morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2014-07-24
From: Fire Wardens Cabin

To: Welcome Hiker Hostel
Miles today: 48.0
Weather: light rain

Mombo and I headed out at 7:30 from Fire Wardens Cabin planning a big mileage day to Welcome Hiker Hostel! Hit some big climbs and great views from Mt. Cube and then a gradual climb and gradual downs rest of day. Trail got a little muddy from thunderstorm last night but not too bad! Excited about hike to Mt. Moosilauke at 4800 feet tomorrow. We plan on slack packing to make it a little easier! The first mountain in the White Mountains! And the fun begins! Huge, hard climbs but great rewards! Views forever!! I can't believe I have less than 400 miles and about 1 month left. I've really enjoyed this adventure and have met some really awesome people along the way! Yes, it's been really hard, and I'm constantly fighting injuries, but I'm still loving it! What a great adventure!! Pray my knees, Achilles holds out till the end! I really appreciate all the prayers and words of encouragement I've received! Thank you!! Finally caught back up to Jo Hawk and Murphy today. It was good to see them! Also Hoss just showed up after a 26 mile day! He can hike!! Oh to be 25 again! ha! Speaking of age, my 56th birthday is tomorrow and I get to hike Mt. Moosilauke!! The weather is supposed to be nice so I should have great views to celebrate!! Thank you, Lord!!Off to bed! Sleeping in Hostel yard in my tent! Life is good!!Good night!50/50 Out!!
Date: 2014-07-25
From: Welcome Hiker Hostel

To: Moosilauke Mountain
Miles today: 7.0

After a great night of sleep in tent at hostel, awoke to a breakfast of eggs, pancakes, and coffee! Happy Birthday!! Everyone at breakfast table sang me the birthday song! Very nice! What a picture perfect day to hike Moosilauke Mountain! Beautiful views and great weather!! Mombo and I had great time!! I couldn't ask for a better Birthday except I would have loved to share the day with Awesome Wife and Family! Were all heading to Chet's Hostel in Lincoln tonight!! Jo Hawk and Murphy plan on a birthday dinner for me!! Awesome! My trail family!! Ha!Well I'm in the White Mountains finally and even though the climbs will be very difficult I'm excited for the 360 views!! Have to get this posted while I have wifi, so until next time!!50/50 Out!!
Date: 2014-07-26
From: Moosilauke Mountain

To: Kinsman Pond Shelter
Miles today: 13.0
Weather: clear sky

Had a great Birthday and Murphy and Jo Hawk treated me to a great Mexican dinner and ice cream! Thanks Ladies, just a really good day! Left Chet's Hostel at 9:45 after bouncing a mail box forward. Started at Kinsmen Notch! Tough climbs all day but well worth it. Hiked up to Wolf and Mount Kinsmen at 4300 feet! The climb was like a jig saw puzzle trying to find the right footing all day. It was hard but really fun. The views were phenomenal. Hiked with Jo Hawk and Murphy all day!We all camped at Kinsmen Pond Shelter. What a beautiful location next to the lake surrounded by Kinsmen Mountain!
Date: 2014-07-27
From: Kinsman Pond Shelter

To: Franconia
Miles today: 5.0
Weather: light rain

What a great night at Kinsman Pond Shelter. Jo Hawk, Murphy and I shared the shelter with a family of 5, but only 3 of the kids stayed in shelter! What great kids! We had fun talking to them! Woke up to questionable weather, and hiked to Lonesome Lake Hut, an AMC Hut, where they keep accurate and updated weather reports. The weather report and advice was to stay off mountain ridge today due to thunderstorms. Good advice! After getting water an a snack from them, we decided to hike to Interstate 93, the Flume Welcome Center, and find a motel for night. Excellent decision as the rain came down in buckets! We got a shuttle to Franconia, a little and quaint town with views of the ridge and got a great room rate. We cleaned up, had laundry done, and walked 3/4 mile into town for store and dinner! Awesome. Our room window looks directly onto mountain! What a great place. Tomorrow's weather is real questionable, but we plan on hiking out? Will see! I really want good weather over the ridge because some of the most beautiful parts of the AT are the Presidential Range in the White Mountains! I'm praying for good weather and safer hiking! The trail and ridge is above tree line a bunch, so weather is a real factor! The Presidential's are a real highlight and I don't want to miss the views. Tuesday on looks real good weather wise! Please clear up tonight! Talked to my son, David and Awesome Wife! Also talked to brother Rick and sister, Melinda. Now sitting watching another thunderstorm blow in. It is good to be inside tonight!! 50/50 Out!!
Date: 2014-07-28
From: Franconia

