morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2014-08-26
From: Kinsman Notch (slept @Carriage Inn, N.Woodstock)

To: Franconia Notch (slept @ Carriage Inn again!)
Miles today: 16.5

It's slack pack day!!! Hooray, this will be my third time slack packing since I left Georgia. We were shuttled back to Kinsman notch, and began our hike at 6:15. Again, just outstanding weather--how lucky we are! My pack felt so great with just food, water,and warm clothing. The hike was varied. The air smelled so beautiful. We were moving! We took a total of only 50 minutes sit down breaks, we finished our day at 7:10. We hiked for 17.2 miles. But the last .9 was on a blue trail to get to the Franconia Notch Visitor Center, that doesn't count as AT miles. The views from Kinsman Mountain were spectacular. We saw our first hut..and what a beauty. It was the Lonesome Lake Hut owned by the Appalachian Mountain Club (AMC). On the hike down,Hobo found a digital camera. We did some investigative work and found its owner to be Frankenstein, a very grateful thru-hiker. At the visitor center,Hobo's sister in law, Mary Ann, and her husband, Dennis were waiting for us! They were the only ones there. They had peaches and water for us and then whisked us to The Woodstock Inn for a delicious dinner. We had a super time with them....great people. They are so proud of Hobo's accomplishments. We then ended this full and fun day with an ice cream cone! It was nice to return back to The Carriage Inn for a second night.
Date: 2014-08-27
From: Franconia Notch (slept @ Carriage Inn again!)

To: just past Greenleaf Hut....The Whites, NH
Miles today: 8.2

I started my day at the Sunny Day Diner devouring a Belgian waffle. We then said good bye to Dennis and Mary Ann. It was fun getting to know them. Hobo and I visited the Franconia Notch-Flume visitor center. We sat at the picnic table and made calls and texts; talked to Peter Pan and Billbo Baggins.....we couldn't stall any longer....it was time to put on our heavy packs and start climbing. It was really tough for me. I felt extra slow. I was tired from the day before. I thought of what a fellow thru-hiker wrote in my guest book "NH and ME are tough but everyone gets through them". At my school that I just retired from -"digestible bites" was a buzz phrase and I kept thinking of it. I kind of was miserable! And before I knew it, I was on top of Little Haystack Mt, then Mt Lincoln, and finally Mt Lafayette. The weather was gorgeous and the views endless. Fellow thru-hikers gathered on top.....I forgot all about my naggy back and tired legs. I was wondering where Skippy was.....oh boy, that was a story. The day before at the Lonesome Lake Hut, Skippy took on a challenge and thought he won, turns out he didn't. He ate a gallon of chicken and rice soup, but wasn't able to keep it down. He was taking a zero day to recover. I bet he's never going to be able to eat chicken and rice soup again in his life!
Date: 2014-08-28
From: just past Greenleaf Hut....The Whites, NH

To: right after Guyot Shelter, The Whites, NH
Miles today: 8.0
Weather: clear sky

We stealth camped last night at 4500 feet. Lots of fog this morning and occasional chilly raindrops fell. We were hiking by 7:40. It was one of those days where it was difficult to get comfortable. Hat on then off, jacket off neck warmer on, pack cover on....when the sun popped out briefly it was warm, but we had many clouds today. When we got to Mt Garfield, it was all socked in--no view there. But when we hit South Twin Mountain, we had 360° Views. We saw Mt Washington in the distance. Can't believe we'll be climbing that shortly. I was thinking of a funny conversation that we had the other day when we were all playing cards. We were thinking that when we're back in the real world, we'll slip and use hiker terms....like this, "Honey, I'm going to go resupply, do you need anything or Excuse me, could you please tell me where the nearest privy is?" or "You don't have to give me a ride home, I'll thumb."We were also playing 'guess our real names' ....it was a multiple choice question, everyone thought I was a Suzanne! We all decided that our trail names were way more interesting than Diana, Jack, Josh, Lisa and Elaine.
Date: 2014-08-29
From: right after Guyot Shelter, The Whites, NH

