morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2023-07-24
From: Osgood Tentsite 1874

To: Pinkham Notch Visitors Center 1878.8
Miles today: 4.8

Hiking Day 123, Elevation 2029 FeetWe slept in until about 5:30 a.m. Point Man, in his tent next to us, was already packed and ready to leave. It was 6:30 when we left not having made a decision on our destination for the day. We had enough food for the two day trip over the Wildcats, but at Pinkham Notch Visitors Center we also had the option of going in to Gorham for a bit of a rest. I was in favor of moving forward but Kerry thought a little rest would be better for us, and in the end he prevailed. We hitched a ride into Gorham with a nice man by the name of Paul, driving a pickup truck. We booked a room at a Quality Inn, had lunch, sat in the motel hot tub for 15 minutes and that did us a world of good. The manager has agreed to keep some of our gear so we can tackle the Wild Cats a bit lighter. In 2 days we¢ll return to pick it up and continue on to Maine, now less than 40 miles away.Sadly, today, Strawberry told us she has decided to go home. The climb down Mt. Madison was tough on all of us but it was frighteningly so for Strawberry. She lost her hiking partner several weeks ago and this also took a toll on her spirits. We are sad to see her go but she obviously has been thinking about it for awhile.We had a huge dinner at Road-Hawg Barbecue: pulled pork over French fries, ribs and dessert. It was all very good, filling and probably way too much! Reset, one of the other hikers we keep running into, told me she met a hiker who kept losing weight and energy, who told her he found that more protein is key to stopping this cycle. This makes sense to me because Kerry and I find if we eat meat when we ¢run out of gas¢ it does pick us up a bit. Our problem going through the White mountains, I think, is that we are putting out so much effort we just can¢t keep up with the calorie intake. This just compounds the issue of trail difficulty. In the early evening, the rain started again and I was very happy to be inside and not out in it!
Date: 2023-07-26
From: Carter Notch Hut 1884.7

To: US Route 2 1899.4
Miles today: 14.7

Hiking Day 125, Elevation 768 feetWe were on the trail before 6. We were unsure of how far we would get. As it turned out, although the hike was strenuous and included some vertical rock climbing, it was definitely easier than yesterday. I think because the impossibly hard bits were interspersed with something resembling a real trail. We climbed over several mountains: Carter Dome (4832 feet); South Carter Mountain (4430 feet); Middle Carter Mountain (4610 feet); North Carter Mountain (4530 feet) and Mt. Moriah (4530 feet) . It took us most of the day but in the end we decided that we could return to Gorham today as planned. We talked to a family late in the day who were taking 3 days to walk from Pinkham Notch to US Route 2 and they had experienced the same difficulty we had with the first 6 miles.There was more smoke in the air today so our views were impacted, but it didn¢t take away the pleasure of walking under sunny skies. We are debating whether to take a zero day tomorrow as rain is expected and we are both suffering some soreness from multiple falls and all the climbing.We are now at mile 1899.4, so we will shortly roll over 1900! Even though we have 300 miles to go, and our pace has slowed significantly, it¢s beginning to feel like we may get to Katahdin!People we met today:We passed Dice on Mt MoriahJim and Caroline section hiking with their 2 boysSeveral day hikers, ¢peak bagging¢David and Jean, trip planners, gave us a ride into GorhamBumped into the McDuck, the Onokie and JFK leaving the Road Hawk in Gorham
Date: 2023-07-27
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

The rain started mid morning and has continued off and on all day. I would rather be moving forward but there¢s not much point in the rain. We¢re eating ice cream and trying to make the best of it. That¢s all I¢ve got!¢Do not grow old, no matter how long you live. Never cease to stand like curious children before the great mystery into which we were born.¢ -Albert EinsteinPeople we saw today:Spartacus, who we haven¢t seen since the SmokiesJim and Caroline and boys whom we talked to yesterday.Popeye and Recon back in out of the rain after hiking the WildcatsHad Drinks and snacks with Uncle Sam and Acorn¢¦.fun visiting with them!Everyone out of the rain today, the trail will be busy tomorrow!
Date: 2023-07-28
From: US Route 2 1899.4

