morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2012-05-18
From: Front Royal

To: Dicks Dome Hut
Miles today: 15.3

I stayed at the Quality Inn last night. They shuttled me to the trailhead so I had a 8:25 start. I have been feeling great except for my right foot. Things just seemed to click today and I started too fast. I passed a sign to Route 522 (where I started) and it said 3.6 miles. I was only 55 minutes in, so I really need to slow down. I had a short day (15.3 miles) planned so no real hurry. The hike itself was uneventful. No real vistas, easy terrain. North of the Shanendoahs things get a little less interesting. There were actually 2 shelters I passed on my way today. One is fairly new, has a solar shower, nice deck and plenty of space. I arrived at my turn before 2PM. I debated going further, but it was over 8 miles to the next shelter. I was the first person to arrive. Decided to claim my space inside instead of camping. The shelter only holds 4 people, so it filled up quickly. Jerry (Not Bad) showed up about 30 minutes after me. I had seen him yesterday and knew he was planning on staying here tonight. Then Trail Mix, Dexter and Stinger showed up. A few section hikers as well as a couple other thru hikers showed up and camped near by. It was fun for me since everyone is 34+, so I understand the conversation. The young 20s loose me with the current pop cultcher stuff.Stinger is completing the triple crown this year. He did the PCT in 2010, the CDT in 2011 and this year start the Florida trail in January, making his way to the AT after 1,400 miles, so he is 2,400 miles into his hike. He'll go past Katahdin and complete his journey at the US/Canada border. He has lots of great stories about his adventures.
Date: 2012-05-19
From: Dicks Dome Hut

To: Bears Den Hostel
Miles today: 18.5
Weather: few clouds

I again started too fast. I finished the first 9 miles in about 2.5 hours. I was trying to keep it slow, but just felt good and moved quickly. Trouble is my feet cannot keep up with the rest of my body. I stopped at the top of a hill and called home, had lunch, then called Cooper to make sure everything was OK with my business. I then entered the well know "Roller Coaster". This section of the AT goes up and down over rocky terrain. Kicked my butt. My right shin was really hurting. I never have had shin splints before, but I do understand now. Going up was not too bad, but going down was a killer. I finally took a couple Ibuprofen, had a bag of peanut M&Ms and was good to go to the finish line. I arrived with Dexter. Not Bad had arrived about an hour before us and was ready to hike a mile down to a restaurant to get a burger and beers. At first I was no way. I took a shower, relaxed for a bit and sure enough, headed 1 mile down the hill. We had a great time, Dexter, Not Bad and I. We got a 6 pack to go and stopped at an overlook to watch the sunset and enjoy a couple more beers. We are now at the shelter getting ready to go to sleep. Day Pack is here as well. I met him at the Dutch Haus a week ago and have seen him a couple times on the trail since. It is great fun seeing these guys multiple times. Tomorrow I am planning to do 20 miles into Harpers Ferry. I want to do a south bound day on Monday back to Harpers. I will figure that out when I get into town. There is a train that goes from Harpers right into Union Station every morning, so the plan is to take that train on Tuesday and fly home to Phoenix. I have Rainier in a few weeks, then I want to continue my AT adventure in July heading north from Hanover, NH. Initially my goal was to do the last 500 miles. I will have 200 plus tomorrow. Northern New England is much more interesting than what I am in now. The Shanendoahs were beautiful.Got to go for now - it is way past hikers midnight (9:00PM), so lights out. I may add more later. It has been a great trip, lots of great people.
Date: 2012-05-20
From: Bears Den Hostel

To: Harpers Ferry
Miles today: 20.3
Weather: clear sky

Today was another tough day on the trail. 8 miles in I was sitting on a log at a side trail leading to a shelter debating whether to call it a day. DayPak happened to walk by at the perfect time and encouraged me to continue. I had a drink and a snack and off I went. The next 6 miles went quite well. My shin still hurt, but was bearable. We had a 14 mile stretch with no water on the trail. There were options .3 miles off the trail, but I did not want to add the mileage. I got to a parking lot a saw a guy with a water nottle in his hand. I asked if he had water he could spare. He offered the bottle he was drinking out of. I accepted and headed off for the last 5.7 miles to the turn off into town. I started at 7am from the bear's den, hiked the .2 to the trail, did the 20.3 to the turn off, the .4 to the ATC visitor center arriving at 3:30. It was another .5 to the hiker's hostel. DayPak, Not Bad and Dexter all made it here as well. We went next door for dinner and beers. Two other hikers came over and joined us as well. Another great night.It is fun listening to all the funny trail stories. There are all kinds out here. This has been a great experience. I am looking forward to getting back on the trail later this summer.
Date: 2012-05-21
From: Harpers Ferry

