morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2003-07-08
From: Gorham, NH

To: Imp Campsite
Miles today: 8.0

Hmm. Well last nights stay at the Hikers Paradise was interesting. The guidebook said that they hold mail drops fro hiker, but upon staying there we found out that they don¢t and that they really messed up 3 people¢s food schedule by not accepting the packages when they arrived. The solution to this problem was to have the hikers stay at their hostel for an extra day and then try could have UPS come back to deliver the box to the hostel, at which point the hikers could intercept and get their box themselves. So the whole point of this is that the Hikers Paradise is a bit deceiving, and a money snatcher should you try to send a box there. However, I must say that Baden, the caretaker, is extremely hiker friendly and as helpful as can be within his limits. For his jobs sake, I would advise people to stay there, just don¢t send a drop box there or you¢ll be set back at leas a day and have to pay for the extra day too. So anyway, enough of that and onto the rest of the news of today. Mt. Moriah didn¢t take as long to hike up as I thought it would, but it felt long. That could have been due to wearing a watch today¢¦ something I haven¢t done in a while. At the summit we (Gramber, Moped, 3oz and I) had lunch and started the Appalachian Summit Sunbathing club. The guys weren¢t really as into it as I was, but we all have a pretty bad ¢farmers tan¢ from our shorts and t-shirts¢¦ so we had to do something (my opinion, not theirs). Tonight we¢re staying at Imp campsite, my first paying shelter. Too bad we can¢t stealth camp through the whites, it¢s probably going to eat my bank account this way¢¦ but then again, so are town stays. I should just face and get over the fact that this trip is putting me into debt. On the brighter side, it¢s also giving me ideas of how to get out of debt when I finish. Camp Chewanki sounds very cool, with year round environmental education positions supplemented by moth long trips leader positions during the summer. I¢ll have to check that out more when I get home. I¢ve also talked to some great folks, and gotten more advice on (and names of) different outdoor organizations for troubled youth. Yeah! Lots of research and phone calls to go home to I¢m sure! Well its dark now so I¢m going to shut my eyes. Tomorrow will be a long day and I¢ll need my sleep. Goodnight.
Date: 2003-07-09
From: Imp Campsite

To: Pinkham Notch
Miles today: 14.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Woo hoo! 14 miles today and I still had time for some sunbathing on the top of Wildcat Mtn. and 2 cups of hot coco at Carte Notch Hut. Mmm.. those were really enjoyed because it¢s been a pretty cool day today ¢ weather wise. I got some more trail magic today Granola bars from a fellow thru-hiker (¢97) and watermelon slices 2 dats ago when 3oz and I hitched into town! I got my maildrops today too and was so excited to find birthday cards and Nana¢s homemade granola waiting for me! Thanks Nana and Ted, that¢s the best! Mom and Dad, thank you for helping me with REI and food drops¢¦ you¢re doing so much for me and this hike and I really appreciate it all. Tonight Grambler, 3oz and I are tenting it and in 2 days I¢ll be atop Mt. Washington. Awesome views of the presidentials today. Great hiking too! Occasional knee banging on the steep hike down from Wildcat, but they¢ll be fine tomorrow I¢m sure. Thanks everyone!
Date: 2003-07-10
From: Pinkham Notch

To: Madison Hut
Miles today: 8.0

Yea! Today has been an excellent, superb, fabulous, -all about tidi- day! The day started out with opening up my birthday cards that I had gotten in the mail. Thank you Nana & Ted, Mom, Dad, & Gretta! I loved the letters-and the granola! :) ¢Oh, I forgot to add, my birthday technically started last night when Grambler hitched a 20 mile ride into town & back to bring us some of the local brew. That was pretty special¢thanks grambler! Then it was letters in the morning that I got to open when I woke up. Then the guys (Grambler, & 3 oz. ) bought me breakfast (coffee, cornmuffin & grapefruit) from the visitors center. Yea! I just wasn¢t expecting such kindness¢¦and the list goes on too! We hiked from the visitors center to Osgood tentsite where I ate lunch & sunbathed for an hour. The weather was perfect for the climb up from there, sunny, 70¢s, with a breeze. I met the boys at the hut around 3 pm and decided to stop here and not push another 7 miles to Lake of the Clouds¢even though the forecast for tomorrow doesn¢t sound that great. Grambler decided to push on for that hut though. At Madison Hut I met fisherking-who¢s been hiking in front of us nearly the whole way. He told me that he met Leif leading group of Omni campers along the trail. I thought that was pretty cool. I can¢t wait to see Leif myself in Lincoln. The three of us, fisherking, 3oz. and I all got to work for our stay tonight at the hut. I really enjoyed helping out & not feeling like just a guest. That night Coop & Tex hiked big miles just to catch up with us for my birthday. And Next Step & his dog Jerry showed up too. It¢s great to feel so special to these guys. 3oz surprised me with a no-bake cheesecake and the whole hut crew sng happy birthday to me that night. Surrounded by friends & receiving their love & gifts¢¦it was just great!Thanks guys-you¢ve made my birthday just awesome. That night I slept underneath a table & slept well!
Date: 2003-07-11
From: Madison Hut

