morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2023-08-05
From: Lakes of the Clouds Hut

To: Madison Hut
Miles today: 7.1

The morning breakfast at Lakes of the Clouds charged me right up to get going, especially after looking out the dining room windows and seeing the mighty mountain looming up. A clear morning! A wonderful hike through an alpine zone loaded with delicate looking groundcover plants and flowers. And then, the summit just as quickly disappeared in a cloud. It only added to the special feeling of being in a unique and forbidding place. At the summit was the usual hustle and bustle of tourists, cog train arrivals and departures and scores of day hikers with their packs and poles. The State of New Hampshire manages the mountain park and thoughtfully provides a backpacker lounge in the basement. It was quiet and clean and a break from all the commotion upstairs. I enjoyed the real bathroom with hot water at the sinks, and ate some high calorie snacks from the Cafe above. In fact I lingered at the summit facilities for almost 2 hours. Even though I had miles to go before reaching Madison Hut, it was just too much fun hanging out. Even after I headed down the path away from the top, the first mile or so heading back down from Washington was a happy parade of fellow hikers and chugging cog trains going up the mountain. Everywhere you looked were deep ravines and Gulfs. More presidential peaks loomed ahead, ducking in and out of the clouds. The sky was blue and the sun was warm. Windy? Very. There was a steady 20-25 mph wind blowing, enough to keep me a bit off balance in the Alpine rocky paths. The rest of the day was an exhilarating traverse of Mts. Clay, Jefferson, Adams and maybe one or two others I can't name right now. The day ended almost as dramatically with a steep downhill hike into Madison Spring Hut at the foot of Mt. Madison. This bad boy would be my big challenge for the next morning.
Date: 2023-08-06
From: Madison Hut

To: Joe Dodge Lodge
Miles today: 7.8

When your morning starts with a very steep, rocky climb over a big mountain, it can either set you up for a great day once the hard stuff is out of the way...or it tuckers you out with miles more to go. I found the early morning climb to the Summit of Mt. Madison steep but less difficult than I feared. I've started experimenting with making the steep climbs over rocks without using my trekking poles. It seemed counter intuitive since my balance on the uneven trails has been precarious. But by freeing up both my hands, it was actually more secure to take handholds at boulders and low-growing conifers along the trail. I realized how I used to clamber over obstacles when I was 10 years old and it was a good feeling. It also lowered my center of gravity...essential to avoid falling backwards with 25 pounds strapped to my back. A fellow hiker snapped a photo of me at the top, and then I quickly saw that the hardest part of the day would be the very steep and rocky descent towards Pinkham Notch. I still kept the trekking poles packed away which also seemed better for securing handholds and focusing on placing my feet where they needed to be. Eventually the trail gets a little less steep as it approaches the "Notch". Notches, gaps or passes...they all mean the same thing; usually a steep drop down followed by an equally steep climb back up to surrounding mountains and ridges. At Pinkham Notch however I knew I had a bed, a hot shower and some good food waiting for me.
Date: 2023-08-07
From: Joe Dodge Lodge

To: Carter Notch Hut
Miles today: 6.0

Rain is back in the forecast. It held off long enough to reach the ski resort summit of Wildcat Mountain but by the time I reached Carter Notch Hut the clouds and misting rain made for an eerie, quiet scene. Two small ponds near the Hut added a sense of peacefulness and I kept thinking that the only thing missing was a huge Moose at the edge of the pond with aquatic grasses festooning its antlers. Not today though. Just a quaint, small hiker Hut tucked into a heavily wooded notch. Thank you Appalachian Mountain Club for operating a great system of huts through these mountains. They were all unique even if they all operated using an identical playbook.
Date: 2023-08-08
From: Carter Notch Hut

To: IMP Shelter
Miles today: 7.0

My last comfortable night in a hut. It ended ironically with drenching rains all night long and all through the day ofy departure. When the weather gets bad enough, the hiking can become easy. You don't worry about dodging mud puddles or getting to side views and snapping pictures. You stow away EVERYTHING in your pack, seal it up good,put the rain gear on and push on. There was lots of room at the shelter and I was glad to be there, listening through the night at the rain beating on the roof and the wind in the trees growing stronger
Date: 2023-08-09
From: IMP Shelter

