morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2015-09-01
From: Garfield Ridge Shelter

To: Zeacliff Pond
Miles today: 7.9
Weather: clear sky

The trail out of the shelter was so steep and crazy I couldn't believe it was a trail and that I was expected to maneuver my way down. It followed a stream so the jumble of rocks that were the trail were slick. I slid down a few of them and it was very slow going for me.The trail was very rocky again today especially up South Twin Mountain. It was tricky for me, but I was rewarded with spectacular scenery that just blew my mind and made me so thankful that I am on this trek. I have seen so much and am so appreciative of every moment, the highs and the lows. I have been out of breath more frequently which must be from the altitude.   My endurance is being put to the test. Normally if I had this knee, foot and stomach pain I would be resting my wounds and limiting my activity. Not so on this hike. I am trying to tune out my discomforts and pains and focus on one step at a time. My back has also started aching daily within the last week. Sometimes I don't notice my pack on my back and forget I even have it on. Other times it feels like a gigantic monster pulling me backwards. The weather is absolutely gorgeous today. I couldn't have ordered anything more perfect. We decided to bypass the next shelter Guyot Shelter, because it is a mile off the trail and very steep. Instead we decided to make it to Zeacliff Pond which has water but it very swampy and difficult to get to. It was a rocky descent to this boggy spot but a beautiful sight. We were very lucky to find two spots dry enough to set up our tents. There is an old beaver lodge at the pond. We found this pond on Guthook a pdf of the trail which along with AWOL'S guide is very helpful. We weren't sure we would find camping here but we're thankful we did. It was probably too risky and we will stop at shelters from now on in the rest of The Whites.
Date: 2015-09-02
From: Zeacliff Pond

To: Ethan Pond Shelter 
Miles today: 6.6
Weather: clear sky

Today was a surprisingly easy day. The terrain was very mild for a good stretch. Still we stopped early because of shelt er availability. I found another tent platform for Yoga and had plenty of time for it. The mountain pond is gorgeous and had a perfect sunset to witness.Early in the morning we stopped at Zealand Hut and purchased hot tra and soup and corn bread. It was nice to have some hot food. I am mostly eating cliff bars and tuna packs since I'm not carrying my stove right now. The trail followed a stream for a few miles and was pleasant listening to the sounds of the water. It was sunny and perfect weather made to order again. We found a great picnic and yoga spot next to Thoreau Falls. The rocks in the stream were large and looked like a great sunbathing spot.Another perfect day! So happy to be here. The weather should be great tomorrow as well.
Date: 2015-09-03
From: Ethan Pond Shelter 

To: Nauman Campsites 
Miles today: 9.7

Today may have been one of the most strenuous days of hiking for me but very rewarding. The first three miles from Ethan Pond to Hwy 302 was very good terrain again and then it went straight up. There was a lot of rock scrambling that held me back a week ago. I felt braver today and didn't hesitate nearly as much so I made much better time. The rocks were dry and the tough climbing was not over sheer drops on either side so I was more daring. The trail continued steeply up to Webster Cliffs and opened up to gorgeous views of the mountains I had already climbed and was yet to climb. The trail became made up of ground rock that looked like granite and the ridge looked down to a ravine full of boulders. Eventually I made it up to Mt. Webster and then Mt. Jackson. It was hard steady work all day with much hand over hand climbing which meant finding any crevice I could in the rocks to pull myself and my pack up. It went on and on and I amazed myself with what I did today.The trail even went through an alpine bog today after Mt. Jackson and got a little swampy. There were lots of wooden planks to walk across to help avoid some of the mud. The Nauman Campsites where I am staying for the evening is right next to the Mizpah Hut so I was able to hang out at the hut for a bit and have a couple baked goods. Probably not a good plan for dinner. I could have gone back at 8:45 to see if they had any leftover dinner after the guests were finished, but I was too tired. It is going to be a cool evening in the 40's. I'm glad I have my cool weather gear now. I seem to have lost my fleece hat about a week ago. I think I left it in a shelter. My rain jacket has a hat on it so I hope that will be enough until I can replace it. I seen to have a bad habit of losing things on the trail. I really miss my blow up pillow I bought for $40 and only had it for a few weeks. My best guess is I left that in a hotel room, and it fell off a dresser onto the floor. Something else for me to work on I guess. I am very sore tonight but feel great about what I did today. I'm hopefull that a good night's sleep will give my body the recovery it needs for tomorrow.   I'm loving all the sun and change in scenery from being enclosed in a dark forestate for months on end. Mt. Washington is so close. It's amazing to see this large mountain in front of me right now with it's observation tower, that once looked so far away in the distance. The openness really gives perspective on how far I have come.
Date: 2015-09-04
From: Nauman Campsites 

