morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2018-07-18
From: Jacobs Brook

To: Hikers Welcome Hostel
Miles today: 16.1
Weather: overcast clouds

Awoke to Chamber of Commerce weather and began to quietly attempt to pack up. It used to be so routine that it happened fast, but today I spent 90 minutes getting situated. It didn¢t help that everything was soaking wet (read: messy & heavy). But the crisp morning air, blue sky, and bird songs had me moving inspired.First up was a climb from the ravine straight up Mt Cube...4 miles of elevation work and worth every step. From the north end, you could see all the way to Mt.Moosilauke as the sky was clear as a bell. Climbing down was tough and I dearly miss my ¢hiker legs¢. From the bottom it was simply time to go up again, this time over Ore Hill. No views up here but a very nice privy, ¢Castellum Exrementi¢. Even a throne to perch upon. (And arguably the foulest dungeon imaginable!)From the other side began the long climb up Mt Mist. Approaching the top I realized I was out of gas. The long day thru forests of big red spruce and white birch, the first krummholz on Cube, past beaver ponds, and through bogs had simply done me in. Still many miles from my destination, there has no choice but to push on.Finally arrived at Hikers Welcome Hostel, a legendary hostel that has been serving the AT for decades. Went in and signed in, grabbed a Sprite from the fridge, and went out back to sit in the shade. My body was revolting and had been fighting nausea got the last 2 miles. Overheated and slightly dehydrated. Thankfully Pac-Man & PaceCar had a couple Pepto¢s and my body rejoiced in stopping. Thirty minutes later all my gear was drying on the lawn, my bunk had sheets, and my FedEx package from Jenny was secured. A hot shower and some pasta and all was right with the world. Of note, who should I run into here but C-Biscuit. Whoa!! We hiked together on & off thru most of Virginia last year before he got off trail with an injury. He came back out a few months ago and has rocked his way all through New England & is planning to finish in the next month or so. Pretty awesome!Time for bed so I¢ll call it quits. (After I go outside and stand where the WiFi works to upload this)Life is Amazing. Stay hydrated!{Technical note. - think I killed my iPod in the storms yesterday. It got wet (like everything else) and wouldn¢t work correctly so no ¢song of the day¢. Here¢s to hoping it¢ll bounce back. Been thru a lot!}
Date: 2018-07-19
From: Hikers Welcome Hostel

To: Kinsman Notch 
Miles today: 9.5
Weather: clear sky

This morning, as I was headed up Mt Moosilauke, some rough news came over my phone. The passing of Bobbie McRee. One of the sweetest people I¢ve had the good fortune to know, she succumbed to cancer and the world is a poorer place without her in it. My condolences to Duke and the whole family. May she Rest In Peace amongst the angels of Heaven.Here in New Hampshire, Mother Nature dialed up another stunner as I passed the 1800 mile mark and climbed the first ¢big¢ mountain a NoBo faces in The Whites. Climbing a 20 degree slope along a waterfall, the pungent aroma of ¢Christmas trees¢ filling the air, with sweat dripping from the end of my nose, the AT grabbed me. ¢Stirred my soul¢ as they say. That drive that had pushed me for over four months last year welled up inside my heart. This was an epic mountain. One I had itched to climb and now it didn¢t disappoint. I took two fairly hard falls on the way up. Drawing a little blood on the first one and a nice dirty bruise on the next. (But that¢s the price of epic mountains¢a little pain) Eventually the trees gave way to the Alpine meadows surrounding the summit. Mountains 60 miles north lay visible. Absolutely stunning in all directions. We sat up top in the chilly wind for an hour before heading down. Passed by a work crew from Dartmouth Outing Club on the way and thanked them for all their hard work here in the White Mtns. (Terrific albeit tough trails up here.) Big shout out to Jenny for sending my trekking straps: the tough hike down, and consequential knee pain, was ameliorated by the poles. Within a few hours I was back at the hostel, had a shower, picked up tomorrow¢s dinner from the hiker box, and recharged my devices. Thankfully it appears the iPod will be working too so our ¢song of the day¢ segment will return tomorrow. Before I conclude today¢s missive, a quick thanks to Paula for the encouraging email. Your note helped power me up the mountain today. You rock. (I really appreciate the support from all my family, friends, and readers. Thanks!)Tomorrow I go for a little bigger miles in hopes of doing Franconia Ridge in the next two days before the weather turns rough. In the meantime, one more good nights sleep in the bunk house here at Hikers Welcome hostel. (Kudos to Bizquick and Brooklyn for their wonderful hospitality)Life is Amazing. Keep walking!
Date: 2018-07-20
From: Kinsman Notch 

