morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2014-07-27
From: private residence in Norwich Vermont

To: private residence in Norwich, Vermont
Miles today: 0.0

July 27: good day today, taking the day off to rest the legs in preparation for tackling the White Mountains. We hit the library today, enjoyed reading "curious George" to my grandson, Kevin on Skype. We also spent a few hours of catching up on our journals, and we stopped at the grocery store to pick up our food for the next few days. As we were leaving the grocery store, we encountered a gentleman, David, who was asking us about our experience and about how townspeople are supporting hikers. He is a retired ophthalmologist, and works as a teacher at Dartmouth. He invited us to his home to meet his wife, say, and we accepted. When we got there, they also invited us to have dinner with them, and we spent a nice evening sharing experiences. (Thank you!). They also gave us a tour of their lovely home, which they have put a lot of work into. Especially notable was the "man-cave", (library), which has no equals to my knowledge. He also has a really cool train set in the basement that he built from scratch. It is modeled on the Swiss village, and has all European trains. Most impressive is the fact that he built it over only two years, hand-crafting key components, such as the signal lights. Very cool. Just goes to show that you never know what's going to happen on the trail. These experiences would never happen if you're seeing America from the road. The people, the cool towns, it's just a unique adventure we'll never forget.
Date: 2014-07-28
From: private residence in Norwich, Vermont

To: Moose Mountain shelter (mile 1754.1)
Miles today: 11.0
Weather: few clouds

Got a late start out of Hanover this morning (actually, a little after noon). Spent the morning at the library and Starbucks, was some heavy rain. Got to read to my grandson on Skype. Also took care of some personal business on the computer there. We stocked up on a couple of pieces of pizza to take on the road to eat later in the day. While the terrain was decent, the rain continued. More walking with wet feet. Nice gradual climb up to Moose Mountain, which was only a little over 2000 feet. Looking forward to hitting the White Mountains shortly, we are now well rested and ready!
Date: 2014-07-29
From: Moose Mountain shelter (mile 1754.1)

To: stealth campsite at South Jacob's Brook
Miles today: 16.0

Some hard travel today, as it rained last night. Lots of mud, plenty of "lagoons" to circumnavigate. The trail took us through Lyme, New Hampshire, and past the home of Dr. Bill Ackerley, known to through hikers as "the ice cream man". We enjoyed his hospitality, and naturally, some ice cream. We discussed Tibetan philosophy at length, the spirit of which he embraces. Was great to spread out our stuff and dry it after the rain (including shoes and socks!)¢¦ Steep climb up to Lambert's ridge, some semi-level terrain for a short spell, and then another steep climb up to smart's Mountain. We then dropped a few thousand feet over the course of about three or 4 miles, and found a decent stealth site next to S. Jacob's Brook. A good day!
Date: 2014-07-30
From: stealth campsite at South Jacob's Brook

To: Glencliff, New Hampshire hikers welcome hostel (mile 1786.6)
Miles today: 16.2

Beautiful views, lots of clean water, and decent terrain today. Summoned Mount Cube. We are in a new cohort of people, and have bad some great conversations. We were out of food, and we came to the Hikers Welcome Hostel, and "Legion" gave us a lift into the little village of Glencliffe to hit the convenience store. We also received our packages of cold weather gear (that we sent to ourselves) which had all the stuff we're going to need for the White Mountains (most importantly, our heavy sleeping bags). We did laundy and showered. Watched most of an old classic ("Platoon"), and camped in the yard.
Date: 2014-07-31
From: Glencliff, New Hampshire hikers welcome hostel (mile 1786.6)

