around and come back to pick us up. It was a young couple with three young kids. As they were taking us down to the Crawford Notch Campground, I felt like I was back in the 1970¢s.At the campground we got bunks in the hikers bunkhouse. It is a nice building about 20 ft. x 20 ft. with eight bunks, a picnic table and desk inside. After getting out of our wet clothes, we got some lunch from the general store and bought lunches for the next several days. Then it was time for doing laundry and a hot shower. The bathhouse is clean and it felt great to be clean again. ¢Poz,¢ an older guy, and ¢Duck,¢ a young woman from South Carolina showed up later in the afternoon. A chipmunk came into the bunkhouse and peeled back the lid to her peanut butter and was eating it when she walked back in. After supper ¢Dynamite,¢ a young 20 year old, came in. We had seen the three of them up at Zealand Fall Hut the night before.It rained again at 6:30 p.m. and started raining steadily again at 9:15 p.m. But we are inside dry and most of our gear has dried out except for our boots. Not many pictures today because of the rain.
Date: 2008-06-30
From: US302 to Crawford Notch Campground

To: Mizpah Spring Hut
Miles today: 6.4

Everyone was up by about 6:00 a.m. Poz is thinking about taking a zero day. Duck, Dynamite, First Shadow and I got a shuttle from the staff at the campground back to the trailhead. The climb out of Crawford Notch was really steep and difficult and at some points we were rock climbing. Duck and Dynamite were way ahead of us trying to get to Lakes of the Clouds Hut. We were passed by a bunch of day hikers but we saw them again at Webster Cliffs. It took us four hours to climb almost 2700 feet and only go 3.2 miles to the top of Mt. Webster but the views of Crawford Notch and all the mountains around were breathtaking.   First Shadow has gotten a lot better at rock climbing.Just on the other side of Mt. Webster, we stopped and ate lunch in the trees to get out of the sun. While we were eating, several gray jays flew down within three feet of us and landed in the trees beside us. They provided entertainment while we ate. We crossed a lot of bog bridges hiking to Mt. Jackson. Some of them were floating on a couple feet of mud and as we walked across them, the mud all around would wiggle.On top of Mt. Jackson we could see Mizpah Spring Hut 1.7 miles away and saw our first good view of Mt. Washington almost eight miles away. The clouds were gathering so we hiked faster since thunderstorms were forecast for this afternoon. It was 2:50 p.m. when we arrived at the hut. Our boots were wet from walking in streams flowing down the trail so we sat our boots and socks on a rock outside to dry. The rain never came and today was a fairly warm day for hiking.At the hut we met a woman section hiker named Lady Slipper. She is hiking the trail in sections and her husband is her shuttle and support team. His trail name is ¢Command Central.¢ We might see her again in Maine. She is going to meet a friend, Heidi, and they are going to hike south from Mt. Katahdin. Poz hiked up to the hut and got ¢work for stay.¢ He said when he saw the sun was still out at 11:00 a.m., he decided to hike up to the hut. He plans to go to the Lakes of the Clouds Hut tomorrow. Saw Mick, the Swiss guy, he is tenting near the hut. First Shadow and I were lucky enough to get some lower bunks in the bunkroom. Some section hikers brought a bladder of wine and shared with a bunch of us for supper.