morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2004-08-01
From: Goddard Shelter

To: Stratton Pond Shelter
Miles today: 19.4
Weather: light rain

August 1How time flies! On first day of August we hiked 19.4 miles from Goddard to Stratton Pond Shelter. This included going over Glastenbury Mt (3748' and Stratton Mt (3936').Johnny had August 1st, 2nd, and 3rd combined into one Journal. I separated them out into three days so that when his pictures come in, I will be able to put a picture with each day. Also it is just an easier way to keep his miles straight without combining the miles for three days. He might could have hiked 33.1 miles in one day but I do not think he would have attempted that. Mary Ann
Date: 2004-08-02
From: Stratton Pond Shelter

To: Manchester Center, Vermont
Miles today: 10.6
Weather: few clouds

August 2 - Manchester Center and Eastern Mountain SportsOn Monday the 2nd, hiked 10.6 miles into crossing at Manchester Center. This made the totals 1636.3 hiked and 537.8 to go. Palm Tree's wife met us at the trailhead and provided transportation and goodies, Great magic. Lemonade was great!Stayed at the Sutton's Place inManchester Center. Got laundry done, purchased new fleece jacket, picked up mail and ate great steak dinner.
Date: 2004-08-03
From: Manchester Center, Vermont

To: Mt. Bromely
Miles today: 3.0

August 3 - Mt. Bromely warming hut and heavy rainOn Tuesday the 3rd, we planned next week, packed food, sent bounce boxes forward, went to McDonalds, and got a ride back to the trail.   Hiking by 2:00 PM, we traveled only 3 miles. Now at the summit of Mt. Bromely (3260') we found the ski patrol hut open and decided to stay here for the night. Lots of good sites here from the peak observation tower. Two ski lifts reach this summit. No one here except Boonie and me.Totals are 1639.3 hiked and 534.8 to go.Got a great nap this PM. Must have needed it as it felt great. The trail makes you appreciate the smallest favors. Sleep is good.
Date: 2004-08-04
From: Mt. Bromely

To: Little Rock Tenting Area
Miles today: 16.8

August 4th - Long DayI paid for the stay on Mt Bromley by adding 3 miles to the hike today. Still it was worth it.Coming down into Manchester, I fell on a slick rock and thought I had cracked a rib. Had visions of ended trip, etc. Well, thank God, its just muscle strain and the pain is about gone now. This was the most serious fall I've had so far. Its pushing the limit of my "two day cure". This is going to require more time. I feel it every time I move. Thanks for the prayers and concerns. Its 5:54 AM and we are shooting for Little Rock Pond Tenting Area (16.8 miles). Got to get moving, especially after heavy rain storm last night. Amazing. One really does not know what's ahead until you go there. The trail today had some mud, but much less than previous days. I told someone today that I was glad God decided to water his garden at night and give us sunshine and clear days to hike in. That's exactly the way it was today. Right side is still very sore but fully functional. Stomach is still not completely lined out but much better. That Dalton food just about did me in. Must be careful to keep food on the trail simple and clean. I could be causing myself some problem by eating soaked in lieu of cooked cereal. Will cook tomorrow AM. Good vista from Mt Styles, Peru Peak, and Baker Peak. Got pictures on the way up Baker to show how the trail there is just rock outcroppings. Seems a little dangerous to me but lots of people are doing it!At high elevations we are seeing quite a few moose tracks. Have not seen moose yet but expect to any day now. Got to camp with just enough water for cooking dinner and a little to drink. Will wait till AM to collect water for tomorrow. Spring is nearby.Camp is beside a beautiful mountain lake. Love staying in tent. See pictures.Hiked 16.8 miles with totals now at 1656.1 miles done with 517.1 to go. Just think, in a couple days I'll have less than 500 to go! After 135 days I'm beginning to believe I can make it to Katahdin. Expect to be in New Hampshire next Monday!
Date: 2004-08-05
From: Little Rock Tenting Area

To: Not Given
Miles today: 76.1

August 5th - 10th - Too Busy (six days of hiking)Quite a bit occurred during this period. But I was simply too busy to write. The most significant was our travel plans. Boonie and Palm Tree stretched out the daily distances to try and help me get home in time to see son, Mark, before he ships out to Iraq. I got word that his movement date will be a little later and we are now able to relax a little and actually enjoy the trip.Sorry about the gap here. I will attempt to go back and reconstruct some of the events of this period. For now consider this note a placeholder. I especially apologize to all of Boonie's fans. He feels slighted when he does not get an honorable mention every couple days.Long and short of it is that I was sick, injured, and rushed. Now I am well and enjoying the trail again.God has been good to me. I get to talk with Him a lot out here. Feeling so sorry for any person out on the trail who might somehow forget about all that. If you just look you can see His hand in everything. Just hope I can continue to pay attention after Katahdin.........Later
Date: 2004-08-11
To: Moose Mountain
Miles today: 11.0
Weather: haze

