morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2003-08-03
From: Graymoor Spiritual Life Center

To: Shenandoah Tenting Area
Miles today: 17.6

Got a good night's sleep at Graymoor's ballfield shelter and were pleased to wake up to a dry tent. It was just us & Sleepy Floyd heading out - Pipes & Phlegm, Torch & Superman were heading to the beach. Before she left, Pipes handed off the new Harry Potter to 42 -- awesome of her, but maybe she was just trying to unload 3 lbs? Regardless, 42 was psyched and willing to carry it. Moo also has added weight from the pair of jeans he got from the hiker box -- we are so not go-lite hikers! Btw, the jeans, which will become Moo's town jeans -- b/c cotton kills on the trail -- are size 34 waist, and big at that -- thought all you 40 at 40 players would be interested in that.We hit the trail at 9:00, with very humid weather. After about 5.5 miles, the skies opened up with a torrential downpour. The rain then lightened a bit, only to become torrential again shortly thereafter. That pattern continued throughout the day. We hadn't had rain like that since the Shenandoahs -- and guess what? Today we hiked up a mountan called Shenandoah Mountain! Coincidence? We think not.We took only one break, a quick lunch break, where we spent most of our time huddled over our food to keep it dry. No reason to break much in that kind of rain.We did also pause to pick some wild blueberries on top of Shenandoah Mtn -- yum! Despite the fact that we walked most of today's 17.6 miles in the rain, while fending off mosquitoes (what, rain alone wasn't enough???), we had a good day. At about 6:30pm, we came to a trail leading 0.1 mile to the Shenandoah Tenting Area. There was a shelter just over a mile later, and we thought we might prefer that b/c of all the rain, but we decided to check out the tenting area first. We're so glad we did -- it was fantastic! It was a grassy field with great tenting areas, a covered area with a couple of picnic tables, a water pump, and a privy. What could be better? We cooked up a great dinner of asparagus/ricotta tortellini with creamy tomato sauce. We set the tent up under the covered area so we wouldn't get drenched, and went to sleep to the sound of rain on the roof.We lost Sleepy Floyd somewhere along the way -- he was ahead of us and we're thinking he went on to the next shelter. Stay dry, Floyd!Good night.
Date: 2003-08-23
From: Manchester, VT

To: Manchester, VT
Miles today: 0.0

And yet another zero day!! We're in Manchester, VT, staying at 42's mom's house with mom & Harvey -- yea!!! It's been fun and relaxing. Mom & Harvey have been slack-packing us a bit, so we've been making some miles. Mostly we've enjoyed spending time with them and resting our bodies. 537.5 miles to Katahdin!
Date: 2003-08-29
From: West Hartford, VT--Randy&Linda's house

To: Hanover, NH--Dartmouth College
Miles today: 9.8
Weather: few clouds

Caught Sleepy Floyd and Blip having breakfast @ Rick & Tina's on our way out of West Hartford. Wonderful walk today with 42 and Camo (John Anzalone). Floyd and Blip caught us taking a break at the Happy Hill Shelter and joined us for the remaining 5.8 miles into New Hampshire, Hanover, Dartmouth College. Walking across the Connecticut River into Moo's alma mater college town was wonderful. Great to have Camo there with us.Met Professor Bruce on the green and headed to Bruce, Michele & Sofia's house.A huge thanks to Bruce, Michele & Sofia for EVERYTHING!!! We'll be updating this entry soon.
Date: 2003-09-01
From: Hanover, NH--Dartmouth College

To: Hanover, NH--Dartmouth College
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

Wonderful zero day in Hanover. Bid Camo farewell -- thinking about his grandma with love. 42 went into Hanover for a little shopping with Michele, sister Lisa & Sofia. Professor and Moo took the boat down to the Connecticut River, where Moo pulled the Prof on his slalom water ski. Moo steered clear of skiing and wakeboarding to avoid an AT-ending injury. Great views of Smarts and Cube from the river.Wonderful dinner out in Etna with Mollie "Momma" and Meg Carleton. Moo & 42 spent the night out at the Carleton house, with the chickens and the rooster.
Date: 2003-09-02
From: NH25A--Wentworth, NH