To: Lake of The Clouds Hut
Miles today: 4.9

Today was my most favorite day of hiking so far. The weather was brilliant and most of the hike was above treeline which exposed spectacular views of the mountain ranges for miles in all directions. I stopped constantly to soak it all in and take photos. The trail was rocky but lots of fun. There were many day hikers and overnighters who are hiking from hut to hut. We immediately climbed up to the top of Mt. Pierce and then the trail took us around Mt. Eisenhower and Mt. Monroe and then around the bend was Lake of the Clouds Hut at the base of Mt. Washington. What an incredible spot to spend the afternoon and evening. There is actually a small pristine lake with clear water next to the hut. I had a bowl of potatoe dill soup and a delicious gingerbread chocolate chip muffin while I discovered I had cell service for the first time in days.We are staying in a small basement at the back of the hut known as the Dungeon. It holds six thru-hikers and is quite cold, but we were given wool blankets. It's a great deal and is reserved for thru-hikers. The cost is supposed to be $10, but we were charged $20 for some reason. I am just happy to have a place to sleep for the evening in such an amazing spot. The best part is that I can see Mt. Washington in full view while laying in my bunk. So cool! I wish we could have hiked up to it today, but you can't camp anywhere above treeline and it's too far down for a slow hiker like me. So tomorrow it is!We were able to a small amount of leftovers after the guests were finished. I had a large slice of bread, a few bites of chicken, a spoon of rice and peas. I am starving and am very low on food. There were a large group of us thru-hikers hoping to get leftovers. We must have looked like a sad group. The huts will not let you purchase a meal. It us included if you are a guest. Goose who finished his thru-hike last week is working here until the season closes in a few weeks and is very friendly and helpful. Unfortunately this has been a rarity at the huts. This has been my first encounter with unfriendliness since being on the trail. Thanks Goose and the rest of the Crooked here.The moon is full and the sky is full if stars. Such an incredible evening and day!
Date: 2015-09-07
From: Osgood Tent Site

To: Pinkham Notch 
Miles today: 4.7
Weather: clear sky

Today's short hike to Pinkham Notch was more of a trail but had it's share of slippery roots, rocks and muddy streams. I studied the route on a map this morning before leaving camp this morning but still managed to miss the Osgood Cutoff to change trails. I stopped to look at my GPS on my Guthook app on my phone because I was concerned my hiking partner hadn't caught up to me yet, and I discovered on was not on the AT but on the Great Gulf trail. I has gone half mile off trail according to three french men who walked by me. I was disappointed not only because I was in a hurry to get to a hotel for a couple days but because I was following a large pleasant river with many boulders and waterfalls. Now it was all steep uphill to get back on the AT. I can see why I missed the cutoff. It went straight down to cross a river and was easy to miss. I ford ed a river and slipped and got my feet wet. After finding the trail again I crossed a suspension bridge and got lost again. I was able to use my Guthook app again to find the trail.The trail got nice and easy before the Notch and I boogied along making it to Joe Dodge Lodge at the Notch for lunch in the cafeteria. We decided to stay in the town of Gorham 10 miles away and take care of resupply and personal things for a couple days. The AMC Lodge gave us a few phone numbers of shuttles they recommended to take us into town. I was astonished they all charged $50 for the 10 miles into town. We have paid for rides on most of our hike and have never encountered anything thus expensive. We quickly went to the road and hitched a ride with a very nice couple from Quebec who were traveLing in a large camper on wheels. Thank you Giles and Eve. They are avid hikers who love coming to this area every year.We are staying at the Royalty Inn and I look forward to some rest, relaxation and catching up on some busy work. So excited I made it this far in The Whites.
Date: 2015-09-08
From: Pinkham Notch 

To: Pinkham Notch 
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Today was a day of chores involving laundry and a bus trip to Walmart for resupply. I was going to try and go to a medical clinic in this town for the constant heartburn I have had for almost two months on the trail, but there isn't one here that takes walk-ins as far as I can see. The stabbing pain in my chest and through my back is made worse by the strenuous hiking and increases the more I pick up my pace. Over the counter medicine is not helping. I am being very careful about what I eat now but even drinking water brings it on.Speaking of food, this town has been a culinary disappointment. Everything is closed down or only open a few days a week in Gorham. Mr. Pizza is the main restaurant in town and we have been unfulfilled the two times we have eaten there. Of course maybe it is because of the mostly fantastic fare we have had so far and we have become spoiled. Perhaps if my hiking career doesn't materialize I have a future as a food critic. It is kind of sad but this town with all the awesome mountains feels desolate and depressing. I have not felt this anywhere else I have stopped. I'm not sensing the charm and personality here that I normally see in these little New England towns. We plan on staying one more night here to rest up before taking on the Wildcats that I now hear are the most difficult mountains in The Whites. Apparently I have much more climbing and rock scrambling ahead of me. I am still exhausted with everything I have just done. On another note, I felt like I have lost some more weight and was excited to check it out on the scale at the gym here and was shocked to see that I gained five pounds. I checked it four times and always got the same weight. I thought maybe the scale was wrong but my hiking partner lost five pounds. I'm hiking less miles than most hikers but probably longer hours under a pack. This is a little discouraging. I really thought I would have the gaunt hiker look by now.
Date: 2015-09-09
From: Pinkham Notch 

