morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2018-07-28
From: Stealth spot at Gale River trail junction (mile 1830.1)

To: Maine Central Railroad (mile 1845.1)
Miles today: 15.0

Thankfully the rain stopped before I got up, so taking down camp was a lot easier. I realized quickly that the other tent in this stealth spot is actually a hiker that I already know! Additionally, Stripper and Chili showed up while I was still packing up! It felt like a trail reunion at the trail junction. We all stopped by an AMC hut pretty early into the day and managed to get some leftover breakfast for free. The huts are always ready to get rid of any extra food since they have to pack out anything leftover! While there, some runners stopped by to refill some water who are attempting an FKT of the Pemi loop, a 50k Franconia Ridge and some other white mountains.I spent the rest of the afternoon leapfrogging Wheat, Chili, and some other hikers. All day I've been seeing Mt. Washington, it's crazy to think that I'm so close to the high point of my trip!After speaking with some other hikers, I think I'm going to try to work for stay at one hut before I leave the whites so that I can say that I've stayed at one. We stopped by the Zealand Falls hut in the afternoon and got some amazing cake balls and soup for some extra snacks. We even got a chance to dry our tents out in the rain so that all of our gear is dry again! Checking the weather, I began to think about stealth camping at a secret location I've heard of on top of Mt. Washington. The plan has been stewing in my mind since I heard about it near the start of my trip. The weather on Mt. Washington is considered some of the worst in the world, so the fact that it is going to be clear seems like a rare opportunity.The vortex is definitely real. I spent over an hour on my breaks at both of the huts today! Thankfully the miles after Zealand Falls were pretty flat and I could actually walk a normal pace. We walked through a valley with beautiful views up rockwalls on either sides. I headed down a short side trail to check out Thoreau falls, which flowed over very flat boulders. I noticed while hiking that something I ate at the hut was NOT agreeing with my stomach and I began to feel awful and slow down. Thankfully I ran into Chili, who was also not feeling good, and we were able to help each other through the last 3 miles together. I was going to push further, but realized that I've been hiking late the past few days to try to catch up and just need to break the cycle by getting some sleep, so I stealth camped just before Route 302 with some other hikers. We checked out the road since we heard there was trail magic there. We didn't find any, but we did help Chili get a hitch to meet up with Stripper since we were already out and about.
Date: 2018-07-30
From: Mt. Washington! (mile 1858.0)

To: Osgood tentsite (mile 1866.7)
Miles today: 8.7
Weather: moderate rain

Last night I had a visitor at around midnight - a squirrel! Animal problems were the last thing I expected to encounter considering where I stealthed. Thankfully I was able to fling it out the tent door without too much sleep lost. The combination of the windblock, my tent, and wearing every piece of clothing that I have worked quite well and I was actually able to get some sleep. Not a ton, but still, more than expected.The sound of footsteps and voices above me woke me up in a panic, but thankfully it was only other hikers who had hiked up early to watch the sunrise. I quickly packed up my tent and joined them. The clouds had stayed away overnight and we got to watch the entirety of the Whites come alive with color. I decided to take my time today since I only had 9 miles or so (including a bit of extra distance on the side trails to hit all the peaks) and spend plenty of time on Washington visiting the gift shop, sending post cards, charging devices, making crank pennies, finally catching up on some journaling (which I have been terrible about the past two weeks!), and taking in the summit and the views I have been looking forward to for so long. I decided I can keep up with posting text entries for my journal while on the trail and that I'll catch up on pictures after I finish. After taking one last minute at the observation deck, I headed down the trail and crossed the cog railway tracks. I continued to hear the train whistles echo through the mountains the rest of the day.. Next for the presidentials came Clay, the rocky Jefferson, and the long climb up Adams. I chose an incredibly steep trail down Adams since I wanted to check out a rock outcropping known as Moon Rocks and an alpine lake on the way to the Madison Springs hut. There I ran into Clipper, who was doing work for stay along with Animal. I realized that I hadn't seen him in 25 days!My break at Madison Springs felt great but after relaxing so much this morning I pushed hard up Madison, the last Presidential mountain. The downhill from it and over the next 2.5 miles was slow going regardless of how much I wanted to get to camp. As I headed back below treeline, I realized that I've been above it for over a day. My legs definitely got burned from all the sun, which almost never happens to me because I've got so much leg hair. After getting into camp I got right into the regular schedule of setting up and spoke with Mark (who's staying at the same campsite, which is pretty packed tonight).I really enjoyed the presidentials and the unique characteristics of each peak.
Date: 2018-08-01
From: Carter Notch Hut (mile 1877.4)

