morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2015-06-18
From: .1 mile north of Galehead Hut (1829.2)

To: Saco River (1843.9)
Miles today: 14.7
Weather: overcast clouds

Day 124 - Thursday, June 18, 2015345.3 miles to KatahdinGot lost again today and paid the price - an extra 1.6 miles of up and down. There are relatively few white blazes - trail markers - in New Hampshire. One section has no white blazes. OK, OK, Temper didn't get lost when she passed that intersection, and neither did the Hiking Vikings. But still, it could have happened to anyone.We all ate lunch at the Zealand Falls Hut. The Huts allow hikers to fix their own lunches inside. They have breakfast leftovers, and they have soup ($2) and coffee ($1) for sale. Cookies ($1) too.It was a long day for all of us - 14.8 miles in New Hampshire is not nothing. And I did an extra 1.6 miles. You know the rule, don't you? If you're gonna be dumb, you gotta be tough.I continue to fall a lot, once or twice every day, half a dozen times some days. Wet, slick rocks, especially on a downhill, wet rocks and mud, sooner or later they get you, no matter how careful you are. But so far, no injuries.Styles and Hulk caught up with us this afternoon. It was good to see them again. I won't be able to hike with them, they're just too fast. But we were ahead of them at day's end - they decided to call it a day before we did - so I'll definitely see them again.
Date: 2015-06-19
From: Saco River (1843.9)

To: Lakes of the Clouds Hut (1855)
Miles today: 11.1
Weather: overcast clouds

Day 125 - Friday, June 19, 2015334.2 miles to KatahdinIt rained all night and into the morning. We were in for it again.The four of us - the Vikings, Temper, and I - were hoping to have lunch at the Mizpah Spring Hut, a mere 6.3 miles, and then work for stay at the Lakes of the Clouds Hut, for a total of 11.1 miles for the day.We climbed from 1,263 to 5,106 feet in the rain, and the higher we climbed, the harder it rained, accompanied by lots of wind. Not a good day. Styles and Hulk caught us at the summit and helped us find the tail down. Visibility was near zero, but Styles had hiked that area many times. We were all soaked by the time we arrived at Mizpah Spring. The good news: you can only get so wet. I changed into a dry shirt and ate two bowls of soup. The rain tapered off and the afternoon was much better. All six of us got work for stay at the Lakes of the Clouds Hut (they were having a party for scores of donors the next day and needed some deep cleaning done. I cleaned the stove; Temper cleaned silverware. I don;t know what the Vikings were cleaning, but they were doing it with toothbrushes.)Work for stay is not all sweetness and light. The work part is OK - a welcome change, actually. But you don;t get to go to bed until the paying guests (over $100 for two meals and a bunk bed) have retired for the evening. And some of them begin getting up about 4:15 a.m. So that's when your day begins too.But the supper leftovers were pretty good, and I stuffed myself.BTW, I got to play some cards, Hearts, my favorite card game, this afternoon. Lost on the last hand, much to my surprise. I'm a right good Hearts player, even if I do say so myself.And who won?Temper.By the way, her trail name isn't Temper because she has a bad one. She used to work in a chocolate shop, making chocolate - and to make it hard, you "temper" chocolate.
Date: 2015-06-20
From: Lakes of the Clouds Hut (1855)

To: Nelson Craig Trail (1868)
Miles today: 13.0

Day 125 - Saturday, June 20, 2015321.2 miles to KatahdinUp at 4:15 a.m. The Hut guests who wanted to get an early start were getting their gear together as quietly as they could, but not quiet enough.But that was OK. Today would be an exciting day - we were going to climb the fabled Mt. Washington. It claims to have the worst weather in the world, with a record wind speed of 231 mph.But not today. Today was perfect. Blue sky, lots of sun, and a light breeze. Temper and I left the Hut first and climbed Washington in just a little over an hour. We checked out the Visitor Center - there's a road, and train tracks to the top, so they have lots of tourists - and I ate a second breakfast: a sausage and egg sandwich and coffee.The rest of the day was tough - lots, LOTS of ups ad downs and lots of trail changes. South of New Hampshire, another trial piggybacks on the AT. Here, it's the reverse: the AT is doing the piggybacking. If you're not careful, you can get lost in a minute.Today we started on the Crawford Path, then we took the Trinity Heights Connector, the Gulf Side Trail, the Osgood Trail, the Osgood Cutoff, the Great Gulf Trail, the Madison Gulf Trail, and, finally, the Old Jackson Road where we tent camped in a nearby woods.
Date: 2015-06-21
From: Nelson Craig Trail (1868)