To: North Woodstock, NH (mile 1796)
Miles today: 10.0
Weather: scattered clouds

July 31: Interesting day today. We left the hikers welcome hostile and pretty much had straight uphill on Mount Moosilauke. The first half of the journey was no issues¢¦ Although steep, fairly negotiable terrain. The other side of the mountain, however, was a different story. Several areas (MANY areas) of steep slick rocks. Fell several times, now have matching bruises a bruise on my right hip to match the one on my left from a few days ago. Most notably, there was one area where there were few places to grab onto, and I slipped and ended up hanging upside down over the edge of a approximately 100-meter drop. Fortunately, my hand caught a tree root, and I did not fall over. However, I did watch my Gatorade bottle fall to the bottom of the ravine and bust open. Hated to litter, but there was no way I was going to break my neck trying to get down there to retrieve it. Will have to pick up lots of trash in penance for littering, something I abhor. Most interestingly, after I found myself in this predicament, the first thing that came to my mind was shutting off my audiobook ("the nine" by Jeffrey Toobin, great history of the (current) Supreme Court). It was quite distracting. This was a good reminder that these hills are to be taken seriously. I was going too fast, especial on some of the downhills, and safety comes first. I caught up with Al and we agreed that it would be good to get rid of the extra weight we were carrying (the summer-wait sleeping bags (quilts) that we have been using until now, when we received our winter-wait (20°) sleeping bags, necessary to get through the cold nights in the White Mountains). We wanted to send them back a day or so ago, but the post office did not open until 1 o'clock, we did not want to sit around and wait. We will use the opportunity to stock up on food so we don't have to stop so soon. We ended up staying at the carriage motel in north Woodstock New Hampshire.
Date: 2014-08-01
From: North Woodstock, NH (mile 1796)

To: Eliza Brook shelter (mile 1803.4)
Miles today: 7.5

little bit of a late start getting on the trail again, had to hit the post office to mail out our summerweight sleeping quilts. Al sent his forward for pick up in Gorham New Hampshire, and I returned mine to Jacks-R-Better I requested a refund. I now do not have a summerweight bag, will get a quilt from enlightened equipment for pick up in Gorham after the whites. We also hit Price chopper and gassed up on groceries. We attempted to hitchhike back to the trail, but that proved more difficult in New Hampshire than it has in other states. We reluctantly split a $20 fare with the local cab company. Back on the trail, the going proved substantially slower than we were accustomed to, and we definitely did not make our standard 2 mph. It is getting darker earlier as well, forcing us to look for a place to tent. This terrain is definitely not something we can negotiate in the dark.
Date: 2014-08-02
From: Eliza Brook shelter (mile 1803.4)

To: Franconia Ridge stealth spot (mile 1815)
Miles today: 11.5

My phone battery was dying, and did not have access to Siri to dictate some notes from this day. Looking at my AWOL Appalachian Trail guide, though¢¦ I see that we had several steep climbs, one was South Kinsman Mountain, (and subsequently, NORTH Kinsman Mountain) past Lonesome Lake, home of one of the AMC huts) over several brooks, and through Franconia Notch. Beautiful country, it was an awesome day, and we saw lots of weekenders out enjoying nature. I think this was the day Al had his (near) catastrophe, dropping his telephone in one of the streams that we crossed. Fortunately, he had a life proof waterproof case, preventing any serious damage. It still works. We hiked up to the top of Franconia Ridge which leads to Mounts Lincoln and Lafayette. There is a campsite towards the top, but it was crowded and requires pitching a tent on wooden platforms. As my tent requires stakes, I preferred to keep rolling (in addition to both of us not liking crowded camp areas). We found a decent spot at the top of the ridge. We stocked up on water on the way up, had a pleasant evening.
Date: 2014-08-03
From: Franconia Ridge stealth spot (mile 1815)

To: stealth spot off South twin Mountain (mile 1826.5?
Miles today: 11.5
Weather: overcast clouds

More beautiful weather, no humidity, sunshine. Decent terrain, couple of humps. We passed over Mounts Lincoln, Lafayette, and Garfield. Not a whole lot to report on this date besides beautiful scenery. I walked most of the day listening to audiobooks. Had a hang fire in downloading "the nine", will have to find an Apple computer to finish downloading it from the library website. Moved onto history of the Supreme Court, a "great course" college course that is offered via the library. Stopped for a short break at Gailhead hut
Date: 2014-08-04
From: stealth spot off South twin Mountain (mile 1826.5?

