morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2008-08-14
From: Mt Washington

To: Lakes of the Clouds hut
Miles today: 1.5
Weather: scattered clouds

Mt Washington to Lakes of the Clouds Hut1.5 milesA short but very satisfying day. It was dry again! I started out quite late and by the time I managed to get a space on the auto road shuttle it might have been a push to make it to the next guy after this one if it had rained. I decided just to spend some time at the summit of Washington instead. I wandered round the museum and the gift shops, and did so people watching and chatting with the tourists coming up on the cog railway train. It was an in and put of the clouds kind of day, and the mountains all around kept appearing and disappearing as the clouds rode the air currents. The rain never materialized, and we were rewarded at the end of the day by a beautiful golden sunset, and a moon and star filled sky tonight.I took my first work for stay at a guy tonight. We were allowed to stay inside in the warm while the paying customers ate, and when it was our turn to eat the food for dinner was pretty good, and there was plenty to eat. For the first part of my work I scrubbed down the kitchen range and replaced the foil under the burners. I'm sure I'll have to do some sweeping or folding in the morning too.It's after lights out now and I'm in my bed on the library area table. This is the biggest hut and it's quite full tonight, and there is one bunkroom that's obviously not going to respect quiet time. I don't think it will keep me awake though.
Date: 2008-08-16
From: US 302 Crawford Notch

To: Crawford Notch Campground and General Store
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light intensity shower rain

Zero day at Crawford Notch campgroundMy knees don't want to do anything, and there are some nasty thunderstorms brewing, not a good day to be hiking on ridges. A couple of people set out hiking and turned back rather than be out in the storms.The bunkhouse filled up tonight after being just me last night. The final occupant of the night was Brian who got stranded on Mt Washington in a hail and thunderstorm. He eventually managed to walk down the auto road and get a ride with some other hikers to the campground. The bunks are all gone and he's on a mattress on the floor, and will have to go back to finish from Washington to here tomorrow.
Date: 2008-08-17
From: Crawford Notch Campground and General Store

To: Crawford Notch Campground and General Store
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: fog

Zero day at Crawford Notch campgroundA gorgeous day, and no excuse for not hiking except to give Brian a day to catch up. Hung around lazing in the sunshine all day with Trip (Abby, another SOBO solo young woman) reading and chatting. Later in the day we were joined by two NOBOs, Superchunk and Bus Driver. We decided to grill hotdogs and s'mores for supper. With perfect timing Brian arrived back at the bunkhouse just as is was turning dark and the dogs were cooked. He's about as stiff and sore from the descent down Webster cliffs as I was.
Date: 2008-08-18
From: Crawford Notch Campground and General Store

To: Thoreau Falls
Miles today: 5.0

US 302 Crawford Notch to Thoreau FallsWe got a lazy late start today and finally on the trail at noon. Richard from Crawford Notch Campground and General Store gave us a ride back to the trailhead. He and his staff had been wonderful to us over the past couple of days. The bunkhouse was clean and well supplied, as were the bathrooms. They even supplied is with free charcoal for our hotdog copkout last night. It was great to be in a place that catered well to hiker's needs and also made us feel welcome. The first couple of miles were uphill, not steeply, but it felt pretty steep after 3 days off. When the trail leveled out we came across a big bull moose munching his way down the trail. He wasn't much bothered by us, just moved on into the trees and kept eating. Shortly after that we arrived at Ethan Pond campsite. We ate lunch and lazed out on the rocks in the sun for a good long time before continuing on the trail.   We decided we probably won't make it to the next hut tonight, so we intended to stealth camp. Trip was with us at the shelter and has never stealthed, so she decided to come along with us to see what we look for. We have found a great little site with enough room for a couple of tents. We are next to the river and there is a fire ring. We got here early enough to round up some firewood and had a little fire. We just started seeing lightning and hearing thunder in the distance. We're hoping it will pass us by, but were battening down the hatches and off to bed just in case.
Date: 2008-08-19
From: Thoreau Falls

