morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2003-07-29
From: Wiley Shelter, NY

To: Kent, CT
Miles today: 12.9

Today was a good town day - we accomplished everything we needed to do (groceries, laundry, showers, restaurant).Mothman's mom ("Mothmom") slackpacked us from CT55 to Kent, CT. It was our first time slacking, and it was nice to walk unemcumbered for a change.We ate lunch at a Chinese place in celebration of Karen's birthday. Unfortunately, the food wasn't very good (microwaved fish sticks in the pu-pu platter). Next, we took showers from a nice solar shower at the "Cosmic Hippo", an Arts & Crafts store in Kent. We then did the laundry and bought groceries.We managed to find a place to tent in town. I went knocking on doors, unsuccessfully, until I ran into a guy painting his house. I explained our situation (no place in Kent to stay cheaply), and he said "Hold on," picked up the phone, pushed one button (speed dial), and within a minute, he had arranged for us to tent behind the local Episcopal pastor's house.It is good to be back in New England. Sure the prices are high again, and the people are frigid - but it's home!-- Oreo
Date: 2003-07-30
From: Kent, CT

To: Pine Swamp Brook Lean-to
Miles today: 17.0

This morning we left our tentsite at the church. We had a pleasant sleep in the cool air. In the morning the tent was covered in dew and some of our things had slugs on them. We did a couple of chores and then left Kent.it was fairly warm out in the morning but it never got terribly hot. There were lots of ups and downs today. We're getting ready for VT, NH, and ME. The walk was pretty. We walked through a section with red pines. We walked along the Housatonic River for awhile.Now we're at the Pine Swamp Brook campsite. "Rubberband Man" and "Homer" are here. There's also some sort of youth group here. I hope they quiet down before we go to bed.Dan and I just ate stuffing, which has filled us in the past. Today we're still hungry so Dan is making us some more to eat - pasta.-- Buttercup
Date: 2003-07-31
From: Pine Swamp Brook Lean-to

To: Riga Lean-to
Miles today: 19.5

Today was a long day and it felt long, too. Maybe it was just the foreknowledge that I had to hike nearly 20 miles over New England terrain that made me tired all day. Or maybe it is the fact that Karen and I haven't had a day off in about 2 weeks. In any case, I was tired.Hepcat and Mello Yellow (now spelled "Melo Yelo" to save weight) arrived late in the night, and set up next to us. Those guys are a funny pair, and everyone went to bed in good spirits after they made us laugh a bit. In the middle of the night, I was awakened by someone calling my name: "Dan! Dan!" I sat up and said "What?" but there was no answer. A little while later, the same voice started mumbling and then saying loudly, "Mooselauke!" As we found out in the morning, apparently Hepcat talks in his sleep. He apologized sheepishly for waking us, but it was pretty funny, really.Just before arriving at the shelter for the night, we hiked over the Lion's Head, a bald rock outcropping at 1700 feet. The sky was beginning to cloud up, but it was still clear enough for a beautiful dusk view, and we thoroughly enjoyed it. I took a series of photos for a panorama. We then hiked on to the shelter, where we met a Connecticut Ridgerunner named Alex. I spoke with him a bit until the mosquitos drove me back into my tent.Tomorrow we hike into Massachusetts and meet up with Karen's parents for a few days off. We both need it to prepare for what comes next. Funny, when I lived in New England, I thought the landscape was beautiful, but hiking here from Georgia really brings that appreciation to another level!-- Oreo
Date: 2003-08-04
From: Riga Lean -To

To: South Egremont, MA
Miles today: 14.4

This morning we woke up and it was pouring out. Our things were covered in mud. We packed up the things and ate breakfast in the shelter. We talked with a Ridgerunner, Mello-Yello, and Hepcat while we ate.It rained on and off the whole day. But we knew we'd be in a dry bed soon. We went up Race Mtn, which would have had the best vies for the day if it hadn't been cloudy. We also went over Bear Mtn and Mt. Everett. They are the first 2000-footers we've had since Virginia. There were quite a few steep, rocky sections, and the rain made them slippery. We also walked down into Sages Ravine. There was a brook at the bottom that had carved out rock formations. It was in a pine forest. At the end of the day, we went down Jug End which was really steep.
Date: 2003-08-22
From: Happy Hill SHelter

