morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2004-07-08
From: Horn's Pond Lean-To

To: Stratton (Widow's Walk B&B)
Miles today: 5.1

Flounder got up to use "that world class privy" and said the sky was white with stars - amazing! The caretaker said they had not had a day like yesterday (clear) since she got there on May 22! How fortunate we were! Anyway, we were surprised to wake to wind and rain! Glad we didn't stay on top with Soco. Flounder and I got going by 6AM. David would follow shortly thereafter, all in our raingear. We quickly doffed ours not a 1/2 mile down the trail - too hot! Out came the umbrellas. We got a little wet in some bouldering sections where we had to stow them briefly so we could use our hands. Nice trail down to Hwy 27 but the wet overgrowth was somewhat annoying (soaking our clothing). We paln to spend the nite in Stratton but hitching was a problem. First, it's only 8:30 am., second, we are wet and muddy and three, very few vehicles pass(other than logging trucks with their associated "mobile rain storms" - freakin' things!) After pounding pavement for about a mile a kind woman who works at the bank, drops us to the Widow's Walk B&B. It is a beautiful home built in 1892. Mary and Jerry are an elderly couple who own and operate the B&B and are the nicest of people. Bert, another SOBO who David knows but has never met (thru his sister) is heading back out to the trail as we check-in. David will be disappointed that he missed him. Maybe we'll catch him in a few days. We shower and then head out to the laundromat and post office. They happen to be side by side...sweet. We pick up a package held at the White Wolf Inn and have lunch there(finally a salad with fresh veggies...no town north of here has had any!). Later we see that David, Soco and Monkey-Matt have all made it to town. We order pizza and eat it at the B&B. We have been on the trail 2 weeks now and it seems like just yesterday. It saddens us to think how quickly our adventure is going but we are eager to see more and can't stop. What a dilema, huh?! We top off our evening with ice cream and then to our nice warm beds. Bulldog makes it into town late but there is no room here so he eats some pizza, grabs a brew and goes elsewhere for lodging. Forecast for tomorrow is pretty much the same..rain. Oh well, you can't have a forest this beautiful with no rain. Reminds me of a song by Nicole Nordeman "Gratitude". No, I'm not going to sing this one!
Date: 2004-07-09
From: Stratton (Widow's Walk B&B)

To: Spalding Mountain Lean-To
Miles today: 13.5

It is raining and Mary made us a great breakfast. It is going to be hard to leave. Mary then dropped us (along with David) off at the trailhead. It was pouring rain and Mary felt bad dropping us off. We started hiking in our jackets but quickly overheated. Founder switched to her synthetic shirt and I went shirtless. We used our umbrellas. It rained the ENTIRE day. We stayed relatively dry compared to all the others we met on the trail today. The umbrellas are indispensable now. Everyone was jealous but for some reason we don't think anyone will get one. Maybe because they don't want to part with their poles (which we don't use). We are passed for the first time by a kid appropriately called "the wiz kid". Mostly forested trail without views today with an occasional side trail on a ridge which overlooked clouds! The climbing wasn't bad going up Sugarloaf with just a few bouldering sections. Everything was slippery and each foot had to be carefully placed. We thought we would stay in some type of warming hut at the top of Sugarloaf but just as we started up Mat came down and said it was a whiteout with 40 mph winds and that he wondered around up there nearly getting lost and couldn't find it. So, we all pushed on to Spalding Mt. Lean-To. We had to squeeze 7 people (Soco never showed up) in the LT. but we all had great stories. We met Mello (trailjournals.com) and Whiz Kid was there too. Both very friendly. David's sleeping bag was soaked as were his socks he had on the outside of his pack "drying". That all had to add some weight! We loaned him our spaceblanket and Wiz Kid let him use his rain pants. He'll survive.
Date: 2004-07-10
From: Spalding Mountain Lean-To

