morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2018-06-20
From: Griffith Lake Campsite 

To: Greenwall Shelter
Miles today: 14.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Today was tough, Overdue picked up some new shoes in town due to some tightness in the toes of his old ones, and the breaking in process is proving a little painful. This section of vermont is very rocky and we were both suffering from sore ankles before long. We didn't let this stop us from enjoying several stunning vistas we passed on and just off trail, but we were relieved to pull into camp and get off our feet after 14 miles today.
Date: 2018-06-22
From: Governor Clement Shelter

To: Gifford Woods State Park
Miles today: 13.7

Headed into Rutland today for a resupply! It was only 10 miles from camp to the road into town but we had a lot of excitement on the trail in between. First we climbed Killington Peak, taking a short side trail to the summit for some amazing views. Next we were on to Pico Peak, a smaller ski resort in the area but still a good climb! And, finally, we crossed the 1,700 mile mark just before town, phew. We had perfect timing, happening to catch the local bus into town just as we reached the road and getting into town in no time. Our first stop was the Yellow Deli, a Hostel run on donations by a spiritual group which offer showers, laundry, a place to stay and pretty much anything else a Hiker could need in town. We just needed showers and then we were off to grab some food and resupply before making our way back to the trail. We saw our friends Sniffles and Hoagie while resupplying as well as some new hikers weave been seeing around, Postcard, Muse and Second Thought; they are all taking zeros in town, however, so we're not sure when we'll see them again. Back on trail we hiked until a little after 6 (one of our latest days yet) and called it a day, vowing to be up early to avoid the rain we heard was forecast for tomorrow. Bleh.
Date: 2018-06-23
From: Gifford Woods State Park

To: The Lookout
Miles today: 14.3
Weather: overcast clouds

We were up early today...but not early enough. We had heard there was rain coming in the early afternoon so, hoping to get as many miles in as possible before then, we were up around 6 getting ready to start the day. Unfortunately the rain had other ideas and as we were finishing our breakfast it began to shower. We shot out of camp, at least hoping to stay warm now, and we're relieved to see the rain let up, and only sprinkle us intermittently for a few hours. We pushed as far as we could before taking lunch, getting most of our day in before 1:30, when we finally had to stop and stuff our faces to fuel up for the last few miles of the day. We finished lunch just in time, as it began to really pour, pushing us to speed our last 3 miles into camp. Though we had been planning to go to a shelter about 17 miles from our start point today, we had found out about a cabin a few miles before the shelter that is open to hikers and is not only fully enclosed but has an awesome observation deck on its roof! With the rain it was easy to change our goal to this, slightly closer and far superior option, for our camp for the night. Hopefully the clouds clear at some point so we can check out the view! As we were settling in for bed we met our first SOBO thru-hiker, Wisecrack, when he rolled into the cabin for the night. (He started at Mt. Katahdin on May 31st putting his average daily mileage to this point in VT at just about 20 miles per day!) We also caught a little bit of clear sky to check out the view just before sunset, beautiful!
Date: 2018-06-24
From: The Lookout

To: Thistle Hill Shelter
Miles today: 14.8
Weather: broken clouds

We took our time getting out of the cabin this morning, partially reluctant to head out into the rain, which had restarted overnight, but mostly because we were planning to stop by a farm stand about 6 miles into our day that didn't open until 10am. We moseyed on down to the Wintturi Shelter where we had a snack and continued on our way to VT Rt 12 where On The Edge Farm held the promise of fresh baked goods and snacks! We arrived just after 10, in time to snag one of the famous peach-blueberry pies while it was still warm and a maple soda for second breakfast...yum. Stuffed and happy we struggled our way up and over a few more mountains before coming across our second trail magic since starting, a bucket of ice cold sodas, and just as we were getting hungry for lunch! Our final excitement of the day came as we climbed our last few miles to the shelter, a Bard owl swooping in and out of the trees ahead of us, distracting us from our aching feet long enough to push through to camp. There's only one other hiker at the shelter tonight, a section hiker aptly named '76 because that's when he started hiking the AT, he hopes to finish Vermont this year and only have NH and ME left to do. Exciting day!
Date: 2018-06-25
From: Thistle Hill Shelter

