morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2008-07-20
From: Horshoe Canyon to Bald Mountain Brook

To: The Downpour
Miles today: 12.0

We did a 9 mile day and I was feeling pretty good about it. I got changed like we were going to stay there, and after I took an awesome nap, Matt said he wanted to move on. He was afraid that if our package wasn't at Caratunk (because of certain circumstances) than we would have to book it to Stratton (our next stop where Matt's mom is sending a box). So we left around 6:15 PM, watching the skies, hoping for a clear night. But we were not so lucky. It began sprinkling, then raining, then full blown pouring. We cleared a space in the brush as best we could and put our tent up quick. We got in a little soggy but not too bad. I had to ask Matt for forgiveness for my bad attitude as I got a little snippy. It rained all night and even into the morning. The rain here reminds me of a little child...you can hear it whining and then a few drops come and then it doesn't let up for a good while.
Date: 2008-07-21
From: The Downpour

To: two extra miles into town
Miles today: 7.0

It has been a beautiful day today so far. The weather people say it's supposed to rain tonight through Wednesday and then Thursday and Friday should be clear sunny days. Rain does tend to be downer. We are the first ones at this beautiful lean-to sitting on a gigantic pond, which Matt and I had fun bathing in earlier (don't worry...rated G...we needed to wash our clothes as well). And today is going to be one of our easier days. The next lean-to is 10 miles away and it's already 2:30PM so we have decided to end here for today. I am hoping that the shelter won't get too crowded considering that there are 6 behind us, 3 already here, and the shleter only sleeps six. If we could get one day ahead of this large group that would be better. Superman has been a great trail partner!!! Yesterday, he found a large bag of food and ran 1 mile after the guy that he thought left it. Then he sat waiting for the guy to return for quite some time, but he never came back. He lugged that huge bag of food a good six miles and said it was a huge moral dilemma to eat the food. This guy is hilarious. We enjoyed the food as well. Right now, he's in the pond rinsing off with all the leeches.
Date: 2008-07-22
From: two extra miles into town

To: Happy Second Anniversary!!!
Miles today: 17.3

Well, today is our second anniversary...a pretty special day. We made it two years without killing eachother. But with today as our hightest mileage yet, you'd think we were trying to kill ourselves. It really was a wonderful day, we missed all the rains and got to the first shelter before noon, which was ten miles away. We pulled off the other 7.3 after our break. Tonight, we had pancakes with fresh picked blueberries that we made into a syrup. They were some fo the best pancakes I've ever had. I feel very thankful for such a beautiful day and for such an awesome hiking partner and husband (same guy). It's good to be married and to know someone so intimately. We discussed things like, what we want to do differently this year and also things we want to continue...you know...married stuff. Right now, Matt is telling me how he is going to tape my toe in the morning and he is also taking a picture of me journaling. Good times. Hopefully we'll be able to place some pictures online pretty soon.
Date: 2008-07-23
From: Happy Second Anniversary!!!

To: There's Rain In Clouds
Miles today: 10.0

What a challenging day...not only was the weather horrible but the mountains were also pretty difficult. We walked through a fog for the entire day and we discovered that there is rain inside of the clouds, and lots of it. We were pounded by winds, rains, and uphills. At one point, on the top of the mountain, I thought the wind would brush me right off the edge. We hiked up the Biggelows today and ate some more wild blueberries. It has definitely gotten a little cooler since being here. Hopefully tonight won't be so bad. We landed at the shelter in the early evening and this place is really pretty neat. There were two 8 person shelters and the privy was pristine. There have only been about two or three toilet areas that have been decent, so I was really thankful. They say here that downhills make you go poo...I just don't know about that...it may be true.
Date: 2008-07-24
From: There's Rain In Clouds

