morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2014-07-21
From: Green Mountain House Hostel, VT

To: Little Rock Pond, VT
Miles today: 19.8
Weather: overcast clouds

Jeff, the proprietor at the hostel mailed my camera for me so that I could make an early departure to the trail, which was a big help. It was amazing how thoughtful and caring this guy was. In honor of Pockets, who is from Switzerland, he hung a Swiss Flag out front. The little touches that he did made our stay at the hostel extra special. Overall, an uneventful day on the trail, but it ended nice with a swim at the beautiful Little Rock Pond. It was a quiet night in the hostel with only me, Pockets, Tye Dye, and Money Maker at this pay shelter.
Date: 2014-07-22
From: Little Rock Pond Shelter, VT

To: Governor Clement Shelter, VT
Miles today: 19.4
Weather: overcast clouds

I was the first one up in the shelter, so I decided to go for an early morning swim in the pond. The water was even more comfortable than the night before. I went back and had breakfast with the group and then we started hiking north. Late in the morning, we passed a beautiful small waterfall that I could not resist so I swam underneath for an quick shower. I ended up taking a third swim just before second lunch at a very popular spot (Clarendon Gorge) which inlcuded deep swimming holes. A three swim day was pretty good. After the swim, we walked 1/2 mile off trail and had burgers, fries, and milkshakes, so it turned out to be a 4 meal day.Towards the end of the day, I had an odd encounter with a female southbound hiker, which set me off a little. Tye Dye and I had stopped by a shelter and he looked at the log book, while I went to the privy. When I returned from the privy, this SOBO asked if I was hiking with the guy who just left and I said "yes I was" She then said "Tell him I said he was an asshole" I asked what he had said and she claimed he had said something derogatory to her. I then told her that I had known him for over a month and never heard him say anything negative about or to anyone. She then responded coldly "Yea, well it happens" It really angered me, so I responded that I had met a lot of odd south bounder's and then I walked off and called her a "Fucking Weirdo" I wish I would have given her my name and Tye Dye's so that she cold tell every north bounder she met from then on her story and to see what response she would have gotten from those who know both Tye Dye and myself.We reached another milestone as we are now within 500 miles of the finish.
Date: 2014-07-23
From: Governor Clement Shelter, VT

To: Killington, VT Mountain Meadows Lodge
Miles today: 14.5

We passed the 1,700 mile mark at the end of the day. The day started with a 4 mile climb up to the top of Killington Mountain on and overcast and gray day. At times, it seemed like we were climbing into the clouds as the pine forest was shrouded in mist.It was a relatively easy day with a scheduled resupply in Killington, VT and the lodge was a nice surprise right on the trail with a nice landscaped lawn sitting next to a beautiful lake. Pockets, Tye Dye and I had a second lunch at a deli in town and I had my worn Darn Tough socks replaced for free at the outfitter. It is a good night to be inside as it has rained solid from about 6:00 PM on through the night. We played several spirited games of ping pong in the game room and soaked in the outdoor hot tub in the rain. We had a nice dinner before turning in.
Date: 2014-07-24
From: Mountain Meadows Lodge, VT

To: Lookout Cabin, VT
Miles today: 13.7
Weather: heavy intensity rain

We had a great breakfast at the Lodge and then started hiking north. For the second straight day, the hike started with a big climb. The sky was partly sunny and the air was a little less humid than the day before. The miles went quickly and at the suggestion of a SOBO named Moonshine, we carried water to the top of the mountain and stayed in a nice private cabin.   Apparently several other NOBOs had gotten the same suggestion. Several of us watched the sunset including Isn't Black, Bear Bag, Bagger, Mother Earth, Pockets, Tye Dye and Spirit Hawk.
Date: 2014-07-25
From: Lookout Cabin, VT

To: West Hartford, VT
Miles today: 19.0
Weather: broken clouds

Even though we had some good climbs ahead of us in the morning, we were excited about going to a market just off trail for lunch 12 miles into the hike. When we got there we were a little disappointed that they did not have any lunch items so we got sodas and ice cream. It was hard getting motivated to hike again after lunch and it was going to be a long 23 mile day. At 5:00 PM, we reached West Hartford, VT with 4 uphill miles to go. At best we were hoping to find a store that sold sodas in town before we started climbing. As we were crossing the bridge over the White River we heard the sound of a bell clanging and then noticed someone waving from the porch of a house across the way. This was definitely a good sign. We we reached the house, we were greeted by Randy and Linda who offered us beer and sodas. I jokingly said if I had a beer I might need to camp in their yard and they responded that several other hikers were already camping there. It turns out that they support the hiker community and have already had as many as 400 hikers pass through. Not wanting to hike the 4 miles uphill, we opted to stay in a bunkhouse on the property. We ordered pizza and it was a great evening with as many as 12 hikers staying either in the yard or in the bunkhouse.
Date: 2014-07-26
From: West Hartford, VT

