morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2008-07-17
From: Vermont 12

To: Thistle Hill Shelter
Miles today: 7.8
Weather: overcast clouds

The last few days have been very interesting. We ended up staying at the hostel for 4 nights, which was wonderful. Ranan, Malachi, Migdala, Jeremiah, and everyone else we met was very good to us and fed us well with lots of yummy organic food and yerba mate energy bars. The 12 Tribes community is good people, that's for sure. But the hiking is really what made the last few days interesting. We got Plans Too Much (Tom) to drive us up to 12 to do a 23.7 mile slackpack south after our 0 day. The plan was to spend 1 more night at the hostel and hike out in the morning. However, Eldon got stung by a hornet about halfway throuh the day. We found out shortly thereafter that he is very allergic to hornets. He had pretty bad systemic reaction, so I gave him what little medicine I had with me at the time and we started to walk out on Stony Brook Road, a dirt road through the middle of nowhere. A few miles down the road a guy picked us up and drove us to Killington, then another lady drove us back to the hostel. By then Eldon was starting to recover from the reaction, so he popped some more Benedryl and went to sleep while I did work for stay in the bakery. The next day Tom drove me back to Stony Brook Rd. to finish the slackpack while Eldon stayed in town. About .7 miles up Quimby Mountain, I ran into a dehydrated guy with a broken nose and blood all over his face, so I made sure the bleeding stopped, gave him some water, and then helped him down the mountain to the road where his wife was waiting for him. Then I continued on my journey. It's funny how fast things can come full circle - the day before when that guy gave us a ride to Killington, I handed him a 20 and told him to go buy himself a nice dinner. When I helped this guy down to the road he handed me a 20 and said exactly the same thing. The rest of the day went pretty well. There were some steep climbs, but I passed 2 nice waterfalls, Kend Pond, and I got to use a brand new section of boardwalk that they were still nailing down. When I got to the top of the last hill I toop Sherburne Pass down to the Inn at Long Trail and had a glass of Long Trail Ale before catching the bus back to Rutland. Dinner at the commune was great as usual and I was sad to leave in the morning, but it was time to move on. Putting on a pack again wasn't very fun, but eventually we made it over the hills to Thistle Hill Shelter. The black raspberries were coming into season, so we got to eat a few along the way. I got to use my new Sigg water bottle I got from the Simon the Tanner outfitters at the hostel, and I like it a lot. I can't see through it, so I can never tell when I'm drinking nasty looking water. It's great! We're almost done with VT. Next stop is Hanover, NH.
Date: 2008-07-18
From: Thistle Hill Shelter

To: Happy Hill Shelter
Miles today: 8.8
Weather: overcast clouds

Today was mostly rolling hills, with some nice scenery and a few black raspberries. It was really hot when we started because we slept in pretty late. In fact, it was so hot that most of Vermud had dried up by the middle of the day. We made a lunch stop in West Hardford and feasted on blueberries and cantelope and candy bars, then enjoyed some magic cookies left by Ann - Mr. Burke's wife - at the next road. About a mile and a half before Happy Hill a storm blew in, so we got drenched. It felt nice to get cooled off from the heat though, and I felt a lot cleaner afterwards. A tree fell about 2 feet in front of me across the trail and I could hear the thunder rolling through the hills while I hiked. We stopped at the shelter for the night and enjoyed some Recee's that were left with Stripe, and we'll walk into Hanover in the morning.
Date: 2008-07-19
From: Happy Hill Shelter

