morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2017-08-15
From: Kinsman Notch, NH 112

To: Franconia Notch US 3, I-93
Miles today: 16.3
Weather: light rain

What a hard day!  I began by falling into a creek.  We were stealth camped at a trailhead, and we were quite far back in the woods.  There was a rock bridge to cross to get to the parking lot.  I was carrying my tent, sleeping pad, sleeping bag, and my overnight gear sack - a poorly balanced load.  It was dark, and I missed the center of a rock and fell to my right side, wetting both shoes and socks, my pants, and my down jacket.  The hike was long and hard.  There was no "normal" trail in the sense of a path on dirt.  Nearly the entire day was climbing up over rocks, roots, and boulders.  This requires pulling myself up holding onto roots or trees, pushing myself with legs or arms on other boulders, etc.  I've tried to avoid using my left arm as I'm not supposed to use the wrist for lifting anything heavier than a coffee mug.  But today I really needed it, and it came through for me.  I was able to pull myself up onto one rock using both hands.We started at 5:30 and finished at 8:15, hiking 16.3 miles - again just slightly over one mile per hour.  Warren says this is a good time.  We hiked all day, taking only a 15-minute lunch, biobreaks, and 15 minutes snacking at the summit of South Kinsman.  Arlene and I took a wrong turn at Lonesome Lake Hut and went 15 minutes down another trail before realizing that we were off the AT.  By the time we finished it was dark, and we were hiking with headlamps.  We were fortunate in the weather.  The original forecast was for rain beginning at noon.  When we got high up enough to get cell service we checked the weather again and found that rain was not expected till 5:00. Still later the rain was postponed till early morning.  So we had lovely sunny warm, but not hot, weather.  As we approached Lonesome Lake Hut we heard a loon.  Very nice, very peaceful.  Tomorrow we hike 13 miles to Galehead Hut, where most of us will stay the night.  The huts are long-established overnight accommodations run by the Appalachian Mountain Club.  We'll sleep in bunks and be provided dinner and breakfast.  Staying there will shorten our day from 16.4 miles to 13.0 miles.  The extra miles are hiking back down the mountain to the van at the end of the day.
Date: 2017-08-16
From: Franconia Notch , US3, I-93

To: Galehead Hut
Miles today: 13.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Today was another day of gargantuan physical and mental effort.  We hiked from Franconia Notch to Franconia Ridge, which included four peaks: Little Haystack Mountain, Mount Lincoln, Mount Lafayette, and Mount Garfield.  The weather in the Whites can be changeable and extreme, so we left with lots of extra clothes.  In addition to the wool t-shirt and wind-resistant fleece I was wearing I took a lighter weight fleece, a windbreaker, my poncho, a fleece hat, and extra wool socks to use as mittens if needed.  I also brought my wool long underwear, top and bottom, and the heavy wool socks I wear to bed at night.  When we left at 5:30 it was warm, about 60, but foggy.  It had rained overnight, so the trail was wet and the air foggy.  This was a 13-mile hike, the first 7 miles of it uphill.  Much of this was normal trail with lots of rocks. When we got to the tree line it became very windy and cold.  We stopped to put on more clothes.  I added my heavy fleece, windbreaker, fleece hat, and sock mittens.   We decided that we should all keep in sight of each other until we got back below the tree line.  At the top fog was blowing across the mountain gusting about 30 miles per hour.  This felt very cold.  It was okay so long as I kept moving, but stopping for even a moment made me cold.  Several times when it looked like Bill was about to engage in conversation I told him we didn't have time to talk.  I also frowned on taking pictures.  It was scary up there: we could have been blown off the ridge onto rocks.  I wanted to get off the exposed section as soon as possible.  When we were partway down Mount Lafayette the wind started blowing the clouds off the mountaintop, and suddenly we got great views all around us.  I took a few pictures and then hurried on.  Once we got below tree line, we stopped at a sunny place to eat.  Going down the backside of Franconia Ridge was way more difficult than coming up.  There were lots of boulders and difficult places to get down.  Each of us fell several times.  Once when I fell hard on my bottom Bill waited till I got up, then said, "There's a consolation prize.  When you hit the ground the slug that was crawling up your sleeve flew off."  Yuck!The last few miles were awful.  They were very steep descents and then at the end very steep ascents.  I arrived at Galehead Hut utterly exhausted. To add insult to injury, I tripped over a large rock on the porch and went flying again, barely missing hitting my head on a bench.  And we were half an hour late for dinner. But I'm now tucked into a cozy bunk with three wool blankets, and I don't have to get up till 6:30 tomorrow.
Date: 2017-08-17
From: Galehead Hut

