morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2003-08-03
From: mahar tote road 

To: cooper brook falls lean to
Miles today: 13.7
Weather: overcast clouds

today started out fantastic, and went downhill from there...i had an excellent night of sleep at whitehouse landing followed by a large deligious breakfast. i was full and content for hours. the boat ride back to the trail was refreshing. the trail was easy today, following an old road. when i arrived at the shelter i was ready to set up my hammock to escape the mosquitos. while attempting this feat i realized that the webbing straps, which anchor the hammock to the tree without scarring were missing...therefore no hammock. fortunately there is room in the shelter(i'm the only one here), but i have 5 more nights and 50+ miles left of te wilderness. hopefully there will be room in the shelters those nights too.at least the view from the shelter is gorgeous - cascading falls and a nice big swimming hole. hope things improve tomorrow
Date: 2003-08-04
From: cooper brook falls lean to

To: logan brook lean to
Miles today: 11.7
Weather: broken clouds

i started today in a pitiful mood, but things have improved. i lunched at east branch lean to and hung out with a bull moose while he ate (in the water source - a beaver pond). i've run into a lot of nobos, some which i had met earlier on the trail. i was surprised to arrive at logan brook and find the lean to full, luckily space was found for me.
Date: 2003-08-05
From: logan brook lean to

To: carl newhall lean to
Miles today: 7.2
Weather: overcast clouds

tough day. lots of tiring ups and downs. i was thinking of doing a really long day to hurry up and get out of the wilderness, but a little trail magic changed my mind. when i arrived at carl newhall there was a bag of food, so there is now plenty to last me until town. i may eat two dinners tonight. :)the shelter is full tonight with many tenting. the one hundred mile wilderness hasn't felt like wilderness at all. there have been crowds of people and trash at all the shelters.
Date: 2003-08-06
From: carl newhall lean to

To: chairback gap lean to
Miles today: 9.9
Weather: light rain

pretty good, pretty wet day. the rain doesn't seem to let up at all. i'm feeling pretty good today, but i felt like stopping early to dry off (if only a little bit, nothing is truly dry out here). i may be rethinking my staying here. it's 3p and the mice are already active. that can't be a good sign.lost my big toenail today. eww.the rain let up around 5p so i decided to set up my hammock. the idea of mice crawling on me while sleeping is right up there with losing nails. i can only handle so much creepiness for one day.it's 6p and i'm the only one here so far tonight. i wonder if any stragglers will keep me company?
Date: 2003-08-07
From: chairback gap lean to

To: wilson valley lean to
Miles today: 15.6
Weather: light rain

i saw my shadow today!first day out of many that it didn't rain. that was rather uplifting. the trail was much tougher than i expected and i overdid it getting this far. my feet and knees are in a lot of pain (my feet vaguely resemble hamburger). reached the shelter just past dark. hiked over 12 hours. i'm beat.
Date: 2003-08-08
From: wilson valley lean to

To: maine 15
Miles today: 10.4

the morning began with rain, but by afternoon the sun was actually shining! at best i got a poor night's sleep b/c my feet were hurting so much, so today was fairly miserable. the going was slow and the only thing that got me out of that shelter was knowing i'd be in town tonight. i never thought i would be so happy to hear a road.boy am i glad to be in town. i'm clean, my clothes are clean, i'm dry (even my hair). my feet still hurt like mad, but i don't have to hike tomorrow. i have to wait in town for some Rx to arrive so i'll zero until they're here. going to bangor tommorow to try to find some new shoes. hope the swelling in my feet goes down by then.
Date: 2003-08-10
From: maine 15

To: monson, me
Miles today: 3.3
Weather: moderate rain

took it easy and slacked a few miles in a downpour. picked rasberries, blueberries, and blackberries for folks back at the hostel. tried out the new shoes. they worked well wading down the trail but don't have much traction on the rocks. maybe i need to wear off the shoeroom shine.
Date: 2003-08-11
From: monson, me

To: moxie bald lean to
Miles today: 14.6
Weather: light rain

real nice day after a nasty stormy night. the sun shined for a majority of the day, but the trail was still full of calf to knee deep water for quite a bit of the day. the rivers were swollen and even smal stream crossings were tricky. i gave up early on trying to keep my shoes dry and just trodded right along. didn't see many people hiking today but the shelter is packed. six in the shelter and 10+ tenting. the lean to area is very peaceful. it sits right on the edge of bald mtn pond. i sat tehre with some nobos and an '01 nobo and chatted while the sun set.
Date: 2003-08-12
From: moxie bald lean to

