morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2007-08-01
From: Eliza Brook Shelter

To: Mt. Lafayette
Miles today: 15.2

Skiman woke me up at 5:30 am. We had slept about 10 hours, so we were ready to hike at 6 am. The 6 mile hike to the Lonesome Lake Hut took us 4.5 hours. Between our shelter the the hut, we summited two 4000' peaks, South Kinsman, 4358 and North Kinsman,4293. My first surprise during that part of the hike was the pond at such a high elevation. The climb was very difficult. Skiman rated it a 10 out of 10, with 1 being easy. It was alot of boulder scrambling, of which most steps were too high or low for my comfort zone, so I sat and scooched, hoping my only pair of shorts would not rip. The views were spectacular on the summit. We called my son, Brian, at Fort Polk, Louisiana to congratulate him for being promoted to Captain, US Army. Skiman and I arrived at the Lonesome Lake Hut at 10:30, where Richard was waiting for us. Skiman bought a bottomless bowl of soup, bread, pumpkin pie and lemonade. I went for the pumpkin pie! The hut has had an addition since I was here many years ago with the boys. It now has several bunkrooms and a spacious dining/kitchen area. The three of us hiked north on the AT towards Rt 93 to the car. Richard brought us to the Flume snackbar where I sent my Pocketmail trailjournals and e-mails. We filled our water bottles and platypus in the bathroom. I got a few strange looks from women in the restroom when I was brushing my teeth! We had hamburgers and then spent time at Cargo Masters car, going through boxes taking this and putting back that. For example, I gave him my tent and bug repellent. I exchanged my fuel cannister for another partially used one that was fuller. Skiman dropped off the second pair of shoes he was carrying "just in case" and got his Crocks back. He also left the inner mosquito liner of his tent behind. We have less food than usual because we hope to eat and stay some at the AMC huts. We said good by and thanks to Cargo Master until we see him next at Crawford Notch. We continued hiking on the opposite side of Rt 93 to ascend three more 4000 footers. First came Little Haystack, next Lincoln and the third was Lafayette. Our original plan today was to stay at the Liberty Springs Campsite before these three peaks, but we were early and felt strong. We agreed that if we could get to Mt Lafayette, elevation 5249' by 7 pm, we could descend to the Greenleaf Hut to spend the night and have their leftovers for a late supper. However, we were about a half hour short on time and did not want to rush and take a chance of injury with daylight waning. Instead, we are camping right on the Franconia Ridge Trail. We are not impacting the alpine zone, as we are right on the dirt. We discussed packing out our used toilet paper and abiding by Leave No Trace ethics. It is fun watching the sunset, the lights going on in the hut, and the peaks of the mountains we climbed today. We can even see the Lonesome Lake Hut. The weather is beautiful. Skiman saw a little mouse run by! We are cowboy camping under the stars so this little mouse and his friends better not visit us tonight. Hmmm... No trees to hang our bear bag of food!
Date: 2007-08-02
From: Mt. Lafayette

To: Zealand Falls Hut
Miles today: 13.6

We slept great last night under the stars with the temp around 65'and a cool breeze. I wore my hat, gloves and rainjacket to bed. When we woke up, on the rock beside me was an owl pellett. I wondered if we had a visitor last night that we did not hear? Perhaps he found the mouse that Skiman saw! We were hiking at 6 am and soon summited Mt Lafayette where there was a beautiful panoramic view of the Whites. We left the Franconia Ridge Trail and hiked on the Garfield Ridge Trail, where we summited Mt Garfield, 4150'. There were lots of up and downs and both of us took Ibeuprophen for our aching knees. We arrived at the Galehead Hut at noon where Skiman enjoyed potato soup, cornbread and lemonade. Raincheck and his son, Darren, who is visiting from the UK arrived! We were offered "work for stay" as Thru Hikers at Galehead, but decided to try to make it to Zealand Falls Hut. We had a steep ascent up South Twin Mt,4902', which took 45 min. Then, we took the side trail to Zealand Mt, 4000', where there was no view. When we were about 1 1/2 hrs from the Zealand Falls Hut, there was a family with adult children sitting next to the trail. We asked if they needed help. The man pointed to his wife who was lying in the woods. He said she was having difficulty breathing. The end result of this situation was that she was air lifted by the National Guard helicopter. We arrived at the Zealand Falls Hut at 5:30 pm. We took a quick swim and secured work to stay. Our "work" assignment is to give a presentation about Thru Hiking the AT to guests at 8:30 pm. Other Thru Hikers are washing dishes, sweeping the floor and washing tables. The best part about our job is we can leave before or after breakfast, without a morning chore. (Skiman and I prefer to start hiking by 6 am) After the 36 guests had dinner, those of us who have work for stay were welcome to the leftovers. We had beef with gravy over rice, corn, salad, and chocolate chip cookies. Tonight we will all sleep on the floor of the dining room, once the guests are in their bunkrooms and it is "lights out" at 9:30 pm. It is nice to mingle with the guests, and particularly nice to meet our Wolfeboro, NH neighbor's daughter, Lee. Small World!
Date: 2007-08-03
From: Zealand Falls Hut

