morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2004-06-06
From: Bearwallow Gap

To: Parkers Gap
Miles today: 17.8

Another slack day for us today. My plan for the day was to use the day to evaluate how my toe will handle continuing on to Waynesboro. Bruce dropped us off at the USFS road and off we went into the fog/clouds.Soon I found myself at the blue blaze to Cornelius Creek Shelter and I discovered that the privy was pretty nice. Concrete floor and plexiglass roof acting as a skylight.The next shelter for me was Bryant Ridge Shelter. What a great shelter!! It is a pretty big timber frame design. It has a covered deck and picnic table. There is also a second floor or loft. It was an impressive shelter. I wish that I was staying there for the night instead of just passing through.After leaving the shelter, Ladybug, Bear and I ran into Don't Mind and Don't Matter. I haven't seen them in ages. It was nice to catch up, even if it was just for a few minutes.Cove Mountain Shelter was the lunch destination for the day. An old shelter with no water, but a fine stop for 30 minutes for lunch. One nice thing about slacking is that you can have non-trail lunches. My lunch for the day was, a bag of potato chips, an apple, some beef jerky and a beer. And I'll end up still losing weight.Not long after leaving Cove Mtn we were back at Bearwallow Gap to meet Bruce. The trail had a small climb but was easy and I had it completed in about an hour.The toe today was hurting pretty good. Since I was so aware that it hurt I had plenty of time to work out my decision process on ewhat to do. I fought long and hard about what to do and went back and forth a number of times. I kept coming back to the fact that I haven't enjoyed the hike being in pain. That just makes the hike a quest for miles instead of enjoying the hike. With the rain we've been getting (and it's suppose to rain until Sat) I haven't had great views either. So my decision is to not continue on for the next five days to Waynesboro with Ladybug and Bear.What a hard decision to make. First to leave the trail, but that would have to happen regardless, since I have to return to work. Second, to leave my trail buddies and family. I know I'll miss everyone.I can't say enough good things about my two month adventure. I wouldn't trade the experience for anything!I guess there is always the chance I could get laid off later and I could come back out to the trail...
Date: 2004-08-20
From: Home

To: White Mtns
Miles today: 0.0

My vacation request for an additional 4+ weeks was amazingly approved. So now I am spending my time packing my pack, getting together food, building maildrops and cleaning up around the house. Yahoo, I get to put in some more trail miles, see my buddies and finish with them.The current plan is to meet Ladybug and Bear on Sunday morning or afternoon somewhere around or in Franconia Notch, NH. In an effort to do that, I'll drive up to NH and catch a shuttle to Crawford Notch. There I'll spend the night and catch the morning shuttle to Franconia Notch. I'll then head southbound until meeting up with them.The strange thing is that I'm nervous about going back out. Kinda that same feeling I had back in April. Why? I have no idea. I've hiked the Whites before. I've hiked the 100 mile wilderness in ME as well. I know what trail life is all about and what to expect.Oh well, time to finish up packing and head north in my car.
Date: 2004-08-21
From: White Mtns

To: Crawford Notch
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: fog

I managed to get on he road last night with the intention of making it to Pinkham Notch to catch the 1:40PM shuttle. It's been over a year since I last made that trip and I've never done it alone. Wow, what a long drive (12 hours).By the time I rolled into VT I was completely beat and the rain started to come down in buckets. So I pulled over for a power nap. All said and done I pulled into North Conway around 9:30AM. Plenty of time.So I spent the morning milling around North Conway engaged in the non-hiker life. After lunch, it was time to head to Pinkham Notch and get things ready to migrate back to hiker life.As I waited for my shuttle at Pinkham the rain was really coming down. I thought to myself, hey this is just when I left the trail, rain. I also wondered how Ladybug and Bear were handling the rain.After checking my pocketmail I found out how they were doing. They took a zero day so they'd have nice weather going over Moosilauke. That in turn put them a day behind.So my plans have changed. I'll be hitching into North Woodstock tomorrow and staying two nights. Ladybug is slacking into town, so I might join her on a leg.I'd love to hike over Moosilauke, as I've heard so many great things about it. The weather tomorrow is suppose to be awesome too. Unfortunately I don't have enough time to make it into town and catch her prior to her leaving.Tonight I'm staying at the new Shapleigh Bunk House. It is the old Crawford Notch Hostel. I also had dinner at the new Highland House. A really nice facility, but a bit pricey.After dinner, I caught a presentation on zonation of plants in the Whites. I thought it'd be neat to understand and recognize some of the stuff I'm hiking through. It was actually pretty informative. More so than just about plants, but mountain climates as a whole.As I sat, listened and watched, I thought back to my awesome experience in the Spring. Getting to see the forest come to life. I also realized that my journal went from a description of what I saw, smelled and felt to more of a status report and bitch session. I can't remember the last time I wrote about what the air smelled like or a flower I saw.It's been a while since I've written anything for my journal let alone read anything I wrote. So perhaps I'm off base. But given the awesome beauty of the Whites and Maine, I hope to do a good job of capturing the moment.Time for bed...zzzzz...
Date: 2004-08-22
From: Crawford Notch

