morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2008-06-09
From: Hikers Welcome Hostel; Glencliff NH (1140')

To: Kinsman Pond Campsite (3750')
Miles today: 21.0

This morning started out with a big climb up Mt. Moosilauke. It was long but not too hard and once I got near the top I was out of the trees and was reorganizing the trail. It felt really cool even though there was not much view due to clouds. The climb down was steep and wet due to a brief morning drizzle. The down went alongside a great waterfall. The last 1-5 mi took an hour. After that steep down we went back up and at this point I ran out of water. It was very hot out and I knew there was a lot more climbing but eventually I crossed a stream. This section of the trail took a long time also due to lots of mud and areas that required you to be very careful where you placed your feet. The sun was out in full force and once it cooled down a bit as we went over South Kinsman it was quite nice hiking weather. South Kinsman had a long steep up as well and took a while. There was a beautiful view up top and I saw the Francs not too far away and it was quite mind blowing. They are wonderfully rugged looking mountains and I enjoyed seeing them. There is a great pond next to the shelter that I got to spend some time at. It was a very calming spot except for the bugs which eventually died down around sunset. I've camped at this site before and relaxed on the pond during a Cannon and Kinsman trip a couple summers ago. Today was a long 21 miles. I didn't get in until a lot later than I expected. Today really felt like a good hike in the Whites. It was a beautiful day (a little too hot though) with some tough terrain, good views, and now I'm sleeping by a pond.
Date: 2008-06-12
From: Mizpah Spring Hut (3800')

To: Pinkham Notch (2035')
Miles today: 19.6
Weather: few clouds

I was able to get some breakfast at the hut before heading out into a thick fog. I guess though at 4000' it's a cloud not fog. The hike to Lakes of the Clouds was extremely windy and cold with no visibility. It was 38o by my watch and the wind and cloud made it a lot colder. I didn't want to go up Washington in that kind of weather so I waited at Lakes of the Clouds for two hours and then all of a sudden everything started to clear and I could see down to the area at the bottom of the mountain. I headed up Washington in incredibly strong winds but since the sun was poking out it didn't feel too cold. It was an exhilarating hike up with the clouds coming and going and the winds blowing me around. The Washington summit is always weird with the buildings but I'm glad there is a shelter from the weather, but its so ugly and doesn't feel like the top of a mountain. Coming down was real windy still but the clouds finally completely cleared and I had perfect views of the entire Northern Presidential Range. There was still snow in large spots on the mountains which was a new sight for me. Walking along those mountains with not a cloud in the sky was so thrilling I never felt tired, only excited. I went up Mt. Adams and Mt. Madison and both were new 4000 footers for me in NH. I was surprised that the AT doesn't go over most of the peaks in the Presidentials, it's probably due to the harsh weather. My time in the Presidentials flew by and was awesome. I had never had such great weather and it made all the difference. If it were bad weather I would have rushed to get to shelter and possibly hurt myself. I'm camping just North of Pinkham Notch and am so excited I don't have to deal with bugs in my tent. I got in a little later than I had hoped (7 PM) and hope to get in sooner tomorrow. I shouldn't have a 2 hr layover at Lakes of the Clouds which will help.
Date: 2008-06-13
From: Pinkham Notch (2035')

To: Stevo's
Miles today: 21.1

More excellent weather today. Not a cloud in the sky. I felt awesome today. After 5 beautiful days and amazing mountains I feel very fortunate and rewarded. I had some steep ups and downs but I was feeling incredibly strong and didn't get bothered by them. I had great views of the Presidential range all day. There were no bugs until about the last 3 miles of trail where I got attacked. I was constantly swatting my arms and legs and killing mosquitos. I was starting to go crazy. Eventually I started running it was so bad and I thought they wouldn't land on me if I was moving. It helped a little but didn't stop them. Even once I got to the road and out of the woods they were still swarming. After I hitched into Gorham I walked to the meeting spot and called Grammie to try and meet with her tomorrow. The walk to the meeting spot was probably the toughest all day because I walked past every restaurant and fast food place in town. Stevo picked me up and we got some trip treat at Dairy Queen, the same Dairy Queen camp always goes to after trip. I got cleaned up and settled in at Stevos and we went to Cafe Noche for dinner. That plus some of Stevos cookies had be feeling quite full. Stevo's got a map of the AT with my progress as well as Matt and Doug's on it and he also had pictures from Bob and Quade's hike. I'm going to meet Grammie tomorrow morning and then hang out with the camp staff that are here now.
Date: 2008-06-14
From: Stevo's

