morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2016-07-10
From: Mark Noepel Shelter

To: Congdon Shelter
Miles today: 23.7
Weather: light rain

I had to get water in the AM, other hikers told me it was barely flowing and 400-500 yards downhill! I didn't want to do it but had to. Luckily it as only about 150- maybe 200 yards and the downhill was not nearly as steep as they described, oh and the flow was great.Headed out and made it up Mount Greylock. I became a little upset with my planning, Mt. Greylock has a pretty nice Lodge that has bunks at a decent price. If I would have looked at my guide book and realized this I could have done 3 more miles for a more relaxing stay and drank a few beers in the bar. Oh well it is what it is, but that definitely would have been nice! Another day of light Rain/mist. I pushed on to North Adams, Mass. where I heard rumors of 50% off for Thru Hikers at the PaPa John's a half mile off trail! Pizza sounded great so I made the trek. I got an extra large Pepperoni Pizza and a drink for half price, they offered to fill my water bottles, and made me a makeshift table to eat on! I was astonished at how awesome their service was, even for a wet and stinky hiker.I packed the other half of the pizza and in my food bag. There was a supermarket right next door but I thought I was good on Food so I gave it a pass. I got back on trail headed north and crossed the State Line into Vermont! For around 100 miles the AT shares the Trail with the Long Trail, which is a much older trail at around 200 miles and was actually part of the inspiration for creating the AT. I kept on until I came to the shelter, it was full but the folks in there made room on the floor for me. After realizing the rain was done and that they all had their food bags just hanging in an old dirty shelter (mice would likely get active later) I opted out and pitched my tent up the trail about 50 yards and called it a night.
Date: 2016-07-11
From: Congdon Shelter

To: Goddard Shelter
Miles today: 14.4
Weather: overcast clouds

Got up late. Went to get my food back to see that a squirrel chewed a hole in it, emptying one of my bags of granola on to the ground. It was a text book PCT hang but somehow that sucker still got to my bag!Upon eating breakfast I realized I was low on food and really should have gotten a resupply the day before when I was literally at a Grocery Store. I got jacked up on Caffeine and then hiked quickly the 3 miles or so to the next road crossing to get a hitch into Bennington, VT. I met another hiker, Griz trying to get a hitch. He had been there for some time with no luck. I joined him and after 20 minutes we saw a car pull into the trail head to drop off hikers, we ran over an got a ride into town.The driver was interesting to say the least. Had an old standard Volkswagon she said she just got and kept stalling. Had a huge stuffed Carebear sitting next to me in the back seat, but nevertheless she was really nice and even gave her number for us to get a ride back to the trail after resupply!I did my resupply, definitely felt not welcome quickly while in the stores.I know I stunk a good bit but you'd think people would be used to hikers. Got what I needed then headed to McDonald's to eat and charge my phone then get a ride back to the trail. Spent a lot more time in town then I was hoping to so I decided to make it a shorter day then planned. Shelter and water source were really nice which was a plus and I bumped into Walnut again. Discussed the possibility of a 32 mile day with him but I would do 27 at the least.
Date: 2016-07-12
From: Goddard Shelter

To: Spruce Peak Shelter
Miles today: 27.9
Weather: scattered clouds

Got up around 6:30, was hoping to get out a little earlier but it was a cool night and it felt good in my sleeping bag! Headed up Glastenbury Mountain and spoke with a Section hiker for a good while, his son had thru hiked the AT last year and was currently doing a section of the PCT to decide if he wanted to thru hike it in the future (he does). I climbed the fire Tower for some of the best views on the AT, especially with the morning fog rolling through. I wish I would have gotten pictures but I had my phone picked up, my goal for the day was to just hike and not worry about time, so I picked up my phone and watch. I ran across a porcupine that took off and ran up a tree rather ungracefully. The plan was to stay at the Warming hut on top of Bromley Mountain. It is left open for hikers to use during peak hiking season and I heard word of a great sunrise there.I Felt great for the first 10 miles but then started to tank. After about twenty I ate a ton of food and pushed on to Spruce Peak Shelter. I was the only one there and it was about 7:30pm so I figured I would have it all to myself. I guess the majority of folks push on to the road a few miles up and go into town.The shelter was awesome! A log cabin that is fully enclosed, and even has a stove for warming when cold out. The water source was also pretty awesome with another decent stream with a small pool that allowed me to wash up some. I set up my stuff and maybe 20 minutes later the mouse showed up, I never saw so many in a shelter. Then Moths covered my clothes I had out drying. So I thought I had "paradise" but instead I was going to have moths chewing holes in my clothes and mice keeping me up all night! I picked up my stuff and pitched my tent. Walnut came by a little after dark to take a break then continue on to Bromley. I was tempted to pick up and go with him.
Date: 2016-07-13
From: Spruce Peak Shelter

