morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2012-08-14
From: Hikers Welcome Hostel (Glencliff, NH)

To: Kinsman Notch
Miles today: 9.3
Weather: overcast clouds

Our first day in the White Mountains! And what a day it was. I was really psyched for the climb up Moosilauke. When I woke up this morning, I was definitely more excited than nervous. And the climb up wasn't that bad! I can't believe it was an elevation gain of 3800' from where we started this morning. Walking up, the trees got smaller and smaller until eventually they disappeared altogether and there was nothing but grass and rocks. Being above treeline was like being on the surface of the moon - it was incredible! You could see all the mountains around it. We had lunch up there, and there were a bunch of other thru-hikers as well as dayhikers.Then we did the downhill to Kinsman Notch - it was completely insane. It ook us 3 hrs to do the 4 mi downhill. Definitely the hardest descent I've done yet.We found a stealth camping spot in the woods not far from the parking lot, made dinner and went to bed. First day in the Whites was hard but great at the same time.
Date: 2012-08-15
From: Kinsman Notch

To: Kinsman Pond shelter
Miles today: 11.5
Weather: light rain

The beginning of the day was frustrating for OD and I b/c we were unprepared for just how much the terrain in the Whites would slow us down. The first 3.5 mi of the day, to the Gordon Pond Trail, didn't look bad on the map, but it took us 2.5 hrs! There are just so many obstacles in the trail; huge boulders and rock slabs that you have to find your way up or over or around, giant mud pits in the middle of the trail, etc. It was very slow going. We did climb North and South Kinsman Mtns, which were beautiful. We were going to try and make it to a stealth campsite or to Lonesome Lake Hut today, but were about to run out of daylight, so paid the fee at Kinsman Pond Shelter. We thought we'd be the only 2 in the shelter, which was actually a really nice shelter. As it turned out, Lt. Dan joined us just before dark. But he doesn't snore so I didn't mind too much.
Date: 2012-08-16
From: Kinsman Pond shelter

To: campsite
Miles today: 7.7
Weather: clear sky

What an eventful day! Since we didn't make it to Lonesome Lake Hut last night, we decided to stop in this morning to see if they had any breakfast leftovers to give us. There wasn't any breakfast left, but the croo said to help ourselves to the homemade bread that was set out. We each had 4 pieces - it was delicious! They also had some other baked goods and Snickers for sale, which we bought. The croo member we spoke to gave us the lowdown on how to work the hut system. Basically, the Appalachian Mtn Club runs 8 huts in the White Mtns, which are around $100 a night, in other words way too expensive for thru-hikers. They allow thru-hikers to do work for stay, so in exchange for doing some chores we can get leftovers from dinner and breakfast and sleep on the dining room floor. The timing is tricky though, b/c they only officially accept 2 thru-hikers per night. If you arrive before 4 PM, they'll turn you away, but if you get there too late, someone else may have taken your spot. So it's basically a big game. Hopefully we will be able to get work for stay at some point in the Whites.We went down to Franconia Notch where, 0.9 off the trail, was a restaurant that I had been looking forward to all day. It was actually more of a snack bar, inside the visitor's center for a tourist attraction called The Flume. I had a soda and a chicken tenders basket, and I bought a glorious-looking confection called a whoopie pie, which I saved for later. OD originally hadn't wanted to go to the restaurant, b/c he's frustrated with how slow we've been going, but I think he was happy afterwards.We walked up 2400' in elevation to Liberty Springs campsite, where we stopped to get water. The sky was looking dark and it had started to sprinkle. We saw Scooby, who had all but decided to stay there, but we kept going. We headed up toward the Franconia Ridge, which would put us above treeline and take us towards Mt. Lafayette at 5259'. It started to pour down rain, the temperature dropped, and then it started hailing. OD had stopped to put on his rain jacket, but he caught up with me and said, "We have to go back!" He was freezing, and I was starting to get cold as well. We walked back about half a mile to a stealth campsite, where we set up our tents in the freezing rain (the inside of mine got soaked in the process). Just as we finished setting up, the rain stopped and the sun came out. Of course. But we were cold and didn't want to hike anymore. So we put on dry clothes, got in our sleeping bags and felt better. OD even tried to make a campfire tonight, but had no luck despite his valiant efforts.
Date: 2012-08-17
From: campsite

