morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2018-08-15
From: Eliza Brook Shelter

To: Liberty Springs Campsite
Miles today: 12.5
Weather: overcast clouds

Woke up at 6 to actually sunny skies - first time in days! Felt well rested but took my time and got out to partly cloudy weather around 7:30.It was a tough steep climb up Mount Kinsman, and of course at the top it was all fogged in. One of these days I¢m going to get a good view in the Whites and make this all worthwhile!The next mile was a steep downhill to the hut, and I didn¢t get there until almost 1.The huts in the Whites are unlike anything else on the trail. They are operated by the local club (AMC) and contain bunkhouses that people pay over $100 for and reserve months in advance. Kind of a mix of a traditional AT shelter and a lodge (no heat or running water). Thru hikers can sometimes enjoy free leftovers (guests get breakfast and dinner) and Work For Stay.Even though I didn¢t get to the Lonesome Lake Hut until the afternoon, there was still some leftover oatmeal (not sick of it yet!) and some pastries for purchase. Some dark clouds rolled in, so I ended up staying a while talking with a few hikers from the shelter last night - Wilts, Milk Eyes, and Pro. They found an Appalachian Trail board game which was fun to relive some of the towns and joke about experiences.I finally got out, and assumed it was going to be a steep downhill then up to Franconia Ridge. Quite the opposite though, it was a very gradual downhill with minimal scrambling I could actually make regular time on and the uphill had small rocks could easily climb. I ended up getting to the campsite pretty early, but the next one was too far and I wasn¢t sure about stealthing on the ridge with possible thunderstorms coming.A few of the campsites in the Whites cost money, which is annoying but I understand managing all of the visitors. For thru hikers they have a deal where once you stay at one, the rest are half off plus you get a free soup and pastry at a hut.The caretaker showed me there was a site a little more hidden and had a dirt pad. It wasn¢t big enough for my tent so I had to use use the wooden platform, which is tough when you don¢t have a completely freestanding tent. After Jerry rigging some sticks and rocks, I got a decent setup and we¢ll see about the fly.Just as I was finishing dinner, thunder started so we quickly cleaned everything up and escaped to our tents.I thought everyone had come but a couple of SOBOs showed up at 8:30 and set up in the dirt next to me, even though I think there were closer sites further down. I was kind of annoyed because I like my space and they got in so late but oh well.
Date: 2018-08-16
From: Liberty Springs Campsite

To: Zeacliff Pond
Miles today: 15.5
Weather: scattered clouds

I thought the thunder passed and the storm missed us when I woke around 11 to thunder and lightning. It poured for about an hour and fell off the trees all night , wouldn¢t have been bad but because I didn¢t stake out my tent the best I got some moisture inside. I guess it wasn¢t windy enough to dry anything.I got up around 6 and was slow packing up the wet tent and talking with some sectioners, finally getting out around 8.The first few miles were actually pretty sunny, but once I got up to Franconia Ridge the fog came in. The trail was above treeline for a couple of miles, and it is known as one of the most scenic spots on the trail. Not only could I not see anything, the wind started up so strong I had trouble walking and had to dig my poles in the ground. It got pretty cold too, so put on my jacket even though I had just been in the warm sun. Welcome to the Whites!Once I made it off the ridge, the sun came out again of course. The walking was still slow, climbing over boulders and steep ascents/descents. After a quick lunch, I climbed Mt. Garfield for my first view in New Hampshire (and I think a while)! 360 degrees, back to Franconia Ridge and ahead to the Presidentials.I got to the Galehead Hut around 3:30, which was a little early for Work For Stay, plus it was nice out so wanted to tent. As I was leaving, Ping and Ballflap were coming up to see about WFS. Apparently had done it at Lonesome Lake last night.I realized the campsite I was planning to stay at was a mile off trail, so figured I would try to push it and see how far I got. Luckily the trail was relatively easy here and not a whole lot of steep bouldering. Plus everyone was at the huts, so not the usual traffic/trying to navigate around people. There were some good, windy views from Mount Guyot, and I finally made it below treeline to Zealand Pond trail. There was one tent at the junction, but not a lot of options so I went down to the pond. I found a stealth spot, but there wasn¢t good access to the water and it was getting dark out, so decided to skip dinner and set everything up.I don¢t know if I¢m at higher elevation than usual but pretty chilly tonight - first time using my puffy.Was later than ideal but a long day I finally did 15 again!
Date: 2018-08-18
From: Mizpah Hut

