morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2010-08-20
From: Connecticut River

To: Trapper John Shelter
Miles today: 17.2
Weather: clear sky

Sue dropped me off in Hanover, and I walked through the college town, past Dartmouth College, and on up into the woods. It was tempting to stop at the various coffee shops in town but I pushed on into the woods. It felt great to be in New Hampshire. About three hours into the hike I came across a forest road where some people were doing Trail Magic, offering coffee and some other goodies to hikers passing through. They had gone off to town because of some car trouble, but I got some leftover cold coffee. Tasted great. As the day went on and I hiked through some wonderful, beautiful areas, I was overcome with a feeling of peace and contentment. I felt as if I have overcome many obstacles to get here, I have come a long ways, with much help from many people, especially Sue.   And, now the end is in sight. About 400 miles to go. I know it is a bit premature, and I have a lot of hard mountains to go over just ahead of me, but it feels very achievable now. The best, most beautiful areas are coming up, and this feels almost like a victory lap. I was cruising along, feeling great, then late in the day I rolled my ankle on a rock. Not too bad, but enough to remind me that I must go slow, and go safe, even though I am close.
Date: 2010-08-21
From: Trapper John Shelter

To: New Hampshire Rt 25A
Miles today: 16.9

After spending the night at Trapper John Shelter, which is named after the fictional MASH character who supposedly graduated from Dartmouth, I loaded up on water, because other hikers reported that water was scarce in the coming miles, and I didn't want to have to stop and reload. I had two fairly major mountains to go over today, Smarts Mountain and Mt. Cube. Both were pretty exhausting climbs, but are only preparation for the coming climbs in the Presidential Range of the White Mountains. On top of Smarts Mtn, I saw a golden eagle roosting in a tree right outside the cabin near the base of a lookout tower. The views on top of Mt Cube were absolutely incredible. Sue met me at the road crossing and we spent the night at a campground. Rain started moving in during the night, and the forecast was for more the next few days.
Date: 2010-08-22
From: New Hampshire Rt 25A

To: New Hampshire Rt 25A
Miles today: 0.0

Rain, rain, rain. I decided to take a zero day, since my next major climb is Mt. Moosilauke, and going over it in the rain would be pretty risky. Sue and I got a room at a motel, did some resupply shopping, went to the outfitter to get a few things, did laundry, and checked the weather reports. Tomorrow the rain should be slowing down, so I will be headed out and getting in position to go over Moosilauke probably on Tuesday.
Date: 2010-08-23
From: New Hampshire Rt 25A

To: Stealth Camp on Mt. Moosilauke
Miles today: 14.4

Today is my 61st birthday. After a power breakfast from Dunkin Donuts, Sue dropped me off in a drizzle at NH RT 25A and I headed toward Moosilauke. I ran into Tom Thumb, who I hadn't seen in forever. Later on I stopped at Jeffers Brook Shelter for lunch. Beaver Chief and another hiker were there, hanging out, waiting out the rain. It was misty but not raining so I decided to head on up Moosilauke to try to get at least part way up the hill, so I wouldn't have to do the whole thing the next day. As I kept going up and up, I was looking for a suitable campsite, but none appeared. In the end, I was about a half mile from the summit, and finally found a small nest just off the trail that I could set up my tent in. It was almost at treeline. It was cold, windy, kind of scarey. I did a quick supper and crawled into my sleeping bag to stay warm, hoping for a sunny day tomorrow. Through the night, the wind kept up relentlessly. You could hear the bursts of wind coming through the tops of the trees, like meteors, or fireballs, or freight trains, or semi trucks, coming from left to right, rushing past at high speed. I was able to make some phone calls, to my children who had left me voice mails wishing me a happy birthday. It is a birthday I won't soon forget.
Date: 2010-08-24
From: Stealth Camp on Mt. Moosilauke

