morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2010-08-26
From: Zealand Hut/Highland Center/Pinkham....

To: Lake of the Clouds Hut
Miles today: 11.1
Weather: fog

My luck may have changed. After breakfast, I was talking to the guy at the desk about how to work out some dayhikes, so I could leave my pack here and do parts of the AT around. He told me that he had just recieved a cancellation at Lake of the Clouds Hut. That is an impossible hut to get into! So I took the reservation, and one for the next day at Madison Hut. He suggested that I take the Tuckerman Ravine Trail up, rather than try to get over to Highland Center and do the Crawford Path. The Tuckerman Ravine is a very steep trail up a very rocky area to Mt. Washington. I started in good weather, but as I climbed, it began to get very cold and windy. The views were spectacular! Near the top, I took the Tuckerman Crossover to the Hut. That is all above treeline and there was sleet and lots of wind. I checked in and got comfortable. As the weather deteriorated, hikers poured in. By the end of the night, there were a total of 18 thruhikers here! Four of us were paying guests, twelve were work for stay, and two were "in the dungeon" (a shelter of sorts in bad weather). I was thrilled when On the Loose showed up as one of the work for stays.Characters of the Day: the Aussies. Tripper and Wizard from Oz are Australians in their late 50s. They are really interesting, but I have some difficulty understanding their accents. They made reservations here months ago. Smart people!
Date: 2010-08-27
From: Lake of the Clouds Hut

To: Madison Springs Hut
Miles today: 7.1
Weather: broken clouds

The weather forecast was for clearing skies. I waited until about 9:30am to hike out. It was cloudy as On the Loose and I did the 2 miles up to the top of Mount Washington. Mount Washington has the "worst weather" reputation. As we neared the top around 11am, the clouds parted to beautiful blue skies. Thank you, Lord! We took photos at the summit, then headed over to the restaurant on top to relax. I had a chili dog, clam chowder, and a hot chocolate. Somehow, I lost On the Loose. (I later found out that Scatter's mother had been in the parking lot serving lunch)I left Mt Washington around noon, since I still had quite a hike to go to get to Madison Hut. It was a perfect day for my hike. I could see all the surrounding mountains. I crossed the cog railroad, but didn't moon the train, as is the custom for some hikers who dislike the smoke it creates. I climbed along the ridge of Mt Clay, then Mt Jefferson. The rock climb down Jefferson was steep and scarey. I fell several times, and broke down in tears. About then along came Loose hiking with Scatters. She cheered me up, then hurried along, since she hoped to get all the way to the campsite tonight. I made it over Mt Adams, then down to the Hut. It was a long day, but I was thrilled to get to do it in such perfect weather.More hikers poured in for work for stay. It was getting cold and wet outside. I was glad to be inside and warm.Characters of the Day: Knees and Curio. Knees has done a lot of hiking! He did the AT in 2005 and the PCT in 2006. Although we know a lot of the same folks from 2005, we had never met until this year. He and Curio take their time since they have knee problems and this is tough area to hike.
Date: 2010-08-28
From: Madison Springs Hut

To: Pinkham Notch/ Highland Center
Miles today: 7.8
Weather: fog

I took the shortcut blueblaze from Madison Hut down to the Jackson Road Trail. I needed to make time so I could catch the shuttle from Pinkham (which was full) to Highland, where I had a bunk in the bunkhouse reserved. The weather was sunny, and almost hot. There were hikers everywhere. It is the last weekend in August, after all.The Appalachian Mountain Club hut system is amazing. It is expensive, but when you think about everything required, it makes sense. All the huts are way up in the mountains, most above treeline. Heavy provisions (like propane for cooking) are brought in by helicopter. Anything that will go bad must be hiked in. The Croo have huge back boards on which they tie 50-70 lbs of provisions or trash. All trash must be packed out. So a couple of times a week, these kids hike down with trash, and back up with provisions. The huts have bunkhouses that house 30 to 90 people, depending upon the hut. The Croo cooks and serves meals family style to the guests. There are no showers, but there are composting toilets, and running water. I am amazed at the number of children who come up to the huts with parents. These hikes are not easy! But there were lots of kids in every single hut!
Date: 2010-08-29
From: Zealand Hut

