morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2010-08-18
From: Hexacuba Shelter

To: Glencliff N.H / Hikers Welcome Hostel
Miles today: 14.6
Weather: overcast clouds

The first 4 miles today took us 4 hours as we were hiking up Mt. Cube. Once we came down off Mt. Cube we came to a road where we met Bag O' Tricks. We were glad to see him. He is the fellow who helped patch up my head when I hit the tree and sliced it open. He was somewhat surprised to see us still on the trail because of the severity of my wound. We showed him the scar and it apparently has healed fine. Bag O' Tricks told us he is staying at the same hostel we were heading for and offered to take our packs forward. We politely refused that suggestion but asked him to buy some beer for us and take it to the hostel. He agreed and told us the next 10 miles were easy by H.H. standards and he was right. We did the 10 miles in 4.5 hours. Once we hit the road at Glencliff we walked the .5 mile to the hostel. Bag O Tricks was there and so was Baltimore Jack (8 time thru hiker). We last saw him in Georgia. The hostel was almost full with section hikers and a few thru hikers. The hostel itself is very rustic but comfortable. There was a sitting area in an outdoor building with thousands of movies. It would put most video stores to shame. We stayed in a large open tent area on beds. Carol pulled two together because we only have one sleeping bag we use as a quilt. We showered and washed clothes. Baltimore Jack made a great pasta dinner. The owners of the hostel were slackpacking most of the hikers up Mt.Moosilauke in the AM. The slackpackers would hike up the north face and down the south face of the mountain and stay at the hostel a second night. We declined the offer as we carry our packs during the hike.The Canadian Geese(Never quit on a bad day - Bison 2009 thru hiker)
Date: 2010-08-19
From: Glencliff N.H / Hikers Welcome Hostel

To: North Woodstock / Woodstock Inn
Miles today: 9.5

Today we hiked up the first of the White Mountains, Mount Moosilauke. The tempratures were from 50 degrees to 80 degrees. We hiked up the mountain heading north. It was a slow steady hike that took us about 3 hours to go the 5.5 miles up. We were told how difficult this hike would be but we found it not to be very difficult. On top the mountain is treeless as we were above the tree line. We got spectacular views of the surrounding mountains including Mt. Washington (the highest peak in New England). There were about 10 hikers sitting at the top of the mountain enjoying the sun and view. We ate lunch and started down the other side. Going down was a bit of a nightmare. We were so glad we hike the Mountain in the direction we did. We feel the hostel owner talked the others into slackpacking so he could charge them a second night at the hostel. The descent was 3.4 miles and took us almost 4 houurs. Going down hurts my knees and as they get sore they get stiff, and I get very awkward and risk falling, so we go very slowly. When we got to town the post office was closed so we had to retrieve our food box from the post office in the morning. Once Carol loaded the food we hitched a ride back to the trail.The Canadian Geese(Never quit on a bad day - Bison 2009 thru hiker)
Date: 2010-08-20
From: North Woodstock / Woodstock Inn

To: Eliza Brook Shelter
Miles today: 7.5
Weather: clear sky

What an awful hiking day. No views and every 100 feet we were trying to climb up a rock face. This went on for the whole day. The small amount of miles were very discouraging. The big step ups of 3 feet or more really tax my upper body as I have a weakness on both sides, and on top of that my knees are sore. By using my poles and upper body so much I find I tire quicker than other hikers who can just take on big step.When we got to the shelter it was crowded with hikers. I guess they are all resting for the big climb up South and North Kinsman mountains tomorrow. At the shelter today is a dad and his two children who are thru hiking. The clidren are 8 and 10 years old. The dad said the kids love the rocks and go up them like monkeys. They seem to be enjoying the hike. I would be concerned as there are drop offs of hundreds of feet beside the trail. He seems to have great confidence in his children's ability.The Canadian Geese(Never quit on a bad day - Bison 2009 thru hiker)
Date: 2010-08-21
From: Eliza Brook Shelter

