morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2015-07-18
From: Inn at Long Trail

To: Mountain Meadows Lodge, Killington VT
Miles today: 3.9

This day is a Nero day. I have a food drop and am staying at this lodge. I have received my food box from my wife and have repackaged my food bags to prepare for the next 85 miles. There are a lot of high ups and downs coming up and I'm sure that I will not make it in time to the next place that I have a reservation for. I will hike the next couple of days to see where I am before I call ahead to change my reservation. My left knee is hurting very much. Last night was the first time that I took extra aspirin to make it through the night. We will see how that works out going forward. 4 other hikers in the same lodge as me are having similar issues. 2 of them are seriously thinking of dropping out. NOT ME!!! Just as I got close to the lodge an animal came towards me. I thought it was a Moose, but turned out to be Alex the pony from the lodge. I changed my drawers when I got to the lodge and am showing you a pix of Alex. Enjoy. More later.
Date: 2015-07-21
From: Mountain Meadows Lodge, Killington VT

To: VT 14, White River, Randy and Linda Hart home
Miles today: 32.4
Weather: overcast clouds

First thing first. A big Happy Birthday to my brother Stevie. He is my next eldest brother after Jeff who had his B-Day a couple weeks ago if you remember. Stevie, and his wife Judy, have been signing my guest book on a regular basis. He even gave me some Beef Jerky to munch along the way. I hope you are doing something fun today. Love you my brother. On to trail talk. I posted seven other pictures today. Some have flowers that I would like to have named. Help if you can. I'm staying in the upstairs of a garage of a couple who absolutely love hikers. They live one house off the trail as it crosses the White River. They can see hikers coming from both directions. They actually have a bell that they ring and they beckon you over. They give you something to drink and even make food. They also let a lucky few stay in their garage. Count me in as lucky tonight. Great! It is going to rain and I still hurt in my left knee and wasn't sure if I could go the next four miles, including another 1,000 footer uphill. Today the mountains were extremely steep. I'm just chill in' in my bed with the fan running. They also only have 3 beds and I was first here. So,,,,,,guess who got the best bed?   Answer: CaptainK HA-HA for me.
Date: 2015-07-22
From: VT 14, White River, Randy and Linda Hart home

To: Tigger's Tree House Etna, New Hampshire
Miles today: 15.7
Weather: broken clouds

This just in. CaptainK was seen crossing the Vermont/New Hampshire border earlier today. If this is true, then he has completed 12 states with 2 to go. Word has it that he is being helped by his most lovely and loyal accomplice,Mrs. CaptainK. It has been said that she has been providing him food and supplies all along the trail including a drop at the Hanover, NH Post Office today. If you see CaptainK in NH, approach him with food and drink. Rumor has it that he would be most appreciative if that were the case. In the meantime, CaptainK is thought to be holding out tonight at Tigger's Tree House in Etna, NH supported by hosts Karen and Ralph. And now for the weather. Even though there was only a 10% chance of rain where CaptainK was hiking today, a fierce thunderstorm rolled through right at the time he was negotiating an extremely steep NH boulder/root/muddy mountain. This caused tremendous difficulty which led to an early exit from the trail. Big thx goes out again to Mrs. CaptainK for finding Tigger's Tree House. That was a life saver. And I ain't kidding. Stay tuned for more details as they come in. I'm out for today.
Date: 2015-07-23
From: Tigger's Tree House Etna, New Hampshire

To: Tigger's Tree House Etna, New Hampshire
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

This is a special edition posting. I am here to report that I am not going to be hiking for a few days due to a foot injury. See picture for all the exciting details. I went to a doctor this morning and it was determined that it is not fractured. The best treatment is rest. I don't have a problem with that because it hurts very bad to walk on it. I'm sitting at my Trail Angel Betsy's front porch with ice on my foot as I post this update. I actually passed her house yesterday morning during my hike. We discussed my foot issue and she told me to call her if I needed to if I was still in the area. I did that and she came to me and took my backpack so that I didn't have to lug it to the doctor or anywhere else I might have needed to go. After the doctor visit, I told her my rest up plan the doc said and she is letting me stay in her house for a few days. That is so nice. She even took those who are staying with her to get ice cream. And she paid. See pix of her and her house. These Trail Angel people are awesome!In the meantime, I begged Mrs. CaptainK to move up her plans from meeting me in Northern New Hampshire to meeting me ASAP. She is getting the Batmobile, I mean the Wietrobago, ready and will join me before I have to hike the Presidentials which is good because I won't have to take my full load up them. I won't be updating for a few days until I either start hiking again or have to stop for good (which I am not planning on doing). Thx for all the well wishes up to now and the encouragement to go forward.
Date: 2015-07-28
From: Tigger's Tree House Etna, New Hampshire