To: Highland Center at Crawford Notch
Miles today: 7.7
Weather: few clouds

Today's hike was to catch up what I left off last week in the rain. I took the shuttle to the Zealand Trail, then up to the hut, then over and back to the Notch. I want to keep my hike as complete as possible and this makes my hike continuous path from Zealand to Pinkham Notch. (although I did count Tuckerman as Crawford Crossover). Here's how it looks: Zealand to Highland Center at Crawford Notch, Highland Center to Lake of Clouds, Lake of Clouds to Madison Hut, Madison to Pinkham Notch. Yes, they were done out of order, but they are done. Wow, I need a rest!
Date: 2010-08-30
From: Pinkham Notch

To: Gorham
Miles today: 21.0
Weather: clear sky

No, I didn't really hike 21 miles. That would have taken at least two days in these mountains... I did the Wildcats, up and down, up and down, but the heat is back and it is getting to me. Pair that with the discussion of an upcoming hurricane this weekend, and I am frazzled, to say the least. I took the first trail down and got a ride to town to figure out what I need to do. It would be nice to hike the AT like I planned in the beginning, a nice pure hike. But for me, at my age, in my physical condition, in these mountains, is not realistic. I know that I am disappointing some of my fans. I am somewhat disappointed myself. But a girl's got to do what a girl's got to do. So I'm studying my maps for the safest way for me to walk through the Mahoosics without a hiking partner.
Date: 2010-08-31
From: Gorham

To: Berlin, NH
Miles today: 10.0

For anyone unfamiliar with this area, the Mahoosics are a range of mountains that border NH/ME. They are tough, but the most infamous mile of AT trail is here -- The Mahoosic Notch. This mile is a maze of boulders with climbs up, down, and through. It can take anywhere from one to five hours. Several years ago a moose got lost and his bones can still be seen below, I am told. The best way to hike this is with a partner and a very small pack. I have neither. Truth be told, I am terrified to do it alone with my big pack. I could end up like that moose. So after studying my maps, I found a way to blueblaze it. Today I walked from Gorham to Berlin and checked in at the Budget Inn. I was expecting a chain motel, but it is definitely not. It does have a bed, but that's about all I can say for it. Tomorrow I'll walk over to Hutchins St, then take the Success Pond Road to Grafton Notch. This road is an old gravel logging road, with lots of branches, but I understand that it is easier to follow now that it has become popular with ATV riders.   Hopefully, someday I can find come back and do this area with a partner and a small pack.
Date: 2010-09-01
From: Berlin, NH

To: Grafton Notch, Maine!
Miles today: 21.0
Weather: clear sky

Yes I did hike 21 miles today! I crossed over the river at Mason St., then walked up to Coos St, and turned left on Hutchins. From there it was about a mile to Success Pond Rd. which was marked with ATV signs. Cars and trucks passed me off and on all day, leaving their dust in my face. There were four trails that went up to the AT: Carlos Col, Goose, Notch, and Old Speck. The road is marked in yellow mileage markers, so it was easy to just my time. At mile 13 or so, there was a Y where I took the right turn. It was well marked with one side going to the pond and the other to Maine. I finally crossed over into Maine just before the Old Speck trail. What a range of emotions I felt! A little later I came to a sign that said "Mountain Fountain". There was a beautiful fresh water spring with a dipper. Amazing! It has been getting hotter every day since I got out of the Whites. The cold water sure made me feel better. At what should have been mile 18 I came to another Y. This one wasn't marked. I took the right turn but soon came to a mile marker that said "1". This confused me so I went back. I took the left turn, but came to a marker that said "4". What??? So I went back to the right turn again. Finally nearing the end of the road, a truck drove up. Inside were the driver and three hikers. They were headed to Andover. I said I planned to camp at Grafton Notch State Park, but was informed that there is no camping allowed. I decided to take the ride into Andover with the other hikers. We got to the General Store, had dinner, then I headed over to the Pine Ellis Hostel. The kids decided to stay the night in the town gazebo. It was a long day, but I'm in Maine!
Date: 2010-09-02
From: Grafton Notch, Maine!

