morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2003-09-28
From: White House Landing

To: White House Landing
Miles today: 0.0

The rain began before sunrise this morning and by noon it was coming down strong. Breakfast was at 8:00am: scrambled eggs, big-big home fries, bacon, English muffins, pancakes, coffee and juice. Most of us from the bunk house went to The Lodge at 8:00, some (including myself) ate the full breakfast and others were satisfied with coffee, bananas and the big slabs of fudge brownies they make here. Moose Munch asked me if I was going to hike out today and I said, ¢yes¢. He said I¢d be an inspiration to him but he was going to stay anyways, as were all the others. By the end of breakfast it was very clear that the rain was here for the day. I decided that as a long distance hiker on a paid vacation it would be foolish of me not to wait out this horrible hiking weather here at WHL where I has good company, a warm stove in a cozy bunkhouse; where I could get three home cooked meals a day in clean, dry conditions. So I zero¢d today in the above-mentioned paradise with all the faces from last night and many new, very wet ones. The air horn blew often today. The first visitors were Le Chef, Spitz and The Natural and Kokopeli. They came to resupply, dry out a bit and have lunch but all went back out into the woods after eating. Natalie, a section hiker came early in the afternoon and joined us in the bunkhouse. Seven others came for the night and took private room: Yo-Yo, Zero, Dirty Bird, Fido Dido and two southbound section hikers from Key West Florida, Janet and Rick. Another person joined us in the Bunk House too, Right-On and Brown Dog.   Before dinner Night Owl, Moose Munch and I went swimming off the dock in the pouring rain. The temperature of the water was pleasant, it seemed to be close to air temperature, which was in the low 60¢s. As we were getting out of the water, Bill the owner, pulled into the dock with Janet and Rick. They looked miserable in their soaked rain gear, muddy legs and heavy packs. We must have looked silly behaving like it was a hot summer day at the lake. It was a lot of fun. We all crowded into The Lodge for dinner. I had the second half of my lunch pizza, which was one of the best pizzas I¢ve had. The rest of the evening was spent just as most of the day was spent: reading, napping, card playing, checkers playing, Trivial Pursuit playing and a bit of beer and wine drinking.
Date: 2003-10-03
From: Wilson Valley Lean-To

To: Shaw's Boarding House, Monson
Miles today: 13.7

I got into Monson today to end a wonderful ten-day trek through the hundred-mile wood. Today was cooler but very sunny and the hiking was past pretty scenes: views from easy to climb ledges, the dark, cool ravine below Wilson Falls and along the shores of small ponds and lakes. The hike was mostly uneventful except for slipping on a bog bridge and landing with my ass and backpack squarely in the mud. At lunch I found a sunny ledge and dried out my pants and Therma-Rest, which took the worst of the fall. About 3:00 I crossed my first paved road since September 25th and after another three miles of hiking headed into Monson on a side trail. Soon after reaching the road I was picked up by Keith Shaw Junior in his truck. There was a six-pack of beer on the bench seat and he promptly offered me one. This was all very good as I was planning on staying at Shaw¢s Boarding House for the night. He checked me in to a private room with cable television, a comfortable bed and a shared bath. Heaven! Dinner was served family style in the main house across the street from where my room is. More than a dozen hikers sat down in the Shaw¢s dinning room and kitchen for a hearty dinner of ham, baked potato, carrots, bread and apple pie for dessert. Shaw¢s is a great place. Young Keith is an easy going and friendly guy with an incredible memory for names (or maybe it seemed so because I have a poor memory for names). Lots of hiker here tonight, my totals for the trek are nearing 200.
Date: 2003-10-09
From: Stratton