To: Mizpah Hut
Miles today: 14.1
Weather: broken clouds

Skiman and I actually slept on the porch of the Zealand Falls Hut last night. It was nice to see the full moon and stars, as well as to hear the waters babbling brook. We started hiking at 6 am and were surprised that the AT to Rt. 302 was so flat and full of board crossings, as if it were being made handicapped accessible. About 2 miles from Rt 302 we were pleasantly surprised to be greeted by my teaching colleague Anne Corson, and our former student 12 yr old Tess O'Brien. They had driven north from Wolfeboro, hoping to meet Skiman and I on the trail. What an uplifting bit of Trail Magic to see friends from home! Skiman gave Tess the trail name M and M, for Mountain Mermaid, because she is a hiker and on the swim team. Anne had fresh fruit and goodies for us at her car and brought us to the Highland Center in Crawford Notch where we made phone calls and enjoyed their company for a late breakfast. Skiman and I plan to hike to the Mizpah Hut and stay there tonight. What a wonderful morning to share the Trail with Anne and Mountain Mermaid! Mountain Mermaid, Anne Corson, Skiman and I continued hiking together on the AT on the opposite side of Rt 302,toward the Hut. We were happily surprised to see a cooler of Trail Magic with soda, candy, brownies and a log book. We wrote a thank you to the Trail Angels and continued ascending 2000' toward Webster Cliffs. We said good by and thank you to Anne and MM who returned to Wolfeboro to enjoy the Huggins Hospital Street Fair. It was so wonderful to see them! Skiman and I climbed Mt Webster, 3910', and Mt Jackson, 4052'. Some of the trail was shear vertical cliffs, and we had to use both hands to cling safely to the rocks. The view was clear and spectacular. We could see the Hut in the distance in one direction and the Mt Washington Hotel at Bretton Woods in the opposite direction. We arrived at the Mizpah Spring Hut at 4 pm. Four other Thru Hikers that we were with last night are also staying at Mizpah. They told me they met my husband, Richard today on the Trail, hiking in to meet me from 302. However, they told him I was behind them, when actually Skiman and I were the first to leave the Hut at 6 am. So, Richard and I never saw each other today, and with no cell phone connection we have not spoken! Of the 8 Thru Hikers here, only 3 of us hiked the difficult AT to Mizpah. The other 5 Blue Blazed a shorter less difficult trail, thus arriving before us. Skiman and I have secured work for stay. We will give the same presentation on Thru Hiking the AT as we did last night at the Zealand Hut. None of the Hut guests are the same! This is a savings of $82 per person. I have met Magellan from Maine, who is Thru Hiking the second time (first time was 1999) and is a woman age 70 Chicken Cacciatore with pasta, California olive rolls, salad, and gingerbread was our gourmet dinner tonight! The presentation was attended by over 30 guests of all ages. They asked great questions and we made many new friends. One man wants to send us a maildrop of goodies in Maine!!
Date: 2007-08-05
From: Madison Hut

