morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2015-08-04
From: Podunk Rd. 1738.6

To: Etna-Hanover, NH 1752.9
Miles today: 14.5

Tuesday, August 4th The Iceman left Vermont today and entered New Hampshire at the 1746.5 mile marker. Not only has he completed 1700+ miles but he is now in his second to last state with 436.3 miles to go. Hooray! He crossed over the Connecticut River bridge into Hanover, NH. Hanover is a small town that is essentially an appendage of Dartmouth College; and the AT actually passes through the Dartmouth campus (see photo section) The Sherpa drove to meet the Iceman as he came over the bridge. She parked the car and they walked together through the town until the Iceman broke off to head through the woods and up a steep hill continuing his hike of another 5 miles. On the way to Hanover the Iceman met Chocolate and her family. When he reached the center of Hanover, Lollipop and Tigger were sitting at an outdoor caf© having lunch; they are members of Chocolates family. Along the way the Sherpa took several photos of the Iceman at Dartmouth and one of the plaque on the street in the center of Hanover marking the AT. After leaving the Iceman the Sherpa had some time to explore the town and the first thing was to visit the Hood Museum of Art at Dartmouth. It's a rather small museum but has some important works. Next some shopping to purchase a new blouse and then have a quick lunch at Lou's. Lou's is an old fashion luncheonette with bar stools and leather covered banquettes.   It's an institution in Hanover and very crowded everyday. The Sherpa was lucky to get a bar stool as it was after the lunch rush when she was there. Now to drive to the pick up point which was outside of the main town center by about 10 minutes. The Iceman showed up on time and when two other hikers saw him they rushed to the car and asked for a ride into Hanover. Everyone now in the car and a conversation ensued about hiking. They were about 50 years old, Molly and Kiwi, and both from New Zealand. They decided to hike the AT from Maine to Georgia and gave the Iceman lots of info about the section they had completed. They expect to be at Springer mountain sometime in November. Great people as are most if not all on this trail. Back to the Prince and the Pauper for another wonderful dinner. Soup for the Iceman, Celeriac with truffle oil and salad. Lamb en croute for the Sherpa and Meatballs and spaghetti for the Iceman; can't keep him away from pasta for too long. He's now taking those supplements that the lovely woman in the outfitters store suggested so hopefully results will come soon.
Date: 2015-08-06
From: Lyme/Dorchester Rd. 1764.6 miles

To: NH25 1780.7
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

Thursday, August 6th The Iceman had some great preparation for the Whites today. He hiked 5000 vertical feet over three mountain tops, two of them being Smarts mountain and Mount Cube. Both of these were very steep and had a lot of rock outcroppings. At one point in his hike he was walking on a log through mud. He put his trekking pole down, for support, and the pole went into the mud to the handle. (If you look at some photo's of him you can see how tall the pole is.) He was now bent over so far that his head was only about three feet from the ground. He did a balancing act on the log going inch by inch until he got to firm ground. Vermont, which is known for its mud, had nothing like this. This really surprised the Iceman. Just before noon, as he was going north, Chocolate's family passed him on his way to Smarts Mt. They stopped at Fire Wardens Shelter, perhaps to have lunch, and the Iceman passed them. He didn't see them again. He met 4 SOBO thru hikers and one of them said that in 2004 he hiked with an 82 year old man. He believes that that man is the oldest on record to do a thru hike. The Sherpa went to Hanover again today to do a little more shopping after having a chef prepared breakfast at the Inn and writing the journal. It was a clear bright day with the temperature going from the mid 50's to the low 70's. A nice day to hike the AT and walk around Hanover. Dinner was at the Inn again tonight and perfect, just as it had been the night before, the only added attraction was the band in the tavern. WOW! it was fabulous. From 6:30 to 9:30 they played country rock and it seemed that the whole town was there. (They might have been, since there are only a total of 1,756 people including children in the whole village.) The Lyme Inn has beautiful rooms, comfortable and well appointed common area's and light airy dining rooms. The tavern has an open beam ceiling and a large fireplace. This is the place to stay if visiting anywhere near Lyme. We will surely stay here again and the next time the Iceman will be able to enjoy the surrounding towns.
Date: 2015-08-07
From: NH25 1780.7

