morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2021-07-19
From: Lakes of the Clouds Hut

To: Madison Spring Hut
Miles today: 7.2
Weather: fog

Day 35 7/19 Steve messaged us saying that when he hiked from Lake of the Clouds to Madison Spring, he didn¢t arrive until just before dinner so we should leave as soon as we could after breakfast.  We made the gradual climb up Mt Washington in about 1 1/2 hours, right before the rain began. Inside the visitor center, we bought and sent postcards to family and friends. I bought a magnet  to add to my collection.  I enjoyed a slice of lemon cake and hot chocolate.  We watched the cog railroad trains depart down the mountain.All supplies for the huts have to be packed in, they use composting toilets, and they have no trash cans. They use solar power, so there was no hot water or outlets for guest use. Whatever we packed in, we had to pack out. Since there is road access and railroad access to Mt Washington, there were also trash cans. We got rid of three days of trash. We used flush toilets and hot water in the bathrooms. We also found outlets to charge our phones.By the time we were ready to leave at 11:00, the rain had mostly stopped. Amazingly, there were no winds on the mountain known for the worst ever recorded winds.  We got pictures outside, then crossed the railroad tracks, and began descending.  span class="Apple-converted-space"> We had several falls between us. We again leapfrogged with Swerp and Lilo and with Pat and Robin.My stomach began rumbling, and I had to run off the trail twice to attend to business.  I took Imodium and hoped for quick relief.  We FINALLY reached Madison Spring Hut just after 6:00. We unloaded gear in our bunk spaces and cleaned up quickly so that we could join dinner which had already begun. The baked chicken, rice, broccoli, salad, fresh baked bread, black bean soup, and glazed gingerbread cake were all delicious.>span class="s1">7.2 miles
Date: 2021-07-20
From: Madison Spring Hut

To: Joe Dodge Lodge 
Miles today: 7.8
Weather: light rain

Day 36 7/20 We left the hut about 8:30 after another  hearty breakfast. The goal for the day was 7.8 miles to Joe Dodge Lodge at Pinkham Notch. This was not another ordinary hut.  It was more of a hotel with road access. We would have a private room and shared showers! What a treat to look forward to all day!The day began with a .5 rock scramble ascent up Mt Madison in 40 mph wind gusts above treeline. It took us about an hour. Then began a torturous 2 mile steep downhill over large loose boulders most still above treeline. Even Warren Doyle in his Appalachian Trail Institute called this ¢a BAD descent¢. This took us close to three hours. At least we did not have any rain to make the rocks even worse. I have been wearing shorts and my legs were bleeding in several places from scratches from tree branches, brush and rocks.On the way down, we took a snack break on the side of the mountain.  There was a nice rock slab for us to sit on just off the trail. There was just a small space where we all took turns peeing.  Across the valley, we could watch hikers walking along a ridge coming toward us. One tall hiker with a huge backpack and a smaller hiker in a red jacket stood out in particular.When we started down our side of the mountain and finally met them coming up, we saw it was a father and son.  We  told them we had been watching them across the valley and they said they had been watching us too. We all started giggling and wondering whether they had seen us all taking turns peeing!We leapfrogged with Pat and Robin all day. Finally around 2:00 the trail gave us a break. We got below treeline, the wind stopped, and it warmed up.  The terrain became more of a trail than a rock scramble. We had several beautiful waterfalls and cascades. We made much better time. As we crossed one stream I tripped and fell face forward on some rocks. I hit just the side of my kneecap. It did not break the skin but it hurt the rest of the day. We made it to Joe Dodge Lodge about 5:15, checked in, took showers, and enjoyed a wonderful buffet dinner of roast beef, carrots, mashed potatoes, peas, bread, salad, soup, and lemon blueberry cake.I had a big pity party in the room after dinner as I iced my knee. I was afraid my hike was over and I hated that thought.  I did what I could do: I ordered a bag lunch from the cafeteria for tomorrow (thinking positive) and took ibuprofen and iced my knee as I fell asleep.7.8 miles
Date: 2021-07-22
From: Carter Notch Hut

