morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2015-08-10
From: Eliza Brook Shelter 

To: Liberty Spring Campsite 
Miles today: 11.5
Weather: broken clouds

We left Elliza Brook tenting area around 8am and started climbing the 1,950 ft up South Kinsman Mountain. Starting out Elliza Brook followed the trail for 0.8 mile then started to go up very steep and Rocky. Very slowly we got to the summit then went down a few hundred feet before climbing back up to the summit of North Kinsman Mt. We came to Lonesome Lake Hut after coming down about1,000ft and worked washing dishes for 1/2 hour and got leftovers from lunch of pulled pork, mashed potatoes and cranberry sauce. We continued on down to Franconia Notch where we went under US I 93. We then started up the Liberty Springs Trail 2,467ft till we came to Liberty Springs Campsite where we will tent for tonight. We may get stuck here as the weather calls for 100 percent chance of rain and wind tomorrow. We are less than a mile from going over Little Haystack, Mt Lincoln and Mt Lafayette. We would be above tree line for 2 miles and thinking it would be nasty if the weather is bad. We hiked carefully at 11.5 miles. ~Robi1Another day of not too many miles but very tough physically. We hiked 11.5 miles. We went up Kinsman Mt to the south peak then back down and then back up to the north peak. Very rocky and very, very steep in some parts. We then came down to Lonesome Lake Hut which was nice. We washed some dishes for 15 minutes for a free all you can eat meal of pulled pork, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce and a lot of baked goods for dessert. Not a bad deal at all. We then finished our descent down into Franconia Notch and went right up to Liberty Spring Campsite which is 2.6 miles up from the Notch. We aren't very happy with this place because they cram you in. They put 3 tents on a platform and we can't even put our vestibules out all the way which sucks because it's going to rain and that is what keeps our gear dry. I think the kid who works here has a power issue. Worst place so far on the trail and it's in our home state. We didn't expect that at all. Hopfully it doesn't rain tomorrow and we can get out of here.-Hooti
Date: 2015-08-11
From: Liberty Spring Campsite 

To: Liberty Spring Campsite 
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

We woke to drizzle and fog. We went to eat breakfast in an area that has a large tarp, bear boxes spring nearby and a wash pit for dishes. There have been issues with bears here and eating food storage is all done in this area to keep food smells out of the tenting area. Soon it was raining hard and windy so we are hunkered down for the day. We ate supper 6:30 the rain had slowed to a drizzle. Back to our tents hoping for a better day tomorrow. ~Robi1Well it is raining very hard and we are not going over the ridge line of Little Haystack, Lincoln and Lafayette in this weather so we are taking a zero day stuck in our tents. Not alot of fun but we are much safer here. We hope to get going first thing in the morning since we will all be well rested.-Hooti
Date: 2015-08-12
From: Liberty Spring Campsite 

To: Garfield Ridge Shelter 
Miles today: 7.6
Weather: scattered clouds

We left Liberty Spring Campsite a little after 9am. We waited for the weather to improve. Looked like it was going to be nice but soon after getting going it got cloudy again and foggy. We got up to the ridge and went over Little Haystack in the fog then Mt Lincoln and finally Mt Lafayette. The Sun poked out briefly to the north where we could see some views. About 5 minutes later it got dark foggy and poured buckets on us for a couple of minutes. We go soaked. We then followed the Franconia Ridge Trail for a steep climb up Mt Garfield. Then a steep decent down to the Garfield Ridge Campsites where we are spending the night. We got set up and went to the Shelter to eat and it poured again. Our gear just gets a little wetter. We hiked 7.6 miles today. ~Robi1Another short mileage day but tough physically. We only hiked 7.6 miles but the entire trail was soaked. It was very slow going up to the peaks of Liberty, Little Haystack, Lincoln, Lafayette and Garfield. They are all close together obviously but all wet rocks and very steep ups and downs. We ran into alot of thru hikers again. Happy, Old Eagle Scout, Walking Home, Walnut, McFly, Papa Al and Philco. Nobody did much more mileage than we did because of the conditions. We didn't get any views from Lafayette because of clouds and then it started pouring before we could get off the ridgeline so we got soaked and the trail got worse. We are still having fun and Claire is having a blast. She is leading the way and is keeping up with all the thru hikers.-Hooti
Date: 2015-08-13
From: Garfield Ridge Shelter 

