morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2016-06-12
From: Mizpah Hut

To: crag mountain farm
Miles today: 3.0
Weather: scattered clouds

We woke up in the warmth of Mizpah hut, which was nice considering the snow that was falling outside. We were still undecided on what we would do today. Half of the group didn't have the gear to traverse the northern presidential peaks, but part of the group wanted to push on to get the miles. We decided that after our Franconia ridge experience it would be best to not push through the weather. Then we had to decide whether to stay at the hut or to retreat down the mountain to the safety of the valley. We decided to take the comfort of the valley. Luckily our friend Derek let us stay with him at crag mountain farm ( a nearby summer camp where he worked) we walked the 2 miles off the mountain and hitchhiked the way back to Derek's car. We immediately went to the grocery store and picked up the essentials for our grill out session that was about to take place. We ate too many burgers, showered, and washed our clothes ! It was a great day of relaxing with friends, and we owe a huge thank you to Derek and everyone at crag mountain farm for being so supportive and welcoming. The forecast for tomorrow is looking much better, so we are hoping to traverse the presidential range all in one day!
Date: 2016-06-13
From: crag mountain farm

To: Lakes of the clouds Hut
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

Today we left cragged mountain farm at 7, after a delicious breakfast prepared by Courtney. The drive to Pinkham notch went by quickly, and we found David waiting there at 8. We decided to try and traverse the presidentials today even though the weather wasn't going to be perfect. We said goodbye to Derek and then Courtney drove us to the trailhead. She dropped us off we said goodbye, and then headed up Crawford path. The first 4 miles below treeline weren't terrible m, but then we got to Mt. Clay and the wind really picked up. The visibility was reminiscent of Franconia ridge, but luckily we all were prepared and stayed much warmer. I wish I could tell you about all the beautiful views, but unfortunately all I could see was the barren rock right in front of me. We made it to lakes of the clouds hut around 1 (halfway through the traverse), when we got there we had no intention of staying, but we got to talking and realized that hiking was no fun at all in those conditions plus we wouldn't even get to see the supposedly most beautiful section of the trail. With promises of clear skies tomorrow we decided to do work for stay at Lakes of the clouds hut. The next three hours consisted of a lot of Yahtzee, and then some dish cleaning and then some more Yahtzee. We ate lasagna scraps and lemon poppyseed cake. I'm currently laying on the floor of the dining room totally content.
Date: 2016-06-14
From: Lakes of the clouds Hut

To: carter notch hut 
Miles today: 22.0
Weather: light rain

We woke up to something amazing this morning, SUNSHINE! It seemed as though our patience had finally paid off and we might get a clear in the white mountains. I had morning work for stay chore of sweeping, which was good and bad. On one hand, we didn't get to leave the hit until 9 (fairly late start), but we got leftover breakfast scraps from the hut employees. Once outside we headed toward mount Washington (one of the most iconic peaks). The sun was finally out and we could see what all the hype was about ! We got to walk 6 miles above treeline, which is fairly uncommon on the AT. It was truly breathtaking, and very strenuous at the same time. These were definitely some of the most beautiful yet strenuous miles of the trip. We stopped at Madison hut and picked up some lunch scraps before our last presidential peak, Mt Madison. This peak in particular seemed like just a huge pile of boulders. There weren't any markers, but we knew we just had to make it to the top. Once on top we had a great view of all the peaks we had just climbed, it was an accomplishing feeling. We then started our descent into Pinkham notch, which in my mind, was harder than all the climbs put together due to the steepness. After the notch we had 6 more miles to carter notch ( our destination for the evening). It was 5 when we reached the notch, but we figured the remaining 6 miles could take no longer than 2 hours. We were very wrong because wildcat mountain is the steepest mountain on the AT. This plus our previous mileage made us extremely tired. We limped the remaining miles to carter notch hut in the dark. Luckily when we arrived the hut workers let us stay inside so we didn't have to pitch our tent ! We met our first sobo here. We are exhausted after this huge day over tough terrain, but we are also glad the weather has cleared up and we will be able to get back to hiking miles! Tomorrow will be our last day in the white mountain national forest and possibly New Hampshire !
Date: 2016-06-15
From: carter notch hut 