To: Hanover, New Hampshire
Miles today: 9.9
Weather: broken clouds

We woke up early and were treated to a breakfast of eggs toast, bacon and coffee that Randy and Linda had prepared. It is truly amazing that these folks who both work do this every day. I left a donation and then hiked on. After a short easy hike, we reached Norwich, Vermont and received trail magic in the form of fresh watermelon slices, cookies and sodas. We then crossed the border into New Hampshire and entered the beautiful town of Hanover and onto the Dartmouth college campus. The weather was beautiful and the campus was full of freshman and there parents going through orientation. We had a great lunch in town and then relaxed on the campus. As we entered town we received a list of trail angels in town who sometimes host hikers in their homes so we tried calling a few but because it was a Saturday we didn't have any luck. Our fall back was going to be camping in a field on the edge of town. Several of us decided to get a soda at a store and we joked with each other as we sat on a curb. Money Maker was there who is a 19 year old who suffers from and is hiking to raise money for the disease Alpha-1 Deficiency which affects the lungs and liver. As we were sitting there, an elderly woman pulled up in her vehicle to get some gas and commented that we didn't look like Dartmouth students. She asked where we were staying and we said we didn't know. Before long she had invited us to camp at her yard on the Connecticut River. Tye Dye, Vista, Pockets and I agreed to go and we were pleasantly surprised when we arrived. She had a beautiful log styled home with a beautiful view of the river. We kayaked and swam in the river and then we all worked in the kitchen cooking a pasta dinner with ice cream for desert. It was a great evening and when asked, Caryl, indicated it had been 40 years since she had hosted anyone at her home like this. I asked what made her take a chance with us and she said she was intrigued by watching the way we were all interacting with each other. Almost on a daily basis, I think things can't get any better, but somehow they do.
Date: 2014-07-27
From: Hanover, New Hampshire

To: Trapper John Shelter, NH
Miles today: 16.6
Weather: broken clouds

I awoke about 2:00 AM and looked out from my tent at the brilliant stars in the sky on such a clear night. The stars were reflected in the calm Connecticut River. At a little after 4:00 AM, it started to rain. We packed our tents and had some breakfast and coffee with our host Caryl. She gave us a ride back to Hanover and we stopped into Lou's Bakery for some more coffee and a free donut they give to all thru hikers. It poured down raining for most of the morning and I got completely soaked. At lunch time we stopped at a high point and the sun had started to shine so we dried out most of our gear before hiking on.
Date: 2014-07-28
From: Trapper John Shelter, NH

To: Hexacuba Shelter, NH
Miles today: 12.0

It was not raining when we broke camp but as soon as we started hiking it got darker and darker and soon started raining hard. We stopped at the home of Bill Ackerly, who is known as the "Ice Cream Man" as he gives every Thru-hiker ice cream. He wasn't home, but he left instructions on his porch on where to find the ice cream in his freezer. Me, Tye Dye, Pockets and Vista sat on his porch and waited to see if the rain would let up. It never did so we donned our rain jackets and pants and hiked in the rain. At times it was raining very hard and the trail turned into a flash flood. We had a very steep climb up a mountain and at some areas there were steel rebar steps placed in the mountain side. We stopped and had lunch in a cabin on top of the mountain to get out of the rain and met some nice SOBOs and an odd section hiker, who we nicknamed "Cabin Man", because he walked around the cabin like he owned the place.It was raining when we got to the shelter and it is pretty much a full house with me, Tye Dye, Pockets, Vista, Monologue, Bagheera, and 2 hikers I haven't met.
Date: 2014-07-29
From: Hexacuba Shelter, NH

