morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2012-07-01
From: Lost Pond Shelter

To: Clarendon Shelter
Miles today: 18.6
Weather: broken clouds

Snag and I spent the day leapfrogging with hikers Noah, 4-star, Lion and Badger. Lion and Badger are 2 16-year olds from Vermont hiking the Long Trail for 2 weeks (that somehow got permission from their parents to hike it alone!) Noah is a college kid at school in Ft. Collins, CO.We got into some really beautiful rocky areas, and at lunchtime we reached an area called White Rocks. We hiked out to the overlook to eat and cool down for a bit. It had already rained once today and we all managed to dodge it because there happened to be a shelter nearby. After lunch we reached Clarendon Gorge, which looked like it would be a great place to swim if it didn't look like rain again. As we crossed the suspension bridge over the Mill River, we spotted a trail magic tent in the parking lot. A family from New Hampshire was stationed there, and thru-hiker Beacon was already there, sitting in a comfy camp chair drinking a soda. A girl about 11 was cooking brats on a grill and her mom was handing out chips, soda and candy. Just as we reached the tent, rain came down. It was much harder than earlier, and poor 4-star, Noah, and girls showed up drenched. But we had brats! and soda! We chatted and laughed at our fortune until the rain lulled and we all ran to make it to the next shelter north.Flies and mosquitoes are swarming tonight, so we're tenting despite rain drops. It's a great tent site with soft pine needles and flat ground.
Date: 2012-07-02
From: Clarendon Shelter

To: Inn at the Long Trail -- US 4
Miles today: 17.4

Water dripped from the trees all night, but I don't think it ever rained again. Snag and I left by 7AM in hopes of being by Killington, VT early in the afternoon.We had a quick climb up to Beacon Hill, which warmed us up pretty well. The next half of the day was spent going up and coming down from Killington Peak. It was a 4-mile steady climb with a little bit of rock scramble. We had lunch with Beacon, Spoon, and section hiker Freak. A day hiker dropped by to give us foil packets of leftover pancakes and homefries she made that morning. We ate them just before leaving the 4-walled shelter. The last few miles before the road to Killington, we hiked with Freak and his dog, Apache (which sounds like "Patchy" when he says it with his Virginia accent) He has been hiking sections of the AT for 5 years. His name comes from the term "freak of nature" because he says he shouldn't be alive after a horrible car accident he was in years ago.Snag and I said goodbye to him at Hwy 4, where we got a hitch into Rutland, VT for resupply and then back toward the trail. We stayed at the Inn at the Long Trail. Stripper, Beacon, Noah, 4-star, Badger and Lion were there, although most were tenting for free in the yard. Snag and I got a room, ate dinner at the pub and spent some time in their old-fashioned playroom. They had old wooden toys and games from the 50s and 60s, it was really neat.
Date: 2012-07-03
From: Inn at the Long Trail -- US 4

To: Wintturi Shelter
Miles today: 18.9

Breakfast didn't start being served until 7:30 at the Inn, so we got a later start than normal. It was a great breakfast though, and it came with the room. Not far from our start of the day, we hit Maine Junction, where the AT splits from the LT (Long Trail). The LT continues north, and Snag and I turn slightly east, to follow the AT. There were lots of ups and downs, which got to my knees well before the day was over. It wasn't our longest day miles-wise, but it felt like close, I'm not sure why. I saw some moose droppings near the shelter, so I've had my eye out for those tall creatures. It was sunny and breezy today - great weather.Beacon made it to Wintturi Shelter and Lazer Lgs, a section-hiker is here, too. Beacon was named while he was hiking the PCT. He and some friends were hiking in deep snow and it was easy to lose the trail. Beacon was ahead of the group, and the group ended up following his trail, calling him a "beacon in the night". Lazer Legs says a friend from back home named him this because his legs are so bright white it's like looking at lazers. Funny.A group of 3 are just camping overnight on the AT at the shelter and they have an adorable 8-year old boy on his first backpacking trip. I was happy I packed in an assortment of airheads (my favorite candy as of late) and let him choose one to eat.
Date: 2012-07-04
From: Wintturi Shelter

