morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2022-07-01
From: Williamstown 

To: Seth Warner Shelter
Miles today: 8.0
Weather: clear sky

On the road again.I just can¢t wait to get on the road again. I find love is making music with my friends And I can¢t wait to get on the road again. On the road again. Going places that I¢ve never been. Seeing things that I may never see again. I can¢t wait to get on the road again. On the road againLike a band of gypsies we go down the highway We¢re the best of friendsInsisting that the world keep turning our way. And our way is on the road again. We woke this morning to a small emergency. Joni¢s cork massage ball was missing. No luck in the room or in packs. I walked back to the willows to ask of it had been found but the housekeeper would not be in until 11:00. Dollar General did not carry tennis balls. Walgreens was sold out but did have pre-cut tennis balls for the bottom of walker legs. I got them. Then left one in the room - no unnecessary weight. We load up Rocky¢s van at about 9:00 and he drives us the 2 miles out to the trail. We unload, wave goodbye, cross the road (then a river, then railroad tracks, then another road) and are back in the woods. We planned a short day today (as well as the next several) in order to give Joni¢s leg a chance to heal and strengthen. It still felt good after we finished our planned stretch and we briefly considered pushing on. We had several hours before dinner but elected to go easy and rest.Grayson started a game where he builds a miniature model of the shelter area using twigs and leaves and such. Then he hides a peanut somewhere in the scene and places a second peanut in the corresponding location in the model. It¢s my job to find the hidden peanut using the model as a clue. Pretty fun diversion. I taught Jasper solitaire. We filtered lots of water (the day was hotter than average). Ramen for dinner (add oil, tuna, crushed red pepper). We are four in the tent now as evening approaches. Jasper is reading outside. He¢ll be in later. Then we get to see how this setup really works. It feels good to be back out in the woods. One month down. We crossed into Vermont today and started walking The Long Trail. The AT and The Long Trail are concurrent for 105+ miles. Then the AT turns east at Rutland while The Long Trail heads north to Canada. Goodbye to Massachusetts! We¢ve spent a lot of time with you. Goodbye to Sages Ravine, to the Hoosic River at Father Tom¢s Campsite, to The Willows pool. Goodbye Great Barrington, Dalton, Cheshire, Williamstown. Goodbye Race, Everett, Greylock. Goodbye Tom Lavardi, Cookie Lady, Papa Joe - and thank you.
Date: 2022-07-03
From: Congdon Shelter

To: Melville Nauheim
Miles today: 5.9
Weather: overcast clouds

We left Congdon after a questionable night¢s sleep. Breakfast at the shelter again. We needed to go to Bennigton to resupply our food. Harmon Hill overlooks the city and is the last cell signal before the trail dives down to the road. I called a guy named Steve to see if he could come and get us. Joni found him on Far Out. He was happy to meet us at 11 at the road. We walked the 1.8 miles (the last very steeply downhill) and arrived exactly at 11:00. We watched Steve pull in to the lot as we were descending. Steve turned out to be a bona fide trail angel. He served up cold drinks right away from a cooler in the back. Then we headed to WalMart. We picked his brain a bit on the ride and decided we might try to make the 40 miles to Manchester Center before meeting my parents. So we resupplied for 4 days in WalMart and walked out with two boxes of food. Steve, who had waited on us, loaded us all back into the Subaru Outback and took us to Ramuntos - a pizza-and-burger restaurant with outdoor seating that¢s close to downtown. We said we¢d hang out until 5:00 and he was willing to come back then and return us to the trail. We ordered 4 cheeseburgers and an order of buffalo wings. The cheeseburgers were spectacular. The buffalo wings were mediocre. We enjoyed all of it.After we finished eating we took all the food from the boxes and divvied it up into food bags. Smarter shopping kept the weight manageable even with Joni carrying only her snacks. We repacked everything and walked a block west to the game store where we set up for the next 3 hours. The boys played video games, Joni worked on video, I looked at maps. Bookstores, coffee shops, and other storefronts were nearby. We each spent some time walking the streets of Bennington taking in the town. I helped a guy carry a mini fridge to his upstairs apartment where he had a book & vinyl shop.Steve was back at Ramuntos at 5. He drove us back out to the trail and wouldn¢t even take gas money.We hiked a steep uphill out of the gap. I left the gap feeling strong and gained the ridge feeling winded with two tweaked knees. We pulled into the shelter about 6:00. It was pretty full with tents set up all around. We walked south, retracing our steps, to a stealth site about a quarter mile from the shelter. We returned to the shelter to fix dinner and meet some fellow hikers.We¢d heard of a guy on trail hiking northbound who was from Dahlonega. We finally crossed paths with Tin Man. He graduated from LCHS last year and hit the trail in March. It was fun to meet (and hear!) someone from home. We all climbed into the tent (minus Tin Man) about dark. I¢m sitting just outside now typing in the dark, listening to the night noises and far-off fireworks, an early July 4th celebration.
Date: 2022-07-07
From: Stratton Arlington Road