To: Gentian Pond Shelter
Miles today: 12.3

Hiking Day 126, Elevation 2158 FeetThe earliest shuttle we could arrange back to the trail was for 7:15, so we got packed up and had a leisurely breakfast. However, when the shuttle still hadn¢t showed up at 7:40, I was motivated to find an alternative and I walked across the road and hitchhiked. We thought it would be impossible to hitchhike for the three of us to get a ride (2 old people and a dog!) but I had a ride for us in less than 5 minutes, I was very proud of myself! The shuttle driver texted us later to apologize for forgetting us!Due to this little delay it was already 8 a.m. when we started walking¢¦!and mostly fairly steeply up for miles, but we didn¢t mind because most of the time we walked on recognizable trail, something that has been in short supply lately. The sun was shining overhead and every once in a while we would come out on a ledge with views of the surrounding mountains.Lots of colorful mushrooms but the wildflowers seem to be gone now, it happened so quickly!The trail was quite muddy but in spite of being in poor shape (boardwalks in swampy areas broken, missing, or under water and lack of trail drainage, generally) , we were able to keep our feet dry, a luxury at this point. I managed to take another tumble, tripping over a tree root and Kerry did too, bashing ourselves up some more, but thankfully nothing broken. I forgot to mention that we replaced Kerry¢s Leki hiking poles yesterday. He¢s hiked the PCT and CDT with them and had them more than 20 years but they didn¢t survive the Whites! He lost the tip of one pole and the other was irreparably bent in one of his tumbles.I also forgot to mention that two days ago, we ran into Chance, the hiker who is riding his bike to resupply, effectively traversing the trail twice, whilst hiking up out of Pinkham Nob. He told us about some of the trail difficulties ahead. It¢s nice that we keep running into him on his south bound sections.The shelter has a lovely view, the best we¢ve had so far from a shelter¢¦out across a deep valley to the mountains on the other side. Something to dream about¢¦Staying in the shelter with us tonight:¢Easily Forgotten¢ (sold his house and all his possessions and hikes all over the world), says he hiked all but 600 miles of the PCT and kept his food bag in his tent every night because there ¢weren¢t any trees to hang his bear bag from.¢ Also stated one of the things he likes about the AT is at least when there is a lookout, ¢you get a good view.¢ He added there weren¢t really any good views on the PCT. Kerry sputtered in disbelief at these statements as evidence he hadn¢t hiked any of the PCT. Hmmm¢¦¢The Austrian¢ (lives 60 km east of Vienna, near Hungary, says it¢s the best part of Austria!)¢Butterfly,¢ who we met at Carter Notch Hut, she is finishing her section hikes of the AT this year at Mt. Katahdin.We saw lots of south bounders (¢SOBOS¢) today, and several (young) north bounders (¢NOBOS¢) passed us, including one young man from Ohio, called, ¢House,¢ whom we chatted with briefly. Found lots of ripe blueberries on the trail today¢fresh fruit!
Date: 2023-07-29
From: Gentian Pond Shelter

