morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2011-08-23
From: Galehead Hut

To: Dry River State Campground
Miles today: 14.7

We were awoken promptly at 5:30am by the hut crew and I groggily packed my bag before the paying guests came in for breakfast. The first mile of trail led us 1,100 vertical feet to the summit of South Twin Mtn. The ample amount of sweat produced by my body intensified the cold air at the treeless summit. I pulled on my jacket and began the descent toward our first rest-stop of the day: Zealand Falls Hut. After about seven miles of walking we reached our destination and decided to take a long break. The day was turning out to be gorgeous. I dried my sweat-soaked clothes, played a couple of games of cribbage with Frodo and munched on my third snickers of the day (I am almost out of food). We walked the rest of the day on relatively flat terrain but had to dodge the massive mud puddles and rivers running down the trail. As we trucked up to U.S. highway 302 my thoughts we focused on the box of goodies that my mother had mailed to a nearby campground. I stuck my thumb out, put on my best "I am not a serial killer or a bum" face, and waited for someone to pull over. 10 minutes, 20 minutes, 30 minutes, crap. No ride. Ideas? Me: "What if Frodo climbs on my back so that we can simultaneously stick out two thumbs?" Frodo, Sweet Tea, Happy Feet: "I think that has to happen." So with Frodo crushing my spine I stood there with my thumb out for as long as I possibly could. Still no ride. Damn. Just when I was about to give up all hope a truck pulled over and we piled in the back. Frodo and I dissected our food-drop and bought food and beer for tonights dinner at a nearby campground. John the ranger checked us in at the campground and was kind enough to give us soap for laundry, quarters and a deal on our campsite. He even offered to help us get back to the trail in the morning. People like John are the reason I still have faith in humanity.
Date: 2011-08-24
From: Dry River State Campground

To: Lakes of the Clouds Hut
Miles today: 11.1
Weather: overcast clouds

Last night was chilly. The 600 calorie muffin that I chomped down for breakfast helped warm me up though. John the ranger hauled us back to the trail in the back of his pickup truck and we set out. I powered up the 2,000+ vertical feet to webster cliffs. Since we had a short day planned, we relaxed at the cliffs, made some phone calls and enjoyed a wonderful view of the valley below us. I caught a beautiful view of Mt. Washington and the presidential range and Happy Feet used his sweet-talking skills to get the cook at Mizpah Springs hut to give us some left-over pasta. The remainder of the day was spent above tree-line and the wet rocky trail lacked much in the way of traction. I arrived at our hut for the night with a substantial amount of stomach-related discomfort. Happy Feet, Frodo, Sweet Tea, Buscemi and I washed a massive mountain of dishes as our work-for-stay and I changed into my warm/camp clothes. I hadn't had my clean(ish) clothes on for more that ten minutes, when Happy Feet came over to me and proposed an epic plan. The weather was good and the summit of the Appalachian trail's highest point (Mt. Washington 6,288ft) could be seen from our current location. The weather at the summit is unpredictable and, more often than not, unpleasant. Being that we had only walked 11.1 miles, we decided to run the remaining 1.4 miles to the summit to ensure that we got a good view. Despite being out of breath and sweaty again I couldn't have been more pleased with the decision to get to the top. The wind was gusting strongly but the view was incredible. I remember how far away Mt Washington used to seem. The fact that I have come this far is mind-blowingly incomprehensible. The hut was packed full of hikers tonight, good thing there were lots of leftovers!
Date: 2011-08-25
From: Lakes of the Clouds Hut

