morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2005-08-03
From: Fire Wardens Cabin, NH

To: Ore Hill Shelter, NH
Miles today: 12.6

8/3Day: 143Start: Firewardens CabinFinish: Ore Hill ShelterMileage: 12.6Weater: humidI woke up to the sound of noisy boy scouts; they seemed to be saying the same things that they said the previous morning. Bams showed up before we started hiking and he moved on before we got moving as well. Yardsale and I ate breakfast on the cabin porch and cleaned the place up a good bit after everyone left - it needed the cleaning. We hiked the enjoyable miles to Hexacuba Shelter where we saw Bams for the second time of the day along with two fast brothers (5/15 start); see ya guys. We hung out at the junction to this shelter for a while and Cycle Hiker stopped at the junction to look at the sign for about two minutes and didn't even see us. I think our invisibility had something to do with Yardsale's newly-camouflaged trekking poles.We pushed on and climbed up Mt. Cube which was really pretty, especially with the smooth marble-esque rock. Coming down from Mt. Cube, we saw several trail workers including Old Swampy, a trail maintainer who told us (along with everyone else he met, I later found out) that we needed to read his book "Don't Die on the Mountain." We came to use this catch phrase as a joke for any situation that seemed the least bit perilous. I saw Tater from the NOC shortly before we reached the shelter. He was hiking sobo, had a broken bone in his foot and was going by the name Puck. There were tons of mosquitoes in this section and I was trying to move as quickly as possible. Fortunately, boyscout skin isn't as tough as thru-hiker skin, so the mosquitoes had easier targets once I made it to the shelter. Yardsale found a great patch of blueberries up the hill from the water source and we picked quite a few before dark. The sky looked clear enough so I didn't put my tarp over my hammock. I usually sleep better with the added air flow.
Date: 2005-08-04
From: Ore Hill Shelter, NH

To: Glencliff, NH
Miles today: 7.4

8/4Day: 144Start: Ore Hill ShelterFinish: Glencliff, NHMileage: 7.4Weather: pm rainWe woke up pretty early this morning and actually left before the Boy Scouts. We were trying to get into town early so that Yardsale could meet up with his mom who was bringing him his winter gear. The walking was very easy this morning and we made into the Glencliff hostel early. There we saw Morel, Naked Son, Shawn, Bams, Porter and Caroline. Lion King was also there and it was nice to see him again. Yardsale's mom took the two of us to town (not much of a town) where we resupplied and ate lunch. When we got back to the hostel, Yardsale met a friend of his from home and the two of them went car camping for the evening. I watched a movie about the band Wilco and hung out with folks around the fire pretty late into the evening.During the movie, an interesting character showed up. This guy said he had hiked southbound on the Long Trail and was now going north to Maine. He was hiking in Berkenstock-like sandals and was supposedly foraging the majority of his food. When someone asked him his name, he said "I don't really go by a name" and when another person asked to take a picture of him with his unique pack, he said "I'm definitely not into the picture thing." You meet all sorts of folks on this trail.
Date: 2005-08-05
From: Glencliff, NH

To: Glencliff, NH
Miles today: 0.0

8/5Day: 144Start: Glencliff, NHFinish: Glencliff, NHWeather: pm stormYardsale and I decided to take a zero day so that we could allow some of the nobos to clear out of town before we headed into the White Mountains. The idea was that everyone could spread out during this time to maximize everyone's likelihood of getting "work for stay" spots at the huts. So I hung out and did some chores throughout the day. A large group of sobos showed up at some point. Also, Method Man and Unknown showed up along with Sowega (met him for the first time). I was glad to see Method Man and Unknown again, but I was sad to hear that both Rza and Fraggle were off the trail. Later on, Dead Animal showed up with a guy named Draggin' who I hadn't met before. We watched Napolean Dynomite and rested for the upcoming mountains.Both Yardsale and I have been simultaneously astounded and disappointed yhat we are this far along in the trail. In one sense, it seems like I've been hiking this trail forever and it actually is difficult to remember what it feels like to not be hiking the trail. But in another sense, the whole experience seems like it has all gone by so fast. It¢s interesting in that way and while many of the folks that pass by us are long since ready to be done with the trail, I realize that everything I look forward to returning to in my other life will, Lord willing, be there whether I finish the trail in one week or ten weeks. So we've set the cruise control to low gear and are looking forward to soaking in the rest of the trail.
Date: 2005-08-06
From: Glencliff, NH

