morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2004-08-19
From: Wills Inn; Bartlett, NH

To: Carter Notch Hut
Miles today: 5.0
Weather: fog

The lady rector didn¢t show up this morning. I waited ten minutes, then hit the road. I got a ride immediately.Had an A.Y.C.E. (all you can eat) breakfast at the Pinkham Notch Visitors Center. I needed all those calories from last night (pizza and hot fudge sundae) and this morning to get me through today.The guidebook says that ¢hiking across this section is extremely strenuous.¢ Actually, it¢s a 21.1 mile stretch from Pinkham Notch to near Gorham that takes three days to complete (for me, at least).It was a long, steep uphill at the beginning and a long, steep downhill at the end. In between, it was a roller coaster. The whole thing was rock-hopping -- brutal! Many of the rocks were wet -- I fell twice -- no harm done.It was a climb up Wildcat Mountain, which has five peaks. They¢re named (see if you can detect the pattern here) E, D, C, B, and A (south to north). E and A (the highest, 4380 feet) would¢ve had great views, but it was cloudy and gloomy all day. Not a thing worth remembering.Carter Notch Hut is different in that they don¢t provide meals. Also, the bunk houses (two) are separate from the kitchen/dining building. I¢m doing work for stay again. There are vacant bunks here, so I get to sleep on a mattress!
Date: 2004-08-20
From: Carter Notch Hut

To: Imp Shelter
Miles today: 7.2
Weather: fog

Hiked 8:15-2:30. Discouraging day, in a way. I felt so good, but couldn¢t turn in any kind of mileage. I suppose it was a combination of ascents and descents, along with my not yet being in hiking condition. I wanted to go farther, but the next campsite was six miles away over some severe ups and downs, so I knew I wouldn¢t make it.One of the problems with the White Mountains is lack of campsites on the A.T. If you don¢t stay in the huts, you don¢t have many options. Some people use ¢stealth¢ campsites (secret, illegal ones), but I don¢t know where those are. The terrain is so hilly and rocky, I see very few places where I could put up my tent, even if it were legal.Today¢s hiking was better than yesterday¢s -- some lovely views and some decent footing. Carter Dome was the high point -- 4832 feet. Some severe climbing and descending. The last descent was in the rain and was one of the most treacherous I¢ve ever done in my life. Scary!I practically slept the clock around last night, having a mattress and being so tired. There were about 60 people at Carter Notch Hut (capacity is 100), five in my room. No other thru-hikers.
Date: 2004-08-21
From: Imp Shelter

To: Top Notch Motor Inn; Gorham, NH
Miles today: 8.9
Weather: fog

(Another missing page to the journal here, so I¢m operating from memory. I recall that the hiking from Imp Shelter to Route 2 was very hard in the beginning, very easy the last mile or so. I easily got a ride for the short distance into Gorham.)
Date: 2004-08-22
From: Top Notch Motor Inn; Gorham, NH

To: Top Notch Motor Inn; Gorham, NH
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: few clouds

Beautiful day -- hardly a cloud in the sky. Would¢ve been an unusually good day to hike, but I know what my body needs -- food and rest.I spent yesterday afternoon and today eating, sleeping, and watching the Olympics -- wonderful!I¢m eager to start on those last 16.5 miles to the Maine border, though. That¢ll be a great milestone to have reached. Back on the trail early tomorrow morning. More tough, tough hiking. Can¢t wait!
Date: 2004-08-23
From: Top Notch Motor Inn; Gorham, NH