To: Eliza Brook Shelter
Miles today: 12.6
Weather: broken clouds

I got up early and completed the trail to the top of Moosilauke. It was a beautiful walk over the top. I was the only one around since it was so early. The sun was trying to break through, with lots of low lying clouds down in the valleys. It was a hard descent down on the other side. I fell many times, and was really discouraged. I stopped at Beaver Brook Shelter for some lunch. I met a couple (Parachute and Bond) with two dogs, which certainly complicates the hike. The shelter had a marvelous view to the north of the upcoming mountains, really spectacular. I continued on down the mountain, and it just kept getting steeper. There were metal rungs in some places, and wooden beams in others cut into the rock to make it a bit safer. I was surprised at one point when who should I see coming up towards me but Bulldog (the blind hiker) and Hitchcock. Hitchcock was videotaping. They were going southbound on this stretch, since it is easier to go up a steep train than down it. Finally I got to the bottom, where the trail crosses Kinsman Notch, and took a break at a picnic table with some fellow hikers including Alkaline who I hadn't seen in a long time. Then, up Mt Wolf. I got to Eliza Book, pretty tired and worn out. I was surprized again to see people I knew in the shelter - the mother and son I had met back in Virgina, "423" and Scooter. They had gone south to summit on Springer, and were now finishing up their flip flop through the Whites and headed for Katahdin. It was nice to see them again. There were a couple of troops of college kids from various colleges staying at the shelter area also. There was a nice stream nearby for wading, washing and doing laundry.
Date: 2010-08-25
From: Eliza Brook Shelter

To: Liberty 'Springs Campsite
Miles today: 11.4
Weather: moderate rain

I packed up before the rain started, did a cold breakfast. It was a hard uphill going up Kinsman, following a beautiful stream that was cascading down the side of the mountain. It was misty, sometimes drizzling, but not a hard rain. This was one of the most difficult ascents along the trail. On top it was cold, windy, and misty, with no view at all, just fog. I was able to call Sue from the summit but couldn't stay up there long in the open. I stopped at Kinsman Pond Campsite and took a break in the shelter. There I ran into Cody, Stickwalker, and their dog Belle. I hadn't seen them in a long time. Parachute and Bond also passed through while I was there. The rain had picked up at this point and continued pretty hard as I made my way to the Lonesome Lake Hut. I ran into a number of day hikers from the New Hampshire area. I was really impressed that they were out hiking in the rain. Must be very hardy people. One group of three told me they were Pie, Peanut Butter, and (??). They gave me some encouragement, which it seems I need a lot of these days. It was a relief to get in out of the rain at the Hut, and it was a very welcoming place. The Huts offer hikers a bowl of soup and hot drinks for a small fairly reasonable price. The nice lady in the kitchen got me a bowl of soup, and she offered me a tray of leftover egg casserole and some bacon from the breakfast they had served earlier to the guests. It was like winning the lottery. She said it would be thrown into the compost shortly if not eaten. I was torn between wanton consumption, and saving some for the others I knew were following me and might arrive shortly. I ate slowly, and no one else showed up so I ate more than half of it, plus a half dozen pieces of bacon. Then I tried to decide whether to stay, or walk on in the rain. It was tempting to do "work for stay" at the Hut, since the weather was looking bad, but in the end I took a deep breath and headed out. Just as I was leaving the others showed up, plus "423" and Scooter. I told them of the leftovers but don't know if they got any or not. Onward into the rain. I walked awhile with Parachute and Bond, and got to Franconia Notch about mid afternoon. There was a little trail magic across the road, then I started up the hill. And up. And up. The trail was just about the rockiest imaginable, and very wet of course from the rain. It is hard to imagine even calling it a trail. It was a long climb to Liberty Springs Campground. There, I stopped in to say hello to the caretaker, CuppaJoe. My daugher had worked a summer in 2008 as a caretaker at another campground, and he knew her. We chatted for a minute, and he invited me to come down in the morning for a cuppa joe. I set up on the tent platform he had directed me to. Fortunately the rain had stopped by now, and I had a nice relaxing evening. I was feeling much better today, and feeling good about continuing on.
Date: 2010-08-26
From: Liberty 'Springs Campsite