To: Beaver Brook Shelter, NH
Miles today: 7.9
Weather: scattered clouds

8/6Day: 145Start: Glencliff, NHFinish: Beaver Brook ShelterMileage: 7.9Weather: excellentWe were planning on doing only one mile out of town so that Yardsale could meet his mom again on Tuesday to get his warmer sleeping bag. But they changed the meeting time to Monday, so we decided to go up and over Mt. Moosilauke. We started hiking around noon and I was glad we were going over the first big mountain today since the weather was outstanding. The climb up and over the mountain was easier than I expected but it   still wasn't easy. Climbing Moosilauke brought us above treeline for the first time on the trip and that was really exciting. Some Dartmouth folks were doing a fifty-mile supported hike from Hanover to Moosilauke and we passed a couple of their support stations along the way, one of which was selling lemonade. There were quite a few people at the summit of Moosilauke and I had the feeling that this was going to be normal for the Whites since it is the most highly-traversed section of the AT. We had a good time looking at the big mountains to come but decided it was time to keep hiking after two naked guys posed by the summit sign for a picture. We arrived at the shelter to find Draggin' and his girlfriend, Dead Animal and some section hikers. Method Man, Unknown and Sowega showed up around dusk and let us know that they would be racing us to tomorrow's hut destination. This is exactly what we were trying to avoid by staying an extra day in Glencliff, but what can you do... except get up at 5am to "watch the sunrise." Just kidding, we were planning on doing that anyways.
Date: 2005-08-07
From: Beaver Brook Shelter

To: Lonesome Lake Hut
Miles today: 15.1

8/7Day: 146Start: Beaver Brook ShelterFinish: Lonesome Lake HutMileage: 15.1Weather: beautifulYardsale and I woke up early to watch the sunrise from the shelter and we didn't go back to sleep afterward. Yardsale started out before me (he usually takes less time to get ready in the morning) but I was not too far behind. The descent down the remainder of Moosilauke was steep but beautiful as it followed a stream with lots of waterfalls for quite a while. I eventually caught up to Yardsale but passed him for some reason.   While walking alone, I met Warren Doyle and his wife Terry. It was neat to meet them and we talked about our mutual friend Odyssea.Yardsale and I caught up to Bams and Caroline at Eliza Brook shelter and joked with them about racing to the hut. I didn't like the idea of competing with my friends in this way and I didn't want anyone's feelings to be hurt, especially since there was food involved. But I think everyone was on the same page as far as this is concerned, so I wasn't too worried about anyone getting upset.The trail north of Eliza Brook shelter is absolutely beautiful, running along side Eliza Brook with her spectacularly clear waters and seemingly endless swimming holes. The trail leaves the brook after a while and starts climbing up South Kinsman, which is very steep but fun. The view from South Kinsman is decent (Warren Doyle pointed out a good bit of the northern Long Trail in the distance), but the view of Franconia Ridge from North Kinsman is absolutely fabulous.We arrived at Lonesome Lake Hut and I immediately recognized someone working in the kitchen as an old summer camp friend of mine. I hadn't seen Charles except once in eight years and it was neat to catch up a bit. It turns out that he thru-hiked in 2003 and was taking this job to get back around the trail. Yardsale and I did work for stay that night and got some really good food. I hung out with Charles and the rest of the croo pretty late into the evening and slept lightly throughout the night.
Date: 2005-08-08
From: Lonesome Lake Hut

