morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2007-08-29
From: Lakes of the Clouds Hut

To: Osgood Campsite
Miles today: 10.0
Weather: few clouds

Erock had a good word for today: he called it an epic day. Yup, it was epic. We both look and feel like we got into a fight and lost.Slept pretty badly last night at the hut.. some dude was hitting on a girl right in the room we were trying to sleep in until about midnight, when we not-so-politely asked them to please be quiet. Woke up at just after 5 as the croo started cooking breakfast, after a fitful sleep.Looked like it was going to be a beautiful day, but Mt. Washington had a ring of clouds around it's summit. We got up there early, before 8, and just before we summitted the clouds broke and it was perfectly clear, with only light winds. To have that kind of weather at the mountain famous for having the worst weather in the world is pretty spectacular. Strange climb up there.. since it's so high there's little vegetation other than moss and lichen, and with the fog it was like being on a different planet.What a view from up there. Highest point in the north east. Since it was so early we had the run of the place; the cog railroad wasn't running yet so the zoo had not yet arrived. What a strange place.. lots of towers, buildings, a post office, a museum, snack bar, weather station.. couldn't wait to leave, so we left.The view just off the mountain was phenominal. all of the Presidentails, all lined up, with a deep, green valley at their base. The trail goes over or around all of those peaks and the entire day is above treeline, so that's your view all day long. Fantastic. I couldn't believe the size of Washington from that vantage point.. imagine a wall over a mile high and several miles across.Made it to madison hut in a very good mood. A little sunburnt, but happy. It's only 3 miles to the tentsite from there, but those were the hardest 3 miles i think I've ever hiked. No joke. We went straight up Madison and back down, all craggy, sunbaked, black, sharp, loose, unforgiving rocks. The down from the summit to our site is over 2000'. Each step either smashed your foot with some jagged edge, or crushed it slowly in a crevice with all your little foot bones grinding together. Our pace was about 1 mph. It did that pretty much unceasingly until treeline, where there was this wonderful material called 'dirt' that helped cushion our steps. We hadn't seen dirt or been in the shade in nearly two days.Between the lack of sleep and the foot bashing and the sun, we're exhausted. We are *extremely* thankful for the weather today though.. many (most?) thruhikers never see the views that we saw, and have to go over that terrain in high winds, sleet, and rain. Seems impossible to me.Almost forgot.. I mooned the cog railroad train. Thruhiker tradition. They didn't throw coal at us though, which is a cog rainroad train conductor tradition.Wonderful day, although my feet might disagree. More insanity tomorrow, going over the five Wildcat peaks. Supposed to rain, which sucks, but we're due.Sorry these entries are so long, but, this ain't Jersey trail, this is New Hampshire trail!
Date: 2007-08-30
From: Osgood Campsite

To: Stealth site near Carter Notch Hut
Miles today: 10.7
Weather: broken clouds

Lots of adventures today. Got up early after a very restful sleep, and made it down to Pinkham Notch by 10 to ransack the snack bar with ERock, The Bandiad Kid, Shadow, Numbtoe, and Rhode Island Red. Next was the infamous climb up Wildcat, one of the toughest climbs on the AT. I've got a crick in the neck from craning my head skyward to see the trail ahead, and from shaking it in disbelief after I saw. That was one hell of a climb. To make things more interesting, we were trying to haul ass over the first peak because every time we looked westward the sky became darker and darker.By the time we were over 2 or 3 of the Wildcat peaks God decided to play a joke on us. It started to pour, and then it started to hail. Grapefruit-sized hail (and by grapefruit I mean marble-sized grapefruit) was pummelling us, and it hurt. ERock and I dashed down to find some cover. It didn't last long, but now the trail was covered with an inch or so of ball-bearings made of ice, ideal for acending and decending moutains.Slowly but surely, ERock, the bandaid kid and I made it in to Carter Notch Hut, soaking wet, but all-in-all still pretty happy. Then they told us that there was no more room at the Hut, and turned us away into the rain, and we were unhappy. Actually, there was plenty of room at the hut but not for work-for-stay hikers, so we were given vauge directions on nearby places that might fit a tent. We looked around for about 30 mins in the thunderstorm, went back in for better directions, and erock and I finally found a place after much trial and error.The AMC really needs to figure something out for the thruhikers to do with regard to staying in the Whites. There are not enough options. Carter Notch Hut is the *only* place within a 7 mile radius where you can 'legally' camp, and if they turn you away, you're screwed. I'll miss the whites but I will not miss the hut system.Tired, going to bed early. Still raining out, my tent is leaking, and it sounds like more thunder is heading our way.
Date: 2007-08-31
From: Stealth site near Carter Notch Hut

To: Imp Shelter
Miles today: 7.2
Weather: fog

Got a late start today for a few reasons. First was the rain.. the front that was supposed to come and fo last night decided to stick around through the night and through the day today. Second was a bad sleep.. Just after one of the thunderstorms abated and I was starting to fall asleep, a vole (sort of like a mouse) pecked at my head and was doing laps around the inside of my tent. Did a comedy routine for the next 5 minutes trying to find him, finding him and having him scurry over some part of me and hide again (which freaked me out), and then finally corralling him to the exit. Felt bad for the guy, he looked pretty scared.We stayed in the fog, drizzle, and rain all day, so no real views. Rough climb up to Carter Dome, lots of significant ups and downs over the Carter peaks, and finally a wet, slippery, extremely technical plunge down to the shelter. Ditched the poles and used my hands for much of it. A few falls, lots of almost-falls, but I made it down in one piece. One guy here tonight, JB, wasn't so lucky. Hobbled into the shelter with a pretty painful-looking leg problem caused by a bad fall. These trails in the Whites are serious business.Decided to shelter tonight since it was still raining, but it finally did clear and we were treated to an unusual sunset.. so bright it looked like a forest fire.Happy to be dry. Last day in the Whites tomorrow, and then on to Maine!
Date: 2007-09-01
From: Imp Shelter

To: Gorham, NH
Miles today: 8.0
Weather: fog

Did something today that I really didn't want to have to do, we blueblazed to Gorham. The post office closed at noon and wouldn't open again until after Labor Day so we had to take a side trail to the road. Thing that sucked is that when we got to the PO, they didn't have my bouce box. I think the box is lost for good.. didn't make it to Glencliff or Gorham. Not the end of the world but still sucks.Anyway, we're done with the Whites! Made it through without injury to life-and-limb, but not without some cuts and bruises and some pretty worn-out gear. My shoes are shot, no tread of full of holes, so I'm going to get new ones tomorrow. Still have the first week or so in Maine to go, which is (somehow) even harder.We had a pretty standard in-town day today. Motel room, watching bad movies, big lunch, big dinner, beer, several showers, etc. First time I've done laundry in over 100 miles and that was niiiice.
Date: 2007-09-02
From: Gorham, NH

To: Gorham, NH
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: few clouds

Zero day!Walked ERock down to the bus back to Austin via Manchester this morning. Really glad he was able to come out here.. we had a great time through the Whites. Going to be wierd not having company again.Didn't do much today.. slept, ate, resupplied, had a long talk with Ghost at the outfitter whom I had met last March down in NC, watched a Sopranos marathon, etc. Good, restful day.Heading out tomorrow, weather is supposed to be fantastic for the next few days. Hoping for a nice, dry day through Mahoosuc Notch so I don't fall and die. Heard there's a moose that fell in there not too long ago, and that a hiker had to kill her to put her out of her misery.
Date: 2007-09-03
From: Gorham, NH

To: Trident Col Tentsite
Miles today: 6.9

Took forever for me to get out of town (as usual) so my planned 11 mile day turned into a 7. Ah well. Not much to report hiking-wise, pretty standard miles today. Two journal-worthy things did happen today while not hiking, however..First was while I was walking to my hitching spot.. a woman was walking with her toddler son, and if he went over to the bench she would say 'bennnch' or if he looked at a truck she would say 'truuuck', and when he stared at me with all my gear for a bit she said 'hiiiker'. Thought that was cute. (Actually she said 'hikah' in an awesome New England accent that I've decided I'm going to adopt.)Second thing was a practical joke God decided to play on me; I'm sure he laughed and laughed. Every so often right on the trail you'll see a fallen tree, or loosened rock, or busted ladder rung that was in a strategic place for climbing, and must have come loose or snapped when someone tried to put weight on it, probably with tragic (or funny) results. You immediately feel bad for whoever it was. Well today that guy was me, and I'm sure when someone sees the log that I broke he'll say, "Damn, sucks to be the dude who broke that log."Anyway, there was a sitting log at my tentsite, a large, solid (looking) peice of birch. About 2 feet behind it was a 30 foot drop. I sat to finish off my water and *SNAP* the log breaks and I fall backwards, with my head and most of my back tittering (sp?) over the cliff. Flailed around to grab some nearby roots, and once I was stable I layed there for about a minute while the pain in the new brusies on my rearend subsided, and tried to figure out how the hell I was going to stand up without falling further. Good one, God. It hurt, but I still laughed.PS - Before I forget, I stayed at the Northern Peaks Inn in Gorham.. not listed in the guidebook but the people there were extremely kind and hiker-friendly. If you're looking for a room, go there.PPS - Last year it was a tradition to carry some sort of booze with you through all of Maine for those cold nights, so I've got a 5th of Jack with me. "Drink myself a couple of sweaters" as my buddy Tom says. Was 85 out today so I might pass tonight. Or I might not.
Date: 2007-09-04
From: Trident Col Tentsite

To: Full Goose Shelter
Miles today: 14.1
Weather: clear sky

Made it to Maine. I recognized the sign from the hundreds of pictures I've seen of it, and I welled up pretty good when I saw it. Been trying for a year and a half and have gone through a lot to walk to Maine from Georgia, and here I am. Sat and stared at it for a long while, thinking about it all.So far Maine is very hard, so hard that it starts kicking your ass before you even get there, while you're still in New Hampshire. Mt Success was absolutely beautiful, as were the three Goose Eye peaks at the end of the day. Wind was insane, though.. probably a good 50 mph at it's best, which made it cold. Maine has a unique type of beauty that's hard to describe, and I didn't expect to see it so far south. So rugged and remote, you might as well be in Alaska. A lot of the day was well exposed, and I couldn't get enough of the views. Supposed to only get better.Very tired and sore, and pretty well beat up. All kinds of bruises and scrapes. 14 miles was a bad idea. Some spots today were the most technical I've seen to date. Not prolonged like in the whites, but in a few places the pack had to come off and be lowered down, and then I'd use all my limbs and all my muscles to go about 10 or 20 ft. through the rocks and roots. Rough stuff.Doin' the Notch tomorrow, "the hardest mile on the AT".
Date: 2007-09-05
From: Full Goose Shelter

To: Speck Pond Campsite
Miles today: 5.1
Weather: clear sky

Yeah, I know, only 5.1 miles. Wasn't feeling so hot today, and the terrain was pretty tough.Woke up this morning and it was *cold*, 33 degrees said The Bandaid Kid's weather dohicky. Nothing froze but it sure felt like it might. Everyone was pretty excited to be doing Mahoosuc Notch today so we got and early start.Mahoosuc Notch was definitely hard, but also a lot of fun. Just a ravine filled with huge boulders that you've got to go over, under, and through. Took me 90 mins (it's about a mile long) but that included a good amount of picture time. There were a good many of us in there at once: Bandaid Kid, Iceman, Gypsy Spirit and Talks Little, Lightweight and Popeye, JB, myself, and the dead stinky moose. Just to give you an idea of the kinds of acrobatics required to get through those tight spots, at one point I smacked myself in the nose with my own knee. Remember when the Grinch gets stuck in the chimney? Kinda like that.Immediately following the Notch is the Arm, a steep uphill slog with a well-earned bad reputation. View from the top made it worth it though.. a shot of the Presidentials with everything in between.Got to the shelter at about 1 and decided to stay put, for a few reasons. The crowd moving on to the next shelter was a good one, but huge. I was beat, and not feeling too great. And, it would just make me have to do a town night in Andover instead of giving it the ol' in-and-out.Did work-for-stay throwing composted shit back in to the woods. To be fair though, it was pretty much just woodchips at this stage. Now that that's done, I'm eating dinner watching the sun go down at a huge pond, all alone, with fish gulping and dragonflies buzzing.If I feel crappy tomorrow, I might just go to Bethel.
Date: 2007-09-06
From: Speck Pond Campsite

To: Frye Notch Lean-to
Miles today: 10.4
Weather: scattered clouds

time for Roy's mom to step in here for a moment before you read this and note to you to look for some information from me on a Congradulations Party I'm planning for Roy when he returns here, Hicksville NY, after completing the trail soooo please email me at party4kilgore@verizon.net if you would like to attend and please dont spill the beans about it just yet Im hoping to make it a surprise partySlept great. Got an early start to eat a nice long 2nd breakfast on Old Speck Mtn's firetower, went down to Grafton Notch, waaaay up to the Baldpate Mtns, and down here in he notch to sleep.Maine has been really beautiful so far.. the moutains all seem to have long, bald tops that make you feel like you're the only person on the planet. Look in every direction and you see almost nothing manmade. There's a catch, though.. those mtn tops are very, very hard to get on and off of. I'm sore in all kinds of new places from clinging with all my muscle fibers to the sides of rocks, to roots, to nearby branches, etc. Pulled a calf muscle pretty good on the drop into the notch, limped into he shelter.. that'll require some Vitamin I. Sheltering all by myself tonight, if you don't count the 35 Harvard kids hootin and hollarin and playing summer camp games up the hill.Saw a new animal today, something weasel-ish. A mink, maybe? Could be what's been making all these strange new night noises that have been bugging me out for the last few nights. I could swear I heard the Predator last night about 30' away, and half expected to see 3 red laser dots on my tent. Where's Arnold when you need him?
Date: 2007-09-07
From: Frye Notch Lean-to

To: The Cabin, Andover, ME
Miles today: 14.5
Weather: few clouds

There was a rodent fiesta in the shelter last night so all night I was either hearing, worrying about, or dreaming about little critters. My food was untouched but they spent the night exploring everything else I had. The Harvard kids didn't help either.. I don't get why Harvard thinks that the deep, serene backwoods of Maine is the appropriate place for their " Yeah! Get to know your new classmates!! Woohoo!! " freshman year sing-alongs and hand clapping games.Made it to the road to Andover pretty grumpy.. it was hot and muggy (record heat, we found out later), the terrain was rugged, and the woods were pretty ugly. Old clearcuts that are now filled with brush. The road to Andover was a rural side road with little traffic.. took about 30 mins to get a hitch from the 3rd car. Town was *small* and the resupply options were sparse.Luck changed when Earl from "The Cabin" saw me and asked if I needed a ride back to the trail. On the way he told me that if I could hike the next 10 miles by 5pm (it was just after noon), then he can pick me up at the next road, take me back to the cabin for AYCE dinner and AYCE breakfast for $35, not to mention some good company.That was an offer I couldn't refuse, so I put some gear in a day pack and hauled to get the 10 miles under my belt by 5. Hiked as hard as I could and just made it, huffing and puffing, but it was definitely worth it. (Had to climb Moody which was insanely steep, with almost no oxygen in that humidity.) 'Bear and Honey', the folks who run the place, are fantastic people. Couldn't have been more generous or hospitable. Great crowd there too: Bucket, Water, Speaks Little and Gypsy Spirit, Figgy and Stitch, He-man and She-ra, Nice Enough, and an older crew that came in whos names I forget. The food was great as well.. everything turned out really nice. Off to bed now, kinda late, kinda exhausted.
Date: 2007-09-08
From: The Cabin, Andover, ME

To: Bemis Mtn Lean-to
Miles today: 8.7
Weather: overcast clouds

Up early for a huge breakfast at the Cabin: Biscuits and gravy, pancakes, eggs, potatoes, fruit.. you name it. Great way to start the day. Bucket and Water borrowed Bear's truck and got me to the trailhead by about 9:30.Wasn't much to see today through the haze, and the going was pretty slow over Old Blue and Bemis Mtns, so I got to the shelter at about 3ish. I'm the only AT guy here tonight, but there are 4 dayhikers here with good food, good cigars, good booze, and good company. Nice way to end the day.Supposed to start raining tonight and continue for ? a week, maybe? Tropical storm hitting the coast soon so it's going to bring some rough weather. New England needs the rain though.. been sucking water out of mud puddles for a month now. Hopefully the heat breaks.. high 80's in Maine in September just ain't right.Too much whiskey, time to sleep.
Date: 2007-09-09
From: Bemis Mtn Lean-to