To: Full Goose Shelter 1921.3
Miles today: 9.6

Hiking Day 127, Elevation 2941 FeetWe got an early start at 5:30 a.m. and it was hard hiking: first we climbed Mt Success, which was very steep, but doable. We had at least two impossibly tough rock climbs which one young man described as technical. Going down is sometimes harder than going up, both are slow going. One young man, ¢Gonzo,¢ who was behind us, but unseen because of all the trees, cried out for help which Kerry responded to by yelling out to see if we could help, but after a brief delay, Gonzo said he was ok and that the boulders were banging him up a bit. He was still in an extremely bad descending part of the ¢trail.¢I fell in a bog up to my crotch and in a near panic, as it felt like the mud was pulling me in farther, I managed to pull myself onto a six inch board. I looked like the creature from the black lagoon from the waste down and felt like it too. I was very uncomfortable, muddy and wet but fortunately my pants at least dried and shed most of the mud by the time we got to the shelter. We decided to stop here, early again, because of high likelihood of rain and thunderstorms late afternoon and evening.We crossed into Maine at mile 1916.4 and met a man going southbound who declared, ¢I¢m so glad to be done with Maine.¢ I was just thinking how happy we are to have New Hampshire behind us, it¢s been tough! We met another couple, ¢Time and a Half¢ and ¢No Complaints,¢ from Utah, who plan to slackpack some of the mountains north of Grafton Notch. They promised to forward their contacts and plan. Slack packing sounds good right now. Balancing with a full pack on some of these rock climbs is dangerous to say the least.Tomorrow, we tackle the infamous Mahoosuc Notch and the Arm. We know it will be slow going, but that¢s OK. I just hope it isn¢t too hard for us.As predicted, the rain has come, and it¢s time for dinner!People in the shelter:¢Freya,¢ a fashion designer who creates custom, one of a kind, beautiful, macrame dresses and lives in HawaiiButterfly (again)Dice (again)Other people:Jim and Claire (from Ireland); moved on tonight, they will camp a few miles ahead.Also, Time and a Half and No Complaints, they want to get to Grafton Notch tomorrow. Time and a half says No Complaints hikes faster than he, so he has to hike time and a half to keep up.
Date: 2023-07-30
From: Full Goose Shelter 1921.3

To: Grafton Notch, ME 26 (Bethel)
Miles today: 9.7

Hiking Day 128, Elevation 1495 FeetSince we started hiking the Whites, people have told us successive sections are the most difficult: Mt. Moosilauke, the Kinsman¢s, the Presidentials, the Wildcats etc. But today, I think we may have hiked the most difficult 9.7 miles. It took us almost 12 hours to hike up one mountain, through the Mahoosuc Notch (about a mile of loose boulders designed to break bones, if not managed carefully); then a climb 1500 feet almost straight up to the Mahoosuc Arm, then down to Speck Pond and straight up to Old Speck (Maine¢s third highest mountain at 4170 feet) and finally down to Grafton Notch.We both managed a fall today (again) and our legs and other body parts look pretty beat up¢¦We¢ll both take ibuprofen tonight!After the morning fog burned off, we had lovely sunny skies, although the clouds were always there, I suppose to remind us that the rain will return soon. The terrain as tough as it is to traverse is really beautiful. I¢ve said before the granite is reminiscent of the Sierra Nevada, but the coniferous trees on the mountain tops are crowded and stunted at maybe 20 feet or so, and there is a ubiquitous soft bright green moss all over the forest floor that seems to light it up from within. It is very rich and soothing to look at. Everywhere on the ground, Mica shines like a million silver stars. We saw garter snakes, as we have almost everyday for the past week too.We were dead tired when we arrived at Grafton Notch shortly before 6. It had taken us almost 12 hours to hike less than 10 miles. Once there we asked a group of day hikers, Mike, his 15 year-old grandson, Malachi and friend, Jeremy if they were going the Bethel direction, if they would give us a ride and they said, ¢yes,¢ Since they were hungry, we all stopped for dinner at the Sunday River Diner and had a great meal (Kerry and I had very good hamburgers, and he later said that he could have eaten another one! But we have a beer!). Mike and Jeremy are truck drivers, and this was Jeremy¢s first hike. They climbed Old Speck.After dinner they dropped us at the West Bethel Motel. We had hoped to slack tomorrow with Time and a Half and No Complaints, but Aaron, the motel guy and shuttle driver, told us his vehicle is not big enough, so we¢ll have to figure out what to do tomorrow. Meanwhile, sleep!
Date: 2023-07-31
From: Grafton Notch, ME 26 (Bethel)

