morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2013-08-25
From: Osgood Campsite

To: Somewhere in The Whites
Miles today: 13.0
Weather: broken clouds

Since I started hiking south, I meet one or more of my trail friends hiking north, almost daily, that I previously hiked north with and it's a reunion of sorts on the trail. Well, today, I met Trig, Rome and Trig's faithful dog, Grommet. They were coming down Mt Washington and I was climbing up. It was so nice to see them. I had not seen either for a month or more. We reminisced for a while and took pictures. Grommet always met me with a growl before. But, today, for some reason, he was wagging his tail and licking me. What a surprise that was. Also, I met Boo Boo, from NC. I had not seen him since snow was on the ground down south.Mt Washington was a long, hard climb from the base and I was glad to summit it...finally. On top is an observatory, snack bar, souvenir shop, etc. Obviously, a very popular place with tourists and hikers alike. I had several sodas, no beer available, and some ice cream and that was worth the climb.It was nearly dark and I needed to find a home for the night. After descending Mt Washington for nearly an hour, I came to The Lake of The Clouds Hut. The "huts" are unique to NH. They are quasi hotels in The White Mountains. Tourists or hikers can pay to stay, usually $100 and up. For this, they get a nice dinner and breakfast and a bunk for the night. During the day they can hike on their own. Well, the only problem I had with them was that all of the ones I stopped at didn't have showers. No way I'm going to pay those prices without a shower. Hikers are also given an opportunity to work for stay in most cases. This option did not interest me in the least. I worked all day climbing mountains and I was not going to work into the night washing dishes. So, I, along with five other hikers opted to stay in "The Dungeon". It is indeed very much like I would imagine a dungeon to be. It was actually an emergency shelter under the hut with two stacks of bunks which were wooden and without mattresses, three high, and four cold, bleak concrete walls. There was a metal door with a huge sliding metal door lock and when it was opened or closed, it sounded loud and clamorous like a dungeon door may sound. But, it was our home for the night and it kept us out of the cold for the low, low price of $10 per hiker. What a deal!!Another good day on the AT comes to an end in The Lake of The Clouds Dungeon.Ciao for now, Sandman69
Date: 2013-08-26
From: Somewhere in The Whites

To: Ethan Pond Shelter
Miles today: 12.0

The weather in The Whites continues to amaze me. It is sunny, fairly warm and perfect hiking weather. Several of the locals I met who were day hiking, told me the run of great weather was very unusual for the area. They said there is almost always a few days of rain or overcast skies each week. The mountain range is so vast that it actually creates it's own weather systems. In fact, the weather can be very brutal and it can change very quickly. The highest wind velocity in recorded history in the world was on Mt Washington and it was 232 MPH!!!I actually met one hiker who skipped The Whites and came back to them because when she came through initially, it was very rainy and she was afraid of slipping and falling because of wet slippery rocks, boulders and mountains.Tonight, I made my home in Ethan Pond Shelter. I had the whole shelter to myself. No snoring or sleep talking to keep me awake tonight. After another hard day of climbing, I don't believe it would have bothered me anyway.Sayonara y'all,Sandman69
Date: 2013-08-27
From: Ethan Pond Shelter

