morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2012-07-17
From: Ethan Pond Shelter

To: Lakes of the Clouds Hut
Miles today: 14.1
Weather: fog

The day started early (5AM) with Gunrunner packing up. We were glad to be up early so we can start hiking to beat any afternoon storms. So far we've had a chance of thunderstorms each day, but nothing substantial has materialized yet in the Whites.Before leaving camp, Willie Boy, Snag and I heard some commotion down by the pond and it took a minute for us to realize it was a moose splashing around. We all rushed down to the water and saw a moose at the far edge of the pond. He swam to the other side and walked into the woods. Moose #2! We feel lucky because some don't get to see any. By 6:30 we were hiking down to the base of Webster Cliffs (the beginning of a long ascent to Mt Washington). It was a tough climb. My heart was pounding and my face red from all the heat I was generating as we stepped up all of the rocks. I had to hold my poles at times in one hand as I grabbed hand holds and hoisted myself up. Branches or small trees were sometimes used to brace myself or pull myself up rock faces. Many of them are loose at the roots and unstable because so many hikers use them. Many times the trail popped us out on cliff areas, giving us views down below where we were an hour ago. The rain started at some point along our ascent. No thunder or lightening, just rain pelting our faces. The clouds looked so eerie as they flowed over the ridges across the valley and up ahead of us. The rain ebbed and then began again as we kept climbing up Webster Cliffs. At Mizpah Hut (about 11AM) Gunrunner was already there, along with a few southbounders and lots of weekend hikers. The rain had stopped at this point and it looked fairly nice outside again. Black bean soup was served for lunch and we got leftover oatmeal from breakfast. The forecast called for PM thunderstorms and large hail, so if we wanted to make it to Lake of the Clouds Hut 5 miles away we had to leave soon. Lake of the Clouds Hut is only 1.4 miles from the summit of Mt. Washington, and would be a good place to start from tomorrow morning.Most of the rest of our day was above treeline and we heard thunder. Dark clouds were crowding around Washington and swirling around above. I looked at them anxiously and we hiked very fast (mostly because of my stress level). We passed near the summits of Mt. Eisenhower, Monroe and Pierce. We made it to the hut before bad weather, taking us 2.5 hours. There was no rain until 8PM, although the sky looked dark, and only briefly. For dinner tonight we had leftover lasagna, mashed potatoes, macaroni and salad. Some of us washed dishes and put them away, and some of us will stay late tomorrow morning to sweep and clean as our work-for-stay. Candyman, Gunrunner, Mark, Bibbedebop and southbounders Dreamcatcher and Spartan are here along with about 90 guests. It's crowded!
Date: 2012-07-18
From: Lakes of the Clouds Hut

To: White Mountains Lodge & Hostel -- Gorham, NH
Miles today: 14.8
Weather: fog

Today was a great day, a momentous one for this hike - we reached Mt. Washington, the second highest point on the AT at 6300 ft (the first is Clingman's Dome at 6600 ft). This morning the wind was raging around the hut and fog was all you could see out of the windows. All of us hikers awoke from the kitchen floor (although a few - Gunrunner, Bibedeebop and Candyman - slept in the 'dungeon') and started packing up. The hut croo "lulled" their paying guests out of slumber at 6:30 by singing "Hit the road Jack". Breakfast leftovers were eggs and hashbrowns, blueberry crumb cake, oatmeal and pineapple. It was awesome. The croo dressed up and acted out a scene of Romeo and Juliet. It was very entertaining.Us hikers didn't leave until after 9AM and it was only 1.4 miles to the top of Mt. Washington, where lots of tourists were walking around, taking a peak inside the museum and eating in the cafeteria. We didn't stay long, there were no views. The walk down the other side was very windy and rocky, but the views began to appear as the clouds scattered and blew away. The cog railway passed us going up to the summit and we greeted them in the traditional thru-hiker fashion. We met a few groups of southbounders, but didn't stop to chat for long, just a quick "Enjoy your hike". Around 2PM we got to Madison Hut (the oldest hut in the Whites - originally built in the late 1800s) and got a bowl of Mexican chicken soup with cornbread. The hut soup is always great it seems! We snacked more on foods, drank lots of water and continued our second half of the day - our hike to Pinkham Notch.First, we climbed straight up to Mt. Madison, where it was blustery and cold. Winds were probably around 40mph and they just got worse as we walked down along the ridge, hopping in between and down large boulders and rocks. We had to take our time and brace ourselves against the wind because it knocked us off balance quite a bit. We got some different views of Mt Washington from there. I can't believe we're north of it now. We've spent so much of our hike thinking about the Whites and about Mt. Washington, and now it's come and here we are!It was about 6:30pm when we arrived at Pinkham Notch. We had planned on staying at Joe Dodge Lodge, but it was $80 per person! I called the White Mountain Hostel in nearby Gorham and the owner Geri said she'd be right over to pick us up! It is much more reasonable at $30 per person (includes breakfast). Turns out they are great people and it feels kind of like home at their place. Snag and I have our own room and here we ran into Sit-a-bit who we haven't seen since Harper's Ferry! Bipedeebop and Mark are here, too.
Date: 2012-07-19
From: White Mountains Lodge & Hostel -- Gorham, NH