To: Ethan Pond Campsite 
Miles today: 14.2
Weather: scattered clouds

We left the Garfield Ridge Campsite around 8am. We followed the ridge for a couple miles up and down then started the steep climb up South Twin Mountain. But just before the climb we stopped at Galehead Hut where we washed dishes again for a Turkey sandwich and dessert. The weather was good and we had some tough climbs today followed by steep descents. We made our way to Ethan Pond Campsites after 14.5 miles of hiking. Took 10 hours to go 14.4 miles. ~Robi1Today was great. The father and son who we ended up sharing a room with were really nice people. They were on a hiking vacation so we ended up talking alot about our trip. He gave us a ride back to the trail in the morning which was great. We did 5.7 miles today in 5 hours. It was a very tough climb. Its all we planned to do to get us back on schedule for the presidential range. Our packs were fully loaded so we were carrying 40lbs which didn't help the cause. We are at Mizpah Spring Hut and are tenting. Everyone who did the same trail as us was shocked at how hard it was. Hopefully up and over Washington tomorrow to Madison Hut.-Hooti
Date: 2015-08-14
From: Ethan Pond Campsite 

To: AMC 
Miles today: 2.9
Weather: broken clouds

Great Day! My Wife, Sister in law Lorraine, my Daughter with the grandkids came to visit for my Birthday. We left the Ethan pond Campsite and and hiked the 2.9 miles to Crawford Notch US 302. We walked a mile and a half to Dry River Campground. They had no sites left but we took showers and got the laundry done before the Birthday visit. When everyone arrived we had a great lunch and birthday cupcakes. We then went for ice cream at the Willey House. We walked around for a while before we all went up to the AMC Highland Center to see if me and Hooti could get a room. We ended in a bunk room with a father and his 10 year old son from Montreal. (sp?) The hey were great roommates and also gave us a ride back to the trailhead in the morning. It is back to me and Hooti again hiking. His wife spent 11 days hiking with us and will be going back to the real world today. ~ Robi12.9 easy miles into Crawford Notch. We then walked a little over a mile to Dry River Campsite to do laundry and take showers before Robi1's family showed up for his birthday. It was a fun day. We ate a lot and had birthday cupcakes that were delicious. We got a room at the AMC Highland Hall on Rt.302. Crawford Notch is very scenic and a nice place to spend some time in.Today was Claire's last day hiking with us. She is amazing to be so strong of a hiker in the toughest part of the trail. I will miss her. Only about 4 weeks left but none of it easy.We start the climb up Mt. Washington tomorrow.-Hooti
Date: 2015-08-15
From: AMC 

To: Misshape Spring Hut 
Miles today: 5.7
Weather: clear sky

We got a ride back to Crawford Notch where we left off by our roommates at the AMC Highland Center. We went up and up of course till we got to Webster Cliffs followed by MT Webster then Jackson. These were very tough Rock scrambles. Took 5 Hours to go 6.4 miles. We are at the Mizpah Spring Hut tent sites for the night. Was a nice day but looks like rain tonight. ~Robi1
Date: 2015-08-16
From: Misshape Spring Hut 

To: Stealth Campsite - Madison 
Miles today: 11.8
Weather: scattered clouds

We left Mizpah Hut tent sites at 8:00am. It never rained last night and cleared off for a very nice day today. We continued on the Crawford Path trail destination Mt Washington. We stopped at the Lake Of The Clouds Hut to have a snack and get water. Then went went by Mt Eisenhower, MT Franklin, and Mt Monroe. The trail from Mizpah Hut was not to bad all the way to Washington took us 4 hours to get there. Being a real nice day up there and a Sunday there were lots of people up there. We saw a lot of people on the trails as well. we had lunch and then headed down the Gulfside Trail where we went by Mt Clay and Mt Jefferson before reaching the Madison Spring Hut. We are tenting on a side trail just past the hut. We hiked 11.8 miles today, had great weather with awesome views. It doesn't get any better than that in the whites! ~Robi1Today was the most spectacular 11.8 miles that I have seen ever. We climbed up Mt. Washington and the weather was perfect. You could see forever. The views getting to the top were as good as the views from the top. I have thought for a few years now that Glacier National Park was tops in my book but the views today were better. Anyone who knows me knows I am not religious but I think we were in heaven today. We left Washington and the views back at it were spectacular. The clear air and sunshine (65 degrees on top) were what made everything just stand out. (Thanks Mom). Just so you all know the hike also beat the bag out of us. Almost all of it was above treeline so nothing but rocks. It a very tough hike but I highly recommend it, but make sure you are going to have good weather.Hi Brooke. I hope school is going great for you.-Hooti
Date: 2015-08-17
From: Stealth Campsite - Madison 