To: Rangley (Gull Pond)
Miles today: 18.7

We got up at 5:30 and we (along with WhizKid and David) decide to push to Rangeley to dry stuff out (18.7 mi.). We have intermitent rain throughout the day with the sun peaking out briefly to give us a little view on Saddleback. What a beautiful range. We really enjoyed it - our favorite ridge so far. We sat down for a moment to enjoy the sun but turned our head and saw the approaching storm and ran! We met Numb Skull (NOBO) on the way down. It rained almost to the road. We quickly got a ride into town. We stopped by a laundry mat and found a spigot outside and cleaned our shoes. We had pizza across the street. Bob (from Gull Pond Hostel) picked us up and took us to his hostel/home. Super nice and on a lake with canoes and kyaks. Too bad it's just a quick overnighter. Bob definitely operates his hostel as a "labor of love". He is a special person. We stay with SingleTrack (who has injured his ankle), David, WhizKid, Spidey, Mountain View and Bert. On toward Andover tomorrow...
Date: 2004-07-11
From: Rangley (Gull Pond)

To: Bemis Mountain Lean-To
Miles today: 17.7
Weather: clear sky

Life is good! Dry clothes and had a fan blowing on our shoes all night! Nice continental breakfast then Bob dropped us off at the trailhead with WhizKid. The others are taking a zero or just slower getting out I guess. The trail is a sloppy mess of mud from the previous 2 days of rain but we manage to rock/root hop to keep our dry shoes dry...then 5 miles in I slip off a log and post hole up to my (left) knee in mud and water. To make matters work, I lose balance and post hole with my other foot. I have to take 4 jabs just to get out. I didn't cuss but almost cried! It is a good thing that Flounder had just peed because she would have wet herself from laughing so hard. She got in one of those silly giggle moods where you can't stop laughing but it wasn't helping me! Almost immediately, the bugs began to annoy me (sensing my frustration, I'm sure!) It wasn't the mosquitos but a family of gnats that take up temporary residence in my eyeball sockets. The mud/bugs continued and the day became somewhat sour. Shortly after lunch at a brook leading to Sabbath Day Pond on this beautiful Sunday morning ... it happened! Our first trail magic! Sounds silly buy we were so excited and it came when I needed it most! Fresh fruit (grapes, bananas, apples and peaches), cokes, beer, wine all chilling in the brook and Oreos too! At first we thought a hiker was having lunch there when "nature" called but a little note and a camera and register revealed the "miracle". We had some oreos, grapes, peaches and grabbed 2 cokes for the trail. The day went from my worst day of hiking to my best day instantly (thanks to Longtail and Otter). We just skipped down/up the trail after that. Then more magic at route 17! We grab some candybars from a bag labeled thru-hikers. It was all heaven sent. We pushed on to Bemis Mountain Lean-To. At camp we meet up with Spidey and Mountain View (who are already there because they had slacked the day before) and a guy named Mike (NOBO section hiker). Mike tells us of another SOBO just ahead of us we have not met, Jack Straw. We look forward to meeting him. We eat/talk then turn in. Ends up being the easiest 17.7 miles we've done so far!
Date: 2004-07-12
From: Bemis Mountain Lean-To

To: E. B Hill Road (The Cabin)
Miles today: 18.8
Weather: scattered clouds

We were on the trail by 6am. We ate breakfast on the peak of Bemis Mtn. Shortly after that we meet Waterfall, another NOBO. She is noticable disturbed. At the next shelter we find out why. In the register she states that a hiker had told her she did not look like a thru-hiker but more like a sumo wrestler. Not something any woman would want to hear and definately not a thru hiker! Since leaving Rangely we have been seeing mica in the creeks and brooks. It sparkles like little mirrors. The hiking is tough but not unbearable however the descent off Moody Mtn. is treacherous (straight down, ladders, slippery rooty, rocky, etc...) We see another moose (mother and calf)up on Wyman Mtn. We had been in a dry spell for sighting them but again there presence via their droppings has been quite evident! In the early afternoon all we could think about was AYCE (all you can eat) dinner at The Cabin and we hurried along. The Thru-Hikers Companion said the road to Andover is not well traveled and we worried about catching a ride (hitch). When we came out on the road who was there to meet us... Bear from The Cabin and Whiz Kid (who never planned to stay in Andover). What a blessing! The hospitality and food were excellent. Honey and Bear go out of there way to make our visit enjoyable. They even give us a private room which is cheaper than what the bunk room would have been. They let the hikers have the entire bottom floor of their home. They have everyting a hiker would need, even cabin clothes to wear while there! They have thought of everything! We met some NOBO hikers, Trek and Mousetrap. We plan to slackpack tomorrow if it works out. We'll figure it out in the morning.
Date: 2004-07-13
From: E. Andover (The Cabin)