To: Imp Shelter
Miles today: 13.1
Weather: broken clouds

Breakfast was served starting at 6am and we all got oatmeal, a breakfast burrito, muffin and hashbrowns. I was full! Sit-a-bit, Bibedeebop, Snag and I headed north this morning, and southbounder Johannes headed south. Immediately we started climbing up to the Wildcat ski area. It was sunny, the air crisp and a bit chilly. The view of Mt. Washington was of a clear summit, unlike yesterday. Some of the inclines got very steep in the first 3 miles. Some wooden steps were installed that followed a steep rock face - without the steps it would be very hard to find handholds and if you were a southbounder you would have to fall about 15 feet down. There were no railing, of course, and I had to scamper up quickly because I don't quite trust the steps. I really feel for the southbounders who would have to find a way down, it seemed treacherous.At noon, we found ourselves down in Crawford Notch at the last AMC hut this far north on the trail. We got a bowl of soup and free bread, leftover apple crisp and lasagna from last night. It was great! We chatted with the hut host and then made our way north, up to Carter Dome, then Mt. Height, then Carter. The steep drop down to Imp Camp was unwelcome. My knees were in pain and beyond tired. It took too much control to walk on some of the steeply angled boulders, so I resorted to sliding on my butt at times.The caretaker at Imp is a really neat guy. He knows a lot about the area and the whole trail it seems, and I think he really enjoys hiking and caretaking at the shelter. Some section-hikers and 3 southbounders are here and we're all turning in early. Hard day! Sit-a-bit, however, found a burst of energy at the end of the day and is hiking another 8 miles back to Gorham, NH. Snag and I will make it there tomorrow.
Date: 2012-07-20
From: Imp Shelter

To: White Mountains Lodge & Hostel -- Gorham, NH
Miles today: 8.0
Weather: broken clouds

It was quite a chilly morning, which is a nice change. Hiking today was great over Mt. Moriah, and then we walked in the woods for most of the day until the road at Gorham, NH. The last 3 miles was a very nicely graded trail and easy hiking. We're staying at White Mountain Hostel again tonight, and we're glad to be back because it's so comfortable. It's going to be hard to leave tomorrow.
Date: 2012-07-21
From: White Mountains Lodge & Hostel -- Gorham, NH

To: White Mountains Lodge & Hostel -- Gorham, NH
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

We had our complimentary breakfast this morning, and then Snag and I waffled about getting back on the trail. Our knees are hurting and we just didn't want to pass up this nice spot to take a day off. So here we are!
Date: 2012-07-22
From: White Mountains Lodge & Hostel -- Gorham, NH

