morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2019-06-05
From: Hexacuba Shelter

To: Route 5 Car Park
Miles today: 14.6

It rained all night and as we set off this morning, it continued ensuring the inevitable ¢bogfest¢ and hazards would be awaiting us. It did have me concerned because we had 14 miles to do before the Post Office closed at 2 pm and given the condition of the track, we may miss the dead line.  ¢Safety over speed¢ we put our heads down and moved with caution. We climbed Mt Cube and Mt Mist and then  as we neared Route 5 car park we requested that the support car be available to us - which it was - many thanks Jameison.    I made it to the Post Office with 15 mins to spare. On talking to the lady running the Post Office about accommodation and the lack of phone reception she was more than willing to phone a number of motels to get prices and check if they had laundry facilities. Many thanks young lady  .I was also able to call in at the Hiker Hostel were my replacement boots will be arriving on Friday. I explained that I would be in the hills by then but requested that Jameison be allowed to pick them up on my behalf.  Having checked my I.D. they were happy to allow this to happen. Tomorrow we will be doing a reverse Nero where we will have the morning to get resupplied and organized for the Whites and then start the climb up Mt Moosilauke.  Hound ( who is about 100 miles ahead of us ) has just sent a photo of himself on the top of Mt Washington it looks like he¢s in ¢white-out¢ conditions.  Congratulations, well-done! I¢m looking forward to the challenge.
Date: 2019-06-06
From: Route 5 Car Park

To: Kinsman Notch 
Miles today: 9.5

It is with joy that I eat humble pie! We were able to quickly resupply for the next section of the trail and enjoyed ticking it off our checklist last night, as it gave us a free morning, this morning. We had decided to hit the trail but a hiking friend of Silver Streak¢s had invited us out to dinner this evening. However, to ensure that we did our miles we decided to hike over Mt Mousilauke and get picked up at Kinsman¢s Notch.  The ascent was long and steep but very doable. On reaching Mousilauke South, which was on a tree-lined ridge, the trail became a corridor, offering glimpses of the vistas below. As we passed above the tree line, the way was marked by large stone cairns. Then low and behold, the track presented the hiker with magnificent 360 degree vistas.  Sublime! What joy!Having been banging on about there being no vistas at the top of climbs - all is forgiven.   AT track designers this is stunning! I eat humble pie.  A great job on this section of the trail!  Thank you, thank you. At the summit the obligatory photos were taken and the eyes feasted on the views. We then noticed a large group who were sheltering behind the small crescent-shaped stone windbreaks that had been built near the summit. All were celebrating their 50th Anniversary of climbing Mt Mousilauke from their college days.  Being all around 70 yrs. old, I had to ask them, who their Plastic Surgeon was, as they all looked great! I told them I would meet them all in 10 yrs. time on the summit. On the descent the trail initially contoured round the mountain; then dropped steeply and followed a lively river that was cascading down the mountainside.  As the river flowed down and down in ever widening twist and turns, the light caught and highlighted different patterns of movement at its surface.   Clearly, the descent was for me, simply spectacular.   Unfortunately Silver Streak fell while trying to eat and walk at the same time.   This broke his trekking pole and he ended up injuring his finger.  This is of concern. Still we returned and went out to dinner with Scarlet, who had hiked with Silver Streak in the High Sierra's and had detailed information on the Whites. Thank you for the meal and the information.  Very much enjoyed and appreciated. Given the terrain over the next few days, we need to be sure that Silver Streak can manage with his finger injury.  So rather than attempt to carry a full pack, we have opted to carry day sacks and requested that the supply vehicle pick us up.  Here¢s hoping all goes well tomorrow!
Date: 2019-06-07
From: Kinsman Notch 