To: Lincoln NH / Rodeway Inn
Miles today: 8.8

Today was especially difficult. The book of lies said that South and North Kinsman Mountain were rock scrambles up and down. The book did not lie.Today going up poles were useless. We would throw them up to rocks and then have to rock climb up to them. Today did not measure up to my definition of hiking. It was rock climbing. We did manage about 1 mile per hour. When we got to the top we met Biscuits and Gravy and several other hikers. Again it was a treeless top of the mountain and the view was spectacular. We quickly ate lunch and did not wait around because we were afraid of the down climb. We started down heading for an AMC hut were you could get soup and bread. The hut was about 3 miles away and it took us about 2.5 hours. The AMC huts are like little primitive hotels were day hikers stay at outrages prices. The hut was called Lonesome Lake Hut. When we got there Carol enquired about the soup and bread and was told they were all sold out of the "good soup from last night". Her face indicated she was about to yell at someone, but the employee quickly said she could make some potato soup. After about a 20 wait we got some soup and a snack bar. The soup was very tasty.After looking at the people staying at the Hut I thought the trail must be easier from here on down to the road. These folks did not look like they could have done the hike we were completing for the day. I was right. The trip down was 3 miles and took us just under 2 hours. It was rocky but easy compared with what we had already been through.The plan was to go to the road and hike up 2500 feet to some tent platforms to spend the night. That did not work out because I saw a patterned cloud formation I recognized as bringing sustained rain. We decided to go to Lincoln N.H. and stay at a motel and to see what the weather would be like.We put out our thumbs at the road and immediately got a ride to town.The Canadian Geese(Never quit on a bad day - Bison 2009 thru hiker)
Date: 2010-08-22
From: Lincoln NH / Rodeway Inn

To: Lincoln NH / Rodeway Inn
Miles today: 0.0

We were right about the weather. It is going to be sustained rain for at least a couple of days. This will give my knees a chance to feel better but I know they will get sore as soon as we start hiking again. Thank goodness for vitamin I (Ibprophen). We rested and ate the whole day.The Canadian Geese(Never quit on a bad day - Bison 2009 thru hiker)
Date: 2010-08-23
From: Lincoln NH / Rodeway Inn

To: Lincoln NH / Rodeway Inn
Miles today: 0.0

We are getting tired of waiting for the sky to clear. The weather report is calling for 3 to 4 inches of rain but stopping on 8/24. Then there will be "showers" on 8/25. We have decided to hike the two or three miles up to the tent platforms tomorrow and then try to hike up and over Mt.Lafayette on 8/25. This is suppose to be the best view on the trail but we may not see much. We have decide to proceed because we feel we are running out of time to complete the hike.We went into the central business district of Lincoln to the library, and Carol went to pick up some items. She met some hiker buddies Thunder, Day Tripper, Croft, Cody and Stickwalker. They all have come down from the mountains at various gaps and are here in town. This was a wise decision as the rocks are slippery at the best of times.The Canadian Geese(Never quit on a bad day - Bison 2009 thru hiker)
Date: 2010-08-24
From: Lincoln NH / Rodeway Inn

To: Liberty Springs Tent site
Miles today: 2.6

We left after lunch and hiked straight up the mountain (2000 feet up) When we got there we were tired even though we had not hiked many miles. We met Croft and Wild Poodle on the way. Croft we have not seen since Virgina. She has jumped ahead to do the Whites and will be going back to do the part she has not done. That will be PA. Poor Croft.We set up our tent on a tent platform and Cuppa Joe, the caretaker of the tenting area told us what to expect. Tomorrow they are calling for showers for some of the day but we are going to hike out anyway.The Canadian Geese(Never quit on a bad day - Bison 2009 thru hiker)
Date: 2010-08-25
From: Liberty Springs Tent site

