morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2007-08-01
From: Osgood campsite, 10 mi.

To: Carter Notch hut
Miles today: 10.7
Weather: broken clouds

The start of a new month, and almost certainly my last full month on the trail. I was hiking by about 6:45 a.m. Tintin was still in his tent. The first five miles were quite easy, and I made good time to the AMC Visitors Center at Pinkham Notch. The Georgia twins passed me on the way in. I got a few items at the store and then had a large turkey sub for brunch. At the Center I saw Logan, whom I had seen again a couple days before for the first time in months. Blowout was there too. He started out before me in order to make it in time for breakfast. After the Notch the trail began a 2,000 foot steep climb up to Wildcat Mountain. The climb up and along the mountain was another tough rocky stretch similar to yesterday from Mt. Washington to the Madison hut. Tintin caught up with me when I took a break about halfway through this stretch. I made it to Carter Notch hut about 5 p.m. The work for stay slots were all full so the Georgia twins and Logan went on to find a p! lace to stealth camp. I decided to treat myself to a night at the hut. The folks staying here are very nice and eager to hear about my thru-hiking adventures.Despite underwhelming demand, I've decided to do another rant on blazes.   Most of the AT in Vermont is maintained by the Dartmouth Outing Club. DOC does a lot of things well. I'm particularly grateful for the services they provide to hikers on the Dartmouth campus. As for the sections of the AT they maintain, the only real complaint I have is about the road crossings. They don't use double blazes much to indicate a turn or intersection. In several cases, it is hard to see whether the trail goes right or left. Using offset double blazes would make it much easier.Most of New Hampshire is maintained by Appalachian Mountain Club. AMC does many things well. Their huts, shelters and tentsites are first rate. However, in some sections of the trail, the AT markings are sparse to nonexistant. In the Whites and Presidentials, the AT follows trails that also have another name, such as Gulfside Trail or Osgood Trail. That is fine, but in many cases it is hard to tell which of several trails the AT follows. This could be fixed by putting more white blazes near the trail intersections. Two places where there are very few white blazes are from Mt. Washington to the Osgood tentsite and around Wildcat Ridge. On Wildcat it is particlarly hard to pick up the AT near the ski lift. In two cases I had to ask someone in order to determine where the AT picks up. Other thru-hikers have also mentioned this to me.
Date: 2007-08-02
From: Carter Notch hut

To:  Rattle River shelter
Miles today: 13.3
Weather: scattered clouds

I enjoyed my stay at Carter Notch hut. The only downside was that the guy sleeping next to me was a truly legendary snorer. His noise even pierced through my earplugs. The people were very nice and the food was excellent. After a good breakfast I was underway by 7:45 a.m. The day started with a climb up to Mt. Hight. I hiked in the morning with a guy who had started a thru-hike in 2000 and got to Vermont. He and his girlfriend are going the rest of the way to Katahdin. After Mt. Hight the trail was a series of rocky ups and downs to the Imp campsite. There I found Tintin and the Breadless Horeman, whom I hadn't seen since Mass, and a southbounder. Next was an uphill to Mt. Moriah and a long downhill rock scramble to the shelter. Today was a long tough slog for me. I didn't arrive at the shelter until 6:20 p.m. I'm tenting just outside the shelter. The Georgia twins and Mystery Chicken are inside. Later on a nobo thru-hiker named Rangoon came in. He says he did 24 miles today. I'm impressed. We're just two miles from the road to Gorham, where just about everyone is going to resupply, clean up and get some town food.
Date: 2007-08-03
From:  Rattle River shelter

To: US 2 near Gorham
Miles today: 1.9
Weather: clear sky

Today's earthshaking revelation - a good night's sleep is a wonderful thing. During and after yesteday's slog in the heat up and down over sharp rocks, I was pretty sour on the hike and life in general. I'm much better this morning. I was actually the late bird this morning. The Georgia twins were gone before 6 a.m., followed shortly by Rangoon and Mystery Chicken. I was all alone when I left shortly after 7. It's the magnetic lure of the trail town, I think. I did the easy stretch down to Route 2 and quickly got a ride from a timber contractor going into Gorham. He dropped me off at the Colonial Fort Inn and I had a room before 8:30. Gorham is a small friendly town peopled by lots of French Canadians. It caters to outdoor sports enthusiasts such as skiers, fisherman, hunters and hikers. Timber and related business like paper seem to be the other major industries. I'm having a deluxe breakfast before washing clothes and resupplying. I see hikers all around. Mystery Chicken just came into Mickey D's.
Date: 2007-08-04
From: US 2 near Gorham