To: North Woodstock, NH
Miles today: 0.0

Today started with breakfast, then a shuttle ride. I got dropped at Lafayette Place Trailhead. That was around 9AM.I knew I couldn't make it into town to meet Ladybug before she left for her slack. So I decided to do some day hiking in the area, albeit with a full pack. So I hit the trail for Lonesome Lake hut. A steep ascent up 1500' over a mile and a half. Around 9:40AM I found myself at the hut. One major thing to note is that I'm not in the same shape as I was when I left the trail back in June. I sucked a lot of wind and was sweating buckets!Anyway, another nice hut in a fantastic location. It would be a nice place to stay. The downfall is that it's VERY accessible by the public. That means crowds. During the time frame I arrived, the hikers from the previous night had already left and the day hikers hadn't made it up yet. So it was quite nice.10AM was too early to head back down the trail. So I opted to keep going up.I arrived at Kinsman Pond shelter around 11:30. A typical AMC White Mtn shelter. After a quick bite to eat it was time to head back down. I wanted to make the 1:30 shuttle to Liberty Spring trailhead.On the way down the trail I got some strange looks and comments. You see, most day hikers carry a small pack, or none at all. Here's me, passing people (Remember, I'm known as Radio FLYER) going up hill with a full pack, then I pass them again going downhill as they were still climbing up.Once back at the Lafayette Trailhead, I caught the shuttle down I-93. From there I lucked out and got a ride into town. Soon I found myself at the Carriage Motel.Bear decided against slacking, which puts him at Eliza Brook Shelter tonight. I won't see him until tomorrow. Ladybug roled in around 5:30PM.It's great to be back!!While taking care of laundry for us, I stolled in to hear someone saying, "Hey, don't you have a job?" I didn't think much about it until I heard it again. It was Don't Mind and Don't Matter. I haven't seen them since my last day of hiking in VA. GREAT to se them too!!Ladybug is heading out at 5:30AM for her slack. That's way too early for me.So I won't be joining the slack. Instead I plan to hike south on the AT to meet Bear as was the original plan (just a day later).Now it's time for bed.
Date: 2004-08-23
From: North Woodstock, NH

To: I-93, Franconia Notch
Miles today: 4.8
Weather: few clouds

Today I got up around 7 and ran across the street to get something to eat for breakfast. I also grabbed a few things for lunch since I wanted to hike south to meet Bear.After eating, I opted to head out to the street to see about getting a hitch to the trailhead. Fortunately I got a ride relatively quickly. Soon I was heading south on the AT. Again I noticed that I'm defintely not in the same shape as I was when I left the shape. The good news is that I was still able to maintain a rate just a hair under 3mph. Not bad for being out of shape and going uphill, albeit with no pack.I rolled into Lonesome Lake hut around 11:30AM. Since I hiked the AT from the hut up to Kinsman Pond yesterday, I decided to wait at the hut for Bear.I passed the time reading bits of "Without Peril", by Nicholus Howel. I felt it appropriate to read this book since 1st, it's about the White Mountains and 2nd, I met Nicholus at Lakes of the Clouds Hut on one of my Presi trips.He was up there doing research for the book. More precisely, he was looking for survey markers put in place for a electric trolly to the summit. Oddly enough, I openned the book randomly without looking and the chapter that was before me was the trolly chapter.Bear finally rolled in around 1:45PM. It was so nice to be reunited. Bear needed to hit the Post Office, so we immediately left the hut for town. As we hiked down, we caught up on trail drama.After arriving at I-93 we quickly got a hitch from a nice lady who just dropped off her husband who is also thru-hiking. His name is Turtle Don.So between yesterday and today, I've done 4.8 miles of northbound AT hiking.It feels good to be hiking again. The weather is suppose to be nice the next few days, so my return to the trail should start out fantastic.After doing some laundry, we headed to the local BBQ place for dinner. Good hiking, good friends, good food. Ah, life is good...
Date: 2004-08-24
From: I-93, Franconia Notch

