morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2008-07-23
From: Kinsman Notch

To: Franconia Notch
Miles today: 16.3
Weather: light rain

Today Jukebox, General and I slackpacked northbound. There were some intense climbs, in fact, the climb up to South and North Kinsman Mountains were pretty much just a hand over hand rock scramble. Still, it was one of my favorite climbs on the trail despite the fact that it was completely socced in with fog. It was another cloudy, drizzly day. One of the strangest things that has happened on the trail occurred today when we stopped for a break at the Lonesome Lake Hut. Ah, I should explain the hut system. The entirety of the AT, except for the White Mountains, is maintained largely by volunteer organizations. The White Mountains are maintained by the Appalachian Mountain Club, which is a non-profit. That means surprisingly different things for the trail itself. There are large huts in the Whites that hold anywhere from 30 to 90+ people that are rustic, but provide meals and a bunkhouse. What makes this extremely unique is that the Whites are the only place on the entire trail that hikers have to pay to stay in shelters. THe huts run about $80 a night and the shelters are $8. This is pretty appalling to most thru hikers, but we also have the opportunity to do a work for stay at the huts, though they are not always available. Oh, and stealth camping in the Whites is illegal, so you're supposed to *have* to pay. Anyway, one of the cool things about the huts is that they serve food all throughout the day so long as there are left overs. So we stopped at Lonesome Lake Hut, and who did we run into? The Dean of York! This meant nothing at first to the Jukebox and I, but I could tell instantly that this was a big deal for the General, who is from York. His eyes almost popped out of his head and he took this huge step backward. Turns out the Dean is kind of like the Archbishop of the Catholic church... and here he was in the White Mountains!Once in Franconia Notch we got a hitch from a guy who worked for Enterprise and we weren't in the car 5 minutes when we were pulled over for speeding. WE were all lucky that our new friend did not get a ticket. The officer did ask several times who his passengers were. It was very clear we didn't quite belong with this suit clad fellow. I kept praying that he wouldn't say that we were hitchhikers, because that really could have been a problem for the chap. INstead he said we were hikers that needed a ride so he just picked us up. GOod move.WE got back to CHet's only to find that NO ONE who was there when we left that morning had hiked out, and more people had showed up during the day. that meant 18 people sleeping in a place that had 6 bunks. Yeah, it's going to be a rough night's sleep.
Date: 2008-07-24
From: Franconia Notch

To: Garfield Shelter
Miles today: 9.7
Weather: moderate rain

Well, I was certainly right about it being a rough night's sleep. On top of the fact that people were practically sleeping on top of each other, the forecast for today was to be worse than yesterday, and it pored all night long. I was having restless dreams about whether I should hike out or not. The Jukebox and General had decided they would probably zero due to the weather and the potential crowds. having 18 people leave on the same day in the same direction in foul weather meant that there would be a lot of folks fighting for the shelters. It was a reasonable plan, but I was starting to really get nervous about my deadline, and when I woke, the sun was out. SO I made the tough decision to leave Jukebox and General and hike on.Although it was sunny when the shuttle picked us up from Chet's, there were huge, black ominous clouds hanging over the mountains. What I didn't know at that point was that I was in for my toughest, scariest day on the trail yet. The shuttle left about 6 of us off at the trail head, and I quickly fell behind 3 guys and was far ahead of 2, and I wasn't even sure if they were hiking the AT. THe day started with a steep 3 mile climb to above tree line, and wouldn't you know it. As *soon* as I was above tree line, the rain came pouring in. And the wind was incredible. There was a somewhat technical bouldering part, and I was honestly considering turning around right there. It just seemed stupid to keep hiking, but I had already gone 3 miles and I really didn't want to do that section again. Also, a Southbounder came by right as I was considering turning around, so I pushed on. In a quick 4 miles I'd be off the exposed ridge.Well, that 4 mile section was the scariest on the trail. It was completely socced in with fog, so at times I couldn't see more than 15 or so feet in front of me. But that ended up working out alright for me because, apparently there is just a sheer drop off of either side of this ridge in many sections. The wind was incredible, and I had certainly never experienced anything like it. I was literally knocked down by it several times. Before long, I was soaked, cold, lonely and miserable and slipping and sliding my way down the trail. I was terrified of falling because most of the time I had no idea how long I'd fall for. I was so relieved to get to the shelter. It took me 7 hours to go less than 10 miles, but somehow when I got to the shelter, there was only myself and Datlef, another German. Although I was there early, there was no way I was moving. I was so grateful to be under a dry roof and alive. I was sure no one else would come in since it was such a stupid day to hike, but around 5:00 Tupperware, Hearts, Bunz & Roses and Twiggy & Spock rolled in soaked, miserable and cold. ANd then came Jay BIrd. So we were pretty packed in at that point, but it was a good night anyway.
Date: 2008-07-25
From: Garfield Shelter