To: Crawford Notch
Miles today: 14.7
Weather: scattered clouds

Today was a perfect hiking day: sunny, about 70 degrees and breezy, not-too-difficult trail, and beautiful trail. But I spent most of the day focusing on getting the hike finished early so as to avoid hiking at night.  I never know what kind of terrain to expect so as to estimate how long it will take.  It's incredibly stressful.  New Hampshire is beautiful.  I'd like to come back sometime and hike from hut to hut at a relaxing speed.  That would be so much more enjoyable than racing through.It was nice staying at Galehead Hut.  The public area of the building was a large open area with picnic tables for dining.  There were bookshelves with nature books and games to play.  The sleeping quarters were bedrooms with bunk beds - three high, reached by ladders.  The bathrooms had some kind of composting toilets and sinks with cold water only.  The "croo" that staff the place announced last evening that the lights in the public area would be turned off at 9:30 and they would come around and wake us up with something musical at 6:30.  Coffee would be available at 6:30, and breakfast would be served at 7:00.  I slept really well, turning out my light at 10:00 and sleeping until 6:30.  I was able to dry out all my sweaty clothes, including socks, by hanging them on the hooks in my little sleeping compartment.  The wake-up presentation was a guitar and the croo singing "You Are My Sunshine."  It was really pleasant to wake up to that rather than to an alarm.  I hiked alone for most of the day.  I started out with Lizzie but fell behind when she got into high gear.  I missed Arlene and Bill's company and made almost no stops.  Tomorrow we hike up Mount Washington to Lakes of the Clouds hut, which is about a mile and a half below the summit.  This is a total of 11.5 miles - all uphill.  We're leaving at 6:00, which should get us to the hut in time for dinner at 6:00.  I'll be walking with Arlene because Bill is hiking south from the summit of Washington.
Date: 2017-08-18
From: Crawford Notch, NH 302

To: Lakes of the Clouds Hut
Miles today: 11.0
Weather: clear sky

Today was cold and hard.  I'm having no fun in the White Mountains.  We left at 6:00 to hike up Mount Washington.  Tonight we're staying at Lakes of the Clouds hut, another of the AMC's huts, which is 1.5 trail miles short of the summit.   The forecast was for rain, possibly thunderstorms, in the afternoon.  We hiked until 8:30 before the rain started.  It rained steadily all morning, got cooler, and got windy.  The hike was all uphill, mostly rocky and some quite steep climbing.  We stopped at Mizpah Hut at noon for soup and corn bread to warm up.  We changed into warmer clothes and and continued on.  We arrived at Lakes of the Clouds at 4:15.  We've spread our stuff out to dry, but we'll be leaving in wet clothes tomorrow morning.  The hike is to the top of Mount Washington, along the ridge up and down other peaks, then a very steep descent to Pinkham Notch.  15 miles.  I'm dreading it.  Note: The  photo Iooks out of focus because it was extremely foggy.
Date: 2017-08-20
From: Pinkham Notch, NH 16

