morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2007-07-05
From: Imp Campsite

To: Pinkham Notch
Miles today: 13.1
Weather: fog

Whites 1, Twix 0. Today hurt. Ow. Awesome hike, but OW.The rain that started last night created a nice slippery path for me over 9 peaks (the Carters and the Wildcat range), into and out of Carter Notch, and down into Pinkham Notch.After a steep scramble into Carter Notch, HP, Sean and I discovered the joy that is lunch at the Huts. The only croo member didn't seem to care much (Umm... I think drinks are 50cents... brownies are a quarter... the bread is a quarter... the apples... hmmm... why don't you just do all-you-can-eat for a dollar?), so we chowed down on gigantic chocolate chip cookie brownies, fresh fruit and homemade bread. I also discovered the gastrointestinal distress that follows such a lunch when my body is used to PB&J english muffins. That slowed me down enough to put me in Pinkham Notch after dark. HP and I were able to charm a half-priced dinner from the closed cafeteria at the Visitors Center. We ate with a bunch of tourists watching a documentary on Everest. The looks we got from the tourists were alternatingly admiring, horrified and pitying. The guy at the visitor center clarified the rules about camping in Pinkham Notch and Sean, HP and I headlamped it a quarter-mile from the Visitor Center (per the rules) and searched for a site a quarter-mile from the trail (again, per the rules). Alas, it is difficult to find stealth sites by headlamp, so my not-so-stealth tentsite involved half of the trail. It also slanted downwards and I was tickled to find that tarptent bottom + spandex pants = slip n slide.
Date: 2007-07-06
From: Pinkham Notch

To: Madison Spring Hut
Miles today: 7.8
Weather: fog

Whites 2, Twix 0. Woke up early and strapped EVERYTHING to the outside of my pack in a mad dash back to the Visitor Center. They have all-you-can-eat (AYCE) breakfast, and I was HUNGRY. At Middlebury I used to use a dinner plate, no tray, at every meal. Here I used a plate with a tray, because the plate was not nearly big enough to contain all the food I wanted to eat.I forgot to mention my shower at the Visitor's Center yesterday. For just two dollars I got to enjoy six minutes of soapless, lukewarm water jetting from a tube (sans showerhead) so hard that it hurt. Also, I had no towel.Anyways. After such a big breakfast I was in no rush, and the guys moved ahead quickly. I don't mind hiking alone, but hiking alone implies reading the signs/maps alone, which doesn't always work out for me. I'll just leave it at that. And add that I may have hiked an extra mile or so today.Caught up to HP on the STEEP climb up Madison. I was certain that I could hear thunder but HP assured me that "it's definitely a plane."It was definitely not a plane. The moment we stepped above treeline, angry clouds descended upon Madison. We hit one false peak and felt raindrops. And heard more thunder. We made it halfway up the second peak and the lightning began. And then the hail began. Welcome to the Whites.It turns out I can RUN downhill when lightning is chasing me. We backtracked to a stealth site just below treeline and waited for the rain to stop. It never did, so we stopped waiting.Made it to Madison with Sean and Andrew just behind us. They gave all of us work-for-stay. Andrew volunteered for the first task (washing dishes) and immediately regretted it when he heard the croo tell the rest of us that our work-for-stay would be to give paying guests a hiker program (basically talking about our hikes and answering questions about hiking. Because I'm an expert hiker, obviously).For those unfamiliar with the huts: they are above-treeline shelters originally intended as a safe place to get out of bad weather. They've basically turned into hotels where paying customers receive an AYCE dinner and breakfast and a bunk in an unheated hut. Thru-hikers are given leftover food and a "bed" (a dinner table) in exchange for an hour of work.The work-for-stay experience was an interesting one. While the guests ate, we sat in the bunkroom and salivated. If you are ever in need of an awkward moment, try being smelly and cold and staring longingly at someone's hot meal until they look up. Being a thru-hiker at a hut is kind of like being an animal in a zoo. The guests are fascinated but wary.
Date: 2007-07-07
From: Madison Spring Hut