To: Lake of the Clouds Dungeon
Miles today: 4.7
Weather: moderate rain

I woke up around 5, which was nice because I thought the croo was going to start cooking earlier. The rain picked up, so I¢m glad I was inside. I cleaned up my stuff and hung around until after breakfast.The couple was originally going to leave early, but since it was storming they didn¢t want to summit Mt. Washington and stayed for morning WFS/breakfast. A couple of guys in their group who tented last night joined as well, turns out they are part of a group called Warrior Expeditions that supports veterans on thru hikes.Everyone at at 7am and around 8 they called us in to the kitchen to eat. It was awesome blueberry pancakes, plus oatmeal which tastes so much better when not cold soaked. I probably had about ten pancakes.The chores were easy, just had to sweep the bunk rooms which took about twenty minutes with all of us.They took off, but with the thunderstorms I wasn¢t looking to get out anytime soon. It finally started clearing up, so I took off around 11. I heard the initial climb out of the hut up Mt. Pierce was tough, but it wasn¢t too much scrambling. Just a lot of mud and wet rocks.The next few miles were all exposed above treeline, going over Mt. Eisenhower, Mt. Franklin, and Mt. Monroe. It is supposed to be a bunch of views from the Presidentials, but it was all fogged in. The wind picked up and might have been in a cloud, but it got super cold and wet. At least the terrain was okay. I did fall hard one time on my hip that hurt the rest of the day.I got to the Lake of the Clouds Hut around 2:30, which was too early for Work For Stay but I didn¢t feel like going over Washington so sat down and had some soup. Hot Sauce is another NOBO and had soup too but didn¢t stay. I was about to ask about the WFS when Pro, Milk Eyes, and Wilts walked in. They asked about WFS and the croo said too early but could stay in the Dungeon, which is basically a small stone room in the basement that serves as an emergency shelter. There are six bunks crammed in there, super tight and dank. It does cost ten dollars which is kind of annoying but at least out of the weather.I talked to the croo and convinced me to get a dungeon spot too. Ping and Ballflap arrived a bit later hoping for WFS but the croo said still too early. We hung out a bit more but they kept saying no. We finally all went down and it was super crowded and depressing. We all just kept bitching about the croo, etc.We weren¢t counting on leftovers but just in case we went up around 7:30. There were like twenty thru hikers there, including ones that got WFS which was kind of annoying because it basically awarded people being slow. I figured there¢s no way I¢d get leftovers but at least was able to use the hot water for my pasta side. I hung out a few hours, had just brushed my teeth and Ping told me we could get chicken. Oh well.After basically having ten people down and hotboxing the dungeon, everyone ended up sleeping upstairs!
Date: 2018-08-20
From: Lowes Bald Spot

