morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2004-08-17
From: Moose Mountain Shelter

To: Campsite, Smarts Mountain
Miles today: 12.6
Weather: scattered clouds

Today¢s entry is for my dear friend Elisha who thinks I make this trip sound too easy. This hike is HARD! It is painful, torturous and rugged. Our hike today went like this:Start:   Moose Mountain elevation 2000 ft.   Walk uphill 1.5 miles to 2300 ft. Drop to Goose Pond Road at 800 feet.   Climb to Holts Ledge at 2200 feet.   Drop to Lyme Road at 800 feet. For the next six miles climb to 2500 feet to the top of Smart Mountain at 3300 feet. The last two miles of Smarts Mountain are dead uphill. It is a rock scramble with water running down from yesterday¢s rain. I still love it, but this hike is HARD. There you go Elisha. I hope this helps. PLAN UPDATE: If you are paying close attention, you noticed that we stopped short today. We had to add an extra day in order to book the huts in the Whites. We will make it up in the wilderness.                                --Don¢t Matter
Date: 2004-08-18
From: Campsite, Smarts Mountain

To: Ore Hill Shelter
Miles today: 12.6

Did I mention that this hike is HARD!?   New Hampshire kicked our butts sideways again today; however, (sorry Elisha) the views were spectacular and worth every bit of the effort. Last night¢s sunset, yesterday¢s picture, was followed by a beautiful matching sunrise. The mountains were screaming for us to hike them. So we did.   The walk down Smarts Mountain was several miles long, but slow and easy descent through beautiful forest. We saw a large hawk fly just over Don¢t Mind¢s head and land on a limb just above us. It was magnificent. At the bottom we crossed a high bridge with no hand rails, today¢s picture, and began to climb Mt. Cube. We were rewarded by an incredible view of Smarts Mountain, complete with fire tower.   Too cool!                                        --Don¢t Matter
Date: 2004-08-19
From: Ore Hill Shelter

To: Hiker Welcome Hostel
Miles today: 7.4
Weather: overcast clouds

¢We can never pull into anywhere off any road and claim that it is below our standards.¢   This was Don¢t Mind¢s observation as we sat around today¢s destination the Hiker Welcome Hostel. The hostel is a wonderful place to get dry and fed and it is run by some very nice thru-hikers; however, it is not the kind of lodging establishment that we have become accustomed to over the years.   We are going to sleep upstairs where there are old mattresses laying all over the place and a chipmonk named ¢Stumpy¢ resides full time. You have to walk down the street to use the pay phone hanging on the side of the Willing Worker¢s hall. We have stayed in nicer places, but we have never been more comfortable or happy!                                --Don¢t Matter
Date: 2004-08-20
From: Hiker Welcome Hostel

To: North Woodstock
Miles today: 9.5

What an amazing hike, even if the view on top was non-existent. Mt. Moosilauke is our first adventure above the tree line in the Whites of New Hampshire. The climb up from Glencliff was straight up forever, and the climb down was even more steep. The artic plants at the summit were interesting, but the descent featured a cascading waterfall the entire way. The sun broke through the clouds and shone down the rich, thick sunbeams that made the falls look like a Hollywood production.   We hike for a full two hours with a breathtaking view and the wonderful sound of rushing water ringing in our ears. This is the kind of day that makes it seem sane to walk from Georgia to Maine.                                --Don¢t Matter
Date: 2004-08-21
From: NH 12

To: Eliza Brook Shelter
Miles today: 7.5
Weather: light rain

The rain was falling steadily when we awoke this morning in our warm dry bed. We had scheduled a shuttle back to the trail this morning at ten, so I gave Beagle and Moo Juice a call and let them know that we were delaying the shuttle until 11:30 in hopes of waiting out the rain.   So, of course, the hardest rain began to fall around noon when we hit the trail under our rain suits. The first climb was straight up for about a mile, so we were soaked with sweat by the time we reached the top.   The trail became a constant flow of mud and water with deep ponds intermittently spaced for a spicy change. It was the longest 7 miles of the 1800 we have walked to this point and the day was saved only by the wonderful comradely with our friends as we slogged down the trail.                                        --Don¢t Matter
Date: 2004-08-22
From: Eliza Brook Shelter