To: Stratton Pond Shelter
Miles today: 7.0
Weather: overcast clouds

We passed the 300 mile mark today. Back on June 20 we had a plan to make 300 miles before the end of that month. We were still hopeful that could happen as late as the 25th. Today is July 7 - 12 days later - and we have finally realized that goal. It has been a short season of patience, frustration, speculation, and uncertainty. The list of treatments we¢ve done to Joni¢s leg is long but it¢s making progress towards healing.Josh Bennett - college roommate, family friend, 1996 thru hiker - drove from his home in upstate Mew York to hike with us for 2 days. We left the KOA at 8:00am loaded for bear after a killer breakfast of eggs, bacon, pancakes. We drove about an hour to the Green Mountain Hiker Hostel and met Josh. He and I got in the bed of the truck (still legal in Vermont) and rode another 40 minutes back to the trail. We set out to cross Stratton Mountain and stay the night at the fairly massive Stratton Pond Shelter. Josh brought a goody bag of food that he treated us with at meal times and snack times (ting-a-ling): bagels & pepperjack, movie theater popcorn, fruit by the foot, brownies, marshmallows, stroopwaffles. He marveled at the lightweight gear, the connectivity, the clothes people wore while hiking, the small size of the packs. He regaled the dozen other hikers in the shelter with trail stories from a different era. He was like a time traveler. We dunked in Stratton Pond. It¢s a beautiful pond reminiscent of Upper Goose Pond but twice the size. We came back for the sunset, our best yet on the trail. Josh, Baxter, and Jasper slept in the shelter while Joni, Grayson, and I squeezed into the 3 man tent. Joni is carrying the bare minimum now: snacks, water, and her pack. Her leg is on the mend. We feel encouraged.
Date: 2022-07-09
From: Bromley Mountain Shelter

To: Lost Pond Shelter
Miles today: 12.8
Weather: overcast clouds

Assuming the AT is 2.5 feet wide and 2193 miles long, how many square miles of land does it cover?Day 40. We got our first glimpse of Mount Washington today. It¢s still 200 trail miles ahead. The view we had was 110 miles away!We climbed 1 mile out of the shelter this morning to the peak of Bromley Mountain. Bromley is a ski resort and the last quarter mile of trail was up a ski slope. The top had ski lifts and snowy pictures of the ski runs around the resort map. It was sunny and near 70 degrees. The views were awesome. No haze, no shimmer. The ridge line of Mount Washington, far to the north, was sharp and clear. I thought I might be able to make out the observatory on top - nonsense. We hiked down to Mad Tom Notch and then up and over Styles and Peru Peaks.We met Compass Rose on Styles peak. She is the caretaker at Griffith Lake - still 3.5 miles ahead. She was up on Styles peak ¢doing paperwork.¢ It¢s the closest place with cell service!As Joni and I took in the view (the boys & Compass Rose were long gone) our friend Morten ¢Great Dane¢ came up the hill behind us. Joni met Morten on Facebook in February. He was looking for a ride from Cumming, GA to Amicalola to start his thru hike. He spent a night at our house and I drove him to Amicalola on March 26th. We thought there was a chance he¢d catch up with us. He¢s been doing some serious miles! He was planning on a 20-miler today but ended up spending all day with us. We caught to boys near Peru Peak and sat down for lunch.We got to Griffith Lake early afternoon. Compass Rose was there having just finished a swim. We followed suit. The boys played and fished with ziploc bags (successfully!) while Morten, CR, Joni, me, and several other thru hikers talked about the caretaker job and trail news. TMI walked up and introduced himself - he¢s a teacher In Pennsylvania section hiking the trail. He posed the question at the top of this entry to the group and to the boys in particular. What a great question with a stunning answer!We finished off the last 4.3 miles to the shelter and arrived right about 5:00. Morten set up next to us. Ramen and freeze dried chicken with olive oil and crushed red pepper for dinner. WOW. We¢re starting to make our plan for the Whites. The range is on everyone¢s mind. Here¢s hoping for no rain there, too!
Date: 2022-07-11
From: Bully Brook

