morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2013-07-05
From: Garfield Ridge Shelter

To: North of Zeeland Hit
Miles today: 10.5

Two months ago today we got off the train in Harpers Ferry and crossed the Potomac River on the AT. We thought we knew what we were getting into. To a certain extent we did. Still, knowing you might have to walk in the rain for a week is different than doing it. On the flip side, hearing about the beauty you see from mountain tops does not measure up to being on the mountain. Nothing can really prepare anyone for thruhiking. We shared the Garfield Ridge shelter last night with two Harvard grads, a 2004 thruhiker and a family from Raleigh. We had to pay $16 to sleep there but it was clean enough and had bear boxes. We didn't start hiking super early. Neither one of has been sleeping well lately plus we are just super tired so we tried to stay in our sleeping bags as long as we could, which was 6:20, a new record. The descent from Mt Garfield this morning made for some hard hiking. We had to keep throwing our hiking poles down from steep ledges and scrambling down using our hands. Most of the trees right beside the trail have the bark rubbed away by hikers using them for hand holds. After Garfield came South Twin Peak, unbelievably steep. We climbed 1500 feet in a little over a mile. I had to stop several times, dripping sweat and nearly hyperventilating. It was sweet to reach the top of that monster at just a few feet below 5,000, above tree line again. The rest of the day was comparatively mild, another 4,000 footer and a 3,000 footer. Easy has been redefined. There were several miles of Pennsylvania style rocks too, for old times sake, I guess We were going to do work for stay at the Zeeland Falls Hut run by the Appalachian Mountain Club (AKA Appalachian Money Club). We were gping to do "work for stay" instead of paying. They charge $130 per person a night for a bunk and two meals. Thruhikers can swap two hours work for left overs and a spot on the floor if the manager approves. We got approval but after spending an hour around the place we felt uncomfortable and decided to go sleep in our tent. We prefer our own kind.
Date: 2013-07-06
From: North of Zeeland Hut

To: Lake of the Clouds Hut
Miles today: 19.1
Weather: scattered clouds

The AMC Hut, Lake of the Clouds, lies a mile south of the 6,200 ft.summit of Mt. Washington in a draw. In the basement, known as the dungeon, six bunks provide shelter for thruhikers - supposedly. When we arrived and asked to sleep there, the manager looked at us incredulously and asked "Have you seen that place?". He took us down to a wet subterranean mausoleum with a sheet of ice on the floor. That's how we ended up doing work for stay and how I ended up laying on the dining room floor writing this. In a lot of ways, today was as fun a day as any we've spent on the trail. We pushed some pretty big miles, especially for the Whites. But we took a long lunch break at the Highland Center treating ourselves to such delicacies as salad, fruit and brewed coffee. After a long but steady three-mile climb to the Mizpah Hut, we elected to take a chance and push towards Lake of the Clouds. The next five miles, the beginning of the Presidential Range (The Prezzies) provided an experience we may not get anywhere else. We went above tree line and stayed there at the first summit, Mt. Clinton, which was socked in, cold and windy. We thought of turning back but as we descended into the saddle before Mt. Eisenhower the clouds jetted away and in the valley below we saw patches of sunlight and then the peak. The trail took us around that mountain and towards Mt Franklin. By this point the winds were 45mph with 60mph gusts. I had to struggle to plant my trekking poles. Steadily adding elevation, we climbed another 500 feet to the top. Mt. Monroe came next, well above 5,000 feet. We had spectacular views. It took awhile, not because of the difficulty. We kept stopping to just look around, take pictures, talk to other hikers, experience the wind, to just drink it all in. When we were ushered to the segregated thruhiker area, our friends Johnny Blaze and Patches were there, as well as some SOBOs. After an interminable two-hour wait, we were turned loose on the left overs: turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, peas, salad and chocolate bread pudding. It's going to be a horrible nights sleep. People are walking around everywhere, being really noisy. I don't care. Tomorrow we climb Mt. Washington. The Whites are almost over and Maine is getting close.
Date: 2013-07-07
From: Lake of the Clouds Hut

