morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2008-08-10
From: Beaver Brook Shelter

To: Kinsman Pond Shelter
Miles today: 13.1
Weather: scattered clouds

Day 150 -- We woke up early this morning to a gorgeous sunrise over the Franconia Ridge and we all headed out of camp around 7ish. Our day started with the very steep descent of Mt. Moosilauke--very rocky. It followed a stream turned waterfall for a long while and wooden steps fastened to the slick rockslabs. I started out on a roll but slowed down a lot. My legs were shaky, from not eating enough and I'm sure, nerves. It took me forever to get down and yes, there were some tears, mostly at the bottom when I realized it was over, and a few when I approached Wrongway's rest spot and he started getting up. Wow, did I need a break to rest my nerves and eat something. It was just one of those mornings I guess--because the next 4ish miles seemed to take forever, even with catching up to Wrongway, and then later to Chowda, Jackaroo, Sofaking, and Buddy a bit before the high point of Mt. Wolf. I was down and felt like I was so behind them. I was also feeling lonely--even among all these people. I rolled into the Eliza Brook Shelter, ate lunch, and tried to change my mood. I talked to Wrongway on the way out and felt a lot better, Oh, and about a mile and a half before the shelter I passed an organized group of girls and the leader graciously had them step aside and let me pass. As I passed, at least one girl said, "You're doing great. Keep it up." I really needed that. Anyway, after lunch we climbed Kinsman Mountain and I kept up with them for the most part. I enjoy traveling in a group sometimes. When we reached a clearing very close to the summit of South Kinsman Mountain, we could see in most directions and pretty far, too. We could see the storms that we had been hearing, the rain past the Franconia Ridge, and how evrything was moving. Luckily, although we could hear and see storms, we remained dry and safe in a little pocket. There we decided to only do two more miles to the shelter instead of four to the Hut, to avoid the storms further, at which we were successful. Clothesline was at the shelter along with some scouts (George, Alex, Matt, and another, who hiked to the summit and then played games when they returned). Today was one of those days where, at the end of it, I can't believe it was the same day as the beautiful sunrise--it seems so long ago.
Date: 2008-08-11
From: Kinsman Pond Shelter

To: Garfield Ridge Shelter
Miles today: 15.1
Weather: light rain

Day 151 -- It was still drizzling when we woke up and the entire shelter got up late, for us, anyway. A SOBO came into camp while we were still around. I was the first to leave (other than Clothesline), figuring that since I was descending steeply, that everyone else would catch up to me. Well, I did much better than yesterday on the steep downhill and actually made it to Lonesome Lake Hut before everyone else, except Clothesline. The croo gave us free leftover pancakes, dessert and stuffed shells. The rest of the group showed up just after Wrongway, who had come back UP the mountain after passing the hut. Wrongway had run into Clothesline, who told him where I was. We all set out together and flew down the rest of the mountain to Franconia Notch. The others were going to resupply and we moved on. We climbed up to the Franconia Ridge Trail which eventually got us up on the ridge itself. Just before the ridge I met SOBO's MacGwyer and Godzilla--very nice and informative. Franconia Ridge was socked in for a while. About 1.8 miles before Mt. Lafayette, I caught up to Wrongway (passed two dayhikers who caught me talking to myself!) :>) I tried to stick around to talk to Wrongway but I was sweaty and it was windy, so I moved on. As I got closer to Lafayette, some clouds started to break and I could actually see the ridgeline in front of me and across the way--pretty exciting. At the summit I hunkered down behind a brick wall out of the wind, with a very friendly, wandering day hiker, while I waited for Wrongway. As we continued on, the clouds really started to lift and gave us fantastic views! On the way down we stopped to chat for a while with SOBO's Bookworm, Mousetrap, and Jonathan. There were a couple of crazy climbs up Garfield but a spectacular view to make it all worth while (wild?). Near the summit I met a male MacGuyver and Lemur, NOBO's. At Garfield Ridge Shelter, I finished the shells that I couldn't finish for lunch and talked with Clairebear (LT '05, AT '03), the caretaker, and a father (LT '00)/son weeklong section hikers from Wisconsin. My right foot took some abuse today, so I tried to nurse it--hope it's taken care of. I'm looking forward to a short day tomorrow, especially since they're calling for more rain.
Date: 2008-08-12
From: Garfield Ridge Shelter

