morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2013-09-16
From: Speck Pond Lean-to

To: Full Goose Shelter and Campsite
Miles today: 5.1

Today started out with the certain knowledge that it would be an interesting and difficult day. Mahoosuc Arm is a steep descent for southbounders like myself. It drops from 3770' to 2163' in what feels like a cliff face in many places. Some areas so steep the only way I could do it was by holding onto the trees at the side of the trail. Oh and btw the trail was a good bit just a rock slab of granite facing steeply down. I finally made it to the bottom and it was here that the first person I run into coming north is Davey Crockett one of my earlier hiking partners in the south. We talked for a bit and he had just come through the notch and done it in about 1hr 45min. A few minutes later I came across Orion who had stopped for lunch, his time was similar to Davey's. I stopped and had lunch with him and caught up on some of the trail news and passed along information on what they would be headed to and got the same from them as they had just finished where I was headed. My main concern other than the Notch was the White Mountains of NH. Everyone talks of how tough and rugged they are and at the same time how rewarding the views are and so worth it. Well I'll know in a few days. Into the Notch I go and find it is very tough. It took me 2hr 40min. Slow but I have since talked to some that it took over 5 hrs to complete. The Notch is just over a mile of boulder scramble, sometimes through, sometimes over, sometimes under. I had to take my pack off three times and drag it behind me. Again Davey did it three times and Orion twice, Sonny took his off five times when he went through in the rain. Anyway, I finally got through and stopped at the next shelter for the night. That day is behind me, one more landmark complete on this long adventure.
Date: 2013-09-17
From: Full Goose Shelter and Campsite

To: Carlo Col
Miles today: 4.4

There were a lot of hikers at the shelter last night that I had hiked with back in the south. They are just now coming into Maine and headed to Katahdin, with the Notch and Arm in front of them for the day. I left the shelter this morning shortly after 9 and had been hiking less than a half hour when I came to a long stretch of rock face with rebar in the rock to climb up, too steep to get up any other way...great way to finish my last couple of days in Maine. The first peak I came to was Goose Eye Mountain with three peaks over a 1.6 mile stretch of up and down, north peak, east peak and west peak. Going down from west peak has some places that if you fall you are a goner... so it was very slow for me. But I got down unscathed (FYI this is not the end of the story). I made it to the shelter in the early afternoon, however, the next shelter/campsite on the guide was over 5 miles of mountains away so I stopped early for a short mileage day. I will be glad when I am through here and the Whites and can pick up my pace. The shelter tonight also had some northbound thru-hikers. Pitched my tent on a platform behind the shelter and after a little social time with the other hikers that were staying in the shelter I went back to the tent and crashed.
Date: 2013-09-18
From: Carlo Col

To: Trident Col Campsite
Miles today: 10.1

Well before 10 AM this morning I came to the Maine/NH border and crossed into NH. The sign said I had done 281.4 miles from Katahdin to this point. It sure seemed like more miles than that in Maine. I can safely say that this has been by far the toughest part of the AT by far. Just pass the sign there was a huge moose print in the mud of the trail, it was even impressive with my size fifteen boot next to it, I won however. At a little after I came across Blood Orange, a hiker I had hiked with in Virginia, he was headed north. Stopped and chatted for a while, took a picture and headed on south. I made it to the campsite a little after 6 and set up camp, tomorrow I will be in Gorham NH.
Date: 2013-09-19
From: Trident Col Campsite

To: Gorham, NH
Miles today: 6.9

Was back on the trail early today looking forward to an afternoon in town and a zero day tomorrow. It started off with a six hundred foot climb and then down the same six hundred then up six hundred, can we say roller coaster. When I started down Mt. Hayes down to Gorham is almost 2000 ft. descent to end the day. Got some good pictures and great views coming down into town. The last mile was fantastic, a real footpath followed by a 1/2 road walk to the hostel. I arrived in the early afternoon. I stayed at the White Mountain Lodge and Hostel. It was right on the trail where it intersects US 2 and North Rd. When I checked in and got my bunk it was reunion time again with some old friends from earlier on the hike.
Date: 2013-09-20
From: Gorham, NH

