morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2010-08-16
From: Clarendon Shelter

To: The Inn at the Long Trail
Miles today: 16.4

I woke up to rain this lovely morning. Oh well. There was a sweet little puddle on this inside of my tent near the feet. Ah yes...nothing like getting your down sleeping bag wet. Oh well...it was ok. I did sleep a little bit more but its still very hard sleeping on a deflated sleeping pad. Doc and I were the last ones out of camp today. We left at 9am-ish and immediately the climb was straight up. I hiked up and down, left and right, side to side...all in a pouring rain. Quite heavy at times too. In fact, I would say it was some of the heaviest rain I've experienced yet. Anyways, I soon found myself at the Governor Shelter at the base of Killington Mtn (tallest peak in VT on the AT). As I was sitting there taking a break a little sun peaked through...Yes, I thought, this shall be a glorious 2,000 ft climb up to the peak. The minute, boys and girls, I mean the minute I put my pack on and placed my right foot on the ground to start my ascent the sun went away and the rain fell upon me once again. It seemed like a cruel trick but I was already wet. No big deal. I slowly climbed the mountain which is just over 4,000 feet. Tallest peak I've been too since VA I think. The views were blocked by the rain and clouds. I stopped at the shelter just below the top and had lunch with Red Lobstah, London Joe, Serenitina, and Chef. We decided to do 6.3 more miles and get to the Inn at the Long Trail.Guess what? As soon as we descended the sun came out, well sorta, and it was warm again. Lets just say it wasn't pouring on us. Anyways, I must say this about heading northbound off of Killington. This is the only mountain where you descend by climbing up. I couldn't figure it out. You would slowly walk down for a bit and then have to climb up. I couldn't figure out why we were gaining elevation when we were supposed to be going down. Oh well. We made it to the bottom at around 630pm and Lee, the wife of Skink (fellow thru hiker) was on the road and drove us the .9 miles to the Inn at the Long Trail.So, I got a sweet bed and some real food. Most importantly, I got to watch the Giants take on the Jets in football. Man I love football. Its such an awesome thing when I get to watch some good ole fashion American football.Gee One Life, how are you holding up these days? Well, I'm doing great. I've put in great mileage days and I feel good. I still get tired at the end of the day but thats usually after at least 16 miles instead of 8. I am roughly 45 miles out of Hanover, NH so I am trying to be there by 4/19. Think I can? Well stay tuned and you'll find out....."I ain't got a dime but what I got is mine, I ain't rich but Lord I'm free."To Him I glorify.
Date: 2010-08-17
From: The Inn at the Long Trail

To: The Inn at the Long Trail
Miles today: 0.0

I would classify today as an inadvertant zero day. Oh why oh why One Life? Ok, since you insist I shall tell. Well, I woke up at the Inn at the Long Trail and had breakfast with Red Lobstah, Serenitina, and London Joe. They decided that they were going to stay another night and wait for Red Stick to arrive and I had decided to take the bus to Killington to the Post Office to get my computer. I was also going to go to the little outfitters to deal with my sleeping pad issue and also go to the grocery store. It didn't quite work out that way. I arrived at the Post Office right as they were closing for lunch for an hour. So, I walked down to the outfitters and we called Thermarest to see if I could exchange my sleeping pad straight up for a new one. That would be a big fat no. Its not covered on the warranty. Warranties on hiking stuff seem to be pointless. Anyways, I went to the grocery store where I grossly overpaid for my food. I finally got my computer from the Post Office and by the time I was sitting down and working on it it was 115pm. It takes me several hours to update videos, pictures, blogs, and answer emails. I love doing it though. I think its really neat that people are so interested in my personal journey. Thats why I do it and don't mind spending tons of time on it. Before I knew it it was 430pm and it was too late to hike out so I decided to stay another day. It was a nice accidental zero day. The four of us sat around and had tea courtesy of London Joe. We talked and it was fun. At about 7pm the thru hikers started piling in. We were just ahead of a big hiker bubble before we took a zero day. But it was nice catching up with tons of people. I talked to Lift n Step, the Australian girl I walked with off and on until Damascus, VA. I talked with Hook who I met on the way out of the NOC in NC. Red Stick, Evergreen, Ghetto Sheep, Promethius, Alkaline, Fluffy, and a few others all had dinner with us. The plan is to get to Hanover by the 19th. Thats 45 miles in two days. Why? No good reason. I really like hiking with Red Lobstah, Serenitina, and London Joe. I just have this inkling to get to NH. Thats the state where I grew up and I really haven't been back since I moved when I was 16. I am sooooooo excited to get into the Whites. I'm literally like a little kid on Christmas Eve waiting for Christmas. I can't wait. All for Him.
Date: 2010-08-18
From: The Inn at the Long Trail

