morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2010-08-30
From: stealth campsite

To: Mizpah Hut
Miles today: 11.5
Weather: clear sky

Tis another glorious day in the Whites. I was out the door by 730am again. My body is loving these 10 hour sleep sessions. It gives me time to heal from the rigors of the mountain climbing of the Whites. Anyways, I walked slowly downhill until I got to Crawford Notch/Route 302. There, I got some trail magic from Rock Dancer. The sandwich and all of the goodies were much appreciated. I can't remember the last time I got trail magic. After that it was time to get my thumb warmed up because I had to hitch hike three miles to get some food supplies. As I was standing there next to the parking lot but on the main road a car pulled up. Three day hikers popped out and were getting ready to hike Mt Jackson. We struck up a conversation about AT thru hiking. Before I knew it Jack, Eric, and Nicole were postponing their hike a few minutes so they could run me to town to get supplies. How awesome is that??? Thanks guys! We drove back and I packed my new supplies. Then I began my hike up...I hiked 3 miles in 3 hours. That's how steep it was. Normally, I can do 9-10 miles in that same time. Gives you an idea about how hard it is. Not to mention I had to climb the Webster Cliffs. Talk about living on edge. Whoa. I finished the hard 11.5 mile day at Mizpah Hut where I'm camped. I got me a free meal at the hut too. So I spent the whole day developing my idea about driving around the country when I'm done with the AT. Then it hit me....I could do my video blogs at places around the US to help teach the students of CCA. Wouldn't that be cool to learn about instead of reading in a text book? I think so. Now, I've just got to raise the $1k I need to do this. Any ideas? Always relying on Him.
Date: 2010-08-31
From: Mizpah Hut

To: Madison Spring Hut
Miles today: 11.7
Weather: scattered clouds

Daily mileage: 11.7Start: Mizpah HutFinish: Madison Spring HutToday was the big day! Today, my friends, I finally got to summit Mt Washington. What do I mean "finally?" Well, this mountain is one I have wanted to do since I was a wee bitty lad. I finally conquered the mighty Washington!When I went to bed the weather report called for a clear day for today. When I hit the trail at 8am I was in a thick fog. I made it to the Lake of the Clouds Hut which is 1.4 miles below Mt Washington in the hopes the fog would burn off. Nope. I through on my rain coat and hiked on. I got to the summit of Mt Washington at about noon. I could not find the snack bar for a bit because it was so foggy. Visibility was less than 20 feet. I found it eventually. It was packed with tourists. I could not believe how many people there were. Doc, Dune, and I posted up near the only visible outlet and charged our phones. Apparently, boys and girls, I look like a thru hiker. People just come up to me and ask how far I've come. I think I talked to at least 20 people about the AT. Totally awesome. I'm always willing to talk about it. I felt like a mini celebrity. But all good things come to an end so I had to leave ole Washington. I finished the day at Madison Spring Hut. Roughly an 11.7 of tough and mean miles. I did Work-for-Stay. I did the dishes with another hiker, Hat Trick, in return for dinner, breakfast, and to sleep in the dining hall. Pretty cool. So here I sit waiting for the guests to go to bed so I can sleep on the table. I'm also really full because I had two plates of lasagna, corn, salad, and cake...oh and some soup. Just what I needed. God does provide!To my Savior.
Date: 2010-09-01
From: Madison Spring Hut

To: stealth campsite
Miles today: 8.0

Daily Mileage: 8Start: Madison Spring HutFinish: stealth campsiteHere I lay just past Pinkham Notch in a stealth campsite after an 8 mile day. Today, I have been on the AT for five life changing months with another month to go before I expect to end. I feel sad that this journey is winding down but I'm also excited to start a new chapter of my life. I slept on a table in the dining room of the hut last night. I slept OK but had to be up by 6am so the guests could eat. I didn't get enough sleep. After a breakfast of oatmeal, pineapple, cornbread, eggs, cranberry juice, and coffee I was out the door at 830am. I met some curious guests at the hut so Kristen, if you're reading this I say hello and I won't forget to look at the stars with fresh eyes. Anyways, it took me 2 hours to go 2 miles up and over Mt Madison and down the tree line. Very hard walking on the rocks. I got below tree line but still had several miles of steep downhill which put me in a foul mood. How dare the AT go up and down mountains. I don't really know what the basis of my bad mood was but after a temper tantrum on a poor innocent bush I calmed down a smidge. I rolled into the Pinkham Notch Visitor Center at around 130pm determined to go no further. I met up with Unicroc, Scat Tracker, Buttercup, and Red Oak. Dune strolled in later. The others hiked on while Dune and I hung around until 5pm. Before I left I talked to Allison and her dad (they were out for a few days of hiking) for a while. They were nice enough to give me a bunch of snacks. Right on! After that I hiked on about another .5 miles where I found a nice stealth campsite all by myself in the woods. How peaceful! Tomorrow I climb over Wildcat and up and down, over and on top of Carter Notch. I do not look forward to tomorrow at all. Tomorrow's blog could be short. All for Him
Date: 2010-09-02
From: stealth campsite

