morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2016-05-25
From: Mountain Meadow Lodge

To: Mountain Meadow Lodge
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: few clouds

We had originally intended to take our rest day this week in Hanover but the lodge was so hiker friendly and the vibe was so positive that we decided to stay take a zero.We had a great breakfast and then went out and got our resupply taken care of. We got our journal caught up, got a day hike in and then hit the local pizza joint for dinner.All in all a real good rest day. Bill and his crew run a very hiker friendly lodge. We feel rested, rejuvenated and ready to get back on trail in the morning. This was everything that you hope for in a zero.Will
Date: 2016-05-26
From: Mountain Meadow Lodge

To: N of Bartlett Rd
Miles today: 23.0

Ahhhhh, Spring has sprung! And so have the black flies. They are all around you as you hike each day. Fortunately for us, Kermit told us about a repellent called Repel. It has no deet. The main ingredients are Lemmon and eucalyptus oil. We picked some up and it has been working pretty well. Since we all know deet is very caustic, it can even eat through plastic, it's nice not to have to use it.My sister Brenda appreciates the hard bite of the black fly.   She still wears the scar she got on her arm from a black fly bite and Canada. We left the Mountain Meadows Lodge early this morning as usual. We were well satisfied with our zero day, and felt rested and glad to be out hiking again. Which was good because it was a very tough day climbing. We took our lunch break at a cabin called the Lookout. It is a private cabin. But they open it up to hikers. It has a loft and floor space for sleeping. It also has a great front porch. All they ask is that you keep it clean and do not start a fire in the fireplace. There is a ladder on the side of the cabin and a platform at the very top. From there you can see a great view. Hence the name for the Lookout. We ate our lunch on the porch since it was cooler there. It was a nice, quiet relaxing place to rest and eat. And we mentioned several times how very very nice it was of the owners to open it up to the hiking public.We stopped at a shelter to get some water. There was a gentleman there. He said he was not a hiker, but that he just wanted to get away for a few days and enjoy the outdoors. So, the life of leisure for him. He hiked 3.8 miles and then quit for the day. If only!We knew there was a little store called the Edge of the Farm up ahead. According to our sources it was only open until 5pm. We decided to make a run for it. The specialty there is homemade pie and you can have ice cream with it! Need I say more? Of course we made it to the Edge of the Farm before it closed. We split a blueberry peach crisp pie. With which we topped with a pint of ice cream. Oh, and that was after we ate a sandwich. I felt very sick when we finished it, but finish it we did.On our way back to the trail we met a very nice man named Dan Quinn. For the last 23 years he has opened up his barn slash hay loft as a place for hikers to stay. He calls it the AT House. He has very simple rules no partying and no cooking up in the loft. He told us he only lets the good people stay there. And he doesn't have any problem giving someone the boot. So if you're looking for a place to get rowdy, pass this one by.We waddled up the trail. Of course it was immediately a steep up hill. It's tough to do that when you are so full of pie that you cannot even breathe. But somehow we managed. We put in another four miles or so. Now we're camped off the trail a fair ways. We're on a nice soft hill with lots of leaves to cushion us for the night.   The birds are singing oh so sweetly in the trees.   So I must away to bed. Catch you later! Road Runner
Date: 2016-05-27
From: N of Bartlett Rd