To: pleasant pond lean to
Miles today: 13.1
Weather: light rain

warm sunshiney day. nice day, great views, decent trail. not too easy, not too hard. started the day really tired. took a long lunch and nap at bald brook lean to after a late start on the trail. i felt much better after the nap.got trail magic x2 today! an ice cold gatorade before the long climb up pleasant pond mtn from some folks finishing up a short trip, and homemade cookies at the lean to! yum!
Date: 2003-08-13
From: pleasant pond lean to

To: us 201 (caratunk house)
Miles today: 5.7

lazy day. easy and unexciting walk into caratunk from the lean to. missed my turn and did 2 miles of road waklking before i reached the caratunk house. i had planned to move on to the next shelter, but the draw of a shower and bed convinced me to stay here. beautiful day. relaxing on the porch swing.
Date: 2003-08-14
From: us 201 (caratunk house)

To: west carry pond lean to
Miles today: 14.0
Weather: clear sky

warm sunshiney day. clear skies. gentle breeze. easy trail. hope the weather stays good b/c the nobos say the trail gets tough. the trail followed some great streams and skirted east carry pond with a beautiful sand beach. ate dinner by the lake while the sun set.planned to stay in the lean to, but around 8p the sweetest little mouse began scurrying towards my head. the hammock went up shortly.
Date: 2003-08-15
From: west carry pond lean to

To: safford notch campsite
Miles today: 12.2
Weather: light rain

another fine day. slept great, made good time to little bigelow lean to so i took a long lunch and a nap. trail magic at the lean to. some maintainers out for a dayhike had brownies and a gatorade-type mix. happy day.it looks like i'm going to be the only one camping here tonight. i decided to call it quites for the day at 3. no sensewearing myself out when my package won't arrive in stratton until mon. right now i'm snuggly tucked away in my hammock. ah, the bug free good life.
Date: 2003-08-16
From: safford notch campsite

To: maine 27 (widow's walk)
Miles today: 10.4

fantastic day. tough, beautiful climb over avery and west peaks of bigelow mtn. there were no views andthe wind was whipping, but you could feel the height. it was very rewarding. went to hurds pond lean tos (a gorgeous place) and spent several hours there for lunch, talking with some former thru-hikers and the caretaker. also got some trail magic - gatorade and cookies. the descent from the lean to was long and steep and a thunderstorm was brewing overhead, so i took the donwnhill a bit too quickly and my knees and feet are charging me for their services now. had a great large dinner (with salad) at the white wolf inn.
Date: 2003-08-18
From: maine 27

To: sugarloaf mtn (summit house)
Miles today: 10.6

i am pleased to announce that i can now sing on the ascents as well as descents much to the chagrin of fellow hikers and wildlife.a lot of climbing today (5000+ft). i got into "the zone" during one of the uphill sections and wandered off the trail and up to the top of a very steep rockslide. it took a while to realize i was off the trail b/c it appears that several others have made the same mistake. it took 20 min to get back to the trail after i realized the error. that was a frustrating side trip.the top of sugarloaf mtn was itself ugly, but the views from it were spectacular. there are four others staying in the summit house tonight (3 sobos). we are closed off from the wind, have a stereo, and a toaster fro hot bagels and pop tarts in the am.
Date: 2003-08-19
From: sugarloaf mtn

To: poplar ridge lean to
Miles today: 10.9
Weather: scattered clouds

laid back day. sunny and windy. took my time hiking. ate raspberries. saw a large bull moose lunching off the side of the traill. he didn't stick around for a photo shoot. the last 2.3 mi tot he shelter seemed very difficult. myknees were in agony on the downhill and i had no energy to get uphill. finally reached the shelter at 3. the shelter is full with 6 and 12 are camping. crowded night.
Date: 2003-08-20
From: poplar ridge lean to

To: maine 4
Miles today: 10.7

long, long day. great, tiring climb over saddleback mtn. fantastic views. got into town around 3 - went to the post, ate, did laundry, resupplied, and searched high and low for affordable lodging. there was none to be found. the hastel was closed for the week and the only places with vacancies were $75+/night. found a ride back to the trail around 7 and stealthed near the trailhead. this makes today my first in and out of town and first night of stealth camping.
Date: 2003-08-21
From: maine 4