To: South Carter Saddle
Miles today: 11.8
Weather: broken clouds

It must have either rained last night or been super foggy because my rain fly was soaked. So much, or because it wasn¢t getting enough airflow, that it got on the inside and dripped on some of my gear, including the quilt. I slept in until 6:30 hoping the sun would dry it out, but it was too cloudy and shady. I even spread it out on the rocks to no avail. My back wasn¢t much better and with the tight space getting ready was tough and I didn¢t get out until 8:30.It was a few easy miles to Pinkham Notch. There is a visitors center with bathrooms, trash, and a cafeteria. Thru hikers get $2 soup, and it was a delicious vegan chili with quinoa. I stayed a bit charging and eating.I talked to a SOBO who said the climb up Wildcat Mountain wasn¢t bad. Not sure why I believed him (I typically never trust when anyone says something is easy or hard) because it was a bunch of hand over hand rock climbing straight up. My back was not a fan and I was going pretty slowly. It is actually a set of peaks, and at one there is a ski lift people were taking up from the road. I was debating taking it down to go into town, but pressed on.The rest of the peaks weren¢t super tough, but the trail still had some steep scrambles. There was a good view of the Carter Notch Hut and across to Carter Mountain, and then a steep downhill to the hut. I originally planned to go much further, but as it was late afternoon I took my time to see if I could hit up Work For Stay. Apparently they don¢t take people until almost dark, but it¢s probably for the best so I could put in more miles. I also had thought I had seen storms forecasted, but I looked wrong so figured I could just stealth somewhere. I ate a bunch of baked goods so I didn¢t have to worry about cameling up water for dinner.Although the climb up Carter looked difficult, it was all stone steps and no scrambling. The sugar was kicking in and I crushed it, plus my back felt much better. Once at the first peak, the trail leveled out and I was booking it. There was a great 360 degree view on Mt. Hight, but I didn¢t love the spot and wanted to go further. I finally got to a large but uneven spot on the saddle between South and Middle Carter Mountains, and since it was getting late decided to set up. A lot more room to work around than yesterday!After a slow start I was luckily able to still put in some miles and should be a decent day into Gorham tomorrow for some much needed rest!
Date: 2018-08-21
From: South Carter Saddle

To: Gorham Motor Lodge
Miles today: 11.4
Weather: overcast clouds

Woke up at 6 and was out around 7:30 to dry and sunny skies. The other peaks of Carter Mountain weren¢t bad, but it was a steep descent down to the Imp Campsite. Similarly, the climb up Mt. Moriah wasn¢t bad, but the descent was rough. The trail finally leveled out around the Rattle River for the last couple of miles before the road. There were very few rocks, it felt like walking on the sidewalk!When I got to the road, there was a hostel right there but they were full. I called the other hostel in town and they were full too! I had no idea, I think because you can get here from Pinkham Notch people stay here two nights. The guy at the hostel offered to take me to a motel in town, but was actually shuttling to the Walmart so let me come for resupply. In fact, Edward Shitterhands and the Warrior Expeditions group was going so I caught up with them.The shuttle dropped me off at a ¢budget¢ inn but I didn¢t really have options. Milk Eyes and his crew are actually in the room next door. I threw my stuff down and ran to do errands before everything closed. I was able to get to Post Office, Laundromat, Outfitter, and Library in time.The best part about the motel is that it is next to a Chinese buffet, and I was starved. The food was ok, but it was super small. The one in Hamburg (my only comparison) was three times as many dishes. I ran into Root Ninja and Kuck who ate planning on zeroing tomorrow since it¢s supposed to rain all day.After taking care of cleaning gear, etc. I didn¢t get to bed until after ten!
Date: 2018-08-22
From: Gorham Motor Lodge

To: Gentian Pond Shelter
Miles today: 11.8
Weather: light rain

Woke up at 6am to pouring rain. I took my time, finishing gear cleaning and enjoying the motel room. I finally got out around 9:30 and it took about ten minutes to get a hitch. The driver was definitely interesting, gave me a rock with a crystal on it that unfortunately was too heavy for me so I might be cursed.After a brief road walk, the trail went up Mount Hayes. It was steep, but no scrambling involved so the biggest issue was the rain. It sucked, but I also felt hardcore not taking a zero just because rain.After Hayes, there weren¢t big elevation gains or losses so I figured I could make good time. However, with awkward wet rocks, mud puddles, and downed trees I wasn¢t able to go that fast. There was nowhere covered to stop for lunch so I just had a snack and kept plugging away.The skies cleared in the afternoon to a mix of sun and drizzle. I thought it was supposed to rain all day, if I had known I probably would have left later. But it was good I didn¢t since the trail was still pretty tough it would have been an even shorter day.I got to the shelter turnoff a little after 5 and was thinking about going on since it was nice out, but was feeling pretty beat so at least figured I could check it out. There was a beautiful view from the shelter overlooking the valley and I think back to Carter Mountain. And Ping was there! He had left Gorham in the morning and had been at the shelter since one. He convinced me to stay, and since most of the tent sites were flooded and I was feeling lazy, I decided to shelter it even though it looked like there would be snorers. Edward Shitterhands and her crew showed up soon after, so I wasn¢t the only one with a short day!
Date: 2018-08-24
From: Bull Branch Campsite

