morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2022-06-09
From: Hikers Welcome Hostel

To: White Mountains, New Hampshire
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

The weather today forced a zero miles day since the hostel shuttle service would not put hikers at risk hiking in the Whites during the rain.  Our plans were to hike Moosilauke Mtn. but the conditions forced a down day.  The rain continued most of the day and we will attempt Moosilauke tomorrow instead.  We did head into North Lincoln for a resupply, and Larry treated us to a meal at the Common Man restaurant.  I was really impressed with restaurant and our time in North Lincoln!  The freedom of having Larry Ward and his vehicle has been true trail magic during this stretch of bad weather!
Date: 2022-06-10
From: Hikers Welcome Hostel

To: Liberty Spring Campground
Miles today: 13.7
Weather: clear sky

Another night was spent at Hikers Welcome Hostel due to the weather.  We spent the morning slack packing 10.5 miles SOBO over Moosilauke Mtn. with Larry Ward and Trouble.  After returning to the Hikers Welcome Hostel Larry brought us to town where we enjoyed ice cream.  We even got a cone for Trouble.  He then dropped us off at the parking lot and Mike and I climbed another 3.2 miles to Liberty Springs campground.  Due to it being a weekend the campground was full, but we decided we should hike to Liberty Mtn. To watch the sunset.  The campground had several hikers doing section hikes that intersected with the AT trail.
Date: 2022-06-11
From: Liberty Springs CH

To: Guyot Shelter
Miles today: 13.2
Weather: overcast clouds

We enjoyed a beautiful day on Franconia Ridge. Climbed over six different mountain peaks that were over 4000 ft. and had great visibility most of the day.  Some of the mountains included Lincoln, Garfield, and South Twin mountain. We were not happy when we found out that we hiked down Garfield¢s north side in a waterfall instead of next to the waterfall.  The trails were busy with weekend hikers enjoying the great weather.  We ended up at Guyot Shelter which was a two level new Shelter facing Mt Washington.  We waited another sunset at the top of W. Bond Mtn and woke up at 4:45 to a gorgeous sunrise coming into the shelter.  Anyone who did not appreciate the beauty that day is just clueless.  Caught up with a hiker we have not seen since PA and hope to spend some time with Eagle Ike over the next few days
Date: 2022-06-12
From: Guyot Shelter

To: Ethan Pond Shelter
Miles today: 9.8
Weather: overcast clouds

We woke up to a great sunrise over Mt Washington looking out the Shelter.  It is a Sunday and since we had a short day we asked Eagle Ike to join us and we listened to a sermon from the Chapel before hitting the trail. We climbed over two 4000 ft mtns  in the morning.  At lunch we stopped at the Zeeland Hut for soup and baked goods. We met our first SOBO (south bound) hiker ¢ Waste Deep¢ who started from Kathadin.  We had light rain at night and was glad to be in the shelter.  The bugs were so bad that I sleep with my head net.
Date: 2022-06-13
From: Ethan Pond

To: Mizpah Hut
Miles today: 9.4
Weather: overcast clouds

left camp at 6:12 AM, and hiked to Crawford Notch. Rick fell again in the parking lot and small stones going downhill. We had slow hiking going up over Mt. Webster and Mt. Jackson where our progress was only 1.4 mph. We enjoyed lunch at Mizpah which was serving potato soup with fresh bread and also baked goods. We hiked 9.4 miles today, and met northbound hiker Scully. We were able to secure a work for stay at the hut which included sweeping the floors in all the common areas.  The hut had a group a middle school kids from Littletown NH and their teachers.  Eagle Ike came in late and tent camped at the campground for the night. Mike and I were able to enjoy a couple games of cribbage while we waited to do our chores. Our supper included Homemade shepherds pie, a corn dish and chocolate cake for dessert. The all you can eat supper¢s we¢re good for us hikers.
Date: 2022-06-14
From: Mizpah Hut

To: Madison Hut
Miles today: 11.8
Weather: clear sky

We hiked the morning with Eagle Ike. We took a spur trail over Eisenhower. After stopping briefly at Lake of the Clouds hut for some baked goods we turned up toward Mt Washington.  This is the highest Mtn in the Whites and the weather was cold and very windy.  The previous three days the mountain was clear but when we submitted at 11:00 am the temperature was in the mid 30¢s and the winds were a steady 36 mph.  The visibility was minimal so Mike and I ate lunch at the Cafeteria hoping things would clear up. After 90 minutes we headed out over Mt Adams arriving at Madison Springs hut at around 4:30 and to our surprise we landed another night of Work for Stay.  Tonight they had us washing dishes for a couple hours before we crashed for the night on the floor of the dinning room. Mike struggled in the afternoon with the cold temperature and rocky trail.
Date: 2022-06-15
From: Madison Springs Hut

