morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2018-08-21
From: Full Goose Shelter

To: Speck Pond Shelter
Miles today: 5.1
Weather: overcast clouds

We awoke at 6:15am after sleeping in after yesterday's long day. Hit the trail at 7:30am.We started with a climb that involved some steep parts requiring our hands, and then a steep descent into Mahoosuc Notch.When we started this year's hike Spider was worried about completing 2 things 1) hiking over Mt. Washington, and 2) getting through Mahoosuc Notch. Imagine a gap between 2 mountains with vertical rock walls. Over time, rocks break off and fall into the gap. The size of the rocks vary from refrigerator to motorhome. Now imagine a trail through this gap, aka notch...that's Mahoosuc Notch. I mentioned it is titled "The Hardest Mile on the AT". To negotiate these boulders we had to climb over, crawl under or work our way around them. There was a lot of arm work pulling ourselves up big rocks and a lot of sliding down the other side. It took us 3 hours to navigate the 1 mile of the notch. We felt like we used every muscle in our bodies!What we didn't anticipate was the climb up Mahoosuc Arm mountain. It's a 1600 ft climb that has large portions that are straight up. The Whites came back! Our poles were useless as we grabbed boulders and trees to help pull us up. Several of the southbound hikers had warned us that southern Maine was as tough or tougher than the Whites. Today proved them right. It took us 2.5 hours to hike the 1.6 miles up Mahoosuc Arm.We finally arrived at the shelter at 5:45pm. We are staying in the shelter tonight because rain is predicted for tonight and tomorrow. We usually prefer tenting because it's quieter and more private. But when it's raining, its easier to dress and pack up in a shelter and we're not carrying a wet tent! To bed at 8pm.
Date: 2018-08-23
From: Baldpate Leanto

To: Stealth camp near Surplus Pond
Miles today: 9.9
Weather: few clouds

Well it was a good thing we opted for the shelter because it poured rain around midnight! We awoke to a cloudy, cold, windy day. One of the thrills the next morning after a rainy day is putting on your wet hiking clothes, especially this morning with the wind blowing and the temps in the mid 40's. We carry 2 sets of clothes, one for hiking and one for inside the tent or shelter. This keeps our pack weight down, but sometimes means we wear wet hiking clothes. We put off putting them on until as late in the packing process as possible, but eventually we bite the bullet and put them on... Burrrrr!We hit the trail at 7:30am and, fortunately, we immediately started our 1000 ft climb up West Baldpate Mtn. It was a steep climb but most of it had rock steps constructed by trail maintenance crews. It was like taking the stairs to the top of the Empire State Building. All the while, the cold wind blew hard and dried out our clothes. When we got to the top, the sun was just starting to break through the clouds. We found a rock in the sun and out of the wind and had breakfast. By the time we finished breakfast, the clouds were gone and all we had was sun and wind. We descended steeply down the other side of West Baldplate Mtn and then across a fairly open slab area to East Baldpate Mtn. We were exposed to the brunt of the wind and it was pushing us around. Then we started climbing East Baldpate Mtn., which was a 600 ft climb on open slab rock. That is our picture of the day. The higher we got, the harder the wind blew. At the top the gusts were so hard we had to use our trekking poles to stay standing. We were happy to finally get back into the protection of the trees.We descended 1500 ft that was so steep in some places, we had to use ladders. One ladder even had a rope assist. Fortunately as we descended it got warmer. Near the bottom we could actually take off our windbreakers/rain jackets. Another 1000 ft climb and we finally had cell service for the first time in 2 days, so we sent off our journals. Then another 1500 ft decent, but this trail was much more reasonably graded. Finally a 600ft ascent to Surplus Pond. We arrived at 6:45pm. A little later than we like, but we positioned ourselves to finish our section tomorrow with 8.2 miles over 2 peaks. Unfortunately one of them is said to require a "technical" climb..Oh Boy! However once we are over them we, are headed into Andover, Maine for a Zero Day...Wahoo.We ate dinner in the twilight and to bed by 8:30pm
Date: 2018-08-25
From: The Cabin Hostel/Andover, ME

