morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2008-07-09
From: Upton Rd to So. Arm Rd, 10.2 mi

To: Cupsuptic Campground, zero day
Miles today: 0.0

Wednesday, 7.9I decided before morning that I would zero today, and help with breaking camp at South Arm, and moving it to Cupsuptic, outside of rangeley. I am pretty tuned in to my body since the hike from GA, and also to the weather. My exhaustion, the increasing heat, the added 3 miles and the storm warnings put together all spelled zero. Both Signage and Yvonne took off for an early start at 7:15. When Mary Anne returned from the shuttle, we got right on the task of taking down the tent and screenhouse, and packing the car with 4 people's stuff. We knew the weather was turning, as clouds came in and some wind picked up. We drove to Oquossic and found the new camping area, just a few yards from the lakeshore. The winds began to really pick up then, around noon, and we hustled to get the car unpacked and the tent set up. It was too windy by the time we were to do the screenhouse, so we just battened down some boxes under a tarp and waited it out. The wind whipped up whitecaps on the lake, and created quite a dramatic effect. By midafternoon we had to get to town to do some laundry, so off we went to Rangeley, after finding the Oquossic one closed. It was still very warm outside, and the laundromat was hotter, still. We got that done and ran into Kirby and Cookie again, who needed a lift to the trailhead about 9 miles away. Mary Anne took them with us to the IGA, and it was then that the skies opened up. It started to pour like the dickens when we went back to the car. It was close to 5 pm, so we raced to get Kirby and Cookie to their drop off, then turned around and went back another 20 miles to wait for Yvonne and Signage, who we knew would be utterly wiped out after their hike and thorough drenching. The rain let up after about an hour, leaving a moisrure-laden atmosphere and a thoroughly voracious cloud of mosquitoes and black flies.The trail came up to the roadside from deep in a gap. We could hear the sound of rushing water way below us, and knew the hikers had to ford that stream about a mile before they reached the road. It was almost 7 pm when we heard them answer our calls, which filled me with relief. They emerged slowly from below, on aching legs from some very tough hiking with a storm on their heels. At first they were chatty and energized by the hike's finish, but by the time we got them back to camp, they were getting chilled and feeling a bit shocky, it seemed. Neither of them wanted to eat much, and it wasn't long before they called it a night and hit the sack. I felt mixed feelings about having opted out of that hike, but overall was glad to have trusted my own judgement and chosen what felt best for me. I can hike that section another time when it feels safer. I was able to contribute to the overall endeavor by helping out with moving base camp and doing chores. I did feel as if my body and nervous system had done some healing today, and was ready to embark on Thursday's hike with a good attitude.
Date: 2008-07-10
From: Cupsuptic Campground, zero day

To: Me 17 to Me Rt 4, 13.1 mi
Miles today: 13.1

I was happy and a bit surprised to hear Signage and Yvonne's cheerful voices in the morning before I got up. The night's sleep had worked some magic, and both of them seemed ready to take on the day's hike. I felt rested and fresh, and anticipated a good day on the trail. Mary Anne cooked up a plate of sausage patties, and with mini bagels and cheese, we made some substantial breakfast sandwiches, I took a fat turkey sandwich, an apple, and two candy bars, plus a quart of gator aide and a couple of 20 oz water bottles. I was not going to tank on this hike, no siree! Yesterday's storms had cleared the air considerably, and we were looking at a consistently breezy, sunny day with high pressure and temps in the 70's. Our trail took us past Long Pond, Moxie Pond, and Sabbath Day leanto, then Little Swift River tentsite and South Pond. Early in the hike which was characterized by more rolling ups and downs, we met groups of girls from a canadian camp, and later on, groups of boys and their leaders. All of us were coping with a great many mudholes and swampy areas. The rains had really soaked the trail. Terrain that might have allowed for a good 2 - 3 mph pace, was today slowing us down to a 1-2 mph pace, as we had to negotiate our way around probably 40 or 50 boggy areas with only some boardwalks or puncheons to walk on.Did I mention the mud?! I had put on knee high gaiters at the last minute, thinking that they might help keep the crud out of my socks, and by day's end they were coated with a thick layer of drying mud.Today Yvonne accepted the trail name of Recon, which Signage bestowed upon her and I utterly supported. Recon's skills at instantly detecting a secondary path or a possible detour became legendary. With her lean frame, long legs and elegant hat, she was a point person to be reckoned with. Our third day hiking as a group seemed to create a more relaxed bond between us. Each of us had had moments of triumph and times of vulnerability, which often helps people feel greater trust in one another. We laughed a lot, shared some of our "civilian" interests and kept each other's morale up as we slowly made our way along the day's trail. Bright, clear sunlight accented the greenery around us, and the intense smell of balsam underfoot formed a background to our experience. I felt grateful for the chance to be out on the AT again, not far from home, and with new friends who love to hike. I have another 33 miles to add to my accumulating list. Tremendous thanks to Signage for accepting me into the initial days of her '08 return to the AT. Thanks to Mary Anne for her caring support of a virtual stranger, and to Yvonne for sharing her skilled and sensitive self with us all. You will all be in my thoughts as the coming days unfold.
Date: 2008-07-17
From: Home 