To: Zealand Falls Hut
Miles today: 2.5

Thoreau Falls to Zealand Falls hut2.5 milesLast night the flashes of lightning turned to rain as soon as we went to bed. It stormed hard all night and we awoke to steady rain. Just as we attempted to break camp the rain came down hard again, and water started pooling up underneath the tent. I assume that this must have been the condition most of the night: I remember waking at least once and thinking that the tent floor under my feet felt rather squishy, we also had a small amount of water inside the tent where the rain had breached the bathtub floor a little near my head. Most of the water was soaked up by my synthetic Outdoor Research vest though, and that's as warm wet as dry, so it wasn't a major problem last night at least. Now however, the rising water was troublesome. It was hard to either pack up, or keep us and our gear dry with water coming from above and below.Eventually the rain slacked off again, and the temperature dropped dramatically. We got on the trail around 10:15 and it was a quick and easy walk to Zealand Falls hut. It was supposed to be sunny today, so the cold blustery morning took us a little by surprise. At Zealand we ate lunch and checked the weather. The latest forecast is for showers and storms, a 40-60 mph wind, and a windchill below freezing. We decided that it wasn't a good day to be up on the ridge. It's expensive to stay at the AMC huts, but not not enough to risk your health over. We paid our money, picked a bunk each and took an afternoon nap. Dinner was pretty good, but I think the portions were rather small considering everyone there had hiked in, and was paying close to $100 to stay.
Date: 2008-08-20
From: Zealand Falls Hut

To: Garfield Shelter
Miles today: 10.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Zealand Falls hut to Garfield Shelter10. milesThe night at the hut at least have us a good night's sleep. I was not very impressed with the food served for the meals. The quality was pretty good, but I thought the quantity was rather sparse considering that everyone there had hiked in, and the prices they charge for the use of a bunk and bathroom with no hot water. We got an early start out and it was actually sunny, but very windy and cold, especially on the exposed summits of the ridge we were walking. We had a scary episode of Brian suffering quite an advanced stage of hyperthermia, even though it was probably the warmest part of the day when it occurred. He eventually regained lucidity after about a liter of hot cocoa, but staggered around the remainder of the hike to camp, and had a major headache all afternoon and evening. We made it to this shelter right at dusk and were happy to find there was space for us. It is supposed to get down to freezing again tonight and is very windy, so we're glad for the 3 walls and solid roof over our head. We are almost out of food so need to get down to the road and into town tomorrow, or be very hungry.
Date: 2008-08-21
From: Garfield Shelter

To: US 3 Franconia Notch
Miles today: 9.5
Weather: clear sky

Garfield Shelter to US3 Pinkham Notch9.5 milesToday was the gorgeous sunny day we had been expecting all week, still breezy, but when you could get out of the wind, pleasant to sit in. Our first stop of the day was on top of Mt Garfield which had the foundation of an old building where we could shelter from the wind. We sat there for a couple of hours just enjoying the view and debating the merits of staying there all day then spending the night. Ultimately, our food situation decreed that we continue on with our plan to get down to the road tonight and into town to resupply. The rest of the day's hike was up, up, up onto Mt Lafayette, along the ridge and then the long downhill to the road. It was tiring, but an awesome hike with great views all around. We made it down to the road by 7pm and into Chet's hostel for the night.
Date: 2008-08-22
From: Chet's Hostel, Lincoln NH

To: Chet's Hostel, Lincoln NH
Miles today: 0.0

Chet's is a great refuge for tired hikers. He was injured in an explosion of a camping stove while preparing for an AT thru hike several years ago. Now he opens his house to hikers and has pretty much everything we need. We're doing the shower, laundry and shop thing today and may even take another day tomorrow to just relax.
Date: 2008-08-23
From: Chet's Hostel, Lincoln NH