To: white mountain hostel
Miles today: 0.0

We started the day off with a nice 6 am climb out of carter notch. Unfortunately, the trail was a classic white mountain affair, lots of steep uphills and slick rock downhills. The going was slow in the morning but we were rewarded with beautiful views back to the presidential range. After a steep descent down the carters we climbed back up to Mt Moriah. As we went back down towards Gorham we realized once again we would be passing by white mountain hostel. We decided to cut our day a few miles short and stop at the hostel. We promised it would be our last hostel, and a nice way to celebrate making it out of the whites. I personally had ulterior motives. I have trouble saying no to a good breakfast. That night I stuffed my face with food and watched tv in preparation for the next two weeks in Maine.
Date: 2016-06-16
From: white mountain hostel

To: full goose shelter 
Miles today: 23.0
Weather: clear sky

The white mountain hostel is so great ! It is definitely my favorite place we have stayed ! After a great night of sleep and a large breakfast we are ready to take on the trail ! We left the hostel around 8 with big plans to make it to full goose shelter to meet our trail friend mad dog. We had thought the terrain would be easier since we were out of the whites, but we were shocked to find   extremely tough climbs. At the top of mount success we finally crossed over into Maine ! It seemed like we were so close to the end even though there was still over 200 miles. The 2 week countdown to Katahdin was on ! We made it up our last climb of the day (full goose mountain) as the sun was getting low. From the top of the exposed ridge you could see forever with no town in sight, just mountains. We are all so excited to see what the rest of Maine has to offer ! At the base of the mountain we came to a large swampy meadow. Eli walked right off the bridge and ended up knee deep in the mud, so much for his shower and freshly washed clothes. We made it into camp and grabbed a shelter spot next to our buddy mad dog, who plans on hiking with us the rest of the time ! We have an early morning planned to get into town before the post office closes.
Date: 2016-06-17
From: full goose shelter 

To: surplus pond
Miles today: 0.0

Yesterday we realized I made a huge logistical error, I shipped my shoes to the post office in Andover, ME, where we would be on a Sunday. So after a series of mountain top phone calls we were able to arrange for a ride to the post office from an earlier gap. The gap was still 10 miles away and we had to be there by 10. This wouldn't be too hard at our usual pace, but this ten mile section of trail is home to mahoosuc notch and arm. The notch is the most infamous section of trail on the AT. A collection of van sized boulders jumbled together in a narrow notch. I assume this section of trail would be appealing to any rock climber but with a cumbersome 30 pound pack things can get interesting. Once you make it through the labyrinth it's on to mahoosuc arm which has a reputation in the shelter logs as a definite day ruiner. With all that in mind we left full goose pond shelter at 4. We hiked around a mile and dropped into the notch. Our goal was to make it through in an hour. The trail wove around, on top, and under boulders. Often times you could see ice deep in crevasses of Boulder piles. Whoever maintained the section of trail had a sick sense of humor. Often times the trail intentionally went under boulders just because it could. Several times we had to army crawl through sections. When it was all said and done we finished in an hour. The next 8 miles to the gap went by fairly quickly. We were treated to more classic Maine. That's been my favorite thing about Maine so far is that you can look into any direction and just see trees, lakes, and mountains. It's absolute wilderness. Andover is a tiny town with a post office and a gas station. All went smoothly with the pick up and we got back to the trailhead around 12. One beautiful thing about the north is that no matter where you are they always carry Ben and Jerry's ice cream, even in the Andover gas station. After we got dropped off we hiked a quarter mile and stumbled upon a trail magic cooler chocked full of goodies, such as snickers, Gatorade, and beer. The snickers and Gatorade were a great way to wash down the Ben and Jerry's. After that we hiked up bald plate mountain, and called home. We then hiked 8 more miles and camped at surplus pond.
Date: 2015-12-01
To: Springer Mt.
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