To: Hartford Signs Camp -- West Hartford, VT
Miles today: 16.4

Happy 4th! And Happy Birthday to my dad!This morning we woke up to the sound of heavy rain on our tent. Only Beacon and Lazer Legs were in the shelter, and so they were the only dry ones. Beacon left early as always, just as the rain died down. Then Lazer Legs. Then section-hikers, and we were just about the last ones to hit the trail. The terrain was a bit more mellow than yesterday. We didn't quite rach the same altitude, but we had some short and steep climbs in the morning, bringing us up to grassy hilltops, and giving us a look back at what I think are the Killington ski slopes.We meandered through some pine tree farms and more fields of tall grass, milk weed and blackberry bushes. The trail isn't maitained very well in these grassy parts (it's more difficult to), so there's a lot of overhanging vegetation. It was more humid today than the past few days, probably because of the rain last night, and it was warm.At lunch we stopped at Cloudland Farms, a mostly beef, pork and poultry farm just off the trail to the west. They had a small market with ice cream and original Vermont-made sodas. It was one of my happiest moments on the trail just because it was unexpectedly delicious and the timing was perfect. It felt way too hot to be hiking. The owner of the farm chatted with us about the farm (in the family since 1908). He mentioned big storms this afternoon, so we pushed on. As we entered the town of West Hartford, VT across a bridge, locals were jumping off into the White River, 25 feet below. Tubers, kayakers, and swimmers were out enjoying the last of the sun and so we jumped in, too. It looked like storms at 6:00, so everyone scattered and we set up camp behind a local business, 'Hartford Sign'. The owner is known to be very hiker friendly and we felt comfortable just setting up camp and coming back later to check in with him.While eating dinner at the Full Belly Deli, the rain came down hard and then again about an hour later as we lay in our tent. It was hot and tough hiking, but overall a great day.
Date: 2012-07-05
From: Hartford Signs Camp -- West Hartford, VT

To: Hanover, NH -- Uncle Jeff's
Miles today: 9.9
Weather: overcast clouds

The tent still soaked from last night, Snag and I grabbed some food at the deli again, hoping it would give the tent more time to dry out a bit. Hiking today started with an easy 4-mile gentle rise to Happy Hill Shelter, where we met Teepee Tommy from Tennessee. He's a southbounder, one of the first we've talked to at length. We'll be running into more and more of them from now on, as they started hiking from Maine in early June and are just making it this far south. We exchnged experiences and advice about the trail North and South of here. Teepee Tommy has lived in a 18-foot diameter teepee for the past 2 years while going to school in Tennessee studying Biology. He's a young guy (22), has a small pack and seems to be pretty happy on the trail - maybe a bit lonely.Our last 5 miles into Hanover was easy, too. There were 2.5 miles of roadwalking through residential areas and over the Connecticut River into New Hampshire! Only two more states to walk through now. 440 miles left to go and it's almost unbelievable. I have to keep being reminded how "little" we have left, because hearing about how tough the White Mountains can be, it seem like a lot to get through. In Hanover, we stopped at the Dartmouth Outing Club briefly and then got a free slice of pizza. Eric's Uncle Jeff picked us up at the library and starting tomorrow we'll be taking 4 whole days off to fly to a wedding in Cincinnati, OH. A rest up before the Whites might be just what we need.
Date: 2012-07-06
From: Hanover, NH - Uncle Jeff's

To: Home
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

Thanks to Jeff and Pat for taking us in for a night, feeding us, and transporting us to the airport. We had a fun night hanging out with their family around the dinner table!Getting in a plane and flying so far away from the trail seemed strange this morning. Our first leg of the trip flew us south to Baltimore, so we didn't get to see any views of the mountains ahead.In Ashland, OH now, we hung out tonight with Eric's parents and a friend of his that's in town. We ate a big meal: meatloaf! It's one of the food items Eric and I have been fantisizing about eating on our time off. Then: Purple Cows! (like a root beer float but with grape soda instead) This is nice...
Date: 2012-07-07
From: Home

