morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2015-08-01
From: East B Hill Road

To: East B Hill Road
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: scattered clouds

8/1/2015Weather: cool before sunrise, warm and humid in the morning.Narrative:Zero day in Andover. Woke up at 4:30 am and stretched and powered my devices. At 6:00 am I walked over to the Little Red Hen for breakfast and caught up on my journal entries. At 10:00 am the parade started and Chips and I watched it on the Little Red Hen Porch. At 11:00 am I signed up for the pie eating contest, then mailed my old map and trail guide pages and got my AT Passport stamped at the post office, then went back to the pie contest and enjoyed eating the free blueberry pie with whipped cream while messing up my face a little bit. Then I walked to the library and found a perfect spot to elevate my legs next to the air conditioner while charging and using my iPhone to catch up on emails etc. Among other things I found the time to submit a complaint to Greyhound about the way the bus driver treated me and the other passengers. After the library, I walked back to Pine Ellis and met The Bionic Woman. I first ran into her on my way down Wyman Mtn but passed her on the trail without stopping to talk. Bionic Woman is trying to become the first woman with a prosthetic leg to thru-hike the AT. I also ran into Georgia. He came into town this morning and is taking a zero tomorrow. I also met Little Spoon, a young woman from Alaska who has been hiking part of the trail barefoot- at least, she was before her foot got infected. I also met Angelo, who started living part time in Andover back in the 60¢s, then moved here permanently in 1978. Angelo thru-hiked the AT in 1967 and I had an interesting conversation with him about Thoreau, self-reliance and staying active. Then I went to the Little Red Hen and had AYCE pizza with Alex, who told me more about himself. Alex is 19 and he is thru-hiking in part to reflect on what he would like to do with the future that lies ahead of him. After AYCE pizza, I returned to Pine Ellis and had an excellent conversation with Father, real name Nicholas, a priest from Poland, about St Olaf¢s way, the Camino, the West Highland Route and another long-distance trek Father did in Ireland. Father is an excellent hiker and he loves long distance. We also had an interesting conversation about Lach Walesa, whom Father knows personally, and Michael Collins. As I finished packing up my gear tomorrow, I also had a nice conversation with Headlights, from Jacksonville, about the real California.
Date: 2015-08-02
From: East B Hill Road

To: Baldpate Mtn Shelter
Miles today: 8.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Day 218/2/2015Treadway 9/10Weather: Sunny and warm 3/10Stats:8.37 miles 5:03:041.7 mph1125 cAverage heart rate 82 beats per minute 3736 feet up 2526 feet down 18677 stepsNarrative:Easy day with the best views so far. Woke up at 5:00 am, took my shower, had coffee, packed up my gear and got to the Andover General Store at 6:00 am for breakfast. Had the Portuguese Pile Up, lots of chorizo heaped with eggs and potatoes, and it was fabulous. Got back to Pine Ellis at 7:00 am and took the shuttle with Headlights to the trailhead. By 7:26 am, I was on the trail. By 7:45 am, I was at Dunn Notch. At 9:45 am I ran into Father a little above Frye Shelter and we wished each other well. A little after that I took a half hour break to eat and hydrate. During the break, I took a photo of a beautiful butterfly which perched itself on my backpack. On the way up Baldpate East Peak, at 10:45 am I met UHaul, a young man who started at Duncannon and plans to flip flop after Katahdin. He has a great, positive attitude about his thru-hike. As I continued the climb up East Peak, I reached some slabs below the summit at 11:15 am with stunning views to the north and east. Just after that, I ran into Trail Dog. I first saw him earlier on the trail as I was descending from Highway 17. Five years ago, he was 1400 miles into the hike when he fell and broke his humerus in New York. He was in very positive spirits when we met. At 11:37 am I reached the summit of East Peak Baldpate, with the best views I have seen so far in all directions, although I did not like looking at the windmills to the southeast. I took my time going down the steep rock slabs and was glad it was not raining. Then I went up and over West Peak, took my time going down the steep descent, and by 12:59 pm I was at the cutoff to Baldpate Shelter. Once there, I hydrated and ate lunch while charging my Garmin. Shrooms stopped by. She is originally from Slovakia and has been living in Toronto since 2001. She has her food all figured out, dehydrating tasty curries and other sauces. We had a nice conversation about Slovakia, the Czech Republic, the Camino and Toronto. I took a nice nap, and then Georgia rolled in. The weather was so nice he decided to take advantage and skip the zero. Then Little Spoon made it to the shelter. Neon Mountain stopped by for a break. He thru-hiked the PCT last year and said it was much easier than the AT ¢ apples and oranges. He wants to go NoBo on the CDT next year after his NoBo thru-hike of the AT this year. Swamp Turtle made it to the shelter after 6 pm. I had a good conversation with Swamp Turtle about art history and my desire to lead a Sierra Club outing in Joshua Tree with a Fear and Trembling theme. Swamp Turtle¢s parents are in academia and she just graduated from Swarthmore with a major in computer science and minors in art history and education. Swamp Turtle strikes me as a fine young lady with a bright future ahead of her.
Date: 2015-08-04
From: Full Goose Shelter