To: Grasshopper's & Runaway's House, Peru, ME
Miles today: 0.0

We awoke today at 6am to noise in the kitchen. Breakfast was at 7am..eggs, bacon, blueberry pancakes, home fries, beans, OJ and coffee. Roll us out of there!Today some people whom we met on the AT in 2014 and hiked with for a week in the Shenandoahs of Virginia, were to pick us up and take us to their cabin. So we packed up to move to a new place.While we waited, ET used duct tape to repair the seat of her pants. The canvas patches worked great, but the seam between not so well.At 9:30am Runaway and Grasshopper showed up and hauled us to their cabin on Worthly Pond in Peru, ME. We had a great day reminiscing about parts of the AT we all had hiked, about other hikes we had done and about family and friends. To top it off, they prepared a lobster feed, knowing we loved lobster. Amazingly they get lobster for about the same price we get steak in California! Physically we are still doing well...no blisters or bruises, only a few scratches. But we both are feeling the cumulative effects of day after day of hiking. The energy level doesn't seem to bounce back to the same level each morning. Hopefully this zero day will help.The number of falls still has ET leading..now 9 to 7. Fortunately none have caused any damage.Runaway and Grasshopper will take us back to the AT tomorrow morning for our last week of hiking. In some ways we are sad, but in other ways we are ready to head home.To bed at 9pm...Hikers Midnight!
Date: 2018-08-26
From: Grasshopper's & Runaway's House, Peru, ME

To: Bemis Lean-to
Miles today: 8.7

We awoke to the sound of sizzling bacon at about 6am. Runaway was slaving over a hot stove. Breakfast was banana nut pancakes, blueberry pancakes, bacon and a fruit smoothie. Our hosts wanted to be sure to send us off well fed. We hit the road a little after 7am. We arrived at the trailhead at 8am. Hugs all around, then we headed up the trail.We had a 2000 ft climb to the top of Old Blue Mtn. Unfortunately, the first 750 ft were very steep. Welcome back to the trail! We caught a nice view back down to South Arm Rd., the road we came out to and then back to, for our resupply. It's today's photo. After completing the steep part, the climb became a stair step...flat, climb, flat, climb. However, as luck would have it, Spider pulled a muscle in his Gluteus Maximus (butt!) during the initial climb, so what was already a slow pace with full packs for the week, became even slower...Uh Oh! Hopefully he is a quick healer since this is our longest mileage week.Once over Old Blue Mtn, we entered a boggy area with lots of mud holes to step around and made our way to Elephant Mtn. Lots of short ups and downs meant we never could get a good pace.As we climbed Bemis Mtn. the clouds that had been building began to spit light rain. What happened to the forecast of nice weather for 5 days? Fortunately the light rain stopped soon and the skies began to clear.After a break on top of Bemis Mtn., we headed down the mountain toward the shelter. The short ups and downs continued and we finally stumbled into the shelter area at 7pm.Unfortunately all the tentsites were already occupied so we opted to sleep in the shelter. We quickly set up, got water and started to prepare dinner as dusk set in. That's when we came to the realization that Spider had miscounted this week's days on the trail, so we were one day short of food. Fortunately the other person in the shelter, Red, overheard our conversation and offered us an extra Top Ramen she had...Thanks Red. That takes care of dinner. Guess we will have to conserve food along the way for the other 2 meals, or hope for Trail Magic!Finished dinner and to bed by 8:30pm...it had been a long day.Milestones: We passed the 200 mile mark on this year's hike and we passed the 1950 mile mark on our hike of the AT.
Date: 2018-08-27
From: Bemis Lean-to