To: Nineteen Mile Brook Trail (1875.7)
Miles today: 7.7
Weather: light rain

Day 126 - Sunday, June 21, 2015313.5 miles to KatahdinIn rained all night. The floor of my tent leaked, and almost everything was wet, including my bag liner, which I didn't need last night and left laying beside my down sleeping quilt. Not good. Down doesn't insulate when it's wet.But we were up and at 'em early because less than two miles away we could (and did) get breakfast at an eat-all-you-can restaurant, my favorite kind.I had two scrambled eggs, two servings of hash browns, a blueberry muffin, a sausage pattie, 10 pieces of bacon, two glasses of orange juice, two glasses of apple juice, a bowl of fruit, and three cups of coffee. Oh, and four pancakes. After that, we had a difficult day. How difficult? We hiked six miles across four peaks of Wildcat Mountain in a little over six hours. "Hiking" is a euphemism for what we actually did. As is the word "Trail." Slow going tends to be the rule when moving up and down sheer rock faces hand-over-hand, looking for small crevices for hand and toe holds.And yes, it rained.We couldn't get work for stay at Carter Notch Hut, but they gave us a big bowl of eggs, and a huge hunk of park, and some bread. We ate it all and camped about a quarter of a mile from the Hut.
Date: 2015-06-22
From: Nineteen Mile Brook Trail (1875.7)

To: Gorham, NH (1890.9)
Miles today: 15.2
Weather: light rain

Day 127 - Monday, June 22, 2015298.3 miles to KatahdinIt rained all night. Everything, almost everything, is wet. And it was still raining when my alarm went off at 5.No Pop Tarts for breakfast this morning. Im out of Pop Tarts. No candy to eat on the trail, either. I'm out of almost everything.And I was looking at a 15.2 mile day - huge by New Hampshire standards - to a hostel near Gorham, NH, called White Mountains Lodge and Hostel.I didn't want to get up, go out and get wet again, and hike up and down all day in the rain. But you really don't have a choice. So we all packed up and did what had to be done. I tried to stay focused: in Gorham, I would get a hot shower, dry, clean clothes, and more food. A supply box and another pair of boots were waiting for me at the hostel.Yesterday was the toughest ascent I've made on this hike; today would be the tough descent. New Hampshire has certainly lived up to its reputation. It's difficult. No, ridiculous is more descriptive, not a trail at all to my way of thinking. It's mountain climbing, looking for toe holes, and cracks in the sheer rock walls into which you can insert your fingers.It rained most of the morning, and by the time we ducked into a shelter for lunch - I ate the last of my peanut butter and grape jelly - I was soaked again, and shivering.And then it stopped raining and the sun came out. This afternoon, I almost bought the farm. I was making my way down a cliff, holding on to small tree branches, trying to get the toe of at least one boot onto a narrow ledge below. But I couldn't reach it. And I couldn't hold on, either. In a few seconds, I'd have to let go, drop a few inches (or a foot?), and hope I landed firmly on the ledge. I called Nate's name and said, "Help me. I cant hold on." Nate, one the of the Vikings, got below me in a few seconds, put his foot on the rock wall just below mine and said, "I've got you, Lucky. Let go!"All the way around it was a difficult day. But we got to the hotel. And the shower, and the resupply, and the clean clothes.Tomorrow's forecast - more rain, accompanied by lightning.I can't wait to get out of New Hampshire - only 16.5 miles to go. And then only Maine will remain.
Date: 2015-06-23
From: Gorham, NH (1890.9)

To: Trident Col Campsite (1897.8)
Miles today: 6.9
Weather: light rain

Day 128 - Tuesday, June 23, 2015291.4 miles to KatahdinNate, Sharon (the Hiking Vikings) and I decided to hide from the rain and lightening forecast for today and delay our departure from the White Mountains Lodge and Hostel until early afternoon, when we thought the worst of it would be over.Temper decided to leave this morning. She enjoys our company and we enjoy hers, but she wants to finish her hike by July 14 at the latest. So she left with a section hiker named B.C.(That¢s the way it works. You leave when you¢re ready to go; other hikers do too. And maybe you meet up later on the trail somewhere. Or not.)The three of us left at 1 p.m. under what looked like clearing skies. Twenty-two minutes later it began to rain. Hard. We were soon soaked. It looked to me like Temper had made the right call and we had wasted half a day.The Vikings and I camped that evening at the Trident Col Campsite after hiking 6.9 miles. That¢s not bad given the weather, a late departure and, remember, we¢re still in New Hampshire.It stopped raining long enough for us to pitch our tents and then began again, accompanied this time by lightening and thunder. One strike was so close ¢ it seemed like less than a second between the flash and the BOOM! ¢ it frightened all of us.It¢s only 9.6 more miles to the border now. By tomorrow afternoon I¢ll be in Maine and New Hampshire will be history. I can¢t wait. Most everything I¢d had heard about New Hampshire has turned out to be true ¢ the trail here is exceeding difficult.***Shouldn¢t I have begun to feel some elation by now, knowing that the end is near?   I haven¢t. Not yet.
Date: 2015-06-24
From: Trident Col Campsite (1897.8)