To: Gorham, NH
Miles today: 0.0

Today was a scheduled zero for me before I start into the Whites tomorrow. At the hostel were Sonny, a hiker that I have caught up with and stayed at the same hostel three times now in Maine and here. I believe the first time I caught him was in Monson at the end of the hundred mile wilderness. He is the guy a couple of years older than me that at one time had been carrying a 357 magnum pistol. He probably still would be if it were legal in the these states but it is not. He carries a pack I can barely lift and walks further each day than I do. He is also a flip/flop hiker in that he broke off from the south and came to Big K and headed south. He has further to go than I in that he did not get as far north before he broke off than I did. Also here at the hostel (which in this case is a beautiful home), is Swami, aka Bitter Goat who I spent the morning of the 4th of July with sharing a little Makers Mark with for breakfast. He is a very fast hiker that had already finished the hike and was working here for a few weeks before going back to the civilian world. Swami is a Canadian citizen. Others working here are S-rocket (yep, snot rocket) also completed her through hike not too long before I got here, and Beetlejuice also a young guy that had just finished. The owner of the hostels son was running it while she was visiting her home state of Minnesota, Minneapolis I believe. His name is Sam and I had met him in the south also while he was hiking with him older brother who is still hiking and in Maine nearing his completion, his brothers name is Nimbles.This was a good zero day in which I went to Wal-Mart and resupplied, redbox for a movie and Ben & Jerry's Cherry Garcia. Comfortable bed, life is good.
Date: 2013-09-21
From: Gorham, NH

To: Carter Notch Hut...Wildcats
Miles today: 6.2

This is my first day in the famed White Mountains of NH, these are reputedly the toughest mountains of the entire Appalachian Trail. Roughly 90 miles +-. I am being dropped off at Pinkham Notch and will be hiking back to the hostel and this will take three days. My son will be joining me five days from now to hike with me for about a month.The day starts off with a level for the first mile and then starts up for a little over 2000 feet. It is a beautiful day and I find myself totally in the clouds as I do the very steep ascent. After about an hour of climbing I come above the clouds and can see them below and the top of Mt. Washington across the valley in the opposite direction that I am going. It is gorgeous and intimidating at the same time. When I finally get to the top and am walking along the ridge line on Wildcat Mountain peak E headed toward peak D some day hikers are coming toward me from the opposite direction and I look at the way they are dressed and the shape they are in and think they will never make it down the mountain that I just climbed up, but held my tongue. When I came nearer to peak D I passed the ski gondola that these people had come up and surely their means of getting back down the mountain after their casual stroll along the ridge. Further on I passed a couple of thru hikers taking a break, Yuke and a young 15 year old thru hiker that was supported by her parents following along in a camper/pickup who resupplied her a different road crossing. After passing Wildcat Mountain peak C and later stopping at peak A for some pictures that looked almost straight down over a thousand feet to the hut I went down to the hut to try for work for stay. The huts in the Whites are buildings that cater casual hikers. The cost for a night is over $100, it includes supper and breakfast. This is very much out of most thru-hiker budget but a few are allowed what is called wfs, 'work for stay'. We found out when we got there that this was the last night that this hut would be open for the season and they had plenty of room so all 6 of us through hikers were allowed wfs. I was put to work boxing up canned foods that were to be helicoptered out in a few days. We thru hikers were given a bunk room all to ourselves, normally wfs hikers would sleep on dining room floor but since there were so few registered guest we got the royal treatment. It started raining heavily an hour before bedtime and the trail up to the bunkhouse was a stream. Off to bed.
Date: 2013-09-22
From: Carter Notch Hut...Wildcats

