morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2013-08-28
From:  Goose Pond Rd

To:  Fire Wardens Cabin
Miles today: 9.6

I had another delicious breakfast this morning at Lizann's and then packed up to head back to the trail and leave the comfort of a house. Bootsy, Tiny Tim, Indigo, and I hit the trail around 1 pm and within hour and a half, we were at the ice cream man's house. Bill Ackerly was so nice and the free ice cream was delicious. We ended up hanging out for about 2.5 hours and then finally left at 5 30 because we were trying to get to the next shelter before dark and had a big climb ahead. Indigo stayed behind because her knee had been hurting really bad, but Bootsy, Tiny Tim, and I headed up the mountain. The climb was hard but we were making good time. Then it started to thunder so we picked up our pace a little more until the climbing became so steep that we had to slow way down. Now we were racing darkness and a thunderstorm. We ended up getting to the shelter about 15 minutes after dark and about 20 minutes before the storm hit. The shelter that night leaked a bit, but we were just happy to be out of the storm.
Date: 2013-08-29
From:  Fire Wardens Cabin

To: Hikers Welcome Hostel
Miles today: 20.1

Today turned out much different than planned. We were only planning to do 10 to 15 miles, but ended up running into Legion from hikers welcome hostel at a road crossing and he took our packs so we could slack the next 10 miles to the hostel. While we were slacking, we got some trail magic and right after the trail magic I took a spill. I slid on a root and almost caught myself but then tripped on another root and went down. While I was falling I could see a look of fear on Bootsy's face because apparently I was about to stab my jugular with a sharp pine tree that had fallen and had the branches broken off. I managed to miss stabbing myself by about a centimeter and wasn't hurt at all. We got hiking again and when we were close to the hostel we ran into Beerdra and Acorn stealth camping. We made it to the hostel a little after dark and settled in for the night. It felt good to do a 20 mile day on accident. That never happens to me.
Date: 2013-08-30
From: Hikers Welcome Hostel

To: Kinsman Notch
Miles today: 9.3
Weather: light rain

Today was my first day in the White Mountains. We decided to slack over Mt. Moosaloc and have our packs taken to Chet's place in Lincoln. The climb was wet and a bit slippery but once we got to the top it was gorgeous. The view was amazing and although it was cold and windy, we hung out for a while. After a little while, we decided to head down because we knew the down would take a while because it is so steep. It was a little scary at times and very wet and steep, but we made it down the mountain. My greatest fears out here are wet rocks and wet logs/wood and there was tons of both. At times I had to sit down and scoot down a rock or hang on to roots and trees to avoid sliding down the mountain. The path followed a waterfall down the mountain, so it was steep to say the least. It was a fun hike though and once we got to the bottom, we caught a hitch to Chet's place, a word of mouth hostel in Lincoln. All the bunks were taken so I set my tent up in his back yard and then a bunch of us went to Chinese for dinner. NH is definitely tough, but my first day in the whites was great.
Date: 2013-08-31
From: Kinsman Notch

To: Franconia Notch
Miles today: 16.3
Weather: overcast clouds

I decided to do a 16 mile slack pack and then come back to Chet's for the night. Ms. Janet took a van full of hikers to the trail but on the way stopped at a garage sale and we all bought one item that we had to carry for the day. I ended up with a pair of knee pads. Once we got to the trail, I slapped my knee pads on and started the days climb. We didn't get started until around 9 45, which was late for a 16 mile day. The hike was hard and slow going. The knee pads ended up being calf guards, but I wore them all day. We got to the shelter for lunch around 2 and as soon as we got there, it started pouring. We waited out the rain in the shelter and then started hiking again around 3 with almost 10 more miles to go. We had another big climb that involved climbing up giant rocks and bolders and walked above tree line for a bit, but couldn't see anything except grey. We passed another shelter around 5 30 but didn't stop because we were now racing it getting dark. We ended up night hiking for about an hour which was a terrible idea. The trail was very poorly marked and we crossed two pretty big streams, which you couldn't tell where the trail was on the other side or where it was safe to cross. After the first stream crossing, Bootsy, Tiny Tim, and I waited for Homeward Bound and No Name but once they got there we started hiking again. Somehow once they crossed the stream, though, they took the wrong trail, so when we waited for them after the next stream crossing they never showed up. After about a half hour of waiting, Tiny Tim and I decided to head to the road to call a shuttle while Bootsy waited for the boys. Luckily everyone had cell service and after about 20 minutes, everyone figured out that we were all in completely different places. Bootsy met back up with Tiny Tim and I, and we walked in the dark on a mile side trail to get to the parking lot where we got picked up. Then the shuttle drove to another parking lot a ways away to pick up two guys that had called, Homeward Bound and No Name. The shuttle took us pack to Chet's place to drop off our stuff and then took us to a pizza place for dinner. It was now 9 55 and the pizza place closed at 10, but we were tired and starving after being lost in the woods in the dark, so they were still willing to make us food. We got back to Chet's around 11, much happier now that we were fed, set up our tents and quickly fell asleep. Lesson learned, don't night hike in The Whites! Overall it was a great day though.
Date: 2013-09-01
From: Franconia Notch

