morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2016-06-18
From: Hanover, then Carlol's

To: NH 25A, then hotel
Miles today: 16.2
Weather: light rain

Jumped a bit down the trail today and hiked from the AT intersection with Grafton Turnpike / Dorchester road 16.1 miles to NH 25 A. Was dropped of by an angel (Carol) and picked up by my angel, Kim. Will take a zero day tomorrow and enjoy Hanover with Kim and then we will both walk Monday, the Alzheimer's Association's "Longest Day", from Hanover to Grafton Turnpike. Today's walk included one 2300 foot climb and one 1500 climb...a tuneup for the White's which lie ahead. Atop Mount Cube I was offered some Chip's Ahoy cookies and a coke by the daughter of a former through hiker who was there with her husband on a day hike. The second grader commented that she liked opening the bag to offer cookies to hikers because it allowed her to have another one as well! She was very cute. One sad note from today was learning about the passing of Bill Ackerly. A trail angel who was so reliable and well known he had his own entry in our Trail Guide. His home was at mile 1764.5, just about where I started today. The Guidebook entry says, Bill, "...welcomes hiker visits. Help yourself to water, rest, chat, paint a picture, or play a game of croquet. PORTA-potty on-site. Ask about camping." On the trail, next to a painted picture of Bill was an obituary which said that Dr. Bill Ackerly died of respiratory arrest on May 23...he was 87. Bill was known as the ice cream man on the trail. I was going to stop in and say hello at 8:00 a.m this morning, eating a scoop if offered because there are no silly rules on the trail about what you can do when!Sent from my iPad
Date: 2016-06-20
From: hotel

To: Grafton Turnpike
Miles today: 17.4
Weather: clear sky

My sister Beth made a surprise visit to Hanover last night, and joined Kim in accompanying me for a portion of the hike today in honor of "The Longest Day." It was very nice to have company, including pictures of my dad (who died of Alzheimer's) that my sister Leslie sent. After some fine dining on trail-made New Jersey Sloppy Joes (Swiss cheese, Turkey, Cole slaw, Russian Dressing, on thin rye bread), Beth and Kim "yo-yo'd" back to Hanover and I continued on to where CarolHaraden dropped me off Saturday morning. I am awaiting Kim to pick me up and then drive me to the point I ended Saturday. This will complete my walk through mile ---. You got all that???? . It's an honor everyday to carry the list of names I have given of people who are currently living with Alzheimer's or who have died from it. But today was particularly special. I wish the best to anyone reading this who has or had a loved one with Alzheimer's. May you find joy in the memories of that person and peace in the present.
Date: 2016-06-21
From: Grafton Turnpike

To: Kinsman Notch, then the Notch Hostel
Miles today: 19.1
Weather: scattered clouds

Hiked 19.1 miles to Kinsman Notch from a tent site just off NH 25A. Early in the day past some trail magic with my name called out to it. Believe it must be from Anna and Leo, the Russian couple from Boston I met on the trail several days ago. Have traded in my I-pad for an I-phone which will lend itself to taking pictures but not typing. Will post pictures on Facebook and keep narrative here to a minimum. Today's big highlight was walking 3800 feet up to the summit of Mt MOOSILAUKE. The views were incredible and made all the huffing and puffing well worth it. Coming down from the summit was equally spectacular in that the trail followed a series of falls which were just spectacular. That said, the trail was very steep and rocky, and it made for very slow going into Kinsman Notch. Was going to tent tonight but my feet are achy and am looking forward to a hot shower and a warm bed in "the notch hostel".One little hiccup today was trying to rock hop a stream I should have just crossed in my Croc's. I slipped on a rock, face planted in the stream, and bruised my knee. Let out 3 loud F bombs, gathered myself, I hiked myself dry. Unfortunately, broke a pole in the process and an back to using one pole and one stick. I've learned to get over these things quickly and now it seems a distant memory.
Date: 2016-06-22
From: Kinsman Notch, then the Notch Hostel