To: Liberty Spring Tentsite
Miles today: 5.5

8/8Day:147 Start: Lonesome Lake HutFinish: Liberty Spring TentsiteMileage: 5.5Weather: hotI woke up several times during the morning since a crew member was cooking breakfast early. After the guests ate, Yardsale and I swept the floor of the dining room and ate breakfast. I said goodbye to Charles and we started hiking.We walked by a pretty stream just after the hut that had several nice swimming holes. I stopped to swim while Yardsale pushed on (we were to meet his mom today in town), but I soon saw him swimming in a section downstream. The remainder of the trail was easy walking to the road.We got a ride into town pretty easily and met Yardsale's mom shortly thereafter. She took us out to eat a second breakfast and then we went to the outfitter and grocery store in Liberty. Barb dropped us off back at the trail, but it took us forever to find where we had gotten off. We ended up looking at a weekender's map and walking down the highway a bit.The climb out of the notch (that's what they call gaps up here... and streams are called brooks) was really tough and we didn't get up to the tent site until later in the afternoon. We were originally planning on going to Greenleaf Hut for the night, but that would mean that we would have to move pretty fast through Franconia Ridge. Quite a few people consider this ridge to be the prettiest section of the trail, so we didn't want to be rushed when walking through it. We decided to stop there for the night, but found out that Bams and Caroline were already doing work for stay. Not wanting to pay eight dollars to camp, we asked the caretaker about local stealth sites. He told us about one just up the trail and we were off.We stayed that night just a few hundred yards from the top of Mt. Liberty, so we decided to go watch the sunset from the summit. The summit of Mt. Liberty is a good bit higher than any of the mountains to the west and this made for an amazing sunset. It appeared that we were actually looking down on the setting sun and we could see it until it was only the tinniest sliver. This was the best sunset I've ever seen and I thanked God for the beauty of that moment.
Date: 2005-08-09
From: Liberty Springs Tentsite

To: Galehead Hut
Miles today: 10.4
Weather: few clouds

8/9Day: 148 Start: Liberty Springs TentsiteFinish: Galehead HutMileage: 10.4Weather: slightly hazyThe climb up to Little Haystack was pretty steep in the morning and I saw Bam and Caroline resting about halfway up. Some sort of big bird (hawk?) landed on a branch right in front of us and then immediately left before I could even look at it. The views from Franconia Ridge were awesome - Little Haystack, Lincoln, Lafayette and Garfield were all spectacular. There were quite a few people on the ridge today, but none of them were particularly bothersome so I didn't mind the crowds too much. From the first few peaks, I could see some good-looking climbing possibilities on Garfield cliffs and I found out later that it is not a developed climbing area. We could also see from Mt. Garfield the point at which we started hiking that day, the point at which we planned to finish and virtually every point in between. It is certainly rare to be able to have such a perspective. While the view on Mt. Garfield was nice, I was out of water and thirsty. So I hiked on with Bams, Caroline and Yardsale to the tent site. The remainder of the hike to Galehead Hut was below treeline and, thus, not as spectacular, but it was still nice walking. Yardsale and I got to the hut and ordered a "bottomless bowl of soup" which only turned out to be three bowls each. We let Bams and Caroline work for stay since we did it at the last hut and these guys would only take two people. We hung out for a while and Method Man, Unknown and Sowega showed up and I met Out of Step and Captain Caveman. Some of these guys were very upset about the lack of work for stay at the hut, but I don't know what they expected with nine thru-hikers competing for two positions. I was not impressed with the maturity level demonstrated by some of these guys (not all of them), so I went up the trail just a few hundred yards to a campsite where Yardsale and I spent the night. We had each eaten enough leftover raisen cakes from the hut that cooking dinner was not necessary.
Date: 2005-08-10
From: Zealand Falls Hut

To: Galehead Falls Hut
Miles today: 7.0

8/10Day: 149Start: Galehead HutFinish: Zealand Falls HutMileage: 7.0Weather: partly cloudyWe did the biggest climb of the day (South Twin) first thing in the morning and it wasn't very hard. The sky was cloudy this morning and the air was cool which made for nice walking, especially through the relatively flat section between South Twin Mt. and Mt. Guyot. There a bird (I think it was a Grey Jay, but it was pretty big) followed me along the trail for a while by hopping from one branch to another. Several other hikers had this same experience and we talked about it before we made the short climb up Mt. Guyot. More easy walking followed with a great overlook at Zeacliff and a pointless side trail to Zealand; there was just a cleared spot in the woods twenty feet in diameter and a sign that said "Zealand". Maybe an early colony of mountain-dwellers settled there and, when the space became too small, they decided not to cut down more trees (the AMC wouldn't like that) but to sail halfway across the world and establish New Zealand. Sometimes you have to use your imagination concerning these seemingly random and uninteresting areas.I swam in a stream crossing shortly before the hut and, after exploring downstream a bit, I realized that I was really close to the hut since everyone in the world was swimming in the falls downstream. So I pushed on another two hundred yards or so to the hut and went swimming again.Yardsale had already secured our work for stay situation and we went to the work of sifting out completed compost from mulch and then applying that mulch to fresh compost. While this doesn't sound like too much fun, it actually was interesting to learn more about this simple process.After the sifting, I went swimming again and hung out with the new arrivals - Bams, Caroline, Dead Animal, Draggin' and his girlfriend, Pappa Bear and two sobos (Rob and Tess) doing work for stay. There was a lot of leftover food that night so everyone got their fill. Yardsale and I slept on the rocks by the waterfalls which were more like waterslides.
Date: 2005-08-11
From: Zealand Falls Hut