To: Lakes of the Clouds Hut
Miles today: 7.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Whites 3, Twix 0.The croo from Lakes of the Clouds raided Madison last night. Madison's croo logically responded by giggling loudly and snacking, lights on and volume up, in the kitchen. Which opens directly into the dining room- my bedroom. After a solid 3 hours of sleep I was overjoyed to wake up to cold wet socks and boots as well as more cold wet fog and rain. YAY! As it turns out, though, I'm one of those really irritating people who can walk the ridgeline from Madison to Lakes of the Clouds and find it enchanting. Seriously, though, mist and fog just seem right for that entire range. I was enjoying the hike so much that by the time HP and I reached the cog railway on the way up Mt. Washington I was sure I would win today's battle. I fully expected to write Whites 2, Twix 1 in the journal tonight.The fog was slightly disorienting, though, and we crossed under the railway at the wrong point. After half a mile on the wrong trail, we turned around and got back to the railway just in time for HP to moon the tourists. The railwayman (yes, the one HP had just mooned. Perhaps it was not a smart idea to trust him) insisted that we had been going the right way all along. LIAR! To make a long story short, instead of heading up to the summit and down to Lakes of the Clouds SOBO all the way, we walked AROUND the mountain and then NOBOed it to the summit. Sigh. I'm not a real thru-hiker anymore. Enjoyed pizza and a cinnamon bun and fat men in hawaiian shirts and skinny women in mini-skirts ("You HIKED up here? Don't you realize there's a cog train?"). Although I had hiked two miles out of my way and missed half a mile of the AT, I still felt like I might come out of today victorious. I left the summit house on Washington full of confidence and- of course- immediately wiped out. This fall was a beauty. It was one of those slow-motion stumbles that takes about five minutes to reach completion. I ended up flat on my stomach with my feet stuck between some rocks and my face stuck between some other rocks. My hands were stuck in my pole straps and my backpack is pretty weighty, so all I could do for a few minutes was lie there, utterly defeated. I was once again glad for the fog, because all the tourists in jeans and cotton sweatshirts didn't get to watch me struggle. Ah well. The day ended nicely, though- a SOBOer who rescued a lost family last night was rewarded with four bunks at Lakes of the Clouds and gave two to me and HP, so we got to stay as guests! We got to eat hot food with people who smelled good.
Date: 2007-07-09
From: Crawford Notch Campground

To: Zealand Falls Hut
Miles today: 7.7

And of course the rain started again as soon as we put our packs back on.FLEW to Zealand Falls Hut. The path was like a sidewalk. Plus there was some more thunder and lightning action and that always puts a little spring into my step. The croo at Zealand is by far the coolest croo we've come across. I washed spoons for 15 minutes for my work-for-stay and they shoved handfuls of candy bars (I'm talking king size Snickers, Twix, etc.) and boxes of chocolate chips cookies at us for free. Caught up to Sean, who had continued on to Mizpah Hut when HP and I stopped at Lakes of the Clouds. His work-for-stay was setting mouse traps. REsetting mouse traps, I should say, because some still had little mouse guts all over them. Prancer showed up and surprised us all- pulled a huge day from Lakes of the Clouds. Teapot's still a day or so behind and Thorny is pulling ahead every day, but hopefully we'll all see each other again.
Date: 2007-07-10
From: Zealand Falls Hut

To: Garfield Ridge Campsite
Miles today: 9.7
Weather: broken clouds

Another brilliant fall today. Almost identical to the one on Washington but slightly more painful. The one on Washington left me with a gash on my left shin and huge bruises on both of my knees and I managed to re-smash every bruise on my way to the ground today. This time, though, my poles were stuck in the ground, and my hands were again stuck in my pole straps. So I ended up on my knees with my arms pulled straight out behind me. My momentum carried me forward so I ended up with my face in the mud DOWNHILL of my body. The downhill slant was ever so important because it allowed my backpack to slide forward over my head. Good lord I wish I had a video of that fall. And the ten-minute stuggle to get back on my feet. Hiked up a waterfall today. Not next to a waterfall- UP a waterfall. I have a long story I could tell but it would take a while, so I'll just give you the moral: topographical maps lie. Teapot showed up out of the blue with a loud "sweaTing!" as I was falling asleep. Glad to be reunited.Sean has been named: Dutch. For Dutch Oven, because his gas is borderline ridiculous, even for a thru-hiker. We have a safety word: when he shouts "RAINBOW!" anyone behind him on the trail knows to hold their breath for a few strides.
Date: 2007-07-11
From: Garfield Ridge Campsite