Aug 11 - Moose MountainComing out of Hanover on our first day of hiking in NH, we did 11.0 miles. Almost all of it was up. Peak was at 2290'.   Total miles hiked are now at 1743.2 and we have only 430.9 to go.As you know by now, I suffered food poisoning in Dalton, Mass and a significant fall going into Manchester Center, VT. Both conditions appear to be improving but are not completely back to normal. For one thing, my appetite just is not back to normal. I know I need to eat but refuse to push down food for fear it will make me sick.Here I am, old anti-drug John, sucking down Ibuprofen and Prevacid like there is no tomorrow. The trail is making me a believer in use of these medications. Fact is every day I notice improvement in both conditions.We are approaching the White Mountains, and are prepared to enjoy hiking them instead of dreading their reported difficulty. Will be taking lots of pictures.Coming off of a zero day in Hanover, our hiking plans are now changed to allow more rest. Our mileage will be much lower. Have reservations in two of the AMC huts and a stay overnight is reserved in Glencliff. We expect to be in Glencliff on Saturday August 14th. Expect to be thru the Whites and into Gorham, NH on Monday, August 23rd. After that we will enter Maine on about August 25th.The good news is that I feel fit enough to finish. Our schedule is truly set to allow us to enjoy the rest of the Trail.This evening I ate moose steak for the first time, here on Moose Mountain. A group of four hikers are staying here at this shelter site and one of them had a bag of steak cubes provided by his parents. (they stayed with his folks last night). We all got a taste of moose. Little fat and very tender -- very good.Must sleep now. Will probably be able to do a better job journaling now that we have slowed down a bit.
Date: 2004-08-12
To: Firewarden's Cabin - Mt. Smarts
Miles today: 12.4
Weather: light rain

August 12 - Real ProgressOn our 2nd day in NH, we climbed a total of about 3500'. My new approach on the uphill is paying off. Although slower than the other two I can make a decent rate by not stopping for frequent rests. I just adjust the pace and step length to make breathing settle in at a sustainable rate. Seems very slow but they say its at least 20% faster than what I had been doing. Good trail magic in the PM. Couple choc chip cookies, root beer, and a banana. Best of all, I ate a very generous breakfast & lunch and feel normal in my gut. Climbs are getting more interesting and the terrain more challenging. No matter of concern though as we are enjoying the trip much more with the present pace.Rained the last two hours of the day and we camped in abandoned fire warden's cabin on Mt Smarts. Elevation here is 3240'.Today we (Palm Tree, Boonie and, I) hiked a respectable 12.4 with totals now at 1755.6 traveled and 418.5 to Katahdin.
Date: 2004-08-13
From: Firewarden's Cabin - Mt. Smarts

To: NH 25 A
Miles today: 10.2

xxxxAugust 13 - Surprise Change in PlansRain. Rain. Seems we are getting fallout from storms from the south. Boonie and Palm Tree's families sustained serous damage and loss of trees.Trail was not too scary due to being wet. Going down into Glencliff I was met by south bounders who reported people waiting for me at NH 25A, about 3 miles short of my destination for the evening. Seems Palm Tree's wife became concerned about us in the predicted storms and decided to intercept us at the road crossing. She came up from Vermont and rented a cabin for us so we could slack pack the beginning of the White Mountains. What a surprise! We went directly to Glencliff and picked up mail drop supplies. Short way down NH 25 we came to Warren, NH where cabin is located. Stashed supplies, got shower and then had good dinner of roast turkey with all the trimmings at Calamity Jane's Restaurant in Warren.Next day we plan to skip ahead and do Mt. Mooselake as it is the steepest and probably most dangerous of the Whites. Weather tomorrow is predicted to be sunny but then the rain is supposed to get much worse.After Mooselake we will come back and hike from NH25A to Glencliff, passing up the Ore Mt Shelter originally planned for our destination today. Hiked only xxx today but feel the changed plan is very fortunate. This will allow us to eat better and carry very light packs for the next few days. After two days we will move to another motel location, nearer our hiking path. May go to North Woodstock, NH.
Date: 2004-08-14
From: NH 25 A