To: Spaulding Mountain Lean-To
Miles today: 13.5

I got out of bed at 6:00 and watched the news while I organized my supplies for the next section of my hike. I finally met the owner when I went down stairs for breakfast at 7:15. I ate with a woman who is working on a project to establish a canoe trail through central-western and northern Maine. Before breakfast she¢d been out surveying a piece of public land to see if it had any river frontage for a possible campsite. The owner offered me a ride back to the trail so at 8:00ish we headed up the road. At the trailhead I realized my poles were not in the jeep. She was very nice and understanding so we went back to the B&B. I waited until a thru-hiking couple that¢d zeroed here yesterday, ate and got ready for a ride back to the trail. I really didn¢t mind the delay and was happy to vegetate a while longer in front of the television. I eventually got on the trail just before 10:00. I don¢t think I drank enough water today. I felt strong during the long climb up the 4000-foot Crocker Mountains but during a break at The Carrabassett River I felt nauseous and not interested in food. I hadn¢t pee¢d in a long while either. I drank more than two liters, typical for this hike, but it has been warmer and sunnier today, even warmer than yesterday too. I saw 73 degrees in the sun during the very steep climb up Sugarloaf. During my nauseous break I made sure I ate enough and drank and filtered plenty of water for the second half of the day. I was still depleted as I climbed up to the Sugarloaf Mountain Trail. It really wore me out but I think I was finally getting back ahead of the hydration game when the trail finally leveled out and headed across the ridge to Spaulding Mountain. I did feel much better as I reached the Spaulding Mountain Lean-To but may still need water as I had trouble finding the appetite to finish dinner. It also might be the food: Hamburger Helper Stroganoff wasn¢t very good. I¢m here alone tonight. I haven¢t seen a north bounder on the trail since Tuesday when I saw ten near the West Carry Pond Lean-To. I met my anti-hiker, a guy doing the same hike just north bound. He was on his eighth day out of Gorham and had lots of questions about Stratton. I shared my troubles and experiences from yesterday; I hope he had good luck like me. Its now time to settle in to my bag and listen to the rest of the ALCS baseball game. The Yankees are in the lead 2 runs to 1.
Date: 2003-10-12
From: Sabbath Day Pond Lean-To

To: Old Clearwater Brook Trail
Miles today: 12.7

Today was another sunny day with temperatures in the 60¢s. It was great weather for climbing Bemis Mountain. Bemis has a total of four peaks all with stretches of open, horizontal ledges in the shallow cols. The ledges look especially beautiful in the fall. There are many different colors in the wide variety of plant: shrubs, trees, mosses, lichens, etc¢¦ I had lunch at the Bemis Mountain Lean-To. The lean-to is leaning a few inches to one side and there are holes in the skylights. The final climb, over the highest peak, is through some really rough terrain- lots of roots, rocks and vertical ledges that make for steep ups and downs. Beyond the summit the trail remains rough, fir trees dominate the forest and the ground is rocky and moss covered. I¢d been planning for a day around 13 miles that would put me in this section. I went so long without seeing any flat ground I was worried I¢d have to hike extra miles to South Arm Road to camp. Luckily I found a bootleg campsite near water in a notch where an abandoned side trail is. It is between Elephant and Old Blue Mountains. It started raining lightly within 30 minutes after I stopped hiking. I quickly got my things covered up or in my bivy and then I climbed in and hid out for 45 minutes. I cooked and ate my dinner at lunchtime so I could¢ve skipped eating and gone to bed but fortunately the rain stopped for a while and I got up and ate some snacks and reorganized my junk. Its getting dark now and I¢ll have to get back in the bivy.
Date: 2003-10-13
From: Old Clearwater Brook Trail

To: Dunn Notch
Miles today: 15.2

It rained for a while last night but by morning it had passed and only the summit of Elephant Mountain was in clouds. It was windy too, which was great because it dried off my bivy. More nice weather today- sunny, warm and just a bit windy. I had great views from Old Blue first thing this morning. I didn¢t remember much about Blue from my ¢99 hike. Lots of steep ups and downs today, all near 1000 vertical feet: Blue, Moody and Hall Mountains all separated by deep notches. The leaves are falling rapidly these days. Many places the trail is six inches deep with dry leaves. The visibility along the forest floor is improving, from the trail I can see many hills into the forest and normally viewless mountaintops are good places to look at the terrain ahead. This also makes for a sunny hike. I took a break at Hall Lean-To which is a pretty spot and very sunny with bare trees. I pushed on past B-Hill Road to Dunn Notch. I¢m staying despite the MATC¢s no camping signs. I arrived too late to hike on. It¢s a gorgeous spot on a ledge above two sixty-foot waterfalls in a rocky gorge. I will do my best to leave no trace of my camp.
Date: 2003-11-22
To: Back To Work
Miles today: 0.0

