morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2018-08-06
From: 1772.1 Smarts Mountain

To: 1793.1 Jeffers Brook Shelter
Miles today: 21.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Was up for the sunrise on top of the lookout tower,was very nice.  Hiked off smart then up and over cube which had a fun ridge of quartz, probably terrifying in the rain. Took a break in the views on cube.  Was with the same crew off and on all day: silverback,bryce,Andrew, Charles and cheddar.   After cube ( lunchtime) we went half a mile off trail on the highway to a lake to play in.
Date: 2018-08-08
From: 1809.0 Eliza Brook shelter

To: 1817.8 Franconia Notch
Miles today: 8.8
Weather: scattered clouds

Went over kinsman mountain which was awesome. The climb started off right next to the Brook and there were tons of waterfalls and Cascades. After leaving the Brook the trail had lots of cool rock sections and the views of Moosilauke were good. The clouds had lifted a bit after the rain so it was really awesome. Had expected overnight rain but did not get any.The descent on the north side of kinsman was intense. The rock sections were more numerous and there were many wooden steps bolted to the rock.  Got down to the lonesome lake AMC hut and swam in the lake. After that we hit the road and were able to get into town.  Dr Huss put some of us up at his place in North Woodstock. Silverback, Bryce and myself and then later we added in mouse Mama when she came down sobo. Hadn't seen her since VA(she flipped to kathadin) so it was awesome.
Date: 2018-08-09
From: 1817.8 Franconia Notch

To: 1828.4 stealth spot north of Garfield ridge.
Miles today: 10.6
Weather: light rain

Got up and it hadn't rained but the tstorms were still in the forecast so we chilled. Mouse Mama, silverback and Bryce were with me.  Went to Lincoln to get breakfast and the outfitters I got a small gas can. It should last the rest of the trail.By this point the forecast changed and didn't show any thunder so we caught a ride to the trail said goodbye to now sobo mouse Mama and started up to Lincoln mtn. It was pretty steep and a long climb of over 3000 feet. Being over treeline though was breathtaking. Great views to all sides. The Franconia ridge walk to lafeyette from there was awesome, all 3 of us kept stopping to take photos even though it was super windy.  From lafeyette we descended and went through forest to Garfield mtn, on the way 3 grouse scared me when they emerged from a stump by my face and flapped around. Bryce was right behind me and once I got over the initial shock, we had a good laugh. On top of Garfield we saw fedex and another hiker I hadn't seen since VA, they were planning to stay til sunset then night hike to a stealth spot past the pay camp/shelter. we didn't wait with them and it was a good thing as the trail was literally a waterfall at points and was just wet and steep. got water and found an awesome site for 3.
Date: 2018-08-10
From: 1828.4 stealth spot north of Garfield ridge.

To: 1845.5 Crawford Notch
Miles today: 17.1
Weather: clear sky

Got started after silverback and Bryce so assumed I was chasing them all day when I was actually ahead. They had went to Gorham hut .2 off trail which I skipped. Might have lost them if not for triple trail magic at Crawford notch. Whenever I thought about hiking on some new trail angel showed up with more supplies, until they arrived.  Great day Socked in to start. The climb to South twin passed by so many hikers from the hut. S. Twin was totally socked in and cold and windy while I was there. It got nice shortly thereafter. Lots of talus but very nice hiking all day.  Got some leftover oatmeal at the Zealand falls hut, good deal, show up and say you're a thru hiker and they give you all the leftover breakfast. Apparently you can work for lunch too, but I prefer the free stuff.  Played in the stream, saw lots of day hikers and camped by some railroad tracks with silverback Bryce fedex and wild turkey.
Date: 2018-08-11
From: 1845.5 Crawford Notch

To: 1863.7 stealth site downhill of Madison spring hut
Miles today: 18.2
Weather: light rain

started out right around 7. The climb out of Crawford gap wasn't bad and even had a bunch of little streams. A highlight was about a half mile walk along this rock cliff band. At the top of it we got out first views of Mt Washington, which stood out because of it's size and the weather station/buildings on top.  Went by 3 amc huts today, can't remember the first, lake of the clouds, and then Madison spring. Had a snack at the first one, lunch ($7 for soup and sandwich) at lake of the clouds, and checked into staying at Madison spring. They had a couple of work for stay spots, but only morning chores (aka leave after about 930) so we opted to not stay.  Going over Washington was a zoo. Between lake of the clouds hut and the peak I went by at least a hundred people. Then on the summit, tons of people everywhere. Stopped in for another snack and some battery charger time then headed out. Watching the little train thing go to and from the summit was interesting, it's super duper slow, feels almost like I could walk as fast.
Date: 2018-08-12
From: 1863.7 stealth site downhill of Madison spring hut