To: AMC's Highland Center, Crawford Notch, rt302
Miles today: 11.5

Busy day!! It was 35° this morning....we wore everything that we owned! We made our way down to Zealand Falls Hut. Hobo entertained me with her moose calls. She really sounded cool, at one point some animal answered back and I thought oh no now what! At the Hut, we helped ourselves to free pancakes and chatted with Peter Pan and Billbo Baggins. Hobo was so excited because the coffee cups were really stained, just like the Navy. I brought my nice titanium spork in to stir my hot chocolate and of course left it there! That move is right up there with throwing away my knife. We came out of the trail at Crawford Notch, route 302. Two nice kids traveling the other way swung around and gave us a lift to the AMC's Highland Center. It's really nice here. We're staying in the bunk house. We had a great sandwich and we also made it to happy hour, free appetizers. We went down to the General Store and resupplied. We also dried out our tents and hand washed some clothing. Busy, busy!
Date: 2014-08-30
From: AMC's Highland Center, Crawford Notch, rt302

To: Lakes of the Clouds Hut, NH
Miles today: 11.2

What a day! We got a lift back to the trailhead after a huge breakfast and started up the steep climb. Mt Webster had awesome views and Mt Jackson was so crowded. A hiker completed the 48 peaks of NH challenge and all his hiking friends were helping him to celebrate. They raised their poles for him to walk under and they had all kinds of picnic foods and sparklers. The day was super clear, we could see forever. I stupidly banged my head on a rock ledge though. Ouch, Hobo and 2 hikers heard the whack 30 feet away. I didn't see stars but from the impact my front tooth chipped my bottom tooth a tiny bit. Hobo was great and kept a close eye on me for the rest of the day. We pressed on to The Lakes of the Clouds Hut. We paid $10 and got to stay in their dungeon. It's the Lakes Refuge Emergency Use Room. OMG, I actually fell asleep in there---no mice!! The croo at this Hut are a bunch of characters! We've enjoyed watching them entertain/serve the 96 people who spent the night. This is the biggest Hut in the Whites. This place is hopping! I forgot it's Labor Day Weekend. I met five really cool people today.1st---the night shift worker at the Highlands went 4 miles out of his way to drop us off this morning. He shared his story, 3 years sober;getting his life in order.2nd--Spencer, the REALLY nice smelling day hiker from MA. He hiked with us several miles and offered us supplies when we parted. 3rd--hiker who took my face in his hands and checked my pupils after I konked my head.4th--Bastian, from France, working in CT for 6 months, was a great guy and fellow dungeonmate.5th--French Canadian with the great smile gave us all his leftover power bars. Welcome newborn Bexley Cataeno Cadigan! My nephew, Jack, and his wife Randie had a beautiful baby girl.
Date: 2014-08-31
From: Lakes of the Clouds Hut, NH

To: Madison Spring Hut, NH
Miles today: 7.0
Weather: scattered clouds

We left the Dungeon at 6:30 and headed up the trail...it was only 1.3 miles uphill to Mt Washington. But it was SO foggy..we couldn't see where we were suppose to go. Better safe than sorry...we turned around and went back to the Hut. We waited for about an hour and a half, it really didn't clear much but more people were out. Bastion joined our hike up. On top of Mt Washington we had no visibility and 60 mph winds...we went in the snack bar and I ate a hot dog, clam chowder, whoopy pie and hot chocolate! We took off after reading the deaths of hikers in the Mt Washington area that occurred over the years....sobering. It was a challenging hike, slippery rocks, whipping wind gusts and low visibility. We made it to the Madison Spring Hut and stayed put. We talked to the hut master and secured a 'work for stay' position. We were assigned washing dishes at 7:00 pm. We were so excited about that...it costs more than $100 a night to stay at these Huts. We were so happy but it gets better!!! A group from Hingham, MA had some cancelations and kindly donated these spaces to Hobo and me! We got to sit with all the guests during dinner and we got to sleep in a bunk instead of the dining room floor AND we didn't have to wash any dishes! Turns out the woman in the purple shirt, Denise Lincoln,...her husband went to school with my cousin Scott. The woman in blue (and the man)live on the same street as my Aunt Mimi! Thanks for the trail magic my new Hingham buddies! You are true Trail Angels, thanks for being a part of my journey.
Date: 2014-09-01
From: Madison Spring Hut, NH

To: Hiker's Paradise Hostel, Gorham, NH
Miles today: 7.8

I woke to loud singing in the hallway. That's a fun way to get everyone up and moving; up at 6:30 and breakfast at 7:00. Hobo and I said our goodbyes to the Hingham gang and they loaded us with trail mix and power bars.....so generous. I had the longest 7.8 mile hike....it took forever. We went up and down Mt Madison. It was fun seeing the auto road from a distance. The Great Gulf Wilderness area has no white blazes. I'm glad Hobo and I took out maps at the Hut and made notes in our AWOL guide. It could have been confusing. Tradition has the thru hikers moon the cog railroad riders. Yesterday it was so foggy, no one would have noticed. So we were thinking, should we moon the people on the auto road ----just kidding!!!We ended up at the Hiker's Paradise Hostel, Gorham, NH. Laundry, showers, Italian dinner, resupply...we got it all done!
Date: 2014-09-02
From: Hiker's Paradise Hostel, Gorham, NH