To: Interstate 93 
Miles today: 16.3

We started out at 0700 knowing it was going be a long climb up to Mt Wolf.  There were the occasional vistas to take in but for most of the trail, it was head down and a hard clamber up hill.  As it had rained yesterday, the trail was pretty wet in parts then a flowing stream in other parts that occasional swelled into a river. The hardest section of the trail is between Mt Wolf and South Kinsman.  It is a very steep and narrow part of the trail.  There are a lot of large boulders to negotiate and a bogfest thrown for good measure. We took it carefully and finally we arrived at the summit of South Kinsman which had great views. A fellow with his dog who was at the summit took the time to show me the next part of the trail which was very kind of him  The descent was pleasant enough, although we had to negotiate some rather steep sections on our way down.We passed Lonesome Lake Hut but did not call in for coffee.  I managed to have a fall (well, it was my turn anyway!).    The morning will tell the damage.  But for now, I¢m just thankful to get my boots off and relax having had another great day in the mountains.On the new boots Front there has been a train derailment which has caused delays so I have had to get the boots redirected further up the trail.   A big thank you to Mike and Susan owners of Mt Liberty Lodging in Lincoln. They offer all services including shuttles and take a genuine interest in their customers especially hikers. A great place to stay.Catch up with you tomorrow!
Date: 2019-06-08
From: Interstate 93 

To: Garfield Ridge Campsite
Miles today: 10.2

This morning we took the Liberty Spring Trail, which was a long steep ascent that led to the Franconia Ridge Trail. We could tell that this was a popular section with hikers, as it was well constructed. The Franconia Ridge leads you past Mt Liberty and over Little Haystack Mt, Mount Lincoln, Mt Lafayette and Mount Garfield. It was at the Garfield Ridge Campsite that we decided to stop, as we both had had enough for the day. We eagerly found ourselves a tent site as we could see the place was filling up pretty quickly with hikers arriving every five minutes; or so it seemed. As the golden sun slowly dipped behind a stand of trees, I looked around at the multi coloured domes all squeezed in tightly together and felt sure, that who ever designed the layout of this site must have worked in a sardine-packing factory!Well, if any of you are about to walk this section of the trail, you might like to know that your passage through the Whites consists of long steep ascents and descents with sections that require rock hopping.  Then again, on other sections you¢ll be needing your rock scrambling/ climbing skills.  All up, I can promise it will give you a full body work out!   And, if you¢re going to hike in bad weather know it adds another level of difficulty.Be sure that your Hiker Brain is not writing cheque¢s that your body cannot cash.  That is, don¢t expect to be doing big mile days! There are a number of stealth camps to be had but most are ¢dry¢and small in size.  You¢ll either need to carry water in or melt snow, which is still present at the moment in patches. Best of luck and I hope we have the chance of catching up with you further down the trail!
Date: 2019-06-09
From: Garfield Ridge Campsite

To: Route 302
Miles today: 17.5

No sooner were we up and on trail, we headed down a waterfall that was the track!We arrived at the Galehead Hut, which is run by the AMC. Thru hikers get some discounts. We had coffee and a sticky bun. When chatting to one of the girls working there (as you do) and on finding out that I had spent 30+ yrs working in the Emergency Dept of a Tasmanian hospital, she told me that she was a nursing student who had just spent one semester working in Hobart, Tasmania. Small world! Well having stoked up on coffee and cake we headed onwards; over Mt Guyot, then over Mt Zealand onto Zealand Falls Hut.Here we struck gold, as when our fellow travellers found out we were thru hikers they gave us Chicken Couscous leftovers, which was grateful received.  On reflection, it was actually good to be on this section of trail today as it allowed you to get a rhythm to your walking.   Monarch interjects:  Ah, so Click Clack (sticks) and Crunch and Munch (boots) are back!  Wow replies - don¢t forget the in breath and out breath - see the Rhythm of the Walk entry. (March 26th)We arrived at Route 302 and waited for our resupply. We can see there are problems ahead but they can wait until tomorrow!
Date: 2019-06-11
From: Lincoln