To: Rattle River Hostel
Miles today: 15.4
Weather: overcast clouds

Day 38 7/22 Somehow I counted the day¢s mileage from Carter Notch Hut to Rattle River Shelter (13.3), when it should¢ve been to Rattle River Hostel(15.4). We realized my mistake last night. This meant our already tough day of 13.3 miles would really be 15.4. Yikes!We packed our headlamps close to the top of our packs in case we got caught out after dark, and we left immediately after breakfast.  SusanB had not felt well after supper last night and was still not feeling great in the morning. Our first uphill stretch was steep and she was having a hard time. Shortly after lunch, SusanB made a tough decision. She was still not feeling well and did not think she could finish the 15+ mile day before dark.  She took a side trail down to the highway and would find a ride to the night¢s destination hostel and meet us there.  We continued on and soon were climbing large steep rock slabs up to the top of Mt Moriah.  It was much easier on this dry day than it would¢ve been in the rain!  Once we finally topped it, we had 6.7 downhill miles to get to US 2 where Rattle River Hostel would be within sight.  Gradually the trail became somewhat gentler; and even though we were tired,  we picked up speed. We finally made it to the hostel at 8:18, without having to hike in the dark using our headlamps.SusanB had found a ride with some dayhikers and arrived around 4:00. Hostel rules were to leave poles and shoes outside in the covered area, come into the check-in room to pick out loaner clothes and towels, and go directly into the showers, putting dirty clothes in a mesh bag to be laundered. SusanB ordered us pizza and salads while we showered. Gene also brought Subway sandwiches and visited while we ate. We ate the hot pizza and saved the sandwiches for the next day¢s lunch.  Of course, our bunkroom and the bathroom are on the second level of the hostel so we must go up and down the flight of stairs  repeatedly with our aching feet and knees.  Shortly after eating, we collapsed into bed by 10:00. 15.4 miles
Date: 2021-07-23
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

Day 39 7/23We decided to depart from our planned schedule and take a zero day at Rattle River Hostel. We had a DIY breakfast of blueberry pancakes between 6:30-8.Gene and her husband Peter had spent the night at a local hotel, and they came back to our hostel at 8:30.  We had all left our tents and stoves (which we didn¢t need at the huts) and our resupply stuff in their car. It took us an hour or so to go through it all, pack what we needed in our backpacks for our next leg 7/24-28 and box up what we¢ll need 7/29-31 to be picked up when we return here in a few days. Gene and Peter visited with us while we sorted through our stuff. We all sent some things with them when they left; we¢ll get them back from them in September when we finish our trek. We caught the hostel¢s Walmart shuttle at 11:30 and bought fresh food for tonight¢s dinner along with a few other things. I had only brought one knee brace and I NEEDED a second one for my other knee.  I had also run out of sleep aid which I take nightly to help deal with all the snoring in the huts and hostels. I really wanted an apple fritter but they only sold them in boxes of six; a kind lady in the bakery repackaged one box of them into three boxes of two each just for me so I could enjoy my special treat! Back at the hostel, we enjoyed the Subway sandwiches Gene had bought us last night, along with juice and chips and snacks we had bought at Walmart. I had not had a meatball sub in a long time and it hit the spot.I spent about an hour talking to the shuttle driver Bill who would be picking us up in the morning to take us to the trail, changing all our future hostel reservations back a day because of the unplanned rest day, adding a stay at Zeeland Falls Hut for our next section, and scheduling an AMC shuttle from our endpoint back to Rattle River Hostel.We each took the opportunity to recharge our phones. Then we began sharing our pictures with each other and updating our trail journals and Facebook posts.We had frozen lasagne and broccoli for supper and lots of fresh salad fixings!0 miles
Date: 2021-07-24
From: Kinsman Notch

To: Eliza Brook Shelter
Miles today: 7.5
Weather: clear sky

Day 40 7/24We were picked up at Rattle River Hostel by Bill the shuttle driver at 9:00 and driven 53 miles in about 1:15 back to NH 112 at Kinsman Notch just past Mt Moosilauke   and we began hiking north. It was an uneventful day. We hiked about 5 miles gradually up Mt Wolf and then 3 miles down the other side. The weather was beautiful but there was still much mud and many puddles on the trail. We took our time and arrived at the Eliza Brook Shelter about 6:00. No one else was there so we set up in the shelter and began making our dinners. The shelter was built in 2010 and still looks new.Three sobos joined us. The two young women from Utah (Zombie and Timber) are in the shelter with us and a guy from Philadelphia (Tarzan) is tenting. The girls met him on the trail and they¢ve have been hiking together for several weeks. As we ate, it began cooling off. We all retreated early to our sleeping bags by dark.
Date: 2021-07-25
From: Eliza Brook Shelter

