morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2009-08-21
From: Thistle Hill Shelter

To: Hanover, NH
Miles today: 14.6
Weather: haze

Berry and I got little sleep last night due to our excitement of being in Hanover, NH. We have been to the town before visiting our friends Steve and Michelle. We were out by 7ish this morning and moving with purpose. It was a gray and wet morning and the terrain was already surprising us. Our desire for town made the hills and miles a little harder... it was difficult finding the motivation. We took a break and nearly finished all our food. We continued to hike and I started getting really hungry. We came to a road crossing and the trail followed the road for about a mile over a bridge- the White River- and then turned onto VT 14 in the town of West Hartford. We looked down the road and saw a general store with some hikers waving at us to come their way. It was Moe and Lucky Joe! What a motivator... long lost friends and a general store! We spent some time talking with them and Magic as we drank some cold Powerade and ate snacks on the porch of the store. It was a great stop, just what we needed to make it to Hanover. After an hour of being in West Hartford we moved on, being full and happy, but moving slow up a 1400 foot climb. We were over the climb in no time and then took a rest on the other side. Magic caught up to us and then Big Fish ran up later. We gave Big Fish some water because he was bone dry and looked pretty beat. After resting for a half hour we moved on the rest of the way to Hanover. This inlcluded about 1.5 miles of road walking through Norwich, VT, across the Connecticut River and into NH...finally! It turned into a very hot afternoon so we walked right to our friends' house. It is so good to be here. Steve and I have been friends for a long time. I first met him my second day in college. He was the director of the college ministry I became involved with. We also served in the military together. Anyway, over the years Berry has gotten to know Steve and Michelle too and they are like family. We plan to spend a couple of days here with them and their wonderful children. Before long Otter called and I went with Steve to pick him up and run some errands around town. The Birds were in town- Tufftedtitmouse has an ankle/foot injury and the Birds have spent 3 days in Hanover- we are hoping she will be alright. We also saw Baltimore Jack, Bison and Lunch Box in town as well. The rest of the evening we spent time with our friends. Otter stayed with us too. We're looking forward to some R & R before the White Mountains.
Date: 2009-08-22
From: Hanover, NH

To: Hanover, NH
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

Great day to be taking a zero! Storms, storms and more storms- crazy rain.We walked a little bit of the trail through town with Otter this morning. The Spaulding's home is about .2 miles away from the AT in the hills just before the ascent up to Velvet Rocks. While we were walking into town we saw The Birds hiking out. We took some time to pray for Tufted's injury. We felt bad for anyone hiking today... it was a steamy, muggy morning- very gray and humid. Everyone knew it would rain. After saying goodbye to The Birds we walked to Ben & Jerry's, then to the local Outfitter. Berry picked up some new socks, but they didn't have the other items we needed. We saw Lucky Joe and Moe and they told us about bad weather coming in. Jay Bird strolled in too, he complemented us on looking so nice and different (we were in town clothes and had showered). The outfitter told us about free pizza for thru-hikers at Ramunto's pizza place. The three of us went to eat pizza, then Otter wanted to stick around town while we borrowed Steve's jeep to drive into West Lebanon to the Eastern Mountain Sports Outfitter (EMS). While in West Lebanon, a huge thunderstorm came through and it rained for the rest of the day. We were in a jeep with no doors so we got a little wet- oh well, we're used to it! Thankfully, EMS had everything we needed. I got my poles switched out and new shoes for the rest of the trail. Later in the evening we grilled burgers and had some time to watch a movie. It's been a great zero day!
Date: 2009-08-23
From: Hanover, NH