To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Tomorrow looks like I will be doing a very local dayhike with V8 to get our legs working and our energy up. Plans are beginning to gel for another foray into the mountains, this time starting from Glencliff, NH and going to Grafton Notch area. I have exchanged notes with Certain, AT '07 and '08, who is entering that section before too long, to see if she would like some company through the Whites. I have enjoyed reading her journal, as have a bazillion other people, and can tell that she hikes a similar pace to mine. I want to continue to do parts of the AT that are accessible from home, in the off chance that V8 may be able to join me for part of them. In mid-August, there are plans generating with trail friends for a south bound stretch from Katahdin to NY, some of which I very much want to do. Leaping turtle called about this several weeks back, so I hope its still bubbling. Meanwhile its been hot in a way that feels out of place in Maine. The sun feels dangerous. The grass is getting crunchy, kind of like walking across shredded wheat. Good time to be in the shade and higher elevations.
Date: 2008-07-24
From: home 

To: Silver Lake, NH
Miles today: 0.0

One of those nights when you wake up a couple of hours after going to bed, and lie there. And lie there. So I got up, and am sitting on the living room sofa while it rains and thunders outside. Much later today I will be on my way to Gail's house, where I will meet Jan and visit and spend the night. Friday, its off to Glencliff and Mooselauke after we pick up Certain. I'm so happy to be heading back out! We plan a combination plate of backpacking and slacking, with camping, motels and hostels, so I am putting a wider assortment of gear in the car, as I did on my last trip.I decided to check with my Dr. about getting an inhaler for the apparent excercise induced asthma that came up for me while hiking the Baldpates recently. He had me get a respiratory eval. at the hospital as well as a chest xray, not wanting to miss other possible causes of breathlessness and a heavy chest. I will see him tomorrow for results and hopefully a simple rx for a rescue inhaler, and be on my way. All about me lies the happy tumult of gear and supplies and clothes, waiting in their informal piles to be crated up and loaded into the car. I am getting used to this scenario, as it has been happening with every trip. Somehow the living room becomes the staging area, and whoever is not hiking at the time, just kind of works around the clutter. Tom, bless his heart, is moving into high gear as a virtual hiker, seeming to get a great deal of energy from sharing my hike from a distance. He has been recalling parts of where we will be hiking, referring to his copious trail notes, and making the odd recommendation now and again.Looks like rain today, but pretty good looking weather for Friday in NH: yes!!!
Date: 2008-07-25
From: No. Woodstock , NH

To: ?
Miles today: 0.0

Late yesterday afternoon, I was talking with V8 about leaving for NHwhen she said,"Don't come!", to my surprise.I had been tending to the lung and heart function tests that my doctor urged me to do before heading out, and was finally done and ready to go at 5:30. All tests came back normal, heart function actually better than normal. Phew. Both GP and cardio doc said to not hike in extreme heat and humidity, when ozone levels are extremely high. Apparantely that combination is really bad for people. Trouble is, our whole summer has been like that.      At any rate, V8 explained, as I sat in the hospital parking lot, that NH was having tornado warnings and it was raining absolute buckets. She had had to pull over 4 times due to driving rains, and thought that I should come the next day. The car was packed with all my things for the hike, but I drove home and had supper and slept there. Today all I had to do was get up and head out.v8 had secured us a room at a motel in N. Woodstock, and as I took my things in I flashed back on our stay in Waynesboro. Five weeks since we came home from the trail in the Shenandoahs vanished into thin air! I spent about an hour putting food together for a few meals for the first leg. I remember this! I got such a sweet feeling of returning, just by bagging up some cereal and Nido.Jan had gone to pick up Certain and some others at the trailhead while I organized and edited my hastily thrown-into-the-car stuff. I couldn't believe this was actually going to work, but sure enough, Jan came back with Certain, thus beginning a new leg of our adventures. It was delightful to meet her, and after she had time to clean up, we went for supper and had a chance to talk. She raved about today's hike, across Mooselauke. If she liked that, she'll love the rest of New England! I'm settling in for the night now, my pack is ready, and we will be off early in the morning for a quick breakfast and a two day hike, back on the AT. It pleases me beyond reason to say, "To be continued...".Marcia JamrogAuntie Mame
Date: 2008-07-27
From: Eliza Brook Shelter

