morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2008-07-30
From: Carter Notch Hut

To: Osgood Campsite
Miles today: 10.7
Weather: broken clouds

Our work-for-stay at Carter Notch required us to sweep out the cabins in the morning and change the pillow cases. Easy stuff. We also got free breakfast out of it. It was finally a nice day so we were able to take naps on top of Wildcat Mountain near the ski lift. My highlight of the day was crossing a bridge similiar to the one in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. We made it to the tentsite right before the rains came again.
Date: 2008-07-31
From: Osgood Campsite

To: Madison Hut
Miles today: 3.0

It rained all morning and we didn't get out of our tents until noon. We started up Madison in the rain with thunder in the distance. The next 17 miles are all above treeline. We were hoping for dangerous weather similiar to Baldpate Mountain but it wasn't bad at all. We made it to Madison Hut and signed up for another work for stay. This time we got to shovel and airate the poop and compost from the bathrooms. I don't know why this is considered work. I would have done it for free! In the evening to pass time I did a puzzle in the hut. Most people don't know this about me but as a kid, I was a puzzle master, probably the best in the world. I think I impressed a few mommies in the hut with my puzzle abilities.
Date: 2008-08-01
From: Madison Hut

To: Lakes of Clouds Hut
Miles today: 7.0
Weather: light intensity shower rain

We finally got to climb Mount Washington today. Of course it was cloudy and we didn't get much of a view. I wasn't expecting it to be so touristy at the summit of the mountain. It is the highest mountain in the Northeast but there is a road and even a cog railroad to the top. We stayed at the famous Lakes of Clouds Hut doing another work-for-stay. This time we got to wash dishes. There were about 12 thru-hikers staying at the hut.
Date: 2008-08-02
From: Lakes of Clouds Hut

To: Crawford Notch Campground
Miles today: 11.2
Weather: fog

We had a lovely morning as we finished hiking the Presidential Range taking as many side trails to peaks as possible. Mt. Monroe, Franklin, Eisenhower, Pierce, Clinton. About noon the clouds rolled in and unleashed their fury upon us again. We made it under treeline just in time to avoid the lightning. The rain flooded the last six miles of the trail and had a rough time with the steep downhill. I heard voices in my head for the first time today. Similiar to the whisper voices in the television show Lost. We made it to Crawford Notch soaked but somehow hitched a ride with a van of Canadian hippies to th Crawford Notch Campground and hostel. The daily rain showers are getting out of hand.
Date: 2008-08-03
From: Crawford Notch Campground

To: Crawford Notch Campground
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

Today is a very special day. Today Swing and I have our first visitors of the trip. The guest list includes my brother Paul (General Zod), Swing's brother John (McNasty), our good friend Robbie Prechtl, and the McCauley's Uncle Randy the driver. Paul and John are going to hike with us for a week and Robbie is going to join us for the rest of the trip to Georgia. Robbie didn't start with us in Maine because he was in Nepal running the Mount Everest Marathon. Uncle Randy is going to take a vacation this week around NH while we hike.
Date: 2008-08-04
From: Crawford Notch Campground

To: Guyot Campsite
Miles today: 11.9

It feels like we're on vacation hiking with visitors. We heard rumors today that the month of July had record rainfall for this area. That makes sense. The trend didn't stop today and we got soaked. It was Swing's birthday today but it's hard to celebrate much in the middle of the woods. However he did get the leftovers from everyone's meals in the shelter. There was a cool looking fox hanging around the campsite for a while too. He was very friendly until Swing imitated the Foxy Lady dance from the movie Wayne's World and scared it away. It must have been female.
Date: 2008-08-05
From: Guyot Campsite

To: North Lincoln
Miles today: 15.8

We did some tough miles along Franconia Ridge today. The views could have been awesome but we were in clouds again and a little rain. Robbie is an absolute beast. Running the Mt. Everest marathon turns you superhuman. He has a hard time walking because he always wants to run. Instead of camping under a bridge tonight the five of us decided to get a ride to Chet's hostel in North Lincoln.
Date: 2008-08-06
From: North Lincoln