To: Gentian Pond Shelter
Miles today: 11.8
Weather: clear sky

Our resting time came to an end this morning as we left the hostel. This one felt much like a comfortable home. The owners, Geri and Greg were very hospitable, and their dog Mandy paced around the house with her stuffed banana this morning, which was adorable.We noticed right off that it was a bit muggy and sunny out, but it's been a lot worse. There is a chance of rain today, but we'll see what happensMt Hayes was our first mountain with 3 miles of steady ascent. We got a view south of the Presidentials again and noticed that the view that southbounders have of Mt. Washington seem better than the ones northbounders have. It felt like Washington kind of snuck up on us - we didn't really see it until we were 1.4 miles away from it. At lunchtime, we ran into a southbound couple named Thighmaster and Hermit with their hound dog, Bailey. They were really nice and gave us some good info about what's to come on the trail up ahead. Apparently they started a northbound hike, and by the time they got to Daleville, VA it was so hot and there was so little water that they decided to flip north to Katahdin and go south from there. I'm glad we missed that! When Snag and I were in Virginia (the month of May) it rained, and we had lots of water.Although we're feeling good today, we stopped at 3 at Gentian Pond Shelter. Unfortunately, the water source is a disgusting beaver pond. We met 2 southbounders who stopped to have lunch and moved on for the day. They are heading to Gorham and dreaming of fast food. Apparently for them, Gorham is the first town that is going to have a McDonald's thus far. We're planning 3 days to get to Andover, ME. At Gentian Pond Shelter, Candyman, Speedstick and a southbounder are here. Candyman gave us some swiss chocolate from his food bag because he says it's too heavy. He said we had to help him lighten his load. Gladly!
Date: 2012-07-23
From: Gentian Pond Shelter

To: Speck Pond Shelter
Miles today: 14.7
Weather: light rain

It was a great day to complete the "hardest section of the AT", Mahoosuc Notch. We started early this morning, but only planned on going 12 miles initially. We know this part of the trail is difficult, and so we weren't sure how much time was needed to complete it.We entered Maine this morning, our last state line crossing. One more state to hike through! Amazing. We arrived at Goose Pond Shelter at 1:30 to eat lunch. We stayed for nearly an hour and half drinking water and eating lunch when Candyman showed up. We left then to hike Mahoosuc Notch, a mile of hiking over a pit of large boulders. It's considered by some to be the most difficult mile of the trail. In the register, someone had written "If you plan on hiking anywhere north of here today, make sure you have PLENTY of time!" We dropped down into the notch by 4:00. I've heard some say this boulder pit is like an adult jungle gym and if you just let out your inner 8-year old, it's even fun. We packed up our hiking poles since they were useless and made our way lifting ourselves through and crawling around the big rocks. It took us an hour. We ran into 2 southbounders halfway through the notch who convinced us to try to hike through it tonight (by hiking up the South Arm) instead of camping down below. It's supposed to storm and since the "Arm" is just rock trail straight up, it may be treacherous when wet. It turns out the mile hike up the Arm was much harder than hiking through the notch! It sprinkled on us a few times, which had me concerned, but the rain held off.We made it to Speck Pond Shelter after almost 13 hours of hiking today. It took us 4 hours to hike the 5.1 miles from the last shelter to here (through the notch and up the Arm), the terrain really slowed us down. We're tired but glad we made it! Lightening and thunder are coming close now, and we're tucked in our bags int he shelter, ready for good sleep tonight. Section-hikers Scary Hair and Whetherman are in with us tonight.
Date: 2012-07-24
From: Speck Pond Shelter

To: Pine Ellis Hostel -- Andover, ME
Miles today: 14.9
Weather: overcast clouds

Two big storms last night made us glad to be in the shelter. Lightening and thunder was right on top of us and lots of rain. It's foggy this morning. The wind atop Old Speck Mountain was blowing hard, and clouds were whipping across the top as we summited. We climbed on slick rocks and hugged closely to them. Water levels were higher everywhere today because of the rain last night. We stopped at Baldpate Lean-To for lunch. The fog was clearing, but dark clouds still lingered. East and West Baldpate were our main features today and Snag and I were lucky to have gorgeous views. Clouds moved in and out of the area and the wind was still blowing hard, making it quite cool. We were above tree line for almost 2 miles, following cairns across the rocky slabs. Coming down East Baldpate was slick, so we took our time. Once we got to Frye Lean-To, we had 4.5 miles more until the town of Andover. 2 southbounders convinced us it was an easy walk so at 4pm we went for it. And it was easy. By 6:00 we were tired and hungry at the road to Andover. Snag convinced a local guy to give us a ride - there was almost no traffic on the road so an impossible hitch. We got a great burger and some much needed ice cream. Gunrunner, Blue Fox, Willie Boy, SID and Switchback (who are sick) are here along with some southbounders. Busy night at the hostel!
Date: 2012-07-25
From: Pine Ellis Hostel -- Andover, ME

