morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2022-07-17
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Start 1841.4 (Zealand Trail Junction)End 1848.9 (US art 302) 7.5 AT milesZealand Side Trail  2.5 hiking miles Early day today. Due to early pickup by shuttler (I wanted to get an early start anyway) I was first one into breakfast line at 6. Did quick breakfast and was packed up and meeting shuttler at 6:30. The game plan was to hike up a side trail and jump back in the AT for a 7.5 mile stretch than I had missed the previous days. Worked out great . Gorgeous day. The side trail was relatively easy and so did the 2.5 miles in a little over an hour. Sweet! Then onto the AT which had a gentle grade and mostly rock free for quite a stretch . Also a number of bog boardwalks which are flat. Clear sailing. Had snacks along the way and enjoyed a great confidence building hike all day. Only bummer was a slip on the rocks where I skinned a knuckle. A band aid stopped the blood leak with minimal delay. This was when my red bandanna came in handy to sop up the blood flow, so I could apply the dressing. When I emerged into the parking lot near Rt 302 (Crawford Notch) I had done the whole 10 miles (incl side trail) in about 7 hours. Way better than my first couple of days out. I was met by an older woman, very fit, who offered me a soft drink and a ride back to the Highland Center . A true Trail Angel. She thruhiked the AT in 2014 and still wants to give back to the hiking community. She was hiking the AT with her daughter so her Trail name was Mama Bear. Really a kind, caring woman and a real help to me. I didn¢t have to hitchhike the 4 miles from the trailhead back to the Highland Center. I finished early enough for a nap, then cleanup. Excitement at the Center in the late afternoon was a helicopter aeromed training event on the lawn outside my window. The chopper came and went a couple of times. While watching the helicopter crew do their thing, I met two brothers, Matt and Dave, who were there for hiking a variety of trails for a couple of days. Ended up joining them for part of dinner. Dave, a child psychologist, Matt a financial planner. It was uncanny how similar he was to my planner, Ray. Personable, smart, optimistic, energetic. Chatting with those guys was a great way to enjoy my last glass of wine post dinner. The people you meet and the life stories they tell. The hikers I¢ve been chatting with are also kind enough to ask about and listen to my life story. Restores your faith in people. A great cut of genuine folks out here. Fantastic day!  Confidence building and people connecting.
Date: 2022-07-18
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Start 1874.9 (Joe Dodge Lodge - Pinkham Notch)End 1872.9 (Mountain Auto Road) 2.0 AT miles2.0 trail miles First cup of Joe from lobby at 5:45. Love this Highland Center! Down to breakfast at 7 since no rush before 9am shuttle bus.  Was fortunate to be joined by Steve, from Chicago. There with a group of five friends and family from around the country who meet annually for a couple days of hiking. Small world- Steve has a daughter in Grand Rapids a couple miles from our condo. Visits regularly. Later got to visit with another of his group, a former Navy E-2 pilot. Fun guy. Earned trail name, Nose Dive, after falling into his pack after a couple of glasses of wine on a dehydrated stomach. He also elaborated on his new Tesla purchase. A big car guy! Sounded awesome, and expensive!  The group hopped off at a trailhead and I continued on to Pinkham Notch and my lodging for the night,  Joe Dodge Lodge,  (named after a long time AMC director). I was early for checkin so just decided to hike part of AT to the Mountain Auto Road  (goes to the top of Mt Washington). I hiked 2 miles of the AT uphill to the auto road. It was good to keep the trail legs tuned. Then 2 miles over same part of AT back down. Felt good. A few sprinkles but really opened up after I got back to Lodge. Just in time. Ended up getting 2-3 inches overnight. Glad I was in for the night. Lodge was a different concept. Individual rooms (with beds) and washrooms down the hall. Food served in another building. Dinner snd breakfast were included just like the huts. Cozy, very clean and confortable. Lounges at both ends of the building provided sitting space and coffee in the morning. Dinner was quite nice. Parmesan encrusted haddock, fresh baked bread and fixings including apple pie. Unfortunately this property is on National Forest Land , so no alcohol served. Water worked nicely- always rehydrating out here! Went to bed to the sound of a steady rain. Good timing, Bionic Man! (Dumb luck but hey, we¢ll take it! :-) )
