morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2018-09-06
From: Madison Spring Hut

To: NH 16, Pinkham Notch
Miles today: 7.8

The winds did howl all night but at 6:45 AM when I was ready to leave the comforts of my tent it had yet to start raining. I was glad for this as it meant I could pack up my gear in a dry state. When I hiked the .6 miles uphill back to the hut, I was met with the hut being engulfed in clouds, but not rain.I refilled my water bottles and ate my own food for breakfast in the coziness of the hut. I knew rain was coming, it was just a matter of time. And so I started the climb to go over Mount Madison. The climb was about 500 feet. As I moved higher and higher the winds increased. At times they blew me sideways and once I even lost my balance and fell slightly into a large rock. It was large enough to support me like a wall rather than my toppling over it. I stopped short of the summit to take a video, hiding behind a huge rock about six feet high. Not knowing what to expect, I made my move to the summit. I was taken by surprise at the strength of the winds by moving just 15 to 20 feet higher. These were the strongest winds I've ever experienced. And yet, I was as happy as ever! I wasn't afraid but knew the dangers so I enjoyed the moment long enough to take a short video, a couple photos of myself, then quickly moved off the summit. After soaking it in I moved down the other side and the winds started to decline but were still strong. As I made my way to the tree line the rains came and I was soaked in no time at all. I later heard that those hikers just behind me were caught in sleet and hail near the summit. All made it through safely though.It was a long decent in steep, wet trail. I slipped multiple times including one that plunged my right knee into a rock. Luckily nothing cracked or broke. There was a prize at the bottom of the mountain in Pinkham Notch, another AMC Visitor Center. By the time I arrived the rain had stopped and the clouds were beginning to clear. I had lunch of a vegetarian chili and sandwich while listening to all the hikers talk about their summit experiences. Soon it was as sunny as ever and many hikers pressed on. Red Bard came in and said the experience, he was caught in the worst of it, had pushed him to the limits of his comfort zone. Both he and I had enough adventure for the day and decided to hitch a ride to dry out at a hostel in Gorham, New Hampshire. Three other hikers joined us on the side of the road and it wasn't long before a gentleman stopped and took all five of us to town. He had a vehicle that he said would hold seven, I forget the make and model. It turns out he was originally from Canada and he and Red Bard were engaged in conversation in French.At the hostel we showered, they did our laundry, and shuttled us to Wal-Mart and a beer store. Red Bard and I split a six-pack of beer. At the hostel one of the hikers made chicken parmesan for dinner and we shared in the meal. The rain would be gone the following day and we planned to return to hiking. For book followers, mile 1,871.5 page 191.
Date: 2018-09-07
From: NH 16, Pinkham Notch

To: Imp Campsite
Miles today: 13.1

This morning at the hostel we awoke to two great things every hiker loves, good hiking weather and all you can eat pancakes. Two hikers that were doing work-for-stay were in charge of making pancakes as fast as they could for all the hikers. I ate a total of five pancakes and had a couple cups of coffee. The shuttle returning us to Pinkham Notch left the hostel at about 7:10 AM.I've mentioned this before. Every time we hike the impossibly tough section, yet another one is talked about. Today we were up against the Wildcats. They are a series of four mountain peaks, each higher in elevation than the previous. Now I'd just completed the tough White Mountains of New Hampshire and enjoyed it tremendously. But the hyped-up Wildcats were next, right from leaving Pinkham Notch. It wasn't long before we found ourselves overlooking a long decent to the last hut in New Hampshire, Cater Notch hut. The decent was roughly 1,000 feet in less than a mile. Once at the hut I looked at the guide book and was surprised. So I played a trick on Red Bard by asking him to tell me if the following statement was true or false. "We're done with the Wildcats." We saw a large climb facing us whenever we decided to leave the hut. Therefore, he answered false. Truth is we were done with the Wildcats. Red Bard wants to start a petition to change them to the Housecats. They weren't tough at all!When we left the hut we made quick work of the climb to Carter Dome as well. Our confidence is sky high now having made it past the Whites. Our hiking is more fun too, we've survived the worst terrain thrown at us. Between talking and hiking with a chip on our shoulder we arrived at the Imp Campsite without realizing we'd gone 13.1 miles. When we checked in with the caretaker she offered us food as she was hiking out the following day and didn't want to carry the extra weight. I snatched three protein bars, a small trail mix and half a block of guda cheese. It is getting darker sooner and there's been a cold spell lately. After setting up my camp I forgoed the hot meal and had a cold dinner so I could get into my tent and sleeping bag as quickly as possible. This campsite was facing the wind and it was down right chilly! For book followers, mile 1,884.6 page 196.
Date: 2018-09-08
From: Imp Campsite

