morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2015-07-13
From: Hexacuba Shelter

To: Glencliff, NH
Miles today: 14.8
Weather: light rain

We woke up early and had to deal with the short climb over Mt Cube right away. We hiked up steep rocks and roots, saw the sun slowly rising overhead and we hiked back down. Up and down again: the brief history of the AT.I was tired today. Nothing much happened. Sometimes, the scenery repeats itself, as if a replica of the previous mile had been used to create the next 3. It wasn't unpleasant hiking, it was just rather dull. The last few days in NH have been quite challenging as we have had quite a few mountains to tackle. Mentally, I feel that these past few days have been taxing: all these hard mountains are a tease, an obstacle, a prelude to the biggest challenge yet, the White Mountains.We arrived at the road crossing for Glencliff and headed towards the almost on-trail Hikers Welcome hostel. It was absolutely packed with many NoBos and SoBos. We tented in the backyard, but at least we got a shuttle to the nearby convenience store, some hot food and a shower. Trepidation and anxiety are overwhelming me right now as we will enter the Whites tomorrow. We must hike up Mount Moosilauke, the giant, impassive guardian of the Whites. The climb up the southern facade is long and sustained, but it is the descent down the other side which frightens me. Every source warns that it is dangerously steep and tricky with rebars and wooden blocks bolted into the granite to assist hikers down. From the elevation profile, it seems as if it is a sharp, completely vertical drop. Many, many, many hikers are slack-packing it and will be hiking southbound as climbing that treacherous section is considerably less risky. I will not. I asked Shrugs what he remembered from the Whites. He has visited the park many times to do hiking trips with his family when he was young. "Do you have any tips?", I asked, full of nervous energy. - "No, not really"- "What where the climbs like? Was it really rocky? Steep? Dangerous? Were you scared?"- "I don't remember"- "You went to the Whites tons of times, you don't remenber anything?!"- "I liked the cairns"Well, OK then. - Axon
Date: 2015-07-17
From: Stealth camp at summit of Mount Garfield

To: Stealth camp near Ethan Pond
Miles today: 14.3

Although we were sheltered from the wind, it was a very cold night. I wore all my base layers and fleece pullover to stay warm and comfortable; I slept quite well.We woke up very early to eat breakfast while watching the sun rise over the mountain range. The sky was cast in an amber glow and the tall shadows were slowly waning. Low-lying clouds filled the valleys down below and the mountain tips emerged from the frothy blanket of clouds like small islands.We hiked down the very rocky and steep northside facade of Mount Garfield. The initial portion was alright though it did get tricky in some areas as water was trickling down the Trail like miniature cascades. It was so much easier to hike after a good night's rest, so I didn't mind the added difficulty. Shrugs also laughed at how our standards for what is considered a difficult terrain are quickly lowering. We arrived at Galehead Hut quite early so they didn't have any snacks or soup available for sale. We filled up our water bottles instead. There were still many SoBos who had stayed the night in exchange for work. That is one of the downfalls of the work-for-stay arrangement: you sometimes need to put in work in the morning which means you leave late. I always do my best hiking early in the day.The main mountain of the day was Twin Mountain. It was hard, but the open summit and views were great. I was almost as impressed by the visible sun, clear sky and lack of rain as I was with the actual view itself. The Trail continued along an exposed bald patch before returning down. We sat down for a while to enjoy the weather and the panoramic view from the bald area. We ended up taking longer than I planned because I don't always realize how time-consuming taking pictures can be (although that's not a bad thing). We hiked for a while and arrived at Zealand Falls hut where we ordered two bowls of potato, cheese and dill soup each. It was immensely satisfying. We also had these small chocolate-coconut squares for dessert.The terrain following the hut was spectacularly easy and level. A truly flat and unencumbered 4-mile long stretch of Trail. Funnily enough, I still stubbed my toe on the occasional solitary root or rock, as if my feet were unaccustomed to reasonable terrain. I was very tired at the end of the day. We found a quiet, secluded stealth camp spot right before the Ethan Pond campsite. We have been avoiding the campsites as many of them in the Whites demand a per-person fee. They are also very crowded and ask that you set up on a tent platform which is less than ideal for us as our tent is not free-standing.The sky has become overcast and a steady rain started. Such morose weather. I feel that this unrelenting rain is slowly corrupting my sanity, although the Trail may be participating as well.- Axon  View from Twin Mountain  On Guyot Mountain
Date: 2015-07-18
From: Stealth camp near Ethan Pond