To: Franconia Notch
Miles today: 8.8
Weather: clear sky

This is why we have walked 1800 miles to reach New Hampshire and the White Mountains.   When I unzipped the rain fly on our tent this morning and threw it open, I saw the bluest sky I have seen in years shining down at me. As we climbed into that cloudless sky all day we were rewarded with spectacular view after spectacular view of the entire Franconia ridge and The Presidentials.   After days of rain, it was like seeing the world for the first time. The fact that the climb was a difficult hand over hand rock scramble only added to the fun. Tomorrow, we climb up Lafayette, Liberty, and several other peaks, all of which we could see from our perch at Lonesome Lake Hut where we ate lunch today.   Bring it on!                                --Don¢t Matter
Date: 2004-08-23
From: NH 3, Franconia Notch

To: Mt. Lafayette, Greenleaf Hut
Miles today: 6.4

Wow, wow, wow, wow, WOW, wow, wow, WOW!! This is what it would have sounded like today if you had been hiking anywhere near us.   We finally climbed onto Franconia Ridge and walked above the clouds. In truth, there were not many clouds in the sky for the first part of the day, but as time passed, the views became more and more dramatic. At times we could see close to a hundred miles of mountains of every shape and size in every direction. There were times when I would find myself standing still in a state of awe, unable to pull my eyes away from the amazing view. It is by far the most incredible canvas that we have surveyed to this point in our trip. As we reached the summit of Mt. Lafayette, the clouds shrouded our view, but we will climb it again first thing tomorrow.   I can¢t wait.                                --Don¢t Matter
Date: 2004-08-24
From: Mt. Lafayette, Greenleaf Hut

To: Zealand Falls
Miles today: 13.6

A tremendous storm moved through during dinner last night. Fortunately, we were inside the Greenleaf Hut and isolated from its wrath. By midnight, the storm was gone and billions of bright stars filled the sky. The Milky Way looked like you could reach up and grab it.   This morning we awoke to the bluest sky and a bright sunrise directly over the peak of Mt. Lafayette. The outside temperature was 31 degrees with a thirty mile-per-hour wind. This is August?   We had a great breakfast and stepped out for a brisk climb back to the top of Lafayette.   The view were indescribable. We were told that the visibility today was over a 100 miles and the best in years. We climbed Lafayette, Garfied, South Twin and Greyot Mountains since breakfast. Feed the machine!                                --Don¢t Matter
Date: 2004-08-25
From: Zealand Falls

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

Happy birthday Hunter!! My nephew turns another year older today and I wish he could have spent his birthday with us. We walk down a waterfall to start our day and stopped in at Zealand Falls Hut for water. We met back up with Beagle and Moo Juice a little later on the trail and hiked the rest of the day with them. Spiceman and Joker kept passing us and taking breaks so that they could pass us again. The terrain in the Whites is extremely difficult and we had to start at 6:30 this morning to make the 15 miles to the hut by 5 PM. We climbed Webster Cliffs this afternoon which provided an amazing view of Mt. Washington, just six miles to the north. Look out; here come ¢The Don¢ts.¢                                        --Don¢t Matter
Date: 2004-08-26
From: Mizpah Hut

To: Madison Hut
Miles today: 11.8

Mt. Washington is now just another mountain whose tail was kicked by DM2!   What an incredible hike we had today. We hiked from our hut, Mizpah, to the Lake of Clouds Hut at the base of Mt. Washington by 10:15 this morning. Please understand that we have been looking at the towering mountain for almost a week of hiking. I have personally been thinking about Mt. Washington since I took my first steps on Springer Mountain in Georgia. It was so exciting to be looking up at it and knowing we were about to scale it. The hike up was a tough long climb, but with each step you could see a new 100 mile view. When we finally reached the summit, it was overwhelming in many ways. There were so many people there who had driven up or taken the Cog Train. They were so full of energy and smelling of perfume and soap. They were so excited to be on the top that they were loud and jumping around. I just smiled and watched. We had climbed it!!                                --Don¢t Matter
Date: 2004-08-27
From: Madison Hut

