morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2003-07-23
From: Crawford Notch

To: Lake of the Clouds Hut
Miles today: 15.0
Weather: light rain

After stuffing myself with pancakes at Zealand Falls day before yesterday, Truck and GI Barbie showed up at the hut. The weather was looking like it would take a turn for the worse. Barbie had gotten a message from someone who she¢d hiked the PCT with a couple years ago saying call when she got in the area. So when the 3 of us got to Crawford Notch she did, and we all ended up at their place for the rest of the day. Actually, they were house-sitting for a couple doing the American Discovery Trail, and in the meantime their own new house was being worked on. Our hosts were Simply Seeking (AT and PCT alumnus) and Grizzly (AT, PCT and CDT). Simply is the current president (or something like that) of ALDHA. So, basically we were in the presence of hikers. The next morning when we woke up it was raining, and Truck, Barbie and I decided we were too comfortable under a roof to go hiking, so we zeroed. It was the 1st day I hadn¢t put on my pack since Trail Days, and it was very relaxing a restful. I swear I will never take a roof for granted again for as long as I live. I miss being able to watch rain come down without thinking about how wet I¢m going to get. The three of us spent the day watching the Weather Channel, playing monopoly, running a few errands, and going to the movies. We saw T3, which none of us were impressed with, but the luxury of a movie theater is what counted for us. I also got to see pictures from the PCT and CDT. I know I¢ve said before that I don¢t think I¢ll ever do a hike of this nature again, but now I¢m not so sure. Some of the stories that Simply and Griz and Barbie told about the PCT have got me thinking about it. I don¢t know.This morning it was raining again, but we all slept in and had a huge breakfast courtesy of Simply. By the time we hit the trail again the rain had stopped, and at times throughout the day we could see patches of sky through the clouds. My legs felt wonderful today after a day of rest. The climb out of Crawford Notch was tough, but I think all of us tackled it no problem. Now we¢re doing another work for stay at a hut and stuffing ourselves with more food. I have to wonder if I¢ve gained weight over the past few days after eating so well. The summit of Mt. Washington is only a mile and a half from here, but it looks even closer than that.
Date: 2003-07-24
From: Lake of the Clouds Hut

To: Osgood Tent sites
Miles today: 10.0
Weather: fog

This morning I summitted Mt. Washington, the only mountain in New England above 6,000 ft. It¢s another major landmark for AT hikers, which unfortunately gets our hopes up. I say unfortunately because the summit is usually in the clouds, and once you get there you see it¢s one of the biggest tourist traps in the northeast. We (Barbie, Truck, and I) had no views and lots of wind on top. We also did our part to continue the thru-hiker tradition of mooning the passengers on the cog railway. I guess it¢s both just for fun and to say screw you for taking the easy way up. Afterwards we headed for Madison Hut over difficult rocky terrain, constantly checking the sky for forecasted thunderstorms. We got to the hut, took a break, and continued on down the Presidential ridge. A couple miles later it started raining, and as we approached the tentsite it started to thunder. I threw up my hammock in a hurry, and got the tarp up just in time before the downpour began. It looks like the weather front has passed through now and we¢ll have a good night.
Date: 2003-07-26
From: Gorham, NH

To: Zeta Pass
Miles today: 8.5

I started yesterday with every intention to keep hiking past Pinkham Notch, but instead I got sucked into Gorham for the night. I thought that I should be sure to get to the Post Office to pick up my maildrop before it closed at noon today. So I went to the Post Office, and it turns out they lost my package. Very frustrating. I ended up just resupplying at stores in town, so that wasn¢t a problem, but just the fact that I shouldn¢t have had to spend more money on food there irritates me. Anyway, I stayed the night at the Hikers Barn hostel, which was over full with hikers. I got to meet King Harvest and Noll, who it seems have been just a day or two ahead of me all of the past 2 months. There were several other northbounders and southbounders there, and we all had ourselves a merry time last night.This morning I didn¢t get back to the trail till almost noon. At Pinkham Notch I say Chameleon again and got to meet Firefly, Orb, Ms. Kitty, and Goldberry. We¢ve been hiking in a pack all day along with GI Barbie and Truck and Sci. The terrain today was difficult but fun, and the weather fine but very windy. As I write it sounds like a typhoon in the tree tops, and it¢s shaking my hammock a good bit.
Date: 2003-07-27
From: Zeta Pass