To: Harpers Ferry
Miles today: 3.0
Weather: light rain

Today is the last day on the trail for me for now. I will miss meeting new friends and the hiker community. I did hike a few miles up the trail across the Potomac and into Maryland. Stopped by the ATC visitor center and said hi to a friend of the Etherington's. They helped her out during her thru hike about 20 years ago and have stayed in touch. Lorrie now works for the ATC. It is another rainy Monday. The weather was outstanding for me. Today is only the 3rd day with rain since I started.I just had lunch in a restaurant in the historic distric of Harpers Ferry. HF is a great little town. The AT crosses the Shanendoah river, then follows it for about a mile. The trail then goes right through the historic district, then crosses the Potomac into Maryland.I was talking to other hikers at the visitor center and learned of 2 thru hikers that got shin splints the past few days. They both are off the trail for a few days to hopefully recover. I think it is because the terrain has been too easy lately, so you end up going too fast. I don't think it will be a problem up north, but I do plan to start each day at a slow pace.Tomorrow I catch a train from HF to Union Station. I will then take the metro to National Airport and a flight home.
Date: 2012-05-22
To: Phoenix, AZ
Miles today: 0.0

I am sitting on the train on my way to Union Station. The last 2 nights I stayed at the Teahorse hostel in Harpers Ferry. Laurel is the owner and does a great job. This is her second season running the place. Everything is clean and new.My right shin is feeling better. I hope it is a quick recovery. I do think many small factors contrubuted to the problem.It is another wet day here. I am looking forward to being home with Elizabeth and the dogs, but will miss the trail life. I am looking forward to New England later this summer. Hopefully it works so Elizabeth can share in a bit of the trail and its people.
Date: 2012-06-16
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

I am getting excited for Mt Rainier. I leave next Saturday to fly up to Seattle and if all goes well to reach the top on Tuesday the 26th. The forecast for tomorrow here in Phoenix is for a high of 111, while the forecast high for the summit of Rainier is 9, a difference of 102 degrees. The attached photo is from my trip last year (June 10th). I took the photo of my son, we were at 12,000 feet at the top of Disappointment Clever. It was 4AM, the temp was 10 degrees and the winds were about 40 mph. You could hear the winds were really strong up higher, so our guides turned us around. It was an amazing experience, even though we did not get to the top. As they say, the main objective when you climb a mountain is to get back to the bottom safely. The mountain will be there to try again.I have my gear all set out, ready to go. It is quite different from my AT gear. You try and go light on the mountains, but not at the expense of safety. The stakes are much higher than just being uncomfortable. I do go with a guided group, so they make sure you stay safe. Rainier averages 2 fatalities a year and last year there were 3, so you do need to be aware of where you are and what is going on. Altitude can affect you in many ways. BTW - the guide service I go with has never had a serious accident on their watch.I know this is an AT journal - but I will post updates of my Rainier trip next week. July 21st I should be back on the AT heading north from Hanover, NH.
Date: 2012-06-29
To: Rainier Recap
Miles today: 0.0