To: Stevo's
Miles today: 0.0

I realized that yesterday was day 100 on the trail which is pretty cool. Where Stevo picked me up was mile 1878.3 according to my book so I've been averaging almost 19 miles/day. I slept in a bit and met Grammie for breakfast. I had a great meal at a restaurant near her house and then we went to the library so I could show her the pictures from my trip that are online. Back at her house she showed me some pictures she had found that were really old and showed a very different time period from the one we are in. She also showed me all her paintings. There is one in my room that she did for me a little while back that is of the Knife's edge on Katahdin. Grammie somehow is able to remember everybody in towns name and story and when you drive around with her she is able to tell you about every house and store you pass. I was able to talk to home and hear more about their plans to meet me up north. It's exciting to think I'm close enough where plans are being finalized. I ate a late lunch with Grammie and she took me back to Stevo's. I look forward to seeing her again on my way back south. The staff that were at camp were going to have a cookout in the Deer clan and Stevo went up there while I was on the phone with Doug. He's gonna be out of PA by tomorrow and has actually met someone (Jukebox) that I met very early on in my hike. The cookout was great and I got a steak which filled me up real good. I saw Matt as well who is now going to work at camp after his leg injury took him off-trail. I hung out with Stevo and the staff around the fire on Deer Hill for a little and then Stevo remembered that I still hadn't done laundry. It would suck to have to do it tomorrow so even though it was a little late we did it. I didn't actually do anything; Stevo did my laundry but I stayed awake for moral support.
Date: 2008-06-15
From: Stevo's

To: Gertian Pond Shelter (2165')
Miles today: 11.8

I slept in again and took my time this morning. I ate about 40 bowls of frosted flakes that Stevo got and a bagel before deciding to pack up. I was able to fully resupply at Stevos house which was very generous and convenient. We didn't head out until almost noon and on the way to the trail Stevo saw an Oriole but unfortunately I missed it. He dropped me off and I headed out into the cloudy hills. The bugs were bad but I am now equipped with Deet and a head net from Grammie (which has a hole cut in it "for pipe or cigarette") so I did not go insane. I put some deet on my forehead and when I started sweating it got in my mouth which was awesome. The walk was nice and peaceful but not much to see because of the clouds. There was a lot of flooded areas and one of the wooden planks I stopped on sunk down into the water so my boots are completely soaked and probably won't dry out for a while. I did see two white pink lady slippers (which I guess would be white lady slippers but that sounds racy.) I was worried that after a zero day I would feel homesick getting back on but that fortunately did not happen. I didn't have trouble leaving the comfortable confines of Stevo's because I feel very close to the end and my mind is more focused on trying to enjoy these last few weeks and make sense of everything. I had a great day off in NH and was able to talk with people about things besides the trail. When I run into other hikers on the trail its always the same conversation "when did you start," "where are you going tonight," "when will you finish," and more recently "the whites are tough huh." There are three others in the shelter tonight, two are thru-hikers and are the first I've run into since leaving Double Cheese on top of Lafayette. TransFat is one who actually hiked with Double Cheese a bit, the other thru-hiker is French Canadian and was way ahead of me but I guess he took some time off. The other hiker I guess is out doing a section and shared some rum with us. He talked about how much nicer everything north of Mass/CT is and I couldn't agree more. I tried calling Esra, but there is no cell service. I need a new memory card for my camera because I took so many pictures and videos in the Whites that I have no memory left.
Date: 2008-06-16
From: Gertian Pond Shelter (2165')

