morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2023-06-12
From: Thistle Hill shelter, VT (1741.4)

To: Hanover, NH (1756.0)
Miles today: 14.6

Today was the final day of the trail in Vermont. The trail was kind, and the weather decent (a bit muggy, but the sun was present for most of the day). Mosquito count was off the charts when I stopped walking, so I generally kept walking. The trail passes through several open pasture views which provided a nice counterpoint to the wooded areas. I did notice my first deer tick strolling along an arm as I emerged from one of these, and swiftly disabused him of his lunch plans. One of the meadows had a charming set of benches under an apple tree, an open invitation to relax and reflect. Deduce new laws of physics? Write bad poetry? The possibilities were endless, but I just kept hiking. The day¢s objective was to cross over the state line into Hanover, NH. A colleague who is also a Vermont resident joined me for the last few miles with his 2 frisky labs, which made the time pass quickly.  I will take a zero in Hanover tomorrow to get things squared away for the next section. There are 3 days of moderately vigorous hiking, and then the White Mountains start in earnest.  The trail saying is that once you have hit Hanover, ¢you¢ve travelled 80% of the way but only expended 20% of the effort.¢  Or, as another hiker put it more directly, ¢this sh*t is gonna get real.¢><
Date: 2023-06-13
From: Hanover, NH (1756.0)

To: Hanover, NH (1756.0)
Miles today: 0.0

Taking a zero today in the Live Free or Die state to get my ducks in a row for the next section. I did some phone calls, repaired my gear, resupplied, and ran a couple of loads of bathtub laundry. I became unreasonably angry when the hotel offered me a clothes steamer instead of an iron (my go to solution for a makeshift clothes dryer), but hopefully things will air dry before I set off tomorrow. I have had to make a couple of adjustments for upcoming weather. The forecast now is for rain, rain, and more rain - so I have baked in a couple more hostel/hut stops than originally planned and slowed my expected pace. I have also added in a thermal top and gloves, as the upcoming mountain peaks are forecast to be quite chilly. Breakfast this morning with a couple of colleagues was at Lou¢s, an institution in town that was doing a booming business. They are beloved for offering a free muffin to every thruhiker. Great food and vibe. Dinner tonight will be Thai with another thruhiker and her husband. We will swap lies and then tips on the upcoming trail. I feel readier than I did yesterday, and look forward to setting out tomorrow.
Date: 2023-06-14
From: Hanover, NH (1756.0)

To: Lyme, NH (1773.5)
Miles today: 17.5

Hanover turned out to be a very hiker friendly, although not cheap, spot to zero. Restaurants were welcoming (and toleratant of backpacks); undergrads fist-pumped as a thruhiker walked by; street art reflected the trail heritage.The trail walks through the center of town so I took another opportunity to have breakfast at Lou¢s on my way out. The trail was reminiscent of the last 30 miles of Vermont. Not too difficult, not too rocky, generally well-graded. Roots continue to grow in prominence in the treadway; when they are wet, they are a slip hazard for the unwary hiker. I wove through multiple different ecosystems today, which kept the trail interesting. I saw a number of old and new faces today. Slippery Doc, who I had last seen in PA, was slackpacking a section with his niece; Shinsplints, last seen in MA, reappeared after having spent 4 days off trail with a tick-related disease (not Lyme); Frodo and 109 buzzed by as well. Most of us ended up at the same overlook for lunch.  While we all had largely the same strategies in MA and VT, the approaches to the Whites are all over the place. Skipping sections, slackpacking, hut/hostel stays, sending gear home, adding gear - HYOH (Hike Your Own Hike) is the name of the game right now. While today¢s hiking weather was quite nice, with occasional sun appearances, I am making a lot of my own adjustments for the weather forecast for the Whites. The mountain peak forecast is the most refreshed app on my phone right now. That led me to pushing forward today and getting off in Lyme at a bed and breakfast to better position myself for the next couple of days. (Happily, I got picked up right before a thunderstorm hit this afternoon.)Snug and warm tonight.
Date: 2023-06-15
From: Lyme, NH (1773.5)