To: Hanover, NH
Miles today: 5.8
Weather: haze

Today we did a few short miles into Hanover, NH. Some of the other thru-hikers found a place to stay for the night, so we are going to be tenting with them. We did our laundry and took showers. Tomorrow on our way out of town we're going to get some groceries. We're pretty tired so this is a short journal.Buttercup
Date: 2003-08-30
From: Liberty Spring Tentsite

To: Campsite near Galehead Hut
Miles today: 10.5
Weather: overcast clouds

This morning the rain had let up but our gear was wet. It was cloudy the entire day. The exposed ridge from Little Haystack Mtn to the north peak of Mt. Lafayette was really windy. It was a little hard to stand up at times. Since we were in a cloud we didn't get a view. Luckily it didn't rain. It was a relief to get into the woods and be warm. After lunch we went up Mt. Garfield (4488'). There was a little bit of a view from the top but it was chilly.We stopped in at Galehead Hut for some water. We decided to camp a bit after the hut down a trail in a hopefully stealthy spot.-- Buttercup
Date: 2003-09-02
From: Crawford Notch

To: Lakes of the Clouds Hut
Miles today: 11.2
Weather: overcast clouds

Yesterday we took a zero day with Oreo's parent's. We camped next to the Saco River.This morning we woke to cloudy skies. We hiked over Mt. Webster, Mt. Jackson, Mt. Clinton, and Mt. Franklin. The clouds hung at about 5000 feet all day. So we got a view on the way up most of the mountains but the tops were clouded in. It didn't rain and it wasn't windy so for that we are lucky.Tonight we are staying in at "the Dungeon" of the Lakes of the Clouds Hut. It certainly lives up to it's name.-- Buttercup
Date: 2003-09-02
From: Campsite near Galehead Hut

To: Crawford Notch
Miles today: 14.6
Weather: overcast clouds

We woke up this morning to very cold air - 37°F. Fortunately, last night's strong gusts had stopped. Since my dad needed only to pack his bivy bag and tarp, he stayed in it while I made the morning's coffee (for him) and tea (for Buttercup and I); I crawled back into the tent to eat too.We were on the trail by 7:15 am, starting immediately with a steep climb up South Twin Mtn (4902'). As we climbed up the rock scramble, the sun was shining directly down the trail, causing a halo effect on the hiker in front of you; this prompted many Jesus impersonations, of course.We were rewarded with a crystal-clear 360° panorama at the summit of South Twin which made us glad that we didn't stick to our plan of hiking to Guyot Campsite yesterday. The rest of the day was fairly easy walking. We stopped for lunch at the Zealand Falls Hut, and for another short break at Ethan Pond before finishing our day at US302 in Crawford Notch.My mom met us and brought us to our campsite at the Dry River Campground. We took showers (nine days without a shower!) and then drove us to a great restaurant in Lincoln called "The Common Man."After a brief sit near our campfire, it's off to bed!-- Oreo
Date: 2003-09-03
From: Lakes of the Clouds Hut

To: Osgood Tentsite
Miles today: 10.0
Weather: broken clouds

Last night as we went to bed the fog rolled in so thick that we could barely see ten feet through it. So it was quite a surprise this morning to wake up to a flood of pink light coming through the storm door in "the Dungeon." I walked outside and was thrilled to see Mt. Washington clearly without a wisp of fog int he air, the summit shining in the pink and golden light.After a quick breakfast, Buttercup and I headed up the mountain. But my excitement was go great, I let my legs carry me so that by the time I reached the summit, Buttercup was 15 minutes behind me.Last August Buttercup and I hiked Mt. Washington in similarly beautiful weather. On the summit, I watched a thru-hiker reach the top and gaze off into the distance at the beautiful panorama. As I was planning my own thru-hike, I really wanted to talk to him, but I was a bit intimidated by him and I didn't want to spoil what looked like a moment of pure rapture. But now I can answer one of my questions: the view is most definitely better after walking 1800 miles.After sending some postcards at the summit house, we continued on along the Presidential Range. The going was slow because of the rocks and the clouds crept up slowly all day. We took a short break at Madison Hut, and headed up the mountain. We were soon in the fog with high winds. As we walked down the jagged and seemingly neverending Osgood Trail, the wind grew stronger. It must have been nearly 50 mph by the time we hit the treeline as it was beginning to become difficult to stand up straight.We made it to the Osgood Tentsite just before the rain hit. Only ten miles but what an exhausting day!-- Oreo
Date: 2003-09-04
From: Osgood Tentsite