To: NH Route 25A
Miles today: 27.8
Weather: overcast clouds

Hey everyone....... I 'm back. I hiked yesterday and today. More about that in a minute. First thing is bless the Trail Angels!!! I have had so much help from them over the last week that I honestly would have had to quit my quest without them. Betsy and Bill from Norwich, VT let me stay with them for 4 nights. They fed me too and took me to the store. Betsy even picked up my backpack so that I wouldn't have to carry it to the doctor. These 2 are AMAZING. Ted also took me back to the trail yesterday and thx for that. Last night I tented in Bill the Ice Cream Guy's yard. He gives each hiker ice cream as they stop over his house. He also has croquet set up and everyone plays. I had coffee with him before I left this morning which isn't something he normally does. But he did for CaptainK. I asked him ahead of time if I could tent there because I was trying to make the hike today as short as possible. Thx to all of you. Speaking of a Trail Angeks, my number one Angel just arrived. That would be Mrs. CaptainK with the Wietrobago. She will be with me to the end. This will greatly increase my odds of finishing. I already slack packed today and iced my foot afterwards. Please give her shout outs when you sign my guestbook. She definitely deserves it. As to the actual hiking, IT WAS EXTREMELY HARD! It also was very humid (insert sweat here). It was very hard not to get dehydrated. My sweat was sweating. And now for my injuries. Right foot very painful, but swelling is down 90%. Left knee still hurts, but I keep it braced and chew on a bullet as I walk (not really young people). 10-mile days planned for the next 2 days through some nasty 3,500' ups and downs.
Date: 2015-07-29
From: NH Route 25A

To: High Street Glenncliff, NH
Miles today: 11.0
Weather: light rain

Hiked the part that I planned today plus 1.4 miles more. I needed to be setup for Mount Moosilauke tomorrow. That has a 3,800 steep uphill and a 2,900 foot downhill paralleling a waterfall. At times I will be in the fall. This too is steep. Rain is predicted for around 3:00pm so I want to get an early start. The entire up and down is only 9.3 miles. I have done 1.4 so that leaves me with just under 8 miles. We'll see. My right foot hurts, but I think it isn't as bad as yesterday. The hike today, although the muddiest of all, was not as difficult or long as yesterday.   So I'll be moving on tomorrow. Since I finished early today, we got ice cream and went to the pool as you can see. I used some of the time exercising my knee and foot. Wish me luck on Moosilauke.
Date: 2015-07-31
From: High Street Glenncliff, NH

To: Kinsman Notch,NH
Miles today: 8.1

Short and sweet. I did conquer Mt. Moosilauke today. It was as advertised. If you notice, I did not hike yesterday. I am now having severe stomach cramping and other not so fun things. It is not dehydration. I thought I was better, but as I type this I am not so well. Foot and knee still hurt with the foot the worst. Mrs. CaptainK is helping me through the various issues, but I'm afraid I have to shut it down again. And now the clock is ticking against me. I have a deadline to return to my job. I'm still OK, but getting nervous. Me and my wife need to consider options going forward. Either way and once again, thank you all for your support all along the way. I'm 2 tenths of a mile shy of 1,800 total hike mileage. I'm getting those no matter if an Ambulance has to drag my feet.
Date: 2015-08-01
From: Kinsman Notch,NH

To: Kinsman Notch,NH
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

Well I have contacted my Doctor at home and described my stomach symptoms to him. He agreed that I probably have a nice little ailment known as Giardia. Hikers get this from drinking bad water usually. I had 3 hikers that came from Maine tell me they all got this a few weeks ago. This can last for weeks. I just took my first pill and will see how I feel after that. No hiking at least thru tomorrow. This condition is prevalent mostly in the Sothern states and I'm actually surprised that I got it here. In the meantime, my wife and I are figuring out the most efficient miles per day I can do to move along. I probably won't post tomorrow since I won't have any hiking updates for you. I'm sure that you all understand.
Date: 2015-08-02
From: Kinsman Notch,NH