Date: 2022-07-19
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Start 1874.9 (Joe Dodge Lodge - Pinkham Notch )End 1880.8 ( Carter Notch Hut) 5.9 AT milesRain all night. A bit humid in room so kept fan going in absence of a/c. Up at 5:45 to drink lots of water then a cup of coffee in the lounge. On the way to breakfast noticed clouds clearing. Gonna be a good day! Breakfast was a bit bland but it¢s fuel so down it went. On trail by 7am and enjoyed a bit of flat trail along a pretty stream. Then up, up for 3 miles. Lots of sweat, lots of slippery rocks from previous day¢s rain and yes a few slips and falls. Got to practice my dressing skills on one fall to stop the bleeding on an elbow. Ugh! Hydration and nourishment were the challenges of the day. After 6 hours finally made it to the first high point. 2,000¢ in two miles. Later up and over Wildcat Mountain, another 400¢ and then down to Carter Notch Hut. Had a short rain shower but mostly breezy during the day and upper 70s. Made it into the hut at 5:30pm. Time to wash up and be in place for the 6pm dinner. This hut a bit different than previous ones. Dining in one building, bunks in a couple others and bathrooms in yet another building. As the photo shows, all the complex down in a notch and spread out. Dinner was very ample. Hearty lentil soup, a nice fresh salad, roasted asparagus, a vegetarian enchilada and rice entree and chocolate cake for dessert. Very filling. Not bad for being out in the woods! Had a table of 10 adults and a table with a seven person girls camp group incl 2 young adult leaders. Well behaved and they clapped with joy when asparagus was announced as part of menu. What? Surprisingly there was cell service so caught up with home after dinner. Prepped for bed and when 9:30 (quiet hour) rolled around the girls in the bunk room next door went silent. I had a bunk room to myself. What a luxury! Ibuprofen down and lights out. Tough day, a tough 5.9 miles, got banged up but slow and steady got it done. Surprised myself that I made it in time for dinner. Onward!
Date: 2022-07-20
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Start 1880.8 (Carter Notch Hut)End  1888.0 (IMP Shelter) 7.2 AT milesFitful night¢s sleep. Too cool then too hot. Guess I was a bit overtired. And it gets light at 4:40. Tough to keep sleeping then. Up at 5:45 to washroom then down to dining hall to grab a first cup of coffee. Then back up to bunkhouse. Somewhat inconvenient especially since buildings are separated by rocky trails. My stiff trail legs not happy this early in day! :-/ Breakfast at 7. Curiously our table folks sat in same places as last night¢s dinner. My immediate table mates were two boyfriend/ girlfriend couples. On second marriages and, well, outdoors is their new commonality. Again interesting to hear their stories. One lady¢s interest, besides outdoors, is her horse. Heard a lot about her horse! On trail by 7:50 and did the first big 1500¢ uphill for the day in 2.5 hours. Sunny, warm and humid day. I sweated as usual, fell a couple of times as usual (no blood these times) and enjoyed green mountain vistas often. Got into the shelter at 5:45 after a 10 hour day. This shelter had a caretaker. Caleb was a young black man who was very welcoming. It cost $10 to stay but was a very nice, well cared for location. Had a privvy, a bear box for safe overnight storage of food, an ice cold water source and a 12 person shelter. I rinsed the sweat from my face and head, rinsed out my sweaty shirt and put it back on and felt refreshed. Caleb was nice enough to boil some water for my chicken gumbo backpacker meal. I gambled that I could get hot water and have not carried my stove (to avoid the weight). Spicy, filling and great way to end the day at sunset. Settled into the shelter which I had to myself. What a luxury! Or so I thought. That changed in the middle of the night. More about that in the next posting. Another tough day but no major falls and got into the shelter at a decent hour. These are tough miles!