To: Full Goose Shelter (1912.3)
Miles today: 14.5
Weather: few clouds

Day 129 - Wednesday, June 24, 2015276.9 miles to KatahdinI crossed the border into Maine today at 3:45 p.m.Yea!The trail is much better marked but the terrain hasn¢t changed much, not in the first four miles. (Those four miles took me four hours to hike ¢ a blazing one mile an hour.) I didn¢t expect the trail to get better right away but it will. It will.I¢ve already noticed that Maine has more rebar to help hikers climb boulders and more ladders, too. In New Hampshire you are pretty much on your own.***I¢m starting to see more SoBos. Saw my first a couple of days ago. Now I¢ve seen a total of, maybe, ten.***BTW, I forgot to mention that there were a number of old trail friends staying at the White Mountains Lodge and Hostel Monday night --Twisted, Storm, Bruin, Styles, Hulk, Apollo, Rising Sun and Mango. And I met two new hikers, Cashmere, a college professor from Georgia who is doing a flip flop through hike (She hopes to finish in 100 days.) and B.C., a section hiker.
Date: 2015-06-25
From: Full Goose Shelter (1912.3)

To: A mile south of Baldpate Lean-to (1923.3)
Miles today: 11.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Day 130 - Thursday, June 25, 2015265.9 miles to KatahdinI was hiking uphill when I heard it coming at me. A bird, the size of a small chicken, flew out of the woods to my left, straight at my head. I ducked. It wheeled around and made a second pass, down the trail, straight at me. I whacked it with one of my hiking poles and killed it.Later I learned that a bird, maybe the same bird, flew at two other hikers, including Styles, who was a mile or two ahead of me.I hated to leave that fat thing laying on the trail ¢ it seemed wasteful ¢ but we don¢t cook, we boil water, mostly. And pour it on dehydrated food, some store bought, some prepared at home and mailed to drops along the trail.***First thing this morning the Vikings and I hiked through the Mahoosuc Notch, which has been called the hardest mile on the Appalachian Trail by some and the most fun by others. I thought it was the most fun.It took us two hours to cover the 1.2 miles. There is no trail in the Notch, just lots of climbing and hopping from boulder to boulder -- boulder scrambling. But for the most part it was a hoot.I know lots of places that were harder, and scarier, including both sides of Wildcat Mountain in New Hampshire. ***The used boots Donna sent me are coming apart, the ones I hiked 1,000 miles in last year to get in shape for this hike. It took the A.T. just a few days to finish them off. I have to get another pair soon, before my feet come apart too.***The Vikings and I only hiked 11 miles today but I was beat. I think they were too. The trail in southern Maine is tough going. For the most part it¢s a series of up and down rock hops and scrambles along with lots of roots and mud.We camped at a stream almost two miles short of the shelter where we had planned to stay. And for the first time in I can¢t remember when we had a fire, which helped ward off the chill and dry our socks.
Date: 2015-06-26
From: A mile south of Baldpate Lean-to (1923.3)

To: Hall Mountain Lean-to (1938.3)
Miles today: 15.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Day 131 - Friday, June 26, 2015250.9 miles to KatahdinThe thing I have feared most since I began my hike on Feb. 15, a leg injury that threatens my hike, finally happened.Something is wrong with a muscle on the inside of my left thigh, a muscle that supports my knee when I go downhill. I can walk normally on level ground and I can climb pretty well. But I have a tough time going down hill. I can handle the pain if it doesn¢t get worse. But I¢m afraid that this injury might cause my knee to give way at an inopportune moment.***It was the middle of the afternoon, on a long downhill, when I decided that I needed to stop and make camp. But I couldn¢t. There was no flat ground on which to pitch my tent and, moreover, I was almost out of water. Altogether the Vikings and I had less than a liter. We were only a mile or so from the next shelter ¢ and water ¢ but I wasn¢t sure I could walk that far.The Vikings gave me all the water they had and went on to the shelter. I continued to inch down the mountain, and then back up another until at last, about 8:30 p.m., I limped in to the shelter area.I don¢t know how this happened. A fall maybe? Or had I just taken too many steps down hill, forcing the muscle to say to me: Enough!One thing I am sure of ¢- this is going to slow my hike. Maybe for a day or two. Maybe a week. Maybe more.I pitched my tent and made supper. And then I took two Ibuprofen pills, prayed about it, and went to sleep.
Date: 2015-06-27
From: Hall Mountain Lean-to (1938.3)