To: Hanover, NH
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

Bark and Steve left yesterday and traveled to an Ironman triathalon competition. Bark is showing his support and taking pictures for Steve. They camped out last night. Well, it's been one more zero officially making this our longest stretch of zero days on the trail. I have to say, it has been a great break! With Bark still gone with his friend, I woke up around 7:00am to get ready for church with the family. I was pretty excited to have a chance to go since it would have only been the 3rd time since being on the trail. It turned out to be a great service with a great message- I came away with a lot to think about and a few Scriptures that I revisited later in the day. The afternoon was once again filled with games and a even a little movie watching. It wasn't until about 6 o'clock that Steve and Bark made it home. They filled us in on the Ironman race and how everything went over dinner. Since Bark and I started the trail, last night was the first night we had not spent together. I missed him a lot and was very excited to see him again. We were both pretty tired and went to bed around 10ish, but not before discussing tomorrow's slackpack. We'll be doing a little over 17 miles and then returning to the house to enjoy our friend's for one more night. After that, its back on the trail and we'll be headed for the Whites. It really has been such a wonderful break here in Hanover. Without their wonderful hospitality and genorosity, we would not have been able to stay in the town at all. We are very grateful for them. Not only are we rested and ready to hit the trail, but we have been so encouraged by them we feel energized and "filled up". I guess it is time to get some rest before the big hike tomorrow!
Date: 2009-08-29
From: Franconia Notch/Lincoln, NH

To: Franconia Notch/Lincoln, NH
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

We made a promise to each other that we wouldn't hike in the Whites if we knew storms were coming in. Partly because of the effects of weather on the Whites and partly because we want to actually see all that we can, enjoying this section for all it's worth. What a great day! Good move...we heard later from a southbounder that hiked into the hostel in the evening. He had just done the section that will do next (Mt. Lafayette- Frankonia ridge) and said there were 60+ mph winds and hail. No views, of course.The best part of all is that we are in a great bubble of hikers. This morning we ate breakfast with Holdout and team Stickcakes at a pancake house. Afterward Berry and I did our resupply at the local grocery store. We then spent the rest of the day just hanging out with all the other hikers- going northbound: Stickcakes, Hatchet and Holdout, Blackbird, Crazy Lady, Patches, Iceman and Katywampus, team Hiking Poles and Sun- going southbound: Joe, Java, TNT, Hawaii 50 and Old Yeller. It's been a really fun day getting to know everyone and deepen some friendships. Most of us Northbounders are heading out in the morning and we'll all be hiking the same section so it will make for a fun tomorrow. The weather is suppose to be reasonable tomorrow and then clear for the rest of the week. Today was cold and nasty- raining off an on here in the valley. We all ate a huge dinner at the hostel with a great dessert (brownies and ice-cream). More southbounders showed after dark. It is a FULL house tonight.Berry and I are excited to be making pancakes for our hiking friends in the morning... 6am mmmmmWe are ready to get back out there and really excited about the rest of the Whites.
Date: 2009-08-31
From: Campsite near Galehead Hut, NH

To: Stealth Campsite 
Miles today: 14.8

Berry and I woke up this morning to the sounds of wind and drizzle hitting our tent. It was chilly outside and we lingered in our tent for about 1.5hrs before finally getting packed up. Everything was in cloud cover but we knew that the day would get better. Immediately we started the rocky ascent up South Twin Mtn. Somewhere in the beginning of our climb we decided that all the clothes we had on were just too much. As we were stripping down to cooler layers we heard voices coming our way. Stickcakes caught up to us! They pulled out some cornbread that they had saved for us from the hut- we were grateful. The rest of the climb we heard their story of the experience they had at the hut last night and this morning. Apparently they were treated pretty poorly. Maybe it's better that we didn't stay there last night. We arrived at the top of Twin Mtn and the cloud cover was still prevalent- but moving swiftly in the wind. We could see pieces of blue sky. Soon the sky opened up to reveal beautiful scenery. It looked something like Scottland or Ireland. The trail became easier. For the next couple of miles we enjoyed a relaxed pace on easy ridgeline and talked with Stickcakes about all types of subjects.Before long we were on our way down a steep descent to Zealand Falls Hut. We arrived at the hut at 1:00pm sharp. Hillary, the hut master, greeted us with smiles and welcomed us in for some soup and bread. The four of us enjoyed a hearty lunch and visited for the next hour. Based on what we had been told and what had been confirmed by Hillary, we knew that the next 6 miles of trail were some of the easiest trail in the Whites. Knowing this info, we all decided to make a push for Crawford Notch. This would put us at the base of the climb that eventually led to Mt. Washington.Stickcakes went ahead and me and Berry, we got caught behind because we kept having to stop to add or take away layers of clothing. Eventually we caught up to them just as the four of us reached Crawford Notch. It was 6pm and we were all thrilled about the trail we had just walked- very easy (the last miles was steep and rigid downhill)!Next, we all found a suitable spot to camp for the night close to the trail. After getting things set up the valley was loosing light quickly. Stickcakes brought over hot chocolate and we sat and talked until the sun went down. It had been a great day full of good conversation and easier trail miles.Tomorrow a beast of a climb awaits us as we enter the Presidentials. The plan is to wake up at 6am. Whoever is up is suppose to make sure the other couple is up too (either us or Stickcakes). Our goal is to get to Lake of The Clouds Hut and do a work-for-stay. Hopefully everything will work out.
Date: 2009-09-05
From: Rattle River Shelter, NH

