morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2003-08-19
From: Fire Warden's Cabin

To: Ore Hill Shelter
Miles today: 12.6

It was up early today! The hikers who stayed in the cabin decided at 6:00am that it was perfectly okay to stand outside and talk as loudly as they wanted to about the most rediculous stuff. Thanks guys.   Anyway, we got up and did our morning routine and headed down the trail. And down it was--the first 4 miles were beautiful and relatively easy walking downhill. Then we headed up toward Mount Cube. It was only a 1.6 mile climb and again was really pretty nice. The weather was great, not too hot. We got to the first summit and decided to have lunch on the granite crest. The sun was out and there was a breeze blowing, a perfect day. We could see the actual summit up ahead of us. Up we went and were pleasantly surprised when it only took us 15 minutes to climb to the top! We caught up with a section hiker there who had passed us when we stopped to eat. He hiked down the other side with us, but we lost him when we all stopped for water and he had to pump. Love those Aqua Mira drops! We continued down Mt. Cube and met a group of girls in an Outward Bound school. Sean-O was very excited to talk with them for a few minutes. He once attended an Outward Bound program and knew the gentleman who started the program these girls were from.   Next, we started our last climb, now through mosquito infested mud bogs! We haven't seen this many blood-sucking insects since New Jersey! I think we all donated enough to have made the Red Cross happy. Anyway, we finally got to the shelter and there were only 4 other hikers here: Vagabond and his aunt and a sweet older lady named Polkie Dot, who is almost finished with her section of the AT, and our bud, Oopala. We claimed our spaces and started dinner. Another hiker arrived, but I don't know him. Then Leapyear rolled in and a little while later, Tippararee arrived. He's a retired Irish priest! Sean-O is a fan of his so he even came back out of his tent to spend some social time with us all. It was a fun evening. Now it's off to sleep so we can get to Glencliff early tomorrow.
Date: 2003-08-20
From: Ore Hill Shelter

To: Glencliff
Miles today: 7.4

An easy walk into Glencliff today. It really was almost all downhill and we got in before noon. We are staying at Hikers Welcome Hostel, a neat set-up with a bunkroom upstairs, a hiker hang-out room downstairs, tents all set up for us to use, shower, flush and a washing machine. All right across the street from the post office. There's a payphone across the road, too. AND...they shuttle you into the little town for groceries and pizza! What more do we need?   Tomorrow we officially start the White Mountains by climbing Mt. Moosilauke. Believe it or not, I'm excited about it; a little scared, too, but excited none the less.   We also ran into some old and new friends here: OFF is here with a fractured foot, Oopala, Leapyear, Vagabond, Tipperaree, Trout Lilly and Jason, and some Sobo hikers, Moosey and Goldilocks, and 2 others.   Right now, we're waiting for the ride to get pizza and of course, ice cream for Sean-O. A really good day :)
Date: 2003-08-21
From: Glencliff

To: Kinsman Notch
Miles today: 9.5
Weather: overcast clouds

Today we did our first big climb in the White Mountains. We went up and over Mt. Moosilauke and it was an awesome hike. The weather was great--blue sky, white fluffy clouds and not too hot. The summit is amazing; we could see for miles. There used to be a lodge or hotel on the summit, there was an old carriage road that led up to it (that the AT doesn't follow of course). There are piles of rocks from the building still outlining the shape. Some of the rocks have been used to build huge cairns to mark the various trails leading up to the peak. It gave the area a mystical look. Sean-O said it looked like something he would imagine in the Himalayas. There were lots of day hikers up there who were interested in our hike. :)   Bump loved how he could watch the size of the trees shrink or grow as we went up or down on either side, approaching the treeline. It was pretty cool.On the north side of the mountain, there is a cascading waterfall that tumbles down almost the entire way. The AT follows right along the side of it. It was really spectacular.    Tomorrow, we head toward Franconia Notch. We don't expect to make it all the way there, it's about 16 or 17 miles, so most likely one long day and one short. Sean-O's son, Chris will meet us there and put us up for the night. It seems so strange to be hiking in a somewhat familiar area. Even though my hiking experience in the Whites is very limited (Crawford Notch area), we've driven through the White Mountains many times and know the names of the notches and where they are. Cool!
Date: 2003-08-22
From: Kinsman Notch