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

Hiked 7:00-4:30. I¢m 4.7 miles from Maine -- that¢s the important thing. Some SOBO¢s here at the shelter say I face some very tough miles tomorrow.Today¢s miles, though, weren¢t that tough. I¢m just not in shape yet. I hope to get there soon. I¢m so tired -- and shouldn¢t be.Weather today was lovely. Lots of variety -- forest hiking, ponds, great views. Lots of ups and downs (of course), but never got above about 2800 feet. Lots of moose signs. I thought I saw a moose near Moss Pond, but can¢t be sure, so I¢m not counting it.Not much of the real treacherous stuff today, but lots of roots, rocks, and mud. I¢m not saying it was wet out there, but I saw several frogs swimming the trail (all southbounders, I believe).The view from this shelter is fantastic. There¢s also a pond next to it, so I hope to see a moose later. (I didn¢t.)Tomorrow I enter the notorious Mahoosuc Range, said to be even tougher than the White Mountains. Fortunately, it¢s only 31 miles, including the infamous Mahoosuc Notch, the toughest mile, by far, on the A.T. I expect to spend four days on this 31 miles.After one week back on the trail, I¢m greatly encouraged. I¢ve been really slow, but in very little pain (compared to last year at this point).
Date: 2004-08-24
From: Gentian Pond Shelter

To: Full Goose Shelter (Maine)
Miles today: 9.6
Weather: clear sky

(That¢s the name of the shelter -- it¢s not full.) Hiked 6:30-4:00. What a day! I¢ll never forget this one. I was warned several times about the toughness of the Mahoosuc Range, and today I found out. It was the scariest terrain I¢ve ever done!Lots of really treacherous descents, made worse by last night¢s rain. Places where one slip or misstep, and your fate is in God¢s hands. Rosie, you may not want to read this next part.I took two bad falls because of the wetness -- both in horrible places. On the first one, I fell into a crevasse. I don¢t know how deep it was because one foot unbelievably landed on a three-inch protrusion and stopped my fall. If it hadn¢t, at best I would¢ve suffered some painful abrasions.On the second one, I went head over heels down a slippery slanted rock and landed about five feet lower on my back on a flat rock. Again, unbelievably, no harm done. Thank you, prayer partners!There were a lot of near misses, too. It was a gorgeous day, though, with almost continuous fine views. If you wanted to see the A.T. at its most beautiful and most treacherous, this would be the stretch to hike.There¢s more good news (besides the fact that I¢m unhurt) -- I¢m in Maine! Only one more state (albeit a 281.4 mile one) to go.Nine guys in the shelter last night, three of them overly talkative late at night. Tonight, for the first time, there¢s no threat of rain, so I¢m sleeping in my tarp. Nobody will disturb me, and I won¢t disturb anybody else. No battle for cooking space, storage space, or moving space. Nice!Tomorrow, the infamous Mahoosuc Notch -- by far the toughest mile on the A.T. Perhaps I can describe it for you tomorrow night.Georgia to Maine -- that was the objective, wasn¢t it? I¢ve done that. May I come home now? Didn¢t think so.
Date: 2004-08-25
From: Full Goose Shelter (Maine)

To: Bull Moose Campground & Lodge (Maine)
Miles today: 9.7

Hiked 6:45-6:30. Would you like to hear about my day? Probably not.Mahoosuc Notch took me 2 1/2 hours (one mile). The Notch is a narrow canyon full of boulders that you must find your way over, around, and through. Four times I had to remove my pack and shove it through a tiny hole ahead of me!Many treacherous steps and leaps. In fact, I fell twice and have scabs on my right wrist and right shin to show for it. Also, a blood blister on my right pinky and an abrasion on my left forearm. No fun!After that, there were lots of ups and downs and beautiful views.Milestones: (1) I¢m finished with the extremely difficult Mahoosuc Range -- 31.1 miles long, and (2) passed the 1900-mile mark.Hopefully, tomorrow for the first time this year I¢ll be back to normal mountain hiking -- not all of this life-and-death stuff. I¢ll tell ya¢ this -- the terrain better get easier and/or I¢d better speed up -- or Katahdin will take a long time!I reached Grafton Notch (Maine Route 26) at 6:30, intending to hitchhike here. There¢s very little traffic on Route 26 and none of it interested in giving me a lift. I planned to go into the woods at 7:30 to set up camp if I didn¢t get a ride. At 7:30 a young couple whom I¢d talked to on the trail came down from their day hike and gave me a ride. This is a very rustic little hunter¢s cabin in the middle of nowhere. Also has a restaurant!
Date: 2004-08-26
From: Bull Moose Campground & Lodge (Maine)