To: Garfield Ridge
Miles today: 10.3
Weather: clear sky

Bear and I wanted to get an early start this morning. Alarm set for 7, up by8 and gone by 8:30. Unfortunately, that didn't happen. Ladybug stopped in about 8 to say that she was leaving, as she needed a head start due to the terrain. After grabbing breakfast at Wayne's Market, we managed to get a hitch and on the trail by 9:30AM.Things started out pretty good, but the climb up Liberty Springs Trail put it's toll on me. It was very apparent that I'm not in the same shape as I was. I kept up with Bear for about an hour, then he pulled away slowly.Sounds like a reversal from the days in the South.We finally made it to Liberty Springs Tentsite around 11:45. Since there was water there, Bear and I opted to have lunch there before pushing up onto Franconia Ridge.After a lunch of Ramen, we hiked up onto the ridge. The weather was incredible and you could see for what seemed like forever. The views were just awesome. I hiked that same ridge last year, but couldn't see anything since it was raining. This year is such a change and I'm so thankful that I got to see all I mised last year.Our route took us up and over, Haystack, Lincoln, Lafayette and Garfield. On top of Garfield we noticed that sunset was going to be a good one.Unfortunately, there was still around a half mile to the campsite. That hike could prove deadly in the dark. On top we also found several people who came up thee mountain passing the campsite. They informed Bear and I that the site was realy full. So off we went with hopes to grab us three spots. Upon arrival, we were only able to score enough space for two tents. Not nearly enough for the three of us. The weather is suppose to be great for the next few days and there is no rain in the forecast. So Bear and I decied to let Ladybug have one space, we are cowboy camping in the other. Cowboy Camping is simply sleeping under the stars.Man, this campsite is packed. The caretaker said the count is 52 people.Good thing I'm not out here for solitude away from people. Anyway, I hope all holds out for a good night. Might get a bit cold.
Date: 2004-08-25
From: Garfield Ridge

To: Ethan Pond Campsite
Miles today: 14.5
Weather: scattered clouds

It did end up getting pretty cold out last night. I did not want to get out of my sleeping bag this morning. I did end up getting a bit damp from the dew, but at least it didn't rain.We got to Galehead hut, where I hoped to get some food. Turns out there were no morning left overs, and they had no baked goods or soup. That meant digging into my food bag for calories. While taking a break at the hut, I pulled out my therm-a-rest and sleeping bag to ry in the mid morning sun.Ah, another amazing day in the Whites.After a good hour break, it was time to push up South Twin Mountain. Another rough climb, which had me panting a lot. I sure hope I get back into thru-hikr shape soon. If not, I'm going to be in big trouble.On top, Bear and I cooked up a nice lunch and caught some sun. It is so awesome tht we are having great weather for the White Mountains!! So we are trying to put in some decent miles, hoping to get over Mt. Washington while the weather holds out.The next break was on top of Zeacliff for a fantastic view of Zealand Notch.Then we descended the steep trail to Zealand Falls hut. The stop here was short. Just enough time to drink a quart of water and grab some for the remaining 4.8 miles to Ethan Pond.The trail from Zealand to the campsite is an easy one, which follows a railroad bed for a good portion. While the 4.8 seemed like a short distance when we were leaving the hut, it just seemed to drag on and on and on.Eventually I arrived at the day's destination, Ethan Pond Campsite. Upon entering the area, I was greeted by the caretaker. Oddly enough I know the caretaker. He is BallPahk, who thru-hiked in 2002. We met while I was section hiking in VA. Small world I guess.The day was pretty rough. So in an effort to save a few chores, I'm staying in he shelter.The weather is still caling for a great few days. I sure hope it holds out until we get through the Whites.Now it's bed time. Hope to push to Lakes of the Clouds Hut tomorrow with a big climb. So I need the rest.
Date: 2004-08-26
From: Ethan Pond Campsite