To: Garfield Ridge Shelter/Campsite
Miles today: 13.8

When I thought I was nearly past all the tough climbs, I came to South Twin Mountain at 4,902 ft. Altitude alone does not indicate the severity of the climb. A rapid rise in altitude within a short distance can dictate the difficulty of a climb. The top of South Twin was a needle like pinnacle to be reckoned with. At points, it was nearly vertical. You know what, I think it reckoned with me! Gosh, it was a hard, sweaty climb.Just a few miles past South Twin was Garfield Mountain. Many of the mountains in The Whites are named after presidents and are often referred to as The Presidentials. I needed to reach Garfield Ridge Shelter/Campsite to spend the night and it was already getting dark. Stealth camping or camping outside of designated areas is not allowed in The Whites. A hiker can be rudely awakened in the middle of the night by a ranger and asked to move and be fined. I hiked onward and upward. What a climb! The climb went right through Garfield Ridge Shelter/Campsite. As I came to the site, I could hear people talking but it was too dark to find the trail into the camping area, even with my headlamp. So, I went off the grid, got tangled in all the Christmas/fir trees and fell down in what felt like peat moss. I called to the hikers I could hear and asked them to shine a light in my direction so I could find my way. Well, they were excited because of a bear scare and talking too much to hear anyone. There was a very aggressive bear who trashed a hiker's tent, fortunately the hiker was not in the tent, and had stolen another hiker's backpack right in front of the terrified hiker. Understandably, the area was in an uproar and the hikers were totally oblivious to my plight. Many of the shelters and campsites in The Whites have caretakers or rangers who actually tent there on a rotational basis and Garfield was one of these. Someone finally fetched the caretaker from the bear mal©e and he came to my rescue. By shining his light in my direction, I was able to wrestle my way out of my predicament I so foolishly fell into. What a night!With no further bear encounters, it's all good on the AT tonight!Adios for now,Sandman69
Date: 2013-08-28
From: Garfield Ridge Shelter/Campsite

To: Limcoln, NH
Miles today: 10.4

After some hard days on the mountains, I was ready to sleep in a bunk instead of on the ground. This meant I had to make my way to town and get a room. But, before that, I had a few more mountains I had to negotiate my way up and down. First was Mt Garfield at 4,500 ft. Followed by Mt LaFayette at 5,291 ft., Mt Lincoln at 5,089 ft. and Little Haystack Mountain at 4,800 ft. Although a lot of energy draining climbing was required, it was not as difficult as It may seem. It was a series of peaks. Each one did not go all the way down to ground level. Some of them only dropped 500-600 ft before the next mountain came up. But, they were plenty hard enough.After all my mountains were dispatched, I was off to town in Lincoln. I landed at Hikers Welcome Hostel or, simply Chet's. My trail buddies Hercules and wife, Hobbit, were also there. I was fortunate enough to get a bunk. Many hikers resorted to sleeping on the floor. I got up to take a whiz during the night and the floor was alive! Hikers were everywhere. Such is life on the AT.Sandman69
Date: 2013-08-29
From: Chet's

To: Comfort Inn, Lincoln, NH
Miles today: 0.0

Today, I planned to slack pack but there was a misunderstanding between the shuttle driver and me. I asked her what restaurant in Lincoln opened early. I thought she said Pig's. There was a restaurant a few blocks from Chet's named Pig's Ear. I asked her if that was it. She said yes. So, at 5:30 AM, I was at the Pig's Ear. I planned to have breakfast and then, be picked up by the shuttle driver. Well, Pig's Ear wasn't open yet. And, the shuttle driver didn't come at 6:00, as promised. So, I called the shuttle company to see what was up. The person who answered seemed surprised that I hadn't been picked up. She told me she would call the driver to see where she was. Then, she called back and said the driver had been by twice and did not see me. I told her I was right out front. She said, "You're at Pig's?" I said, "Yes, I'm at Pig's Ear." She said, "Pig's, not Pig's Ear". I asked her to spell it. She said, "P-E-G-S, Pig's". These people up here talk funny! I was at the wrong restaurant. I told her I was sorry, it must be her accent. She said, "my #&!%¢¬ accent!" Needless to say, she became very irate and our conversation went down hill quickly... she hung up on me!! So, I took the day off and checked in at the Comfort Inn so I could watch the college football opener, Clemson vs. Georgia. A great game and Clemson won 38-35. Well, these folks do talk kinda funny...Sandman69
Date: 2013-08-30
From: Comfort Inn, Lincoln, NH