To: Camping 1 mile north of the Mahoosic Trail
Miles today: 17.5

The miles seemed to come slow today. Boring hiking and tough terrain made for a long day. There were plenty of viewpoints along the way, but the sky was so hazy that we couldn¢t see anything but the dim outline of the next ridge over. It also sprinkled rain off and on all day, but never enough to get wet (enough to make the rocks slippery). There was one big motivator to keep me going today, though. Maine is right around the corner. It¢s the one state along the whole trail that I¢ve never seen before, and in it lies the ultimate goal, Katahdin. There were times that I was really unsure if I would make it to Maine. Tomorrow, if all goes well, I will cross the border.I had an enormous appetite all day today, and when I got to highway 2 I hitched into Gorham again so I could replenish my food stock to get me to Andover. I had to promise myself before I went in that I would come back out to avoid getting sucked in for another night. Truck and Barbie were surprised to see me again tonight when I caught them at this campsite. Who knew I had the willpower?Once again I got my hammock set up in the nick of time before a downpour set in. This time though the rain caught me totally by surprise. I swear the last time I looked at the sky it was blue, yet it¢s raining anyway.
Date: 2003-07-29
From: Carter Col Shelter

To: Baldpate Lean-to
Miles today: 16.4
Weather: broken clouds

Boy, southern Maine is some tough hiking. Yesterday Barbie, Truck, Chameleon, Fly and I got to the border and were all pretty tired, despite a relatively short day. We decided to go to the shelter just past the border and spent the latter half of the afternoon just chilling there. This morning everybody was up super early, and I was hiking by 6:30. At the next shelter 4 12 miles on we met up with Kosmo and String Bean and all went down to the Mahoosic Notch together. The Notch is often considered the most difficult mile on the trail, and we had been hearing about it from southbounders for a while. It¢s basically a mile of rock scrambling and weaving in and out, over and under boulders. The pace the guys were setting was way too fast for me, so I decided to wait for Truck and Barbie who had hung back. When they showed up it was obvious Sci was having a hard time making it through. His back left paw started bleeding a little. The Notch probably would have been a lot more fun for us if we didn¢t have to worry about Sci. He made it through okay, and Truck and Barbie decided to stay there at a campsite to let Sci rest. I went on, trying to get as close to Andover for tomorrow and I could. Despite my extra stop in Gorham my food is still running low. All this hard terrain is giving me a huge appetite. I got into the shelter late tonight pretty exhausted and feet hurting. I¢m also celebrating, though, because the AMC section of trail is over.
Date: 2003-07-30
From: Baldpate Lean-to

To: Andover Guest House, Andover, ME
Miles today: 8.0
Weather: few clouds

I just stepped outside to retrieve my journal (packs are kept on porch at the request of the owner) and realized how rarely I look at the stars out here. You¢d think that¢s something I¢d enjoy frequently, but I¢m usually going to bed by the time the stars come out. I love how you can be in the middle of a town in Maine and still have a good view of the stars. It seems anywhere else there would be too much light pollution.Today¢s hike wasn¢t as hard as yesterday¢s, but it still wasn¢t easy. The trail went steeply up the Baldpate summits, which afforded amazing views. The climb was pretty fun, too, going straight up an open rock face. It¢s the kind of trial that can be miserable when raining, but delightful when dry. I got to the road going into Andover and immediately noticed the obvious lack of traffic. After 12 an hour, only two vehicles went by going my way, one of them a UPS truck. Luckily the second driver gave me a ride. I was beginning to wonder if I would have to walk the eight miles to town, not a happy option since I was hungry and out of food. I got here thinking I would go back to the trail today, but I decided to stay since my body is tired. I think I put a lot of energy into yesterday¢s hike, so resting this afternoon will hopefully be good for me.
Date: 2003-08-04
To: White Wolf Inn, Stratton, ME
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