To: The Barn Hostel
Miles today: 8.0

it was still raining and the wind was increasing as I packed up in the shelter to make my way down to Gorham, NH along the Androscoggin River. Theoretically based on Garmin's weather forecast and hiker rumors, the weather was to improve today. It did not. The climb over exposed ridges and domes of Mt. Moriah was windy, cold and wet. It was a walk through a storm at cloud level. Later I heard that extremely high winds were forcing hikers off the higher elevations of the Presidentials. But like so many literal and figurative ups and downs of this adventure, the day ended with 3 miles of a more gentle path through open, sunny hardwood forest along the Rattle River. I reached the highway almost dry again, and was picked up for the first night of a hostel stop. Shower, laundry, Walmart run and a comfortable bunk.
Date: 2023-08-10
From: The Barn Hostel

To: Nowhere
Miles today: 0.0

in the course of my wanderings along the AT I have been fortunate to experience many of the hostels from Georgia to New Hampshire (and soon in Maine). Hiker hostels are a Mashup of a homeless shelter, flophouse, and a low budget summer camp. But it adds to their fun. The Barn is no different and made for a comfortable stay with an extra day to rest and resupply. The current owner has a 1986 Caddie that belies its primary role of transporting grubby hikers and their backpacks to and from trailheads, and in true Americana style carries hikers on a daily run to the giant Walmart on the other side of town. A tip of the hat to Paul and to all the hostel owners who engage in a labor of love to accommodate the peculiar demands of long distance hikers.
Date: 2023-08-11
From: The Barn Hostel

To: Gentian Pond Shelter
Miles today: 9.8

I am tryimg to reconstruct events after a full week of no connections for sending out journal entries. So forgive the sketchy nature of my stories. I have not been keeping notes to jog my memory, but usually reviewing the pictures from the day is enough to tell some kind of tale! Today it was the slow realization that Maine hiking was going to be just as tough as New Hampshire. Mt. Hayes was a long steep climb but the reward was indeed some spectacular scenery. I also got to try out the wooden tent platforms using cup holder screws instead of tent stakes. Someone at the last hostel stop suggested them, and they worked like a charm. Unfortunately I had been foregoing the use of tenting platforms at a lot of previous campsites, something that would have made my life a bit easier. But you learn new things every day out here, even if it's not a life-changing experience. Cup holder hooks, well I never...
Date: 2023-08-12
From: Gentian Pond Shelter

To: Full Goose Shelter
Miles today: 11.6

Maine is rugged, dark and wet. At least the part I have been experiencing. Instead of the predominantly hardwood forests of the eastern US, much of the AT through Maine is spruce-fir conifer forest. Deep green moss covers everything on the forest floor. Water seems to ooze out of everything. The weather starting out in this rugged state has been very rainy, only adding to the soggy feeling.
Date: 2023-08-13
From: Full Goose Shelter

To: Speck Pond Shelter
Miles today: 5.1

I am still unable to post photos but will try to catch up with the journal entries. Today was a big test fir any AT hiker. That's why I kept my miles down. I wanted to give myself plenty of time to get through the notorious Mahoosuc Notch Boulder field. It's basically a mile long ravine with steep rocky Cliffs on both sides. Over time, thousands of large and small boulders, many the size of cars or larger, tumbled down into the ravine where they make for a difficult but fun maze that the trail snakes through. Right after that is completed you have to make a long, steep climb up Mahoosuc Arm. It took me 8 hours to go this 5+ miles. I got through the notch accompanied by 2 fellow hikers and we all helped each other up, down and through the maze. The encouragement of friends was a big help. Arriving at Speck Pond for the night was a vision. Never one to warm up to cold water plunges, I was dirty and sweaty enough to take the plunge in this high mountain pond.
Date: 2023-08-14
From: Speck Pond Shelter

To: Baldpate Shelter
Miles today: 6.9

Today was memorable mainly for the wonderful trail magic at Grafton Notch. A very nice woman going by the trail name of Pineapple had a table set up and was making sandwiches and salads and blueberry shortcake and, I can't even remember all the good food I quickly ate there in the trailhead parking lot. It was just what the body needed with all the steep hiking of days past and to come.
Date: 2023-08-15
From: Baldpate Shelter

