morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2019-07-31
From: Hikers Welcome Hostel 

To: The Notch Hostel
Miles today: 9.3

Day 163, 9.3 milesOur climb up Moosilauke started with a sign that had an  ominous warning ¢This trail is extremely tough if you lack experience please use another trail¢ I wondered if my skill set was up for the challenge. I thought about my great friend Tom Weathers Jr. who passed away early in his life. He was one of the most confident, extremely athletic, young man you could ever meet. He would have laughed at the sign put a dip in his mouth and said come on ¢Lo let¢s fly up this little hill.  So I took a deep breath and I started the climb. Yes it was steep and sometimes very slippery but I managed to make it up unscathed. The views were by far the best I¢ve experienced on the trail. I¢ve never hiked above the tree line and that in itself was spectacular. The peak was in and out of a cloud and the temperature dropped drastically, fortunately we all had our rain jackets for protection. We summited around 9am and hung around on top for a couple of hours . The climb down the mountain was not as graceful as the ascent, I left a little blood on one of the rocks but really just a minor scratch. We were very fortunate weather wise and the rains did not kick in till way after we were off the mountain. Tomorrow we continue into the Whites tackling the Kinsman mountains. Should definitely be a longer day.Oh today we hit the 1800 mile marker, OohRah!
Date: 2019-08-01
From: The Notch Hostel

To: Franconia Notch
Miles today: 17.0

Day 164 Kinsman Notch To Franconia Notch 17 milesThe Climbs today made yesterday look like a picnic in the park. Well maybe that¢s an exaggeration as yesterday was tough as well. I want to stress that as beautiful and majestic these Whites are ,the terrain is extremely difficult and can be dangerous . I don¢t want to discourage anyone but most of the time I tend to paint a rosy picture and the reality is you need to be ready for a full body whoop¢n.That being said by all means do some training and do it!!We were all beat by the end of the day and starving. When we got back to the hostel we were surprised with amazing trail magic feast my wife had arranged for us. Thank you to my neighbors at Lake Pointe for providing this hiker banquet.The food (pizza,steaks, lobsters, calamari) was over the top delicious . Thank you again for the tremendous surprise!!! What and end to an amazing day.Tomorrow we are going over the Franconia Ridge, we are forecasted to have beautiful weather .I have looked forward to this climb almost as much as Katahdin.
Date: 2019-08-02
From: Franconia Notch 

To: Garfield Ridge Campsite 
Miles today: 10.0

Day 165 , August 2, Franconia Notch The Good Lord gave us a perfect weather day, you could see for a hundred miles it was so clear.One of trail rangers said they may only get 30 nice days per year and this one was exceptionally nice. There are no words that can describe the beauty of Franconia Ridge. We did have several tough climbs through out the day climbing Lincoln, Truman,Lafayette,and Garfield.My legs felt like jelly at the end of the day. We camped at the Garfield ridge campsite , here in the Whites you have to pay $10.00 per person to use the shelters or camping areas. You pay full price for the first shelter and then it¢s half price for the others . Also you get freebies baked goods, soup etc at the Huts. The huts are bunk houses reserved for paying customers and are run by ¢croos¢ . They sometimes hire thru hikers for work for stay. We may try that....Today has been tough yet my most rewarding day on the AT.
Date: 2019-08-03
From: Garfield Ridge Campsite 

To: Zealand Falls area
Miles today: 10.1

Day 166 , August 3 , 10.1 miles Stealth site near Zealand HutToday was another epic day full of climbs and descents. In fact our climb down from our campsite was straight down a waterfall .But the highlight of my day was spotting the very elusive rarely seen Pine Marten. Our day ended at the Zealand Hut with a nice bowl of potato soup. Actually we had to hike a mile or two to our stealth site.Tomorrow we plan to make it to Mizpah camping area to stage our ascent on Mount Washington Monday Lord Willing!
Date: 2019-08-04
From: Zealand Falls area

