morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2017-07-09
From: ME 27 to Stratton

To: Caribou Valley Rd
Miles today: 8.3
Weather: scattered clouds

The trail provides! So, something interesting about thru hiking is how you can randomly run into hikers you haven't seen for weeks (mostly due to pace changes or extra zero days, etc). My unplanned visit to Stratton ended up in me reconnecting with Fox, a girl I met upon my arrival to Maine almost a month ago. We both stayed at the AT Lodge in Millinocket, but she briskly started on the trail a couple days before me and I assumed I'd never see her again. 170 miles later here we both are at the Stratton Motel and, like me, she's struggling with mileage and head games and wondering how the fuck she's about to be able to complete the upcoming mountain range 1.) in any sort of reasonable time frame and 2.) in a way that actually feels fun instead of miserable. We are free, dammit! This shouldn't be so miserable. Enter: slack-packing. "For those that aren't familiar with the term, a slack-pack is a hiker expression that means you hand off either all or most of your pack to another person. You are then able to hike without the burden of your full weight, meaning that you have the potential to hike more miles at a faster rate."I'd heard about slack-packing through the hiker grapevine, but never really looked into it because it seemed complicated and also like "cheating". After hearing of my recent struggles, Fox approached me about going in on it with her and explained the process and I became convinced and.. dude.. game changer. We hiked 8.3 miles carrying only lunch and snacks for the day, water, and rain jackets. Total miracle. I haven't ever smiled this much during a hike. I ENJOYED the inclines and climbing over boulders and frogger-ing it across streams and mud pits. So much bliss without the burden of carrying unnecessary weight. All we had to do was pay the rad folks at the Stratton Motel to hold our packs and shuttle us to and from the trail. The price depends on how many people participate. The more people to split the cost, the cheaper it becomes. Sometimes as low as $3-$8 for a day.Thinking we're going to do this through the rest of Maine and the Whites in New Hampshire. Rainbow
Date: 2017-07-12
From: Perham Stream 

To: ME 4, Rangeley
Miles today: 15.4
Weather: overcast clouds

3rd day in a row to slack pack. We have now covered our first intense mountain range, and it was incredible. Hiked the Saddlebacks today and it might have been my favorite trek thus far. In addition to only carrying a day pack, I also listened to music from my phone for the first time while hiking. Loved it 100%. Wish my phone had the battery life to serenade me on ALL of my hikes. The soundtrack from Into The Wild (Eddie Vedder) got me across a few miles of trail above tree line. All the cool views. For the duration of those songs, i was totally the star of a *stick it to society* film. The Dixie Chicks almost had me in tears though with all that Landslide talk. And of course Gregory Alan Isakov paired nicely with the cloudy sky and birds and giant trees. Low key felt like a super hero when I encouraged a few struggling day hikers to keep going all the way to the Saddleback peak. Even though a couple of the dudes kept stealing glances at my very unshaven legs - it's shocking, I'm sure, the fact that women actually possess body hair. Who would have thunk? #sorrynotsorryRainbow
Date: 2017-07-13
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: scattered clouds

60 degrees as the high and rain all day. Call me extra, but I just can't. Fox is on the same page and we laugh at ourselves for being borderline princesses. These temperatures have me missing my soft, cotton hoodies. </3 Oh well. The Farmhouse Inn let me save some money by having a 'work for stay' day in which I helped clean bathrooms, change bed sheets, and painted a table in exchange for another night's stay to wait out the lame weather. The family running this place really is something special and up to so many cool things. Stay here! PS- thank you for the comments in my guest book! I love reading them and the encouragement makes me feel all sorts of warm fuzzies. :) Rainbow
Date: 2017-07-15
From: ME 17, Oquossoc

To: South Arm Rd
Miles today: 13.2
Weather: light rain

Old Blue mountain. F**king nightmare. My feet are wrecked and have evidence of rising blisters for the first time in weeks. I think this is because it was basically 13 straight miles of mud puddles and incredibly steep up & downs. The sound of my shoes squishing into wetness almost makes me physically nauseous by this point. I now understand, fully, why all the NOBOs have been so pissed about Southern Maine. I cannot imagine worse terrain for hiking. Just about another week before hitting New Hampshire though - which will still be difficult, but at least some new scenery will surface. *i will be dry eventually i will be dry eventually i will be dry eventually...*Rainbow
Date: 2017-07-16
From: South Arm Rd