To: Franconia Notch,NH
Miles today: 16.3

Since I felt much better last night and early this morning, I decided to give it the old college effort and hike. And so it began. The beginning was muddy and uphill. I did very well. It then became very bouldery. A lot of this was 5 to 10 feet ups or downs. Pretty strenuous and kinda dangerous. Of course it was wet. It wasn't supposed to rain last night, but it did. Waiter, could I have some extra water and mud and slime on my boulders please? I'm just saying. The downhills go a lot slower due to all of the above plus the fact that you are trying not to become a projectile down the mountain du jour. Speaking of projectiles, the medicine that doc gave me for my stomach problem has an interesting possible side effect. If I have alcohol (including swallowing mouth wash) I will most likely have projectile vomiting. I told my wife I should swallow some mouth wash around the campfire with other campers and enjoy the rest of the night. Tomorrow I am taking my heavy backpack because I will need to spend the night in the woods. This is because there is no road that my wife can meet me. I gotta go and pack.
Date: 2015-08-04
From: Franconia Notch,NH

To: Crawford Notch, NH
Miles today: 27.7

I'm finally making my way through the Presidential Mountains within the White Mountains in New Hampshire. That was a mouthful. I climbed Lincoln and Garfield along with Lafayete, Haystack, Twins, and Zeacliff. Each had nasty ups and downs and there was a torrential thunderstorm last night that made everything that much wetter and dangerous. I made it through unscathed and hope to do so going onward. One cool thing I got to do last night was to do what is called Work For Stay in one of the huts. These are buildings managed by the Appalachian Mountain Club and have bunks for paying customers. They also get meals. These can cost up to $145.00 per night. Thru hikers can sometimes Work For Stay. I got leftovers from the supper and I defrosted freezers and cleaned back splashes of their stoves. Then I slept in my sleeping bag in the eating/game room. It's something to add to the experience. I hope to summit 6,200 Mt. Washington in a couple of days. I'm feeling OK and just pushing on.
Date: 2015-08-05
From: Crawford Notch, NH

To: Lakes of the Clouds Hut,NH
Miles today: 11.2
Weather: broken clouds

Gotta be short. Good climb today. I'm a mile and a half from peak of Mt. Washington. That is also 1,200 feet to go. Great views today. The weather held out again. I just beat a rain storm. Looking OK for tomorrow as far as weather so far. That could change. I feel good. I gotta go.
Date: 2015-08-06
From: Lakes of the Clouds Hut, NH

To: Mt. Washington Summit, NH
Miles today: 1.3
Weather: scattered clouds

Good news bad news day. Good news: I made it to the summit of Mt. Washington Bad news: That's as far as I gotWeather forecast: Sunny, winds 20mphActual weather: Total overcast and fog, winds 65mph, visibility 10 feetAll hikers came off of the mountain due to the weather. I got a ride from Danielle and Robar (sorry if I misspelled names) from Quebec. I asked them because the hiker shuttle business was not opened and I was told that they MAY open before noon. Then, I wouldn't be guaranteed a seat because they are all first come first serve. I was the first hiker up the peak this morning, but I guess that didn't matter. Their business was in a different building than the main visitor center and I had to go out into the raging weather to see if they were open. That wasn't fun. Now I have to take the shuttle back up to the peak in the morning (first come first serve) to continue my trek. I'm feeling good overall as far as my body goes. I know, I can only do so much with what I have.
Date: 2015-08-08
From: Mt. Washington Summit, NH

To: Imp Shelter, NH
Miles today: 26.6
Weather: overcast clouds

Well, I got to hike 2 days in a row thru the "Whites" of NH. The going is a little slower here. I am done with the Presidentials and also the Wildcats. I have had the most severe ups and downs of the trip going over the Wildcats. I let my trekking poles go downhill on purpose a dozen times today because the drops were 4 - 8 feet down in some parts and the poles were useless. Plus I needed free hands. At least it was dry today. Yesterday I took a wrong turn in the unmarked part of the trail. I went about a half a mile before turning around and finally going the correct way. It happened later in the day and I don't mind telling you that I was getting scared. I still had over 5 miles to go. It ended well though so no harm, no foul. Working my way outta NH in the next 2 or 3 days. Then (insert angelic chorus and harps here) I'll be in Maine. Say it with me.........Maine. One other good thing about making it this far is that people are running out of " wait until you get there's" to scare me with. Because I've already been to most of them. Boom!That's it for now. More when I can.
Date: 2015-08-09
From: Imp Shelter, NH