To: Osgood Tent Site
Miles today: 10.1

Hush compared thruhiking to A Tale of Two Cities - the best of times, the worst of times. This morning we were up at 5:00 and the first hikers to leave the hut for the summit of Mt Washington. The top of the mountain stays socked in almost all the time. As we climbed the 50 MPH winds occasionally blew the clouds away for brief glances of the valley and the summit. When I say brief, I mean 30 seconds. It took over an hour to go 1.3 miles. We were soaking wet from hiking through the cloud ceiling. We waited at the door to the visitor center out of the wind until it opened. The snack bar didn't open until 9:00 so no coffee for us. We read the long list of fatalities on a display in the lobby but passed on the museum. If you drive to the top or take the train, it's free. Hiker Trash has to pay $3.00. Sorry, but that's just bullshit. Still, we both felt a real sense of achievement. The hike down was hard, wet rocks, gale force winds, rock cairns the only markers. It was scary. Then the worst of times happened. We got off on a side trail. There are no white blazes in the wilderness area around the mountain. The trail was only 1.1 mile long but it took over three hours. At one point we descended a waterfall for several hundred yards. It was the worst hiking I've ever done. Luckily we had a map and made our way back to the AT. We were too tired to drive on to Pinkham Notch, so we tented in the pouring rain. I'm out of dry clothes, almost out of food, have several infected cuts and scrapes and just for giggles, have a sty in my right eye that makes it hard to see and sleep. Hush is exhausted. She fell multiple times on the slick rocks and roots, seemingly always in a creek or mud hole. We are going to try to get to town tomorrow (11 miles off trail). I need to go the doctor. We need food, hot showers, dry clothes and a day where we aren't scared to take the next step. Most of all we need an attitude adjustment. Town usually does that. No matter how bad the trail happens to be, we miss it when we are away.
Date: 2013-07-08
From: Osgood Tent Site

To: Pinkham Notch
Miles today: 4.1
Weather: broken clouds

When sleeping in a tent during the monsoon rains of the American Northeast, getting up to pee in the middle of the night requires finesse. One's Crocs must be in the tent vestibule. One must accomplish the task while nude. Wet clothes are not allowed near down sleeping bags. One must have a camp towel or Chamois to wipe down with before getting back in one's bag. Accomplishing all this without disturbing the other occupant of the tent would be nice but is impossible. And, always remember, toilet paper melts in the rain. I managed to boil water this morning for a hot drink and the last of the oatmeal. Thus fueled we made our way to the Pinkham  Notch visitor center. We picked up a box of supplies, ate some real food  and caught a shuttle to Gorham, NH, arriving a little after lunch. Our $49 private room at Hikers Paradise Inn is nice enough. It has a shower. And electricity. And, the roof does not leak. No special tactics required to pee tonight. A bus ride to Walmart for resupply was cheap, $4 for both of us. It was nice to have some choices in the store. We are looking forward to some variety in our diet for a few days. Tomorrow I'm going to the doctor about the infection on my foot. Hopefully it's not a big deal. It just looks nasty and hurts like a mother. In the meantime we are both eating like it's our job, resting as much as possible and trying to scare the SOBOs with horror stories of the trail to come. Good times.
Date: 2013-07-09
From: Pinkham Notch

To: Gorham, NH
Miles today: 0.0

Both of us managed to sleep past 7:00 AM. We're such slackers. Then, miracle of miracles, we saw grits on a breakfast menu for the first time. Now that was a good start to a day. After breakfast we went through the ritual of breaking down food containers, cleanings out our packs, conducting an inventory to make sure no vital supplies (like tent poles) are missing. Hush is ready for another pair of shoes but no place in Gorham, NH (pop. 2200) had what she needs. Maine isn't looking too promising either. We may have to use REI or Amazon. I know it seems like we are constantly shoe shopping but getting 400-500 trail miles from a pair is normal. This afternoon we read, napped and ate. The hostel owner gave me a ride to the doctor's office and the pharmacy, waiting at both places.. For this she charged me $5. It took two hours. I'm going to call that trail magic. We'd hoped to set up a slack pack for tomorrow and knock out a 21-mile day. It's not going to happen though. Too many sources (books and people) convinced us not to try it. There are three tough climbs including Wildcat Mountain which has a bad rep. I got prescriptions filled for an antibiotic and steroids. The doctor said the steroids might cause an increase in my appetite. Oh, the folks at the medical clinic also asked me if I exercise regularly. Hush's entry: I realized today that I have only added something to the journal when I have something negative to say. It isn't because I am always miserable. Mainly it is because Lefty does such a good job of describing the good parts that I have nothing to add. Also, venting when I have a bad day makes me feel better. I get the feelings out and wake up the next day ready to start again. But I don't want people to think I am miserable. I am not. I have had some bad days (constant rain and plantar fasciitis). But overall, I am having a blast!
Date: 2013-07-10
From: Gorham, NH

