morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2018-07-05
From: The Inn at Long Trail

To: Campsite 
Miles today: 14.0

The hotel stay included a free breakfast. I went down at 7:30 and the dining room was packed. Many of the people were hikers I knew or at least recognized. There was the family of hikers, a dad and two teenagers that I¢d seen at shelters the past few nights. Doser and Napper were there as well as Olive Branch who Matt and I had met in Cheshire, MA. Breakfast was so good, huge portions!! I was stuffed and so wanted to crawl back into my bed. But I packed up and hit the trail again. Today was another hot day. Lots of steep climbs lately. I passed through Gifford Woods State Park Campground where I got a strawberry fruit popsicle at the office. I also ran into a hiker I had been leap frogging all day yesterday. He was waiting for a ride to a clinic, having foot problems :(. Wished him a speedy recovery and headed on. The hike wasn¢t too difficult. There was one spot that had a ladder secured to the rocks to climb down. That was a first...:)I found a stealth campsite by a stream. While I was setting up camp I realized I left my hammock straps at the campsite on Killington Peak! I was able to use the straps I have for my tarp, but then obviously couldn¢t use my tarp. Forecast is calling for severe thunderstorms tonight...should be fun :).
Date: 2018-07-06
From: Campsite 

To: Thistle Hill Shelter 
Miles today: 17.0

The heavy rain and thunderstorms were a little scary last night. I didn¢t get very good sleep. I keep my pack and everything in my hammock with me so everything stayed relatively dry. And no trees feel on me which was a relief :). I packed up early and hit the trail by around 6:30. It rained hard and there were rumblings of thunder all morning. By early afternoon though it cleared up and the sun came out. My feet were really sore today and I was so glad to get to camp. I got water, cooked up my dinner (noodles and tuna), and crawled into bed. It was much cooler tonight. I actually had to wear my jacket and hat to bed. A bit different from the sweltering heat of the day before!
Date: 2018-07-07
From: Thistle Hill Shelter 

To: Velvet Rocks Shelter 
Miles today: 16.4
Weather: overcast clouds

Today was the ultimate trail magic day. I got up super early this morning and set off hiking at 6:00 am. I was excited to get to town, Hanover, NH. At around 8-9:00 I came into West Hartford,VT where a very nice and energetic guy said he was doing trail magic and offered to cook me breakfast. He had a very impressive setup. He cooked me a skillet with potatoes, onions and cheese and a cup of coffee from a French press. His name is Fresh Ground and he¢s been doing this for hikers since February this year, but had done it for years. I was so full, and he was still trying to give me more food :). He did give me a baggie full of jolly ranchers, big score!!A few miles later I came to the town of Norfolk, VT. The trail goes thru town and then through residential areas. I found so much trail magic here. There were chairs set up with coolers of pop, coolers in front of houses with banana bread and watermelon. I talked to a couple who drove by as I was sitting drinking a Mountain Dew. They said they wanted to see and talk to some hikers so they took a drive down Elm Street :).Then there was a few miles of walking along a busy freeway. Luckily there was a wide sidewalk. Then I walked into Hanover. What a culture shock. To go from the woods to this high class touristy college town. The town was beautiful. The people looking at me very strangely though :). I stopped for lunch at a restaurant. They put me in the furthest corner they could. Can¢t blame them I know how bad I smelled! I had a nice spot to look at the street and people watch though and was able to recharge my devices. After lunch I stopped at the grocery store to resupply. I then hike the 1.5 miles out of town to the next shelter. I actually felt relieved to be back in the woods again.
Date: 2018-07-08
From: Velvet Rocks Shelter 

To: DowdsÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂ Country Inn
Miles today: 16.0

I woke up late this morning,for me, feeling tired and not wanting to get up. As I packed up I realized that Olive Branch had camped right next to me. She was packing up at the same time. We chatted for a bit as we hiked away and then I let her go ahead of me. I was feeling tired all day. Having a full pack from my resupply in Hanover was not helping either. I had mailed new hammock straps to Lyme, NH 16 miles away. I made a reservation at a B & B there for the night. Around lunchtime I came to a road crossing and found Fresh Ground setup cooking food and Olive Branch sitting there too. I sat down and Fresh Ground served me up some spaghetti and koolaid. Amazing! I sat and ate and chatted with them for a while. Fresh Ground offered to support me, Olive Branch and a group of other hikers thru the White Mountains, which is coming up in the next few days. We made plans and exchanged info. I hiked on, still struggling the rest of the day. When I got to my road crossing to get to Lyme Fresh Ground happened to be going by and offered to give me a ride to the B & B. I checked in, had a shower and went down to the restaurant for dinner. After a big meal and a beer I was so ready for bed!
Date: 2018-07-09
From: DowdsÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂ Country Inn