To: Home
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Eric and I are going to a wedding today to witness friends of his (Trent and Sarah) getting married in Cincinnati.I tried on dress clothes last night for the occasion and most of my shoes don't fit. I think my feet are swollen from not hiking. My toes are still stiff and it still hurts to walk (although not nearly as much as if I had hiked yesterday!) Eric's pants are too big, he's lost about 15 lbs so far, but nothing a belt won't fix just for one day.The wedding was beautiful and we are so happy to have been a part of it! We even sat next to a section-hiker, Micheal ("Ladies and Gentleman"), who hiked for 2 weeks this year. He's a friend of the groom's and happens to know some of the same people we've been hiking with on the trail. Small world!
Date: 2012-07-08
From: Home

To: Home
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

3rd zero day in a row and Eric's calves have been cramping up randomly. My feet feel very rested, but they are still sensitive to pressure (ex: I use hand rails down the stairs to relieve pressure and go slowly). It makes me wonder how long it would take to get back to normal.We got back into packing up for our trip tomorrow back to the trail. Eric's parents are driving us back to Hanover, where we will continue our hike north. We are finding and packing cold-weather gear for the White Mountains (heavier long underwear, gloves, hat, etc) in case it gets cold. I'm also trying to look ahead in the guide book to see how to resupply there and possibly plan how many miles we'll do each day.
Date: 2012-07-10
From: Hanover, NH

To: Moose Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 10.9
Weather: broken clouds

It's our first day back from 'vacation' and time to hit the trail again!We ate with Eric's parents at the pizza place where we stopped hiking 5 days ago. Gunrunner, The Dude and Wall Street were there, too, getting their free slice of pizza. Gunrunner was surprised to see us, thinking we were ahead. It has been months (since Virginia) since we last saw him! We had met Wall Street once before a long time ago. This is our new crew for the next few days.We said goodbye to Bea and Bruce. Honestly it felt a lot like the first day we left Springer when our friend Milt dropped us off at the trailhead in March. We felt alone, and now it's time to get down to business.Immediately Eric discovered that one of his trekking poles was stick in its folded up position. I guess after 4 days it just decided to lodge itself in place. Luckily, a local auto shop let us borrow their vice and then it was fixed. We saw Wall Street again on the trail and then caught up to Gunrunner and The Dude taking a break. We hiked together for a while, catching up on some of the hikers (where they are, any drama, where we saw them last). It felt a bit odd to be hiking again. It may take a couple of days to get back in the swing of things.At the shelter tonight is a section-hiker named Northern Bald, and a southbounder (didn't catch his name). Wall Street is tenting here, too. We had our first experience retrieving water from a mud puddle. The water source had all but dried up - the water was brown and small creatures were living in the little water that was there. We filtered through a bandana many times and treated it with aquamira at full strength.No rain in the forecast for a few days. This is good news to me unless it's going to make the water more scarce.
Date: 2012-07-11
From: Moose Mountain Shelter

To: Hexacuba Shelter
Miles today: 17.7
Weather: few clouds

Today was a good, full day with a climb to Holt's Ledges in the morning and Smarts Mountain at the end of the day. The AWOL's guide describes Holt's Ledges as a precipitous drop-off with views. There were lots of rock ledges and I even flushed a Peregrine Falcon from less than 10 feet away. He scolded me as he flew back and forth near the ledge, and then further away.Still in the morning, we stopped by the home of a retired doctor, Bill Ackerly, who is know to hand out free ice cream. There was a cooler with Mountain Dew on his porch, and Snag and I spent and hour there, drinking and reading the newspaper. It was a sunny, beautiful day and we both were feeling energized and strong. We saw Smarts Mountain from miles away, the fire tower just a spec. Once atop the mountain, we ate lunch at the Fire Warden's Cabin and Snag climbed the fire tower for good views of the Whites and many lakes below. Since we didn't feel like we could trust there being water at the intermitant stream near the shelter, we loaded up on water at a stream 1/2 mile prior. Here we are tenting at Hexacuba Shelter with thru-hiker Wall street, a local man, and a family of hikers. It would be a peaceful night if the mosquitoes weren't eating us alive.
Date: 2012-07-12
From: Hexacuba Shelter