To: Franconia Notch, then the Nitch Hostel 
Miles today: 16.3
Weather: clear sky

Traveled 16.3 miles today from Kinsman Notch to Franconia Notch, much of it in rain. Even slackpacking, the trip took about 9 miles. Part of that was the wet conditions,and part the amount of foot over hand step-ups.   Unfortunately, the only view atop Kinsman Mountain was fog. Ran into the Berenstein Bears (Rob and Claire) from Massachusetts. They are the only brother - sister pair I have met on the trail, and we figured the last time we saw each other was about Mile 700. It may be a small world, but it's a large trail! Also meta father - daughter hiking pair (Large and White Rabbit), that I'm thinking have been relatively close to me throughout this journey, although our paths just crossed today. Expect all of them to be at theNotch Hostel tonight.For those interested in some info on the White Mountains, here's someWikipedia: The White Mountains are a mountain rangecovering about a quarter of the state of New Hampshire and a small portion of western Maine in the United States. They are part of the northern Appalachian Mountains and the most rugged mountains in New England. The range is heavily visited due to its proximity to Bostonand, to a lesser extent, New York City and Montreal.Most of the area is public land, including the White Mountain National Forest and a number of state parks. Its most famous mountain is 6,288-foot (1,917 m) Mount Washington, which is the highest peak in the Northeastern U.S. and which held the record for fastest surface wind gust (231 miles per hour (372 km/h), over 100 m/s, in 1934) in the world for 76 years. Mount Washington is part of a line of summits, the Presidential Range, that are named after U.S. presidents and other prominent Americans.Sent from my iPhone
Date: 2016-06-25
From: Franconia Notch, then the Nitch Hostel 

To: Lakes of Clouds Hut
Miles today: 38.3

Three day entry. Sketchy cell service over last few days. The White Mountains are by far the most spectacular and most challenging part of the journey so far. Pictures on Facebook. When I have sufficient time and battery, I will write a bit about the Hut System in the Whites, where I've "worked for stay" several times, including tonight, at the Lakes of the Clouds hut (5047 feet), 1000 feet below the summit of Mount Washington.For me, the ascents have been tough but rewarding as the views and sense of accomplishment are a nice reward. The descents have been nerve racking for a number of reasons - there are times when both feet are off the ground, when what you are stepping down on moves, when there is no place to grip your fingers or toes into, when there's just a solid strip of slippery granite at some absurd angle that would make a pool sliding board look tame...I definitely have a few more gray hairs as a result.
Date: 2016-06-27
From: Pinkham Notch, then Sebago

To: Imp Campsite
Miles today: 13.1

Hiked 13.1 miles today from Pinkham Notch to Imp Campsite. Kim joined me for the first two miles and got to meet a number of the possee I have been traveling with the last few days. They were all impressed with her hiking skills! There were several very steep ascents and descents once again today and a few hours of light rain added to the fun. A number of the possee are going to zero in Gorham as everyone is physically and mentally feeling the wrath of the rocky, rooty, slick, steep terrain. I have actually started to talk to myself during these sections, in the first person (Noah in this case) saying how wonderful each step I am taking is going, how much fun I am having, and how smoothly everything is going. Somehow it's working a bit...just don't tell anyone cause it's a bit weird.
Date: 2016-06-29
From: Route 2 Intersection with AT, then camp

To: Gentian Pond Campsite
Miles today: 11.8
Weather: light rain

Hiked 11.8 miles from the AT intersection with Route 2 outside of Gorham, NH to Gentian Pond Campsite. Kim accompanied me the first 3.5 miles or so. It was nice to have her company...and nice to have someone to talk to besides myself!Hiked through some pretty heavy rain showers at 1230 and 1500...lots of thunder but saw no lightening. The shelter is now full with both north- and south-bounders, several who have seen a moose at the nearby pond...all I've seen so far is a frog! It has started to rain again - much more pleasant to look at now that I'm under a roof.And going back to the reference about hiking with Kim, something from Mary Oliver:"How I go to the woods"Ordinarily, I go to the woods alone, with not a single friend, for they are all smilers and talkers and therefore unsuitable.I don¢t really want to be witnessed talking to the catbirds or hugging the old black oak tree. I have my way of praying, as you no doubt have yours. Besides, when I am alone I can become invisible. I can sit on the top of a dune as motionless as an uprise of weeds, until the foxes run by unconcerned. I can hear the almost unwearable sound of the roses singing.If you have ever gone to the woods with me, I must love you very much. Mary Oliver, Swan: Poems and Prose Poems
Date: 2016-07-01
From: North end of Mahoosuc Notch - campsite