Date: 2022-07-21
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Start 1888.0 (IMP Shelter)End 1896.0 (US 2) 8 AT milesHappy Birthday, Bionic Man! Great day to be alive and active. But, whew, what a night. I was settled in at 9 and in a deep sleep when a group of three hikers rolled in at 11:15pm. Yikes, how inconsiderate! For 1.5 hours they talked, cooked their dinner,  flashed their headlamps and then settled into the shelter. I did at one point ask what was going on. They said they were in late from hiking and would be settling down shortly. After that it took awhile for me to settle down. Not much sleep. Sunrise was early so I did my usual 5:45 am wake-up. They slept through it but at one point the adult in the group woke up and moved out into the woods in a hammock. We exchanged morning pleasantries. I decided not to go off on him. Nothing to be gained in that. I prepped, ate my breakfast and was off at 6:30 without them stirring. Oh well, life goes on. And for the first 3 hours I had the usual climb. Seems that the trail is set up where you sleep low (usual location of water) and , therefore, hike down in and then up and out. Passed a lot of hikers all day. Why do they all seem so fresh and fast?  It¢s my third day out and I¢m beat. Feeling my 71 years today. :-o  A bird (as shown in photo) landed close during one of my rest stops and perked me up. I got to a water stream about 3.5 miles from my destination and drank a lot. Heard from several hikers that the rest of the trail out was flat and beautiful. True story! There were a few sprinkles and some thunder but not much of what was predicted. Finally got cell service about 0.5 miles from US 2 so I contacted the shuttler, Golden Waldo, to give him my location. Apparently, based on a call a couple of weeks ago, he waited there at US 2 and then left even though my schedule was a guess. Oh well, told him I¢d be out soon and so he did return to the trailhead. He was a shuttler I used once last year. He thruhiked the AT in 1986 and used the Golden Waldo trail name. He¢s 87 and still hauling hikers around, bless his heart! We were on our way to my Bethel, ME B&B by 4:15. Got dropped off and met by John the proprietor who gave an extensive briefing. I was exhausted but tried to listen. Cleaned up and walked a few blocks to Sud¢s Pub - a Cheers sorta place in the basement of an inn. Cold beer and some ribs and things were awwwright! Finally had cell service and some time so caught up on all the day¢s birthday greetings. A warm feeling having all the friends and family reach out. Thanks,   All ! Settled into a nice bed and called it a day. Nice end to my birthday.
Date: 2022-07-22
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Zero Day - 0.0 AT milesAfter a nice night¢s sleep in a real bed, for a change, awoke with a start to a text ping at 7. Just in time for my 7:30 scheduled B&B breakfast. Really lovingly prepared food by Jeanette, the wife of the B&B team. After breakfast moved to the sitting room, This place is a lovely heritage structure so a sitting/ living room is part of the deal. Had a long conversation with Bob and Dana Fox. He 93, she a bit younger. Both spry. They told stories of their Maine cottage for summer use - off the grid. She¢s a historian and birder lecturer so were in the Bethel area making the circuit. They listened and were interested in my story. Left me with their card and asked that I stay in touch. Heart warming . Headed to laundromat to clean up gear. While in wash cycle I headed up the street to the bank ATM for a withdrawal. Then back down for the laundry dry cycle and back to B&B to drop off clean clothes. It was then that I discovered my wallet was missing. OMG! Scoured room, retraced steps, revisited bank and let them know where I was staying in town. A moment of panic, no doubt. After revisiting the laundromat I received a call from the B&B proprietor that the bank called to say the wallet was turned in to the bank. Wow! Sigh of relief. Turns out it had fallen out of my shallow pocketed pants along the street. Someone found it. Saw my withdrawal slip and returned the wallet to the bank. Only interesting twist is that they removed all the cash in it first, Guess they took their finders fee right then. Oh well. Still better than trying to replace all my cards and ID out here. Bought lunch at the local grocery and celebrated the wallet return on the B&B porch with nice breezes. Yikes! Lesson learned!! Hook in your wallet more securely! Spent the afternoon recovering and journaling. Also set up shuttler for my last bit of gap hiking leftover from last year in Mahoosic Notch. Ziggy is going to shuttle me out to the trailhead on Sunday morning. Later in the evening I went out to a nice restaurant nearby, Brian¢s. Very popular so no walkins without a reservation. But they did fit me in as a single at the bar. Very fortuitous. A guy sat next to me who, at first, was a bit standoffish. I didn¢t push but eventually we struck up a conversation. He is the owner of an electrical services company and needed a break so his staff sent him off on a 3.5 week motorcycle trip through New England and perhaps out West. They told him not to call that they could handle it. It¢s the most time he¢s had off in ages. His separated wife still involved with business, strangely. His 19 year old son involved as well. The people you meet! A great conversation combined with a great blackened haddock dinner and nice wine as well. Nice evening. Body recovering. Food and wine therapy.