To: Rt 25A, NH (1789.6)
Miles today: 16.1

It was a mountainy day, a good run-up to the White Mountains (which I start tomorrow). Smarts Mountain and Mt Cube were on the menu, and rocks reappeared on the side, both slab and boulder.It was a day of careful focus on foot placement, given the triple threat of roots, wet rocks, and boulders. The weather was great for hiking following an early brief thunderstorm. Ran across this little family near a pond in the morning. The best views of the day came from the Smarts Mountain fire tower, which was open, and served as an impromptu lunch gathering. There were sweeping views of the surrounding mountains, a number of which we will be hitting soon. It was a long and tiring day - mostly due to the focus needed, but also the elevation gain and descent. It was a relief to get shuttled to my hostel tonight, The Notch. It is exceptionally well organized and clean, and full of hikers talking excitedly about their hikes on the mountains that I will be doing in the next couple of days. The Notch will be my base for the next couple of days as I bob and weave around the weather forecast.
Date: 2023-06-16
From: Rt 25A, NH (1789.6)

To: Kinsman Notch, NH (1808.8)
Miles today: 19.2

The White Mountains cover almost 14 of New Hampshire and are the most rugged mountains on the Appalachian Trail, providing many miles above tree line and often spectacular views. Beginning the White Mountain sequence (Moosilake, Kinsmans, Franconia Ridge, Presidentials, Wildcats) is a moment both dreaded and highly anticipated by thruhikers over the years. The Western-most peak is Mt Moosilake, 4802 ft in elevation. That was my objective for tomorrow - but as a result of the downpours forecast tomorrow I decided to hike some additional miles so that I could sit out the rain (sleet at the mountain peaks). So I did both Moosilake and some extra miles today. This ended up creating a pretty challenging hiking plan. I hiked in reverse direction (N to S) as the northbound slope of Moosilake parallels the Beaver Brook Cascades, both beautiful and treacherous at the same time. Better to climb up wet boulders than down. I made great time to the top, despite the terrain that was sprinkled with rock slabs and rebar. The top of Moosilake, an open alpine zone, was marked by cairns to ensure hikers stayed on trail (an unwary footstep can kill a fragile lichen species). Views weren¢t great - a bit hazy - but I was relieved to get up and over with before the thunderstorms forecast later in the day. The downhill was rugged, and required some careful foot negotiation. I was elated to finish this climb¢¦and was especially delighted to pass a thruhiker coming in the opposite direction who had packed in a beer for me to celebrate! (This is actually a big gesture in thruhiker-land, as it added a pound to her pack). I celebrated, but then had another 10 miles of hiking to finish the section, and a shuttle scheduled for 5:30 that I needed to hit. I kicked it into gear and arrived in time for the shuttle and avoided the rain. Longest day and most elevation gain/loss this year.  It is great to have the first of the Whites behind me. Looking forward to a down day tomorrow.
Date: 2023-06-17
From: Kinsman Notch, NH (1808.8)

To: Kinsman Notch, NH (1808.8)
Miles today: 0.0

Today was a weather zero, as I attempted to display good judgment on when to climb the Kinsmans (north and south), which are reputed to be particularly tricky. Given the heavy rain and cold temperatures, it didn¢t appear that flirting with hypothermia would help. Just as well, though - my knees are reminding me today that I am not 25, and my gallop over Mt Moosilake yesterday (with the additional miles thrown in) was a bit ¢¦ aggressive. Since I need these knees to last another 5 weeks, I have spent the day tweaking my schedule to not tempt fate again. This means that I will be doing a bit more hut activity (using the AMC huts as stopping points) than originally planned. It is not cheap - but neither are knee replacements. The hostel is bustling again tonight with hikers. Anyone that is here is serious about what they are doing, and a number were out in the weather today. A mother and daughter got turned around in the fog and ended up on the wrong trail, miles away from their endpoint. A graduating high school senior is trying his chops on the Whites on his own after his buddy was injured on the first day of their summer adventure. A tramily of 7 slogged through wet trails, walking on boardwalk planks 6 inches underwater. A happy and warm buzz fills the air as stories are told and advice exchanged. While today was healing, I am anxious to get back at it tomorrow.
Date: 2023-06-18
From: Kinsman Notch, NH (1808.8)