To: Welcome Hiker Hostel, NH
Miles today: 14.8

It rained hard all night and at times in seemingly Biblical proportions. Although it had stopped raining by morning, the trail resembled a river during a flash flood. Today's hike was not very noteworthy in any regard and was more like slogging through the mud. Pockets and I reached the Welcome Hiker Hostel in Glencliff, New Hampshire around 2:30 and settled in. I received two mail drops, one of which had my winter clothes. It is perfect timing as it is starting to get "see your breath" cold at night. After showers and laundry, we were shuttled to a small market for food and resupply. While there, Bear Bag and Monologue approached me and indicated that there was someone who wanted to meet me. A gentleman who had been following my journal as well as Slim's had picked up Bear Bag and Monologue to give them a ride to the hostel and had asked about Slim and myself. We talked for a few minutes and then I returned to getting my resupply finished. Tomorrow, we will enter the White Mountains, so we began planning our strategy for getting through what was deemed the most difficult portion of the Appalachian Trail.Trail Scat : We have been seeing numerous signs of moose on the trail including scat and tracks, but have yet to see this large creature of the forest.
Date: 2014-07-30
From: Welcome Hiker Hostel, NH

To: Eliza Brook Shelter, NH
Miles today: 16.8
Weather: overcast clouds

After a nice breakfast at the hostel, we started up the steep climb to the top of Moosilauke Mountain. Today we would enter the White Mountains which are arguably the toughest portion of the AT. The climb up Moosilauke was about 5 miles and 4,000 feet of elevation gain, but we were rewarded at the top with exceptional views and calm weather. This represented the first time we would climb into an Alpine zone above treeline. The descent down the other side of Moosilauke was crazy steep and was aided by wood block stairs that were bolted into the rock face. Add to that the trail was right alongside a beautiful cascading waterfall.   You had to be very careful not to pay too much attention to the waterfall because one false step could at best case end your hike. Our first day in the White Mountains was tough but also very rewarding and I was pleased with a 16.8 mile day.
Date: 2014-07-31
From: Eliza Brook Shelter, NH

To: Chet's in Lincoln, New Hampshire
Miles today: 8.8

As was the case yesterday, today also began with a steep climb of Kinsman Mountain. Although not as high as Moosilauke, Kinsman was a much tougher climb. Today was a short day due to the need to get into town to resupply for the next 5-6 days through the White Mountains and the presidential range. Myself, Pockets, Tye Dye and Vista tried hitching a ride, but the prospects were slim and with a fast moving storm approaching, I called a taxi, who just happened to be in the area and we negotiated a ride into town for $5 each. He dropped us off at an outfitter in Lincoln and I called Chet to see if we could stay at his place. On the phone, Chet quizzed me to confirm that I was indeed a Thru-hiker and I passed his test with flying colors. We resupplied, shopped for gloves and warm tights at several outfitters and then walked over to Chet's hostel. When we got there, several hikers were already there and it seemed like they were coming out of the woodwork. There must have been at least 20 hikers and all of the bunks were filled so that we would have to sleep on the floor. Slim showed up later and we all went out for pizza and ice cream.
Date: 2014-08-01
From: Lincoln, New Hampshire

To: Garfield Ridge Shelter, NH
Miles today: 10.3

For the third straight day, the trail led straight up. After breakfast at McDonald's, we caught a shuttle back to the trail and started hiking. Once on top of the tree line, the views were spectacular, especially on Mount Lincoln and Mount Lafayette. Although only at elevations above 4,000 feet, the mountains have the look and feel of similar 10,000 foot elevation peaks out west. So far, in three days of hiking in the White Mountains, the weather has been pretty good. At the shelter, Slim, Pockets and I toasted with a little Bourbon to having reached 1,800 miles and to Switzerland's Independence Day, which was today on August 1st. We were joined at the shelter by Tye Dye, UPS and Wild Bill, a section hiker.
Date: 2014-08-02
From: Garfield Ridge Shelter, NH

To: Ethan Pond Shelter, NH
Miles today: 14.5
Weather: overcast clouds

We woke up early and started hiking by 6:00 AM because we had heard that it was supposed to rain for much of the day. The rain never materialized however and it turned out to be a great day for hiking. By 8:00 AM, Slim, Pockets and I had reached the Falls Hut and asked if they had any breakfast left. Kea, the Croo leader said we could have all of the leftovers if we swept the floors in the dining room and bunk rooms. We agreed and set to work sweeping the floors. The breakfast, our second of the day consisted of coffee, sausage, coffee cake and oatmeal.
Date: 2014-08-03
From: Ethan Pond Shelter, NH