To: Pinkham Notch 
Miles today: 0.0

I am anxious to get on the trail in the morning even though I am very nervous about the Wildcats. I spent some time reading other trail journals and what I hear about the Wildcats one mile ahead and Mahosuc Notch in southern Maine scare me to death. Boulders that are 10 feet and nearly vertical give me nightmares. It is evening in Gorham and raining hard. It is supposed to cool off tomorrow which should make for comfortable hiking. Hopefully the rocks will not be too wet and slippery. My blisters have had a couple days to heal and I'm rested up so watch out Wildcats.
Date: 2015-09-10
From: Pinkham Notch 

To: Pinkham Notch 
Miles today: 0.0

Woke up this morning to a rain storm so we are staying in town again. I keep hearing that you don't want to be in The Wildcats in inclement weather so I am staying put except for moving to a different hotel room. We are now at The Madison Inn about a mile away. We spent the day planning when to summit Mt. Kathadin before it gets too cold and the mountain closes. We made reservations at Katahdin Stream Campground for September 29, 30 and October 1. We wanted 3 days resved in case the weather is bad and we can't summit on the 30th. It was the only three days in a row available. I had wanted to try and summit on my birthday September 26 but camping was not available. The spots fill up quickly. We wanted to camp as close to the base of the mountain as possible as I am predicting a very long day for me. We will hike as far as we can in Maine, probably to Rangely, and then get a shuttle and two different buses to Medway and then another shuttle to Millinocket where we will spend the evening of the 28th. The next morning the outfitter will drive us to the Kathadin Spring Campground.   It is a lit if logistics to get ahead and extra money but that is the price for being a slow hiker. We will b then hike south in Maine to wherever we jumped ahead.Gorham is a little more exciting now that some other places have opened up for the weekend. We walked into the Salt Pub to get a bite to eat for dinner and was surprised to have a gourmet menu with aLL local foods to choose from. The sign in the window gave no clue as to what was inside. It was quite impressive to say the least. I enjoyed a fabulous dinner of duck comfi with a wide variety of local vegetables including chanterelle mushrooms. A great eveningc and it is still raining hard.
Date: 2015-09-11
From: Pinkham Notch 

To: Gondola 
Miles today: 3.0

It was cloudy and misty and cold, but we took a bus for $7 from the Irving Circle K in Gorham to Pinkham Notch and was on the trail at 9am. The Concord bus line was very nice, comfortable and we'll priced, and we had it all to ourselves. The first mile was uneventful and then the craziness was off the charts and I slowed down to a crawl. Sometimes literally. The climb was very steep up to what is called Wildcat E because there are five peaks. Huge slabs or rock 5 to 10 feet tall and vertical. I had a very difficult time and the trail, if rocks are a trail, we're very wet and slippery because of all the rain. I did a lot of butt blazing today to get down some of the rock climbs. I will have a lot more bruises to add to my collection. It was q uite scary to me and unnerving. Needless to say it took a ridiculous amountil of time for me to go three miles and I was heat up pretty bad.It was starting to rain and the wind was whipping and visibility was declining when we came to a clearing with ski lifts giving gondola rides to the bottom of the mountain. We climbed into one and thought we would stay at the AMC Lodge at Pinkham Notch or camp nearby. The lodge was outrageously expensive for a bunkhouse and camping nonexistent nearby with all the restrictions. We used AWOL'S guide and found Hikers Paradise Hostel which coincidentally was across the street from where we just stayed at Madison Inn. We got a private room for half the price of a shared bunk room for two at the AMC Lodge. Bruno picked us up in 20 minutes so now we are back in Gorham. Bruno will drive us back to the Gondola lift in the morning and we will go back up the mountain on another gondola ride when they open at 10am.I saw my second Moose today which was very exciting, and I made it through a part of the Wildcats today so it was a good day. I am so very tired and sore now.
Date: 2015-09-13
From: Carter Notch Hut