To: Lonesome Lake hut, NH (1822.2)
Miles today: 13.4

Well.Today¢s hike over Mt Wolf, South Kinsman, and North Kinsman was easily the most challenging hike and certainly one of the scariest things I have ever done. The Kinsmans have a bit of a reputation to begin with for being very steep and rocky, and I took a rain zero yesterday to make sure I was not climbing them with the deck stacked against me. Today was forecast to be mostly cloudy, so I merrily set off at 7am on my 13.4 mile hike, which would normally take me 6-6.5 hours. I walked into Lonesome Lake hut 10-12 hours later, soaked to the skin, chilled, and I am sure with the whites of my eyes showing. It turned out that yesterday¢s rainfall converted the trail to a river and the rivers to torrents. Planks that were supposed to offer footing above the water were submerged 6¢. Rocks and roots were slick with moisture. Plus, Mother Nature let me down a bit and it rained today as well - a cold rain, with temps in the 40¢s. So today¢s hike was all about 3 things:Not breaking my neck slipping down the steep, wet, and rocky descents from today¢s 3 mountains Avoiding hypothermia from soaking wet feet (after 20 minutes) and soaking clothing (after 3 hours) in low temperatures Crossing the large number of rivers and streams safely (Lest you think I am exaggerating, I compared notes with 2 other experienced NOBOs this evening - they confided that they were terrified as well). Eventually I made it. Mostly by moving very carefully and making extensive use of tree trunks and other roots to ease my way down the mountains while attacking the uphills to generate body heat. And, to top it off, this is the best view I got. Oof. Enough about that. There were some great things about today as well. I am staying at my first AMC hut, a fixture in the White Mountains, which offer bunk rooms for hikers and dinner/breakfast cooked by their croo. Pricey, but worth every penny today as a refuge. The feeling of well-being after changing into dry clothing and joining the communal area was intense.There are two NOBOs staying here on the work for stay program - all they can eat plus a dry place to sleep for 2 hours of chores. I was pleased and relieved when my emergency dry clothing was actually dry when I pulled it out of my pack. I had upgraded to a better pack liner early in my thru hike, and it paid dividends today by keeping spare clothing and sleeping bag bone dry. Another great thing - no bugs today!A note to other NOBOs: The ascent for South Kinsman is known for being fairly vertical and technical in parts. I found this to actually be the least difficult part of my day (all things are relative). I am relieved to have this particular day behind me, and hoping for sun tomorrow!
Date: 2023-06-19
From: Lonesome Lake hut, NH (1822.2)

To: Garfield Ridge campsite, NH (1835.3) 
Miles today: 13.1

From the ridiculous to the sublime. If yesterday was enough to make any sane person pitch their AT hike out of the window, today was enough to make that same person want to hike forever. Overnight the sky cleared. The stars were out and the morning dawned brightly, with mist rising over Lonesome Lake, where the hut is based (it is actually of 100 yards from the hut, but I was too tired and it was too wet to visit it last night). I headed out after breakfast with the objective of climbing down to Franconia Notch and then up and over Franconia Ridge - an iconic hike (rated #6 in the world). First, though, I needed to cross several rivers still swollen with rain. Cascade Brook, shown below, had the bridge washed out a while ago and the only option present was this tree trunk. Um, no. I headed upstream about 40 yards where a considerate hiker had marked an alternative crossing in shallower water. It still came to my knees as I waded across. Mile 1, and my feet were already soaked. The glamorous life of a thruhiker¢¦Once I reached Franconia Notch, the trail began to climb, 3700 feet of elevation to Mt Lafayette (¢the fighting Frenchman¢). On the way, the trail broke through the tree line and crossed over Little Haystack Mountain and Mt Lincoln. By a stroke of fortune, the weather was partly cloudy and the views clear over the majestic 360 degree views from the ridge. It was otherworldly, reminding me of the Roan Highlands in the South. I could have stayed up there all day - except that I couldn¢t, of course. There is no water and no camping on the ridge, and I needed to push on. For a time the trail dipped off the ridge into old growth, mossy forest. The final hurdle, though, between me and rest was Mt Garfield, a steep ascent up sheer rock slabs followed by a steep descent. It is rumored that the gentlemen who designed the Garfield trail had their own unique approach to trail cutting, with the focus on straight up and straight down. While broadly in NH the trail designers thought that switchbacks were for wimps, Mt Garfield is a poster child for that perspective. At 6:30, I staggered into the Garfield Ridge campsite, after another long and exhausting day. The elevation gain and loss were considerable today, and there was a lot of boulder work that required concentration on the descents (not as damp today, thankfully) and made the going slow. The difference from yesterday was that the return in scenery more than compensated for the effort. I know a lot of hikers at the campsite tonight, several tramilies I have been hiking around for several weeks. It was good to spend time with them in camp. Thruhikers have a saying - ¢Never quit on a bad day,¢ because the highs and lows can be so intense. New Hampshire has provided both so far.
Date: 2023-06-20
From: Garfield Ridge campsite, NH (1835.3) 