The weather once again got the best of me on this trip. The hiking community on Rainier refers to this month as Junuary. It has been cold and snowy. The cold is not bad, you can prepare for that, but the snows... No way to prevent an avalanche. (They do not trigger avalanches in National Parks like they do at ski areas.)The summit forecast was for a temp of 6 and winds of 35 mph. That is borderline for the guided groups as anything over 35mph is difficult to walk normally. When you are icy, steep slopes it is critical you keep your balance at all times.The real problem though was snow. We got to 11,000 feet (25 degrees, 30mph winds, heavy snow, visibilty less than 200 feet)and the guides did an avalanche assesment for us. It was quite interesting. There was 2 feet of new snow where we were. There was a crevasse 200 feet below us that would become our home if an avalanche decided to let go while we were there. The slope was not that steep, so that was not a big concern. Further up the mountain the slopes become much steeper. It takes basically 48 hours after it stops snowing for the avalanche danger to minimize in this area. The forecast was for heavy snow to continue for the next 24 hours, so we all decided to just head down.When we came down this stretch in the picture, we were in a total white out. It was something. I actually was leading our group. Our guide was on the rope 40 feet behind me. With the new snow and winds it was very difficult to follow the route. There are wands every 100 feet or so, but you could not see the next one. I could hardly see the guide behind me. With the extra day in Seattle, my buddy and I did the Boeing tour. This is where they make the 747 and 787 planes. Highly recomend if you are ever in Seattle. We also did the Seattle Underground tour. Another high recomendation for this one as well. We then went to see the Mariners beat the A's in baseball.I was disappointed to get turned around again on the mountain, but did have an enjoyable trip overall.
Date: 2012-07-17
To: My Bags Are Packed - Round #2
Miles today: 0.0

I leave Phoenix early tomorrow morning for Vermont, where I will spend a few days visiting Mom and my 2 sisters. On Saturday Mom will bring me to Hanover, NH so I can continue my journey north on the AT. I have lived in VT, NH and Maine, so I am really looking forward to this section of the trail. My wife will pick me up somewhere in Maine on August 7th or 8th. We will go to Greenville where we used to live, then head to the White House Landing where my brother and his wife will join us. (They live in Maine)On Saturday the 11th I plan to hike Katahdin. My goal is to do at least 280 miles this section, which will give me 500 for the summer. (I did 220 in Virginia earlier this summer) At this point I do not see section hiking the whole trail, but could see myself thru hiking in a few years.Last summer I did a test hike through the Presidentials to see if doing more of the trail was of interest. I had hiked the Washington ridgeline to Madison with my brother 25+ years ago. That stretch will never get old. I am hoping we get a little weather going across there this time just to spice things up a bit. I should be careful what I wish for. Just wind and clouds - no lightning.
Date: 2012-07-21
From: VT/NH Border

To: Moose Mountain
Miles today: 11.6
Weather: broken clouds

After a great breakfast and a visit to my neices farm, Mom drove me to Hanover. She walked a bit of the trail with me. She said not to mention it was Main Street in Hanover, so I won't.As I was getting my pack out of the car- Drifter, a SOBO was walking by without her pack. Ended up meeting 7 SOBO (southbound) hikers in just afternoon.I got to the shelter at 5:15 and Badger was already there. I met him my first day on the trail in Virginia. It was great to see him again. Unfortunately he had hurt his hand last night.Walked with SkunkApe, No Trace and Unbreakable for a while, till they took a side tril to a deli. they all stayed at the same shelter with me. A fun first day back on the trail.
Date: 2012-07-22
From: Moose Mountain

To: Hexacuba Shelter
Miles today: 17.7
Weather: scattered clouds

Another great weather day, a little too warm though. With ghe AT you ar e basically In the trees, so at least you are out of the sun. Early in the day I stopped at Bill Ackerly's house. He loves hikers and gives everyone a free ice cream. He has a sign on the side of the trail directing you to his house. He was a lot of fun. There 5 of us hikers there. We got to meet his sister and 2 of his grandkids. Last year he gave away 700 ice creams. I was number 286 this year.The day included a long climb up Smart Mountain, which has a fire tower on top. Great views from the top. With the dry weather this summer water is scarse on the upper mountains. You need to pay attention and carry more water than normal.Again met several SOBOs. It is fun, but slows your progress as you socialize more. I have decided to not worry about how far I get. There are still a lot of NOBO hikers in thiz area as well. At the shelter we had 7 of us. A great group of people.A young lady from Germany was at the shelter. I first met her at Bill's. While she was cooking her dinner I commented on her pot being too little. She said that would be a great trail name- Little Pot. So she is now Little Pot.
Date: 2012-07-23
From: Hexacuba Shelter

