morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2004-09-02
From: Greenwall Shelter

To: Cooper Lodge
Miles today: 18.9
Weather: clear sky

Reunited and it feels so good! Reunited like hikers should! That's right, we ran into Butterfingers & Wideload this afternoon. We knew they were just ahead of us because we met a day hiker yesterday that told us they were only about 4 miles ahead. They also were getting some trail magic from the guy. Apparently he had done most of the trail and enjoyed taking hikers in for the night. So yesterday we told him to let Butterfingers & Wideload know where we would be so they slowed up to meet us today.The five of us then hiked up Killington and stayed at a shelter near the top. It was nice to have my old hiking partners back, even if they did catch me with my new friends. For sunset we went to the top of Killington which gave us a great view of Vermont, New Hampshire, and even the Adirondacks, my old stomping ground.**********This entry posted on 9/28/2004**********
Date: 2004-09-03
From: Cooper Lodge

To: The Long Trail Inn
Miles today: 6.3

We took an easy day today and stayed at the Long Trail Inn. We all piled in to two small rooms connected by a bathroom. We headed into town using the local bus service to resupply and get some beers. We sipped on a few in the hotel room, then went down to the hotel bar where there was an Irish band playing. It was a very relaxing day.**********This entry posted on 9/28/2004**********
Date: 2004-09-04
From: The Long Trail Inn

To: The Lookout Shelter
Miles today: 17.5

All five of us hiked together off and on all day (Mickey, Mallory, Wideload, Butterfingers, and me). It was a good way to pass the time. The hiking was nice and less muddy than the earlier parts of Vermont.All of us were excited about this evening, too. We had heard of a small cabin just off the trail that was privately owned, but hikers were allowed to stay there. However, when we got there, a family of TEN was there! I know they have every right to be there, too, but it is generally known that big groups are supposed to tent. Luckily there was enough room in the cabin for all of us. But with all the kids running around, I thought about tenting anyway. But the forest was real thick and my hammock wasn't going to work well. So, when I went to set up my sleeping spot, I was told that the 10' by 10' area in the corner was for their family dog. The same dog that rolled in shit a little earlier. That is also an unwritten rule for the shelters...if the shelter is full, the dog sleeps outside.I squeezed in where I could, then cooked up some food. After dinner, we made up a Jello No-bake dessert that was awesome. The five of us split it.That night was an interesting thing. Their family dog (Zane) wimpered half the night and also paced around. It wouldn't have been all that bad if the dog could walk normal, but it had really bad back legs that it practically dragged around, so its nails made a ton of noise on the wood planks. To top it off, the dog came over and licked my face a few times, waking me up. Needless to say, I didn't get a lot of sleep.**********This entry posted on 9/29/2004**********
Date: 2004-09-05
From: The Lookout Shelter

To: Thistle Hill Shelter
Miles today: 14.0
Weather: overcast clouds

I really thought someone would at least give us an apology for all the noise the dog made. But not from these people. I wasn't mad at the dog, the poor thing shouldn't have been out hiking in the first place. On top of the fact that there was no apology, Butterfingers was having trouble finding a shirt, and thought maybe it got picked up by one of the kids or ladies with the family. However, when she asked the mom, her response was, "you can ask the kids if you want, but I don't think we have it." Thanks for the help! Luckily, Butterfingers found her shirt. I guess I can't complain too much, though. This is one of the only not so great encounters I've had the whole trip.As for the hiking today, there were no real views, but some real nice countryside to take in. The five of us also played 20 questions and a word spelling game to pass the time.**********This entry posted on 9/29/2004**********
Date: 2004-09-06
From: Thistle Hill Shelter

To: Hanover, NH
Miles today: 14.6
Weather: clear sky

Another great day on the AT. The sun was shining, and the hiking wasn't too tough, so we got to Hanover at a decent time. On the way in, people were so friendly. We had about a 2 mile road walk in, and a lady walking told us about an AYCE dining hall at Dartmouth college. Then as we were walking, a car drove by honking and yelling "great job", "congratulations".The Dartmouth Outing Club (DOC) helps out hikers by allowing use of their building (information, internet, and a place to keep out packs while we go around town). We stored our packs, then hit the dining hall.The food was good and we all left completely stuffed. Since it was Mallory's birthday, we went to the townie bar and hung out for a bit. Wideload and Butterfingers left after a bit, but Wideload came back after a little bit and said he scored us a place to stay for the night. We had planned on camping just outside of town, but Wideload got to talk ing with one of the DOC members, and she knew of an unused apartment beneath her boyfriend's apartment that she had access to. The five of us piled in for the night.**********This entry posted on 9/29/2004**********
Date: 2004-09-07
From: Hanover, NH