To: campsite
Miles today: 10.3
Weather: light rain

I woke up to find that a mouse had chewed through the side wall of my tent, into my food bag and devoured most of my honey roasted peanuts and half a Snickers. I hope it died a horrible death from eating too much chocolate.Despite that, it was an amazing day. We climbed Little Haystack, Mt Lincoln and Mt Lafayette, all in a row. The weather was perfect, and you could see right from one peak to the next, as well as views of the countryside for miles in any direction. We could see Greenleaf Hut down a side trail, but didn't go visit b/c it was 1 mi away.We had a nice lunch at Garfield Pond, then hurried up Mt. Garfield and the last 3 mi of the day b/c we wanted to make it to Galehead Hut around 4 to see if we could get work for stay. But when we arrived at 4:30, the croo said they already had 2 people and there wasn't enough work for us to do. The guy did tell us about a stealth camping spot close by, and said to come back in the morning for breakfast leftovers. I was pretty disappointed that we didn't get work for stay, esp. since our shortened day yesterday means we'll be tight on food. But the stealth spot is pretty nice, and fairly close to the hut.
Date: 2012-08-18
From: campsite

To: Ethan Pond campsite
Miles today: 11.6
Weather: fog

As it turns out, there were no breakfast leftovers this morning. BUT there was leftover pork tenderloin from last night. So i had 3 pieces of that for breakfast. And Scooby, who did get work for stay at the hut, gave me some trail mix and pretzels that the guests had given him. With that plus a couple Snickers I bought, I'm feeling much better about my food situation. We had a long, rocky downhill all the way from South Twin Mtn to Zealand Falls Hut. We stopped if to get some soup for a late lunch. The croo member, Corey, said he had about one bowl's worth, so he watered it down so we could each have a bowl and gave it to us for free, along with chocolate chip cookies. Then he had us "taste test" the soup he was making for that night. What an awesome guy.We left the hut with full bellies and headed into the easiest section of trail I have seen thus far in the Whites. It was a gently downhill sloping gravel path with beautiful views on either side, for about a 5 mi section. As we got closer to Ethan Pond, we searched for a stealth campsite, but couldn't find anything, so we decided to just suck it up and pay the $8 at the tent site. But the caretaker, Dan, said we could do work for stay and also gave us a big block of cheese. Sweet. We're going to do our "work" in the morning since we only have 3 miles to go tomorrow before my roommate's mom picks us up.
Date: 2012-08-19
From: Ethan Pond campsite

To: Diana and Harlan's house (Twin Mountain, NH)
Miles today: 2.9

[I keep forgetting to mention this, but my dad added more pictures a few weeks ago. Thanks Dad! Check 'em out!]Our "work" this morning was pretty easy. I swept the privy and shelter and picked up trash for a few minutes. OD did something involving the privy; I don't think it was too gross though.We had a leisurely downhill walk to Crawford Notch, where we caught the tail end of some trail magic that had been going on, thanks to a guy named Rockdancer.We had about an hour to kill before Diana (my roommate's mom) picked us up at 1, so we decided to walk a mile down the road to a snack bar for lunch. As we were on our way back, a blue SUV pulled over on the shoulder, and someone leaned their head out the passenger side and said, "Emily?" It was Diana's car, and she had 3 hikers in it! As we drove back to the parking lot where we had left our packs, they told us the whole story. Diana and Harlan had gone to dinner the night before at a restaurant near the trail. They saw the 3 hikers there, and asked them if they knew OD and I, but they're SoBos and hadn't passed us yet. She asked where they were staying, and they said they were going to look around and find a place to pitch their tents. Diana took pity on them and asked if they'd like to stay at her house! It was a young married couple from Nashville, and a guy from Savannah. We chatted with them for a few minutes, then they put their packs on and got back on the trail.Diana took us to the house, where we did laundry and had a 2nd lunch. We made friends with the dogs, Bella and Brody (beautiful Burmese Mountain dogs). For dinner, Harland grilled bacon-wrapped steaks and Diana made twice-baked potatoes and corn, and there was peach pie for dessert. It was like heaven! So thankful for their hospitality!
Date: 2012-08-20
From: Diana and Harlan's house (Twin Mountain, NH)