To: Saco River, Crawford Notch, NH (mile 1840)
Miles today: 13.4

Great hike today nice to rain. We went Overmount guy yo, awesome view to the east, and then onto Z cliff pond. We stopped at Zealand Falls hot, right next to the Falls, which was also very nice. More streams and falls, past the pond, and down to Crawford Notch. We had a pleasant surprise there, in the form of some trail magic. Our host, "sip-n-dip"went to great lengths to put on a fantastic spread. He did a through hike a few years ago, and evidently does this each year. For some days he sets up a picnic table, and puts on a deluxe throw-down. His wife graciously walked several miles of the trail letting people know about it, and encouraging them to stop by. It included sandwiches, fruit, desserts, sodas, etc. today was light traffic for through-hikers, though¢¦ But he enjoyed the company of those who took the time to share a little fellowship with him. And we certainly enjoyed it too! Thank you! While we were visiting with our host, we noticed some fellows waiting for Karl Meltzer. It turned out it was his support team. We first met Karl in southern Virginia. We were camped for the night next to a road, and he had parked his personal vehicle in the same camp area camping out of his Subaru outback. He was running various parts of the trail, doing "reconnaissance" in preparation to do a supported through hike, essentially not carrying a backpack, but just the essentials, with a support team¢¦ He was attempting to break the record of 46 days held by Jennifer Pharr Davis. This was his second try. We wish him the best! His team chief, Larry, give us a ride down to the general store in Crawford Notch for resupplies. (We showered and laundered, too). We hitchhiked back to Crawford Notch, and walked into the forest. After crossing over the bridge, we found a great little stealth campsite, right next to the river. We even got to hang our bear bag from the foot bridge instead of fooling around with trees. An awesome end to a great day. We have clothes clean, and plenty of food to get through the next section of the White Mountains.
Date: 2014-08-05
From: Saco River, Crawford Notch, NH (mile 1840)

To: Lake of the clouds hut (mile 1851.1)
Miles today: 11.1

Awesome weather and terrain today, steady up hills, but nothing too steep. Well, maybe one steepspot on Mount Webster¢¦ We climbed 2800 feet over 3.2 miles. After that, not bad. Mount Pierce, Mount Eisenhower, Mount Franklin ("the presidential's"). While there was still more daylight to be had, we were advised not to try to cross Mount Washington unless we were sure we could get to Madison Spring hut. Being caught out in the open in the White Mountains is dangerous. We therefore asked about performing some chores in return for staying at Lake of the clouds Hut, and the staff agreed that we could do this. While they said they preferred to have the assistance in the morning, we did not want to wait around to help with breakfast. We wanted to be on the trail by seven, they did not serve breakfast till eight. We therefore asked for the evening shift. That was a wise call, as, although they usually promised to serve breakfast to those working for their stay, we heard from bear-bag and "not black" our fellow through hikers who ended up with the morning shift, that they did not get started until 10 o'clock, and astoundingly, the staff forgot to feed them. When they inquired about their breakfasts, it was evident that the staff had forgotten and thrown away or stored the leftovers from the morning meal. They ended up being offered some oatmeal. Essentially, we waited around for the guests to eat, the staff cleaned up and ate what was left over, and then anything they were planning to put away for storage, we were welcome to consume. There was plenty of good food, and we had an awesome dinner. Our "chore" was essentially to clean our own dishes. We then had to wait until 9:30 PM ("lights-out"), we then inflated our mattresses and went to sleep for the night. There were some guests playing cards and talking at some of the picnic tables there (we were sleeping on the floor), but we were so tired, did not bother us in the least. Awesome and two a day.
Date: 2014-08-06
From: Lake of the clouds hut (mile 1851.1)

To: stealth camp spot next to a stream (mile 1863.3)
Miles today: 12.0

The mother of all days, probably one of the best days we've had on the trail. We summitted Mount Washington this morning, passed by the cog railway, and worked our way through the rest of the presidential Range, stopping at Madison Spring hut for lunch. We passed over some potential camping areas we saw, expecting to find some decent "stealth-spots" further along. However, we discovered that we did not find any, and ended up having to walk for about an hour and a half in the dark. Substantially more difficult to find decent camp spots in the dark, as our headlamps only penetrate a few feet next to the trees on the trail. We eventually did find something, though. Not optimal, but it was good enough. We were pretty hammered, so we skipped hot tea and just a cold lunches that we acquired earlier in the day at the Mount Washington visitors center. At the upper elevations (5000, 6000 feet), it was substantially colder, mostly fog, too. We were essentially in the clouds most of the day. It was not until later in the day after Mount Madison that we took a steep drop down to the 2000-3000 feet elevations. Even that was" cool". Good thing we had our cold-weather gear! Including gloves. They sure came in handy today.
Date: 2014-08-07
From: stealth camp spot next to a stream (mile 1863.3)

