morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2015-06-01
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

After more than 40 years I got back on the horse yesterday.I had not been in a canoe, or kayak, since a cold December night when I was almost swept over a dam stretching across the Neuse River.On my thru-hike last year I made up my mind to go down the river and, last week, I bought a kayak, a Hurricane Skimmer 140. My partner, Mike Johnson, and I plan to paddle our kayaks down the Neuse from Fall¢s Lake, near Raleigh, N.C., to New Bern, N.C., and, perhaps, beyond, to Oriental, N.C., a total of 225 miles.I¢ve thought about riding a river many a times over the years, I just never did. I¢m not sure why. I didn¢t own a boat, for one thing. There never seemed to be enough time, for another.   And maybe the impact of that near miss just never went away. Anyway, on my thru-hike I made a number of resolutions and this was one: get back on the horse and go down the river.Yesterday my wife and I took a picnic to Jordan Lake and I took my new kayak for a test drive. It was fun ¢ no flashbacks -- a tad bit more unstable than I thought it would be, at least at first, but much faster. My partner and I are novices, me more than Mike, he paddled a lot when he was younger, but we¢ve gotten a lot help from the folks at Friends of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail http://www.ncmst.org/ and from Sound Rivers http://soundrivers.org/ and one of its volunteers, Bill Hines. Mike and I now have a plan and we leave next week.I let you know how it goes.This is the story of the last time I went boating on the Neuse River. The Accident: Part IKerry Sipe, a friend and newspaper colleague, stood up in our canoe to pee and asked: "Does this make you nervous?"I said it did and then, just like that, the canoe turned over, dumping us into the Neuse River.   The water was cold -- it was December --and neither of us was wearing a life jacket.   It was nighttime too, and Kerry and I were alone. This was supposed to have been a pleasant, Sunday afternoon stroll, so to speak, down the Neuse, from U.S. 1 to U.S. 64. But we had underestimated the distance and how long it would take. The sun had gone down but the moon was full. It was a beautiful night.The canoe didn't sink and both of us grabbed hold. His camera and my glasses had gone to the bottom and I didn't want the canoe to float away. It was borrowed.I had brought a life jacket but Kerry hadn't and I didn't consider it sporting to put my mine on when he didn't have one. So I had laid it in the canoe between us and now it was floating away.I asked Kerry to grab it.He let go of the canoe, swam two or three strokes, grabbed it, clutched it to his chest, and floated away. He was caught in the current. We yelled back and forth for a few minutes as the distance between us grew. And then he went around a bend in the river and disappeared.Continued tomorrow.
Date: 2015-06-02
From: Melville Nauheim Shelter (1612.6)

To: Story Spring Shelter (1630)
Miles today: 17.4
Weather: moderate rain

Day 108 - Tuesday, June 2, 2015559 miles to Katahdin.From phone conversation:Came to a stream that was a roaring torrent - the sign over the (leaning) bridge: Bridge Closed. I figured it would be a good boat if it collapsed with me on it, so I crossed carefully.Hikers call this state Vermud. They're right. There's so much mud, you can¢t believe it. Blog entry:It rained hard during the night and was even colder this morning, 35 degrees. It continued to drizzle off and on most of the day, and the trees dripped.I continued to wear every stitch of clothing I had, including my hiking shorts, which I wore over my pants.I ran out of fuel last night while heating water for supper, so no hot chocolate this morning. Even so, I ate well: two Carnation Instant Breakfasts, two Pop Tarts, and a peanut butter and grape jelly sandwich.I won¢t be able to resupply for three days so I¢m going to be eating a lot of peanut butter this week.[On Thursday I¢m going to spend the night at the home of Tim and Meg Peek, friends of Andy Lehren, who live in Killingham, VT. He put us in touch and they are going to be my trail angels.] Met more section hikers at the shelter tonight, Thunder and Bolt, a young couple ¢ she¢s Thunder. And Daddy Smurf and Old Man. Old Man is 62 years old.
Date: 2015-06-03
From: Story Spring Shelter (1630)

To: Spruce Peak Shelter (1648.3)
Miles today: 18.3
Weather: overcast clouds

Day 109 - Wednesday, June 3, 2015540.9 miles to KatahdinFrom phone conversation:It is really cold - 35 and howling wind and driving rain through the night. I have no winter gear - didn¢t think it would be cold when it rained in the summer. Vermont didn¢t get the memo. Today is the first clear day after four days of continuous rain. NH is supposed to be the butt-kicker: hikers say by now you've done 80% of the miles and 20% of the work - there are no switchbacks and the weather is horrible (must pack winter gear). Expect 2/3 of your avg - for me, less than 12 MPD.Blog entry:Finally, a pretty day in Vermont, and a routine day on the trail.And, tonight, I got a reprieve from peanut butter sandwiches when Duke gave me some gas to heat water for a supper of rice and supper sausage.
Date: 2015-06-04
From: Spruce Peak Shelter (1648.3)