To: stealth campsite past Carter Notch
Miles today: 13.0

Daily mileage: 12Start: stealth campsite near Pinkham NotchFinish: stealth campsite past Carter Notch HutI awoke this morning at 530am. I went to the bathroom and contemplated getting up for the day. However, I felt utterly exhausted so I went back to sleep for a few minutes. A few minutes turned into 3 hours. I awoke at 830am, thus, completing a 12 hour sleep night. In case you're wondering, the White Mountains are tough. So I got on the trail at 930am and immediately commenced hiking straight up Wildcat Mountain. Tough stuff. Not exactly easy either. The temperature the last few days has been unseasonably hot so I've had to battle that too. I slowly meandered up the mountain which took several hours. I had to take lots of water breaks but I made it. There was a gondola there giving tourists an easy ride up to the top. I stopped and talked to many people. One guy even gave me AT facts like how many miles the AT was and how many states it went through (I didn't have the heart to tell him his numbers were wrong). The rest of the day was a boring blur. I went up and down per the usual. I made it to Carter Notch Hut where they offered me Work-for-Stay. No thanks. I moved on where I'm stealth camping again tonight. Speaking of stealth camping, this is the 2nd night in a row I'm by myself camping. I haven't done that on the AT until now. I miss having company but I like the solitude. Tomorrow I head into Gorham, NH. I'm excited to hit a town. I've had one shower in two weeks and I need some supplies. Plus, remnants of Hurricane Earl are supposed to give us some rain tomorrow night so hopefully I'll be indoors. Who knows though. I also might take a zero on Saturday so I can watch UK vs Lousyville (UL) in football at 330pm. In Him
Date: 2010-09-05
From: Gorham, NH

To: Trident Col Tentsite
Miles today: 6.8

Its always hard leaving a town after a zero. Especially when that zero includes a bed, tv, a room all to yourself, and football. However, I was able to get out of town by noon today. I guess its less harder when you know you'll be off the trail in less than a month. Today is my 30th birthday. Yes, I'm old. Is this the part of my life where I'm supposed to settle down, get married, and start a family? Maybe. Who knows. Anyways, I hitched back to the trail and started my hike. Today was just another day on the trail. It was the usual with ups and downs. I got a nice surprise when I reached the Trident Col Tentsite sign. There was a note from Scat tracker and Unicroc wishing me a happy birthday. Very nice of them. So as I was setting up my tent after a short 6.8 mile day I heard some noise in the woods. Since I was talking with Dr Rock I paid no mind to it. That all changed when I saw something black moving. A bear was 10 feet away from us just staring at us as if to say "whatcha got for food over there?" We screamed at it and it eventually mozied away. Honestly, I was quite surprised to see a bear. I didn't think I'd see one after NJ. So that's about it for my 30th birthday. I am very appreciative of everyone for their birthday wishes. Other than the bear it was a very low key day. Tomorrow I hit Maine....the 14th and final state. Wow. I can't believe I made it this far. Simply unbelievable. God bless.
Date: 2010-09-06
From: Trident Col Tentsite