To: Zeta Pass (mile 1874.4)
Miles today: 11.0
Weather: overcast clouds

This morning the trail passed through Pinkham Notch, home of the Appalachian Mountain club. Quite an impressive complex, with lodging, maintenance facilities¢¦ We stopped in the visitor center and availed ourselves of an all you can eat breakfast. Spent to the rest of the day in 4000-plus foot elevation, in the roller coaster of the various peaks of wildcat Mountain. We lunched at the Carter Notch hut and then had another steep climb to Carter dome. Great views from there and Mount Hight, and then descended into Zeta pass, where we camped for the evening.
Date: 2014-08-08
From: Zeta Pass (mile 1874.4)

To: Gorham New Hampshire (mile 1866)
Miles today: 12.5
Weather: clear sky

Broke camp at Zeta pass and were moving shortly after 7 AM. We were both dragging today, muscle fatigue (fatigue, in general)¢¦ Not as many ups and downs, but the downs were steep, long, and most notably, slippery. There was heavy rain last night, so there were several "lagoons" to be negotiated, amazingly, was able to get through the day without having my feet submerged (for a change). This afternoon, we were both making lots of mistakes, slipping, falling down a lot. While we initially considered skipping taking a day off after the White Mountains, definitely think we better do so, as we have heard the first half of Maine is among the most challenging terrain on the whole Appalachian Trail. We were out of food, so we needed to get off in Gorham, New Hampshire, anyway. We checked into a hotel (the "Libby house inn") an elegant (and historic) Victorian bed and breakfast. Did our usual thing, shower, laundry¢¦ Then off to get some dinner. I was hungry enough to eat a small Volkswagen.
Date: 2014-08-09
From: Gorham New Hampshire (mile 1866)

To: none
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Took care of getting my trekking poles fixed (the tips fell off, and the local hardware store/outfitters sells them). Interestingly, my carbon fiber poles had glued-on tips. They were unable to loosen them, and said that the best way was with boiling water. I took my camp stove out in front of the store with my cookpot and fired up a pot of water and boiled it. I then submerged the tips of the poles, and indeed, it loosened them right up. I was thankful to have that fixed, as it was a risk (kept slipping without the traction). That afternoon, my friend, April, a former Army colleague drove up from her home in southern New Hampshire. We had a great visit. She took us to the store, let me use her Apple computer to download the rest of my library book (did not realize there was a "hang-fire" on previous download). She also brought us a bag of goodies-wine, chocolate, and even some beef jerky. It was great to catch up, and we appreciated her support. Later that day, Al's son, David made it in. He will be hiking with us for the next few days. We had a good visit this evening.
Date: 2014-08-12
From: full goose campsite (mile 1908.4)

To: Grafton notch (mile 1918)
Miles today: 10.0

This morning we traversed Mahoosuc Notch, "the most difficult (or "fun") mile of the AT. It probably took us a few hours to negotiate the jumbled pit of boulders I was lamenting not replacing my trail-runners, the tread having worn out to the point where I ended up slipping and banging various points of contact (elbow, knee, and tail) multiple times. As we've still got a few hundred miles to go, and the holes in the uppers now permit entry of pebbles, the time has come. The weather has been overcast today, and interestingly, there were a few crevasses with ice visible in them. The temperature was definitely cold in the bottom of this canyon, even to the point where one can see their breath. We passed by spec pond, it and the surrounding countryside are beautiful. We stopped and spoke with Cale, The caretaker, who stays in the "yurt" there during the summer. (Not sure if they rotate this duty periodically)¢¦ It was at a shelter and campsite. We were inquiring about stealth campsites near Grafton notch, where we hope to link up with Al's brother tomorrow. We found a decent spot maybe a mile from the road, right next to a stream. A long and exhausting day.
Date: 2014-08-13
From: Gorham New Hampshire (mile 1866)

To: Gentian Pond campsite (mile 1899)
Miles today: 11.8
Weather: clear sky

Hit Dunkin' Donuts for breakfast and rode back out to the trailhead. Steep climb up Mount Hayes on the Mahoosuc trail, also passed over cascade Mountain. Past a few ponds and lakes, and plenty of streams. It rained during the afternoon, and we arrived at Gentian pond campsite just a little before dark. It was good to have Al's son with us, he is a strong hiker (An army officer). Big fun planned for tomorrow.
Date: 2014-08-13
From: Grafton notch (mile 1918)