To: High St Warren NH 1791.7
Miles today: 11.7
Weather: overcast clouds

Friday, August 7th   Just as the Sherpa dropped off the Iceman, to start his hike, out of the woods walked 3D. The last time the Iceman and Sherpa saw him was in Virginia. The two hiked together an easy 11.7 miles. The total vertical today was about 2000 feet. The Sherpa had a late breakfast, made by the chef at the Lyme Inn, and struck up a conversation with two other guests. It turned out that they lived down the street from the Inn but wanted to see what the Inn was like so stayed the night before as guests. Journals were written and the Sherpa packed up the car and took one last drive around Lyme to take some pictures of the village; the 50 horse stalls (now only 27), the village green with its memorial markers and the Lyme Inn. On the way to High St. the Sherpa noticed a missile on the side of the road so of course had to pull over to see what it was all about. The Redstone missile was brought to Warren, NH by a native of the town so that the local children could see a missile up close and not just on TV. It's a great story! Time to pick up the Iceman and 3D, who decided to stay in a hotel near the Iceman's, which was the Lodge at Lincoln in Lincoln, NH. The next stop was Lahout's Outfitters in Lincoln for a new pair of hiking boots as the old ones self destructed a day ago. Dinner was at "Common Man" restaurant and all three enjoyed a good dinner. Nothing exceptional but hearty and filled with protein for the hikers.
Date: 2015-08-13
From: NH 302 Crawford Notch 1843.8 miles

To: Mt. Washington Summit 1856.3 miles
Miles today: 12.5

Thursday, August 13th Yesterday the Iceman took a zero day first because he wasn't feeling good and second because both he and 3D needed to get some things done like laundry and resupply. The Iceman bought some warm, waterproof gloves at a local outfitters in Bretton Woods, a left and a right, and that night the Iceman and the Sherpa went to a local restaurant for dinner. It was like a typical NJ diner, good and filling. Thursday the Sherpa dropped off the Iceman and 3D at NH302 at the trailhead and they started hiking up to the summit of Mt. Washington. In the first 3 miles the Iceman hiked 3000 vertical feet on steep terrain. The rest of the climb was a slow progression up to 6,500 feet for a total vertical climb of 5,500 feet. This hike had the greatest amount of vertical of any hike so far and it was a difficult climb for most of the day, however, there were many rewards. The views up until early afternoon were magnificent! At about 2pm the sky's darkened and by 3pm the Iceman was in the clouds where it began to rain. He continued, now through heavy rain and reached a hut called "Lakes in the Clouds" that was high up in the clouds. Four different trails intersect at this hut so it's important to make sure to get back on the correct one. He put on all the rain gear and warm clothes that he had and continued to the summit. When he reached to summit the Sherpa was waiting for him and 3D in a state of panic. The drive up to the summit, 8 miles with 1 of those miles gravel, was one of sheer terror for the Sherpa. It was 100% worse than the Wayah Bald road. It was barely wide enough for two cars to pass, one going up and the other going down. There were no guardrails and the drop off was straight down thousands of feet. The car motor sounded like it was straining all the way to the top as it was going up to 6,288 feet. The Iceman was very cold and his hands were freezing. The new gloves he bought yesterday didn't fit because his hands were swollen. It took quite a bit of convincing on the part of the Iceman and 3D to get the Sherpa back into the car. (Her options were, take the Cog train or a shuttle van back to the bottom). The Iceman put the car into low gear, as is strongly suggested by the instructions, given at the base when one pays to drive on the road, and the Sherpa sat in the back seat with her hands over her eyes. Finally down to the main road and back to the Inn. Our new base camp is The Wentworth in Jackson, NH. An Inn with rooms in the main house and cottages, which are large houses. There's a restaurant and that's where dinner was. The duck breast was excellent as was the beef tenderloin and all of the accompanying vegetables; steamed mussels in a delicious broth and fresh salad greens from a nearby farm; apple Galette and house made ice cream all were great
Date: 2015-08-14
From: Pinkham Notch NH16

