morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2015-08-11
From: Manchester Center

To: Manchester Center
Miles today: 0.0

We All woke up to a grey drizzly sky. The forcast called for 100% chance of rain all day and the phone at the B&B was ringing off the hook with hikers calling to get out of the rain. Everyone here opted to stay another night so the place was full.Frank, the owner, was so kind and drove me back and forth to the doctor. What a nice man! I spent the rest of the day walking all over town- resupply- laundry- library to catch up on journals. The town is spread out so I walked a lot. There was an interesting mix of hikers and well dressed good smelling people milling around town. I was surprised this place was so busy on such a rainy day.Katwalk has decided to come up to Maine and hike the end of the trail with us. I am very excited about that- I hope her foot has recovered so that she does not have to hike with pain. As my feet recover more every day, until now I am quite unaware of them, I realize how intricately pain and morale are entwined. Back at the B&B, we enjoyed conversation with Slider, a NOBO AT hiker, and Tank, a Long Trail hiker. Hikers are so wonderful. It is like Forrest Gumps box of chocolates. Never know who you will meet. College students, doctors, drifters, military, business owners. Such an interesting and diverse mix of people, and each person has something new to add to the overall experience.Well- I really don't like unplanned zeros at this point, but it is way better than hiking in a cold monsoon. We are back on the trail tomorrow, rain or shine, and this day of rain will no doubt create a huge bubble of hikers heading out from here.
Date: 2015-08-14
From: Minerva Hinchey Shelter

To: Rutland
Miles today: 4.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Today was a planned nero day-and one that we considered cancelling because of our unplanned zero in Manchester Center. But- The Tampa Bay Times is doing a story about my fundraiser and I need a computer to send in info about the hike. Some jobs are too big for my phone. C.Shell's new shoes are taking a little breaking in so they decided to join me. We hiked out a little later than usual in the morning.Tedzilla was hiking up and over Killington, so we will see him Saturday or Sunday. On the hike this morning, we went over a beautiful suspension bridge over Clarendon Gorge. There were big deep swimming holes...tempting. We hiked to the road and walked half a mile to a restaurant where a bus supposedly came 4 times a day to take folks to Rutland. Pockets and Tonreg were already there, Whistle Stop Restaurant is the name of the place, and together we decided to share a taxi to town. The bus only came twice a day.While we were waiting, we ordered coffee and the server brought us out the most delicious little muffin cakes-as a treat! We were so surprised and they were delicious!In town, we resupplied, I did my work, and we went to the Ponderosa for dinner. A few hours later, C.Shell and I were in gastro-distress and our bodies rejected every bit of our dinners- and then some. . She was sick and so was I-miserable! We ate different meals, but we had lots of the same lettuce on the salad bar. Think that might be the culprit. Woke up today feeling a little better but still shaky! We will hike up Killington Mountain today, and pass the 500 miles to go marker. We hope to make it to the Inn at Long Trail-but we hear that hike is tough today.
Date: 2015-08-16
From: churchill Scott shelter