To: Diana and Harlan's house
Miles today: 0.0

Diana made us breakfast this morning (waffles and sausage) and we were going to run to the store and get back on the trail, but instead of rushing around, I asked if we could stay another day. So we watched Good Morning America, then drove into Littleton, where we hit up Walmart, the outfitter, and a bookstore, then had Thai food for lunch. After that, we went to Chutters, which has the world's longest candy counter at 132'. I bought some candy, of course!We went back to the house and watched The Dark Night, which OD had never seen. Then we went to dinner at a Mexican restaurant and on the drive back to the house, I saw a black bear running through someone's backyard! Diana said there are a lot of adolescent bears in the area who steal people's trash.Another night in a comfortable bed, and then it's back to the trail tomorrow.
Date: 2012-08-21
From: Diana and Harlan's house

To: Nauman campsite
Miles today: 6.4
Weather: fog

Diana made us biscuits and gravy for breakfast, and we took our time getting back on the trail. It was about 10:30 when we said our goodbyes and headed up toward Webster Cliffs. There was a beautiful view from the cliffs of the valley and road, as well as the mtns we had climbed a few days before. The Whites are so rewarding b/c you can so easily see where you've been and where you're going! We climbed Mt Webster and then Mt. Jackson, where we had lunch. And we got our first view of Mt. Washington, which is the highest mtn in New England at 6288', and the 2nd highest on the AT. It is easily identified by the towers and buildings on the summit. We will be tackling it tomorrow.We ended the day at Mizpah Spring Hut, where we tried again to get work for stay, but were turned down. There were quite a few hikers there - Warrior, Honest Abe, Hungus and Pace, Dances with Flies. Luckily there was a tent site right next to the hut, so we paid the fee and set up. Gribley and Daystar were there, which was the first time we had seen them since NYC. Pants and Tater are not far behind, apparently. Then I saw Head 'n Out walk b. He said that Tag 'n Along got hurt and had to go home in Hanover, but may rejoin him when she feels better.OD was on Facebook and found out that a thru-hiker that we had met outside of Buena Vista, Va named Skillet just died. We don't know any details, but it appears that he had gotten off the trail and was at home when it happened. So we were really sad to find that out.
Date: 2012-08-22
From: Nauman campsite

To: Madison Spring Hut
Miles today: 11.8
Weather: broken clouds

It was a big day - Mt. Washington and we got work for stay at a hut! We started with Mt. Pierce and Mt. Franklin as a warmup, then stopped in at Lake of the Clouds Hut. It was in a gorgeous spot - right at the base of Washington, with beautiful views all around. We had a snack, then headed up the mtn. The climb wasn't bad, just rocky. We got to the top and immediately found ourselves surrounded by people. There is a train you can take to the top, and also a road that allows you to drive up, so no effort is required to get up there. We ate our lunch in the cafeteria (I bought a Coke and a bowl of clam chowder) and some people sitting at our table were asking us the usual questions. Then one of the guys gave me a $10 bill, "for your expenses on the trail". Awesome! We talked to a bunch more tourists, and I was kind of annoyed by the end, and just wanted to keep moving. We had to stand in line for about 5 min to get a photo op at the summit sign. I was laughing at all the people underdresed for the weather. I was so cold I put my rainjacket on, but there was a girl my age in a little sundress and flip flops. Don't they know that Mt. Washington has the "worst weather in the world"? (231 mph highest recorded windspeed). We finally got our pics at the sign and hurried out of the tourist-infested area. Just after we crossed the railroad track on the way down, a train came by and we waved and took pictures, knowing they were probably taking pics of us as well. (I remembered later that it's a thru-hiker tradition to moon the cog railway train. Oh well.)From the top of Washington, it was pretty much straight rocks all the way to Madison Hut, so it was slow going. I even fell and hit my face on a rock at one point, but luckily had nothing worse than a swollen lip. Finally, we made it to Madison Hut around 6:30. A bunch of other hikers were there already, so I thought we wouldn't get work for stay, but Warrior and Honest Abe gave up their spots so we could get in (since they had gotten to stay at Mizpah the night before). After the guests ate dinner, we helped clear the tables, sweep the floor and do dishes. Then we got to have leftovers - pork loin, mashed potatoes, bread and sweet potato pie. After we ate, we went outside and talked to Gribley, Daystar, and Dances with Flies. The hut croo wouldn't let them stay inside, even thought there was plenty of floor space, so they were stealthing right around the corner.The croo turned out the lights in the dining room at 9:30, and we set up our sleeping bags on the floor in between the tables. It's cozy in here, but there would be plenty of room for a few more people.
Date: 2012-08-23
From: Madison Spring Hut