To: The Notch Hostel
Miles today: 8.8
Weather: moderate rain

Day 41 7/25I made it through the night without having to go to the bathroom but woke up about 5:15. I could hear raindrops just beginning to fall. I quickly  got up and went outside to take cate of business. No one else in the shelter was stirring so I crawled back into my sleeping bag for another hour.By the time others began getting up, it was raining harder. We all ate breakfast under the shelter overhang and set out on the trail.  We began hiking uphill right away alongside a waterfall.   It didn¢t take long for the rain to soak us. Thankfully the rocks were ¢grippy¢ and we were able to climb without mishap. It did take almost four hours for us to summit South Kinsman and North Kinsman. There were no views because of the rain. We came to the Kinsman Pond Shelter a third of the way into our descent and stopped there to eat lunch out of the wet. The had rain stopped but everything was wet.  The trail was a stream in many places and every tree or rock we passed got us wetter.We stopped at Lonesome Lake Hut to use their bathroom and fill our water bottles. By then the sun was shining snd Janet actually went wading. SusanB and I continued our descent, knowing the Janet and SusanK would catch us quickly. There was a bridge out over one rain-swollen stream. We had to hunt upstream to find a safe place to ford it. We just walked through the knee high water with our shoes on. As we continued downhill, there were several other streams we just sloshed right through.We finally made it to our pickup point about 6:30 and called for a shuttle. Ten minutes later we were picked up and we arrived at the Notch Hostel about 7:30. We had to leave our packs and poles in a shed and bring only necessities for the night inside.  We were shown to our bunks and picked out towels and loaner clothes. As soon as we showered, we dropped off our disgusting trail clothes to be laundered and raided the hiker kitchen for free food - chicken noodle soup, chicken salad sandwiches, and cheese crackers. As soon as laundry was done, we sorted our things and were in bed by  10:15.8.8 miles
Date: 2021-07-26
From: The Notch Hostel

To: Garfield Ridge Shelter
Miles today: 10.3
Weather: scattered clouds

Day 42 7/26The Notch shuttle back to the trailhead was scheduled to leave at 7:45. There were six of us on it.  We started hiking about 8:30, and we had to hike .7 mile just to get back on the trail.  It was about 3 miles uphill to the Liberty Spring Campsite where there was a great water source.  We barely averaged 1 mph, so I was ready for a lunch break when we got there.Shortly after lunch we were on Franconia Ridge and were above treeline for two miles or so.  We summitted Little Haystack at 4800 feet,  then Mt Lincoln at 5089, and Mt Lafayette at 5254. The weather was gorgeous and allowed us great views.  These trails are popular for dayhikers and are almost manicured. Our descent was not. The rocks were rougher and there was much more mud and muck. We hiked around Garfield Pond. Mt Garfield was only 4453, but at the end of the day, it seemed pretty rough.  We did get nice views from its summit. The .3 mile descent to the Garfield Ridge Shelter about did me in. We got water from the stream just before the shelter area and got checked in about 7:30. We had just enough daylight to claim our spots in the shelter, fix our suppers, and stow our food bags in the bear boxes before dark. This shelter and campsite is one of the ones run by the AMC. We had to pay $10 each to stay there. We were each given a thru-hiker card which entitled us to half-price camping at any of their other sites and two free baked goods and a bowl of soup from the huts.We were in the top level of the shelter with Popeye, a retired Navy section hiker from Maryland.  There were five younger hikers on the lower level.  I was in my sleeping bag by 9:00.10.3 miles
Date: 2021-07-27
From: Garfield Ridge Shelter