To: Madison Hut
Miles today: 0.0

Today has turned out to be true to the forecast although I made my birthday with for sun & 70¢s. We (next step, coop, tex, 3oz, & I ) decided to stay the day & night at Madison Hut. A few hikers have come up to the hut from other trails, mostly below tree line, and they are just drenched & cold looking. I¢m starting to feel like less of a wimp for deciding to stay inside today vs. hiking above tree-line to Mt. Washington. The temperature is 22 degrees with wind-chill plus rain! Actaully, the Auto road up Mt. Washington was closed today¢that¢s one way to tell that it¢s a bad day to hike that Mtn., huh? I¢ll be paying 12.00 for a table to sleep on tonight & I¢m just happy with that. Best & Moped caught up with us today from Pinkham notch. Both are warming up right now. Vent, OD, J¢Amiee, & Nick are 1-2 days behind us. Doesn¢t look like they¢ll catch up today. At the hut we¢ve been eating very well, plyin Uno, Spdes, Jigsaw puzzles, & knitting (me). Sometimes it¢s nice to have a day to relax. Tomorrow should be much better weather so I¢m glad that we¢ll do the ridge then¢¢cause the views from here should be awesome & something I wouldn¢t want to miss on this trip.
Date: 2003-07-12
From: Madison Hut

To: Rt. 302
Miles today: 18.0

Wow! Today was such a big day. It was my longest mileage day so far, and the weather changed a lot over the course of the day-making it feel like I had seen & done a lot since I woke up. The hike from Madison to Mt. Washington was actually a fairly easy ridgewalk-yet I was still stoked when I got to the top!The cog railway smelled awful and was the loudest noise I had heard in a long while. (the AT parallels the train route for a while). I didn¢t ¢moon¢ the train, as I was told was a thru-hiker tradition, for the simple reason that it¢s also tradition for the train conductor to throw coal rocks at those who do moon the train¢¦and I didn¢t want to get pelted¢¦(and get yet one more bruise!). The majority of my walk to Mt. Washington was thru. Clouds. It felt both eerie & mystical. At the top the sun came out a bit more¢which made the rest of my day fairly nice. It¢s amazing how I still get sucked into gift shops though. Must be an estrogen thing! So, yes, there were a few stops at the summit building, and then I was on my way again. Another brief stop at Lake of the clouds hut-where I picked up some bread & chowder for lunch. Then it was another fairly easy hike to Mizpah Hut¢although I extended my hiking time with a sit down break just looking out at the mountains of NH, when Mt. Washington & it¢s towers were finally out of view (all the other mountains looked genuine). I made a hot dinner at Mizpah and gave my ¢work for stay¢ spot to Best-because it was 3:30pm and I thought I could kick another 6 miles & catch up with Tex & Coop¢¦who are always at the front of our pack. I made 4 miles to Webster Cliffs when the rain started to fall and the sky darkened. Between that bad news and the forewarning from a dayhiker that I had a rough descent in front of me, I decided to set up camp on the ridge amidst a few lonely trees. The wind was howling and it wasn¢t the best place to put up my tarp, but there weren¢t a lot of options, so I did my best. At 7:30 pm-after I was snuggled into my sleeping bag and trying to ignore the wind & remaining rain, I heard & saw a hiker walk past. Amazing! So I figured if he could do it at this late hour, than I could too. I got out of my tarp, repacked my wet gear and literally trucked those last two miles down to the road. The descent was NOT that bad-despite what I had been told- and most of the time I found that I could jump and kind of skip/jog the trail down just fine. A big surprise when I¢ve been used to carefully taking each step to avoid the slippery rocks & roots. It must have been adrenaline that helped me beat the fading sun and arrive at my destination with breath & energy & excitement. Out of an 18 mile day, the last 2 miles were really fun! Now that¢s a change!!! I met up with Tex & Coop and set up my tarp for the final time that day. This time, the set up was nicer & I slept well.
Date: 2003-07-13
From: Rt. 302