To: Eliza Brook Shelter
Miles today: 8.8

Got up early, had a great breakfast and hit the trail. The goal for today is double peaked Kinsman Mountain. North Kinsman is 4,293 ft. South Kinsman is 4,358 ft. It was a slow, laborious ascent of 5.2 miles to the summit of N. Kinsman. Then, a small dip and up a few hundred ft to the S. Kinsman summit. This was followed by a steep 1.7 mile descent that bottomed out right at Eliza Brook Shelter which seemed a very good place to end this day. To my surprise, Hercules, Hobbit, Lucy LuLu and Cozy were there when I arrived. We all slept in the shelter. The next morning, it was agreed, unanimously, that each of the five of us snored at one time or another during the night.Shalom, y'all,Sandman69
Date: 2013-08-31
From: Eliza Brook Shelter

To: Kinsman Notch
Miles today: 7.2
Weather: light rain

Our hike today was not easy. But, it was the closest thing to easy that we had seen in a long time. The highest mountain on the elevation profile was Mt Wolf at a mere 3,478 ft, a veritable mole hill compared to the mammoth peaks we had been scaling.I decided to go into town at N. Woodstock and sleep in a bed. Lucy LuLu had an I infected rash on her back and decided to go into town to see a doc. The town was crawling with Labor Day Weekend tourists and I almost didn't find a room. After my fourth, "sorry, we're full", I landed at The Carriage Motel. All is well in my world, today...Sandman69
Date: 2013-09-01
From: Kinsman Notch

To: Hiker's Welcome Hostel, Glencliff, NH
Miles today: 9.3
Weather: light rain

Mt Moosilauke, the last "Bad Boy" mountain I had between Port Clinton, Pa, my thru-hike completion point, and me. It was a TOUGH ONE, too!! How about a nearly 3,000 ft ascent in three and a half miles. In several stretches, it was as close to vertical as I want to get. When I was almost to the top of the north side ascent, the steep side, I stepped on a slippery rock and went head first down the side of Moosilauke. I rolled only 12-15 feet and was stopped by a tree in a soft bed of moss. I just went through my normal progression that I do when I fall. I wiggle my toes, my ankles, my knees, etc. Then, I check for blood and other awful things. Everything checked out...except one thing, I was on my back in a head down position and my pack was entangled in the limbs of the tree that I fell through. What I may call a very precarious position. I could barely move. I was virtually tied down by my pack tangled in the tree limbs. And, wouldn't you know it, I was hiking by myself today. After struggling and writhing around for a few minutes, I decided to try and get out of my pack harness. Finally, I did. Then, I flipped over on my stomach and I felt better already. Next, I rescued my pack from the medusa like tree limbs and put it on my back. I tried to climb back up to the ridge but I couldn't gain purchase in the soft, spongy moss. I grabbed one spindly fir branch and contorted myself out of the moss and got to solid ground. It only took a minute or so and I was back on the ridge. Would you believe that four local men climbed to where I was and when they saw me, they knew instantly what happened. Two of them asked me if I was ok. The third one asked if I needed help. I said, "no, thank you, I'm just gathering my composure so I can finish climbing this mountain." Then, the fourth man asked, "if you don' mind my asking, how old are you?" I just looked at him, thinking how I would like to sling his butt down the mountain. "I am 64 years old. Why do you ask?" He responded, "I think it's just wonderful what you're doing. You are an inspiration." Digging dirt out of my hair and beard, I didn't feel too inspiring.Well, I finished Mt Moosilauke and ended my day at Hiker's Welcome Hostel. There were probably 40 hikers there and I joined them in celebrating Labor Day with a cookout. I saw several of my old friends, Midway, Uncle Buck, Talker, Davy Crocket and others. Hercules & Hobbit were there, too. Another good day on the AT comes to a happy ending...Over and out for now,Sandman69
Date: 2013-09-02
From: Hiker's Welcome Hostel, Glencliff, NH