To: Zealand Falls Hut
Miles today: 9.8
Weather: overcast clouds

Day 43 7/27Somehow we all slept until 6:00. By the time we ate, packed, and used the privy, it was 8:00. We took the spur trail away from the shelter back to the AT. At the junction of the two trails, we crossed a stream and stopped to get water. Ken and Allie were just finishing with their water and started north just before us. They are from WV, so they started their hike in Roanoke VA, will hike to Katahdin, then return to Roanoke, and hike to GA.As we started north on the AT, we followed that same stream which soon became a waterfall. We literally had to climb down the waterfall.  With the rocks wet, it was terrifying.  Ken took pictures of us as we came down behind them but they do not show how bad it really was.When Popeye caught up to us, he couldn¢t remember our names so he referred to us as Dash 1, 2 & 3.  We are not fast compared to most of the others out here hiking but it felt good to think someone considered us fast.  We leapfrogged with Ken and Allie and Popeye as we climbed up Galehead Mountain, and we all stopped at Galehead Hut.  We went in to claim our free baked good and enjoyed the glazed pumpkin, pecan, and raisin cake.  We ended up getting free lentil soup too for an early lunch.  Popeye was staying there for the night.  We left him and Ken and Allie there after taking pictures with them and Janet offering to help when they flip down south. It was another steep rocky mile up to the summit of South Twin Mountain at an elevation of 4902. From there we had 6.2 miles to go and it was already 1:20.  We wanted to get to the hut by 6:00 dinner time.  It was rocky as we came down from the summit, but generally less strenuous terrain. Although we were always being passed by many younger hikers, we did pass one other guy along the way. He commented about how fast we were.  Two fast comments in one day!!It started sprinkling on us when we were about two miles away from the hut.  When it started getting worse, we had to stop to put on our rain gear. We arrived to the hut at 5:56, with 4 minutes to spare before dinner. We quickly checked in, claimed our bunks, cleaned up, and sat down to dinner.  We had kale chickpea soup, salad, bread, enchiladas, corn and lemon poppyseed cake. There was enough cake for me and Janet each to put a piece in a ziploc bag for the next day. As we ate, the hiker we had passed came in, almost an hour after us, and commented again about how fast we were. He asked our age and said he was 59.
Date: 2021-07-28
From: Zealand Falls Hut

To: Rattle River Hostel
Miles today: 7.7
Weather: broken clouds

Day 44 7/28We packed up before breakfast so we could leave immediately after eating. We had to hike 7.7 miles by 1:05 to get to 1846.3 where SusanB and I started hiking with Gene, Janet and SusanK.  The first half of the trail in this section is on old railroad bed so it was fairly easy terrain. The second half was a little rocky but still fairly easy. Along the way we actually overtook and passed some younger hikers!We arrived at our destination in 3 1/2 hours and had time to sit down, relax and eat a snack while we waited.  The AMC shuttle bus picked us up and took us back to Gorham to stay at Rattle River Hostel again. Once there we showered, went through our resupply boxes, got our laundry done, and caught a shuttle to Dollar General for a few things. Back at the hostel, we repacked our food, did laundry, and ate supper. After supper I had time to trim my nails and soak my feet in epsom salts while catching up on my journals and phone calls to family.
Date: 2021-07-29
From: Gentian Pond Shelter SOBO

To: The Barn Hostel
Miles today: 11.8
Weather: scattered clouds

We were supposed to leave Rattle River Hostel and hike 11.8 miles to Gentian Pond Shelter.  Rain was forecasted to begin in late afternoon and last all night and tomorrow. At our hiking pace, we figured we would not arrive in time for shelter spaces and would be setting up our tents in the rain in leftover spaces and packing up wet tents the next morning. At breakfast we heard a hiker telling someone he was getting shuttled to Gentian Pond Shelter and hiking sobo back to the hostel. This sounded like a great option for us so we checked into it. Unfortunately, the hostel was booked up already for the night. We called another hostel in town and they had bunks available. We quickly booked the shuttle with Rattle River and bunks for two nights at The Barn. We unloaded our backpacks of all that we would NOT need for a day hike (tent, sleeping bag, stove, extra clothes, extra food) and each stowed our gear in a large garbage bag. We arranged for a shuttle driver to pick up the bags and move them to The Barn during the day and we were shuttled by Rattle River to our drop off point. Because of the last minute arrangements, we did not leave the hostel until 8:30 and were dropped off to hike about 9:00.  What we didn¢t realize was that we would have to hike 1.5 miles up a steep side trail to reach Gentian Pond Shelter on the AT before we even began the 11.8 miles sobo back into town.  We finally hit the AT about 10:00 with 11.8 mikes to hile before rain started.The day was pleasant to begin with - nice temperature and moderate terrain. We crossed paths with several hikers we had met at the hostel all going nobo while we went sobo. We enjoyed lunch at a nice spot by a stream.  We had a great view from Wocket Ledge of mountains we¢d already climbed . Somewhere along the way, I passed my 1900 miles hiked mark.Around 4:00 it began to sprinkle and it gradually increased. We arrived at the road crossing in town about 6:00, called The Barn, and were picked up quickly.  We each showered, ate, and crawled into warm beds for the night, thankful we weren¢t setting up wet tents in the woods.11.8
Date: 2021-07-30
To: The Barn Hostel
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