To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

xxxxAugust 14 - Mooselake in the SunOur plans were to do this steep mountain before the hard rains predicted from hurricane Charlie. Climbed over 4000', starting from the highway near Glencliff. Very first thing was to ford a stream. The water was surprisingly warmer than I expected - not too cold at all.Long climb but gradual and fairly smooth most of the way. High mountain tops have a spirit that just pulls you up. I could almost run the last quarter mile. Quite a few hikers were at the top. Lots of good pictures.Being Saturday, several local people were on top. Absolutely amazing that they made it up so high as the decent revealed to us a very difficult terrain. One group of about half dozen men come up about once or twice a month just for fun. They don't even use hiking poles!At the bottom we had a trail magic party, hosted by Batch Elder and his wife. A 2000 thru hiker, he just completed a 600 mile section hike this year just for fun this year, at age 82!Lots of goodies. Ate raisin squares and muffins.Palm Tree's wife, Susan, then drove us back to the cabin.
Date: 2004-08-15
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

August 15 - Quick and EasyToday we picked up the section skipped yesterday when we went over Mooselake. The weather was excellent here. Expected to be lashed by the tail of Hurricane Charlie.Slack packing is good - it's very good. Did not even carry lunch. Started the day with only 2 liters of water in my Platypus. Carried rain gear but never needed it. A new quote from my friend, 'The Boons', or 'Boonzer', as I sometimes refer to him - "The balance has swung in my favor". What he means by this snide remark is that I paid for the last motel stay and he has been getting my meals. Now he paid for the motel room for the next two days. None of this low class hostel staying for us - if we can help it. You see we have become a notch higher on the hobo/hiker scale. We are bona-fide, non-cheapo tourist, eating at good restaurants and staying at regular motels in lieu of hostels. We are all happy about this and want to seriously make the rest of the trail as healthful and pleasant as possible, within reason. Soon we will be in so remote regions that good town food will be much less available. (Must feed those bodies!) Had good meat loaf dinner tonight.
Date: 2004-08-19
To: AMC Mitzpah Hut
Miles today: 69.7

August 19 - To AMC-Mizpah Hut First thing today was to draw water from the inlet stream to the Ethan Pond."I am adding a short note to this Journal since all he wrote on this day is the one sentence. I am sure he is going to add more later but, just to let you know, AMC-Mizpah Hut is 1835.5 miles hiked with only a mere 338.6 miles left to Katahdin. I think the water he drank must have had something in it for him to just send one sentence. Anyway, they are traveling right along and getting closer to home all the time. I am so happy that they have slowed down some and are enjoying it more." "I am also adding 69.7 miles that they have hiked between August 14 and August 19. Johnny has not listed any miles for those days and that will bring them to the 1835.5 which is where Mitzpah Hut is. Maybe Tree Frog will straighten all of this out in a future Journal." Mary Ann
Date: 2004-08-20
From: AMC Mitzpah Hut

To: AMC Madison Hut
Miles today: 11.8

August 20th - Mt Washington and Madison HutWe are now a little over half done with the White Mts of NH. I am absolutely ecstatic at this moment. Reached the summit of Mt Washington at 1:20. The whole top of the Mtn is engulfed in a cloud. Glasses fogged several times on the way up.Health is excellent. Dinner last night at Mitzpah Hut was great. Stopped off at AMC-Lakes of the Clouds Hut for pancakes at about 9:30.Have missed journaling for several days. Will try to catch up later but now we are into serious hiking.Now having a bowl of chili, hot chocolate, and a banana. Awesome pictures this morning on the way up.Will spend tonight at AMC-Madison Hut. Good dinner and breakfast are included. Plan to go into Gorham from Pinkham Notch tomorrow. Spend the night in motel, resupply and back out on Sunday AM. Will hike into Gorham on Monday, 8/23.By tonight we will have hiked 11.8 miles today and 1847.3 total with 326.8 to go. I now honestly believe I can do it all.Have become fairly comfortable walking rocks. I now go places that I would have never tried a few weeks ago. Still being careful and sometimes slow. But it's not a race and we have it under control.God has smiled on my pathway. So far the weather has been generally better than predicted.Must move now. Have zillions of things to relate. Will just have to come back and fill in details later.
Date: 2004-08-21
From: AMC Madison Hut