To: North Lincoln
Miles today: 0.0

The trails are soaked and it's raining again so we decided to take a day off. It also gave our visitors a chance to recover. We are staying at Chet's house which could be my favorite hostel yet. Just about all the hikers in the area are here today and not hiking because of the weather. We counted 28 people in the hostel. Uncle Randy came over in the morning with breakfast for us. He is an incredible man. He came back in the evening to hang out and cooked us homemade buffalo sausage from his buffalo farm. It could have been the best tasting food I have ever put in my body. I also ate a raw potato covered in Koolaid sugar which was one of the worst tasting foods I have ever put in my body.
Date: 2008-08-07
From: North Lincoln

To: Kinsman Notch
Miles today: 16.3
Weather: light rain

Today is a sad day. Today is the day we say goodbye to Warraghiyagey and the delicious Von Frick. We've hiked with them since day one and spent many nights warming each others bones in the shelters. They are great people and will be missed out here in the world of mud and trees. Thanks for helping us along the way and putting up with our antics. We'll see you guys in Boston! Uncle Randy slack packed us today. He is now known as Uncle Sherpa because he is constantly driving us and our packs around. Leaving the hostel I found a new piece of flair for my daily uniform: A beautiful tiara with sparkling jewels all around the crown. We made a rule today that whenever we pass anyone on the trail we all clucked and walked like chickens. We passed one family with little kids and a dog. THe spectacle of five grown men walking slowly like chickens, hands in armpits, bobbing heads forward and back, and clucking down a trail in the middle of the woods was something to be seen. The dog wouldn't stop barking. About ten minutes later we heard in the distance the little kids clucking and the dog barking. I'm glad they wanted to imitate us and I'm sure their parents are glad too. Later in a hut we stumbled upon a group of boyscouts. Robbie challenged them to a team competition of rock paper scissors. I don't know how they did it but they beat every one of us. We didn't even win a single match. I've never seen such a dominance of rps then the show these scouts put on. Well played scouts, well played. Of course it was raining again. Uncle Sherpa picked us up soaked and we split a hotel room for evening after sharing a wonderful Mexican meal. This was the most entertaining day yet.
Date: 2008-08-08
From: Kinsman Notch

To: Jeffer's Brook Shelter
Miles today: 8.4
Weather: light rain

We slack packed Mt. Moosalaki today and guess who we saw at the summit... Those darn boyscouts who embarassed us at rps the day before. Of course we challenged them to a rematch but their scout master wouldn't let them. In fact their scout master wouldn't let them anywhere near us. I don't blame him: Swing's facial hair makes him look like a molester, I'm wearing a tiara, Robbie looks like a Euro trash porn star, and all five of us were pretending we had machine guns and grenades diving over mounds of rocks.Today is Uncle Sherpa's birthday and unfortunately the day he departed. Uncle Sherpa is definitely the MVP of the week. Along with driving us hooligans around and bringing us food this week, he also found time to ride the cog railroad up Mt. Washington, visit the Littleton coin factory, go on bear and moose hunts, and sample beers from many of the local taverns. He even told us a story that he saw dancing bears wearing dresses. Thanks for coming out Uncle Sherpa! General Zod and McNasty also left the trail so we are down to three until Georgia.
Date: 2008-08-09
From: Jeffer's Brook Shelter

To: Mt. Cube Sugar and Farm House
Miles today: 10.9

Besides a little drizzle in the morning, this is the first day it hasn't rained since we've been in New Hampshire. Early this afternoon Robbie and I were filling up water when Swing walks up with a sadistic look of madness in his face. He holds out his hand and reveals the handle to Gandalf (his beloved walking stick) with the rest of it missing. He then tells us how he bashed it to a hundred pieces against a tree and that was all that was left. Then he threw the handle in the woods and laughed. He's headed to the looney bin. We stopped short of our original destination because we read about a place called "The Governor's Mansion." The former governor of NH has a sugar house and farm a couple miles from the trail and he let's hikers stay in his hay barn for free. This was too good to pass up. The barn was AWESOME! Pigeons and bats flying around and bales of hay to sleep on. Not to mention that the barn is so old it could collapse at any moment.
Date: 2008-08-10
From: Mt. Cube Sugar and Farm House