To: Zealand Falls Hut
Miles today: 10.1

Today was absolutely spectacular, the first I'd seen like this in a long time. The sky was crystal clear, the humidity low and the temperature in the low 80s... awesome, in a word. Yet my morale was really low this morning. Maybe it was aftershocks from yesterday, and missing Jukebox and General. I don't think I'll see them again even though they insist they'll catch me. It was so nice that I spent an hour on South Twin Mountain with Datlef. We had a clear view of Mt. Washington, and just enjoyed ourselves and dried out. Just as we were about to leave, Tupperware's crew turned up. I was hoping to go 16 or 17 miles today, but that went out the window once they showed up. They're just such a great bunch of folks, who were really having a lot of fun and enjoying each others company. I couldn't resist wanting to stay with them, especially when I was still feeling blue. So we hiked the rest of the day together and stayed at a stealth site not far from the hut. While the hut workers aren't supposed to tell us where to stealth camp, most of them would rather do that then try to make work for 7 people. IT was a great night with a fire.
Date: 2008-07-26
From: Zealand Falls Hut

To: Mt. Webster
Miles today: 10.1

Today we hiked the easiest section in the Whites... but the easy section is only about 5 miles long. We hitched into a camp store at Crawford Notch to resupply, then hitched back out to climb Mt, Webster. What spectacular views! It was breathtaking up on the top of Mt. Webster and the climbing was fun-- a lot of hand over hand stuff. We found a ridiculously small stealth site for 7 people on top of Mt. Webster, but it was so breathtaking we couldn't pass it up. I watched a beautiful sunset, but also watched a thunderstorm roll in. Thunderstorms sure have a way of making you feel small and stupid. It's generally not a good idea to camp on a summit in a thunderstorm. Still, it wasn't that bad of a storm, so we were safe.
Date: 2008-07-27
From: Mt. Webster

To: Pinkham Notch
Miles today: 22.7
Weather: fog

Today started out awesome. WE were all psyched to summit Mt. Washington, the tallest mountain in the North east. I couldn't help but wish that Mt. Washington was the northern terminus of the trail, as it was originally proposed. But that was a bit of a fleeting thought. Honestly I think the medication I'm taking if having an effect on my mood. I definitely remember having an issue with that the last time I had Lyme. It's really too bad since these are the last weeks of the trip, but oh well.We ended up taking a too long break at Lake of the Clouds Hut just before the Mt. Washington summit, and that ultimately created a big problem for us. By the time we got to the summit, the weather was starting to turn and nasty thunderstorms were predicted. The group was divided. And let me say how impressed I was by them (Tupperware, Hearts, Bunz & ROses and Twiggy & Spock). They've been hiking together in this big group since PA. THey are amazingly committed to each other--hiking and hitching in a big group isn't easy, but they've made it work. IT's been really nice to be a part of it for a couple days. Anyway, Twiggy, Spock and Tupperware hitched to Pinkham Notch and I was going to hike to Madison HUt with the rest of the group. I started hiking int he direction of Madison and stopped. I took one look at that ridge and said heck no! There was no way I was going to go over that in a thunderstorm. The day I went over Franconia Ridge without lightening was bad enough. So I took a blue blaze instead down the Tuckerman Ravine. While this ended up cutting 8 or 9 miles off of the Whites, it was still the gnarliest descent I've done the whole trip. It was almost literally straight down at points, and I almost walked over a waterfall when I lost the trail. BUt I made it safely to Pinkham Notch without much trouble. I ended up staying at Camp Dodge, the home of the young AMC workers and volunteers, where I actually ran into Tupperware, Twiggy and Spock.Well, I didn't actually walk 22.7 miles today.
Date: 2008-07-28
From: Pinkham Notch

