morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2013-06-05
From: spruce peak shelter

To: peru peak shelter
Miles today: 12.9
Weather: few clouds

Today we awoke in the early morning and headed out onto the trial towards the road to manchester center. We stopped along the way to grab some pictures of a few waterfalls before our camera batteries went dead and then we trotted to the road. Surprisingly it only took us a short time to find a ride into town from a nice man in his pickup truck. He dropped us off at the ems which hadn't opened yet so we went to the price chopper for supplies and to charge our stuff. When the ems finally opened up we attempted to get some warrantee repairs to my platypus and arrowhead's tent fly. Unfortunately we couldn't be helped with either endeavor, but arrowhaead managed to find a pair of gaiters on 50% clearance. We headed up the street to the mountain goat outfitters, where I found success with obtaining a new platypus for free (my old one broke spontaneously the night before right along the seam near the spout). We feasted at the mcdonalds then found a ride back to the trail...We climbed up to the summit of bromley ski mountain, which had a nice ski patrol lodge on top. There was formerly a tower on the top of bromley but it had to be removed due to structural issues, but we managed to climb the narby ski lift tower and got some great views and pictures. We hung around for a little while then decided to make our way back down the trail. When we reached the road at mad tom notch we met a couple on their honeymoon who ecplained the caretaker at peru peak shelter was not there so we could avoid the fee for staying there. This was great news as arrowhead and I had been planning to stealth camp that night...When we arrived at the shelter we were soon greeted by fellow thru-hikers sweet brown, shake-and-bake, and buzz...
Date: 2013-06-06
From: peru peak shelter

To: clarendon shelter
Miles today: 23.3
Weather: clear sky

Today we awoke extra early hoping to get a head start on the impending rain storm. We left the shelter and traversed the ridge before heading downhill towards the direction of lost pond. We passed by the shelter turnoff and stopped at big branch brook for a snack and short break. I continued to make my way along the trail, with arrowhead shortly behind. From here the trail followed a stream uphill for a short ways and the hike was very pleasant, as the stream had many small waterfalls and mossy pools...I continued up the mountain and after what seemed to take forever arrowhead and I eventually reached the top of the mountain, which was covered in a forest of tall spruce trees and strange rock piles. Arrowhead and I took the .2 side trail down to white cliff rocks, which had great views of the surrounding peaks and some distant high rises of the green mountains. We hung our here for a while and then eventually made our way back up the side trail before continuing down the mountain...From the valley the trail rose sharply up and over bear mountain before reaching the minerva hinchey shelter. We stopped for a brief snack before continuing down the trail and eventually reaching the clarendon shelter...we were later joined once again by the three thru-hikers buzz, sweet brown, and shake-and-bake..
Date: 2013-06-07
From: clarendon shelter

To: cooper lodge shelter
Miles today: 12.6
Weather: light rain

During the night the rain storm rolled in. We had been quite lucky the day before to have escaped what we had anticipate to be a very large storm system. In the morning the rain was steady but not all that terribly heavy, but we decided to take it easy and relax in the morning with a nice breakfast. We prepared a batch of hashbrowns and eggs, then made our attempt at pancakes... It was quite tough without the aide of a non-stick pan, and despite large quantities of olive oil, we managed to produce mostly mush. But we coated everything in honey and it turned out quite edible..We finally set out into the rain around noon in preparation for the long but gradual climb up killington peak. After descending from the shelter the trail hit a road where there was a large detour to avoid a bridge which had been washed out from the hurricane irene. We hiked along some roads for several miles before returning eventually to the original trail and climbing to the governor clement shelter. This was a great shelter to seek refuge in for lunch, as it is an old stone shelter built in 1929 complete with a fireplace. We ate some lunch then eventually made our way into the now downpour for the final ascent up killington. The going was slow at first and the climb was long, but as we continued up the mountain the rain subsided some and it became more bearable. We made our way once again into the boreal forest of spruce and alpine moss, which helped keep the hike very interesting and beautiful despite the rain....Sooner than I expected we came upon the cooper lodge shelter, an old stone 'enclosed' building/ shelter. I was glad to have a place to sleep, but eh lodge would not be my first choice in the future. The roof leaked and the shutters were gone from the windows, and the bunks were badly slanted. I imagine the shelter must have been quite nice back in the day but I speculate that over the years skiers abused its proximity to the slopes and have trashed it completely, which is really a shame...
Date: 2013-06-08
From: cooper lodge shelter