To: Glencliff, NH
Miles today: 14.7

Today was a tough 14.7. Not sure why, the terrain was not too bad. Hiked much of the day with SkunkApe. We got to the Hikers Hostel about 3:30, so still fairly early. At the hostel is a fun blend of familer faces and many new ones as well. I think there are 19 of us here for the night.Went to the Warren general store for food. They have a big variety of items. Great place.Again lots of SOBOs today. It is a fun new dynamic having people to talk to. Almost all hikers have been through hikers. That will change tomorrow as we enter the Whites. Should be quite busy.Weather was good again today. Tomorrow is iffy, and my toughest day so far.Probably out of internet range agakn for a few days. Will updats when I can.
Date: 2012-07-24
From: Glencliff, NH

To: Beaver Brook Shelter
Miles today: 8.8
Weather: light rain

We had some big storms last night. It was nice to be in the hostel. Soms of the tenters moved inside, so it was quite crowded. I had planned a big day today, 18 miles up and over Mt. Moosilauke. There was a shelter 8.8 miles in, and the forecast was sketchy, so the fallback was to stay there if need be. SkunkApe and I headed out later than normal (7:30) because the weather was improving. We walked the .4 miles back to the trail and took a right into the trees. Within 100 yards there was a 6' drop straight down to a river. We bushwacked upstream a bit and found a way down and did our best to stay on rocks, but with the ndw rain there was a pretty good flow. So my day started with wet feet. There was a bit of a road walk with a neat old cemetary. We took the side trip to check it out. The gravestones were all early 1800s.The climb up was tough, but not too bad. Once we got to 4,000 feet we were in the clouds. The summit is almost a mile long ridge topping out at 4,810', all above treeline. The winds were about 40 mph making it difficult to walk. With the gusts I was glad I had poles to keep from falling over. We stopped behind a stone wind break and had a snack. Once se dropped off the north side we were back in trees pretty quickly. So much easier to walk.We arrived at the first shelter at 1pm. It is a tough 9 miles to the next one and the weather was not looking good so we stayed put. It was a good choice as a storm rolled through, comete with hail. The shelter was totalled packed and lots of tenters, too.
Date: 2012-07-25
From: Beaver Brook Shelter

To: Franconia Notch
Miles today: 17.8
Weather: scattered clouds

Tbis was a lg tough day. We started with completing the descent of Moosilauke. At the trailhead there is a sign saying how dangerous this trail is and not to attempt unless you are an experienced hiker. It was tough, but not even the toughest stretch of the day. It does have easy acces with the road at the bottom though. At the bottom I had the first cell coverage in 4 days, so I called my wife, even though it was 5am in Phoenix.We arrived at the next shelter a liitle after noon, had lunch and pressed on. Withe the storms the 2 previous days the trail was very wet and muddy. Lots of roots and slippery rocks maxe the going very slow. The climb up Kinsman was much tougher than I expected. The trail is poorly marked at times. The weather was great today, sunny, cooler and low humidity. Beautiful views from the top.Only saw 1 SOBO today, but as expected we are now seeing day hikers. We stopped at Lonesome Lake Hut and were treated to some home made chocolate chip cookies ffom a previous through hiker. Sure is fun getting treats like that. Not sure if I put in a prevoius update, but couple days ago a guy was handing out blueberry muffins. Typically the trail magic is for through hikers, but I am being included.Finally made it to the road at 6:15, an 11:45 day. Called for a ride and decided to stay in a hotel. There is a hostel in town, but totally full. I can use a break and do my own thing.
Date: 2012-07-26
From: Franconia Notch

To: Franconia Notch
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Took a zero today to rest and prepare for the next few days. The Presidentials are tough to section hike through. The AMC (Appalachian Mountain Club) controls this stretch of the trail. There no typical shelters here. The AMC has huts and "pay for" tenting spots. The huts are $100 a night. This being the beginning of a weekend the huts are almost full. I called and made reservations for the next 2 nights. I will be glad to get past this stretch and back into the more typical trail.I got my laundry done, rested my feet and repaired a tear in my water bottle holder on my pack. I tore it on a tree yesterday. Hopefully the weather will be OK tomorrow. Planning on 13 miles to Galehead Hut.
Date: 2012-07-27
From: Franconia Notch