To: Bemus Mountain Lean-to (1951.1)
Miles today: 12.8
Weather: overcast clouds

Day 132 - Saturday, June 27, 2015238.1 miles to KatahdinI struggled all day today, especially on the down hills. The Vikings went into Andover, ME, to resupply and eat a big breakfast ¢ three pieces of French toast, three eggs, hash browns, link sausage, home-made toast, coffee and one more thing I can¢t remember. They told me all about it later.I wanted to go with them. I¢m always hungry. But the trip to town and back to the trailhead would have taken two and a half to three hours and I couldn¢t make up that much time even if I wasn¢t hurt. And with a bad knee muscle it would be extra slow going.Turned out that decision was a good one. I had only hiked about 12 miles before the Vikings, who had spent most of the morning in town, caught up. Had they brought me a surprise from town?Yes, they said, a candy bar. But they had eaten it, they said.Styles, Hulk, Krumbs, and Bruin were at the shelter when we arrived and I told them, the Vikings didn¢t bring me anything, not even a piece of bubble gum.That¢s when Nate pulled out the hiker breakfast, identical to the one he had eaten that morning, and gave it to me.I was floored. What a sweet surprise.Did I reheat it?What a silly question. NO. I gobbled it down, every crumb. Cold. It was delicious.Before I finished the Vikings left, trying to get in another three four miles, trying to get to Katahdin.
Date: 2015-06-28
From: Bemus Mountain Lean-to (1951.1)

To: ME 17 - Oquossoc, ME/Farmhouse Inn (1955.6)
Miles today: 4.5
Weather: light rain

Day 133 - Sunday, June 28, 2015233.6 miles to KatahdinI resolved last night to get off the trail for a day or two, rest my left leg, and try to regain some strength. I am wearing down and I still have more than 200 miles to go.***It was 5 a.m. and raining when I got up and began packing my gear.I had to descend 1,300 feet, which was harder on my knee than climbing, and then go uphill to Maine 17, near Oquossoc. It would be a short hike, only about 4.5 miles, but a tough one because of the descent and the weather.When I reached the top of Bemis Mountain I was met by high winds and cold rain that hit me sideways.Cashmere, a woman I had met briefly at the hostel in Gorham, N.H., last week, caught up as I reached the top and began searching for the trail down the mountain. She hugged me.(She told me later that since that day at the hostel in Gorham she had hiked alone, without seeing a single NoBo. She was so glad to see me in that forlorn place she gave me a hug, which I returned.)What I was going to do when I got to Maine 17, how I was going to get a ride into Rangely, ME, I did not know. And then along came a trail angel. They always seemed to show up when I need them most.This one, named Hydro, AKA John Webster, got out of a pickup truck as I climbed the embankment to the highway and headed straight for me. He offered me a ride. I asked him if he had seen another thru-hiker, a woman named Cashmere. ¢She¢s in my truck,¢ he said. So were donuts, and something to drink.Hydro drove us to an outfitter where each of us bought new boots. And then took us to lunch. Pizza! And then to the hostel where we stayed, the Farmhouse Inn.So how did this happen?Hydro had read my blog and decided to help me. He figured I¢d be crossing Maine 17 today, and waited for me.Bless him and all his tribe.
Date: 2015-06-29
From: ME 17 - Oquossoc, ME/Farmhouse Inn (1955.6)

To: ME 17 - Oquossoc, ME/Farmhouse Inn (1955.6)
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Day 134 - Sunday, June 29, 2015233.6 miles to KatahdinDid I feel guilty, lying around all day and then going out to eat supper with SoBos? Oh, yes.But I had no choice. My sore knee muscle was threatening my hike. I had to rest it and hope.Shane and Stacy Vorous, who own the Farmhouse, were terrific hosts, getting one of my hiking poles repaired at no cost; shuttling Cashmere and me to a grocery store to resupply; and shuttling other hikers and me to supper and back.I took care of some things that needed doing: washing and drying clothes; working on my blog; replying to emails and texts; sewing the bottom of my pack back together; and relaxing a little with The New York Times.Tomorrow I¢m going back to the trail and find out if this rest has done me any good.
Date: 2015-06-30
From: ME 17 - Oquossoc, ME/Farmhouse Inn (1955.6)