To: Hanover, NH
Miles today: 14.7
Weather: clear sky

We were up and out early today, knowing that we would be reaching the town of Hanover and the Vermont-New Hampshire Border before the day was out! We have heard from several hostels and guides leading up to here that the town of Hanover is exorbitantly overpriced accommodation-wise and there are not many camping/shelter options for those needing to resupply and do any housekeeping chores in town. Luckily, the residents of Hanover know this and have formed a group of trail angels, led by Betsy&Bill whose son thru-hiked in 2007, and allow hikers to stay with them or camp in their yards while in town. We got in touch with Betsy yesterday to inquire as to how this worked, and she told us to come right to her home where we could shower, do laundry and spend the night! When we arrived we met hikers BamaDog and Osprey G already cleaned up and relaxing, and were soon after greeted by Betsy and Bill who had banana bread and watermelon out for any passing hikers to enjoy. We were given the run down on house rules and then left to shower and make ourselves at home. After showers and a snack we walked down into Hanover, crossing the state line into our second to last state(!!), and began the search for food. Many of Hanover's restaurants are extremely hiker friendly, and we were given a free slice of pizza at Ramunto's and free donuts at Lou's Bakery before we had hardly gotten started! We then stopped into a cool Nepali restaurant to try some traditional "MoMo"(very like vegetable dumplings), and couldn't resist swinging into Brigadiero, a Brazilian dessert shop specializing in treats that are "a cross between a chocolate a caramel and a truffle" YUM. We finished up with a burrito and a Nutella shake from a local Mexican fusion joint before Bill called to see if we needed a ride back in time for dinner! Back at the house Osprey G, a native Italian (who began the trail in 2017 as well, but had to get off due to a back injury and is back finishing up this year) had volunteered to cook some of his 'famous Carbonara' for everyone, and had us drooling for second dinner before long. We enjoyed a delicious meal full of story telling from everyone present, including Betsy and Bill's story of how their son had received trail magic on his hike in 2007 when he needed it most and how they now provide similar trail magic to pay it forward, reminding us all how we may be able to do the same or, at least, find some way in our lives to pay forward all the kindness and aid we receive as hikers on the trail. This wonderful time was topped off with fudge brownies for dessert, after which we were all so full and tuckered we immediately settled in for bed.
Date: 2018-06-26
From: Hanover, NH

To: Moose Mountail Shelter
Miles today: 10.9
Weather: clear sky

The carbonara from dinner yesterday was so delicious we had it again for breakfast today! Talk about carbo-loading. Betsy and Bill had us back where we'd left off the trail in Hanover Center yesterday nice and early, ready to walk through the rest of town and resupply on our way out (the AT runs directly through Hanover and the Dartmouth campus, beautiful!). Our first stop was the oversized "general store" Dan and Whit's whose sign reads "If we don't have it, yo don't need it" which felt true as they had everything from lobster rolls to hardware and camping gear. We were in to find a patch for Overdue's food bag, which fell victim to the nibbles of some rodent at our last campsite, and were successful, nabbing a full tent patch kit which we think will do the trick for now. After Dan and Whit's we headed to a coffee shop for a quick recharge (for us and our electronics) and then over to the town Co-op to resupply and left with our food bags bursting but ready to take on the trail out of town. With all of our errands we didn't get out of town until after noon, but that left us enough time to hike the 10 miles to our intended campsite, just over Moose Mountain, before dinnertime. A short hiking day but a successful town visit to get us ready for the White Mountains in a few days!
Date: 2018-06-27
From: Moose Mountail Shelter

To: Hexacuba Shelter
Miles today: 17.7
Weather: clear sky

We had a long day today, almost 18 miles over several small peaks leading to the Smarts Range Summit which really wiped us out. We started up Mt. Cube, but only to the shelter part way up the mountain as there is heavy rain and possible thunder storms in the forecast for tonight. We wanted to get as far as possible today, as Cube is considered the start of the difficult terrain the makes up the White Mountains of NH and we are expecting rain tomorrow as well. We'll see how we do!
Date: 2018-06-28
From: Hexacuba Shelter