To: Hanover, NH
Miles today: 6.0
Weather: few clouds

AM - I slept terribly last night and I am pissed because Eldon refuled to get the tent out in spite of the mosquitoes.PM - I have developed an insatiable craving for yerba mate. I visited the Food Co-op in Hanover hoping to find something similar to what I had at the hostel. I found a drink that claimed many wonderful things, but it could not match the taste of what I feasted on in Rutland. So I went on with my resupplying, marveling as I went along at all the organic goodies and local products that you just can't find at Kroger. There was a Riverbend type festival called Streetfest going on downtown, so I enjoyed visiting all the booths and looking at all the useless stuff I would like to buy but would not like to carry through the Whites, which, by the way, I am really looking forward to. Not really looking forward to the huge climbs, but definitely the mountains and nice views. It rained quite a bit today, so I tested out my new Frogg Toggs, which arrived with holes already in it. The jacket worked pretty well, but I think I'll duct tape the places I had to sew to keep a little more water out. I called up the company and I'll be returning it for a new one as soon as this trip is over. We pitched our tent next to the soccer field at the trail north end of town, had a free slice of pizza from Ramuno's, some Long Trail Ale, some Ben and Jerry's ice cream, and bought a sushi dinner from the Co-op. It's raining again now, and hopefully it will cool off tonight.
Date: 2008-07-20
From: Hanover, NH

To: Moose Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 11.0
Weather: moderate rain

Here is a partial list of things that happened today. Woke up.Saw that it was raining.Went back to sleep.Woke up again and saw that it was still raining.Packed up our wet gear anyway.Went to the Co-op, where it was dry, and had coffee.Went back out in the rain, tore a hole in my rain jacket, and discovered that something had eaten a hole in my food bag and 2 of my bagles.Started hiking (in the rain).Hiked through hundreds of puddles, a few creeks, and marveled that the AT was now one long, continuous waterfall. Eventually hiked up Moose Mountain, still in the rain. Now I'm going to sleep... yes, in the rain.
Date: 2008-07-21
From: Moose Mountain Shelter

To: Smarts Mountain Firewarden's Cabin
Miles today: 12.4
Weather: overcast clouds

Damn. New hampshire is already kicking my butt. 2500 feet of climing is not what I wanted to be doing at the very end of the day. On a more positive note, today there was a great view from Holts Ledge, we got ice cream from a guy named Bill, and I got to see a gorgeous rainbow appear on a ledge halfway up Smarts. As much as I hated that steep, wet, slippery climb, I can't even begin to describe how beautiful that view was - mountains to the right and left, a lake in the distance, storm clouds rolling by with the sun peeking through, and a rainbow stretching across the sky right in front of me.
Date: 2008-07-22
From: Smarts Mountain Firewarden's Cabin

To: Ore Hill Shelter
Miles today: 12.6

Today was easier than yesterday. Not easy, mind you, but easier. We had 2 climbs. The first was up Mt. Cube, and there was an AMAZING view from the top, which was nice because we couldn't see anything from Smarts this morning. That view really lifted my spirits and reminded me why I'm out here. We at lunch on Cube and then it was downhill to the road before a final 800 feet, which really wasn't had at all. According to Certain, I was referred to as the Child Bride by a group of day hikers we passed, which we all found pretty funny. Our gear is still pretty wet and stinky, but hopefully we'll be able to dry it out at the hostel in Glencliff. I'm ready to get this show above treeline. It's nice to be hiking with Certain again too. I'm glad I'm not the only one on this trail who does a lot of low mile days. We had a nice conversation tonight about what our society has come to. Not just society in general - even hikers have found ways to rank themselves and others into a class system that has been created. Oh well, hike your own hike, people. Who gives a s!@# about how many miles you've done, or how many blue blazed you've passes, or when you started hiking, or how many calendar years you've taken to do the trail. Why can't we just be nice and love each other?Looking forward to the Whites!
Date: 2008-07-23
From: Ore Hill Shelter