To: Carter Notch Hut 1877 miles
Miles today: 6.0
Weather: few clouds

Friday August 14th This morning the Iceman's son in law, Jon, drove from MA to NH to hike with the Iceman for the next 3 days. After breakfast at the Wentworth the Sherpa dropped them and 3D off at NH16, Pinkham Notch, to begin their 2 day hike with an overnight at Carter Notch Hut, elevation 3308. This journey would be a total of 21.5 miles and the Iceman began with some trepidation. Warren Doyle, the instructor at the Appalachian Trail Institute which the Iceman attended November 2014, had said that this section of the AT was THE most difficult of the entire trail. The first day of the hike would be short, 6 miles, but according to Warren these first 6 miles would take a huge amount of effort. The hike from the NH16 to Carter Notch is over the 5 Wildcat Mountains, A,B,C,D & E. The locals call this Wildcat and her kittens. It began with a very steep, difficult, rocky climb followed by 5 descents and climbs of equal difficulty and finally a drop down into Carter Notch. At one point they hiked over the top of the Wildcat Ski area where the AT crosses right at the top of the ski lift. This is where they stopped for lunch and a very nice lift operator gave them cold water to drink. At 4pm they arrived at the hut. The hut is actually several buildings.   One has a kitchen and dining area, others have bunks and another is a privy. All the buildings were is very good condition. The Iceman hung around the bunk house until dinner which was at 6pm and then, after a tasty dinner there was a lecture on wild flowers. This lecture was outside as was the one at Galehead Hut and just like the last time the Iceman chose not to go outside but to stay in the bunk house where it was warm. By 8PM he was fast asleep under his warm blankets. North Conway is about 20 minutes from the Wentworth, in Jackson, and that's where most folks go shopping. There are blocks of outlet stores and the town is a typical Resort town with restaurants and little artsy shops lining the main street. The population a couple of years ago was 2,300. The Sherpa did a little shopping at EMS and then went to the Hannaford grocery store to resupply for the Iceman. New kinds of power bars, more vitamin water, nuts, fresh fruit, (more bananas) and an assortment of beef jerky. Dinner time back at the Wentworth was 7:30. It's too lonely to eat dinner at a table so the Sherpa took a seat at the bar in the lounge and enjoyed conversation with the other patrons, the bartender and then latter in the evening moved to the piano bar to chat with Roger the piano player. A light dinner of wild mushroom leek soup followed by Caprese salad of fresh ripe tomato slices and mozzarella cheese slices topped with fresh basil leaves. All of this with a lovely white burgundy. The Iceman was able to make a call from the hut and it was nice to hear his voice before falling asleep knowing all went well on todays hike.
Date: 2015-08-20
From: Grafton Notch/ ME26 1922.0 miles

To: The Wentworth Hotel
Miles today: 0.0

Thursday, August 20th   The Iceman was able to sleep late today and when he finally got up, enjoyed a nice big, hot breakfast. He and the Sherpa talked with many of the guests at the Inn, including a young couple from Bavaria who vacation in the US each year and make it a point to visit at least 3 of our states on each trip.   Back in the room, the Sherpa sorted through a month and a half's worth of mail that her son sent to her from home. This required a couple of hours and then the Iceman and Sherpa took a short stroll to the post office.   It was a lovely, warm and sunny day so the Iceman decided to sit outside on the comfortable chairs of the porch and begin the work of planning the rest of his hike. In the evening, dinner was in North Conway at an Italian restaurant. Once again, from our experience, one can't get authentic Italian food outside of a metropolitan area. A production of "Spamalot" was held in a small theater called, "Your Theater" in North Conway. There were approximately 80 seats in the theater and the cast were mostly amateurs but they did a great job and it was a night of hearty laughter. We look forward tomorrow to another relaxing day except for the packing up and moving to Bethel, Maine
Date: 2015-08-21
From: The Wentworth Hotel