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

It was overcast all day today. I had good views from Mt. Success this morning and Goose Eye Mtn. The clouds cleared a little around me for those mountains and I was able to look south and see the big NH Mtns poking through the clouds. I crossed into Maine this morning and did Mahoosuc Notch this afternoon, both big highlights. My mind had been in Maine since I got back from my zero so it wasn't a huge dramatic border crossing, although it should be. Mahoosuc Notch was full of snow and ice and at the southern end were the bones of the moose that died in the notch last year. They were poking through the snow and stunk badly. Someone had put prayer flags above the remains. It was sad to think how it died. The one mile of the notch took me an hour and a half. All day the rocks have been slick and everything is taking forever. I hiked all day today and didn't even do 15 miles (I did get a late start.) The terrain is so rugged and you must watch every step especially with the rocks and roots being wet like they are. There are a lot of places where I could easily slip and hurt myself and it gets tiresome hiking all day feeling like your gonna get hurt. I saw my first Southbounder, Neptune, today and he said Maine was tough. I believe him if it keeps up like it has been. I've got a very strong so close but so far feeling going on. I'm a little anxious to get done but the area I'm in is so nice that its easy to fight that feeling. Tomorrow I will go into Andover for a night off the trail and resupply. I mailed myself a package there from Hanover but now I don't really need to stop because I just zeroed. I won't mind thought because Maine is beating me up badly already. Thunder has started now that I'm at the shelter and I'm alone tonight it appears. Update: Alpine Strider, the second southbounder I've met just showed up at the shelter and decided to join me. She did a thru-hike last year and told me that the stretch I did today was some of the toughest in Maine. I hope so cause my feet are feeling it, especially after being soaked for two days now. She had some funny stories to tell.
Date: 2008-06-17
From: Speck Pond Campsite

To: Pine Ellis; Andover, Maine
Miles today: 14.9
Weather: moderate rain

It was still wet out and the day started with a steep up and down that was real slick but I moved along alright. The trail wasn't as tricky as yesterday. The baldplates were nice and it was relatively clear going up and then it rained a little later. I met another southbounder, Wolf. I was able to get a call in to Pine Ellis as I heard it was a rough hitch. I left a message and when I got there the shuttle was there. I was real thankful and I should take advantage of the shuttle thing more. Alpine Strider had walked 9 miles into town. I got in to Pine Ellis which is a B&B that accommodates hikers. I did the normal town chores and called Esra to try and figure out my next mailing spot. I talked with Austin for a bit and should be seeing him in just over a month from now. I watched a little of the NBA finals and it looks like the Celtics are going to win. My boots will most likely still be soaked tomorrow.
Date: 2008-06-18
From: Pine Ellis; Andover, Maine

To: Bemis Mtn Lean-to (2790')
Miles today: 18.8
Weather: light rain

I got dropped off at the trailhead with two guys hiking southbound. They were from Michigan and one of the guys had gotten into Tech for grad school (he ended up going elsewhere) and had done undergrad at Michigan where Ben is going. The weather was alright this morning until I started climbing Moody Mountain. The rain came down for a while and there was a big river ford. The trail is incredibly flooded and there is zero chance of dry feet. I don't think my boots will be dry the rest of the trip. The rest of the climbs were alright. I hurried across Old Blue to beat some thunderstorms which went away before Bemis Mtn. I thought I would be exposed on Bemis like I was on the Baldplates so I was real worried about the thunder. It ended up not being too exposed and everything cleared up right before I got to the shelter. The trail is very flooded and basically follows streams. Tex is in the shelter tonight and was at Pine Ellis last night and has sectioned North to this point and is hoping to finish this year. He's got some interesting stories. I'm pretty hungry mostly due to a small breakfast but I need to make sure I have enough to get me to Stratton. These longer resupplies will be a good warm up for the wilderness. During the day I think a lot about how good it will be to spend time on Ragged Lake with Mom, Dad, and Esra. But I also have been thinking about how I may never be where I am again. I may hike in Maine again but its most likely it won't be after 1,900 miles and that perspective. It's very strange to think of that and imagine how I'll look back and what I'll wish I would've done. There's only one first thru-hike.
Date: 2008-06-19
From: Bemis Mtn Lean-to (2790')