Date: 2022-07-23
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Zero Day - Bethel, NHSpotty sleep but woke rested at 6am and asked for coffee at kitchen door at 6:30. Fresh ground and brewed by John. Said it was San Francisco Fog Cutter. Good stuff! Shave and shower then breakfast at 7:30. Nice chat with a couple of nearby tables. One lady of Hungarian descent from NYC was a self proclaimed ¢Tiger Mom¢ . Here to hear 6th grade daughter¢s piano recital at the end of a 3 week music camp.Yikes!  Sounds like she rules heavy over her daughter¢s upbringing. Another couple struck up a conversation over common points of being scout leaders and a military (Marine Corps for him) background. Trip out later before the day turned too hot to the hardware store for more duct tape and to grocery for next couple of days hiking provisions. Caught up on blogs then out to nearby different, intriguing restaurant, Le Mu Eats, for lunch. Chef Owner grew up with Laotian heritage where ¢little pig¢ is a term of endearment. That translated into French is Le Mu. Chef Sayveppa ¢Sav¢ Sengsavang was hard at work at the grill. Notice, in the photo, the slips of paper orders above the grill - old style. Cook it and move the slips down the line. Later researched that he was a contestant on Food Network¢s Supermarket Stakeout in Feb 2021. Celebrity Sighting! Had a gourmet BLT and delish Thai Tea. Amazing fare for this little town.  Very busy, popular place. Spent afternoon prepping for tomorrow¢s hike. Stripping down weight. Downloading additional trail maps. Resting out of the day¢s heat. For dinner decided to try Cho Sun, an Asian restaurant.  Heard good things about food. Was directed, as a single without a reservation, to the bar. A rather dingy place. I was ignored for 15 minutes so I walked out and headed back to Brian¢s for the second night. Great decision! Allison, the friendly bar attendant,  took care of me again. Sat next to a young lady who had the body language of ¢don¢t bother me¢. I was wrong. After a couple of light conversation exchanges found out she was a SOBO (southbound) section hiker. Starting in Maine and working south. Has her car. Can work remotely a couple of days a week. Was a triathlete and is now challenging herself with this AT thing. From CT and has trail name, Stitches. Was hiking in Maine, slipped and impaled herself on a pointy pine tree and had to walk 4 miles with hand in air to stop bleeding on the way to a doc.Tough cookie. Two weeks ago and the wound appeared to be healing nicely. Very friendly and energetic. Another trail story. A pleasant surprise. Great dinner as well with a couple of beers. Now wrapping up day and looking forward to a good hike over the next couple of days. A revisit of the section that sent me home last year. Optimistic!
Date: 2022-07-24
From: Mahoosuc Notch 

To: Tent Site
Miles today: 2.3

Well today is all about conquering my demons! More about that later. Had my usual gourmet breakfast and perfectly brewed coffee at the B&B¢s 7:30am seating. Impeccable as always. Interesting breakfast crowd this time included a family from Madrid, Spain. The global map in the breakfast area has pins showing homes of guests from around the world. Was ready for pickup at 9am by the young man shuttling me, Ziggy. His trail name from a prior year AT thruhike. The goal was to get me back to the side trailhead from which I was extracted last year by the state rescuers. There appeared to be two ways to get there - one of which was shorter. Turns out this was one over back gravel roads which  had deep cross drainage cuts only passable with high wheel clearance. We were in a sedan - a no go, Had to turn around and go the long way around. Got a lot a conversation in with Ziggy by time he finally got me to the trailhead at 11:45. The demon here is the Mahoosic Notch. This is the place in which I got disoriented last year and which knocked me off the trail,  and where I was saved by the Maine Game Warden rescuers. Needless to say I had a high degree of angst going back in. I hiked the 2.5 mile side trail and entered the Notch at 1:20pm. The Notch is a mile long jumble of big boulders through with, over which snd under which you climb. Some spots are so tight you have to take off your pack and wiggle through. A surreal rock jungle gym. The surreal aura is compounded by the very cool air . The source is from snow below the boulder field which is still remaining  from the winter season. At one point I even saw my breath. Well this year I was rested, nourished, hydrated and so got through successfully in 4 hours. That¢s a lot slower than other usual hikers but I conquered it by 5:20, gathered water before I left the Notch and found the tentsite on the end of the Notch. I was the first in the site so tucked myself in a nice corner and decompressed from the day. What a feeling of relief. Set up my tent , exchanged my boots for crocs and dove into my dinner of meats. cheeses, fruit and crackers. All no -cook so I didn¢t have to lug a stove along, unnecessary weight. During that time a couple other hikers wandered in and set up. One of those was Sleepy from FL is a NOBO thruhiker. Not much conversation. We were both a bit tired from the day.  I decided to jump into the tent at 7. Way early but it allowed me to stretch out, relax and journal before dark. It felt great. I got through the Notch with minimal elbow and knee scrapes but it certainly is still a hard, dangerous section of the AT. Glad it is behind me. Proud of myself for going back and conquering it!
