morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2012-08-19
From: Hanover, NH

To: Trapper John Shelter
Miles today: 16.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Beautiful Day. I am really glad we had our winter clothes shipped back. It was cold and the 15 degree sleeping bag was nice. I was cold a few times last week with my summer bag. With many 4000'- 6000' mountains facing us in the next couple of weeks it will keep me comfortable at night.    We now have only 2 states to go --- New Hampshire and Maine. Hard to believe we have 12 states behind us.    The saying on the trail is when you get to N.H. you have walked 80 percent of the miles but completed only 50 percent of the work because N.H. and Maine are very challenging. Well here we come.
Date: 2012-08-20
From: Trapper John Shelter

To: Wentworth, NH
Miles today: 16.0

Tonight at dinner Rhino and I came to a conclusion -- we are the slowest hikers in our area of the AT. We have not passed anyone on the trail since Virginia and everyday many hikers pass us. But, we keep moving and will make it. My family, especially my son who is in Japan and is a fitness guy, believes we are pushing too hard and should slow down. Finding the right balance between too slow and too fast is difficult out here. We hike on average about 10 hours a day. That by itself is not bad - what makes it a challenge is the weight in the backpack and the hills (very soon serious mountains). Today was a good example of how hard it is to find a balance. We didn't have many water sources for much of the afternoon. When we finally found water it was about 5PM. But, there wasn't any good camping spots available because of steep hills. So, we purified a gallon of water each and then hiked almost 2 more hours until we could find some relatively flat ground. I really dislike carrying water that far, but...
Date: 2012-08-21
From: Wentworth, NH

To: Glencliff, NH
Miles today: 10.0

Less than 400 miles to go. Wow. It seems like a long way but when you have walked almost 1800 miles it doesn't seem so bad. Tonight we are staying at the Hiker Welcome Hostel neat Wentworth, NH getting organized for the White Mountains. The Whites are what everyone has talked about since Georgia. Some of the most challenging climbs face us and the most challenging is tomorrow (Mount Moosilauke). So, we are taking it easy this afternoon and resting our legs. Almost a 3000 foot climb straight up. The forcast is for good weather so we ought to get some good photographs. This is it - we finally made it to The Whites.   Once we start the White Mountains we will not be able to resupply in town for 6 days. So, we are carefully checking our food and equipment to make sure we can make it through without incident. We are concerned and excited at the same time. Excited because of the different terrain and views and concerned because much of it is on exposed ridges well above the treeline and bad weather is a real scare. The highest peak in the White Mountains is Mount Washington and for many years it held the record for the highest wind in the US. Google The White Mountains, Mount Moosilaukee, and Mount Washington for some interesting information and great photos.
Date: 2012-08-22
From: Glencliff, NH

To: MT Moosilauke
Miles today: 10.0

Made it up and over MT Moosilauke without incident. Absolute incredible views. I uploaded a few pictures. Strange, I could see Mt Washington at a distance of 100 miles and I could not make a phone call.   But, today I wanted to focus this journal entry on something different. On Aug 7, I wrote about a young AT thru-hiker who tragically died while swimming in a pond in Maine. Last night I was reading the trail journal that each hostel maintains and I came across a journal entry he wrote back in May (eery). Here it is :   "So, I'm reading Moby Dick the other day and happen to stumble upon this quote in reference to how the color white is sometimes used to signify sinister things: [And those sublimer towers, the White Mountains of New Hampshire, whence, in peculiar moods, comes that gigantic ghostliness over the soul at the bare mention of that name, while the thought of Virginia's Blue Ridge is full of soft, dewy distant dreaminess.] Herman Melville   So yeah, that's what we're about to get into. Pumped. - Parkside (deceased hiker)   So sad - a typical young hiker who has made it this far. Young, articulate, well educated, respectful, and generally the type of kid you would want as a son or daughter, brother or sister. Again, if you are reading tabout this tragic incident for the first time, please go back to Aug 7 and read about the young hiker who drowned while on the trail.
Date: 2012-08-23
From: MT Moosilauke