To: Pinkham Notch
Miles today: 7.8
Weather: fog

August 21 - Happy Birthday JohnHappy birthday, John (my oldest son), at 39. I will be home soon to celebrate with you. Got over Washington and down to Madison Hut as planned. Great dinner last night and will have breakfast here this morning.Today we will hike down to Pinkcom Notch and we will meet Susan Himburg (Mrs. Palm Tree). Ol' Huff was right, 'persistence does mean distance'. Will try to write more at end of the day. Must get packed now.
Date: 2004-08-22
From: Pinkham Notch (Zero Day-Gorham, NH)

To: Pinkham Notch
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: few clouds

August 22 - ZERO DAY in Gorham, NHProbably the smartest thing we could do after the extreme exposure over the last few. Complete rest. Went to church this AM. Took long nap in the PM.At 5:00 PM we got together and planned our itinerary for the rest of the hike. Amazing that this is actually happening! We are going to finish the whole thing.Boonie gives a shout out to all his peeps. He also declares that New Hampshire's White Mountains are for the hiker that wants it all. I agree. In fact in my opinion they are downright dangerous. The hikes over the last two days were especially taxing. Yesterday was likely the hardest in the whole trip. We started the day by climbing over Mt. Madison in the rain, sleet and wind gusts of about 40 mph. There is no soil up there, much less trees or other vegetation; Just lichen, some moss, and lots of big rocks. Could not take out camera for picture as did not want to take a chance of ruining it in the rain.After climbing over the top and down part way I came to a trail junction sign with distances marked. Was shocked to find it had taken me 2 1/2 hours to go only 0.9 miles! First time ever I was glad to get down to a trail with roots, rocks, and mud! At least one could see where the trail is located. Up high one has to navigate by cairns. (stacks of rocks that look like little towers). With heavy cloud cover one could just barely make out the next cairn but no trail path was discernable in the rocks.In these mountains there are many trails besides the AT and this presents a maze of opportunities to get off on the wrong path. Somehow I made all the correct turns, aided with both map and handbook descriptions. (The trail causes me to pray a lot) This itself may be a good enough reason to endure this challenge. Seriously, I talk to God a lot out here.I am reminded that Jesus said, "Ask and it will be given you, seek and you will find, knock and the door will be opened to you". I ask for safety.Anyhow, it continued to rain all day. Had to cross 4 major swollen brooks on the way down. Trail became a stream and my bottom half was soaked. Took 7 hours and 45 minutes to do 7.8 miles. Thankfully the trail was smooth for about the last 3 miles.Tomorrow the weather is predicted to be clear with mild temperatures in the low 70's. We will hike one full day and a partial day to cover the ground from Pinkham Notch back down to US Highway 2. We will then return to Gorham, NH for another zero day before going on.Now the total distances stand at 1855.1 hiked and 319.0 to go.
Date: 2004-08-24
From: Pinkham Notch

To: Gorham, NH
Miles today: 21.1
Weather: clear sky

New Cell Phone arrives when previous one died (don't get yours wet)No Journal was entered for this day so I am adding a short one to add in miles and get Johnny on par with THE THRU-HIKERS HANDBOOK. Hopefully Journals will be submitted soon to cover the time between 8-22-04 and 8-25-04. I am adding in 21.1 miles to bring him to a total of 1876.2.A special thanks to Mrs. Palm Tree as she was a wonderful Trail Angel to Johnny, Boonie and Palm Tree during this time. Johnny feels, without a doubt, that she probably saved his life on more than one occasion. She and I talked often on the telephone during this time. Johnny's cell phone got wet and I was responsible for getting another to him through Susan (my name for Mrs. Palm Tree). It took a few days but he now has another cell phone that is programmed with all the numbers that he needs while on the Trail. THANKS, SUSAN.
Date: 2004-08-26
From: Gorham, NH

To: Gentian Pond Campsite
Miles today: 11.8
Weather: clear sky

August 25th & 26th - Leaving New Hampshire Its 5:53 AM on Thursday and we are going to eat then get a taxi to the trailhead.Yesterday was filled with preparing and shipping forward supplies. I sent 6 packages from the Post Office!On the way to the PO I was carrying a box and a big bag and a lady stopped and gave me a ride. Her name is Judy. What a trail angel! Gave me tons of help. Will have to write more about her later. Mrs. Palm Tree went home yesterday.Now finishing breakfast at McDonalds. The next few days will be very busy. Will try to write this week but this section is very intense.Taxi has been called so must finish and send this. Today we will climb about 3000' and travel 11.8 miles to Gentian Pond Campsite. Friday we cross over into Maine, the last state on the AT.Wish I had time to tell more but time is pressing.....Later
Date: 2004-08-27
From: Gentian Pond Campsite