To: North Woodstock
Miles today: 10.3

Franconia Ridge today! Beautiful views of fog and rocks! I once again irritated people by enjoying myself thoroughly. All the mist and fog somehow worked its way through my pack cover, into my pack and through three layers of plastic baggies into my phone. It turns on and it occasionally receives calls, but none of the buttons do what they're supposed to. I tried to dial my home number and it came out #188889*11. Pressing the send button erased that and replaced it with .1. Hmm...Series of great hitches today. First a lady pulled over right on an exit ramp on 93 and shoved the five of us (me, HP, Teapot, Prancer, Dutch) into her car. When we got into town, a former thru-hiker offered to take us to an outfitter in the next town, wait for us, and take us back. Awesome.I got real rain pants! Ones that might actually be waterproof! Cross your fingers for me. When I went up to pay for them, the guy at the register asked if I was a thru-hiker and gave me a 15% discount when I told him I was. very cool. My philly cheesesteak had YELLOW peppers on it- luxurious.Decided to forego the typical Ben and Jerry's in favor of a local ice cream shop. One pint (when I mentioned that I was a thru-hiker it quickly became more like 2 pints), half cake batter and half maine moose (vanilla with raspberry streaks and raspberry truffles). Wow.
Date: 2007-07-12
From: North Woodstock

To: Eliza Brook Shelter
Miles today: 8.8
Weather: broken clouds

Our room smelled like a giant foot this morning, even though we had all showered and done laundry.Bog logs are treacherous. I was crossing a bog/pond and came across one that was half sunken into the mud/water. Not wanting to get my trailrunners- which were finally dry- all wet again, I attempted to plant my poles and vault across. Unfortunately the poles did not plant and I landed right on the underwater part of the log, which had the wondrous banana peel effect. To add insult to injury, I slid all the way down the log and into the bog. So in addition to getting my trailrunners wet, I got my entire self wet. Yay!
Date: 2007-07-13
From: Eliza Brook Shelter

To: Jeffers Brook Shelter
Miles today: 15.9
Weather: scattered clouds

Whites 102, Twix 0- but I WON! I am DONE with the Whites. Moosilauke was an incredible climb. Especially the parts where the DOC volunteers were replacing stairs on the sections that are too steep to climb. It was getting late as I approached the summit and I could see storms coming in. The scene was very reminiscent of Mt. Madison. I had two options: wait below treeline for the storms to pass, or make a run for it and hope for the best. I was determined to get at least one view before leaving the Whites so I decided to run for it. I sprinted above treeline telling myself "This is a bad idea. This is a terrible idea. This is the WORST idea." I also composed letters to the mountain in my head: "Dear Mt. Moosilauke, please don't let me die on you."I ended up with views all around: half clear and sunny, half stormy. I watched the storms from the summit for half an hour (still thinking to myself "This is a bad idea. This is a really, really stupid idea. Why am I sitting up here?").But I survived, and it was worth it.
Date: 2007-07-14
From: Jeffers Brook Shelter

To: Hexacuba Shelter
Miles today: 15.8
Weather: scattered clouds

This shelter is shaped like a hexacube. Incredible resupply today. After several miles on the smoothest trail we've seen (the trail, post-Whites, is delightful. We can pretty much run), Prancer and I got picked up by a woman with two small children. She claimed to know the area well but clearly did not. Instead of taking us to the grocery store, she took us 7 miles out of our way. It was meant to happen, though, because we came across an ice cream stand that served 'small' cones the size of my head. Two bites in, Prancer's ice cream toppled from his cone. I let out a strangled cry- the kind you might make if you saw someone about to get hit by a car- as roughly three pounds of brownie batter ice cream hit the deck. Prancer calmly picked up the ice cream, placed it back on his cone and resumed feeding, but the woman who sold it to him was horrified. She insisted on replacing the 'dirty' ice cream. She also insisted that he give BACK the 'dirty' ice cream.
Date: 2007-07-16
From: Moose Mountain Shelter

To: Hanover
Miles today: 11.0
Weather: few clouds

The fact that they switchback HILLS here is a bit irritating. Not, say, Mt. Madison, but that hill where you can see the top through the soft pine forest? Let's switchback it so it takes 3 miles to gain 200ft elevation. Logical. Hanover has been kind to us thru-hikers. Our tents are set up behind a frat house with showers and laundry, the girls at Ben and Jerry's (our first scoop shop: thru-hiker mecca) gave us 2-for-1 pints, and Ramunto's provides free slices of cheese pizza.
Date: 2007-07-17
From: Hanover

To: Hanover
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: few clouds

Ah... a zero day. Much needed.Found many familiar faces in town: Dutch, Matt/Obi Wan, Andrew/the Juice, Sweet Tea, Teapot, Rambo, Surge, Prancer, Dreamer, Quasi, Andy. And Maggie Ray!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! She watched me inhale a pint of B&J's and helped me pick out a cotton T-shirt (for sleeping and laundry times) with a skeleton playing a guitar. Like vagrants, thirteen SOBOs and one NOBO set up our own little tent city on the town soccer field.
Date: 2007-07-18
From: Hanover