To: Trident Col Campsite
Miles today: 14.9

It was very cold this morning when a was breaking down my campsite. I was shivering my way through a cold breakfast while talking with some local hikers and telling them my story. The beat thing to do was to get the blood flowing by hiking. It didn't take long before I was peeling off layers of clothing. It was good to be back on the trail again.Today was a little strange in that Red Bard and I wanted to have a good mileage day but camping options were either too short or to long. We decided to just hike until the 5 o'clock hour and then start looking for a stealth campsite. By definition, a stealth campsite isn't visible from the trail. There's a whole process of not camping within a certain distance of a road, within so many yards of the trail and making your campsite appear as if no one was ever there. But the reality is that stealth campsites are those that are not listed in guide books as an official site, but it is clearly visible as a spot used often. Meaning the forest floor's vegetation has already been severely impacted. You'll find these spots near rivers, ponds, lakes, valleys and near mountain tops. Hikers like these spots for access to water or for their scenic views.Today's hike included one large decent and a large climb. The rest was mostly small ups and downs. It was close to 5:00 PM when Red Bard decided to take a small break and I pressed on forward. As luck would have it I came to the official Trident Col Campsite shortly after 5:00 PM. Being surprised, I took out the guide book and it was clearly listed at mile 1,899.5. Not sure how I didn't see it before, but the timing was right and when Red Bard caught up to me I said I'd found our home for the night.It was a nice site with a privy and a bear box for overnight food storage. We had ample time to setup camp and make nice hot meals. I had a Knorr rice side with bacon bits added in. When I finally did get into my tent and log the day's activity, that's when I realized we were a half mile short of 1,900 adventure miles. That's fine though as we'd be there first thing in the morning. Red Bard was the first to see the view in the attached photo the following morning. It was an awesome view and with Maine being about 10 miles away, a fitting farewell to the great state of New Hampshire which gave me nothing but magical views day in and day out. I didn't care that it was home to the toughest terrain on the AT. For book followers, mile 1,899.5 page 197.
Date: 2018-09-09
From: Trident Col Campsite

To: Full Goose Shelter and Campsite
Miles today: 14.5

I'd like to begin by telling you how great today was going to be. But some things just can't be put into words. So I'll just blurt it out... I've reached the state of Maine!Knowing I'm in the last state of 14 on the adventure is a great feeling. And to know today is September 9th and if the weather cooperates I'll be done before October arrives is also great. I can start counting the days until I return home to see family and friends.Maine said hello with magical views of its own as I climbed and summitted Goose Eye Mountain. The view was a full 360 degrees. Let me tell you, these views never get old. Mountains behind mountains behind even more mountains. As we hiked across the lower peaks on the mountain we came across areas of mud. At one point my right foot sunk down above the ankle in mud as I tried to avoid a huge circle of mud. I quickly retreated and chose another route and managed to use small trees to my advantage to avoid another incident. Later I talked with a hiker that had one leg in mud up to his knee. And there was another spot that had two planks across it but the planks sank as soon as you stepped on them. There was no way around it and this trap got the best of all of us. It didn't matter that you knew it was coming, they sank too fast to avoid wet shoes.I've met a new hiker returning to the trail in this area from where he stopped last year. His trail name is 'OK'. I was surprised when he said he heard of Sheffield Lake, my home town. It turns out he is from Medina, Ohio, living not far from my sister Barb.Completing 14.5 more adventure miles was nice. And yet here we go again with the just wait until, etc. Tomorrow I'll be going through a section of trail in Maine known as the Mahoosuc Notch. It is supposedly the toughest continuous mile on the entire Appalachian Trail. We'll see about that, won't we?! For book followers, mile 1,914.0 page 200.
Date: 2018-09-10
From: Full Goose Shelter and Campsite