To: stealth campsite on Mt Hight
Miles today: 8.0

Bruno had us back on the trail by 7:00. Our first mountain to tackle was Wildcat Mountain. Right away it got our attention. I had to do my spider woman moves up awkward rocks. We enjoyed talking with didgeridude. He's a great guy from Missouri who can play the didgeridoo really well. When I first saw his instrument, I thought it was illegal (maybe it's legal in NH). The day was clear so that the views from the Wildcat Observation Tower were v ry good. The gondola wasn't running though. We stopped at The Carter Notch Hut for a snack. I would be very disappointed if I had paid full price to stay there. Sadly, it was dirty. We pressed on to Mt Hight, and stealth camped there. We had chicken soup and Pb&j on hot dog rolls for dinner. Skippy had told us about meeting SoboHobo...we were hoping to bump into him today but didn't. HoboNobo meet SoboHobo!! We were happy to get 8 miles in today. It was doable but hard!
Date: 2014-09-03
From: stealth campsite on Mt Hight

To: White Mountains Lodge and Hostel/Shelburne, NH
Miles today: 13.1
Weather: light rain

Last night was super rainy and windy! When I hauled myself out of the green weenie, I felt my right side lower back....not good. I thought once I get rolling it will feel better...didn't. So, the next 11 hours hiking were pretty miserable. I didn't take any pictures, didn't enjoy lunch, didn't try to make light conversation with SOBO hikers...just was miserable. I slowed Hobo down and felt like the slowest hiker in NH. The winds were howling in the morning but as the day progressed the weather improved but the trail was very slippery. I gritted my teeth the whole way up and down Mt Carter and Mt Moriah. Thank goodness it was a gently sloping 1.7 miles at the end of the day to get us back to Gorham. This time we came in at Route 2 instead of NH 16. We stayed at the White Mountains Lodge and Hostel. We just made the Walmart Shuttle. We only had 45 minutes to do so much! I hobbled to the first aid aisle and got Doan's Back pills and hot patches.....pathetic. I even got a knee patellar brace...one of my Tommie Copper brace keeps sliding down. Hobo says by the time I reach Katahdin, I'll have every Mueller brace on plus safety goggles, hard hat, mouth guard etc!! Back at the Hostel was a challenge because we couldn't bring our packs up to the room...we were totally discombobulated!!! Hobo said it was worse than boot camp when she was told to strip before coming in to the Hostel! We called for our dinner to be delivered and they said it would take 2 hours....now it's already 8:00.....on and on!!! The joys of hiking, I can't always be positive! Anyhow, I hope so much that it's just a strain and one day of rest will make a big difference because I've got a lot of hard work left before I get to Katahdin.
Date: 2014-09-04
From: White Mountains Lodge and Hostel/Shelburne, NH

To: Hikers Paradise-Gorham, NH
Miles today: 0.0

Bruno's wife, from Hikers Paradise, picked us up at White Mountains Hostel....kind of awkward but honey badger don't give a poop! For the same amount of money we can have our own bathroom and much more privacy. So we decided to zero there. It was my first zero since New York City. We dried up our tents, and fluffed up our down in the dryer, and spread out our Walmart purchases. I even relaxed!!!! I think I watched two episodes of Reba! Hobo has 4 sister in laws and tonight I got to meet Joanne and her husband, Steve. It was all so last minute; it was really something that they came to Gorham and sprinkled some magic on us. It was a two hour drive and they both had a busy day. They came with adult beverages, bottled waters, inspirational quotes and enthusiasm! It was just what the Dr.ordered for me. They took us to Walmart and out to dinner. I ordered a delicious haddock platter. Joanne made me laugh when she told me that she was on the Johnny Carson show when she was 10 years old---she was the 1964 National Bubble Gum Champion! The bubbles she can blow are huge...and I heard she still has it...she was at her nephew's school and everyone came running out of their classrooms to see the bubbles. What's her secret? Three pieces of bazooka---chew out all the sugar before blowing. My back feels like it's loosening up. Let's see what tomorrow brings! Thanks Joanne and Steve for the wonderful trail magic. It was really fun meeting you.
Date: 2014-09-05
From: Hikers Paradise-Gorham, NH