To: South Kinsman Mountain
Miles today: 0.0

After speaking with people during breakfast, I was informed that this will be the last time we'll have cell phone coverage for another 100 miles or about a week or so. This means limited amount of updating for the blog. A sneak-peak to come for the next week is the dreaded Whites, which is some of the roughest terrain of the AT. Today we're at South Kinsman Mountain, at an elevation of 4358 ft, quite a difficult day of hike considering the lowest point today was 2408 ft.   There was a point where we had to take the "long cut" because the decline was much too steep and dangerous to attempt. The next mountain to conquer is Franconia Notch.
Date: 2012-08-23
From: South Kinsman Mountain

To: Kinsman Pond
Miles today: 11.0
Weather: scattered clouds

We had beautiful views on our hike today. We saw Lafayette Mountain, the mountain we have to scale tomorrow. Even though we were really high up, Lafayette Mountain was much higher. We could see the bald ridge that we¢re going to have to hike tomorrow. We¢re hoping for no rain because we¢re completely exposed with little to no trees to shield us from the elements. Really just out in the open. Today was the toughest day yet for hiking.
Date: 2012-08-24
From: Kinsman Pond

To: Darfield Pond
Miles today: 14.0

Today was the most difficult day of hiking yet. Yes, I realized I said that yesterday! This is extremely rough terrain and the hiking is brutal. Today was one of the most beautiful days yet. We had great weather and walking the bald ridge was nice. Rhino says that this was the nicest hill that he¢s seen in the Whites. We stopped at an Appalachian mountain club (AMC) hut. There are 10 of them in the mountains. Usually for the hikers, room reservations are available, but can be quite pricey starting at $80. We ended up camping 7:30 pm, because there wasn¢t any water on Lafayette Mountain. We were way up high, higher than the tree line. We continued to walk above the tree line until we made it to Darfield pond. We cooked in the dark, ate in the dark. Even though you¢re not supposed to camp away from designated spots, we camped because we were so tired. By the end of the night, there were 8 other hikers that joined us. Lafayette Mountain from a distance looked scary and dangerous, but up close, it was just a beautiful trail. The climbs and descents were very challenging, slowing us down to about a mile an hour. Luckily the weather was nice, because we couldn¢t have done it if it were raining.
Date: 2012-08-25
From: Darfield Pond

To: Thoraeu Falls
Miles today: 13.0

We hiked for a total of11 hours today, with another 10 K ft mountain ascent and descent, very rocky. We couldn¢t do much more than a mile an hour. The whites are much more challenging than we originally thought. Even though others warned us of the challenges, you can¢t even fathom it unless you experience it yourself. And there¢s no way you can attempt the hike in bad weather. We¢ve been extremely lucky with the great weather we¢ve been having (knock on wood). Rhino insists that Lafayette Mountain is one of the most beautiful mountains that they have encountered on the AT saying that it reminds him of Machu Picchu.
Date: 2012-08-26
From: Thoraeu Falls

To: Mizpah Hut
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: fog

We stayed at the Mizpah hut, another Appalachian mountain club hut. These huts are quite interesting and urge anyone reading this to look into it to see what they¢re all about. Rhino actually went ahead and paid, but I did work for stay. Every night they take in 2 to 4 through-hikers to help out with dishes, cleaning up, and stuff like that. In exchange for you labor, they let you sleep on the floor. I slept on the floor of the library and I got to eat all the leftovers for dinner and breakfast, but I saved myself a Benjamin. They call this setup work-for-stay.Today was yet another tough day hiking. We hiked possibly the hardest mile yet on the WHOLE trail. It took us an hour and a half, almost 2 hours, to one mile. Our trekking poles were useless. It was basically hand-over-hand climbing. The whites are nothing like anything we¢ve seen in regards to beauty and toughness. Rhino was very happy that he saw the Appalachian mountain club hut because he was pretty tired. He wanted to get into some comfort area. He was also happy because you can always stop at these huts and get food or snacks, especially since you can¢t carry a whole lot of food. We finally made it to the Madison Hut, about 6 pm.
Date: 2012-08-27
From: Mizpah Hut