To: Gentian Pond Shelter
Miles today: 9.6
Weather: overcast clouds

8/4/2015Treadway: 10/10Weather: Sunny in the morning, thunderstorm in the afternoon, sunny after that 5/10Stats:10.03 miles 6:30:591.5 mph1663 cAverage heart rate 87 beats per minute 3454 feet up 4294 feet down 18587 stepsNarrative:Last day in Maine! Up at 5:30 am and on the trail at 6:30 am. Got to the top of all three Goose Eye Peaks. Ran into Georgia on the second peak. At 10:55 am I made it to the sign marking the New Hampshire-Maine border. Georgia and I took photos of each other. A bit further down the trail I met Hot Chocolate, from Australia. Hot Chocolate lives about 60 miles from Sydney. He did a 1,000- mile walkabout in Western Australia before doing his NoBo thru-hike on the AT. About an hour and a half after that, I reached a stream and had a hydration break. Then another storm started to brew and I caught the beginning of another thunderstorm a little before I reached the shelter. Fortunately I did not get very wet. I met Typo, who got his name misspelling points of interest in Georgia on Instagram. After the storm he headed for Carlo Col. Then Icarus stopped by to use the privy. He got his name by hiking from Springer to Neels Gap on his first day. I asked him when he stopped being Icarus, and he said he never stopped. It's nice to be young and indestructible. Next were Outlier from Akron, also on Trail Journals, and Wilson from South Dakota, who was inspired by Castaway. I told Wilson about the Castaway copyright lawsuit I litigated in 2001-2002. Happy Warrior, a Marine veteran from Virginia, was next to arrive. We had fun discussing military history. I also met Rabbitstick from Utah, who thru-hiked the PCT in 2013 and thought it was infinitely easier than the AT. Rabbitstick shared with me his interesting experience staying at a hostel in Rutledge, Vermont owned by a commune calling itself the Twelve Tribes. There is supposed to be a resident family of moose at Gentian Pond, and Georgia hiked down to the dam to see if he could see any, but he did not.
Date: 2015-08-05
From: Gentian Pond Shelter

To: White Mountain Hostel
Miles today: 11.8
Weather: broken clouds

8/5/2015Tread way: 7/10Weather: partly cloudy in the morning, intermittent rain in the afternoon and evening 4/10Stats:11.55 miles 5:39:362.0 mphAverage heart rate 103 beats per minute 2979 feet up 4318 feet down 24577 stepsNarrative:Another nero day. Up at 4:30 am, on the trail at 5:30 am. No breaks. At Hogan Road, Georgia caught up with me and we spent the last 15 minutes hiking together over the bridge and into the hostel. After we checked in, we took a shuttle into town and feasted at McDonalds. I arranged for a slackpack tomorrow starting at Pinkham Notch and ending at the hostel. I will take a zero after that, then hit the Presidentials the next day starting from Pinkham Notch. At 6:00 pm we caught a shuttle to Walmart and I stocked up on more supplies. Big day tomorrow.
Date: 2015-08-06
From: White Mountain Hostel

To: Pinkham Notch
Miles today: 21.1
Weather: light rain

8/6/2015Tread way: 8/10Weather: cool and cloudy 2/10Stats:19.64 miles 10:00:293570 cAverage heart rate 111 beats per minute 7500 feet up 8723 feet down 37428 steps Narrative:Today I did the equivalent of going up and down Katahdin twice in one day. Was hanging with Swahili, Mile Marker and Georgia up to North Carter but there was a steep, wicked descent after that and I could not keep up with them anymore after that. Made it to White Mountains Hostel around 6:50 pm. Ate dinner and met Cheddar and Nobody. Too exhausted to write anything more. Tomorrow will be a zero. This is the most insanely difficult trail I have hiked.
Date: 2015-08-07
From: Pinkham Notch

