morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2005-08-17
From: N.H. 25A (Mt. Cube Sugarhouse)

To: Beaver Brook Shelter
Miles today: 17.7
Weather: broken clouds

Another beautiful day of hiking, on a day in which I hiked under 400 miles remaining, I also entered the White Mountains. The Whites are known to be the most beautiful yet most rugged and demanding part of the trail. The weather can change at any time and it is generously much colder and windier regardless. The mountaintops are above tree line and that often creates some windy conditions. This afternoon, I summited my first mountain in the Whites, Mt. Moosilauke. On a day where the temperature was in the mid 70¢s, I found myself literally being blown all over the trail near the summit. The temperature was significantly lower and the wind gusts, in my guess, were somewhere in the 30-40 MPH range. It was crazy. My hands began to numb and I had to put my long sleeve shirt and rain jacket on and still I was really cold. I will be getting the rest of my winter clothes back in the mail in the next day or two, thankfully, because it has gotten a lot colder.As I am sitting here at the shelter at 7:50PM the sun is starting to set and the temperature is falling quickly. My guess is that it is in the mid 50¢s now. The view from this shelter is like none other. I can see Mt. Lafayette 30 miles off in the distance and even Mt. Washington, which is 50 miles away. People would pay a lot of money to have this view and I have it for one night.
Date: 2005-08-18
From: Beaver Brook Shelter

To: Stealth Camped
Miles today: 14.9

What an amazing sunrise this morning!I only caught a couple glimpses of it because 1        I was not getting up that early and 2        I was so cold that I was buried in my sleeping bag. Anyway, from the few glimpses I got while I was half asleep, I saw a pitch black Mt. Lafayette with an amazing red and orange backdrop. It was so neat but I was so tired and cold so I did not enjoy it as much as I should.As for the hiking, I have officially seen my MPH average take a hit. Up until now, I was able to hike at 2.5-3 MPH..... today I was at about 1.5 MPH. I put in a good solid day and only got 15 miles. All the hard work paid off though when I got to the top of Kinsman Mountain. The view of the Whites is just absolutely amazing! The climb up was pretty tough. There were many times that I had to use my hands to climb, almost like rock climbing.I am heading into town tomorrow to pick up my winter clothes at the post office. They will be much appreciated with this cold weather that I have been experiencing lately.   That¢s all for now!
Date: 2005-08-19
From: Stealth Camped

To: Garfield Ridge Campsite
Miles today: 13.3
Weather: overcast clouds

Despite only doing 13 miles today, I had a pretty busy day. I hiked three miles down to Franconia Notch and hitched a ride into North Woodstock to resupply. I got five days of food, which is a lot, more than I usually carry but I am not going to have a chance to resupply for a while. While in town I also picked up a package from the post office. My Mom had sent me all my winter clothes back since I am in the White Mountains and it is almost September anyways! I spent three hours in town going to the post office, resupplying food, getting Aqua Mira H2O Purifier at the Outfitter and eating lunch. It was a quick in and out considering all I did. I ended up hiking another 10 miles on the day, crossing over Mt. Lincoln and Mt. Lafayette. Mt. Lafayette topped out well over 5,000 feet. Unfortunately, clouds started rolling in and I didn¢t get a great view from the top. It ended up being a good hard worked day.
Date: 2005-08-20
From: Garfield Ridge Campsite

To: Zealand Falls Hut (hut)
Miles today: 9.7

The weather has turned ugly today. I thought it was going to overnight but it held off until morning. I hiked with my head in the clouds...literally, and it was a pretty constant drizzle and blowing wind. I stopped mid-morning at Galehead Hut and got a break from the weather and had a bowl of soup and some bread. After hanging out for a while, I pushed on to Zealand Hut in hopes of finding some work for stay. I got in at 3:30PM and they allowed me to stay.FYI, the Hut System here in the White Mts. is run by the AMC. They are basically houses up in the middle of the mountains and have most regular amenities like water and electricity, but no showers.   They cost $77 per person but Thru-hikers are sometimes allowed to do work for stay. So far they haven¢t had me do anything but it is usually a simple task such as sweeping the floor. Well, the weather is supposed to be bad again tomorrow. We¢ll see.
Date: 2005-08-21
From: Zealand Falls Hut (hut)