To: Lake of the Clouds Hut, NH 
Miles today: 14.1

We left camp early again this morning to take advantage of the weather. The hike started with a very steep downhill followed by an equally steep uphill to the top of Mount Jackson. At lunch time we stopped at the Mizpah Spring Hut and the Croo allowed us to eat all of the leftovers which included a delicious chicken enchilada casserole. I also ordered a bowl of soup. We hiked much of the day above tree line in and out of the clouds. It was another beautiful day of scenery on the trail. We reached the Lake of the Clouds Hut just before 4:00 PM and asked if we could do work for stay and our request was excepted. The work I did was to organize the books in the hut library, while the others did kitchen cleanup. Dinner was delicious and included salad stuffed pasta shells vegetables and fresh bread. We slept on the floor in the dining room and it was interesting watching all of the weekend hikers padding across the floor to the bathroom all night long.
Date: 2014-08-04
From: Lake of the Clouds Hut, NH 

To: Stealth Camp, Pinkham Notch, NH
Miles today: 14.8
Weather: broken clouds

We hiked out of the Lake of the Clouds Hut early under a gray misty sky on our way to the top of Mount Washington. When we reached the top, the weather had started to deteriorate so we spent some time waiting it out in the visitor center. Mount Washington is one of the most dangerous mountains in North America and has had 152 recorded fatalities. The problem is that the weather can change very rapidly and it catches a lot of people by surprise. After about an hour, we decided to push on and take our chances on the mountain.Hiking for the rest of the day was beautiful and the fast moving clouds only added to the drama. For most of the day, we stayed above tree line and hiked on the tops of boulders with only rock cairns marking the way. Beautiful views of U-shaped glacial carved valleys were everywhere. At the end of the day, Pockets and I met Digger, Garga Mel and Gazelle and we stealth camped just outside of the Pinkham Notch Visitor Center so that we could get a shower and eat an all you can eat breakfast in the morning.
Date: 2014-08-05
From: Ethan Pond Shelter, NH

To: Imp Shelter, NH
Miles today: 13.1

We had an incredible all you can eat breakfast at the Pinkham Notch Visitor center and a nice shower before climbing up the very steep trail to Wildcat Mountain. The day ended with a perilously steep downhill to the Imp Shelter just before the rain started falling. Pockets, Digger, Garga Mel, and Gazelle and I hiked together today and made our way to the shelter for the night.
Date: 2014-08-06
From: Imp Shelter, NH

To: White Mountain Lodge, Gorham, NH
Miles today: 8.0
Weather: scattered clouds

We hiked the quick 8 miles to US Highway 2 and to the White Mountain Lodge near Gorham, New Hampshire for a shower and a night of rest in a comfortable bed. The White Mountain Lodge is very clean and they make you change out of your hiker clothes and into clean loaner clothes and take a shower before you can do anything else. We made the lunchtime shuttle to town and had lunch at an all you can eat (AYCE) Chinese buffet. The afternoon was spent relaxing on the nice property of the lodge. There is a small pond on the property filled with trout. I borrowed the owners son's (Ben) fly rod and tied on a small Elk Hair Caddis and caught 3 beautiful brown Trout. They were small but very fun to catch.
Date: 2014-08-07
From: White Mountain Lodge, NH

To: White Mountain Lodge, NH 
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

Due to bad weather, general fatigue, and the comfort of the lodge, I decided to take my first day off (zero) in the past 1,200 miles. It had also been a while since Pockets had taken a day off as well. It was a nice day of R&R&R (restaurants, rest and resupply). I also spent some more time on the pond catching trout.
Date: 2014-08-08
From: White Mountain Lodge, NH 

To: Carlo Col Shelter, ME
Miles today: 17.0

Pockets and I left the hostel around 9:00 AM and hit the trail with beautiful weather. We were told by Reddy, a NOBO who had flip flopped and was now going south that the trail would be easy today. It was anything but easy and ended up being one of the more difficult days on the trail. Two milestones were reached today including passing the 1,900 mile mark and entering into Maine, our 14th and final state. We didn't get to the shelter until after dark. By that time, everyone was asleep in the shelter. Aquaman, Birdy and UPS were there as well as a few SOBOs.
Date: 2014-08-09
From: Carlo Col Shelter, ME