To: Imp Campsite 
Miles today: 7.0

It stormed all night long and was extremely windy until about 1am. We got up at 5am so the croo members could start cooking breakfast. We skipped the hot breakfast so that we could get on the trail by 6am when it was light enough to see. I started hiking with my rain pants and jacket on as it was still cold. The first half mile up to Mt. Hight was straight up and I warmed up immediately and had to shed my layrrs. The views were gorgeous and the skies cleared miraculously after last night's storm. I could see the shelter I had just come from and it reminded me again of the distance I am traveling between mountains and rivers and valleys on this great adventure. Shortly after I arrived to the top of Carter Dome where it was once again freezing and cloudy. It looked like snow was falling from the sky. It was definitely not rain or bugs. Someone later told me it was ice droplets. It was above treeline and covered with the evergreens smelling like Christmas trees in a tree lot. So beautiful. Not to mention all the mushrooms and lichen covering the ground. This is all part of the fragile alpine environment. The trail went through alpine bogs to Zeta Pass with lots of flat ground for camping and a nearby water source. Camping is no longer allowed in this area to protect the revegetation area.Next were the Carter Mountains to climb. It was very windy along the Ridgeline and so cold I didn't dare stop. At one point my rain cover blew off my pack. I was able to retrieve it and stuff it in my waist belt. The trail is still all rocks and slabs of granite. The trail became a river of rocks and my feet became soaking wet. I has been warned of a very steep rocky down climb into the shelter, but nothing prepared me for this. It was on the same scale as South Kinsman for me. It was huge slabs of granite the size of houses going straight down without enough foot and armholes for me. I fell many times and got scraped and bruised from butt blazing and falling into rocks. My dress was soaking and I had leaves and sticks and dirt and mud all over my body and in my hair. I missed my footing several times and wasn't sure I could pull myself up when I fell. It seemed to go on forever and I was a mess. Soon the trail straightened out some and the rock slabs were flatter but still so slippery in the rain. Wet rocks and rain add an extra layer or several layers to the "trail". I am still convinced that so much of the AT is not a trail, but rocks thrown or piled on top of each other in a general direction.I was happy to make it to the shelter around 3:00. I changed into dry clothes, ate and am snuggled up in my comfy sleeping bag listening to the wind scream. The tall trees look like they are not going to make it through the night without falling down. There is a perfect view from the door of the shelter. A great two story fairly new shelter that is home for the evening. The great dog and two hikers that were turned away at the hut are here as well. So is Loon. I think we are all happy to be here. What a day! And I get to do it all over again tomorrow.
Date: 2015-09-14
From: Imp Campsite 

To: Gorham 
Miles today: 8.0

Wow! Mount Moriah was really a challenge for me! I kept thinking I was at the top and then another house sized granite surface would appear. This was one of the most difficult climbs for me because it was so vertical and wet and nothing too hold onto in so many different places...and it lasted forever. I couldn't walk up the rocks without slipping or in fear of slipping and falling into a heap at the bottom with broken bones so I butt blazed up. This was very time consuming and dangerous because I was facing away from the rocks and had very little to grip onto. I scooted up backwards and cut myself many times. My upper body is so sore from everything I have to put into moving up only inches at a time. I've injured my elbow in one of my falls. Hopefully it will just be sore for a short time.On a big plus, the views were absolutely amazing and I had a clear picture of the Presidentials. It is wild that I can still see Mt. Washington from here. It is easy to find because of the weather observatory at the top. Looking at it from this point it seems incredible that I have hiked and climbed over all these mountains. Another bright spot on this mountain top was the dog Venus and her owner and hiking partner right behind me. I finally got their names, Kestrel and Coyote. I immediately recognized Kestrel's name from the women's hiking group I am in on Facebook. So very cool. It is a very encouraging and supportive group. This is also how I met Nikka Mae back in Maryland and then she took me out to dinner in Pennsylvania. Kestrel is also doing a flip flop hike. Her dog Venus is hiking with her and looks to be a wonderful companion and so well behaved.The trail eventually came to a section called River Rattle which ran alongside a river for a few miles and was a wonderful treat as it was easy terrain with some roots and beautiful green vegetation. I stopped for a late lunch break and enjoyed the river and flora.The trail came to a road in Sheburne which is right next to the town of Gorham which I've already spent some time in. The trail crosses near this town twice. We called Bruno again and he picked us up immediately and brought us to his hostel and hotel Hikers Paradise.A great day now that I got over Mt. Moriah. Tomorrow will be another zero day and then I will be in the Mahosuc Mountain range which looks like it has many steep ups and downs and the most difficult mile of the AT Mahosuc Notch.
Date: 2015-09-15
From: Gorham 

To: Gorham 
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

A big thank you to everyone who is reading my journal. Your comments and encouragement help keep me going and strong. I've got a long ways to go and will still be on the trail when most thru-hikers have long finished. Every day is an adventure and a challenge for me. Bruno is taking us back to the trailhead early in the morning. This is going to be a tough week from what I hear and see in my guides. The weather looks like it should be sunny and nice. That is a very good thing. I will be in Maine for the first time very soon. I can't wait to experience the splendor I have heard so much about. Cell service will be spotty from what I hear and less opportunity for resupply. Thanks again for everyone's support!