To: East B Hill Road
Miles today: 10.1
Weather: scattered clouds

1 month trail anniversary!Today was celestial compared to yesterday. Warm, sunny skies all day, good music, fun and mostly dry terrain (not so fun for those w/o slack packs tho). One of those days where I cannot help but to be entirely infatuated by Nature and introspection and song lyrics. When my thoughts get deeper than "I hope they have a good bar in the next town..". :-) "Rushing around seems to be what's wrong with the world. Don't lose the dreams inside your head." 2 mile incline, trekking poles leading the way, quads burning and sweat dripping from my brow and chin and Dave Matthews (DMB rules, shut up) humming through my headphones... I started thinking about a conversation Fox & I had earlier about the question "who am I?". We joked about it because everyone seems to be *looking for themselves* in one way or another out here. And maybe it's clich© to desire enlightenment, but also maybe it's an extremely productive mindset to have on the trail and, hell, even off the trail. Mindfulness. Intentionality. Consciousness. How do I want to be in this life? What do I want my interactions with others to look like? Am I contributing healing or harm to the collective energy of us all? 3 things came to me during this particular thoughtful trek: Kind without being insincere.Funny without being mean. Honest, out of love. I think maybe it's hard to decide who you want to be when you've already been so many things, and when it'd be really easy to swing back & forth according to the situation. Or even when you've already habitually labeled yourself this way or that way for so many years. It's never too late to alter your self talk. And perhaps I'll never have an exact definition for my constantly-evolving self, but I want these to be the base of me, my interactions, the way I carry myself & the way I care for the Whole Thing."We are nature / we grow in the openings side by side / we it is who balance ourselves orbic and stellar / we are what the atmosphere is / we have circled and circled till we arrive home again / We are each product and influence of the globe." - ww Rainbow
Date: 2017-07-18
From: East B Hill Road

To: Grafton Notch, ME 26 
Miles today: 13.3
Weather: clear sky

Finally saw a moose! A young one! Albeit from the inside of a car with a lemonade in my hand and no photo to prove it... Still. I SEEN'T it munching in a grassy area near the road and feel a little bit more legit now, for some reason. 14.6 more miles to NH border. Took a nap for the first time in years, mid-hike, only 3 miles into our final slack-pack this afternoon. Fox and I rolled up to the first lean-to shelter in our path and collapsed for a solid half hour. It's tiring to sleep in a warm bed night after night & hike with 5lb packs, apparently. :) The fetal position power nap was surprisingly effective in providing some revitalization. The rest of the hike flew by. The Baldpates have quite a bit of ridge exposure. I love when it's like that -- being able to look back on where I've come from & also see where I'm headed. See little neon specks of other hikers walking the same path. Love. It. Fleetwood Mac for my main music choice today. Rainbow
Date: 2017-07-19
From: Grafton Notch, ME 26 

To: Speck Pond Shelter & Campsite
Miles today: 4.6
Weather: clear sky

After taking a mini nap upon being dropped off at the trailhead with our full packs, we finally got rolling around noon for our incredibly lengthy hike of 4.6 miles today. Ha. Excessive slack packing may have made us two of the laziest ass hikers out here.... Oh well. The 3.5 mi incline up Old Speck Mtn wasn't nearly as bad as I anticipated. Slow, steady pace. Dynamite weather (mid 70s). The fire tower at the top was 0.2 mi off the trail. Honestly, I don't normally follow the blue blaze side trails unless the distance is less than 0.1 mi, but the air filled my lungs just right and my pack felt balanced and a day hiker told me it was worth it. So, I went. And it was incredible. The 360 degree view of evergreens and blue mountains, of course, but being up there also triggered me to slip into one of those "We're really doing it, Har!!" moments. Bliss. As much as I've bitched about Maine, it really is quite the beauty. Thank you to everyone encouraging me to keep going. I see your comments & I pour over your messages & I feel it all. Much love. So much love to you, too. Rainbow
Date: 2017-07-20
From: Speck Pond Shelter & Campsite