To: Imp Shelter
Miles today: 13.1
Weather: fog

I considered going back and hiking the rest of the Presidential Range for a while this morning. I felt like I missed something by skipping the second half of the range. Even though Twiggy, Spock and Tupperware were planning on going back and doing it, they talked me out of it. Honestly I was looking to be talked out of it. If I had done it, I probably would have run into Jukebox and General, which was weighing on me, but the threat of my deadline pushed me on, as well as the crew telling me I was crazy to do that.So I went over the Wildcats today which were surprisingly difficult, but fun. I ran into a southbounder who made it a point to tell me he was a famous author, and also made it a point to tell me that there was no way I would make it to Katahdin by August 20. These darned negative south bounders! Man that enraged me, but I still managed to stay polite. Besides, I knew right then that I make it no matter what. It wasn't that I vowed to do it then--I had done that long ago. But, well, I don't really know how to explain it. I just *knew* with a certainty that I would make my goal.Anyway, I arrived at the Carter Notch Hut around 2:00 and the clouds looked ominous. I asked if I could do a work for stay--man it's amazing how my fear of thunderstorms has increased with the more exposure I've had to them. The Hut leader asked me to move on since it was so early. I was angry, but went anyway. I was glad I did. The rest of the day's hike was really pleasant and relatively easy. I enjoyed having the trail to myself. When I arrived at Imp shelter I was amazed... There were a bunch of flip floppers there who I had met or almost met like No Car, Bogey and Slim. WE had a great view of the sunset and I went to bed with happy thoughts about finishing the Whites tomorrow.
Date: 2008-07-29
From: Imp Shelter

To: Gorham, NH
Miles today: 8.0
Weather: fog

It was a quick, easy hike into Gorham today, and I decided to stay at the new hostel, The WHite Birches. What a great move that turned out to be. I wasn't there long before Mouth, Chef and Peg Leg showed up! They blue and yellow blazed their way through the last of the White. They've all had it mentally. General and Jukebox were also in town because Jukebox broke his polls again. AND I ran into Tupperware's crew... they also blue blazed the last section of the Whites. Turns out that was the thing to do, so I felt even less bad about skipping a section of the Whites. It was a good day.
Date: 2008-07-30
From: Gorham, NH

To: Gentian Pond Shelter
Miles today: 11.8
Weather: broken clouds

I thought I'd feel rather refreshed after an easy nero and a day in town, but that was certainly not the case. I was exhausted all day, and just felt totally burnt out. My original plan was to try to hike the same mileage at Mouth, Chef and Peg Leg, but I just didn't have it in me, not at all. If I had, I would have been in Maine today. Maine. I can't believe it. I've come a really long way. It's hard to believe... while my body feels every inch of every mile I've walked, my brain feels like my earlier days on the trail were something of a dream.So I stopped at Gentian Pond campsite where I was joined by Loafy and Catfish and a few section hikers. It had a really gorgeous view and a waterfall. Maine tomorrow. wow.
Date: 2008-07-31
From: Gentian Pond Shelter

To: Full Goose Shelter
Miles today: 9.6
Weather: light rain

It was another of those days. I had big plans to try to make it through the Mahoosic Notch, but alas, the weather prevented it... or rather, i refused on account of the weather. Loafy, Catfish and I were hiking by 6:30, and we were in the midst of our first serious thunderstorm by 7:30 as we were climbing a mountain. So we stopped and hunkered down as we were on our way to the top of a mountain and I had already learned not to be on summits in thunderstorms. It never really stopped thundering and lightening for the rest of the day though. I hated crossing over all of the bald I did today in the lightening. Plus I was wading in water and mud all day. Not much fun. I stopped early at the shelter and there was a south bounding couple there who were considering leaving. I told them not to bother. i was really surprised when Mouth, Chef and Peg Leg showed up. NOthing brings a group of hikers together like a rainy day. The shelter was full by 4:00.
Date: 2008-08-01
To: Andover Maine!
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