To: Velvet Rocks Shelter
Miles today: 21.0
Weather: broken clouds

We woke up to cloudy skies. It was warm and by mid morning the heat was on. I will take the warmer mornings any day over those cold bone chilling mornings. So nice to get started in shorts and short sleeve shirts even though we were sweating as if we were hiking in a sauna.Today we had a little bit of everything. We walked through farmland and forests and then had a road walk through West Hartford. As we were walking the road a car pulled up next to me and the driver asked if I was Will. Indeed.The driver was none other than Bobbie the 'Hat Lady'. Bobbie works for social service in the area and keeps an eye out for hikers. She passes out candy bars to hikers. We had a short but sweet conversation. She gave me a couple of candy bars. Many thanks Bobbie.We then proceeded to the General Store which had reopened after being closed for a couple of years. This was a pleasant surprise.   We had a hot dog, pop, chocolate chip cookie and Toll House ice cream sandwich. We then climbed in the heat through the woods before starting our next road walk which would lead us eventually into Hanover. We walked down Elm Street and found a cooler in front of Betsy and Bill's home that was filled with Watermelon and Banana bread filled with chocolate chips. Thanks, a great treat in the soaring temps.We passed some beautiful homes as we hiked into Norwich, a nice little town. We went to the general store to see if we could score one of their free day old subs but came up empty handed.A long road walk took us on a bridge over the Connecticut river and the Vt/NH border. We made it to Hanover home of Dartmouth College.   The temp wax over 90, the heat noise and cars got to me. I was irritable. Sensory overload. It was too much after walking through the peaceful and tranquil forest. What a contrast.We hit a few stores, got some pizza at Ramuntos including a freebie. Hiker friendly place. We walked in and one of the staff yelled out 'hikers here'. They had our free pizza ready for us. We didn't even have to ask.We picked up some food at the co-up and then climbed up to the Velvet Rocks shelter. No water at the shelter. It was hot. Never really cooled down all night. I was sweaty and clammy. I had a restless night.So it was goodbye to Vermont which we loved and on into New Hampshire. Cool motto on the license plates: Live Free or Die.Hottest day of the year so far. Summer came early. Glad we chose to zero in Killington at Mountain Meadow Lodge.Will
Date: 2016-05-29
From: Smart Mt Campsite 

To: Hiker Welcome Hostel Glencliff, NH
Miles today: 20.0
Weather: overcast clouds

We started our hiking day with a descent down to South Jacobs Brook. After climbing over 5000 feet yesterday, it was a good way to start. The climbing and 93 degree temps zapped us and neither one of us was feeling like pushing hard today.We had mostly forested walking today and it was a continuation of the beautiful forests that we had yesterday.   Big pines and firs with nice shade and little undergrowth to give a nice feeling of openness.The shade was most welcome. It was at least 10-15 degrees cooler in the forest. Although it wasn't as hot as yesterday we still were dripping with sweat on the climbs.We had a nice climb up to Mt Cube our high point of the day at around 3000 feet. We dropped down to NH25A and then climbed up to Ore Hill and finally Mist Mt at 2200 feet. A little nub in the trees.We are heading into the meat of the White Mts with our first big climb tomorrow. The Whites have been the big 'carrot' that everyone has been dangling in front of us. 'Wait til you get to the Whites'. For some it is the crown jewel of the AT. We have been told that the miles come hard. Well, we have squirreled away our miles, so we plan to cut back on our pace and hopefully enjoy the ridges and peaks.The southbounders and weekenders that we have been meeting tell us 'you are almost there'. 400 miles doesn't quite feel like almost there. But I do remember telling someone when we had around 750 miles to go that it didn't seem that far. Sounds like something only a thruhiker would say.It is supposed to rain tonight. A young lady heading south looking fresh and clean after a stop at the hostel recommended a stay at the Hiker Welcome Hostel.We checked it out and got the last two beds. I am heading into town to get some food and after a good night's sleep we will tackle the 4000 foot climb up to Mt Moosalaukie in the morning. Heading into the Whites ready or not.We will be starting our 4th month in a few days and we are projecting a June 24th finish. Not etched in stone but we have to be back in Arizona by July 1st. We will see how it goes. Onward and upward with a lot of upward in the next few weeks.Will
Date: 2016-05-30
From: Hiker Hostel Glencliff, NH

