morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2013-08-03
From: Hexacuba Shelter

To: Glencliff, NH: Hikers Welcome Hostel 
Miles today: 14.8

8/3 Happy birthday Ty. The day started out with a rocky climb up Mt Cube. The views were pretty good up there. As a bonus there was an endless feast of wild blueberries. He is a view looking back at Smarts Mountain from Cube. As I've posted before, it never ceases to amaze me of the distance we travel. I took a turn at the Ore Hill Shelter sign fully knowing this hostel had burned down in 2011. There is a pile of wood and supplies on site. At first I thought it was for rebuilding the shelter but I guess it is for the privy. Later on I saw a slight side trail to my right. For whatever reason I decided to take a look. What I found was a picturesque pond. I suspect I will be seeing a lot of these in Maine. My hiking day ended at Hikers Welcome Hostel. I had Sa mail me a new pair of shoes, my winter down jacket, and my Tilley Hat to this location. This hostel has a nice setup with pretty much everything a hiker needs. I will be slackpacking back to this hostel tomorrow. 9:19 duration 3058 ascent 4157 descent
Date: 2013-08-04
From: Kinsman Notch

To: Glencliff, NH: Hikers Welcome Hostel 
Miles today: 9.3

8/4Awoke to the smell of breakfast cooking downstairs. Bacon, eggs, and blueberry pancakes were just waiting. After breakfast I was driven to a point a bit less than 10 miles north. Today would mark my 5th month on the trail. My 5th month would begin with me hiking in the White Mountains. Mt Moosilauke would be the first challenge. This would be my first venture above 4K since Virginia, and at 4802', well above 4K. With a chance of rain in the forecast I chose to hike it southbound, the reason being the north side of the mountain is VERY steep. Going down something that steep in the rain would not be good for me. That meant I would be hiking up the steep side. This would be steeper and longer than any climb I have ever done. At 9:30 I was off. I collapsed my poles and stowed them on the side of my pack. I needed my hands to grab rocks, roots, trees, etc. I'm used to hiking around young thruhikers. They just pass me right and left. I'm used to it. Being that today is Sunday there were a lot of day hikers on the trail. It was a boost to the ego to pass most of them on the way up. I guess after 1800 miles and five months I am in pretty dang good hiking shape. The climb really didn't phase me. In some odd way the steeper trail seemed easier to me than a trail slightly less steep. I can't explain it. Climbing with fresh "morning legs" helped. The trail follows a stream up the mountain. We basically are hiking next to an extended waterfall much of the way. The trail has many areas with wooden steps bolted to the rock. Without these steps the trail would be virtually unhikeably steep. At about 3500' is started to drizzle. Nooooo. By 4000' it was pouring and the trail became a river. I stopped before tree line in a hope the rain would blow over. It wouldn't. In a lull in the rain I ventured above tree line. Shortly afterwards the rain picked up, the winds howled, and the temps dropped. By the time I reached the summit it was hailing with thunder. Great, I'm at 4800' with lightning around. I had a day hiker snap a quick picture of me and I was off. You can see how the wind is blowing my beard. I like this pic. Now the daunting task of hiking down over 3500' over wet rocks and wet roots...my personal nightmare. I took it very slow and deliberate. A fall here would be ugly. Somehow I managed to keep my concentration and made it to the bottom without a fall. If the day's hike wasn't a highlight enough, when I got to the hostel I was greeted by Army Ant, Coach Lou, and Oz. What a M¶tley Crew we make. Oh, I'm wearing hostel "loaner" shorts while my clothes are in the wash. 6:52 duration 3468 ascent 4209 descent
Date: 2013-08-05
From: Kinsman Gap