To: Franconia
Miles today: 0.0

Dang it!! Thwarted by bad weather! Calling for thunderstorms, high winds, and 1-2 inches of rain! We decided the prudent thing to do was wait until tomorrow. The weather forecast is for good weather the rest of week. The last thing you want is to be above tree line for hours exposed to the elements, plus we didn't want to miss the awesome views coming up.
Date: 2014-07-29
From: Franconia

To: Stealth Camp
Miles today: 15.0
Weather: scattered clouds

What a great stay at Gale River Motel! The owner shuttled us to trail where we got off at Flume Visitor Center. We started hiking at 0700 and immediately started a 6 mile climb from 1443 feet to 5291! The first mountain we hit was Lafayette and what a view! I was above tree line and on top of a long ridge! The wind was crazy! The clouds moved in and out on us, but the views were stupendous! I also climbed Garfield Mt, Mt. Guyot, Lincoln and Garfield! The start of the Presidential Mountains! We hiked until 7pm and only covered 15 miles! Tough miles, but fun! It's true that our mileage drops significantly in NH because of all the Huge and slow climbs. One part of the trail going steeply down was ridiculous! The trail was a flowing stream with huge and slippery rocks! It was definitely very dangerous!Stopped in at one of the AMC Huts for a snack and water. These huts are manned by college kids and provide "work for stay" for thru-hikers. They usually only let 2-3 hikers do the work for stay. These huts charge day hikers $125 dollars a night! Crazy! Didn't get a work for stay so Jo Hawk, Murphy and I headed out to find a stealth camp site. We found one about 2 miles further up the trail! There was a shelter a mile further but it was up a blue blaze trail .7 miles in! Not! Way too far for a shelter!!! Lol!
Date: 2014-07-30
From: South Twin Mt.

To: Webster Cliff
Miles today: 16.0

Started hiking from South Twin Mt at 7 and hiked hard all day! Ended up doing 16 miles! Not easy!We stopped at the Zealand Falls Hut for water and a snack. I had a bowl of pumpkin soup, cinnamon roll and salad with a great piece of chicken. Excellent!!Jo Hawk, Murphy and I then headed to Crawford Notch where we decided to stop and evaluate where we needed to finish the day. We decided to hike up a grueling up to Webster Cliffs and stealth camp. The views were unbelievable and we found some great tent sites. The cliff had a huge boulder to sit and watch the sunset and cook dinner! Best evening in a while! Text Mombo who said we would meet Friday. We miss our other hiking partner! The plan is to get up early and hike 10.6 miles to Mt. Washington before the rain comes in. Elevation, 6288 feet! Yikes!! The weather is so important when hiking up Washington. It has the highest wind speed ever recorded in the States. I believe somewhere around 230 mph. Hyperthermia is always a concern especially with rain in forecast. Plan on getting to Gorham, NH Friday and staying at hostel. The Whites are tough but very beautiful. More and more hikers are talking of finishing and talking about home. I think everybody is excited to summit Mt. Kathadin and completing there hikes. Less than 333 miles to go! Can't believe I'm almost done but don't want to get to far ahead in my thinking because I have a lot of tough miles left to do and some of the most beautiful parts of the trail left! This has been an incredible experience and a dream come true! Thanks Awesome Wife for all your love and support! Met up with Right Here yesterday who got a work for stay at one of the huts. Congrats!
Date: 2014-07-31
From: Webster Cliff

To: Mt Washington
Miles today: 10.6
Weather: overcast clouds

What a terrific place Webster Cliffs was! Woke up at 2am to look at stars! Well ok, I got up to you know, and the stars were beautiful!Started hiking at 7 and made it to Mispah Hut after about 4.4 miles, and they had eggs and hash browns to give away! They were cold but I didn't care! We then headed up and up and up, to Mt. Washington! Rain was in forecast so we moved at a pretty good clip. We made it the 10.6 miles just as the rain started, the wind was howling and the temps dropped drastically! The last hour was very cold and my knees were killing me. We got a big break though as we made it before it started raining and got completely covered over by clouds and fog! It was wild looking! Then it started hailing! Crazy! The outlook for rest of day wasn't good so we decided to shuttle down to AMC lodge and get ride to Gorham for a motel. We did laundry, went to eat at MCDonalds and now are preparing for tomorrow's hike. We have a trail friend, J5 and his wife who is going to give us a ride back up Mt. Washington to restart where we got off. Plan to hike a tough down for 13 miles back to Gorham and scheduled stop at Hostel. As tough and tiring as the Whites and Presidential's have been, the ridge walks above tree line have been unbelievable! Everything I've always hoped for! Thanks Awesome Wife for the Bible verse today! It was so appropriate! 50/50 Out!
Date: 2014-08-01
From: Mt Washington