To: White Mountains Lodge and Hostel
Miles today: 19.2

White Mountains Lodge and Hostel19.2 milesDespite a couple doses of antibiotics and some steroids, My toe and I knew this morning at 5:00 AM that I wasn't going to be able to climb multiple 4K footers in the rain today. Rather than take another ZERO, Hush and I elected to take a blue blazed trail to reconnect to the AT. This didn't shorten things much but it did eliminate the climb of Wildcat Mountain. Probably 90% of thruhikers don't pass by every white blaze on the trail, so I'm not guilt wracked.It was still a tough day of hiking, including a three-hour climb up Mt. Moriah followed by an equally long descent - in the rain of course. When we broke through the clouds back into the land of milk and honey, Hush remarked that we had entered the Twilight Zone. I didn't get it until she pointed out we were walking on a normal trail, a few roots, a few rocks but no longer were we hiking with the fear of impending death or serious injury after every foot plant. We have a plan of attack for Maine. We are hoping to summit Mt. Katahdin three weeks from today on July 31. I guarantee it won't be any sooner than that. Weather or old age may delay us a bit but I'm stoked. I want to get back to the land of grits and sweet tea. One more thing - tomorrow is our last full day in NH. It's been quite a challenge, a beautiful challenge.
Date: 2013-07-11
From: White Mountains Lodge and Hostel

To: Gentian Pond Shelter
Miles today: 11.2
Weather: moderate rain

Gentian Pond Shelter11.2 One of the things we appreciated about the high peaks of the White Mountains was the lack of mud. As Hush pointed out, it's hard to have mud without dirt. We hiked today in constant mud, even on mountain tops. Both of us went up to our shins multiple times. To make sure the mud stays fresh, we got a couple hours of rain this morning. According to the SOBOs, Maine is a swamp right now. Oh well, might as well hike. Speaking of SOBOs, they are kind of strange. We saw one guy hiking with a hockey stick, another with a guitar. We even heard about a couple hiking with a puppy. Additionally, for the first time on the trail we are running into a lot of stoners. I suppose NOBOs include some of the same behavior in the first two to three hundred miles. We've not seen that kind of behavior from any NOBO who's made it past Harpers Ferry. We are staying at the Gentian Pond shelter tonight. For the very first time we have a fantastic view from a shelter. Usually they are surrounded by trees. Also for the first time our water source is a pond, a pond with brown water. Yum, yum. We cross into Maine tomorrow morning. It's our 10th state. That's hard to believe.
Date: 2013-07-12
From: Gentian Pond Shelter

To: Full Goose Shelter
Miles today: 9.6

Full Goose Shelter 9.6 milesWe crossed into Maine today, state number 10. I'm ready to turn around and go back to New Hampshire. Maine is regarded as the hardest state on the AT and I can see why: waist deep muddy bogs, no foot bridges, truck sized boulders, many, many mountains and black flies that could torment the devil himself. And that's just the first four miles. Tomorrow morning we hit the Mahoosuc Notch, regarded as the single most difficult mile on the trail. It takes the average hiker about three hours to traverse the boulders and caves. The SOBOs at the shelter tonight told us there is ice in the caves and still some snow on the ground between the boulders. Usually you can't trust SOBOs but tonight they just might be telling the truth. The drinking water for the past two days has been a light brown color. It tastes a little off and isn't at all pleasant to look at but some kool aid powder fixes every thing. Since Vermont my cell phone rarely connects. I get wifi in town but can't make a call. I miss all my kids but I haven't been able to speak to my daughter, Amber or my mother in quite a while. I never thought I'd get homesick but it strikes me from time to time. I guess being in Maine has a psychological effect. We are a long, long way from NC.
Date: 2013-07-13
From: Full Goose Shelter