To: Stealth camp past Sabbath Day Pond Lean-to
Miles today: 10.0

We awoke at 6:15am. The wind blew hard most the night, but calmed by the time we got up. We packed up and hit the trail at 7:30am.Initially we did a lot of slab walking, following cairns and white blazes. Spider could still feel his pulled muscle but it was not as debilitating as yesterday. Eventually we began a 1000 ft drop. At the bottom we found some Trail Magic, but not enough to supplement our missing food. Next we began our big climb of the day, 1200 ft. Our lunch break was sitting on a bench next to Highway 17 looking out over a panorama of lakes (or "ponds" as they call them here). From there we made our way through a series of ups and downs to the Sabbath Pond Lean-to where we planned to get water. However we discovered the water source was the pond, so we went another 0.3 miles further to a stream. We hiked another 1.5 miles, for a grand total of 10, the second most of our whole hike so far. Every now and then we walk through electric right of ways. They're not very attractive. But when we saw a perfect size, flat, soft tent site (the first since the last lean-to), we stopped. We'd promised ourselves to start looking for a site at 7pm and that's what time it was. That is our picture for the day. We hiked the extra miles to try to set us up for buying some additional food in Rangely, ME tomorrow. We have looked at the profile and mileage coming up and don't believe the current hiking plan is doable. We have 3 mountains to climb in succession, 2000 ft, 2500 ft and 1500 ft and need to average 10 miles per day. Since we are finding our energy waning by late afternoon (probably the cumulative effect of all the previous weeks of hiking) we need to add an extra day for hiking. That means one more day of food we don't have. A re-supply run to town is the only answer.We ate dinner at dusk and got to bed by 8:30pm...another long day.
Date: 2018-08-30
From: Poplar Ridge Lean-to

To: Spaulding Mountain Lean-to
Miles today: 8.0

The rain had stopped before we went to sleep last night and the wind came up so we thought "Great, the wind will dry out the tent" as we went to sleep. We were awakened at 5:15 am by rain. Darn, we got to carry a wet tent. We started getting stuff ready in the tent with intent of bringing our backpacks into the tent vestibule where we could pack them out of the rain. Fortunately the rain squall was short and by the time we were ready to pack our backpacks it had stopped, so we packed up the regular way. We hit the the trail at 7:45am.What the rain did was make everything slick...rocks, roots and dirt. So, "Slow as we go" was our motto for the day. We had a short climb, then a 1500 ft descent. The trail wasn't too steep but with everything wet we didn't push it. During our descent ET put her glasses in her pants pocket to protect them from the light mist/heavy fog that was falling. What she didn't know that with all the sliding down rocks she had been doing, she had worn a hole in that pocket. When she arrived for our breakfast break, she was devastated by not only the loss of expensive glasses but now she couldn't read her phone, the maps, her watch etc. As we ate breakfast a hiker came down the trail and said, "Did either of you lose a pair of glasses? " and they were ET's glasses. Thanks Shivers, you saved the day!After the 1500 ft descent, we came to the Oberton Stream. It was flowing full from last night's rain and was 30 feet across. Spider, with his long stride, was able hop across using the rocks in the stream. You can see him waiting across the stream in today's photo. ET did not fair so well. She tried to duplicate Spider's route, but hesitated at one large step between rocks, slipped, and fell. Fortunately her butt and pack stayed on the rock, but her legs went into the water. Wet from the thighs down, she decided, "What the heck" and waded the rest of the way across the stream. Unfortunately she got to hike the rest of the day in wet socks and boots.Next came a 1700 ft climb that started gradually, but steepened toward the end to the top of Lonesome Mtn. Then a rollercoaster to the Lean-to. We arrived at 3:40pm..our earliest yet! This worked out for us because this lean-to has ONE official tentsite and we got it.After setting up the tent and getting water, we crawled into the tent to warm up. The front that moved through the previous night brought cold weather. Temperatures were in the mid-50s with a cold wind. What a difference a day makes!At 6pm we got out of the tent for dinner. Then back into the tent to read and journal. Lights out at 8:00pm. Only 2 days left on the trail!
Date: 2018-08-31
From: Spaulding Mountain Lean-to

To: Stealth camp in saddle between North and South Crocker Mtns.
Miles today: 7.8