To: Sargent Brook 
Miles today: 13.3
Weather: scattered clouds

Guest columnist: Baxter SkogmanWe woke up from a great stealth site at Bully Brook around 7:00 we packed up on no rush, as Grandpa was resupplying us and bringing us breakfast at 8:30. We hiked 1.4 to Sugar Hill Road where we got in the back of Grandpa¢s truck and rode to a back road to eat because we didn¢t want to eat biscuits in the middle of a path full of hungry hikers. We spent a short while at the back road resupplying, talking, and eating the delicious Dunkin¢ Donuts biscuits. We were dropped back off on the trail around 9:00,  half full, ready, and happy. We hiked for around 0.2 before coming upon a full-blown setup of trail magic. They had a plethora of food, ranging from store bought donuts to hot dogs and fresh watermelon. It was amazing, and we stayed there for another half hour before dragging our three-pounds heavier bodies and slung our packs on, grudgingly hiking away from the haven of food and drink. Me and dad were in the back, and turned a corner to find Jasper using the Merlin bird app to play vireo songs to a Red-Eyed Vireo. We gathered that that particular song was used to mark territories of the Vireo. The bird was livid and trying to find the ¢rival¢ Vireo that was calling. It was a cool moment. We climbed yet another ¢Bear Mountain¢ (our third!) and then my stomach ache kicked in. Me, Dad, and Mom all had aches because of the pre-packaged donuts. Dad¢s and Mom¢s were fleeting, but mine stayed all day and well into the night. On top of that, I was cramping up from all of the digestion. It was an unpleasant, almost painful sensation for the first hour, and then settled to a dull throb for the rest of the day. We plummeted into Clarendon Gorge, a pretty gorge with a river in the bottom. We had to keep moving, so we only stayed for 30 minutes or so of swimming. We reluctantly climbed out of the lukewarm water and put on our packs to begin the massive climb up. We still had seven miles until the shelter, but Far Out had comments on a stealth site that was a manageable distance of 6, plus the climb out to add to the effort. The site was next to a brook and a road with a bridge. When we finally made it to the top of the rock scramble/steep hike out of the gorge, we were disappointed to find Beacon Hill ahead. This was a not-as-hard climb, but still very difficult. Beacon Hill had no view, except a cut opening down to the airport so the FAA ( Federal Air Association.) beacon could shine to the port. We arrived at the stealth site around 6:00, where we quickly ate Chili Mac and went to bed, after Dad hung an ingenious bear hang from a bridge. We checked out for the night late but ready for tomorrow.
Date: 2022-07-14
From: Norwich, VT

To: Moose Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 12.5
Weather: clear sky

Woke up @ 6:20 in a bed after a killer nights sleep. The room was getting light Joni was already gone to the shower. I went downstairs and found Grayson ready to slay some pancakes. He¢s usually last out of bed at 8:00 (Baxter is the early riser). The hostel was still quiet. Back in our rooms we repacked packs and brought them downstairs for the 9am shuttle circuit to Norwich and Hanover. We loaded the sprinter van with 3 other hikers who were headed to town for diversion & groceries. After a short ride we disembarked at Dan & Whits General Store in Norwich. We picked Norwich (instead of nearby Hanover) so that we¢d walk into New Hampshire. No sense in leaving 2 states unfinished when we cross into Maine!We turned north and downhill out towards the athletic complex and fields and came to the Hanover Food Co-op. We dropped packs and went in for drinks. We considered buying another trail meal in case the upcoming stretch of trail took longer than planned but opted to leave with only the drinks.We were back in the woods shortly, climbing back into the mountains.After 2 or 3 miles we came to a bridge/boardwalk over a marshy area. ¢HORNETS¢ read the sign on the bridge. Far Out confirmed that there had been several people stung over the course of the last two weeks. There was no way around. We backtracked and made a plan. Everyone giggled nervously as if someways about to run out of the woods and pie-in-the-face one of us. Who would be ¢chosen¢? Or were all of us about to get it? We donned all rain gear and head nets. Socks were stretched to the max. We agreed to walk quietly with purpose but not to run. Grayson went first - he¢s the kid that always gets stung. The first spot is the safest. Then Baxter right after. Then Jasper, Joni, and finally me. Te bridge was about 20 yards long and we were over it pretty quickly without incident. We regrouped 30 yards past the opposite side to debrief and eat lunch (and take off all that rain gear!). Disaster averted. We arrived at Moose Mountain Shelter about 5:00. We had been a little nervous about making the 12+ miles after a late start but it was a breeze. Dinner was cheesy mashed potatoes with heavy bacon bits.Here we are, New Hampshire!We¢ll be back, Vermont! If we must choose a place to do a ¢victory lap¢ before finally turning south, you¢re a great choice. Deli Blazing was fun but these Georgians have enjoyed being back in the  green mountains.
Date: 2022-07-17
From: Jeffers Brook Shelter 