To: Galehead Hut
Miles today: 15.0
Weather: light rain

Woo Hoo!!! Work for stay # 2 Today was pretty rough for me despite being 3 miles shorter thn yesterday and despite all the flat sections today. (there was one 5 mile stretch ¢gravel on top of dirt¢ that I just booked it on. That was great, and maybe also what made the day hard by the end.) Anyway, I¢m getting warmed up from the rain (at the end of the day), eating my extra food, socializing with the hut crew, (almost all of them are students > late 20¢s¢¦and funny as hell) and anticipating seeing Leif & his family tomorrow. I can¢t wait! Looking forward to good friends, a shower, laundry, & a bed. Oh, and for my poor memory, Zealand Hut & Galeland Hut are both beautiful & clean places to stay!!!
Date: 2003-07-14
From: Galehead Hut

To: The OlsenÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs House (woo hoo!)
Miles today: 14.0

Today was a GREAT day! I had an awesome (and also from what I understand, one of my last) ridge-walk today from Mt. Lafayette to Mt. Lincoln. I had the rest of my granola bars for lunch atop both peaks. Then I made it down to the Flume Visitors Parking Lot an hour earlier than expected!!! (yea for the speedy snail). I wasn¢t worn out at all today. Yea! Now that I¢m in town, I¢ve taken a shower, had an all you can eat salad (no iceberg lettuce, woo hoo!), veggie pizza, washed my clothes, and gotten hugs. I feel great! I can¢t even describe how good it feels to be in town with close friends & ¢family¢. The Olsen¢s are just awesome, and are so good to me. Thank you!!! You¢re all very special and wonderful people to me. I love you all so much! :)Leif & I went out to the bar tonight and he was able to meet Tex & Coop who stayed the night at the hostel in North Woodstock. Apparently 3oz came into town too today, but we didn¢t see him. I¢ll be in town taking a 0-day tomorrow in hopes that more Sobo-friends come into town tomorrow. Maybe while waiting we¢ll play mini golf, or watch Finding Nemo ( I really want to see that flick), or go to the water park. Yea for town options, and people with cars willing to take you places!
Date: 2003-07-15
From: The OlsenÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs House (woo hoo!)

To: The Olsen's House (yippee!)
Miles today: 0.0

Errands, errands, errands. That's all that mat & I did today. Some days are just like that i suppose. Still, it was great to be in his company again-can't say enough about good friends & good hugs!That night we went out for dinner at the Station-my favorite restaurant in that area. Yummy, nachos & a margherita...don't get that on the trail too often, so I enjoyed it while i could!
Date: 2003-07-16
From: The Olsen's House (yippee!)

To: The Olsen's House (I love them!)
Miles today: 0.0

...And the errands have finally ended today. I found some biker shorts to minimize the chafing and a cute skirt to replace my "town dress". Actually, I'll be hiking in a skirt now too...yup, us gals like to change our wardrobe around every now & then!Mat left to go back to camp this afternoon-it's amazing how much time has gone by already...his 1st session at camp has already ended. Strange when i think that i could have been working there too this summer. Sometimes when I'm away hiking I forget that time is still moving on for folks in the 'real' world too. Things will always be different when i return-but it's hard to remember that truth. Tonight i had dinner with just Ruth & Paul (Mat's parents), and we had a great time. I really enjoyed hanging out and talking with them as people outside of the context of being mat's parents. I just really love the whole Olsen family-thanks guys for cleaning, housing, & feeding me...nevermind chauffeuring me around both days!
Date: 2003-07-17
From: The Olsen's House (I love them!)

To: Eliza Brook Shelter
Miles today: 9.0
Weather: broken clouds

Not too bad a day today. Ruth brought Next Step, Fisher, Jerry, & I to the trail head in the morning & we parted ways. i loved staying with the Olsens & I'll miss & think of them often along my hike to be sure. It was a bit hard for me to say goodbye to them all-especially Mat. I hiked most of the day next to Fisher-and we lamented over the fact that we're now officially out of the "hut" territory. Thanks AMC! We've loved staying at your huts, & eating your lunchtime goodies! A few good views today, one climb, and we're in the shelter for the night. I've been asking northbounders today in they've heard, met or seen Ms. Kitty (Laura) yet. The word on the trail at the moment is..."well, i think i've met Goldberry, the name sounds familiar." And since Ms. Kitty and Goldberry are hiking together, I'm guessing that I'll see them in 2-3 days. I can't wait!July & NH will probably be my best times on the trail due to its beauty here and all the family and friends that I'm seeing in this state and during this month.
Date: 2003-07-18
From: Eliza Brook Shelter