To: Kinsman Pond Campsite
Miles today: 11.5
Weather: light rain

Oh my goodness! Are we ever in the White Mountains! Yesterday we were impressed with Mt. Moosilauke; well compared to Mt. Kinsman, that was a cake walk. Today we started our day with a climb up Mt. Wolf and just kept on climbing. The weather was skittish--first foggy, then sunny, then cloudy. We even heard some thunder and had a little bit of rain. I was just praying it wouldn't rain when we were doing the "rock scramble" up the south peak of Kinsman.    Some scramble! It took us almost 2 hours to reach the south peak at 4358 feet. We were climbing straight up, holding onto roots, trees, rocks, anything we could get a grip on. When we finally got to the top, it was spectacular! There were sunbeams shining down through breaks in the dark clouds. Far off on the horizon, there was a pinkish hue hanging under the cloud ceiling. We could see a lake way down at the bottom of the mountains and just layer upon layer of mountains in the distance. It was also windy and cold, since we were drenched with sweat. We headed what we thought was down the trail.    It turned out to be up instead. We had to climb the north peak next. We were exhausted by then and the going got pretty slow. We finally reached that summit and got an amazing view of the mountains we face next: Lincoln and Monroe. Scary! Anyway, we really started our descent wondering how far away the shelter was. It was after 6:00 and we were starving! On the way down, Sean-O found a sign that read only .2 miles to go! Yeehaw! I was so relieved we were still all in one piece and had just said so, when the root I was using as a handhold to lower myself down a rock face snapped! Fortunately, Bump was standing right below me and he kind of caught me and stopped me from sliding down the rock! He's my hero :)   We got into camp right after that and as we were checking in with the caretaker, we heard a "whoop" from the trail. Oopala was already there, of course, and he came over to congratulate us for surviving our first really tough climb.    It was a long, hard day but we did it. Now we are all in our tents listening to the wind howling. It reminds me of those first nights so long ago when Cricket and I would listen to the wind roar up one side of the mountain, over the top of us, and down the other side like a train. Amazing.
Date: 2003-08-23
From: Kinsman Pond Campsite

To: Franconia Notch
Miles today: 4.9
Weather: clear sky

start: Kinsman Pond Campsitedest: Franconia Notchmiles: 4.9Brrrr!!! The wind howled on all night and was still blowing this morning. The temperature was around 40 and the caretaker, Eric, said the wind chill factor was 24 degrees! We needed to get off that mountain and warm up. Sean-O was up early and ready to go. We were meeting his son, Chris at the Flume parking lot for a weekend of R&R at his house on Lake Winnipesaukee. How cool is that?We headed down the mountain, looking forward to the break, but expecting the descent to be on the tough side. Silly us, we forgot we would be passing by the first AMC hut in their system. The Appalachian Mountain Club (or Money Club) oversees the trail through the Whites and they are the only group that charges hikers to stay at their shelters. They also run a system of "huts" or lodges that caters to groups, members, and families. Thru-hikers can either pay the full price of $72 per person (includes food) to stay or can sometimes do a work-for-stay deal, where you help with serving meals and/or cleaning up. Anyway, since the trail down is often used by the AMC guests, it was fairly easy to hike. Made my day better :)Sean-O had hiked ahead, anxious to meet Chris and was waiting for us with him at the Flume Visitors Center. Chris brought sodas and goodies, yum! Tomorrow we'll enjoy a zero day and get our errands done before we head back to tackle a few more mountains!Thanks so much, Chris, Debbie and Alexandra :)
Date: 2003-08-25
From: Franconia Nothc

To: Garfield Ridge Campsite
Miles today: 10.2
Weather: overcast clouds

Oh my goodness!!! Are we ever in the Whites! Chris got us to the trail at 10:00 am. We had a big day before us. We started with a climb up Mt. Liberty and Little Haystack Mountain. I'm glad there was no Big Haystack, it took us almost 2.5 hours to summit! Next we headed up and over Mts. Lincoln, Lafayette, and Garfield. It was incredible! We were above treeline for most of the day. When we summited Lincoln, we could see for miles, although it was hazy and there were clouds overhead. As we walked along the ridgeline, a freezing wind blew all around us. Then the cloud dropped down over us and a heavy drizzle started to fall.    It wasn't long before it turned into rain--a cold, stinging, horizontal rain. There higher we climbed, the less we could see, as in I couldn't see Bump or Sean-O 10 feet in front of me! We stuck close together and continued our ascent. Suddenly I heard someone coming up from behind me. I turned thinking it was the guys we passed earlier. It was Stripe! I was so excited, I practically screamed. Another reunion. This trail is amazing! He needed to hike quickly through, he was freezing and wet. We agreed to catch up at the campsite. Finally the trail started down, steep and rocky. When we reached treeline, it was such a relief to be out of the wind. All we needed to do was summit Garfield and find the campsite. By the time we did, we looked like a small band of drowned rats. We pitched our tents as darkness fell around us, grateful to be off the trail for the night.
Date: 2003-08-26
From: Garfield Ridge Campsite