One hundred eighty seven miles to go and Pile Up decided the boulder was softer than his toe. Bad decision... the boulder won. Happened around noon... he limped into Stratton where he's staying at least one night, probably several more. We (family) will be in Maine by Saturday, so if he's still in bad shape we'll pick him up and he can heal in a hot tub overlooking the water in Surrey.Kathy Fox (Mother Pile-Up)
Date: 2003-08-07
From: White Wolf Inn, Stratton, ME

To: Avery Memorial Campsite
Miles today: 8.0
Weather: broken clouds

I feel at the same time both very near and very far from Katahdin. I¢ve gone nearly 2,000 miles, and it¢s only about 180 away. It¢s practically right around the corner. And when people ask and I tell them I¢m a northbounder, they congratulate me for being so close to finishing. But I¢ve yet to see Katahdin. There have been several mountaintops where on clear days once can supposedly see Katahdin, but each mountain I¢ve crossed in the past week has been shrouded in clouds. I¢ve dreamt about it, but until I see the mountain it won¢t become a concrete reality that I¢m close to finishing.I¢m camping alone tonight, and feeling rather lonely after spending the last several weeks with people. At the moment I can¢t really recall the last time I spent a night alone. I had intended to go on another seven miles to Little Bigelow Lean-to, where I¢m sure there would be people, but when I got here I could have sworn I was hearing thunder to the west. I set up my hammock, not wanting to risk traveling an exposed ridge in a thunderstorm, but the storm never came. So I wish I went on today, but I¢m sure I¢ll run into somebody tomorrow night.
Date: 2003-08-08
From: Avery Memorial Campsite

To: West Cary Pond Lean-to
Miles today: 14.6

Definitely not lonely tonight. All kinds of people here. Must be the weekend.Two big things happened today trailwise. First, I crossed the 2,000 mile mark. Yay me. Second, I finished that grueling section of trail between Moosilauke and the Bigelows, about 225 miles. That section includes the Whites and southern Maine. The trail has been up and down constantly, often very steep, and often very rocky. Then today, right around the 2,000 mile mark, the trail took on a whole different attitude. I¢m getting into the Maine lowlands, which has a good bit of level terrain and lots of pond. Later in the hike today the sun peeked out from behind the clouds (finally!) and made things warm enough outside for a swim. Judging from the handbook, I¢ll get a lot of chances to swim between here and the end.
Date: 2003-08-15
From: Caratunk

To: Bald Mtn. Brook Lean-to
Miles today: 14.7
Weather: broken clouds

Last week I hiked into Caratunk and called my parents who were taking a family vacation near Acadia Nat. Park. They came and picked me up, and I spent the week with them away from the trail. Not a whole lot happened worth writing about. We did some short hikes, bike riding and other touristy stuff around the area. The weather was usually cloudy and humid, much like Maine has been for most of my hike so far. About midweek my stomach started feeling bad, and worried about Giardia I went to see a doctor. That didn't really accomplish anything since I didn't get the necessary cultures done to get a firm diagnosis. So now I'm just popping a lot of diarea pills and anti-biotics I got from the doc hoping it will get better, and if not I'll go get checked out again. I was able to hike today, but I still fell wierd, so I don't know what's going on.This morning Dad drove me back to the trail, and I got started about 11:30. The trail was pretty easy except for a short but steep climb up Pleasant Pond Mtn. The first few miles of the day went by quick as I was happy to be back on the trail in good weather (it's sunny!), but the latter part of the day felt kind of boring. I was hoping to meet a new group of northbounders when I got back on, but there doesn't seem to be anyone around.
Date: 2003-08-17
To: Pile-Up's Mom
Miles today: 0.0