To: Nauman Campsite
Miles today: 9.9

We woke up to the sound of rain and went back to sleep. An hour later it was still raining so we ate and packed up inside the tent, which was very wet because we weren't able to stake it properly because it was a very small spot. Our first two hours of hiking were spent in the rain, but we were walking (sort of) fast in the relatively easy terrain. As we were taking a break at Crawford Notch a couple of day hikers arrived and gave us a chocolate bar. Thanks! We chatted a bit and went on to start the challenge of the day.It was indeed a challenge. At first it was a very steep climb reminiscent of Kinsman Mountain in its difficulty. It was a corridor of jumbled rocks with walls of trees, among which there were more jumbled stone blocks covered in moss. Although it makes for challenging terrain, I really enjoy this forest, which is typical of the Whites so far. Sometimes the rocks on the trail are arranged into some sort of stairs that seem to be leading straight up into Mordor. The fog helped a lot in creating a spooky atmosphere.After this climb were the Webster Cliffs. They consisted of a series of rock walls, sometimes over 20 feet high, that we had to climb up or down (but mostly up). Axon did look a lot like a mountain goat on these. On occasion, we would end up on top of a cliff with a magnificent view on the thick fog. After Mount Webster the terrain calmed down a bit (only a bit) and we were eventually able to reach the Mizpah Hut, where our campsite is located. We had some soup, then we set up our tent on a platform, assisted by some duct tape.We went on top of Mount Jackson today. I think we are in the presidential range now. Tomorrow, if the weather permits, we will go on Mount Washington.- ShrugsEntrance to the Presidential Range
Date: 2015-07-21
From: Osgood Campsite

To: Stealth camp at Zeta Pass
Miles today: 13.2
Weather: light rain

The elevation profile showed a rather flat terrain for the first 4-5 miles leading to Pinkham notch. While there wasn't any elevation change, the terrain was uneven, ridden with rooty and rocky obstacles that slowed us down. We arrived at the notch and took a break near the visitor center. There were telescopes set up and a young guy talking about the sun. Space is awesome. While we ate our snacks and listened to the short lecture, a very young red squirrel wandered to our feet, looking for food. SO CUTE.The Wildcats, a series of peaks (named peaks A, B, C, D and E, such imagination), one of the last of the Whites, were awaiting us. The climb was extremely steep and challenging. A nearly vertical wall stood in our path quite early in the climb. A long crack ripped through the rock which stood high like a house. I had to wedge myself in this crack and, using my arms and elbows, push myself up. Our hiking poles were quite useless as we needed our hands to scramble over slanted slabs of rock or pull ourselves up over ledges. The profile shows a sharp line up, though it is misleading. In fact, we have multiple sections of rock-climbing followed by a drastic drop down where the Trail continues along a flat pathway for a few yards before abruptly stopping in front of another cliff to scale up. The cycle repeats; it is as difficult mentally as it is physically.We arrived at the summit where a functionning ski gondola was ferrying people up and down the mountain. It looked like the preferred alternative to hiking up the Wildcats. We hiked back down and arrived at the Carter Notch Hut, the last hut we will see. The Trail leading up to the hut skirted a large pond that was filled with hundreds of black tadpoles. We ate cake at the hut and rested for a bit while a group of hyperactive girlscouts loudly read the hut's log books.The final climb was over Carter Dome (4,832') and Mt Height (4,652'). A moderatetly heavy and persistent rain began while we were climbing increasingly slick and wet stone steps. Happily, the rain stopped as we reached the exposed summit. We seemed to have caught only a glimpse of the storm: a terrible mass of black clouds was migrating towards the Presidential Range. The surrounding area was clear and glowing from the late afternoon sun while Mt Washington was ravaged by the storm. I was glad to be on the right mountain this time.We hiked back down below treeline and decided to call it a day. While we ate dinner, a large hare approached us. It was suprisingly huge. A second one bounced around our tent spot.- Axon
Date: 2015-07-22
From: Stealth camp at Zeta Pass