To: Glencliff Hostel
Miles today: 17.5

Today Started out with some fairly easy leg work, and few mountaintop views. Fisher and I were meeting and talking to nearly everyone we passed and before we knew it, the light thunder that we¢d heard in the distance soon came to be over our heads. Luckily we were at Rt. 112 Kinsman Notch parking lot by that point, so we lunched it, covered our packs, and sheltered ourselves under the map stand there. When the rain died down we began our climb up Mt. Moosilauke. Sure enough, the rain found us again and we were drenched by the time we hit Beaver Brook Shelter. We stayed there until our ¢make it or stake it¢ deadline of 4 pm. Turned out that by 4 the clouds and rain lifted dramatically and we made a break for it up and over Mt. Moosilauke and down into Glencliff on the other side. Mt. Moosilauke ranked up there with the presidential ridge run, the Franconia Ridge, that night on Sugarloaf, and the day over Saddleback. Simply an awesome summit and on that I¢d like to take my folks up to, although perhaps by a different route, check out the sign!At the Hostel I showered, ate pizza and soda, met a bunch of fun Northbounders, watched Super Troopers (pretty funny flick!) and heard from Nobo¢s that I¢d see Ms. Kitty in the AM as she¢s slackpacking to this point with her parent today. Although I¢d definitely rearrange plans for that gal. I love her and I¢m so excited to see her. It was funny to hear all the Nobo¢s want to tell me her message of ¢hi, I¢ll be here tomorrow AM¢ first, once they realized I was the snail she was hoping to see. Apparently I¢ll also run into a Snail in a few days going Nobo. I wonder who fits the name better, he or I?
Date: 2003-07-19
From: Glencliff Hostel

To: Hexacuba Shelter
Miles today: 15.0
Weather: scattered clouds

I¢ve impressed myself today with both my stupidity and perseverance. Pizza and soda the night before a hike doesn¢t typically set a good hiking pace for me the next day. I know this. This is the dilemma I run into at every town. Eat the food I crave while hiking and then feel like crap the next day. So anyhow, I¢m keeping up with habit and hoping that someday I¢ll learn. Today I felt like crap. And yet, coming out of town, fisher, Next Step and I all managed to push a good 15 miles today. (That¢s the perserverance I was talking about.) We picked up some leftover chili from the Ore Hill Shelter where we stopped for dinner. It had chicken beef fats in it¢¦ but my vegetarian inclination had been steadily dwindling since I¢ve been hiking, and those ingredients didn¢t bother me at all. In fact I had a bite of Fisher¢s ¢Meat Madness¢ pizza last night too and it was good!Today we got our first cooler of trail magic along the trail. One soda each, which Fisher and I carried to the top of Mt. Cube and then celebrated there. Again, I haven¢t learned from my past¢¦ soda and trail don¢t mix well. The Hexacube shelter was pretty sweet and I wish I had taken a picture to show. Instead I got a picture of my cigar toke at the end of the day. Thanks for sharing boys! Dad this picture¢s fro you. Your little lady. ¢ ha!
Date: 2003-07-20
From: Hexacuba Shelter

To: Moose Mtn. Shelter
Miles today: 18.0
Weather: broken clouds

Yee ha. Our first 5 miles today were uphill to Smarts Mtn. Where we climbed the fire tower and were able to get a view of the Dartmouth Skiway, Moose Mtn. and perhaps Killington in the distance. The destination endpoint for me today is Moose Mtn. although the boys are talking about pushing 29 miles into town tonight. Men! I met Laura McDaniel, a friend of Bruce¢s as I was descending Smarts Mtn. and I met a Northbounder named Snail that I¢d hear about. We got pictures together and he said he¢d been hiking with Ms. Kitty for a while and was looking forward to meeting his twin (me). Yea for snails! A long day today, but tomorrow is mostly downhill and into town where I¢ll meet my grandparents and aunt and uncle. Yeah!!!
Date: 2003-07-21
From: Moose Mtn. Shelter

To: Marion and BruceÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs House
Miles today: 11.0