To: Mizpah Springs Camping area
Miles today: 14.0

Day 167 Stealth Site to Mizpah Springs camping area 14 miles.This morning the trail was gradual for the the first four miles eventually leading down to Crawford Notch, we learned long time ago what goes down always must go up. Sure enough as we sat on the side of the road eating our lunch we stared at the Goliath of a mountain Mount Webster that we were about to climb and as big as it was we had to climb it¢s bigger brother Mount Jackson directly behind it.The ascent was climbing hand over hand on the Webster Cliffs in many areas. Mount Jackson was over 4,000 feet and was extremely challenging as well. Tomorrow we tackle the famous Mount Washington, I¢ve been so looking forward to this climb . I would like to recommend a very good bookNot without Peril https://books.google.com/books...This book highlights the dangers of the Whites particularly Mount Washington.The summit of Mount Washington, the highest peak in the northeast, is home to the most extreme weather in the world, with wind speeds reaching up to 200 miles per hour and temperatures dropping below freezing even at some points in the summer. Actually the highest recorded wind speed in the world is from Mount Washington.The summit complex is rounded out by the Mount Washington Observatory, a high-tech weather station that is staffed year-round by meteorologists and other scientists.Due to the mountain's height and unique weather patterns, Mount Washington is one of the most dangerous places on the Appalachian Trail. If there is any chance of thunderstorms, in fact any chance of rain you should absolutely stay off the summit.Does that sound like a challenging day or what? Tomorrow should be another gorgeous day so no worries for the climb. These past few days have been so exciting, sometimes a little scary and extremely difficult. This is exactly why we are all here, tonight I am a happy camper.
Date: 2019-08-05
From: Mizpah Springs Camping area

To: Base of Mt Madison 
Miles today: 11.8

Day 168 , Mizpah Springs Tent Area to tent site below Madison Hut 11.8 Miles.We woke up super excited to hit the trail anticipating our summit of Mount Washington. Our first stop was the Lake of the Clouds Hut where we ate some of the leftover oatmeal the paying guests did not eat. I rather enjoy being treated like a third class citizen , I guess being hiker trash is growing on me. The ascent up Washington was long but not especially steep and certainly not as technical as yesterday¢s climbs.When we finally summited we were surprised at how many people where running around all over the place. A train called the Cog brings loads of tourists up to the summit and there is a road up to the top as well. We actually had to stand in line on the AT behind families in flip flops to summit and take our picture beside the sign. I felt a little out of place, the summit is a theme park with free admission to all but I paid a dear price to get here. (I¢m starting to sound a bit entitled?) We ate lunch at the visitor center and left shortly after. Sometimes dreams and reality are different than you imagine..The hike to Mount Madison was a rock scramble the entire way, but it was great getting back into the ¢wild¢.I enjoyed hiking in the Christmas tree forests and then quickly above the tree line. When we finally got to the base of Madison I was wore out.Unfortunately we had to hike down a mountain path an additional .6 of a mile off trail to get to our tenting site. Tomorrow we will summit Mt. Madison.
Date: 2019-08-06
From: Base of Mt Madison 

To: Pinkham Notch 
Miles today: 7.8

DAY 169 , 170 Madison Mnt Tent site to Pinkham Notch 7.8 miles.Unfortunately we had a very steep  .6 mile climb out of our camping area just to get to the trail. I hate wasting steps much less on very steep terrain. The climb up Mt. Madison was very steep and rocky ,These tall mountains are above tree line and are pretty much piles of boulders that can be tricky to climb especially if wet. The view was phenomenal from the summit and we enjoyed yelling across the valley listening to our echo. B warned me the decent would be very rocky and steep and he was right! We slowly and carefully made our way down and eventually made it to Pinkham Notch visitor center where we were able to order some very tasty deli sandwiches. We had arranged to stay at a wonderful trail angel couple Gary and Cathy¢s home for a Zero day Wednesday and he came and picked us up. Their lovely home is in South Paris Maine and they spoiled us immediately with their hospitality.Rain is coming in Wednesday but we plan to be back on the trail Thursday. Tonight we we are safe and sound with a sound roof over our head and yes it¢s raining outside.
Date: 2019-08-08
From: Pinkham Notch 

To: Stealth site on CarterÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs Mountain 
Miles today: 11.5

