morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2010-08-27
From: Garfield Pond Stealth Site

To: Guyot Saddle Stealth Site
Miles today: 8.0

Woke to a cold cold foggy drippy morning. My brother and I agreed to stay in our bags until 8:00, hoping for a bit of warmth. Not to be, so we got up and moving, packing up wet tents and all. The climb up Mt Garfield began immediately out of camp and it was a steep one, but actually not too long. The top of the mountain was a rock outcrop that had some kind of concrete foundation on top. The skies had cleared and we could see forever. It was great. Hiked a bit down the north side of Garfield and loaded up with spring water at the campsite trail, then made our way down the mountain. Left It had told us the north side descent off of Garfield was the toughest downhill in the Whites. I'm not so sure about that, but it was a tough one, added to by water everywhere. At one point I slid down a slab, accidentally, and another hiker said I looked like I was sliding in to 2nd base. Jammed up my knee and got a nice fat bruise on my thigh, but I came out standing, so it was ok. I think my brother was surprised by the tough going too, but he did great and I am glad he's here with me.It's funny how family relationships work. He's always been a much stronger hiker and I easily slipped into old patterns of counting on him to figure the best way through a jumble, etc. Then it hit me, if he wasn't here I would be making these calls for myself and for 1800+ miles have done just fine for myself. Time for me to hike my own hike, so I did. This might sound like a silly little thing but it is a very big lesson for me. We made our way across the saddle and stopped in at Galehead Hut for some potato with dill soup. Yummy!   That was followed by the big climb up South Twin Mtn. Ha! It was like the stairway to heaven. Not too bad rockwise as I am learning to expect in the Whites, but it went on and on! Whew! But oh boy, when I got to the top I could see forever, including my first good look at Mt Washington. On such a clear day there were clouds hiding the top. It's a big one for sure, and the views were awe-inspiring. Really, awesome is too overused to express it. Wow!Ok, day was slipping away and no campsite anywhere nearby, so we descended into the saddle and hiked as fast as we could toward Mt Guyot. That's "ghee-oh". Google it, he was an interesting guy. Or ghee, LOL! There's a Mt Guyot in the Smokies too, he did a lot in the area of measuring elevation. Swiss, I believe.Anyway, Guyot was a cool mountain top, above tree line, jumble trail, but daylight was slipping away. There was a campsite ahead, but way off the trail so we hiked on. A guy we met on the trail told us about a stealth site down in the saddle and we eventually found it and camped there. Thanks angel! We sat on rocks in the middle of the trail to eat cold food as it got dark. We didn't have enough water to cook, but PB on bagel was fine with me, I was tired. Glad we had that soup. I am disappointed in my mileage but enjoying the mountains so much. I think it was enough hiking for my bro too.
Date: 2010-08-28
From: Guyot Saddle Stealth Site

To: Crawford Notch
Miles today: 10.5
Weather: fog

Got a reasonably early start and soon my brother and I were making the brief climb up Zealand Mtn. From there it was down down down to Zealand Falls Hut. Had a couple of falls along the way. I swear my legs are beginning to look like I've been beaten up, but I'm ok. Brother and I agree, this ain't figure skating, no points for style, LOL! There's a gorgeous waterfall alongside the hut that I really enjoyed. It was great to sit on the warm rock and watch the creek tumble down the side of the mountain. They had crumb cake too, so I ate some. From the hut we headed towards Ethan Pond Campsite and along the way ran into Just Blue Skies! She was headed south because she had flipflopped to Katahdin from Pennsylvania. It was so good to see her, I could barely make myself hike on and leave her. She's fighting through some injuries and is now hiking on her own. We continued our hike and broke for lunch at the junction to Ethan Pond Campsite. Along the way we passed a beautiful stream and saw many small maples turning scarlet. This part of the day was mostly level and hard packed trail. And puncheons! These are like plank bridges over boggy marshy land, which there is a lot of! While we sat eating our lunch the caretaker arrived and told us there were 300+ puncheons between Zealand Falls Hut and the campsite. Crazy! He also told us there are another 187 en route to Crawford Notch. That's a lotta puncheons. We finished lunch and packed up to go. Thruhiker Ghettosheep showed up and told us she was meeting her grandma at the trailhead, very excited. Off we went, bolting for the road. We had decided we would be tourists tomorrow. When we got to the trailhead after a long downhill the grandma, Jackie, gave my brother a ride to his car at Highland Ctr. Trail angel! Meanwhile, I waited with the packs and who showed up?? None other than Rockdancer, a fine person that I know from my pre-hike research on the internet. It was so fun to meet him! And, he gave me a ham sandwich! Heaven. My brother showed up with the car and off we went in search of a motel. What a great time we had hiking together.
Date: 2010-08-30
From: Crawford Notch