To: Mad Tom Notch (1656.6)
Miles today: 8.3
Weather: scattered clouds

Day 110 - Thursday, June 4, 2015532.6 to KatahdinToday is my birthday! I¢m 73.And Tim and Meg Peek¢s invitation to spend the night with them came at just the right time. It¢s my birthday, and I needed a break.Tim made me a coconut cake to celebrate my birthday and, for supper, he and Meg cooked steaks with all the trimmings. Tim picked me up around 11 at Mad Tom Notch after a short, 8.3 mile hike. [I would rather have hiked 13 or 14 miles but we don¢t always get our druthers, do we. Because so few roads intersect the AT in this neck of the woods, it was either get off at 8.3 or hike another 12.1 miles to Danby-Landgrove Road and meet Tim between 5 and 6 p.m., leaving little time to visit and resupply.He took me to a bank, to an outfitter ¢I needed money and gas-- and to a grocery store to resupply. And when we got to their house he washed all my clothes. I took a long, hot shower, and sat in their sauna for a few minutes, just what the doctor would have ordered.This is the 75th consecutive day I¢ve hiked and I¢m beginning to feel a little beat up, tired, earlier and earlier each day.
Date: 2015-06-05
From: Mad Tom Notch (1656.6)

To: Greenwall Shelter (1675.7)
Miles today: 19.1
Weather: light rain

Day 111 - Friday, June 5, 2015513.5 miles to KatahdinGuess what!The Hiking Vikings caught me on the trail this morning, not long after Tim took me back to Mad Tom Notch.After breakfast Tim gave me an enormous piece of my birthday cake to take with me. I ate half it right away and put the rest in my pocket ¢it was wrapped in cellophane¢to save it for later.Well, now was later, and I gave it to the Vikings. They loved it.[Because we mostly eat dehydrated food on the trail I can¢t tell you how good real food tastes.]Tim invited me to spend the night again on Sunday, when I passed through Killington, where they live. I probably won¢t do that, because that would mean an eight-mile day, and I need at least 15.It rained again today. You may not be counting so I¢ll tell you ¢ it has rained, at least some, every day but one since I crossed from Massachusetts the into Vermont.
Date: 2015-06-06
From: Greenwall Shelter (1675.7)

To: Cooper Lodge Shelter (1694.6)
Miles today: 18.9
Weather: light rain

Day 112 - Saturday, June 6, 2015494 miles to KatahdinIt rained hard again, all night.Why does that matter? Because wet rocks, wet roots, are slippery, and a fall could end my hike. And pools of water and mud in the trail, some of which can not be avoided, soak your boots and socks. And wet socks are like sandpaper. They grind up our feet, especially your toes.The Vikings, Bruin and I had lunch at the Qu¢s Whistle Stop Restaurant, a half a mile off the trail and well worth walk ¢ I had two eggs, sausage, hash browns, toast and jelly, two pancakes with maple syrup, orange juice and plenty of coffee. And a banana split for the four of us, my treat.Just yesterday the Vikings and I were talking about food, what we¢d like to eat right then, and I said, a banana split. And they said they had never eaten a banana split. Can you imagine? So I said I¢d buy then one next chance we had. And turns out, Bruin had never had one either. How deprived they¢ve been.The afternoon hike was tougher that it should have been. I tired most of the day now. I don¢t feel well.Bruin was the first one to the shelter and as I was arriving, about 7 p.m., he was leaving. He said the shelter had been trashed. He had decided to hike another 4.4 miles to the next shelter. Did I want to go with him?I did but I just couldn¢t any more. Bruin could. He¢s a young guy, 19 or 20, and a terrific hiker. But it would have taken me another two and a half hours at that time of day, including at least an hour in the dark.The shelter had been trashed, just as Bruin said. It used to have windows, but they had all been knocked out. Beer cans were everywhere.But I was asleep before you could say peanut butter sandwich.
Date: 2015-06-07
From: Cooper Lodge Shelter (1694.6)