WOW! My first journal entry. I have been waiting 12 years for this moment. The kids are off to college. I am retired and my wife has given me the GO. After reading hundreds of journals, dozens of books and watching about every dvd or youtube video out there the time has come to get out and hike the trail.First I would like to thank Leif and everyone at trail journals. Without this site being available I'm not sure this hike would have happened. Thousands of hours living thru all the hikers who have attempted the Appalachian Trail has inspired me to do the same. While I hope this journal is entertaining, informative, and exciting my main goal will be to keep an accurate account of my adventures. I will keep a daily account of my expenses and once a week devote a paragraph to tips from the trail. It would be an honor to have hikers look back and someday say that they learned a lot from my postings. Waiting for April 1st
Date: 2015-12-03
To: Springer Mt.
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

Just for the record. The longest hike I've ever done is 6 miles with a 12 pound pack. Started to do some 3 mile training hikes. Not sure how everybody does 15-20 miles a day. This should be interesting! Have a few friends betting against a successful thru-hike. I'll take on all bets. This is the start of my gear. YOU can click on any of the pictures of the day and they will become full page.
Date: 2015-12-20
To: Springer Mt.
Miles today: 0.0

OK. I'm still getting my gear togeather and I am not going to bore you with a lenghtly pack list. You will be able to view everything that's in my pack if you click to gear list. I'm starting to understand why it seems everybody waits until the last minute. THEY DON'T! It takes so much planning, shopping, comparing, but it will all be worth it if you have the right gear.   My thoughts on the three most important factors to a successful thru-hike are (1)Packweight. (2)Packweight (3)Packweight. Some hikers might say mental toughness, get in shape, attitude. Guess what! That all falls into place if you can shave 20 lbs off your back for the 2180 mile trip. Shooting for a 15 lb pack and 7-10 lbs of food.   I will never forget my first encounter with a thru hiker. It was years before I realized what I saw.. I was doing an easy 3 mile hike when this person approached me with a huge pack. His socks were hanging off his hiking poles and he smelled really bad. I laughed as he passed by me thinking, who does this guy think he is. Crazy dude is only a mile from the road. He doesn't need all that stuff. (Ya, my first thru). When I realized what I saw, the idea of hiking a trail that goes on forever stayed in my head for the next 15 years.    So now at 55 years old I'm going to quote the movie Shawshank Redemption. Get busy living or get busy dying! TIME 2 HIT THE TRAIL!!!!!
Date: 2016-01-03
To: Springer Mt
Miles today: 0.0

First snow of the new year and the 4 wheel drive works fine. My concerns of freezing to death in the smokies are all coming back to me. Lyme disease and cold weather are my 2 biggest fears. I will be treating my clothes with permethrin after the first month to fend off the nastys on the trail and I'm spending a little extra on the right clothing.   When I asked a thru-hiker this summer what was the hardest part of the trek he told me it was his wife calling every week with a different problem at home (lawn mower won't start, water leak, broken dryer, etc.) So I'm setting up a list of everybody for my wife to call in case of a problem and a second number for back-up.                     3 things to avoid on the trail   No slackpacking (hiking without a full pack)   No sleeping in shelters (tent, hostel, motel to avoid norovirus)   Quitting (its not an option)                      3 things to do on the trail   Hike every mile from GA-ME      Have a really great time throughout my journey   Return a happier and better person (if that's possible, ha ha)My next post will be Feburary 1. Chow!
Date: 2016-02-15
To: Springer Mt
Miles today: 0.0

The last month has flown by. Disney, Mexico, Belize, and Honduras. I need a vacation from the vacations. It is time to get in shape for this hike! For the readers who are not quite familiar with the trail I have a few numbers and some information for you. Here we go.   5,000,000 steps from Georgia to Maine.   2180 miles long   260 shelters along the way   14 states of hiking   After consulting with the expert (my wife, 30 years with the Post Office) I have decided to not send any mail drops to myself. Not only is it not cost effective but the countless stories from hikers of getting sick of the food they prepared or waiting in town an extra day for their package to arrive is enough to persuade me to pick up my food every 2-3 days along the trail. For the record, no one has ever starved to death Thru-Hiking the Appalachian Trail. There might be one large package with a new resupply of gear, clothes, and whatever else breaks down along the way. Hopefully this package won't be needed until the halfway point at Harpers Ferry.   I'm hoping lots of friends will sign the guest book on the left column of this site. It is very easy and a few words of encouragement can go a long way when you are away from home for this long. Whenever possible I will try to post twice daily. Once around noon during a break and then again before bed. Have heard that it is sometimes difficult to type a lengthy journal at night due to exhaustion.   My next post will be at the end of March. A week before I leave for Georgia.
Date: 2016-03-21
To: SpringerMt 
Miles today: 0.0

