morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2003-08-08
From: Zealand Falls Hut

To: Crawford Notch
Miles today: 7.8
Weather: light rain

I left the Hut today around 9:00 am after a decent night of sleep on the porch. The AT leaves the hut and goes straight down about 500 verticle feet and then makes a right hand turn onto an old logging railroad bed. It then follows that railroad bed about five easy hiking miles to a bridge and then up hill a mile or two to Ethan Pond Camp site. From Ethan Pond the trail runs down hill to the notch.I was walking about 2 miles from Crawford Notch and all of the sudden I see the white bearded fella in a yellow shirt. It was Plugger. He was hiking south to meet me. He was very surprised to run into me as he figured that he might catch up with me at Zealand Falls Hut tonight. The two of us sat on a rock and had a snack and some water. We then walked down towards the car. About .2 miles from the parking lot there was a side trail to a 400 foot waterfall. I thought that it might be worth it to walk over to the falls to see it. Plugger agreed and so we took a little side trek over to the falls. It was very cool and I know that I got a few really cool photos.As we walked back to the parking lot I was quizzing Plugger to see about weather or not he thought it was good idea for me to take a zero day tomorrow Saturday. I really needed the rest and I was hoping that I could hang out at his house for the day where I would be away from the trial, close to a computer, and able to really relax and rest.We decided that was a good idea. Plugger drove me over to Pinkham notch to the Visitors Center where we met Spiderman (blonde hair) and Just Dan (Hotspur). Together the five of us drove down to Gorham to goto Grocery, PO, beer outlet, and liquor store. Spiderman and Just Dan were going to some party tonight. We took them and my mail drop back to the Visitors Center and then Plugger and I headed off to his house that is about 40 miles away.Plugger is totally amazing. I am so happy to have some one helping me though this the toughest part of my trip. What a real trail angel.
Date: 2003-08-09
From: Pluggers House

To: Pluggers House
Miles today: 0.0

A big fat zero day today.I am so glad to have rested. I have eaten probably 10,000 calories today, and I took a three hour nap between noon and three pm.Tomorrow I will be ready to hit the trail again and climb the Presidential Range and get up and over Wildcat Mountain. I hope to be in ME by the end of this week.For those of you who have stumbled upon my journal here from the Observer Reporter Article please sign my guest book. The link is at the left side of the page. Include your name if you would please.A good day of real rest is something that I have not had alot of in the past five months. I have only had 16 or 17 days where I have actually not hiked at all and even on many of those days I still had to run around to eat and do laundry and to get the rest of the things done that a hiker must do when in town.It is 10:00pm right now and we are leaving the house here to go back to the trail at 6:30am.I am off to bed.
Date: 2003-08-10
From: Crawford Notch

To: Lakes of the Clouds AMC HUT
Miles today: 14.8
Weather: light rain

Today was something.Plugger and his wife drove me back to the trail head in there Jeep Cherokee. We made a quick stop at Dunkin Donuts of course for coffee and bagles. I think that Plugger lives at that place. So we drive all the way back to the trail head and pull into the parking lot and the sky lets loose with a menace of a down pour. I have just grown used to the fact that I am going to have wet clothes and wet boots and just be plane wet and miserable.It must have rained very hard yesterday here because the dry river is flooded. There were some people padding at two very very very large hydraulics about two miles down river from the trail head. As I walked up the steep hillside to get up to LOTCH the water could be heard raging down water falls and the river for quite a few miles.I arrived at LOTCH around 5:00pm after having a decent day of hiking. I hiked up and over Mt Eisenhower and after I arrived at the shelter I decided to go on a side trip to the summit of Mt. Monroe. I skipped the summit of the mountain that was inbetween because the summit was most definatly fogged in.It is very cool up here at Lakes of the Clouds Hut. Last night a party rented the entire place out for a wedding. I wish that I would have been here. There was a band and booze and dancing, all at nearly 6000 feet.Tomorrow I am headed off to Pinkam Notch. I hope to be off and walking very early if the weather permits.
Date: 2003-08-11
From: Lakes of the Clouds AMC HUT

