morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2003-07-13
From: NH 25

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

The first day to hike above tree line and it was pretty awesome. It was not an easy task to get to the summit of Mt. Moosilauke but the views were worth the effort.It was a climb from 1100 feet at the start to 4800 feet at the summit. The trail was super to hike on as I gained elevation. As I climbed, the forest changed to all pines. They continue to get shorter and the trail went right through a very thick grove for over a mile. Once above the tree line there were huge cairns that marked the trail. You really had to pay attention because there were a lot of intersecting trails and they often use the local trail name instead of the Appalachian Trail.I did learn that no matter what the weather is like when I start that it can be totally different when you get above the tree line. The wind was blowing pretty hard and the temp had to be 20 degrees below what it was when I started out. If it would have started raining then I would have been in some serious trouble. Penny walked up about a mile and a half and we went down a really steep trail. It followed a pretty stream that with all the rain had some really nice cascading waterfalls. Penn is slowly but surely doing some hiking to get her feet use to hiking once again.Tomorrow I walk over the Franconia Range which is mostly above tree line. Some people consider this section to be the most scenic section on the entire AT. You summit Mt. Lafayette which is 5250 feet. It will be interesting to see how my body holds up and if I can get a work for stay at Zealand Falls Hut on the second night out.Today was a hard but fun day of hiking with the views from the top of Mt. Moosilauke well worth the effort. Take care,Pasta & Crockett(Maine in 2003)
Date: 2003-07-16
From: Franconia Notch

To: Garfield Ridge Shelter
Miles today: 11.1
Weather: moderate rain

I am just old and I am totally feeling that way at the moment. I zipped out a whole 11 miles in 9.5 hours. I actually got slightly nervous that I was not going to make it to the shelter before dark.Franconia notch is at 1450 feet and in two miles you hit 4250 feet. I was sucking some serious wind by the time I was one third of the way up. I had a full pack with 3 days of food so it made for slow going on that type of steep terrain. There was a group of 5 people that I somehow caught up with that were just out for a day hike. I hiked with them for a half mile when one guy in the group simply says "raise your hand if you are having fun". Not a single hand went up; he waited a moment and then asked "raise your hand if you want to head back to the car". No hands went up but the other four members of the group just turned around and started hiking back down the trail. They were so in sync that I almost turned around with them.I'm glad I continued onward. In another hour I hit the Franconia Ridge Trail and was soon above the tree line. I crossed over Little Haystack at 4760 feet. I have to admit that after all that effort and sweat that I would have felt better if they had called it BIG Haystack.Even on the ridge the trail was tough. There were a dozen times where I had to throw my hiking poles ahead and then scramble on all fours up over major boulders. I continued to climb over the 5000 foot level to Mt Lincoln and then to Mt Lafayette at 5249 feet. It was absolutely beautiful up on that ridge. The day was mostly sunny and I could see clear over to Mt Washington.I met a really nice father and son from Atlanta. They were staying at the Greenleaf Hut which was only a mile away. They gave me their excess water which was a Godsend. After all that tough climbing I was very low on water and there were no other sources until I reached Garfield Pond which was located 3 miles away. At my pace 3 miles meant close to 3 hours.It was a long, very steep descent off of Mt Lafayette. In some ways it is harder on your body having to go down hill with that pack on your back. It puts a tremendous amount of stress on your knees during each steep. I finally made it down to the pond only to be faced with one last climb. Another 1000 foot climb to the summit of Mt Garfield. It was rocky and my body was starting to tire out to the point where I would take twenty steps and stop. I'd breathe deep for 5 seconds and then do twenty more steps. Finally I made it and trudged on .2 more miles to the shelter.I met a young college aged guy who was the caretaker. He told me that most people split up the section that I had just walked due to how rugged the entire trail was. I was too tired to cook so I filtered some water and ate a bagel with peanut butter smeared all over it.Take care,Pasta & Crockett(Maine in 2003)
Date: 2003-07-17
From: Garfield Ridge Shelter