To: campsite
Miles today: 8.0
Weather: clear sky

We awoke this morning at 5:30 AM to the sounds of the croo making breakfast in the kitchen. Being on the croo seems like it would be fun, but man they get up early! We helped set the tables and did dishes afterward, the ate our breakfast.We climbed Mt. Madison first thing. It was boulder-hopping the whole way, and to make it more difficult, the wind was blowing so hard it almost knocked me over a couple of times. The it was a long, steep 2.5 mi downhill, which too about 4 hrs. Finally it leveled off t a little and we had a bunch of stream crossings. We got to the visitor's center at Pinkham Notch around 4:30, hoping to get dinner there. But we found out that the dinner was $23 - obviously for the rich weekenders, not thru-hikers. So I bought a Coke and decided to eat my Ramen instead.We found a great stealth spot just a few tenths of a mile down the trail. We crossed a stream (the Chacos came in handy for this) and found a lovely flat spot.
Date: 2012-08-24
From: campsite

To: Zeta Pass
Miles today: 8.3

I love waking up to the sound of a stream running nearby. We climbed up Wildcat Mtn today - peaks E, D, C, and A. E was the first one, and the steepest. then peak D had a ski gondola, which we wanted to ride just for fun but it was $15. So me, OD and Flies had a snack at the top and watched all the tourists wandering around the top of the mtn. We stopped in at Carter Notch Hut in the afternoon - the last hut in the Whites. Then we climbed Carter Dome and Mt Hight. We went down to Zeta Pass and found a great stealth spot just off the trail.
Date: 2012-08-25
From: Zeta Pass

To: Rattle River Shelter
Miles today: 10.7
Weather: broken clouds

We had intended to go into Gorham today, but the trail ended up being harder than we expected. Plus we had an extra dinner and breakfast left in our food bags thanks to our stay at Madison Hut, so we were able to take our time. I got to the Rattle River crossing and found OD waiting for me, asking if it would be OK if we stopped early for the day , so we could have a relaxing nero in town tomorrow. Of course it was OK with me! I think my slacker ways are rubbing off on him, cause I totally would have suggested that but didn't think he'd go for it, so I had mentally psyched myself up to go all the way to Gorham. But when he suggested stopping for the day, I was all for it. The shelter is right next to a river, so we had time to wash the dirt off tour legs and feet. There were some great swimming holes that would have been perfect if the weather was hot. We relaxed in our tents for a while before dinner and dreamed of all the good things awaiting us in Gorham.
Date: 2012-08-26
From: Rattle River Shelter

To: White Mountain Hostel (Gorham, NH)
Miles today: 2.2
Weather: fog

An easy 2 mi this morning got us to the White Mountain Hostel, where clean beds, showers, and clean town clothes awaited us. They had a pair of jeans that were almost my size, and it felt great to look like a normal person again.We walked down the main street for a while; stopped in at a restaurant that had an amazing AYCE Sunday brunch. Then we went back to the hostel, and who did we see but Trail Mama and SOS! I had just been wondering if we would see them again. We sat at the table in the backyard and talked with them until it was time for the shuttle to Walmart. Then Honest Abe, Warrior, Gingersnap, Medicine Man, OD and I went to dinner at Mr. Pizza, where we made the poor frazzled waiter work hard to meet our many demands.
Date: 2012-08-27
From: White Mountain Hostel (Gorham, NH)

To: Gentian Pond shelter
Miles today: 11.8
Weather: overcast clouds

As we left the hostel this morning and walked down the road past the dam, we met Madhat, who I believe earned his name b/c he is wearing a women¢s¢ hat that is green with white polka dots and a little too small, so it is perched on the very top of his head. We leapfrogged with him throughout the rest of the day. We had some beautiful views today, and could still pick out Mt. Washington and some of the Whites in the distance. There were also some beautiful lakes and ponds that we passed by.
Date: 2012-08-28
From: Gentian Pond shelter