To: Near Eddy Pond (2700')
Miles today: 21.6

When I woke up it was raining and I guess it had been raining all night. It was tough to get motivated to put on wet clothes and boots and hike out into the rain. I said goodbye to Tex and was out around 7:30. There were some slick downhills but nothing too bad. I met Hansel and Gretel, section hikers from Germany, and a Korean Southbounder. There was a long fairly flat stretch and the rain was off and on. I was feeling real slow so I took an early lunch that got me through the rest of the day no problem. The trail continues to be full of water. The flat today actually allowed me to zone out a but which was a nice change from the tense ups and downs I've been doing. I met some other hikers who said the weather is supposed to keep up like it has until Tuesday. I wasn't really counting on it letting up anytime soon. I went 2 miles past the last shelter just to make tomorrow a little easier although it still will be a big day. I've been stressing about making it to Stratton before the P.O. closes at 11:30 AM. I'm planning on waking up early tomorrow and seeing how far I can get. The terrain will be a lot tougher than today. I'm having a hard time with everyone I meet telling me I'm almost there. I definitely don't feel like I'm almost there as I have about 10% of the trail left to do. It's messing with my head bigtime. The campsite I'm at isn't in the book and the book actually says not to camp here but there were two different fire pits, plenty of flat space, a piped water source, a table near one of the fire pits, and firewood. It keeps raining on and off so I haven't been able to go hang out by the pond. There are two rowboats hidden in the woods which I guess locals use. There was a slug that died on my tent the last time I used it and has been packed up inside my tent for several days now and it really stunk at first but I cleaned it up.
Date: 2008-06-20
From: Near Eddy Pond (2700')

To: Campsite 3 mi North of North Crocker Mtn (2500')
Miles today: 26.1

Today was a huge day. I got up real early and was a little slow to get moving but was out early. Saddleback Mtn, the Horn, and Saddleback Junior all had awesome views and I was up above the clouds and the weather looked like it was actually going to be nice. I took an early lunch at Poplar Ridge Lean-to and it was nice and sunny out. Right after Lone Mtn. I crossed a group of 4 Southbounders. I asked about the Carabasset crossing which I had heard was impossible recently (Alpine Strider had to do a huge blueblaze up Sugarloaf and the two Michigan hikers had to wait a day for the water level to go down.)They had crossed it yesterday and said it was doable and they had also fixed a wooden plank between two rocks that had been washed out. They also warned me of a dead moose on the trail up ahead and sure enough in about a mile a calf was lying in the middle of the trail. It was very sad to see such a beautiful animal come to an undignified end. I couldn't tell how it died but it hadn't been there long. I walked past it very quickly and this is now the second dead moose (the first would be the bones in Mahoosuc Notch) I've seen. I've yet to see any live moose. I did see a couple spruce grouse and a marmot (my second so far.) I've also been hearing lots of new birds but I can never see them and have no idea what kind of birds they are. I passed Spaulding and Sugarloaf without going up because rain and thunder had developed. Around that time I also got some real bad hail. Pea-sized and coming down hard. The Carabasset River crossing was not nearly as bad as I thought it was going to be. If those Southbounders hadn't put the plank there it would have been real tough though. I pushed past the Crocker Cirque Campsite and went up over the Crockers hoping to stealth camp. Not long after coming down North Crocker it started to rain again. I was really hoping it would hold off so I wouldn't have to set up my wet tent in the rain. There was a little break in the rain so I quickly set up and was lucky to come across a good spot right then as there hadn't been any in a while and I was starting to worry. Everything is wet though. It makes it tough when everything is so wet and the rain came back again. I'm hoping I can dry out a little tomorrow. I'll stay at a shelter at least so I'm not cooped up in my tent. I am bummed about the rain but I'm also used to it more now. Looking at the elevation maps, I am really shocked at what I did today. I basically went over 3 different ranges, up and down. I was more surprised at how good I felt even until the end. I didn't feel beat and like I needed to pass out when I got to camp which is good because my tent was soaked. I'm pretty tired now but I think it's just because I got up so early today. Maine had been beating me up until today where I feel like I fought back a little. It really felt awesome to get such a good day of hiking in with so many different highlights, the views in the morning, the sunshine around noon, the wildlife, the hail and rain, the river fords, and big miles.
Date: 2008-06-22
From: Little Bigelow Lean-to (1760')