To: Pinkham Notch
Miles today: 14.9
Weather: fog

We left Lakes of the Clouds early and ascended Mt. Washington for a second time. Unlike yesterday, I found myself struggling to remain in the upright position and find my way through the dense fog. As we walked down from the summit and made our way over the presidential range, slick rocks, heavy winds, 10ft of visibility and the threat of an approaching thunder storm slowed our progress. We were also above treeline and I was wearing every piece of clothing I had. Once we had dropped a few thousand feet of elevation the cloud-cover diminished and the sun came out. We dined on a lunch of ramen noodles and salmon, while warming up inside the Madison spring hut. I glanced outside and noticed that it had begun to sprinkle. The storm that was supposed to hit us this afternoon was quickly approaching and we still had about 2 more miles to hike above treeline, with some of those miles being the ascent of Mt. Madison. Luckily we beat the rain and made it to Gorham, NH dry. The hitch in was tough but Frodo and I were finally picked up by someone who felt bad after reading our cardboard sign (see Photo). Cheap hotel, good local beer and over 300 square inches of pizza. I call that a successful night.
Date: 2011-08-26
From: Pinkham Notch

To: Height Mountain
Miles today: 8.1

Today was easily one of the best days in my life. After getting a ride back to the trail we scrambled up one of the toughest sections of trail in the Whites. The Wildcat peaks, at 3,900 and 4,400 ft, are not massive mountains but the hand-over-hand climbing and slippery rock made it quite an adventure. I don't think I have mentioned that I live for climbing. I love the burning in my legs, the strain on my lungs, the ridiculous sweating and the thrill of an approaching summit. Anyone that I have hiked with would tell you, that when it comes to climbing, I have trouble slowing down. I always push myself to be the first to the top. Not because I want to be better that the guys that I am hiking with but rather because I find a great deal of pleasure in having a mountaintop to myself, if even for only a few moments. I reached a false summit with a great view and waited a few minutes for the others. I ate my lunch with Sweet Tea, Frodo and Happy feet and while we munched on sandwiches we were joined by about a dozen other thru-hikers. I chatted with a few new faces and a few familiar ones. We walked some more and eventually found ourselves atop of Height Mountain. A scarcely discussed summit, we reached Height Mtn in the late afternoon and decided to enjoy the beautiful 360 degree view. What started as a short break turned into and overnight stay. I simply could not convince myself to leave. I sat on a rock and enjoyed the warm sun and the scenic view of the Mt. Washington and the Presidential range. I pitched my tent and helped Sweet Tea filter water from puddles (there wasn't any other water on the summit). As it got dark conversation turned philosophical. I realized how blessed/fortunate/lucky I am to have the opportunity to do what I am doing. I am sitting on a rock in the middle of nowhere, wrapped up in my sleeping bag, sipping on burbon and watching the most beautiful sunset of my life. It was a moment of zen. I stayed up way past my normal bed time of 9:00pm and watched the stars.
Date: 2011-08-27
From: Height Mountain

To: White Mountain House
Miles today: 13.0

I felt well rested but last night was chilly and I had a difficult time getting out of bed. The trail was slippery and within 10 minutes all four of us had taken a fall. By early afternoon we found ourselves at the White Mountain Hostel, a relatively new establishment located right on the trail. Under normal circumstances, a 13 mile day would be a short one but with the approach of hurricane Irene and the closure of the national forrest, we were forced to take a few Zero days. I showered, handed over my dirty laundry to our hosts and dominated a massive 2/3 lb double bacon cheeseburger with fries. Due to the hurricane, a large number of hikers found themselves at the White Mountain house. I swapped stories with other NOBO's and traded information about the trail with SOBO's.
Date: 2011-08-28
From: White Mountain House

To: Zero #3
Miles today: 0.0

My mom, being the wonderful woman that she is, booked a hotel room for us in Gorham, NH. We waited for Irene to pass, while consuming copious quantities of food and beer. We resupplied at walmart and our shopping carts looked like we were preparing for the world to end. Most of the day was spent watching TV (when the power was on), eating, and planning the remaining miles of our hike (only 298 to go!!).
Date: 2011-08-29
From: Zero #3

To: Zero #4
Miles today: 0.0

To this point in our journey there have only been 2 days that I have not walked a single mile. Needless to say, two back-to-back zero's had me feeling a little restless. We visited the hot tub and sauna, enjoyed some more tasty beer, I ate a half dozen doughnuts for lunch and we prepared to set out on the final leg of our adventure.
Date: 2011-08-30
From: Zero #4