To: Glencliff Hikers Welcome Hostel
Miles today: 7.4
Weather: light rain

I'm sitting here on a bunk in the Hikers Welcome Hostel listening to the rain fall. It wasn't so bad at first, but now it would really be nice to see the sun again. I was so happy to see the hostel as we were walking down the road. The thought of a warm dry bed was really all that got me up this morning. A hot shower and dry laundry sure did feel good after walking through this miserable weather. My head is a jumble of thoughts right now - the weather, the upcoming Whites, thoughts of our apartment waiting for us in Johnson City, wanting to see my parents, wanting more 1 on 1 relaxation time with Eldon, but at the same time wanting to finish the hike I started. We're ending this little vacation at Mt. Washington where my parents are planning on meeting us. The it's back to JC to settle into a home and start a wilderness job outside Asheville. As for the AT, this is only part 1 of the adventure. I intend to be back - maybe not for 600 miles at a time - but I still intend to hike all 2174 miles of the trail (or whatever it's at now with all the relocations). After an experience like this, I can't imagine how someone could just leave the trail entirely. It's like it gets in your blood. It's a love/hate relationship that you just can't get enough of. I just wish our camera would stat working again so we could capture this last week of memories (it decided to stop working just outside Hanover, and I had no luck finding a disposable camera in Warren.) Speaking of Warren, don't eat at Calamity Jane's unless you have plenty of time to kill. The food was pretty good, but it sure took a while to get it. We did get to tour town and see the missile next to the church, and then resupplied at the gas station/grocery store. That's about all there was in Warren. It's the end of the day now and I'm exhausted, so I'm going to call it a day and crawl into my sleeping bag. I can still hear the Eddie Vedder soundtrack echoing through my head, mixing with the sound of the rain and putting me to sleep. That's what I really need right now - sleep. Tomorrow is a new day.
Date: 2008-07-24
From: Glencliff Hikers Welcome Hostel

To: Glencliff Hikers Welcome Hostel
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: moderate rain

0 days make me happy. This one is especially making me happy because Bearpaw heard Eldon and me talking about our broken camera and offered to drive us to WalMart since she was going there to buy hostel supplies. So Eldon went with her, and now we have a new camera! It's a blue Fujifilm 10 MP digital camera with 3x optical zoom, and I'm pretty stoked that we'll be able to take pictures of the Whites now. I'm not so stoked that we had to spend 160 bucks on it, but that's life. We're going to spend the rest of the afternoon relaxing at the hostel and then hopefully do a grill out tonight for dinner.
Date: 2008-07-25
From: Kinsman Notch

To: Glencliff (SOBO)
Miles today: 9.5

I love the Whites! Today we slackpacked over Mt. Moosilauke and it was great! I met Certain's friend V8 and she shuttled us to the north side of the mountain, which is definitely the best way to hike it - from north to south. It was a steep walk up but there were plenty of steps and the trail was well maintained. And I felt about 25 pounds lighter. So it really wasn't a bad climb at all. There was a goureous waterfall that cascaded down over the first 2 miles and followed the trail very closely, so I took plenty of pictures. The higher up I got, the better the views got, until finally I was above tree line. It was a perfect day to be on the summit and the views were INCREDIBLE. I could see the Greens, Franconia Ridge, Mt. Washington, and the sun was shining down all around the fluffy cotton-looking clouds. This was the kind of view I'd been looking forward to this whole trip. It was pretty crowded on the summit - some camp kids, peeing boy scouts, and other day hikers - but it was a beautiful Friday afternoon and I really didn't mind. I ate lunch on the summit, took pictures of a (toy) moose, took tons of pictures of the scenery, took tons of more pictures of myself with the scenery and next to various signs, and then eventually pried myself away for the walk down to Glencliff. It was a little slippery going down and there was a ford at the end, but I had been warned so I was prepared with my crocs. Back at the hostel I had some spaghetti and macaroni and a nice hot shower. It's a wonderful life.
Date: 2008-07-26
From: Kinsman Notch

To: Eliza Brook Shelter
Miles today: 7.5
Weather: scattered clouds

Today was a little rougher than yesterday. We got up at 4:30 AM, shuttled to Lincoln, and ate a delicious breakfast of toast, jam, pancakes, bacon, eggs, cornbeef hash, and coffee. Then it was back to the trail - this time with our packs. The trail was rocky, rooty, and wet, and there were only 2 decent views we passes. Which is still better than no views at all, but we stayed below treeline the whole time. We're staying at Eliza Brook Shelter, and there's a beautiful creek running right by it. We ran into Certain, V8, and Auntie Mame heading SOBO, so we seem to be on a similar schedule right now. We're heading to Lincoln in the morning and will probably try to stay at Chet's place.
Date: 2008-07-27
From: Eliza Brook Shelter