To: Trident Col Campsite, NH
Miles today: 14.9
Weather: overcast clouds

Today I altered my plans. I was going to stop 8 miles in and stay in the RV because I have been getting beat up by the trail. However, since I made it down by 11am I decided to keep moving. We went to a brunch in Gorham and I bought new hiking shoes since my current ones are falling apart. That makes 4 pair if you are counting. So I did the extra miles and now lay in my tent in the rain. Well, this is fun. Big milestone was reached today. I went under the 300 miles to go mark. Makes me feel good, but I'm not celebrating just yet. Have lots of work still to do. Since I'll be in the woods a couple more days, I'm signing off for now. With this rain, at least my body is getting a rest. I'm just listening to the Grouse call.
Date: 2015-08-11
From: Trident Col Campsite, NH

To: Grafton Notch, Maine
Miles today: 24.2
Weather: moderate rain

Well hey there from the great state of Maine. Yup, I'm in Lobstah land. I hiked my little self all the way from Georgia and have entered the final state. It happens to be the 3rd longest of the trail, but I'll keep putting one foot in front of the other. Today I conquered 2 of the hardest elements of the trail. That would be Mahoosuc Notch and Mahoosuc Arm. The first is a boulder scramble which made me crawl on my belly and take my pack off 4 times. It is said it takes up to 4 hours to do the mile. I did it in an hour and twenty minutes. I was hyped for this and was in the zone. Then the arm came up. It is pretty much straight up for 2,800 feet and pretty steep down. Been there, done that. The issue with this particular up/down was that the forecasted rains for late morning started at 8:30am. Bad news for me on that one. The arm was dangerous. I kept hearing Paul Simon in my head singing "the more near your destination, the more you slip sliding away".   Today was also the first day that I got water in my shoes. I think it was because the rains were heavy and the winds on the ridge were sideways and my pants couldn't absorb it fast enough. My wife is drying all clothing except my shoes now. Tomorrow is supposed to be a dry day. I'll believe it when I see it.   Stay tuned chowdah heads. (I mean that in the best of ways)
Date: 2015-08-14
From: Grafton Notch, Maine

To: Oquossoc, ME
Miles today: 33.6
Weather: overcast clouds

3 days worth. Today I finally saw a Moose. It was a female cow about 7 feet tall and a little longer. I was about 75 feet from it. It wasn't scared, nor was I. Just a nice sighting. I know you're probably tired of hearing about steep ups and downs, but they don't stop coming. I have so many nicks and cuts from falling down hills or getting scratched by trees and rocks. Tomorrow looks pretty flat comparatively speaking. I'll find out then. The next couple of days after that look nasty, real nasty. A cohiker of mine was carried off a mountain yesterday with a severe illness which caused lots of vomiting. He pressed his Spot device which sends an alert to local rescue teams. My wife actually sent a Facebook message to him to let him know where other hikers carried and hid his backpack. That is a good example of hikers helping hikers. I wish you well SOG. One more thing in the feel good category is that my wife met a local woman (Hazel from Andover Maine) that helped her to know which roads she can or can't get our RV down. They talked at breakfast two days in a row after she dropped me off to hike. Thx Hazel for "friending" my wife. I appreciate it. Do you think you can meet her every morning the rest of the way?Lastly, lots of you are asking me when I think I'll finish. Well, I have 233.6 miles to go and if I can average 13.7 miles a day, I will finish the end of August. I'm thinking a few days after that as of now. That's all for now. Thx again everyone for following me along the way.
Date: 2015-08-15
From: Oquossoc, ME

