morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2013-07-25
From: Stealth Camp near Mount Hayes

To: The Barn Hostel in Gorham
Miles today: 5.5

Day 19, July 25th. Stealth camp near Mount Hayes to The Barn Hostel in Gorham. 5.5 miles.It turned out to be a chilly night, but the morning hike into Gorham was easy. Thank you New Hampshire for routing the trail in an intelligent manner. Maine, take note.After a hitch into town we went straight to McDonalds where we both put down a pair of big breakfast platters, which are 1400 calories a piece. When we were finished gorging ourselves we hitched over Walmart where we bought way too much food. It feels like I have 15 pounds, no exaggeration. Way too much for a 5 day, 75 mile section. Oh well.Because of all the cold nights and in anticipation of more in the whites I picked up another long sleeve shirt and some pajama pants, as well as another t shirt to replace my raggedy old grey one. As we we're checking out a woman walking past us offered us a ride back to the hostel. Score! Three good hitches in a row! She had hiked the trail in 2009 and now worked for the AMC in the whites.The hostel we're staying at is called The Barn, and its literally just an old barn with some mattresses on the floor upstairs and a bunch of old furniture and shed stuff on the first floor. To add to the quaintness there's even a chipmunk that lives here that we spotted scurrying around. We'll have to hang our food up tonight! Also to add to the gluttony of the day I ate a whole package of oreos plus a half gallon of milk. My quest to be the first thru hiker to gain weight continues!
Date: 2013-07-26
From: The Barn Hostel in Gorham

To: Stealth Camp near Wildcat Trail
Miles today: 15.5

Day 20, July 26th. The Barn Hostel in Gorham to stealth camp near start of Wildcat Trail. 15.5 miles.Apparently New England hasn't heard of summer, because it was another cold July night. When will they end?! Woody had to wait until the gear store opened at 8 so I got to sleep in which was pleasant. We started hitching at 9 and it took a while but eventually we got to the trail.The hiking for the day was pretty good. The trail was reasonable despite the fact we climbed 3000 feet to start the day. It was nice and gradual. After a boring day of cloudy hiking day the wind and rain picked up in the evening and we had to hunker down in a less than optimal spot.It was in a saddle between two sharp mountains so it served as a wind channel and boy were they gusting. It was also cold since the sun couldn't quite reach down into this valley. While we did eventually get set up (though woodys hands were shaking so bad I had to help him tie some knots) and warmed up, the hang site still wasn't very good. There's a tree close to me that has a shallow root ball. So shallow infact that when a good gust blows the tree leans over and the ground below it where the roots are rises up. Its like watching a mini undulating earthquake in the pine needles. The tree is about 20 feet tall so its no little shrub. To be safe(ish) I tied a rope from the tree to another tree so if it does uproot hopefully it gets guided away from me and woody. A tree crashing through your hammock would be a crappy way to go. Woody says if it does fall on me he's just going to raid my food bag for his favorite snacks and keep hiking. I hope it falls on him so I don't have to listen to his bad jokes or snarky remarks.
Date: 2013-07-28
From: Osgood Campsite