To: Full Goose Shelter
Miles today: 14.5
Weather: few clouds

Daily mileage: 14.5Start: Trident Col CampsiteFinish: Full Goose ShelterOh what a day. I reached state 14 of 14; Maine. Lovely. Its a great feeling but I got to be honest with you; the feeling was trumped by lots of frustration. Let me explain. I'm very lucky to be writing this right now in full health without broken bones. I started hiking today at 845am and the day got progressively tougher and tougher. A few miles before the Maine border the terrain changed too. I found myself clinging to trees for dear life on descents. I slipped and slid like 30 times on the rocks going down. It was unbearably unsafe. I had so many close calls with falling face first 20 feet below and after each one I would thank God. Finally, only about 100 yards from Maine I finally lost control and slipped. The next thing I knew I had lost both my poles and I was sliding down a steep rocky cliff on my side. After about 10 feet I came to a stop but not after all the skin from my right buttock was removed and smeared on a NH rock. I picked myself up after coming ever so close to swearing (I don't swear). The rest of my 14.5 mile day was much the same. I slipped constantly. There were many times where I'd be at the top looking down at the trail wondering how I was going to get down. When I finally walked into Full Goose Shelter I learned nearly everyone had had the same experience. Serenitina had such a bad fall it shook her up bad. She's ok but she was scared. Here's my deal. I'm not certain the AMC or the MATC trail clubs have the hiker's safety in their interest when they laid out the trail. It feels more like they want to "wow" everyone or compete with each other for the toughest trail. Its very unsafe. Everyone I've talked to agrees. I'm not saying that the AT needs to be easy but its not supposed to injure or kill you. I'm also not knocking those hard working individuals who help maintain the trail for these clubs, I'm simply saying that this part of the trail is too dangerous for the average hiker. Ok I got that off of my chest whew. With that being said tomorrow I do the Mahoosic Notch. The toughest mile on the trail. Yippeee. We shall see. My knees are killing me. The mountains are not knee friendly. I'm sleeping in and probably doing a shorter day tomorrow. I need the rest. Speaking of rest, I'm going to bed. GniteDelight in Him
Date: 2010-09-07
From: Full Goose Shelter

To: Old Speck Mtn
Miles today: 6.2

Daily mileage: 6.2Start: Full Goose ShelterFinish: Old Speck MtnWow, what a hard day. Today was the day of the Notch...Mahoosuc Notch to be exact. The book calls it "the hardest or most fun mile on the trail." It was my turn to find out what the old notchskees had to offer. I woke up at around 7am but laid around awhile. When I walked in last night I discovered a lot of people I knew including: London Joe, Red Lobstah, Serenitina, Little Foot, Big Foot, Red Oak, Buttercup, Dr Rock, Eureka, and the Canadien Geese just to name a few. When I left at 930am only Little Foot and his dad, Big Foot, hadn't left yet. I got to Mahoosuc Notch at 1040am. Its basically a boulder scramble that is very slow and cumbersome and its a mile. Everyone I talked to took between an hour to three hours. There are lots of tunnels and caves you've got to crawl through and you have to take off your pack a bunch. I said a prayer and started. I climbed in and out. My strategy was to climb up and over instead of through the tunnels. About half way through I ran into Unicroc, Scat tracker, and Dune. They were talking to a blind thru hiker, Bulldog, and his camera man, Hitchcock. Bulldog is filming his blind thru hike for a documentary. Pretty cool. Now that's an inspirational story.I finished the Notch in one hour and thirty-two minutes. I passed everyone I camped with. I was really worn out though. I used a ton of upper body muscles...muscles I'm not used to using. Anyways, once you finish the notch you must climb up Mahoosuc Arm. This is a mile and a half straight up 1600 foot climb. Since the beginning of the notch I had put my hiking poles away so I had my arms free. I climbed the Arm. Tough beans it was too. Wow, these southern Maine mountains aren't joking. At 330pm I strolled into Speck Pond Shelter/campsite after ONLY 5 miles. You had to pay $8 to camp there. Um no thanks. So even though I was dog tired I climbed Old Speck Mtn where I am stealth camping. Boys and girls, this was the hardest 6.2 mile day I've had yet. I am tired! Maine, in my opinion, feels harder than the Whites of NH. I don't know though. Anyways, I'm not sure where I'll be on the morrow but its supposed to rain. Not cool. Until then...He saved us.
Date: 2010-09-08
From: Old Speck Mtn