To: Mizpah Spring Hut
Miles today: 14.1

Before I get started on today, I wanted to mention how the crew, (spelled ¢Croo¢) at the hut made me feel uncomfortable last night and this morning. They were not mean or anything but they were not friendly either. It was kind of weird.Anyway, I did get a good breakfast this morning, pancakes and cream of wheat. After breakfast, I swept the floor of the hut. It was about 30 minutes of work. Not bad for two free meals and a roof over my head. I just wish the Croo were friendlier.I got going around 10:00AM and had a very easy 7-12 miles to start the day. I probably averaged 2-12 miles an hour, which is unheard of in the ¢Whites¢, but this had to be the flattest and easiest section through here. This brought me down to Crawford Notch where the terrain makes a 180° change back to the ¢normal¢ Whites. This is also the beginning of the Presidential Range. The Presidentials are the highest part of the trail in New Hampshire with a lot of beautiful ridge walking above tree line. It was supposed to be a miserable day and I was not in a rush to hike if the weather was not going to cooperate because:1I did not want to miss the beautiful views and2I did not want to get stranded on the exposed ridgeline during a storm.Luckily, the clouds began to break around noon and I was able to hike on and get started on the 25-mile Presidential Mts. I hiked up and over Mt. Webster and Mt. Jackson before stopping at the Mizpah Spring Hut. I ran into old friends from the very beginning...Andy, Matt and Eric got work for stay along with a few others. I ended up being the seventh Thru-hiker they took in when they are only supposed to take two. Very nice Croo here! They fed us great and were very friendly. I will have a couple hours of work in the morning but it will be worth it!I am pretty excited to run into Andy, Eric and Matt. They were a part of the group that I wrote about back in the first few days. I said then that they seemed like a good group of people and I think we will all make it. Well, they have made it here and we¢re just 338 miles away from our goal. They expect to finish around the 15th like me so I am hoping to finish this off with them. I have been hoping to find some good people from the past to finish this thing with and I may have found them today!I have to start enjoying these Sunday nights a little more. I don¢t have many left!
Date: 2005-08-22
From: Mizpah Spring Hut

To: Madison Spring Hut (hut)
Miles today: 11.8
Weather: scattered clouds

Wow! I did less than 12 miles today but I am worn out!Today¢s hike was all above tree line. The weather was a bit of a concern as the forecast was calling for showers and thunderstorms. This is even more of a concern when above tree line, as I was all day.The hike continued in the Presidential Range. I crossed over Mt. Clinton, Mt. Franklin, Mt. Washington and Mt. Adams. Mt Washington was another milestone of sorts as it is the tallest mountain in the Northeast at 6,2888 ft. It is also a very dangerous mountain as over 130 people have died on this mountain and a handful still does every year. Mt. Washington also holds the land wind speed record at 231 MPH.   Needless to say, Washington is a very powerful mountain that you must respect.I ended up hiking on to Madison Spring Hut where the weather changed about every 10 minutes. I was literally up in the clouds and sometimes it was nice and clear but more often it was windy and I could barely see 10 feet in front of me. I was happy to score a work-for-stay spot here at the hut. I had another good meal and will be out of the rain that started falling as I ended the day. Thank you hut Croo!
Date: 2005-08-23
From: Madison Spring Hut (hut)

To: Stealth Camped
Miles today: 13.6

Not a whole lot of action today. I hiked off the Presidential Range and I am back below tree line again for the first time in 2-3 days. I had spent the last 3 days in huts, which got quite convenient but I am now back to the real world of hiking. It is a pretty cold night tonight, probably in the upper 40¢s right now. That reminds me that I wanted to mention the peak wind gust on Mt. Washington yesterday was 68 MPH. It was pretty windy and miserable when I crossed yesterday, but I don¢t think that bad. It was crazy watching the weather and clouds go right by me when I was up above tree line on the Presidential Mts. It is hard to explain but I guess you can say it is like being in an airplane, except you are exposed to the weather. Well, I am really tired. I need to get some sleep.
Date: 2005-08-24
From: Stealth Camped

