morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2005-06-24
From: Eliza Brook Shelter

To: Mt. Lafayette, Greenleaf Hut
Miles today: 15.2

South/North Kinsmen Mountains teased me this morning with views of Franconia Ridge. At Lonesome Lake Hut the girls working there made me some potato soup. Though it was most likely watery mashed potatos, it tasted great. At Franconia Notch I was tempted to be lazy and stop at liberty spring campsite but once I made the climb to the Campsite it was only 0.3 mi to the ridgeline and another 4.5 mi to Greenleaf Hut. While approaching the summit of Mt. Lincoln and crossing up above the treeline, I could see forward to the Presidentals most notibly Mt. Washington. The 1.9 mi trek above treeline from Lincoln to Lafayette took much longer than anticipated; it's tough when you can actually see your destination instead of being trapped in the green tunnel (trees). Wind gusted form the west up the side of the Mountain nearly blowing my hat off into the unknown. The summit of MT. Lafayette was amazing thanks to the nearly perfect weather. 1.1mi down to the hut was a breeze though my work for stay was not. My chore in exchange for Dinner, Breakfast and a place to sleep was to screen the compost. The work itself didnt's bother me as much as the swarm of blackflies that decided my legs were fun to bite. I have three odd bite marks along the sock line fo my right leg ...ponders... time for some all-you-can-eat lasagne and hopefully some good sleep.
Date: 2005-06-25
From: Mt. Lafayette, Greenleaf Hut

To: Zealand Falls Hut
Miles today: 13.6

I woke up this morning at 5am with the sunrise just behind mt. Lafayette. Hikers doing work for stay eat with the crew, they spell it croo, after all of the guests had finished. It wasn't until 8am when I got to eat and the guests hadn't left much. The food that remained could be easily consumed on my own, yet there were 5 croo members to share with. By 9am I was on the trail after climbing Mt. Lafayette for the second time. I was tired from the day before and still hungry from breakfast. It wasn't untill noon-thirty when I summited Mt. Garfield; around the time I expected to reach Galehead Hut which was double the disnance I managed to cover. After a long break I found the motivation to hike on to galehead. I reached the hut at 3:30, conquered by the hike I intended to stay for the night. I ordered some soup (all you can eat for $2) sat and read somethign from the library. When I went back for my third bowl, a girl went around the corner to fill it when I heard the guy I initially talked to say "Give him *muffled...muffled*, he eats too much." Disgusted, I slurped down the soup (it was some corn floating in oily water and what seemed like cream of wheat on the bottom) grabbed my bag and half running up the mountain 0.8mi to the ridgeline. Fueled by rage and soup I hauled along the ridgeline over Mt. Guyot followed by the Zeacliff and down the steep climb (is there a word for going down? o_O?) to Zealand Falls Hut in less than three hours. Goes to show what a little cream of wheat soup and rage will do to speed up ones hiking pace. The croo gave me a huge turkey dinner with all the fixings; mashed potatos, green peas, cranberry sauce and of course my favorite,pumpkin pie. There was far too much food for me to eat on my own so hopefully I will sleep well tonite. On a different note, my farmers tan is on full force *looks forward to going to the beach* Sorry for randomness, it wont be the last so be prepared.
Date: 2005-06-26
From: Zealand Falls Hut

To: Crawford Notch Campground
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: haze

I woke up at 5am with a red squirrel running down the bench to my right (I was sleeping on the table because there was a full house) and off into the kitchen. After packing my bag and waiting for the guests to finish eating, Chris called me for left overs. There was a large bowl of oatmeal and a couple of eggs that the croo refused to eat so i went to work. The Hut Master intended to have me scrub silverwear but when the time came he only asked me to sweep the bunkrooms. The croo at Zealand Falls Hut were extreemly friendly/generous unlike the *ahem* at Galehead. With my work for stay completed i headed out on the trail just before 9am for crawford notch at US 302. The trail was absolutely perfect; I covered the 7.7mi to the road by 11 AM elapsed time of a little more than 2 hours (3.5 mile per hour in the Whites no less) My early arrival was eclipsed by the 1/2 hour wait to hitch the 3 miles to Crawford Notch General Store. (People in Lexus SUV's dont usually pick up hitch-hikers) I dido a little resupply action at the general stroe where Marvin, the owner, offered me a spot in the bunkroom. After a roast beef sandwich, pint of half&half and a pint of Ben & Jerry's Magic Brownie ice cream I decided that a break was necessary before the Presidentials. A lengthy dip in the swimming hole gave me a strong desire for a very large pizza. Back at the General Store I asked Marvin if anyone delivered to the campground. He tried his best to satisfy my desire but the only way to get a pizza would be to spend $35 on a taxi to deliver it. While walking back to the bunkroom, I noticed a woman with a fire going. I asked to use her fire to cook the hotdogs I settled on for dinner and she offered me to hang around for the party planned later. After the 4th Hotdog, people started arriving with instruments in one hand, offerings of food in the other. It was a long evening of jokes, music and food as the Powell family (correct me if i'm wrong *cough* ..guestbook.. *cough*) treated me as one of their own.
Date: 2005-06-27
From: Crawford Notch Campground