To: Little Rock Pond Shelter
Miles today: 22.6
Weather: clear sky

Got up still feeling sluggish like I had for a while. Pushed to the Warming Hut on Bromley and took a little break. Got the "great" idea that if I could just push 2 big days I could get to Killington and stay in town, maybe even take a zero to try to get feeling good again. I hiked on and ran into a ton of day hikers. An older guy told me I was traveling light for a thru hiker, I got that a good bit although I know a lot of thru's with lighter/smaller packs than mine.It was a pretty hot day, luckily I found a little stream and cameled up and destroyed my food bag. Its crazy how much food I was needing, 2 lbs a day wasn't even cutting it and shooting for 4000 calories a day didn't seem to be enough either!I got to Little Rock Pond Shelter, just planning to eat super than push on. Well Walnut was there so I visited with him and met Homeward. I decided to just call it a night. The shelter there was $5 a night but no one had seen the caretaker at all (he/she is supposed to come around and pick up the $).The mosquitoes were bad in the shelter but I just put on my head net and toughed it out, the other 3 people in the shelter got out and went set up their tents. Around 1:30am I was awaken by the drunk babbling of a guy and a girl. When I got up the next morning I realized that was the caretaker, sounded like he took a girl home from the bar or something.. haha Had an empty wine bottle and a 12 pack of Sierra Nevada next to his tent. I rolled out around 6:30 am and he had never collected the money. I ran into other who left after 8am who said they never did see him come to collect. Sounds like a cushy job, sign me up!
Date: 2016-07-14
From: Little Rock Pond Shelter

To: Governor Clement Shelter
Miles today: 19.7
Weather: clear sky

Well the night before Homeward, Walnut, and I discussed going to Qu's Whistle Stop 1/2 mile off trail to get a meal. It was about 12-14 miles or so if I remember correctly. I took off feeling good, but it didn't take long for me to start feeling bad again. Walnut passed me flying and he had probably left camp an hour after me! I rolled into Qu's and got a Burger with an Egg on it with an extra patty and a side salad, I devoured it! The food was awesome, and super hiker friendly. I chilled outside for a bit to charge my phone and Homeward came in, he was eating then heading to a shelter for around 20 miles, I decided I should do the same and call it a shorter day.Typically leaving from a good meal I feel great, but in this case the heat was killing me. The climb right after leaving Qu's was a little tough. With about an hour left to hike it poured! I got soaked and made it to the shelter for cover as the rain was slacking. There I met Mr. Clean who was hiking SOBO, and Round 2 who I had saw earlier at Qu's. Round 2 was hiking on about 3 more miles and almost talked me into pushing on but I opted out. I needed to dry my stuff and focus on getting rested. There was a kids camp there but unlike most camps they were very well behaved and the counselors were awesome, they even gave their extra food to Mr. Clean and I! Homeward rolled in and discussed staying in Killington. At this point I was planning on skipping it now and just resupplying then pushing on to Hanover. HE mentioned splitting a room he had booked at the Killington Motel to help me out so I could get some rest. He's and older guy that is retired so I appreciated the gesture since is offer was really just to help me, he didn't need t split it. I decided that would be the way to go. Also, ended up having a package that was going to arrive a day later than I had hoped for. New shoes, which I was in BIG need of.
Date: 2016-07-15
From: Governor Clement Shelter