To: Kinsman Pond Shelter
Miles today: 12.5
Weather: broken clouds

(No service up here at Kinsman Pond so this one will be posted a day late)Holy Mackerel what a day!Got up ready to roll. Had coffee and went to pay up with the caretaker at the hostel only to find that my room had been taken care. What?? Giant thanks to Foghat. (Dude, that was too kind. Your karma-meter is now on full! Paid it forward by taking care of the slack-pack bill for Moose and SweetTea.)Apparently the karma kept rolling as I ended up seeing a Moose within the hour. Yes, a big bull moose with velvety summer antlers! After 50 years I finally saw one. When my Dad was a kid, his Dad used to read him the Burgess Book of AnImals. In turn, my dad read it to me when I was little every night before bed. Of course, I read it to my kids. This old volume has a big Moose on the cover and it¢s glorious. I¢ve always wanted to see one...the largest of mammals in our hemisphere. It did not disappoint. Perhaps this ¢anniversary of breaking the leg¢ wasn¢t something to worry about after all!The hike started by leaving Kinsman Notch and heading up Mt Wolf. At a overlook just 1/2 mile or so from the summit I met a nice SoBo who is hiking in remembrance of lost soldiers. For 22 families, he carries a picture placard of their child for 100 miles. At this point, he had Sgt. Dave Wolf¢s picture with him. How fitting and what an excellent tribute. May Davey Wolf Rest In Peace and kudos to his family for laying such a heavy price on the alter of freedom.From the summit of Mt Wolf, we dropped three miles down thru the big northern pines to Eliza Brook. The cool water was just what I needed. Had gone thru a few liters in the last 8 miles and was about to tackle another ¢BIggie¢... South Kinsman, another of the 4000 footers. (There are 48 of them and it is quite a feat to hike them all. The AT only scratches the surface) The climb up was arduous. Many times it surpassed simple hiking (as it required hands and feet to get up the steep rocks) and was mountaineering ...without the gear! It took a few hours to do the miles but, up top, the crystal clear sky afford amazing views in all directions. From there we dropped down and back up another 4K mtn, North Kinsman. Trying to get down was serious hard work. Pulled over into the AMC shelter 1/2 mile down from NorthKinsman summit at Kinsman Pond (as I couldn¢t go anymore without risking injury). Not as far as I hoped, but more hiking than I ever imagined! The Whites are tough stuff. At the shelter I set up my bag, cooked broccoli&cheddar rice with salami, had some hot tea and dipped my legs in the pond. (A beautiful alpine lake ringed in granite, covered in lily pads, and sporting a few loons as the sun sets and the moon rises. definitely worth the walk!) Had a chance to talk to Jenny and catch up. Nice to be able to call even if I can¢t get enough coverage to post. Now all our food-n-smelly stuff is in the bear box and am ready to hit the sack. My first night in a shelter since being back...Tomorrow will begin early as I shoot for Franconia Ridge. Bring it on!!Life is Amazing. Stop and smell the pines!
Date: 2018-07-21
From: Kinsman Pond Shelter