To: Carter Notch Hut
Miles today: 5.9
Weather: fog

The White Mountains continue to assault our knees, feet, and spirits, but we are fierce even when weary. Today's hike was 5.9 miles up Wildcat Mountain.  It took us a little less than eight hours to do.  In the morning Warren drove us from our secret camping place back to Pinkham Notch Visitor Center, with a stop at a convenience store on the way to pick up breakfast (mini donuts, whole milk, coffee).   The Visitor Center has a hiker room downstairs with restrooms, coin-operated showers, and vending machines.  We all got showers and started hiking around 8:30.  It's an amazing feeling taking a shower after ten days without one.  We left with clean bodies and full bellies.  The ascent up Wildcat Mountain was very steep and rocky.  We put our hiking poles away and propelled ourselves up rocks using both arms and both legs.  (I still had my original noncollapsible hiking pole that I had been using before we reached Hanover.)  It was very slow going.  Sometimes I slid backwards, which was very scary.  Sometimes my left leg wouldn't reach up to a rock, and I had to push/pull myself up onto both knees and stand up from there.  I can't rely on my left wrist/hand/arm because the broken wrist is still not fully healed.  I'm especially cautious going downhill.  When in doubt, I sit and scoot my butt down till I get to a foot placement.  Sometimes this is on wet rock, which causes the slide to get out of control.  In the shower this morning I discovered I have calluses on each side of my tailbone from so much scooting down rocks. Making me a hardass as well as a badass.I've fallen many times in recent days and have many scrapes and bruises.  There's a huge bruise on my right hip and leg.  It hurts to sit down, so I guess there's a bruise on my tailbone as well.  There are eight scrapes and cuts on my right knee and four on my left.  My pants are abraded and have two holes in the right buttock; there's a tear in the right knee from a fall yesterday.  My knees have started to hurt enough that I need to take ibuprofen to get through the day.  (Until the last few days I hadn't taken any regularly since early July).  My feet have some awful condition (trench foot?) that seems to have been caused by too many days of continuously wet feet.  Despite all this I feel incredibly fit.  My ankles are very strong.  When I land wrong on a rock I'm able to correct it instantly.  I haven't twisted my ankle since Tennessee.  My legs and hips have the most amazing configuration of toned muscles.  This is what hiking up and down mountains for 15.7 miles a day has done to me and for me.  We're only a little more than 300 miles from the end.  Later this week we enter Maine.  It's hard to comprehend that we've walked (and climbed and crawled) here all the way from Georgia.
Date: 2017-08-21
From: Carter Notch Hut

To: US 2, Gotham, NH
Miles today: 15.3
Weather: broken clouds

Today was a lot harder than it looked on the AWOL profile, and it took me eleven hours to hike the 15.3 miles.  We had another hearty breakfast at the hut and left together at 8:00.  We had planned to leave at 7:30 because we knew it was a hard hike.We climbed Mount Hight, Middle and North Carter Mountains, and Mount Moriah.  Most of these ascents were not too steep, but the descents were quite steep and rocky, requiring a lot of care.  It was a sunny, mild day in the mid-60s, with just a little breeze.  This terrain was close enough to regular conditions that we abandoned our recent practice of all hiking together.  I hiked with Bill and Arlene till about 12:45, then stayed at my own slow but steady pace without stopping.  I didn't want to end up hiking at night again.  On Mount Hight we ran into Heat Wave, a woman in her late 20s who had been keeping a similar pace as our group.  She had a banged up knee and a blackish eye from falling hard on rocks.  She had taken two days off and hiked neros (very short, near zero hikes) on two other days.  She was just getting back to her normal pace/mileage. The most exciting part of the hike was at the very end.  When I was about a tenth of a mile from the endpoint, I saw a large black object crashing through the woods toward the trail from the left.  I kept walking till I realized it was a bear.  About the same time the bear saw me.  It stopped and looked at me, then continued running across the trail into the woods.  It was only about 75 feet away, so I got a good look.  I'm so happy to finally see a bear!  In our group naming ritual this one calls for a name starting with M.  I'll ponder this to pick a good one.There was an eclipse today, but I was in the woods and didn't really see it. Another gear problem: When my new hiking stick broke two days ago I didn't worry about it. I still had the nice stick I've been using since we started at Springer Mountain.  Today, however, that stick broke.  It snapped about 14 inches from the bottom when I leaned on it hard.  It lasted 1900 miles, which I guess is pretty good for carbon fiber.  However, I'm now left without any hiking stick.  Arlene has offered to lend me one of her spares, since she bought a new pair at Pinkham Notch.  Tonight five of us are sharing a family room at a hotel in Gorham, New Hampshire.  Tomorrow we have a day off!  After doing laundry and errands I hope to hang out in the cafe/bookstore and also find an ice cream parlor.
Date: 2017-08-22
From: Gorham, NH