To: Frye Notch Lean-to
Miles today: 9.3
Weather: light rain

Daily mileage: 9.3Start: Old Speck MtnFinish: Frye Notch Lean-toI woke up several times during the night to a bad thunderstorm. When it was time to get up I laid there for a while. Packing up a tent in the rain requires extra work, speed, and strategy. Miraculously the rain stopped so I didn't need any extra effort to pack up. I was on the trail at 9:11am. I got to Grafton Notch where I chilled for an hour or two with Squid, Treadmore, Eureka, Eureka's wife, Dr Rock, Kit Kat, Red Lobster, Serenitina, London Joe, and the Canadian Geese. A nice little crowd before we hiked straight up Baldpate Mtn. It took a few hours to hike up the intense Baldpate Mtn. There were two peaks that needed summitting. The second peak, over 3,800 plus feet, was sheer rock. It was beautiful at the top and I spent some time talking to Squid and Treadmore. The descent was not so fun. Again, I was faced with slippery rock cliffs that were very dangerous. Every once in a while there would be an oddly placed ladder to help you on one of the cliffs but those were few and far between. So take a wild guess what happened....times up. Yup, I slipped....TWICE. The second time my pack saved my life. I slipped directly on my back with my pack breaking my fall. Without my pack I would have slammed my head and who knows what would have happened. I sat there a while laughing because I was so angry. Do you ever do that? Where you are so mad all you can do is laugh? I prayed that I would overcome this anger so I could focus on the trail. I mean all I could do was just get up and keep making my way down. I continually keep asking myself why is this trail so dangerous? Why do I feel so unsafe? Southern Maine is really tough but a lot of it seems quite unnecessary. I hate feeling that the AMC and MATC trail clubs do not have my safety in their best interest. I've come too far to get injured by the trail. Anyways, after slip number two I had used so much adrenaline that I got really tired. So after 9.3 miles I called it a day at Frye Notch Lean-to. Tomorrow I plan on heading to Andover to get some food and I might stay at the Hostel there. I am completely out of food right now and my tummy is a rumbling. So with that, I'm off to bed. Always praying.
Date: 2010-09-09
From: Frye Notch Lean-to

To: Pine Ellis Hostel
Miles today: 4.5
Weather: clear sky

Again, for the fifth day in a row, it has rained. I have totally forgotten that it rains in the fall a whole bunch in New England. I woke up at around 715am and within 5 minutes of waking up the rain was beating down on my tent. It was pouring too. If you read yesterday's journal entry you can see that packing up in the rain is such a different process than when its nice out. Also, my tent leaks in the left hand corner so the inside of my tent has been getting wet lately. Grrrrr.So, I was on the trail at 9:09am this morning. I knew I was only going 4.5 miles because I wanted to stay at the Pine Ellis Hostel in Andover. The walk was really nice and I felt very good walking. For once, it was flat-like and not extreme up and downs. I was back to my 2.5 miles an hour pace. I was flying and it felt great. When I finished the 4.5 miles I got to the road that leads to Andover and the hostel. My plan was to hitch hike into town. When I got to the road I realized that no one travels on that road so hitch hiking was not in the cards. I was greeted by the Canadian Geese who also were planning on hitch hiking. They had been standing there for 20 minutes and not a car had driven by. As we sat there deliberating on what to do next Kit Kat came to the rescue for the millionth time. She was dropping off her boyfriend, Dr. Rock, at the trailhead and she agreed to drive us to Andover. She has really been awesome for picking me up in the last few weeks. Quite the trail angel.Here at the hostel its me, the Canadian Geese, Serenitina, Red Lobster, and London Joe. We always seem to find each other. Now, I'm kind of bored because I've done my errands so now I'm just watching The Last of the Mohicans on VHS. I'll be getting up early with the shuttle to get back to the trail. I'm planning on being in Rangely, ME in three days. I still have no idea when I'll be done with the trail but hopefully before October comes. These 4.5 mile days don't help with getting the trail done. That's all for now.In Him
Date: 2010-09-10
From: Pine Ellis Hostel

To: Black Brook
Miles today: 10.1

Daily mileage: 10.1Start: Pine Ellis HostelFinish: Black Brook (stealth)Tonight is why I came out to do the AT. I'll explain in a sec. Everyone who thru hikes has their romantic notions of what they want but tonight, I finally got mine. We left the hostel by 8am and I was on the trail at exactly 830am. The trail seemed to be more like before the Whites in that it wasn't horrendously steep. I seemed to be back to my 2.5 mile an hour pace...for the first 4 miles anyways. However, after that the trail became a complete washout, mud infested ordeal that was covered in bushes. I was being grabbed constantly by tree limbs and bushes. Did I mention today was the 6th day in a row of rain? Yup, it was. You can imagine what transpired if you've followed me through Maine so far. The only other thing that's been consistent, besides the rain, is me falling. I slipped 4 times and fell twice. The second time I had enough. I slipped and then fell forward and I was about to face plant into some mud when I stuck my pole out to brace my fall. I was able to fall on my left elbow and side, thus, avoiding a mud sandwich but I did manage to bend my right pole. I felt so angry I let out a loud yell. I eventually got over being mad at the AT, coincidentally at the same time as the sun came out. However, in one of my slips I whip lashed my neck and now I have a really stiff neck. I can't look left or right. I hope it goes away. Now its not all bad news for today. Red Lobster, Serenitina, London Joe, A.D., Eureka, and Duffy are camped along Black Brook. Tonight we had a rip roarin' fire going and A.D. was playing his mini guitar. We cooked and shared stories from along the trail. Simply, it was one of my best nights on the trail. This was my romantic notion of how every night was going to be when I was dreaming about the AT. I'm glad I got to experience it. Always faithful to Him.
Date: 2010-09-11
From: Black Brook

