morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2008-08-03
From: Moose Mtn. Shelter

To: Fire Warden Cabin @ Smart Mtn.
Miles today: 12.8
Weather: broken clouds

I decided to take a few short days out of Hanover because of my knee. The brace seems to be helping quite a bit...along with daily doses of ibuprofen. This morning was a tough start...because big surprise, it was still pouring. The whole group actually hung out in the shelter until about 9 when it finally let up enough to get going. The trail is literally a river...in parts, I am walking through water well over the top of my boots, and when its not deep water, it's deep mud. There were a few steps today that I thought my shoe was going to stay buried in the mud! This kind of terrain is so tedious to walk through, especially when I am climbing uphill! I also had a wicked spill today. I didn't hurt myself, but man I bet it was funny to see! I slipped down a rock, then sort of caught myself, then tripped over a root, kind of steadied myself again, then slipped on wet vines while simultaneously getting my trekking pole stuck between my legs causing my to trip to the ground. It was quite a spectacle...and I bent my trekking pole pretty good.   The climb up Smart Mtn was long and very tiring, so much so that the short day really didn't seem that short at all! The weather did break for about 30 minutes around lunch time, so that was a nice treat...but them it started up again right after I finished! After the seemingly endless climb to the top of Smarts, I made it to the shelter. It used to be a cabin for the firewarden, so it is fully enclosed. This was a welcome sight, because at the top of the mountain it was rainy, windy and quite cold. There is also a tower to climb up here, but since visbility is about 20 feet I didn't bother!
Date: 2008-08-04
From: Fire Warden Cabin @ Smart Mtn.

To: Glencliff, NH
Miles today: 20.4

After hiking through VT and the first part of NH, I had made up my mind that 20 miles days were going to be a thing of the past...until today, which turned out to be a 20 miler sort of on accident. The morning started of with a cold wet descent of Smarts to a roaring river...with no bridge. Now, I have forded a few streams so far, but this was the biggest ford yet. The water was so loud I couldn't hear Pete from the other side! Pete found a route across that wasn't too bad...but even with water up to my knees it got my heart pumping. It really is amazing how powerful the current was! I just left my boots on because I have been walking through water all morning anyway. Right after the ford, the trail went back up and the climb up Cube Mtn began. Another tough climb with little reward at the top...shrouded in fog and clouds. I had an early lunch near the summit with Pete, Dust, and Shelter Monkey. Now, after 3 straight days of being soaked from head to toe, I really wanted to get my clothes dry and warm up, so the original plan was to hike about 15 miles to a town and get a motel room. After lunch we called the afore mentioned motel and they had no rooms...great! So the options were to continue on to the next shelter or push all the way into Glencliff were there was a hostel. I made it to Ore HIll Shleter by about 2 and we decided that we could make the 7 more miles to Glencliff. While at the shelter I met 2 dudes from Germany that were hiking for about a month. Turns out, they are from Augsburg, which is were I did my study abroad in college! It was cool to talk to them about the town and we discussed all the good bars there...brought back a lot of good memories from my time there!The last 7 miles weren't too bad, a few ups and downs and one smaller mountain (Mist Mtn.) to get over and then a big drop into Glencliff. What a welcome sight...I was exhausted! I got a shower and my clothes clean and dry. The hostel was packed with people so I actually slept outside...but it was nice.
Date: 2008-08-05
From: Glencliff, NH