To: Grafton Notch
Miles today: 9.7
Weather: broken clouds

Southern Maine is slow going, The Mahoosuc Notch is in the bag. It took us two hours to navigate the mile long jumble of huge (some larger than a house) boulders and ice caves. I fell spectacularly early on but luckily landed on my back. It protected me and kept my head from slamming into the rock I was on. Hush didn't complain much about her "short little legs" (her term). We employed team work. I helped her up on the steeper sections and she told me where to go. We couldn't believe we came in under three hours. We kept looking for more boulders. The next obstacle was the Mahoosuc Arm, an exposed rock face straight up the mountain. We had to pull ourselves up it using tree roots and branches. My abs were sore by the time we finally reached the top. The physical and mental tension are hard to put into words. It feels good to be done. There was a final obstacle though. Sometimes we will see a mountain in the distance that looks so daunting we know it can't be part of the trail. It always is. Today that mountain was Old Speck, a 4,000 foot hunk of granite we had to climb via the south side in a little over a mile. The last 500 feet were pure rock climbing. I almost cried. I was so damn scared. Hush was looking at the views. All I saw was the rock in front of me. The North side, the one the park going public climbs, takes 2.3 miles to reach the top on a nicely graded well maintained trail. We've been spending every day since early May outdoors. The last two days we've had sunshine. We are both sunburned. That should show you how bad the weather has been. Tomorrow - slack packing from Grafton Notch to Andover. Short miles, long day.
Date: 2013-07-14
From: Grafton Notch

To: Andover, ME
Miles today: 10.1
Weather: light rain

Hush and I caught a ride from the hostel back to Grafton Notch and (wait for it) immediately started climbing. My hiking poles started deteriorating a few days back. A mile up the mountain one of them gave up the ghost. It just won't stay in one piece. By the end of the day the other one was fatally ill. The tip, which is to say the hardened part at the end that keeps me from falling down and dying about 100 times a day was missing. I am now hiking the Appalachian Trail with what is essentially the shaft of a golf club. I'm getting new poles on Thursday, about 65 mountainous miles from here. God save me. On the bright side, we slack packed in beautiful weather over Bald Pate Mountain,  a not so terrible alpine bald where we could see the navigating cairns from a mile away. We took a couple of nice breaks at what Maine calls a lean to. Forget about it, Maine. They're shelters. A hiker showed up at the hostel today with some pretty ugly trail rash. He fell a good 75 feet down the mountain after a rock gave away under his foot while he hiked an extremely steep section where we will be tomorrow. Just a little something for me to think about all night  Still, life is good. I had a big plate of clams after we were done hiking. They were the size of my index finger. I'm feeling all New England. Tomorrow it's back into the woods for a few days.
Date: 2013-07-15
From: Andover, ME

To: South Arm Rd. 
Miles today: 10.1

Sawyer Notch is a deep, V shaped cleft between Wyman Mountain and Moody Mountain in southern Maine. Hush and I navigated it with little difficulty this morning despite my deep misgivings beforehand. Hikers all along the trail were pumping each other for info on this obstacle. It turned out to be nothing special. That's good. I don't like special. We ran into Carjacker again today. He got his trail name by his skill at convincing trail angels to loan him their cars. He just got his Mohawk buzzed off. It was making it too hard for him (and his hiking buddies) to get a hitch. Many NOBO thruhikers are starting to wrestle emotionally with the realization that they are so close to the end of their journey. We sat around talking with several guys tonight. New Hampshire and Maine slow everyone down. Rather than get frustrated, these friends of ours are glad to be backing off a torrid pace. They are savoring these last weeks. It's going to he hard for us when our friends are done and off the trail. New friends will come of course, but we will miss the crew of speedy super hikers we love to hang out with. Tomorrow we hope to make it to the Sabbath Day Pond Shelter. It's on a sandy beach by what I imagine will be an ice cold mountain pond. Good, because its supposed to be 94 degrees. In Maine, we are Lefty and Hush and we are hot.
Date: 2013-07-16
From: South Arm Rd. 