To: White Mt Hostel
Miles today: 13.0

What a hard, tough, grind it out kind of day! Just one of those, let me get done, days!We shuttled back up Mt. Washington with J5 and his wife Beth! Thanks for the lift! Started hiking about 8 and finished around 5 at the Pinkham Notch!The hardest 13 miles yet! I fell about 10 times on slippery rocks. Scratched up legs and arms, but worse I sprained my right knee pretty bad! Lots of new swelling! This may be a problem. Praying swelling and a knee brace helps. Got into hostel after 6 and got chores done. Right Here and Mosey, and Jungle Jim here also. I really like these guys. Great to see Mombo again and Mio. This is a great Hostel. Just rest and get ready for the Wild Cats!50/50 Out!
Date: 2014-08-02
From: White Mt Hostel

To: Stealth near Imp Sheltet
Miles today: 16.0
Weather: light rain

Started out from White Mountains Hostel at 10 and started hiking up the Wild Cat Mountain Range. Planned on hiking 14 miles but ended up hiking about 16. Tough climbs all day and very steep climbs down. The downs were crazy hard and required a lot of thought and a lot of butt sliding! Ha! Very tough and very dangerous when the rock/boulders were wet! My knees are very swollen and very painful. Had to resort to knee braces! The White Mountains have been tougher than I even thought. I'm all scratched up and bruised! But oh what fun!! Stealth camped with Oconee. Great guy from Atlanta area! We found a great stealth camp thanks to Imp Shelter caretaker who turned us onto this site. Got set up about 8 pm ate dinner and off to bed. Oconee also gave me a knee brace for my left knee! Thanks Oconee! My knees are killing me! The White Mountains WIN! The ladies, Jo Hawk and Murphy somehow ended up behind us a couple of miles and are stealth camping also! 50/50 Out!
Date: 2014-08-03
From: Stealth near Imp Sheltet

To: Gorham
Miles today: 7.2
Weather: overcast clouds

Made it to White Mt Hostel where I picked up my mail drop and headed to Gorham for a Nero and Zero at the motel. My knees have really blown up and I needed to get ice on them. I also needed a day to myself just to relax and figure out a strategy to get to Kathadin with these painful knees!A little discouraged but prayerfully hopeful that the swelling will go down in a day or so. Marnia's Mother was kind enough to take me to Walmart to pick up a second knee brace and then take me to the outfitter to replace my headlight. My headlight kept failing and I didn't want to get caught on trail without a light. She then dropped me at motel. I immediately started icing knees and taking Motrin. Talked to Awesome Wife which always helps my mood and attitude. I think I'm just wore down and need some rest! I hope after another day I'll be able to continue my hike to Maine. I'm just 20i miles or so short of Maine! I hope once I get to Maine that it will give me a psychological boost I need. Got a text from Jo Hawk who moved on. Good luck Jo Hawk and thanks for your friendship! Stay strong. Also text Murphy who took a Nero at hostel. She is also having some difficulty with her ankle. I'm praying for all of us. She will head out tomorrow so I may not see her again for awhile or at all. Thanks Murphy! It was nice hiking with a fellow believer! My plan is to take a zero tomorrow and continue with ice and rest. My plan is to back off mileage and take it slow until my knees respond, even if that means 10 mile days for a week or so. It's real important that I don't get impatient or too frustrated at this point. I'm going to go slow down and just smell the roses more! Feeling Hopeful! 50/50
Date: 2014-08-04
From: Gorham