To: Stealth Camp south of Mizpah Hut
Miles today: 16.0

Day 22, July 28th. Osgood Tent Site to stealth camp south of Mispah Hut. 16 miles.The PresidentialsWoke up at 5 30 and started hiking by 6 30. The morning was reasonably warm and the hiking was straight up. When we broke above the treeline it felt like my pack just got lighter. I love being above the treeline on the mountains. We enjoyed some awesome views from Madison before making our way down to the hut because we heard rumors of leftovers. Rumors proved true as we got some pancakes from the croo.Back to the hiking the trail stayed pretty well graded as we skirted some bigger mountains. We ran into one guy hiking north who was totally out of water and showing some signs of dehydration so I offered him half a liter and he gratefully accepted. As the trail ran the ridgeline we could see Mt Washington getting closer and closer. Eventually we began the final accent which we powered up, putting us at the summit at 12 30. Not bad.The summit was a disappointment, though we couldn't have asked for better weather on a sunny Sunday. It felt super touristy. Lots of people driving or taking the incline train up. While I don't think its fair to them I was a bit frustrated to see people walking around in flip flops. After a nice break and no pictures we set off hiking again, staying above the treeline along the ridgeline to Mizpah Hut where we dropped down into the forest to find a place to hang.After some fiddling to fit the hammock in a space slightly smaller than I would like everything is hunky dory. I even got to feed a very curious grey jay that was willing to grab a banana chip out of my fingers. There's a chance of showers tonight so my fly is pitched accordingly and I think I'll be okay. Both mine and woodys feet are sore from all the small rocks and boulder hopping on the trail today. In his vibrams his were really hurting so we called it quits at a bit after 5 rather than pushing later. Hopefully tomorrow the trail is more dirt less cobble.33 miles left to town, and we're aiming for 18 tomorrow then 15 the next day as we arrive. There's no hostel so we'll have to find a cheap hotel room. The worst climbs and highest elevation are behind us, though there's still some mountains we need to cross. The early start worked well today, so were going to try it again tomorrow, though we might sleep in depending on how cold it is. We're at just under 4000 feet tonight so it could get pretty chilly.
Date: 2013-07-29
From: Stealth Camp south of Mizpah Hut

To: Stealth Camp north of South Twin Mountain
Miles today: 18.0

Day 23, July 29th. Stealth camp south of Mizpah Hut to stealth camp north of South Twin Mountain. 18 miles.Easy trailsToday started slow (like normal) as a chilly damp morning caused the snooze button to be hit a few times. We got moving just after 7 and it warmed up pretty quick to a nice summer day.The trail was pretty easy, with one particular stretch that followed am old railroad track for 6 miles which made for some very pleasant hiking. We stopped at an overlook and took advantage of the sunny weather to dry everything out. Woody is very intent about looking after his gear, which is something I need to get better at. Something that comes with experience and more of an investment in gear I guess. His stuff is definitely nicer than mine, but he's been hiking/camping for way longer than I have building up a nice gear closet in the process.As we were finishing up drying everything out we heard thunder in the distance, saw dark clouds on the horizon, and the race to the hut was on. A mile and a half later we pulled into Zealand Falls Hut and not long after that an afternoon shower rolled through. After enjoying the rain from under a roof we hit the trail again, only to be drenched by another shower minutes later. Drat. It didn't last too long and the sun came back out, but the damage was done.We wound up finding a spot along the ridgeline before South Twin Mountain, leaving us with a nice morning climb and a hilly 15 miles into north Woodstock/Lincoln tomorrow. We've also broken yesterdays record for highest altitude hang by 500 feet as we're at 4300ish today. It'll probably another cold one tonight but we're prepped.One of the things I look forward to most each day is the nightly foot lotioning and massage. The trail is not very kind to the bottom of my feet so its nice to treat em right before putting them in the sleeping socks. Especially on the wet days which make the soles of the feet even more tender, a little TLC goes a long way.Its interesting talking to and seeing the hikers that stay in the huts. Mostly day hikers, woody calls them l.l. beaners. They do fit most of the stereotypes, and the huts cost enough that they certainly aren't hurting for cash. They've all been super polite, though sometimes I get the sense their a bit disgusted or something by thru hikers. To be fair we smell terrible and look like crazy mountain people.One thing about hiking with Woody that I'll never really get used to is his preference for ending the hiking day early and setting up camp. It feels like we haven't hiked past 6pm in forever. I would rather just keep hiking til 7 30 or so but that's not his style. Oh well. Something about not wanting to go to bed wet /sweaty. Vermont is supposed to be flatter so maybe we can go back to squeezing in 20s like we did through the hundred mile wilderness, cause I'm hoping to get through Vermont before heading home.
Date: 2013-07-30
From: Stealth Camp north of South Twin Mountain