To: Zealand Falls Hut
Miles today: 9.7

Day 152 -- When everyone finally got up this morning, EVERYONE got up, but I felt rushed from the start...in packing, in leaving, in descending. So I stopped and took a deep breath because when I rush accidents happen--and I was descending Garfield steeply. Although it was foggy, it was a nice day and I slowed down. We stopped at Galehead Hut and rested and planned the rest of the day (and partook in some cinnamon buns). As we climbed South Twin Mountain, it started drizzling and when I reached the summit it was mostly socked in, so no view. I passed a lot of hikers today--seemed like mostly hut stayers. It poured on me a couple of times and the rocks were very slick--I fell twice. One fall tore up my leg, but I kept truckin'--the rain spreading the blood on my leg, making it look way worse than it was. When I finally got to Zealand Falls Hut, Wrongway wasn't there, which wasn't right because he was ahead of me when we left the last hut. Butters and Rocksteady were there and hadn't seen him yet. I talked to the croo and got hooked up with work for stay and changed out of my wet clothes. Four SOBO's, CJ (Calamity Jane), D-Wreck, Earthworm, and Griz, came in and I hung out and got to know them some. Clothesline and Pond Scum came in too. None of them had seen Wrongway. We all hung out while the hut stayers ate--Griz and Earthworm jammed on their uke and finally Wrongway came in. He had gone over 4.3 miles on the wrong trail. He didn't turn when he was supposed to. Needless to say he was NOT happy! When the hut stayers were finished eating, we got to have some pasta, cow-cow salad, bread and cake--yum! Oh, and some mushroom barley soup. Half of us worked for stay tonight, and Wrongway and I will do our work in the morning.
Date: 2008-08-14
From: US 302-Crawford Notch

To: US 302--General Store Bunkhouses
Miles today: 0.0

Day 154 -- Five months on the trail today! Wow!!! Clothesline got the shuttle to the trail around 8, without Site and Bondi since they were still asleep in their tents. I ate some fantastic bacon, egg, and cheese muffins, from the store, for breakfast and then hung out with Site and Bondi while they packed up. I spent the day eating, reading stories about the Whites, doing crosswords, calling family, and resting around. Two SOBOs, Rumbles and Cardshark, came in for the night so we sat and chatted with them while we ate pizza. We should be rested up well for Mt. Washington the next two days and for the rest of the Whites. I'm looking forward to the Presidentials and hope we have good weather.
Date: 2008-08-15
From: US 302--General Store Bunkhouses

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

Day 155 -- I had a couple more breakfast sandwiches and the last of the grapes for breakfast and Richard, the owner, drove us back to the trailhead. The fantastic views of the day started at Webster Cliffs and just kept coming all day. A lot of the day and most of the afternoon was spent above treeline. At Mt. Jackson we hung out with two different pairs of day hikers and then moved on. We quickly came up Mizpah Hut and had a late lunch with Pond Scum, and then talked to the couple from earlier. I zoomed through the next two miles, even with stopping to chat with a friendly family near the summit of Mt. Pierce, and a solo guy just after that. As I was skirting Mt. Eisenhower however,(which is mostly bald, by the way), I tripped over a rock, on pretty easy trail, and when I fell, hit my left knee hard on another rock. I'm scraped up pretty bad and I moved slowly over the next three miles. I tried to pick up speed when it started drizzling. Even with my hurt knee I made great time to Lakes of the Clouds Hut where Wrongway and Pond Scum were already hanging out with SOBOs John, Cash, Jeremiah, Dakota, Mountain Goat and Billy Goat, Greg, and 4 Stars. I cleaned and iced my knee for a while. One of the croo had us "clean" the cake pans--no problem!! A few of us played Hearts while waiting for dinner. There was a beautiful sunset and so many people were outside enjoying it. We ate, did our work for stay, and waited to be able to go to bed (since we sleep in the dining room, we have to wait for all the guests to go to bed). We're looking forward to summitting Mt. Washington tomorrow and are hoping for a bit of good weather!
Date: 2008-08-16
From: Lake of the Clouds Hut