To: Full Goose Shelter and Campsite
Miles today: 9.6
Weather: haze

August 25, 26, & 27 - Lunch in MaineIts 5:53 AM on Thurs (26th) and we are going to eat then get a taxi to the trailhead.Yesterday (25th) was filled with preparing and shipping forward supplies. I sent 6 packages from the PO!On the way to the PO I was carrying a box and a big bag and a lady stopped and gave me a ride. Her name is Judy. What a trail angel! Gave me tons of help. Will have to write more about her later. Mrs. Palm Tree went home yesterday.Now finishing breakfast at McDonalds. Next few days will be very busy. Will try to write this week but this section is very intense.Taxi has been called so must finish and send this. Today we will climb about 3000' and travel 11.8 miles to Gentian Pond Campsite. Next day we cross over into Maine.Got to Gentian, the last shelter in New Hampshire. The view from the shelter was fabulous. Wish I could tell more but time is pressing.....LaterWe passed thru the "300 miles left to go point" going into Gorham on Tuesday, Aug 24th. Now I have only 286.1 miles left to hike.August 27th - Lunch In Maine.Its now 7:28 PM. Finished hike as planned and have collected water and finished dinner. Before leaving NH, I was hiking with Palm Tree past Pace Pond and we saw our first moose, a cow feeding on water plants. She saw us but was not alarmed at all. We did not try to get closer because the trail is fairly difficult and we needed to keep going. Fairly steep decline just before the state line.Was greeted by a reception committee (hiker friends, Boonie, Palm Tree, Beater, and Wife). They stood at a military-like formation of two columns and I passed thru crossed hiking poles. (See picture). Got to Maine state line about 11:45.At end of the day, I reached 1st Shelter in Maine, Full Goose. All is well. Have now hiked 1897.6 miles and have only 276.5 to go to reach Katahdin.Today I thought about what it would be like to have a family member or friend with me on this portion. WOULD NOT WANT THEM HERE. This kind of hiking is only for the experienced. Have had to walk rocks and negotiate serious downhills. Although I am slow, my key for hiking now is safety. Would not want to have friend or family exposed to these extreme conditions. VERY DANGEROUS. Distance covered is now 1902.7 with only 276.5 to go. After today's hike, we changed plan to cover only 5.0 miles to Spec Pond in lieu of going on to Baldpate Lean-to. Tomorrow we do the famous Mahoosuc Notch! Food supply is really low as we will now be out an extra day. Planning a short hike on the day we do the Mahoosuc Notch. I mentioned this to hiker friend, Polar, and her partner, Pilot left me a whole days supply at the next shelter. Unexpected but welcomed help! Also another hiker friend, Alleghany, gave me two breakfast bars and two energy bars. Great. They all knew I was showing signs of getting sick. Extra food was a great help.
Date: 2004-08-28
From: Full Goose Shelter and Campsite

To: Speck Pond Campsite
Miles today: 5.1
Weather: broken clouds

August 28 - Hardest MileOn this day we exceeded 1900 miles while passing thru the Mahoossuc Notch. This is reported to be the most difficult mile in the AT. It took us four hours. The path goes down a section filled with very large and oddly positioned boulders. It was exciting and fun, yet very dangerous. The area has very deep crevices that are so remote the ice never melts there. Odd air currents are chilled by the deep cracks and at times the temperature dropped into the 60's. At times the air would suddenly rise to the 80's due to surface exposure to the sun. Have several pictures as we progressed thru the area This section was the ultimate test. At spots the crack we needed to pass thru was so small or low that we had to remove our packs and push them ahead or pull them after as we squirmed thru. During this exercise my camera display screen got cracked.Following the notch we ate lunch then had to climb about 1300' over an adjacent mountain called the Mahoosuc Arm. We then descended to Spec Pond and a Campsite for the night. This was short of our original goal but we needed to stop as it was already 5:00 PM. I personally felt at that point a very pleasant sense of accomplishment. It's from knowing we can do the toughest and everything following will be easier. Also was pleasantly surprised to find food left by Pilot.During the night I began to have extreme symptoms of a sinus infection or onset of a cold. Running nose and coughing. Did not sleep well. Was a little disgusted as this is the first time I have come down with this type of thing since starting the trail in March.