To: Gorham, NH
Miles today: 12.6

Early start today, as usual. Nothing in particular stood out although the terrain was rough and rugged as we crawled and scrambled down rocky facades. There was a particular area where the Trail went down a over-10-feet-long, sharply angled and quite smooth slab of rock. I decided to butt-blaze down, but I underestimated the incline and degree of surface friction. I slid down uncontrollably fast and crashed at the bottom, thoroughly scraping my legs during my descent. What my method lacked in safety, it made up for it in efficiency.The Trail demanded we hike over a few more Carter Mountains as well as Mt Moriah, which sounds like a place inspired from the "Lord of the Rings" novels. The climb up was long and many times we thought we had arrived at the summit only to see that we had more rocky walls to "hike" over. At the top, we had a great view of the Wildcats range. It's amazingly satisfying to see what we have accomplished.As we hiked down towards civilization, we met Chef and Megan who were doing trail magic: great, fully loaded sandwiches, fresh fruit and homemade cookies. Chef hiked the AT last year and is hoping to come back next year with Megan to attempt a SoBo journey. Thanks to them and good luck!The rest of the hike was, all things considered, quite easy. A smooth, graded downhill, unencumbered terrain, a very, very welcome treat as we could speed through this segment. We arrived early at route 2 and headed towards the White Mountains hostel where we stayed a few days ago (the town of Gorham is accessible via Pinkham Notch and Rd 2, which is why we are here a second time). This hostel is great and we were glad to shower and do our resupply. The hostel was absolutely packed with thru-hikers, both SoBos and NoBos. We even saw a hiker, Clifford, who we last saw in Hot Springs, NC (or 1,600 miles ago). So random! We had first met Clifford in the Smokies where we shared a shelter during a rainy and freezing day. While we were all warmly bundled up in our sleeping bags, we watched our fellow hikers decide against staying put, opting instead to move on to reach the next shelter, only 1.7 miles away. Their misery became the day's source of entertainement, so we renamed the shelter the "Schadenfreude Shelter". I still can't remember what was that shelter's real name.- Axon
Date: 2015-07-23
From: Gorham, NH

To: Trident Col Campsite
Miles today: 6.9
Weather: overcast clouds

I slept alright, but I encountered an etiquette problem: when someone snores really loudly during the night and keeps everyone up, then in the morning asks light-heartedly if their snoring wasn't too bad, what do you answer? Lying and saying "ohh haha, no, no, it was alright" then trailing off with a nervous laugh seems like an unsatisfactory response. However, "I only wanted to kick you out of the bunkroom 2,345,734 times" may be a bit rude. We had a great breakfast this morning (French toast!) and set out before 8 AM, which is very late for us. I always feel that if I am not on the Trail by 6 AM, I can't hike that day; maybe I can only manage to hike when my brain is too sleepy to protest against the upcoming suffering.While we did have many uphills, large boulders and near-vertical rocks to climb, the terrain was relatively mild. We even had a final view of the Whites behind us. Unfortunately, I just had no energy today and was feeling downright miserable. I know many women report an interruption of their menstrual cycle while on the Trail, which is somewhat expected considering the harsh physical demands the body must endure. However, for me, it has been a bunch of nonsense where all the horrible "symptoms" have been exacerbated. It is nearly impossible to hike while sharp daggers rip your insides to shreds. On the plus side, I am now pretty sure that Freud must have thought up his theory about penis envy during a hiking trip with a female companion as it is out here that one clearly realizes the inherent advantages of possessing a male body (like not worrying about mooning passers-by when peeing in the woods is another good one). Everything is unfair all the time.A light sprinkling of rain began so we cut the day short and stayed at a campsite 5-ish miles before our intended destination. I started to write the journal entries for the last few days (I had been way too tired to stay updated on my journal after those long days in the Whites), but I fell asleep while typing them out. Decidedly, nothing was meant to happen today.The campsite here is really nice as there are so many chirping and singing birds in the surrounding trees (and added to the mix is the sound of a large group of SoBos). - Axon
Date: 2015-07-26
From: Speck Pond Shelter