To: Madison AMC hut
Miles today: 12.3

We slept at the Madison AMC hut. If anyone thinks we¢re slacking off, know that people say that 10 miles in the Whites is like hiking 15 miles anywhere else, and 15 miles is like 20 miles, mainly because the terrain is so difficult and it really slows you down. Today we hiked through the Presidential Range. We hiked over Mt Pierce, Mt Eisenhower, Mt Monroe, and Mt Washington.It was a beautiful all morning, a great day to take pictures, but unfortunately, the ones posted to the site are from my phone. The good ones are on my camera. Mt Washington is said to be in the clouds 250 days of the year, but we were able to get up there on one of the few nice days that Mt Washington sees annually. Unfortunately, the winds started blowing while we were up there. The winds were projected to be 75 mph. A part of my pack almost flew away but luckily a cord snagged on something, saving it from getting lost in the Atlantic Ocean indefinitely. Mt Washington is also said to have the highest recording of winds clocking in at 231 mph. Just a miserable place most of the year.We also stopped at the Lake of the Clouds, another AMC hut, and had some soup and bakery goods for a mid-morning snack. It¢s pretty amazing; the bakery is a $1 and all homemade, the coffee is $1, soup $2 a bowl and $1 for refill. It¢s actually cheaper if you buy it down in town. The crew workers carry all the food in these special backpacks.
Date: 2012-08-28
From: Madison AMC hut

To: Pinkam Notch
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: fog

Wanted to wish my dad a Happy Birthday. I tried calling him, but we¢ve been having difficulty establishing cellphone reception through much of the Whites. When we woke up, they gave us the weather forecast: 50 mph winds, temp on the summit down to 25 degrees F, when we starting hiking. Today was the roughest day on the trail yet (recurring theme??). And the winds felt MUCH higher than 50 mph. We couldn¢t walk, we couldn¢t stand, we had to crawl through the rock bed. Our legs and hands are all cut up. We couldn¢t keep our pack covers on, because the winds were so high that they just blew them off. Our poles were useless, and really just a pretty miserable day. Took us over 2 12 hours to go the first mile. I was able to take a few pictures of us climbing the slippery, wet, steep rocks.Because of all of the weather conditions, the wind and rain and hail actually felt colder than the blizzard we endured back in Mt Rogers (in early April). This was the first time since then that I was scared. Rhino said the same thing. But we continued to hike and 8 hours later, we finished our hiking for the day. Rhino said that today was the most dangerous day he¢s come across while on the AT, again because of the rocks, and the miserable conditions. This was the only day really that we were worried about hypothermia.We ended sleeping down the mountain at Pinkam Notch after our miserable hike. A little restaurant, mountain lodge the forest service runs. We were relieved to be able to sleep in a bed after hiking the difficult and strenuous terrain. We woke up and it was cold and windy. I actually had to put on my puff jacket (my winter jacket) to walk to breakfast because it was that cold and windy.
Date: 2012-08-29
From: Pinkam Notch

To: Carter Dome
Miles today: 7.0

Rhino walked 6 12 miles, I walked 8, taking about 7 hours. Rhino ended up sleeping at another AMC hut. The whites are tough and made him slow and tired, and needed a comfortable bed and called it quits early. He was just hurting all over: his ankle, his calf, his should, and his chest. I hiked a bit further and stopped at Carter Dome resting at an elevation of 4600 ft, while having very cold 50 mph winds all night long.It definitely wasn¢t the smartest to sleep on top of a mountain summit. I was in my sleeping bag in my tent and I remained cold so I put my puff jacket inside my sleeping bag and draped it over my shoulders, and I was STILL cold. Just a miserable night, but that¢s what happens when you sleep at almost 5000 ft elevation with 50 mph hours. The Trail Maintainers do an amazing job keeping up with the trail. Some of these paths are at a 45 degree angles, and how they are able to put these great big stone steps in for miles and miles and miles is beyond me. And then they have strategically placed hand holds, but it takes thousands and thousands of volunteers to make it all happen to maintain the trail.
Date: 2012-08-30
From: Carter Dome