To: VT 100, Killington, VT (1704.2)
Miles today: 9.6
Weather: light rain

Day 113 - Sunday, June 7, 2015485 miles to KatahdinI felt ill, too tired to even to stand. So I I lay down on the shoulder of VT 100, near Killington, VT. A few moments later I began to vomit.It had been a tough morning. I had left Cooper Lodge a few minutes past 6 and here it was, almost noon. That won¢t get it, 9.6 miles in almost 6 hours.I had planned to hike to Stony Brook Shelter on what should have been as easy day with a 6:03 a.m. start, only 16.3 miles.But by late morning I had decided to get off the trail, at least for the rest of the day, and accept Tim Peek¢s invitation to stay another night with him and his wife. I felt lousy.So I was standing there, talking to the Vikings. They left Cooper Lodge almost two hours behind me, but caught up just as I arrived at VT 100 and stayed with me until the Peeks arrived.Tim offered me something to eat when I arrived at his house but for the first time in I don¢t know when, I wasn¢t hungry. I showered, spent a few minutes in their sauna, and went to bed. I slept all afternoon.I had planned to meet my wife, and Scott and Marcia Babcock late tomorrow in Woodstock, VT, but we moved that up to tomorrow morning. I am going to take a zero tomorrow.I have no idea what is, or what was, wrong with me. But when I woke up from my afternoon nap I felt much better ¢ and I was hungry.Was this a message from my body: slow down? I¢m going to have to give that some thought.Bless the Peeks. I don¢t know what I would have done without them.
Date: 2015-06-08
From: VT 100, Killington, VT (1704.2)

To: VT 100, Killington, VT (1704.2)
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

Day 114 - Monday, June 8, 2015It is an ill wind that blows no good.Today is our 52nd wedding anniversary, and my illness, and time off the trail, could not have come at a better time. My wife flew to Boston on Saturday, and today, her cousin, Marcia Babcock, and her husband, Scott, drive here to Killington, VT to get me. I stayed with Tim and Meg Peek again last night and spent the morning working on the blog.(I apologize for getting so far behind. I make notes each day, but it is exceedingly difficult to write on the trail. More on that later.)Anyway, we had a wonderful day, beginning with lunch provided by a Trail Angel, Leila Jones. We drove to Hanover, NH, late this afternoon, to check out some of Scott's old haunts - he went to school at Dartmouth about 100 years ago.I feel OK. I'm going back to the trail tomorrow, rain or shine - and it looks like rain.The Vikings are long gone, of course, but I'll find someone else to hike with - a lot of people I know are behind me, or were.I'm a little concerned. What was wrong with me that forced me to lay down on the shoulder of the road and caused me to throw up?Am I over it?The other concern: New Hampshire. I've been hearing about New Hampshire's White Mountains for months - how difficult they are. And now, here they are.Part of me says, "Put me in, Coach. I don't smoke." And part of me says, "Are they as hard as everyone says?"
Date: 2015-06-09
From: VT 100, Killington, VT (1704.2)

To: Winturl Shelter (1720.8)
Miles today: 16.6
Weather: light rain

Day 115 - Tuesday, June 9, 2015468.4 miles to KatahdinIt was raining hard when I got our of Scott and Marcia Babcock's car this morning, hugged and kissed my wife goodbye - I will not see her again until I finish the hike - and returned to the trail.It rained almost all day, hard most of the time, accompanied in the afternoon by lightning and thunder. Welcome back.Twisted, a NoBo I met several weeks ago, caught me this morning and we sheltered together this evening. A young woman, a section hiker named Storm, was there when I arrived.Not a fun day, but I made 16.6 miles in the rain, so it was a successful day. Plus, I'm not sick - it's good to be back. FAQsQ. How is your health?A. Good. I feel fine. I think I'm over the virus, or whatever it was that knocked me down Sunday. My feet have healed. I've stopped bandaging them. My knees, especially my right knee which I've banged up twice, hurt a little sometimes, but they're OK. I think I've lost a little more weight, but I still have 10 or 15 pounds to give. I'm OK.Q. Are you worried about the Whites - about hiking New Hampshire?A. Worried is not the right word. I prefer "concerned." And, yes, I'm concerned.
Date: 2015-06-10
From: Winturl Shelter (1720.8)

