morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2018-09-19
From: Stealth Campsite 1905.7

To: US 2, Gorham 1892.6
Miles today: 13.1

Today was a better day than yesterday, but I am a far cry from 100%. My diarrhea has gotten better, especially by the afternoon. That Flagyl I was given and have been taking since yesterday seems to be working. Of course the only thing I¢ve eaten in two days was a cup of chicken broth and half a Cliff Bar, so my digestive system has not gotten much of a workout. I started hiking this AM at 05:30, and made it to US 2 by 15:30. It¢s a good thing I made it to Gorham today, as I may have run out of TP with another day on the trail in my condition. Things would have then gotten pretty ugly! Fortunately the last four miles of today¢s hike were all downhill on an easy trail. I hitched a ride from the trailhead, and got dropped off in Gorham at their local Urgent Care Clinic - my first order of business being to see a doctor. No luck getting in to see a doctor at the UCC, the earliest available time was Friday (doesn¢t sound like much of an UCC). I was however once again helped out by the kindness of others. A gentleman overheard me at the UCC, and his wife happened to be a doctor at the hospital in Berlin. He drove me to the hospital, where I was treated most royally by everyone. The doctor did an examination, ordered some lab tests which I will have done at the UCC tomorrow, gave me some dietary recommendations for the next several days, suggested I stay off the trail until I¢m feeling better, wrote me a prescription for the Flagyl, and then was kind enough to drive me all the way back to Gorham and the hostel I am staying at (Libby House B&B and The Barn Hiker Hostel). The kindness of folks never ceases to amaze!I am definitely taking a Zero here in Gorham tomorrow, my first since I got back on the trail on 08/30. I will be busy between getting to the UCC for the lab work, stopping at the local outfitters to replace a couple of clothing items that have worn out, picking up my prescription, and resupply shopping. There¢s lots of restaurants to choose from in Gorham, and I am so hungry I could eat the butt end out of a bear, but unfortunately my dietary restrictions will limit what I can eat. They weighed me at the hospital, and I am down 22 lbs since resuming my hike on 08/30. I think I lost half that weight in the last two days. Thank you to everyone that has offered me encouragement and get well wishes, they are much appreciated. Hopefully this latest issue with the Giardia is just a temporary setback that will be quickly overcome - but I do need to be feeling 100% before tackling the Whites. I am safe, warm and dry in the hostel tonite. Goodnite.
Date: 2018-09-20
From: US 2, Gorham 1892.6

To: US 2, Gorham 1892.6
Miles today: 0.0

A busy day today in Gorham. Fortunately there is a transit bus here that runs on the main drag between Gorham and Berlin, very convenient and cheap: $1 for an all-day pass (normal price is $2, but they are running a special this week). First stop was at the local urgent care center to get my lab work done. Next on the agenda was a stop at a local tailor to have a tear in my hiking pants repaired: another great deal at $6. Then on to WalMart to pick up my prescription and do some resupply shopping. Lunch back at the hostel (there is a small kitchen area here), a stop at the local outfitter in the afternoon to pick up a couple items, a stop at the post office, followed by a stroll thru the local park where they were having their once-a-week public market. Finally dinner tonite back at the hostel watching the evening news, catching up on emails and texts, followed by making a few phone calls to family. In between the running around I also managed to make some repairs to my pack and boots (super glue and tenacious tape sure come in handy). Who says Zero days are just for lounging around????I was at one point today thinking of getting back on the trail tomorrow, but other hikers here at the hostel have recommended that I rest up and recover a few more days - which is what the doctor also told me. They are right of course. Climbing these mountains is tough enough when one is in good health. As far as my diet is concerned, based on the recommendation of the doctor who saw me yesterday I¢m kind of limited: breads, rice, soup, applesauce, bananas, yogurt are pretty much it. I need to avoid meats, fried foods, raw veggies and foods high in protein. To be truthful I really didn¢t have much of an appetite today (can you blame me with that diet?), but I forced myself to eat more as I wanted to gauge how my GI system was processing food. I still have the diarrhea, but the frequency/urgency are somewhat less. However I continue to feel tired and have just an overall general lack of get-up-and-go. I will see how tomorrow goes, and reevaluate. In the meantime of course the weather has taken a turn for the worse: i was told by another hiker that winds on Mt. Washington were forecast as being 70-100 mph, with rain!I am safe, warm and dry in the hostel tonite. Goodnite.
Date: 2018-09-23
From: Madison Spring Hut 1863.7

To: Mizpah Spring Hut 1851.9
Miles today: 11.8

On the trail at 6:30 today. It was cold, I think in the 20s, as the puddles on the trail were all frozen. Brought back some memories of my hike down south with the Four Horsemen and Young Guns when we had all that cold snowy weather in March and early April. Hey Night Train and Capt. Blackbeard, remember that bone chilling nite we spent at Roan High Knob Shelter? Brrrrrrr.....!Overall it was an absolutely beautiful day to be hiking this section of trail today - spent much of today above tree line, and the views were spectacular. Peaks climbed included Washington (the big guy at 6288¢) and Pierce, and the AT skirted the flanks of peaks Adams, Jefferson, Clay, Monroe, Franklin and Eisenhower. The trail was a rock hop from Madison Springs Hut to roughly Lake of the Clouds Hut (which is closed), and after that point it became easier. 4200¢ of climbing and 3200¢ of descent today. 11.8 miles doesn¢t sound like a lot, but I am very happy with that mileage here in the Whites. I was pretty whupped when I arrived here at Mizpah Spring Hut. The summit of Washington was very busy today, lots of folks who either drove up via the toll road that goes to the summit, or took the Cog Railway. I spent about an hour on the summit at the visitor center, it was good to sit down, relax and have something to eat (I bought a hot dog, slice of pizza, powerade and hot chocolate) - and of course I used the bathroom, very important in my condition (my GI system is trying to get better, but its got a ways to go before I am back to normal). I also read a plaque on the summit, and learned that Mt Washington at one time was owned by Dartmouth College. Who would have known? I had no cell phone coverage with Verizon inside the visitor center. Zilch. There were some other folks sitting at the table I was at, one of whom had coverage (ATT), and he was kind enough to let me use his phone to call Kayanne. Seeing how I had changed my original plans and not having heard from me, Kayanne was naturally concerned. I had also not been able to post my trailjournal entry up to that point - it was only after I descended a bit down from the Washington summit that my cell coverage kicked in. Arriving at Mizpah, lo and behold Mason was there. He is hiking this section northbound, and hiked up today from Crawford Notch. We both managed to secure work for stays, we were happy about that! It¢ll be another cold nite, so staying in the hut is convenient. No cell coverage here at the hut unfortunately. I am safe, warm and dry in the hut tonite. Goodnite!PS: How ¢bout them Buffalo Bills!!!!
Date: 2018-09-25
From: Gorham, Libby House Hostel 1892.6

To: Gorham, Libby House Hostel 1892.6
Miles today: 0.0

In view of the terrible weather forecast (heavy rain and chilly) I have decided to ride out the day here at the hostel - I¢m not interested in hiking over the Wildcats and Carters in those kinds of conditions. Am hoping to get out again tomorrow. There are several other hikers here at the hostel, both NOBOs and SOBOs, that are all doing the same thing - everyone decided to stay put for the day. The hostel is not heated(it is a converted barn after all), but it is at least dry, has a kitchen area, bathroom, etc. For $22 a nite, not a bad deal at all. The owner Paul is also a super nice guy, very accommodating.Another day of rest for my GI tract is also not a bad idea. I continue to have my ¢episodes¢ with my bowels, quite annoying actually and it sometimes gets me feeling a little down in the dumps. My prescription of antibiotics still has about 5 days to run, I sure hope things stabilize soon. I had just a lazy day here in Gorham, as all my errands, resupply etc. had already been taken care of. Went to the local diner (Welshs) for breakfast, and eventually made my way over to the library. They have a nice reading room there with heat and some very comfortable chairs, I grabbed a book, and promptly nodded off. Noone disturbed me - the librarian probably thought I was just some poor homeless guy that needed a break from the world, HaHa. It did turn out to be just a nasty miserable day today: cold, rain and windy. I think all of us hikers that elected to stay off the trail today made a wise decision.I did order myself a new pair of boots, they will be delivered to a hostel that I¢ll be staying at in about a week from now at North Woodstock. I really liked the Salomon boots that I¢ve been wearing since Katahdin, but the soles on both boots have started to delaminate from the boot. I¢ve tried twice now making a repair with Gorilla Glue, but the problem persists - and I have visions of being on the trail somewhere and having the soles peel completely off. There is an obvious problem with the adhesive Salomon is using, as the problem is on both boots in the exact same location. I did contact Salomon about this, and they are honoring their warranty and sending me a pair of replacement boots. Thank you Salomon!I am safe, warm and dry in the hostel tonite. Goodnite.
Date: 2018-09-26
From: NH 16 Pinkham Notch 1871.5

To: Zeta Pass 1880.0
Miles today: 8.5

The day started so promising today, I felt pretty good - except for that incessant C Diff diarrhea which won't seem to go away and is a real annoyance while on the trail. I made it over the Wildcats, Carter Dome and Hight. 6 peaks down, not bad. Then all of a sudden at Zeta Pass I got very dizzy/lightheaded to the point that I thought I might faint. This happened to me once before since I've been on the meds for my C Diff, although not as severe. Anyway today I tried to regroup and regain my strength, and started up the trail towards the next peak, but there was just no way - I was a wreck. My hike was over, my body was trying to tell me something. Fortunately there was a 3.6 mile bailout trail at Zeta Pass that took me down to the road. I stumbled on down that trail, going ever so slowly so that I wouldn't fall (as it was I fell once), then hitched a ride back to the hostel. I have no regrets, I gave it my absolute best shot, but my thru hike attempt is over. I am very comfortable with my decision. I always told my family, and myself, that I wouldn¢t do anything stupid and press on with my hike if that entailed compromising my health. The time has come to get off the trail. I am very grateful for the time I had on the trail: I met some great people, was the beneficiary of the kindness shown me by others, got to see parts of the country that I had not seen before, and had the time of my life. I have memories to last a lifetime. The good Lord watched over me for 1700 miles, I am grateful and thankful for the many blessings he has bestowed on me. Speaking of the kindness shown me by others, when I arrived back at the hostel the owner Paul informed me that my lodging had been paid for by a trail angel who wished to remain anonymous. Another example of a heartwarming gesture! Thank you so very much trail angel, whomever you are!!!!My sincere thanks to my family, friends and all of you that have supported me and been following along on my trail journal. Your kind words and support have meant a lot to me. Tomorrow I will make my way back to Rochester, and look forward to being reunited with my wife Kayanne - my very best friend, who has stood by me with her undying love and support throughout my hike. In closing, I would like to offer my congratulations to all of the successful 2018 thru hikers. Well done folks, you have accomplished an amazing feat, and I am happy for all of you!Signing off for now, Opa!
Date: 2019-08-27
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Well, it has been awhile since my last entry, but I am happy to report that I plan on being back on the trail the first week of September. I have a doctor¢s appointment on 09/03, and assuming I get the green light I will be off and hiking shortly thereafter. I am so very anxious to get back out on the AT.For those of you that have followed along with my entries last year (thank you faithful followers), you know that in 2018 I completed 1,691 miles of the AT before contracting C. Diff which ultimately knocked me off the trail. I have exactly 500 miles remaining. As I well know there are many pitfalls along the way, so nothing is guaranteed, but I¢m going to give it my absolute best shot to finish. My plan is to resume my hike in Gorham, NH and hike south. I will likely skip the 34.5 mile section from Zeta Pass to Crawford Notch, having already hiked that section in September 2018 as part of my thru-hike attempt. As far as my non-AT life is concerned I am very blessed. Kayanne retired last December, and all is going well for both of us.  Kayanne and I now count 6 wonderful grandchildren (Link, Lucy, Elena, Evelyn, Charlotte and Owen) all of whom we got to spend time with this summer at our home on Conesus Lake. Never a dull moment, lots of fun!!!! I also had the good fortune this summer to take our oldest Grandson Link (9 years old at the time) up to the Adirondacks where Link and  I hiked up Wright Peak. That¢s high peak number 8 for Link. Watch out 46ers, only 38 more to go for Link! It used to be me up ahead of Link on a hike up a mountain saying ¢ ....come on Link, you can do it....¢. Now the roles are reversed!!!! How did that happen????On a more somber note, while hiking the AT I will be thinking of, and praying for, my cousin Rick who is battling cancer and has a tough road ahead of him. Rick, my hike down the AT is a piece of cake compared to the ¢hike¢ you are facing. Keep battling buddy, I am pulling for you every step of the way!
Date: 2019-09-12
To: Gorham, NH
Miles today: 0.0

Last week I received the green light from my doctor to resume my hike, so I¢m off. My friend Eric Oogjen (former AT thru-hiker Rev. Yukon Jack) and I are headed up to Gorham, NH where I will resume my AT hike/adventure. Tonite we¢re staying at The Barn Hiker Hostel in Gorham, which is where I spent several nites in September of 2018 when I was suffering from my bout with C. Diff.Eric is driving me up, and as I sit here in the passenger seat I feel a host of emotions. Excitement for sure, but also some angst (will my health hold up?) and a touch of disappointment. Disappointment because I know my dream of becoming an official AT thru-hiker is pretty much over. Get over it I tell myself, if I¢m able to complete the 500 miles that I¢ve got left and become an official AT 2,000 Miler, that is still an accomplishment. Deep down I feel blessed for the opportunity to give it a go as they say!My wife and best friend Kayanne will once again provide her behind the scenes support and send me maildrops along the way. Thank you Kayanne, you¢re the best! I will miss you, but God willing and if all goes well I should be back home by mid/end of October. I¢ll be back home before you know it! Kayanne as well as the rest of my wonderful family are in full support of the resumption of my hike and I know they will be with me in spirit every step of the way! I¢ll be thinking of you all, and will be sure to regal you with tales of my adventures upon my return!I also often think about the wonderful folks that I met and friends I made while hiking the AT in 2018. Of course I have many fond memories of the times spent with the other Four Horsemen: Night Train, Captain Blackbeard and Jeep. How I miss you guys, what a great time we had while together on the trail! Also the Young Guns: T5000, Sour Patch, The Ghost and Mainer! A great group of young folks, I was your senior by many years but you never made me feel like the ¢old man¢. Some of the other ¢characters¢ that I met along the way included Soaring Eagle, Rain Man, Bobcat, La Copa, Bolt, Tuna, Juice Box to name a few. In addition to the great individuals I met, there were breathtaking views that never ceased to amaze. One never knows what the trail has in store around the next bend or over the next ridge. There were challenges to be sure along the trail and times where I struggled, but that is part of the experience and what makes the AT so special. The trail left its mark on me in 2018, no small wonder that I can¢t wait to get back out there!I am leaving on my hike with a heavy heart as my cousin Rick passed away last week after a bout with very aggressive and untreatable cancer. The service and burial were yesterday, very sad. Rick was a great guy who touched the lives of, and was loved by, many. My heart goes out to Rick¢s family - I¢ll be thinking of you all as I hike the trail, and know that you¢ll be in my prayers.
Date: 2019-09-13
From: Zeta Pass 1881.1

To: US 2 Gorham, 1893.7
Miles today: 12.6

Weather wise it was a spectacular day today, sunny, high around 50, and not a lot of wind. At higher elevations there was some frost on the boards across the bogs, it is September in the Whites after all. In any event it was great to be back on the trail hiking again! The views today were really great, looking over to the Presidentials.Overall I hiked 17.1 miles (this included my hike up to Zeta Pass from Rt. 16), but of course my recorded mileage only reflects miles on the AT. Climbing elevation according to Guthook was 4,500 ft. Overall a pretty tough day for my first day back on the AT. Peaks climber included South Carter, Middle Carter, North Carter and Moriah. I am tired tonite I must admit - the smart move would be for me to take an easy day tomorrow.  I¢ll see how I feel tomorrow. Eric dropped me off at the trailhead today at 0500 hrs, and I finished at 1500. 10 hrs on the trail.Tomorrow Eric will drop me off at Crawford Notch, since I completed the section from Zeta Pass to Crawford Notch in September of 2018 as part of my thru hike attempt. I will head south from Crawford Notch.I came across maybe 15 hikers today, some northbound and some southbound. All appeared to be dayhikers, except for one gal that was backpacking with a pretty big pack headed northbound. She was moving pretty slow, so I talked to her awhile. She was a LASHer (long ass section hiker), just like me, HaHa. She told me she was struggling staying warm at nite with the gear she had with the cold temps - which are only going to get colder- so I gave her a few pointers based on my experience. I hope she does ok, she seemed like a nice lady.Now for the real kicker of my day: I lost my wallet on the trail. I didn¢t discover this until near the end of my hike, where I reached into my back pocket which I noticed had torn. I had no idea where this happened - and I covered a fair amount of miles today. My heart sank. But the trail provides, and all is well that ends well. A northbound thru hiker found it on the steep section coming down off North Crocker Mt. Anyway this evening around 1930 I received a call from the Rattle River Hostel just up the road, a hiker staying there had turned in my wallet and they had tracked me down. A MIRACLE!!!!Eric drove me to the hostel to retrieve my wallet, and I sincerely thanked the hiker that found it. Everything was there, nothing missing, and I gave the hiker a nice finders fee even though he was reluctant to accept it. It is heartwarming to know there are still good people in this world. PS: One note regarding trail mileage and mileposts. I see that the trail length increased by 1 mile from 2018 to 2019.  Not sure where the extra mile was added, but in any event for my 2019 trail journal entries I¢ll be using the 2019 mileposts as per Guthook and the 2019 addition in the A.T. Guide (aka Awol). Also even though I am headed southbound (starting tomorrow) I¢ll be using northbound mileposts for consistency with my 2018 entries. I hope this isn¢t too confusing.
Date: 2019-09-14
From: US 302 Crawford Notch 1846.6

To: Galehead Hut 1831.9
Miles today: 14.7

Eric dropped me off at Crawford Notch this AM, thank you my friend for shuttling me around up here the past couple days; have a good trip back to Rochester. I didn¢t get a great nite¢s sleep at the hostel, woke up at 2 AM and couldn¢t get back to sleep. I¢m pretty sure all the commotion/anxiety yesterday associated with my first lost, then found, wallet didn¢t help. I experienced the full gamut of emotions, from being down in the dumps as low as you could get to being sky high. Well that is now behind you Opa I tell myself, let¢s get on with the business at hand - namely hiking the AT. First order of business is to complete the balance of the miles I need (500) to finish the AT and become a 2000 Miler. Secondly I have this pipedream of rehiking next year in 2020, prior to 09/12/2020, the 1,691 miles I already completed in 2018. Coupled with the 500 miles I hope to finish this fall, this plan would then qualify me as a thru-hiker. So technically I am now once again a thru- hiker. Of course the chances of my ¢plan¢ coming to fruition are somewhat remote. For starters my better half, God bless her, is not in favor. Hmmmm, I will have to work on that!Getting back to today¢s hike I was on the trail hiking at 0600, and finished today at 1600. Lousy weather, it starting raining at 0900 and continued unabated for the rest of the day. Kind of chilly and windy up top as well. Oh well, that is to be expected after the spectacular day we had yesterday. It was somewhat tough trail conditions today here in the Whites (of course), especially that last 0.8 mile section coming down off of South Twin Mountain. You really have to pay attention every second, watching every single foot placement. All is well , I made it, so stop your bellyaching Opa. I did manage to secure a work for stay at Galehead Hut, which is much appreciated on a damp, windy chilly nite. I guess they took sympathy on this old geezer. I am the only work for stay tonite, I would have thought there¢d be a few others. My chore will be washing dishes after dinner, pretty easy. For that I get dinner (leftovers from the paying guests), and after 2130 I can roll out my bedroll on the dining room floor. A great deal really. Looking forward to tomorrow, the weather forecast is much improved. I will be on Franconia Ridge tomorrow, really looking forward to it. I am safe, warm and dry tonite in Galehead Hut!