To: Chet's Hostel
Miles today: 0.0

Zero day. Checked out the outfitters stores, and walked around town.We decided that Brian needs a new trail name to honor his brush with hypothermia the other day, the the hiker formerly known as T-Back is now Chill!Right around dark, when it was too late to do anything about it today, we found out that. Chet needs someone to look at his gas grill and fridge. Chill wants to try to catch a church service in the morning, so we'll take a look at the two appliances after that. If it gets too late to head back to the trail we'll just enjoy another afternoon here. If we can get either or both working, it's for a good cause.
Date: 2008-08-24
From: Chet's Hostel

To: Chet's Hostel
Miles today: 0.0

Another zero, but a useful one. We fixed a noisy fan on a refrigerator that was disturbing hikers at night, and cleaned out spider egg sacks from all the hoses and piping on the gas grill so it works. We celebrated the fixing of the grill by cooking steaks, corn and beans this evening, and topped off a great day with s'mores over a small campfire.Tomorrow we're going hiking.
Date: 2008-08-25
From: Pinkham Notch

To: Kinsman Pond
Miles today: 3.8
Weather: scattered clouds

We finally broke away from Chet's a little after noon. It was too late to stick to our original hiking plan, but we just decided to hike as far as we felt like and find somewhere to stop for the night. As it turned out the first several miles of trail were fairly smooth, and a steady ascent. There were several places to camp alongside the trail, but it was still too early to stop. Soon we were ah the Lonesome Lake hut, and went inside for a break and a hot drink. It's a nice hut, with an octagonal main building, and probably would have been quite neat to sleep on the tables here with your head facing out of the windows. We've both decided that the hut system isn't really for us though: we just don't like being forced to stay awake until 9:30 then hustled out of bed before 6. It was still rather early to stop anyway, so we hiked on with a goal to make it to this shelter.The trail got rather steeper for the last mile or so of hiking, and we saw another trail step, a wooden wedge shape attached somehow to the slickrock. I'm sure they are bolted into the rock somehow, and they seemed pretty sturdy, but I'm glad they were dry, and I'm again rather bemused as to how they choose which slickrock faces should have steps on and which should just be scrambled up. The other really amusing thing that happened on the way up was the hiker we'll just call dogman. We started hearing occasioned single dog barks, and assumed we were approaching the campsite, instead, a lobs male hiker appeared traveling in the opposite direction. Not seeing a dog, we just thought it was further up the trail, but as he passed he explained that he had heard that bears had been spotted in this area so he barks every couple of steps to scare them away. We thought that was kind of strange anyway, as we love to see and encounter wildlife on the trail, but wha was really hilarious was hearing him gradually disappear down the trail below, with the barks receding in the distance. As we reached the campsite, the combination of increase in altitude and wind intensity, and the lateness of the day it suddenly got really cold. We had considered yenting tonight, but decided to take a look at the shelter, and if it was out of the wind and had space we would use it. Not only is it out of the worst of the wind, but it is brand new, very well sealed, and it was empty! We settled in and soon had warm dry clothes on and were preparing supper. We have since been joined in here by two NOBO thru hikers, Bogey and Becall. It's cold outside, but we're all snug in our sleeping bags. We've got some noisy teenagers outside that have for some reason decided it's OK to party up here away from their campsite, but as soon as they move on I'm sure we'll all be asleep.
Date: 2008-08-26
From: Kinsman Pond

To: Osgood Brook
Miles today: 10.2
Weather: overcast clouds

Last night was cold.   We were very grateful for the draft free shelter. Getting up this morning was a strain: I wa so warm and cozy in my sleeping bag, I just didn't want to leave it to put on damp clothes and go out in that wind. Eventually we did venture out. It was still cold and breezy any we were stuck inside a cloud, at least while we were at the top of the mountain. After summiting North and South Kinsman peaks we started to drop dapwn into the valley again and the sun broke through. It was still breezy though, and we felt chilled all day whenever we were out of the sun or exposed to the wind.By lunchtime we reached Eliza Brook, a gorgeous clear stream with many waterfalls. It was far too chilly to swim in the pools between the falls, but we loved watching the variety of ways that the water made its way down the rock. Sometimes a sheer drop but more often a series of steps or flumes. As we made our way down alongside we could often tell something interesting was coming up, just by the timbre of the water splashes.For our afternoon's entertainment we ascended Mt Wolf, which just seemed to go on for ages, and several unnamed "bumps" which just seemed to be in the way of our destination. By 6pm we were thirsty and hungry, having not seen water all afternoon. We crossed a tiny trickle of crystal clear water which we assumed to by the brook marked on our map, and decided to make camp and save the steep descent into Pinkham Notch for tomorrow.
Date: 2008-08-27
From: Osgood Brook