To: Piazza Rock Lean-to (1970.6)
Miles today: 15.0
Weather: broken clouds

Day 135 - Tuesday, June 30, 2015218.6 miles to KatahdinMy knee is not well, far from it, but it¢s better. I hiked without pain until late morning.Shane Vorous took me back to the trailhead at 6:30 a.m., so I missed breakfast at the hostel. I regret that but I had to get an early start.I hiked alone all day and when I arrived at the shelter where I stayed there was only one other hiker there, a man who told me that he was a recovering drug addict, that he had flunked out of college and that his girlfriend had cheated on him with a friend. And that was just in the first 10 minutes.A little later Styles, Hulk, Krumbs and Bruin arrived. To say I was happy to see them is an understatement.
Date: 2015-07-01
From: Piazza Rock Lean-to (1970.6)

To: Poplar Ridge Lean-to (1979.5)
Miles today: 8.9
Weather: moderate rain

Day 136 - Wednesday, July 1, 2015209.7 miles to KatahdinI ended up changing out of my wet shirts, eating lunch, and then going to sleep in a privy but I guess I should begin this story at the beginning.It rained last night, hard at times, but by 5 a.m., when I got up to get ready to go hiking, the rain had tapered off to a sprinkle. I had no rain jacket ¢- I had accidently left it at the Farmhouse ¢ but maybe it wouldn¢t matter.***The trail went over three mountains, all of them above the tree line: Saddleback, The Horn and Saddleback Junior. Before I got to the top of Saddleback it began to rain again, softly at first and then harder. And it began to get cold, uncomfortably cold.And the higher I climbed the harder it rained, the harder the wind blew, and the colder it got. By the time I reached a series of balds on top of the mountains it was sleeting sideways. What had been a warm, wet day had turned nasty in minutes. And, remember, this was July 1st.I considered abandoning the trail and running down toward the tree line to get out of the wind. But I decided not to do that unless I began to shake all over. I kept on hiking as fast as I could, both to get off the ridgeline, get back down into the trees, and to generate heat. When I finally began going down it didn¢t help a lot. I was out of most of the wind, but I couldn¢t go fast and generate the heat I needed because I had to work my way down a long series of rock hops and ledges. It was slow going.The young guys I had sheltered with last night passed me, some on the top, some on the edge of the tree line. I told them I¢d see them at the next shelter and I followed as fast as I could.Finally I reached the bottom of Saddleback Junior and was able to speed up. I had to get to the shelter quickly, get out of my wet clothes and get into my sleeping quilt ¢ I had to get warm, soon.I knew I was close and around every bend in the trail I expected to see the shelter. But I didn¢t. And when the trail turned back up hill, I stopped. No way I was going back to the ridgeline. No way.I had just passed a privy next the trail (you rarely see a privy next to the trail except in Maine), so I turned around and went back. The privy would protect me from the rain and, more important, the wind.I stripped off my wet shirts and put on dry ones as well as a dry, insulated jacket, and dry socks. (I wasn¢t carrying a second pair of pants.) I ate lunch. And then I got comfortable and drifted off to sleep.A knock on the privy door woke me up. The rain had stopped and the wind had died away. A south-bound hiker, a woman, wanted to use the facility.Of course, I said, and I quickly began packing up.¢Why didn¢t you go on to the shelter?¢ she asked.¢Where is the shelter,¢ I replied.¢About 100 yards up the trail,¢ she said.
Date: 2015-07-02
From: Poplar Ridge Lean-to (1979.5)

To: Crocker Cirque Campsite (1993.7)
Miles today: 14.2
Weather: overcast clouds

Day 137 - Thursday, July 2, 2015195.5 miles to KatahdinFinally, a beautiful day to go hiking. Blue sky, bright sun, light breeze. It was as if Maine wanted to kiss and make up.I have begun running into more and more SoBos, south bound thru-hikers who started at Mt. Katahdin. They have hiked almost 200 miles and, of course, I have the same number of miles to go. Glad I¢m me and not them.The trail remains ¢ how shall I say? ¢ challenging. Maine, I¢m told, has no trail bridges over its large streams and rivers. Hikers must ford them. And today I encountered what I hope is the Daddy of all Maine river crossings.I had to rock hop to the middle of the river, walk a 12-inch wide, 12-foot long plank over a roaring rapid six feet below, and then rock hope the rest of the way.In was, in a word, hairy.