To: Galehead Hut
Miles today: 10.4
Weather: light rain

After having a cup of coffee in the morning with CuppaJoe, I headed on up the mountain. And what a morning it was. Up and over Lincoln, Lafayette, and Garfield. A revolving door of mist, rain, wind, fog, and rugged trail made it quite a challenge. I got to the cutoff for the Garfield Campground, and went on up to visit the site where my daughter had worked in 2008, saw her special bench that she often sat on, saw the campground attendant shelter she used. Then, continued on for the descent down the mountain. And this descent was in my view the hardest I had yet encountered, made more difficult by the rain. The trail was really a creek in many areas. I hiked for a while with "423" and Scooter. At one point I heard a scream, and turned to look back up the trail, and saw "423" bouncing down on the rocks. She hit her head, and was scraped up, but after a few minutes she hoisted her pack back on and continued. I thought there might be a need for a mountain rescue team for a few minutes. We all hiked on to the Galehead Hut, where they accomodated a large group of hikers with "work for stay". We got to eat leftover food from the meal prepared for the paying guests, got to sleep in the dining area on the floor, and got breakfast in the morning in return for doing dishes and cleaning up. A good deal for hikers in most ways, but it does cramp your style in terms of getting started hiking in the morning. But we were all grateful for the shelter and food.
Date: 2010-08-27
From: Galehead Hut

To: Crawford Notch
Miles today: 14.7
Weather: broken clouds

After doing "cleanup" to fulfill my "work for stay" obligation at the Hut after the guests ate breakfast, I left with a full load of pancakes and some to spare in my pack for lunch later on. The day started out with a 1000 ft climb up South Twin Mtn.   From there it was essentially all downhill. I stopped in at the Zealand Hut to have lunch, and got a bowl of soup from the kitchen. The Hut has a small "hydroelectric" power source which was quite interesting. A well, with the water connected to drive a pump, that turns a generator. It supposedly produces more electric power than the Hut uses.   Very clever. After a short descent, the trail to Crawford Notch was essentially flat, unlike any section of the trail I had seen since New Jersey. I was grateful for the easy trail, because my right knee was hurting a bit. At one point I was walking along a series of plank walks, and a day hiker came up behind me traveling pretty quick. Since he looked like a local, I asked him if he was familiar with the trail in this area and how the trail was ahead of me. He said, well, there are 628 plank sections, and he looked at one of them, and said this one is number 129. Then he sped out of sight. I didn't count them but I think he was exactly right. I got to Crawford Notch just a little after 6 pm, and met Sue. We headed for the farm she has been working on the past week or so - "WWOOF-ING" - " Willing Workers On Organic Farms" - sort of a work for stay arrangement. She has been weeding vegatable beds, gathering eggs from chickens, milking goats, and other exotic activities. I am taking a zero day tomorrow at the farm with Sue, will resupply, and get back on the Trail the next day.
Date: 2010-08-28
From: Crawford Notch

To: Crawford Notch
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: fog

Stayed at "the farm" with Sue, in our tent. Resupplied, cleaned up, got a good night's sleep, did a little sight-seeing around Mt. Washington. We picked up a southbounder who had started about the same time as me and flip flopped, dropped him off at a campground to get a cabin for the night, and made arrangements to pick him up the next morning.
Date: 2010-08-29
From: Crawford Notch

To: Lake of the Clouds
Miles today: 11.2
Weather: clear sky

So Jerry hasn¢t reported in for about a week but I know for a fact that he is alive and well and still making progress on his journey.I had dropped him off last Monday morning at the road crossing of VT25-A.Since then he;Crossed cape moonshine roadCrossed sanitarium roadClimbed Mt. MoosilaukePassed through Kinsman NotchPassed through Franconica NotchClimbed Mt. Lincoln - ele 5,089Climbed Mt. Lafayette ¢ 5.249Climbed Mt. Garfield ¢ 4,488 ¢ this is where Clair worked as a caretaker some years agoClimbed South Twin Mountain ¢ 4,902Passed through Crawford Notch Friday evening. I met him at the road crossing and brought him back to the farm where I am woofing.He took a zero day on Saturday and resumed hiking on Sunday morning.He is headed towards Mt. Washington. Should summit probably on Monday. Is working for stay at Lake of the Clouds Hut tonight. At the moment the weather is clear and on Mt Washington that is very important. It is a tough gig. The next couple of days are some extreme ups and downs.As of Friday night he had 345 miles to go. But as they say ¢it ain¢t over till its over¢.
Date: 2010-08-30
From: Lake of the Clouds