To: the lookout cabin
Miles today: 21.1

We began our day in the mists of killington. We hiked down and down and down along the ridge and shoulder of the mountain and out of the spruce zone and back into the deciduous forest. We eventually found ourselves at the valley floor where there was a state park and a lake with a side trail to the outfitters at the town of killington. We treked up the side trail and retrieved our package from the outfitters, then charged our stuff while we walked down the street to a deli. There I enjoyed an awesome sandwich and bowl of chili, before we made our way back to the trial for the long walk ahead. We had met an elderly lady earlier in the morning, and as we hit the trail we found her stuck trying to crossed a swelled stream. She was attempting to negotiate along some logs, and arrowhead and I decided to help her across. She thanked us for the help, then we continued along the trail towards the much anticipated 'lookout' cabin. Eventually we reached the cabin, which was quite spacious and emtpy. We relaxed in our dry bags and went to sleep in hopes of a good sunrise in the morning...
Date: 2013-06-09
From: the lookout cabin

To: west hartford
Miles today: 19.0
Weather: moderate rain

We awoke in the morning and climbed the ladder on the outside of the cabin. The ladder runs up the side of the cabin and onto the roof and offers views of the surrounding peaks. There was significant cloud cover, but we managed to catch a glimpse of the sunrise through the distant clouds. The color shone through in several laces and contrasted beautifully with the dense blanket of clouds covering the valley...We made breakfast then headed out onto the trail for a day of hiking. We passed the winturi shelter then descended into the valley. Here we ran into our good friend sunshine, and also spotted some new flowers that we hadn't seen before. We continued hiking up and down many small hills, slowly making our way north for the much anticipated reunion with my Dad and brother in west hartford..We met up with them at the road to west hartford, where we were greeted pleasantly with smiles and some beers. We headed to the hotel for some cleaning and relaxing, where were ordered pizza and relaxed for the night...
Date: 2013-06-10
From: west hartford

To: hanover
Miles today: 10.6

Today was an easy day of hiking across pleasant terrain. My dad, brother, arrowhead and I headed out in the mid morning and enjoyed a nice and short day hike from west hartford to hanover. The hike was very enjoyable and featured several groves of tall evergreens amidst the dominating foliage of deciduous trees...we retired to the hotel for the night in west hartford.
Date: 2013-06-11
From: hanover

To: trapper john shelter
Miles today: 15.9
Weather: light rain

We began our day of hiking in the rain after stopping at the co-op in hanover for some snacks. We climbed uphill over the slippery rocks and roots then made the long and slow climb up to moose mt shelter for a late lunch. For arrowhead and I the terrain seemed rather moderate, but it challenged my brother and Dad quite a bit and they were glad to reach moose mt for some much needed food. Here the wind was a little breezy so our break was short, but we needed to push on to make it to trapper johns before dark. We descended off the mountain then made the climb up to holts ledge before the final descent to the shelter. As we descended the rain picked up, and by the time we reached the turnoff we were quite soaked and glad to reach the shelter...
Date: 2013-06-12
From: trapper john shelter

To: hexacuba shelter
Miles today: 12.0

Today began much better than the night had ended, as the rain had mostly moved out by morning. We descended into the valley and ran across a sign which was labeled 'ice cream man'. We took the trail and it led us right to an old man's porch, who greeted us and took us inside his home for some ice cream and coffee. He shared some stories with us and it was fun to share some trail culture with my dad and brother. But the time came to leave eventually and we made our way back to the trail for the climb up smarts mountain. We climbed and climbed, and slowly but surely we made it to the top in hopes of grabbing some views. Unfortunately the clouds had rolled in on the summit and everything was clouded in. We descended down the steep backside of the mountain and then made the steep but relatively short climb up to the hexacuba shelter. This shelter was pretty cool, as it was shaped like a hexagon and was much more spacious compared to the trapper john shelter. And it even had a pentagon shaped privy..
Date: 2013-06-13
From: hexacuba shelter

To: hikers welcome hostel
Miles today: 14.8
Weather: overcast clouds

Today was an awesome day of hiking and by far the best of the three day stent with my dad and brother. We awoke in the early morning to get off to a good start for the day. We left the shelter then made the steep but very enjoyable climb up mt cube. As we climbed up the mountain we traversed several sections of bare rock slabs amongst a forest of spruce trees. This made for awesome scenery, and as the sky cleared up and the sun came out it made the views that much better. We climbed up the shoulder of the mountain and over several more sections of bare rock offering better views with each sections. A blanket of clouds covered the valley in spots and made for some beautiful scenic images. From the summit Arrowhead and I took the side trail to the north summit, which offered some great views of Moosilauke and the surrounding peaks. We descended and soon caught up with my dad and brother, and then we continued along the small climb up to the former ore hill shelter site for a snack. From here it was mostly downhill back to the car, where my dad and brother ended their hiking journey. They took arrowhead and I to the store where we got some steaks and eggs for a dinner treat at the hostel, then took our packs and suppplies to the hostel then took us back to the trail for an easy 5 mile slack pack. We said our goodbyes then headed back onto the trail.. I really enjoyed hiking with my dad and brother and I was glad they got to share in part of my trip. I was also fortunate to have good weather today and it really made the difference for their hike...
Date: 2013-06-14
From: hikers welcome hostel

