morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2015-08-19
From: Stealth camp on Sphinx Trail 

To: Pinkham Notch 
Miles today: 11.8
Weather: light rain

I hiked the same distance as yesterday, but today was harder. The first five miles were above the tree line and all rocks. It was a balancing act stepping from rock to rock. I reached Madison Spring Hut at 11 am and asked if they had any leftover food that needed to be consumed. I was offered oatmeal, which I said OK but asked if they had anything else. Then they brought out the lasagna leftovers from yesterday. I had four bowls of that. Upon leaving the hut, I had to climb up the very steep and rocky slope up to the summit of Mt Madison, watching behind me as rain clouds swallowed the peaks of Mt Washington and Mt Jefferson that I had summited yesterday and earlier today. From the summit of Mt Madison, the 2,800 foot descent was slow and difficult. The last five miles seemed to take forever as it was hot at the lower elevations. I got to Pinkham Notch at 5:45 pm and got a bunk at the Joe Dodge Lodge with dinner and breakfast included. I talked with three ladies at dinner about my thru-hike. 319 miles to Katahdin. Posted 8/21 from Gorham, NH.
Date: 2015-08-20
From: Pinkham Notch 

To: Stealth camp at Zeta Pass 
Miles today: 8.5
Weather: light rain

There are some days when you just don't feel like hiking. For me, today was one of those days. It started after the AYCE breakfast buffet at the Joe Dodge Lodge. I had a slight headache when I crossed the road to the AT trailhead. I got on the correct trail, but 100 feet further I didn't notice that the AT turned right. I continued straight up the Square Ledge Trail until it dead-ended at a rock outcropping overlook. I had to go all the way back down and lost one hour. On the way down I noticed two signs that I didn't see on the way up the would have warned me that I was on the wrong trail. Back on the correct trail, I fell down at a level area when I slipped on a wet tree root. Both of these incidents were preventable if I were paying better attention. The 2,000 feet climb up Wildcat D Mountain was grueling. All rocks and steep slope. It was slow going over all the Wildcat peaks and down to the Carter Notch Hut. The sky was filled with gray clouds which covered the peaks. As it was cool and windy, but my shirt was wet from several days of sweat, I was just going to get a $2 bowl of soup at the hut to warm me up. However the soup of the day was split pea soup, and I don't like peas. So I asked if they had any leftover food that needed to be consumed. They said they had turkey and mashed potatoes and would fix me a plate. They even heated up the food, then brought me the plate of turkey, mashed potatoes and peas. I didn't want to be the thru-hiker that didn't finish eating the free food provided, so I tried to eat the peas but it just made me gag. I turned in the plate of peas and thanked them for the food I did eat. Immediately after the hut was another grueling 1,500 feet climb up Carter Dome. Although I only did 8.5 miles today, it took pretty much all day. 311 miles to Katahdin.
Date: 2015-08-21
From: Stealth camp at Zeta Pass 

To: Gorham, NH 
Miles today: 12.6
Weather: overcast clouds

Today was another tough day. The descent from North Carter Mountain was absolutely treacherous. If it were raining it could have been suicidal. I had great weather through the White Mountains and it hadn't rained on me while hiking until two miles short of Gorham, NH and even then it was short lived. The White Mountains are incredibly beautiful and incredibly tough. I didn't have days of terror as some SOBOs had warned me in Vermont, but it definitely would be terrifying in the rain. Many times I said to myself "I can't believe this", especially on the descents. I'm glad to be out of the Whites though. I need a zero. I'm staying at the White Mountains Hostel where the scale says I'm down to 156 lbs even though I ate at every opportunity through the Whites. Another measure of how tough the Whites are. This hostel has a free daily 6 pm run to Walmart where I got a whole rotisserie chicken for dinner along with taters, a pint of ice cream and protein milk for dinner. Throughout the Whites I hadn't seen more than a handful of NOBO thru-hikers that I know, though I did meet Tortoise, Old School, Catman and Webble Woble for the first time. Pace Car is here at the hostel and I met Trail Pilgrim for the first time who started Springer on March 16th. There are a lot of section hikers and some SOBOs at the hostel tonight. 298 miles to Katahdin.
Date: 2015-08-22
From: Gorham, NH 

