morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2015-05-14
From: Tom Levardi's

To: Seth Warner Shelter
Miles today: 21.6
Weather: clear sky

Coffee and Donuts in the morning! Tom is really too good to us hikers!After swinging by the post office to mail my 3rd pair of boots home, Tom drove 0311 and I back to Chessire. We got to the shell gas station in town(where we would resume hiking) at about 09:00. I went inside to grab a quick bite when I got a tap on the shoulder. It was Gator. He just happened to be getting back on the trail at the same time as 0311 and I. I had the pleasure of meeting Gator's dad as well. We all grabbed a bite and coffee before finally starting to move at after 10:00. Not even a mile in, I regretted mailing my busted boots home. The boots I just transitioned over too are way too small and worn out. Going back for a second here; The reason I have different boots is because the heels on both of my Lowa's blew out, so I had my mom ship me some of my old hiking boots. Now that we are caught up on that, the boots I just got SUCK! It feels like I'm about to lose both of my big toe nails because my toes slam the front of my boots going downhill. I am not having to get my FIFTH pair of boots! Unfortunately, the closest place I can get them shipped is Killington, VT- 105 miles from here. I I will have to just suck it up for the next few days and hope I don't lose my toe nails. P.S.- I guess most people viewing my journal don't know that my actual trail name is 'Shitfoot'. It has been since Blue Mtn shelter only 50 miles into Georgia. Complaining about my feet the night I had met Gator, he called me 'Shitfoot'. People liked it, so naturally, it stuck. I thought it was appropriate I finally share that since I'm working on my FIFTH pair of boots. I really am Shitfoot.Anyways, we crossed into Vermont about 3 miles ago and it feels awesome! Furthest north I've been in my life. For the next 105 miles the Appalachian Trail is conjoined with the Long trail (a 273 mile trail running from the Canadian border to the southern border of Vermont). I was thinking if I finish the AT early enough, I could come back and finish the remaining 170 miles of the Long Trail in about a week or so. Then I could have thru hiked two different trails. Idk just an idea!
Date: 2015-05-15
From: Seth Warner Shelter

To: Story Spring Shelter
Miles today: 30.5
Weather: overcast clouds

I could see my breath this morning for the first time in a while!It was an early and chilly start this morning at 06:00. Gator was the first one out and 0311 and I tailed about 20 minutes behind him. Winter has literally just ended up here in Vermont so there were hundreds of blow downs across the trail all day. It was very annoying to have to bush wack half of the day but I must admit Vermont has still been beautiful. After a snack break at Congdon Shelter we picked up the pace a bit and steadily climbed 10 miles gradually up to the top of Mt. Glastenbury. Absolutely gorgeous up at the top. The summit was densely wooded with tall pines. There was still patches of snow and ice up on the top and also hundreds of piles of moose poop. I hadn't realized we are starting to get into moose territory.. pretty neat! I kept looking out over the lakes and ponds expecting to see one but no luck yet. Got into camp late today at 19:00 due to the hour long break up at the top of Glastenbury. Here at the shelter now getting eaten alive and about to cook some dinner.
Date: 2015-05-16
From: Story Spring Shelter

To: Manchester, VT
Miles today: 21.0
Weather: overcast clouds

My alarm went off at usual time and I woke up to pouring rain. I turned my alarm off and rolled back over. There was only 21 miles in between me and a real bed. I finally forced myself out of my sleeping bag and cooked my oatmeal. By the time I packed my things and used the privy, the rain had died down. Putting on my boots was absolutely excruciating this morning and I have 3 new blisters already from them. I cannot wait for my new boots waiting for me at Killington.0311 and I hiked together up until the base of Stratton Mountain. I realized there that Manchester was 5 miles off the trail once we got to the road crossing. I did not want to walk 5 extra road miles or deal with hitch hiking, so I picked up the pace as fast as I could with sore feet. Stratton Mountain was beautiful and still a good amount of snow up there! I'm almost a bit worried about the Whites now! I caught Gator about 3 miles after Stratton Mountain. We hiked the rest of the way together to the parking lot where his parents met us and we're waiting with a cold coke and cookies. His parents then took us into Manchester and treated us to a room and dinner for the night. They are absolutely awesome! Thanks again Mr & Mrs Miller! Just finished stuffing my face now getting some rest before tomorrow's hike out.
Date: 2015-05-17
From: Manchester, VT

