morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2005-07-16
From: Glencliff (Hiker Hostel)

To: .1 before Gordan Pond Trail
Miles today: 12.7

I climbed Mt. Moosilake, which is the first major mountain in the Whites. The climb was steep and long, but I was able to make it to the summit. It was great being above tree line. The fog lifted after a while and I got some views of the surrounding mountains. I hiked to the shelter and then decided to hike further. I got to Kinsman's notch around 5:30 PM. I resupplied water and continued on. The idea was to hike one mile further, that would have been 10.5 miles, but there was no where to camp at the lower elevations (possible storms). I had to hike until almost dark, found a spot (not great, but workable) and then it started raining while I set up camp. I got soaked, but most of my gear is dry. Overall it's been a good day.Peace!
Date: 2005-07-17
From: .1 before Gordan Pond Trail

To: US 3 Franconia Notch
Miles today: 13.1
Weather: overcast clouds

Today was an awesome day. I woke up to mist and broke camp. Putting on wet clothes is never fun, but that's part of hiking I guess. I climbed Mt. Wolf, then decended to liza Brook shelter. .2 of a mile from the shelter I saw a bear! I tried to get a picture, but it didn't turn out. He was very dark and was on the trail 100 yards North of me. We stared at each other for a minute, then he left. Cool! I took a long break at the shelter, then ascended Kinsman mountain. This was straight up 1858 feet in elevation from the shelter. It ascended beside a beautiful cascading stream. I then had to scramble up boulders...putting my poles down often to use my hands to pull myself up. There would've been a great view, but I was shrouded in a mist. At the Kinsman pond campsite, I decided to go to the AMC hut where I got lemonade and chocolate cake. I talked with a guy who was giving shuttles to to 10 women around for hiking. They all were very nice. I decided to go for Franconia Notch and US 3...now I'm here.Peace!
Date: 2005-07-18
From: US 3 Franconia Notch

To: Liberty Springs campsite
Miles today: 2.6
Weather: moderate rain

Today started lazily in my motel room, watching tv and reading. I went to eat at the great Greek/Italian resturant in N. Woodstock...Landmark II. Great lasagna! I resupplied and called the shuttle. Just after that, a guy I met in Glencliff showed up and offered me a ride. I stuck with the shuttle because I had already called them...mistake! She took me to the wrong place. I tried to tell her, but she said it was just about where I said. It was a mile off. I hiked to the flume visitors center because I was confused and the ranger was really nice. She explained where I needed to go. A very nice Pastor and his wife from Akron, Ohio gave me a ride to where I needed to be. All in all, I lost about 45 minutes. The climb was medium steep and long. As I began hiking, the heavens opened up and rain poured. It also thundered, but no lightening. Now the sun is out and I'm drying my clothes. There are chances of storms today and tonight. There is no safe place to camp withing walking distance of Franconia notch (at least as late as I started). Tomorrow there are chances of PM storms, possibly sever, so I'm headed to Galehead Hut....about 10 miles.Peace!
Date: 2005-07-19
From: Liberty Springs campsite

To: Galehead Hut
Miles today: 10.4
Weather: scattered clouds

I woke up early and had hot chocolate in the mist of early morning. I had to carry a lot of water today...3 liters. I walked the Franconia Ridge trail (which is known for it's beauty above tree line) in the fog. I arrived at Little Haystack mt. in the fog. I was beginning to dispare of ever seeing a view in the Whites. I was above tree line, taking a break, when the sun started peaking out. I s tarted to see some mountains. I was totally unprepared for the beauty of this place. I could see Mt. Lincoln and everything was bigger than life. I was amazed and in awe. I hiked up Mt. Layfette and met some other hikers. They told me about a coulple and their 12 year old child who got stuck on Mt. Layfette overnight. They had no camping gear, only a towel. Somehow they survived. I soaked up the beauty, then turned on the speed. They are calling for possible major storms tonight. I also wanted to do work for stay and you're supposed to get to the hut between 3-5 PM. The storm arrived just as I arrived at the hut. I did an hour of folding clothes for my work/stay. It was a great day!Peace!
Date: 2005-07-20
From: Galehead Hut