To: Pinkham Notch
Miles today: 7.8
Weather: mist

Ok, I¢ll admit it; yesterday¢s journal entry may have been a bit cocky. The AT must have thought so, because today it knocked me down and beat   me up and had me calling for my mother in only 7.8 miles of crawling up and down Madison Mountain.   As soon as we left the hut, we headed directly up to the summit of Madison. In the beginning of our hike, this would have been a killer climb over very rough boulder strewn terrain, but now we just flew up it. However, the down was just waiting to eat us alive.   It was 3500 feet of bad footing over dangerously sharp boulders which rocked under every step of the steep down. The gang was still in good spirits when we reached the first trail crossing and read the sign.   It informed us that we had been hiking as hard and as fast as we could for two hours and we had covered 0.9 miles!   Oh my God!!! I was exhausted and we had traveled less than a mile. Then I stopped, took a deep breath and looked around. There in the distance, was Mt. Washington. We kicked its tail yesterday!                        --Don¢t Matter
Date: 2004-08-28
From: Pinkham Notch

To: Imp Campsite
Miles today: 13.1

Everyone said that miles were harder to make in Maine. The hills are more rugged and the ups and downs steeper they all said. Well, I say DUH! We left Pinkham Notch this morning at 8 AM trying to do a lousy 13 miles of trail to reach Imp Campsite. We arrived 12.5 hours later walking with worn out legs and wearing head lamps. Wow, it was a hard hike. Almost immediately after leaving the Joe Dodge Lodge at Pinkham Notch we began an almost vertical climb of Peak E of Wildcat Mountain. Now, if you paid attention in first grade, you can probably extrapolate that if there is a Peak E there are also Peaks A, B, C, and D.   After Peak D we climbed down another vertical wall into Carter Notch and that was just before lunch. Immediately after lunch we climbed out of the notch, a northern word meaning valley with straight up sides, and crawled another 7 miles to our tent site. Goodnight cruel world!                                --Don¢t Matter
Date: 2004-08-29
From: Imp Campsite

To: Gorham, New Hampshire
Miles today: 8.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Look, it is a dirt path! The AT gave us a well deserved break today. After two tough early morning climbs and descents, the last several miles were a slow downhill dirt path. We flew through the 8 miles and hit our hotel by 1:30. We took a quick shower and headed for lunch. After lunch, we walked around town for a while and then spent the rest of the afternoon lying around in between loads of laundry. We have just returned from dinner and it is pouring outside. As soon as we got back safely inside our room the thunder started and a few minutes later it began to hail. We always seem to miss the worst of the weather, and we just found out today, that the day we climbed Mt. Washington it set a high temperature record. What a wonderful adventure we are living out.                                --Don¢t Matter
Date: 2004-08-30
From: Gorham, NH

To: Dream Lake
Miles today: 9.6

If the good Lord is willing, tomorrow we walk into Maine. The last state on our journey to Katahdin Mountain is only 7 miles away. It really seems unreal that Don¢t Mind and I have walked from Georgia to Maine. We have been walking while the snow danced in the air to settle on our tent, through the wild flowers of spring, the storms and heat of summer and now the leaves are changing shade all around us.   Our goal has always been to walk from Georgia to Maine, but one goal remains.   We would like to climb the mountains, ford and streams and walk through the deep wilderness of Maine to reach Katahdin Mountain. We have already been so blessed by this trip and our adventure that it seems selfish to long for more, but I am driven to go 288.3 more miles to the peak we have yet to see. Our feet are tired, our backs are sore, our knees ache, but we are still smiling and having the adventure of a lifetime.                                 --Don¢t Matter
Date: 2004-08-31
From: Dream Lake

To: Full Goose Shelter
Miles today: 11.8
Weather: overcast clouds

I am lying in my tent writing my journal and my tent is on a tent platform in MAINE! That is so cool.   Don¢t Mind and I have walked side by side from Georgia to Maine.   Today¢s hike was amazing and difficult. The first big climb was up Success Mountain and it was straight up a wet rock face. It poured rain all last night, but quit before dawn so we hiked dry.   The wind picked up as the day went on and by this afternoon, it was difficult to stand on the summits. A lot of the trail was running with water and, here in Maine, the terrain is very steep and dangerous when wet. Beagle took a pretty good spill and scraped her arms up as she caught herself.   I turned my left ankle again and Don¢t Mind fell a couple of times. We were the walking wounded by the time we reached our campsite. Tomorrow we do the hardest two miles on the trail. Bring it on¢¦                                --Don¢t Matter
Date: 2004-09-01
From: Full Goose Shelter