To: Eliza Brook Shelter
Miles today: 7.5

8/5Managed to sleep so well that I missed most of breakfast. The beacon and eggs were gone but I still got my fill of pancakes. The hostel driver had me on the trail a bit after 9. Time wasn't an issue since my plan only called for 7.5 miles. I have buddies that slackpacked the 16 miles from Kinsman Notch to Franconia Notch. It doesn't look that bad on paper but it was a LONG day for them. Based on their experiences I decided to break the 16-mile section into two days. The hike today was indeed rugged. The rains from yesterday turned the trail into a muddy, slippery mess. So far, for me, The Whites have been 20 times more muddy than Vermont. Here is a pic of the mud. I wasn't alone on the trail today. I had a couple critters blazing the trail for me. A little lesson on roots, since much of my day today revolved around them. Wet roots are just about the most slippery thing on the trail. "Vertical" roots, ones lined up with the direction you are walking, need to be avoided at all cost. Unfortunately these guys can be hiding just under the dirt/mud. Stepping on one almost assuredly will cause a slip, if not a fall. "Horizontal" roots, ones going sideways, can come in handy as a stepping point. Just don't put any sideways pressure on them. Roots that fall somewhere in between are hard to judge but usually best to avoid. Horizontal and vertical roots. At the shelter area with me tonight is Raider. Raider is a retired Command Sergeant Major from the Marines. He normally hikes way more miles than myself. But, he is recovering from a broken leg so that just might even things out a bit. We spent a couple hours talking HS football. Time well spent as far as I'm concerned. 5:48 duration 2507 ascent 2028 descent
Date: 2013-08-06
From: Eliza Brook Shelter

To: Franconia Notch
Miles today: 8.8

8/6After writing yesterday's entry things really picked up at the shelter. We ended up with nearly 25 folks in the shelter area. Oddly only three chose to sleep in the shelter itself. The hiking day started with a 2000' climb up South Kinsman. This was one tough climb. Much of it was more akin to a Class III climb than hiking. I would often have to throw my trekking poles over an obstacle and use my hands to pull myself up. Roots, rocks, and trees were used as handholds. There were no rebar nor fixed aids as was common on Moosilauke. As is common in The Whites, there were great rewards for the effort. The views from S and N Kinsmans were what I expected, stunning. The climb down from N Kinsman did have some fixed steps in steep areas. There still were a few areas where I chose to sit down and slide down some rocks. I may need some new pants if there are a lot of these obstacles up the trail. I visited my first Hut later in the day. The AMC manages a hut system in The Whites. As soon as I walked in the door I was offered some "cheesy potato soup". I accepted. The huts complicate things for a thruhiker. I am still trying to figure out how to play it. One thing for sure, if the views from the other huts are like the views from Lonesome Lake Hut, they sure know where to place em. Here's a view of Franconia Ridge with Lonesome Lake in the foreground. 7:46 duration 2444 ascent 3323 descent
Date: 2013-08-07
From: Franconia Notch

To: Franconia Notch
Miles today: 0.0

8/7I looked closely at the weather forecast. It looks good today but rain and poor visibility for Thurs and Fri (8/8-9). My next section is said to have spectacular views. The weather window after Friday looks great. I don't want to hike through this area in a cloud. So, I'm taking a zero for at least today and tomorrow. I want great weather for Franconia Ridge. I may only get to see this place once.
Date: 2013-08-09
From: Franconia Notch

To: Liberty Spring Campsite 
Miles today: 2.9

8/9Poured rain all day. Normally I would never leave my motel under these conditions. But I have a reservation at Galehead Hut for tomorrow night. Dinner is at 6 and for what they charge I'm not gonna miss it. Ten miles should be easy by 6 tomorrow. Thirteen miles might be tough. I wanted to knock out the bulk of the climb to Franconia Ridge today no matter what the weather. The weather for tomorrow looks perfect so I sacrificed much of the past three days just for good views from Franconia Ridge. The plan better work or I wasted a lot of time. I thought I had been told the climb out of Franconia Notch was harder than S Kinsman. Not a chance, at least to this campsite. It was just a normal, steep, 2500' climb. It wasn't one of those rock scrambles where you have to throw your poles up and over an obstacle, and use your hands to pull yourself up. I got to the campsite ridiculously early, about 1:30. Had I known the climb was so routine I would have started much later or even waited til tomorrow. Oh, well. I set up my tent on one of those wooden platforms during a relentless, pouring rain. The rain is not suppose to stop until well after dark. It was a struggle to keep the inside of the tent dry while setting up. I'm glad it's not too cold as I don't want delay unpacking my dry clothes and sleeping bag. This is a pay campsite and the caretaker is not here yet. I got a lot of time to kill between now and sack time. It's time to put a big dent in an audiobook. 2:15 duration 2805 ascent 446 descent
Date: 2013-08-10
From: Liberty Spring Campsite 