It¢s back to work for me. Actually I¢ve been back from Maine for over a month but posting my journal and pictures has taken some time and having finished that dreaded task my typing has improved and I¢m feeling a reoccurrence of the sense of accomplishment I get after completing a long hike. It was great to return to Maine and see it from a south bounders perspective. The fall was a great time too, certainly rainier than summer but I love autumn foliage and meeting so many north bounders was a treat. I counted a total of 226 between September 24th and October 10th. It was a great hike.   I wish the last day could have been less rainy and windy, it was hard to bail out with only a day to go, but it was the right thing to do and I learned a good lesson about fording: stay out of the water when you¢re by yourself and the brook looks more like a river. I was lucky that day.         Today I am enjoying my last Saturday off from work for a while. I work at a ski area and if the bosses have their way we will open for the winter next Wednesday and I will start working weekends. Truthfully it¢s up to the snowmakers, so its up to Matt Olsen (that¢s Leif to TJ readers). So I¢ve been back to work a while now, maintaining the chairlifts (that¢s a picture of my co-workers changing wheels on a gondola at the top of the page) and daydreaming of hiking. I can¢t wait for the real snow to start piling up. I feel determined to get out in The White¢s whenever I can this winter. I¢m also already thinking of what to hike when summer comes back around. I¢ve got some ideas but no plans yet.         I¢d like to thank everyone who¢s read my journal; I hope it was interesting or helpful in some way. I have an old journal from a six-day hike I took in 2002 that I think I will post soon. It was a custom long distance hike that started in the Lakes Region of New Hampshire and ended on Mount Washington. It used about 20 different trails and was a very interesting hike for me. Lastly I hope that everyone will have a great winter and keep supporting Trailjournals
Date: 2001-06-16
From: Franconia Notch, NH

To: Guyot Shelter, NH
Miles today: 15.8

I¢m field editing for ALDHA¢s Companion and am responsible for hiking the Appalachian Trail from The Franconia Ridge north to the Maine state line. This will be my first day on the trail- hiking north from the Appalachian Trail parking lot on route 3 near The Flume. I have three days and I plan to get to Crawford¢s Notch sometime Monday. I started hiking at 6:45am under clear skies and the temperature at 64 degrees. The weather forecast is calling for high temperatures and high humidity. It stayed 64 as I climbed and it was hazy but pleasant on the ridge. The black flies are here though. I stopped briefly on Mt. Lafayette but was quickly chased away by numerous bites. I don¢t care for bug spray, sweaty skin is enough for me. I chugged along steadily towards Mt. Garfield using my bandana/dish rag to cover my neck and head. I saw a few people on Lafayette and a few on Garfield plus a section long distance hiker, ¢Old Dave¢, near Mt. Haystack. He started at Dalton Massachusetts three weeks ago. Not as many hikers as I expected to see. I got to Garfield Ridge Shelter at 12:45. This was my planned destination. I¢d figured ten miles would be enough for me; I haven¢t done too much hiking lately. I decided to continue on and try to get to Guyot Shelter, about six miles north. The hike was going very well. My light pack felt great, hiking in lighter shoes was nice too. Plus: if I¢d stopped so early the bugs would have eaten me all afternoon. I drew some water at the Garfield Spring and set off. Along the way to Guyot I stopped at the new Galehead Hut. Its very nice. I sat inside the hut snacking and reading the register from the year of my thru-hike (1999). It was great to read entries from my friends who came after me. The climb up South Twin was horrendous, hot, humid and very steep. What a day for the heat. The high temperature today was 81 degrees and it didn¢t start cooling off until after 4:00pm.   But once at the top of Twin the hardest parts of the day were over. The trail now rolled along the ridge through the short spruce, eventually emerging above tree line near Mt. Guyot. A short distance from the summit the trail reached the shelter. I¢m sharing the shelter with two older gentlemen using it as a base camp to climb Mt. Zealand. One of the men is a Long Trail end to ender. Also here is A.T. ¢88er ¢Steamroller¢ and her husband (?). I enjoyed a pleasant evening of conversation and some Frangelica, liquor made from hazelnut. The hot and humid day has turned into a gorgeous evening. Goodnight.
Date: 2001-06-17
From: Guyot Shelter, NH