To: Guesthouse; Andover, ME
Miles today: 10.3
Weather: scattered clouds

Hiked 10:00-6:30. Another gorgeous day with magnificent views. Got the late start because I had to thumb for two hours before getting a ride. The roads have very little traffic here -- and the people aren¢t friendly.The hiking got a lot more ¢civilized¢ today. Even had quite a bit of level hiking on duff (pine needles, leaves, etc.) -- very nice, unlike anything in the Whites or Mahoosucs.I had a huge climb up Bald Pate Mountain (which was worth it) and a painful descent from there.A lot of the ascents/descents the past few days have been sloping rocks. I expect in these mountains, if you scrape away a few inches of soil, you get solid rock, which is how much of the trail seems to have been formed. Now that¢s fine if the rock is dry and not sloping too much and you¢re going uphill. Otherwise, it can result in some painful falls, to which I can personally attest. The more cautious hikers (I being one) will venture off the trail for safe footing and trees to grab hold of; thus, the flora gets damaged a lot. Human nature -- you make the trail dangerous, people will do whatever it takes to be safe. Tough beans.Speaking of rocks, there are a lot of little pieces of what looks like broken mirrors -- some imbedded in the rock and some not. I¢m told this mirror-like stuff is called mica. Until I learned that, I just took it for granite (hee-hee).
Date: 2004-08-27
From: Guesthouse; Andover, ME

To: The Cabins Hostel (near Andover, Maine)
Miles today: 10.1
Weather: broken clouds

Hiked 8:45-4:45. Oh, man, what a discouraging day! I intended to go a few more miles, but Moody Mountain totally did me in. It wasn¢t that high, but so vertical and so tough. By the time I got to South Arm Road, there was a guy there whom I¢d met on the trail, and he had a van, so he brought me here. What a great break for me! Four hikers here, and we have the run of the place (basement) -- TV, refrigerator, laundry room -- plus supper, breakfast, and shuttle back to the trail. The couple who run it are so nice, too!Weather was hot and very humid. I think the sunny weather is about to end.I¢ve mentioned this before, but there¢s a whole trail culture that most of the thru-hikers (not me) are a member of -- also lots of section hikers. They¢re almost totally uninterested in the ¢outside world¢ -- and they keep track as much as possible of all of the trail names -- and where those people are. All three of the others here are a part of that -- including a single, fifty-something female section hiker. That stuff absolutely bores me to death.Here¢s an interesting fact about the trail in Maine. It has seven sections of approximately equal length, and the following elevation gains (in feet). I don¢t know what ¢elevation gain¢ means, but it indicates the toughness somewhat. Section 7 (where I am now) -- 18,800Section 6 -- 11,200Section 5 -- 7700Section 4 -- 4500Section 3 -- 5100Section 2 -- 4800Section 1 (which includes Katahdin) -- 7100.It looks to me like things will get easier soon. Sure hope so. Am I ever tired!
Date: 2004-08-28
From: The Cabins Hostel (near Andover, Maine)

