morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2013-07-27
From: East B Hill Road

To: Rumford
Miles today: 0.0

This is a special journal entry to address an issue regarding the search for a missing hiker, Gerry Largay. Here is the post in "White Blaze":UPDATE: SEARCH FOR GERALDINE LARGAY - July 27, 2013: Maine Game Wardens are seeking information concerning missing AT hiker Geraldine Largay who uses the trail name ¢inchworm¢ from the following hikers using the trail names: ¢Cowboy¢, ¢Marathon¢, ¢Postman¢, ¢Breeze¢, ¢Paranoid¢, ¢Crunchmaster¢, ¢Harpo/Groucho¢, ¢Ice Pack/SOBO ¢13¢,¢ Luke 11:9¢, ¢Sandman¢, ¢BBTGR¢, and ¢.com/Queen¢.Warden investigators need to speak with the listed hikers to determine and verify if the Geraldine was seen between the Poplar Ridge Lean-To and the Spaulding Mountain Lean-To on the Appalachian Trail. Warden investigators also need to verify if Geraldine stayed overnight at the Spaulding Mtn. Lean-To Monday night July 22 into Tuesday morning July 23. The Warden Service also wants to inform bear baiters baiting in the search area to be on the lookout for Mrs. Largay. Those with any information should call the Public Safety Communications Center in Augusta at (207) 624-6076. or 1-800-452-4664When Trevor tried these numbers (and I tried as well) neither one worked.207-624-6076 has a recording saying the number is no longer in service.800-452-4664 has a recording saying the number could not be reached as dialed.My number is 423-313-1807. Trevor does recall meeting Gerry on the trail on Monday somewhere between Spalding Lean-to, where he ate lunch, and Poplar Ridge Lean-to, where he stayed Monday evening. Don't know if that information will be of any help or not. He does not recall the exact location that their paths crossed.Our hopes and prayers are that she will be found and that she will be in good health.Here's the Crunchmaster's FB post:"Today has been a great zero day! Milkrun, Matt, and I were picked up at 10:00 by Professor Rich Kent. He took us to his home in Rumford, ME and showed us around his house. He let us set up our tents in his yard so they could dry out. After a great lunch of burgers and chocolate we enjoyed a couple games of pinball and watched a movie. Around 3:30 we went to Wal-Mart to resupply for our next section. It was amazing being able to walk around Wal-Mart instead of a small town general store. When we got back to the house we were already thinking about supper. We ordered pizza and made salad for supper. After supper we all sat down and watched some of the Red Sox game, and as we were watching I got a phone call from a police detective regarding the missing hiker on the trail. We talked for about 15 minutes going through where we could have seen her. They believe that Milkrun, Matt, and I were possibly the last ones to see her. So tomorrow, the game wardens have asked us to go up to the command post so that we can possibly help with locating her. We don't know much information but hopefully we will remember where we could have seen her. We have to get up really early so we better get to bed. I will post more tomorrow with updates on what is going on."
Date: 2013-07-28
From: Rumford

To: Rumford
Miles today: 0.0

Crunchmaster spent the day on Sugurloaf and Lone Mountains assisting with the search for Geraldine. He, Matt, and Josh took the wardens to the spot they met her last Monday. I spoke with him briefly by phone at 9:30 p.m. and he was exhausted from a long day. He didn't get much sleep Saturday night because they got up very early. I know it was disappointing, but you never know whether what you do, even if only a little contribution, will make a difference. I was proud that the boys were willing to change their plans and that they contributed to the search. We will continue to pray for Mrs. Largay.They will hit the trail again today. Tomorrow will be the infamous Mahousac Notch, what is proclaimed to be the hardest 1 mile section of the trail. I recall hiking a very steep grade down into the notch and that it took us about 3 hours, in a fine mist, to get through the maze of rocks in the notch itself.I look forward to hearing of the adventure.
Date: 2013-07-30
From: Baldpate Lean-to