To: Little Rock Pond Shelter
Miles today: 19.7
Weather: overcast clouds

Slept in until 08:00 and it felt amazing. After getting up, Gator's parents took us out to Bob's Diner for an amazing breakfast. We got back to the room and hit the trail by 11:30. Gorgeous hiking up to the top of Bromley Mtn which is also a ski slope in the winter. Speaking of winter, it just ended a week ago here in Vermont. There was over a foot of snow only a week ago in some areas. Now we just see some occasional patches up at higher elevation. Upon reaching the base of Bromley, we ran into a cooler with our trail names written on it. Gator's parents had somehow got 5 miles down the trail and placed a cooler with some awesome trail magic in it. Gator and I breaked for a good lunch before climbing Peru Peak. We saw a bunch of trail maintainers out today cleaning up all the downed trees from winter. We can never thank them enough, what they are doing is making what we are doing so much more enjoyable. We got into camp around 18:30. Absolutely gorgeous shelter in a gorgeous location. We are right off the shore of a beautiful lake in a big bowl with mountains on every side of us. There was an old canoe sitting on the shoreline so Gator and I spotted a cliff across the lake that we wanted to jump off of. We hopped in the canoe and paddled over there. When we arrived at the cliffs we saw that there was some shallow rocks below the cliffs so we didn't want to take the chance. We still hiked to the top and got some gorgeous pictures. Getting eaten alive by the black flies we got back in the canoe and started to paddle back to the other side before we ran out of daylight. We met 0311 pulling into camp when we were coming ashore. We all set up in shelter and are having an awesome night here at Little Rock Pond. Getting ready for bed now and there is a bunch of owls across the lake that sound as if they have gone crazy
Date: 2015-05-18
From: Little Rock Pond Shelter

To: VT Rt 4
Miles today: 30.5
Weather: overcast clouds

Of course Gator and 0311 are up before 05:00 making as much noise as possible. Finally, I gave up trying to get a few more minutes of sleep and got up. After my oatmeal and pop tart I got going just before 06:00. Gator and I hiked together throughout the entire day. After about 15 miles in, we faced Killington Mountain. It is about a 6 mile climb but really gradual for the first few. We were already beat from the heat and Killington really took it out of us. I wasn't feeling well at all when we got to the top of Killington. To make things more interesting there was still a foot of snow in some places. It was about 7 more miles down after we hit the shelter at the top. We took a quick break and then got going so we could meet Gator's parents at the road by 17:00. After what felt like the longest 7 miles ever, we got to Rt 4 right next to Rutland. They had meatloaf sandwiches, chips, cookies, and sodas waiting for us. It was awesome. Gator and I went back to his house for the night. 0311 was going to the shelter 28 miles out so he did not come back with us. We decided upon what will probably be our last zero day tomorrow, since it was supposed to thunder and lightning anyways.
Date: 2015-05-19
From: VT Rt 4

To: Zero at Gator's
Miles today: 0.0

Pulled an awesome zero today. I got my new boots which feel awesome, a food drop with new food in it, and a beautiful St. Michael medallion from my grandmother. Woke up to an awesome breakfast that Wendy (Gator's mom) made for us. After that I sat on the couch and watched movies and ate cookies. Gator and I met his girlfriend, Brandi, for lunch in New London. Then we went back to his house to hangout with his mom and dad for the rest of the day. Awesome dinner and I got to experience "Bob's Bad-ass Fries". Sleeping good tonight before an early start tomorrow.
Date: 2015-05-20
From: Zero at Gator's