To: NH 112, Kinsman Notch
Miles today: 7.5
Weather: overcast clouds

I lucked out last night, shortly after I finished writing my journal entry. I ousted myself from my sleeping bag after long deliberations, and went to the woods for a visit that one last time before bed. Just as I stood up to head back to the tent, I heard a weird, rushing sound overhead. It dawned on me that that was real heavy rain, and I hustled into the tent just as the deluge broke thru the treetops above. Thunder had been rolling around the valley, and now lightening began to flash, as the rain poured down on the Tarptent.    I quickly pulled my pack liner out of the pack, and stuffed the pack into it. I crammed all the loose gear remaining into the pack, and felt relief that stuff would stay dry even if the tent shipped water.   I read for awhile as the drama unfolded. An hour later it receded into the distance. I had some misting through the fabric and some back splash around the edges, which made for a messy, gritty pack-up the next morning.    The morning dawned clear, and we folded up camp and took off by 8 a.m. The section was only 7.5 miles, but it could not have been more convoluted. The key word for today: PUD. (pointless ups and downs) It took us until 3:45 to get to the car we had spotted at the trailhead. Quality of hiking: tedious, although the weather was pleasant.    These mountains are humbling. It was almost 8 hours for 7.5 miles.V8 and Certain picked up a pair of long sectioners and gave them a lift to the Lafayette Campground. Then we brought both cars back to No. Woodstock. We had pizzas delivered and had a leisurely supper discussing social constructs and mores, then scampered over to the ice cream shop for cones. Bliss. It's going on 8:30 pm now, and as the hikers among you know, its bedtime. Tomorrow we are having a summit conference to figure out how best to make our way through the Presidentials.      Til then, yours in the spirit of physical vitality,Auntie Mame
Date: 2008-07-28
From: NH 112, Kinsman Notch

To: Franconia Ridge, Old bridle Path
Miles today: 6.4

A zesty dance up the Liberty Spring trail this morning, beginning at 7 a.m., a cautious and depressing foray across Mts Haystack, Lincoln and Lafayette, followed by a stroll down to Greenleaf Hut for our lunches, and for a grande finale, a sprint down the last 2.9 miles of the Bridle Path trail. Sum totals, 6.4 AT miles, and 4.5 other miles.    What a day! Most specifically, I was scared, unhappy, and fretful heading across Franconia Ridge in 52 degree, foggy, windy weather. By the time we had had lunch at the Hut, and started down the Bridle Path, I was waxing rhapsodic to Certain about how great I felt, how nice it was to feel strong, and how much I looked forward to more hiking. Both feeling sets were true.   There is just something deeply disturbing about cresting a rock strewn ridge that falls away on both sides into nothingness, that is shrouded in clouds and fog, dropping in temperature and developing stiff, jacket-tearing winds. It was an alpine zone, with short trees and odd, primitive flowers, wet sandy rock and uneven, unpredictable paths formed out of loose rock and standing firs. I wanted to enjoy it up there, but the mammal in me registered "threat", and would not calm down until I was nearing the hut and in the trees. I have a lot more of this sort of thing to do, and hope I can find ways to manage my reactions and enjoy the vistas up there.   On the downhill hike on the Bridle Path I was very happy to feel my energy kindling a deep, strong vibe that I had had at times on the trail earlier this year. I felt gratitude for my health and my capacity to grow stronger as a result of being out here again.    Weather reports are showing thunderstorms up high the next two days, so we may do a section further north, that involves less elevation and leaves the ridge trails for safer weather.In the spirit of HYOH,Auntie Mame
Date: 2008-07-30
From: Highland Ctr @ Crawford Notch

To: North Woodstock, NH
Miles today: 0.0

Its 4:30 pm and the steady pour of rain coming off the motel roof is competing with the rolls of thunder and whoosh of traffic thru the open door. The air has an odd humidity to it, and V8 propped the door open for some fresh air, giving us an up close and personal experience of the afternoon weather.   I spent the morning reading in a big chair in the lobby area of the AMC lodge, which actually is one of my favorite things to do. The hard rains began this morning around 3:30, and have abated and returned all day. Thunder has a hollow, dry sound here, maybe from bouncing off the mountainsides, and it seems louder and purer than the claps I hear at home. The skies are a purple and gray-green melange, dark and ominous. How glad am I to be indoors and in town?!      We drove over to our old stomping grounds in No. Woodstock around noon, where Certain posted herself on the front porch to await Karen's arrival. Later, once the road weary traveler was here, we decided to take V8's suggestion to try the Gypsy Cafe for lunch, where we ate and chatted in artistic splendor. I can highly recommend their Texan burger, as it was juicy and flavorful, and big enough to serve as lunch and dinner. One of Karen's many talents includes theatrical voices from around the world. You can just imagine the energy generated by the verbal and engaging Certain; our reserved, yet witty V8; the well traveled, comic linguist, Karen; and me. My day was made even more rewarding when we went to the ice cream parlor and Certain arranged for the owner to give me the last scrid of peppermint stick. There wasn't enough for even a kiddie cone, but I loved every bite.   Search and Rescue will have their hands full today, I suspect, as the electrical storms have been intensifying through out the day.    Yesterday I added a new resource to my hiking library, the new edition of the White Mountain Guide with maps. In conjunction with the AT guides, I should be able to plan sections for the upcoming miles, that allow access and egress by vehicle, when possible. As an old, heavily used mountain area, many trails criss cross the AT. If one knows the layout, one can find alternate ways to get into the trailheads, and sometimes to get off of the peaks, without having to be out for multiple days and nights.   So, here's to getting stronger, learning more about the New England AT, and to finding ways to enjoy as much of it as possible with cheerful fellow hikers.   Auntie Mame
Date: 2008-07-31
From: North Woodstock, NH