To: Imp Shelter
Miles today: 6.9

When we left Carter Notch it was a 1500 foot climb out of the notch to the top at Carter Dome. I was ahead of the others thru hikers because I left a little earlier than they did. As slow as I am on the up hills most other hikers catch and pass me here. I somehow stayed ahead. When I came to a trail junction that was a little confusing I walked a little way down each till I finally found a white blaze which confirmed I was going the right way. There are so many trail crossing it can sometimes be difficult to make sure you are on the right one. I was. As I come up to the view point on Mt Hight I see Yuke coming toward me from the front. He and the two other thru hikers with him had made the wrong choice and looped in from the wrong way on another trail, therefore they had missed some of the AT, about a half mile. The two girls dropped their packs and backtracked to make up that missed while he watched the packs. They caught back up with me about a couple of miles further on. Going down Middle Carter Mountain I was the last in line of four of us walking together at the time. Coming down a very steep slab rock about 5 yards wide I started sliding on the wet rock and tried to quick step out of it, that was a mistake for the steepness of the slope, in front of me was a ledge that dropped I knew not how far and I snagged my foot at high speed and launched myself through the air. I am sure everyone is familiar with the expression 'your life flashes before your eyes' at this moment. Not mine, happened too fast. I flew over the ledge and down about 8 feet straight down. My only thought was 'I'm dead'. I smacked the ground face first where there was level spot before the next drop off, and truly saw stars. As I lay there I heard voices as the others got to me and reached under me to undo my pack belt and started checking me to see if I was alive. Yes I was. Bleeding from my face, knees and palms but conscious, or semi anyway. When I put my hands beside my head to try and push my face off he ground my right had rested on a stone protruding from the ground the size of a coke bottle. If I had landed 4 inches that way it would have crushed my skull. When they got me in a sitting position my vision was blurry and I discovered my glasses were gone. They found them for me, with the right arm broken off...another duct tape fix. After about five minutes of washing the blood away and making sure everything still moved and nothing broken we started off again. After only two paces I discovered the fall had also broken one of my trekking poles. This somehow ticked me off fiercely and I flung it into the woods. I had a spare since this was my fourth set. When we got to the shelter a couple hours later my knees looked like cantaloupes and my left shoulder was killing me. At the shelter was a section hiker who had some scotch and gave me a couple of swigs, he was in his late 50's or early 60's and it was his birthday. I thanked him profusely for the 'gift' and finally fell asleep.I thanked everyone for their help, and the lord for me being still alive and able to walk.
Date: 2013-09-23
From: Imp Shelter

To: Gorham...hostel
Miles today: 8.0

I was the last one to leave the shelter this morning and was moving slow with every intention of creeping down from the 3991' to the 780' at the end of todays hike. After 6 miles of the day and most of the down hill I came to Rattle River Shelter to find "Frostbite" who I had hiked with a lot in Maine, he was already stopped for the day in the shelter. Also there was the birthday gentleman from the night before. We talked for a bit and I then continued on for the last two miles of gradual down to the road that led to the road and White Mountain Lodge and Hostel. When I got to the hostel Yuke was already there. I checked in and had the same bunk I had had earlier. When I looked in the mirror I had a big black eye all the way down the side of my nose and my knees were abraded, but the biggest surprise was my left bicep from shoulder to elbow was one huge black/blue bruise. My shoulder was very painful but my arm was not at all, that why I was surprised by the bruise. My son is supposed to arrive here in Gorham tomorrow night at 8pm and start hiking with me in two days. We will take a zero his first day here to get his gear sorted out and do some planning. I am really looking forward to seeing him.
Date: 2013-09-24
From: Gorham...hostel

To: Hostel
Miles today: 0.0

Got up this morning and found a large bruise under my jaw on the left side with associated swelling. Oh well, everything still works even if stiff and sore.I will spend the day just lounging around and waiting on Nat to get here tonight. His flight got him into Boston around 11 pm last night and he will be riding a bus up here to NH today and get here about 8 tonight.
Date: 2013-09-25
From: Hostel