To: Velvet Rocks Shelter
Miles today: 1.5
Weather: scattered clouds

**********9/29/2004New pics posted today! More to come...-Jen (the scribe)**********Not much hiking today. By the time we got to the outfitter and the grocery store via the local bus system, we were heading out of town around 6 PM. The good news was we carried out a ton of fresh food and cooked up a great dinner consisting of a salad with apples, walnuts, goat cheese, parmesan cheese, etc. For the main course we had burritos with chicken, portabella mushrooms, onions, peppers, garlic, etc. Everything was cooked up over the campfire we got going. It was such a great evening.
Date: 2004-09-08
From: Velvet Rocks Shelter

To: Trapper John Shelter
Miles today: 15.2
Weather: overcast clouds

Today was not such a good day. I had hoped to do some more miles to get where I wanted to be for this weekend when Jen the Scribe and my friends from college (Doug & Todd) come out to hike. But the weather turned on me and a cold rain cut my day short. It wouldn't have been so bad, but we headed to a shelter 0.3 miles off the trail and when we got there, the shelter was full. So we debated going another 6 miles, but did not feel like hiking more in the rain. We pitched our tents in the rain and cooked food under the small overhang, then went to bed. Fortunately my hammock kept me dry.**********This entry posted on 9/30/2004**********
Date: 2004-09-09
From: Trapper John Shelter

To: Fire Warden's Cabin
Miles today: 6.7
Weather: overcast clouds

We awoke to more cold rain and were not feeling motivated to leave. The people in the shelter cleared out around 9 AM, and we took over the shelter. We waited out the rain for a bit, giving ourselves reasons why we should not hike. Finally we decided to make a break for it. The hiking was cold and damp, and after about seven miles, we decided to call it a day. Mallory had a deck of "Skip Bo" cards (or as I like to call it Tae Bo) so we played a few games before going to bed.**********This entry posted on 9/30/2004**********
Date: 2004-09-10
From: Fire Warden's Cabin

To: Glencliff, NH
Miles today: 20.0

I think it finally hit me today that I'm in New Hampshire! I ended my hike today at the doorstep of the White Mountains!! I have been looking forward to the Whites for a long time. It was nice to realize how far I've come and to know I have the best parts of the AT still ahead of me.We pushed the 20 miles into Glencliff. I had hoped to be 10 miles past Glencliff for when Jen and my friends came out, but due to the weather, that didn't happen. There is a hostel in Glencliff that we hung out at watching movies until Jen, Doug, and Todd showed up. But when they got there, Jay was also with them! Apparently Jay didn't get enough on his first trip out. It was nice for those guys to see a hostel, I know Jen was really interested in seeing one. We left Mickey, Mallory, Wideload, and Butterfingers at the hostel and headed to the Maple Lodge Cabins in North Woodstock, the next town over. http://www.maplelodgecabins.com**********This entry posted on 9/30/2004**********
Date: 2004-09-11
From: Glencliff, NH

To: Beaver Brook Shelter
Miles today: 7.9
Weather: clear sky

What a great day for a hike!! I was a little worried about taking my friends up the first of the big mountains of the Whites, but it worked out real well. The hike up was long and steep, but we covered it without any trouble. We took a good long break at the top and waited for Mickey & Mallory, Butterfingers & Wideload. Not that we beat them to the top...they had driven Todd's car around the mountain and hiked from the North to the South while we were hiking from the South to the North. So when we met at the top, they gave the keys to Todd's car back to us. They slackpacked for the day while we decided to do an overnight. It was nice for Jen and my friends to be able to do an overnight at a shelter and experience my day-to-day life for the last 4 1/2 months. The views off Moosilauke were spectacular and the sunny weather made for a great day. There was even room for all five of us at the shelter. The shelter had a great view of the next few days of hiking for me, including Franconia Ridge which is one of the nicest sections of the Whites.**********This entry posted on 10/3/2004**********
Date: 2004-09-12
From: Beaver Brook Shelter