To: Dowds Country Inn
Miles today: 0.0

I decided to take a zero day today. My hammock straps didn¢t arrive at the post office until after noon. I was still pretty tired so I spent most of the day sleeping. The B & B had a great breakfast. I had dinner again at the restaurant attached to the b & b. There I chatted with a few locals about the up coming Whites. I¢m getting nervous and they helped get me excited about how beautiful it will be. I went to bed early.
Date: 2018-07-10
From: Dowds Country Inn

To: Campsite 
Miles today: 15.0

This morning I had another great breakfast at the b&b this morning. I then packed up and called an Uber to pick me up. I was dropped off at the trail rested up and ready to go. I had two tough climbs today, Smart Mountain and Mount Cube. There were beautiful views of the  Whites. I wanted to keep hiking longer but because of my late start it was starting to get late. I found a great stealth spot next to a stream to camp. Overall a good day :).
Date: 2018-07-11
From: Campsite 

To: Hikers Welcome Hostel 
Miles today: 11.0

It was a short, easy day of hiking today. Early in the morning I met the Omlette Man. I have been hearing about this guy for the past week. He had an impressive setup to do trail magic. He¢s been doing for years apparently. His specialty is omelletes, but I just grabbed a banana and sat and talked with him for a while and petted his boxer Liberty. Super nice guy and sweet dog :).I decided to stay at the Hikers Welcome Hostel which was only 11 miles away because 1) its an iconic must stay per hikers I¢ve talked to and 2) they offer slacking services over Mt. Moosilauke, the first big mountain of the Whites. When I arrived at mid day I met Stargazer, a nice woman who showed me the ropes of the place. I then shortly met Packrat, the owner, a triple crowner, who leaves out of state and does not come by much anymore. They have a great setup here. Nice outdoor showers and laundry, two bunkhouses and you can also set up a tent. There is a common area with tv and a huge library of dvds, a fridge where you can by pop, frozen pizza, ice cream, etc.  I set up my hammock and chilled for a while. At 5pm they drove us hikers to the one store/gas station in town to pick up dinner and/or resupply. When we got back we ate our dinners and watched Ferris Buellers Day Off. I crashed early to get ready for the big climb tomorrow.
Date: 2018-07-12
From: Hikers Welcome Hostel 

To: Hikers Welcome Hostel 
Miles today: 10.0
Weather: light rain

Today I slackpacked over Mt. Moosilauke. The way the hostel does it is they drive the hikers to the north side of the mountain and you hike south up and over the mountain and back to the hostel. The shuttle left at 7:30 am and took about 20-30 minutes. The first part of the climb was a sharp, steep ascent along a waterfall. It was so amazing, and only a little scary. I can definitely see why people do not do this in bad weather. Slipping on these rocks would be deadly. After a few miles I reached the summit. The views were literally breathtaking. I hung out at the summit for a while taking pictures and chatting with other hikers. The hike down was a long decent. I got back to the hostel around 3:30. At 5pm again we went to the one store in town for dinner. Apparently though this store is closing and everything was 50% off today. As such the place was flooded with people. It took a long time but we finally all got our food and headed back to the hostel. We ate our food and watched Waiting. This has been a great place to stay. Had some fun and met a lot of new people.
Date: 2018-07-13
From: Hikers Welcome Hostel 

To: Kinsman Pond Shelter
Miles today: 11.5
Weather: broken clouds

This morning I took the hostel shuttle to the north side of Mt. Moosilauke again but this time headed north. I first summited Mt. Wolf at 3,500 ft then South Kinsman at 4,358 ft. Kinsman was a tough steep climb. Again though , the views were totally worth it. This area is tough to climb but it is the most beautiful thing I¢ve ever seen. I stayed at the Kinsman Pond Shelter. The first AMC Campsite I¢ve stayed at. It was nice and well maintained. It was chilly tonight and I had to bundle up in my jacket and hat.
Date: 2018-07-14
From: Kinsman Pond Shelter