To: Hostel
Miles today: 0.0

Picked up Nat at the bus station last night and it was good to see him, it's been since the first of the year since I last saw him. He looks great, and is eager to get hiking. Originally when he had planned to join me about a month ago it looked like at the time that I would be all the way down to Hanover NH and through the Whites so that he wouldn't have to start in some of the toughest of the AT without some warm up, however, I didn't get that far down the trail and this was the next best hooking up point.We sorted through his gear and went to Wal-Mart and resupplied the food for the next leg. My plan is to do a similar three day out then a pick up to come back to Gorham as a possibility. We start in the morning at Pinkham Notch and head south.
Date: 2013-09-26
From: Hostel

To: Madison Spring Hut
Miles today: 7.8
Weather: few clouds

Nat and I were dropped off at Pinkham Notch around 9:30 and started our hike. The first four miles were gradual up with long stretches of level. The fall is beautiful here as you would expect it to be in October in New Hampshire.This is Nat's first day on the trail and a few minutes after 2 pm he spots a moose about 30 yards into the woods nibbling on branches. I had only seen one other my entire time out and ran into many thru hikers that were still looking for their first spotting.When we got to the real climb it was truly a real climb from 2300' to 5366'. A real break-in for Nat. He did great, ah to be 26 again! The last couple of miles of the climb were rock scrambles in the fog that was so dense that pictures of Nat 50 yards ahead and he was almost lost in the fog. Once we crested the final summit (after at least 4 false summits) it was sharply downhill with many boulders to drop off of. We reached the hut which was closed for the season and locked just before dark. Looking for a good place to set up our two tents I found the enclosure that held the giant propane tanks had enough space for us to crowd our tents on. The mountains themselves have few places to just stealth camp. After the tents were put up we found the water source by using our headlamps, since it was now dark. We cooked on the small porch of the hut and went to bed thoroughly exhausted. It was a great day with my oldest son and I am thankful to have him with me.
Date: 2013-09-27
From: Madison Spring Hut

To: Lake of the Clouds Hut
Miles today: 7.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Got up this morning and started our first climb of 700' out of the valley up to Thunderstorm Junction. Once we were above the fog and clouds the views were spectacular as advertised. Then down another 600' then over Mt. Jefferson and onward to the real test Mt. Washington. This is the mountain that has the highest recorded wind speed in the world...yes I said world, somewhere around 238 mph. There is an observatory here and a road that leads up to it by car and also a cog railway. The AT crossed both of these near the summit. Many thru hikers have had to turn back because of weather. Nat and I could not have asked for a better day, it was perfectly clear and the air was almost totally still. We waved at the folks in the railcar as it passed and headed to the observatory. Nat arrived a little before me and I caught up about 10 minutes later. I should say here I am still very much adversely affected by the fall I had a few days back with some stiffness, soreness and pain. This will pass in a few more days I hope. When we got to the observatory we got food at the snack bar and toured the place. I checked on taking a shuttle down the 'auto-road', and possibly going back to Gorham for the night. The shuttle was $50 a piece, forget that we will continue on to the next hut. It was over a 1000' drop down to the Lake of the Clouds hut but still very clear and nice weather out and since it was all very much above tree line and we had been almost all day you could see the hut building down below us and the trail all the way down. A lot of down and tough on the knees but we got there and this one also was closed. We pitched out tents on a flat spot just in front of the front doors. We had cell service here so we called home and talked with Nancy for a while before eating. Got some great pictures of sunset here. I forgot to mention on the way down we came to the warning sign about the weather on this mountain. "STOP The area ahead has the worst weather in America. Many have died there from exposure. Even in the summer. Turn back now if the weather is bad. WHITE MOUNTAIN NATIONAL FOREST". The reason for mentioning it now is about an hour after we got in our tents and went to sleep we got a small sample of the wind as it howled around us. We were sheltered by the building and a retaining wall so all was fine. It only lasted for about 30 minutes but was an experience to remember.
Date: 2013-09-28
From: Lake of the Clouds Hut