To: Mt. Mist vista (2220')
Miles today: 7.3

Mollie cooked us up a terrific breakfast, including eggs and the world-famous Carleton smoothies. Thanks Mollie & Meg for continuing to be our New Hampshire family.Marty & Alice Goldstein (mom & dad to Moo's Dartmouth buddy, Pete of San Fran) picked us up at the Carleton's at approx 9:30 am. They took us to the Food Coop and witnessed the delights and intricacies of trail resupply, then to the post office, then for a delicious lunch at Mai Thai. We finally hit the road for Wentworth in the early afternoon, parked their car on the side of NH25A and set out on the trail by -- oh, call it 3:30.Morning hikers, Marty & Alice, were great sports and hiked like professionals with us for about 1 hour before we bid them farewell and they headed back south to their car. Thanks Goldsteins for all you did for us and for making such a great effort to spend time with us and to understand the trail experience. We truly appreciate y'all!!
Date: 2003-09-09
From: Mt. Garfield northern ridge

To: Whitewall Mtn. Trail
Miles today: 11.5

Another gorgeous day in the Whites! Although last night was freezing, we had enough winter clothing, along with a new silk sleeping bag liner, to keep us warm. We got up early and hit the trail by 8:00. Hiked about 1.5 miles to the Galehead Shelter and stopped to check it out -- excellent setting, nestled in the mountains. Moo dried out our tent in the sunshine (it was a bit wet from condensation, not rain). We hiked up South Twin Mtn (4902') and got a great view of Franconia Ridge -- really neat to see the ridgeline we hiked yesterday.Hiked down a bit, then up Mt. Guyot (4560'), where we had lunch. Another great view. In addition to the views, being above treeline provides alpine terrain that is different from what we're used to -- very rocky, almost barren-looking, with some moss, and right near the treeline are tough, stubby pine trees -- feels almost like we're on a different planet. From atop Mt. Guyot, all we could see were the White Mountains surrounding us, with no signs of civilization.After lunch, we hiked back into the woods below treeline. Came to a sign pointing to Mt. Zealand, so we followed it to check out the view. "DISAPPOINTED!" -- there was no view -- about a tenth of a mile in, there was a sign reading "Zealand" surrounded by trees, but that was it. Hmph. Back to the trail.Came across Zeacliff Pond -- there really was a pond, very pretty. Hiked on to a great view point that jutted us out into the middle of the Whites and made us feel like we were floating among them. We could see Mt. Washington, still in the distance, but getting markedly closer. That's one big mountain we're gonna have to climb.Arrived at the Zealand Falls Hut at about 4:10. We weren't sure if we were going to stay or hike on, so we checked it out. Really nice, we could do "work for stay" (meaning we could stay and get dinner and breakfast for free in exchange for doing some work), and Sleepy Floyd was there, so we were very tempted to stay, but believe it or not, we moved on. We wouldn't be able to leave until 9:00 the next morning b/c of doing work for stay, and that would mess up our plans for hitting Mt. Washington. So we hiked on.The next few miles followed an old railroad bed and were blessedly flat, an anamoly in the Whites. After about 3 miles we found a great tent site. Moo had a delicious meat lasagna dinner while 42 enjoyed a tasty garlic & scallions noodle dish, both compliments of Gracefull, ME-GA '98 (aka Val Downes -- thanks Val!). We were in our tent by 7:30, ready for bed.Note: Fall is upon us! Today we started noticing lots of leaves changing colors -- beautiful reds and yellows, but what happened to summer?!
Date: 2003-09-12
From: Madison Hut

To: Wildcat Peak E trail
Miles today: 9.3

Amazing views from Mt. Madison. Then an intense climb down into Pinkham Notch -- at first a steep, rocky descent above treeline, then a slightly less steep climb once we got below treeline. Had a nice lunch by a brook with Blip & Iron Chef. Got to Pinkham Notch & met Blip's parents, who are so nice! Had some trail magic from them, thank you Mr. & Mrs. Blip. Although a lot of our friends were staying in Pinkham Notch for the night at a campground and eating in a restaurant, we decided to hike on, because we knew we'd have a late morning the next day if we stayed. We hiked in a bit and came upon a stealth campsite, but decided to go a bit further. The trail then started climbing up Wildcat Peak E . . . and kept climbing . . . and climbing. . . and the sun kept setting . . . we were starting to think about turning around (awful thought, b/c then we'd have to climb up again in the morning, yuck!) when the trail leveled out for just a bit, but enough so we could pitch our tent. Which we did, smack in the middle of the trail. We were close to a rock outcropping, so we were able to eat dinner on the outcropping with a great view of the mountains fading in the sunset.
Date: 2003-09-16
From: Trident Col Campsinte

To: Carlo Col Shelter & Campsite
Miles today: 10.1
Weather: mist

FROM RAIN TO MOOSE TO MAINE --Aaaaahhh!! Rain, rain & more rain!! We awoke to a hard, steady rain, making it tough to get out of our sleeping bags. It was especially difficult for 42, who was all cozied up in her new 15-degree bag. We were also worn out -- we had spent only one night in Gorham after 7 tough & wonderful days in the Whites, making yesterday our 8th consecutive hiking day.It was about 6:30 & we hadn't heard any movement among our fellow campers. Pipes & Phlegm were tenting right beside us; Sleepy Floyd and Torch & Superman were not too far away. Also @ the tentsite were Reason & Cruiser, Mr. Pumpy, Very Small Animal & The Dude.So we motivated & packed up our soaking wet tent & everything else in the rain & hit the trail by 8am, fully suited up in our rain gear. We were supposed to hike to Maine today, but we decided to play it by ear depending on the weather & our spirits.And we're walking -- the rain was coming down pretty steadily, the wind was blowing, the rocks were slippery, making for tough hiking & slow-going. But hey, we love the AT. Sleepy Floyd passed us a couple miles into the day & motored his way on by @ his usual quick pace.Within about a mile of the next shelter, Moo had hiked on ahead of 42 so he could have lunch ready upon her arrival. AND THEN ... drumroll please ... Moo heard a cracking noise (like a breaking branch) ahead somewhere. Moo began to hike slowly & quietly, trying not to scare away any wildlife -- and there she was, about 15 feet off the trail to the left -- momma (no antlers) moose, about the size of a big ole horse. Awesome -- our first moose -- Moo (note the word moo in moose) wanted 42 to see the moose, so he engaged it in conversation for awhile. Actually, the moose looked over @ Moo & went back to eating. The moose very methodically reached up for a tree branch, grabbed the branch in her mouth, snapped it down & eat the leaves & smaller branches. Moo was loving just watching momma moose feast & didn't even notice moose jr., further off the trail, until about 5 minutes later. Junior, quite a bit smaller than momma, was eating as well. Another 5 minutes passed when ! Moo heard 42 approaching -- as soon as Moo saw her, he motioned to her to come quickly & quietly -- 42 could tell that Moo was checking out something special. When 42 1st saw the momma moose, 42's jaw dropped & then she smiled a very satisfied "it's about time" smile. We watched together as momma moose ate, getting a kick out of observing the movements of her big snout & her jowly mouth. Momma let us watch for another 10 minutes, before moving away, further off the trail. Wild to catch some moose in NH.We arrived @ the Gentian Pond Shelter about 10 minutes later, having covered 4.9 miles in 4 hours --- yep, the terrain is still slowing us down.By the way, does anyone know what a "col" is?Later that day, it got even better than seeing a Moose -- we crossed from New Hampshire into Maine -- our 14th (and last) state and the way life should be!!!
Date: 2003-09-17
From: Carlo Col Shelter & Campsite

To: Mahoosuc Notch campsite
Miles today: 7.0

Woke up to a nice day but had to put on cold wet clothes from day before. YUCK. Hiked through Mahoosuc Notch -- oh my! Intense rock scramble for 1.1 miles, filed with boulders that we had to go over, under, around. We had to take off our packs a couple of times and pass them to each other to make it through certain areas. Hard to describe, except to say it took us 2 hours and 45 minutes to go 1.1 miles!
Date: 2003-09-25
From: Poplar Ridge stealth