To: Pinkham Notch
Miles today: 0.0

8/7/2015Weather: sunny and cool. Narrative: Zero day before tackling the rest of the Whites. Figured out a 6-day plan from Pinkham Notch to Glencliff, with night 1 at Lake of the Clouds, night 2 at Ethan Pond, night 3 at Garfield, night 4 at Lonesome, night 5 at Big Beaver and night 6 at Glencliff. Went through my gear, aired out my sleeping bag, washed my food bag, taped up the tears in the mesh outer back pocket of my backpack. Took the noon shuttle to the post office, and mailed back my solar panels as I have concluded that I do not need them on a trip where I spend most of my time in the Green Tunnel. I ate at the AYCE Chinese buffet ¢ so much that I felt quite drowsy walking out and wanted to take a nap. Then I went to the caf©/bookstore and tried a lemonade with maple syrup which I did not like (I think you need to acquire a taste for that). Then I went to the gear shop and bought another pair of Darn Tuff socks and decided to donate my old hiking socks to the hiker box. Then I two good conversations with Solar Body, one while we were waiting for the shuttle and another in the bunkroom. Solar Body is living in New Jersey and owned a diner in Houston for a few years before selling it. He is extremely fit and athletic. Solar Body is a PE teacher, a taekwondo instructor and a seasoned scuba diver who has dived down to 120 meters, including dives for sunken ships. He started backpacking 6 or 7 years ago and his longest backpacking trip before the AT was a 7-day trip in Grand Teton National Park. He also has visited Big Bend, Guadalupe, Rocky Mountain, Zion and Death Valley. Solar Body is using a dictaphone on the trail and is shooting video of his trip. After Solar Body took the shuttle for Walmart, I caught up on my trail journal entries and updated my gear list on my journal page and got my gear ready for tomorrow.
Date: 2015-08-08
From: Pinkham Notch

To: Lake of the Clouds
Miles today: 14.9
Weather: broken clouds

Treadway: 8/10Weather: superb, no wind on top of Mt Washington 1/10Stats:15.82 miles 9:47:181.6 mph2939 c Average heart rate 97 beats per minute. 7017 feet up 4107 feet down 25772 stepsNarrative:This was a very hard day. Woke up at 6 am, got my pack ready, had breakfast, then took the shuttle to Pinkham Notch. Georgia and Solar Body also took the shuttle- Solar Body took the slack back to Gorham, while Georgia went over Mt Washington. We arrived at Pinkham Notch at approximately 8 am. It took me about half an hour to sort through my resupply package and by 8:30 am Georgia and I were on the trail. The 4.7 miles to Osgood were easy. After that, we began the hard, steep ascent of Madison. About halfway up I rose above tree line and began to enjoy spectacular views. Shortly after that I stowed my poles because the trail graduated to easy class 2. 2.5 miles after Osgood, I was on top of Madison. A day hiker from New Jersey took my photo. Then I made the agonizingly steep descent to Madison Spring Hut where I paid $2 for a bowl of soup and got my AT Passport stamped. Even though it was uphill, I think this is where I hurt my knees because the steps up were so extreme. Coming down Madison also was quite dreadful. I passed Nobody on the way down and Georgia and I hanged out with him at the hut while I enjoyed my bowl of soup. After the hut I climbed steeply uphill .3 miles, then began a stretch through the traverse below Jefferson which had mostly horrendous tread way with jumbles of sharp, pointy rocks. From there to Jewell cutoff the treadway improved. A little after Jewell I made a wrong turn and hiked the Westway Trail for about .5 miles before realizing my mistake and backtracking. The climb up Washington was not too bad and at approximately 6:10 pm I was on top with no wind. A nice family and I took each other's pictures and then I started going down, not wishing to linger with sunset approaching, and passed a woman who was hiking with another woman further down the trail who was having difficulty finishing her hike. When I passed the second woman, she was sitting on the trail and I gave her a pep talk and did my best to improve her spirits and motivate her to get to the top. The way down to Lake of the Clouds was not too bad but it was the end of a very hard day and I felt completely worn out. When I checked in with the person in charge, a kid named Sam, no work for stay was available and the best I could do was pay $10 for a spot in the dungeon and leftovers (mashed potatoes, peas and soup). Georgia and Little Spoon spent the night in the dungeon too. Georgia checked it out before I did. When I entered the dungeon after dark, I noticed there was no heat, no electricity, no nothing except a cold, cramped, miserable place to spend the night at 5,200 feet. The only open bunk was on top and required a few Cirque du Soleil moves to get in and out. Georgia asked me what I thought of the dungeon. I replied, ¢Aptly named, at least they don't make us wear iron masks.¢ That was good for a few laughs.
Date: 2015-08-09
From: Lake of the Clouds