To: East Bethel Hill Road 1941.3
Miles today: 10.3

Hiking Day 128, Elevation 1483 FeetAn angel came to our rescue today. Candice who is living in the long term stay section of the motel, drove the three of us to Grafton Notch, with instructions on where on East B Hill to pick us up. She told us she has a Christian ministry. We started climbing up the mountain toward East Bald Pate, aptly named because once you are on top it¢s all bald granite with views in every direction. We got rained on but lightly, and we walked through the woods on better paths and perhaps a little less steep than what we have had lately. We met Irish, hiking all the way from Florida, and later, we met Grateful at Frye Shelter waiting for a friend. Near East B Hill Rd we caught up with three men that stayed at West Bethel Motel last night, and who fed Kerry pancakes for breakfast.When we finally reached the road, there was Candice waiting for us! She took us back to the motel to pick up our laundry¢¦the motel washer isn¢t working, although Aaron seems to be in denial about this. Anyway, we all, including Candice, got our clothes washed, went to Walmart and then had a late dinner at MacDonalds because everything else was closed.We came to this motel specifically because Aaron helps with shuttles, but he kept telling us he had no room. We finally figured out that under no circumstances would he take Felix (and he has a dog!). He should have said that up front, it would have made things a lot less stressful for us.So much to do and so little time to do it. We¢ll, tomorrow is a new day!
Date: 2023-08-01
From: East Bethel Hill Road 1941.3

To: South Arm Road 1951.4
Miles today: 10.1

Hiking Day 129, Elevation 1420 feetWe had a great day! The sun was shining in a blue and partially clouded sky when Candice dropped us off this morning at East B Hill Road. We started a gradual then more steep ascent of Wyman Mountain as soon as we left the road. The trail was still muddy, rooty and rocky in places but we kept up a good pace in the forest. The sun shone on us alternately with clouds shadowing us through the mostly coniferous forest. Lots more mushrooms today, including some tantalizing chanterelles that I would have picked if I could have cooked our dinner! We saw lots of bunchberries and a new blue flower that looked a bit like a blueberry. What was different about it was that Felix sniffed it and, had we not stopped him, he would have eaten it! Since we didn¢t know what it was we thought that was not a good idea! The forest understory, sometimes brown with last year¢s dead leaves, sometimes magically mossy, was easy on our eyes and spirits and we walked along and chatted like a couple of kids out to play. We had bought pre-made sandwiches for lunch at Walmart yesterday and it was a treat to have real food to eat instead of protein bars. I shared my sandwich with Felix because we had inadvertently put his lunch treats somewhere and couldn¢t find them.We were surprised today meeting up again with the three fellows that fed Kerry strawberry banana pancakes three days ago and which he is still talking about, the pancakes that is. This time we introduced ourselves and their names are: Cash Money (a Catholic priest on Sabbatical from St. Louis, MO); Oatie (an IT business owner and PK, like Kerry, from Pennsylvania) and Garfield (retired floor installer from Delaware). We had a great time talking with them and ended up at the Cabin (hostel) this evening.And the Cabin! What a great hostel! It¢s run by Honey (Margery Towne), and she and her helpers make an optional home cooked meal for both Breakfast and dinner. Tonight, we had garden fresh green beans, sweet potatoes, coleslaw and ham, followed by ice cream and buttery toffee bars for dessert. The vegetables were from her garden and all of it was wonderful! They let me have a piece of ham for Felix, so between lunch and dinner, he had a good day too!Tomorrow, after breakfast, we will slack pack another 10 + miles to ME 17, then return here for another we¢ll-earned dinner. The slack packing is doing us all, including Felix, a world of good. Everything seems possible again!
Date: 2023-08-02
From: South Arm Road 1951.4