To: Eliza Brook Shelter
Miles today: 17.0
Weather: overcast clouds

We got a late start from the Hikers Welcome hostel this morning.   6:20 instead of 6am, lol. We hit the trail made a quick pit stop early and were joined by an unwanted hiker. I spotted him right away. It was a tick. Riding along on Wills hiking shorts. I gave him a flick. (Rhymes with tick). The score is 9 to 0 by the way. I have found 9 ticks and Will has found 0. Six on him, three on me. My three were just riding along. But two of his were starting to embed. The first one I found just had a couple legs waving around outside. That's how I noticed it. It looked like a very small piece of dirt with flailing legs. I pulled it out with tweezers. It hadn't started engorging yet. Local people have been sternly warning us about the ticks and we have been doing thorough nightly checks. But I'll tell you, it gives you the Heebie Jeebies when you find them. Especially when they are waving at you. But seriously, if you don't catch them early they can transmit Lyme's disease.   And that is a potentiality debilitating condition. We sent our clothes out to be treated with a tick solution, Permethrin. But 9 ticks later I'm not sure it's working. If you are planning to hike this trail, make sure you check for them!Anyway, enough of that. We had been told the climb up Moosalaukie Mountain wasn't too bad. Well maybe it was the migraine I had, or maybe it was the fact that the person who told me that was slack packing (tiny day pack) but I thought it was tough enough. We worked really hard to get there only to find the mountain totally socked in a thick white mist. So the view to effort reward was really poor.However, the same person who got it wrong about the uphill, told me that the downhill was super steep and difficult.   Spot on for that one. It took us forever to go down this mountain. Not only was it boulder filled and steep, it had rained hard so it was super slippery. Will and I both slipped and fell a couple times going down it. But it was so steep they literally anchored wooden steps into the rockfaces in places to help you get down. When we made it down to the parking lot we took a little break to reevaluate. It had taken us eight hours to go about ten miles. It doesn't take a math major to figure out that that's slow! Do we push on or hitch into town from here. We are now a bit low on food since we planned to be moving along a bit quicker. But this is the Whites right?   We choose to keep hiking. The terrain is still tough but not quite as tough as the front part of our day. We make it into the shelter before dark and set up camp on a nice level area. That is when I find tick number 10 attached to the back of my upper calf. The first attachment for me. Ugh. So now the score is 10 to 0. But I would really like to stop playing this 'game'. Catch you later!Road Runner
Date: 2016-05-31
From: Eliza Brook Shelter

To: Franconia Notch N Woodstock NH
Miles today: 9.0
Weather: broken clouds

Started day 2 in the Whites. They definitely live up to their reputation: steep, rugged and slow going. And muddy. My shoes stink from walking through the mud, muck and bog. It was get your climbing shoes on right from the git go as we left the shelter.2000 feet up, sometimes straight up to the top of South Kinsman Mt where we had exquisite panoramic views of the surrounding mountains. We stopped for break up top enjoying the cool mountain air.We dipped down and then ascended to North Kinsman peak and that was it for our climbing for the day. From the peak we dropped down and passed a shelter and then found ourselves at our first hut. Lonesome Lake Hut by the Fishin Jimmy trail. We stopped in and were greeted by a friendly group of young employees who were going through orientation. A pretty good place to spend a summer. There is a nice lake below the hut and bunkhouse.We got some lemonade and candy bars and then took the AT toward Franconia Notch. There was a sign warning us that the bridge was out over Cascade Brook and could present a problwem in high water. It was no big deal as we rock hopped the brook.Easy hiking had us down at the notch in no time and we crossed under the xway and took the paved path to US 3 where the second car by stopped to pick us up and take us to McDonalds in Lincoln. We got a burger and frappe and called the Autumn Breeze motel in N Woodstock.Ann the owner said that she would pick us up in an hour after we did our chores.Any hikers reading this should check this place out. The best value on the AT so far. A clean room with two beds, refridge, microwave, shuttle, complimentary beverage and laundry for $60 including tax. Love it.Picked up a Golden Monkey Belgian ale at Wayne's next door. They have over 900 brewskis in store and am now in hog heaven. We went out to dinner at the N Woodstock Inn. Big on quantity, only OK on quality. Enjoying ourselves so much that we will take a full zero tomorrow before heading back into the Whites.Will
Date: 2016-06-01
From: N Woodstock NH

To: N Woodstock. NH
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

I know that this Woodstock in NH is not THE Woodstock which is in New York, but I got the Joannie Mitchell song ' Woodstock' stuck in my head as we hiked toward this town. We had a great stay here, I feel like Anne made her hotel feel much more like 'home' with all the little touches she puts in the rooms and helps you get done what you need to during your town stay. Makes you feel very welcome.She dropped us off in town so we could eat and go to the library and hit a few more shops for some things we found we needed. Then we walked back to Woodstock. Picked up a sub for dinner and just relaxed. Will said that this was his very most restful zero day on the whole trip so that is cool.I feel pretty rested too, but the trail is really taking it out of me right now. We're getting there though, right? More of the White Mountains to come, Whoopee!! Catch ya later.Road Runner
Date: 2016-06-02
From: Franconia Notch