To: Nauman Tentsite, NH
Miles today: 18.3

The forecast called for rain today. Everyone in the shelter was up at 5:00am, hoping to get out ahead of any precipitation. I felt very healthy this morning and enjoyed performing my trail ritual: Pee, pack, privy, breakfast, more packing, filter water, finish packing, say, ¢Goodbye¢ and then start hiking. The summit of Guyot was fogged in but I still found it exhilarating. It was windy above treeline!      The rain started lightly somewhere before Zealcliff and after Zealand Mountain (about 8:30). The temperature was 64 degrees. I stopped at Zealand Falls Hut for a food break and to check the weather forecast. It called for rain today, ending tonight and tomorrow should be partly clear. I also checked the AMC hiker shuttle schedule. I will certainly reach Crawford Notch around lunchtime today. I need to decide whether to go home or hike on. Knowing the shuttle times will help me plan. As I relaxed inside the Hut, outside it was starting to rain harder. I began hiking again in a downpour, at first without a rain jacket, but soon decided it was cool enough to wear my anorak without sweating too much. The heavy rains lasted about forty-five minutes, ending about 9:30.   I cruised along the old Zealand Notch railroad and reached Ethan Pond around 11:30. I took a break in the shelter and filtered some water. After that it was an easy two-plus miles to Crawford¢s. I was there by 12:45. It was there that the last of the heavy rains came. I sat on the roadside in the dirt trying to decide whether to hike on or go home.   The list of pros for going home: Its dry, I¢ve reached my goal, I only have a bivy sack for a shelter (it would be very wet to cook out in the rain).   The list of pros for hiking: it should be nice tomorrow, I¢ll be on the Presidential Range tomorrow, I feel great and it would be great to finish a 18 mile day today.   Oddly enough it was the rain that made me decide to hike on. I felt I needed to spend a whole day in the woods, especially because it was rainy and especially, especially if tomorrow is a beautiful day. The rain will build my character. The climb up the steep Webster Cliff Trail was the last physically demanding chore of the day. Upon completing this chore I was rewarded with a great view of the clouds blowing through the notch. I reached the Nauman Tentsites at 4:15 and was greeted by Doug the caretaker. There were plenty of sites; only three others are here tonight. I set up camp on a damp platform but fortunately it never rain again. Dinner was a pot of Stove Top Stuffing. It was delicious. Once it was gone I was instantly tired. I visited with Doug for a short while and now I¢m going to retire.
Date: 2001-06-18
From: Nauman Tentsite, NH

To: Mount Washington, NH
Miles today: 10.3

   I was up at 5:00am and after eating breakfast and filtering water was hiking by 6:20. I¢ve trimmed the amount and weight of my gear and it helps me to get packed up quicker in the morning. The temperature was 50 degrees.   Soon I was on the summit of Mt. Pierce. The only clouds around were on the mountains. I couldn¢t see ahead to the next peak on the ridge (Eisenhower) but I could tell the clouds were clearing. The winds were strong, blowing from the southwest, pushing white clouds over the ridge. The hike was spectacular. The temperature dropped to 48 degrees and with the wind-chill I was comfortable hiking in shorts and my anorak. On Mt. Eisenhower I watched Mt. Washington appear and disappear in the wind swept clouds. On Mt. Monroe the winds were very strong, sending me off balance a couple of times. The view of Mt. Washington, the Lakes of the Clouds with snow on the shoreline and the AMC Hut was amazing. I stopped at the Hut shortly after breakfast was served and for $2.75 I got a plate of still-warm pancakes, two chocolate brownies with white icing and a cup of coffee for a second breakfast. Eating like this really made me feel like a thru-hiker again, I felt at home. I put on more layers before leaving the hut- long sleeve tops and bottoms plus a hat. Soon I was hiking up Washington. On the summit I gazed out over the mountains as the wind buffeted my face. I felt so good I considered hiking the rest of the day, over the Northern Presidentials and down to Pinkham. I decided to go down to Pinkham¢s via the much shorter Lions Head and Tuckerman trails. I¢d used the summit payphone to call my girlfriend Sharon at work and found she was planning to go to Littleton after work and see a movie. That would mean it¢d be easy for her to pick me up at Zealand Campground and I could easily catch the 1:45pm Pinkham shuttle to Zealand. It was then about 10:45. I enjoyed the short hike over Lions Head past great views into Tuckermans Ravine. Some of the alpine flowers were blooming- Labrador Tea¢s white flowers, purple Azaleas too. Some other species had nice buds but hadn¢t bloomed. Tuckermans still had a large snowfield with signs of skiing still visible. I got to Pinkham Camp about 1:00. I showered and caught the van to Zealand Campground.
Date: 2001-07-01
From: Gentian Pond Shelter, NH

