morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2016-07-18
From: Lake of the Clouds Hut, NH

To: Madison Hut, NH
Miles today: 7.0

Day 847 miles in 9.25 hours Lake of the Clouds Hut (1855) to Madison Hut (1862)Weather: Sunny, 70s, showers late afternoon en route to the shelterDinner: Green Noodle Bowl and Madison Hut leftoversHikers: LotsWildlife: Tourists getting off the Cog Railway trainIf not for the one freight train snoring the entire night between the tables across from me, I think sleeping on the dining room floor of a charming lodge perched at 5100-feet in the mountains would have been restorative. But that guy never moved or stopped snoring all night. At 1:48 a.m. I started listening to music and even that didn't drown him out. I must have fallen asleep at some point because I had two stressful dreams.The first involved a semi that wouldn't allow our car to merge onto a highway in rain. The second had my parents, along with an aunt and uncle, meeting me here at the hut, but arriving too late for dinner. They then forgot to take a huge bag of food and gear of mine back home with them. Maybe that was a nightmare.Actually, the real nightmare occurred later. Today started off just fine, but then it turned into Pennsylvania. I headed out at 9:40 a.m. after folding 36 bunk blankets and sweeping bunk room floors as part of my work-for-stay. It was only 1.4 miles (up) to the 6,288-foot summit of Mt. Washington. I took pictures, wrote postcards and hung around for a little while before heading on around 11:30.The next 5.6 miles took me more than 7 hours to hike. This turned into one of the hardest days since Pennsylvania. It was all a sea of boulders¢or felzenmeer, which is my new favorite word I learned from Hildy. I just cannot easily descend on this stuff. My knees refuse to bend and the uneven rocks aggravate my feet. Plus, I was internalizing a comment made yesterday by a passing fatalistic SOBO who I had cautioned about an upcoming cliff. His response was that this is nothing, nothing! New Hampshire is a cake walk compared to Maine! Cake walk my ass. My original goal was a free tent site, 10 miles down the trail. Instead I showed up at the Madison Hut looking for floor space again tonight. It wasn't a sure thing, since the predicted storms never materialized and they already had a work-for-stay hiker. Another couple was hoping for the same following their 18-MILE day. We were both hurting for different reasons. So, with the exception of summiting Mt. Washington, the rest of the day was a nightmare of felzenmeer. Probably didn't help that I didn't get much sleep last night. Freight Train isn't here tonight¢at least not the one I know of.
Date: 2016-07-19
From: Madison Hut, NH

To: Dodge Lodge, Pickham Notch, NH
Miles today: 7.8
Weather: broken clouds

Day 857.8 miles in 8.5 hours Madison Hut (1862) to Pinkham Notch, NH (1869.8)Weather: Cloud cover at higher elevations with 25-45mph gusts; sunny, 70s-80s lower elevations Dinner: Salad, onion and sausage ziti, spinach and chocolate chip bread pudding Hikers: A few SOBOs, Sponge Bob (from trail journals), Checkers and MonkeymanBrutal. The threatening thunderstorms never materialized overnight, but powerful gusts did. Awoke to cloud cover and serious wind. Was happy to have been allowed to sleep on the dining room floor again. After helping out with tidying up the bunkhouse, a skill I¢ve now mastered, today¢s torturous affair with the trail began. The trail climbed 566 feet in half a mile, all felzenmeer crappola. It was done in heavy fog while the wind huffed and puffed. Although I now experienced conditions commonly found in the Whites, I did not consider this fun¢or even remotely fulfilling. It ultimately took four hours to maneuver only two miles from Madison Hut down to tree line. Even when the sun emerged and I was rewarded with majestic views over which flew remnant threads of clouds, I didn't care all that much. I must be one of the few people in the world that hasn't liked hiking the Presidentials here in the Whites. One of the high points came when I met fellow TrailJournals blogger, Sponge Bob (still within the first three miles and five hours of lumbering.) We had a nice chat¢or at least I had a captive audience that allowed me to vent my one-sided opinion of the theoretical trail. From Osggod to Pinkham Notch, the trail was what I would consider an actual trail, but by now knees and feet were beyond displeased. I got a bunk in the Joe Dodge Lodge in Pinkham Notch sharing the dorm-like room with three other women, two of whom are doing a very reasonable hike up to Lake of the Clouds Hut and the other who is sectional hiking the AT with her dad. While I think sectional hikers have a much rougher time¢they don't develop ¢trail legs¢ over time¢it's the Hut hikers who likely have the most enjoyable, albeit more expensive, experiences. The mileages between huts are reasonable and they don't have to worry about where to camp or if they will be able to sleep on a dining room floor each night. Still. Felznenmeer.
Date: 2016-07-20
From: Dodge Lodge, Pickham Notch, NH