To: Winturri Shelter
Miles today: 20.0

I woke up at 05:00 this morning. I put my bag in the car and put on my new boots and was ready to go. Gator, Wendy and I left at 05:30. We stopped for Dunkin Donuts on the way back to the trail... then had to stop at a bathroom 30 minutes later.We got back on the trail at 07:30 and started hiking. After a mile in, we came to Main Junction--a fork in the trail where the Long Trail and Appalachian Trail split apart again. The last 105 miles were both the AT and the LT. The weatherman was wrong about today. Forecast was supposed to be sunny and dry. Well it rained and was in the 40's instead. Originally, we were planning on doing the 32 miles to Thistle Hill Shelter so tomorrow would be a shorter hike into Hanover. Being wet and cold, we decided to only pull a 20 into Winturri Shelter. I can finally say my feet didn't hurt once while hiking today. The new Salomon boots my dad shipped me are awesome and didn't require break in at all. Gator and I got into camp at 14:30 and had so much free time that we took an afternoon snooze. I woke back up at about 18:30 and cooked from inside my bag. It's pretty cold up here right now and supposed to drop below freezing tonight. Gonna pull a 26.5 mile day into Hanover tomorrow where we will meet back up with 0311 and get picked up by Gator's parents again since they live just 25 minutes outside of Hanover.
Date: 2015-05-21
From: Winturri Shelter

To: Hanover, NH
Miles today: 26.6

Gator and I woke up to a chilly morning. Had to start off in all of the layers I have. They came off quick after the second uphill. It was our last day in VT today so we made the best of it. A lot of puds pretty much all day long but I guess it is just preparing me for the white mountains.We made great time to the first shelter only 12 miles out. After that we had 15 miles left until Hanover. We got going again and tried not to break much so we could make good time into Hanover, where Gator's parents would meet us again! We crossed the Conneticut River right before 15:00 and we're officially in New Hampshire. Only a half mile more and we were in Hanover. We met back up with 0311 there and Gator's parents picked all of us up and took us to an outfitter before going back to their house for the night. I gave my dad a call inside of the outfitter and he informed me that he was going to visit my Grandaddy and Gmummy. I'm jealous. I can't wait to visit them once I finish my hike. I love you guys! Going to hike out early tomorrow morning!
Date: 2015-05-22
From: Hanover, NH

To: Lyme, NH
Miles today: 19.0
Weather: clear sky

Woke this morning and put back 4 cups of coffee and a couple cinnamon rolls. We got back to the trail fairly early and started back up from the center of Hanover. We made good time to the first road crossing only 6 miles out where we met Sooner or Later. He was a cool guy and planning to thru hike in 2016. He hiked with us for a mile or two before turning back. We then climber Moose Mtn and only had 7 miles left in our day with one more mountain to climb. We came down Moose Mtn, took a quick bite, and we're headed up our last summit to Holts Ledge. A steep climb up but worth it. There was a precipitous drop off at the top and Peregrine falcons nesting on the side of the cliffs. We took a quick pack off break then hiked the remaining 1.5 down to the bottom where Gators parents were waiting for us AGAIN! Our last and final night at Gator's. Awesome homemade pizza dinner and cake and ice cream dessert. Good night here at the Miller's!
Date: 2015-05-23
From: Lyme, NH

To: Hexacuba Shelter
Miles today: 12.0
Weather: clear sky

We got a really late start this morning at after 10 but sleeping in felt good. I had to do low miles today because the next shelter was almost 30 miles and I had a late start. Climbed Smarts Mtn pretty early and had some really awesome ridge walking. New Hampshire Mountains are beautiful. I came down Smarts after having a quick snack at the top. Then it was 2.5 miles up Cube Mtn where I am tonight. Definitely going to pick up these miles again starting tomorrow.
Date: 2015-05-24
From: Hexacuba Shelter

