morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2013-08-19
From: Lake of the Clouds Hut

To: Pinkham Notch
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

Monday, August 19 Lake of the Clouds Hut to Pinkham Notch, NH.   15 miles.   Weather: Sunny and warm. Hi 77 Lo 48Newton and I woke up early in the hut and decided to eat our breakfast and get out early. There was no work for us to do with our work for stay so we just left at 6:40. Since we had summited Mt. Washington the day before we got a jump on our hike for the day. Our plan was to hike all the way to Pinkham Notch which is quite ambitious. The early morning was quite beautiful and Newton and I were the only people on the trail for a couple of hours. The wind was really blowing on the summits, but not bad in the protected and sheltered areas. We made it to the Madison Hut by 10:45 and enjoyed an early lunch. We then started up Mt. Madison and that's when things got funky. As we neared the summit the wind was blowing about 60-70 mph. It was crazy! From there we began the long descend on the Osgood trail. Over 3,000 feet in just over 5 miles. Steep and tough terrain made for slow going. On the way down we ran into old friend Apple Butter. I hadn't seen her since Harpers Ferry WV! It was great to see her and we got to talk more to her when we got down to the AMC visitor center. Once down, Newton's wife Sarah picked us up and we headed to their friend Jorge's place in Conway, NH. Yolanda drove over to spend the night with me which was fantastic. We had a great meal, some wine, and just enjoyed ourselves. It is the last time I will see Yolanda until I finish so I'm quite sad about that. I have been with her a lot the last few weeks so I will miss her greatly. At least we still talk every day on the phone. It's something I really look forward to each day.   The weather has been fantastic and the scenery has as well. Tomorrow will be a really tough day so off to bed for me.
Date: 2013-08-20
From: Pinkham Notch

To: Imp Shelter
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

Tuesday, August 20 Pinkham Notch to Imp Campsite. 15 miles. Weather: Sunny and warm. Hi 83 Lo 57Today was perhaps the most challenging day so far on the trail...and thoroughly enjoyable! We started in Pinkham Notch at 8:20 and immediately started up the very steep and rocky Wildcat Ridge Trail. For 2.8 miles this trail goes straight up about 2,500 feet. The views over to the Presidential Range are magnificent. The trail then goes over 2 more Wildcat peaks before plunging 1,500 feet into Carter Notch where we had lunch at Carter Hut. After lunch we climbed up the very steep Carter Dome Trail which is another huge 1,800 foot climb up an "elevator shaft". The best views on this trail are from a cliff top halfway up the mountain. Next we climbed Mt. Height which offered more fine views. Next we climbed Middle Carter and finally North Carter. Both of these are 4,000 footers and are among a string of seemingly endless false peaks that make up the Carter Range. We finally reached our campsite at Imp Shelter at almost 6:00 and we were both exhausted from a tough but exhilarating day. We climbed over 9,000 feet of elevation on a picture perfect day. Sleeping in the shelter tonight!
Date: 2013-08-21
From: Imp Shelter

To: Trident Tentsite
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Wednesday, August 21 Imp Shelter to Trident Campsite. 14 miles. Weather: Sunny and Hot. Hi 86 Lo 60 Today was another big tough day of hiking. Yesterday took a lot out of us and today was really hot. I think all the big climbs and tough terrain of the Whites is finally catching up to us. We started around 8:15 and immediately climbed Mt. Moriah. It is a beautiful mountain with spectacular views back toward the Presidentials. After Moriah we had a 5 mile long, 3,000 foot descent into Gorham. On the way down we stopped and had a nice swim in the Rattle River. We passed right over Rte 2 and started up Mt. Hayes. This was a mistake. We should have stopped in the Hostel and gotten something to eat and drink. We both bonked going up the mountain due to the heat and the change in muscle sets. The same thing happened to me last year when I hiked this same section. We had lunch on top of Hayes and both felt better. The last three miles into the Trident Campsite were slow but not bad. Upon arriving at Trident we ran into old friends Peaches, Mother Theresa, and Wilson. We caught up with them and hit the sack early. We were all quite tired. Another big day tomorrow over Mt. Success and The Goose Eye on our way to Full Goose Shelter. Awesome!
Date: 2013-08-22
From: Trident Tentsite