To: Hitch Hiking Success
Miles today: 5.0

A very easy day as I am now sitting in a place called Stratton on the computer updating my journals. We have yet to take a zero day and I don't think that that is something that I am interested in doing. We only did 5 miles today...our shortest day yet. I almost feel guilty about it. I wanted to walk right through this town to the next shelter, but Superman's radar GPS thingy said in a robotic voice that there was near a hundred percent chance of thunder showers and possibly hail. I caved, and here we are. I think we're just sick of being cold and wet. And besides, I really really smelled bad and could use a good washing of my clothes. To get into town we had to hitch hike. And I'm sure you can guess the outcome because of the title, but...we got a ride!!! We're cute after all!!! I was beginning to get worried. THANK YOU ANDI for the ride. What a wonderful woman to pick up some strangers. I actually enjoy hitch hiking (when we get a ride), it gives us the opportunity to know other people. Plus, it makes me feel really good.
Date: 2008-07-25
From: Hitch Hiking Success

To: The Flood
Miles today: 12.2

The adventures here in Maine don't stop coming. While in Stratton, we discovered that because of all the rain one of the bridges that hikers use to cross the river had been washed away. In fact, there were two rivers that were uncrossable at this point. We had the honor of meeting an older gentlemen that was stuck in between the two rivers during all the rain. When he tried to ford the one river to get unstuck, the water came up to his rib cage and he was washed downstream. Now don't be frightened, he survived to tell his story. Fortunately, he still had his pack which he used as a flotation device and he was able to cling to a rock and pull himself ashore. He is truly an inspirational man. All that to say, we had to bypass these two rivers (we weren't adventurous enough, plus we don't have a death wish)and continued on to the next shelter. So we had the owner of the motel take us to the next mountain range (Saddleback Mountain)and drop us off. This was an extremely hard day for me to say the least. Because of all the flooding, bog bridges were under water and normally muddy areas were just plain horrible. At the end of the day I was almost in tears. My body was broken and I had developed a deep anger towards mud and muck. Countless times I had placed my boot deep into the mud and my feet became soggy and sore. I went to bed that night pretty upset not knowing what kind of better attitude I could have for the next day. I don't know if you know, but they say that Maine is the hardest state to hike on the AT. I can now see why.
Date: 2008-07-26
From: The Flood

To: A New Mantra
Miles today: 12.9

I woke up with a new attitude...and a new mantra. It goes a little something like this, "There will be uphills, there will be downhills, there will be bogs, there will be bugs...BUT WE WILL CONQUER!!!!" Everyday, we can expect these things. But the days when there is less of one than usual, I will celebrate. It turned out to be an absolutely beautiful day of hiking. Matt started out ahead of me for a little while and I put on Micheline's MP3 player and listened to some teachings and music (thank you Micheline). What a glorious feeling to be walking through the woods listening to music that is praising the Creator of all this beauty. It was truly incredible. We took a nap at Sabbath Day Pond Lean-to which was wonderful but probably a little bit too long. We pulled into the Bemis Mountain Lean-to around 8PM...a little late as it was already full. So we had to quickly put up the tent in the dark, pump water, get cleaned up, make dinner, and prepare for the night. Matt said, "tomorrow, we will get an earlier start." He really likes to hike in the morning, who wouldn't...cooler and more chances of seeing wildlife. About wildlife...I thought that the wilderness would be like a zoo, an animal around every corner. But it turns out that wild animals don't come out and greet you...they actually run and hide. This is a real bummer as I had dreams of cuddling up to some big moose after a couple of weeks. I guess I have my own moose to be close to at night. The only creatures we see on a near daily basis are squirrels, snakes, frogs, waskly wabbits, and chipmunks. Although, we have seen two moose since being on the trail.
Date: 2008-07-27
From: A New Mantra

To: The Big Decision
Miles today: 8.7

Right now, we are sitting in Andover, Maine in an awesome hiker hostel. This was a huge decision for us seeing that we were at a hostel in Stratton about three days ago and funds aren't necessarily flowing. We were hiking and hiking and hiking some more, when we met a fella that goes by the name of Chipmunk. He told us that there was an amazing place in Andover that he just came from that served him a pancake breakfast. Yummmmm...a pancake breakfast...that's kind of hard to refuse, especially after the rolling mountains that we have so far hiked today. We lost Superman at lunch and when we got to the road, four miles before the next lean-to, the temptation had set in and we decided to see if we could get a ride into town to find a place to rest our weary feet. Like I said before, this was a tough call. We want to be able to go a long while before needing a bed, shower, and pancakes, but this terrain is just really tough. And we didn't get that early start that we had been shooting for so it was pretty late in the afternoon to be thinking about summiting another mountain. We did manage to hitch a ride and just as the car had stopped, Superman came running down the mountain to hop in. He was done for the day as well and was running out of food. Honestly, I'm just glad to be here. The shower was so wonderful and I had a meatball pizza for dinner. I have absolutely nothing to complain about. Tomorrow, we are off to another lean-to in some remote part of Maine. But soon we will be in New Hampshire. It will be exciting to be in a different state and they say that the hardest mile on the whole AT is found in Maine.
Date: 2008-07-28
From: The Big Decision