To: Dartmouth Ski Hut
Miles today: 16.9

Despite wild pigeons flying around the barn all night, it was a great night's sleep on hay. Instead of roadwalking back two miles to the AT and then up Cube Mountain, we wanted to take an uncharted direct route up the side of the mountain and pick up the trail again at the top. It was a lot harder then expected with much bushwhacking. It was a nice day until after our noon swim, and then... BOOM goes the dynamite. We got stuck in the worst storm yet with 20 minutes of hail. Getting hit with hail reminded me of riding a motorcycle really fast shirtless in the rain. I'm glad I was on the Tommy Toughguy workout before the hike. We made it to a shelter right as the storm calmed and had four packs of soup. A wise man once told me that 85% of people feel better after eating soup. We spent the rest of the day in rain. We made it to the Dartmouth Skiway where we randomly met Trail Dog, an AT legend. Trail Dog owns the record of hiking the AT in the fastest time ever. He suggested we stay at the Dartmouth Outing Club ski cabin. It was empty that night so we let ourselves in. We had a fire roaring all night, warm cots to sleep in, and shelter from the outdoor elements. All in all it was a well rounded day.
Date: 2008-08-11
From: Dartmouth Ski Hut

To: Hanover
Miles today: 16.7
Weather: light rain

The hiker hunger is starting to haunt my dreams. I woke up in the middle of the night with a huge smile on my face. I had just had a dream I was in a food court with a McDonalds, Taco Bell, and KFC all next to each other. Later in the night I had a dream that I had a girlfriend and we got into an argument so I folded her up into a giant piece of pizza and ate her. No joke. We left the ski hut and walked up the ski slope eating wild blueberries the entire way.We made it to Hanover and found a free place to stay in the basement of a fraternity house at Dartmouth College. The folks at Phi Tau are great people.
Date: 2008-08-12
From: Hanover

To: Hanover
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

We finally got a trail name for Robbie. He will now be known as Water Babies. Today we had another guest visitor, the beautiful Molly Duprey. We took the day off in the college town of Hanover. Our biggest chore of the day was doing laundry so Water Babies randomly asked two lovely Dartmouth ladies to use their washer and dryer. They must have liked him because we spent the afternoon and evening on their porch doing laundry and taking the edge off. Later in the evening they invited us to a fraternity house for "Techno Tuesday" night. I felt like I was in college again. A big thanks goes to Mrs. Duprey for treating us to breakfast and ice cream, and to Annie, Tayla, Alan, and the Phi Tau fraternity for their great hospitality.
Date: 2008-08-13
From: Hanover

To: Happy Hill Shelter
Miles today: 5.8
Weather: scattered clouds

Two days ago we were interviewed walking into town by the local paper. This morning the article appeared in the Valley News about the wet weather effecting hikers. I feel like we are now celebrities in the town of Hanover and either one of us could run for mayor. The weather has been great for two days now and the trails are dry dry dry dry!!! In honor of Von Frick and Warraghiyagey, we made a kick ass fire at the shelter.
Date: 2008-08-14
From: Happy Hill Shelter

To: The Lookout
Miles today: 22.8

Despite leaving at 11am, stopping at the Hartford General Store for lunch, swimming, and eating butt loads of wild blackberries, we still had our highest mileage day. There is something about flatter trails, dry terrain, and sunshine that makes hiking easy. I even showed off my newly acquired speedo for most of the day. I'm sleeping on a lookout tower under the stars with a 360 degree view of the Vermont wilderness. It's a sweet place to sleep.
Date: 2008-08-15
From: The Lookout

To: Rutland, VT
Miles today: 17.5

I woke up to a picture perfect sunrise on top of the lookout tower. I rank it as the second best sunrise I've ever seen. I clearly remember the best sunrise I've ever seen in Chautauqua, NY on January 1, 2004. I was at the Bell Tower on Chautauqua Lake and there was a thin layer of ice diffracting the sunlight throughout the lake. The same morning as that memorable sunrise I also hit it big in the casino, drove through a McDonald's drivethru backwards, fought terrorism, and walked through Dead Man's cave barefoot.We made it to the booming town of Rutland to celebrate the Long Trail Festival being held this weekend. Rutland reminds me a lot of Jamestown, NY. Not very clean. We tented at the Vermont State Fairgrounds where the festival is taking place with a bunch of other hikers and hippies.
Date: 2008-08-16
From: Rutland, VT

To: Rutland, VT
Miles today: 0.0

We enjoyed a relaxing day listening to live bands at the festival. There are some interesting people here in Rutland. The main hiker hostel in town is run by a "community" of people. Some may call it a cult. Actually everybody calls it a cult. They are an extremely nice group of people but there is something very strange about them.
Date: 2008-08-17
From: Rutland, VT