To: Ethan Pond Shelter
Miles today: 14.0
Weather: overcast clouds

8/9/2015Treadway: 8/10Weather: partly cloudy and cool on the trail, heavy rain after making it to the shelter 4/10Stats:13.94 miles 8:02:411.7 mph1979 cAverage heart rate 87 beats per minute 3300 feet up 5383 feet down 29043 steps Narrative:My body desperately needed a zero this day, but spending another night in the dungeon simply was not an option. Up at 5:15 am, on the trail at 5:45 am. The light was to my back and I had excellent early morning light for photos on the way to Mizpah. I was feeling quite dreadful and my knees in particular were unbelievably sore. I made it to Mizpah Hut at 8:30 am. The person in charge was a lady who looked about my age. I asked if there were leftovers, and the answer was no. I asked her to stamp my passport, and she did, partially. At least she got the stamp right way up, unlike Sam at Lake of the Clouds, who did it upside down and then blamed his mistake on the stamp after doing so. The only food for sale was apple bread- half as big as the ginger bread at Carter and twice the price. I passed on the apple bread and asked how much for the the leftover bread from last night. The lady did not charge me for a slice (how generous), which I ate with my peanut butter. She began to vent about how many thru hikers there were this season, as if that were such a terrible thing. I told her just wait next year after the movie comes out. She said something has to be done about the situation- there needs to be more regulation. I told her she could regulate all she wanted, but it still was a free country. I then asked her what her expert opinion was on the trail ahead of me. She began by describing the trail I just covered, then after I corrected her she gave me a description which turned out to be completely wrong. After the hut, I had 2 miles of bogs, then reached the top of the Webster Cliffs and met a NoBo whose trail report was dead on ¢ miserable downhill rock slide for about a mile, then a steep but manageable downhill to the road. At the stream just before the road at Crawford Notch I stopped to hydrate and met two young lady NoBos, Nettle and Briar. The way up was the easiest part of the day and by 3:45 pm I was at Ethan Pond Shelter. The caretaker was a nice young man who listened patiently as I ranted about my experience at Lake of the Clouds. Georgia rolled in around 5:30 pm, and a little after that so did Little Spoon. We had to eat at a tarped area away from the shelter, which was a real pain in the ass, especially after it started raining and there was not enough space for the three of us under the tarp. We met a NoBo whose trail name we can't remember and described himself as ¢mediocre badass¢ after he said he was planning to go over Washington and all the way to Osgood after I told him that would be overly ambitious unless he was badass. Georgia remembers he said he was from Dallas.
Date: 2015-08-10
From: Ethan Pond Shelter

To: Garfield Shelter
Miles today: 14.5

8/10/2015Treadway: 7/10Weather: partly cloudy and cool 3/10Stats:14.25 miles 7:54:031.8 miles per hour 2160 cAverage heart rate 96 beats per minute 4422 feet up3300 feet down 25568 steps Narrative:Up at 5:25 am, on the trail at 6:30 am. The first 5 miles to Zealand Falls Hut were flat and easy. I was feeling much better today and was amazed at how well I had recovered from the day up and over Washington. At Zealand the young lady was very nice and I had soup and a giant oatmeal and raisin cookie and lemonade. The climb up and over Zealand and Guyot was not too bad. The climb up South Twin was fine, and then I made it down the really steep downhill to Galehead Hut without too much trouble after stashing my poles. At Galehead I had chocolate cake, soup and lemonade for $5. Ran into Georgia there as I was getting ready to leave. Lots of rocks and up and down on the way to Garfield. The last .3 miles were up a stream bed, not a waterfall as Nettle and Briar had told me the day before with some exaggeration. Georgia got there a few minutes before I did, and Little Spoon made it about half an hour after that. She was hurting today. At the shelter we met Joe from Philadelphia, a strong young hiker who started from Katahdin on 7/9. We also met All the Way, from Tennessee near Nashville.
Date: 2015-08-11
From: Garfield Shelter