To: Bad News
Miles today: 0.0

Yesterday, I received a message from my mother saying that my Aunt Nadine passed away on Friday. I cannot express to you the feelings that I felt. Overwhelming regret has flooded me as I had the chance to see her and missed out on it. There were always excuses, but they were just that...excuses. I should have told her that I loved her, called her more, hugged her...just been there for her. But now, it is too late. I will get over the regret...it's just hard right now knowing that things could have been different. Today is her ceremony and then the burial tomorrow. If only I could be there with the rest of my family. We just happened to be in a town (Andover) when I got the message and the hostel that we're staying at heard and they are letting us stay another night for free. They have been the biggest blessing and I think that a zero day is just what I need. I need to sort some things out in my mind. Thank you Andover Guest House for your sympathy, generosity, and hospitality.
Date: 2008-07-29
From: Bad News

To: The Landslide
Miles today: 8.0

Matt's plan was to take a nice and easy day to Frye Notch Lean-to, 4.5 miles away from the road. This only became an option yesterday as we were deciding whether to skip the landslide that occured a few days past. There have been many people that have gone through it and lived to tell the tale, so why shouldn't we? One hiker came up to the Andover Guest House and he was sharing about the landslide, his words were, "that landslide was so dangerous, they should shut down the trail. Someone's going to die out there and it's going to be SOON." If he hadn't of added the "SOON" part we may have hiked those six miles and gone through the landslide area. But that settled it for me, I would prefer not to die soon. So we got to Frye Notch and decided that we still had time and energy so we hiked an extra 5 miles to Baldpate Lean-to. It was dark when we got there, but we were just fine.
Date: 2008-07-30
From: The Landslide

To: The Notch From Hell
Miles today: 10.5

We planned to take these next few days real easy (no days over 10 miles), but sometimes it doesn't quite work out. The next week or so is going to be tough. We have the Mahoosuc Notch, which is known to be the hardest mile on the AT (of course, anything Backpacker Magazine says has to be true), and also the White Mountains. Once we get through those it should be smoother sailing. People I've met have said, "after the Whites it gets boring because it's so flat." Well I'm sorry, I'm from Florida and I'VE BEEN LONGING FOR JUST A LITTLE BIT OF FLAT EVER SINCE WE STARTED!!!So we hiked from Baldpate to the Speck Pond Lean-to and got there around 3:30PM. But they charged an eight dollar fee to camp there. Ridiculous...I know. If we went any further we would have to do the Mahoosuc Notch today and that was not on our agenda. But we did and honestly...it was absolutely horrible. The majority of the time I was terrified. Three people told me it would be slow going but "fun." Fun? Do these people have any concept of what fun is? A Gator football game with Cheetoes is fun. Playing with my nephews is fun. Going on a cruise is fun. But scratching my legs up from sliding down boulders and nearly dying is NOT FUN!!! To make it even better...it got dark while we were still in the notch, so we had to put on our headlamps and pray to find a spot to pitch our tent. At this point, I'm crying (just a little bit) and worried and trying to contain myself so I really don't hurt myself. We pass by the carcass of a moose, I might as well just join him. You probably aren't imagining the worst situation, but you should because that's what it was. We find a patch of dirt and Matt says, "as long as it doesn't rain we should be fine." I'm relieved to be somewhere we can put up a tent and be safe, even if it is in the middle of the trail.
Date: 2008-07-31
From: The Notch From Hell