To: Frye Notch Lean-to
Miles today: 10.4
Weather: scattered clouds

It rained heavily last night. Small pools formed on the ground and my boots were damp this morning. We left the campsite and immediately began hiking up a steep trail towards Old Speck Summit. There were many rock slides which had become slick and slippery from the rain. There were also waist-high, highly rounded and smooth rocks to climb over. I am writing this entry a couple of days after the facts and, in retrospect, the task would have been a lot easier had the rocks been dry. Shrugs was usually able to leap up in one go, while I struggled immensely. I try to bounce up but I fail to achieve the necessary height so I slipped and scraped my knees multiple times. Other times, particularly during the rocks slides, I watched Shrugs run up and jump back and forth from one small, stable ledge to the next. I understand that one must use the initial momentum to propel oneself upwards, but my body always falters when it senses that it is in any sort of disequilibrium. Even if I intend to maintain a continuous, fluid mouvement, I end up staggering and slipping.I don't know how much skin I have left on my knees.We eventually arrived at the top. The wind was strong and clouds were moving in and out of the view. We didn't stay long. I was relieved to see that the climb down was along a gradual incline, without excessive rockyness. It was great to walk on dirt!We got to Grafton Notch and stopped for a snack while we chatted with a SoBo. Rain was pouring but it was a short shower. We eventually hit the Trail again and began the climb up towards the Baldpates (which I used to think were called the "Bald Plates"). The climb was great; there were rocks and roots but in manageable amounts. Shrugs commented that it had been a while since he had been out of breath as the climbs from the previous days required multiple breaks to evaluate the terrain and decide on the best path to choose. Once we were above treeline, the whole area was exposed. We had to hike up a steep facade that was thankfully dry - the wind must have dried the rocky surface. It was quite demanding for my calves, though overall manageable. The views were non-existant as we were up in a cloud of fog. However, I find that the whole somber, bare and desolate area is picturesque.The hike down was less challenging than the climb up as we were back below treeline and could grasp the nearby trees to help us down or walk around the rock slides, as many hikers have done as evidenced by the path of trampled vegetation. I felt once again terribly sorry to be walking off the Trail and hurting the surrounding vegetation. We arrived at the shelter at a reasonable hour and we set up our tent. It rained again during the night.- Axon
Date: 2015-07-27
From: Frye Notch Lean-to

To: Andover, ME
Miles today: 4.5

The sun appeared as a glowing sphere, blooming into a pale white light, a sight we have not witnessed in a long time. The whole forest was dripping and the humidity clung to our skin. It was so warm, especially with the sun out. Shrugs heard a faint crackling sound in the distance. I stopped to look over and saw, so very briefly, a long, still face poke out of the leaves. A moose! It was far away and hidden among the trees so I only glimpsed dark brown shadows move among the trees and a pair of ears sticking out. It was still a nice encounter as I think these animals are so peculiar looking, as if they should still belong to the Pleistocene era.We hiked along a tame terrain, over rocks and roots, though we were unphazed. We were about 0.8 mile away from the East B Hill road, an access point to the small town of Andover, our next resupply point. We called one of the lodging options to see if we could arrange a shuttle as the town is 8 miles away. No response. No worries, we thought, we will try to hitch a ride.GRAVE MISTAKE. The road was deserted, absolutely abandonned AND there was no cell reception so we couldn't try and contact the hostel. So we walked. It was painful. My feet were screaming from having to walk on the hard pavement. It took a little over 2 hours and we encountered 3 cars and a logging truck (which was full of timber as it passed us and we saw it again, coming back, its cargo now emptied). We finally arrived in Andover and decided to stay the night. We were still sore from the previous strenuous days. My upper body is particularly aching. Also, the extra 8 off-trail miles were too much, too demoralizing. We set our stuff up in the bunkroom and headed over to the store to resupply and swing by the diner to get a warm meal. The best part about the Pine Ellis Lodging is that they have bird feeders on the porch and tiny hummingbirds frequently visit.We pre-arranged tomorrow's shuttle back to the trailhead. - Axon
Date: 2015-07-28
From: Andover, ME