To: N. Woodstock, NH
Miles today: 9.5

Today begins the Whites. The first up is Mount Moosilauke. The north side of this mountain is described as very dangerous in wet conditions and only for experienced hikers...lucky for me its not wet...wait it's been raining for 2 weeks...damn. But, the forecast for today was the best it was going to get for the next week, so I wanted to take advantage. I started off the day by getting all my cold weather gear back...just what I needed before a 5,000 foot climb, some more weight!Today is probably the biggest climb to date, starting at about 200 feet and climbing to 4802 feet in 5 miles. It was steep in parts and a tough climb, but getting above treeline for the first time was really sweet...even if I couldn't see to the next mountain over! Luckily, it didn't rain all the way up and the sun actually came out just as I was reaching the summit...for about 10 minutes, but it was awesome. At the top the wind was blowing and it was pretty cool...glad to have some warm clothes to wear! I had lunch just under the summit sign and answered a bunch of questions from tourist that were crowding the summit. Then...the toughest part of the day...back down. The first 3 miles were not steep at all...I almost started thinking the topo map was wrong...then I hit the sign that said "NH 112 1.9 miles" (the bottom of the mountain)...and I still had probably 3000 feet to go down! The trail got very steep, rocky, and my knees took a beating getting down. It was a long 2 miles down that seemed to never end! The trail acually followed a roaring waterfall all the way down, so all I heard the rest of the afternoon was rushing water cascading over huge boulders. At some points, there was metal rebar and wooden blocks to help negotiate straight down faces of granite! It was quite a rush indeed. I did survive though...and made it all the way down to Kinsman Notch...and big surprise, it started raining!! I am just glad I got all the way down before that started. We hitched into town and got a motel room for the night. I celebrated my first White Mountain summit with a few local brews...Tuckerman's Pale Ale.
Date: 2008-08-06
From: N. Woodstock, NH

To: Franconia Notch...sort of
Miles today: 16.3
Weather: heavy intensity rain

Well, this morning it was pouring rain...and no end in sight, but we had a plan. The plan was to hike about 17 miles up and over North and South Kinsman mountains, hit Franconia Notch and hitch back into N. Woodstock...basically slack packing, but still going north. So we (me, Pete, Dust, and Monkey) hit the trail about 7:15 and started up. The rain was pouring down, it was cold, the wind was blowing, and the trail was as usual 1"-6" of water. We had been hiking for 2 hours when we came to a sign. We had only gone 3.3 miles...in 2 hours! Normally we do about 5 or 5 1/2 miles in 2 hours...this is disconcerning. I was getting pretty cold...even with my rain jacket on...which has never happened before. I even got hot wearing that thing in the Smokies in the snow! So, we took out the map and saw we were at about 2500 feet and were going to be going up over 5000 feet. As a group, we decided it was too risky in the deteriorating weather to keep pushing on...so we made a tough call...to turn around and go back. Nothing is more annoying than hiking the same miles over again...but it was a wise decision. The water level on the trail was literally rising under our feet and the wind was getting worse. On the ride back to town there was water shooting off the mountain all along the road...just insane. So, for this whole trip, VT, NH, and ME have been what I have looked forward to the most, and so far the weather has been so bad, that I feel like I'm missing out on some of the best parts of the trail! I hope this weather gets better soon! Back in town, Pacer and Snake Whispere are here so the whole gang is back together. We had a nice dinner with everyone...including Mike, the section hiker from Moose Mtn. Shelter that just happened to be driving by on our way to the tavern! He stopped and joined us and gave us our first NH trail magic...a round of beers!!
Date: 2008-08-07
From: N. Woodstock

To: N. Woodstock
Miles today: 0.0

The rain just does not stop. It is very frustrating and starting to get to me quite a bit. I don't think I am alone though...most everyone out here is having a hard time dealing with the bad weather. I decided along with everyone else to take a day off and hope tomorrow will be better. I do dig this town of North Woodstock, there is a great tavern, a nice coffee shop and a lot of tourists milling around. I hit up the outfitter over in Lincoln after the debacle yesterday for some much needed gear to help tackle the Whites. It became very clear to me that some rainpants and extra socks are going to be a must to make it through. The owner of the outfitter was a cool dude that hooked us all up with a nice thru-hiker discount...very cool. The rest of the day I am just going to hang out, rest, and try to stay off my knee that is still bothersome.
Date: 2008-08-08
From: Franconia Notch