To: The Flood
Miles today: 1.5

We wake up to the thunderstorm and someone cussing heading right for the tent. Apparently he's had a taste of the notch (trust me buddy, I can relate). We realize it's time to get up and get started. In a little while, another man passes by (he's in a better mood) and he let's us know that the shelter is a hour away and there's probably enough time to make it before the rain comes (we still haven't left our tent). Literally two minutes later, it starts sprinkling, then pouring, and the thunder is booming, and the lightning is crackling. And here I am in a tent with metal poles. Again...some might call this fun...I think you know where I stand. I've had to use the little ladies room since last night and let's see, it's probably been about two hours since it started raining. There's no way I'm going out in that pouring rain. If only I had an empty Country Crock tub like that other lady hiker I met. At least we're dry. Unfortunatley, our tent is in a puddle (well really like an ocean). Matt asks, "well, you wanted a water bed right?" His humor always shines through during our roughest moments...and I like that.We hiked 1.5 miles to the closest shelter and stayed. We pretty much took a zero day due to rain, thunder, and lightning. But I was grateful, very grateful. Tomorrow will be a very long day.
Date: 2008-08-01
From: The Flood

To: The Burn
Miles today: 15.4

Today was a big day for us since we are trying to get into Gorham tomorrow before the Post Office closes. By the way, Calvary Chapel Gainesville, you are so amazing. Thanks for the cards, we were really encouraged by them all. We were so tired by the time we pulled into the tentsite. I decided that I would cook tonight since Matt does most of the cooking on the trail. I was making pasta (pretty much what we have every night) but I needed to pour some out of our stove into a bowl in order to put more in. Our bowls are pretty flexible and as I was pouring the boiling liquid with noodles, the bowl began to bend, and before I knew it the soup was all over me. My left hand got the worst of it and began to bubble up all over especially where my ring sat. I took my ring and put it on my right hand as my left hand was in so much pain. All I could do was take an Aleve and pray that God would take some of the pain away. It was a real difficult time for me.
Date: 2008-08-02
From: The Burn

To: Post Office Rush
Miles today: 6.0

We just about ran 6 miles downhill this morning to be able to make it to the Post Office by noon. At 10:30 AM we were at the road and had another 3 miles to get into town. After walking and hitching for a good mile, I saw two men and a young boy fishing who looked like they were packing up. I hobbled over to them and asked them if they would let us ride in the bed of their truck to the Post Office and they said sure...thank God. We made it to the Post Office with an hour of spare time and had the best time reading our cards. Then came laundry, then lunch, then finding a place to stay. White Birches only charges 13 dollars a person, so we took a cot upstairs. We will be excited to see if we can find a church and transportation for tomorrow. My burns are slowly seeping yellow liquid (it's gross and cool all at the same time).
Date: 2008-08-03
From: Post Office Rush

To: Harvest Fellowship
Miles today: 1.6

Awesome nights rest!!! We called two churches yesterday, hoping to make arrangements to get to a service in the morning but no answer. We called again this morning and still no answer. About an hour later the Pastor, Shane, calls us back, finds us a ride, and we get to church. We bring along Bootstrap, a hiker we met two days ago. This is the first Sunday we've been able to make it to church since we left on our trip abd boy was it refreshing. Pastor Shane asks the question, "Do you worry more than you pray?" Hmmm...good question, perhaps that is what the Lord has been teaching me, that I need to pray more than I worry. Lisa is a nurse that we spoke to briefly about my burn. She says that it would be good if I went to the emergency care center, get it bandaged up, that I shouldn't have poked a hole to let the liquids out, that I might get MERCA, and that I should have an updated tetnis shot. Yep...all good "suggestions," but we have neither the transportation, money, or time. So we'll do our best to keep it clean...wrap it and put a glove over it. After having some breakfast hot pockets for lunch, we hike the 1.6 miles to the shelter and decide to stay for the night. The near 2 miles was the easiest and prettiest that we have done yet on our trip. Tomorrow will be a difficult day as we hike up and up and up to our first hut and attempt to work-for-stay. Hopefully, no rain.
Date: 2008-08-04
From: Harvest Fellowship