To: Stealth Campsite - Wildcat 
Miles today: 7.8
Weather: overcast clouds

We left our tent site around 8:30 We stopped at the Madison Hut for water then started the climb up Mt Madison. Took us 1 1/2 hours to go the first mile. Very Rocky and steep. The view at the top made all worth it. Mt Washington and the ridge we walked yesterday was amazing. We continued along the ridge on the Osgood Trail then the Madison Gulf Trail. We crossed the MT Washington Auto Road then continued down to Pinkham Notch on the Old Jackson Rd Trail. The trail coming down from Madison was very rough, steep on rocks. Took us 6 hours in all to go 7.8 miles down to the notch. We had lunch at the visitors center, got water and continued down the trail a bit where we are stealth camping at the base of Wildcat Mountain. ~Robi1This morning we left our stealth campsite and walked 2 tenths of a mile on a steep trail back to Madison Shelter. Filled up with water and hiked the half mile up and over Mt. Madison. Very tough climb. It took us 1hr and 30 minutes to do our first mile. Very hard climb but worth every step because of the majestic views all around. Then the descent started. Very slow and very technical. It took us 6 and one half hours to go 7.8 miles total today. After yesterdays climbing and walking the ridge we didn't have alot of energy. We are stealth camping at the base of Wildcat. Tomorrow isn't any easier. Wildcat ridge is a difficult climb. We are planning on taking the gondola from the top to the restaurant at the base for lunch and then riding it back to the top. Should be fun.Hi Hunter and Trase. Hunter have you built a shelter in your yard yet? Trase I want you to remember: (she is mine)-Hooti
Date: 2015-08-18
From: Stealth Campsite - Wildcat 

To: Stealth Campsite - Madison 
Miles today: 8.0

We left our campsite at the base of Wildcat Mt and headed up the steep Rocky climb on the Wildcat Ridge Trail. The weather was sunny and a bit on the warm side. We finally got to the top of peak D where we took the Gondola down to the restaurant at the base. We had lunch and went back up to continue on to Peak C & A. We followed the trail to the Carter Notch Hut where we cleaned windows for lunch 2 of rice and Apple cake. We had a steep uphill climb from the hut to Carters Dome. We went down a bit from there before going back up to Mt Hight where we are camping for the night. We hiked 8 rough miles today. ~Robi1We left our stealth campsite and headed up Wildcat this morning. It took us 2 and a half hours to go 3 miles up to peak D. It was amazingly tough to climb. Do not take children up this trail. The good thing is at peak D you can ride the gondola to the base of the mountain to eat at the restaurant, which we happily did. We then came back up the gondola and hiked 2.9 tough miles. We stopped at Carter Notch Hut and cleaned some windows for a few bowls of rice, some apple sauce cake, some lemonade and a bowl of peaches. Not a bad trade. We left the hut and went up to the top of Carter Dome. Not an easy climb. The trail then went downhill a bit then a short easy climb to our stealth campsite on top of Mt. Hight. 8 miles total for the day. Not bad concidering the trails.-Hooti
Date: 2015-08-19
From: Stealth Campsite - Madison 

To: Gorham NH
Miles today: 13.8
Weather: light rain

We left our campsite on Mt Hight just before 8am. We had a Spruce Grouse that wanted to be our friend. We called it the caretaker of the campsite. While eating breakfast it kept making noise and at one point jumped on Hootis knee then flew into his face. I picked it up and told it to behave or he would become our next meal. The weather was sunny but very humid. The views were not great because of the haze. The trail was a little easier on us than the last couple of days. Stills some tough climbs and decents but not as long. We stopped at the IMP Campsite/ Shelter to have lunch and get water. Then we went up and over MT Moriah and followed the Rattle River to the Rattle River Shelter. We were going to stay there the night but decided to push on to where we had a mail drop at the White Mountain Inn And Hostel. When we arrived they had no vacancy so we picked up our drop and ended up in Gorham NH at the Hikers Paradise where we got a hotel room that ended up being a far better choice. We will take a 0 day tomorrow to rest the feet and knees. The Whites have been rough on them. We hiked 13.8 miles today. ~Robi1We started our day eating breakfast with a Spruce Grouse. It was hanging out with us last night but got more daring this morning. It came up onto my knee then jumped onto my chest and immediately jumped at my head and scratched my face. We nicknamed it The Caretaker. When we finally got to hiking we went straight down hill for a bit and then it leveled out a little. We then had a 900 ft climb to the top of Mt Moriah which wasn't too bad. The trail then went down hill for the next 6.6 miles. We hiked 13.8 miles total today and it wasn't as tough as it's been which was a nice change. We are in Gorham NH for a zero day tomorrow. We need it.-Hooti
Date: 2015-08-21
From: Gorham NH