To: Whitewall Mountain
Miles today: 10.1

I had not slept in a shelter in a while and I now remember why. One guy wants to stay up late, one guy snores like crazy and one guy likes to get up before the sun. Not that any of that mattered this evening, I was so beat that I more or less could have slept through a nuclear attack.As I stepped out from the shelter to start my hike the first raindrop fell upon my head. I usually enjoy hiking in the rain but after all the climbing from yesterday I knew I had some major descents facing me. Of course with that in mind I had a tough climb right off the bat. South Twin Mountain peaked at 4902 feet and was above tree line. The wind was blowing hard and the rain was coming down at such an angle that only half of my body was getting wet. I scampered across as fast as my tired legs could go.I had to go down some pretty steep slopes to the point where I would just sit myself down and slide on my butt to the bottom of the rock. It actually was kind of fun and I got to see if those expensive mountain hardware shorts were worth it. I was really thankful that the trail was not as hard as the day before and it would have gone by more quickly if the continuing rain had not made the rocks so slick. It just slows me down when you have to concentrate on each and every step. As I turned around the last corner I finally saw the Zeeland Falls Hut. As I approached the front porch there was Penny standing right there waiting for me and at the same time the rained stopped.Our first plan was to spend the night at the hut but they were totally full. I can understand how the huts serve families that want to experience the beauty of the Whites but they are not there to provide any shelter to the average thru hiker. A bunk with dinner and breakfast for 70 dollars a person is just too pricy for a thru hiker. We decided to just hike back to the parking area that was 2.7 miles away. It was a nice, mostly flat trail that went by a couple of beaver ponds. At the last little pond there was a large beaver swimming about 15 yards away from us. We headed back to Lincoln, NH where we each gobbled up a bowl of chili and downed a couple of Long Trail Ale beers. It was a couple of hard days of hiking but it felt good to hike above the trees on the Franconia Ridge.Take care,Pasta & Crockett(Maine in 2003)
Date: 2003-07-17
From: Darmouth Outing Club

To: Summit to Mt Moosilauke
Miles today: 0.0

By Penny/PastaSince Scott had summited Mt Moosilauke all he has talked about is how cool it was to be above tree line and how much he wanted me to experience this. When he was up there days ago, the weather was rainy so the views of all the Presidentials were not great.Today¢s weather was just perfect to make the hike up. We started at noon at the Darmouth Outing Club which is about at 2,000 feet. We had heard and read that the Gorge Brook Trail was a pretty easy trail to summit the mountain at 3.7 miles and an elevation gain of only...2,800 feet. Easier said than done for me!The trail climbed steady along a very nice creek about one third of the way up. Then it turned and headed straight up with a few switch backs. The forest changed to all pines and then those started getting smaller the higher we trudged up.The highlight of the trip up was when we came upon a nice lady sitting upon a rock with her golden lab. We talked about the trail ahead and she said that we had a rock staircase to tackle that was not so bad before we hit the tree line. She talked or should we say flirted with Scott about his AT hike. Her two other friends arrived to finish their hike together down. We said our goodbyes and as we turned to leave she yells out "By the way, you have been talking to 3 members of the Granite Grannies Hiking Club. We are 84 years old." I know that my bottom jaw hit the top of my sneakers! These women look amazing and at the most I thought that they could be in their mid 60's. I felt ashamed of my sorry physical condition and vowed to make it to the summit with no more complaints of all of my aches and pains.It was really cool when we came out to a ridge area and all of the pines were about 5 feet tall. The Darmouth Outing Club was working on the trail and all of these members seemed to be from the UK with the accents that we heard.We hit the summit and the views were just incredible. It was very windy so we had to put our jackets on. There was another member from the DOC and he educates hikers about the area. Very informative and nice to boot!Scott and I sat behind a rock wall out of the wind and had some small snacks for lunch.WE headed south on the AT to take a different trail down that was not suppose to be as steep. We turned off on the Carriage Trail, a wide snow mobiling trail. After a mile, we turned on to the Snapper Trail which was a really great hiking trail.It was really nice to be able to come up one trail and then be able to come down another with out going out of our way. A highly recommended day hike for those of you like me that are not in AT hiking condition!   Take care,Pasta & Crockett(Maine in 2003)
Date: 2003-07-21
From: Crawford Notch