Day 171  11.5 Miles Pinkham Notch to Stealth site on Carter MT.The Wildcats ( a series of mountains peaks part of the Whites) lived up to their name. Truly I left a piece of me up in those mountains. The climbs were super tough sometimes hand over hand, but the descents were downright brutal, organized falls as Rhonda likes to call them. I call them unplanned beatings. The day started out with a steady but light rain. The problem of course is that the rocks and bedrock trails became slick as an ice skating rink. I fell hard a couple of times and my slow pace became a crawl, actually more of a butt slide on the descents some planned others forced. Unfortunately the mountains did not give up any views as we stayed in a cloud most of the day. Finally the weather broke around 4 pm and we slowly started seeing the beauty that was hiding in the mist. I hiked alone most of the day, my shoes are horrible on the wet rocks and I plan to correct that issue Friday. I know, I know it seems over indulgent purchasing so many shoes on trail but I only have 300 miles left and I can¢t get hurt now if I can help it.When I got to the top of Keith Carter Mountain the sun was setting which  was spectacular however I still had to descend one and a half miles to reach my campsite where Free Range was waiting. I decided to set up my tent and not risk another beating climbing down with my headlamp. Tonight I¢m all alone on the beautiful peak of Carter Mountain the wind is howling above me but I¢m protected by all the Christmas trees.... or is that howling a pack of wolves or wildcats ?
Date: 2019-08-09
From: Stealth site on CarterÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs Mountain 

To: Gorham NH
Miles today: 9.6

Day 172 Stealth Site to US 2 Gorham NH 9.6 miles. Friday Aug 9th.I woke an hour before sunrise and heated my water for my coffee and instant breakfast in my tent vestibule. Last night I did something I¢ve not done the entire time I¢ve been out here, I slept with my food bag inside my tent. Very risky but last night I looked around and all I saw were Christmas tree shaped spruce trees with no offsetting branch to hang my bag. The cool thing is I didn¢t need to get out of my sleeping bag to cook, ahh breakfast in bed. Soon enough I had  a very glorious sunrise and I wished RG and Q could have seen it with me, but they were safe and sound at the bottom of this steep mountain and I still needed to climb down. The going was slow as the rocks were wet. I slipped twice landing on the not so soft rocks. I knew I had made the right decision by not attempting this decent by headlamp. Eventually I made it down and later caught up with Free Range down the trail. Gary picked us up at two pm at the Gorham road crossing and took us back to his home for showers and resupply. He first drove me to a local hiking outfitter and I purchased a pair of Merrill Moab II Ventilator hiking shoes which have a Vibram sole and should grip better on the wet rocks....sigh. Detour, Fireplug and Iceman joined us that evening for Gary¢s famous homemade chili. Tonight we celebrate we will hit 1900 miles tomorrow. Iceman will carry us back to Gorham in the morning .
Date: 2019-08-10
From: Gorham NH

To: Gentian Pond
Miles today: 11.8

Day 173, Saturday Aug 10 Gorham to Gentian pond Camp site 11.8 Miles.Thank you Iceman for dropping us off this morning at Gorham Notch. We appreciate the trail magic you do for so many. We all had a great time at Gary and Cathy¢s home last night .Today it rained off and on. My new shoes are working well so far very comfortable and they are gripping well , btw I bought 11 m and the width is perfect, I use 11 Wide in the Oboz , that¢s why it¢s always best to try on these shoes as they all fit differently.Right off the bat barely out of the notch Q spotted a bear! Unfortunately RG and I did not get to see it , I¢ve actually moved on to hopefully seeing a moose, bears are so yesterday. We did see plenty of moose poop on the trail.Today we hit mile 1900 OohRah!We all finally made it into camp first RG then Q and finally me. Unfortunately it was raining and putting up s tent in the rain is no fun. The evening turned out lovely but very cold, so thankful for my winter gear.
Date: 2019-08-11
From: Gentian Pond

To: Full Goose Shelter area
Miles today: 9.6

Day 174 Gentian Pond to Full Goose Shelter 9.6 milesOur day started climbing MT Success which is named after the township of Success. The name recognizes the colonist successful repeal of the Stamp and Tea Act of 1773 and prevention of the importation of tea into Boston. I didn¢t double check this fun fact if someone knows differently. Rob W have you heard of this?There is a side trail that takes you deep in the forest and there is wreckage from a plane crash from 1954. The strange thing is that there are all kinds of wreckage debris all over the place, almost like the crash just happened.https://www.scenicnh.com/blog/...As usual the climbs were tough, lately my body never seems to recover and unfortunately I¢m feeling weaker, I¢ve discussed this with other thru hikers and they say this fatigue at this stage of the game is common wear and tear.Today we entered into our last state Maine! I can hardly believe I¢ve walked all the way from Georgia. ¢Well I¢ve never been to Maine, but I kinda like the music, they tell me I was born there, but I really don¢t remember....¢   Anybody remember this tune maybe with a slight variation in lyrics?Tomorrow we attempt to conquer the Mahoosic Notch the most difficult or most fun mile on the AT. Hopefully I¢ll be up for the challenge.
Date: 2019-08-12
From: Full Goose Shelter