To: Next to some stream in NH
Miles today: 10.0

We ended up stealth camping next to a stream. Rhino hiked 10 miles, while I hiked 9, that way we were back on track with each other. We hiked almost all the way until 6:30 pm, having a lot of ups and downs all day long. We haven¢t seen flat ground in days. The views are all very magnificent, but we¢ve seen so many spectacular views in the past view that we¢ve become accustomed to them and we don¢t appreciate them anymore like we used to. The Whites have been tough on both of us. We have been very tired and even though the campsite wasn¢t very level and flat, we just couldn¢t anymore and called it a day.
Date: 2012-08-31
From: Gorham

To: Gorham
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

THE WHITES ARE OVER! They were just as beautiful and difficult as we¢ve heard, maybe even more so! The Whites are definitely not for the novice or beginner hiker as they are very dangerous places and challenging all over. At times even we were scared, especially for the weather, steepness of the cliffs, and not having water when we really needed it.Thankfully, we have good gear, and good AT guide that tells us where all the huts are and all of the dangerous steep cliffs are, and gives an accurate elevation profile. It¢s not a map but it¢s quite close to one. When we finally got off the trail and as we were hitch hiking into town, we saw Papa Wolf, Crocodilly and their niece Tailbone. They asked us if we needed a ride into town. I actually met Papa wolf back in 2007 when I was still in the military stationed in Germany, and just by chance, we met up in VT! His niece, Tailbone, was giving them a ride north when we saw them and we were going to Gorham so Tailbone offered to drop us off at Walmart and at our hostel. We were really lucky; we were able to resupply, take a shower, wash our clothes, and eat! Only 298 miles left until we get to Katahdin and 17 miles until the Maine/NH border. We definitely want to thank Tailbone, Papa Wolf, and Crocodilly for the ride. It was nice to see a familiar face.
Date: 2012-09-01
From: Gorham, NH

To: Gentian Pond
Miles today: 11.0
Weather: broken clouds

55 years old today. Rhino gave me a gift this morning to remind me of the The Whites and the AT. Very thoughtful of him. I also received many wishes from my family. I carried 2 small pecan pies up a mountain to share with Reinhard after dinner. Our last full day in NH - it was a butt-kicking (our butts) state. But, the views were probably the best we have seen. I really enjoyed the bald ridges in The Whites. You could see for at least 100 miles. Hallo, liebe Wanderer, und alle die mich kennen, heute hat John Geburtstag auf dem Trail! Das haben wir mit einer Wanderung, was wir taeglich tun, und einem kleinen Geschenk von mir gefeiert. Bis bald Rhino-Reinhard the German
Date: 2012-09-02
From: Gentian Pond

To: Next to some pond in Maine
Miles today: 9.5

Woke up to rain this morning. One of my least favorite things to do is eat breakfast in the rain and pack up a wet tent. But, I'm sure we will have much more of that this month.    Yeah, we made it to Maine. At almost exactly 12:00 we crossed the border. At almost the same time the sun came out. We hope that is a good omen. The last few days in NH were very tough and Maine is starting the same. We heard the 150 miles after The White Mountains were tough and they sure are tough. We hikes 11 hours and only made 9.5 miles. It is hard to believe that we have not completed 13 states and only have Maine to complete. Now when people ask were we are going we can't say Maine because we are there.
Date: 2012-09-03
From: Next to some pond in Maine

To: Speck Pond
Miles today: 5.1
Weather: clear sky

We hiked (climbed over and under boulders, crawled, jumped, and fell) hard all day (10 hours) and only made 5.1 hours. But, what a day. We hiked Mahoosuc Notch, the most difficult and fun mile on the AT accoring to the AT guide bbok. The one mile segment took us 3.5 hours. I could write so much about it but you can google it for pictures and more details. Tonight we camped next to another pond (actually a small lake) surrounded by beautiful mountains and no mechanical things in sight. What a way to end the night.    We have been hiking with an Australian woman named Gypcigirl. A really nice lady who hiked the AT last year and is back for more fun.
Date: 2012-09-04
From: Speck Pond, ME

To: Andover, ME
Miles today: 4.6
Weather: overcast clouds

The weather forcast is for up to 3 inches of rain tonight so we decided to head to a hostel in Andover, ME. We called from on top of a 4,000 foot mountain and made reservations. We have not had a day off since Vermont (2 weeks ago). Reinhard has a sore calf, knee, shoulder, chest (he fell on a rock last week) and is generally tired. I have bad knees, scraps all over from Mahoosuc Notch, and my feet are sore all over from wearing wet boots for 3 days.
Date: 2012-09-05
From: Andover, ME

