morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2005-07-08
From: Mitzpah Hut

To: Osgood tent site
Miles today: 14.8
Weather: fog

Yawn. I was tired all day since I stayed up past midnight hanging out. The fog and clouds rolling in on the ridge from Mitzpah to Lake of the Clouds hut made for a really beautiful walk. Mount Washington is really funny - there are TONS of people who drove up there and they look totally out of place on the summit of the highest mountain in the northeast. Heading down, the Cog Railway tourist train passed behind me. It is a tradition for thru-hikers to moon the train as it passesand although the thought passed through my mind, it was a fleeting one and I decided against it.The croo at Mitzpah hut had asked me to carry a Gore-Tex jacket to Madison hut for a tourist that forgot it. When I arrived at Madison and gave it to him, he said "let me go get you something". I told him this really was unnecessary but he insisted on giving me $45. $45! I mean it was heavy but it wasn't that much work. I was astounded. Climbing Mount Madison and walking on the exposed boulder field ridge was tough in the rain. The climb is straight up over wet rock and the ridge is slow going. I arrived at Osgood tent site at around 6:00 and exhausted from my lack of sleep, decided to call it a day. I couldn't set my tent up on the platforms because it isn't self-supporting so had to set it up partially on the path - hope it holds up in the expected rain!
Date: 2005-07-09
From: Osgood tent site

To: Carter Notch hut
Miles today: 10.7
Weather: light rain

It poured this morning until 10:30 and I just couldn't bring myself to get out of my wet tent. I guess this is what people mean when they say you gotta take it slow in the Whites and enjoy them. It looks like I won't have one day of nice weather through them. At least it makes for a good adventure.The walk to Pinkham Notch Visitors Center was easy. Once there, I bought a sandwich and ate an extended lunch. I saw that the rocks had destroyed the tips of my poles and the folks in the mini-outfitters kindly replaced them free.Walking up the wet rock cliffs to get to the first Wildcat summit was treacherous. At one point, my left leg slipped under my weight and fell into empty space. I compensated and once I had regained my balance, looked over to where it had slipped. Had I fallen completely, I would have plunged off a 20 foot cliff.Arriving at Carter Notch hut, the most northern hut and the only self-service one, the caretaker let me sweep the floors for stay. There was a group of tourists that had a lot of extra food - a lamb, chorizo, and chicken stew over cous-cous, white wine, and brownies for dessert. It was fabulous and I ate tons of meat. I am hoping to finally do a full day tomorrow and break away from my slack ass pattern!
Date: 2005-07-10
From: Carter Notch hut

To: Trident Col tent site
Miles today: 22.1

A breakfast of brownies as I parted ways with Carter Notch hut and the last of the Whites. The pouring rain of the early morning gave way to a drizzle. Ascending Carter Dome, the wind began to howl. As I neared the summit, fog made it increasingly difficult to see. At the exposed top, the wind was so strong I lost my footing several times. I thought it might carry me away! I looked around desperately for the trail in the whiteout. Taking what I thought was a northbound continuation of the AT, I descended Carter Dome 3/4 of a mile before I realized I had gone down the same way I came up. Doh! Carter Dome twice for me.As the morning grew later, the clouds gave way to a blue sky, making for the nicest weather in almost a week. It's like it was planned that the weather would turn foul just while I was in the Whites. The walk to U.S. 2 was a rollercoaster. Finally arriving, I decided to go into Gorham for a quick lunch. Don and Pam, two local folks, picked me up. They didn't seem to know about the AT and didn't understand what I was doing. They were very trusting to give me a ride in and Pam said she trusted me more since I was "very good looking". Hehe...this haircut has helped in more ways than one. Once in town, I ate way too much fast food and bought a bottle of peanut butter. Pam and Don picked me up again and drove me back to the trail. They gave me their business card, said that they were honest people, and told me to call anytime.Already a bit tired, I walked the next 7 miles rather sluggishly. It's good to be able to sleep under the stars again.Oh, guess what state I'll be entering tomorrow? Yep, you guessed it. Maine. I'm almost there...and I'm feeling fine.
Date: 2005-07-11
From: Trident Col tent site