To: Happy Hill Shelter
Miles today: 5.8
Weather: moderate rain

We woke up to rain and packed up quickly as the real vagrants began to arrive. Headed out in a downpour.Two noteworthy food joints in Hanover:1. a bagel place unable to grill anything2. a burrito place that ran out of cheeseSeveral noteworthy gear changes:1. I picked up a pot clamp, so I no longer have to burn my fingertips off to retrieve my food.2. I picked up a cotton T-shirt, already wet.3. I sent home my down jacket and pants, a move inspired by Tengu's 12lb pack. My hike will now become an exercise in doing without.4. I picked up a 3oz ShoeGoo, which came in handy tonight as I "dried" my boots. HP and Matt managed to get a huge fire going even in the rain, and..."Something smells like a drag race." -Andy"Hey, my shoes are steaming... they must be getting really dry." -me"OW!" -me, as I picked my boots up by the soles and discovered that the soles were, in fact, melting off.
Date: 2007-07-19
From: Happy Hill Shelter

To: Woodstock
Miles today: 12.9

Today I came across my first trail magic (about 60 cans of Mountain Dew and Coke in a stream) and my first raspberry patch! Again in the pouring rain. Maggie Ray is GREAT. She picked HP and I up at the trailhead (ish- ask her for the full story) and gave us Flatbread and a place to dry off for the night. As I paged through a book of fun hikes I found a picture of a mountain that looked like an incredible climb. "WOW- I hope I get to hike that someday." me"Dude, you already did. That's Mt. Madison." HPAnd so I am no longer so enchanted with the rain that prevented me from seeing the Whites. Mags offered to slackpack us tomorrow (for those who don't know, slackpacking is a wondrous option. You leave your full pack somewhere safe, like Maggie's house, and get some miles in carrying only a water bottle and some snacks). We briefly considered hiking 22 or 26 miles but instead settled for 4.
Date: 2007-07-20
From: Woodstock (S. Pomfret Road)

To: Wintturi Shelter
Miles today: 7.5

Something very odd has happened. When I first get into town I'm incredibly happy to take off my pack and STOP WALKING. I feel like I could stay forever. By nighttime, though, or at least by the next morning, I'm ready to go. I want nothing more than to get back on the trail and KEEP WALKING. Weird. Slackpacked 4 miles with Maggie as originally intended and then headed out with full packs to Wintturi Shelter. Arrived right as the rain started up again. This was a good time for me to realize that I left my rain coat with Mags. My favorite Trail Names so far: OneTreeNoPants, Mystery Chicken.
Date: 2007-07-21
From: Wintturi Shelter

To: The Lookout
Miles today: 2.4

Left Wintturi shelter with the best of intentions. Came across the Lookout and those intentions were gone with the wind. The Lookout is a nice cabin with a fireplace, a loft, and an observation deck with 360 degree views. The only downfall is the lack of a water source.Not wanting to backtrack 2 miles to find water, HP and I dug a hole in the ground to a "spring" and filled up there.
Date: 2007-07-22
From: The Lookout

To: Rutland
Miles today: 17.5

The Lookout provided the Triple Crown of skywatching: a gorgeous sunset, a clear night sky, and an incredible sunrise.I lost my map and bugnets in much the same way that I lost my camera. Another lesson (re)learned.Came across more trail magic today that was geared towards NOBOers. There was a cooler of soda near a road that said "Congrats- 470.4 to go!" They must have meant "Congrats- 1660 to go!"Arrived in Rutland and checked in at the hostel run by the 12 tribes. I checked in with 5 guys but this will be my first night alone on the entire hike: their religion calls for separate mens' and womens' sleeping quarters.We were strongly hinted out of the AYCE Chinese food buffet. Our check arrived long before our second platefuls disappeared, our water was left unfilled after our third (or was it fourth?) helpings, and the fro-yo machine was not refilled after we sucked it dry. They never saw it coming.
Date: 2007-07-23
From: Rutland

To: Summit of Killington
Miles today: 6.4

I appear to have a phone issue. We all know the terrible story of my last phone, and my kind parents activated a new one and sent it to me in Woodstock. I opened it to check my voicemail today and found the scrambled screen of death. Every button produces a new pattern, which might be really cool if I didn't just want to USE MY PHONE!!!!Planned to slackpack at least 12 over Killington. After a few miles, we found ourselves on the summit in the rain (read: a slight drizzle/mist) next to a conveniently located gondola, which was conveniently free of charge for thru-hikers. As you might guess, we were eating Baconater's at the Wendy's in Rutland within half an hour. Enjoyed pizza and beer at the Killington Comfort in with HP's dad and uncle, HP, Prancer, Sweet Tea, Teapot and Rambo.
Date: 2007-07-24
From: Summit of Killington

To: Clarendon Shelter
Miles today: 10.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Discovered the joy of a continental breakfast that, as HP's uncle so aptly put it, is "so incredibly free."Also discovered the joy of riding a gondola back up to the summit of a mountain I've already hiked!I was joined by Mags, who, out for only a few days, had the luxury of taunting us poor thru-hikers with items like a crazy creek folding camp chair.Crossed the 500-mile mark today!!For any MiddKids reading this: Mags was happy to see that I've been keeping up the 5:00 dinner tradition that has defined my life for the past four years.
Date: 2007-07-25
From: Clarendon Shelter

To: Big Branch Shelter
Miles today: 16.9
Weather: clear sky

HP, Sweet Tea and Prancer went turbo and decided to pull a 23-mile day. Mags and I did not. Instead, we did 16 over several "mountains," none that I would actually call Mountains. We found lots of newts and an aggressive crawfish in a pond where we swam and dined.Three Long Trail NOBOers were impressed by Maggie's firemaking skills. I'm sure they were equally impressed by my firewood gathering skills. Maggie will go home tomorrow morning and I will fly solo until I catch up with the guys ahead of me, or until the guys behind catch up with me.
Date: 2007-07-26
From: Big Branch Shelter

To: Manchester Center (or, Rutland?)
Miles today: 16.5
Weather: clear sky

As I am out of food, it was imperative that I reach Manchester Center today. And as I kind of enjoy the company of the guys ahead, I decided to wake up early and pull a big-mile (20 for them, 27 for me!) day to catch up. So I packed up in the dark. As I put my contacts on by headlamp, I felt a tugging at my pocket. I assumed that I had woken Maggie up but when I looked down I found a MOUSE chewing on my pocket. I did the only thing I could do: I hit the mouse. It was a reflex. The mouse went flying but landed unperturbed and scurried back into the shelter. Cheeky little fellow.I hit Manchester- 16 miles from the shelter- by noon, one of my biggest and earliest days yet. I resupplied and found a ride back to the trail but discovered a voicemail from HP: the guys were still in town. I got my ride to drop me off at the Ben and Jerry's instead (a whopping 250 yards down the road) and, sure enough, Dutch, The Juice, Sweet Tea, Prancer and HP eventually showed up. A quest for a hotel room turned up just one $150 hotel room- apparently the horse show in town draws quite a crowd. Miraculously found Thorny- it had been so long since he pulled ahead that I was beginning to wonder if he had ever actually existed- in town with his wife. They offered HP and I a ride back to the 12 tribes hostel in Rutland and so, with 40something more miles under my belt, I am here again.
Date: 2007-07-28
From: Manchester Center (or, Rutland?)

To: Spruce Peak Shelter
Miles today: 2.8
Weather: moderate rain

Started the day, once again, with the best of intentions.Ended the day when my feet told me to sit down at Spruce Peak Shelter. I decided to stay despite Thorny's warnings about overly bold mice- I would rather brave the rodents than the wrath of my feet.
Date: 2007-07-29
From: Spruce Peak Shelter

To: Story Spring Shelter
Miles today: 18.3
Weather: overcast clouds

Thorny was right about the mice. I should have packed up and left when I noticed three mice on the table at 4:00 in the evening. The critters rustled and squealed and thumped about, keeping me and three NOBOs up all night. They even had the audacity to run around on HP's tent!A nude Englishman made my lunchtime swim at Stratton Pond somewhat interesting.I didn't even realize I was 'climbing' Stratton Mountain until I hit the base of the fire warden's tower. A woman in the tower was very interested in my hike and told me, "I always wanted to be Survivor Man... or soda bottle boat man." I think she was referring to the Survivor Man of TV fame, but I'm not sure who the soda bottle boat man is.Nacho Cheese Lipton in a pita makes for a delicious dinner. It's always fun to come across big camp groups out for the week/weekend ("You're hiking... WHERE?" "This trail goes to Georgia?" "But you're going the wrong way.") The large group at the shelter tonight 'graciously' voted to 'allow' me, HP, and a NOBO to sleep in the shelter. Wow, aren't we 'lucky.'