To: Grafton Notch, ME 26
Miles today: 9.7

On today's agenda was a mile of trail called the Mahoosuc Notch. It is known as the toughest continuous mile on the Appalachian Trail. There was also a threat of rain which would add to the difficulty. I was up and moving early in hopes of getting through the Mahoosuc Notch before the rain arrived.I went through the toughest mile with Red Bard. When we arrived at the Mahoosuc Notch this is a description of what we found. Imagine folding a sheet of paper in half and standing it on the fold to make a vertical v-shaped corridor with steep walls. Then imagine filling the corridor (bottom) with a bunch of large irregular sugar cubes. There you have a description of the Mahoosuc Notch. The closest thing I've seen to this in real life, minus the two mountain sides, is a break wall on Lake Erie.In essence, I've been unknowingly training for the Mahoosuc Notch most of my life having fished from break walls for so many years. I've navigated these dangerous break walls carrying fishing gear. Red Bard and I started moving through the notch after starting a stop watch. We'd heard it took anywhere from one to four hours to traverse the notch. It was fun for us and we treated it like a jungle gym. Red Bard actually climbed through a couple tunnels needing to remove his pack. I chose to go up and over the top in these parts. I never took off my pack within the entire notch. Hoping from rock to rock was natural to me due to my experience with break walls. We were through the toughest mile in one hour and eight minutes. Next up was the Mahoosuc Arm, about an 1,800 feet climb out of the notch. This was actually tougher. There were many steep areas which were semi-smooth slabs of continuous rock. We made quick work of that as well. Had there been rain and the slabs wet it would have been more dangerous.The rain never did come while we hiked today. In the early afternoon we hitched a ride into the small town of Bethel to resupply our food and check on some cold weather clothing. We decided to spend the night at the Chapman Inn as rain was definitely coming in the evening and we didn't want to hitch back to the trailhead and hike to a shelter in the rain. It was a good call as it did rain in the evening and most of the night. I'd made it through another day of adventure having hiked for the 12th consecutive day, most of those days in the tough White Mountains of New Hampshire. I'd earned the well needed rest the Chapman Inn would provide. For book followers, mile 1,923.7 page 200.
Date: 2018-09-12
From: Grafton Notch, ME 26

To: East B Hill Road (Campsite)
Miles today: 10.3

Rain stayed in the area for more than a day so I decided to take a day off yesterday. The Chapman Inn was a great place to stay. It was operated like a bed and breakfast. There was a total of six guests the first night and only four last night. Those numbers included Red Bard and I.I took an Uber back to the trailhead at Grafton Notch and arrived at approximately 10:30 AM. Today's hike took me over the east and west peaks of Baldpate Mountain. The elevations of the peaks were just shy of 4,000 feet. The terrain was tougher today but nothing worse than I'd seen before.I tented at a campsite near a river and road. The weather was nice and there was no chance of rain. Red Bard made a campfire. This was the first campfire I'd been a part of in months. It was a nice change. I ate my dinner while sitting near the fire.For the most part, today was just another day on the adventure, although the views in Maine are as breathtaking as those of New Hampshire. Nothing special happened, but one can't ask for every day to be magical. If all days were magical, then in reality they'd all be routine. One thing is for certain though, I'd completed another 10 adventure miles and moved closer to my returning home to family and friends. For book followers, mile 1,934.0 page 201.
Date: 2018-09-13
From: East B Hill Road (Campsite)

To: South Arm Road (Campsite)
Miles today: 10.1

It is a little extra work to break camp when tenting verses sleeping in a shelter. Sometimes the extra work is needed. Lately I've found myself ready to call it a day without a shelter in the area. As long as it is not raining, I'm fine with tenting. I've found I sleep better in my tent and there's little chance of bugs pestering me overnight.Today was a day that I stopped hiking in the early afternoon. After stopping to take a break at a campsite, Red Bard and I were spent and decided to make this campsite an overnight stay. We were joined by three additional hikers, Robinhood, Bugs and Jingle. Jingle shared his freeze dried ice cream that he received in a care package from his wife. It was cookies and cream and really sweet. A small taste was all I needed. We also enjoyed another campfire complements of Red Bard.While on the trail today I had the pleasure of meeting a hiker named Pappy. He was going southbound. He held the record for oldest person to ever through-hike the Appalachian Trail. Not sure of his age at that time. However, his record was broken by another individual and Pappy decided he'd have no part of that. And so here he was at the young age of 87 attempting to reclaim his title. Yes, that's right, he's 87! I didn't want to hold him up too much but I did stop long enough to say hi and introduce myself. Pappy is a Korean War Veteran like my late father (Dad would have turned 87 on 9/21.) and to see him on the trail was inspiring. I wished him the best and moved on down the trail. I'm sure you could research more on Pappy if you felt inclined to do so.There is something funny starting to happen on the trail now. With the passing of each day of hiking the excitement is beginning to grow as we move deeper into Maine. The light at the end of the tunnel is now a reality and everyone is smiling more and having more fun regardless of the circumstances. Reaching Mount Katahdin is on all of our minds. For book followers, mile 1,944.1 page 201.
Date: 2018-09-14
From: South Arm Road (Campsite)