To: Stony Brook Shelter
Miles today: 10.0
Weather: overcast clouds

August 18th started at 7am at the Inn at the Long Trail. About 12 of us thru hikers gathered for breakfast in the dining room. It always seems pretty special when a group of thru hikers get together. Its like you're bonded by the mountains. We all share the same blood, sweat, and tears yet all of our experiences are so different. Eureka's wife drove me to the Post Office and then to the trail where I left off. I was hiking by 945am. I quickly did an easy 5 miles and I was soon caught up to Red Lobstah, London Joe, and Serenitina. And then the fun began. Once again, the book I carry was wrong. The ATC Companion stated you go up 1300 feet in .5 miles to the top of Mt Quimby. This proved quite wrong. Try more like 3 miles and you thought you were on the summit like 3 times. It grew aggravating when you expect one thing and get another. Hikers can tolerate a lot of things but when you mess with their climbing then you best watch out. So when I got to Stony Brook Shelter after 10 miles I called it quits for the day. I had a big headache and I needed a nap anyways. Either way I was planning it I'm still getting to Hanover by Friday. So that's it. I need to get to an outfitter asap so I can get this sleeping pad situation fixed. Currently, its deflating. Doc gave me some seam sealer so I applied that with some duct tape. It only slows the air leaking so its not a solution. Glory to Him.
Date: 2010-08-19
From: Stony Brook Shelter

To: Thristle Hill Shelter
Miles today: 21.5
Weather: clear sky

Oh Companion (book I use for my data), you have failed me yet again. Your data on the elevations was so inaccurate I was basically blind out there today. I managed to walk 21.5 exhausting miles up and down unexpected mountains. This was the most up and down day I have experienced since southern Virginia. However, by looking at your data I would have never known that. Had I known what I was going to encounter today I would have never attempted almost 22 miles. With that being said I have no other choice but to terminate any further use of you effective upon arrival of Hanover. Ohhhhhh you want examples do you, Companion? Well, boys and girls, if you're following at home please look at page 204 in your 2010 Companion. As I was on mile 13.7 today I noticed that the elevation was 882 ft at VT rt 12 in Woodstock, VT. The very next piece of data listed is Woodstock Stage Road with the elevation of 820 ft approximately 1.5 miles away. Sweet, I thought, I'm not climbing. WRONG!! I climbed almost 1000 ft and back down in that mile and a half. On top of that I got surrounded by 10 bulls as I was ascending. No joke. I was walking up and through their grazing pasture when like 10 steers got aggressive with me. A couple of them did the snorty half charge at me. I played it cool cuz I was surrounded by snorty bulls and barbed wire until I saw the place where you cross into the woods again. I took off and made it safely. So One Life get a map! No. I settled with the Companion but now I see their scam. They make you buy the maps separately, therefore, spending more money. No, I'm going to get AWOL's book. Not only does it have more accurate data it also gives a profile of the mountains to come. No more being thrown off! Other than that today was an awesome hike. I drank at least 5 liters of water today which is a lot for me in VT. It was really humid but nice. I also caught up with Red Lobstah, Serenitina, London Joe, and Red Stick after yesterday's short day. That was great. Tomorrow I enter NH. I have so many emotions about that but I'll write about that tomorrow. Until then goodnight. I will tell the world of You.
Date: 2010-08-20
From: Thristle Hill Shelter

