morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2013-07-17
From: Hexacuba Shelter

To: Hiker Welcome Hostel (Glencliff NH)
Miles today: 14.8

Didn't sleep too well last night because of late arriving hikers. We got up & started hiking @ 6:20. Another hot & humid day. We had two climbs today - Cube Mtn & Mt. Mist. Several minor climbs as well. Sweated profusely all day. Sweat the Deet off & then have to reapply. We hit Hwy 25 jct @ 2:19. We had a 0.5m hike to the Hiker Welcome Hostel. Nice place (except no A/C). Bunkhouse upstairs. Computer. Grill. Covered picnic tables. Outdoor heated showers. Very friendly folks. We had a slackpack arrangement where we could sleep in a bed for 3 nights in a row: slackpack to North Woodstock (~10m), get a room for 2 nights, slack pack 16m, hitch back to N. Woodstock, & shuttle back to the TH to start backpacking. We decided to do this. MN Pete was also at the hostel. He was taking a zero day. He was having a problem of not getting enough calories. He had an ammonia smell to his sweat which was an indicator that his body was burning muscle for fuel. He no longer had enough fat stores to take up the slack. This is something that I need to watch. I don't want this to happen to me.
Date: 2013-07-18
From: Hiker Welcome Hostel (Glencliff NH)

To: N. Woodstock NH
Miles today: 9.3
Weather: few clouds

We started our slackpack @ 6:10. Almost everything was oyt of our backpacks. The hostel shuttled our stuff to our hotel. When we got back to the trail, we had to ford a stream. Fortunately, MN Pete told us about the ford. I brought my Crocs to keep my shoes dry. We had a really big climb into the White Mtns today. We were going from 1055' to 4802' in 5 miles atop Mt. Moosilauke. Boy, we were glad we had light packs. We made it up to the top of the mountain @ 9:40. We took a break there. Awesome views of the surrounding mountains. MN Pete showed up later. So did Chaser & Blue Eyes. We started down. We stopped at the next shelter down the mtn for water & another break. Afterward, we began such a.steep descent that there were warning signs about it. It had rained the previous night so the rocks were wet & slick. We painstakingly picked our way down the trail. There were hand holds to help you down. They also embedded square wooden posts into the rock to make steps in the really bad sections. I was so happy that I made it down without falling. We hitched into town & got our room. After lunch, I got my food drop from the PO while Knightrider walked to a store to buy food. Later, MN Pete showed up. He had been cramping up badly today & decided to stop early & slackpack with us tomorrow.
Date: 2013-07-19
From: N. Woodstock NH

To: Franconia Gap
Miles today: 16.3

Me, Knightrider, & MN Pete did a 16m slackpack today from NH-12 to Franconia Gap. We were expecting a moderate hike. Boy were we wrong. It was tough! Humid. Vertical trail in sections. Poorly marked in sections. Washed out bridge. Deep river crossing there. It was tough. The hike went up & over Kinsman Mtn (N & S). Tough going. And the end of the day, we crossed a stream crossing that was upper-thigh deep on me. Cold & strong current. Brrrrr. We missed the sign to the parking lot side trail. We walked quite a bit further before we realized our mistake & doubled-back. When we finally reached the parking lot, it became a 12-hr day: 6:45 a to 6:45 p. We tried unsuccessfully to hitch into town. We called a shuttle & waited for him to show up. As it was, it was 8:00 before we got back in town. We were exhausted. Long day. Made us very worried about our upcoming section in the White Mtns.
Date: 2013-07-20
From: Franconia Gap

To: Garfield Ridge Shelter
Miles today: 10.3

After eating a good breakfast @ Peg's, we caught the shuttle up to the TH @ Franconia Gap. We had a big climb from 1400 to 5200'. We took it slow. It wasn't too bad. At the top of Mt. LaFayette, we had good visibility. Windy & cool. Took a few pics. On the way down, I fell pretty hard & bent my new hiking pole. I didn't get hurt. I was mad that I bent the pole, though. We hiked until we got to Garfield Ridge Shelter @ 3:20. Shortly after we got there, it started raining. We were glad to be out of the elements.
Date: 2013-07-21
From: Garfield Ridge Shelter