To: Mizpah Spring Hut
Miles today: 6.4

Began the day with a fabulous French toast breakfast with my brother who then dropped me off at the trailhead. We had such a great time hiking together! Saw Rockdancer at the trailhead which was great!It was a steep steep climb out of Crawford Notch, a few miles long, and at the top are Webster Cliffs. It all started out ok, my map showed three little sections for the cliffs, so after I passed three outcroppings I thought I had it licked. Overcame and enjoyed the view and all, the trail moved along the ridge up Crawford Notch so I could see the road and businesses below with each overlook. Well, there were more than three outcroppings and each seemed more extreme than the previous one. For me it felt like rock climbing on cliff faces. I came oh so close to tears by the last climb, I don't think I could have managed another. Of course, if another had been there to do, ...After Mt Webster next came Mt Jackson with a long bog plank bridge. I was just glad to be off the cliffs. By the way, I've recently learned these bridges are puncheons only if it is one smooth side on a log. Most of these have been rough cut 3x8 planks, not puncheons. Correct me if I'm wrong please! Finally got to Mizpah Hut where I had chicken dijon as part of work for stay. It was delicious. Hattrick also did work for stay.
Date: 2010-08-31
From: Mizpah Spring Hut

To: Edmands Col (The Perch)
Miles today: 9.6

I started my day doing work for stay which involved some sweeping and blanket folding. Hattrick got on his way first so I thought I'll never see that guy again. The hike began with a really steep climb out from the hut up Mt Pierce, which has apparently been renamed Mt Clinton. It was a really foggy morning so there wasn't anything to see, I just hiked. On I climbed, up to Mt Franklin, up Mt Monroe, still mostly in the fog. As I got over treeline I could see the mountain top around me, but no views of the mountains around me. As I approached Lake of the Clouds hut who came out of the fog, none other than Hattrick, going the wrong way! Got him turned around and stopped in at the hut for a delicious bowl of vegetable soup. Yummy chocolate cake too!From there the steep 1.4 mile climb up to Mt Washington. It was very strange to be in the fog with the wind howling. It wasn't enough to get directionally disoriented, but it was unnerving. When I got to the top I saw Hattrick leaving, One Life who I met going up Webster Cliffs (nice guy) and! Grapevine! Who flipped back at Harpers Ferry! It was great to see him and catch up AND he told me that Whippersnap summited yesterday!!! Yay!   I'm so happy for him, now on to his dream job! I told Grapevine about seeing Just Blue Skies a few days back so he'll be on the lookout for her. So nice to see friends on the trail. I also ate a hotdog while at the summit.Got going from Mt Washington around 3:30 which was too late. The trail rounded Great Gulf Wilderness and Mt Clay and Mt Jefferson. About 6:30 it became clear to me that I was not going to make Madison Spring Hut as I had planned, so at Edmands Col I took the 1.1 mile sidetrail to The Perch shelter for the night. All of this above treeline hiking is magnificent. In some places the hiking goes pretty well but in others it's heavily rocky and slow going, at least for me. I'm finding I can't really predict how much mileage I can do in a day, the trail decides for me. Anyway, it was a long rocky offtrail hike to the shelter, but it was the right choice for me.
Date: 2010-09-01
From: Edmands Col (The Perch)