To: Hikers Welcome Hostel
Miles today: 14.8
Weather: scattered clouds

We woke up to rain today, and are anticipating it to continue all day, so there is no sense trying to wait it out and we head out into the downpour. The climb up Mt. Cube is a treacherous rock scramble and with everything wet we move at what feels like a glacial pace (about 1.5 miles an hour). Yuck. We are soaked through by the time we reach the summit, and have only views of mist and clouds to reward us, so we move on quickly, trying to keep warm and get through the day as quickly as possible. Our goal tonight is Hikers Welcome Hostel in Glencliff, NH where we will be able to get a hot shower and dry our clothes, but after our struggle over Cube we still have 10 miles to go. Ugh. With 8 miles to go, like a vision, we come across a large pavilion tent in which we find the infamous 'Omelette Man' waiting with a warm stove, donuts, cookies, fresh fruit, juice and, of course, all the fixings for delicious omelette! Heaven! We ate our fill and enjoyed some good conversation before making the final push to Hikers Welcome. We'll get dried out and rested here tonight before we take on Mt. Moosilauke tomorrow.
Date: 2018-06-29
From: Hikers Welcome Hostel

To: Kinsman Notch
Miles today: 9.3
Weather: broken clouds

We are ready to climb Mt. Moosilauke today, where the whites "get real"! First thing, we come to a large stream with no way across other than to ford it, so off come our boots and we're knee deep in icy water for a minute as we make our way across. We're awake now! Moosilauke is the longest climb we've done yet, up over 3500' in elevation over 5 miles. We take it slow, not wanting to burn ourselves out and are rewarded with a clear Summit just in time for lunch. The view is indescribable and we spend as much time as we can taking it in before we head down the north side. This descent is steep and the rocks, still wet from yesterday's rain, are exceedingly slick. We move slowly (as is becoming the norm for us here in the Whites) and reach Beaver Creek Shelter, about half way down the mountain, just as an afternoon storm rolls in, bringing thunder and lightning along with the rain. We sit at the shelter, trying to wait it out and decide whether or not to hike on today. Our decision is made as the rain clears, so we continue on down the mountain to a camp spot at the base, feeling good about our sub ten mile day. As we begin to set up camp we strike up a conversation with a passing hiker who informes us his name is "Terodactly" (misspelling intended) and he thru hiked in 2016. He mentions that he loves to hike the area and do trail magic for current thru-hikers, and says that he and his wife, Nanette, would love to have us for dinner tonight and will host us at their ski chalet in the nearby town of Lincoln, NH. It's an offer we can't refuse, and before we know it we're being stuffed with a delicious dinner (thank you Nanette!) and let loose on the heated pool and hot tub communally available in their complex. We can't believe our luck, this is such a treat! We enjoy exchanging stories of the trail thus far and comparing our experiences at notable places along the way, along with our enjoyment of up-keeping our trail journals (Terodactly kept one on trailjournals for his '16 hike as well). We are finally shuttled off to bed with the promise of pancakes in the morning before we get back on trail. What a day!
Date: 2018-06-30
From: Kinsman Notch

To: Kinsman Pond Shelter
Miles today: 11.5
Weather: clear sky

We awoke to an amazing breakfast of pancakes, muffins, fresh fruit, juice and coffee before "Tero" shuttled us back to the trail. We were back to the grind by 7:30 after picking up hiker "Willow" who was hitchhiking from town back to the trailhead along the way. Willow is from Germany and is just hoping to finish her hike in the 6 months she has before her visa expires! Our first climb was small, up Dilly Peak and then the real work began, getting up and over Mt. Wolf. As we should be used to by now, our pace is slow and it take us all morning to do the 7 miles from the Notch to the Eliza Brook Shelter where we take a break for lunch. While we eat a friendly older couple "Blue Sky" and "Which Way" hike in and declare they are done for the day. "Blue Sky" thru-hiked in the 70's and they tell us they are piecing the trail together for "Which Way" now, very cool! Our final climb really takes it out of us, it's only a 2000' climb up South Kinsman Mountain but we have to do a lot of hand over hand climbing over boulders and, inexplicably, find ourselves crossing through a bog about half way up to the peak. So it is with wet boots and tired legs we Summit both the South and North peaks of Kinsman Mountain to astonishing views, and are so thankful to be rewarded for our hard work (and to be going downhill for the rest of the day). We cross paths with a day hiker on Kinsman who asks how long we've been out, we tell him about three weeks and he looks us over for a moment before seeming to decide that's long enough and pulls out a bag of peanut M&Ms for us to share. We are feeling depleted after our climbs so even this seemingly small gesture does wonders for our morale. We make the final push to camp in good time and settle in for the nigh, thankful for our tent's bug net as the black flies have come out in full force today. Into town tomorrow!
Date: 2018-07-01
From: Kinsman Pond Shelter