To: Carlo Col Shelter & Campsite
Miles today: 9.5
Weather: clear sky

What. A. Day. Took us 11 hours to cover our miles. Mahoosuc Notch (0.9mi) alone took 2. Too fatigued to elaborate on anything (my eye lids are literally almost completely sealed as I type this), but here are the main points: ¢¢ Had convo with an old dude who claimed anyone that slack-packs doesn't qualify as a backpacker, but as one who is simply walking the trail... I call bullshit because, "hike your own hike", right? Also, there's no "simply walking the trail" involved with rocky Maine/NH. Anyone care to share thoughts on this? 2.4 mi of going down Mahoosuc Arm was horrific. Grateful for the lack of rain.Trail legs are coming along.Feet getting tougher.Hiker hunger too real.Crossed paths with a woman who was mud stained up to her waist from slipping in a bog. Slammed my knee pretty hard & Fox hit her forehead. Wild to have basically finished up the rest of Maine today. Can't believe it. Happy to curl up in my tent once again. Rainbow
Date: 2017-07-21
From: Carlo Col Shelter & Campsite

To: Trident Col Campsite 
Miles today: 10.1
Weather: scattered clouds

Made it to New Hampshire, baby. Got all sorts of rips in my Under Armor pants and trail runners by this point - going to make them last through the Whites though. Fox and I are at the point where we have to ration our food until we get into town. Hers was a dinner of summer sausage & a crumbled pop tart. My breakfast in the morning will be leftover instant hummus. Such deprivation. :) Even though our mileage has been low for the past few days, it was ROUGH, quality-wise. 10+ hour days of up & downs, dripping sweat, re-filling water stores as much as possible. Luckily, the weather has been super ideal for us - I cannot imagine doing the past section in rain, especially the Mahoosuc Arm & Notch. Forget about it. Hell no. I slipped and ate it enough during sunny, dry weather (see photos) - bouldering among water soaked rocks would be a complete nightmare. And extremely dangerous, honestly. Just last a week, a kid from one of the many boys groups out here fell down some rocks and had to be rescued due to a broken leg. Yikes. Definitely excited to get down to "easier" terrain which, I've been told, begins in Vermont-ish. According to the descriptions I've heard per NOBOs regarding the Whites, I feel like Maine trains the SOBOs well for said towering mountains of NH. My legs shock me every day at how they find it in them to continuously hoist up waist-high boulders for hours and hours with 35 additional pounds weighing on them. The way my feet have gained confidence in knowing where/how to scurry down granite slabs with some sort of finesse. I've also learned to use the weight of my pack to my advantage, directing the way it tosses me & clearing gaps and mud puddles with relative ease. Totally different story from my days in the Hundred Mile Wilderness. Feet still ache every evening, but my trail legs have indisputably come in & they're ready for everything. My mind, too; it's falling apart less and less. Looking forward to getting to the town of Gorham, NH tomorrow. They have a Walmart! Current cravings: Peanut Butter Oreos, carrots, cashew ice cream, bananas, romaine lettuce, and chocolate cake icing.PS: this campsite is 0.2 mi off trail and was completely vacant (always highly likely because thru hikers don't prefer to blue blaze very far to camp). So many open tent spot options and a quiet, chill evening. Decent privy. I recommend. Rainbow
Date: 2017-07-22
From: Trident Col Campsite 

