morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2014-08-09
From: Mahoosuc Notch north end at Bull Branch Campsite 

To: Carlo Col Shelter mile 281.3
Miles today: 7.1
Weather: overcast clouds

Peaches & Cream are flip floppers from Athens, Georgia. I met the at Woods Hole Hostel, where we beheaded a batch of strawberries together for the hostel. During the night Hydro from North Carolina arrived at the campsite. We started through the Notch together. The young people graciously slowed their pace to let me stay with them. The Notch lived up to its reputation of being the hardest mile on the trail. The young people approached it with the attitude that the challenges it presented would also make it the most fun mile.   Their positive attitude helped me make it through,but did not convince me that it was fun. I found much of it scary.Their help really was critical to my making it through. They scouted the easiest route, led the way showing how to manage difficult parts, and gave me a strong hand to help me safely mount tall boulders. They also took some pictures of some of my struggles which they have promised to send me.I hope I see them in Gorham and buy them supper as a token of appreciation. Like most young hikers they are on a tight budget and have to ration their luxuries. Most north bound hikers I talked with said the one mile Notch took them two hours. With the help of my young friends it took me three. We reached what appeared to be the end, took our stowed hiking poles out of our packs, and they took off at their normal pace. After a short stretch of normal trail they discovered that've still had about a quarter of the Notch remaining. They kindly waited so they could help me through that last section. Since I delayed doing the Notch until today, I was behind schedule for getting to Gorham, NH and hoped to make up the deficit by hiking to Gentian Pond shelter which would leave me with 12 miles to hike tomorrow. Again I underestimated the difficulty of the Maine Trails. The climbs over Fulling Mill Mountain and Goose Eye Mountain were as hard as any I have done with long rock scrambles going up and down. I traveled at less than one mile an hour and did not reach the turnoff to a shelter five miles short of my destination until after dark. I climbed the 0.3 miles down the side trail to the Carlo Col Shelter with my headlamp hoping that I would not bypass it in the dark.Thankfully, though the campsites were full there was room in the shelter. I unpacked and cooked a quick supper quietly to avoid disturbing the other hikers who were already sleeping and collapsed onto my bedroll.
Date: 2014-08-10
From: Carlo Col Shelter mile 281.3

To: US 2, Gorham, NH mile 298.3
Miles today: 17.0
Weather: few clouds

I really wanted to Reach Gorham today. I have a B&B reservation waiting for me that I have been looking forward to and I really need my scheduled zero day to rest and prepare for hiking the White Mountains. Unfortunately since I am behind schedule Gorham is 17 miles away. Younger northbound hikers tell me it is not an unreasonable hike and that the last two miles are a pleasant downhill stroll.I started out early determined to make every effort to reach Gorham by tonight. I hoped to cover the first five miles to Gentian Pond Shelter where I had planned to spend last night by 11:00 am.   Again the Maine trails defeated me. The trail was almost all rock scrambles and I did not reach the shelter until after 1:00 pm.On the way I crossed the Maine/New Hampshire border. Other hikers praise the challenge of the Maine trail in their journals relishing the challenges which they feel make it "real hiking". I may become nostalgic in the future, but for now my attitude is "good riddance" to Maine's rock scrambles, wet muddy paths, and life threatening slick drop offs. The trail did seem to get a little easier as I climbed over the first few New Hampshire mountains. Unfortunately in early afternoon it started raining and by early evening my boots were soaked my feet making little squishing sounds with every step. I rushed to get over the last mountain before 8:30 when the last daylight fades away assuming that if I succeeded I could safely complete the easy downhill stroll other hikers had described with my headlamp. I almost made it and only had to do a few of the final downhill rock scrambles by headlamp. However the downhill stroll I had been looking forward to was not the smooth path I envisioned, but a path strewn with roots and rocks that required careful attention at every step to avoid tripping and falling.I had called Doc, the Libby House B&B owner from the top of the next to last mountain and left a message that I was still coming but that I might be as late as midnight arriving. I walked out of the woods and came to the first of three roads that would take me to Gorham at 10:00 pm. Unfortunately I missread my map and turned the wrong way on the road. After about a 15 minute road walk I realized that something was wrong and started to retrace my steps. Unfortunately in my exhaustion while reading the map by headlamp I turned myself around on the road, so instead of retracing my steps I continued on in the wrong direction. After another 15 minute walk I came to a bridge I had not crossed before and discovered my second error. As I steeled myself for the now 30 minutes of backtracking my phone rang. It was Doc from the hostel checking on me. When I described my location he offered to come get me. We reached the B&B around 11:00 and after a bath to soak my body and wounds I fell into a clean, soft bed without worrying about supper. I have several new scrapes from falls and my shoulders are sore from the long day with a full pack in the wet rain, I do not have any serious injuries and my shoulder sores appear to be toughening.
Date: 2014-08-11
From: US 2, Gorham, NH mile 298.3