To: Gorham, NH 
Miles today: 0.0

Today was a zero day in Gorham to rest before heading into Maine. I went downtown for lunch and had a bowl of New England clam chowder and the Chef Burger at J's Corner Restaurant. I saw Uncle D while waiting for the shuttle back to the hostel. He shuttled here from Pinkham Notch so he's two days behind me. Back at the hostel some familiar faces arrived. No Worries and Good Enough will zero tomorrow so they are one day behind me. Runs With Beer and Shimmy are here also. I resupplied at Walmart then ordered a 14 inch pizza delivery for dinner.
Date: 2015-08-23
From: Gorham, NH 

To: Gentian Pond Campsite 
Miles today: 11.8
Weather: clear sky

The White Mountains Hostel is a great place and right on the AT. After breakfast burritos and coffee I hit the trail at 8:15 by walking out the door. The day began with an 1,800 foot climb to the summit of Mt Hayes at 2,555 ft elevation. The views were picturesque although the sky was filled with gray clouds. The hiking was easier than the Whites, but there were still a few White Mountainesque climbs and descents (i.e., the picture at left). Still it took nearly 8 hours to hike nearly 12 miles. I passed three bodies of water; Page Pond, Dream Lake and Gentian Pond, but have not seen a moose in the wild yet. However I did see moose scat on the trail three times, so they aren't far away. The highlight today was reaching the 1,900 mile point on the AT. Someone even wrote "1,900" on the trail with moose scat (see pics). It didn't start raining until after I set up my tent and while I was trying to make dinner. Fortunately it's a light rain. 287 miles to Katahdin.
Date: 2015-08-24
From: Gentian Pond Campsite 

To: Full Goose Shelter and Campsite 
Miles today: 9.6

Well New Hampshire didn't let me leave easily. It was a very tough trail up 1,400 feet to Mt Success. But that's just the net elevation climb as there were two steep descents and climbs in between. Then the descent from the summit of Mt Success was downright dangerous. Turns out that was just a warm up for Maine. After crossing the border into the 14th and final state of this thru-hike, the descent from Mt Carlo involved throwing my poles down and swinging my body between huge boulders in order to glide down without killing myself. (i.e., the crevice in the photo at left is 6 feet tall). I fell three times today, first slipping on a rock and landing in a mud puddle, then slipping on a long steep slab of rock and sliding 10 feet, then not having enough forward momentum when grabbing a tree to boost myself up and falling back into some bushes. I'm sore but not injured. So far Maine is much harder than the White Mountains. Many parts of the trail today had rebar in the rocks to grab on to. In 9 hours today I only got 9.6 miles. Crawling over huge boulders on a 45 degree slope takes time. Fortunately it was great weather again after the morning clouds pushed off. I had fantastic 360 degree views from the summits of Mt Carlo and the Goose Eye peaks. 277 miles to Katahdin.
Date: 2015-08-25
From: Full Goose Shelter and Campsite 

To: Stealth camp near Grafton Notch 
Miles today: 9.7
Weather: clear sky

Happy birthday to my brother Greg. I'm sure you had a better day than me. I hope to never again have a day like today. It started with an extremely steep and difficult 900 ft descent to the beginning of the Mahoosac Notch, a 1.2 mile long section containing a jumbled pit of huge boulders. Along the way it started raining, and rained most of the day until 5 pm. Mahoosac Notch is said to be the hardest mile on the AT. Generally thru-hikers take one hour to go through this section. It took me two hours as the rain made the rocks wet and the dead trees and tree roots you had to walk on extremely slippery. These boulders are the size of cars. It takes a certain gymnastic ability to get over, around and under these. I fell hard twice at Mahoosac Notch. The second time, with my backpack on, I landed like an upside down turtle wedged between two rocks. I could easily have broken a bone or two, but I escaped with two minor cuts on one hand, a bruise on one arm and a bruised elbow. After this brutal section came the extremely steep 1,600 ft climb up Mahoosac Arm. At least half it's length was sheer rock face at slopes as great as 70 degrees. At 2 pm I reached Speck Pond Shelter to have lunch out of the rain, and I had only gone five miles for the day. The rest of the day was drudgery, hiking in wet clothes. I even had to put on gloves as I was so cold. The good thing about Mahoosac Notch being the most difficult mile on the AT is that it can't get harder than that. I hope it gets better. After two days in Maine I'm not having any fun. 267 miles to Katahdin.
Date: 2015-08-26
From: Stealth camp near Grafton Notch 