To: The Cabin
Miles today: 10.3
Weather: overcast clouds

AYCE breakfast at 6 AM! Yum! I have lost 7 pounds since leaving Florida... mostly fat I'm sure! With all this AYCE food, I'll add that back on quickly. We decide to slackpack between Grafton Notch NOBO to East B Hill Road. The terrain is very similar to the Saddlebacks. We sherpa'd up some TP for the 2 privys we passed (compliments of The Cabin). On our temporary journey NOBO we meet Mt. View and Spidey! We told them we were going to slack the Mahoosuc Notch tomorrow and we were going to stay at The Cabin. They were very interested and thought about doing it with us. We also meet Jack Straw for the first time. The descent from Surplus Mountain was fun slacking. We actually got to trail run a good portion of it. What a hoot! We were skipping like little children atop of Bald Plate (not burdened with our packs). A beautiful waterfall just before getting to the road where Bear was waiting for us. A fun, easy day. We scramble around late afternoon picking up hikers (NOBO's Puter, Pele, Stealth and Gentle Ben) and later Mountain View and Spidey. The food was great again and "The Cabin Clothes" were fun to wear (comfortable but tacky!). Flounder wore a bright colored dress while I wore some tight jeans and an Ambrosia shirt. The NOBO say this is the best hostel on the trail! We enjoy talking with Dirty Bird '03, who is helping out at the cabin and Ram Bunny '00,'01,'02. Both are leaving tomorrow.
Date: 2004-07-14
From: Mahoosuc Notch

To: Grafton Notch (NOBO Slack)
Miles today: 8.2
Weather: overcast clouds

We say goodbye to Dirty Bird (Neely) and to Rambunny who will begin her SOBO hike tomorrow with her dog, SOBO. Both were a great source of knowledge. We headed to Mahoosuc Notch to slack along with Spidey and Mountain View. Bear hiked in the 2 mile feeder trail in with us and then turned us loose. We had a ball bouldering through the notch. It's like walking into a freezer when you start in because of all the ice trapped around the boulders and the lack of sunlight able to penetrate deep into the notch. We spend an hour going through then we head up up the Arm NOBO again. It rained or drizzled the entire day. Of course the trail is the sloppy/slippery mess it always is during or after a hard rain. Still we are able to make good time because we're not carring our packs. No views on top except clouds but it was still a great hike. Spec pond was spooky with the clouds blowing over it and the wind blowing occasional ripples across it. The remaining hike down to Grafton Notch was much drier with nicer trail. We waited for our ride then back at The Cabin we had a hamburger cookout with mostly the same crew as last night. Everyone has a hard time leaving this place. Bump and Sassafrass '03 we just missed you by one day! Mother Hen, we are heading your way.
Date: 2004-07-15
From: Mahoosuc Notch

To: Carlo Col Shelter 
Miles today: 5.9
Weather: light rain

Breakfast always @ 6:00, then Bear begins the shuttles. Since our trailhead is a longer drive than the others, we wait until 10:00 a.m. for our turn. We leave The Cabin in pouring rain, but arrive with just drizzle at the trailhead. We're on the AT by noon. No rain today while hiking! The trail was horrible, and it was very slow going. You name it...muddy, slippery, rocky and rooty. We hike until 5:00 (I know, it's less than 6 miles but it's all we could do) stopping at Carlo Col Shelter .3 freakin' miles off the AT on hideous trail! Mountain View and Spidey show up at 7:00 p.m. We are all whipped! A NOBO (Haiku) also staying in the shelter said our next 5 miles are tough, too (took him 4 hours). We were all smiles to hear that :-( After eating, we crawl into our bags and plan an early start for tomorrow.
Date: 2004-07-16
From: Carlo Col Shelter 