To: Greenleaf Hut
Miles today: 10.4
Weather: overcast clouds

Woke up early in the Kinsman Pond shelter and quietly headed down to the shore to make a cup of coffee. Watching the orange & gold sunrise reflect off the water helped keep the 45 degree chill at bay. So peaceful when...Splash! Across the lake something big went in. I looked at the distubance and up stood a moose. A moose! Watched her walk up and out across the marsh. It wasn¢t even 6am and this day was already one for the books. I sat mesmerized saying little prayers and relishing the gift of the moment...it¢s another of those AT moments I¢ll never forget. Finally went back to shelter, packed up my sleep system, packed my kitchen system, stripped off the ¢puffy¢ jacket, despite the chill, and headed out. (Always dress for mile #2) By 8:00am, hit Lonesome Lake Hut a few miles down the mountain. My first AMC hut! Went in and they had breakfast leftovers so I ate two big plates and then helped Maddie, one of the crew, sweep all the bunk houses. Easy work for a great meal and it was fun talking with a ¢Croo¢ member. A full belly and a pack loaded with good water, the trail came easy as I rolled down to Franconia Notch.It was 11am by the time I headed up towards Mt Liberty(deceivingly tough), gateway to the Franconia Ridge trail. Now let me take a minute to say that Franconia Ridge is one of those iconic places that every AT hiker dreams about. Miles & miles of alpine ridge trail above tree line traversing numerous ¢biggie¢ peaks. The last few days have provided stellar weather, and the forecast promised one more, so the effort has been to ¢roll on Franconia¢ today. Huffed and puffed up God¢s Stairmaster to Franconia (yeah, like anything good in life you gotta put in the work to get the reward!) and hit Cannon @ 4200, Little Haystack @ 4800 then on up over Mt Lincoln and Lafayette both over 5000ft up. The weather was perfect and another hiker with ¢the peak finder¢ app was able to get ¢peak hits¢ 80 miles out. (Ridiculous visibility!)Felt truly blessed walking along in the fabled White Mtns surrounded by staggering views. Could look south and see what I¢ve crossed as well as the big ¢Presidential Range that awaits to the north. Magnificent.By 4pm I decided to take a steep(!!) 1.1 mile trail down to the Greenleaf Hut and inquired about ¢work for stay¢. In luck, they said, ¢Are you Daddy Longlegs? We heard about you (Maddie had told ¢em I was coming). Sure, just hang out til after dinner¢. So super yummy leftovers (turkey!) and a dry place to sleep were the capper to this amazing day. Given the storms in forecast, I am really thankful to the crew for helping me out. So at lights out, I¢ll set up my pad under the dining room table. Best room in the house! (Also moving a little ahead of schedule so tomorrow will be a small mileage day in the rain. Will hang out and get breakfast leftovers for a little housekeeping duty first)Life is Amazing. Some days it just ¢smacks you up side the head¢ with dazzling beauty.Keep walking!
Date: 2018-07-22
From: Greenleaf Hut

To: Nowhere
Miles today: 0.0

*can¢t upload pics with this coverage*Slept under the dining room table in the Greenleaf Hut last night. The night sky was beautiful and the Milky Way resplendent at this altitude. The wind gained strength through the night and the morning gales were a portent of foul weather a-coming. I sat on the [wind blocked] back porch during breakfast as the crew served 48 overnight guests. (This hut sits near road access and saw over 1,000 visitors yesterday alone) Once finished, the guests started filing out. I helped bus the tables, swept the main dining hall, and then the bunk rooms. Followed by breakfast with the crew: eggs, sausage, oatmeal and blueberry muffins. By 9am, my bag was packed and the time had come to go but the wind was fierce. Could barely stand outside and gusts registering over 60mph forced me to consider alternatives. After discussing the conditions with the Forest Service Emergency Runner, he advised simply ¢staying put¢. ¢Prudence is the better part of Valor¢I just hate sitting. Though itching to get back out there ...miles of alpine trail (above tree line) engulfed in rain clouds simply makes no sense. The risk reward ratio just ain¢t worth it. So an unplanned Zero Day made this Sunday a true ¢day of rest¢. Unfortunately, all tonight¢s guests arrived before noon as none want to hike in this mess. So the quiet mid-morning hut transformed quickly into a boisterous one. Ah, the AT. You just never know where you¢ll end up or what will happen. Life is amazing. (And windy!) Keep walking!
Date: 2018-07-24
From: Guyot Shelter

To: US 302
Miles today: 11.9
Weather: scattered clouds

Woke Up in Guyot shelter. Laid AroundHoping sky would clear. Rolled up the mountain about 8:30am after a long morning of chatting with other folks at the shelter. (Hard to get going when you have to put on all wet clothes, socks n shoes at 50 degrees.)Was in full rain gear after yesterday¢s deluge and spitting rain all morning. It didn¢t help much and what was damp turned soaked after crossing summits of Guyot and Zealand Mtns. Pulled the bro the Zealand Hut at noon to dry out. Removed shoes, wrung out my socks, and hung up everything but hard to dry things in the rain. Had a scone, some cookies and coffee, while watching the clouds begin to break up above the valley. After an hour I headed out again towards Ethan Pond as the rain had stopped...Super easy trail and took a spur to Thoreau Falls. Wow- all this rain had that thing roaring!Rolled up with intention to stay at Ethan Pond but decided to shoot for a few more miles to find food. (The bag is running mighty light!) Of course it started raining again as made it to the highway - hitched a few miles to a general store in Crawford Notch and decided to camp at the Saco River campground with Gizmo (another NoBo from Florida. We met at Hikers Welcome hostels few days ago but hadn¢t seen him since- nice to have company!)My feet are swamped as the wet has really hurt em. Went to bed early and pray forDry Weatherthough there is none in the foreseeable forecasts. Song of the Day:(Two-fer while walking down the highway trying to get a ride. Was actually dancing when a ride finally pulled over)Redneck Friend -Jackson BrowneRhythm Machine - Bad Co Life is soaking wet ... keep walking
Date: 2018-07-27
From: Madison Hut