To: Carlo Col Shelter
Miles today: 17.0
Weather: few clouds

I was excited to leave Gorham, after being stuck there because of Irene. The fact that a hurricane passed through is very apparent. There were a large number of blow-downs on the trail and the many lakes and streams we passed today were overflowing. Much of our walking today was on log planks, which are used to prevent erosion on particularly muddy sections of trail but the 5 inches of rain we received made the logs extremely slippery. There were a number of pretty difficult stretches of trail, particularly the descent right before our shelter. Frodo took a pretty scary spill and ended up sliding about 20 feet down a rock face. Fortunately he is alright. Buscemi, Slider, Stroller and Birch are in the shelter with us tonight. Oh and we are in Maine!!!!! As the villain Vizzini, from the classic movie "The Princess Bride" would say, Inconceivable!!
Date: 2011-08-31
From: Carlo Col Shelter

To: Bald Pate
Miles today: 16.4

Other than Khatadin, the most commonly discussed geological feature in Maine is the Mahousuc Notch. The notch is approximately 1.1 miles long and generally takes experienced hikers about an hour to traverse. I had a blast scrambling up and over massive boulders and through crevices. There were a couple of spots where I had to take off my pack and have Sweet Tea hand it through to me because there wasn't enough room for me with it on. Once we all made it through the notch we paused near a stream and took a relaxing lunch. I rehydrated and repacked my bag for the ascent up the Mahousuc Arm. The Arm is a steep 1.6 mile, 1620ft climb up slick granite slabs and root covered trail. As I mentioned in a previous post, I love to climb and this ascent, while difficult, was a lot of fun. We descended, for what seemed like an eternity, into Grafton Notch and by the time we reached the road, my knees were not one bit pleased with me. I sat down to rest near a parking lot and was handed a cold root beer by park ranger "Soda Bob." Food is a little tight but I will be resupplying in Andover tomorrow, so I am not too worried. As we left the parking lot I could tell that Frodo was ready to be done hiking for the day. He got the kind of look in his eye that could only mean one thing: BEAST MODE! We generally hike at about 3-3.5 miles/hour but upon entering BEAST MODE, our pace accelerates to a wicked 4-4.5 miles an hour. The last few miles to our shelter were all uphill but when Frodo enters BEAST MODE it doesn't matter. He flew up that mountain, with the rest of us shortly behind him, and we arrived at camp in record time. I was particularly glad to be at camp because my stomach has been giving me trouble all day. I hope that I am not coming down with something. I guess the only thing I can do is stay hydrated and get some sleep.
Date: 2011-09-01
From: Bald Pate

To: Hall Mtn. Lean-to
Miles today: 14.0

Man I am getting really sick of Poptarts and protein bars for breakfast. I summited the two Baldpate peaks first thing this morning and my groaning stomach was good motivation for my legs to keep carrying me forward. I reached East B Hill road and was very discouraged to discover that the recent hurricane had washed out a major section of the road, causing it to close. Damn. How the hell am I supposed to get a ride to a town that is 8 miles away, when there aren't any cars. The only thing in my food bag is a handfull of pumpkin seeds and I am quickly becoming ornery. An hour passes and only 2 cars had gone by, neither of which were inclined to help some heavily bearded dudes get a bite to eat. A truck can be seen approaching in the distance and I jump to my feet. At this point I am willing to do just about anything for a ride, so as he passes I am literally begging him to take us into town. He slowly rolls to a stop and agrees that is he doesn't give us a ride, it is unlikely that anyone else will. Sweet Tea and Frodo jump in the cab, while Happy Feet and I squeeze into the, already full of landscaping equipment, truck bed. We got dropped off at the post office, where Happy Feet picked up his bounce box, and we headed to the general store for resupply and lunch. At the lunch counter I ate as if i hadn't had a bite to eat in months. I wolfed down a double bacon cheeseburger with fries, a pint of chocolate milk, french fries, and mixed berry pie ala mode. Stuffed, I resupplied for the next few days and called for a shuttle back to the trail. We rode back to the trail with the proprietor of the HighFive hostel. He had some fantastic stories to share (he is a caregiver a.k.a legal pot grower and ex navy seal). He dropped us off and a donned my food-laden pack. To my dismay, I discovered that the female connector on my hip-belt had fallen off. Damn. I now have to carry my pack for 2 1/2 days without a hip-belt. I let myself be frustrated for a few minutes then decided that it wasn't doing me any good and certainly wasn't going to get me to Khatadin any faster. We arrived at the shelter in the early evening and are staying with a SOBO and a Freshman orientation group from a small college in Maine. A few of the Freshies were kind enough to get water for us and we shared a bit of our experiences with them in return.
Date: 2011-09-02
From: Hall Mtn. Lean-to