The alarm didn't go off at 5:30am because the phone battery died..but ET got us going at 5:35am anyway. It had been cold overnight. We were both wearing extra layers over the long johns we normally wear to bed and we still got chilled. The temperature when we got up was 45 degrees with clear skies. We packed up and hit the trail at 6:50am wearing long pants and jackets. Our 1000 ft climb of Spaulding Mountain began immediately. It wasn't super steep but it was continuous. Soon we began to warm up. The problem was that as soon as we stopped we would quickly get cold. As fortune would have it, our climb was up the west side of the mountain, so no sunshine for us. Usually we stop for breakfast in an hour, but that time came and went because we were still in the shadows. Finally about 8:15am we started down the other side of the mountain and found a patch of sun. We plopped down on the end of the trail and soaked up the sun Ray's as we prepared breakfast. We had to move our feet off the trail as a couple of other hikers came by...but that was okay because we had our sun!After breakfast we made a long traverse passing by Sugarloaf Mountain with its ski gondola on top. We tried once again to get cell service, thinking it might be more available for the skiers..but no luck. It's been over 24 hours since we have had service.We finally began our 1500 ft descent into the Caribou Valley. It started out boggy, then gently down, then steeply down, then shaded of the Whites with vertical walls that we descended backwards. The AT obviously wanted to remind us that it still had "teeth". Finally we reached the South Fork of the Carabassett River. All the info we had said to plan to ford it. With ET's recent experience crossing streams she was definitely putting on sandals and wading across! But when we got to the river, there was a plank crossing the river...How anti-climactic! Our picture of the day is Spider going over the river on the plank.Across the river we began our second climb of the day...2000 ft climb of South Crocker Mth. It started out as a gentle climb but soon turned very steep and a rock scramble...the AT reminding us again?Our plan was to look for a camping spot on top of South Crocker, but when we got there, all the twenty-somethings that had passed us in the late afternoon as we struggled up the mountain, had taken all the tentsites. So we continued down into the saddle between North and South Crocker Mtns. and found a tentsite there...arriving at 5:30pm..Like yesterday, we set up the tent, then crawled inside to relax, but also to stay warm because it was starting to quickly cool down. Out of the tent to eat dinner then back in to read and journal. Lights out at 8pm...Only one day of hiking left!Milestone: We passed the marker for 200 miles remaining of the AT to be hiked.
Date: 2018-09-03
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

We awoke at 5:30am but the house seemed quite, so we hung out until 6:30am. When we ventured out we found that Sherrie and Robert had been up and in the kitchen for some time...a well insulated house! We grabbed some coffee, sat at the counter and talked as Sherrie and Robert prepared a wonderful breakfast.After breakfast we toured the Chatham/southeastern area of the Cape Cod peninsula, the so called "elbow". We stopped at a museum and walked on 2 beaches, which is the picture of the day. Then a quick stop at the house for a clam chowder lunch before heading up the arm to several viewpoints and another museum.  The last museum had a movie detailing the geologic formation of Cape Cod peninsula and bays, a result of glaciers dumping rock debris as they receded. I always assumed the peninsula was a solid rock remnant of a mountain...not so. The ocean and winds are slowly eroding the peninsula, constantly shifting beaches and waterways. Big winter storms also have a major impact. Interesting living in a place that is very changeable even in a single generation. After the last museum, we headed back to Chatham to do a little shopping, then out for dinner at the Del Mar restaurant. Good food and good conversation. We headed back to the house by 7:30pm. Spider and Robert did a little Whiskey/Bourbon sampling (Robert is a connoisseur of fine whiskeys) while ET and Sherrie sampled some of the cherry liqueur from their recent trip to Croatia. We finally rolled into bed at 9pm. Tomorrow we finally head home.
Date: 2018-09-04
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