To: Informal campsite south of Mt. Success
Miles today: 13.2

I spent Friday doing trail chores and taking an extremely well needed rest. Mystery Chicken and I spent the day following each other to the laundromat, library, Rite Aid, fast food restaurants and back to the motel.I got packed up early Saturday morning and went to McDonalds for another deluxe breakfast. When I left, I was picked up by literally the first car (a truck actually) that passed me. It's the first time that has happened to me in over four months of hiking. The driver was a nice fellow going home after a night working at the new Wal-Mart. My only concern was that he seemed ready to nod off while driving. He dropped me off at the trailhead a litle before 7 a.m. I could tell right away that the nero day had done me a lot of good. The Whites and Presidentials took a lot out of me, especially my feet. I made pretty good time climbing up Mt. Hayes and Cascade Mtn. The white blazes were a little sparse on the mountain tops. I slowed down some in the afternoon. By the time I got to the Gentian Pond shelter I was out of water. However the water source was a long way straight down. I decided to go to the next stream to get water and hopefully find a place to stealth camp.!   I found both the water and a good stealth site just before the start of the climb up to Mt. Success. I wanted to get a ways past the shelter so that it will be easier to get through Mahoosuc Notch tomorrow. That is well known as the hardest mile on the whole AT. Tonight will be my last night in New Hampshire. The scenery in the Granite State has been matchless. This has also been the toughest state of all for me so far.
Date: 2007-08-05
From: Informal campsite south of Mt. Success

To: Campsite north of Mahoosic Notch
Miles today: 10.8

I woke up about 3 a.m. and was cold for the first time in a while. I put on my long sleeve t-shirt and went back to bed. When I woke up it was as cold as it has been in a couple of months, no more than 50 degrees. I broke camp and climbed Mt. Success, the last mountain in New Hampshire. I passed into Maine shortly thereafter. My eyes and ears enjoyed the Granite State but my feet are glad to be done with it. I stopped to talk to some southbounders at the Carlo Col shelter. I gave them my last map of NH. I had already mailed the rest back home. The trek to the next shelter was moderately tough. After that I came to the famous Mahoosic Notch. It's reasonably flat but comprised of huge boulders that you must climb up, around and under. In places you can still see frost below the rocks in early August. It's debatable whether this is really the toughest mile on the AT, but it clearly is the most tedious and takes the longest to cover. On a somber note, earlier this ! year an unfortunate moose got trapped in the Notch and had to be shot. It is still there, and it smells pretty ripe now. One wag said the place should now be called Dead Moosic Notch. Ugh! I was pretty tired when I finished and got to the camping area. Then I had to backtrack a third of a mile to get water. I was glad I had stealth camped north of the shelter last night to make today shorter.
Date: 2007-08-06
From: Campsite north of Mahoosic Notch