To: Galehead hut
Miles today: 14.0
Weather: light rain

Today had a rough start. We were confused on how to get back on the trail. In every other state the trail is called the Appalachian Trail. In NH the AT follows a series of named trails. It is very confusing if you do not have a map. This stretch is also poorly marked with white blazes. Once we finally figured out the access trail we were on our way. SkunkApe is still hiking with me.The day started very wet. It rained again last night so I was totally soaked in the first 15 minutes. We climbed almost 4,000 feet to the top of Mt Lafayette (5,280'). We were in the clouds once we were above 3,000 feet. The hike after Lafayette was a series of ups and downs- almost always wet and rocky. We started at 8:20 and arrived at Galehead at 4:30. Once here the sun came out and the clouds disappeared. It is now 7:45 and beautiful out. Hopefully this is a new trend.The hut is full tonight. We had a great chicken dinner.
Date: 2012-07-28
From: Galehead hut

To: Crawford Notch
Miles today: 12.5
Weather: light rain

Another relatively short day. SkunkApe is planning on stopping at all the AMC huts so we aeparated today. There were 38 people at Galehead last night (full to capacity). After breakfast there was a minor traffic jam heading north. We gained 1,200 feet in the first .8 of a mile. After that some nice trail along a ridge. The trees were often shorter than me. The clouds were high so there were nice views. It did not rain last night which was also nice. Keeper caught up to me and we ended hiking about 5 miles together to Zealand Falls hut. He has his dog Duke along. So far they have done over 1,800 miles together. Duke has his own pack he carries. It was fun hiking with him. A group of day hikers walked by and were excited they met the real Duke. Keeper said that is not unusual. Word of Duke has spread along the trail.Stopped at Zealand for lunch. The caretaker there had been in Phoenix this past spring to hike in the Superstitions - mountains 30 miles east of my home. We had a fun talk. He gave Keeper and I free refills on the soup.I took a side trail to a bunk house for the night. It is raining again, so glad to be inside. Tomorrow I plan to go up and over Washington, so hope the weather cooperates. Forecast is iffy, but supposed to improve.Sorry for any typos. It is difficult to tupe on this tablet. Half the time I cannot see what is being typed.
Date: 2012-07-29
From: Crawford Notch

To: Osgood Campsight
Miles today: 17.5
Weather: fog

Today was a long day. Started at 7 from Crawford. 7 miles instopped at Lakes of the Clouds hut then up to the summit of Washington. I was doing well, 8.5 miles, over 4,000 vertical and it was 11:30. I was in the clouds and it had been raining most of the morning making things quite slippery. Visibility on the summit was about 100 feet. For Washington it was warm (51) and the winds were light (15 mph). I met a kid at breakfast and he ironically joined me for lunch on top. He took the 4 mile route up. Crossing the ridge was interesting. A few times I could not see the next cairn. Basically the ridge is a huge rock pile with no set trail. Cairns (a pile of rocks) are placed along the route so you know where to go. I do well with the rocks, but in Phoenix they are all dry. I finally made it to Madison hut at 4. One more mountain to climb then a long steep downhill. As I was coming down Mt Madison the rain stopped and the clouds lifted. I was too tired to really appreciate it. 2 miles after Madison I was once again below tree line. There was a campsite there so called it a day.The Appalachian Mountain club offers a 4 day/3 night traverse of this mountain ridge. Same thing I did tocay, except they do not climb Mt Madison at the end.
Date: 2012-07-30
From: Osgood Campsight

To: Carter Notch Hut
Miles today: 11.5
Weather: light rain

Another tough short mile day. No rain in the past 24 hours and it may continue.Yesterday approaching Madison Hut I saw Expeditor and Instigator. They are a retired couple I last saw in Virginia. It was fun seeing them again. Good news also about my friend Badger. In Hanover he got a stick in his hand. Turns out a piece of the wood had broken off and has been in there the past 10 days. A surgeon went in and cleaned everything out, so hopefully he will be good to continue his through hike.Last night camping went fine. Approaching Pinkham Notch Sparrow caught me. He thru hiked the PCT last year. He is doing work for stay here at Carter. Sticks and Metric are camping nearby. I have seen them every day the past week. Met 3 SOBOs today. P2 is also here at the hut.After yesterday I was planning on an easy day today but glad I got up on Wildcat Ridge. Steep tough climb up, but now I have 15 miles on the ridge tomorrow to get to Gorham. There is a nice hostel there that sounds like it will be busy with lots of familiar faces. I will resupply with food, take a shower and do laundry. Looking forward to it. I should have better reception so I can upload a few pictures.