To: Gentian Pond Shelter 
Miles today: 11.1

So yesterday 8/20 we took a 0 day to rest the feet and knees. We took the bus to WalMart to pick up a few things, ate and then rested. We got a ride today back to where we left off. We were on the trail about 7:30am. The trail was not to bad today with one good climb up MT Hayes right out of the gate at just under 1,800ft. The rest of the day was just some small ups and downs that were not bad. Started raining around noon and made the trail muddy and slippery. Not many views today and it was very humid. We had lunch at the Trident Col Campsite and got water. We continued on to Gentian Pond campsite where we spend the night. We hiked 11.1 miles today. ~Robi1We enjoyed the zero day yesteday. Ate alot and didn't walk too far. Today wasn't too bad. We had 3 decent climbs and it started raining about noon so by 3:30 the trails got sloppy and we called it a day 11.1 miles into it. Very overcast all day so no views or pics today. We hope to make up some mileage tomorrow if the rain holds off. Missing Eric's place (camp) right about now.-Hooti
Date: 2015-08-22
From: Gentian Pond Shelter 

To: Full Goose Shelter and Campsite
Miles today: 9.8
Weather: overcast clouds

We left the Gentian Pond Campsite at 8am and of course started to climb. We went up 1,300 ft to Mt Success. It was a beautiful day today, a little cooler and less humid. We then entered the 14th and last State of the journey! Maine! We stopped at the Carlo Col Shelter for lunch and water. We then went up and over Mt Carlo. Then went down only to climb up Goose Eye Mt West peak ,East peak and North peak. We then came down to the Full Goose Shelter/ Campsite for the night after 8,6 slow miles. The trail was very rough today and slowed us down. Many ups and downs with many Rock scrambles. Some steep ledges had re-bar handles in the rock to get up and down. Mahoosuc Notch is tomorrow. The guide book says it is the most difficult or fun mile of the AT. ~Robi1We have good news and bad news today. The good news is we walked for 9 hours and did as much as we could. We were both exhausted at the end of the day. They're were alot of short steep rock climbs and descents. We made it to Maine and yesterday we passed the 1900 mile mark. The bad news is we only did 9.6 miles. This area is very tough to hike. There are many areas where if you make a mistake you're in big trouble. We are going slow and safe in those spots. Tomorrow is suppose to be even tougher so who knows how far we can get.Happy birthday Scotti-Hooti
Date: 2015-08-23
From: Full Goose Shelter and Campsite

To: Baldplate Lean to 
Miles today: 12.0
Weather: clear sky

We left the Full Goose Shelter Campsite around 7:30. The weather was mostly cloudy and humid. We hiked about a mile before coming in to the south end of Mahoosuc Notch it was kind of fun to make your way through but also dangerous if you slipped and fell. Then it was on to the Mahoosuc Arm a long steep climb. We stopped at Speck Pond Shelter to eat lunch and get more water. Then we had a steep decent that went for about 3 miles. A real knee killer. We ended the day under rainy skies and made it to the Baldpate Shelter just before the heavy rain we stayed in the Shelter. It was full. We hiked 11.1 miles today. ~Robi1Pretty good day today. We got up early and had boots on the trail by 7:30. We went about a mile and a half and got to Mahoosuc Notch. It's a boulder feild a mile long. They were huge. You had to climb over some, go under some and it was very dangerous so we went slow. It took us 1 hour and 55 minutes to go the mile. Sounds slow but we passed 4 people. Then we climbed up Mahoosuc Arm which was a very tough climb. The afternoon was much easier so we did end up making some miles. We got 12 miles done. We are at Baldpate Lean-to. We have 8 miles to Andover in the morning.-Hooti
Date: 2015-08-24
From: Baldplate Lean to 