To: Madison Hut
Miles today: 7.0

Because Jerry was working for stay he wasn¢t able to leave Lake of the Clouds Hut until about 10:30 this morning. Then it was up and over Mt. Washington. The weather was just perfect and his view tremendous. He was very fortunate as this is something that you can¢t plan on. At the moment he is at the Madison Hut, again doing work for stay.The trail was so rough today that he covered only 1 mile per hour for a total of 7 12 miles. That is par for the course in that next of the woods.Tomorrow he heads on to Pickham Notch and over Wildcat Mountain.
Date: 2010-08-31
From: Madison Hut

To: Wildcat Ridge Stealth Campsite
Miles today: 9.7

It was a rugged, exhausting hike from the Madison Spring Hut, over the summit of Mt Madison, down the other side over a mile or two of boulder field, picking my way carefully, step by step, hand over hand in some cases. After the past few days above treeline in the Presidential Mountains, I was feeling very worn out anyway. Plus, the night before, as part of my "work for stay" at the Hut, they had three of us thru-hikers outside moving rock in an area they are doing an expansion to the hut.   So I was a tired puppy. I fled the Hut as soon as I could get away in the morning, not sticking around for the breakfast. After about three hours of hiking I got to a place I could stop and do breakfast. Later that afternoon, I arrived at Pinkham Notch, a road crossing, and could see my next challenge - Wildcat Mountain. I started up around 2:30 pm, not wanting to quit so early but a bit itimidated by the climb. Little baby steps up the mountain, slow but steady progress. I made it about halfway up Wildcat and felt like I was running out of gas. I fortunately found a small stealth campsite, just a little nest a few yards off the trail, and bedded down for the night. Totally exhausted.
Date: 2010-09-01
From: Wildcat Ridge Stealth Campsite

To: Imp Campsite
Miles today: 11.2

Had a good nights sleep in my stealth campsite, got an early start to finish the climb. Still feeling whupped from my hikes in the Presidentials, but got to the top of the first crest of Wildcat in about an hour. Then along a series of five crests, one of which had a gondola for a ski area. My first destination for the day was the Carter Notch Hut, which I got to around 1 pm after a steep descent from Wildcat. Then, after a rest, I had to climb up out of the Notch, up a steep ascent which took about an hour and a half. This climbing stuff is hard, but with the current heat wave, it is even more exhausting. I hiked on until about 6:30 pm to get to Imp Campsite. It was a welcome relief to finally get there. I'm hoping to get to Gorham tomorrow, and will meet up with Sue.
Date: 2010-09-02
From: Imp Campsite

To: Gorham
Miles today: 8.0
Weather: few clouds

Since I only had a short hike today I was slow getting started, and finally hit the trail around 8 am. It turned out I had a more major uphill climb ahead of me than I had anticipated, going up and over Mt. Moriah. But it was a beautiful mountain. As I climbed, there was a series of rock ledges with marvelous views back over the mountains I climbed yesterday. Some really great places to "cowboy camp" or sleep under the stars, or to watch meteor showers, or just enjoy the views. This is probably one of my favorite mountains of the whole trip. After the climb , I had a sharp descent for several miles, picking my way carefully, sometimes sliding on my backside down steep rocks, always careful to have good footing or a safe landing spot. Going downhill is overall much harder than going uphill, much harder on the knees and the feet. Going downhill for extended periods, the toes get all scrunched up in the front of the boots and it gets to be painful. I've gone through quite a few replacements on my toenails on this trip. Finally, at the bottom, the Trail followed a stream that got increasingly larger, becoming Rattle River. I came across a really nice swimming hole, and two other hikers were already in the water, so I joined them for a really refreshing swim in the ice cold water. After that, my hiking pace got a lot better. I got to the road crossing around 3 pm, and started trying to hitch a ride to town. Usually, this doesn't take long, but today it took quite a while. I think I had walked a mile or more befor a car piked me up and took me to the motel where Sue and I had reservations. I had time to shower and refresh a little before Sue arrived. Today was a fairly "short" day, and tomorrow will be a zero day. Tomorrow night, two friends will be arriving from Kentucky who will be hiking with me for four or five days. We will finish up some miles in New Hampshire, then we will be in Maine. Yes, Maine. Almost there, I can hardly believe it. I have come 1881 miles, and have 298 to go. The Whites have just about done me in, but with Sue's support the past weeks I have managed to continue to this point, and now I am hopeful I will be able to finish.
Date: 2010-09-04
From: Gorham