To: Crawford Notch, NH (1852.8)
Miles today: 17.5

Today started early as I had an ambitious hike planned to get down to Crawford Notch and a shower. Setting off at 6am, I immediately hit a daunting rock slide down which had turned into a waterfall (of course). I stowed my poles and played Tarzan (or Jane) down the side, hanging onto trees and roots. Nothing like a nice adrenaline rush to get going first thing in the morning. The big climb today was up and over South Twin mountain, another steep ascent. Again, great views, particularly coming off the back side from Zealand cliff. After this I descended down to Zealand Falls hut. One of the nice things about the huts is that, during the day, they offer soup and baked goods for hikers as well as water fill-ups. It was a beautiful structure and a great place to take a break. The remaining 8 miles of the hike were relatively flat and relatively fast (2 mph instead of the 1.3 mph that I had been averaging for the past 3 days). Along the way I passed a spare set of rocks that I assume Mother Nature had stored to strew on downhill sections anda large cluster of Lady Slippers (not sure what the collective noun is)as well as spotted a friend swimming with me in a bog I was tramping through. I arrived at Crawford Notch at 5pm, stuck out my thumb, and was picked up almost instantaneously by a local journalist who kindly delivered me to the AMC Highlands hut for the night. I was thinking today about how I am becoming increasingly inured to challenging hiking conditions - rock scrambles, bogs, wet water crossings, vertical rock faces, elevation - any one of which would have resulted in a lengthy journal entry earlier in this blog. I am sure that an experienced thruhiker reading my earlier entries would have just rolled their eyes thinking, ¢Just wait.¢ Yup, I am here now. I hope.
Date: 2023-06-21
From: Crawford Notch, NH (1852.8)

To: Mitzpah hut, NH (1859.2)
Miles today: 6.4

Nearo/short day today in lieu of a Zero. My body is a bit fatigued from the push over the last 3 days, so I decided to baby it a bit by taking advantage of the hut system through the Presidential range. The Presidentials are, in addition to the Franconia Ridge walk, an iconic part of the AT hike, with Mt Washington as the star. There are several huts along the traverse; today my objective was the Mitzpah hut. While only 6.4 miles from Crawford Notch, the hike took almost 5 hours due to significant elevation gain and a lot of technical work (read scaling and descending rock slabs). You would have thought that a recreational site that gets as many dayhikers as this one would be well groomed and easy terrain. You would be wrong (I was). The hike went steeply up to Webster Cliffs (with the bulk of the rock scrambling), which was a great place for a break and some views. Then over Mts Webster and Jackson. Cairns appear to be the method of choice for marking summits. Next through an alpine bog, which was full of flora that I had not seen before. The weather, critically important in this area, held nicely. The forecast for Mt Washington tomorrow is¢¦sunny! (You will recall that it was snowing 2 weeks ago). So instead of dawdling to the next hut, I will make it a long day and go up and over Washington, aiming for the Madison hut tomorrow night. One note: today was the annual Hike Naked day. Sadly, no pictures to share.
Date: 2023-06-23
From: Madison Springs hut, NH (1871.0)