To: North of Maine Route 17
Miles today: 13.8

Hiked 7:15-6:45. The shelters were at 8.7 miles and 19.0 miles, so it was a ¢tweener for me. I found no suitable campsite, so just walked until I was too tired to go farther. There¢s no water here, so no cooking tonight. Bummer!Here¢s another observation on the A.T. culture. Last night was a big night at the Olympics -- track relays, etc. -- all kinds of exciting stuff. I was watching it on TV when I got a phone call. When I returned, the other three hikers had put on a movie. They weren¢t even interested in the Olympics! Unbelievable.Great supper last night and even greater breakfast today (eggs, bacon, pancakes, fried potatoes, cantaloupe, biscuits, juice, coffee). Hiking today was typical -- up and down, up and down, up and down. A huge climb up Big Blue Mountain in the morning, but no view (fog). Some great views in the afternoon after the fog cleared off. Every day there¢s been at least one big mountain to climb. There are four more (Saddleback, Spaulding, Crocker, and Bigelow) before I reach the much flatter lake country. That will be a huge milestone -- probably five or six days from now, depending upon whether I take a zero day in Rangeley day after tomorrow. (There are no big mountains tomorrow, for the first time on this trip.)Lots of ripe blueberries on the mountain tops -- yummy!
Date: 2004-08-29
From: North of Maine Route 17

To: Town and Lakes Motel; Rangeley, Maine
Miles today: 12.6

Hiked 7:00-2:45. Today¢s hike was relatively level, but I was slipping and sliding on wet roots and in black mud all day. It rained last night and part of the morning before clearing off.No mountain top views today, but several ponds (some quite large -- we¢d call ¢em ¢lakes¢ in Ohio). Very ¢moosey¢ country. Lots of moose tracks and moose droppings, but haven¢t seen a one yet. I heard one running away from me last night, but can¢t count that.I¢ve been on the trail for two weeks now, and I must admit it¢s been the hardest two weeks of physical exertion in my whole life. By the time I make journal entries, I¢m always nestled comfortably in a shelter, tent (tarp), hostel, or motel, so I¢m feeling pretty good. During the day, though, I have to tell you there are lots of exhausted and/or scary and/or depressing moments.After a much-needed zero day tomorrow, I only see four more days of horrendous climbing and descending (until the very last day, of course), so I should be able to tolerate that.The thru-hikers are now starting to estimate their day for ¢summiting.¢ ¢Summiting¢ means climbing Katahdin to finish the hike. There are too many ifs for me to give an accurate guess, but I¢ll say September 18 as the best bet. I¢ll just be ecstatic to get there, regardless of when. I visualize my phone call home to tell Rosie, ¢We made it!¢ -- that¢s the main thing that keeps me motivated.
Date: 2004-08-30
From: Town and Lakes Motel; Rangeley, Maine

To: Town and Lakes Motel; Rangeley, Maine
Miles today: 0.0

Just a normal zero day -- reading, sleeping, eating, calling home, watching TV (U.S. Open tennis), and picking up my mail. My room looks out on the lake -- lovely! It rained last night and has been mostly cloudy.It¢s supposed to rain tomorrow morning, then clear off for a few days. I¢m eager to finish off those last four mountains. I know it¢ll be tough, but it¢ll be such a relief!
Date: 2004-08-31
From: Town and Lakes Motel; Rangeley, Maine

To: Orbeton Stream
Miles today: 13.4

Hiked 7:00-6:15. Lots of variety today. Saw a moose (female) during the first 15 minutes on the trail!It was raining as I approached the end of the long haul up Saddleback Mountain. Not only that, but above tree line there was a gale force wind -- and it was cold. Couldn¢t see 100 feet, let alone any of the spectacular views from up there. I couldn¢t control my step, the wind being so strong. I was scared!By about noon, though, after coming down from Saddleback, the weather cleared up and was beautiful from then on. Great view from Saddleback Junior.There was a lean-to (they call them ¢lean-to¢s¢ in Maine, ¢shelters¢ everywhere else) at 10.1, but I felt so good, I decided to push on, and here I am, camped in the middle of nowhere. Logistically, it fits, though -- will get me to a designated campsite at 11.5 miles tomorrow and out to Stratton (7.3 miles) at a reasonable time day after tomorrow (Thursday).The fastener on one of my gaiters broke this morning, so I had to leave them at the motel. I doubt I¢ll be in a position to get replacements between now and the end. Too bad! Lots of crud in my boots and socks tonight.
Date: 2004-09-01
From: Orbeton Stream