To: Dream Lake campsite--10 miles from Gorham
Miles today: 9.7
Weather: few clouds

Bruno brought us back to the AT....I'm optimistic that my back will get a little bit better every day. We hiked 9.7 miles today. We went up Mt Hayes and Cascade Mountain. Overall, the terrain was good to us today. MightyBlue, Tbird and Trillium rolled by. I was so surprised to see Trillium. We had fun catching up and we posed for a picture to send to Coffee and Poppy. I hope to see more of Trillium as I progress through Maine. I could feel my back but the pain was dulled by pills and patches. The hike was definitely more pleasureable than Wednesday's horror hike! I've been seeing quite a bit moose scat and I really hope I see a moose soon, many other hikers have. I've been enjoying the noise that a red squirrel makes---they sure are cute. And I was so excited to see color on the trees ---pretty bright red. We had Mountain House's raspberry crumble for dessert tonight ---yummy!!! Let's hope my back feels a little bit better tomorrow. I'm just so thankful to be able to hike. You know, so many people say Hobo and I are amazing. I really don't think so...I think people who live with chronic pain are amazing. I don't know how they hold down jobs, take care of children, and keep their marriages going. Constant pain and discomfort is hard to ignore---I think those people are pretty amazing. I'm just so thankful that I'm as healthy as I am.
Date: 2014-09-06
From: Dream Lake campsite--10 miles from Gorham

To: Full Goose Shelter---Maine!!!!
Miles today: 11.7
Weather: scattered clouds

The day started off great. I was up early and stretched my back and put cream and patches on and was ready to leave at 6:30. We were giddy at the 1900 mile marker and actually danced at the Maine border sign. And then it started raining and it got cold. Mt Carlo and Goose Eye Mountain were a challenge. Sheer adrenaline got us up and over. Sleet was falling, huge puddles were forming and we were drenched...I made a promise that I would never say anything bad about anyone for the rest of my life if we made it to the shelter safely...it was that scary, so steep in some places. But we made it to Full Goose Shelter just before dark. 6 men were already there. They were great, they made room for us. The roof slanted down and just about everyone konked their heads....it was just one of those days!
Date: 2014-09-07
From: Full Goose Shelter---Maine!!!!

To: Speck Pond Shelter
Miles today: 5.1
Weather: broken clouds

Well, no one wanted to get out of their sleeping bags....it was cold!! Frigid mist was all around. We were up 2,966 feet and the Mahoosuc Notch was waiting for us. I luckily had dry clothes to put on but many had to put on their wet clothes. My boots and braces were soggy though. Last night was the first time Hobo and I didn't mention what time we'd be getting up. So everyone(including us) laid around farting and then giggling in their sleeping bags! We finally left at ten. The sun finally came out and it turned out to be a gorgeous day. The Mahoosuc Notch is described in AWOL's guide as "the most difficult or most fun mile on the AT...just a jumbled pit of boulders." Well, it definitely would have been more fun if I was slack packing and could bend! It took us 3 hours to get through it. It was a fun mental challenge, figuring out how to get through this maze. We then got up Mahoosuc Arm. Hobo was reunited with Little Trickle, a woman that started her journey about the same time as Hobo did. We had to pay $8 to stay at Speck Pond Shelter....I thought for sure I was going to have a mouse encounter....but didn't. Guppy and Tim were there. They caught trout for their dinner. Wish it was a bit warmer, I would have loved to have gone for a swim.
Date: 2014-09-08
From: Speck Pond Shelter

To: Grafton Notch--staying at The Cabin, Andover, ME
Miles today: 4.6

We took off this morning with Sherpa and Indy. We had a great hike up to Old Speck Mountain and enjoyed going up the old observation tower; we saw Katahdin and Mt Washington, it was a clear, clear day. Hobo spotted a pine marten up in the tree. It was really great seeing the little guy...Hobo kept it hanging around with all her animal noises. We got into Grafton Notch, ME 26 in the early afternoon. Earl who owns The Cabin Hostel came and picked the four of us up. He and his wife, Marge, have been helping hikers for 20 years, and this will be their last ---they're tired! We all decided that we felt like little kids; Earl asked us if we went potty, drove us to get junk food and we were totally oblivious as to where we were...quite carefree. Marge got into a bind and had to shuttle hikers so Hobo and I found ourselves in their kitchen shucking corn and making garlic bread for 20 people ....everyone pitched in. We had a great meal and got our chores done. Tomorrow we will be slack packing!!!! My back is going to love it!!!
Date: 2014-09-09
From: Grafton Notch--staying at The Cabin, Andover, ME