To: Killington Motel
Miles today: 13.9
Weather: clear sky

Got up and actually felt pretty rested. Homeward took off saying I'd catch him down the trail. Well I took off with that intent and still felt bogged down. I hit the first shelter about 3 miles in an needed a break. Met another SOBO there, White Gurl, and Bs'ed with him for a good bit. I had to take several breaks and was out of food other than one bag of trail mix. I finally made it to town and gave Homeward a call for the details for the room, he beat me by a good bit and said man you must be feeling bad! On the way in a grab a sandwich and a beer at the Gas Station next door. Then I rushed to get a shower! It had been about 10 days, my record haha. Man the shower felt great! Next was Laundry. Homeward and I jumped on the Bus to head to Jax which is a Bar/Restaurant on top and a Laundromat below. He had a toenail issue pop up and instead asked me to do his laundry so he could visit the urgent care. I said no problem and went on to Jax.Jax was pretty awesome, I put the clothes to wash them went up stairs to Drink a Long Trail Ales and devour and burger and some clam chowder. I then played a few rounds of Big Buck Hunter, of course! I decided to walk the 2 miles back to the hotel. The buses had stopped running and I would have had to hitch, plus there was several places I wanted to stop on the way back. I got ice cream, stopped at the outfitter, and eventually made it back in. Homeward came a bit later and said he now had to take a zero the next day.I can't thank Homeward enough for splitting the room and being so kind! Please check out his adventure here: https://mystory.lifesongfororphans.org/stories/the-big-hikeHe's doing some great things with his hike. He was a very strong in his faith, I felt that maybe me feeling sick and having to slow down happen for a reason. This particular weekend was the same weekend I typically go on a silent religious retreat with my father, but I obviously had to miss it since I was on the AT. The timing was definitely coincidental and helped me to get some new energy.
Date: 2016-07-17
From: I Don't Even Know

To: Hanover, NH
Miles today: 11.0
Weather: overcast clouds

I think it was 11 miles, something along those lines. The mileage is way off anyway I guess from it varying depending on what I use to figure out the mileage (Guthook, AWOL, etc.) I will fix the mileage with the final post.I woke up ready to roll out pretty early. Taters and Breakneck were still out. I waited on them to get up and we headed in to West Hartford. We stopped to see Linda the Trail angel and was greeted with Scrambled Eggs, Cold Soda, and Coffee! We spent a good deal of time there. As we were hiking out Tater's Parents drove by, they were taking him and Breakneck to a ton an hour or so away to get new shoes however he wasn't planning on seeing them to Hanover...haha They jumped in and headed out. I continued on hiking for a bit with Soup, who I just met at Linda's. I eventually lost soup and zombie walked all the way to Hanover and into my 2nd to last State! I had called the entire trail angel list trying to find a place to stay with no luck! I then saw that the Residence Inn, though in another town technically, was only 2 miles from the trail. I was a few points short of a free stay but was able to purchase the needed points for $12.00. A $200.00/night room for $12.00, count me in! Hung around Dartmouth's campus for a bit then headed to the hotel. A shuttle was supposed to come but then they ended up telling me it couldn't come to much later (after I had waited over and hour in the hot sun). I was pretty pissed but my anger got under control after a very nice lady came up to me and asked if I was a hiker, I said yes and she gave me $5.00 to get a cold drink! I did so and then began my 2 mile road Walk to to hotel. They apologized but I said well I figured I could walk here faster than the shuttle would get to me.A Grocery store was next door so I got an awesome re supply and picked up a Ribeye, spinach, scallops, etc. to cook a feast in my room since I had a stove. I also got plenty wine and beer to Celebrate 3 months on trail!
Date: 2016-07-18
From: Hanover, NH

To: Trapper John Shelter
Miles today: 16.7
Weather: clear sky

Woke up wanting to zero so bad! But I just took my time and got the shuttle back to the trail for 12:00. Decided to hike a short day. Had way to much food, my resupply plus other stuff I had left over...like a box of wine.Took my time and enjoyed the hike eventually rolling into the shelter 30 minutes or so before dark. I met Clockwork there, a section hiker from China. He was a pretty cool dude, very interesting to say the least. I drank my wine to celebrate my official 3 Month Trailiversary and then pitched my tent. The little box was the equivalent of 3 glasses, and I chugged it so I was feeling good to say the least. I realized I still needed to hang my bear bag. It was dark and I couldn't find any good limbs. I saw a dead tree leaning on another tree and figure it was better than nothing. I couldn't find a rock so I just used my little first aid back, with the supplies in it. Well I make a toss and it gets stuck. I cant just cut the line, I need my first aid kit so I give it a big tug and the entire dead tree falls. Luckily it didn't on me but a branch did catch me in the face leaving a scratch. I then gave up on the bear bag and went to sleep with my food bag at my feet!
Date: 2016-07-19
From: Trapper John Shelter