To: Crocker Cirque Tentsite
Miles today: 11.5

Hiked 7:00-4:15. Pretty typical day -- great weather, lots of spectacular views, big ascent in the morning, treacherous descent at the end, and a roller coaster in between. The biggie was Spaulding Mountain, but there were also great views of Sugarloaf Mountain (famous ski resort). Quite a few day hikers, because this is a very scenic section.I had my first ¢ford¢ this morning. In Maine, unlike any other state, if a stream is too big to rock-hop, tough beans. You ford right through it -- no bridges. For me, this means temporarily replacing my boots with Tevas to cross, then back on with the boots. A hassle.This part of Maine is pretty wild. No big towns at all. Rangeley, for example, is a major town, and its full-time population is about 1500. This is big-time timber country, though only a tiny percentage of the forest is cut at any one time.I like Maine a lot so far -- probably because of the combination of weather and great views -- and the moose. I¢m now within 200 miles of Katahdin!
Date: 2004-09-02
From: Crocker Cirque Tentsite

To: White Wolf Inn; Stratton, Maine
Miles today: 7.3

Hiked 6:45-12:30. Ho-hum. Another perfect weather day -- cool (actually cold last night -- around freezing) and cloudless. The usual big ascent (Crocker Mountain -- no views -- because of trees) and descent at the end to Maine Route 27. Not that tough -- I still can¢t understand why I¢m so slow!Anyway, there¢s only one big mountain (Bigelow) to go (except for Katahdin), and that will be tomorrow. So tomorrow night I will have passed a big milestone and will settle into an entirely different type of hiking. There will still be the occasional mountain (though not very high). Lots of pretty level hiking, lots of streams and lakes. Very muddy, I¢ll bet. It¢ll be interesting to see how my mileage is affected.
Date: 2004-09-03
From: White Wolf Inn; Stratton, Maine

To: Safford Notch Campsite
Miles today: 10.4
Weather: clear sky

Hiked 8:00-5:15. I know you¢re tired of hearing this -- great weather (sunny, cool), long arduous uphill at the beginning, long knee-bashing downhill at the end, a roller coaster in between. Everything, though, was extreme today. This was Bigelow Mountain, which had a longer ascent and longer descent than most, and perhaps the most spectacular views on the A.T. Much like the White Mountains, but with lots of lakes. I hope the photos do it justice.So I¢ve reached a big milestone -- the last of the really tough mountains (until Katahdin). I¢ve been on the trail 17 days (not including two zero days), and every one has been super demanding physically. There are still some mountains to ascend and descend, but not the long, long, steep, steep ones. Tomorrow has quite a few very moderate ups and downs. There will be some days coming up with almost no elevation change. Yay!Today I skinned both shins and my right elbow. I¢m a mess.
Date: 2004-09-04
From: Safford Notch Campsite

To: East Carry Pond
Miles today: 16.3

Hiked 7:00-4:30. I passed the 2000-mile mark today!Also met the famous (in backpacking circles) One-Leg. He¢s attempting to thru-hike the A.T. this year. He went from Springer Mountain (GA) to Harper¢s Ferry (WV) -- then flip-flopped to Katahdin and started south, knowing that was the only way the seasons would allow him to finish this year. (I don¢t believe, at his pace, he¢ll be able to finish anyway.) His adventure has been covered in Backpacker Magazine, and I¢ve been following his journal on the Internet. He sounded pretty discouraged today (and I think this is hard for me!).Today¢s route included a lot of ups and downs (until the last five miles), but no really steep ones. Still, it¢s much more tiring than level hiking.I walked on the shores of three lakes (most of them are called ¢ponds¢ in New England) -- Flagstaff Lake (big!), West Carry Pond, and East Carry Pond. These are lovely -- and very remote -- almost no boats or cabins on them.There was a campsite and lean-to at 12.2 miles, but that would have left me 13.7 miles from the Kennebec River (too far), so I marched on to here, only 9.6 miles from the river. The deal on that is that the only way to cross the Kennebec is by ferry. The ¢ferry¢ is a canoe that operates from 9:00 to 11:00 and from 2:00 to 4:00 every day. You may ask ¢Why don¢t they build a bridge for the hikers?¢ Remember -- this is Maine. (Where do you think the word ¢maniac¢ came from?)Nice weather this afternoon -- foggy and cold on Little Bigelow this morning, though, so no views. Too bad! This lake country is just magnifique!
Date: 2004-09-05
From: East Carry Pond

To: Northern Outdoors Center; Caratunk, ME
Miles today: 9.9
Weather: overcast clouds

Hiked 6:45-12:15 and 2:30-2:45. That 2 1/4 hour break in there was for the ferry wait (doesn¢t start until 2:00) and ride.Mostly flat hiking today, but lots of rocks, roots and mud to slow you down and aggravate you. Nice weather again.I found out something interesting today. Hiking with One-Leg yesterday was an overweight, middle-aged guy with a cigarette hanging out of his mouth. I thought he must be one of the volunteers who help One-Leg -- probably doesn¢t know what he¢s getting into. I was very wrong! He was one of the most famous A.T. figures in history -- Baltimore Jack. B. J. has hiked the A.T. several times and now may pop up on it at any place at any time. He¢s pretty much a full-time backpacker (at least from March to October), with no known means of financial support.There are other odd people who seem to pretty much live for the A.T., but he¢s really famous. I¢ve heard his name many times, but didn¢t know who he was until today, when another hiker told me. This A.T. is a world unto itself.Today I met another famous A.T. personality, Steve Longley, the canoeist who ferries people across the Kennebec (a big-time rafting river). He¢s been doing this for 16 years, I¢m told. It used to be that A.T. hikers had to ford the Kennebec, but one of them drowned in 1985, and, since then, ferry service has been provided. Steve is one of the world¢s nicest guys.This place I¢m staying is a big rafting center and bar (famous for its micro brews) -- could be a noisy holiday eve. I found out there are no groceries around, so I had to hitch a five-mile ride north to a little general store in the middle of nowhere to buy food for my three-day trek to Monson. Got a ride immediately, and the same guy brought me back. Unable to find a newspaper anywhere, so I still don¢t know what¢s going on in the world. I presume that Hurricane Frances (Francis?) has wreaked its havoc on Florida and will send some rain our way soon. Hope not.Saw a deer today -- first one on this year¢s trek.
Date: 2004-09-06
From: Northern Outdoors Center; Caratunk, ME

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

Hiked 7:45-4:45. Six easy miles at the beginning and 3 1/2 easy miles at the end, but 5.2 miserable miles in between. Hard on the knees.I¢m pretty sure I saw Katahdin today! On a clear day you¢re supposed to be able to see it from the top of Pleasant Pond Mountain, and it was a clear day.The squirrels up here are cool. Not as big as the squirrels back home, but bigger than chipmunks. I think they like hikers. As I¢m approaching, they go into the ¢ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch¢ rage, but they always come out really close to the trail to check me out.Now that the trail is a little more user-friendly (unlike the Whites and the Mahoosucs), I can sometimes use my backwards hiking technique on the downhills (if every foot plant doesn¢t have to be precise). I was doing this yesterday when a southbounder approached. Seeing that side of me, he assumed I was a southbounder, too. I had to explain that I was a NOBO, but my ¢southside¢ precedes me on some of the descents.Trail magic today! Next to a logging road, a cooler full of ice, Pepsi, and Sunkist Orange. All were empties, though, except for one can of Pepsi. A better man would have left that ice cold Pepsi for the next hiker...