To: Imp Shelter, NH
Miles today: 19.8

This was a long day. I was up at 5:00am and hiking by 6:40. I couldn¢t seem to get my rhythm this morning. The trail is still as rough as yesterday until it passes Trident Col where it begins a ridge walk through a birch forest. Then it descends on a nicely graded trail with fewer rocks to the Androscoggin River.   Temperatures in the morning stayed in the sixties, when I reached the Rattle River Trail around noon it had crept up to 75 degrees. The skies didn¢t seem especially threatening. I¢d awoke to mostly clear skies, but, as weather will do in The White Mountains, a storm came up quickly. I hurried to the Rattle River Shelter to eat my lunch out of the rain. I was fortunate and didn¢t get too wet before getting to the shelter. I rested there for an hour, until 2:30, to be ready for the long climb up to Mount Moriah. It rained for over an hour, like yesterday, not too hard but steadily. Climbing kept me plenty warm. By the time I summited Moriah the rain had stopped. The view of the clearing skies was beautiful. I could see all the nearby ranges, with just some of the summits draped in clouds: The Mahoosucs, Carter and the Northern Presidentials.      I set off on the final leg at 4:45. The temperature had dipped to 58 degrees. I got to the Imp Shelter just before 6:00. I¢ve finished most of my chores and eating now I only have to clean my pot and brush my teeth. I¢d like to be in my sleeping bag soon. It should be comfortable sleeping tonight. Last night was a bit warm for my 20-degree bag. I¢m sharing the shelter with Search, a southbound thru-hiker and two-day hikers who really enjoyed cooking their meal.   Well I¢m enjoying the pre sunset show right now. There is a beautiful spot with a bench that looks northwest with views of Gorham and the Androscoggin River. There is a group of campers making their way down here. I think I¢ll make some space on the bench and go clean my pot.   I went back to the bench later. The clouds had changed again. What a beautiful evening. Everyone was there watching the sun go down: Search, The Couple, The Group and Cody, the Caretaker. He recited a couple of poems for us. I learned the group is from a camp for diabetics in Oxford Massachusetts. They¢re all women and the leaders are nurses. They¢ve been hiking around the east side of the Carter-Moriah Range for the last four or five days. Nice people.   Oh yes, I saw ¢Old Dave¢ the northbound thru-hiker again today near Mount Hayes. I first met him on the Franconia Range on June 16th.
Date: 2002-10-14
From: Long Trail Inn, VT

To: Clarendon Shelter, VT
Miles today: 12.7

Gandhi and I were up for the first breakfast seating this morning. I enjoyed the last bit of civilization and then got ready to hike. I¢d decided to walk the road to the official trailhead rather than hike back around Deer Leap or take the old route of the trail past Pico Camp. I wanted to see the new shelter built this summer on the now three-year-old Pico Relocation that took the trail out of Sherburne Pass. The heavy rains last night were part of a weather front passing through ahead of clearer, drier air. The skies were vivid blue today with only a few clouds. The air was also much colder than the last five days. I noticed it right away. The sign at the entrance to the Pico Ski Area said that their snowmaking season had begun. I should have brought my telemark skis.      The new Churchill Scott Shelter is a beautiful post and beam structure. It was built on federal land so the design had to meet the standards of the Americans with Disabilities Act so the platform is close to the ground and easy to get on. The privy is ramped and big enough for a wheel chair to enter. I mentioned it was colder? It got much colder as I climbed Killington. Actually it was great uphill hiking weather. I kept a long sleeve shirt on but layered down to my shorts and was very comfortable. I passed a few downhill hikers who had on what seemed like winter gear. Two of them seemed very worried that I was less than prepared and warned me not to go to the summit dressed as I was. I assured them I was fine and wasn¢t planning to summit Killington anyways. It was very cold at Cooper Lodge (mid 20¢s) and I didn¢t stop long. The decent over Little Killington and down to the Governor Clement Shelter was warmer and by mid afternoon it was a pleasant fall day. By the time I got to the Clarendon Shelter I was plenty warm and it was a couple hours before I cooled off enough to put on pants.      Otter was already encamped at Clarendon with a nice wood fire going. A north bounder joined us first and then Gandhi just before dark. Today was a perfect hiking day.