To: Bethel, ME
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

Friday, August 21st   The Iceman and Sherpa had their last breakfast, on the porch, at The Wentworth, packed the car with all the luggage, left the hotel and headed out. The first stop was a Laundromat. The only place in town, to do laundry, is the Glen Ellis Campground. It rained hard on and off, in the afternoon, but thank goodness the Iceman wasn't hiking. The drive, north and east, to the Bethel Inn Resort took about 45 minutes. This is one of Maine's popular golf resorts. It has many old buildings, in addition to the main building, and there are a variety of room accommodations. There's an outdoor pool and a recreation/health club. Breakfast is served, in their dining rooms in the main inn and lunch and dinner in the Millbrook Tavern. Live entertainment on the weekends, takes place in the tavern. After unpacking, for the umpteenth time, we went exploring and discovered the tavern. (You knew we would!) Half price beer and appetizers between 4 & 6 was too much to pass up. While sitting at the bar, the owner of the Bethel Inn came over to talk to the Iceman, after hearing of his hiking adventures. Dick is 76 and told of how he came to Maine, from Detroit and purchased the, then closed, Bethel Inn in 1979. It's a far cry from what it was then.   After a nice conversation with Dick it was time to get dressed and drive to Gorham, NH, where the Iceman and Sherpa were to have dinner with 3D and his wife, Beth. Beth is visiting her husband for a couple of days. What a nice time we had at Libby's Bistro but all things must come to an end so after dinner it was back to the Inn to get some Zzzzz's before tomorrow's hike. A trail angel offered the Iceman and Sherpa a place to stay while in this area but circumstances, were such, that they had to decline the offer. Thank you so very much for your kindness, Karen and husband! It's deeply appreciated
Date: 2015-08-21
From: Jackson, NH

To: Bethel, ME
Miles today: 0.0

Friday, August 21st   The Iceman and Sherpa had their last breakfast, on the porch, at The Wentworth, packed the car with all the luggage, left the hotel and headed out. The first stop was a Laundromat. The only place in town, to do laundry, is the Glen Ellis Campground. It rained hard on and off, in the afternoon, but thank goodness the Iceman wasn't hiking. The drive, north and east, to the Bethel Inn Resort took about 45 minutes. This is one of Maine's popular golf resorts. It has many old buildings, in addition to the main building, and there are a variety of room accommodations. There's an outdoor pool and a recreation/health club. Breakfast is served, in their dining rooms in the main inn and lunch and dinner in the Millbrook Tavern. Live entertainment on the weekends, takes place in the tavern. After unpacking, for the umpteenth time, we went exploring and discovered the tavern. (You knew we would!) Half price beer and appetizers between 4 & 6 was too much to pass up. While sitting at the bar, the owner of the Bethel Inn came over to talk to the Iceman, after hearing of his hiking adventures. Dick is 76 and told of how he came to Maine, from Detroit and purchased the, then closed, Bethel Inn in 1979. It's a far cry from what it was then.   After a nice conversation with Dick it was time to get dressed and drive to Gorham, NH, where the Iceman and Sherpa were to have dinner with 3D and his wife, Beth. Beth is visiting her husband for a couple of days. What a nice time we had at Libby's Bistro but all things must come to an end, so after dinner, it was back to the Inn to get some Zzzzz's before tomorrow's hike. A trail angel offered the Iceman and Sherpa a place to stay while in this area but circumstances, were such, that they had to decline the offer. Thank you so very much for your kindness, Karen and husband! It's deeply appreciated
Date: 2015-08-22
From: ME26 Grafton Notch 