To: Nauman Campsite at Mizpah Spring Hut
Miles today: 4.8

Well today was either going to be a short day or a long day. We opted for the short day. It was a nice rolling day again above the tree line most of the day until we dropped down to the campsite we were staying at. Again the weather was perfect, cool and clear as a bell with almost no wind. It is a Saturday in a very accessible part of the Whites and the trail and all side trails are loaded with day hikers, tourists and dogs galore. We came across a northbound thru-hiker that I would guess to be in his mid-fifties and chatted with him for a short while. This guy was quite the character. It nearly October and he has about 335 miles to go to get to Katahdin. Baxter State Park closes on the 15th of October so most thru hikers try and finish before that date. He did not seem fazed by that and said so, he would summit anyway. He said he had only taken one zero day since starting the hike and had not stayed in town even once. There is a saying/creed/axiom that says HYOH, hike your own hike. Nat noticed as I did that when talking to this person that he was much like me when talking after being alone for so long....he talked non-stop and you couldn't get a word in edgewise. We both commented on that to each other after we left him. I have spent many days on the trail, especially in southern Maine just saying hi and a few words all day long to other hikers as we passed. It is good to have my son with me even if he does get very far ahead many times, he always picks a spot and waits for me to catch up for lunch or breaks etc.We got to the campsite in the early afternoon and found that this Hut was still open for the season and was packed with day and weekend hikers, the campsite had plenty of room though. We pitched our tents and walked back over to the hut and had a bowl of soup. Early to bed tonight to head out in the morning.
Date: 2013-09-29
From: Nauman Campsite at Mizpah Spring Hut

To: Crawford Notch US 302 then to Gorham
Miles today: 6.7
Weather: few clouds

Left early this morning knowing we had a short day to the notch and a pick up there to go back into Gorham. Mizpah Spring Hut was one of the huts that was still open because it is not to far for the locals to get to. When Nat and I left this morning we followed what seemed to be the obvious trail, but after only a few minutes of not seeing any white blazes I got suspicious and had Nat wait while I backtracked to the hut and sure enough there was another trail going out that was actually smaller than the one we were on, however, it was the AT. I went back down and got Nat and we got on the AT and had a fairly easy first mile. When we got to Webster Cliffs and the advertised views, they were spectacular looking down into the valley very steeply. Our descent to the notch was from 4052 to 1263 constantly down with some areas you literally had to jump or lower yourself down holding onto the trees along the side of the trail. When we got to US 302 we called Swami at the hostel and about 45 minutes later Sam arrived and we rode back to town and civilization.
Date: 2013-10-01
From: Gorham

To: Zeacliff Pond...stealth camp
Miles today: 9.5

One of the thru hikers that had already finished his hike and was working at the hostel named Vitamin C took us back to the trailhead at the notch. Like most returns to the trail of this nature you begin with a climb out and up the mountain, this climb lasted about two miles but after the initial steep up it was not too bad. Once we reached the top we came to a section of trail that was about 5 miles of the most level and gentle since I had flipped back in NY. It was a very pleasant hike with us walking beside a crystal clear stream in gorgeous fall colors. We sat on boulders at the stream to have our lunch and I took some video and pictures before we started off again. Our plan was to stay at Zeacliff Falls hut next to the falls. We stopped at the falls before going on to the hut. Took more pictures and video of Nat at the falls. When we got to the hut we were early and I asked the hut crew member about work for stay and when I told him I was a thru hiker but that Nat was not, he enforced the rule of only thru hikers for work for stay so Nat and I continued on for a 1.6 miles up to Zeacliff Pond where we stealth camped. As it turned out this was a good thing because it would make tomorrow much easier than it would have been. After finding some relatively level spots among the trees and setting up our tents we cooked, ate and went to bed. Overall very good day of hiking.