To: Upper Cold River Rd. 
Miles today: 12.0

The bus from Rutland dropped us off back near the trail in the afternoon. We didn't want to walk back to the trailhead a mile away so we tried to take a shortcut up Pico ski slope. We even talked the ski lift operator to give us a ride half way up the mountain. We followed ski slopes, access roads, and random side trails and somehow found the AT again. But it certainly didn't save us any time or energy. It's days like these that maps would do us a lot of good. By the end of the day, we made it to the 500 mile mark!!!
Date: 2008-08-18
From: Upper Cold River Rd. 

To: Big Branch Shelter
Miles today: 21.3
Weather: few clouds

There is some dude named Karl trying to break the AT time record. He is trying to do it in 47 days. At 5:30am he ran past our tents and woke us up. I'm a big fan of Trail Dog the current record holder and who we met a couple weeks ago but wish Karl the best of luck. We got two great swims in today.
Date: 2008-08-19
From: Big Branch Shelter

To: Manchester Center, VT
Miles today: 16.5
Weather: overcast clouds

After a week of sunshine, it rained again this morning. I actually missed the rain a lot. We actually woke up early today and made it to town by 2:30. We got a hitch from a couple hippies who are on their way to see a RatDog concert somewhere in NY. They wanted us to come with them and it was tough for me to say no. We are staying at the amazing Green Mountain House instead. Jeff and Regina Taussig just renovated a house just for hikers and started this service about five weeks ago. They only take eight hikers a night. Everything in this place is brand new and way too clean for us to be around. It's our nicest hostel yet and probably won't be beat. Tonight was the first night and probably only night we got to watch the Olympics. Oh, and my tiara broke today so I am no longer to be called The Bearded Princess.
Date: 2008-08-21
From: Story Spring Shelter

To: Congdon Shelter
Miles today: 23.3
Weather: clear sky

Saw three moose this morning. A mamma moose and two babies. Mamma didn't like me so I didn't get close. When I was about six years old I accidently pooped my pants. I didn't know what to do with the dirty underwear so I put it in a plastic bag. Later that day I was in my father's car and I put the bag under his seat and forgot about it. It was August so the car sat in the hot sun. About a week later his car had an incredibly awful and intense odor. He finally pinpointed it to my bag of poop-filled underwear. I smell worse than that right now.
Date: 2008-08-22
From: Congdon Shelter

To: Cheshire, MA
Miles today: 28.8

Massachusetts! Today was the first day I got really really tired and had to stop for an hour. Maybe it was because Water Baby and I sprinted up Mt. Greylock after eating a Chinese Buffet. Mt. Greylock is no joke either. By the way, we both got the same fortune in our fortune cookies. "It is better to have a hen tomorrow than an egg today." I don't know what that means. Got a great sunset on top of Greylock and did some night hiking down to the town of Cheshire. I am sleeping in the dugout of the Cheshire school baseball field.
Date: 2008-08-23
From: Cheshire, MA

To: Dalton, MA
Miles today: 8.6
Weather: clear sky

Got my IPOD in the mail this morning!!! First song I listened to was Werewolves of London. We're taking the afternoon off in Dalton and staying at the famous "Birdcage". Rob Bird runs an amazing hiker house and is the most hospitable host of the trail thus far. He even took us to the Old Country Buffet for dinner. It was disgusting how much we ate.
Date: 2008-08-24
From: Dalton, MA

To: Upper Goose Pond Cabin
Miles today: 20.8
Weather: clear sky

We have heard glorious rumors that the caretaker at Upper Goose Pond makes pancakes for hikers who spend the night. We also heard that he was out of blueberries for the pancakes. Mid-day through our walk we stopped at the "Cookie Lady's" house who also has a blueberry picking farm. The three of us spent an hour picking blueberries for our breakfast the next morning. We are very good at planning ahead. The three of us watched the sunset on the I-90 overpass which was a very special.
Date: 2008-08-25
From: Upper Goose Pond Cabin

To: South Egremont, MA
Miles today: 31.1

Swing fell in love with the cabin at Upper Goose Pond. It had its own lake, canoe, and library. He decided to stay at the cabin and take a day off of hiking. I was jealous. The Baby and I continued onward. We made a side trip to a post office and grocery store and ended up doing a lot of road walking to get back to the trail.
Date: 2008-08-26
From: South Egremont, MA