To: Rattle River Hostel (mile 1892.7)
Miles today: 15.3

I woke up to a beautiful morning and was able to pack up quickly with no tent needing put away and with all the space in the hut. The climb up Carter Dome was steep but came with great views back to the Presidentials and towards the end of the Whites once passing over the peak. On one of the three Carter Mountains I found a large brown bunny that didn't seem too afraid of me as I was about to get within a yard of it before it hopped along to somewhere else to munch on more blueberries.For lunch I stopped by Imp shelter, which is the first shelter I've checked out in a while - though the AMC huts are cool, I was definitely missing the feel of shelters. I hope I get to stay in one last one before the end of my trip.In the afternoon I made the quick trip up Mt. Moriah, the last of the Whites! So much has happened since I first entered them. Near the top I found a worker painting blazes on the trail and talked with him for a bit. While walking down I began to realize how close to being done my trip really is. The descent was a little steep at first but had some helpful rock stairs. It flattened out and the last 3.5 miles into town were so smooth that my hiker legs were confused by the unfamiliar terrain.After reaching the trailhead on Route 2, I got picked up by Bear Bait for my last restock of the trip! For dinner we went to Dynasty buffet, which Mantra Dynasty recommended to Andrew and I a while ago. My hiker hunger definitely got my money's worth - I ate a little bit of everything they offer, and still had two servings of ice cream afterwards!Tonight I'm staying at the Rattle River hostel, which has a reputation on the trail for being far and above the cleanest hostel. It was great to hang out at one more hostel before the end of my trip, as they're always a great place to catch up with the hikers you do know and meet some that you don't. I'm real tired and am going to get a good night's rest tonight so I can have a fun last day and a half on the trail.At some point today I realized that it's August. That's crazy! I can't believe this summer is going to end soon.
Date: 2018-08-04
From: Bridgton ME

To: Home!
Miles today: 0.0

This morning we woke up at 3:30 and quickly got ready for our flight, which is even one of the later ones available for our route! I was able to stuff all my gear and my boots into my backpack, which I double wrapped in extra large garbage bags before checking in the hopes of not losing any straps. While waiting to board i spoke with a forestry service manager who has biked across large portions of the U.S. Our flight was overbooked by three people but that issue disappeared when United offered $3000 vouchers for anyone willing to take the next flight.I've always really enjoyed flying and still haven't lost the wonder I get from looking out the window as the plane soars through the different layers of clouds. I got to know Jason, a 19 year old who sat next to me and also spent a bit of time in the Whites. I liked being able to see Lakes Ontario, Erie, and Michigan as we passed overhead.Our layover in Chicago went well, and soon enough we were on a small but quick (less than an hour of actual flight time!) flight to Dayton. Amazingly enough, both of the seats next to Bear Bait and I were empty so we had a bit of extra room. There were no mountains to see this time but I did enjoy using the GPS in my phone to identify different highways we flew over.We had a warm welcome from Wilbur and Mom at the airport, who I was glad to see. Thankfully all of our gear made it back without damage too. It feels weird knowing that this is the last entry I'll be typing on my phone. The next few days will be full of cleaning and sorting gear, as well as starting in on the summer's worth of college prep that I now have two weeks to do.
Date: 2014-11-07
To: Raven Cliff Falls
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