Pile-Up spent almost a week with his family at a cottage in Surry, ME. His toe seems to have healed... so it must not have been broken. However.... finally sent him to the doctor on Wednesday because of intestinal problems. Doctor would not treat for giardia without tests... the Doc did give him 3 days of an antibiotic which helped only a little. Carter got back on the trail on Friday... we met him outside of Monson Saturday afternoon and took him to the emergency room in Greenville, ME, this afternoon. He's now hopefully got the proper medicine and we dropped him off for his final leg this afternoon. An opinion... his spirits are good... but his body is tired. We're all glad that he's close to his destination.Kathy Fox
Date: 2003-08-18
From: Monson

To: Long Pond Stream Lean-to
Miles today: 15.1
Weather: clear sky

This is only my second night spent in over a week on the trail. It makes me feel like I've been slacking, but there is no reason for me to hurry right now. Katahdin is only a week away.Two days ago I did a fairly long day, starting with a climb over Moxie Bald. The summit was supposed to have a view of Katahdin in the distance, but is was much too hazy to see anything. Later in the day, shortly after my first true river ford of the hike, Dad and Jason met me going southbound. We hiked back to the car and then stayed at a B&B up near Moosehead Lake. Yesterday I went to the doctor again for a check-up on my stomach. I still don't know for sure that it is Giardia, but I got the antibiotics to treat it. Right not I'm feeling much better. After the doctor we went to Shaw's in Monson and dropped off my pack, and then I slackpacked the 6 miles I lacked into town. It's amazing how fast the miles go without a pack. I'm glad though that it was my one and only time to slackpack because it felt a little like cheating to me. I'm not going to dwell on it, though.Today I started with a big breakfast at Shaw's and got going on the trail around nine-ish. I entered the 100-mile wilderness, which doesn't really feel any more wildernessy than the rest of the trail. In the first 15 miles there were already several logging roads and a railroad. This evening I passed the 100 miles to go mark.
Date: 2003-08-19
From: Long Pond Stream Lean-to

To: Chairback Gap Lean-to
Miles today: 10.9
Weather: few clouds

Whoever told me the 100-mile wilderness was easiy is a big, fat lier. It's not -- at least for me. It seems some hikers are flying through here no problem, but I got to this shelter after 11 miles quite exhausted. I just don't seem to ahve a lot of energy right now. The ninety miles from here to Katahdin seem as long to me as 2,000 miles did earlier on.The weather has been good for a change the past two days. Good views mostly without haze, though I still haven't seen Katahdin. Every time I get to a vista I look in its direction, but some other ridge is always in the way. It won't be long, though, I keep telling myself.
Date: 2003-08-20
From: Chairback Gap Lean-to

To: Logan Brook Lean-to
Miles today: 17.1
Weather: clear sky

I had a lot more energy hiking today than yesterday. I can't explain why. I actually had a pretty terrible night sleep last night, so it seems like it should be the other way around. The terrain today may have been a little easier, and that may be part of it. I think it's just that I was for whatever reason in a better mood today. It seems so much depends on moods out here, which for me can change quickly without apparent reason.I saw Katahdin today! It is a real place. It actually exists. For years now I've dreamt about hiking up that mountain at the end of a thru-hike. All that fantasizing can make it seem unreal, but today I saw it. It's not unreal any longer. The view was pretty hazy since it was suddenly hot and humid again this morning after two good cool, dry days. I first saw it from a small clearing shortly after the summit of Gulf Hagas Mtn., and then again from White Cap Mtn.This whole "100 mile wilderness" thing is a joke. There may not be any towns nearby, but there are plenty of roads and people around. The shelter last night was full. The trail around Gulf Hagas was crowded, and when I got to the shelter this evening, it was totally full. I'm finding the 100-mile wilderness to be one of the most heavily used areas of the whole trail, and it's not even the weekend.
Date: 2003-08-21
From: Logan Brook Lean-to