Yes, I've made it to Maine!!!! IT's so hard to believe I'm so close to Katahdin. Less than 280 miles to go, less than 3 weeks. I have an interesting range of emotions going from excitement to be finished and happy at the thought of being around family, friends and all the people who love me at home, to being sad that this great adventure is almost over. SO many miles, so many great people, such a truly amazing experience. Words will never suffice. I am well, went through the Mahoosic Notch, the most grueling mile on the trail today (took me 1.5 hours to go one mile). And who did I see there? Once again, trail legend Warren Doyle. I was surprised that he recognized me, but we had a nice chat.I had quite a few happy surprises once I arrived in Andover. Pipper, Shiloh and Alohawk were all at the hostel I stayed at! It was so great to see all those guys. I thought Shiloh would be far ahead by now. Anyway, over dinner, Pipper, Barefoot (who I met in Pearisburg), and I decided to finish the trail together. That means big time slowing down for Pipper, but he's had such a rough go of it in Maine that he was loosing his marbles. That should be fun
Date: 2008-08-02
From: Andover Maine!

To: South Arm Road
Miles today: 20.3

Today was good. Barefoot, Pipper and I had a late start, but we still managed to get in 10 miles by 4:15. The terrain seems to be getting a little easier even though Moody Mountain was no joke. There was a gnarly rock slide on the trail that we had to climb over. I was really thankful that no hikers were hurt in that, because it probably would have been life ending. We found a really sweet campsite near the road, and Alohawk and Shiloh joined us for the night. What a great crowd. I'm grateful to be with these guys. We've decided to summit on 8/18. Only 16 days left. Craziness. Absolute craziness.
Date: 2008-08-03
From: South Arm Road

To: ME 17
Miles today: 13.3

Oh man--after a great camping spot last night, this morning started out rough. The climb up Old Blue and Beamis Mountains were rough to say the least. I think my body has just had enough--I felt like lead. The cool thing was running into Brian. I met him and Liz just before Damascus. He had ridiculously awful feet that I still regret not taking a picture of, and he was planning to yo-yo (hiking the entirety of the trail, then turning around and walking right back). Well, it was pretty awesome running into him on his south bound trek. He said that Maine was his favorite when he hiked it on 2005, and his least favorite this time around because of the ridiculous amounts of rain it's had all season. Shiloh and I stopped for lunch on the summit of Beamis Mountain because the sun seemed like it was about to make a surprise appearance. And Guess what? IT started thunderstorming about 15 minutes later. And of course we traversed over balds all afternoon. We did make a last minute decision to go to Riff Raff, a free hostel in Rangely. Pipper never caught us, but I thought he'd figure out where we went.
Date: 2008-08-04
From: ME 17

To: Rangely
Miles today: 13.1

Slack packed the flattest part of the trail today with Memphis Tim. It rained and I'm really sick of rain. Knee deep water for miles, ugh.Today's saving grace came from the generous soul, Shiloh. There was only vacancy at an expensive hotel that Tim and I couldn't afford, so he paid for half of our room without our knowing it. Wow... the generosity of folks out here continues to amaze and renew me. It was defintely the NICEST place I stayed on the trail. Thank you Shiloh.
Date: 2008-08-05
From: Rangely

To: Spaulding Mountain
Miles today: 18.7

Hike, eat, sleep. The sun came out for a bit today and I celebrated by hiking almost 19 miles with Pipper. It was a good move. The trail is pretty nice when there isn't massive quanities of water on it.We lost Bearfoot and don't know where he is. Today I had a great conversation with Shiloh about why I'm out here. While I'm not sure that my reasons now match my reasons for starting, I have definitely learned a lot and gained so much by being out here. I'm more confident and have definitely gained courage out here and I have a feeling both of those qualities will come in useful in days to come. It was sad leaving Shiloh and Alohawk , but I hope we'll see them again. Pipper and I hiked a bit further than them to take advantage of the dry weather.
Date: 2008-08-06
From: Spaulding Mountain

