morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2012-08-26
From: Zealand Falls Hut (NH)

To: Crawford Notch, US 302 (NH)
Miles today: 7.9
Weather: fog

Day 138: "The Easiest Seven Miles in the White Mountains" Fortified with a great breakfast at the end of our work for stay, we left Zealand Falls Hut a little after 8am. With yesterday's rain having passed through, the morning's weather was gorgeous. Below the falls, the AT follows an old railroad bed, and is remarkably smooth and level. We kept a greater than 2mph pace until we took an extended break at the turnoff to Ethan Pond Campsite. For us, this was simply unheard of in the White Mountains.Having stopped short of our yesterday's goal, we didn't feel we could push on up the Webster Cliff today, so decided to take what about equals a nero. We had talked about an early stealth camp before US 302, but as we got closer to Crawford Notch, the idea of laundry, hot shower, and an easy re-supply seemed more and more appealing, and when a pickup truck as soon as we reached the road stopped to ask directions to the closest campground, we all piled in the back and said in unison, "We'll show you!" So it was we wound up at the Crawford Notch General Store & Campground. We have a quiet site near all the necessary facilities, and have enjoyed a restful afternoon before we try to make it to Lakes of the Clouds hut tomorrow. We may have wasted a great afternoon for hiking, but it was great to get all our gear and clothes completely dry from Saturday's showers. Castaway and Kleenex combined their talents to cook hotdogs over an open fire for dinner tonight, and we are observing Hiker Midnight at the early hour of 7pm. We hope to start out refreshed in the morning. [Note: We have read, as we are sure you have, several trail journals where at about this point in the hike the writer will say something like "I've realized my hike is about to be over, and it's happening too fast, so I'm slowing down to enjoy it and make it last longer blah, blah, blah..." We have now discovered this is just a bunch of hooey. It is not sentimentality over wanting to delay something great from coming to an end, but the Whites being a whole new ball game when it comes to tough hiking. That said, we're going to take what the trail gives us from here on out, and if that means lower mile days the rest of our time on the AT, we're ready to take that in stride.]
Date: 2012-08-27
From: Crawford Notch, US 302 (NH)

To: Lakes of the Clouds Hut (NH) 
Miles today: 11.2
Weather: broken clouds

Day 139: Mts. Webster, Jackson, Pierce, & Franklin (Plus the Lakes of the Clouds)Our only worry with our choice of campsites last night was its location over three miles from the AT trailhead. How tough would it be to hitch a ride back to the trail at 6:30am? We needed not worry: the very first vehicle we saw, a maintenance man driving to work in a small pickup truck, pulled over in less than 90 seconds, and whisked us to the base of the Webster Cliff! That immediate success gave us enough of an adrenaline rush to last the first hour, and got our day off to a great start! We had come down the Webster Cliff just about exactly three years ago while doing a short section hike south from Tuckermans Ravine. With that experience still fresh in our minds, we worried about the 2,000' vertical climb in less than 2.5 miles up to the Webster Cliff, but we found the going up was not nearly as bad as we remembered the coming down. In any case, we made it up quicker than expected, and were treated to views just as good, maybe better, than we saw back in 2009. Absolutely perfect weather. We continued on up Mt. Webster, and got the day's first good look at the towering Mt. Washington. At long last we were in the Presidentials and the heart of the Whites.After crossing Mt. Jackson, one of the 48 4,000' peaks, we made a lunch stop at Mizpah Spring Hut where we added our peanut butter to their homemade bread. That gave us the energy to climb Mt. Pierce/ Clinton (another 4K footer), and break above the treeline for the rest of the day. We passed Eisenhower and Monroe and summited Franklin (5,004') on our way to the Lakes of the Clouds Hut. Tonight we are staying in "The Dungeon", the hut's small basement room with six bunks, that reeks of heating oil. [In winter, it's an emergency shelter for anyone caught up on the mountain.] We're paying ten bucks for the privilege (plus $5 each for leftovers from dinner and breakfast), but think it's a better deal than a work for stay, and the best deal available in an area where camping is not allowed. All afternoon, the clouds began to roll in. There's rain/ thunder in the forecast for tonight and tomorrow, which should make the exposed climb of Mt. Washington interesting. But for now, it's great just to be out of the elements, as the slope of Mt. Washington is not the world's most friendly spot weather-wise...
Date: 2012-08-29
From: Madison Spring Hut (NH) 