To: US 2/Gorham, NH
Miles today: 1.9
Weather: scattered clouds

After a very quiet sleep in the shelter we were all awake early with town fever. Bark and I were packed and ready as well as the Hiking Poles. We headed down the trail- the very smooth and wonderfully graded trail- all the way to the US 2 road crossing. After just about 15 minutes, and a little help from the Hiking Poles' hand held sign, we were sitting in Bob's backseat heading for breakfast in Gorham.Bob (our hitch) dropped us off at Hiker's Paradise, hostel and hotel. Bark and I ate breakfast with the Hiking Poles and then the 4 of us booked the last 2 available hotel rooms in town. The rest of the morning was filled with errands like going to the post office and catching the trolley down the road to Wal-Mart for a resupply. It was a little after noon before Bark and I got back to the hotel, ate lunch and then finally took our first showers in 8 days...yikes! It is amazing what a hot shower can do for one's spirits (and stench). Since Bark's birthday was yesterday and all we did was hike, we planned for today to be his "birthday" too. And what did he want for his birthday...a head rub and a big steak. Mr. Pizza, down the street from our hotel, provided great steaks and brownie sundae...perfect for a birthday treat. We were exhausted and full by the time we made it back to our room. The White Mountains have worn us out and it is time to sleep and give our bodies a break. Tomorrow will be a late morning, but Maine is just around the corner, wow!
Date: 2009-09-06
From: US 2/Gorham, NH

To: Dream Lake Campsite, NH
Miles today: 9.6

It has been a beautiful day here in northern NH. Fall is in the air! We are seeing a tree here and a tree there turning bright red or yellow. I think in a week or two we'll really be seeing some spectacular colors.Berry and I left Gorham this morning with the Hiking Poles around 11am. Sure...the thought of taking a zero in town and watching the NFL did cross our minds- but with weather like this you don't pass up the opportunity to hike. Our rest in Gorham was short but good. We are both feeling energized and excited for whats to come!We hiked with the Hiking Poles for the first couple of miles today. Everyone was hiking a little bit lazy because of the beautiful day. We stopped at a vista and Stickman was there eating lunch. We all joined him and ate our lunch too. We last saw Stickman in central VA. He got off trail for a few months and just recently got back on in the Whites. We continued to play leap frog with Stickman and Hiking Poles until mid day. We stopped at a sunny overlook to take our boots off and give some of our friends a call. Berry had a chance to catch up with our good friend Krista, who will be moving to Spain in a few weeks for the second time. She is a missionary. We moved on another about half a mile before taking a big detour to fill up on water. As it turned out there was water down the trail but our book didn't list it. We planned to hike until 5:30pm and look for a campsite. We usually shoot for around the 10 mile mark coming out of town. After 1 night in a tent we feel back in the zone and on routine again for hiking.We found a spot by Dream Lake and started setting up camp. The sun had already hid itself behind the mountains. Rufio and Duckman passed by shortly after we had things set up and we talked with them for a while. It got cold fast this evening... feels like winter to us southerners.After a hearty meal of shells and cheese we are ready for a landmark day tomorrow- We'll be setting foot in ME and reaching the 1900 mile point. Up ahead, the Mahoosuc Notch and Arm, said to be the hardest single mile and most difficult/ technical part of the trail. We could make it there tomorrow, but it's likely we will camp just before and tackle it on Tuesday.
Date: 2009-09-08
From: Full Goose Shelter, ME