To: Ethan Pond Shelter
Miles today: 14.5
Weather: clear sky

Left Garfield Ridge Shelter @ 6:00. Steep down @ the start. Wet, slippery rocks. We kept going down until we hit Galehead Hut @ 8:05. We managed to score some leftover breakfast for $ 2. We had a big climb up South Twin Mtn after we left the hut. On the backside, we had a steep downhill to Zealand Falls Hut. Nice hut. We got there after lunch. We got some soup & snacks. From there, we had a short climb. Then we had a fairly level trail until we reached Ethan Pond Shelter.
Date: 2013-07-22
From: Ethan Pond Shelter

To: Lake of the Clouds Hut
Miles today: 14.1
Weather: light rain

We left Ethan Pond @ 5:56. We descended to Hwy 302. Then, we started to climb 2700'. On the way up, we met Patriot. He's about our age & a local NH guy. We hiked with him foe the remainder of the day. We really hit it off with him. Several of the sections of trail required scrambling. Very vertical. We hit Mizpah Springs Hut @ 12:30. We scored some soup & snacks. After our break, we continued on toward Lake of the Clouds Hut. The views were nice at first. Then it clouded up. We checked to see if they had any bunks left. They did. All of us got bunks for the night. We had a nice evening meal. Really hit the spot. Three other hikers - Blue Eyes, Chaser, & Prometheus - were doing a work for stay. Later that evening, all of us thru-hikers did a talk & Q&A about our experiences on the AT. It was fun.
Date: 2013-07-23
From: Lake of the Clouds Hut

To: Madison Springs Hut
Miles today: 7.0

Woke up to rain @ Lake of the Clouds Hut. There was potential for some really bad weather as we climbed up to Mt. Washington. I was really nervous about today's walk. We managed to make it up to Mt. Washington w/o much problem. It was awful weather, tho. Windy, rainy, and little visibility. Once we got to the top, we took obligatory photos at the summit sign. We then went inside the visitor center & got some snacks. With the bad weather forecasted, we realized that we probably wouldn't make it to our planned destination of Pinkham Notch (14 miles). Our options were either Madison Spring Hut (7M) or a campsite 3 miles further. Awful conditions all around. Really had to pay attention to foot placement on the hike. Very slippery. The trail wasn't really well marked for the most part. Fortunately, we didn't make any wrong turns. When we reached Madison Springs Hut, we had decided we were going to stay there if we could. The work-for-stay slots were already taken by Prometheus & Blue Eyes. There was one bunk slot currently available. Prometheus & Blue Eyes relinquished their slots to us as Chaser (the 3rd member of their crew) wanted to move on to the next camp. So, we grabbed the spots & I paid for the bunk. We were so happy to be out of the elements. Later, another thru-hiker showed up and the crew @ the Hut allowed him to work for stay as well. Originally, there were only 2 slots allowed. He made it three.
Date: 2013-07-24
From: Madison Springs Hut

To: Pinkham Notch (Gorham NH; The Barn)
Miles today: 7.8
Weather: light rain

Woke up @ Madison Springs Hut to rain. It later quit. We had breakfast. Afterward, we had to wash dishes & sweep floors of the hut. When we finished, we started hiking @ 8:45. Naturally, it started raining as we climbed Mt. Madison. The wind picked up as well. We had to pick our way through the boulder fields. Once we crested the top, we stayed high for a long time. The wind was pretty strong at times. It would blow my hiking poles away from my intended placement spot. Very unnerving @ times. It was very slow going for the 3 of us (Patriot was still with us). After what seemed like forever, we made down to the tree line. We had a 2800' decline from Mt. Madison to the next campsite, Osgood. It was only 3.1m from the hut. It took us over 3 hrs to get there. We were so glad we didn't have to push on to this shelter yesterday. We would have been completely exhausted. From this point until we reached the junction of the Mt. Washington auto road, there no white blazes to mark the trail. You had to pay attention to the junction signs & our guidebook to be sure we were on the right trail. Several times, I had to pull out my map of the Whites to double-check. Glad I bought it in W. Lebanon. After reaching the auto road, we had no problems w/ navigation down to Pinkham Notch. We got down there @ 3:10. Patriot's neighbor had driven up to pick him up. He was going off trail for 11 days to go on a family vacation. They gave me & Knightrider a ride into Gorham (10m). They dropped us off @ The Barn Hostel. After cleaning up, we ate a late lunch Subway. Later that evening, we.walked what seemed like a long way to a Chinese buffet. We pigged out there. When we got our fortune cookie, mine read - "You will be spending time outdoors, in the mountains, near water." I almost spit out my fortune cookie laughing. Naturally, I saved it. I just hope I don't lose it before I finish the trail.
Date: 2013-07-25
From: Pinkham Notch (Gorham NH; The Barn)