To: Eliza Brook Shelter
Miles today: 15.9
Weather: scattered clouds

I am totally exhausted. We slackpacked  8 miles over Moosilauke today between 8:30 & 2:00. Then shouldered packs and did 8 more to Eliza Brook Shelter.  Grayson , Joni and I arrived at 7:45 out of water and mumbling to ourselves.Monster day.Type 2 fun. Now we get up early tomorrow to see if we can squeak out the 9 miles over South & North Kinsman Peaks and into Franconia Notch before the rainstorm hits at 11:00.
Date: 2022-07-20
From: Garfield Tent Site

To: Ethan Pond
Miles today: 14.9
Weather: few clouds

Got walking this morning at 8:00. We had a big climb (South Twin) and two huts today.We took a left onto the AT from the campsite blue-blaze and the trail got into a creekbed. I haven¢t seen this many times but there are blazes on the trees lining the bank. ¢Creek¢ may be a tad generous but there isn¢t a better word. We made it down the hill where the creek was forced off the trail by a monster waterbar. We made our first stop at Galehead Hut around 10:15. Chess, Banannagrams, and snacking filled the 30 minute break there. Straight after the hut was the ascent of South Twin Mountain. The profile looked daunting and the other hikers on the trail had hyped it up. It was steep but only 0.8 miles. Other, less steep climbs have been more difficult but South Twin¢s southern slope had good places for the foot to land. It makes a huge difference in the mental and physical load.We had a lunch of bagels, cheese, & beef jerky atop the peak and watched the morning clouds being pushed out by the stiff breeze. By the time we got up to leave at 12:15 the whole day was laid out before us: Mt Guyot, Zeacliff Rodge, Zealamd Falls Hut (hiding behind the ridge), and Ethan Pond, 6.5 miles as the crow flies but over 11 by trail. Another big afternoon ahead. About an hour later as we created the ridge of Guyot I was pointing out the direction of Mt Washington with my right-hand hiking pole when I took my first real fall. I rolled my left ankle hard and could do nothing but hit my knees. It really stinks to fall forward with a pack on your back. I stood up slowly and shook it off. I feel lucky it wasn¢t worse. The boys have each had a pretty good fall or two. Joni has avoided a hard fall so far. We cruised into busy Zealand Falls hut about 4:30. Grayson and I took a dip in the nearby falls. We considered stealth camping nearby but we got in to son east, flat, trail and started making time. Maybe the trail was an old road here but the rocks, roots, and rivulets were gone. It was a cakewalk. We made the 4.5 miles to Ethan Pond by 6:45. We had dinner with Rocketman, Lazarus, and Great Dane. Jasper discovered a trail magic comment in Far Out for tomorrow morning in Crawford Notch. We started to talk about slowing things down some. Our mileage over the last 6 days has been 12, 16, 17, 16, 10, 10, and today¢s 15. Why are we doing such big miles on such hard trail!?Dad meets us in Crawford Notch at 9:30 in the morning. We¢ll get a look at the weather and make a decision about the next section: The Presidentials and Mount Washington.
Date: 2022-07-25
From: Twin Mountain Campground

To: Twin Mountains Campground
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