To: Pierce Pond Lean-to (1150')
Miles today: 17.3
Weather: overcast clouds

I slept in real late because I knew today was going to be an easy day and I had two early starts the two previous mornings and I wanted to make up for it a bit. All my stuff was spread out hogging up the whole shelter and I slowly picked up and left a little before 10AM. There was a small sprinkle of rain early on and some walks along ponds. I saw a couple spots where there were a bunch of loon feathers all over the ground like the turkey feathers in VA. I also saw a bunch of waxwings chilling in a tree and I got really close to them. I was psyched about that because I've never seen one before and I think they're real cool looking. They also posed nicely for my pictures. There were some more boggy parts with a ton of mosquitos but my deet is working great on them. It started raining when I got to the shelter which has a great view out on to a pond. The rain didn't stop the mosquitos though. There was a register entry and a note in the shelter saying that the Kennebec Ferry is not running due to high water but it could run tomorrow if the water level goes down enough. There is a place called Harrison's Camps 0.4 mi from the shelter and I was going to ask them if they knew about the Ferry and a southbounder named Casey came showed up and assured me it was not running. He had hitched around it and said the Ferry guy could be another week before he runs it again. I had a good time hanging out in the shelter with Casey and I'm seeing so many southbounders now who are just starting their journey. I'm avoiding telling SOBOs about what to expect because I don't want to be that guy who talks like he knows everything about the trail. Also it was fun figuring it out as you go which I'm still doing. Casey was doing yoga stretches in the shelter which impressed me because I never feel like doing any physical activity once I get in. He says yoga has helped him out with a lot of stuff and he is now a certified instructor. The rain stopped and we had a great view of the pond and the setting sun made some awesome colors that lit up the inside of the shelter with orange.
Date: 2008-06-23
From: Pierce Pond Lean-to (1150')

To: Bald Mtn Brook Lean-to (1280')
Miles today: 18.7

I woke up pretty early and felt surprisingly energized. I think the bugs helped get me going. I went up to Harrison's Camps to ask about the ferry but no one was there so I decided to head towards the Kennebec. I assumed the ferry wasn't running and my only chance around it would be to get a ride somehow from Harrison's Camps and if I did that I would be skipping just over 3 miles. It was early so I did the section to the south bank of the Kennebec and then back to Harrison's. The river was really wide and had a powerful looking current. When I got back to Harrison's the owner was there and a guy Dave was headed to Bingham and offered to take me. I was relieved to know I was on my way to the north bank of the Kennebec because from Bingham there is a road that goes to Caratunk which is right where the trail crosses the Kennebec. Dave and his son ended up driving me all the way to Caratunk which was so nice of them considering they were on vacation. For the most part I've been doing well with hitching and this one was a life saver because I would have had to wait until the water level went down to cross. Dave and his son have been out West a lot and everyone who's travelled there seems to love it. Tye (Dave's son) described it as Maine on steroids which sounds like too much for me because Maine is enough right now. When I got to Caratunk I walked to the north bank of the Kennebec and then hiked to the next shelter. It was kind of early to turn in and I was kind of bumming about having to take an extra day to Monson if I stayed at that shelter. (Also I was warned I wouldn't have enough food) so I pushed on with the intention of stealth camping along the way somewhere to allow me to hike to Monson tomorrow. I talked to Mom and Dad from the top of Pleasant Pond Mtn and we're working on finalizing plans to meet up. I was felling down about having to go around the Kennebec and a couple of other tough fords I've heard about coming up. The more I hiked though the better I felt and I ended up hiking all the way to the next shelter feeling awesome and coming up to an empty shelter. I was glad to get some alone time and tomorrow should be 22 miles into Monson if the fords are good. There hasn't been a lot of rain in the past two days so they could be passable. A lot of southbounders have had to be shuttled around the Piscataquis and I really don't want to have to skip miles at this point.