To: White Mountains Lodge and Hostel, Gorham, NH
Miles today: 0.0

Yellow Blazing21.1 Miles Pinkham Notch, NH (1869.8). to Gorham, NH (1890.9)Weather: Sunny, beautiful hiking weather¢except I'm notDinner: Shrimp gumbo made by Bear BagHikers: 19 Tramily peeps here at the hostelI contemplated a number of scenarios during and after yesterday¢s so-called hike, one of which was to skip pretty far up the trail into Maine. What I decided to do was a sort of baby step¢move my reservation with the White Mountains Lodge and Hostel in Gorham, New Hampshire from Thursday up one day, omitting a two-day (for me), 21-day rock climbing section of Wildcat Mountain and its numerous peaks¢and taking yet another zero. The hostel had a food drop I had mailed myself, so a stop was in the plan regardless. My Dodge Lodge sectional hiking roommate, who also had reservations at the same hostel, provided the transportation and the deal was done. Instead of white blazes, I followed the yellow blazed highway lines in a car. And at least at this point, I have no regrets. My decision was reaffirmed when I met up with a hiker here at the hostel I hadn't seen since Hanover. She hikes at my same pace, but was two days ahead. We are planning on hiking together for at least the next few days, including what is billed as the most difficult¢or fun¢mile of the AT, depending upon your point of view. Like yesterday wasn't bad enough. But I will choose to view it as fun. I also reread a few of the TrailJournals.com posts of the women I had following last year to see what their accounts had been¢after I made the decision to yellow blaze¢and I was relieved to find their experiences matched my own. Turns out I was completely justified in having a melt down atop the lonely rocky peak of Mt. Madison.Like the Bearded Woods Hostel in Connecticut, this hostel provides clothes you can wear while all your clothes are being washed. Unlike my stay at the Bearded Woods, I went commando grocery shopping. Now that was a new hiker experience for me.
Date: 2016-07-21
From: White Mountains Lodge and Hostel, Gorham, NH

To: Gentian Pond Shelter, ME
Miles today: 11.8

Day 8611.8 miles in 8.5 hours (with lots of stops)Gorham, NH (1890.9) to Gentian Pond Shelter (1902.7)Weather: Sunny, most of the day, light showers late afternoonDinner: Pepper SalmonHikers: Spirit, Purples, Cruise Missile, three sectional hikers from yesterday's hostel, two SOBOs, a group of day hikers and a youth camp groupWildlife: Mama and baby moose in Gentian PondToday was better. At various times, it was leaf strewn, rooty, rocky¢in general¢a real trail. Spirit and I hiked with Trisha, who was out for a week of hiking in the area. She stayed at the hostel last night and wanted to hike to Mt. Hayes and back. We took a bunch of stops and by the time she was ready to head back to Gorham, she was planning her own thru-hike.Word had it that a moose and calf frequented Gentian Pond and we were not disappointed. Around dinner, one of the section hikers reported a sighting and we all rushed down to the pond to see mama swim across followed by baby. I also took a dip in the pond, when it was moose-less, and it felt great. If every day ended with a swim, this hiking thing wouldn't be half bad. And today, I passed my 1000 hiking mile mark. Keeping it real and not including the yellow blazing miles I skipped yesterday.
Date: 2016-07-22
From: Gentian Pond Shelter