It is crunch time. Still have a few items to buy. Starting to stress out and I usually don't stress about anything. Did a shakedown hike in the woods last week and learned a few things. My can stove does not have enough ventilation in the side so the flame get's smothered out when I put my cup on it. Always check the batteries in your head lamp. Also need a small pad under my boney butt when I sleep.   My training has been going well. No matter what tasks I have for the day 2+ hours have been put aside for hiking. Am up to 7 miles a day with a full pack. Usually hiking 3 consecutive days before taking a zero seems to be working. Don't want to over train before the trip.   The above picture was taken two years ago at Chet's hostel in Lincoln NH. I made the 80 mile drive to do some trail magic and pick the brains of as many thru-hikers as I could. Chet's an awesome guy who fills his garage every season with thrus. A small donation or a brief work for stay is more than enough for this very generous man. Chet is not in any hiking books and goes by word of mouth only. Right in the center of this small White Mountain town you have easy access to EVERYTHING u need. He has become a friend and I can't wait to see him when hiking thru NH this year. Just another day dreaming of the Appalachian Trail! Hearing of hikers starting with way too much food. Plan on 1 1/2 days of food from Springer.
Date: 2016-03-31
To: Atlanta Gerogia
Miles today: 0.0

3:30am. Heading to the airport. Will post tonight @ hiker hostel.Planes, trains and automobiles. Everything went ok. Our train broke down so we had to transfer. At the next stop the police stopped the train for an assault. Then When we finally arrived at the hiker hostel I realized I did not bring my credit card with me. Oh ya, also left a pair of readers on the plane. Got to stay focused, just too excited. Guess who got the fire started tonight right after the downpour. TERODACTYLE!Met a great bunch of hikers tonight. The owners states that the numbers are up 40% from last year. It's as crazy as I thought it would be. This log cabin is booked 2 months forward @ they are turning away 20 hikers a day. This is going to get very interesting. 8:00 pm Good Night. GA-ME 2016
Date: 2016-04-01
From: Springer Mt

To: Horse gap
Miles today: 10.2
Weather: light rain

Woke up to a great breakfast. Met so many interesting people last night. Everybody arrived on Springer around 10am. No rain but very foggy. Unfortunately I arrived without my hiking poles. Left them in the van and realized it as they were driving off. Thank God for cell phones. They are going to meet me tomorrow at a road crossing. This is the biggest rookie mistake out here during the first week.   Ran into my first trail magic around 2 this afternoon. Plenty of tasty snacks. I am carrying 1.5 days of food. Everybody seems jealous of my pack. Had the lowest packweight out of the 24 hikers today. 22 lbs with food and water!! One girl here from British Columbia has 8 days of food in her pack. All my years of planning seem to be paying off. Well it's off to Horse gap.$$$ 100.op today. 85@hostel 15@food
Date: 2016-04-02
From: Horse gap

To: Woody gap
Miles today: 10.8

Still trying to post yesterday's pic on Springer. Last night started off warm,comfortable. Then at midnight the rain started. Around 5am the wind picked up and got cold. My first pack up in the woods went well. Held everything up in the air to dry out. The sun is shining, got my hiking poles back and it looks like it's going to be a beautiful hiking day. Will post tonight from Hogpen gap. They have wifi.   I now know first hand about hiking out of a gap. After packing up the tent there was a 700ft stright up hike. Had to peel off a few layers. Met these 3 guys from Mass. And hiked with them for a few miles before they left me in the dust.   This afternoon met a guy from Hawaii. A marine biologist. Learned a lot,and was so interesting. Goes to show you the range of people u meet out here.   Ended up today after 10mi coming out of the woods into the magic bus of greatness. Chouda,soup,bread and a free ride to a great hostel. Wolfepen gap country store. Having a great time with about 20 hikers.   Another great day on the Appalachian trail.$$30.00 Hostel / Food
Date: 2016-04-03
From: Woody gap