To: East B Hill Road 1932.3 miles
Miles today: 10.3

Saturday, August 22nd The Iceman was lucky to have his son in law Jon hike with him, again, this weekend.   They started to hike at 8:30am from the parking area on the ME26 near Andover, ME. Jon, 3D and the Iceman were immediately presented with a steep climb of 2,250 feet that took them up the west peak of Baldpate Mountain. It was difficult climbing over the many rock out cropping's. It's Maine and they knew to expect this kind of trail but, of course, were hoping it would be easier. They stopped for a few minutes to experience the amazing views at the top of the mountain. The trail then dropped down a couple of hundred feet and then climbed about 500 feet up to the higher east peak of Baldpate. More extraordinary vista's!!! They could actually see Mount Washington, 50 miles away to the south and Maine's mountains just as far away to the north.   How nice it would have been to just sit there in the sun and enjoy the views but they had to continue. They descended down about 1,500 feet along the very steep trail, to the Frye Notch Lean to, where they took a 15 minute break. This was a long break for the Iceman as he almost never stops. He eats his lunch, which is always fruit, as he hikes. The next mountain to climb was Surplus Mountain which was a climb of 750 feet to the top. The day ended with a 1,750 foot drop to East B Hill Road. Their reward for the day was given to them by the faithful Sherpa, and it was a cold beer and a 12" Italian sub sandwich, for each.   After dropping off the 3 hikers the Sherpa decided to check out the pick up road to find out what condition it was in and happily it was is good condition. Just as she arrived at East B Hill Road there were 2 young thru hikers waiting for someone to come along and take them into Andover. The Sherpa asked if they wanted a lift into Andover and they put their backpacks in the trunk and climbed into the car. They were looking forward to resupplying and having a hot meal. Word was that there was a place in Andover that gave hikers all the pizza they could eat.   Mac, the young woman and her husband, Cheese, want to celebrate their 1st wedding anniversary at the top of Mt. Katahdin on September 20th. He is a furniture designer and she a graphic arts designer. They quit their jobs to hike the AT and started a few days after the Iceman in March. The young couple were dropped off in front of the Andover General Store and the Sherpa went on to a small restaurant on the main street in Andover called "The Little Red Hen" for a cupcake and cup of coffee. Andover, population 821, has only 1 main street and it is also ME2. That night Jon, the Iceman and the Sherpa ate at a restaurant across the street from the Bethel Inn, 22 Broad St. and the food was quite good.
Date: 2015-08-23
From: East B Hill Road 1932.3 miles

To: South Arm Rd. 
Miles today: 10.1

Sunday, August 23rd.   There were two journals posted today. This one and Saturday's. Sunday the Iceman hiked with Jon and 3D, again. The 10.1 mile hike was very similar to yesterdays as far as terrain goes. The only difference is, that there was more vertical today than yesterday. The climb began with a vertical of 1,800 feet up to Wyman mountain, and then it dropped down the same amount to Sawyer Brook. Next it climbed up to the top of Moody Mountain and dropped down to South Arm Road.   Strange name for a road, but then again, there have been many strangely named roads and towns along the way. Every inch of the trail was either up or down. There wasn't a single flat part. One of the most interesting things that happened during the day was an encounter with a group of Harvard freshman hikers that were on an orientation hike. This was the third group of about 15 Harvard hikers that they met in the last 2 days. This was a fun encounter for the Iceman's son-in-law, Jon, who had made the same orientation hike about 25 years ago when he was a freshman at Harvard. The Iceman and entourage reached South Arm Rd. at about 3:30pm where the Sherpa was waiting with soda's and grilled cheese sandwiches from "The Little Red Hen". There were also large cookies that the owner of the Little Red Hen gave the Sherpa when she found out that the food was for 3 very hungry hikers. As the Sherpa, et al, drove away from the trailhead it began to rain. Poor Harvard kids! They'll spend the night in their tents hiding from the rain. Jon left , hopefully to come back another day, and drove back to MA and 3D went to his lodgings. The Iceman and Sherpa are now camped at the Rangeley Saddleback Inn and after changing for dinner went into the little town of Rangeley, ME. "Forks in the Air Bistro" is a 3 year old establishment on the Main St. in town. It's beautifully decorated and has about 20 tables and a small bar. The food was good. Gazpacho with feta cheese, arugula salad with beets and asparagus, Grilled Trout and for desert, pistachio semi-freddo and blueberry cobbler. During dinner the Iceman mentioned to the waitress, Melissa, that he was a thru hiker and concerned about a section of the trail that's coming up in about 3 days. It turns out that Melissa is a Certified Guide with her own business and will gladly shuttle the Iceman and 3D, with the Sherpa's car, into the trailheads that are difficult to get to. The Iceman said, "It was serendipitous meeting Melissa." So true.