To: Nauman Tentsite
Miles today: 8.4
Weather: fog

It was just a beautiful day to be outdoors. The big cumulus clouds rolling gently across the sky as the trail slowly brought you so close that you felt as if you could reach out and touch them.Penn and I spent the morning hunting for treasures in the small New Hampshire towns that seem to spring forth around each new unexplored bend. Penny has found some nice items and we both have found the people to be warm and very friendly. We are still amazed each time a driver stops for us as we wait to walk across the road or to pull out of a parking lot.We then had an excellent early lunch at the Moose Trail restaurant just outside of Bretton Woods. We continue to see road signs warning us of Moose but have we seen one of these animals yet - NO. I figure that when we stop saying Mooooosssseeeeeeee each time we see one of those signs that the sighting will take place. It was then off to Crawford Notch. The AMC has turned an old train depot into an information area. Just down the drive they are building a rather large looking hotel. It will have a view of a nice looking lake located across the road but this new hotel will add a blemish to an area of beautiful forest. I guess there is already a major roadway so better here than out in some unspoiled region of the Whites.As usual the trail started to climb almost right from the start and while the grade was steep the footing was not bad at all. Going above tree line is still a rush for me and it always seems to give me a boost in my stride when I break out of the trees. It looks as if tomorrow I hike for less than a mile before I am once again above the trees and then the trail stays that way for the rest of the day.I actually made better time than I thought I would today. My back has been very sore the last few days and it continued to cause me some pain when I had to extend on major steps up. My hope is that it will just work itself out and that my body will once again adjust.As I got close to the tent site I knew there would be plenty of people nearby. The Mizpah hut is located only a couple of hundred yards away. There was this small area in the forest where the sun was shining. I put down my heavy pack, pulled off my sweaty shirt and let the warm sun have the effect of totally relaxing me. Looking through the trees I could just see a small brook winding down the mountain. It was awesome watching the sunshine sparkling gold off the water amid the green of the fir trees. I wondered how many times in my life that I have slowed down enough to drink in this type of moment. To feel the warmth, to see the colors of nature and to breath in this simple pleasure.Take care,Pasta & Crockett(Maine in 2003)
Date: 2003-07-27
From: Rattle River

To: Page Pond
Miles today: 0.0

It is 6:30 p.m. and I'm already resting in the tent. I'm pitched beside a picture postcard type of mountain pond just listening to the wind rustle through the trees. Once in a while a couple of bull frogs will talk to me or an old crow will fly by and let out a long caawww or two.I had to take an easy hike today because my body was hurting. I learned a while ago that I should not eat a big breakfast and then go for a hard hike. Hard hikes are all the AT has to offer in the Whites so of course I scarfed down a 4 egg omelet filled with cheese and corn beef hash. Twenty minutes into the hike I was hurting, my stomach kept talking to me until I just had to stop and extract some of that omelet from my body. An old friend of mine use to call it yakking and that was what it felt like. Anyway, this kept up for most of the day and I felt myself growing weaker even on small climbs up mountains.I pushed on till I reached the pond and decided that if I found a decent place to camp that I would stop here for the evening. It is 3 miles short of where I wanted to get to today but sometimes you have to listen to your body and make a logical decision. I put up the tent, crawled in and fell fast asleep. Guess the bod did need the break.The trail did take me over Mt. Hayes and Cascade Mountain. Both offered great views of the Presidential Range and I could once again see Mt. Washington shrouded in cloud cover. Just under 9 miles tomorrow and I will cross into Maine.I'm going to go sit quietly on a rock as the sun goes down and see if I can see a Moose mosey down to the pond.Take care,Pasta & Crockett(Maine in 2003)
Date: 2003-07-27
From: Page Pond

To: Carlo Col Campsite
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: haze

Those wonderful little frogs decided to serenade me all night long and into sunrise. At first light they all stopped like clockwork. I thought bull frogs croaked because they were trying to find a cute, sexy female froggy to hook up with. Judging from last night, none of the guys got lucky.When silence finally came I was able to get some sleep. I didn't wake up until 8:15 a.m. so I didn't come close to getting an early start. My stomach felt close to normal so I tried to eat a good breakfast so that I would have some strength. Once again the trail was not easy and I was not covering the miles that I wanted. It rained a little last night which made everything slick. It is almost slower going when you descend, trying to place each step so that you don't wind up falling on your butt. Once again I had to resort to sitting down and just sliding down the open rocks. It is tearing the heck out of my Ridgecrest foam pad but the pad does a really good job of acting as a break when I start to skid to fast.Hiked above tree line once again as I scaled Mt. Success. It was pretty humid at lower elevation but at the top of mountain the wind was blowing a good 40 mph. The wind was strong enough to move me around so I moved on quickly. Plus, it was mostly cloudy so there were not any views of the other ridgelines.There were plenty of times today when I hurled my hiking poles in front of me and scrambled. I did this both going up and going down. Twice I had to stop and look over the situation before I could figure out a route to go. I guess they make the trail like this for a reason but I sure have not figured out why.I have a really long day tomorrow. From not feeling well yesterday, to not getting much sleep last night has left me miles behind where I should be. Penny is picking me up tomorrow around 5 so I have to crank out the miles tomorrow. If I'm late she will start to worry and I don't want her to be feeling that way. The alarm is set for 5:25 so I hope to be out of here by 6:00.My tummy is full with Mac & Cheese so I am off to bed. I'm pretty exhausted so I should sleep well. Take care,Pasta & Crockett(Maine in 2003)
Date: 2003-07-29
From: Carlo Col Campsite