To: Campsite near Wildcat Peak D
Miles today: 7.8

Just as we got into camp last night it started to rain and it poured all night. In the middle of the night we woke up to a loud thunderstorm. At about 6:00 am when the sun was rising, it was still thundering. We didn't get out of the tent until about 10:00 am when the rain finally stopped. Most of our things were a little damp but not too bad.We hiked about a half mile before we reached Parapet Brook. We found the water really high and gushing from last night's downpour. Normally this would have been a fairly easy walk across the stream. "Looney" and "Svensaw" were there trying to figure out how to get across. We walked upstream, bushwacking, hoping to find that the brook narrowed. Dan found a spot that looked passable. I didn't agree so I kept going upstream, only to find that it didn't get any better. "Looney" and "Svensaw" also didn't agree so they contemplated hiking downstream and then crossing. Then they realized the brook only got wider downstream. So we all decided to cross in the spot that Dan was at and build a couple of bridges. After spending at least an hour on this ordeal we made it across the stream and hiked back downstream to the AT. Ater this "Svensaw" decided they would definitely call it a day at Pinkham Notch. Their things had gotten wet the night before in the rain and were already thinking about taking a short day.Luckily it didn't rain the rest of the day. We ate lunch at Pinkham Notch. We headed up Wildcat Mtn. It must have been our hardest ascent yet. A lot of it was more like rock climbing than hiking. The trail went on some really steep ledges. We did get some really great views of Mt. Washington and the other Presidentials.We had planned on going to Carter Notch Hut, but we didn't want to get caught in the dark so we stopped before that and camped.-- Buttercup
Date: 2003-09-05
From: Campsite near Wildcat Peak D

To: Campsite near Middle Moriah Mtn.
Miles today: 13.1

Buttercup and I woke up early today - 5 am - so that we could get a long day of hiking to make up for yesterday's shortness. We had hoped to hike 16 miles to the Rattle River Shelter but as today's terrain was much like yesterday's, we fell short of our goal. No matter; tomorrow we only have to hike the four miles into Gorham.If ever we were "peak bagging" on this trip, today was it. By the time we set up camp, we hiked over ten peaks: Wildcat C, B, and A, Carter Dome, Mt. Hight, South, Middle, and North Carter Mtns. The joke of the day was "What, you're tired? We've only [fill-in-with-appropriate-number] mountains today!"The weather was nice today; partly cloudy with only a brief sprinkling of rain in the afternoon.We managed to find a very nice tentsite on literally the very last flat spot before a steep descent. As a result, we have a beautiful view of the mountains to the southeast when we look out of our tent door.We also discovered that Buttercup has a small saw blade on her Swiss Army knife, so I admittedly went a little overboard clearing dead trees out to make room for our tent.Tomorrow evening we will meet up with Buttercup's parents in Gorham for a day off on Sunday.-- Oreo
Date: 2003-09-09
From: Gentian Pond Campsite

To: Full Goose Campsite
Miles today: 9.6
Weather: clear sky

This morning we woke up to clear skies again. While Dan was getting water at Gentian Pond, he saw two older moose and a calf. He was going to come and tell me to go down and see the moose, but before he could tell me, our fellow hikers¢ dog chased the moose away.This morning we went up Mt. Success and got a great view from there of the Mahoosucs and the Presidentials.We crossed the Maine border shortly after. Then we ate lunch in the sun with a nice view on top of Mt. Carlo. Then we had some pretty steep ups and downs on the Goose Eye peaks.Everyone at the shelter felt like a slug because they were moving so slow today because of the hard terrain.-- Buttercup
Date: 2003-09-10
From: Full Goose Campsite