To: Grafton Notch
Miles today: 9.7

Day 175 Full Goose Camp to Grafton Notch 9.7 milesExciting and challenging day today!We traversed the Mahoosic Notch as you have heard it is known as the most difficult or fun mile on the trail. It¢s basically a tight pass in a low valley between tall cliff walls .The temperature drops several degrees when you get to the beginning of the Notch in fact there were solid pieces of ice at the bottom of some of the rocks. It took us 1 hour and 50 minutes to make it thru. That¢s pretty good as we spoke to a south bounder that took over 3 hours the day before. It¢s never a race, we just got lucky and found the passage thru without too many turn arounds. Some describe the notch as a massive boulder jungle gym to me it was a massive boulder maze where sometimes death defying leaps were necessary.Immediately after the Notch we were faced with two tall climbs the Mahoosic Arm and Old Spec Mt. I was totally beat up by the end of the day, to add humor to my injuries I fell into a mud bog at the top of the Arm , it was almost like quicksand and very deep. As you can imagine Q and RG had a good laugh in fact we all did. A cold washing at Old Spec Pond took care of the issue. We are now officially out of the Whites. Amazing I remember being so apprehensive about the Whites not so long ago.Today we saw a Spruce Grouse,it¢s different from the Ruffled Grouse I¢m used to from Tennessee. The one I saw was black with a red bonnet and was not scared of humans, usually grouse hold tight in the brush and shoot out like a rocket when you get close. Still no moose.Gary picked us up at the end of the day and brought us back to their home . Cathy made us homemade pizza and her award winning chocolate cake! Thank you Gary and Cathy for all that you do!Tonight all is well as we prep for another day on trail.
Date: 2019-08-13
From: Grafton Notch

To: East B , Andover
Miles today: 10.3

DY 176, Grafton Notch to East B Andover. 10.3 Miles.This morning We were honored to have Gary hike with us for part of the day. We climbed the Baldpate peaks today and the views were amazing. The descent down was challenging in fact my least favorite type of hiking is descending steep smooth bedrock that is slick as glass when wet. I¢m surprised more people are not seriously hurt every day. Usually hikers cling to the trees on the side of the trail to keep from busting it. I need to take a minute and be transparent with everyone , recently I¢ve not been as chipper and upbeat about the trail as my posts appear . In fact ever since I hit the Maine border a couple of days ago ,the hole in my heart for my wife, family, church ,friends and my dog has grown and almost gotten unbearable. My body is wore out and needs to recover. I know I¢m close to the end but I¢m so ready to come home. Before I ever started this adventure someone told me that ¢They hoped I would find what I am looking for.¢I remember being a little put off by that comment as I did not believe I was looking for anything in particular. I can tell you there¢s nothing out here on the trail greater than what I have at home and anyone considering a thru hike needs to understand the sacrifice you and your loved ones will need to make being apart so long. If I was on a high horse I¢ve been knocked off and I¢ve got the scars to prove it.I plan to dig deep and complete this quest but I felt like you needed to know I¢m not as tough and resilient as I put on..... I wanna come home.
Date: 2019-08-15
From: East B , Andover

To: Oquossoc
Miles today: 23.3

Day 177, East B to South Arm10.1 miles. Day178 South Arm to Oquossoc 13.2 miles. Total 23.3I want to thank everyone for the encouraging words,well wishes and prayers! I can tell you I need them and they have me back on track!In addition ,Gary is taking me into town tomorrow to get a doctor to check me out, it¢s so weird how my body is wanting to shut down , I feel very weak at times especially on climbs.I should be like Superman at this point, right? That being said Wednesday¢s hike was great, the trail was retro to our earlier hikes back in Georgia . No slick steep dangerous trails. We did have a steep long climb up Wyman Mt but the trail was very manageable and not technical.Danger is always possible but Wednesday¢s hike was certainly a more chill trail. Today the steep climb up Old Blue Mt was not too bad, but later in the day in a somewhat easy section my fatigue got the best of me. My mind is probably making it out to be something more serious than it really is but I told Q I would get checked out Friday. The wild Maine blueberries growing on the mountain are delightful , certainly worth the steep hike if you are in the area. The picture is from my dip in the mud the other day as you can see I wasn¢t happy at first but we all had a great laugh once the shock lifted.Thank you again for the encouragement!
Date: 2019-08-17
From: Oquossoc