To: GraftonNotch, then camp
Miles today: 7.0
Weather: light rain

Hiked from campsite at north end of Mahoosuc Notch, 7 miles to Grafton Notch where Kim is picking me up for last overbite at camp before making the final push north.The day started at 6:00 am with a 1500 foot climb over 1.5 miles up the Mahoosuc Arm. This was followed by a descent and then a 600 foot climb near Old Speck Summit. Some of the trail once again required hand-over-foot type travel as well as just leaning into and pressing up steep walls of pure granite. Other parts of the trail were very wet, root, and rocky. What makes all of this okay are the rewards you get as a result of the work. The beauty of both NH and Maine to this point has been incomparable to the rest of the AT from my point of view. I am really enjoying myself more than ever!Quotes of the day:1. Nature is pleased with simplicity. And nature is no dummy. Isaac Newton2. Treat the earth well. It was not given to you by your parents¢it was loaned to you by your children." ¢Indian proverb
Date: 2016-07-02
From: GraftonNotch, then camp

To: Sawyer Brook Campsite
Miles today: 18.0
Weather: light rain

With the support of 10 miles of slackpacking from Kim, hiked 18 miles today from Grafton Notch to Sawyer Brook Campsite. Kim also hiked a few hours with me near Dunn Notch and Falls outside of Andover. The early morning 2600 foot climb from Grafton Notch to the summits of Baldplate east and west was done in a light drizzle. By the time I got to The top of Baldplate, the wind was gusting in excess of 25 knots and the rain was seemingly coming down sideways. Visibility along the granite summit dropped to about 50 yards, enough to see from one cairn to the next, but that's about it. The temperature with wind chill felt like it was in the 40's - tough stuff! On a clear day, I imagine the views are beautiful, but that's all I could do today - imagine. Coming down from the summit, the granite trail sloped steeply and at a sideways angle. Water was flowing over the stone and I had to do everything not to fall. The afternoon was dry, more gradually sloped, and a bit less windy. Am camped next to Sawyer Brook with one other Northbound hiker. He is from Massachusetts ("Tripping Billie") and said the storm he experienced last nite was like nothing he had ever seen in his 55 years in terms of downpour and thunder/lightening. We are both hoping Mother Nature has it out of her system for awhile. Today's quotes 1. Does anything in nature despair except man? An animal with a foot caught in a trap does not seem to despair. It is too busy trying to survive. It is all closed in, to a kind of still, intense waiting. Is this a key? Keep busy with survival. Imitate the trees. Learn to lose in order to recover, and remember that nothing stays the same for long, not even pain, psychic pain. Sit it out. Let it all pass. Let it go. May Sarton, Journal of a Solitude2. We shall never achieve harmony with the land, anymore than we shall achieve absolute justice or liberty for people. In these higher aspirations the important thing is not to achieve but to strive. Aldo LeopoldSent from my iPhone
Date: 2016-07-03
From: Sawyer Brook Campsite

To: Maine 17, then Farmhouse Inn
Miles today: 15.8
Weather: overcast clouds

Hiked 15.8 miles today from Sawyer Notch Campsite to where the AT crosses ME 17. Highlights of the day included seeing a ruffed grouse with four chicks and her not attacking me(!), a porcupine, and the shuttle driver that is picking me up right now to hostel tonight and slack-pack into Rangely ME tomorrow.   On the more cerebral side, I learned how to spell Mooselookmeguntic. It is the Lake shown in the photo here. Today's quotes   Adopt the pace of nature: her secret is patience. Ralph Waldo Emerson Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts. There is something infinitely healing in the repeated refrains of nature -- the assurance that dawn comes after night, and spring after winter. Rachel Carson, Silent Spring.
Date: 2016-07-04
From: Maine 17, then Farmhouse Inn