To: Sages Ravine Brook Campsite
Miles today: 11.1
Weather: clear sky

Today was a very sad day. Water Baby and I began the day by walking a mile off the trail to the small town of South Egremont for breakfast. On our walk back to the trail a nice gentleman in a white van picked us up. It was a short ride but much appreciated. After getting out of the van and seeing it drive off I realized to my horror that I had left my beloved walking stick Clubber Lang inside. Our new mission for the day was to get Clubber back. Here is the information we had: Clubber was in the back of an old white van with a sliding door next to a circular saw. The driver is in his late 30's, tan, and has a week old beard wearing a black tanktop. He normally works as a carpenter but on this particular day he was driving to West Cornwall, CT to do masonry work on a chimney. We had no idea where West Cornwall was but we had to get there. 1. First hitch was in the back of a pickup truck with a young male professional into the town of Salisbury where we locate a map.2. Second hitch with a 70 year old woman named Molly3. Shane, an 18 year old punk. The Baby had a good conversation with Shane about rap music.4. Kate was next. Kate is a gardner, in her 30's, and lives in West Cornwall. She wanted an excuse to skip work today so she joined us on our quest. We drove around Cornwall and stopped at every construction site in the area looking for the white van. We even went to the contracting permit office and inquired about new chimneys in the area. All of our efforts came up empty so we started the 40 mile trek back to where we started. 5. Next hitch was an old man in a truck named Carl.6. Our next leg was handled by a middle-aged Native American woman who called herself "Morning Star Woman." She was a little out there.7. Our final hitch was our favorite. A black dude named Cliff from the Bronx driving a YMCA van. He called the van "The Toaster." Ironically he was on his way to pick up a group of kids at the same place we were headed.We hiked to the Massachusetts/Connecticut border without Clubber. A sad day for us. Sorry Chuck.
Date: 2008-08-27
From: Sages Ravine Brook Campsite

To: Hoyt Rd
Miles today: 52.6

A few weeks ago we decided we were going to really challenge ourselves and hike the entire state of Connecticut in one day. 52.6 miles. The Baby and I woke up at 3:30am and began walking in the dark. My flashlight ran out of battery right as the sun came up. I had no choice but to finish by dark. The Baby's legs tightened up about 40 miles in, to the point he couldn't walk. He also had serious blisters on his feet which he was using maxi pads to ease the pain. He got on a train and went to New York City to visit his sister. The last few hours on my own were incredibly painful trying to beat the sunset. I finished at 8:30pm right as I couldn't see light anymore. I was completely dehydrated, out of food and water, and every muscle on my body was cramping. To do that many miles as fast as I did with a full pack on was probably the most difficult thing I have ever done in my life.
Date: 2008-08-28
From: Hoyt Rd

To: New York City
Miles today: 0.0

I was awakened at the break of dawn by Karl's road crew parking next to my head (See 8/18 entry). I was hurting bad from the day before but Karl's friendly crew took good care of me. I was invited into their RV and was served recovery drinks and ambrosia. They pretty much saved my life. We chatted for an hour or so. I even made a small impact on their day...   http://www.whereskarl.com/?q=node/178I took a train to NYC for the weekend. I met up with my good friend David Posner who took The Baby and I to an "interactive play". It was one of the stranger things I've seen on this trip but was a lot of fun. Quite a transition from the solitude and quiet of the woods to the heart of one of the biggest cities in the world in a matter of hours. Thanks Dave! Later in the night, the Baby and I had the extreme pleasure of meeting Elaine. Elaine is an absolute sweetheart. She was very interested and impressed at our hiking stories. It is possible she is our biggest fan. And for that she gets to be in the picture of the day. Finally a HUGE thank you goes to the lovely Bethany Prechtl for the shower, treats, and floor to sleep on.
Date: 2008-08-29
From: New York City

To: New York City
Miles today: 0.0

First order of business: FOOT MASSAGE! Best $30 I've spent in a long time. Later in the evening I met up with my good friends Jon Korn and Jake "Pubs" Keefe. We had a jolly old time drinking nector and taking the edge off. It's always good seeing familiar faces. Thank you Pubs and Leah for letting me sleep on your futon. It was one of the best nights sleep I've had in a long time.