To: Campsite near Frye Notch lean-to
Miles today: 12.9
Weather: light rain

As I lay in my sleeping bag last night I began to realize that I am nearing the end of this odyssey. I've been trying to think of this hike on a day to day basis, but that's becoming harder to do.I woke up to clear blue skies, which surprised me in light of the forecast. I started the day climbing the tough Mahoosic Arm. As I approached the first shelter it started to cloud up. That shelter was filled with young French Canadian women hikers. It began to sprinkle as I reached the top of Old Speck Mtn. It began to rain steadily as I climbed down the other side to Grafton Notch. When I got to the notch, the skies opened up. I hid under a sign there while I ate lunch and put another layer of clothes on. It continued to rain as I climbed to Baldpate Lean-to. Just before I got there I met Slowalker, who said he had left some food at the shelter. I got there and snacked on the cookies he had left while it ontinued to rain. I was torn between staying there for the night and moving on to the next shelter, as I had planned. The food had given me a boost of energy and the rain had slacked off a bit, so I moved on. It shortly stopped raining altogether as I climbed over Baldpate Mtn. However, the rocks were still slippery, making the footing a bit slick. It became extremely foggy as I descended to the shelter. When I got there the shelter was pretty full and it looked like they were all sleeping, even though it wasn't even 6 p.m. I tented near the shelter in the murk. I got moderately wet today so I'm glad I'll be heading into town tomorrow. I'm also glad I have a change of dry clothes to wear in the tent tonight.Grafton Notch marks the end of the Mahoosic Mountains. It seems to me that the stretch since then is less rocky, though that may be wishful thinking. It's no less hilly, but a smoother footpath makes a big difference. The notch also marks the beginning of the section maintained by the Maine Appalachian Trail Club. So far I've been impressed by the quality of their maintenance, including the blazing and signs.
Date: 2007-08-07
From: Campsite near Frye Notch lean-to

To: East B Hill Rd.
Miles today: 4.5

I took my time breaking camp this morning, since I had just a short hike to the trailhead. I passed the beautiful Dunn Notch Falls on the way. I got to the road to Andover a little after 10 a.m. and discovered two disconcerting things - there was almost no traffic on this road and I couldn't get a cell signal. I hiked about a half mile toward Andover and did finally get a signal. I called the Pine Ellis hostel and the nice lady there said she would come by in about a half hour. She was true to her word and I was at the hostel before noon. The only hiker there was Breadless Horseman taking a zero day. I dropped my stuff and went to lunch at the General Store with him. I had speghetti and meat balls, which went down very well. This town strikes me as one that was laid out in anticipation that it would become a large village, but it never did. There are many large lots with nothing but grass. It does have most things that a thru-hiker needs, however, a couple inexpensive places to stay, a decent store for resupplying and a diner. I'm doing normal town chores, e.g., washing clothes, taking a shower, getting resupplied and gorging on town food. Barring heavy rain tomorrow, I plan to get back on the trail early tomorrow.
Date: 2007-08-08
From: East B Hill Rd.

To: Informal campsite south of Old Blue
Miles today: 12.0

I woke up to the sound of rain on the roof. The forecast indicated it was going to clear up later on, so I decided to go out early. Just as I was ready to get into the van, it occured to me that my boots didn't feel right. I checked the room and, sure enough, I had left my insoles there. That would have been a big problem if I hadn't remembered them. At the Pine Ellis hostel I learned that one of its proprietors, Roger Trainor, had passed away last month. Roger was a well known friend of the trail and had been operating the hostel since 1990. His wife Ilena is operating it now with the help of her son in law. I hope that hikers and other trail friends will continue to support this great place.Breadless and I got to the the trailhead about 7:30. It rained lightly most of the morning. I got to the first shelter around 10:30 and saw Logan, who had spent the night there by himself. Before I moved on the first of three very fast northbounders came in. They all started from Springer on May 21 and plan to finish in about ten days. All I can say to that is Wow! Just before I left it started to rain hard. I waited until it let up a bit before moving on. I did the long downhill to Sawyer Notch. Next came the very tough climb up Moody Mtn., made more difficult by the slippery conditions. Going down the other side was perhaps more treacherous. I slipped three times on the way down. My clean dry clothes didn't stay that way very long. I got water from the brook and did a couple miles more before finding a place to stealth camp.
Date: 2007-08-09
From: Informal campsite south of Old Blue

To: camping near Sabbath Day Pond Lean-to
Miles today: 15.1

I woke up a few times during the night, and each time put on more clothes. The temperature had to be below 50 by the time I got up. The letter for today is M. M for Maine, of course, but especially M for MUD. The trail was mostly covered in mud from the rains yesterday and a few days before that. I had to do a lot of artful dodging today to avoid the places where it would have gone over my boot tops. Except for the mud, the weather today was first rate, with a high of about 70. I've been seeing lots of Canadians on the trail lately, mostly French speakers from Quebec. The Canadian dollar has gotten very strong compared to the greenback, and the US has become a travel bargain for our neighbors to the north. Today the hardest climbs came early, over Old Blue and then Bemis Mtn. After that, there was a long downhill followed by some relatively easy ups and downs. I'm camping tonight near some beautiful northern lakes, and I can hear loons in the distance. A perfect end to a long day of hiking on the AT.
Date: 2007-08-10
From: camping near Sabbath Day Pond Lean-to