To: Full Goose Shelter
Miles today: 12.0

Got a call from the Crunchmaster at 10:20 a.m. He called from the top of Old Spec Mountain. Plans were to go through the Mahoosuc notch and on to the next shelter, just short of Goose Eye Mountain. If he felt good he indicated he might go on to the Carlo Col Shelter, another 4.4 miles further, which would leave him just 1/2 a mile short of the Maine/New Hampshire line. I seriously doubt he'll have the energy to pull that off because of the difficulty of the mile section through the notch.I'm including a picture of the trail profile. The right side of the map is where Trevor started hiking this morning. You'll note the shelters, which are in red. This is typical of the extremely steep ups and downs that the western Maine mountains are noted for. If he goes to to Full Goose shelter he will climb close to a mile of elevation gain, which is a big day when combined with 12 miles of tough trail.More will come later...Here's Trevor's FB post:"I was on the trail by 6:15 this morning because I knew it was going to be a tough day. I started by descending into Grafton Notch and didn't stop for a break till I got there. Then it was a long 3.5 mile climb up Old Speck Mountain. I ended up stopping for lunch at Speck Pond Shelter around 11:15 and didn't leave until 12:30. Then I went straight down the Mahoosuc Arm and my knees were more sore than they have been the whole trip. When I was close to the bottom I passed a group of about a dozen girls. They thought it was awesome and a little crazy that I'm walking to Georgia. I then reached the famous Mahoosuc Notch. It is said to be the hardest mile of the entire trail. It took me 1 hour and 15 minutes to go that mile. That mile consisted of going over, around, and under boulders the size of 18-wheelers! It was very tiring but very fun! Then I had a steep ascent coming out of the notch. I put my music in and didn't take it out until I reached the top. From there it was an easy 0.5 mile decent to the shelter. When I got to the shelter there was already about 6 tents and 7 people in the shelter. I found a small space in the shelter and set up quickly. The rest of the evening more and more people kept showing up. Currently there is about 10 tents, 1 hammock, and 12 people in the shelter. Definitely not my idea of fun. I enjoy it a lot more when I have plenty of space. However, the weather was great today so I can't complain too much. Tomorrow is going to be my biggest day and I am going to try and start at daylight."
Date: 2013-08-01
From: Highway 2 outside of Gorham, NH

To: Gorham, NH
Miles today: 0.0

Spending the weekend with the Crunchmaster. He will not post today. Just got through eating a humongous meal. He rested from his 21.4 mile hike yesterday and preparing for another 21 mile hike tomorrow. Weather calls for rain ending in the morning hours with high temps in the higher altitudes expected to be in the low 50's. Welcome to the weather in the Whites. The hike tomorrow will be over the Wildcat Mountain range just east of Mt. Washington. Hopefully the weather will clear when he gets to the tops (around 5,000 ft elevation) and we can enjoy some good photos.
Date: 2013-08-02
From: Highway 2 outside of Gorham, NH

To: Pinkham Notch
Miles today: 21.1

I have learned how to combine photos and text within a journal post. When the Crunchmaster returns to the motel tonight we will take all his photos from his hike today and post them within this journal entry. I've started with an image of the elevation profile shown on the trail map to provide both the distance and elevation climbed.Here is the trail profile for the Wildcat Range, which the Crunchmaster slack-packed today:We'll insert all of Trevor's journal notes and key photos he took while hiking this first section of the White Mountains.Isn't this cool, now we can make the journal reading and photo viewing all one step!Walking the planks:View from Carter Notch:Reflecting at Long Pond.Gondola from Wildcat Mountain.View of Mt Washington from Carters Dome.
Date: 2013-08-03
From: Summit of Mt Washington

To: Pinkham Notch
Miles today: 13.5

Trevor's FB post:Today I actually hiked north so that my dad could hike with me. He didn't want to hike uphill. We got to the top of Mt. Washington around 8:00 and the temperature was about 42 degrees and the wind chill was around freezing. It was really foggy when we got up there but it cleared within minutes and we had great views to start our hike.We were in clouds on and off throughout the day. Sometimes we would have clear skies, and other times we couldn't see more than a 100 feet in front of us.We stopped for lunch at Madison Hut and met another SOBO thru-hiker, Delta, while we ate. We also saw M-dot, Wolfbird, Sherpa, and Shuffle on the trail today.The descent off Mt. Madison was incredibly steep.It was definitely the hardest downhill I have done in my life! 3 miles took forever just because of all the rocks we were walking on which caused us to slow down. Towards the bottom the trail leveled out and I actually ran about a mile of it since I didn't have a pack on. For supper tonight, we went with Milkrun and Matt to Pizza Hut to celebrate Milkrun's birthday! Tomorrow I will be taking a zero and I'll be back on the trail Monday heading South.
Date: 2013-08-04
From: Gorham, NH