To: Nauman Tentsite
Miles today: 9.3
Weather: clear sky

I had hoped for an early start today, but the cooler weather saw to it that didn't happen. I couldn't pull myself out of the bag again. Is this a recurring theme?We did manage to get rolling at 8:45AM. A later start than hoped for, but the flat terrain made for a quick trip to route 302. With just under 6 miles to go until Mizpah Hut, I had hoped for lunch there, then pushing on to Lakes.The climb up and over Mt. Webster was an absolute killer. Even Bear was having issues hiking today. Webster cliffs rewarded the climb with some great views, but we paid for it. It was close to 1:30PM by the time made it to the top. With a hiking speed like that it would be close 3 or 4 by the time we'd get to Mizpah.For some reason both Bear and I had a really tough day hiking. In fact, it's probably the most physically demanding I've encountered. The watch read 3:45PM when I got to Mizpah. The plan was to originally head on to Lakes of the Clouds hut. So we were a bit behind schedule.So the plans for the day changed. Stay at Nauman Tentsites, which is adjacent to Mizpah Hut. We hope to get an early start tomorrow, then head up over the Presidential Range. The intent is to reach Osgood Tentsite.The weather is suppose to be cloudy tomorrow, so I hope things work out for out summit of Mount Washington.Early to bed, early to rise (we hope). Amazing how bedtime is so different on he trail. It's now 8:09PM, I' beat and heading to bed.
Date: 2004-08-28
From: Osgood Tentsite

To: Pinkham Notch
Miles today: 4.8
Weather: fog

This morning brought loads of clouds along with the humidity. The forecast was for rain last night, but that held off. So Bear and I packed up and made for Pinkham Notch as we needed to hit the Post Office before it closed.Before long we had reached the crossing of the Mt. Washington Auto Road, leaving us 1.9 miles. It seemed to take forever to get to Pinkham. Once there we met up with Shagbark, who Bear was hiking with for a bit. It's nice to be meeting other thru-hikers, but also nice that there are a bunch of hikers I knew from my first leg of this hike.With my car at Pinkham, we loaded it up with our gear and off for Gorham and the normal town chores. Once in town we stopped to pick up Bear's food drop at the PO. Then off to find Bucket, who had Bear's other stuff which Ladybug had supposedly dropped off.As we were talking with Bucket and his parents at their motel, Ladybug walked through the parking lot. That was strange since she told us she was going back to Galehead, where she got off the trail. After piecing things together, she was leaving from Gorham and headng north, skipping the Whites.So it appears that Ladybug is going to be hiking her own hike going forward.Bear has a scheduled rondezvous with his parents, so we will be hiking on doing what ever is necessary to meet that date.After the drama session with Ladybug, Bear and I got checked into the Hiker's Paradise hostel. A nice place run by some great people. Of course first on the agenda was lunch, a Bacon Cheeseburger at Mr. Pizza. It's nice to have a car in town to get things done more quickly. My shoes have started to have some stitching come loose. There is a shoe repair store in the next town, so I ran there in hopes of getting my shoes fixed. The guy there said they could be repaired, but he was so far behind he couldn't get to them for a few days. Well, since I need them to hike in, that wasn't an option. So I'm trying Shoe Goo to hold them together for another 350 or so miles.Now it's off to dinner, then decide on what to do about tomorrow's hike.
Date: 2004-08-29
From: Pinkham Notch

To: Pinkham Notch
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: fog

The weather was forecasted for 80% chance of thundershowers. Neither of us like to hike in the rain especially leaving a dry location to do it. The next section leading into Gorham is suppose to be pretty rough. With bad weather on the way we opted for a zero day. We hope to pull off a 21 mile slack tomorrow to keep us on schedule.So today was spent getting our food in order for the next section into Andover, ME. Oh, and of course eatting. It's nice to be able to anything and as much as I want again.Thus far I'm enjoying the trip and feel so blessed to be out hiking in this wonderful country.
Date: 2004-08-31
From: US 2 / Gorham 