To: NH16 (Pinkham Notch)
Miles today: 7.8
Weather: fog

Day 141: Mt. Madison and down the Osgood Ridge again with a whole lot of wind as we inch our way towards Maine...The wind was really strong as we left Madison Spring Hut this morning, with the wind chill down in the teens. The 500' climb up Mt. Madison (5,366') would have been tough enough in any case, but with the frequent strong gusts, we really were buffeted around and moving up only at a snail's pace. We were really disheartened when a member of the hut crew with youth, agility, and an intimate knowledge of every useable foot plant on her side came gliding up and past us on the boulder field they call a trail. But the views were amazing, especially after Mt. Washington came into sight. At first the Washington summit was hidden in a thin layer of cloud, but by late morning the top of the mountain joined the rest of yesterday's route revealed completely in the clear. As we made our way down the flank of Mt. Madison on the Osgood Ridge, we sometimes had full wind blowing on us and at other times we were protected by the mountain as we walked on its lee side. We alternated short level stretches with steep downhills, with the AT's path acting like a series of downward ridge steps. Finally we dropped back below the tree line, but the steep rocky trail kept our pace slow. When we reached the turnoff to the Osgood tent sites, it had taken us four and a half hours to go just three miles! It was time to rethink our plan of doing 14 miles today, and lower our expectations. At that point the difficulty of the trail made a dramatic improvement. For the next five miles to Pinkham Notch, we averaged almost two miles an hour, but the super windy start to the day had dug us a hole whose deficit we could not make up. (We should note crossing the Mt. Washington auto road and its fast traffic may have been the single most dangerous moment of the day!)When we reached the Pinkham Notch Visitor Center, it was already after 4pm and we knew we couldn't make the next hut or shelter. So we checked into the bunk room facilities at the Joe Dodge Lodge. It's a little pricey, but we had a great dinner and will go to bed clean and ready for a good night's sleep. Once again the Whites have kicked our butts, but for today's spectacular scenery, it seems like an even trade... Note: For those of you interested in learning more about the other two members of our team, they also are maintaining online blogs. Kleenex's journal can be found at atforslcc.wordpress.com while Castaway's account is located at dalelafferty.com.
Date: 2012-09-01
From:  US 2 (Gorham, NH)

To: US 2 (Gorham, NH)
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

Day 144: Resting and planning for the final 300 mile push into Maine...  We had a great breakfast at Welch's in Gorham, then headed out to the local Walmart. While everyone else headed off to find four and a half days of food for the trail, N stopped by the optical center to see if he could lower his stress over possibly losing an eyeglass lens again. Several new screws and a thorough once over later, the young technician had him convinced his potential glasses problems were all resolved. N then joined X in the hunt for lightweight food, enough to get us to Andover ME. We walked out of Walmart with too much weight, so that means we will be doing heavy snacking for the rest of the day. We're spending the afternoon seeing what we can send home to lighten our loads for the last 300 miles. We're taking the communal approach with things like water filtration and cooking, so we will (for example) carry one stove and a backup fuel canister for the group rather than deal with cooking gear individually.  The highlight of the day will be a visit from our friend & neighbor "across the back fence", Susan Adams, who is flying up from Mississippi this afternoon. We're not sure how much day hiking we'll be able to do with her, given the dearth of road crossings on the AT from Gorham to Andover, but even if we can't do that, or get her to give us some slack-packing assistance, it will be great to see Suz, and this support of our hike should certainly wrap up the "AT Neighbor of Year" award for her.Kleenex and her sister have moved over from their campground, and are taking advantage of the sunshine to get their tent, etc. dried out. We should all be ready to get back out on the AT in the morning.
Date: 2012-09-04
From: Mahoosuc Notch north end (ME)

To: Grafton Notch, ME 26
Miles today: 6.9
Weather: overcast clouds

Day 147: Mahoosuc Arm and Old Speck MountainAfter 1,917 miles of hiking, we have never found a steep climb where we said to each other, "we wish we were southbounders so we could be going down this hill instead of up." However, today we added two spots to our top ten list of places we're glad we didn't have to descend: the Mahoosuc Arm is a 1,600' climb in 1.4 miles that in some ways is a vertical version of the Notch, with big steps required over and around good size rocks; and the 600' climb up Old Spec Mountain, which few people had talked about, but which has much slanting bedrock as the trail surface, much of it out in the open near the summit. We were very fortunate to be able to do these two today in mostly dry conditions (except for a few runoff spots, and some mist and fog).Our day began as early as possible, with us once again bemoaning the loss of the early sunrises from way back in June. It seems like in September, 7am is the new 6:15! Castaway and Kleenex make breaking camp look so effortless, but at least today we weren't holding them up. Although we couldn't get a weather update down within the narrow walls at the edge of the Notch, this was the day the long range forecast had said the hurricane rain would arrive, and we really wanted to beat it to town. The clouds and fog were increasing as we finally stood on top of Mahoosuc Arm.We came back down to skirt the lovely Old Speck Pond and take a food break at the shelter. Near the summit of Old Speck (a 3/10 mile side trail that this morning would have had no view) we were able to send Suz a text with our possible ETA. However, the AT finally turned gentle again on the way down to ME 26 (why it reminded us of the trail back in VT where you could actually hike rather than scramble!), and we sent Suz a revised earlier arrival time, with a note to look out for a trail magic opportunity with Purple Rain and 30-Pack who had breezed by at our last break. The weather update from passing SOBO'ers sounded dire (rain, rain, and more rain!), and we were glad to reach the parking lot dry, where Susan greeted us with sodas, chocolate milk and freshly-picked, locally grown Macintosh apples all around!After showers at the hostel, we drove to Bethel for a meal at the Crossroads Diner. We started with a full loaf of homemade bread, followed by clean plates, and homemade blueberry pie. Our only disappointment was the rain which we now wanted to start quickly, to speed its overnight passage, refused to begin until after dark. How fast the storm moves through will determine our plans in the morning. Apparently, no pain, no hurricane, no Baxter State Park...We are so thankful for Susan's support making it possible for us to be in a dry bed tonight. Her timing to come be our local road/trail angel has been immaculate...
Date: 2012-09-06
From: East B Hill Road (Andover, ME)