To: Carter Notch Hut
Miles today: 13.8
Weather: clear sky

Day 62 We left the hut at 6:00 am.  Right out the back door was Mt Madison and it took us 1.5 hours to go the first mile.  Luckily the terrain got better as we approached Pinkham Notch Visitors center.  We stopped at the visitors center and picked up a couple of lunch reapplies, showered, and had a bowl of soup and ice cream for lunch.  After lunch we tackled the Wildcat peaks (all four) one of the steepest sections of the NH mountain ranges.  The climbing took us about one mile an hour pace for about three hours.  Fortunately for us the descent was great and we arrived at Carter Notch Hut at around 5:30.  To our surprise the hut had zero paying guests and the staff allowed Mike and I to do another Work for Stay.  Besides doing a few chores we ate with the staff and then we¢re offer a bed for the night.
Date: 2022-06-16
From: Carter Notch Hut

To: Libby House Hostel
Miles today: 15.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Mike and I left the hut at 6:00 am.  We immediately headed over Mt Carter and later Mt Moriah.  We extended our hike a couple extra miles and booked a hostel in Gotham at the ¢Barn¢ which is part of the Libby House Hostel.  That allowed us to resupply tonight for the next six days, get a dinner in town, eat some ice cream and catch up on six days of journaling.  The Barn was full, and we caught up with several hikers we have seen previously including M&M, Cast Iron, Early Bird, Outback, Kbar, and others. We also experienced trail magic from one of the NOBO through hikers whose family lived in the area, he came to the Barn with a bag of home grown fruits and vegetables and a case of pop and a case of beer. The cell coverage is very erratic at best as we go North so I will post when I can.
Date: 2022-06-17
From: Libby Hostel Barn

To: Gentian Pond Shelter
Miles today: 11.7
Weather: moderate rain

We got caught in a thunderstorm mid morning.  We helped a hiker who dropped his sleeping pad on the trail so we picked it up and about 90 minutes later he was hiking back without his pack trying to find it. He was very grateful that we saved him 90 minutes of hiking.  The afternoon was sunny and we made good progress and even dried out most of the way. After resupply my pack was back to 40lbs and my weight came in at 148lbs so I have not lost any more weight going through the Whites.  We were able to play cribbage with two section hikers Mark and Craig which was a lot of fun.
Date: 2022-06-19
From: Full Goose Lean To

To: Baldpate Lean To
Miles today: 12.1
Weather: clear sky

The weather forecast called for good wether in the morning so we decided to hike.  It was MAHOOSUC notch time.  It is considered the toughest mile on the trail but I thought it was just an fun adult playground.  It took us two hours to go 0.9 miles and you have a complete boulder scramble.  You go over boulders, you crawl in you belly under boulders and you just plain scramble.  We had the fun of doing that with father-son team of Mark and Craig and I enjoyed the challenge.  When you finish you have a tough climb out of the notch out the arm and that took another hour.  We headed to Speck Pond Shelter to have lunch and waited 2.5 hours while it rained and got cold.  About 3 we hit the trail again and did not arrive to the shelter until about 7:45pm but it was a great day!  We finished day 67 with 903.3 total miles and spent time in the shelter with a group of south bound through hikers (SOBO). This was our first large group of SOBOs.
Date: 2022-06-20
From: Baldpate Lean To

To: Hall Mtn Lean To
Miles today: 14.1
Weather: scattered clouds

For the first day in about four we saw the sun today.  What a difference that makes!  We also got to climb Baldpate which I had done with Jim Gort several years ago.  It is a chance to play Spider-Man as you head straight up the face of a ten story tall granite boulder. Since the sun was shining we had a great day to climb the face. We enjoyed the climb and caught up with for NOBO hikers that we have been seeing the last couple weeks when we stopped for lunch.  After Fry Notch the trail turned very friendly and for the first time in weeks we hiked the afternoon on non-rock surfaces for several miles. Our feet and bodies enjoyed the softer surface. We meet anther group of 4 SOBOs and are starting to overlap a steady stream of hikers that started in Baxter SP and are hiking the trail south bound
Date: 2022-06-21
From: Hall Mtn Lean To

To: NemoÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs Mtn Lean To
Miles today: 12.9
Weather: scattered clouds