To: Gorham, NH
Miles today: 0.0

Today was a zero day due to poor weather. In the Whites you have to respect the weather when hiking above treeline. Trevor's next leg will begin on Mt Washington and the weather on Monday morning through Wednesday looks to be rain-free. If all goes as planned he will complete the Whites on Friday, August 9. Weather should not be a factor after that point, at least not from a safety standpoint.Trevor's feet are much improved after receiving 2 foot massages from his grandmother. He has only one blister on the little toe of his left foot. Other than that just the normal soreness one gets when walking all day for many days on rocks.I'm thankful I had the opportunity to spend the weekend with Trevor and that I was able to walk a section with him yesterday. The next time I connect with him will be in about 5 weeks at which time he will have completed the rest of New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, and New Jersey for an additional 570 miles which will bring his total to about 900 miles.Today included eating, sleeping, eating, resupplying his pack for the coming week, eating, watching a NASCAR race, eating, laundry, eating, watching a Braves game, eating, repairing a small leak in his Neo-Air mattress, and eating.Stay tuned for an exciting week in the Presidential Range in the White Mountains of New Hampshire.
Date: 2013-08-05
From: Mt Washington

To: Ethan Pond Campsite
Miles today: 15.4

There was no initial post on this day due to me being on the road from New Hampshire back to Tennessee, an 18 ¢ 20 hour drive. Trevor¢s grandmother and I took him up to the top of Mt Washington via the auto road after he ate a full breakfast. The temperature at the top was 35 degrees with winds gusting over 50 mph. The entire top of the mountain and the ridges to either side were in a cloud. The forecast called for a lifting of the clouds and a partly cloudy day.It¢s generally difficult for a hiker to transition from town back to the trail, made even more difficult when you¢ve spent a weekend in town with family. It was evident with Trevor when we left him in the foggy, cold, windy, desolate mountain top. I knew that the trail mindset would kick in and he would focus on the adventures ahead and take his mind off the pleasant and restful weekend he had just enjoyed. Hiking, and particularly long-distance hiking makes simple things special. Relaxing with friends and family, a shower, food of any kind that doesn¢t have to be prepared, clean white sheets, a fluffy pillow, connections with friends via the internet are all simple pleasures made more enjoyable after being on the trail and enduring the hardships it will throw at you.The plan for the day was to hike 15.4 miles down to Crawford notch and then back up to Ethan Pond Campsite. This is the 2nd time he has been on this section of the trail. He hiked 3 miles of the 12.5 down to the notch at the age of 4. The rest of the way was on my shoulders. I wish I still had the energy I had 15 and more years ago.Here's Trevor¢s post on FB...."My dad and grandma dropped me off at the top of Mt. Washington this morning. We said our goodbyes and off they went. I'm on my own once again. My dad is planning on meeting me again in about 5 weeks. I got my first taste of winter today too! When I started hiking at 9:00 the temperature was 32 degrees with a wind chill of 14 degrees. For the first 2 miles I didn't even use my hiking poles because my hands were getting too cold. I had to keep them in my pockets. Visibility was also very low which made it harder to stay on the trail. Once I reached Mt. Eisenhower the clouds started to clear and I was finally in the sun again. I met a group of 3 called "The Apples" right before the hut. We talked for a few minutes and they thought it was awesome that I was hiking the whole trail. I continued on and stopped for lunch at Mizpah Spring Hut and rested there for about 30 minutes. Then it was a long downhill into Crawford Notch. It took forever to get down just because I had to go so slow. Once at the bottom I had a 3 mile climb up to the shelter. I kicked it into high gear and got to the shelter a lot earlier than I had expected. I cooked up some Cajun Rice and consumed it within minutes! A lot of people here at the shelter absolutely love Crunchmaster crackers. I would have never guessed so many people knew about them out here! Throughout the whole day I saw about 200 people hiking. It's amazing how popular the Whites are! Getting late now. Time for bed."Some scenes for the day...
Date: 2013-08-06
From: Ethan Pond Campsite