To: Lincoln
Miles today: 0.0

Today we took Silver Streak to the airport to fly home. It is with a heavy heart that I bid farewell to him. He showed me many things including that I was capable of more than I thought I was.  He also showed me the nuances of living life from the American perspective. However he did not complete my ¢ how to speak American English¢ lessons so I will still get ¢confused looks¢ when I open my mouth. He is a great hiking buddy and I will sorely miss him on the trail.  Go well Silver Streak.  Go well.  The weather did deteriorate, with heavy rain and high winds recorded on Mt Washington.  The next two days are forecast to be reasonably stable. Having had two zero days I am now experiencing whole body ache. The disabled bars around the toilet have suddenly become almost essential.The only time there is little pain, is when I¢m on trail.Some folks have difficulty in understanding that, despite my profession, I have to date not taken any pain killers, or anti inflammatory medications as I prefer to monitor the aches and pains. As most hikers know, the most important three lines of treatment for any pain or injury one gets while on trail are: 1  Rest2 More Rest3 Even more rest. Tomorrow I will hopefully be on trail early, with Mt Washington in my sights. I am so looking forward to this next section.  Catch you further down the trail!
Date: 2019-06-12
From: Route 302

To: Madison Spring Hut
Miles today: 18.2

I was dropped of at Crawford Notch on Route 302. It¢s good to be back on trail after a double zero. I could still feel the presence of Silver Streak walking with me, as the climb to Mt Washington began. The trail up to Mt Webster and Mt Jackson was steep and long. As I passed Mizpar Spring Hut, I called in for a coffee and a sticky bun. My timing was spot on as they kindly gave me saut©s left over from breakfast.Back on trail I kept climbing and passed by Lakes of the Clouds Hut where I collected water and then continued the climb. I eventually arrived at the heavily populated summit. The cog train had just arrived, so we had to wait in line to take a selfie by the summit plaque.  There I met up with Catmando, Farmer, ¢merica, RD, and Frozen.  It was really good to catch up with them again. Fresh Grounds, (the trail angel who I met on day two) was there and provided bountiful trail magic for us all. He is truly above and beyond the definition of Trail Angel.  On the descent I managed to fall heavily  in the boulder field onto to R) hand. As I lay there trying to pull my R) arm from under my full weight I remember saying  to my wrist ¢ please don¢t come out at a funny angle¢ I lost some ¢bark¢ but I will access the extent of my injuries in the morning. For now the priority is getting off the hill.  The trail descended down a stretch of snow. Frozen, who was ahead of me, slipped and was about to make a very rapid descent down the snow which ended in large boulders but I was able to grab his rucksack and stop him, which was lucky.  Farmer tells me that we have climbed a total of 7500 ft. with 3900 ft. of descent.  We arrived at Madison Spring Hut where we will ¢work for stay¢. They give us a few jobs to do and they will feed us and we get to sleep on the floor. It is recommended as part of the AT experience! It will be interesting, as none of us have done this before.  By the way - It was a stunning sunset! Monarch Interjects:  Well that¢s great Wow; how about sharing a photograph with us so we can all see!
Date: 2019-06-13
From: Madison Spring Hut