To: Pinkham Notch Hostel
Miles today: 7.8
Weather: broken clouds

Skiman and I started climbing Mt Madison at 6:45 am. Our first three miles were at a one mile per hour rate. The temperature was 43' and the wind was gusting over 40 mph. We were wearing hats, gloves, rain jackets and pants. I had too many things to think about at once. I was trying not to let my nose drips land in my mouth, while the wind was blowing me over, my poles were getting stuck between rocks, my eyes were watering and I was trying to discern where to go when there was really no trail, just rocks. What a relief when we got out of the wind and could change back into our shorts. We arrived at Pinkham Notch at 11:30 to be greeted by Richard, and High School friends Greg, Steve and Claudette. It was wonderful to spend the afternoon with dear friends and get the benefit of a back massage from Claudette! A man in the parking lot saw Richard's car with the "I support Catchup 2007 AT Thru Hiker" bumper sticker. He found me and introduced himself as Mac and Cheese, whom we received fantastic Trail Magic on July 11. I signed the register in the cooler so he recognized my name. It was great to be able to thank Mac and Cheese and his wife, Kate, in person, for their kindness to Thru Hikers. Now, laundry is done (including sleeping bags). We've showered and had a great dinner at the Visitor Center. The bulletin board said visibility today was 174 miles! We were very lucky! Skiman and I are staying at the Joe Dodge Hostel at Pinkham Notch tonight. Rain is predicted in the morning. We have a big ascent up Wildcat plus the Carters tomorrow. We will play it by ear and make a decision after our 6:30 am breakfast whether to hike or not. Richard is mailing our 5 remaining maildrops for Gorham, NH and Maine tomorrow. Skiman and I have a tentative itinerary to finish by the end of August...sore knee for me and sore feet for Skiman we hope will be ok!
Date: 2007-08-06
From: Pinkham Notch Hostel

To: Carter Notch Hut
Miles today: 5.8
Weather: fog

We ate breakfast in the visitors center with some of the contigency from Montreal who arrived by bus yesterday. They asked us a lot of questions about our Thru-Hike and we enjoyed concersing with them. My pack weighed 28 lbs and Skiman's pack weighed 35 lbs with 2 days of food. The weather forcast was for rain by noon, so we hoped to make it to the Carter Notch Hut 6 miles away, if we could not make it to the Imp campsite 14 miles away. During the 2000 foot ascent in the first hour of hiking the raindrops started. By 9am it was raining, but we were grateful to be on the ridge and off the steep slippery rocks. Within minutes we were at the Wildcat Ski Area, which is the second of five Wildcat peaks, labelled A-E. The blessing was the Ski Patrol Hut was unlocked and provided couches, tables, and chairs for the family of 6 and 3 other adults beside us, as we waited for a break in the weather. Everyone is taking the Wildcat gondala down to Pinkham, except us. At 1pm we left the hut for the 2hr hike to Carter Notch Hut. On the way, in the pouring rain, we met Silver who was hiking Southbound. We had not seen here since Delaware Water Gap, PA on July2 ! What a great surprise ! She had her car with her and I was disapppointed to cut our visit short on the trail, due to the weather. It thundered the whole hike. We are staying at the Carter Notch Hut with a couple from GA and 8 girls from Camp Wyanegonic with 2 councelors. For the last time we were priveleged to have "work for stay" by giving our presentation to the guests about Thru-Hiking the AT.
Date: 2007-08-07
From: Carter Notch Hut

To: Gorham NH
Miles today: 15.3
Weather: fog

As soon as Skiman and I went to bed, we knew we had mice for company in the bunkhouse of the Hut. We heard them in the rafters. While I was asleep they got into my toilet paper and made a mess. Skiman saw one of them climb out of my pack ! We both tried to sleep between the annoying scratching noises. The stars were beautiful. I could not find the Big dipper, because there were so many stars ! Skiman said he saw a shooting star when he went outside. We started hiking at 6:15am and had a steep ascent to Carter Dome 4832', then Mt Hight 4675' , South Carter 4458', Middle Carter 4600', and finally North Carter 4530'. The steep descent from N. Carter was wet and dangerous, It required intense concentration. When it was over I cried in relief. I was so glad it was over and neither of us got hurt. We celebrated the day with a swim in the Rattle river. At 4:30 we hitched a ride the the Barn in Gorham, NH where our last NH maildrop is and we are spending the night. There are 10 beds in the upstairs of the Barn. Skiman and I bought Subway sandwiches for supper and took them to a picnic table in the park to listen to a country music concert. My Pocketmail Composer is broken, So I cannot use it to send my journal entries home anymore or receive e-mails. I am writing them now in my notebook and putting them in the mail.
Date: 2007-08-08
From: Gorham NH