To: Stealth camp after Zealand Hut
Miles today: 10.0

Today was much easier than yesterday. We only had to make the rocky descent of Garfield and climb South Twin Mountain and Mt. Guyot. Piece of cake! The weather started much the same as yesterday ended. It was cold and wet when we hit the trail. It wasn't long, however before we were peeling off layers. The sun decided to shine and we were only above treeline for a little while today.   Most of the trail was pleasant enough, with some rocks and mud. The summit of S. Twin was awesome--360 degrees of vistas. We really could see for miles and miles today. We met some section hikers and had a fun chat with them on the top.    Then it was down the mountain to Zealand Falls Hut. Stripe was expecting us there and Sean-O planned to stay there with him. Bump and I had decided to "stealth camp" just past the hut. We didn't want to pay $72 each! When we arrived at the hut, we discovered it was full. OFF was already there with Stripe and both had signed on as "work for stay". Sean-O was able to get a spot as wfs, also.    OFF filled our water bottles for us, and we all made our plans to meet in the morning. Zac is bringing our next resupply to Crawford Notch tomorrow around noon. He's bringing a little trail magic, too, so should be a good day. We hope to get to the Willey House for hot dogs and ice cream!   Bump and I continued down the trail to the stealth campsite. There are a man and his son camped here also. It's a great site! The wind is blowing and it's raining a little off and on, but it's so much warmer down here than it was last night. I hope the guys at the hut stay warm on the porch!
Date: 2003-08-27
From: Stealth camp after Zealand Hut

To: Stealth camp on Webster Cliffs
Miles today: 9.3

Today we walked the easiest 7 miles in the Whites heading down to Crawford Notch to meet Zac. What a beautiful trail! It was like being back in the forests that we are so familiar with! It was also trail that I've walked before with Cricket and grandson, Marcus. I saw the gigantic blowdown that he took a picture of and the "A" shaped trees where he made up a story about a secret entrance to Atlantis. It was very cool to feel so at home there.   We got to Crawford Notch and waited for Zac and his friend, Joel. Sean-O, Stripe and OFF arrived shortly after. OFF hitched to a store and Stripe decided to hike on to Mizpah Hut. We'll meet him at Lakes of the Clouds Hut tomorrow. When the boys arrived, it was great picking out what warm clothes I wanted (he brought the whole basket!) and packing lots of food for the next few days. Not fun to carry, mind you! Then we took a ride to the Willey House Historic Site for hot dogs. sodas and ice cream--ummm, good! We looked up at the mountaintop cliffs and were hoping we wouldn't end up there. WRONG!!! We are camped on those very cliffs overlooking the Willey House. Well, actually we're camped in the trees about 30 feet from the rocky edge!    Anyway, Zac took us back to the trailhead and as we were packing up, a lovely lady approached us. She asked if we were thru-hikers and said she had drinks and snacks if we were interested. It turned out to be Batch and his wife! Sean-O had hiked with Batch a couple of months ago. He and his wife thru-hiked the AT 10 years ago when he was 71 and she, 68 years old. Batch was attempting to thru-hike this year to mark the 10 year anniversary of their hike. He ended up getting off because of all the bad weather. He and Sean-O had another great, surprise reunion! The AT magic just continues :)
Date: 2003-08-28
From: Stealth camp on Webster Cliffs