To: Grafton Notch
Miles today: 13.4
Weather: clear sky

Mentally I should have known it was not going to be the case. That the trail would become much easier the minute I finally got out of the White Mountains and the state of New Hampshire. I should have known better but I had hope. Well, those hopes were soon dashed by the east Peak of Goose Eye Mountain or maybe it was the north peak. All I know was that once again I was throwing my hiking poles as far up ahead as I could so that I could have both hands free to crawl over ledges, hold onto trees as I descended steep granite rock and climb up ladders where the guy who routed the trail realized that mortals might need help getting over a 30 foot, 90 degree sheer mountain wall. That might just be the longest run on sentence ever written concerning complaining and hiking the AT.It is just tough out there but I made it through one of the toughest stretches. The Moohoosuc Notch was not as bad as I had feared. You hear plenty of stories about how it is the worst mile on the entire trail. It was tough, just under two hours to do the one mile stretch but it was also, in a slightly demented way, fun. I mostly rock hopped and stayed on top of the house size boulders. I figured if I really got down in those small notches that it would take me a long time to squeeze through so instead I just risk injury and hopped across. I talked to a hiker later on who told me he had fallen twice and that the journey through the notch took him four hours. I'm glad I talked to him after I'd made it through that spot.After the notch came a difficult climb up Mahoosuc Arm. I'm glad that I was climbing because it was steep and a slick. It is funny how I sometimes look back down at the trail and think there is no way I was just able to climb up that thing. The views at the top of the arm were outstanding and you could look back into New Hampshire and feel good about having tackled all those tough 4000 footers.The trail went past Speck Pond which is the highest pond in the state. I came across plenty of people out for day hikes in this area. It is about a 4 mile jaunt up to old Speck Mountain which has an observation deck and beautiful views of the different mountain ranges. The day was super tough and it was nice to finally make it to the parking lot. It had been a few days since I'd seen Penny and she was a sight for sore eyes. She is just a beautiful woman both on the inside and out. She brings me so much support and I certainly would not have made it this far without her. Plus, when she gives me that first hug, the pains that my tired body is feeling don't hurt nearly as bad anymore.It is off to grab a beer and a burger, relax and get some much needed sleep.Take care,Pasta & Crockett(Maine in 2003)
Date: 2003-07-30
From: East B Hill Road

To: Rangeley, Maine
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: few clouds

The weather and the scenery could not get any better than this! I can see how people fall in love with this part of the country and brave the snow and temps that fall to 50 below to have a few months of pure bliss.Scott/Crockett took today off so we could go exploring. Knowing now that his time on the AT is short, we want to enjoy this part of the country as much as possible. Plus when we see the daily temperature of 110 plus in Phoenix, we want to stretch this out to October!We started the day off early driving the back roads from Andover. We were talking about how much we both wanted to be able to see a moose before we left Maine. I figured that we would have to pay one of those jeep tours for the privilege of being able to see one of those awesome creatures. Well, lo-and-behold not 10 minutes later as we were driving next to a swampy area where all the trees were dead, I thought that I caught a lumbering boxy shape in the back of the area. We turned around and pulled to the side of the road. Sure enough in the very back was a large female who was looking right at us. Our camera was in the very back in Scott's pack. After some fumbling around we got it out. The noise we made startled her a bit and she turned. When she did we got to see her baby that was hidden from sight before. What a bonus that was!We did get our photo before they both turned away completely and started back into the forest. Scott thinks that they will be hard to see in the photo as they really do blend right into the background of their habitat.As we were coming close to where the AT crosses Route 17 eleven miles outside of Rangley, we turned a corner and we saw this hiker couple hitchhiking. Of course we had to stop and pick them up. They turned out to be Mama Lipton and Flatlander. Scott had met them before one day in Vermont when he was able to do a day of slack packing. We drove them into town to the post office to pick up their mail drop and then ended up at the same place for lunch and joined each other again. It was truly delightful to share stories of the different people that we had all met on the trail. I was also amazed to find out that they had both celebrated their 65th birthdays on the trail within a day of each other!I keep on being inspired by these so called seniors who are out on this journey that people half their age would deem far too difficult to even try. Kudos to you all!The day just kept on getting sweeter. Late afternoon, Scott and I took a canoe trip around the most picturesque lake that our hotel is situated on. The lake is so serene and calm with ducks floating on it. Scott paddled us around and I just have to say that he is quite the outdoorsman. Everyday he impresses me more and more!My wish is that all of you reading this could enjoy days like this with us!         Take care,Pasta & Crockett(Maine in 2003)