To: Rangeley, ME
Miles today: 13.2

Today did turn out as I had hoped. The terrain was pretty good compared to what I have been hiking over. I did the 13.2 miles in a little over 6 hours. I haven't had that speed since Vermont (seriously). The bad news is that the next few days are going to be very steep. They will probably be the worst of the trip. For example, I have a 1,600 foot descent in a half a mile. That is literally 75 to 80 degrees straight down. Looks like lots of rebar and tree hugging coming up. There are over 7 pretty much straight ups and downs in this section. And I'll be carrying my full load because the next 32 miles have no roads that my wife can meet me at. Whoever said the trail simmers down after the first 50 miles of Maine is not going to be my next financial manager. Or any other knowledge based help for me. My wife and I went to the Rangely EMS to discuss the backpack location for SOG. He is the hiker that got taken off the mountain a couple nights ago. We are the only ones who know where it is. We told the EMS and we also found out that he was transferred to a high end hospital and is in ICU now. Wish you well my friend. I hope to post tomorrow, but don't know if I'll have service. As always, I'll do my best.
Date: 2015-08-17
From: Rangeley, ME

To: Stratton, ME
Miles today: 32.2
Weather: few clouds

I got thru a very hard stretch over the last 2 days. I saw a male moose, surpassed 2,000 miles completed, and went under the 200 miles-to-go mark. Not bad for a couple of days work. I sweated soooo much that my pants looked like they got hosed down. My wicking shirt (it gets wet and I am supposed to stay dry) got so wet that the excess drained onto my pants. This has happened many times, but not this bad. I stopped for water 2 extra times both days to stay safe. I'm told that I have one more very rough day and then the trail calms down for a while. I hope so. These last 2 days also went over trail that another hiker passed thru 2 years ago and never made it out. I stopped at the lean-to that she was last seen at. No trace of her or her equipment has been found. It was pretty eerie hiking thru. Her trail name was Inchworm. There is a memorial on the northern road crossing where her husband was waiting to meet her. I hope she gets found for all of the appropriate reasons. 188.2 more miles to go before I sleep. And miles to go before I (zzzzzzzzzzz).
Date: 2015-08-18
From: Stratton, ME

To: Long Falls Dam Road, ME
Miles today: 19.5

Well, today was a very good day. I made it farther than I hoped thanks to my wife finding another road that she could get the Wietrobago down past our meeting place. I was planning on 17.7, but actually did 19.5. That was including the most current high mountains. This extra mileage also sets me up for getting to the ferry boat in time tomorrow, I think. The last ferry is at 4:00pm and now I have around 17 miles to do instead of 20. I will slack pack that distance. I have to take the ferry across the Kennebec River. I cannot ford it due to unpredictable currents. The weather was still stifling hot today. My wife unzipped the legs off of my pants and I sported my shorts for the first time of the trip. After yesterday and my sweat factory, I thought it best to go with just shorts. I made it a lot easier that way. I'm going to wear them again tomorrow. It looks like a lot of rain is coming in for the next few days. Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you that a few days ago when I was in Rangeley, I passed the 45th parallel. That is where it is equal distance to the equator and the North Pole. Shouldn't I be getting colder?I heard my first Loon yesterday and my wife was with me at the time. We were sitting on a dock at our campground after the daily hike. I heard another today while hiking.
Date: 2015-08-19
From: Long Falls Dam Road, ME

To: Caratunk, ME
Miles today: 17.5

A hot day, a good day. Really hot and juicy again. Sweat drips from my elbows as I use my trekking poles. Of course it drips off my face and everywhere else that sweat can drip from. Gets kinda yucky. However, I still managed to get the miles in to take the ferry while it was operating. It has limited hours. I saw lots of beautiful scenery today with most of it water based. I saw some Loons for the first time. The pictures didn't come out because they were too far away. But I saw them and watched them dive for a snack. Tomorrow I hit the trail for a couple of days before my wife can meet me again. So it's full pack and 90 degrees. After that, I begin the 100-mile wilderness section. It really is 100 miles in the wilderness. I might be able to meet my wife once in that section if she can get an answer about the one road that crosses the trail. She keeps trying but can't get a good answer. Some of you keep asking me how many more miles I have and when will I get finished. I definitely have 151.2 miles to go. I guess that I will finish by the end of August. That is not a guarantee, but my best guess. Also note one more time that if you don't put your name in your guestbook signing or your email, I have no idea who sent the message. That's fine if you want to stay anonymous. I appreciate any signings that I get. Thx so much to all of you.