To: US 2, Gorham, NH mile 298.3
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Relaxing day started with a huge breakfast to make up for skipping supper last night. I am amazed by how much I eat when I have access to town food. I have not been anywhere with scales recently, so I don't know if I have lost more weight, but when I look at myself in a mirror I am reminded of photos of WW II GIs being released from enemy POW camps. Chore list included drying out and re-waterproofing boots and purchasing food supplies. Tomorrow I start into the White Mountains. I am apprehensive about this part of the journey, but since the daily distances I have scheduled between the huts where I have reservations are fairly short, I am optimistic that I will make it OK unless bad weather takes me off my schedule and causes me to lose all my reservations. I had a delightful dinner with Peaches (Brandon Dunlap) and Cream (Rachel Ryland), the couple who helped me through Mahoosuc Notch. They are bright and entertaining, in love with the outdoors, and still discovering what they want to do with their lives. They will speed ahead of me, but I hope I get to visit with them again.I got a call this evening from the B&B owner Doc explaining that he was in the hospital with a medical emergency and asking me to close up the house when I leave in the morning. After his rescue of me last night I am happy to be of a little service to him.
Date: 2014-08-15
From: Joe Dodge Lodge at Pinkham Notch, NH 16 mile 319.4

To: Madison Spring Hut mile 327.2
Miles today: 7.8

I hoped to keep a steady climbing pace and get to the Hut by as early as 4:00. I was doing OK until I got above the tree line and the trail became a boulder scramble that slowed me down to a slow, cautious pace. I did not reach the Hut until almost 7:00, well after their 6:00 dinner hour even though I took a Parapet Trail that skirted the peak of Mount Madison. Again the croo held a plate for me.I am no sure the bypass trail saved me any time. I think it was the same distance as the trail over the top and it had some short boulder climbs that took a good deal of time to figure out how to get over. While I was hanging half suspended up one of them trying to find a purchase point I said out loud "There has to be a toe hold here somewhere!" I then realized that there does not "have" to be one. I just wanted one to be there badly. It finally got clear enough that I could see some of the famous New Hampshire mountain vistas including views of Mount Washington. If the weather is OK I will try to scale it tomorrow. The views are spectacular, but I do not have a sense of appreciating them more because I climbed to a place to see them. I think I might appreciate their beauty if I observed them from a lookout I drove to because I would be able to focus exclusively on what I was seeing and not have to keep part of my attention focused on where I was standing and whether my foothold was secure.
Date: 2014-08-18
From: Mizpah Spring Hut mile 339.0