To: Gorham, NH 
Miles today: 6.4
Weather: few clouds

Scraped & bruised legs, but they still managed to run (trot) 1.5 miles downhill on our way to Gorham, NH this afternoon. Was booking it so hard I missed the Maine/New Hampshire state line sign. Sigh. Fox had a keen eye and spotted a wild blueberry bush, which made up for ANY shade we were feeling during the hike today. We foraged those perfect little blues for a solid hour & gazed with longing eyes at the town from an exposed mountainside. So close, yet still several miles to trek. It ended up being soft pine needle ground, but my legs and feet were DONE & begging for a rest day. Pretty sure I heard my swollen quads audibly yell "NO" on one of the very last inclines. Such a relief to make it into town and get a beer (I somehow enjoy beer now?), pizza, and some indulgent groceries at Walmart. And, of course, the godly experience that is showering + putting on clean clothes. It was weird to see fast food places like Burger King & Subway for the first time in over a month. Walmart was a weird experience, too. Though clean, i still felt like a cave woman pushing a cart around with weary eyes and dirt stained toe nails and overwhelmed by the shock of society. All the fluorescent lights and sounds and unnaturally colored food products and regular humans dressed in regular human clothes with regular human schedules. I felt like Howie from The Benchwarmers. Luckily no panic attacks, but it sure soothed my chest to get out of there. White Mountain Lodge & Hostel has made an awesome first impression. They've washed my clothes & made me vegan kabobs & promised vegan waffles for the morning. Such a gift. Additionally, I've reconnected with several hiker friends who are staying here as well: Mumbles & Big Boss, Malina, Rip Van Winkle. Received a care package from my amazing parents with various goodies including -but not limited to- dark chocolate covered cashews (!!), a Lenny & Larry cookie (devoured immediately), and a battery pack to charge my phone while hiking. YAY. I am amped to be able to listen to more music out there. Bring on the album & song suggestions! I'm ready. Shoutout to Julie, Jannell, my seestar Crystal, and Grandmother for the snail mail! I read your words over and over and appreciate the love immensely. Thank you. You are absolutely a part of this whole thing. Rainbow
Date: 2017-07-23
To: Gorham, NH 
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

Just a bunch of chillin' today. I signed up to be shuttled into town for lunch and while everyone else went to the Chinese buffet, I managed to find a hipster AF coffee shop situation. I knew it'd be a winner because they have wifi and vegan mayo and serve drinks in mason jars. I created my own panini consisting of: hummus (obvi), spinach, red onion, tomatos, pickles, and avocado. I shamelessly inhaled it, as well as some rosemary & olive oil chips. Yummmmmm. Picked up a pint of Ben & Jerry's non-dairy Cherry Garcia ice cream from Walmart for dinner. :)Much anxiety about the 20+ mile hike tomorrow because the weather looks like it's going to be awful. Ugh. Rainbow
Date: 2017-07-24
To: Gorham
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Walked out of my bunk room and it was freezing and I said no & just cried all day. Felt much shame for taking a second 0 day, but the trail provided and I met Fearless who told me encouraging things & BC told me about the cows and Tom and Jim said the perfect things also. People need other people, I'm convinced. Thanks guys.Rainbow
Date: 2017-07-25
From: NH 16, Pinkham Notch

To: US 2, Gorham
Miles today: 21.2
Weather: overcast clouds

A little taste of the NOBO life today! The only other time my feet have taken me close to this distance in one go was when I ran a full marathon in Nashville 4ish years back. My current hostel offers free slack packing for this specific section, so, obviously I hopped on that. And therefore Wildcat, the Carter domes, and Mt Moriah have officially been hiked by Rainbow. So far, New Hampshire isn't crazy different from Maine. Same ol' same ol' with the straight up/straight down rock scrambles. Less bogs and less mosquitos - praise. The White Mountain National Forest has a lot of trails in addition to the AT itself, so I have to spend a few more seconds staring at signage when it comes up. Stealth camping is generally not allowed and I think the fine for it is $150 (jeeeez). Other than those bits, I see no real difference. Every brief now and then, the trail offers a miracle by having long stretches of flat and smooth. I was able to run the last 3 miles today alongside Rattle River and mid key felt like Pocahontas. The stretch slopes downhill a couple times and made me feel like flying - everything blurred and all I could do was trust my feet and open up my arms and release laughter knowing this is my actual reality right now instead of anything else. One of those moments which brings me back to remembering why I wanted this. Had a solid Spotify playlist going on, too. Summer throwbacks: Black Eyed Peas, Avril Lavigne, Fall Out Boy, Bruno Mars, JB, James Bay, Cody Simpson, etc. Mainstream mood boosters. :) There wasn't one drop of rain today. Chilly & cloudy morning had me worried, but it cleared up and the sun warmed my bones and white puffy clouds hung like garland in that ocean sky. It's okay to wait out shitty weather, especially for those of us without set deadlines. Wait. Rest. It is okay.Ps- glad this hostel has a foam roller because my calves are wrecked! Rainbow
Date: 2017-07-27
To: Pampering day
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