To: Andover ME
Miles today: 8.0
Weather: few clouds

We left Baldpate Shelter around 8:00am. Right out of the Shelter we had to finish the climb up the West Peak of Baldpate Mt. Yesterday the start of the climb to the Shelter was gradual but the last mile or so today was very steep and Rocky. We continued on to the East peak which was a very steep climb over slippery rock slabs. It was partly sunny but the rock slabs we still wet from the rain the night before. I came close to going down a couple of times. We then had a steep decent with the same conditions down to Fry Notch Lean To where we got water. From there the trail was good all the way to the East B Hill Rd crossing where we got a ride into Andover ME where we had a mail drop. We got in around 2pm after hiking 8 miles. We are staying in a rustic cabin at Pine Ellis Campground where we will do laundry and take showers. ~Robi1Today was a fairly easy day because we got done early. Baldpate Mountains' east peak was a bear. It rained on us last night so all the rocks were soaked and the climb up was treacherous. The climb down was worse. I slid about 6 ft on the rocks and thought I was in trouble until my poles finally caught onto something and stopped me. Ten minutes later I realized I broke the tip off my pole. It got much easier once we got down a ways and we made it to Andover by 2:00. It was only an 8 mile day. We are in a (rustic) cabin for the night. Early start tomorrow.-Hooti
Date: 2015-08-25
From: Andover ME

To: Black Brook Campsite 
Miles today: 10.1
Weather: few clouds

We went to breakfast at 6am and got a ride back to where we left off by 7:00am. We started the gradual climb up Wyman MT. Wasn't to bad of a climb but it started raining about a hour after we got going and made trail conditions poor. We went downhill a bit then back up to Hall MT Lean To where we took a break. From there it was a steep slippery decent only to go back up Moody MT. From there another steep decent down to the trail crossing at South Arm Road where we are camping for the night. We hiked a wet 10.1 miles today. ~Robi1Got a ride from our cabin to breakfast at 5:45 this morning. Had a great breakfast and got a shuttle ride to the trail at 7:30.We hiked up Wyman Mt but at 8:30 it started to rain so it made the trail a little tough. We then descended 1900 ft into Sawyer Notch which was quite tricky with the trail conditions. Then we climbed up Moody Mt. which was very steep, had a bunch of rebar holds and ladders and the trail was getting worse from the rain. We then had a descent of 1000 ft which was very difficult again because of the trail conditions. The rain made the mud like soup. We got to the bottom and with a big climb directly in front of us we decided to camp for the night instead of risking injury on the steep climb. 10.1 miles today.-Hooti
Date: 2015-08-26
From: Black Brook Campsite 

To: Campsite 
Miles today: 12.2

We left the South Arm Campsite around 8am and started the 2,100 or so climb up Old Blue Mountain. The weather was cloudy and the trail was still wet from yesterday. The climb was not as bad as we thought it would be. We took a break on Old Blue and about 4 miles later found our way to Bemis Mt. By this time it was raining. The top of Bemis and Bemis Second peak was all open rock and blueberries everywhere. We took a break at Bemis Mountain Shelter and I don't think that I have a great way of the year and the rest of the year and while it started to rain hard. A couple of hours later the sun came out and all was good again. 3 miles later we reached our campsite goal for the day. We hiked 12.2 miles today. Some of those miles were very wet. ~Robi1Today was another tough day because of rain. We started right out of the gate with a 2200 ft climb. It was fairly steep with a few spots that had rebar but slippery because of overnight thunder storms. It took 2 and a half hours to go 2.8 miles to the top. Then the terrain got easier but it started raining so the entire trail got very slick. I have fallen only 12 times on this entire journey and 2 of them were today on the descent. No injuries. It stopped raining around 3:00ish so at least some of the rocks dried a little. We got 12.2 miles in and have 14 to get through tomorrow to meet Claire in Rangeley. It's supposed to be good weather an fairly easy terrain so we hope for a great day. -Hooti
Date: 2015-08-27
From: Campsite 

To: Rangely Maine
Miles today: 14.2
Weather: overcast clouds

We left our Campsite around 7:30am. The day was bright sunny with lower humidity. About a mile in we crossed ME 17 and had a great view of Rangeley Lake. Nice scenery today hiking by Moxie pond and many swamps. No huge climbs today just a nice walk in the woods. We made our way to Maine Rt 4 crossing where we were to hitch into Rangeley to meet Hootis wife. We started down the road when she came through and picked us up. We will be staying at Hootis daughters Condo at sugarloaf. We will slack pack Friday and Saturday. We hiked 14.2 miles today. ~Robi1We did 14.2 miles into Rangeley today. A small climb to start the day with a beautiful view of Rangeley Lake. About 11am it started raining which made the easier terrain slick and muddy. It stopped raining about 2:00 and we finished up close to 4:00. We got trail magic at the trailhead on ME. 4 before Claire showed up to pick us up at around 4:30. Should be a good night.-Hooti