To: 1871.5 NH 16, Pinkham Notch
Miles today: 8.8
Weather: light rain

Had originally planned to go to Gorham from the next exit (20ish miles more north) but everyone was fried from the 18 over Washington, and the wet tarp camp didn't help either.  We got out late to a very foggy mt Madison. The talus was all very wet and slick so the going was real slow. Also sometimes the fog got so thick I couldn't see the next cairn. There was still quite a crowd of weekend folk from the hut on Madison but past that the trail was fairly empty. After about3 miles past Madison the trail got real nice and easy so we cruised down to the notch.  We hitched into town and got a motel room, in a place with a Jacuzzi. Wild turkey, FedEx,Bryce, silverback and myself.  Dinner at the saalt pub was great, hikers we had met in Norwich and again at Crawford notch, ctrlz and her crew joined us too.
Date: 2018-08-13
From: 1871.5 NH 16, Pinkham Notch . .

To: 1886.7 Mt Moriah
Miles today: 15.2
Weather: scattered clouds

Got a late start from town because some people needed to resupply a little. I didn't and I got one of the fastest hitches if the trail. The guy was a river guide and was real fun to talk to on the ride. At the notch some folks gave us this dope meat pasta.  The trail by the notch went by a river and was extremely scenic. The clouds rolled in fast though and as we started climbing took away all views. The climbing was crazy, it was like 3rd class stairs. By the time we got to the ski lift at the top was were all a bit tired.  From there to the Carter notch hut was completely socked in over another peaks which was supposed to have nice views.  The hut was by 2 really pretty lakes in a valley.talked to several sobos here.  We kept going and pushed on past imp camp as nobody wanted to pay the $10 to camp there. Finding stealth sites for so many was tricky, we had our 5 plus sweatlines and then ran into another cpuple nobo hikers too. I wasn't able to find a spot until most of the way up Mt Moriah, as the most picky person I guess.  On the plus side, I was the farthest north,and had a nice place to eat dinner in what was probably a dope view point. It was still really socked in thiugh so all I could see was white past the trees.
Date: 2018-08-14
From: 1886.7 Mt Moriah

To: 1899.5 Trident Col Campsite 
Miles today: 12.8
Weather: broken clouds

Was raining when I got up. Since I took my time and didn't start hiking until about 7. Wild turkey and FedEx went by early motivating me to get out of the tarp. The hike out was fairly steep and some of the rock sections were slick but it wasn't that bad. Once we hit the rattle River shelter it easy quite nice trail.  Resupplied mid day in Gorham, Went to the Walmart this time and got 3 days of food for Andover Maine.The lunch at the breakfast spot by Cumberland farms was excellent. Breakfasts looked dope too but I was feeling a burger (with jalapenos, bacon and an egg on top). Met a trail angel: stitches while drove us to McDonald's and then back to the trail. She was living in her car for now and was real chill.  Weather got nice while in town, was sunny most of the afternoon. The trail was drying out nicely, most of the rocks on the way to camp were dry but still some wet slick parts. Once at camp it looked nice But we heard thunder immediately after I postulated to Bryce and silverback that the weather might be good tomorrow.
Date: 2018-08-15
From: 1899.5 Trident Col Campsite 