To: Mt. Webster
Miles today: 11.5

8/11Day: 150Start: Zealand Falls HutFinish: Mt. WebsterMileage: 11.5Weather: niceOur sleeping on the falls idea worked for most of the night, but Yardsale and I both woke up at dawn to rain. We moved onto the porch of the hut, but neither of us slept much past that. We hung out at the hut for a while before we started walking.The first several miles of hiking must have followed an old railroad bed (I remember hearing something about this) because the terrain was incredibly flat. We didn't go far though before we stopped at Thereau Falls for a swim. We tried exploring the surrounding cliffs to no avail and then continued hiking. We stopped at Ethan Pond and talked with Slow and Steady (section hikers) for a while before going down to the pond. The wind was blowing hard by the pond, even to the point of white-capped waves. We ate some food there and moved on to Crawford Notch.Yardsale was getting off the trail for a couple of days to go rafting with some friends, but we were a day early to the road crossing. So Yardsale called his parents and I bought some food at the convenience store and ate some ice cream. Yardsale's parents came and they gave me a rideback to the trail.I saw Dark Helmet and Lobster sitting by the bridge at the Saco River and we talked for a while. None of us were interested in going much further that day, so I told them I would look for a campsite as I began walking. I found one pretty quickly but eventually decided to continue up the hill to escape   the bugs. I continued up the mountain until I reached a flat spot on Webster Cliffs. I was able to set up my tarp on the woods and cowboy camp out on the cliff.
Date: 2005-08-12
From: Webster Mt.

To: Lakes of the Clouds Hut
Miles today: 7.9
Weather: broken clouds

8/12Day: 151Start: Webster Mt.Finish: Lakes of the Clouds HutMileage: 7.9Weather: pm showersI woke up to the sound and sensation of gnats flying around my face. So I got moving up the remainder of Mt. Webster and on through the beautiful landscape. Perhaps it was because I was hiking alone or perhaps it was because today marked my fifth month on the AT, but I was pretty reflective while walking this morning and I spent some time recalling all the good times I had experienced over the past five months. I have always felt incredibly blessed to be out here and I had a particularly strong sense of my blessedness in this matter this morning.I arrived at Mispah Springs Hut around lunch and went bouldering with a crew member I had met at Lonesome Lake. The single boulder we went to was of pretty poor quality, but it was just fun to move over rock again despite my current lack of strength in that area. We came back to the hut to find Dark Helmet and Lobster hanging out, and Lobster and I got some soup. This time the bowl was bottomless and I had my fill of soup and brownies. I hiked on with those two for the rest of the day until we reached Lakes of the Clouds Hut at the base of Mt. Washington. The place had plenty of room for work for stay and we joined in with two sobos who were already there. I wasn't ready to be inside yet so I ran up Mt. Monroe in the clouds and incoming rain. That felt great. Before dinner, I talked with Squeam who has found new meaning in life through Jesus Christ only in the past week or so. It was so exciting to share my faith with him and to have him share his with me. I was really encouraged by all the work God has been doing in his life even over the past several months. We talked for a couple hours before, during and after dinner and then I attended a yoga lesson he instructed for guests of the hut. I went to sleep pretty late and it took me a while to fall asleep with the inconsistent wind whipping outside.
Date: 2005-08-13
From: Lakes of the Clouds Hut