To: South Arm Road (Andover, ME) 
Miles today: 9.8
Weather: broken clouds

Day 149: Wyman Mountain, Sawyer Notch, and Moody Mountains.rxWe took advantage of Susan's help to once again hike lightweight from road to road today, beginning and ending at the Pine Ellis hostel in Andover. In spite of N's best efforts to delay the start through his senior citizen moments, we were on the trail by 7am. The first 4.7 miles were mostly a gradual uphill climb to 2,920' on Wyman Mountain, with only a slight dip to pass the lovely Surplus Pond. There were many stone steps on the steeper sections and on the whole, the trail had the appearance of a place to hike rather than an obstacle course as we have seen in recent days.We took a break at the Hall Mountain Lean-to before beginning a 1.5 mile, 1,500' descent into Sawyer Notch. However, once again there were enough stone steps in place to keep it civilized and walkable. One nature note on this section: Although we had already walked several days in Maine under wet conditions, we had yet to see an orange Easten Newt and were wondering if we had gone beyond the habitat range of the little guys. However, although conditions were starting to dry, there was one of the small orange critters right in front of us! We have now seen them in all 14 AT states. We barely managed to rock hop rather than ford Sawyer Brook before starting the climb of Moody Mountain. Although the climb does not go as high as on the south side of the Notch, trail builders on the north have had to resort to wooden ladders and metal rungs as well stone steps to get their job done. We spent a full hour making the climb, after which it was an easy walk back down to South Arm Road. As we forded Black Brook, just before the road, in perhaps the most unexpected event of the day, Castaway was set upon by a ganon of leeches, which attached themselves to his feet, lower legs, and Crocs. Always something new on the AT...We were finished with this section of the AT at 2pm, leaving the rest of the day to plan our hike towards Stratton. If the dry weather continues, we hope to be there in four days. We won't say anything about distances, as we are looking forward to hitting 9/10 or 218.4 to go, but today we went under 250 miles reMaine-ing...
Date: 2012-09-07
From: South Arm Road (Andover, ME) 

To: Campsite south of ME 17 
Miles today: 11.5

Day 150: Old Blue and Bemis MountainsAfter hiking for several days with just a day's worth of snacks, we were back to full packs with four days of food. That made the initial steep climb up from South Arm Road even tougher. The trail then gave us a brief respite before getting steep again to the top of Blue Mountain. We took a break among the low lying evergreens which allowed us partial views of the pockets of fog and wisps of cloud below. Coming down the north side of Blue Mountain was easier than the ascent, and we congratulated ourselves at the great time we were making. Then we came to a sign announcing we were half way between the last road and the next shelter, and the character of the trail changed dramatically. Lots of ups and downs, with wet rocks. The wet roots were even more dangerous as years of erosion had exposed them as the predominate trail feature. When roots run perpendicular to the trail, they are usually not a problem, but when they run with the trail they can act as wet skids that can cause nasty spills. Everyone but Kleenex had at least one bad fall, and we all had several little ones. This passage of the several peaks of Bemis Mountain will not be remembered fondly...After the shelter, we walked wide rock slabs that gave us views good enough to put on the cover of an NPS Appalachian Trail park folder. We could see the area where we had hoped to camp tonight, but one more treacherous downhill section killed that plan. When we reached a stream with several nice campsites, we decided to stop to lick our wounds before trying again tomorrow. You have to take what the trail gives you, and today the AT was handing out great weather, great scenery and low mileage. While cooking our dinner, Johnny Walker Red, Nooga and Blue Sky showed up also looking for a campsite. We thought Johnny Walker Red and Nooga were way ahead of us, but this part of Maine has made it tempting to take a day or two off to recuperate. We're thankful for tonight's early bedtime and with the sound of the nearby stream expect to sleep really well...
Date: 2012-09-08
From: Campsite south of ME 17 