To: Lincoln, NH
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

We decided to take a zero today because tomorrow the weather is suppose to be terrible and we would be on Franconia ridge, above tree line for most of the day, which would be miserable and dangerous in the rain and storms. It was hard to zero on such a gorgeous day but we knew it was the safe decision. A big group of hikers went out to breakfast and then we went to resupply and buy beer for our zero day. Then, a bunch of us ended up seeing a movie, We are the Millers, which was really fun, and then went back to Chet's to hang out and drink the beer that had all bought earlier in the day. There are so many hikers at Chet's place, but I got an inside bed tonight so I'm happy that I won't have to be in my tent tonight if it rains. Very relaxing and fun zero day.
Date: 2013-09-02
From: Lincoln, NH

To: Lincoln, NH
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: scattered clouds

It was storming when I woke up which made me very happy about the decision to zero. I went out to breakfast at Dunkin Donuts with a bunch of people and then hung out there for a few hours. After that we went back to Chet's and hung out and listened to LT Coocoo Bird read aloud The Sensuous Woman, a book from 1969 about how to please your man and yourself. It was hilarious to listen to and there was a group of about 10 to 15 hikers listening. At some point we went out to dinner and then went back to Chet's for the night. Another great zero day! Back into the whites tomorrow.
Date: 2013-09-03
From: Franconia Notch

To: Garfield Pond
Miles today: 9.5
Weather: overcast clouds

I got a ride back to the trail from a section hiker staying at Chet's, which was so much better than having to call a shuttle. Today was a little bit rainy and very grey so I didn't have any views until the end of the day when the clouds parted right before I came down off of Franconia ridge. It was so exciting and beautiful to see the view from the top of the ridge, especially after walking in clouds all day. The hiking is definitely challenging and harder than what we're used to but it is very doable and I really enjoy the rock climbing. Tiny Tim, Bootsy, and I got to the stealth camp site right before dark and right before it started to rain. I set up my tent and quickly cooked dinner and then ate in my tent because it was pouring. Definitely ready for a good nights sleep. I'm worn out and my knees are already not liking the super steep downs.
Date: 2013-09-04
From: Garfield Pond

To: Ethan Pond Stealth Site
Miles today: 10.7

After a morning full of singing every song imaginable with a group of about 10 hikers, we all packed up and started hiking around 10. The day was beautiful and after about an hour, we all took a break on top of Garfield mountain and enjoyed the view and more singing. We then hiked to a hut and got soup and cake that we ate with our lunch. We figured we should keep going and try to get work for stay at the next hut but when we got there they would only take one more person and there were three of us so we headed to a stealth site in the rain where we met up with the rest of the group. I quickly set up my tent and cooked dinner in the rain and then it let up enough so I could eat it outside. Right when I got done eating, it started to pour, so into my tent I went. Despite the rain at the end of the day, today was a great day.
Date: 2013-09-05
From: Ethan Pond Stealth Site