To: 1916.7 Mahoosuc Notch north end
Miles today: 17.0
Weather: clear sky

Started hiking at 630, lots of spider webs. The 3 gentian lakes were all really pretty. The first one was super foggy so looked really cool.  Past the third one the trail was pretty steep and had lots of climbing til we dropped into the Maine border. Silverback Bryce and I sat here for a bit and chatted with some sobos. New Hampshire was definitely my favorite state so far, lots of views, talus, alpine environments and etc. Let's see how Maine is.After the border I got a little bit lost on north goose mtn but made it to the shelter just south of the mahoosuc notch. Wild turkey was there waiting for us, but FedEx had gone ahead already. It had supposed to be raining but it appeared to have blown through so we pushed on after getting water.  The notch was supposedly the hardest mile of the trail. Mouse Mama had told us her tale of taking six hours to do 4 miles between the arm and the notch. Turns out it was pretty overblown to me. It was basically just like a Sierra Boulder field. The same travel technique of keeping 3 points on made it pretty easy, I got there at 5pm when an exiting sobo couple told me they had hated it but that I would probably enjoy, and was through at 545. Even managed to pass wild turkey through it. There was camping immediately past so we ended our day saving the 1.5 mile climb up the arm for tomorrow.
Date: 2018-08-16
From: 1916.7 Mahoosuc Notch north end

To:  1933.3 Dunn Notch and Falls
Miles today: 0.0

Woke up at the north side of mahoosuc notch and It was extra dark in the morning, not sure exactly why, well I guess it started raining shortly thereafter as I was going up mahoosuc arm. At the top of the arm the cloud descended and it was really foggy. Went by the road to the shelter and started up the last 4k peak for a while: old speck.  After descending, the cloud went away and it turned into a wonderful sunny day, i dried out my tarp in the parking lot, and as I was leaving ran into Skeeter who was set up on the trail with trail magic. Had a couple Gatorades and snacks before heading up the hill.  The first hill baldpate was under 4k so not as popular as the higher peaks but it was super nice. The exposed rock top was a ton of fun, from there it descends a little them back up to another rock summit. The group of us silverback, wild turkey and Bryce got a reservation for a hostel in Andover and decided to camp by a waterfall coming up 12 miles before the exit to the town. Andrew from Kentucky caught us and joined our waterfall camp. He had a plan to finish by the 27th so he was pushing on and skipping town.
Date: 2018-08-17
From:  1933.3 Dunn Notch and Falls

To: 1944.1 South Arm Rd (paved), Andover, ME (9.0E)
Miles today: 10.8
Weather: light rain

Had a short day into Andover. Was supposed to be 12 miles from the falls that we were at.  It was extremely cold in the morning. My insides were not feeling good after having 4 breakfast essential packets in a liter of water. I think 3 is my limit.  The weather was awesome, after being super cold in the morning it was just a really nice sunny day. The forecast was for thunderstorms at night however so we were stoked to stay in town.  The second hill (moody) was short but it was crazy steep. Got to the road intersection at noon and went into town. Andover was a dope town, the restaurant was great and they had enough stuff to resupply at the hostel too.
Date: 2018-08-18
From: 1944.1 South Arm Rd (paved), Andover, ME (9.0E)

To:  1961.1 Sabbath Day Pond Lean-to
Miles today: 17.0
Weather: moderate rain

Got the 9am shuttle out of pine ellis with FedEx, wild turkey, silverback and Bryce and started up the hill. It started drizzling immediately. The cloud had risen a bit so we had some views but it was like a gray ceiling.  Took a while to get over the first hill.  Had to Ford a river.Stayed in the shelter by a 'pond' but it was massive.
Date: 2018-08-19
From:  1961.1 Sabbath Day Pond Lean-to

To: 1984.0 Woods road
Miles today: 22.9
Weather: light rain

Sunny day!First full sunny day in Maine. Gray skies cleared overnight and turned picturesque with lots of fluffy clouds.About 4 miles past the shelter came to s very nice pond that had canoes, went for a short ride around the pond and dived in off the canoe. Awesome.Trail magic in a box at hwy4. Candy.Saddleback was a 4k peak as was the Horn, shortly after it. Both had a shared Alpine area that was glorious in the sun. The views all around were great.  A group of 5 Maine hikers shared their lunch with me on saddleback summit, thanks guys!  I was unaware that my whole group ( turkey, FedEx, silverback and Bryce) had went to the hostel .3 miles off at hwy4 so I just climbed saddleback and got way ahead. At the shelter we were planning to get to I figured something was up cuz there was no sign of them. I still pressed on about 3 more miles to get to camp by a waterfall, figuring that they were ahead. I texted them and found they were actually behind me so I assumed I would see them in town tomorrow. It was a huge surprise when they showed up at my campsite right as I was hanging my food. Good times. Never had done the tramily thing so much on the PCT but this was genuinely awesome.
Date: 2018-08-20
From: 1984.0 Woods road