To: Chets Hostel in Lincoln
Miles today: 13.0

Day 24, July 30th. Stealth camp north of South Twin Mountain to Chets Hostel in Lincoln, NH. 13 miles.Last night was probably my coldest night on the trail yet. Up above 4000 feet I wound up sleeping with every dry article of clothing I had on and was still chilly. Anxious to get going in the morning, since I wasn't getting any warmer laying I'm my hammock, I quickly broke camp and powered down the trail to the next hut where I stopped in and they were able to spare a bowl of tasty warm oatmeal.After that it was up and over Garfield then up to the Lafayette ridgeline. By the time we made it to Lafayette the clouds had lifted and we enjoyed the spectacular view above the treeline as the trail ran for atleast a mile like that. Awesome.Eventually the trail moseyed its way down the mountain where we got a bit confused by some poor blazing. After getting pointed in the right direction by some section hikers we made it to the road and stuck the thumb out for a hitch into town. Those same section hikers from earlier drive past and were able to give us a lift halfway, and another thru from the class of 89 drove us the rest of the way. Easy hitching!During the day I met two cool nobo thrus. One was steady, who had paddled 700 miles by kayak from Florida to the AT and he'll be hiking all the way to halifax for a total of 4000 miles. I had tons of questions about the kayak bit, because paddling sounds way more attractive than walking for future long trips. I also met hermes, a nobo who started May 12th. I remembered hearing about him back down south, and he had some heard my name as well, even though I was a few days behind him. It was pretty cool to chat with him for a bit, especially since we had both hiked with Eric (who's mom gave hog, patches, and I the lift into gatlinberg) for a while.We'll be staying at Chets place, a pretty informal donation hostel in Lincoln that is word of mouth only rather than being listed in the guide book. He has bunks in the garage and floor space for sleeping but we found places out back to hang. There's alot of hikers here tonight, a cool mix of nobos and sobos.
Date: 2013-07-31
From: Chets Hostel in Lincoln

To: Chets
Miles today: 0.0

Day 25, 26, 27. July 31st, August 1st, August 2nd. 0 miles.ZerosWoody picked up some real bad food poisoning. We suspect it was from reusing a foil cooking bag with 3 day old mashed potatoes, because its the only thing he ate that I didn't. I made it my mission to keep Woody hydrated, so the first day I went down to Rite Aid and picked up some pedialyte, gatorade, and immodium. He drank the first two but wasn't too keen on the immodium.There were times were he would start feeling better then a few hours later feel terrible. When we did head out after 3 full days of Chets hospitality Woody still wasn't feeling 100 percent, but he felt good enough to hike.Most days were occupied by hanging around being lazy. Lots of book and magazine reading. I must have read close to a dozen backpacker magazines, along with a half dozen national geographics. We also took twice daily trips to the local wifi spots at McDonalds, Subways, or Dunkin Donuts, as well as daily trips to the fully stocked gear outfitter in town, Lahouts Summit Shop. To top it all off when Woody was feeling up for eating we sampled the local dining at Flapjacks pancake house and the two pizza places in town. The food wasn't amazing, but it was better than trail kibble. Flapjacks even had a little model train running around the restaurant on tracks suspended just below the cieling. Pretty cool.All in all not a bad place to get sick and spend a few zeros. Better than any little town we've been in so far. Chet was awesome about letting us stay a few more days, otherwise it would have been a really expensive town visit. While some rest days were good I was anxious to hit the trail. The woods are comfortable, town is not. Readjusting to real life after this is going to be tough..
Date: 2013-08-01
From: Chets

To: Chets
Miles today: 0.0

Day 25, 26, 27. July 31st, August 1st, August 2nd. 0 miles.ZerosWoody picked up some real bad food poisoning. We suspect it was from reusing a foil cooking bag with 3 day old mashed potatoes, because its the only thing he ate that I didn't. I made it my mission to keep Woody hydrated, so the first day I went down to Rite Aid and picked up some pedialyte, gatorade, and immodium. He drank the first two but wasn't too keen on the immodium.There were times were he would start feeling better then a few hours later feel terrible. When we did head out after 3 full days of Chets hospitality Woody still wasn't feeling 100 percent, but he felt good enough to hike.Most days were occupied by hanging around being lazy. Lots of book and magazine reading. I must have read close to a dozen backpacker magazines, along with a half dozen national geographics. We also took twice daily trips to the local wifi spots at McDonalds, Subways, or Dunkin Donuts, as well as daily trips to the fully stocked gear outfitter in town, Lahouts Summit Shop. To top it all off when Woody was feeling up for eating we sampled the local dining at Flapjacks pancake house and the two pizza places in town. The food wasn't amazing, but it was better than trail kibble. Flapjacks even had a little model train running around the restaurant on tracks suspended just below the cieling. Pretty cool.All in all not a bad place to get sick and spend a few zeros. Better than any little town we've been in so far. Chet was awesome about letting us stay a few more days, otherwise it would have been a really expensive town visit. While some rest days were good I was anxious to hit the trail. The woods are comfortable, town is not. Readjusting to real life after this is going to be tough..
Date: 2013-08-02
From: Chets