With 2014 coming to a rapid close, I figured now is as good a time as any to start up our journal for 2015. Unfortunately, we are not able to make any extended hikes, but the plan is to hike the Great Smoky Mountains portion of the AT. Curly has sufficiently recovered from our thru hike of the Foothills Trail, and I promised a zero day in Gatlinburg halfway thru this coming adventure. With the promise of banjo music and a feather bed to sleep on at least one night...Curly is "all in!"So now begins the preparation, and we officially kicked that off by hiking to Raven Cliff Falls, located at Cesar's Head state Park in upstate SC. It was a beautiful crisp fall day, in the lower 50's and sunny. Hiking was moderately strenuous, nothing compared to our September hike. Of course, the difference between humping 25 lbs and 5 lbs is huge! The only challenge was not busting our keister on the trail where leaves had covered up roots and rocks. In some places it was like pushing through drifts!We ended taking 4 different trails to get to our destination...and with an entire day to get it done, we lounged through a total of 8.5 miles. Curly picked Italian for a carb loaded dinner afterwards, and we both called it a successful day.
Date: 2015-12-19
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

2015 was a year in which good intentions degraded into poor execution. After completing the Foothills Trail in September 2014 and chronicling that hike in Trail Journals, It was my intention to continue journaling in 2015 as Curly and I made plans for hiking the AT section of Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Yeah, right, and you can see how that worked out! I did not continue journaling at all, and the Smokies never got hiked by this dynamic duo.And although the Smokies hike did not materialize, we did have an incredible year on various trails. During 2015, we did hike 4 different sections of the Foothills Trail; two trails in Pisgah National Forest (we highly recommend Cat Gap Loop); 1 beautiful hike in the mountains of Jamaica; 3 different sections of the AT, which I will journal about later on; and lots of short hikes in the Columbia, SC area. We squeezed in hikes as often as our schedules would allow.All that to say that now by establishing this 2018 journal, we are publicly committing ourselves to this thru hike and the scrutiny of you the reader. I know how that goes, as I am an avid reader of Trail Journals and as readers of TJ know, there are as many discarded journals as their are well intentioned hikers who had grand plans for epic hikes...only to fall into the abyss of "coulda-woulda-shoulda". I'm believing that posting now, 27 months in advance of our hike, this will provide a layer of accountability which will solidify our commitment and entertain you. Only time will tell!
Date: 2015-12-20
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light snow

Curly and I are excited about 2016 and all the possibilities a new year might bring. We celebrate 35 years of marital bliss in May, and what better way to celebrate than a hike through Shenandoah National Park? We are scheduling that for early May, and in mid-August we are traveling to Michigan to celebrate my Dad's 80th birthday, and while there, will hike 42 miles of the Lakeshore Trail along Lake Superior. I can't wait to see the Pictured Rocks...lots of childhood memories.Around those two big hikes will be lots of shorter weekend hikes, one of which I hope to be the Art Loeb Trail in Pisgah National Forest. This trail passes through two wilderness areas which do not allow trail markings or blazes...meaning I need to do some serious brushing up on my map and compass skills.Curly is jonesing for a weekend winter hike...I haven't agreed to that one yet, as Curly is not nearly as much a fan of winter weather as she fashions herself to be! I know I'm not, but I suppose if we are going to begin our thru hike on April1st, the we better get ourselves ready for some winter hiking. Bottom line is that 2016 is shaping up to be a great year of prepping as we look to 2018.
Date: 2015-12-25
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

There is nothing like Christmas morning to warm a hiker's heart. Waking up to a stocking full of pistachios, cashews and protein bars is pretty sweet. And Santa left 'ol Force Flex a Static V sleeping pad and a Precip rain jacket. Even scored a gift card from "you know where".Curly and I have so much to be grateful for that is way beyond anything that might show up under the tree. Faith and family at the top of that list, followed by good health and wonderful friendships. We both love hiking and can't wait til 2018, but there is much more to do in the meantime.Here's to hoping that you, our readers and encouragers have a wonderful, blessed and prosperous 2016!
Date: 2015-12-29
To: Shenandoah National Park
Miles today: 0.0