To: Trident Col tent site
Miles today: 6.9

Sue dropped Tom, David, and I off at the Trailhead near Gorham and we headed north, over Mt Hayes and Cascade Mtn. We camped at Trident Col, deciding not to push too far and wear ourselves out. Others came into camp later including the Canadian Geese, Serentina, Red Lobster, LJ, Red Oak and Buttercup, and quite a few others.
Date: 2010-09-06
From: Carlo Col Shelter

To: Full Goose Shelter
Miles today: 4.4
Weather: few clouds

We did a pretty short hike to day, which was fine with me. I was still recovering from the White Mtns and enjoyed the slow days. We had great weather and some terrific views from the mountain tops. Tomorrow is the big day, with Mahoosuc Notch and Mahoosuc Arm to Spec Pond.
Date: 2010-09-07
From: Full Goose Shelter

To: Speck Pond Shelter
Miles today: 5.1
Weather: clear sky

What a day. We hiked out from Full Goose with a short climb and then a long descent to Mahoosuc Notch. The trip through the Notch was challenging, but very enjoyable. There is nothing quite like it anywhere on the Trail, it is unique. In the Notch we ran into Bulldog, the blind hiker, and his videographer Hitchcock. Another hiker, Dune, was also helping out to get Bulldog through the Notch. It took us about an hour and 45 min to get through the Notch, then it was a steep climb up the Mahoosuc Arm before finally getting to Spec Pond. Just a few miles, but some of the toughtest on the Trail.
Date: 2010-09-08
From: Speck Pond Shelter

To: Grafton Notch
Miles today: 4.6
Weather: light rain

I'll have to summarize quickly. On Friday, friends Tom and David came up from Kentucky to hike with me for four or five days. I hitched into Gorham, and met up with Susan that afternoon. Tom, David and I hit the trail on Saturday, and had a delightful time Saturday, Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. We did not do lots of miles, but they were some of the most difficult anywhere along the Trail. The up hills were steep and difficult, the downhills treacherous. Part of the section we did included the infamous Mahoosuc Notch, and the Mahoosuc Arm. Both Tom and David felt they had gotten their money's worth out of the hike. We got to meet a lot of the fellow hikers currently on this section of the Trail, so they got exposed to some of the "Trail Culture". They got to meet the Canadian Geese, Serendipity, Red Lobster, One Life, and Bulldog and Hitchcock. Bulldog is a blind person hiking the Trail, demonstrating how assistive devices can help the handicapped do things many would never believe they could do. It is very inspirational. We had great weather for the section, and WE MADE IT TO MAINE! I am on the fourteenth and final state of the AT journey. Today we hiked to Grafton Notch, where Susan met us and we returned to Gorham where they had left their car. Tomorrow they will climb Mt. Washington, and I will head on north on the Trail. Susan is going to return to Kentucky with them. So, all is well, wish I had more time to update this journal. From here I will be trying to push north through Maine as quickly as possible to try to get to Katahdin by the end of the month, which may be out of reach, we will see how the next week or so goes. I am so grateful to my wonderful wife Susan who has supported me throughout the trip, but especially the past month as she has met up with me regularly to help resupply and keep going. The Whites were tough, and I still have some tough stuff to get through, but I am excited to be in Maine and close to the finish of this marvelous adventure. I have completed 1912 miles of the AT, with 267 to go.
Date: 2010-09-09
From: Grafton Notch

To: Campsite at Surplus Pond
Miles today: 12.2
Weather: light rain

It was quite a climb up Baldpate after Sue dropped me off. I had fortified myself with a food bag from Dunkin Donuts. Then as I climbed, the drizzle and mist started, and it was very slippery. Once near the top I slid about 20 ft down a rock exposure until I slid into a rock cairn. Not a lot of pictures today, the camera is packed away safe and dry in the pack. Toward the end of the day I arrived at the campsite and got set up just before dark. I decided to keep my food bags in the tent, there just weren't any suitable branches to hang from and I was really really tired. Also at the camp were Unicroc and his wife (?). Around 11 pm I was startled to feel a little critter scamper over my sleeping bag. A mouse. I got my headlight on and tried to figure out what to do. It was quite a battle, but eventually I was able to grab the mouse and throw him out of the tent. Then, I got up and hung my food bag as best I could. No more mice in the tent. In the morning I talked to Unicroc and he said the mice had gotten into their food bag, which was hung from a tree.