To: Gorham, NH (Top Notch Motel)
Miles today: 17.0
Weather: fog

Well, like always, we're the only ones to get going early. The hiking is rough-going, but we're often on bald ridges that are beautiful. And we see flowers we have not seen before. There are many ladders/steps and what seemed like a mile of board (log) walks. With so much rain, many of these logs have floated off the trail or sunk up to one foot when you stepped on them. Yes, wet feet again all day. Flounder takes her first fall today and escapes injury. We celebrated when we crossed the state line. Whooohooo! Near Gentain pond, the trail tames a bit, and a hike out to Gorham was more enjoyable. Again, we get trail magic when we needed it most (about 2 miles from Route 2). Lemonade and tangerines were a nice surprise. We met 2 NOBOers ("Tarzan" - trailjournals.com and "I Forgot"). Both were very nice. The hitch into town was difficult (45 minutes), but we made it to the PO by the 4:00 p.m. We got a room at the Top Notch Motel (needing some spoiling after the past two days) and do the usual - eat, laundry, phone calls, etc. Gorham is a very hiker friendly town. Cars come to a screeching halt when you turn and face the street. We didn't even have to be in a cross walk. Don't try this in Florida!
Date: 2004-07-17
From: Gorham, NH (Top Notch Motel)

To: Hiker's Paradise
Miles today: 0.0

We slept in today, because we're taking a zero. We got our gear together then forwarded some extra supplies to Glencliff. We checked in at the Hiker's Paradise Hostel just down the street and bought 2 bicycles for a dollar each from them to use around town (for liability reasons they sell them instead of renting). Their hope is that you will leave them when you depart and they'll just re-sell them again! These bikes are "real jewels"! When comparing them to our nice mountain bikes at home, these things sent shivers down our spines. [Aren't your mountain bikes worth more than the car you drive!?] They did serve their purpose though, and we got our errands done. We weather-proofed our packs some more and did some shoe repair, too. David showed up in the afternoon with a friend who will hike with him through the Whites. It was nice to see him again. We spoke with Pilgrim Soul (trailjournals.com) and we shared some info with each other. Tomorrow we start through the Whites! Yikes! P.S. Our condolences to the family and friends of the hiker who was killed while climbing Mount Katahdin 2 days after our summit.
Date: 2004-07-18
From: Gorham, NH (Top Notch Motel)

To: Pinkham Notch Rt. 16
Miles today: 21.1
Weather: mist

We decided to get an early start today so we just grabbed some bagels for breakfast @5:30 and then attempt to hitch to the trail. Let's just say that between the hour of 5:30-6:30 on a Sunday morning (especially in Gorham)is not the time to catch a ride. We finally do and are on the trail by 7. Fairly easy climb up Mt. Moriah (with a short side trail to the summit [I wonder what his idea of a short trail is?!!!]with a 360 degree view). Actually, the trail was in excellent shape today with very little mud (thankfully after the last 1.5 weeks). We meet Moonpie and Voice within Wind with his dog Leo (NOBO's). They tell us of a party at the Madison Hut tomorrow...nice folks. We had great views across all the Carters and Mt. Hight. The descent into Carter Notch was trying on the knees, very steep and rocky. The hut and it's little lakes down in a little "canyon" were very picturesque. Although the hut was "full" the caretakers/croo were super nice and offered to make room for us on the tables for the night. It was only 2:30 though so with bad weather in the forecast for this evening and tomorrow, we decide to go on to Pinkham Notch. The caretakers say it is only a 4 hour hike to the AMC Visitor Center via the AT. There are tons of trails up there so you really have to watch for the white blazes! The climb up Wildcat went quickly(even though the rain had started). We just coasted up and down the other peaks B-E. No views in the Wildcats except clouds. It was too bad because there were a lot of ridges. The sky lets down with hard rain, thunder and lightning at the most inopportune moment. Our descent off the Wildcats was very steep and exposed with lots of slick slabs to negotiate. By the time we had reached the bottom the rain had stopped and we enjoyed a beautiful stroll along the Ellis River (ponds). Lodging at the AMC Visitor Center was unreasonable at $59 each with breakfast. So we caught a ride into Gorham (Hiker's Paradise) with Beebop ('03) and a friend of hers. We were surprised to see her as we had just met her at Carter Notch Hut a few hours ago. She obviously took a different trail down. Thanks. It was nice to be able to dry out a bit and we decided to give the weather 1 day to clear up. We would love to have at least a little view from the Presidentials. If we would have known, we could have slacked that section of trail but instead we were ready to head directly into the Presidentials and carried our full packs. Oh, well! A 12.5 hour day of hiking with fun trail for the most part. Life is sweet.
Date: 2004-07-19
From: Gorham, NH (Top Notch Motel)

To: Gorham (Hiker's Paradise)
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