To: Lakes of the Clouds Hut
Miles today: 9.3
Weather: overcast clouds

What an incredible night! Sean-O had promised to wake us to see Mars if he got up during the night. At 3:40 am, he did just that. We got up and went out on the cliffs to look at the stars and Mars, at its closest orbit to Earth in our lifetime and then some. It was magnificent--he pointed out several constellations he knew and we could see the Milky Way. It was FREEZING with the wind blowing so hard, so we quickly climbed back into our tents and warm sleeping bags.   This morning we headed out to make Lakes of the Clouds Hut. It's at the base of our climb up Mt. Washington tomorrow, so a good place to stop for tonight.    We stopped for lunch at Mizpah Hut and were surprised to be able to buy a "bottomless bowl of soup" for $2 and coffee. Yummy! And even better, hot! We had a chance to talk with a couple of southbound (sobo) thru-hikers and swapped info about the trail. They told us how cold it was coming over the ridge, so we bundled up and headed back to the trail.   The biggest challenge of the day was trying not to get blown off the trail by the gale-force winds! Unbelieveable! The climbs up Mts. Jackson, Clinton, Eisenhower, Franklin and Monroe were amazing! We kept stopping and just looking out at the views with disbelief that we were actually doing this.   We finally got to the hut, hoping to get work-for-stay spaces. No go, but we got bunks for $20 and a bowl of soup for free (there wasn't enough for refills, so he didn't charge us). They also have Tang, coffee, cocoa or tea for $1--all bottomless, so not a bad deal. The big problem is we're not eating our stuff so the food bags are still heavy :( Oh well.    Tomorrow we climb Mt. Washington, a definate HIGHlight of the trip! I'm not sure how long it will take or how far beyond it we will get. I guess we'll just have to see. Hopefully, the visitor's center will be open. I hear they have great chili dogs!
Date: 2003-08-29
From: Lakes of the Clouds Hut

To: Madison Spring Hut
Miles today: 7.0
Weather: fog

Okay, so I was all psyched to climb Mt. Washington. The sun was out, the sky was clear, we were set to go. The "big climb"! I remember driving up the auto road years ago. We could only go so far because the road was closed due to snow. We got out and started walking, and walking, and walking. We never did get to the top. It was huge! Of course, we started at the very base of the mountain that day. Today we were already at 5040 feet elevation when we started up. The summit is at 6288 feet. We climbed up rocks for 1.5 miles. It was really a piece of cake compared to some of the stuff we've done lately. It was windy, but not freezing. And windiest of all at the sign marking the summit. So, after the requisite photos, we hustled into the visitors center.   To our great disappointment, the snackbar wasn't serving hot food yet. We had been looking forward to chili dogs. We settled for coffee and danish. The view was spectacular; we watched the cog railway train come up and checked out the trail across the ridges awaiting us.    Everyone was writing out postcards since there is even a little post office there. Seemed like a great idea, so I did the same. Nine cards later and another stop at the snackbar for cold sandwiches to carry out for lunch and we were ready to go. We hoisted our packs and headed for the door. What happened?!? Where was the view, the sun, the fantastic day?    While we were busy inside, a thick cloud had settled over the mountain. The wind was absolutely raging and it was COLD! We dropped our packs and put our jackets and hats on. Okay, let's try this again. Off we went. The big challenge for the day became trying to stay on the trail, upright and walking in the direction of our choice. No easy task!    We managed to get by Mountains Washington, Clay, Jefferson and Adams. Hard work when fighting 50-60 mile per hour winds whipping you around! Bump had hoped to go to Osgood Campsite. We ended up here at Madison Hut, 3 miles short of our goal. It was cold, windy and spitting rain. When they offered us space on the tables for $10, I was sold. Hot soup for dinner and a warm building to sleep in--aaahhh.   Tomorrow we'll get the early boot from the hut "croo". They wake the guests at 6:30 for 7:00 breakfast, so we need to be off the tables before that. UGH! Bump and I both hate waking up early. But, it will get us moving and into Pinkham Notch in time for the AYCE (all you can eat) lunch buffet :) Meanwhile, we're sitting here waiting for the "guests" to get tired and go to bed so we can pull out our sleeping bags. Yawn...
Date: 2003-08-31
From: Stealth camp at Pinkham Notch