Today was officially Hike Naked Day.  Mike and I decided to pass.  However late in the day we came across 3 hikers who were partaking going south bound  We hiked over three mountain peaks for the day (Moody Mtn , Old Blue Mtn , and Mt Bemis)  We stopped at the shelter a little early today and I took the time to take in the waist of my hiking shorts and repair a tear in my backpack cause by Moosesuc Notch  We continue to run into multiple SOBOs every day now and will be cross crossing at shelters until we finish in the second week of July
Date: 2022-06-22
From: Bemis Mtn Lean To

To: Sabbath Pond Lean To
Miles today: 8.3
Weather: light rain

We. Woke up to a cold, misty, 40 degree day today. Mike also received a message from Eagle Ike that he wanted to hike the rest of the trip with us if he could catch up.  So to help Ike and get out of the crappy wether we shorted our day and stopped at Sabboth pond Lean To.  We had planned on tenting tonight but with every wet this seemed like a better option even through it cut our day short by 4.5 miles.  Three SOBOs showed up about an hour latter and between the five of us we got a fire started for the first time in over a month.  Around 8pm Eagle Ike came rolling into camp after a long hard day for him.  We are going to enjoy the last 17 days hiking with him and the Christian discussions we will have together.
Date: 2022-06-23
From: Sabbath Pond

To: Piazza Rock Lean To
Miles today: 11.2
Weather: overcast clouds

We are now hiking with Eagle Ike. His real name is also Mike so I am outnumbered now.  Our original plan was to hike to Rangeley, resupply, and enjoy some trail magic with a home stay with Ken and his wife.  Unfortunately Ken got stuck in Houston for work and rescheduled for Sunday.  That put us back on the trail after enjoying a pizza at the Red Onion Pizzeria. We really enjoyed a stop at the Hikers Hut and a conversation with the owner Steve.  We recommend his egg sandwich before getting a ride to Bill into and out of Rangeley for our resupply. We continue to met SOBO and talked to 8 hikers on the trail.  Good day considering we called a late audible.  God is good and everything worked out great. We are looking forward to time with Ken and his wife on Sunday.
Date: 2022-06-24
From: Piazza Rock Shelter

To: Popular Ridge Lean To
Miles today: 8.8
Weather: clear sky

We started the day planning a long day.  Unfortunately, Ike was struggling a little today.  We climbed two 4,000+ Mountains today (Saddleback & Horn). It was a beautiful sunny day and both mountains were above tree line so we could see every direction for miles.  These were the first two mountains we have been in in weeks where we did not have to fight high winds.  The day ended with a three person Cribbage game which made it even better. The only bad part of the day happened early when I was an hour down the trail an realized I left socks and my towel hanging in the shelter.  I dropped pack and headed back to the shelter with no weight and recovered my items.  It set us back almost by the time I returned but I needed those items so I bit the bullet and Fulltilt double time to recover them.
Date: 2022-06-25
From: Popular Ridge Lean To

To: Crocker Crique Camp site
Miles today: 14.1
Weather: scattered clouds

In order to enjoy some time with Ken And his wife tomorrow we wanted to do solid miles today.  This way we think we can get to Stanton ME by noon.  We left camp at 6:35 and hiked over 14 mile.  Most of our ascent was before lunch when we went over Lone peak and most of Mt Abraham.  We did not peak Mt Abraham because it was an additional 2.7 miles to the peak. We saw a lot of Toads and since it was a Saturday there were a lot of day hikers enjoying a beautiful day. We walked a lot of miles along steams and water falls today but our descent off from Sugar Loaf mountain was steep and rugged.  Lot of boulder scrambles.  Praise God things were dry for that section. We are definitely running into a steady stream of South Bound hikers. We saw over 10 today.  We were on day 72 and hope to summit Katahdin in two weeks.  I want to continue to Thank Mary for supporting my effort in this adventure and look forward to seeing her again in a couple weeks.
Date: 2022-06-26
From: Crocker Crique Camp site

To: Camp 43 Home
Miles today: 7.4
Weather: overcast clouds

We left the camp ground at 6:35 am.  We started climbing Crocker Mtn South and North which were both 4000+ ft tall.  We then headed downhill for the next 5 miles and hiked to ME27 where we met the local sheriff who was passing out trail magic. Less than two minutes later Ken showed up with lunch and drinks.  After lunch Ken drove us 35 minutes to his house in Rangeley.  Once at his house we did showers, laundry, and power recharge.  After 1:30 he and his wife Jill asked us if we were interested in headed into town and take a boat ride on Lake Rangeley.  The afternoon temperature was 91 degrees.  We spent three hours on the lake including my first Maine swimming opportunity.  We returned for a resupply in town and a great pasta dinner followed by brownies and ice cream.  What a great day!!!
Date: 2022-06-27
From: Ken and JillÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs Camp 43