To: Trident Col Campsite
Miles today: 6.9
Weather: overcast clouds

He day started with rain. That's a recipe for another zero day. It was learned early on, it's very hard to leave a dry and warm room and head out into the rain.As we had breakfast the rain stopped and sun started to pop out. Unfortunately, there were still some serious black clouds hanging around. To complacte things, the motel was unable to offer us a ride back to the Trail. So it was around 11:30 and we stil had no idea what we would do, stay another night or hike out.Just then Buckeye offered us a ride back to the Trail, so the decision was made. Soon we were hiking north again. Still, it was rough going on the uphills.The day actually turned out to be pretty nice and a great hike to the campsite. Given our late start the day turned out to be a short hike, leaving us around 14 miles for tomorrow. That will set us up nicely for our trip through the Mahoosuc Notch. Another nice thing about today was I could actually relax a bit here at the campsite before crawling into the sleeping bag.Now it's dinner time. Yum!
Date: 2004-09-01
From: Pinkham Notch

To: Full Goose Shelter
Miles today: 14.5
Weather: broken clouds

Today started out pretty easy with a decently flat walk for a mile or so. That was nice sine it's always tough to start with a steep up or steep down first thing in the morning. Since we weren't in the high elevations the morning was a walk through hard wood forests versus the pines that we see in the alpine areas.The trail was, however, a bit muddy due to the recent rain. Since I'm still not up to thru-hiker speed, I normally bring up the tail. Today that was good for me as Bear found a bog bridge that sinks when you step on it. Before he knew it, he was ankle deep in water. That could have been ugly for me since I'm wearing low cut shoes, not boots.Soon we found ourselves at Gentian Pond and Campsite. The view from the shelter was excellent and provided a great place to have a break. The pond was also a surreal spot. I wish we could have stayed longer, but with 14+ miles to do we had to push on.Bear and I made the long climb up to Mt. Success. There we found a spot out of the wind which was blowing a steady pace. Lunch was pretty good for trail food and a much needed boost.Soon we were accompanied by a few other hikers. Unfortunately the mileage made us press on, instead of absorbing the pleasant views from the summit.Sometime around 3PM Bear and I entered Maine. It felt good for me to see that sign. I can only imagine the feeling for Bear who has walked almost 5 months and 1900 miles. Of course we snapped a few pictures and moved on.Moving a bit more quickly as the sun approached the horizon, we made tracks up and over the peaks of Goose Eye Mountain. With me being out of shape, the miles seemed as if they would not end.Finally reaching the shelter, there were people everywhere. A large number of thru-hikers, and a couple large college groups. Fortunately, Bear and I both got space in the shelter. Not my favorite place to stay, but it'll do for the night.
Date: 2004-09-03
From: Grafton Notch

To: Grafton Notch
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

I knew it would be hard to leave The Cabin. Bear and I decided to stick it out here for a day or so. Our hosts Bear and Honey, are fantastic and made it rough to say no to staying.So the day consisted of going grocery shopping with our host, Bear. After coming back to the hostel I caught up on my bills via the Internet, and a few emails as well. A nice relaxing day.Tonight this place packed. I think there normal room for about 10 hikers.Last count was about 25 or so. Dinner was a mad house but quite fun and amuzing.Now it's time to relax some more. Will I ever get out of here?
Date: 2004-09-04
From: Monson

To: Grafton Notch
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

The question from yesterday was, will I ever leave "The Cabin"? The answer to that question today is, "Not today"!We were both still pretty sore from the Whites adventure. And Bear offered to cook up some chili for dinner. So we opted to take another zero day. The rumor is that our friend, Loon is due in any day now. I met Loon way back in GA, the day before Easter. Bear met him soon after and hiked a bit with him.So it'll be nice to spend some time with him before we head out to finish up this hike. Loon is really good friends with Bear and Honey from "The Cabin"so with Loon here, things could get interesting!I took care of some bills online during the afternoon. Then I caught up on emails and my journal. Lastly the day was spent shooting the breeze with other hikers and soaking up some sun.So the question still stands, will I leave?