To: Lakes of the Clouds Hut
Miles today: 11.6
Weather: fog

Up bright an early, I got a ride back to the trail head to begin my ascent back into the mountains. The trail was steep and slow up to Mt. Webster, up Mt. Jackson followed by the hike to Mizpah Spring Hut. The $2 all you can eat baked goods (coffee cake and hardtack brownies) was enough to fuel the following run to Lakes of the Clouds Hut after hearing rolling thunder off in the distance. I passed eleven people in the four of so miles that I hauled up the ridgeline. One woman said, "you'd better at least pretend to breathe hard." "Huff and puff," as I ran up a steep slope. I got to the Hut just before the rain became more than a drizzle to find Chris the Hutmaster from Zealand Falls. There was some sort of Hutmaster convention so all the Huts donated one of their masters to attend. After a swim in the Lake (above 5000') I sat infront of the Hut when a gentelman asked, "are you from Maryland?" "Yeah." "I picked you up hitch hiking yesterday." Small world. Turns out that two members of his party didnt' make it so I would be able to eat dinner with the guests instead of getting leftovers later with the croo. I ended up eating leftovers as well.
Date: 2005-06-28
From: Lakes of the Clouds Hut

To: Gorham, NH
Miles today: 14.8
Weather: broken clouds

When I woke up this morning the sky was perfectly clear so it made good sense to go the 1/2 mile south to the peak of Mt. Franklin before breakfast. The valleys below were filled with morning fog with the smaller peaks floating in a sea of white. After a massive breakfast of oatmeal, pancakes and bacon, I climbed the mile or so up to the peak of Mt. Washington. At this point I devided to blue blaze the Presidentials. Instead of following the white trail I took all of the side trails over each of the peaks. The closer I got to Madison Hut, the more likely it seemed a thunderstorm was imminent. I ended up skipping Mt. Adams to beat the rain to Madison Springs Hut. The thunder subsided so I figured it would be safe to climb over the peak when I walked into the clouds and heavy wind. There was almost no visibility down the steep, rocky ridgeline back under the treeline. By then it had cleared up somewhat so I stopped to take a break. Upon taking off my jacket it became obvious the sunburn I got in the nine hours above treeline was much worse than I had originaly examined. I had hiked topless over the Presidential Range and now have a massive hiker's tan complete with shoulder strap, back square, waist belt and the strap going along my side. At Pinkam Notch the bunkroom there would have been $50 so I hitched into Gorham to spend the night at Hiker's Paradise, a $17 hostel. There's Easy, Robo Vince Canuck, Java Pete, Nemo and Spuds in for the night.
Date: 2005-06-30
From: Gorham, NH

To: Imp Campsite
Miles today: 8.0

The hotel we got was much better than "Hiker's Paradise". I almost took a zero but Nemo and Spuds convinced me to cover the 21 miles back to Pinkam Notch going sobo. It was mostly uphill to the campsite but much easier hiking than the past 5 or so days. Still weak for the zero day it still hurt but hopefully the miles tomorrow will be easier. On the way up I passed Jay, Scrubs and Pacer who will hopefully take a zero in Gorham so i'll be able to catch up to them for hiking Maine.Last night I fell asleep before the caretaker from the AMC "Appalachian Money Collecters" came around to do his dirty work. While still in a comatose state I overheard some of the "friendly" southbounders yell my name. They then suggest dragging me out into the woods; it would be easy since my arms were as thick as a broom stick. I will be happy to leave the AMC's territory in the next couple of days.
Date: 2005-07-01
From: Imp Campsite