We had booked two nights at The Barn, which is pretty much exactly as it sounds - a large rustic two-story barn attached to a much nicer bed and breakfast in an old Victorian home. (And the clientele do NOT mingle.) We three had beds downstairs in nooks in the open kitchen/living area and there are 15 or so more beds up in the open loft area, with one bathroom to share. Others are tenting in the backyard and constantly in and out, to use the kitchen or bathroom.We slept in and leisurely ate breakfast scrounged from free food in the kitchen.  Janet did our load of laundry while I took a city bus to Walmart for a few supplies. For $2, I got a bus pass to use as much as I wanted all day.   I checked out at Walmart and went outside to wait at the bus stop an hour early and Paul from the hostel pulled into a parking space. Perfect timing! He had to get shampoo and conditioner for the hostel shower and said he could give me a ride back to the hostel.  I was thankful I did not have to wait for the bus.  We did take the bus later to the local Chinese buffet where we paid $9.99 for all we could eat. Several other hikers from the hostel were there too. I¢m pretty sure we all got our money¢s worth!Back at the hostel, we traded pictures we¢ve taken and caught up on phone calls, Susan napped, and I arranged my bills to be paid in August. Janet and I played ping pong. We ordered pizza and salad from Mr Pizza for supper. Our backpacks had to be repacked.I know I had my puffy jacket Thursday morning at Rattle River Hostel.  I know did not carry it when we slackpacked Thursday. The shuttle driver brought our bags of stuff from Rattle River to The Barn.  When I emptied the plastic bag to repack my backpack Friday, my puffy jacket was missing. I called Rattle River and they had not found it there. I prayed it would come to light before we had to leave Gorham in the morning.0 miles
Date: 2021-07-31
From: The Barn Hostel

To: Full Goose Shelter
Miles today: 9.6
Weather: clear sky

In my Bible reading in Mark this morning, I read the account of the father who brought his demon possessed son to Jesus to be healed. Jesus told him if he believed, it was possible. The man said, ¢Lord, I believe.  Help thou my unbelief.¢ I prayed that I wanted to believe that my jacket would be found and asked for help with my unbelief.  Bruce our shuttle driver picked us up just before 8:00.  He took us to Rattle River Hostel first so I could check for my puffy jacket before we left town. It was laying right on the counter as I came into the hostel.  I was so excited I ran out to the shuttle van waving it in the air, praising God! Bruce then drove us back to the Austin Brook Trailhead.  We had to hike that same 1.5 mile uphill trail to get back on the AT at Gentian Pond Shelter. The day before we snack packed south; this day we had full packs snd headed north. It was almost 9:30. We had to hike about two miles up Mt Success. The summit of Mt Success is the northernmost peak in the Mahoosuc range before it crosses into Maine. It was extremely windy as we crossed the summit ridge of glacially smoothed granite slabs mixed with alpine bogs.After hiking about 5 miles on the AT, we crossed into Maine, the 14th and final state! We cheered at the sign and took pictures.  The rest of the afternoon was spent climbing Goose Eye West Peak, Goose Eye East Peak, and Goose Eye North Peak, and battling the gusting wind on the exposed summits.  After managing to stay out of the mud and puddles all day, all three of us ended up stepping in ankle high water and having wet shoes and socks.The descent to Full Goose Shelter was steep and rocky and slow, and it was almost dark when we arrived. There were only 6 hikers spread out in the 12-person shelter and they begrudgingly made room for Susan and me. Janet tented.  I snacked while unpacking and went straight to bed in the shelter without fixing a hot meal. Susan stayed up later cooking and eating, and I didn¢t even hear her come to bed.