To: 2002.7 ME 27 (paved), Stratton, ME (5.0W)
Miles today: 18.7
Weather: scattered clouds

Hit 2000 miles today.Climbed over 2 4k peaks and a 3990 one earlier. The hiking was good, but the descent to the River in between the hills was rough.  Ended up at the Stratton motel/hostel with the crew (turkey, fedex, silverback and Bryce). I had to hustle the last mile downhill to make the shuttle. We made a huge group dinner of salad, spaghetti, garlic bread, and spaghetti squash.  Lots of sobo hikers today, lots of flipfloppers as well.
Date: 2018-08-21
From: 2002.7 ME 27 (paved), Stratton, ME (5.0W)

To: 2019.4 East Flagstaff Rd,
Miles today: 16.7
Weather: broken clouds

Started up the Bigelows, the last big mountains until kathadin after 930. Took our time making a group breakfast at the hostel before heading out. Had lots of fun there, another hiker sailaway was a wonderful pianist, and the caretaker, trout was a great dude. Trout had hiked last year and was super helpful, even managing to clean all the gross mold out of my drinking tube.  Swam in the pond between the summits. Lots of really nice views from all 3 or 4 summits we went to today.  Trout had been talking about meeting us at the road ~17 miles out of Stratton with trail magic and he delivered. He brought Irish car bombs (which 3 of our group had never before had) and sailaway came by as well (slackpacking). It was a really fun night. He said he's going to name room2 of the motel for us, which sounds awesome.   We camped in a campsite directly by the road he met us (and picked sailaway up from). It's supposed to rain at night and all day tomorrow so we're buttoned up pretty good.We have 18 miles until the big River that needs a boat crossing, and the ferry stops running at 2pm. Our plan for now is to try to crush the miles before 2 then go to a brewery (trout recommended, with a Jacuzzi) on the other side, but we'll see. 18 miles is a lot for before 2, even if the terrain looks easy.
Date: 2018-08-22
From: 2019.4 East Flagstaff Rd,

To: 2039.7 US 201, caratunk
Miles today: 20.3
Weather: light rain

Woke up early to try to get past the kennebec river on the ferry. The ferry only runs from 9 to 2 so we had to hurry, we were just a bit over 20 miles away.  The expected overnight rain never happened so I woke up at 4 and 530 dry. 4 was too early but at 530, got up and got hiking.  I was the first one on the trail but I Took a short break by the first beach we went by, but then the whole group went past me so I got moving. After all the big climbs and stuff recently the trail was super mellow today. It was really flat and in some parts was super smooth too. There was also a lot of boardwalk stuff.  Kept feeling like I was behind the 2pm timer, but I actually made it by 140 just after Bryce. The ferry guy was a guide that took us over in a canoe and told us about all the services available in caratunk nearby. I'd been soaked for like 5 hours so a brewery with a Jacuzzi sounded awesome.We headed into town and spent the rest of the afternoon/evening at the brewery/rafting lodge.
Date: 2018-08-23
From: 2039.7 US 201, caratunk

To: 2058.5 Moxie Bald Mountain Lean-to
Miles today: 18.8
Weather: clear sky

Had to do a little under 40 miles into town in two days So kinda took it easy. Took the 1130 shuttle instead of the 930 so we could relax inside a little more. I kinda had all my stuff loose and ended up leaving my hat in the shuttle after being dropped off. Seriously lucky though, a couple showed up immediately and talked to us, they had been in the Norwich trail angel list but moved to Maine. They were kind enough to drive me back to northern outdoors to retrieve it. That could have been a rough time but it ended up only being a 20m delay.  The hiking was mellow, sat with turkey and Bryce at pleasant pond for about an hour on the dock. Then we headed up the hill. Took my time going up over pleasant pond mountain and moxie bald mountain. The sun started setting as Bryce and I were climbing moxie bald so we got lots of pictures of the sun setting over Maine with the big river in the background.  We had been slow, so were way behind silverback, FedEx and turkey, so we decided to try to catch up with the others instead of camping on the summit. We had dinner near the summit and then started descending with headlamps. The descent was the hardest part of the day and all the bogs and stuff were there.  we made it down slowly and arrived to the shelter to find that strawberry and stretch had caught up to us( we'd all planned to be in monson together). There was also a party of trail workers so I chatted for them by a bit next to their fire.  Cowboy camped for the first time in a while because the weather forecast was nice.
Date: 2018-08-24
From: 2058.5 Moxie Bald Mountain Lean-to