To: Moxie Pond
Miles today: 15.0
Weather: clear sky

Daily mileage: 15Start: Black BrookFinish: Moxie PondI woke up to a beautiful morning in good old Maine today. I was out and hiking at 815am this morning. Before I could even finish my morning yawn I was climbing Old Blue Mtn. Up and up and up. It was about 2,200 feet of elevation gain. That's pretty much how the day went. However, the mud was really bad....I'd say it was definitely worse than Vermont. Mud stinks. If someone were to watch you hike on a muddy day they'd think you were a mix between a gymnist, a ballerina, and someone ice skating with leather shoes. You're always dancing, balancing, and flailing your arms and legs all in an effort to avoid mud. Not fun. After lunch at Beamis Mtn Lean-to I spent the afternoon walking with Guda and A.D. We just chit chatted to pass the time away. I'd say we are all ready to finish this long journey. We ended up camping at Moxie Pond after 15 miles. We built a nice fire and cooked while we talked. It was a nice evening. Not the most exciting day on the AT but it was a nice one. We are one step closer to Katahdin....Luke 12:34
Date: 2010-09-12
From: Moxie Pond

To: Gull Pond Hostel
Miles today: 11.0

I woke up to a misty/foggy/ threat of rain kind of day. Lovely, 7/8 days involving rain. Oh well, I must hike on my friends. So, I was out on the trail by 815am and on my glorious way. Today, I had town-itis. I knew I had 11 miles that were said to be on a flatter terrain so I wanted to make it to town so I could enjoy a resteraunt and FOOTBALL. I made it the 11 miles by 110pm and before I could even get to the road to stick my thumb out to hitch I was offered a ride by a couple who were picking up trash on the side of the highway. Sweet. I went into Rangeley, ME and stopped in at Sarge's Pub and Grub and enjoyed some football. I had a burger with Red Oak, Buttercup, and Dune. Well, once I get to watching some football I get addicted. Some people are addicted to drugs or alcohol but I love me some football so before you know I was ordering a pizza and watching the end of the afternoon game with Dune and Lucky. Yup, I spent several hours at the pub and grub.I decided to call Bob who runs Gull Pond Hostel and he picked me up. I wanted to watch the Cowboys game and I knew that some other hikers were going to be there watching it. For $5 I got to camp in his yard and watch the game. I watched the game with P. Flaps, Bob Ross, Dune, Dune's friend Tom, Bob, Suicidal, Eureka, and Lucky. It was a very enjoyable day minus the Cowboys loss.I went to my tent at about 1145pm and it promptly began to rain. Hey Maine, try some sun for once...everyone else is doing it. Anyways, the night is calling and I must sleep.Always faithful
Date: 2010-09-15
From: Gull Pond Hostel

To: Little Bigelow Lean-to
Miles today: 10.2
Weather: scattered clouds

Daily mileage: 10.2Start: Horns Pond Lean-toFinish: Little Bigelow Lean-toHey everyone, I apologize for not staying current on my journal. I promise to stay up to date from here on out. With that being said, the mileage on trailjournals will be a little off until I can fix it. A big milestone day today. I hit the 2000 mile marker after Bigelow Mtn. Wooooooooow!! I never thought I could walk 2000 miles. At the same time I believed I could. I feel really good about it. I also feel really good in the physical sense. I can't wait to do bigger days now that I'm out of the tough stuff so I can finish this puppy out. I awoke at around 630am. I was cozy warm in my sleeping bag but it was freezing cold outside. I got out at 830am and I was shivering. Today was the first day since I can remember that I left my coat on all day. Every time I stopped I got really cold. Yay Maine! I need to hurry up and finish this trip before it gets too freezing. Tomorrow's plan is trying to get to the Kennebec River just before Caratunk, ME. This will be a 21 mile day so it'll be a long one requiring a very early start. Can I do it? I'll tell you tomorrow. My salvation lies in your love.