To: Bald Path Lean-to
Miles today: 12.0

This was a special day on the trail.   We were supposed to be doing the toughest mile on the AT, Mahoosuc Notch, and the steepest mile, Mahoosuc Arm.   It turns out that Mahoosuc Notch was the mile of great fun. It is made up of house-size boulders stacked and jumbled with smaller boulders.   This collection of stones creates a mile long ¢jungle gym¢ that we spent and hour and a half crawling, jumping, sliding and falling through. In my opinion, it is definitely not the toughest mile on the trail, but it was certainly a workout. We had to take off our packs twice and find creative ways to move around in the boulder field. It was as much a workout for our arms as for our legs. Mahoosuc Arm was a difficult climb, but Don¢t Mind was ready for it. She put it in hiking gear and flew up the steep slop0e with me in tow. We finished both the Notch and the Arm by lunch time.   What¢s next?                                --Don¢t Matter
Date: 2004-09-02
From: Bald Path Lean-to

To: Andover, ME
Miles today: 8.0
Weather: clear sky

After yesterday¢s spectacular hike it was hard to imagine how today¢s hike could top it. That is, until we stood on the East Peak of Bald Pate Mountain and looked to the southwest and saw Mt. Washington 50 miles away. The magnificent view was so clear that we could see Tuckermains Ravine¢s details as if we were half the distance away. The Presidentials; Eisenhower, Clay, Lafayette, Madison and Liberty, were proudly standing next to each other in a way that resembled one of our profile maps. It is always cool to look back at the mountains you have climbed and sense their majesty from a perspective of distance. In this case, it is hard to believe that we were able to make it over all of those incredible peaks.   Turning the other way, we see the rest of the Mahoosuc range and Saddleback Mountain awaiting us. The party is still going and so are we!                                --Don¢t Matter
Date: 2004-09-03
From: East B Road

To: South Arm Road
Miles today: 10.1

We spent the night in the Pine Ellis Bed & Breakfast and had a great night¢s sleep.   The Bed & Breakfast is run by Paul and Ilene and is a particularly comfortable place to stay.   It is like visiting a favorite Aunt or Uncle¢s house and feeling very much at home. They fed us an excellent breakfast this morning before driving us back out to the trail. We are slack packing today, so Paul is going to pick us up at the end of the day when we reach South Arm Road. The first 34 of the hike is a comfortable walk in the woods, but when we hit Moody¢s Mountain the mood darkened considerably. Although only a 1000 foot climb, the ascent was straight up over difficult foot path. Once we had fought our way to the top, it turned straight down and beat us up with a difficult descent.   It was really nice to see Paul and his van when we popped out of the woods. He held a pitcher of ice cold lemonade and four cups. Nice touch.                                 --Don¢t Matter
Date: 2004-09-04
From: South Arm Road

To: ME 17
Miles today: 13.3

Andover Maine is a cool little town. After another night staying at the Pine Ellis Bed & Breakfast, we had an opportunity to see the downtown district.   We visited all three stores on the strip and became locals in a single night. There is a diner, run by a very nice lady, where we had the evening¢s special of chicken pot pit, a side salad and blueberry pie with vanilla ice cream. I also had a wonderful chocolate shake. We then walked over to the grocery store and bought some junk food for a snack later. Now a walk down to the other end of the street, about 150 ft, to the other grocery store to buy a yellow cake mix and some chocolate icing for an early evening snack.   We looked up Old Blue and Bemis Mountains today. Bemis Mountain is the first possible view of Katahdin Mountain.   If it was out there on the horizon, I couldn¢t find it. Oh well, I am sure it will get larger as we get closer.                                --Don¢t Matter
Date: 2004-09-05
From: ME 17