To: Black Brook Campsite
Miles today: 10.1

We slept in until 7AM this morning. Snag and I were staying in a room in the house, so it was nice and quiet. All of the other hikers were staying in the bunkhouse (in the shed outback), which we heard was like a dungeon. We heard some bad things about Andover before we got here. That there's "nothing there", and that the hostel tries to get money out of you any which way. The hostel is definitely a bit outdated and the owners don't go out of their way to help hikers, but it is what it is: $20 for a bunk, shower and kitchen use. They do charge $6 per person to shuttle back to the trailhead, but I give them some slack. They're not really making money here, they're breaking even! It's hard to run a hostel, and I think they do alright. The town itself doesn't have much, but 2 cafes, a gas station, and ice cream shop and a post office. Usually hikers don't need much more (maybe a library would be nice).We went through our food drop box and had some extra food that we put in the hiker box. We're planning 3 days to Rangeley, ME. At 10:30 we were hiking and ran into 2 slack-packing southbounders, Lefthand and Aves. They were going north today to South Arm Road. They've been slackpacking for a few days while Aves' infected bug bite on her shoulder heals. Ouch. We stopped for lunch at Hall Mountain Lean-To and then went up steep and recently rerouted Moody Mountain and then down the other side. We stopped at 4:30pm. It's a beautiful, sunny, windy day. Not hot at all and we're glad to be up north!
Date: 2012-07-26
From: Black Brook Campsite

To: Oquossoc's Own B&B -- Oquossoc, ME
Miles today: 12.7

We found a nice camp last night and were happy to be tenting again - we figured it had been a while since we spent a night inside. Soon enough we ran into thru-hikers Pacer and No Problem. No Problem spent 3 days in Andover at the Pine Ellis Hostel, 2 of them sick with a nasty stomach bug. He's glad to be back on the trail and said that he understands why some people never get back on after a sickness or injury: they lose motivation.We went over Blue and then Bemis Mountain. It was about that time when I started feeling "funny". At lunch I told No Problem how I felt and he wished me luck and hoped the feeling would pass. By 4pm I was very nauseous and the slightest hills made me want to throw up. I was so tired as if I had taken a benadryl and I no longer felt I could make it 4.5 miles to the next shelter. They were probably the worst miles on the trail, I was miserable. Luckily we made it to Hwy 17 which leads to the tiny, tiny town of Oquossoc, ME 11 miles west. Far away. Eric ran ahead of me and found a sheriff pulled over at an overlook. He helped us track down a Bed and Breakfast and even broke the rules to take us there because I wasn't in good shape. It was such a big help. I sat in the back, where the seat was enclosed with bars. I couldn't hear what was going on in the front seat so I just nodded off. Upon arriving at the B&B I threw up in the bushes and then felt much better.The proprietor of the B&B, Joanne, was very nice offering me tea and then left me alone to sleep upstairs. For dinner Eric had lots to eat: a big salad, reuben sandwich, lots of chips and a brownie. I had some gingerale and actually felt alright. It was nice to take a shower and relax tonight. Hiking while nauseous is not fun!
Date: 2012-07-27
From: Oquossoc's Own B&B Oquossoc, ME

To: Piazza Rock Lean-To
Miles today: 15.5
Weather: light rain

Joanne's breakfast was good this morning. I wasn't hungry, but it looked good and I got it all down. We decided to go back to the trail today, I couldn't justify a zero day because I don't feel too bad.There are lots of lakes in this stretch. The trail isn't as demanding as the most recent days before which is nice. There are lots of roots, loose soil and muddy bogs with boards placed on top to help us out. As we've been told by many before, Maine is a rugged state to hike in. There seems to be less maintenance, so a lot of the bog boards, for example, seem decades old. The trail clubs don't like to build bridges over the rivers, which requires more "fording" (which depending on water levels, could just be an extended rock-hop). There are also no switchbacks, which we ran into a lot down south. If there are any mountains to climb, you can bet they go pretty much straight up and down. That paired with Maine being more remote (less roads and towns), there are fewer hikers out. Before Sabbath Day Lean-To, a sandy beach in front of a big pond appeared, and we watched a pair of loons for a few minutes. We ate lunch at a campsite with a spring. I still wasn't hungry, but had a snicker's bar anyway. We headed to Rangeley to resupply - we just wanted to get in and out. I bought new pole tips at the store there and we ate some greasy food at the ice cream shop. At the supermarket, we filled our water bottles and made sure we had 2 1/2 days of food in our food sacks to get us to Stratton, ME.My stomach is feeling queesy, but I'm managing. On our hitch back, a group of 40-year old men picked us up. They're in the middle of a guy's trip away from their families in Massachusetts and having a good time. They were popping open beers as we rode back to the trail, asking us a zillion questions. Snag and I made it to the shelter by 7pm where we caught up with Candyman, No Problem, Pacer and 2 southbounders. I told No Problem about my sickness. Snag and I are feeling pretty good about the last 2 days. I've been feeling a big under the weather, but we're still making progress.
Date: 2012-07-28
From: Piazza Rock Lean-To