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

Day 156 -- We had a great breakast this morning of oatmeal, cornbread, and egg bake to fuel us for our hike. We trekked one and a half miles to the summit Mt. Washington under partly cloudy skies--it was gorgeous. We could see pretty far--blue skies with all sorts of clouds in the sky. When I got to the top I found the reason for all the cheering I had been hearing on the way up (I knew it wasn't for me, summitting :>)). There was some sort of bike race on the Auto Rd. up to the top. We walked around up top and eventually went inside for some pizza. It turns out it was good timing, too, because lots of large clouds rolled in and pretty soon we couldn't see anything but white. It hailed and rained for a while while we were inside. We talked to many bikers who had just finished their race. One woman said, "It feels so good that it's finally over." I thought to myself that I'm still looking forward to completing the trail, but I'm not ready to be finished, This is probably a good thing because if I were, I don't know if I'd appropriately appreciate the trail that is still left to be hiked. I'd be looking towards the end and not living in the journey. Anyway....we enjoyed some hot chocolate while we debated whether to wait out the weather or go ahead with our hike. According to radar there was another very active thunderstorm coming in later, which would be too late to wait out. So, where there was a break in the precipitation, we headed out, following a dayhiker. After talking to him for a while he invited us to his house for the night to avoid the storm. We appreciated the offer, but declined. Half an hour later we can barely see each other and only the slight outline of the next cairn (large rock pile marking the trail along the way). Then there's thunder, pretty loud, which was a little unnerving. But we were fine--until there were two lightning bolts very close by. We stopped to reevaluate, but looking around, it seemed the clouds were breaking up, so we went on, always updating mental notes on good places to hunker down if it should get bad again. It rained and hailed on us for a while, and thunder rolled a bunch, too, but the storm mellowed out and eventually stopped raining about two miles before Madison Spring Hut. I was very grateful that Wrongway and I hiked together for most of the day, considering the weather! The sun was shining when I got to the Hut and they had already put Wrongway to work (he went ahead when the weather got better). I laid out my clothes in the sun and talked to Beth and her brother Bob (from Boston), who had hiked up today.
Date: 2008-08-17
From: Madison Spring Hut

To: Stealth 2 miles before Carter Notch Hut
Miles today: 11.7
Weather: fog

Day 157 -- When we woke up one could not see anything out the window. As the morning went by one could see it was incredibly windy and there were blue skies with large while clouds blowing by very fast. Ascending Mt. Madison from the hut was short, but the wind was so strong it took a long time. After we got up there, we were on the ridge, still above treeline for another mile. That mile took forever, too--the wind gusts, we heard, were between 30-50 mph--no wonder I was getting blown all over the place, rock to rock. On the way up we were lucky because the wind was helping to push us up the hill, but on top it was pushing us to our left. It was a lot of fun, though! Side notes: I haven't worn that many layers of clothing, while hiking, since the south. What made the day even better was that, other than the wind, it was a beautiful, dry day. Where the trail made a sharp turn at Osgood Tentsite, I left some friends from the last two huts. Less than a half mile later, Wrongway comes hiking up behind me. He had gone straight at that last junction. Whoops! We hiked down to Pinkham Notch Visitor Center, with a quick lunch stop near the Auto Road, and hung out there for a while. We left the Notch with some scary looking clouds above, but hoped they would just blow over. We climbed Wildcat Mountain--a little treacherous-and thought we had gone way farther than we actually had. We were two miles before what we thought, which was very unnerving, especially since it was getting dark soon, too, and we weren't sure we'd make it to Carter Notch Hut in time. So, it took a while, but we found a spot to stealth camp. Cold dinner, since we were low on water (didn't think we needed to get any before, thinking we were closer to the hut). We are hoping it doesn't rain, since our site isn't ideal--keep your fingers crossed!
Date: 2008-08-18
From: Stealth 2 miles before Carter Notch Hut