To: Beaver Brook Shelter
Miles today: 22.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Woke up this morning late at 06:00 and had an awesome nights sleep. 0311 says I passed out before 19:00 last night. Gator and Krisanna were not at the shelter when I woke up so I guess Gator is still a bit behind us. Got going at around 07:00. Mt. Cube was beautiful and I took a side trail trail at the top to take me to the north peak. It was .3 off trail but so worth it. Awesome view of Moosilauke and the Presidential Range. It was an easy hike from Mt Cube to Moosilauke. I was enjoying awesome trail major left by Slowfoot and Viewfinder at the base of Moosilauke. I slugged 2 cokes, a bag of chex mix, and snickers. With a nice sugar high going I tackled Moosilauke- our first climb into the White Mountains. It was a hard climb and I have pretty much figured out that New Hampshire is not familiar with the "switchback." It was absolutely gorgeous on top of Moosilauke. Complete exposure at the top above tree line. We were at 4880 ft and 65 mph winds. There was a guy on top with a wind speed measurement thingy majigger. Beautiful hike down to Beaver Brook Shelter which is facing Franconia Ridge and The Presidential Range. A good bit of snow and ice still up here in the Whites.
Date: 2015-05-25
From: Beaver Brook Shelter

To: Lonesome Lake Hut
Miles today: 15.0
Weather: light rain

Day two in the Whites and still absolutely gorgeous. The hike down Moosilauke was extremely steep and wooden steps and iron rebar had been installed in some places to assist in the descent. After reaching the bottom we are a few handfuls of gummy worms before taking on South and North Kinsman. The climb up was no more than 2.5 miles and on the map it didn't look too bad. Well the map was wrong. Just about vertical the entire way up and rock scrambling just about the entire way. Beautiful views and weather on top of the Kinsmans, but still a good bit of snow up there. Got to Lonesome Lake Hut just before 16:00. Wow, this was a surprise! The Huts up here in the whites are completely different than shelters. They are decent sized cabins with bunk houses that can accommodate from anywhere between 36-100+ people a night. There are 7 huts spread throughout the Whites. Right now most of them are self service, which means you bring and cook your own food and there is only 1 caretaker living at the hut. The Huts are kind of pricy to stay at, but thru hikers get a special deal- work for stay(WFS). Doug, the caretaker at Lonesome Lake Hut, let me sweep and mop the floors for a place to sleep and some leftover scraps from the night before. I happily did my chores for a bunk and some extra calories! In my bunk now looking out over Lonesome Lake with Franconia Ridge towering 5,000 feet up into the fog above.
Date: 2015-05-26
From: Lonesome Lake Hut

To: Zealand Falls Hut
Miles today: 22.8

Woke early this morning after a good nights rest in my padded bunk. I slipped on my Crocs and made my way out of the bunkhouse to the Hut to make my coffee and oatmeal. After enjoying breakfast, I got moving with only 3 miles in between me and the base of the Franconia Range. Made good time down to the road, even with a few river fords. I downed a Cliff bar, put on my head phones and began my 6.5 mile ascent up to Mt. Lafayette. After 4 miles up the trail came above tree line. I had to stop and put on my rain jacket. It wasn't raining or even cold for that matter. But the next 3.5 miles were at 5,000 +\- ft. and completely exposed. The winds were easily 70 mph and I had to put my jacket on for the wind chill even though it was every bit of 65-70 degrees up there. The entire Franconia ridge walk was breath taking for the next few miles. Finally, I came back down into tree cover at about 4300 ft only to find 4-5ft snow drifts. The trail was not completely covered but the snow liked to collect in the notches. I had a good bit of miles left and two incredibly hard climbs left. First off, was Garfield Mountain- only .4 miles to the summit but those .4 miles consisted of solely four point climbing. Right after reaching the peak the trail went straight back down. I had yet to see a mountain that actually has such a sharp peak. It was almost like walking over a big triangle... STEEP triangle. Coming down Garfield I thought I got lost. This was because the trail came to one side of a big Brook waterfall about 150 feet tall. Usually at stream/brook crossings the trail will pick back up on the other side and continue on. Well this time, the waterfall was the trail. Great. I threw my trekking poles over the edge since I knew they wouldn't aid me in my descent but get in my way instead. Slowly and carefully I made my descent to the bottom. It was beautiful but it took my every bit of 30 minutes just to travel about 150 feet. The White Mountain National Forest and all of its different trails have been around much longer than the AT. Consequently, the AT here in the Whites is not at all like an actual trail really. Rock scrambles, four point climbs, brook fords, extreme ascents and descents are all very frequent throughout the day. Because of this, 10-15 miles feels like 20+ miles. It is admittedly much more slow going but has been absolutely beautiful and the views are like nothing I've ever seen before. I got into Zealand Falls Hut at 17:00 after what felt like the longest day of my hike so far. The Hut is located right on a big rock slab on the side of Zealand Falls. I bathed in the cold falls and then asked for a WFS. The caretaker, Iona, had me clean the composting bathrooms and then gave me a bunch for the night. I'm exhausted and going to get some sleep.
Date: 2015-05-27
From: Zealand Falls Hut