To: Galehead Hut
Miles today: 13.0
Weather: moderate rain

Well, the forcast (which has been all over the board and not quite accurate) calls for no end in sight for the rain and fog. I have said it many times lately, but I feel like I am missing out on the best part of the AT because of this weather and that makes going on and pushing myself so difficult. The White mountains are one of the toughest stretches of the entire trail and struggling through this stretch without the benefit of being rewarded with the one of-a-kind views is hard for me to deal with. All that said, Pete and I are just going to head out and push through the weather...After some confusion at the trail head because of the different trail names for the AT and the many blue blazes, we got back on the AT. The first climb of the day was a long steep ascent up Little Haystack Mtn. It is a cool cloudy morning with some rain, and even as cool as it is, I am still soaked to the bone with sweat getting up to 4800 feet. Of course the view is of clouds, so...yeh. Once up, the trail follows Franconia Ridge, which is supposedly one the nicest stretches of ridgeline above treeline in the whole range. For me, it was shrouded in clouds that ocassionally opened up to show a brief sample of what I am missing out on. It feels so cool to be here and I love the terrain up here. This is the type of trail I really enjoy hiking on...it's just a shame to have such limited visibility. On the way up Mt. Lincoln, it started raining harder...so I pushed my head down and just pushed on. The Franconia Ridge goes up and over Mt. Lincoln, Mt. Lafayette, and Mt. Garfield. The thunder is booming all around me and I just need to get back down below treeline asap. In the rush to get down, I slipped and broke my trekking pole...so that was great. Finally, after some careful and slow negotiation of a few miles of slick granite, Pete and I made it to the hut. The huts are for paying guests, but as a thru hiker they sometimes allow us to "crash" in the huts to get out of the weather. The croo there let us do "work for stay" and seemed like a pretty cool group. There are not too many guests there for the night, one SOBO thru hiker here, and Brian from Maine the Yo-Yo'er. Basically how it works, we get to sleep on the floor after all the guest go to bed and if there is any food leftover from dinner, we can have that too. In exchange for this, we do some chores for the croo to help them out. Luckily we got tons of good food and a nice dry place to sleep and warm up. Overall my first hut experience was awesome.Also, you are probably wondering what a "Yo-Yo" is...that is a hiker who hikes from Georgia to Maine and then turns around and walks back to Georgia...or as I like to call them, a crazy person.
Date: 2008-08-09
From: Galehead Hut

To: Crawford Notch
Miles today: 14.7
Weather: light rain

This morning started early...about 5 am. After the hut guests ate, we got some leftover breakfast. Then we did our "work". The chores were not bad...sweep the floors and fold all the guest blankets. The only bad thing about it was we got a late start on the trail...but worth it to me! I saw a fox just outside the hut...they are such cool animals. It didn't look like it was enjoying the cold crappy weather either. Nothing like putting on wet and cold clothes and hiking out into the rain and wind...Another climb to start the day...a short one though, up South Twin Mtn...and of course, no visibility. The rest of the morning was generally downhill, and very slow. The trail is steep, or covered in wet rocks, or one giant sloping slab of slick granite...either way, its slow going and lots of slipping and falling. In the afternoon it cleared up for a bit and just past Zeacliff pond there was a viewpoint...finally a view...sort of...a view from below looking up. Not exactly the best, but hey its something! I stopped for a little break at Zealand Falls hut and checked out the falls. I actually had to ford a couple of small streams just before the hut, so I tried to dry out my socks while at the hut. The trail past the hut was actually very pleasant to hike, it leveled out quite a bit, the sun came out, and the trail followed an old railroad bed, so it was cut into the side of the mountain which made for some dramatic views up to some granite cliffs. I really enjoyed this mile and half stretch. It still amazes me how getting a little break in the weather can lift my spirits and allow me to really enjoy myself out here. Like everything out here though, what goes up, must go down. The trail quickly deteriorated back to a muddy, boggy mess. I was pretty worn out and the last 5 miles seem to drag on forever, but finally I reached Crawford Notch. There waiting in the parking lot...some trail magic...sweet! A former thru-hiker Stitches gave us some Pepsi and snacks and even gave us a ride to a campground about 5 miles away. Once Pete and I got set up, she drove us 10 miles to get pizza...it was awesome!
Date: 2008-08-10
From: Crawford Notch