To: Crawford Notch Hostel
Miles today: 14.7
Weather: light rain

I woke up on the floor of the dinning room of the hut. People were beginning to move around and we hikers had to get up. I skipped breakfast because I had a long day planned. The beginning of the hike was .8 of a mile climb steeply up S. Twin Mt. It was early and the fog hadn't burned off yet. The day turned out to be beautiful with an awesome view at Zeacliff. I actually saw where the trail went after the next hut. I hiked to Zealand Falls hut, had lemonade and bread for lunch, then hiked the mostly flat Ethan Pond trail (AT). I was able to make great time of the Ethan Pond trail and made it to US 302 around 5:40 PM. I stuck out my thumb and the first car pulled over! Two really nice ladies drove me to the hostel. I had dinner and a shoer. Tomorrow I hope to get to Lake of the Clouds Hut, the the next day I climb Mt. Washington (the 2nd highest peak on the AT). Clingsman's dome in TN is the highest.Peace!
Date: 2005-07-21
From: Crawford Notch Hostel

To: Lake of the Clouds Hut
Miles today: 11.2
Weather: broken clouds

Today's 11.2 miles were probably the hardest on me so far in the Whites. The climb up Webster cliffs and Mt. Webster started out easy "Hey..not so bad". It got steeper "no problem, I can do this". It got very steep and I thought "ok, you've done this before (tough climbs) you can do it again. Finally, I had to put down my hiking poles and start rock climbing. I gave up trying to put a nice face on the climb. It took me 3.5 hours to climb 3.3 miles. The rest of the day was climbs, but not as brutal. I ate lunch at Mizpah Spring hut and climbed Mt. Pierce (Mt. Clinton). the view was awesome and started my above tree line trek of 12 miles. My knees are sore and so are my legs. My spirit is good though. I arrived at the hut around 4:55 PM I asked about work/stay and was the third person (they officially accept 4). I had gone into the bathroom stall to put on my "cleaner" shirt and underwear when I heard this gu y talking about how bad thru-hikers smelled...how they lay on the floor in the dinning room at night. He just kept going on about "these" people. I could hear the disdain in his voice. The guy he was talking to said that his son had thru-hiked last year and met the love of his life on the trail. I left the stall and walked out. Afterwards he came out...I recognized his voice. He was a larger, out of shape man and had the look of wealth. I wonder if he knew I was in the stall or not while he was being so rude. Anyway, I am now outside watching the clouds float by, with the wind in my face. The beauty of this world is amazing...even with hurting body parts and rude people. This a moment to remember.Peace!
Date: 2005-07-22
From: Lake of the Clouds Hut

To: Madison Springs Hut
Miles today: 7.0
Weather: light rain

I got a late st art from Lake of the Clouds Hut because of finishing my work for stay. The climb up mt. Washington was awesome and it ended up being very clear. As I was descending Mt. Washington, I saw all the coal on the ground from the Cog railway. The "cog" blows billows of black smoke (I could see it from Mt. Webster yesterday). The thru-hiker tradition is to "moon" the "cog" and the engineer throws a piece of coal at the hiker. Another hiker was near me and we discussed whether or not to let the moon come out. We decided to keep the tradition. We were close enough to be seen, but too far for the coal to hit us. Last night I met several SOBO's and Barrel Roll gave me info about possible slackpacking and places to stay in Rangely and Stratton. They were very cool. They were calling for afternoon storms, so I walked fast. As I approached Thunderstorm junction, 1 mile South of Madison Hut, the sky was almost black and it was thundering. I had planned to hike 3 miles past Madision Hut, but I decided to stay at the hut. It throws off my approach to Gorham, but I would be above tree line for 1.5 difficult miles..then a ridge walk, then a steep descent. 30 minutes after I made the decision the storm hit. The clouds are still dark, so I made the right choice. The croo has worked me hard, but they are short a few people and I don't mind hel ping. I really wanted to get those hard three miles in, but walking on an exposed ridge, with no trees wasn't worth it.   Being on the trail means being flexible.Peace!
Date: 2005-07-23
From: Madison Springs Hut