To: East B Hill Road 
Miles today: 10.3

Today's challenge was the climb out of Grafton Notch, up 2,300 ft to the summit of Baldplate east peak where there was no visibility due to heavy fog. The 2,800 ft descent to East B Hill Road was relatively a normal trail without boulder scrambles. Then I got a shuttle from there to the Pine Ellis Hostel in Andover, Maine. The bathroom scale read 155 pounds. I seem to keep losing weight no matter how much I try to eat. This is very disconcerting. Andover is a very small town but has two general stores with diners in the back. At 6 pm I was starving and walked a block away to one of the general stores. For dinner tonight I ordered a large bowl of chili, a half-pound hamburger with all the condiments, large fries and a strawberry shake. 257 miles to Katahdin.
Date: 2015-08-27
From: East B Hill Road 

To: South Arm Road 
Miles today: 10.1

Today is my five month anniversary of hiking the Appalachian Trail. On a hike this long, at some point I became comfortable living out of a backpack. Thru-hiking because a lifestyle, a new paradigm. I began to think, do I really need all that crap in the basement, closet and garage back at home? For a hiker, everything you really need to live can fit in your backpack. Everything else are wants. Today I slack packed south from South Arm Road back to East B Hill Road, and am staying a second night at the Pine Ellis Hostel. Going north there is a 1,400 ft climb within 0.8 miles coming out of Sawyer Notch to the peak of Moody Mountain. I went south based on the recommendation of the hostel that it is better to go down that slope than to climb it. However going south there is a 1,600 ft climb in 1.5 miles coming out of Sawyer Notch in the other direction. So to me it was like, pick your poison. The trail was pretty muddy today with lots of twists and turns and tree roots to slow me down, ending the day at 3:45 pm after starting at 9 am. The weather was sunny most of the day, a welcome change from the past three days, and visibility was great when escaping from the green tunnel. I am now seeing lots of moose scat along the trail. They look like big pellets. There was even lots of moose scat around the privy at the Hall Mountain Lean-to (Maine language for a shelter), which I thought was comical. Dinner tonight was at the other general store, Mills Market, with the Duke of Windsor (a southbounder) and Uncle D, where the special was lasagna for $5.49. At that price, I ate two dinners plus a side salad. 247 miles to Katahdin.
Date: 2015-08-28
From: South Arm Road 

To: Campsite one mile south of ME 17 
Miles today: 12.2
Weather: light rain

Today was another really tough day. After breakfast at the Andover General Store, the hostel shuttled me and two other hikers back to the trailhead at South Arm Road. Immediately was the steep 2,200 ft climb up Old Blue Mountain, which included rebar steps and handrails in the steepest rocks. It took me 2 hours to climb the 3 miles to the summit. The trail today was all tree roots, mud and rocks. I cannot make any good time in this rough terrain. Except where there was a break in the green tunnel, I spent the most of the day looking down at the trail trying to avoid tripping over the roots and rocks or stepping in the mud. I am really getting tired of the tough terrain in Maine. I think a lot about getting to the end of the AT and what I will be doing after this thru-hike. I'm ready for a lifestyle change. Just when the trail gets discouraging, I get to an amazing view. The weather was perfect today and the visibility was exceptional from the summit of Bemis Mountain, particularly the second peak. I could see huge lakes to the west (see pics). There were also lots of blueberry bushes atop Bemis Mountain with thick clusters of ripe blueberries. I spent at least half an hour foraging. However the descent from Bemis Mountain was very steep and rocky. Many times I had to hang on to trees to lower myself down and began thinking again that I am really getting tired of this tough terrain. I tenting here with Big Country, another thru-hiker I just met. 235 miles to Katahdin.
Date: 2015-08-29
From: Campsite one mile south of ME 17 