To: NH 112 Kinsman Notch
Miles today: 1.3
Weather: clear sky

Osgood Brook to NH 112 Kinsman Notch1.3 milesToday was a very short hiking day, a relocation, and a happy reunion. We only hiked short miles because we had actually intended to make it out to the highway yesterday, but stopped short rather than hike the steep downhill in the dark when we were both already tired. It was a good decision: we had a peaceful night at a great stealth campsite, with lots of good clear spring water to get us both rehydrated, and we slept in late this morning until the sun was up and it was much warmer than yesterday's cold start.The hike down the road was fairly steep, but not as long or knee grinding as I expected from the contour map. As soon as we cleared the ridge and saw our next mountain we also knew that the next part of our decision was correct too. We could have continued straight across the road to begin our ascent of Mt Moosilauke, however, it is the last mountain in the Whites for us. It is a steep rocky and apparently rather precarious journey up. We're also told it is quite beautiful, with many waterdalls, some of which we hike up. There is a hiker hostel on the other side of the mountain that offers slackpacking for this day long hike, so we decided to have them pick is up this morning. We are staying there tonight, and in the morning they will drive is back around the mountain so we can tackle it fresh first thing, and more importantly, with just lightly loaded day packs so we can actually enjoy the hike without being weighted down by all our gear. We'll be hiking back into the hostel, with our campsite already set up waiting for us, so we can take all day to do the hike without the logistics worries of funding and setting up camp, etc.On the subject of setting up camp is the final motivator for the relocation and slackpack. If we had just continued hiking today we would not likely have made it to Glencliff before the post office closed. We needed to pick up our mail boxes before going shopping to resupply for the next leg of hiking, so it made sense to get here today early enough to pick up mail and do our resupply shopping so we don't have to waste a complete day to do so. The final, and maybe most compelling reason to do all of this today was that Chill had sent his hammock ahead to here as he wasn't able to use it every night while using the huts and shelters in the Whites. He has sorely missed it though, and was anxious not to spend another night on a hard floor if possible. The joyful reunion was shortly after 2pm this afternoon, and judging by the snores coming from that direction already this evening, they are happy to be back together! The remainder of the day, as always, even after only a couple of days hiking on the trail, was spent shopping, eating, showering, and hanging out with other hikers at the Hikers Welcome hostel.
Date: 2008-08-28
From: Hikers Welcome Hostel

To: Hikers Welcome Hostel
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

An unintentional zero at Hikers Welcome. We were up early and had breakfast by 7:30, then we were told the shuttle would not be until around 10 as that was the best time to start up the mountain. So we started puttering around with our mailboxes, sorting through food and gear, and as soon as we were totally surrounded by it all at around 8:30 another hiker came over to tell us the shuttle was leaving! There was no way we could get everything repacked and secured, so we waited around for a couple of hours on the promise of another shuttle then. Even 10:30 would be pushing it for me I think, as I know I'm not the fastest hiker, however when the shuttle can didn't even turn up by 11 we have up on the idea for the day and have just lazed. Around, and finished resorting our gear, all day.
Date: 2008-08-30
From: Hikers Welcome Hostel

To: Hikers Welcome
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

Zero day at Hikers Paradise. No excuses for not hiking. My knees ached, and I slept restless. I woke this morning ravenously hungry, by the time we dealt with that at a local restaurant that is famous for its great food and infamous for its slow service it was noon and I was so stuffed full I needed a nap.
Date: 2008-08-31
From: NH 25A