To: Stealth Camp nr. Wildcat Gondola
Miles today: 11.0

So, as I mentioned in yesterdays journal, at Madison Spring Hut you work for your stay.   In our case that meant two of us did the evening chores and the other two did the morning¢s chores.Having sorted out our schedule we had a very enjoyable and civilized dinner with the hut crew.  Then Farmer and Catmando did the evening chores.   I must say, its terribly organized as Hut ¢lights out¢ was 21.30 sharp!  We all settled in for the night but as usual I did not get much sleep but was able to rest quietly.In the morning Farmer and Catmando headed out while ¢Murica and myself hung around to sweep the floors after breakfast. We were able to get on trail a little after 9 am. Monarch Interjects:  Thanks for the stunning photograph and know that we're all enjoying it!The day started with a boulder field ascent and descent of Mt Madison.  We were accompanied most of this stretch with very strong gusty winds that kept trying to literally blow us off the mountain. Progress was slow.  As I got below the tree line things did improve a tad. We had heard that there had already been a person die of hypothermia on the mountain this week.Just as the rain started, I finally made it down to Pinkham Notch Visitors. The expensive soup I brought was cold but there was endless coffee which did warm me up  The temptation to stay was strong but I needed to cover a few miles to reduce the distance to Rattle River Hostel tomorrow, where I plan to pick up my new boots and resupply.Let me tell you, climbing very steep wet rock with a painful wrist makes for very slow progress.The trail ascends Wildcat Mt and grabbing the small trees to pull yourself up (as you do) one gets a nice cold shower EVERY time!  Well by now I¢m wet and chilling down pretty quickly.  I¢m keenly scanning the terrain looking for a relatively sheltered stealth campsite.  Ah! I¢ve found one!I¢m now tucked up in my warm, dry sack and the rain has stopped for a while. As I look up I see fascinating patterns of light and shadow cast by a silvery moon shinning through the trees and onto my tent. I slept very very well however the first bird song was at 04.05. Out of habit I listened to see if Silver Streak was getting up! ( it really sucks that he is off trail due to injury). Realising he was not here  I did turn over and  go back to sleep till 04.45.It¢s been a difficult day but it¢s filed in the memory now. Onwards and forwards!
Date: 2019-06-14
From: Stealth Camp nr. Wildcat Gondola

To: Rattle River Lodge and Hostel
Miles today: 18.0

The first bird song was at 04.00 hrs.  Out of habit I listened to see if Silver Streak was stirring - then I remembered he was off trail due to injury - so I turned over and went back to sleep till 04.45. The impact of losing my hiking partner is having an impact as I find I¢m moving a tad slower and my motivation is harder to generate.  It will be interesting to observe myself over the coming days.  Well what do you know?  The day started where it left off, with a climb to the top of Wildcat Mt and then a steep drop down to Carter Notch Hut nestled around some small lakes.  I called in for coffee and cake, as you do. Back on trail I met three young trail maintainers who were polite but all business. I then met two Irish southbound section hikers who had done this part of the trail 24yrs ago. Redman asked me to keep an eye out for a bandanna that he had on his initial hike, dropped. He also told me he studied history and that he had been to Tasmania to study the Irish convicts. I told him about how a group of us had retraced the escape route that Alex ¢ cannibal¢ Pearce had taken, back in the 1820¢s.  I told him to Google - ¢trekking Tasmania When Driven by Hunger¢ as he would then see the Australian Geographic article I wrote.  By the way I did find his bandanna!!A shower ensured that the rocks stayed wet. It was on Mt Moriah, the last major peak in the White Mountains that Farmer, Catmando and ¢merica caught up with me and we descended together. The initial plan was to stay at the Rattle River Shelter but on arrival the place was a mosquito breeding ground.   So I continued onto Gorham and the Rattle River Lodge and Hostel, which is the cleanest and best-organised hostel I have stayed at to date.  Tomorrow needs to be a zero, as I have to plan my resupply points and coordinate with Jameison as to timing and locations that we can meet up at.
Date: 2019-06-15
From: Rattle River Lodge and Hostel

To: Zero Day at Rattle River Lodge and Hostel
Miles today: 0.0

Well, being that I¢m in the Rattle River Lodge and Hostel, its an ideal day to take a Zero, so I can plan my resupply locations and timings to Katahdin and beyond. Clearly this really is the place to be, as on top of it all Catmando¢s sister arrived at the hostel with a bountiful feast for us all.  Many thanks for the great company and the food which was much appreciated and helped to lift the spirits. I was also able to chat with Monarch who reminded me that it was time to stop carrying the load of yesterday and to take a fresh focus of completing a three hundred mile trek from ¢here and now¢ to the border.  I¢m hearing you Monarch!
Date: 2019-06-16
From: Zero Day at Rattle River Lodge and Hostel