To: Gorham, NH
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

Bear Update: The bear's name is Mortimer.My Fortune: "Although it feels like a roller coaster now, life will calm down" (from the Chinese buffet last night).  Thoughts on Finishing the White Mountains: The White Mountains have notoriously difficult terrain.  There are many miles of hiking that are above the tree line.  These areas are dangerous in electrical storms because a hiker is the highest point.  There can be very quick changes in weather and very high winds.  At one point near the top of Mount Washington a sign says, "Stop. The area ahead has the worst weather in America.  Many have died there from exposure, even in the summer.  Turn back now if the weather is bad."  We were fortunate to have good weather through most of the White Mountains, but I always had a nagging worry in the back of my mind when we were at high elevations or above the tree line.  Rennie, who is a very experienced hiker and mountaineer, had several close calls that left him shaken.  Once he slipped and started running to try to catch his balance.  He stopped just before the edge of a cliff.  Another time he fell and slid on his belly about 20 feet, coming to a stop just before a tree branch hit him on the forehead.  None of the group had any major injuries, but we all fell many times and had bumps and bruises.  I don't mind difficult climbs and descents, but I don't enjoy the dangerousness of it.  I'm not a thrill seeker.  In the group, we're mostly relieved to have finished the Whites.Rest Day: We spent much of our "rest day" doing errands to prepare for the hiking days till our next town stop.  We got groceries and did laundry.  In between, some of us got ice cream and ate at the local cafe/bookshop.  I got a pedicure/foot massage to pamper my poor feet.  I don't think it helped them, but at least they're clean (free of the mud that was ground under the toenails) now.Thanks:  Once more my friends, family, and former coworkers sent lots of goodies on mail day.  Thanks to Will for the eclipse cookies and miscellaneous other goodies (Janice was right about the fruitcake); to Tony for the Easter bread and cookies; to the AG's tax folks for the snack packs of cookies and nuts; to Meggie for the almond M & Ms; and to Morph for the letter helping me regain perspective on the journey.  You guys are the best!Tomorrow we'll be hiking across more mountains, starting at 5:30, getting ever closer to Maine.
Date: 2017-08-24
From: Success Trail

To: Mahoosuc Notch Trail
Miles today: 8.4
Weather: overcast clouds

What a glorious day!  We are in Maine at last!  Although we hiked only 8.4 miles on the trail, the actual hike was 4.5 miles longer.  We had to hike 2.3 miles up Success Trail to get to the AT in the morning and 2.0 miles to get to Success Pond Road this evening.  In between we had a fun and beautiful hike.  There were many places where we had to climb up or down very steep rocks.  Sometimes we were able to get up by the use of handholds, footholds, or tree holds, but there were several places where the trail goes up a sheer rock face.  In these places the trail maintainers had installed rebar hand and foot holds to create ladders.  In other places there were actual ladders.  In one very boggy, very hilly place there were bog bridges with steps on them.  I have really come to enjoy rock climbing, but I still don't like the descents.  Last August I hiked for a week on the AT in central Maine and was overwhelmed with how beautiful it was. I've been wondering whether I'd have the same reaction now that I've hiked 1900 other miles of trail and seen many beautiful places.  Well, it still looks just as beautiful to me.  The air is clear, and the mountains look lush, rather than stark as they did in New Hampshire.  The highland bogs and scrub vegetation are unusual and beautiful in their own way.  I'm so happy to be here.  Maine has made me fall in love with the AT all over again.Tomorrow we hike through Mahoosuc Notch, which is either the most difficult or most fun mile on the trail.  It is a mile of boulders the size of houses and cars that we must go over, under, or around to follow the white blazes.  I'm looking forward to it.
Date: 2017-08-25
From: Mahoosuc Notch Trail