To: Sabbath Day Pond
Miles today: 21.1
Weather: few clouds

I walked all day with the entire weight of my pack on my shoulders. The combination of a sweaty t-shirt and a swinging pack caused some severe irritation on my lower back. By the end of the day, the "tramp-stamp" area of my back was rubbed raw and I actually carried my pack on my chest. I really hope that I can find a replacement buckle in Rangely tomorrow. My spirits are a little low. Sweet Tea and I took a dip in the crystal clear lake, which was refreshing and necessary.
Date: 2011-09-03
From: Sabbath Day Pond

To: Rangely, MA
Miles today: 9.4
Weather: light rain

Food is running low again. I have only a poptart and protien bar to get me the 9.4 miles into town. The chafing on my back did not get any better overnight nor did my demeanor. While I am usually, in my own opinion, a pretty chipper hiker, I hung back from the group today so as not to bring down the mood of the other guys. We ran into Slider and Stroller at the road and got a lucky ride into town from a couple out for a weekend hike. While I waited for Happy Feet to pick up his shoes from the P.O. I surveyed the small town of Rangely for a good breakfast spot. Criteria for food selection include: close proximity (we walk enough as it is), generous portions, and reasonable prices. I asked a passerby about a good place to grab a bite and she suggested a dinner across the street. We sat down and ordered enough food to feed a kindergarden class for a week. Stuffed I asked the waitress for the bill but to my surprise she told us that a woman had already paid for our meal. Flabbergasted I asked her who it was and she described the person who had recommended the restaurant. The trail has a way of provoking random acts of kindness. With a big smile on my face and a a set of food triplets bulging out of my t-shirt, we made our way to the outfitter. I was ecstatic to find a new hip-belt buckle and Frodo purchased some fuel for our stove. As I sat on a bench outside fixing my pack, we started conversation with a local couple. They asked us about our hike, we exchanged pleasantries and I enquired about where we may find a shower. Much to all of our suprise, the couple, whose names are Brian and Lourrie, invited us to shower and do laundry at their home. They also offered to help us resupply and feed us breakfast and dinner. One thing that the trail has taught me is to graciously accept the kindness that is directed toward me. We accepted their gracious offer without hesitation. After buying all of the necessary stores for our next few days and ingredients for the evening meal, Brian and Lourrie shuttles us back to their beautiful lakeside cabin. Lourrie did our laundry while we took turns showering and chatting with Brian. I love to cook and was happy that Lourrie let me use her kitchen to whip up dinner. Wine was poured, spaghetti with my homemade red sauce was distributed, salad was dished out and good conversation flooded the table. As fate would have it, our host's grandchildren had just watched Aladin (songs from which Happy Feet has been singing since we met him) so we set up the TV and relaxed with a slice of strawberry rhubarb pie and a scoop of Ice Cream. It was the perfect evening. If you don't believe in fate I would challenge you to hike the A.T.
Date: 2011-09-04
From: Rangely, ME