To: Franconia Notch
Miles today: 4.8
Weather: light rain

There were some pretty intense thunder storms and rain throughout the night but we're pleasantly surprised to find it's only drizzling this morning and our gear has been kept relatively dry despite the storm. We eat breakfast in our tent and by the time we're ready to go the rain has stopped completely and skies are looking clear for our descent into Franconia Notch. We make a quick stop at Lonesome Lake Hut where we fill our water bottles and are offered all the extra coffee from that morning's breakfast. We will pass a series of these "Huts" in the whites, they are essentially full service cabins for tourists and hikers willing to pay the steep overnight fee ($100+ in season) where they are served dinner and breakfast and sleep in a bunkhouse - The huts occasionally take in thru-hikers for work-for-stay, where we would help with chores in exchange for the leftovers from the dinner and breakfast meals as well as a spot in the cabin to spend the night. We had considered coming down to this Hut last night to try to do work-for-stay but we're just so wiped out we didn't want to chance being turned away and having to hike on. Still, we enjoyed what they did have to offer this morning and felt energized to push the final 3 miles into the Notch where we'll be getting a ride into North Woodstock, NH for our fist zero day! We arrive at Franconia Notch around 10 and have to walk 0.9 miles to the nearest parking area where our shuttle will pick us up (this is awfully far in off-trail miles but it's worth it for the rest day). We get into town, we are staying at the Autumn Breeze (a hiker friendly hotel/motel), where we get showers and drop our laundry with the owner, Ann, who is wonderfully helpful and gives us the rundown on where to eat, resupply and just relax around town. We are spending the rest of the day trying to see how many of the restaurants on Main Street we can eat at before we succumb to our food comas. Perfect.
Date: 2018-07-03
From: Franconia Notch

To: Garfield Ridge Campsite
Miles today: 10.3
Weather: overcast clouds

We get a ride back to the trailhead early this morning to try and beat the heat. We succeed, somewhat, getting up the 3000' climb to the start of Franconia Ridge before 11am. Franconia Ridge is arguably one of the most beautiful sections on the entire trail, with two straight miles of above tree line hiking and stunning views of the surrounding mountains with every step. We are super excited to be up on a clear day and can see for miles in every direction, but the sun is beating down on us, and with no canopy cover we need to be careful. We stocked up on water and are able to take our time on the ridge, enjoying the views and having lunch at its highest point, the summit of Mt. Lafayette. While lunching we notice some clouds rolling in, and scramble to get off the summit before visibility gets too whited out. Even on our descent, we're in the clouds for a bit and it gets chilly, but we're moving fast enough that it doesn't bother us too much. It's been so hot in the sun all morning it even feels nice! After Lafayette we have one more Peak before our camp for the night, Mt. Garfield. As always, the last climb of the day feels like the toughest and we're ready to get off our feet. Having resupplied in town yesterday we're mostly excited to dig into our full food bags and see how much of the weight we can cut down by eating! We're full and ready for bed by 6, perfect. Black Fly Report: Still everywhere.
Date: 2018-07-04
From: Garfield Ridge Campsite