To: Little Bigelow Lean To
Miles today: 15.3
Weather: light rain

We started the day enjoying a big breakfast of Eggs, Bacon, and Bagels courtesy of Ken and Jill. Jill dropped us back off at the trail and we hiked over the Bigelow range.  The morning had two 4000* foot mountains and rain for about three hours.  We had been hearing for over a week about the great views in the Bigelows and unfortunately all we saw was hazy conditions until mid afternoon. Finally as we weee summiting Avery we had some clearing and could see some of the area beauty.  The trail was not bad on those peaks despite the wet conditions.  Going down Little  Bigelow was a different story and all three of us fell at least once and myself and Eagle Ike fell multiple times since the rock surfaces we very slick.  We did not make it to the shelter until just before 7 pm today but everyone was safe and happy to call it a day.  The volume of SOBOs continues at a steady rate now as we saw another 10 hikers. Our devotional today was from Psalm 68:19 which was very appropriate about letting God carry your load and burdens!
Date: 2022-06-28
From: Little Bigelow Shelter

To: Pierce Pond Shelter
Miles today: 17.8
Weather: clear sky

The weather was great today and the hiking was easy.  We only had one peak to climb and the rest of the day was pretty flat and in a pine Forrest.  We passed 24 hikers headed south bound and contintue to be surprised that they think Maine has been tough. Wait until they get to New Hampshire!  Two surprises of the day came at the end of the day when Eagle Ike got attacked by a Northern Groshawk and when we saw how beautiful our shelter location on Pierce pond was for the evening.  It sat 30 yards off the water over looking the pond and was an awesome view.  We spent the night we a group of middle school boys who were camping for a couple nights while helping do trail maintenance. It only took us 8.5 hours to hike almost 18 miles today and it was a easy day after hiking in the rain yesterday.  We also met Tim Harrison who provided us with some trail magic at the end of the day.
Date: 2022-06-29
From: Pierce Pond Shelter

To: Bald Mtn Brook Lean To
Miles today: 18.8
Weather: few clouds

Day 76 and we left camp at 6:15 so that we could buy a breakfast from Tim Harrison¢s camp. We were the only three there for breakfast and for $12 he cooked 12 fruit filled pancakes, sausage, eggs, juice, and coffee for some. We had to hit the trail by 7:30 so that we could make the canoe ferry over the Kennebec River which on functions from 9-11 am in June.  The River is dam controlled and re quotes a canoe to ford. For the third day in a row we experienced some trail magic as a couple who were fishing provided some ice cold waters in the afternoon heat.  We are starting to fight the mosquitoes and continue to get a steady stream of south bound hikers.  It was another good day hiking.
Date: 2022-06-30
From: Bald Mtn Lean To

To: Monson Maine
Miles today: 17.1
Weather: scattered clouds

After a couple of group discussions we decided to push on today and hike into Monson.  The hosel there is the last stop before the 100 mile wilderness and we are planning on a Nero day tomorrow.  Part of the decision was based on getting to our original destination before 1 pm and part due to the idea we could use extra time planning our travel plans for when we finish this section in eight days.  Besides we are all ready for extra food and sleeping in a bed again!  We are enjoying Maine except for the inconsistent cell phone coverage. I had not talked to Mary in three days and I suspect the next week will be more of the same.  Once in Monson we did enjoy a nice Pot Roast supper and some ice cream so there are advantages to being in civilization at times! We did have to wade through three streams today and one of them I went down with my pack and all. Those rocks get slippery when wet!  I will try and enjoy a down day tomorrow and hope to finalize our last plans for Maine.
Date: 2022-07-01
From: Shaws Hostel

To: Shaws Hostel
Miles today: 3.3
Weather: overcast clouds

We started the morning with a great breakfast (pancakes,eggs, bacon, and potatoes).  We then SOBO slack packed a 3.3 mile section from one side of Monson to the area where we got off trail trail yesterday.  After returning to town we AT regional office to plan our final 8 days and Katahdin summit.  I was able to order some gear for the flip flop section south.  After another great dinner at the Lakehouse lodge and pub, Eagle Ike and I headed out on Lake Hebron canoeing.  Our surprise was meet up with Blaze again who left the trail in New York but has now flip flopped is SOBO hiking from Katahdin.  We played another game of Spades after over six weeks of not hiking together.
Date: 2022-07-02
From: ShawÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs Hostel