To: Crawford Notch, US 302 at AMC Highland Lodge mile 
Miles today: 6.4

This morning I had planned to comment in today's Journal that I had overestimated the difficulty of the White Mountains and that I should have planned longer daily treks instead of simply going from hut to hut. This afternoon convinced come to omit the comment. The long descent to the Saco River and Highway 302 was steep and dangerous almost all the way down. The view of the roadway and narrow valley where I was heading from the cliff edges above was attractive and intimidating. Again a northbound hiker recognized me and called out my name. Billy Goat is approaching the last 300 miles of his through hike. Like Judy Matheny he recommended slack packing the two mountain ranges after the White Mountains, but left me with the comforting reassurance that once past them I will have seen the last of the climbs over slick, slanted boulders with no place to hold on. When I asked about getting from the trail intersection to the a lodge Billy Goat assured me that white bearded fellows get rides much more easily than black bearded ones. After 10 minutes with my thumb out a local lady with two boys in her van turned around in the highway and took me the three miles to the Lodge. The trail profile for today looked rather easy, but an easy first mile the climb over Mt. Jackson inserted wet boulder climbs, strong dangerous winds, and poor trail markings that left me unsure of my way. Half way down the Webster Cliffs heading for the valley and AMC Highland Center Lodge far below I came upon an older fellow resting on a rock. He explained he had walked up to revisit the outlook and was on his way back down. I offered to walk down with him explaining that I was not sure that this steep trail was a safe place for a 71 Year old to hike alone. He told me that he preferred the solitude and that I was too worried about taking on a challenge at my young age. He is 87 and still climbing cliffs with confidence. The Lodge is nice, but the AMC's interest is on serving day hikers, not distance hikers. There are no facilities for cleaning or drying my nasty clothes and I had to do some extreme jury rigging to even create a place to hang them.At supper I met Howard or "Trail Dog" from Sevierville, TN who is doing an in and out hike tomorrow to finish a section. He would like to hike with me and his wife will take us to the trail.
Date: 2014-08-19
From: Crawford Notch, US 302 at AMC Highland Lodge mile 

To: Zealand Falls Hut mile 353.3
Miles today: 7.9
Weather: clear sky

Up early to pack before breakfast and leave with Trail Dog immediately after breakfast. He and his wife Tina ate a moderate breakfast while I stuffed myself at a delicious breakfast buffet. My eating slowed me down. I was in the restroom when Trail Dog came to get me and he ended up leaving without me. Tina found me in the parking lot after dropping him off and took me to the trail. I was hiking by 8:15. The day was delightful. Weather was beautiful. Trail was generally easy. A long stretch was along an old logging railroad bed. I took time to drop my pack and walk a short distance to see Thoreau Falls. Mom with four middle school age girls was on the rocks by the falls constructing an art project out of natural materials.I got to the Hut by 2:00 and had time to string a line and dry out my clothing that was still wet from the rain day before yesterday and to take a nap before supper. Hut is beside another waterfall.Trail the next two days will not be easy. Climbs and descents will be steep and northbound hikers tell me that I will have to clamber over lots of rock fields. I still do not have a reservation at Galehead Hut and since the weather is predicted to stay nice the chances of cancellations are not good. My fallback is a shelter and campsite 2.8 miles past the hut.To my disappointment my new Lowa Boots continue to deteriorate. In addition to the rubber delaminating from the leather a seam has opened in the side of one boot. When I meet May Louise in Lincoln, NH Friday we will need to either get them repaired or replaced. It has been too long since I have seen her and I am really looking forward to the reunion.
Date: 2014-08-20
From: Zealand Falls Hut mile 353.3