To: Baldpate Lean-to, ME
Miles today: 12.0

If any of you reading these journals live up north and are interested in trail magic- the perfect place is Grafton Notch ME26- hikers are desperate there! We often make a note to ourselves what is the best/ most needed place to do trailmagic (we plan to travel and do magic in the near future). By far- this is the #1 place hikers are in need of it.This morning was another successful wake-up and move out by 7:00am. We said our goodbyes to Houdini and set off to conquer the Mahoosuc. We were to the notch by 8:00am and hopeful for fast passage through the belly of the beast. At first, no problem, actually quite fun. Eventually it did get to us though. I don't think we realized how much energy we were using by contorting our bodies ever so slowly down-up-under-over all the rocks. Because Berry and I have never seen any pictures of the Mahoosuc Notch we took plenty to give everyone a nice perception. Our hands hurt too, we had to use our hands on the rocks to ease ourself into positions. One thing I will say about the Mahoosuc Notch- it brought Berry and I closer She would trust me and take my hand through the tough stuff. A couple of times I would catch her coming down. It's actually the first time on the trail that we've needed to assist each other.We were glad to be done with the "longest mile" (Mahoosuc Notch) and it only took us two hours. After a short break we began the next big obstacle- the Mahoosuc Arm. This climb really took it out of both of us. Very steep, using our hands a lot. When we reached the top we saw Duckman laying on a rock so we visited with him a while about his day. We ate lunch overlooking Speck Mtn, which would be our next major climb for the day.We stopped to get water at Speck Mtn Shelter and saw Duckman one more time as he was hiking on. Just behind us were Iceman and Katywampus. We had only done 5.5 miles and it was already after 1pm. Berry and I paced it out and suffered well the rest of the afternoon. The climb up Speck was pretty hard and then we had 3.5 miles down to Grafton Notch, a very long way down. We only stopped once for a break and we made it down to Grafton by 4:30pm. We made the decision to just do it. We were tired but knew that the next 2.2 miles up would be that much less we wouldn't have to climb tomorrow. Our food is running low and we have to make it in to Andover, ME for resuply tomorrow. We made it to the shelter. 12 miles! I didn't think we could do it, it's been a tough stretch. I must say, I'm so proud of Berry! Everyday she impresses me more and more as she overcomes the odds. She's beautiful. I'm a blessed man.
Date: 2009-09-10
From: Surplus Pond Campsite, ME

To: Bemis Mtn Lean-to, ME
Miles today: 16.8
Weather: few clouds

Some bigger miles. We thought we'd be stuck in the 10-12 range all of Maine. Today certainly had it's challenges. Steep ups and a rutty trail make for a very tiring day.This morning we were on the move again by 7am. Some critter ate a few pieces off the handle's of my trekking poles- no big deal though. I should have stuck them in the ground instead of laying them by the tent.The trail started off easy which gave us a great warm up. We felt faster than we were actually going. We made it to the first shelter by 9:00m and took a snack break. By noon we had walked eight miles. A big surprise was Moody Mtn. It was a steep climb up Moody and the mountian recently had a landslide, so the trail has to negotiate around the landslide. This made for slow moving and heavy breathing.We took our lunch break at South Arm Rd. Bagel and cheese sandwich- delicious! As we were sitting in the shade relaxing a couple of cars pulled up to drop off some section hikers. Two gentlemen knew that we were thru-hikers and began a conversation with us. We found out that Stickcakes had actually stayed with them last night and were a couple hours behind us. Berry and I wrote them (Stickcakes) a note and put it on the trail so they would see it as they hiked. We're looking forward to hanging out with them again. The two gentlemen continued talking with us for about 30 minutes and offered us a ride into town several times. They were very generous- all the locals we've met in Maine have been so warm and friendly. After lunch we tackled Old Blue Mtn and it did put a long slow hurt on us. The top was windy and cold. We snapped a few photo's and then proceeded walking. It was around 3pm.We've made our peace with the condition of trail in Maine. It is beautiful but rugged- many many roots and rocks and barely an even surface- but like I said, it's beautiful. Sometimes we remind ourselves that we are actually in Maine. I think a lot of the time we just assume we'll be on this trail forever, at least that's how our mind feels.The rest of the afternoon was up and down like a roller coaster. We did have several vista's of a large lake below the mtns, quite nice. It was a relief to finally make it to the shelter by 6pm. Six O'clock has been our closing goal for the days up north. We've been pretty good about keeping it.I looked down, shocked to see my crocs (camp shoes) not on my pack. I realized I had left them about 3 miles back at a stream. Just as I began to calm down and accept that they were gone, Sun and Hot Chocolate walked up. Hot Chocolate had my crocs! Thanks again HC! Man, it gets cold up here. we're snug in our bags ready for the night. Oh yeah, our energy has been getting better. Much better. We haven't felt as beat down at the end of hard days. In Gorham we bought "EmergenC" vitamin and electrolite mix and we've been taking at least two a day individually. I think it's helping.
Date: 2009-09-11
From: Bemis Mtn Lean-to, ME