To: Lincolnville, ME
Miles today: 0.0

Well, the physical transition to my house has happened, but I feel eager to return to the Whites and to chunk away at the AT there. Our little dog is jammed in beside me on the couch, and Tom is sitting on the other end reading the PCT guidebook that Yogi wrote. (Jackie McDonnell). Trails are a big part of our family life right now!Basically, I am home to get things organized for a return trip, while Certain and Incessant take a couple of days to reconnect. Its been wonderful to have a fit, eager, responsible hiking companion to do some of the NH trails with, and I hope that we can continue to do more. I am still amazed that we were able to connect with Certain so effortlessly: it was a thought, then a call, a few notes back and forth, and presto, new energy for all three of us. NH is really tough, there's no question about that. But I love to be out there, and am willing to keep at it for as long as I can. I am hoping that by hiking the peaks, my fears of the windy, high places will gradually subside. Exposure to exposure, no? Today we were at breakfast in No. Woodstock when Fat Chap came in with a shuttle full of hikers. They plunked down at a table for 8 or 10, and I got to see Jack Frost, 6 Iron and Flat Iron, and the ever energetic Peacock, whose Dad was out getting himself over a bug he had caught.. We last saw those two back in TN, I believe. Its so great to meet new hikers and to see folks we have met earlier. Did you know: Pepperoni comes in big, sandwich-sized rounds? Wow! Now I don't have to balance all those little coins on top of the cheese like I was doing...
Date: 2008-08-06
From: Garfield Ridge Tent Site

To: Galehead Hut 
Miles today: 2.9
Weather: heavy intensity rain

Mame Makes Mistakes and Pays Price!   Il pleu. I did not pack the right clothes for this. Let's start at the beginning.   Certain and I agreed to shoot for an 8a.m. take-off. During the night the rains picked up, and my neat pile of yesterday's wet hiking clothes got even wetter: some raindrop back splash flung itself right onto that pile. The tent was soaked. My pack, sitting out under the vestibule, was soaked, as was its rain cover. Thank the powers that be for Certain, because I had left my Exped mat in my car, and had no sleeping cushion for under my body. She instantly offered me her Big Agnes mat, which kept me from getting very wet, as it works like a little raft. I did not bring rain pants or tights, so wore nylon windpants which soaked through in the first hiking hour. My boots soaked through, the trail was gushing with runoff, and we proceeded slowly on some steep sections both up and down.    My rain hat worked, as did a long-sleeved poly jersey under my rain jacket. I was very glad for that!   Temps were in the mid 50's, but strong winds made it feel like it was sapping heat by the minute.   When we got to Galehead, I was cold, soaked, and dull of spirit and intellect. I could not imagine going back out there today. I wanted to get into my sleeping bag and hide. Certain got me some soup from the kitchen, which helped the belly, and I went straight to bed after that. I am so glad to have a debit card at a time like this. I have been wringing out clothes and trying to find spots on which to hang them. I have a bottom bunk, as does Certain, because smart hikers got wind of the weather report and cancelled out up here. Thru hikers Jack Frost, Peacock and Daddy O were here when we came in, but are planning a descent to a campground with cottages near Crawford Notch, to wait out this front that is moving through. Smart move.   Now its after 8 p.m., supper is done and a program is going on in the dining hall. Something besides getting cold is affecting me, as every time I eat or take Advil, my stomach gets very irritated. It started last night, and I am hoping its got a 24 hr lifespan. I don't carry stomach meds because I never get stomach problems. Certain came through again, handing me a couple of Prilosec, which we both hope does the trick.    Plan for tomorrow is to back track to the Gale River trail, .6 mi from here, and to take that 4 mile path down to a parking area, where Karen agreed to pick us up at 12:30. Thank you, Karen!    If by any chance the morning weather report is for sun, we will proceed on to Guyot campsite.Auntie Mame