To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

Well today was very unexpected. The White Mountains experience the most dramatic weather on earth. Seriously. On earth. I'll try to explain. Low pressure in the Northern Hemisphere converge in the New England area. Storms from the South Atlantic, the Gulf and the Pacific Northwest collide along the east coast and up the St Lawrence River valley. They all meet right around the White Mountain region. This causes dramatic and sudden changes in weather without much notice. Unexpected and sudden weather came in today. Severe thunderstorms above and below tree line with hail and heavy rain. We decided to stay here in the Hut today because Iona warned us not to hike out. Shortly after the hike out of Zealand Falls, we start the Presidential Range. A good portion of the range is above tree line and exposed. Also Mt Washington lies at the top of the range. The highest wind speed ever recorded on land was on top of Washington at 231 mph. I just read in a guide book here that based on windchill temps, the worst conditions on Washington are equal to the worst reported in Antarctica, although the actual temps are not as low. We will hike out tomorrow and shoot for Lakes of the Clouds Hut just at the base of Washington. It is 19 miles out and I am going to try and make it before the next storm hits tomorrow afternoon. I can't afford anymore zero or small days because I am running low on food and need to make it to Gorham, NH in just a few days to re supply. I really hope to get up and over Washington without anymore of this freak weather coming in!
Date: 2015-05-29
From: Lakes of the Clouds Hut

To: White Mountains Lodge and Hostel
Miles today: 13.0
Weather: broken clouds

We started out this morning at the base of Mt Washington. We could see there was clear skies up top which is extremely rare so we threw on our packs and hurried up the mountain. We got to the top at around 08:30 with clear skies and beautiful weather! We spent almost 2 hours atop of Washington taking pictures and lingering around. We finally got going again and slowly started chipping away at the rest of the Presidential Range. Absolutely gorgeous hiking in the Presidentials which is all above tree line. Saw some really cool arctic plants native to the Alpine zone up there and got some beautiful pictures. About halfway through the day after coming down off of Jefferson there was a small glacier that covered the trail. It was located on the side of a steep drop off so we had to slowly inch our way across careful not to lose our footing. We took a break at Madison Spring Hut right before our last climb in the Presidentials, Madison. We climbed up and over Madison then had arguably the hardest descent on the entire trail so far. An extremely steep rock scramble down for over 4 miles was relentless on our knees. Finally we got to the bottom and had only 4 miles to go until the road where we would then hitch into Gorham. Made good time to Auto Rd and then we thumbed it to the nearest restaurant. Ate good before calling the hostel to come pick us up. Marni, hostel owner, came and got us and took great care of us back at her place. Very affordable and comfortable here at the White Mountains lodge and hostel.
Date: 2015-05-30
From: White Mountains Lodge and Hostel

To: White Mountains Lodge and Hostel
Miles today: 4.0
Weather: broken clouds

So we decided to do only the remaining 2 miles from auto rd to Pinkham Notch today before getting off to rest. Auto Rd cost money to drive up so Marni just dropped us off at Pinkham and we would then hike SoBo on the AT back to Auto Rd where we left off. First time ever hiking south on the AT! We did the 2 miles quickly but then had 2 more road miles to walk down to get picked up at the base of auto rd. On the way down the hill Twiggs looked down and saw a 20$ bill! Lucky him. Well 10 feet later another 20$ lying on the ground! What th heck was going on?? We continued on and about 20 paces further was a third and final 20$ on the ground!! It was the strangest thing. I guess someone had their window open driving down Auto rd with more money than sense! We each used our unexpected trail magic to buy lunch at Burger King when we got back into Gorham. Taking the rest of the day here at the Lodge again before starting off tomorrow.