To: Grafton Notch, ME 26
Miles today: 8.1
Weather: scattered clouds

Today we hiked three of the four hardest miles on the Appalachian Trail (we hiked the other at the end of yesterday's hike).  We hiked a total of 10.3 miles, and it took us 12 hours.  We started the day by hiking two miles up to reach the AT and then started into Mahoosuc Notch.  This is a jumble of boulders in between two mountains.  The blazes for the trail are painted on the rocks, and the hiker must go over, under, or around the boulders.  We crawled through three cave-like places.  I leaped over one gap that wasn't too far but had a 10-foot fall.  Randy, our newest guest hiker, said he gasped because I then tilted backward as though I were going to fall into the hole.  I am sticking to my plan to maintain as low a center of gravity as possible and to try to have three points of contact at all times.  This was a challenge and required great focus.  It took us three hours to get through the one mile of Mahoosuc Notch.  From there we headed up a mountain called Mahoosuc Arm.  This required a lot of climbing up rocks, which I enjoyed.  I'm getting the hang of using every part of my body to propel myself upward, and it's very satisfying.  It's slow though.  Although none of the individual climbs were too difficult, there was a huge number of them.  By the end of the day I was totally exhausted.  Tonight we're staying at a hostel called The Cabin, a very interesting place. The owners, Honey and Bear (trail names) have been taking in hikers since 1984, when they hiked from Springer Mountain to Clingmans Dome and started inviting people to stay at their cabin.  They have hosted Earl Shaffer, the first person to thru hike the trail (in 1948) and other hiking celebrities.  We're going to stay here as our base for three nights, so we don't have to pitch our tents or fix meals.  We arrived around 7:30, and Honey served us a wonderful homemade meal: roast beef, gravy, mashed potatoes, corn on the cob, salad, dinner rolls, brownies, ice cream, and lemonade.  I ate heartily.  After eating I had a shower and got out clean clothes for tomorrow.  We're sleeping in till 6:00 tomorrow. Breakfast is at 7:00, and Warren will shuttle us back to the trail at 7:30.  We are hiking 10.3 miles that should be less difficult than the ones today.  I am so enjoying Maine.  It's beautiful and difficult but not life-threatening.
Date: 2017-08-26
From:  East B Hill Rd., Andover, ME (southbound)

To: Grafton Notch, ME 26
Miles today: 10.3
Weather: scattered clouds

Today was another beautiful day in Maine.  The group hiked over Baldpate Mountain.  The weather was cool and clear, the views spectacular.  From the top we could see mountain ranges in all directions, receding into blue in the distance.  Arlene, Bill, Graybeard, and I hiked south, while the rest of the group hiked north.  The hike up Baldpate was long and mostly gradual.  Near the top there was a long stretch of rock slabs to be crossed.  They were dry, and they were granite, which has a rough texture.  Consequently, they were not too difficult.  Even so, it was slow going.  Lizzie said her goal for the day was to go one mile an hour. Everyone managed to do that.  I'm very impressed with the way the Maine Appalachian Trail Club has maintained this section of the trail. There were bog bridges everywhere they were needed.  There were stair series in many places that were appropriate for us short people.  In one place there was a perfect stone path through the mud (see photo).  All the stones were flat, a rarity, and evenly spaced.  It was a pleasure to look at and to use.  A plant I didn't know was along many parts of the trail.  It had red berries.  I photographed it and asked the hostel folks what it was.  It turns out to be hobble bush viburnum.  The berries are edible, and they are eaten by moose.  (This is the plant that I saw immediately upon entering Vermont but didn't know.)It's nice to be staying at a hostel rather than camping.  Honey, the wife of the couple, took a bus to the top of Mount Washington, hiked down to Lakes of the Clouds, and hiked back up to celebrate her 85th birthday.On another note, Lizzie has taken a trail name, What Hill?, Jr.  it comes from her dad's always saying "What hill?" when they ran together.  I had tried to name her MG because she's small and fast like a little red sports car, also agile like a mountain goat, but she didn't accept it.I haven't fallen in two days, but tonight I gashed my arm on a door mechanism, tearing a small rectangular flap.  Lizzie has given me some of her cleaning supplies and wound medication to take care of it.  Warren has suggested that I skip the six days of hiking that I've already done.  I hope not to do that.  The dates of those hikes are outside the 12-month period for my thru hike, and so would convert this to a section hike.  Having come this far, I want to complete a thru hike.  Also, that part of Maine is very beautiful.  Tomorrow we have another short but difficult hike.