To: NH-ME border
Miles today: 16.5

The shuttle picked up Skiman and I at the Barn hostel at 6:30am. Castaway and Hangman were all ready in the van, having stayed in a motel last night. The 4 of us hiked our final day in NH together, playing leapfrog from time to time. It was raining when we started hiking and continues on and off all day. The paths were muddy and often the boards over the swampy areas were submerged. Skiman stepped on on of the boards which went so low that his socks got soaked. Mt. Success was fine on the ascent, but the descent was unbelievably dangerous. There were huge boulders and all possible foot and handholds were slippery. Several times I has to toss my poles aside so I would have both hands free. We ate a hot lunch at the Gentian Pond Shelter with 6 French speaking girls from Montreal. We met a southbounder brother-sister pair from Asheboro NC who are also 4 years apart like Skiman and I. We welcomed them to NH ! We finally got to the NH-ME border ourselves at 6pm. It was a difficult 15.5 miles in 12 hrs. and we are exhausted. We are stealth camping tonight in Skiman's tent. He set it up so I would sleep in ME and he would sleep in NH. Frankly, after today and 12 wonderful but hard days of hiking across NH, I would like to be sleeping at home.
Date: 2007-08-09
From: NH-ME border

To: Speck Pond Campsite
Miles today: 10.0
Weather: clear sky

When I went to bed last night, I was not sure where my glasses were. When we got up this morning, we both looked everywhere and could not find them. I wrote a note and put it in a baggie right on the trail under a small rock. Hopefully someone will find them and mail them to Wolfeboro. We hiked to Full Goose Shelter for lunch after we climbed 3 mountains in Maine, each around 3700'. After lunch was our biggest challenge of the whole "AT" hike. The Mahoosic Notch is about a mile long and it took us a little over 2 hrs. It is huge boulders with no pathway and no handholds of roots or trees. We collapsed our poles and put them in our packs. Some places we had to remove our packs to go under boulders or to fit between them. We were grateful it was not raining today and the boulders were dry. I did not enjoy hiking in the Mahoosic Notch at all. It was extrememly dangerous, hot, and marked with blazes not as well as we would like. Skiman and I agrees we needed a guide and a Sherpa ! We soaked our feet in a stream while we had a snack and mulled over the exhausting notch. We hiked 2.5 miles further to the Speck Pond Campsite, where we are staying in the shelter and had to pay $8 per person to the caretaker. We went in for a swim and watches some fish jump in this airplane stocked pond. I lost my favorite pack towel, prescription eye glasses and my Pocketmail Composer is broken. The hike is harder and harder. I am more emotional. Daily mileage is low and we are anxious to log bigger miles as the terrain allows us. The best news today is no one got hurt.
Date: 2007-08-10
From: Speck Pond Campsite

To: East B Hill Rd.
Miles today: 14.9

It was a chilly night in the Speck Pond Shelter. the caretaker said it would be around 40. so I slept with all my clothes on and my hat. We started hiking shortly after 6am and immediately had a 700' ascent to Old Speck Mt.. The view was clear with clouds still in the valley. We had a 3.5 mile hike to Grafton Notch ME Rt. 26 which I took a picture from the summit. It always amazes us to be able to see a road or peak that we are hiking towards and actually get there ! We had a snack at a picnic table. Ben, Amanda, and her parents arrived after spending the night togeter at their ski cabin. The parents were slacking for them and offered to slack for us for the remaining 10 miles. We were thrilled. Soon Rodeo Clown and Trash Bag arrived from Speck Pond and joined in the slack too. Next we climbed the three Baldpate Mts. One was all ledge and we had ro traverse it to reach the summit. Skiman and I were picking blueberries when I noticed a large garter snake. Then, we found a perfect garter snake skin, which I an mailing to my almost 4 year old grandson, Micah for a potintial pre-school show and tell. Today was a big descent on wonderful pine needle covered paths for the most part. Amanda's parents provided trail magic for us, brought us to the PO to get our maildrop and finally to the Cabin Hostel in Andover, ME where we enjoyed cheesburgers, corn on the cob, and brownie sundays. My prescription glasses have been found by an Outward Bound employees. Hurray!
Date: 2007-08-11
From: East B Hill Rd.