To: Woods Road stealth camp
Miles today: 11.7

At 7AM, thru-hiker Pacer, hiking with No Problem, came down with the same stomach virus and they both decided to zero here at the shelter. This bug is really going around! We are speculating that we got it from the Pine Ellis Hostel in Andover, but I didn't catch it until a day and a half later, and some people never got it. I still don't have an appetite, but as long as I'm taking medication, I'm managing.By lunchtime, Snag and I hiked over three mountains: Saddleback, Horn and Saddleback Junior. They all had nice views of several ponds, Rangeley Lake, the town of Rangeley and the Saddleback ski area. Saddleback felt like it would never end! As soon as we got to the "top", a new summit would appear and we would have to walk up to that. It was a little humid, but with cool air. We chatted with 3 southbounders at Poplar Ridge Lean-To (Jersey Bob, sleepwalker and Blue) before moving on for the day. It was already 2 when we left and we had 8 miles to go. 3 miles into our hike, though, after rock-hopping over Orbeton Stream, we heard thunder in the distance. It was an afternoon storm. It would be possibly 3 hours until the next shelter, so we made a quick decision to pitch the tent near the stream. The storm passed over us with thunder, and rain will come with it.
Date: 2012-07-29
From: Woods Road stealth camp

To: Crocker Cirque Camp
Miles today: 11.4
Weather: light rain

Sometime during the night the rain stopped, but neither of us noticed because we slept so well. It was a humid, cloudy morning and we packed up our wet tent. We noticed Candyman had camped nearby, and he was already packed up and ready to hike for the day. At 8AM we got moving up to Lone Mountain first, which was a nice path of soil and roots (not rocks!) At Spaulding Mountain Lean-To, we got the tent out to dry, even though the sun wasn't out, and then it started to rain. 2 southbounders, Kate and L-Dog showed up and waited out the rain with us. For almost 3 hours! We even contemplated staying for the night because it's just so darn hard to get out of a dry shelter when it's raining out. That's when the rain stopped. The sun even looked as though it might make an appearance, so we left. Spaulding Mountain wasn't much to speak of because we didn't take the side trail tot he summit. The same goes for Sugarloaf Mountain. We passed a couple who called themselves a couple of "day hikin' peak baggers". The woman warned us of a rock scramble up ahead. Boy was she right! About 5 minutes later we were going straight down Sugarloaf Mountain to the Carrabassett River. This entailed navigating through loose gravel, and then steep down larger rocks. I find just using my hands rather than the poles is helpful sometimes. We rock hopped over the river, and up to our camp for the night. We had our favorite dehydrated and vacuum sealed meal that we made for ourselves: potatoes, beef and veggies.
Date: 2012-07-30
From: Crocker Cirque Camp

To: Stratton Motel -- Stratton, ME
Miles today: 7.3
Weather: scattered clouds

Since Snag and I are too lazy to hang bear bags and had our food in the tent with us, 2 squirrels tried their darndest to get in the tent last night, for hours it seemed. When we first noticed them at 3AM, they had eaten a small hole through he side panel near the bottom of the tent. How frustrating! Now we need to patch it up.We got out in the morning and up to Crocker Mountain south and north peaks. We had heard horror stories about the horrible climb up there (that it would never end), but we took our time and it wasn't too bad after all, just steep as usual. I think the southbounders are just starting to get into the really difficult terrain, and so we need to take their advice with a grain of salt.It was a short day in to Stratton. We had lunch at the Stratton Diner and settled in at the motel. At dinner, Snag had the "Wolf Burger" at the White Wolf Inn and Cafe, which includes 1/2 lb hamburger, a sausage patty, bacon, cheese, and all the fixins. I tried it, it was delicious. Good think we're hiking or he may have had trouble processing that. We got a pint of Ben and Jerry's and decided that the Blueberry Cheesecake flavor is the best.