To: Neels gap
Miles today: 11.3
Weather: overcast clouds

Slept great last night in the hostel. As I poked my head out this morning to check the weather a woman asked if we wanted breakfast. It was delish. Soon after 8 of us boarded the free shuttle back to the trail. We ended up right back at the trail magic bus. A second breakfast in one hour. Speaking of food, there has been so much food in the hiker boxes u could have had almost carried nothing the first 3 days. Am at blood Mt. Shelter right now. It's Awesome.   Just did another 3.5mi to Neels gap. This place is beautiful. Still can't believe I am here. I've seen this place so many times in videos and books. Trying to cook for the first time with my can stove. Scored big time in the hiker box at Woody gap. Hiker boxes are at every hostel full of discarded food items and other trail items. Am cooking Jamaican jerk rice with chicken. Someone put 3 different Backpackers Pantry meals in a box. Now their mine. Tonight's guests include 3 April Fool hikers from trail journals. Mustard Seed. Negotiator, and Sea dog.   Life is good on the Appalachian Trail.$18.00 Hostel
Date: 2016-04-04
From: Neels gap

To: Low gap shelter
Miles today: 11.2
Weather: clear sky

Most everybody is up early in the hostel (5:45 am). Found two electric heaters last night so it was nice and toasty. The 10 or 11 mile days seem to be working pretty good for the first week. I plan on increasing mileage in a few more days. Was having trouble with my homemade stove. Negotiator @ Mustard seed had an extra pocket rocket stove with too much fuel. So I am the proud owner of a new stove. They would not take a penny for this $35 new stove. Such nice people. My can stove went right into the trash.   Was the first one up but the last one out of the hostel this morning. Had some decent scrambled eggs and bacon complements of the free hikers box. They weren't bad but would not pay 9 dollars for these pre-dried food packages. Toughest day yet of hiking. A lot of straight up @ downs, thru 2 wilderness areas. It's 1 o'clock and 3 more miles to Low Gap shelter.   Bugs r coming out. Will have to pick up spray soon. 4:00 at low gap. Hungry, thirsty, and a little sore. 3 firsts today. First time filtering water from a stream. First time using a privy and first time jet boiling my dinner. Time to gather some wood for my first fire of the trail.$ No money spent today.
Date: 2016-04-05
From: Low gap shelter

To: Top of Georgia hostel
Miles today: 10.2
Weather: clear sky

Just want to say thank you everybody for signing the guest book. I finally got a chance to check it last night and it really meant a lot to me. It was a long day of hiking and 95% of it was alone. So nice to know so many people back home are pulling for you. A lot of the hikers out here are not as lucky.   Cold Cold Cold last night. I did not wear enough cloths to bed so after 3am the tent was pretty frosty.Heading for the top of Georgia hostel a.m. Will be checking in tonight.   After packing up a cold wet tent Seadog and I we're on our way. Looks like I'll have some company on today's hike. The first 3 miles this morning flew by. The terrain was mostly flat with soft sand, a nice break. The miles seem to go by so much quicker when you have somebody with you. After stopping for lunch we proceeded to do the last four miles in about 1 hour anticipating getting to the newest and supposedly nicest hostel on the trail. I got to the parking lot around 1 o'clock and called the shuttle to pick me up. There was two different people set up with Trail Magic. The picture you see above is two newly retired firefighters who are also dreaming of doing the trail soon. The 10 miles covered today seem twice as easy as yesterday and I have decided tomorrow to bump up the mileage to about 12 to 14 miles a day. Once settled in the hostel 4 of us got a free shuttle to town and did resupply for the next three days. It's official, I'm a thru hiker going through the grocery store trying to find food that will last me for 3 days with no refrigerator or microwave. It's harder than I thought. We had a 2hr time limit in town and decided to go to an all-you-can-eat buffet. We were then going to go across the street for a beer or two. We were all so full from the buffet, there was no room for beer. What is happening to me?? No beer, too full of food!! On our way back to the hostel now for another very early night.   $$45 Spent tobay.