To: 2076.4 ME 15 (paved), Monson, ME (3.6E) 
Miles today: 18.9
Weather: scattered clouds

Had to do a flat section into town. Started off really early but was going super slow. Everyone hiked past me about 2 hours into the day. There were 3 big river crossings where I took off my shoes to cross.  Just felt slow so I stopped by a nice stream and cooked up a spare dinner to try to perk myself up.  Trail went by a river for many miles so it was pretty nice. There was one part by a lake though that was swarming with biting bugs. This was awful, but eventually I got to the highway and got a shuttle ride to Shaw's.  Shaw's was huge, there was a ton of hikers around.
Date: 2018-02-20
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

 When I summited Katahdin in August 2014 it was with very mixed emotions. On one hand I was excited to be complete an incredible journey that started 4 months earlier in Georgia, but on the other I was not wanting the trail lifestyle to end. I remember having my picture taken at the famous brown sign with me just standing there. Many hikers bring costumes and have poses all planned out and I am just standing there. The person with my camera gave me a hard time and told me to do something, so I did the typical stand on the sign supports with my arms outstretched. I was already thinking then that I wanted to do this again. In 2015 and 2016 my wife and I travelled to Spain to walk the Camino which was also an awesome experience and one I was able to share with my wife. She loves the trail community and the walking but is not big on vertical and sleeping in the woods. The village to village walk of the various Caminos is perfect for her. The AT had gotten into my system and the thoughts of going back were with me every day. In 2017 my wife had rotator cuff surgery in April, so no trips for her so I decided to head north from the CT/NY border in early July with the intention of going to Katahdin. As soon as I started it did not sit well with me that I had not started at Springer and even though I could relate with the thru hikers, I was not part of that year¢s class. I called my wife and told her she should meet me in New Hampshire and we can do trail magic for a week before flying home to Phoenix. I did walk 300 miles last summer, but knew I wanted another go from Springer. So now I plan to fly to Atlanta on April 28th and start walking north. Last time it took me 126 days, so with any luck, I should be standing on Katahdin on September 1st. My 30 year old son is planning to walk the first 500 miles with me so that is an added bonus. He has done a little mountaineering (Whitney, Rainier) with me, but he has never backpacked, so a new experience for him. He was born in New Hampshire and lived in Vermont before moving to Arizona when he was going into 4th grade, so walking through the southern Appalachian Mountains will be a brand new experience for him.
Date: 2018-02-24
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: moderate rain

Having thru hiked in 2014 I did upgrade two things for my section hike last summer. Gravity water filtering system. I still used a Sawyer mini, but it is so much easier having a gravity system.NEMO air mattress. This is a bit noisier than the foam pads, but much more comfortable. I have purchased a new tent, but the same model ¢ Tarptent ProTrail. My son will be using my old one. It is 6 years old, but still in great shape. I also will be buying a new Gossamer Gear Mariposa backpack. My old one is also 6 years old and has 4,000 miles on it. I would use it again, but my son needs a pack. I am a big fan of trail runners, not boots. I also like the non-waterproof versions. My feet get hot while hiking, so the more breathable, the better. In the 4,000 miles I have never had blister problems caused by my footwear. I purchase a size larger than normal and lace them very loosely. Footwear is a personal choice, but I have seen tons of foot problems caused by heavy boots. At a minimum I would suggest you buy your footwear at the end of a long day on your feet. The Salomon XA 3D PRO is my choice of footwear. They are breathable but have a sturdy bottom. My base weight will be about 15 pounds not counting food and water. That includes a laptop as I have a small business that I will continue to take care of. Food is one thing I have not figured out. I do eat the typical pasta sides and poptarts. I do not use drop boxes, just buy what is available at whatever store we happen to be near. Last time I started without a stove, but bought one in Damascus. I do like being able to cook, so will definitely be bringing the stove on this trip. This system is far from perfect, but again works for me.