To: Sabbath Day Pond Leanto
Miles today: 17.1

After a dinner of Stovetop Stuffing mixed with Fritos, olive oil, pesto powder and Siracha for me and instant mashed potatoes for Hush we hung out with Earl Grey, Garfunkle and Carjacker for awhile at the Sabbath Day Pond Shelter before retiring to our tent. Maine's legions of bugs make unprotected shelter sleeping an invitation for West Nile virus, dengue fever, malaria or more likely a lot of itchy bites. We're pretty happy tonight after knocking out 17 tough miles. The biggest climbs came early, although we did hit a 750 foot gain in .8 miles at mile 12. The temperature today was above 90 so that last climb was step, step, wipe sweat, gasp, drink, repeat. I'm making do with one hiking pole, given to me at the hostel in Andover. It's a little short, slightly bent but it's much better than trying to hike with nothing. My shoes are slowly disintegrating too.They're Brooks Trail Runners. I  got them in Pittsfield, MA, about six weeks and 500+ miles ago.  I just have to make it to Friday, new poles, new shoes. It's been a long day, but a good one.
Date: 2013-07-17
From: Sabbath Day Pond Leanto

To: Piazza Rock Lean To
Miles today: 11.2
Weather: scattered clouds

Our typical cruising speed on normal trail (to the extent there is such a thing) is about two miles an hour. We've hiked very little normal trail since Vermont. We get discouraged when we work and sweat and struggle for hours only to see the miles crawl by. Today, we flew. We made such good time that we actually hitched nine miles into Rangeley, Maine just for lunch, ice cream and coffee. While there we decided to mail home our cold weather gear. It's 87 degrees here and we're headed to Virginia at the end of the month. We visited an outfitter too. I picked up a set of trail maps for Maine. Other than a map of the White Mountains I haven't used maps before. In 10 days, however, we enter the 100 mile Wilderness, a long stretch with no roads and no towns. Maps give me a little comfort. We didn't even have to stick out our thumbs for a ride back. The grandfather of a former AT hiker saw us walking out of town with our packs on, pulled over and offered to take us to the trailhead. We hiked a couple of miles up to the Piazza Rock shelter and had the day in the bag by 4:30. Tomorrow will be a tough one. We climb the Saddleback Peaks, three tough ones right in a row with over three miles above tree line. Here's hoping for continued good weather. Hush's entry: We had our third Moose encounter today. We didn't get to see this one though (the trees blocked our view). But we could hear it! Midway through the morning, we stopped at a pond that also had a piped spring to refill our bottles. After sitting for a few minutes, we began hiking again. We hadn't gone more than a few steps into the trees when we heard heavy splashing in the pond. Them we heard a moose bellow. He splashed around for a while, but we couldn't find a break in the trees to see him.
Date: 2013-07-18
From: Piazza Rock Lean To

To: Spaulding Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 16.9
Weather: scattered clouds

Spaulding Mountain Shelter16.9 milesSaddleback Mountain, The Horn, Saddleback Junior, Poplar Ridge, Lone Mountain - two 4K footers and two 3K footers. Throw in a river crossing and call it a day. This is the greatest amount of elevation gain we will ever achieve in a single day on the entire trail. We knew it would take at least 12 hours of hiking so we got an early start. We were on top of Saddleback by 9:30 but it was socked in. So was The Horn. But by the time we got to Saddleback Junior, the clouds were gone and we were able to see the two peaks we'd just climbed. It's usually impossible to make out the trail from so far away, but you know it's there. This experience has us looking at mountains in a whole new way. The people who lived here before the age of technology were improbably hard, resourceful and just all around amazing. Before I get to sounding too impressed with myself I want to give a shout out to the three pre-teen girls we ran into hiking on a week long family vacation. The Maine Appalachian Mountain Club calls this section of the trail the hardest in the state. It's a little different than hanging out at Myrtle Beach. The scariest moment of the day happened coming down the dangerously steep north side of Saddleback Junior. My feet started to slide on a wet slab of bedrock. I slammed the tip of my hiking pole into the thin layer of soil beside the trail. The hiking poke broke in half and I hit the deck, unhurt but pissed. I needed that poleto get me through today and tomorrow. A new pair of good Black Diamond poles are waiting for me in Stratton, ME. Hush said not a word. She just handed me one of hers, turned around and started hiking. She's pretty cool that way.