To: Full Goose Shelter
Miles today: 14.5
Weather: clear sky

At around 11:00 last night, I was sleeping as it started to drizzle. Sleeping cowboy style, under the stars that is. I woke up, shouted "oh my god" (in more colorful language) and jumped up to throw up my tent. If there were a record for setting up a tent fast, I would have won. In less than five minutes, thunder and lightning was all around and the rain poured down. The weather sure changed quickly from the blue skies of the afternoon and I was grateful for my tent.This morning somehow turned into a very late start, an almost afternoon start actually. As I slowly packed up my gear, I thought about how I've been losing steam lately and what mixed emotions I have about coming close to finishing. I'm happy it's almost done, ready to be done hiking, feel like I've accomplished a tough personal goal and looking forward to doing other things. On the other hand, I'm feeling fear because I don't know what those other things are at the moment, at least not in the immediate future. Heck, I won't even have a place to stay when I descend Katahdin!I met a southbounder and some weekenders at the shelter five miles north. One of the weekenders spent a year at the White Mountain School, where I went to boarding school and we swapped gossip about what the old faculty members were up to now.My heart skipped a beat this afternoon as I passed the Maine state line. "Maine, Life as it should be" the sign reads. I'm finally here! The final days, 281.4 miles to Katahdin. I have arrived.
Date: 2005-07-12
From: Full Goose Shelter

To: East B Hill Road (Andover)
Miles today: 20.0
Weather: overcast clouds

I fell twice this morning descending into Mahoosuc Notch. Nothing serious, scraped myself up a bit, but this seemed to set the tone for the day. Mahoosuc Notch is a 1-mile section of boulder jumping and crawling. The recent rains have made the rocks slippery and slow going. There is ice at the bottom of the Notch in mid-July and the temperature fluctuates about 20 degrees at different points within. On several occasions I had to remove my pack to fit through one of the rock mazes and the fear of falling and breaking a leg stayed with me.I started to feel the impact of my anxiety on the steep, rocky ascent of the Mahoosuc Arm. At the summit I sat down and cried. I thought I had done it, that everything past the Whites of New Hampshire would be pulling me toward the finish at Katahdin. I was wrong. Without a doubt, these miles are some of the toughest of the whole trail. I am tired and I have put myself through a lot. My determination keeps me afloat, knowing that I'm this far along. My mood was low today despite the rare blue skies.Knowing that many northbound thru-hikers have had their hikes cut short in Maine because of an injury does not make it better. There is always that stress present, the need for constant and full awareness. Descending slippery rock cliffs that are nearly vertical, taking bad footing or stepping the wrong way is enough for a serious fall. On one fall today, my right shoulder strap ripped and is now hanging by a thread. I need to find someone in Andover who sews to get this mended.I'm going to get through this and make it to Katahdin. So many have fallen by the wayside and I won't let this happen to me. Tomorrow I'm taking a zero in Andover to recuperate and rest.
Date: 2005-07-15
From: East B Hill Road (Andover)

To: near Maine 17 (stealth camped)
Miles today: 23.4

I ended up staying at The Cabin for two days, relaxing and doing very little except eating. At first, Earle wasn't sure if he should let me stay given that I'm young and this automatically meant I was a druggie. By the end of my time there, they had invited me to come back at the end of my trip to do work for stay for a bit. I am strongly considering this. I would call The Cabin in Andover, ME the best hostel on the trail. I feel refreshed and ready to walk the final 250 or so miles because of my time there. Today was bright and sunny and the terrain not too tough. I was in good spirits all day. A short entry...sleep calls.
Date: 2005-07-18
From: Maine 27 (Stratton, ME)