To: Imp Shelter
Miles today: 13.1
Weather: overcast clouds

We got up early & ate our breakfast @ The Barn Hostel. We walked to the corner (Hwy 16/2 intersection) & started our hitch @ 6:00. It was 10m to the trail head. We caught a ride halfway there w/ a guy going to the campground. It didn't take us too much longer yo catch a ride the rest of the way. We started hiking @ 6:45. We had some steep climbs today up the Wildcat Mtns. The peaks were named 'Wildcat E' thru 'A' going north. 'D' (2nd one) was at the top of a ski lift (open & running). We had a nice view of Mt. Washington. I had Knightrider take a picture of me w/ the Mtn as the background. We were so glad that we had good weather today. We continued our ups & downs of the lettered peaks. Slow going. We had a steep decline to Carter Notch Hut. We stopped in there for a snack & water. Then, we had a steep climb up Carter Dome. The trail wasn't blazed very well. At one point, we were off the trail & didn't know it. We got to the jct where the AT rejoined & we met a section hiker going north. He told us of our mistake. I looked at the map & realized that we had missed the steep climb & descent of Mt. Hight. Our route was easier & shorter. We were not about to go back & walk the missed section. If the trail had been marked better, we would have followed the trail. Oh well. I guess I'm not a 'Purest.' We had a long descent down to Imp Shelter. We got to the jct @ 6:26. We were really tired on this slow, 13m hike. The shelter was almost completely full. A large group of section hikers (late teens) filled up most of it. A few Northbounders & Southbounders filled the rest. One SoBo was an injured Vet (missing an arm & having an injured leg) who was slackpacking northbound. His friend had been waiting at the shelter for him since 1pm. When 8:30 pm rolled around, the friend & the caretaker hiked out to find him. It was after 11pm when they returned w/ him. I was asleep & didn't wake up when they returned. Another SoBo hiker was an Asian girl by the name of 'Ninja.' We told her of all the "don't miss" locations going south. She wrote them down. She was quite appreciative of the info.
Date: 2013-07-26
From: Imp Shelter

To: White Mountains Lodge & Hostel (Gorham)
Miles today: 8.1
Weather: light rain

We got up & got ready to hike. We had a short hike today to the White Mountain Hostel. We didn't leave until 6:25. Late for us. We had a minor climb @ first & then a significant down. I fell once. But, I fall often. Wet rocks & roots get me often. I never go through a week without falling. Some days, I fall multiple times. I'm gun-shy about getting hurt & ending my hike. So, I'm super cautious on the tricky stuff. I hike slow there. After the descent, we had a big climb up Mt. Moriah. From there, we had a long descent (3991 to 780) down to the road. It was very steep at the beginning. It eased up as we neared Rattle River Shelter. We stopped there for a break @ 11:30 & spoke w/ some SoBos who hadn't left camp yet. Then, we continued our hike. The trail was really easy the last 2 miles. We hit the road (US-2) @ 11:57. We had a short road walk to the hostel. The owner wasn't there at the time. She was shuttling hikers into town. We waited for her to return. While doing this, we saw Blue Eyes, Chaser, & Prometheus turn the street corner & hike north. I called out to them & went to thank them again for letting us take their work for stay slots @ Madison Springs Hut. I told them that I'd buy them a pizza the next town we were in together. The owner returned. We got our beds (1 room w/ 2 beds) & took a shower. We were shuttled into town to a restaurant. We ate & called her back when we were finished. We saw Shadow in town. We told him where we were staying & how nice it was ($ 33/night w/ free shuttles & full breakfast). He would later call me & ask if there was room there. They went & picked him up in town. Later, the place really filled up. MN Pete showed up as well. He was still having problems keeping his energy level & calories up. He zeroed in N. Woodstock and Glencliff prior where he ate massive quantities of food. He had began to burn muscle as he no longer had any excess body fat. Around 6, they provided a shuttle to Walmart. We all piled into the van. More people than seatbelts. They dropped MN Pete & another guy off @ McDonalds. The rest of us went to Walmart, got food, & returned to McDonalda where we got food to go. MN Pete said that he really loaded up on food. Multiple sandwiches. His bill topped $ 26. THAT'S A LOT OF FOOD! We returned to the hostel & called it a night. Next stop, Maine. We got 298.2 miles left to go. Really excited about that. Ready for this 'fun' to be over with.
Date: 2013-07-27
From: White Mountains Lodge & Hostel (Gorham)