To: Happy Hill Shelter (1741.2)
Miles today: 20.4

Day 116 - Wednesday, June 10, 2015448 miles to KatahdinIt did not rain today!Yea! I think it has rained a;; but two of the days I've hiked in Vermud. And that hasn't helped its reputation for being the muddiest state on the AT.Did a 20 mile day, and then sheltered again with Twisted and Storm had a place called Happy Hill. Nice shelter, but eaten up with mosquitoes.I mentioned several days ago that I was going to rethink my plan for getting to Mount Katahdin in Maine.All alone I have had it in my mind to complete the hike on July 10, Day 146. That would require a 15 mile a day average, which I thought I could do.By day 100, I had overcome all the medical and weather related zeros (10) and neros (3) I had taken ¢ I had hiked 1503 miles ¢ and I was trying to put some miles in the bank, so to speak. Trail wisdom says I won't be able to hike anywhere near as many miles when I get to New Hampshire, and then Maine.If that is true, then the half day and the zero I just took put that date out of reach. And if I can't summit on the 10th, I don't much care when I get there, as long as it's not later than the 23rd of July. My oldest grandson is getting married on August 1 and I'll need a week to get home and get ready.So I can relax, slow down. And I may. At the same time, I have no intention of laying in my sleeping quilt to 8 or 9 a.m., or knocking off work at two or three in the afternoon.Oh, by the way. Tomorrow I hike into New Hampshire. And then it's Game On!
Date: 2015-06-11
From: Happy Hill Shelter (1741.2)

To: Moose Mountain Shelter (1758)
Miles today: 16.8
Weather: scattered clouds

Day 117 - Thursday, June 11, 2015431.2 miles to KatahdinIt's funny how things work out sometimes. I lost my hiking partners - Twisted and Storm - this morning, and got new partners. Yes, the Hiking Vikings!Actually, I didn't hike a whole lot with Twisted (he has run numerous marathons and has an Iron Man tattoo on his left calf) or Twisted (she ran the 5000 meters for the USC track team).But I was able to keep up this morning. As we approached New Hanover, NH, who should appear but Mrs. H.V, now known as Hiking (he's Viking). They had spent the night at the home of a Trail Angel, and she had spotted Twisted through a window in the garage, where she was packing up her gear.The T.A. invited me to have breakfast there - I accepted. And I ended up hiking most of the day with the Vikings.Twisted and Storm had already decided to stay in town for a few hours to resupply and get their clothes washed, and then hike a short day.I wanted to get to Maine without delay. I also wanted to get into the White Mountains and face my fears.
Date: 2015-06-12
From: Moose Mountain Shelter (1758)

To: Hexacuba Shelter (1775.7)
Miles today: 17.7
Weather: light rain

Day 118 - Friday, June 12, 2015413.5 miles to KatahdinSo far, New Hampshire looks a lot like Vermud.The trail is muddy, like Vermont, and parts of it are steep, straight up, more or less, with no switchbacks. Even so, I did 16.8 miles yesterday, Including 10.1 miles in new Hampshire, And 17.7 miles miles today. In another day or two, if all goes well, we'll be in the Whites.I only fell once today. Hit my head against a tree. It didn't knock me out, and I think I'm okay. I'm trying to be careful ¢ a fall that seriously injures me is the biggest threat to my hike. I fell 6 times Wednesday. Wet rocks, slick rocks, mud, they'll get you if you're not exceedingly careful.
Date: 2015-06-13
From: Hexacuba Shelter (1775.7)

To: NH 25 and Glencliff, NH (1790.5)
Miles today: 14.8
Weather: overcast clouds

Day 119 - Saturday, June 13, 2015398.7 miles to KatahdinThe day I've been waiting months for arrives tomorrow: I am going to climb Mount Moosilauke, doorway to New Hampshire's White Mountain National Forest. It is the longest climb on the AT, almost 3800 feet, and, for the first time, will take me above the tree line.The Vikings and I hiked to Glencliff, NH today, where I'm staying at a hostel appropriately named The Hikers' Welcome. I got a shower, washed my clothes, and resupplied in nearby Warren, NH. It was an easy 14.8 mile hike.Trail lore has it that when NoBos get to New Hampshire, they've done 80 percent of the miles and 20 percent of the work.Will it be tougher than the Smokey Mountains in the winter? Than Rocksylvania? Than Vermud? Maybe. Guess I'll start finding out tomorrow.
Date: 2015-06-14
From: NH 25 and Glencliff, NH (1790.5)

To: Eliza Brook Shelter (1807.3)
Miles today: 16.8
Weather: broken clouds

Day 120 - Sunday, June 14, 2015381.8 miles to KatahdinI got my first look at the White Mountains today, and, like I have been told, they're tough.The day started with the 3,747 foot climb of Mount Moosilauke, the longest I've seen so far. The higher I climbed, the steeper and rockier the trail became. When I broke through the tree line, however, the 360° view was spectacular. Best, by far, so far.The Vikings, who tented last night and started later in the morning, caught me when I stopped for lunch at Beaver Creek Shelter, about halfway down Moosilauke. Descents are often tougher than the climbs, because you're so much more likely to slip and fall. It was slow going.We didn't arrive at Eliza Brook Shelter until quarter of eight ¢ 16.8 miles in 13 hours and 15 minutes.Before I fell asleep, it began to rain, a bad omen for tomorrow.
Date: 2015-06-15
From: Eliza Brook Shelter (1807.3)