To: Little Swift River Pond Campsite
Miles today: 12.9
Weather: overcast clouds

The rain finally came, and it's been a wet, muddy, cold, nasty day. This morning was actually beautiful.. Maine is looking like Maine again. Got to one of the Bemis peaks and the view up there brought a lump to my throat; this is what I've been hiking to see. Maine, with the fall colors just starting, rolling cloudy skies, cold winds, moss covered woods, lichen covered rocks, ponds and lakes and mountains, and nothing else. Not a soul around, or a car or paved road.. nothing. Just silence. Finally heard a loon today too, as the trail weaved from pond to pond. Pretty amazing stuff. And it's just going to get better as I get closer to the Big K.The rain started innocently enough. At first it was just a peaceful drizzle which made everything just a liitle bit more serene, but it soon became bitterly cold and steady. Got to Sabbath Pond Shelter and met up with a good group of flip-floppers (including a Scotsman who said that any Scot getting upset about my kilt should blow it out their arse), but decided to try to get closer to Rangeley. By the time I got to this campsite the rain had made mud pools of the tentsites, so I'm pretty dirty and pretty wet. Kept the essentials dry though, and that's what I'm tucked into now. Hope it stops before morning, might start a fire and dry out.Now I know why they all brought booze through Maine last year!
Date: 2007-09-10
From: Little Swift River Pond Campsite

To: Gull Pond Lodge, Rangeley, ME
Miles today: 4.8
Weather: overcast clouds

Man, what a wet, nasty, soggy, muddy, cold morning. Reluctantly packed up my gear in the rain, which covered in a thin, slippery layer of mud and little pine needles. The trek into town took longer than I thought mostly due to the mud.. there were places where it was over 2 feet deep, according to the sounding I gave it with my treking pole before proceeding. I'd have a hell of a time getting a hitch covered in thick Maine mud.Rangeley is a nice little place. Staying at the Gull Pond Lodge run by a peaceful old gentleman named Bob O'Brien, with his old dog and old cat. It's right on the pond so I grabbed a canoe and paddled around for a few hours, getting some sun once it finally cleared. Been ages since I've canoed alone.. maybe 12 years.Not many of us here.. I'm (yet again) the only NOBO. Went to Thai dinner with 3 SOBOs: a retired couple named Few-more-steps and Tortoise, and a young guy about my age named Frog. The Thai was suprisingly good, and we washed it down with some local beers and lots of hiking stories at the local pub while watching the Sox lose.Gonna be a short day tomorrow too, because Maine is awesome.
Date: 2007-09-11
From: Gull Pond Lodge, Rangeley, ME

To: Mike) Piazza Rocks Lean-to
Miles today: 1.8

The minute I got into Rangeley yesterday the skies cleared, and the minute I left they clouded up and starting raining on me again. Ah, Maine.Took a relaxing kayak ride all around Gull Pond this morning, had the whole pond to myself. Went into town and ate lunch with Bob, the owner of the lodge, and finally made it back to the woods to do my whopping 1.8 into the shelter. Rained for the entire 45 minutes.. it was horrible.Here with Ronnie from Israel, Trail Pooh, Tumbleweed and Gypsy Spirit. Fun group. They're doing a 20 tomorrow, I'm doing a 9. Hope the crew behind them does suck because they'll likely catch me soon. The privy here is called "Your Move" and has 2 seats with a cribbage board between them. Too bad I don't know how to play, and too bad I don't have anyone I'd feel comfortable pooping a foot away from.
Date: 2007-09-12
From: Mike) Piazza Rocks Lean-to

To: Poplar Ridge Lean-to
Miles today: 8.9
Weather: broken clouds

Fuuun day. Rained most of the night and into the morning, so I said I wasn't getting out of bed until I saw patches of sunlight on the ground; I refused to hike Saddleback Mtn w/out getting a good view. It finally cleared and I hurried up and got moving, only to be rained on againa bit later.On the way up things looked more and more promising, until we saw he-man and she-ra who were heading back into town after a failed summit attempt. They had 70mph winds and it was socked in. We debated for ? about 2 minutes and decided to try anyways (We could always duck down behind treeline if we had to). We had slightly better luck: the wind was still very, very high but the views were fantastic. I didn't know Saddleback was so beautiful, it looks like a mini Franconia Ridge. Every so often we'd have to hit the deck so we wouldn't fly away, and sometimes we'd end up with our rearends in a blueberry patch, but we had a great time up there. Just below treeline the wind was pulling a lot of the pines out of the ground, with large circles of dirt and roots coming up a few inches along with the tree, and then holding on tight to the rocks.Once the novelty of the wind wore off it was very exhausting.. on top (where it's flat) it was ok but trying to tackle the steep, technical downhills when the wind is tossing you around was pretty tough, and the rain from the past few days added mud and slick roots into the equation. Took some good falls and I was running on fumes coming into the shelter.The crew from last night is here again (they were as tired as I was). Got a fire going cause it's coooold outside! Expecting frost tonight.PS Called my brother, his wife is going to have a little girl!