To: Gorham
Miles today: 0.0

So how am I feeling? Well, my knees are pregnant, I have to wear two knee braces, have tendinitis in my right elbow, my right Achilles is always swollen, I have cuts and bruises all over my body, I'm always hungry and I couldn't be happier!! The zero did wonders for my head but not much for knees! Lol! So I guess I'll just hike! May be much slower, less miles per day, but making my way North!! It's amazing what a day off, hiking can do for your mental health! That's debateable but who isn't a little crazy hiking over 2000 miles through every possible obstacle!! Ha! All at the ripe young age of 56! I'm excited to get to Maine, see a moose, hike through the 100 mile wilderness, swim at every lake, and see Mt. Kathadin for the first time. Nothing has gone as completely planned, but I've enjoyed the adventure. When I complete the hike I will have completed 2000 miles plus! Hiked almost, but not quite the whole trail, with the exception of a few miles, or a total of approximately 1 weeks hiking average. I'm good with that. It has taken me awhile to wrap my head around that, but I can honestly say, I hiked the Appalachian Trail the best I could. I've met some of the most wonderful people, the most generous Trail Angels, and seen some of the most beautiful parts of the country! I feel very blessed! I have the best Wife, and Family a guy could ever expect! My plan is to shuttle up the trail 23 miles and pick up the trail after Mahoosic Notch! I hate missing this part but I think it's the prudent thing to do. My Brother-in-law doesn't live but about 2 hours from here so I hope to hike this section with my son some day on a visit up here. I don't think I should chance my knees at this time. Again, a tough decision. It would be fun to hike this with my son at some time in future. Have a shuttle scheduled for tomorrow. Not cheap, but the only option. Plan on hiking low miles as stated previously for next week or so. Then hopefully knees will respond and I can kick it back in gear at the 100 mile Wilderness! I've really loved the Whites, but it has definitely been the hardest part of the hike for me! The views have been spectacular!!Onward! 50/50
Date: 2014-08-05
From: Gorham

To: Fry Notch Shelter
Miles today: 5.8
Weather: scattered clouds

Maine!! Not getting easier anytime soon! Broke my record for least miles hiked! 5.8!! ha! Hiked up to Bald Pate Mt. What a great view! Ran into Taz and we hiked to Fry Notch Shelter area to camp. We planned on hiking 4 more miles to a good tenting area but with a thunderstorm building, we found two sites next to a great stream and decided to call it a day! The earliest, 3pm, I've stopped in a long, long, time! Talked to Awesome Wife on top of Bald Pate and let her know my knees were holding up. Then she says, your in Maine, slow down!! Lol. I only hiked 5.8 miles today. Can't go much slower! She needsMe to finish in late August so she can meet me at Mt. Kathadin due to her work schedule. I said no problem, at this rate it might be Sept!!! Plan on stopping at a nice water fall tomorrow morning and taking a dip before climbing another mountain. I hope to swim in several lakes in Maine before I'm done. 50/50 Out!
Date: 2014-08-06
From: Fry Notch Shelter

To: The Cabin
Miles today: 4.2
Weather: scattered clouds

What a thunderstorm last night! My tent is really doing the job! No leaks yet! I was in my tent so early that I was able to read for hours. Left camp early and headed to Dunn Notch Falls. What a great water fall and stream. If it wasn't raining and cold, I would have loved to take a swim. Hung out for over an hour just exploring the falls and area. Called the hostel for pick up at East B Hill Road and Earl, the owner of the Hostel along with his wife, trail named Honey and Bear, picked me up. They are well known in Appalachian Trail lore, and have done a great job supporting hikers for over 20 years. We went into Andover for breakfast and and some resupply! Andover is a one stop-sign town but very nice. I treated Earl to breakfast at the Red Hen Restaurant. Very good food and homemade whoopi pies and chocolate chip cookies right out of the oven. I bought 3 each so I could treat Jo Hawk and Murphy when they arrive. Oh yeah, we're back together for a few more days due to my jump! Great to see Jo Hawk! Man, she looked beat up and very hobo-ish !! Ha!! Murphy will arrive later. I also placed a Diet Coke on a rock on the trail for Jo. They both are addicted to diet cokes!! We all have our poison out here!! Ha!Laundry done, showered, and just hanging out rest of day! Murphy finally arrived around 7pm. It was good to see her. We plan to hit trail after breakfast in morning. Honey made a great dinner of shepherds pie, corn on the cob, salad, rolls and lemon aid. Thanks Honey!!Plan is to hike 11 tough miles tomorrow and then 16-18 Friday, and then do a Nero in Rangeley Saturday. Set up tent on lawn and looking forward to a good nights sleep after last nights thunderstorm. Coordinated with Awesome Wife about her trip to Kathadin for the conclusion of hike! I'm really excited to see her and look forward to completing hike! I pray! Still a lot of tough miles but I actually can imagine the end in 256 miles!! 59/50 Out!
Date: 2014-08-08
From: Some Road Camping Area