To: Mahoosuc Notch Trail, ME
Miles today: 11.1
Weather: clear sky

Day 8711.1 miles in 11 hours Gentian Pond Shelter (1902.7) to Mahoosuc Notch Trail (1913.8)Weather: Sunny, pleasant all dayDinner: (First dinner) Girl¢s camp leftover pasta with peanut butter (Second dinner) American Pho Noodle BowlHikers: Same group from shelter, Purples and Spirit at stealth siteI fell asleep last night listening to the nearby camp counselor explaining how to do tick checks, that they had daily emergency evacuation plans if needed and that yes, the tents were all the same size and it didn't matter which tent the campers were in, every night they were going to switch it up anyway. But I slept really well, having properly checked for ticks.Hiked all day with Purples and Spirit and we crossed into Maine, their fourteenth and last state; my eleventh. Call me crazy, but Maine already feels different¢the mountain summits are more rounded and there has already been more boardwalks and log ladders. Also more cliffs to climb up and down. We did a lot of that today. Purples can hike fast--so it might have been killing her to hang out with me, but she needs to slow down because her dad is meeting up with her at the end and she can't arrive too early. We thought it was going to be a short 9.6 mile day, but there were a lot of PUDs (Pointless Ups and Downs) and the cliffs and ledges slowed me down. Unlike New Hampshire, the technical parts¢at least for today¢weren't long in duration, whereas you had to walk for miles on boulder fields through the whites. The three Goose Mountain peaks we summited today, were balds all above tree line, but with interesting dips into the forest. After stopping at the Goose Shelter, populated with one group of surly men and another of chattering girls on a backpacking camp trip, we decided to stealth camp another mile and a half further, but not after first helping to eat unwanted leftovers from the girls¢s dinner. Purple had cruised ahead and found us a site with room for the three of us at the entrance to tomorrow's Mahoosuc Notch Day o¢Fun, but unfortunately, due to her speed, that meant she missed out on the leftovers. Just meant more for us.
Date: 2016-07-23
From: Mahoosuc Notch Trail

To: Grafton Notch, ME
Miles today: 8.2
Weather: scattered clouds

Day 888.2 miles in 9 hours (including swim break)Mahoosuc Notch Trail (1913.8) to Grafton Notch (1922)Weather: Sunny, pleasant all dayDinner: Ramen noodles and crackersHikers: Lots of NOBOs and weekend hikersWildlife: Ravens (awaiting hikers falling off of Old Speck Mountain)We had fun. Hitting the Mahoosuc Notch first thing in the morning was a great idea, even though it still took us just under two hours climbing over and squeezing under Volkswagen Beetle to semi-trailer sized boulders. We found ice in deep shadowed pockets that we had heard about, but not the skeleton of a trapped moose, apparently now long-gone. Spirit, Purples and I were joined by Squirrel, a sectional hiker out for a few weeks who is planning on going to Katahdin as well. The Mahoosuc Arm was up next, a climb of over 1,600-feet in 1.5 miles. Reports indicated vertical walls, but I really didn't find it to be more difficult than anything else to date¢oh like, let¢s say MT. MADISON. Actually, the embedded rebar stairway going up Goose Eye Mountain East Peak yesterday was more technical. And later, the exposed cliff face of Old Speck was more scary. Still, it zapped my energy. We swam in Speck Pond in early afternoon. The trail passes right along this mountain lake and a bunch of us jumped in. It was a perfect summer afternoon and I, for one, was really glad to take the time and play in the water. But that set us back as we didn't leave until 2:40 p.m. While the swim gave me energy to hike up 4,033-foot Old Speck, I quickly lost steam and my knees began to rebel during the 4.6 mile descent to Grafton Notch. The goal was to hike an additional 2.3 miles up to the next shelter, but somewhere during the last two miles I was already planning on stealth camping before that. Besides, I already knew that there was going to be a big crowd at that site between thru-hikers and weekenders and maybe even more youth camps. Trail magic in the form of soda and water was waiting in the Grafton Notch parking lot. So was Spirit and Purples who hiked faster. And so was Wishbone, who was awaiting a ride from the Pine Ellis Hostel in Andover, another eight miles up trail. I had noted ¢slacking?¢ on my map, but hadn't made any inquiries earlier. Now myself, along with Rubix and Fisherman were suddenly all very interested in seeing if there was more room available when Wishbone¢s shuttle arrived. Blissfully¢yes. I was too tired and not all that hungry to walk the short distance to town for the all-you-can-eat pizza buffet and instead heated up water for some ramen noodles, took my Ibuprofen and I'm now back in a bed tonight sharing a room with strangers¢a concept to which I've become strangely accustomed. Tomorrow I'll be back on the trail slacking back to this same bed again. While I love camping, I also loved the idea of not hiking another step today.
Date: 2016-07-24
From: Grafton Notch, ME