To: Lincoln, NH
Miles today: 5.0
Weather: clear sky

I hiked a short 5 miles to the Liberty Springs Trailhead to get a ride into Lincoln, NH where I have my next mail drop box sent. I planned to call an Uber since it¢s 7 1/2 miles away, but there was no internet service here. I called a taxi service listed in my trail guide and got voicemail...I was starting to get worried. Then an AMC ( Appalachian Mountain Club)  shuttle bus pulled in. I told the driver I was a thru hiker and looking for a ride to Lincoln. He was supposed to, but he said he¢d give me a ride. He was a super nice guy and a former thru hiker. Turned out he knew Packrat from the Hiker Welcome Hostel. They summitted Katadin together! He dropped me right at my hotel. I got checked and got my drop box. I did a few errands in town. Lincoln is a very touristy town. Lots of mini golf, zip line tours, and gift shops. I spent the rest of the time relaxing in my room and restocking my supplies from my box.
Date: 2018-07-15
From: Lincoln, NH

To: Garfield Ridge Shelter
Miles today: 10.0

Today was a very tough but rewarding day. I had a long tough climb up to Little Haystack Mountain. Then I walked along Franconia Ridge and summitted Mt. Lincoln and Mt. Lafayette. I keep saying it, but it¢s true, these mountains are so amazing! At Mt. Lincoln the clouds were literally rolling right over me. At the summit of Little Haystack I ran into Tippy Top of all people! I hadn¢t seen him since Delaware Water Gap. He said he got giardiasis and had had to take 4 days off the trail. After Mt. Lafayette the trail went downhill and then summitted Mt. Garfield. There was the remains of a fire tower there. I met up with Tippy Top and Daddy Long Legs, a section hiker he was with, there. There was also a day hiker there with his lab, Buddy, who was real sweet. We hung out for a while and I played with Buddy. Then the three of us hiked down to the shelter. I found a nook to setup my hammock and crashed out quick :).
Date: 2018-07-16
From: Garfield Ridge Shelter

To: Campsite 
Miles today: 10.0
Weather: overcast clouds

I was pretty tired today and dragging a bit. I had a very steep descending  boulder scramble leaving the shelter. I move very slow on these so it took me a while. then I had a steep ascent to South Twin Mountain. The trail then descended and crossed Mt. Guyot and Zeeland Mountain. I stopped at the Zeeland Hut and had a bowl of soup and lemonade. I had planned to go on the the next shelter 5 more miles away but instead found a stealth campsite just past the shelter. I set up my hammock and slept for about 12 hours straight. I think I needed it :). The Whites are tough!
Date: 2018-07-17
From: Campsite 

To: AMC Highland Center
Miles today: 7.5
Weather: moderate rain

Today I planned to hike to the Mizpah Hut but the weather got a little scary. It started raining hard and thunderstorms were beginning to rumble. When I got to the trail head at Route 302. The guy that was hiking right in front of me offered to drive me to the AMC Highland Center a few miles down the road. I decided to take him up on it since I¢m nervous enough climbing these rocks when they¢re dry let alone wet. When we got there I found Tippy Top already there. The place has rooms with 4 bunks in each. They separate them for men and women. They had an opening for me, but none for a men¢s bunk. I checked in and Tippy Top decided to hang out and see if there would be any cancellations. I took a shower and went down for lunch. By then Tippy Top had gotten a room. After lunch I napped and just relaxed. They had a social hour before dinner. There I met Tippy Tops roommates. Very nice and interesting guys. They have hiked these mountains many times so I got lots of info on what¢s coming up. They offered to give us a ride back to the trail in the morning. We had a great dinner. One of the guys does rescue missions for hikers that are missing or in trouble. So he had some very interesting stories to tell. Went back up to my bunk early. Two of my roommates however didn¢t show up till 10ish and I didn¢t get to sleep till way past 11 :(.
Date: 2018-07-18
From: AMC Highland Center