To: Piazza Rock
Miles today: 15.0

Day 180, 15 miles to Piazza Rock camping area, Day 179- Zero.Yesterday we all took a Zero and Gary took me to Urgent care where they drew blood to send off for evaluation. I should know something next week. The good news is that all of my vitals are reading fine,so hopefully it¢s something minor like plain ole fatigue. Today we hiked 15 miles of relatively easy terrain so no issues whatsoever. We saw some crystal clear ponds which had me longing for my fishing rod and kayak. Tomorrow is going to be more challenging with the Saddlebacks first thing but I will take it slow and easy. No Moose yet to be seen but droppings everywhere. Guess what it¢s doing tonight? Unfortunately my tent has sprung a small leak, I¢m fixing a hole where the rain comes in to stop my mind from wondering when it will come. Beatles anyone?
Date: 2019-08-18
From: Piazza Rock

To: Sluice Creek 
Miles today: 12.7

Day 181, 12.7 miles to Sluice Brook Logging Rd.I woke up with wetness inside my tent from the rain last night,truly a damper on the morning. Once I drank my coffee and carnation instant breakfast mix I was good to go.Today was quite the challenging day climbing Saddle Back Mt, The Horn and Saddle Back Jr. My energy level was ok not great but I had amazing 360 views ,Maine is so beautiful yet rugged. The ups and downs were very steep and fortunately my body cooperated with me. I made it into camp at nightfall, my shoes were wet from fording a stream and the last climb up to the old abandoned logging road we are camping on was ultra steep. Q and RG were already set up and I decided to eat with them and setup my tent afterwards. Ramen noodles is the best hiker food ever. Just heat up some water and bam the finest pasta in the world. After dinner I set up my tent in the dark ,piece of cake. More rain coming tonight.
Date: 2019-08-19
From: Sluice Creek 

To: Crocker Cirque
Miles today: 11.4

Day 182,  11.4 Miles to Crocker Cirque.Another rainy night, but I slept well.Today we had Spaulding Mt to traverse . It was steep but not too difficult and I felt much stronger. We are now less than 200 miles to get to Katahdin and tomorrow we will hit the 2,000 mile marker. Thank you again for all the concern, encouragement and prayers. Q and RG are convinced my issue might be upper respiratory related as they hear me coughing and hacking at night, I am now taking some antibiotics and should hopefully be back to normal soon.Tonight we hope to see a moose as we are camping near a bog where they sometimes frequent. That would be the best!
Date: 2019-08-20
From: Crocker Cirque

To: Hostel of Maine, Stratton ME
Miles today: 7.3

Day 183 to Hostel of Maine 7.3 miles.Up and Over South and North Crocker Mts and we would hit our short target of Stratton. Guess what we hit along the way ? Mile 1999 no party though , sorry Prince. We are extremely excited to have traveled this far and mostly in one piece!No Rain, No Pain, No Maine....Ok we are definitely in Maine so we can knock off the pain and the rain anytime now. We are staying at the Hostel of Maine tonight. The accommodations are great and we plan to hike the Bigelows tomorrow. These may be the last 4,000 footers we climb till we reach Katahdin, hooray! We did not get to see a moose but I did see tracks all around the bog this morning. These creatures are more ninja than the wild ponies in Grayson Highlands.All is well tonight, I hiked strong today. Did I mention they have ice cream at this hostel?Also if I may have already mentioned this fun fact ,on the 18th I celebrated and I use the term celebrated loosely,my 6 month anniversary out in the field. That¢s a lot of cat holes and ramen seasoned with dirt. But tonight I¢m comfy on the top bunk in this cool hostel. https://www.hostelofmaine.com/
Date: 2019-08-21
From: Hostel of Maine, Stratton ME

To: Flagstaff RD
Miles today: 16.7

Day 184,16.7miles to Flagstaff Today was an extremely challenging day. The Hostel of Maine slack packed us over the Bigelows. Unfortunately the weather got bad and the terrain got slick and dangerous. I came in by phone light as night came early and  fog or a low flying cloud rolled into the mountains. I was glad to make it off in one piece. As it turns out I wouldn¢t have hiked at all today as I was devastated to hear our little rescue dog Reagan passed away peacefully in his sleep  early this morning. The phone reception was sketchy but I was able to talk to Rhonda and got the bad news on Little Bigelow using Q¢s phone. Reagan was an excellent companion and we dearly loved him and most recently Reagan had developed a tight bond with Dr. Zorn. My heart is broken.