To: Full Goose Shelter
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

Thursday , August 22 Trident tent site to Full Goose Shelter15 miles.   Weather: partly cloudy and warm. Hi 83 Lo 61We got out of Trident Campsite at our usual 7:30 or so start time. Today's hike featured 2 major climbs and countless smaller but steep ones. The first climb was up Mt. Success. It was a 1,700 foot climb with a couple of really steep sections. The views from the top were excellent in all directions. After lunch, we hiked a couple of miles and came to the Maine-New Hampshire border. It felt great to be entering the final state, but it was a little sad to say goodbye to NH. The mountains, the trails, the time at home, were all wonderful but the most amazing thing was the weather. I can't help but think we were given a reward for all of our prior bad weather. I have been hiking in the Whites for over 40 years and can't ever remember a better stretch of weather. Of the 8 days we hiked here, all 8 were sunny and warm. Unbelievable! We were blessed to be sure. After crossing into Maine we approached our last climb of the day up Goose Eye Mountain. This is one of my favorite mountains with one of my favorite views. The climb rises in tiers across small flat sections that all have views of the ever approaching Goose Eye. The final ascent is up a steep granite face aided by steel hand holds drilled into the rock and a wooden ladder. The summit is at the extreme Eastern and Southern end of the mountain with about a sheer 500 foot drop. When you sit there on the edge of the cliff you really feel like you have a "goose eye" view of all that is laid out before you. After the Goose Eye came a rambling 2 mile walk over endless flat clear areas covered with bog boards interspersed with short steep wooded sections. Finally, we arrived at the shelter quite pooped! We ran into old friends Violet and Code Walker and met Pink Lady and Subaru. Unfortunately we are also sharing the campsite with about 30 college students and Outward Bound kids. Oh well, I'll probably sleep fine anyway.
Date: 2013-08-23
From: Full Goose Shelter

To: Grafton Notch
Miles today: 0.0

Friday, August 23 Full Goose Shelter to Grafton Notch. 10 miles.   Weather: Clear and comfortable. Hi 73 Lo 52I awoke today like a kid on Christmas morning. This is one of my most anticipated days on the trail. The 1 mile section through Mahoosuc Notch is one of the legendary stretches of the AT. Often referred to as "the most difficult mile on the trail", I prefer to think of it as the most fun mile. Then the scramble up and out of the Notch up one of the walls is followed by a big drop down to Speck Pond then another climb over Old Speck Mountain and the final long steady drop to Grafton Notch. Whew! A truly huge roller coaster day packed into 10 miles. We left camp at 7:20 and within 1.5 miles entered Mahoosuc Notch. This Notch is extremely narrow with steep rocky sides that soar up nearly 2,000 feet on both sides. It is so steep and oriented in such a way that the sun never touches most of the Notch floor. Snow and Ice remain in many of the caves and crevices until late July. Since the last glaciers receded from Northern New England a scant 12,000 years ago, boulders ranging in size from a car to a house have fallen down into the Notch and created a jumbled mess over 100 feet deep. That is what you walk over, around, and through. Any way you can. White blazes provide a rough guide but it is mostly rock climbing over a horizontal surface. For some reason I do well on this sort of thing and I was soon all alone ahead of the other hikers reaching for hand holds, rock hopping, and swinging from overhanging branches and roots. It really is a massive boulder and tree jungle gym set. After a while I paused to wait for Newton so I could enjoy the last half of the Notch with him. On two occasions we had to remove our packs and push them ahead of us to squeeze through a narrow opening. We finally emerged on the other side an hour and a half later grinning from ear to ear. Next up is the famous Mahoosuc Arm, which is a 2 mile scramble of a climb up the northern wall of the notch. It starts out steep and becomes steeper. Much of the upper section is a sheer granite surface requiring you to walk hunched over so your hands can grab roots ahead of you otherwise you would slip off the smooth rock surface. We encountered a young lady who unfortunately had slipped and badly sprained her ankle. She was however being well attended to by her 6 or 7 companions. Next up was the drop down to Speck Pond. This large alpine pond sits at over 3,000 feet. There's a shelter and tent platforms at one end of it where we had lunch. The pond is beautiful and if were a tad warmer I'd have gone in for a swim. After lunch we climbed the 750 feet of elevation up to Old Speck Mountain. We had excellent views as we approached the top and the wind was really picking up. In the interest of time we decided to forego the summit which we both remembered as unremarkable. We then walked out the last 3 miles down to Grafton Notch where Newton's wife Sarah was waiting to pick us up and bring us to their lovely home in Portland, ME. We will zero there tomorrow.
Date: 2013-08-24
From: Grafton Notch