To: Mizpah Hut
Miles today: 7.4
Weather: broken clouds

These long mileage days are starting to catch up with me. Most everyone I have talked to about the Whites have said, a 10 mile day is a big day in the Whites...and now I am starting to agree! The weather this morning is the best I have seen in about 2 weeks...I actually see the sun! Stitches gave us a ride back to the trail and I'm anxious to get back up high so I can take advantage of the clear day. The climb out of the notch was no joke...steep and pretty long. At points, I was dropping my hiking pole and literally climbing. This never gets old for me...I love it. It would be better if I didn't have the big pack to climb with, but still I enjoyed it. The Webster Cliffs were just awesome...with fantastic views down Crawford Notch and once over Mt. Webster I could see Mt. Washington about 12 miles to the north, with the summit actually clear! It's shrouded in clouds about 55% of the year...crazy! I stopped several times in the morning to soak in the views, I have been waiting for these for a long time...I couldn't get enough. After Mt. Webster was Mt. Jackson which took me up over 4,000 feet again. Just as Pete and I made it to the hut it started raining...so much for the great weather! At least I got a half day! After some lunch and a break in the rain, we headed out for the next hut, Lake of the Clouds. After only a half mile it started pouring again and then came the thunder. We stopped close to the summit of Mt. Pierce and thought about whether to go on or turn around and go back to the hut. We knew that up ahead was all above treeline and neither of us was wanting to be a lightning rod....so we went back...not to happy about it. The croo at Mizpah was cool and we asked then about going on. They agreed that pushing on in a thunderstorm was not a great idea, so we hung out for bit, eventually deciding to stay the night here. They let us do work for stay along with 3 other thru-hikers. Our chore was to do a presentation to the guest...probably about 50 of them, about thru hiking the AT. They all seemed to really enjoy our stories and they all had tons of questions. What a nice chore to do for warm food and a dry place to sleep! A couple of the guests even gave us a glass of wine afterwards!
Date: 2008-08-11
From: Mizpah Hut

To: Mt. Washington Summit
Miles today: 6.2

Since Pete and I did our work last night we got an earlier start today. Again the weather was terrible...but that is nothing new. It seems to be getting colder and colder too. More slick rocks and steep climbs up Mt. Pierce and Mt. Franklin. I'm just excited to get to Mt. Washington. I have accepted that the summit is going to be in the clouds, but still its a huge mountain to climb and I am stoked to do it! The trail was all above treeline after Mt. Pierce and I crossed a few blue blaze trails to the summits of Eisenhower and Jefferson mountains, but since visibility is zip...why go. That is so frustrating to me!! Up above treeline the wind is really strong and makes it quite cold, so that keeps me moving as quick as I can. It started raining again just as the hut appeared in front of me...what a welcome site! We tried to warm up a bit in the hut, but we were just too wet. The rain paints I bought are really paying off today (my first day to wear them). The summit of Washington is close, about a mile from the hut. We wait out a downpour and then head out after about 30 minutes. The climb up wasn't too bad, basically just hoping from boulder to boulder avoiding the water as much as you can. I of course slipped and landed in a pool of ice cold water about 6 inches deep...so my left foot was numb for most of the ascent! Finally after about 40 minutes, I was on the summit. Up top it was freezing cold (low 40's), a pretty constant 20 mph wind, rain, a bit of sleet, and visibility was about 15 feet...but I made it, 6,288 feet! Because there is a road that comes all the way up here there is a cafe, museum, and various other buildings up here to seek refuge. Both Pete and I are soaked to the bone and freezing, but I am still excited to be here. This mountain is known for the worst weather in the US and over 120 people have died on this mountain. There is even a plaque inside of all the deaths...pretty crazy. I warm up with a cup of coffee and write a couple of postcards to send from the PO up here...seriously there is a Post Office up here! We decide this is enough...the bad weather, no views for the most part, dodging thunderstorms above treeline...its just not worth it. We end up getting a ride down the mountain to Pinkham Notch. From there a nice couple from Maryland that was on the shuttle with us gave us a ride to Gorham, NH. This was a tough decision for me, because there is still 24.3 miles of the Whites left, the north end of the Presidential Range. I decided based on the 6 total hours of good weather in the Whites, that I will come back some time and do this stretch again, with hopefully some better weather. In town I ran into Shutterbug, Thinker, Lotus, and Lucky Dog. They tell me of lots of hikers that have just quit here in Gorham...mostly because of the weather. I can't say I can blame them. It is quite hard to keep going out in this.
Date: 2008-08-12
From: Gorham, NH