To: Pinkham Notch, NH (1878.8)
Miles today: 7.8

Today¢s hike was the tail end of the Presidential Range, scaling Mt Madison then descending down to Pinkham Notch. I got an early start and pulled my way up the 0.5 mile steep climb to the top of Madison, pretty much a boulder scramble all the way. The top of Madison, though, provided excellent morning views - once again it was a warm, clear morning. The descent from Madison, however, has been characterized as the worst on the AT (getting in a lot of ¢bests¢ and ¢worsts¢ these days). I can testify that it was indeed extremely difficult - steep and rocky, and seemingly unending.But forewarned was forearmed, and with fresh legs, dry rocks, and all the time in the world, I slowly inched down to tree line. In one piece. After the long stretch above tree line over the past week, it was a relief to be back in the ¢green tunnel¢ for the 5 or so relatively flat miles before Pinkham Notch. Rocks and roots, river crossings, but no rock scrambles up or down. I am in a hostel now, trying to plan out the next section while also watching a Harry Potter movie with a collection of tired hikers. This has been a difficult section for all of us, and most are planning zeroes to recover physically or mentally. There are 2 more days of the Whites (Wildcats/Carters) and then the next section enters Maine. Both sections are challenging, and rain is forecast for the next week. Trying to work some logistical magic.
Date: 2023-06-24
From: Pinkham Notch, NH (1878.8)

To: Pinkham Notch, NH (1878.8)
Miles today: 0.0

I¢ve decided to take a brief weather break to let a week¢s worth of forecast rain work its way through the area. The next 2 sections (the Wildcats/Carters and the Mahoosuc range) are both challenging when it is dry; when slick the risk of injury is much higher. I spent a lot of time trying to figure clever ways to hike around the rain, but the mileages and elevations wouldn¢t play nicely.In addition, the streams and rivers in Maine are already high, with some closures, and this week will exacerbate the situation. Waiting a bit longer now should (hopefully) mean that I don¢t need to camp several days by a full stream waiting for it to go down before I try to cross it.I¢d built time in my schedule for weather delays, but didn¢t realize I would be using them all at once. I¢m a bit frustrated, but recognize that this is part of the challenge of completing a thru-hike.So - I will make the best of it. Sleep, eat bon bons, and watch Ted Lasso.Back soon.
Date: 2023-06-26
From: Pinkham Notch, NH (1878.8)

To: Carter Notch hut (1884.7)
Miles today: 5.9

One might think that an extended period of downtime off the trail due to weather would hold appeal. And it truly did, for about 24 hours. And then came the itch, and the invisible tug back to finish what I had started. Based on the current rain forecast, I could have taken off a week - but I am back in the saddle 2 days later and happy about it, trying to take advantage of a weather window that will let me finish New Hampshire. While on my weather zero, I did the one thing that I thought would guarantee no rain in the upcoming days: I purchased more heavy duty rain pants to replace the trash bag look alikes that I have been using (and that have been wholly ineffective in heavy rain). These new pants are about 4 times the weight of the ones they are replacing, but should do a better job of keeping me from getting chilled. Experienced hikers will tell you that there is no good solution for walking all day in the rain. Inevitably, your gear will wet out or you will sweat out from inside the gear. Regardless, I feel I should try something. Murphy¢s Law, though, suggests I will just be carrying extra weight with no benefit. This is the offering I make to the rain gods. Last night I was woken multiple times by thunder, as a strong storm swept through the area. Rain continued this morning until about 8:30, then tapered off. The forecast gave me a 4-6 hour window until the rain would start up again, with more thunderstorms and high winds forecast for the afternoon and evening, so I planned for a short day over the Wildcats. The Wildcats, like the Kinsmans, have a reputation. There are several peaks, but Wildcat D is very steep, very rocky, and a bit technical. I have been told the climb is the steepest 1 mile on the AT (although Mahoosuc Arm might disagree). Regardless, the Wildcat Ridge trail went from thisto this In 50 yards. And stayed like that for almost 2 miles. I even got to attempt my first chimney climb today.Trickier because of the wet rock, but I have a strong preference for going up now rather than down - just fewer opportunities for something going badly wrong. The rain held off for the promised timeframe, although the trail was swamped from the rain over the past month. And, of course, I was hiking in the clouds most of the day so had no views. The picture at the top of the post captures the day perfectly. Having covered 6 miles in 5 hours, I was very happy to reach Carter Hut, built in 1914 and one of the smaller and snugger huts in the Whites. There were wet clothes hanging from the rafters to dry, a couple playing Catan, a thruhiker explaining how to navigate a difficult stream crossing coming up, several people getting steaming mugs of coffee, and a croo member preparing dinner. The wind is starting to kick up now. I am hoping to get another weather window tomorrow to hike out of the hut to climb the Carters, the final mountains in the Whites on the AT.