To: Galehead Hut
Miles today: 10.9
Weather: moderate rain

We left at 7AM and the rain was just sprinkling down. It was about 50 degrees F. The hiking was extremely difficult to say the least. We climbed up Little Haystack Mtn. at 4760 feet, then Mt. Lincoln at 5089 feet. The sprinkles we had been promised turned into a nightmare. The winds were 70 miles per hour and we had no choice but to hike on. We hiked up Mt. Lafayette at 5249 feet. We could only see about 40 feet due to fog and rain. The rain was so hard that it stung our faces. We could barely hear each other yell. The ridges of these mountains form a 2.5 mile stretch that is completely treeless due to the altitude and we were beginning to become very concerned as the wind threatend to blow us off the mountain. We finally saw two hikers coming the other way on the trail and I yelled at them "how much further before we get off the ridge". The answer was a half mile. I signaled to Carol and we struggled on. Finally we could see the trail dipping down and the small trees beginning to emerge. The trail down however was very treacherous due to the rain. I knew we could not stop because we would become hypothermic so we had to try to get down as fast as we could. Just off the ridge and down the trail a few hundred feet my left foot became caught between two rocks and my right foot slipped. My leg with the knee replacement was hyperflexed (bent) and I could feel the scar tissue in my knee ripping. At the same time I could hear myself scream in pain. Carol quickly came and freed my foot, and I assessed my ability to hike. I have had the scar tissue in my knee broken before by the surgeon, when I was under anesthetic. When I awoke I was greeted by some morphine. This time all I had was 800 mg. of ibprophen and two extra strength tylenol. Needless to say I was in pain for the entire day. It probably was good that it happend when it did as I kept moving the knee and it never had time to swell up. We were going to stop at Garfield camping area but we were soaked through and decided to hike to Galehead Hut. This was 3 additional miles down a steep boulder strewen trail. We finally arrived at the Hut and asked for work for stay. They were not turning anyone away due to the weather so we came in and changed our clothes. There were 9 other hikers who had taken refuge also. We helped around the hut and got to eat the left overs after the paying guests ate. Finally it was 930 PM and everyone went to bed. The hikers slept on their pads on the floor of the dining room.The Canadian Geese(Never quit on a bad day - Bison 2009 thru hiker)
Date: 2010-08-26
From: Galehead Hut

To: Ethan Pond Campsite
Miles today: 11.8
Weather: fog

We were awakened at 530 AM as staff needed to ready the dining room for the paying guests. They gave us food that was left over after the guests ate. Any food not eaten has to be packed out by staff so they are glad to feed you.Today we hiked over South Twin mountain (4902 feet), Mt. Guyot (4560 feet), and Zealand Mt. Any mountain over 4000 feet is above the tree line in the White mountains. When we arrived at Zealand Falls Hut we could not work for stay as they said they only had room for 4 hikers and we would have been hiker 4 and 5. They made us hike 4.5 miles to the next camping area. In the White mountains you can not just camp because all the environment is alpine and is protected. Even if you descend below tree line you must be 200 feet from the trail to camp. The mountains themselves are so steep it would be difficult to even find a camping area. If you break these rules you are open to a fine up to $5000 dollars.There are not enough camping areas for the thru hikers and it is a constant worry whether you will be accepted at a Hut for work for stay. Let me just explain that the White mountains are very slow hiking. In addition Backpacker Magazine has called these mountains the most dangerous small mountains in the world. This is based on the number of deaths and rescues undertaken. One reason these mountains are so dangerous is the weather systems collide here and you can not count on good weather ever. It snowed on Mt. Washington in July and hikers have died of hypothermia every month of the year.Hiking here is not to be taken lightly.The Canadian Geese(Never quit on a bad day - Bison 2009 thru hiker)
Date: 2010-08-27
From: Ethan Pond Campsite

To: Crawford Notch General Store and Campsite- US 302
Miles today: 2.9
Weather: broken clouds

We slept in and walked the short distance to the road. The trail was down hill and was like walking down a stair climber that had very uneven stairs. My knee that I hurt was still swollen but feeling better. Both knees however, are huring on the down hills. When we got to US 302 we hitched a ride with Maria, a weekend hiker. She took us to the General Store and Campground 3 miles away. Apparently this store and camping area has a new owner and the place is not very hiker friendly. The campsite was 34 dollar. Eventually another hiker came along (Butter Nut Squash and his dog) and we split the cost. We did laundry and had a glorious shower. The short hike today was good for my injured left knee.The Canadian Geese(Never quit on a bad day - Bison 2009 thru hiker)
Date: 2010-08-28
From: Crawford Notch General Store and Campsite- US 302

To: Mizpah Spring Hut
Miles today: 6.4

We met several hikers at the general store in the morning and they gave us a ride back to the trail. Our first task was to hike up Webster Cliff's. These are aptly named. At least a half a dozen times we needed to stow our hiking poles and go hand over hand up a 40 to 50 foot cliff with our packs on. I am amazed how well Carol can climb. Our friend Chris Pipas would have loved this hike. We on the other hand could have done without the threat of falling.Once we got up Webster we still had to climb up Mt. Jackson which is just over 4000 feet. From there we could see Mizhah Hut 1.6 miles away. I wish there had been a zip line. It would have made it much easier.When we got to the Hut they let us do work for stay. The staff dress up in costumes on the weekend for some reason. The guys wore dresses and the women had some other costumes on. I guess they are keeping the paying customers amused.My left knee seemed extra swollen tonight after the hand over hand climb up Webster Cliffs. Tomorrow is a shorter day.The Canadian Geese(Never quit on a bad day - Bison 2009 thru hiker)
Date: 2010-08-29
From: Mizpah Spring Hut

To: Lake of the Clouds Hut
Miles today: 5.3
Weather: clear sky

We got a late start as we did our work for stay in the morning. Breakfast was cold pancakes and cold oatmeal that was like wall paper glue. Carol and I also ate our own ceral (granola). It was much better.The hike was not as bad as we anticipated as we walked along the above treeline ridge. This ridge of treeless trail extend about 13 miles. The wind, however, is ever present 55 miles per hour, and the gusts were 75 miles per hour.We hiked up South Peak of Mt. Pierce, Mt. Eisenhower (did not summit), Mt. Franklin, and Mt. Monroe (did not summit). We arrived early and got work for stay at the Lake of the Clouds Hut. We did all the morning dishes for the staff. The weather has been perfect with spectacular views.The Canadian Geese(Never quit on a bad day - Bison 2009 thru hiker)
Date: 2010-08-30
From: Lake of the Clouds Hut

To: Madison Spring Hut
Miles today: 7.0
Weather: clear sky

We left Lake of the Clouds Hut on a perfectly clear day and hiked the 1.4 miles up to the summit of Mt. Washington. This is the tallest mountain in New England and the weather here is notorious. We went inside a restaurant on top of the mountain and ate a sandwich and bagel. We also had coffee. There is a road up to the top of the mountain along with a pollution spewing coal fired cog railway. The oldest in the USA.Inside the building atop Mt. Washington is a list of 145 people who have died on these mountains. It includes a description of how they died. Many died from falls. Mt. Washington has a weather station on top of it and the weather for the day in the White Mountains is radioed to the huts and camping areas every morning at 7 AM. Mt. Washingto has recorded the highest straight line winds on earth. The wind speed was 231 miles per hour. In addition, there are 120 days a year that the wind speed is over 74 miles per hour. This equivalent to a category 1 hurricane.The wind speeds for us were around 55 miles per hour.It took us 7.5 hours to hike 7 miles and we were very tired when we got to Madison Spring Hut. We again got work for stay but it did take some convincing. We ended up playing up my sore knee. I can't help but feel they are going to turn someone away and there will be a tragedy because of it. The decision whether you are accepted for work for stay is usually up to a staff member in there early 20's. You can read into this comment what you wish.The Canadian Geese(Never quit on a bad day - Bison 2009 thru hiker)
Date: 2010-08-31
From: Madison Spring Hut

To: Pinkham Notch N.H. / Royalty Inn
Miles today: 6.8
Weather: fog

We got a late start and the hiking was very slow. We are very tired because of the hiking and not enough sleep. We are use to sleeping from 8PM to 630AM. At the huts we don't get to sleep until 10 PM and are awakened at 530 AM.As the hike started we came out of the Hut and had to climb up Mt. Madison. This mountain, along with all these mountains are huge piles of loose rocks left from the last ice age. We finally made it up to the 5363 foot summit and immediately had to walk down the ridge line and back up a half dozen times. After about 4 miles of this walking on the ridge the trail began to drop below the tree line.It was a hard long way down on slippery rock steps. It takes me more time going down than up due to both knees aching. When we got to Pinkham Notch Carol got the boxes we mailed there and we called a shuttle to take us to The Royalty Inn. We got some beer, had a glorious shower and a wonderful dinner. Our only advantage over the youth on the trail is that we can indulge ourselves more frequently.The Canadian Geese(Never quit on a bad day - Bison 2009 thru hiker)
Date: 2010-09-01
From: Pinkham Notch N.H. / Royalty Inn