To: Gentian Pond Campsite
Miles today: 19.8
Weather: clear sky

Got up this morning and hiked into Gorham, NH for the 2nd time. Some hikers I crossed yesterday passed me again in town and helped me find pacer who decided to take a zero for the day. He offered to share his room if I needed a place to stay. I've spent enough money in Gorham the past few days. It was time to get on the trail and get moving. While hitching back to the trail I noticed Scrubs and Jay walking to the trailhead. I joined them for the quater mile road walk to the trail and ~12 miles to the shelter. It has been a long time since i've hiked with anyone and a great morale boost to be with people I haven't seen in a long time. Tomorrow I'll cross the border into Maine and go through Mahoosuc Notch.286.1 miles to Katahidn879.6 miles since Harper's FerryWord of the Day: H-Yeah - short for Hell Yeah thanks to Bass Master
Date: 2005-07-02
From: Gentian Pond Campsite

To: Old Speck Mountain
Miles today: 15.8

It's becoming obvious that Jay and scrubs hike entirely too fast for me to keep up with them. There's no broblem with me doing 16 mile days but I can't follow their pace during the day. Today I hiked the longest mile on the Appalachian Trail, the Mahoosuc Notch. For 1 mile the trail snakes its way through a boulder field formed by the eroding cliffwalls on each side of the notch. It felt as though someone had turned up the A/C through the notch where ice remains hidden deep between boulders from the hot July sunlight. I only had to take off my pack for one of the squeezes where the trail went under a 20 foot high boulder for 8-10 feet. It took 1 hour for Jay, Scrubs and myself to complete the notch; much less than the 2-3.5 hours estimated by so many southbounders. After the Notch the trail climbed steeply up the Mahoosuc Arm to speck pond campsite. In order to avoid the $8 fee imposed by the AMC we left Vince Canuck, Java Pete and Robo for the night to camp ontop of Mt. Speck near the base of the firetower.Word of the Day: Stealth - a style of camping popular in AMC territory away from official campsites to avoid fees. There is a "Stealth Map" which details many Stealth sites at the Hiker's Welcome Hostel in Glencliff, NH (see Phat Chapp)
Date: 2005-07-03
To: Andover Guest House; Andover, Maine
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

I forgot to mention yesterday that I am no longer in New Hampshire, for it is now Maine that I call home. New news today is that I am now over 900 miles hiked since Harpers Ferry. Today was a good day. I woke up with the sun on my legs, the warmth was a far departure from the incredible chill last night. After leavign the shelter i could not warm up and stop shivering until I was at least a mile up the steep climb to the top of Spec Mtn. Halfway down the short decent to Grafton Notch I found Robo sitting on the side of the trail talking with two gentelmen. They introduced themselves as each of Jay's and Scrubs Father. At the bottom of the decent I foudn their Mother's, most notably Jay's mother who had brought out some trail magic. Rasberry Cheese danish, brownies, smoothie, grapefruit juice and cantelope were welcome gifts to myself, Java Pete and Fun Guy who arrived not much later. The view from Baldpate Mountain was excellent but not as great as the 16" pizza I got at the general store in Andover. All that matters is that i'm in Maine and have 256.5 miles to the top of Mt. Katahdin. No matter that I just have $4 in my pocket...I'll be in Rangely, ME on the 5th, Stratton, ME on the 7th, Monson, ME... Unknown, Katahdin... unknown.I say rawr to you
Date: 2005-07-04
From: Andover Guest House; Andover, Maine

To: Bemis Mtn. Lean-to
Miles today: 18.8
Weather: clear sky

Scrubs came to my rescue yesterday by giving me $15 cash in exchange for letting me pay for his food w/ my credit card. This morning Jay, Scrubs, Funguy, Java Pete, Vince Canuck and myself went for some late breakfast before packing up for the 8 mile ride back to the trail. It wasn't until 11AM when we finally got moving. 6 miles in we foudn Robo at the shelter shooting the breeze. The climb down to and up Moody Mountain was quite steep as well as the beginning of Old Blue Mountain. As the day progressede the trail became more rugged; rocks were laced together with a thick mat of tree roots. This shelter is reminiscent of Connecticut (CCC design, logs with porcupine barrier wall). Now dark i can hear fireworks off in the distance. Happy 4th of July.Word of the Day: Hooch - hiking uphillUsed in a sentience: That's a lot of hooch.
Date: 2005-07-05
From: Bemis Mtn. Lean-to