To: Work-For-Stay
Miles today: 13.0

Our first day in the Whites, and what a spectacular day it was ! I would say it was a fun day of hiking...uh oh...I'm mutating into one of those crazies that thinks hiking up steep mountains is "fun." It was a very challenging day but I enjoyed myslef. Matt gave me some Spanish lessons which spiced things up a lot. Four floridians slept in a shelter 6 miles ahead of us last night and we caught up to them around lunch. They said they were planning on getting one shelter ahead of us tonight but when they arrived at the hut they decided they wanted to stay. Luckily, we got to the hut first, asked for work-for-stay (which they are only allowed to take two people), and they let us do it. Our four friends were not as fortunate, they were made to push on. How exciting for us...we didn't have to sleep in the rain and they made us eat the leftovers until we were close to puking! I haven't puked for three years, one month, and 29 days. My record dates back to the time I saw my beautiful nephew's head emerge from the birthing canal. It was a compelling moment to say the least. Our task at the hut was to take everything off the shelves and wipe them down and then do the leftover dishes. And when we were through and everyone left the hut to go to their bunks, they let us sleep on the kitchen tables. What a crazy day...the Whites are an cool (literally) place to be. Interesting story...the other day (leaving Maine) there was a group of high school students passing by (maybe 10-12 people), and I heard the leaders say, "move over, thru hikers are coming by." My ego level instantely maxed out. "Yes, move to the side...I'm coming through...if you want to bow, that would be fine," I thought. I smiled and was very friendly toward them because of course that's what royalty should do. And as soon as one of the kids greeted me, I took a step forward and fell right on my butt. I thereby proceeded to say, "thru hiker down...there's a thru hiker down," while smiling and getting back to my feet. Needless to say, I learned my humbling lesson.
Date: 2008-08-05
From: Work-For-Stay

To: The Problem With Notches
Miles today: 7.0

What a refreshing nights rest, although, I was constantly aware of where I was on the table...it would of been a disaster to roll off. Right now, I'm sitting in the hut while the staff is preparing breakfast. When all the people come to eat, Matt and I will have to wait outside. And when everyone's done, then we can come back inside and eat the leftovers. It's a bit of an awkward situation, but boy is it worth it. The word notch now gives me nightmares, as it means extreme downhill and extreme uphill. And this is our fate today as we leave Carter Notch (hiking up) to go to Pinkham Notch (hiking back down). It was definitely a challenging time. We did 6 miles in 6 hours. And it was a painful 6 miles. When we arrived at the Visitor's Center we needed to decide whether to go back into Gorham or not as the next 3 days forecast is for thunderstorms. And you don't want to be on the top of a mountain in the middle of a storm. Matt decided to put up the tent just up the way and that we would hike tomorrow. The plan is to summit Madison (6 miles away) and then see what happens. Lord help us.
Date: 2008-08-06
From: The Problem With Notches

To: Near Death Experience
Miles today: 7.1

Yep...we decided to hike in the storms. We figured...it's gonna rain...we've got to keep going. And anyway, we don't have the funds to take three days off in a nice comfy bed. So we hiked, and I think I can honestly say, today was the most horrible day of hiking that I've experienced yet. We woke up and heard the drip drip dripping pounding on our tent. And I thought...great...we're starting in the rain. We waited for a good hour and no luck, the rain was relentless. Within minutes I was drenched and cold and we hadn't even reached the ridge or the summit, which is most exposed to the elements. My gloves are keeping my hands warm even though they're sopping wet and I can feel my toes turning into ten fat prunes. And what's worse, this is only during our first mile. When we got to the ridge and summit, the pounding winds with rain hit us hard. The winds were recorded at 46 MPH. There were moments that I just stood still because if I took another step I would have been blown over. Even the wetness on my gloves turned white and I could no longer feel my fingers. I literally thought that I could become one in the hundreds of deaths in the White Mountains. I was crying, shivering, sweating, and praying a lot. Matt described it later like being on top of a car going 46 MPH, that just about sums it up. Matt slipped and bent one of his fingers back but was okay. We met Art (48) and Jack (56) on the trail being windblown as well. Art caught me crying and I apologized for my behavior when we got to Madison Hut. He said that he was practically in the same state. I can't even explain the feeling of being stuck in a wind and rain storm on the top of a 5367 foot mountain. Matt and I, were both irritable, chilled to the bone, and absolutely broken down.