To: Wildcat Mt (ski lift building)
Miles today: 10.5

I haven't been getting enough sleep the last few nights in the huts. People have been staying up late in the dinning area (hiker bedroom). It's starting to tell on me some. I left the hut at 6 AM and had a beautiful hike up Mt. Madison. It was .5 miles up and very rocky, but beautiful. It was slightly windy on the trek up, but the summit and Northern side was extremely windy. I found out later that the wind was 37 mph, I wonder what the gusts were. I was above tree line for several hours because of the rock/boulder footing. I had to brace myself with my poles so that I wouldn't be blown away. The hike was actually a lot of fun, but very time consuming and physically demanding. Around 1:30 PM I made it to Pinkham notch. The AMC runs a "camp" there. I highly recommend a food drop there. The hiker food consisted of $1.00 candy bars, dehydrated meals at $7.25 and a few other things...along with gear. I understand the huts charging a buck, the croo has to pack all the food in. These guys were right beside a road. I talked with Mary on a pay phone forever. I didn't want to make the nearly vertical climb of wildcat. I was physically tired and having stopped at madison last night caused me not to be able to make Gorham on Sunday. All the hard work in the Whites to gain miles to give me some leeway to Katahdin was gone. It was the right decision thought. If the t-storm hadn't gotten me, the fog would've made it impossible to navigate the descent of Madison. It was hard enough in the clear morning light. I finally left Pinkham notch, took a dip in Lost Pond, dried on a rock in the sun..ate supper, then began my ascent of wildcat. It was hard and I had to be careful because of some sheer drop-offs...but it wasn't as bad as I imagined it would be. I arrived at the ski lift building which had one door open. It's an old building, but I'm sheltered from the high winds. The wind is SO loud. My other option was to camp in a col a few hundred feet down and .8 of a mile away. I think this is the better choice. It's kinda spooky thought...all by myself in an old, big building. The wind is making all sorts of sounds. One more thing...Mary read me some of the comments you guys have written in my guest book. It helps a lot, it brings a little bit of home to where I am. Please keep writting.Peace!
Date: 2005-07-24
From: Wildcat Mt (ski lift building)

To: Mt. Moriah (4049 ft.)
Miles today: 12.5

It was hard getting out of my sleeping bag this morning. It was cold in the building and warm in my bag. I finally got my day started and began hiking. I crossed the rest of the Wildcat peaks and began my descent into Carter notch. Bones came up behind me, he said he slept 13 hours without waking up in the night. I caught up to him at the Cater notch hut and took a lunch break. The hike up to Carter Dome was very steep and there was no view at the top. After a little more hiking I got to Mt. Height. It was lower in elevation than Carter Dome, but had awesome views. I descended into Zeta Pass then over the rest of the Carter range. I ran into Cubby and Boston again, we talked for a while. They are really nice. I ate dinner at the side trail to Imp shelter, then hiked 2.1 more miles to mt. moriah, where I am hammock hanging tonight. The temps are dropping and I'm in my winter/fall hammock set up. I hope to stay nice and warm. Gorham tomorrow, then a ZERO day. Yipee!Peace!
Date: 2005-07-25
From: Mt. Moriah (4049 ft.)

To: US 2 Gorham
Miles today: 5.9
Weather: scattered clouds

Last night it only got down to 48 degrees with a little wind. Not too cold. I woke up early and saw the early morning sun coming up over the mountains. Today was almost all down hill, sometimes steep, sometimes level. After Rattle river it was a very nice trail. As I was hiking to the shelter, 2.5 miles from US 2, I took a little stumble and fell on my knee. I was afraid I had turned my ankle, but fortunately I was ok. My mind was on town food and other thoughts. I met a guy with a guitar at the shelter who gave me a ride into Gorham. I picked up my mail drop, got my pictures transfered to a cd (pictures of the whites coming soon) and am doing laundry...after a wonderful shower! I'm going to hit the pizza hut, chinese buffet, outfitters and other town things today and tomorrow. I've hiked the Whites! Yipee!Peace!
Date: 2005-07-26
From: US 2 Gorham

To: US 2 Gorham
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

I spent today resupplying food for the next four days, I ate at the chinese buffet (great food), hit the outfitters and mailed all sorts of stuff home. I arranged for some slackpacking from Andover, ME north toward Caratunk, and basically just laid around. Tomorrow I hit the trail again, a day and a half to Maine! Zero days are great, but tomorrow I venture back to the trail.Peace!
Date: 2005-07-27
From: US 2 Gorham

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

Today was a day of slips and falls. The trail was wet from drizzle and light rain. I was climbing Mt. Hayes when I felt my feet start to slip. I was swinging my poles, trying to dig in, when my feet flew out from under me and I fell on my right hip. I then slid down the rocks about 10 feet. The next fall was when I put my foot in a hole that was covered with brush. I fell on my right knee again! Fortunately I didn't really get hurt. The trail had ups and downs, wasn't too difficult, but my pack seemed to weigh a ton with four days of food. The rain picked up toward the shelter. At the shelter it was raining sideways (almost). I decided that 11.8 miles was enough for today and it was my planned stay anyway. Tomorrow is supposed to be really nice. Maine tomorrow.Peace!
Date: 2005-07-28
From: Gentian Pond shelter