To: Frost Trail to Galehead Hut mile 360.1
Miles today: 6.8

Passed another benchmark today. I now have "only" 1000 miles to hike to finish the trail. I am beginning to think that since I have done this much and since the remaining sections after the Whites are supposed to be comparatively easy that I ought to commit seriously to finishing the while thing. However, unless my average mileage increases significantly, then I may not have enough time to finish before serious winter weather sets in. Today's trail had lots of variety: steep climbs, nice flat sections, ankle turning scree, mountain tops with vistas, long stretches of puncheon. I was making pretty good time and considering trying to rendezvous with May Louise a day earlier than planned when I hit the 0.8 mile descent from the summit of South Twin Mountain to the shelter. Most of it felt safe as long as I was very careful to place each foot in exactly the right place before shifting my weight. The 0.8 mile took me over an hour and a half. When I had called, the Galehead Hut was full and I had not be able to get a reservation. May Louise continued to call for me and when I arrived I found to my delight that she had been successful. My fallback was a campsite thee miles away. I have been told that the trail to it is very difficult. I will be much happier facing it in the morning when I am fresh. Lots of folks on the trail today including three different student/youth groups. A college freshman leadership class was singing as they came up the hard 0.8 miles I was descending. Conversation at the hut this afternoon with a New York attorney who is hiking with his wife and daughter. He told me the story of how in his dotage Henry Ford refused to convert his auto plants to war production. Roosevelt did not want the political problems that would come from condemning and nationalizing the plants. Harold Ickes negotiated with Edsel Ford for the family to force the old man off the Board. In exchange Ickes promised the Fords exemption from federal inheritance tax. Keeping Ickes' promise resulted in creation of the Ford Foundation and in donation by the Harriman Family of the land that forms the NY State Park where the AT crosses the Hudson River. There is a State Lodge there and an Appalachian Mountain Club Lodge in New Jersey where he recommends I stay at as I hike past. Weather has remained beautiful. Hope it stays that way until I get off the mountain ridges. There is at least a chance of thunder showers tomorrow afternoon.
Date: 2014-08-21
From: Frost Trail to Galehead Hut mile 360.1

To: Mount Lafayette, Greenleaf Hut 1.1 miles to west, 
Miles today: 6.6
Weather: broken clouds

"Hello America how are you?Don't you know me? I'm your native son. I'm the train they call the City of New Orleans. I'll be gone a thousand miles 'fore the trail is done"This morning I congratulated a northbound through hiker I met on the trail for getting to within 360 miles of completing his quest. When I mentioned that I was a flip flopper with 1000 miles to go, he suggested this song as a theme for my continuing effort. It has been playing in my head ever since.The other earworm that continues to play in my head is Tom Paxton's tribute to cause marchers drawn from a verse in Isaiah: "How beautiful upon the mountain are the steps of those who walk in peace."Both tunes are so haunting and lovely that they have not become tiresome   The day started with the three mile hike I would have had to complete last night to get to the Garfield Ridge Shelter if May Louise had not gotten me into the Galehead Hut last night. The section was much harder than I had expected and took me over three hours to complete. After discovering how difficult it was I was even more appreciative of May Louise's successful effort. I had enough sprinkles this afternoon to wet any rocks that were dry and make them slick, but not enough to get me and my gear wet. Wind on top of Mt. Lafayette was strong and cold making the steep climb to it's summit intimidating. I was really glad to get to the intersection with the trail that leads 1.1 mile down the mountain to Greenleaf Hut. The mountain blocked me from the wind on the descent. In the morning I will regret the extra mile the detour adds to tomorrow's hike but I am delighted to be warm and well fed in the Hut tonight with the wind howling outside. I was passed by a young couple while hauling myself up a boulder on the side of Mt. Lafayette. The fellow has completed his through hike and now is "yoyoing": through hiking back to Georgia in the same year with his girlfriend. The attorney I talked with last night had been reading about electrolytes. He claimed that drinks like Gatoraid do not restore electrolytes because you piss them away before they get into your system. Keeping your stomach digesting food produces electrolytes. He advocated taking one bite of an energy bar or candy bar every half hour instead doing as I have been and taking a pack off break every couple of hours and wolfing down a whole bar. I decided to try his system today. I'm not sure whether it helped my energy level, but it did make the Cliff Bar taste better.Tonight's dinner partner was a researcher from the University of Connecticut working modeling of proteins. He explained how his research was leading to new cures for serious diseases and lamented the federal cutbacks in NIH funding what both limits the research that can be done and leaves some young experts having to find other, less productive work.
Date: 2014-08-22
From: Mount Lafayette, Greenleaf Hut 1.1 miles to west, 