To: sabbath day pond lean to
Miles today: 9.4
Weather: overcast clouds

quiet, lazy day. mellow hike. took a break for a few hours next to long swift pond. picked a lot of resberries along the trail. talked with some nobos. reached the leanto by one. took a nap. it's very quiet here. after dinner i took a walk to the beach on long pond and went for a brief swim, watched the sun set, ate blueberries, and listened to the loons with some other hikers. there are 3 others at the shelter tonight.
Date: 2003-08-22
From: sabbath day pond lean to

To: bemis mtn lean to
Miles today: 8.1
Weather: broken clouds

feeling like a true slacker today. i'm holing up at bemis mtn lean to even though it's not even noon. i got an early start today hoping to make it across the bemis range before thunderstorms move in, but the sky is getting dark and the wind is picking up considerably. the terrain has been fairly difficult and the trail follows alot of open ridges - i'm not interested in being out there in a big storm.i'm feeling guilty about staying here.6 nobos have arrived at teh shelter. no rain yet. i'm bored. the most rak human i have ever been around id sleeping next to me. it's 8:30 and dark, he's been here for a few hours and i'm still fighting off the nausea and now he's snoring. long night ahead.9p. i set up my hammock. the stench was unbearable. i'll return to the shelter if the t-storms get nasty.
Date: 2003-08-23
From: bemis mtn lean to

To: south arm road
Miles today: 8.7

the rain never came last night. i woke up to a chilly, windy morning - great weather for hiking. the trail was fairly tough today with a very steep descent off of old blue mtn. the wooden ladders and notched logs were helpful, but it would have been nice to have a few more.staying at the cabin in andover tonight. great people. split wood, walked the dog, and had a lobster boil.
Date: 2003-08-27
From: full goose lean to

To: carlo col shelter
Miles today: 4.4
Weather: clear sky

feeling a little pathetic today. slept in until 10 b/c it was raining. tired and achy and didnt want to hike. the trail was tougher than i expected with lots of vertical sections. early into te day i decided to make the day a short one. that decision lifted my spirits some, as did the great views from goose eye mtn. the sky cleared some, but the wind was very gusty, which made walking above treeline tricky. got to camp around 3. taking it easy. glad i brought on extra day of food. i am very ready for a zero in gorham.
Date: 2003-08-30
From: Peabody Brook Trail

To: US 2 (gorham, nh)
Miles today: 9.6
Weather: overcast clouds

slacked today. the trail was fairly easy going, but i never picked up speed. frequently sidetracked by all the NOBOs and blackberries. after my slack i got back to the hostel and didn't know what to do so i went for a walk around town. heard moose was around so i looked for him. finally found him staying right next to the hostel in a hotel. baden made another delicious dinner of pasta. an hour later i found myself eating a second dinner of veggie dogs. can you say hiker appetite? moose and bigfoot came over to the hostel after dinner and we all chatted for a while. it's nice to catch up with people i hiked with earlier.
Date: 2003-08-31
From: US 2 (gorham, nh)

To: imp campsite
Miles today: 8.0

welcome to the whites of new hampshire. now these are mountains! left town around 10a and slowly made my way to the rattle river shelter for a break. the trail was smooth and gently followed the beautiful rattle river (there were some great swimming holes along the way). took a short side trail to the summit of mt moriah, which provided fantastic 360* views - including the daunting presidential range, which i will face in a few days. the campsite is very nice with a wide view of the valley. this place is busy. i didn't plan to do work for stay, but the caretaker asked me to deliver a message a few campsites dosn. not a bad deal :)it's cold tonight.
Date: 2003-09-01
From: imp campsite

To: carter notch hut
Miles today: 7.2
Weather: fog

great day! slept well last night for a change - it got down to 40* and the hammock kept me warm.   hiked fairly slow today, but that's not too important b/c i'm planning many short dowys in the whites. greawt views from the carters and mg height. there was a great view of mt washington snuggled in a cloud. there's space in the bunkhouse (a whole bunkroom to myself). just finished the work-for-stay - moving dry firewood out of the shed and re-stacking it for 20 min. good deal for a great place to stay. what a night! a group a 12 gourmet chefs from boston are staying here tonight and made a fancy dinner - with extra!   what a happy feast! mmm wild mushrooms.
Date: 2003-09-02
From: carter notch hut