To: Pinkham Notch (Camp Dodge Volunteer Camp)
Miles today: 14.8
Weather: overcast clouds

I got an early start today out of Lakes of the Clouds with the hope that I might find my self catching some cool views from the summits of Washington, and Adams. It was foggy most of my morning as I hiked over to Thunderstorm Junction and stopped to rest for a while at Mt. Madison Hut. When I woke up the sun was shining. I left the hut and started the climb up and over the mountain. It was great being able to see something from the top. There was still the treat of rain and storms apparent in the sky but at least for a short while during the afternoon there were views a plenty.The AT is not blazed very well at all here in AMC country. It is one thing that I really think that they could work on. There are many junctions without and apparent double blaze before and without an apparent blaze in the proper direction after. Many times I have found my self looking behind me to the the southbound blazed to assure that I am still on the right path. Then you get to the Osgood Trail section of the AT down the ridge off of Mt. Madison. From there you can see 25 white blazed on all of the rock piles marking the trail. How can one section have so many excessive blazes and the other sections have none.THe walk down that ridge was great. I could see all the way to Wildcat and all the way to Gorham and beyond. I got down to the Pinkham Notch Visitors Center around dinner time and decided to have a sit down at the dining room there. It was great. It was a seven course meal and I had a double serving of everything except desert. I sat at a table with some nice folks from CT or MA and it was great to chat with them.Upon leaving there I was headed out to stealth camp and I decided to check to see if work for stay was Avaliable at Camp Dodge. So here I am tonight, in the bunkhouse at Camp Dodge while it is pouring outside. They have showers here which I did not know about and that was a great surprise.Tomorrow it Wildcat!!
Date: 2003-08-13
From: Carter Notch Hut

To: Rattle River Trail Head
Miles today: 14.8
Weather: mist

Today was my very worst day of actual walking yet on the trail. I did get a good sleep last night which usually means that I will have a good day hiking. Unfortunatly I found my self tired, exhausted, worn down, tripping and falling, and breaking equipment for most of the day. Straps on my back pack have come un-done. I fell and broke my hiking sticks today. My boot soles have been repaired with Shoo-Goo twice now and they are again falling apart.At one point this afternoon I thought that I might not make it to the road crossing to get a ride into Gorham. I had stopped to take a nap today at Imp Campsite and Shelter. My day was already going bad at that point and the AMC care taker tried his best to cheer me up. It did not work well. However this afternoon the sun came out and it did work some to cheer me up and motivate me to walk to the road.My walk down to the road however did not come with out event. After I fell today and broke my hiking sticks I fell two or three more times. The nature of the falls were simple. I was just not being careful where I stepped. I was fatigued.Finally I got down to Rattle River shelter that is only 1.5 miles from the road along an old road bed. When I got up to the shelter a small bear cub startled me. He fell about 40 feet down out of a tree. Then when I was about 50 feet from the shelter another cub scamperd across in front of the shelter near the fire ring.I had already decided that I was not going to stay in that shelter but the fact that the bear cubs were there made my decision final. I most definatly was going to come all the way here to town.
Date: 2003-08-14
From: Barn Hostel (Gorham NH)

To: Barn Hostel (Gorham NH)
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: few clouds

I took a zero day today to get my gear fixed and rest after my miserable day yesterday.I did work for stay here at the Hostel. I worked for two hours making repairs to the hiker Bicycle Fleet. As of the end of my two hours of work every single bike here is rideable thanks to a trip to wal-mart for one single tire tube and my ability to scrounge parts from the parts bin.I got my hiking sticks fixed at the outfitter store, and I also have taken pretty much the rest of my day to rest and relax.Tomorrow Plugger is coming to Gorham to hike with me the next three days over to Grafton Notch.It feels so good to rest.
Date: 2003-08-15
From: Rattle River Trail Head