To: Glencliff
Miles today: 9.8

NH 25A to NH 25 (NOBO)9.8 miles Phatt Chap from the Hikers Welcome hostel offered us the chance to slackpack again today, and sweetened the deal even further when he told us he has a set of hair clippers we can borrow. So we took him up on both offers.The hike was wonderful: not much in the way of views, but actual real hikeable trail. I didn't have to use my hands or knees once to climb up or down anything! It was only 10 miles, but a gorgeous sunny breezy day, and perfect for easing is back into hiking mode. About halfway we both noticed a strange tightness in our shun muscles and realized it was due to actually hiking on gently inclined terrain instead of stepping up rock steps. We'll probably both be a little stiff tomorrow from using those muscles in a different way, but we're just so glad to be on decent terrain again that we'll take it any way we get it. Those muscles are long overdue for getting back into shape.We passed the 400 mile mark today, and to celebrate, when we returned to the hostel I let Chill attack my overgrown hair with the #8 clippers. I think he was a little nervous that he was cutting it too short. My hairdresser Su probably wouldn't be happy to see it right now, but I love it. Having all that extra hair has really been annoying me when I didn't have a hat on, especially in town, as it was either sticking up in every direction, or just flopping down wherever it felt like, and even a combination of the two occasionally. When I'm on the trail my hair rarely sees daylight because I wear a fleece cap and my tilley during the day, so I generally don't care what my hair looks like when it's short, so long as it's easy to keep it clean and it dries quickly. The new cut is perfect.Tomorrow we'll have to leave here and head out with full packs on again. We're told that there is some awesome camping on the top of Smart's mountain. The sky has been clear the past couple of nights, so were going to aim for there to see if we can get some star gazing in befor we get any closer in to civilization.
Date: 2008-09-01
From: NH 25C

To: Brackett Brook
Miles today: 1.5

NH 25C to Brackett Brook1.5 milesA short day. We set out with more miles in mind, but Chill was having back problems and it was obvious after a mile that we weren't going to make our destination anyway. We crossed a small clear brook and discussed walking up and downstream a short way to see if there was anywhere we would be able to camp. I left Chill resting and set off in the most likely direction and sure enough, a couple hundred feet downstream was a cleared level area that has obviously been used for camping before, it even had a fire ring. It was way too early to stop, but he was not in any condition to continue. I did consider hiking on alone, but didn't feel right leaving him alone in pain and unable to carry his pack. We'll see how he is in the morning: if he can continue with a lighter pack I will carry some of the extra food, if not, at least I can get back out to the road with him.We set up camp right beside the stream. It was chilly even in the modest amount of sunshine peaking through the trees, so I collected driftwood and got a fire going around mid afternoon. It lasted is well into the evening and also gave us something to cook dinner over to save our fuel. We saw bear scat close by so have hung our food for the first time this trip. Now I'm curled up in my tent listening to the brook gurgling beside me. It's the best kind of grey noise and I think it will be a restful night.
Date: 2008-09-02
From: Brackett Brook

To: Hexacuba Shelter
Miles today: 3.4
Weather: scattered clouds

Brackett Brook to Hexacuba Shelter 3.4 milesMore back problems slowed us down and cut our day short again. We made it over Mt Cube and into the shelter. For the last mile or so Chill had improvised some additional padding that seemed to take most of the pressure from his back. We might have squeezed another couple of miles out, but decided to check out the shelter. It's and interesting place, the shelter, as the name implies, is hexagonal instead of the usual rectangle, and the water sources, which are generally mainly what we visit the shelters for, are all but dried up. We managed to catch several liters of water from some drips in the stream bed though.During lunch Chill figured a way to hang his hammock inside the shelter, so we decided to make it home for the night. If we get a full house in the shelter he may have to take it down, but otherwise we're all set for the night. It's a little buggy here, so if there are no other hikers here by the time we go to bed, I may just set my tent up inside too, just to fool the mosquitoes.