To: osgood tentsite
Miles today: 10.7
Weather: overcast clouds

great day. long day. fantastic trail up wildcat mtn and along the ridge. the descent was not so fantastic. saw groovy, shifty, and flash from down south. made it to pinkham notch just in time for the lunch buffet: sandwiches and veggie chili! happiness! after over-stuffing my face i was no longer interested in hiking the next 4.8 to the tentsite so i dilly-dallied for a few hours. eventually i got my rump in gear and headed forward. never really got back into the walk. there was a fun little suspension bridge of the west branch of the peabody river. the sun is setting and so far i'm here alone. g'night
Date: 2003-09-03
From: osgood tentsite

To: lake of the clouds hut
Miles today: 10.0
Weather: broken clouds

amazing day! started with a great climb up madison - clear skies and calm winds. perfect views of washington and all the bumps leading up to it. stopped at madison springs hut for a wonderful lunch of tomato dill soup and leftover pancakes. then moved on towards washington, which was then shrouded in clouds. all the peaks u to washington passed in and out of the clouds. the trail was nice, but i didn't move to quickly - the scenery was too spectacular to pass by fast. after going around mt clay the winds picked up to 20-30 mph and i soon entered the clouds - but the scenery was just as beautiful. i picked up speed going up washington b/c it started getting rather chilly. got to the top about 30 min after the hot food bar closed so i was stuck with cookies and a pop. the trail down to lakes of the clouds hut was great - an easy grade with good rocks to step on. lakes is a nice big hut (sleeps 90 guests). got work for stay. great dinner. great crew. around 8p the rain started coming down and the wind picked up speed. it was great to be snug inside (even got a bunk) and listen to the weather beat against the windows.
Date: 2003-09-04
From: lake of the clouds hut

To: mizpah spring hut
Miles today: 4.8

wet, rainy day. happy to have a good night's sleep and wake up dry. ate a nice breakfast and straightened and swept the bunkrooms. laid back down for a little while then eventually got up, had soup and hit the trail a little past noon. took my time getting the mizpah - trying to preserve my knees, ankles, and feet for tomorrow's steep descent. the trail was beautiful, passing through the cool wet clouds. no views but very relaxing. arrived at mizpah around 3p and go work-for-stay.i'm starting to notice the lack of thru-hikers lately (fewer nobos, no sobos). things may get to be fairly lonely after the huts and whites. great night! a 3-leged red fox came by the front of the hut around sunset.dinner was awesome - salad, lasagna, spice cake. after dinner a nobo played some tunes on his guitar. feeling good.
Date: 2003-09-05
From: mizpah spring hut

To: zealand falls hut
Miles today: 14.1

there's no more denying it. fall is upon us. beautiful trail and beautiful day. the leaves are just beginning to turn. did dishes at mizpah, ate breakfast , and walked out into the fog. the fog burned off within an hour and revealed views of crawford notch from webster cliffs. the views were great, but they went on and on as i descended the oh-so-steep ridge. the hike went: struggle down 10-50 feet, look to the right and notice that there is a whole lot more down left. repeat. a lot. the second part of the day was a treat. easy grade up to ethan pond followed by 5 miles of trail on a nice flat old railroad bed. for some reason wheneever i move on to easy terrain the idiot switch gets flipped in my head. i raced to the hut not stopping to rest or eat. i hurt now. guess i earned it. the view from the porch of zealand is great, with the soothing background noise of the nearby falls. i'm the only thru hiker doing work-for-stay tonight and i feel more like an inconvenience than a help. maybe the morning will be different.
Date: 2003-09-06
From: zealand falls hut

To: galehead hut
Miles today: 7.0
Weather: scattered clouds

nice ridge walk. bright sun. fantastic views. spent a long time on the rocks on top of sout twin feeling the sun and taking in the views. arrive at the hut around 2:30 intending to move on, but soup and beautiful skies and a nice crew convinced me to stay instead of moving on to the next shelter. long day tomorrow
Date: 2003-09-07
From: galehead hut

To: franconia notch
Miles today: 13.0
Weather: scattered clouds

long, tough day. but well worth it all. the trail to garfield campsite was tougher than i expected. along the way i ran into hopeful and thirsty!!! also so blip on my way into the notch! it was great to see them all and see that they are still hiking. from garfield there was a great view of mts laffayette and lincoln, but by the time i reached treeline on the ridge the mtns were in the clouds. along the ridge the temp was in the 40s and the wind was 20-30mph, so i made quick time back below treeline. took a breather at liberty springs tentsite and talked with the caretaker. he was a former thru hiker and offered me a toasted bagel. happiness. just the thing to get me down the mtn. made it down the notch in fairly good time, but overdid it on my feet and knees. ouch. got a ride into n woodstock as soon as i stuck out my thumb. staying at the cascade lodge. cheez doodles for dinner.
Date: 2003-09-08
From: franconia notch