To: East B Hill, Andover
Miles today: 10.1
Weather: few clouds

David from the Hostel dropped five of us off for slackpacking this morning. We were all headed back to Andover. It was a beautiful, but hot, morning. We climbed up Baldpate, with its rockface. We stopped and had lunch at the top. Coming down was a pleasure, with my favorite pine needle trail. Happy day! When I got back to the hostel, lots more hikers had come in, including On the Loose. My roadwalk down Success Pond Road has put me in front of hikers again. On the down side, Lion King has to work this weekend, so he won't be able to slackpack me.
Date: 2010-09-03
From: East B Hill, Andover

To: South Arm, Andover
Miles today: 10.1
Weather: overcast clouds

David dropped four of us off this morning. The walk up Wyman was fabulous! The trail couldn't be better! On the Loose would stop and wait for me and Silver Fox at several places. We had lunch, then started the tough climb up Moody Mtn. I know for sure why it's called "moody".... talk about steep!There was a recent avalanche that totally wiped out the trail, so there is a new reroute. It was tough. But once we got to the top, the walk down was perfect. We got back to town and discovered that the Aussies were here. There is lots of talk about the hurricane. It was supposed to hit this afternoon, but there is no rain yet. I'm taking a zero tomorrow, whatever... Character of the day: FOG. FOG stands for "fat old guy" which he is not. But apparently he once was. When he worked with scouts he would say, "come on, even the fat old guy can do it..." He did a through hike in 2008, and apparently forgot how hard it was, so he's doing it again. He is a true purist. Today when he came to the avalanche, he refused to take the reroute because there were no white blazes yet, just blue ribbons marking the way. He followed the old white blazes straight through the avalanche!
Date: 2010-09-04
From: South Arm, Andover

To: South Arm, Andover
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Well, the hurricane came and went last night. There was some heavy rain about 11pm, but it was gone this morning. Lots of folks are heading back out. Not me. I'll sit and enjoy my zero. This is a great place! I love Andover!
Date: 2010-09-05
From: South Arm, Andover

To: Maine 17
Miles today: 13.1

David dropped four of us off at the South Arm road. Immediately we had a huge climb. It took me almost two hours before I got to the top of Old Blue. On the Loose was long gone and the Aussies were just a little bit ahead of me. Then it began to rain. No rain was forecast until Wednesday, but I had my rain gear just in case. Good thing because it rained off and on all day. Everyone else was headed on, but I planned to return one more night to the Pine Ellis Hostel. Snow White was doing 23 miles and we were to meet before 6pm for the pickup at Maine 17. She started at East B Hill a little after 5am this morning... and she passed me around noon! I got to the Bemis Stream Trail about 12:30. Since it was raining, I decided to take the alternate, fair weather trail, rather than fight the slick wet rocks. It was a good decision. The trail was very nice, winding along the stream, crossing several times, with pine forests and great campsites along the way. I got a call from Snow White that she thought she would be finished well before 5pm. I knew that I would too, so she called David and let him know about the earlier pickup. I got there a little after 4pm, and she was there by 4:30 when David drove up. It was a very wet day, but a nice day in Maine. Character of the Day: Snow White. Snow White is a 30 year old nurse from Iowa. She started her hike Feb 20th! She hiked all the way to Gorham, NH, where she got off for her sister's wedding in July. She took six weeks off to avoid the heat. She returned last week. I had not met her, but she hiked with Braids back in February. She has an infected toe just four days after she started back. But that didn't stop her from doing the 23 miles between East B Hill Rd and Maine 17. She is an amazing hiker!
Date: 2010-09-06
From: Maine 17