To: Franconia Notch (1816.1)
Miles today: 8.8
Weather: scattered clouds

Day 121 - Monday, June 15, 2015373.1 miles to KatahdinI woke up at first light, well before 5 AM. It was still raining.Yesterday's introduction to the Whites had taken a lot out of me. The Vikings too. All three of us were accustomed to knocking out 17 to 19 miles a day, sometimes 20¢plus, but I had never seen so much bad trail in one day, and so little good.It was Sharon's (also known now as"Hiking"¢ Nate is"Viking") suggestion, but I loved it. Let's knock off early today. A few hours of up-and-down in this weather and we'll be wet, cold and tired. Let's hitch, or get a shuttle, into North Woodstock, NH, get a motel room, and get warm and dry. So that's what we did.We waited till 8:10 AM, until the rain slacked off, before beginning what would become an 8.8 point eight mile hike. It took us four hours to hike the first 3 miles ¢ 1.33 miles per hour.New Hampshire started us off today with a 1950 foot climb and followed that with a 1910 foot descent, all in the rain. And high winds on top of the mountains, 50 mph plus.It's a little windy up here in the Whites!!Posted by To Katahdin on Tuesday, June 16, 2015Except for the 6x6 inch "steps" attached to long, steep boulders and the foot holes chiseled in the side of others, I haven't seen anything new in New Hampshire. The mud, and there's lots of it, reminds me of Vermont. The steep climbs, North Carolina; the rock hops, Pennsylvania; and the rock climbs and scrambles, New York. The difference is New Hampshire has it all ¢ and very little good trail, so far, to go with it.I just got to learn patience. Slow down. Be satisfied with 12, 13 miles a day. And in a week or so, I'll be in Maine. Getting off the trail today was the best idea I've agreed to in months, since I've bailed out of a winter storm at Newfound Gap in North Carolina. Sharon found us an excellent motel, Autumn Breeze. The owner, Ann Albert, came to the trailhead to get us, and then washed our clothes. We ate in our room. And ate and ate.Ice cream, too?Oh, yes!Tomorrow's forecast is for more rain, and a thunderstorm while we are ridge walking above the tree line.We decided to stay put, take a zero. I am at peace with that. You can teach an old dog new tricks.
Date: 2015-06-16
From: Franconia Notch (1816.1)

To: Franconia Notch (1816.1)
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Day 122 - Tuesday, June 16, 2015What a lazy day.Wonderful!And did it, in fact, rain? Oh, yes. Hard, in the afternoon. And the tops of mountains, where we would have been hiking, were shrouded in mist. Or clouds. Soup of some kind.I doctored my feet - I've lost a second toenail.Repaired my boots the best I could with Super Glue.Resupplied.Figured out where I need my wife to send me a supply box - and another pair of boots. My third.And ate. Oh, my - sandwiches, fruit, including watermelon, ice cream, soft drinks and chips, pop corn, orange juice - all the things we can't get on the trail.Tomorrow, we go back to the trail - 91.3 miles to Maine, 373.1 miles to the top of Mt. Katahdin. Put me in, Coach...
Date: 2015-06-17
From: Franconia Notch (1816.1)

To: .1 mile north of Galehead Hut (1829.2)
Miles today: 13.1
Weather: broken clouds

Day 123 - Wednesday, June 17, 2015360 miles to KatahdinThis was a beautiful day, thank goodness, highlighted by a reunion with Temper. She had taken several zeroes in New York to see a friend, but since then, she had been pouring it on, making big miles. I was glad to see her again.From Franconia Notch (we call them "gaps" in the south, here, gaps are called "notches"), we climbed 3, 848 feet to the top of Mt. Lafeyette, and then descended.The Vikings and I (Temper caught up in the afternoon) had lunch on a ridge, well above the tree line. The view was spectacular.The goal for the day was Galehead Hut - 13 miles - where the Vikings hoped to get what they call "work for stay." In exchange for an hour or so of work, you get to stay on the floor of the dining room, after the paying guests have finally called it a night, and eat supper and breakfast leftovers. Temper and I moved on another quarter of a mile or less and tent camped. It was a lovely evening - a good ending to a good day.