To: Maine 4, then Farmhouse Inn
Miles today: 13.2
Weather: broken clouds

Today begins the start of my 17th week on the AT. Hiked 13.2 miles from ME 17 to ME 4 where Kim is joining me later tonight at the Farmhouse Inn. Lots of small ups and downs on the trail but a relatively easy hike during a very pleasant 4th of July. The highlights of the day included: 1) seeing what I think were Moose tracks (the real deal, not the icecream), 2) being thanked by three different south-bounders for my Service (am wearing my George Washington Carver navy ball-cap on the trail) and 3) passing along the Moxie, Sabbath Day, Little Swift River, and South Ponds. Some of these "ponds" seemed pretty big to me so I went to "Mr. Lakefront.net" which is a Maine lakefront property site to learn the following:Q.What the difference between a pond and a lake?A.Folks "from away" mistakenly believe that ponds are small and shallow and lakes are big and deep. The truth is that here in Maine the words pond and lake are used synonymously. So don't discriminate against ponds. Ponds can often be larger than some lakes. For example, Panther Pond in Raymond is 1,439 acres which is larger than Pleasant Lake of 1,077 acres, Highland Lake in Bridgton of 1,401 acres or Crescent Lake of 716 acres. Long Lake, the region's 2nd largest lake with 4,867 acres is only 59 feet deep while Coffee Pond with only 137 acres is 70 feet deep.By the way, I think you either have to be born in Maine or live her for 50 years to not be labeled "From away." Kim is a Mainer...alas, I will always be "from away."Today's nature quotes - 1. Climb the mountains and get their good tidings. Nature's peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. The winds will blow their own freshness into you, and the storms their energy, while cares will drop away from you like the leaves of Autumn. John Muir, The Mountains of California2. The Great Spirit is in all things: he is in the air we breathe. The Great Spirit is our father, but the earth is our mother. She nourishes us; that which we put into the ground she returns to us." ¢Big Thunder (Bedagi) Wabanaki Algonquin
Date: 2016-07-05
From: Maine 4, then Farmhouse Inn

To: Me 4, coming south this time, then Rangeley Inn 
Miles today: 14.8
Weather: light rain

Slackpacked Southbound today 14.8 miles from Perham Stream where I was shuttled by Shane from the Farmhouse Inn, back towards Rangeley to end the day at the intersection of the AT with ME 4. The first climb was about 2100 feet over Saddleback Junior, followed by a 500 foot descent, then a 900 foot ascent over "The Horn", followed by another 500 foot descent, then a 500 ascent over Saddleback Mountain, followed by and ending with a 2500 foot descent to ME 4. My dogs are hurt'n! The views at the summits of Saddleback and The Horn were spectacular and the weather perfect. The highlight however was seeing my first Moose up close. Not as cute as they are in the children's book, "If you give a moose a muffin", and pretty clumsy, but awesome nevertheless! Nature Quotes for today"The land is sacred. These words are at the core of your being. The land is our mother, the rivers our blood. Take our land away and we die." ¢Mary Brave BirdThe clearest way into the Universe is through a forest wilderness. John MuirSent from my iPhone
Date: 2016-07-07
From: ME 27, then Stratton Hostel