To: ME Route 17, 1964.7
Miles today: 13.3

Hiking Day 130, Elevation 2203 feetWe had blueberry pancakes for breakfast (also, eggs, fried potatoes and sausages). I only remark on this because Kerry¢s favorite breakfast is blueberry pancakes and everything was cooked so well, it was delicious. After breakfast, we all piled in a car and headed back to South Arm Road to begin the next segment: up and over Old Blue Mountain (3600 feet), then Bemis Mountain (3564 feet) and finally, Bemis Mountain Second Peak (2880 feet). Some of it was steep and strenuous but nothing like as hard as a week ago. Some of the time we walked with Time and a Half and No Complaints but mostly we walked alone.We had some lovely views¢¦as always: mountains covered in trees as far as we can see!When the sun shines, as it did intermittently today, it lifts my mood. Maybe I¢m sensitized to it spending so much time outdoors. I just find that interesting. Anyway, we had lots of mud today and broken boardwalks upon which to walk. We kept our feet dry until the final stream: I took my shoes and socks off but Kerry walked through it as did Felix so they both had wet feet.At Bemis Mountain Road, we had some wonderful trail magic. Six old people (even older than us, including two Donna¢s and a fellow they called the Entertainer), apparently come every Wednesday and cook meals for hikers. This week it was a wonderful pasta salad, cream of tomato soup, hamburgers and red-colored hot dogs called, ¢red snappers,¢ a Maine delicacy.They gave Felix some American cheese and even though he loves cheese, it seems that he does not like processed cheese. He ate the red snapper though, that little prince!On route ME 17, where we ended our day, we had a great view of a huge lake with an unpronounceable name! But it was a happy ending to our walk. We came back to the Cabin for a second night and another great meal of lasagne, salad, garlic bread, ice cream and shortbread. Tomorrow, we head out on what is supposed to be the easiest (read ¢less mountainous¢) section in Maine¢¦.sounds good to me!
Date: 2023-08-03
From: ME Route 17, 1964.7

To: ME Route 4 1977.8
Miles today: 13.1

Hiking Day 131, Elevation 1622 feetAnother great breakfast (more blueberry pancakes etc whipped up by Kitchen Sink, whom I thanked profusely¢¦I think he was pleased, he said he would tell his mother because she didn¢t think he could cook!). We¢ve stayed at many great hostels but I have to say that on the food alone this is my favorite. Having two great meals a day (breakfast and dinner) makes a huge contribution to our energy level.Back to ME 17 for the easiest 13 miles in Maine¢¦and for once, at least to this point, this is is the easiest we have walked so far¢¦.in fact since Vermont at least. Still hilly, but not mountainous it was a very enjoyable walk and we were again graced with intermittent sunshine that reminded me of John Denver¢s song:¢Sunshine on my shoulders makes me happySunshine in my eyes can make me crySunshine on the water looks so lovelySunshine almost always makes me highIf I had a day that I could give youI'd give to you a day just like todayIf I had a song that I could sing for youI'd sing a song to make you feel this way¢As the day wore on the sun disappeared behind a darkening cloud cover, throwing a dampener on my mood, the rain is coming and tomorrow is supposed to be a rain day. We saw more of those blue-berried Lilly plants I mentioned a few days ago that Felix was so intrigued about and wanted to eat. Kerry looked them up: they¢re called blue-bead lillies and although the young leaves are edible, the berries are poisonous, and it was the berries he wanted to eat. Felix had the same reaction to them today. He¢s a meat dog, not keen on vegetables or fruit but he really wanted to try those berries!We walked through a lot of mud again today, broken boardwalks and trail under water. However, a couple of miles before Route 4, we ran into 4 young people (spoke to Abby and RJ) who are on a summer work program with the Maine Conservation Corps. They were smashing rocks to create a stable base on to which they would move large rocks to make raised stepping stones to mitigate the water issue on the trail. I have no idea how they move those rocks, they must be incredibly heavy but they are definitely more durable than wooden boards.We have been noticing a lot of lakes and ponds since we entered Maine and after looking at a map of Maine, it looks like it¢s riddled with large bodies of water, I had no idea! We walked past a meadow, the first we¢ve seen in many weeks, and saw a lot of moose scat today. We thought that meadow might be a hangout for them.We arrived at ME 4 at 3:30 and got to Rangely, Maine and the Saddleback Inn where we will stay tonight in time to have a restful unrushed evening. Our ride back to the trail tomorrow fell through (car trouble) but Richard has found someone to slack pack us again. This is a big relief since tomorrow is supposed to be another rainy day!One foot in front of the other at this point¢¦we are moving forward!