To: Eliza Brook Shelter
Miles today: 9.1
Weather: scattered clouds

We awoke to a nice view of sunrise from the shelter. We lounged around for a bit but then got up and started breakfast a bit after sunrise. By 'we', I mean Jen the Scribe, Diggity Doug, and Second Round Jay. Toad the Wet Sprocket (Todd) continued to sleep in even though the night before he repeatedly said "If I was hiking the trail I'd go to bed with dark and be up at sunrise." So we finally woke Todd up around 8 AM and were on the trail by 8:30.The hike down Moosilauke was steep but well maintained. The trail followed next to a waterfall for much of the descent, which made for some good picture opportunities. After the hike down, we found Todd's car waiting for us. Todd went to pick up Mickey & Mallory and Wideload & Butterfingers back in Glencliff, and we all did lunch. Then we had to say our goodbyes.We were dropped off around 2:30 and had 7.5 miles to go. No problem, right? Wrong! We hiked until around 7:30 PM. The trail was tough. Luckily I didn't do the hike I had originally planned to do with Jen and my friends. The trail was very rugged and not as well maintained as Mt. Moosilauke. (Not as though they couldn't have done it, it just would not have been as relaxing of a weekend.)We got to the shelter around dark, then a little bit later 4 other NoBo's came in (Atlas, Swedish, Shannon, and Ottie). We had hoped to not have other NoBo's going through the Whites with us because there is a hut system there. The huts offer food and lodging for something like $70 per night, but allow a few thru-hikers to stay in exchange for about 2 hours of work. We were trying to space ourselves to be able to do work for stay, but now there were 10 NoBo's all at the doorstep of the hut system...**********This entry posted on 10/3/2004**********
Date: 2004-09-13
From: Eliza Brook Shelter

To: Lonesome Lake Hut
Miles today: 5.9

Not a big mileage day but a very relaxing day. We made it to our first hut around 12:30, just in time for lunch. They had split pea soup and we each ate several bowls. However, we quickly found out that an endless bowl of soup just meant that each additional bowl was just a little more watery.Since there were 10 NoBos together, we (Wideload, Butterfingers, Mickey, Mallory, and me) decided to slow up a bit and let some of the Nobos get ahead of us so we wouldn't have problems with the work-for-stays. Mickey and Mallory ended up going up the trail a few miles because they had to go into town to get a mail drop, but we planned to meet up with them tomorrow night. Butterfingers, Wideload, and I decided to try the work-for-stay at this hut.We inquired about work-for-stay and they had some jobs for us. Butterfingers was given dish duty while Wideload and I were made to stir the compost. Now at first I thought privy compost, and we both immediatey though of moving on, but we were then told it was the food compost. This, I could handle, at least I thought I could. We had to shovel out the compost and sift if over a screen to get out the 'soil'. At first this wasn't bad. The smell, at first, was sweet. But as we dug deeper, it became apparent why the caretakers of the hut gladly gave us work-for-stay. It reaked! And consequently we reaked after raking/shoveling the stuff around for about an hour. The good news was that once we were finished we smelled so bad that we were allowed to use the Croo shower (they spell it Croo, not Crew, for whatever reason). Even after doing about 1 hour of work, it was only 3 PM. We went down to the lake near the hut and relaxed for a few hours.**********This entry posted on 10/4/2004**********
Date: 2004-09-14
From: Lonesome Lake Hut