We planned a zero day today because of the weather. We even woke up to the sound of rain. I felt we had made a good decision to take today off from hiking. We had a free breakfast at 7. We dried our shoes again in front of the fan. At 9:30 we headed over to the library to read e-mail and check our journal and pictures. Thanks Rosebud and Moccasin. [You are welcome!] The rain did stop by late morning but it sprinked on and off throughout the day. We sprayed some more waterproofing on our packs and we hit the grocery store. It is the first big one since we left home. We rode our $1 bikes we bought a couple of days ago. We saw Mat (Monkey) who came to Hiker's Paradise and also talked to Soco who was staying at the Barn. He said that Mountain View and Spidey were quitting from the register he read. They seemed to be having a pretty good time. We will miss them if it is true. We kept thinking we would see them in town, but no luck. Before we knew it the day was over. We ate a freeze dried meal for dinner [are you kidding?! you passed up real food!] and packed our bags.
Date: 2004-07-21
From: Lake of the Clouds Hut

To: Zealand Cliff (stealth site)
Miles today: 20.1

We woke up early eager to get going and then realized we were stuck until our work was done after breakfast. I wondered outside and enjoyed the sunrise. We "made our beds", swept and cleaned up before and again after the guests ate breakfast. Then were treated to some very limited leftovers (not totally thrilled with the experience and felt the croo tolerated us just because they had to). We got out on the trail around 9AM. David gave us a nature tour as we departed. He had learned a few things while taking the tour last nite as a paying guest. We said good bye eager to cover some ground with great weather. We hiked a while and discovered that the AT did not go up Mt. Monroe but passed to the side of it. We are thinking, "Waz up with dat?!" In Maine we hiked over the peak of every freakin' mountain in sight and now we feel like we are getting ripped off. We missed the loop trail going up Mt. Monroe, but Eisenhower was coming up. So here is the dilema. We can take the longer, harder trail up Eisenhower (blue blazing) or stay true to the white blaze and miss the summit experience. We opted for the climb and felt as though both trails should be white blazed so that people can have the option to bypass in bad weather. Anyway this is OUR journey and we are happy with our decision. The weather was beautiful and the miles melted away. We stopped at Mizpah Hut for lunch and had the bottomless bowl of soup, bread and brownies. It was great! Ben, from the croo, was the kindest croo member we have met thus far. We had planned to stop at Ethan Pond for the night but the views pulled us further to Zealand Hut where there was "no room in the inn". The croo told us of a great stealth site on top of Zealand Cliff and we headed up the mountain another mile or so. What a beautiful campsite at the end of a glorious day. There is nothing like having a site like this, right on a cliff overlooking the Presidentials. Flounder has picked up a little cold so maybe a quiet night's sleep will do wonders for her.
Date: 2004-07-22
From: Zealand Cliff (stealth site)

To: N. Woodstock, NH (Carriage Motel)
Miles today: 18.8

Flounder woke me up saying "you're missing the sunrise"! I practically knocked down the tent getting out. It was so peaceful watching the sun rise over the Presidentials. We sat on the cliff, ate breakfast and watched it all evolve. It was just incredible! On toward N. Woodstock. Flounder picked up a little cold so we would like to spend the night there and depending on weather we may take a zero day there on her birthday! Just another beautiful day in the Whites. After we got above tree line climbing Mt. LaFayette the entire White Range was revealed. Probably the best views thus far once on top. The entire Franconia Ridge stretched out for miles ahead of us. It looked like the Great Wall of China. Magnificent! One of those places that brings tears to your eyes. It was sad going below tree line near the end of the day. We met Lucky Star near Liberty Spring. She is 50 something and finishing the "Triple Crown" of hiking by completing the AT (already completed the Pacific Coast Trail and Continental Divide Trail). She was a pleasure to speak with. Even though it was getting late we pushed for N. Woodstock. We got to the Flume Visitor Center at 7:30 PM. We couldn't get a hitch so we called for a shuttle. We got a room at the Carriage Motel (hostel closed because of fire) then got a nice meal before retiring for the night. We have been so blessed to be able to do this trip. It is hard to comprehend why people who have an opportunity to be out here would turn it down or quit. But I guess everyone has a different "journey" in life. It's not easy but it has been the experience of a lifetime for us so far.