To: Hikers Welcome Hostel -- Glencliff, NH
Miles today: 14.8
Weather: clear sky

We all slept well safe from the mosquitoes. Snag and I really wanted to sleep in this morning. We left camp by 7:45 and made it up to Mt. Cube where we got a look back at Smarts Mountain and how small the fire tower looked again. The summit was rocky and exposed and the sun was getting higher in the sky and hot, so we ducked back into the trees. We had lunch by a stream with 2 Southbounders, a couple who had just finished up with the Whites (White Mountains). This is the section Snag and I will enter tomorrow. I have been a bit nervous about the Whites from all the talk about it, and they eased some of my anxiety.Snag and I continued our hike from there to the Hikers Welcome Hostel. Gunrunner, Wall Street, The Dude, Willie Boy and 2 section-hikers are here, too. We all got hamburgers and hot dogs and grilled out in the backyard. There is an outdoor sink, toilet and shower. Snag and I decided to tent in the yard because it's cheaper. We resupplied in Warren, NH for the next 2 days.Tomorrow we will start in the White Mountains with Mt Moosilauke. the guy shuttlig us into town pointed out this mountain from several locations along our route back from the grocery store. All of us hikers in the van surveyed the mountain, trying to gauge how hard it would be from the looks of the steep slopes. We sat there silently, knowing tomorrow will be difficult.
Date: 2012-07-13
From: Hikers Welcome Hostel -- Glencliff, NH

To: Eliza Brook Shelter
Miles today: 16.8
Weather: clear sky

Eager to start the day, Snag and I left camp by 6:30AM. We are planning a somewhat big day (big for the Whites, I suppose, which we entered first thing this morning). Mt Moosilauke is first, a daunting mountain by the looks of the elevation profile. It rises from 1,000 to 4,800 feet in 3.7 miles. Honestly, the ascent didn't quite live up to the hype. The rocks were rocky, some sections were steep, I was tired, but also excited by the new alpine surroundings. A flock of Boreal Chickadees surrounded us, a first for me. Just under a mile from the peak on a flat portion of the trail with a tremendous view, a young moose trotted around the corner. Our first moose! We kept pushing him forward, and he stopped ahead of us to look back. Eventually, the narrow trail opened up, and he trotted off to the west.Once above treeline, tall cairns marked the trail until we hit the summit sign. We met thru-hiker Candyman, and Gunrunner caught up with us, who stopped to smoke a cigar. We agreed that we've had much harder climbs and the view from this peak was the best thus far. The hike down Moosilauke was very steep. Installed wooden steps and rebar were placed on rocks to assist hikers on the steepest portions. The trail followed closely to a waterfall, and brought us down to Hwy 11. Gunrunner and The Dude are staying at a hostel, Chet's Place, in Lincoln, NH tonight. Snag ad I, feeling surprisingly good, pushed on 7.5 more miles to Eliza Brook Shelter. The terrain continues to be very rocky and rooty, and brings you up and down a narrow trail. When we see a view, they tend to be of dramatically steep hillsides and with distinct, tall mountains in the distance. We wonder which one is Mt. Washington, if we can even see it yet.Haystack, Willie Boy, Candyman and Fox are here tonight, along with some others camping. We all agree it was a beautiful day!
Date: 2012-07-14
From: Eliza Brook Shelter