In just a little more than 4 months, Curly and I will be hiking Shenandoah National Park, from Front Royal (northern entrance) all the way down to Rockfish Gap (southern entrance). Being the planning kind of guy I am, I decided to take Curly on a road trip, and we spent today on a recon mission of sorts. Driving up to Waynesboro the previous day, we spent this morning figuring out where we would leave the car for a week as we get shuttled up north for the drop in Front Royal.Besides meeting incredible people in both locations, we also got to actually check out the trailheads in both south and north entrances. How crazy is it that in less than 2 hours we can visit two locations that are over a hundred miles apart? Even crazier is that it will take us about a week to do this by foot in the spring.I know the hike will be more fun than I could ever expect, but actually checking out the trail in advance stokes me up big time.   There is something absolutely magical about the AT...and just being in its presence stirs up feelings of excitement and anticipation. It is these brief moments that will carry me over the next two plus years as I await my turn to hike the green tunnel.
Date: 2016-01-05
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Reminiscing on the past year, Curly and I were discussing easiest and hardest hikes of the year. For me, without any doubt, our 3 days hiking the White Mountains on the AT in late June takes the cake.We were heading to Maine for a family reunion over the July 4th weekend, and figured while we were in the area, why not get in a few days in the Whites? So I began the planning in earnest, and we decided that the highlight of our trip would be hiking Franconia Ridge, from Liberty Spring Campsite to Garfield Ridge Campsite, a little more than 7.5 miles on our second day. The first and third days would be taking other trails in and out. I called Lafayette Campground in advance of the trip and was advised to plan on reducing our daily hiking distance by a third of normal for us.I had no clue how good that advice would be. If you are unfamiliar with the Whites, all I can say to you is "Holy Shnikees"! Ups that never end, no switchbacks, hand over hand climbing (hiking sticks are worthless, at least in this section) and the weather made it that much more dangerous. I foolishly thought we could out hike the weather forecast, which called for thunderstorms in the afternoon. I figured an early start and we could get above and beyond tree line with no problem. Yeah, right.It was raining immediately upon setting off. We hiked through the rain and as the temps dropped, I began to worry. My fear was hypothermia, especially for Curly, so I wouldn't let her stop to rest...concerned she wouldn't get back up. When we got above tree line, we realized we were in deep doo doo. The weather got progressively worse and the fog settled in. I have only feared for my life twice in my 55 years...this was one of those times. We had a difficult time seeing the blazes, and one wrong turn would send us off the edge. Over Little Haystack, on to Mt. Lincoln, and up to Mt. Lafayette we hiked, one foot in front of the other, and praying every step of the way. By the time we reached the other side of Mt. Garfield, it had taken 8 hours to hike less than 8 miles!We stumbled in to Garfield Ridge Campsite soaked, frozen and in need of sustenance. That shelter never looked so good. And although it was packed with hikers riding out the weather, we squeezed in, got into dry camp clothes and heated up some hot drinks. Made some new trail friends that evening and learned two important lessons. First, never try to outfox Mother Nature...she is way more clever and far more unforgiving. Second, and I know you all have read this or experienced it...but the only way to get in shape to hike the trail is to hike the trail! The gym, road walks, Zumba...doesn't matter, they don't make up for 8-10 hours of non stop hiking with 25 pounds on your back.Next post, something a little lighter and not quite so harrowing!
Date: 2016-01-11
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