To: Ore Hill Campsite
Miles today: 19.1
Weather: overcast clouds

Welp now I was technically in the Whites but not quite to the more difficult portion just yet. Got up feeling a little better than I had lately but far from 100%. I bumped into Gentle Ben at one of the shelters, he had stayed at the same shelter the night before. He was heading to Ore Hill Campsite, I had planned to go further for a 27 mile day before things got more difficult. I eventually got sluggish as the day went on and decided Ore Hill Campsite would be fine to call it a day! It was tough to find a tent site but I found something off in the woods and made it work. The water source was super sketchy so I skipped it. Gentle Ben tried it out and said it tasted like Popcorn haha. Met a few section hikers and Bs'd with them for a bit then called it a night.
Date: 2016-07-20
From: Ore Hill Campsite

To: Kinsman Notch
Miles today: 17.0
Weather: clear sky

Took off pretty early. Would soon be getting into the "real" part of the Whites starting with Mt. Moosilauke aka Mt. Moosecock.Side Story: Gentle Ben told me the story of a guy he was previously hiking with that argued with him on the pronunciation and was very adamant that it was Mt. Moosecock, yes he was serious. So after this story I had to officially rename it.Gentle Ben eventually caught up to me at one of the Shelters eating lunch then passed me on the way up Moosilauke. It was a pretty tough climb for me, but not quite as bad as I had anticipated. I pushed on to the shelter I had orinally planned to stopped at and met serveral SOBOs they told me the descent I had coming up was very steep, wet, and slippery and I might want to just knock it out then rather than deal with it first thing in the AM. I agreed! Shortly after Gentle Ben showed, he had took the blue blaze to the South Peak of Moosilauke to check it out. He claims it was way better than the North Peak, the North peak is too mainstream. He agreed on knocking out the descent also that evening. We headed down to Kinsman notch to a huge unofficial campsite with some descent views of a lake and a healthy squirrel population. It also had the convenience of pit toilets a 5 minute walk away. I was pretty happy with the mileage given the terrain!
Date: 2016-07-21
From: Kinsman Notch

To: Liberty Springs Trail Head
Miles today: 17.0
Weather: clear sky

Got up knowing I would need to Resupply that night or first thing the next AM. All I had left in my food bag was a 2 pouches of Oatmeal (which I ate for Breakfast) 3/4ths full jar of Peanut butter, a few Shot Blocks and a few Electrolyte gels.There was a road right where camped but instead of hitching first thing in the AM I decided to push on to the next main road and just stay the night in town. I also wanted to hit Kinsman with a lighter bag.Took Lunch at Eliza Brook Shelter where I bumped into Gentle Ben again. I ate some Peanut Butter, shot bloks, and an electrolyte gel and could feel the caffeine buzz. I took off pretty quick and flew up Kinsman despite it being a little technical. It may technically be a "Scramble" but I felt like I was straight up rock climbing for most of the ascent.I ran into a Sobo who said all of Maine is just like Kinsman, and I would likely need to do 10-12 miles a day through Maine.... I really need to make a blog post on "Shit SOBOs Say" because again none of the advice given was accurate or helpful. I got to the road and started making calls to places to stay. I ended up calling the Carriage Motel in North Woodstock and they said they were coming pick up 2 other hikers and could get me also, perfect! I had to walk about a mile off trail to get to the pickup but it was all good.Got to the Motel, it is an older place that the current owners recently purchased and are renovating. My room was very clean and quiet which is all you can ask for. I decided to walk down the street to a "Greek" restaraunt, a Gyro sounded good. Well there were no Gyros on the Menu so I got Chicken Parmesan and Onion Rings (seemed to be more Italian/American then Greek on the Menu) I ate all of it to the surprise of the Waitress then went back to my room, watched Netflix and drank a few beers.
Date: 2016-07-22
From: Liberty Springs Trail Head

To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

I decided to take a 0. The Whites were kicking my butt and it was supposed to be bad weather that day which I did not want to get caught in on Franconia Ridge since it is exposed to the elements (above treeline).I soaked my feet/legs in the ice cold river behind the motel and relaxed for most of the day. I grabbed Chinese food for supper which would later turn out to be a terrible idea.
Date: 2016-07-23
From: Carriage Motel