To:  Mizpah Spring Campsite
Miles today: 13.9

K2's mom here. Kristen had limited cell service and is now trying to get caught up. 8/31 - 9/4 have been updated and more to come. The rain stopped by the morning but not before soaking most of my stuff throughout the night. I tried to dry my stuff out but gave up because the air was still so wet. The sun came out once we started hiking and the day was actually perfect for hiking. Around lunch, we stopped at Crawford Notch to eat lunch and dry out our tents and gear. After lunch we had a steep hike up the mountain and ended up at Mizpah camp site by the end of the day. We had hiked until almost dark, so I had to set up my tent in the dark, which was made harder because I don't have a free standing tent and I had to be on a tent platform. I put all of the clothes that I own on because it was already freezing cold out. It's suppose to be in the 20s tonight so it might be a long night. Hopefully my sleeping bag is warm enough.
Date: 2013-09-06
From:  Mizpah Spring Campsite

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

We woke up early to try to get work for breakfast at the hut. They had plenty of food for us and we swept and cleaned up the hut. The croo was awesome and we ended up hanging out for a while. We finally got going around 10 30 and headed toward Mt. Washington. The weather was perfect, not much wind and not a cloud in the sky. To pass the time, we listened to No Name tell us the entire story of Star Wars Episode 1. It was pretty entertaining and we were at Lake of the Clouds Hut around 1, perfect timing for lunch. The hut didn't have any work for us but gave us a ton of oatmeal and I bought soup and bread. We hung out at the hut for a while and then hiked up Mt. Washington on an absolutely prefect day. The view was amazing and the viability was over 110 miles. We were told that a prefect day like this only happens about 4-6 times a year. It was awesome up top but we had to get going because we still had a ways to go to get to the next hut before dark. After a little while we realized we would once again be night hiking so we decided to enjoy the sunset and not rush. The sunset was amazing and the night hiking was one again a horrible idea, but it was memorable. When we finally got to the hut, they didn't have any work for stay and the campsite was full so we ended up illegally camping on a sloped pile of rocks. There was only room for two tents so we fit 5 people in two tents. It was not a restful night but at least we had protection from the wind and it wasn't nearly as cold as the night before. Today was such an amazing day and memorable night.
Date: 2013-09-07
From: Madison Spring Hut

To: Pinkham Notch
Miles today: 7.8
Weather: overcast clouds

We all woke up pretty early since we were illegally tenting, and went into the hut to eat our breakfast because it was cold and windy out. I ran into Walmart, Mouse, Fancy Feet, and Flat Foot at the hut along with many other thru hikers. After putting off hiking for as long as we could, we got going around 10. The hike up Madison wasn't too bad but once we got to the ridge line, the wind was insane. I had to get down as low as I could and hang on to rocks while going across the ridge. At one point I got tired of fighting the wind so I stood up, leaned into the wind and put my arms out. It felt like I was flying, which was awesome, but I didn't want the gust of wind to stop and have myself fall off the mountain so I didn't hold it too long and then went back to holding on to rocks. Once we got over Madison, we took a long break even though we had only come about half a mile. We finally got hiking again and after a very slow start across the rocks, we thought we were making pretty good time once we got below tree line. I was hiking with Yote and NoName and we were having a great conversation about theories on how the brain works and concepts of reality, so we thought time and miles were flying by. We stopped to take a snack break, and I was positive we had come at least 6 miles. A few minutes later, Tiny Tim and Bootsy arrived and informed us that we had not yet gone 3 miles. We were all shocked that by 3 pm we had only done 3 miles and this is also where we decided that we are now in a wormhole and parallel universes are colliding because a lot of weird coincidences were happening. The day continued to be strange but we made it to Pinkham Notch around 6 and hitched into town. Bootsy, Tiny Tim, NoName, Yote, and I went to Mr. Pizza for dinner, which was delicious, and then split a hotel room for the night. Despite the slow miles, it was another great day and ending it with town food and a bed made it even better.
Date: 2013-09-08
From: Pinkham Notch