To: Mahoosuc Notch Trail, ME
Miles today: 11.1

Pain, jane, lane, train, rain, sane, plain...what do all these words have in common? They rhyme with MAINE!!!!! I have crossed every border on the Appalachian Trail and it's 275 miles to Katahdin.New Hampshire wanted to either kill me or something to keep me out of Maine. I fell twice this morning trying to make it across the border. Once, I ended up with my feet facing up the rocks and my bottom and pack on the ground. Another fall made my pole fall in a little cave under the rocks. I try so hard to be careful too. It seems I've had a rash of falls lately. The hike today was slow with me being so careful and the trail was hard. Lot's of steep ups and downs with long slick, slabs of rocks, all at steep angles. I wanted to get through Mahoosuc notch, but I'm told it takes several hours to go the one mile. The notch is a pass that has huge boulders and caves that you have to crawl under, around or over. I'm camped right before the notch, so I get to do it in the morning. I am physically tired tonight, but that's ok....I'm in Maine.Peace!
Date: 2005-07-29
From: Mahoosuc Notch Trail, ME

To: ME 26 (Pine Ellis Hostel)
Miles today: 8.2
Weather: light rain

I woke up at 6:30 AM which is pretty late for me. I must have been very tired last night. I broke camp and started Mahoosuc Notch around 7:48 AM. The notch isn't very hard, just very time consuming. There were some tight squeezes and a few places I had to make like a pretzel. Ice was still in some of the lower caves and that was pretty neat. I met up with #11 a thru-hiker (48 yrs old) and we hiked together through most of the notch. At one point I had taken off my pack and pushed it through a small cave we had to crawl through...when my MP3 player popped off my pack and into a cave. The "cave" was more like a hole, and there was just enough room to squeeze myself into it and push myself down to pick up the device. If you know me, you'll know that I'm claustraphobic. It wasn't pleasant, but I did it. The notch took me 2 hours and 45 minutes for 1.1 miles. I then had to climb Mahoosuc Arm, which is a straight up mountain. By the time I had reached the first shelter at 3.7 miles, it was 1:15 PM...unbelievable!This morning I noticed a rip about an inch long...like a 1/2 moonshape in the lower body of my pack. As the day progressed it got slightly bigger. #11 gave me some patching material and we did a field repair...but I decided to stop at ME 26 and get a ride into Andover...my slack packing week will start early. This way I can get my pack properly repaired (hopefuly) and no more damage should occur. I had visions all day of the rip opening all the way up (like my hammock did in PA) and all my gear tumbling on the trail. Fortunately this didn't happen.I kept trying to call the Pine Ellis hostel to let them know I needed a shuttle at ME26, but I couldn't dial out...even with 3 bars of signal strength. Finally, a mile from the road I tried on last time and I got through. They should be here anytime now. I tried calling Mary immediately afterwards, but no signal. Isn't that interesting? Tonight, a shower and real food. Tomorrow slackpacking and trying to figure out how to get my pack repaired.Peace!
Date: 2005-07-30
From: ME 26 (Pine Ellis Hostel)

To: East B Hill Road (Pine Ellis Hostel)
Miles today: 10.3
Weather: light rain

Paul from the hostel gave me a shuttle to ME 26 and I began my hike. It's different hiking with only a day pack...it's freedom, but the terrain was still very steep and difficult. I climbed up to Baldpate Lean-to then the west peak of Baldpate Mt. East Baldpate peak is a huge stone peak without trees. It's truly awesome! There is like a bowl/canyon between the two peaks. It would be a great place to camp on a clear night. The hike up and down the East peak was very steep and would be extremely dangerous in wet weather.There are some really cool falls in Dunn notch, .9 of a mile south of East B hill road. About .1 of a mile is a small set of falls with a sweet swimming hole at it's base. If you can, it would be a great place to camp.Peace!
Date: 2005-07-31
From: East B Hill Road (Pine Ellis Hostel)