To: Piazza Rock Lean-to
Miles today: 16.7
Weather: light rain

Day 151: A foggy morning and a cold wet nightWe woke to fog and cool temps and that was pretty much the weather story all morning. We were on the trail a little after 6:30. Our amazing neighbor Susan Adams had texted us to say she had swung by ME 17 on her way to Portland and left us trail magic. Sure enough, there was a bag of sodas right where she'd left it, with everyone's favorite (including Kleenex's cream soda!), plus a few extra Cokes. N was especially appreciative as an early caffeine sugar fix really gets him going. We knew Nooga and Blue Sky would be the next ones behind us, so we left two cokes sitting in the middle of trail for them. Susan even told us to leave the cans and she'd be back on Monday to pick them up. Suz, you are the best! We're presenting you a lifetime pass to the hot tub in our backyard, which we are intending to build as soon as we get home...As difficult as parts of the trail were yesterday, today's hike was smooth and gentle. We passed many ponds, even one with a swimming beach, but the fog was so thick we could only see just a few feet from shore. At the Sabbath Pond shelter, we ducked in to eat a snack and use the privy. We found a volunteer work crew busily replacing leaky translucent sheets in the roof with new tin ones. We thanked them for their good work, for without their efforts, there is no AT. We crossed ME 4 and picked up our pace on the final uphill 1.8 miles to the Piazza Rock Lean-to. We hadn't been able to check the weather radar on our iPhones, but other hikers told us there was severe weather in the forecast which could start at any time, and we did not want to get caught out in it. (We covered today's distance in under ten hours, which we thought was great) We arrived at the shelter to find quite a crowd of NOBO's gathering. Kleenex took a spot in the shelter, and Castaway set up his tent on the ground. We set up on a tent platform nearby. Working as quick as we could we all finished camp chores and settled down by 7pm, just before a deluge arrived.We love our little tent, but it has been months since it was so tested by the rain, and tonight it failed the test. We had bad leaks at the seams, made worse by the fly not being  pulled as taunt as it needed to be. We put our sleeping bags away before they got wet, and pulled out an extra layer of clothes and our rain gear to sleep in. If we survive the night, the prospects for several clear cool days ahead look pretty good...
Date: 2012-09-10
From: Woods Road at Orbeton Stream (ME)

To: Caribou Valley Road (ME)
Miles today: 10.5
Weather: overcast clouds

Day 153: A leap ahead to StrattonWe had originally planned to make the distance from Gorham to Stratton in four days, but the trail said no, so we will do it in five. That meant today our revised goal became the Caribou Valley Road. Several undermined bridges etc. have closed a large portion of this gravel road, but our Trail Angel Susan found she would be able to drive to a barricade only a half mile from the AT, and that's where we'd meet her to go into Stratton for the night. We were the first folks out of camp at 6:40 this morning, immediately noting the flow of water at the nearby waterfall had greatly lessened overnight. Any sign of a drier AT is a good thing!We made the 1,700' climb up Lone Mountain in two fairly easy stages, and bypassed the Spaulding Mountain Lean-to at about the five mile mark before climbing another 800' nearly at the Spaulding summit. After descending from the 4,000' elevation (we need to see how many more times we'll reach this height, now that we are under 200 miles to go!), we stopped for photos at a bronze plaque marking the completion of the AT 75 years ago this past August. We stopped for lunch with a gorgeous sunny view of Sugarloaf Mountain, but were chased from the spot by a sudden change in the weather: a cold windy mist replacing the sun. The afternoon foretold the freeze warnings for tonight, and we were glad we would be off the trail for the next two evenings. After skirting Sugarloaf, we made a steep, slow descent to the south branch of the Carrabassett River. Two days ago, crossing this rain swollen stream would have been a hairy adventure, but today we trusted a 16' board and made it across easily. We were able to text Susan our location and meet her at the barricade 20 minutes later. Tonight tiny Stratton is like an AT convention with everyone in our little hiking bubble coming through town. A special treat is joining the Charon's (Manula & Tree Trunk) for dinner. We have been trailing them by a day or two ever since Connecticut and it is great to see them again, especially as we are still nine miles behind them in trail miles. We are up well past hiker midnight sorting food drops that Suz will take to Caratunk and Monson tomorrow after dropping us off for a day of slack packing back to Stratton. Her logistics support over the past week has really lifted our spirits, as we enter the journey's final phase (where our impatience and frustration with tough, hard terrain threaten to overwhelm our enjoyment), and we can't thank her enough for all she's done. Tomorrow we begin our sixth month on the trail...[And, finally, from our "Still a long way to Kathadin" Department: In his most embarrassing fall to date, N tripped today while walking down the Caribou Valley Road! But as this was technically not a part of the AT, we will not mention it here, other than to say if he can survive the next two weeks and 196.5 miles, it will be a miracle...]