To: Galehead Hut
Miles today: 10.1

8/10The rains ended early in the evening and I had an uneventful night's sleep. By morning the winds had picked up to the point of actually shifting some of the rocks I had used to tie out my tent. I then remembered that I was going to be hiking above tree line later in the morning. This could get interesting. I checked the caretaker's tent before leaving and he was there. He had waited for the rain to end before hiking up. I handed him $8 and started my hike. Once I got to Little Haystack Mountain I was above tree line. The view of Mt Lincoln was nice, when the clouds cooperated. In a rarity for the AT you could see the trail for a long way ahead of you. Once at Lincoln the clouds moved in thick. The winds were fierce. I so wanted an uninstructed view of the ridge to Mt Lafayette. I waited, and waited and finally I got what I was hoping for, clear skies. It was glorious. Once on Lafayette the views were 360. You could see the whole trail that you had just walked. A bunch of us lingered at the summit and had lunch. We hunkered down behind some rocks to get out of the wind. Once leaving Lafayette the winds got insane. I have never experienced such winds in my life. At one point the wind knocked me over. It was hard enough descending Lafayette without getting blown all over the place. It was a relief to get below tree line and out of the wind. The hiking actually got harder but at least your foot landed where you were aiming. Mt Garfield was the last mountain on the day. From there I could see the mountains I had climbed earlier. The descent off of Garfield was brutal. At times it was pretty much hiking down a waterfall. Seriously, who puts a trail there. The rest of the day was just tedious PUDS (pointless ups and downs). By the end it was really wearing on me. I was spent but I made it to Galehead Hut in time for dinner. Those 10 miles today were easily the toughest 10 miles I have ever hiked. It felt like 20+ easily. Even the young guys were tired. I honestly don't think I could have hiked this section, and finished in daylight, as a section hiker. It was hard work. But, it was the best 10 miles I have ever hiked on the AT. I would have to say this day has been my best one so far. My plan to take two zeros for great weather paid off. I love it when a plan comes together. 9:42 duration 5591 ascent 5696 descent
Date: 2013-08-11
From: Galehead Hut

To: Ethan Pond Campsite
Miles today: 11.8

8/11I was in the high bunk last night, three high. I'm just glad it had a good ladder. I didn't sleep past breakfast this time. The Croo (that's how they spell crew here) had oatmeal, bacon, and pancakes ready for us. The Croo and Galehead Hut. The trail had a 1000'+ climb awaiting right off the bat. These morning climbs, on fresh legs, just go by so quickly. Put that same climb at 5pm and it's another story. The views atop South Twin Mountain were 360. It was neat to be able to see yesterday's mountains and the ones coming up soon. From Zeacliff I had great views of Mt Washington. I stopped for lunch at Zealand Hut before moving on to Ethan Pond Campsite. I am sitting on the shore of Ethan Pond as I type. I'm watching a father/son duo hammer the trout with flies. Impressive. Sunset on Ethan Pond and the view the next morning. 7:55 duration 2159 ascent 3173 descent
Date: 2013-08-12
From: Ethan Pond Campsite

