morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2007-09-02
From: Galehead Hut

To: Crawford Notch, NH
Miles today: 14.7
Weather: few clouds

Vindication of Loose Bruce's and my plan for yesterday: I saw a shelter register message from Tuna Bag saying that they had camped only 3 miles from where we did, and their destination for today was the same as ours. So we should find them today (actually we didn't, but knew where they probably are). The second step, of course was that we had to make it to Crawford Notch, which we did. A bit of luck there - we crossed the easiest 8 miles of the White Mountains today. Plus, Bruce figured out that there would be Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream at the general store, so he was highly motivated. We actually did a 3 mile hour at one point, as part of a stretch where we did 7 miles in 3 1/4 hours - speeds we haven't seen since perhaps a level stretch in Massachusetts. Clearly we are still fast hikers, just challenged by the slopes, rocks, roots and wetness of the terrain. While leaving Galehead hut, I very visibly left a tip (for a very cordial croo), and was rewarded with some very good advice about upcoming vistas which turned out to be spectacular. The first was Zealand Mountain, where we looked down upon several huge valleys. A couple of guys there filled us in on what we were looking at, including a portion of the trail visible at a rockfall and my first clear look at Mt. Washington, with the Cog Railway smoking its way up the mountain. There we met Birdman, and we hiked much of the day with him, a section hiker who is an ornithologist. He kept up with us easily and may join us tomorrow though he will be ahead of us visiting family tonight. I joined a group of young hikers for a while, who were doing a loop of trails through part of the Whites. I was thinking about Alex's group of loop hikers who I met in NC, and that maybe they would like to try a loop in the Whites next year, especially with the shuttle bus that is available.When we got to Crawford Notch, we needed to hitchhike 4 miles to the campground. True to form, the 4th car that drove by was a hiker who picked us up and whisked us right there. Showers, laundry, minor resupply, met an interesting New Zealand couple SOBOing. Admired their healthy eating habits, which is beginning to raise questions in my mind about whether my peanut-intensive diet is complete.
Date: 2007-09-03
From: Crawford Notch, NH

To: Lake of the Clouds Hut
Miles today: 11.2
Weather: clear sky

This has been my favorite hiking day so far. Got to know our New Zealand bunkmates, Weka and Kea, a little better. Kea commented on my snoring(apparently the cold weather aggravated my congestion). Then I saw that Weka had slept outside. I was pretty upset about that but Weka assured me she is an experienced hiker, and knows how to deal with snoring - she slept outside because it was too warm in the bunkhouse, which may be so, since she opened a window last night before going to sleep. BTW, they have a trailjournals website of their own, which I look forward to viewing to see the different perspectives of people from half a world away. They also recommended hiking the Bibbulmun Trail in Australia because of the wildlife viewing. LB (Loose Bruce) and I started hiking up Webster Cliffs, viewing every overlook. and monitoring our progress, wondering if we would ever reach the top. At one point LB said, oh look, its Peach. I started to make a joke because how could he see her way down at the ground(?) when I heard her voice and realized she had caught up to us. She, Fuzzy Monkey and Tuna Bag had stayed at the only other hostel in Crawford, as we suspected. FM and TB showed up shortly afterward. Then, it was back to just LB and me hiking together until the lunch break. What happened next mystified me. We had been seeing views of Mt. Washington getting bigger, and I kept getting higher, literally and figuratively. I found a hiking gear that I didn't know I had, practically dashing most of the afternoon. At some point it broke and I slowed down and let people catch up. I was also taking a lot of talk breaks. At the hut, I was tempted to go to the top of Mt. Washington because the weather was clear, but might not be in the morning. I was talked out of it. Instead, I washed windows and helped sift compost as my work for stay at the hut. I also had a nice conversation with 3 day hikers - Ken, Pat, and Amy. Ken gave me some trail magic - excess food from his trip he was completing. I shared a lot of it with other thru hikers, and what I kept came in very handy since I ran low on food before upcoming stop in Gorham, NH. The work for stay was interesting in 2 ways. The composting job became a running series of jokes paralleling the "Dirty Jobs" TV show. Also, in the "Classy Move of the Day", I grabbed a rake to become a "poo sifter" and Jungle Jim took the rake away, saying that I had already done a lot helping with window washing and it was his turn to work. I then became the photographer for the episode. Actually, the window washing was interesting too, with Fuzzy Monkey, since I started as the Assistant Window Washer, but worked my way up to Supervisor before we were done.Good crowd of hikers at the hut - Bruce, Peach, Fuzzy Monkey, Tuna Bag, Forest, Spaceman, Yogi, Jungle Jim, Gnarly, Singe
Date: 2007-09-05
From: Osgood Campground

To: Carter Notch Hut
Miles today: 10.7
Weather: few clouds

The day started out fine. We got to Pinkham Notch just in time to have a real lunch at the visitor center. I also got my broken pole fixed at the camp store. Put up with some insults (When I said I heard LEKI replaces all bent poles, the guy said Get real, the warranty doesn't cover your clumsiness) but ultimately he had a spare section of pole to fix mine with. Later a full blown outfitter would assure me that LEKI often does replace/repair poles for damage due to clumsiness. Unbelievably, we ran into Don. He had hiked Mt. Washington in the morning, and took a shot at finding us by driving around when he was done - a fool's errand as he called it. We ran into him as we were leaving the visitor center parking lot. Again he gave us a tour of what we were seeing in the vistas, as we went up the Wildcat peaks. Found out he had done all 38 4000'+ peaks in New Hampshire. He hiked with us for maybe 7 miles, up a ferocious hill and along a ridge that had the 5 peaks of Wildcat Mountain, but got off at a skilift that took him back close to the visitor center. Great to see you again, Don!Spent the night at Carter Notch Hut, where they seemed to really need us for work-for-stay, since they were getting ready to shut down for the season. I spent almost 2 hours getting a summers worth of grime off of some cooking vessels. First, thought, they fed us very well. A large group of young teenagers was there. Apparently they eat very little, so there was plenty of good food left when we got there. Ah, leftovers. At the hut: Peach, Loose Bruce, Fuzzy Monkey, Tuna Bag, Forest and Spaceman.
Date: 2007-09-06
From: Carter Notch Hut

To: Rattle River Shelter
Miles today: 13.3
Weather: fog

Morale seems to be dropping in the Whites. I seem to be at odds with this, although my body is struggling I am enjoying the exertion, the gymnastics and the incredible views too much to complain. I try to be somewhat vocal about my feelings to counter the mood, for the benefit of myself as much as for anybody else. Negativity can be contagious.The morning was steep, I told Fuzzy Monkey. The hut was in a Notch. In the south they call them gaps. What it means to a hiker is, whichever way you are headed, you are headed UP. Yeesh.Got some trail magic - Spaceman shared a bottle of wine with me at a shelter that he got from the caretaker, Sally, who was getting ready to leave for the summer. After he left, I talked to Sally for a while, finding out what a caretaker does, and a little economics lesson on the whole AMC campsite system - they lose money on their caretakers, even though the pay is extremely low. She also showed me how privies are cleaned, since she was in the process, but did not ask for any help. Nor did I offer any. So, Spaceman got wine and I got a privy cleaning lesson. Funny, I think both of us were happy.Peach and Fuzzy Monkey made it all the way into town today, but Tuna Bag, Loose Bruce and I stayed at a free shelter next to a beautiful stream - too scenic to pass up so late in the day. Lifesaver was there also, with a visiting friend/hiking partner who is from Maine. Since she wouldnt tell me her name, I called her "Friend of Lifesaver". <300 miles to go!
Date: 2007-09-07
From: Rattle River Shelter

To: Gorham, NH
Miles today: 1.9
Weather: clear sky

Bruce put himself into his Ben & Jerry's gear and dragged me into town.We are 16 miles from the NH/ME border! Took a short day today to rest from the rigors of hiking the White Mountains. Back to big days tomorrow.Trail Boss moment of the day: We were trying to hitchhike the 5 miles to town in when Peach walked up to us. Again she proves to have unusual powers. Of course she had a reasonable explanation - the woman who lives right next to the trailhead is a former thru hiker, and let her stay the night. She will not be staying with us in town, but will come into town later in the day.I met Sara, Peach's friend, at the library. I mentioned that Peach intended to spend the night at the Birches campground, and asked Sara to let Peach know where we were. Bruce had arranged for Bump to meet us in Gorham, so let Peach know to meet us at our(Loose Bruce and I) hotel room the next morning.Fuzzy Monkey actually left town today, so he will be ahead for a while, perhaps the remainder of the trip, presumably trying to catch up with his parents who are meeting him at Katahdin.We stumbled onto Dirty in town as well. He has hiked much of New Hampshire already, so he skipped some of those parts, I guess so he could finish sooner.Trail magic of the day: A group of 8 went out to dinner together, and a couple bought us a round of drinks. Some of us ended up chatting with them until the restaurant closed, The couple, Shuz and Sox, are retirees now living in Hot Springs, NC. They are touring the Whites, doing day hikes. They indicated they are not in shape to do much backpacking, though I thought they looked quite healthy.
Date: 2007-09-08
From: Gorham, NH

To: Page Pond Area
Miles today: 7.9

I was up early, so I scored some points by buying Dunkin Munchkins for everyone. I then left to run some errands, still before anyone else woke up, and when they got up they wondered where the munchkins came from. I was a hero when I came back. Hiker love comes so cheap.Bump met us for brunch, talked about the Maine portion of the trip since he is from Maine. he wants to join us in the 100 mile wilderness!Actually I was late for the meeting with Bump and they started brunch without me. On the way, I ran into, of all people, Joker. Another of my earliest friends on the trail, I had not seen him since Damascus. I was overjoyed, in fact had to hug him rather than just shake hands. In fact I've probably hugged more guys in the last 5 months than my entire adult life. The bonds are just that strong and emotional. There is a traditional hiker hug - shake the right hands, but hug with the left. Caught up on a few things - he is still with Dog Man (and Jango and Willow), and Moss is back for another section with them. Dog Man is going to a wedding, so they need to be catching up. They are actually a good ways behind me (Glencliff? Hanover?), but Joker jumped forward to Gorham to pick up some things he needed, and is going back to pick up with Dog Man & Moss. Nonetheless they will have to pass me at some point because they need to be done before 9/27 for Dog Man to make the wedding. Can't wait to see them! When I was done, I went to brunch, and told Peach he was out there, but he was gone before she could get to see him.We (Peach, Loose Bruce and I) ended up starting our hike at 1:30 rather than noon as intended, so did fewer miles. Our most interesting sight of the day was Gnarly passed out on the ground along the trail. Checked to make sure he was breathing - he was - but we also stood around talking loudly about him to see if it would rouse him. No dice, but we hoped for the best and moved on. I knew he'd had very little sleep that night. He stayed in our room, got back from a party at quarter of 2 am, and a number of us were making trips to the bathroom much of the rest of the night. We stopped for the day when we caught up with Spaceman. He was camped at Page Pond, in fact he had just finished swimming, so somehow it was decided that I had made up my mind to camp there as well. So we all stayed there.
Date: 2007-09-09
From: Page Pond Area

To: Carlo Col Shelter
Miles today: 9.1
Weather: moderate rain

I started the day with a nice "stop and smell the roses" moment. Page Pond had a gritty beauty that I'd had little time to appreciate the night before since the weather was a bit rainy when we arrived, and we had come in late enough to need to hurry and set up camp. So, during breakfast I went back to the pond and sat down on a fairly clean rock. The scene was surreal. The pond is ringed by black mud, which was then ringed by a pine forest. Logs and plants were sticking out of black-looking water. Fog was forming off the surface of the pond and gently wafting off towards me. Above a level of maybe 30', fog obscured the pine forest. A bird squawked and flew away when I opened one of my breakfast packages, leaving only me and some dragonflies to enjoy the moment. A heavy fog rolled into the far end of the pond, obscuring the entire pond as it approached. Eventually I heard the bird return to the pond and resume its breakfast, though I could not see it. I was hoping to see a moose, but no meese showed up (Goose--->Geese, so Moose--->Meese, right?). I did get to see that a lot of the deciduous trees invading the pine forest are beginning to take on their fall coloration. In fact some of the trees are in full but dull color now, hopefully a promise of things to come.The day went downhill from here. Overcast turned to rain and the mercury dropped. Eventually even hiking couldn't keep us warm. Plus, the rocks got so slippery that even I had some nervous moments, the first time since Knife Edge in PA. Peach eventually ran ahead of Loose Bruce and I, and we took it on faith that she was hurrying to the shelter to warm up. Problem of the day: We didn't get as far as we had hoped, delaying us by a half day. Don is trying to meet us at Speck Pond Shelter so he can hike to Rangely with us, so I tried to call him to let him know we were delayed, but was only able to leave messages. Hopefully things will work out.Oh, and we entered Maine today! The welcome sign said "Maine - the way life should be". And, with the miserable weather I thought, "Oh, you mean life is supposed to SUCK?!" These are the times that try hikers' souls.At camp: Ran into Yogi again, hiking with some hikers I had not met before except perhaps at the Mt. Washington Visitors Center - Hopalong, Singe and Old Yeller. The shelter was fairly full, and because everyone's stuff was soaked from the moist day, it felt even more crowded. Loose Bruce slept in his hammock but on site. Gnarly made it there too. So did Misplaced. Misplaced hiked with Singe and Hopalong most of the time, but they got separated the day before - he had left thinking she was ahead of him, then heard she was behind him so he was waiting to for her to catch up. Turned out she was ahead of him after all so he finally caught up. There was some controversy over this. Long story.
Date: 2007-09-10
From: Carlo Col Shelter

To: Full Goose Shelter
Miles today: 4.4
Weather: light rain

When Peach and I were ready to leave for the morning, Bruce still wasn't out of his hammock. I stopped over, and Bruce revealed some very bad news - his right wrist, which he had landed on during a fall yesterday, was swollen and in pain - certainly sprained and perhaps broken. He could not make a fist or grip anything with strength. He needed medical attention. As happens so often, we found all the resources we needed to address the situation. First, Singe had a map, and we discovered a 2 mile trail right at the shelter that was an easy hike to a road. Misplaced had the phone number for Golden Waldo, a shuttle service. And I had phone reception. 3 unlikely resources, coming together to allow us to resolve the situation. Golden Waldo was available, knew where to take Bruce, and knew where the trailhead was. I also called Don to warn him of potential delays. Bruce and I split the contents of his pack, and I escorted him to the trailhead, carrying some of his stuff so he wouldn't have a full load to carry. We got there in plenty of time. Then I hiked back to camp. I covered 2.3 miles in 40 minutes. Still, it was the worst hike of the trip for me, because I was dealing with the spectre that Bruce might be off the trail or at least that we might not summit Katahdin together. In fact my hiking speed may have been in part a way to vent my frustration and anger(the light pack helped too I'm sure).When I got back, Peach and I only had time for a very short hike, but ok because it would position us to hike the infamous Mahoosuc Notch the next day. When I filled my pack with my stuff, I couldn't believe how heavy it felt. Once at the shelter, we met Birdman and Birdlegs, who had a NOAA radio, and the weather report was not good - rain tomorrow. Lots of discussion about whether taking a zero tomorrow was an acceptable course of action.Interestingly we met a group of SOBO section hikers during our hike, and one of them had hurt his back. We shared our info about how Bruce got out and they found it invaluable. Once again, the trail provides.Botanical study of the day: Singe had read much of the Maine guide book to us, including plants common to the Maine woods. One fascinating one was baked apple berries. Peach found some, and they are amazingly like miniature apples in both appearance and taste. We also found that a ground cover version of blueberries common in this area were still in season, so lunch included a bit of fresh fruit.Mountain Man moment of the day: While hiking, I accidentally turned on my phone. Turned out I had reception, and 5 messages on my machine. I dared not move or I might lose the signal, so I listened to the messages and returned several right where I stood, which was on a rock ledge about 4" wide on a 45 degree incline. I didn't even realize it until I hung up and saw the rebar I needed to use to continue my climb down that I was in a precarious place. It actually felt comfortable. Nice, Lifesaver and Friend of Lifesaver showed up later in the day.
Date: 2007-09-11
From: Full Goose Shelter

To: Speck Pond Shelter
Miles today: 5.1
Weather: light rain

THE BIG DAY!Today we hiked Mahoosuc Notch and Mahoosuc Arm. Mahoosuc Notch is a boulder field that is very difficult to hike. In fact it took us 2 hrs 50 minutes to do the 1 mile of the Notch! Peach was my only hiking partner of the day, and I was very glad to have her with me, not only for the pleasure of her company, but because it took both of us to figure out how to get through. For me the fun part of the Notch was that it was a brain teaser - here are a bunch of big rocks, you figure out how to get across them. More than once the words "You gotta be kidding me" crossed my lips, and I might have used stronger words if I wasn't trying to be a gentleman. But between the 2 of us we always found a way. Several times we reminded each other of Granny and Pop-Pop, a couple we had met yesterday, looking to be in their late 60s or early 70s, telling us they crossed it the day before. My respect for them right now is enormous! Peach and I had an extra challenge because it started raining at some point in the morning, so the boulders became slippery. Mahoosuc Arm is the hill just after the Notch. It was supposed to be a big deal too, but it was a little anticlimactic. Yes, it was steep, smooth and slippery but it was nothing we hadn't already seen. The vistas which were supposed to be so good were fogged in, so our "reward" was somewhat denied us.My joke for the day: When I was 10 years old I was playing with the OUIJA board and asked how old I would be when I died. It said 48.(This much is actually true) In June of this year I was stunned to realize I was turning 48 on the trail. For the last few months I've been figuring that probably I was going to fall off a boulder in the Mahoosuc Notch. So imagine my relief, or confusion, when I survived the Notch. Yay!Humbling moment for the day: Nice passed Peach and I in the Notch. We saw him for less than 5 minutes all told before he got so far ahead he was out of view. I wondered if Peach was capable of going faster as well, but it seems a lady never tells.Lucky break of the day: A steady south wind made sure that we only smelled the decaying moose that had died in the Notch for about 100 yards of our trip. We had been warned we might smell it the whole way. Cool moment of the day: When we arrived at the shelter Don was patiently waiting so he could hike to Rangely with us. Of course he was disappointed that Loose Bruce wasn't with us, but was ready to roll nonetheless. Great to have you aboard, Don!
Date: 2007-09-12
From: Speck Pond Shelter

To: Frye Notch Lean-To
Miles today: 10.4
Weather: light rain

I started the day a bit excited for 2 reasons. First, the relief of having Mahoosic Notch and Arm completed since I had been hearing about them for months; and because Dan, a section hiker who spent the night at the shelter with us, told me that Ragnar and Otter & Max(Otter's golden retriever) were not far behind him, having flip flopped at some point. I had met Ragnar at Elmer's in Hot Springs and had hiked with Otter/Max over several days in the Smokies or just north.Everyone in camp needed some inspiration to get out of bed, because my nightmare scenario finally happened - we woke up to a wet, cold day with nothing but wet clothes to wear and wet gear to use. Ok, my food and sleeping bag were dry (important!) but in a word, UGH! Misting fog only added to the misery. But that is life on the trail, baby, so up we got, albeit a little late.Peach, Don and I finally did get off, and the fog cleared. At the same time, winds that I estimate as gusting at 50 mph (based on the wind speeds at Mt. Washington which we had just climbed) arrived, which made hiking Old Speck Mountain and the Bald Pates uncomfortable, not to mention it was challenging staying on they. In fact, the winds were so strong that they ripped the pack cover off of my pack. Fortunately, a friendly tree grabbed it and held it until Don was able to get it for me. When we got to East Bald Pate, we were finally rewarded with a view of the countryside, and interesting cloud formations - photos pending.Lesson for the day: When I awoke, I was pleased to think that the trail had unleashed all its challenges on me by now, with the possible exception of the hike up Katahdin. The trail dispelled that notion in a big way, punishing my vanity and presumption with weather that put me down to size, as if to say, "I've been nice to you this long, but don't let it go to your head".Still, life is good. I went to bed warm and fed and dry and healthy and bug free and among friends (Peach, Don, Fidel, Redblaze, Nice), and in fact looking forward to the comforts of a town day tomorrow.