To: Stealth camp at Zeta Pass
Miles today: 8.5

Today was a good day of hiking. We didn't get the miles done we had hoped for, but that's okay. Our day started with a 2000 foot climb straight up Wildcat Mountain. There are 5 peaks to Wildcat and we got to summit each one.    There is a gondola lift that tourists can take up and down the mountain. As we were hiking along just before reaching it, we ran into a couple from Massachusetts. He was so funny, he asked how far the trail went to get down to Rt 16. When we told him we had been climbing for 1.5-2 hours, his eyes about bugged out. He then wanted to know why we were hiking up the mountain. He just couldn't believe we were hiking the AT. He kept asking if we were kidding or what. When we finally convinced him we had walked from Georgia, he insisted on taking our picture with his lady friend. He was still talking about it when we hiked on.   We stopped at Carter Notch Hut for lunch and enjoyed a hot cup of coffee. Then it was back to work climbing Carter Dome and Mt. Hight. Late in the afternoon, we met a very sweet lady who was doing a few days of hiking from the hut. She was very excited about our hike; she wants to hike the AT when she retires. She gave us a bag of dried apricots (one of my favorite snacks) and rice crackers. Yummy! She knew the trail well and agreed with us when we said we didn't think we would make it to Imp Campsite for the night. When we mentioned stealth camping at Zeta Pass, she told us the spring was unreliable. We assured her we were carrying extra water. In fact, I had been complaining all the way up the mountain about the extra 4 pounds of water Bump had loaded into my pack :(   Turns out it was a good thing we carried the extra water weight. The spring/stream here is dry. Go figure! Okay, I'm only gonna say this once, Bump was right. We had enough water to cook dinner, have delicious gormet cocoa from Sara, Mike and Austin (thanks!) and wash the dishes.    Tomorrow we're determined to get to Gorham. It's been a week since we had showers and did laundry--STINKY! I also heard there's a Dunkin Donuts in town. Count me there!
Date: 2003-09-01
From: Stealth camp at Zeta Pass

To: US2, Gorham, NH
Miles today: 12.6
Weather: fog

Today was a fun day of hiking. The weather cooperated once more, staying cool but clear. And, we were headed for town after 8 straight days of hiking with no showers or clean clothes. I'm sure the day hikers we've passed would be happy :)   We started by climbing Carter Mountain--or Mountains I guess would be more accurate. There's South, Middle and North Carter Mountains. The trail was pleasant enough and we were stepping along. Bump was leading the way and Sean-O had "Sass detail".    You see, when we hike, I'm always last. The guys take turns hanging back to make sure I'm doing okay. Anyway, as I said, Bump was in the lead and was fast moving ahead of us. I didn't think much of it until we started to get close to Imp Shelter. Sean-O turned to me and said, "I'll bet he's already sitting on that privy." It finally dawned on me that the race was on! You see, the guys have this thing about having to...you know...in the woods. They'll hold it all day until we get to a privy. I, on the other hand, have no problem taking care of nature's call. Well, I started laughing and agreed with Sean-O. The two of us got to the shelter a few minutes later and sure enough, Bump was coming out of the privy with a big smile on his face. We took off our packs and without missing a beat or even glancing my way, Sean-O called out, "I'm next!" He grabbed his tp and headed to the privy. A little while later, he re-emerged and said with a big sigh, "I'm beginning to believe that a good visit to the privy may be better than sex." Hmmm....   Later in the day we climbed Mt. Moriah. It was a beautiful mountain, with nice views and the last climb for the day. We met Scotland, Corn Patch and another hiker along the way. It turns out we had met Scotland before--Sean-O and he had met back in Erwin and he remembered meeting Flying Cricket and me on a mountain somewhere along the way. Cool :)   Tonight we are staying at Hikers Paradise in motel rooms, not the hostel. Dinner was AYCE Chinese buffet and tomorrow it's Dunkin Donuts! Gorham is a great little town and Bruno and Maryanne, the owners of the motel and hostel, are wonderful. It's nice to be clean and lying in a nice soft bed :)
Date: 2003-09-02
From: US2, Gorham, NH

To: Gorham, NH
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Today we took a zero day here in Gorham. As usual, there's just too much to do and not enough time. Besides, we need the break. We ran into Sheepstuff at the post office and Stripe and his wife, Gerry as we were walking to the outfitter's. We also saw Apollo as she came hiking into town. But the best surprise of all was the knock on our door around 8:00 this evening. It was Circuit Rider! He and Sherlock had hiked the 21 miles from Pinkham Notch to here today. We were very excited to see them again and have Bump finally get to meet them. They hope to summit Katahdin on the 19th, so it's unlikely we'll see them on the trail again. They're just too fast for us! But then again, you just never know who you'll meet on this amazing trail!