To: Greenleaf Hut
Miles today: 9.3

What an amazing day!! I awoke early and went down to the lake to look for moose. Although there were no moose, I did get a great sunrise. The view from the lake is awesome. Behind the lake is Franconia Ridge, which is miles of above-treeline hiking that we will be doing later today.Although the hike up onto the ridge was a tough one, once up there it was amazing. We dropped our packs and went 1/3 of a mile off the trail to Mt. Liberty, which started off the awesome views for the day. After Mt. Liberty, we dipped below treeline for a bit, but then came above for the rest of the day. The sun was out, and there were views as far as the eye can see on both sides of the ridge. This definitely ranks as one of my favorite days on the entire trail.Although Greenleaf Hut is a mile off the trail and down 1200 feet, we went there anyway to meet Mickey & Mallory. They were there when we got there and we were all able to get work-for-stay. This time we were told that there would be no dinner since there was only one guest. Our work was to sweep out and wash the bunk spaces. Our host (Tom) must have warmed up to us, because when he served the guest he also brought out a big pot of mac-n-cheese for us lowly hikers.**********This entry posted on 10/4/2004**********
Date: 2004-09-15
From: Greenleaf Hut

To: Zealand Falls Hut
Miles today: 13.6

Another wonderful hiking day. Although the terrain is rugged and at times it feels like mountain climbing more than hiking, the views are magnificent. The sun was out again today with blue skies all around. We decided to make the push two huts up the trail to get a few miles in after a few shorter days.We stopped for lunch at Galehead Hut. We had been told that each hut had AYCE (all you can eat) soup for $2. However this hut did not have any... The other thing we had been told was that each hut had baked goods for sale. But, again, this was not the case. Even though there were 2 loaves of freshly baked bread sitting on the counter, we were told there was no bread available for sale? This is when we started to realize the huts didn't exactly want thru-hikers coming by. The problem is, we had all planned on being fed by the huts while in the Whites. We all have some food, but will have to go into town to resupply if this trend continues. We cooked up our own lunches, then headed off to the next hut.We made it to Zealand Falls Hut just before dark and were disappointed to see that 3 other hikers were already there. Initially we were told that they could take 2 more work-for-stays and that the rest of us would have to push on. I personally was not going to accept this answer. We also began to realize that the huts are in it for the money and they only 'tollerate' thru-hikers. The problem is that for us thru-hikers there aren't any other options. Everything is pay sites throughout the Whites and most of the camping sites are off the trail. We sat outside for a bit waiting until the guests ate before we went in to demand a place to stay for the night, when one of the croo came out and said we could stay and do our work in the morning.It was a good thing they had a change of heart, because we weren't leaving. It turned out alright because they gave us a good dinner and even cooked up some seconds for us.**********This entry posted on 10/5/2004**********
Date: 2004-09-16
From: Zealand Falls Hut

To: Webster Cliffs
Miles today: 10.0

After waiting for the guests to eat, we were fed, and fed well. Then we had to wash and dry the vinyl cots that are in each bunk. The work-for-stay is actually kind of fun, especially when there is a bunch of us doing the work. This also might be just what I need to remember what it is like to work. Not as though I want to remember that, but in just over a month, I'll be back at it.We decided not to go to the next hut since it was 14 miles away, and we weren't starting until 10 AM. So we took a somewhat leisurely day and hiked down to where the trail crossed the road. We got some lunch at a sandwich place, then had some ice cream. After that, we finally motivated to hike out of the valley and part of the way up the ridge. We figured we would just find a 'stealth' campsite to stay at. On the way up, though, we came out to some flat cliffs that looked out on the valley below and decided to 'cowboy camp' (no tent) right on the cliff. We got a beautiful sunset and had a sky full of starts at night.**********This entry posted on 10/6/2004**********
Date: 2004-09-17
From: Webster Cliffs

To: Lake of the Clouds Hut
Miles today: 8.9
Weather: overcast clouds

We awoke to a nice sunrise which led to us getting going fairly early. Halfway through the day we got above treeline, which made for great views. The presidential range is beautiful. We even did a few extra peaks that were just off the trail. Just before we made it to the hut, the clouds came in and we felt a few drops of rain. We made it to the hut just before the rain came, and six of us were allowed to do work-for-stay (Mickey, Mallory, Wideload, Butterfingers, me, and Sunshine - another thru-hiker who we had been staying at the same huts with).The Lake of the Clouds Hut is the biggest and can handle 90 people. Unfortunately there was a full hut, so we were stuck sleeping in the eating area. So we had to wait until after everyone ate and went to bed around 9:30 to even set up a place to sleep. The food we were given for dinner was very good. I did feel bad, though, when 6 other thru-hikers showed up and didn't get work-for-stay. They had to pay $8 to get a bunk in the basement and had to watch us eat. (Food is only given to work-for-stay people.)**********This entry posted on 10/6/2004**********
Date: 2004-09-19
From: Madison Springs Hut