To: Hexacuba Shelter
Miles today: 14.8

This morning, I awoke to that familiar, old, staccato rat-a-tat-tat of rain drops falling on my tent. There were so many hikers at the hostel for the cookout that many of us had to pitch our tents in the yard, including me. Raining or not, I was hitting the trail and off I went.It rained sporadically all day. But, it turned out to be a pretty good day of hiking. No strenuous climbs today. I ended up at Hexacuba Shelter. A big shelter and I had it all to myself.Ciao for now,Sandman69
Date: 2013-09-03
From: Hexacuba Shelter

To: Holt's Ledge
Miles today: 12.8

Today was actually a pretty boring, uneventful day on the AT. I tented for the night just beyond Holt's Ledge. This would probably be my last day in New Hampshire and I was happy to be saying adios to The Granite State. It is absolutely beautiful. But, I'm sure I sweated more in NH than any state yet. It was a whole lotta work.That's about it for today...Sandman69
Date: 2013-09-04
From: Holt's Ledge

To: Norwich, Vermont
Miles today: 15.6

The hiking today was the easiest day I've had since I flipped to Maine. There were only two named mountains, Moose Mountain north peak and Moose Mountain south peak. They were not that challenging and the trail was pretty sweet and level. The high points of my day were meeting three of my trail friends I had not seen for over two months. With each one, we chatted and reminisced. Three nice little reunions with Ahvo, Jeff and Dimples. Toward the end of my hike, as I was nearing Hanover, NH, I saw a bright area down the trail in the forest. Because of the canopy of the trees, we hike in the shade most of the time. Even on sunny days, it's nearly dark in the forest, sometimes. I didn't think I was arriving in Hanover already. Well, I hiked for about 15 more minutes and I walked right out onto the Dartmouth College soccer field. Too bad they weren't playing a game for my arrival. The AT actually goes right through the campus. I was walking through the throngs of students, looking like an old homeless bum. It didn't seem to bother them.My first stop was The Black Family Recreation Club. They let hikers take a shower and wash their clothes for $5.00. That's a deal. After my clothes and I were clean, I thought I would find a room. Then, I decided I was ready to finish New Hampshire. So, I packed my gear and walked the two miles down Main Street across the bridge and into Vermont. Goodbye NH, hello Vermont. I ended up in The Norwich Hotel in Norwich, Vt. What an elegant hotel it is and the food was wonderful. I highly recommend it!The end of another good on the AT...Sandman69
Date: 2013-09-07
From: Norwich Inn, Norwich, Vt

To: Thistle Hill Shelter
Miles today: 13.2
Weather: overcast clouds

Leaving the little village of Norwich, I thought about all the charming little towns I had visited and the wonderful folks I had met in them. Many of them had spent their lives in those small towns. I wonder if they think their towns are as cool and inviting as I do. I certainly hope so. Those little towns and villages are a national treasure and I hope they survive forever.Another fairly easy day of hiking. No mountains on the elevation profile for today. There were a few lowly hills that lacked the stature or altitude to earn the esteemed title of Mount or Mountain. And, that's fine with me. I climbed enough mountains in Maine and New Hampshire to last me a lifetime. I like these Vermont hills just fine.My late start out of Norwich allowed me to log only 13.20 miles today. That brought me to Thistle Hill Shelter and Herc & Hobbit were there also. We had a nice evening and hit the bag about dark.Over and out for now,Sandman69
Date: 2013-09-08
From: Thistle Hill Shelter

To: Stony Brook Shelter
Miles today: 21.5
Weather: broken clouds

Today was a perfect hiking day, cool and fair. After my breakfast of instant strawberry cream oatmeal, a peanut butter tortilla and coffee mixed with hot chocolate and a square of dark chocolate melted in the mix, this drink is what I refer to as my tutti fruiti, double cross laate, or something, I hit the trail smokin' and strokin'!! There were several hills I had to climb and one mountain, Ascutney Mountain. But. When my day was done, I had hiked 21.5 miles. That is the most miles I logged in a day since six weeks ago in The Hundred Mile Wilderness. I found myself at Stony Brook Shelter. The Doctor and Foxy were there when I arrived, a young couple I had not met before. Yes, indeed, I like this little state of Vermont!Aloha for now, y'all,Sandman69
Date: 2013-09-09
From: Stony Brook Shelter