To: Stratton
Miles today: 13.8
Weather: light rain

Pipper and cruised into Stratton despite the bad weather--it feels good going fast again. It poured today, and there was interesting ford with a plank that I'm sure washed out not long after I crossed on it. We got a ride immediately when we got to the road and it was into Stratton for us. We went to the Plaza Hotel because they have both a bar and rooms, and what a great decision that was. It was the most welcoming place on the trail. We showed up drenched and shivering from a cold hitch in a truck bed, and the bar tender waved us in and told us to pull up a chair. We ended up staying at the hotel across the street. What a treat! Stranger hair in the shower, stranger hair in the bed. It kinda looked like a hairy Italian guy had his back shaved in the bed. I opted for the sleeping bag instead, but it was still much better than another rainy night.
Date: 2008-08-07
From: Stratton

To: East Flagstaff Rd.
Miles today: 16.7

Well today was the fabled last really hard day until Katahdin. It didn't disappoint. While I had a slack pack on, it was still totally draining. I honestly felt like lead. Again. Oh how my legs want to stop walking. It poured rain again, which was disappointing because hiking over the Bigelow Mountains is supposed to be one of the most beautiful scenery on the trail. So much for that. We hiked back to Stratton and are staying in the hairy hotel again. IT's better than dealing with the rain. We've already decided to zero tomorrow because we're supposed to get 2 inches of rain. Wow... Maine is getting expensive, but it's hard to care when the alternative is misery.
Date: 2008-08-08
From: Stratton

To: Stratton
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

Ahhh--a well deserved and much needed 0 mile day. I watched TV most of the day, which is never a good thing for me to do, but I did make a trek out to find a small birthday gift for Michael. The Olympics started today, so I watched some of the opening ceremony.I did have a cosmic meeting with someone from my past. Memphis Tim and Stripe were talking about a section hiking couple that they ran into who sounded strangely familiar... a fellow who left the Jesuits and then married a volunteer in some program... I knew it had to be Barbara who was in the Baltimore Jesuit VOlunteer Corps while I served in Bridgeport! It was crazy, and great to see her again. She introduced me to the one and only guitar picking sequence I know, God bless her.
Date: 2008-08-09
From: East Flagstaff Rd.

To: Kennebec River
Miles today: 19.6

Well I can't say I didn't expect it, but Pipper, Stripe and I hoofed 20 miles in 8 hours over ridiculous terrain to make sure we were on time to get to the ferry, only to find out once we arrived at the Kennebec that the ferry was closed due to high water. Honestly, I had been looking forward to this ferry ride, really a canoe trip across the river, since before I left. What a disappointment... I mean, for some reason, this really brought me down. The one providential thing about today was that Shiloh appeared on the other side of the river and screamed that the ferry would be closed again tomorrow and, if we tracked back 3.5 miles in the morning, he'd drive us around it. Oy! Main continues to refuse to cooperate, but it is making me less ambivalent about the end of the trail. I want to go home. I can't tell you how ridiculous the trail was today. We were literally submerged to mid calf for 16 of 20 miles. Ponds and rivers were overflowing onto the trail making it difficult to actually find the trail. Crossing Pierce Pond was actually really scary. As we were crossing a section of floating bog bridges, we completely lost it in a moment of maniacal laughter. See the video here. Hilarious.
Date: 2008-08-10
From: Kennebec River

To: Bald Mountain Brook
Miles today: 15.0

We sure lucked out today. After backtracking 3.5 miles back to a hunter friendly campground, Shiloh's son picked us up and drove us the 40 miles around the Kennebec to get to Caratunk. The ferry was closed again today, and no one knew how long it would be closed, so getting a ride was our best option. At Harrison Camps, Tim, the owner, gave the Pipper, Stripe and I a huge plate of the best pancakes that have ever crossed our lips for free. Pipper and his son ended up taking 8 of us around. It was so awesome of them. Gas isn't cheap. They took us to a grocery store so we could load up on provisions... most of which were alcoholic in nature. We all felt the need to spice things up a bit to boost our morale. We had planned to go an extra 4 or 5 miles to the next shelter today, but Stripe and I were ridiculously pooped... we couldn't figure it out. Maybe it was the fords--I don't know. It was one of the nicer days we had on the trail. We saw a huge storm building while we were on Pleasant Mountain. As we took a break at the shelter we heard thunder, and the break turned into an overnight stay. IT was cool though. Memphis Tim, Rabbit and Limonade showed up and we shared libations. We tried to hollow out roasted marshmallows and fill them with Bailey's with little luck. But it was fun.