To: Speck Pond Shelter, ME
Miles today: 9.5

It was a beautiful day in southern Maine and the hiking was spectacular although also very difficult. Today, we passed through the famed Mahoosuc Notch, which is touted as the most difficult mile on the AT. It was difficult but also fun as you basically had to crawl over and under, and through tunnels of large slabs of rock and boulders and are forced to use your sorely neglected upper body. It took about 1.5 hours to get through the notch and unfortunately the notch is followed by a steep 1.5 mile climb straight up the Mahoosuc Arm. It was a very difficult 10 mile day.
Date: 2014-08-10
From: Speck Pond Shelter, ME

To: Frye Notch Lean-to, ME
Miles today: 10.5

I started the day with an early morning swim in Speck Pond before most people in the camp had awakened. The hike started with a very steep downhill followed by an equally steep uphill. The views on top of Baldpate Mountain were spectacular and it was beautiful watching storms build in the afternoon sky. The storms continued to build and when the rain came, Pockets and I decided to stay in the first shelter we came to and cut our hike short by about 4 miles. We shared the shelter with Elusive, OoPs and two section hikers.
Date: 2014-08-11
From: Frye Notch Lean-to, ME

To: The Cabin, Andover, Maine
Miles today: 14.6

We were on the trail at 6:22 AM so that we could hike the 14.5 miles and get to the hostel at a reasonable time to get resupply done in town. For the most part the hike was rather easy until near the end of the day when we had to climb Moody Mountain, which was straight up. It took everything I had to get up the mountain and I was wiped out at the top. I called the cabin hostel from the top of the mountain and spoke with Bear, the owner to make arrangements to get shuttled in. Bear was waiting at the road when I climbed down off the mountain and we drove to a small market for resupply before heading to the hostel. Honey and Bear have been running the hostel for 20 years and Honey cooked dinner and breakfast for all of the hikers. The meals were nothing short of feasts.
Date: 2014-08-12
From: The Cabin, Andover, Me

To: Sabbath Day Pond Lean-to, ME
Miles today: 17.0

After a massive breakfast at the Cabin with Honey and Bear, we caught a ride out to the trail with Woodman who was doing some slack packing today and started up Old Blue Mountain. The hike was relatively moderate in difficulty by Maine standards and the weather was decent for most of the day. We passed numerous beautiful ponds seemingly at every turn as Maine has water everywhere. At the shelter, we met Scampi, Dawg, Unity and Stick in the Mud.
Date: 2014-08-13
From: Sabbath Day Pond Lean-to, ME

To: Hiker Hut, Rangeley, ME
Miles today: 9.4

I was awakened twice in the early morning hours by the mournful cries of Loons out on the pond near the shelter. Hiked mostly in a light mist and rain and decided to stop in Rangeley to pick up more supplies and to get out of the weather, which was expected to consist of heavy storms throughout the day. Rangeley is a quaint little town and looks exactly like what you would expect from a small town in Maine. Pockets and I had lunch at Sarge's and watched the Red Sox game. We ran into Vista, Gargamel and Gazelle in town and met Sasquatch and Elusive at the hostel.
Date: 2014-08-14
From: Hiker Hut, Rangeley, ME

To: Waterfall Stealth Camp, ME
Miles today: 13.4
Weather: overcast clouds

I stayed at the Hiker Hut just off the trail with Elusive, Sasquatch and Pockets. The hut is run by Steve and Katherine and it basically off of the grid with no electricity or running water. The bath is a deep portion of a creek bend running next to the property. Because I like to stay as clean as possible, I immersed myself in the cold water for as long as I could bear.The bunkhouse was comfortable and I was able to get a good nights sleep. It rained very hard all night long and was still raining lightly in the morning. After breakfast of coffee and cold cereal, Pockets and I set off down the trail. This section of the trail is where one year ago a female hiker disappeared without a trace and tracking dogs and search parties have been unable to find a single clue as to her whereabouts. It was a little eerie hiking through this section. The trail was a mess from the previous night's rain and water was running freely down the center. We had to climb 3 steep mountains and unfortunately the views were obscured by cold mist and rain. Towards the end of the day, Pockets was not feeling well but at least the sun came out and we found a nice stealth camp by a waterfall that Steve had told me about. At the camp, while listening to the calming rhythm of the waterfall, I couldn't help but think about the fact that the missing hiker was out there somewhere, possibly not far from where we were camping.