We decided that one doesn't have to look completely barbaric while hiking the trail if they don't want to. Gotta take care of the whole Self and if that means putting colors on otherwise gnarly-looking nails, then so be it. Hike your own hike, live your own life. See photos for more of our admittedly humorous "extra" situations. Rainbow
Date: 2017-08-01
From: Pinkham Notch Visitor Center

To: Lakes of the Clouds hut
Miles today: 15.0
Weather: few clouds

15 miles in 12.5 hours. Oy.First day back on the trail after about a billion rest days in Gorham. The whole town basically knew us by name. I'm not even sure how it happened, but I don't plan on taking more than two zeros in a row anymore... the feet were excessively unimpressed with how I blind sighted them. Summited Mt Madison & Mt Washington all in the same day and yes, it wrecked me, especially Madison - STEEEEEEP - but I was in a moderately stellar mood the whole time. Music, man. I really loved the trek itself despite it being extremely (and i do mean extremely) strenuous. 12 of the miles were completely exposed above the tree line. My favorite. Temperature in the high 70s / low 80s, but I was still glad to have on long sleeves, pants, and a hat. The sun would have otherwise annihilated my angel baby skin. It is a path of 100% rock though, so rain would absolutely make it a slip n slide nightmare - I highly recommend waiting for clear weather. Stammered into the hut around 21:00 and too exhausted to write any more than main points:Carried full pack - Key music choices P!ATD and Paramore kept the positivity alive - ran out of water - 1/4th bag of skittles got me through the last mile up Washington - cheated a little by walking on the cog railroad - magical weather - sunset on my last 1.5 miles to Lakes of the Clouds, all full at the hut so they let me pay $5 to sleep on the floor - why are there so many little kids here? - vegan pumpkin bisque soup - consumed last two ibuprofen - neck aching something fiercePS- happy birthday to my dad! Love you. Rock on.Rainbow
Date: 2017-08-02
From: Lakes of the Clouds hut

To: Crawford Notch
Miles today: 11.0
Weather: overcast clouds

So, getting the cheap rate of $5 at a hut in the Whites is awesome. The only issue being that it will only get you space on the dining room floor to sleep... and during the night, it is constant foot traffic to/from the bathrooms as well as continuous snoring from all corners of the room. Unbelievable. It is a helpless feeling to be so exhausted and yet unable to sleep - I'm thinking I got about 3 spells of 30 minute snooze sessions throughout the whole night. How is it possible to walk so damn noisily? Y'all about to audition for STOMP or some shit? Seriously. Rant over. For now. Lack of sleep had my mental game on the low from the very beginning today. After the first 2 miles of rocks and an accidental blue blaze ascension over Mt Eisenhower, I was over it. Done. My feet and knees took much beating yesterday and I foolishly assumed today would magically be smoother. I couldn't even tell you how many times my head flew back & I ended up on my ass like a damn cartoon character. Mt Webster was so headlong on the descent that I was pretty much crawling - ended up startling a day hiker who screeched when I rounded a corner. Apparently, she had just seen a young bear about 10 minutes prior to crossing paths with me. I finally barreled down to the trailhead parking lot on US 302 and met some kind NOBOs who complimented my hair and gave me a blue air head and told me to watch out for a guy named Phoenix. After sitting around and playing the involuntary role of buffet for black flies, I made the executive decision to hitch 3.3 miles east to Crawford Notch General Store & Campground because I read they have showers and a solid resupply store there. A sun beam of a woman that I'd met earlier on the mountainside offered me a ride before I could even stick my thumb out. We bonded over our recent divorces and she insisted on paying for my campsite saying, "You'll learn to accept kindness from others, my dear". I thanked her a million times and held the ocean back behind my eyes. Lindy Jo, you are the human version of a sun flower. The campsite ruled. Mostly, it's a place for tourists to rent cabins, go swimming, etc. I put 4 quarters in a machine for 8 minutes of shower time and dried my hair under the Xlerator hand dryer while waiting for my phone to charge in the wall outlet... It's like, still "roughing it", but not entirely. :-) I also bought 4 fuji apples and 2 bananas from the General store and ate them in one sitting. Asleep by 7:30pm.Rainbow