To: Pataywadjo Spring Lean-to
Miles today: 23.1
Weather: broken clouds

Let me revise my previous statement. Whoever said the first half of the 100-mile wilderness is easy is a liar. The 2nd half, however, is quite easy so far. After some significant but not too hard climbs late this morning, it's been some of the easiest hiking of the whole trail. And after seeing so many people yesterday, I only saw a few today. That was good for letting me do some skinny-dipping at the last shelter. On a hot and humid afternoon, that felt absolutely wonderful. Despite the easy hiking I was pretty tired by the end of the day. Twenty-three miles is tough no matter what I hike over. I don't know how those fast hikers do it day after day.
Date: 2003-08-22
From: Pataywadjo Spring Lean-to

To: Rainbow Stream Lean-to
Miles today: 18.2
Weather: scattered clouds

If all goes according to plan tomorrow, this will be my second to last night on the trail. The plan is to get up early in the morning and make it 25 miles to Katahdin Stream Campground. There are two thru-hikers who I expect will be there tomorrow night. Since I don't know of anybody a day behind me, I would like to catch them and summit with them the day after tomorrow. I really want to finish with somebody who has had similar experiences so we can share our moment of triumph together. But by now I know that plans often don't work for me, so we'll see how it goes.In any case, time is becoming very short, and I have mixed emotions about that. My body is tired and ready to be finished. There is no question about that. My mind, however, could go on living oiut here forever, it seems. I'm a little nervous about going back into a world where time and money, and not simply experiencing the world around you, are often the biggest motivators. On the other hand, I'm very excited to be so close to a goal that I've dreamed about for years and worked so hard to achieve. I've spent countless hours daydreaming about finally approaching and touching the sign on top of Katahdin and imagining how I will feel. To be so close to that moment is thrilling.This morning I woke up tired and in a bad mood. I didn't sleep very well in the shelter last night since it was hot and there were lots of biting gnats. That mood carried over into my morning hiking, and with the heat and humidity and tired body, I just wasn't having a good time. After several miles I finally decided to take a long break, eat some food, and cool off by taking a skinny-dip in a lake. That made all the difference. The rest of the day I was in a much better mood, and the temperature didn't feel as hot. There were a couple of views of Katahdin today. It's less than twenty miles away by crow, but the haze is still too thick to give a good view. I wanted to continue on for a few more miles this evening, but my feet were hurting pretty bad, so I decided to pull up here for the night. There are several people here doing the 100-mile wilderness who are keeping me in good company. I plan on taking a lot of ibuprofen tomorrow for the feet.
Date: 2003-08-23
From: Rainbow Stream Lean-to

To: The Birches
Miles today: 24.9
Weather: broken clouds

What a great day for hiking! I got up early this morning as planned and started on the trail before 7:00. The weather was a lot cooler and drier than the past few days. The air was so clear, the lakes reflecting the sky so blue, and there was a nice constant wind that made the water ripple. The miles just flew by without my legs even feeling it. Then on top of Rainbow Ledges, I got a clear view of Katahdin not far away. The trees had opened up just a big enough window with the peak right in the middle. That's when I started getting emotional. Memories of people I've met and places I've seen on the trail came flooding into my mind. All that is coupled with the excitement of being so close to my goal. It's a feeling I can't describe and will remember forever. The afternoon turned rainy, but never hard enough to get wet. It's gotten quite cold tonight, so I think I'll sleep well for tomorrow's big climb. I'm in shock that this is my last night on the trail and there are only 5 miles left.
Date: 2003-08-24
From: The Birches

To: Katahdin
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

I did it!! I summited Katahdin around 11:15 on August 24 in some of the worst weather imaginable for August. But it was awesome, an amazing climax to an amazing journey. Now I'm back home in Nashville for the moment, en route to somewhere I don't know yet. The rest of me entries will be up soon.