To: West Carry Pond Lean-to
Miles today: 22.6
Weather: light rain

I'll sum up the major events of the last two days since I've been slacking off lately and not writing a journal. Going over Saddleback and the Horn was great in the blue sky. I could see for miles from up on Saddleback. Yesterday the sky turned overcast but I was in pretty good spirits. I was thinking of going up to the Sugar Shack on top of Sugarloaf Mountain where there is free long-distance calling but I didn't have an excuse to climb the 600 extra feet. I saw a moose coming down from Lone Mountain, cool! Going up Crocker Mountain, I passed a southbounder and said a quick hello and started to keep walking. There are a lot of southbounders these days and each of them wants to talk for an hour, ya know. The guy turned around and asked me if I was thru-hiking. I said yeah, he asked me my trailname, and when I told him I could see a little grin on his face. I realized from that smile...it was Stumpknocker! He's gained about 30 lbs since the last time I saw him and changed hi! s facial hair. So we talked for a while, what a good guy. He's on his 4th thru-hike and he says of the AT, "it's a great life out here". Stumpknocker gives off really positive energy. Anyhow, sometime around the middle of the day, I had gotten quite hungry for a steak and decided thus that it would be a wise idea to head into Stratton. I wanted to get there before the restaurants closed and so carried on.Stratton is a neat town with a few restaurants and grocery stores. I stayed at the Road House, recently opened. It's a really modern facility and smells like a new building. The steak at the diner was good. Today I got dropped off pretty late but managed to hike quickly enough to make it over the Bigelows and into the lowlands. Feels good to have a break from the mountains! Over at one of the shelters was a wonderful caretaker. Flouting Department of Conservation rules, she offered me a great grilled cheese sandwich, fresh green grapes, and girl scout cookies. She said that it's not every day a good-looking blond guy passes by...hehe :-). Arriving at the shelter was another northbound thru-hiker named The Roaming Gnome and a southbound thru-hiker. The southbounder had a ton of questions for me and I got a kick of taking him under my wing for a while.
Date: 2005-07-19
From: West Carry Pond Lean-to

To: U.S. 201 (Northern Outdoors)
Miles today: 14.0
Weather: broken clouds

As this adventure is coming to a close, I am seeing that it has been a life-long achievement for me. I think it will take years for me to fully integrate the lessons I've learned along the trail, to grow into them, and I am at a loss of words as to defining those lessons at this point. About 150 miles remain until the summit of Katahdin. It has truly been a glorious adventure and I am grateful for every step, especially the tough ones. Knowing that I could not cross the Kennebec River 14 miles away until two o'clock since the ferrymen was not on duty until then, I lounged in my sleeping bag until eight. When I finally got up, The Roaming Gnome and I had a conversation about how great it will be to finish and how we are both worn out. I think both of us agree that we are surprised that the arrival in Maine has made for a loss of motivation to finish rather than a gain.Paladin, ICan, and Seneca rolled past the shelter before I left, having already walked over 7 miles from the last shelter. They are impressive men, in their sixties and fifties. They left March 16th and are strong. I've been reflecting lately, especially seeing all these southbounders, on how some hikers make it and most don't. Now having hiked most of the trail, I can say that successful AT thru-hikers have my respect. They are people who must face challenges head-on in their lives, recognizing fear and continuing despite seemingly insurmountable obstacles. Thru-hiking the AT has been more of a personal overcoming of my own sense of lack of worth than anything else.The trail was flat and easy all the way to the river. I arrived at two, just as the ferryman got on duty. He took me across in the canoe and kindly arranged for a ride to Northern Outdoors, to have lunch. Lunch turned into a few beers from their microbrewery which turned into "I'm staying the night slacker!" And that was that. I had a good evening hanging out with The Roaming Gnome, Paladin, ICan, & Seneca, all of whom had gone the same path and also flirting with some of the waitresses. I'm going to attempt to get to Monson tomorrow evening. We'll see.
Date: 2005-07-20
From: U.S. 201 (Northern Outdoors)

To: Horseshoe Canyon Lean-to
Miles today: 27.7
Weather: scattered clouds

This morning at the breakfast buffet at Northern Outdoors, there were two people bombarding me with questions. One of them was a really nice lady who was curious about my hike. The other was this guy who seemed to be really bent on deciding that I was rich and that was the reason I could do something like this. It was weird, he kept saying things like "I'm curious as to what kind of job you have that lets you take this kind of time off." I think he felt threatened that I was doing something like thru-hiking and he was stuck at his zombie job.Northern Outdoors dropped us off in a school bus, and I jumped ahead of The Roaming Gnome, Paladin, ICan, and Seneca to get some miles in. It was a gorgeous day today and the four straight days of rain never did end up coming through.Steak'n'Eggs caught up to me at one of the river fords. I thought he would be in Monson already but the company was good. I was wondering why there are no bridges in Maine, whether this was a matter of lack of resources or that they wanted to keep it natural. Steak'n'Eggs said he read somewhere that it was because the MATC wants to keep Maine the rugged state. This afternoon, the right shoulder strap on my pack finally tore completely. I was hiking Ray Jardine style for a little bit, with just one shoulder strap. My back started to hurt so I put down the pack and tied the strap around the hook. It's rather uncomfortable but works so far.My body hurts at the end of today, a fact that surprised me after this many miles. I got to the shelter with a lot of daylight remaining but totally beat. I'm tired.
Date: 2005-07-21
From: Horseshoe Canyon Lean-to