To: Hostel; Rangely, ME
Miles today: 17.7

Nice lazy day. Took a long break with Jay and scrubs on the sandy beach just south of Sabbath day pond. About an hour later thunder sounded off to the south before the sky opened above me. The last few hours of hiking were in light to heavy rain. It took me 10 minutes to hitch a ride into Rangely but at least the 2nd car to pass by picked me up. The restraunt we ate at "the red onion" was overpriced w/ small portions and slow service. We also didn't get the "pretty" waitress. P.S. Jay was disapointed by his Fish & Chips.Word of the Day: F-That - another inspiration Bass Master styleUsed in a sentience: *looking at topo map* Wow that's a lot of Hooch... F-That.
Date: 2005-07-06
From: Hostel; Rangely, ME

To: Spaulding Mountain Lean-to
Miles today: 18.7

Hungry after last night's dinner I bought far too much food for 2 days of hiking before I resupply in Stratton. Saddleback Mtn. was sweet but not as good as the blueberry bagel smothered in Nutella. At Poplar Ridge lean-to the sobos reminded me of the Sugar Shack ontop of Sugarloaf Mtn. It was either 8 miles to the next shelter or 11 to the top of sugarloaf. When I reached the shelter it was too late for me to make the Sugar Shack before dark. I had some hotdogs for dinner that I had to boil because the groudn was too wet and I forgot to get some baked beans. Scrubs ate his Franks & Beans.Word of the Day: Freedom Step - Stepping in a puddle will set you free from the burdon of jumping from rocks and roots.
Date: 2005-07-07
From: Spaulding Mountain Lean-to

To: Stratton Motel; Stratton, ME
Miles today: 13.5
Weather: broken clouds

Two day resupplys mean that I only had to carry out one breakfast so to make the most of it I packed out an Entenmann's rasberry/cheese strip danish. Five-sixths of the way thruogh 2080 calorie breakfast bliss I fell back into my sleeping bag to watch Jay and Scrubs pack their bags before hiking away. I woke not much later to find one-sixth of uneaten danish before packing my bag and finding Scrubs/Jay gazing into the distance from atop Sugarloaf Mountain muttering the words "Big Kay" unintelligibly. What they saw could be none other than Mount Katahdin. "To be able to see something so far away... must be really big," in a tone only Scrubs could say it.I find myself now alone in the common area of the Stratton Motel at 12:30AM. The buzz of mosquitos and visions of standing atop Mt. Katahdin have kept me up well past my bedtime. After close eximaniation of my Data Book, it seems as though I will pass through Caratunk on the moprning of July 10th, stay at Shaw's Place in Monson, ME on the 12th, arrive at Katahdin Stream Campground on the 16th an dclimb Mount Katahdin the morning of July 17th. This will most likely be my last entry before I step off the train in Union Station, D.C. and return to my home in Maryland. Wish me luck in the next 10 days.Word of the Day: Katahdin - Greatest Mountain.
Date: 2005-07-08
From: Stratton Motel; Stratton, ME

To: Little Bigelo Lean to
Miles today: 15.3

Got to a late start since I missed the post office yesterday and it didn't open until 9:30. I received a letter from my sister Heather but there was no mail drop. For some reason I thought the package I mailed from Glencliff, NH to Rangely, ME would be in Stratton, ME. No matter, I resupplied at the general store. I took my time before leaving town watching the Daily Show on Comedy Central and having a second breakfast (lunch) before hitting the trail just after 11AM. At the Horns Lean to I stopped for lunch just before Scrubs arrived. He cant get to Katahdin Stream Campground until the 18th so will stop here for the day. Before saying our goodbyes he hiked the half mile up to South Horn. Bigelo Mountain was pretty sweet; the last real mountain I will be on top of until the ascent up Katahdin. Clouds were moving in all day as the remaints of a Hurricane was rolling in.. Hopefully the rain will end by morning. 9 days to Katahdin...
Date: 2005-07-09
From: Little Bigelo Lean to

To: Pierce Pond Lean-to
Miles today: 17.3
Weather: moderate rain

Woke up to rain, ate and fell back to sleep. When I got back up I had some more pop-tarts and reluctantly packed my bag. It wasn't long before I took my freedom steps, ankle deep in water. There was only one stream crossing toward the end of the day but that didn't matter since most of the trail was itself a stream. The rain got real heavy just before I arrived at the shelter with lighting sounding off within 2 to 3 miles. I arrived to find Jay and an otherwise full shelter of 6 south bounders. They are all laying long ways, three people feet to feet and Jay laying in the middle. If they moved so they were all facing the same direction I¢m sure I wouldn¢t' have to sleep on the ground at the foot of the shelter in a puddle. Good news: the shelter is leaking and it's not on me. Karma?Word of the Day: Freedom Log - bog logs that are merely floating in water only to sink underneath when subjected to the weight of a hiker.
Date: 2005-07-10
From: Pierce Pond Lean-to