To: The Barn (Pinkham Notch)
Miles today: 7.8
Weather: few clouds

Woke up in the middle of the night and went outside to gaze at the sky. A billion stars, highlighted by our Milky Way traversing the black sky, was a truly welcome sight. No clouds!The morning sky was clear with puffy cumulonimbus clouds well off in the distance. Though stunning, unfortunately the forecast says those clouds are rollin¢ this way quickly. Cool 20-30 mph morning winds added a note of truth to the WOB (Washington Observatory Bulletin). Cold & Warm Fronts colliding in this vicinity is a dangerous mix...definitely a small mileage day. The power failed in the hut in the early morning hours. The Croo still pulled off an amazing Breakfast. (They started making handmade donuts at 5:30. Wow!) Lack of power changed my work duties as no power meant no water/dishes ...so I swept the hut. Laid out all my gear in the sun to dry while we worked and by 9:30 all was dry(ish), packed up, and ready for departure. Said goodbyes to many hikers and the Croo then headed up over summit of Mt. Madison. Great start: 1/2 mile straight up alpine boulder field. Glorious views for first time in a week! Hard going however and it took two hours to do the first 2.4 miles. Once back below tree line things got a little quicker and the last few miles (down the Old Johnson Rd trail) were easy into Pinkham Notch visitor center. Pinkham Notch is one of the largest and oldest Huts in the AMC system. From there I called The Libby House & Barn in Gorham to find a place to stay. Paul said he had a spot in the barn and he¢d pick me up shortly. Sat watching the deluge of rain that began just minutes after I reached the Hut thankful to be oitof the elements. The big old white Cadillac pulled up to get me and, next thing I knew, we were back at the hostel among a collection of NoBos and SoBos all staying in the Barn. A wonderful shower, clothes laundered, dinner eaten and a tall beer consumed. Dang, it feels good to have some creature comforts under a dry roof!Based on the forecast, my hike is about to take a hiatus. Time to head home for a bit and be with the family! My knees held up surprisingly well and, though the extreme weather took a toll on my feet, feel confident I can come back in a few weeks and hike on through to Mt Katahdin. Song of the Day: Bob - DriveByTruckersLife is Amazing. It¢s the people in our lives that make all the difference. Keep on Truckin¢!
Date: 2018-07-28
From: The Barn (Pinkham Notch)

To: TommyÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs Place
Miles today: 0.0

The Barn. This AT hostel is attached to The Libby House (a haunted Victorian B&B) in Gorham NH. Paul runs the hostel and it was quite the welcome respite. Comfy bed (real bed, not a bunk, so my ¢Daddy Long¢ legs could hang off) and a quiet sleeping room made for wonderful rest. The Barn, added to The Libby House in 1881, has everything. Great shower, loaner clothes, washer/dryer, charging strips, WiFi, full kitchen , couches, etc. Just what a hiker wants and it¢s $22 a night: Solid!Had a slow morning as the NoBos split after coffee to head into state #14, Maine!Good luck to Steps, BattleLion & Dirt Devil (the girls from Houston,TX), Oats (nice kid from Cobb Co.GA) and Ghost (funny dude from CharlestonSC). Enjoyed meeting them and wish them safe passage to Katahdin!My shuttle driver, Bruce aka ¢Golden Waldo¢, arrived at 9:30 to take me to the Berlin Airport in Milan, NH about 15 miles north of the hostel. He finished his AT section hike in 2000 and, though he hails from Louisiana, he lives up here in the summers (too hot on the bayou) and shuttles hiker every day all over New England. When I asked him what made him want to do this he told me, ¢I cant hike anymore but I figured out what kind of assholes I like to hang around and this gives me that chance.¢ Yep, we got along great. (Had so much fun talking we drove 3 miles past the airport before we realized it!) Many thanks and safe travels, ¢Golden Waldo¢.The little white Cessna N73409 piloted by my old college roommate, Tommy O¢Leary, touched down on the tarmac at 10:56am. I hopped in and was whisked off into the friendly skies in five minutes. Flying around the mountains i¢d been hiking was an incredible perspective. So cool! Though the toughness of the terrain is masked at altitude, the formidable nature of the place is readily apparent and grandiose. Seeing the massive cloud banks envelope the mountain ranges affirmed the decision not to hike today (despite the seemingly sunny weather at the hostel this morning).We landed in Burlington at lunch time, toured the Airline Hangar where Tom¢s company is building its secret prototype (cool to have homeland security clearance at the airport to just go thru fences, etc) and, later as we sat eating and reminiscing, was struck by how weirdly odd my Vermont travels have been. Walked there the first time and now been flown in by Tommy!We went back to The house for pints, conversation, and the Liverpool match. After Liverpool crushed ManU, we went to watch the sunset over Lake Champlain. Simply spectacular. Stayed up & talked until 2am...My feet are so happy with the lazy day and talking all night about how to save the world was almost like being back in our college apartment. Life is good. Don¢t believe all the bickering you hear on the TV. Keep walking. Song of the Day: Maneater- Hall n Oates(Trust me)
Date: 2018-07-29
From: TommyÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs Place