To: campsite near Andover ME (Mile 1928.4)
Miles today: 11.3
Weather: scattered clouds

August 13: left our campsite just short of Grafton Notch and the intersection of State Route 26. We met Al's brother, Marcel and his son Bryant first thing in the morning and were underway shortly after 8 AM. We had two very steep climbs leading up to bald pate mountain. There were two peaks (West and east), with an elevation of just under 4000 feet. We were essentially in the clouds the whole day. But at the top of these two mountains, the weather was impressive to say the least. In short, the most challenging weather we have experienced yet on this journey. I do not know what the wind speeds were, but it was intense. Indeed, it blew off Marcel's pack cover, and ripped open my pack. There were a few times where I felt like the wind was going to blow me over, with the expanded profile of my backpack. I was with Marcel and Bryant, and they managed impressively. During the course of the afternoon, we continued to encounter fairly challenging terrain, but at least it was below the Treeline where we were not exposed. We camped at a road intersection about 8 miles east of Andover, ME. It was raining heavily when we arrived at our campsite, so we set up our tents quickly. Al's son David, constructed a lean-to under which we cooked our powdered mashed potatoes and tossed in some pre-cooked bacon. Then it was into our tents for a very wet evening. We were camped right next to a raging river (undoubtedly increased flow related to the heavy rains) which provided plenty of "white noise".
Date: 2014-08-16
From: Stealth campsite, mi 1940)

To: Dirt road, mi 1950
Miles today: 10.7
Weather: overcast clouds

Today we headed up over Old Blue and the two peaks of Bemis Mountain. We were looking forward to linking up with Randy and Mark (Randy a friend and fellow hiker from trips past and Mark his brother in law). With the slow pace over the mountains we ended up coming upon them at about 5 pm where they had already established camp to try and get ahead of the impending rain. Not only had they brought in some additional food and spirits, but Randy and Mark had a fire going, something thru hikers rarely take the time to do - it was a real treat to have dinner around that campfire.We shared stories about our outdoor pursuits, hiking, biking and skiing, and had a nice conversation while eating freeze dried beef stew and lasagna that they had brought in. Fantastic! I was especially glad to have another hiking pole, having fallen on my carbon fiber pole and snapping it. More rain forecast so we hit the sack. Tomorrow, we have our first fording of a stream just after we head out. Yes, a good day and thanks Randy and Mark for coming out!
Date: 2014-08-26
From: Monson (Greenville), ME (mile 2070.8)

To: Wilson Valley Lean-to (mile 2081.2)
Miles today: 10.4

Got back to the trail mid-morning, got a lift from Waldo who we bumped into at the outfitters. There's a photo of him and walking man, who drove us INTO Greenville in the photos section of this blog. Today was lots of ups and downs, but the weather and terrain were okay. Roots and rocks, kind of hot. Packs were pretty heavy, as we had six days of food, twice our usual load coming out of town. Bumped into our old friends, Stakes and Cliff Walker. As I was unable to find a survival blanket anywhere in town, Cliff Walker offered me hers, since she already has a more efficient way to keep warm at night (her husband and hiking partner, "Stakes¢). Good to finally be on the home stretch.
Date: 2014-08-27
From: Wilson Valley Lean-to (mile 2081.2)

To: Chairback gap lean-to (mile 2089.9)
Miles today: 15.6

Warm and sunny. Some hard ups and downs with lots of rocks and roots but thankfully, mud not too bad. The heavy climbs (especially Barren ledges and Barren mountain) slowed us down some, and we got to our planned campsite at dusk.
Date: 2014-08-28
From: Chairback gap lean-to (mile 2089.9)

To: Sidney Tappan campsite. (Mile 2108.5)
Miles today: 11.7

Legs tired, otherwise okay lots of ups and downs (again), hopefully, we will be done with all the ups and downs soon. Had to ford a stream today, West branch of the Pleasant River. Not taking any more pictures, since my iphone's about dead and will need it for communications. Maine continues to impress me as the most beautiful state on the trail. Love the abundance of ponds, streams, and mountaintop views.