Last night it was Fisher, myself and a northbounder in the small shelter. Apparently Next Step had pushed the 29 miles. Good for him! I had a lazy morning, journaling and leaving around 8am. The hike to Velvet Rocks was easy and although my pace wasn¢t rushed, I was making better time than I had anticipated. I met Skeemer, a Nobo, who just raved about Trailjournals. He sends warm wishes to Leif and Zipdrive and encourages all to donate to their site, as he has himself. He said that the journals and forums there helped him buy the best gear and prepare for his hike. So warm wishes from him, Leif!Atop Velvet Rocks I got the best surprise ever, my sister hiked up with Uncle Bruce and Ellie (black lab) to meet me! I was expecting and looking forward to seeing Bruce, but Gretta totally surprised me. You Rick Gertie! That was excellent! She even packed me a great sandwich, I guess sisters are telepathic and can just sense when the other ones vegetarian ideals have gone down the tubes. Many thanks, I love you so incredibly much Gretta. We all hiked down to Bruce and Marion¢s house and I did the usual and much needed shower and laundry deal. Omi and Opa showed up in the late afternoon and we all watched one of Bruce¢s infamous and adored slideshows before heading out for dinner. At dinner everyone luckily was able to meet Best and Fisher (and Best¢s sister) by happenchance. It was concluded that I was indeed hiking with great people and friends. We sang a few rounds of Happy Birthday to both Jamie (Best¢s sister) and Uncle Bruce that night and back at home enjoyed Aunt Marion¢s awesome blueberry cobbler. I even got to speak to both Britta and Morgan (my cousins) over the phone that night. Everyone has been extremely supportive and helpful. I just absolutely love my family and know that this trail would be very different and inarguably a whole lot harder without all of your love. Thank you. Love to you all. ¢ Snail.PS ¢ for the record, I have apparently missed seeing Ms. Kitty somehow. She must have either not stopped at the Gelncliff ¢Hiker¢s Welcome¢ or was off the trail and with her visiting parents when I walked by. I¢ve sent messages to her with other hiker friends of hers that I¢ve met and passed but it appears that I won¢t see her until I near Delaware (where she¢ll be going back for grad school.) Know that I miss you Ms. Kitty and wish for an awesome ending to your hike. Hugs, Snail.
Date: 2003-07-22
From: Marion and BruceÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs House

To: WaterÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs House
Miles today: 0.0

Good thing I¢m taking a zero today because the rain has been coming down hard all morning. Marion, Fisher, Best, Dyog (I just met him today, another great sobo), and I all spent about 2 hours in EMS shopping for goodies and pooling our purchases for some great discounts. I was treated to 2 great trail shirts complements of Aunt Marion, thank you! Then we all went out for lunch together and filled our tummies. After that we had a few more errands, mostly consisting of food shopping and then it was home to organize and help make dinner. That night Best, Fisher, Fox, Roman, and I went out to the movies and saw Finding Nemo, and awesome flick that I highly recommend. Following that we all hit up the local Ben and Jerry¢s for some yuppie ice-cream. When I walked back to Marion and Bruce¢s I got to see and talk to the Couches (some reall good family friends that were over for dinner). I really enjoyed my time at Marion and Bruce¢s. I felt just like their kind, totally at home. Thanks for such an awesome stay, the meals out, hiking with Bruce, shopping with Marion, and all of the support you¢ve given me. My friends from the trail just loved you guys too!
Date: 2003-07-23
From: WaterÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs House

To: Thistle Hill Shelter
Miles today: 14.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Tough leaving today, although I guess it always is with family or friends. The roadwalk out of town actually marked the end of our NH hike and the beginning of VT! The rain was on and off today and the terrain was markedly different form NH. Seeing the small farms segregated by forests made me feel such a longing to live here in VT, on a farm. Each state has its beauty. For me, Main has its ocean line, NH has its peak views, and VT has its farms surrounded by forests. I¢m starting to think that this hike is my buyer¢s tour for property, so many beautiful places that I could picture myself living in or near. We walked through some tree farms today, I wonder how many people actually noticed. Stringer (forestry major ) and I talked about that at camp tonight. Tonight the shelter is full with Northbounders and I wanted to try out my new bug net, so far I¢m loving it! Very roomy, a step up from the bug jacket. The hike was pretty easy today, which surprised me for a hike following a zero day¢¦ maybe it had something to do with the milkshakes we got in West Harford, VT. When we walked through that small town! Tomorrow may be my first 20 mile day, so I¢m turning off the headlamp now and going to get my rest. Night!