To: Franconia Notch, Lincoln, NH mile 373.1
Miles today: 6.4
Weather: light rain

The 1.1 mile hike from the summit down to the hut took an hour each way, but it was worth the extra mileage go get out of the wind and off the mountain last night.At each hut I have been surprised by the number of families with children. Most of the huts are just a few miles uphill from parking areas and a common practice is to hike in with the family, do a short hike the next day, spend a second night, then hike back to your car.I like almost every hiker I have met and enjoy visiting with them. However, as Nathan pointed out in the Smokies, if you want to finish today¢s hike or the whole trail, you have to keep walking, and that requirement places a limit on visiting time. Today¢s collection of brief encounters includes Journeyman, an God blessing good old boy from outside Knoxville, TN who hopes to summit Katahdin on his 65th birthday and Nubbins, a delightful 69 year old lady who is doing a flip flop from the middle out and who, like me, has about 1000 miles to go.I had a delightful surprise late this afternoon, Peaches (Brandon Dunlap) and Cream (Rachel Ryland), the young couple who helped me through Mahoosuc Notch appeared behind me. Although they are much faster hikers than me, they had taken time off to visit a New Hampshire friend. When they learned from a North bound hiker I had talked with that I was ahead of them, they had hurried to catch me. It started raining as we descended to Franconia Notch where May Louise was scheduled to pick me up; so we were able to give them a ride to their motel. Unfortunately, in my rush to get them loaded in the car and to get out of the rain I left my hiking poles at the curbside. When May Louise and I came back for them, they were gone.The map and guidebook describing our meeting place were not clear. The parking lot where May Louise was waiting was a little less than a mile from the point where we turned off the trail and it took a little looking before we found her. As usual, AT&T failed to connect when we needed it to.It was wonderful to see May Louise after a long absence and to replace my hiking clothes that had not been washed since I started through the White Mountains with clean civilian clothes.May Louise brought me a wonderful gift. On her way to from New York to New Hampshire to meet me she had visited Herman Melville¢s house and she brought me a T-Shirt that reads ¢Call me Ishmael¢.
Date: 2014-08-23
From: Franconia Notch, Lincoln, NH mile 373.1

To: Franconia Notch, Lincoln, NH mile 373.1
Miles today: 0.0

I took a zero day to recover from the trek through the White Mountains and to solve some gear problems. My new Lowa Boots again started delaminating after 150 miles and split a seam open at 200 miles. I really like the boots because they are out-of-the-box comfortable, but they are not durable enough to endure the rocky trails of Maine and New Hampshire. I replaced them with a pair of Salomon boots identical to the ones I started with in Georgia. I also replaced the hiking poles I lost and the rain pants I had shredded on the rocks.I laid out a tentative route and resupply schedule for the next few days. Three days after May :Louise goes back home I should leave New Hampshire and enter Vermont.We retreated my clothes with permethrin and I tried setting up Nathan¢s hiking hammock. May Louise had to reassure our neighbor in the hotel that the fellow laying his clothes out on the ground and stringing up a hammock at the edge of the motel grounds is not a dangerous homeless person invading their vacation, but just her husband preparing to go back to hiking.With some trepidation I am sending my tent home with May Louise and trying the hammock. I have never slept in a hammock, but the hikers who use them swear by them. It is a bit lighter than my tent. With some practice it will be faster to set up, and in a bad rain storm it will keep me off the ground and dryer that my tent would. It does not give as much protection to my gear.I ate well each night through the White Mountains staying in the huts, but I still look even scrawnier than the last time May Louise saw me. Even my head has shrunk. The hat she brought me is now loose on my head.Each meal we have eaten in Lincoln has been delicious. Tonight we had a delightful surprise Our waiter had through hiked the trail and he offered ti buy our rather expensive dinner as an act of trail magic. We encouraged him to save his kindness for a low budget student hker who needed the assistance more than we did.