To: Mizpah Spring Hut
Miles today: 9.3

8/12I was hoping to see some meteors from the Perseid Meteor Shower but fell asleep not long after dark. I have a real hard time staying up much past dark out in the woods. Today I want to give y'all a lesson on the art of Yogiing. To Yogi is to secure food from non-thruhikers, preferably through very subtle cues. The more subtle the cue the better the Yogi. I had a great day with my Yogiing attempts today. That has not always been the case. I have often failed miserably on what I thought were slam-dunks. First was breakfast. The dad who has been fly fishing the evening before was cooking pancakes on his large camp stove. I mentioned that that was an impressive stove. He then asked what kind of stove I had. The bait had been taken. The fisherman had become the fish. I said that I didn't carry a stove and settled for hot food on town stops. He then kindly asked if I would like a pancake. "Heck yes I would." I got three. The second time was from this nice couple. We were hiking the same trail and had chatted on and off. We just happened to take a snack break on the same mountain top. I mentioned something about the wild blueberries to get the conversation switched to food. They asked how often and where I resupply food. I said that in The Whites it can be a long way between spots, which is true. Looking good so far. They then offered me some chocolate-covered cranberries. She opened the bag expecting me to reach in. As a thruhiker it is a no-no to reach in another person's food bag. Our hands are simply not clean, so I opened my hand to have her pour some in. Along with this being proper trail etiquette it scores more pieces. Win-win. I continued to see this couple and we kept chatting. As we were talking about things related to the trail, I owned-up to my Yogiing. Fortunately they thought is was funny and all in good humor. It's small stuff like this that just add so much to a day. The hiking itself was fairly hard. There was this nearly 3000' climb to Webster Cliffs. I don't recall anyone mentioning this particular climb so how bad could it be. The first 2000' looked worse on the profile map. It was steep enough but not horrible. The next 1000' looked easier. Wrong. I thought the last 1000' might have been the toughest 1000 so far. Most of my fellow thrus thought S Kinsman was harder. I would often come to a section and just have to throw my trekking poles up and grab anything I could to pull myself up. For a long time it wasn't hiking anymore, it was Class 3 climbing. To add to the fun the trail became hard to follow. I could see the top of the mountain without any discernible path to get there. It was like, "You gotta get up here, good luck finding a way."Just like all the hikers before me, I found a way. The views along the way were typical to The Whites, simply stunning, top-of-the-world stuff. The Whites are a jewel. The road below is from where I came a few hours before. I am typing from my bunk (lower one this time) in room 6 at Mizpah Spring Hut. This is the second of the three huts I have secured. 6:48 duration 3717 ascent 2776 descent
Date: 2013-08-13
From: Mizpah Spring Hut

To: Lakes of the Clouds Hut
Miles today: 4.8

8/13The weather forecast didn't sound good this morning. The reality was worse. Shortly after leaving Mizpah it started to rain. It progressively got worse, to the point where the trail became a river again. Any views were gone. My hopes of having at least some views at Mt Washington were gone. It was time to punt. I got to Lakes of the Clouds Hut in a bit under 3 hours. I was soaked. I asked if they had any openings. They had one. I took it. The weather forecast is better for tomorrow but not perfect. I may never get to climb Mt Washington again so tomorrow it will be. I have a reservation at Madison Hut for tomorrow so I can take my time. I had a lot of time to kill at the hut. I played Scrabble with a couple of fellow thrus, who also had no desire to hike over Washington in the rain. I suggested that we modify the rules to double the points for words that were AT related. It added a bit of fun. My favorite entry was "nero", being that I had just taken one. HeavyWeight's entry was "beer", being that he wanted one. I'm sure the views from this place are incredible, but today the views were mostly from inside a cloud. I did get a glimpse of Mt Washington. Dang we are close to it. It wasn't so long ago it was just a faded shadow in the distance. 2:45 duration 2100 ascent 922 descent
Date: 2013-08-14
From: Lakes of the Clouds Hut