To: Spaulding Mtn Lean-to
Miles today: 18.7
Weather: overcast clouds

I woke up in the Chandler's home and couldn't help but think that I was dreaming. Here I was, beard and all, laying in a comfortable bed, in a beautiful home with the tantalizing smell of bacon wafting upstairs. I pinched myself and came to the conclusion that I am one lucky guy. Brian and Lourrie were kind enough to fix us a hiker-sized breakfast and after we had packed our things and praised them for their generosity, Brian chauffeured us back to the trailhead. It was a bitter-sweet departure but Khatadin is calling. We set off down (or up, for that matter) the trail and took a short break at a landmark that I had been looking forward to for quite some time. Furnished by the lovely people L.L. Bean, the Piazza Rock two-seater privy, complete with center cribbage board, had been on my bucket list ever since I read about it. Naturally I wanted to make use of this unique woodland bathroom fixture and I wouldn't have wanted to share the moment with anyone other than my best friend and hiking pal Frodo. The deed was done and it was time to move on. The four of us rocketed past beautiful lakes and bogs and ascended the beautiful (or so we heard) but fog-engulfed Saddleback and Horn mountains. We forded the quick-moving Orbeton stream very carefully and managed to arrive at the shelter just before the rain came in. Irene definitely made her presence known in this area. There were 20+ blown-down trees within the last half-mile of trail.
Date: 2011-09-05
From: Spaulding Mtn Lean-to

To: Horns Pond Lean-To 
Miles today: 18.6
Weather: moderate rain

We broke camp at dawn and stopped to get water on our way out of camp. I walked for about half an hour with my headlamp on but opted to take it off as soon as it started to rain. Walking in the rain isn't always the most enjoyable thing. Feet get wet and a hiker's mood tends to worsen. To make it through the rainy days I generally belt out the best songs of the 90's, Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen, and the occasional Disney song. Today was no exception and after powering through eight wet miles of trail we approached ME 27. Within minutes of sticking out his thumb, Frodo had secured us a ride into town, which was fortunate because a nearby bridge outage meant that very few cars would be on the road today. We got dropped off at Northland Cash Supply, the local lunch counter and convenience store, ordered a few pizzas and walked over to the grocery store. With enough Snicker bars and Pop-tarts in hand to make a dentist cringe, I walked back over to Northland for lunch. The owner of the store chatted with us as we dined and was kind enough to give us a lift back to the trail. My stomach was uncomfortably full of pizza and chocolate milk, so convincing my feet to carry me onward tested my persuasive skills. Eventually I won the debate and I pushed onward toward our shelter for the night. Tonights dinner was easily one of my favorites on the trail. Between Frodo, Happy Feet, Sweet Tea, and myself we packed out all of the necessary ingredients for trail tacos. Copious quantities of shredded cheese, tortillas, mexican rice, canned chicken, refried beans, tomatoes and some red peppers assembled to make about 5 tacos per hiker. After stuffing myself with enough tacos to feed a family of 5 I still managed to eat a 650 calorie pumpkin whoopie pie. Sometimes I worry about myself It is raining again and I couldn't be more thankful to have a roof over my head. Since being on the trail I have learned what luxury actually is. Being sheltered from the rain, flush toilets and garbage cans are things that I never thought of as being a luxury. When you don't have them you quickly realize that they are.
Date: 2011-09-06
From: Horns Pond Lean-To 

To: West Carry Pond
Miles today: 17.5
Weather: overcast clouds

I woke up to the sound of rain on the tin roof and was too chicken to get out of bed until it stopped. My feet have constantly been wet for the last few days and I wasn't excited about the idea of walking in wet shoes again. We summited the Bigelow Mountains first thing this morning and reached the 2,000 mile marker. I could hardly believe that I have walked 2,000 miles and I couldn't fathom that the end of my adventure is only 181 more miles away. Today was exhausting for no particular reason. My body felt more abused that usual and my mind was not in a good place. I guess I should be thankful that the bad days are far outnumbered by the good days. The worst days on the trail are better than the best days working a job that I hate, so I can buy stuff that I don't need, to impress people I don't like. Tomorrow is a new day.