To: Pemigewasset River
Miles today: 12.2
Weather: few clouds

We head out of camp around 8 today and, though this is late for us, our timing is perfect. We only have a few miles to Galehead Hut and they are just finishing up breakfast with the guests as we arrive, which means leftovers for us! We stuff ourselves on second breakfast and pick up some muffins to enjoy once we reach our first summit of the day - South Twin Peak. We can see the summit high above us, but our guides say it is only 0.8 miles to reach it so we know our ascent will be a steep one. As alway with the White Mtns, however, we are rewarded with a stunning view when we finally reach the summit and are able to cruise the next few miles on the ridge line between South Twin and Mt. Guyot. As we come down from Guyot we cross paths with a SOBO hiker who warns us there is a mother grouse ahead who become very aggressive towards hikers who come too close to her chicks. We proceed warily, but are not assaulted, though we do see one of the babies run by; looking like a little puff ball with a red/orange head, so cute! From here we only have a few miles to Zealand Cliffs Hut where we had considered stopping for the night, but we are moving faster than expected, so we decide to push a little further to the Pemigewasset River where we have heard there are a few camp spots near some good swimming holes. After a hot day (and a little sunburn on my shoulders) this sounds perfect. Happy 4th!
Date: 2018-07-05
From: Pemigewasset River

To: Lake of the Clouds Hut
Miles today: 16.2
Weather: clear sky

Quick 5 miles this morning, cruising over some nice smooth trail into Crawford Notch. We're glad to have gotten an early start as it's a hot one, and though we begin the 3500' climb up Mt. Webster before 10, we're feeling overheated before long and stop to dip our hats (and arms and heads and faces, etc.) in every stream and spring we pass. We take it slow but are still ahead of schedule, so we reach our planned stop for the night, Mitzpah Hut, around 3:30. We had hoped to do work for stay here but upon inquiring and explaining our situation, we're told that WFS is reserved exclusively for those truly thru-hiking this year (i.e. the full 2190 miles GA-ME, ME-GA or whatever direction gets the whole thing done in one shot). Ouch. This puts us in an awkward place as regular guests in the huts pay upwards of $100/night to stay (no thanks) and most of the trail going forward is above tree line (which is a delicate environment and means no camping anywhere). The Hut crew recommends a for-pay campsite nearby and, though it is probably the best option, I am frustrated with the whole situation and vote to push on. Overdue is accommodating of my mood and we agree to push the extra 5 miles to Lake of the Clouds Hut where we hope to be allowed to stay in "The Dungeon". Lake of the Clouds Hut is the only hut with separate accommodations for thru-hikers besides work-for-stay and this space is called the dungeon. It is technically an emergency shelter below the Hut, but has six bunks that hikers can utilize for $10, what a bargain! The trail from Mitzpah to LOC is mostly smooth, only summiting Mt. Pierce and then skirting the summits of the remaining presidential peaks leading up to Mt. Washington...normally. Seemingly unlucky for us, the last stretch of the AT skirting Mt. Monroe before LOC is closed and our only option is to go over the Peak before continuing down to the Hut. We are exhausted, but it's hard to feel unlucky when we reach the summit to a stellar view of Mt. Washington up close (and almost at sunset at this point) and the lake and Hut at its foot are really something to see. We stagger down and are, thankfully, allowed space in the dungeon where we settle in for the night. Phew
Date: 2018-07-08
From: Osgood Campsite

To: Carter Notch
Miles today: 10.7
Weather: overcast clouds

Compared to the end of our day yesterday (steep and slow going) this morning was heaven. We had 5 smooth miles into Pinkham Notch, and we enjoyed every minute of it, stretching our legs and preparing for our climb up into the Wildcats later today. We reach the Notch around 11am and are psyched to find they have a hiker deal where we can get a heaping bowl of chili and a hunk of bread for $2 (and they have veggie chili)! We go to town (adding a BLT, M&Ms and a chocolate bar on for dessert) and finally drag ourselves back out as we know we have some tough miles to get through today. We are climbing the Wildcats, 5 adjacent peaks over 4000', of which we summit 4, before descending into Carter Notch (our last Hut in the Whites!). The initial ascent is rocky and we move slowly, struggling with the feeling that we're not getting anywhere as we climb between each Peak (only the first Peak is marked as such and there are many high points between each so we think we have summited the last only to continue climbing several times). Finally, we begin to descend into Carter Notch, where we stop into our last AMC Hut and make the best of it, eating all the leftover breakfast they have out for hikers and picking up some pumpkin muffins for dessert. We only have the energy to hike just out of the Notch before making camp for the night. But we're almost out of the Whites!