To: Baldpate Lean-to
Miles today: 12.0
Weather: clear sky

We woke up early this morning while it was still dark to very cold temperatures ¢ 39 degrees F. Pretty soon we¢re going to have to take measure to keep some things from freezing. We left camp early, 7am, ready for our big day: first up, Mahoosuc Notch, second, Old Speck Mountain and Grafton Notch.Shortly after 8:30am we arrived at the start of Mahoosuc Notch. We folded up our poles and stowed them away, and then we were off. It was slow going. The rocks got bigger and bigger until they really were house-sized. It took some thought to go the easiest way, and sometimes the path you chose dead-ended. Buttercup and I both agreed that it would probably have been fun without our big packs.After the Notch was a long, steep, and rocky climb up Mahoosuc Arm. Soon we came down into Speck Pond, supposedly the highest body of water in Maine. We ate lunch there by the beautiful pond in the sun. After lunch, we ascended the steep and rocky trail to the top of Old Speck Mtn (4180¢), and then down the other side.To our pleasant surprise, the trail became easier and easier as we came down. By the time we reached Grafton Notch, the trail was meandering easily through a birch forest. We stopped and ate a snack with ¢Nothin¢ Decent,¢ and then we left to hike up to the Baldpate Lean-to. Again, we were surprised by the relative ease of the trail, and we reached the shelter ¢ 2.5 miles away ¢ in a little more than an hour. It felt good to stretch our legs out again, and we hope that the trail stays like this for awhile.-- Oreo
Date: 2003-09-18
From: Avery Memorial Campsite

To: Campsite at Arnold Point
Miles today: 15.3

It was a very cold and clear night last night and we woke to a very cold-40 F-morning up at Bigelow Col. We started up a rocky but short climb up to Avery Peak (4088') where we stopped to enjoy the view and snap pictures with ¢Morph¢, Moonshadow,¢ and ¢Lumberjack.¢ The view was panoramic and wonderful.        Soon we went down Avery and over Little Bigelow Mtn. (3025'), and we were greeted with remarkably easy, rock-and-root-free walking. Buttercup turned on the jets and we covered 7 miles in a little over 2 and a half hours. At the West Carry Pond Lean-to, we felt good, and were interested in seeing (and possibly camping at) the sandy beach at Arnold Point, so we pressed on. Unfortunately, there were no sandy beaches at Arnold Point, only swamp, so we managed to find a dry spot to camp with a fire ring.        While we were eating dinner at the edge of the pond we were treated to one of those spectacles that makes Maine great: Loons calling in the distance, schools of fish eating water bugs under our feet, and an otter swimming and splashing around in the water only 20 feet in front of us.-Oreo
Date: 2003-09-19
From: Arnold Point

To: Campsite near Holly Brook
Miles today: 16.0

Today's walking was pretty easy. No mountains and hardly any rocks and roots. After lunch we crossed the Kennebec River. We had to wait until 3:00 for the ferry. The ferry is basically a guy with a canoe.        Before lunch ¢Moonshadow¢ found a stray dog on the trail. It had a name collar and a radio collar. Some other hikers thought she might be a bear dog that wondered off. When ¢Moonshadow¢ got to town she was going to call the owner.        After crossing the river most thru-hikers went into town on the main road. Dan and I read in our book that 1.5 miles up the trail was a 0.3 mile trail that went to a hostel and a campstore. We were pondering the idea of staying in town and buying some snacks. Unfortunately we walked for about two more hours and never found the trail. So we have no snacks left, but we have GORP. We were hoping to avoid the rain that we knew was coming, because of the hurricane. We found a spot by the brook to camp with small trees.-Buttercup
Date: 2003-09-20
From: Campsite near Holly Brook

To: Moxie Bald Shelter
Miles today: 16.1

The rain had finally stopped this morning by the time we woke up, but we got wet braking down camp anyway.        First off we hiked over Pleasant Pond Mtn (2480'). It was very muggy and we were sweating heavily by the time we reached the summit. At the top we ran into ¢Gazelle¢ who we haven't seen since Hanover, NH. We hiked with ¢Gazelle¢ to Moxie Pond where we stopped for lunch. But just as we opened our food bags, a heavy rain started. We packed up and hiked quickly, getting soaked, to the Bald Mtn. Brook Lean-to where we ate lunch.        The sky briefly cleared, totally blue, but as we hiked up Moxie Bald Mtn (2629'), the clouds rolled in again. We made it to camp just in time to set up our tent and cook dinner before another heavy rainstorm hit. Hopefully we won't have to deal with rain again tomorrow.Oreo
Date: 2003-09-21
From: Moxie Bald lean-to, ME