To: Dartmouth College
Miles today: 14.6

I woke up this morning...well, woke up is a loose term because I didn't sleep much at all due to my deflated sleeping pad and a mouse that kept crawling under my vestibule to chew around. So, I was late getting up this morning but nonetheless I had a little spring in my step. Why? I was finally going to get to my birth state of NH. Needless to say I was excited!I left Thristle Hill Shelter at around 915am. I was racing pretty good and I got to stop at a little corner store in West Hartford, VT. I got me a Ham sandwich and it was quite tasty. Anyways, no time for delay I need to press on. I got to the Happy Hill Shelter just miles before the VT/NH line. I met up with Red Lobstah, London Joe, Red Stick, and Serenitina there. We verbalized our plans for the next few hours. They were going to stop at a bakery in Norwich, VT and I was going into Hanover, NH. I was on a pretty good pace. I did the last 3.5 miles into Norwich in under an hour. I wanted to get there. Actually, I was born in Lebanon, NH but we lived in Norwich, VT so this was a mini homecoming but not really because I have no memories of the place. Anywho, I got to the Dartmouth campus by 4pm and didn't really have any idea what to do next. I came to The Green of Dartmouth and looked around. I spotted other thru hikers (we stick out pretty good) and talked to them. They gave me the low down on what to do.Dartmouth hits kind of close to home with me. Both my grandfather and my father graduated this fine institution. My father also played football and was a part of the Sigma Nu fraternity. So, thinking along those lines I decided to find the Sigma Nu frat house and see if I could weazle a place to stay for the night. After some searching I found it and went inside. A nice guy showed me around. I wanted to see if they had any pictures or anything from the late 60's or early 70's. Nope, nothing. You could also tell that the place was run by 20 year olds. Not exactly sanitary. Oh well. I moved on so that is not an option for a place to stay.I eventually mozied to an outfitter where I purchased a new sleeping pad. Its not a Thermarest but we shall see if it is to work. If I can't find a place to stay tonight then I'll just camp in the woods and try it out. So what am I doing right now? Its exactly 635pm and I don't have anywhere to stay (can we say laundromat porch in Kent, CT all over again?). I'm at the Dartmouth Outdoor Club headquarters in Robinson Hall at Dartmouth using their computer and charging my phone. They let you chill here and hang out but you're not allowed to sleep here. Dang. Anyways, I heard there is a fraternity that will take in thru hikers but I also heard there is camping behind the soccer fields. Not sure which one I am going to try. I need to figure it out soon and then I want to find a place to watch the preseason football game thats on tonight. You know I can't pass up a football game when I have the opportunity.Alrighty, I'm off to figure this out! Wish me luck. Everything for Him!
Date: 2010-08-22
From: Dartmouth College

To: Moose Mtn Shelter
Miles today: 10.0
Weather: light rain

What an amazing and emotional trip to Hanover. Let's see, where did I leave off?So, Friday night I met a Muslim student on campus named Fahrzen. She was super nice and invited me to a dinner to kick off Romedan (sp?) At the student center. So I went. I got a huge plate of food and dessert. Did I stick out? Totally! However, I met a Christian named Jin from China who sat with me and made sure I was comfortable. That was nice of him. We listened to David Coolidge, a Muslim convert, speak. His message was simple, we are to give all we have for the sake of others. No, I'm not going to convert but I really agreed with that message. After the dinner I went downstairs at the student center and watched preseason NFL. It was nice relaxing on couch watching a game...at Dartmouth. The next day, Saturday, my loyal sister picked me up and we drove to Concord, NH. She was visiting a childhood friend so she drove an hour out of her way to pick me up. Abigail is awesome. Concord is where I grew up and I haven't been back since I was 18. We drove by all of our hangout spots. I gott to see my childhood home. Totally awesome. We spent the night at Abigail's friend, Carrie, house. We drove back to Hanover and I was about to head back on the trail when I got a message from a chilhood best friend, Ben Young. Youngie goes to Dartmouth Med School so we met for coffee. His poor girlfriend had to endure a few hours of the "old times." Very good to see Youngie. I got back on the trail at 3pm and hiked 10 miles to Moose Mtn Shelter. It was pouring rain so I stayed in the shelter. Good thing I have my winter gear. I was freezing. How ironic when all my friends in Texas are enduring 100 degree heat. So that's all. Pretty easy hike. Nothing too story worthy. All for Him
Date: 2010-08-23
From: Moose Mtn Shelter

To: Firewardon's Cabin
Miles today: 12.7

This blog will be short and to the point. I got poured on and I was cold. Today was the first day I've hiked with a coat on since North Carolina. Seems like ages, my friends. I hiked 12.7 miles including to the top of Smart Mtn. Smart Mtn is an elevation gain of over 2000 ft. Its been awhile since I've done that too. Now, I'm bedded down in an old cabin turned shelter. At least its 4-sided. I'm still cold though. That's all for today. My spirits are still high even if all of my stuff is soaked. I can't wait to be in the Whites in a few days. Glory to God.
Date: 2010-08-24
From: Firewardon's Cabin