To: Andover, ME
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

We took the day off - the first day since Vermont (2 weeks ago). It was a good day because the remnants of Hurricane Isaac hit Maine last night and dropped almost 3 inches of rain. Several hikers arrived at the hostel today and were soaked. We have about 3 weeks to complete 237 miles. We heard the next 100 miles are tough and then it gets easier. Unfortunately Reinhard must depart by 1 Oct because his Visa expires. I will complete the trail even it takes longer but I hope we can complete it together. Time to get tough and forget the aches and pains and move on.
Date: 2012-09-06
From: Andover, ME

To: Woods in Maine
Miles today: 10.0

Back to the trail. We had a huge climb up a large granite slab and a tough descent. Our pace on the way down was extremely slow because the granite was still wet from the rain the past 2 days. It was challenging and fun, and as always, it was good to be back on the trail. Andover, Maine is an interesting town. It has a handful of service stores, 49 kids in school, no stop lights, and a very popular General store/Diner. At dinner last night there were 11 hikers (we out-numbered the locals). Besides Rhino and I, the other hikers were the 2 Troverts (X and N), Kleenex, Castaway, Seminole, Walk about, Riff Ralph, Gipcgirl, and Flapjack. The heavy rains were the reason there were so many hikers in town.   In that mix were 2 Australians and 2 Germans.   Andover is really "in the woods" with the primary industries being tourism and logging.
Date: 2012-09-07
From: Woods in Maine

To: Woods in Maine
Miles today: 11.0

I noticed the leaves are starting to turn color. Today I took a picture of the trees reflecting on the pond water and noticed the reds and yellow. Wow, it is only the first week of September. Strange, we started hiking last winter in Georgia and now it is almost Fall. We will have walked in all 4 seasons.   Today Reinhard and I had a detailed discussion on how he plans to complete the trail.   It doesn't look as if he will be able to complete all 2184 miles. He will probably be about 75 miles short before his Visa expires. My wife, who has done an outstanding job sending us packages and being a great base camp operations manager, mailed our medicine ahead of schedule because we may jump ahead next week. I will go back and complete the section we pass when my wife comes to Maine later this month. I'm really looking forward to hiking with her and it will be pretty cool climbing Katahdin with Reinhard and then finishing the last miles of the trail with my wife. Right now Reinhard and I are just tired - day and night - but so are all the other hikers. Besides gear, water and food, the favorite topics for hikers to discuss, we now discuss how tired we are and how sore our bodies are. I guess 1950 miles will do that to you.
Date: 2012-09-09
From: Oquossoc

To: Rangely, ME
Miles today: 14.0
Weather: broken clouds

Trail was really wet after the heavy rains last night. Still pushing on as scheduled and not jumping ahead. If we can make it through the next 60 miles in the mountains, we should be able to make it without skipping much. We¢ve increased our daily intake of ibuprofen to help with the pain and keep moving on.
Date: 2012-09-10
From: Rainley, ME

To: Woods in Maine
Miles today: 15.0

It's Reinhard's 53rd birthday. One of his presents was a necklace made out of moose poop and a white glaze put on it. It doesn¢t smell of course. We hiked for 11 hours so it was a long day. The highlight was walking up saddleback mountain up in the clouds, although it was raining with 50 mph winds. It was really cold on the mountain, and made us want to get off the mountain as soon as we could.
Date: 2012-09-11
To: Stratten, ME
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: few clouds

We are still pushing!! Luckily, today was a beautiful day as we climbed Sugar Loaf Mountain. It¢s pretty famous ski resort in ME. We only have one more day of high hills before it flattens out. Rhino¢s chest keeps hurting so we¢ll head to the doctor tomorrow to see what they have to say. We hitchhiked into town when we got off the mountain. Rhino was in the front but no luck, so we had Gip-c girl take the front and sure enough, someone stopped for us. It pays to have a woman along when hitchhiking!