To: Osgood Tentsite
Miles today: 5.2
Weather: fog

Started the day slowly, deciding to eat a little oatmeal to get the body going. Finally left The Perch around 9:30 and spent the first hour of my hike getting back to the AT. The Perch is a long way off trail!Headed off skirting the summit of Mt Adams, a big big mountain. It was a lot of peak after peak, just when you think you've conquered it there's another rise to get over. Finally, finally, coming off Adams and there was Madison Spring Hut in the swag. And big old Mt Madison rising up beyond the hut. Well, first things first, corn and mushroom chowder, which was pretty tasty! They ran out with my bowl, so no refills. No bread or goodies either, darn it. Met a sobo there, actually have been a few in the last several days, and a dayhiker who was a northbounder but has already summited Katahdin and still hasn't had enough hiking yet! Struck me funny.Well, after soup and socializing there was nothing left to do but tackle Mt Madison. This was a 560 foot climb to 5367 feet, all in four tenths of a mile, nothing but rock, completely exposed. Just the sort of thing that normally terrifies me. The thing I really like about this kind of hiking is that it takes total concentration. I could see the mountain views to either side of me, but my attention was on my feet and the task at hand. When I got to the top, then I took the chance to enjoy the views. Boy did I! The Presidential Range is simply magnificent and it reminds me once again how lucky I am to be here, having this great adventure. It's a long, long downhill off of Madison. Took me forever over ridge after ridge, rocks and rocks and rocks, then the last couple of miles below tree line and into Osgood Tentsite. Tonight while I ate my favorite dinner ever, mama and baby moose strolled down the trail, munching on small trees and leaves. Yep, I am a pretty darn lucky girl.
Date: 2010-09-02
From: Osgood Tentsite

To: Pinkham Notch
Miles today: 4.8
Weather: fog

Ate breakfast on my tent platform watching mama and baby moose have their breakfast too. How cool!Did the hike in to Pinkham Notch to work out my maildrop before Labor Day happens. Out in the morning. Hurricane Earl may make some rain but should be all right here.
Date: 2010-09-03
From: Pinkham Notch

To: Jct Wildcat Ridge Trl/19 Mile Brook Trl
Miles today: 5.7

Well, the miles are sure hard to come by. Today I hiked over Wildcat Peak Echo, Delta, and Alpha and skirted Charlie and Bravo. I learned that from my military friends, LOL. Seriously, the peaks are named A, B, C, D and E. Seems they could get a bit more creative. So, the day began with KitKat (partner of Dr Rock) giving me a ride to the trail which was great! The first mile or so was around Lost Pond, which sounds lovely, but for flat terrain was tough hiking. Big ole rocks in the trail, some jutting into the pond and causing me to have to rock hop around, in the pond. I'm not complaining, I didn't fall in or anything. Next was the big climb up Wildcat E for starters. The usual. Steep. Rocky. A friend told me, not as tough as Kinsman and not as scary as Webster, but elements of both, and that description is spot on. There were a couple of exposed parts that required rock climbing that got me all upset. I managed through it. One place I wedged my body in between two rock walls and essentially had to pull myself, with pack, up and over top. My legs were kicking in the air and I was in a massive sweat but I did it. My arms felt like jelly after that. On one section with wood block steps on a rock face there were three southbounders who had to wait while I got myself up. Whew! Along the way I met Croft with Kahota and Wild Poodle. Always nice to see them. I'm glad I didn't have to go down this beast.After Peak E there's a ski gondola where I stopped for a late lunch. To this point it had taken me four hours to get three miles. Suddenly who appeared? None other than my good friend (sgt major) Joe! I was so excited to see him! We caught up a bit, the three ladies caught up, and some section hikers joined the parade and off we all set to do the other peaks of Wildcat. Some tough ups and downs here and there and some better trail too, so time got better. It was a slow slow downhill. Am camped with Joe at the trail jct tonight. It was a short mileage day again, but I did everything required today. I feel pretty good about it.Oh yes, a friend emailed to tell me that within USFS verbage these bog planks I am walking over are indeed puncheons.
Date: 2010-09-04
From: Jct Wildcat Ridge Trl/19 Mile Brook Trl