To: Stealth Spot
Miles today: 1.8

Got up feeling a little funky. My stomach was in knots. The other hikers came to see if I was ready to go back to trail at around 8am and I told them I would have to wait a bit. I ended up getting a ride back at 9am, thinking I would feel better later in the day. I walked the mile or so back to the trail and was feeling terrible. I had to stop twice to take care of business and realized I definitely had food poisoning. Bad weather was coming also, it was supposed to hit the day before but it seems that it was pushed back a day. Around 11 am and with only 1.8 trail miles in for the day I found a flat spot on the Ascent up Little Haystack Mountain, set up my tent and went to sleep.I figured if I woke up feeling better I would hike on a bit. Woke up briefly around 3pm due to it storming pretty bad outside. I passed out again until around 8:30pm and blew up my air mattress (I was feeling so bad I just slept on the ground until then ).
Date: 2016-07-24
From: Stealth Spot

To: Garfield Ridge Campsite
Miles today: 9.2

Left Camp around 9. Still feeling pretty bad but it was a perfect day weather wise and I was pumped about going to Franconia Ridge, it was one of the spots of the AT that I was looking forward to since day 1!I made it up to the Ridge and over Little Haystack, Mt. Lincoln, MT. Lafayette, and Mt. Garfield. I was super slow but still really enjoyed the hike. There were a ton of people hiking this section! I had a pretty funny encounter with a day hiker in which he asked me if I was hiking the "Adirondack Trail" and I said no it's the Appalachian trail, he then said no and corrected me. I then said I've been walking this thing this Georgia and plan to due the entire thing, it's the Appalachian trail. He then said "Well good luck with that Buddy" with and attitude and hiked on. I tried very hard to control my laughter. I then got to the campsite and decided to stay. It was early but I needed rest to continue to get over my illness. Plus Base on terrain it looked like it would be several miles to any decent camping again. I setup my tent for the first time on a platform which was easier to do then I thought and got some really good sleep!
Date: 2016-07-25
From: Garfield Ridge Campsite

To: Webster Cliffs
Miles today: 19.4
Weather: broken clouds

Took off around 8:30 finally feeling normal for a change. I hit the Galehead hut and grabbed some cold left over oatmeal for breakfast. I then went up South Twin Mountain which was a decent climb but really the only challenging climb I would have that day. I came up behind another hiker, thinking they looked familiar and sure enough it was Hornet! We chatted for a bit and then I pushed on. I got to the Zealand Falls hut and ate some snacks and 2-3 bowls of soup then hit the easiest terrain I had seen in a long time! I got to Ethan Pond Shelter as Planned and decided to push on a little more. When I got to my destination. I decided to push on more again and start the Descent of Mt. Webster. I came to a water source with a 1/2 mile to go and tanked up. That Half mile was steep and technical, carrying the extra 4 liters of water kicked my butt! I got to Webster Cliffs which was an amazing campsite that I had all to myself! The last part of the day nearly killed me but overall it was a great day hiking and I was glad to be feeling good again!
Date: 2016-07-26
From: Webster Cliffs

To: Valley Way Trail Campsite
Miles today: 16.3
Weather: overcast clouds

I headed out around 6:45 am. I had wanted to get out a little earlier but had a hard time getting out of my sleeping bag! I got to the Mizpah Spring Hut and had more cold oatmeal and some baked goods. I then inquired if it was a good idea to summit Mt. Washington that day (foggy, and rain in forecast, 50+mph winds) turns out that's a pretty normal day up there so I continued on.I hit Lakes of Clouds Hut and devoured more baked goods and some soup, then headed on up Mt. Washington. The wind was whipping and it was pretty chilly with the light rain! I made it up Mt. Washington and seeked shelter in the building up top to grab some lunch at the Cafeteria! After spending way to much time in the warmth I headed out, the trail was super rocky, hard to see and the wind was hammering so I knew my plans to make it to Madison Spring Hut in time for Work for Stay probably wouldn't pan out. I made it there around 5:45 and was told I would need to go down the Valley way trail to the campsite there. IT was super steep getting down but I got to the campsite which was pretty nice and posted up for the night.