We awoke at 6:00am. We talked for a while then got up and took showers. We packed our packs back as "suitcases" to go on the plane. Finally we emerged from the bedroom just as the coffee was finishing.We had a light breakfast then finished our packing. Robert had to take his elderly mother to the doctors, so we said good bye to him first. Then headed out with Sherrie. We drove to the Kennedy Compound in Hyannis Port (Some buildings with a fence around them!). Next we drove to Veterans Memorial Park. We got out of the car and walked over to the Kennedy Memorial erected by the town. Finally we headed to the Hyannis Transit Center to catch our bus to Boston's Logan Airport. We arrived at the Center at about 10am. We said our good bye to Sherrie, headed into the Center, bought our tickets and waited for our 10:30am bus. On Sherrie's recommendation we had come to the transit center rather than the place they had picked us up, Barnstable, since this is where the airport bus started its run to the airport. This way we were guaranteed a seat. Being the day after the Labor Day weekend meant people would still be on the move.We loaded onto the bus and soon it was 2/3 full. We left a little late for the next stop, Barnstable. There the bus basically filled up...there were 2 spots left...which were filled at the next stop. Good thing we went to Hyannis. At each subsequent stop (there were 2 more) the bus driver had to tell the group waiting that the bus was full...Not a very popular announcement!We arrived at Logan at 12:55...3 hours before our flight was scheduled to leave. We checked our packs, worked our way through security and made our way to the United Club. Since we had used points to book first/business class tickets, we had access to United's Club. We took advantage of their snacks to make a lunch and enjoyed some adult beverages. With a 1/2 hour to go we headed to our gate and boarded our plane. We love babying ourselves after a hike by flying first-class...we can stretch out tired muscles, we get good food and plenty of space to spread out.The flight was uneventful and we landed on time in San Francisco at 7:15pm. Since we were still on East Coast time, we were pretty tired but still had to make our way home. We got our packs in baggage claim and walked to the airport BART station. We arrived at the Orinda station only to find there were no taxis available. So Spider used his Uber app and 5 minutes later we were on our way. We arrived home at 9pm...the circle was now complete!
Date: 2018-01-30
From: Atlanta

To: Southern terminus
Miles today: 6.0

Last night (Jan.29) I got on a bus in New Orleans. This morning I was picked up in Atlanta by a shuttle and dropped off near the approach trail and immediately started my northward trek. I hiked the approach trail. I had heard that it was challenging and that is not a lie.Yes, I know it is January and yes, I know I will be hiking in the cold. One of my main reasons for leaving so early is that I want to beat the rush and not have to compete for trail/shelter space. Also, I plan on taking my time and getting to Katahdin while the weather is still nice there. I hope to keep this journal going as completely as I can. But in the interest of full disclosure, I will sometimes forward information to my brother who will then post it here for me so my info will sometimes be running a little behind.Happy trails,
Date: 2018-02-01
To: Gooch Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 7.0
Weather: light snow

Today the weather forecast called for heavy rains so I hoofed it for the Gooch Mountain Shelter. I got here about 2 o'clock and waited but the rains never came. Still it was an interesting hike. I found Sassafras Mountain to be quite challenging and Three Forks Creek to be beautiful.A side note: I have been asked to try and keep track of the number of times that I fall down. So far three days and three times down.I'm a walkin'
Date: 2018-02-04
To: Rest
Miles today: 0.0

Today I decided to wait the weather out here at the hostel. There is a cold icy rain falling and I feel like staying warm and dry today. I have gone thru my pack and so far I have shed 12 pounds.....that should help! This is really the first place where one can quit the trail and many people do. There is a tree where many of those people throw their shoes. Mine are not there!I'm a walkin'
Date: 2018-02-05
From: Neel's Gap

To: Low Gap shelter
Miles today: 11.5
Weather: light rain

I made some good miles today, all things considered. The icy rain left a thin coat of ice on everything...including the walking surface (Picture to follow). Also, this section of the trail has lots of ups and downs, but that seems to be the way it is with mountains. After some rest and lightening of the pack it felt good to be back on the trail. It was good to get past the "Shoe Tree".I am still walking....
Date: 2018-02-06
To: Unicoi Gap
Miles today: 9.7
Weather: clear sky

Today's hike to Unicoi Gap was quite the challenge. It started with a very long climb and ended with a very steep and rocky descent into Unicoi...not to mention all of the elevation changes in between. I am definitely enjoying my journey but let me add a warning to future hikers. This a serious, strenuous undertaking and not just a walk in the woods. One other bit of advice. Buy quality trekking poles and know how to use them. The terrain is always changing and the poles are Lifesavers.The forecast calls for two inches of icy rain tonight and tomorrow so two other hikers (Bob and AJ) and I are renting a B & B in Hiawassee and taking a zero tomorrow. I think for now I will let the weather dictate when I take my rest days. That should make my hike more enjoyable and allow me needed recuperation.So, after a day off tomorrow, I will be a walkin'