Zero days can be a bit of a bummer. Not because they are ¢bad¢ days but because we have high expectations for them that usually go unmet. What¢s not to like about a day with zero miles hiked!? Well, I¢ll tell you. A zero day isn¢t about lounging around by the pool with paper umbrellas in your mai tai(s). There are the zero day chores. And while I¢m sure that solo hikers have their chaired, too, chores for five take it to a new level. We ate breakfast off the griddle at 8:00 - bacon, eggs, and pancakes - and got right to the list. Joni, Jasper, and I got into the truck and drove about 45 minutes to North Conway, the nearest metropolis. We were gear hunting. Shoes for me and Grayson, sleeping mat & poles for Jasper, a new cook system, and other flotsam. We left REI with most of what we were looking for (I passed on the new cook system - I¢d rather have the $270). Laundry, Walgreens, and Walmart we¢re also our list. North Conway is the type of town you¢d like to walk around and check out the shops but we weren¢t done with our chores until 1:00 and were ready to get back to the campsite.Joni had ordered 3 packages in the weeks previous to be delivered to Twin Mountains Campground. We learned on the way back that only two had arrived. She had learned about Injinji compression socks from Lotus and ordered a pair. Twin Mountains hadn¢t seen them despite the tracking information saying they¢d been delivered. ¢Sometimes packages get delivered to the town hall¢, the manager told us. So we drove to the town hall. ¢We¢ve never had a package for the campground delivered here. I do t know what she¢s talking about. You should check the post office.¢So we went to the post office. It turns out that the campground gets packages delivered here! The socks were waiting to be picked up. Joni was a little miffed that the manager had said nothing about the post office! Crisis averted.>span class="s2">Spaghetti for dinner was enjoyed. The evening was cooling off quickly. Some took another shower, some waited until the morning, some deferred altogether.
Date: 2022-07-28
From: Gorham, NH

To: Gentian Pond Shelter
Miles today: 11.2
Weather: scattered clouds

¢I¢ve been physically and emotionally abused by Christmas trees.¢Far Out comment on this section¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢ I nervously walk into the classroom as the other students are milling around and taking seats. I choose a desk down the first row, near the door. I¢m not sure I¢m in the right place. I don¢t know any of these characters.Ms White walks into the room as the clock strikes the hour. Everyone takes a desk and the talking quiets down. Ms White is old. I¢m not sure if she¢s ninety or nine hundred. Her hair is a mess as if it¢s been in the wind for awhile.¢Hello, class. You¢re in room 13. I¢m Ms White. This is Backpacking 3302: Advanced Trailblazing and Strength Training.¢I¢m in the wrong place! I reach down for my pack, aiming to sneak out. ¢Ahem. You¢re leaving?¢ she asks me.¢I¢m sorry. I¢m on the wrong classroom. I¢m registered for Backpacking 1102: Intro to Thru Hiking.¢ I hear some snickers from the back of the room. ¢Oh, yes.¢ she smiles. ¢This is the right place. This class is double-rostered. You¢re in with the graduate level students. You¢ll be just fine. You can take your desk back.¢ More snickers from the back. I move back to my desk. These are all stand-up desks. There¢s nowhere comfortable to sit anywhere in this room. The floor is covered with variously-sized boulders, all unstable.¢We¢ll start today with a warm-up hike. You can leave your packs here today.¢We go to Mount Moosilauke and slackpack northbound. It was a beautiful day. We finished in Kinsman Notch at 3:00, just about the time school was to let out for the day. We grouped up in the parking lot, prepared for Ms White to wrap up the day. I felt accomplished.¢Is everyone warmed up now?¢I¢m confused. ¢Warmed up?¢ I¢m done. Everyone else nods. A nice man hands me a root beer and a tomato & cheese sandwich. She continues, ¢Now take your packs and we¢ll all head to Eliza Brook Shelter.¢¢Isn¢t that seven more miles?¢, I ask. I get hit with a paper airplane from behind. She doesn¢t answer. Everyone picks up packs. We head out. I don¢t belong here  I¢m out of my league  The morning alarm rings at 4:45.¢Good morning class! Hurry along now! Rain is coming and it¢s 11 miles to the busses. They run early today at 11:30am. Good luck!¢Everyone else at the shelter sleeps another hour or more. I¢ve got to get going if I¢m going to make the bus. I missed the bus. I barely missed the rain. Everyone who was sleeping at the shelter passed me today. I had to call my dad to come and pick me up. Days pass like this - Franconia Ridge, Mt Garfield, Crawford Notch, Webster Cliffs, the Presidentials, and finally down into Pinkham Notch. I was exhausted.I get held back for a day. I only just squeaked out the Carter peaks.Ms White congratulated me on finishing. ¢You¢ll do great in the next class,¢ she says as she escorts me to room 14. I walk into the room. The front rows are filled with the same characters as room 13 was. Behind them are friendlier faces. In the back stands a huge, hulking guy, asleep.I begin making my way towards him.