To: Rangeley, Maine
Miles today: 13.1
Weather: overcast clouds

Don¢t Mind don¢t feel good! She awoke this morning as normal, but after breakfast began to feel queasy. I have been fighting an intestinal bug for a few weeks and I think it may have finally caught up with Don¢t Mind. She is a tough lady, so we hiked our planned hike and hitched a ride into Rangeley, Maine. We called Bob at Gull Pond Hostel and he came to pick us up. While we were waiting, Don¢t Mind was getting worse. By the time we reached the hostel, she went straight to bed. She is sick to her stomach and feverish. She is sleeping under blankets and our sleeping bag. We have decided that if she can¢t eat breakfast in the morning and keep it down, we will be taking a zero day tomorrow. If I know my wife, she will somehow make it to the trail tomorrow. I know first hand how difficult it is to hike sick, but out here you just suck it up and climb the next hill. I hope she is better in the morning.                                --Don¢t Matter
Date: 2004-09-06
From: Rangeley, Maine

To: Poplar Ridge Lean-to
Miles today: 10.7
Weather: overcast clouds

Yeah, Don¢t Mind look much better today. She crawled out of bed looking weak and shaky, but she was able to eat a little breakfast and we decided to hit the trail. It was a pretty tough hike, so we took our time and took a few extra breaks in the morning as we climbed Saddleback Mountain. By the time we reached the summit, Don¢t Mind was starting to gain strength. The views were spectacular!   Maine is a beautiful state and clearly the jewel of the AT. After a quick snack break, we shot up and over the horn and spent the early afternoon descending and then climbing over Saddleback Junior Mountain. By the time we reached our campsite, Don¢t Mind seemed to be back close to normal. Let¢s hope the worst is behind us.   Tomorrow we aregoing to try for 14 miles over Spaulding Mountain so I am going to need here at full strength and speed to pull me along!                                --Don¢t Matter
Date: 2004-09-07
From: Poplar Ridge Lean-to

To: Crocker Cirque Campsite
Miles today: 14.2
Weather: clear sky

Today¢s headliner is Firecracker¢s granola!   This is an impressive placement for a food item considering that today we also went under 200 miles to go. However, the care package we received from our friend Firecracker held a magic potion of incredible power that can propel a hiker at unbelievable speeds up the steepest grades. She sent us bricks of homemade granola that WERE awesome. Here is the embarrassing part; Being a thru-hiker and having lost all self control around treats, I ate it all in one sitting. Now I don¢t feel so well!   I am talking pounds of granola.   Only Firecracker knows the depth of my sin. Thanks girl, you are the best. The other news of the day is that we only have 195.1 miles to go!   We will reach Katahdin, if all goes well, in only 18 days.   It is hard to believe that we have been walking for over 5 months and still look forward to tomorrow!   GA -> ME                                --Don¢t Matter
Date: 2004-09-08
From: Crocker Cirque Campsite

To: Stratton, Maine
Miles today: 7.3
Weather: light rain

The rain started around midnight.   Just an hour before, I had stared up at a sky full of stars. The patter of rain on the tent is often pleasant, but not when all your clothes are hanging outside. We jumped up and gathered our clothes and scrambled back into the tent before the heavy rain began. This was a surprise since we were expecting a clear day today, but Hurricane Francis apparently didn¢t get the memo. We hiked in the rain all day until we reached the road to Stratton Maine. We hitched a ride into town and grabbed one of the last hotel rooms in town. There are hikers everywhere.   Everyone is taking a zero day for tomorrow due to the storm. Big Surprise!!!   My brother and his wife just drove up. Keith and Lisa are vacationing in Vermont and drove up to see us. It was the perfect surprise to turn this day around. Trail magic of the best kind!                                --Don¢t Matter
Date: 2004-09-09
To: Roger
Miles today: 0.0

Kit had encouraged me to submit many more entries in their journal this past 5 months. However, as so often happens, my high aspirations of doing just that over the course of the past few months were overtaken by other events - in this case summer; just like DM2, I opted to spend as much time as possible outdoors.   But, all things considered, this journal is about the DM2 team and their entries, not a place for my ramblings!   I had other high hopes of doing more for such a special event. One, which I'm finally getting around to doing, is posting more of their pictures for you to see. As you can imagine, Kit and Lisa have taken many, many more than what you've seen in the journal. So, if you're interested, go to http://members.cox.net/dm2pictures/. Please note that this is a work in progress. Although I hope to complete the site before Kit and Lisa complete the trail, I can't make any promises to that affect.Roger