To: US 2 Gorham
Miles today: 17.2
Weather: few clouds

Day 158 -- No rain and a good night's sleep--yea!! We hiked about a mile to an overlook, where we met a father and his two sons from Maine, who told us we were on Peak A--and I look over the edge and see Carter Notch Hut, our original destination yesterday. We were so close. We hiked down to the hut, passing lots of SOBO hut stayers. At the hut, we made breakfast, got water, and fueled up for a long day. (Pond Scum was there scrubbing for work for stay and we met Paul (from MO) and his dog, Beloxie.) We climbed up Carter Dome and the Carters, meeting lots of hikers, including a big group of men from England. We decided that if we got to Rattle River Shelter with time enough to get to US 2 by 7:30 pm, then we would push on tonight instead of staying at the shelter and hiking the 1.9 left in the morning. Well, we did get there in time and headed to the road after chatting with some of the hikers at the shelter. The hotel shuttled us into town, pointing important places out along the way. Bondi, Site, Butters, Rocksteady, Chris (point 6 sock guy), and Dave from Maine were there when we arrived. We showered, talked with the guys for a while, and headed to McDonalds for dinner. After we got snacks and drinks we went back to the hotel and hung out with the guys again and then watched TV for a bit.
Date: 2008-08-19
From: US 2 Gorham

To: US 2 Gorham
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: mist

Day 159 -- We had a great breakfast at the hotel where we stayed (Colonial Fort Inn) and then headed to town to do our errands. We used the internet at the library and met NOBOs 10 o'clock, Pathfinder, and Quiet Riot. On our way down the road we stopped to talk to Butters, Rocksteady, Site, and Bondi, who were just finishing breakfast at a diner and planning on heading out that day. I don't know how far they were going because they didn't seem very motivated. We went to the outfitters, looking for new trail runners for Wrongway, and then to the Post Office. We had a late lunch at Gorham Dynasty (AYCE Chinese), came back, did laundry, and decided our bodies and minds needed one more day off. I feel a little antsy about sitting here another day, but I know it's good for both of us.
Date: 2008-08-20
From: US 2 Gorham

To: US 2 Gorham
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: few clouds

Day 160 -- I did a whole lot of nothing today and it was great. I sat around and watched TV. I got KFC for lunch (off-trail I don't eat as much, much less all this fast food. I'm enjoying being able to eat it, knowing I need the calories, but I'm starting to miss my healthier diet and definitely the fresher foods). We walked to the food store and got a ride back from a nice guy behind us in line. Wing It called me--I haven't talked to her personally since VA probably. She dislocated her shoulder a few days ago, but is heading back out on the trail tomorrow. Glad she's all right.
Date: 2008-08-22
From: Gentian Pond Campsite and Shelter

To: Full Goose Shelter
Miles today: 9.6
Weather: clear sky

Day 162 -- Slept in today, knowing we only had 9ish, but in hindsight, I'm glad we didn't wait too long to start. We split up pretty fast going up Mt. Success, but all of us hung out there, enjoying the sun and fantastic views. We stopped at Carlo Colonel Shelter for lunch after a slow rocky descent. We chilled out there for a while with the Greybirds. The next four miles were slow because of the terrain, but a lot of fun. Wrongway left lunch way before we did and we didn't see him again until the shelter, but I kept catching up to Site, Jackaroo, and Sofaking at peaks and we hung out and basked in the sun. I was the last one in from our crew, followed by the rest from last night, a SOBO, Tinder, the guys from the library in town, Double D, Prof. Long Johns, Mary Poppins--big crew. I really enjoyed my company today--they were very positive, helpful, and uplifting. Sofaking gave me the thumbs us when I got to Mt. Success and he helped me down a narrow, steep, rocky area...nice guy! It's nice to have people looking out for you and supporting you. "Don't lose your smile."
Date: 2008-08-24
From: Baldpate Lean-to