So in the interest of providing equal time, it's only fair to recap what was probably the most enjoyable time on the trail last year. For me, and I think Curly as well, it was the section of AT between Sam's Gap and Uncle Johnny's in Erwin, TN.It was our anniversary weekend (34 years) and we hiked three days. Amazing weather with zero rain, cool mornings, and expansive views. The picture you see is the top of Big Bald, an incredible location with 360 degree sight lines. It was there that we met thru hiker Carver and later Balto. We also met Hiccup who was hiking to Harper's Ferry. Throughout our three days, the time spent during the day on the trail, enjoying the rejuvenating moments within God's creation completely sold us both on committing ourselves to thru hiking sooner rather than later. The desire to hike all 2185 miles of the AT while we had our health really drives us to hike sometime in the next couple of years. This long weekend sealed the deal for us.Besides meeting incredible people on the trail, the total social experience of the AT is something you can only fully understand by being being there. Community is instantly created, and from our observations, everyone is an equal, everyone has a story, and everyone seems to enjoy one another immensely. Obviously this isn't completely true at all times, but there is something different going on out on the trail. Curly and I certainly look forward to getting out there and immersing ourselves in it.We wrapped up our anniversary weekend by staying the night at Uncle Johnny's...what a cool guy! For an old geezer like me, the fact that he had a dog named Jerry Garcia won me over. We look forward to staying there again. We can't wait to begin our journey...
Date: 2016-01-25
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

So, every hiker has their own opinions about trail food. To cook or not to cook? Dehydrate your own or buy pre packaged? Rice or noodles...or instant mashed potatoes? Spam or Tuna? Spend enough time on the trail, and you'll discover as many opinions as their are mosquitoes!For me, I'm a creature of habit, and that means once I land on a particular meal, I hate to try different things...kind of like the old saying, "if it ain't broke, don't fix it." As a result, I have three meals that I will recommend, and no, I have not received any benefits or compensation from the makers of these fine gastronomic delights. Here they are, in order of preference: 1. Mountain House Chili Mac with Beef. When Curly and I hiked the Foothill Trail in September 2014, honest to goodness this meal saved our trip, and possibly our marriage. After a long day of close to 17 miles, a good chunk of it in the rain, and a few other unfortunate experiences, Curly was ready to call it quits...with tears in her eyes, for the third time that day, she wanted to go home. I convinced her that if we ate a hot meal and got a good nights sleep, she would feel differently in the morning. And she did. She would say it was the sleep...I say it was the incredibly delicious dinner.2. Close second is Mountain House Beef Stew...my goodness, this stuff is hot, beefy awesomeness! I love the rich beef flavor, and it always taste great hot or cold (just sayin'). The only down side is that Mountain House meals are not inexpensive, but they are filling.3. Trader Joe White Cheddar Mac n Cheese with Spam Single. No matter what you might think about Spam, just dress it up with some Mac n cheese, especially white cheddar. As my dad would say..."ambrosia"!So there you have it, Force Flex's culinary favorites...definitely will be taking them on the trail this year!
Date: 2016-02-19
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

I love the quote on today's picture. I cannot take credit for either picture or saying, but wholeheartedly agree with the sentiment. And while there are many things in this life more important than hiking (at least for me), being in the outdoors with everything owned carried on my back is a hugely fulfilling and wonderful feeling. Most definitely better than "just" paying bills.It is inspiring to read the journals of those hikers already on the trail. I admire their tenacity and independent spirit. Hiking in the winter is not for the faint of heart, and I wish for them all safe hiking and warm endings to their challenging days. Thank you for bringing today's quote into sharp focus
Date: 2016-03-13
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

The older I get, the greater concern I have about my body being able to withstand the rigors of a thru hike. I turn 56 this year and am currently planning on a 2018 hike...leaving at 57 and finishing at 58. No big deal, right? Well, I wonder...does one year, or two, for that matter make that much of a difference? I consider myself to be in pretty decent shape. I work out regularly, eat pretty healthy, watch the processed foods and sugars, etcetera etcetera. But the body, it's getting older, and just falling out of my comfy bed each day is becoming more of a chore. So what to do?I'm thinking maybe it's possible to get somewhat ahead of the body decaying process if I take this hike in 2017, essentially move up the hike by a year. Lots of details to work out, but seriously, my fear is that if I don't pull the trigger now, I won't be physically able to later. Anybody out there face a similar dilemma and move their hike up a year? I'd love to hear from you.