To: East B Hill Road, Andover, ME
Miles today: 10.3

Day 8910.3 miles in 7.25 hoursGrafton Notch (1922) to East B Hill RoadWeather: Overcast to partly sunny, pleasant all dayDinner: CheeseburgerHikers: About a dozen Wildlife: SnakeSlack packed today with Wishbone and it was wonderful. Finally able to put on some miles within my more accustomed expectations. Not sure if the trail was easier or because we were slackpacking, but no matter. It was a better hiking day for me. And we were done by 3 p.m. The hike up to the shelter that everyone else I had been hiking with yesterday stayed at last night, wasn't too bad of a climb, but I am still glad I didn't do it last night. And the Baldpate Mountain summits, (yes there are two), were the highlights of this section. One of these days, we¢ll time the end of the day¢and the weather¢to try cowboy camping under the stars on the top of one of these open summits. Retainer was checked in upon my return heading north here at the Pine Ellis Hostel. I met him at the shelter of the misfits, back in Maryland when he was heading south on his Cool Breeze flip flop itinerary. Even though it was only one night and we were headed in opposite directions, we had trail news and gossip to share.
Date: 2016-07-26
From: South Arm Road, Andover, ME

To: Bemis Stream Campsite, Oquassuc, ME
Miles today: 12.3

Day 9112.3 miles in 7 hoursSouth Arm Road, Andover, ME (1942.4) to Bemis Stream (1954.7)Weather: Sunny, beautifulDinner: Veggie Mac and cheeseHikers: Several SOBOs, Half a dozen+ NOBOs, plus Spirit and Squirrel Wildlife: Spruce grouseSo. Breakfast at the Cabin was epic. Waffles, blueberry pancakes, biscuits and gravy, eggs, sausage, bacon, potatoes, melon, bananas and beans. This¢and dinner¢all for $15. Eighty-three old ¢Honey,¢ the owner and a hiker herself, brought me to the trailhead post gorge. Met up with some of the people who had stayed at the Pine Ellis Hostel who told me that the bed I was kicked out of remained unoccupied that night¢so that was weird. Their loss, my gain. And by gain I mean weight¢after all that food. Could be because I had downloaded a bunch of Wait! Wait! Don't Tell Me Podcasts. Or because I had slacked for the past two days. Or because it was perfect weather. Or because I AM IN MAINE! But I loved today¢s hike. The morning started with a 2,200 elevation gain climbing up 3600-foot high Old Blue Mountain that took a few hours. Took a break at the top along with two NOBOs and two SOBOs. The SOBOs still think Maine is tough, but it is so much better than New Hampshire, IMO. I still fume over that haughty ¢New Hampshire is a cakewalk¢ comment imparted to me by a passing SOBO near Webster Cliffs. Talked to another hostel hiker who had taught at UW-Milwaukee the years I attended art school there which also passed the time. He also affirmed that Maine is easier than the Whites. I don't get the feeling that the trail maintainers, the Maine AT Club, is testing our fear of heights, sense of balance or has resolved to kill us. The view after summiting Bemis Mountain is the real reason I loved today. I realized I was peering down on Upper Richardson and Rangeley Lakes, lakes I paddled in their entirety as part of my Northern Forest Canoe Trail trip in 2011. I've entered familiar territory¢from a completely different perspective, but still. I¢ve been here before and it was good.Spirit emerged from the Bemis Shelter where she had taken a break just as I was passing it and we hiked together to tonight¢s campsite. The trail followed rain-washed boulders sculpted by wind and time and lined by blueberries. We spent a good half hour picking in the afternoon sun high above the lakes. Met up with Squirrel, Check and Monkey Man who I also have crossed paths with more than once before, and are camping with a bunch of other hikers near a stream.
Date: 2016-07-27
From: Bemis Stream Campsite, Oquassuc, ME

To: Rangeley, ME
Miles today: 14.1
Weather: overcast clouds

Day 9214.1 miles in 9.25 hoursBemis Stream (1954.7) to Rte 4/Rangeley, Maine (1968.8)Weather: Sunny, beautifulDinner: Squirrel¢s leftover hamburger and onion rings, package of Thai noodle soupHikers: Several SOBOs, Lots of familiar face here at the hostel including Spirit and Squirrel Nice days mean boring stories. Not a whole lot to report. It was sunny. The terrain was rather easy (after one large-ish ascent first thing in the morning) and like most of the days so far, and get ready to hold on to your hats for this exciting news¢no need to use any bug spray. This daily hiking thing I¢ve been up to is matching the vision I've held in my head¢being outdoors in perfect weather, all day and relatively bug-free¢that is, when I'm not enduring ankle-twisting roots or knee-buckling rocks.I was still carrying too much food, so after making myself a big breakfast of chicken stuffing with cranberries, I left camp late, after everyone else, and hiked alone most of the day. When I reached Sabbath Pond mid-morning, I went swimming. When I reached Little Swift River Pond in mid-afternoon, I took out the stove and cooked up another dinner. I heard legitimate loons for the first time on this trip (you may recall I thought I heard loons near Front Royal, Virginia that didn't strike me as legit) and after about a twenty minutes of trying, I successfully received my first real hitch from a vacationing Subaru-driving soon-to-be-retired Chicago couple (just look at how much I learned during that short ride) to the Farmhouse Inn, a hostel located nine miles from the trail head. The inn/hostel has an industrial urban motif with interesting touches such as headboards created from doors, barn wood wainscot walls and mason jar light fixtures. My next door neighbor back home would absolutely love what they've done to the place. Reunited with Squirrel and Spirit, who incidentally received a ride from the first car they hitched, as well as a few other familiar faces. See? Nothing but another boring day. Not behind a desk.
Date: 2016-07-28
From: Rangeley, ME