To: Imp Campsite
Miles today: 7.4

Oh my gosh, it POURED last night! It was still raining this morning, so it was a slow start. Stopped in at Carter Notch Hut, they gave me leftover oatmeal with raisins, apples and maple syrup! Yum! By the time I got wet gear sorted out it was near 11:00 before I got hiking. Today's hike started with climbing Carters Dome. Its kind of flat on top and none of the crazy cliffside rock climbing, so steep and rocky was ok with me. After a brief downhill and minor confusion came Mt Hight, barely above treeline with great views. Played leapfrog with Joe as he started the day with rain issues also. At Zeta Pass I met Wild Poodle, Kahota and Croft just finishing their lunch. They left, I ate. From there it was up and over South Carter, then essentially a ridge walk (White Mtn style!) to Middle, then North Carter Mountains. I was really enjoying the hike with great views back to the Presidential Range. Nice! Then came the N Carter downhill into the campsite. Very very tough. The best thing about it is that it's not cliffside, but too tough to be fun for me. I'd call it rock climbing actually. Got into the tentsite so things are drying out nicely. A lovely little spring here. I keep meaning to mention my backpack ballet! Yesterday was a good one, I was confidently taking astep on a slick rock and as my feet flew out from under me I grabbed a tree and did a near 360 in my effort to "save" the fall. Instead the momentum of the pack dropped me just beyond the tree, back on the trail, right on my butt. No harm done, but really, I flew through the air! Today at one point I found myself hanging from a tree, a foot or so in the air over the trail. That momentum thing again. What grace! Sigh.
Date: 2010-09-05
From: Imp Campsite

To: US 2 Gorham
Miles today: 8.0
Weather: broken clouds

Nice Campsite! The wind blew fierce all night, drying out everything. I slept in my long johns. A cool front moved in after Earl moved out. I slept great.The day began with a 1000 foot climb up Mt Moriah which was straight ahead hiking. No craziness, thank goodness. The views were grand. At one point I pushed myself to walk along the cliffside and missed the trail going back into the forest, LOL! Teach me to do something nutty like that again!From the top it was down down down all the way, at first quite steep, then eventually levelling off to an old logging road. All day the trail was reasonable, no crazy challenges, which I was really ready for. I needed a day off from extreme hiking very badly.Got in to Gorham with a ride from 2 NH schoolteachers, thanks trail angels! Had a shower, did laundry, then called Rising Fawn and Trekker of Nashville! who took me to Walmart to resupply, then out for dinner. What a lovely way to spend the evening. They even provided fuel for my stove and have promised a ride back to the trail in the morning. Trail Angels indeed. I am a lucky girl.
Date: 2010-09-06
From: US 2 Gorham

To: Trident COL tentsite
Miles today: 6.9

Began the day slow with a big breakfast and taking time to call home, Hi Mom! That was so nice.True to their word Rising Fawn and Trekker took me back to the trail and I got started around noon. Some early start, eh?The hike began with a near mile long road walk, first paved, then gravel, then turned off in to the woods. Once begun it was a steady climb up both Mt Hayes and Cascade Mtn on nicely graded trail. A bit of a steep downhill in between just to keep me honest, but overall gentle hiking today. The looks back to Washington were wonderful from both mountaintops. These guys top out in the 2600 ft range, so nothing like the big mountains I've been on recently.Passed through a section atop Cascade Mtn where there were many dead birch trees, still standing, no apparent fire. Kind of spooky actually. Also, if anyone wants to check out the difference between an aspen and a birch, I'd love to know the difference. Thanks again to Rising Fawn and Trekker for all the support. It was fun hanging out.
Date: 2010-09-07
From: Trident COL tentsite

To: Carlo COL tentsite
Miles today: 10.1

Last night I lay in my tent and the air was so clear and cool. At home I have some handsoap with a scent called Winter Forest that I love. I realized as I lay taking in the night that the same scent was in the air, but so much finer, subtle, and I was completely immersed in it. How fine my life is.Well, my goal for the day was to make some dang miles, dang it! I am frustrated by my pace and worried winter will arrive before I reach Katahdin. I did better I guess, but did not get as far as I planned. Started out from the campsite and passed Page Pond, very very pretty. Then, I ran into Webwalker who had flipped back in PA. This called for a good long sitdown break and I really enjoyed catching up with her. So awesome! Passed Dream Lake and soon found myself at Gentian Pond Shelter. This is the last shelter in NH and I spent over an hour reading the shelter log. The excitement of all the nobos heading into Maine, so many of them I knew, was thrilling. I was amazed at all the sobo names I recognized too. Nevertheless, visiting and sitting around reading log books is no way to get miles under my feet.Got myself moving and headed up the last NH mountain, Mt Success. Isn't that a hoot? It was a good climb with lots of great views. I came to a boulder scramble that freaked me out some, preparation for tomorrow's fun, then a big ole nasty downhill. It was gigantic boulders at all sorts of crazy angles, one bit I went down feet first on my belly, holding on for dear life. Nuts.Tomorrow is Mahoosic Notch, the notorious toughest mile on the trail. After today I confess, I'm pretty nervous about it. Need to get my head square for this one. We shall see. For now, sleep. I am exhausted.
Date: 2010-09-08
From: Carlo COL tentsite