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

I am taking a day off to decide how I am going to continue. Pete has decided to go to his sister's wedding, so he is going to skip ahead a bit and do the "highlights" of Maine and finish up at Katahdin. I don't know what to do...hang with Pete, hike on alone or hang around/slow up to wait for my group of friends that are about 5 days behind now. This sucks...I do want to summit Katahdin with my friend, and honestly I am tired, my knee is struggling, and the thought of ending a little earlier than expected sounds pretty good. Decisions decisions...
Date: 2008-08-13
From: Gorham, NH

To: Full Goose Shelter
Miles today: 21.4
Weather: light rain

For now, I'm going to stick with Pete through Andover, ME. So, today holds the last few miles of New Hampshire...I wish it could have been better weather. I'm just going to have to come back sometime and do the Whites again. Pete and I got a ride back to the trail, but yellow-blazed about 9.8 miles to start out on Mt. Success. Mt. Success is a steep, muddy climb. I stepped in mud that was about 2 feet deep...that was fun. My shoe almost came off! It was actually clear and cool this morning, so the view wasn't too bad from the top. So the nicer weather was waiting for me to get out of the whites...great, thanks!! Then, I saw it...the sign for the Maine border. It was pretty surreal to stop and think about how far I have actually come. I mean I made it, I'm here, I'm in Maine. I still have lots to go, but I am here. I felt good...muddy, but good. The terrain is very rugged. My pace has slowed considerable the last few weeks, so the days are staying long, but the miles are lower. The first few miles of trail in Maine led over several treeless peaks with great 360 degree views...I was loving it. I stopped just north of the border for lunch on a nice open clearing to soak in the endless mountains that stretched out ahead of me. The descent down Mt. Carlo was a doozy...very steep and on a few occasions I had to drop the hiking pole and butt slide down a smooth rock face. Finally, a few hours later made it to the shelter and was glad to be there. I am worn out and starving. I met a whole new group of NOBO hikers, mostly an older crowd here. After the usual end of day chores, I called it a night pretty early...about 8 I was in my bag and ready to sleep!
Date: 2008-08-14
From: Full Goose Shelter

To: Grafton Notch
Miles today: 9.7
Weather: broken clouds

I slept great in the cool Maine air last night and woke up ready to go. Sea to Land showed up later last night and it was good to see him again and to see a familar face. Today I needed all my energy, because it was the notorious Mahoosuc Notch...the hardest mile of the whole trail. I was ready. After a steep descent into the notch, it was quite clear where the "mile" started...a stretch of boulders wedged into the bottom of a gorge. It was awesome. I strapped my trekking pole to my pack and got after it. Climbing over, under, through, and sliding down between boulders...it was crazy. At one point I had to take my pack off and push it in front of me as I crawled down into a cave-like gap between giant boulders. A moose had wondered into this area last year and got trapped down between the rocks with a broken leg. It died and was a big topic for the thru hikers last year. Luckily for me it was just a pile of bones now...but I can imagine it being pretty foul hiking past it last year! It took Pete and I 2 hours to negotiate the whole thing. I was physically and mentally worn out from meticulouly thinking about were my hands and feet and pack were the whole time! Lucky for me though, right after the notch is the Mahoosuc Arm, a very steep climb out of the Notch...great! I stopped at a nice stream for some lunch and a much needed break. Once to the top of the Arm, the views were amazing. I could literally stay here all day and stare off to the horizon...this is what its all about. This is why I am doing this...for moments like this. Hard work rewarded with breathtaking views. In the afternoon, I hiked past Speck Pond, the highest body of water in Maine and then up and over Old Speck Mountain. The climbing was tough, more scrambling than hiking, but man it was so worth it. I see now why the sign at the border said "Maine...the way life should be" .Once down in Grafton Notch, we got a ride and a cold beer from a couple of guys out camping for a week. That beer tasted so good after a long day. They gave us a ride to the Mahoosuc Lodge about 5 miles down the road. They have a very nice lodge with a bunk room there and Pete and I were the only ones there. I watch the sun set behind the mountains frm the deck...a perfect end to a great day.