To: Madison Springs Hut
Miles today: 7.0
Weather: fog

8/13Day: 152Start: Lakes of the Clouds HutFinish: Madison Springs HutMileage: 7.0Weather: am clouds, pm sunAfter breakfast and a little bit of work, I talked with Squeam some more and waited for the weather to clear. The air was pretty warm but the wind was strong and the fog was heavy. Three Cats, Bootleg, Moterin and Free Heal came into the hut along with two nobos that I hadn't met, Beantown and Knees. None of those guys stayed long and they left before me.I decided that the weather was not going to improve and that I should probably start hiking. I came to like this idea since it involved getting a true Mt. Washington experience with the wind and fog still unquestionably fierce. I liked the idea more and more as I hiked further up the mountain into ever-increasing wind and ever-decreasing visibility. By the time I got to the top of the mountain, the visibility was so low that it was as if the place was an actual rugged mountain rather than the over-developed tourist trap that I'd heard so much about. But a few more steps revealed to me that the rumors were, in fact, true and I entered a monstrosity of a building with hoards of people who seemed to have just arrived directly from Disney World. This was not the most pristine section of the trail.I hung out there for a while and met Dr. Nick and Pac-man, got my picture on the summit (I had to wait in an ill-formed line to do this) and got out of there. Pure insanity. A big group of folks (not including myself) took part in the thru-hiker tradition of mooning the cog railcar as it went down the mountain. I tried to take pictures but didn't get any good ones.I hiked with Pac-man and Dr. Nick for a while until we got to Mt. Adams. I had heard wonderful things about this peak, so I had to check it out. The climb to the top wasn't too bad and it was a nice peak indeed. I read a few psalms from the peak (oftentimes shouting into the wind) and soaked in the view.I arrived at Madison Springs Hut around dinner time and grabbed the last work for stay spot they had available. Two flip-flopers were there along with Colonial Mustard, who I hadn't seen since Hanover. I didn't think I would see this guy again (he was moving fast when I saw him last) and it was good to get to know him better. Col. Mustard was waiting on a couple friends to catch up and had taken a zero day at the hut. I drank too much tea that night and was unable to get to sleep until late. I slept outside under a bright sky of stars, but the sleep was poor.
Date: 2005-08-15
From: Carter Notch Hut

To: Imp Campsite
Miles today: 7.2

8/15Day: 154Start: Carter Notch HutFinish: Imp CampsiteMileage: 7.2Weather: niceBetween the poor sleep I had experienced the night before last and the drudgery of yesterday's hiking, I really enjoyed sleeping in this morning. I heard Knees getting up in the bunk next to me but I was practically unable to move. When I finally did get up, I spent most of the morning drying out my cloths and sleeping bag by the pond while I wrote some letters and caught up on my journal.I started hiking around noon and was greeted with a nice climb out of Carter Notch. About halfway up the climb, I met a fellow Greenville-ian named More Sunshine. Its funny that you can randomly meet people from your home town all the way up here in New Hampshire. I cruised downhill for a while and found myself a bit confused at a trail junction. It seemed to indicate that I wasn't on the AT, but I quickly disregarded the notion after I saw a white blaze. I followed the trail up a steep hill to Carter Dome and, after hanging out on the summit for a while, went down a gradual hill to a familiar trail junction. I had taken another wrong turn, gotten off the AT and then back on the trail going south back to the point at which I'd originally deviated. So I got to hike this section twice after going in a significantly larger circle than I went in yesterday.And I broke a hiking pole while doing it. Fun stuff - I just laughed.I hiked by myself all day today and doing so felt pretty good. I am usually at least bouncing around with people and it was nice to not feel obligated to anyone else for a change. On top of that, the hiking was significantly easier today than it was yesterday and I felt like I was on rails during parts of the day. And the elation was, of course, culminated by the fact that I was hiking through the mountain range that bares my family name; it felt like home.I got to the Imp shelter and talked with the caretaker (Storm) for a while before pushing on another seven tenths of a mile to a stealth campsite where I slept alone.
Date: 2005-08-16
To: Transcriber's update: Vapor in Gorham, NH
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

This is Vapor's transcriber. Vapor is in Gorham, NH today. He is 16.5 miles from the Maine state line, he is 1,877.0 miles from Springer Mountain, and 279.9 miles from Mount Katahdin! He is in very good spirits and he loved the White Mountains.