To: stealth camp past lonesome lake hut
Miles today: 22.2
Weather: clear sky

We awoke at the early time of 3am and packed up our stuff. We drank a cup of coffee and ate most of the hard boiled eggs on English muffins. We hit the road around 430 and soon found the trail where we were greeted by a brook that we had to ford. We climbed up a few steep hills then hit a small flat section before passing by the jeffers brook shelter. From here the climb was gradual and it slowly increased in steepness as we made our way up towards the timberline. We ran into a bird e,pert conducting a study and he was able to identify some birds that arrowhead and I were not sure about, namely the Bicknell thrush and the winter wren. We continued climbing and soon found ourselves on the shoulder of the moosilauke, where we stopped to put on some layers before heading above timberline into the wind and cold. The views were astounding and the crisp air balanced my exertion so I was quite comfortable. There was a blanket of fog in the valley to the west and to the east we could see mt Washington in the distance. We enjoyed the last of our boiled eggs under the protection of a rock wall, then headed down the mountain, as we had quite a long day ahead... The descent was incredibly steep and rocky, and shortly after passing by the shelter the trail followed a brook down the mountain for several miles. The trail was littered with wooden stairs on several sections of steep rock slabs that paralleled a brook with many large waterfalls. Before long we reached the bottom and came across a large tub filled with little debbie snacks and several cases of soda. We enjoyed a pleasant break here and then headed back onto the trail, which immediately climbed steeply up the other side of Franconia notch... We made our way uphill over many small ups and downs to eventually reach the summit of wolf mountain, which offered a nice view of Franconia ridge. We continued down the mountain and stopped at the eliza spring shelter for a ramen recharge. We pushed uphill for the final major climb of the day, the steep and rocky mt kinsman. The climb was filled with many hand over hand rock scramble sections and although it was very challenging it was also deeply rewarding. In time we reached the summit and enjoyed an awesome view towards Franconia ridge and mt Washington. Then we headed downhill on our tired knees, receiving a good harsh beating from the rocks as we descended towards kinsman pond. When we reached the turnoff there was only 1.9 miles left to lonesome lake, but it seemed to take forever and was incredibly steep. At last when I had given up hope that the hut was around the next corner, I finally reached it. Unfortunately there was only one work for stay spot left, but one of the workers gave us a bowl of soup with bread and coffee. It really hit the spot. We headed down the trail and followed along a brook and arrowhead spotted a nice stealth site where we camped for the night...
Date: 2013-06-15
From: stealth camp past lonesome lake hut

To: greenleaf hut
Miles today: 9.3

We slept in for a while as both of us were terribly exhausted from the previous days hike, so we didn't hit trail till around 8. We continued downhill past several streams before soon reaching the I-93 underpass. From here the trail went moderately uphill for about a mile and then rose steeply, becoming more and more rocky as it gained in elevation. After a really tough and rocky ascent, we eventually reached the liberty spring camping area followed by the junction to Franconia ridge. The Franconia ridge trail took a shallow dive before continuing along the mostly flat shoulder, followed by a gradual rise to reach tree line. Once above the timberline we caught a nice view of little haystack and mt Lincoln and it was awe inspiring. The trail along the ridge was not terribly steep, and it offered exceptional views of all the surrounding peaks, including the distant mt Washington, free of clouds. As we continued along the ridge we ran into several other thru-hikers who had been on our tail, all headed towards galehead hut. We also saw a ridgerunner/summit steward who said that Greenleaf hut was anxious for thru-hikers and haven't had many this year since the hut is a mile downhill off the trail. We decided to let the others pass and we made our way down the mountain to the Greenleaf hut.... By about 230 we had reached the hut and after inquiring about work for stay (wfs) we waited until about 330 when the hut croo had us wash some dishes for them. Then we hung around the hut for a while longer and when the croo served dinner to the guests at 6 we had to wait outside. By 745 they finished dinner and we feasted on the long awaited turkey leftovers. After dinner we headed out to a lookout point and enjoyed an incredible sunset overlooking the cliffs on nearby cannon mt. At 930 the croo shut off the lights and arrowhead and I patiently waited for the guests to leave the lounge area, as many were still playing chess and board games with their children. I became frustrated so I just went outside and cowboy camped on the deck under the stars...
Date: 2013-06-16
From: greenleaf hut