To: Gentian Pond Shelter
Miles today: 12.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Plugger showe dup around 8:00 this morning and the two of us ran over to FUNKIN GONUTS for coffee and a donut. I cant believe the amout of business that these places have in the morning. The place was crazy inside.We parked Plugger's truck at the trial head and started off down the mile road walk across a hydro dam and off into the woods. The first few miles were up hill and we were walking back towards Mt Madison and Mt Washington. I dont carry maps of the trail to save weight but I swear that at the first vista or mountain summit I was no more than 5 miles from where I had been nearly one week ago and 30 miles back on the trail. Plugger struggled to make it to the shelter tonight. I left him back behind with Red to hike the last two miles or so because they were hiking at about the same pace and I wanted to get off of my feet. I am still not fully recovered after that day the other day when I fell ten times. My leg hurts and I am glad to be here at the shelter.There is another thing though that I want to mention. We are like one or two miles from the road where we started today and I had to walk twelve miles to get here. It is amazing the meandering that this trail does in these parts. Tomorrow I will be out of NH.
Date: 2003-08-16
From: Gentian Pond Shelter

To: Full Goose Shelter
Miles today: 9.7
Weather: haze

I arrived here at the shelter tonight around 4:30pm. Plugger did not show up until around 6:00. That means that it took him a little over 4 hours to go the last 2.5 miles to the shelter. I just could not wait on him and the terrain was pretty flat after we crossed over Goose Eye Mountain.I have enjoyed hiking with him the past two days now. I think that I have definalty motivated him to get back out here on the trail and start making his way towards officially knocking out a few hundred miles of the AT in the next year or so. I felt bad for him yesterday because I thought that maby he bit off more than he could chew by coming out here to the Mahoosic Range for his first long distance hike in five months.The range here is tough. Today was tought. I may have been able to go a little farther today if I was not waiting on Plugger a few times but I am also very tired and the next two or three miles includes the mile through Mahoosic Notch which is without a doubt the hardest mile on the trail.That is the agenda for tomorrow. Mahoosic Notch by noon time would be a really nice goal. It will also allow the two of us, Plugger and my self, to make the road where he is planning to stop hiking tomorrow afternoon. Hopefully we will both make it the ten miles down there to Grafton Notch.As for me I am so very tired right now. I hope to get a very good night of sleep tonight.
Date: 2003-08-17
From: Full Goose Shelter

To: Grafton Notch (road trip back to Gorham NH)
Miles today: 11.0
Weather: clear sky

Plugger is definatly back to his old hiking self finally after two hard days in the woods he walked today like a champ. Or at least he walked like a champ that had been in the woods for three days and was thinking about a hot meal at a diner and a cup of Dunkin Donuts coffee. First off let me say that if I had not been able to make Grafton Notch today, and if we had not met one very kind 75 year old Cardiologist from Boston who gave us a ride back here to Gorham, and if had not been able to share a pizza and some sodas on what will probably be my last night with Plugger's help avaliable I would not really be very happy tonight. Last night at the shelter RED SNORED HIS HEAD OFF. I did not sleep a wink. The only time that I actually did fall asleep I was awakened by RED clashing his pot and pan together at 2:00 am. What the heck he was doing I have no idea. He is the most regular hiker on the trail. He has to use the PRIVY every night at 2:00am and I am not talking about watering the wild flowers.So Mahoosic Notch gets my vote for hardes mile on the trail. Today I climbed over, under, around, and squeezed through, boulder that had fallen from the Notch walls that were the size of city busses. Some places you actually had to crawl down and under them. YES I said CRAWL. That mean no back pack on, dragging it behind or pushing it in front, crawling on hands and knees crawling. It took us three hours to do one mile.I think that I could have gone a little faster if I had not obligated my self to the group. Plugger surprised me today to. He was boulder dancing and rock hopping along at nearly the same pace as I was and he is twice my age.We were approaching Speck Pond today when we met a real nice Dr. from Boston who was section hiking with his son. It just so happened that he was going to Gorham on his way home tonight and Plugger needed a ride there back to his truck. Plugger suggested that I come along and he would bring me back in the morning. I had not had a shower when I was in Gorham three days ago so I took Plugger up on his offer. The two of us wound up at HIKERS PARADISE HOSTEL and we had pizza at the pizza place in Gorham.It was so amazing because the two of us did not really say much at all during dinner. We were both so tired from the lack of sleep last night and the hard day of hiking.What a day.
Date: 2003-08-18
From: Grafton Notch (road trip back to Gorham NH)