To: Portland, Maine (zero)
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

Saturday, August 24   Zero in Portland Maine. Weather: Sunny and beautiful. Hi 77 Lo 61I had a relaxing zero today at the lovely home of my hiking buddy Newton and his wife Sarah. We had a big hiker style breakfast and lunch, took care of a few hike related chores, then spent the afternoon touring the area and finished with a few hours at a local beach. We capped off the day with a wonderful lobster dinner! What a perfect way to spend a perfect day here on the coast of Maine. Tomorrow we begin our final three week push to Katahdin. The first 8 days will be the toughest and if we get through them unscathed, we will be in pretty good shape to summit on our about the 13th of September, and yes it is a Friday. No worries though, we aren't superstitious, knock on wood I'm excited about what remains and look forward to these last few weeks and miles. 270 miles to go!
Date: 2013-08-25
From: Portland, Maine (zero)

To: Andover, ME. 
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

Sunday, August 25 Grafton Notch to Andover ME. 10 miles.   Weather: Sunny and mild. Hi 78 Lo 50We hiked today for a short 10 mile stretch but it featured a beautiful stretch over West and East Baldpate Mountains. The summits were bare stretches if granite with fantastic 360 degree views. The clear, cool air provided great visibility and we really took our time and enjoyed it immensely. We hiked with Newton's friend Steve for the first 6 miles and it was great to share the trail with him. Our destination for the day was The Cabin, a legendary hiker hostel in Andover Maine. Honey and her husband Bear run it and it is perfect hiker utopia. Clean, informal, 3 bathrooms, plenty of food and just great, easy going feeling to everything. A real great hiker experience. At the local general store I bought a beautiful 12 ounce rib eye steak for $5, and added home made baked beans, fresh corn on the cob, brown bread, and a baked potato. For dessert we made banana splits. What a great meal!Tomorrow we have a big day planned. 19 miles over some tough terrain. Also, it supposed to rain for the first time in 13 days. The trail could be very slippery so we'll see how it goes.
Date: 2013-08-26
From: Andover, ME. 

To: Bemis Mountain Stealth Site
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Monday, August 26 The Cabin in Andover Maine to Mt. Bemis stealth site.   17 miles. Weather: Overcast and cool. Hi 67 Lo 48Today started with a great hiker breakfast at The Cabin served up by Honey and Bear. I greatly enjoyed this hostel and I told Honey and Bear just how great their place is and how I appreciated the way I and all the thru hikers were treated.   Newton and I grabbed the first shuttle back to the trail and we were underway around 8:45. A little later than we had hoped for. We made very good time at first but soon the terrain became more and more rugged and challenging. Lots of rocks and roots and plenty of mud for good measure. The first major climb was down to and then up Mt. Moody. 1,400 feet of elevation gain in .8 miles. Quite steep! Then we dropped down again and started up Old Blue Mountain.   All of the big climbs started really slowing us down and soon we fell behind schedule. Now we projected that we would arrive at the shelter around 8:00 pm in the dark. Not what Newton and I like to do. Fortunately we found a stealth site about 2 miles short of the shelter which meant we could save almost an hour and tack it onto tomorrow which has better terrain.We were both beat up from today's hike. We knew the 19 miles would be tough and it certainly was. It seems that everyone around us is slack packing and doing short mileage days. We're just too old fashioned for that stuff so we just hike on. We quickly pitched our tents, cooked and ate our dinners, and turned in early. Another big, long day coming up tomorrow.
Date: 2013-08-27
From: Bemis Mountain Stealth Site