To: Garfield Ridge Campsite
Miles today: 14.5

Trevor called today around 3:30 while on top of South Twin Mountain, which is 11 miles south of Ethan Pond Campsite where he spent the night in a shelter. His destination today was Garfield Ridge shelter, giving him a 14.5 mile day. 14 years ago I remember my dad and I arriving at the Garfield shelter after a long day of hiking. The last 14 mile was steep and I recall water streaming down the rocky trail. It seemed like we crawled the last few feet to the shelter. I remember dad being so tired that he didn¢t even eat supper but just crawled into his sleeping bag and went to sleep. I continue to be amazed at the strength my father showed in hiking some of the tougher parts of the AT from 70 ¢ 82 years of age. It takes incredible desire, strength, perseverance, and determination to hike long distance in all kinds of weather and trail conditions. I¢m pleased that Trevor, and his two older brothers, had the honor of hiking with my dad and learning through observance these important traits that are so essential to being successful.Here's Trevor¢s post on FB...."Today was a pretty good day! I left the shelter around 8:30. The first 5 miles was definitely the easiest part that I have hiked so far on this trip. I was cruising! I stopped for a short break at Zealand Falls Hut and filled up my water bottles there. It was too early for lunch so I continued on. It was a long climb up from the hut to the top of Zealand Mountain. Too long for me to eat on top for lunch. I ended up eating lunch on a rock clearing part way up. I ate lunch with Steve, Susie, Hanna, Melissa, and Emily. They are just out hiking for a few days. I gave them a bag of white cheddar Crunchmaster crackers and they loved them! They returned the favor by giving me a granola bar and some energy gel! It was great meeting them. I continued south over Mt. Guyot, South Twin Mountain, and past Galehead Hut. Then I reached a sign that indicated I had 0.5 miles to go until the shelter. I thought that was easy enough. I was wrong! The trail went straight up after the sign and it turned out to be the hardest 0.5 mile of the day. My hiking poles were useless it was so steep. When I got to the shelter more trail magic came my way. A group from Florida had made some extra venison gravy and asked me if I wanted some. Without hesitation I took it. I cooked up some mashed potatoes and it went great with the gravy. It's only 7:30 and I'm already in bed."Some scenes from today's hike:
Date: 2013-08-07
From: Garfield Ridge Campsite

To: Kinsman Pond Campsite
Miles today: 15.1

Trevor called from the top of Mt Lafayette at the 4 mile mark. This is a high and very exposed mountain (5281 ft). Before leaving on this leg he switched to a heavier hiking shoe that provides more support and cushion underneath, doing so at the expense of about 1/2 of a pound on each foot. They seem to be helping on stone bruise caused by constant pounding on rocks.I've got a message to share with ".com" It involves "Inchworm" who has not yet been found. I will share it by email if you (.com) could sign the guest book and include your email (won't be visible to anyone else and will not be shared with anyone else).Two more days, one more night, in the Whites. 40% chance of rain tomorrow, but good weather in store for all of next week. Vermont is only 5 days away. State #2 is about to be in the rear view mirror.Here's Trevor's FB post..."I felt really great today, for the most part. I got on the trail at about 7:30 and had a climb to the top of Mt. Garfield right off the bat. There was really good views of Mt. Lafayette from the top. Then the trail went back down into another notch. I stopped in the notch for a break before I climbed up Mt. Lafayette. It was a steep climb up and I was above tree line pretty soon after the notch. Then I hit the first wave of people. I passed about 15 in 5 minutes. I didn't see anyone else until I reached the summit. There was about 30 people on the summit. Most of the people had come from Greenleaf Hut which was just a mile from the top. After that the people came every 30 seconds. I was passing people constantly from the summit all the way to Franconia Notch. Overall, I probably passed close to 300 people today. The trail between Lafayette and Little Haystack was awesome. It was 2 miles above tree line just walking on a rocky and exposed ridge. As I started my last descent down the mountain I came across Liberty Spring Campsite. There was a bear encounter there a few days ago where a bear opened a tent up and took the food out. However, I didn't see a bear going through there. I continued on until I got to Lonesome Lake Hut. Just as I got there they were serving supper to the guests. The smell of food was driving me crazy! I wanted to eat so bad! But I still had 2 miles to go so I had to move on. Those last 2 miles were brutal. It was yet another steep climb! It took all my energy to get up the mountain. When I got to the shelter all I did was eat and lay down. Google is here at the shelter with me too. This the nicest shelter I have ever stayed in too! I'm almost done with the Whites which means I'll finally have some easier terrain. I also can't wait to be out of AMC territory. No more paying for everything. It's getting dark now which is bedtime out here."Scenes for this day:
Date: 2013-08-08
From: Kinsman Pond Campsite