To: Stoney Brook Creek
Miles today: 14.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Woke up at 6am and was hiking by 6:15. I looked at my phone at 6 and saw a message that Tedzilla, D.No and C.Shell were all at the inn at the Longtrail. Damn! For. Second I was so mad at myself! I could have hiked on and made it by 8 last night. But- I stopped myself from beating myself up. I was cold and shivering when I got to the shelter last night and made the right decision- after making the wrong decision not to seek shelter earlier. The restaurant at the Inn served breakfast until 9:30 and I had about 3.5 miles to the side trail to the inn so I HUSTLED! I made it just in time and enjoyed a breakfast that was so big I couldn't finish it. I picked up my box with my winter stuff that my husband hd sent here and judged the weight of it in my hands. Will I do this for the rest of my life, weigh things like that? Thank you Mark- my knight in shining armor- for taking such good care of me. I felt like a pampered princess when I saw the emergency foil blanket.I also got a little box from Melanie at Chesapeake Ceramics. They are my supplier for my art studio and also amazing supporters of my fundraiser. She sent me three ceramic ornaments to paint, and some candy. Her note made me choke up a little- the support is so powerful and encouraging. Everybody wanted to stay at the Inn and other night- it is really an incredible place and pretty inexpensive- but we have to hike. We had the idea of slack packing and got picked up and dropped 11 miles north. That would give me 14 for the day including the morning hike.I got to ride in the front of the truck because I had a rough night- decision made by the gang- and they all rode in the back of the truck.We got dropped off at Stoney Brook Road, up a gravel road that looked like the surface of Mars, and hiked south. First people we saw were Pockets and Tonreg- they were heading to town for a night off the trail. We saw lots of hikers we knew, and I bumped into Big Iron from the night before. He told me I left my headlamp in the shelter. He thought he would never see me again so he left it. Damn! Guess I'll be hitting up Amazon later.We came to a gorgeous waterfall and Tedzilla went swimming. It was too cold for the rest of us! The hike was beautiful but pretty hard for the first part of the day. Very steep up- roller coaster for a while- then long down. We were rewarded with creeks and lakes and apples trees with sweet crunchy juicy apples.I got a little lost at Gifford State Park- lost the white blazes. I walked back and forth on the park road looking, and suddenly Big Iron pills up in his van. He hd driven to the park for a shower. Want a ride to the Inn? he said. Yes! I hopped in and beat the gang back. I was in the Irish pub drinking a beer when they got there. They accused me of being a yellow blazer and tried to shame me about the 1.2 I skipped. I tried my best to feel guilty. I teased Big Iron about his 4 foot shimmy in the shelter last night and he told me I snore. I ate a burger and then went to bed . Out before 9 I think.
Date: 2015-08-18
From: creek and stealthsite

To: Norwich
Miles today: 19.1
Weather: moderate rain

I hiked 19.1 miles today. I hiked most of it alone- but the last 5 miles with Tedzilla. It was hot and the climbs are getting tougher. All day long I was treated to blackberries and now I have a bit of a tummy ache. I wanted to make it to Norwich to pick up the tent poles Big Agnes is sending me, but I got in too late. I left Tedzilla at the Happy Hill Shelter and I hiked in to Norwich.. By the way- that hill was not all that happy. Or at least we weren't after we climbed it!Last time I saw D.No and c.Shell was right after the road to Cloudlands Market- which,sadly, was closed today. I think they probably camped about 5 miles behind me- that was the last plan I heard.Inventory: feet are doing fantastic. I hiked all day- which included over a mile of road walking- and they are fine. Ears are still ringing very loud. It is making me go insane I think.The skin has come off of my shoulders and collar bones, my lower back and my shoulder blades. Pretty much anywhere my pack touches me. Whether this is from the metal frame in my pack conducting electricity with that lightning or from my pack rubbing in the rain and sweat, I don't know. It is very odd. I have it covered with bandages to keep it from bleeding. Other than that- I am feeling strong and ready for New Hampshire!I am staying at a hotel tonight where there are lots of hikers. I saw Recalc and Tiger Mike, Scientist, and the back of Soda as he went for a Soda. Tomorrow I take the bus back to Norwich, a couple of miles away, get my package and then hike back so I can officially cross in to New Hampshire. Where I am now. It's really happening!!!
Date: 2015-08-19
From: Norwich

To: stealth camp north of Velvet Rocks Shelter
Miles today: 5.0
Weather: light rain

Woke up today feeling a little better. My burns seem to have peaked and are not as raw today. I feel so grateful, now that the physical injuries from the lightning are manifesting themselves in such undeniable ways- I was so close. Someone is either looking out for me or messing with me- not sure which!I saw Tiger Mike, Recalc, scientist, Soda, and Slider at breakfast today. They all hiked out early. I caught a bus back to Norwich to pick up my package from the post office. The bus looped all over the freakin place before delivering me, 45 minutes later, at the post office. We drove through Dartmouh College and I could see parents helping their kids unpack the car, moving them In to the dorms I got a little lump in my throat- we brought our daughter to FSU and dropped her off on her 18th birthday last year. Now she is heading off alone, without my help, to move Into an apartment this year. I am sad to be missing that.I hiked back to Hanover after I got my package so I could officially cross the River and the state line marker. I was on the wrong side of the bridge. Why do they only have the market on one side? I was sad- but I ddnt tempt the fates and jump the guardrail for a photo opp. I ended up with some pretty bad selfies. I need a makeover-seriously!When I got back to town, I saw D.No, C.Shell, Tedzilla, Toes, Lady Slipper and Highway. We all shot the breeze and and ate the free donut from Lou's. I didn't- oddly I don't like donuts. Except hot Krispy Kremes. I went down to the outfitter and got a new headlamp. I ate a cheeseburger, then walked to the pizza place and ordered a pizza to pack out. We resupplied at the co-op, the gang did laundry and took showers at the senior center, and we finally hit the dirt at 4:30. It was brutally hot today- too hot to hike. We made it a couple of miles out of town then found a spot to lay out they tyveck. We sat there for a few hours, in a breeze, on a hill. Then we pitched our tents and now are in them- still hot. We have about 14 days of intense climbing ahead of us. Tomorrow will be tough but Mt. Mooselauke is the next day. The southbounders have done their jobs and made us nervous!A guy who is following my journal is going to send me a beer can stove. I'm excited about that! I miss hot food but not enough to carry my stove, which is on the heavy side as stoves go. It is so nice that someone would go to that trouble. I'm looking forward to trying it out.
Date: 2015-08-24
From: Lincoln, NH

To: lincoln NH
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: few clouds

Zero! Resupply, wash clothes and backpack, air out the sleeping bags, Febreeze everything. Idea for world peace: place a hikers stinking backpack in the office of each foreign head of state we don't get along with, as well as in the Oval Office. Backpack cannot be removed until a peace plan is inked and double cheek kisses seal the deaI. think we would have world peace in 2 days, tops.
Date: 2015-08-25
From: lincoln NH

To: stealth spot near Lonesome Lake
Miles today: 13.0
Weather: clear sky

Rain rain rain!!! Yuck! We shuttled back to the trail head and huddled in the bathroom. C. Shell was sick and had pain in her kidney area. She and D.No decided to stay back so they could visit a Dr. Ted and I made the ridiculous choice to hike in this mess.Waiting to hear from D.No and C.Shell to see what ails her. Weather should be better tomorrow. I'm very grumpy.
Date: 2015-08-27
From: stealth spot near Garfield Pond

To: Galehead Hut
Miles today: 5.9
Weather: scattered clouds

Another cold morning! I stayed in my bag until 6:45. Without D.No and C.Shell to compete with to be first one on the trail, I lacked the motivation to torture myself. I ate frosted flakes for breakfast, and seriously, that cereal could cheer Oscar the Grouch up. It is just so delicious. The first climb was Garfield Mountain. It looked like a sharp up and down in the book, and indeed- it was steep. Big rocky climb, rocks still damp but not slippery. My boots gripped the rocks and I felt pretty confident. The downhill was more challenging and I sat down a lot and do the butt scoot. These rocks are not for short people! I was thinking that exact thing when a dad and two sons skipped past me, those little boys apparently unaware of Mother Nature's bias against short people.I thought I would reach the Galehead Hut in the morning, it was only about 6 miles ahead. Noon came and went. I picked my way along the rocky trail slowly. Man, the hundreds of people who have told me how slow and hard the Whites are turned out to be.....absolutely right! Go figure.On the final mile into the hut, a fine rain started to fall. It was getting colder too- by the minute. When I reached the hut, the entire front porch was filled with hikers. The rain was falling a little harder.I went in and discovered that there was no soup left. One of the "croo", as they call the hut workers, offered me some sun dried tomato spread and gave me some delicious homemade bread. I ate that and drank coffee and hung out. The dining room filled with more thru hikers than I have seen in one place since the pancake breakfast in Franklin NC. The rain was really coming down now- and we were all waiting it out. Tedzilla hiked in and then out as soon as the rain stopped and I decided to go for a work for stay. I had to wait until 4 and a few other hikers were waiting too. Anxiety built up as it came closer to the work for stay selection time. I got up and waited at the counter at about quarter till 4, and other hikers did the same. The food smells coming from the kitchen were intoxicating. Kate, the lovely woman who gave me the bread, told me I was in. I did a fist pump, Tiger Woods style, and was immediately put to work washing dishes. The sky had cleared up for a bit, but it was drizzling again and I was so grateful to be warm and dry. Washing dishes was unexpectedly such a pleasant experience. I have not washed a dish for 5 months and it made me feel useful and a little homesick.An enchilada dinner will be fed to us after everyone else eats, and I'll get breakfast in the morning. D.No and C.Shell are getting back on tomorrow at Crawford Notch. I will have to hike hard to catch up to them, but Tedzilla should be in that area when they get there.Only 6 miles today, but I'll stay dry and warm. Yay!
Date: 2015-08-29
From: Crawford Notch

To: stealth site near Mt Franklin
Miles today: 10.0
Weather: broken clouds

High Mileage and I got up and ate a great breakfast that was gifted to us by Nancy. He was waiting for a shuttle to Gorham for gear repair and I was waiting for D.No and C.Shell to arrive. I hitched out to Crawford Notch and read a book by the trailhead while I waited. When they finally arrived I literally jumped up and down, clapping my hands! I can't believe they are back to hike! Kidney stones won't knock C.Shell off the trail!We headed out and the climb was tough. Rocky and craggy, Webster Cliffs are tough and rugged. We talked when we had nice graded path and we just worked on hiking when we hd to exert energy in climbing or descending. The views were great, but it was hard.Eventually we made it to Mitzpah Hut, the first one my hiking partners had seen since they were sidelined for the first few. We went in and enjoyed soup and lemonade. It was 4 pm and they had openings for work for stay, but we decided to hike on. Outside, there were many hikers sitting around; cooking, chatting, planning. D.No said "look behind you-slowly- don't make it obvious you are looking. That woman has the hairiest legs I have ever seen on a woman" I slowly turned and nonchalantly glanced at the woman, and indeed, she had the hairiest legs I had ever seen on a woman, only slightly hairier than mine. I'll catch her soon- I stopped shaving my legs a couple of months ago and I am starting to look like the bride of Chewbaca. I can almost braid my armpit hair. Everyone was in good spirits and the hiking was easier for a while. Soon after hiking out from the hut, we started hitting the rocks that are all ove the presidential range. We went above tree line, vegetation was low and patchy. This terrain continued and we realized that rock picking would be our life for the next day or two. Big jumbles of rocks of all sizes. Big Views. We started looking for stealth sites. We found a really sweet one, but smack in the middle of it was a cowboy camping southbounder, she was fast asleep at 5 in the afternoon. After our hike the next day, we would understand this a little better.The winds started picking up and sunset was approaching. C.Shell followed a little path that led to a thicket with two perfect tent sites, protected from the winds. We pitched our tents and felt lucky to have found this. None of us wanted to stay at Lake of the Clouds Hut because we knew it would be crowded. Then my tent pole snapped off the hub. It was a used set of poles Big Agnes has sent me when my poles started splitting. They are repairing my original poles. When the spoke snapped of the hub, the pole sprang up and went through the screen on my rain fly. Great- broken tent in the whites! We Macguyvered it with a thin tent stake and it stood wonky but kept me safe. I slept well in our little stealth cocoon, but I could hear the winds blowing and see the clouds literally racing across the sky. Goodnight Moon.
Date: 2015-08-31
From: camped on an unknown trail

To: Gorham
Miles today: 0.0

We all slept surprisingly well and woke up late- after 7am! We never sleep that late! The tent smelled like feet- 3 sets of very stinky feet. We got out, and talked about what to do as we ate. We were on the Valley trail, about 2.5 miles down form the hut and 2 from the road that would take us to Gorham. If we continued down, we would be missing 7.8 miles of the presidentials. But we went back to the AT. we would have that really steep hike back up in addition to the 7.8. If we went down, we would have hiked nearly 5 miles on an even more difficult path. We decided to go to town. Frankly, it wasn't that big of a dilemma. We have been spanked.We started out, passed a few hikers going up. "Hey- tell that guy at the hut that you saw 3 old people splattered on the rocks!" I said to someone. D.No liked that. C. Shell kept me and Doug in check, we tend towards idiocy sometimes. We passed a couple of women going up, one of them had a daughter that thru hiked in 4 months this year! Wow! They told us there was indeed a campsite up the trail, with tenting platforms. We never saw it.We got the parking lot and hitched into town. Got a ride with a guy and his daughter out geocaching. We booked a room at the Royalty but they wouldn't let us check in for a while yet. We went to McDonalds and Tedzilla came walking in! He is taking a week off to go to a friends camp in Maine and will try (and surley succeed) to catch us in Southern Maine. One of my friends and colleagues- Laurel- drove out to visit us from her weekend lakehouse an hour and a half away. While we hung out waiting for the room, she went in. She asked if they really didn't have anything available now, we had been waiting for a few hours, and we were hiking. Suddenly, a room was available. When I thanked again her later in a text, she said- it was nothing! Just a little Boston charm! She treated me to lunch. In the restaurant, I saw Young Guns and a few other hikers I knew. They told me they had also been sent away from Madison Hut the same night we were, but they were there a little earlier. They were told that they were young and strong and could hike ahead. The winds on Madison picked up to 80 MPH while they were crossing it and they said it took them almost 4 hours to reach the campsite 3 miles ahead on the AT. They didn't want to go down the side trail the guy told them to.We hung out with Laurel until about 4. It was so amazing that she drove to see me, and it really made me feel great. Pottery Painting studio owners are THE BEST!!!Go paint some pottery!We have to record a zero today even though we hiked a little. Next up: THE WILDCATS!!!I have to get a package from Pinkham Notch and mail some of the stuff in it forward. Also, Steve K, a guy following my trail journal, has sent a beer can alcohol stove there. I am looking forward to a lightweight cooking option. This trail journals community is incredible!
Date: 2015-09-03
From: stealth site on the ascent of Mt Hayes

To: Carlos Col Campsite
Miles today: 14.4
Weather: few clouds

Woke up and it was COLD! My wonky tent, set up with the broken poles, held up for one more night. Only need two nights more to make it to the tent poles Big Agnes is sending to Cheri, our trail angel up ahead. I wanted to fire up the stove and eat my oatmeal, but my confidence was low with the stove after the near forest fire of the night before, so I ate some cold cereal fronted to me by my awesome hiking partners.We got out of camp early with layers on. As usual, 10 minutes into the climb, we started peeling those layers off. Our morning started with a climb right out of the gate, up Mt Hayes. It was a pretty day, the air was crispy, and the climb not too bad. Lots of rock, lots of granite slabs. The view was pretty, but we didn't stay long to admire it.I popped in an audible book- the true story of Nancy Wake. She was a resistance fighter in WW2, and it was a pretty riveting story. It has been the first book on the whole trail where the author's use of the world palpable didn't annoy me and jerk me out of the story. Kind of like Meryl Streep's accent in Out Of Africa. Why do authors love that word so much? It is such a cloddy word. And I know cloddy isn't a word. I just made that word up.We had a nice hike today. Nothing near as intense as most of the whites, and we passed a couple of ponds/lakes. pretty terrain, still very rocky.After lunch, the sky started getting dark and I could hear the rumbling of thunder. My anxiety started to build-against my will- because I don't want to be freaked out every time a storm blows in. Still, I wanted to find shelter when the rain started and the cracks of thunder were closer. We just hiked into the woods a bit, sat on a downed tree, and put our tyveck over our heads, I read for a while, trying not to think about it, and eventually the weather cleared up. I have vowed that I will not hike through lightning storms anymore. I want to make it home.It was very apropos that the mountain we summited just before crossing the border into Maine was called Mt. Success. When we reached the sign, we brought it in for a group hug. We made it to Maine! We celebrated for a minute and snapped some pics, then we moved on. I do actually feel a huge sense of accomplishment. I still can't say I"M GOING TO MAKE IT! Because I feel like a toddler swinging from one emotion to the next in a volotile and unpredictable way-one day happy-one day bummed, or even moment to moment. But I feel great to be in Maine! I would say for the most part I have been happy on this trail- but the Whites kicked my butt!We made it to the shelter and snagged some tent platforms. I fired up my little nearly weightless beer can stove and made a Katwalk. I burned nothing down. The nice bearded boys next to me gave me a thin tent stake so I could McGuyver my tent. I had left my other one at the stealth site this morning.A good day on the AT!