To: Madison Spring Hut
Miles today: 7.0

8/14 Awoke inside a cloud. Unfortunately the weather would not be good for my hike over Mt Washington, at least it wasn't raining. Temps on Washington were to drop into the upper 30s with 40mph winds gusting to 60-80. It can get a lot worse than that up there but it's August 14th for crying out loud. A sign announces the seriousness of this place. After a wonderful breakfast I left Lakes on the Clouds. I'll have to take their word for it that there are lakes. The visibility was very poor. Somehow I misread a sign and took the Westside Trail that bypasses Mt Washington. I kept thinking, "Why aren't we going up? There must be some steep climax to the summit." There were a lot of folks on this slippery trail, certainly this must be right. Nope. Once I got to the Cog I knew something was wrong. I had basically hiked all the way around Washington and was close to the AT on the other side. &$!#. I haven't missed any part of the AT yet so I sulked and hiked all the way back around Mt Washington until I found the right trail. The correct trail to the summit was much less slippery than the bypass trail, so that was good. I spent a lot of time at Mt Washington, mostly updating the pics for this journal and catching up on email. I only had a bit over five miles to hike so what was the hurry? No one had mentioned the next five miles as tough. I wandered outside at about 2pm expecting a "normal" 5.5 miles to Madison Spring Hut. Dinner was at 6, piece of cake. Wrong. The AT crosses the Cog Railroad. The exact type of rock that gives me trouble was waiting for me. The visibility was next to zero. Just following the trail was tough. Winds were gusting to levels even greater than that of which I experienced on Lafayette. It was insane. Throw in a little freezing precipitation just for the fun of it. I had my hands full. At one point the winds were too strong for me to advance. I was getting knocked down and with these rocks the risk of injury was too high. I hunkered down behind some large rocks to get out of the wind, and started thinking about having to spend the night there. I only had two more miles to the hut but two miles seemed like such a long way. Fear started to creep in. What if I got injured out there in the open? What if the winds actually increased? What if I made a wrong turn? That sign earlier in the day was starting to weigh on me. I left the protection of the tall rocks and slowly picked my way through rock hell, all while being blown all over the place. The two miles seemed to take forever. I didn't see the hut until I was mere feet from it. I had never been so relieved to see a building. I walked in the door just as they were serving soup. 6:10 duration 3267 ascent 3427 descent
Date: 2013-08-15
From: Madison Spring Hut

To: Pinkham Notch: Joe Dodge Lodge
Miles today: 7.8

8/15 The weather report this morning was a good one. The winds and poor visibility would give way as the morning went on. That report was spot on. The climb up Mt Madison was a slightly tamer version of what I experienced yesterday. I was getting pushed around by the wind but not knocked down. The visibility was poor but I could easily spot the rock cairns. Once I reached the summit I saw a glimpse of blue sky for a few seconds. Within a few minutes more blue sky appeared. By the time I was just partially off Madison the skies started to really clear. It was going to be a nice day, a day I wish I could have had going over Washington. I knew the climb down Madison was going to be tedious. I just took it very slow and let the trail come to me. It took me nearly 4 hours to get 3 miles from Madison Hut. I was definitely not burning up the trail. Note to thrus behind me: You need to take special care with the turns around Osgood Tent Site and beyond. The series of turns in this area can be confusing and there are no white blazes. Here is a map of the area from AWOL's SOBO book that is not in our NOBO book. I had reservations at Carter Notch Hut. It was clear that I was not going to make it before dark so I wanted to stop at Pinkham Notch. Joe Dodge Lodge pleasantly transferred my reservation to them making logistics easy. This sets up a nice two-day jaunt to US2 and Gorham anyway. 7:11 duration 1742 ascent 4511 descent
Date: 2013-08-16
From: Pinkham Notch: Joe Dodge Lodge

To: Stealth Site near Mt Hight
Miles today: 8.0

8/16Right after leaving Pinkham Notch this morning there was a beautiful little pond with Mt Washington right behind it. I believe it's called Lost Pond. I could imagine being in a little inflatable casting for trout. It just looked so peaceful. I had been warned about the climb up Wildcat Ridge Trail. It was definitely long and steep, but there was not much injury risk. I climbed over Wildcat E, D, C, and A. I don't know what happened to B. The Wildcats were all steep and rugged. If you weren't going steeply up you were going steeply down. After the Wildcats I came to Carter Notch Hut. I was already tired after only five miles. I contemplated staying. It they were having lasagna for supper I would have stayed. As it was I decided to move on and climb Carter Dome. Before leaving I noticed a guy fishing in an inflatable at a nearby pond. This guy was living my previous fantasy. The climb up Carter Dome really slowed me down. My morning legs were spent and I was on afternoon legs. Afternoon legs can get the job done, they just take more time doing it. I was told that there were some stealth campsites on Carter Dome. I saw one and it was in use. I chose to hike on to Zeta Pass. Along the way I stumbled upon this perfect campsite just short of the Mt Hight summit. This would be home for the night. After setting up my tent I hiked the short distance to the Mt Hight summit. Holy Cow, no one told me that this place was that good. I had a 360-degree view with Mt Washington staring at me. I could clearly see Maine. To top it off the sunset was going to be right over The Presidentials. This was almost too good to be true. And unlike the recent weather, it was perfect tonight. This has to be my favorite camping site of the trip. 7:39 duration 5230 ascent 2671 descent