To: Beaver Brook Shelter
Miles today: 13.0

Trevor called while filtering water at Kinsman Notch. He had 1.5 miles to go before reaching the shelter. All of it straight up. Light rain much of the day with very few views to the valley.Here's Trevor's FB post:"Today was just one of the horrible days. The weather wasn't looking very good when I left camp. It was cool and foggy which didn't allow any views on Kinsman Mountain. At the bottom of Kinsman Mountain I stopped at Eliza Brook Shelter for a break. I ended up staying a lot longer than planned and didn't leave until 12:00. I ate a second lunch just pass Mt. Wolf and ended up running out of water with no water sources nearby. How much worse could things really get? Well about 5 minutes after lunch I slipped on a log and my right knee landed right on a rock. It hurt bad enough where I almost threw my hiking poles down the hill. I actually had to stand there for about 5 minutes to catch my breath. So I was waterless and hobbling down the mountain the last 2 miles until I got to Kinsman Notch. I started having thoughts about home again. I again wondered why I was out here doing this. So I put some music in to get me motivated and it really helped. I finally found a stream down in the notch so I stopped and filtered water and took a break and made a few calls. I then started the climb up Mt. Moosilauke! This climb was no joke. For 1.5 miles I drug myself up over rocks and steep cliffs. I was soaking wet with sweat by the time I reached the shelter. I probably could have filled both my water bottles in 30 seconds I was sweating so much. Tomorrow I'll be heading into town. Time for bed."Rainy days don't bring as many photos, here are a couple...
Date: 2013-08-09
From: Beaver Brook Shelter

To: Hwy 25, Glencliff, NH
Miles today: 7.8

Here's Trevor's FB post...."We got a terrible storm last night at about 4:00 in the morning. There was tons of thunder and lightning and very heavy rain. The rain continued to fall when I woke up. I ate breakfast and packed up and was ready to go by 8:00. I waited, hoping the rain would let up. By 8:30 I didn't want to wait any longer so I headed out. Google left the same time I did. It was a very light rain until I reached the top of Mt. Moosilauke. Then the skies opened up and it poured! The winds were also very strong on top! My feet were already soaking wet so I gave up trying to keep them dry. I was walking through ankle deep water and didn't even care. Once at the top I only had 4 miles to go into town and I wanted to knock it out quickly. So I basically ran down the mountain and reached the hostel at about 12:30. I hiked about 8 miles in 4 hours. This afternoon I took a shower and then sat around talking to all the NOBO hikers here. The hostel is really full and there are no bunks left so I'm actually sleeping on the floor. Doesn't matter to me as long as I'm dry! Going to take a zero day tomorrow to allow my legs to have a break."Trevor added this later...The first road we cross in Glencliff is a small gravel road. Me and Google were together and as we were hiking down the road about a quarter of a mile. Right before we left the road a jeep pulled up next to us and asked if we were thru-hikers. We said yes that were hiking south. He asked if we wanted some cold chocolate milk. We excitedly said yes and grabbed two bottles from the back. Trail magic is great!We were sitting in the living room this afternoon and guess who walks through the door!? AWOL himself! He is the author of the guidebook that most hikers use, including myself. He was getting updates for next years book. So awesome meeting him!The "Hikers Welcome Hostel" from the outside: