morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2021-06-23
From: Glencliff, NH

To: Rte 25a
Miles today: 9.7
Weather: clear sky

I slept in all the way until 5:30 this morning with plans to zero today, as my Driver and niece didn¢t get back from the airport until after 2am.  I did borrow my sister¢s car and went to town to run a few errands, first time I¢ve driven since April 5th.  I was looking to replace my Darn Tough hiking socks that suffered simultaneous blow outs after making it 1000 miles. Now, Darn Tough guarantees their product ¢for life¢ and will replace socks at no charge, but I think that 10 weeks of daily wear and 1000 miles is probably the life of a sock. So I just bought a new pair. I also bought a new one liter Smart Water bottle as my current one was starting to get a little gunky around the spout and I¢m not really interested in getting some discount penicillin from potential mold build up.  When I returned to the house I decided that rather than doing a zero today and then 19 miles tomorrow it would make more sense to have to half-days instead. Iceberg and Quiksilver had told me the 10 mile section this side of Mt Moosilauke was relatively tame so I felt well enough to tackle it. I did the ¢Iceberg¢ and drank about 2 liters of water before I left to stave off any lingering dehydration from the last two days.  Sister Sherpa drive me the 45 minutes to the trail crossing and off I went. I can¢t even call what I did today ¢slack packing¢ as I didn¢t take a pack. Instead I borrowed a fanny pack and put my water filter, bandana, driver¢s license (to allow easy identification of my remains, should the need arise) and some throat lozenges. Wearing my blue shirt and the pink Adidas fanny pack made me feel like I was a walking gender reveal party. But hey, I¢m hiking the AT, self respect and ego are tertiary concerns. This is fine. The hike was as I was told, fairly gentle miles with about 2000 feet of total climbing over the 9.7 miles. If not for the rocks, I could have been hiking in Saugatuck Dunes State Park near my home with all the oak trees and leaf detritus on the trail. I¢m glad my sister had suggested splitting up the hike, as I won¢t be on the trail for 10 hours tomorrow and will have time to get repacked as my awesome time here at Patricia and Michael¢s winds down.  My niece was with my sister at the pickup and was great to see her and score some Airplane pretzels and biscotti that she had brought along.  Tomorrow I¢ll finish the last bit of mileage I have left before heading up to the Mt Washington climb - the 9 miles up and over Mt Moosilauke.  I may go minimalist again (but taking my Garmin emergency device along) and use the fanny pack to have a light weight day.
Date: 2021-06-26
From: Lake of the Clouds Hut

To: Pinkham Notch
Miles today: 14.9
Weather: clear sky

Our entire room of six thru hikers was up by 4:45 and packing for today¢s hike. I slept pretty well and did not have any anxiety dreams about the hike ahead - which was welcome. Looking up the hill, Mt Washington was cloud free. This put a little ¢summit fever¢ in everyone as Birdman and Beat left just after five for the climb followed shortly by Quiksilver and Yee-ha.  Iceberg and I left the hut just before 5:30 for the mile and a half climb. As the hour progressed, the wind speed slowly picked up as we gained altitude towards the top. The trail wasn¢t too arduous and I made good time, reaching the windy summit at 6:20. We really got lucky to have views in all directions with a wee bit of sun and overcast skies. I don¢t know how windy it was, but it was enough to turn me around a bit when it caught my backpack just right. I stayed at the top for about 15 minutes snapping pics and enjoying the view.  Once I got cold enough (48 degrees with winds a blowin¢) it was time to get on with the day¢s hike. And what a hike it was. The best description I heard was from Iceberg: ¢it¢s like Pennsylvania with views and elevation change¢. It was tough trail with loose rocks and gorgeous views. I lost count of how many times I turned an ankle today and my knees are singing a merry tune with the 6800 feet of total descent on the day. The climbs I had up the mountains after Washington were actually a relief as it¢s soooo much more stable than going down. Mt. Madison was the last up before a 1.5 mile 3000 foot downhill that was the toughest section of trial I¢ve done to date. The wind was really blowing as well and would blow my trekking pole sideways just as I would go to place it on a rock. Twice the wind caught my pack and turned me sideways, but thankfully both times I was in an area that had a boulder for me to grab. Getting below tree line wasn¢t any better, other than the lack of wind. By the time I reached the bottom of the mountain I was spent, but still had five miles to go to the pick up spot for the hostel in Gorham, NH.We took the shuttle into town to the Barn hostel, though I am actually staying next door at the B&B as the hostel was overbooked. On the way down the mountain, my sister texted me that she was in the area so we arranged to meet and have dinner one more time before she and my niece head back to Hanover. So I pigged out at a really good Italian place on my sister¢s dime (a bum bumming another dinner!) then she dropped me off for the last time. Tomorrow is going to be a zero day to recover a bit from hiking the last 12 days.  I¢m moving over to a motel down the street and then on Monday it¢s back to the trail as I head into the last 40 miles of New Hampshire. I think I¢ll do a gear post tomorrow and maybe another fake Q&A. Unless you, dear reader, have a legit question you¢d like to pose in the Guest Book that you can find in the drop down link.
Date: 2021-07-02
From: Speck Pond Shelter

To: Grafton Notch
Miles today: 4.6
Weather: light rain

The rain started this morning at 12:13 as the pitter-patter of the rain hitting my tarp woke me. I made a calculated decision and got up to answer the call of nature, knowing that the rain was suppose to intensify by dawn and might have made pack up more¢¦complicated. Around 3 am I heard some four legged critter snuffling around on the tenting platform next to me, it didn¢t sound very big so I ignored it. Rainy pack up went well as I kept everything dry that needed to stay dry. I was down at the shelter at 5:30 and finally just before 6, Iceberg, Quiksilver and I looked around, shrugged and hiked off into the steady rain. We had a steep climb up Old Speck mountain and had to traverse some granite slabs that were a tad treacherous but we got to the top unscathed by 7. Iceberg contacted our shuttle to let them know we¢d be a little earlier than our 10 am pickup. The 2800 foot hike down was nowhere near as bad as I had anticipated and we were at the parking lot at 9 am. The hotel owner Mark picked us up at 9:30 and he could not have been more accommodating. He stopped on the way to the hotel and let us pick up some food from a deli then dropped us at our door. So hot showers were taken (separately) and some gear explosions occurred. Mark then took us back into town to an outfitters where I was able to pick up some shoe repair silicone as the rocks have been demoing the ties of my trail runners. I also lucked out in that their Probars were sold out, but ups had just dropped off a shipment and I was able to stock up. I finished my resupply at the grocery store and bought dinner as well (clam chowder, cheese, and pineapple). There may have been beer purchased as well. May have. Back at the hotel in the lounge we discussed how to tackle the next section of trail, given that the cold and rain is supposed to continue through Sunday.  Iceberg was able to set up two days of slack packing the next 35 miles, using The Cabin hostel as a base. The Cabin also offers dinner and breakfast for a low price which means we should be able to hike the next 5 days without a resupply.  The I¢ll have a resupply box from home. The goal is to be in Monson by the 13th or 14th to set up the last leg through the 100 mile wilderness and the climb up Katahdin. We¢re heading out at 6am with rain starting around noon. It¢ll be a tough 20 miles, but with lighter packs it should easier to do. I did forget to mention yesterday that we had a fourth hiker with us through Mahoosuc Notch. When we were done, I took off my hat and found a large spider stuck inside the brim. It had likely crawled in when I had taken my hat off at  Full Goose shelter. I¢m sure he¢s bragging to all his friends today.
Date: 2021-07-06
From: Eddy Pond 

To: Spaulding Mountain lean to
Miles today: 14.94
Weather: broken clouds

Spent a restful night on the shore of Eddy pond listening to the frog chorus through the wee hours. Started packing up camp at quarter to five and was on trail 45 minutes later. Iceberg and I both rolled out early to get climbing up the Saddlebacks before the weather came in. The ascent was pretty tame and afforded cool views of Eddy Pond and the surrounding mountains. When I t Saddleback the clouds hadn¢t arrived and I had great views of the mountains to the north (pic above) and also to the next peak - The Horn. I had to descend about 600 feet to the saddle between the two peaks but the alpine bog was mostly dried up meaning no wet feet! It was a mile and a half from the peak of Saddleback to the peak of The Horn but by the time I got halfway up The Horn the summit was awash in a cloud bank and the wind was howling. Looking back, Saddleback was the same. The climb down the north face of The Horn was very rocky and technical in spots. Twice I chucked my trekking poles downhill to free up my hands to figure out a way down.  But I was below the exposed alpine region so I wasn¢t too worried about any stray thunderstorms. We walked though a lot of SOBOs today as we are in their bubble. It¢s mostly the low milers and late starters we¢re seeing, but there are a lot of them. We saw six SOBOs taking a zero day at a lean to (they call shelters ¢lean to¢s¢ in Maine) because they didn¢t want to cross the saddlebacks in the rain. Weather forecasting being what it is, it never did rain today, just cloudy and damp. I did pass one shirtless SOBO hiking with his dog. I must say, the dog looked slightly embarrassed. I got to the campsite about 2:15, having done just shy of 15 miles. Decided to end the day here and not put more stress on my joints. I¢ve got an 800 foot up to start the day and then a 2100 ft climb midday before the descent into Stratton, Maine. It looks like Thursday is going to be another rainy day so I may take a ¢zero¢ at The Hostel of Maine.  Then there is one more mountain day over the Bigelows before the trail gets a little more tame as Monson approaches.
Date: 2021-07-07
From: Spaulding Mountain lean to

To: Maine Rte 27
Miles today: 13.5
Weather: light rain

The 10% chance of overnight rain turned into 100% about 10:30pm as the rain hitting my tarp spurred me out of my hammock to put my not-dry shirt and shorts under the tarp as well. The wind also really picked up and even though I was strapped to two big trees, the buffeting of the wind among the tree tops caused my hammock to sway and shake all though the night. But all in all, I still slept well. I was on trail at 5:35 and heading up Spaulding Mountain to warm up for the day and then tackle the bigger climb to South and North Crocker. For the first time in about a week, I did start the day with two ibuprofen to help my knees a bit. I¢ve really tried to resist taking too many anti-inflammatories and just feel what I feel. But the downhill pounding is adding up. I stopped for a break about 6 miles in and had my obligatory peanut butter tortilla wraps and then started up to the top of the 4050 foot South peak and then the 4228 to the North peak. I was really making good time while still remembering to enjoy the views when available and take pictures as well. The Hostel of Maine had a scheduled pickup at the rod crossing at 1 pm that I thought was out of reach, but when I checked at noon I only had just over a mile to go. I figure the prospect of a town day put a little giddy-up in my plod today. I arrived at the parking lot at 12:30 and was able to pull out a few pieces of gear to dry out from last nights rain. The shuttle was on time and I was at the Hostel 10 minutes later. Iceberg, Quiksilver and I are sharing a room and had planned to zero on Thursday, then slack pack the Bigelow mountains on Friday. The changing forecast may alter those plans as heavy rain and thunderstorms are on the docket for Friday. It¢s looking as if we¢ll hike the 16.6 miles tomorrow instead and have, hopefully, at least a morning free of rain. I talked to a few SOBOs here at the hostel and shared info about the trail south of here. They all agreed that after the Bigelows, the trail for we NOBOs will smooth out.  The Hostel of Maine has some thru hiker rules that I¢m totally behind:  no smelly shoes, packs, or gear in the hostel. Showers taken on arrival. Clean up after yourself, and just in general be a normal human being and not a one person wrecking crew. Not hard. I did make a short trip to a convenience store and scored both chocolate milk AND Arnold Palmer ice tea. I also received a resupply box here with trail food for the next four hiking days along with another battery bank for my electronics for the upcoming 100 mile wilderness. All in all, another great day both on and off the trail.
Date: 2021-07-08
From: East Flagstaff Road

To: Maine Rte 27
Miles today: 16.6
Weather: overcast clouds

Had a good, cold night¢s sleep (windows open!) and then twiddled my thumbs waiting for our shuttle to take us an hour north to slack SOBO back towards the hostel. Limey and Grizz - a British expat couple went with us to do the 16.6 miles through the last big mountains of Maine - the Bigelows. There were two 4000 footers on the docket and some alpine zones to traverse with rain and possible thunderstorms in the afternoon. On the way to the trail, I kept on seeing the mountains looming up before us, and I gotta tell you, I become progressively more fired up looking at them. The challenge of hiking. 2800 feet of climbing from the road to the first 4000 footer and then once on trail I kept catching glimpses of the vertical rock faces approaching, getting more fired up. Why? Dunno, but it did get my blood pumping for sure. The other two things pushing me forward today were the possible weather over exposed areas and the added anxiousness that slack packing brings on for me due to the fact that I don¢t have any options to pull off trail and set up camp. Being pot-committed to getting to a road crossing does tend to focus one¢s mind. I was behind Quiksilver most of the day and occasionally he¢d come in sight, then either Quiksilver mode would activate and he¢d pull away, or Sev mode would activate and I¢d plod and fall behind. The trail, while challenging with elevation, had a decent tread underfoot and not many rock scrambles to navigate. There were a few sections that were tricky, but nothing quite like the first part of Maine threw at us. Quiksilver and I ran into a troop of 11-12 year old boys who were out with a chaperone from a local summer camp and who were hiking up from the other direction. They were having a snack and still had a bit of a climb to do yet before they would hit a side trail and head down to a waiting ride. I listened to the lads cracking on each other and my heart was warmed when one boy said of his sandwich ¢it¢s sticky and wet¢ and one of the others immediately threw out ¢that¢s what she said¢. The future of America is secure. Quiksilver and I hiked the last 6 miles in proximity to one another and realized that we could make the 4:30 shuttle at the trail if we stayed on pace. Even if I had wanted to slow, the mosquitoes and deer flies near the swampy areas spurred me to keep moving. We got to the road at 4:00pm, doing the 16.6 miles in just over seven hours. We¢re taking a group zero tomorrow and the biggest decision on the docket is whether we shuttle to the next town over to hang out at a tap room. I¢m finalizing plans for the end of Maine and hopefully will have that locked down tomorrow.The only downer today was worrying a bit about Limey and Grizz and whether they would finish before dark. Good news is they did and they arrived back at the hostel a little after 8pm. I think I¢m going to buy them a drink tomorrow. They earned it.
Date: 2021-07-09
From: Hostel of Maine

To: The lack of the journey is the destination 
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

So what to talk about on a zero day?  Slept in until 5:15am. Drank an absurd amount of coffee this morning. Glued my shoes and crossed my fingers that they can last another 140 miles (starting to doubt this). Went to the convenience store for some Arnold Palmer iced teas and Vermont white cheddar cheese. Made sure I have food to hike the next four days. Confirmed reservations at the last town before the 100 mile wilderness. Shaved my dome (well, somewhat carved with a dullish razor - ouch).  Read some more from Griersen¢s Raid - a book about a Calvary raid during the Civil War. Charged every electronic item I¢m carrying. And generally killed some time. I¢m currently relaxing in a comfy arm chair with the aroma of baking banana bread from the hostel kitchen wafting through the joint (it smells like a grandmother¢s hug) while contemplating which flavor of ice cream I¢ll be decimating later this evening. I did talk with my friend Jason (trail name never to be activated: Wedge) who is going waaaaaay above and beyond and driving to Bangor, Maine in two weeks from his home in Pennsylvania to gather my sorry self and get me back to Virginia a few days later. I have some good - no, great friends. Another planning stress taken off of my plate.Looking forward to getting my full pack on my back and moving up the trail tomorrow morning for the four day trek to Monson through somewhat ¢easier¢ terrain, though the tree roots will be heard from, I¢m positive.
Date: 2021-07-12
From: Bald Mountain Brook lean-to

To: Maine Rte 15
Miles today: 22.01
Weather: broken clouds

Last night was one of the darkest nights I¢ve had on trail as I was camped in a deep pine forest and the cloud cover was thick. Woke up twice during the night and had the literal ¢can¢t see my hand on front of my face¢ moment. But, the sun came up on time and I roused a little after five.  As we had a shortish 15 mile day planned I didn¢t hurry out of camp. The first two miles of trail was the climb up Moxie Bald and at times it was as if the trail were paved.  It seems like Moxie Bald is just one big piece of granite with about 2 inches of top soil in places. Where the soil had been worn away it was just a hard, smooth trail. At the top of the bald we had 360 degree views of the Maine wilderness and *maybe* a view of the final trail mountain in Maine off to the northeast.Quiksilver and I hiked pretty near one another most of the day and had 13 miles completed by noon. We had a long walk along the banks of the Piscataquis River that really reminded me off the trail between the Lower and Upper Tahquamenon falls in Michigan¢s upper peninsula. I had occasion to talk to a section hiker who was out with a partner for the day and had a nice conversation. I got to the area around Lake Hebron where we planned to stealth camp when Quiksilver got word that Iceberg had called Shaw¢s hiker hostel in Monson already and had booked a bunk for the night. Though this was a day earlier then we had planned, Quiksilver and I decided ¢what the hey¢ and did another six miles or so to the main road into Monson and called for a shuttle. They only had one bunk left open, so I opted to set up my hammock outside for the night. There are quite a few NOBOs here getting  ready for the last 114 miles of trail, including the 100 mile wilderness. It was good to see Allie, Rat Bastard, Birdman, Trebek and Whisper one last time. Those who started in Georgia are really feeling the end of the journey setting in. Shaw¢s is kind of the last hurrah before Baxter Park and summiting Katahdin in 5-8 days. Some are still trying to decide what¢s next post-trail. Tomorrow will be a zero day here in town as we await the arrival of Lamb¢s Ear (wife of Quiksilver) who will be hiking the 100 mile wilderness with us. Iceberg is already scheming to do some slack packing the following two days and you know what?  I¢m down to clown. This will be my last chance to jump into the Iceberg Vortex before he concludes his hike next week. Until tomorrow, adieu!
Date: 2021-07-14
From: Long Pond Stream lean-to

To: Maine Rte 15
Miles today: 15.1
Weather: broken clouds

Spent a nice restful night in my ¢private room¢ (bed in the old dining room with a movable partition) at the hostel then had another too large breakfast before getting a shuttle out to the trail at 8:15. We had a half hour drive down a paved road, then a dirt road, then an old logging road to get close to the trail. I had consumed 5 cups of coffee and a liter of water before leaving the hostel and the worn springs of the Suburban gave my bladder way more than it bargained for. Relieved to get to the drop off point and soon relieved in another way, we walked .8 miles up a side trail to reach the AT and begin hiking south.  It didn¢t take long for the rain to begin, starting off as a light patter in the trees. I had my rain jacket on but shed it not long after reaching the trail, as I was too warm.  I hiked the rest of the day in my normal shorts, long sleeve t-shirt, and bucket hat and was pleased to be soaked through to the skin with something other than just sweat. The rain stayed pretty much all day and varied from a light drizzle to moderate downpours a few times. Iceberg and I passed a SOBO family about 7 miles in and the youngest boy did not look to be enjoying the hike, even though they were getting close to being through the 100 mile wilderness section. I passed a handful of other SOBOs as well, including a barefoot hiker who goes by ¢No Shoes¢.  I had heard of him from Ramdino¢s weekly YouTube trail updates and knew he had to get off trail due to a foot injury. He¢s back now after hiking 750 miles NOBO, having flipped up to Katahdin to go south. He was not moving very fast.I also met a few fellow NOBOs who had left the hostel this morning, including TP who had just been stung twice by yellow jackets.  It is not been her week with the wildlife. I also talked with two section hikers who told me where the bee¢s nest was and I was able to walk very softly and carefully past it to avoid getting stung. Shortly after noon I sort of got into ¢hurry mode¢ and had a blast fast-hiking through the rain, rocks and roots. I got to the end of the hike a little after three and called the hostel shuttle which arrived at 3:45 just in town to also collect Iceberg and a SOBO heading for the hostel. Shaw¢s is packed tonight with hikers. All 30-ish beds are full and there are roughly 15 tents set up out in the yard. The NOBO bubble is getting close, but we should finish just ahead of it next week.I just finished some delicious blueberry milk (the store was out of chocolate) which is a local thing and surprisingly good. We¢re organizing for the slack pack tomorrow and the subsequent foray into the last 85 miles of the trail. Feeling good and I¢m exited for the next seven days!