Date: 2022-07-26
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Although I had planned a few more AT miles this summer, I thought I¢d stop while I was ahead. After spending a 12 hour hiking day yesterday conquering the Mahoosuc stretch of the AT, I decided to call it quits for this section. Going home - tomorrow.. Started the day with coffee and a sumptuous B&B breakfast highlighted by a conversation with a visiting Israeli engineer. In town for some kind of bio conference. We talked a lot about the beauty and natural diversity of Israel. He encouraged a visit to his country.  I then set to work washing gear, blogging and packing up a box for postal shipment home. Post Office right across the street. Lunch on the porch with one of last night¢s leftover beers (see photo), a sandwich and warm gentle breezes was perfect. Later in day I found one of the few places open for dinner on a Tuesday. A hole in the wall place but they had beer, salads and buttered lobster rolls. One of the best things I¢ve ever eaten. Nice last supper in Maine. In bed early. Nice wrap up day for this section.
Date: 2022-07-27
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Go Home Day! Up early for shave, shower and coffee. Then the usual great lovingly-prepared B&B breakfast. The shuttler who had assisted me so well recently, Ziggy, was right on time for pickup at 9am and a 1.5 hour shuttle to the Portland, ME airport. Both legs of trip by air home went well and I was home in Michigan in time for dinner. As always, great to be back in my own bed. Section Five in the books!
Date: 2022-12-07
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Readers: Thank you, again, for your readership and encouragement. So glad you could be with me again this year. Again it took me 4 1/2 months to process this year¢s section experience. In this and the following epilogue I¢ll try to tie a bow on 2022¢s Section Five with segments on Stats, Gear, Strategies, Physical/ Mental, The Experience and a Summary.Stats: AT Section Five Complete.                    AT MP 1917.8 - 1927.1 plus hiking of  previously gapped sectionsAT Miles 52.9, Side Trail Miles 14.2 = Total 67.1 Miles hiked.States: NH, MEGear: Backpack - My new manufacturer- furnished pack was a replacement (no cost) for the irreparable previous one. The new Osprey Exos 58 was identical to the previous and worked (and looked :-) ) great! Trekking poles - As noted in my blog, one of my original poles was broken in a fall. I replaced with new set of Leki Makalu Lite poles, the only available at the AMC huts. These worked splendidly and were very reasonably priced. Strategies: Using the AMC huts was a good choice to cut down on pack weight (no tent, no food, no cook gear) - a great relief in this rugged section. The huts were a good alternative to tenting, the only other choice due to minimal trailheads and therefore no slackpacking here. With no more huts northbound I¢ll be looking into yet other new strategies to get this AT Hike completed - safely!
Date: 2022-12-08
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Physical / Mental: Had to start anew with regaining my trail legs / stamina, even with my training in flatland Michigan. Even with a lighter pack it was still tough with my advancing age. (Ugh! Tough admission!) . At times I dug deep for that hidden reserve. Luckily I always found it!Some falls with scraped and skinned elbows, shins and knees but less that previous years. I tried to maintain a slower, more cautious pace. The slow pace over tough terrain led to long exhausting days and low mileage. A real exercise in patience. Other hikers, I have heard, have had the same experience over this part of the trail. Mentally I tried to stay positive. not rush the experience and enjoy the moment. Had to balance this with a schedule at huts for a set dinner service time. I learned from a fellow hiker not to quit on a bad day. I didn¢t quit and pressed on. The Experience: It was another really challenging section but, most importantly, I was able to revisit the Mahoosuc section and conquer that part of the AT said to be the toughest. I didn¢t accomplish all of the mileage I had planned but I conquered a few demons and I finished safely. The weather was great, the vistas were breathtaking and the people I met on and off the trail were kind and memorable. It was a beautiful part of our country. Summary: I felt a renewed sense of confidence after conquering ¢ The Notch¢, Also, after dialing down the mileage and the pack weight, the White Mountains were a bit more enjoyable.With only 266 miles left I am confident I¢ll finish this epic AT quest. Maybe a couple more years,  a couple more sections. Stay tuned! Thanks for your readership! Onward!