To: eliza brook shelter
Miles today: 8.8
Weather: clear sky

perfect day. clear skies, highs in the low 70s had a large breakfast at the landmark and hit the trail about 10:30. stopped at lonesome lake hut for some awesome peanut butter squares. hiked extra slow, enjoying the weather.. great views from N&S kinsman. one of those days when i'm glad to be hiking the trail.
Date: 2003-09-09
From: eliza brook shelter

To: kinsman notch
Miles today: 7.5
Weather: clear sky

nice day, but i'm not feeling so well. achy and worn out. no motivation. decided to hitch to glencliff once i hit kinsman notch after 4 miles of hiking. once that decision was made my spirits picked up but i still struggled with the hiking. went to lost river gorge and one of the employees offered me a ride to glencliff (i didn't realize it was 30 miles away, but 9.5miles by trail).glad i decided to go to glencliff. picked up my arthritis meds and got off my feet (which decided to swell considerably and hurt like hell).
Date: 2003-09-10
From: kinsman notch

To: glencliff
Miles today: 9.5

slacked over moosilauke. still feeling tired and achy, hoping a zero tomorrow will clear that up. just super sleepy and tired muscles. beautiful steep trail along a cascading stream up moosilauke and great views from the top. took a break at beaver brook shelter with a great view of franconia ridge.
Date: 2003-09-12
From: glencliff

To: hexacuba shelter
Miles today: 14.7
Weather: few clouds

nice day. nice trail. mosquitos were back in action. the climb up mt cube was a little tougher than i anticipated. the rocks up top were beautiful. i'm the only one in the shelter tonight. terri and chuck are tenting with their dog wolf. they're section hikers heading south.
Date: 2003-09-13
From: hexacuba shelter

To: trapper john shelter
Miles today: 12.0
Weather: overcast clouds

more nice trail today. heard a rumor that it may storm tonight so i'm goled up in the shelter. feeling really tired. maybe i'm not eating the right things? dunno. hope to make it to hanover tomorrow, but i'll have to see how things go. the nobos are thinning out. only saw one today. strange.
Date: 2003-09-14
From: trapper john shelter

To: hanover, nh
Miles today: 16.7
Weather: heavy intensity rain

wet, wet day, but the trail was fairly nice and i get a meal in town so everything is a-okay. ate all my food on the way to town - can you say hungry? no views today b/c of the clouds/rain. saw 4 deer butts as they sprinted away from me. made decent time to town (avg 2.5 mph). walked clear into town looking for a hostel or place for a shower but came up empty handed so i had to return to the edge of town and stealth camp (at this point it is pouring rain). there are quite a few ppeople stealthing just outside of town - some nobos, 3 sobos, and a few hikers that have stopped hiking. hung out with hooter and dougie fresh for a while. nice guys. it's nice to be around familiar faces.   that doesn't seem to happen too often anymore.
Date: 2003-09-15
From: hanover, nh

To: vt 14
Miles today: 9.8

so long new hampshire, hello vermont - land of many mosquitos. picked up a book on the way out of town. didn't feel like hanging around in hanover, it was a bit too busy and yuppie. felt uncomfortable. i think it's the whole being in civilization and unable to find a shower.entered the woods of vermont a little past one and instantly the mosquitos found me. i had planned to only hike to happy hill shelter (~6mi) but the mosquitos had me running down the trail. decided to run to the oh-so-small town of west hartford to buy some deet. no luck. they're sold out. but, i did find an amazing family, the harts, that allow hikers to tent in their backyard or stay in a small cabin. their genoristy is amazing. they shared dinner and i watched harry potter with the kids. glad i'm staying here. rain started pouring down two hours after my arrival. think i need benadryl to sleep tonight b/c all the skeeter bites and playint with the cat and dog.one thing that has been really neat about the trail in NH and now CT are all the old stonefences throughout the woods. it's great to see a bit of history stand up against time. didn't run into a single other hiker while on the trail. dougie fresh arrived later in the day.