To: Rangely, ME
Miles today: 17.7
Weather: overcast clouds

Maine has treated us well again today!It was pretty chilly last night. Bark and I were nice and toasty in our tent which made it easy to sleep in another 30 minutes. Once we were awake and moving it wasn't too cold, but it took a little while to get warm. The whole hike today was incredibly beautiful! For the past couple of weeks now we have had clear blue skies and temps in the high 60's and low 70's- perfect for hiking. Today we hiked right next to several large lakes and ponds that looked like smooth glass. Early this morning from the summit of Bemis Mtn. there were still clouds hovering low in the valleys and on top of the same lakes we hiked next to. So enjoyable to see new landscape. The only 2 hikers we saw today were Hot Chocolate and Son (still waiting for Father to catch up). They are pretty speedy so after eating lunch at the Sabbath Day Pond Lean-to all together, we waved goodbye and probably will not see them again. Son is planning on summitting Katahdin on Sept. 20th...crazy to think that Katahdin is in reach now. Well Bark and I had not planned on hiking into town today, but at 3 o'clock, with only 4.8 miles to go we decided to press on to see how far we could get. The terrain was friendly with very few changes in elevation so the hiking went a little faster than it has in a while. At 5:00 we found ourselves at the road and it did not take long to decide we needed showers and a town stay after 7 days on the trail. We stuck out our thumbs and headed for Rangeley. In town we ran into Bison, Lunchbox, Firecracker and Big Fish. Bark and I had just sat down for dinner so we all decided to grab a table together. Everyone kind of touched on their post trail plans, and Lunchbox even made mention that he is slowing down because the end has come too soon. It is pretty surreal to be in Maine watching the miles tick by. Bark and I are looking forward to a break tomorrow. We are close to the end, but still have over 200 miles to go and our laundry could use a serious wash (or two). Tomorrow we will enjoy the small town of Rangeley.
Date: 2009-09-12
From: Rangeley, ME

To: Rangely, ME
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

It's been a really good day here in Rangely. Berry and I are taking one more chance to spoil ourselves... a day of rest before we hit another hard stretch. The big mountains are almost over my friends- I think 5 or 6 "big" climbs before the mother of them all- Katahdin!Our internal clocks went off at 6:00am this morning so we were on the move early. Since this is the last place we will have a legitimate grocery store we decided to not only resupply for the next few days, but also for the 6 day stretch out of Monson through the One Hundred Mile Wilderness. After our stop at the grocery store we walked to the Laundry mat, did our laundry, then went to the Post Office to package up and send out our resupply. After that order of business we headed to the library to get current on our picture uploads. We were done with all of it before noon.The rest of the day we enjoyed relaxing- spending quiet time together. Tonight we made hummus wraps for dinner and watched a movie. Some highlights of the day were visiting with Stickcakes, Hatchet and Holdout. Berry surprised me by finding a new local root beer- Captain Eli's root beer from Maine. I liked it! We are shooting for October 1st as our summit day. Berry's family will be there to meet us.