To: Stealth site between mountains
Miles today: 14.5

While waiting for our (very early) morning shuttle, we had time to chat a bit with Top Fuel and Green Fire, who stayed in the next building and whom we had first met around Glasgow, in central Virginia. We last saw them right after Axon sprained her ankle, over 1000 miles and almost 3 months ago! It's so rare and fun to see familiar faces at this point.Our shuttle driver was a very nice elderly lady who talked about visiting her great-grandchildren. She also said we were her only shuttle of the day since she had an appointment with the eye doctor because of her reduced field of vision and that she recently hit a moose with her car. Nonetheless, the ride went without incident and took only 12 minutes, which is over 2 hours less than our walk from yesterday, so we were pretty happy.The Trail in the morning was much less hard than in the past few days. It was by no means easy but our standards for what is acceptable or ridiculous terrain are pretty low by now. It was rocky and we had to make our way through a dense cluster of leaves for a while, but it was a welcome relief from the rock slides.However, in the afternoon we arrived at Sawyer Notch from where the Trail goes straight up to Moody Moutain with the steepest incline ever. We struggled to reach the top in the hot and humid air. As we were taking a break at the summit, we were joined by Tunnel Vision, a hiker from Germany who is doing a flip-flop. We hiked with him down the mountain, it made the time pass more quickly.We decided to push on for a few more miles to a spot where we suspected that there might be a stealth tentsite. Tunnel Vision was aiming for the same place, he said he would save us a spot there so we wouldn't have to push him down the mountain to have it.The last mile up the mountain was another series of rock slides so we progressed very slowly. We arrived tired and late to an OK stealth spot.- Shrugs
Date: 2015-07-29
From: Stealth site between mountains

To: Swift Little Pond Campsite
Miles today: 17.2
Weather: light rain

The sun was slowly appearing through the trees and the leaves as we were, even more slowly, packing our things up. As the trip has been progressing, we have been getting up earlier and earlier; we frequently begin hiking before 6 AM. The stealth spot we found yesterday was not near any water source so we needed to fill up as soon as an occasion presented itself. We hiked along difficult terrain: large rocks blocked our path and the surrounding trees seemed to have extended their crawling roots purposefully along the Trail to trip hikers. About a mile or so into the hike, we crossed a small stream so we stopped to fill our bottles. The process of gathering and filtering water is extremely time consuming and laborious. I definitely miss water taps that deliver a powerful jet of potable water. Also, the water has been yellowish again though there is no metallic aftertaste like we have had before. Still: it's always disconcerting to drink oddly colored water.The Trail grew more intense as we hiked on. There were long stretches that followed an exposed, rocky path. What could have been a rock-slide was now a rock-sidewalk as the blazing sun had dried all the surrounding surfaces. It was much easier to hike on the dried slabs of rock, but the sun's heat was melting me away. Small streams of sweat were rushing down my face and dripping off my chin. I was becoming beef jerky: dehydrated with a salty exterior. I was glad to finally have some sun though each mouvement seemed to demand so much more energy. Is it better to hike miserably in the rain while staying cool or to die of heat exhaustion during a beautiful day? I guess I just don't know what I want. A few hours into our day, Tunnel Vision caught up with us. I enjoy meeting other international hikers. I feel we always have a certain affinity and sense of camaraderie; I suppose we are connected by the experience of being in a foreign country (and yes, even if Canada and the USA are both physically and culturally neighbours, there are still differences). Also, we can lament the fact thay the US dollar is so strong compared to the Canadian dollar or the Euro [insert sound of my sobbing bank account].We arrived at the Sabbath Day Shelter where there is a sandy beach nearby. A lot of hikers like to take a swim there. It was a really pretty area, though I don't really enjoy swimming (and Shrugs absolutly HATES it!) Sadly, we needed to move on.Thankfully, the terrain was relatively mild, for Maine's standards. It is so rugged and wild here, I definitely have a love-hate relationship with Maine. I am exhausted by the difficult Trail, yet there is undeniable beauty here: the exposed mountain ranges, the fragile vegetation, the dense, mossy forests painted in multiple shades of green, the countless ponds. We heard the sorrowful cry of a loon. Time flew by as the three of us hiked and chatted. We arrived at the campsite tired but happy that we managed to put in a big day, the first in a very long time.- Axon