To: ME 4, Rangeley 
Miles today: 14.2
Weather: broken clouds

Part of the problem I wrote about yesterday is attributable to my physical state. My body aches from being beat up in Southern Maine. This morning, Big Country was the second person to tell me recently that when your clothes smell like ammonia, that means that your body is consuming muscle as there is no more body fat to burn. My clothes have smelled of ammonia since Connecticut, but not so much recently. I feel fatigued every morning and it is hard to get motivated to hike. For the first time I was questioning if I can finish this thru-hike. I am concluding that I need to take more zeros in the remaining trail towns in order to beef up (no pun intended) with more protein, whereas I had only planned on one remaining zero in Monson. Today began with a thousand foot climb up to Route 17, with a bench that overlooked Mooselookmeguntic Lake (see pic). From there the elevation changes were not supposed to be significant, but that is deceiving as the trail is constantly up and down. The highlight today was Sabbath Day Pond, which is so large that small waves lap a narrow sandy beach. The water was crystal clear and shallow where I and a few other hikers took a short swim. It was refreshing. After that, the trail was back to tree roots, mud and rocks. At least I didn't have to hang on to any trees today. After a long day, I finally made it to Route 4 shortly before 6 pm. However I couldn't call the Farmhouse Inn Hostel due to no cell phone reception. Fortunately I met two people in the parking lot who were waiting for the 6 pm shuttle to the Farmhouse Inn. When Stacy arrived, she informed me that there was room in the bunkhouse and I happily got in the truck. At the hostel I met Walnut, who I hadn't seen since Hot Springs, NC. Also Food Truck and Pony Puncher (formerly She Wei), whom I hadn't seen since my wife's trail magic at Rt 522 outside Front Royal, VA. Stacy then gave Goats Beard and I a ride into town where we ate dinner at the Parkside Restaurant. 220 miles to Katahdin.
Date: 2015-08-30
From: ME 4, Rangeley 

To: ME 4, Rangeley 
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Zero day at the Farmhouse Inn today in Rangeley, ME, which as the sign reminds is on the 45th Parallel, halfway between the equator and the north pole. It's nice to relax for a change, even if it means wasting a perfectly good hiking day. To ease the burden on the remaining journey, I plan to slack pack for the next three or four days with the help of the Farmhouse Inn, who also own the Stratton Inn in Stratton, ME. Today I helped keep the local restaurants in business, with the steak & cheese bomb at Sarge's with Goats Beard, and a full rack of ribs at the 45th Parallel restaurant with No Worries and Good Enough.
Date: 2015-08-31
From: ME 4, Rangeley 

To: Perham Stream 
Miles today: 15.3
Weather: broken clouds

Today Stacey drove 7 of us through the deep back woods of Maine up a logging road where we had to walk a mile just to get to the trailhead. The gravel logging road had a sign warning that logging trucks have the right of way. Fortunately no trucks came through as the road was not wide enough for two way traffic. All of us were slack packing; Uncle D, Timothy (who has no trail name as he loves the name his mamma gave him) and I slacked south, and Food Truck, Pony Puncher, Flick and Bear Finder slacked north. Slacking south provided the opportunity to see NOBOs I would not have seen otherwise. I met 8 Paws (consisting of M&M, Clover and their dog) and Laces (formerly Owl). I met 8 Paws on the second day of my thru-hike climbing up the first Sassafras Mountain and last saw them somewhere north of Erwin, TN, and many times in between. It was good to see them again after so many miles. The hardest of the three peaks summited today was Saddleback Junior with its very steep ascent and descent. I also summited The Horn and Saddleback Mountain, both over 4,000 ft elevation. The wind was ferocious at these peaks. The descent from Saddleback Mountain toward route 4 was full of tree roots, rocks and mud. 205 miles to Katahdin.
Date: 2015-09-01
From: Perham Stream 

To: Caribou Valley Road 
Miles today: 8.6
Weather: broken clouds

Happy anniversary to my lovely wife of 31 years. I'll be home within the month, then you can feed me again. Hey, a thru-hiker has his priorities! Today Uncle D and I slack packed from Perham Stream Road to Caribou Valley Road. Both are former logging roads now owned by the state, but are closed to vehicle traffic. We had to get up at 5 am to leave at 6 am for the half hour drive and one mile walk to get to the trailhead. On the north end it was only a half mile walk to the pickup point, then shuttle ride to the Stratton Inn. As Shane and Stacey own both the Farmhouse Inn in Rangeley and the Stratton Inn, our heavy backpacks stayed in the truck which dropped us off and picked us up. Today's hike was relatively easy for a 1,700 ft climb up Lone and Spaulding Mountains, and the trail actually descended to Sugarloaf Mountain as it skirted the summit. We declined to take the extremely steep 0.6 mile side trail to the summit of Sugarloaf Mountain. However the descent from Sugarloaf was very steep with sharp angled boulders to do physical harm if you lost your balance. Fortunately we were slacking with day packs and made it to Caribou Valley Road by noon. Even though we did 8.6 miles (plus 1.5 miles getting to and from the trailheads), it feels like a Nero with the afternoon off. The mountain in the picture above is Bigelow (its much bigger than it appears in the picture), which we will cross over the day after tomorrow and is said to be the last tough climb before Katahdin. 197 miles to Katahdin.
Date: 2015-09-02
From: Caribou Valley Road 