To: Lake of the Clouds Hut
Miles today: 11.5

The Center had an excellent breakfast for us this morning. I had to try not too eat too much so I wouldn¢t be miserable hiking. Tippy Top¢s roommate dropped us off at the trailhead by about 7:30. Today my plan was to get to the Lake of the Clouds Hut and do work for stay. The huts in the Whites are for pay guests, mostly day hikers. Everyday they let only a couple thru hikers do work for stay. They give them jobs to do in exchange for letting them sleep in the dining room. They also let them eat breakfast and dinner leftovers after the guests are done. I hiked as fast as I could today to try and make sure I¢d get one of the spots. I climbed Mt Webster, Mt Jackson and Mt Pierce. There were beautiful views. It was really windy and chilly. I got there at 3:30 and got a spot with no problem. Tippy Top was here along with another northbounder, Fluff and a southbounder, Maguyver. The guests for the Hut were two groups of teenagers, about 90 in total. Our chore was dishes. When we were done we ate in kitchen with the staff. ¢Quiet time/lights out¢ was supposed to be at 9pm. However the kids were aloud to hang out in the dining room with their headlamps. Things didn¢t clear out and quiet down until after 11pm for us to be able to sleep. Another late night... But the sunset here was stunning!
Date: 2018-07-19
From: Lake of the Clouds Hut

To: Osgood Tentsite 
Miles today: 10.0

I slept better in the Hut than I thought I would. We were up by 6am and the staff woke up the guests at 6:30. Breakfast, for the guests, was at 7. When they were done we again ate in the kitchen with the staff. The staff were great. We had a good time chatting with them. It was around 9am before we started hiking. It was only 1.5 miles to the summit of Mt Washington. This is the only summit I¢ve seen that has a road you drive up to it. There were tons of people there. There¢s an observatory up there, snack bar and gift shop. I was really nervous about this climb because I¢ve heard stories about the scary weather that can happen up here. I got very lucky though and the weather was perfect today. Low winds, sunny and clear! Tippy Top, Fluff and I explored the place for a while and charged up our devices. It was 11ish when I started the hike down. This hike down was crazy. It was all above tree line and steep dangerous rock scrambles. A wrong step could easily be deadly. I was nervous and it took me a long time. I didn¢t get to camp until 7:30. I was tired and my knees were not happy with me. I ate quickly and crashed out fast :).
Date: 2018-07-20
From: Osgood Tentsite 

To: The Barn Hostel 
Miles today: 5.0

Today was a short easy 5 mile hike to the Pinkham Notch Visitor Center. From there Tippy Top, Fluff and I called The Barn Hostel for a ride. Paul, the owner, picked us up in this awesome 1980 something white Cadillac. The hostel is in Gorham, NH. On the main floor there¢s a common room with a kitchen, tv and laundry. Upstairs it¢s a big loft area with about 15 double beds. I got lunch in town, sorted thru my resupply box and just rested the rest of the day.
Date: 2018-07-21
From: The Barn Hostel 

To: Imp Shelter
Miles today: 13.0

The Barn Hostel offers slackpacking services over the Wildcat and Carter Mountains. It¢s  a 21 mile hike. Tippy Top and Fluff decided to do that today and take a zero day tomorrow. That sounded like too much of a stretch for me, and a little too stressful. I decided to do the 21 miles in two days and stay at the hostel again tomorrow night. I¢m glad I did because today was kinda brutal. There were a lot of tricky rocky steep ups and downs. It took me about 12 hours to go just 13 miles. There were tons of day hikers out on the trails today, some kind of event/fundraiser put on by the Mt Washington Obsevatory. Heavy rain is supposed to roll in early tomorrow morning. So I¢m hoping to get an early start and get back to the hostel and miss as much of it as I can.
Date: 2018-07-22
From: Imp Shelter

To: The Barn Hostel 
Miles today: 8.0

The rain didn¢t come early this morning like it was supposed to. I had one climb first thing, one steep decent and then the last 3 miles were blissfully flat. I got lucky and the heavy rain didn¢t start until I was only a half mile from the trailhead. Paul from the hostel picked me up in his big white Caddy. I decided to take a zero day tomorrow to rest and avoid more storms that are supposed to be rolling in. I spent the rest of Sunday napping :)
Date: 2018-07-23
From: The Barn Hostel 

To: The Barn Hostel
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

I took a zero day today. I woke up early when all the other hikers got up. I went down the street and had breakfast at the local diner. Spent the rest of the day doing laundry, updating my journal and resting. This has been my favorite hostel so far. But I¢m ready to hit the trail again :)
Date: 2018-07-24
From: The Barn Hostel

To: Trident Col Campsite 
Miles today: 7.0
Weather: light rain

I woke up this morning not feeling great. Felt a cold or bug coming on. Paul took a group of us hikers to the trailhead at 7:30. The day started with a nearly 2,000 ft climb. It wiped me out. I was feeling pretty lousy so I decided to stop early for the day. Whatever bug I picked up was making me feel miserable :(. Stopped about mid day and rested in my hammock.
Date: 2018-07-25
From: Trident Col Campsite 