To: camping north of Eddy Pond
Miles today: 13.3

Even though I'm only several hundred miles north of my home in Pennsylvania, it seems like I'm much further away. The low temperature last night was below 50 here and it barely reached 70 for a high. My wife told me the high back home yesterday was over 100. Today was a very moderate hiking day, with no significant hills, though there was still lots of mud. Around noon, I stopped for a break north of Route 4 near a creek. A southbounder named Adam came by and asked if I had seen the sodas in the water. I hadn't and I gratefully drank two. A little later, near the Piazza Rock lean-to, I saw that someone had put some beer in the stream. I had one of them as well. So I was pretty well hydrated by the time I stopped for the day. There were lots of day hikers today and several southbound thruhikers. I haven't seen another northbound thru in a couple days. I would have liked to go a little further today, but this appears to be the last place I can camp before the Saddleback Mountain group. I'd have to go over five miles further to find the next camping spot, and that was too far for me. I'm camping close to a pond again, so I hope I'll hear loons again.
Date: 2007-08-11
From: camping north of Eddy Pond

To: camping near Spaulding Mtn. lean-to
Miles today: 14.8

It was cold again this morning, probably in the high 40s. My day began with the strenuous climb up Saddleback Mtn., followed by The Horn and Little Saddleback. On Saddleback, I bade farewell to one old friend, Mt. Washington and hello to a new one, Mt. Katahdin, way in the distance amidst the fog and clouds. It was mostly moderate ups and downs after that until the final long uphill stretch to Lone Mtn.At the shelter I saw two hiking acquaintances that I hadn't seen in months, Klipspringer and Farmer. I saw Klipspringer on the first day out. I think he was the very first hiker I passed just north of Springer. Tonto and I last saw Farmer back in the Smokies. Klipspringer and Farmer are hiking together now with Just Jack whom I hadn't met before. They got to Harpers Ferry in July and decided to go up to Katahdin and head south. It was great to see both of them again. Later on Logan came in. He and I have been together off and on since the start. We are both going into Stratton tomorrow.
Date: 2007-08-12
From: camping near Spaulding Mtn. lean-to

To: ME 27
Miles today: 13.5

It was a bit warmer this morning than yesterday, but still not much above 50. Physically I was feeling better than I had in a couple of days. I broke camp and started the first climb up Spaulding Mtn. The toughest part of the day was the steep rock strewn downhill from the summit to south branch of the Carabasset River. I thought it was the hardest stretch since New Hampshire. The next climb up Crocker Mtn. was steady and strenuous. From there it was a series of ups and downs followed by a long downhill to ME 27, which is five miles from Stratton. Along the way I began to realize how close I am to to Quebec due to the large number of French speaking radio stations. It took me about ten minutes to get a ride from a fellow going home from his job at a golf course. Stratton is a nice friendly small town with several stores and a couple of inexpensive motels. I am staying at the White Wolf Inn, which has an adjoining bar and restaurant. Tomorrow I plan to do my town chores then get back on the trail.
Date: 2007-08-13
From: ME 27