To: U.S. 2 Gorham (The Barn)
Miles today: 15.3
Weather: scattered clouds

Today was not the most of exciting days. It was a rainy and cold day and I did the most miles I have done in the Whites (over 15) just so I could get out of the Whites and into town. I desperately wanted to get into town because I had not been in twelve days. I needed a shower. I needed to wash my clothes and I just needed to relax a bit.It was still raining when I exited the woods and needed to hitch a ride into town. I waited in the rain for about 15-20 minutes before getting a ride. I got dropped off at a hiker hostel run by a guy who was not that hiker friendly so I walked about 2 miles across town to the other hostel. I found out they had no more beds when I got there but decided to stay on a couch. I was pretty frustrated having to hike in bad weather then all over town before having to settle for a couch. Oh well, it does not always work out perfectly.
Date: 2005-08-25
From: U.S. 2 Gorham (The Barn)

To: Gorham Motor Lodge
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

I was not planning on zeroing today but I had so much stuff to do in town and the day was almost over before I knew it. I stayed with Bear, Caboose, Shaggy and Dandylion in a tiny motel room; nothing like packing in five hikers into a small room. It smelled really bad!I have wanted to mention something for quite a while now and kept forgetting. A while back I wrote about how Bill Bryson¢s book ¢A Walk In The Woods¢ is a good book to read if you want to get an idea of what I am doing. Well, I wrote that when I first started reading the book, Bryson¢s book is entertaining but not a true indignation of a Thru-hiker. He only made it about 300-400 miles before driving his car around and visiting places along the trail. He even stops in Centralia and for you PA folks; we know Centralia is not even by the trail. Anyway, it is a good book but not an accurate description of what I am doing.
Date: 2005-08-26
From: U.S. 2 Gorham 

To: Carlo Col Shelter
Miles today: 17.0
Weather: clear sky

I have heard the lines many times during the past five months... ¢You can¢t get to Maine unless you hike in the rain¢, ¢no pain, no rain, no Maine¢. Well, I could care less about those sayings today because I MADE IT TO MAINE!   I hiked a hard fought 17 miles today and crossed the boarder right before the end of the day. After I crossed the boarder I made a small climb and came upon a perfect sunset over the White Mountains.   A perfect end to a great day!
Date: 2005-08-27
From: Carlo Col Shelter

To: Old Speck Trail
Miles today: 10.6

Welcome to Maine...now hike, Mahoosuc Notch!Mahoosuc Notch is known as the toughest mile on the A.T. and I agree. Mahoosuc Notch is a one-mile stretch of huge boulders that you have to climb over, under and around.Early on in the climb, I took a pretty good fall straight back. Luckily my pack broke most of the fall but my left arm and leg took a pretty good beating. I have a bunch of scrapes and bruises but nothing major. It ended up taking me two hours to go one mile. I only did 10 miles on the day with an average of one mile per hour on the day. That is slow considering I usually average 2-2.5 miles MPH.I also hit another milestone today as I went over the 1,900-mile mark. Not many milestones left as I am getting closer and closer to the finish!
Date: 2005-08-28
From: Old Speck Trail

To: Andover, ME
Miles today: 13.8
Weather: light rain

Not that great of a day for hiking today. It was not that bad of a day until around noon when the rain started. It was a good day in the 60os with a pretty constant drizzle. There were not any shelters nearby so I decided to hitch into Andover, ME to spend the night out of the weather.Andover is a very, very small little town but had everything I needed. Right next to the hostel was a restaurant where I got a meatloaf sandwich. Across the street was a gas station/convenience store and pay phone. There was a TV at the hostel and I ended up staying up late watching the MTV Music Video Awards.I miss my MTV.
Date: 2005-08-29
From: Andover, ME

To: Stealth Camped
Miles today: 11.1

Got off to a late start today. The rain seemed to have fallen all night and into the morning. I was watching the weather channel this morning and it appears that it is going to rain everyday for the next five days or so. I am thinking it might even be for a week straight with Hurricane Katrina coming through at the end of the week.I have been very fortunate to not have to hike in the rain much during my thru-hike but I have a feeling these last two weeks are going to make up for the dry summer.It surprisingly did not rain too much today but I decided to pull up early today because I was nervous it was going to start raining. The last thing I want to do is set up my tent in the rain. There also are not any shelters around so I don¢t have the option of a shelter again tonight. It is only 7:00PM but I am really tired so I am heading to sleep.
Date: 2005-08-30
From: Stealth Camped