To: South Arm Road (Pine Ellis Hostel)
Miles today: 10.1
Weather: light rain

I actually hiked this section SOBO today, but didn't want to confuse my start and stop points. It was slightly strange hiking South, but I got the tough climbs of Moody Mt. out of the way early in the day. I met "stick" who has been seeing my shelter entries for a while, and we hiked the last two miles together. He's from Michigan and even he things I have a strong southern accent. it'll be interesting getting home and seeing what southerners think of my speech. Today was woods with little views, but there was a cool pond 2 miles from EB Hill road. I saw a hiker I met in NY who hikes very fast, but had taken 10 days off. He was confused that I was hiking SOBO. I also saw another hiker in town who has decided to yellow blaze to Stratton. I mentioned slack packing, but he's ready to go home. I don't blame him, but he's so close. I hate to see him do it.At 7:00 PM I have a massage appointment. I'll let you know how it goes.Peace!
Date: 2005-08-01
From: South Arm Road (Pine Ellis Hostel)

To: ME 17 (Pine Ellis Hostel)
Miles today: 13.3
Weather: scattered clouds

Today was supposed to be rainy with possible storms. It ended up being beautiful with it beginning to rain as I walked up to my shuttle. I climbed "Old Blue" first, then went across the Bemis range. On clear days I'm told you can see Katahdin, but there was a haze and I haven't had my first sighting of the "Big K" yet. I met an older couple at the shelter from GA, who are hiking SOBO. They are retired teachers, so we had a nice conversation. On the way back to the hostel, I saw my first moose, actually two, a mom and her calf. So I saw my first moose from a car while hiking the AT...Ironic huh? Still, it was really cool to see them, they are so big.Oh, I was supposed to say how the massage went...GREAT! Now I'm ready for another one. I think I need to find a masseuse (however you spell it) back home. I could get used to that!Peace!
Date: 2005-08-02
From: ME 17 (Pine Ellis Hostel)

To: ME 4 (Gull Pond Lodge)
Miles today: 13.1

This morning I saw two more moose on the way to ME 17. One was a bull. Seeing these huge creatures is exciting. The hike was fairly easy by Maine standards. There were no huge elevation gains or losses and I passed four ponds. The first pond...Moxie, was ok. Long pond where the shelter is has a sandy beach where you can swim and wooden seats. The shelter is .3 of a mile North of this little beach. The shelter was overun by hs/college campers, so I didn't stay long. The pond was huge though, a neat place to stay. The next pond was Little Swift River pond. I thought I saw a moose there, but it was on the other side of the pond, so it could've been a deer. The coloring was too light, but the ears were "moosie". Anyway, there are canoes there, so I put on in, but the creature heard and left. I paddled across the pond, then back.The clouds had started darkening and the wind was picking up. My shutle is at 4:00 PM, so I had plenty of time, but I decided to hike the almost five miles in a hurry. About 20 minutes from the pond it started raiining steadily...then it started thundering. I kept on hiking and about 15 minutes from the road it cleared and is now beautiful. I hike a little North of the raod and have my legs and feet in a stream, listening to the sound of running water. In about 15 minutes I will dry off and hike up to the raod for my shuttle. Oh, Granite Gear is sending a new pack to Stratton. Great company and a great day!Later...My ride never came, so I had to hitch out to town. While drying my feet, I noticed that the place on my foot that I thought was a small crease/cut was actually an open gash. The callous had disconnected partially from my foot and you can see into my body. I'm going to the doctor tomorrow for possible stiches instead of hiking. I'm trying to make this work, but I have to take care of myself also. This makes my journey to Katahdin more difficult, but not impossible.Also, there is a guy I met who drives me crazy....he's here at the hostel tonight. It's storming hard outstide right now, but I'm safe and dry. As for my foot...God's will. I can only do my best.Peace!
Date: 2005-08-03
From: ME 4 (Gull Pond Lodge)

To: ME 4 (Gull Pond Lodge!
Miles today: 0.0

I spent this morning at the doctor's office. They wouldn't stitch it because it had been more than 8 hours after the injury, but they did tape it up. They also gave me a tetnis shot. Ouch. The doctor said I should rest my foot and let it heal, but I explained the situation. She said I could hike, but to keep a close eye on it for infection. I lost today's hike, but I should be ok if I can hike the next 3 days the distance I want to. She (doctor) recommended keeping my feet clean as possible. I figured that trail shoes with the sides ripped out wouldn't really do that. I had trail shoes waiting for me in Stratton, so I asked Bob (the hostel owner) if he would drive me up to Stratton to pick up my shoes. He did, and now I have them. The rest of this day has been lazy, resting my foot. The next three days are slackpacks of 16+ miles, then my new pack should be in Stratton. Hopefully my foot won't get infected. Peace!