To: Chet's Place
Miles today: 8.8

There are rocks everywhere! Today we spent lots of time climbing up the rocks, then we spent lots of time climbing down the rocks. Our pace has been slowed to the point that the mountain snails probably move more gracefully than we do. However, there was a great place to eat lunch on top of South Kinsman peak and we enjoyed the great weather and a great view while we munched on peanut butter and honey sandwiches. We saw our first hut today - it was quite impressive looking. Not quite $90 a night per person impressive, but was in a great location right next to Lonesome Lake with a view of Franconia Ridge in the background. There were lots of baked goodies and leftovers sprawled out over the check in counter, some tables arranged along the circular dining room wall and various maps, posters, and signs decorating the wood walls. The caretaker seemed pretty nice and offered to let us work for stay, but we had our hearts set on Lincoln, so we eventually pried our tired bodies from the benches and hobbled the last few miles down the mountain. When we got to the interstate we weren't really sure where to go, so we got off on the exit ramp to the right and found a trailhead where we got a ride from the Shuttle Connection into Lincoln. We tried for a little while to get a hitch, but it wasn't looking very promising and we didn't want to walk any further. We did eventually make it to Chet's place, and this guy is amazing. he got burnt when a pressurized stove blew up in his face and spent a long time in a coma, but he's made a very good recovery and now he runs a hostel out of his garage. I really enjoyed talking to him and hearing his story. We're considering taking another 0 day tomorrow before tackling Franconia Ridge.
Date: 2008-07-29
From: Chet's Place

To: Garfield Ridge Campsite
Miles today: 10.3
Weather: light rain

We got an early shuttle to the Franconia Notch trailhead this morning because we knew it would be a long day of hiking. We got up the first few miles pretty quickly, which was almost a 4000 foot climb. Since it was the first thing in the morning, I stopped at the Liberty tentsite to eat some oatmeal and didn't really have any trouble getting from there to the top of the ridge. There were a lot of people on Haystack Mtn doing dayhikes or heading to the hut. We got above treeline just before a huge cloud rolled in, so we got a few pictures of the view. Then we ate lunch and walked across Lincoln and Lafayette. The ridge was completely engulfed in clouds, and they didn't burn off for the rest of the day. After the trail split off toward the Greenleaf Hut, the walking got considerably more difficult. Even though we had gained most of our elevation already, the last few miles over Garfield Mtn seemed to be the hardest. However, there was a great 360 degree view from the top where we could see Franconia Ridge, which was still covered in clouds. It looked like those pictures you see of Mt. Olympus. We were below the cloud line on Garfield, so we got plenty of good pictures and then hobbled on down to the Garfield Ridge campsite. We were the first ones to get to the shelter, but as of right now it is completely full. The tent platforms are also full, and there are a few folks in the overflow area. Seems to be a popular day to be hiking in the Whites. Franconia Ridge is so beautiful, and the scenery and the views the last few days have definitely topped everything we've seen up to this point. This has by far been my favorite section of trail, even if it is a little tougher. It's almost bedtime now (7:45), so I'm going to get comfy and try to get some sleep. I think we'll try to make it to Zealand Falls Hut tomorrow.
Date: 2008-07-30
From: Johnson City, TN

To: Zealand Falls Hut
Miles today: 9.7

The White Mountains seem to be quite the family vacation destination. In fact, I think I've seen more people up here than I did when I backpacked the Smokies. That's not necessarily a bad thing. In fact, maybe one day when I have kids and win the lottery, I too will take my family to the Whites and hike hut to hut. Tonight wer're doing work for stay at the Zealand Falls Hut. I rinsed off in the falls and gladly consumed some extra apple pit corners that one of the croo members offered us, so right now I'm a pretty happy camper. The hiking today wasn't too tough, with the exception of a 1 mile section "climbs relentlessly to the top of South Twon Mtn" according to a brochure for the Whites that someone had at the shelter this morning. It did climb relentlessly, but after that the terrain did improve significantly. There were still quite a few rock scrables and boulders to get over, but the worst of it was over for the day. I thought Mt. Guyot was a pretty neat looking place. The dward-sized trees and rocky summit made it a good place for interesting pictures. It's so beautiful here- it's hard to believe we'll be on our way home in just a few days. We've been on the trail so long it just seems to be normal part of my life now. But life is about to change very quickly.Note: I selected "Shelter" for the Sleeping Location because there is no box for "Hut Table."
Date: 2008-07-31
From: Zealand Falls Hut