To: Happy Hiker Hostel
Miles today: 20.0

I awoke from a great night of sleep with really one thing on my mind: can I make it 20 miles to the hiker hostel in Glencliff, NH? Well, there's only one way to find out. I gotta give it a whirl.There's one thing I had to do before I left that all thru hikers must endure; that is putting on wet clothes. A couple of section hikers were trying to dry their stuff around a fire. It's not worth it, fellas. It'll dry eventually and if it rains again you dried it for no reason. Anyways, I threw on my wet clothes with only a slight grumble and I was off.It was a pleasant NH morning. I summitted Mt Cube in perfect conditions. And guess what? I put all of my damp stuff on a rock and it all dried. The tricks of the trade of being a thru hiker. All it cost me to dry my stuff were some dirty looks by some day hikers because I was half naked. Oh well, I was willing to pay the price.The rest of the day went smoothly. I ran into Dayglo and Bluebird who are doing NH as a section hike. Ironically, they were doing a section in May around Atkins, VA when I first met them. They had given us a ride to the grocery store because they were finished with their Spring section hike. Quite a coincidence that I ran into them. I also ran into Little Foot. I met him in the Shenandoahs and a bunch of us stayed at his house in MD (where I watched Ghana beat USA in soccer). Apparently, he got Lymes Disease right when we all left his house in June and then he got it AGAIN recently. Poor guy but he's doing fine now.So I made the 20 miles to the Happy Hiker Hostel in Glencliff where I'm tenting. Tomorrow I start the big dog stuff by climbing Mt Moosilauke! Massive ups and downs for the next few weeks. Can I handle that? I believe so. Its supposed to rain tomorrow. Yippie ki yi yay! What else is new?Well, I'm tired and I have a big day tomorrow. Gnite.He's the way.
Date: 2010-08-25
From: Happy Hiker Hostel

To: Beaver Brook Shelter
Miles today: 8.2
Weather: light rain

Welcome to the Whites, right? Right. And what a welcome I got too. I left the hostel at 11am under overcast clouds. I knew I had what experts call a climb. The climb ahead of me was Mt Moosilauke. The gateway to New Hampshire's White Mtns. Basically you hike straight up over 3500 feet in elevation gain. I haven't had such a climb in several months but I felt ready. Good thing I felt ready cuz as soon as I started to ascend it began to pour! I steadily climbed for two solid hours in the rain. The higher I got the colder and windier it became. I was in my shorts and jacket. I reached the top and discovered there were no trees. I didn't realize it was above tree line. There was absolutely no visibility so enjoying the top was not an option. As soon as I got to the top of Moosilauke it became quite apparent that this was a dangerous situation. I could easily become hypothermic. Scary indeed. What did I do? I made the decision to go as fast as I could to the tree line on the other side. I survived. I got to the Beaver Brook Shelter after a 8.2 mile day. One problem though; the shelter that has a capacity of 8 already had 13 in it. Yikes. But the good souls squeezed me in and we enjoyed the night. I made a video so that will best describe the night. Until I write again tomorrow...have a good night. In Him
Date: 2010-08-26
From: Beaver Brook Shelter

To: Eliza Brook Shelter
Miles today: 9.0
Weather: light rain

Daily mileage: 9Start: Beaver Brook ShelterFinish: Eliza Brook ShelterSince the shelter was so packed from the night before I laid around while most others got ready this morning. Too many people packing at once is tough. I left around 9am with Scat Tracker, Unicroc, and Dune and we were headed straight down the south side of Moosilauke. When I say straight down I mean straight down...and very wet and slippery. Boys and girls, a sad event occurred. As I descended I slipped on a rock. In a fit of natural reaction I slammed my left pole down to brace myself. Only I snapped my beloved pole. These poles were given to me by 2007 AT hiker, Lakewood. They've already traversed the AT once and almost 1800 miles in a second. But the left pole snapped. The rest of the day I spent climbing Mt Wolf with one pole. It was hard as I'm not used to one pole. What am I supposed to do with my other hand? I'm not sure yet. I'm going to the outfitters in Lincoln, NH tomorrow to see if I can get a replacement. Hopefully.So I finished the 9 mile day at Eliza Brook Shelter. Miles are way tougher in the Whites. I feel good besides my knees are sore. They take a beating due to the steep up and down climbs. Ill be alright though. Good night from NH. Pray to Him
Date: 2010-08-27
From: Eliza Brook Shelter