To: Sabbath Day Pond Lean-to
Miles today: 16.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Not a bad day today considering it never rained as expected. It did rain a little over night last night and it just started raining now but I am in a shelter so that is all right. It was overcast all day so I still have not been able to see the nice views of Maine.I have been hearing that Hurricane Katrina has done some serious damage and the left over rain is supposed to hit us over the next few days. We are supposed to get lots of rain starting around midnight. I am planning on hiking just 10 miles into Rangeley to get out of the weather.Not much else going on...just counting down miles 229.4 to go!!
Date: 2005-08-31
From: Sabbath Day Pond Lean-to

To: Rangeley (Gull Pond Lodge)
Miles today: 9.4

Today was a quick day of hiking. My goal was to just get to town so I could get out of the rain from Katrina. As expected the rain started around midnight and was quite heavy at times. I left the lean-to around 9:00AM and hiked through some heavy downpours and the trails were like rushing streams. I got to the trailhead around 12:30 and got a hitch about 15 minutes later from a nice guy in a new Cadillac. Not the type of car you would expect to pick you up especially in horrible weather. The guy was really nice as well. He is a lawyer...not the typical person you would expect to pick you up. He dropped me off at the grocery store where another lady offered me a ride. We drove around for a while trying to find the hostel without any luck. To give you an idea of how small town this place is, she recognized the last name of one of the homeowners on this dirt road so we stopped to ask for directions. When no one answered, she decided to open the door to use the phone to call the hostel. I was a little nervous about this but it was no big deal to her. Anyway, we never found the place so she dropped me off back in town where I stayed until I was able to get a hold of Bob the owner of Gull Pond. I have been hanging out here today trying to stay dry. I have gotten caught up on the devastation of the hurricane and it looks just horrible. I am thinking of volunteering to help with the relief after I am finished with my hike in a couple weeks. For now, I have another 220 miles to hike.
Date: 2005-09-01
From: Rangeley (Gull Pond Lodge)

To: Poplar Ridge Lean-to
Miles today: 10.7
Weather: broken clouds

Got off to a late start again today. Seems like a common trend lately. The bad weather ended over night and the skies slowly broke to sun throughout the day.It was a tough day but I was still disappointed with the miles. I still have a few more days of tough climbing before the mountains flatten out. Even then it is supposed to be very rocky and lots of roots to slow you down. It does not really matter though because I don¢t have a deadline but I have just gotten so used to keeping a structured format.I now have less than 210 miles remaining and today is the first day of September. Those are all signs letting me know the end is in sight. I think I will be done on the 14th or 15th putting me at just two weeks away. It is kind of weird because I know I am close but it really has not sunk in. What is most difficult is, not knowing what I am going to do after I finish. I am a pretty spontaneous person but this is taking it to the extreme. I am planning on meeting some friends in Boston on the 16th to go to a football game. I am not that interested in the game but I think I just want to have some sort of plan for a finish and something to do immediately after the finish.I am just sort of rambling on here and to tell the truth sick of writing these journals. There is only so much you could write about every day and I have pretty much had enough of the journal. I will continue a daily entry since I am only two weeks away but they will be short and sweet unless there is something worth writing about.I hope this is not taken the wrong way. I am high in spirits right now just not much into writing.
Date: 2005-09-02
From: Poplar Ridge Lean-to

To: Crocker Cirque Campsite
Miles today: 14.2
Weather: scattered clouds

Today marks five months since my parents dropped me off at the Approach Trail. One of my biggest concerns about doing this trail was realizing that it is going to take a long time. Despite almost taking a full month off the trail, time has really flown...thank God!I really do not know if I would have been able to get through this if I did not have the breaks I had off the trail. I have been to Washington, DC; Ocean City, MD; Syracuse, NY; Burlington, VT; New York City; Minneapolis, MN and a handful of smaller towns taking little breaks from the trail. Now with less than two weeks remaining, I have been getting mixed emotions about finishing the trail. Usually while I am hiking up and down this very tough terrain here in Maine, I tell myself that I have had enough and am ready to finish. However, I also find myself doing fewer miles not only because it is difficult but also because I want to take my time and enjoy the end of this journey. I have put so much hard work and effort to get to where I am and now it is just a matter of time before I reach Katahdin. I have always thought when the end of this hike comes, I would be more than happy to leave the trail, but now I am not so sure. I wonder if this is why I am slowing down because I do not want to leave? Can it be?JudeP.S. I am now less than 200 miles to the finish!
Date: 2005-09-03
From: Crocker Cirque Campsite