To: Old Blue
Miles today: 12.9

At "The Cabin" Earl, our host, prepared fresh melon, blueberry pancakes, bacon, home fries, biscuits, and omelets for breakfast. Skiman took a left over cheeseburger from last night's dinner for his pack lunch today. A shuttle driver from the hostel dropped us off at 7am. Some hikers were slacking to the next road, 10 miles away, but we hoped to go further. We met Ben, Amanda, and her parents who were hiking the 10 miles southbound. We has a visit with them at the stream while we purified water. Skiman has a reputation for his Tarazan "Ah-E-AH", with them. As they hiked on out of sight they stopped and did the Tarzan call and we laughed. We stopped at the Hall Mt. Lean-to for a snack, and later cooked lunch on the summit of Mt. Moody. Skiman saw an animal at a distance on the trail which he first thought it was a bear cub. Then he realized it was a porcupine! He took a movie of it moving north on the trail. I wish I had been with hime to add this animal to my list. We had over 2000' ascent after the SOuth Arm Road, which was the 10 mile mark of today's hike. As we climbed we encounter ladders, rebar railings, and stone steps. It all made the climb easier than expected. We descended Old Blue. 3600' just as it started to sprinkle, but it did nor last. We are stealth camping in a pine forest next to a brook. Our weekly total for my 19th wk on the AT was 84.3 miles. This continues to reflect the difficulty in ME and NH which we hope will ease up soon! I am so happy to be in bed early tonight - 6:45pm
Date: 2007-08-12
From: Old Blue

To: Little Swift RIver Pond Campsite
Miles today: 18.8
Weather: overcast clouds

Skiman calculated the yesterday's hike was the equivalent of climbing the Washington Monument 11 times or hiking Mt. Major in Alton NH near Lake Winnipesaukee 6 times, but with a 30 pound pack. Today we both felt sluggish and it was hard to get a rythm going with all the roots and mud on the trail. Skiman spotted a family of grouse which we watched and photographed. The mother flew to a branch and the father posed on a stump. The 4 babies scattered and waited for their mother to call them back together. We had a great view of Rangley Lake on our descents of the 3 Bemis Mts. We saw many spider webs with dew on them, but no spiders! We went for a swim at Long Pond before we cooked a late lunch at Sabbath Day Pond Lean-To. I had to use Old Blue as our starting point today. Our hike took 12 hrs. and we are tenting on a pond that has a canoe and kayak. Since we got in late, we just washed the mud off our legs. There is a large group of teenage boys from Quebec staying with us tonight. We saw no northbound "AT" Thru-Hikers today. We have less than 225 miles to Mt. Katahdin! Our goal is to summit it 2 weeks from today, which means a week for the 100 mile wilderness. Everyday can change our plans, so we shall see....Right now I am happy to be in my tent, ready for bed at 7:30pm.
Date: 2007-08-13
From: Little Swift RIver Pond Campsite

To: Saddleback Jr. Mt
Miles today: 14.1

Today Skiman and I packed up in the rain. It was not too uncomfortable if you moved fast! We hiked 4.8 miles to ME4 and hitched a ride to Rangeley, where we ate a big breakfast at the BMC Diner. Hangman, Cataway, Oswabenwalking, Beeves, and Diesel were also there, having spent the night in town. We were all talking about how tired we are yet we are pressing on for the next two weeks, knowing the culmination of our journey is coming to a close. Comments about hip belts on our packs are adjusted as small as they go after losing a lot of weight, trying to keep the body fueled adequately, and projected Katahdin dates were discussed. Skiman and I hitched back to the trailhead where former "Thru-Hikers" were setting up a grill for Trail Magic. Although we were too early to partake. We thanked then for their kindness to the hikers. The weather had cleared and we ascended from 1600' to 4120' today. We took pictures at the Piazza Rock. It was on a blue blazed trail and is huge overhanging boulder. We climbed Saddleback Mt., The Horn, and Saddleback Jr.. I enjoyed the day because we were on a ridge for several miles with panoramic vists. I like seeing where we have been, where I am in relation to our final destination. From here, we can see Sugarloaf Mt. where we will be tomorrow, and the Bigelow Range. On Saddleback Mt. I offered to take a picture for 2 men hiking together. We introduced ourselves to one another, realizing the "Just Jack" and I had started on March 31 together and hiked our first day with Kokopelli. Just Jack hiked to Harpers Ferry and then flip-flopped. Now he is southbound, returning to Harpers Ferry. What a wonderful surprise and how great it was to see him.