To: Monson, ME
Miles today: 14.6
Weather: scattered clouds

Last night it poured for quite some time, but we stayed dry. In the morning there were perfectly clear skies. Today's terrain was easy, mostly flat. We had to ford two branches of the Piscataquis River. With the rain last night we were a little worried the river would be too high. Luckily we didn't even need to take our shoes off, we were able to walk on the rocks. Before the river crossings were a couple of streams that we actually did need our sandals for.        We followed the Piscataquis River for most of the day. We also went along the side of Lake Hebron. We walked into Monson in the evening. Tonight we have a tent site at the ¢Pie lady's.¢ Tomorrow we have a room at Shaw's Boarding Home. We got pizza at the country store and are going to take showers.Buttercup
Date: 2003-09-22
From: Monson, ME

To: Monson, ME
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

Finally, I'm able to get to an internet terminal! As I look at my journal, it appears that the last time that happened was one month ago, in Hanover, NH. Yes, Maine may be a beautiful state, but it is utterly devoid of any kind of modern amenity, particular internet access. Note to self: buy a pocketmail for my next thru-hike.Anyway, Buttercup and I arrived in Monson yesterday afternoon. We just couldn't stand the idea of eating one more Lipton, so we took the shortcut into town on Pleasant St. This adds another 3 miles to our 115-mile excursion (without resupply) through the 100-Mile Wilderness to Katahdin, but being able to eat pizza last night made it totally worth it.We got our maildrop today - tons of food thanks to my parents (eight days of Mountain House!) and Buttercup's parents. We don't even need to do any shopping for resupply. We spent some time weeding all of the unnecessary junk out of our packs: extra rubber bands, first aid kit stuff that never had any practical use, and so forth. I'm even considering chopping a couple straps and pockets off my pack, but it's been such a faithful pack, I hate to do it. Alas, somewhere in our travels, the frame got bent, and it rides strangely now, not exactly uncomfortable, but not as nice as it once was. I'm afraid that Katahdin will be the end of the line for my pack. Same with my trusty Limmer boots. More than five years and 2500 miles, and these boots have had it; they're just falling apart, probably because they've been almost constantly wet for six months.We're staying at Shaw's (of course) today. Very friendly people, and a nice place to stay. Phenominal hiker box - I even snagged an unopened can of powdered whole milk. Unfortunately, the directions are all in espanol, but that never deterred a hungry hiker!So now it's time to go get dinner (more pizza, yes!) and veg out, hardcore, in front of the TV. Tomorrow we start on our last leg north. It's good to be here, and in eight days when this is all over, I will sorely miss all of the friends I made along the way!-- Oreo
Date: 2003-09-23
From: Monson, ME

To: Wilson Valley Lean-to
Miles today: 13.7
Weather: overcast clouds

This morning we had a big breakfast at Shaw's. Dan and I both got a "One-Around-the-Table." That is one egg, one slice of bacon, one slice of ham, one sausage, one pancake, and homefries. There was coffee and OJ with donuts too. Apparently the record is 12 of everything, but the word is the recordholder died at the table.We left shortly after breakfast. It was a great stay at the Shaw's; the whole family is really kind and treat you like their own.A lot of the people we styayed with were doing a slackpack today and going to stay in town tonight. We heard that it was going to rain this afternoon and tonight. So a lot of people wanted to stay out of the rain.We hiked out with our full packs, as usual. About 3 miles in we crossed ME 15 and entered the 100-Mile Wilderness. Today's hike had no real mountains. We passed lots of ponds. We saw Little Wilson Falls (60 feet high). It was cool looking because it flowed over slate. So it looked like perfectly cut steps.We forded Big Wilson Stream. We got to keep our shoes on. It had started to rain though and the rocks were really slippery. The rocks looked like the shiny polished rocks that you can buy in a store. Luckily we only had to walk about a mile in the rain before we reached the shelter. There's no one here, so we have the shelter to ourselves. It's raining pretty hard now, but it's supposed to clear up by the morning.-- Buttercup
Date: 2003-09-24
From: Wilson Valley Lean-to

To: Campsite near Fourth Mtn
Miles today: 11.6

We didn't get very far today - Karen woke up last night feeling very sick. I think she has the hiker flu that has been going around since Damascus.It was a struggle for Karen to move today. We ate lunch afetr hiking only eight miles in six hours. She didn't want to eat but I made her.After hiking about another 3 miles she asked to stop. I made dinner but she was asleep before it was ready, so I woke her but she barely ate anything. Hopefully she'll feel better tomorrow.-- Oreo