morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2003-06-24
From: Carlo Col Shelter

To: Gorham, NH
Miles today: 5.2
Weather: few clouds

We didn't plan on going into Gorham when we woke up this morning, but that's how it ended up. We woke up and we finally crossed our first state line into New Hampshire!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It was a great feeling of accomplishment to have the first state behind us! We went from the 2nd hardest state on the trail into the first hardest state, but atleast New Hampshire is a lot shorter than Maine. We ended up having over 59,000 feet in elevation gain in Maine(more than climbing Mt. Everest, twice) and we climbed over 36 major peaks. Needless to say, we were VERY excited about New Hampshire. Today has been a scorcher!!! The thermometer at the shelter said it was over 100 degrees! We have been soaking wet with sweat all day. As soon as we entered New Hampshire, we started climbing up Mt. Success. We thought this was an appropriate mountain to climb after crossing the line!! After 3 more ups and downs after Mt. Success, we made it to Gentian Pond Shelter. We were planning on just stopping and eating there, and then we got to talking with the caretaker of the shelter and he offered to give us a ride into Gorham if we wanted to hike down a 2.5 mile side trail to his truck. We have been slowing down anyway to wait on our family who is coming up to meet us in two days, and since it was so hot, we decided to do it. I have never hiked so fast in my life as we did on those 2.5 miles!!! That caretaker, named Storm, was in excellent condition and he had a tiny daypack, and he ran the entire 2.5 miles. We both had to run to keep up with him and we did 2.5 miles in 23 minutes!!!!!!!!! We were exhausted, but the cold air conditioning in his truck made it worthwhile! We decided we would get mama and daddy to take us back to the side trail and we would hike back up to Gentian Pond and slackpack the rest of the way to Gorham in a few days. So we went on into Gorham and we are staying at the Hiker's Paradise hostel. They give us bicycles to ride around town on to do our chores. It doesn't have air conditioning though, so it is extremely hot in here! Matthew and I decided to take a bus tomorrow to Portland, Maine and surprise our family at the airport. They are flying in tomorrow and aren't expecting to see us until the next day when they drive up to Gorham! We met a guy named Bill McDaniel today. He was the mole on the ABC show "The Mole." He told us all about his interviews and the tests they had to do and about travelling all over Europe filming the show. He was a very cool guy and he had lots of interesting stories! It was so hot in our hostel tonight that Matthew decided to go sleep on the porch so he could get a breeze. I finally drifted off to sleep laying in my sweat.
Date: 2003-06-25
From: Gorham, NH

To: Portland, ME
Miles today: 0.0

Today has been great!!!!! We woke up this morning and we bought our bus tickets to Portland. We found out that we first have to ride 4.5 hours to Boston, Massachusetts and then ride 2 more hours up to Portland, ME. We got on the bus at 7 o'clock AM and started our trip. Bill McDaniel, ABC's the mole, was on the bus with us. We talked with him some more on the trip and we ate and slept and ate and slept. We finally got to Boston around 11:30 AM. We ate a quick meal from McDonald's and had to hurry to get to our other bus that left at 12:00 noon. We boarded it and we were in Portland, Maine by 2 o'clock. Our family's plane didn't come in until 9:30, so we had plenty of time to kill. We got on the METRO Bus and rode into downtown. We walked around and ate at Subway and then we went to the waterfront for awhile. It was very hot again today, so we decided to go sit in the mall for awhile in the air conditioning. We took the METRO Bus to the mall and stayed at the mall for over 5 hours. Neither one of us like to shop, so this was an EXTREMELY long time at the mall!!!!! Finally, around 7:30, we took the METRO Bus one more time to the Portland Airport and waited for mama and daddy and John Mark to arrive. We were both very excited about seeing them and when they came down the gateway, we got really excited! When mama saw us, she was so shocked that she just stopped and then started running to us!!! It was a great surprise and none of us will ever forget it!!! She told us later that she had just said to John Mark and daddy that she would die if we were standing out there waiting on them, and we were!!! After getting the luggage, we went to our hotel for the night, which had A/C by the way:). We talked and talked and saw all the stuff they had brought us and then we finally went to bed. We were all tired out!
Date: 2003-06-26
From: Portland, ME

To: Gorham, NH
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

We have had a great day with our family being here. We woke up this morning and headed for Gorham, NH. We drove through the White Mountains and we decided to take the Mt. Washington Auto Road. It's an 8 mile road that is very curvy and steep without guardrails that goes to the top of Mt. Washington, 6288 feet high. Mama drove because she said she didn't trust daddy's driving!!:) She was nervous the whole time, but she did great! Matthew and I didn't stand on the summit yet because we wanted to save that for when we hike up it, but we did go in the gift shops and all and it was a beautiful day and we had great views. Daddy drove us back down and then we headed into Gorham. We got our packs from the hostel where we had left them yesterday and then we checked into our hotel. When we went to the hostel to get our packs, we saw some other Southbounders we knew that we hadn't seen in awhile. It was good to see them again. It's cool meeting up with people by surprise along the way! We ate pizza tonight and got some more pictures developed and we had a great day together! We went to the library tonight and when we came out, there was a policeman out there with a gun and a bear had just came by about 3 minutes earlier and the policeman was shooting him with rubber bullets to scare him out of town. We just missed it!!! Oh well. We've had a great day!
Date: 2003-06-27
From: Gorham, NH

To: Gorham, NH
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: scattered clouds

We are still in Gorham with our family today. We slept late today and then we headed for Conway, NH and all 5 of us went kayaking on the Saco River. It was about a 5 hour ride, but we had a great time. It's been really hot again today and the water felt great and it was extremely clear, which is something very different from the rivers at home in Georgia! Mama and daddy and John Mark were surprised at how clear it was, me and Matthew are getting used to these crystal clear mountain streams. Each one is beautiful though. We had fun kayaking and then afterwards we went and ate some Lobster!!!!! After I finally figured out how to get into the meat part of the lobster, it was very good! Matthew got a steak and really enjoyed it. Me, mama, and John Mark ate a lobster. Daddy ate fish. It was by far the best meal we've had on the trip yet! After eating, we came back to Gorham and went to the hotel for a minute. Then we decided to come to the library and as we were pulling into the parking spot at the library, we saw a black bear running down the street!!!!!!!!!! We were very excited!!!! We got in the car and followed it around town for awhile. We'd get out and take pictures and he'd run off and then we'd get back in the car and drive around some more. All 5 of us got to see him VERY closeup and we got within 20 feet of him. Me and Matthew couldn't believe that we walked through the woods for almost a month and didn't see a single bear and now we come into town and see a bear!!! It was really cool for all of us to be able to see him! Tomorrow me and Matthew are going to hike about 11.5 miles and mama, daddy, and John Mark are going to hike with us some. It should be fun!
Date: 2003-06-28
From: Gorham, NH

To: Gorham, NH
Miles today: 11.8
Weather: broken clouds

This morning, daddy took me and Matthew to the side trail where we had gotten off a few days earlier. Matthew and I hiked up 2.5 miles to the Appalachian Trail where we had left off. We slackpacked for 11.8 miles into Gorham, NH. Our younger brother John Mark and daddy hiked up the last 1.5 miles and met us and then we all got to hike together for awhile. It was fun to have all 4 of us hiking together. I really enjoyed it. We came back and took showers and ate some pizza. We rode over to Vermont this afternoon and then came back and packed up and resupplied our food. We ate one last good meal together tonight and it was very enjoyable. I finally got a steak! Yum, yum! Mama, daddy, and John Mark are leaving in the morning but it's been great seeing them again! Today's been a great day!
Date: 2003-06-29
From: Gorham, NH

To: Carter Notch Hut
Miles today: 15.2
Weather: scattered clouds

We all got up really early this morning because mama, daddy, and John Mark had to drive to Portland and catch a plane by 9 o'clock. They dropped me and Matthew off at the trail and we said our goodbyes for another month!!! It was sad to see them leave, but it was good to see them the past few days. Matthew and I have decided to walk separately now because our paces are so different. We hiked together 1.5 miles today and then I didn't see him anymore. I started off with a long climb up Middle Moriah Mountain. I went from 760' to 3620'. I rested at Imp Campsite and ate some tuna and got some water. After Imp, I climbed STRAIGHT up North Carter Mountain. The summit was 4530'. It was beautiful from the top. I then went over Middle and South Carter Mountains. I took a picture at Middle Carter Mtn. because I'm the "middle Carter" in our family. It was pretty neat. After those, I went down into a valley and then climbed up Mt. Height and then up to the top of Carter Dome(4832'). From Carter Dome, I went straight down to Carter Notch Hut. It felt great to get to the hut! Mama had bought me some freeze-dried spaghetti and that is what kept me going the last 1.5 miles! I thought of how good it was going to be! These Appalachian Mountain Club Huts are really neat. They are only in the White Mountains and they have kitchens and beds and stuff for sale in them. I got to sleep on a mattress and I had a pillow tonight! Today was a great day!
Date: 2003-06-30
From: Carter Notch Hut

To: Osgood Tentsite
Miles today: 10.7
Weather: light rain

I started off this morning with a hike up Wildcat Mountain. It was another very steep climb to the top. Once at the top, I stayed on a ride and went over 5 peaks of Wildcat Mountain. I walked right by a gondola ride that is used as a ski lift in the winter. I wished I could just ride it down the mountain, but I had to walk! It was a steep descent into Pinkham Notch from Wildcat. The trail goes right through Pinkham Notch and there is a place to get food there and I got a huge ham sandwich, 2 powerades, chips, and nachos! It was great! I then continued on to Osgood Tentsite and I got there about 3 o'clock and I decided that I would just stay there because I didn't really want to climb Mt. Madison right then. So I put my tent up and I stayed in it for a long time and rested and it felt great. I got a little radio in Gorham and I listened to it for a long time and it has tv programs on it, so I listened to the CBS Evening News and then I listened to Jeopardy! I thought about Wheel of Fortune, but it's no good without watching that. But Jeopardy was great!
Date: 2003-07-01
From: Osgood Tentsite

To: Lakes of the Clouds Hut
Miles today: 10.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Today has been a beautiful day! I started off the morning with a 2500' climb up Mt. Madison(5300'). I stopped in at Madison Hut and got some leftover pancakes and they tasted great! I met up with Squirrel Meat there and we decided that we'd to go Lakes of the Clouds Hut tonight. I stayed on the Presidential Range Ridge all day today. It's over 5 thousand feet high and it's above treeline. We walked on nothing but rocks all day, but today has definitely been the prettiest day of all. We went by Mt. Madison, Adams, Jefferson, Reagan, and Mt. Washington. Mt. Washington is 6,288' feet high and it's the highest peak in New England. It was a great feeling to stand on the top knowing I climbed it! They have a gift shop and restaurant up there because there is an auto road that goes to the top, so there's a ton of tourists up there too. I got me some more good food there and I went in the museum and hung around a little bit and then I headed down the other side to Lakes of the Clouds Hut. They didn't have any work for stay available, so I had to pay 8 dollars and stay in "The Dungeon." The Dungeon is an emergency fallout room underneath that thru-hikers are allowed to stay in. It had a huge steel door and it was pretty cool. I got to eat some of the leftover food again and I had ham and potatos!!!!!!!!!!! One of my best meals yet out here!
Date: 2003-07-02
From: Lakes of the Clouds Hut

To: Mizpah Springs Hut
Miles today: 4.8

Today was a very short day. I didn't leave Lakes Hut until 9:15 because I stayed and ate breakfast there and then I continued on the ridge above treeline over to Mizpah. I wasn't planning on staying here, but I got here and really liked it so I asked if there was any work for stay available and they said there was, so I decided to stay. I washed a ton of dishes and helped clean the tables after everybody ate. Afterwards, I got some lasagna and green peas! And bread! Today was kinda like a rest day and it felt good to lay around and not hike all day. I got a lot of reading done and a lot of dish washing in! I guess I'm learning a lot of new things on this trip. Mama would be proud that I washed all those dishes! I slept in the attic tonight.
Date: 2003-07-03
From: Mizpah Springs Hut

To: Galehead Hut
Miles today: 21.1
Weather: scattered clouds

Today was my first day over 21 miles and it feels great! I left Mizpah this morning around 6:30 and I climbed up Mt. Jackson and Mt. Webster. I then went straight down Webster into Crawford Notch. A lady from New York gave a mile ride over to The Willey House at Crawford Notch because it had a snack bar. I got a bacon, egg, and cheese and 2 Dr. Peppers and a blueberry muffin. Great way to start the morning! I walked back to the trail and continued on. I then climbed up Mt. Tom up to Ethan Pond Campsite. The pond was beautiful, but I didnt' stay too long. I then went on to Zealand Falls Hut. I saw something today I haven't seen in over a month. 4.5 miles of flat land!!! It was amazing! I had almost forgotten what it looked like! I ended at Zealand Hut though. I stopped there to eat and then I started up another mountain. I went up Zeacliff Mountain and then up Mt. Guyout, which had beautiful views. I also went up South Twin Mountain and then down to Galehead Hut. The crew at Galehead Hut was wonderful!   They cooked a hamburger just for me and they also had ketchup!!! After eating, we went on the roof and watched the sunset. It has been a great day today!!! I slept on the floor in the dining room.
Date: 2003-07-04
From: Galehead Hut

To: North Woodstock, NH
Miles today: 13.0

Today is Independence Day. I left Galehead this morning and climbed up Mt. Garfield. Garfield was a long and steep climb and then I went straight down and then back up Mt. Lafayette which is over 5 thousand feet high. I stayed on Franconia Ridge for about 6 miles above treeline, beautiful views! I ran out of water on top and I didn't have any for about 5 miles! It has been very hot today too! I finally got water at Liberty Springs Campsite!!! It tasted so great! I met up with a hiker from New York who was parked down at Franconia Notch and he offered me a ride into North Woodstock. He drove me into town and I ate 3 hamburgers and two large fries from McDonald's and we watched the 4th of July parade out front. He then took me to Cascade B&B, which is the hiker hostel here. They were out of rooms, but I paid 8 dollars and they let me sleep on the porch and have a hot shower! I ate supper with two northbounders and one of them insisted on paying for my supper, so I got a little trail magic here in North Woodstock. We watched the fireworks tonight and it has been a great day!
Date: 2003-07-05
From: North Woodstock, NH

To: Eliza Brook Shelter
Miles today: 8.8
Weather: moderate rain

Today has been half a town day and half a hike day. This morning, I got up and went and ate breakfast at McDonald's. Then I had to wait for the outfitters store to open and I bought some new shoes and socks. My other shoes were starting to wear out already, so I got some new ones for half price! They are about the ugliest shoes I've ever had, but they're comfortable and they were half price!:) Then I went to the library for awhile and then I went and ate one last meal in town. I got a big hamburger with some Doritos and a Dr. Pepper! I came back to the hostel and got my stuff and decided it was time to head back to the trail. It was early afternoon and it was atleast 95 degrees. Not a good time to start! Anyway, I walked down the road and as soon as I put my thumb up a truck swerved off and picked me up. A nice couple from Connecticut were the ones who gave me a ride close to the trail. I still had to walk a little ways, but they took me as close as they could. I finally got back on the trail around 1:30 PM and I immediately crossed under my first interstate! I walked under two bridges beside a river. It was kinda cool. At about 1:32 it started raining! Right after I started! It flooded for about an hour, which I didn't mind because it really cooled me off! My feet were soaking wet the entire day. I hiked up the trail and I came to Lonesome Lake Hut. I stopped in for some free lemonade and then I was off again. I climbed up South and North Kinsman Mountains, which are both over 4,000 feet in elevation. The climb down South Kinsman was pretty steep. I then made it to Eliza Brook Shelter where I am staying for the night. I am staying with two northbounders tonight. It's fun exchanging stories of what lies ahead for both of us. I have met a LOT of northbounders lately! It's amazing how many nobos there are and how few sobos there are! We played a game of cards and then we went to bed!
Date: 2003-07-06
From: Eliza Brook Shelter