To: Full Goose shelter
Miles today: 9.6
Weather: light rain

What a day! Like most days on the AT, full of highs and lows. First, we passed the 1900 mile mark! OD made a lovely ¢1900¢ out of sticks on the side of the trail. Then we successfully climbed Mt. Success. THEN we walked into Maine! I can¢t believe I¢m finally here! I joked that now I can quit b/c I have successfully walked from GA to ME. We had lunch at the border, after OD defaced the sign (the mileage to Katahdin and Springer was out of date, so he corrected it with a Sharpie). OD went on ahead after lunch, and I climbed Mt. Carlo, then Goose Eye Mtn west peak. Just before the east peak I was down in a wooded area and a bear ran out on the trial ahead of me. When it saw me, it immediately ran back into the woods. I didn¢t even have time to be scared or surprised. I just thought, ¢Wow, that¢s a big dog. No, wait, that was a bear. I can¢t wait to tell Overdrive!¢ Then I climbed up the east peak and got hit by the most intense wind I have ever experienced. There were no trees up there to block it, and I had to sit down for fear I would get knocked over. I sat there for a few minutes, hoping it would die down, but no luck. So I stood up carefully and walked over to the edge, where the trail went down. The wind pushed me off the trail a couple times into some bushes, but luckily I stayed on my feet. When I got to the bottom I thought I had just done the north peak and the shelter should be close by. I passed a blue-blazed trail on the right but assumed it wasn¢t the shelter b/c there was no sign. I went across a flat section, then down, then started going up towards the next mtn straight ahead. Then I started to think the blue-blazed trail WAS the shelter, so I headed back to it (about 12 mi south). I saw Tallgrass, who convinced me that I hadn¢t yet climbed the north peak. I was super annoyed as I walked back over the same section of trial for the 3rd time. I was also hungry, having not eaten since lunch, but I just wanted to get to the shelter at that point. I climbed up the north peak and down, and when I got to the bottom, OD was walked towards me. He had gotten worried and came to look for me. When I got to the shelter, I set up my tent and laid down. My stomach feels really bad, so I didn¢t eat dinner. Blegh. Hope I feel better tomorrow.
Date: 2012-08-29
From: Full Goose shelter

To: Speck Pond shelter
Miles today: 5.1
Weather: clear sky

Today was the big day ¢ the Mahoosuc Notch (the ¢most fun¢ or ¢most difficult¢ mile on the trail, depending on who you ask) and Mahoosuc Arm. It took us 3 hours to go the one mile through the Notch (plus a 12 hour lunch break somewhere towards the end). Most of it was actually pretty fun. There were huge car-sized boulders we had to go over and around and even though at one point. Definitely a challenge, but a fun one nonetheless.The Arm was not quite so fun, mostly because I felt sick again and had to sit down and rest every few minutes. The arm wasn¢t too bad, mostly big granite slabs going up a mountain. Like a rough sidewalk at a very steep angle. Definitely glad I was going up rather than down. Since I wasn¢t feeling good, we decided to make it a short day and stay at Speck Pond. It¢s a beautiful site and the caretaker, Minnow, is letting us do work for stay in the morning instead of paying the $8 fee.
Date: 2012-08-30
From: Speck Pond shelter

To: Frye Notch Lean-to
Miles today: 10.4
Weather: broken clouds

Our work for stay this morning involved spreading bags of dried humus (from the privy composting process) up the hill from the shelter. The humus has been heated up and dried in the composting process, so is bacteria-free and just looks like regular dirt. OD and I each had a bag, but they were so heavy he had to carry mine up the hill for me. We spread the dirt around and it didn¢t take too long.We climbed Old Speck Mtn, then had a long descent down to Grafton Notch. I had been hoping that there would be trail magic and there was! A guy named Joe was waiting on his wife, who was hiking Baldpate Mtn. He had beer and sodas in a cooler in the back of his truck. The only kind of soda he had was Diet Coke, which I normally don¢t like, but today it tasted delicious. A bunch of other hikers showed up and we sat around in the parking lot for a while. It¢s amazing to me what a huge bubble of Nobos we¢re in right now; I thought at this point the numbers would be a lot more thinned out.Baldpate mtn was beautiful ¢ I felt really good climbing up the west peak and d could barely keep up with me. From the top we could see the east peak ¢ almst all exposed rock. As we climbed up it, it was like walking up a steep sidewalk. I was listening to my iPod and ¢My Redeemer Lives¢ was playing just as we were coming to the top. The wind was practically blowing us over, and it was just a glorious and beautiful moment. We are staying at Frye Notch Lean-to tonight. There are a bunch of people here: Pace, Hungus, Cheesewater, Towlie, Madhat, FM, and Medicine Man. We had a long conversation during dinner about how we could totally destroy some chicken nuggets, double cheeseburgers, French fries, and pizza right now.