To: N of South Twin Mt
Miles today: 15.0
Weather: clear sky

Anne drove us back to the trailhead and about a mile hike on the Pemi trail took us back to the Liberty Springs trail where we hooked hack up with the AT.A 2800 foot climb through the forest brought us out into the open on Franconia Ridge. We had great views of the surrounding peaks under clear blue skies.We climbed another 800 feet along the ridge to Little Haystack Mt where we met a family of four with two young children out for the day climbing 4000 footers. They were trying to climb all 48 in NH. Today was number 11 and 12. They pointed out the names of the surrounding peaks.From Haystack we dipped down before ascending a few hundred feet to the top of Mt Lincoln. More great views with Liberty Mt to the south.We dipped down and then climbed to our high point of the day Mt Lafayette at 5260 feet. This was our first time over 5000 feet since back down south. A steep descent led us back into the trees. 1500 feet below we bottomed out before we climbed Mt Garfield. We dropped down to Franconia brook, hiked a couple of more miles and came to Galehead hut. We dropped in to check it out. We picked up some water and then began a steep climb upend over South Twin Mt. A quick decent led us back to the forest floor where we found a flat spot for a stealth camp. We climbed over 6500 feet. Tough hiking, slow going at times Today was the best day so far. The Whites are living up to their reputation.   We had some tough hiking but we were rewarded with some fine ridge walking and hikes to the tops of several peaks.   Rugged hiking, slow going at times but this is what we came for. This is why we hike.Will
Date: 2016-06-04
From: Mt. Jackson

To: Osgood Tent Site
Miles today: 17.0
Weather: broken clouds

Today was by far the best day of hiking we have had on the whole trip surpassing our hike of two days ago along Franconia Ridge. We hiked through the Presidential range. It was spectacular. We started out under blue skies. It was an easy hike from Mt Jackson to the Mizpah Spring hut. We stopped to fill our water bottles and shared a piece of carrot cake.Climbing from the hut, we hiked over Mt Clinton, passed the Eisenhower loop, climbed over Mt Franklin before arriving at Lake of the Clouds hut. This was situated in a beautiful bowl under Mt Washington. We had a bowl of spinach basil tomato soup. Very good. By this time the wind had picked up and was whipping on us. After another pastry, we climbed up to Mt Washington. Mt Washington is the high point in the Whites. At the top there is a big center with snack bar. More food. If you don't want to hike to the summit one can ride a train or even drive to the top. Go figure, It was windy and cold.   Being a Saturday the summit was packed.We headed down from the summit on our way to the Madison hut. We ran into Scorched Heels. We last saw him back in N Carolina. Some of the younger stronger hikers are catching up to us as our pace has slowed.The trail to the hut undulated. It was up and down with some hiking through boulders. We were in the middle of a beautiful wilderness surrounded by the mountains. We reached the hut and spoke with the caretaker and one of the seasonal volunteers. I asked about the upcoming trail and they warned us about an upcoming storm that was forecasted to dump up to 2 inches of rain. They said that tomorrow might be a good day for a rest day.We climbed from the hut to the summit of Mt Madison.   We had great views. Hikers were ascending to and descending from the summit. Trails went off in several directions. We began the long steep descent over talus down to the Osgood tent sites. The descent seemed to go on forever in the late afternoon sunlight. We reached treeline and left the talus behind.The steep descent continued through the trees. We finally arrived at the tent sites in the fading light. All the platforms were taken so we found s semi flat piece of ground, set up our tent and called it a day.It was anther tough day of hiking but the rewards were great. The Presidential range definitely lived up to the hype. A great day of hiking.Will
Date: 2016-06-05
From: Osgood. Tent Site