To: Maine 15 (Monson, ME)
Miles today: 9.0
Weather: broken clouds

My last day in a trail town, I had to savor it! I went over to the famous Shaw's but they had no space and so I found the Lake Shore B&B, a nicer place but only slightly more expensive. I got a nice, private room for $25. After laundry and shower, felt refreshed.I was looking forward to eating barbeque but the place was closed because of a death in the family. Being that there were no other real restaurants in town, Paladin, Seneca, ICan, The Roaming Gnome and I went over to the Mobil station for a dinner of pizza, subs, and beer. We spent a lot of time socializing and there was a great community spirit. When I got back to the hostel, the manager had gotten completely smashed. She's a real piece of work this lady and told Seneca who is in his mid-sixties that she bet he wanted to get laid but she didn't date older men. It turns out she had overbooked and moved all my stuff out of the room. "Great" I thought. But she had given me her own room and gone to sleep at a friend's house. Plus she refunded most of my money. So I suppose it paid off in the end! Ah, the adventures of the trail...I will miss them.
Date: 2005-07-26
From: Rainbow Stream shelter

To: Katahdin Stream Campground (The Birches shelter)
Miles today: 24.9
Weather: overcast clouds

I can't believe I'm finally here. The Birches, the final shelter on the trail and the base of Katahdin. The One Hundred Mile Wilderness was great, one of the best sections of the trail. I almost cried when I saw my first view of Katahdin from the summit of Whitecap, 50 miles south. I missed Seneca, Paladin and ICan but hope to see them one last time when I descend from Katahdin. Daytripper and I hiked together or paced the second part of the wilderness. Nice girl, I'm glad I got to know her a bit, especially since we got off to a rocky start at first. She also plans to summit tomorrow and her mom is coming up from Vermont to hike with her.I am not articulate enough to express how I feel about getting here - "mixed emotions" is the pathetic best I can do. Tomorrow I climb the mountain that has been on my mind for almost 7 months and over 3,200 miles. And then it's all over. Walking over Abol Bridge, Katahdin looms. It looks like no other mountain on the trail, it's humungous with multiple giant peaks. I read somewhere that Katahdin means "the greatest mountain" in Abenaki. I don't mean to get sappy but this fits for me and I judge for most other northbound thru-hikers. It's the end of our adventure and thus the end of the life we have known for the last 3-7 months. No doubt I will remember this night at the Birches and my climb of Katahdin for the rest of my life. "I did it" I'll say to myself when I am an old man, the greatest adventure I could ever imagine having. I am forever changed by my thru-hike in ways that I am just beginning to integrate. I'll always have it to look back on, to remind myself of who I am. Tomorrow I climb the greatest mountain.
Date: 2005-07-27
From: Katahdin Stream Campground (The Birches shelter)

To: Mount Katahdin (Baxter Peak)
Miles today: 5.2
Weather: broken clouds

The final climb of my adventure. One of the most glorious days of my entire life. It was misty, lightly drizzling partway up. Views were obscured and it was tough going, in much the same way as has been my entire thru-hike. I pulled myself up hand over hand for much of the way. Upon reaching the Table Lands, a mile or so from the summit, I knew I was getting close. I started crying, then sobbing. My knees turned to jelly and I found it difficult to keep going. All this work and here I was. As the sign came into view, a group of day hikers started cheering for me. I hugged the sign, kissed it, and sat down under. I cannot believe I am here. I am truly blessed to have been able to hike the Appalachian Trail. This journey is over and has been everything I was searching for. Thank you.
Date: 2005-08-03
To: Down time
Miles today: 0.0