To: Rangely, Maine
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

Tuesday, August 27 Bemis Mountain Stealth Site to Rangely, Maine. 20 miles. Weather: overcast and foggy to start, sunny and warm most of the day. Hi 80 Lo 61The day started cool and raw on top of Bemis Mountain. We were on the trail by 7:00 and soon found the going slow and tedious. The fog at high elevation and the high humidity meant very slick rocks and roots. In Southern Maine, slick rocks and roots are the norm. Also, there is much exposed granite slab that is as slippery as ice. Very dangerous. As a result, we only covered 11 miles by lunchtime at 1:00. We had lunch at Sabbath Day Pond. We thought we were the only ones at the pond until we heard the lonely, haunting cry of a Loon. It was a nice warm day by then so we went for a swim. We finished our lunch and set out at 2:00 to do the last 9 miles. The terrain was much better in the afternoon and we were done with the hike by 6:15. As we began to hitch hike to the town of Rangely, we were worried because there were no cars for the first 6 minutes! Fortunately the second car picked us up and brought us right to the door of the hotel. The hotel was a real throwback to this part of Maine. Moose head and old horse drawn sleigh in the lobby and lots of pictures of the place dating back 60 or more years hanging up all over. We had dinner across the street and I had clam chowder and lobster rolls. It's good to be back in New England!
Date: 2013-08-29
From: Poplar Ridge Shelter

To: Spaulding Shelter
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

Thursday, August 29 Poplar Ridge Campsite to Spaulding Mountain Lean-to.   8 miles.Weather: heavy rain until 1:00, then drizzly, misty, raw. Hi 62 Lo 46Right from the beginning today just didn't feel good. I slept OK but still felt tired and listless in the morning. Usually I feel raring to go. The rain started about 4:00 am and didn't show any signs of letting up. We delayed our start until after 8.00 in the hopes it might stop but it didn't. With only 14 miles to go we weren't too worried. We began with a descent off of Poplar Ridge and then a slow steady uphill up Lone Mountain. The rain was relentless and it was a cold rain. I just couldn't get warm. I started thinking about trading the 14 miles of today for the 7 of tomorrow. It was very tempting because either way we would get into the town of Stratton just fine. When we arrived at the Spaulding Mountain Shelter around 12:30 for lunch I ran the idea past Newton. My logic was to trade a crummy weather day with 3 major summits and 14 miles for a hopefully sunny day with views. The only drawback was we would get into Stratton a few hours later but still plenty of time to get our stuff done. Newton went for it so that's our plan. This will be a good rest day and tomorrow will hopefully be nicer. Just like last night, the campsite is overrun with college students doing their orientation. At least they all got in at a reasonable hour and are polite and well behaved. Better than I would have probably been at that age!
Date: 2013-08-30
From: Spaulding Shelter

To: Stratton, Maine
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

Friday, August 30 Spaulding Mountain Lean-to to Stratton, Maine. 14 miles. Weather: foggy and cool at higher elevation, partly cloudy and warm at lower elevation. We left the lean-to early and headed up Spaulding Mountain. The climb went fast but all views up high were limited. We then followed a ridge line that went past Sugarloaf Mountain and then dove steeply down to the Carrabasset River. After a fording over a narrow, wobbly board we began the steep, difficult ascent of South Croaker Mountain. It was one of the tougher climbs so far on the trail. We then scampered down and up to North Croaker before finishing with a 6 mile drop down to highway 27 and a hitch into the town of Stratton. It was a good hike on a generally OK day. We are staying at a hostel in town and I am turning in early to prepare for a big day tomorrow.
Date: 2013-08-31
From: Stratton, Maine

To: Little Bigelow Lean-to
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

Saturday, August 31 Stratton to Little Bigelow Lean-to15 miles.   Weather: cloudy and warm. We woke up early in the hostel and managed to get to breakfast by 7:00. Once again we had good luck with a hitch and were back on he trail by 8:30. Today promised to be a tough day and it didn't disappoint. We hiked in 5 miles and began the ascent of West Bigelow Mountain. The skies threatened all day but no rain fell after raining hard overnight. We had a strong, tough climb but we were rewarded with great views from the peak. We then descended a short ways and climbed up Avery peak which is named after one of the original visionaries of the AT. We planned lunch there but the skies looked really threatening so we moved on off the exposed ridge and had lunch further down at an overlook. After lunch, we climbed Little Bigelow and ended the day at Little Bigelow Lean-to. I had a nice dip in "the tubs", little bathtub sized swimming holes, and slept in the shelter. It was a very satisfying day on what I thought was going to be a much tougher one! Today we became 2,000 milers. That's to say we have passed the 2,000 mile mark. The end is now in sight. It's exciting although a part of me doesn't want it to end. Of course it must, as must all things, and I look forward to the journey becoming rich, wonderful memories which it surely will.
Date: 2013-09-01
From: Little Bigelow Lean-to