To: White Mountains Lodge & Hostel (Gorham)
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Zero day @ White Mtns Hostel. Rest & calories. This is a nice place here. They do your laundry, cook a nice breakfast, provide shuttles into town, & treat you like family. On Tue, Jerry sells the place to new owners. Unsure what will change afterward.
Date: 2013-07-28
From: White Mountains Lodge & Hostel (Gorham)

To: Gentian Pond Shelter
Miles today: 11.7
Weather: light rain

We had a nice breakfast @ the hostel. Jerry, the owner, took our pictures in front of her sign. So me, Knightrider, & MN Pete took off. We had a big climb up Mt. Hayes. Soon, other hikers from the hostel caught up w/ us. They stayed with us for a while. Then, they blew by us & we didn't see them for the rest of the day. We hit Trident Col campsite around noon. We kept going until we ended up @ Gentian Pond Shelter @ 3:03. Our water source was the pond. Never the best. I prefer a clear spring fed stream. But, it was wet. Later, Phantom showed up @ the shelter. He's from England. He lost his debit card & he couldn't get his credit card to work. I loaned him $ 20 in Gorham so he could eat something. He said he got his credit card unfrozen & was able to get a cash advance on. He repaid me & thanked me profusely for loaning him the $ 20. Made me feel good. All told, it had a rather short day for us : 11.7. We planned to take two easy days (11.7 & 9.6) before we hit the toughest section of the AT - Mahoosuc Notch & the Mahoosuc Arm.
Date: 2013-07-29
From: Gentian Pond Shelter

To: Full Goose Shelter
Miles today: 9.6

We had a short day planned for today - 9.6M. We left the shelter @ 6:33. It had rained the previous night. We had some wet, steep ups & downs in the early going. We then had a steep climb up Mt. Success. Afterward, we had a descent until we hit the sign of the NH/ME border. We stopped to have a break there. Shadow was there with us. We took some pics of the sign. I also made a quick video of the event. Very significant. Entering the last state. Wow! After we left here, we had steep ups & downs for the rest of the day. At one point, I came upon a tree leaning across the tree. I grabbed the tree & was going to use it to go underneath it facing up. I'd done this move countless times before. This time, the tree moved. Managed to get out from underneath the tree as it fell to the ground. My pole wasn't so lucky. It snapped it. When we got to another summit, I was able to call Black Diamond & order the middle section to my pole. I didn't realize that the bottom section was also bent. Several times today, we had ladders and metal rungs in the rock to assist us. Very vertical. I had to hike w/ only one pole. I was very gun-shy about falling. Really wished I had two poles. I hit Full Goose Shelter @ 3:08. I was happy to be down for the day.
Date: 2013-07-30
From: Full Goose Shelter

To: Baldpate Shelter
Miles today: 12.0
Weather: scattered clouds

We got up & started hiking @ 6:17. The weather was clear. We had a steep up then down for 1.5m before we hit the Mahoosuc Notch. Once we hit the Notch, we had to scramble over, around, & under huge boulders. It was slow going. Knightrider's shoes had better traction than mine. He went first. He would help from time to time. Twice, we had to take off our packs to squeeze through the tight spaces. There was still snow & ice in some of the crevasses. Finally, we finished this section. We had a short easy section before we got to the Arm. This was a really steep up. The Notch was primarily down. The Arm terrified the southbounders. It was hard & steep for us. When we crested the top, we dropped down to Speck Pond Shelter. We went 5.1m in 6 hrs. We rested & ate some food. We then pushed on. We had a big climb & descent up Old Speck Mt. We then dropped down to the road @ Grafton Notch. We got some trail magic there from a speedy northbounder's parents. Cold soda & water. Hit the spot. Then, we had a slow & steady climb up to our shelter, Baldpate. We hit the shelter @ 6:18. I was spent. We did 12m in 12 hrs.
Date: 2013-07-31
From: Baldpate Shelter