To: Carriage Motel -- N. Woodstock, NH
Miles today: 8.8

It was a leisurely day today with tough climbs over South and North Kinsman. There are great views in the Whites so far and we are constantly wowed when we hit a high pond or a neat rockwall leading to a big mountain we are about to climb. The rocks were bigger today requiring some actual climbing, but the views back south to Moosilauke are gorgeous. We are lucky to have a sunny, blue sky day. Again! The trail got kind of confusing at the end of our day, and we followed the wrong side trail to the Flume Parking area. A nice family from Indiana fed us cheese and pretzels until we couldn't eat anymore and helped us find our way. Eric's friend, Alan, who lives in Massachusetts, met us at the parking area near N. Woodstock and hung out with us for a couple of hours. We ate pizza and the best ice cream thus far on the trail (in my opinion). It was called "Udderly Delicious" and it was in Lincoln, NH across from the Price Chopper. I recommend it highly!Our knees are hurting pretty badly so we want to rest up for the "spectacular" Franconia Ridge tomorrow. The next few days call for a chance of thunderstorms so I hope we don't hit them at the wrong time.
Date: 2012-07-15
From: Carriage Motel - N. Woodstock, NH

To: Galehead Hut
Miles today: 13.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Our day started at 5:30AM. No sleeping in because we wanted to get started hiking on the ridge in case the weather turns this afternoon.On the way up to Liberty Mountain, we heard of a 'bad bear' that hung out all night at the campsite scrounging for food and just being a general nuisance. Apparently it was a big bear that was not scared of people at all, and got into some people's backpacks. That's what happens when a bear gets fed.Snag and I got on top of Franconia Ridge early. It was a bit of a sweaty climb but completely worth it. Weekend hikers asked us what the best view we've seen on the trail so far. Gunrunner was there, too, and we all looked at each other and said "This!" The hikers gave us some grape juice and snacks (much appreciated!). The next 2 miles were above treeline and we are loving the views. 13 miles was a full day today because the terrain is more demanding. We climbed Mt. Garfield in the early afternoon. It was steep and rocky, and after 7 hours of hiking, our kees were really hurting again. It's those darn descents!I walked into Galehead Hut exhausted. The cook for the night, Anna, took a while to decide if there was any work-for-stay available for us. All of the Huts in the White Mountains are owned by the AMC (Appalachian Mountain Club). They are used by tourists and hiking vacationers, who can stay there for about $90 a night. This includes a bed, breakfast and dinner. The huts are pretty ritzy compared to our shelters that we stay in, not to mention the food that we can eat there. These Huts may offer a "work-for-stay" for thru-hikers. They say that only 2 spots are available each night, and each hiker may work for 1-2 hours. In exchange for work, hikers can sleep on the floor and eat any leftover food.Candyman, Willie Boy, Snag and I all got work-for-stay because it started to get windy, rainy and cold. Leftovers were absolutely delicious! They were shells and ricotta cheese, hearty bread, broccoli, 2 kinds of soup, and bread pudding. For work I did the dishes and cleaned under the sink while Snag cleaned the stove range.
Date: 2012-07-16
From: Galehead Hut

To: Ethan Pond Shelter
Miles today: 11.8
Weather: fog

At 5:30 sharp this morning the hut crew (called the "Croo"), started making breakfast and puttering around the kitchen - our signal to get up off the floor.Snag ad I left before breakfast because we wouldn't get leftovers until after 9AM. First off we got up on South Twin Mountain. The clouds were mesmerizing. The thick fog was passing over us, clearing as we went up. Next we went down and up to Guyot Mountain where rock fields and low-growing spruce were everywhere. At 11AM we got to an AMC hut called Zealand Falls. We hung out until 2pm and watched th weather becuase it's supposed to storm this afternoon. We made it to Ethan Pond Camp without rain, but we're sheltering in case it comes down tonight. The walk from the hut to camp was soft dirt and easy hiking.Gunrunner, Candyman and Willie Boy are here along with some section-hikers. Caleb, the caretaker for this AMC shelter, hung out with us for a while and collected the $8 fee for staying here tonight. We're all talking about finish dates, how the terrain has been in the Whites (challenging, but not as difficult as we've heard), and how we feel about being so close to Maine!