To: Chets
Miles today: 0.0

Day 25, 26, 27. July 31st, August 1st, August 2nd. 0 miles.ZerosWoody picked up some real bad food poisoning. We suspect it was from reusing a foil cooking bag with 3 day old mashed potatoes, because its the only thing he ate that I didn't. I made it my mission to keep Woody hydrated, so the first day I went down to Rite Aid and picked up some pedialyte, gatorade, and immodium. He drank the first two but wasn't too keen on the immodium.There were times were he would start feeling better then a few hours later feel terrible. When we did head out after 3 full days of Chets hospitality Woody still wasn't feeling 100 percent, but he felt good enough to hike.Most days were occupied by hanging around being lazy. Lots of book and magazine reading. I must have read close to a dozen backpacker magazines, along with a half dozen national geographics. We also took twice daily trips to the local wifi spots at McDonalds, Subways, or Dunkin Donuts, as well as daily trips to the fully stocked gear outfitter in town, Lahouts Summit Shop. To top it all off when Woody was feeling up for eating we sampled the local dining at Flapjacks pancake house and the two pizza places in town. The food wasn't amazing, but it was better than trail kibble. Flapjacks even had a little model train running around the restaurant on tracks suspended just below the cieling. Pretty cool.All in all not a bad place to get sick and spend a few zeros. Better than any little town we've been in so far. Chet was awesome about letting us stay a few more days, otherwise it would have been a really expensive town visit. While some rest days were good I was anxious to hit the trail. The woods are comfortable, town is not. Readjusting to real life after this is going to be tough..
Date: 2013-08-03
From: Chets

To: Stealth Camp north of Dilly Ridge Trail
Miles today: 14.0

Day 28, August 3rd. Chets hostel in Lincoln to stealth camp north of Dilly Ridge Trail intersection. 14 miles.Today was the day to hit the trail and I celebrated the return to action by sleeping in until 7. Nice. After getting packed up we got a quick hitch from a 4000 foot peak bagger back to the trail and started hiking at 9 30.The day was pretty much a blur. Ups and downs, rocks, roots and mud, the usual. It looked like we might get an afternoon shower but the rain held off which was nice. The trail felt like vintage Maine, not the more pleasant new Hampshire we've come to enjoy. It also kept us in a green tunnel all day with no real views or overlooks. Meh, if the whole trail was pretty we wouldn't appreciate the good stuff.I was feeling a bit sore in the knees and feet while Woody was really hurting in the shins and feet. After finding a little unmarked spring and a pleasant patch of forest to hang in we called it early. I didn't want to push Woody the last 2 miles to the other side of kinsman notch, he still wasn't fully recovered from the last few days.We did find what looks like some big game trails by our site, so we're curious to see if we'll encounter a bear or moose at some point during the night or early morning. We have a great bear bag hang so the food is all protected, but we do look and smell like delicious hanging hiker burritos.I'm trying to keep a bit cleaner to keep my gear in better shape. My pad and quilt in particular are picking up some funk. Before getting in bed tonight I wiped down with baby wipes and changed into clean clothes. Hopefully that helps keep everything fresher. The pad doesn't need to last much longer but I want the quilt to stick around for a long time. I'm thinking if sending it back to get overstuffed with 2 or 3 more ounces of down and then have the baffles sewn shut, but I'll have to get an estimate from the guy who makes em first. Fingers crossed its doable without breaking the piggy bank!
Date: 2013-08-04
From: Stealth Camp north of Dilly Ridge Trail