To: Carter Notch Hut
Miles today: 6.2
Weather: few clouds

We got a ride back to the trail from Ms. Janet around 1 30 after spending the morning in Dunkin Donuts. When we got back to Pinkham Notch, everyone coming off the mountain was talking about the terrible weather and intense wind, so we were not thrilled about hiking up a mountain. We put it off for about an hour and then figured we might as well just get going. The hiking ended up being perfect and all the weather that people were getting on Madison, didn't effect the Wildcat Mountains at all. The hike was pretty fun and included some hand over hand rock climbing. We made it to the hut around 6 30 and walked into a bunch of thru hikers eating and hanging out. The hut didn't have any paying guests so they made dinner for the thru hikers and let us sleep in the bunks. The night ended up being so amazing, with great conversations, more weird situations to convince us that we are definitely in a wormhole, and watching shooting stars and star gazing from a helicopter pad on top of the bunk house. I was constantly wondering if I was just dreaming because the night was so great. Defiantly one of my best nights on the trail!
Date: 2013-09-09
From: Carter Notch Hut

To: Gorham, NH
Miles today: 14.9

The Croo made us a delicious breakfast and then we helped clean up and hung out for a while. The hike today was long but not as difficult as the past few days. There were a few pretty views but it was a fairly uneventful day of hiking. We got back to town around 6 30 and went back to Mr. Pizza for dinner. 6 of us shared a hotel room for the night and after a long day of hiking it was nice to chill out in the evening. Tomorrow I will be taking a zero to let my body recover from the whites and hopefully I can utilize the spa the hotel.
Date: 2013-09-10
From: Gorham, NH

To: Gorham, NH
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Today was a great zero day. I went out to breakfast, sat in a hot tub, went swimming, and sat around and watched a movie. Ms. Janet also took 18 hikers in her van to Walmart to resupply, which was an adventure. I can't believe how many other hikers are in town. Within a couple days of us, there are probably about 60-70 hikers, which means I've been running into a ton of people that I haven't seen in a while. Zero day well spent. Tomorrow I'll be back on the trail and inching closer to Maine.
Date: 2013-09-11
From: Gorham, NH

To: Trident Col Campsite
Miles today: 6.9

Today was interesting to say the least. The day started out great with a huge breakfast and avoiding leaving town like usual. It was about 90° out which was strange after the recent cold spell. We hitched back to the trail around 1 and got out of the town vortex. The terrain was easier than it has been lately but no one was feeling like hiking. It was so hot and humid out and everyone was quickly getting dehydrated. There were about 15 hikers and none of us felt great. We all took a lot of breaks but when it started to thunder, we tried to make it to the campsite before the rain. We didn't quite make it and it started raining so, Bootsy, NoName, Wyomjng, and I stopped to put on our pack covers. We started hiking again and within about a minute, I slipped on a wet root and fell. My trekking pole, however, did not move and my hand got stuck in the strap of my pole. When I landed on my butt, I realized I had dislocated my left shoulder. I remained very calm and informed everyone that my shoulder was dislocated and I needed help. I remained as calm as possible because I didn't want my body to tense up and make it harder to get my arm back into the socket. NoName held my arm for me so my muscles could try to relax while Bootsy dug out her first aid book that we had joked about many times before. I started to lose my vision and black out so I calmly informed everyone that I was losing my site in case I passed out. Bootsy read aloud the very confusing directions on how to pop a shoulder back in and then Wyoming was able to pop my shoulder halfway back in and then they helped me move my arm downward toward my body to get it the rest of the way in. Thank you so much to everyone who helped me! The situation could have gone very differently if I was alone. Everyone was a little shocked at how calm I stayed, but I just knew that I didn't want to tense up and I didn't want to freak anyone out because I needed their help. Once my shoulder was back in place, my vision slowly started to come back. I took a bunch of ibuprofen and Wyoming carried my pack for me to the campground. NoName walked with me and we somehow missed the campground and walked down a pretty steep and rocky trail for about 15 minutes before we heard people yelling for us and realized we missed the campground. Wyoming, NoName, Bootsy, Tiny Tim, and Homeward Bound were all so helpful in helping me to set up camp and get water for the night. Despite dislocating my shoulder, I feel so grateful to be around such an awesome and helpful group of people, and if I had to get hurt, I'm glad it wasn't a vital walking part. My shoulder is definitely sore and stiff but I think if I take it easy for a couple of days, it will be ok. Feeling very thankful tonight! Things could have been much worse.
Date: 2013-09-12
From: Trident Col Campsite