I've been spending time at The Cabin in Andover, Maine doing work for stay. It's a wonderful place and the owners, Earle & Margie Towne are great people. I've been relaxing more than working, hanging out with hikers as they go by, eating healthy, and going bike riding every day. This is the life! A couple days after I got down here, I developed an excruciating pain in my left foot and it swelled up big. The x-rays revealed no fracture and it is believed that I have a torn ligament and I'm limping about. This is some act of cosmic fortune that the injury came after my hike. It's given me pause to think and I am so grateful for whatever energy there is that allowed me to successfully complete the AT.
Date: 2005-08-09
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

This weekend I rode my bike from Andover to Rangeley where Finn met me and drove to Stratton to have a thru-hiker reunion. Airbus was there and also Neighbor Dave & Chickety. It was good fun...great relaxing times. Life is good @ The Cabin. I still don't know what I'm doing in the near future and I'm alright with that. I am having a great time here: mostly playing, hanging out with hikers as they come through, doing a bit of work, etc. It's a good life.
Date: 2005-09-03
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

I've finally uploaded photos for the last third of my AT trip...so enjoy!I've been @ The Cabin for more than five weeks and it's been a wonderful place for me. I've loved Earl & Marge's company a great deal as well as seeing friends pass by and making new ones with the thru-hikers. But it's time to move on. In a few days I fly out to Ohio to visit some friends and also sit in on a job interview in Oberlin, where I went to college. The interview is for a job coordinating outdoor adventure and experiental education programs for special needs and at-risk kids. I may not get the job but it will be wonderful to see some of my old friends in the midwest. Who knows after that? I'm open to more adventures coming my way.Yesterday, I did a 10-mile day hike from Grafton Notch to East B Hill Road. It was great to go up the Bald Pates and reminisce a bit.
Date: 2005-01-18
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

I've had a lot going through my head since I decided to move back East, so I apologize if this reads weird...I've been neck-deep in the working/corporate world since I moved to California and it's taught me a lot of lessons that I will definitely take with me in other avenues in life...however, I know now that I am not somebody that will ever be happy spending my life working towards bigger paycheck if it means compromising other things I value. Besides, I've always been someone who values experiences over money. So, although I don't know where I'll be living or working after the trail, at least I have a clearer perspective of my values and goals in life. So the past 3 years I've spent in California were definitely more than worth it.I've gotten a lot of different responses from people when I tell them I'm thru-hiking the AT. Most are positive I have to say, some people even tell me they are envious, until I answer their questions about the lack of showers, digging cat holes, and cooking over a pepsi-can stove. Hey, what can I say, it's not for everyone.I've been trying to find a small guitar to take with me on the trail. I don't know if this is totally naive of me but the thought of not playing for 6 months is really freaking me out. Martin's backpacker guitar weighs 2 lbs, which seems like a lot, hopefully I'll find something on Ebay soon...
Date: 2005-01-19
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

I'm trying to save money to go on this trip and I got to tell ya, it's not easy. I've been eating peanut butter and jelly sandwiches with a vitamin for lunch for the past 3 months...it's amazing what a difference a change in jams every few weeks will do for a PBJ! Anyhow, the biggest impediment so far is staying away from my favorite bar in the world, "The Harp Inn." They have the best Guinness ever (outside of Ireland of course). But with every $5 pint all I can think of is what that money could buy me on the trail...but, you just can't think like that when there's a good pint with your name on it waiting for you after work. Still haven't found a viable guitar-like instrument for the trail. Still looking.
Date: 2005-01-21
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Five weeks to go and I still have to sell my huge stereo speakers and buy a new sleeping bag. I'm picking up the Sub Kilo 20+ at REI, it's an awesome bag but it runs like $210. I'm sure It will all work out, but little stuff like that has been really weighing on my mind...oh, yeah, I still haven's found a guitar. I've been working my full time job at HMS, we do Revenue cycle mgmt for hospitals (sounds fun right?), and my part time job at a record store, which is awesome because I have a ton of music that I got for free just working there. I'm dissin' the ipod idea mainly because the battery's just not going to work out, so I'm going to pick up a small radio and headphones and hope to get some reception, and maybe even some local bluegrass. We'll see.