To: South Branch of Carabasett River
Miles today: 11.4

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY TO US!! 6 months on the trail today -- wow!!Woke up this morning @ about 6:30, still in one piece, after what we're calling "the moose convention" late last night. We were awakened @ about 12:30am by all kinds of wild noises -- sounded like a whole bunch of moose marching through the area, sticks breaking, forest floor brush crunching, moose snorts & huffs sounding & other assorted never-been-he(a)rd-before noises -- no, we never did see 'em (fly was down on the tent), but we'd bet they were there.Started hiking by about 8:20 & after only 10 minutes, came upon Drinker & Batman, very funny brothers from Baltimore & Tampa Bay, respectively, who are out hiking from MA to ME. Drinker thru-hiked in '95.Hiked about a mile to the Orbeton Stream & were glad to see that the water was low enough that we could rock-hop across without having to officially ford -- never fun to get the boots soaked 1st thing in the morning -- & the folks in Maine seem to enjoy not building bridges over some of the more serious streams, brooks & rivers.Climbed the steep slope up to the old railroad bed, where Snot Rocket, Iceberg Slim, Sage, Iron Chef, Backdraft, Moose, Reason & Cruiser had all camped. We've been enjoying camping on our own in the middle of nowhere lately. Always very interesting, if not downright creepy & mysterious.We were both feeling tired today -- bodies are sore, collective 6-month sore -- but spirits are high. Bittersweet feelings lately as we begin to accept that our AT journey will come to a triumphant end in just a little more than 2 weeks. We also share the excitement of the "what's next" phases of our lives & look forward to diving in.Took a nice Twix bar break atop Lone Mtn after about 4 miles & a relaxing PB&J lunch break @ the Spaulding Mtn Lean-to after another 2 miles, dined with Iron Chef & Jason. Hiked on for another 3 miles to the intersection of the AT & the Sugarloaf Mtn summit trail. Decided to pass on a night in the Sugar Shack (Sugarloaf Ski Mtn allows thru-hikers to spend the night in a warming hut atop the mtn) -- it was only 3pm & we wanted to keep headin' North. Climbed down Sugarloaf's very steep, challenging & windy (exposed) trail -- lots of fun, but exhausting -- so we decided to cut the day about one mile earlier than planned, and set up camp on the North side of the South Branch of the Carabassett River.We're typing this journal entry on our pocketmail device from our tent -- it's about 9pm & we're about to go to bed. A steady rain is pitter-pattering on our tent, but hardly drowning out the sounds of the rapidly-flowing river. Lucky for us, we got our hiking, dinner (which we cooked & ate sitting on boulders in the river) & the always fun hanging-of-the-food-bag done before the rain arrived.
Date: 2003-09-26
From: South Branch of Carabasett River

To: Stratton, ME
Miles today: 8.4
Weather: few clouds

Nice day for hiking over the Crocker Mountains. Then into Stratton, where we stayed at the White Wolf Inn. Good lunch there. Picked up our mail -- Moo's dad had sent us a prayer book along with apples & honey to celebrate the new year -- probably one of the most unique packages a thru-hiker has gotten (a big thank you to Moo's dad). Happy New Year!
Date: 2003-09-27
From: Stratton, ME

To: Horns Pond Lean-to
Miles today: 5.1
Weather: overcast clouds

Happy New Year 5764 to all who observe Rosh Hashana, the Jewish New Year. This morning, we did something that's likely never been done before @ the White Wolf Inn -- we held a High Holiday service for two, complete w/ prayer book and apples & honey (to welcome in a sweet new year), sent by Moo's folks. Although we missed being w/ our families this year, we enjoyed our intimate time for worship & really had a chance to reflect both during our services and while hiking in the gorgeous Bigelow Mountain Range. We found it a very special way to spend this important holiday.We've found that religion builds strength in many ways. For example, Moo is getting stronger physically from the additional 2-pounds from the prayer book in his pack. We look forward to our Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement) observance somewhere in Maine's 100-mile wilderness.After our services, we packed up, checked out, grabbed a bite @ the Stratton Diner, & hit the trail by about 1:45, having given our bodies a good 24-hour hiking break. Thanks for the ride back to the trail, John.Hiked a beautiful 5 mile section of the Bigelow Range -- so lush w/ mosses & incredibly colorful as the leaves continue to change. It was wild hiking, with high winds blowing clouds & mist through the trees. No moose sightings today, although Moo is constantly looking & 42 is repeatedly sounding her special moose call, complete w/ gesticulations.We were able to make it to the shelter by about 5pm, without getting rained on -- but the wind is blowing strong & we're due to have rain tomorrow. In fact, the foul weather drove us into a shelter for the 1st time in months -- we love our tent & generally sleep in it in all kinds of weather, but decided to keep it dry on the 1st of several nights out.We're sharing the shelter w/ Sidetrack & Odyssey, both of whom we hadn't seen in months (since VA), & a section hiker named Nameless. Odyssey completed her '03 thru hike earlier this month & is keeping Sidetrack company as she completes her thru hike.Tomorrow we will hit another AT milestone -- the 2000-mile mark -- very exciting! Hard to believe that we're likely less than 2 weeks from Katahdin.
Date: 2003-09-28
From: Horns Pond Lean-to