To: zealand falls hut
Miles today: 13.5

Today began with a beautiful sunrise over mt Lafayette and Franconia ridge. The sky was clear and we knew the day was expecting to be nice so we packed up and hit the trail at 5. We climbed the steep mile up from Greenleaf to the summit of Lafayette and caught the sun shining over mt Washington and the presidential range. The wind was gusting quite a bit, but it was peaceful atop the ridge and we enjoyed having it devoid of people as opposed to the mob fest it had been the day before.... We descended down the ridge back to the tree line before climbing back up out of the trees once more to reach the summit of mt Garfield. From here the trail wound around the side of several small peaks to arrive at the galehead hut. Here we enjoyed many bowls of soup for lunch, and I ran into a friend Cam I knew from college who is working in the whites as a care taker for a campground up the mountain from the hut... We left the hut recharged from the food and made the steep climb up south twin peak. From here the trail gradually made its way downhill toward Zealand falls, passing over several small peaks and rises with bogs in between filled with wildflowers. As I descended the clouds darkened and a rain began to settle in. It gradually picked up and became a near downpour by the time I reached the hut, where arrowhead was waiting. We agreed to skimp on tenting in the rain and instead opted for the wfs at the hut..
Date: 2013-06-17
From: zealand falls hut

To: webster cliffs
Miles today: 10.3
Weather: scattered clouds

Today we awoke to the clouds parting and we were able to catch a view of several peaks in the distance. After having some coffee we headed out onto the trail, which dropped down to an old roadbed dating back to the logging days. From here it rose slightly, then skirted the bottom of several mountains as it wound around the chain of peaks. We passed by the base of several cliff areas with boulder slides, and I spotted several white lady slipper flowers. We had been seeing many of the pink lady slippers but none of the white variety, so it was a pleasant surprise to see them. After leaving winding around the mountains the trail continued downhill gradually, passing by several mosquito infested brooks/swamps. After reaching Ethan pond the trail took a steeper dive downhill, and soon we found ourselves at Crawford notch, where we hitched a ride to a general store from an AMC worker. We purchased some snacks, then after failed hitching attempts we started hiking back to the trail. After about halfway a man pulled over and took us the rest of the way.... When we hit the trail we were greeted by the first sign showing mt Washington, and as soon as we hiked past it the terrain became very steep and rocky. It rose and rose uphill, and as we climbed a light rain settled in and became a downpour. When I reached Webster cliffs the rain stopped and I spotted arrowhead's tent set up in a stealth site, so I joined him for some much needed rest. The tent site was nice and flat next to an overlook where I cought some views amongst the passing clouds. Sometime in the evening I awoke to Arrowhead in frustration. There was a mass of tiny small bugs which appeared to look like dirt but with a closer look I could see them jumping around. They had covered everything he had in his vestibule, as well as most of his stuff on the inside of his tent. It freaked him out quite a bit, but fortunately he was able to move to another spot several yards away which did not have any bugs. I dozed back into a sleep, woke up once and ate the rest of the leftover tukey meat I had then went back to sleep...
Date: 2013-06-18
From: webster cliffs

To: lakes of the clouds hut -dungeon
Miles today: 8.8
Weather: scattered clouds

We slept in quite a bit in the morning as the clouds cleared up above us. When we hit trail we were still tired but excited to begin our traverse of the presidental range. The trail rose up and up over many small knobs to Webster peak, where we caught our first up close glimpse of Mt Washington. It was covered with clouds, but we continued to climb up and soon reached mt Jackson. As we enjoyed the view several grey jays flew onto some trees near us, and arrowhead and I pulled out some food and the birds landed onto our hands and gladly accepted the gift of trail mix. It was pretty cool to see a bird so trusting.. We began a small descent and soon reached the mizpah hut. We stopped for some rest and ate some leftovers that the 'croo' offered us. Soon after leaving the hut and climbing uphill we rose above tree line into the rocks. We caught some great views of Washington just as the clouds began to part from the summit. It became perfectly clear and sunny, and we continued the climb up towards the lakes of the clouds hut. We took the side trail up over mt Eisenhower and caught some excellent views of Washington's summit. Then we climbed down and up again, over Mt Franklin and then down to the hut. Along the way we enjoyed seeing a great variety of alpine vegetation and even caught a glimpse of some distant snow patches hidden in several of the ravines.... When we reached the hut we headed for 'the dungeon' shelter in the basement of the hut, as we were growing tired of waiting until 930 to spread out our stuff and sleep. We were greeted by a small 'glacier' consisting of a three foot block of ice consuming half the bunk space. But this did not bother us and we were glad to have the space available. We went upstairs to the hut and did some work in exchange for leftovers, then caught an incredible sunset looking out into the valley...