To: Frye Notch Lean-to
Miles today: 12.8
Weather: scattered clouds

Woke up at 6 and was out around 7:30. Mahoosuc Arm was a pretty steep climb and there weren¢t many stealth spots, so I¢m glad I didn¢t do it last night. Took me over 2 hours to get to the shelter. Going up Old Speck was a bunch of exposed smooth rock slabs. It wasn¢t bad going up, but I¢m glad I wasn¢t going South- they would have been super scary looking like walking off a cliff!The descent down from Old Speck wasn¢t bad since it was over a few miles. One of the few downhills I¢ve been able to go at a decent pace!At Grafton Notch was a big parking lot with privies and trash cans. I stopped for lunch, and pretty soon a huge group of loud college aged kids showed up, so I got out quickly.The climb up to Baldplate started gradually and then got steeper. I got a little confused because there was supposed to be a shelter and it took me so long to get to it. But I got out on exposed slabs and realized I was fine on time, must have just missed the turnoff sign. And I haven¢t downloaded the last section of Guthook so I could GPS. I did accidentally put my foot in the bog mud and it went over my sock almost to my knee! Ugh.The top of Baldplate was actually really nice. There were 360 degree views and the trail followed along long rock slabs kind of like stairs. There was another large group at the top taking photos so I didn¢t stay long.It wasn¢t that late yet so I was thinking I could finally do a big day again. But the descent down Baldplate was pretty rough and took me a while. I got to the shelter around 6 where there was another big group. Turns out they are all college orientations, this one was Harvard. I still had a little time and didn¢t want to be around the big loud group, but AWOL wasn¢t showing anything good for camping for a while and I didn¢t have Guthook for stealthing so just set up in a grassy spot up the trail. Kind of annoyed I didn¢t get in more miles today but I did do Mahoosuc Arm, Old Speck, and Baldplate so not bad. Hopefully this group observes hiker midnight!
Date: 2018-08-26
From: Sawyer Brook

To: Bemis Stream 
Miles today: 15.0
Weather: few clouds

Slept in until 6:30 and was out around 7:30. Moody Mountain was right away, but wasn¢t horrible climb or descent and I took my time.At the bottom at the road was a brook with a campsite with awesome trail magic. Sandwiches, cookies, and campfire roasted breakfast pizza. It was hosted by a guy named Old Buzzard, who thru hiked back in the day and was disappointed that all the trail magic was in the South and none in New England. I hung out a while and they didn¢t have anything to drink other than beers, so was an interesting morning.About an hour later Heather, her boyfriend Alan (who thru hiked a couple years ago) and their dog Dakota pulled up on their way back to Vermont from Maine. They had sodas so we were able to add to the magic.The four of us hiked up Old Blue Mountain, which wasn¢t super steep but definitely not flat. They were troopers and Dakota held her own, especially on some sections that had iron rungs and ladders.The summit didn¢t have great views, but was nice weather and had a big spot to sit. We probably hung out for over an hour, and they had brought delicious local cantaloupe (apparently Vermont has...?). It was nice catching up with Heather and talking to Alan about his hike.They went back to their car and I continued north. The trail followed the ridge around Bemis Mountain for a while, so it was pretty easy terrain except for some mud bogs.A couple hours later it started to sprinkle. It was funny because we had just talked about how wet it was this year, but at least this week is nice. I threw my pack cover on, which barely fit since my bag is so full. Luckily it never did more than a heavy sprinkle and never poured. But the rocks were a lot wetter.There were some great views coming down Bemis Mountain and it wasn¢t too steep. I got to the stream with the official campsite, but it was loud and crowded so went on and found a muddier but quieter spot. It was already getting dark and I was still full from all the food earlier, I quickly set up camp and got water and went to bed. Glad I was able to do 15 miles even with all the hanging out!
Date: 2018-08-27
From: Bemis Stream 