To: Carther Notch Hut
Miles today: 5.9
Weather: fog

We got up early and went and had a "hungry man breakfast". Carol can really eat.We had arranged to have the shuttle take us to the trail head and he was right on time. Today we were to hike up "Wildcat". This is a mountain that is always mentioned as very difficult in the journals. It lived up to its reputation. There are 5 peaks to the mountain. You start out hiking 2300 feet straight up. Then you descend 600 feet and repeat 4 more times. This takes incredible energy reserves. We were exhausted at 3 miles. We frankly could not believe we had only gone 3 miles. Another irritating thing was when we got to the first peak there was a gondola bringing people up for the day. We hiked on.After the peaks we hiked down to 3290 feet to the hut. After using climbing muscles all day the hike down proved painful to say the least. Finally we arrived at Carter Notch Hut. The staff were glad to see us and wanted us to do work for stay. We washed a bunk room and treated it with bleach to prevent mold in the winter. (This hut is closing for the season).We and several other hikers had a great meal of left overs as there were only 2 paying guests.In the morning we ate and immediately left the Hut as we had done our workThe Canadian Geese(Never quit on a bad day - Bison 2009 thru hiker)
Date: 2010-09-02
From: Carther Notch Hut

To: Imp Campground
Miles today: 7.2

This was another difficult hike. The White mountains are really exhausting us. We started out by having to hike over Carter mountain to the dome. This was a 1700 foot climb staight up again. This mountain like Wildcat has 3 peaks and each one is above the tree line. As we finished with the last peak and started down we were faced with one of the worse downhills of the hike. It was 2 miles of granite so steep that you could not walk down it and the drops were too large to step down. We literally used the shrubbery, and trees, at the side of the trail to avoid falling. It took us a long time to get down and we were really spent when we got to the bottom.We took the side trail to the shelter and were in bed at 630 PM. We were asleep by 7 PM.The Canadian Geese(Never quit on a bad day - Bison 2009 thru hiker)
Date: 2010-09-03
From: Imp Campground

To: Gorham / The Royalty Inn
Miles today: 8.0
Weather: clear sky

We got up at 6 AM and packed up. We can not tell how long it will take to get to town and we need to go to the post office. The hike was much easier than expected. We hiked up over Mt. Moriah which was huge granite slabs you could walk up. Once we got to the top it was 2 miles walking on the ridge.Eventulally we started down a steep incline that lasted for about 2 miles. The trail began to level out and when we got to only 3 miles remaining we were sailing along at 2 miles per hour. It felt great to be able walk fast again.We got to the Royalty Inn but the room was not ready so we set about doing our tasks. Carol went to the post office, I went to the outfitter for fuel and the library to update the journal.It is becoming more and more difficult to get a computer to update the journal. The towns are very rural and the libraries have limited computers and hours. The library in Gorham is not even open on the weekend!?I will be entering in the journal as often as I can. One way or another the journal will be finished. We have just under 300 miles and the hard slugging goes on for at least another 80 miles. We are glad to be finished the White mts. with all the restrictions of where you can camp.The Canadian Geese(Never quit on a bad day - Bison 2009 thru hiker)
Date: 2010-09-04
From: Gorham / The Royalty Inn

To: Royalty Inn Gorham NH
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Today we rested and did some more chores. We mailed food forward to Andover ME and Carol hitched a ride to Walmart to pick up some more ibprophen and some cold/cough medicine for me. We could not book a ride to the trail head tomorrow so we will hitch a ride.The Canadian Geese(Never quit on a bad day - Bison 2009 thru hiker)
Date: 2010-09-05
From: Royalty Inn Gorham NH

To: Gentian Pond Shelter
Miles today: 11.8
Weather: broken clouds

We got out early and put our thumbs out and almost immediately got a ride to the trail head by a section hiker, Hal Peterson, from Ottawa Ontario. There were lots of hikers in town trying to avoid the hurricane rains. The hurricane apparently has moved on to the Atlantic Provinces of Canada.The first few miles were easier than we have become use to, then the trail turned back to the rock, roots and incredibly steep uphills we have been encountering in NH. The trail is wild and completely unkempt. There are suppose to be 200 people doing trail maintenance for the Appalachian Mountain Club. They own the huts through the White Mountains. I think all the maintenance goes into the shorter trails to the huts and no maintenace is done to the AT.The last 5 miles were very difficult and we were glad to get to the shelter.The Canadian Geese(Never quit on a bad day - Bison 2009 thru hiker)