To: East B Hill Rd.
Miles today: 4.5

Day 164 -- We got up early again to try to get to East B Hill Rd. at a good, early time to leave enough time for all of our errands in town. I started at 6:45 am, since I was ready and finished the ascent of the west peak of Baldpate Mountain. I met Reed (from Gorham, out for a while) there and talked with him for a while, and I headed on when Site and Jackaroo came by. I dipped down into the saddle and back up the east peak. Both views and hike were fabulous. Clouds covered the valley so you could see the peaks skirted in cottonball dresses. It was a gorgeous morning and I kept waiting on those behind me to catch up so I could share it with them, but they must've been too far behind me. I started to descend and about a mile down, Site caught up to me and we hiked the rest of the morning together. We talked almost the entire way to our final destination. We got there about 11:11 a.m. (make a wish :>)). Wrongway was already there and Butters, too. There weren't many cars going in our direction. After an hour of no luck, and Jackaroo, Sofaking, and Double arriving, too, we were tired of trying. Along came a man walking his dog down the road. He (Guydot) thru-hiked in '98 and offered us a ride into town. He asked us to move a large rock to the bank of the creek in his front yard, first, so that we did. After the fast, windy drive into town, he dropped us off at the Pine Ellis Hiking Lodge (Hostel) where we did the usual--showers, laundry, and FOOD. We made phone calls and hung out on the porch all evening. I reheated lunch leftovers for dinner and Rocksteady shared his chocolate chip cookie dough for dessert. Butters and I watched 'First Knight' to end the evening. This place is great--David took great care of us, told us stories, and laughed with us. Thanks!
Date: 2008-08-25
From: East B Hill Rd.

To: Sawyer Notch
Miles today: 7.4

Day 165 -- We got our stuff packed up and headed to the diner for breakfast. The diner has tables as well as a bar/stool area and with all the hikers there we filled up the stools, barely leaving room for anyone else. I picked up my maildrop at the Post Office, packed it all up, and, even though we tried to convince people to stay one more night, we got our shuttle back to the trail. I was the last to start out. I spent about 15-20 minutes talking to a nice family from Maine and moved on to catch up to the guys. I passed Sofaking taking a break, and had a great climb. Sofaking caught up to me near the spring and we called out to see if we were close to the shelter. We got a positive response and hiked over the hill to the rest of the gang. We hung out there for a while and decided to head 4 more miles to a campsite near the road. The pain train headed out of camp together and down the mountain. Butters and I were the caboose and got even further behind when we took a quick side trip to a view of Moody Mountain, where we were going next. On the rest of the way, Butters commented that the two of us together make Peanut Butters--ha ha. As it leveled out, the guys yelled at us from off trail--they had found a great campsite and we all settled in there, even though it was early and we had only gone 7.4 miles. We made a fire, Sofaking and Wrongway fished, Butters drew, and we all hung out. PS--I got to talk to Tinker before we left!
Date: 2008-08-26
From: Sawyer Notch

To: Sabboth Day Pond Lean-to
Miles today: 19.7

Day 166 -- I was the first one out this morning, trying to make the 19.7 before dark. You know, for me and my pace, it's not getting any easier with less daylight. On the way up Moody Mountain we had to cross a landslide from a couple of weeks ago. I was a little nervous knowing there was a chance that things weren't quite stable...but I made it okay. Jackaroo passed me there and I didn't see him again until I got to our destination. Quiet Riot and Pathfinder passed me on our long ascent of Bemis Mountain. Shortly after, Wrongway sneaked up behind me and startled me. He's tried numerous times along the way but I've always heard him. Site passed me, too, and at first, when I heard him, I looked for a moose. But no--it was Site and he flew by me, never to be seen again (by me anyway, until the evening). I knew the climb was long but it felt longer than I thought it would be. On the last peak before the Bemis Mountain Shelter, I spotted a few birds on a rock. I thought they might be grouse, but I would've expected them to fly when I neared. Wrongway, Pathfinder, and Quiet Riot were at the shelter eating lunch when I got there and 10 O'Clock came in right behind me. Wrongway and I left together, staying close for about a mile because we kept stopping to enjoy some realy good blueberries. By the time we got to the bottom, I was ready to be done for the day, but still had 4.5 miles left. One of two SOBO ladies brightened my day by telling me there was a great view at the road coming up and that there was! I ran into two dayhiking couples as I neared the shelter. One poor lady had fallen into a bog and somehow sliced her finger. Everyone made it to the shelter, except Butters tonight, plus Jefe, Uphill, and three SOBO long-section hikers. I barely had enough time to fetch water before dark. Looks like we're going into town tomorrow (unplanned)--Wrongway needs more food to get to Stratton. We were going to do two 20-milers to avoid that, but he irritated his foot injury. I'm hoping he ends up wanting to stay over because my ankle and knee took a pounding today.