To: North Woodstock, NH
Miles today: 8.8

Daily mileage: 8.8Start: Eliza Brook ShelterFinish: North Woodstock, NHToday was the day of Mt Kinsman. I awoke to a chilly morning and was out the door by 830am. Little did I know I had a glorious yet steep ascent in front of me. I felt good. I was a climbing machine. Kinsman was a different kind of ascent. Instead of constant switchbacks and walking you literally climbed. But I was at a benefit. With only one functioning pole I was able to use my other hand to pull myself up. I was like Spiderman scaling up the rocks. I felt like a million bucks. I reached the summit but it was so foggy I couldn't see. Oh well. I climbed down the mtn and soon found Doc and Dune at the Lonesome Lake Hut. We finished the 8.8 mile day by getting a shuttle into North Woodstock and getting rooms. We did laundry and I spent the night watching high school football on ESPN. Love it!Goodnight to all. Believe in Him.
Date: 2010-08-28
From: North Woodstock, NH

To: Mt Garfield Pond
Miles today: 9.8

I'm going to preface this entry by saying this was one of the best days on the trail. Yup, it was that good. Dune, Doc, and I were on the trail by 10am. It was a looooooong ascent straight up Little Haystack. It was one of those climbs that you think will never end. About three quarters of the way up Doc and I ate lunch. Now let me tell you about Doc. Doc is a retired Army Ranger who was a medic. He was telling me about how the last phase in Ranger school is the Florida Phase. He said by that time you know you're a Ranger. He says the Whites are the Florida Phase. He's a very nice guy who will offer you the shirt off of his back. He's always offering me food or anything he has. He's really funny too. I really enjoy walking with this Christ loving man. An example of his generosity is last night. He got a motel room with two beds so I could stay inside and then he let me dominate the TV so I could watch my beloved football. Really good guy. I'm glad I met him. We summitted Little Haystack and were just mezmorized by the beauty. We proceeded up and over Mt Lincoln. Absolutely gorgeous. We finally reached Mt Lafayette and we were awestruck. After 5 straight days of rain we got to summit Lafayette on a perfectly sunny day. Simply awesome. We got 360 views. This is what we've come over 1800 miles for. Moments like these make it all very worth it. I will put the pictures on my Facebook when I get to Gorham. Simply breathtaking. Dune, Doc, and I finished our hike today by talking about this beauty the whole way down. It was nice to hear about what this meant to each of us. We found a stealth campsite at the base of Mt Garfield and we enjoyed dinner by sharing our thru hiking stories. These are the moments I'll always remember.Always dedicated to Christ.
Date: 2010-08-29
From: Mt Garfield Pond

To: stealth campsite
Miles today: 14.4

Today's description: simply stunning. Man, you could not ask for a better day than today. Perfect temperature, no cloud cover, and just overall beauty. I was packed and ready to go by 730am today. Since I was at the base of Mt Garfield my morning started with a climb. I soon reached the summit with Doc and Dune. Quite beautiful. We soon went to Galehead Hut where we had a bowl of soup and coffee. We then proceeded our hike up South Twin Mtn. It was .8 miles up but I still think Kinsman Mtn (a few days ago) was tougher. I am in probably the best shape of my life so South Twin Mtn wasn't back breaking. The top was phenomenal. We got 360 views and no clouds. You can't beat that. The rest of the day was spent going up and down, up and down, up and down. The trail is very tough. Its filled with rocks galore, deep tree roots, and tons of mud. You're constantly climbing up or jumping down which play havoc on your knees. We did 14.4 miles today but it feels like a ton more. I am tired. We are currently stealth camping and we have mostly up hill for the next two days as we begin our climb to Mt Washington. So this is what I wanna do. I thought about this while hiking today. I want to raise some money so I can drive across country as I head back to Texas. I want to be able to spread the word of Cornerstone Crossroads Academy to the West as I've done on the AT. My goal is to raise $500-1000 so I can drive from Maryland to California back to Texas. I'll just camp and living simply. I like talking to people so spreading the word of CCA is not hard. I want to continue my journey after the AT with videos and my journal. Is this feasible or is this just not attainable? Is this possible? Give me your input. Read the parable Jesus talks about in Luke 8:5-18