To: Avery Memorial campsite
Miles today: 8.0
Weather: few clouds

It was good to have a night in town after five fairly tough days on the trail. I watched Tiger Woods win the PGA while I had dinner and a brew at the bar in the White Wolf. I got up this morning and washed clothes early. I saw Logan again at the hostel down the street from the White Wolf. He has now adopted the trail name Wolverine. I also spoke to a southbound thru named Odysseus.After I finished my laundry, I came back to the diner for breakfast and saw Pressure D again. I had met him first at the Spaulding Mtn. shelter. He is a teacher and coach from Binghamton, NY doing a section hike through Maine. We ate our breakfast together. Later on we left Stratton at about the same time and hiked together for a while in the afternoon. It was a tough stretch up and over the West Peak of Bigelow Mtn. Getting water was quite an adventure. We had to go north up the AT over a rock scramble. Coming back with our hands full of water bottles was a particular challenge.This campsite, as well as the next peak we will cross, are named for a true giant of the AT, Myron Avery. The man who initially concieved the idea of the AT was Benton MacKaye. A trail in Georgia that intersects the AT is named for him. Avery is the man who took MacKaye's idea, expanded on it somewhat and saw it through to completion. Without Avery there might never have been an AT and it almost certainly would not have extended to Maine. This is a good place to be named after Avery, since it combines rugged terrain with spectacular views of the mountains and lakes of central Maine.It promises to be a chilly night tonight, perhaps the chilliest since April in Georgia.
Date: 2007-08-14
From: Avery Memorial campsite

To: camping near West Carry Pond lean-to
Miles today: 14.6

Pressure D's thermometer said that it was 34 degrees this morning, and it sure felt that cold. It was a combination of it being a pretty cold night for mid-August and the fact that the campsite was almost 4000 feet in elevation. By about 3 a.m., I had just every bit of clothing on, including my fleece. For some time I've been wondering if I would ever use all the winter clothing I had mailed to me at Glencliff. No worries about that now. I even used the gloves while I made breakfast. I got out early and crossed Avery Peak. The wind had to be blowing 40 mph up there. Avery Peak is the last 4,000 footer I will cross before Katahdin. Since I will only carry only a day pack up Katahdin, it is the last tall one I will have to carry a full pack over. As soon as I dropped down below Avery the wind dropped and the temperature rose. Once I got over Little Bigelow I was back to only a short sleeve shirt. The trail was much lower in elevation and the footpath much smoother ! for the afternoon hike. That was good because my legs were still feeling the effects of the tough stretches from yesterday. Surprisingly, Pressure D and I are the only ones at this shelter tonight.In the afternoon I met Bonnie Carolyn again. She started a northbound thru about the same time as me and the last time I saw her was in northern Virginia. She got off at Port Clinton, PA in June to fulfill a family obligation for five weeks. She decided to resume the hike from Katadin and head south. It was good to see her again.As of today I have hiked over 2,000 miles. However, I am not yet a "2000 miler". Huh? I'll explain for the non-trail junkies. Since thru-hikes of the AT have become fairly common, succesful thru-hikers have been referred to as "2000 milers". A "2000 miler" is defined as a person who has hiked the whole AT, even though the AT is now about 2,175 miles long. So, although I have hiked over 2000 miles of the AT, as of today I still have to do about 165 miles more to be considered a "2000 miler".
Date: 2007-08-15
From: camping near West Carry Pond lean-to

To:  US 201
Miles today: 14.0

Pressure D was the early bird this morning. He was hiking shortly after 6 a.m. I was gone a little after 7. The first ten miles were an easy largely flat hike with a pretty good footpath. It was the easiest stretch of hiking since at least Massachusetts. The last four miles was a little harder because the footpath had more rocks and roots. It rained lightly off and on during the morning, making the rocks a bit slick. I stopped for a rest and a bite at the Pierce Pond lean-to. It faces on a beautiful northern Maine pond, giving it one of the best views of any shelter on the whole trail. The Kennebec River is the widest stream on the whole AT without a bridge. It is dangerous to ford since it rises and falls suddenly and without warning due to changes in the outflow from the hydroelectric dam upriver. For this reason the ATC engages a contractor to ferry hikers across the Kennebec. For many years the contractor has been Steve Longley, who also operates the Rivers and Trails hostel and store nearby. I got to the river just as the ferryman was getting ready to take Pressure D across. He took us both and we then hiked to the hostel. Steve told us this will be the last year that he operates the ferry and hostel. One of his employees hopes to get the ferry contract and Steve hopes to find a buyer for the hostel and store. The AT community will really miss Steve. Pressure D and I are the only ones in the hostel so far. We plan to go to a nearby restaurant tonight and get an early start tomorrow on the stretch to Monson, the last trail town on the AT.