To: Rangeley, Maine
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

So this is serendipitous. Without remotely attempting to try, I was here in Rangeley exactly five years ago to the day. Thanks to Facebook ¢Memories,¢ I know this to be true. A five-year-old post appeared showing my paddling friend Joyce and I as we arrived by canoe on that 2011 Northern Forest Canoe Trail trip. Two days ago I realized I could scout out the river I had written about in my guidebook¢based upon the input of others, but hadn't been able to paddle myself¢as well as check out a new pond that had been added to the NFCT in 2013 while in the area. Who knows when I can be back here again, so what the heck¢another zero. Maybe I can finally convince my accountant to start writing off this research time I'm completing.Spirit joined in as the hostel owner¢s teenage son took us out in his reconstructed, doorless yellow Jeep to scout out the S. Branch Dead River, a 20-mile section of the NFCT flowing between Rangeley and Stratton. We found the put-in easily enough, but despite the tracks that seemed to lead from the river around a dangerous water fall, we never did find the correct take-out. We did, however, find dirt roads that led us toma secluded bench overlooking a large blueberry patch and a shooting range. The shooting range was a separate find from the bench and blueberries, although a secluded bench might have been a nice touch overlooking the targets and piles of discarded shotgun shells too. In the afternoon, Spirit and I borrowed a canoe from a local outfitter and we paddled across Haley Pond so I could check out that portage and the even newer lean-to shelter near the Maine Forestry Museum. (See I really was working.) Spent the rest of the afternoon writing and organizing my food resupply for the next few days, then headed off to dinner. Being in Maine and what not, I just can't get enough of lobster rolls when they are offered, paired of course, with a local adult beverage. The trail was quite good today.
Date: 2016-07-29
From: Rangeley, Maine

To: Poplar Lean-to, ME
Miles today: 10.7

Day 9310.7 miles in 7 hoursRte 4/Rangeley, Maine (1968.8) to Poplar Ridge Lean-to (1979.5)Weather: Sunny, beautifulDinner: One pot chicken and vegetablesHikers: Spirit, Squirrel, lots of day hikers and thru-hikers, a boys camp at tonight¢s shelter Another day without much drama. Still loving Maine, although a steep rocky descent and ascent section between The Horn and Saddleback Junior made me think I was momentarily back in New Hampshire. Spirit and I spent the day hiking together over three peaks to tonight¢s camp, where we again met up with Squirrel. While taking a break atop 4,120-foot high Saddleback, two people came up to the sign to touch it. Turns out the father (70) and daughter (36) were celebrating their shared birthdays with an annual hike up Saddleback. We picked some blueberries, took more breaks and still arrived in camp by 4 p.m. where we had to fend off the young boys camp group taking over the shelter and best campsites. The reported ¢gushing¢ stream was only a trickle, more hikers are arriving and an older hiker kindled a camp fire, so it could be a lively night. It certainly is shaping up to be a crowded one.Musings: Th Poplar Ridge Shelter, where we are camping tonight, is the last shelter where the late ¢Inchworm¢ was reported to have been seen before she disappeared in 2014. The woods here don't seem any more dense or the trail any less logical. We heard a rumor that she may have stopped taking medication for a psychological condition and that she had been mistakenly hiding from the search parties. If this is true, it would make a lot more sense than merely getting lost or being an inadvertent part of a covert NCIS operation. Does feel a bit odd to be staying in the same location where this tragedy occurred, but then again I stayed at the shelter location of two 1986 murders just outside of Duncannon, Pennsylvania too.