To: East B Hill Road, Andover
Miles today: 10.3

Breakfast was delicious...pancakes, biscuits, baked beans, sausages, potatoes. Yum! All you can eat...Earl then gave us baggies to pack up the left overs for our lunch. Popeye and her Mom, Bad Camel, Sherpa, Indy, Hobo and I got a shuttle to the trail..we were hiking with our light packs by 7:30. Baldpate Mountain was really something! I loved it, what a view. You just feel so small looking at all that beauty. Ahhh, my back appreciated it today. It's still tight but getting better. It was great to come back to the Hostel and take showers, have a hot meal, and sleep in the same bed. Really nice people here tonight.
Date: 2014-09-10
From: East B Hill Road, Andover

To: South Arm Road Andover, Maine
Miles today: 10.1

Huge breakfast again this morning! Then we were shuttled off for more slack packing. I was hoping to see a moose at Surplus Pond, but it didn't happen. Moody Mountain was quite steep, I was relieved when we got to the top. Sherpa and Indy have been a lot of fun to hike with. They don't take things too seriously and have a great sense of humor.The owner of the Cabin Hostel, Earl, is something else. Andover is a small town. Earl has us all wave and yell out to residents that are walking their dogs, cleaning the Commons, or hanging out at the post office. He has a kind word for everyone...he's very sensitive and caring. He has a very hard time telling anyone that there's no room at the Cabin. So Marge and Earl are always squishing in one more tired and hungry hiker and somehow it works out. The Cabin Hostel was exactly what I needed to recharge my batteries. Oh yeah, my back is feeling better!
Date: 2014-09-11
From: South Arm Road Andover, Maine

To: ME 17 Oquossoc,ME--stayed in Rangeley @The Farm
Miles today: 13.2

Well, it was quite a day. I thought I was right on schedule at 7:00am, then I had that dreaded feeling, "Where's my wallet???" Oh boy, I started tearing my backpack apart! I was so involved with my bag of chips yesterday afternoon that I left my wallet in the truck. Hate that feeling. I remembered the ham and cheese in the refrigerator as we were pulling out of Earl's long driveway. Back I run.. Didgeridude nicely gave me a hug to calm me down! Then it started raining and continued for the 13 miles ......it was cold! We got to ME 17 and Shane picked us up. Shane and his wife are owners of the Farmhouse Inn/Hostel. Marge drove our belongings over to them earlier...so we could have a nice light pack. We're getting spoiled! We went to Sarge's Pub for dinner and then took some long hot showers.
Date: 2014-09-12
From: ME 17 Oquossoc,ME--stayed in Rangeley @The Farm

To: ME 4 Rangeley, ME--stayed at Farmhouse Inn
Miles today: 13.2

We were on the trail by 7:30. Everyone couldn't believe how cold it was. I hiked with my hat and silk underwear on all day. I enjoyed listening to the loons at Moxie Pond. Sherpa and I are always bringing up the rear...we have a friendly rivalry on who can be second to the last! He's beaten me the past couple of days but I got him today! Hobo was picked up after her hike today by Deb and they went to their camp. Sherpa and I got taken back to the Farm by Roundabout and his wife. The hike today was easy and enjoyable --a real walk in the woods. A long time ago I met little Cartwheel and her brother, Mouse....the family from ME. Sherpa told me they just recently summitted Katahdin . I'm so happy they made it. The parents met thru hiking years ago, fell in love, married and had Cartwheel and Mouse. And now the kids are thru hikers!
Date: 2014-09-13
From: ME 4 Rangeley, ME--stayed at Farmhouse Inn

To: Woods Road
Miles today: 14.8

We were dropped off at Rt. 4 and headed up Saddleback Mountain. We passed Plazza Rock Lean-to. It has a two seat privy equipped with a cribbage board...privy's name is 'It's your move". It was cold today. Any skin that was exposed was really cold. We had to walk an extra 1 1/2 miles to pick up the shuttle and it poured on us. A tough way to end the day. Skippy was at the Farm when we got home. Skip brought thread and needle to Sarge's Pub and repaired his shirt as he sipped his beer. Sherpa gave us all Trail Magic and paid for our dinner...seafood chowder and a burger. Back at the Farm cutie Noro V. gave me her bed and I gave Skippy my bed and Noro slept on the floor. We were just settling down when a hiker came out of a hidden door and said he was "Attic Man and he'd like to use the bathroom." It startled all of us and we started laughing all over again.