To: Franconia Notch
Miles today: 10.3
Weather: moderate rain

8/11/2015Treadway: 8/10Weather: 70 miles per hour gusts, heavy rain, absolutely miserable 10/10Stats:10.37 miles 6:01:291.7 mph1014 cAverage heart rate 107 beats per minute 3530 feet up 6010 feet down 23345 steps Narrative:No one put a gun to my head to do this, and I knew starting out that I would be having a fair share of really bad days. This was one of them, thanks to the wonderful weather in the Whites. Up at 4:30 am, on the trail at 5:26 am. My plan was to get as many miles behind me as possible before all hell broke loose. For the first two miles, I was churning up and down over Garfield and the ridge below the tree line. The treadway was generally rough and rocky, and there was a ton of up and down, so I felt like I was crawling when I wanted to fly before the storm. It was eerily quiet and no bird or animal noise on the trail. I felt like the only sentient being in the Whites who did not get the memo. As I began to rise above the tree line, the fierce winds started to hammer me. The first casualty was my pack cover, which flew down the mountain side. Lafayette has a number of false summits and each time I went over one I got a shot of 70 mph winds right in the solar plexus. I also was getting socked with horizontal sleet stinging my face. It was that way over Lafayette, Lincoln and Little Haystack, and frankly I was terrified most of the way. The Kenny Loggins song ¢Danger Zone¢ from ¢Top Gun¢ kept running through my head the entire time I was on the ridge. I passed Liberty without stopping and kept going nonstop until I reached the causeway. I did not stop for three reasons. 1. I wanted to get as many miles behind me as possible before the heavy rain. 2. I was afraid that if I stopped, I would not have the will to continue. 3. I wanted to keep moving to avoid hypothermia. By 11:30 am I was on the road and it took me less than 5 minutes to get a hitch to Lincoln. A kind soul named Michael picked me up and dropped me off at Chet¢s Place. Ripped offered me an IPA beer, and it was gone in 60 seconds. Then Hercules offered me a Pabst Blue Ribbon, and that was gone in 60 seconds too. Then Georgia rolled in and we went to McDonalds. I had a coke, fries, chocolate shake, coffee, two double quarter pounders with cheese and four sausage burritos. A day in the life of a healthy thru-hiker. Then we stopped at the gear shop and I got a new pair of pants and a new rain cover. We went back to Chet¢s and shot the breeze with him before making another food run at Subway. It's all about the food.
Date: 2015-08-12
From: Franconia Notch

To: Kinsman Notch
Miles today: 16.3

8/12/2015Treadway: 9/10Weather: partly cloudy and warm 5/10Stats:15.20 miles8:11:151.9 miles per hour 1076 c5187 feet up 5613 feet down 31192 steps Narrative:Hard but productive NoBo slackpack from Kinsman Notch to Franconia Notch. Slept on the couch last night after Teradactyl entertained us with stories about the AT. I already know about white blazing, blue blazing and yellow blazing. Last night I learned about green blazing (pot) and pink blazing (sex). It is a lively group here at Chet¢s Place, but the one significant downside is that all these young kids are smoking all the time and frankly it's disgusting. Up at 7 am, ready to roll by 8:20 am. Teradactyl drove Georgia, me and two NoBo¢s (Hot Wheels and Fiddler) to the trailhead at Kinsman Notch and we started around 9:10 am. The first mile was a steep climb. After that, it leveled out somewhat, but the treadway became quite difficult, and all the youngsters moved ahead of me. The hike reminded me of Maine ¢ really, really hard treadway. I also felt like I was hiking in a stream bed most of the way. My feet were wet during most of the day because of the heavy rain yesterday. After Eliza Brook Shelter, I began the steep climb up South Kinsman and understood why it's recommended to go north and not south. At North Kinsman, a nice day hiker took my picture. The way down to Lonesome Hut was hard but not terribly hard. At Lonesome I stopped for some lemonade and then moved on. Immediately below Lonesome Lake the trail was quite rocky, but then the treadway improved. Although at Lonesome the young lady said I would need to ford Cascade Brook twice, I was able to rock hop both times without getting my feet wet. I finished at 5:52 pm and it took me about 20 minutes to get a hitch into town. After I had dinner and settled in, Georgia came back from the brewery.