To: Rangeley. Farmhouse Hostel
Miles today: 14.0

Maine! Wet roots, wet, slippery rocks and knee deep mud! Other than that it's ruggedly beautiful! Ha!Tough, tough, day! Hiked 14 miles to ME 17 highway and had enough after two serious falls that bent my already crappy knees in a direction they couldn't, or shouldn't move! My left knee looks like a basketball it's so swollen! Really, the toughest day I've had in a long time! My legs felt like they weighed a hundred pounds each! I think my body is trying to tell me, ENOUGH! Just a really rough day an all I could think was, "I've come so far" to have my body fail me now. I thought, I need a break! Less than 250 miles to go, and I will go!!!!I just couldn't hike anymore, so I called the Farmhouse Hostel and asked, could you please pick me up? They did, and what terrific folks they are. I had scheduled a stop for tomorrow night but they were happy to help. I've decided with the knee issue to slack pack a few days from here and get the weight off my knees. They are great at helping with this and the accommodations couldn't be better. I hope with a few days slacking my knees will respond. Also thank you, Julie and John for your help. You don't know how much I appreciate this! Won't go into specifics on public journal, but thanks! Even with the really tough day, the views from the rock balds were great and gave me the lift, along with the rare sunshine I needed! I'm just so happy to be in a comfortable place with an ice bag on my knee! The joy of simple pleasures! Good to see Mombo, Mio, Buzz and Tandem again. They have been slacking from here for a few days, so are 30 plus trail miles ahead, actually! I miss hiking with Mombo, but, as he says, "I just want to be a Through Hiker! As in done! LolDon't we all! More and more talk on trail about finishing! We all, are tired and wore down. Much more talk of looking forward to being done! It's not that we don't still love it, it's just that it's been so tough, and long. We all look forward to some normalcy, I think. A faucet to get a drink, without filtering! A real bath room! I won't go into details! Lol. A refrigerator, a bed, my shower!!! Etc... And, most importantly, loved ones!! I can't wait to see Awesome Wife, and my kids, and GRANDKIDS!!! Lol 50/50 Out!!
Date: 2014-08-09
From: Rangeley. Farmhouse Hostel

To: Farm house
Miles today: 0.0

What a great treat today. The family we sheltered with a few weeks ago made a surprise visit to see Murphy, Jo Hawk and me! Kara, Dan,Celia, Maya and James! They brought some garden fresh tomatoes and cucumbers! This family is really awesome and so encouraging! Just a Zero and rest day! Murphy and Jo Hawk and I went into town and ate pizza and had some ice cream! We goofed around a little and came back to Hostel and prepared for next day hike! 59/50 Out!
Date: 2014-08-10
From: Farm house

To: View Entry
Miles today: 14.8
Weather: light rain

What a fun but hard day slack packing! Hiked up Saddleback Mt and the Horn! Elevation 4120 and awesome views! Hiked with Mosey, Jungle Jim, Chief and the family. Ten of us loaded up at 6 am and piled into pick- up truck and headed to trail head 1.15 hours away. It was cold but Shane our shuttle driver and owner of The Farmhouse Hostel, hooked us up with blankets and cushions for the ride in the bed of truck! Only in Maine can you pile a bunch of hikers into the bed of a truck and get away with it! Lol We hiked 14 miles plus a bonus mile to get to trail. We just missed seeing a moose and her baby! Dang! Hope to see one soon! Maine is very rooty and slippery! We just can't seem to knock out big miles very fast. We hiked pretty hard all day and still didn't finish until 4:30. Oh well, that's the trail and Maine! Good day with excellent views atop Saddleback. They say on a really clear day you can see Mt. Washington and Kathadin! Didn't see it!We are all pitching in and having a spaghetti dinner tonight! Awesome! The same group is planning to slack to Stratton, Maine tomorrow. I think an 18 or 19 mile day. The hiking just doesn't get any easier! Saw Short Stop on top of Saddleback. I haven't seen him since before PA! Nice to see him. It's amazing who I'm seeing again. Ran into Taz, 19, Scruffy, and a few others today! The hiking bubble seems to be grouping together towards the end! The end! It's actually in sight! Still tough miles and the 100 mile Wilderness but we can actually start to feel it!! By the way, I can't thank Stacy and Shane, the owners of the Farmhouse enough for all they have done for me! They really have shown a genuine concern for my knee situation and have gone out of there way to help me! Thank you!!!