To: Crawford Notch
Miles today: 7.7
Weather: fog

When we woke up this morning it was raining, so we sat on the porch until it was leftover breakfast time at the hut and then came in for oatmeal and eggs and ham and some more of the last night's apple cake. Then we swept the hut. When we finished it was still raining, so we sat around and talked for a while before finally heading out. The terrain for the first several miles was actually completely flat, which was completely unbelievable considering how tough it's been for the last few days. We cruised right along until we came to a huge blueberry patch. Then we spent the next couple hours picking blueberries since we really didn't have anything better to do. After we picked a big ziplock bag full, we headed to Ethan Pond for lunch. Peanut butter and honey and blueberry sandwiches taste amazing. Unfortunately, somewhere between the Pond and the Notch it started raining again, so we got soaked. We decided to try to find a good stealth site at the notch, which ended up being a horrible idea. There were no good spots for a 2 man tent near the AT, so we walked down the Saco River Trail until we found a spot that was sort of flat. We pitched the tent in the rain and proceeded to lay out our soaking gear inside of it. Then we discovered we were camped in mosquito grand central. It was like we were back at the Shaker Campsite in MA, except worse. They were everywhere. We counted over 30 of them sitting on the tent netting at one time, just waiting for us to come back out so they could suck the life out of us. I was so terrified of leaving the tent that I didn't even cook dinner. I just munched on some bars and veggies floating around in my food bag and went to sleep.
Date: 2008-08-01
From: Crawford Notch

To: Nauman Tentsite
Miles today: 6.4
Weather: light intensity shower rain

The mosquitoes were still waiting for us in the morning, so we packed up faster than the speed of lightning and went running down the trail back to the AT armed with our long pants and mosquito headnets. Once we got up the mountain some we stopped for breakfast, then continued on up to Mt. Webster, where we ate lunch. It was a pretty steep climb but at least the sun was out and the weather was nice. We ate some more blueberries and walked to the Mispah Hut. Well, it was more like we scrambled up and down slippery, steep, dangerous boulders until we reached Mispah Hut. But we eventually got there. We spent lots of money on chocolate chip cookies, soup, and Snickers. Then we set up camp at one of the tentsites and lounged around for the rest of the day. Hopefully the sun will be out in the morning to dry out our gear, and we'll head up Lake of the Clouds Hut, our last stop on this journey.
Date: 2008-08-02
From: Nauman Tentsite

To: Lakes of the Clouds Hut
Miles today: 4.8
Weather: fog

We slept in really late today and it was great. The sun came out and dried out some of our gear and we lounged around camp until about 11. Then we ate lunch and packed up and started walking... just as some more rain rolled in. It was really just misting up until we got to Mt. Monroe, then we got wet. The Presidentials are pretty nice. We were up above treeline for most of it. We got a few good views before the clouds got too thick to see anything. By the time we got to Lakes of the Clouds I was pretty wet and cold (EXTREMELY wet and cold), so I changed into my warm gear and devoured 4 bowls of hot soup. They don't call it Lakes of the Clouds for nothing. I couldn't see the hut until we were literally right in front of it. We decided to do work for stay, and they really worked us. I got the lovely job of scraping and bleaching 4 freezers. Apparently there's more work coming for us in the morning too. Then it's up to Mt. Washington!
Date: 2008-11-30
To: Back Home Again
Miles today: 0.0

Man I miss this trail. Things have changed a lot for me in the last couple months. I spend my time working 8 day shifts at a wilderness therapy program for teenagers outside Asheville, NC. Me and Eldon have a nice little apartment in Johnson City, but it seems I spend more days wandering around the Pisgah National Forest, shivering with my students as we work on our bowdrilling. It's not a bad life, but I'm starting to miss those white blazes and all the random adventures that come with them. So for now I'd just like offer a big congrats to the AT class of 2008 and a shout out to all those 09 hikers... maybe we'll meet at a shelter in NC or TN when spring rolls around!PS- If anyone was following our hike, I finally got around to adding all my journal entries through the White Mountains. Procrastination at its finest.