To: Gentian Pond Shelter
Miles today: 4.9

Today was slow going! It rained all night and morning so no one got out of their tent much before 9. It took me forever to pack up because it seems that your shoulder muscles are used in pretty much everything you do. Bootsy and Tiny Tim helped me to pack up and then we started on the trail around 10 30. Tiny Tim also hurt her leg so we were the gimp crew today. The trail looked more like a river than a trail which made everything especially slippery. There was water up to my mid shins and many of the wood planks to step on were floating and would sink after you stepped on it. Hiking is really hard when you can't use one arm. I have decent range of motion right now but I can't really put any weight on my arm without my shoulder tensing up and hurting really bad. Despite the rough day, the best part of the day came when we saw two moose, a mom and her baby, walking in a pond and eating. We watched them for about 15 minutes and they didn't seem to mind that we were there. It was such a cool experience and made up for the painful day. By 3 pm, we had only gotten in 4.9 miles and although we really wanted to get in at least 11, we decided to stay at the shelter to avoid the thunderstorms that were on the way and to let my shoulder and Tiny Tim's leg rest. There ended up being about 15 hikers at the shelter and we all crowded in the shelter to avoid the rain. I'm a little worried about Mahoosuc Notch coming up because it involves a lot of climbing and I can barely use one arm. I might have to blue blaze around it, which would suck, but I guess I should be safe about it. I'm still hoping that in a couple days my shoulder will feel much better and I can make up some miles. If not, I might have to take a few days off and jump ahead a bit and them make up that section after Katahdin.
Date: 2013-09-14
From: Carlo Col Shelter

To: Andover, ME
Miles today: 0.0

Today was a strange day. It was still raining in the morning even though we thought it was suppose to be sunny today. No one wanted to leave the shelter because it was much dryer and warmer, but we also didn't want to stay in the shelter because it was packed. We called Ms. Janet because she knows all, and she told us a couple different ways off the mountain. Tiny Tim and I were trying to figure out what we were going to do because we both needed to get off the trail before Mahoosac Notch because of injuries and knew that the shelter side trail led to a dirt road in 2.3 miles. The problem was that the road is not well traveled so even if we got to it, we could be stranded there. After a while, we were able to get ahold of Uncle Buck who said he could come pick us up. Sun Peach, Trillium, Achilles, and Peddles decided to join us and hike the 2.3 miles to the road. The trail followed a stream, but since the water level was so high, the trail was in the middle of the stream. There were also multiple stream crossings that pretty much required us to just walk through the water on the rocks because the water was about 6 inches above the stepping rocks. We made it to the road, though, and waited for Uncle Buck to pick us up. Limping Eagle ended up coming to pick us up as well and we fit everyone in between the two cars. We ended up going back to Gorham, NH while we waited for Uncle Buck to run some other people around. So what do you do in Gorham? Go to Mr. Pizza of course. We once again relived our previous Gorham experience and further convinced ourselves we are still in a wormhole. After we ate, Uncle Buck fit 6 of us plus our packs in his car and we had a very uncomfortable hour long drive to Andover, ME. The hostel was full but they had a cabin that could fit the six of us about 3 miles away. The cabin ended up being really cool and we had a fun night. It feels strange that just this morning I was trying to figure out how to get out of the woods and now I'm living it up in a cabin. Although I'm not happy about skipping miles, I feel like it is the right decision for me and if I want to be able to climb Katahdin, I've got to take it easy for a few days and rest my shoulder. All in all, not a bad day. It always feels great to be indoors and in a bed.
Date: 2013-09-15
From: Andover, ME

To: Andover, ME
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

It feels strange to have a zero day when I know more are coming up. I felt much more antsy than normal because I didn't have any errands to run. I ended up getting laundry done and ate lunch at an amazing diner, the red hen, but other than that, I pretty much just hung around. After talking to people about the trail and having a couple hikers, one doctor and one medic, check my shoulder out, I've decided to skip up to Rangeley and take about 3 days off. People seem doubtful that I'll be able to climb Katahdin, but I'm determined to do it and if I can avoid any further injury before hand, I'm confident I'll be ready to climb Katahdin in a few weeks.