To: Mahoosic Notch West Stealth Site
Miles today: 5.9

Thunderstorms in the night led to a late departure, wet gear, etc. The climb up Mt Carlo wasn't too difficult, but then there were lots of steep ups and downs later, over Goose Eye Mtn East Peak and North Peak. The steep rocky descents really scare me and slow me down something terrible. From the North Peak I could see a storm moving in and I hustled to get to the shelter as best as I could. There were A LOT of puncheons on the way down, strangely enough, yet still steep enough to be a nerve wracking endless descent. By the time I got to the shelter and ate lunch it was almost 3:00. I talked to another hiker who was going through Mahoosic Notch but I didn't feel confident enough to get such a late start. I was still a mile and a half away at this point, with a mountain yet between me and the Notch. I decided to do what I could, so I went over Fulling Mill Mtn and camped at the Notch Trail Jct. I will tackle Mahoosic Notch in the morning. Today I felt a lot like quitting the trail. These mountains are so tough and the trail feels like extreme rock climbing to me. I am very discouraged. We shall see tomorrow.
Date: 2010-09-09
From: Mahoosic Notch West Stealth Site

To: Speck Pond Campsite
Miles today: 3.6
Weather: light rain

It rained most of the night and early this morning, but by 8:05 I was headed into Mahoosic Notch. This is supposed to be the toughest mile of the entire trail and it is TOUGH! It took me almost 5 hours to get through. Joe passed me early on, then he was gone. Others came and went as I made my way. The Notch is like a canyon loaded with giant boulders turned every which way. Sometimes you go over, sometimes you go around, sometimes you go under. Sometimes you wear your pack and sometimes you push your pack and sometimes you drag your pack. I would have enjoyed it more had it been dry, but instead I had intermittent showers and wet rock to contend with. I scooted on my butt a lot, pulled myself up by my arms a lot, crawled up and down rockface on my hands and knees a lot. It was hard going. Still, I kind of enjoyed it, definitely preferring this type of work to the high cliff stuff like Webster Cliffs. The first couple of hours it was kind of fun, sort of like an extreme physical puzzle, but after a while it was just exhausting. By the time I was through it I was completely spent.   The shame is that the place is beautiful, soaring cliffs and moss and curious jumbles, but other than the first few minutes I barely noticed my surroundings. Total concentration. At the end I sat by a beaver pond and ate my lunch. The light between showers was golden on the fallen leaves in the water, magical. It really is a magical place. To see pics you can google Mahoosic Notch images. I didn't get any of my own pictures. After lunch I made my way up Mahoosic Arm, which is the mountainside out of the notch. It was steep and beautiful. I stopped at a stream and loaded up with water. Then I came to a place that seemed like boulders from the notch stuck vertical on the side of the mountain. It was hard and scary to get over, I was certain I was going to fall off the side of the mountain. After I got over that part I totally lost it and went into a complete meltdown. I just stood there, sobbing, big gulping sobs, to another poor hiker who happened to be standing there. Poor guy. If I could have gone home right then I would have quit at that moment. It was enough. It was all I could take. Problem was, there was no way to go home right then, so I had to carry on up the mountain, no way I was going back down that thing! I am running out of strength and will power for this hike I am afraid. When I got to Speck Pond it was completely in fog, it looked pretty cool flowing out of the mist, but I would have liked to have actually seen it. I got around the pond into camp and while I was setting my tent up the skies opened up. Everything is drenched and it is cold and windy. What a completely discouraging day.