To: Madison Springs Hut
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: fog

This was certainly an unplanned zero. We awoke to a very cold day with howling winds outside. We also saw ice on the shrubs outside. We were in the clouds, so the visibility was only 50 feet or so. Basically, a nasty day.During the guest breakfast, the croo gives the weather report. We were told it was 30 degree out with the wind chill at 6 degrees. This is the bad side of being above treeline - being totally exposed to the elements. The other news we received was that the pipes froze last night! They were in the process of fixing them to get water for everyone.As we were waiting to eat, the Hut Master told us if any of us wanted to, we could zero at the hut. They said this was the last day the hut was open and they could use help closing in exchange for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Just about all of us decided to stay.Once most of the guests began to leave, the croo rounded us up and started giving us jobs. The first and most important job was for 2 thru-hikers to hike down the "pack trail" (the trail used by the hut croo to pack in supplies) and go into town to get some beer, wine, and booze to have for the evening.Mickey, Millipede, and Magnet volunteered to go on the hike. OK, so it wasn't so bad that a person couldn't hike, but with all that happened yesterday, it just seemed right to do a little celebrating. The rest of us cleaned the hut, washed dishes, boxed up miscellaneous things, etc, to help prepare the hut for being closed up all winter. Even though we basically worked all day and into the early evening, it was a fun day. We were able to get to know the croo pretty well and they even had a radio that we listened to all day, which was nice since listening to music is one of the things I miss from real life.That night we all sat down to a nice big meal of lasagna and black bean soup. The guys even brought up some champagne so we could have a toast to the newly engaged couple. After dinner, we put on some music, and a small dance party even broke out in the kitchen. We even made it like a disco by putting 3 of our headlamps on the flashing setting. It ended up being a very fun night.**********This entry posted on 10/7/2004**********
Date: 2004-09-20
From: Madison Hut

To: Pinkham Notch
Miles today: 7.8
Weather: clear sky

We awoke to a much better day today, although my head hurt a bit from last night's festivities. We took some group pictures with our new friends, and then began packing up to get back on the trail.It was sunny outside with clear blue skies, but it was cool. With the wind it was downright cold. Immediately upon leaving the hut, the trail goes up to the summit of Mount Madison. At the peak, we found the cairns and the summit sign covered in ice! After we got off the summit and below treeline, the sun warmed us quickly and I took off my rain jacket, gloves, and hat.We were all moving slow today so we decided to hike to Pinkham Notch and hitch into town (Gorham) at the road crossing. We had planned on going into Gorham at a different road crossing 20 miles up the trail, but figured we would go today instead. Since there were 10 of us heading into town, we decided to stay at a motel and split the cost of 2 rooms.Our plan for tomorrow is to get up early and slackpack 20 miles to get back on track.**********This entry posted on 10/7/2004**********
Date: 2004-09-21
From: Gorham, NH

To: Gorham, NH
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Well, plans change. We had watched Monday night football and had already been tired to begin with, so we slept in a little. By the time we got up it was too late to slackpack. After we got breakfast we realized we still had to resupply and go to the outfitters so we decided to get the rooms for another night and all 10 of us zeroed.**********This entry posted on 10/7/2004**********
Date: 2004-09-22
From: Gorham, NH

To: Gentian Pond Shelter
Miles today: 11.8
Weather: clear sky

Well, we made a decision to skip the 20 miles of trail and just start at the nearest road crossing of the trail to Gorham. None of us really wanted to, but we are also worried about finishing on time. Of the few short sections of trail I have skipped, I really think this one I will come back to hike. It is the last mountains of the Whites, and should have some nice views.We hitched back to the trail and had some nice hiking for the day. I love the rocky outcroppings of the Northeast, and lately there have been some great small ponds and boggy, marshy areas. At the shelter tonight there is a pond that I was hoping to see a moose at, but I had no such luck. At the shelter tonight is the five of us and Magnet (who we have been travelling with for a few days), and Harry (another NoBo).**********This entry posted on 10/7/2004**********