To: Maine 4 (Rangely)
Miles today: 13.1

David from the Pine Ellis Lodge dropped me and Snow White off at the trail, then delivered our packs to the Gull Pond Lodge in Rangely. We hiked through wonderful trail, from pond to pond all day. From Moxie Pond to Long Pond, to Sabbath Day Pond, to Little Swift River Pond, and finally South Pond. It was the nicest trail that I've seen in Maine so far! Of course there were bogs, but all in all, it was a gorgeous day. Snow White took her time, since she was not supposed to hike on her infected toe. She seemed to enjoy my slow pace for a change. We got a ride into Rangely where we had dinner at the pub, then called Bob for a pickup.He picked us up and took us to the Gull Pond Lodge where we soon fell asleep. The only other hiker here was Sauerdough. Lion King was supposed to head to Maine today, but he has to wait till Friday for his paycheck. Hopefully, he'll be here Saturday in time to slackpack me a little.Character of the Day: Sauerdough. Sauerdough is a 50 something gentleman from Alaska. He is very quiet, and although I've seen him around, I never really got to know him. When I found out that he was from Alaska, I told him what my friend, Yappy, said: "Girls, in Alaska the odds are good and the odds are good!" He said that wasn't how it went... The correct version is "In Alaska the odds are good, but the goods are odd". I had to really laugh at that one.
Date: 2010-09-07
From: Maine 4 (Rangely)

To: Poplar Ridge Shelter
Miles today: 10.7

Snow White finally went to the clinic to get her foot checked while Bob from Gull Pond dropped me off at the trailhead, where I began my climb up Saddleback. It was difficult, with several false summits, but at the top, it was worth the work. I called some friends to tell them about how nice it was.Then I started the climb down. Rock scrambles, boulders... ugh! I reached the area where the Horn begins its ascent and started to climb up. More rock scrambles. After one false summit, I was at the top. I celebrated, since I though the tough part of the day was over. But was I ever wrong!Another rough down through more boulders, pounding my knees some more. Then I reached the climb up Saddleback Jr. It was every bit as tough as its namesake.Finally I reached the top, but I still had to climb down more boulders.I crawled into the shelter area, exhausted, and more frustrated than ever. My old knees simply can't take this kind of constant pounding. The views for the day were spectacular! But they weren't worth sacrificing my knees. At the shelter were Strider and Rainbow Monkey. They had already started a fire, as it was getting cold. On the Loose and the Aussies were right behind me, although I hadn't seen them all day. I hung up my hammock, cooked dinner, and called it a day.
Date: 2010-09-08
From: Poplar Ridge Shelter

To: Stratton
Miles today: 21.5
Weather: overcast clouds

I awoke to rain, which I knew meant slick rocks. I climbed down another bunch of boulders to the stream crossing, then up more boulders to an old railroad bed. At this point I decided to bale out. I knew that the railroad bed went south. It should cross a road at some point, where I could head east. Unfortunately, like most of my blue blazes, I wasn't sure, since my map cut off the bottom. I took a wrong turn, hit a dead end, then retraced back to the bed. I followed the RR bed for several miles.A moose ran in front of me, turned around and looked at me as if to say "what are you doing on my road?" I quietly took out my camera, but he turned and all I got was a photo of his rear. A little later I came upon an old moose leaning up against a tree. He turned his head as I walked by. I took out my camera, and he just stood there. I think he was too old and tired to run. I took his picture and said "I understand". I hope the photo turns out, it was perfect.Eventually I came to a point where several roads came together. I didn't have a clue as to which one to follow. I did have cell service, so I called Bob from the Gull Pond Lodge for advice. His advice was to stay put and he would come get me.After spending the night at the Gull Pond, Bob asked where I wanted to go. I told him I wanted to walk to Stratton. That is 20 miles from the Gull Pond. He pointed out that I had walked most of that already. I agreed for him to drive me part of the way, then I would walk into Stratton. He couldn't understand why, but I tried to explain that it was about me walking the miles. If I can't do it on the trail, I at least want to be doing the miles.So I walked seven or eight miles into Stratton after begging Bob to stop and let me out of the car. I checked into the Stratton Motel. That afternoon, On the Loose, Snow White, the Aussies, and Sauerdough all showed up too.
Date: 2010-09-11
From: East Flagstaff Road