To: East B-Hill Road (Andover ME)
Miles today: 10.1
Weather: scattered clouds

Last night it started to pour down rain while Plugger and I were eating Pizza. I had thought in my mind that the past three days hiking in the dry weather with Plugger was his own fault. I had even joked about him packing up the sunshine and taking it back to Sanbournsville NH where he is from. I admit I was wrong. The weather today is quite possible the best hiking weather I have had yet. THe sky is blue with big white puffy clouds and the air is warm and dry.I left the parking lot this AM saying goodbye to Plugger and starting the climb up Bald Plate Mountain. What a beautiful day it turned out to be. Dez, and Drew, friends of Georgia Boy and Peaches who I had hiked with for three or four weeks in Virginia were with me most of the day. We really hiked hard and were at the road around 3:30pm. We had called on my cell phone to arrainge a shuttle ride the 8 miles into Andover and we had arrainged to stay at Pine Ellis B&B. When I got here I asked about work for stay and Paul allowed me to mow the grass for one nights worth of stay. I had hoped to find new boots from Salomon at the post office but they are not here yet. I have decided to slack pack tomorrow and stay here an additional night to get my boots.I am still amazed at the views and the terrain. If this nice weather would just hold on for a few more days (like 18 more or so) I would definatly vote Maine as the best state.
Date: 2003-08-19
From: South Arm Road

To: East B-Hill Road (Andover ME)
Miles today: 10.1
Weather: scattered clouds

I got up today early and went with the shuttle to South Arm Road to slack pack a section of the trail. When I got back to town I went directly to the post office to pick up my new boots. They were supposed to be shipped Priority Mail on Friday so they would have most definatly been here by today. Well they are not. I had already decided last night that if my boots did not show up today that it would not that big of a deal because I was going to get two shuttle rides and slack pack ten miles of trail. The idea was that if they did not show up that I would have hiked ten miles of trail anyhow and at this point in time ten miles a day will get me to the end of the trail by some time in mid September. I kinda like being out here so if I spend and extra two weeks eating pop tarts and ramen I am sure that I would still be having the time of my life.The Hostel that I am staying at is the Pine Ellis Bed and Breakfast. They have an old wood shed out back that has been coverted to a three bed bunk room and that is where I slept last night and where I will sleep again tonight. It is great because it has three huge windows and I am in there by my self. No snoring to listen too and very cool outside temps make for great sleeping weather.I really hope thay my boots show up tomorrow. If not I will leave town in the afternoon with enough time to get to the first shelter so that tomorrow is not a lost day.
Date: 2003-08-20
From: East B-Hill Road (Andover ME)

To: Pine Ellis B&B (Andover ME)
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: scattered clouds

I decided around two oclock today to take a zero day. My boots did not show up. My knee brace parts did not show up. Frankly my hiking motivation did not show up either. So I am not going to hike today. I am hanging out with Kinsmet tonight. She is a cool breeze hiker who started her hike in Harpers Ferry WV to Springer MT, and then went to Katahdin and started hiking back to Harpers Ferry. Anyhow her and I shared Pizza and Ben and Jerrys for dinner and desert.TOMORROW I HIKE OUT OF ANDOVER!!
Date: 2003-08-21
From: South Arm Road