To: Stealth Camp south of Cape Moonshine Rd
Miles today: 19.0

Day 29, August 4th. Stealth camp north of Dilly Ridge Trail intersection to stealth camp south of Cape Moonshine Road. 19 miles.DOC gets it rightWe made it through the night without getting mauled by bears, moose, loon wolves, or mergansers. It was chilly, but not super cold. Apparently New Hampshire didn't get the message that its August. Woody was feeling way better after a full night of sleep in which he didn't crap his pants, which had pretty much been a goal of his for the last 3 days.The day began with a rough rocky climb up Mt Moosisomething, but after that trail maintenance changed over to the Dartmouth Outings Club and it was glorious. The trail still had ups and downs but they were gently graded, and while there's still mud the rocks and roots are gone. It made for an easy 19 mile day. Fingers crossed it stays this way until we hit Hannover.Mt Moosisomething was our last big above the treeline summit for a long time, so naturally it was socked in with clouds. Looks like we'll be in the green tunnel for a while. atleast the hiking will be easier.After taking a wrong turn we found ourselves on the edge of a nice quiet pond. Someone had set up a rope swing, a table, and some chairs so we lounged around for a while as we snacked and our tarps dried out from the overnight rain. There was a pretty fearless ribbon snake hanging out nearby and I was able to get some cool close up pictures.when it came time to start hiking again the clouds finally opened up with a massive crack of thunder. It had drizzled on and off in the early afternoon but the skies decided a summer thunderstorm was in order. We got wet. Upside was we got to walk through an awesome section of trail that went through an old growth pine Forest. No undergrowth, just massively tall trees and a carpet of pine needles.The rain lifted shortly before we found some decent trees to hang from. To be on the safe side we both have everything pitched for maximum storm protection, though it doesn't feel like we'll be getting any more rain tonight. Due to a lack of good trees we've opted not to bear bag. A bit of a gamble but that's life.One thing that's been tough to balance has been staying warm but not hot through the night. Its been a process of putting more clothes on during the night, but I have to guess correctly how much to inflate the pad because while I can drain air out (to make it thinner and less insulating and cooler) I can't add more without some crazy confounded yoga in the hammock. Like an ungainly caterpillar trying to make sense out of its cocoon. Its not pretty. I feel like I've been getting better but some nights I mess it up. Oh well.
Date: 2013-08-05
From: Stealth Camp south of Cape Moonshine Rd

To: Stealth Camp by south fork of Hewes Brook
Miles today: 21.5

Day 30, August 5th. Stealth camp south of Cape Moonshine Road to stealth camp by south fork of Hewes Brook. 21.5 miles.CruisinAnother nippy morning start after a night of on and off rain, but the trail was the same good trail from yesterday. At 10am all the clouds cleared out and we were left with a beautiful sunny hiking day.For most of the morning we pushed pace as we aimed to do 12 miles by 12pm. We pulled up to the fire tower that marked 12 miles without about 10 minutes to spare, spent after pushing hard up a fairly tough climb. The 360 view from the top of the fire tower was great, we could see miles and miles in every direction.The rest of the day was easy trail with a nice long break to dry everything completely out which is always appreciated. There was one climb in the afternoon that left us pooped, but both Woody and I agreed a bit of muscle fatigue wasn't so bad. One thing we did really well today was carry minimal water and just cameled up at the water sources. It made the hills a little bit easier.Our hang site is nice, close enough that we can hear the brook trickling past. I took the opportunity to clean off with my handkerchief in the creek before doing the wet wipes wipe down so I'm extra clean, which is good because its only 13.5 miles to Hannover where there are showers, laundry, wifi, resupply, and a pizza buffet. Everything I've ever wanted.As my summer hike nears its end I've been starting to plan my way home. Rutland Vermont is 46 or 63 miles after Hannover (there's two roads you can hitch in on) so I'm thinking we take 4 days to hike the 63 miles, getting in on the night of the 10th. With 65k people, Rutland has a small airport, Amtrak station, and other transportation stuff, so it shouldn't be too hard to get home, either direct or via NYC. If I could spend the 11th traveling and make it home to bed that night I would be quite happy, but it might take longer so who knows.Regardless that would put me at 500ish sobo miles, which combines with my 830ish nobo miles for over 1300 total AT miles this summer. If you had told me at the start of the summer I would do 1300 miles I would have said "only 1300? What sort of injury was it?" But as I'm here now I'm happy with my hike and my summer. It'll be a fun challenge to knock off the last 850 miles during the next year.