To: Pine Ellis Hostel
Miles today: 8.0

A beautiful day of open, rocky balds was a day to behold. Maine in her rugged, isolated beauty. It ended with a hitch into Andover, ME and an overnight stay at Pine Ellis Hiker Lodge. Clearly past its prime, all the ladies running the hostel did their level best to take care of us. Even though there were only 4 hikers there that night...this little place was crowded enough. Mills Market in Andover offered up Cafe fare, convenience store stuff, and beer and liquor to go.
Date: 2023-08-16
From: Pine Ellis Hostel

To: Black Brook campsite
Miles today: 10.1

just another day in the wet, green woods of Maine punctuated by light rain throughout the day. If I remember any sights, it would be watching my feet and trying to dodge mud pools. The campsite turned out to be very nice at least. It rained and then dripped from the trees all night. One of 3 days of hiking and sleeping in the clouds.
Date: 2023-08-18
From: Bemis Mountain Lean-To 

To: Rangeley
Miles today: 4.5

it was time to get off the trail a little early with some severe weather expected. A hiking partner and I got a shuttle into Rangeley, Maine and were fortunate to snag an old style cabin right on Rangeley Lake. Just one night but the short mileage allowed us to do our town chores, regroup and be ready to get back on the trail the next morning. (Today). I will try to post photos when I can.
Date: 2023-08-19
From: Rangeley

To: Piazza Rock Shelter
Miles today: 15.0

I spent some time hiking with fellow sojourner Smoke. We helped each other through Mahoosuc Notch and strategized together to get into Rangeley and avoid some coming weather. After sharing a cabin in Rangeley it became obvious that Smoke had a painful knee and he decided to get off the trail and get it checked out. In my several section hikes of the AT, I've encountered lots of times and places where injury has unhappily ended someone's adventure. The foremost in my mind was the flip flop hike Joani and attempted in 2015. It was a very sad, disappointing day when her knee grew so painful we had no choice but to abandon our dream. I am fortunate so far and grateful to be able to continue hiking. Just a bit more and I can be at Katahdin. Watching every step, taking as long as it takes, listening to what this old body is telling me. So this day I made a very long walk to get back on my schedule. It turned out to be the right day to make up some miles because the trail was kind. Lots of level ground or gentle grades, minimal mud, and great weather. It was a day of seeing the first of Maine's big ponds and hearing the eerie call of loons. Ending the long day at a nice campsite before rains returned overnight was the nightcap I needed.
Date: 2023-08-20
From: Piazza Rock Shelter

To: Poplar Ridge Campsite
Miles today: 8.9

Another rainfree day but one that started out wet and overcast after raining all night. Winding my way up a rocky but "reasonable" trail today. Western Maine has a number of ski resorts I Remer hearing about back in my college days and the early days of our marriage. Joani had skied in Maine and Vermont when she was in high school. When we met she still had a nice set of skis, and it all seemed exotic to a south Florida boy like me. We were pretty poor during our first few years of married life in Maine, so hitting the slopes was really out of the question. She sold her ski equipment and we satisfied ourselves with road trips around Maine. Places like Saddleback and Sugarloaf resorts were passing spots on a road map. Today I hiked that reasonable trail up and over Saddleback Mountain. Only I never saw the actual ski area. It was on the other side of the hill. Not that I would have seen it anyway...another morning in the high alpine zone amongst the heavy clouds. But some mountains are a series of greater and lesser Peaks along a Ridgeline. Such was Saddleback. It made for a windy, exposed and wet walk among the blueberries and the dainty little alpine plants. And then the cloud level lifted, the sun came out and as I reached Saddleback Junior it was dry, sunny, cool and windy. Among the difficult days of hiking, even a few moments in the lap of raw beauty makes this trip worth it. And I got dry out my tent! Thank you Legs and Double H for encouraging me to join them at the summit for a gear drying festival. I could sit and soak in the scenery as all that water weight disappeared with the alpine wind.
Date: 2023-08-21
From: Poplar Ridge Campsite

To: Crocker Cirque Campsite
Miles today: 14.2

in order to get back to my original schedule laid out for this trip (after the early stop in Rangeley), I needed to hike another long day. Get an early start.. And keep moving. Hope for good weather and easier trails weather. It all worked. It wasn't a particularly memorable day in the woods but that was no fault of the woods; more an issue of walking with mental blinders on. I feel sorry for hikers who are compelled or forced to hike long miles every day. You miss a lot. Getting older has that advantage at least. Hiking lower miles allows you to see the multitude of mushrooms in their bizarre shapes and colors. You wonder if the bluebeads on the Clintonias can possibly get any bluer. You hear the birds of the northern conifers that sing strange new songs. So today I confess I did miss all that. But I slid down into the Carrabasset Valley, heard the water rushing down to meet the South Branch of the Carrabasset River, forded the river that was, weeks earlier, impassable to hikers,, and eased into my night's campsite. On schedule to get to the Hostel of Maine tomorrow!
Date: 2023-08-22
From: Crocker Cirque Campsite

To: Hostel of Maine
Miles today: 7.3

Got a 6am start to the day walking out of Crocker Cirque so I could be sure to make the highway and my hostel pickup at 1. It's never easy for me to make steep climbs. The old heart and lungs struggle. But it's better if a big climb is early in the day on fresh legs, and such was the case as I headed up a steep rocky scramble to South Crocker Peak. Another beautiful day and I was happy to behold the morning sun come over the mountains in that classic golden glow. Great views on South Crocker, then another sharp drop and climb to North Peak. The AT will always find a way to go straight up, then down, every mountain within reach. Got to my pickup and was astounded by the upscale hostel. More a lodge than a hostel it has been the perfect stop. Looking forward to a day of rest and regrouping, for which the title "zero day" just doesn't seem appropriate.
Date: 2023-08-24
From: Hostel of Maine

To: Safford Notch Campsite
Miles today: 10.4

a great day to experience one of the last high alpine ridges before the finale at Mt. Katahdin. The Bigelow mountains is a series of ridges, saddles, Peaks and even a high mountain pond thrown in the deal. One starts to get a real sense of the remoteness of Maine, especially when viewed from atop Avery Peak. The vast area below of Flagstaff Lake with almost no developed shoreline seemed peaceful and inviting. Other lakes begin to appear to the north and east, foreshadowing Maine's long history of canoe passages and portages. Avery Peak itself was renamed in honor of Myron Avery, a driving force behind the completion of the trail, and the first person to hike it from end to end in one go.
Date: 2023-08-25
From: Safford Notch Campsite

To: West Carry Pond Lean-to
Miles today: 12.6

Getting into the Safford Notch Campsite was interesting for its maze-like trail through giant boulders and narrow passages between house-sized rocks. The site itself was spread out and pooy marked but I had found a level spot for the tent. Rain was forecast to return this night after a marvelously clear day over the Bigelows. And it did rain, all night long. What can you do. In the morning I listened for a letup, then hustled everything that was dry into my backpack. I rolled up my sopping wet tent, hitched it to the outside of the pack and started walking. It was also colder than usual so walking was the best way to warm up and put the rain out of my head. The goal today is to finish hiking over Little Bigelow Mountain and find room at the next shelter location, for rain was forecast to continue well into that next night. Not heavy downpours, but enough drizzly cold rain to take the fun out of anything related to walking through the woods and over exposed, rocky, alpine ridges. And climbing Little Bigelow meant reaching an elevation where the general malaise of a gloomy day turned windy, and intensely threatening. The trees as you approach the higher alpine ridges are stunted and misshapen. When you hike through rain clouds in 25 to 35 mph winds and stinging rain, it's easy to see how the trees have been beaten down. Krumholtz. That's the term applied to these dwarf forests. On a nice day, they are strange and interesting but on a day like today they offer no shelter, and the occasional outcrops of bare rock are downright scary.
Date: 2023-08-26
From: West Carry Pond Lean-to

To: Harrison's Pierce Pond Fish Camp
Miles today: 10.4

A 24-hour spell of rain ended overnight and the day promises once again to yield more surprises, scenery, history and joy. Today's path followed the historic Great Carry Path between West and East Carry Ponds. A sign along the trail explains the portage route and its use by Benedict Arnold and his troops as they tried to take Quebec City during the American Revolution. No doubt it was already an established route used by native Americans, French trappers and early colonial explorers. I couldn't imagine dragging canoes and bateaux through this muddy corridor but it might have been a much better path back then. It was even more difficult to imagine a thousand of his troops working their way through these woods with all their supplies and tents. The ponds themselves are all clean and clear. The chain of lakes and ponds in this remote part of Maine are a reminder of a glacial epoch that left an indelible mark on the Landscape. The surprise ending to this wonderful day was arriving at Harrison's Pierce Pond Fish Camp. My new hiking partner Zip and I split a cabin there and enjoyed the hospitality of owner Tim and his group of neighbor friends for dinner. The lodge and Cabins are a throwback to the early 1900's. Indeed Tim said the lodge was well over 100 years old (and it looked it). But what a great stay in the deep heart of Maine next to the noisy Pierce Pond Stream among the cedars, white pines, and a host of coniferous and deciduous species. They were all packed in together along the deeply cut stream. An oasis in the woods. That was the Fish Camp.
Date: 2023-08-27
From: Harrison's Pierce Pond Fish Camp

To: Sterling Inn
Miles today: 3.5

a beautiful day for a quick and easy hike to the Kennebec River crossing and the Sterling Inn. I took quite few pictures today which kinda of summarize the day in a way that another journal paragraph cannot do. Plus, I'm beat. Looking for an early hiker midnight (8pm instead of 9). So excited to be on the downhill run towards the finish!
Date: 2023-08-28
From: Sterling Inn

To: Bald Mountain Brook Lean-to 
Miles today: 14.7

A beautiful day in Maine! Carpets of moss and lichens decorate the coniferous woods and open, flat rocks. Trees are getting bigger, and the sun powers down through the canopy. They say it takes one week for each ten years of your life to get your "trail legs". That seems to be holding true for me, as I finally feel I have enough strength to get through a long day of hiking.
Date: 2023-08-29
From: Bald Mountain Brook Lean-to 

To: Horseshoe Canyon Lean-to 
Miles today: 13.0

The AT gradually winds down along the Piscataquis River where the wildness of this river takes hold of you. There are steep rock walls along parts of the river that accelerate the river flow and add a background roar through the woods. Horseshoe Canyon was just that.
Date: 2023-08-31
From: Shaws Hiker Hostel

To: Long Pond Stream Lean-to 
Miles today: 14.1

waiting for an unbelievable breakfast at Shaws Hostel before getting on the trail near Monson, ME. It is the start of the 100-mile wilderness and the last big rest stop before reaching Mt. Katahdin. Breakfast is served so I will have to sign off. Very little signal from here on.
Date: 2023-09-01
From: Long Pond Stream Lean-to 

To: Chairback Gap Lean-to
Miles today: 18.0

I had the good fortune to hike through the 100-mile wilderness with a partner, Zip. It was a great thing to be able to share the experience and strategies of navigating this difficult stretch with him. The region starts out tough, climbing over multiple peaks that comprise The Chairbacks. On this day the weather was fabulously dry and cool and that would hold for the 7 days in the wilderness. We were so lucky to be rain free for the week of wanderings.
Date: 2023-09-02
From: Chairback Gap Lean-to

To: Logan Brook Lean-to 
Miles today: 14.1

High mountains, rivers and lakes all in one day. This would be the norm for the week. The diversity of the trail made each day go by quickly even though they were long miles. I had an easy river ford to make at the Pleasant River before walking past Gulf Hagas and the Hermitage Preserve. Gulf Hagas was a favorite place that Joani and I first saw in the Fall of 1975. The day ended with one last big climb up Whitecap Mountain where I was treated to my first good look at Katahdin and the northern end of the AT.
Date: 2023-09-03
From: Logan Brook Lean-to 

To: Cooper Falls Lean-to 
Miles today: 11.7

Some of the prettiest woods on my journey graced the trail along Cooper Brook. The stream was a rocky, raucus companion for quite a while, and then you walk right into the Cooper Brook Falls campsite and the wonderful falls nearby. So, rainfree days but it is starting to get warmer so I took a COLD dip in the stream at the base of the falls. It felt almost as refreshing as a shower at a hostel after 5 days on the trail. I was a new man! There's more than one way to beat this trail, no matter how it beats you down!