To: Glencliff, NH
Miles today: 17.0

Today has been a great day! I left Eliza Brook this morning around 6:30 and I climbed up the East and South Peaks of Mt. Wolf, they weren't very hard though. After those, I hiked down into Kinsman Notch. When I got there, I decided to hike an extra half a mile to Lost River Reservation because they have a snack bar and cafeteria!!! I got some pizza, an orange, starburst, and of course a Dr. P. When I went to pay with my debit card I found out they didn't take it, and I didn't think I had any cash, but thankfully I had five ones and my total was 4.85!!! I will definitely carry more cash from now on so I can eat! After that stop, I walked back to the trail and I had one more mountain in the White Mountains!!!!! It was a very steep climb up Mt. Mousilauke. I climbed up right beside a waterfall for about half of the way. Moosilauke is 4,802 feet high. It was above treeline and it was beautiful!!! It felt great also because it is supposed to be one of the last hard mountains and it's supposed to get easier from here!!!!! I was very excited about that! I then climbed down, which was a long gradual climb down and I came to Glencliff, NH. I decided to stay at the hostel there at Packrat's because it was only 6 bucks. They have a cool outdoor shower too. Today is Sunday and I am finally in town for church! I went to Glencliff Community Chapel tonight. It was AWESOME to finally get to go to church and we sang the same type songs as we do at my home church in Gresston. The preacher was very good also and he talked about Daniel. The people were really nice and they prayed for me several times during the service and it was a great time!!!!!! I hope I can be in town a lot more often on Sundays from now on! I then went back to the hostel and ate and went to sleep.
Date: 2003-07-07
From: Glencliff, NH

To: Firewardens Cabin
Miles today: 20.0
Weather: light rain

The terrain of the trail really took a change for the better today!!!!! I am finally out of the White Mountains and I could tell it today! The first 6 miles of the day were relatively flat and plus there's a real trail now, I'm not walking on just rocks and roots anymore! It's great!!! After hiking for about 5 miles, I saw a huge cooler and chair just sitting in the middle of the trail. The cooler had a note in it that said sit down and relax and drink a coke!!!! It was amazing trail magic!!!! Someone had just left it there too because I was the first one to drink a coke and it still had lots of unmelted ice in it and the coke was very good and cold!!!!!!! This is just one example of how nice everyone has been on this trip!!!!! After I pulled myself away from the chair, I kept going and I climbed up Mt. Cube(2,911'). When I got to the top there were 10 girls from a camp sitting there and they offered me an apple and fig newtons!!! I sat down there for awhile and ate! And then they even took my apple core out for me!!!! Really nice people! After that break, I climbed back down and then I climbed up Smarts Mtn. The climb up was extremely long but it was very gradual. It felt very good to be on the top when I finally got there! I am staying at an old firewardens cabin tonight. It's deserted now and it's just used for a shelter, but it's cool. There is also a fire tower up here with great panoramic views. Water has been very scarce today. Most of the water sources have dried up and only a few are still there. I have to tote extra water and it is very heavy! I cooked two freeze-dried spaghetti meals tonight and went to sleep!
Date: 2003-07-08
From: Firewardens Cabin

To: Hanover, NH
Miles today: 23.4
Weather: scattered clouds

I left the firewardens cabin this morning a little after 6. I left in the rain and my feet got soaked instantly. I climbed down Smarts Mtn. and then up Holts Ledge, which is a peregrine falcon rookery. I then climbed down that and back up Moose Mtn. I was drained of energy all morning so when I got to Moose Mtn. I stopped and cooked some Ramen noodles. It really helped me and I felt a lot better. I then went down the mtn. and the rest of the day was pretty flat!!!! I even got to walk through some fields with horses in them and I love this "new" trail!!! I just can't believe that I"m not walking in roots and rocks all the time anymore! Water has been scarce again today. Only one or two sources all day long. I made it to Hanover at about 4:45 after over 23 miles of hiking. When I got here, I saw 3 other southbounders I know that I haven't seen in a long time!!! We all went and ate all you can eat pizza together and then went and got an ice cream. It's fun meeting back up with people in towns that you haven't seen in awhile. Hanover, NH is the home of Dartmouth College. The Appalachian Trail goes right through downtown! I walked out of the woods on the trail and I was immediately walking on the Dartmouth Football field!!! It was pretty weird. And then the trail went down the sidewalk in downtown and I had to press the crosswalk button at red lights while I was still on the trail!!!! This is a major change from Maine!!!! I like it though. I am staying in the basement of Panarchy, which is a frat house at Dartmouth College. They let thru-hiker's stay in the basement. Hanover is a cool town. I am planning on staying in town and doing some errands in the morning and then heading back out to the trail early tomorrow afternoon.