To: Avery Memorial Campsite
Miles today: 15.3
Weather: scattered clouds

What a great Day!The weather was perfect...partly sunny mid 60¢s. I got a lot done...15 miles and re-supplied...and the hiking was great...good climbs and beautiful scenery.I re-supplied at a grocery store at the base of Sugarloaf Ski Resort. I met a few people while I was there and they were so nice. I got such a great feeling from these people that among the crazy ideas I have now, one of them is to move to Stratton and work at Sugarloaf. I know it would not be the greatest idea career wise, but I think I would fit in really well and enjoy the lifestyle a lot.
Date: 2005-09-04
From: Avery Memorial Campsite

To: West Carry Pond Lean-to
Miles today: 14.6
Weather: light rain

I became a 2,000 miler today!Walking 2,000 miles is pretty impressive but I have looked at it more in the sense that I am getting closer to the finish than I have walked 2,000 miles.I also hiked over the rest of the Bigelow Mts. this morning, which is the last of the constant big mountains. The terrain is going to be a lot flatter from here on out.Enjoying the end!
Date: 2005-09-05
From: West Carry Pond Lean-to

To: U.S. 201 Caratunk
Miles today: 14.0

Today was such a good day. The weather was so perfect and the hiking easy yet very beautiful. It seemed like the perfect day. Right before town you have to cross the Kennebec River. Up here in Maine they don¢t have a lot of bridges including this area. The river is huge though; so they have a person on a canoe, float you across. It was a pretty neat end to the day.I spent the night at the Northern Outdoors Resort. It was a really cool place. It had a micro brewery on site, Kennebec River Brewery, restaurant, pool, hot tub, game room, laundry, everything...everything except ABC TV. I had been looking forward to watching the FSU vs. Miami game and it didn¢t seem to be a problem as they had about a dozen TV¢s. The problem was they had satellite TV that does not have regular TV. That was a big disappointment but I still had fun.
Date: 2005-09-06
From: U.S. 201 Caratunk

To: Bald Mountain Brook
Miles today: 14.7

I did not get started today until almost noon. I was still able to get almost 15 miles in although it was a real sluggish day.It is fun to spend a night off the trail, but it is so hard to get back in the flow the next day.   It was another perfect day for hiking but I wasn¢t really feeling it.
Date: 2005-09-07
From: Bald Mountain Brook

To: East Branch of Piscataquis River
Miles today: 15.3

It was quite an impressive river, sometimes slow and peaceful and many other times fast and violent.I might have mentioned a completion date of the 14th but it is looking like the 16th now. I am hoping for great weather like I have had for the past few days and I am planning on just taking my time to finish.I need to get a spoon in town tomorrow. My original spoon made it over 2,000 miles then broke last night while eating dinner. I have had to use the lid of a Pringles can since.121.2 to go!!
Date: 2005-09-08
From: East Branch of Piscataquis River

To: Leeman Brook Lean-to
Miles today: 9.7
Weather: clear sky

Not much hiking today. I had to resupply in Menson before entering the 100-Mile Wilderness. More importantly, I had to make a decision on how I was going to get back to Florida. I found some good priced one-way flights from both Boston and Manchester but I was having such a hard time trying to figure out which one to fly out of. They both had many pros and cons so I was really stressed. I almost think I stressed myself out just because I know this trip is almost over. It also doesn¢t help that I have to get to Boston or Manchester, which are a few hundred miles away in the first place.So this is my plan...I am flying out of Boston on a 7:00AM flight on Sunday. I will first have to probably hitch a ride to Medway or Millinocket (both are about 20-30 miles away) then catch a local bus to Bangor...then catch the Greyhound to Boston. I think I will be summiting Katahdin on Friday so I will have a day and a half to get to Boston.On top of all that, I have friends who are going to be in Boston that weekend, for the Red Sox and FSU vs. BC football game. Hopefully I can get there early enough in the weekend to hang out. It is going to be an interesting weekend that is for sure.Jude