To: Little Bigelow Lean-to
Miles today: 10.2
Weather: overcast clouds

We were really glad to be inside the shelter last night -- the wind was wild all through the night, sounding like the ocean and blowing mist all around. We slept along the back of the shelter to keep our down sleping bags as dry as possible. We woke up a lot from the sound of the wind, but were plenty warm.When we woke up, the weather wasn't much better but we rallied ourselves and hit the trail by 8am. We've heard that the Bigelow Mountain Range we were hiking over has amazing views, and there were tons of signs pointing out scenic viewpoints (one even said "excellent view"), but all we saw was a wall of white mist. The air was thick with mist, but it wasn't quite rain and it was strangely pleasant to hike in. We had some great climbs up Bigelow Mountain and Avery Peak -- although we didn't get good views (or any views at all), we enjoyed scrambling up the mountains. Those mountains, at 4145' and 4088' respectively, were our last climbs over 4000' until we hit Katahdin!After Avery Mountain (named for Myron Avery, one of the two key architects of the AT), we went below treeline. We were struck by the riot of colors -- every day the woods are turning more and more yellow, red, and orange, with breathtaking results. We came across a gigantic boulder, shaped with an overhang, that provided some shelter from the mist & light rain sprinkles, and we ate lunch under it. When 42 crafted our scrumptious PB&Js, we were very excited to make successful use of our new jelly bear, which is the now jelly-filled, bear-shaped honey container that Moo's folks had sent for the High Holidays.Then we hiked on over Little Bigelow Mountain. Some of the mist began to lift a bit and we caught glimpses of Flagstaff Lake, beautiful in the distance.When we arrived at the Little Bigelow Lean-to, our plan was to eat an early dinner then hike on a couple more hours. But as we went inside the shelter and took off our packs, the skies opened up, so we decided to stay at the shelter for the night -- our 2nd night in a row after so long without a shelter stay. We really can't explain how great it is to be inside when it's raining! Several other people have trickled in and the shelter's filling up -- we're here w/ Stocliff, Happy Feet, Popeye, Jingle & Texas Jack. Btw, this shelter is located at mile 2000.1 on the AT -- we've hiked more than 2000 miles!!! Can't really believe it. Only 172.5 to go -- it's both exciting and sad to think the end of our hike is coming up so quickly. We'll make sure our life adventure continues.
Date: 2003-09-29
From: Little Bigelow Lean-to

To: Pierce Pond Lean-to
Miles today: 17.3
Weather: scattered clouds

"When we get to the shelter, I'm having a handful of Oreos!" -- 42That was the declaration made by 42 approx 16+ miles into our 17+ day -- our 1st 17-mile day in nearly a month (since 8/30, when John "Camo" Anzalone hiked w/ us in NH). Today's terrain was much more tame than that of the last month & it felt good to knock out some big miles.We woke up dry again this morning, always nice, and saw a nice day, especially welcome after a night with much rain -- this shelter run is working out very well. Started hiking shortly after 7:30. Just under 4 miles into the day, we reached Long Falls Dam Road, a paved road that had a huge "2000 mi" painted in white in the middle of the road. Although we had technically reached the 2K mark yesterday, we couldn't resist lying in the road for a photo-op @ this spot, which was once (before certain trail-lengthening relocations) the official 2K marker. Thanks for snapping our picture, Happy Feet.Hiked another 3 and 1/2 miles to the West Carry Pond Lean-to -- Moo hiked a bit w/ Happy Feet, a very nice guy from Cambridge, MA. The 3 of us had lunch @ the shelter, sitting in & enjoying some noontime sun. The shelter was about 100 yards from a beautiful pond. The AT through Maine walks by so many ponds & lakes.After lunch, we muscled through another 10 miles, arriving @ the shelter by 6pm. It was a long day -- pretty walking through the colorful forest, but tough as well. Too bad we didn't have a nice day for yesterday's beautiful above-treeline Bigelow Range views, but we're glad to have one today.Pierce Pond Lean-to is set in a very pretty location -- just off the pond, w/ its open side facing the pond. We enjoyed the views as daylight gave way to night. Clover was right on the money when she said that this was her favorite shelter on the AT. (We met Clover & Sprout, now Snort, our 1st day on the trail &, due to their fast hiking ability, never saw them again -- until we were reunited w/ Clover back @ the Cabin in Andover, where Clover was spending some R&R time after her hike. Great to see you again, Clover & thanks for the Pierce Pond recommendation.)With the exception of a very brief drizzle earlier today, it appeared that the rain had gone. We were looking forward to pitching the tent, but shortly after we joined Happy Feet @ the shelter, the skies let down a bit of rain, so we decided to make it 3 consecutive shelter nights.Just around the bend in the pond's shoreline is the Harrison Camp, a fishermen's sporting lodge. The Harrisons allow thru hikers to partake of the very large pancake breakfast they serve each morning, so we're looking forward to a hearty start to our day.Folks have been relaying reports of wintery weather for Thursday. We hope that's some faulty info, but we'll be ready in any event.