To: Pierce Pond Lean-to
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Sunday, September 1   Little Bigelow Lean-to to Pierce Pond Lean -to.      17 miles. Weather: Cloudy to start, sunny later in the day. Hi 76 Lo 51We left camp close to 8:00 since we will a relatively easy day. Our hike is over 17 miles but most of it is fairly flat. The only 2 climbs of the day, which were fairly minor, occurred in the morning and after 7 miles we arrived at West Carry Pond and Lean-to. We had lunch there and had 10 flat miles to do in the afternoon. The afternoon miles really flew by with the flat terrain even though much of the trail was the usual Maine jumble of roots, rocks, and mud. We simply have adapted like we have to everything the trail has thrown at us. What once gave us problems when we first encountered it, we now simply and nimbly high step over like a two legged Moose. We are right back up to 2.5 miles per hour. I rolled into Pierce Pond Shelter at the early time of 3:50. I had plenty of time to relax and take a nice long swim in the gorgeous pond. The water was perfectly clean and refreshingly cool and the scenery was spectacular. I couldn't help feel bad however for the young thru hiker who drowned here earlier this year when he apparently suffered cramps when he went swimming right after he finished his hike. I kept close to shore. I now feel stronger than I have felt the entire time since I began the hike. Sure, I have lots of nagging aches and pains, like everyone else, but I just block them out and hike on. If I were to stop hiking for a few days I'm sure they would bother me more. Right now my body is just used to getting up and banging out 15 or more miles. The motion eases the pain and feels better than when I don't move. I also know I am generating lots of endorphins every day from the combination of heavy duty exercise, the excitement of knowing how close I'm getting, and the majesty of the terrain. New Hampshire and now Maine are so spectacularly beautiful, and the trail is so breathtakingly challenging, it gives me a big high at the end of each day. Tomorrow should be a really fun day as we will start with a pancake breakfast at a nearby hostel, then hike 4 miles and be ferried across the Kennebunk River in a canoe. Then it's on to the town of Caratunk, Maine for a Nero.
Date: 2013-09-02
From: Pierce Pond Lean-to

To: Caratunk, Maine
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

Monday, September 2 Pierce Pond Lean-to to Caratunk, Maine.   4 miles.   Weather: Heavy rain all day, over 2 inches. It rained hard on the lean-to roof from around midnight on. When I awoke at 6:00 am there appeared to be a lull and I thought that once again we lucked out with the rain falling just at night. I couldn't have been more wrong. Soon the rain resumed but now it was a monsoon. Our first stop of the day was a mere 3 tenths of a mile to a place called Harrison's Camp and Lodge. Tim, the owner, has been serving up breakfasts to hikers that stay at nearby Pierce Pond Lean-to for years. His specialty is called Patriotic Pancakes and consists of 12 pancakes (4 are blueberry, 4 are raspberry, and 4 are apple), 2 eggs, and 4 sausage links. It was delicious and the camp is right out of some fantasy. An 80 year old log camp hidden deep in the forest. We left around 8:30 to walk the remaining 3.7 miles to the Kennebunk River where we had to be ferried across in a canoe. The rain was now gushing down harder than ever and the river was really high. Dave, the ferryman, came and loaded Newton and I into the canoe for the crossing. I sat in the front and paddled along with Dave in the back. Soon we were across without incident and hiked the short remaining distance into Caratunk, Maine. These 150 feet or so is the only section of the AT that you don't hike. They have even painted a white blaze in the bottom of the canoe to satisfy the purists. We were trying to find a phone booth (yes, some still exist) next to the Post Office to call our hiker hotel/hostel for a pi k up when a van stopped to give us a ride. It turned out that the van was from the Sterling Inn where we were staying! Now that's some fancy trail magic. We showered, did our laundry, picked up our maildrop, ate and went up to our room for a nap. The consummate Nero. I'm almost too excited to sleep. 150 miles to go. One more trail town. At this point nothing fazes us. We are truly on a mission now. I'm trying to soak up these last precious days on the trail and savor every moment. I want to look back and know I did all I could to enjoy it to the fullest and I believe I have. Now just 11 days remain and I will love every one of them.