To: Sabbath Day Pond Lean-to
Miles today: 17.0
Weather: overcast clouds

The terrain in Maine is getting better and better with the passing of each day. And by better I mean easier. The toughness of New Hampshire carries over into Maine for the first 100 miles or so. Then its said we will be on the home stretch to Mount Katahdin. Ah, how I've longed for easier trail.Today I climbed Old Blue Mountain and then Bemis Mountain. Neither was too tough, both did not exceed 4,000 feet in elevation, but the views atop each were wonderful. Maine is a beautiful state just like New Hampshire. Once I was over the mountains for the day it was a relatively easy stretch of trail to the destination shelter. I was tired from the two mountains. But this was because my body has been pushed too hard, too long. After a long lunch break my second wind kicked-in and I was moving faster than I've moved in weeks. Coming down Bemis Mountain was an elevation drop of approximately 1,500 feet.Here I was moving quick and the humidity was high and the temperature above normal for the time of year. In moving quick I was neglecting my water intake. Near the bottom of the descent I crossed a hiker going south. He said not that far ahead near the road was a cooler with some trail magic. From this point forward I was on a mission to open the cooler as fast as possible. I was hoping for some cold water. Water I'd not have to filter. When I opened the cooler I chose an option I've never chosen before during hiking and to this point reserved for town. There was one ice cold Coors and I wanted the carbonation in a bad way. The beer went down in three large gulps and it was very refreshing. I also indulged in about a dozen cherry tomatoes and a fig bar. These items made my day.I pressed onward and made the shelter about 6:45 PM. It was a great day of hiking as I hiked 17 miles. It has been nearly a month since I've put in a day of mileage this high. It felt good to do so as it was a sign the tough days were coming to an end. For book followers, mile 1,961.1 page 204.
Date: 2018-09-15
From: Sabbath Day Pond Lean-to

To: Piazza Rock Lean-to
Miles today: 11.2

The small town of Rangeley was in my path today. The goal was to hike about nine miles then hitch a ride into town for a resupply of trail foods. And of course while in town take advantage and get some real food for lunch.The nine miles to town were mostly a drop in elevation and Red Bard and I made quick work of the mileage. We took a small break at the trailhead and then setup to hitch another nine miles to town. While we were working the hitch another three hikers came out of the woods and joined us. Within 15 minutes we had a hitch that took all five of us into town. It was an extended cab pick-up and we squeezed in while putting five packs into the bed of the truck. It was lunch time and we'd heard good things about Sarge's Pub, a sports bar. The pub became our first stop in the small town.I ordered the super loaded nachos, others opted for burgers and sandwiches. I partnered the nachos with a couple pints of a local beer. Those beers sure went down fast! I'd be wiser next time to consume water when coming off the trail before drinking two beers. But the excitement of town got the best of me. It always does.We hung around Sarge's after eating to use their electricity to charge our phones, etc. Then we walked about a mile to the local supermarket for a resupply. Off to the side of the supermarket was a small hill. Here there was about eight hikers lounging in the grass. We took turns doing our resupply while leaving our packs on the hillside for others to keep an eye on. I'd say we spent a couple hours sitting on the hillside before returning to the trail. Red Bard and I hitched our way back to the trail. It was an odd hitch. The gentleman was unaware of hikers coming all the way from Georgia on foot. His mind was blown and he took a group photo to remember the day. There were two other hikers in the truck already when we got in. I'd seen these two before. It was in Virginia at the Angel's Rest Hostel. They were there doing work-for-stay and were removing a raised bed in excruciating heat. They'd flipped up north to Mount Katahdin and were now heading south. It is common for hikers to flip up north if they feel they can't make Mount Katahdin before bad weather arrives, around mid-October.Red Bard and I only hiked another couple mikes to the first shelter. With packs full of food from the resupply and bellies full of town treats, it was all we could muster. The following morning we'd be ready to hike again with hopes of an above average mileage day. For book followers, mile 1,972.3 page 205.
Date: 2018-09-16
From: Piazza Rock Lean-to

To: Spaulding Mountain Lean-to
Miles today: 16.9

Red Bard and I have turned the just wait until you reach so-and-so into a trail game. After nearly 2,000 miles and getting through the tough White Mountains of New Hampshire we've basically seen it all. The Saddlebacks were the next just wait but we were not to be phased.The Saddleback Mountains were a series of three peaks with the first two just over 4,000 feet. We climbed over the peaks with the highest one coming first. After the three peaks we descended back down to about 1,500 feet. And once again the difficulty of the climbs did not live up to the hype. We waited for the difficulty to wipe us out but it didn't happen. Nope, we're experienced hikers these days. The views from atop the three were great though. And, after putting the Saddlebacks in our rearview mirror, we have just a few more mountains of similar elevation to climb before we reach a long, low elevation stretch of trail leading to Mount Katahdin.From atop one of the mountains I had a cell signal and returned a call from my brother Robert. Everyone is wondering when I'll be home. I'd originally planned on a mid-September finish date. However, that date was too optimistic given that I underestimated the White Mountains in New Hampshire. It's looking more like October 1st now. Plus I may take a couple days hanging out in Maine before returning home. During the call I talked to my great niece Harper. She's only five years old. She's missing the play time we share when I visit. So am I. I told here I'll be home soon and we'll have a party. I'm looking forward to seeing family and friends and giving my body the rest it needs. Ironically, all I can say to family and friends for now is, just wait... For book followers, mile 1,989.2 page 205.