To: Burlington walkabout
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

Sunday morning was the first ¢sleep in¢ moment in a long time. Suppose too much Pinot Noir and staying up late will lead to such things. It was wonderful!We hung out until the kids all arrived. Fun catching up with them. They have become high quality young adults and we spent the early afternoon chatting and playing board games. Later we went for a hike on the RedRocks trail along the high banks of Lake Champlain. Easy path to stretch the legs with cool old trees and interesting rock formations. Felt nice to do some easy walking and the feet are healing up nicely. Afterwards we shopped for foodstuffs and then grilled out in the waning light of the day. Dinner was followed by ¢family movie night¢ as we all piled on the couch, ate ice cream and chuckled thru ¢Guardians of the Galaxy #2¢. Such a relaxing evening ¢ am so appreciative of the hospitality. Song of the Day: Brandy- Looking GlassLife is Amazing. You are Loved!
Date: 2018-07-30
From: TommyÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs Place

To: Jay Peak
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Thought I was supposed to fly home today but my ticket is for tomorrow. (Not worth a $200 change fee to mess with it) Since Tom had to go to work, spent the day with Terry, Regina, Tommy and Ben. Piled all the kids into the Subaru and we drove 70 miles north to Jay Peak ski area and went to the indoor water park. I¢m not a big fan of water parks in general but it was a lot of fun. No crowd and everything was very clean. Driving up thru farm and dairy country was quite entertaining as well. (Not sure I¢ll ever be back in Enosberg Falls, VT again but happy to have seen such a scenic place) We finally got back ¢home¢ at happy hour and chilled out. This is my last journal entry for a few weeks as I head home to ATL. This journal will resume when I return to The Barn (Gorham, NH) and begin the trek north to Katahdin at the end of August. Many thanks to all for the well wishes and see you here again soon!Songs of the Day:Goddamn Lonely Love- DriveBy TruckersElephant - Jason Isbell(Because cleaning up this morning listening to Jason he did what he does...reach down into your soul and shake it!)Life is Amazing. Keep Walking!
Date: 2018-08-25
From: Atlanta

To: AT via NYC
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

Perhaps the title of this one should be ¢Relentless Part 3¢...In the words of my farmer friend, it is time to ¢get ¢er done¢! After spending August at home, jumped on a plane this morning and headed off to NYC. A busy weekend of moving my boy into the college dorm and then Monday it¢ll be back to Pinkham Notch, NH and the AT. ¢There are lots of opportunities out there¢but you will be the only person who is creating them. They won¢t be coming from anyone else. Be relentless. Write, act, direct, do whatever you do ...nonstop. Even if almost nobody sees your work. If you are constantly creating, then at some point the world will come looking for you. And it will seem like someone¢s given you an opportunity, or that you are lucky. But you are not¢you are relentless. Which is the only thing to be¢ -Thomas LennonTruthfully, this AT journey has taken its toll. Physically, mentally, spiritually. For the last 18 months, the walk has consumed me and my family in numerous ways. With 318.8 miles left to the summit of Mt Katahdin, I am ready to take the final steps of this particular walk. Relentlessly. Thanks for coming along and sharing the journey here. Life is Amazing. Keep Walking.Song of the Day:¢Promontory¢ by Royal Scottish Orchestra(from ¢Last of the Mohicans¢ soundtrack)