To: Eddy Pond
Miles today: 17.6
Weather: scattered clouds

Woke up at 6 and was out at 7:30. My body must have still been processing the food from yesterday morning, because even with no dinner last night I had to double cathole it.It was a climb right away, and about a mile up was a road with a nice overlook called Height of Land. There were dark clouds and a bit of a chilly wind, but it stayed dry.The trail basically stayed up on the ridge all day. At Sabbath Day Pond there was supposed to be a nice beach, but it must have been high tide because there was only like 3 inches of sand. A bit chilly to go in anyway.For lunch I stopped at the Little Swift River Pond, which had a little campsite and a privy. But the coolest thing there was a canoe! I was skeptical to take it out, but a couple of others did and it didn¢t take on water.The afternoon continued on the ridge to ME 4. This is where you can hitch to Rangeley. I pretty much had enough food to make it further, but was considering going in because they have an outfitter. There are a couple of hiking specific items I could use, plus probably a new pair of shoes but decided I could make it last the last couple hundred miles. Who really needs ankles anyway?There is a hostel a quarter mile down the road, so I walked over to see what they had. Awesomely, the hiker box had packets of oatmeal which is the one thing I was running low on. The trail provides! I bought a cold Gatorade and charged my phone off a solar panel (they are off the grid). The owner chatted for a while, apparently runs a nonprofit providing medical care to children in India.There was a shelter a few miles later that had a big group (I was hoping the college orientations were over), but I still elevated my feet and used the privy, which is notable in that it has two seats with a cribbage board in between.I passed an older gentleman walking south that said ¢Wow, that last mile was the worst trail I¢ve ever seen!¢ He went on for a bit, I didn¢t get a chance to clarify his reasoning but kind of arrogantly brushed him off with a ¢well, I¢ve hiked over 1,900 miles so I¢m not too concerned!¢ Sure enough, I didn¢t notice anything different about that section and it wasn¢t that hard. Why I don¢t believe what anyone says about parts being easy/hard/whatever.I got to Eddy Pond which had a pretty view, but no good campsites on the water. So I went up a bit and found an old path that was smooth and flat to set up. But I was able to go down to the water to cook dinner and watch the sunset. Another night I get to camp totally alone away from everyone, I love it (but wouldn¢t mind seeing people I knew in the evening). And if I count correctly, I went by seven ponds today!
Date: 2018-08-28
From: Eddy Pond

To: Spaulding Mountain Lean-to
Miles today: 15.1
Weather: scattered clouds

Woke up at 6 and was out at 7:30. There must have been some heavy rain overnight because my rainfly was still wet even though it was pretty windy. But it was gray out and dry.There was immediately a steep climb up Saddleback Mountain, which is the second tallest mountain in Maine. At the top was supposed to be amazing views including Mount Washington, Katahdin, and the coast but it was foggy and windy of course.Next was The Horn which wasn¢t too crazy of a climb but the descent was super hard, lots of awkward boulders to climb around. Finally was Saddleback Junior, which I did get a few views from.Then it was another steep downhill to the Poplar Ridge shelter for lunch and to dry out my tent. There were some annoying talkers when I arrived, but they left shortly. I ended up spending over an hour there reading a binder of FAQs that the caretaker put together. He has been there over 50 years, and it had a lot of information. Including that I should have seen a moose by now! And the Maine club philosophically does not believe in foot bridges over creeks.After a mix of steep and gradual downhill, the trail crossed Orbeton Stream. I was worried because it¢s a ford, but luckily the water wasn¢t too high so I could rock hop.The trail then followed the cascading Sluice Brook, which was pretty and also meant a gradual climb. Then it split and got steep to the top of Lone Mountain, which had no views. After that was an easy couple of miles to the shelter. I was debating going on as it was only 6, but not many options right ahead and the skies were getting dark. Sure enough, as soon as I set up my tent it started pouring so I ran to cook in the shelter. Luckily, it didn¢t last long so hopefully my fly can dry overnight.