To: The Greenbrier Inn
Miles today: 6.1

Decided to go into town in Killington. But. before I go, I must climb Quimby Mountain, a spiffy little peak of 2,527 ft and a steep descent on the north side. It had been raining on me all day. Rain, and it's inherent problems, makes climbing any mountain a little more hazardous. When Quimby was dispatched, with no slips, falls or other disasters, I arrived at Vermont Hwy. 100. My target for this day, The Greenbrier Inn, was only a few hundred yards away. So, I didn't even have to hitch. The Greenbrier Inn is one of the best places if not the best place I have stayed on the AT or anywhere else. The Inn is not flashy or glitzy. It is quietly elegant. But, what makes it special is the service. It is a family owned and operated business and the innkeeper, Steve and his dad, Otto, make their guests feel like family. They are just sooo charming and engaging with everyone. And, it's obvious that they care deeply about each and every guest's comfort and satisfaction. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND the Greenbrier Inn in Killington, Vermont.That's all for now,Sandman69
Date: 2013-09-10
From: The Greenbrier Inn

To: Governor Clement Shelter
Miles today: 14.5
Weather: moderate rain

Looking at the Elevation Profile, today was going to be an up and down day. No major ups and downs, just a lot of minor ascents and descents. I was making pretty good time when I came to a trail intersection called the Maine Junction. There is another trail called the Long Trail. It runs from the Massachusetts border north through Vermont, to the Canadian border. From the Maine Junction going south, the AT and the LT run in conjunction or, they are the same trail. Where the LT forks off the AT, at the Maine Junction and goes toward Canada, both the AT and the LT have white blazes which we hikers use to find our way. I did not know both trails used white blazes. It is noted in our guidebook and there is also a sign at the Maine Junction. I missed both of these indicators. For nearly 1,700 miles, I had followed white blazes, knowing they were exclusive to the AT...except in this instance. Well, I took the first trail I saw with white blazes. It was the wrong one. I had only gone about 50 yards when I ran into another hiker. We only talked for a few minutes before we knew I was going the wrong way. How thankful I am I met that hiker. If not, I may be in Canada by now. As I have said before in my journal, our Lord looks after kids and fools and...I ain't a kid.My day ended at the Governor Clement Shelter. Herc and Hobbit were already there when I arrived and that made me happy.Sandman69
Date: 2013-09-11
From: Governor Clement Shelter

To: Greenwall Shelter
Miles today: 14.6
Weather: clear sky

Another day of minor ascents and descents and another day of walking in the rain...ugg. There was one little mountain, Bear Mountain, that broke the monotny today. It wasn't a hard climb but a long one. Herc, Hobbit and I hiked together most of the day. We walked in a pretty hard rain for several hours until we came to Clarendon Shelter where we took a break from the rain and hiking for an hour or so. Then we continued onward. Herc & Hobbit slowed a little and I hiked on ahead and spent the night at Greenwall Shelter with three hikers doing the Long Trail. Greenwall was a poor choice because the water source was very poor. A little stream that was pretty dried up even after all the rain we had. Also, the shelter was two tenths of a mile off the trail, according to our guidebook. It was actually closer to four tenths and all four of us agreed on this point. Most shelters/campsites are between 50 to 100 yards off the AT. Some are as much as a half mile or further. This means that these distances are in addition to the regular AT miles. The total AT trail miles is 2,185.5. I always wonder what the actual miles are including the distances from the AT to the shelters/campsites and the distances from the shelters to the water sources and the privies. My guestimate is probably an additional 100-150 miles on top of the actual AT miles.One consolation with Greenwall was a big new privy or, what we call out houses down south. One of the hikers, Carol, said all it needed to be perfect was an Adirondack chair on the veranda of the privy. Yes, it actually had a rather large deck built on the front of it.Over and out for now,Sandman69