To: Hall Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 14.0

We left the shelter @ 6:18. We had a steep climb up the East & West peaks of Baldpate Mtns. At the top, I had a signal so I called Nancy @ home. Sent a few texts as well. We had a downward drop (with a few ups for good measure) down to Dunn Notch. We rested there before we crossed E. B Hill Rd (1st road into Andover). We had a steady climb up to the shelter. Shadow & Knightrider got there a long time before I did. I hit the shelter @ 4:06. I was beat. I was thankful that we had another day without rain. Not even @ night.
Date: 2013-08-01
From: Hall Mountain Shelter

To: Andover ME (Pine Ellis Hostel)
Miles today: 4.1

We had a short day planned - 4m. We started hiking around 6:28. We had an 1800' drop to start, a 1400' climb, & then 1000' drop to the road. Easy 4m. Right. I was breathing like a freight train going uphill. Wishing I had both trekking poles going downhill. But, we got there @ 9:45. We called the Pine Ellis Hostel. They went a shuttle out to pick us up. Once in town, we ate a big breakfast. We then showered & did our laundry. I was fortunate that all of my planned packages showed up here - new shoes, 2 hiking pole sections, & my food drop. I was really worried about my shoes. I had to use duct tape the last 2 days to keep the right shoe together. After eating supper @ the market, 2-Speed, Mack, & Baker showed up. Hadn't seen them in what seemed like forever. They came into town on the first road. So, they're a day behind us. The way they're moving, they will catch us soon. It was good to see them. Old friends.
Date: 2013-08-02
From: Andover ME (Pine Ellis Hostel)

To: Bemis Stream Campsite
Miles today: 11.2

It rained the night before. Nice to be out of the weather in a hostel. The forecast for today was 70% chance of thunderstorms. Yikes! Me & Knightrider walked over to the local store/diner and ate breakfast. Wasn't raining during our walk there & back. We got an early shuttle to the TH. Got there and started hiking @ 7:13. It started raining as we were putting on our packs. It would rain for quite some time this morning. We began a big climb up Blue Mtn. There was a wooden sign that someone had put up a sign renaming it to 'Ol Bitch.' Appropriately named, I might add. At the top of the mtn, I had a cell signal so I called Nancy. While talking to me, she said that I should be careful and not fall. Knightrider had already fallen several times but I hadn't. That turned out to be the kiss of death for me. I fell and kept falling for the rest of the day. Just prior to reaching a shelter to beat out another round of rain, I fell hard. I was standing completely still. Wasn't moving or walking. I was talking to Knightrider behind me. I was on a sloped rock slab. I wasn't moving a muscle when all of the sudden my feet went out from underneath me. My right pole caught & snapped the lower portion of the pole. This section had been replaced in Andover and had only been in my pole for a few hours. Really pissed me off about this. I got up and noticed that I was bleeding on the side of my knee (again). We slowly got off the slab and made our way to the shelter. It was raining lightly when we got there. There were some south bounders inside the shelter taking a zero. Once we were in the shelter, it started raining cats & dogs. Lightning & thunder. Nasty weather. Glad we weren't in it (for once). We waited and mulled our options. If the bad weather continued, we'd stay there and really have to push really hard the next day to make up to the lost time/distance. If it didn't, we'd move on. Fortunately, the bad weather stopped and it turned clear. We were able to keep on hiking. The rocky trail was still slippery that owl snot. We both fell many times during the course of the day. At one point, Knightrider fell really hard on his right hip onto a pointed rock. I was afraid that he might had broken something. Fortunately, it wasn't. Just left a nasty bruise. Knightrider managed to get some cell service (I couldn't) & I called Black Diamond and ordered another pole section for the next resupply location. We made it to the campsite next to Bemis Stream. We set up our tents. We were both drained from our efforts on the slippery rock. We only hoped that tomorrow would be better. Today sucked!