To: ME Rt 17 (Rangeley ME)
Miles today: 13.3

Today was a very hard day of hiking. It was hot and there were two or three long distances between water. I was a bit dehydrated when I got here to the road at ME Rt.17. I decided there when I saw a sign for Bob O'brians Gull Pond Lodge Hostel to call him and see if there was any room and if I could get a ride.The deal with Gull Pond Lodge is that you have to hitch the 10 miles to Oquossoc ME and then Bob will come and get you there. That is what I did and I am here at the hostel tonight. I am going to slack pack 13 miles tomorrow and stay here again tomorrow night.My knees really really hurt badly. My right knee is hurting worse than my left and that is not good.I really need to push to finish this hike. I am tired and fatigued beyond any point that I thought that I could survive. At this point I just want to get the miles in and get off of the trail.
Date: 2003-08-22
From: ME Rt 17 (Rangeley ME)

To: ME Rt 4 (Rangeley ME)
Miles today: 13.1

Thirteen and one tenth mile today took forever. I tried to hike slow because of my knees hurting and was it ever hard. I need t otry and get my self rested tonight so that I can leave town tomorrow and make some miles. I am having such a hard time with thinking that ten or fifteen miles might be my limit for mileage for the rest of this trip.My boots are also in very very sad shape. I shoo gooed them last night to try and get them to last just a few more days to Stratton where I hope to find new boots at the USPS Office. I think that I have done well wearing this one pair of boots sixteen hundred miles (two soles) and wearing one other pair of boots for the other three hundred miles (that were totally destroyed from the rocks in PA after that three hundred miles) So I am going to be on my third pair of boots to finish with.Off to Stratton ME in the morning.
Date: 2003-08-23
From: ME Rt 4 (Rangeley ME)

To: Spaulding Mt. Lean-to
Miles today: 18.7
Weather: scattered clouds

As bad as my knees hurt the past few days I cant believe that I did over eighteen miles today.My day started off with a quick breakfast at Gull Pond Lodge and then off to the trail head by 8:00am. I got to Piazza Rock Shelter around 9:00am to find Dez and Dru snuggled up sound asleep still in there sleeping bags. I have started to think that these two have the right idea on sleeping in. It is good for the body to sleep in.I then made my way off to lunch time at Popular Ridge Lean-to. There Dez, Dru, Fox, Don Quiota, all passed my and old fella Recycled showed up to stay the night. I had to hike farther as ten miles was not far enough so I pushed on to Spaulding Mt Lean-to. Tomorrow I will make it into Stratton for a trip to the PO and hopefully new boots. My boots have held up pretty good today but they are not going to hold together much longer. If it was not for duct tape I dont think that it would be possible to hike the Appalachian Trail.
Date: 2003-08-24
From: Spaulding Mt. Lean-to

To: ME 27 (Stratton ME)
Miles today: 13.7

I got up today and stated hiking late. Like I said yesterday I think that I am going to start sleeping in a little bit. The day started with the skirting of Sugar Loaf Mountain and then a dip down into the valley of the Carabassett River where I took a long break for a good foot and knee soak and lunch. Dez and Dru showed up while I was eating lunch at the river. We all diecided to meet up in Stratton at that point in time. That was the last that I saw them till I got to town. It took me over an hour to get a hitch into town which had me a little disturbed. The funny thing is that when I got to town I found Dez and Dru right away and the offered a spot on there hotel room floor that was just right with me. That was the beginning of some wierd occurances. I went to the White Wolf Bar at the White Wolf Inn after a shower. I orderd a tall Budwiser and when I took my first sip it was warm. I really did not want to drink a warm beer. I had asked for a menue when I ordered the beer and after sitting at the bar for 20 min waiting for some one to tell about the warm beer and to ask again for a menu I decided it was a lost cause so I walked out and went to the diner across the street.At the diner I found Notes sitting by him self. I asked if I could join him so down I sit and I look out the window and who pulls up. Roger Raymond Fischer of all people. It was amazing to run into my friend from washington PA. Roger you now have a trail name in my book if you are reading this journal I think that you should be named Ironman after your licenseplate.Anyhow Roger bought Notes' and my dinner which I am very thankful for and Notes is to because he just gave a bunch of money to cakewalk so that she could get home for her fathers funeral.All in a great day of trail adventures I am finaly ready for bed here at the motel.Tomorrow morning is the post office and then off to the trail with new boots I hope.