To: Full Goose Shelter
Miles today: 21.3

Up early and hiking by 05.45 hrs with my new boot¢s on. The plan was to get to Full Goose Shelter so that I could have time to do the ¢famed¢ hardest mile on the AT - Mahoosuc Notch, which is a large boulder filled valley through which the AT passes.Today¢s trail started with a climb - I was to climb over 8000 ft in one today. The trail passed a number of ponds and lakes. However the most important event was the selfie taken at the NH / MA border. The final state that the AT passes through!The day was long and demanding.  The terrain was anything but flat.  However, for all my moans and groans, I did enjoy the open vistas.I¢ve now arrived at the shelter where RD and Farmer are already hunkered down.   And who have we got here ¢ its Catmando, Frozen and ¢Murica.  Yeah!
Date: 2019-06-17
From: Full Goose Shelter

To: Baldpate Lean-to
Miles today: 12.0
Weather: broken clouds

Well I got up early as usual and was soon dropping down into the ¢famed ¢ Mahoosuc Notch, a mile long valley of boulders, through which the AT passes. There was snow and ice on much of the floor, with Shelter Brook running the length of the Notch. Finding the route itself was a little challenging but with time and care it was no real problem.One is then faced with the Mahoosuc Arm, which is an ascent of nearly 1500 ft. over slabs, for the distance of about a mile. Again, nothing I haven¢t faced already.I finally arrived at Grafton Notch to get my resupply from Jameison and to purchase another litre water bottle as I had lost mine on one of the many steep descents.Having resupplied and had a coffee all in the world is okay again. It¢s a short mile day but I¢m now in a good headspace.
Date: 2019-06-18
From: Baldpate Lean-to

To: South Arm Road Campsite
Miles today: 18.1
Weather: scattered clouds

The trail provided a good mix of different types of terrains. There was open slab climbing along a ridge, to very steep descents and ascents. There were stretches of trail where you could actually get into a good walking rhythm. However Maine makes you work for your miles. It was a hard day but rewarding.  The campsite at South Arm Rd has swarms of insects all hell bent on getting your blood. It took me literally half an hour to clear the tent of mosquitoes.  And you¢d think being an Aussie I¢d cope with the flies but these little black numbers are driving me nuts, as they have become a constant presence throughout the day.
Date: 2019-06-19
From: South Arm Road Campsite

To: Sabbath Day Pond Lean-to
Miles today: 17.0

Having survived the night, the bugs were lined up on the mesh of the tent awaiting my exit. My advise is: you do need a bug net or bug spray/ cream, for the black flies have suicidal intent and always aim for your eyes and the mosquitoes always go for places you cannot easily reach while you are walking.The morning was spent walking on my own at a slow steady pace. At lunch break The Blue Man Crew arrived - RD, Farmer, Catmando, ¢Merica and Frozen.  I spent the rest of the day leaped frogging them as we were all planning to stay at the same shelter. During the day we had trail magic from John Holmes and his wife- many thanks.When we got to ME Route 17 Fresh Grounds and his Leap Frog cafe was set up and provided us all with a stunning array of food and drink. As usual he went above and beyond ¢ outstanding! The rain set in as we made our final few miles to the shelter.  Needless to say few of us needed any dinner!
Date: 2019-06-20
From: Sabbath Day Pond Lean-to

To: ME Route 4
Miles today: 9.4

Well it rained all night and as it hammered down on the shelter¢s tin roof, it reminded me of home.Come to think of it, it was even louder than the group¢s resident snorer! It can get so noisy in here that you can¢t leave any loose items near the culprits for fear they may inhale them and make retrieving them in the morning a tad difficult. By sunrise the rain had stopped but the wet undergrowth ensured you got wet. The plan was to get to the road and have a Nero day. The trail was gentle and good time was made. Fresh Grounds had set up along the way and it was a joy to spend time talking trail and catching up on who¢s where. It turns out Snow White had left the trail, as she had only planned to do a section, so had flown back to Germany but had then returned in 2 days to continue with her Tramily (Trail Family). The Mini Bubble has grown in size to over 20!  And they are about to be caught up by The Blue Men.  This is going to make fitting into shelters and campsites very interesting! It started to rain once I arrived and it is still raining heavily this evening.  I managed to get resupply from IGA in Rangeley and be warned, the hotels are very expensive. Having done laundry and eaten well, I am now ready for bed.  Who said Nero days are relaxing?!