To: ME 27, Stratton, ME 
Miles today: 8.3

Today was our third straight slack packing day, and a much warmer day. Uncle D and I did this section northbound. We climbed 1,800 ft to the summit of South Crocker Mountain and then after a short descent, the summit of North Crocker Mountain, both 4,000 ft peaks. There wasn't much to see as the summits were fogged in. The highlight was reaching the 2,000 mile point on the AT, just a mile before Route 27. We got back to the Stratton Inn by 12:30 and had lunch at the Stratton Plaza Hotel again, then dinner at the White Wolf Restaurant. 188 miles to Katahdin.
Date: 2015-09-03
From: ME 27, Stratton, ME 

To: East Flagstaff Road 
Miles today: 16.7

Today was our last slack packing day, going southbound from East Flagstaff Road back to the Route 27 trailhead. Uncle D and I climbed Little Bigelow Mountain, Avery Peak and Bigelow Mountain, our last tough climbs up 4,000 ft peaks until Katahdin. From here to Katahdin the trail is supposed to be relatively level except for one or two mountains. We should be able to cruise for the next two weeks. Slacking south today proved to be a smart move. Bigelow Mountain and Avery Peak, which is close to Stratton, was shrouded in clouds this morning, but by the time we got up there around noon the clouds were above the peaks. Although it was hazy, we had great views of huge lakes on one side and the ski runs of Sugarloaf on the other. The lakes are amazing to see for their sheer size and that there isn't a single boat plying the waters. Also it is wilderness, so there is no development around these lakes. Coming into Rangeley several days ago I was feeling exhausted and beat up by the tough terrain in southern Maine. After taking a zero in Rangeley and then four straight days of slack packing, including eating restaurant food for six straight nights, I now feel refreshed and ready for the final two weeks of this thru-hike. Shane and Stacey of the Farmhouse Inn and Stratton Inn have been great hosts, making my stay in Rangeley and Stratton enjoyable. 172 miles to Katahdin.
Date: 2015-09-04
From: East Flagstaff Road 

To: Harrison's Pierce Pond Camp 
Miles today: 16.7

Well so much for cruising to Katahdin! Shane shuttled Uncle D and I back to the East Flagstaff Road trailhead where we hit the trail at 10 am. There were two small gradual climbs of 500 and 800 feet that looked easy in the AT guide. However the trail was full of rocks and tree roots that required concentration on foot placement. Still we did 17 miles in seven hours, which is a pretty good pace, especially after the Whites and southern Maine. We passed five huge pristine ponds today (see pics). Really beautiful. We ate lunch on the rocky shore of West Carry Pond. At 5:30 we made it to Harrison's Pierce Pond Camp, a wilderness log cabin main building built in the 40's, which has a kitchen, dining room and recreation room, and several primitive one room log cabins with two beds without linens, a table and kerosene lamp. We are staying here for $40 each which includes breakfast. 155 miles to Katahdin.
Date: 2015-09-05
From: Harrison's Pierce Pond Camp 

To: Caratunk, ME 
Miles today: 3.6
Weather: overcast clouds

Happy birthday to my beautiful daughter Kim. I love you. This morning we had the world's best pancakes at Harrison's Pierce Pond Camp, which came with eggs to order, sausage and coffee. It was delicious. Then we had a short hike to Caratunk. Uncle D and I converged with Goats Beard, No Worries, Good Enough, Shimmy and Wild Turkey at the Kennebec River bank for the canoe ferry crossing. This river is wide and several feet deep. The Appalachian Trail Conservancy funds the canoe ferry as several people have drowned trying to ford this river over the past few decades. We had to sign liability waiver forms before crossing. However it's safe in the canoe and pretty scenic as well. Once on the other side it was a short walk to US 201 where everyone except Shimmy and Wild Turkey waited for the shuttle to the Sterling Inn. After getting settled we went to lunch at the Kennebec Brew Pub for good food and good beer. Back at the hostel we watched a DVD movie, then went to dinner at the Three Rivers Restaurant. Normally I do not post a bad review, but the service at Three Rivers was exceptionally slow and the food was barely warm when they finally brought it out. Plus they screwed up the checks, bringing six checks for five people, and 3 of 5 checks were incorrect. None of us were happy with this restaurant. Tomorrow I will be back to tenting in the woods after eight straight nights in hostels. I suspect I won't have cell service in central and northern Maine so I may not be able to post until I reach Monson in three days. 151 miles to Katahdin.