To: Pierce Pond Shelter
Miles today: 15.9
Weather: clear sky

After breakfast, provided by the Maine group, I headed out. I was on a bit of a bummer because I had gotten a call from Lion King saying that he still couldn't meet me to slackpack. I soon got over it, as the day was gorgeous! From West Carry Pond to East Carry Pond, where there was a sandy beach... then on to nearly perfect trail. I did 15.9 miles in less than 9 hours. It was a great day! At the shelter, On the Loose, Sauerdough, Little Aspen, Toothpick, and Major Chief all showed up. We had a nice evening and made plans for pancakes for breakfast... Characters of the Day: Little Aspen and Toothpick. This is another 20 something couple. They got married less than a year ago and decided to take the hike while they could (before jobs and family). They are from Maine and know lots of folks up here. They were hiking on the AT when Toothpick proposed. Little Aspen is keeping a detailed journal that she hopes to share with her children someday.
Date: 2010-09-12
From: Pierce Pond Shelter

To: Caratunk - Northern Outdoors
Miles today: 4.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Three tenths of a mile from the shelter is a camp called Harrison Pierce Pond Camp. They do breakfast every morning. Everyone from the shelter except Toothpick and Little Aspen hiked over and had a dozen pancakes apiece. These weren't ordinary pancakes, they had blueberries, strawberries, and apples cooked inside. I could only eat about half of them!Then we walked on to the Kennebec River. The canoe was waiting. I rode across in the canoe rather than fording upstream, since I do the safe thing. It was a short walk to the highway and one quick hitch up the road to Northern Outdoors.
Date: 2010-09-13
From: Caratunk - Northern Outdoors

To: Caratunk
Miles today: 0.0

Today is six months since I started back at Springer Mountain in Georgia. If I hadn't taken the ten days off back in July, I would be summiting on the 15th, as per my original schedule. I got a message from Lion King that he would be here today. When he gets here we'll go over maps and plan out where he can drive my car to slackpack me and where I'll need to carry my full pack. I'm trying to keep up with On The Loose so we can summit together. Plans are tentative for the 23rd. I can do more miles slackpacking, so I should be able to keep up. It is pouring rain outside and everyone just left for the trail. I hope it dries up a little this afternoon so I can get a few miles in at least. (Later) So I waited all day for Lion King to show up. About 4pm I got on the computer again to play facebook. The first thing that came up was a message from Lion King that my car had broken down and I needed to contact the mechanic ASAP. I was about to get up and make the call when there was an emergency phone call for me. I would have been very upset if I hadn't just read the facebook message. It seems that a belt broke on my car, causing it to overheat. Luckily, he was near a town with a mechanic. So I gave the guy my credit card number and he said it would be done tomorrow. I told Lion King to meet me in Monson on Wednesday.
Date: 2010-09-14
From: Caratunk

To: Guilford, ME
Miles today: 32.0

I had planned two and a half days slackpacking to get to Monson in order to meet On the Loose there on Wednesday evening. But since I didn't get to hike yesterday, I would have to do it in two days, and that was nearly impossible on the AT. Checking my maps, I found a road north that went to Moxie Lake (the Lake that comes out of Moxie Falls and runs into Moxie Pond on the AT). Near it was an old dirt road that ran to Shirley, a town just north of Monson on hwy 15. It was a long walk, and I might have to camp along the way, but it was very doable.I got up and left at 6am, in the rain. I walked north 6 miles up the Old Canada Road to The Forks, where Moxie Lake Road turned right. I stopped at the rest area there, and took a short break under a pavilion with picnic tables. Then I put back on my pack and rain gear and headed east. Around noon I came to the lake. I had made great time walking on the paved road. I sat and ate a little, hoping it would stay dry for a while, but of course it didn't. I put back on my stuff and headed across the little bridge, up to Shirley Tote Road. This dirt road is used for logging at this end and was pretty nice at first. But as the day went on, it got much worse. There were lots of areas where it was basically just a pond. I was pretty wet and muddy anyway, so I kept on going. I came to areas where there used to be bridges over streams, but they were gone. It really wasn't that different than the streams I'd be cprossing on the AT. About 3pm I came to a high area that was fairly clear of trees, so I tried my cell phone. I was able to reach the garage and found out that my car was, indeed, done, and that Lion King was on his way. I left a message for Lion King on his cell, telling him that I was hiking the Shirley Tote Road and to try to get to the little town of Shirley. Around 5pm, he called back and said he didn't understand my message. I explained what I had done, and where I was. He was in Monson, so he drove up to get me.We headed to Guilford where there is a motel, stores, and restaurants. I cleaned up and we went out for Chinese.