To: Gentian Pond Shelter 
Miles today: 5.0
Weather: light rain

Still felt lousy today but planned to hike thru it. Checking the weather though thunderstorms were set to roll in. I stopped early again before climbing Mt Success. If I had kept going chances were good I¢d summit just as the storms hit. Feeling like a slacker with two short days but hoping it¢s the smart choice. Rested in my hammock again for the rest of the day...
Date: 2018-07-26
From: Gentian Pond Shelter 

To: Full Goose Shelter 
Miles today: 10.0

Last night it stormed hard. Buckets of rain! The trail today was literally walking thru a stream. It kept raining most of the day. Within a few minutes everything was drenched, clothes, shoes, pack everything. The hiking was tough today too. A lot of steep rock scrambles on scary slippery rocks. I went thru the Alpine Bog too which was most of the time walking thru muck up to my calfs :-p. Today was not the funnest day :(.
Date: 2018-07-27
From: Full Goose Shelter 

To: Speck Pond Shelter 
Miles today: 5.0
Weather: clear sky

Because of the short days I¢ve taken I have run short on food. I had a packet of tuna for my food for today. Today started with an easy 2 mile hike. Then however I reached the Mahoosuc Notch. This is labeled as the hardest mile of the AT. I one hundred percent agree! The notch is basically a boulder field you have to figure out how to maneuver through. It is more rock climbing then hiking. I had a very tough time getting thru this. I have a big fear of heights, which is basically a fear of falling. I was freaked out of falling and killing myself. In the process of climbing up and over and under these rocks I actually split my pants, right in the seat of my pants :). Did I mention that this morning I decided that i didn¢t need to put on my underwear because they were soaking wet from the day before? Yeah, so I was basically mooning anyone that came by! At least I got a good story out of this :). I did meet up with three hikers from the shelter last night, Ringo, Jelly and Riz and they helped me thru part of this. I only fell once and got thru it thankfully with only a lot of scraps and bruises. After the notch I found a discreet place to change into my running shorts. Then I had the climb up the Mahoosuc Arm, a brutally steep climb up more slick rocks. It started to rain, making it more fun :-p. I was hoping to make it to the trailhead at Route 26 today to go into Bethel, ME. But i was whooped after today. I stopped at the Speck Pond Shelter and went to bed hungry, sore and spirits low.
Date: 2018-07-28
From: Speck Pond Shelter 

To: Chapman Inn 
Miles today: 4.6

I woke up this morning and every muscle and joint in my body hurt. I knew I only had about 4.5 miles to do today which made me happy. The first mile however was  more rock climbing straight up Old Speck Mountain. I think from the stress of the last few days and the lack of food I broke down on this climb. For the countless time I said ¢you¢re kidding me, how the hell an i supposed to do that!¢. I broke down and cried. I think I hit a wall. I was just done with the death trap rock climbing. I pulled myself together and got up and over the mountain. I found a spot with a beautiful view and stopped. I reminded myself why I was doing this and that I only had 3.5 miles to go and I¢d be able to rest at a hotel. The hike down was pretty easy. I passed a few gorgeous waterfalls too. I was so happy to make it to the trailhead. I met up with Ringo, Jelly and Riz there as well. I had no service though on my cell to call an Uber or taxi, the town is 20 miles away. So I had to hitch a ride. A first for me. I started walking down the road toward town and stuck my thumb out. For over an hour no one picked me up. I broke down again crying. Just the lack of food and tiredness. Finally a guy in a van stopped and picked me and another hiker up. He was an older guy that section hiked the trail and now shuttles hikers around. The other hiker, don¢t remember his name, was a young kid, southbounder, just going into town for smokes. The driver dropped us off at the grocery store. I picked up a few things and walked to the b&b. I took the best shower ever! Felt so good to wash all that mud off. Spent most of the rest of the day resting. Taking a zero tomorrow. This one I need to regroup!
Date: 2018-07-29
From: Chapman Inn 

To: Chapman Inn
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

I spent my zero day sleeping and resting my sore muscles. I went to the grocery store and resupplied, did my laundry and of course ate lots of food. I even found a sushi place for dinner :). My spirits were rising by the end of the day and was gearing myself up for hitting the trail in the morning.