To: Pinkham Notch, NH 
Miles today: 4.0
Weather: overcast clouds

We left the Osgood Campground at a leisurely pace this morning. The terrain turned out to be very moderate compared to yesterday. Very moderate indeed. But it's all relative as I always say. Didn't take us long to get to Pinkham Notch. We still hadn't decided whether to resupply and keep going or hunker down for the 2" of rain people kept warning us about. We walked into the very hiker friendly lodge and were warned again about the heavy rains by the trail info guy there. That did it for Will. We called Paul at the Barn hostel in Gorham,NH. Not only did he have room for us, he picked us up! Scorched Heels came along after we called so we took him along with us.This turned out to be a very good plan all the way around because it did indeed rain, hard. And the next section is treacherous enough when it's dry but crazy treacherous wet we are told. Plus, it's a nice hostel. You get a free shuttle to and from the trail if you stay two nights, you get a $2.00 shuttle to Walmart to resupply and food is within walking distance. A very good vibe here.We got everything done here that we needed to. Will and I have discussed it. With the injury to my knee not really improving(hard to do when you are jumping down boulders all the time), I may stay here and rest it, while he hikes this section. This will end my through hike as I will miss 20 miles. But maybe heal my knee enough to get me to Katahdin.
Date: 2016-06-06
From: Pinkham Notch, NH 

To: US 2 Gorham NH
Miles today: 20.0

From the beginning of this hike RR has had a rough go of it: poison ivy, cellulitis, pulled calf muscles, multiple falls and most recently a smashed knee. Today she finally decided to take a day off from hiking. We are hoping that with yesterdays short day and today's zero she will be able to continue.I decided to Fastpack the 20 miles between Pinkham Notch and US 2. Fastpacking is somewhere between carrying a full pack and slackpacking. I carried my gear and one day of food. It might be a matter of semantics and I don't have anything against others slackpacking. But I don't want to slackpack unless it becomes absolutely necessary.   I think slackpacking is more common on the AT with all the hostels than it is out west where we do most of our hiking.Paul drove Scorched Heels and myself to Pinkham Notch and we were on trail by 6:15. We were off in the fog. The trail was a creek today. We got our heavy rain with probably upward of an inch and a half accumulation. The trail was initially flat as I hiked around Lost Pond. Then it was straight up and up and up to multiple Wildcat Peaks. The last topping out at around 4500 feet. The sun burned off the clouds, there were good views down into the canyon. From the peak it was a quick drop down to the Carter hut which sat between two small alpine lakes. I stopped in to check out the hut and sample a bowl of turkey soup. Then it was a quick steep ascent up to Carter Dome a lot of climbing early on in the hike.I gained the ridgeline and the trail moderated with only two more climbs of any significance: N Carter and Mariah Mts. There was a long gradual descent down to Hwy2. I made it back to the hostel in time for a late dinner of lasagna from Mr. Pizza. Tough hiking with lots of climbing. I am beat. RR had a good rest day. Tomorrow we will head toward Maine.They keep telling us 'you are almost there'. Really?Will
Date: 2016-06-07
From: US 2

To: Carlos Col shelter 
Miles today: 17.0
Weather: clear sky

We left the Barn Hostel this morning, Paul very graciously drove us back to the trailhead. The start of this morning's hike was very nice. I guess it's all relative, but this seems to be smooth uphills with good tread on a nice trail.For the first couple of Miles anyway. After that it was back to super steep uphill with very large boulders and a lot of hand climbing. While we were in the Whites and now as we head to Maine, the trail follows old streams beds. You're walking on Old waterways for the AT Trail. This can be very dangerous. Especially after it rains . The rocks on these waterways get very slippery. And I'm not talking A flat river bed, these are mountains and the streams went extremely steeply downhill, or if you're traveling the other way, up hill. About halfway through our hike today Scorched Heels caught up with us. The next couple of days are said to be the hardest on the whole Trail. We are going through the Mahoosuc Notch. And Scorched Heels has been getting mentally prepared for this.Not too far before we hit the Carlos Col shelter, we came to the New Hampshire Maine border. This was very exciting for me. We had entered our final state on the Appalachian Trail. About 280 miles to go. Although the front end of those miles are very difficult as I mentioned. There has been very little in the way of spaces to stealth camp the last few days. So we kept hiking until we hit the shelter. It took all day until about 7 p.m. to hike 17 miles. You definitely earn every mile you hike in Northern New Hampshire and Southern Maine.So, we've set up our tent on a tenting platform at the shelter. Looks like it might rain tonight.   After an exhausting day I'm turning in. Catch you later!Road Runer