To: Bald Mountain Brook Lean-to
Miles today: 18.7

I woke up in my wet sleeping bag at 6AM after a long night of tossing and turning. It was tough packing my bag as I was reluctant to put my wet clothes back on. The worst is putting on wet socks because even if I put dry socks on, the first steps on the trail would render them saturated. No more than a 1/4 mile north on the trail I was forced to walk along the stone dam of Pierce Pond that was overflowing after the rainfall from yesterday. Thankfully Harrison's Camp was only another 0.2 down the trail. Though I was supposed to make reservations the night before, Mr. Harrison fixed me a dozen of his finest pancakes without notice. Back at the trail Jay had caught up and we walked together to the Kennebec River. The 70 yard wide river has been tamed by Steve Longely, ferryman of the Appalachian Trail since 1987. The canoe had a white blaze on the floor for the sake of purists who might try to ford, swim, across. In Caratunk I hitched a ride to Northern Outdoors where I would wait for Steve to finish his ferry shift and open the general store. Avery large hamburger and couple of drinks later it was well after 11AM, when the general store opened. Ben and Jerry's Cherry Garcia, some snickers Velveeta shells and cheese and alcohol resupply should be enough to get me two days north to Monson. the trail north of Caratunk was flat but wet. Most of the way I walked through "The Appalachian River" as the trail was still flooded from the day before. My first ford was a short creek but there was a swift, deep current that rose just below my waist. It's past 8PM at the shelter, Jay probably headed on but no worries. I won¢t complain about spending the shelter alone with one sobo hiker. Sleeping bag's still wet; mosquitoes and moths are out/about. My light attracts the moths so it's time to cease their fluttering.
Date: 2005-07-11
From: Bald Mountain Brook Lean-to

To: Shaws; Monson, ME
Miles today: 18.7
Weather: broken clouds

It¢s good to have people that wake up early around. Otherwise I sleep until 11AM instead of 5:30.   I had to get an early start so I could make the P.O. by 5PM. Just after Bald Mtn. I passed a large group of Sobos that stayed in the next shelter. Good thing I took my time in Caratunk as it rained late last night. There were two major fords today, the west and East Branches of Piscataquis River. Neither were too challenging but instead a relief from the 90 degree July heat. I made great time arriving at Monson well before 4PM to find Jay at Shaws Place and my massive 100 mile food box at the P.O. B.L.T pizza from the Mobil mini-mart... bad idea. 5 slices down, another would mean 6 less so I called it quits. The Ben and Jerry's 1080 calorie pint just before didn¢t' help. Thinking of doing some jumping @ the quarry I passed on the way here or passing out on my bed... decisions...
Date: 2005-07-12
From: Shaws; Monson, ME

To: Cloud Pond Lean - to
Miles today: 22.4
Weather: light rain

Woke up to the smell of food this morning. I opted for the 3-by (three each of eggs, pancakes, bacon, sausage and hash browns). Walking back to the trail I realized that I had forgotten my boot gaiters so I tried to hitch back but ended up walking the whole way. The gaiters were right where I left them and this time I took Shaw's offer of a ride to the trail. The 100 mikle wilderness is not what I expected. There are many logging roads and even a railroad corssing. I arrived at Cloud Pond to find some southbounders, one of which an older man in nothing butr underwear near the pond. I asked him if the pond was the water source or if there was a spring. He was confused so I asked again. "there's a spring" so i walked up to the shelter got my water bottle and pot where I noticed a "water" sign pointing back to the pond. I followed the trail off into nothingness only to find a bush so I doubled back. He was now at the shelter so i asked where the spring was. "Spring? just get water out of the pond." "thanks"
Date: 2005-07-13
From: Cloud Pond Lean - to

To: Carl A. Newhall Lean-to
Miles today: 16.8
Weather: light rain

I got up to an early start but moved slowly. After a number of folling hills I foudn Jay jsut before the ford through Pleasent River. We walked together to the Gulf Hagas trail in our crocs, passing a couple weekenders in the process. We ate lunch over Screw auger falls, a large waterfall flowing into a cube of rock (two open sides, top and front). Following the side trail further we foudn less impressive waterfalls. I stopped early at the 1st shelter north of the Gulf Hagas trail but it seems as though Jay pushed on. There's another Thru-hiker here, Green Tea, who skipped a section (WV->NH) but will go sobo after Katahdin through the whites.