To: East Flagstaff Road to ME 27
Miles today: 16.7
Weather: clear sky

In what may be the last slack-pack of my "walk in the woods", hiked 16.7 miles southbound from East Flagstaff road where myself and another hiker (Gary) were dropped off at 5:15 this morning, to ME 27. Today's hike included an 1800 foot climb up Little Bigelow Mountain, an 1800 foot climb over Avery Peak, and some shorter climbs over Bigelow Mountain and South Horn. The weather was cool and damp with most of the summits being in the clouds. Nevertheless, got some really cool photos of the mountains in the fog and mist. Probably one of my favorite days on the trail, although everyday is a great day when all you are carrying is a few supplies and food and water for just that day. Spending second nite in same hostel as yesterday. Tomorrow, will get close enough to the Kennebec River to use limited ferry service to cross its 400 foot width the following morning. The ferry crossing is actually part of the AT with all hikers strongly encouraged to use it and not attempt to ford the river.   Nature Quotes for today: 1. Man's heart, away from nature, becomes hard." ¢Luther Standing Bear2. Our task must be to free ourselves... by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature and it's beauty.Albert Einstein
Date: 2016-07-08
From: East Flagstaff Road to ME 27

To: Caratunk Maine
Miles today: 20.3
Weather: light rain

Pushed a little further today than I had planned and Hiked from East Flagstaff road 20.3 miles to US 201, Caratunk Maine. The ferry service had stopped running by the time I reached the Kennebec, but a gentleman from Fletcher Mountain Outfitters was giving a friend a ride across the river and offered to take me back to the other side. Am staying at the Caratunk B&B where I have my own room, will take a shower in what was a horse stall, and will enjoy an all I can eat breakfast tomorrow morning...all for $27! Highlights of the day included walking along the same path as Benedict Arnold (before he got confused) and 1000 of his men enroute to an attack in Quebec, hearing and seeing several Loons on West Carry Pond, and observing some wild Yankee ingenuity in the form of a dam a beaver would be proud of and a bridge only a hiker would cross. Nature Quote of the Day - Take nothing but memories, leave nothing but footprints! Chief Seattle
Date: 2016-07-10
From: Moxie Bald Mntn Lean-to

To: Monson ME, Shaw's Lodging
Miles today: 17.9
Weather: light rain

Hiked from Moxie Bald Mountain Lean-to where it rained all nite 17.9 miles to ME 15, Monson ME...as it drizzled much of the day. Staying tonight at Shaw's Lodge which is one of two long- established bunk-houses in Monson. Had to ford the east and west branches of the Piscataquis River today. Maine is the only state on the AT that has you do river crossings by foot, or in the case of the Kennebec, by boat. Not complainin', just sayin'.Will start the 100 mile wilderness section of the AT tomorrow. Anticipate little cell service over the week and may not be posting. Will keep my GPS on a few hours per day, saving battery for an emergency should one arise. Hope to be at the base of Katahdin by Saturday evening, July 16. Will then go you our "camp" in Maine so that Kim and the our four adventurous children can all hike up Katahdin together with me - weather permitting, July 23.   The photo below gives a little insight into what's in store for me over the next 6 days. Very much looking forward to it!Quote of the day...I'll tell you what I've learned when I get to the other side!I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived. Henry David Thoreau, WaldenSent from my iPhone
Date: 2016-07-16
From: Monson ME, Shaw's Lodging

To: Katahdin Stream Campground, them hostrl
Miles today: 109.9
Weather: clear sky

Entered the 100 Mile Wilderness at 8:15 am on 7/11 and exited on 7/16 at 7:15 am, walking another 10 miles to Katahdin Stream Campground earlier today to end my hike near the base of Mount Katahdin. My family will join me next Saturday morning to make the 4200 foot ascent up the mountain over the remaining 5 miles of trail that I still need to complete. Will make several posts this week about things like the hiker community, information that other hikers may find useful, and what I've learned after walking 2184 miles over the last 125 days besides how much one's feet grow in the process!For now, hope you enjoy Some pictures from this section of trail and some quotes from Winnie the Pooh by AA MILNE, because whether it's the "hundred acre wood" or the 100 mile wilderness, the following all now seem to be true.1. "Sometimes, if you stand on the bottom rail of a bridge and lean over to watch the river slipping slowly away beneath you, you will suddenly know everything there is to be known."2. "You can't stay in your corner of the Forest waiting for others to come to you. You have to go to them sometimes."3. "I was walking along looking for somebody, and then suddenly I wasn't anymore."4. "People say nothing is impossible, but I do nothing every day."