To: Long Pond Stream Lean To
Miles today: 15.2
Weather: scattered clouds

We left Shaw¢s after another great breakfast.  The next six days will be wilderness and limited access.  We are seeing a steady stream of SOBOs and are also seeing high school groups who are out for between 10-20 day hiking excursions.  We shares the area with a young family who out for the weekend and helped start a fire and used it to cook their dinner.  We are also starting to get rivers which we get to ford through instead of rock hop over.  It was a great first day in the 100 mile wilderness!
Date: 2022-07-03
From: Long Pond Stream Lean To

To: Mile 2114
Miles today: 20.1
Weather: light rain

After a pretty flat day yesterday we hit the Chairback Mountain Range.  We climbed over five different mountain peaks and had great views of the area.  We also experienced some trail magic from Kevin and his family after we stopped for lunch.  They were in the area for the holiday weekend and were finishing up their hike and offered us apples, fresh cherries, GORP, chips, and some water.  It was a Welcome and pleasant gift!  We continue to enjoy the variety of terrain and beauty of the 100 mile wilderness.  There are many rivers, ponds, and Mountain View¢s today. To our surprise the trail has been rerouted to go right past a small plane crash that happened almost 50 years ago and is scattered on the mountain side.  We successfully forded another river and also met our first YO-YO hiker.  Someone who completed the entire trail north bound and has turned around and will hike it again south bound.  I don¢t think my body is up to such an idea! Today was our longest hiking miles since we started 80 days ago.  I sleep well when we finally called it a day and stealth camped for the night!
Date: 2022-07-04
From: Mile 2114

To: East Branch Pleasant River Lean To
Miles today: 12.4
Weather: mist

We had unexpected rain last night and the morning had four more mountain peaks.  That is always a concern because the trail and especially the rocks are wet and slippery.  By the third peak we saw our first view of Katahdin.  I am also experiencing an inconvenience of the 100 mile wilderness as I have not had cell phone coverage since July 1st in Monson, ME. The afternoon was great weather and the views are priceless. Mike and I hiked past the 1100 mile mark today and we continue to enjoy hiking with Eagle Ike!  When we arrived at camp we were sharing the area with one of the high school groups. Luckily for us we had a fire and they decided to share their s¢mores with us that evening.  It was a good way to end the holiday for sure!  Earlier in the evening we also got in a game of cribbage (I will always enjoy a opportunity to play games!)
Date: 2022-07-05
From: East Branch Pleasant River Lean To

To: Potatwadjo Spring Lean To
Miles today: 19.5
Weather: clear sky

We are starting to think about the finish line.  We have the next couple of days on relatively flat terrain until summit day.  We also have a resupply waiting for us at the 11 mile mark.  This allowed us to carry less food through the 100 mile wilderness and we successfully met Buddy from Shaw¢s who had our last4 days of food to help us finish.  We continue to pass more than 10 SOBOs every day now but are surprised how few north bound hikers we are seeing these days.  We have been hiking with a young couple the last few days (Coach & Ways) and could finish with them in a couple days.  The mosquitoes are a pain to the point I am sleeping with a bug net at night the last few nights.  One good thing about the shelter tonight was that a thunderstorm rolled in shortly after supper and it rained hard all night.  Luckily we have no mountains to climb tomorrow!
Date: 2022-07-06
From: Potaywadjo Spring Lean To

To: Rainbow Stream Lean To
Miles today: 18.2
Weather: light rain

Day 83 of my North bound hike despite starting the day walking in the rain the highlight came mid afternoon when we saw our first moose in Maine! It was a pretty good sized bull moose and he was walking on the trail.  Unfortunately he would not stand still for a good picture.  I chased after him hoping to get a better picture but I will post the ones that I got.  We did not see a single hiker on the trail before lunch which is unusual.  After lunch we saw a handful of SOBOs.  The afternoon was also spent walking along some outstanding river sluice runs that were just breath taking.  I also continued to have a complete lack of cell coverage. Today made it five days in a row.  Maybe that is why they call it the 100 mile wilderness?  Thankfully I have been able to send Mary daily satellite notices on my Garmin mini while she and the Hageman crew are on the island this week. Our Lean To tonight was an absolute gorgeous setting 20 yard of the shore of a river and had a great view!